Nuclear/Extended Family free essay sample

A nuclear family consists of a mother, a father and children. Many things in today’s society have caused children to be raised in small nuclear families than in extended family groups. Living in a household with several family members used to be common, but due to smaller immediate family, the advance in technology and divorce it has been seen less and less. For the most part, this is not a bad thing. Like all changes in society, it has its perks and its downfalls. Residing in a house with extended family is harder due to the fact that many families are smaller than they used to be. Parents are reproducing less, causing their grandchildren to have fewer aunts/uncles. The great advance in technology has made it simpler for nuclear families to keep in touch with extended family. This makes it unnecessary to live in the same home as them. We will write a custom essay sample on Nuclear/Extended Family or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Contacting a family member over the phone or through Facebook is much more convenient. Divorce can also be considered a large reason that living with extended family is uncommon. Single-parents have been seen more often than not within the past few decades because it is common and tolerated now. Women were hardly ever seen raising children on their own in the 1960’s or before due to to the fact that it was a man’s job alone to provide for his family. Several differences in today’s society compared to society in the 1960’s have caused children to be raised in small nuclear families rather than extended families. Smaller immediate family, advances in technology and divorce have a huge impact on this change.

An Artificial Satellite

An Artificial Satellite An artificial satellite is an object that has been put into orbit in outer space by human effort. A remote sensing satellite contains within it sensors that enable it to collect information about an object without physical contact with the object.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on An Artificial Satellite specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are two types of sensors i.e. passive sensors and active sensors. Passive sensors are designed to acquire information about natural phenomena while active sensors acquire information concerning artificial objects. The following is a compilation of some import satellites: ‘SPOT’ boasts two high resolution geometrical (HRG) instruments which offer high resolutions of between two and a half, and five meters (in panchromatic mode), and ten meters (in multispectral mode), twenty meters (on short wave infrared). Due to its high resolution capabilities, the SPOT-5 can be used in monitoring and assessment of crops (F. Achard, 1995). ‘LANDSAT 7’- it was equipped with both MSS and TM sensors. It has a panchromatic band with fifteen meters (49 feet) spatial resolution (band 8), (reflected light) bands in the spectrum of blue, green, red, near-infrared (NIR), and mid-infrared (MIR) with thirty meters (98 feet) spatial resolution (bands 1-5, 7), and a thermal infrared channel with sixty meters spatial resolution (band 6). The Landsat 7 was designed to capture and refresh cloud-free images of the earth (Irons, 2013). ‘NOAA’ is equipped with AVHRR/2 (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer), TOVS, SSU, and MSU sensors. The instruments on NOAA observe the earth’s cloud cover and temperature changes to study climate change patterns. Other applications for the sensors include the surveillance of land terrain and oceans. The AVHRR instruments are currently capable of capturing ground images with resolutions of up to 1100 m eters (National Environmental Satellite, Data, And information Service , 2013). ‘IKONOS’- boasts spoting 0.8 meters panchromatic (1-meter PAN), four meter multispectral (4m MS), and a one meter pan-sharpened (1-m PS) sensors (Kramer, 2002). It was created with the main purpose of capturing high-resolution images of the earth. ‘ADEOS 2’ was designed to monitor the biomass in the carbon cycle, earth’s water cycle and the trends in climate variation. To do this it was loaded with an Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS), an Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer (AVNIR), Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer (ILAS), Retroreflector in Space (RIS), Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), and Interferometric Monitor for Greenhouse Gases (IMG) sensors (Earth observation satellite, 2003). ‘RADARSAT’- this Satellite has a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Its highest resolution is one meter in Spotlight mode, three meters in Ultra Fi ne mode with a hundred meter positional accuracy requirement (Radsat-2, 2011). Radarsat is implemented in marine surveillance, mapping, and monitoring of resources. ‘Quickbird’- this satellite is capable of capturing high quality and high-resolution images (between 2.4 meters to 2.8 meters), thanks to its PAN (panchromatic) sensor. Due to the high level of detail that can be captured, the images are mainly utilized in map making, and mapping of resources. Satellites provide useful and accurate information that would otherwise be inaccessible; this has led to increased safety and efficiency in human activities. The integration of Global Positioning Systems into portable devices is the most is a good example. With the information collected by these satellites governments have been able to predict natural disasters and take preemptive measures, thereby avoiding human suffering and massive loss of life. Refrences Earth observation satellite. (2003). Web. F. Achard, J. M. ( 1995). A Mission for the Global Monitoring of the Continental Biosphere. Web. Irons, J. R. (2013). about. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Web. Kramer, H. J. (2002). Survey of missions and sensors. Observation of the earth and its environment (p. 286).Advertising Looking for assessment on astronomy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More National Environmental Satellite, Data, And information Service . (2013). NOAA Satellite and Information Service. Web. Radsat-2. (2011). Canadian Space Agancy. Web.

Equity, or perceived fairness, of compensation from the perspective of Essay

Equity, or perceived fairness, of compensation from the perspective of the employee - Essay Example Equity or fairness, from the employee’s perspective is best explained with the equity theory. Equity theory suggest that in the quest for fairness and justice, employees quantify their inputs and outputs and judge fairness or otherwise, by comparing these to that of a referent other (Werner and Mero, 1999 p.1291). According to Werner and Mero (1999), employee inputs include quality of job performance, length of service, education, experience, amount of responsibility and pressure, productivity on the job, effort expended on the job and organizational citizenship behavior. While outputs subsumes pay and benefits, promotions, status and intrinsic rewards (p.1291). Compensation can be defined as including pay and benefits, with particular emphasis on pay i.e. wages/salary, bonuses, stock options, incentives, etc. Fairness, on the other hand, is an objective evaluation of competencies, performance and compensation (CAPS, 2003). Fairness or the perception of fairness plays a crucial role in understanding employee behaviors/morale in any organizational settings (Charness and Haruvy, 2000 p.655); employees that perceive that they are being under or over compensated tend to experience feelings of anger or guilt and therefore act in a way to correct the situation or achieve fairness either by altering inputs or outputs, using a different referent for comparison or creating psychological justifications (Werner and Mero, 1999 p.1292). In this regard, employee perception of fairness is bound to have a profound effect on productivity, job performance, and organizational citizenship behavior. For example, underpayment and other perceived inequities have been related to lower satisfaction, lower productivity, illegal behavior, lower production quality, and increased turnover. Therefore, as concluded by Bass (1995), understanding factors that shape employee perception of fairness will greatly help in building employee trust and improve productivity (Bass 1995

Strategic and Financial Decision-making Assignment 2 - 2010 Coursework

Strategic and Financial Decision-making Assignment 2 - 2010 - Coursework Example The ‘beta’ is the most important statistics tool to measure the volatility and the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is a popular model to calculate the return on stock. In this report the beta values of two companies will be calculated using the share prices of the last 24 months. These two companies are British American Tobacco (BATS) and the Petrofac (PFC.L) and both of them are listed in the London Stock Exchange (LSE). British American Tobacco is one of the leading tobacco companies in UK. British American Tobacco produces cigarettes under different brands and has different price range. â€Å"Petrofac is an international provider of facilities solutions to the oil & gas production and processing industries† (Petrofac, 2010). The beta values of both the companies will be calculated using different methodologies that include covariance of the stock return with market returns and the variance of the market returns and the linear regression analysis. For calculating the betas, the monthly stock prices of both the companies were obtained and for market return the index FTSE 100 has been used. All these are the secondary source of data obtained through online sources. The historical stock prices of the both the companies are obtained through ‘Yahoo Finance’ and the historical data of FTSE 100 is also taken from the same online source (Yahoo Finance. 2010). The calculated beta values have been compared with the beta values from the published source. The published source for betas has been taken from the online source, MSN-Money (MSN-Money, U.K. 2010.). The published betas of British American Tobacco and Petrofac are 0.47 and 1.06 respectively. The two methodologies for beta calculation have been used. The first methodology will use the covariance of stock return with market return and the variance of the market return. The following model explains the beta (ÃŽ ²) under the same method. The calculation has

Northern Emancipation 1783 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Northern Emancipation 1783 - Essay Example Both the religious leaders and the revolutionist were instrumental and played important role in the events that finally lead to emancipation of the north in1783 (Fiske, 2003). During this time, the African Americans were freed through escape, legal petitions and cases and manumission and hence the process did not take place in a fortnight but was a gradual process. However, one of the reasons for freedom of the African Americans was that the slavery was not economical like the other parts of the America because there were very few firms while the immigrant’s work force was on the higher end. The uneconomical; nature of slavery together with the efforts of the revolutionists enlightened the most people of the north and their moral views on slavery begun to change gradually. This was also coupled with the push for wage labor by the market economy because of the higher immigrants and low agricultural productivity (Fiske, 2003). As observed by Fiske (2003), in the north, the slave ry begun to wither because the slave-owners realized that slavery was impractical due to the agricultural limitations as well as the lack of plantation agriculture that was witnessed in other parts of the nation. This was also accompanied by the non agrarian economic activities that made it even difficult to practice agricultural activities in the region. This resulted into the increase in the other forms of entrepreneurship and hence slavery was becoming irrelevant. Slaves were looked at as liabilities for the owners but were no longer viewed as important assets. As a result there was a shift in the economy of the northern part of the nation. These economic changes forced the slave owners to abandon their slavery. According to Ludlow (1862), this happened because â€Å"the slave owners were forced to confront their own hypocrisy, having born witness to the heroic efforts of black patriots during the revolution, chose to abandon slavery on economic and moral grounds. Most of the bl acks had participated in the colony’s struggle for freedom and hence it was immoral for the white to keep them as slaves while they had shown their patriotism to the nation while they struggled for independence. The blacks were mainly influenced by the Jefferson’s discourse on the natural rights and liberty (Ludlow, 1862). As a result of this, many whites in the north took the issue of rights and liberty seriously and hence begun to emancipate their slaves while the revolutionary war was heightened. Because of these efforts and revolutionary influences, Vermont became the first to abolish slavery in the north during the year 1777. This was then followed by Massachusetts in the year 1783 which resulted into the ending of slavery in many other states that were practicing slavery. Other states that followed were Rhode Island and Connecticut in the year 1784. New York and New Jersey abolished slavery in the years 1785 and 1786 respectively (Ludlow, 1862). This indicates th at the lack of agricultural productivity only did not influence the abolishment of slavery trade but there were also some important revolutionary influences. Jefferson played an important role in the process since he initiated a discourse that would finally lead to the change in perception and the views of the northern whites with regard to slavery activities. The northern emancipation was however very unique and special compared to the other end of slavery

Julio Cortazar Casa Tomada Analysis

Julio Cortazar Casa Tomada Analysis Analyse the treatment of the â€Å"outsider† or â€Å"outsiders† in one of the texts studied on the course. What role does this tension play in the socio-political vision of the author? Julio Cortazar was one of most influential Argentine writers of all time. He was one of the great masters of short stories and was compared to the likes of Jorge Luis Borges. Cortazars literature is closely linked to social and cultural realities of Latin America and in particular Argentina. This essay will begin with the history of Julio Cortazar including his background influences and the style of his texts with focus on the short story ‘La Casa Tomada. Then this shall lead on to the analysis of the treatment of characters that are considered as â€Å"outsiders† in the story focusing on the different interpretations of the main characters and the unknown invaders that take over the house. Furthermore, the role of these â€Å"outsiders† will be discussed relating to the socio-political vision of Cortazar and the influence of politics on his writing, incorporating the socio-political situation in Buenos Aires, Argentina at that time. In 1914, Julio Cortazar was born in Brussels, Belgium of Argentine parents, after World War 1 his family returned to Buenos Aires, Argentina. This was where he grew up and became educated, then later moved to Paris in 1951, after obtaining a French scholarship, where he died in 1984 at the age of 70. Prior to becoming a writer, he worked as a teacher and then as a translator. (Prego Cortazar, 1997) Cortazar is known as one of the Latin American writers of the â€Å"boom† that exploded onto the world literary scene. The literary boom was during the middle of the 20th century when Latin American writers work became published in Europe and the rest of the world. The stories were known to associate with magical realism which is where ‘unreal things are treated as if realistic and mundane, and mundane things as if unreal. The plots of these stories usually combined real and fantastic elements in a way that makes them difficult to separate. (www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Latin-American-Boom) Stories that have been written by Julio Cortazar normally mix fantasy with Latin American reality. The story being focused on, ‘La Casa Tomada by Julio Cortazar, was initially published in the 1946 review ‘Los Anales de Buenos Aires which was directed by Jorge Luis Borges. It then appeared his in his first volume of short stories ‘Bestario in 1951. (www.juliocortazar.com.ar/hislife.htm) In the story, a middle-aged brother and sister live together in an old large family house, situated in the North district of Buenos Aires. They spend their days doing routine tasks with little variation. The sister, Irene, knits and the brother reads and collects stamps. They both clean the house and cook meals together. One day they hear mysterious noises within the house, but they do not worry. Without much explication, they abandon parts of the house because of this invading noise. When eventually the unknown noises take over the whole house, they leave the house with nothing and throw the key away. It is written in the first person with the narrator being the protagonist in the story. This means the protagonist is the centre of attention and this allows the reader to participate in all the events. The reader can see all the thoughts and ideas of the protagonist so they can easily identify with the protagonist. This adds realism to the story in contrast with the ‘unknown characters that bring an element of the surrealism that ‘boom writers are known for. The northern district of Buenos Aires where the protagonist and his sister live is the rich and privileged area and from the start of the story, it sets out to the reader that the siblings are from privileged backgrounds. â€Å"Nos gustaba la casa porque aparte de espaciosa y antigua (hoy que las casas antiguas sucumben a la mas ventajosa liquidacià ³n de sus materiales) [†¦]† (Cortazar, page 1). The house has eight bedrooms so previously their family would have occupied all the rooms and they would have had maids to work for them. The large house was previously owned by their ancestors and they are the last of a long line of family. â€Å"[†¦] guardaba los recuerdos de nuestros bisabuelos, el abuelo paterno, nuestros padres y toda la infancia.† (Cortazar, page 1). It seems they can afford to live without working.Instead they spend their days doing little more than cleaning, reading and knitting with rare communication with the outside world. From this, the theme of â€Å"outsiders† comes into play, which plays a strong role throughout the story. From analyzing the story, the unknown invaders are immediately seen as the â€Å"outsiders† that come in and take over. However, the siblings could also be â€Å"outsiders† giving that they are so cut off from the rest of society. Cortazar portrays the siblings as very unusual and lonely characters that do little to prevent themselves from being outsiders in society. The siblings seem to be obsessed by routine and keeping the house clean. We find out little about the narrator except that he like French literature. He portrays the sister Irene as a very passive female who is happy to just spend her time knitting. They share the cleaning and cooking chores between themselves. The narrator says how they never use the back part of the house except entering to clean. Therefore, there is already a barrier created between them and the â€Å"outsiders† with the large oak door. There is a reference to how much dust collects on the furniture. â€Å"Buenos Aires sera una ciudad limpia, pero eso se lo debe a sus habitantes y no a otra cosa.† The narrator seems to imply that the middle-class citizens keep the city clean. He also says â€Å"Hay demasiada tierra en el aire† which is ironic seeing as the city is called â€Å"Buenos Aires†. (Holmes:2004, pg254) There is an incestuous aspect between the brother and sister as they have reached middle age and the only time they spend is with each other, uninterested in others outside the house. â€Å"Simple y silencioso matrimonio de hermanos[†¦]† (Cortazar) This shows they had no plans to marry anybody else and have children to pass on the house to. This incestuous theme is something Cortazar said may have been related to his own life; â€Å"Yo empecà © a pensar y a descubrir que efectivamentea traves de mis sereà ±os yo tengo una problema incestuoso con una hermana mia† (Cortazar por Cortazar, pg 43) The brother and sister can be seen as outsiders at the end of the story aswell because they are the ones that end up on the outside of the house with nowhere to go. They have numerous possessions at the start of their story and bit by bit, it is taken away from them until they are left outside with nothing. â€Å" ¿Tuviste tiempo de traer alguna cosa? le preguntà © inà ºtilmente. No, nada.† The other â€Å"outsiders† are the invaders that are seen as unknown enemies. They are referred to as plural during the story for example when they take over the first part of the house; â€Å"-Tuve que cerrar la puerta del pasillo. Han tomado parte del fondo.† (Cortazar) so the reader automatically presumes it is more than one unknown character. The unknown outsiders are treated as very unwelcome and they can be seen as threatening. Throughout the story, Cortazar leaves no clues to whom or what these noises are and it seems as if the brother and sister are not necessarily that scared or shocked by them. An example is after the part where the brother says to Irene that they had taken over the back part: â€Å"Dejà ³ caer el tejido y me mirà ³ con sus graves ojos cansados. - ¿Estas seguro? Asenti. -Entonces -dijo recogiendo las agujas- tendremos que vivir en este lado.† She does not show any fear and just carries on knitting. They seem to have knowledge of whom or what has invaded the house and act alone in defending themselves against this invasion. At the end of the story, the outsiders are still left as unidentifiable and mysterious characters to the reader and leaves them guessing. It is up to the reader to come to their own conclusion about whom or what they think these strange noises are. The beginning of the story starts as very realistic with a description of their lives then once the outsiders that invade take over the first part of the house, it becomes surreal. Cortazar puts a lot of emphasis on the description of the house; the house seems unwelcoming as it lacks the comfort and security of a home. The characters feel unsafe in their home and ready to flee at any point and it loses any feeling of safety when the others take over. Cortazar explores the connection between identity and the home. The house shows everything about the siblings such as their wealth, their background and their hobbies and once they no longer have the house, they lose their identity. The house is personified in the story; â€Å"a veces llegamos a pensar que era ella que no nos dejà ³ casar.† This shows it has some sort of control over the brother and sister living within and creates a barrier between them and the real world. The only time that the brother visits outside is when he goes to get his French literature or wool for Irene to knit and Irene never leaves the house. Also, note that the street name Rodriguez Peà ±a was the name of Cortazars street when he lived in Buenos Aires. (Maquiera: 2004, pg.10) Therefore, this shows how the story relates to his own personal experience. It seems the treatment of these outsiders seems to play a strong role in the vision of Cortazar as the story is related to his life. There are numerous interpretations for the meaning behind La Casa Tomada but the one that stands out seems to be that Cortazar uses the relation between the characters, the outsiders and the home as a way to respond to social and political tensions that were occurring in Buenos Aires during that time. Cortazar wrote the story post-war when Juan Pà ©ron had recently come into power over Argentina. Initially Pà ©ron had worked his way up by taking a position that nobody else was interested in as the head of the Labour department. From there he appealed to the workers. Pà ©ron aimed for an independent Argentina, free from foreign economical influence. Pà ©ron promised a â€Å"New Argentina† founded on â€Å"social justice, political sovereignty, and economic independence†. He showed support for the workers that he called the â€Å"masas descamisadas† by increasing wage earners income and building a large number of low cost homes. (Rock: 1987 pg.262-263) Cortazar was anti-peronist and demonstrated against his regime. He saw Pà ©ron as a dictator and felt threatened by the control. â€Å"Si bien Cortazar no comulgaba aun con el socialismo, su postura hacia la politica del nuevo gobierno era abiertamente critica† (Maquiera: 2004, pg.19.) Pà ©ron aimed to integrate the population and bring about social reforms. Many, including Cortazar saw him and his wife Evita as a political and economical threat and â€Å"a threat to good taste†. They saw him â€Å"encouraging the invasion of Buenos Aires by riffraff from the provinces†. The racist term â€Å"cabecitas negras† was used against the immigrant workers. (Standish: 2001 pg.4) For the opponents of Pà ©ron his promises were myths and had caused a divided society with a bankrupt economy and a nation controlled by a dictatorship. â€Å"El Peronismo significà ³ la llega a la capital de la clase obrera del interior del pais y la entrada de esa poblacià ³n en la vida social y cultural de la ciudad† (Maquiera: 2004, pg. 20). Although Cortazar does not link them directly, the ‘outsiders in the story can be seen as a satire in showing the socio-political vision of Cortazar against Pà ©ronism and the arrival of the working class during that period. The story could be portrayed as showing the anxieties of the upper and middle classes of Buenos Aires during the nine-year administration of Juan Pà ©ron. By showing how they felt marginalised because of the increasing number of rural immigrants that were coming into the city for work. Just like the protagonists in the story, their way of life had changed and these invaders into the house may symbolise the workers coming into the city. Therefore, the role of these outsiders could be an allegory of the migrant workers that moved into Buenos Aires and took over a lot of the jobs and the brother and sister could symbolise the Argentineans that felt like these migrants invaded them. â€Å"Bien podria representar todos mis miedos, o quiza, todas mis aversiones; en ese caso la interpretacià ³n antiperonista me parece bastante posible, emergiendo incluso inconscientemente†. Julio Cortazar (www.abretelibro.com) The story is most commonly seen as an anti-peronist allegory and expresses the fear that Cortazar may have felt about outsiders in Argentina. The feeling of fear felt that was caused by Perons military government and by the invasion of industrialisation. However, the story has also been seen as similar to that of Adam and Eve; they are expelled from their small and closed paradise into an unknown world. html.rincondelvago.com/casa-tomada_julio-cortazar_2.html When asked, Cortazar says that ‘La Casa Tomada was inspired from a nightmare that he had and that when he woke from this nightmare he immediately started writing the story. The house described in the story is the same as in his nightmare. â€Å"La à ºnica diferencia entre lo soà ±ado y el cuento es que en la pesadilla yo estaba solo.† (Prego: 1990, pg79) When he woke up, he immediately started writing the story. Therefore, he says that it is his dream that should be analyzed not the story. â€Å"Es un cuento que para mi no tiene absolutamente ningà ºn contexto de ninguna naturaleza salvo la pesadilla.† (Garfield:1978 pg 89) The architecture of the house plays an important role in the link between the present and the past in Buenos Aires. The house symbolizes the citys aristocratic past, after Independence, Buenos Aires chose European instead of colonial architecture. Architects were brought over by the Government from Europe to design buildings. (Holmes: 2003 pg254) Again, this shows the fear that the characters have of change from the past, as they prefer their traditional style European house. During the time, that a large amount of immigrants from overseas and migrants from the countryside came there was a demand for more housing. So new housing projects were created for the middle-class resulting in higher value for houses like theirs as the narrator points out at the beginning of the story (Holmes: 2004), â€Å"las casas antiguas sucumben a la mas ventajosa liquidacià ³n de sus materiales† (Cortazar). The brother and sister prefer the European style spacious house and enclose themselves in what represents the urban past. They seclude themselves from the city and in turn make themselves outsiders from the modern Argentina. Therefore, the invaders could be the city making them leave their home. Throughout the text there are numerous historical references such as the French literature which the brother enjoys reading. This seems to be one of the few ‘outside things that are accepted into the house. He also finds that â€Å"Desde 1939 no llegaba  nada valioso a la Argentina† which refers to the lack of European culture in Argentina because of the war. The brother only seems to find value in French literature and has to re-read what French literature he has. Once again, this also shows the link with their fear of change. The relationship between the characters and the house shows their lack of interest in modernity and change. They seem to want to stay within a routine and show little interest towards changes outside of their house in Argentina. This story may represent Peronist Buenos Aires but can also represent the role of Europe in post-colonial space. It seems that Cortazar rejects how Argentina has become post-European influence. The story may also portray the modern Buenos Aires conflicting with the past city. After looking in depth at the story and the history related to the story, I can conclude that the different â€Å"outsiders† in the story play a strong role in the socio-political vision of Julio Cortazar. La Casa Tomada has numerous interpretations about its hidden meaning. Although when questioned, he does not specifically relate it to a particular opinion but to a nightmare he had. This showed his underlying preoccupations with the events in Buenos Aires during that time. The theme of outsiders is continued throughout the story and each character shows an aspect of being an outsider. The invaders that take over the house from the siblings are seen both as the workers that moved into Buenos Aires invading the space of the middle-class or as the city making the protagonists leave their safe past and as face the changing Buenos Aires. The protagonists show a stereotype example of the middle-class people of Argentina during that time that feared any sort of change, though in the original nightmare it is Cortazar himself. It is Cortazar that it seems had this fear of invasion from â€Å"outsiders† and was concerned about the changes occurring. The role of the outsiders is very effective in demonstrating his feelings about Pà ©ron and the changes within Argentina.

Cold War :: essays research papers

At the conclusion of the WWII Germany was divided into 4 zones of occupation controlled by Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Berlin, the capital of Germany, was located in the Soviet controlled section of Germany. Lack of agreement and compromise with the Soviet Union concerning the unity of Germany led to the beginning of the Cold War.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The term Cold War was first used by an American Financier Bernard Baruch in a congressional debate in 1947. A cold war can be defined as a condition of tension and conflict short of an actual war as was the case with America and the Soviet Union. In June 1948 the three allies, France, Great Britain, and the United States, established the German Federal Republic in West Germany, which they controlled. The Soviet Union however opposed any government run by any western powers and took many measures to prevent this new government from staying in power. On June 24, 1948 the soviets began a blockade of all land traffic to the western zone of Berlin, hoping to starve it of supplies and perhaps breaking down. But the US, France, and Great Britain, would not back down to the Soviets and so they began to airlift all supplies to West Germany. After about a year on May 12, 1949 the soviets realized their defeat and ended the blockade.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States realized that the soviets expansionist aims threatened not only Europe but developing nations of the world as well. So in 1949 President Truman approved the Point Four Program which put aside nearly $400 million for technical development in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Truman had the idea that if these developing countries would modernize and strengthen their economies the growth of communism would be discouraged. In 1949 the United States joined with 11 other western nations in an alliance to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which provided collective security in Europe and any other part of the world but the main goal was to contain communism. Shortly after the Soviet Union and seven other European nations joined to form an opposing alliance under the Warsaw Pact. Now practically the entire world was involved. Truman struck fear into people’s hearts when in September of 1949 he announced that the soviets had successf ully exploded an atomic bomb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Meanwhile back in the United States fear of the Soviet Union and communism were rapidly growing.

A Cup of Tea by Katherine Mansfield

A Cup of Tea  By Katherine Mansfield Rosemary Fell was not exactly beautiful. No, you couldn't have called her beautiful. Pretty? Well, if you took her to pieces†¦ But why be so cruel as to take anyone to pieces? She was young, brilliant, extremely modem, exquisitely well dressed, amazingly well read in the newest of the new books, and her parties were the most delicious mixture of the really important people and†¦ artists – quaint creatures, discoveries of hers, some of them too terrifying for words, but others quite presentable and amusing. Rosemary had been married two years. She had a duck of a boy.No, not Peter – Michael. And her husband absolutely adored her. They were rich, really rich, not just comfortably well off, which is odious and stuffy and sounds like one's grandparents. But if Rosemary wanted to shop she would go to  Paris  as you and I would go to  Bond Street  . If she wanted to buy flowers, the car pulled up at that perfect shop in Regent Street, and Rosemary inside the shop just gazed in her dazzled, rather exotic way, and said: â€Å"I want those and those and those. Give me four bunches of those. And that jar of roses. Yes, I'll have all the roses in the jar. No, no lilac.I hate lilac. It's got no shape. † The attendant bowed and put the lilac out of sight, as though this was only too true; lilac was dreadfully shapeless. â€Å"Give me those stumpy little tulips. Those red and white ones. † And she was followed to the car by a thin shop-girl staggering under an immense white paper armful that looked like a baby in long clothes†¦. One winter afternoon she had been buying something in a little antique shop in  Curzon Street  . It was a shop she liked. For one thing, one usually had it to oneself. And then the man who kept it was ridiculously fond of serving her.He beamed whenever she came in. He clasped his hands; he was so gratified he could scarcely speak. Flattery, of course. All th e same, there was something†¦ â€Å"You see, madam,† he would explain in his low respectful tones, â€Å"I love my things. I would rather not part with them than sell them to someone who does not appreciate them, who has not that fine feeling which is so rare†¦ † And, breathing deeply, he unrolled a tiny square of blue velvet and pressed it on the glass counter with his pale finger-tips. To-day it was a little box. He had been keeping it for her. He had shown it to nobody as yet.An exquisite little enamel box with a glaze so fine it looked as though it had been baked in cream. On the lid a minute creature stood under a flowery tree, and a more minute creature still had her arms round his neck. Her hat, really no bigger than a geranium petal, hung from a branch; it had green ribbons. And there was a pink cloud like a watchful cherub floating above their heads. Rosemary took her hands out of her long gloves. She always took off her gloves to examine such things . Yes, she liked it very much. She loved it; it was a great duck. She must have it.And, turning the creamy box, opening and shutting it, she couldn't help noticing how charming her hands were against the blue velvet. The shopman, in some dim cavern of his mind, may have dared to think so too. For he took a pencil, leant over the counter, and his pale, bloodless fingers crept timidly towards those rosy, flashing ones, as he murmured gently: â€Å"If I may venture to point out to madam, the flowers on the little lady's bodice. † â€Å"Charming! † Rosemary admired the flowers. But what was the price? For a moment the shopman did not seem to hear. Then a murmur reached her. â€Å"Twenty-eight guineas, madam. â€Å"Twenty-eight guineas. † Rosemary gave no sign. She laid the little box down; she buttoned her gloves again. Twenty-eight guineas. Even if one is rich†¦ She looked vague. She stared at a plump tea-kettle like a plump hen above the shopman's head, and her voice was dreamy as she answered: â€Å"Well, keep it for me – will you? I'll†¦ † But the shopman had already bowed as though keeping it for her was all any human being could ask. He would be willing, of course, to keep it for her for ever. The discreet door shut with a click. She was outside on the step, gazing at the winter afternoon.Rain was falling, and with the rain it seemed the dark came too, spinning down like ashes. There was a cold bitter taste in the air, and the new-lighted lamps looked sad. Sad were the lights in the houses opposite. Dimly they burned as if regretting something. And people hurried by, hidden under their hateful umbrellas. Rosemary felt a strange pang. She pressed her muff against her breast; she wished she had the little box, too, to cling to. Of course the car was there. She'd only to cross the pavement. But still she waited. There are moments, horrible moments in life, when one emerges from shelter and looks out, and it's awful. One oughtn't to give way to them. One ought to go home and have an extra-special tea. But at the very instant of thinking that, a young girl, thin, dark, shadowy – where had she come from? – was standing at Rosemary's elbow and a voice like a sigh, almost like a sob, breathed: â€Å"Madam, may I speak to you a moment? † â€Å"Speak to me? † Rosemary turned. She saw a little battered creature with enormous eyes, someone quite young, no older than herself, who clutched at her coat-collar with reddened hands, and shivered as though she had just come out of the water. â€Å"M-madam, stammered the voice. Would you let me have the price of a cup of tea?â€Å"A cup of tea? † There was something simple, sincere in that voice; it wasn't in the least the voice of a beggar. â€Å"Then have you no money at all? † asked Rosemary. â€Å"None, madam,† came the answer. â€Å"How extraordinary! † Rosemary peered through the dusk and the girl g azed back at her. How more than extraordinary! And suddenly it seemed to Rosemary such an adventure. It was like something out of a novel by Dostoevsky, this meeting in the dusk. Supposing she took the girl home? Supposing she did do one of those things she was always reading about or seeing on the stage, what would happen? It would be thrilling.And she heard herself saying afterwards to the amazement of her friends: â€Å"I simply took her home with me,† as she stepped forward and said to that dim person beside her: â€Å"Come home to tea with me. † The girl drew back startled. She even stopped shivering for a moment. Rosemary put out a hand and touched her arm. â€Å"I mean it,† she said, smiling. And she felt how simple and kind her smile was. â€Å"Why won't you? Do. Come home with me now in my car and have tea. † â€Å"You – you don't mean it, madam,† said the girl, and there was pain in her voice. â€Å"But I do,† cried Rosemary . â€Å"I want you to. To please me. Come along.The girl put her fingers to her lips and her eyes devoured Rosemary. â€Å"You're – you're not taking me to the police station? † she stammered. â€Å"The police station! † Rosemary laughed out. â€Å"Why should I be so cruel? No, I only want to make you warm and to hear – anything you care to tell me. † Hungry people are easily led. The footman held the door of the car open, and a moment later they were skimming through the dusk. â€Å"There! † said Rosemary. She had a feeling of triumph as she slipped her hand through the velvet strap. She could have said, â€Å"Now I've got you,† as she gazed at the little captive she had netted.But of course she meant it kindly. Oh, more than kindly. She was going to prove to this girl that – wonderful things did happen in life, that – fairy godmothers were real, that – rich people had hearts, and that women were sisters. She tu rned impulsively, saying'. â€Å"Don't be frightened. After all, why shouldn't you come back with me? We're both women. If I'm the more fortunate, you ought to expect†¦ † But happily at that moment, for she didn't know how the sentence was going to end, the car stopped. The bell was rung, the door opened, and with a charming, protecting, almost embracing movement, Rosemary drew the other into the hall.Warmth, softness, light, a sweet scent, all those things so familiar to her she never even thought about them, she watched that other receive. It was fascinating. She was like the rich little girl in her nursery with all the cupboards to open, all the boxes to unpack. â€Å"Come, come upstairs,† said Rosemary, longing to begin to be generous. â€Å"Come up to my room. † And, besides, she wanted to spare this poor little thing from being stared at by the servants; she decided as they mounted the stairs she would not even ring to Jeanne, but take off her things by herself. The great things were to be natural!And â€Å"There! † cried Rosemary again, as they reached her beautiful big bedroom with the curtains drawn, the fire leaping on her wonderful lacquer furniture, her gold cushions and the primrose and blue rugs. The girl stood just inside the door; she seemed dazed. But Rosemary didn't mind that. â€Å"Come and sit down,† she cried, dragging her big chair up to the fire, â€Å"m this comfy chair. Come and get warm. You look so dreadfully cold. † â€Å"I daren't, madam,† said the girl, and she edged backwards. â€Å"Oh, please,† – Rosemary ran forward – â€Å"you mustn't be frightened, you mustn't, really.Sit down, when I've taken off my things we shall go into the next room and have tea and be cozy. Why are you afraid? † And gently she half pushed the thin figure into its deep cradle. . But there was no answer. The girl stayed just as she had been put, with her hands by her sides a nd her mouth slightly open. To be quite sincere, she looked rather stupid. But Rosemary wouldn't acknowledge it. She leant over her, saying: â€Å"Won't you take off your hat? Your pretty hair is all wet. And one is so much more comfortable without a hat, isn't one? † There was a whisper that sounded like â€Å"Very good, adam,† and the crushed hat was taken off. â€Å"And let me help you off with your coat, too,† said Rosemary. The girl stood up. But she held on to the chair with one hand and let Rosemary pull. It was quite an effort. The other scarcely helped her at all. She seemed to stagger like a child, and the thought came and went through Rosemary's mind, that if people wanted helping they must respond a little, just a little, otherwise it became very difficult indeed. And what was she to do with the coat now? She left it on the floor, and the hat too.She was just going to take a cigarette off the mantelpiece when the girl said quickly, but so lightly and strangely: â€Å"I'm very sorry, madam, but I'm going to faint. I shall go off, madam, if I don't have something. † â€Å"Good heavens, how thoughtless I am! † Rosemary rushed to the bell. â€Å"Tea! Tea at once! And some brandy immediately! † The maid was gone again, but the girl almost cried out: â€Å"No, I don't want no brandy. * I never drink brandy. It's a cup of tea I want, madam. † And she burst into tears. It was a terrible and fascinating moment.Rosemary knelt beside her chair. â€Å"Don't cry, poor little thing,† she said. Don't cry. † And she gave the other her lace handkerchief. She really was touched beyond words. She put her arm round those thin, bird-like shoulders. Now at last the other forgot to be shy, forgot everything except that they were both women, and gasped out: â€Å"I can't go on no longer like this. I can't bear it. I can't bear it. I shall do away with myself. I can't bear no more. † â€Å"You shan't hav e to. I'll look after you. Don't cry any more. Don't you see what a good thing it was that you met me? We'll have tea and you'll tell me everything. And I shall arrange something. I promise. Do stop crying.It's so exhausting. Please! † The other did stop just in time for Rosemary to get up before the tea came. She had the table placed between them. She plied the poor little creature with everything, all the sandwiches, all the bread and butter, and every time her cup was empty she filled it with tea, cream and sugar. People always said sugar was so nourishing. As for herself she didn't eat; she smoked and looked away tactfully so that the other should not be shy. And really the effect of that slight meal was marvelous. When the tea-table was carried away a new being, a light, frail creature with tangled air, dark lips, deep, lighted eyes, lay back in the big chair in a kind of sweet languor, looking at the blaze. Rosemary lit a fresh cigarette; it was time to begin. â€Å"And when did you have your last meal? † she asked softly. But at that moment the door-handle turned. â€Å"Rosemary, may I come in? † It was Philip. â€Å"Of course. † He came in. â€Å"Oh, I'm so sorry,† he said, and stopped and stared. â€Å"It's quite all right,† said Rosemary, smiling.â€Å"This is my friend, Miss _† â€Å"Smith, madam,† said the languid figure, who was strangely still and unafraid. â€Å"Smith,† said Rosemary. â€Å"We are going to have a little talk. â€Å"Oh yes,† said Philip. â€Å"Quite,† and his eye caught sight of the coat and hat on the floor. He came over to the fire and turned his back to it. â€Å"It's a beastly afternoon,† he said curiously, still looking at that listless figure, looking at its hands and boots, and then at Rosemary again. â€Å"Yes, isn't it? † said Rosemary enthusiastically. â€Å"Vile. † Philip smiled his charming smile. â€Å"As a matter of fa ct,† said he, â€Å"I wanted you to come into the library for a moment. Would you? Will Miss Smith excuse us? † The big eyes were raised to him, but Rosemary answered for her: â€Å"Of course she will. And they went out of the room together. â€Å"I say,† said Philip, when they were alone. â€Å"Explain. Who is she? What does it all mean? † Rosemary, laughing, leaned against the door and said: â€Å"I picked her up in  Curzon Street  . Really. She's a real pick-up. She asked me for the price of a cup of tea, and I brought her home with  me. † â€Å"But what on earth are you going to do with her? † cried Philip. â€Å"Be nice to her,† said Rosemary quickly. â€Å"Be frightfully nice to her. Look after her. I don't know how. We haven't talked yet. But show her – treat her – make her feel -† â€Å"My darling girl,† said Philip, â€Å"you're quite mad, you know.It simply can't be done. † â€Å"I k new you'd say that,† retorted Rosemary. Why not? I want to. Isn't that a reason? And besides, one's always reading about these things. I decided -† â€Å"But,† said Philip slowly, and he cut the end of a cigar, â€Å"she's so astonishingly pretty. † â€Å"Pretty? † Rosemary was so surprised that she blushed. â€Å"Do you think so? I – I hadn't thought about it. † â€Å"Good Lord! † Philip struck a match. â€Å"She's absolutely lovely. Look again, my child. I was bowled over when I came into your room just now. However†¦ I think you're making a ghastly mistake. Sorry, darling, if I'm crude and all that.But let me know if Miss Smith is going to dine with us in time for me to look up The Milliner's Gazette. † â€Å"You absurd creature! † said Rosemary, and she went out of the library, but not back to her bedroom. She went to her writing-room and sat down at her desk. Pretty! Absolutely lovely! Bowled over! Her hea rt beat like a heavy bell. Pretty! Lovely! She drew her check-book towards her. But no, checks would be no use, of course. She opened a drawer and took out five pound notes, looked at them, put two back, and holding the three squeezed in her hand, she went back to her bedroom.Half an hour later Philip was still in the library, when Rosemary came in. â€Å"I only wanted to tell you,† said she, and she leaned against the door again and looked at him with her dazzled exotic gaze, â€Å"Miss Smith won't dine with us to-night. † Philip put down the paper. â€Å"Oh, what's happened? Previous engagement? † Rosemary came over and sat down on his knee. â€Å"She insisted on going,† said she, â€Å"so I gave the poor little thing a present of money. I couldn't keep her against her will, could I? † she added softly. Rosemary had just done her hair, darkened her eyes a little and put on her pearls.She put up her hands and touched Philip's cheeks. â€Å"Do you like me? † said she, and her tone, sweet, husky, troubled him. â€Å"I like you awfully,† he said, and he held her tighter. â€Å"Kiss me. † There was a pause. Then Rosemary said dreamily: â€Å"I saw a fascinating little box to-day. It cost twenty-eight guineas. May I have it? † Philip jumped her on his knee. â€Å"You may, little wasteful one,† said he. But that was not really what Rosemary wanted to say. â€Å"Philip,† she whispered, and she pressed his head against her bosom, â€Å"am I pretty? â€Å"

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 2

Elena burst out of the backseat of the Jaguar and ran a little way from the car before turning to see what had fallen on top of it. What had fallen was Matt. He was in the process of struggling to get up off his back. â€Å"Matt – oh, my God! Are you all right? Are you hurt?† Elena cried at the same time as Matt was shouting in tones of anguish: â€Å"Elena – oh, my God! Is the Jag all right? Is it hurt?† â€Å"Matt, are you crazy? Did you hit your head?† â€Å"Are there any scratches? Does the moonroof still work?† â€Å"No scratches. The moonroof is fine.† Elena had no idea if the moonroof worked, but she realized that Matt was raving, off his head. He was trying to get down without getting any mud on the Jag, but he was handicapped since his legs and feet were covered with mud. Getting off of the car without using his feet was proving difficult. Meanwhile, Elena was looking around. She herself had once fallen from the sky, yes, but she had been dead for six months first and had arrived naked, and Matt fulfilled neither requirement. She had a more prosaic explanation in mind. And there it was, lounging against a yellowwood tree and eyeing the scene with a very slight, wicked smile. Damon. He was compact; not as tall as Stefan, but with an indefinable aura of menace that more than made up for it. He was as immaculately dressed as always: black Armani jeans, black shirt, black leather jacket, and black boots, which all went with his carelessly windblown dark hair and his black eyes. Right now, he made Elena acutely aware that she was wearing a long white nightgown that she had brought with the idea that she could change her clothes underneath it if necessary while they were camping. The problem was that she usually did this just at dawn, and today writing in her diary had distracted her. And all at once the nightgown wasn't the correct attire for an early-morning fight with Damon. It wasn't sheer, being more akin to flannel than to nylon, but it was lacy, especially around the neck. Lace around a pretty neck to a vampire – as Damon had told her – was like a waving red cloak in front of a raging bull. Elena crossed her arms over her chest. She also tried to make sure that her aura was pulled in decorously. â€Å"You look like Wendy,† Damon said, and his smile was wicked, flashing, and definitely appreciative. He cocked his head to the side coaxingly. Elena refused to be coaxed. â€Å"Wendy who?† she said, and at just that moment remembered the last name of the young girl in Peter Pan, and winced inwardly. Elena had always been good at repartee of this kind. The problem was that Damon was better. â€Å"Why, Wendy†¦Darling,† Damon said, and his voice was a caress. Elena felt an inward shiver. Damon had promised not to Influence her – to use his telepathic powers to cloud or manipulate her mind. But sometimes it felt as if he got awfully close to the line. Yes, it was definitely Damon's fault, Elena thought. She didn't have any feelings for him that were – well, that were anything other than sisterly. But Damon never gave up, no matter how many times she rejected him. Behind Elena was a thump and squelch that undoubtedly meant Matt had finally gotten off the roof of the Jag. He jumped into the fray immediately. â€Å"Don't call Elena, Elena darling!† he shouted, continuing as he turned to Elena, â€Å"Wendy's probably the name of his latest little girlfriend. And – and – and do you know what he did? How he woke me up this morning?† Matt was quivering with indignation. â€Å"He picked you up and threw you on top of the car?† Elena hazarded. She talked over her shoulder to Matt because there was a faint morning breeze that tended to mold her nightgown to her body. She didn't want Damon behind her just now. â€Å"No! I mean, yes! No and yes! But – when he did, he didn't even bother to use his hands! He just went like this† – Matt waved an arm – â€Å"and first I got dropped into a mud hole and next thing I know I got dropped on the Jag. It could have broken the moonroof – or me! And now I'm all muddy,† Matt added, examining himself with disgust, as if it had only just occurred to him. Damon spoke up. â€Å"And why did I pick you up and put you down again? What were you actually doing at the time when I put some distance between us?† Matt flushed to the roots of his fair hair. His normally tranquil blue eyes were blazing. â€Å"I was holding a stick,† he said defiantly. â€Å"A stick. A stick like the kind you find along the roadside? That kind of stick?† â€Å"I did pick it up along the roadside, yes!† Still defiant. â€Å"But then something strange seems to have happened to it.† From nowhere that Elena could see, Damon suddenly produced a very long, and very sturdy-looking stake, with one end that had been whittled to an extremely sharp point. It had definitely been carved from hardwood: oak from the look of it. While Damon was examining his â€Å"stick† from all sides with a look of acute bafflement, Elena turned on a sputtering Matt. â€Å"Matt!† she said reproachfully. This was definitely a low point in the cold war between the two boys. â€Å"I just thought,† Matt went on stubbornly, â€Å"that it might be a good idea. Since I'm sleeping outdoors at night and a†¦another vampire might come along.† Elena had already turned again and was making appeasing noises at Damon when Matt burst out afresh. â€Å"Tell her how you actually woke me up!† he said explosively. Then, without giving Damon a chance to say anything, he continued, â€Å"I was just opening my eyes when he dropped this on me!† Matt squelched over to Elena, holding something up. Elena, truly at a loss, took it from him, turning it over. It seemed to be a pencil stub, but it was discolored dark reddish-brown. â€Å"He dropped that on me and said ‘scratch off two,'† Matt said. â€Å"He'd killed two people – and he was bragging about it!† Elena suddenly didn't want to be holding the pencil anymore. â€Å"Damon!† she said in a cry of real anguish, as she tried to make something out of his no-expression expression. â€Å"Damon – you didn't – not really – â€Å" â€Å"Don't beg him, Elena. The thing we've got to do – â€Å" â€Å"If anybody would let me get a word in,† Damon said, now sounding truly exasperated, â€Å"I might mention that before I could explain about the pencil someone attempted to stake me on the spot, even before getting out of his sleeping bag. And what I was going to say next was that they weren't people. They were vampires, thugs, hired muscle – but these were possessed by Shinichi's malach. And they were on our trail. They'd gotten as far as Warren, Kentucky, probably by asking questions about the car. We're definitely going to have to get rid of it.† â€Å"No!† Matt shouted defensively. â€Å"This car – this car means something to Stefan and Elena.† â€Å"This car means something to you,† Damon corrected. â€Å"And I might point out that I had to leave my Ferrari in a creek just so we could take you on this little expedition.† Elena held up her hand. She didn't want to hear any more. She did have feelings for the car. It was big and brilliantly red and flashy and buoyant – and it expressed how she and Stefan had been feeling on the day that he bought it for her, celebrating the start of their new life together. Just looking at it made her remember the day, and the weight of Stefan's arm around her shoulder and the way he'd looked down at her, when she'd looked up at him – his green eyes sparkling with mischief and the joy of getting her something she really wanted. To Elena's embarrassment and fury, she found that she was shaking slightly, and that her own eyes were full of tears. â€Å"You see,† Matt said, glaring at Damon. â€Å"Now you're making her cry.† â€Å"I am? I'm not the one who mentioned my dear departed younger brother,† Damon said urbanely. â€Å"Just stop it! Right now! Both of you,† Elena shouted, trying to find her composure. â€Å"And I don't want this pencil, if you don't mind,† she added, holding it at arm's length. When Damon took it, Elena wiped her hands on her nightgown, feeling vaguely light-headed. She shivered, thinking of the vampires on their trail. And then, suddenly, as she swayed, there was a warm, strong arm around her and Damon's voice beside her saying, â€Å"What she needs is some fresh air, and I'm going to give it to her.† Abruptly Elena was weightless and she was in Damon's arms and they were going higher. â€Å"Damon, could you please put me down?† â€Å"Right now, darling? It's quite a distance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena continued to remonstrate with Damon, but she could tell that he had tuned her out. And the cool morning air was clearing her head a bit, although it also made her shake. She tried to stop the shivering, but couldn't help it. Damon glanced down at her and to her surprise, looking completely serious, began to make motions as if to take his jacket off. Elena hastily said, â€Å"No, no – you just drive – fly, I mean, and I'll hang on.† â€Å"And watch for low-going seagulls,† Damon said solemnly, but with a quirk at the side of his mouth. Elena had to turn her face away because she was in danger of laughing. â€Å"So, just when did you learn you could pick people up and drop them on cars?† she inquired. â€Å"Oh, just recently. It was like flying: a challenge. And you know I like challenges.† He was looking down at her with mischief in his eyes, those black on black eyes with such long lashes that they were wasted on a boy. Elena felt as light as if she were dandelion fluff, but also a little light-headed, almost tipsy. She was much warmer now, because – she realized – Damon had enfolded her in his aura, which was warm. Not just in temperature, either, but warm with a heady, almost drunken appreciation, as he took her in, her eyes and her face and her hair floating weightlessly in a cloud of gold around her shoulders. Elena couldn't help but blush, and she almost heard his thought, that blushing suited her very well, pale pink against her fair complexion. And just as blushing was an involuntary physical response to his warmth and appreciation, Elena felt an involuntary emotional response – of thankfulness for what he had done, of gratitude for his appreciation, and of unintentional appreciation of Damon himself. He had saved her life tonight, if she knew anything about vampires possessed by Shinichi's malach, vampires who were thugs to begin with. She couldn't even imagine what such creatures would do to her, and she didn't want to. She could only be glad that Damon had been clever enough and, yes, ruthless enough to take care of them before they got to her. And she would have to be blind and just plain stupid not to appreciate the fact that Damon was gorgeous. After having died twice, this fact did not affect her as it would most other girls, but it was still a fact, whether Damon was pensive or giving one of those rare genuine smiles that he seemed to have only for Elena. The problem with this was that Damon was a vampire and could therefore read her mind, especially with Elena being so close, their auras intermingling. And Damon appreciated Elena's appreciation, and it became a little cycle of feedback, all on its own. Before Elena could quite focus she was melting, her weightless body feeling heavier as it molded itself to Damon's arms. And the other problem was that Damon wasn't Influencing her; he was as caught up in the feedback as Elena was – more so, because he didn't have any barriers against it. Elena did, but they were blurring, dissolving. She couldn't think properly. Damon was gazing at her with wonder and a look she was all too used to seeing – but she couldn't remember where. Elena had lost the power to analyze. She was simply basking in the warm glow of being cherished, being held and loved and cared for with an intensity that shook her to the bone. And when Elena gave of herself, she gave completely. Almost without conscious effort, she arched her head back to expose her throat and closed her eyes. Damon gently positioned her head differently, supported it with one hand, and kissed her.

Jump-Starts and Start-Ups

Jump-Starts and Start-Ups Jump-Starts and Start-Ups Jump-Starts and Start-Ups By Mark Nichol A reference to the name of a law called the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act pointed out to me how easily confusion is created in writers’ minds by varying treatment of hyphenated terms. The verb phrase jump-start, which originated in the 1970s as a slang term referring to the action of reenergizing the dead battery in a vehicle with a working battery in another by using cables to connect the two and create an electrical circuit, is hyphenated to distinguish it from the noun phrase â€Å"jump start†; this treatment is used in other verb phrases such as double-check, drip-dry, and hard-boil. However, many people treat both the verb phrase and the noun phrase as a closed compound: jumpstart- an understandable error, considering that style guides and writing manuals are curiously unhelpful about the topic. Dictionaries have an entry for the verb phrase, but few people, including those responsible for naming this law, bother to check. As a result, it is perhaps inevitable that jumpstart (and doublecheck, dripdry, and hardboil) will become the standard treatment. The name of the law also commits an error in its treatment of start-up. Again, such an error isn’t surprising. Yes, startup looks more likely to be pronounced â€Å"star tup† than â€Å"start up,† so the hyphen is helpful, but why, then, do we spell breakup (â€Å"brea kup†?) and makeup (â€Å"ma keup†?) without hyphens, yet shake-up is hyphenated? In the long run, such questions are moot: Before long, as with the clamped-together verbs mentioned in the previous paragraph, start-up and shake-up will likely, like breakup and makeup before them, lose their hyphens. Is that a bad thing? Such evolution is common in English: Many originally hyphenated compound nouns, such as to-day and black-bird, and nouns with prefixes, such as anti-matter, lost their hyphens along the way. Writers are increasingly omitting the hyphen from mind-set and closing it, as well as omitting the hyphen from light-year and leaving it open or closing it. What’s a careful writer to do in the midst of such evolution? Don’t contribute to the confusion: Always consult a reputable source such as a dictionary or a style guide, and use the standard treatment. But, you may protest, do I have to look up every word before I write it? No, but as I used to half-jokingly tell my students when I taught editing, if you’re not absolutely sure you’ve treated (or used) a word correctly, pretend that to err is a capital offense, and act accordingly. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your StoryExpanded and ExtendedAppropriate vs. Apropos vs. Apt

Kinetic Energy in Mobile and Device Charging Essay

Kinetic Energy in Mobile and Device Charging - Essay Example This paper illustrates that a household device is crucial in the absence of electricity. It keeps or converts kinetic energy into power, which it uses to charge the devices.   The manufacture of the instrument is such that it can charge with the same speed as standard chargers. Ten thousand steps in a day maintain the equipment for close to three hours. It costs approximately $85, and it comes with an application that records the calories burnt and power it has generated. The company has reached its target of 100000 and after 28 days, it has received over 116000 pledges. It has a fast market growth, and it has no major competitors of the same kind. The small innovations typically make up for more than 80% of the development of the company. These events do not lead to the growth that the company hopes to get in the end. R-W-W directs the project to answer six important questions, which are, does the product have a real market? Does the company produce a genuine product? Can the comm odity compete with other products? Will the organization compete with others? Is the product return profitable at a particular risk? Is it logic to launch the product? Establishing if the market exists is an important factor in its growth. The new technology has a real market because it has passed the qualities of the market. The charger has been able to shape the quality of the market because of its quality. Apple and Samsung are the main producers of smartphones in the world. The phones they produce do not come with a portable charger. It means the charger will have a ready market for the charger. The need for the portable kinetic charger is growth due to a diversity of products. Individuals will choose the charger over other because of one or more features it possesses. The charger would improve on the existing charging solutions in the industry. The market has been there for a long time and it indicates that the portable kinetic charger will, compete with other corporations. The high use of mobile phones and other devices has become a community norm. The new technology will compete with other chargers, which are in the market.

High Dropout Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

High Dropout - Essay Example Parents are finding themselves helpless as they are not able to do anything about it. However, dropping out of school is not a random phenomenon. Every action has a reason behind it. The reason can be psychological, social or personal. To prevent students from leaving their education incomplete, it is a responsibility of the society and the educational institutes to find out the reason behind students dropping out of the school and work out an effective and permanent solution for it. If not taken care of on time, this problem can become a major obstacle in the progress of the country. This research is an attempt undertaken to understand the reason for the students dropping out of the school. Give balance The data shows that the proportion of undergraduates in the UK who failed to complete their first year at university increased by 0.3 per cent to 7.4 per cent in 2006-07, the year the government raised top-up fees to  £3,000. (http://www.studentloans.co.uk/news/2009). In England, 7.1 per cent failed to complete their first year, compared with 6.7 per cent prior to the student fees increase.(ibid) In contrast, between 15 per cent and 19 per cent of students at the universities of Greenwich, Sunderland, Bolton and London Metropolitan failed to complete their first year, while one in five studying at the University of Ulster dropped out (ibid). I have a personal experience of this problem. I have two brothers who left university and caused great pain for my parents, but when they grew up they realized that the university was the most important thing in their life. Even though we know that â€Å"university is the best thing†, why we drop out of college? That fact is that, we drop out from the University or college for many reasons. A