Ways to make learning a fun experience in school

East is east and west is west. Never the twain shall meet' said Rudyard Kipling. ‘Learning is learning and fun is fun. Never the twain shall meet' said a student. It is time to make that possible now. It is time to end the era in which children hated school. It is time to get rid of the old teaching techniques and keep in pace with modern day technology. It is time to stop using the chalk on the board and make a change in the lives of the generations to come. We are making progress. India in the 1 lth century had schooling in gurukuls.Young boys were taught archery and sword fighting skills. Children used to sit under trees with their slates and chalks and practice sums. Today, we belong to a digital generation that demands innovative methods of absorbing information. Scope in this field is tremendous. Over the years, schools have moved from black boards to smart boards, from typewriters to computers and from a rigid education system to a spontaneous fun experience of school. T he oxford dictionary defines fun as ‘light amusement' but every individual has his own definition of fun.We always find it funny when a child remembers the xact dialogues of the latest film but finds it difficult to answer the questions from their history text book. So to create and exciting atmosphere, the interest of a child is crucial. Audio-video and movies with children's favorite stars help in absorbing the required knowledge. Recorded food preparation television shows and scenes from famous plays can be shown. Colorful pictorials and animations speak louder than a thousand words. Learning in groups with friends also reinforces many facts. Occasional challenges like quizzes and spelling bees help in building an attitude f or many students.Practicals are very beneficial. It would be great to have a multi touch technology where a science student could perform a surgery or an electronics student could assemble and disassemble a computer or a car on the I-pad. User friendly applications would help art students practice their paintings on the smart board before actually starting on a canvas. Online interaction is fun where social studies are concerned. E-program software can be used to exchange knowledge of cultures over the globe. Software should be made in the form of stories with songs as it reinforces important points in the minds of children.Students spend countless hours on social networking sites. These sites can be used for group discussions if the students are too shy to open up in class. Teachers should be provided suitable platforms to host classroom online communities. Project ideas can be shared and there is a teacher and student collaboration. The classroom should be extended beyond the four walls. Projects give need for individual research which pushes students and gives them reason to learn more about their subject. A lot of new ideas and creative inventions are needed for transforming the traditional classroom with ophisticated teaching tools.Visiting destinations of projects is very realistic and enriching. Project tours can be conducted if required, thus increasing the examples and applications of these technologies are growing exponentially. These are the solutions to meet the needs of the 21st century learning environment. Such an exciting environment is a must for an enhanced schooling experience. We do not know for sure where these technologies are taking us but indeed students are finding good strong results. Through everyday explorations like these in the classroom, we are building steps towards the future..

Once You Open Your Eyes Essay

When a human being is a victim, they need to have courage and follow their ways, no matter what others say. Jem and Scout see people become victims of prejudice, rumors, poverty, and other atrocities in their own little town, as they grew older. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the children learn life lessons from witnessing people striving to survive different situations within Maycomb. When a challenge causes one to struggle, the children see that person, or themselves, have to have courage to do as they have before. Jem and Scout see their small town judge the Radleys, but the Radleys still do what they have done for as long as any single person can remember. They never talk to their neighbors or open their doors and windows on Sunday. Since they have odd habits, from other’s perspectives, and keep to themselves, citizens of Maycomb start rumors about them, saying â€Å"Radley pecans [will] kill you† (Lee 9). These rumors criticized the Radleys and made people afraid of them. Calpunia had something to say about them, stating one day that Mr. Radley was â€Å"the meanest man God ever blew breath into† (Lee 12). Since he was â€Å"mean,† that held more rumors to be made about them. The stories make children believe Boo was locked up in a damp basement in the courthouse for years and is now chained up in his house. The Radleys stay the way they are; despite the rumors, remaining removed from human contact. The Radleys are victims of misunderstanding and people’s cruel stories â€Å"unwilling to discard their initial suspicions† (Lee 9). Jem and Scout witness the Radleys to stick to their ways since they go against the crowd, despite society’s wants. The Finch children begin to notice many children’s families are victims of poverty, especially the Cunninghams, but the Cunninghams are different; they never take charity or have to depend on others. The Cunninghams are one of the poorest families in Maycomb, but they have the strongest determination to survive; and are the hardest workers. They have a great deal of pride and are respectable people. â€Å"‘The Cunninghams never [take] anything from anybody, they get along with what they have,’ † states Scout (Lee 20). Walter Cunningham would not even take a quarter of a dollar to buy a lunch because of how he was raised. The Finch children realize the Cunninghams are a brave family to live under their circumstances and not accept anyone else’s charity. If one does not accept others’ charity, they suffer more and do not always know when they are receiving their next paycheck. It is scary to not know these things, but the Cunninghams are proud and brave when to not accept the offerings of other people. The Finch children understand this from listening to Atticus talk about the Cunningham family. Tom Robinson suffered because of people and their prejudice beliefs. He also suffers from others misdeeds and died as innocent as a mockingbird. Jem becomes a victim when Tom Robinson was found guilty. He realizes the court does not always work. Jem became a victim of the system’s flaws and shortcomings. He used to believe that the court always worked, but learned it did not, when a jury found a clearly innocent man guilty. This crushed him, but it made him grow up and learn to accept things like this, because when maturing, one has to realize the world isn’t perfect. He had to have courage to accept this factor in life. It is a atrocious crime to take a persons life to merely keep the truth in the shadows; but with the pain of Tom’s death blooms a new hope of equality for the town of Maycomb, with just a baby step. Like all other children, Scout and Jem have to face all the challenges of growing up, but they have to keep going on with their lives, no matter what problems arise for them. Scout experiences the challenges of growing up when her aunt moved in. She criticized Scout for wearing pants and not acting in a lady-like manner, but that was only a small problem, and Scout stayed herself. She kept wearing pants and speaking her mind because she wanted to be an individual. Scout is surprised by prejudice, while going up. She was not aware that prejudice existed. She witnesses others victimize each other because they are different, either because of their color, friends, how they act, or many other reasons. She learns and sees this happen when listening to neighbors gossip about the Radleys, her teacher bad-mouth African Americans, or even her own self be criticized by the way she speaks her mind. Scout does not understand why people are like this, putting labels on certain types of people, like African Americans, saying â€Å"all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women† (Lee 204). Scout knows that not all people are perfect. She has to accept that some humans do not always treat others with kindness. Both Jem and Scout have to be brave and deal with the changes in the world. Scout and Jem learn from people, or themselves, when they are victims of different situations, but they are still brave. Atticus points out that real courage is when someone goes through life, still fighting, even if they are victims of prejudice, rumors, lies, hate, misunderstanding, or life’s shortcomings; to not give up even if you’ve already lost . Jem and Scout learn to keep their ways, adjust, and not judge people without knowing the full truth about them. They hope for the world to be a more understanding place.

Doritos Superbowl Commercial

Jadah Barber Dr. Patricia  Leaf-Prince Section 08 9/10/12 SLAP â€Å"Keep your hands off my mama, keep your hands off my Doritos!!! † This was the phrase that sent millions into a roaring laugh during the 2010 Superbowl Doritos commercial. This commercial says a lot about Doritos, considering the little boy holds them to the standard of his own mother implies that his love for them is just the same as the love he has for his mother. In many was this commercial was effective.One way was showing the little boy picking a fight with someone who is clearly bigger and stronger than him, another was the love the boy had for his Doritos made me feel like I just had to have some just to see if I feel the same way. Lastly the young boys emotion towards the man conveyed a sense of anger and seriousness implying that, at that very moment there was absolutely nothing more serious that a strange man in his house eating his Doritos. The commercial starts and we see an African American male knocking on a door with flowers, an African American female comes to the door and takes the flowers.Here we see they are obviously about to go out on a date. When the little boy is first introduced to the commercial he is seen with a look of anger. He drops his game controller to show the viewer that he is in fact mad about something. The man picks up a Dorito and starts talking to the boy. Here the man is just trying to be nice but the little boy gets mad, slaps the man and tells him to keep his hands off of his mama and his Doritos. The slap was unexpected, humorous and effective all at the sane time.While all of this was going on, the thought that flew through my head was â€Å"what was so good about these Doritos that it made a little boy want to slap a grown man and tell him to keep his hands off? † We see in commercial that the love he has for his mother is the same love he has for his Doritos. We know this because he phrases his words In such a way that he puts his mo ther and his Doritos on the same level. The commercial is implying that Doritos are so good they would make you slap someone if they tried to take any from you at any time.The young boy was mad at the man the whole commercial. From the moment the boy first entered the commercial he was angry for some reason. He never once took his eye off the older man, he wanted to keep staring just to make it a point that he was in fact mad. In the beginning he was mad that this man was coming in to take his mother out but the slap only came in when the man put his hands in the Doritos bowl sitting in the middle of the table. This commercial was effective.It made the viewer feel like â€Å"If the Doritos were that important to him they must be really good. † Every feeling the this commercial was trying to display was felt through the TV screen. A serous moment for a little boy and his Doritos became a hilarious commercial for Superbowl millions of viewers Work Cited for Commercial on Web â €Å"Doritos Superbowl Commercial: Keep your hands off my mama & Doritos. † Commercial. You Tube. 7 Feb. 2010 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=kJDLws_l3Ok>

Complaint Letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Complaint Letter - Assignment Example James Adams put me on hold for several minutes, almost 45 minutes, and then returned to say he could not help me. Needless to say, I was quite frustrated and annoyed as I have expected a much higher level of service from your company, and this experience has disappointed me. This is the second time that I have not been treated very rudely and with no assistance. I let go of the previous situation as I did not want to cause troubles for anyone and the young lady at the store seemed overly stressed and overworked. However this call has pushed me over the edge and I do not want to spend any more time on this problem, I am returning the blender to the local store immediately, and I expect a full refund. Please inform the local store [Your Local Store], that I will be back to return the blender and I do not want to be pushed around, as I do not have any more time to waste on this issue. I am including the details of my bill: This is a very saddening event as I am a regular customer at Wal Mart and I have always been treated well by all the staff at Wal Mart. However over the last two events, I have been spoken to very rudely and I do not think this is fair. I hope you do take some strict action against this and do recognise that I nothing against James Adams personally. It is the sheer lack of professionalism and courtesy that has upset me. I hope the level of professionalism and courtesy that is generally extended to all the customers is maintained and customer complaints are not overlooked. I will be informing my family and friends about this

Describe the methods used to calculate value added. How does value Essay - 4

Describe the methods used to calculate value added. How does value added contribute towards understanding the connections betwee - Essay Example Value added concept of income measurement has been viewed as the increase in the wealth of an economic body. It is traditionally rooted to the evaluation of national income in macro economics, measured by national economy productive performance.2 This concept is referred to as National or Domestic product and represents a specific period’s national economy. This is a common use of this concept but it has also been applied in many other different areas of business operations and economics as a positive performance and economic gauge. This makes value added a measure and indicator of an economic entity’s performance and has a fairly long period of application in the field of economics.3 Value added represents a calculated value, and for this reason, it is well related to accounting. It is also contrasted from the traditional calculation of income in that, it can be and has been used in all the three accounting systems i.e. managerial accounting, financial accounting and t he national accounting system. It is also distinguishable from income computation whereby value added is constantly described internationally as a difference of expenses from revenues. It can be defined in two ways that will be discussed below and this gives value added concept another critical characteristic commonly known as the dichotomy of value added.4 Subtractive method is the first method of calculating the value added and it is defined as: Value Added (VA) = O – I. Where O = Output; I = Input. This means that when being compared to accounting income, it is perceived as the net figure. The value expressed is the value that an economic body, such as a person, an industry or a company adds to the products and services it purchased or received from other entities during its creative or own productive economic activities.5 In the second one, additive method, the value added is represented by the total sum of the distributed parts that constitute the created wealth. This is done with respect to the reality that all the created wealth is well distributed i.e. by being allocated in some way. When considering a company, value added calculation is defined as: VA (Value Added) = RE + RG + RCP + NAP. Where RE = Remuneration of employees; RG = Remuneration of government; RCP = Remuneration of capital providers; NAP = not appropriated income i.e. retained earnings.6 The two formulas above disclose the characteristic content that value added concept has. This concept can be divided into social aspect, represented by the additive method, and performance aspect which is articulated by the subtractive method. This shows that in addition to economic information given by this concept, value added also offers social information through identification of the part of the yield that goes to every contributor of the whole process in a company.7 Value added concept has evolved besides its historical principal function in national accounting to several other uses and appl ications in the three; financial, national and managerial accounting. The two sided feature of value added i.e. performance and social characteristic, is depicted clearly by the concrete and possible applications. Hence it has been argued as a way to estimate productivity of an economic body through their way of using productive factors.8 This makes the

Strategic Marketing - Jot Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Marketing - Jot Company - Case Study Example The number of toy companies that are in existence currently has meant that organizations have had to be creative in the way they approach this objective of expansion and one of the main activities that are involved in this agenda is marketing (Laermer & Simmons, 2007). Strategic marketing is an important part of the expansion plans of a company and requires conducting research and studies on the various issues that are affecting the company in relation to its activities and the nature of the industry (Kerin, 2012). This has to do with elements such as the direction that the industry is taking with regard to the current trends, the set up of connections and the established procedures that have taken over the last few years. By studying all these issues, a company is able to develop the most appropriate approach they can use in the achievement of their aim of growth of sales. Political Trends The political realm of the country has always been an influential factor in the operations of industries and the various companies involved. This means that their contributions in terms of their opinions and related policies that emerge from them have to be considered when a company is setting up its own policies and regulations that they will abide by (Kerin, 2012). One of the issues that can be highlighted in this area is the political landscape of the country because of the recent elections that have taken place. Elections often means the emergence of new individuals into the political arena and this usually comes with a change in the manner that factors such as the domestic and foreign markets are approached (Goldstein & Lee, 2005). This change will have an effect on the companies that are involved in these various markets and thus it is essential that an organization keep track of the happenings that take place during this period of time. The recent elections can be said to have affected the domestic and foreign markets in terms of a switch in concentration of the areas that are to be focused on (Kerin, 2012). The recent downturn in the economy has been a matter that the government has been trying to deal with and as a result many elected officials have focused on rejuvenating the domestic economy through the provision of new jobs and issuing of policies that assist in encouraging this. This has resulted in the officials urging companies to retain the various services and other job openings they are involved with within the country. In the case of Jot this has to do with the outsourcing of the manufacturing of their toys in a bid to create more employment opportunities

Term Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Term Project - Essay Example The Petronas Twin Towers are located in the centre of the city and are the property of an oil company owned by the government of Malaysia. The Petronas Twin Towers are 451.9 meters high in total starting from the street level. Excluding the pinnacle, the Petronas Twin Towers are 378 meters in height. The total area consumed by the Petronas Twin Towers is 341760 sq. meters. Each of the two twin towers has 10 escalators. Top of the Petronas Twin Tower (Leiter). The World Trade Center and the Chicago’s Sears Tower were the world’s tallest buildings before the Petronas Twin Towers were created. Each of the two towers is 21 ft taller as compared to the Chicago’s Sears Tower that has 110 stories in it. The Petronas Twin Towers were designed by Cesar Pelli. Cesar Pelli connected the Petronas Twin Towers with a skybridge that is located above the lower half of each tower. Each floor that is in the Petronas Twin Towers has been given a Star shape with eight corners. Total height of the Petronas Twin Towers is 1483 ft that makes them a total of 115 ft taller in comparison with the New York’s World Trade Center (â€Å"Dow Corning†). In the complex of the Petronas Twin Towers, there is a concert hall, offices and also, a grand shopping arcade which is spread over 5 stories. The Petronas Twin Towers are commonly referred to as the jewels of Kuala Lumpur. They have remained the world’s tallest structures for a considerable period of time from 1998 to 2004, and even now, they are the tallest towers in Malaysia. Petronas Twin Towers (wallpaperpimper.com). Project Information: Name†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Designation Government of Malaysia †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...Owner Samsumg Kukdong Jasatera J/V........ Contractor Cesar Pelli and Associates Ins†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... Architect EdwinCon†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Mechanical Contr actor Material Examination: One of the primary drivers of this $800 million project is Johns Manville who has offered above 1.4 million sq ft. that makes part of the towers’ Permacote Linacoustic duct liner. The Petronas Twin Towers have been provided with fiber glass duct as well as pavilion at the base. Because of the Permacote Linacoustic duct liner, the Petronas Twin Towers have been provided with insulation that ensures improvement of the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). This duct liner is particularly suitable for use in systems of air conditioning and ventilation. Use of this product improves the durability of the structure as a whole that is otherwise, threatened by high velocity of air and extreme temperatures. The Permacote Linacoustic duct liner (â€Å"Johns Manville†). Design and shape: There are 16 cylindrical high strength reinforced concrete (RCC) columns arranged in the form of a ring in each of the two towers’ core structures. Size of the col umn varies as they converge as they rise. At the lowest level, the columns’ diameter is 2.4 meters and it shrinks to 1.2 meters at the top (â€Å"Detailed Structural Analysis†). The columns are arranged on the outside corners which make the additional arcs of the star floor that is the quintessential Islamic architectural symbol. The final look of the towers is tapered because of the staging sequence of the columns’ slope, which is inwards in six increments. The core concrete walls along with the ring beams link the columns together. Design of the Petronas

Promoting Content Area Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Promoting Content Area Learning - Essay Example These two were all recommended by Coleman & Goldenberg (2010). Setting objectives will benefit the students because it will help set a scope of area of learning that they must cover. Feedback will also ensure that they are receiving the right form of tuition. From this week’s learning resource, the type of grouping option that would be used to promote academic language in the students is mixed competency grouping. The rationale for selecting this type is in its ability to promoting peer learning and teaching. Very often, teenage learners of English language have been found to be more comfortable seeking extra knowledge from their peers and this grouping option would help to achieve this. It is expected that the mixed competency grouping will be effective in increasing interactions at the student level. But to ensure that interaction is also promoted between students and the tutor, efforts will be made to introduce post tuition encounter with students. This will be a special session where students having difficulty even after consulting their peers can come to the tutor for further assistance and learning support. (c) What aspects of the Opportunity to Learn (OTL) framework from this week’s Aguirre-Muà ±oz and Amabisca article could you incorporate to ensure English Language Learners have the necessary language skills to comprehend the academic content that is presented during a

BIM (BUILDING Information Modeling ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

BIM (BUILDING Information Modeling ) - Essay Example The lifecycle of a product involves designing, building, operation, and maintenance activities. Since current buildings rely upon drawings, building designs have formerly focused upon communications through numerous distinct and often inconsistent documents. With BIM, building designs are not just about drawings and numerous documents, but about a data repository where structure and continuation information is combined in one expedient model for sharing amongst all stakeholders (McNell et al, 5). As a model-based design process, BIM offers explicit design information, for instant consideration and evaluation of the design objective and program. As a result, BIM model offers augmented process competence and superior quality accuracy compared to conventional 2D CAD drawings. 2.0. Management of BIM Previously, architects designed buildings which were then scrutinized by engineers who offered feedback and technical responses concerning the design (AUGI, 1). Conversely, the contractors ob tained the drawings and build the structure. At this point, every party played their own part. However, BIM and all its inventions, ideas, methods and designs are all owned by the Department of design and Construction. According to AUGI, the other persons using BIM like contractors only have temporary use for given time extents after which all BIM copies are submitted to DDC. In the BIM model, the owner hires an architect and contractor. The architect is the design review agency while the contractor performs QC testing and inspection (Ashcraft and Shelden, 7). The architect works with specialist consultants and engineers (A+E). The contractor works with engineer contractors and subcontractors. The subcontractors work as product suppliers, material suppliers, installers and labor unions among others. The contractor have a construction simulation model and fabrication model, the architects have the design model, and the engineer will have the analysis model depending on their discipli ne (Ashcraft and Shelden, 7). BIM collaborative use requires that all available models are interoperable and that each model is a clear and consistent representation of the same structure. 3.0. BIM practice The building industry comprises of architects, engineers, contractors and owners or (A/E/C/O). The architect is provided with a service request (Ashcraft and Shelden, 7). The architect is responsible for designing buildings and space using BIM and has the intentions to have the building executed to work. However, the role of the architects expanded to business strategy, and technology among others. The professional engineers then utilize recent 3D modeling and visualization (Revit and AutoCAD) for 3D design. After receiving the request, the architect validates and designs the structure. Conversely, the engineer imports conventional 2D drawings that have 3D information for precise establishment of 3D renderings. When coupled with onsite coordination, 3D visualization offers improv ed accuracy for detection and resolution of instances of collision among infrastructure components. The process used here is crash detection (Ashcraft and Shelden, 7) and is cost saving since component collisions are only detected after commencement of construction. The engineer then documents the findings and issues to the designer. The designers utilize BIM to discover substitute concepts, perform value engineering and optimize designs. Given the BIM model, t

Planned Organizational Change Essay Example for Free

Planned Organizational Change Essay Abstract Planned organizational change can be defined in many different ways, and characterized on many different levels. The common denominator listed after reviewing two related Internet articles, indicates that change cannot take place for changes sake, but must be implemented to accomplish a specific goal or task. Another common statement states that change must also be accepted and embraced before the desired outcome is achieved. Planned Organizational Change Planned organizational change can be defined in many different ways, and characterized on many different levels. The common denominator listed after reviewing two related Internet articles, indicates that change cannot take place for changes sake, but must be implemented to accomplish a specific goal or task. Another common statement states that change must also be accepted and embraced before the desired outcome is achieved. The first Internet article reviewed was titled Planned Organizational Change as Cultural Revolution (Izumi and Taylor. n.d.). This article was particularly interesting because of the broad statement provided indicating that organizational schemes often fail because of poor reception by those involved. The article states: Organizational schemes gang aft a-gley during the implementation stage because the corporate culture does not change enough to allow the new ideas, procedures, and structures to take hold. There may not be the cultural buy-in necessary to sustain the current change effort. If planned change is to be successful, it must include, as an integral and critical part of the change process, the seeds of the new values, beliefs, and attitudes the organization is trying to grow. Unfortunately, change programs are often set up to fail because the change methods only perpetuate the old way of doing things. This statement rings particularly true for this author. Over the past 20  years in business I have witnessed many organizational changes that have failed miserably. Businesses seem to want a change, for different reasons, but do not know how to properly implement these changes. Improper implementation of a sound plan, not enough organizational commitment, and organizational politics, as indicated in the article, seem to provide some of the most common reasons for failure related to organizational change. Businesses will sometimes have a valid plan to change an organization, but neglect the final stages of implementation. This lack of follow-up invalidates the entire effort. Politics also play a significant role in most organizational change failures. Many businesses have allowed small unofficial organizations to form within organizations; this creates internal kingdoms which prove fatal to organizational change. A strong belief in the importance of a proper structure, as told by the article, often causes change factors to focus on the organization instead or processes. The effects of this type of change produce a structural change instead of a process change that allows the same processes to function under new management. The article goes as far as mentioning on model, used specifically in the case of large mergers, how many resources can be combined with little analysis of the operating environment. The thinking is, the combination of skills, thoughts and ideas will combine to form an organization that operates in a drastically different manner that initially imagined. This idea sounds valid, but a combination of organizational direction from management combined with the evolution of processes and organization would seem to provide the most effective solution. Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is one of the most interesting ideas retrieved from the first Internet article. The BPR is described as a natural outgrowth of the Internal Process approach to organizational effectiveness. This model concentrates on targeting internal processes for change. When these processes are analyzed for inefficiencies there is little consideration given to strategy or organizational structure. When internal processes are changed to increase efficiency, the old systems should be replaced with new systems rather than using the old systems to create new  processes. As old systems are purged, the effects on the organization increase exponentially. The domino effect seen by replacing old processes often surprises businesses as to the effectiveness of this model. The second article reviewed was titled: Basic Context for Organizational Change, this article parallels the previous article reviewed by this author. This article written by Carter McNamara, PhD provides two interesting points: (1) Change should not be done for the sake of change, and (2) There is typically strong resistance to change; people are afraid of the unknown. This author has witnessed several organization changes that could easily been implemented simply for change sake. The Internet article helps in the realization of the necessity for organizational-wide changes to truly create situations that effect positive change. Many times businesses will implement organizational changes in only one or two departments, when the change truly effects the every department or division in a small way. Organizational-wide change, along with change acceptance will go a long way toward creating a favorable atmosphere to change. Typically there are strong resistances to organizational change. People are afraid of the unknown. Many people like the way things are, are comfortable, and dont understand the need for change. Many people view any organizational change as bad, and neglect to give proposed changes an opportunity to succeed. This type of behavior is difficult to remedy, but a well-structured, properly organized change can implement change much easier that an ill conceived plan. In conclusion, this author has realized the importance of implementing and following through with planned changes as an integral part of successful organizational change. This author has also realized that change for change sake is a dangerous proposition and organizational changes should always consider the entire company before attempting local changes. A final lesson teaches the importance of recognizing peoples inherent resistance to change and the need to address human resistance as an important step in any organizational change effort. The items reviewed in both internet articles discussed effective ways to implement and recognized planned change, and  should be invaluable in future business endeavors. Reference Izumi, H., Taylor, D., (n.d.). Planned organizational change as cultural evolution. Empire State College Resource List. Para. 2. Retrieved April 15, 2003 from the World Wide Web:http://www.esc.edu/ESConline/across_esc/forumjournal.nsf/ 3cc42a422514347a8525671d0049f395/1f36661906ca98d9852567b00

Mendelian Genetics of Drosophila | Lab Report

Mendelian Genetics of Drosophila | Lab Report Joshua Park Introduction Drosophila melanogaster, known generally as a fruit fly, is a cost-effective model organism with certain qualities that make it an ideal research tool in various fields of science. Drosophila melanogaster are preferred over vertebrate models as a research tool in genetic studies due to its basic food requirements, its ability to produce large numbers of progeny in a short period of time, and quick life cycle. Depending on diet and stress its life span ranges up to an average maximum of 120 days. They are also easy and inexpensive to culture in a laboratory environment, not to mention they take up very little space. In addition, they have diverse phenotypic traits that are easily observable. Its anatomical features like the compound eye allow easy access for phenotypic characterization. They also have abundant genetic variation in a relatively small genome. Approximately 13,600 protein-coding genes are located in only four chromosomes. Many heredity variations can be studied in these flies.An example of this is the gene that codes for eye color in Drosophila, which can result in red, sepia, white, or brown phenotypes. This unique ability to generate many different phenotypes provides D. melanogaster its practicality as an effective research tool for the study of the relationship between genotype and phenotype. In this experiment, we wanted to understand which phenotypic results would result from a mating cross between D. melanogaster parents with certain wild type and mutant phenotypes for eye color and wing size. The wild type phenotype for eye color is red, while the mutant phenotypes are sepia and white. The wild type phenotype for wing size is long, while the mutant phenotype is apterous, or no wing. We also wanted to know the reason for such phenotypic ratios, which we hypothesized to be the Mendelian Law of Segregation in regards to the study of one trait. To do this, we mated D. melanogaster flies with similar and different phenotypes in order to see how well our results agreed with the Mendelian Law of Segregation. We created two crosses: a monohybrid cross where both male and female flies had the wild type phenotype (Bb and Bb), and a monohybrid cross where the male flies had the mutant phenotype (XwY) and the female flies had the wild type phenotype (X+X+). For our first monohybr id cross, we wanted to know what the expected phenotypic ratio would be when crossing wildtype red-eyed flies, according to Mendels first law. We hypothesized that the expected phenotypic ratio for a cross with red-eyed flies would be 3:1 because according to the Mendelian Law of Segregation, the two alleles are separated from each other during gamete formation. For our other monohybrid cross, we wanted to know what the expected phenotypic ratio would be when crossing wildtype red-eyed flies with mutant white-eyed flies, once again according to Mendels first law. We hypothesized that the expected phenotypic ratio would be 1:1 due to the Mendelian Law of Segregation. Using the chi-square test, we will be prepared to reject or fail to reject our hypothesis according to our mating cross results. Title: Mendelian Genetics of Drosophila Material and Methods Students in groups of two were given a number corresponding to a specific fly stock vial. Two culture vials pre-filled with food and cotton plugs were collected at the front of the classroom. The group number and initials were written on the vials. Next, the assigned stock vials were obtained and were lightly tapped on the lab bench to remove the flies from the cotton plug. An anesthesia wand was dipped into the FlyNap and carefully inserted through the cotton plugs into each stock vial. The stock vials were immediately placed horizontally on the lab bench after, preventing the flies from drowning in the food media. After waiting a few minutes for the flies to fall asleep, the wands were removed from the vials and the flies from each vial were dumped onto separate index cards. The flies were observed under a dissecting scope and found to be either male or female based on the body morphology. A lamp light was used for an easier inspection. Using a brush, 5 male and female flies from e ach cross set were transferred to the culture vials. Once again, the vials were made sure to be placed horizontally on the lab bench. Each culture vial was sealed with a cotton plug, and the leftover flies were returned to the stock vials. The vials were returned to the TA for storage. Once larva could be seen in the fly culture vials, the parent flies were put to sleep and removed from the vials to avoid backcrossing. Once it was evident that many F1 offspring had matured into adults, the flies were put to sleep and dumped onto notecards. The flies from the assigned cross set were observed under a dissecting microscope, and the eye color and wing presence was recorded for each fly. For cross set E, both the sex and phenotype for each fly was recorded. After every F1 generation fly was counted for each cross set, they were dumped into the morgue. Results Cross Set: C Table 1: F1 phenotypes for cross set C Phenotype Total number Eye color Wing size Red Long 39 Sepia Long 9 The F1 data that was collected for cross set C is indicated in Table 1. The number of flies for each phenotype is shown. Figure 1: Graphical representation of F1 data for cross set C Figure 1 presents the data from Table 1 in the form of a bar graph. According to this data, there were more flies with wildtype red eyes (39) compared to flies with sepia eyes (9). There was a total of 48 flies for cross set C. Cross Set: E Table 2: F1 phenotypes and sex for cross set E       Phenotype Number of Male Flies Number of Female Flies Total number Eye color Wing size Red Long 10 9 19 White Long 10 13 23 The F1 data that was collected for cross set E is indicated in Table 2. The number of flies for each phenotype and sex is shown. Figure 2: Graphical representation of F1 data for cross set E Figure 2 presents the data from Table 2 in the form of a bar graph. According to this data, the number of male flies with wildtype red eyes (10) was equal to the number of male flies with white eyes (10). In addition, the number of female flies with wildtype red eyes (9) was very similar to the number of female flies with white eyes (13). There was a total of 42 flies for cross set E. Phenotype Observed Number (O) Expected Number (E) Deviation (O E) (O E) ² (O E) ²/E Red eyes/long wings 39 36 3 9 0.25 Sepia eye/long wings 9 12 -3 9 0.75 Total 48 48 X ² = 1.00 Chi-Square Analysis: Table 3:Chi-square analysis for cross set C Cross Set C:   à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2 = Degrees of freedom (df) = 1 p-value range = 0.1 Table 4: Chi-square analysis for cross set E Phenotype Observed Number (O) Expected Number (E) Deviation (O E) (O E) ² (O E) ²/E Red eyes/long wings 19 21 -3 9 0.429 White eyes/long wings 23 21 2 4 0.190 Total 42 42 X ² = 0.619 Cross Set E:   à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2 = Degrees of freedom (df) = 1 p-value range = 0.1 The chi-square analysis was completed for both crosses to compare the observed results with the expected results. The p-value for cross set C was between 0.1 and 0.9. The p-value for cross set E was also between 0.1 and 0.9. As a result, we fail to reject the null hypothesis of the chi-square test for both crosses. Discussion According to the results of this experiment, our research hypothesis was supported in each mating cross. We hypothesized that the expected phenotypic ratio for a cross with red-eyed wildtype flies would be 3:1, because according to the Mendelian Law of Segregation, the two alleles are separated from each other during gamete formation. Cross set C produced about three times as many red-eyed wildtype flies compared to sepia-eyed flies, confirming our hypothesis. For our other monohybrid cross, we wanted to know what the expected phenotypic ratio would be when crossing wildtype red-eyed flies with mutant white-eyed flies. We hypothesized that the expected phenotypic ratio would be 1:1 due to the Mendelian Law of Segregation. Cross set E produced equal amounts of red-eyed flies and white-eyed flies, confirming our hypothesis. The ratios obtained for cross sets C and E accurately reflected the expected results for a monohybrid cross and test cross respectively, as claimed by Mendels law o f segregation. The results of the chi-square analysis show that the observed counts were very close to the expected counts. The p-values for both cross sets C and E were between 0.1 and 0.9. Since these p-values were larger than 0.05, it was concluded that we should fail to reject the null hypothesis. Failing to reject the null hypothesis means that the observed data was not statistically different from the expected data. The mode of inheritance for cross set C was determined to be complete dominance. In complete dominance, the dominant allele completely masks the effect of the recessive allele when both are present. Since both parents were found to be heterozygous for eye color (Bb), the dominant red allele masked the effect of the recessive sepia allele. The F1 data for cross set C demonstrates that wild type red eyes are dominant over sepia eyes, since the ratio of red-eyed flies (BB or Bb) to sepia-eyed flies (bb) was calculated to be 3:1, as expected for a monohybrid cross according to Mendels law of segregation. The mode of inheritance for cross set E was determined to be X-linked. Genetic conditions with an X-linked recessive inheritance pattern usually affect only the males in a family. This is because they are caused by altered or mutant genes found on the X-chromosome. Females are born with two X-chromosomes, so the effects of a working gene on one can mask the effects of a mutant gene on the other, which is similar to complete dominance. They will normally be unaffected carriers of the condition. Males have only one X-chromosome, so if they inherit one with a mutant gene (XwY), they will be affected. The F1 data for cross set E demonstrates that the traits for red eyes and white eyes are located on the sex chromosome, since the ratio of red-eyed flies to white-eyed flies was determined to be 1:1. This indicated that the red-eyed female flies were heterozygous for eye color (X+Xw), since the contribution of a mutant allele from both parent flies would result in offspring with red eyes an d white eyes in equal proportions. These results are comparable to the data from Thomas Hunt Morgans experiment with D. melanogaster. In his experiment, he discovered a mutant gene affecting eye color. This mutant gene was expressed as a white color in the eyes. Morgan proceeded to discover that the gene for eye color was inherited in different ways depending on the sex of the fly. This difference came from the fact that female flies have two X chromosomes, while male flies only have one X chromosome and a Y chromosome. Morgan found that this gene had a similar inheritance pattern to the X chromosome. Thus, Morgan concluded that this gene was X-linked. A limitation of this experiment is the fact that we only counted progeny during one session. Multiple trials of counting offspring may have produced closer values to the expected ratios of Mendels law of segregation. Another limitation would be the difficulty of identifying male flies from female flies in a quick and efficient manner. This research has demonstrated the practicality and versatility of D. melanogaster as a tool for research in the lab. Although these fruit flies may seem like very simple and insignificant organisms, they allow us to do research that may otherwise not have been possible. I plan to conduct further studies with D. melanogaster in the field of pharmacology. Since humans share key physiological processes with this organism, D. melanogaster would serve as an effective model for drug discovery. I aim to generate a new drug compound that would greatly aid in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. I hope that the research conducted with these flies will allow for greater discoveries in various fields of science that will contribute to the advancement of mankind. References Jennings, B. H. (2011). Drosophila a versatile model in biology medicine. Materials Today,  14(5), 190-195. doi:10.1016/s1369-7021(11)70113-4 Morgan, T. H. (1910). Sex Limited Inheritance In Drosophila. Science, 32(812), 120-122.  doi:10.1126/science.32.812.120 Pandey, U. B., Nichols, C. D. (2011). Human Disease Models in Drosophila melanogaster and  the Role of the Fly in Therapeutic Drug Discovery. Pharmacological Reviews, 63(2),  411-436. http://doi.org/10.1124/pr.110.003293 Prà ¼ÃƒÅ¸ing, K., Voigt, A., Schulz, J. B. (2013). Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism for  Alzheimers disease. Molecular Neurodegeneration, 8, 35. http://doi.org/10.1186/1750-1326-8-35     Ã‚   Plagiarism: Types, Causes and Effects Plagiarism: Types, Causes and Effects KENNEDY MULI KAILITI PLAGIARISM Introduction Plagiarism is ideological theft. When a person takes and idea that is not their own and represents it for credit. This is a false representation of oneself by using work or an idea that is not original or stolen from another person. Furthermore different constituencies have different meaning for the history of plagiarism. We might helpfully regard it as a triple entity or triangle. At one point of the triangle is cheating involving written works, the second inadvertent a failure to master conventions and the third are professionals who another work without permission for their own benefit.[1] This is just taking advantage of other peoples creativity without acknowledging them. Plagiarism represents truth without representing the source of the truth so ultimately it becomes its truth from the wrong person. When plagiarism is done without intention, knowledge or as a mistake then its called miss-use of sources. The great controversy on plagiarism is drawing the thin line between the de liberate and mistake and who takes responsibility between the teacher and the student. Plagiarism has been there as long as man existed and there was art and creativity but the realization of the vice and its consequences could have come with the printing press and academic advancement. In the early years of human existence philosophy, music and poetry were the ideologies and their practice as a sign of civilization and social advancement. The mode of education was informal and there was not based on research and writing and though plagiarism was practiced there is no data on who and when it started. In the definition and practice plagiarism was practiced as long as man lived. As people put their ideas and creativity in writing, distribution, business and credit then plagiarism became a parallel business. The publishing and printing companies and the authors had to protect themselves from theft and so the copy right protection laws. The twentieth century has come with innovation, scientific discoveries and research and plagiarism has risen as a competing factor. There is need to protect individual work and publishers from those who plagiarize to avoid the gains achieved so far and chaos and confusion. The world has turned to capitalism and competition for resources and fame. Plagiarism has become more alive in this century and its a moral and legal matter that is challenging every society. The academic world has been transformed to research and analysis and students excel only after writing essays, papers, thesis and publication making plagiarism a great threat. The new form of plagiarism is not for economic and popularity gain but for academic success and it a vice in all learning institutions. There has been so many ideas presented in all academic fields and with technological advancement plagiarism is easy and appealing today than before. There is no limit to the destruction that plagiarism has done economically, politically, socially, emotionally and often leads to enemity, wars and legal disputes. Today in music and art industry plagiarism is a quick fix to fame and riches. Time as a resource today is more precious than ever and people are willing to take shortcuts and achiev e goals within a short time. There is a lot involved in research, organization and tests in order to present work that is credit worthy in all fields of life so there is a trend to take shortcuts. Today there is unwritten policy of publish or perish in universities and so lecturers are likely to redo an old idea thus self -plagiarism. The internet has come of age and information is available all over the web for all disciplines and this is enticing to those who want to plagiarize. There is a demand for innovation, art, music, news and economic benefits are too good attracting the real and fake at the same time. Types of Plagiarism Plagiarism can either be intentional or accidental but the form and modes it takes vary a lot based on the situation. There is concern about academic plagiarism but there is a wide range from the unknown to the known , the written and the spoken and just like theft its trends and forms has no limits. The common one in research are taking some presented idea from a pool of knowledge and presenting it for credit. When one recycles and old concept or idea its self- plagiarism and the copy paste computer technology is a monster that propagates plagiarism. There is a pool of knowledge in all fields and research is ongoing in all parts of the world so plagiarism can arise unknowingly when there is agreement on the same concept and ideology. 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.15 But the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you? 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.[2] This is spiritual plagiarism as people assume the position of Paul and Jesus. Percentage of College Students Admitting to Selected Cheating Behaviors, 1963 and 1993[3] Tests/Examinations 1963 1993 Copied from another student 26% 52% Helped another student cheat 23% 37% Used crib notes 16 % 27% Written Work Copied material without footnoting 49% 54% Plagiarized 30% 26% Falsified a bibliography 38% 29% Turned in work done by another 29% 14% Collaborated on assignments requiring individual work 11% 49% The use of plagiarism has been on the rise just and taking new modes. This research data information show that the percentages have almost doubled in the thirty years. This trend means that in the next century plagiarism will be at level institutions and schools will find overwhelming. There is a great danger for academic and research advancement from plagiarism and there is a wake -up call. The reason for this paper This paper is to demonstrate that I have a clear knowledge of plagiarism and Calvin Theological Seminary rule on plagiarism. I posted this in my paper as a case study and after using the name of the person publishing this information I assumed this is not taking credit or plagiarism. I pledge i will not plagiarize again and action will be taken against me in future as per Calvin Theological Seminary statutes on plagiarism. Max Brewer in his 1907 book Der Deutsche Christus (The German Christ) During the First and Second World Wars, German Protestant leaders used the writings of Luther to support the cause of German nationalism On the 450th anniversary of Luthers birth, which fell only a few months after the Nazi Party began its seizure of power in 1933, celebrations were conducted on a large scale by both the Protestant Churches and the Nazi Party. .At a celebration in Kà ¶nigsberg, Erich Koch, at that time the Gauleiter of East Prussia, made a speech in which he, among other things, compared Adolf Hitler with Martin Luther and claimed that the Nazis fought with Luthers spirit. Such a speech might be dismissed as mere propaganda, but, as Steigmann-Gall points out: Contemporaries regarded Koch as a bona fide Christian who had attained his position [as the elected president of a provincial Church synod] through a genuine commitment to Protestantism and its institutions. Even so, Steigmann-Gall states that the Nazis were not a Christian movement. The prominent Protestant theologian Karl Barth, in1939 stated that the writings of Martin Luther were used by the Nazis to glorify both the State and state absolutism: The German people suffer under his error of the relationship between the law and the bible, between secular and spiritual power, in which Luther divided the temporal State from the inward state, focusing instead on spiritual matters, thus limiting the ability of the individual or the church to question the actions of the State, which was seen as a God-ordained instrument. Effects of plagiarism Plagiarism affects the individual and the society and the effects can be long lasting and devastating. The person involved will lose trustworthy, moral, academic and social standing. This becomes worse when the person is taken to court or loose license of practice and financial loses. Those in the schools are expelled and many years of study and research go to waste. Plagiarism affects just like theft can be too cruel with years of suffering and regret. In the world today there are people that have lost positions of power and authority and careers destroyed. In the society plagiarism can result to financial loses and as companies and jobs are affected, court cases and warring parties, and threatening social standing. Reasons for plagiarism Ignorance and carelessness is the major sources of plagiarism. Ignorance and carelessness are also the major sources of the excuse from students who are caught plagiarizing. Even in cases where there are established writers, politicians, and academics have been caught plagiarizing the most common reason is confusion in my notes.[4] There is always a reason behind every action good or bad and so people have different reasons to justify plagiarism. The world living in the era of quick fix and people have no time to invest in hard work as time becomes the most valuable resource. A majority of the plagiarism is intentional and by people that are well vast in their fields of knowledge but have little time to carry out a research. The financial and positional gain is attractive and is its good luck adventure that usually goes bad and becomes destructive. There is all information in the Web about anything and this makes plagiarism the easy and quick path to take. The economic trends today h ave forced people to do extra work , juggle between multiple careers , become student workers and so there is little time to invest in school and learning hence plagiarism is a solution. Self-plagiarism is one that can be done unaware after years of publishing and at times its miss-understanding and mistakes of not doing a citation. When people do research and writing they do it without fore knowledge of other people involved in the same work so plagiarism out of ignorance may not justify judgement and condemnation. There is a blame and counter by teachers and students but the bottom line is plagiarism is plagiarism. Today learning is intensive and cumbersome and most students had find it hard to match the pace and hence plagiarism. Conclusion Although we are teaching academic writing we cannot discount the cultural context. It invigorates the writing because is connected to the writers identity informing the writers voice -and yes it can be incorporated in to academic writing. Free writing should allow cultural context to serve as the true and comfortable setting in which second language students could get started in the process of writing a personal essay or research paper. [5] When people do research and writing they do it in their character and nature and the work cannot be separate from themselves. All people live and work in communities that influence their thinking and actions and so when writing in their true self their work will be more original. When writing from second language and culture, under strict guidelines and limits and the objective of teaching and learning is defeated by just fulfilling the purpose. There is a reason to demystify plagiarism by teaching students those engaging in research and writing a bout it, and the basic academic law of education is character. There is need for continuous and genuine conversation by all institutions on the standards, punishment, and modes of plagiarism as new method and techniques evolve with technological advancement. Schools and universities need to engage parents and guardians since plagiarism is vice that is academic and moral. The question of self-plagiarism and miss-use of resources, or a typology and its punishment will be there today and as long as there is writing and research. The new trends in plagiarism and its rise is a challenge to all institutions of learning and there is need to teach plagiarism and good academic morals as a mission. Bibliography Blum, Susan D. My Word ! ,New York :Cornell University Press, 2009. Lathrop, Ann, and Kathleen Foss. Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-Up Call: A Wake-Up Call. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 2000. .eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed March 9, 2017). Harris, Robert A. The Plagiarism, Handbook Los Angelas: Pyrczack publishing, 2001. Desena, Laura H. Preventing Plagiarism, Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English, 2007 [1] Blum, Susan D. My Word ! New York (Cornell University Press, 2009)12-13 [2] Acts 19: 14-16 (ESV) [3] Lathrop, Ann, and Kathleen Foss. Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-Up Call: A Wake-Up Call. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 2000. .eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed March 9, 2017). [4] Harris, Robert A. The Plagiarism Handbook ( Los Angelas: Pyrczack publishing, 2001) ,23 [5] Desena, Laura H. Preventing Plagiarism (Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English, 2007 ),105.

Incidents And Leaders Interaction Within The Movie History Essay

Incidents And Leaders Interaction Within The Movie History Essay This paper analyses the theories and concepts of leadership of key characters in the movie, Invictus. The key characters analysed are President Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar, captain of the South African rugby team. Based on a book written by John Carlin, Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation, the movie is directed by award-winning director Clint Eastwood. Starring Morgan Freeman as President Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon plays Francois Pienaar, who is the current captain of the Springboks, the South African rugby team, it was released in the United States in mid-December 2009. 2.0 SYNOPSIS OF MOVIE Storyline The story centres around events before and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, hosted in South Africa shortly after the fall of apartheid with the release of political prisoner Nelson Mandela. Mandela was held in a prison on Robben Island for close to 27 years. As the new elected President, Mandela vowed to unite the South Africa population which is currently divided into two groups: the white people who originated from Europe and came to South African in the seventeeth century known as Afrikaners and the native black population of the country. The movie basically shows President Mandelas attempt to unite both groups in supporting the countrys rugby team, the Springboks (rugby was traditionally a white sport) and steering the team as it made a historic drive towards winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship. Despite all odds and initial resistance, the black natives of South Africa soon began to show interest in the Springboks. As the team wins more and more games, they continue to receive rising support from both the Afrikaners and the black natives. The team achieved unexpected success in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, defeating the strongest opponent in the tournament, New Zealand, which brought cheer not only to the Afrikaners but also to the black natives all over the country as they celebrated the teams victory. This inevitably began to bridge the divide between the two groups that had been there for centuries due to apartheid. The title Invictus is translated from the Latin as undefeated or unconquered, and is the title of a poem by English poet William Ernest Henley (1849-1903). The ending saw the recitation of verses from the poem: Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. Leaders in the movie There are clearly two distinguished leaders in the movie: President Nelson Mandela despite having to face other pressing issues to build the country in his first term as president, Mandela is committed to his pledge to reunite the people of South Africa. He tries to achieve this through sports, namely rugby in which the country is hosting in the following year. Francois Pienaar, captain of the Springboks (South African Rugby team). Pienaar faces a tough challenge from President Mandela to drive his team to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship, something he never thought possible before. Role of leaders Newly-elected President Nelson Mandela plays a leading role as the person who tries to unite the divided groups of white Afrikaners and the black South African natives with the end of apartheid. He believes that it can be achieved through rugby, which is the number one sport for the white Afrikaners. With his strong belief in the power of the game, Mandela went against the wishes of his own staff and follows his instincts to pursue his target. Mandela calmly leads by example, displaying great leadership skills through his quiet reflective confidence in contemplating decisions, his commitment to achieve whatever he sets out to do and the way he touches other peoples lives and emotions with his personal communication style. Meanwhile, Francois Pienaar admires President Mandelas aspirations to unite the people of South Africa and was inspired by his dedication and perseverance to achieve his goal. Through his leadership and commitment, Pienaar steadily builds his teams confidence and began to win more and more matches, and eventually brought his team to victory against the strongest opponent, New Zealand, in the final match of the 1995 Rugby World Cup. 3.0 LEADERSHIP ASPECTS Incidents within the movie involving the leaders One incident shows a sporting organization where all committee members are black natives, and they agree to pass a motion to change the name, colour and logo of the rugby team to suit a different and blacker South Africa. Currently, the rugby team represents the pride of the Afrikaners and is despised by the black natives as they see it as a symbol of apartheid. However, President Mandela who arrives at the meeting just after the voting process asks the committee members to rethink their decisions in the context of unity for the country and the good of the population. In the end, he manages to gather 13 votes on his side which is enough for him to keep the Springboks. Mandelas style of participative leadership is very admirable. He always encourages those working under him to think differently about surrounding issues.   A good example would be the one concerning his personal security group. Instead of being suspicious about the loyalty and commitment of his white security staff, he directed the security head, a black Soth African native, to work together with their highly experienced counterparts and learn from them. He also treats the white security staff well even though some of them were against him when he was in prison. Days before the final match, Pienaar as captain of the rugby squad claims that the team needs a break. They head to Robben Island with their girlfriends to take their minds off the game. There, Pienaar visited the jail where Mandela was held. Standing inside Mandelas actual jail cell, Pienaar is dismayed to discover how small the cell is and with nothing to sleep on except a thin sheet on the bare ground. Yet the man who was held in this cell for nearly 26 years can easily forgive those who put him in prison, and has great plans to unite the people of the country. Incidents and leaders interaction within the context of the movie President Mandela invites Pienaar to tea for their first meeting. Mandela believes that he can achieve the unity that he planned for through rugby and needed Pienaars assistance to get the support of the Afrikaners. Pienaar was charmed by Mandelas personal style and warmth upon his arrival at the Government House. He also observed that Mandela treated everyone around him with great respect, even the lady who served them tea. During the brief meeting, Mandela skillfully challenges Pienaar to think positively about winning the upcoming Rugby World Cup Championship. He shared his vision on the importance of winning the championship to South Africa to unite the people via a World Cup victory. Pienaar who was impressed with the presidents quiet leadership, personal commitment and motivation to achieve the vision soon began to see the odds of winning the cup as a possibility, thus inspires him to lead this team to train harder that before. Leaders behaviour and characteristics In this movie, Mandela skillfully demonstrates his people-oriented leadership style. For instance, even on his first day in office as the newly-elected President of South Africa, he showed great courtesy to all his staff, blacks and whites, by greeting and smiling at everybody whom he passed by on his way to his suite. This earned him great respect from all staff, especially the white Afrikaners who thought they would be sacked once a black leader assumed office. Mandela also decided to maintain the former white staff and builds an administrative team of both groups. The same also applies to his security staff. In order to lead by example and to achieve the unity he had long planned for, he believes that his team must reflect his vision. 4.0 DESCRIPTION AND DISCUSSION OF LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR Leadership behaviour Leadership styles are important to successfully lead teams in organisations. There are various styles of leadership that can be observed and are practised by leaders in todays organisations, but theories mostly centre these two: The first group displays task-oriented behaviours, whereby the leader only manages the daily activities of his subordinates towards accomplishing a task which was predetermined. The second set involves people-oriented behaviour, also known as participative leadership. Leaders in this group normally provide a supportive role by encouraging his subordinates to get involved in decision making on the project that they are working on. This results in a positive work environment which increases productivity of the team as they feel that they are part of the decision making process and thus own the project.   Evidently, both sets of behaviours are important to create a balance in successful leadership. President Mandela excellently displayed both task-oriented and participative leadership styles in his quest to build the nation. He sought the help and participation of Pienaar to transform the image of the Springboks in the eyes of the black natives. Through Pienaars leadership, the team members successfully won the hearts of the black natives and garner their support which steered the team to victory. Change agent capabilities Basically, a change agent is someone who can motivate others around him to produce higher degree of output, to do more and to achieve better things in their lives. Change agents require emotional intelligence to ensure people are totally engaged in a project. People who are highly supportive of the purpose and are highly committed to achieve the objectives of the project will contribute to better productivity and chances of meeting the goals and objectives are maximised. A change agent needs to have high competencies in soft skills, namely excellent people and communication skills, to encourage peoples involvement and minimise resistance. He or she must be able to reach out to the inner values and beliefs of the people involved in the project in order to implement change with the people. Clearly, President Mandela has demonstrated his capabilities in becoming the change agent for South Africas unity and progress. President Mandela demonstrates these managerial traits effectively through leading by example and motivating people through his great respect for others and personal humility. His quietly confident manner and strong commitment in conveying his visions and aspirations also encourage others around him to do amazing things that they never thought they are capable of doing before. Able to support, able to develop new ideas and recognize achievement Despite the hostility shown towards his support for the Springboks, President Mandela stood his ground and diligently and courageously attended the rugby matches. He even made an effort to memorise the names of all the players and greeted them personally by their name before the matches and during practices. In order to promote foreign investment in building South Africas economy with is also laden with issues, Mandela administrative team tries to ensure that President Mandela receives wide press coverage whenever he meets with other world leaders to discuss bilateral relationships. 5.0 IDENTIFICATION AND EXPLANATION OF INCIDENTS Executive summary of the two incidents selected. President Mandela read the new concerning the upheaval in management of the Springboks team after he assumes the new position. He started to devise how to unite the people of South Africa and saw rugby as the vehicle that might work to bridge the divide. He understands that most Afrikaners are afraid of losing their identity when a black leader becomes president of the country and that the Springboks rugby team is traditionally very important to the white population. He then decides to use the Springboks as a means to unite the population and the upcoming Rugby World Cup Championship as the event that will bring them together. Later when Mandela came to know that a sports committee which comprise all black members voted to change the identity of the rugby team by changing the name, logo and colour of the Springboks to reflect a new and blacker South Africa, he personally hurried to attend the meeting and asked the committee members to rethink their decisions and explain the implicati ons that their decisions might bring onto the unity of the South African population. He managed to get a small following of 13 votes on his side; however, the small majority was enough to keep the Springboks intact. He then forges ahead with his plan to unite the black and white population through rugby. Pienaar also does his part to support President Mandelas commitment to unite the people of South Africa and instill pride in his teammates towards aunited country. In his first attempt to get the message across, Pienaar tries to make his team actually sing the South African national anthem by giving them copies of the anthems lyrics. However, his teammates show clear disinterest and merely scrunch up their copies. Later, they are forced by the President to take occasional breaks from rugby and go out into the poorer areas of South Africa and teach rugby to the natives as a way to inculcate interest of the game to the black natives. At first, only Chester who is the teams sole black player is welcomed by the black children but eventually, after many attempts, the whole team is accepted by the rural population. The team then willingly help introduce the sport to a new generation of children and instil national pride, regardless of race. Involvement of the selected leaders within the incident In the first incident, President Mandela takes it upon himself to make sure that the Springboks are able to maintain their name, logo and colours despite disagreement from the black sports committee members. He stood his ground and clearly conveyed the message across that what he did was for the good of the countrys unity. In the second incident, Pienaar tried to change the attitude of the team players towards embracing their national anthem. Even though he was not successful on his first attempt, the fact that he went on to sing the anthem displayed his willingness to lead by example, hoping that the others will follow suit. Making decision within team, group and individual setting A strategic leader has a team of decision makers to help him reach a consensus when making important decisions. This process of decision-making improves the quality of the decisions, especially when developing crucial planning and policies affecting the country. A strategic leader needs a competent team to support his role. Coupled with his knowledge and skills, a strategic leader can lead a team of high performing individuals to create and develop strategic vision and plans utilising available resources and implementing national policies. Due to the complexity of todays world economy and global issues, a strategic leader of a nation requires the assistance of a forward-looking team of executives to forge ahead with his plans to achieve his vision. Charismatic and transformational roles There are very few leaders who are capable of transformational leadership. However, this is not considered unfortunate as a leaders ultimate job is to keep the organization productive and the people engaged. In certain instances, too much transformation can be chaotic and lead nowhere. In this movie, Mandela was one of the few who can be categorized as a successful transformational leader. He was able to encourage people to believe in themselves so that the organisation can achieve greater heights. For instance, in his first meeting with Pienaar, Mandela explains that a leaders job is to get followers to believe that they are capable of doing more than they think possible. This thinking then leads to the rugby teams victory in winning the World Cup Championship. Leaders with these types of behaviours and attitudes tend to draw followers as people are naturally attracted to those who display strength and inspire belief in others. These charismatic qualities enable effective leadership. 6.0 Critically analyze each of the two and more incidents and consider other options the leaders could have considered and made. Participative leadership, delegation and empowerment Participative leadership style, which is known to be the best type of corporate leadership style in organisations today, allows employees to get involved in decision-making process to a certain extent. This democratic style of employee management creates healthy relationship between management and employees as both sides feel that their involvement is sought in the process of achieving the organizations goals and objectives. This leadership technique also promotes the development of future leaders via their participation in determining a common goal for the organization. As involvement of team members are required in decision making, hidden talents can be unearthed and their leadership qualities polished further. In the first incident, President Mandela asserts his decision to let the Springboks keep their identity but at the same time asks the committee members to reconsider their decision. Although he managed to persuade a small minority (13 votes) to agree with him, the number is sufficient and he looks upon it as a small win, not a total defeat. This displays his participative leadership style whereby instead of using his power and influence to change the committees decision, he asked them to rethink their decision and get them to vote again. For the second incident involving Pienaar, as captain of the team he tried to persuade the other members to sing along the national anthem. However, when the team crushed the paper given to them, he did not reprimand them but went on to sing the anthem. He tried to lead by example, hoping that the team would follow suit once they see him doing so. In encouraging the team to work harder towards achieving their goal of winning the World Cup Championship, Pienaar was seen motivating his team members so that they can all work towards one purpose and perform their best in every match. Pienaar also uses participative leadership to inculcate team spirit and camaraderie. Power and influence Power refers to the capacity a person has to influence the decision of another person so that the person acts according to his wishes. The more power a person has, the higher his influence on the whole system is. Meanwhile, influence causes a change in the attitude or behaviour of others and is more of a process which guides the peoples activities towards appropriate directions in meeting management objectives that have been set. As the President of the country, Mandela has both power and influence. However, he skillfully uses his power and influence to generate respect and support from the people. Pienaar also steadily works his way up to gain trust and respect from his fellow teammates. By commanding their trust and respect, he was capable of transforming the perception of the rugby team and instill pride and higher commitment from them. Managerial traits and skills President Mandela and Pienaar both demonstrate high level of management skills and leadership traits which help them gain support from a population which are initially plagued by centuries of racial divide. Mandela inspirational leadership motivates Pienaar to perform better than he ever thought he could. Through Mandelas quiet self-confidence and charisma, Pienaar was overwhelmed and personally look upon him as a great leader. Based on this motivation, Pienaar encouraged his rugby team to work harder and strive for victory. Leading change Mandelas first meeting with Francois Pienaar displays some important leadership lessons. When Piennar was asked by Mandela on his leadership philosophy, he answers that he believes in leading by example. Mandela concurs with him that leading by example is crucial. In response to another question on how Pienaar inspires people, he affirms that people are inspired through the heart and by what they see. Strategic leadership Strategic leadership refers to leaders who successfully influence large groups of people in organisations to act as required based on established organisational structure, allocated resources and communicated objectives and vision. They are generally functional in a highly complex environment which is influenced by external factors beyond their control. Strategic leaders have to digest information quickly and make correct decisions based on whatever is available to them at the point in time. As such, consequences of their decision affect more people in the organisation and tend to commit more resources. Sometimes, the decisions and initiatives can only implicate long-term plans and may take years to prepare and execute. Ethical issues In this movie, President Mandela transforms the perception of the black natives on rugby which has always been a white sport. Traditionally, the black natives despise the Springboks which they perceive as representing apartheid. By changing the values through this game, Mandela fruitfully changed the tradition of the population as all of them showed great unison in supporting the rugby team as they made their way to victory. Another example of good value that is displayed in this movie is when President Mandela took over the office of President. Although the white Afrikaner staff thought that they will be asked to leave their jobs when a black leader becomes president of the country, they are surprised when President Mandela asked them to continue working as usual and keep them as part of his administrative team. Although Mandela was subjected to a lot of grievances during the apartheid era, he shows strength of character when he does not display vindictiveness towards the white population. Yet he is able to forgive them and concentrate on uniting the racial divide. 7.0 CONCLUSION In summary, the movie Invictus is full of great examples of leadership skills and values. President Mandela exhibited excellent leadership and management skills in bringing unity to the country through sports and Pienaar successfully executed his part to garner the nations support to an overwhelming victory. Clearly, participative leadership and empowerment through consensus and general consultation brings better results compared to exertion of power and influence to move a population. The excellent examples depicted throughout the movie indicate the strength of characters of both President Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar. Their strengths shone through when presented by challenges upon challenges as they work their way to realising a united South African population. Charismatic leaders with strong commitment and high confidence can transform the impossible into a possibility and create huge success for the organisation. President Mandela displays his charisma as he successfully attracts followers, who initially disagree with his principles, into participating in activities towards achieving his vision. He effectively nurtures their emotions and encourages their hearts to work towards building the unity and accept differences among them as strengths and think positively for a better South Africa.

Advertisement Comparison Essay -- essays research papers

Advertising is the chief profitable industry in the United States today. Billboards, signs, magazines, newspapers, radios, televisions, and computers are just some of the places where advertisements are found. At the heart of any one company’s advertising campaign is the consumer. The consumer has complete control of their own money and can choose to buy any product or service they desire. Advertising does not control the consumers on what they buy. It only informs them on what they can buy. This is known as consumer sovereignty. It is the responsibility of the company to develop an advertising campaign that generates a demand for their product or service. A company usually promotes a product or service by means of appealing to a particular group in society. For example, an advertisement’s target audience could be men between the ages of 25 and 40 or children between the ages of 5 and 10. There are basic needs that all of us, as humans, share and the advertisement agen cies incorporate them into their ads. The most dominant needs include sex, affiliation, nurture, guidance, aggression, achievement, dominance, prominence, and attention. An advertisement can appeal to one or more of these needs through the use of colors, words, expressions, and statures illustrated in the ad. A comparison of two advertisements for the same product, but different brand names, will allow one to better understand how a company uses different human needs to sell their product. Two coffee ads, one for Cafà © Vienna and one for Millstone, will be compared to determine the dominant strategy that each uses to create a desire to buy. The ad for Cafà © Vienna coffee uses the need for guidance to appeal to middle age coffee drinkers. In contrast, the need for achievement is what attracts middle age coffee drinkers to Millstone brand coffee.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The colors observed in the coffee ads are supportive of the individual needs they appeal to. The Cafà © Vienna ad has a color fade effect to it. It starts with dark black and deep orange and fades to a light yellow almost white in the center. This supports the need for guidance because the use of color gives the person reading it a sense that they are being lead towards the light at the end of a tunnel. On the other hand, the bright reds, blues, whites, and yellows found in the Millstone ad support the need for achievement. The... ...nd coffees. Although these ads were for the same product, the companies involved used very different strategies to lure consumers to their product. The Cafà © Vienna advertisement appealed to our need for guidance, while the Millstone ad appealed to our need for achievement. Each advertisement appealed to a human need through the use of colors, words, expressions, and illustrations. All advertisements are planned out and target a specific group in society. The target audience for the coffee ads were middle age men or women who drink coffee. Advertisements effect every person everywhere and reflect the attitude of our society. That is why we must understand the concepts behind advertising. No one can predict what new forms advertising may take in the future. But the rapidly increasing cost of acquiring new customers makes one thing certain. Advertisers will seek to hold onto current customers by forming closer relationships with them and by tailoring products, services, and adver tising messages to meet their individual needs. So while advertising will continue to encourage people to consume, it will also help provide them with products and services more likely to satisfy their needs.

Genetic Engineering Is Not Safe Essay -- Genetic Engineering Essays

Genetic engineering is the intended modification to an organism’s genetic makeup. There have been no continuing studies on this topic or action so there is no telling whether or not it is harmless. Genetic engineering is not safe because scientists have no absolute knowledge about living systems. Given that, they are unable to do DNA surgery without creating mutations. Any interference on an organism’s genetic makeup can cause permanent damage, hereditary defects, lack of nutritious food, or a spread of dangerous diseases. Even through the downsides of genetic engineering scientists have had a few breakthroughs. It can help us in our farming needs and also drugs for animals, and pesticides. For agriculture, engineering is used for herbicide tolerance which is the most commonly used form of alteration in plants, and it is also able to keep insects away. Drugs are also produced so that animals have healthier meat to eat. For example, chickens can be modified to produce more eggs and grow larger faster. Which is not a good thing but it is not necessarily bad. Also by doing this a person’s moral compass doesn’t exactly point due north. Biotechnology is when you produce something by using life sources. This process has an unlimited amount of possibilities. By forcing these changes on organisms and not letting them be, it can be helpful and or cause many dangerous risks to nature. By not letting the plants create their own pesticides naturally it can be helpful now but dangerous and regretful later on. Also, with the pesticide everywhere in a farm, it will lead to a tolerance to the pesticide on the part of the bugs and they will sooner or later be immune to it. For many people including myself who are against genetic eng... ... stop this process. Hopefully soon scientists will be able to minimize and control the amount of ‘beneficial’ genetic changes they make. Thus preventing any unwanted changes to our future society. Works Cited OMOTO, CHARLOTTE K. and LURQUN, PAUL F. Genes and DNA: A Beginners Guide to Genetics and It’s Applications. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004. LILLISTON, BEN and CUMMINS, RONNIE. Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide for Consumers. Marlowe & Company, 2000. SINGH, RAM J. and JAUHAR, PREM P. Genetic Resources, Chromosome Engineering, and Crop Improvement: Grain legumes. Volume 1 of Genetic Resources, Chromosome Engineering, and Crop Improvement, CRC press, 2004 â€Å"BIO Biotechnology Industry Organization†. June 2011. August 25 2011. http:bio.org/node/517. â€Å"Genetic mutation†. August 25 2011. http://www.environmeltalcommons.org/ctos/.

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 8

Grace called me that night while I was on my way to talk to Isabelle. â€Å"Hello, Georgina. This is Grace.† I waited patiently for Mei's complementary greeting. When it didn't come, I asked in surprise, â€Å"It's just you? Not Mei?† Grace's voice, while as flat as usual, held the tiniest puzzled note in it. â€Å"Why would Mei be here?† It apparently hadn't occurred to her that I had never received a call or a visit from either of them alone. They always functioned as a unit, kind of giving the impression that the fabric of the universe might rip open if they were ever apart. This was as weird as them nearly accepting coffee the other day. â€Å"Never mind. What's up?† â€Å"Jerome wanted me to tell you that he is†¦pleased.† â€Å"Over what?† â€Å"Over you successfully embarrassing Cedric.† â€Å"But I didn't-† I bit my lip, suddenly wondering if I should be so quick to deny my involvement. Jerome hadn't been happy with me recently. While the stupid spectacle at Queen Elizabeth Park had put me on Cedric's shit list, it might very well take me off Jerome's and hasten my permanent return to Seattle. I stayed silent. â€Å"He's glad you took his talk to heart,† Grace continued. â€Å"Although, he does wish to remind you that you being sent to Cedric is supposed to be a gesture of good will. So try not to be too efficient. Jerome encourages you to keep up with these small jabs but to remember that you do ultimately want this group undone.† I sighed. â€Å"Noted.† Grace disconnected. Great. This was all I needed. Jerome thought I was guilty too-of trying to score extra credit with him. Cedric had told me I could find Isabelle at a jazz club a few miles from my hotel. It was over on a street lined with clubs and bars, and the excitement and energy in the air as I walked toward Isabelle's hangout was palpable. It was Saturday night, after all, and the streets teemed with humans eager and excited for life and love. I couldn't see their souls or energy the way an imp like Hugh could, but I didn't need to. It was apparent in the way they moved and talked and eyed each other for potential hook-ups. Even after my recent tryst, being in this electric atmosphere made me itch for another conquest. I'd have to cruise these clubs once I'd concluded business with Isabelle. The jazz club was small and dark, exactly the way you expected such places to be. All the tables were filled, and lots of people stood by the bar or along the wall. I didn't have any trouble finding Isabelle, though. The signature of a greater immortal filled up a place like this. Hers made me think of sunlight shining through crystals, fracturing into sparkles of color. She sat alone at a corner table. Most obviously single women in there were being hit on-in fact, I got a number of appraising looks as I walked through-but no one other than the wait staff seemed to notice Isabelle. It reminded me of how no one ever noticed Jerome's resemblance to John Cusack. Isabelle wore a long blue dress with spaghetti straps, surprisingly risqu? ¦ for an angel. Her hair was sunny blond and worn loose to her lower back-not unlike a golden cloak, I thought wryly. She sensed me, of course, and didn't seem surprised at all when I sat down across from her. With a smile, she glanced up and crooked a finger toward the nearest waiter. He hurried over and took my gimlet order. Once he was gone, Isabelle turned her attention on me. â€Å"So. Jerome's succubus.† Cedric had called me the same thing when we first met. I kind of resented my identity being based on my association with-or rather, possession by-someone else. â€Å"Yeah,† I said. She watched me pleasantly, neither cold nor friendly. With angels, you never knew which extreme you might get. Mostly, she looked curious, so I figured I could get right down to business. â€Å"So I-â€Å" â€Å"Shh.† â€Å"Wh-â€Å" She held up her hand, dark eyes focusing on something beyond me. The band was in the middle of a song, and the trumpet player had just put the instrument to his lips. A long, high note came out, kicking off what turned into a mournful solo. When he finished a minute or so later, I turned back to Isabelle and saw the waiter had brought my gimlet. The angel's face was alight with wonder-and wistfulness. â€Å"Did you hear that?† she asked me. â€Å"Those notes weren't complicated, yet he managed to put so much into them. His heart, his emotions, his soul. A world of sorrow, exquisite agony†¦all in those few notes.† She took a sip of her wine. â€Å"You can't do that. Not even I can do that-not the way he did.† Her words surprised me, but I knew exactly what she meant. Part of the reason I was always a little in awe of Seth's books was because he, as a mortal, had a talent that an immortal like me never could possess. â€Å"Only humans have the gift of creation,† I murmured. Her eyebrows rose slightly, and she smiled. â€Å"Yes, exactly. So tell me, what can I do for you, Jerome's succubus?† I felt a little weird interrogating her now. There was something a little sad and vulnerable about her that made her appealing. Nonetheless, I pushed forward. Angels and demons came from the same stock. Both were good at making you believe what they wanted. â€Å"You†¦you know about those so-called Satanists, right? The Army of Darkness?† Isabelle's smile twitched. â€Å"Great movie, silly cult. Did you have anything to do with their display today? I really liked the goat mask.† I shook my head. â€Å"Actually, I was wondering if you had anything to do with it.† â€Å"Me?† She laughed. â€Å"I only wish I could think up things that good-but there we are again: humans and creation. Why do you ask?† â€Å"Because they say they're being directed by an angel.† I gave her an abridged version of what the group had told me. â€Å"And you assume they literally meant an angel?† â€Å"I'm trying not to assume anything. But I think someone or something is directing them, and your side has as good a reason as any to stir up trouble for Cedric and make the authorities on all sides come down on him.† â€Å"And your side has just as good a reason. Demons try to oust each other all the time.† I tapped my nails along my glass's edge and eyed her warily. â€Å"And you haven't actually answered my question,† I pointed out. â€Å"You haven't directly denied being involved.† Angels couldn't technically lie, but oh, they were masters at not always telling the truth. Isabelle finished off her wine and smiled at me again. â€Å"Oh, you are delightful. This is just like being on a TV cop show. No wonder Carter likes you so much.† I sighed in exasperation, realizing I was going to get nowhere. Fucking angels. Her grin dimmed a little, but she was still clearly amused. â€Å"Look, Georgina,† she said. She knew my name; no real surprise. â€Å"I like you. You're clever and endearing, but here's how it is: I don't want to see Cedric leave Vancouver. I like him. And anyway, that saying about keeping your enemies close is true. I know him, I understand him. And when you're playing a game like ours, the better you know the pieces on the board, the better you'll do. I don't want to have to live with an archdemon I don't know, one who's a lot more unpleasant than he is.† A new glass of wine had been delivered, and she paused to take a sip. â€Å"And that's the truth.† I didn't know what to say. I wanted to believe her but had no idea if I could. I simply sighed again. â€Å"What are you thinking?† she asked. â€Å"I wish I could believe you when you say you aren't involved. Even with the whole not-lying thing, I don't know that I can. I don't think that I can trust anyone.† â€Å"That,† she said firmly, â€Å"is absolutely something I agree with: you can't trust anyone. On any side. Everyone's got their own agenda, and there's something in the air right now-it's like a building storm, to use a clich? ¦. Be careful.† Her face looked momentarily troubled, and then she relaxed again as her attention returned to the stage. â€Å"Ah, the soloist is back.† I slid my empty glass to the center of the table. I started to take out some cash too, but she waved it away. â€Å"Thanks for talking,† I told her, rising from my chair. Suddenly, I hesitated. â€Å"You mentioned Carter. I don't suppose†¦I don't suppose you know where he's been lately?† I'd never thought I would utter those words. Carter had tormented me for years with his unsolicited, cryptic advice. He'd particularly loved to comment about Seth and me, as though he had some special interest in our relationship. Since it had ended, I'd hardly seen Carter at all. He used to come hang out with my friends and me but had only surfaced a couple of times in the last few months. Isabelle smiled. â€Å"He's closer than you think.† â€Å"Typical angel answer,† I groaned. I turned around to leave and then yelped. Carter stood by the club's entrance. Abandoning Isabelle, I hurried across the crowded room. Oblivious to the dress code, Carter wore his typical grungy clothing, ratty jeans and a plain gray T-shirt. A flannel shirt was tied around his waist, and his blond hair could have handled a good washing and brushing. He smiled expectantly at my approach and stepped outside to the crowded street. I followed. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked, taking out my cigarettes. I grabbed one for myself and then offered him the pack. He took one too. â€Å"What are you doing here?† he returned pleasantly. â€Å"You know what I'm doing here. Everyone knows what I'm doing here.† I fumbled in my purse for my new lighter and found a matchbook instead. I pulled it out. Mark's Mad Martini Bar. I'd forgotten them. â€Å"What's wrong?† asked Carter, noting my frown. I shook my head. â€Å"Nothing.† I traded the matches for my lighter, and we lit up. â€Å"You were lurking with your signature hidden,† I continued. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Element of surprise,† he said. â€Å"It was worth it to see your face.† We walked past the club lines and drunken groups, no clear destination in mind-at least none that I knew of. â€Å"You haven't been around in a while,† I accused. â€Å"Why, Daughter of Lilith, have you missed me?† â€Å"No! But I was starting to feel like you were only interested in me while I was dating Seth.† â€Å"Of course not.† There was a long, overly nonchalant pause. â€Å"So†¦have you talked to him lately?† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"You are only interested in Seth! You're going to have to let it go, Carter. Seth and I are finished. Why can't you obsess on me and my new boyfriend instead?† â€Å"Because you can do better.† â€Å"Everyone keeps saying that. But I'm a succubus. How much better can I do?† â€Å"The fact that people keep telling you that should be answer enough.† â€Å"Seth broke up with me ,† I said through gritted teeth. â€Å"He doesn't want me anymore, end of story.† â€Å"Oh, come now. Do you really believe that?† â€Å"Seeing as I was there at the break-up? Yes.† Carter tsked. â€Å"Georgina, Georgina. You're letting your anger and other emotions cloud your reason, which is unfortunate since you're a lot smarter than people give you credit for. Go back and think. Why did Seth break up with you?† I stared off at the far side of the street, refusing to look at him. â€Å"Because he thought if we stayed together, we'd both get hurt. That it would be better if we split, no matter how painful at the time.† â€Å"And you think that makes him a bad person?† â€Å"Yes.† I turned back toward Carter. â€Å"Because I didn't agree. I was willing to take the risk. He gave up.† â€Å"Sometimes it takes more courage to know when to retreat than to keep fighting.† â€Å"I don't think it could have taken that much courage. He ended up with Maddie pretty quickly.† No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep the bitterness from my voice. â€Å"That takes courage too, forcing yourself to start over with someone new, to keep moving on with your life.† â€Å"Seems more like a rebound to me.† Carter took a long drag on his cigarette. â€Å"Seth didn't leave and go to Maddie because he stopped loving you. If there were no complications in the world, you would be the one he chose. You are his ideal, his first choice.† â€Å"That's not flattering to Maddie.† â€Å"It doesn't make her less. It just means he loves her differently. And when you decide you have to move on, that's how it is. Just because things don't work out, it doesn't mean there aren't other people you can't love. Love is too big a thing for you to go without it in life.† â€Å"Oh yes,† I said. â€Å"I have so missed these cryptic conversations.† Carter crooked me a grin. â€Å"I'm glad to see you're back to your old self.† â€Å"I've missed the sarcasm too.† â€Å"No, I'm serious. You weren't a lot of fun these last few months. You were kind of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦bitchy?† He shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. You were angry and depressed and frustrated. You stopped caring about the people around you. You weren't†¦well, you.† â€Å"You don't know me or what I am.† â€Å"I know you better than you think. I know you're still hurting and think the universe has given up on you. It hasn't. I also know that as far as all this demon business is concerned, your curiosity is going to tangle you up further in something you shouldn't be involved with in the first place. Jerome,† he declared, â€Å"is a fool.† â€Å"Do you know what's going on?† I asked eagerly, coming to a stop. â€Å"Who's leading that cult? Who's supposedly running this huge game that's going on that I can't see?† â€Å"No,† said Carter, expression dark. â€Å"I don't know any of that. But if I were you, I'd get back to Seattle soon. Stay close to Jerome.† â€Å"He hates me right now.† â€Å"No, he doesn't. Stay close to him. He'll protect you. If he can't†¦well, I will. If I can.† There was nothing romantic in his offer of protection. It wasn't spoken with chivalrous fierceness. His manner was uneasy, like he was dealing with a last resort. I also couldn't help but replay his last words: if I can . Angels-or demons-didn't use the word â€Å"if† very often. â€Å"What do you mean if-â€Å" â€Å"Go back home, Daughter of Lilith.† He tipped his head back to stare at the night sky, blew smoke into the air, and then looked down at me with his silvery gray eyes. â€Å"We'll talk soon.† He dropped the cigarette to the sidewalk and vanished. I glanced around, worried someone had seen us, but we'd walked far from the partiers. I stamped out the cigarette, turned, and headed back in the direction of all the nightlife to go find some guys I'd noticed checking me out. A night with drunken men might still leave me feeling hollow, but at least their motives were easier to understand than angels'.