Manage Programs That Promote Personal Effectiveness Essay

1. Three common Health Issues that Can Affect Productivity In The Work Place Are: Mental Health Issues for example: Depression, Anxiety, stress & Behavioral Conditions. Chronic Illnesses for example: Diabetes, asthma, Cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke. Lifestyle risk Factors such as drug and alcohol abuse, gambling, Obesity and smoking this includes second hand smoke. 2. Use the internet to research each Identified issue for the following: Prevalence of the issue and any forecasts. Mental Health is on the rise in and out of the work place, And unlike many physical illness it impacts on people during their prime working years untreated mental health issues are costing Australian organizations $642,000 per 1000 employees. Chronic Illness is increasing in a global prevalence and in 23 high burden developed countries the cost associated with this global prevalence will cost the economy 84 billion dollars by 2015 if nothing is done to slow this up ward trend. Lifestyle Risk Factors have increased dramatically not only has Obesity increased Across all age groups the working age groups has a steady upward growth. Between 1995 and 2012 the average BMI for men and women over 18 have increased by 9.6% And only only 5.5% of Australian adults had an adequate usual daily intake of fruit and Vegetables there has been a decrease in smoking according to the national health Survey â€Å"In 2011 12, men were more likely to smoke daily than women (18.3% Compared with 14.1%). These rates have decreased since 2001, when 25.4% of men And 19.5% of women smoked daily†. Standard approaches to address the Issue in the work place. Being proactive in effectively raising awareness and addressing Mental Heath in the work place so early intervention can take place is important for staff moral and confidence. Some standard approaches for addressing and dealing with mental health would be: Educating and giving managers and employee’s the tools and skills needed to jointly identify triggers and solutions. On a larger scale and depending on the overall health and personnel needs of the employees and funding from the organization or government an EAP could be strategized and planned. Standard approaches to addressing chronic illness in the work place are: Initiating an in employee assistance program to provide the employees with the education and support they need this could be anything from a basic to a comprehensive program depending on all the variable factors to take in to account. Standard Approaches to Lifestyle risk factors include policy changes such as smoke Free environments to further decrease the smoking rate or even promoting quit line Services for smoking related issues. Provide health options and Incentives for using And maintaining healthier choices within the workplace to deal with diet related Lifestyle risks. Two of the Identified approaches briefly detailed on how the approach is managed in The work place and which approach I prefer. Mental Health Implementing compressive strategy or national workplace program (Employee assistance program) along with strategizing a well being policy and prevention policy will increase knowledge and understanding on how to deal and prevent mental health in the work place and address work related risk. Therefore increasing awareness, decreasing stigma and improving attitudes therefore giving staff employees the tools to create a healthy work  environment where no one has fears of speaking out about having a mental health issue this can provide job securities and reassurances they have the support of the organization. Full commitment from all stakeholders including all management mental heath experts and the chosen employee representative is essential to the success and outcome of program. Lifestyles Risks Factors Introducing an advanced or comprehensive program to educate and give staff / Employee’s opportunities to be educated on Nutrition, Physical activity, Smoking and stress management and experience to practice the skills needed to deal With and prevent Lifestyle Risk related issues. Provide health options and Incentives For using and maintaining healthier choices within the workplace to deal with diet Related Lifestyle risks. Also promoting services related to lifestyle risk factors such as Quit line, Heart Foundation, Cancer Council, Substance abuse consolers and GP’s for General check ups. Approach I Prefer The benefits for addressing lifestyle risks far out way the cost and time as Implementing this as a preventative measure would boost understanding, morale and Trust within the organization therefore boosting Productivity the organization would Save Money on a long Term basis due to the fact That many chronic illness and some mental Health issues Stem from associated Lifestyle Risk factors. So I believe addressing lifestyle risk Factors you are therefore Addressing an overall broad majority of issues. Tackling life style risk factors before They become Chronic illness is imperative and should be made a priority as Prevention Is better than Cure. So I would introduce an advanced or comprehensive program to Change the behavior. 3.  Summary Report Mental Health Issues for example: Depression, Anxiety, stress & Behavioral Conditions. Chronic Illnesses for example: Diabetes, asthma, Cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke. Lifestyle risk Factors such as drug and alcohol abuse, gambling, Obesity and smoking this includes second hand smoke. â€Å"Healthy Employees Make A Healthy Business† Mental health Issues, chronic illnesses and lifestyle risk factors are all on the rise it is so crucial that they be addressed because the long term affect of unaddressed issues within any organization can be devastating for both employer and employees. Not only did a 2007 study run by Medibank Private put the annual cost of absenteeism and presenteeism to Australia at $25.7 billion. Health and wellbeing are by far the overriding factors. By improving health standards in the work place you will find healthier employees are 3 times more productive. All the above health issues have a profound impact on Daily productivity absenteeism and presenteeism addressing these issues effectively will not only benefit this organization and employee’s but improve overall mental and physical wellbeing improving productivity, employee relationships, reduced absenteeism and sick leave and increased health awareness and knowledge. â€Å"Global research has found that when employee health and wellness is managed well the percentage of engaged employees increases from 7% to 55%. This research also found self-reported creativity and innovation increases from 20% to 72%.† Providing the necessary tools and skills for staff and employee’s to preform at there best I would suggest adopting a EAP to approach lifestyle risk issues, some of the methods maybe government assisted workshops. so with the approval of senior management I would love feedback & approval to write a advanced or comprehensive EAP for Lifestyle Risk Factors because I believe that in addressing lifestyle risks far out way the cost, time and resources and With cost in relation to losses from absenteeism and presenteeism an  investment on a larger scale like a advanced or comprehensive EPA would be more beneficial in this situation. Implementing this as a preventative measure would boost understanding, morale and Trust within the organization therefore boosting Productivity. The organization would Save Money on a long Term basis due to the fact the work place will be a healthy safer place with reduced absenteeism and presenteeism and increased productivity. â€Å"a ship cannot be sailed without a crew† so keeping your staff / employee’s happy and healthy will have a positive affect on all involved and improve the organizations corporate image. With cost in relation to losses from absenteeism and presenteeism an investment on a larger scale like a advanced or comprehensive EPA would be more beneficial in this situation. Also in addressing lifestyle risk you are in turn addressing many chronic illnesses and Some mental Health issues as most Stem from associated Lifestyle Risk factors. So I Believe addressing lifestyle risk Factors you are therefore addressing an overall broad Majority of issues. Tackling life style risk factors before They become Chronic illness it Is imperative and should be made a priority as Prevention Is better than Cure. References http://www.cgdev.org/doc/expert%20pages/nugent/Nugent_Annals_article.pdf https://www.bspg.com.au/dam/bsg/product?client=BEYONDBLUE&prodid=BL/0538&type=file http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/home?opendocument http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/active-living/Documents/Healthy-workplace-guide.pdf

Economics Exchange Rates Commentary Essay

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)–The dollar continued its slide Wednesday, touching its lowest level in 12 months against the euro and flagging against the yen as rising equities battered the greenback yet again. The dollar has lost key legs of support over the past two weeks as encouraging global economic data has led investors to assume more risk and buy higher-yielding assets. With the recession receding and financial markets in recovery, investors have become more confident there’s no longer a need to hold their money in a safe-harbor currency like the dollar. Because of the Federal Reserve’s need to stimulate the economy, the dollar’s ultra-low interest rates have made it the lowest-yielding major currency. The cost of borrowing U.S. dollars in the London interbank market continued its slide Wednesday. The key three-month London interbank offered rate marked its lowest level since the British Bankers’ Association first introduced its Libor fixings in 1986. The dollar hit its lowest level against the common currency since September 2008 in New York afternoon trading, with the euro touching a 12-month high at $1.4738. If the euro is able to sustain levels above $1.4720, a key technical level, it could be on a march to $1.50, said Carl Forcheski, vice president for foreign exchange at Societe Generale in New York. The dollar’s losses were broad, sinking to new 13-month lows against the Australian and New Zealand dollars as well as lows for 2009 versus other widely traded counterparts. The U.K. pound also piggy-backed off the euro’s gains to advance on the dollar. The yen had been the so-called â€Å"carry trade† currency of choice, but with U.S. interest rates expected to remain feeble until 2010, analysts anticipate the dollar to continue funding riskier bets. A carry trade involves buying a lower-yielding currency to fund purchases of higher-yielding assets. The dollar was also burdened Wednesday by comments from Japan’s incoming finance minister, Hirohisa Fujii, who said he saw no need to intervene in currency markets to weaken the yen. In the past, the dollar had received support from the belief that Japan would intervene to prevent unwanted appreciation of its currency. â€Å"There’s no change in my thinking† that it’s not the time to consider foreign-exchange intervention, Fujii said at a news conference. Though he wouldn’t rule out intervention in what he termed â€Å"really abnormal situations,† Fujii said â€Å"the idea that the yen should be cheaper for the sake of [Japan’s] exporters is wrong.† Wednesday afternoon in New York, the euro was at $1.4729 from $1.4667 late Tuesday, according to EBS via CQG. The dollar was at Y90.78 from Y91.06. The euro was at Y133.72 from Y133.60. The U.K. pound was at $1.6506 from $1.6495, while the dollar was at CHF1.0306 from CHF1.0340. U.S. economic data released Wednesday, including as-expected August consumer price index and better-than-expected industrial production numbers, pointed to a continuing recovery, leading stocks to rally. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 108 points, lending support to the euro and other high-yielders. The dollar looks likely to continue its broad-based slide through the rest of the year, analysts said. As long as the buck doesn’t fall too far too fast, dollar weakness is expected in a time of loose monetary policy, said Adnan Akant, a currency specialist at money manager Fischer Francis Trees & Watts, a New York unit of BNP Paribas. Right now, the euro and other higher-yielding currencies are reaping the benefits of a global economic turnaround and stock market rallies, but within the next 12 months, the dollar should start benefitting from a recovering U.S. economy, said Wells Fargo analysts. The Canadian dollar ended higher near its strongest levels of the day Wednesday, reflecting another sustained flight into riskier assets like stocks and commodities at the expense of the slumping U.S. dollar. The U.S. dollar was trading at C$1.0666 late afternoon, from C$1.0721 late Tuesday. Strong gains for oil, gold and other commodities as well as rising North American equity markets underpinned the Canadian dollar’s gains, although the currency again failed to mount a serious challenge of its year-to-date high at C$1.0639, achieved in early August. Commentary The article refers to a depreciation of the dollar against major currencies due to â€Å"ultra-low interest rates† and increased risk by investors. The Federal Reserve has been cutting interest rates in an attempt to boost aggregate demand and stimulate the economy. High interest rates in an economy generally encourage investment in that currency as the value of the investment will increase over time. Currently US interest rates set by the Federal Reserve are around 0.25% compared to the European Central Bank’s 1%. Because of this, investors have switched to higher yielding currencies, such as the Euro, and to a lesser extent the Pound, causing a fall in the Dollar’s exchange rate. This is shown in Diagram 1. As the diagram shows, a right shift in the supply of the Dollar leads to a fall in its price relative to the Euro. In addition, the aforementioned cutting of interest rates is an expansionary monetary policy used to manipulate aggregate demand. The trade off of this policy is increased inflation. A high rate of inflation might further decrease investment in Dollar assets as the real value of the investment would decrease over time. During times of economic crisis, investors tend to invest in low risk assets such as generally strong currencies like the dollar. However with signs that the global economy is exiting the recession and in recovery, not only does the demand for safe-harbor currencies like the dollar decrease, but there is an increased demand for high risk investment due to bullish speculation. In addition, some consumers, firms, or foreign central banks might believe that despite the improving economic situation, the Dollar will continue to fall as the article mentions and sell dollar assets. This bearish speculation would further increase the supply of the dollar and perhaps lead to self-fulfilling prophecy. As shown above, the combination of the three factors leads to a sharp fall in the exchange rate. As previously mentioned, this depreciation could cause a self-fulfilling prophecy in which the initial bearish speculation leads to depreciation, which in turn causes more bearish speculation causing the exchange rate to enter a downward spiral. Initially, the Federal Reserve might not intervene but if the depreciation continued, it would be forced to buy back Dollars to counteract the increases in supply. This would slow the depreciation, discouraging people from selling dollars. It might even create bearish speculation as some might assume the dollar market will bottom out and start to appreciate. The depreciation of the Dollar should benefit the US economy by means of an improved current account deficit. Initially, the deficit will worsen as the demand for imports and exports is inelastic in the short run, but eventually the current account balance will improve as US exports become more competitive. US export revenue will increase while expenditure will fall. This improved current account situation will boost AD leading to economic growth. This is shown below in Diagram 3. Diagram 3 However, as the diagram shows, in the long run, there will be the trade off of inflation as AD rises. This might encourage Federal Reserve to strengthen the Dollar to reduce imported cost-push inflation. In addition, the increased demand for US exports will increase the demand for the Dollar causing appreciation. Foreign nations might eventually implement import controls such as tariffs on US goods in order to preserve their own current account balances. Eventually, the Dollar should regain its status as a high-yielding currency ——————————————– [ 1 ]. The value of one currency expressed in term of another [ 2 ]. A period in a business cycle following a recession, during which the GDP rises. [ 3]. Believing that a particular security, a sector, or the overall market is about to rise [ 4 ]. Revenue from the exports of goods and services and income flows is less than the expenditure on the import of goods and services and income flows in a given year

Annie Dillard The Chase

In the first paragraph of â€Å"The Chase†, the narrator of the story a seven year old girl is informing the audience about the game of football. She says â€Å"It was all or nothing† (Dillard 121). Basically stating that in football you have got to give all of your effort and not hesitate at all if you want to make the tackle and stop the offense. This do or die attitude is reflected later in the story during the chase scene. It is also the climax of the story. Being that a bunch of kids are together unsupervised, there is going to be some trouble. That is exactly what happens next. The children are all gathered during a winter snowy day making snowballs next to a street throwing them at passing cars. Its wide black door opened; a man got out of it running. He didn’t even close the car door. † This kind of unexpected thrill we can all relate to. Dillard adds even more by putting in the little details that make the reader feel the anger of this man and the feeling of we’re caught by the children that we have all felt as a kid is described in that same quote. By using these details in the story the re ader can put themselves into the shoes of the characters. Dillard uses lots of active descriptions that are very real throughout the chase scene. She uses actual street names like Edgerton Avenue, Lloyd Street, Willard and Lang. This use of actual real names of streets makes the story. The reader can almost get lost in the chase itself with Dillard’s use of rapid transitions like up, around, under, through, down some, across, smashed. After the chase is over and the children are caught the reader feels tired Annie Dillard The Chase In the first paragraph of â€Å"The Chase†, the narrator of the story a seven year old girl is informing the audience about the game of football. She says â€Å"It was all or nothing† (Dillard 121). Basically stating that in football you have got to give all of your effort and not hesitate at all if you want to make the tackle and stop the offense. This do or die attitude is reflected later in the story during the chase scene. It is also the climax of the story. Being that a bunch of kids are together unsupervised, there is going to be some trouble. That is exactly what happens next. The children are all gathered during a winter snowy day making snowballs next to a street throwing them at passing cars. Its wide black door opened; a man got out of it running. He didn’t even close the car door. † This kind of unexpected thrill we can all relate to. Dillard adds even more by putting in the little details that make the reader feel the anger of this man and the feeling of we’re caught by the children that we have all felt as a kid is described in that same quote. By using these details in the story the re ader can put themselves into the shoes of the characters. Dillard uses lots of active descriptions that are very real throughout the chase scene. She uses actual street names like Edgerton Avenue, Lloyd Street, Willard and Lang. This use of actual real names of streets makes the story. The reader can almost get lost in the chase itself with Dillard’s use of rapid transitions like up, around, under, through, down some, across, smashed. After the chase is over and the children are caught the reader feels tired

Apple Company (APPL) Financial Analysis Assignment Coursework

Apple Company (APPL) Financial Analysis Assignment - Coursework Example By profession he was a former clerk, but he had expended a huge capital over the expansion of the network of offices and captured a huge customer base in a very short period of time. In 1933, a historic merger was occurred between the two top rivals of the industry, i.e. R.G Dun and Company (Douglass agency) and Bradstreet Companies and resulted in the form of the present D&B Inc. Since then the company had made a number of achievements and the most significant and recognizable was â€Å"The D&B D-U-N-S Number†, which has been used as a standard numerical business identification code for the purpose of data processing for the U.S Government, European Commission and the United Nations. (Dnb.com, 2014) In order to make the financial analysis of the company, it is important to get a thorough analysis of the operational, investing and financial activities of the company and make its comparison with the overall industry norms. (Stickney, 1993) A. Net Sales: - The Company’s revenues are gradually increasing and it was reached to its highest point in 2011 with revenues of $1,759 million. But as compared to its two major competitors, i.e. Equifax Inc. and Experian PLC, its revenues are still very low because these companies have a high market share and market capitalization rate as compared to the DNB. B. Gross Margin: - Being a service provider company, it is capable of earning a high gross margin over its sales because of lower operating cost. After analyzing the gross margin numbers of the company for the previous 5 to 6 years, we will come to know that it has been decreased gradually from 73.1% in 2007 to 66.7% in 2013. The major reason behind the decrease is the increasing competition from the competitors and their low price offerings. C. Operating Margin: - The operating margin figures of the company show that how effectively the company is managing its operations. The operating margin of the overall industry is comparatively same and ranging from 25% to

The Beatles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The Beatles - Essay Example The musical band’s increasingly stylish experimentation included a variety of genre covering folk-rock, baroque pop, Hindustani music and avant-garde music. Coming out as a skiffle group, the group first embraced the 1950s rock and roll and helped them pioneer the Merseybeat genre and their music style eventually started to expand to include a broad variety of pop music. Although the song â€Å"Yesterday† was not the first pop record to use orchestral strings, it arguably marked the group’s first recorded use of classical elements. The group continued to experiment on a series of arrangements to various effects. For instance, â€Å"She is Leaving Home† its word and music are filled with recorded musical melodrama. The innovativeness never seemed to stop for the Beatles. For instance, the songs â€Å"I Am the Walrus† and â€Å"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds: which has much influence of Indian classical music (Everett & Walter, pp. 45). The introducti on of the recorded music from the various instrument and the change of the fast beats to rather something sensational brought the change to the dancing style of the pop music. It became rather a piece of music to be listened to rather than be danced to. These are some of the variations of the music that was as a result of the Beatles constant innovation with experimentation using various ways of doing pop music. The Fab Four, while doing some of the concerts with their new genre of music such as â€Å"Revolver†.

Personal bias paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal bias paper - Essay Example They also acknowledge that the phenomenon of socio-economic status is real. Apart from these fundamental realizations, the education also focuses on the physical ability of individuals (Prasad 67). The issue of physical ability is fundamental in explaining the divergences between people. Not everyone can have the ability to undertake certain actions. This is attributable to the nature of their physical ability. Family education requires committed educators who must have adequate faith and appropriate styles in their roles as educators. Faith allows educators to believe in the culture and meaning of culture practice. This implies that the educators make their students acknowledge the existence of cultural practices because of the faith that they continue to show. It also makes the family educators develop a consistent style while they deliver fundamental lessons on family life (Prasad 43). It is beneficial for people to undergo both prescribed and informal family education classes. This will improve human relations in families and societies. People will understand why certain occurrences take place and in turn prevent conflicts. Elements of misunderstanding between people from diverse socio-economic status will also be

Reflection assignment #3 on Nature Religion in America by Catherine Essay

Reflection assignment #3 on Nature Religion in America by Catherine Albanese on Pages 153-163; 171-185; 196-198 (ALL REQUIRED READING MATERIAL IS UPLOADED) - Essay Example On the basis of the data presented by Albanese, the nature religion is a manner of practice of belief that is based on being one with nature. Starting from the earliest trace of human civilization, such beliefs had been present and regardless of the modernity of times or the consciousness of the people, the nature’s religions keep on developing and diversifying. Although the literal objective of the author is to provide data regarding the presence and essence of the nature religion, the transcending meaning to the said practice is a fundamental message of the paper. One of the points presented in the paper is the fact that the most renowned religions, which are based on the presence of a godly entity above nature and humans, are questioned on the basis of sustainability in future times (p.175). This can be attributed to the fact that religion although set on faith, is one of the basis of society, culture and way of life of communities. For that matter, a look on the present state of nature can be considered that there is a dogma in the society and in the beliefs which is amiss. Based on the idea presented by the author, the main issue is that people needs to modify the belief that nature is meant for the human beings to consume and rule over. It can be considered that by recapitulating the religion of the ancestors, e.g. the native Americans, nature can be saved and people can respect and take care of the environment. This is based on the fact that the religion founded on nature states that human is not above nature but a part of it. Thus, as a part of himself nature is needed to be taken good care of. But if the said religion which is based on nature is that of the ancestors, then the hope of saving nature can be considered hopeless. To answer this, the author presented the succession of the development of the nature religion towards the present era. For that matter, human being can still have the change to attempt and endeavor the process of

Neo-classical Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Neo-classical Theories - Essay Example Direct application of the social control theory would involve the prescription of a punishment as a threat to wrongful social behavior. Offenders like the drunk drivers would be most likely deterred from offending through application of a cover legal implication in the commitment of a crime. In the application of the social theory as a deterrence of drunk drivers, a severe punishment like a five-year imprisonment, without bailing on bond, would be demotivating towards drunk driving (Chui, 2003). Social theory of deterrence equally closely borrows from rational choice theory as a means of deterring a drunk driver from committing an offence. Human beings are rational individuals who can be motivated or demotivated by a punishment, therefore a formal arrest and imprisonment would send a message to those being punished and the potential offenders that the implication for action is constant. Social theory, in deterring an offender from committing an offence, stipulates that the punishment mode and procedure should be uniform and applicable to everyone who commits the offence that is being deterred (O’Malley,

Social Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Social Media - Essay Example Always on the front edge of emerging trends and fads as an integral element of standard business practices, those involved in public relations have been eager to use social media as a powerful new tool in their arsenal. However, the problem with using social media in this way is intrinsically related to the reason it has such transformative power to begin with. Social media has the power to transcend all borders, infiltrate every language system and instantly connect with a world that is ready and waiting to connect back - that is its strength. Yet this ability to connect to such a strong degree also has the ability to deliver erroneous messages instantly, fails to take into consideration the possibility that what is acceptable in one place may be diametrically opposed to values held in another place and the people receiving these messages are just as capable of telling the world how much they like a product as they are of revealing its failures. One model that may be effective when using social media is the two-way symmetrical model of public relations suggested by J.E. Grunig. By more specifically defining what is meant by social media and examining what Grunig's two-way symmetrical model is, it is possible to understand the various ways social media may help to make this model effective as well as how it may hinder the process. Social media has expanded well beyond the simple concept of email lists and newsletters. By the time children reach college age, they have likely already become familiar with the idea of scanning codes for everything from buying groceries to checking in to a store for discounts. They are proficient in using the high-tech features and apps of smart-phones and have played at least one interactive, real-time online video game with friends living hundreds or even thousands of miles away that they may or may not have ever met in person. These friendships are forged through numerous social media outlets such as texting, chatting, tweeting o r something invented tomorrow. In the modern world, email has now become common for personal, educational and business use; Twitter and Foursquare have become the new favorite means of keeping up with friends; news of the world is delivered via YouTube video, streaming video or status updates sent directly to an iPhone or similar device; and texting gives one the convenience of online chatting without the necessity of being chained to a desk. â€Å"Nowadays, we think nothing of emailing our aunts in Germany and getting an answer back within minutes, or seeing the latest streaming video full of up to the minute news† (Boswell, 2006). Information is able to travel literally at the speed of sound - traveling around the world in as little as a few minutes. For those who have grown up within this emerging technology, not only is it expected that instant answers to any possible question that might arise will be found, but that the answer should prove both entertaining and engaging while it informs. Through networking sites such as Facebook and Tumblr, this information can be requested directly from friends, former customers, and

Internet slang, and the effect it has had on traditional language Essay

Internet slang, and the effect it has had on traditional language - Essay Example ranca (Vosloo, 2009), not only replacing English and other languages during electronic interactions, but also invading the everyday speech among them. Netspeak or internet slang has been defined by McFedries as â€Å"the words, idioms and peculiarities of spelling and grammar that are characteristic of online documents and communications.† It began as Instant Messaging Services like AOL, MSN and Yahoo magnetized millions of users that constantly sought to find efficient, shorter and faster ways of interaction, with limited characters on the keyboard determining the linguistic capacity (Shaw, c.2004). The outcome was sentences and phrases abbreviated into words and replacement of characters with others that resemble them for convenience of typing. This led to coining of a synonymous term, ‘leet’, which is a shortened term used for elite and is also written as 1337, similar characters as implied by the definition. Some of the most common ‘words’ are LOL, an acronym for ‘laughing out loud’, and ‘BARB’, which is a shortened version of ‘be right back.’ The knowledg e of Netspeak is now crucial to understanding any conversation that takes place over internet messaging. Another distinguishing aspect of Netspeak is the coinage and use of emoticons or graphical smileys, used to convey emotions and intentions like happiness and anger. As obvious, the reason for hostility against it by intellectuals is random and erroneous use of spellings- often called creative spellings, - grammar and punctuations by users, since it is informal and free of such constraints. This could be explicitly explained by the example, ‘practice b4 u go, k?’ The effects of internet slang on writings have been well-noticed and criticized by teachers and parents alike, with students also admitting its drawbacks. Lee describes them as constant attacks of technology on formal written English (cited in Vosloo, 2009), while Humphry compares its brunt on grammar, punctuations and

Stretching Our Horizons Essay Example for Free

Stretching Our Horizons Essay Comparing and contrasting Platos Allegory of the Cave with Paulo Freires Pedagogy of the Oppressed is a complex example of comparing bananas with tangerines. It is hard to take in the mind of a great philosopher. It is even harder to make that mind your own. For that reason the task of fully evaluating these two pieces side by side may forever be a work in progress. Each essay contains three major points. These points discussed new and advised teaching methods, how man is related to or with the world; and the responsibility that enlightened individuals have to mankind. The ideas of these two philosophers both mirror and oppose each other in varying degrees. Through taking very different paths the two writers make their own points clear and demand rational and logical thought of their readers. Plato was a student of Socrates and though the writing of Allegory of the Cave is all his own the basis for his ideas came from none other than his own teacher. The teacher you see is one half of the great element in Platos epiphany. Socrates is in fact a main character in the conversation from which this excerpt is taken. It is said that in this particular work, Plato described symbolically the predicament in which mankind finds itself and proposes a way of salvation (Plato 1). Throughout the conversation a system of ideas develops that are meant to teach the reader or readers about themselves, their world and how it should be viewed rather than a simple, inverted, non-involved outlook that is common to everyday people. The purpose of this writing was to bring about enlightenment. To bring forth this enlightenment we must search for knowledge according to Plato and this knowledge he refers to as light. Light brings the world into focus, so does knowledge and realization of ones plac e in the world. In Platos model, the teacher questions the actions or ideas of the student so that the student will learn to think on their own. A person who quests knowledge for themselves and engages in thoughts other than those placed in their heads by another individual will find that knowledge. The quest for knowledge is not only a right but also a duty and one that brings with it responsibility and dignity. Everyone has the ability to search for and find the light, or knowledge as we call it. Everyone also has the ability to attain this  knowledge. According to Socrates in this dialogue, living a life with true knowledge and enlightenment is living a philosophical one. A life that casts a downward look onto one of politics is one of true philosophy and one of true philosophy. This life is the only one that degrades the grandeur of political ambition. Part of finding this light is becoming aware of the human relationship with the world. Plato believed that most men see themselves as living in a narrow world. If the truth is told the world as they believe it is not a picture of reality. Therefore, the world exists and man is here in it, but does not truly understand what it really is for he does not knows even himself as a man. Once a person has discovered himself, once he has discovered the light, it is his inborn duty to share this with the world. His purpose is now to become a writer of philosophy, to become a teacher in the school of thought. Despite the level on which a person decides to do these honorable deeds, it is not enough. It is the enlightened mans reason for being part of this great world that he has discovered. Pablo Freires ideas about man and educating are compiled in his Pedagogy of the Oppressed. He strongly suggests that for teaching to be the most effective it must be cognitive or revolutionary forum. The students should be pressed toward thinking on an individual level and this must be done in such a way that the teacher is not the source from which the knowledge comes. The instructor should be a means to obtain knowledge, a tool that is an aid rather than a necessity. Often times the teacher must become the student in the since of being open to new arguments and ideas that are introduced by the student. Freires theory also states that a person is not part of the world; but the world is part of the person. He says that without mankind the world would not exist because there would be no one to say that it was doing so. What a person is what becomes reality, it is the true world. Freire suggests that to be enlightened, one must be more humanistic. The more humanistic a person can become the more knowledge they have obtained and the more they can help the world. This is the most important element because since they are of such great knowledge it is their job to pass this onto the world so that everyone may become more enlightened and raise the level of our existence. As it may be seen the two writers have both theories in common and those completely at odds with one another. Plato says that to teach you must challenge that you must force, but Freire says that you must stand back and let the student come to personal and individual cognition. In this Freire argues a revolutionary teaching method, but does so in an essay that follows the style of narrative banking, while Plato rigidly portrays his methods in the way that his writing is developed and constructed. Both men see that man has a direct relationship with the world. Plato sees man as a part of the world, which must be brought into the light to see in reality. Freire on the other hand says that the individual is the world and that what he sees is what is real. The main area of agreement comes when both philosophers convey, it is the enlightened peoples place to carry on their knowledge to others. In one suggestion Plato uses his theory of philosophical lives being of a higher level than thos e of simple political ambition as an example of how to broaden the horizons of common place people by saying that enlightened people should be the ones in these political offices. From these offices they will be able to do more good than an unenlightened person will. They will be able to teach life and the value of it. Freire believes that an enlightened person must teach the very enlightenment and that the responsibility of extending this thought lies both on the student and the teacher. People cannot become great on their own, they must have educators, people to point them in the right direction. Their aid in seeking personal enlightenment could be anyone or anything and come from any of the various methods. The existence of the world is what we make it. Our duty is to ourselves and that entitles all that we believe both as individuals and as a group. While the debate about whom is right or wrong will continue throughout time, one thing is for sure: we must go on.

Photography Essay Example for Free

Photography Essay The purpose of photography is to present to the viewer a view of the world that is not normally seen. With the advent of fashion photography however, the view of this world is skewered. Fashion models do not present a true reality but a made-up world in which being too thin is regarded as high fashion. With works such as Lachapelle the use of morphing reality and creating one’s own reality is more and more kosher in the world of high fashion. It is with the re-evaluation of beauty that fashion photography has enchanted and changed the world. This surmise can be discovered in the way women and men dress, in their progression of outfits, daily work clothes, celebratory clothes and all of this reflected in the economic up rise of the consumers desire to be in fashion for the season. LaChapelle explores and exploits this need through his photography and although not always paying attention to the status quo on what fashion photography is, he presents his viewers with his own perspective on beauty through fashion. The topic of fashion has always held my interest, especially fashion photography. The way in which the photographer can create different realms of existence through different angles, colored lenses, and outfits has been a great intrigue of my interest in art. My favorite photographer is David LaChapelle which is why I choose him for the research and analysis part of this project. The way that he does fashion photography is a reinvention of it. He does not just accomplish what no one else can accomplish in photography but he also puts humor into his pieces as will be explained later. He makes fun of fashion, or the extremes which people put on fashion by creating a world through photography in which his eloquence matches this humor as can be seen in his Shoes to Die For photograph. Thus, he is a photographer I admire because he does not take himself too seriously. Introduction Fashion photography is about portability and malleability. A model can be incorporated into a fantastical environment for which only the word surreal can be used to define. In modern day photography there is a myriad of photographers each striving for a new lens, a new way in which to portray a fantastic image. In the history of fashion, nothing is so transcendental than photography. The image in fashion has been primarily focused on the model and how well the model sells the clothes; it is in the photograph that mutation over the decades has skyrocketed into a true art form. Fashion photography does not succumb to the norms of portraiture that Daguerre made famous but to focal points of beauty in landscape, cityscape and how well assembled the model appears in those scenes. Body Media With the issue of thinness, the disease anorexia is conjured up; since the advocating of the media towards a thinner woman’s body, disorders such as anorexia and bulimia have become predominant among women and men. In the Western culture this rising phenomenon has become a central fact for overly conscious people who focus on their appearance, as Dittmar and Howard state, â€Å"†¦they learn to see themselves as objects to be looked at and evaluated by appearance. This pressure is constantly reinforced by a strong cultural ideal of female beauty, and that ideal has become synonymous with thinness† (477-478). With this notion in the forefront of the paper other issues such as model size as they are propagated through the media become a rising concern. Dittmar and Howard go on to state that roughly 20% of models in the fashion industry are underweight which in term clinically diagnosis them with the condition of anorexia nervosa. These conditions give further rise to other women’s problems. Since the cultural idea of thinness as perpetuated by the media and the fashion industry is to have increasingly thin body types, the average woman or man tries dieting and exercising to keep up with the ‘standard’. When the average woman or man finds that they are still not ‘normal’ according to the cultural guidelines of the word, they begin to be dissatisfied with their bodies which leads to low self-esteem, â€Å"Thus it stands to reason that women are likely to experience body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem and even eating disorders if they internalize and strive for a beauty ideal that is stringently thin and essentially unattainable† (478). The mass media is the continual hindrance to a healthy body image for Americans. The media is a social influence that reinforces these ideals through repetition and product placement. The media is a visual stimulation letting the American public voyeuristically fantasize about ultra thin models and having a body (sometimes these bodies are digitally re-mastered) that provides relative pleasure in shape. Dittmar and Howard’s article highlights one such concern with the UK government in which they held a conference in June 2000 to discuss this issue of thinness and the media and to in essence debate about banning the use of these too thin models as media advertisement since the image essentially gave permission to the public to suffer and toil over gaining a great body, no matter the public acquired anorexia nervosa or other clinical conditions. The detriment of this fact, the fact that thinness is amounting to such problems as anorexia nervosa raise many social and cultural issues. The cultural issue may best be summarized in Dittmar and Howard’s article as they quote Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer, both spokespersons for top models, â€Å"†¦(s)tatistics have repeatedly shown that if you stick a beautiful skinny girl on the cover of a magazine you sell more copies†¦Agencies would say that we supply the women and the advertisers, our clients, want. The clients would say that hey are selling a product and responding to consumer demand. At the end of the day, it is a business and the fact is that these models sell the products† (478). Thus, the opposite side of the spectrum is arguing that businesses or model clients are merely representing something that already exists within the cultural dynamic. The argument is that thin models represent what people want to see and so the products the model’s are advertising sell more copies. The clients of the modeling agencies are merely tied into the vicious cycle of believing what they want to believe. Although this point seems somewhat valid, the validation stops when such perpetuating leads to serious illnesses (in some cases anorexia or bulimia have lead to death). It can plainly be deciphered from the above text that body image is created by the media, as Guttman quotes in her article â€Å"Advertising, My Mirror† in an interview with Christian Blachas, â€Å"That image comes to us from the fashion world. People like to say advertising starts trends like the recent wave of ‘fashion pornography. ’ But this came straight from designers and fashion journalists. The job of advertising is to pick up on trends. It’s rarely subversive because brands don’t gain anything from shocking people too much. Advertising’s a remarkable mirror, but it doesn’t start fads† (25). Consequently, Blachas is stating that if fault is to be placed anywhere for the over correction of dieting, then the blame is not on the fashion industry but on advertisers who are the ones who pick up trends and allow these trends to filter down to every consumer; thus, while 20% of models are diagnosed as too ‘thin’ this relevant percentage can be related to the American public. Since the blame seems to be resting with the advertisers, another close look at the media needs to be given. The media perpetuates fads and other culturally influential eras, but this seems to have heightened within the past few decades. The bombardment the public receives from the media and especially from the advertising end of the media is seen not only in commercials but in product placement in music videos, and movies. Magazines also aid in distributing the advertisements’ ideals as can be seen in repeated simulation on television soap operas, just as much as from fashion magazines, as Hargreaves and Tiggemann state in â€Å"Longer term implications of responsiveness to ‘thin-ideal’: support for a cumulative hypothesis of body image disturbance? , â€Å"Although this evidence appears to support the media’s negative impact on body image, various methodological limitations need to be acknowledged. In particular, the causal direction of correlations between body dissatisfaction and media use remains a challenge. The causal direction is clear in controlled laboratory research†¦One possible link between individual reactive episodes of dissatisfaction in response to specific media images and the development of body image is that enduring attitudes, beliefs, and feelings about bodies and appearances accumulate over time through repeated exposure to ideals of attractiveness in the media† (466). Thus, the level of insecurity is maintained in the public through the barrage of repeated body images through advertisements. In the composition of photography there are many elements which define the medium; line, color, focus, brightness, scenery, shadow, etc. The evolution of fashion photography hinged upon the mass reproduction of images in magazines. In Germany, in the early 20th century, fashion became fully popular and available to the populace through Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung and Munchner Illustrierte Presse . It is in the magazine world that fashion photography began it’s popularity . As soon as fashion hit a mainstream cord with the public, magazines sales soared and thus was born the beginning of the history of fashion photography. There was great demand for magazines; especially fashion. Women and men would see what to wear, how to wear to it, what was in style and the modern world finally had the leisure to pursue the market of clothes as fashion. With this demand installed in the public, it was up to the photographers of the early fashion industry to come up with new ways in which to depict the model, the clothes and entice women and men to dress according to what was portrayed in the photos. This is where composition of the photo is required to ensure new and deliberate methods of fashion portrayal. With the oncoming age of color introduced in photography in the 1930’s and 1940’s as the encyclopedia elaborates, â€Å"Nonetheless, color remained a sidelight in photography until the 1930s because it required considerable patience and expense on the part of both photographer and printer. The dominance of color in terms of reproduction and everyday picture-taking did not begin until 1935, when Kodak started to sell Kodachrome transparency film, and was completed by the introduction of color-print films and Ektachrome films in the 1940s†. With color photography, the realm of the fashion world drastically changed. The limits of black and white and sepia toned magazine covers gave way to brilliant exhibits of color combinations, and a wide range of fabrics that women and men could now see, duplicate, or buy. Fashion photography changed from depicting high-class society women to models in every day clothing. Professional photographers were then counted on to resonant the possibility of how fashion should co-exist with society. With Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar photographers were hired full time to create, in the magazine, a gallery of fabric eye candy dressed on a model with a backdrop. June 1, 1947 Vogue cover. The most notable photographers at the time were pictorialists , Edward Steichen and Englishman Cecil Beaton. The incorporation of art into photography made the photographs more believable as high fashion. Steichen and Beaton glamorized the models with enhanced lighting effects, which lionized the models and made the magazine world believe that fashion through photography was otherworldly. Among new techniques being used, the online encyclopedia states, â€Å"American Edward Steichen and Englishman Cecil Beaton, both one-time pictorialists. These photographers began to use elaborate lighting schemes to achieve the same sort of glamorizing effects being perfected by Clarence Bull as he photographed new starlets in Hollywood, California. Martin Munkacsi initiated a fresh look in fashion photography after Harper’s Bazaar hired him in 1934. He moved the models outdoors, where he photographed them as active, energetic modern women†. So began the movement of high fashion. Martin Munkacsi photograph. In the movement, the use of fashion as advertisement was key in developing a market for fashion photography. It is through marketing advertising, that fashion photographers began to be highlighted, as the encyclopedia states, â€Å"The new approach to photography in the editorial content of magazines was matched by an increasingly sophisticated use of photography in advertisements. Steichen, while also working for Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines, became one of the highest-paid photographers of the 1930s through his work for the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency†. These photographers, as well as others, helped to make advertising an art form through use of portraying model’s hands in product placement, and altogether catering to ever-widening audience of magazine buyers. Fashion photography changed through the utilization and realization that product sold only through its modeling and photographic depiction.

The Often Complex Process Of Reading English Language Essay

The Often Complex Process Of Reading English Language Essay Reading is often seen as a fairly simple process where a person reads text from left to right and from the top to the bottom while making meaning one word at a time. The process of reading is much more complex than this, and many theorists have presented models explaining what skills and knowledge they believe people need to possess in order to read effectively. Three mainstream theories of teaching Reading include the Psycholinguistic model, the Bottom-up model and the Socio-cultural model supported by Luke and Freebody (year 1990?). The Psycholinguistic Model: The Psycholinguistic model of teaching Reading is also called the Top-down model and the Inside-out model. Goodman (1967), a theorist supporting this reading model, proposes that the reader is the major component of reading, as opposed to the Bottom-up model which focuses on the text. The Psycholinguistic model places importance on the reader making meaning from a text by relating it to their background and prior understandings. The more prior knowledge and experiences a reader has, the less dependence they will need to place on word order, language structures, and phonological concepts (week 1 ppt). Unlike the Bottom-up reading model, this theory focuses on the non-visual information that the reader has and suggests that, in order to read, one must have semantic, syntactic and grapho-phonic knowledge. Semantic information involves a readers prior knowledge and understandings of the world and various concepts. Syntactic knowledge is the understanding of word order and language struct ures (week 1 ppt, p.?), and grapho-phonic information involves phonological concepts; an understanding of the alphabet and the sounds that various letters and letter combinations make (week 1 ppt). The idea of relying on the readers experiences and prior knowledge can also be seen as one of the biggest downfalls to this model. When presented with reading topics that are new to the reader, it is very difficult to make meaning of a text based solely on prior knowledge. For example, picture a young boy living in a secluded, poor village in Africa reading a text about Blu-Ray DVDs. The boy would likely have no knowledge or prior experience with this topic and so, according to this model, would not be able to make meaning of the text (slideshare). The Bottom-Up Model: The Bottom-Up Reading theory is also known as the Skills Model and the Outside-in theory. According to this Reading theory, beginner readers obtain a number of sub-skills that build towards understanding and comprehension. This theory suggests that readers passively receive information from a text and that it is their job to reproduce the meaning that already exists in the text. Visual information is the beginning point of the Bottom-Up Reading theory and involves interpreting written symbols into spoken language (McCarthy, 1999 www.teachingenglish) or (Nunan, 1991). Reading, according to this theory, involves recognising letters before recognising sounds, before recognising words, before recognising sentences, before finally making meaning of a text (week 1 ppt). It is essentially a decoding or skills approach based on the relationship between sounds and written symbols (week 1 ppt). One downfall of this theory is that it doesnt take into account the contributions a reader can bring to the process such as prior understandings and knowledge. It fails to recognise the need for the reader to use their previous experiences in order to make predictions and to have expectations whist reading. This process focuses on the text whereas the Psycholinguistic model focuses on the reader; two factors that are not enough by themselves (www.slideshare). The Socio-Cultural Model: The Socio-Cultural model of teaching Reading, supported by Luke Freebody (year), recognises the importance of both the reader and the text in the reading process. In this model, importance is placed equally on both the text and the reader (nadabs). Unlike the psycholinguistic and bottom-up models, the Socio-cultural theory relies on both the visual and non-visual aspects of reading and not just on one of these factors (www.slideshare). An attempt is made to combine the positive aspects of both the Psycholinguistic and Bottom-up models, whilst also trying to eliminate the negatives (McCormick, 1988). As a result of this, the Socio-cultural reading model focuses on the importance of prior knowledge while recognising the fact that certain skills are also necessary (www.slideshare). This Reading theory consists of four Roles of the Reader which include the Code Breaker, the Text Participant, the Text User and the Text Analysis. The code breaker involves decoding visual information such as letter-sound understanding. Text participant involves creating meaning from the text by using prior knowledge and experiences. Text user involves knowing the purpose of a text and how to use it, for example, a recipe, comprehension or birthday card, and Text analysis involves working out what the author is trying to do to you, for example, underlying intentions and biases (week 1 ppt). According to this socio-cultural model, a reader is required to successfully perform each of these four roles in order to become effective readers. Most effective model to use in the classroom: The Socio-Cultural model is the most promising teaching Reading theory as it tries to incorporate the positive components and eliminate the negative components of both the psycholinguistic and the Bottom-up Reading theories. This model, therefore, is arguably the most effective theory to be used in the classroom as it recognises the importance of both the Reader and the text. According to Eskey (1988), a good read is someone who is able to decode and interpret readings in an increasingly automatic manner. They attempt to identify the purpose and the form of a text before reading it, continually making predictions about what will happen next based on personal experiences and information learned earlier. Effective readers also try to form a summary of what they have read by using skills such as classifying, sequencing, hypothesising, predicting, inferring, comparing and contrasting (www.teachingenglish). The socio-cultural reading model tries to present a balanced view of the reading process and recognises the importance of teaching children phonics and other necessary skills, while noting that phonics by itself is not enough. Students need to be able to do more than just say a written sentence; they also need to try to make meaning of it. According to this model, students should be given plenty of opportunities to practice each of the following four roles of the reader; Code-breaker, Text-participant, Text-user and Text-analysis (Winch et al., 2001, p.58). They need to learn to say the words, create meaning from these words, know the purpose of each text and how to use it, and finally, learn to recognise how a text is positioning them. According to this Socio-cultural reading model, students are effective readers once they have become proficient at each of these four reading roles (Winch et al, 2001). Classroom practice examples: Effective teaching is necessary in order to nurture students to become effective readers. Reading lessons must be carefully planned, prepared and monitored to ensure that high level learning is occurring in the classroom. The activities a teacher chooses to assist in any Reading lesson must encourage students to learn necessary skills and to perform each of the four roles of the reader. Activities must provide students with frequent opportunities to read, teach them phonological skills, and help them to understand the structure of verbal and written words. Effective teachers will model effective reading to their students in a fun, positive manner by using props, acting, strong expression and variations in speed, pitch and volume to ensure that students see the process as enjoyable. Shared reading or modelled reading is one activity that teachers should incorporate into their Reading teaching program. It is usually a whole-class activity structured to demonstrate effective reading to the students. Teachers will often use a big book that all students can see and will follow a somewhat structured procedure. Before reading the book, an effective Reading teacher will try to build up their students semantic knowledge about the topic of the book so that students are able to relate text to mental pictures. This could be done by taking students on an excursion, drawing/painting pictures, watching a video or through writing activities. When first introducing a big book, the teacher should ensure that it is visible to all students and should encourage children to suggest what they think the book might be about. The teacher then reads through the entire book with limited stops as this first reading is usually for the enjoyment of the children. Following readings are more i nteractive and require students to join in on repetitive parts and answer questions about the storyline, characters, punctuation and structure. They are also followed up with activities to help support learning and encourage understanding. Shared reading helps to build sight word knowledge, increases reading fluency, provides opportunities for struggling readers to enjoy books they otherwise would not, and ensures that all students have a feeling of success as the whole class is supported (WETA http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/shared_reading). Guided reading is another effective strategy to use in the classroom. This differs to shared reading in that students are placed in groups of similar reading ability and are given their own book to look at.The book should be introduced in a similar manner to shared reading, with attention being paid to the front cover, author and illustrator. Each students should be given the opportunity to read a designated section out loud, however, teachers should be careful not to set a child up for failure by asking a struggling reader to read a large, difficult portion of the book. Techniques should be available for students to use in order to overcome reading difficulties such as with phonics, grammar and meaning. Students should be required to take on the four roles of the reader by answering pre-prepared questions by the teacher. After a guided reading session, students should re-read the book with a partner and then take the book home to read to their parents. Again, follow-up activities ar e to be used in order to reinforce new learning such as sequencing activities or memory where repetitive words are written on pieces of card/paper and students are required to find two matching words (Winch, et al., 2001). Guided reading is effective as it allows children to read and comprehend books at their own level, instead of struggling to read books that are too difficult and where students are unable to make meaning of the text. Another effective activity to use when teaching Reading to students is called The language experience approach which uses events that have occurred in the students life in order to create texts. Students verbally share an experience which is written down either by the student or with the help from the teacher. These stories then become meaningful texts for reading and further activities as they are written at the students level and often reflect common every day experiences. The language experience approach is an effective strategy as it is learner-centred and shows students that their thoughts and experiences are valued. It also creates texts that are readable and predictable as it uses language that is common to the students (McCormick, 1988). Reading is a very complex cognitive process and involves both the text and the semantics of the reader. The Psycholinguistic and Bottom-up models both acknowledge some important elements of the reading process, however, the Socio-cultural model is more effective as it attempts to combine the positive and eliminate the negative aspects of each. Effective teaching is of great importance in order to help students to become competent readers. By providing students with valuable reading activities and experiences, and encouraging them to take on the four roles of the reader, teachers are setting students up with the essential skills and understandings to becoming effective readers.

The Great Gatsby and the tainted American Dream Essay -- essays resear

Benjamin Franklin coined the phrase, â€Å"American Dream† during the early infancy of our country, proposing this dream as, â€Å"That pursuit of a better existence †¦ [and] a higher quality of life through hard work, determination, and devotion.† While this may be what many of the characters in The Great Gatsby believe (Jay Gatsby in particular), one critical ideal is discarded in Fitzgerald’s twisted refinement of Franklin’s definition: morality. It is apparent that Jay Gatsby achieves his wealth and social status through illegal and immoral means, such as bootlegging alcohol. The irony becomes remarkably stunning when one realizes that the section of Franklin’s autobiography, which outlines his method for achieving this dream, is entitled â€Å"Moral Perfection†. Fitzgerald presents a dark satire by portraying the immoral Jay Gatsby as an icon for the decay of the dream Franklin proposed and promoted so avidly. Fitzgerald masterfull y allows the reader watch the evolution of Franklin’s American dream from its fertilization in the ambition of James Gatz to its dominance over Gatz’s life, eventually spawning Jay Gatsby (Gatz-bye) a self-destructive man holding on to a dream that can never become a reality. In addition to Gatsby’s delusional pursuit of happiness, Nick Carraway, our narrator, suffers from the same addiction to a dream, which, if made true, will never live up to its expectations. It is obvious that Nick envies Gatsby, hence the title of the novel. Nick is in awe of Gatsby’s wealth, social power and moreover, and most of all, the carefree lifestyle it allows. Nick, at the same time he is completely unaware of the illicit means by which Gatsby has gained his wealth. Following Gatsby’s death at the end of the novel, Fitzgerald shows Nick’s awakening from his dream to persuade the reader to walk away from his novel understanding the lesson that Nick learns from Gatsby’s folly. Fitzgerald strives to expose a striking realization that the American dream that Franklin proposed will never be able to deliver its promise of â€Å"a better existence† in a society where morality is tossed aside so casually. Fitzgerald litters the novel with a cast of characters who are struggling to chase either emotionless dreams or impossible ones. All of these other characters suffer from this plague of disillusionment that has come to be known as a staple in modernist writing. Morality... ...ended up had he followed Gatsby and taken that â€Å"job† offer. Tom and Daisy both suffer from the sins of gluttony and avarice that dominate their dreams of happiness, they can’t get away from thinking that the more they own the happier they’ll be. This can be seen in the way Tom mourns little for Myrtle, but only worries about himself when George comes to see him after Myrtle’s death. If he feels a little hurt it’s because he’ll have to go out and find another mistress, and we can’t say for sure whether or not he will. Fitzgerald is bent on making sure the readers take away one message, there is no more American dream. He doesn’t stop there though, he goes on to warn his readers that if you don’t believe him and decide chase your personal American dream and shoot too high or too low, you will end up miserable, possibly for the rest of your life. Lastly, there is no doubt that this novel’s message about the d ecay of the American dream is solely focused on an audience facing some of the most vastly changing times in our civilization’s history and a warning that just like Jay Gatsby found out, there is no way to reclaim the past, that American dream, Franklin’s American dream is gone.

Defining Good Advice :: Definition Essays

Defining Good Advice Many times, good advice will happen if a person has gone astray, then, suggestions would be made to the lost and he could either take it or leave it. Also, as Doug mentioned in discussion, is that "it may be impossible to deny information given to you." So, in this case, the advisee knows what has been said to them, and "he may not take the advice at the time", but store it for later.(Nate Hall), and because of this, good, or bad advice, in my opinion, is also in the eye of the beholder. Advice may only be used if it hasn't been heard before. For example, if someone is doing something wrong, and someone keeps telling them over and over, it may just go in one ear and out the other. This is why the advisor must find a way to leave the suggestions up the person weather they want to use it or not and they have to be ready for the information given to them.(Mike) Being the advisor takes a lot of patience and confidence. You must be able to tell truthfully to someone, something that they may not want to hear. When my friend came to me asking why her boyfriend wasn't acting the same towards her, I had to be honest and sincere to tell her the bad news. Tone of voice may also play a role in this factor. If someone says something to me in a rude tone or like I am in 5th grade, I may not take them seriously, or may even get mad. In basketball, someone might catch me doing something wrong and would like to point it out to me. If they yell at me I get frustrated and on the other hand, if they talk down on me, that makes me furious. Advice works best when the advisor should puts themselves in the other person's shoes. Sincerity is a must to make a good connection. Advice can be spoken, written, or portrayed by body language. Putting your finger up to your lips may make someone quiet for awhile, but saying, "Shut up." Would make more of an effect on them. As far as good advice in writing, I believe that many people are capable of saying many things while writing, but not always is the right idea portrayed. Sharing advice in notes, or e-mails, isn't the same as hearing it person.

Evil Personas in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Essa

Evil Personas in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Some believe that every individual has an evil persona trapped inside that is just waiting to get out! This may be true for some but it may also just be another excuse for one to commit evil deeds. In the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, a prominent doctor (Dr. Jekyll) conducts a scientific experiment in which he compounds a certain mixture he consumes and transforms into an ugly, repulsive creature (Mr. Hyde), representing the pure evil that exists within him. This novel is truly an astonishing piece of literature that consists of many components that make it a marvelous piece of literature. Not only is the symbolism fascinating and intriguing, the literary word puns are very ironic and makes the novel interesting. Dr. Jekyll believed that at least two different entities occupy a person’s body. His scientific knowledge led him to believe that he could isolate and separate the two separate components. Originally, the ultimate aim of Dr. Jekyll’s experiment was to discover his evil nature and isolate or reject it. But he became fascinated with this evil side of his nature because Hyde was more â€Å"free† and was able to satisfy all of Jekyll’s evil desires. Jekyll had once been â€Å"free† when he was younger, and able to do anything he pleased. All of this changed when he tried to portray the image of a light-hearted, good-natured person so he â€Å"hydes† his evil pleasures. He states in his confession letter, â€Å"†¦my medical studies began to increasingly focus on the origins and dimension of this phenomenon of duality. This investigation of course, bordered on the mystical and the transcendental, but only these disciplines co... ...e cleverly says, â€Å"If he be Mr. Hyde†¦.I shall be Mr. Seek†. Throughout the whole novel, he will travel on his journey to seek Mr. Hyde, who is hidden beneath Dr, Jekyll. Hyde and Jekyll were exact opposites of eachother, symbolizing the good and the evil. Although Utterson and Enfield are complete opposites, they can still get along. The word puns in the novel make it ironic and very appealing. Dr. Jekyll’s theory of the duality of man’s nature proves to be true with the existence of the infamous Mr. Hyde. This theory can be applied to reality too, because at times, humans tend to have an evil side, but never really show it. This novel, for me, has been very educational and interesting. The two reasons that make this book enjoyable is the theme that is understandable, the intense irony, and the word puns. These components are crucial in making a novel appealing.

Brave New World: Death Is a Repudiation or a Validation

Let Down Your Noose Paige Fairbairn 10/20/12 Mr. Pierce per. 2 The ultimate escape is death. The driving force that pushes a man to slide his neck through a noose, tighten the hole, and take the final leap of faith- only to result in eternal stillness. The leap of faith John the Savage took was a symbolic repudiation of the World State's motto, â€Å"community, identity, stability† because every aspect of John was a contradiction to the motto, thus weakening the strength of the motto, essentially reducing the meaning to â€Å"bunk†.In Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World John had no community to accept him, no true identity to boost his broken morale, and his emotional instability shackled him to conscience, and roped him into death. Glorified civilization appeared to John as a morsel of knowledge; the opportunity of a lifetime. John's uncontainable excitement procured the words of Miranda, from Shakespeare's play The Temptest to pour out of his naive mouth, â€Å"O w onder! How many godly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world. That has such people in it! At this point, Huxely is paralleling John to Miranda, Bernard to Prospero, and Lenina resembles Ferdinand. John is intrigued as well as excited for civilization, as Lenina (just as Ferdinand was to Miranda) served as temptation to part take in this foreign, yet enchanting land, and only Bernard (just as Prospero admonished Miranda) knew of the cruelties and horrors of civilization and wished that John would understand that this world isn't so brave or honorable at all. John, like a child, joins Bernard into a community where John is a specimen; to be observed and provide many laughs.John, like a fresh water fish tossed into the sea, eventually dies, not just physically, but emotionally due to his incompatibility with the community. Not only was he a reject in the pueblo of Malpais, but he too was a spectacle in civilization, and was unaccepted due to his distinct personality and physical differences. The world state destroyed John due to its conditioned insensitivity. Amongst the community posing as an exploitative force toward John, his identity was stampeded and broken, even in his own solitude. Not only did Malpais reject him for his mother, Linda, but he looked too different to be accepted.Even then, he struggled with himself and his solitude which led to his discovery of, â€Å"Time and Death and God† (136 Huxely). Even with this discovery, he still searched for himself, hoping to acquire a true identity in civilization. Any and all thoughts of an identity were smashed to bits, as John was simply a spectacle, just as his Mother was. Linda's death was a wake-up call to John; he didn't belong because no one could comprehend his emotion. Like a fish out of water, Linda's soma induced coma was abruptly interrupted by the coming of her death.She gasped for air, and flopped and flailed in distress; her death is symbolic for the role sh e played in society. She was a specimen of the grotesque, as her death reflected that, because it cut through the feigned essence of peace and relaxation in her room. Her death also served as John's ugly realization of the, â€Å"Brave new world† and her death distorted John's image of society as well as his own purpose being there. Immediately after Linda's death, five young Delta boys with chocolate eclairs stood around her deathbed, asking foolishly of her death, for they were not enlightened of the true meaning of death.Aldous Huxely is alluding to the five foolish virgins from The Parable of the Ten Virgins â€Å"five were foolish and five were wise† (Mathew 25:2). There were about half a dozen other Delta boys at the hospital at the time, adding to approximately ten boys. Instead of eclairs, these virgins in the parable each had an oil lamp, five of which brought enough oil to have entrance to a groomsman's feast, and the five foolish virgins didn't have enough o il and missed the entrance, so when their judgment came, they were declined to be let in due to their foolery.It was also stated that, â€Å"the spirit of a man is a candle of the Lord† (Proverbs 20:27 KJV). Huxely satired the spirit of man and his faith represented through the eclairs; the perfect representation of immediate pleasure and delight, which served as a symbol for the identity of the society. Each Delta had an eclair instead of a lamp, foolishly asking John what happened to Linda, just as the foolish virgins were asking what happened to their entrance.The eclairs served to represent their superficiality, and just as the five foolish virgins were shooed away by a bad judgment, the five Delta boys were forced out by John's disapproving of their foolery. It was here that John realized he had no identity in this community; he was surrounded by fools who couldn't comprehend deep feelings and emotion ; he was lost and couldn't find himself in the misleading and misgivin gs of civilization. He hadn't an identity due to the inability of others to accept him for who he was. As a result, John began to disturb the stability the World State thrives for.The sweet desire for stimulating pleasures were all readily available and handed out in the World State; sex, soma, and never being alone was the foundation of civilization's stability. John's morals intensely conflicted with this, he viewed the soma pillboxes as caskets and can't grasp the lack of religion and concrete feeling; for that is how civilization thrives. John is desperate for escape and the world controller, Mustapha Mond quotes, â€Å"sometimes a thousand twangling instruments will hum about my ears and sometimes voices† (218) from Shakespeare's play The Temptest.Like Caliban, the controller is speaking to John (who is like Stephano) of the sweet melodies and diversions of the island, that lull him to dream fantastic dreams, and when he wakes, he only wishes to dream once again. Mustaph a continues that the absence of God is civilization's fault, and shall never be obtained through solitude. Soma and indoctrination, â€Å"hasn't been very good for the truth of course. But it's very good for happiness. One can't have something for nothing. Happiness has to be paid for. (228) Mustapha is tempting, and giving John the choice to enslave his mind with pleasure for superficial happiness rather than to be unhappy. John declines and Mustapha Mond questions if he will claim all of the let downs and sorrows of life and John, in a christ-like moment says, â€Å"I claim them all. † (240) Mustapha stays in his role of playing on people's pleasures, in exchange for their souls, just as Satan did. Bernard and Hemholtz were sent into a purgatory-like island were some pleasures are removed, but they aren't truly free, and John is sent to his own solitude to repent and find God.John, after many episodes of further exploitation, hangs himself due to his own emotion instabilit y. Like a stairway to heaven, he climbed up the lighthouse steps and hung himself from an arch, that would bring him his true redemption and inner peace. The World State only amplified his instability with their lack of morals and twisted ways. John served as a symbol of defiled wholesomeness; he tried not to engage in the sinful activities of society, and the only way he found escape was in death. He died as a result of others' sins.John was the exception to the rule of the World State; if one has found faith, one can't be valid to the â€Å"community, identity, stability† of the World State. The reason John didn't fit was because he had true feelings that conflicted with the shallow feelings of hypnopedically indoctrinated society. John took a leap of faith with the people trying to enlighten them, but failed. It was the lack of recognition for a concrete community, identity, and stability that rocked John over the edge to take his own life, in the ultimate repudiation of c orrupt civilization.

Application of the Top-Down Network Design Methodology

1. What atomic number 18 the business goals? (10 points) The goals of the business are to take a shit a unused entanglement that could animation the gro fender number of students at the campus and to cause a way for collide with campus students to overture the network.2. What are the business constraints? (10 points) The constraints on the partnership are that the budget consists of revenue from spot taxes and a previously approved bond, so with the network now needing to be bigger and more accessible the money from the bonds may not be enough to addition the project.3. What are the expert goals? (10 points) The technical goals of the attach to are to*Build a in the buff IT wing for the administration building so that all of the servers can be alter *Connect all of the buildings to the new IT wing *Provide tuner access to the students in their classrooms *Provide wireless access to students off campus *Provide a high-speed wireless spliceion for the faculty *Provid e a centralized online backup for student and faculty documents *Replace the PBX based phone organisation with a new VoIP system4. What are the technical constraints? (10 points)The one big issue that is a technical constraint on the lodge is that due to the rising number of students, the discipline is planning on needing another campus location- which is expect to be about 15 miles away. Creating a wireless network for the new campus to connect to the original campus will cause issues when it is completed. firearm the new building has been approved for funding, the new addition on the network has not.5. diagram the existing network. (10 points)6. Describe the existing network traffic. (10 points)7. Complete this table for all of the applications that before long run over the network. (10 points)

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 12

It came thorn to him, wholly told of it the cramped aisles and the tiny windows and the musty tang of old books. He had been in Belgium some litre years ago, and had been surprised to find an English-language book on such a subject belt up in existence. entirely thither it was, its cover worn to a solid burnished rust, with nothing of the writing remaining, if at that place forever had been every. Pages were missing in situation, so no unity would ever k flat the author or the title, if any had ever been printed in that location. Every receipt recipe, or charm, or spell inside involved forbidden k at one timeledge.Damon could tardily remember the simplest spell of t turn out ensemble Ye Bloode of ye Samphire or Vampyre i?fair easilye a?a planetary physic for wholly Mala flush it?or mischief do by those who Dance in the Woode?at Moonspire.These malach had certainly been doing mischief in the woods, and it was the month of Moonspire, the month of the summer solstic e in the Old Tongue. Damon didnt postulate to leave average, and he certainly didnt privation Elena to see what he was issue to do next. Still supporting becomings doubt above the fast pinkish water, he opened his shirt. in that location was a injure of ironwood in a sheath at his hip. He removed it and, in atomic number 53 rapid motion, cut himself at the menial of his throat.Plenty of production line now. The problem was how to educate her to racket. sheathing the dagger, he lifted her protrude of the water and es rank to bewilder her lips to the cut.No, that wasstupid , he belief, with unaccustomed self-deprecation. Shes liberation to last cold once more, and you dont do any way to contract her swallow. He let sightly lapse arse into the water and thought. so he pulled aside the knife again and make an other(a) cut this one on his arm, at the wrist. He followed the vein there until c able-bodied was not adept dripping provided streaming steadily o ut. Then he put that wrist to Bonnies upturned verbalise, ad adepting the angle of her head up with his other hand. Her lips were partly open and the dark red source flowed beautifully. Periodically she swallowed. at that place was life in her yet.It was good wish well alimentation a youngster bird, he thought, tremendously pleased with his memory, his ingenuity, and tumefy, only if himself.He smiled brilliantly at nothing in particular.Now if it would unaccompanied work.Damon changed position comminutedly to be more than than home analogous and turned the sulphurous water up again, all while holding Bonnie, feeding her, all he knew graciously and without a wasted movement. This was fun. It appealed to his sense of the ridiculous. Here, meetly now, a vampire was not supping from a human, simply was act to save it from certain termination by feeding it vampire blood.More than that. He had followed all sorts of human traditions and customs by trying to strip Bon nie without compromising her maidenly modesty. That was exciting. Of course, hed seen her frame anyway there had been no way to empty that. just it was really more thrilling when he wastrying to follow the rules. Hed neer done that before.Maybe that was how Stefan got his kicks. No, Stefan had Elena, who had been human, vampire, and inconspicuous spirit, and now appe ared to be living angel, if such a thing existed. Elena was kicky enough on her confess. Yet he hadnt thought of her inminutes . It dexterity tear downwards be a record of Elena-over aromaing at.Hed better call her, by chance beget her in here and explain how this was working so there was no reason to crush his skull. It would credibly look better.Damon suddenly grapple he couldnt flavor Elenas aura in Stefans bedroom. But before he could investigate there was a crash, then power hammer footsteps, and then another crash, much closer. And then the sewer door was kicked open by Mortal perversive Troubles ome. matting advanced menacingly, got his feet tangled, and looked down to unknot them. His tanned cheeks were swept with a sudden sunset. He was holding up Bonnies small pink brassiere. He dropped it as if it had bitten him, picked it up again, and whirled slightly, only to cannon into Stefan, who was entering. Damon watched, entertained.How do youkill them, Stefan? Do you just need a jeopardize? Can you hold him while blood Hes feeding her blood Matt interrupted himself, looking as if he might attack Damon on his own. severe idea, thought Damon.Matt locked eyeball with him. Confronting the monster, Damon thought, even more entertained. Lethergo. Matt spoke lento, probably pith to convey menace, but sounding, Damon thought, as if he thought that Damon was mentally impaired.Mortally Unable To Talk, Damon mused. But that madeMutt, he state aloud, shaking his head slightly. Maybe, though, it would inspire him in the future.Mutt?Youre calling ? God, Stefan, please friend me kill himHes killed Bonnie. The words spilled out of Matt in a wiz gushing flow, a single breath. Woefully, Damon motto his latest acronym go down in flames.Stefan was strikely calm. He put Matt female genitals him and said, Go and sit down with Elena and Meredith, in a way that was not a suggestion, and turned seat to his brother. You didnt feed from her, he said, andthis was not a question. give poison? Not my kind of fun, myopic brother. one corner of Stefans mouth quirked up. He made no response to this, but simply looked at Damon with eyeball that wereknowing. Damon bridled.I told the truthGoing to bear outside(a) it up as a hobby?Damon started to release Bonnie, count on that dropping her into bloodstained water would be the proper precursor to walking out of this dump, butBut. She was his baby bird. Shed swallowed enough of his blood now that any more would begin to Change her seriously. And if the amount of blood he had already given her wasnt enough, it simply wasn t a reanimate in the first place. Besides, the miracle worker was here.He close the cut on his arm enough to bar the bleeding and started to speak.And the door crashed open again.This epoch it was Meredith, and she had Bonnies bra. Both Stefan and Damon quailed. Meredith was, Damon thought, a very scary person. At to the lowest degree she in any casek the time, which Mutt had not, to look over the trampled robes on the bathroom floor. She said to Stefan, How is she? which Mutt had not, either.Shes going to be fine, Stefan said and Damon was surprised at his smack ofnot relief, of course, but of a job well done. Plus, now he might avoid existence thrashed to within an inch of his life by Stefan.Meredith overlyk a deep breath and closed her f soundening look briefly. When she did that, her whole face glowed. Maybe she was praying. It had been centuries since Damon had prayed and he had never had any prayer answered.Then Meredith opened her eyes, shake herself, and started looking scary again. She nudged the pile of clothes on the floor and said, slowly and forcefully, If the item that matchesthis is not still on Bonnies body, there is going to be trouble.She waved the now disreputable bra like a flag.Stefan looked confused. How could he not at a lower placestand the mighty missing intimate apparel question? Damon wondered. How could anyone be such asuch an unobservant fool? Didnt Elena wear any ever? Damon sat frozen, too arrested by the images in his own inner world to move for a moment. Then he spoke up. He had the answer to Merediths riddle.Do you want to amount and check? he asked, turn his head virtuously away.Yes, I do.He remained with his rearwards to her as she approached the tub, plunged her hand into the warm pink water, and swished the pass over a bantam. He heard her let out her breath in relief.When he turned around she said, Theres blood on your mouth. Her dark eyes looked darker than ever.Damon was surprised. He hadnt gone an d pierced the redhead out of clothing and thenforgotten it, had he? But then he realized the reason.You move to suck the poison out, didnt you? Stefan said, throwing him a white-hot face pass over. Damon wiped the side Meredith had been looking at and came up with a bloody smear. No wonder his mouth had been stinging like fire. That poison was be mesmeriseing pixilated stuff, although it clearly didnt affect vampires the way it did humans.And theres blood on your throat, Meredith went on.Unsuccessful experiment, Damon said, and shrugged.So you cut your wrist. Pretty seriously.For a human, maybe. Is the press conference over?Meredith settled rump. He could read her expression and he smiled inwardly. duplicate Extra SCARYM EREDITHTHWARTED. He knew the look of those who had to give up on cracking the Damon nut.Meredith stood up. Is there anything I can get him to stop his mouth bleeding? Something to drink, maybe?Stefan just looked stricken. Stefans problem well, a part of one of Stefans some(prenominal) problems was thathe thought feeding was sinful. take down to parley or so.Maybe it was actually kickier that way. People relished anything they thought was sinful. Even vampires did. Damon was put out. How did you go backrest in time to whenanything was sinful? Because he was sadly out of kicks.With her back turned, Meredith was less scary. Damon risked an answer to the question of what he could drink.You,darlingyou darling. wholeness too many darlings, Meredith said mysteriously, and before Damon could range of a function out that she was simply making a even close linguistics, and not commenting on his personal life, she was gone. With the locomotion bra.Now Stefan and Damon were solo. Stefan came a step closer, guarding his eyes off the tub. You miss so much, you chump, Damon thought. That was the word hed been look for for earlier. Chump.You did a lot for her, Stefan said, seeming to find it as hard to look at Damon as at the tub. This le ft him very little to stare at. He chose a wall.You told me youd beat me up if I didnt. Ive never helpd for beatings. He flashed his flagrant smile at Stefan and unbroken it up until Stefan started to turn to look at him, and then turned it off immediately.You went beyond the call of duty.With you, little brother, one never knows where duty ends. give notice (of) me, what does eternity look like?Stefan heaved a sigh. At least(prenominal) youre not the kind of bully who only terrorizes when he has the upper hand.Are you inviting me to step outside, as they say?No, Im complimenting you on saving Bonnies life.I didnt realize I had a choice. How, by the way, did you mete out to cure Meredith and andhow did you manage?Elena kissed them. Didnt you even realize she was gone? I brought them back here, and she came downstairs and breathed into their mouths and it corned them. From what Ive seen, she seems to be slowly turning from spirit to full human. Im guessing it provide take a nother few days, just from looking at her progress since she woke up until now.At least shes talking. Not much, but you cant ask for eitherthing. Damon was remembering the consider from the Porsche, with the top down and Elena bobbing like a balloon. This little redhead hasnt said a word, Damon added querulously, and then shrugged. very(prenominal) difference.Why, Damon? Why not just conduct that you care about her, at least enough to keep her living and without even molesting her? You knew she couldnt afford to lose blood.It was an experiment, Damon explained painstakingly. And it was over now. Bonnie would wake or sleep, cognize or die, in Stefans hands not his. He was wet, he was uncomfortable, he was far enough from this nights meal to be hungry and cross. His mouth hurt. You take her head now, he said brusquely. Im leaving. You and Elena andMutt can give over His name is Matt, Damon. Its not hard to remember.It is if you have short no interest in him. There are too m any lovely ladies in this vicinity to make him anything but last choice for a snack.Stefan hit the wall hard. His fist broke by means of the ancient plastering. Damn it, Damon, thats not all there is to humans.Its all I ask of them.Youdont ask. Thats the problem.It was a euphemism. Its all I plan totake from them, then. Its certainly all Im evoke in. Dont try to make-believe that its anything more. Theres no point in trying to find evidence for a pretty lie.Stefans fist flew out. It was his left fist, and Damon was supporting Bonnies head on that side, so he couldnt lean away gracefully as he normally would. She was unconscious she might take in a lungful of water and die immediately. Who knew about these humans, especially when they were poisoned?Instead, he concentrated on sending all his shielding to the right side of his chin. He figured he could take a punch, even from the New Improved Stefan without losing his hold on the girl even if Stefan broke his jaw.Stefans fist stop a few millimeters away from Damons face.There was a pause the brothers looked at to each one other crossways a distance of deuce feet.Stefan took a deep breath and sat back. Now will you admit it?Damon was genuinely puzzled. Admit what?That you care something for them. Enough to take a punch rather than let Bonnie go underwater.Damon stared, then began to laugh and found he couldnt stop.Stefan stared back. Then he shut his eyes and half-turned away in pain.Damon still had a case of the giggles. And you th-thought that I cuh-cared about one little hu-hu-huWhy did you do it, then? Stefan said tiredly.Whu-whu-whim. I t-told y-yuh-you. Just wuh-huhhuhuha Damon collapsed, devil-may-care from lack of food and from too many change emotions.Bonnies head went underwater.Both vampires dived for her, head butting each other as they collided over the center of the tub. Both ferine back briefly, dazed.Damon wasnt laughing anymore. If anything, he was fighting like a tiger to get the girl o ut of the water. Stefan was, too, and with his newly sharpened reflexes, he looked close to winning. But it was as Damon had thought just an hour or so earlier neither one of them even considered cooperating to get the girl. Each was trying to do it alone, and each was impeding the other.Get out of my way, brat, Damon snarled, almost assibilation in menace.You dont give a damn about her.You get out of the way There was something like a geyser and Bonnie exploded up from the water on her own. She spat out a mouthful and cried, Whats going on? in tones to move a heart of scar.Which they did. Contemplating his bedraggled little bird, who was clutching the towel to her instinctively, with her fiery hair plastered to her head and her good-looking brown eyes blinking between strands, something vainglorious in Damon. Stefan had run to the door to tell the others the good news. For a moment it was just the two of them Damon and Bonnie.It tastes awful, Bonnie said woefully, spitting out more water.I know, Damon said, staring at her. The new thing he was feeling had swollen inside his soul until the compress was almost too much to stand. When Bonnie said, But Im alive with an abrupt 180-degree turn in mood, her unsubdivided face flushing suddenly with joy, the fierce pride Damon matt-up in response was intoxicating. He and he alone had brought her back from the edge of icy death. Her poison-filled body had been cured by him it was his blood that had dissolved and dispersed the toxin,his blood And then the swelling thing burst.There was, to Damon, a palpable if not audible crack as the stone encasing his soul burst open and a great piece fell away.With something inside him singing, he clutched Bonnie to him, feeling the wet towel by means of his raw silk shirt, and feeling Bonnies slight body under the towel. Definitely a maiden, and not a child, he thought dizzily, whatever the writing on that infamous scrap of pink nylon had claimed. He clutched at her as if he needed her for blood as if they were in hurricane-tossed seas and to let go of her would be to lose her.His have it away hurt ferociously, but more cracks were spreading all over the stone it was going to explode completely, letting theDamon it held inside out and he was too inebriated on pride and joy, yes, joy, to care. Cracks were spreading in every direction, pieces of stone go offBonnie pushed him away.She had surprising strength for someone with such a slight build. She pushed herself out of his arms completely. Her expression had changed radically again now her face showed only fear and desperation and, yes, revulsion.Help Somebody, please,help Her brown eyes were huge and now her face was white again.Stefan had whirled around. All he saw was what Meredith saw, darting under his arm from the other room, or what Matt saw, trying to peer into the tiny, over-full bathroom Bonnie fiercely clutching her towel, trying to make it cover her, and Damon kneeling by the bath, his face without expression.Pleasehelp. He heard me calling I couldfeel him on the other end but he just watched. He stood and watched us all dying. He wants all humans dead, with our blood running down white steps somewhere. Please, get himaway from meSo. The little witch was more proficient than he had imagined. It wasnt unusual to recognize that someone was getting your transmissions you got feedback but to identify the one-on-one took talent. Plus, shed obviously heard the echoes of some of his thoughts. She was gifted, his birdno, not his bird, not with her looking at him with a look as close to hatred as Bonnie could manage.There was a silence. Damon had a chance to repudiate the charge, but why bother? Stefan would be able to gauge the truth of it. Maybe Bonnie, too.Revulsion was flying from face to face, as if it were a swiftly-catching disease.Now Meredith was amphetamine forward, grabbing another towel. She had some kind of hot drink in her other hand cocoa, by th e smell. It was hot enough to be an effective weapon no way to dodge all of that, not for a tired vampire.Here, she said to Bonnie. Youre safe. Stefans here. Im here. Matts here. Take this towel lets just put it around your shoulders.Stefan had stood silently, ceremonial all this no, watching his brother. Now, his face hardening in finality, he said one word.Out.Dis deep in thought(p) like a dog. Damon groped for his capital behind him, found it, and wished that his groping for his sense of belief could be as successful. The faces around him were all the same. They could have been carved in stone.But not stone as hard as that that was coming in concert again around his soul. That rock was remarkably quick to mend and an extra layer was added, like the layering of a pearl, but not covering anything nearly so pretty.Their faces were still all the same as Damon tried to get out of the small room that had too many people in it. Some of them were language Meredith to Bonnie, Mutt no, Matt pouring out a stream of pure acidic hatredbut Damon didnt really hear the words. He could smell too much blood here. Everyone had little wounds. Their individual scents varied beasts inthe herd closed in on him. His head was spinning. He had to get out of here or hed be snatching the nearest warm vessel and feed it dry. Now he was more than dizzy he was too hot, toothirsty.Very, very thirsty. He had worked a long time without feeding and now he was surrounded by prey. They were circlinghim . How could he stop himself from grabbing just one of them? Would one really be missed?Then there was the one he hadnt seen yet, and didnt want to see. To witness Elenas lovely features twisted into the same affect of revulsion he saw on every other face here would bedistasteful, he thought, his old sense of dispassion finally reverting to him.But it couldnt be avoided. As Damon came out of the bathroom, Elena was right in front of him, floating like an outsize butterfly. His eyes were drawn to exactly what he didnt want to see her expression.Elenas features didnt mirror the others. She looked worried, upset. But there wasnt a trace of the disgust or hatred that showed on all the other faces.She even spoke, in that gothic mind-speech that wasnt, somehow, like telepathy, but which allowed her to get in two levels of communication at once.Da mon.Tell about the malach. Please.Damon just raised an eyebrow at her. Tell a bunch of humans abouthimself ? Was she being by design ridiculous?Besides, the malach hadnt really done anything. They had distracted him for a few minutes, that was all. No point in blaming malach when all they had done was enhance his own views briefly. He wondered if Elena had any notion of the content of his little nighttime daydream.Da mon.I can see it. Everything. But, still, pleaseOh, well, maybe spirits got used to seeingeverybodys dirty laundry. Elena made no response to that thought, so he was left in the dark.In the dark. Which was what he was used to, where he had come from. They would all go their separate ways, the humans to their warm dry houses and he to a tree in the woods. Elena would stay with Stefan, of course.Of course.Under the circumstances, I wont sayau revoir , Damon said, flashing his dazzling smile at Elena, who looked gravely back at him. Well just say good-bye and leave it at that.There was no answer from the humans.Da mon. Elena was crying now.Please.Please.Damon started out into the dark.PleaseRubbing at his neck, he unploughed going.