Business Writing Course Essay

Proper written communications in a business is a very specific mark in professionalism. Poor writing and communication in the workplace is mostly attributed to lack of professionalism, lack of proper training, and lack of confidence. Therefore this is a request to take a Business Writing Course at Kaplan University in Urbandale, Iowa. The cost of the course is $1500. 00 which includes all books and necessary course materials. The course begins July 10 and ends August 14, 2013. The course is offered online so all course work and attendance will be in the evenings or weekends so it will not disrupt the schedule at work. The course has to be paid in full by July 1, 2013. As sponsors of the Kaplan University Business Writing Course, Airgead Corporation will benefit because all the course material will be compiled in a binder and given to you for future training purposes. All office personnel will be able to reference all their business professional writing techniques by looking through samples and templates provided in the manual. The text books and all other course materials will become property of Airgead Corporation upon completion of the business writing course. As your Project Manager, this course will significantly improve the ability to write clear, concise, effective messages in professional manner. Writing skills promote effective communication which in turn will increase productivity, success and job satisfaction. Besides improving overall business communication skills, this course will also offer: * Tips on style and writing in first person.

After the Revolutionary War Essay

After the Revolutionary War, many Americans realized that the government established by the Articles of Confederation was not working. America needed a new form of government. It had to be strong enough to maintain national unity over a large geographic area, but not so strong as to become a tyranny. Unable to find an exact model in history to fit America’s unique situation, delegates met at Philadelphia in 1787 to create their own solution to the problem. Their creation was the United States Constitution. Before the Constitution could become â€Å"the supreme law of the land,† it had to be ratified or approved by at least nine of the thirteen states. When the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787, they knew ratification would not be easy. Many people were bitterly opposed to the proposed new system of government. A public debate soon erupted in each of the states over whether the new Constitution should be accepted. More important, it was a crucial debate on the future of the United States. The Federalist Papers Nowhere was the furor over the proposed Constitution more intense than in New York. Within days after it was signed, the Constitution became the subject of widespread criticism in the New York newspapers. Many commentators charged that the Constitution diminished the rights Americans had won in the Revolution. Fearful that the cause for the Constitution might be lost in his home state, Alexander Hamilton devised a plan to write a series of letters or essays rebutting the critics. It is not surprising that Hamilton, a brilliant lawyer, came forward at this moment to defend the new Constitution. At Philadelphia, he was the only New Yorker to have signed the Constitution. The other New York delegates had angrily left the Convention convinced that the rights of the people were being abandoned. Hamilton himself was very much in favor of strengthening the central government. Hamilton’s Constitution would have called for a president elected for life with the power to appoint state governors. Hamilton soon backed away from these ideas, and decided that the Constitution, as written, was the best one possible. Hamilton published his first essay in the New York Independent Journal on October 27, 1787. He signed the articles with the Roman name â€Å"Publius.† (The use of pseudonyms by writers on public affairs was a common practice.) Hamilton soon recruited two others, James Madison and John Jay, to contribute essays to the series. They also used the pseudonym â€Å"Publius.† James Madison, sometimes called the Father of the Constitution, had played a major role during the Philadelphia Convention. As a delegate from Virginia, he participated actively in the debates. He also kept detailed notes of the proceedings and drafted much of the Constitution. Unlike Hamilton and Madison, John Jay of New York had not been a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. A judge and diplomat, he was serving as secretary of foreign affairs in the national government. Between October 1787 and August 1788, â€Å"Publius† wrote 85 essays in several New York newspapers. Hamilton wrote over 60 percent of these essays and helped with the writing of others. Madison probably wrote about a third of them with Jay composing the rest. The essays had an immediate impact on the ratification debate in New York and in the other states. The demand for reprints was so great that one New York newspaper publisher printed the essays together in two volumes entitled The Federalist, A Collection of Essays, written in favor of the New Constitution, By a Citizen of New York. By this time the identity of â€Å"Publius,† never a well-kept secret, was pretty well known. The Federalist, also called The Federalist Papers, has served two very different purposes in American history. The 85 essays succeeded by helping to persuade doubtful New Yorkers to ratify the Constitution. Today, The Federalist Papers helps us to more clearly understand what the writers of the Constitution had in mind when they drafted that amazing document 200 years ago.

Scrutinising a company report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Scrutinising a company report - Essay Example Certain challenges are also plaguing the industry, and these could have an impact on how corporate social responsibility is implemented; jet fuel prices have doubled over the past decade. Therefore, airlines now need to consider sustainable fuels over the long haul; some organisations are already considering this alternative but are to implement it fully. Low cost airlines are driving up competition because of the need for faster and less costly aviation transport, so bigger organisations need to find a way of adding quality in service provision. Rising customer expectations as many of them have now become more informed through the internet also couples this need. Buyers are demanding more sustainable business from organisations, so aviation stakeholders need to rise to challenge and meet this need (Esty and Winston, 2006). Some entities believe that environmental sustainability is an oxymoron in the aviation/ airline sector because carbon emissions are appallingly high. Some travellers are responding to this fact by using other means of transport, selecting direct flights, or using companies that are the most sustainable. CSR is an important factor for most Britons as they care about how well businesses take care of their environment or their community (Werther & Chandler, 2006). Reporting is expected for several businesses in the UK as the public demands accountability from major service providers like British Airways. BA’s three core statements on sustainability are: mitigating environmental impact, becoming a responsible employer or business and enriching community livelihoods. In 2013, the company did plenty of things to show how far it is willing to go in the sustainability journey. In business operations, the company introduced seven new Boeing and Airbus planes because they are more efficient and quieter than the conventional models. The firm also wants to reduce

Medieval mysticism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medieval mysticism - Essay Example Christian mysticism had something to do with direct experience with the divine in form of a vision of, or sense of union with God. Meditation, prayer or ascetic discipline usually accompanies it. In general, mysticism is a direct and immediate experience of the sacred, or the knowledge derived from such an experience. The experience is immediate and overwhelming, detached from the common experience of reality and is self-validating, without need of further evidence or justification. Outside the experience itself, one is incapable of expressing or understanding its essence. It is important to note that mysticism is not the same as magic, clairvoyance, parapsychology or occultism. Mystics are people who practice or believe in mysticism. They usually see their mystical experience as part of a larger task meant to bring human transformation and not as the terminus of their efforts. In Europe, mysticism flourished especially in Germany, Italy, the Low Countries and England from mid 13th to mid 15th century. Such mysticisms of that time are the ones referred to as medieval mysticisms. However, there is variation in the dating of the edges of these periods depending on different scholars. One of the most important sources of medieval mysticism is Saint Augustine of Hippo. He was born in the city of Thagaste, Algeria, to a Catholic mother named Monica and he has contributed to the western philosophy by promoting argument by analogy. He is also the most important figure in the ancient western church that produced works of high spiritual quality. In Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, he is a doctor of the church known for his Christian mystical sermons and the patron of the Augustinian religious order. His ideas also influenced philosophers like Immanuel Kant and Blaise Pascal, and the reformation leaders such as Martin

Social Media and Academics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Media and Academics - Essay Example New media technology is highly associated with the transfer of information that is designated to be manipulated in some way. There are basic traits that are common to all forms of new media technology that confirm that social media is a form of new media. First, all forms of new media technology can be utilized in nearly all the markets across the world, that is, they are not bound or limited to any geographical factor such as distance. New media technologies also have the great level and speed of communication, which is attributed to the fact that they highly utilize the internet. Thirdly, the high level of interactivity enables the users to adopt new methodologies while they are transferring their own information. Fourthly, the new media technologies can incorporate other forms of communication such as telephony and video, which were previously isolated by old media (Leah and Sonia, 2002). Based on this traits, it is correct to assert that social media is a form of new media since the studies by Neal (2012), equally stated that various social media sites have the traits listed above. Social media sites The discussion in this present study will be referring to social media sites such as Facebook, which is the world’s most popular social media sites, followed by Twitter. LinkedIn is a popular social networking site mainly for businesspersons and professional while academia.edu is a social networking site for researchers and academicians. Other popular social media networking sites with mixed capabilities include MySpace, Google Plus, and Tagged, among others. According to Leah and Sonia (2002), one of the most critical features of these social media sites is interactivity. In this regard, the authors stated that social media technologies have the capacity to enable user-to-user interactivity and interactivity between the information and the user. This statement tends to prove that social media has brought about a paradigm shift that existed in the tradit ional model of communication which was â€Å"one-to-many† i.e. mass media communication. However, social media has enabled communicated to be conducted via the approach of â€Å"many to many† communication i.e. individualization media. Oliver (2007) further stated that interactivity option in most social media sites has so far been enabled by media convergence, the digitalization of media and dissemination of internet access points. The interactive capabilities of social media sites enable it to be applied for various uses that include socialization, educational, marketing, and a medium of communication. How social media is linked to academics As it has been noted above social media, has great capabilities of improving the interactivity between users and therefore, from an academic's perspective Joosten (2012), stated that it has recently been integrated into the online learning or e-learning platform, whereby besides using the official e-learning websites, the teacher s and learners also interact with each other via social media sites. In the writings by Wankel (2011), he stated that social media has created a link with academics since learners have developed their own links or pages whereby they interact and share notes as well as ideas that pertain to their learning process.

The purpose of the study is to determine if long-term reductions in Dissertation

The purpose of the study is to determine if long-term reductions in employee compensation, benefits, and incentives directly aff - Dissertation Example Having a clear understanding of the motivation of employees is tremendously significant to managers as well as the supervisors, particularly in the industries today where the limited budgets make it complicated to reward workers monetarily. The supervisors have to possess a clear idea of how the monetary incentives can motivate the employees to work harder in an organization (Bin Saeed, 1985). In order to analyze the effect of the long-term reductions in employee compensation, benefits, and incentives directly affecting the State of Colorado workers’ motivation, job satisfaction and morale, it is important to include the two well-known motivational theories i.e. Herzberg’s two factor theory (1959) as well as Adam’s equity theory (1963), into the project’s theoretical framework. The Herzberg’s Two-factor theory (1959), also commonly known as the motivation-hygiene theory, implies that there are certain factors at a workplace that result in job satisf action, while an entirely different set of factors cause employee dissatisfaction (Herzberg, 1959). According to the theory, employee motivation is influenced by two distinct factors. Psychological well-being and satisfaction were factors of the ‘motivation factors’, while dissatisfaction resulted from the ‘hygiene factors’. ... n the other hand, employee dissatisfaction is usually a result of missing extrinsic motivation factors or the hygiene factors, that include pay, security, conditions, and so on (Wigdor & House, 2006). If we take into consideration the decrease in hygiene factors of the State Workers for e.g. pay, security, and fringe benefits we see that over the previous 3 fiscal years (2007-2010) there was a decrease in typical intrinsic motivators (opportunities of advancement, statewide hiring, and promotion freeze). Herzberg’s theory helps explains the reasons for lack of motivation among the Colorado employees and their consistent job dissatisfaction. As the hygiene factors decrease, the employees lose their motivation to work and this is presumably characteristic of the department of EHS at CSU, since a steady decline in their motivational levels, job satisfaction and productivity is seen. Herzberg’s two factor theory can also be connected to Maslow’s levels of hierarchy i n order to provide comprehensive understanding of the fact that negligent incentives can contribute to employee dissatisfaction. Abraham H. Maslow made an effort to devise a needs-based structure of human motivation. Moreover, White & Pierce (2000) also imply that the foundation of Maslow’s motivation theory suggests that human beings are pushed forward by unsatisfied wants, and that some lower  factors need to be fulfilled before higher needs can be satisfied. According to Maslow, the needs can be divided into certain categories such as physiological, survival, safety, love, and esteem, that must be fulfilled before a person can act selflessly. He gave these needs the name of "deficiency needs" (White & Pierce, 2000). Relating the research of Maslow as well as Herzberg, we understand that their

Summary (Information Security Management ) Essay

Summary (Information Security Management ) - Essay Example To address those risks that are supposed to be unacceptable ISO/IEC 27001 suggests modeling and application of rational and comprehensive suite of information security controls. Comparatively, NSIT lays out on security management by identifying 17 controls organized into three categories: The Management Control section addresses security topics that can be characterized as managerial. The Operational Control section addresses security controls focusing on steps that are, broadly speaking, implemented and executed by people (as opposed to systems). The Technical Control section implicates on security controls that the computer system executes. Main advantage of NSIT document is network-based IDSs, which are usually passive devices that do not interfere with the normal operation of a network, are very secure against attack and even made invisible to many attackers. A major weakness here is, Network-based IDSs may have difficulty processing all packets in a large or busy network therefo re, may fail to recognize an attack launched during periods of high traffic. The scope of NSIT is limited as it lacks, especially in the area of time defined as â€Å"heavy traffic†.

Global Corporate Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Corporate Strategy - Essay Example This was despite the fact that industry trends clearly suggested for formation of strategic alliances rather than entering into any merger. The merger became successful because both the firms were critically able to utilize their core competencies and dynamic capabilities besides achieving the synergies. There have been many factors which created the overall synergies for the new firm to develop itself into a leading global firm in airline industry. This paper will discuss as to how the new firm Air France-KLM was able to use its core competencies and dynamic capabilities to achieve the success it achieved after 2004 merger. Core Competencies Core Competencies of a firm are specific set of skills which an organization executes in order deliver more value for its customers. (Shaabani, Ahmadi, & Yazdani, 2012). One of the core competencies of the new firm was the creation of a larger network which came into existence after the merger. Both Air France and KLM were operating largest and busiest routes in Europe and as a result of the merger, the new firm had an access to a large network and resultantly achieved an advantage which was relatively difficult to replicate by the competitors in the market. KLM was the oldest airline in the world and it provided it necessary time to perfect its learning curve in an industry which changed over the period of time. Such long history provides a firm time to acquire the knowledge and learning required to operate in airline industry. Same was the case Air France as it was also able to develop its core competencies and learning curve over the period of time. It is also important to understand that the new firm has also one of the best maintenance and engineering department delivering allied services apart from passengers and cargo. The set of skills possessed by the engineering department of the firm created the further advantage for the new firm to actually utilize its strengths and become more dominating into a new market.( Va ssolo & Anand,2008) Dynamic capabilities of the firm are determined by the ability of the firm as to how it can integrate its various competencies together to achieve the desired results. (Zheng, Zhang, & Du,, 2011).Dynamic capabilities of the firm are different from its functional competencies and therefore require that a firm become able to integrate wide range of competencies in a cohesive framework to achieve the strategic objectives. (Leonard-Barton, 1992. ). The new firm was able to able to integrate its external capabilities by utilizing its formal as well as informal strategic alliances which actually helped to remain one of the competitive players in the transnational airline market also. (Galunic & Rodan,1998). The firm was clearly able to use its links with the American and other global leaders in order to successfully challenge the new firms which started to follow the same merger strategy after the success of Air France and KLM. It is critical to understand that the fir m has been able to develop and protect these core

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Phones Essay Example for Free

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Phones Essay Mobile phones are really very important in our lives that we cannot think a life without them. It is a long-range, portable electronic device used for mobile communication. Mobile phones are affordable, easy to use and comfortable. The mobile phones have become crucial part of our life. There are facts which prove this. They have replaced the wrist watches or the alarm clocks at home as we can see time in them wherever we are and also set alarms in them. †¢ When you are stressed you can listen to the music from in-built music player. You can also listen to the radio in these mobile phones. †¢ Various mobile phones come with high resolution megapixel cameras ranging from 1.3 to 8 megapixels. Mobile phones because of their varied multi-function capabilities have replaced many other devices. However Studies have shown mobile phone radiation does produce biological changes in humans – such as changes in brain temperature and activity as well as blood pressure changes. Also there is evidence indicating that microwave radiation from mobile phones may cause serious diseases and disturbances in the physiology. This includes an increased cancer risk and genetic damage, disturbed brain function and other effects. Moreover mobile phones while driving is a distraction that brings risk of road traffic accidents. In conclusion, I believe although there are disadvantages of using mobile phones the advantages are more. They have completely intruded in our lives and have made their own unique stand. Once it was considered as luxury is now the thing closest to our hearts.

China in the Classical Era Essay Example for Free

China in the Classical Era Essay The gender systems of the Classical era in China can almost be summed up with this phrase: â€Å"How sad it is to be a woman!† (Strayer) According to the Chinese traditions when a girl child is born the family is definitely not happy about the birth. The mothers of the girl child must do three things; â€Å"first she must make the child sleep under the bed this shows the baby that she is lowly and weak, second she must give the baby a potsherd or a piece of broken pot to play with to make the girl child realize that the only thing in life for her is housework, and thirdly the mother must make an offering to the ancestors when she announces the birth of the girl child. † (Strayer) Chinese women are considered less than men, less than the servants even. She must always humble herself to the man of the family, or her â€Å"master†; she is to do whatever the in-laws require her to do as well. The gender system of the Classical era in India is much like China. â€Å"In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead to her sons; a woman must never be independent.† (Strayer) The female in India could never be on her own, her father rules her life as a child, her husband as a wife and if she has male children, she is less than her children if the husband ever dies. She must never be vain, show her face or her body, and woman of India is less than a person because of these rules. The gender system of the Classical era in Rome began very much the same for the females. †If each man of us, fellow citizens, had established that the right and authority of the husband should be held over the mother of his own family we should have less difficulty with women in general.† (Strayer) In Rome men were expected to rule. This may have come from the fact that in order for Roman men to reproduce they had to pillage other villages and kidnap and rape the captured women. Over that time the men obviously ruled the house, the city and the land. Women were considered imprudent, rude and considered unbridled if they conducted any kind of business without a male guardian present. In all three cultures the same patriarchy is evident. Women were to do nothing without the say so of the man. Whether it is her father, husband, brother or son, she was to do as she was told when she was told and not complain about it. In China the females did as told, even by the mother-in-law, she was humbled, regardless of the situation, the husband could do as wished as long as it didn’t bring shame to himself or his family. There really isn’t anyway for the Chinese woman to get away from the patriarchy of her family or her husband’s family. In India the only way that a woman could relieve herself from her husband’s patriarchy â€Å"was to become a Buddhist nun and entering a monastery where women were relatively less restricted and could exercise more authority than in ordinary life.† (Strayer) Even thought this relieved her of her families’ patriarchy she still didn’t have complete independence from male dominance. In Rome however, this is where the changes began for the Roman women. â€Å"When these speeches for and against the law had been made, a considerably larger crowd of women poured forth in public the next day; as a single body they besieged the doors, of the Brutus’s, who were vetoing their colleagues’ motion, and they didn’t not stop until the tribunes took back their veto†¦.† (Strayer) The women of Rome were sick of being treated as less the nothings, they began to go into the streets, talk to whomever they chose even other women’s husbands. They had decided as a group that it was time that they had some rights. The women were no longer going to sit in the houses and have absolutely no wealth, no status, and no rights. There were some men against this and some men that approved of it. In the end the women won, and was allowed a few rights. This was taken away twenty years later though. The cultures of the Classical era showed that women were less than men, they had no rights, they had no wealth and they would always be obedient. This was an act to humble the women, they were slaves. The males always dominated the women; only the Roman women as a group were able to stand up for themselves. The Chinese and the women of India did not. They were obedient. Works Cited: Strayer, Robert. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History. Boston. New York, Bedford/ St. Martins 2011

The Story of an Hour Analysis

The Story of an Hour Analysis The short-story under consideration by Kate Chopin, the American short-story writer known for her works about strong women in terms of liberation debate, is entitled The Story of an Hour. Being the framing sign of the whole text, the title brings the text up to date, however, running through the entire plot it does not uncover the essence of the unpredictable situation the main character finds herself. It is a sign of prosecution and forms the expectations about what the story may deal with. a lot is hidden beyond the title but only having read the short-story it becomes clear that it describes an hour of true free life of a wife, Louise Mallard, who was dominated by her husband Brently Mallard and could break free from the imprisonment only after her husband had perished in a railroad disaster. The theme of the short-story is definitely connected with the future Liberation movement that was already on the way and promised the long-awaited equality. The analysis of the short-story under consideration is carried out in the light of the Lacanian structuralism who in his psychoanalysis reconceptualised Freud using post-structuralism. Kate Chopin enables readers to trace the widows mind working and the way it is influenced with sadness and joy. The readers distinctly feel the shift of tone in the narration as Mrs. Millard breaks through her conscious storm of grief that caught her immediately as she heard the news. Her first and adequate reaction of mind is weeping, Chopin says: she wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment. Everyone knew that she suffered from a heart disease and were very careful and tender to do the least harm to her fragile heart. It seems that her oppressed will obeys the established system of society and she expresses her feelings structured by the desire and expectations of others, through the relay of her surroundings. The reason of that may lie in the fact that human-beings are social creatures and their desire also has social nature that is developed through culture and language, the former structured like the unconscious. But then she abruptly calms down and sits in her room enjoying the view from the window: The delicious breath of rain was in the airà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. At the moment the sound consciousness that cannot help but feel regret about the perished husband makes the way for physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul. Here Kate Chopin describing the unconscious through the symbols introduces readers the image of nature seen from out of the window of Louises room. The season itself, the springtime, symbolizing the new life the advantages of which she is still has not realized yet, and the window giving her the view of patches of blue sky, all this is definitely a new world that appears before Mrs. Mallard. The expression of the unconscious comes through symbols and readers see her motionless with her dull stare transformed into a gaze fixed away off yonder on the patches of sky symbolizing her future. She feels that something is approaching to posses her interrupting her bitter grief, that is the feeling of freedom that she never new before. And as according to Lacan, the unconscious is structured like a language, Louises eyes become keen and bright and she utters under the breath: Free, free, free! Louise did not cry herself to sleep as a child usually does, it was her unconscious desire to live a full life of beautiful images that lost its bright colors as her husband dominated her. Her conscious ego comes into clashes with her unconscious desire to gain freedom and live for herself. And the momentous joy that seizes her is the expression of her unconscious mind. Lacan substantiated the connections of binary oppositions that became central to structuralism. They can be noticed in the short-story as a system of interrelated signs that make up the whole. In the text under consideration the binary oppositions are male and female, joy and grief, love and self-assertion. The last opposition is ironically described by Kate Chopin, as the main character thinks that she loved her husband sometimes and adds that often she had not. She reasons what could love count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion that is a strong impulse for her to go on. She may have drawn a line to summarize what she lacked and longed for and realized that she deserves freedom and there would be no powerful will bending, no repression and restrictions imposed on her by the society of the time. Mrs. Mallard, though it is a kind of paradox, could feel so free and protected only after her husbands death and was joyously drinking in a very elixir of life through the open window. But the fate offers her another surprise bringing her husband alive and when he enters the house as nothing has happened her heart cannot bear the excitement and fails. Though no one of those present can guess the true cause of death, Louise dies of a heart attack as she instantly realizes that her hopes are broken against the shores of reality. Her family friends call it the joy that kills. Actually, she appeared to feel free only temporarily, but she was free only from the burden of marriage that repressed her, but the complete freedom is nothing but an illusion as it doubtfully exists. Viewing the short-story from the perspective of post-structuralism definitely has some drawbacks, as it propagates the ambivalence of meaning and upset link of the text and the real world. Rejecting the certainty of meaning it may result in thousands of free interpretations that put the readers on the wrong track. Therefore, analyzing the short-story in the light of structuralism is quite beneficial and helps to reveal through symbols the mental state of the main character with the unconscious dominating the conscious ego. It cannot help but catch the eye of the readers that Kate Chopin intentionally concentrates her narration on description of the mental state of the heroine and the signs that uncover it, paying little attention either to her appearance or to the interior and clothes. Structuralism developed by Lacan helps readers to have a good look through a magnifying glass of his postulates on the mental state of Mrs. Mallard and ponder over the reasons of her behavior concealed in the symbols. The short-story The Story of an Hour is of inspirational and though-provoking character that can hardly leave readers unmoved.

Fifth Generation Computers :: Technology Computer Essays

Fifth Generation Computers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ever since computers first came into production, they have been evolving. The Commodore 64 and Apple computers have dominated the very first computer market. Today, there are many companies in the computer industry fighting for technology supremacy. And since the beginning, every new generation of computers has dominatedover the old ones. When they first came out, each jump in technology took awhile, but nowadays, the technology changes daily. Fifth generation computers are overall much better than the previous generation. The computer has progressed in many ways, but the most important improvement is the speed and operating capabilities. It was only around 6 years ago when a 386 DX2 processor was the fastest and most powerful CPU in the market. This processor could do a plethora of small tasks and still not be working to hard. Around 2-3 years ago, the Pentium came out, paving the way for new and faster computers. Intel was the most proficient in this area and came out with a range of processors from 66 MHz-166 Mhz. These processors are also now starting to become obsolete. Todays computers come equipped with 400-600 Mhz processors that can multi-task at an alarming rate. Intel has just started the release phase of it’s new Pentium III-800MHz processor. Glenn Henry is quoted to say â€Å"Megahertz is all people care about† and this is too true. Sys Technology recently came out with what they claim as the â€Å"fastest commercially available PC†. This computer runs at an astonishing 1000 Mhz or 1 Ghz. This computer is appropriately named the Cold-Fusion 1000 due to the KryoTech refrigeration unit that runs coolant through a pipe over the CPU to keep it at a cool -40 degrees Celsius. This computer is made for graphics creators and â€Å"ultra serious gamers†. This super computer will be available at the end of November for a steep price of $4299 American. Even as we speak, a new form opf processor is coming out that uses an Itanium chip made by Intel. But don’t expect it anytime soon, â€Å"Itanium won’t be relevant for PC’s until 2003 at the earliest, more likely 2005.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next major improvement is the memory of a computer. This includes the hard drive and the RAM. During the same generation as the 386, there was also the hard drive and RAM. But these two components were not much then. The hard drive was about 100-300 megabytes and the RAM was about 4 megabytes.

The Use of Personification in An Essay on Criticism :: English Literature

The Use of Personification in An Essay on Criticism â€Å"An Essay on Criticism† was written by British writer Alexander Pope around 1709. This poem was written in heroic couplets and its purpose was to express Pope’s opinion on literature as a poet and critic. Pope is responding to the debate over whether or not poets should write â€Å"naturally† or base their work on a set of pre-determined rules as done by ancient poets. Pope’s poem can be broken down into three main points. The first section is used by Pope to give general principles of good criticism and poetry. The second section identifies the flaws a critic is prone to. The third section addresses the moral traits a good critic must have and gives examples of outstanding critics. Pope’s use of personification throughout the poem allows him to expand his ideas and secure his argument while creating a very memorable poem. His use of personification allows the poem to come to life with detail (Pope 2476). Pope begins the poem by stating it is less offensive to â€Å"tire our Patience, than mislead our Sense† (Pope 4) meaning it is much more harmful to be a bad critic than a bad poet. â€Å"‘Tis with our judgments as our watches, none/ Go just alike, yet each believes his own" (Pope 9). Here Pope uses a watch to personify judgments. Everyone may have their own opinion that they believe is right. â€Å"Most have seeds of judgment in their mind; Nature affords at least a glimm’ring light† (Pope 20). Men at one time do have â€Å"seeds† of good judgment, but Pope says that in the search wit they are defaced by false education and loose their common sense. â€Å"Some neither can for wits nor critics pass, as heavy mules are neither horse nor ass† (Pope 38). This line refers to those who never became intellectuals or good critics. They are somewhere in between, not worthy of a name. Instead they are referred to as â€Å"half-formed insects on the banks of Nile† (Pope 41). The bugs represent the critics who swarm every work of literature with their malicious criticisms. Pope recommends following nature as the first rule â€Å"By her just standard, which is still the same [†¦] One clear, unchanged, and universal light† (Pope 68). Pope here states that rules are necessary in order to criticize poetry. He compares theses rules to â€Å"unerring† nature which is believed to be the epitome of ideal order and harmony. The rules of the Ancients are useful guidelines for the true critic, for they are â€Å"Nature Methodized† (Pope 89). He believes that many recent critics have used the rules without understanding them.

Orange County Essay

After California passed a proposition limiting revenue generated from local property taxes, pressure was put on local governments to raise enough money to fund services. Orange County, like many others in the US, attempted to raise revenue without increasing taxes. Their treasurer, Robert L. Citron, decided to get involved with a high risk high reward product. He chose to invest in derivatives and gamble with public money. Because interest rates were low at the time, Citrons portfolio was returning at an average rate of 8. 52%. This was 5% higher than what the state of California was earning. Orange County was enjoying the benefits of their treasure’s investments. In 1994, 35% of the county’s revenue was from the portfolios returns. The county continued to increase earnings and therefore no one looked into Citrons practices. He did inform the Board of Supervisors that the value of the county’s portfolio depended on interest rates remaining stable or decreasing. So when interest rates rose, the value of the portfolio diminished, eventually leading to bankruptcy. In December 1994, Orange County announced a loss of $1. 6 billion, the most significant loss recorded by a local government investment pool. This also displayed the negative side of the high risk investments made by Citron who was gambling with a $7. 5 billion portfolio made up of players such as cities, school, water works, and regional transportation. [1] There were many factors that led to the bankruptcy of Orange County. A Board of Supervisors member stated that there was a lack of oversight (not an accountable system) and failure of disclosure to investors. Citron also never met with the investment oversight committee that did exist, and as treasurer he had control over Orange County and their trust. Many have questioned if Citron was ever qualified to hold his position in office. Some even blame the state government. Originally they used to fund local governments, but when they started taking back they were taking $6. 5 million more than they were giving them. Before the county declared bankruptcy, an investor; First Boston, was selling its collateral because they saw that the county’s portfolio was declining. This was a hint that problems were around the corner because soon many investors would realize this and pull out. In response, bankruptcy was declared so that the funds would freeze and banks would not be able to liquidate the collateral. Another responsible party was Merrill Lynch, the county’s financial advisor. The purpose they serve is to protect the interests of the county. They did warn Citron about the volatility of the investments however they still bought him the same funds and underwrote a bond issue for $600 million. The warning was only sent to Citron and not to the Board of Supervisors. A lawsuit was filed in 1995 against Merrill Lynch by Orange County. [2] Besides the power he held over the county, another reason for the bankruptcy was Citron’s use of leveraging. As a leveraged fund, it could borrow money to increase its securities portfolio. Citron was able to leverage $7. 57 billion into $20. 5 billion. In essence, when the investment produces a high return rate, the stockholders will have a very high rate of return. On the other hand, if the investment produces a low return rate, the stockholders will have a very low return. They also used longer term maturities which makes it more sensitive to changing interest rates. So there is a high leverage risk as well as interest rate risk. [3] Duration is interest rate sensitivity and because Citron’s portfolio depended on interest rates it is a good measure. Because the portfolio used median term maturities over short term maturities to increase their return, the duration increased. In December 1994 the duration was 2. 74 years. With the leverage ratio at 2. 73, the actual portfolio duration was 7. 4 (2. 74*2. 73). When the interest rates rose in 1994, the estimated loss using duration was $1. 85 million, a little more than the actual amount. interest rates went up about 3. 5 and 5 year bond yield was 5%) VaR could also have been used to find some risks of the portfolio. VaR is a statistical technique used to measure and quantify the level of financial risk within a firm or investment portfolio over a specific time frame. Value at risk is used by risk managers in order to measure and control the level of risk which the firm undertakes. The risk manager’s job is to ensure that risks are not taken beyond the level at which the firm can absorb the losses of a probable worst outcome. investopedia definition) The portfolio was sensitive to interest rates so a change in the rate can be used in 3 simulation methods and the only impactive factor. Using a historical simulation approach, the VaR equals $1. 24 billion. This is lower then the actual value but it is also using past prices to determine the future. In the delta normal method VaR is calculated as $1. 21 billion. This is a little less accurate then the historical method. The best way in theory to calculate Var would be using the Monte Carlo Simulation. However in this situation it treats the portfolio as one asset and equals about $1 billion. Because none of these prove to be reliable enough, a exponentially weighted moving average can be used to improve the accuracy of VaR. What it does it give more weight to recent data then older data. [4] As a result of the bankruptcy many unfortunate consequences arose. Of course there was the $1. 6 billion in debt that needed to be re-payed to investors. Additionally the lawsuit against Merrill Lynch was draining funds from the community with no promising chance of recovery. The once perfect rating that Orange County held was now downgraded to a default rating by Standard & Poor. There were also many political consequences regarding the county and county officials. If the risk of the portfolio was taken into consideration by the appropriate parties, the entire situation could have been avoided. Unfortunately the power to stop Citron was in the hands of Merrill Lynch who did not take the appropriate action. The County also failed to monitor and assess the deal which puts several more people at blame for the bankruptcy.

Business Ethics – Whistle Blower

Whistle-blowing is the release of information by a member or former member of an organization that is evident of illegal conduct in or by the organization. Morality on the other hand can be defined as the concern with the distinction between right or wrong conduct. There are basically four categories of whistle-blowing in the organization. Whistle blowing can be internal, external, personal or impersonal. Internal whistle-blowing is where the matter is reported to an executive in the organization.An external whistle-blowing is reporting the matter to external public interests groups, the media, or enforcement agencies. Personal whistle-blowing is defined as harm reportedly done only to the whistle-blower and impersonal whistle-blowing is harm observed as done to another. It does not matter what form the whistle-blowing is done in, a moral dilemma can occur when loyal employee observes the employer committing or assisting in an illegal or immoral act and thus would be forced to make m oral decisions.In making moral decisions, employees need to consider factors that may have both positive and negative results. These factors are to make sure the situation warrants whistle-blowing. One of these factors is, if serious trade secrets or confidential company property will be exposed the employee should also know the harm and calculated risk. The other factor is that the whistle-blower needs to examine their motives and verify then document their information, while making sure that the information sustains its place in the case of a hearing and court as well as there are a lot more guidelines to consider.Whistle-blowing carries serious consequences and often involve decisions to be made among conflicting moral, legal, economic, personal, family and career demands and choices. It does require a lot of self-sacrifice to stand firm and tells the truth regardless of personal outcome. There is nothing morally wrong with whistle-blowing or the right to freedom and speech. Virt ue theory requires an individual to personify integrity and courage (Adams, 2006; Bolsin et al. , 2005). However, whistle-blowing is legally wrong when the accusations are false and the motivation is not justifiable or accurate.This can violate the basic virtues of honesty and courage. Two such conditions under which whistle-blowing should not protect freedom of speech against their employers are when divulging information about legal and ethical plans, practices, operations, inventions and other matters that should remain confidential that are necessary for the organization to perform its work efficiently. The other condition is when an employee’s personal accusations or slurs are irrelevant to questions about policies and practices that appear illegal or irresponsible.Kant’s Categorical Imperative says, a person should choose to act only and only if he would be willing to have every person on earth in that same situation act exactly in that same way. Kantian theory d irects or instructs people to act in universally accepted rules. In light of Kantian’s imperative, employers and employees should use this as a guide to carry out their functions of preventing, reporting and effectively and fairly correcting illegal and immoral actions, policies and procedures. Management cannot expect employees to be loyal to an organization that promotes or encourages wrong doing to its stakeholders.Whether or not stakeholders are primary or secondary, they are directly or indirectly affected by the actions and goals of the organization. Whistle-blowing can also be looked at as a selfish act as well as a moral and legal act. Despite its outlook it should be the last resort. A more active goal or motive of the organization should be to hire, train and promote morally and legally sensitive and responsive managers to communicate efficiently and effectively for the benefit of all the stakeholders.If both employer and employees follow Kant’s Categorical I mperative which is in nature goes with the principle of universalism which states that that the right thing must always be done, even if doing the wrong thing would do the most good for the most people. With these theories whistle-blowing can be mitigated in an organization. In most organizations, employees normally quickly adapt the norms and culture. If the organization is involved in illegal practices then more often than not whistle-blowing will be a major dilemma.In order to avoid whistle-blowing, organizations need to practice legal acts and set examples that will uplift and promote the organization in a positive way. Every member in an organization is dependent on each other, especially those who are at total risk in terms of securities. The principles of Utilitarianism can also be applied to the issue of whistle-blowing. This theory believes that the act is morally right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number of persons affected by it.If the circumstances i s however such where the employee decides to blow the whistle on an illegal conduct by another employer or by the organization then according to Richard DeGeorge, the whistle-blowing must fit all six of the conditions that makes the actions morally justified. The first two conditions are when the firm, through a product or policy, will commit serious and considerable harm to the public example; consumers or bystanders. The employer should report the firm and then when he or she identifies a serious threat of harm, then he or she should report it and state his or her moral concerns.

Samson in the Bible

Samson’s life was filled with adventure as God blessed him and gave him strength to become one of the judges of Israel. Yet, he squandered all of his potentials and abdicated his responsibilities as a judge of Israel because he became proud of his strength and disobeyed God. Samson’s parents came from the tribe of Dan in Israel. Although his mother was sterile, she conceived Samson as a result of direct intervention from God. Even at a young age, the spirit of God was already evident in the life of Samson. This happened at a time when the Israelites were not following the statutes and the decrees of God. Samson was to become one of the leaders of the people and deliver them from oppression of foreigners. God gave Samson immense strength. While he was on the road one day, he encountered a lion, which he killed with his bare hands. Such was his strength that his potentials were definitely from God. Yet, Samson had one fatal flaw – his weakness for women. Because of women, he disobeyed the will of his parents and eventually was led away from his calling as a judge of Israel. The first occasion when he displayed this weakness was when he saw a Philistine woman and became obsessed with her. He engaged into a riddle with a hefty sum of properties as prize with the men of Ashkelon. The men, however, coaxed his wife to reveal the answer to them. Because Samson was so angry, he killed a lot of the men in that place. When he also learned that his wife was given to another man, he wrought havoc against the fields of the Philistines. As a result, the Philistines came against him. As a result, he set a trap for them. He allowed himself to be bound. But later on, he managed to get away from the rope and kill the men who went against him. His victory against the Philistines was brought about by God. Samson even saw a source of water when he was already very thirsty. After the incident with the Philistines, he became enamored with a prostitute and the men of the town decided to trap him in that place. Yet, his great strength aided him against their trap and managed to get away from them. The turning point in Samson’s life was his love affair with Delilah. Little did he know that Delilah was being used by his enemies all over again. He did not learn from his previous experiences and instead allowed his emotions and passions to cloud his wits. Not even once did he suspect Delilah to be the spy of his enemies. So great was his obsession for Delilah that he revealed the secret of his strength with her after several prodding. The end result was his imprisonment and being cut off from his family and his country. During his imprisonment, Samson called out to God during his distress and asked Him to bless him with strength although his hair was no longer long. God granted his request and for a final time, Samson brought havoc and destruction to the enemies of his people. Samson knew his calling as a judge. As a man, he was always aggressive and on the lookout for the next beauty to pursue. Perhaps, the reason why he behaved the way he did is that he was looking for adventure and he thought he will find it in the arms of the women that he loved. Perhaps he fell easily in love and after that, he became blinded to that love. A lot of people are just like Samson. They have great potentials and strength. They know that they are called to do good for God and their people. Yet, they choose to go their own way, choose their own paths that eventually lead to destruction. When people start doing as Samson did, they become blinded to whatever it is that they fall in love with—money, fame, power, other people—and forget about their mission in life. The end result is disaster and ensnarement with the effects and consequences of such choices. Some author may have considered Samson as a sociopath with anti-social personality disorder. This may seem to account for his aggressive behavior, his deceit, impulsiveness and even violence. Although this analysis may seem scientific and related to psychology, but Samson’s personality and impulses is similar to what most individuals encounter. Samson was aware of God’s calling in his life and he even calls out to God when he is deeply in need. Yet, like most men, he has lust for women and he is doing what he can to impress them and win them over. Likewise, he tends to be boastful and arrogant of the strength that he has, a trait which a lot of men display. Another possible reason why he engaged in his acts was loneliness. Calling that â€Å"antisocial† might seem more scientific. Yet, men who experience loneliness may try prostitution and other act just to get over with it. The bottom line is that Samson is an individual who was given immense strength and the potential to lead his people and overthrow the oppressors of his nation. Yet, because of his obsession with women, his lust, his aggressiveness and impulsiveness, he did not fulfill the role prepared for him. Individuals all over the world display just the same kind of attitudes and recklessness. The end result of such attitude and actions is an array of consequences and difficult circumstances. From Samson, individuals may learn that pursuing one’s passions and obsessions lead to harm.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Four

AND WHEN I SAY THEY blew up, I mean they blew up. Flames and smoke unfurled like petals from a newly opened flower as those poor monarchs exploded into pieces of rock. For a moment, I was stunned. It was like watching an action movie, the explosion cracking the air and shaking the ground. Then, guardian training kicked in. Critical observation and calculation took over. I immediately noticed that the bulk of the statue's material blew toward the outer sides of the garden. Small stone pieces and dust rained down on the funeral procession, but no large chunks of rock hit Lissa or anyone standing nearby. Assuming the statues had not spontaneously combusted, whoever had blown them up had done so in a precise way. The logistics aside, huge billowing pillars of flame are still pretty scary. Chaos broke loose as everyone tried to get away. Only, they all took different routes, so collisions and entanglements occurred. Even the pallbearers set down their precious burden and took off. Ambrose was the last to do so, his mouth agape and eyes w ide as he stared at Tatiana, but another look at the statues sent him off into the mob. A few guardians tried to keep order, herding people back down the funeral path, but it didn't do a lot of good. Everyone was out for themselves, too terrified and panicked to think reasonably. Well, everyone except for Lissa. To my surprise, she wasn't surprised. She had been expecting the explosion. She didn't run right away, despite people pushing past and shoving her aside. She stood rooted where she'd been when the statues blew up, studying them and the wreckage they'd caused. In particular, she seemed concerned about anyone in the crowd who might have been hurt by the blasts. But, no. As I'd already observed, there seemed to be no injuries. And if there were, it was going to be because of the stampede. Satisfied, Lissa turned and began walking away with the others. (Well, she was walking; they were running). She'd only gone a little distance when she saw a huge group of guardians hurrying toward the church, faces grim. Some of them stopped to aid those escaping the destruction, but most of the guardians were on their way to the blast site to see what had happened. Lissa paused again, causing the guy behind her to slam into her back, but she barely felt the impact. She intently watched the guardians, taking note of how many there were, and then moved on once more. Her hidden thoughts were starting to unravel. Finally, I began to see pieces of the plan she'd kept hidden from me. She was pleased. Nervous, too. But overall, she felt– A commotion back at the jail snapped me into my own mind. The usual quiet of the holding area had shattered and was now filled with grunts and exclamations. I leapt up from where I'd been sitting and pressed against the bars, straining to see what was happening. Was this building about to explode too? My cell only faced a wall in the hallway, with no view of the rest of the corridor or its entrance. I did, however, see the guardians who usually stood at the hall's far end come tearing past me, toward whatever altercation was occurring. I didn't know what this meant for me and braced for anything, friend or foe. For all I knew, there could be some political fringe group launching attacks on the Court to make a statement against the Moroi government. Peering around the cell, I swore silently, wishing I had anything to defend myself. The closest I had was Abe's book, which was no good at all. If he was the badass he pretended to be, he really would have slipped a file into it. Or gotten me something bigger, like War and Peace. The scuffling died down and footsteps thundered toward me. Clenching my fists, I took a few steps back, ready to defend myself against anyone. â€Å"Anyone' turned out to be Eddie Castile. And Mikhail Tanner. Friendly faces were not what I had expected. Eddie was a longtime friend from St. Vladimir's, another new guardian like me and someone who'd stuck by me through a lot of misadventures, including the Victor Dashkov prison break. Mikhail was older than us, mid-twenties, and had helped us restore Dimitri in the hopes that Sonya Karp–a woman Mikhail had loved who had turned Strigoi–might be saved as well. I glanced back and forth between the two guys' faces. â€Å"What's going on?' I demanded. â€Å"Nice to see you too,' said Eddie. He was sweating and keyed up with battle fervor, a few purple marks on his face showing he'd met someone's fist tonight. In his hand was a weapon I'd seen in the guardians' arsenal: a baton-type thing used to incapacitate people without killing them. But Mikhail held something much more valuable: the keycard and mechanical key to open my cell. My friends were staging a prison break. Unbelievable. Crazy was usually my specialty. â€Å"Did you guys †¦' I frowned. The thought of escape filled me with joy, but the logistics were sobering. Clearly, they'd been responsible for the fight with my guards that I'd just heard. Getting down here in the first place wasn't that easy either. â€Å"Did you two just take on every guardian in this building?' Mikhail finished unlocking the door, and I didn't waste any time in hurrying out. After feeling so oppressed and smothered for days, it was like stepping onto a mountain ledge, wind and space all around me. â€Å"Rose, there are no guardians in this building. Well, maybe one. And these guys.' Eddie gestured in the direction of the earlier fight, where I assumed my guards lay unconscious. Surely my friends hadn't killed anyone. â€Å"The rest of the guardians are all checking out the explosion,' I realized. Pieces began coming together–including Lissa's lack of surprise over the commotion. â€Å"Oh no. You had Christian blow up ancient Moroi artifacts.' â€Å"Of course not,' said Eddie. He seemed shocked that I would have suggested such an atrocity. â€Å"Other fire users would be able to tell if he did.' â€Å"Well, that's something,' I said. I should have had more faith in their sanity. Or maybe not. â€Å"We used C4,' explained Mikhail. â€Å"Where on earth did you–‘ My tongue locked up when I saw who was standing at the end of the hallway. Dimitri. Not knowing how he was during my imprisonment had been frustrating. Christian and Tasha's report had been only a tease. Well, here was the answer. Dimitri stood near the hall's entrance in all his six-foot-seven glory, as imperious and intimidating as any god. His sharp brown eyes assessed everything in an instant, and his strong, lean body was tensed and ready for any threat. The look on his face was so focused, so filled with passion, that I couldn't believe anyone ever could have thought he was a Strigoi. Dimitri burned with life and energy. In fact, looking at him now, I was again reminded of how he'd stood up for me at my arrest. He wore that same expression. Really, it was the same one I'd seen countless times. It was the one people feared and admired. It was the one I had loved. â€Å"You're here too?' I tried reminding myself that my muddled romantic history wasn't the most important thing in the world for a change. â€Å"Aren't you under house arrest?' â€Å"He escaped,' said Eddie slyly. I caught the real meaning: he and Mikhail had helped Dimitri escape. â€Å"It's what people would expect some violent probably-still-a- Strigoi guy to do, right?' â€Å"You'd also expect him to come bust you out,' added Mikhail, playing along with the game. â€Å"Especially considering how he fought for you last week. Really, everyone is going to think he busted you out alone. Not with us.' Dimitri said nothing. His eyes, while still carefully watching our surroundings, were also assessing me. He was making sure I was okay and uninjured. He looked relieved that I was. â€Å"Come on,' Dimitri finally said. â€Å"We don't have much time.' That was an understatement, but there was one thing bugging me about my friends' â€Å"brilliant' plan. â€Å"There's no way they'll think he did it alone!' I exclaimed, realizing what Mikhail was getting at. They were setting Dimitri up as the culprit in this escape. I gestured to the unconscious guardians at our feet. â€Å"They saw your faces.' â€Å"Not really,' a new voice said. â€Å"Not after a little spirit-induced amnesia. By the time they wake up, the only person they'll remember seeing will be that unstable Russian guy. No offense.' â€Å"None taken,' said Dimitri, as Adrian stepped through the doorway. I stared, trying not to gape. There they were together, the two men in my life. Adrian hardly looked like he could jump into a fistfight, but he was as alert and serious as the other fighters here. His lovely eyes were clear and full of the cunning I knew they could possess when he really tried. That's when it hit me: he showed no sign of intoxication whatsoever. Had what I'd seen the other day been a ruse? Or had he forced himself to take control? Either way, I felt a slow grin creeping over my face. â€Å"Lissa lied to your mom earlier,' I said. â€Å"You're supposed to be passed out drunk somewhere.' He rewarded me with one of his cynical smiles. â€Å"Well, yes, that would probably be the smarter–and more enjoyable–thing to be doing right now. And hopefully, that's what everyone thinks I'm doing.' â€Å"We need to go,' said Dimitri, growing agitated. We turned toward him. Our jokes vanished. That attitude I'd noticed about Dimitri, the one that said he could do anything and would always lead you to victory, made people want to follow him unconditionally. The expressions on Mikhail and Eddie's faces–as they grew serious–showed that was exactly how they felt. It seemed natural to me too. Even Adrian looked like he believed in Dimitri, and in that moment, I admired Adrian for putting aside any jealousy–and also for risking himself like this. Especially since Adrian had made it clear on more than one occasion he didn't want to be involved with any dangerous adventures or use his spirit in a covert way. In Las Vegas, for example, he'd simply accompanied us in an observer's role. Of course, he'd also been drunk most of the time, but that probably made no difference. I took a few steps forward, but Adrian suddenly held out a hand to stop me. â€Å"Wait– before you go with us, you need to know something.' Dimitri started to protest, eyes glinting with impatience. â€Å"She does,' argued Adrian, meeting Dimitri's gaze squarely. â€Å"Rose, if you escape †¦ you're more or less confirming your guilt. You'll be a fugitive. If the guardians find you, they aren't going to need a trial or sentence to kill you on sight.' Four sets of eyes rested on me as the full meaning sank in. If I ran now and was caught, I was dead for sure. If I stayed, I had the slim chance that in my short time before trial, we might find evidence to save me. It wasn't impossible. But if nothing turned up, I was also most certainly dead. Either option was a gamble. Either one had the strong possibility of me not surviving. Adrian looked as conflicted as I felt. We both knew I didn't have any good choices. He was simply worried and wanted me to know what I was risking. Dimitri, however †¦ for him, there was no debate. I could see it all over his face. He was an advocate of rules and doing the proper thing. But in this case? With such bad odds? It was better to risk living as a fugitive, and if death came, better to face it fighting. My death will not be penciled in on someone's calendar. â€Å"Let's go,' I said. We hurried out of the building, anxious to get moving with the plan. I couldn't help but comment to Adrian, â€Å"You've got to be using a lot of spirit to pull off all those illusions on the guards.' â€Å"I am,' he agreed. â€Å"And I don't really have the power to do it for very long. Lissa could probably make a dozen guardians think they'd seen ghosts. Me? I can barely make a few forget Eddie and Mikhail. That's why there had to be someone they remembered to attract the attention, and Dimitri's the ideal scapegoat.' â€Å"Well, thank you.' I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. As warmth flowed between us, I didn't bother telling him I was a long way from being free yet. It would diminish his heroics. We had a lot of obstacles ahead, but I still appreciated him stepping up like this and respecting my decision to go along with the escape plan. Adrian shot me a sidelong glance. â€Å"Yeah, well, I'm supposed to be crazy, right?' A flash of affection shone in his eyes. â€Å"And there isn't much I wouldn't do for you. The stupider, the better.' We emerged to the main floor, and I saw that Eddie had been right about guardian security. The halls and rooms were virtually deserted. Without a second glance, we hurried outdoors, and the fresh air seemed to renew my energy. â€Å"Now what?' I asked my rescuers. â€Å"Now we take you to the getaway car,' said Eddie. The garages weren't far, but they weren't close either. â€Å"That's a lot of open ground to cover,' I said. I didn't bring up the obvious problem: me being killed if spotted. â€Å"I'm using spirit to keep us all vague and nondescript,' said Adrian. More testing of his magic. He couldn't handle much more. â€Å"People won't recognize us unless they stop and stare directly at us.' â€Å"Which they probably won't,' said Mikhail. â€Å"If anyone even notices us at all. Everyone's too worried about themselves to pay much attention to others in all this chaos.' Looking around outside, I could see he was right. The jail building was far from the church, but by now, people who'd been near the blast had made their way to this part of Court. Some were running into their residences. Some were seeking guardians, hoping for protection. And some †¦ some were going the same direction we were, toward the garages. â€Å"People are freaked out enough to actually try to leave Court,' I realized. Our group was moving as fast as we could with Adrian, who wasn't in the shame shape as dhampirs. â€Å"The garages will be crowded.' Both official Court vehicles and visiting guests parked in the same area. â€Å"That could help us,' said Mikhail. â€Å"More chaos.' With so many distractions in my own reality, I couldn't plunge completely into Lissa's. A light brush of the bond found her safe, over in the palace. â€Å"What's Lissa doing during all of this?' I asked. Believe me, I was glad she wasn't involved with this busting-me-out-of-jail madness. But, as Adrian had noted, her ability with spirit could have gone much farther than his here. And now, looking back on it all, it was obvious she had known about this plan. That had been her secret. â€Å"Lissa needs to stay innocent. She can't be linked to any part of the escape or explosion,' replied Dimitri, eyes fixed ahead on his goal. His tone was firm. He still regarded her as his savior. â€Å"She has to keep herself visible with the other royals. So does Christian.' He almost smiled. Almost. â€Å"Those two would certainly be my first suspects if something exploded.' â€Å"But the guardians won't suspect them once they realize the blast wasn't caused by magic,' I mused. Mikhail's earlier words returned to me. â€Å"And hey, where did you guys get a hold of C4? Military grade explosives are kind of extreme, even for you.' No one answered me because three guardians suddenly leapt out into our path. Apparently, they weren't all out at the church. Dimitri and I surged ahead of our group, moving as one, just as we always had in battle together. Adrian had said the illusion he'd stretched over our group wouldn't hold if anyone was facing us directly. I wanted to make sure Dimitri and I were the first line of contact with these guardians, in the hopes they wouldn't recognize the others behind us. I threw myself into the fight without hesitation, defensive instincts kicking in. But in those milliseconds, the reality of what I was doing truly sank in. I'd fought guardians before and always felt guilty about it. I'd taken on the ones at Tarasov Prison, as well as the queen's guard during my arrest. I hadn't really known any of them, though. Just realizing they were my colleagues had been bad enough †¦ but now? Now I was facing one of the most difficult challenges in my life, as small as it seemed. After all, three guardians were an easy match for me and Dimitri. The problem was–I knew these guardians. Two of them I'd run into quite a bit after graduation. They worked at Court and had always been kind to me. The third guardian wasn't just someone I knew–she was a friend. Meredith, one of the few girls in my class at St. Vladimir's. I saw the flash of uneasiness in her eyes, a sentiment mirroring my own. This felt wrong to her too. But, she was a guardian now, and like me, she had had duty drilled into her throughout her life. She believed I was a criminal. She could see I was free and in attack mode. Procedure dictated she take me down, and honestly, I wouldn't have expected anything less. It's what I would have done had our roles been reversed. This was life and death. Dimitri was on the other two guys, as fast and badass as ever. Meredith and I went for each other. At first, she tried to knock me down by virtue of her weight, probably in the hopes of pinning me down until backup could help grab me. Only, I was stronger. She should have known that. How many times had we sparred in the school's gym? I'd almost always won. And this was no game, no practice drill. I pushed back at her attack, punching her on the side of her jaw and desperately praying I didn't break anything. She kept moving through the pain, but–again–I was superior. I caught a hold of her shoulders and threw her down. Her head hit hard, but she remained conscious. I didn't know whether to be grateful or not. Maintaining my grip, I put her in a chokehold, waiting until her eyes closed. I released as soon as I was sure she was out, my heart twisting in my chest. Glancing over, I saw Dimitri had also taken down his opponents. Our group kept moving as though nothing had happened, but I glanced at Eddie, knowing there was grief on my face. He looked pained too but sought to reassure me as we hurried along. â€Å"You did what you had to,' he said. â€Å"She'll be okay. Banged up, but okay.' â€Å"I hit her hard.' â€Å"The medics can deal with concussions. Hell, how many did we get in practice?' I hoped he was right. The lines between right and wrong were getting confusing. The one good thing, I supposed, was that Meredith had been so occupied by the sight of me that she probably hadn't noticed Eddie and the others. They'd held back from the fight, hopefully keeping on Adrian's veil of spirit while Dimitri and I took the attention. We finally reached the garages, which were indeed more crowded than usual. Some Moroi had already driven off. One royal was hysterical because her driver had her car's keys, and she didn't know where he was. She was shouting to passers-by to see if anyone could hotwire the car for her. Dimitri led us purposefully forward, never wavering. He knew exactly where we were going. There had been a lot of planning, I realized. Most of which had probably happened yesterday. Why had Lissa obscured it from me? Wouldn't it have been better for me to have a heads-up on the plan? We scurried through the people, heading toward the garage on the very farthest side. There, sitting just outside of it and seemingly ready to go, was a drab gray Honda Civic. A man stood near it, arms crossed as he examined the windshield. Hearing our approach, he turned around. â€Å"Abe!' I exclaimed. My illustrious father turned and gave me one of those charming smiles that could lure the unwary to their doom. â€Å"What are you doing here?' demanded Dimitri. â€Å"You'll be on the list of suspects too! You were supposed to stay back with the others.' Abe shrugged. He looked remarkably unconcerned at Dimitri's angry expression. I wouldn't have wanted that fury directed at me. â€Å"Vasilisa will make sure a few people at the palace swear they saw me there during suspicious times.' He turned his dark eyes toward me. â€Å"Besides, I couldn't leave without telling you goodbye, could I?' I shook my head in exasperation. â€Å"Was this all part of your plan as my lawyer? I don't recall explosive escapes being part of legal training.' â€Å"Well, I'm sure it wasn't part of Damon Tarus's legal training.' Abe's smile never wavered. â€Å"I told you, Rose. You will never face execution–or even a trial, if I can help it.' He paused. â€Å"Which, of course, I can.' I hesitated, glancing toward the car. Dimitri stood by it with a set of keys, looking impatient. Adrian's words echoed in my memory. â€Å"If I run, it's just going to make me seem that much more guilty.' â€Å"They already think you're guilty,' said Abe. â€Å"You wasting away in that cell won't change that. This just ensures we now have more time to do what we need to without your execution looming over us.' â€Å"And what are you going to do exactly?' â€Å"Prove you're innocent,' said Adrian. â€Å"Or, well, that you didn't kill my aunt. I've known for a while you aren't all that innocent.' â€Å"What, are you guys going to destroy the evidence?' I asked, ignoring the dig. â€Å"No,' said Eddie. â€Å"We have to find who really did kill her.' â€Å"You guys shouldn't be involved with that, now that I'm free. It's my problem. Isn't that why you got me out?' â€Å"It's a problem you can't solve while you're at Court,' said Abe. â€Å"We need you gone and safe.' â€Å"Yeah, but I–‘ â€Å"We're wasting time arguing,' said Dimitri. His gaze fell on the other garages. The crowds were still chaotic, too busy with their own fears to notice us yet. That didn't affect Dimitri's concern. He handed me a silver stake, and I didn't question the reasons. It was a weapon, something I couldn't turn down. â€Å"I know everything looks disorganized, but you'll be amazed at how quickly the guardians will restore order. And when they do, they're going to lock this place down.' â€Å"They don't need to,' I said slowly, my mind spinning. â€Å"We're already going to have trouble going out of Court. We'll be stopped–if we can even get to the gate. There are going to be cars lined up for miles!' â€Å"Ah, well,' said Abe, idly studying his fingertips. â€Å"I have it on good authority there's going to be a new â€Å"gate' opening up soon over on the south side of the wall.' The truth dawned on me. â€Å"Oh lord. You're the one who's been doling out C4.' â€Å"You make it sound so easy,' he said with a frown. â€Å"That stuff's hard to get a hold of.' Dimitri's patience was at an end. â€Å"All of you: Rose needs to leave now. She's in danger. I'll drag her out if I have to.' â€Å"You don't have to go with me,' I shot back, kind of offended at the presumption. Memories of our recent arguments emerged, of Dimitri saying he couldn't love me and didn't even want to be friends. â€Å"I'll take care of myself. No one else needs to get in trouble. Give me the keys.' Instead, Dimitri gave me one of those rueful looks that said he thought I was being utterly ridiculous. We could have been back in class at St. Vladimir's Academy. â€Å"Rose, I can't really get in any more trouble. Someone has to be responsible for helping you, and I'm the best choice.' I wasn't so sure of that. If Tatiana really had made progress in convincing people Dimitri wasn't a threat, this escapade would ruin it all. â€Å"Go,' said Eddie, surprising me with a quick hug. â€Å"We'll be in touch through Lissa.' I realized then that I was fighting a losing battle with this group. It really was time to leave. I hugged Mikhail too, murmuring in his ear, â€Å"Thank you. Thank you so much for your help. I swear, we'll find her. We'll find Sonya.' He gave me that sad smile of his and didn't reply. Adrian was the hardest to leave behind. I could tell it was difficult for him too, no matter how relaxed his grin seemed. He couldn't be happy about me going off with Dimitri. Our hug lasted a little bit longer than the others, and he gave me a soft, brief kiss on the lips. I almost felt like crying after how brave he'd been tonight. I wished he could go with me but knew he'd be safer here. â€Å"Adrian, thank you for–‘ He held up his hand. â€Å"It's not goodbye, little dhampir. I'll see you in your dreams.' â€Å"If you stay sober enough.' He winked. â€Å"For you I just might.' A loud booming noise interrupted us, and we saw a flash of light off to my right. People near the other garages screamed. â€Å"There, you see?' asked Abe, quite pleased with himself. â€Å"A new gate. Perfect timing.' I gave him a reluctant hug too and was surprised when he didn't pull back right away. He smiled at me †¦ fondly. â€Å"Ah, my daughter,' he said. â€Å"Eighteen, and already you've been accused of murder, aided felons, and acquired a death count higher than most guardians will ever see.' He paused. â€Å"I couldn't be prouder.' I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Goodbye, old man. And thanks.' I didn't bother asking him about the â€Å"felons' part. Abe wasn't stupid. After I'd asked him about a prison that had later been breeched, he'd probably figured out who was behind Victor Dashkov's escape. And like that, Dimitri and I were in the car, speeding off toward Abe's â€Å"new gate.' I regretted not being able to say goodbye to Lissa. We were never truly apart with the bond, but it couldn't take the place of face-to-face communication. Still, it was worth it to know she would be safe and free of any connection to my escape. I hoped. Like always, Dimitri drove, which I still thought was totally unfair. It had been one thing when I was his student, but now? Wouldn't he ever give up that wheel? This didn't seem like the time to discuss it, though–particularly since I didn't plan on us staying together much longer. A few people had come out to see where the wall had blown up, but no one official had surfaced yet. Dimitri raced through the gap as impressively as Eddie had when he'd driven through Tarasov Prison's gate, only the Civic didn't handle the bumpy, grassy terrain as well as the SUV in Alaska. The problem with making your own exit was that it didn't come with an actual road. Even that was beyond Abe. â€Å"Why is our getaway car a Civic?' I asked. â€Å"It's not really great for off-roading.' Dimitri didn't look at me but continued navigating over the rough ground toward a more drivable area. â€Å"Because Civics are one of the most common cars out there and don't attract attention. And this should be the only off-roading we do. Once we hit a freeway, we're putting as much distance between us and Court as we can–before abandoning the car, of course.' â€Å"Abandon–‘ I shook my head, letting it go. We reached a dirt road that felt like the smoothest surface on earth after that jolting start. â€Å"Look, now that we're out of there, I want you to know that I mean it: you don't have to come with me. I appreciate your help in the escape. Really. But hanging out with me won't do you any favors. They'll be hunting for me more than you. If you take off, you can live somewhere around humans and not be treated like a lab animal. You might even be able to slink back to Court. Tasha would put up a fight for you.' Dimitri didn't answer for a long time. It drove me crazy. I wasn't the kind of person who handled silence well. It made me want to chatter and fill the void. Plus, the longer I sat there, the more it hit me that I was alone with Dimitri. Like, really and truly alone for the first time since he'd become a dhampir. I felt like a fool, but in spite of the dangers we still risked †¦ well, I was still overwhelmed by him. There was something so powerful about his presence. Even when he made me angry, I still found him attractive. Maybe the adrenaline pounding through me was addling my brain. Whatever it was, I was consumed by more than just his physical aspects–though they were certainly distracting. The hair, the face, his closeness to me, his scent †¦ I felt it all, and it made my blood burn. But the inner Dimitri–the Dimitri who'd just led a small army through a prison break–captivated me just as much. It took me a moment to realize why this was so powerful: I was seeing the old Dimitri again, the one I'd worried was gone forever. He wasn't. He was back. At long last, Dimitri replied, â€Å"I'm not leaving you. None of your Rose-logic arguments are going to work. And if you try to get away from me, I'll just find you.' I didn't doubt he could, which just made the situation more confusing. â€Å"But why? I don't want you with me.' I still felt a lingering attraction for him, yes, but that didn't change the fact that he had hurt me in breaking things off between us. He had rejected me, and I needed to harden my heart, particularly if I wanted to move on with Adrian. Clearing my name and leading a normal life seemed far away right now, but if it happened, I wanted to be able to return to Adrian with open arms. â€Å"It doesn't matter what you want,' he said. â€Å"Or what I want.' Ouch. â€Å"Lissa asked me to protect you.' â€Å"Hey, I don't need anyone to–‘ â€Å"And,' he continued, â€Å"I meant what I said to her. I swore I'd serve her and help her for the rest of my life, anything she asks. If she wants me to be your bodyguard, then that's what I'll be.' He gave me a dangerous look. â€Å"There's no way you're getting rid of me anytime soon.'

Athletes And Drug Use

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LEADERSHIP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Discuss the Role of Exchange Traded Currency Options in Risk Essay

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