The other civil war Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The other civil war - Assignment Example This was especially so during economic crisis such as that of 1837, 1857 and 1873. The government and the courts often acted in favor of merchants, businessmen, speculators and capitalists at the expense of workers especially women and blacks thus they continued suffering. This is evidenced by the failure of Anti-Renter movement in 1839, the Dorr rebellion of 1841 for electoral reforms, and flour riots of 1837. In 1850s, money and profit had taken center stage but all that was reported were slavery issues. During the civil war, national issues took center stage over class issues although it was clear that a social revolution was in the offing due to increased strikes. The Morrill tariff, Homestead Act and contract labor law all served to benefit businessmen with cheap labor and high prices for products. After the war, national federations of unions were formed but concentrated on political issues. Examples were the First International and Workmen’s party urging for a socialist republic. Blacks also formed their own unions. However, the federal troops stopped such efforts by killing and jailing many workers. In the end the working class was unable to overthrow the wealthy and ruling class. The article was very helpful in understanding class struggles in the society before and after the civil war and how such struggles were overtaken by slavery, race issues and the civil war itself. These issues are often given importance over class struggles. A good example of class struggle was that of sheriffs and tenants leading to rent uprisings in 1830s and 1840s. Leaders of such Anti-Rent movements were silenced by life imprisonment. The struggle was between the rich and poor whites hence issues of slavery and race did not materialize yet they are the ones mostly written about in history books. Zinn also attributes racial and religious animosity to class struggles. He explains the hatred for blacks,

Strong Social Responsibility Essay Example for Free

Strong Social Responsibility Essay Corporate social responsibility for many corporate bodies means engaging in some philanthropic community ventures like sponsorship, donations or giving in kind programs. However, some companies have been able to build strong relationships and partnerships with the communities and are offering practical solutions to the many social problems. That notwithstanding, most companies and organization consider such ventures as a donor-recipient relationship, rather than a mutually benefiting programs. Success of any such activities is normally considered in terms of financial contribution, the employee satisfaction or the effects on the social issue. As important as they are, such achievements do not convince many companies and shareholders because they believe that a company can only post strong profits so has to benefit everyone. And for that matter, most corporate entities do not have any corporate social responsibility program but would once in a while donate to some charitable activities as a mere window dressing to hoodwink the public that they are committed to such obligations. This paper will provide examples of companies with strong corporate social responsibility programs and have been quite successful in terms of profitability. The scale and forms of benefit strong CSR programs would offer a company can vary and more often depends on the nature of the business. Quantification of the benefits may also be a difficult task; however, there are good reasons why every corporate organization should adopt a CSR programs or policies in its operations (Orlitzky, Frank, Schmidt, Rynes, 2003). Strong social responsibility enables companies to manage risk. Managing risk is an integral part of every corporate strategy. An organization’s reputation which may take years to build may be damage in a matter of hours through accidents and incidents that are manageable. Scandals like corruption or environmental accidents may severely ruin the reputation of the company. Moreover, such incidences may attract unnecessary attention from the media, government, the courts as well as the regulations, damaging the company’s reputation further. However, developing and sticking to certain corporate social responsibilities within the company and the community can work to obstruct some of these risks. IBM has built a strong image as one of the leading companies helping in conservation of energy and environment. This has earned it respect as an environmental friendly company even as reap financial benefits from its businesses (IBM Responsibility n. d). Corporate social responsibility is a great marketing tool for many companies that have been able to exploit its benefits. In crowded and competitive markets, companies seek to have unique selling proposition which may differentiate them from other competitors in the minds of potential costumers (Orlitzky, Frank, Schmidt, Rynes, 2003). Strong corporate social responsibility can play a vital role in helping companies build strong loyal costumer base based on their distinctive ethical values. Some of the major brands like America Apparel and The Body Shop have been built on strong ethical values. Corporate service organizations may also benefit by establishing a strong reputation and best practice. Coca-Cola is one company that has been able to build a strong reputation in the market through its CSR programs. Its latest campaign dubbed Live Positively is geared towards promoting a positive and sustainable living in the world through different initiatives (Coca-Cola Company n. d. ). Although it is a peaceful message to everyone, it would help the company entrench itself as one of the number one leader in global business. A corporate social responsibility program can also be helpful in recruitment and retention of employees, especially in a competitive graduate students market. Young graduates looking for jobs normally ask about a company’s corporate social responsibility policies during interviews and firms with strong and comprehensive policies may have an edge in not only absorbing such recruits but also retaining them for a long time. Corporate social responsibility can aid in enhancing the employees’ perception about the company, especially when they are considered in the company’s CSR programs like fundraising activities and community volunteering. A good example of a company with such programs is the Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) which has an Employee Involvement Policy Framework and Program. This program started in 2004 under the joint watch of the Human Resources and Community Affairs, gives support to employees and encourage their participation in community development through voluntary programs (CSR Europe 2010). Every company or corporate body does not welcome external interference like taxation or government regulations in their operations. Having strong corporate social responsibility programs may be the first step towards convincing the government and the general public that the company does not take lightly the social issues like health, safety and environment problems, that affects the public in a community or the country in which it operates (Orlitzky, Frank, Schmidt, Rynes, 2003). This will persuade the government to license a company or organization as good corporate citizens with regards to the labor standards and its impact on the environment. Ecolab which was ranked number two among the world’s most ethical companies in 2009, has been a good example of how strong CSR programs can be beneficial both to the company and the country at large. The company has a strong commitment to help the United States reduced its greenhouse gas emission by 20 percent per every sale made between 2006 and 2012 (Environmental Leader, 2010). This initiative not only enables the company increase its sales but also helps the company build a good reputation among the public and the government. Such company may not face difficulties when it wants to acquire license for new operations either within the US or in any country. In conclusion, strong corporate social responsibility is not only a community development initiative but also a long-term corporate financial investment. The benefits of such a program are mutually good for the existence and operation of any business and for the development of the community and country where businesses operate and are sustained. References IBM Responsibility (n. d). IBM Corporate Responsibility. Retrieved on August 14, 2010, from http://webcache. googleusercontent. com/search? q=cache:obfJZix- yVoJ:www. ibm. com/ibm/responsibility/+ibm+CSR+programscd=1hl=enct=clnkgl=keclient=firefox-a Coca-Cola Company (n. d. ). Sustainability: Corporate Responsibility. Retrieved on August 14, 2010, from http://webcache. googleusercontent. com/search? q=cache:LJLNHF3zpOcJ:www. thecoca-colacompany. com/citizenship/+cocacola+CSR+programcd=1hl=enct=clnkgl=keclient=firefox-a CSR Europe (2010). Employee Involvement Program. Retrieved on August 14, 2010, from http://webcache. googleusercontent. com/search? q=cache:TEaWduxbx68J:www. csreurope. org/solutions. php%3Faction%3Dshow_solution%26solution_id%3D299+microsoft+CSR+programcd=4hl=enct=clnkgl=keclient=firefox-a Environmental Leader (2010 April, 8). Ecolab Sets New Goals for Water Use, Waste and Effluent Water. Retrieved on August 14, 2010, from http://www. environmentalleader. com/2010/04/08/ecolab-sets-new-goals-for-water-use-waste-and-effluent-water/ Orlitzky, M. Frank L. Schmidt, S. Rynes, L. (2003). Corporate Social and Financial Performance: A Meta-analysis. Organization Studies, Vol. 24 (3): 403-441.

With close reference to Before you were mine Mother..any distance and E

With close reference to Before you were mine Mother..any distance and On my first Sonne explain how imagery, structure and language are used to convey these relationships. Relationships between Parents and Children are described in several poems in the Anthology. With close reference to 'Before you were mine' 'Mother..any distance' and 'On my first Sonne' explain how imagery, structure and language are used to convey these relationships. The three poems all contain different ideas on relationships between parents and children. In before you were mine, the author writes about how someone imagines their mother, and her life, before they were born. Mother..any distance tells of a son's changing relationship with his mother, and what has happened as he has grown older. On my first Sonne is elegiac, ittells a fathers story of his son's death, and the emotions which he has felt. The two poems, Before you were mine and Mother..any distance use imagery; On my first Sonne does not. Carol Ann Duffy uses imagery freely in Before you were mine describing the mother, 'The three of you bend from the waist, hoolding each other, or your knees, and shriek at the pavement.' The author gives a different image in each stanza, each containing her mother, as well as others, different in each paragraph. In the first stanza she includes her mother, her mother's friends, and boyfriends. In the second she goes on to describe the mothers red shoes, how they are now relics to her child. In the last stanza it is explained how, even when she was a child, she wanted her mother to be a friend, 'Even then I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere in Scotland, before I was born.' The poemMother..any distance uses i... ...lking to him son, it seems as though he assumes that the boy can read his words. He calls his son the child of his 'right hand' these ideas suggest the boy is of great worth and also that he would have been as his father, the writer's heir. An image which comes from the Bible. It reflects ancient cultures, how Jesus is shown as sitting at God's right hand. Before you were mine describes, in each stanza a little more of the image of the mother, each stanza is different, and this is effective, as each has it's own little story, and image. The author also reminds you in each paragraph, that the mothers child is not yet born, and it is only their imagination. The poem flows well, and she uses the title as the last phrase of the poem, 'Where you sparlkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine' - this is a very effective ending, and completes the poem well.

Resource Allocation Essay

Project management is the discipline of defining and achieving targets while optimizing the use of resources: time, money, people, materials, energy, space, etc. , over the course of a project. The most important resources that project managers have to plan and manage on day-to-day basis are people, materials, equipment and working capital. Obviously, if these resources are available in abundance then the project could be accelerated to achieve shorter project duration. On the other hand, [Avoid using colloquial language, slang or jargon in formal writing (14)] if these resources are severely limited, then the result more than likely will be a delay in the project completion time. Depending on the type of resources, the costs of providing an abundance of such resources to accelerate project completion time can be very high. However, if resources are readily available and excess premiums are not incurred to use them on the project, then project cost should be low, as some project costs are resource related while others are likely to be time dependent. In seeking professional services for the design and construction of our garage with living quarters, the management team has been confronted with a broad variety of choices. The services solicited are based on past history and excellent referrals. The Ransom family has selected the following individuals for the organizational structure of the garage project, all team member functions, responsibilities, qualifications, and capabilities are defined, as well as where each member fits into this structure. [Comma splice and/or run-on sentence. Rewrite as two sentences, or separate with a semicolon. (32)] The Ransom’s are confident that this group of individuals will form a cohesive team to complete the project within scope, budget and time. Ransom Family James Sampson is a low-level manager who will function as project manager. As PM he has been given the authority by the board of directors to resolve any resource allocation issues that may arise. James reports directly to the board of directors. His qualifications are over 20 years of experience in the areas of industrial engineering, materials and operations management. His academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and an MBA specializing in quantitative business analysis and business statistics. James will serve as liaison for the city planning commission. James has the following skills and abilities: principles and practices of contemporary project management, strategic, conceptual and analytical thinking, adaptability and flexibility including ability to manage pressure, ambiguity and change, team leadership, interpersonal, communication, and project management skills. Jody Bryant is a functional manager in charge of Contract Administration and Documentation. She reports to James Sampson. Jody’s qualifications are 18 years experience in the area contract administration and associated policies, and procedures. Her academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA specializing in technology. She maintains contract administration systems that ensure that contractors perform in accordance with the terms, conditions, and specifications of their contracts and/or purchase orders. Her responsibilities include: documentation and record keeping, receiving, evaluating and acting on engineering and other change proposals, negotiating cost and schedule impact relating to change orders and other contract modifications. She also ensures timely submission of required reports. Rose Matos is functional manager in charge of structure and on-site management. She reports to James Sampson and Jody Bryant. Rose has 15 years experience designing beams, columns, walls, floors, roofs, and foundations of various structures. She will be responsible for overseeing Big Time Builders, Keep-em Happy Architectural, Martin Grading, and other of contractors such as electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and industrial engineers. James Vann Haigler is functional manager over quality assurance. Vann, as he prefers to be called, has an extensive background in quality assurance management, which includes a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, specializing in Computer Science. He has over 13 years of experience in QA, 3D graphics applications. Vann reports to James Sampson, and is responsible for the overall management of activities related to the sampling, and release of raw materials and components. This includes, but is not limited to, writing of specifications and SOPs, control of artwork, shop floor testing, resolution of Sub-standard Material Reports, and maintenance of vendor files. He guarantees a level of quality for the end client, and is focused on creating a quality deliverable. Task and Responsibility Matrix After the project is organized, there is a need to define what roles and responsibilities for each member of Team B. Within the project the labor will not be specificity be accomplished by the team members but from sub-contractors, however each task must be carried out in order to complete the project. [This sentence is confusing. Reword for clarity] In order to insure that all tasks are carried out in the necessary order described within the Statement of Work the overseeing of the tasks are divided and assigned to various team members according to the members role which is defined by; responsibility, approval and support. With this in mind, the team has developed a task/responsibility matrix to keep track of these steps.

Computer Security Essay

Encryption is method of scrambling data in some manner during transmission. In periods of war, the use of encryption becomes paramount so those messages are not intercepted by the opposing forces. There are a number of different ways to protect data during transmission, such as Substitution (character for character replacement) in which one unit (usually character) of cipher text (unintelligible text or signals produced through an encryption system) is substituted for a corresponding unit of plain text (the intelligible text or signals that can be read without using decryption), according to the algorithm in use and the specific key. The other method is Transposition (rearrangement characters) which is the encryption process in which units of the original plain text (usually individual characteristics) are simply moved around; they appear unchanged in the cipher text for their relative location. Study Case (Bank of Shenandoah Valley) While both encryption and authentication method are providing some measures of security, the implementation of security itself has totally a different approach. Before any methods chosen, the two most important factors in security implementations are having to be determined. The level of security needed and the cost involved, so the appropriate steps can be taken to ensure a safe and secure environment. In this case Bank of Shenandoah Valley is in type of business which a high level of security is required, therefore, I would suggest the use of encryption method with a complex algorithm involved. Although an authentication method is a secure method as well, is not as complex as encryption method of complex algorithm since it has been used in military during the war where a high levels of security are a must. During the war, the use of encryption becomes paramount so those messages are not intercepted by the opposing forces. This is a perfect example of how reliable an encrypted message can be while used within its appropriates guidelines. 4- Describe the three different database models – hierarchical, relational and network. For data to be effectively transformed into useful information, it must be organized in a logical, meaningful way. Data is generally organized in a hierarchy that starts with the smallest unit (or piece of data) used by the computer and then progresses into the database, which holds all the information about the topic. The data is organized in a top – down or inverted tree likes structure. At the top of every tree or hierarchy is the root segment or element of the tree that corresponds to the main record type. The hierarchical model is best suited to situations in which the logical relationship between data can be properly presented with the one parent many children (one to many) approach. In a hierarchical database, all relationships are one – to -one or one- to – many, but no group of data can be on the ‘many’ side of more than one relationship. Network Database is a database in which all types of relationships are allowed. The network database is an extension of the hierarchical model, where the various levels of one-to-many relationships are replaced with owner-member relationships in which a member may have many owners. In a network database structure, more that one path can often be used to access data. ‘Databases structured according to either the hierarchical model or the network model suffers from the same deficiency: once the relationships are established between the data elements, it is difficult to modify them or to create new relationships. Relational Database describes data using a standard tabular format in which all data elements are placed in two-dimensional tables that are the logical equivalent of files. In relational databases, data are accessed by content rather than by address (in contrast with hierarchical and network databases). Relational databases locate data logically, rather than physically. A relational database has no predetermined relationship between the data such as one-to-many sets or one-to-one. Case study ( D’Angelo Transportation, Inc.) There are a number of factor which ought to be discussed during discussion: O How much of the system should by computerized? O Should we purchase software or build based on what we are using in the current system. ( make versus buy analysis) O If we decide to make the new system, should we design an on-line or batch system? O Should we design the system for a mainframe computer, minicomputer, microcomputers or some combinations? O What information technologies might be useful for this application? Some of the security issues, are consist of the level of security required and the cost involved in this conversion. A database system is vulnerable to criminal attack at many levels. Typically, it is the end user rather the programmer who is often (but not always) guilty of the simple misuse of applications. Thus, it is essential that the total system is secure. The two classifications of security violations are malicious or accidental. One of the most emphasized and significant factors of any program development is the early involvement of the end-users. This provides the programmer as well as the end-user with important functionality of the new system and help them to adapt to the new working environment more efficiently and effectively. The continuos training of the staff is essential in meeting the objectives of the organization since they will be provided with needed skills and expertise necessary to deal with daily issues using of new system.

Free Essays on Anarchy

Grapes of Wrath By: kevin cremeens The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930's lived. The novel tells of one family's migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930's. The bank took possession of their land because the owners could not pay off their loan. The novel shows how the Joad family deals with moving to California, and how they survive the cruelty of the landowners that took advantage of them, their poverty, and willingness to work. The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck adoration of the land, his simple hatred of corruption; resulting from materialism (money), and his abiding faith in the common people to overcome the hostile environment. The novel opens with a retaining picture of nature on rampage. The novel shows the men and women that are unbroken by nature. The theme is one of man verses a hostile environment. His body destroyed but his spirit is not broken. The method used to develop the theme of the novel is through the use of symbolism. There are several uses of symbols in the novel from the turtle at the beginning to the rain at the end. As each symbol is presented through the novel they show examples of the good and the bad things that exist within the novel. The opening chapter paints a vivid picture of the situation facing the drought-stricken farmers of Oklahoma. Dust is described as covering everything, smothering the life out of anything that wants to grow. The dust is symbolic of the erosion of the lives of the people. The dust is synonymous with "deadness". The land is a ruined way of life (farming), people uprooted and forced to leave. Secondly, the dust stands for profiteering banks in the background that squeeze the life out the land by forcing the people off the land. The soil, the people (farmers), have been drained of life and are exploited: The last rain fe... Free Essays on Anarchy Free Essays on Anarchy Grapes of Wrath By: kevin cremeens The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930's lived. The novel tells of one family's migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930's. The bank took possession of their land because the owners could not pay off their loan. The novel shows how the Joad family deals with moving to California, and how they survive the cruelty of the landowners that took advantage of them, their poverty, and willingness to work. The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck adoration of the land, his simple hatred of corruption; resulting from materialism (money), and his abiding faith in the common people to overcome the hostile environment. The novel opens with a retaining picture of nature on rampage. The novel shows the men and women that are unbroken by nature. The theme is one of man verses a hostile environment. His body destroyed but his spirit is not broken. The method used to develop the theme of the novel is through the use of symbolism. There are several uses of symbols in the novel from the turtle at the beginning to the rain at the end. As each symbol is presented through the novel they show examples of the good and the bad things that exist within the novel. The opening chapter paints a vivid picture of the situation facing the drought-stricken farmers of Oklahoma. Dust is described as covering everything, smothering the life out of anything that wants to grow. The dust is symbolic of the erosion of the lives of the people. The dust is synonymous with "deadness". The land is a ruined way of life (farming), people uprooted and forced to leave. Secondly, the dust stands for profiteering banks in the background that squeeze the life out the land by forcing the people off the land. The soil, the people (farmers), have been drained of life and are exploited: The last rain fe...

Education Quality

Education Quality Introduction As a human being, the most basic way to earn a living is through education. This is a fact that has been in existence right from the ancient days. Education is defined differently by different people. However, the goal of most students who undergo education is to lead future that is better and brighter.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Education: Quality based Vs. Exam based specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apart from education being a way through which people can attain a better standard of living, it should also be used to better the societal values. Since the society is ever changing, education is supposed to undergo necessary dynamism and reflect keep in pace with these modern life changes. Nevertheless, there are numerous schools that are still teaching their learners according to the old way, and this can be observed in the distinction between the western education and the eastern one. The difference is seen in terms of an education that is quality based and that which is exam based. As a China based student, both my elementary and high school education was exam-driven. This is similar to the Paulo Freire’s â€Å"Banking Concept of Education†. Eastern Learning What characterizes learning in China and the entire Asia is being able to excel in the many examinations. The only method of examining students is through the use of tests. Their performance is not based on their previous performance but upon passing the tests, they are regarded as having undergone learning. What teachers are concerned about is the fact that the learner has passed the exam. They are not bothered about how the learner got to pass it. This is the experience that Mike Rose shares by saying that he wants to be average since the teachers who were hardworking in education were a few. As a high school student, I found studying easier. This is because all I needed to do was review my w ork prior to exams. This made me to pass them quite well. The same applies to a good score of Asian learners who need to review their class work as criterion to excelling in their exams. This method encourages dishonesty among students. The way teaching is done, all the information is put on the chalkboard and hand outs. It is the students’ responsibility to internalize it. Teachers do everything in the normal classroom learning. For example, all Chemistry practicals are done by the Chemistry teacher. Students are just shown how the practicals are done for ease of remembering but are not allowed to do the practicals on their own. Most students end up remembering the theoretical aspect but not the practical part. Western Learning Since I came to the U.S for my college studies, I have come across remarkable differences between the American education and Asian’s. For instance, in the America college, students are not only supposed to work and study on their own, but are a lso supposed to pay close attention to every question since it may count a lot for the semester’s entire work.Advertising Looking for critical writing on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This style of learning compels you to study on your own and work hard without depending on other extra help. As a Chinese student, I did all I could to be conversant to the school rules and yet I could not gain access to the so called best universities in China. One of the known facts about Chinese universities is that it is difficult to join them but very easy to leave. In China, you can spend your time in the university without doing anything meaningful and still graduate. In the US, it’s the exact opposite. Nevertheless, college is the best stepping stone towards the society and its changes. Whatever is learnt at this level, should not just be for memorizing, but should impart creativity and critical thinki ng to enable one deal with situations. Disciplinary issues There’s also a difference when it comes to disciplinary issues. In China, teachers consider discipline to be more serious than study. Learners are like prisoners since school rules should not be broken. Students are expected to be seated in class immediately after the alarm has rung. Anyone getting in late is liable for a punishment. The punishment all depends on the teacher’s mood. The teacher might decide to let you go, ask you to stand throughout the lesson or punish you after the class. At other times, the punishment can be in form of running round the school compound. Once in the class, students are not allowed to visit the rest rooms since doing so is considered as interfering with the progress of the class. While at elementary school, failing in home work and other tests was punitive. A student caught in such a mistake could be asked to copy down the right answer so many times for the purpose of memorizi ng. Although almost all the punishments were bearable, the worst one was being hit by the teacher. Such cases may not exist as of now, but during my elementary school days, it was real. Comparison between Eastern learning and the American working class schools What I went through can be likened to the working class schools described in Anyon’s article. Given the conditions at the national level, there’re a lot of similarities among different schools. The conditions of learning where most students school are similar to those in America’s working class schools. The teachers were always right on what they said and the opportunity to disapprove their theories was inexistent. Students were not only to memorize everything taught by the teachers, but were also to carefully take the notes during class time. There’s therefore no room for questioning what has been taught since it’s assumed that everything taught by teachers is correct. Students are bound to accept everything under the teachers’ control. This often make me relate this to the two kinds of oppression: adultism and ageism. Teachers force everything on students due to their adult identity.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Education: Quality based Vs. Exam based specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion At first, education appears to be something exciting but the conditions turn it into something sad and into a passive way of learning. Education should be aimed at helping students develop creativity, imagination and a practical way of doing things. However, exam-oriented type of education denies the students a chance of developing these aspects during their learning process. On the other hand, western education lays emphasis on the capability of study and aims at nurturing the students’ talents and help them to be of value to the society. It does not only provide them with empty t extbook knowledge. According to the dynamics and societal development, the education system should be modified to reflect this reality since this is a better way of empowering people.

Four Things I Learned While Writing Crime Fiction

Four Things I Learned While Writing Crime Fiction Four Things I Learned While Writing Crime Fiction After a tour in Iraq, which had him conducting security for EOD missions, supply runs, and anything else the military asked of him,  Zack Klika got out and went to college at The University of Texas Dallas. He graduated in 2010 with a B.S. in Finance. It was around this time he decided that writing was what he really wanted to do, not numbers. In this article, he talks about the four biggest pieces of advice he learned about writing crime fiction by working with professional editors. My new novel, Blood On The Bridge, is about three very different people banding together to figure out who murdered a female soldier. And much like the characters in my book, I teamed up with two amazing editors, Will Anderson, my developmental editor, and Mary Beth Constant, my copy editor, to get my novel in tip top shape. Writing a novel is no easy task. I outlined for a month and then wrote the first draft in two, at which point I knew I needed to get professionals involved. Will had so many great comments and suggestions about my manuscript that it energized me when the time came to dive back in for a rewrite. Mary Beth spotted a great many inconsistencies in my story’s timeline and overall story arc. Without her, the novel would have come off as amateurish. They both returned my edits before the due date we had agreed upon as well, which made me feel even more confident in the Reedsy platform.Here is some of the advice I picked up during the writing and editing process, regarding creating a great thriller novel.1) Embrace the tropesThere is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling like your mystery or thriller rings similar to a lot of other crime fiction. However, there are ways to make your scene feel more original than it really is. The best piece of craft advice I ever received actually was n’t related to writing. It was given to me during an improv class. My instructor told the group to throw away the first three ideas that popped into our heads when we walked onto the stage to perform a scene. And it always worked. It forces your imagination to scramble for something that wasn’t already there. And when you’re faced with no way out, you will find a way out. It’s how a lot of writers write: they paint themselves into a corner and then find a way out. When you're writing genre fiction, don't be afraid to embrace the tropes There is a scene in my novel where one of the main characters is knocked out and thrown into the trunk of a car. He wakes up in the trunk and realizes he is being driven to his death bed. So, what can he do when his kidnappers open the trunk? Fight or flight? Those are two options. He could also beg. Those were really the only three options I could think of. Later, when I was laying in bed trying to sleep, a fourth option came to me: he could play possum. And I’m sure I’m not the only one to ever write about a character playing possum in the trunk of a car on the way to his literal death bed. But regardless of how used of a trope it is, it was the option that absolutely fit my character best and not just the first thing I could think of.Don’t forget to rely on your developmental editor as a source for great ideas, too, which leads me to the next part...2) Run with your editor’s adviceSeriously. Take their ideas, advice, and feedback and run with it. Theyâ €™ve probably read a lot more crime fiction than you ever will so they are the perfect person to tell you how to make your book better.Authors tend to get tunnel vision while they’re working on their manuscript. Try your best not to be upset if your developmental editor tells you he or she doesn’t feel like a scene works in its current state. The main job of that editor is to critique your work. If they’re great editors, like mine were, they’ll throw out a ideas to improve the scene. Think about those ideas and use them as you see fit. The thriller-writing lessons I learned by working professionals editors I knew something was missing from my book when I submitted it to Will. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but Will found it right away: I needed another red herring in my story. There wasn’t enough going on in the second act to sustain it through to the end. One of the ideas Will gave me was perfect and right in front of my eyes the whole time. I ran with it. And it ended up making my story all the more enjoyable. And you want to be entertained by your novel.Want to learn more about cozy crime fiction - and get some recommended titles while you're at it? Check out this  comprehensive guide to cozy mysteries.3) Use your sensesIf you’re not entertained by your crime fiction, your reader won’t be either. I write mysteries and thrillers because I have a passion to entertain and I’ve always been entertained by a good crime story. Remember that your thriller or mystery is being told to someone, and they need to be brought into your make believe world. The best way to do that is through "show, don't tell" and by incorporating all five senses into your writing: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch.After a first or second draft, I’ll go through my manuscript and see which of the five senses are lacking. Sight and sound get used the most in a lot of writing, which is perfectly fine. But smell, taste, and touch can be your sleuth’s/detective’s best friend and can make or break a case. Did your detective get a whiff of cologne off the murdered woman found in her apartment? Did he later smell that same cologne while interviewing a suspect? A great exercise I like to do is to write out a few ways a killer can be caught based off one of those three senses. It’s not easy, but that just means your story will be all the better for it. My next piece of advice will make your story better too. The four best pieces of advice I learned while writing crime fiction 4) Keep your action scenes loose and free-flowingDon’t get too bogged down in being so precise with the details that your reader can’t fill in some blanks for themselves and immerse themselves in the story. If you’re writing within the realm of reality it may be a good idea to keep your fights on the shorter side as well, to build suspense. Real fights are nothing like boxing matches. Real fights are messy. Real fights are usually wrapped up within a few minutes. And real fighters fight dirty. Remember that. Your fighters don’t abide by any rules. They will do whatever they have to do to win a fight.Please share your thoughts, experiences, or any questions for Zack Klika in the comments below! And if you'd like to learn more about querying a thriller to an agent, head here.Blood on the Bridge is available in paperback and on Amazon Kindle!

The American Military Failure in Vietnam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The American Military Failure in Vietnam - Essay Example The fact that the United States never had a real sense of purpose in this war, and the fact that the Vietnamese were able to bog down the American military, are the key reasons why the Vietnamese were victorious in this conflict. The conflict, of course, began when the French decided to release their colonial claims to Vietnam. The French army was driven from Vietnam in 1954, resulting in the Geneva Peace Accords. This created a temporary partition of Vietnam at the seventeenth parallel, until 1956, when nationwide elections would be held. While the Communist powers in the Soviet Union and China did want the entire nation of Vietnam to become Communist, they predicted that the 1956 election would accomplish their aims without bringing the United States into the conflict (The Wars for Vietnam: 1945 to 1975). Rather than initiate another conflict similar to Korea, the American government began a concerted effort to win the political minds of those living to the south of the Communist zone. A major part of this effort was the creation of SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization). Initially, the American efforts were successful: the 1956 elections brought Ngo Dinh Diem, a firm opponent of Communism, to power in South Vietnam (Kaiser, p. 36). However, Diem claimed that the North Vietnamese were preparing to take the southern half of Vietnam by force, and the Americans began aiding his military maneuvers against the northern half in 1957. Diem used a variety of brutal internal measures in South Vietnam to quell the Communist insurgency, including Law 10/59, which permitted authorities to hold anyone who was suspected of being a Communist indefinitely, without bringing charges (Kaiser, p. 41). Over time, Diem became increasingly autocratic, which made him an increasingly difficult leader for the United States to support. In response, the Communist insurgency began to increase the amount of violence in its protests (The Wars for Vietnam: 1945 to 1975). The National Liberation Front was the official organization for those in South Vietnam who wanted to overthrow Diem's government. Created on December 20, 1960, the NLF had only one requirement for membership: applicants had to be opposed to Diem's rule. While the American government scorned the NLF as a mere puppet of the North Vietnamese Communist government, giving it the slur "Viet Cong," there are many who were inside and outside the NLF who claimed that the majority of its members were not Communists - thus showing how unpopular Diem had actually become (Kaiser, p. 44). President Kennedy's policy toward Diem was neither full assistance nor full rejection: the United States supplied advisers and equipment to the South Vietnamese government, but did not commit a large-scale complement of troops to assist Diem's military in its conflict against the NLF (The Wars for Vietnam: 1945 to 1975). This level of assistance was not sufficient to keep the South Vietnamese government stable. After Diem's brother led raids on the Buddhist pagodas throughout the country, claiming that the priests were harboring Communists, there were protests throughout the c

Management Strategy Perspectives and Paradoxes Essay

Management Strategy Perspectives and Paradoxes - Essay Example In such environ, it is important for an organisation to find a 'differential aspect' of its product or service in order to survive the market competencies, otherwise the organisation will be driven out of the business ruthlessly. "Having a competitive advantage is like having a gun in knife fight". The paper explores this statement and illustrates the key factors through which a firm can attain this competitive gun while all the competitors remain fighting with their competitive knives. It goes for a gross understanding of the term 'competitive advantage', realising how it can be interpreted as 'a gun in the knife fight', plus analysing and examining a bunch of important issues underlying this concept. The focus of this paper remains to be the factors that need to be addressed by an organisation in its quest to dig out a competitive advantage to create and maintain its position in the market that is unbeatable for its competitors in a specific point in time. There happen to be several areas where a firm can manage to obtain a competitive advantage against its competitors. These areas are discussed in this paper with the help of the literature available on the given subject. "Having a competitive advantage is like having a gun in a knife fight". Consider a fight in which everybody has got a knife as weapon and using it in all ways to win the battle. During this fight, one of the fighters manages to acquire a gun. A gun in a knife fight implies having a weapon or an advantage through which any battle or competition could be won in way that nobody else could be able to claim victory for a long time. In the context of businesses, this statement entails having a competitive advantage or that aspect of an organisation, which can be utilised to fight the battle of competition and gain a superior weapon over other competitors. An exploration of this statement first of all lies in a profound understanding of the term competitive advantage and the necessary issues associated with it. The statement will be explored further in the paper after an illustration of what actually is meant by the term 'competitive advantage'. A competitive advantage is simply an aspect of the organisation that it possesses or offers to the customers. In order for an organisational aspect to constitute as a 'competitive advantage', it has to be unique in the market not adopted by any other current or potential firm in the market. This phenomenon can also be understood in the words of Barney (1991, p102) as, "a firm is said to have competitive advantage when it is implementing a value creating strategy not simultaneously being implemented by any current or potential competitors". This value strategy can be in any form, as long as it is providing benefit to the customers and the organisation directly or indirectly. For instance, if a firm manages to produce its products at a lower cost than all other firms in the market, it is a direct benefit to the customer in the form of reduced prices and an indirect benefit to the organisation in the shape of enhanced sales. This can only become possible when the firm has identified uni que ways to lower the product costs, either unknown or inapplicable to other firms. Porter (1985, p3) illustrates the conception of competitive advantage as the ability of a firm to create value for its customers in a way that proposes more benefit

Control Mechanisms Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Control Mechanisms Paper - Essay Example Planning incorporates different control mechanisms and their impact on the system. During a planning stage, management develops several approaches in order to respond to possible changes and threats. Concurrent control influences decision-making process and further implementation. Budgetary controls determine allocation of resources and time spent on each activity. Planning and control procedures are computerized and take advantage of the explosive growth of inexpensive, commercially available budgeting, scheduling, and resource allocation software (Frame, 2002). Feedforward and feedback control influence implementation and organizing. In order to cope with this ever-changing character of needs, managers first recognize that it exists. Feedforward and feedback control influence selection of techniques and methods of organizing. Beyond this, they are aware that the changing nature of needs that may require changes in the plan once implementation takes place. Concurrent control does not have a great impact on organizing but requires that immediate changes and variations will be immediately accepted. Plans are rarely static statements of how things should be done; instead, they are dynamic instruments, allowing staff to manage change in an orderly fashion (Starbucks Home Page 2007). Concurrent control helps to foresee that variance from the plan will occur when the plan comes up against the real world. Budgetary control influences coordination and resource control. Control mechanisms influence the directing function and help to make necessary changes and amendments. In Starbucks, managers pay a special attention to feedforward and feedback controls which help to detect threats and errors. Directing depends upon concurrent control and possible variables. The environment in which planning is carried out is complex. Also, budgetary controls stipulate limitations and financial constraints. Starbucks managers first of all are aware of the limitations of the

Roles and Responsibilities of Government, NGOs and Volunteer Essay

Roles and Responsibilities of Government, NGOs and Volunteer Organizations. M2S - Essay Example Risk governance capacities requires incremental decentralization coupled with clear mandates, systems of subsidiarity, and budgets to promote ownership as well as risk governance improvement at all levels (GAR, 2011). Health. Strong health services and good health are vital in reduction of disasters’ risks. Government must provide effective health systems for supporting individuals in response and recovery from disasters and protecting them from the disaster-related risks. Thus, government must prioritize emergency preparedness, risk reduction, and planning in health sector (Merlin, 2004). Environmental and transportation: Governments must ensure vulnerable areas are well prepared through such initiatives as construction of dams and drainage systems in flood-prone areas. Such areas must also have reliable infrastructure system to help in response towards disaster (Merlin, 2004). Effects of Government Roles and Responsibilities on NGOs and Volunteer Organization. Once the government meets its roles and responsibilities in disaster preparedness and management, the NGOs and voluntary organizations, which come in to assist, will have a simpler task as they will use the already established networks in their rescue missions. Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR). (2011). Reforming Risk Governance, retrieved on March 22, 2012 from:

Abstract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Abstract - Essay Example Modern management will have to adapt to the challenges of the present as well as the future, according to change brought in by rapidly evolving technologies such as the internet. The conventions and rules created by theorists back in the 20th century, although redundant and inefficient, still continue to drive the management strategies of almost all business organizations. Hamel asserts that management is now out of date because there have been no great breakthroughs in management practices that have revolutionary impact on business. It is not the operating or the business model but its management model that limits the performance of a business. Innovation in management practices has the potential of generating long-term advantages for a business. Thus, it is concluded that business organizations have to rework their management practices in line with the changing demands of the 21st century and with the current technological and economic

Policing of Aboriginal Communities with Emphasis on Canadian Policing Essay

Policing of Aboriginal Communities with Emphasis on Canadian Policing Examples. - Urban and Rural Differences in Policing in Canada and at large to be examined - Essay Example In Canada, aboriginal policing came into being a professional, reliable and responsible government body with the introduction of the First Nations Policing Policy (FNPP) in June 1991. The objective of First Nations Policing Policy is to provide aboriginal communities of Canada social security, order and individual safety on the basis of cost-shared funding by federal and provincial governments. It is aboriginal communities choice either to develop their personal police service or opt for a police service provided by a contingent of First Nations officers. The Aboriginal Policing Directorate ensures policing that is answerable to the desires of aboriginal people residing in rural and urban areas. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) – the Canadian national police service has its Aboriginal Policing Branch that prepares culturally alert policing services agreeable to aboriginal people. It takes into confidence aboriginal organizations to come up to their needs and expectations. The RCMP absorbs aboriginal people in its recruitment and plans problem-specific programs relevant to aboriginal communities needs. Some of the programs include RCMP Aboriginal Youth Training Program (AYTP), Community Suicide Intervention Program, and First Nations Community Policing Service (FNCPS). The Community Policing Model is the result of severe criticism of the traditional model of policing, which was not sufficiently equipped to deal with the issues of aboriginal communities. Now, communities get support from the police in managing their risks. Both work hand-in-hand to solve the crime and law & order problems created by local inhabitants. In the Community Policing Model, the police don’t behave irrationally to cope up with law & order issues; it takes proactive steps to recognize and remedy, to establish peace. The police intervenes in the dialogue process to know the opinion of the community on touchy issues, first by holding general level

Abstract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Abstract - Essay Example Modern management will have to adapt to the challenges of the present as well as the future, according to change brought in by rapidly evolving technologies such as the internet. The conventions and rules created by theorists back in the 20th century, although redundant and inefficient, still continue to drive the management strategies of almost all business organizations. Hamel asserts that management is now out of date because there have been no great breakthroughs in management practices that have revolutionary impact on business. It is not the operating or the business model but its management model that limits the performance of a business. Innovation in management practices has the potential of generating long-term advantages for a business. Thus, it is concluded that business organizations have to rework their management practices in line with the changing demands of the 21st century and with the current technological and economic

Thai - Writing System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Thai - Writing System - Research Paper Example One adds special markings to the main sign that makes the syllables have a different vowel and becomes an alphabet. Thai writing system is based on Brahmi script developed to write Siamese or Thai language. Thai script invention was attributed to King Ramkhamhaeng during his reign. Khmer had the possibility of influencing Thai alphabet. The oldest Thai writing dates from 1283. The pronunciation of letters in Thai script is restricted with complex rules where most letters represent similar sounds. The fact was that many sounds established in Indian languages were not categorized in the Thai language; therefore, the same letters came to represent similar sounds in Thai (Suthiwan 23). The phonological changes have made Thai language to combine different sounds into a single sound. The sounds of various Thai letters vary depending on where the letters occurs either on the start or the end of a syllable. The syllable can be ended by six consonants, including /k/, /m/, /p/, /t/, /ng/, and /n/. In Thai alphabet, the beginning of a syllable is represented by letter C- while at the end of the syllable represented by letter –C. In Thai language there are blue letters including L, H and M, below every phonetic value of the letters. The blue letters denote the class in which letters belong. Another feature of the Thai alphabet is that every letter is categorized into one of the classes including high, middle and low (Suthiwan 37). When the letter appears at the start of a consonant or the syllable ending, the inherent vowel is always left unpronounced. Extra marks and strokes are added around the essential letter in order to create a different vowel rather than the inherent. Loan words from Pali and Sanskrit are also examples of vowel markers and Thai letters. Thai is categorized as a tonal language such that the pitch is the important to the proper pronunciation of a syllable and how it sounds. There are five different tones in Thai including

Optical Distortion Essay Example for Free

Optical Distortion Essay What is the optimal pricing policy for Optical Distortion, Inc. (ODI) so its product can penetrate the market with sustainable contribution? Company: ODI manufactures and market contact lens for chicken that could partially blind the chicken thus prevent chickens from cannibalism behaviors toward each other, a problem that was traditionally solved by debeaking. Competition: Primary- The product is revolutionary at the time, plus ODI secured an exclusive contract with the suppliers for the contact’s material. As such, we expect no other firms would product the same product to compete with ODI in the short term. Secondary- Traditionally, debeaking is the method to solve the cannibalism problem among chickens. The labor cost of debeaking is about the same as the cost of contact lens installation. Nevertheless, contact lens provides other benefits compared to debeaking such as further lowering the mortality rate of chicken caused by cannibalism, reducing the feed consumption, and causing no negative effects to the productivity of a chicken. Customer: In order to substantiate the benefit of ODI’s product, a chicken farm needs to have at least 10,000 or more chickens. Such farms comprise of 3% of total US chicken farm. From exhibit 3, California has 592 farms with flock size of 20,000 or more in 1969. Segmentation: From the geographic perspective, California, North Carolina, and Georgia are the largest markets in the U. S. Given that ODI only has $200,000 initial capital and only four people work part time for the project, ODI should focus on the California market at least for the beginning. From the farm size perspective, the size of a chicken farm can be categorized as small farm, which has 10,000 or fewer chicken, medium farms, which has 10,000 to 50,000 chicken, and large farms, which contain over 50,000 chickens. Targeting: ODI should focus on large farms first then medium farms. Small farms are not ODI’s target because they are not economically feasible for ODI’s products. Focusing on large farms has several benefits: first, large farms has much greater potential benefits to use ODI’s products due to the economy of scale, the substantial financial incentives will make the persuasions to use ODI’s products much easier. Second, the owners of large farms are more likely to be entrepreneurial minded and are more open to adopt new and novel technologies/products. Third, if large farms start to use ODI’s products, smaller farms may be attracted to follow these large farm’s steps. Fourth, consider the extremely limited sales force of ODI in the initial phrase, focusing on large farms can bring more contributions for the company. Positioning: For owners of chicken farms with more than 10,000 birds in California, ODI’s product can successfully reduces the morality rate of chicken due to cannibalism and lower the feed consumption of chickens without the negative effects that result in loss in egg productions, exemplified by this revolutionary products that underwent numerous trials and testings. P Analysis: Of the 4 P’s, the most relevant one is the pricing strategy for ODI because it will directly impact the penetration rate and positioning of the new product. Price- Based on the information provided in the case, we can derive the potential benefit of using ODI’s contact lens versus traditional debeaking method.

American Democracy :: essays research papers

Ravi Purohit-PUB 1250 2/16/05 The paper in which I chose to write about is American Democracy. When the thirteen British colonies in North America declared their independence in 1776, they laid down that â€Å"governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.† This meant that they wanted a government for the people, run by the people. This is one of the basic ideals upon which our nation was founded. The â€Å"colonies† needed to have a written constitution to define and therefore more specifically limit government powers. After the Articles of Confederation failed to work in the 13 colonies, the U.S. Constitution was created in 1787. One ideal found in the Preamble of the Constitution is the ideal that majority rules. In our government, the Congress uses majority rules to pass bills, through Congress and the President. As there are so many checks and balances, sometimes they don’t even make it as bill. This is one of the ideals found in the Constitution. This separation of powers, within the three co-ordinate branches, the legislative, executive, and judiciary branch has no supremacy over the others. This was designed to prevent any branch, from infringing individual liberties safeguarded by the Constitution. Our constitutional rights are very important. Without these rights, the United States would not be any different from other places of the world that do not have as many rights. Our rights secure our liberties and ensure justice for all. I believe the Constitution was such a great document necessary for achieving American Democracy. This document was very concise in its expressed powers. In the words of James Madison, â€Å"If men were angels, no government would be necessary.† This was from Federalist #51 and states the only way government wouldn’t be needed is if we all were perfect angels and we wouldn’t need rules. The Declaration of Independence means to me that all men and women join freely together to make an equal government for the U.S. This is basically said in the preamble by a famous quote: "All men are created equal." The ideal of our government have remained true over 225 years. The U.S. grants its citizens with the rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion, etc, which separates us from other countries. I think that all countries should be able to decide what government they want to have until they harm the United States of America in any way.

Caviar Essays -- essays research papers

Caviar Settlers of America discovered sturgeon to be the most prolific fish of the North American continent. In the beginning of 19th century, the United States was the major producer of caviar in the world and produced 90% of the world's caviar. The American caviar industry got started when Henry Schacht, a German immigrant, opened a business catching sturgeon on the Delaware River. He treated his caviar with German salt and exported a great deal of it to Europe. At around the same time, sturgeon was fished from the Columbia River on the west coast. At one time, caviar was so common in America. It was served in saloons to encourage thirsty drinkers. Hudson River sturgeons were so plentiful that the flesh was referred to as "Albany beef." A nickel could get you a serving of the best caviar available in New York, and many of the most lavish establishments, including the Waldorf Astoria, offered free-flowing caviar as an amuse-bouche opening to an elegant meal. Caviar was also a common food in California during the gold rush days. Recently, the United States has made a strong comeback in caviar production. The U.S. Goverment says that the roe of sturgeon may be called simply "Caviar," whereas the roe of other fish can be called "Caviar" only if the name of the fish comes first. The following is a descriptive list of caviars made from American fresh water fish: American Sturgeon - Sturgeon resemble a prehistoric creature, but they are actually t...

Abusive Relationships: Why Stay in the Relationship and What Determines Leaving Essay

It is often asked why a woman doesn’t leave an abusive relationship. Society tends to assume that the decision is as simple as a normal break-up, if not easier because there is an obvious reason to leave. But there are many factors involved into the relationship and many things to consider when making the decision to stay or to leave. In abusive relationships, what determines staying and what determines leave? It is estimated that annually 3 million occurrences of domestic violence occur and that one in four women will become a victim of such violence. Of those victims, more than four people are killed daily as a result of domestic violence (DVRC). With abuse possibly escalating to a point of death, why would a spouse stay in a relationship? Conclusions have been drawn as to why a woman might stay in the relationship, including internal and external resources. The external resources would include such things as an income, social support, housing etc. Internal resources would include a person’s self-esteem, mental health status, whether they suffer from depression or anxiety. Pamela Choice and Leanne Lamke stated that different theories needed to be taken into consideration when observing a women’s decision to stay or leave. The theories included learned helplessness, psychological entrapment, the investment model and reasoned action or planned behavior. Learned helpless is a situation where the victim feels she had no other options, that not matter what she does the situation will remain the same. Psychological entrapment is where a women tries to make the relationship a nonviolent one, but instead the violence continues causing her to feel that she should have tried harder. This situation often leaves the woman feeling that a nonviolent relationship is attainable and questioning if it is worth the investment, and if so, she then feels that there is too much invested thus far to leave, in turn causing the feelings of entrapment. The investment model determines whether maintaining the current relationship is worthwhile, is she better off to leave and is she satisfied in the relationship. Finally, the reasoned action model is where a women is able to determine if she is able to actually leave, is it within her control and is it more beneficial for her to leave than to stay in the relationship. External forces also contribute to a woman’s decision to leave. Establishing employment, housing and other essential tasks also become extremely difficult during the separation from an abusive partner (Bell 2007). With such struggles, within two months 60% of women end up returning to their partners (Bell 2007). In Carlson and McNutt’s study observing partner abuse and mental health, they looked at the women’s personal history of abuse. Whether or not she been exposed to violence as a child or as an adult. Also the effects the abuse has on a women’s mental health including depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. They found that many battered women had low levels of social support which in turn lead to higher levels of depression and more difficulty with problem solving. In a self-evaluation, many of the participants reported higher levels of symptoms for anxiety and depression (Carlson 2002). Women in an abused relationship tend to have a certain level of dependency upon their partner, causing them to feel trapped. Women who are more likely to be economically dependent and unemployed (especially with children) are at a higher risk of being in an abusive relationship (Bostock 2008). Bostock et. al studied what reasons were involved in a woman decision to stay in a harmful relationship. They investigated twelve women from rural Northern New England between the ages of 21 and 56, on various aspects of the relationship. Theses aspects included how the abuse began, the ways of abusing, the impact of the abuse, what factors contributed to recognizing the abuse as intolerable and what helped in gaining independence. They concluded that a women’s reason for stay was fear of the abuser, a feeling of commitment to the relationship and insufficient funds or resources. To help leave the relationship the women studied pulled upon their sense of hope, humor and spirituality and reclaiming their identity (Bostock 2008). In 1976 Richard Gelles studied abused wives and why they stay. In his article he stated that women do not break off a relationship for a number of reasons including negative self-esteem, the belief the husband will reform, economic hardship, difficulty of employment, surviving alone, the children’s wellbeing (economically) and the stigma with divorce. He also discovered that a woman would be more likely to stay in an abusive relationship if she had been exposed to abuse as a child, growing up with idea that it is allowed for a man to hit his wife. Another contributing factor to a women’s decision to stay is a lack of outside resources, not seeing many alternatives to the current situation. If the abuse is inconstant and not considered severe, then she will remain with the spouse (Gelles 1976). The decision to leave an abusive relationship was studied by Michael Strube in 1984, and his work was cited through many other journals. The population consisted of 251 women of low to middle income, varying in age from 17 to 69 to have been exposed to moderate of life threatening violence. Of the 251 women, 177 had decided to leave the abusive partner and those who stayed reported doing so because of love-the abuser promised changing behavior, economic hardship or lack of resources. Strube concluded that a woman was more likely to remain with the abuser if the violence was considered less frequent and less severe. Also, if the woman was exposed to violent models as a child she was more likely to remain as opposed to women who had not. But women who had previously been in an abusive relationship were less likely to remain in another relationship, because they had developed intolerance to the abuse. Strube also found that women with fewer resources, such as economic and social support were less likely to leave. Studies have found though that ending a relationship does not end the abuse, violence is often high is situations where the women is separate from the abuser as opposed to if she was involved in a relationship. Another factor involved is how the separation occurred rather than whether or not the separation occurred (Bell 2007). The decision to leave a relationship is difficult it becomes increasingly difficult when the partner is violent. The women, individual mentally have to â€Å"prepare† themselves as such to leave the relationship, and evaluate every aspect of their life and their future. Without sufficient support and resources leaving a dangerous and harmful situation is virtually impossible. To seek the support and resources a certain level of self worth and esteem is essential, providing the woman with an appreciation for her future.

Mathematics and Trial Rate

1)Using the forecast model for pasta shown in Exhibit 5, what is your forecast of the demand for pizza? In Annex I, we see that the forecasted demand for pizza is 1. 6MM, which is represented by the Trial Households. We calculated this by using the calculation in pasta that BASES used for pasta case. We found that the trial rate for â€Å"actual definitely would buy† for pizza will be 80% of the definitely would buy rate of the BASEL research. The actual probably would by is taken as 30% of the research’s probably would buy rate.After calculating the actual rates, we summed â€Å"definitely would buy† and â€Å"probably would buy† in order to calculate the trial rate, which is 27%. Before estimating the demand, we should calculate â€Å"marketing adjusted trial rate†. In order to calculate that rate, we took the average of the three different awareness ratios. Therefore, according to our analysis, the awareness ratio is 24%. The marketing adjusted t rial rate is 2. 7%. The demand for the pizza is the multiplication of marketing adjusted trial rate and the target households, which is 1. MM, in our analysis. 2)How do the pizza concept test results (Exhibits 7 and 8) compare with the findings for pasta (Exhibits 3 and 4)? In the table below shows that the pasta â€Å"definitely would buy† ratio and â€Å"probably would buy† ratio are greater than that of pizza case. The table below, which represents the research on likes and dislikes for the pasta and pizza products, shows that the like ratios for pasta are greater than that of pizza. Therefore, we can say that people looks more favorable to fresh pasta concept rather that fresh pizza concept.Moreover, the people also rated the pizza dislikes more that pasta case. For example, the people finds the price too expensive is 27% in total, whereas, that ratio for pasta is only 8%. Therefore, there are definite signs that show people do not like the fresh pizza case but the y like fresh pasta case. 3)How do you interpret the findings in Exhibit 9 and 10 to evaluate interest in pizza? 4)Would you launch the pizza? The pizza should be lunched because the overall demand and the expected revenue for the different cases are sustainable for the company.In Annex I, we see that the wholesale revenue is $17MM even if the pizza will be seen as mediocre product. Since the company expects $12MM at least, the revenues from pizza will make the company profitable. However, before launching the product, the company should make some changes as the people in the surveys show that the price is too expensive. Therefore, there is a high risk that the demand might not be satisfied for the product. After considering the shortages in the surveys and changing the prices and other key factors, the company should produce pizza to stay competitive in the market.

Shadow Kiss Chapter 2

TWO Or, well, it looked like mason. He – or it or whatever – was hard to see. I had to keep squinting and blinking to get him in focus. His form was insubstantial – almost translucent – and kept fading in and out of my field of vision. But yes, from what I could see, he definitely looked like Mason. His features were washed out, making his fair skin look whiter than I recalled. His reddish hair now appeared as a faint, watery orange. I could barely even see his freckles. He was wearing exactly what I'd last seen him in: jeans and a yellow fleece jacket. The edge of a green sweater peeped out from underneath the coat's hem. Those colors, too, were all softened. He looked like a photograph that someone had left out in the sun, causing it to fade. A very, very faint glow seemed to outline his features. The part that struck me the most – aside from the fact that he was supposed to be dead – was the look on his face. It was sad – so, so sad. Looking into his eyes, I felt my heart break. All the memories of what had taken place just a few weeks ago came rushing back to me. I saw it all again: his body falling, the cruel look on the Strigoi faces†¦. A lump formed in my throat. I stood there frozen, stunned and unable to move. He studied me too, his expression never changing. Sad. Grim. Serious. He opened his mouth, like he might speak, and then closed it. Several more heavy moments hung between us, and then he lifted his hand and extended it toward me. Something in that motion snapped me out of my daze. No, this could not be happening. I wasn't seeing this. Mason was dead. I'd seen him die. I'd held his body. His fingers moved slightly, like he was beckoning, and I panicked. Backing up a few steps, I put distance between us and waited to see what would happen. He didn't follow. He simply stood there, hand still in the air. My heart lurched, and I turned and ran. When I'd almost reached the door, I stopped and glanced back, letting my ragged breathing calm down. The clearing he'd stood in was completely empty. I made it up to my room and slammed the door behind me, hands shaking. I sank onto my bed and replayed what had just happened. What the hell? That had not been real. No way. Impossible. Mason was dead, and everyone knows the dead don't come back. Well, yeah, I had come back†¦but that was a different situation. Clearly, I'd imagined this. That was it. It had to be. I was overtired and still reeling from Lissa and Christian, not to mention that Victor Dashkov news. Probably the cold had frozen part of my brain too. Yes, the more I thought about it, the more I decided there had to be a hundred explanations for what had just happened. Yet, no matter how often I told myself that, I couldn't fall back asleep. I lay in my bed, covers pulled to my chin as I tried to banish that haunting image from my mind. I couldn't. All I could see were those sad, sad eyes, those eyes that seemed to say, Rose, why did you let this happen to me? I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to think about him. Since Mason's funeral, I'd been working so hard to go on and act like I was strong. But the truth was, I was nowhere near being over his death. I tortured myself day after day with what if? questions. What if I'd been faster and stronger during the Strigoi fight? What if I hadn't told him where the Strigoi were in the first place? And what if I'd simply been able to return his love? Any of those could have kept him alive, but none of them had happened. And it was all my fault. â€Å"I imagined it,† I whispered out loud into the darkness of my room. I had to have imagined it. Mason already haunted my dreams. I didn't need to see him when I was awake too. â€Å"It wasn't him.† It couldn't have been him, because the only way it could have been was†¦Well, that was something I didn't want to think about. Because while I believed in vampires and magic and psychic powers, I most certainly did not believe in ghosts. I apparently didn't believe in sleep, either, because I didn't get much of it that night. I tossed and turned, unable to quiet my racing mind. I eventually did drift off, but it seemed like my alarm went off so soon after that I could have hardly slept for more than a few minutes. Among humans, the light of day tends to chase off nightmares and fear. I had no such daylight; I awoke to increasing darkness. But just being out with real and living people had nearly the same effect, and as I went to breakfast and my morning practice, I found that what I'd seen last night – or what I thought I'd seen last night – was growing fainter and fainter in my memory. The weirdness of that encounter was also being replaced by something else: excitement. This was it. The big day. The start of our field experience. For the next six weeks, I wouldn't have any classes. I'd get to spend my days hanging out with Lissa, and the most I'd have to do was write a daily field report that was only about a half-page long. Easy. And, yeah, of course I'd be on guard duty, but I wasn't concerned. That was second nature to me. She and I had lived among humans for two years, and I'd protected her the whole time. Before that, when I'd been a freshman, I'd seen the kinds of tests the adult guardians planned for novices during this phase. The ordeals were tricky, absolutely. A novice had to be on watch and not slack – and be ready to defend and attack if necessary. None of that worried me, though. Lissa and I had been away from the school our sophomore and junior years, and I'd fallen behind then. Thanks to my extra practices with Dimitri, I'd quickly caught up and was now one of the best in my class. â€Å"Hey, Rose.† Eddie Castile caught up to me as I walked into the gym where our field experience orientation would kick off. For a brief moment, looking at Eddie, my heart sank. Suddenly, it was like I was out in the quad again with Mason, staring at his sorrowful face. Eddie – along with Lissa's boyfriend, Christian, and a Moroi named Mia – had been with our group when we'd been captured by Strigoi. Eddie hadn't died, obviously, but he'd come very close to it. The Strigoi who'd held us had used him as food, feeding from him throughout our capture in an effort to tease the Moroi and scare the dhampirs. It had worked; I'd been terrified. Poor Eddie had been unconscious for most of the ordeal, thanks to blood loss and the endorphins that came from a vampire's bite. He'd been Mason's best friend and nearly as funny and lighthearted. But since we'd escaped, Eddie had changed, just like I had. He was still quick to smile and laugh, but there was a grimness to him now, a dark and serious look in his eyes that was always on guard for the worst to happen. That was understandable, of course. He pretty much had seen the worst happen. Just like with Mason's death, I held myself responsible for this transformation in Eddie and for what he'd suffered at the hands of the Strigoi. That may not have been fair to me, but I couldn't help it. I felt like I owed him now, like I needed to protect him or make things up to him somehow. And that was kind of funny, because I think Eddie was trying to protect me. He wasn't stalking me or anything, but I'd noticed him keeping an eye on me. I think after what had happened, he felt he owed it to Mason to watch over his girlfriend. I never bothered to tell Eddie that I hadn't been Mason's girlfriend, not in the real sense of the word, just as I never rebuked Eddie for his big brother behavior. I could certainly take care of myself. But whenever I heard him warning other guys away from me, pointing out that I wasn't ready to date anyone yet, I saw no point in interfering. It was all true. I wasn't ready to date. Eddie gave me a lopsided smile that added a little boy type of cuteness to his long face. â€Å"Are you excited?† â€Å"Hell, yeah,† I said. Our classmates were filling in bleachers on one side of the gym, and we found a clear spot near the middle. â€Å"It's going to be like a vacation. Me and Lissa, together for six weeks.† As frustrating as our bond was sometimes, it nonetheless made me her ideal guardian. I always knew where she was and what was happening to her. Once we graduated and were out in the world, I'd be assigned to her officially. He turned thoughtful. â€Å"Yeah, I guess you don't have to worry as much. You know your assignment when you graduate. The rest of us aren't so lucky.† â€Å"You got your sights set on someone royal?† I teased. â€Å"Well, it doesn't matter. Most guardians are assigned to royals lately anyway.† That was true. Dhampirs – half-vampires like me – were in short supply, and royals usually got first pick of guardians. There was a time in the past when more Moroi, royal and non-royal alike, would have gotten guardians, and novices like us would have competed fiercely to get assigned to someone important. Now it was almost a given that every guardian would work for a royal family. There weren't enough of us to go around, and less influential families were on their own. â€Å"Still,† I said, â€Å"I guess it's a question of which royal you get, right? I mean, some are total snobs, but lots of them are cool. Get someone really rich and powerful, and you could be living at the Royal Court or traveling to exotic places.† That last part appealed to me a lot, and I often had fantasies of Lissa and me traveling the world. â€Å"Yup,† agreed Eddie. He nodded toward a few guys in the front row. â€Å"You wouldn't believe the way those three have been sucking up to some of the Ivashkovs and Szelskys. It won't affect their assignments here, of course, but you can tell they're already trying to set things up after graduation.† â€Å"Well, the field experience can affect that. How we're rated on this will go into our records.† Eddie nodded again and started to say something when a loud, clear feminine voice cut through the murmur of our conversation. We both looked up. While we'd been talking, our instructors had gathered in front of the bleachers and now stood facing us in an impressive line. Dimitri was among them, dark and imposing and irresistible. Alberta was trying to call us to attention. The crowd fell silent. â€Å"All right,† she began. Alberta was in her fifties, wiry and tough. Seeing her reminded me of the conversation she and Dimitri had had last night, but I filed that away for later. Victor Dashkov was not going to ruin this moment. â€Å"You all know why you're here.† We'd become so quiet, so tense and excited, that her voice now rang through the gym. â€Å"This is the most important day of your education before you take your final trials. Today you will find out which Moroi you've been placed with. Last week, you were given a booklet with the full details of how the next six weeks will play out. I trust you've all read it by now.† I had, actually. I'd probably never read anything so thoroughly in my life. â€Å"Just to recap, Guardian Alto will highlight the main rules of this exercise.† She handed a clipboard to Guardian Stan Alto. He was one of my least favorite instructors, but after Mason's death, some of the tension between us had lightened. We understood each other better now. â€Å"Here we go,† said Stan gruffly. â€Å"You'll be on duty six days a week. This is actually a treat for you guys. In the real world, you're usually working every day. You will accompany your Moroi everywhere – to class, to their dorms, to their feedings. Everything. It's up to you to figure out how you fit into their lives. Some Moroi interact with their guardians just like friends; some Moroi prefer you to be more of an invisible ghost who doesn't talk to them.† Did he have to use the word ghost? â€Å"Every situation is different, and you two will have to find a way to work it out to best ensure their safety. â€Å"Attacks may come at any time, anywhere, and we'll be dressed in all black when it happens. You should always be on your guard. Remember, even though you'll obviously know it's us doing the attacking and not real Strigoi, you should respond as though your lives are in terrible, immediate danger. Don't be afraid of hurting us. Some of you, I'm sure, won't have any qualms about getting us back for past grievances.† Students in the crowd giggled at this. â€Å"But some of you may feel like you have to hold back, for fear of getting in trouble. Don't. You'll get in more trouble if you do hold back. Don't worry. We can take it.† He flipped to the next page of his clipboard. â€Å"You will be on duty twenty-four hours a day for your six-day cycles, but you may sleep during daylight when your Moroi does. Just be aware that although Strigoi attacks are rare in daylight, they aren't impossible indoors, and you will not necessarily be ‘safe' during these times.† Stan read over a few more technicalities, and I found myself tuning them out. I knew this stuff. We all did. Glancing around, I could see I wasn't alone in my impatience. Excitement and apprehension crackled in the crowd. Hands were clenched. Eyes were wide. We all wanted our assignments. We all wanted this to begin. When Stan finished, he handed the clipboard to Alberta. â€Å"Okay,† she said. â€Å"I'm going to call out your names one by one and announce who you're paired with. At that time, come down here to the floor, and Guardian Chase will give you a packet containing information about your Moroi's schedule, past, etcetera.† We all straightened up as she leafed through her papers. Students whispered. Beside me, Eddie exhaled heavily. â€Å"Oh man. I hope I get someone good,† he muttered. â€Å"I don't want to be miserable for the next six weeks.† I squeezed his arm reassuringly. â€Å"You will,† I whispered back. â€Å"Er, get someone good, I mean. Not be miserable.† â€Å"Ryan Aylesworth,† Alberta announced clearly. Eddie flinched, and I instantly knew why. Before, Mason Ashford had always been the first one called on any class lists. That would never happen again. â€Å"You are assigned to Camille Conta.† â€Å"Damn,† muttered someone behind us, who'd apparently been hoping to get Camille. Ryan was one of the suck-ups in the front row, and he grinned broadly as he walked over to take his packet. The Contas were an up-and-coming royal family. It was rumored that one of their members was a candidate for when the Moroi queen eventually named her heir. Plus, Camille was pretty cute. Following her around wouldn't be too hard for any guy. Ryan, walking with a swagger, seemed very pleased with himself. â€Å"Dean Barnes,† she said next. â€Å"You have Jesse Zeklos.† â€Å"Ugh,† Eddie and I both said together. If I'd been assigned to Jesse, he would have needed an extra person to protect him. From me. Alberta kept reading names, and I noticed Eddie was sweating. â€Å"Please, please let me get someone good,† he muttered. â€Å"You will,† I said. â€Å"You will.† â€Å"Edison Castile,† Alberta announced. He gulped. â€Å"Vasilisa Dragomir.† Eddie and I both froze for the space of a heartbeat, and then duty made him stand up and head toward the floor. As he stepped down the bleachers, he shot me a quick, panicked look over his shoulder. His expression seemed to say, I don't know! I don't know! That made two of us. The world around me slowed to a blur. Alberta kept calling names, but I didn't hear any of them. What was going on? Clearly, someone had made a mistake. Lissa was my assignment. She had to be. I was going to be her guardian when we graduated. This made no sense. Heart racing, I watched Eddie walk over to Guardian Chase and get his packet and practice stake. He glanced down at the papers immediately, and I suspected he was double-checking the name, certain there was a mix-up. The expression on his face when he looked up told me that it was Lissa's name he'd found. I took a deep breath. Okay. No need to panic just yet. Someone had made a clerical error here, one that could be fixed. In fact, they'd have to fix it soon. When they got to me and read Lissa's name again, they were going to realize they'd double-booked one of the Moroi. They'd straighten it out and give Eddie someone else. After all, there were plenty of Moroi to go around. They outnumbered dhampirs at the school. â€Å"Rosemarie Hathaway.† I tensed. â€Å"Christian Ozera.† I simply stared at Alberta, unable to move or respond. No. She had not just said what I thought. A few people, noticing my lack of movement, glanced back at me. But I was dumbstruck. This wasn't happening. My Mason delusion from last night seemed more real than this. A few moments later, Alberta also realized I wasn't moving. She looked up from her clipboard with annoyance, scanning the crowd. â€Å"Rose Hathaway?† Someone elbowed me, like maybe I didn't recognize my own name. Swallowing, I stood and walked down the bleachers, robot-like. There was a mistake. There had to be a mistake. I headed toward Guardian Chase, feeling like a puppet that someone else was controlling. He handed me my packet and a practice stake meant to â€Å"kill† the adult guardians with, and I stepped out of the way for the next person. Disbelieving, I read the words on the packet's cover three times. Christian Ozera. Flipping it open, I saw his life spread out before me. A current picture. His class schedule. His family tree. His bio. It even went into detail about his parents' tragic history, how they'd chosen to become Strigoi and had murdered several people before finally being hunted down and killed. Our directions at this point had been to read through our dossiers, pack a bag, and then meet up with our Moroi at lunch. As more names were called, many of my classmates lingered around the gym, talking to their friends and showing off their packets. I hovered near one group, discreetly waiting for a chance to talk to Alberta and Dimitri. It was a sign of my newly developing patience that I didn't walk right up to them then and there and demand answers. Believe me, I wanted to. Instead, I let them go through their list, but it felt like forever. Honestly, how long did it take to read a bunch of names? When the last novice had been assigned his Moroi, Stan shouted above the din for us to move on to the next stage of the assignment and tried to herd out my classmates. I cut through the crowd and stalked up to Dimitri and Alberta, who blessedly were standing with each other. They were chatting about something administrative and didn't notice me right away. When they did glance at me, I held up my packet and pointed. â€Å"What's this?† Alberta's face looked blank and confused. Something in Dimitri's told me he'd been expecting this. â€Å"It's your assignment, Miss Hathaway,† Alberta said. â€Å"No,† I said through gritted teeth. â€Å"It's not. This is somebody else's assignment.† â€Å"The assignments in your field experience aren't optional,† she told me sternly. â€Å"Just as your assignments in the real world won't be. You can't pick who you protect based on whim and mood, not here and certainly not after graduation.† â€Å"But after graduation, I'm going to be Lissa's guardian!† I exclaimed. â€Å"Everyone knows that. I'm supposed to have her for this thing.† â€Å"I know it's an accepted idea that you'll be together after graduation, but I do not recall any mandatory rulings that say you're ‘supposed' to have her or anyone here at school. You take who you're assigned.† â€Å"Christian?† I threw my packet on the floor. â€Å"You're out of your mind if you think I'm guarding him.† â€Å"Rose!† snapped Dimitri, joining the conversation at last. His voice was so hard and so sharp that I flinched and forgot what I was saying for half a second. â€Å"You're out of line. You do not speak to your instructors like that.† I hated being chastised by anyone. I especially hated being chastised by him. And I especially hated being chastised by him when he was right. But I couldn't help it. I was too angry, and the lack of sleep was taking its toll. My nerves felt raw and strained, and suddenly, little things seemed difficult to bear. And big things like this? Impossible to bear. â€Å"Sorry,† I said with great reluctance. â€Å"But this is stupid. Nearly as stupid as not bringing us to Victor Dashkov's trial.† Alberta blinked in surprise. â€Å"How did you know – Never mind. We'll deal with that later. For now, this is your assignment, and you need to do it.† Eddie suddenly spoke up beside me, his voice filled with apprehension. I'd lost track of him earlier. â€Å"Look †¦ I don't mind†¦. We can switch†¦.† Alberta turned her stony gaze from me to him. â€Å"No, you certainly cannot. Vasilisa Dragomir is your assignment.† She looked back at me. â€Å"And Christian Ozera is yours. End of discussion.† â€Å"This is stupid!† I repeated. â€Å"Why should I waste my time with Christian? Lissa's the one I'm going to be with when I graduate. Seems like if you want me to be able to do a good job, you should have me practice with her.† â€Å"You will do a good job with her,† said Dimitri. â€Å"Because you know her. And you have your bond. But somewhere, someday, you could end up with a different Moroi. You need to learn how to guard someone with whom you have absolutely no experience.† â€Å"I have experience with Christian,† I grumbled. â€Å"That's the problem. I hate him.† Okay, that was a huge exaggeration. Christian annoyed me, true, but I didn't really hate him. As I'd said, working together against the Strigoi had changed a lot of things. Again, I felt like my lack of sleep and general irritability were cranking up the magnitude of everything. â€Å"So much the better,† said Alberta. â€Å"Not everyone you protect will be your friend. Not everyone you protect will be someone you like. You need to learn this.† â€Å"I need to learn how to fight Strigoi,† I said. â€Å"I've learned that in class.† I fixed them with a sharp look, ready to play my trump card. â€Å"And I've done it in person.† â€Å"There's more to this job than the technicalities, Miss Hathaway. There's a whole personal aspect – a bedside manner, if you will – that we don't touch on much in class. We teach you how to deal with the Strigoi. You need to learn how to deal with the Moroi yourselves. And you in particular need to deal with someone who has not been your best friend for years.† â€Å"You also need to learn what it's like to work with someone when you can't instantly sense that they're in danger,† added Dimitri. â€Å"Right,† agreed Alberta. â€Å"That's a handicap. If you want to be a good guardian – if you want to be an excellent guardian – then you need to do as we say.† I opened my mouth to fight this, to argue that having someone I was so close to would train me up faster and make me a better guardian for any other Moroi. Dimitri cut me off. â€Å"Working with another Moroi will also help keep Lissa alive,† he said. That shut me down. It was pretty much the only thing that could have, and damn him, he knew it. â€Å"What do you mean?† I asked. â€Å"Lissa's got a handicap too – you. If she never has a chance to learn what it's like to be guarded by someone without a psychic connection, she could be at greater risk if attacked. Guarding someone is really a two-person relationship. This assignment for your field experience is as much for her as for you.† I stayed silent as I processed his words. They almost made sense. â€Å"And,† added Alberta, â€Å"it's the only assignment you're going to get. If you don't take it, then you opt out of the field experience.† Opt out? Was she crazy? It wasn't like a class I could sit out from for one day. If I didn't do my field experience, I didn't graduate. I wanted to explode about unfairness, but Dimitri stopped me without saying a word. The constant, calm look in his dark eyes held me back, encouraging me to accept this gracefully – or as close as I could manage. Reluctantly I picked up the packet. â€Å"Fine,† I said icily. â€Å"I'll do this. But I want it noted that I'm doing this against my will.† â€Å"I think we already figured that out, Miss Hathaway,† remarked Alberta dryly. â€Å"Whatever. I still think it's a horrible idea, and you eventually will too.† I turned and stormed off across the gym before any of them could respond. In doing so, I fully realized what a bitchy little brat I sounded like. But if they'd just endured their best friend's sex life, seen a ghost, and hardly gotten any sleep, they'd have been bitchy too. Plus, I was about to spend six weeks with Christian Ozera. He was sarcastic, difficult, and made jokes about everything. Actually, he was a lot like me. It was going to be a long six weeks.