Law Case Digest Essay

In 1977, four loans from Allied Banking Corporation which is enclosed by four promissory notes amounting P100, 000 each was acquired by Elias Q. Tan, then President of Lapu-lapu Foundation, Inc. The bank was inhibited to file with the Regional Trial Court of Cebu City, Branch 15, a protest in looking for payment by Tan and the foundation, jointly and solely, of the sum of P493, 566.61 representing their attorney’s fees and costs, loan obligation, penalty charges, exclusive of interests. For the reason that as of January 23, 1979, Tan and the foundation were not able to pay the whole obligation with a total of P493, 566.61 and regardless of the demands made on them by the Bank. The foundation denied of acquiring the indebtedness from the Bank as their answer to the complaint. They said that the loans were obtained by Tan in his personal capacity, for his own use and benefit and on the strength of the personal information he provided the Bank. The Foundation upheld that it never gave Tan authorization to co-sign in his place as its President any promissory note and that the Bank is fully aware that the loans contracted were made in Tan’s personal capacity and for his own personal use and benefit and that the Foundation never benefitted, directly or indirectly in any way or manner, thereof. The Foundation then interjected a cross-claim against Tan declaring that he, going beyond his authority, should be solely liable for the said loans, and a counterclaim against the Bank for damages and attorney’s fees. For Tan’s part, he admitted that he committed the loans from the Bank in his personal capacity. The parties, however, agreed that the loans were to be paid from the proceeds of Tan’s shares of common stocks in the Lapu-Lapu Industries Corporation which is a real estate firm. The loans were covered by promissory notes which were automatically rekindled every year at an amount which includes the unpaid interest, until the time that Tan would be able to pay the same amount from the proceeds of his abovementioned shares. According to Tan, the employee of the Bank required him to attach two signatures on every promissory note, giving him guarantee that the loan documents would be filled out in accordance with their agreement. Yet, after he signed and delivered the loan documents to the Bank, these were filled out not in accord with their agreement, wherein the Foundation was included as party. Further, previous to its filling of the complaint, the Bank made no claim on him. After the trial, the court handed over judgment. First, obliged Tan and the Foundation to pay jointly and solely to the Bank the principal obligation for the four promissory notes in the amount of P 493, 566.61 which includes all their charges included in the same, with 14% interest per annum, computed from January 24, 1979 until the same are fully paid, with an additional 2% service charges and 1% monthly penalty charges. Second, the court obliged Tan and the Foundation to pay jointly and solely, attorney’s fees in the equivalent amount of 25% of the total amount due from them on the promissory notes, including all charges and lastly, both Tan and the Foundation are obliged to pay jointly and solely proceedings expenses of P 1,000.00 plus costs of the suit. The CA supported with modification the judgment of the court by deleting the award of attorney’s fees in the favor of the Bank so that there will be no bias. The petition for review on certiorari was filed by Tan an d the Foundation. ISSUE: 1. Whether Tan and the foundation should be held jointly and solely liable. 2. Whether the foundation gave Tan an apparent authority to deal with the Bank. RULING: 1. As it is in the doctrine of corporate entity, the court did not make a mistake in holding Tan and the Foundation jointly and solely liable. Given these circumstances – Tan representing himself as the President of Lapu-Lapu Foundation Inc., Tan opening a savings account and a current account in the name of the corporation, signing the application form as well as the necessary sample signature cards twice for himself and the Foundation, and Tan submitting a notarized Secretary’s Certificate from the corporation, attesting that he has been authorized to sign for and in behalf of the Lapu-Lapu Foundation any and all checks, drafts or other orders with respect to the Bank; to perform business with the Bank, negotiate loans, agreement, obligations, promissory notes and other commercial documents; and to initially acquire a loan of P100, 000.00 from any bank – Tan and the Foundation cannot hide under the corporate veil. Because of the transactions Tan entered on the behalf of the Foundation, the Foundation is deemed liable. 2. According to the Secretary’s Certificate, Tan, the President, was given supposed and clear authority by the Foundation to, among other things, deal with the Bank. For that reason, the Foundation is prohibited from questioning the authority of Tan to attain the subject loans from the respondent Bank. Since it is a known doctrine that if a corporation knowingly allows one of its officers, or any other agents, to act within the scope of a noticeable authority, and holds him out to the public as someone who holds the power to do those acts, the corporation is prohibited from denying the agent’s authority.

Cycling Is an Ideal Mode of Transport Essay

With the improvement of living standard, the ownership of cars is increasing because of their convenience and rapid speed. However, some social experts consider that as a form of transport in urban areas, cycling is better than cars, which could combine the means of transport with public health. This essay will argue that cycling is an ideal mode of transport in crowed cities by focusing on the expenditure and environment effects. Firstly, cycling is a convenient and affordable mean of transport. Cyclists do not need to worry about traffic congestion which often appears during rush hour in busy cites. Normally it is believed that commuting by motor vehicles is quicker than by bikes, however, in short distance, cycling may spend a short time which does not include traffic jam and parking. Furthermore, cycling could reduce the cost of living dramatically. With the price of petrol, parking and maintenance increasing, traveling by cars costs more money than by bicycle. Despite the fact that cycling is not available for bad weather, most circumstance is suitable to ride a bike. Therefore, overall cycling is beneficial to the users. In addition to this, another reason to choose cycling is that it is environmental friendly. Compared with cars, cycling does not emit any carbon dioxide to the environment. Motor vehicles have already become the main polluter. If cycling is encouraged, air pollution would be reduced considerably and climate change could be alleviated in the future. Moreover, cycling is an effective way to escape from noise, because noisy pollution in urban centres is caused mainly by cars, which has negative impacts on living quality. As a result, cycling has minimal effects on the environment. In conclusion, cycling is an ideal mean of transport in modern cities as it is cost effective and environmental friendly. Therefore, government should build more implement for cycling such as bike paths and lines to ensure the safety of cyclists, which could encourage more citizens to enjoy cycling.

Major Works Data Sheet Essay

In this column, choose five quotations from the text, one focusing on each of the following literary elements: In this column, analyze the significance of your quotations. Allow the following questions to guide your responses: Why is this important? What does this reveal? Why does the author say it this way? What is the tone/mood of this passage? Theme â€Å"Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition.† -Victor Frankenstein This is part of the theme of the book, sometimes too much knowledge is a bad thing, like the death of Victors family members. He did not think through the consequences of creating such a creature and therefore it led to the death of his family. He now wishes that he had been happy and thankful for the life that he was living instead of attempting to alter it, because then maybe his family would still be alive. Characterization â€Å"William, Justine, and Henry – they all died by my hands.† -Victor Frankenstein This quote is an expression of the sorrow and the guilt that Victor feels for being the reason his family died. Because of the death of his family he has a very Debbie Downer outlook on life and does not end up making the monstrous creature his companion. Setting â€Å"When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, the, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?† – The monster, Chapter 13, page 105 The creature realizes what a monster he is, because everyone he encounters runs from him in terror. He is lonely on this Earth and wants Victor to make  him a companion in female form. Symbolism â€Å"What was I? Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, and no kind of property. I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome†¦was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned. â€Å" -The creature, chapter 13 Sometime after being created by Victor, the creature no longer thought that he was happy and did not understand why he was alive. He tried to fit in with the world around him but everyone was afraid of him and at one point or another he just gave up on trying to fit in with society. In this quote he explains his actions and the reasoning behind them. Imagery â€Å"It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open†¦Ã¢â‚¬  -Victor Frankenstein, Chapter 5 This is when Victor brings the creature to life, the creature that he has work endlessly, spending all of his time on it. This scene is used in movies to make audiences fear the monster that Victor created.

Musical Orientalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Musical Orientalism - Essay Example Imitation aims to duplicate; musical Orientalism has little to do with the objective conditions of non-Western musical practices-rather, it brings something new into being. Here is a list of Orientalist devices, many of which can be applied indiscriminately as markers of cultural difference. Orientalism describes the representation of the Eastern Other to the Western Self; it is not an impartial account of cultural difference, it is alternity understood in terms of fear and desire, terror and lack. Orientalism is never quite a case of "anything goes"; it is possible to mix signifiers of difference in a confusing manner: for example, it would be possible to write a calypso using Liszt's "Hungarian" scale. Moreover, Orientalist signs are contextual. For example a mixture of 6/8 and 3/4 is not a sign for Spanish in William Byrd's madrigal "Though Amaryllis Dance in Green," but it is in Bernstein's "I Want to Be in America" (from West Side Story). Likewise, the similarity between the close of the first movement of Anton Bruckner's Sixth Symphony and the theme tune of Maurice Jarre's Lawrence of Arabia does not create confusion. It is interesting, nonetheless, to wonder how much more stress on the Phrygian in Bruckner's coda would have been necessary to conjure up Sinbad for Donald F. Tovey, rather than Odysseus. In westerIn western music, Orientalist styles have related to previous Orientalist styles rather than to Eastern ethnic practices, just as myths have been described by Lvi-Strauss as relating to other myths. One might ask if it is necessary to know anything about Eastern musical practices; for the most part, it seems that only knowledge of Orientalist signifiers is required. Nevertheless, the state of affairs found in a work like Rameau's Les Indes Galantes (1735), where, for example, Persians are musically indistinguishable from Peruvians, was to change. Distinctions and differences developed in the representation of the exotic or cultural Other, and that, as well as the confusion that sometimes results, is my present concern. This confusion is most evident in the nineteenth century, when Western composers, especially those who worked in countries engaged in imperialist expansion, were torn between, on the one hand, making a simple distinction between Western Self and Oriental Other and, on the other hand, recognizing that there was no single homogeneous Oriental culture. Thus, even when different Orientalist styles had become established, they could sometimes be applied in a careless manner. J. A. Westrup stated apropos of Purcell's The Indian Queen: "For all the music tells us, the action might be taking place in St. James's Park." His remark indicates that there is a historical specificity to musical Orientalism and thus helps to establish its beginnings. Consider the music sung by the Indian Boy, which concerns "native innocence," part of a favorite colonizing theme in which the indigenous peoples of conquered countries are looked upon as children-and here they are indeed a boy and girl. Lakm's "O va la jeune Indoue" (the "Bell Song" from Delibes's opera Lakme, 1883) is a tale of a young Indian girl's seduction by the divine Vishnu. It begins with a wordless vocalize, a device that became common in representations of the "emotional" Easterner, the lack of verbal content pointing to a contrast with the "rational" Westerner. Carolyn Abbate (1991) remarks that

Short Answer Questions - Work effectively with culturally diverse Essay

Short Answer Questions - Work effectively with culturally diverse clients & co-worker - Essay Example When interacting with other people, I am always of the assumption that my culture is superior in terms of morality and respect. Regardless of the modern Chinese society I am affiliated certain factors of the Chinese tradition are embraced. Different from the Australian culture which has a minimal respect gap between the adults and the children, the Chinese culture respects adults significantly.   Summarize below your thoughts on the importance of cultural sensitivity and how it relates to your role as an Enrolled nurse.   How will increasing your cultural awareness impact on the clients you deliver services (or care) to? In the nursing field, cultural sensitivity is an important aspect. Nurses are required be sensitive in regards to culture. This ensures that they eliminate bias in their organization. In an argument by Hansen (2013) nurses are required to provide services to all patients regardless of their cultural affiliation. As an enrolled nurse, I am required to eliminate any form of limitation to effective service delivery. This would enable me enhance my quality of service delivery (Hansen, 2013). Equitable access refers to the ability of a system to provide reasonable and fair opportunities to all persons accessing services from the system. In nursing, equitable access should be sundered to a point that a person is provided with an opportunity to access health care services regardless of their social affiliations. In the medical filed, this is an ethical and moral responsibility.   Read the â€Å"Code of Ethics for Nurses† (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2008) available from:  http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Search.aspx?q=code%20of%20ethics%20for%20en.   From this document review Value Statements 3 and 7 and summarize what these statements mean in relation to being an Enrolled nurse and also their importance to nursing? In the statement that

Mcdonalds vs Burger King Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Mcdonalds vs Burger King - Research Paper Example Over the years the two companies have had advertising wars over product superiority such as the French fries wars. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the business models, advertising strategies, and financials of McDonald’s and Burger King. McDonald’s Company Profile McDonald’s was founded in 1955 by Ray Kroc. The hamburger chain restaurant has brought innovation into the industry since its inception. In 1975 they became the first company to ever offer a drive-thru window. Today the firm enjoys market leadership in the industry. The company achieved global sales in 2010 of $24,075 billion. The firm is a public company whose common stocks are traded in the NYSE under the symbol MCD. The company has over 32,737 restaurants across 118 countries worldwide serving nearly 64 million customers each day (Aboutmcdonalds, 2011). About 80% of the firm’s restaurants are independently owned franchises. The chief executive officer of the company is Jim Skinner. The organization has 1.7 million employees worldwide. Burger King Company Profile Burger King was founded in 1954 by James McLamore and David Edgerton. The company first TV advertisement aired in 1958 and by 1961 the firm began selling franchises. Burger King has 12,078 franchises worldwide. The firm has established operations in 73 countries. In 2010 Burger King achieved total revenues of $1,839 million. The firm is traded in the NYSE under the symbol BKC. The firm franchises nearly 90% of its stores. Burger King is the second largest fast food company in the world serving over 11 million customers worldwide (Bk, 2011). Business Model Comparison Burger King and McDonald’s both have similar business models. They are both burger chain franchises that have domestic and international operations. McDonalds has a larger operation than Burger King with over 20,000 more stores. McDonalds is a bigger international player with 17,276 foreign stores located across 118 countri es (Worldfranchising, 2011). McDonalds has a better brand value than Burger King. The firm has capitalized on that brand value by charging a 12% royalty fee which is 8% higher than the 4% royalty Burger King charges to its franchises. Both companies sell products of equal nutritional content. Burger offers in its combo better value due the fact that their hamburgers are bigger and of better quality meat. US customers prefer McDonald’s French fries over Burger King French fries. McDonald’s has a better $1 menu than Burger King. The organic growth model used by McDonald’s has been more effective at achieving a higher market share than Burger King’s growth strategy. Both companies were founded at around the same timeline. A difference between the franchises in terms of store capacity is that Burger King requires a building of a minimum size of 3,600 square feet, while McDonald’s stores can be located in buildings as small as 2,000 square feet. Marketi ng Comparison McDonald’s and Burger King both spend millions of dollars each year in marketing budget. A great portion of the marketing budget of these companies is financed by a special advertising fee the company charges to its franchises. Burger King and McDonald’s both charge their franchisees an advertising fee of 4% of the store’s revenue (Worldfranchising, 2011). McDonald’s has been more effective over the years at targeting children in comparison with Burger King. â€Å"

A survey of student attitudes to university fees Essay

A survey of student attitudes to university fees - Essay Example Example include Market Research Surveys Government Surveys Public Health Surveys Public Opinion Polls Censuses may be another example of quantative research. Although a census does not include a sample/portion of the community, it surely does include many others modern survey methodological aspects such as interviewers and questionnaires. Surveys are an important tool for research. With the help of surveys we may be able to gather precious information not only for research purposes but also for public information. Surveys are not restricted to one field or line of information. Information may be gathered for marketing, sociological, psychological and many other aspects and fields of study (Advanced Research Seminar On Cognitive Aspects Of Survey Methodology & Jabine, 1984). A survey was conducted regarding tuition fees and related issues. Most of the respondents were international which were paying a comparatively high tuition fees. As expected, all of them were of the idea that the tuition fees were high and should be cut down. A few students were happy with their fees but it is believed this was due to the fact that they were either UK home students or EU students. Furthermore, it was highlighted that most of the international students relied on their parents to pay their tuitions fees while a few were dependent on student loans. 80% of the respondents believed that the tuitions fees of UK was considerably higher than their home countries. This may have been said to be due to different economic conditions and foreign exchange risk between the two countries but with 65% respondents claiming the tuitions fees to be considerably more, is a matter to be looked into. Respondents also claimed that such huge tuitions fees is a cause of distress for their parents back home. Few even went on saying that their family could not afford the tuition fees but still managed sending them abroad to study and obtain a degree. The students responding were usually from developing nations which have a bad economic condition as compared to that of UK. They also higlighted that if a parent is to spend so much on one siblings the rest may have to suffer and sacrifice their standard of education. The main reason cited for getting a degree was for the purposes of a job with some respondents thought to be confused of their basis of studying at a university. Nearly all of the students were of the view that the government should be paying for their tuitions fees and ensure that no financial stress and constraint should take place while studying. Respondents also were of the idea that at least some part of the fees if not all should be paid by the government. The recent floating idea of an increase in tuition fees is a prime ongoing debate. It was believed that tuition fees shall be increase further (BBC News, 2012.) After the previous tuition fees rise Parents believe that supporting one of the children had been financially tough and an increase shall only and only increase their burden. Furthermore, parents feared that their children shall be facing huge debts if they plan to obtain a degree. Many students were also of the view that they shall be put off with higher tuition fees (BBC News, 2010). Ttihe increase in tuition fees also witnessed many protests and strikes with students even been arrested (the Guardian,

Human Recources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Human Recources - Essay Example An understanding of implications of SHRM has been obtained by applying concepts such as resource-based view of the firm and HR-business partner model. The discourse also highlights critical aspects related to application of SHRM based on these two models and how organizations adapt to the changing demands from external and internal customers in order to sustain their competitiveness. Strategic human resource management has emerged as the most favourable proposition for businesses as it provides a comprehensive framework for HR practices to be aligned to organisational strategies. These practices have enhanced company’s growth and profitability upon integration with business purposes. This faculty has become very popular in the areas of the traditional HRM, organisational behaviour and industrial relations. This concept practically addresses many limitations of the conventional HRM practices, and works on the philosophy of integration of HR strategy with business strategy. David Guest’s (1987, 1989a, 1989b, 1991) Harvard model emphasizes the significance of achieving strategic integration and asserts the role of organisation’s ability to integrate HRM issues into its strategic plans in such a manner that various aspects of HRM are congruent with the policies and practices implemented at all levels (Armstrong, 2000). To achieve this, many management specialists support the resource based view (RBV) of the firm as it provides competitive advantage in strategic sense. However, practical implications of RBV on managerial functions such as selection, development, combination and deployment of resources experience certain challenges which questions RBV’s status as the backdrop of SHRM. This discourse examines the extent of integration achieved by organisations between strategic decisions and practices with respect to SHRM. Further, an assessment of the effectiveness of RBV

Change management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Change management - Essay Example Organizational leaders rarely become successful with the changes they initiate within the organization. This is because they focus on the bigger picture, mostly on how they are going to make profits for the company. They forget that individuals within the organization are the fundamental determinants of its success and change should start from within the organization. I disagree with McKinsey, because it is a perception of the employees and members of a given organization that change is not achievable (Henry, 8). The employees of the organization need to focus on the positive aspects of a certain change. Such positive aspects should act as a motivation to the employees provided they believe in themselves in achieving success. The top management needs to convince the other employees on the outcome of any intended change. In my personal opinion, if the management of an organization involves other employees in the process of change, then the employees will not have any objection to any change

Steps in Hypothesis Testing Essay Example for Free

Steps in Hypothesis Testing Essay My research topic is a correlation study between quantity of water intake and number of sleeping hours for humans. I became interested in the topic when a friend of mine shared an interesting belief of his culture that drinking too much water can upset sleep. Although this is not the exact topic that I am choosing for this study, I believe that the groundwork for that research interest is to determine whether or not the average number of glasses of water that a person drinks in a day has any relationship with that person’s average number of sleeping hours. This is data that can be collected through a survey of at least 30 respondents to make the sample large. In following the 5 steps of hypothesis testing, my null hypothesis would be that there is no significant relationship between the average number of glasses of water consumed in a day and average number of sleeping hours (H0: Ï = 0) (Lane, 2007). This implies that my alternative hypothesis is that there is a significant relationship between the said variables (H1: Ï Ã¢â€°   0).The hypothesis will be tested at a 0.05 significance level. The statistic that will be used is the Pearson r correlation coefficient which will be computed using appropriate statistical software. Its probability value will be determined and compared against the 0.05 confidence level. If the probability value exceeds the confidence level, then the null hypothesis is accepted, and we can conclude that there is no significant relationship between the average number of glasses of water consumed in a day and average number of sleeping hours. If the p-value is less than or equal to the confidence level, then the null hypothesis is rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis.   Reference Lane, D. (2007). Steps in Hypothesis Testing. Retrieved January 24, 2008 from: http://davidmlane.com/hyperstat/B35642.html

Involved In Knowing A Word

Involved In Knowing A Word Word knowledge plays an important role in language teaching, it provides the basis for learners to grasp four language skills listening, speaking, reading and writing. Without a certain amount of words, learners cannot expect to understand fully the content of listening and reading and express their meaning clearly in the process of speaking and writing. Lexical competence is one of components of communicative competence (Meara 1996).however, knowing a word is complicated and it involves knowing its form, meaning and use (Nation,2001) .e.g. spelling, pronunciation, grammar, denotative and connotative meaning, word associations, frequency, collocation and register. For English Learners in China, due to limited exposure to the target language, they have got difficulties with collocations and collocation errors are often found in their writing and speaking. In order to achieve a high level of competence in English, it is better for students to know more collocations. Nowadays in China, collocation has become one of the most important issues in English language teaching and learning. In this paper, firstly, the author attempts to explain and exemplify the question of what is involved in knowing a word, and some aspects of word knowledge are discussed. Secondly, collocation as one aspect of word knowledge is chosen to discuss in more detail, then some issues with respect to collocation are discussed, including the definition of collocation, the classification of collocations and the significant of collocation,. Finally, it deals with the classroom practice, as an English language teacher, some suggestions are given on the teaching of collocation in the classroom. What is involved in knowing a word? In the L1 acquisition, it is very common that learners may know how to speak one word in mother tongue but they do not know how to spell this word, while in L2 acquisition, learners may know the written form of word, but they do not know how to pronounce it clearly, or learners may know one meaning of a word, however, they do not know other meanings of this word in different contexts. Even learners may know both form and meaning of a word, but they do not know how to use this word appropriately in different contexts. Therefore, knowing a word is quite a complex cognitive process, and knowing a word involves understanding many aspects of word knowledge. Nation (2001:23) points out that words are not isolated units of language. Therefore, the question of what is involved in knowing a word has attracted considerable attention in the field of vocabulary acquisition. Researchers have identified different types of word knowledge. Richards (1976) and Nation (1990, 2001) list different aspec ts of word knowledge which learners needs to know about a word. I will use Nations classification of word knowledge as the basis for my discussion. More information, see the appendix 2. In recent decades, Nation is one of the worlds leading authorities on vocabulary acquisition. Based on the earlier word framework (Nation, 1990), Nation (2001:27) points out that knowing a word involves knowing its form, meaning and use, and each category is broken down into receptive and productive knowledge. Each of these three categories can be found in the discussion brief below. More details please see appendix two. Word form Knowing one word form includes spoken form, written form and word parts (Nation, 2001). Spoke and written form are essential word knowledge which helps learners to move forward to literacy. The knowledge of phonics, word reorganization and spelling provides a basis for learners to decode word meaning and use the word appropriately in different context. Knowing the spoken form means being able to understand the spoken form in hearing this word, this is receptive knowledge, as well as being able to pronounce the word clearly and make other people understood in the conversation, this is productive knowledge. Knowing the written form means being able to recognize the written form when reading, this is receptive knowledge; in the meantime, knowing the written form means being able to spell correctly the written form in writing, this is productive knowledge (Schmitt, 2000).Schmitt points out that the more similar between the second language and first language in spelling and pronunciation, the easier learners to attain these knowledge in second language. For example, it is easier for Spanish to learn the spoken and written form of English than to learn Chinese and Japanese, due to different orthographic and pronunciation systems (ibid). In terms of word parts, it involves knowing the prefix, suffix and stem that make up a word as well as knowing the word family (Nation 2001). It is possible to decode the meaning of unknown word when knowing the prefix, suffix or stem of this word. Take the word unbelievable, for an example. Prefix un means not, opposite, believe means trust something, -able means can be, worthy of, therefore the meaning of unbelievable is Not to be believed. In addition, Nation (2001) point out that knowing a word involves knowing the members of word family that will increase as proficiency develops. For example, knowing the word able, learners may know unable, disable, in the beginning, then they will know enable, ability, abilities, disabled disability. Normally, the knowledge of phonics, word reorganization and spelling are learnt by explicit instruction, such as repeat exercises, drills and rote memorization. Although this explicit instruction helps learners to acquire this knowledge to some extent, however, too much depending on exercises and rote memorization leads to boredom and decrease motivation. The best way to develop the phonics, word reorganization and spelling skill is to provide more opportunities to engage in meaningful reading and writing in the particular context. In addition, Learners can be trained and encouraged to use learning strategies. Such as finding analogies, cover and recall, focusing on difficult parts and setting regular learning goals (Nation: 2001:46). 2.2 Word meaning: Nation (2001) points out that knowing the meaning of a word includes connecting form and meaning, concept and referents, and word associations. Normally the word form and meaning are learned together. it means that when learners hear and see the word form, the meaning of this word will retrieved, in the meantime, when they want to express the meaning of word, the form of this word will retrieved as well. Daulton (1998) points out that the same form in the target language and first language makes learning the word meanings burden light. For example, English has some loan words from Japan; this helps Japanese learn some English words easier. In terms of concepts and referents, each word has got a core concept, while other meanings vary. It means a word has got a lot of meanings depending on the different contexts. Aitcheson (1987) also points out that there is a fuzzy boundary in the meanings of a word. One of the main reasons is that schema is different in the different contexts (Schm itt, 2000). In addition, Richards (1976:81) claims that words do not exist in isolation .Knowing a word involves knowing word association. Word associations are the links that words are related to each other in peoples mind. One word is given to a learner; some other that are similar or opposite, and related words easily come to mind. e.g. Accident-car, blood, hospital. School- chair, table, classroom, students, teachers; Home- kitchen, dish, food. 2.3 Word use Nation (2001) points out that knowing how to use a word involves knowing the word grammatical functions, collocations and being aware of constraints on use due to many factors, such as register, frequency and different cultures. Grammatical function is one of the most important linguistic constraints in choosing a word to use, and grammatical function refers to word classes and what grammatical patterns one word can fit into (ibid).e.g. we can say I know a lot, I eat a lot, I read a lot, however we cannot say I knowledge a lot, I eaten a lot, I reading a lot. Register and frequency are other particular types of word constrains on use. Register is considered as the stylistic constraints that make each word more or less appropriate for certain language situations or language purposes (Schmitt, 2000:31). In terms of word frequency, High frequency words (laugh) are heard and seen and used more frequently than low frequency words (guffaw, giggle, and chuckle). Generally speaking, low frequency words are used in the particular discipline, e.g. medicine, law, engineering, literature and so on). Therefore, High frequency words are more easily recognized and recalled than low frequency words. Therefore, knowing the use of a word should be aware of constrains on use of a word. In this section, word form, word meaning and word use are discussed. Next I will select collocation as one type of word knowledge (collocation) to discuss in more detail.Firstly, I will explore the definition of collocation, the types of collocation, and then I suggest that the knowledge of collocations is essential for learners, lastly, some advice on teaching and learning collocations in the classroom are given. The definition and clarification of collocation Collocation is defined in different way by researchers. collocation refers to items whose meaning is not obvious from their parts (Palm 1933 in Firth 1957, summarised in Nation, 2001:317).e.g., blonde hair, shrug his shoulders, fizzy drink, bite the dust. According to Schmittà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 2000:76à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °,collocation is described as the tendency of two or more words to co-occur in discourse. Here co-occurrence is the main characteristic of collocation. Similar to Schmitt, Lewis (2000:132) describes it in another way as collocation is the way in which words co-occur in natural text in statistically significant ways, in this definition, the way words naturally co-occur is emphasized. It implies that people cannot put two or more words together arbitrarily, because words co-occur naturally. In fact, it is very common that some learners in foreign and second language context tend to put two or more words together arbitrarily because of the first language interference. For example, d o a decision instead of make a decision, big rain instead of heavy rain. Nation (2001:371) defines collocation asany generally accepted grouping of words into phrases or clauses. This definition reflects the two criteria of collocation which are frequency occur together and have some degree of semantic unpredictability (ibid). The above definitions indicate that words co-occur naturally, it is not easy for learners to get the meaning of collocation form its components, and as a result, it may cause problems for learners to acquire the knowledge of collocations. The definition of collocation leads to the shift to explore the types of collocation. Collocations are divided into two basic types: grammatical/syntactic collocations and Semantic/lexical collocations (Schmitt.2000). The former refers to one word combines with other words with the grammatical rule. E.g. get used to, be good at .the latter means multi words co-occur to contribute the meaning. E.g. make a mistake, catch a bus. Lewis (2000) lists different types of collocation, such as verb+noun, noun+noun, adjective + noun, verb+adjective, fixed phrase, part of proverb, binomial, trinomial and so on. The significance of learning collocations 4.1 The underlying rule of organization of lexicon Sinclair (1991) advances two principles (the open-choice principle and the idiom principle) to explain the organization of the texts. The open-choice principle suggests that you can put any word in the slot to make texts as long as you follow the grammar rule. It is known as slot-and-filler model. However, this principle cannot explain the collocation constrains. The idiom principle highlights that there are some regularities when two or more words combine together, and Sinclair claims that there are some constrains on the choices words in discourse(ibid), in other words, the way words co-occur are not random. Hill (2000) also agrees with the idea that the lexicon is not arbitrary. E.g. commit. A relatively fixed set of words can co-occur with it. E.g. suicide, crime, murder, sin. But not promise, advice, plan. 4.2 The size of collocation Groups of words or phrases are used very frequently to express meaning in the oral and written texts. Hill (2000) claims that two or more than two words collocations make up a huge percentage in the text. It is estimated that up to 70% of everything we use in oral and written texts are fixed expression. This widely used collocation implies that if non-native learners have got a huge amount of collocation, it will be helpful for them to achieve native-like fluency in the target language. Nation (2001) also points out that knowing the collocation knowledge of a word is one of the most important aspects of knowing a word. 4.3 Native-like fluency Learning collocation helps learners to speak and write English in a more natural and accurate way (Dell and McCarthy, 2008).if learners store a huge number of collocations, this allows them to retrieve ready-made language, think more quickly and produce language efficiently (Hill 2000).in addition, they do not need to make sentences word by word to express themselves, and this assists them in using English not only naturally but accurately. According to my experience of teaching English in China, due to the first language interference, the direct translate are used to produce language, the inaccurate use of collocation is very common in the essay writing, and this is one of the main causes which lead to the emergence of Chinglish, e.g. eat medicine, make exercise, receive the telephone e, open/close the radio, look TV instead of take medicine, do exercise, answer the telephone, turn on/turn off radio, watch TV. 4.4 language acquisition Learning collocation enhances language acquisition (Hill, 2000). Nation (2001) points out that collocation helps learners to store knowledge quickly. If learners have got a huge number of collocations in mind, it is easier for them to retrieve ready-made language from their mental lexicon and think more quickly because they can recognize big chunks of language when reading and listening, and this is very helpful for them to understand the meaning in the speed of speech and the long reading texts. In contrast, if learners decode the meaning of speech and texts word by word, maybe they know the meaning of each word, however, they do not know the meaning of collocation or chunks in the long discourse. It may be difficult for them to get the accurate meaning of the speech and texts. Based on my teaching experiences as a high school English teacher, I found that most of the students in my class have got difficulty understanding the meaning of the entire paragraph due to lack of collocatio n competence. Hill (2000) also agree with this explanation that one of the main reason for having difficulty in reading or listening is due to lack of collocation competence, rather than the load of new words. E.g. as far as I know, the old sheep comes up with the idea that he will give up on his dream to look after little sheep, however, he cannot make this decision due to other people. This makes him keep crying all the time. Even though students know the meaning of each word in the above paragraph, it is still very hard for them to understand the entire paragraph because they are not familiar with some collocations inside. In the above two sections, the definition, types of collocation and the significance of collocation were discussed. In the next section, I would like to give some suggestions on teaching and learning collocations in the classroom. 5. Teaching collocations in the classroom Here are some suggestions and activities for English language teachers that will help students to acquire the knowledge of collocations in the classroom. 5.1 Raising awareness of collocation in classroom Woolard (2000) points out that raising learners awareness of the importance of collocations is a good way to help them notice them. Teachers should explain the rationale for collocation, the significance of learning collocation in language acquisition, and then make learners know that words are not used in isolation, knowing one word also means knowing which word is likely to co-occur with it, Teachers can emphasize in the classroom instruction that knowing collocations not only helps them to receive (reading and listening) and store language quickly but also produce language naturally and accurately. E.g. When teaching reading, it is an effective way to ask learners to identify collocations in the texts and let them make a list of collocations. When teaching speaking, teachers can ask learners to predict the collocations of the word. If teachers encourage learners to notice collocations in input and output teaching activities, this practice will help learners develop an ability to n otice and use collocations. It also helps learners to develop learner autonomy, when they read newspaper, listen to radio, watch TV and talk to other people in English. They will notice the existence of collocations in spoken and written texts. 5.2 Increasing language input and providing output opportunities Using the authentic reading texts is an effective way to teach collocations. In the classroom, Lewis (2000) also suggests that teachers should choose the right kind of texts which includes different types of collocations. These texts can be used in the intensive reading practice. However, this is not enough to acquire the knowledge of collocations. Krashen(1985 )points out that enough comprehensible input is a source of language acquisition. Collocations are used in different types of texts, such as newspaper, magazine, and story books. It is good for learners to do extensive reading to encounter collocations in these authentic texts and remember them in the notebooks. In addition, extensive reading provides learners with context to make the understanding of the meaning of collocation easier and deeper, therefore. Extensive reading not only helps them to know how native speakers use the collocations in the natural way, but also moves learning collocations from short to long-term memo ry. However, Swain (1995) claims that despite the fact that learners are given a rich source of comprehensible input in the French immersion programmes in Canada. It is still hard for learners to produce the native-like language proficiency. Teaching collocations also needs to provide opportunities to learners to practice how to use collocations. These activities can be some communicative activities in terms of writing and speaking. Hill, Lewis and Lewis (2000) suggest that teachers can ask learners to find the collocations in the reading texts, and then use these collocations to reconstruct the content. Some collocation errors can be found. Teachers need to write down these errors in the blackboard and make learners to analyse them. The same activities can be done by listening to tapes or stories and then ask learners to speak out the collocations. Some exercises are used to help learners acquire collocations (Dell and McCarthy, 2008). Such as Fill in blanks, Match games True/False. 5.3 Using resources: Collocation Dictionaries and corpora and concordances It is a good way to get learners use collocation dictionaries to know more about collocations. e.g. Oxford Collocations Dictionary for students of English. In addition, with the development of internet, the innovative corpora and concordances are becoming the effective way for learners to check collocations online. They provide great texts to check collocations and grow dramatically with the update texts. Corpus has brought great insights into linguistics, especially into the study of collocations. A corpus collects the written or spoken texts and stores them in the computer. It is very helpful and efficient way to use the corpus to check how the people use collocations in written or spoken texts .Sinclair (1991:32) defines a concordance is a collection of the occurrences of a word-form, each in its own textual environment. Compared to collocation dictionary, concordance allows us view more collocation lists in the corpus. However, I think it is necessary for teachers to provide learners with some training to help them use it well, this also encourage learner autonomy. 6. Conclusion In this paper, I have explained and exemplified the question what is involved knowing a word. Word form, word meaning and word use were discussed briefly. Such as spelling, pronunciation, word parts, word meanings, word associations, grammatical functions, register, collocations, frequency and so on. In these many aspects of word knowledge, collocation as one type of word knowledge was chosen to explore. First, the definition and classification of collocation were discussed, and then the reason for choosing collocations was explained. Next, this author proceeded to explore how to teach collocations in the classroom. Lastly, this paper offers some suggestions on how to help learners acquire the knowledge of collocations in the classroom. Appendix 1: The meaning of knowing a word(Richards,1976), 1 The native speaker of a language continues to expand his vocabulary in adulthood, whereas there is comparatively little development of syntax in adult life. 2 Knowing a word means knowing the degree of probability of encountering that word in speech or print. For many words we also know the sort of words most likely to be found associated with the word 3 Knowing a word implies knowing the limitations imposed on the use of the word according to variations of function and situation. 4 Knowing a word means knowing the syntactic behavior associated with that word. 5 Knowing a word entails knowledge of the underlying form of a word and the derivations that can be made from it. 6 Knowing a word entails knowledge of the network of associations between that word and other words in language. 7 Knowing a word means knowing the semantic value of a word. 8 Knowing a word means knowing many of the different meanings associated with the word. Appendix 2: What is involved in knowing a word? (Nation, 2001) Form spoken R P What does the word sound like? How is the word pronounced? written R P What does the word look like? How is the word written and spelled? word parts R P What parts are recognizable in this word? What word parts are needed to express the meaning? Meaning Form and meaning R P What meaning does this word form signal? What word form can be used to express this meaning? Concept and referents R P What is included in the concept? What items can the concept refer to? associations R P What other words does this make us think of? What other words could we use instead of this one? Use grammatical functions R P In what patterns does the word occur? In what patterns must we use this word? collocations R P What words or types of words occur with this one? What words or types of words must we use with this one? constraints on use (register, frequency ) R P Where, when, and how often would we expect to meet this word? Where, when, and how often can we use this word?

Women Behaving Like Men in Antigone, Electra, and Medea Essay

Women Behaving Like Men in Antigone, Electra, and Medea Throughout Antigone, Electra, and Medea, many double standards between men and women surface. These become obvious when one selects a hero from these plays, for upon choosing, then one must rationalize his or her choice. The question then arises as to what characteristics make up the hero. How does the character win fame? What exactly is excellent about that character? These questions must be answered in order to choose a hero in these Greek tragedies. In historic Greece, the characteristics of a hero were for the most part left only for men to achieve. Heroes were viewed as those who were kind to friends, vicious to enemies. They were also men who risked their lives regularly everyday, fighting for not only their country, but also treasures such as women, gold, and armor, among other things. Women, however, rarely accomplished such things, for what made a good woman was her obedience to her husband, her loyalty to her family, and, for the most part, other functions that a housewife is usually considered to perform. In order to win renown, however, a woman was forced to commit actions normally left to men. Antigone, Electra, and Medea, do not attempt to be what was considered a â€Å"good† women in ancient Greece; rather, their actions become masculine, instead. This is why they were known in the ancient world. For example, the character Antigone attempts several times to bury the body of her beloved brother, Polyneices, despite the mandate of her uncle, King Creon, that anyone who does so would immediately be put to death. Through this action, her fame, or kleos, was achieved. Her rebellious nature to the king put her at risk of death... ... were performed because of wholesome motivations. Her love for Jason was for someone outside of her family, and according to the laws of pietas, her father should have come before Jason. In conclusion, it becomes obvious by these three plays that for a woman to achieve kleos in ancient Greece, she usually had to become more man-like in her role. The murders committed by Electra and Medea, the bravery of Antigone—all three of these were fulfilled by what would have normally been considered a man’s role. A woman could rarely be considered a hero unless she became like a man in her actions. Otherwise, she would be only a simple woman. Works Cited Euripides. Medea and Other Plays. Trans. Philip Vellacott. England: Penguin Books, 1963. Sophocles. Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra. Trans. H. D. F. Kitto. New York: Oxford University Press, 1962.

Division of Labor Essay -- essays research papers

Marx's View of the Division of Labor The Division of Labor is a subject which has fascinated social scientists for millennia. Before the advent of modern times, philosophers and theologians concerned themselves with the implications of the idea. Plato saw as the ultimate form of society a community in which social functions would be rigidly separated and maintained; society would be divided into definite functional groups: warriors, artisans, unskilled laborers, rulers. St. Paul, in his first letter to the church at Corinth, went so far as to describe the universal Church in terms of a body: there are hands, feet, eyes, and all are under the head, Christ. Anyone who intends to deal seriously with the study of society must grapple with the question of the division of labor. Karl Marx was no exception. Marx was more than a mere economist. He was a social scientist in the full meaning of the phrase. The heart of his system was based on the idea of human production. Mankind, Marx asserted, is a totally autonomous species - being, and as such man is the sole creator of the world in which he finds himself. A man cannot be defined apart from his labor: "As individuals express their life, so they are. What they are, therefore, coincides with their production, both with what they produce and with how they produce."1 The very fact that man rationally organizes production is what distinguishes him from the animal kingdom, according to Marx. The concept of production was a kind of intellectual "Archimedean point" for Marx. Every sphere of human life must be interpreted in terms of this single idea: "Religion, family, state, law, science, art, etc., are only particular modes of production, and fall under its general law."2 Given this total reliance on the concept of human labor, it is quite understandable why the division of labor played such an important role in the overall Marxian framework. Property vs. Labor Marx had a vision of a perfect human society. In this sense, Martin Buber was absolutely correct in including a chapter on Marx in his Paths in Utopia. Marx believed in the existence of a society which preceded recorded human history. In this world, men experienced no sense of alienation because there was no alienated production. Somehow (and here Marx was never very clear) men fell into patterns of alienated production, and fr... ...of Revolution (Nutley, New Jersey: Craig Press, 1968), p. 112. 7 German Ideology, pp. 44-45. 8 Critique of the Gotha Program (1875), in Marx-Engels Selected Works, II, p. 24. This is one of the few places in which Marx presented some picture of the post-Revolutionary world. 9 Ibid. 10 Ludwig Yon Mises, Socialism (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, [1922] 1951), p. 164. 11 Maurice Cornforth, Marxism and the Linguistic Philosophy (New York: International Publishers, 1965), p. 327. 12 German Ideology, p. 84. 13 Murray N. Rothbard, "Left and Right: The Prospects for Liberty," Left and Right, 1 (1965), p. 8. 14 "On the Jewish Question," (1843-44), in T. B. Bottomore, Karl Marx: Early Writings (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964), pp. 34-40. 15 G. D. H. Cole, The Meaning of Marxism (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, [1948] 1964), p. 249. 16 Leon Trotsky, The Revolution Betrayed (1936), quoted by F. A. Hayek, The Road to Serfdom (University of Chicago Press, 1944), p. 119. 17 Mises, Socialism, pp. 60-62. Reprinted with permission from The Freeman, a publication of The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc., January 1969, Vol. 19, No. 1.

Eleanor of Aquitaine :: essays research papers fc

Eleanor of Aquitaine There have been many historic women have had a great impact on modern day society. We have come to recognize them as key parts of our past, and without them the world would not be as it is. One of these women whom we recognize is Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor of Aquitaine is known as one of the most successful women in history because of her valiant efforts to reform medieval England.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eleanor of Aquitaine was born in 1122 . She grew up in Poiters, France, where she was always surrounded by poets, artists, and other educated peoples . Numerous suitors attempted to woo her . Her childhood was rich and full of exquisite fortunes . However, all lives must eventually come to an end. In 1204 she died at the age of eighty-two, which was an extraordinary age at the time . Her corpse may still be in Fontervrault Abbey, her cherished rest and recuperation abode .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eleanor’s first taste of great power was as the Queen of France. At the youthful age of fifteen she was whisked away to become the Queen of Louis VII . After several years the marriage crumbled . The two talked about divorce . Eleanor asked the Church for an annulment on grounds that they were fourth cousins, and Louis did not attempt to argue . Louis and Eleanor were granted the annulment in 1152 .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Henry Plantagenet, heir to the throne of England, had already stolen Eleanor’s heart, despite the fact that she was twelve years older than he was . A mere six weeks after the annulment, she and Henry got married at Bordeaux . In 1154 they were crown King and Queen of England in Westminster Abbey . After she was crowned, she was addressed as â€Å"Eleanor, by the grace of God, Queen of England.† The occupancy of the throne is what gave her the power to complete her goals, though she most likely would have somehow risen to impose her ideas anyhow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of Eleanor’s life was devoted to child- bearing . Her first son by Henry was William . William was born in Normandy, but died at a young age in 1183 . She had eight children after William . In order from eldest to youngest they were Matilda, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Eleanor, and Joanna . Richard was Queen Eleanor’s favorite child . King Henry’s favorite child was John .

Exercise In Coping Up With Stress Education Essay

Stress is strictly a fact of nature to anyone in this universe. Stress is the impact of forces from the exterior or inside universe heartwarming the person ( Dryden, 1996, p.52 ) . Different persons react to emphasize in ways that touch the person, in add-on to, their environment. This paper will seek to look into how the usage of exercising affects the degree of emphasis among university pupils. Respondents for the survey will be University pupils from all modules. University pupils are celebrated to hold a high leaning to emphasize experience.Background OverviewUniversity instruction system has been altering every twenty-four hours due to emerging demands of higher instruction. For case, most public universities are regarded as research universities due to the sum of research being undertaken in those universities. University pupils, hence, bump into high force per unit area with the alteration of the instruction system ( Ebert, 2010, p. 271 ) . Consequently, the exam-oriented strategy in many universities lead to anxiety among bookmans since the pupils is forced to determine that acquiring good classs in the scrutiny aids them to be a nice frontrunner and get a respectable occupation in the hereafter.Problem StatementThe researches which have been done in t he yesteryear were conducted to look into the factors that influence the degree force per unit area among bookmans. However, there has been no any survey that verified and compared the designated of import facets towards choosing the foremost facet that sway the degree of anxiousness ( Dryden, 1996, p.34 ) . In add-on, the survey carried before has been piloted merely other degrees of instruction other than university instruction. Therefore, this research will seek to successfully look into the consequence of exercising in get bying with emphasis to university pupils. Therefore, the job statement for this probe can be spawned as: & A ; acirc ; ˆ?how does the usage of exercising aid in get bying up with emphasis among university pupils? & A ; acirc ; ˆA?Research ProblemThis survey will be done to size up and understand how exercising can be used in get bying with emphasis to university bookmans. Besides that, the survey will besides be speculative to how good exercising can b e used to act upon the degree of force per unit area among university scholars. This survey will concentrate to detect the importance of exercising in get bying with the degree of emphasis among the pupils in the establishment of higher instruction. Consequently, the research job can be formulated as: Use of exercising in get bying up with emphasis among university pupils.Research AimsThe followers are the aims of this survey: To look into the usage of exercising ( independent variables ) in get bying with emphasis among university pupils ( dependent variable ) . To happen out the influence of exercising to the degree of emphasis among university pupil.Research QuestionsSince the research job is highly wide to be studied openly, the following are the research inquiries that will assist to achieve the research intent for this probe: 1. What are the effects of exercising to the degree of emphasis among university pupil? 2. Is exercise helpful in get bying with emphasis among university pupil? 3. How good can exert be used in get bying with emphasis among university pupils?Literature ReviewStress is the attitude of unfamiliarity between environmental necessities ( stressors ) and single capableness to accomplish these necessities. Harmonizing to ( Dryden, 1996, p.45 ) , emphasis is the awful reaction from persons who have to unsafe force per unit area. Pressure takes topographic point when a individual is handled with a state of affairs that they recognize as overpowering and can non manage. Stress is recognized as a response shown by a diverseness of peripheral occurrences and can be treated as a positive or negative experience. Allard ( 2001 ) defines emphasis as an order focused to the adaptative capablenesss both bodily and emotionally. If these abilities can win the demand and take disposition in the stimulation concerned, so anxiousness will go an optimistic force of inducement and frailty versa is true. Stress is likely to impede scholastic public presentation and influence about 1000000s of pupils per twelvemonth. Harmonizing to Bj & A ; Atilde ; Â ¶rling ( 2009 ) , emphasis is debatable to command due its random effect on individuals. Dryden ( 1996 ) , through his research realized that pupils come across indicant of desperateness, anxiousness, and affair usage. Stress in educational establishments can impact pupil negatively and positively if non good administered ( Ebert, 2010, p. 274 ) . Educational establishments have diverse occupation milieus, as opposed to nonacademic. It is forecasted to hold changes in marks, facets, and effects of emphasis to pupils ( Burns, 2000, p.67 ) . It is really good to the society that scholars be educated and additions the critical cognition and proficiencies. This ensures that they make them add positively to the growing and development of the corporate economic system of any given state. Nevertheless, the complex academic environment seldom generates serious wellness troubles to the bookmans ‘ life. This tends to travel contrary to the confirmatory additions that one would prevent after progressing from University ( Onghena, 2002, p. 150 ) . These pupils must, hence, pay close attending to the assorted university ambiances and border an effectual and adept force per unit area direction in the establishment of higher instruction ( Gibson, 2006, p. 45 ) . University besides ought to maintain tantrum and stable academic ambiances good for improved acquisition, which is suited, with respect to the pupils ‘ distinguishable demands. Disposition of pupils airss diverse degree of mentalities to pupils ( Dryden, 1996, p.75 ) . In add-on, pupils ‘ upbringings influences how one differentiates the fortunes around them ( Nicassio, 1987, p. 61 ) . There are different sorts of expectancies, desires, and values for scholars which they pursue to carry through at the university. It can merely be possible to be identified merely if their abilities, desires, and values are combined with what have been presented in the university ( Martire, 2008, p.357 ) .MethodologyThis subdivision will concentrate on methods that were used to roll up informations needed to reply the research inquiries. This subdivision focus majorly on: research design, trying techniques and processs, informations aggregation tools and method of informations analysis.Research DesignHarmonizing to Dryden ( 1996 ) , a research design is the organisation lineation or a program that is used to make replies to research jobs. Research design is intended to bring forth arithmetical information about the characteristic that policy shapers and researc h workers are interested in ( Dryden, 1996, p.115 ) . This research will utilize a descriptive design to roll up information and carry out the study. This sort of design is extremely suited to the sort of information to be collected in this research.AdvantageDescriptive research offers research workers the chance to utilize both finite and qualitative informations in order to detect informations and characteristics about the phenomenon that is being investigated.DisadvantageDescriptive research normally has a subjectiveness and mistake which is disadvantageous to descriptive research. From the subjectiveness and mistake, research worker may pick what facts to utilize and ignore informations that do non follow to their hypothesis.Participants and enlistingThe survey bunch will include pupils from different modules who were contacted via electronic mail to take portion in the survey undertaking. The pick of pupils will be convenience sample of 130 university pupil. All pupils will be eligible to be selected for engagement. The bunch will besides hold equal gender representation which is equal to 65 male pupils and 65 female pupils. This is conformity to the rule of equal representation in aggregations ( Dryden, 1996, pp.115-117 ) . The bunch will besides seek to hold equal representation in all modules.SampleIn this probe, the simple random sample will be performed as a methodological analysis for this research paper. Data will be collected from a reappraisal of the population of bookmans from every individual module within the University ( Dryden, 1996, p.111 ) . The participants who will be make fulling in the study will be from assorted backgrounds for case race, gender and educational degree. The bunch will include pupils who will be analyzing in an extended assortment of educational subjects and those who achieved a normal scope of grade point norms. This study will be wholly voluntary ; however, it will be completed by all sampled pupils in the category.AdvantageSample random method is highly representative if all issues take part.DisadvantageThis method is non likely without whole list of population participants. It is besides perchance wasteful to carry through. Not burying that it can be troublesome to insulate some participants from a group.Data aggregationData will be gathered utilizing self-administered 10 entries questionnaire which will seek to detect the importance of exercising in get bying with emphasis among university pupils. The questionnaire will besides seek to happen out how good exercising can be used in cut downing the degree of emphasis among university pupils ( Dryden, 1996, p.117 ) . It will take each participant a approximately 5- 10 minute to finish. The inquiries will be easy to reply, but there will be counsel to the respondents. This will guarantee that they provide the needed information and besides supply accurate and relevant information.Ethical DeductionsPrior to any project of the survey, behavior research moralss commission application should be completed. While making this research, this signifier will be filled ( Appendix V ) . At the clip, of enlisting participant will be given the needed information leting them to make up one's mind whether to take part in survey utilizing a standard verbal book ( Appendix II ) . If the respondents will be willing to larn more about the survey they will be given a missive of debut ( Appendix III ) . An information sheet depicting the survey and what would be expected of them will besides be provided ( Appendix IV ) . They will be made cognizant that any information provided is purely confidential and in no manner w ill they be identified in the research ( Appendix III ) . Persons wishing to take part in the survey will subscribe a consent signifier ( Appendix V ) . It will be made known to them that if they feel at all affected or disturbed by the survey ; they are welcome to reach the research worker with their concern for farther probe ( Appendix IV ) . While making publication of consequences obtained in the research, ethical unity will be indispensable. Important ethical hurts will be considered while composing a papers ( Dryden, 1996, p.98 ) . Although there are hazards of false publication, extra publication, plagiarism, authorship, and chance for struggle of involvement ( Dryden, 1996, p.121 ) . Strategies will be established to forestall or detect ethical amendss, and usage of these attacks will rise ethical honestness when fixing a concluding papers for publication. Information therefore, given by the respondent in this topic will non be subjected to the above stated hazard. Therefore, respondents should experience free while giving out information. They are being protected from any hazard.

Sociological Analysis of the Presidential Election of 2012

Sociological Analysis of the Presidential Election of 2012 from a Structural Functionalist Perspective and a Conflict Perspective. As the presidential election draws closer, we could vividly view our society from social conflict and structural functionalist perspectives. The democratic process helps us to ask why do we accept and embrace democracy, how does it influence our social patterns and functions; and how does democracy really work for the stability of our society.In this essay, I will analyze the presidential election of 2012 using sociological perspective with emphasis on manifest and latent functions, class, race and gender conflicts. It is a known fact that democracy and demography are like Siamese twins that cannot be separated. These demographics include gender, race, age, disability, wealth, employment status, and locations. Politicians have used, and still using, these elements to know which group is the best to appease. On gender issue, the two prominent political par ties, Democratic and the Republican Parties, know that â€Å"females voters make up 52% of the US electorate† (Bloomberg News).These women tend to vote for any political party that caters to their needs. Also, race is part of political consideration. The African-Americans, Asian-Americans, the Hispanics and White are different voting blocs which the politicians must woo. According to the online Hispanic News, â€Å"the recent release of National Census data confirms that â€Å"50 million Latinos are part of the American electorate†. Not only the Hispanics are increasing in population, the African American grew by 1. 6% in 2010 while the Asian-American are recently declared, by CNN, as the â€Å"fastest growing minority in the US†.Another demographic to be considered is age. Steven Thomma and William Douglas of McClatchy Newspaper said, â€Å"Statistics show that older white and rich voters are more reliable electorates than the young voters; they tend to vote Republican Party†. The question now is how all these fit into our sociological perspective. I will start by looking at the manifest function of our democracy. In truth, democracy has helped to stabilize and also create unity among citizens. It has become a recognized and accepted process which everyone look forward to periodically.It is intended to involve all qualified adults in picking their next leaders. The sense is that once everyone is involved, then the majority will be pleased with the government. However, as much as there has been good governance through democracy, there have also been some unintended consequences too. These consequences can be seen by examining the latent function of our democracy. Today, one can hardly watch TV or listen to the radio without seeing or hearing the fracture that exists in the political system of our country.Citizens have been divided into two or more groups based on their party affiliations. The divide is so obvious that parties are n ot willing to compromise on any issue. The result is a stagnant government, and no reasonable policies have been passed into law. It is hard to know if this fraction is recognized but we surely know that it is unintended. Aside from stability and loyalty which democracy brought into our society, we have seen inequality that generates conflicts. These conflicts can be seen in class, race and gender.On Class, according to Real Cleat Politics, the Pew Research Center found in 2008 that six out of ten Americans say that the Republican Party â€Å"favors the rich†. Real Clear Politics went further to state how the Republican policies give tax break to the rich and the Democrats want tax breaks for the middle class and the poor. This situation has created a permanent wide gap between the rich and the poor. Another conflict is race; it is not surprising that the political parties are trying to woo the ethnic group with the highest population.The Democrats are trying to lure the Hisp anic with immigration reform while the Republicans are trying to solidify their White base with a promise of deportation of illegal immigrants. Both sides are aggressively marketing their ideas to each race for votes. According to US Catholics News, â€Å"these problems have led to family division, causing a heavy toll on children and families of Hispanic community’. The Hispanics are not the only group suffering from this political division, The African- American, the Asian-American, the Indian-Americans and all other minorities are all struggling to fit into the social structure.For all of these, one can easily see both the minorities and the majority voting along their party line. The minority ethnic groups tend to vote for Democrats while the majority ethnic group votes Republican. Another well observed social conflict can be seen in gender. The gender issue has brought out many social issues. From woman’s health, contraceptives and abortion, parenthood and womanh ood, the list goes on and women are taking their stands on issues that concern them. The women are the largest electorate in US.LA Progress, an online News Journal, after series of research, simply concludes that â€Å"Women will decide 2012 Presidential Election†. For this reason, politicians are coming up with policies that will benefit women. However, not all these policies are favorable to all women. For example, the pro-life advocates want abortion abolished, the pro-choice advocates wants abortion to be part of preventive healthcare programs. The debate has generated so much heat that some abortion clinics were burned down and some abortion doctors were murdered.With all these issues in mind, pro-choice women mostly vote for Democrats while pro-life women mostly vote for Republicans. Men have been the agitators for gun rights. Policies are fashioned to give them freedom to own guns without any restrictions; these policies have led to the availability of street guns. The lovers of guns mostly vote republican while the pro-gun control group mostly votes for republicans. It is important to mention here that National Rifle Association, the best known body that represents gun rights advocates, has both male and female members.Above all, this election is very unique because from the look of things, the minorities especially the Hispanic and women are increasing in population and they will determine the election outcome. The Hispanic and women mostly vote for Democrats while Asian-American, the fastest growing minority, mostly votes for Republicans because of their conservative values. In all, the political landscape is definitely shifting from what it used to be. We will all see the political party it favors in November. References: Bloomberg News:

Hofstede analysis Essay

1. Power distance: the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. 2. Individualism- the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members. 3. Masculinity / Femininity-The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best (masculine) or liking what you do (feminine).†¨ 4. Uncertainty avoidance – The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these †¨ 5. Long term orientation- the extent to which a society shows a pragmatic future-oriented perspective rather than a conventional historical short-term point of view. Power distance Thailand scores 64 on PDI index, slightly lower than the average Asian countries (71). It is a society in which inequalities are accepted; a strict chain of command and protocol are observed. Each rank has its privileges and employees show loyalty, respect and deference for their superiors in return for protection and guidance. This may lead to paternalistic management.†¨Thus, the attitude towards managers are more formal, the information flow is hierarchical and controlled. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Individualism With a score of 20 Thailand is a highly collectivist country. This is manifest in a close long-term commitment to the member ‘group’ (a family, extended family, or extended relationships). Loyalty to the in-group in a collectivist culture is paramount, and over-rides most other societal rules and regulations. The society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group.†¨In order to preserve the in-group, Thai are not confrontational and in there communication a â€Å"Yes† may not mean an acceptance or agreement. An offence leads to loss of face and Thai are very sensitive not to feel shamed in front of their group. Personal relationship is key to conducting business and it takes time to build such relations thus patience is necessary as well as not openly discuss business on first occasions. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Masculinity / Femininity Thailand scores 34 on this dimension and is thus considered a feminine society. Thailand has the lowest Masculinity ranking among the average Asian countries of 53 and the World average of 50. This lower level is indicative of a society with less assertiveness and competitiveness, as compared to one where these values are considered more important and significant. This situation also reinforces more traditional male and female roles within the population.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ Uncertainty avoidance Thailand scores 64 on this dimension indicating a preference for avoiding uncertainty. †¨In order to minimize or reduce this level of uncertainty, strict rules, laws, policies, and regulations are adopted and implemented. The ultimate goal of this population is to control everything in order to eliminate or avoid the unexpected. As a result of this high Uncertainty Avoidance characteristic, the society does not readily accept change and is very risk adverse. Change has to be seen for the greater good of the in-group. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Long term orientation With a score of 56 Thailand is a Long Term Oriented culture though not as much as for most Asian countries. †¨LTO is manifest on their respect for tradition and inequality between people. †¨Amongst the values that are praised, working hard and having a sense of moderation are dominant. The investment in personal relationships and network is paramount. Protecting one’s face is key and a protocol in their non confrontational behavior.†¨Their concern is not to look for one truth which helps them be flexible and pragmatic in negotiations.†¨Thai favor long term oriented perspective and thus Thailand deadlines and timescales are fluid.

Shadow Kiss Chapter 11

Eleven WE STEPPED OFF THE plane and were immediately hit with wet, blustery weather. Sleet cracked into us, far worse than the flaky white stuff falling back in Montana. We were on the East Coast now, or well, close to it. The queen's court was in Pennsylvania, near the Pocono Mountains, a range I had only a vague idea about. I knew we weren't too close to any major cities, like Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, which were the only ones I knew in the state. The runway we'd landed on was part of the Court's property, so we were already behind wards. It was just like the Academy's small landing strip. In fact, in many ways, the Royal Court was laid out exactly like the school. It was what they told humans the compound was, actually. The Court was a collection of buildings, beautiful and ornate, spreading across well-tended grounds adorned with trees and flowers. At least, the land would be adorned with them when spring came. Just like in Montana, the vegetation was bleak and leafless. We were met by a group of five guardians, all dressed in black pants and matching coats, with white shirts underneath. They weren't uniforms exactly, but custom usually dictated that for formal occasions, guardians wear some sort of nice ensemble. By comparison, in our jeans and T-shirts, our group looked like somebody's poor relations. Yet I couldn't help but think we'd be a lot more comfortable if it came to a fight with Strigoi. The guardians knew Alberta and Dimitri – honestly, those two knew everybody – and after some formalities, everyone relaxed and became friendly. We were all eager to get in out of the cold, and our escorts led us toward the buildings. I knew enough about the Court to know that the largest and most elaborate of the buildings was where all official Moroi business was conducted. It resembled some sort of gothic palace on the outside, but inside, I suspected it probably looked like any set of modern government offices you'd find among humans. We weren't taken there, however. We were led to an adjacent building, just as exquisite on the outside, but half the size. One of the guardians explained that this was where all guests and dignitaries traveling in and out of the Court stayed. To my surprise, we each got our own room. Eddie started to protest this, adamantly saying he needed to stay with Lissa. Dimitri smiled and told him it wasn't necessary. In a place like this, guardians didn't need to stay as close to their Moroi. In fact, they often separated to do their own things. The Court was as heavily warded as the Academy. And really, Moroi visitors at the Academy were rarely trailed so closely by their guardians either. It was only for the sake of the field experience that it was being done with us. Eddie agreed with some reluctance, and again, I was amazed at his dedication. Alberta spoke briefly and then turned to the rest of us. â€Å"Decompress for a bit and be ready for dinner in four hours. Lissa, the queen wants to see you in an hour.† A jolt of surprise ran through Lissa, and she and I exchanged brief, puzzled looks. The last time Lissa had seen the queen, Tatiana had snubbed her and embarrassed her in front of the school for having running away with me. Both of us wondered what she'd want to see Lissa about now. â€Å"Sure,† said Lissa. â€Å"Rose and I'll be ready.† Alberta shook her head. â€Å"Rose isn't going. The queen specifically asked for you alone.† Of course she had. What interest would the queen have in Vasilisa Dragomir's shadow? A nasty voice whispered in my head, Expendable, expendable†¦. The dark sentiment startled me, and I shoved it aside. I went to my room, relieved to see it had a TV. The thought of vegging for the next four hours sounded fantastic. The rest of the room was pretty fancy, very modern looking, with sleek black tables and white leather furniture. I was kind of afraid to sit on it. Ironically, despite how nice it all was, the place wasn't as decked out as the ski resort that we'd stay in over the holidays. I guessed when you came to the Royal Court, you came for business, not a vacation. I had just sprawled on the leather couch and turned on the TV when I felt Lissa in my mind. Come talk, she said. I sat up, surprised by the message itself and the content. Usually our bond was all about feelings and impressions. Specific requests like this were rare. I got up and left the room, going to the one next door. Lissa opened the door. â€Å"What, you couldn't have come to me?† I asked. â€Å"Sorry,† she said, looking like she genuinely meant it. It was hard to be grouchy around someone so nice. â€Å"I just didn't have the time. I'm trying to decide what to wear.† Her suitcase was already open on the bed, with things hung up in the closet. Unlike me, she'd come prepared for every occasion, formal and casual alike. I lay down on the couch. Hers was plush velvet, not leather. â€Å"Wear the print blouse with the black slacks,† I told her. â€Å"Not a dress.† â€Å"Why not a dress?† â€Å"Because you don't want to look like you're groveling.† â€Å"This is the queen, Rose. Dressing up is showing respect, not groveling.† â€Å"If you say so.† But Lissa wore the outfit I suggested anyway. She talked to me as she finished getting ready, and I watched with envy as she applied makeup. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed cosmetics myself. When she and I had lived with humans, I'd been pretty diligent about primping every day. Now, there never seemed to be enough time – or any reason. I was always in some kind of scuffle that made makeup pointless and ruined it anyway. The most I could do was to slather my face with moisturizer. It seemed excessive in the mornings – like I was putting on a mask – yet by the time I faced the cold weather and other harsh conditions, I was always surprised to see my skin had sucked all the moisture up. The smallest pang of regret shot through me that I'd rarely have any opportunities to do this for the rest of my life. Lissa would spend most of her days dressed up, out at royal functions. No one would notice me. It was weird, considering that until this last year, I'd always been the one who was always noticed. â€Å"Why do you think she wants to see me?† Lissa asked. â€Å"Maybe to explain why we're here.† â€Å"Maybe.† Unease filled Lissa, despite her calm exterior. She still hadn't entirely recovered from the queen's brutal humiliation last fall. My own petty jealousy and moping suddenly seemed stupid when compared with what she had to go through. I mentally slapped myself, reminding myself that I wasn't just her unseen guardian. I was also her best friend, and we hadn't talked very much lately. â€Å"You have nothing to be afraid of, Liss. You haven't done anything wrong. And really, you've been doing everything right. Your grades are perfect. Your behavior's perfect. Remember all those people you impressed on the ski trip? That bitch has nothing to get on you about.† â€Å"You shouldn't say that,† said Lissa automatically. She applied mascara to her eyelashes, studied them, and then added another coat. â€Å"Just call 'em like I see 'em. If she gives you any grief, then it's just going to be because she's afraid of you.† Lissa laughed. â€Å"Why would she be afraid of me?† â€Å"Because people are drawn to you, and people like her don't like it when others steal all the attention.† I was a bit astonished at how wise I sounded. â€Å"Plus, you're the last Dragomir. You're always going to be in the spotlight. Who's she? Just another Ivashkov. There are a ton of them. Probably because all the guys are like Adrian and have all sorts of illegitimate children.† â€Å"Adrian doesn't have any children.† â€Å"That we know of,† I said mysteriously. She snickered and stepped back from the mirror, pleased with her face. â€Å"Why are you always so mean to Adrian?† I gave her a look of mock astonishment. â€Å"You're standing up for Adrian now? Whatever happened to you warning me to stay away from him? You practically bit my head off the first time I hung out with him – and that wasn't even by my choice.† She took a thin golden chain out of her suitcase and tried to fasten it around her neck. â€Å"Well, yeah †¦ I didn't really know him then. He's not so bad. And it's true I mean, he's not a great role model or anything, but I also think some of those stories about him and other girls are exaggerated.† â€Å"I don't,† I said, jumping up. She still hadn't managed to fasten the chain, so I took it and put the clasp together for her. â€Å"Thanks,† she said, running her hands over the necklace. â€Å"I think Adrian really likes you. Like, in a wanting-to-be-serious way.† I shook my head and stepped back. â€Å"Nope. He likes me in a wanting-to-get-the-clothes-off-the-cute-dhampir way.† â€Å"I don't believe that.† â€Å"That's because you believe the best about everyone.† She looked skeptical as she began brushing her hair smooth over her shoulders. â€Å"I don't know about that either. But I do think he's not as bad as you think. I know it hasn't been that long since Mason, but you should think about going out with someone else†¦.† â€Å"Wear your hair up.† I handed her a barrette from her suitcase. â€Å"Mason and I were never really going out. You know that.† â€Å"Yeah. Well, I guess that's more reason to start thinking about dating someone. High school's not over yet. Seems like you should be doing something fun.† Fun. It was ironic. Months ago, I'd argued with Dimitri about how it wasn't fair that, as a guardian-in-training, I had to watch my reputation and not act too crazy. He'd agreed it wasn't fair that I couldn't do the kinds of things other girls my age could, but that that was the price I paid for my future. I'd been upset, but after Victor's meddling, I started to see Dimitri's point – to such an extent that he'd actually hinted I shouldn't try to limit myself that much. Now, after Spokane, I felt like a completely different girl from the one who'd talked to Dimitri last fall about having fun. I was only a couple months from graduation. High school things†¦dances†¦boyfriends†¦what did they matter in the grand scheme of things? Everything at the Academy seemed so trivial – unless it was making me a better guardian. â€Å"I don't really think I need a boyfriend to complete my high school experience,† I told her. â€Å"I don't think you do either,† she agreed, tugging her ponytail straight. â€Å"But you used to flirt and go out sometimes. I feel like it'd just be nice for you to do a little of that. It's not like you'd have to have anything serious with Adrian.† â€Å"Well, you won't get any arguments from him on that. I think the last thing he wants is anything serious, that's the problem.† â€Å"Well, according to some of the stories, he's very serious. I heard the other day that you were engaged. Someone else said that he'd been disowned because he told his dad he'd never love anyone else.† â€Å"Ahhhh.† There was really no other adequate response to all these silly rumors. â€Å"The creepy thing is that the same stories are all over the place at the elementary campus too.† I stared at the ceiling. â€Å"Why does this stuff keep happening to me?† She walked over to the couch and looked down at me. â€Å"Because you're awesome, and everyone loves you.† â€Å"Nah. You're the one everyone loves.† â€Å"Well, then, I guess we're both awesome and loveable. And one of these days† – a mischievous sparkle danced in her eyes – â€Å"we'll find a guy you love back.† â€Å"Don't hold your breath. None of that matters. Not right now. You're the one I've got to worry about. We're going to graduate, and you'll go off to college, and it'll be great. No more rules, just us on our own.† â€Å"It's a little scary,† she mused. â€Å"Thinking about being on my own. But you'll be with me. And Dimitri too.† She sighed. â€Å"I can't imagine not having you around. I can't even really remember when you weren't around.† I sat up and gave her a light punch in her arm. â€Å"Hey, be careful. You're going to make Christian jealous. Oh crap. I suppose he's going to be around too, huh? No matter where we end up going?† â€Å"Probably. You, me, him, Dimitri, and any guardians Christian gets. One big happy family.† I scoffed, but inside of me, there was a warm fuzzy feeling building. Things were crazy in our world right now, but I had all these great people in my life. As long as we were all together, everything would be okay. She looked at the clock, and her fear returned. â€Å"I've gotta go. Will you †¦ will you go with me?† â€Å"You know I can't.† â€Å"I know†¦ not in body†¦ but like, will you do that thing? Where you're watching in my head? It'll make me feel like I'm not alone.† It was the first time Lissa had ever asked me to purposely do that. Normally, she hated the thought of me seeing through her eyes. It was a sign of how nervous she really was. â€Å"Sure,† I said. â€Å"It's probably better than anything on TV anyway.† I returned to my own room, taking up an identical position on the couch. Clearing my thoughts, I opened myself up to Lissa's mind, going beyond simply knowing her feelings. It was something the shadow-kissed bond allowed me to do and was the most intense part of our connection. It wasn't just feeling her thoughts – it was actually being inside of her, looking through her eyes and sharing her experiences. I'd learned to control it only recently. I used to slip in without wanting to, much as I sometimes couldn't keep her feelings out. I could control my out-of-body experiences now and even summon up the phenomenon at will – just like I was about to do. Lissa had just reached the parlor the queen was waiting in. Moroi might use terms like â€Å"royal† and even kneel sometimes, but there were no thrones or anything like that here. Tatiana sat in an ordinary armchair, dressed in a navy blue skirt and blazer, looking more like a corporate businesswoman than any sort of monarch. She wasn't alone, either. A tall, stately Moroi whose blond hair was laced with silver sat near her. I recognized her: Priscilla Voda, the queen's friend and adviser. We'd met her on the ski trip, and she'd been impressed with Lissa. I took her presence as a good sign. Silent guardians, dressed in black and white, stood along the wall. To my astonishment, Adrian was there too. He reclined on a small love seat, seeming completely oblivious to the fact that he was hanging out with the Moroi's ultimate leader. The guardian with Lissa announced her. â€Å"Princess Vasilisa Dragomir.† Tatiana nodded in acknowledgment. â€Å"Welcome, Vasilisa. Please sit down.† Lissa sat down near Adrian, her apprehension growing by leaps and bounds. A Moroi servant came by and offered tea or coffee, but Lissa declined. Tatiana meanwhile sipped from a teacup and scrutinized Lissa from head to toe. Priscilla Voda broke the awkward silence. â€Å"Remember what I said about her?† Priscilla asked cheerfully. â€Å"She was very impressive at our state dinner in Idaho. Settled a huge spat over Moroi fighting with guardians. She even managed to calm Adrian's father down.† A frosty smile crossed Tatiana's cold features. â€Å"That is impressive. Half the time, I still feel like Nathan is twelve years old.† â€Å"Me too,† said Adrian, drinking from a wine glass. Tatiana ignored him and again focused on Lissa. â€Å"Everyone seems impressed with you, really. I hear nothing but good things about you, in spite of your past transgressions †¦ which I'm given to understand weren't entirely without their reasons.† Lissa's look of surprise actually made the queen laugh. There wasn't much warmth or humor in the laugh, though. â€Å"Yes, yes †¦ I know all about your powers, and of course I know what happened with Victor. Adrian's been filling me in about spirit as well. It's so strange. Tell me †¦ can you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She glanced to a nearby table. A flowerpot sat on it, dark green shoots sticking through the soil. It was some kind of bulb-based plant that someone was growing indoors. Like its outside counterparts, it was waiting for spring. Lissa hesitated. Using her powers in front of others was a strange thing for her. But, Tatiana was watching expectantly. After only a few moments more, Lissa leaned over and touched the shoots. The stems shot up through the dirt, growing taller – almost a foot high. Huge pods formed along the sides as it grew, bursting open to reveal fragrant white flowers. Easter lilies. Lissa withdrew her hand. Wonder showed on Tatiana's face, and she muttered something in a language I didn't understand. She hadn't been born in the United States but had chosen to hold her Court here. She spoke with no accent, but, as they did for Dimitri, moments of surprise apparently brought out her native tongue. Within seconds, she put her stately mask back on. â€Å"Hmm. Interesting,† she said. Talk about an understatement. â€Å"It could be very useful,† said Priscilla. â€Å"Vasilisa and Adrian can't be the only two out there with it. If we could find others, so much could be learned. The healing itself is a gift, let alone anything else they can conjure. Just think what we could do with it.† Lissa turned optimistic. For a while, she'd been going out of her way to find others like her. Adrian had been the only one she'd discovered, and that had been through sheer luck. If the queen and Moroi council put their resources into it, there was no telling what they might find. Yet something about Priscilla's words troubled Lissa. â€Å"Begging your pardon, Princess Voda†¦I'm not sure we should be so eager to use my – or others' – healing powers as much as you might want to.† â€Å"Why not?† asked Tatiana. â€Å"From what I understand, you can heal almost anything.† â€Å"I can†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Lissa slowly. â€Å"And I want to. I wish I could help everybody, but I can't. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll definitely help some people. But I know we'd run into other people like Victor, who want to abuse it. And after a while †¦ I mean, how do you choose? Who gets to live? Part of life is that†¦well, some people have to die. My powers aren't a prescription you can get filled as needed, and honestly, I'm afraid they would only be used for, uh, certain kinds of people. Just like the guardians are.† A slight tension built in the room. What Lissa had insinuated was rarely ever mentioned in public. â€Å"What are you talking about?† asked Tatiana with narrowed eyes. I could tell she already knew. Lissa was scared to say her next words, but she did it anyway. â€Å"Everyone knows that there's a certain, um, method to how guardians are distributed. Only the elite get them. Royals. Rich people. People in power.† A chill fell over the room. Tatiana's mouth settled into a straight line. She didn't speak for several moments, and I had a feeling everyone else was holding their breath. I certainly was. â€Å"You don't think our royals deserve special protection?† she asked finally. â€Å"You don't think you do – the last of the Dragomirs?† â€Å"I think keeping our leaders safe is important, yeah. But I also think we need to stop sometimes and look at what we're doing. It could be time to reconsider the way we've always done things.† Lissa sounded so wise and so self-assured. I was proud of her. Watching Priscilla Voda, I could see that she was proud too. She'd liked Lissa from the beginning. But I could also tell that Priscilla was nervous. She answered to the queen and knew that Lissa was swimming in dangerous waters. Tatiana sipped her tea. I think it was an excuse to gather her thoughts. â€Å"I understand,† she said, â€Å"that you're also in favor of Moroi fighting with the guardians and attacking Strigoi?† Another dangerous topic, one Lissa pushed forward into. â€Å"I think if there are Moroi who want to, they shouldn't be denied the chance.† Jill suddenly popped into my head. â€Å"Moroi lives are precious,† said the queen. â€Å"They shouldn't be risked.† â€Å"Dhampir lives are precious too,† Lissa countered. â€Å"If they fight with Moroi, it could save everybody. And again, if Moroi are willing, why deny them? They deserve to know how to defend themselves. And people like Tasha Ozera have developed ways of fighting with magic.† The mention of Christian's aunt brought a frown to the queen's face. Tasha had been attacked by Strigoi when younger and had spent the rest of her life learning to fight back. â€Å"Tasha Ozera †¦ she's a troublemaker. She's starting to gather a lot of other troublemakers.† â€Å"She's trying to introduce new ideas.† I noticed then that Lissa wasn't afraid any longer. She was confident in her beliefs and wanted them expressed. â€Å"Throughout history, people with new ideas – who think differently and try to change things – have always been called troublemakers. But seriously? Do you want the truth?† A wry look crossed Tatiana's face, almost a smile. â€Å"Always.† â€Å"We need change. I mean, our traditions are important. We shouldn't give up on those. But sometimes, I think we're misguided.† â€Å"Misguided?† â€Å"As time's gone on, we've gone along with other changes. We've evolved. Computers. Electricity. Technology in general. We all agree those make our lives better. Why can't we be the same in the way we act? Why are we still clinging to the past when there are better ways to do things?† Lissa was breathless, worked up and excited. Her cheeks felt warm, and her heart raced. All of us were watching Tatiana, searching for any clue in that stony face. â€Å"You're very interesting to talk to,† she finally said. She made interesting sound like a dirty word. â€Å"But I have things I must do now.† She stood up, and everyone hastily followed suit, even Adrian. â€Å"I won't be joining you for dinner, but you and your companions will have everything you need. I'll see you tomorrow at the trial. No matter how radical and naively idealistic your ideas are, I'm glad you'll be there to complete his sentencing. His imprisonment, at least, is something we can all agree on.† Tatiana swept out, two guardians immediately following. Priscilla followed too, leaving Lissa and Adrian alone. â€Å"Well done, cousin. Aren't many people who can throw the old lady off-balance like that.† â€Å"She didn't seem very off-balance.† â€Å"Oh, she was. Believe me. Most of the people she deals with every day wouldn't talk to her like that, let alone someone your age.† He stood up and extended a hand to Lissa. â€Å"Come on. I'll show you around this place. Take your mind off things.† â€Å"I've been here before,† she said. â€Å"When I was younger.† â€Å"Yeah, well, the things we get to see when we're young are different than the things we get to see when we're older. Did you know there's a twenty-four-hour bar in here? We'll get you a drink.† â€Å"I don't want a drink.† â€Å"You will before this trip's over.† I left Lissa's head and returned to my room. The meeting with the queen was over, and Lissa didn't need my unseen support. Besides, I really didn't want to hang out with Adrian right now. Sitting up, I discovered I felt surprisingly alert. Being in her head had kind of been like taking a nap. I decided to do a little exploring of my own. I'd never been to the Royal Court. It really was supposed to be like a mini-town, and I wondered what other things there were to see, aside from the bar that Adrian probably lived in while visiting. I headed downstairs, figuring I'd have to go outside. As far as I knew, this building only held guestrooms. It was kind of like the palace's hotel. When I got to the entryway, however, I saw Christian and Eddie standing and talking with someone I couldn't see. Eddie, ever vigilant, saw me and grinned. â€Å"Hey, Rose. Look who we found.† As I approached, Christian stepped aside, revealing the mystery person. I came to a halt, and she grinned at me. â€Å"Hi, Rose.† A moment later, I felt a smile slowly creep over my face. â€Å"Hello, Mia.†