Critical Evaluation of Stone Cold by Robert Swindells Essay -- English

Critical Evaluation of Stone Cold by Robert SwindellsA novel that I have read recently is Stone Cold by Robert Swindells.In this novel there are two main characters c exclusivelyed pertain and Shelter.These characters have very different personalities. I intend toconsider the ways in which the author has created these two verydifferent personalities and will explain my reaction to each of them.This novel tells both sides of one story, Links side and Sheltersside. Link is a 16year old boy that left home because of familytroubles and Shelter is a 47year old man who was discharged from thearmy on medical grounds and doesnt agree with this. He thinks it ishis duty to get rid of the homeless. Link moved to London to get awayfrom it all (his family) and became homeless. Shelter doesnt like thehomeless, he just thinks they are a waste-of-space Shelter begins tobribe them into going back to his flat where he intends to kill themShelter kills many of Links friends and Link begins to wonder why theyare all going missing. He does some detective work and then the truthis finally revealed.In this novel Link is one of the main characters. During this novel weare made to sympathise with Link. One of the ways in which we are madeto sympathise with him was when his stepfather Vince treated himunfairly slapping him about. This did not happen on except oneoccasion in fact it happened everydayId been with my mates, he locked me out the house.Even although this was not Vinces house he still thought he had theauthority over Link and his mother to do this. This also showed howmuch Vince disliked Link.Another way in which we are made to feel repentant for Link was when linkwas homeless and could... ...lpless persondidnt have a clue what they were getting themselves into.Link and Shelter are the complete opposite of each other. Link is avery caring character that hasnt really secured anything in life,whereas Shelter is a cruel, heartless person who has experiencedmilitary work in life.In conclusion I think Shelter is a horrible man. I feel sorry forShelter because I think he feels he didnt achieve in life because hewas dismissed from the army and he is coming back by killing thehomeless. On the other-hand I think Link is a very kind and lonesomeperson. No matter how poor he was he always helped his friends. I alsofeel sorry for Link, his family disowned him and he has no realfriends. I thought this novel was a great read. It made me realise howhard and dangerous it is for the homeless to survive and also what alonely life they lead.

Food Avenue :: Personal Narrative Writing

Food AvenueSaturday morning at Food AvenueIts yet another Saturday morning, 720 a.m., and here(predicate) I am driving to work. I wait at the front door to cipher if anyone will be willing to drop what theyre doing and respond to the annoying ringer that announces that someone is there. After about an endless minute a friendly night-crew member named Frank lets me in. As they haul up the door behind for me they ask, So how ar you this morning?Just fine thank you. If only I wasnt so tired, I responded with a yawn.I k straightaway how you feel. flip Frank.See you later Amanda.I proceed onward in behind the mysterious Employees Only door to the time clock. As the clock turns to 725 I punch in. I pull my hair back and head my way towards the wonderful Food Avenue. On my way there I come apart by the service desk and get my keys and the money for the till. 755 and my first guest arrives (he just happens to be an older gentleman that works on the pull team and doesnt seem to realize that like the rest of the store, we dont open until 800). Good morning Rob, I say.Well now your up early this morning.I guess. If I were home right now I know Id be sleeping, I replied.Got that right. Say do you got any of those oatmeal raisin cookies out yet? Rob asked.Oh course. One of the first things I do. I dont want you to get mad at me right away you know.I couldnt get mad at you.I dont know about that Rob. Do you want your cookie and senior coffee?I guess so since youve got them out all ready. Have a nice day Amanda.You too.As I watch to see him sit down at the table I go through and make sure I didnt forget anything. Nope. Remembered to unlock everything all the grills, ovens, and warmers are on washed all the tables and counters pop machine is turned on coffee is set out and I even turned the fans on to a higher place the grill. As I could have predicted right at about 802 a rush of red and khakis from the pull team, theyre the people that get to strickle the merchandis e from the stockroom onto the floor, come and order the big breakfast scrambled eggs toast hashbrowns and choice of sausage, bacon or ham.

The Internet Beyond Human Control :: essays research papers

The Internet Beyond Human ControlThe Internet has started to change the way of the adult male during this decade.More homes, companies, and domesticates are getting hooked online with the Internetduring the past few years. This change has started to become the new way oflife present and future. The Internet system is so advanced it is ahead of ourtime. This system is becoming predominately used everyday, but every which wayit works out this system mop ups up in a negative way.The Internet System has started to migrate in many schools. The Schools that arehooked online are mostly colleges. This is because the Internet is capable offlashing up adult picture or comments at anytime. Also their is manydifferent chat lines that consist of a lot of profanity and violence. Amajority of high school students are minors. This is why most colleges arehooked up online to the Internet system. The government is trying to figure outways to police the Internet so this will not happen. The probl em with that isit is a very hard task to do. It is almost guaranteed this will not happen foranother five to ten years. creation hooked up online helps make high school easy to slide through. There is astudent at Chichester Senior High School that has a home computer hooked onlinewith the Internet system. So when he has a term paper due all he does is download a term paper on the system with the same topic. He just puts his name onthe paper, hands it in, and receives an A. In return when he hits college lifehe will not know how to write a term paper. This will cause him to drop out. Iknow other students do the same affair he does. Now students will come out ofhigh school not well educated.The Internet system is set up in a way we can give and receive mail. This mailis called electronic mail usually known as e-mail. This mail will be sent towhere you requirement it the second you click send with the mouse. The regular U.S.mail pretends two days if you are sending mail from Philadel phia to Media. Now ifyou mail from coast to coast that could take up to two weeks. When my parentswent to Mexico for two weeks they tried to send me a postcard, but I didntreceive it till the next day they came back. This could very well end up tobecome a problem. Soon no one will even want to use U.

Romanticism in Scarlet Letter, Ministers Black Veil, and Young Goodma

American Romanticism in The Scarlet Letter, The Ministers Black Veil, and small Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthorne took elements of the European romanticism and reshaped them into a new literary form that is called American Romanticism. The American Romanticists created a form that, at first glance, seems ancient and traditionalistic they borrowed from classical romance, adapted pastoral themes and incorporated Gothic elements (Reuben 22). Some of the definable elements of romanticism combined with the Gothic including the crossing of some boundary or a taboo broken (Crow 1), the emotional response of pleasure and pain that the reader experiences and the mixing of good and evil to form a flawed hero. Hawthorne developed a literature of shadows and moonlight to questions what is real and made-up (Crow, 106). Examining Hawthornes writings in the works of The Scarlet Letter, The Ministers Black Veil, and Young Goodman Brown exemplifies American Romanticism at its best. Hawthorne us ed extensive study and his own innate knowledge from his own family history to examine the New England Puritan to give the reader an accurate film of seventeenth century life. In the introduction to The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne describes his ancestor as a soldier, legislator, judge he was a ruler in the church service he had all the Puritanical traits, both good and evil. He was likewise a bitter persecutor (Scarlet Letter 89). The women waiting for Hester to emerge from prison pronounce the sentence of the A not harsh enough. they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynnes forehead (Scarlet Letter 114). The race used their severe beliefs to ward off any workings of the devil among there midst through t... ...Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. New York Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. 2207-2216. ---The Scarlet Letter. The finish up Novels and Selected Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Ed. Norman Holmes Pearson. New York Random House, 1937. 81-240. M elville, Herman. Hawthorne and His Mosses. Literary World. 17 and 24 Aug. 1850. Pearson, Norman Holmes. Introduction. The Complete Novels and Selected Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne. By Pearson. New York Random House, 1937. vii-xv. Poe, Edgar Allan. Tale-Writing. Rev. of Twice-Told Tales and Mosses From An Old Manse. Godeys Ladys Book. Nov. 1847 252-256. Reuben, Paul P. Chapter 3 Early Nineteenth Century Romanticism An Introduction PAL Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. 1-38. http//www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/ chum salmon/chap3/hawthorne

Tithonus and the Eternal Consequences of Decisions :: Tithonus

Tithonus and the Eternal Consequences of Decisions Tithonus was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poems setting is the ancient story of Tithonus. Tithonus condemnable in love with Eos, goddess of the dawn, and asked her for immortality. Unfortunately for Tithonus he did not ask for eternal youth, plainly eternal life. He, therefore, grows old but never dies while Eos not only never dies but also never grows old. What makes Tithonuss situation worse is that the gods themselves cannot recall their gifts (49). This dramatic soliloquy is characteristic of Tennyson. Tithonus is an excellent example of a dramatic monologue. there is a speaker unit, Tithonus, who is not the poet. There is an audience-the gods. Another characteristic of a dramatic monologue found in Tithonus is an exchange between the speaker and the audience I asked thee, Give me immortality? (15). A character study is when the speaker speaks from an extraordinary perspective Tithonus is looking back on his decisio n, a decision which the reader will never be able to make but can only dream of making. His portrayal of his decision causes the common response to be rejected most people would essential eternal life, but Tithonus proves this short-sighted. Tithonus proves the wish for immortality vain by stating that Why should a man desire in any way To vary from the kindly lavation of men, Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance Where all should pause, as is most meet for all? (29-31). Another trait of the dramatic monologue is the dramatic, or critical, moment. In Tithonus this moment is when Tithonus decides that he does not want immortality take back thy gift (27). Tithonus has all of the basic traits of a dramatic monologue a speaker who is not the poet, an identifiable audience, an exchange between the two, a critical moment, and a character study of the speaker. One other trait of a dramatic monologue is a dramatic tension. This tension is between harsh judgment and sympathy. This tensi on makes the audience see objectively rather than subjectively. The audience has sympathy for Tithonus, because he suffers dependable hours indignant worked their wills, and beat me down and marred and wasted me (50) His telling the story also bring sympathy from the audience. The audience must judge Tithonus negatively, because he has make an error. His error was his will to vary from the kindly race of men (29).

Tithonus and the Eternal Consequences of Decisions :: Tithonus

Tithonus and the Eternal Consequences of Decisions Tithonus was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poems setting is the ancient story of Tithonus. Tithonus ferine in love with Eos, goddess of the dawn, and asked her for immortality. Unfortunately for Tithonus he did not ask for eternal youth, unaccompanied eternal life. He, therefore, grows old but never dies while Eos not only never dies but also never grows old. What makes Tithonuss situation worse is that the gods themselves cannot recall their gifts (49). This dramatic monologue is characteristic of Tennyson. Tithonus is an excellent example of a dramatic monologue. at that place is a speaker unit, Tithonus, who is not the poet. There is an audience-the gods. Another characteristic of a dramatic monologue found in Tithonus is an exchange between the speaker and the audience I asked thee, Give me immortality? (15). A character study is when the speaker speaks from an extraordinary perspective Tithonus is looking back on h is decision, a decision which the reader will never be able to make but can only dream of making. His portrayal of his decision causes the common response to be rejected most people would requisite eternal life, but Tithonus proves this short-sighted. Tithonus proves the wish for immortality vain by stating that Why should a man desire in any way To vary from the kindly charge of men, Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance Where all should pause, as is most meet for all? (29-31). Another trait of the dramatic monologue is the dramatic, or critical, moment. In Tithonus this moment is when Tithonus decides that he does not want immortality take back thy gift (27). Tithonus has all of the basic traits of a dramatic monologue a speaker who is not the poet, an identifiable audience, an exchange between the two, a critical moment, and a character study of the speaker. One other trait of a dramatic monologue is a dramatic tension. This tension is between harsh judgment and sympathy. Th is tension makes the audience see objectively rather than subjectively. The audience has sympathy for Tithonus, because he suffers wholesome hours indignant worked their wills, and beat me down and marred and wasted me (50) His telling the story also bring sympathy from the audience. The audience must judge Tithonus negatively, because he has make an error. His error was his will to vary from the kindly race of men (29).

Career Paper Essay

Professor Jane Andrews Success in College Career Paper A practice of law jurisprudenceman is something I have ever so had an interest in becoming. Law enforcement is an exciting elevator career that can open many doors to different jobs, from patrolling the streets to protecting important political figures. Police policemans are an meaty part of the communities in our nation, offering citizens protection from criminals, preventing crimes, and serving the members of their community.A police officers duties, among other things, include patrolling a specific district or beat, writing citations when necessary, offering escorts for convoys, responding to citizens emergency calls, severing warrants and subpoenas, and writing incident reports after a crime has been committed. 1 An essential characteristic of a police officer is physical stamina, physical and mental endurance, and the ability to keep a calm head. These are just a few of the many duties and essential characteristics of a police officer.A police officers work environment can vary greatly, either being out on patrol or in an office, either writing reports or viewing bulletins. Out on patrol, an officers work environment is his or her patrol car. A patrol car has all the devices necessary for an officer to execute his or her duties. It exit contain a radio, a mobile laptop, which is used to run license plates, do primer checks, and receive directions to the locations of 911 calls, and weapons, such as a shotgun, to be used in hostile situations. A police officers work environment will vary depending on his or her pecific duties.Becoming a police officer is a physically demanding process. Many people choose to first obtain a college degree in criminal justice or sociology, because it can help you become a higher rank and opens the options to work for higher authority agencies. The base requirement for becoming a cop are to be free of any felony convictions, be a citizen of the United States, be at l east 18 classs of age, undergo background checks, and be free from any physical, emotional, or mental condition which might adversely affect the exercise of power by the peace officer.These requirements may vary slightly from state to state, but one that is consistent is that e genuinelyone must attend police academy. Police academy is an essential graduation in becoming a police officer. By graduating from police academy, a person becomes post certified, which is a requirement to become a police officer anywhere. 3 At the academy, a person will take courses on firearms training, patrol techniques, crimes scene procedures, and brain training courses, which train an officer on how to react mentally in certain situations.Physical fitness tests are an essential part of the academy, with strict requirements for both male and female requirements. Being a police officer requires both mental and physical toughness. A career in law enforcement can bring a variety of pay amounts. A patte rn patrol officer makes on average $34,000 a year. 4 Working for different agencies can bring different pay ranges, anywhere from $25,000 a year to $100,000. A police chief will earn towards the upper end of this range.All police officers will be members of a police union, the largest being the internationalist Union of Police Associations, or the IUPA. 5 Being a member of a union brings benefits such as higher wages, health insurance, and a grant plan. Being a police officer is not one of the highest paying jobs staring off, but with the right promotions, one can earn a very high salary. Being a police officers is a career that is always in demand. In 2010, there were over 750,000 jobs for police officers.

Learner-Center Educational Plan

With abundance of culture regarding teaching and schooling, it might reasonably be expected that accomplishment think would be a quick and easy process. get winders still have a vital role to play in spite of appearance planning the guidance and frame transactions tolerates information on what to teach, the teacher lead decide how best to interpret this information for the particular children within their sort come to the fore. Proctor et al (1995, p.39) discusses the requirement for planning, and opens with the idea that no planning female genital organ come to place without a clear idea, on the part of the teacher, of what the children in the crystalise ar going to learn.The planning process requires the identification of the learning objectives in detail in reality, meeting the criteria of the curriculum and even the more detailed key objectives in the teaching strategy will require a series of lessons and usually a return to the subject at a later date. Planning o ver different date frames allows teachers to meet the desired outcomes and provide a coherent progression.Long confines plans will detail the expectations within a curriculum area over an academic year these plans will identify themes to be used and the subject areas to be plowed they will be expressed in terms of the key concepts that children will need to understand and the knowledge and skills that they should be acquiring. Medium term planning will usually be for a unit of work generally one item from the program of study and cover a term or term. The medium term planning phase is when teachers are required to link the long-term plans to the curriculum key objectives. The medium term plans will outline a series of activities and the approach that is to be taken these plans are the first level at which the teaching/learning approach is considered and the methods and beat for assessment are decided. (Platz 1994)There is need to consider the different learning styles that ch ildren prefer and to include (as far as is unimaginative) these different styles within each teaching episode. training planning, is a complex area, not all teaching methods are appropriate to the subject matter we as teachers need to remember that an eclectic approach is requirement if we are to provide an nice learning experience for all of the pupils within our classrooms. Additionally, new paradigm of learner-centered pedagogy emerged recently.It implies issues of what and how the student is learning, the conditions under which the student is learning, how current learning positions the student for future learning, and whether the student is retaining and applying the learning. (Weimer, 2002 XVI). In this paper we will try to cover up a cognitive medical prognosis of learner-center education planning. Cognitive aspect of learner-centered education involves some following factors. These are the nature and goals of learning process, the construction of knowledge and higher(p renominal)-order thinking.In order to identify childrens individual learning needs the teacher should ascertain the children and their work. Factual information can be obtained from previous teachers, schools etc. The Standard Assessment T trains (SATs) provide essential information about the level of attainment a child has reached and may possibly show levels of progression over time. According to Proctor et al (1995 p.129) assessment provides an accurate picture of an individual childs achievements.It measures a childs achievements from that childs hold baseline and as it is non-comparative to other children it shows what a child is capable to achieve regardless of what others can do. Individual fosterageal Plans (IEPs) show evidence of either particular(a) needs, which may be physical such as poor sight and hearing and any learning difficulties. It will as well as identify children who have behavioral problems or particularly able and gifted children.IEPs will also show a ny strategies and teaching approaches used to meet these childrens needs. It can also highlight any particular resources that facilitate the childrens learning. A previous teacher can provide valuable information on how these strategies and resources were employed and the success or failure of them. It is grievous to keep in mind when discussing children with other teachers that their views and opinions are unlikely to be impartial. Conversations with parents/carers allow them to raise any issues they have about their interpretations of their childrens needs and progress in learning. It can also be useful to look at childrens ages to gain a better understanding of the level they are working at.Once this preliminary information has been collected the teacher can plan diagnostic work, which will further identify childrens abilities and needs. Teachers should plan broad topic work at a conformation of levels where children have a reasonable prospect of success and which provides som e challenges. The teachers prior knowledge of the children should enable him/her to pitch the work at the correct levels. If not, the assessment of the childrens difficulties or ease will provide clues as to how to alter it. From this point onwards the teacher should have a fairly coherent idea of the needs of the class as a whole and the individual children within it. (Hamilton 1999)When planning to meet childrens individual needs, a teacher is planning for inclusive education, which provides all children with an equal opportunity to reach their potential. While planning, teachers must set up a learning activity, which effectively achieves the learning outcomes for each individual child. Teachers must structure learning within their classrooms in order to move each child forward, this can include differentiating appropriately, using appropriate resources and implementing various teaching and learning strategies inclusive of all children.Teaching Strategies Education planning will u se a variety of strategies described by Minton (1997, p.117). It is appropriate to use lecture to begin the session to pardon what is to be covered, to find out how the students have found the work in the previous session so there will be some questions and answers. There will be a group discussion as we go through the assignment and this will give the students the opportunity to ask any questions and familiarize themselves with the work. A question and answer session will follow and then depending on the outcome, there be the opportunity for demonstrations. These strategies are outlined below. Question and answer to review work from last lesson Lecture to explain unit assessment Group discussion while criteria for assessment are discussed More question and answers as appropriate Demonstration of previous practical work if necessaryUsing Q and A to start the lesson as this gives an immediate feedback of progress. The disadvantage of this is that the quiet students may be reluctant to ask questions, There is need to be aware of this, and perhaps ask those students questions that they can answer to build up their impudence. A lecture strategy is then used to explain the unit assignment, as this is an effective method of beam the information. Then a group discussion will involve teacher and students discussing criteria, this allows everyone to ask questions and give opinions but it may allow loud students to dominate the group. true time to demonstrate practical work to the students on the information processing system allows the student to see what the final product should be of any particular exercise and gives them confidence in their own work.Learning Resources For IT classes, for example, a variety of resources are used in the high school. The most common ones used in the IT department are computer-based resources, OHTs and computer generated slides, and printed materials. The most common types of media resource are the PC/projector combination and prin ted materials, to accompany whiteboard work. In the IT department it is critical that students have individual access to PCs with relevant packet installed on them, and also access to a printer to enable them to obtain hard copies of work produced.There is need for a room to seat all students, we do not need PCs for each student in this case, we need them all to see a whiteboard so we can explain the topic we will allow for unit assignments in hard copy to every student, including the marking criteria and the moderators comments. It is becoming common practice to write all forms of work on the PC, and we would expect them to parole process their work whenever the facility is available.There is need to evaluate the group of students at the beginning of a course to determine if any had special requirements, for example disable access or if any had hearing or visual impairments. It is necessary to develop intranet to include study aids for the students. For example, to put previous lecture notes and practical exercise handouts on the intranet to enable students to go over past work and also allow absent students the opportunity to catch up.Arrangement of the desks in the classroom is a common horseshoe of computer workstations with a small number of tables in the center of the room. The central tables can be moved freely although this is a fitted position for the classroom discussion. The computer workstations will be used towards the end of the lesson. The white board is at the door end of the room, it is a new judicious board, and although is smaller, it can be seen from all positions in the room, if the students move their chairs round. This will be used for demonstrations of PC work and is available for the question and answer section. The acoustics are adequate for a teaching environment. The room is always light and warm enough, and windows can be opened to provide additional ventilation.Goals of learning process On reflection, education planning goal s are followingTiming Allow enough time for each phase. Be aware of how long it takes to complete tasks and allow some permissiveness in each lesson for dealing with any class management issue. Be wary of being overambitious in what can be achieved in a lesson. Allow enough time for discussion and be aware of allowing too much time for starter and plenary activities.Content Teacher should not try to trick out too much in dont fall into the trap of thinking one topic per lesson and be prepared to spend more than one lesson on a topicWhen to collect in/hand out homework Have a clear idea of when you are going to do this and how. Keep it consistent so the pupils know when to make a note in their contact diaries, and when to hand their homework into me, and allow time for this to be done.Differentiation. Although there has been minimal need for distinction in teaching particular class, teacher should be aware that other classes might require more differentiation and he should always ensure that lessons are tailored to the class he teaching. Pupil-led activities. Make sure to include enough pupil-led activities. Remember that these types of activities not only engage learning but are also very useful in settling a lively class. Strengths Planning lessons around the five different phases of a lesson, using starter and plenary activities. This enables to sharpen on the different stages of a lesson and therefore how best to achieve the learning objectives as well as concentrating on what either myself as teacher, or the class or individuals should be engaged in at any point during the lesson. However, flexibility is also a key factor in delivering effective lessons and it is able to adapt the lesson plan (for example by omitting certain overheads or allowing more time for discussion of a topic) to accommodate the learning.Being creative. This a useful skill in planning and meant that it is appropriate to present what is for most pupils a familiar topic in a new a nd interesting way, therefore engaging more higher order thinking and facilitating learning (and minimizing disruptive behavior) at the same time. Being able to plan around what resources are available. This to a certain extent is also a creative skill although it must be taken into account when planning a series of lessons.Linking lessons with each other and with the pupils experiences. Using everyday examples, images that the pupils can relate to, and referring back to the concept map of the whole picture at every lesson enabled the pupils to put their learning (and the objectives for each lesson) in context. If the pupils can relate to what you are teaching them, you are more likely to succeed in your learning objectives.Weaknesses Overestimating what can be achieved in a lesson. Certainly to begin with, underestimated how long it would take to complete a worksheet or copy something from the board. In addition, it had not taken into account during first lesson plan, the time that would be spent on dealing with nipper off-task behavior which can lead to you running five minutes late by the end of the lesson and therefore running out of time for the clearing and breathe out phases, which for example can mean you run out of time to explain the homework task properly.Spending too much time on one phase. The pupils enjoyed this so much that they would plead for another round and on more than one occasion complied, meaning that although the pupils had a great time, teacher run out of time to handle the clearing and exit phases as well as he should and the lessons ended a bit rushed. This is as a new teacher who was anxious to ensure that the pupils viewed my lessons as a positive experienceReferencesHamilton, P. J. (Fall 1999). Perceptual learning & lifelong Montessori. Montessori Life, 11(4), 41-42.Minton, D. (1997) Teaching skills in further and adult education 2nd edition, MacmillanProctor, A. Entwistle, M. McKenzie-Murdoch, S. (2001) Learning to Teach in th e Primary Classroom London RoutledgePlatz, Donald L., (March, 1994) Student directed planning fostering student ownership in learning. Education, 3Weimer, Maryellen. (2002) Learner-centered Teaching Five Key Changes to Practice. Jossey-Bass

Project On NCO Essay

INTRODUCTION I adopt worked for the army as an NCO for the last 13 years and I establish always tried to be accountable as much as I can, to live up to the standards of this base and carry discover all my responsibilities abiding in the set out rules and regulations. As an Non Commissioned Officer I must be empathetic and positive. And, as always, must set the standard for integrity and character.However in the new-made past I found myself on the wrong side of the matter when over speeded in the base.ABSTRACT The script uses a global array to filter, consolidate, and word form the timing violations. The contents of the global array atomic itemise 18 then presented in a report of consolidated timing violations. There is illustrated a block of an symbolic global array. The global array includes a plurality of records. Each record includes fields for warning type, cartridge holder of event, data events, setup time limit, hold time limit, amount of violation, time of last warnin g.Because experience teaches us that there are some people that only learn by stripping them of their funds. There are others that the mere threat of that loss will keep them on the straight and narrow for 20years to come. And the officers that I know that are the expectantgest benefactors of professional courtesy deliberately refuse laws because they believe they can do so with impunity. A warning isnt going to do it for them. An example is a Passaic County Sheriffs Office incident. The Virginia deputy halt them, advised them of the applicable law, asked them to obey it, and did not cite anyone. Everyone agreed that he was polite in doing this. The guys pulled back onto the highway resumed doing exactly what they were doing before, and then tried to descend the deputy fired when they got home.I hereby submit my Post Violation Report due to my misconduct. Over hurrying is the main cause of so many an(prenominal) accidents in the army base and other domain of a functions in t he United States of America. I strongly believe that I was not supposed to go against the ethics, rules and regulations in the base. As an NCO am supposed to set out a good example to all other ground men. However in every day world, we sometimes find ourselves in such situations. In most cases it is not due to our own will exactly we accidentally find ourselves between a pit and a hard place and therefore try to labor ourselves out of it.This being the setoff time I throw away beginnere this, I know I have not done such a big criminal activity. I neer said that I dont use traffic violations. I think Im pretty careful, alone I have missed stop signs, exceeded the speed limit, failed to signal a turn, etc., corresponding everyone else. So far, either I have been lucky or my violations were not so flagrant that they merited a stop. But after pushing a patrol car around for 13 years, I have to say that I cant remember even once forgetting which car I was in, the patrol car or my personal car.And even in the patrol car, if I committed an intentional traffic violation, it was to accomplish some job-related task, like get turned around to chase a violator or in the field and have to ignore some rules to in order to hit the target. It has never occurred to me to try this in the field of work nor in my private missions without a good reason.If your situational awareness is so poor that you cant remember whether youre on or off duty or which car youre driving, your problems go way past an officers discretionary decision making, and your head is definitely in the clouds. I think its interesting that you claim that you would have no problem with ignoring a lawful direct order from a superior officer, but you would fear retaliation and would decline to take enforcement action on a clear violation of the law if an officer was involved. If this is truly the situation youre workings in, your agency is in serious trouble.Maybe so, but so what? You never had a brain fart, or were on automatic pilot, you unfortunately cant control all this.I admit however that on several occasion, when driving off duty in my private vehicle I have driven in the midnight hours because I forgot I was driving in my personal vehicle. Missed to obey the signs and instructions to the drivers.I am not advocating for over speeding in any way, and never have advocated for the same, indite every Amy officer you stop. That is just as much an abuse of discretion as not writing anyone who is an NCO.RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN NON COMMISSIONED OFFICERThe duties and responsibilities of NCOs has remained the same for quite a longtime.As an NCO I should be responsible for the chase(a) Should know where your soldiers live and how to contact themUse the unit to accomplish, as many missions as possible and at all cost never give out volunteer troops.Managing a specific launch vehicle governance administration with decision-making authority.Training new Operations Safety Technician sIn fact sometimes it has never been a prudent thing to do some of the followingSending food back to the kitchen.Telling your significant other you have had disclose.Commenting in front of your boss I can find a better job tomorrowDating a co-worker/boss/bosses daughter.At one point I found myself over speeding just because I could not let it go or because I needed to hit some deadlines.Because most of the violations were not all that grave and my impression was that I had a wake-up call from the stop itself. Was I driving safely? Mission accomplished. But the guy that clearly knows what I was doing got me stopped, and who will resume that same activity as soon as were done because we thought he had the proper(ip) to do that, if not a ride in the back seat.As I qualified many times prior, anyone can talk themselves into a ticket. Just because you are military or physician does not mean I dont run your driving license. I never said that every one of these members gets a pass, I hav e written military, physicians and other army officers.hither are the facts, I would like to assume that a member of our armed forces is a reasonably decent individual service that few would undertake and no matter of station they deserve my respect and appreciation.Discression is a funny thing. Where you might exercise it, I might not. Where you think me lax, I might think you unnecessarily harsh. though you are correct in the spirit of your argument, its execution is not so easy. If this were easy, anyone could do it. I made discretionary decisions every day, and I dont think I was harsh with them. The contrast is that I used criteria that were relevant to the situation and that I could defend to anyone that questioned why I had done what I did. You requisite to bring in criteria of your own choosing that are based on your fears and biases. Overcoming fear and bias is something every one of us has to do in order to be an army officer. , or you get out.I could have shined on any or all of these people, and no one would have known except them and me. As for is Fort Jackson SC cop that I didnt know was a cop until after I had issued the ticket, he probably deserved a warning, as he was an out-of-towner who was unfamiliar with the intersection and turned left in violation of a posted sign. The cop part of it had nothing to do with whether it was a bad decision or not. one and only(a) of the sergeants tried to condemn me within the department for comforting another ground officer and that upset me very much.One more thing say youre driving around tomorrow in your private vehicle running errands, and you run a red light. No intent to break the law you just got distracted for a second, make decision without influence, and accept whatever consequences follow your conduct.Some examples where premeditation discretion, in and of itself, doesnt make sense there comes a time when you have to attend to an emergency, and here is where our perspectives diverge. All of th ose applications of premeditated discretion to use your term are enacted consistent to due process of law and legislation, formulated in compliance with the set out rules and regulations in the base, and is promulgated to the citizenry.As noted above, a large number of substantially contemporaneous timing violations in a particular module can be the result of a single cause.The violation time is the difference between the given speed limit and speed you have exceeded, and is calculated from the limits (setup or hold) and the difference in time between the clock and data events. The first warnings are used by the script to report consolidated information regarding multiple timing violations that occur at a particular module.ACCOUNTABILITY OF AN NCO aged(a) leaders, must afford these to junior troopsResponsibility, to instill a sense of worth, pride and accomplishmentAuthority, to effectively carry out tasks they are responsible forAccountability, for actions right and wrong andAssis tance, to help junior troops learn from leaders experience and expertise.Such actions by leaders are vital to developing junior troops who will be tomorrows leaders. Senior leaders must coach, teach, mentor and train subordinates to effectively replace the leaders in the future.EXPECTATIONSLooking at what American military officers expect from their senior NCOs and vice versa. Officers in the U.S. military expect their senior enlisted leaders to be tactically, technically and strategically proficient to be professional beyond reproach and to be the eyes and the ears for the commander the voice of service members and their families.Senior NCO leaders should expect several things from their commanders and carry out the followingTrust and accord respect.Direct and open communication. No one has permission to stop me from seeing General PaceThese are not a right, but must be earned through consistently professional and proficient actions.Freedom of movement throughout the command. You need to tell that commander, Sir, I need to have freedom of moment throughout my area of responsibility. The only way I can advise you is if I see it,Senior U.S. NCOs are empowered in many ways. However, empowerment is not about having power per se, but about influencing junior troops to do the right things. Infact power is not an issue the big concern is how leaders exercise influence over their subordinates. economizeing good orderA person assigned as an NCO should be responsible for a outlined reciprocal area within the barracks, e.g., hallways, laundry rooms, dayrooms etc., in writing and post this NCOs name.Conspicuously in the vicinity of the assigned area. This NCO will, at a minimum, be responsible for reporting common area deficiencies to the Battalion R&U NCO. This person will sign for any furnishings and other accountable property located outside(a) of individual soldier rooms.Maintain room assignment rosters for the barracks. Assign soldiers to barracks byrequesting th at the FMO issue barracks furniture to occupants. Units may appoint a barracks manager or convertible person to assist in managing this function.Non-commissioned Officers (NCOs). NCOs have the primary duty of maintaining the health, safety, welfare and discipline of the soldiers assigned to them. These duties extend toEnsuring that their soldiers have a healthy and safe animation milieu that complies with theArmy values and enhances unit readiness and discipline. NCOs are the key element of command.Presence in the barracks. NCOs may exercise this leadership as common area NCOIC, SDNCO,And CQ. NCOs will also exercise this leadership as first line and higher supervisors of soldiersLiving in the barracks. At a minimum, NCOs willConduct inspections IAW Chapter 4 below.Monitor all barracks activities to ensure compliance with the letter of this regulation and the spirit of the Army values.Ensure the barracks are the safe, healthy environment for soldiers and other NCOs.Inspect barrack s furnishings for accountability and serviceability.Barracks CommandingCommon areas. Assign an NCO to be responsible for a defined common area within the barracks, e.g., hallways, laundry rooms, dayrooms etc., in writing and post this NCOs name conspicuously in the vicinity of the assigned area. This NCO will, at a minimum, be responsible for reporting common area deficiencies to the Battalion R&U NCO.This person will sign for any furnishings and other accountable property located outside of individual soldier rooms.Maintain room assignment rosters for the barracks. Assign soldiers to barracks by requesting that the FMO issue barracks furniture to occupants.Units may appoint a barracks manager or similar person to assist in managing this function.SupervisionUnder supervision the NCO is required to motivate and control the followingCounsel soldiers and maintain counseling records.Conduct corrective training when required cargo deck soldiers informed during their work and events takin g place and exercises.Enforcing the equal opportunity program in the forcesCONCLUSIONAs a Non Commissioned officer I visualise that by over speeding in the base posed a srious danger to me and also to the other officers on duty. This was actually putting my life at risk. Also as an officer who is supposed to be a good example to my subordinates, I acted in a manner trying to suggest that is not a good example. I stronglybelieve that this was a great mistake and am determined to rectify any harm that may have been caused by my misconductREFERENCES. Robert Sterling Rush (2006) Non Commissioned Officer GuideStackpole Books, United States.2. United States Court of Claims, (1988) Federal Reporter, West Pub. Co3.Braham Clark Freeman, The American states report, published 1895, Bancroft-Whitney Co. Publishers4.By Lawyers Co-operative, (1905) Lawyers Reports Annotated, Publishing Company Lawyers Co-operative Pub. Co.

In Jesus’ Name: Taking Up Serpents

Happy sh every(prenominal) he be, that taketh and dasheth thy short peerlesss against the stones. (psalm 1379)Read more at /list/top-20-bible-passages-to-use-against-fundamentalists/ivana-wynn? page=3X63UZMIZkY7ETEaQ. 99 Happy sh altogether he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. (Psalm 1379)Read more at /list/top-20-bible-passages-to-use-against-fundamentalists/ivana-wynn? page=3X63UZMIZkY7ETEaQ. 99 Megan Gowler Cultural Anthropology MWF 10 a. m. IN JESUS NAME TAKING UP SERPENTS Ive took cocaine, Ive smoked marijuana, drunk whiskey, and been high on all that, but this high you get on Jesus, its nonhin, nonhin compared to that The video was filmed in two churches in Alabama and Georgia in what looks like the 60s, but in reality was the late 80s or very early 90s, I believe the copyright date is 1991. In Jesus Name Taking Up Serpents heavily documents the exercising of snake handling in this religious sect, but mentions the consumption of strychnine very minimally.The people seem happy, but not particularly affluent. They are presumably in the Appalachian region of the states, where coal mining, poverty and a hard life are all too common. The whole thing is presented without commentary or condemnation allowing the viewer to experience the culture and apply their own opinions. Taking Up Serpents shows us how literal interpretations of biblical texts are executed with fervor in the invoke of God. The filmmakers do not appear biased or like they have any hidden agenda.It seems to be a straight-forward documentation of a church service. The filmmakers did not go out of their way to make these people seem simple or poor, which I am sure would have been easy to do with discriminating editing. Men are featured prominently in this video. They seem to be called upon by the holy ghost to take up serpents more readily than the women are. The women are not left untouched by the spirit as was do obvious by the shaking, sobbing and speak ing in tongues that is also demonstrated in the video.The women who do like the snakes seemed to do so for a much shorter length of time and with greater caution then the men, who shake them and rub them around their faces and necks, almost as a challenge to the snake. Children are not permitted to handle any of the snakes in these churches. I appoint out online that usually (and for legal reasons) you must be 18 to set off taking part in this part of the ritual. Apparently, the Holy Spirit discriminates by not just gender, but age as well.They do not go into any detail regarding the consumption of strychnine in this video, it only gets a brief mention and is hardly shown. Interestingly, when you look at the side effects of the consumption of strychnine, one of the less grievous effects is euphoria. Also, it should be noted that it acts as a stimulant and can cause muscle spasms and convulsions, which are exacerbated by bright rest and loud noises (I assume that includes raucous religious music and bright overhead lights).I wonder why they have chosen that verse specifically to focus all their energy on. Why arent they burning male flock animals (sheep, goats) on altars in their yard or beating their children for self satisfaction (Leviticus 19 and Psalm 1379, respectively). Why snake handling and poison consumption, I have a theory, but I will save it for without delay. Everything about this practice is bizarre, but is it only bizarre because of our distance from it?Religious ceremonies of EVERY nature have incredibly odd practices, but they only seem bizarre to outsiders. The whole video made me sad, but I cant say exactly why. The filmmakers intention was to document the practice and according to the note on Youtube, help preserve their right to practice their religion, their way. I dont receipt how to explain how I feel without writing another 5 pages. Religion and religious freedom is and always has been a minefield of controversy.Islam has the prop het Mohammed who took a six year old bride when he was in his late 50s, Christianity has a virgin birth and coming back to life (insert inappropriate zombie Jesus trick here), Scientology t to each onees us that we are all immortal aliens trapped in physical bodies, dinosaurs are a hoax put forth by Satan to mark us all, Mormons are in their magic underwear prepping for the return on God in Missouri, putting a dirty milk glass and a carapace from a roast beef sandwich in the same dishwasher can contaminate your soul, or most famously and least disputed the belief that when certain rites are performed bread and wine turn into human flesh and blood once in your stomach. I mean, there are plenty of real weird ideas and practices in the United States, I mean, these are just off the top of my head. So even though this very specific sect of evangelistic Christians has the odd little habit of swinging snakes around and drinking poison really, who can judge them? I would like to mentio n that I did a little digging regarding this film, partly because I am fascinated by religion and partly because I wanted to know more about it and I found out that two of the men in the film have died, possibly a third, but without names, I cannot say for sure.Also, the pastor in the film, whose name is Glenn Summerford was convicted of act murder for stuffing his wife Danielles hand into a box of rattlesnakes when he was in a drunken rage in 1991. Glenn was sentenced to 99 years in prison. in that location is a book about this styled, The Serpent and the Spirit and I now intend to read it as well. After some of the additional information I have uncovered and a lot of the stereotypes we have all heard regarding people living in this area, I wonder if these people live their lives in a more rowdy fashion than you would imagine given the scenes we are shown in the film, which is why I placed the quote I did under the title at the top.The skeptic cynic in me says that the snake han dling has less to do with God or the Holy Spirit and more to do with each individual using this fate tempting to make themselves feel better, maybe about indiscretions, financial hardships, poor decisions, who knows? Do something wrong, feel guilt, handle the snake, live by it, decide God isnt that mad at you after all because he is a forgiving God and you made a mistake, feel better now repeat. I suppose that is what every religion is supposed to do for its followers, make you feel better, help you find peace, give you a sense of place, let you know that it is gonna be okay. So as a non-judgmental observer with no plans of attending service or joining the Church of Jesus with Signs I say, ladies and gentlemen, turn up your amps, raise your cups of strychnine and shake those snakes

Bilingualism in Children

Bilingualism can be viewed in two different ways. One way of viewing multilingualism is that it is a commendable property for a person to have, that is alongside the thinking that it is a mark of high intellect. Another way of viewing bilingualistism is that it is a negative resultant role of Globalism, that it is a degradation of culture. It is undeniable that bilingualism is a prevalent topic in todays society. Some even consider it as an essential trait for survival in the context of the modern world.This notion of bilingualism is especially prevalent in the US, where immigrants should adopt a second oral communication to be competitive in terms of employment. That is why children from immigrant families argon advised by their p bents to learn a second language early as early as possible. The problem bilingualism arises when parents wear out to consider that children are still in the stage of mastering their first language. Acquiring two language simultaneously is would be d ifficult for anyone regardless of age. It is a common notion that the children would eventually learn the second language.That is alongside the thinking that, as the children are exposed much to the society speaking the second language, the children would naturally the language. Although, it is observable that children from immigrant families gradually become more and more comfortable with second language done time. besides it is withal observable that the process that the children have to go through is not an easy one. The difficulty of childrens acquisition of a second language is expressed by Eva Hoffman in her book Lost in Translation. She had thrown in a very helpful query for this discussion how does an individual bend toward another culture without stumbling over? (Hoffman 209) Hoffmans semi-autobiographical book is round her struggle to simulate a second language when family had migrated from Poland to Vancouver. The bulk of the book is about her lost of her sense of place and belonging in her new society. But the fact that the acquisition of the second language would come as natural would not necessarily mean that the children would not be subjected to the consequences of being bilingual.Another book that would be helpful to the discussion at hand is Natasha Lvovichs The trilingual Self An inquiry to language learning. In contrast to Hoffmans work, Lvovichs book had interpreted a more attention-grabbing approach. Lvovichs work is about the struggles that her daughter had to face when they had moved to America. Although there are some minor differences between the two books, they are both talking the same topic of language acquisition. Both of the books had depicted how a child is subjected to consequences of being bilingual.A common consequence of bilingualism as Lvovich had depicted through the story of her daughter she is going through a very difficult period of adjustment as a teenager growing into adulthood (Lvovich 101) thither was even a point in the book that Lvovichs daughter became reluctant to speak their first language. Hoffman argued that a reluctance to speak the first language would result to the atrophy of the mother language of the child (Hoffman 98) ConclusionFor children of immigrant families to succeed in being multilingual, their parents should first do careful planning and learning about the temperament of language acquisition. The parents should always keep in mind that childhood is already full of challenges as is. They should be aware of the consequence of being bilingual and they should likewise have at least an idea of how to counter them. Works Cited Hoffman, Eva. (1990). Lost in Translation A Life in a New Language. NY Penguin Lvovich, N. (1997). The Multilingual Self An inquiry into language learning. Mahwah, NJ Lawrence Erlbaum AssociatesBilingualism in ChildrenBilingualism is the production and/or comprehension of two languages by the same individual (Cummins, 1981). Many children of va rying nationality, acquire this ability of learning two languages through cultural maintenance and educational enrichment. Furthermore, the media continuously bombards children of stimulation of the other language (Cummins, 1981). Cummins (1981) stated that there is a unvoiced tendency among children of replacing the first language with the other. A series of tests were do by Feldman and Shen (1969) about some language-related cognitive advantages of bilingual five year olds.Three tasks for children were made accordingly to gather information. These tasks of increasing difficulty were (1) object constancy, (2) naming and (3) using labels in sentences, respectively . In object constancy, children were primarily shown with objects such as cups, plates, sponge, advert and suction cup soap holder. These objects were later physically transformed in front of them. Crushing the cups, burning the match and painting the plates were some examples of transformation. Transformed objects are placed beside an identical pre-transformed objects.Afterwards, the children were asked to identify which among the two was primarily shown. Naming, on the other hand, purposely tests the childs ability to affair verbal labels to name familiar objects. The experimenter tried to discompose the children by switching the names of the familiar object and designating nonsensical names to objects. For example, calling an airplane as car and relabeling the cup as wug. The children were asked which among the objects was really an airplane. They were also asked which one was called a wug and then they were asked what it really was.In the third experiment, the child was requested to show his ability of using three sorts of labels in simple relational sentences such as The cup is on the plate. These labels, as discussed in naming, were common names, switched common names and nonsense names. The principle for using simple relational sentences was that referential banter meaning is the simp lest sort of meaning. Words like cup, plate and even the part of the predicate on can all be thought of as referring to things. Results showed that bilinguals perform significantly better in the said three tasks than monolinguals do (Feldman & Shen, 1969).Moreover, bilinguals advantage over monolinguals was more apparent in comprehension than production measures. These gist they execute better where nonverbal pointing responses were required. In addition, functions related to labeling would be more advanced by having two languages. Research by Bialystok (2004), on the other hand, has shown that bilingual children develop control processes more readily than monolinguals do. They respond more rapidly to conditions that placed greater demands on working memory and carry out controlled processes more effectively (Bialystok, 2004).On the other hand, Macnamara (1966) argued some studies have reported negative effects of bilingualism (as cited in Bialystok, 2004). In Feldman & Shens (1969 ) experiment, it was found out that monolinguals do better in the use of either common names alone or nonsense names alone. Furthermore, Fishman (1967) added that disadvantages commonly associated with bilingualism would not appear in bilinguals whose languages were situation specific (as cited in Feldman & Shen, 1969). It was an real notion that bilinguals had deficits compared with monolingual peers.Nonetheless, studies show significant cognitive advantages of children with bilingual capacities. These advantages were dominant in comprehending rather than performing verbal actions. Other research pointed out bilingual advantages in the areas of creativity, problem solving and perceptual disembedding (Bialystok, 2004). These advantages of bilinguals can be uniquely attributed to an early development in association and labeling skills (Feldman & Shen, 1969). Bibliography Bialystok, E. , Craik, F. I. M. , Klein, R. & Viswanathan, M. (2004) Bilingualism, Aging, and Cognitive Control E vidence From the Simon Task.Psychology and Aging, 19 (2), 290-303. Feldman, C. & Shen, M. Some Language-Related Cognitive Advantages of Bilingual Five Year Olds. Retrieved from http//eric. ed. gov/ERICWebPortal/custom /portlets/recordDetails/detailmini. jsp_nfpb=true&_&ERICExt Search_SearchValue_0=ED031307&ERICExtSearch _SearchType_0=no&accno=ED031307 Cummins, J. Bilingualism and Minority-Language Children. Retrieved from http//eric. ed. gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini. jsp_ nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED215 557&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED215557

Dr. Jose Rizal Essay

Topic (textbook pages, lesson number, unit). Time allotment. Materials Needed * Do not embroil ideal classroom equipment (e. g. , chalkboard). * Include things such(prenominal) as books, colored pencils, PowerPoint presentation, handouts, etc. Objectives * District, state, and national standards (whatever is applicable at the school). * Long-term objectives (describe the lesson as part of a larger idea, such as a one-day lesson on Louis XIV that contributes to understanding the chapter concept on the growth of absolute monarchy). Short-term (lesson) objectives Measurable and specific, phrased in terms of the student depart Procedures * IntroductionStart with a hook (an attention-getter) to introduce the lesson. This should be understandable and relatable, and should activate prior knowledge. * Instruction How will the goals of the lesson be pertained? What will the students do to reach the objectives? Will the students complete a learning task in teams? Will the students take notes from a lecture? Closing Students demonstrate that they followed the instructions. This includes anything from sharing teamwork results, to review questions everyplace a lecture or PowerPoint. Independent Work * This includes follow-up work done in class or as homework. * Any work assign should be an extension of the in-class lesson. Ideally, it simultaneously reinforces the lesson, builds upon it, and creates background knowledge for the next lesson. Assessment * Determine whether or not the goals of the lesson have been reached.Types of assessment may vary. * Formal assessments include quizzes, tests, work (such as essays) evaluated according to a rubric, etc. * Informal assessments include looking over students completed assignments, question-and-answer sessions, etc. Reflection * This is done after the lesson as a self-reflection exercise. * What parts of this lesson worked well? How might these parts be made even better? * What parts of this lesson did not work? Why? Should these parts be altered, changed, or scrapped?

Policy and Strategy in Global Competition Essay

Discussion Question 6.1 What atomic number 18 almost drawbacks and risks to a broad generic business dodging? To a cerebrate schema? The two generic business strategies are specialization and equal-leadership strategies, and they are fundamentally different from one another, both with their own drawbacks and risks (Rothaermel, 2013). These strategies are referred to as generic because they may be used by any figure of organization (Rothaermel, 2013). The drawbacks and risks of a specialty generic strategy is its viability is severely undermined when the focus of competition shifts to price instead than value-creating features (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 155). This races to occur when there is a level of acceptable quality which has emerged as a warning (Rothaermel, 2013). Organizations pursuing this strategy also exigency to ensure that they are not adding features which add cost but no perceived value in the minds of consumers (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 155). The drawbacks and ris ks of a cost-leadership strategy are that new entrants may erode the low-cost leaders margins because of the loss in market share plot it attempts to learn new capabilities (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 154).Also, the converse of the differentiation strategy issue applies, in that organizations need to ensure that the focus of competition shifts from price to non-price attributes (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 154). The organization needs to also be careful not to allow the value of the crossroad or serving to fall below the low-cost at which the point of intersection or dish up is offered (Rothaermel, 2013). A focused strategy applies the same concepts as the generic strategies above, but the focused strategy utilizes a more narrow agonistic scope than the generic strategies (Rothaermel, 2013). The competitive scope refers to the market segment at which the product or utility being offered is aimed (Rothaermel, 2013). An example would be the broad market of wristwatches to the more focused market of luxury watches(Rothaermel, 2013).Discussion Question 6.4 Create examples of value range of mountainss for terce firms one using cost leadership, another using differentiation, and a third using an desegregation business-level strategy. A value chain is the process in which a firm engages when transforming inputs into outputs (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 95). It is made up of primary activities, which add value passly, and support activities, which add value indirectly (Rothaermel, 2013). Primary activities include production phases, sales, marketing, and customer service (Rothaermel, 2013). Support activities include research and victimisation, information systems, operations management, human resources, finance, accounting, and general management (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 96). Cost leadership firm As discussed above, a cost-leadership strategy involves maintaining the last-place price of a particular service or product (Rothaermel, 2013). A prime example of a cost-leadership fi rm would be Walmart (Rothaermel, 2013).Walmarts value chain would begin with its supply chain, which is made up of suppliers with whom Walmart has negotiated the lowest price possible, at a volume sufficient enough to fill its shelves (Rothaermel, 2013). The next link in the value chain would be Walmarts distribution and operations. Walmart has been able to reduce packaging and mileage, allowing for strong cost savings (Porter & Kramer, 2011). Walmarts sheer size creates significant savings through economies of scale (Rothaermel, 2013). Lastly would be marketing, sales, and service, in Walmarts value chain. Walmart focuses on Saving people money so they can stand better, and continues to take innovative steps to do so (Walmart, 2015). The company has even created a mobile app called the Savings Catcher which allows customers to scan their Walmart receipt to charm savings that they would have missed otherwise (Walmart, 2015). This is a marketing effort which impacts sales and serv ices in a major way.Differentiation apple is an prototype example of an organization utilizing a differentiation strategy (Rothaermel, 2013). Apple seems to be able to create customer needs (even if customers are initially unaware of the need) (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 155). Apples value chain will differ from Walmart, and other cost-leadership strategy firms, in that it will have a greater focus on the learning of their products and in its marketing and customer service. It will focus on product development in an effort to ensure their products continue to set the bar in their respectivecategories (Rothaermel, 2013). Apple will also focus on marketing and customer service to ensure that new and current customers are aware of the products areas of high quality (Rothaermel, 2013).Integration Business-Level Hewlett Packard (HP) is an example of an organization that is using the integration business-level strategy, which is a combination of the differentiation and cost-leadership strat egies (Rothaermel, 2013). HP utilizes this strategy because Apple holds the differentiation position while Dell holds the cost-leader position in the mobile devices market (Rothaermel, 2013). For this reason, HP must seek to implement both the cost-saving strategies in supply chain management, like Walmart, and the differentiation strategies in product design, like Apple (Rothaermel, 2013). There are differences, however, in the value chain between HP and the two companies above. HP has sought to come down costs by trimming its workforce, thereby helping in its cost-leadership strategy (Rothaermel, 2013). In regard to its design efforts, HP has improved the differential appeal of its product and service offerings (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 162).Chapter 7Discussion Question 7.1 What strategy might the firm use to unseat Windows in this market? Although the small firm has developed a new product, it is a product which will be introduced into an industry which is most likely in the growth or maturity stage of the industry disembodied spirit cycle (Rothaermel, 2013). As such, the small firms best strategy would be to employ a cost-leadership strategy (Rothaermel, 2013). This is the best option because both the differentiation and cost-leadership strategy are viable options during the growth stage, but firms that adopt the cost-leadership strategy which dominate during the maturity stage (Rothaermel, 2013). The small firms new product is likely considered a process innovation, as it seeks to accomplish the same tasks in a more efficient manner (Rothaermel, 2013). Discussion Question 7.2 How does the industry animateness cycle affect business strategy? Detail your answer based on each stage introduction, growth, maturity, and decline.During the introduction stage of the industry life cycle, the companies which lean to be, and stay successful, are innovative and tend to be few(Rothaermel, 2013). As such, the strategy used during this stage is likely the differentiatio n strategy, since firms are seeking to feed the uniqueness of their products features (Rothaermel, 2013). The growth stage tends to allow organizations to be a little freer to decide which strategy would work best for them (Rothaermel, 2013). It is during this stage that a dominant design, or standard, is established, which means that firms may choose to differentiate their product, or choose to attempt to offer the same type of product at a lesser cost (Rothaermel, 2013). The maturity stage begins to see less design changes and more process innovations within the industry (Rothaermel, 2013). For this reason, it is cost-leaders that tend to succeed during this stage (Rothaermel, 2013).The decline stage differs from those above, as it introduces four strategic options for firms to pursue (1) exit, (2) harvest, (3) maintain, and (4) consolidate (Rothaermel, 2013). The exit strategy is precisely as it says it involves the firm choosing to leave the market to pursue other endeavors (Ro thaermel, 2013). The harvest strategy means that the firm will still sell the product or service, but will reduce the level of investment in its maintenance and development (Rothaermel, 2013).The maintain strategy is also exactly what it sounds like the firm continues offering the product or service at the same level as it has been, scorn the declining demand (Rothaermel, 2013). The consolidate strategy involves the purchasing of rivals in an effort to shrink the industry, which provides firms employing this strategy to reach near-monopolistic status (Rothaermel, 2013). Discussion Question 7.4 wherefore are standards serious in umpteen industries? As standards get adapted and become dominant, how does this process influence the competitive nature of the industry?Standards are important in many industries because the firm whose product becomes the standard tends to capture a larger market share and can persist for a long time (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 175). Once the standard is adopt ed, the market tends to focus more on process innovation than on product innovation (Rothaermel, 2013). This means that firms are focusing their R&D efforts on process innovation in order to improve efficiency (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 177). Since the standard tends to be set during the growth stage,either the differentiation or cost-leadership strategy is used, for the reasons discussed above (Rothaermel, 2013).Chapter 8Discussion Question 8.1 When Walmart decided to incorporate grocery stores into some locations and created super-centers, was this a business-level strategy of differentiation or a corporate-level strategy of diversification? Why? Explain your answer. Walmarts incorporation of grocery stores into some locations represents a corporate-level strategy of diversification, as opposed to a business-level strategy of differentiation. While business-level strategy typically involves individualist markets, corporate-level strategy encompasses decisions which impact multiple mar kets and industries simultaneously (Rothaermel, 2013). Diversification occurs when a firm seeks to increase the variety of products or markets in which to compete (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 216). By incorporating grocery stores into some of its locations, Walmart made a corporate-level strategy decision to diversify the products offered in its stores, and the markets within which it chose to operate (Rothaermel, 2013).Chapter 9Discussion Question 9.1 List some specific advantages of this accomplishment for Live Nation. Do you see any downside to the merger?Some advantages to the acquisition of Ticketmaster by Live Nation include a reduction in competitive intensity, lower costs, increased differentiation, and access to new markets and distribution channels (Rothaermel, 2013). While these are some possible advantages for Live Nation, mergers and acquisitions do not result in a competitive advantage the majority of the time (Rothaermel, 2013). Shareholder value is usually destroyed after a merger and acquisition, and it is only the shareholders of the acquired company that tend to benefit (Rothaermel, 2013).Chapter 10Discussion Question 10.1 How might your relationship change as the MNE moves from Globalization 2.0 to Globalization 3.0 operations?Globalization is the process of increasing integration and exchange between different countries and peoples worldwide (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 271). Globalization 2.0 refers to growing business globally from 1945 to 2000 (Rothaermel, 2013). It involved large foreign direct investment, with thestate-side corporate headquarters order strategic goals and resource allocation (Rothaermel, 2013). Globalization 3.0 covers the time period from 2000 to the present (Rothaermel, 2013). Tremendous strides in technology allow for less need of foreign direct investment, and this stage has allowed the MNE to reorganize as a global enterprise with centers of expertise (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 273).As a small firm supplying a product or service to an MNE, the degree of change which would arise in our relationship, as the firm moved from Globalization 2.0 to Globalization 3.0 operations, would depend heavily on the location and type of services or product provided. The MNE would likely become more dependent on technology for telecommuting and would seek to operate twenty-four hours a day, form round (Rothaermel, 2013). As such, if our service or product was related to the technologies being implemented by the MNE, then the firm would become a larger doer in the MNEs operations. However, if the MNE was able to tap into its own knowledge-base to provide the services or product our small firm provides, then we would no longer be needed by the global giant.ReferencesRothaermel, F. T. (2013). Strategic Management. New York McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Walmart. Our story. Retrieved on January 25, 2015, from http//corporate.walmart.com/our-story/

Insanity Defense: Why Should It Essay

Abstr featThe author of this paper argues several reasons why the mania exculpation should be changed or either eliminated. The reasons are considered and supported by evidence. The conclusion states that dementia should be neutered or eliminated for the safety and good being of society. alienation Defense Why Should It Be Abolished Or alteredIntroductionThe craziness defense asserts that the criminal defendant is not guilty by reason of insanity. This opening should be abolished or altered. The proposal behind the defense is tidy sum who are psychopathologic evictnot have the friendship required to perform a criminal act beca subroutine they either do not know that act is wrong or cannot control their actions even when they understand the act is wrong, but this possibleness is controversial beca social function insanity is tall(prenominal) to define, and the destiny in which insanity can be used to excuse criminal duty are difficult to define. History And BackgroundT he theory of the insanity defense has been around since ancient Greece and Rome. The theory was puke in to use by Edward II. Under the English common law, a person was state insane if their mental capacity was no more than a so-called wild beast. The basic insanity trials began in 1724, those whowere insane and under the age of 14 were ensnare not guilty in the dally of law. (Wiki 2011) This eventually led to any criminal or defendant being able to use the excuse to excuse the act that had been committed. Though the act was in place it wasnt upheld in court and wasnt problem at the time. In 1986 (Ford v. Wainwright) the US Supreme court upheld the common law that the insane cannot be executed. It also stated that a person under the close penalty is to be faden(p) a competency evaluation and a hearing in court on his or her chances to be executed. In Wainwright v. Greenfield the prosecutor can argue that a persons silence during the denotations of their Miranda rights is ev idence of insanity. (Wiki 2011) The court gives jurisdiction for insanity in different rules or a conclave of them.The MNagthen rule is where the defendant either did not understand what he or she did or failed to mark saturnine right from wrong, because the disease of the mind. The Irresistible Impulse test as a end of mental disease, defendant was unable to control his impulses, which led to the hatred committed. The Durham Rule regardless of any diagnosis, defendants mental defect resulted in the criminal act. Finally the Model Penal Code due to the diagnosed mentally ill defendant either failed to understand the criminal offence of his or her acts or was unable to act in spite of appearance the confines of the law. (Lally 1997)) The defense declares that a criminal defendant should not be guilty because the defendant is insane. Whens psyche commits a offensive in todays society he or she may use mental illness as a defense, know as insanity plea or insanity defense (Dub sinki 1986).What the insanity defense does is try to give the criminal a so-called fair trial. regular if the crime committed is really extreme and seems to be unruly. The problem arises where do we draw the line for these criminals. What commandment is a person considered insane and how is the tested? Insanity defense has been a problem in fresh years, and that all criminals have virtually sort of mental illness. The crime itself no matter how extreme questions the situation if it demonstrates insanity. It has been a major ordeal in our legal system today. If the criminals are considered insane and out of cope with with reality, the justice system agrees to pass the trial and the criminals are entered into a mental hospital. (Carpenter 2011) Criminals are then found not guilty by reason of insanity.The ProblemFor instance, the problem with insanity defense is legal analysts demonstrate each client or criminal from a legal angle, also conversing to different doctors as well as specialists. Each client has to undergo tests. They do not actually come up with scientific prove from the brain to say the person is either mentally ill or not. (Khan 2014) This is the hardest part of the insanity defense, determining whether or not that person is mentally insane or acting like it. How can a person who kills twelve commonwealth including women and children be allowed to live in mental hospital time the victims families suffer from the loss of their loved ones. Forensic psychiatrist Jonas Rappeport saw such pleas during his line century as chief medical officer of Baltimores Circuit Court said, When youve got no give defense, thats the way to go.(White 2011)The fact is sometimes these criminals are using the insanity defense to avoid the death penalty and continuing to live life in prison or mental hospitals, and under some circumstances are released from the mental hospitals af star signing the patients have been cured (Khan 2014). Any defendant can use the defense. Lorena Bobbitt argued she was temporarily insane when she severed her husbands penis with a kitchen knife four years ago. She was released after(prenominal) three months of psychiatric evaluation. (Carpenter 2011) Crimes happen everyday, some crimes are inexcusable and those who commit them should be punished. The punishment should see the crime if we do something that is equally as extreme as take a life from another(prenominal) person, we should not be allowed to defend ourselves by insanity. Murder should go charged which is why the insanity plea should be altered or erased. It allows the criminals to go unpunished for their crime.RebuttalThere are however many criminals who do have some type of mental illness, but still are not pensionable for the insanity plea. As shown in a recent survey of prison populations there are higher(prenominal) rates of mental illness and substance abuse among inmates than the general population. (Lally1997) The determining of insanity i s very difficult and can inaccurate. If the person is clinically insane what principles do we use to penalize the individual for the crimes they committed? If he or she does not know right from wrong and if the person is out of touch with reality, under what circumstances is the plea suitable for the crime committed? An example would be if shoplifter wascharged for his or her crime and uses the insanity plea as a defense saying they werent in touch with reality, we would give that person a reduced sentence. If the person confirms to be insane they need to receive help, if we decided to put that person into a prison it would not help them what so ever.The insanity plea is a very controversial topic many people think it should be erased others think it should be altered. The difficulty of ever-changing the plea is because of the determining if one is sane of not and under what right to do we have to prefer the faith of another person. Resolution Accordingly resolution is the insanity plea should be erased or abolished because its a threat to the American people. Considering a large number of Americans feel the insanity plea should be erased or even altered to protect peoples own safety. (Dubsinki 1986) Using the insanity plea in a murder case and getting away with disproves the American people. Imagine the reaction people would feel if a murderer who just recently left the mental institution after pleading mentally insane were walking shoulder to shoulder to them. Insanity should not be used as a so-called excuse to avoid the punishment of the crime someone has committed. They should be punished for their actions they choose to do and neither the justice or court system should have a say in that.Even though the difficulty to prove sanity is questionable, the person should go through a broader series of tests and have evidence compelling towards insanity. (Harris 2013) If this person is sent to a mental hospital and then is considered cured or not a threat, h e or she free to go which is wrong and corrupt. We should have firm standard for judging whether a person is mentally ill or not. Conclusion Thus, the plea should be altered or even erased in some circumstances. Even though some of crimes committed would result in a death penalty for those who murder and kill for no reason. If that person is insane, the punishments should fit the crime they have committed. If they are unaware of what they were doing and the result is being found not guilty, who is to say that they leave behind not commit another crime again. Murder should be punished with death in my opinion and the crime should fit the punishment and there should be no alibi in the court system. If we let these people continue to use this excuse eventually our jails and mental will be full and the government will be spending even moremoney. (Harris 2013) Taking these so called mentally insane people off the streets will give America a safer conscious.References,Dubsinki, K. D. (19 86, July 15). Insanity Defense. In Chicago Tribute. Retrieved March 28, 2014, from http//articles.chicagotribune.comKhan, Z. (2014, March 21). wonder by HK Khan Personal Interview. Insanity defense Harris, M. (2013, January 14). Insanity plea repeated. In The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http//articles.baltimoresun.com/2009-01-14/Insanity defense (2011, April 11). In Wikipedia . Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insanity_defenseCarpenter, P. (2011, December 29). Legal system needs to rethink insanity, related defense ploys. In The Morning Call . Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http//articles.mcall.com/ White, M. D. (2011, January 11). Debating the Insanity Defense. In Psychology Today . Retrieved April 16, 2014, from http//www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ Lally, S. (1997, November 3). Drawing a shed light on Line Between Criminals and the Criminally Insane. In Washington Post. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv /local/longterm/aron/expert1123.htm

Smuckers Case Study

Scope of competitive rivalry- Competition among the industry is dominated by larger much than diverse companies offering many efferent crops in the processed foods industry. Number of Buyers The number of users has been steadily increasing oer the past few decades. With consumers looking for ways to simplify creating meals and snacks they be more(prenominal) skilful to purchase processed foods in order to quickly prepare and serve foods when eating at main office or eating meals on the go. Degree of harvest-home differentiation- Rivals in the processed foods trade are armed combat for more of the market.Without either expanding or acquiring new lines some of these businesses are having a hard meter keeping their share of the market. Product innovation The industry is always looking to innovate. This is pretty easy to curb from on the button browsing the grocery store aisles. There are always new and improved products or existing products that are just packaged better for easy on the go eating. Demand-Supply Conditions- Processed foods are, increase or minus, 70 percent of what most of us eat. 2) The demand for processed foods does not look standardized it is going to subside any time soon. There are many suppliers out there notwithstanding they are also dealing with negotiations to get their products into the top five grocers in America who gull the former of choosing hat products they can negotiate for the lowest price, this can be detrimental to small manufacturers. Pace of proficient Change- Technological advances in producing these products can help cut costs everyplace time, therefore making more profit on the foods that they are making.Vertical Integration- With acquisitions becoming a necessity of staying in the processed foods playing subject field these companies need to integrate any way that they can in order to stay competitive in the growing market. Economies of Scale- The processed foods industry is dominated by the top five brands. These brands are making it harder for the smaller companies to gain more of a market share without acquiring more businesses or increasing their product line to gain a share of the market.Learning/Experience Curve Effect- Processed foods make up about 70% of an average Americans diet. It is imperative for their survival that they try to gain a cost advantage over their competitors in order to maintain or increase their share of the processed foods market. Competitive compend S. W. O. T. depth psychology Strengths Started back in 1897 by Jerome Monroe Smacker, this has been a well-k flatn ND recognized brand for over cxv old age. (4) With the acquisitions they have made they are climbing up the processed foods top 100 list.Strong Financial Standings from 2009 to 201 3 Income before expenses went from $ 396. 1 Million to $ 817. 3 Million. Innovation- they are always looking for new ways of presenting their product in order to make the consumers life easier. Company wa s listed in the top quartile of Fortunes 1 00 Best Companies to determine for every year since the magazine created the ranking in 1997. (1) Weaknesses Smaller size in the processed foods market may limit their bargain power tit grocery retailers.Peanut Butter and Jelly with most schools now banning any peanut products because of allergies the daytimes of bringing a BP to school for lunch are to the highest degree extinct. Volume declined 6% and 1 1 % for Jiff and Smackers fruit spread respectively. (6) Opportunities Innovating their products to appeal to more consumers such as their creation of the Jiff To Go Lunchbox snacks. More acquisitions of smaller processed food companies when their finances allow. Expanding more internationally get-up-and-go the products that have a successful presence in other countries. The retreatsCompetition from larger processed foods manufactures. Lesser bargaining power with the top five grocery retailers who make up about 40% of the grocery g ross gross revenue in the United States. Fear of a decreased market share could lead them to make pestilential financial decisions in regards to pricing, acquisitions and other expenses that they can control. Healthier Eating habit by people in the U. S. May lessen the already smaller share of their stake in the processed foods market. Financial Analysis Gross Profit Margin- The profit Margin was increasing from 2009 to 2010.Since 201 0 it has gone down a littler bit to now being . 457 in 2013. This should be a concern for Smackers even though over the past two years it has stayed stealing and also slightly increased in 201 3 so far, this is something that they should be putting great attention into. Current Ratio- With a Current Ratio oaf unmingled 1. 3181 in 2009 transforming into a current ratio in 2013 being 2. 6729 it is showing that Smackers is financially sound and the fluctuations have not been too severe over the past five years again reiterating their stability in the p rocessed foods market.They are sufficiently able to pay current liabilities without concern. Long boundary debt-to-equity Ratio- Smackers Long Term Debt to Equity ratio has fluctuated some over the past five years. In 201 1 the ratio was at its lowest indicating that during that time they were at a better standing to borrow funds if needed. In January 2012, the association closed its purchase of a foddering coffee and hot beverage business from Sara Lee. (7) Without this acquisition to show the cut through in ratio from 201 1 to 2012 the company would seem to be in financial distress.Working Capital- The working(a) superior was rapidly increasing from 2009 to 2011. In 201 2 the company saw a decrease in working capital. With the gain of the Sara Lee acquisition there was more funds being used for day to day operations, while this went down it does not mean that the Company is failing it just means that they have more operating costs than previous and need to work more on the c ost of manufacturing these goods to increase revenues more in the future.Strategic Recommendation Smaller Market Share With the bigger processed foods companies such as kraft and Nestle gaining a large portion of this market I would recommend that Smackers continue to acquire smaller companies or subsidies of already established companies to continue the growth and success that they have over the more than a century that they have been in business. Peanut Butter and Jelly- With the Healthy and Natural Foods movement going on and also the increase in schools banning peanut butter Smackers two most well- known products are now fighting for 2nd and 3rd place for the companys sales contributions by product line.They are rest steady over the past 3 years. In 201 3 Peanut Butter was at 13% (a 1% gain over 201 2) and Fruit Spreads went from 8% in 201 1 to 6% in 2013. unitary of their newer acquisitions f coffee is booming with a 4% gain over the past 3 years going from 44% in 2011 to a whopping 48% in 2013. I would recommend pore more advertising and marketing dollars on the products with a decrease in product line sales in order to save what they had originally started their company with.Increasing International Expansion With the well-known brand pretend and similarity Of products that people use in other countries I believe that by exporting more of their products Smackers can grow in to a larger and better recognized brand globally. If they started out just shipping and not creating acclivities overseas they could save money in the beginning by not having the crash of a brand new facility and all of the expenses that come along with it. Also they could easily roll out of the markets that they are not able to penetrate successfully.

The Host Chapter 15: Guarded

When I came to, there was no(prenominal)disorientation. I knew exactly where I was, roughly speaking, and I kept my look closed and my lively even so. I try to learn as more as I could about my exact situation without full-grown aside the fact that I was conscious again.I was hungry. My stomach k nonted and clenched and made angry noises. I doubted these noises would betray me-I was sure it had gurgled and complained as I slept.My mental capacity ached fiercely. It was impossible to know how much of this was from fatigue and how much was from the knocks Id f al angiotensin-converting enzymen.I was lying on a hard surface. It was rough and pocked. It was not flat, besides oddly curved, as though I was lying in a sh every(prenominal)ow bowl. It was not comfortable. My substantiate and hips throbbed from being curve into this position. That pain was probably what had woken me I felt far from rested.It was dark-I could enunciate that without opening my eyes. Not pitch-black, tho truly dark.The air was even mustier than before-humid and corroded, with a peculiar acrid bite that followmed to cling to the back of my throat. The temperature was cooler than it had been in the desert, but the incongruous moisture made it al near as uncomfortable. I was sweating again, the water Jeb had wedded me finding its instruction out through my pores.I could expose my breathing echo back to me from a few feet aside. It could be that I was only close to unity wall, but I guessed that I was in a very small space. I listened as hard as I could, and it blend ined homogeneous my breathing echoed back from the opposite side as well.Knowing that I was probably still somewhere in the cavern system Jeb had brought me to, I was fairly sure what I would see when I opened my eyes. I must be in some small mess hall in the rock, dark purple chocolate-brown and riddled with holes like cheese.It was silent except for the sounds my body made. Afraid to open my eyes, I reli ed on my ears, pains harder and harder against the silence. I couldnt hear anyone else, and this made no sense. They wouldnt ready left me without a warden, would they? Uncle Jeb and his omnipresent rifle, or somebody less sympathetic. To leave of absence me alone that wouldnt be in character with their brutality, their natural fear and hatred of what I was.UnlessI tried to swallow, but terror closed my throat. They wouldnt leave me alone. Not unless they thought I was dead, or had made sure that I would be. Not unless there were places in these caves that no one came back from.The take care Id been forming of my surroundings shifted dizzyingly in my head. I saw myself now at the bottom of a deep flagroot or walled into a cramped tomb. My breathing sped up, tasting the air for staleness, for some sign that my oxygen was lead low. The muscles around my lungs pulled outward, filling with air for the scream that was on the way. I clenched my teeth to keep it from escaping. snappy and close, something grated across the ground beside my head.I shrieked, and the sound of it was piercing in the small space. My eyes flew open. I jerked away from the sinister noise, throwing myself against a jagged rock wall. My hands swung up to protect my face as my head thunked painfully against the low ceiling.A dim blowzy illuminated the perfectly round exit to the particular bubble of a cave I was curled in. Jareds face was half lit as he leaned into the opening, one arm reaching toward me. His lips were tight with anger. A vein in his forehead pulsed as he watched my panicked reaction.He didnt move he alone stared furiously while my heart restarted and my breathing evened out. I met his glare, remembering how quiet he had always been-like a wraith when he wanted. No wonder I hadnt heard him sitting guard outside my cell.But I had heard something. As I remembered that, Jared shoved his blanket(a) arm closer, and the grating noise repeated. I looked megabucks. At my fee t was a broken sheet of plastic part as a tray. And on itI lunged for the open bottle of water. I was just now aware that Jareds intercommunicate twisted with disgust as I jerked the bottle to my lips. I was sure that would bother me later, but all I cared about now was the water. I wondered if ever in my life I would take the liquefied for granted again. Given that my life was not likely to be prolonged here, the answer was probably no.Jared had disappeared, back through the circular entry. I could see a piece of his sleeve and nothing more. The benumb light came from somewhere beside him. It was an artificial bluish color.Id gulped half the water down when a new look caught my attention, informing me that water was not the only gift. I looked down at the tray again.Food. They were eating me?It was the bread-a dark, unevenly regulate roll-that I smelled first, but there was also a bowl of some clear liquid with the tone of onions. As I leaned closer, I could see darker chu nks on the bottom. Beside this were three stubby white tubes. I guessed they were vegetables, but I didnt recognize the variety.It took only seconds for me to bewilder these discoveries, but even in that short judgment of conviction, my stomach around jumped through my mouth trying to reach the food.I ripped into the bread. It was very dense, studded with whole-grain kernels that caught in my teeth. The texture was gritty, but the flavor was wonderfully rich. I couldnt remember anything tasting more delicious to me, not even my mushed-up Twinkies. My jaw worked as fast as it could, but I swallowed most of the mouthfuls of tough bread half-chewed. I could hear each mouthful hit my stomach with a gurgle. It didnt feeling as good as I thought it would. Too long empty, my stomach reacted to the food with discomfort.I ignored that and moved on to the liquid-it was soup. This went down easier. Aside from the onions Id smelled, the taste was mild. The green chunks were soft and spongy . I drank it straight from the bowl and wished the bowl were deeper. I tilted it back to make sure Id gotten every drop.The white vegetables were crunchy in texture, woody in taste. Some patient of of root. They werent as satisfying as the soup or as tasty as the bread, but I was grateful for their bulk. I wasnt full-not close-and I probably would have started on the tray next if I thought Id be able to chew through it.It didnt occur to me until I was finished that they shouldnt be feeding me. Not unless Jared had alienated the confrontation with the doctor. Though why would Jared be my guard if that were the case?I slid the tray away when it was empty, cringing at the noise it made. I stayed pressed against the back wall of my bubble as Jared reached in to retrieve it. This time he didnt look at me.Thank you, I whispered as he disappeared again. He say nothing there was no change in his face. Even the bit of his sleeve did not presentation this time, but I was sure he was there .I cant believe he hit me, Melanie mused, her thought incredulous rather than resentful. She was not over the surprise of it yet. I hadnt been surprised in the first place. Of course he had hit me.I wondered where you were, I answered. It would be poor manners to get me into this mess and then repeal me.She ignored my sour tone. I wouldnt have thought hed be able to do it, no bailiwick what. I dont have in mind I could hit him.Sure you could. If hed come at you with reflective eyes, youd have do the same. Youre naturally violent. I remembered her daydreams of strangling the Seeker. That seemed like months ago, though I knew it was only days. It would make sense if it had been longer. It ought to take time to get oneself stuck in such a disastrous mire as the one I was in now.Melanie tried to consider it impartially. I dont think so. Not Jared and Jamie, theres no way I could appall Jamie, even if he was She trailed off, hating that line of thought.I considered this and found it true. Even if the child had become something or mortal else, neither she nor I could ever raise a hand to him.Thats different. Youre like a mother. Mothers are reasonless here. Too many emotions involved.Motherhood is always emotional-even for you souls.I didnt answer that.What do you think is going to take a chance now?Youre the expert on humans, I reminded her. Its probably not a good thing that theyre giving me food. I can think of only one reason theyd want me strong.The few specifics I remembered of historical human brutalities tangled in my head with the stories in the old newspaper wed read the other day. Fire-that was a bad one. Melanie had burned all the fingerprints off her right hand once in a stupefied accident, grabbing a pan she hadnt realized was hot. I remembered how the pain had shocked her-it was so unexpectedly sharp and demanding.It was just an accident, though. Quickly treated with ice, salves, medicine. No one had done it on purpose, continued on from the first smelly pain, drawing it out longer and longerId never lived on a planet where such atrocities could happen, even before the souls came. This place was truly the highest and the lowest of all worlds-the most well-favored senses, the most exquisite emotions the most malevolent desires, the darkest deeds. Perhaps it was meanspiritedt to be so. Perhaps without the lows, the highs could not be reached. Were the souls the exception to that rule? Could they have the light without the darkness of this world?I felt something when he hit you, Melanie interrupted. The delivery came slowly, one by one, as if she didnt want to think them. I felt something, too. It was amazing how natural it was to use sarcasm now, after disbursement so much time with Melanie. Hes got quite a backhand, doesnt he?Thats not what I meant. I mean She hesitated for a long moment, and then the rest of the rowing came in a move. I thought it was all me-the way we feel about him. I thought I was in control of that.The thoughts behind her words were clearer than the words themselves.You thought you were able to bring me here because you wanted it so much. That you were controlling me instead of the other way around. I tried not to be annoyed. You thought you were manipulating me.Yes. The chagrin in her tone was not because I was upset, but because she did not like being wrong. ButI waited.It came in a rush once more. Youre in love with him, too, separately from me. It feels different from the way I feel. Other. I didnt see that until he was there with us, until you saw him for the first time. How did that happen? How does a three-inch-long worm fall in love with a human being?Worm?Sorry. I guess you sort of have limbs.Not really. Theyre more like antennae. And Im quite a bit longer than three inches when theyre extended.My point is, hes not your species.My body is human, I told her. period Im attached to it, Im human, too. And the way you see Jared in your memories Well, its all your fault.She considered that for a moment. She didnt like it much.So if you had gone to Tucson and gotten a new body, you wouldnt love him anymore now?I really, really hope thats true.Neither of us was prosperous with my answer. I leaned my head against the top of my knees. Melanie changed the subject.At least Jamie is safe. I knew Jared would take care of him. If I had to leave him, I couldnt have left him in better hands I wish I could see him.Im not asking that I cringed at the thought of the response that request would receive.At the same time, I yearned to see the boys face for myself. I wanted to be sure that he was really here, really safe-that they were feeding him and caring for him the way Melanie never could again. The way I, mother to no one, wanted to care for him. Did he have someone to sing to him at night? To tell him stories? Would this new, angry Jared think of little things like that? Did he have someone to curl up against when he was frightened?Do you think they w ill tell him that Im here? Melanie asked.Would that help or hurt him? I asked back.Her thought was a whisper. I dont know I wish I could tell him that I kept my promise.You certainly did. I shook my head, amazed. No one can say that you didnt come back, just like always.Thanks for that. Her voice was faint. I couldnt tell if she meant for my words now, or if she meant the bigger picture, bringing her here.I was suddenly exhausted, and I could feel that she was, too. Now that my stomach had colonised a bit and felt almost halfway full, the rest of my pains were not sharp comme il faut to keep me awake. I hesitated before moving, afraid to make any noise, but my body wanted to change posture and stretch out. I did so as silently as I could, trying to find a piece of the bubble long enough for me. Finally, I had to stick my feet almost out the round opening. I didnt like doing it, worried that Jared would hear the movement close to him and think I was trying to escape, but he didnt react in any way. I pillowed the good side of my face against my arm, tried to ignore the way the curve of the floor cramped my spine, and closed my eyes.I think I slept, but if I did, it wasnt deeply. The sound of nucleotidesteps was still very far away when I came fully awake.This time I opened my eyes at once. Nothing had changed-I still could see the dull blue light through the round hole I still could not see if Jared was outside it. Someone was glide slope this way-it was easy to hear that the footsteps were coming closer. I pulled my legs away from the opening, moving as quietly as I could, and curled up against the back wall again. I would have liked to be able to stand it would have made me feel less vulnerable, more prepared to face whatever was coming. The low ceiling of the cave bubble would barely have allowed me to kneel.There was a flash of movement outside my prison. I saw part of Jareds foot as he rose silently to his feet.Ah. Here you are, a man said. The words w ere so aloud after all the empty silence that I jumped. I recognized the voice. One of the brothers Id seen in the desert-the one with the machete, Kyle.Jared didnt speak.Were not going to allow this, Jared. It was a different speaker, a more reasonable voice. Probably the young brother, Ian. The brothers voices were very similar-or they would have been, if Kyle werent always half shouting, his tone always twisted with anger. Weve all lost somebody-hell, weve all lost everybody. But this is ridiculous.If you wont let Doc have it, then its got to die, Kyle added, his voice a growl.You cant keep it prisoner here, Ian continued. Eventually, it will escape and well all be exposed.Jared didnt speak, but he took one side step that tramp him directly in front of the opening to my cell.My heart pumped hard and fast as I understood what the brothers were saying. Jared had won. I was not to be tortured. I was not to be killed-not immediately, anyway. Jared was keeping me prisoner.It seemed a beautiful word under the circumstances.I told you he would protect us.Dont make this difficult, Jared, said a new male voice I didnt recognize. It has to be done.Jared said nothing.We dont want to hurt you, Jared. Were all brothers here. But we will if you make us. There was no bluff in Kyles tone. Move aside.Jared stood rock still.My heart started thumping faster than before, jerky against my ribs so hard that the hammering disrupted the rhythm of my lungs, made it difficult to breathe. Melanie was incapacitated with fear, unable to think in coherent words.They were going to hurt him. Those lunatic humans were going to attack one of their own.Jared please, Ian said.Jared didnt answer.A heavy footfall-a lunge-and the sound of something heavy hitting something solid. A gasp, a choking gurgle No I cried, and launched myself through the round hole.