Convergence Law and Its Relevance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Convergence Law and Its Relevance - Essay Example As such, the paper discusses the multiple factors that have had an influence on the formation and convergence of European law. Primarily, this convergence is the result of the necessity of uniformism that has been demanded since the European Union first formed. As a result, integrations have taken place based on the interpretation of individual laws, as well as entire constitutional understanding. As the idea of citizenship has been defined to incorporate an individual into the greater whole of the European Union, likewise individual interpretations of existing law has been forced to be understood, fabricated, and analyzed through the very same constructs. As a vehicle for understanding this concept, Tryfonadou introduces the topic of free movement of persons and free movement of goods as it evolved in the late 1990’s through early 2000’s. Perhaps, one of the best examples of this convergence can be seen in what Tryfonadou describes as the â€Å"restriction† and â€Å"discrimination† of free movement law. ... persons, existing laws have made an attempt, according to Tryfonadou, to juxtapose the two and come to a common understanding and definition in the scope of the laws. (1) The author goes on to explain to the reader the differences between subsidiarity law principles and proportionality principles. Subsidiarity requires that the community adopt the legislation only if it is a requirement to achieve a given object. Accordingly, proportionality requires that the burden of the law’s enactment be proportionally weighted so as not to be too heavy with relation to the objective that is trying to be achieved. An unavoidable facet of the European Union’s construction requires that one understand and realize the importance of the many different legal systems that make up its component parts, as well as how each of these systems begins to find a certain commonality within the law, i.e. the convergence principle that Tryfonadou has written. Due to the additional fact that the Europ ean Union is made up of a multiplicity of differing legal systems of its member states, recognition of the defining legal principles which each system espouse combined with the aforementioned principles of subsidiarity and proportionality lead invariably to a form of legal diversity. In short, even though the diverse systems of law that are extant within the European Union espouse similar legal views on a variety of different and diverse topics (i.e. Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Scandinavian law) all have a host of commonalities with which to draw from. Regardless, the formation of the European Union has provided a type of centrifugal force that has worked to mold each of the aforementioned member states particular understanding into a more common and generally accepted form of jurisprudence which had

Mislead the officer Essay Example for Free

Mislead the officer Essay He says this in a calm voice so not to annoy the officers. The officers dont await an invitation in to the house and with their authority they just step inside and Eddie says; Whats all this? He says this with an astonished look upon his face, making the arrival of the officers appear to be a complete surprise to him. But unlike the characters in the play, the audience has full knowledge of his deceitful phone call to the Bureau, so it is ironic when he appears to know nothing. The first officer in a demanding voice says; Where are they? He says this expecting a straight answer and no messing about. Eddie will now put on a puzzled expression and frown as he says; Wheres who? He makes out to be confused and pretends to know nothing about their presence as an attempt to mislead the officer. The officer doesnt accept his over up and tries to reason with him. This shows the audience that the officer is in control of the situation and is used to people making attempts to cover up and trick him. The officer now says; Come on, come on, where are they? This is said in a calm reasoning voice to try and just get an easy answer so they can capture the immigrants hassle-free. Again Eddie with a confused look says; Who? We got nobody here. He says this with a clueless expression and an astonished voice to try and convince the officer that there has been a mistake. In this first section Eddies attitude was ironic as he made out to be bewildered and surprised by their visit, but he was the one that contacted them about the immigrants in the first place. In the second section, we get to see Beatrices reaction to his deviousness, as she immediately knows that it was Eddies doing when the officers turn up. Eddie glances at Beatrice and she quickly turns her head away to make out she is tempered towards Eddie and he confronts her straight away; Whats the matter with you? He says this with a raised tone of voice to sound annoyed as shes accused him for the officers. Even though she only gave him one glance and angrily turned her head away, I want the audience to sense her suspicion and accusation, of him calling the Bureau. The officers continue to search the building and one approaches Eddie and asks if he has the correct room number, Eddie replies with; Thats right. I want him to say this in a shaky voice so the audience can sense that he is beginning to crumble and he is fearful of the consequences of his actions. He then stares at Beatrice and I want the expression on his face to say everything. He will put on an expression, which will suggest that hes just been hit by reality, and realises the terrible situation he has got everyone in to. Eddies fearful look at Beatrice will give her conformation of his deceitfulness. But there is still the question of why he is worried? Is it to maintain his reputation in the street or the fact that he has landed Marco and Rodolpho in trouble? Maybe Both? The fact that he carries on to deny that it was him that made the phone call suggests that its to maintain his reputation. When Beatrice accuses him I want him to get frustrated to cover up for his actions. After Eddies fearful glance at Beatrice, she too is struck with fear and this is made clear by the stage directions: [weakened with fear]: She goes on to say; Oh Jesus, Eddie. She says this in total disbelief and she puts her hands on her face. This will tell the audience that she cannot bear to know what her own husband has done. Eddie continues to protest his innocence and Beatrices final action is to turn towards him, instead of running. This shows the audience that even in crisis she will not desert her husband. Her final words to him are; My God, what did you do? I want her to say this with lots of fear and anger at Eddies actions. However the fact that she didnt run from him doesnt take anything away from the shock and horror she is experiencing at the realization of what he has done. In the third section, Catherine and Beatrice make a last effort to save Marco and Rodolpho and fight with the officers. However, the officers are immune to the pleas of Catherine and Beatrice for mercy and do not express an opinion or concern. I want Catherine to seem desperate and more aggressive when attempting to persuade the officers and I want her to be more frustrated and argumentative. The first stage direction says: Catherine [backing down the stairs fighting with the first officer]. The audience can immediately tell that she is taking a more aggressive approach. She then shouts; What do yiz want from them? I want her words to have aggression in so they know that she isnt going to back down. She then says; They aint no submarines, he was born in Philadelphia. I want the audience to see her determination to save Rodolpho and her sheer frustration at what is happening. On the other hand, I want Beatrice to be seen by the audience to be taking a calmer and more diplomatic approach. She tries to reason with the officer; Ah, Mister, what do you want from them, who do they hurt? I want Beatrice to say this in a calm, less-threatening voice, so not aggravate them. The officer takes little notice of Catherine or Beatrice and merely just says to Catherine; Step aside, lady. I want him to say this in a calm, but firm voice to show the audience that he doesnt want any trouble and remains in control of the situation. I want Catherine to now appear upset and infuriated. I will do this by using her body language and tone of voice. I want her to speak in a quite angry and distressed voice; You cant just come in the house and- I want her body to be blocking the officers from getting past. I also want her to really speak face to face with the officers, to look like she is trying to intimidate them. She becomes increasingly upset as her campaign doesnt seem to be working and she screams; No, you cant! Now, get outa here! I want this shout of hers to turn in to an upset scream as she realises that she cant save Rodolpho. The men proceed to take away the immigrants and Beatrice confronts them one more time. Instead of an aggressive approach like Catherine, I want the audience to see how Beatrice stays calm in the chaotic situation. Beatrice makes an emotional appeal about what drove the immigrants to leave their own country; what do you want from them? Theyre starvin over there, what do you want? I want her to say this in a persuasive voice to try and play on their consciences, but the officers just walk off. I want them to just ignore her to suggest to the audience that they are not affected by her emotional appeal and are immune to her pleading. From this section, the audience gets to see the aggressive and frustrated Catherine character that I wanted them to see and the calm Beatrice. The audience also gets to see the very calm and dominant officers who always stay in control of the dramatic situation and do not show concern or opinion to the pleas and appeals of Catherine and Beatrice. In this next section Marco performs the malicious act of spitting in Eddies face, which results in Eddie becoming extremely furious and mad at him. This is where I get to reveal the ruthless and unpleasant side of Eddie, which I want the audience to see. It starts when Marco breaks from the group while being escorted out by the officers and spits in Eddies face. This is a powerful dramatic moment in the play and is conveyed by actions, rather than words. I want the act of spitting in his face to not only show Marcos contempt for Eddie, but also contempt for Eddies breaking of the social code. By informing the immigration bureau a social taboo has been broken and the act of spitting in his face tells the audience Marcos identification of the culprit.

Rational Emotional Behavior Therapy Case Study Conceptualization and Tr

Rational Emotional Behavior Therapy Case Study of Sarah: A Conceptualization and Treatment Plan Rational emotive behavior therapy, REBT, was developed by Albert Ellis and holds the central belief that the events in our lives do not cause our disturbances but that they are instead caused by our view of the events (Murdock, 2009). Murdock (2009) states that â€Å"people are seen as responsible for their behavior† (p. 279) but, because they are constantly changing and processing, their value or worth is not measured by their behavior. According to REBT, healthy individuals function with rational beliefs (Murdock, 2009). Sarah’s needs can best be met through the use of REBT as the therapist incorporates the interventions of role-playing and disputing, stop and monitor, and recognizing and changing irrational thought patterns, while striving for the goal of eliminating irrational thinking, dysfunctional emotions, and behaviors and teaching Sarah the philosophy of REBT. REBT will allow Sarah to overcome and replace her irrational beliefs and in turn experience healthy consequences and emotions. Presenting Concerns Sarah James, a 26-year-old Caucasian female, is seeking counsel in response to the unveiling of a family secret. Upon learning of the existence of an older brother and the, in her mind, poorly handled events surrounding the secret, Sarah is questioning her relationships and views of her family members. Sarah is unsure of what to do with the information she has been presented and is reevaluating her childhood, which she once thought had been near perfect. She is feeling confused, frustrated, angry, and isolated and these feelings and emotions have brought her to seek counsel over the situation. Case Conceptualization Ba... ... and religion. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 31 (1), 29-33. Jones, S.L., & Butman, R.E. (1991). Modern psychotherapies: A comprehensive Christian appraisal. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Lega, L.I., & Ellis, A. (2001). Rational emotional behavior therapy (REBT) in the new millennium: A cross cultural approach. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 19 (4). 201-222. Minor, J. (2007). Some reasons why I use REBT in my private practice and personal life. Et Cetera, 64 (4), 320-323. Murdock, N.L. (2009). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: A case approach (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill-Pearson. Ziegler, D.J. (2000). Basic assumptions concerning human nature underlying rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) personality theory. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 18 (2), 67-85.

Organizational Performance Management System Essay

In the pursuit of developing most appropriate organizational performance management system, many organizational performance management systems have emerged, making it difficult to choose the best organizational performance management system. The paper reviews the published literature on organizational performance management, and discusses the shift from traditional to new performance management system framework. Also, Balance Scorecard, which is one of the most commonly used approaches in measuring organizational performance, is discussed. Finally, five most important factors in designing organizational performance management are addressed. Introduction In increasingly competitive market, it is imperative that organizations design and implement an effective organizational performance management system to gauge their competitive advantage in the market. An Organization Performance Management System includes multiple activities that help in establishing the goals of the organization, and monitor the progress towards the target. It is used to make adjustments to accomplish goals more efficiently and effectively. Organizational Performance Management System can be best understood through considering the definitions of the words â€Å"performance† and â€Å"measurement† according to the Baldrige Criteria (NIST, 2001): Performance refers to output results from processes, products and services that permit evaluation and comparison relative to goals, standards, past results, and other organizations. Performance might be expressed in non-financial and financial terms. Measurement refers to numerical information that quantifies input, output, and performance dimensions of processes, products, services, and the overall organization (outcomes). Performance measures might be simple (derived from one measurement) or composite. Underlying performance management at both the organizational and employee levels is a set of performance measures. Performance measures with respect to organizational performance are an instrument to assess progress against stated program and organizational objectives. With respect to individual performances it is to assess progress against stated performances objectives, or â€Å"results to be achieved† for individual employees or teams of employees (Good & Carin, 2004). The objective of such system would be to increase the efficiency, effectiveness and performance at both organizational and employee level. The challenge for organizations today is how to match and align both organizational and individual performance measures with business strategy, structures and corporate culture, the type and number of measures to use and how to deploy the measures so that the results are used and acted upon. To address these challenges, organizations have been continually searching for an effective organizational performance management framework. Measuring organizational performance management has variety of uses. As per Vince Kellen (2003) those uses include monitoring and controlling activities, driving organizational improvement, maximizing the effectiveness of the improvement effort, achieving alignment with organizational goal and objectives, rewarding and disciplining. The Changing Role of Organizational Performance Measurement System How to create and measure organizational performance measurement system has been a persistent source of debate. Traditionally, organizational performance management system included measuring financial ratios, such as return on investments, cash flows, and cost of sales. Figure one below depicts traditional performance indicators, focused mostly on financial measures. Figure One Source: Frederico and Cavenaghi 2009 In the recent years the focus has been on measuring non-financial ratios, such as quality, customer satisfaction, safety and other stakeholders. Figure Two shows the new performance indicators, incorporating quality together with other financial indicators. Figure Two Source: Source: Frederico and Cavenaghi 2009 Furthermore, according to Shackleton (2007) financial measures prohibit the guidance and evaluation of an organization’s ability to create future value through investments in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology and innovation. Shacketon agues that the pressure for reporting on corporate performance today, has confronted the traditional managerial mindset of historical models for performance measurement, and has required them to be more innovative. Table one below illustrates the shift in the mindset and provides a comparison between traditional and more recent performance measurement systems. Table One TraditionalInnovative Based on cost/ efficiencyValue-based Performance orientedPerformance compatibility oriented Profit –orientedCustomer-oriented Short-term orientedLong-term oriented Prevalence of individual measuresPrevalence of team measures Prevalence of functional measuresPrevalence of transversal measures Comparison with standardImproving monitoring Aim at evaluatingAim at evaluating and involving Source: Shackleton, 2007 From the table it can be concluded that organizational performance management systems are moving towards relationship-oriented understanding of the whole organization progress. It is clear that financial indicators are not ignored, but treated as one piece of the puzzle in a more complex set of criteria’s in measuring organizational performance. Organizational Performance Measurement Approaches: Balance Scorecard Several approaches for measuring and managing organizational performance management system have evolved over time, including Balance Scorecard, Benchmarking, Business Process Reengineering, Continuous Improvement, ISO9000, Total Quality Management, Stakeholder Approach, and Performance Prism Approach amongst others. There is no single framework or model that will ensure success in implementing an organizational performance management system. Exploring all the approaches is beyond the scope of this review, hence Balance Scorecard is review at length since it most commonly used for measuring organizational performance. Balance Scorecard was developed by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton in 1992. It was developed to remedy the weak and vague performance management strategies developed earlier that mostly concentrated on financial indicators.

Ethics and Corruption

What is corruption? Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It is damaging to a country because decisions are taken not for the public benefit but to serve private interests. Corruption undermines good governance, fundamentally distorts public policy, leads to misallocation of resources, and particularly hurts the poor. There is a case in 29th July 1995, where the collapse of the Sampoong Superstore in Seoul, South Korea, represents an example of a structural collapse attributed in large part to corruption. The collapse of this structure left 937 people injured and had a death toll of over 500 innocent lives. Due to that, Engineer’s integrity and ethical standard will be put to test when involving project worth millions dollars. As the saying goes, â€Å"money is the root of all evil,† it is not unusual to find engineers who are tempted by the amount of money that they are entrusted with; whether to fully utilize the money in the project or to fulfill their individual greed. Hence, engineers need to be truthful. The level of truthfulness in engineering is very high, much higher in everyday life. It imposes what many consider an absolute prohibition on deception, and in addition it establishes a high ideal of seeking and speaking the truth (Martin & Schinzinger, 2005). Being truthful keep the engineers away from corruption and cutting corner. One of many ways to prevent corruption and unethical practice of cutting corner in engineering field is the development of honest and ethical engineering culture by creating or increase awareness of ethical practice among engineers since large amount of money or projects are often being handled by engineers. This is important in a sense that engineers must aware of the types of corruption as well as the punishments and consequences for involving in corruption. Punishments such as retracting the title of engineer and blacklisting the particular individual in the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and more severe punishments such as imprisonment, confiscating of properties and summonses. When engineers aware of the punishments subjected, then corruption can be prevented. Besides, awareness among engineers towards corruption can be created by implementing subjects or courses concerning engineer’s ethical issues into engineering course in university. Students that vow to become an engineer must first be taught of the ways to become an ethical engineer. Furthermore, BEM can include seminars or talks about ethical issues into Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programs for local engineers. Seniors engineers are compulsory to participate to gain points in CDP. By doing so, senior engineers that left university for long could still be educated on ethical issues. Therefore, self-awareness is a long term strategy in curbing corruption and unethical practices. When corruption is involved, competitions are not fair anymore. People will find various methods to undercut competition. Instead of using a well-organized process for contracting based on technical criteria to judge bids and firms, it is decentralized and is subject to monopoly power plus discretion minus accountability. Some political appointees have the discretion to let contracts without competition or technical reviews. Therefore, tendering process must be more transparent and have strict control over project variation. Handling of tenders should be fair and just where the project should only be awarded to the bidder who offers lowest price on the project without ignoring the quality of materials and services as well as the customers’ requirements. Any conflict of interest or bribes should be notified by the engineer to the corresponding company during the process of evaluating all the offers made by the bidders in order to ensure an outcome of decision which are fair, just and also the best for the company. By doing so, the opportunity of the engineer to work together with the bidders in falsifying the receipts or offers to gain profit without alerting or the knowledge of the company can be decreased or at some point, being completely eliminated, to avoid putting the lives of workers, employees and publics at risk due to corruption. Advantage or authority given to the engineers must not be misused in unlawful deeds, engineers should report to their company for how they handle or use the given authority to complete the project in order to prevent falsification and exaggeration of the project funds. Corruption usually occurs because a certain individual or organization has too much power and authority. Engineers themselves should always alert toward orders they get from company or requirement from customers. Any conflicts of the order or requirement with the codes of ethics should be advised by the engineers to the customer or company. If the advice failed to change their mind, then the engineers have the responsibility to carried forth the case to corresponding authority. Besides, in order to eliminate the unnecessary power and authorities, the administration approval process should be optimized. A complete supervising system should be implemented to prevent any corruption and this supervising system should allow the officials to work without administrative interference at the same time protecting the innocent public. Besides, institution of regular and random checks is important to review the conduct of the officials involved in engineering, project or construction industry. These checks include detailed review of the entire procurement process on selected projects. It must be fair and done by an anti-corruption body. The checks should not single out any individual official or company. Consequently, officials are less likely to participate in corrupt conduct or deliberate maladministration as they cannot be confident that their conduct will not be detected by detailed scrutiny of supervisory officials. As a consequence of these random and regular reviews or checks, may be a pattern of misconduct can be identified at one or more specific stages during the construction process. Furthermore, hot lines or whistle-blowers protection is another measure in curbing corruption and unethical practices of cutting corners. Hot lines improve accountability by enlisting workers and public to report corrupt acts. The government office responsible for investigating such acts often operates a hot line. For example, in Hong Kong, the Independent Commission Against Corruption runs a hot line and guarantees that every allegation is investigated. It also protects those who make reports by granting file access to officers on a â€Å"need to know† basis only. However, in cases where anonymity cannot be guaranteed, those who protest corruption often place themselves at risk. In many countries, whistle blowers are often fired or punished, subjected to administrative harassment, and exposed to violence. For this reason, anti- corruption efforts need legislation to protect whistle blowers from official sanctions or even to reward them. Although whistle-blowing is not desirable in a company as it will affect the reputation of the company, but it is an essential way in combating corruption. With every engineer practicing whistle-blow, others will not even consider unethical practices such as corruption and cutting corners. Thus, effectively preventing misbehavior among engineers and subsequently safeguarding the good image of the engineering profession. Professional engineers should aware that it is important to conduct the duty assigned to them responsibly and professionally especially when it involves he confidential information about certain project because bribery and cutting corner can also occur in such way that the information is used by other company to compete in an unfair condition. The professional engineers will never disclose the confidential information of their client or companies to others in order to maintain their professionalism and they must also knows that the consequences of revealing those info rmation can be a great risk for themselves and companies, such act is punishable and will affects their reputation as an professional engineer. Furthermore, transparency of a project progress can reduces as well as avoids corruption to occur as the activities of the project are visible to all and the engineer can hardly alter it for cutting corner purpose. The transparency of a tender progress or engineering project can be made clear or enhanced by doing the publication of the procurement procedures. Procedures involved in the projects shall be clearly defined and stated so that the publications are understandable and clear to public, details such as stating how and where the supplies originated from shall be included. Through this step, the procedures made in the projects are transparent to the public and the chance for the engineers to corrupt would be greatly reduced. The publication can be made through media such as newspaper, internet, and magazine at which these media are easily reached by the public. According to the BEM code of ethics, a registered engineer shall conduct himself honorably, responsibly, ethically and lawfully so as to enhance the honors, reputation and usefulness of the profession. This code should always be abided by the engineer and keep in mind that one should be avoiding from corruption, bribery and also cutting corner and have to be very well aware that these are the actions punishable by the Board of Engineers or court of law and also might risk the safety and health of the public. Every engineer should aware of their own responsibility toward the company, client and public which includes preserving the reputations of company and themselves. They should do everything lawfully to increase the reputations of their company and engineers. Reputation of an engineer is very important in order for them to be employed and keep their professions as an engineer. Engineers also should uphold their professionalism in order to honor and enhance their usefulness in the field. Failing to abide the codes might result in drop in reputation, being fired, the license of engineer being revoked or the worst is, might end up in jail. Based on the first principle of BEM Codes of ethics, a registered engineer holds paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public. The engineer should always make the public as his first priority because in the profession of engineering, the whole community is the ultimate client rather than the individual client. Corruption and cutting corner always put the safety of public at the edge of risk as the bidders always tend to make more profits from the project, hence they might altered the materials for the project to lower quality materials in order to save cost and this might lead to disastrous consequences such as collapse of buildings and dangerous behaviors of machines due to malfunction or system breakdown. Engineers have the responsibility to report to corresponding authority if their client or company failed to fulfill the instructions of the engineer that abide the code. Even though engineers have their own responsibility toward their client, but the first code of ethics erases this responsibility if their clients or company fail to follow what have been set by the engineers which did not against the codes of ethics. Failing to abide the first code might result in disciplinary action to be taken or the license as an engineer to be revoked because they put the lives of public in danger, even though at the end no harm or loss of life occur. The first code of ethics is also applicable to the case with other professions at which the general public’s safety is the main consideration to be made before others. In conclusion, engineers should always take consideration and action according to the codes of ethics. Any action that might lead to bribery, corruption or cutting corner should be avoided. Prevention methods for unethical practice have to be carried out by engineers and the importance of upholding the professionalism in engineering field has to be kept in mind in order to create an honorable, responsible, ethical and lawful profession. The impression or reputation of engineers can be improved through actual practice of the codes of ethics and avoiding corruptions. Engineers should always remind themselves that not only the project, reputation, and wealth are in their hands, but also the safety and life of public, therefore, it is important for them to make safety issues as the main priority of making consideration. In addition, the integrity of the country also can be improved through such practice as the corruptions, briberies, and cutting corners are reduced.

Spirited Away Summary †English Composition Informal Essay

Spirited Away Summary – English Composition Informal Essay Free Online Research Papers Spirited Away Summary English Composition Informal Essay â€Å"Spirited Away† is a wondrous fantasy movie about a young girl, Chihiro. In a summer afternoon, Chihiro and her family are on the way to their new home. But they get lost in a glove and find a tunnel in it. They are curious about the tunnel and decide to check it out. They walk through the tunnel and discover a new world behind it. They keep on walking and finally go into a small town where is no one there. Her parents find a restaurant selling tasty food and suddenly feel hungry for it. They eat the food though there is nobody in the restaurant. And then something happens. When the night comes, her parents transform into the pigs for eating the food of Gods. Yes, they are trapped into a world of spirits, including Gods. And she must call upon her courage to find a way to turning her parents into humans, freeing herself, and returning her family to the outside world. In the movie, there are two scenes impressing me. One is the train running on the sea. When Chihiro goes to ask Zeniiba, a wise wizard, for help, she takes the train that is running on a far long railway based on the sea. Although the movie is an animation, the sea is vivid like the real one. I can see even tiny waves and reflection of sunlight. It is so serene and beautiful that I also want to take a trip in this way. The other is in the final part. When Chihiro gets help from her friend, Haku, and goes back to the tunnel, Haku says, â€Å"Go through the tunnel and you can return to your world. But remember one thing that do not look back when you are in the tunnel.† Eventually, Chihiro doesn’t look back and goes through the tunnel smoothly. When I see this scene, I feel that it is kind of familiar to me. And then I find that I have read a story which has the similar situation; that is the story about Orpheus and Eurydice in Greek mythology. In this case, when Orpheus went back from Hades to the upper world, he was also warned that he could not look back at Eurydice who walked behind him until they reached the earth out of the cavern. But he looked when he stepped into the earth, and find Eurydice was still in the cavern. Then, he tried to clasp her but she had faded away. All he got was her final word, â€Å"Farewell.† So I think this part of movie is influenced by Greek mythology, and maybe Chihiro would lose everything if she looked back in the tunnel. â€Å"Spirited Away† is a movie of Hayao Miyazaki, the writer and the director of the movie. I like his movies because the stories in his movies are always enthralling and deep; therefore, seeing his movies can not only amuse me, but also let me learn something from it. â€Å"Spirited Away† is full of imagination, even beyond the imagination. I am so amazed that Miyazaki can always create what we’ve never seen in the movie. To me, â€Å"Spirited away† is a movie that can transports you to a world unlike anything I have seen before just like a mystical journey through my imagination. Research Papers on "Spirited Away" Summary - English Composition Informal EssayWhere Wild and West MeetHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyLifes What IfsMind TravelHip-Hop is ArtThe Hockey GameThe Spring and AutumnThe Fifth HorsemanComparison: Letter from Birmingham and Crito

Biography of Georges Braque, Pioneer Cubist Painter

Biography of Georges Braque, Pioneer Cubist Painter Georges Braque (May 13, 1882 - August 31, 1963) was a French artist best known for his cubist paintings and the development of collage techniques. He worked closely with Pablo Picasso as they broke down traditional rules of the use of perspective in painting. Fast Facts: Georges Braque Occupation: Painter and collage artistBorn: May 13, 1882 in Argenteuil, FranceDied: August 31, 1963 in Paris, FranceSelected Works: Houses at lEstaque (1908), Bottle and Fishes (1912), Violin and Pipe (1913)Notable Quote: Truth exists; only lies are invented. Early Life and Training Growing up in the port city of Le Havre, France, young Georges Braque trained to be a house painter and decorator like his father and grandfather. In addition to working on his vocation, Braque studied in the evenings at Le Havres Ecole des Beaux-Arts as a teenager. After apprenticing with a decorator, he earned a certificate to practice the craft in 1902. In 1903, Braque enrolled in the Academie Humbert in Paris. He painted there for two years and met avant-garde painters Marie Laurencin and Francis Picabia. The earliest Braque paintings are in the classic impressionist style. That changed in 1905 when he began to associate with Henri Matisse. Public domain Fauvist Matisse was at the forefront of the group of painters known as the Fauves (beasts in English). They are noted for the use of vibrant colors and simpler lines designed to make a bold, emotional statement to the viewer. Georges Braques first exhibit of his Fauvist paintings took place at the Salon des Independants show Paris in 1907. Braques Fauvist works are slightly more subdued in color than those of some of the other leaders of the style. He worked closely with Raoul Dufy and fellow Le Havre artist Othon Friesz. After viewing a massive retrospective show of the work of Paul Cezanne in Paris in late 1907, Braques work began to shift again. He also visited Pablo Picassos studio for the first time in 1907 to view the legendary painting Les Demoiselles dAvignon. The association with Picasso had a powerful impact on Braques evolving technique. The Olive Tree Near lEstaque (1906). Public domain Work With Pablo Picasso Georges Braque began to work closely with Picasso as they both developed a new style that was soon dubbed cubism. Many researchers dispute the specific origins of the term, but while organizing a salon show in 1908, Matisse reportedly said Braque has just sent in a painting made of little cubes. Picasso and Braque were not the only artists developing the new approach to painting, but they were the most prominent. Both artists exhibited influences of Paul Cezannes experiments with painting objects from multiple perspectives. While some believed that Picasso led the way and Braque merely followed in his wake, a close examination by art historians has revealed that Picasso focused on the animation of objects while Braque explored a more contemplative approach. In 1911, Braque and Picasso spent the summer together in the French Pyrenees mountains painting side by side. They produced works that are virtually impossible to distinguish from each other in terms of style. In 1912, they expanded their approach to include collage techniques. Braque invented what came to be known as papier colle, or paper cutouts, a method of incorporating paper with paint to create the collage. Braques piece Violin and Pipe (1913) illustrates how the pieces of paper allowed him to literally take the shapes present in the objects apart and rearrange them to create art. Man with a Guitar (1911). Corbis Historical / Getty Images The extended collaboration came to an end in 1914 when Georges Braque enlisted in the French Army to fight in World War I. He suffered a severe head injury in May 1915 in the battle at Carency. Braque experienced temporary blindness and required a long period of recuperating. He did not begin painting again until late 1916. Cubist Style The style of cubism is an expansion of the experiments by painter Paul Cezanne in depicting three-dimensional form on a two-dimensional canvas. Cezanne died in 1906, and, following significant retrospectives of his work in 1907, Pablo Picasso painted Les Demoiselles dAvignon, a piece that many believe is an example of proto-Cubism. At the same time as Picasso exhibited his new style through abstracted images of people, Braque was at work on extending Cezannes vision of landscapes with reductive, geometric forms. Soon, the pair became leaders of a new style of painting that attempted to represent multiple viewpoints on an object or person simultaneously. Some observers likened the works to a diagram of how the objects worked and moved in real life. Gjon Mili / Getty Images In the period between 1909 and 1912, Braque and Picasso focused on a style now known as analytic cubism. They painted mostly in neutral colors like brown and beige while taking apart objects and analyzing their shapes on the canvas. It is difficult to tell the work of the two artists apart in this period. One of Braques key works during this time is Bottle and Fishes (1912). He broke the object into so many discreet shapes that the whole became nearly unrecognizable. Cubists challenged the conventional view of perspective in painting that ruled the establishment since the Renaissance. It was perhaps the most important legacy of Braques art. Breaking down the rigid notion of perspective paved the way for multiple developments in the painting of the 20th century that ultimately led to pure abstraction. Later Work After he began painting again in 1916, Georges Braque worked alone. He began to develop a more idiosyncratic style that included brighter colors while relaxing the harsh nature of his earlier cubist work. He became close friends with Spanish artist Juan Gris. New subject matter entered Braques work in the 1930s. He began to focus on Greek heroes and gods. He explained that he wanted to show them in a pure form stripped of symbolic gestures. The bright colors and emotional intensity of these paintings depict the emotional anxiety felt by Europeans as a second world war approached. Painter and Model (1939). Corbis Historical / Getty Images After World War II, Braque painted ordinary objects like flowers and garden chairs. He created his final series of eight works between 1948 and 1955. They were all titled Atelier, the French word for the studio. At the time Georges Braque died in 1963, many considered him one of the fathers of modern art. Legacy While his painting ranged across multiple styles during his lifetime, Georges Braque is primarily remembered for his cubist work. His focus on still life and landscapes influenced later artists who returned to the traditional subject matter. Braques most distinctive legacy is his development of collage techniques involving cut paper that he focused on for only a few short years of his career. Source Danchev, Alex. Georges Braque: A Life. Arcade, 2012.

Globalization, Unemployment, and Recession Links

Globalization, Unemployment, and Recession Links A reader recently sent me this e-mail: It seems to me that we are now engaged in an economy that may look different from any we have experienced. The Globalization of the economy has created huge firm closures in America expecially in manufacturing and forced lower wages on those employed by this sector. Typically and historically manufacturing jobs have created higher wages in this country but now we see all the rules are changing. Do you believe globalization will bring new trends to the relationship between rececession/depression and firm closures? I believe it already has begun. - Before we begin, Id like to thank the e-mailer for her very thoughtful question! I dont think globalization will change the relationship between recessions and firm closures, since the relationship between the two was fairly weak to begin with. In Are recessions good for the economy? we saw that: We do not see great differences in firm closures between periods of high growth and periods of low growth. While 1995 was the beginning of a period of exceptional growth, almost 500,000 firms closed shop. The year 2001 saw almost no growth in the economy, but we only had 14% more business closures than in 1995 and fewer businesses filed for bankruptcy in 2001 than 1995. Competition between firms in periods of growth: During a period of high economic growth, some firms still perform better than others. Those high performing ones can often squeeze weaker performing ones out of the marketplace, causing firm closures. Structural changes: High economic growth is often caused by technological improvements. More powerful and useful computers can drive economic growth, but they also spell disaster for companies that manufacture or sell typewriters. Would 0% Unemployment Be a Good Thing? Cyclical Unemployment is defined as occuring when the unemployment rate moves in the opposite direction as the GDP growth rate. So when GDP growth is small (or negative) unemployment is high. When the economy goes into recession and workers are laid off, we have cyclical unemployment. Frictional Unemployment: The Economics Glossary defines frictional unemployment as unemployment that comes from people moving between jobs, careers, and locations. If a person quits his job as an economics researcher to try and find a job in the music industry, we would consider this to be frictional unemployment. Structural Unemployment: The glossary defines structural unemployment as unemployment that comes from there being an absence of demand for the workers that are available. Structural unemployment is often due to technological change. If the introduction of DVD players cause the sales of VCRs to plummet, many of the people who manufacture VCRs will suddenly be out of work. Thats my take on the question - Id love to hear yours! You can contact me by using the feedback form.

Management accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Management accounting - Essay Example It includes a proper comparison of the roles that are performed by management accounting with those that are performed by financial accounting. An appropriate definition of ‘management accounting’ is provided by Institute of Management Accountants. According to this institute, management accounting is the process through which financial information is identified, measured, accumulated, analyzed, prepared, interpreted and communicated to the management who then use these information for the purpose of planning, evaluating and controlling the operations of the firm (Siegel and Shim, Accounting handbook). Management accounting helps in preparing financial reports for various non-management groups like tax authorities and regulatory agencies. In simple words management accounting is such an accounting system that helps an organization and its management to plan, control and make effective decisions. Financial accounting, on the other side, is all about maintenance of record, classification and summarization of financial transactions. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has clearly defined the term ‘financial accounting’. As per this definition, financial accounting is referred to the art of recording, categorizing as well as summarizing the events and transactions that includes at least one financial character. Three of the basic functions of financial accounting are recording, categorizing and summarizing (Kesavan et al. Engineering Economics and Financial Accounting). According to Vijayakumar, financial accounting and management accounting are the two important branches of accounting and as a consequence they are interrelated. He also opined that management accounting, to a great extent, is the rearrangement of data that arise out of the practice of financial accounting. However, there are several points or aspects where significant differences can be found between these two branches of accounting. Each of these

Electric cars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Electric cars - Essay Example The concept of electric cars is non-conventional in Ontario as those which are working on the fuel efficiency theorem in the region are dragging up with the hybrid school of thought. The Ontario manufacturer is onto the challenge of producing electric cars, which will be new to the market and require a comprehensive strategy to get accepted in the market. The need here is to bring a strong workable marketing plan in order to make the thought of the manufacturer successful in the market (Chan & Chau, 2001). This paper is focusing on the commercialization plan of the electric cars to be produced by a regional Ontario manufacturer, which is presently producing 75 cars per month and looking onto producing 200 cars per month in 2014. The plan will be asserting the strategies to make the idea successful in the market. The primary aim is to make the plan attentive to the market- a plan that can most attract the market consumers and developers. Commercialization Plan The first stage of the c ommercialization plan of electric cars is to bring a conductive demonstration of the idea of electric cars (Barnes & Brumfitt, 2001). The demonstration is to state potencies of the technology, the design and the concept to be introduced by the manufacturer in the Ontario market. After the plan is well asserted, the next stage is of execution which will endorse the plan into real means and in real outcomes (generation of market feedback). Here is how the demonstration of the plan engages the market of Ontario: Technology (Describing the Product) Electric cars are concept cars based on electro-mechanical function. The technology is derived from hybrid cars which are aimed to fuel efficiency and intake the combination of multiple fuels (gasoline or diesel) during operation (Jolly, 1997). The Canadian company is up on launching fully electric car in Ontario- a design that is a passenger car with space of 4 passengers at a time. Similarly, the design is ranging a speed range of 200 kilom etres with high economical fuel consumption capability (Rafinejad, 2007). The design is basically a zero fuel emission design as there are fuel cells placed instead of internal combustion engine to become a green fuel supply for the car. Apart from all, the three major components of the car, the fuel cells power supply unit, fly wheel power storage unit and electric motor propulsion unit further adds to the efficiency and value of the car. Such valuable components are to balance out the electro-mechanical load on the car especially at the time when the car is at the higher torque rate (Battery University, 2013). Key Success Factors The manufacturer is aiming for an electric car that is vibrant to address city driving needs. Ontario which is a busy state and where drivers are usually on moderate speeds, this electric car is going to touch the basic state driver’s requirements (Survant, 2013). The electric car will maximize to a speed capacity of two hundred kilometres as the f uel cells placed in the car are highly power driven. This makes the car a complete electric drive, meeting the basic purpose of driving in highly efficient ways. Customer attraction for car has remained important for the manufacturer and for which it is going to come up with multiple attracted color ranges. The car will appear in market with blue, red, white, sterling metallic and black exterior

Rhetoric in Communication Theory Research Paper

Rhetoric in Communication Theory - Research Paper Example Writers and speakers have varying intentions for the message in their communication and, this determines the appropriate rhetoric for use. On the other hand, communication theories are theories that attempt to give an explanation on why people communicate the way they do. Rhetoric and communication theories are two closely related subjects. This paper will therefore analyze the rhetoric in communications theories. There are various communication theories that define the relationship between the different parties involved in communication. The theories also explain why communication takes place in certain ways. Communication theories also explain how effective communication can be achieved by improving the relationship between the speaker and the audience. Cognitive dissonance theory is an important theory in communication. Cognitive Dissonance theory states that dissension experiences are avoidable. According to the theory, people tend to avoid information that conflicts with their b eliefs (Lisa, 1975). Therefore, people will avoid a speaker whose information contradicts their beliefs and knowledge. In most situations, information that opposes the views of the audience is informative information. In addition, information aimed at persuading the audience can also conflict the views of the audience. ... Communication accommodation theory is also an important theory in communication. This theory argues that a change of communication style has direct consequences on motivation. The theory implies that people tend to vary their communication style in order to fit the audience. Although the speaker is an important factor in communication, the audience is of equal importance. Effective communication will therefore, depend on the relationship between the two parties. The rhetoric in accommodation theory aims at creating a supportive environment between the speaker and the audience. The theory argues that speakers tend to adjust their speaking styles in order to accommodate the audience (Miller, 2005). This implies that an effective speaker should have an idea on the communication style that the audience expects. Speakers are able to persuade an audience if they apply a communication style that is acceptable between the two parties. Similarly, a speaker is capable of persuading the audienc e if the communication style used match the expectations of the audience. In most communications, the audience is incapable of determining the communication or their relationships with the speaker. However, the speaker has the ability to alter the communication or their relationship with the audience. Adjusting the communication style to match the audience expectations is a proof of the flexibility that speakers have. According to the accommodation, theory speakers or parties involved in communication often tend to adjust their communication style in order to meet the expectations of the audience (Miller, 2005).. Adjusting the communication style in order to accommodate the expectations of the audience is a communication technique. Speakers apply the

Discuss ethical and legal implications of medical errors related to Essay

Discuss ethical and legal implications of medical errors related to healthcare management - Essay Example Hiding a medical error from patients violates ethical codes. Nevertheless, medical practitioners fail to disclose the truth to their patients. Most physicians believe that in the medical profession, errors are forbidden and if they reveal them they could damage their professional reputations (Selbst, 2003). Others also believe that by revealing these errors to the patients as ethically required might reduce the number of referrals they receive thus lowering their income. Moreover, disclosing the truth about medical errors may also increase patient anxiety and erode their trust in future. In addition, most medical professionals also conceal a medical error from patients because of the fear to be punished. They believe that if they reveal an error to a patient they may face a malpractice law suit that could lead to dismissal and hinder their career advancement (Kapp, 1997). However, although most physicians fear to disclose the truth about their mistakes to their patients, it is morally upright to do so. The fear of being blamed should not be a reason of hiding the truth from patient (Wu AW et al, 1997). Moreover, physicians only face more lawsuits when they try to hide the mistakes from their patients who later on realize the truth through other means. Therefore, to reduce medical errors, physicians should address this fear and its

Module 2 (SLP) Nature of Health Information Essay

Module 2 (SLP) Nature of Health Information - Essay Example The system produces the output once the throughputs are processed. Output can be in the form of services, goods that the system gives out (Hayajneh, 2012). A data warehouse is where the data in the health informatics system is housed. The warehouse is a combination of databases that are used to store information. The warehouse allows an access of the information by many users. The access of the data by many users opens room for advancement on analysis that is based on analysis. The data and information warehouse are stored in qualitative, analog, and quantitative facts. The format or the stored data vary in storeroom such that it stores electronic patient charts to insurance and accounting records (Curry 2000). The public health information specialists enter data that are used in various applications in the health informatics system. Information specialists are professional specializing in information handling. They enter data and manage the information in the health informatics system. The integrity of the information stores in the health informatics system is important. To protect health data and information, many medical organizations and hospitals may use verification procedures that are the use of keys, passwords, and other automatic identifiers. These techniques will help to protect the integrity of the patient data (Buckovich

E-Recruiting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

E-Recruiting - Essay Example Several measures exist in which human resource professionals can use online recruiting to support recruitment effectively and at lower costs. One of such measures is by completing the recruitment exercise faster. Online recruitment is faster as information can reach target people instantly to facilitate faster response. This helps human resource department to meet its urgent human resource needs such as overcoming the challenge of abrupt and significant employee turnover. Shortening the recruitment period also saves money in case of use of recruitment consultants and saves time and associated cost that an organization’s personnel would use in recruiting over a longer period. Human resource professionals can also use online recruitment to eliminate intermediaries such as recruitment firms. Personal interest in an organization, which internal human resource professionals have, is likely to improve diligence and limit the recruitment process to an organization’s financial potentials by eliminating additional human resource cost of recruitment. Reliance on computerized approaches also improves validity and reliability of the recruitment process to ensure effectiveness and reduce possible future costs in repeating recruitment processes (Leung, Nkhoma, and John, 2013). Other ways in which human resource professionals can utilize online recruitment to support recruitment and reduce associated cost are widening target number of applicants, expanding target geographical regions at no extra cost, and reducing administrative procedures that challenge recruitment processes. Expanded target population increases the probability of obtaining best personnel and there is the benefit of no extra cost in the expansion. Administrative processes in recruitment exercises such as meetings and travels are also costly in terms of allowances and lost time that could be used in other

Module 2 (SLP) Nature of Health Information Essay

Module 2 (SLP) Nature of Health Information - Essay Example The system produces the output once the throughputs are processed. Output can be in the form of services, goods that the system gives out (Hayajneh, 2012). A data warehouse is where the data in the health informatics system is housed. The warehouse is a combination of databases that are used to store information. The warehouse allows an access of the information by many users. The access of the data by many users opens room for advancement on analysis that is based on analysis. The data and information warehouse are stored in qualitative, analog, and quantitative facts. The format or the stored data vary in storeroom such that it stores electronic patient charts to insurance and accounting records (Curry 2000). The public health information specialists enter data that are used in various applications in the health informatics system. Information specialists are professional specializing in information handling. They enter data and manage the information in the health informatics system. The integrity of the information stores in the health informatics system is important. To protect health data and information, many medical organizations and hospitals may use verification procedures that are the use of keys, passwords, and other automatic identifiers. These techniques will help to protect the integrity of the patient data (Buckovich

PepsiCo Restaurants Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PepsiCo Restaurants - Case Study Example Secondly, both businesses have the capabilities of growing as COC has invested in technology, which might end up being cost effective while CPK has replaced advertising with store openings, which is more profitable. In addition, COC has many clients around the globe, therefore this will benefit PepsiCo by enabling it to enter the new competitive market and supply its products to big entities in the globe. Concurrently, acquiring CPK will be beneficial to PepsiCo because CPK has committed employees, which will increase PepsiCo’s task force (Harvard business school 13). PepsiCo adds value to all its restaurant business because before it purchases any restaurant or launches a product, it formulates a strategic plan to direct it. In the restaurant industry, the strategic plan that guides PepsiCo believes that fast food restaurants will be on demand for the coming decades; therefore, it is a preferable business for investment (Harvard business school 6). To gauge the value that PepsiCo adds to these restaurants, one can consider the situation in Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC. The cooperate resources and core skills that PepsiCo apply in its business include the marketing strategies, finance, operations, human resources and information systems (Harvard business school 3). â€Å"Let us say that PepsiCo makes the acquisition of the two aforementioned companies, how should PepsiCo structure the reporting relationship of its newly acquired units with the rest of the company?† After acquiring CPK and COC, PepsiCo CEO will structure his reporting so that he explains to the rest of the company that each of the acquired restaurants operates on its own, but they just collaborated to share their views. The COE will insist that they conduct their business transparently; concurrently, they are helping other businesses to grow (Harvard business school 10). The current organization of PepsiCo restaurants makes long-term sense because it is a great business operating at a fair

Fast Food Nation Essay Example for Free

Fast Food Nation Essay One thing that most people don’t seem to understand about fast food restaurants is the harmful and unethical practice that comes with an order of a double cheeseburger with a side order of medium fries and a drink. Eric Schlosser, the author of â€Å"Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal,† had made several negative interpretation about the functionality of fast food corporation. Such interpretation can be in relations of what a typical Marxist would complain about, such as the fact that fast food corporation tends to do whatever means possible to reach the end of making a substantial amount of profit. In â€Å"Fast Food Nations: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal,† Schlosser targeted on the unethical practices of producing profit which includes the fabrication of sediment phrases, the systematic of mass production, and the management of poor quality with emphasis of large quantity. Some of the claims that Schlosser made can be viewed similarly to the aspects of Karl Marx and his believers, the Marxists. Many Marxists can strongly support Schlosser’s claim with a Marxist interpretation of an accusation of Capitalism. Marxist is known as a group of socialist and they believes that the government’s economy should be equally shared amongst all working classes. Without a doubt, Schlosser had exposed the fact that corporations like McDonalds, Carl’s Jr, Burger King, and so forth had made great profits from exploiting the nation’s vulnerable workers who are willing to work at any cost. These vulnerable workers can be just about anyone from teenagers to first generation immigrants. All in all, Schlosser had made a strong argument to persuade the nation from supporting profit-hungry Corporation by revealing of its unethical practices that may be a convincing factor for the nation to think twice before entering another fast food restaurant. One of the many reasons why fast food restaurants are successful is because they know how to market themselves properly with small sentimental message that appeals to the community. Sentimental message might not mean much, but when families of the community are convinced that the restaurant cares about them, they will be inclined to support their business. It’s a shame that the community does not see the irony in their sentimental messages. Example of the irony would be Mcdonalds creating the Ronald McDonald House of Charity to ask customers for additional donations, in which all proceeds of that donation will help other counties hospital. The irony of this all is that fast food is also the reason why kids are unhealthy. It is also common knowledge that fast food is the leading cause of obesity and obesity can lead to various amount of health-related problem. Another reason why fast food restaurants are successful is because fast food industries target a younger audience such as children. Their techniques on children are simple, because children love collecting toys and items that relates to cartoon figures that they are familiar with. Therefore, these corporations would purchase patents and the rights to use their cartoon figure or icon on their product, which typically sells efficiently with kids. These items are not just popular amongst the children’s age group, but â€Å"many adult collectors have also bought Teenie Beanie Baby Happy Meals, kept the dolls, and threw away the food† (Schlosser 48). These cross promotions between brands has done two things; strengthens ties between fast food industries and companies and also create an irresistible addiction between collectors and the industries. Another marketing strategy that these fast food industries utilize is to slightly modify the collectible’s colors or parts to attract customers to spend a fortunate collecting a whole set of the same kind of toys. The surface of the fast food industries may be deceiving to the general public, but it certainly is not easily deceitful to the workers who dealt with jobs within a fast food industry. While the economy continues to look like steep slide, workers are becoming more willing to work at any jobs in order to financially support their family and themselves. These very same workers that work for fast food industries, are typically teenagers or first generation immigrants because fast food industries knows that these two candidates are perfect for exploitation. Also, because they are less likely to form unions, complain about conditions, and complain about long hours. Fast food industries, like most Marxist-invaded counties, know how to exploit their workers at their fullest potential. They hire the uneducated youth with the least potential to start a union. They view workers as cheap objects that they can be hired and fired at the will of their employers. Unlike a business firm, these fast food industries rarely give raises to their employees, but instead they ould motivate their workers with encouragements or compliments. Since these workers are uneducated and don’t know their rights enough to argue, they would simply respond to their employer’s encouragement or compliment with better performances. Aside from the wages, these jobs are more than often dangerous. It is not certain whether these companies have spent enough money to properly train workers to diligently use the restaurants equipment which would prevent health inc idents and work injuries. Reasons being that these companies are profit-focused. They will try to minimize their spending as much as possible to make sure that they maximize the profit. Some of these jobs are even done by illegal immigrants or anyone desperate enough for a job at a later night shift, because it’s extremely dangerous and companies do not want to risk going into law suits or paying for higher life insurances for their workers with all means to maximize their profit. Schlosser had mentioned a story about Kenny Dobbin, as an example of a worker who was a victim of such unethical offense. Kenny was an uneducated man with no literacy skills, but was tall and strong. He was hired by Monfort, a meat-packing plant company, whom took advantage of Kenny’s kindness and abused him by placing him in dangerous working condition. After sixteen years of pure dedication, Kenny was fired because of his severe injuries from work, because the company does not want to pay for a higher insurance coverage for him. Kenny was â€Å"once strong and powerfully built, he now walks with difficulty, tires easily, and feels useless as though his life were over. He is forty-six years old† (Schlosser 190). Kenny, however, is still considered to be one of the fortunate one because he is able to get his story out unlike many other victims who weren’t able to get their stories out because they are still working with the injuries that they have attained from work. Some of the reasons that explain why they don’t complain about their injuries are because they don’t want to be fired and stress the difficulties of finding another job. These are just some of the examples of the inhumanely acts that fast food industries had commit to their workers. Workers might understand the cruelty that lies within their job, but they might not know what kind of quality the management has selected for the product that they are working with. Aside from managing workers and their wages, fast food industries also manages their food supplies to ensure the greatest amount of profit. By doing so, managements of fast food industries would choose the cheapest quality of meat that’s barely edible, refrozen fries that have been made with preservatives, and also wheat from a wheat field that have been sprayed with pesticides on a regular basis. Many fast food critics, including Schlosser, argued that fast food industries are more concern about the superficial image and the smell of the product rather than the natural healthy content of the product. Schlosser had mentioned that the â€Å"Food and Drug Administration does not require flavor companies to disclose the ingredients of their addictive, so long as all the chemicals are considered by the agency to be generally regarded as safe,† which means that the government had betrayed the consumers and had gave fast food industries the additional power to make substantial amount of profit. Most fast food restaurant took advantage of the governments’ lack of responsibility and would spend as little as possible on meat. This course of action might be good for business, but it is absolutely terrible for the consumers who invest their health in these fast food products. In the early years of fast food industries, many fast food restaurants have been criticized for their contaminated burgers because of the hospitalized and illness trend that consumers are recognizing prior to eating their burgers. The fast food industries did not know how to react to such immense pressure, so they attempt to shift the blame to the farmers. Eventually the government realized the decline of fast food industries and initiated the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to run a federal inspection test for all the meat packaging industries of the fast food industries. This might have been a good sign of improvement for the government, until the government decided to be secretive about their findings and had agreed with fast food industries to not reveal the details about the company’s distributed meat. Today, Fast food industries is still one of the largest marketing industries across nation, but let’s not forget about the labor policies, marketing strategies, and agricultural techniques that comes within their products. Schlosser had made enough strong argument about the business tactics that are responsible for the success of fast food industries. Such tactics that targets children and families with collectibles and sentimental values, hiring workers that are more willing to work with minimum wages, and also managing a horrible quality of food supplies. These factors might be great for the industries because they prospering a substantial amount of profit, but it are unhealthy for the consumers across the nation. Hopefully in the near future, United State’s Department of Agriculture would interfere with regulations that would prevent fast food industries from exploiting the community of its self-motivated individuals. Schlosser also believed that the government should create a federal agency that promotes â€Å"more safety laws that could also reduce the number of slaughterhouse workers who get hurt† (Schlosser 264). With the worker’s safety conditions controlled, it would also be the nation’s best interest to end obesity, by controlling the establishment of fast food restaurants allowed per community and to open up healthier restaurants. Now on a more practical basis, students and the community should raise awareness of the unethical practices of fast food industries, and promote healthier eating habits within their community. With this practical practice, fast food industries will be prone to being eliminated, and the community will live a longer and healthier life.

Hume and the Ethics of Virtue Essay -- Character Morals Aristotle Pape

I argue that Hume's ethics can be characterized as a virtue ethics, by which I mean a view according to which character has priority over action and the principles governing action: virtuous character guides and constrains practical deliberation. In a traditional utilitarian or Kantian ethics, character is subordinate to practical deliberation: virtue is needed only to motivate virtuous action. I begin by outlining this approach in Aristotle's ethics, then draw relevant parallels to Hume. I argue that virtuous character in Aristotle is understood in terms of "self-love." A true self-lover enjoys most the exercise of the characteristic human powers of judging, choosing, deciding and deliberating. A virtuous agent's self-love enables sizing up practical situations properly and exhibiting the virtue called for by the situation. But if an agent's character is defective, the practical situation will be misapprehended and responded to improperly. I argue that though Hume claims moral judgm ents are the product of sympathy, they are actually the result of a complex process of practical reflection and deliberation. Although Hume writes as though anyone can be a judicious spectator, there is reason to think that persons of calm temperament, who enjoy deliberation and have a facility for it, are more likely to perform the corrections in sentiments that may be necessary. If this is so, an agent's character has priority over his or her practical deliberations. I am interested in the general question of how to characterize Hume's ethics, in particular, in whether Hume can be seen to offer some version of a virtue ethics. Let me first explain what I take a virtue ethics to be. For a virtue ethics, the central question is: "What kind of perso... ... I follow the text of L. A. Selby-Bigge, 2nd ed., rev., ed. P. H. Nidditch, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1978. (9) I shall be concerned only with the Nicomachean Ethics (cited as "EN"). I follow the translation of Terence Irwin, Hackett Publishing, Indianapolis, 1985. (10) For a more detailed discussion of this interpretation of akrasia, see my "Aristotle on the Conflicts of the Soul: Toward an Understanding of Virtue Ethics", in A. Reath, B. Herman, and C. Korsgaard, eds. (note 4, above). (11) I do not mean to deny here that the virtuous person engages in deliberation or that she has formed particular practical principles as a result of deliberation. Nor do I wish to deny that she deliberates properly, in contrast to her non-virtuous counterparts. I mean only to uncover the non-rational conditions that cause her and other agents' deliberations to be as they are.

General Will and Rousseaus Social Contract :: Papers Politics Rousseau

When Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote the Social Contract, the concepts of liberty and freedom were not new ideas. Many political theorists such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke had already developed their own interpretations of liberty, and in fact Locke had already published his views on the social contract. What Rousseau did was to revolutionize the concepts encompassed by such weighty words, and introduce us to another approach to the social contract dilemma. What would bring man to leave the state of nature, and enter into an organized society? Liberals believed it was the guarantee of protection - liberty to them signified being free from harm towards one’s property. Rousseau’s notion of freedom was completely different than that of traditional liberals. To him, liberty meant a voice, and participation. It wasn’t enough to be simply protected under the shield of a sovereign, Rousseau believed that to elevate ourselves out of the state of nature, man must particip ate in the process of being the sovereign that provided the protection. The differences between Rousseau’s theories and those of the liberals of his time, begin with different interpretations of the state of nature. Thomas Hobbes described the state of nature as an unsafe place, where the threat of harm to one’s property was always present. He felt that man could have no liberty in such a setting, as fear of persecution and enslavement would control his every action. From this dismal setting, Hobbes proposed that man would necessarily rise and enter into a social contract. By submitting himself to the power of a sovereign, man would be protected by that same power, thereby gaining his liberty. Rousseau’s version of the state of nature differs greatly. He makes no mention of the constant fear which Hobbes believed would control man’s life in the state of nature, rather he describes the setting as pleasant and peaceful. He described the people in this primi tive state as living free, healthy, honest and happy lives, and felt that man was timid, and would always avoid conflict, rather than seek it out. Building from this favorable description of the state of nature, why would man want to enter into a social contract of any kind? If Rousseau was so fond of the state of nature, why would he be advocating any form of social organization? The answer is two fold. Firstly, Rousseau recognized that 18th century Europe was indeed very civilized, and that it would be impossible for man to shake off these chains and return to a state of nature.

Shadow Kiss Chapter 26

Twenty-six IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to believe. The Strigoi were practically right next door to us, waiting for nightfall so that they could finish their escape. Apparently, in the chaos of the attack, some of the Strigoi had obscured their tracks while others had made it look as though they might have exited through any number of points on campus. Caught up in our own aftermath, no one had given it much thought. The wards had been restored. As far as we were concerned, the Strigoi were gone, and that was what mattered. Now we had an odd situation before us. Under normal circumstances – not that a massive Strigoi attack was normal – we would have never pursued them. Those kidnapped by Strigoi were usually written off as dead, and, as my mother had pointed out, guardians rarely knew where to look for Strigoi. This time, however, we knew. The Strigoi were essentially trapped. It presented an interesting dilemma. Well, it wasn't a dilemma to me. I honestly couldn't figure out why we weren't in those caves right now, flushing out the Strigoi and looking for survivors. Dimitri and I hurried back, anxious to act on our news, but we had to wait until all the guardians gathered. â€Å"Do not interrupt them,† Dimitri told me as we were about to walk into the meeting that would decide our next course of action. We stood near the doorway, speaking in low voices. â€Å"I know how you feel. I know what you want to do. But ranting at them isn't going to help you get your way.† â€Å"Ranting?† I exclaimed, forgetting to speak softly. â€Å"I see it,† he said. â€Å"That fire's in you again – you want to tear somebody apart. It's what made you so deadly in the fight. But we're not fighting right now. The guardians have all the information. They'll make the right choice. You just have to be patient.† Part of what he said was true. In preparation for the meeting, we had relayed all our information and then done some more searching. Investigation had revealed that several years ago, one of the Moroi teachers had taught a geology class and mapped the caves out, providing us with everything we needed to know about them. The entrance was five miles from the Academy's back borders. The caves' longest chamber was about half a mile long, the far side letting out about twenty miles from the dirt road on the map. It had been believed that landslides had blocked both entrances. Now, we realized, clearing those out wouldn't be too difficult with Strigoi strength. But I wasn't sure I trusted what Dimitri said about the guardians making the right choice. Minutes before the meeting began, I appealed to my mother. â€Å"Please,† I told her. â€Å"We have to do this.† She looked me over. â€Å"If there's a rescue, it's not going to be a ‘we' thing. You aren't going.† â€Å"Why? Because our numbers were so badass the first time that no guardians died?† She flinched. â€Å"You know I can help. You know what I did. I'm a week away from my birthday and only a few months away from graduation. You think something magical's going to happen before then? I've got a few more things to learn, yeah, but I don't think that's big enough to stop me from helping. You guys need as much help as you can get, and there are plenty of other novices who are ready too. Bring Christian, and we'll be unstoppable.† â€Å"No,† she said quickly. â€Å"Not him. You should have never gotten a Moroi involved, let alone one as young as him.† â€Å"But you saw what he could do.† She didn't argue that. I saw the indecision on her face. She glanced at the time and sighed. â€Å"Let me check something.† I didn't know where she went, but she was fifteen minutes late for the meeting. By then, Alberta had already debriefed the guardians on what we'd learned. Mercifully, she skipped the details about how we'd gotten our data, so we didn't have to waste time explaining the ghost part. The caves' layout was examined in detail. People asked questions. Then decision time came. I braced myself. Fighting Strigoi had always meant relying on a defense strategy. We attacked only when attacked. Previous arguments for an offensive had always failed. I expected the same now. Only it didn't come. One by one, the guardians stood up and expressed their commitment to going on the rescue mission. As they did, I saw that fire Dimitri had spoken of. Everyone was ready for a fight. They wanted it. The Strigoi had gone too far. In our world, there were only a handful of places that were safe: the Royal Court and our academies. Children were sent to places like St. Vladimir's with the certainty they would be protected. That certainty had been shattered, and we wouldn't stand for that, especially if we could still save lives. An eager, victorious feeling burned in my chest. â€Å"Well, then,† said Alberta, glancing around. I think she was as surprised as I was, though she too had been in favor of a rescue. â€Å"We'll plan the logistics and head out. We've still got about nine hours of daylight to go after them before they leave.† â€Å"Wait,† said my mother, standing up. All eyes turned to her, but she didn't bat an eyelash under the scrutiny. She looked fierce and capable, and I was immensely proud of her. â€Å"I think there's one other thing we should consider. I think we should allow some of the senior novices to go.† This started a small outcry, but it only came from a minority. My mother gave an argument similar to what I had given her. She also maintained that novices would not be in the front lines but that we would serve more as backup should any Strigoi get through. The guardians had almost approved of this idea when she dropped another bomb on them. â€Å"I think we should bring some Moroi with us.† Celeste shot up. She had a huge gash on the side of her face. It made the bruise I'd seen on her the other day seem like a mosquito bite. â€Å"What? Are you insane?† My mother fixed her with a calm look. â€Å"No. We all know what Rose and Christian Ozera did. One of our biggest problems with Strigoi is getting past their strength and speed to go in for the kill. If we bring fire-using Moroi, we have a distraction that will give us an edge. We can cut them down.† A debate broke out. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to join in. I remembered Dimitri's words about not interrupting. Yet as I listened, I couldn't help my frustration. Every minute that passed was another minute we weren't going after Eddie and the others. It was another minute in which someone might die. I turned to where Dimitri sat beside me. â€Å"They're being idiots,† I hissed. His eyes were on Alberta, as she debated a guardian who usually worked the elementary campus. â€Å"No,† murmured Dimitri. â€Å"Watch. Change is happening before your eyes. People are going to remember this day as a turning point.† And he was right. Once again, the guardians slowly signed on with the idea. I think it was part of that same initiative that made them want to fight in the first place. We had to get back at the Strigoi. This was more than our fight – it was the Moroi's too. When my mother said she'd gotten a number of teachers to volunteer – they absolutely wouldn't allow students for this – the decision was made. The guardians were going after the Strigoi, and novices and Moroi would go with them. I felt triumphant and exultant. Dimitri was right. This was the moment our world would change. But not for four hours. â€Å"More guardians are coming,† Dimitri told me when I once again expressed my outrage. â€Å"In four hours, the Strigoi could have decided to have a snack!† â€Å"We need an overwhelming show of force,† he said. â€Å"We need every edge we can get. Yes, the Strigoi could kill a couple more before we get there. I don't want that, believe me. But if we go in unprepared, we could lose more lives than that.† My blood boiled. I knew he was right, and there was nothing I could do about it. I hated that. I hated being helpless. â€Å"Come on,† he said, gesturing toward the exit. â€Å"Let's take a walk.† â€Å"Where?† â€Å"It doesn't matter. We just need to get you calmed down, or you'll be in no shape to fight.† â€Å"Yeah? Are you afraid of my possibly insane dark side coming out?† â€Å"No, I'm afraid of your normal Rose Hathaway side coming out, the one that isn't afraid to jump in without thinking when she believes something is right.† I gave him a dry look. â€Å"Is there a difference?† â€Å"Yes. The second one scares me.† I resisted the urge to elbow him. For half a heartbeat, I wished I could close my eyes and forget about all the hurt and bloodshed around us. I wanted to lounge in bed with him, laughing and teasing, with neither of us worried about anything else except each other. That wasn't real, though. This was. â€Å"Won't they need you here?† I asked. â€Å"No. Most of what they're doing now is waiting for the others, and they have more than enough people right now to help plan the attack. Your mother's leading that.† I followed his gaze to where my mom stood, in the center of a group of guardians, pointing with sharp, forceful motions toward what looked like maps. I still never quite knew what to think about her, but watching her now, I couldn't help but admire her dedication. There was none of the dysfunctional annoyance I usually experienced around her. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"Let's go.† He took me on a loop around campus, and we surveyed some of the aftermath. Most of the damage wasn't to the campus itself, of course. It was to our people. Still, we could see some signs of the attack: damage to buildings, bloodstains in unexpected places, etc. Most noticeable of all was the mood. Even in full daylight, there was a darkness around us, a heavy sorrow that you could almost reach out and feel. I saw it on the faces of everyone we passed. I half-expected Dimitri to take me through where some of the injured were. He steered clear of that, however, and I could guess why. Lissa was helping out there, using her powers in small doses to heal the wounded. Adrian was as well, though he couldn't do nearly as much as her. They'd finally decided that it was worth risking everyone knowing about spirit. The tragedy here was too great. Besides, so much about spirit had gotten out at the trial that it had probably only been a matter of time anyway. Dimitri didn't want me near Lissa while she was using her magic, which I found interesting. He still didn't know if I really was â€Å"catching† her madness, but he apparently didn't want to take any chances. â€Å"You told me you had a theory about why the wards broke,† he said. We'd extended our circuit of campus, not far from where Jesse's society had met last night. I'd nearly forgotten. Once I'd pieced it together, the reason had been perfectly obvious. No one had really asked many questions about it, not yet. The immediate concerns had been to get new wards up and tend to our own people. The investigation would occur later. â€Å"Jesse's group was doing their initiation right here by the wards. You know how stakes can negate wards because the elements go against each other? I think it's the same thing. Their initiation rights used all the elements, and I think they negated the wards in the same way.† â€Å"Magic is used all the time on campus, though,† pointed out Dimitri. â€Å"In all the elements. Why has this never happened before?† â€Å"Because the magic isn't usually happening right on top of the wards. The wards are on the edges, so the two don't usually conflict. Also, I think it makes a difference in how the elements are being used. Magic is life, which is why it destroys Strigoi and why they can't cross it. The magic in stakes is used as a weapon. So was the magic in the torture session. When it's used in that sort of negative way, I think it cancels out good magic.† I shivered, recalling that sickening feeling I'd felt when Lissa had used spirit to torment Jesse. It hadn't been natural. Dimitri stared at a broken fence that marked one of the Academy's boundaries. â€Å"Incredible. I never would have thought that was possible, but it makes sense. The principle really is the same as for the stakes.† He smiled at me. â€Å"You've thought about this a lot.† â€Å"I don't know. It just sort of fell together in my head.† I glowered, thinking of Jesse's idiotic group. Bad enough they'd done what they did to Lissa. That was enough to make me want to go kick their asses (though not kill them anymore – I'd learned some restraint since last night). But this? Letting Strigoi into the school? How could something so stupid and petty on their part have led to this sort of disaster? It almost would have been better if they'd tried to make this happen, but no. It had come about through their glory-seeking game. â€Å"Idiots,† I muttered. The wind picked up. I shivered, and this time it was from the chilly temperature, not my own unease. Spring might be coming, but it certainly wasn't here yet. â€Å"Let's get back inside,† Dimitri said. We turned around, and as we walked toward the heart of the secondary campus, I saw it. The cabin. Neither of us slowed down or obviously looked at it, but I knew he was just as acutely aware of it as I was. He proved it when he spoke a moment later. â€Å"Rose, about what happened – â€Å" I groaned. â€Å"I knew it. I knew this was going to happen.† He glanced over at me, startled. â€Å"That what was going to happen?† â€Å"This. The part where you give me the huge lecture about how what we did was wrong and how we shouldn't have done it and how it's never going to happen again.† Until the words left my mouth, I didn't realize how much I'd feared he would say that. He still looked shocked. â€Å"Why would you think that?† â€Å"Because that's how you are,† I told him. I think I sounded a little hysterical. â€Å"You always want to do the right thing. And when you do the wrong thing, you then have to fix it and do the right thing. And I know you're going to say that what we did shouldn't have happened and that you wish – â€Å" The rest of what I might have said was smothered as Dimitri wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to him in the shadow of a tree. Our lips met, and as we kissed, I forgot all about my worries and fears that he'd say what we'd done was a mistake. I even – as impossible as it seems – forgot about the death and destruction of the Strigoi. Just for a moment. When we finally broke apart, he still kept me close to him. â€Å"I don't think what we did was wrong,† he said softly. â€Å"I'm glad we did it. If we could go back in time, I'd do it again.† A swirling feeling burned within my chest. â€Å"Really? What made you change your mind?† â€Å"Because you're hard to resist,† he said, clearly amused at my surprise. â€Å"And †¦ do you remember what Rhonda said?† There was another shock, hearing her brought up. But then I recalled his face when he'd listened to her and what he'd said about his grandmother. I tried to remember Rhonda's exact words. â€Å"Something about how you're going to lose something†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I apparently didn't remember it so well. â€Å"‘You will lose what you value most, so treasure it while you can.'† Naturally, he knew it word for word. I'd scoffed at the words at the time, but now I tried to decipher them. At first, I felt a surge of joy: I was what he valued most. Then I gave him a startled look. â€Å"Wait. You think I'm going to die? That's why you slept with me?† â€Å"No, no, of course not. I did what I did because †¦ believe me, it wasn't because of that. Regardless of the specifics – or if it's even true – she was right about how easily things can change. We try to do what's right, or rather, what others say is right. But sometimes, when that goes against who we are†¦you have to choose. Even before the Strigoi attack, as I watched all the problems you were struggling with, I realized how much you meant to me. It changed everything. I was worried about you – so, so worried. You have no idea. And it became useless to try to act like I could ever put any Moroi life above yours. It's not going to happen, no matter how wrong others say it is. And so I decided that's something I have to deal with. Once I made that decision †¦ there was nothing to hold us back.† He hesitated, seeming to replay his words as he brushed my hair from my face. â€Å"Well, to hold me back. I'm speaking for myself. I don't mea n to act like I know exactly why you did it.† â€Å"I did it because I love you,† I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And really, it was. He laughed. â€Å"You can sum up in one sentence what it takes me a whole speech to get out.† â€Å"Because it's that simple. I love you, and I don't want to keep pretending like I don't.† â€Å"I don't either.† His hand dropped from my face and found my hand. Fingers entwined, we began walking again. â€Å"I don't want any more lies.† â€Å"Then what'll happen now? With us, I mean. Once all of this is done †¦ with the Strigoi†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well, as much as I hate to reinforce your fears, you were right about one thing. We can't be together again – for the rest of the school year, that is. We're going to have to keep our distance.† I felt a little disappointed by this, but I knew with certainty he was right. We might finally have reached the point where we weren't going to deny our relationship anymore, but we could hardly flaunt it while I was still his student. Our feet splashed through slush. A few scattered birds sang in the trees, undoubtedly surprised to see so much activity in daylight around here. Dimitri stared off into the sky ahead, face thoughtful. â€Å"After you graduate and are out with Lissa †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't finish. It took me a moment, but I realized what he was about to say. My heart nearly stopped. â€Å"You're going to ask to be reassigned, aren't you? You won't be her guardian.† â€Å"It's the only way we can be together.† â€Å"But we won't actually be together,† I pointed out. â€Å"Us staying with her gives us the same problem – me worrying more about you than her. She needs two guardians perfectly dedicated to her. If I can get assigned somewhere at Court, we'll be near each other all the time. And in a secure place like that, there's more flexibility with a guardian's schedule.† A whiny, selfish part of me wanted to immediately jump in with how much that sucked, but really, it didn't. There was no option we had that was ideal. Each one came with hard choices. I knew it was hard for him to give up Lissa. He cared about her and wanted to keep her safe with a passion that almost rivaled my own. But he cared about me more, and he had to make that sacrifice if he still wanted to honor his sense of duty. â€Å"Well,† I said, realizing something, â€Å"we might actually see more of each other if we're guarding different people. We can get time off together. If we were both with Lissa, we'd be swapping shifts and always be apart.† The trees were thinning up ahead, which was a shame, because I didn't want to let go of his hand. Still, a surge of hope and joy began to blossom in my chest. It felt wrong in the wake of such tragedy, but I couldn't help it. After all this time, after all the heartache, Dimitri and I were going to make this work. There was always the possibility he could get assigned away from the Court, but even so, we'd still manage to get some time off together every once in a while. The time apart would be agony, but we would make it work. And it would be better than continuing to live a lie. Yes, it was really going to happen. All of Deirdre's worries about me coping with conflicting pieces of my life would be for nothing. I was going to have it all. Lissa and Dimitri. The thought that I could be with both of them was going to make me strong. It would carry me through this Strigoi attack. I'd tuck it away in the back of my mind, like a good luck charm. Dimitri and I didn't say anything else for a while. Like always, we didn't have to. I knew he was feeling the same happy buzz I was, despite that stoic exterior. We were almost out of the forest, back in sight of the others, when he spoke again. â€Å"You'll be eighteen soon, but even so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed. â€Å"When this comes out, a lot of people aren't going to be happy.† â€Å"Yeah, well, they can deal.† Rumors and gossip I could handle. â€Å"I also have a feeling your mother's going to have a very ugly conversation with me.† â€Å"You're about to face down Strigoi, and my mother's the one you're scared of?† I could see a smile playing at his lips. â€Å"She's a force to be reckoned with. Where do you think you got it from?† I laughed. â€Å"It's a wonder you bother with me then.† â€Å"You're worth it, believe me.† He kissed me again, using the last of the forest's shadows for cover. In a normal world, this would have been a happy, romantic walk the morning after sex. We wouldn't be preparing for battle and worrying about our loved ones. We'd be laughing and teasing each other while secretly planning our next romantic getaway. We didn't live in a normal world, of course, but in this kiss, it was easy to imagine we did. He and I reluctantly broke apart and left the woods, heading back toward the guardians' building. Dark times were ahead of us, but with his kiss still burning on my lips, I felt like I could do anything. Even face down a pack of Strigoi.