Classical Vs. Classical Conditioning - 1095 Words

Classical Conditioning In this paper, Classical Conditioning is explored by first giving a general definition along with the general phases of basic classical conditioning. Then, more insight is given about the developers of this learning process and their experiments: Ivan Pavlov and his dog experiment and John B. Watson and Little Albert experiment. Finally, real-world applications of this learning process are introduced such as how to treat phobias, addictions and achieve good classroom behavior. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was born in Russia in 1849. He was first educated at church school and as a teen studied to be a Russian Orthodox priest. However, he later focused on science and studied medicine in Russia and Germany, accepting posts in†¦show more content†¦However, he lost this job and got a divorce after he had an affair with a graduate student. In 1913, Watson published the article Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It. The article focused on how human beings should be observed in a manner similar to how animals are studied. Most importantly, he rejected the notion psychology should be based on the study of consciousness. He would go on to write a book on the subject Behaviorism. Watson received a great award from the American Psychological Association for his work in the field and passed away on September 25, 1958. In 1889, Pavlov began experiments first focusing on digestion investigating the digestive process between the salivation and the reactions of the stomach but eventually led to classical conditioning. He repeatedly rang a bell, a neutral stimulus that did not cause a response, and then gave the dogs with meat powder, which caused the response of salivation without any learning. Eventually, the dogs began to respond (salivate) at the sound of the bell. In other words, the dogs had learned to predict that the sound of the bell would be followed by presentation of the meat powder. This proved their reflexes could be conditioned by external stimuli. Specifically, after they were conditioned by the ringing of a bell at feeding time, they would reflexively salivate upon hearing the bell, whether or not food was present In 1920, Watson

Googles Financial Analysis - 1228 Words

Table of Contents Introduction 1 Summary of Operations 1 Financial Position 3 Trend Analysis 3 Introduction Google is an Internet company based in California. The companys American site is the #1 website in the world in terms of traffic. Google sites hold six other spots in the worlds 25 most popular websites according to Alexa.com (2012). In fiscal 2011, Google earned revenue of $37.9 billion and net income of $9.7 billion. Its main revenue driver is its online advertising business, which accounted for 96.3% of all revenue (2011 Annual Report). Googles other businesses, including the Chrome browser and Android mobile operating system, do not generate much income for the company despite their popularity. This report will outline the financial condition of Google. Summary of Operations An analysis of Googles income statement reveals that gross revenue was $37.9 billion. The cost of revenue was $13.18 billion so the net sales (gross profit) was $24.717 billion. This represents an increase of 30.7% over the year previous. The profitability ratios are a set of financial ratios that outline how well the company turns its revenue into profit. The gross margin is 65.2% and the net margin is 25.6%. These ratios indicate that Google has a high level of profitability, with healthy margins. These margins are attributable to the companys low level of fixed costs as a company that develops software and sell advertising. The net income before taxes was $12.326Show MoreRelatedGoogle : Financial Analysis On The Health Of A Business1723 Words   |  7 PagesGoogle: Financial Analysis Financial statements provide a picture of the health of a business is and how prepared they are to face the challenges ahead. Publically traded companies are required to post financial statements and a detailed 10-K report on the SEC website. This is a tool that creditors, analysts, and investors use in assessing the health and future of a company. This information is also used by management and decision makers to spot potential problems and move in a more positive directionRead MoreGoogle vs. Yahoo Financial Analysis Essay1309 Words   |  6 PagesGoogle vs. Yahoo Financial Analysis Dee Wassenberg Columbia College FINC 350 Business Finance Instructor: Darryl Sanborn February 11, 2011 Liquidity ratios, like the current ratio, provide information about a firms ability to meet its short time financial obligations. Short-term creditors seek a high current ratio from prospective clients since it reduces their risk. For investors in a company, such as shareholders, a lower ratioRead MoreEssay on Google Case1495 Words   |  6 Pagesfive competitive forces seem strongest? weakest? What is your assessment of overall industry attractiveness? Competition in the search industry is high. There are several search engines available, albeit Google holds the top percentage. Some of Google’s opposing forces are Yahoo!, Bing, and MSN search. 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Focus on the user and all else will follow. 2. It’s best to do one thing really, really well. 3. Fast is better than slow. 4. Democracy on the web works. 5. You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer. 6. You canRead MoreAn Analysis of the Business Model of Google and Microsoft1310 Words   |  5 PagesGoogle has had to contend with competition from other players in the internet technology marketplace. This text compares and contrasts both the financial management and business model of Google with that of Microsoft. Amongst other things, a number of ratios will be utilized in carrying out a performance and stability analysis of both companies. An Analysis of the Business Model of Google and Microsoft Google Inc. according to Yahoo! Finance (2012) maintains an index of Web sites and other onlineRead MoreStrategic Management and Personal Media Players1006 Words   |  5 Pagesyour assessment of Apple Computer’s financial performance the past three years? (Use the financial ratios in Table 4.1 on pages 94-96 of the text as a guide in doing your financial analysis.) 6. What recommendations would you make to allow Apple to strengthen its position in its most important markets? What steps should it take to ensure that the iPad becomes a success in the marketplace and a major contributor to the company’s overall performance? Google’s Strategy in 2010* Assignment Questions

Wild geese analysis free essay sample

Mary Oliver’s â€Å"Wild Geese† focuses on the beauty of life as well as surviving its everyday challenges and difficulties. It is a perfect mix of both the underlying and the obvious meanings. The poem is in free-verse so punctuations are used sparingly throughout the poem but enough commas are distributed on areas where there should be a slight â€Å"pause†; significantly chosen words are placed individually per line. The 1st line â€Å"You do not have to be good† (Oliver 1) marks the obvious soulful mood of the poem. This is followed by a description of religious approach when one tends to feel guilty â€Å"You do not have to walk on your knees/ For a hundred miles through the desert/ repenting† (2 – 4). This refers to the pressure to obey certain rules which some individuals might find burdensome yet must be followed or they suffer the consequences. Then the poem speaks of a natural human desire â€Å"You only have to let the soft animal of your / body/love what it loves† (5 – 7) — the everyday challenge to follow what society considers  to be decent but somehow with limited freedom; as well as an invitation to share in the common sadness experienced by all people â€Å"Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine† (8 – 9). We will write a custom essay sample on Wild geese analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The obviousness stops at â€Å"Meanwhile the world goes on† (10) making way for the underlying meaning by the use of the metaphor in the following lines: â€Å"Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of / the rain† (11- 12). The sun signifies the days when things are going fine and good while the clear pebbles of the rain are the days when things are not going so well. The pebbles are clear in the sense that the rain will not be prolonged and so are the trials. The succeeding lines: â€Å"are moving across the landscapes/ over the prairies and the deep trees/ the mountains and the rivers† (13 – 15) goes on to specify the various places (the landscapes), situations of abundance (prairies) and of poorness (deep trees); moments of glory (the mountains) and defeat (the rivers).

Australia’s Recent Economic Performance

Questions: (1) Examine Australias recent economic performance and provide an overview of the current economic outlook. Critically review the governments policy approach to meeting the key domestic challenges identified. (2) There is often a tension in setting macroeconomic policies, where some policies can have undesirable consequences. In the context of the governments current policy approach, examine the following and discuss how these countervailing forces might constrain desired policy settings and outcomes. a) Providing incentives for work and innovation via a reduction in company and income tax (which are high by international standards), in the context of a large budget deficit. b) Lowering interest rates to stimulate economic activity, while moderating housing price growth and improving housing affordability. Answers: Introduction The macroeconomic policies of a country are the most important policies and these policies play significant role in the economic growth of the company. These also decide the economic position of the country as well as decide the direction of the economy of the country. There are several different types of the macroeconomic policies and among them most important policies are fiscal policy, monetary policy as well as exchange rate policy (Barbieri and Pezzini, 2001). The fiscal policy of a country helps to allocate the budget of the countrys necessary development and other requisites. The monetary policies of the government help in allocating the fund in correct investment option so that the country can able to achieve the desirable economic growth. In addition to that the exchange rate policy helps the government to maintain the rate of domestic currency as compared to the standard international currency. In Australia the government put great emphasis on developing effective macroecon omic policies in order to ensure the desirable high growth rate for the country (Brittle, 2010). This report is an attempt to analysis the macroeconomic policies of Australia, which help in improving the growth of the country. Main body (1). The Australian Government has taken significant economic policies, which help the country to establish substantial growth for the country. The government of Australia has been at the front position for utilizing the fiscal policies in order to minimizing the macroeconomics effects of the financial crisis, which influence the global economy (De Menil, Portes and Sinn, 2008). The Australian Government can do so as the debt of the country is minute compared to the international standard. Even after many years of fiscal deficits, the net government debt is remaining lower than 10% of the GDP of the country. This compares positively with the debt ratio of the United Nations Government of around 70%. The country has implemented sustainable fiscal policies, that needs the debt of public does not enhance connecting to the GDP in long term. The gross domestic product of Australia has expanded up to 0.7% in December 2015, in comparison to upward revised 1.2% growth in previous quarter and the market consequences (Fender, 2012). The expenditure on consumption is positively contributed to the expansion, net exports and investment also contributed to the growth of GDP. The growth of economy is around 3% by accelerating from the upward revised 2.8% in September quarter and thus beating the expectation. Therefore, it is considered to be the fastest growth since the third quarter of the year 2012. The growth rate of GDP in the country is around 0.88% from the year 1959 to 2015. The growth rate reached to 4.50% in the first quarter of the year 1976 and recorded low at the rate -2% in second quarter of the year 1974. The current economic performance of the country is good and is supported by high production level (Freebairn, 2003). It is also a significant contributor of the five sectors that is expected to drive the future global development: education, agribusiness, mining, wealth management, and tourism. The structural reforms of the government of Australia can face decade of deficits due to the increase in the spending on the older households. The repaying costs will fall on the younger households. The Australian GDP is seemed to be expanded for the last quarter of the year 2015 and it also seems to be upward rising in with the growth percentage of the 2.7 percent and thus the expectations are seemed to be fastening the expansions that are required for the proper enhancement of the resources for the utilisation of the resources in the Australia. The growth rate of the country Australia is enhanced at the third quarter of the 2012 whose GDP annual growth is seemed to be fastening the expansion of at the rate of the 9 percent. Thus the bureau of the statistics also shows the growth of the economy in the country of the Australia also helps in the development of the economy of the country of the Australia. Thus the country Australias national GDP seems to be increasing at the next year of second year of at the low interest rate of the GDP and thus it also shows the growth of the -3.50 percent which also helps in the creation of the statistics of the Australian Bureau of the statistics (Abs.gov.au, 2016). The structural reforms of the government of Australia can face decade of deficits due to the increase in the spending on the older households. The repaying costs will fall on the younger households. Hence, the Australian economic centre seems to be dominated by the services sectors and thus it also helps in the increment of the success of the of the other sectors including the mining sectors that are require for the proper enhancement of the percentage at the rate of 13.5 % and thus it also helps in showing the key developments in the commodity of the exports and the imports and thus it also helps in the proper increment of the investments in the infrastructural services for the proper enhancement of the sectors data. Thus the Australian GDP also shows the actual values of the Australian GDP shows the historical and the forecasting of the economic calendars that are related to the new releases of the year. Therefore, it would be difficult for the government of Australia for next ten years (Tawadros, 2016). Therefore, the commonwealth government is funding to adopt and implement new policies. Apart from this, government of Australia is still to respond the scale of the budget challenges. These challenges are difficult to overcome as the government does not have enough funds to purchase the reform. The sustainability of economy depends on the government policies (Friedman, 2000). The policies implemented by the government are reducing the superannuation tax, changing the capital gain tax and the negative gearings, introducing broad property levy and broadening the goods and service tax. The country has significant economic policies, which help substantial economic growth of the country. The GDP of the country is stable from the last several years as well as improved substantially in last few years. (2). a). The companies providing incentive for work to the employees and innovation via reduction in organization and income tax might constrain the desired policy setting and outcomes. The strategies can affect the policy setting of the country (Relative fiscal capacities of the States 2006, 2006). The government can have a significance influence on incentives that affects investment, innovation and taking decisions whether the workforce should participate or not and all the drivers for development. The incentives are influenced by disciplines imposed by the competitive markets. The reduction in the income tax can affect the income source of government (Gruen, 2005). The approach of the government to the fiscal policy is significant to imparting credibility and certainty to the market through application of the macroeconomic policies. The creditability policy contributes to the reduced uncertainty and thus creating more attractive business environment. The disciplined fiscal policy with credibility over medium terms allows the business to make decision regarding investment with greater confidence. The rates of payments which include their adequacy should be balanced against the impacts on the incentives for the employees to get off the welfare (Gruen, 2005). Therefore, the economic policy settings through the welfare and tax system impact on the work incentives and it should be frame in such a way that avoids the discouragement of employees. When the government of the country reduced the income tax rate along with the tax for the companies, the government do so for promoting the business activities of the countries. When the income tax reduced for the individuals of the country the citizens have more money and they can expense more thus, the cash flow in the market is increasing and there is more liquid money in the market so the growth of the market is increasingly increased and from the growth rate of the market the economy of the country use to be boosted signif icantly. In case of reducing tax for the companies the companies have more liquid money, which the companies can invest in the future development of the companies and it help in prospectus growth and development of the country and its economy. The economy is boosted by these particular novel policies, which is different from the traditional economic policies. By these economic policies the government of country use to take substantial risk as by this policy the taxation income of the country will be reduced and the wealth of the country will be reduced initially but at the same time it open huge potentiality of growth and economic development of the country. The policy of reducing income tax and the company tax is innovative taxation policy of the government of the country that substantially help the country to improve its economic growth and development. At the time when the countries, in order to encourage the investment and growth of the companies of the country reduce the income tax rate as well as company taxes, which lead to deficit in the budget as the tax collection from the income tax Act of the countries as well as from the others taxes which are levied to the companies performing their business activities within the constituency of the country. By reducing the taxes the wealth collecting from the taxation will be reduced initially, however, it encourage the companies within the country to do more investment as well as this policies encourage the companies to do expansion for the growth and development of the company (Gumus, 2011). Therefore, in order to proceeding expansion the companies have to use several government facilities and have to provide taxes for availing the facilities and so that the taxation wealth of the country will be increased. Besides this, it helps in the growth of the market as due to this policy of go vernment to reduce company and income tax the market use to be growing substantially (Nagel, 2000). Moreover, in this way the economy of the country will be growing. In case of reducing the income tax, the taxpayer citizens of the country will get more money in their hand so they incline to buy more or they use to expense more in this case the market use to grow substantially (Ito and Rose, 2008). Therefore, by the help of this policy the government can be able to improve the economy of the country. b). When the central bank of the country takes initiatives for lowering the interest rate, it plays significant role stimulating the economic activities within the country as several organizations use to take finance from the banks in order to improve their business activities so that the companies can be able to establish desirable growth and development (Kincaid and Shah, 2007). The decrease in the interest will help in the development of the economic activity of Australia. The price growth can also be controlled of the houses so that the middle and low income group family can afford for the houses. Therefore, the affordability of the houses can be improved with the lower rate of interest and decreasing the rate of price of the houses. It has been concluded that the housing policy in the country is inappropriate that affected the housing affordability of lower income and middle income group of the people. It has been forecasted that the rise in the price of the houses imposes negat ive impact on the people of the country. The decrease in the rate of interest of the houses will encourage the lower and middle income group of the people. The increase in the rate of interest and decrease in the price of the houses will enable to afford houses. The tax amount should be reduced and the combination of the Negative gearing and capital gain tax has contributed problems to the affordability of the houses all across the country. The decrease in the interest rates and price of the houses will help to increase in the investment in houses and attracts more number of investors towards purchasing of houses in the country. The complexities in the changes in the price of the houses have created difficulties in front of the government of the country. However, decrease in the rate of interest and decrease in the principle price will increase the affordability of the houses among the investors and other people. In the following policy banks play an important role as they provide l oan to the people for different purposes as well as for the housing in the country. The policies and factors should help in the growth and appropriate development of the country. Therefore, in case of lowering interest rate by the central bank of the country a boom in the market can be evident as the economic activities by the companies use to be improved substantially by the governmental policy of the country. At the time, when the price of the housing is growing the lowering in the interest rate help in improving the affordability of the housing as the customers of the housing can obtain the house in lower rate of interest and thus the tendency of buying a new house will be increased and maximum number of people incline to buy new house thus, a boom can be evident in the real estate industry (Monacelli and Perotti, 2010). Conclusion The government of Australia should undertake reforms on the spending and revenue side. The government is focusing on cutting down the spending. The government has reduced the budget for the foreign aid and the savings have been proposed for primary care, welfare through the changes in arrangement in the benefits and eligibility threshold and primary care. The revenue measures can help the government to improve the budget deficit and other policies. References Barbieri, S. and Pezzini, M. (2001).OECD territorial reviews. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Brittle, S. (2010). Ricardian Equivalence and the Efficacy of Fiscal Policy in Australia.Australian Economic Review, 43(3), pp.254-269. De Menil, G., Portes, R. and Sinn, H. (2008).Economic policy. [Oxford]: [Blackwell]. Fender, J. (2012).Monetary policy. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Freebairn, J. (2003). Economic policy for rural and regional Australia.Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 47(3), pp.389-414. Friedman, B. (2000).Monetary policy. Cambridge, MA.: National Bureau of Economic Research. Gruen, D. (2005). The Evolution of Fiscal Policy in Australia.Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 21(4), pp.618-635. Gruen, D. (2005). The Evolution of Fiscal Policy in Australia.Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 21(4), pp.618-635. Gumus, I. (2011). Exchange Rate Policy and Sovereign Spreads in Emerging Market Economies.Review of International Economics, 19(4), pp.649-663. Ito, T. and Rose, A. (2008).International financial issues in the Pacific Rim. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Kincaid, J. and Shah, A. (2007).The practice of fiscal federalism. Montre al: Published for Forum of Federations = Forum des fe de rations and iacfs by McGill-Queen's University Press. Monacelli, T. and Perotti, R. (2010). Fiscal Policy, the Real Exchange Rate and Traded Goods*.The Economic Journal, 120(544), pp.437-461. Nagel, S. (2000).Handbook of global economic policy. New York: Marcel Dekker. Relative fiscal capacities of the States 2006. (2006). Canberra, A.C.T.: Commonwealth Grants Commission. Tawadros, G. (2016). Asymmetric monetary policy rules in Australia.Applied Economics, pp.1-15.9-24-14 [Accessed 29 May 2016].

Taiwan Facts Essays - Republic Of China, Republics, Taiwan

Taiwan Facts title = Taiwan Facts Taiwan, officially Republic of China, island (in 1994 est. population was 21,299,000), 13,885 sq mi, in the Pacific Ocean, separated from the mainland of S China by the 100-mi-wide (161-km) Taiwan Strait. The capital is TAIPEI. Other major cities include KAOHSIUNG, Tainan, Taichong, and Chilung. About one quarter of Taiwan's land area is cultivated; rice, wheat, sugarcane, and sweet potatoes are the most important crops. In the 1970s industry replaced agriculture as the major export earner. Light industry is the major manufacturing sector, with electronics far ahead. Other manufactures include electrical equipment, chemicals, motor vehicles, and machinery, and service industries are beginning to be more important. The main natural resources are woods and other forest products. Religions include Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Christianity. Taiwan was first settled by the Chinese in the 7th century, the island was reached by the Portuguese in 1590. It was held by the Dutch in the 1640s, and by China's Ch'ing dynasty from 1683. Occupied by Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War , Taiwan remained in Japanese hands until 1945. When CHIANG KAI-SHEK and the Nationalists, or Kuomintang, were kicked from mainland CHINA by the Communists, they shifted the seat of their government to Taiwan. The U.S. long supported and aided the Nationalists, but in the 1970s Taiwan's international political position had eroded. In 1971 it lost China's seat in the UN to the People's Republic of China, and in 1979 the U.S. broke diplomatic relations with the Nationalists to establish relations with the People's Republic of China, although keeping good economic and cultural ties. Martial law, in effect since 1949, was lifted in 1987, and many jailed political dissidents were freed. Pres. Chiang Ching-kuo died in 1988 and was succeeded by LEE TENG -HUI, a Taiwan native. In 1991 Lee ended emergency rule, which had permitted the domination of the National Assembly by aging mainland delegates elected in 1947. In elections in 1992 the Kuomintang retained control of the assembly, but the major opposition party won a third of the seats.

Needing the Unnecessary Essay Example

Needing the Unnecessary Essay Example Needing the Unnecessary Essay Needing the Unnecessary Essay The luxury craze is breaking into the lives of people of all socioeconomic groups and beginning to spread around the globe. Nowadays, even the average American can drive a Mercedes Benz, shop at elite retail boutiques and enjoy a massage. What was once considered a luxury item is now considered a staple. For virtually any product out there, there is a designer alternative or luxury upgrades that everyone strives to obtain and outdo their pier, pushing normal standards to those of higher and sometimes ridiculous standards. By looking into any standard English dictionary for the meaning of the word conspicuous, one gets a variety of lexicographic entries including â€Å"eye catching†, and â€Å"prominent;† but the word acquires a significantly different connotation in the context of â€Å"consumption† when it clearly indicated the phenomenon of â€Å"wasteful and lavish consumption expenses to enhance social prestige. Based entirely on observation, more than a hundred years ago, Thorstein Veblen (1899) proposed that American rich were spending a significant portion of their time and money on unnecessary and unproductive leisure expenditures and coined the term conspicuous consumption to describe the behavior; this linguistic construct has been used so widely that it has entered into popular English lexicon only in this particular sense of the term (Oxford English Dictionary). Luxury spending, over the last several years has been growing four times faster in the United States than anywhere else. Political leaders characterized the increasing desire for luxury items vital to the health of the American economy as a whole. All layers of society are experiencing and participating in the necessary consumption of unnecessary items and services that have become so readily available to everyday consumers. Luxury is everywhere and is almost impossible for us as consumers to avoid. We see luxury in storefronts, advertisements, radio, and much more. We imagine ourselves surrounded by the luxury items we see in hopes of one day if not already possessing those items. We as Humans are consumers by nature, always desiring more. So many products are claiming luxury status today that the credibility of the category itself is strained: for example, Kmart offers cashmere bedspreads, the name â€Å"pashmina† had to be invented to top cashmere. This would not have happened if luxury items were not so accessible to all classes of society. No we are not rational when it comes to spending and consuming the luxury items out there. In fact, we as consumer are more irrational than rational, with most everything purchased being made on impulse. It is important for us to rethink the separation between production and consumption, for they are more alike than separate and occur not at different times and places but simultaneously. That is the underlining question and what James Twitchell has shown us.

Fitness Center Information System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Fitness Center Information System - Assignment Example The system would take care of all those and keep the latest details about performance and other measures such as future interests. They form a major part of the system and handle a lot of tasks relating to the members activities and alignment to several other programs and future interests. They interface with the management giving valuable information regarding members and their interests which needs to be taken care from time to time. The new methodologies and equipments need to be identified for the growth of their customer base so that they stay competitive in the business. The management of The Fitness Center needs to analyze at every moment what is to be done for furthering the interests of the members and to identify the upcoming requirements and the feedback from the members about the center and the environment. The fitness consultants also interact with the management to identify collectively the innovations which will keep the company competitive over others. The above information can be collected from the company members and the consultants in the form of interviews and questionnaires designed to fetch the required information so as to get the overall view of the system and the interaction of the various parts. PrSystem Analysis It outlines the various models which need to be developed to get an inner depth of the system and the interaction of its various processes. Process Modeling: Process modeling involves graphically representing the processes which capture, manipulate, store and distribute data between a system and its environment and between components within a system (Hoffer, 2002). The following is the Data flow diagram of the entire system and its relationships with other entities: Figure 1: Data flow Diagram of the entire system. The following are the information about the various symbols used in the above diagram: Oval - It is used to depict the Information system to be interfaced. Rectangle - It is used to denote the various entities involved in the entire system. Rectangles with one open side - It is used to show the place to store the information derived from the various entities and the Information system itself. Arrows - It shows the direction of the information flow. Labels - It gives a brief about the nature of the information or message passing. Conceptual data modeling : A detailed model that captures the overall structure of organizational data while being independent of any database management system or other implementation considerations (Hoffer and Navathe, 2002). Figure 2: Entity Relationship Diagram (Clearly showing communication between them) The following are

Performance appraisals Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Performance appraisals - Research Paper Example Performance appraisals are aimed at the smooth accomplishment of organizational goals by monitoring employee behavior and enhancing employee productivity. This paper deals with the various aspects of performance appraisals including its use in the workplace, its subjective and objective nature, legal and ethical issues, advantages and disadvantages, and suggests possible alternatives. Performance appraisals in the workplace Performance appraisals play a pivotal role in the management of organizations. Performance appraisals serve a large variety of purposes within organizations. The management often uses performance appraisals for taking important decisions on promotions, rewards, transfers and terminations of employees, for identifying training and development needs, for validating selection and development programs, and for providing timely feedback to the employees on their performance (Robbins 228). Performance appraisals offer a unique opportunity for managers and supervisors to evaluate the performance of their employees and to improve their performance by timely feedbacks or interventions. For Chukwuba, performance appraisals play two potentially conflicting roles within an organization. The first of these roles is â€Å"to measure performance for the purpose of rewarding or otherwise making administrative decisions about employees† whereas the second is ‘development of individual potential’ within the organization (Chukwuba 3). Both these roles are essential for the overall growth and development of the organization. It is the responsibility of the supervisors to guide, direct and motivate the subordinates through appropriate performance appraisals. However, self-appraisals, peer appraisals, subordinate appraisals, customer/client appraisals, and multiple raters are also proved to be significant in various organizational settings (Jennifer 255). Performance appraisals yield employee satisfaction and enhance their performance when the ir work is appreciated or rewarded. On the other hand, it can also put an end to undesirable behavior among the employees. Objective and subjective performance appraisals Performance appraisals can be of two types-objective or subjective. While objective performance appraisals are based on facts subjective performance appraisals are based on individuals’ perceptions. As such objective measures appear to be more valid and reliable. However, it is a fact that the actual performance of an employee cannot completely be evaluated based on facts or statistical data alone. Therefore, effective management system makes use of both objective and subjective performance appraisals. Objective performance appraisals are results-oriented as the focus is on facts or statistical data whereas subjective measures are â€Å"based on individuals’ perceptions and can be used for appraisals based on traits, behaviors, and results† (Jennifer 254). While objective performance appraisals value the performance of employees in terms of their sales, business, achievements, profits or growth in income subjective evaluation takes into account such aspects as the efforts made by the employee, the attitude of the employee and his/her behavior. For instance, the

OPERATION MANAGEMENT (specialize in comparative operation management Essay

OPERATION MANAGEMENT (specialize in comparative operation management - Essay Example The nature of offerings of KFC is different from McDonald's in the sense that majority of KFC's ingredients include deep fried wholesome chicken pieces and fries. Immediately behind the counter, there is a temporary storage of ready to serve chicken pieces, in temperature controlled glass environment. This serves the purpose of Work in Progress Inventory. Step 2: the first person in the production line reads order and passes the raw, materials to the next level. For example if it is chicken pieces, then he passes the full pieces, if its hot shots he passes the right amount to the net level. It can be seen that the operations of KFC are almost similar to the operations of Mc Donald's. As mentioned earlier, the primary difference between KF and Mc Donalds' offering is that all KFC offerings contain chicken. As per quality policy the chicken has to be fresh. Due to this the role of Temporary Storage (behind counter)is very crucial for KFC. It has to satisfy the following requirements: Mc Donald's has and advantage on KFC in the sense that it does not require too much movement of workers as the sandwich is processed along a line of processing.

The Chikungunya Virus: Symptoms and Causes

The Chikungunya Virus: Symptoms and Causes Chikungunya virus, also known as Chikungunya fever, is most often found in urban areas of India and also in other countries such as Africa and other regions in Southeast Asia. They tend to appear in very crowded areas, which allow transmission of the virus to be more efficient. It is a single stranded, enveloped RNA virus that is a part of the genus Alphavirus (Riezebos-Brilman). All Alphavirus are transmitted to Humans through infected mosquitoes, which for Chikungunya virus in particular, does not cause as deadly symptoms as does other viruses. Although Chikungunya has not been reported to cause death in Humans, its symptoms can still affect some individuals adversely. These symptoms can be long-lasting; however they seem to eventually disappear. There is not one specific treatment for Chikungunya fever, but it can be treated separately by each symptom (Chikungunya). Even though there are not any specific treatments for Chikungunya fever, there are many prevention methods or strate gies that can be used to avoid mosquitos. In order for Chikungunya virus to gain entrance into Humans, it must first infect mosquitoes. Mosquitoes become infected by biting Humans that are already infected with Chikungunya virus and the mosquitos can then infect Humans who are not infected. Specifically the vector that mainly transmits the infection is the mosquito Aedes aegypti, which are also known as the yellow fever mosquito (Chikungunya). After Aedes aegypti spreads the infection to Humans by biting into the skin, the virus primarily does all of its replication in the cytoplasm. It starts off by attaching its surface protein to the host cells receptor on its plasma membrane where it then enters the cell by endocytosis and transported to endosomes. Uncoating of the capsid occurs by acidification which involves a change in pH eventually causing the capsid to uncoat. The capsid is a regular, icosahedral, twenty-faced structure that holds the genome. The genome is comprised of a positive single-stranded RNA, which is theref ore classified as Baltimore class IV. When the genome is free of the capsid, it can skip transcription and go straight to mRNA processing (because it is a positive strand) and translation in the cytoplasm. A crucial step that initiates translation involves eIF2-alpha, which allows normal-house keeping genes to shut off. Also, during translation, the first ORF is translated, which encodes for four particular proteins (nsP1, nsP2, nsP3 and nsP4) that makes replicase (a viral protein). Replicase forms the negative strand intermediate (42S RNA) and which will then in turn create more positive stranded RNA. After translation, the capsid is assembled by ribosomes and the lipid-protein envelope (only proteins in envelope are glycoproteins) is assembled at the plasma membrane where it egresses the cell by budding (Riezebos-Brilman). Upon replication of Chikungunya virus, there are many symptoms and diseases that affect Humans. Most symptoms start to show within one to twelve days and sometimes symptoms do not even show. One of the most common symptoms that first appears is fever (which is why is it commonly known as Chikungunya fever). Fevers can be as high as 104ÂÂ °F, which can last from days to weeks. Other common symptoms that appear in the beginning of infection are fever, chills, vomiting, joint pain, headaches, vomiting, swelling of joints, bleeding/hemorrhage, fatigue, muscle pain, and rash (Bhowmikb). One symptom in particular that is the most often seen symptom is arthritis. The word Chikungunya comes from an African root that means bend over, which is refers to arthritis (Just The Facts: Chikungunya). Even though almost all of these symptoms can be prolonged (days to weeks to even months), they eventually disappear. The virus lipid envelope is what allows the immune system to detect it. The symptoms are very similar to Dengue, which is seen in the same areas as where Chikungunya virus is present and also which is why Chikungunya virus is often misdiagnosed as Dengue. The only way to differentiate the difference between Dengue and Chikungunya virus is by performing a blood test (ELISA), which can be time consuming. Although it is important that the two diseases are distinguished from one another, many doctors use the symptoms to distinguish between the two viruses simply for the fact because blood testing takes too long (Chikungunya). Even after diagnoses, the virus or disease cannot be treated because there is no vaccine or a particular antiviral treatment. For the most part, symptoms are individually treated and medications such as ibuprofen, paracetamol, or naproxen are suggested to relive symptoms of fever, headaches, aching. Often times NSAIDA pills are given to those who are infected to treat only certain symptoms. There have been a few clinical trials in the making. One for example, is a prototype vaccine that has been successful in monkeys, but will soon be tested on Humans later this year. The vaccine is live and it allows the immune system to recognize the outer layer of the virus but does not allow the immune system to recognize the virus genome (which essentially prevents replication from occurring). They then isolated antibodies from the virus and put them into mice, which were also protected against the virus (Maugh). Since there are only clinical trials in the making as of now and since there is not one specific treatment, it is highly recommended, that fluids are frequently taken. An abundance of rest is also recommended and also infected people should avoid staying out doors from other potential mosquito exposure. Avoiding potential mosquito exposure will essentially help to avoid transmission rate in a given region to rise. It is a good idea to have prevention methods in mind since there is not a specific treatment for Chikungunya fever. An example of a prevention method is using mosquito repellents containing DEET (Bhowmikb) or Picaridin on clothes and on the skin. Also when staying indoors, a well-netted/screened area or air conditioned areas would help prevent transmission. When outdoors, on the other hand, wearing long clothing that covers most of the skin can help prevent mosquito bites. Also, getting clear of any source of mosquitos around living areas would help prevent mosquito existence vastly. Areas such as birdbaths, standing water from flowering pots, barrels, and pet dishes would clear a large source of mosquitoes (Chikungunya). Large sources where mosquitoes usually exist are urban areas because Humans are good reservoirs for the virus. Those areas that are especially surrounded with poverty, environmental tragedies (such as natural disasters), tropical climate predominantly year round, and areas where public health is corrupted are prime spots for mosquitos and are also good spots for a virus to transmit by mosquito-Human-mosquito. Many third world countries are targets for Chikungunya fever. Countries such as India, Pakistan, South Africa, and the Philippines have been seen with problems with this particular disease. In areas where there is an abundance of mosquitos and where poverty has flourished, nets or screens are usually used to prevent mosquitos from entering households. Since there is an abundance of the disease in third world countries, there is an issue of money. Most of these countries cannot afford to provide every household with screening or net and therefore transmission becomes easier. Not only is location an issue but demographic is also. Anyone who is bitten by a mosquito is at risk for being infected, but some people show symptoms more than others. For instance, some individuals do not show any symptoms. This is primarily seen in children. Pregnant women can be at risk for passing it to their children. They can be infected at any time of their pregnancy but they are usually only at risk for passing it to their child if it is in their bloodstream during the time of delivery. Also, mortality rate is very low and is rarely seen but it does increase with increasing age. Perhaps the reason why Chikungunya fever is a problem in various countries around the world is due to the fact that there is no actual treatment and there is only medicine available to help ease the symptoms. Also it seems as if there have been various clinical trials (Dwivedi) arising due to a recent rising epidemic in countries such as India and South Africa. Though this virus is not viewed as detrimental compared to other viruses to populations because of low mortality rate, it still has been arising symptomatic problems in certain people, such as those who experience joint pains or swelling of joints for years (Chikungunya). Not only are the symptoms themselves a problem, but the fact that they can last for so long and they that they can cause multiple symptoms at one time. Since the virus does tend to show up frequently in third world countries money tends to be an issue. There are so many families whom come from poverty and cannot afford to pay for medication that requires to be taken over such a long period of time. Therefore if there were a specific treatment for Chikungunya virus, then maybe is would not be an epidemic in certain countries.

The Last Samurai Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea of honor is different to many people. The dictionary defines honor as, That which rightfully attracts esteem, respect, or consideration; self-respect; dignity; courage; fidelity; especially, excellence of character; high moral worth; virtue; nobleness; specifically, in men, integrity; uprightness; trustworthiness; in women, purity; chastity. [1913 Webster]. However in the film The Last Samurai, the idea of honor seems to differ between the different people in each culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Americans equate honor with how many battles have been won. Not necessarily how the battles are won. We are introduced to the idea of American culture changing the Japanese way by first being shown the Japanese buying advanced weaponry from the Americans. Nathan Algren, played by Tom Cruise was revered with utmost respect for his victories in the civil war and against the Indians. However through out those battles many innocent people were killed. These facts however did not stop the American government from awarding him many medals of Honor, and thus leading to his recruitment by the Japanese emperor to train his armies. No medals however could stop the nightmares that Algren would have every night as he replayed the dishonorable things he had done in past battles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese people were attempting to begin adapting to a western style of life. The government tried to take the samurai way of life out...

Elderly Drivers

Stefani Ward Age Limit Essay Professor Trewitt 8 – 8:55 Mandatory Age Limits As senior citizens grow older, they do not react as quickly as they used to. It’s not realistic to allow someone to drive who could endanger others. Senior citizens over the age of 75 should not be able to drive. They have increased health problems, require more medication, and drive too slow. Senior citizens have increased health problems making it difficult to handle a car safely.For example, a person with diabetes could have trouble controlling their blood sugar level, and might be in danger of losing consciousness. A person who has a pacemaker or a defibrillator could be a threat to safety because there is a chance that the device could stop working. Vision is a vital part of driving. As a person ages, their eyesight becomes poor, making it difficult to see things. In addition, senior citizens should not be able to drive because they require more medication.Medications can have serious side effects making it difficult to drive. Both prescription and over-the-counter medicines can affect the ability to drive safely by making you feel tired, dizzy, or nauseated. Studies have shown that using certain medications or many medications increase the chance of being in an accident. Senior citizens tend to drive slower than the average person. Driving under the speed limit can cause distractions, and possibly an accident. Not only can it harm other people on the road, but the elderly too.In some states a person can be given a citation for driving under the speed limit. Senior citizens have health problems, require more medication, and tend to drive slow, making the roads unsafe. Studies show that older drivers are more susceptible to injury or even death. Roads will be much safer if the government requires elderly drivers to turn in their licenses at age 75. There will be less accidents, less stress, and increased safety on the road. If the law doesn’t pass, the roads wi ll be dangerous and will cause chaos for other drivers.

Free Essays on Networking

Voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) By: Michael Johnson VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VoIP) INTRODUCTION: In the eyes of most, all packets are created equal. One of the most active areas of telecommunications today is in the area of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The logic behind this trend makes perfect sense. If we have invested heavily in an Internet Protocol (IP) network, why can’t we make full use of it? This is a question posed by many managers and Information Technology (IT) professionals in a wide range of businesses. Many businesses would prefer to have one network in and out of their business for reasons ranging from cost effectiveness to manageability. IP telephony offers a promise of consolidation. This will allow an enterprise to converge its traditional phone system and newer data network for greater efficiency. Arieh Dranger, president of neXTel Systems LLC says, â€Å"I don’t think it’s a question of whether we need VoIP, but when it will come together, because it represents a natural progress o f integrating data- period. The IP protocol is probably the most efficient at combining a universal communications network.† Basically, IP telephony is taking the telecom world by storm. It has evolved from a little known and used application in 1995 to an application that is poised for global adoption. But as with all technology, there is a price to be paid, and several entities vying for a piece of the pie. WHAT IS VoIP and HOW DOES IT WORK? To put it simply, VoIP means Voice over Internet Protocol. It’s a technology that allows network managers to route phone call over the network they use for data transmission. A voice travels over a corporate Intranet or the Internet instead of the public telephone system. Special gateways installed at both the sending and receiving end of a communications channel converts voice to IP packets and back again to voice. This process must take place in a time frame of less than... Free Essays on Networking Free Essays on Networking Voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) By: Michael Johnson VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VoIP) INTRODUCTION: In the eyes of most, all packets are created equal. One of the most active areas of telecommunications today is in the area of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The logic behind this trend makes perfect sense. If we have invested heavily in an Internet Protocol (IP) network, why can’t we make full use of it? This is a question posed by many managers and Information Technology (IT) professionals in a wide range of businesses. Many businesses would prefer to have one network in and out of their business for reasons ranging from cost effectiveness to manageability. IP telephony offers a promise of consolidation. This will allow an enterprise to converge its traditional phone system and newer data network for greater efficiency. Arieh Dranger, president of neXTel Systems LLC says, â€Å"I don’t think it’s a question of whether we need VoIP, but when it will come together, because it represents a natural progress o f integrating data- period. The IP protocol is probably the most efficient at combining a universal communications network.† Basically, IP telephony is taking the telecom world by storm. It has evolved from a little known and used application in 1995 to an application that is poised for global adoption. But as with all technology, there is a price to be paid, and several entities vying for a piece of the pie. WHAT IS VoIP and HOW DOES IT WORK? To put it simply, VoIP means Voice over Internet Protocol. It’s a technology that allows network managers to route phone call over the network they use for data transmission. A voice travels over a corporate Intranet or the Internet instead of the public telephone system. Special gateways installed at both the sending and receiving end of a communications channel converts voice to IP packets and back again to voice. This process must take place in a time frame of less than...

Trench warfare Essay Example

Trench warfare Essay Example Trench warfare Essay Trench warfare Essay Warfare World War I was one of the most historic wars in United States history. The war was mostly fought In France or Germany. What sparked the start of the war was the assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand. There were 65 million men from 30 countries flatting In the war and there were over 35 million casualties. Trench Warfare was one of the many ways used to fight In World War I. The method of fighting was to have trenches, and other enemys would also have trenches across the plains. They would each try, and do little raids on their enemys. The ranches were a tough place to live, sleep, eat, and battle in. Trench life was brutal, you would have to sleep underground on the rock solid ground. The soldiers would put their coat over them as that was the only thing they had to keep them warm. If it rained outside they would have to deal with sleeping in puddles with rats, frogs, and beetles. The dugout was a small room where the commander or soldiers slept in. They would even sometimes have to take turns on who gets to sleep because one person had to keep guard for enemy attacks. Overall sleeping in trenches was not a UN time for any soldiers during the war. There was always a dally routine that the soldiers had to do even If there wasnt an attack. The routine would start with a stand to. At this time all the sleeping soldiers were woken up. They would grab a gun or a weapon and get ready for morning raids. After the stand to the soldiers would have breakfast and clean the weapons. After breakfast, there would be an inspection to make sure the guns are clean and their clothes are too. They would also check their feet for trench foot. All the men that werent fighting had chores to do like fill sandbags and repair the ranches. After they were done with their chores for the day they were free until next task. It was very boring and they would have a lot of free time. They would write a note back to their loved ones and tell them they are alive. Another thing is clean their weapons and clothing. Also they would play games Like cards. This Is also the time to start and cook their own meals. They would have one more stand to at night time with the same routine. Some weapons they used were flame throwers and mustard gas. The Germans started to use flame throwers in the asses. They had a huge range of 40 meters so hat made them a great trench warfare weapon. Mustard gas was also a deadly type of weapon in WWW as enemies used them to raid. They would throw in a gas bomb. The soldiers that threw it, were equipped with gas masks so they were able to walk right in and fire. Sadly, the soldiers inside were not and there were many casualties from gas and flame throwers. Deaths were also very normal in the Great War. Soldiers would always be losing friends. There were many ways a soldier could die in the trenches. When the soldiers looked over the parapet they would have a high risk of getting sniped by the enemy. The last thing was death from all types of disease Like trench foot. The soldiers not only had to deal with enemies that were human, but also with rats and other manias and insects. Rats in packs of millions infested the trenches. I nerve were two types AT rats, Dalai Ana Drown. I en rats love t trenches. They would eat the dead soldiers eyes and livers. After they would feast on human flesh they would go and scavenge food from the soldiers. This would cause many deaths as the rats would put diseases into the food they ate. Some rats loud grow to be the size of a cat on how much they ate. The soldiers in the trenches were scared of the rats. They would use any method to kill the beasts. A couple things they used was the bayonet on their gun, shooting or smacking them with their guns. One rat in the trench can produce up to 900 offspring in a year. Rats werent the only scare in the trenches. Lice was a normal thing in the trenches. Up to 95% of the soldiers living in the trench had some case of lice. There was body lice, which would have lice on them from being so dirty, and those lice would plant eggs. There was also head lice. Men chose shaving their heads to not have to deal with lice. Lice not only itched but caused Trench Fever, it was a deadly disease, it was pain that was followed by a very high fever. Other ensconces are frogs, slugs, and beetles. Another terrible thing that the soldiers had to deal with was the horrible smell. There were many things that caused the trenches to smell as bad as they did. The rotting flesh of dead soldiers would make the trenches reek. Sometimes the men would die, and their dead bodies werent found quickly so they would sink into the du and rot. Also, Just the stench of common humans that did not have the luxury of taking a bath. Also, the smell of dried up sweat and cigarette smoke added to the stench. There was a constant smell of strong cleaning supplies as the men would try to rid themselves of diseases. Last, but not least the smell of battle, the odor of gases and gun smoke were everywhere. The United States started to Join the war in 1917. It took them about another year to get all their supplies and troops over there. Therefore, the Americans were not really involved in trench warfare. Trench warfare really didnt affect the Americans battle style or their battle involvement. It was not a big thing that happened that got them all roused up and wanting to strike. The warfare did have a little bit of an affect on the homestead. Woman would take over the menus Jobs to pay for expenses. People from all over the country would pitch in and send food to Americans fighting in the war and in trenches. African Americans would move up to get new Job opportunities as all the soldiers and men in the country were at war. In 1917 they were not only using volunteer soldiers anymore. They needed more men to fight over in Europe and they would get them from back at the home-front. Thats why they did a military draft. During one year of the draft nearly 24 million men entered the army and 3 million went into the war. The United States food administration went under a huge change. They wanted everyone to farm so they could send food to the soldiers. They wanted regular families to grow victory gardens in their backyard. Women were taking all menus Jobs for the first time ever in American history. They would be working on the assembly lines, producing weapons, and munitions. For the iris time ever stores were hiring African Americans in their stores. The women really favored the draft because that gave them opportunities to be all they can be. For once they could do all the Jobs the men could and not Just be waitresses and caterer cents. Some women Colane In to Nell Walt meal problems. Back on the battlefield, some soldiers would even kill themselves so they would not have to endure the terrible living conditions of the trenches. Others would run out on the battlefield on purpose to get sniped by enemy. A soldiers trench life would consist of a week in the front trench. Then they would get moved to a week in the support trench, which followed by a third week in a reserve trench. In the reserve trench the soldiers could rest and do what they want. They could play sports and card games. If they wanted to they could write letters to their family back in America and cook dinner for themselves. The trenches had many main causes of how they came to be. One is the Germans in 1914, planned to invade France with the Schlemiels Plan. When the Germans came close they were tired and retreated. They dug trenches to protect themselves. When the enemy forces tried to pass and invade they would be killed instantly by machine guns and all types of gases. The trenches were so well hidden and underground so the human eye could barely see them. Because of the trench warfare, the war slowed down a lot. Trench warfare affected many lives of countries nationwide. It was a good war tactic and helped countries military a lot. Although there was many casualties in the war and the trenches brought many diseases, World War I will always go down in history to be a very important war, fought worldwide.

Threat Assessment & Physical Security Case Study

Threat Assessment & Physical Security - Case Study Example Coordinate with the nurse/s and be on the same page with him or her as to what conditions would be beneficial or harmful for the overall well-being of the principal.   Be aware of certain types of foods, medication, and environmental factors that may bring about allergies or adverse reactions and be sure to steer clear of such items.  Ã‚   With his medical condition and the impending court hearing, the principal is under tremendous stress, as it is. It is important to consider these factors in looking out for the principal. Carelessness in planning and giving out unnecessary information may just cause the principal undue stress that would aggravate the already delicate situation. Always keep in mind that there are certain things without the knowledge of which the principal is better off.In addition, as head of security, always be on hand to ensure the safety of the principal.   (The Steele Foundation & Subsidiaries)Coordination with principal’s Attorneyb.   Convene wit h the principal's lawyer as to the principal's medical condition. Know the legal implications and limitations of the protection that the security entourage is supposed to provide. Coordinate with the lawyer and come up plans that fit the need of the principal within the limits of the law at the moment. Since the police are not providing any protection, constantly communicate with principal's lawyer to update oneself with the legal extent up to which protection can be provided for the principal.... Presence of cause -oriented groups in the court audience c. With the recent threats of terrorism in the city and their link to white supremacists plus the recent beating of the principal's chief assistant, the media has made speculations pointing to the principal as one of the possible perpetrators. It is important that the principal realize the importance of this piece of information and the implications of these developments to his case. There have been recent assumptions that rival white supremacist groups are trying to grab power within the organization and it is very important for the principal to take note of this development and consider possible scenarios that may erupt from this incident should this be true. Point out the possibility of these rival groups' chance to take advantage of the principal's predicament and vulnerability in pinning the blame of their actions on him. (Fein, Vossekuil, & Holden, 1995) Security in the court house d. As a very outspoken individual, the principal is prone to tactlessness in speech, impulsive reactions and violent episodes that get him into trouble more often than not. Alert the principal with the possible presence of fundamentalist religious groups, white supremacist groups, civil rights groups and other cause-oriented organizations. Remind the principal that all of these people are very sensitive about the causes that they are fighting for. Caution him to be very wary about his statements as any statement that comes out in the wrong way, although not intended may bring about protests from the different groups present during the trial. Constantly remind principal to avoid statements that contain racial slurs as it is in his nature to do so. Doing so would spark resentment and anger from the organizations that are

Initial Framework of a Thematic Language and Literacy Learning Package Research Paper

Initial Framework of a Thematic Language and Literacy Learning Package - Research Paper Example Besides, some other materials like charts, books and chalk boards are required to successfully teach them. Almost all the students are able to speak English thus communicating to them will not be a hard task. This will be different from a class with students speaking different language as it will require somebody who can translate what is being taught. Some learning materials like movie viewing tools are also necessary. They are majorly used to enhance the student’s memory. According to Pressley, the teacher is supposed to motivate the students, so that they can easily connect the past lessons with the current one and make learning enjoyable. Additionally, providing viable examples to the various studies and providing the necessary guidelines will improve student’s understanding of the various topics being taught. For the students of this grade, the main theme will be; playing for healthy child development. The first topic will be about playing to live. This topic is wi ll majorly be taught to provide information about the importance of playing to the human life. Besides, they are also expected to know the various aspects of playing. The second topic will be about physical education. This topic will be majorly discussing the various reasons why physical education was introduced in the curriculum. Besides, they are expected to go and play in the after some class studies. They are also supposed to be taught on the importance of P.E to their physical and mental health. The third topic is about eating healthy foods. The main objective of this topic is to ensure that the students are aware of the various types of food that are useful to the health of an individual. They are also expected to know the categories of the various foods, for instance, carbohydrates and proteins. The fourth topic will be about parental guidance. At the end of the lesson, students will be expected to be able to give the definition of parental guidance. Besides, they are not onl y going to be taught the various aspects of parental guidance. The firth topic will dwell on the playing gargets. Here, the students are expected to know the various types of playing gargets and their applications during the physical exercise. The sixth topic is about selecting the preferred playmates. It will discuss the importance of choosing the right playmate who can actively contribute when playing. The last topic will be about Scheduling regular play times. The students will be taught how to manage their time and know the best time for playing and doing other thing that can improve their health. Format for the output: Grade 1 Theme: Playing for healthy child development Topics: The topics are arranged randomly Selections/author/genre Readability (quantitative analysis)/interest/features (qualitative analysis) Objectives Expressive Instructional Playing to live Zuzee961 / short story The text can be easily read and understood by students of grade 1 since it has a Fog reading gr ade of 8.0. Additionally, it has a good plot as it is interesting. The students are expected to realize that playing improves an individual’s physical health. Besides, they are expected to interpret what they have learned to their normal life. By the end of the lesson, students are expected to identify some words that have the same meaning as the ones used in the book. Additionally, they are expected to describe the settings of the story. Physical education (P.E) Shephard /essay The text can be read with a lot of ease and understood by students of grade 1 because it has a Fog reading grade of 8.0. It also has a good plot because it leaves the reader with a lot of suspense. Students are expect

Martin Luther King Jr Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Martin Luther King Jr - Essay Example Martin is the kind of man who was admired by many people for the help he offered to humanity. He made several travels around the world to meet various political and religious leaders for advice. In his travels also, he preached to the people against violent practices and educated them on their civil rights so that the freedom for humanity could be reborn. In this essay therefore we shall focus on everything that pertains to Martin Luther King Jnr in line with leadership, as he made use of all the possible means to ensure that humanity got saved from all kinds of mistreatment as well as poverty. Martin Luther Jnr was born in Georgia in 1929, in a religious family; being that the father was a pastor. Due to the racism that had taken root in Montgomery and the inspiration drawn from a theologian, who all his time was dedicated towards defending racial equality, Martin Luther Jnr decided to join him so he could fight against such ills of the society. He always was a person who could not simply relax in the face of ill practices, he always assumed an obligation of ensuring change got effected soon. Just after being elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, he realized it was time he swung into action against racism, by taking advantage of the position he had acquired. It was, therefore, in 1995 when in a Montgomery bus witnessed a situation where Rosa Parks was asked to surrender her seat for a white passenger, whom they regarded special as compared to Rosa. She refused to honor their orders, and this had her arrested. A bus boycott was then organized by Mart in Luther Jnr together with other activists, which went on for a year and some days; threatening the downtown business owned by people as well as the straining of the economy of the public transit system. At this time, the qualities of great leadership in Martin Luther had begun to show. He is not afraid of what

The Stroop Effect Essay Example for Free

The Stroop Effect Essay The aim of the study was to investigate the extent that automatic tasks have an effect on the speed of saying the words. It was assumed that participants will take significantly longer to say colour words in a different colour to what the word is on a word list then when the colour word is in the same colour because reading a word has become an automatic process. The method of this study used a repeated measures and matched pairs design and involved giving participants a selection of six lists; three inconsistent with colour and the word and three consistently worded. The sampling method was opportunity sampling taken from a sampling body of 16-19 year old students at Richmond Upon Thames College. Results were tested using the Wilcoxon matched pairs signed ranks test; this showed that there is a significant difference in the mean time taken to say the inconsistent list in comparison to the consistent list. However, environmental factors such as the noise of the surroundings have not been taken into account adding a major limitation to this study. Introduction The topic area I am going to study is attention, looking more specifically into automatic processing. Automatic processing is a concept in the area of attention that states that some tasks can be processed without the awareness of the person and dont interfere with the ability to process other tasks, for example someone who can type and talk to someone at the same time. This person can type without thinking about it; it has become an automatic process. Schiffrin and Schneider (1977) pioneered research in this area. They found that automatic processes are inflexible and hard to change i. e. once they are learnt it is difficult to alter them. Norman and Schallice (1986) argue that automatic tasks are preformed through schemas (a way of organising and storing knowledge, creates a framework for future understanding) and that when an action is preformed the relevant schema has to be used and the other, similar schema controlled using contention scheduling to stop similar schemas being activated. An example of this is if someone goes into a kitchen to make tea then the other schemas relevant to the kitchen, for example a toast making schema must be controlled using contention scheduling. Norman and Schallice also identified a supervisory attentional system which is when someone is controlling themselves consciously to override an automatic process. An example of this is when someone usually leaves their house and turns left to go to college but due to an appointment they have to turn right. Stroop (1935) also conducted research into automatic processes. He gave participants two lists and asked them to say the name of the colour the words were printed in one list was colour words in the same colour and the second was colour words in a different colour. Stroop found that when the colour words were in different colours the participant would take longer to read the colour of the word this is because the automatic process of reading is completed faster then the controlled process of identifying the colour. This research is being conducted to identify if it applied to students as because they are studying they may be more aware of the colour or the tasks at hand they in a performance mode. Aim: To investigate the effects of two similar tasks i. e. reading different coloured words on the speed of saying the words. Hypothesis-directional: Participants will take significantly longer to say colour words in a different colour to what the word is on a word list then when the colour word is in the same colour. Hypothesis-null: There will be no difference in the time taken for participants to say colour words in a different colour to what the word is on a word list then when the colour word is in the same colour. Methods Design The research will be carried out in a repeated measures design; participants will be exposed to both the conditions, each variable will be tested on the participant three times. This design however, suffers from order effects; once a participant has finished one list they will be ready or rehearsed for the next ergo be better at the next list. With this in mind, this research will be counter balanced, for example if participant A reads list 1 first then participant B will read list 2 first and so on. To ensure more valid results the participant will receive three lists from the inconsistent condition and three lists from the consistent condition. Investigator effects will be avoided by creating a set of standardised instructions; this will ensure that the researchers do not treat each participant differently creating less demand characteristics. This research could be considered unethical as the participant doesnt know what they are doing but this will be dealt with by a debriefing; after the experiment the participant will be told what the experiment is for the lack of informed consent will only cause minimal psychological harm. The hypothesis will only be accepted if the results show a level of significance over 5%; this has been chosen to make the results more generalisable and to avoid anomalies.

Shakespeare - Authorship Essay -- essays research papers

In 1564, a man was born by the name of William Shakespeare. He was born to a poor family, was given little education, and had no interaction with sophisticated society. Thirty-eight plays and over 150 sonnets are not attributed to this ignorant man. Those who believe that Shakespeare was the author have no definitive proof but instead point to Hamlet’s declaration: "The play’s the thing(Satchell 71)." The true author, however, lies hidden behind he name of Shakespeare. Edward de Vere the premier Earl of Oxford is not only considered a great poet in history, but he may also be the great playwright who concocted the sonnets and plays which are now attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford, England. Edward de Vere was the Lord Great Chamberlain and the seventeenth Earl of Oxford. He was raised as a Royal Ward and from a very young age was educated in the sports and arts of nobility. Although disgraceful for a nobleman to waste time writing frivolous plays, Oxford as a young man wrote and staged the entertainment for the court. As an adult, he became engrossed in theatrical performances and frittered away his fortunes in support of several writers and actors (Friedman 13). During this time, De Vere also began writing several poems and plays. Much like Samuel Clemens, who wrote under the name of Mark Twain, Oxford adopted the pseudonym Shakespeare. Soon after plays appeared under the name of "Shakespeare," poems by de Vere ceased (Russell 5). Coincidently, the coat of arms of Lord Bulbeck, a third title of Edward de Vere, is a lion shaking a spear (Ogburn 10). De Vere was also known by the people as the "spear-shaker" because of excellence at the tilts and at j ousting (Russell 5). Many believe this pen name was for protection. Many of the plays said to have been written by Shakespeare explicitly describe the corruption in court politics and contain "thinly veiled satires and parodies of politicians and courtiers." In addition, public theatres such as the Globe were laced with prostitutes, drunkards and criminals and because of the scoundrel audiences, playwrights were held in low esteem. Moreover, many scholars believe de Vere’s reasons for his pseudonym may be linked to the homoerotic threads in many of the Shakespearean sonnets and de Vere’s possible homosexual affair with his son-... ...o one (Huston 162). In Sonnets 25 through 46, de Vere also spelled out in 22 letter patterns W SHAKESPEARE-OXFORD-VERE (Huston 170). The odds of this happening are even greater than that of the aforementioned probability. Using poetic license, de Vere of Oxford utilized codes and ciphers to spell out his name and other such messages. Edward de Vere of Oxford lived from 1550 to 1604. In the duration of that time, he was a young nobleman, a poet, and a lover of the theatre, but was also probably a great playwright who has yet to receive full credit for the plays he composed. De Vere witnessed first hand the inner workings of nobility. He traveled throughout Europe, completed his education at Cambridge University, studied the law at Gray’s Inn, and had abundant knowledge of historical occurrences and literary works (Russell 4). These are not only elements in the works attributed to William Shakespeare, but also are things which William Shakespeare of Stratford England knew nothing of. Who wrote the Shakespearean sonnets and plays? There is only one answer to this pivotal question – Edward de Vere of Oxford England.

How Can We Control Corruption?

CAN WE EVER REMOVE CORRUPTION? Corruption: This word corruption is something disreputable which we always come across in our day to day life whether it reveals in politics or is seen in our regular jobs. Corruption exists in almost all the countries of the world. The rich and  powerful people  are the real beneficiaries of corruption and they are never part of movement to eradicate the corruption. All of them need to be made center of attraction before the society and media for their act of corruption.The question is that, we always  come across  this word, but is there any way out we can  get rid of  these termites which are eating up a country’s future and making it unhealthy ?. We need to be helpful to the weaker section of the society who are the real victims of corruption. Do we really think that only going against the politicians and  passing bills  by the parliamentary committee of a democratic country or electing a correct ruler/ leader would lead its c ountry and remove corruption from its root permanently?.As per my view, only electing a good leader/ruler would not remove corruption as a whole from its root because they can show us the  right path  and in a big country which have its own huge and special problems, we cannot expect from the leaders heading the Govt. to reach every individual and keep a watch on the measures taken to remove the termite called‘ Corruption' from its Country, City, State or the World. But it is agreed by all that politicians and greedy business tycoons are the backbone of corruption world over. A country and its responsibilities do not only fall on the shoulders of the political leaders of that country because the country not only belongs to them but it is also a responsibility of all of us. We should not only blame one person or a body of people but  should understand  that if the corruption has become a part of higher level and a country is getting effected – its present future, everything is in danger, then they are not solely responsible for all these things.If we want to remove the corruption from its root, we will have to  work hard  together towards this and first of all remove corruption from its root which is lying in our day to day life and within us. It is not possible for a single person to remove corruption Removing corruption has become so difficult because we all have adopted this as a habit in our daily life. For  some reasons  or the other, we adopt this method to achieve our desires, dream and also to get id of problems in a shortcut way. I can just make my friends count  few examples  at a go : – O When caught in a traffic jam and and we are asked to show our driving license, we prefer most of the time to bribe the traffic officer or  get rid of  spending more time in arguing or settling up with him. O When we  require to get some work done  from a person and we know that there is a difficulty in it, we prefer br ibing such person(s)to get our  work done  very easily.O We even in the name of donation do not stop bribing schools and some of them also entertain this practice in the name of donation when its time for admissions of our children. In a short, we bribe or follow corruption every where in our day to day life, so how can we say that the leaders or the  political bodies  are only responsible for corruption in a country ? Giving chance to  eligible people  at  work place  and only following people whom we like is also a part of corruption.Wherever we go, every second of our life we practice corruption, so going against only a particular group of people, doing hunger strikes won’t help us until we become real enemies of corruption and each and every one of us starts thinking that we are the leaders of the country and our aim is to set an examples for  every other person. Being a part of corruption or not raising voice against it, is equal in every sense. As it i s always said that â€Å" Charity begins at home†, we should always  understandthat the fight against corruption can only be fought with vigor and vitality to kill it from its root which is possible only when we all start a revolution and stop evensupporting  this kind of practice and activities at a very lower to higher level. Rules and Regulations – disciplines and laws should be equal for all,  supporting terror  in any ways,selfish thinking should be stopped and voice against wrong issues are the few initial steps which can be taken up by any of us, every individual,  peopleand all of our country men towards a  healthy future.At the end, the way to eradicate corruption is possible only when the society andyoung youths  of today promise to themselves to contain it and bring a clean environment for the growth of country and its people. If we all are united and theyoung generation  is determined to prioritize the eradication of corruption from the coun try, it will benefit a  common man  and would lead the country to a new height as well.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 34

â€Å"You've been fed and taken care of as best as we can manage,†Meredith said, looking at allthe taut, frightened young faces turned toward her in the basement. â€Å"And now there's just one thing I want to ask of you in return.†She made an effort and steadied her voice. â€Å"I want to know if anybody knows of a mobile phone that connects to the Internet, or a computer that is Stillworking. Please, please – if you even think you know where one might be, tel me.† The tension was like a thick rubber cord, dragging Meredith toward each of the pale, strained faces, dragging them to her. It was just as well that Meredith was essential y well – balanced. About twelve hands went up immediately, and their lone five-year-old whispered, â€Å"My mommy has one. And my daddy.† There was a pause before Meredith could say, â€Å"Does anybody know this kid?†and an older girl spoke up before she could. â€Å"She just means they had them before the Burning Man.† â€Å"Is the Burning Man cal ed Shinichi?†Meredith asked. â€Å"‘Course. Sometimes he would make the red parts of his hair burn up way over his head.† Meredith filed that little fact away under Things I do not want to see, honest, cross my heart, ever. Then she shook herself free from the image. â€Å"You guys and girls, please, please think. I only need one, one mobile phone with Internet access that Stillhas power right now. One laptop or computer that is Stillworking now, maybe because of a generator Stillmaking electricity. Just one family with a home generator Stillworking. Anybody?† The hands were down now. A boy she thought she recognized as being one of the Loring siblings, maybe age ten or eleven, said, â€Å"The Burning Man told us that mobile phones and computers were bad. That was why my brother got in a fistfight with my dad. He threw al the mobiles at home in the toilet.† â€Å"Okay. Okay, thanks. But anybody who's seen a working mobile or computer? Or a home generator – â€Å" â€Å"Why, yes, my dear, I've got one.†The voice came from the top of the stairs. Mrs. Flowers was standing there, dressed in a fresh sweat suit. Strangely, she had her voluminous purse in her hand. â€Å"You had – have a generator?†Meredith asked, her heart sinking. What a waste! And if disaster came al because she, Meredith, hadn't finished reading over her own research! The minutes were ticking away, and if everyone in Fel ‘s Church died, it would be her fault. Her fault. She didn't think she could live with that. Meredith had tried, al her life, to reach the state of calm, concentration, and balance that was the other side of the coin from the fighting skil s her various disciplines had taught her. And she had become good at it, a good observer, a good daughter, even a good student for al that she was in Elena's fast-paced, high-flying clique. The four of them: Elena, Meredith, Caroline, and Bonnie had fit together like four pieces of a puzzle, and Meredith Stillsometimes missed the old days and their daring, dominating pseudo-sophisticated capers that never real y hurt anyone – except the sil y boys who had mil ed around them like ants at a picnic. But now, looking at herself, she was puzzled. Who was she? A Hispanic girl named for her mother's Welsh best friend in col ege. A hunter-slayer of vampires who had kitten canines, a vampire twin, and whose group of friends included Stefan, a vampire; Elena, an ex-vampire – and possibly another vampire, although she was extremely hesitant to cal Damon a â€Å"friend.† What did that alladd up to? A girl trying to do her best to keep her balance and concentration, in a world that had gone insane. A girl Stillreeling from what she'd learned about her own family, and now tottering from the need to confirm a dreadful suspicion. Stop thinking. Stop! You have to tel Mrs. Flowers that her boardinghouse has been destroyed. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers – about the boardinghouse – I have to talk to you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Why don't you use my BlackBerry first?†Mrs. Flowers came down the basement stairs careful y, watching her feet, and then the children parted before her like waves on the Red Sea. â€Å"Your†¦?†Meredith stared, choked up. Mrs. Flowers had opened her enormous purse and was now proffering a rather thick al -black object to her. â€Å"It Stillhas power,†the old lady explained as Meredith took the thing in two shaking hands, as if receiving a holy object. â€Å"I just turned it on and it was working. And now I'm on the Internet!† – proudly. Meredith's world had been swal owed up by the smal , grayish, antiquated screen. She was so amazed and excited at seeing this that she almost forgot why she needed it. But her body knew. Her fingers clutched; her thumbs danced over the mini-keyboard. She went to her favorite search page and entered the word â€Å"Orime.†She got pages of hits – most in Japanese. Then feeling a trembling in her knees, she typed in â€Å"Inari.† 6,530,298 results. She went to the very first hit and saw a web page with a definition. Key words seemed to rush out at her like vultures. Inari is the Japanese Shinto deity of rice†¦and†¦foxes. At the entrance to an Inari shrine are†¦statues of two kitsune†¦one male and one female†¦each with a key or jewel carried in mouth or paw†¦These fox-spirits are the servants and messengers of Inari. They carry out Inari's orders†¦. There was also a picture of a pair of kitsune statues, in their fox forms. Each had a front paw resting on a star bal . Three years ago, Meredith had fractured her leg when she was on a skiing trip with her cousins in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She had run straight into a smal tree. No martial arts skil s could save her at the last minute; she knew she was skiing off the groomed areas, where she could run into anything: powder, crud, or iced-over ruts. And, of course, trees. Lots of trees. She was an advanced skier, but she had been going too fast, looking in the wrong direction, and the next thing she knew, she was skiing into the tree instead of around it. Now she had the same sensation of waking up after a head-on into wood. The shock, the dizziness and nausea that were, initial y, worse than the pain. Meredith could take pain. But the pounding in her head, the sickening awareness that she had made a big mistake and that she was going to have to pay for it were unbearable. Plus there was a curious horror about the knowledge that her own legs wouldn't hold her up. Even the same useless questions ran through her subconscious, like: How could I be so stupid? Is this possibly a dream? and, Please, God, can I hit the Undo button? Meredith suddenly realized that she was being supported on either side by Mrs. Flowers and their sixteen-year-old, Ava Wakefield. The mobile was on the cement floor of the basement. She must have actual y started to black out. Several of the younger kids were screaming Matt's name. â€Å"No – I – I can stand up alone†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Al she wanted in the world was to go into the darkness and get away from this horror. She wanted to let her legs go slack and her mind go blank, to flee†¦ But she couldn't run away. She had taken the stave; she had taken the Duty from her grandfather. Anything supernatural that was out to harm Fel ‘s Church on her watch was her problem. And the problem was that her watch never ended. Matt came clattering down the stairs, carrying their seven-year-old, Hailey, who continual y shook with petit mal seizures. â€Å"Meredith!†She could hear the incredulity in his voice. â€Å"What is it? What did you find, for God's sake?† â€Å"Come†¦look.†Meredith was remembering detail after detail that should have set off warning bel s in her mind. Matt was somehow already beside her, even as she remembered Bonnie's very first description of Isobel Saitou. â€Å"The quiet type. Hard to get to know. Shy. And†¦nice.† And that first visit to the Saitou house. The horror that quiet, shy, nice Isobel Saitou had become: the Goddess of Piercing, blood and pus oozing from every hole. And when they had tried to carry dinner to her old, old grandmother, Meredith had noticed absently that Isobel's room was right under the dol -like old lady's. After seeing Isobel pierced and clearly unbalanced, Meredith had assumed that any evil influence must be trying to travel up, and had worried in the back of her mind about the poor, old, dol -sized grandmother. But the evil could just as easily have traveled down. Maybe Jim Bryce hadn't given Isobel the malach madness after al . Maybe she had given it to him, and he had given it to Caroline and to his sister. And that children's game! The cruel, cruel song that Obaasan – that Inari-Obaasan had crooned. â€Å"Fox and turtle had a race†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And her words: â€Å"There's a kitsune involved in this somewhere.† She'd been laughing at them, amusing herself! Come to that, it was from Inari-Obaasan that Meredith had first heard the word â€Å"kitsune.† And one more additional cruelty, that Meredith had only been able to excuse before by assuming Obaasan had very poor sight. That night, Meredith had had her back to the door and so had Bonnie – they had both been concentrating on â€Å"poor decrepit old Grandma.†But Obaasan had been facing the door, and she was the only one who could have seen – must have seen – Isobel sneaking up behind Bonnie. And then, just as the cruel game song told Bonnie to look behind her†¦ Isobel had been crouching there, ready to lick Bonnie's forehead with a forked pink tongue†¦ â€Å"Why?†Meredith could hear her own voice saying. â€Å"Why was I so stupid? How could I not have seen from the beginning?† Matt had retrieved the BlackBerry and read the web page. Then he just stood, fixed, his blue eyes wide. â€Å"You were right,†he said, after a long moment. â€Å"I want so much to be wrong†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Meredith – Shinichi and Misao are Inari's servants†¦If that old lady is Inari we've been running around like crazy after the wrong people, the hired muscle†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The damn note cards,†Meredith choked out. â€Å"The ones done by Obaasan. They're useless, flawed. Al those bul ets she blessed should have been no good – but maybe she did bless them – as a game. Isobel even came to me and changed al the characters the old lady had done for the jars to hold Shinichi and Misao. She said that Obaasan was almost blind. She left a tear on my car seat. I couldn't understand why she should be crying.† â€Å"I Stillcan't. She's the granddaughter – probably the third generation of a monster!†Matt exploded. â€Å"Why should she cry? And why do the Post-it Notes work?† â€Å"Because they're done by Isobel's mother,†Mrs. Flowers said quietly. â€Å"Dear Matt, I truly doubt that the old woman is related to the Saitous at all. As a deity – or even a powerful magic-user named after a deity – and undoubtedly a kitsune herself, she surely just moved in with them and used them. Isobel's mother and Isobel had no choice but to carry on the charade for fear of what she'd do to them if they didn't.† â€Å"But Mrs. Flowers, when Tyrone and I pul ed that leg bone out of the thicket, didn't you say that the Saitou women made such excel ent amulets? And didn't you say that we could get the Saitou women to help translate the words on the clay jars when Alaric sent the pictures of them from that Japanese Island?† As for my belief in the Saitou women, Well, I'l have to quibble a little here,†Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"I couldn't know that this Obaasan was evil, and there are Stilltwo of them who are gentle and good, and who have helped us tremendously – and at great risk to themselves.† Meredith could taste the bitterness of bile in her mouth. â€Å"Isobel could have saved us. She could have said ‘My fake grandmother is real y a demon.'† â€Å"Oh, my dear Meredith, the young are so unforgiving. This Inari was probably instal ed in her house when she was a child. Al she knows at first is that the old woman is a tyrant, with a god's name. Then perhaps some demonstration of power – what happened to Orime's husband, I wonder, to make him go back to Japan – if indeed he went there? He may well be dead. And then Isobel is growing up: shy, quiet, introverted – frightened. This is not Japan; there are no other priestesses here to confide in. And you saw the consequences when Isobel reached out to someone outside of the family – to her boyfriend, Jim Bryce.† â€Å"And to us – Well, to you and Bonnie,†Matt said to Meredith. â€Å"She sicced Caroline on you.† Scarcely knowing what they were doing, they were talking faster and faster. â€Å"We have to go there right now,†said Meredith. â€Å"Shinichi and Misao may be the ones bringing on the Last Midnight, but it's Inari who gives the orders. And who knows? She may dole out the punishments as well. We don't know how big her star bal is.† â€Å"Or where,†said the old woman. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers,†Matt said hastily, â€Å"you'd better stay here with the kids. Ava, here, is reliable, and where's Jacob Lagherty?† â€Å"Here,†said a boy who looked older than fifteen. He was as tal as Matt was, but gangly. â€Å"Okay. Ava, Jake, you're in charge under Mrs. Flowers. We'l leave Saber with you too.†The dog was a big hit among the kids, on his best behavior, even when the younger ones chewed his tail. â€Å"You two just listen to Mrs. Flowers, and – â€Å" â€Å"Matt, dear, I won't be here. But the animals wil surely help to protect them.† Matt stared at her. Meredith knew what he was thinking. Was Mrs. Flowers, so reliable up until now, going somewhere to hide alone? Was she abandoning them? â€Å"And I'l need one of you to drive me to the Saitou house – quickly! – but the other can stay and protect the children as well.† Meredith was both relieved and worried, and clearly Matt was too. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, this is going to be a battle. You could get hurt or be taken hostage so easily – â€Å" â€Å"Dear Matt, this is my battle. My family has lived in Fel ‘s Church for generations, al the way back to the pioneering times. I believe this is the battle for which I was born. Certainly the last of my old age.† Meredith stared. In the dim light of the basement, Mrs. Flowers seemed suddenly different somehow. Her voice was changing. Even her smal body seemed to be changing, steadying, standing tal . â€Å"But how wil you fight?†Matt asked, sounding dazed. â€Å"With this. That nice young man, Sage, left it for me with a note apologizing for using Misao's star bal . I used to be quite good with these when I was young.†From her capacious purse, Mrs. Flowers pul ed out something pale and long and thin as it unwound and Mrs. Flowers whirled it and snapped it with a loud crack at the empty half of the basement. It hit a Ping-Pong bal , curled around it, and brought it back to Mrs. Flowers's open hand. A bul whip. Made of some silvery material. Undoubtedly magical. Even Matt looked scared of it. â€Å"Why don't Ava and Jake teach the children to play Ping-Pong while we're gone – and we real y must go, my dears. There's not a minute to waste. A terrible tragedy is coming, Ma ma says.† Meredith had been watching – feeling as dazed as Matt looked. But now she said, â€Å"I have a weapon too.†She picked up the stave and said, â€Å"I'm fighting, Matt. Ava, the children are yours to care for.† â€Å"And mine,†Jacob said, and immediately proved his usefulness by adding, â€Å"Isn't that an axe hanging back there near the furnace?† Matt ran and snatched it up. Meredith could see from his expression what he was thinking: Yes! One heavy axe, a tiny bit rusty, but Stillplenty sharp enough. Now if the kitsune sent plants or wood against them, he was armed. Mrs. Flowers was already going up the basement stairs. Meredith and Matt exchanged one quick glance and then they were running to catch up with her. â€Å"You drive your mom's SUV. I'l sit in back. I'm Stilla little bit†¦Well, dizzy, I guess.†Meredith didn't like to admit to a personal weakness, but better that than crashing the vehicle. Matt nodded and was good enough not to comment on why she felt so dizzy. She Stillcouldn't believe her own stupidity. Mrs. Flowers said only one thing. â€Å"Matt, dear, break traffic laws.†