The Mojito is a very well-known Cuban drink

The Mojito is a very well-known Cuban drink, but this was not always the case. There was quite a few years that passed before this drink became what it is today. The ingredients for this great tasting drink are one of a kind and though tweaked a bit over the years, are still the same ones used today. One man that really contributed to the establishment of this amazing drink was Sir Francis Drake. Another famous name that gave this drink some popularity was the writer Ernest Hemingway. This popular drink was discovered decades ago and is still thriving today. The traditional Mojito consists of 5 ingredients: sparkling water, white rum, mint, lime juice, and sugar. The recipe originally from the island of Cuba, most often consists of spearmint or Yerba Buena, a popular mint on the island. The mint and citrus is used in order to reduce the strong kick of the white rum. Due to its sweet taste, the Mojito has become a popular summer drink. When making a Mojito, the mint leaves and sugar are added first followed by the lime juice. After, the leaves must gently be mashed up, but only enough for the oils to be released. The rum is then added and the mixture is stirred in order to lift the leaves and the sugar to dissolve. Last but not least, the drink is then topped with soda water and whole ice cubes to give a better presentation. Some hotels in Havana, Cuba, add Angostura which helps to cut the sweetness the mojito presents. Angostura is a liquid made up of water and 44. 7 % alcohol. A hotel guest in Cuba may have their mojito served with fresh lime instead of lemon. This also can depend on the bartender preparing the drink. There are other ways the mojito can be made in order to give the drink a different taste. Some people say that this drink was invented by the African slaves that worked in the sugar cane fields in Cuba seeing as the name â€Å"Mojito† comes from the African word â€Å"mojo† which means to place a little spell (http://havanajournal. com/culture/entry/cuban-mojito-history-and-recipe/). There are quite a few of these rum-based drinks, but the original is the most popular. Though Cuba is said to be the Mojito’s birthplace, many would debate otherwise. The Mojito has been traced to a 19th century drink known as â€Å"El Draque†, named after Sir Francis Drake (http://iml. ou. ufl. edu/projects/fall12/araujo_J/history. html). The Draque was originally made with sugar, lime, mint, and aguardiente. Aguardiente is a clear alcoholic drink that looks like vodka, but consists of a higher alcohol percentage. It is made in Colombia, and means â€Å"sizzling or fire water†. In older times this drink was used in a medicinal way. They would place the liqu or in a bottle with a dead snake and let it set for a period of time. After some time it was used as a rubbing alcohol for muscle pains. The 1800’s was the turning point for the mojito. Thanks to the establishment of Bacardi in the 1800’s, the popularity of the Mojito sky rocketed. In 1940 Federick Villoch changed this sweet tropical drink’s name from â€Å"El Draque† to the mojito (http://www1. bacardi. com/#/us/en-us/originalmojito/history). While it was not originally called a Mojito, the ingredients used back then are still the same ones used today. One famous man who very much enjoyed this drink was the writer Ernest Hemingway. His love for this drink caused him to write â€Å"My Mojito in La Bodeguita† which translates â€Å"My Daiquiri in the Bodega†. The title of the book came from the bar La Bodeguita del Medio which Hemingway helped make famous. In the bar today you can still see his writings on the walls. The bar was opened in 1942 by Angel Martinez. It was established next to a printing shop which gave the little bar more customers who stopped by for a drink after business. The bar became the new drinking spot and in no time the place was always packed. In 1950, Martinez changed the name from â€Å"La Casa Martinez† to â€Å"La Bodequita del Medio† and has stayed that way ever since (http://bodeguita. om. ua/? page_id=6218&lang=en). The invention of the mojito was not planned, but it did produce a revolutionary product that is still to this day enjoyed worldwide. The ingredients are easy to find and the drink, though meticulous in detail, is well worth the time spent. Many people have contributed to its success, and due to this success the mojito will continue to thrive. This gives just a little hint that this w ell-made drink will continue to have success for many years to come. Works Cited http://bodeguita.com.ua/?page_id=6218&lang=en. (n.d.). http://havanajournal.com/culture/entry/cuban-mojito-history-and-recipe/. (n.d.). http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall12/araujo_J/history.html. (n.d.). http://www1.bacardi.com/#/us/en-us/originalmojito/history. (n.d.).

Challenges of Boko Haram Insurgence on Nigeria’s Educational Sector Essay

The activities of the Islamic radical sect, Boko Haram has adversely affected Nigeria’s educational sector. This fact is not hidden as the name of the sect alone signifies a total outcry against education (western education) and schooling. Boko means â€Å"book or western learning in Hausa language and Haram means forbidden or sinful in Arabic language, thus the group’s name alone is a campaign against western education and schooling. Nigeria’s education sector at all level is suffering as a result of the current prevailing security situation in the north, a region where school enrolment has been the lowest in Nigeria. The sect’s activities have affected Nigeria’s educational sector in the following ways; †¢The sect’s activity has led to destruction of school buildings and other academic facilities †¢It has led to death of academic experts †¢It has led to exodus of academic experts and shortage of qualified teaching manpower in northern Nigeria †¢It has led to distraction and diversion of government’s attention from the educational sector †¢It has led to complete disruption of academic calendar in the region. So far this year, 15 schools have been burnt down in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s Borno State, forcing over 700 children out of formal education and pushing down enrolment rates in an already ill – educated region. The Islamic Boko Haram group is widely blamed for the attacks but the reality seems to be more complex. Both public and private schools in Maiduguri have been doused with gasoline at night and set on fire. Crude homemade bombs and soda bottles filled with gasoline have been hurled at the bare bones concrete classrooms Nigeria offers its children. The simple yellow facades have been blackened and the plain desks method to twisted pipes, leaving thousands of children without a place to learn, stranded at home and underfoot, while anxious parents plead with Nigerians authorities to come up with a contingency plan for their education. In a video posted on You Tube in February 2012, Boko Haram called on its follows to destroy schools providing western education in retaliation for the alleged targeting of Korani schools by the military. The spokes man of the sect, Abul Quqa, said the attacks were in response to what he called a targeting of the city’s (ie Maiduguri) abundant open – air Islamic schools by authorities. Since February when this call was made, many schools including private schools have been destroyed. However officials of the state have denied any of such attacks or campaign as young boys can be seen receiving lesson untroubled allover Maiduguri (the New York Times, 2012). This new dimensional shift of the sects attack has numerous adverse effects on educational development of the region and the country at large. According to Nigeria Education Data Survey 2010, school enrolment in Borno state is already low by 28 per cent than any other state in Nigeria. No doubt, the recent attack have made parents and guardians’ to withdraw their children from schools and has made it difficult for teachers and aid groups to persuade parents to let their children stay on at schools. Eric Gultscluss (a researcher in Nigeria for the Watching Human Right Organization) noted that it is not just the students at the targeted schools that end up being affected as targeting of schools can make children in neighboring schools to stay home or drop out completely for fear of further attacks. The targeting of children indirectly and destruction of schools in Maiduguri has bewildered and demoralized students, parents and teachers in a way that the daily attacks have not. Furthermore, the attacks have led to death of academic experts teaching in all levels of Nigeria’s educational system ranging from primary to secondary and beyond. On sun,29 April, 2012, members of the sect attacked Christian workshops in Bayero University Campus, Kano resulting to death of 20 students and 2 professor of the university. According to an eye witness, the attackers arrived in a car and two motorcycles and throw small homemade bombs to draw out worshippers before shooting at them as they attempt to flee. The attack led to the death of Professor Jerome Ayodele, a professor of chemistry and Professor Andrew Leo Ogbonyomi, a professor of library science with about 20 others dead and scores of others injured. (Ikhilae, 2012). Undoubtedly, this is a setback for educational development in the country. Also the persistence of insecurity in the north which has led to lose of about 700 lives so far this year (2012), has led to exodus of academic experts and shortage of qualified teaching man power in the region. It has also led to refusal of NYSC members who constitute about 50 per cent of teaching man power in the region to serve in the region. Maijawa Dawayo, Chairman, Yobe State Teaching Service Board, in an interview with Nations News Paper on 9 Feb. , 2012 has this to say, â€Å"the recent circular by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) that corps members who constitute 50 per cent of the board’s man power should no longer be posted to senior secondary schools in the state would have an adverse effect on the educational sector of the State. Most of the corps members are not interested in coming here again because of insecurity in the north. We are in a difficult situation and something needs to be done urgently to solve the problem. The corps members constitute 50 per cent of the manpower in our schools and the head of the scheme had issued a circular that corps members would no longer be posted to senior secondary schools (The Nation, 9 Feb, 2012). Dawoye’s fear and lamentation was later made public and a reality in July 2012 when NYSC members posted to Borno, Yobe, Kano, Kaduna, Niger, Plateau and Bauchi state refused to serve in the states and protested against their deployment to the violent prone states. Corps members and their parents took to the street to protest their deployment to the Northern States when the 2012 NYSC Bach B list came out arguing that it is senseless to post young graduate to these states. Most of the parents vowed not to allow their children to go and be killed by Boko Haram (National Mirror, 2 July, 2012). Awosuru Lola, a graduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso in Oyo state, who was posted to plateau state said his father hard ordered him not to report at the camp â€Å"for whatever reason. † Also Badiru Tajiudeen, a graduate of quantity surveying of Obafemi Awolowo University (O. A. U), Ile – Ife, posted to Zamfara state vowed that nothing could keep him beyond the mandatory three weeks of orientation programme in the camp. He also said that his parents are even reluctant in releasing him to participate in the three weeks orientation and warned him to abort the programme if he is not transferred back to the west (National Mirror, 2 July, 2012). This development will make a devastating mark on the educational sector of the affected northern states. It will be recalled that ten young corps members lost their lives during the post – presidential election protest/violence in some northern states in April 2011, while others lost their lives in other violent clashes in the region. The case of other Southerners who are teachers in the region is not different from that of NYSC members as most of them have found the exit door from the region. Dawayo confirmed this when he said that 80 per cent of Yobe State contract teachers who are from other states have left Yobe because of the same problem of insecurity (The Nation Feb 9, 2012) In addition, insecurity in the region caused by Boko Haram has also led to complete disruption of academic calendar in the region. Most of the attacks never go without imposition of curfew by the government. The attacks have in some cases led to imposition of 24 hours curfew and when such curfew is imposed, both students and teachers are affected and this on the long run adversely affects the academic calendar which stipulates when school starts and when it ends as well as what should be done in the school and when thus drawing students in the region behind their counterparts in other peaceful states. It is important that I state it clearly at this juncture that the North is a region where education enrolment and development is the least in the country and the current security situation is bound to compound the educational woes of the North and further widen the gap between it and the South. While private higher institution are rapidly springing up in the South to complement the over – stretched public institutions, only a handful has been established in the North and the few ones have come under Boko Haram attacks. According to National University commission (NUC), 50 private universities have been licensed to operate in the country. Out of this 50, fewer than 15 are established in the north. What this implies is a bleak future for educational development of the region and a bleak future for young children in the region and this by implication is dangerous to Nigeria’s peace, unity and development. No matter how one looks at it, the attacks by the sect on schools have left many destructive marks on the future of affected children in the region and the country at large. The affected children are at home which means a bleak future for them and the country at large because the future of a country depends on the kind and quality of education it offers its children. Finally, the insurrection of Boko Haram has led to distraction and diversion of both Federal and affected State government’s attention from the educational sector. This is evident in the 2012 annual budgetary allocation of the Federal Government in which the mind – bugling chunk of 921. 91 billion was allocated to security alone, while education on which the future of the country depends got the little chunk of 400. 48 billion naira which is not up to half of what is given to security. There is no argument on the fact that both security and education are critical for the survival of a nation, but had it been there is peace in the country, the chunk given to security would have been considerately lower than what it has now. What the lean resources allocated to the educational sector means is a gloomy and difficult future for the sector. This is because there will be no resources to introduce new educational developmental program and the ones already introduced will certainly suffer of poor funding.

How does John Boyne use the character of Shmuel to show the suffering of Jewish people under the Nazis? Essay

There are many quotes in the book ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ that show how the Jews were treated under Nazi control, through Bruno’s friend from the other side of the fence. However, the author does this in a clever and unique way; through his clothes. An example of this is found on page one hundred and six in chapter ten, where Shmuel â€Å"wore the same striped pyjamas that all the other people on that side of the fence wore, and a striped clothed cap on his head. † This tells the reader that he is not seen as an individual at the concentration camp, but as part of a group with no personal identity as he is identical to everyone else. John Boyne then goes on to say â€Å"He wasn’t wearing any shoes or socks and his feet were rather dirty. On his arm he wore an armband with a star on it. †, hinting that Shmuel is spending this period of his life in poor conditions due to the fact that he is a Jew. The reader isn’t only informed of his religion from the concentration camp, but also because he is wearing the Star of David, which identifies himfromotherfaiths. In chapter nineteen on page two hundred and five, Bruno planned to join his friend on the other side of the fence before going home to Berlin. However, before he had a chance to crawl under the fence, Shmuel â€Å"pointed at Bruno’s feet and the heavy boots he had taken from the house. â€Å"You’ll have to leave them behind too,† he said. † Although at first this simply reveals that Shmuel isn’t allowed to wear any footwear, it also shows that the Jews have no choice in what to wear, which leads the reader to believe they have no choice in anything they do at all and they are under control. This also creates an aspect of sympathy as the reader wishes to help the innocent mistreated victims when all that separates them and Bruno, who has a wonderful life, is a fence. The final most important thing that we learn about the Jews in the novel from the moment we meet Schmuel is how much their lives have changed due to their faith and how it affects them. This is shown on page one hundred and twenty seven where Bruno is told by his friend that every time him, his family and his Mother â€Å"left the house, she told us we had to wear one of these armbands. † The reader can see how big of a deal being Jewish was at the time, even before he arrived at the camp, and how the people of the religion couldn’t live a normal life like everyone else. It shows how he was forced to show who he was and wasn’t able to be seen in public without labelling himself for everyone to see, as if being different was something to be ashamed of. It also tells the story of why he has been taken to the concentration camp as we know what the armband was for, whereas Shmuel does not. When Bruno first saw Shmuel he was looking down into the dirt in total solitude and Bruno even states that he ‘had never seen a skinnier or sadder boy in his life. ’ You can also tell that he is a very ill, the quote ‘ his skin was almost the colour of grey’ tells us that the Jews receive little food from the camp explaining his needs for food later on in the book and that he may have been kept in dark,crowded areas. Grey is also known to be associated with near-death or depression adding to his negative appearance. We also learn that he is a very scared indiviual as thoughout the book he shows fear towards the soilders especially Lieutenant Kolter from quotes such as ‘there aren’t any good soliders’ and ‘if they catch me I’ll be in trouble’ showing that the Jews must be treated terribly by the soldiers even resulting in some of the bruises recived by Schmuel mentioned in the book. The one quote that I liked was the hope that Shmuel had of getting out one day. This was on page 179,chapter 16 after Bruno had said about playing or exploring, and he’s never had a friend that he hasn’t played with before. Shmuel then said â€Å"maybe someday we will, if they ever let us out† which I thought brought a sense of pity on Shmuel from a reader’s point of view, as he and the rest of the Jews, are still hoping that one day they will let him out or they’ll be able to get out. At the time this must have been really difficult to keep thinking, because of the way they treated all the people on that side of the fence. But that was maybe one of the things that helped them pass the time, thinking about being let out, and living with their family again and seeing some old friends.

Birchfield Bread and Breakfast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Birchfield Bread and Breakfast - Essay Example This essay stresses that there are some small lodging facilities in this region which have the blessings to be established in the beautiful places of Honolulu. Birchfield can acquire these to expand its business at a large scale. This has been recommended considering the projected increase in the tourist arrivals in the next years. Moreover, in such a way Birchfield would be able to remove some of its competition. At the same time, by acquiring these small lodging establishments it can compete against the large establishments in this region. This paper makes a conclusion that Birchfield Bed and Breakfast has been in operation for the last two years. However, recently it has been experiencing a slowdown in its guest arrivals. As a consequence, in the last year the company experienced a considerable amount of loss in its operation. It is high time for the company to pull off all its resources to enhance its services by offering its customers a comfortable luxury experience with all required amenities. Moreover, the establishment is required to be more focused on its marketing and promotional activities as the competition in this industry is real high. It is very much important to make people aware of the quality services, delicious food and beverages offered by Birchfield. The establishment must drive its resources to carry out a well developed marketing plan to retain its customer base and at the same time to ensure new arrivals.

Enron Scandal Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Enron Scandal Case study - Essay Example Basically those businesses prosper that have implemented systems to enhance the faith of the shareholders via transparency, responsibility and fairness (Raghavan, 2010). Carrying out of ethical business conduct would mean accepting and practicing sound corporate governance. The role of auditors is also vital in bringing good corporate governance (Fan & Wong, 2001). The main objective of the study is to identify the facts that led Enron to financial scandal and brought up to the surface a culture of corruption as well as greed. The role of the auditors and the corporate governance in such context will also be studied in adequate detail. The study will try to focus upon the main actor involved in the Enron case, the role of the organisation, the legal context and the prevention strategies that could have been followed in order to stop such fraudulent activities from taking place. Enron Case Enron is one of the best examples of unethical business practices conducted in an organisational context. It had been the seventh biggest business house in the United States. It dealt with ‘natural gas pipeline’ and was based in Houston. It filed for bankruptcy in the year 2001. The company was charged with security related frauds. It was noted that the employees and retirement accounts lost hundreds of millions of Dollars, when the stock price of Enron dropped from its height of US$105 to few cents and subsequently the company was de-listed by NASDAQ (Healy & Papelu, 2003). The company made use of complex and dubious accounting schemes in order to minimise its tax payments, to increase its income and profits, to increase its stock price and credit rating, to conceal losses in ‘off-balance-sheet subsidiaries’ and to falsely manipulate Enron’s financial condition in public reports (Munzig, 2003). In addition to hurting the confidence of the investors and generating questions regarding the continuity of a deregulated energy market, the crumple of Enron has hurried a complete re-examination of both the accounting industry as well as many other components of the corporate governance in America (Dembinski & et. al., 2006). It was noted that the company violated accounting standards that necessitated at least three percent of the company’s assets to be possessed by independent equity investors. By violating this requirement, the company was capable to evade the merging of these ‘special purpose entities’. Due to these, the balance sheets of Enron devalued its liabilities and exaggerated its equity and earnings. The company focused on minimum disclosure in relation to special purpose entities (Munzig, 2003). Role of Auditors in Enron’s Case The most significant question surrounding the Enron’s case is that how the Enron’s problem could remain hidden for such a long time. Most of the accusations for failing to realise Enron’s problem has been consigned to the auditor of the company, Arthur Andersen and to the ‘sell-side’ forecasters whose main duty was to work for brokerage, research firms and investment banking (Munzig, 2003). Role of External Auditors The external auditor of Enron, Arthur Andersen was blamed for practicing lax standards in their audits due to conflict of interest over consulting fees that was created by

Workplace violence and bullying Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Workplace violence and bullying - Research Paper Example In simplified terms, workplace violence is in physical forms and workplace bullying is in psychological forms. Workplace bullying is also part of workplace violence. Because of possible overlapping of discussion and there is yet no internationally recognized definition for workplace violence, this paper intends to treat the two terms interchangeably. However, difference between the two is to be recognized as strategies to prevent them may have to be in varying degrees (Barron, 2013). Workplace violence and bullying has been recognized since 1990s as an organizational misbehavior or rather misbehavior in organizations. Organization misbehavior is a deliberate act on the part of the members in an organization that challenge and breach of organizational norms and expectations and/or core values of society, mores and standards of conduct which are fertile grounds for workplace bullying. It can be a workplace aggression or misbehavior or a parallel occurrence that is not subordinate or identical. Incivility which is a low-level violation of organizational conduct can turn into bullying overtime (Fritz, 2013). Bullying is characterized by frequency of the behavior, imbalance of power between the bully and victim, and hostile working conditions. Bullying has been defined as an aggressive behavior aimed at causing physical or psychological attack on others (Lipinski, Albright, & Fenclau, 2013). The book The Harassed Worker is the earliest study of workplace bullying by the psychiatrist Carol Brodsky in the 1970s by interviewing over 1,000 workers from California and Nevada who were making workers’ compensation claims but no interest was shown towards the book. It was only in 1980s that workplace bullying began to be studied by nursing professor Helen Cox who examined the abuse suffered by her nursing students at the hands of staff nurses in her institution leading to quitting the nursing

Macro Written Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Macro Written Assignment - Essay Example The latter on the other hand, augments the overall money supply in the economy more precipitously. Expansionary policies are conventionally utilized in the attempt of combating unemployment in an economic downturn. This is achieved by depressing the rates of interest with the intention of allowing easy credit to entice business expansion. Contractionary policies are expected to decelerate inflation so as to prevent the consequential distortions combined with the relapse of the values of assets (Weale, 2013). The United Kingdom public might expect a change in monetary policies because of the falling unemployment and economic recovery that the country is experiencing. The change anticipated to happen is the overhauling or revamping of the interest rate policy of the Bank of England. The interest rates are to be determined by unemployment, among other indicators. The introduction of the forward guidance policy kept the bank from increasing interest rates to beyond 0.5 per cent. The bank governor, Mark Carney, however, asserted that the policy needed revising because of the outstanding strong growth in employment. This adjustment involves rising rates of interest. This is to be done following the observation of such indicators as spare capacity within the economy, wages as well as productivity. The bank is to provide predictions on these range of indicators based on expectations of the market of 1.5 per cent increase by the year 2017. The Bank of England outlined its stratagems for alterations in rates of interest in the future. This could probably mean more suffering for the saving population but there would continue to be inexpensive mortgage rates. The Bank would only consider increasing the current low interest rate levels if either inflation or unemployment or both was no longer manageable. The stratagem or change in monetary policy known as the forward guidance would affect the main indicators in

Asian Americans fighting for their rights Essay

Asian Americans fighting for their rights - Essay Example This essay discusses that the crucial moment in the forming of the model minority myth is the actual productivity of Asian Americans. And it is not the matter of race, but more of the upbringing: there is no belief among Asian American kids that the math is an inborn talent – everything can be learned. They strive harder than Whites do, become better, meet higher social expectations and have to strive harder – it becomes a vicious circle (The Model Minority Is Losing Patience). The issue is not in Asian excellence, but in the racial inequality that artificially creates seemingly equal conditions under the point that the measurement sample is White. This stereotype may sufficiently harm the Asian American students themselves.The model minority is a myth artificially inspired by the post-war times. This myth encompasses the variety of reasons: actual efficiency prescribed by both upbringing and cultural influence, the seemingly long-gone prejudice of the alien nature of A sians, the cultural-social urge to seek the living embodiment of the American dream, the racial bias of the society that allows the permission of not accepting students under their race, disproportional statistics conduction. The historical lesson accepted by American Asians taught them the things that White children have long forgotten –fighting. The actual situation regarding the social state of Asian Americans remains the same: they are the alien nation that strives to preserve the rights that are inherent to each American – but not to each Asian American.

Research paper on unemployment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research paper on unemployment - Essay Example According to BLS, those who are qualified for employment are those civilians aged 16 years and above. The employed are those aged 16+ and were working for pay during the survey period or those who did at least 15 hours unpaid work in family owned enterprises. The unemployed on the other hand, refer to those who did not have a job but had been actively looking for work four weeks prior to survey and are currently available to work. The labor force comprises all those employed and unemployed and these amounted to 155 million people out of U.S population of approximately 315 million people in 2013 (BLS, nap). Those not looking for a job such as the retired or schooling are not part of the labor force since they are neither employed nor unemployed. For those who are involuntarily unemployed, they receive government benefits in the form of unemployment insurance (UI) to compensate for lost income (Bakke 734). However, the voluntarily unemployed comprising of those dismissed for gross misc onduct, those who leave work without a good cause, and those who refuse to work do not qualify for UI. The UI eligibility rules also exclude independent contractors, self-employed and agricultural laborers. The basic duration of regular state benefits in U.S is 26 weeks (737). The problem with these definitions is that they ignore those who have given up looking for work but are willing to work and also those in part-time employment and would like to engage in full-time employment as they are counted as employed. Furthermore, the BLS telephone surveys which are carried out every month do not consider those who do not have telephones especially the poor hence they may not be representative of the population. However, over time the results reflect what is happening in the economy and now the big question is; what causes unemployment? One of the major factors that cause unemployment is the

Pearl River Piano Company Essay Example for Free

Pearl River Piano Company Essay Pearl River Piano Group (PRPG) was established in 1956 by bringing together six small piano shops in Guangzhou. The group of 100 employees produced only 13 pianos that year. After many attempts, Guangzhou technicians were finally satisfied with the tone color and quality of its first manufactured piano, and in a short time it was sold in Hong Kong. It would be twenty years before the factory was able to prove its potential. As a State -owned enterprise PRPG is accountable to the Guangzhou municipal government. Investments from both Yamaha and Steinway Sons have played a key role in the expansion of their production. In addition, PRPG has bought the German piano brand Ritmuller and will be expanding in the European market. Guangzhou, located at the north of the Pearl River delta, is an important trading center as well as a busy port and the capital city of the province of Guandong . The city has an area of over 16,000 square kilometers and a population of 6.7 million. Guangzhou is also one of the most important centers of foreign commerce in South China. There are a lot of interesting legends concerning its past. One of the beautiful stories which gives the city its name Goat Town says that five gods riding on five goats brought the first grain to the city. In 1959 PRPG consisted of a shed on the side of the street to repair pianos. Later a shelter was built to process the wood. At that time the pianos were carried in a cart with men walking barefoot to the port. During the tumultuous of Mao Zedongs Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, few Chinese dared to buy a piano, which symbolized the Wests decadent and bourgeois society. Learning the piano was frowned upon at that time. The factory didnt stop making pianos. However, they were lucky if they sold more than one hundred pianos a year. In the meantime Chinas one-child policy has created a culture where parents invest heavily in their childrens education. Parents like to spend money to improve their childrens education and culture and this has paid off for PRPG. Nearly 80%of their pianos are sold in China. Pianos have caught on in China. PRPGs domestic shipments climbed even throughout Asias financial crisis. During the1960s companies such as Yamaha took advantage of low labor costs to enter the global and domestic market. They were quietly followed my South Korea. For years the musical instrument business was dominated by U.S. and European companies. But this has been changing now for decades. In 1992 Tong Zhi Cheng took control of the company. He had worked for only one company during his adult life, the state-owned PRPG. When Tong took over pianos were fairly common in households in Europe and the U.S. for nearly two centuries, but in China they have been a luxury. In 1995 PRPG and Yamaha Pianos of Japan forged a $10 million joint venture. They set up a company called Yamaha-Pearl River. This company was set up to make certain Eterna models that are exported to Europe and the USA. Unlike Chinas typically backward state-owned companies, PRPG is savvy about brands and looks for new products to sell. Tong bought a mature German brand Ritmà ¼ller in 1999. In addition he has struck a deal with Steinway Sons to produce their Essex line of pianos. Today, PRPG consists of a factory spanning 2 million square feetthe worlds biggest piano plantcranks out 250 pianos every day. White-smocked workers steer computer-driven kilns that bake oak planks en masse. Individual piano keys are hand-checked for precision and balance. Five pairs of ears listen to each pianos tuning, speeding another instrument out the doorand into Americas living rooms. Just two years after Pearl River set up a U.S. sales arm, its high- quality, low-priced pianos have snared 10% of the market, and the company vows to capture a 25% share by 2005. It already has won the hearts and minds of some U.S. consumers.

Impact of emerging technology to organizations

Impact of emerging technology to organizations PART (A) Discuss the importance and the impact of the emerging technology to an organization You may wonder what the emerging technology is. Emerging technology is an innovative technology that is currently undergoing a large scale testing.   Over time, new topics and method are developed and opened up. Some arise due to theoretical research; others can be due to development and commercial research or new tools and discoveries. These new technologies will be developed over the next five year or even needs a longer like about ten years. If the technology is successful, it will be launch in the demonstrations field. These technologies include information technology, bio-technologies, wireless data communication, man-machine communication, and on-demand printing and also advanced robotics. Because of technologies, business has been able to advance in such ways that allow communication across to travel around the globe without leaving their respective offices and homes. They can send and receive information instantaneously. Consider how emerging technology has impacted in organization in the follow way like web conferencing. As we all know that technology advances at rapid paces each day or maybe every hour. Organization finds that web conferencing is an effective, cost-effective way to handle oversea business. They can hold group meeting, doing a real time training jus by via internet. It helps the organization to save a great amount of money in traveling cost while increasing productivity. Fiber To The Home is also known as FTTH is Fiber Optic cable is being installed from the telephone exchange to the Home. It is used to deliver communications such as telephone, broadband and digital TV. Fiber Optic Cable can be installed to replace the existing copper wire which was normally used to transfer data from the telephone exchange to the home or office. The advantages of the Fiber Optic Cable is, it is able to offer much faster speeds than copper wire and also much more bandwidth than the copper wires are able to cope with. Which is why Fiber Broadband will be the next generation broadband in the future. A report shows that in the UK, the copper wires that is currently installed are only able to offer broadband speeds up to a maximum of 24mb with ADSL2+ technology, the ADSl2+ technology is currently being installed by companies such as BE Broadband. But Fiber Optic allows broadband speeds to be around 100mb. PART (B) Research on the Open Source technology from the internet as well as other sources like journals and periodicals. What is Open Source, basically open source refers to a program or any program whose source code is made available to the general public for use or modification as users or other developers see fit. Open source code is usually created as a public collaborative effort and made freely available. Programmers improve upon the code and share the changes they made within the community. Open source is a development method which allows the software harnesses the power of distributed peer review. Open source is convenient to use as it is a open community that has self help service. The open community assists in skill transfer and it also allows the users to learn at their own pace. Open source need not to be free-of-charge. Vice-versa, free software need not be open source. Although there is large misunderstanding that when it comes to open source, most people refer it as a free ware. Let us see what are the advantages and disadvantages on open source. First, let us talk about what are the advantages in open source. Open source software is mostly high quality software and when u opens the software, the source code is available. It is also well designed and can also be efficiently used in coding. Thus it makes an ideal choice for organizations. Linux and open source solution are easily compressed and portable; it takes less hardware power to function on the same tasks when compared to hardware power on servers. This less hardware power advantage, you can get the desired results even you use cheaper and older hardware. Open source software gives you more freedom unlike those expensive license software as open source has no vendor lock-in. You also no longer need to worry about licenses as open source allows you to install several times and use at any location. With this you can minimize your expenses; you will save on maintenance fees and licensing fees. Most of the organizations that create open source software also provide support and maintenance. Now we talk about the disadvantages of open source. Open source is not highly secure thus anyone knows the code, will be able to hack. Some of the open source software is not reliable, because there is little money put into the development. Anyone can view, edit and redistribute and often no qualified support available. The only support will be from other users or via forums; this makes your open source software to be outdated very quickly. Some of the open sources are not compatible with windows and many other applications. There is a misconception that a lot people thinks that you can save money by switching over to open source. It is because more than 99% of laptops and PC come with window OS preinstalled. The most famous open source licenses are the BSD license, GNU General Public License (GPL), GNU Library or Lesser General Public License (LGPL), and Mozilla Public License (MPL).Using open source software can offers various advantages like the ability to reduce costs and development time. And also to avoid being dependent on a single vendor. Therefore I believed that more and more companies and institutions will start using open source software but there risks on using open source too. After listing out all the advantages and disadvantages of the Open Source. Some of the open sources are useful for organization to use while other is for home user. I believed it is more up to the users to decide whether they want to use the open source and they are going to use it for what purpose. Reference http://www.brownfieldstsc.org/glossary.cfm?lett=E http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/emerging-technologies.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerging_technologies#Debate_over_emerging_technologies http://www.businessknowledgesource.com/technology/impact_on_business_and_society_of_emerging_technology_024012.html http://www.broadbandwatchdog.co.uk/ftth.php http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/open_source.html http://www.outsource2india.com/software/articles/open-source-software.asp http://ask.reference.com/information/Computers/Disadvantages-of-Open-Source-Software

Comparison Between Coca Cola And Pepsi Marketing Essay

Comparison Between Coca Cola And Pepsi Marketing Essay For over the past substantial number of years, the Coca-Cola and Pepsi companies have been the two leading and competing companies as far as the selling of beverages is concerned. In respect to this, the two companies have been in a constant battle concerning the control of soft drinks market share. The present situation has been that each of the two companies has been competing to outshine the other by gaining the largest market share in the beverage market with an annual value ranging at over 30 billion dollars. This paper will explore ranging fight that the two companies have engaged in by critically analyzing their marketing campaigns. Though both companies have been inventing new ideas and products in an effort to boost their shares in the beverage market each year, the effectiveness and creativity of the marketing strategies that each of the two companies employs stands out to be the ultimate determiner of who will emerge the winner in respect to profits sales and consumer loya lty. Both Coca-cola and Pepsi companies have employed a wide variety of campaigns in their competition to gain more shares in the beverage market, some of which include sports sponsorship as well as mass media (Hitt, 2009). For Coca-Cola, the two most popular advertisement campaigns that have boosted its sales have been the Holidays are Coming Campaigns as well as the sports sponsorship both of which have been in use for a very long time. For instance, the Holidays are Coming Home advert features a convoy of delivery trucks, bearing the Coca-Cola name. The trucks which are lighted with electric bulbs drive through snowy landscapes lighting up everything they come across. The advert was intended to ensure that everybody on earth took Coca- Cola as their favorite drink by creating the impression that it lights up life especially during the winter season. However, this advertisement campaign has been criticized in that it is solely based centrally in the Southern parts of the U.S, especial ly in Atlanta The other advertisement campaign is the featuring of Coca-Cola as the official sponsor of some of the popular sporting activities. These sporting activities range from athletic, soccer, basket ball, hockey, and baseball. Perhaps the most popular sporting activities that have enabled Coca-Cola to market its product are soccer. Since 1978, Coca-Cola has been the official sponsor of the FIFA World cup along with other soccer competitions that it organizes. In addition, Coca-Cola has in the past featured as the sole official sponsor of the Football League in England a title given to the first three qualifiers in the English Premier league. By targeting the sports arena, Coca-Cola is assured of gaining access to a large number of sports fans regardless of their age or race since sports is an activity th at attracts the largest number of people. Coca-Cola has not been the only company that has derived its success from the sports arena. Other competing beverage companies including Pepsi in this case have also utilized this field in grabbing their share in the beverage market. For instance, just recently, Pepsi announced its launching of its integrated digital ad campaign with Microsoft in celebration of the 2010 football summer (Hitt, 2009). The campaign which will be organized in 14 different places worldwide targets international football fanatics. The campaign features eight of the international soccer stars including Drogba, Messi, Kaka, and Arshavin among others. With a move like this, Pepsi will be able to reach quite a large number of the worlds population, especially the youth who are great soccer fanatics. Moreover, Pepsi has been recently partnering with TV networks that it deems popular and has been placing commercials strategically in order to try and improve their relationship with its audience (Hitt, 2009). The key common ideology that links all of the above sets of advertisement campaigns together is that they represents the companies agenda to fetch a good market share in the beverage market. In respect to this, the strategies that each of the companies utilizes to achieve their common goal now becomes the underlying issue. Each company has been busy inventing ideas and new products to outshine the other in their harvesting of market shares. But whoever that will emerge the champion is the one who will employ the most effective and creative marketing strategies in terms of increasing it sales and the loyalty of the customer. Though the goals of the two companies are similar, the company utilizes marketing strategies that are somehow different an s outlined below (Hitt, 2009). Initially Pepsi had always outshone Coke in their development of new products; however, Coke learnt some of Pepsis secrets and started applying the same innovative approaches to rolling out novel products. In addition to the hiring of highly qualified marketing executives, Coke also introduced a cross training for its management in order to ensure that the upgraded the quality of their soft drinks to match with that of their competitors. Pepsi, on the other hand being a risk taker rapidly reacted to this by creating a culture of developing new ideas in advertisement every now and then. Finding of new markets in the foreign world has become a new strategy for both companies. But Coke in this field has emerged as the most successful company. The concept of offering products that satisfy the consumers requirements in foreign regions has also been an area that both companies have tried much to exploit. For example, the introduction of Pepsi Max in some countries was in response to consumers requirement of a drink with low sugars and which targeted individuals who were diabetic (Hitt, 2009). The development of new products to attract more shares has caused some of the the products from these companies to fail while others have been successful. For instance, the introduction of New Coke formula proved a total failure since consumers protested for the return of the Classic Coke. But Pepsi tops with the number of failures in products such as, Pepsi Free, Crystal, Light and Pepsi AM. For Coke and Pepsi companies, their achievements as well as their sustained retention in the market has been propagated by the increased customer base. Here the Coca-Cola Company has recently been using a single word to describe their target markets very one. The argument has been that Coke is a popular beverage manufacturing company can be attributed to the long period it has been the dominant market player. This has made it became popular among all classes of people regardless of age, religion, race or financial status (Hitt, 2009). Since its customer loyalty is great, and at the present, Coca Cola is fighting to retain most of its customers currently at Pepsi. Through its campaigns, Coke intends to formulate different media advertisements that will capture audiences from every age category. For example, adverts targeting the youth are mostly associated with enticing colors and cartoons. For the youth, the company intends to make TV commercials and other advertisements that will pr omote the drinking of Coke instead of liquor in parties. hence show them that they can still have their fun and a good time in the absence of liquor. (Hitt, 2009). Pepsi, on the other hand targets the young adults especially students between the ages of 14 years to 30. This group is mostly comprises of students in Universities, colleges as well as high school. For instance, the newly integrated digital campaign with Microsoft will mostly target the young generation, which comprise of the highest number of soccer fans. This campaign will give Pepsi a point of contact in accessing this young generation. But due, to their wide variety of products PepsiCo targets people of all ages though it has not specifically been prepared for this. The commercials and adverts employed by both companies have proved to be effective since both of the companies have managed to amass a large number of consumers. Such adverts as well as commercials have in the past utilized funny as well as enticing colors of which have been so effective among children (Hitt, 2009). Children are much attracted to flashy colors and funny items that appeal to their interests. Capturing the interest of children at a tender age promises that these kids will convert to being their customers in adulthood since they learn to identify with the brand when young. On the part of the adults and the elderly, the strategy might also be effective. This involves designing adverts that make them remember their youthful days. In addition, another effective mode of marketing the soft drinks is by convincing the youth that fun can also be realized in the absence of beers and liquor (Hitt, 2009). In the present age liquor companies have maximized on the connection betwee n drinking liquor and having a good time, such that they associate fun and merry making with consuming hard drinks. In respect to the arguments that both companies make towards one another, rivalry has always existed in trying to win more market share. Pepsi Challenge is one of the activities that clearly demonstrated this rivalry in the 1970s. in this Challenge, Pepsi organized a blind taste test to determine which brand between Coca-Cola and Pepsi contained less orange, more lemon oil, as well as makes use of vanillin instead of vanilla. These tests have always been aimed at Coke as the results indicated that customers prefer the taste of Pepsi rather than Coke. This project made Pepsis sales rise at a very high rate. This in turn gave rise to the Cola Wars. In 1985 Coke by coming up with a new formula, New Coke. However, this resulted to a total failure as customers demanded back the Coca-Cola Classic thus forcing the company to reintroduce it (Hitt, 2009). According to the 2008 report by Beverage Digest on carbonated soft drinks Coca-Cola outshines Pepsi in terms of demographics since its market shares range at 42.2% while Pepsi ranges at 30.8%. In most of regions especially in the United States, Coca-Cola outsells Pepsi except in some regions like Utah, North Dakota and Appalachia. In New York and Buffalo, Pepsi outshines Coca-Cola in sale by a ratio of two is to one. Internationally Coca-Cola commands a substantially large market share compared to Pepsi with the only exceptions being Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and the Canadian provinces. In relation to demographics across different ages, both products compare fairly with respect to consumption. Children can be rated as the highest consumers of soft drinks from both companies with the youth trailing closely. However, when it comes to adults and the older generation, Coca-Cola becomes more popular and hence outsells Pepsi.

Essay on Death and Sorrow in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein :: Frankenstein essays

Death and Sorrow in Frankenstein Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is filled with death and sorrow. They occur in almost every aspect of the book. The four "squares" of the book, Walter, Victor, the monster, and the cottagers, all suffer from them at one time or another. Some perceive Frankenstein as a horror story; however, in actuality it is a book of tragedy and despair. Every page reveals more misery than the page before. Thus, death and sorrow are inevitable in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Walter has an interesting turn of events towards the end of the book. He is forced to abandon his quest to the North Pole, he is faced with the monster and must hear the monster's plans for self-destruction, he has to watch idly as his new friend, Victor, passes from this world. He has such noble dreams and aspirations, but they are all brought to a halt because of his chance meeting with Frankenstein. Or, was his expedition doom from the start because of the nature of wanting to do what no other man had done? Was it his ambition that led him to untimely failure? The evidence from the text proves that possibly he was never meant to surpass his peers and obtain the glory that he pursued. Victor experiences very little joy at all after the creation of the monster. He suffers from numerous bouts of depression, he most tolerate the deaths of his brother, best friend, and wife, all of which were murdered at the hands of the monster. His friend Justine is executed because of the death of William, for which she is falsely accused and convicted. His father also dies after the murder of Elizabeth, Victor's ill-fated bride. With so much death surrounding his life, how is it possible that Victor could still be cognizant of his actions when he decides to pursue the monster and end its violent fury? He can't. Victor's mind is so clouded by the sorrow and pain of his past that he is blinded to the fact that he is attempting to destroy a creature with far greater physical strength and speed than any mortal. Much of his conflict appears to be created by the monster, when in fact the torment comes from Victor's own hands because he himself created and gave life to the monster. The monster lived in a world of eternal turmoil and strife.

Gore Vidal’s Lincoln :: Gore Vidal Lincoln

Gore Vidal’s â€Å"Lincoln† Gore Vidal’s â€Å"Lincoln† was an excellent narrative of the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Through Vidal’s portrayal of the personality of Lincoln and the people surrounding him it was easy to get an idea of the leadership role that Lincoln played during presidency. After reading many accounts of Lincoln during my research for my paper, I found that Vidals account was extremely accurate. Most interesting was the commanding yet passive relationship that Lincoln had with the members of his cabinet and his generals. Vidal also gave a portrayal of the capitol during the 1860’s that is seldom mentioned in any of the Literature that I have read. These accounts really help to get a feel for the environment in which Lincoln made his decisions. Lincoln’s family life was also revealed in some detail in the novel which helps us to see the personal dilemmas and tragedies that Lincoln had to overcome while he was president. Overall Vidal’s portra it of Lincoln was interesting and accurate to my knowledge. It gives an extraordinary view of the leadership of President Abraham Lincoln. In the book Vidal shows us a picture of the capitol at the time. It seemed as it the entire town was unfinished. The capitol building was without the dome and the streets had just been paved. From the accounts of Mary Lincoln in the book, it seemed if the White House was hardly a luxurious mansion and was barley fit for a president. Also in the atmosphere in Washington D.C. at the time was the Attitude of the place itself. Since Washington was a neutral state much of the population was against Lincoln and sided with the confederacy. Lincoln cabinet was strategically chosen by Lincoln, he chose those in his party who ran against him in the election or were close to the Republican Party. Vidal’s Lincoln reveals Lincolns thinking about these people and how he places them in. I have read in other readings including, The Unfinished Nation, byAlan Brinkley, that Lincoln picked these people to have a diversety of ideas in his cabinet. He wanted to keep these people close to him so that they would be working for him and not against him. The fictional character Lincoln in Vidal’s book in regards to to Salmon P.

Discipline in School and at Home Essay

Sometimes, when people hear the words discipline, they picture kids gone wild. We did use gentle discipline. And in school and home have to a calm, peaceful feel to it. We also had a lot of fun. A lot of the preparatory works have to follow where discipline was concerned. We have to use to teach care of self, care of the environment, control of movement, and grace and courtesy. The sense of order, ability to concentrate, and self-discipline gained from those activities made all our later life easier. It helps our life be more polite to teachers and parents as well as to others. We believed in following God, respecting one another, being responsible, and doing our best. We can use demonstrations to show them how to treat one another and even how to respect others’ property. We learn how to treat our toys, books, and learning materials with care. We studied religion and used many character-education lessons and books. Discussions about values were common in our home. Current research demonstrates that quality relationships with adults and peers make a tremendous difference for young people. A sense of connection or belonging is an important protective factor. Students who perceive a sense of connectedness or community at school and/or home are less likely to engage in risky behaviors (smoking, using drugs, engaging in violence). They are also more likely to be successful academically. Young people who grow up in families that they perceive as both kind and firm are more likely to thrive. Positive Discipline teaches parents and teachers how to be kind and firm at the same time and how to invite a sense of connection from the youngsters they are involved with. The approach is neither permissive nor punitive. Positive Discipline is an effective way for parents, teachers and students to learn life skills and build a sense of community and connectedness based on mutually respectful relationships. Even though we didn’t follow a schedule rigidly, we have a schedule or â€Å"rhythm† for our days. More important, we have to the stability of parents and teachers who loved us and each other and spent a lot of time with us. Freedom within limits is a very important in our school and home. While freedom to follow our interests help us experience success and independence, the limits were extremely important as well. We only enjoy the amount of freedom what we could handle responsibly. PROBLEMS [pic] Some basic statistics create a picture of the problem. # More than 30% of middle school students report being victimized three or more times by peers over the course of one year. # In a survey of high school students nationwide, the Center for Disease Control found that 17. 4% of students had carried a weapon (e. g., a gun, knife, or club) on one or more days in the month preceding the survey. Male students (29. 3%) were significantly more likely than female students (6. 2%) to have carried a weapon. CDC 2001 data. 1 # The same survey showed that 6. 6% of high school students had missed one or more days of school during the 30 days preceding the survey because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school. (CDC) # During the 12 months preceding the survey, 19% of high school students had seriously considered attempting suicide (14.8% had a specific plan). Female students (23. 6%) were significantly more likely than male students (14. 2%) to have considered attempting suicide. (CDC) # Nearly one half (47. 1%) of students nationwide had consumed one or more drinks of alcohol on one or more of the 30 days preceding the survey (i. e. , current alcohol use). And 30% reported episodic heavy drinking in the month prior to the survey (5 or more drinks on one or more occasions). (CDC) 1CDC Youth Surveillance data available at CDC website http://www. cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5104a1. htm [pic]. HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM The techniques used in Positive Discipline have been shown to have a positive impact on schools. A study of a school-wide implementation of classroom meetings in a lower income Sacramento elementary school over a four-year period showed that suspensions decreased (from 64 annually to 4 annually), vandalism decreased (from 24 episodes to 2) and the teachers reported great improvement in classroom atmosphere, behavior, attitudes and academic performance. (Platt, 1979) A study of a parent and teacher education program directed at parents and teachers of students with â€Å"maladaptive† behavior using the tools used in Positive Discipline, showed a statistically significant improvement in the behavior of the students in the program schools when compared to the control schools. (Nelsen, 1979). Smaller studies examining the impacts of specific Positive Discipline tools have also shown positive results. (Browning 2000, Potter 1999, Esquivel). At Home The young person’s sense of connectedness with his or her family is associated with positive outcomes. A national study of 12,000 adolescents showed that a sense of connectedness with their family was protective against every health risk behavior except history of pregnancy. (Resnick et. al. 1997) The questions asked of the teens in this large study included whether or not the teen felt wanted or loved by family members, whether they perceived caring by their mother or father, how many activities they engaged in with either parent in the previous week, and parental presence during different times of the day. b) At School. A young person’s sense of connectedness with school or â€Å"sense of community† in school is associated with positive social and academic outcomes. As above, there is a strong correlation with a student’s perception of being â€Å"connected† and the sense of â€Å"community† with academic and social well being. This has been examined by numerous researchers. Resnick, et. al. (1997) asked students questions such as â€Å"Do you feel that teachers treat students fairly? † â€Å"Are you close to people at your school? † â€Å"Do you feel part of your school? † He found that a sense of connectedness to school was protective against health risk behaviors. These findings are consistent with those of Goodenow (1993) who found a relationship between the students’ sense of belonging and their academic achievement and motivation. CONCLUSSION This was probably one of the most important parts of disciplinary approach. We respected our teachers and parents. Teachers and parents also respect their students and child with their opinions. As we grow older, we should be more decision-making responsibility. We felt respected and didn’t have a need to rebel because we know we would consider our responsible, well-thought-out ideas. For example, when I was in third grade or so, I had the choice of how to handle my schoolwork before a week-long trip during the school year. I decided to do two weeks-worth of work in one week, working day and evening to allow myself a week off during my trip. When there was a behavioral problem, we often used logical consequences. Even though we had a schedule, we didn’t follow the clock exactly. Our schedule is more assignment or project based. If we procrastinated in completing our work for the day, the logical consequence was that our school day lasted longer until our assignments were finished. The interventions included using class meetings, a constructivist curriculum, a focus on meaningful work and team building. In schools that successfully implemented the program the sense of community increased. More interesting perhaps was that examined individually, students with a higher sense of community were found to accept the established norms of the school, whatever those were. In longitudinal studies the researchers found that students coming from schools that had implemented the program to increase a sense of community and work for higher- level thinking, did better than their classmates from comparison schools when they arrived at middle. There is some evidence that a sense of community among staff members may be an â€Å"important precursor to the development of a sense of community among students. † (Royal and Rossi, 1997) Not surprisingly, modeling appropriate relationships among the adults seems to support students in developing appropriate interpersonal relationships. Teachers’ sense of community is also related to their job satisfaction and effectiveness. There are many, many studies (not individually cited here) that show that parental involvement is related to school success. Interestingly, when more closely examined, authoritative parenting is strongly related to parental school involvement and â€Å"academic encouragement,† both of which are associated with school success. The positive impact of â€Å"school involvement† is significantly less if the parent does not also have a â€Å"kind and firm† parenting style.

Extended commentary of ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ by Thomas Hardy Essay

On the Title: Hardy uses two interesting words: ‘convergence’ and ‘twain’. A convergence is a meeting of two paths, or entities – in this case, a collision! ‘Twain’ is an archaic word for ‘two’, i.e.; both the ‘Titanic’ and the iceberg. Such a title immediately positions the reader to the direction in which the poem will go. Hardy is not, as many elegiac poems of the day were, preparing to mourn the loss of the ship and the lives upon it but rather proceeding to examine the philosophical nature of the collision; perhaps it was fated? The other current use of â€Å"twain† was in the pseudonym â€Å"Mark Twain,† made famous by the publication – initially in England – of â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† in 1886. Clems adopted the nom de plume to suggest â€Å"uncomfortable waters† or â€Å"tight navigation,† since two fathoms (â€Å"twain,† the sounding of a Mississippi deck-hand measuring the depth beneath the keel) would be dangerous for a steamboat. Background Information: The ocean liner ‘RMS Titanic’ famously sank, at two o’clock in the morning, upon the 15th April 1912. The disaster claimed 1,502 lives. Hardy was asked to write a poem to be read at a charity concert to raise funds in aid of the tragedy disaster fund. It was first published as part of the souvenir program for that event. Overall Structure: Hardy writes eleven regular triplet stanzas, with an AAA rhyme scheme throughout. The use of triplets allows for a more thorough exploration of ideas in each stanza; unified by the use of the rhyme scheme. Perhaps he also does this to create the effect of inevitability, for the rhymed words form their own â€Å"paths coincident† that lead to a preset conclusion – the reader knows, that is, with which sound each stanza will end after he or she has only read the first line of that stanza. However, that knowledge only appears are having read the first few stanzas or so, echoing the idea that knowledge of those coincident paths of which the poem speaks is not always immediately discernible. Themes: The Vanity of Man, The Relationship between Man and Nature, Fate, Classical Entities. Difficult Language Notes: â€Å"The Immanent Will† – a force of fate. â€Å"Salamandrine† – associated with the salamander (a mythical creature) The poem runs in straight sets but I wish to divide in two for ease of analysis. ‘Part I’ exists from Stanzas I to VI, whilst ‘Part II’ takes the form of Stanzas VII to XII. Part I Notes: First Stanza Notes: Hardy introduces his poem in medias res – the ship has been sunk and lies silently at the bottom of the ocean. He creates a calm effect over his poem through the consonance of the ‘s’ sounds: â€Å"In a solitude of the sea Deep from human vanity, And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she.† Particular elements of diction are worthy of note: * â€Å"Deep from human vanity† – this line points to the emerging theme of man’s failed vanity, in creating such a grand object to rule over the natural world, only to have Nature smite it. The phrase â€Å"Pride of Life† accentuates this principle. Note how Hardy uses capital letters to make otherwise simple abstract nouns definitive. Although this is pre-emptive, I will now examine the theme of vaingloriousness (and point out notable pieces of evidence throughout the remainder of the poem) which Hardy presents. He uses irony to evoke the ridiculousness of man’s plans. In stanzas I through to V, he juxtaposes images of the ships opulence, such as its â€Å"mirrors meant / To glass the opulent† and the ship’s â€Å"gilded gear† with images of the â€Å"cold currents†, â€Å"sea-worms† and â€Å"moon-eyed fishes† that now flow, crawl and swim through those former interiors. This creates a tangible image of the human vanity referred to in this first stanza; what people design for greatness ultimately ends up in a place of abasement. * â€Å"Stilly† is a highly unusual adverb. Hardy uses it to create a sense of ‘peace’. This is furthered by â€Å"solitude† and â€Å"couches†. ‘Couches’ suggests restfulness, or an equanimity. S.L.S considers an image of a ‘death bed’ upon the sea floor. Second Stanza Notes: Hardy focuses upon images of death and change in this stanza: â€Å"Steel chambers, late the pyres Of her salamandrine fires Cold currents third, and turn to tidal rhythmic lyres.† The furnaces of the ship, which contained the â€Å"salamandrine fires† of her engines (a form of LIFE), now have â€Å"Cold currents thrid† (note the a contrast in temperature – and consequently, a contrast in living state) running through them. ‘Thrid’ itself is another reference to the title, as an archaic word for ‘two’. Where there was once heat and life driving the engines of the ship, there is now coldness and death. A further juxtaposition within this second stanza is the use of the word â€Å"pyre†, as it connotes funerals and death, while the use of â€Å"salamandrine† insinuates a certain tenacity for life (as salamanders were said to live through fires) that could be associated with the ‘Unsinkable Ship’ idea – there was a theory prior to the sinking, now tragically ironic, that the Titanic was unable to sink. Yet, for all of the tragic (or formerly energetic, given the nature of fire) nature of the ship, Hardy once again returns to ideas of peace and harmony. â€Å"Rhythmic tidal lyres† are reminiscent of the classical entities – such as Apollo’s lyre and his place in Arcadia – and consequently calming images. The distinct iambic meter in this phrase aids the calming lilt of the lines. Hardy presents the Titanic’s corpse in a peaceful light, however chilling and panicked her death. Third and Fourth Stanza Notes: I have above described the idea of vanity. I will pick out key phrases from these stanzas which support this idea – their key point is to achieve the above: * â€Å"mirrors meant to glass the opulent† CONTRASTED TO â€Å"grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent† sea worms. Note the cruelty and emphasis on â€Å"indifferent†. * â€Å"Jewels in joy designed† CONTRASTED TO â€Å"lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind† Note the use of polysyndeton. * â€Å"gilded gear†. Note alliteration. Fifth and Sixth Stanzas: Thus far Hardy has thoroughly examined the idea of vanity and the sunken ship itself. At stanza VI, Hardy changes his focus to the process by which the ship sank, in reference to Hardy’s ‘question’ formulated in stanza V. V â€Å"Dim moon-eyed fishes near Gaze at the gilded gear And query: ‘What does this vaingloriousness down here? VI Well: while was fashioning This creature of cleaving wing, The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything† It is obvious that Hardy engineers the explanation of the collision as a response to the â€Å"fishes’† question – although one would initially expect the final line of stanza V to be rhetorical. Before diverging upon the analysis of Hardy’s response, note some key elements of this stanza: * â€Å"moon-eyed† (white and dull) contrasts with the shiny, golden nature of the â€Å"gilded†. This accentuates the differences between the metallic (man-made) ship and the natural world. Also note the alliteration used in this line. Question why? * In an final assault on the vanitas vanitatum, observe that Hardy utilises anthropomorphisation to allow even the fish to question Man’s will in creating such ‘vaingloriousness’ – a Natural force (perhaps a personification of Nature itself?) labels the ship a vanity. What consequence does this have? This query, although appearing rhetorical, is answered by Hardy. Denoted by the use of ‘Well’, he switches to a colloquial register – this again adds to the sense of a Volta at stanza VI. Also note the sudden introduction of prominent enjambment at the end of the poem. The sense of stanza VI rolls into the VIIth, in direct opposition to the previous use of ‘poetic closure’ to end all previous stanzas – Hardy normally uses a form of punctuation. Now it’s gone. Apart from being a ‘change’ in its innate self, the enjambment aids in increasing the pace of the poem. This is highly significant. Seeing as, from this point forth, Hardy creates a ‘convergence of the twain’ within the poem itself – i.e.: he brings the two entities together (I will later explore this process in detail) from obscurity to the point of their collision – then increasing the pace at which the two entities move (which is obviously determined by the pace of the poem) must bring them together faster. This adds to the sense of movement, of fast movement and of dramatic effect. Well done, Mr. Hardy. Note some language details: â€Å"Creature of cleaving wing† is a very interesting phrase. â€Å"Cleaving† has multiple meanings, all of which are appropriate to Hardy’s imagery. Primarily, he may be imagining the ship as it ‘cleaves’ through the water, as all good ships should do. Remember, in its day the Titanic was the fastest liner afloat. â€Å"The cleaving wing† may therefore be the iron bow of the boat. Notice how Hardy is utilising additional anthropomorphisation, in referring to the ship as both a â€Å"creature† and one with â€Å"wing[s]†. The iceberg, however, remains inanimate. I doubt that there are any really deliberate poetic techniques to be synthesized from this but perhaps Hardy encourages a larger empathic response from the animate ship than from the inanimate iceberg? However, we must also acknowledge the metallic â€Å"knife-like† associations with ‘cleaving’ – like ‘cleaver’. This has a highly inanimate connotation. [Another weak point, acknowledged.] There also exists an archaic definition in the verb ‘to cleave’ – as in a Biblical usage – meaning ‘to join in matrimony’. This is of enormous interest. Hardy later plays a great deal upon the idea of the twain being marital (and even sexual) mates. Throughout the poem he refers to them with terms connotating a â€Å"confirmed relationship†. We may be â€Å"reading into† the phrase a little too deeply but it is a comment worthy of note. Perhaps Hardy is using the archaic definition of the verb to further advance his marital imagery? He is certainly no stranger to using such odd vocabulary; observe â€Å"The Darkling Thrush†! Finally, I wish to examine ‘The Immanent Will’. â€Å"Immanent† is not an archaic spelling of â€Å"imminent† – do not get confused in terms of these different words! â€Å"The Immanent Will† is somewhat comparable, in terms of a philosophical idea, to the Christian concept of the â€Å"Holy Spirit† or â€Å"Holy Ghost†. It is a spiritual, but existent, entity within every object which determines its fate or actions. Christianity has branches – notably in Catholicism – which believe in a pre-determined plan, of God’s design. In other words, we are all on a plan set out by God. The Holy Spirit helps us to achieve what God wishes; it provides inner strength and resolve. Hardy did not have an easy relationship with religion; born a Christian, he went through multiple tumultuous periods of atheistic belief. That’s probably why he hasn’t gone and just written; â€Å"God, or some deified entity, has allowed and planned for the demise of this here ship. And that’s why the iceberg, which could have been anywhere in a 3,000 mile radius of the vast Atlantic Ocean, just so happened to strike the ship. Deal with it.† So, instead, he has substituted a strictly non-religious term to his idea of Fate. Indeed, he later refers to the Classical ‘Fate’ entities to again replace any otherwise religious terminology. Remember also that Hardy is not aiming to criticise Christianity in a poem intended to raise money for the victims’ families. Thus, clear religious controversy was not a good idea. Stanzas VIII and IX Notes: â€Å"And as the smart ship grew In stature, grace and hue, In shadowy silent distance grew the iceberg too. Alien they seemed to be: No mortal eye could see The intimate welding of the later history,† Again, Hardy invites further comparison through the use of juxtaposition; he now places the two entities in a relative time scale. The use of the word ‘as’ creates this effect, as it brings almost a simile-esque comparative sense to the stanzas. We must focus on the idea of the twain ‘growing’ – as that is the image which Hardy evokes – and the way in which both are joint in the use of the same verb. The obvious mental image is one of a familial relationship; they grow simultaneously but are fatally unaware of each other. Indeed, the distance between them is made explicitly clear and further emphasized by the alliteration used with â€Å"shadowy† and â€Å"silent†. Observe, in the phrase â€Å"In stature, grace and hue†, Hardy returns to the original theme of the ship’s grandeur. He appears, in this occurrence, to be rather more commending (or perhaps simply more mournful) of the ship and its purpose. Stanza IX further dwells upon the notion of fate. Indeed, Hardy utilises some more imagery worthy of note, full of oxymorons. â€Å"The intimate welding of the later history† It takes little to see that this further advances the ideas of both the twain’s ‘marital intimacy’, of the metal-related imagery associated with the ship, but also, in the final few words, the idea of Fate. If one can know, in the present, the details of the future’s past – in other words, the near future – then surely one is saying in an oddly convoluted way that a certain action is destined to soon take place? It’s an oxymoronic (â€Å"later history† is oxymoronic in my book!) way of saying the same as before; the twain are destined to collide. Stanzas X and XI Notes: â€Å"Or sign that they were bent By paths coincident On being anon twin halves of one august event, Till the Spinner of the Years Said ‘Now!’ And each one hears, And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres. Very little needs to be said about the action in these stanza. The Twain collide, bringing together the long wait in both metaphorical and poetic terms. Hardy’s precise choice of words and imagery is somewhat more interesting, however. For example: * â€Å"Paths coincident† does not point to a coincidence, as one might initially assume, but rather to a â€Å"co-incident† (i.e. â€Å"together†) act. The Twain are, on reflection, on a course which emulates two graphical lines, in the way that they bisect. Does this then also reflect a sense of Fated entity? Graphical lines do not change, thus their ‘collision’ is determined and sealed. * â€Å"Twin halves of one august event† reminds the reader of the action and precise existence of the collision. In the end, the act was a very physical, not philosophical one. Hardy acknowledges this, but attempts to draw out the unified nature of the Twain, in the intrinsic act of their collision. Note that the usual use of â€Å"august† to mean â€Å"awe inspiring or admiration; majestic† is not intended by Hardy here in a positive way. He merely wishes to express wonder at the grand, if tragic, culmination of two great forces. And yes, it is rather melodramatic. * Hardy at lasts then returns to his Fated theme with the phrase â€Å"The Spinner of the Years†. Reminiscent of the Classical Greek Moirai or the Roman Parcae (three old hags who would run, spin and cut the threads of life), Hardy refers to the middle of the three – the Spinner. Spinning a mortal thread has always occupied a position in mythology. Hardy utilises it to draw out a sense of fate. Fate itself conducts the affair, it seems, given that the Twain act upon the word â€Å"Now!† to converge. * Emerson Brown, scholar of medieval literature, pointed out that the poem is 33 lines long, whilst line 33 echoes the 33-year-old Christ’s last words: â€Å"consummatum est.† In any case, when â€Å"consummation comes†, Thomas Hardy sends 1,500 souls to the bottom with an obscene pun. To â€Å"come† has borne a sexual connotation since the 17th century, at least, while consummation traditionally means the fulfilment of the marriage contract by intercourse. The image of the ‘Titanic’ and the iceberg copulating is hard to take seriously – therefore we must question whether Hardy truly intends it. Nevertheless, it advances the idea of the twain existing in a marital bond. Note the sudden use of speech, in the present tense. Very dramatic. Brings the Twain together in Time for the last time!

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 16

Damon clearly decided to throw himself on the mercy of the court, and looked piteous and a little unbalanced, which he could easily do whenever he wanted. â€Å"I really didn't try to Influence you,† he repeated, but then hastily added, â€Å"Maybe I can just change the subject for a while – tell you more about the star balls.† â€Å"That,† Elena said in her most frosty voice, â€Å"might be a rather good idea.† â€Å"Well, the balls make recordings directly from your neurons, you see? Your neurons in your brain. Everything you've ever experienced is there in your mind somewhere, and the ball just draws it out.† â€Å"So you can always remember it and watch it over and over like a movie, too?† Elena said, twiddling with her veil to shade her face from him, and thinking that she would give a star ball to Alaric and Meredith before their wedding. â€Å"No,† Damon said, rather grimly. â€Å"Not like that. For one thing, the memory is gone from you – these are kitsune toys we're talking about, remember? Once the star ball has taken it from your neurons, you don't remember a thing about the event. Second, the ‘recording' on the star ball gradually fades – with use, with time, with some other factors nobody understands. But the ball gets cloudier, and the sensations weaker, until finally it's just an empty crystal sphere.† â€Å"But – that poor man was selling a day of his life. A wonderful day! I should think he would want to keep it.† â€Å"You saw him.† â€Å"Yes.† Once again Elena saw the louse-ridden, haggard, gray-faced old man. She felt something like ice down her spine at the thought that he had once been the laughing, joyous, young John that she had experienced. â€Å"Oh, how sad,† she said, and she wasn't talking about memory. But, for once, Damon hadn't followed her thoughts. â€Å"Yes,† he said. â€Å"There are a lot of the poor and the old here. They worked themselves free of slavery, or had a generous owner die†¦and then this is where they end up.† â€Å"But the star balls? Are they just made for poor people? The rich ones can just travel to Earth and see a real summer day for themselves, right?† Damon laughed without much humor. â€Å"Oh, no, they can't. Most of them are bound here.† He said bound oddly. Elena ventured, â€Å"Too busy to go on vacation?† â€Å"Too busy, too powerful to get through the wards protecting Earth from them, too worried about what their enemies will do while they're gone, too physically decrepit, too notorious, too dead.† â€Å"Dead?† The horror of the tunnel and the corpse-smelling fog seemed ready to envelope Elena. Damon flashed one of his evil smiles. â€Å"Forgot that your boyfriend is de mortius? Not to mention your honorable master? Most people, when they die, go to another level than this – much higher or much lower. This is the place for the bad ones, but it's the upper level. Farther down – well, nobody wants to go there.† â€Å"Like Hell?† Elena breathed. â€Å"We're in Hell?† â€Å"More like Limbo, at least where we are. Then there's the Other Side.† He nodded toward the horizon where the lowering sun still sat. â€Å"The other city, which may have been where you went on your ‘vacation' to the afterlife. Here they just call it ‘The Other Side.' But I can tell you two rumors I heard from my informants. There, they call it the Celestial Court. And there, the sky is crystal blue and the sun is always rising.† â€Å"The Celestial Court†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena forgot that she was speaking aloud. She knew instinctively that it was the queens-and-knights-and-sorceresses kind of court, not a court of law. It would be like Camelot. Just saying the words brought up an aching nostalgia, and – not memories, but the tip-of-the-tongue feeling that memories were locked right behind a door. It was a door, however, that was securely locked, and all Elena could see through the keyhole were ranks of more women like the Guardians, tall, golden-haired, and blue-eyed, and one – child-sized among the grown women – who glanced up, and, piercingly, from a long way off, met Elena's gaze directly. The litter was moving out of the bazaar into more slums, which Elena took in with darting quick glances on either side of her, hiding in her veil. They seemed like any earthly slums, barrios, or favella – only worse. Children, their hair turned red by the sun, crowded around Elena's litter, their hands held out in a gesture with universal meaning. Elena felt a tearing at her insides that she had nothing of real value to give them. She wanted to build houses here, make sure these children had food and clean water, and education, and a future to look forward to. Since she had no idea how to give them any of these things, she watched them dash off with treasures such as her Juicy Fruit gum, her comb, her minibrush, her lip gloss, her water bottle, and her earrings. Damon shook his head, but didn't stop her until she began fumbling with a lapis and diamond pendant Stefan had given her. She was crying as she tried to disengage the clasp when suddenly the last bit of the rope around her wrist came up short. â€Å"No more,† Damon said. â€Å"You don't understand anything. We haven't even entered the city proper yet. Why don't you have a look at the architecture instead of worrying about useless brats who're likely to die anyway?† â€Å"That's cold,† Elena said, but she couldn't think of any way to make him understand, and she was too angry with him to try. Still, she stopped fumbling with the chain and looked beyond the slums as Damon had suggested. There she could see a breathtaking skyline, with buildings that seemed meant to last for eternity, made of stones that looked the way the Egyptian pyramids and Mayan ziggurats must have looked when they were new. Everything, though, was colored red and black by a sun now concealed by sullen crimson cloudbanks. That huge red sun – it gave the air a different look for different moods. At times it seemed almost romantic, glinting on a large river Elena and Damon passed, picking out a thousand tiny wavelets in the slow-moving water. At other times, it simply seemed alien and ominous, showing clearly on the horizon like a monstrous omen, tingeing the buildings, no matter how magnificent, the color of blood. When they turned away from it, as the litter bearers moved down into the city where the huge buildings were, Elena could see their own long and menacing black shadow thrown ahead of th em. â€Å"Well? What do you think?† Damon seemed to be trying to placate her. â€Å"I still think it looks like Hell,† Elena said slowly. â€Å"I'd hate to live here.† â€Å"Ah, but whoever said that we should live here, my Princess of Darkness? We'll go back home, where the night is velvet black and the moon shines down, making everything silver.† Slowly, Damon traced one finger from her hand, up her arm to her shoulder. It sent an inner shiver through her. She tried holding the veil up as a barrier against him, but it was too transparent. He still flashed that brilliant smile at her, dazzling through the diamond-dotted white – well, shell pink, of course, because of the light – that was on her side of the veil. â€Å"Does this place have a moon?† she asked, trying to distract him. She was afraid – afraid of him – afraid of herself. â€Å"Oh, yes: three or four of them, I think. But they're very small and of course the sun never goes down, so you can't see them as well. Not†¦romantic.† He smiled at her, again, slowly this time, and Elena looked away. And in looking, she saw something in front of her that captured her entire attention. In a side street a cart had overturned, spilling large rolls made out of fur and leather. There was a thin, hungry-looking old woman attached to the cart like a beast, who was lying on the ground, and a tall angry man standing over her, raining down blows with a whip on her unprotected body. The woman's face was turned toward Elena. It was contorted in a grimace of anguish, as she tried ineffectually to roll into a ball, her hands over her stomach. She was naked from the waist up, but as the whip lashed into her flesh, her body from throat to waist was being covered by a coating of blood. Elena felt herself swelling with Wing Powers, but somehow none would come. She willed with all her circulating life-force for something – anything – to break free from her shoulders, but it was no good. Maybe it had something to do with wearing the remains of slave bracelets. Maybe it was Damon, beside her, telling her in a forceful voice not to get involved. To Elena, his words were no more than punctuation to the heartbeat pounding in her ears. She jerked the rope sharply out of his hands, and then scrambled out of the litter. In six or seven leaps she was beside the man with the whip. He was a vampire, his fangs elongated at the sight of the blood before him, but never stopping his frenzied lashing. He was too strong for Elena to handle, but†¦ With one more step Elena was straddling the woman, both her arms flung out in the universal gesture of protection and defiance. Rope dangled from one wrist. The slave owner was not impressed. He was already launching the next whiplash, and it struck Elena across the cheek and simultaneously opened a great gap in her thin summer top, slicing through her camisole and scoring the flesh underneath. As she gasped, the tail of the whip cut through her jeans as if denim were butter. Tears formed involuntarily in Elena's eyes, but she ignored them. She had managed not to make a sound other than that initial gasp. And she still stood exactly where she had first landed in protection. Elena could feel the wind whip at her tattered blouse, while her untouched veil waved behind her, as if to protect the poor slave who had collapsed against the ruined cart. Elena was still desperately trying to bring out any kind of Wings. She wanted to fight with real weapons, and she had them, but she couldn't force them to save either her or the poor slave behind her. Even without them Elena knew one thing. That bastard in front of her wasn't going to touch his slave again, not unless he cut Elena into pieces first. Someone stopped to stare, and someone else came out of a shop, running. When the children who'd been trailing her litter surrounded her, wailing, a crowd of sorts gathered. Apparently it was one thing to see a merchant beating his worn-out drab – the people around here must have seen that almost daily. But to see this beautiful new girl having her clothes slashed away, this girl with hair like golden silk under a veil of gold and white, and eyes that perhaps reminded some of them of a barely remembered blue sky – that was quite another thing. Moreover, the new girl was obviously a fresh barbarian slave who had clearly humiliated her master by tearing the lead ropes from his hands and was standing now with her sanctity veil made into a mockery. Terrific street theater. And even given all of that, the slave owner was preparing for another stroke, raising his arm high and preparing to put his back into it. A few people in the crowd gasped; others were muttering indignantly. Elena's new sense of hearing, turned up high, could catch their whispering. A girl like this wasn't meant for the slums at all; she must have been destined for the heart of the city. Her aura alone was enough to show that. In fact, with that golden hair and those vivid blue eyes, she might even be a Guardian from the Other Side. Who knew – ? The lash that was raised never descended. Before it could, there was a flash of black lightning – pure Power – that sent half the crowd scattering. A vampire, young in appearance and dressed in the clothing of the upper world, Earth, had made his way to stand between the golden girl and the slave owner – or rather to loom over the now cringing slave owner. The few in the crowd not stirred by the girl immediately felt their hearts pulse at the sight of him. He was the girl's owner, surely, and now he would see to the situation. At that instant, Bonnie and Meredith arrived on the scene. They were reclining on their litter, decorously draped in their veils, Meredith in starry midnight blue and Bonnie in soft pale green. They could have been an illustration for The Arabian Nights. But the moment they saw Damon and Elena, they most indecorously jumped off the litter. By now the crowd was so thick that working their way to the front required using elbows and knees, but in only seconds they were at Elena's side, hands defiantly unbound or trailing rope that hung defiantly free, veils floating in the wind. When they did arrive beside Elena, Meredith gasped. Bonnie's eyes opened wide and stayed that way. Elena understood what they were seeing. Blood was flowing freely from the cut across her cheekbone and her blouse kept opening in the wind to reveal her torn and bloody camisole. One leg of her jeans was rapidly turning red. But, drawn up into the protection of her shadow, was a far more pitiful figure. And as Meredith raised Elena's diaphanous veil to help keep her blouse closed and once more enshroud her in decency, the woman herself raised her head, to look at the three girls with the eyes of a dumb and hunted animal. Behind them, Damon said softly, â€Å"I shall quite enjoy this,† as he lifted the heavy man into the air with one hand and then struck his throat like a cobra. There was a hideous scream, which went on and on. No one tried to interfere, and no one tried to cheer the slave owner on to make a fight. Elena, scanning the faces of the crowd, realized why. She and her friends had become used to Damon – or as used as you could become to his half-tamed air of ferocity. But these people were getting their first look at the young man dressed all in black, of medium height and slim build, who made up for his lack of bulging muscle with a supple and deadly grace. This was enhanced by the gift of somehow dominating all the space around him, so that he effortlessly became the focal point of any picture – the way a black panther might become the focal point if it were walking lazily down a crowded city street. Even here, where menace and an aspect of outright evil were commonplace, this young man exuded a quality of danger that made people want to stay out of his line of sight, much less his way. Meanwhile Elena and both Meredith and Bonnie were looking around for some sort of medical assistance, or even for something clean that would staunch wounds. After about a minute, they realized that it wasn't just going to appear, so Elena appealed to the crowd. â€Å"Does anyone know a doctor? A healer?† she shouted. The audience merely watched her. They seemed loath to get involved with a girl who had obviously defied the black-clad demon now wringing the slave owner's neck. â€Å"So you all think it's just fine,† Elena shouted, hearing the loss of control, the disgust and fury in her own voice, â€Å"for a bastard like that to be whipping a starving pregnant woman?† There were a few downcast eyes, a few scattered replies on the theme of â€Å"He was her master, wasn't he?† But one youngish man who had been leaning against a stopped wagon, straightened up. â€Å"Pregnant?† he repeated. â€Å"She doesn't look pregnant!† â€Å"She is!† â€Å"Well,† the young man said slowly, â€Å"if that's true, he's only harming his own merchandise.† He glanced nervously over to where Damon was now standing above the deceased slave owner, whose face was cast into a ghastly death grimace of agony. This still left Elena with no help for a woman she was afraid was about to die. â€Å"Doesn't anyone know where I can find a doctor?† There were now mutterings in various tones from the crowd members. â€Å"We might get further on if we could offer them some money,† Meredith was saying. Elena immediately reached for her pendant, but Meredith was quicker, unfastening a fancy amethyst necklace from around her neck and holding it up. â€Å"This goes to whoever shows us a good doctor first.† There was a pause while everyone seemed to be assessing the reward and the risk. â€Å"Don't you have any star balls?† a wheezing voice asked, but a high, light voice cried, â€Å"That's good enough for me!† A child – yes, a genuine street urchin – darted to the front of the crowd, grabbed Elena's hand and pointed, saying, â€Å"Dr. Meggar, right up the street. It's only a couple of blocks; we can walk it.† The child was wrapped in a tattered old dress, but that might only be to keep warm, because he or she was also wearing a pair of trousers. Elena couldn't even figure out whether it was a boy or a girl until the child gave her an unexpectedly sweet smile and whispered, â€Å"I'm Lakshmi.† â€Å"I'm Elena,† Elena said. â€Å"Better hurry, Elena,† Lakshmi said. â€Å"Guardians will get here soon.† Meredith and Bonnie had gotten the dazed slave woman to her feet, but she seemed to be in too much pain to understand if they meant to help her or kill her. Elena remembered how the woman had huddled in the shadow of Elena's own body. She put a hand on the woman's bloody arm and said quietly, â€Å"You're safe now. You're going to be fine. That man – your†¦your master – is dead and I promise that nobody will hurt you again. I swear it.† The woman stared at her in disbelief, as if what Elena was saying was impossible. As if living without being beaten constantly – even with all the blood Elena could see old scars, some of them like cords, on the woman's skin – was something too far from reality to imagine. â€Å"I swear it,† Elena said again, not smiling, but grimly. She understood that this was a burden she was taking on for life. It's all right, she thought, and realized that for some time now she had been sending her thoughts to Damon. I know what I'm doing. I'm ready to be responsible for this. Are you sure? Damon's voice came to her, as uncertain as she'd ever heard him. Because I'm sure as hell not going to take care of some old hag when you get tired of her. I'm not even sure I'm ready to deal with whatever it's going to cost me for killing that bastard with the whip. Elena turned to look at him. He was serious. Well, then why did you kill him? she challenged. Are you joking? Damon gave her a shock with the vehemence and venom of his thought. He hurt you. I should have killed him more slowly, he added, ignoring one of the litter bearers who was kneeling beside him, undoubtedly asking what to do next. Damon's eyes, however, were on Elena's face, on the blood still flowing from her cut. Il figlio de cafone, Damon thought, his lips drawing back from his teeth as he looked down on the corpse, so that even the litter bearer scurried away on hands and knees. â€Å"Damon, don't let him leave! Bring them all over here right now – † Elena began, and then, as there was a sort of universal gasp around her, she continued nonverbally, Don't let the litter bearers leave. We need a litter to carry this poor woman to the doctor. And why is everyone staring at me? Because you're a slave, and you've just done things no slave should do and now you're giving me, your master, orders. Damon's telepathic voice was grim. It's not an order. It's a – look, any gentleman would help a lady in distress, right? Well, there are four of us over here and one is more distressed than you want to look at. No, three are. I think I'm going to need some stitches, and Bonnie is about to collapse. Elena was striking methodically at weak points, and knew that Damon knew she was doing it. But he ordered one of the sets of litter bearers to come and pick up the slave woman and the other to take his girls. Elena stuck with the woman and ended up in a litter with the curtains all closed around it. The smell of blood was a copper taste in her mouth, making her want to cry. Even she didn't want to look closely at the slave woman's injuries, but blood was running onto the litter. She found herself taking off her blouse and camisole and putting back only the blouse so that she could use the camisole to hold to a great diagonal slash across the woman's chest. Every time the woman raised dark brown, frightened eyes to her, Elena tried to smile at her encouragingly. They were down deep somewhere in the trenches of communication, where a look and a touch meant more than words. Don't die, Elena was thinking. Don't die, just as you have something to live for. Live for your freedom, and for your baby. And maybe some of what she was thinking got through to the woman, because she relaxed against the litter cushions, holding on to Elena's hand.