Long Passages

An upsurge of new research suggests that animals have a much higher level of brainpower than previously thought. If animals do have intelligence, how do scientists measure it? Before defining animals' intelligence, scientists defined what is not intelligence. Instinct is not intelligence. It is a skill programmed into an animal's brain by its genetic heritage. Rote conditioning is also not intelligence. Tricks can be learned by repetition, but no real thinking is involved. Cuing, in which animals learn to do or not to do certain things by following outside signals, does not demonstrate intelligence.Scientists believe that insight, the ability to use tools, and communication using human language are all effective measures of the mental ability of animals. (2) When judging animal intelligence, scientists look for insight, which they define as a flash of sudden understanding. When a young gorilla could not reach fruit from a tree, she noticed crates scattered about the lawn near the tre e. She piled the crates into a pyramid, then climbed on them to reach her reward. The gorilla's insight allowed her to solve a new problem without trial and error. (3) The ability to use tools is also an important sign of intelligence.Crows use sticks to pry peanuts out of cracks. The crow exhibits intelligence by showing it has learned what a stick can do. Likewise, otters use rocks to crack open crab shells in order to get at the meat. In a series of complex moves, chimpanzees have been known to use sticks and stalks in order to get at a favorite snack—termites. To make and use a termite tool, a chimp first selects just the right stalk or twig. He trims and shapes the stick, then finds the entrance to a termite mound. While inserting the stick carefully into the entrance, the chimpanzee turns it skillfully to fit the inner tunnels.The chimp attracts the insects by shaking the twig. Then it pulls the tool out without scraping off any termites. Finally, he uses his lips to sk im the termites into his mouth. (4) Many animals have learned to communicate using human language. Some primates have learned hundreds of words in sign language. One chimp can recognize and correctly use more than 250 abstract symbols on a keyboard. These symbols represent human words. An amazing parrot can distinguish five objects of two different types. He can understand the difference between the number, color, and kind of object.The ability to classify is a basic thinking skill. He seems to use language to express his needs and emotions. When ill and taken to the animal hospital for his first overnight stay, this parrot turned to go. â€Å"Come here! † he cried to a scientist who works with him. â€Å"I love you. I'm sorry. Wanna go back? † (5) The research on animal intelligence raises important questions. If animals are smarter than once thought, would that change the way humans interact with them? Would humans stop hunting them for sport or survival? Would anima ls still be used for food, clothing, or medical experimentation?Finding the answer to these tough questions makes a difficult puzzle even for a large-brained, problem-solving species like our own. 1. Crows use sticks to pry peanuts out of cracks. Which of the following is the kind of intelligence or conditioning the situation describes? a. rote learning b. tools c. communication d. instinct 2. The underlined word upsurge, as it is used in the first paragraph of the passage, most nearly means a. an increasingly large amount. b. a decreasing amount. c. a well-known amount. d. an immeasurable amount. 3. The concluding paragraph of this passage infers which of the following? . There is no definitive line between those animals with intelligence and those without. b. Animals are being given opportunities to display their intelligence. c. Research showing higher animal intelligence may fuel debate on ethics and cruelty. d. Animals are capable of untrained thought well beyond mere instinct. 4. According to the passage, which of the following is true about animals communicating through the use of human language? a. Parrots can imitate or repeat a sound. b. Dolphins click and whistle. c. Crows screech warnings to other crows. d.Chimpanzees and gorillas have been trained to use sign language or geometric shapes that stand for words. 5. In paragraph 3, what conclusion can be reached about the chimpanzee's ability to use a tool? a. It illustrates high intelligence because he is able to get his food and eat it. b. It illustrates instinct because he faced a difficult task and accomplished it. c. It illustrates high intelligence because he stored knowledge away and called it up at the right time. d. It illustrates high intelligence because termites are proteinpacked. 6. Which of the following is not a sign of animal intelligence? . shows insight b. cues c. uses tools d. makes a plan Passage 2 (1) Photosynthesis is the process that plants use to convert sunlight into the food that they need to survive and grow. Most plants create some form of sugar from the sunlight, and this sugar is used by the plant as its primary food source. (2) Plants actually need only three things to create this sugar: sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. The sunlight reacts with the plant's chlorophyll, a green chemical which is used to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugar. (3) As a general rule, photosynthesis occurs in a plant's leaves.The leaf contains chlorophyll, which reacts when sunlight strikes the leaf. It is also the chlorophyll which gives the leaf its typical green color, since photosynthesis absorbs most light rays except green, which are reflected outwards. (4) The process of photosynthesis produces more than just sugar, however. One byproduct of the process is oxygen, which is â€Å"exhaled† by the plant into the atmosphere. In fact, plant photosynthesis is one of the primary sources of oxygen generation on our planet, making plant life essential to almost all living things on earth. 7.According to paragraph 4, which of the following is a byproduct of photosynthesis? a. green pigment b. water c. carbon dioxide d. oxygen 8. The underlined word essential, as used in paragraph 4, most nearly means a. necessary. b. optional. c. fragrant. d. growing. 9. The passage explains that photosynthesis is a. done in the plant stem. b. what makes plants edible. c. the way that plants feed themselves. d. the source of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. 10. According to the passage, why do plant leaves look green? a. Leaves are actually not green. b. Photosynthesis absorbs all colors except green. .Sugar is green. d. Photosynthesis requires green light to produce sugar. 11. After reading the passage, what can you conclude about photosynthesis? a. Chlorophyll is part of the ozone layer. b. Photosynthesis is the process that feeds a plant. c. Plants need oxygen to survive. d. The roots of a plant provide water. 12. After reading the passage, what can you infer about photosynthesis? a. Human life would not survive without plants. b. Chlorophyll tastes sweet. c. Sunlight has both good and bad effects on plants. d. Too much water can interfere with photosynthesis.Passage 3 1) Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th President of the United States, yet he never went to college. In fact, Lincoln had nearly no formal education whatsoever, attending schools for less than a year throughout his childhood. Yet this should not be construed to mean that Lincoln was ignorant or unlearned; on the contrary, he was one of the most well-read leaders of the time. The fact is that Abraham Lincoln educated himself by studying books of religion, philosophy, and literature, and he continued his voracious reading throughout his life. (2) A lack of public school education did not prevent Lincoln from becoming a great leader.He led the United States through four years of civil war, which threatened to divide the nation into two separate countries. He was a powerful opponent of slavery, and it was largely through his leadership that slavery was abolished in this country. (3) Lincoln's determination to educate himself through diligent reading also led to his reputation as a great orator—and even today his speeches are quoted and studied worldwide.He serves as an example of a great leader—and a great reader. His love of books and good literature enabled Abe Lincoln to rise to world renown. 3. What is the main idea of this passage? a. Abe Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. b. Abe Lincoln demonstrated the value of reading. c. Abe Lincoln was a Republican. d. Abe Lincoln freed the slaves. 14. Lincoln accomplished all of the following EXCEPT a. preventing the United States from being divided. b. ending slavery. c. becoming a great leader. d. establishing the Lincoln Memorial. 15. A voracious reader is a. likely to become President. b. a person who makes reading a regular habit. c. someone who never went to s chool. d. probably poor. 16.The underlined word construed, as used in paragraph 1, most nearly means a. tormented. b. taken apart. c. unscrewed. d. interpreted. 17. According to the passage, what lesson can be learned from the life of Abraham Lincoln? a. Education is not important. b. All books are worth reading. c. Good reading habits can help a person do great things. d. Politicians are always good role models. 18. How does Lincoln still affect students today? a. His face is on money. b. His speeches are still quoted and studied today. c. People grow beards to look like him. d. Students quit school in hopes of becoming president.

The Nile Paper

River of Africa Surrounding landforms and availability of resources affect civilizations. The survival of countries in Africa relies on the Nile River. Physical landforms, climatic agriculture as well as ancient cultures and advances contribute to the effective utilization of the Nile. Various subdivisions and landforms along the coast of the river present tremendous opportunities for the Africans. Over time, the control of water intake and the substantial contribution of different climates create a vast diversity among the vegetation because of the proliferous soil by the Nile’s annual flood.The formation of ancient cultures, agriculture, and technologies significantly contributed to the developing countries adjacent the banks of the Nile. The tributaries, landforms and various transportation opportunities assist the Africans. The tributaries connect several locations in Africa to provide the countries with water, exploration, and fertile land. The portion of the river in Nor th Africa consists of three main sources: the White Nile, the Blue Nile, and the Atbara Rivers. The White Nile contains the largest mass of water so that during the dry season the river remains sustainable (Middleton vol. ). Western explorers investigated Africa because of the Blue Nile. The Blue Nile â€Å"is the link between the Mediterranean and the Deep Interior;† therefore, â€Å"the search for its source drew many Western explorers into Africa† (Murray 170). Among many of the smaller tributaries, the Atbara provides water in Ethiopia during the dry season. The Atbara â€Å"runs through the Ethiopian highlands during the wet seasons, but is dry from January to June† (Barrow). Therefore, it provides the amount of water suitable for the environment during that half of the year.The waters and soils of the Nile, the largest river in the world, supplies life to the barren desert and the river’s neighboring area. The two lands surrounding the Nile affect t he flooding and climate zones. The black land â€Å"was the fertile land on the banks of the Nile† (Barrow). Black layer contains silt which contains layers of sediments left behind from the annual flood; moreover, the sediments made the land useable for agriculture. The red land â€Å"was a region of inhospitable desert† (Barrow). This region of desert protected the Egyptians from attack bordering the country.The headwaters of the flood water originate from the Ethiopian Highlands. Every summer, â€Å"rain in the Ethiopian highlands sent a barrage of water that overflowed the banks of the Nile† (Barrow). Without the precipitation in the Ethiopian Highlands, the river would cease to provide any nutritional soil; as a result, the prominent agricultural land would indefinitely vanish from existence, leaving a barren, tundra like land. The waters contain numerous beneficial obstacles environing the area. The small ridges of the central plateaus mean that â€Å"the lower courses of rivers are characterized by waterfalls and cataracts† (Murray 12).The cataracts and waterfalls redirect the course of the river, affecting the vegetation and farming around it. Settlement in Sudan depends on the river. The White Nile River flows â€Å"north across the Sudanese border into the Sudd, the world’s largest permanent swamp† (Middleton 3: 66). Even though half of the river’s water evaporates in the swamps, half of Sudan’s population lives among the banks of the subsidiary. The river’s surrounding features, as well as the tributaries and waterfalls, significantly contribute to the welfare of the country’s needs.Flooding and climate influence the vegetation in the area, which remains vital for existence. Irrigation manipulates the growth and development of agriculture; moreover, irrigation systems contribute to improve the effective utilization of the river. Because of the dry climate and vast desert surroundi ng the river, the irrigation remains for life. The continents â€Å"unreliable rainfall and frequent drought make irrigation an essential tool for agriculture† (Middleton 2: 159). Irrigation supplies the water for the crops during the dry season, which remains essential for food. Flood cropping exemplifies ancient forms of irrigation and technology.The Egyptians would plant crops, and would then flourish when the river floods in the fall, followed by harvesting the crops in the winter; moreover, the people named the system basin irrigation for the pattern of events. (Middleton 2: 159). Flood cropping did not create an abundance of crops due to the unusual pattern of the great flood. In the early stages of developing irrigation, Egyptians formed a system called basin irrigation. When the Nile floods, the water fills the basin; as a result, when the river fell the farmers allowed â€Å"the water to drain away and then plant crops in the wet soil left behind† (Middleton 2 : 159).Basin irrigation created a mass majority of the planted crops which created a bountiful amount of food for the people; however, the farmers could only plant crops once a year. The vegetation grown around the Nile River Basin depends merely on the flooding season and by the proliferous soil. The annual flood of the Nile contributes to the mass vegetation and of the cycle of growth. The close correlation between the distribution of soil and vegetation remains a significant factor for plant cover in soil formation. The flood produces soil needed for growth of various types of vegetation.When the annual flood recedes, the river leaves a â€Å"thick layer of silt which was excellent soil to plant seeds in the soil after it had been ploughed† (Barrow). The silt provides the necessity to properly grow plants. The cycle of the growing crops consist of Akhet, Peret, and Shamuc. During the months of June through September, also known as the Akhet, the annually flood occurs; also , during these months, farming has ceased (Barrow). From the months of October through February, or the period called the Peret, the floodwaters recede, leaving a thick layer of silt; moreover, during this time the farmers plough the soil (Barrow).During the time of Shamuc, months from March through May, the farmers harvest the crops and workers repair the canals (Barrow). The three periods of time work in perfect tandem to grow crops. The vegetation grown in the Nile Basin depends on the soil for nutrients. One of the most prominent crops grown for centuries yet to come remains wheat and other types of grain along the Nile River. The grain along the Nile supplies people to make â€Å"bread, porridge, and beer. After the grain was grown, they grew assorted fruits† (Barrow).The vegetation grown in the Nile supplies the people with nourishment and trade opportunity. The climate along the Nile affects the type of vegetation grown along the banks as well as the human livelihood. The Nile consists of four climates: the tropical wet, the tropical dry, steppe, and desert. The tropical wet and tropical dry lie in the South of Africa, and they receive much rainfall, with some dry seasons (Boehm). The desert and steppe climate lie near the Mediterranean Sea, along the start of the Nile.They receive less than ten to fourteen inches of rain a year; moreover, they have little vegetation, leaving the various locations barren with extreme temperatures (Boehm). The strip of land along the Nile makes it hospitable because of the giant mass of water. Farmers use animals mostly for work, labor, and production of food. They would use these animals for â€Å"trampling in the seeds, pulling the plough, eating unwanted grain and providing them with food† (Barrow). The animals play an important role for the livelihood of the people by providing food, labor, and help with farming.The vegetation growth depends on the annual flood, climate, and animals of the area. The bas e of civilizations, technological advances, and cultures primarily exist in Africa because of the Nile, which makes it essential for the countries environing the area prosperous. Transportation began early for the Egyptians because of trade and fishing, but eventually they developed technologies for transferring goods to other countries. The ancient Egyptians developed boats from papyrus to obtain fish and materials for other necessities (Boehm). As the technologies advanced, other ideas arose to get to certain points in the river.The people would use â€Å"steamers to transport only to a certain point in the river† (Barrow). The steamers would eventually head to the Mediterranean through various tributaries until the goods traveled all around the world. This process would only be possible through the Nile River, which provided transportation to associate themselves with other countries. The start of a great civilization, Egypt, would progress only with the significant contri bution of the Nile River. Many Egyptians inhabited close to the Nile because it provided transportation, water, and amazing soil for growing crops.Through farming, the Egyptians created new mechanisms to make farming easier for the farmers. (Murray). A main source of food for the Egyptians remains fish. The most wanted fish from Africa today, the Nile Perch, has been shipped all around the world (Middleton Vol. 4). Today, almost all of the Egypt’s residents live along the Nile Delta or the along the course of the river. The river supplied the African countries with technology and culture, as well as the prominent ancient civilization of Egypt. Culture and energy existed because of the Nile River’s presence.Religion has been spread from country to country by the existence of the Nile tributaries. The capital of Sudan, Khartoum, lies between the White and Blue Nile. The spread of the Muslim religion has a major influence on the country, and â€Å"it is the primary relig ion of the Nile† (Murray 173). The religion was established when Muhammad had begun preaching around the Nile Valley, spreading it to various parts of the continent. Along the banks of the Nile, the Egyptians harvested a plant named sorghum. Because of the sorghum, the Egyptians developed â€Å"crafts such as boating, matting, basketry, and pottery† (Murray 46).The Nile provided vegetation and materials to further develop technologies in agriculture and aquaculture. Africans developed new technologies to harvest power from the water, and the future of energy, hydroelectric power. Today, â€Å"electricity is provided by generators powered by the Aswan Dam† (Boehm 426). The Nile’s Aswan Dam, developed to control the annual flood and preserve water, provides electricity for the people surrounded by the Nile. The Nile provided the ancient Egyptians with necessities, and the river continues to contribute to Egypt and Sudan today.Without the existence of the Nil e, Egypt would remain barren and underdeveloped. The base of Egyptian civilization and technologies developed the countries encircling the coast. Moreover, the Nile provides the people with food, electricity and transportation, which remain a significant aspect of everyday life. Although new developments have altered the need for the Nile, people still rely on the Nile. ? Works Cited Barrow, Mandy. Ancient Egyptian Farming. Chiddingstone Church of England School, Jan. 2013. Web. 21 Jan. 2013. Barrow, Mandy. The River Nile. Chiddingstone Church of England School, Jan. 013. Web. 21 Jan. 2013. Boehm, Richard G. World Geography and Cultures. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2012. Print. Middleton, John. Ed. Africa; an Encyclopedia for Student. Volume 2. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2002. Print. Middleton, John. Ed. Africa; an Encyclopedia for Student. Volume 3. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2002. Print. Murray, Jocelyn. Ed. The Cultural Atlas of Africa. New York: Checkmark Books, 1998. Print. Nile, Battle of the: Nile River. Photograph. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. http://www. school. eb. com. com/eb/art-228/ ?

Retail strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Retail strategy - Essay Example Further to him, these studies have noted some quite common traits among the existing entrepreneurs with respect to the need for complete achievement, the perceived locus of control and measure, are orientated toward initiative thinking and have a risk taking propensity in them. According to Beech, W (2001), an entrepreneur is driven by the need to create something new or build something tangible for others to follow. Also, entrepreneurs are described as human beings who are most of the times engaged in the creative destruction of products and services which exist. All in all, since new enterprises have low chances of success rates, an entrepreneur must also have considerable persistence if he/she is to attain the set goals. A crisis of management often arise when the entrepreneur fails to recognize that, running a large company which is stable is quite different from running a small growing company. This problem is often resolved by the entrepreneur leaving the organization and going to tart a new venture Another definition has it that, an entrepreneur is a person with the ability to see what others who came before missed. Further, he/she is a person who is able to make connections between things that others had not and are not capable of. He/she combines to work together to create that which had not existed before (Carey, C 2001). Often, the entrepreneur is not the one who actually creates the new goods or services, but he/she is the one who has the vision of how that idea can be transformed into reality for the benefit of everyone (Carey, C 2001). The entrepreneurs creativity is different from the creativity known. His/her creativity finds ways for the ideas which he/she has formulated to enter the market place as well as being of benefit to all of the society. Entrepreneurs in most cases reward those who came up with the new ideas in the first

Howard Goodall's 20th Century Greats -- Bernstein Assignment

Howard Goodall's 20th Century Greats -- Bernstein - Assignment Example These fashions include classical, folk and electronic which finally birthed more tastes and advancement in music varieties afterwards. As I watched this movie, I felt that that it was also contrasting modern music with the diatribe past condemned music versions. This is evident in the continuous and venturous tone employed throughout the movie. To add into this, Howard even digs deeply on the personal profiles of the artists such as Bernard Hermann by elaborating how this artist disrupted the former film heritage. For instance, he quotes that Hermann came up with far reaching transitions by employing complete skills and prowess such as employing reduced violin vibrato, contesting string reverberations and cutting melodies to finally retain few key chords. By comparing the four artists, I think Howard Goodall wanted to exemplify to the viewers how a real change from the normal ordinary rhythmic phrases (in the former music and films) to the symphonic orchestra can be like. I think he also aimed at pointing out the fundamental musical elements. These elements include musical rhythm, melody and harmony I also firmly believe that he thought it’s wise for literature audiences to comprehend how these musical elements are intertwined. I think this exposure to various music components helps the individuals who need to venture into music have a firsthand knowledge of what they need to know to perfect in music art and why. This movie for most the part, I think it looks at the integral musical instrumentation and analysis. I think it also checks the significance of incorporating musical harmony and tone with chord variances blended with two or more distinct but related subjects, commonly referred to as Dorian modes. This movie ignited my passion for film literature. It was specifically very captivating, emotional and mind blowing.

How I met Your Mother TV Show Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How I met Your Mother TV Show - Essay Example Both Carter bays and Craig Thomas had been friends for a long time before teaming up to create this TV show. Both of them live in New York. The How I met your mother TV show has so far had 184 episodes and four different directors throughout the entire nine seasons. Pamela Fryman directed 172 episodes, Rob Greenberg directed seven episodes, Michael Shea has directed 4 episodes and Neil Patrick Harris has directed one episode of the show. How I met your mother is one of my favorite comedies of all time. I have watched the entire show from the first season to the current last season and it has never disappointed. I like its setting and the actors also help to bring out a great sense of humor to crack ones ribs. The show is centered on the main character, Ted Mosby, together with his friends living in Manhattan, New York. The show is set in the year 2030, where Ted Mosby recounts to his children, son and daughter, about the happenings that led to him meeting their mother before they got married. The show has relatively received positive reviews since its premiere episode and has become known for its eccentric humor and unique structure. This has enabled the show to garner a multitude of followers over the years that it has been showing. How I met your mother has won nine Emmy Awards and 28 nominations for the same awards. The show’s actress, Alyson Hannigan, was awarded the People’s Choice Award for being the favorite TV comedy actress in 2010. The show also won the People’s Choice Award for being the favorite comedy show on television network in 2012, 7 years after its debut episode. Neil Patrick Harris has also won the People’s Choice for being the most favorite TV comedy actor. The Pilot project for the show was shot at CBS Radford while each of the other episodes were shot at Soundstage Studio in Los Angeles over a period of three days. Each of the episodes includes at least fifty scenes. The laugh track of the show is later on recorded at a l ive audience that was shown in the final edited episode. The show’s theme song, ‘Hey Beautiful’ was composed by The Solids, a band that both Thomas and Bays are members. Production of the show was temporarily halted during the third season between during the strike of 2007-2008 involving the Writers Guild of America. The strike ended on 17th March, 2008 and production of the show’s episodes resumed with nine new episodes being shot. There was a slight change in the time slot for airing the show on CBS upon resuming production. The show flip- flopped with another sitcom, The Big Bang Theory during the summer and aired at 8:30pm ET/7:30PM CT. A fourth season was renewed by CBS in 2008 and premiered on 22ndd September, 2008. First Evaluation of the Show How I met your mother has received affirmative reviews from a majority of movie review sites and magazines across the world. The show has run for almost fifteen years and has a huge following, some of them who have also written different opinions about the show. The Guardian’s Anna Pickard is one of the movie reviewers for the newspaper and has thrown praise on the show. In her review article in The Guardian Newspaper titles, ‘How I met Neil Patrick Harris’, she praises the show and the actors as being one of the best shows in terms of its format and the comedy involved. She says the show is ‘clever’ and the fact that it has been set twenty years in to the future makes it more interesting for the jokes to set in (Anna, 2009). The characters in the show are also great and help to make the show even better by helping viewers to follow in their lives as

International Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

International Finance - Essay Example The map displayed above marks those areas of the globe in ‘gold’ that still practice the use of pesos today. The Peso had been the official currency of the Republic of Columbia since 1837, when it replaced the ‘real’ at the rate of 1 peso = 8 reales. However, just a decade later, the Colombian peso was decimalized so that 1 peso could now be exchanged for 10 reales. According to the standards set by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) for defining the names of currencies, it is abbreviated as COP. Although officially it is denominated in $, the standard abbreviation of the currency among the nationals is Col $. The Republic of Colombia, with a total area of 1,138,910 square kilometers, is the fifth largest of all the Latin American nations and is about one-ninth the size of USA. As is evident from the displayed map, the country is largely surrounded by Venezuela and Brazil in the east, Ecuador and Peru in the south, Panama and the Caribbean Sea in the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Being a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A densely populated nation, with a population of nearly 45 million – the 29th largest in the world, the country also has a long history of being one of the most lagging nations in the world in terms of poverty. Colombia is basically an agro-based economy with an abundance of the fertile volcanic soil, tropical forests occupying almost half of the land area in the country and supply of cheap labor. Moreover, the tropical climate in the region is also appropriate for agricultural production. The p rofusion of inexpensive labor and huge agricultural production has flourished agro-based industries in the nation. These industries are largely concentrated around the processing of agricultural, mineral, and forest products and supplying domestic consumer demand for goods like machinery, vehicles, tools, building

Ethical and Legal Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ethical and Legal Issues - Essay Example The first question is how and why are such practices allowed To answer this, it is necessary to see how progressive our laws and regulations are on the matter of privacy. Basically the concept is one of fundamental laws. Many states' constitutions or charters provide a clause which basically provides the fundamental right to privacy. In the United States, federal statutes have been passed which implements the right to privacy in the context of the digital realm, ensuring that the people are informed of their rights of privacy and the manner in which they exercise them. The Gramm Leach Bliley Act1 (1999) requires banks and financial institutions to clearly disclose to customers any intention to share to a third party personal information, giving them the option of nondisclosure. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act2 (HPIAA) (1996) requires health care providers similar legal obligations in informing the customers how their health information is used and ensures confidentiality of health care information. The HPIAA giving the consumer access to their own health information, and explicitly requires the authorization of the consumer before their health information can be disclosed to anyone. Another similar legislative act is the... Also, websites that collect a child's info needs verified parental consent in collecting, using or disclosing that info. In the United Kingdom, as well as the other members of the European Union, legislation has been based on the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms4 on the concept of privacy vis--vis the freedom of expression. In addition, other Conventions and Treaties provide additional specialized legislation on the matter, such as the United Nations' Guidelines for the Regulation of Computerized Personal Data Files5, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s Guidelines for the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data, and the European Council's Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data6, the European Parliament and the Council of October 24, 1995's Directive 95/46/EC7 and Directive 97/66/EC of the Council of November 4, 19978 all will the same objective in mind, proper use and regulation of how personal information is used and transmitted. How our personal information gets on the internet in the first place, is basically of our own doing. We sign up with email accounts, shopping accounts, newsgroups and forums, all the while sharing bits and pieces of our identity. A name here, a credit card number there, and all these come together to our disadvantage, and the advantage of others. A good example is if we sign up for the very popular free email service of Yahoo! Inc., which is also one of the biggest search engines, and offers all sorts of services to their members and non-members

Consumer Attitude and Preferences Towards Traditional and Modern Research Paper

Consumer Attitude and Preferences Towards Traditional and Modern Islamic Fashion - Research Paper Example The paper "Consumer Attitude and Preferences Towards Traditional and Modern Islamic Fashion" concerns the Islamic Fashion. The objective of this study is to identify the behaviour, attitude and preferences of Muslim consumer towards traditional and modern Islamic fashion. In order to meet the defined objective of the study, this research attempts to explore the factors, which influence the Islamic women’s fashion from traditional context to modern context. At the same time, the study identifies the trend in the Islamic fashion market. Moreover, study investigates the societal factors as well as legal factors, which can influence the buying decisions of Islamic women in case of dressing and fashion related aspects. According to Hanzaee & Chitsaz (2011), it is identified that Muslim population believe that to ensure ‘Mohammed’s privacy’ and to create a distinction between the public and private life, it is essential to adhere a specific clothing style as arti culated in the Islamic holy book. According to Badawi (n.d.), the Arabic word hijab which signifies head covering or veils is religious attire for Muslim women who they are required to wear according the Islamic beliefs and customs. . Apart from this, through maintaining the clothing style Islamic people can also protect their own honour. Rather, several academic literatures have represented Islamic clothing style as a symbol, which is specifically designed for not to express one's sexual activity or desires. Badawi (n.d.) claimed about Muslim people.

Ojt Doc Essay Example for Free

Ojt Doc Essay Listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2007 after a successful initial public offering, the company has built its reputation for delivering its projects on time, without sacrificing the beauty and functionality of its developments. Initially finding its niche within the affluent Filipino-Chinese community, ALHI has brought modern condo living to Old Manila through a fusion of current trends and traditional comforts and practices. The company’s developments take inspiration from upscale condos in major cities around the world while incorporating age-old Feng Shui principles. Building on the successful formula of its first project, the 33-storey Lee Tower in Binondo which was sold out within 9 months and delivered ahead of schedule in 2006, ALHI has continued its dynamic and aggressive approach to take on even bigger and bolder challenges. The company has several ongoing developments, with more in the pipeline. It has started turning over units to buyers of its Mayfair Tower along UN Avenue in Ermita, in the heart of colonial Old Manila, and its second condominium in Binondo, the Mandarin Square, which by the end of 2008 is more than 50 percent completed. Both developments will take condo living in Manila to a higher level with first class amenities rivaling the best there is in the country. Anchor Land likewise broke ground for its Solemare Parksuites, its first project outside of the City of Manila, in December of 2008. The 18-storey twin tower residential project at the ASEANA Business Park in Paranaque City, near the humongous Mall of Asia, caters to those who want to be at the center of Metro Manila’s emerging cultural and entertainment hub along scenic Manila Bay. Among the company’s plans are the development of the tallest building in Binondo, Manila, the 56-storey Anchor Skysuites that is guaranteed to further raise the benchmark in the Chinatown district, as well as projects in San Juan, another in Ermita, a fourth project in Binondo, among others. What sets the company apart from other Philippine developers is its ability to execute its business plans. While others give tremendous focus and attention to their business development efforts but hardly sustain them afterwards, Anchor Land makes sure that its business plans are meticulously implemented. The secret lies in the active involvement of its key people in sales and marketing from the conceptualization stage and throughout the development of each project, with each department – from business development to engineering, finance, sales and customer relations – all in constant touch to ensure the seamless, on time delivery of the company’s commitments. In 2008, the company has started to attract the attention not only of local investors, but international award-giving bodies as well for its sterling performance. Anchor Land was one of only two Philippine companies included in Forbes Magazine’s list of 200 Best Companies in Asia with capitalization of under $1 billion, a feat made possible by the company’s sterling financial performance amidst the global economic slowdown. Internally, the company continues to build and strengthen its organization with the goal by recruiting and honing the best talents available in the manpower market, and by maintaining a small but dedicated cadre of sales people who have imbued Anchor Land’s corporate values of discipline, commitment, and excellent service. The company values each and every employee’s contributions, and recognizes them via a rewards and recognition system that puts premium on providing the best service to customers throughout the whole cycle of each and every project. III. Summary of OJT Experience IV. Assessment of the OJT/Practicum Program A. New Knowledge, attitudes and skills acquired Being the intern of the I. T. Department of Anchor Land Holdings Inc. I have learned many things that are beneficial for me and for my well – being. Here is the list of the skills that I acquired during my internship period: -Organization of files. -Networking. -Remote Access. -LAN cables. -LAN and Internet connections. -Centralized server. -Ncomputing technology -Computer building. -Kaspersky Lab. -Organization Security. -Data Back-up. -Routers For Troubleshooting -Printers -Fax Machine -Photocopy Machine. -Outlook. -Web connectivity. -Skype. -Computers. -Routers.

Early years education Essay Example for Free

Early years education Essay 1.1 Summarise entitlement and provision for early year’s education There are many different types of early year’s provision which has been funded by the government for early years education. All three and four year olds are entitled to 15 hours of free early year’s education entitlement per week across the 38 weeks of the annual year. Theirs are five different settings where Parents can choose to give their child for their Free EY Entitlement they are: †¢Pre-school playgroup-. It is an early childhood program in which children combine learning/education with play and it is an organization that is provided by fully trained and qualified staff †¢Private Day nursery- A facility provided for the care and learning for children from the birth to 5 they are usually run by a business or a private organisation and are not linked with the government. †¢Child-minder (who belongs to a registered child-minder network)-child minders are self-employed providing the care for children in their own homes , they offer full time or part time places or flexible arrangements. Child minders are registered with the Ofsted and are inspected in accordance with the Ofsted procedures and regulations to ensure that he child-minder is providing and safe and suitable environment for the children. †¢Maintained nursery school- is a school for children between the age of 3 and 5. It is run by fully qualified and trained to staff who encourage and supervise education play and learning rather than just providing childcare. It is part of early childhood education. †¢Nursery or reception class in a primary or independent school -Nursery schools provide a more direct and structured education for early years children aged 3 to 5 Some may be part of an independent school for older age groupseg infant and primary schools. Reception classes are run by a qualified teacher. 1.3 Explain the post 16 options for young people and adults

Comparing Measurements of the Speed of Sound

Comparing Measurements of the Speed of Sound Finding the Speed of Sound! Group Members: Jesse Jackson, Arian Harrison Abstract: To begin as stated online The speed of sound, or of acoustic traveling waves, is a physical constant for any given medium at a specific pressure and temperature( http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/speed-of-sound). The speed of sound, or of acoustic traveling waves, is a physical constant for any given medium at a specific pressure and temperature. The experiment that was completed uses two methods in order to find the speed of sound. This speed of sound will be compared and contrasted to an accepted value that has been scientifically proven to be correct given the perfect conditions. Our two method results will be compared together in order to see which is closest to the accepted value. The first method being produced is a basic formula which uses basic knowledge in order for it to work. The second methods uses the frequency of the fork which was in this case is 512Hz and the soundwaves found in the formula. They are then multiplied together in order to find the current speed of sound. From the experiments and information given it is shown that the first method gives the more accurate result which is 350.2 m/s +/- 3.28 compared to 352.002 m/s +/- 2.27. This just proves that the first method is the most accurate when comparing to the accepted value of 340.29 m/s. Aim: To compare two measurements of the speed of sound to one accepted value. This will show which method is more accurate. Introduction: The experiment conducted used two methods in order to be able to measure the speed of sound. Both methods will be analysed and compared to an accepted value when measured at different temperatures. At -1 degrees Celsius the speed of sound is 330.4 m/s whereas at 21 degrees Celsius the speed of sound is 343.6 m/s. To begin, the first method of finding the speed employs a short simple formula based on known knowledge of the variables around you. At 0 degrees Celsius the speed of sound is 331m/s and for every degree change over 0, there will be an increase of speed by 0.6m/s. By being able to use this knowledge and the variables found in the lab during the experiment we can then substitute into the equation: V=331+0.6T. After that the second method will be used and be compared to the first one. This method is a test of resonance vibrations. This test involves finding the height in which PVC pipe creates the loudest noise of resonance when a 512Hz tuning fork is vibrating over it. By adjusting the length of the PVC pipe exposed to the water, we can measure the distance when the fork and pipe are vibrating at the exact same frequency. Once the loudest resonance is found and has been measured, based on that length from the surface of the water to the top of the pipe, the wave length can be measured with ÃŽÂ »=4(l+0.4d). Based on this information, the next method utilizes the wavelength equation and answer and also the tuning fork frequency which is 512Hz. This information can be converted into the second equation of V=fÃŽÂ ». Method: The cylinder was filled with water. The PVC pipe was then lowered all the way into the water until there was a 1cm gap from the top of the water to the top of the cylinder. My partner then struck the tuning fork and held it over the pipe as it was vibrating. The pipe was slowly pulled out of the cylinder as we listened for the position with the loudest noise. After finding the correct position the distance from the top of the tube to the surface of the water was recorded. Part A Measure the air temperature of the room. Calculate the speed of sound by using the formula V=331+0.6T. Calculate appropriate uncertainties for final answer. Part B Place PVC pipe into measuring cylinder. Connected boss head and clamp to retort stand. Positioned retort stand next to cylinder. Fill cylinder until there is a 1cm gap between the top of the cylinder and water. Hit the forks and place over the PVC pipe. Lift PVC pipe up gradually until you find the first sound. Stop, clamp it and record as accurately as possible Part C Determine the speed of sound using: ÃŽÂ » = 4(L + 0.4d), where ÃŽÂ » = wavelength, L = closed tube length, and d = diameter of the tube. V=331+0.6T V=fÃŽÂ » Risk Assessment: Equipment Needed: Hazard Details: Hazard Management Measures: 1 Litre Measuring Cylinder Falling/Breaking/Shattering Be Careful 40mm Diameter PVC pipe Falling Be Careful Tuning Forks (512Hz) Be Careful Metre Ruler Splinters Be Careful Vernier Callipers Be Careful Thermometer Breaking/Falling/Shattering Be Careful Clamp, Retort Stand Clamping Fingers Be Careful Results: 156mm +/- 0.5mm11. 156mm +/- 0.5mm 145mm +/- 0.5mm12. 156mm +/- 0.5mm 146mm +/-0.5mm13. 154mm +/- 0.5mm 158mm +/-0.5mm14. 152mm +/- 0.5mm 152mm +/- 0.5mm15. 154mm +/- 0.5mm 150mm +/- 0.5mm16. 155mm +/- 0.5mm 157mm +/- 0.5mm17. 154mm +/- 0.5mm 152mm +/- 0.5mm18. 154mm +/- 0.5mm 155mm +/- 0.5mm19. 155mm +/- 0.5mm 155mm +/- 0.5mm20 156mm +/- 0.5mm 1st Method for finding the speed of sound: V=331 + 0.6T0.5/32 x 100 = 1.5625% V=331 + 0.6 x 32 1.5625% x 0.6 = 0.9375% V=350.2m/s +/- 3.28 The speed of sound from this equation is 350.2 m/s +/- 3.28 when the temperature is 32 degrees Celsius. V=331 + 0.6T0.5/30 x 100 = 1.67% V=331 + 0.6 x 301.67% x 0.6 = 1% V=349 +/- 3.49 349 x 1% = 3.49 For the second day, the temperature was 30 degrees Celsius so it made the speed of sound 349m/s +/- 3.49 2nd Method for finding the speed of sound: ÃŽÂ »= 4(l+0.4d) ÃŽÂ »= 4(155 +/- 0.5 + 0.4 x (42.19 +/- 0.005)) ÃŽÂ »= 4(155 +/- 0.5 = 16.876 +/- 0.002) ÃŽÂ »= 4(155 +/- 0.32% + 16.876 +/- 0.01% ÃŽÂ »= 4(171.876 +/- 0.33% ÃŽÂ »= 687.504 +/- 2.27 687 +/- is the wavelength that was found V = f ÃŽÂ » V = 512 x 687.504 V = 352.002 m/s +/- 2.27 The speed of sound that was found here is 352.002 m/s +/- 2.27 Discussion: The outcome of the experiment supports my hypothesis which states that the first method is the closest result to the accepted value of speed. The results from the experiment were affected by errors and or limitations that occurred throughout the whole procedure. Human error can affect dramatically due to the fact that eye sight is not as effective as a technological reading. There are limitations to using eye site. Next humidity must be taken into account; in humid conditions water molecules are more frequent, where as in comparison to gas is travels a lot slower because the molecules are a lot less frequent. Hence why, if there is more water molecules within the air then the sound waves will travel faster because there would be a lot more water molecules present. This consequently results in a non-exact answer as the humidity is not measured on the temperature thermometer. All of the methods could off had many predicaments as well. For one the tuning forks themselves may have been s lightly off. The 512Hz fork used may not off been 512Hz due to age and wearing. Frequency is the number of times that an event occurs per unit of time. For sound the frequency is often measured by Hertz which is abbreviated to Hz. Its measured from the top of one wave to the bottom of another, per second. Humans can generally only hear from 20Hz up to 20000Hz, while dogs can hear up to 60000Hz and as low as 1Hz. Overall mishearing of the sound could have been a very big setback, this in turn goes with the possibility of false measuring, in the fact that when measuring the distance where resonance occurred the student holding the pipe would constantly move by half a centimetre or so. This means an accurate result wasnt measured and that this would further the errors in the investigation. The final result of the second method was backed up by multiple errors that occurred making the second method the less accurate of the two. There are numerous ways in order for this experiment to be more successful and to minimize errors/failures. As said before instead of having a student move the pipe up and down until resonance was heard, take advantage of retort stands and of course clamps. This would lower the possibility of error when measuring, instead of being out by half a centimetre it may be out by a few millimetres. Tuning forks may not be succinct and should undergo a pre-test to ensure that they are resonating at 512Hz because of its age and wear. This would create more accurate results as you would be finding the correct resonant soundwaves. If these mistakes were not made the errors would be less, and the experiment would have been more successful. Due to mistakes the speed of sound was not the same as the excepted value which is 340.29 m/s at sea level and at 20 degrees Celsius. Theoretically method 2 should have been the more accurate but because of mass errors it was not. The big deciding factor that was found is that humidity isnt taken into account with met hod 2, so no matter how hot, dry, rainy or sunny the weather was, it wasnt affected at all. If all errors stated above, and the temperature and humidity were accounted for then both methods should have been either very close or exact to the accepted value of 340.29 m/s. The speed of sound within water is 1484m/s. This is nearly 4 times the speed of sound in the air. This is why animals such as dolphins and whales can communicate over such long distances. Humans can only communicate at a quarter of the distance that those animals can. Â   Â   Â   Conclusion: To conclude the EI for investigating the speed of sound, it was stated that the first method would be more accurate, and this hypothesis was correct. This was supported by the results as the speed of sound at 32 degrees Celsius was dramatically more accurate than its counterpart, measuring in at 352 m/s instead of 350 m/s. This dramatic change occurred due to the fact that there is a lot more room for error in the second method. Unlike the first second method, the temperature affected the second method dramatically

Cal Ripken :: essays research papers

The relationship that this book has with psychology is a very familiar one. One would not expect to look at this book with a psychological view, unless you look into the deeper meanings of Ripken and what his thought process is. The book allows you to see what a boy’s point of view of a family that grew up in a modest fashion, with baseball being prevalent throughout his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After reading the book and asking myself what Mr. Ripken was thinking during his life and the content of the book I find myself relating it to Psychology. You can see how Ripken developed into a player from his point of view and how he handled himself mentally. You can see how he his family, mostly his dad has influenced him throughout his younger days and all the way through his professional career. By reading of what his mind interpreted and the sights and sounds of the way he perceived things made this a highly psychological book. You can almost analyze Ripken by reading through the book and seeing first hand what he was thinking and personal details to what he thought was important.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The thesis of the book lies directly in the title. I remember reading through the whole book, wondering what the whole purpose in writing, or what was the motivation for the book other that to better understand the consecutive game streak that Ripken now holds. Doing the only thing that I know how to do. This simple statement is the thesis of the book. At first this is hard to believe, but the whole book describes it perfectly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While growing up Ripken only two things: baseball and traveling. Hard work and games were part of his life. Ripken learns at an early age that he is not rich, not specifically talented, but a hard worker. He takes this attitude and applies it to baseball, following the example of his father. The simple for reason, which is also the thesis, is because this is the only way that he knew how.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The treatment that Ripken gets is a very familiar one. He is the oldest of four children, so this automatically put him in leadership role. This derives from his father being gone so often playing in the extensive list of minor leagues that Cal Ripken Sr. played up and down the East Coast. Since his father was away many times, this put Jr.

Renaissance Drama and Staging :: Free Essays Online

Renaissance Drama and Staging Margaret Jane Kidnie states â€Å"an area significantly impacted by William Shakespeare, Renaissance Theater developed into an influential period of drama deviating upon various elements of perception in each performance† (456-473). Many scholars wrote responses about renaissance drama and staging. There was a diversity of focus portrayed throughout each presentation, therefore resulting in differentiation between performances. Jealousy, gender, and spectatorship were some of the many topics that were represented in theater throughout the Renaissance Era, influenced greatly by William Shakespeare. Having written numerous plays performed during the Renaissance era, â€Å"Shakespeare’s influence on drama and staging can be shown through the language of performance criticism,† (Masten 341). interpretation of the drama, different focal points, and the way these plays were performed in relation to the text. During the seventeenth century, most plays that were written had a focal point of jealousy and had tragic endings. According to Katharine Eisaman Maus, â€Å"Anxiety about sexual betrayal pervades the drama of the English Renaissance† (561) and becomes the plot of many plays. Many critics cannot understand why many characters have the quality of being jealous and also to being curious. Maus continues to state, â€Å"Some critics are inclined to look for cultural explanations; for then the phenomenon reflects in a particularly telling way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (561). English Renaissance dramatists are more likely to include jealousy, sexual disloyalty and anxiety rather than non-dramatists. Shakespeare uses sexual fidelity that lead up to jealousy in many of his dramas such as Othello, and The Winter’s Tale. Maus reveals an answer to the question of why jealousy always becomes in a Renaissance drama. She states â€Å"sexual jealousy fascinates English Renaissance playwrights n ot only because it is a psychologically and socially interesting phenomenon but because the dynamic of sexual jealousy provides a complex analogy to theatrical performance and response to culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Maus 563). When people come to the theater, they want a good performance. A good issue to represent in most Renaissance dramas is sexual jealousy and anxiety. This allows the audience to enjoy the play, while having their own interpretation as well. Many historians and Shakespeare scholars show a great interest in how to connect the script and the performance of the play. The script or text of a play is only half of what the drama turns out to be. In order to understand the whole drama, one must comprehend the relationship between the text and the performance. Renaissance Drama and Staging :: Free Essays Online Renaissance Drama and Staging Margaret Jane Kidnie states â€Å"an area significantly impacted by William Shakespeare, Renaissance Theater developed into an influential period of drama deviating upon various elements of perception in each performance† (456-473). Many scholars wrote responses about renaissance drama and staging. There was a diversity of focus portrayed throughout each presentation, therefore resulting in differentiation between performances. Jealousy, gender, and spectatorship were some of the many topics that were represented in theater throughout the Renaissance Era, influenced greatly by William Shakespeare. Having written numerous plays performed during the Renaissance era, â€Å"Shakespeare’s influence on drama and staging can be shown through the language of performance criticism,† (Masten 341). interpretation of the drama, different focal points, and the way these plays were performed in relation to the text. During the seventeenth century, most plays that were written had a focal point of jealousy and had tragic endings. According to Katharine Eisaman Maus, â€Å"Anxiety about sexual betrayal pervades the drama of the English Renaissance† (561) and becomes the plot of many plays. Many critics cannot understand why many characters have the quality of being jealous and also to being curious. Maus continues to state, â€Å"Some critics are inclined to look for cultural explanations; for then the phenomenon reflects in a particularly telling way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (561). English Renaissance dramatists are more likely to include jealousy, sexual disloyalty and anxiety rather than non-dramatists. Shakespeare uses sexual fidelity that lead up to jealousy in many of his dramas such as Othello, and The Winter’s Tale. Maus reveals an answer to the question of why jealousy always becomes in a Renaissance drama. She states â€Å"sexual jealousy fascinates English Renaissance playwrights n ot only because it is a psychologically and socially interesting phenomenon but because the dynamic of sexual jealousy provides a complex analogy to theatrical performance and response to culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Maus 563). When people come to the theater, they want a good performance. A good issue to represent in most Renaissance dramas is sexual jealousy and anxiety. This allows the audience to enjoy the play, while having their own interpretation as well. Many historians and Shakespeare scholars show a great interest in how to connect the script and the performance of the play. The script or text of a play is only half of what the drama turns out to be. In order to understand the whole drama, one must comprehend the relationship between the text and the performance.

Life of Rizal Essay

One of the most favourite novels of Rizal was the Count of Monte Cristo which was authored by Alexander Dumas. This novel—which portrays the story of Edmond Dantes– instilled his romantic cravings. Accordingly, the life of Edmond Dantes was a story of hope, vengeance, forgiveness, and mercy. This novel was an excellent example of pure wisdom and love. The theme of its story struck Rizal’s genius mind and unique character. The novel became a favourite reading material of the hero during his teenage years. On the other hand, I can say that this story of Edmond Dantes was truly one of a kind during the times of Alexander Dumas. The story would show us the evil side of human person– selfishness and pride. In fact, the events in the story still exist during these times. One good example is the corruption and injustices happening in our country. To name a few: the case of Ampatuan Massacre which until now is still not resolved and the families of the unfortunate victims still not able to taste justice of the crime; and the unending corruption in the Philippines. Furthermore, we can also relate the theme of the story to each of us. The novel was an epic adventure of a human being’s nature and emotions. I can say that it is natural for us to feel angry to those who had wronged us. When we hold grudge to someone, we are compelled to take revenge in order to satisfy our feelings of anger. In fact, this kind of emotional adventure has already happened to me once then and I learned so much out from that experience. Surely, it had also happened to someone else on this planet and many lives are torn apart just because of the selfishness and pride of some people. However, when we surrender everything we feel to God and feeling all those emotions of anger without trying to change anything that has happened to us– we will soon be enlightened and forgiveness will step our way. When everything is already enough and we feel that many people have been affected just because of that feeling of anger and revenge, we start to forgive those who had wronged us. Accordingly, this is one of the best feelings we experience as humans because in forgiveness you see peace and love. When you forgive a person, it means that you are letting go of that grudge and finds your way to peace and happiness. Indeed, the Lord Jesus taught us to forgive those who had wronged us. Even He Himself died in the cross in order for us to be redeemed from our sins and to experience new life. That’s how huge God’s love for us. Thus, it is fine when we have to undergo feelings of anger towards a  person. It is good to feel it rather than rejecting it because when we start running from the truth that we are angry at the person– and all we just feel is revenge– we start to hurt ourselves and others. Our health will be destroyed so much that our relationships will be in much chaos. Perhaps, this novel nurtured the spirit of Rizal to fight Spanish tyranny. He was consciously aware of the atrocities and maltreatment that some Spanish officials and friars did to his fellowmen. Corruption and injustice were everywhere but most of the Filipinos were not aware of it. The powerful Spanish Friars just used the Catholic Religion in order to cover their corrupt actions. But Rizal knew that there was something wrong and he must act to fight it.

Problems of Modern India and Swami Vivekanand Essay

India is one of the fastest developing countries in the world. With its diversified culture, civilization, natural resources, technology and a wealth of skilled human resources, it is also one of the fastest growing economies in the world. But at the same time there are several problems plaguing our Modern India which are affecting the growth and development of our country. Widespread corruption and terrorism are some of the main problems facing India today. Corruption is very widespread in India. It ranks 72 amongst the top most corrupt countries in the world. In India corruption takes the form of bribes, evasion of taxes, misappropriation of funds, and embezzlement amongst others. A study found that more than 50% of the Indian population had firsthand experience of paying bribes or peddling influence to get a job done in a public office. The main consequence of corruption is a loss to exchequer, an unhealthy environment for investment and an increase in cost of government services. Apart from this Corruption also leads to an unethical society. This increases the already existing gap between poor and wealthy. This may lead to unrest and destruction of modern societies. This social evil needs to be curbed so as to bring back moral values in the society as well as to fill the widening gap between the wealthy and the poor. Swami Vivekananda was, above all, an honest and ethical man on a righteous path. He had a strong sense of ethics, morals and principles. One of his famous sayings is that â€Å"Unselfishness is God†. Selfishness and greed are the main causes of corruption. If we all followed in Swami Vivekananda’s footsteps and followed his teachings, we would know better than to be so selfish as to extort money from other people in the form of bribes and embezzlement. If more people followed Swami Vivekananda’s teachings and principles, we would not have so many selfish people who only think about what they want and not about the situation of the poor person whom they are forcing to pay bribes. We would not have so many greed driven people who, in spite of having more wealth than the person sitting across them, still extort and bully the other person into paying them massive bribes. If only more people followed the righteous path shown by Swami Vivekananda and put the ideals he taught to practice, the evil of corruption wouldn’t be so rampant in modern India. Terrorism today is a global issue that’s feared by almost every country in the world. But it’s a major issue in modern India owing to the basic religious differences present in India since the time of independence. Religion is the main cause behind terrorism. Terrorists commit acts of terrorism and violence in the name of protecting and promoting their religion. Pakistani militants have constantly attacked India since the Mumbai bombings of 1993 in the name of Jihad. Swami Vivekananda always preached about the importance of uniting religious beliefs for the progress of the human race. He didn’t believe in marginalizing any religion and believed every religion to be equal. He definitely was against any kind of violence especially for the preaching of religion. One of his famous sayings was â€Å"The secret of religion lies not in theories but in practice. To be good and do good – that is the whole of religion†. He preached about spreading religion by doing good and teaching people how to always do good unto others. Terrorists today have chosen the path of violence to spread their religious beliefs which is totally opposite to what Swami Vivekananda taught us so no wonder terrorism is such a big issue. Religious tolerance and respect for one other’s beliefs would go a long way towards helping us curb the evil of terrorism and also help humanity move forward harmoniously on the path of progress in unity. Corruption and terrorism are two of the major issues eating away at our glorious nation and hindering its progress greatly. Following in Swami Vivekananda’s footsteps and practicing the ideals and principles that he preached would help the populace of modern India be less selfish so as to consider the needs of others and less greedy so that people think twice before extorting and bullying some poor guy for their money. It would also increase religious tolerance amongst people so that terrorism is curbed and modern India can progress without such hindrances.

Arthur Miller’s finest work Essay

The Crucible was written in 1952, and is considered to be Arthur Miller’s finest work not only because of the captivating story and impressive dramatic techniques but also because of the subtle parallels it draws with the events of the time. In the USA in the 1950s, the country was terrified of communism. This prompted the McCarthy era, in which anyone suspected of holding communist views or sympathies could suffer nasty consequences, including losing their job, or being excluded from certain places. The play is set in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts during the height of the mass hysteria surrounding witchcraft. At the start of act three, Martha Corey is accused of reading fortunes. In this scene, we get a good look at each of the court officials. Both Hathorne and Parris are desperate to be part of the proceedings. Hathorne repeatedly calls for witnesses to be questioned or held in contempt, only to be ignored by Danforth. This shows the audience that Hathorne’s opinions mean nothing, but it also shows us the power Danforth wields, not only over the population of Salem, but also over his own partners. There are many moments in the play when Hathorne and Parris get ignored or disrespected by Danforth, but early on in act three Hathorne asks Giles Corey ‘Are you gone daft, Corey? ‘ Corey replies ‘You’re not a Boston judge yet. You’ll not call me daft! ‘ This shows the difference in standing between the two men, as Danforth would never stand for being scolded in such a way. Reverend Parris is shown similar disrespect by Danforth, as he is continually interrupted. This is also done by Giles Corey when he cuts Parris off mid-sentence and says ‘I am asked the question, and I am old enough to answer it. ‘ This is also the first time in the act we see Hale’s attitude begin to waver. When Danforth refuses to hear Corey’s evidence Hale pleads ‘Excellency, he claims to have hard evidence for his wife’s defence. I think that in all justice you must-‘ He is then cut off by Danforth.

Movie Madness: Lord of War

In my opinion, Lord of War has a couple of different ethical issues in it. The main character in the movie, Yuri Orlov played by Nicolas Cage, sold illegal guns to countries around the world. Yuri did not care who he sold the guns to, he was just worried about making money. Although selling these guns brought Yuri a ton of money, this was unethical because Yuri’s did not care how his actions affected other people (i. e. people getting killed by these illegal guns). The thought of selling illegal guns came from his uncle being the head of the military. Yuri was not always a law breaker. He once worked at his family’s restaurant, but he wasn’t happy with the amount of money he was making. Even though the family business was making money, Yuri wanted his family to live better then where. Yuri allowed greed to get in the way and he wanted to become rich. If Yuri would have stayed true to his moral ethics, he would have realized that it would have been better for him to stay at the family restaurant and work on some different ways to grow the businesses income. Yuri’s actions were also morally unethical because he was breaking the law. Another way that Yuri’s decisions affected ethics was regarding business ethics. When Yuri was selling guns to other countries, including countries that were at war with his own country, he was essentially helping to potentially start wars. I also feel that it is morally unethical for Yuri to bring his brother Vitaly into the illegal arms business. If Yuri wanted to be unethical, that is solely his choice; however for him to basically plead with his brother to join him and play on his brother’s sense of brotherly love is unethical. Yuri used the one thing he was always able to use against Vitaly to get him to do anything â€Å"Brothers in arms. † Yuri was only thinking about money, and was not thinking about the well-being of his brother. This comes back to haunt Yuri, when he is forced to take cocaine from a drug dealer who is buying guns from him. The dealer forces Yuri and Vitaly to test the merchandise, which in turn caused Vitaly to get hooked and addicted to cocaine. Even though Yuri had good intentions of trying to get his brother rich, he hurt Vitaly in the long run. A good lesson to take away from this movie is that if something worth having; it is worth working hard for. There are no easy ways out. Yuri could have stayed home and worked at his family restaurant, but instead he let his greed get in the way. In regards to Vitaly, Yuri needed to realize that every decision that you make has repercussions and accountability, so you need to make sure you make the right decision. Yuri lied to his wife, and the repercussion of his betrayal was that she turned him in to the Interpol.

Bloodlines Chapter Twelve

We tried to tell him that Tamara was killed by Strigoi, but he won’t believe it. He doesn’t want to. He can’t take revenge on a Strigoi. They’re immortal. Invincible. But some human vampire hunter? Somehow, in his head, that’s something he can go after. And if he can’t, then he can focus his energy on how the guardians won’t go after these nonexistent vampire hunters.† I just barely heard Eddie mutter, â€Å"Strigoi aren’t that invincible.† In the rearview mirror, I saw Jill’s face filled with compassion. She was seated between Lee and Eddie. â€Å"Even if it’s a fantasy, maybe it’s better this way,† she suggested. â€Å"It gives him comfort. I mean, kind of. Having something tangible to hate is what gets him through. Otherwise he’d just give in to despair. He’s not hurting anyone with his theories. I think he’s sweet.† She caught her breath in that way she did when she’d said a whole lot all at once. My eyes were back on the road, but I could swear Lee was smiling. â€Å"That’s nice of you,† he told her. â€Å"I know he likes having you around. Turn right up here.† That was to me. Lee had been giving me directions ever since we left Clarence’s. We were just outside of Palm Springs proper, nearing the very impressive-looking Desert Gods Golf Course and Resort. Further guidance from him led us to the Mega-Fun Mini-Golf Center, which was adjacent to the resort. I searched for a parking spot and heard Jill gasp when she caught sight of the golf course’s crowning glory. There, in the center of a cluster of gaudily decorated putting greens, was a huge fake mountain with an artificial waterfall spouting from its top. â€Å"A waterfall!† she exclaimed. â€Å"It’s amazing.† â€Å"Well,† said Lee, â€Å"I wouldn’t go that far. It’s made of water that’s been pumped over and over and has God only knows what in it. I mean, I wouldn’t try to drink or swim in it.† Before I even had the car to a stop, Adrian was out the door, lighting a cigarette. We’d gotten in an argument on the way over, despite me telling him three times that Latte was a strictly no-smoking car. The rest of us soon got out as well, and I wondered what I’d signed up for here as we strolled toward the entrance. â€Å"I’ve actually never been mini-golfing,† I remarked. Lee came to a halt and stared. â€Å"Never?† â€Å"Never.† â€Å"How does that happen?† asked Adrian. â€Å"How is it possible that you’ve never played mini-golf?† â€Å"I had kind of an unusual childhood,† I said at last. Even Eddie looked incredulous. â€Å"You? I was practically raised at an isolated school in the middle of nowhere Montana, and even I’ve played mini-golf.† Saying I was homeschooled was no excuse this time, so I just let it go. Really, it just came down to having a childhood more focused on chemical equations than on fun and recreation. Once we started playing, I soon got the hang of it. My first few attempts were pretty bad, but I soon understood the weight of the club and how the angles on each course could be maneuvered. From there, it was pretty simple to calculate distance and force to make accurate shots. â€Å"Unbelievable. If you’d been playing since you were a child, you’d be a pro by now,† Eddie told me as I knocked my ball into a gaping dragon’s mouth. The ball rolled out the back, down a tube, bounced off a wall, and into the hole. â€Å"How’d you do that?† I shrugged. â€Å"It’s simple geometry. You’re not that bad either,† I pointed out, watching him make his shot. â€Å"How do you do it?† â€Å"I just line it up and putt.† â€Å"Very scientific.† â€Å"I just rely on natural talent,† said Adrian, strolling up to the start of the Dragon’s Lair. â€Å"When you have such a wealth of it to draw from, the danger comes from having too much.† â€Å"That makes no sense whatsoever,† said Eddie. Adrian’s response was to pause and take out a silver flask from his inner coat pocket. He unscrewed it and took a quick drink before leaning in to line up his shot. â€Å"What was that?† I exclaimed. â€Å"You can’t have alcohol out here.† â€Å"You heard Jailbait earlier,† he countered. â€Å"It’s the weekend.† He lined up his ball and shot. The ball went directly for the dragon’s eye, bounced off it, and shot back toward Adrian. It rolled and came to a stop at his feet, nearly where it had started. â€Å"Natural talent, huh?† asked Eddie. I leaned forward. â€Å"I think you broke the dragon’s eye.† â€Å"Just like Keith,† said Adrian. â€Å"I figured you’d appreciate that, Sage.† I gave him a sharp look, wondering if there was any hidden meaning behind that. Mostly, Adrian seemed amused by his own wit. Eddie mistook my expression. â€Å"That was inappropriate,† he told Adrian. â€Å"Sorry, Dad.† Adrian shot again and managed not to maim any statues this time. A couple more shots, and he sank the ball. â€Å"There we go. Three.† â€Å"Four,† said Eddie and I in unison. Adrian looked at us incredulously. â€Å"It was three.† â€Å"You’re forgetting about your first one,† I said. â€Å"The one where you blinded the dragon.† â€Å"That was just the warm-up,† Adrian argued. He put on a smile I think he hoped would charm me. â€Å"Come on, Sage. You understand how my mind works. You said I was brilliant, remember?† Eddie glanced at me in surprise. â€Å"You did?† â€Å"No! I never said that.† Adrian’s smile was infuriating. â€Å"Stop telling people that.† Since I was in charge of the scorecard, his play was logged as four, despite his many further protests. I started to move forward, but Eddie held out a hand to stop me, his hazel eyes gazing over my shoulder. â€Å"Hold up,† he said. â€Å"We need to wait for Jill and Lee.† I followed his gaze. The two of them had been in deep conversation since we arrived, so much so that they’d slowed and lagged behind the rest of us. Even during his bantering with Adrian and me, Eddie had continually checked on her – and our surroundings. It was kind of amazing the way he could multitask. Thus far, Jill and Lee had only been one hole behind us. Now it was nearly two, and that was too far for Eddie to keep her in his sight. So, we waited while the oblivious couple meandered their way toward the Dragon’s Lair. Adrian took another drink from his flask and shook his head in awe. â€Å"You had nothing to worry about, Sage. She went right for him.† â€Å"No thanks to you,† I snapped. â€Å"I can’t believe you told her every detail of my visit that night. She was so mad at me for interfering behind her back with you, Lee, and Micah.† â€Å"I hardly told her anything,† argued Adrian. â€Å"I just told her to stay away from that human guy.† Eddie glanced between our faces. â€Å"Micah?† I shifted uncomfortably. Eddie didn’t know about how I’d gone proactive. â€Å"Remember when I wanted you to say something to him? And you wouldn’t?† I proceeded to tell him how I’d then sought out Adrian’s help and found out about Lee’s interest in Jill. Eddie was aghast. â€Å"How could you not tell me any of this?† he demanded. â€Å"Well,† I said, wondering if everything I did was going to result in the wrath of a Moroi or dhampir, â€Å"it didn’t involve you.† â€Å"Jill’s safety does! If some guy likes her, I need to know.† Adrian chuckled. â€Å"Should Sage have passed you a note in class?† â€Å"Lee’s fine,† I said. â€Å"He obviously adores her, and it’s not like she’ll ever be alone with him.† â€Å"We don’t know for sure that he’s fine,† said Eddie. â€Å"Whereas Micah’s a hundred percent okay? Did you do a background check or something?† I asked. â€Å"No,† said Eddie, looking embarrassed. â€Å"I just know. It’s a feeling I get about him. There’s no problem with him spending time with Jill.† â€Å"Except that he’s human.† â€Å"They wouldn’t have gotten serious.† â€Å"You don’t know that.† â€Å"Enough, you two,† interrupted Adrian. Jill and Lee had finally reached the start of the Dragon’s Lair, meaning we could move on. Adrian lowered his voice. â€Å"Your argument’s useless. I mean, look at them. That human boy doesn’t enter into it.† I looked. Adrian was right. Jill and Lee were clearly enthralled with each other. Some guilty part of me wondered if I should be a doing a better job of looking out for Jill. I was so relieved that she was interested in a Moroi that I hadn’t stopped to wonder if she should even be dating anyone. Was fifteen old enough? I hadn’t dated at fifteen. I’d actually, well, never dated. â€Å"There is an age difference between them,† I admitted, more to myself. Adrian scoffed. â€Å"Believe me, I’ve seen age differences. Theirs is nothing.† He walked off, and a few moments later, Eddie and I went to join him. Eddie maintained his simultaneous vigil of Jill, but this time, I got the impression the danger he was watching out for was right beside her. Adrian’s laughter rang out ahead of us. â€Å"Sage!† he called. â€Å"You have got to see this.† Eddie and I reached the next green and stared in astonishment. Then I burst out laughing. We had reached Dracula’s Castle. A huge, multi-towered black castle guarded the hole some distance away. A tunnel was cut out through the center of it with a narrow bridge meant for the ball to go over. If the ball fell off the sides before getting through the castle, it was returned back to the starting point. An animatronic Count Dracula stood off to the castle’s side. He was pure white, with red eyes, pointed ears, and slicked-back hair. He jerkily kept raising his arms to show off a batlike cape. Nearby, a speaker blasted eerie organ music. I couldn’t stop laughing. Adrian and Eddie looked at me as though they’d never seen me before. â€Å"I don’t think I’ve ever heard her laugh,† Eddie told him. â€Å"Certainly not the reaction I was expecting,† mused Adrian. â€Å"I’d been counting on abject terror, judging from past Alchemist behavior. I didn’t think you liked vampires.† Still grinning, I watched Dracula raise his cape up and down. â€Å"This isn’t a vampire. Not a real one. And that’s what makes it so funny. It’s pure Hollywood camp. Real vampires are terrifying and unnatural. This? This is hilarious.† It was clear from their expressions that neither really understood why this would appeal to my sense of humor so much. Adrian did, however, offer to take a picture with my cell phone when I asked him. I posed by Dracula and put on a big smile. Adrian managed to snap the shot just as Dracula was raising his cape. When I viewed the picture, I was pleased to see it had come out perfectly. Even my hair looked good. Adrian gave the picture a nod of approval before handing me the phone. â€Å"Okay, even I can admit that’s pretty cute.† I found myself overanalyzing the comment. What had he meant in saying even he could admit it? That I was cute for a human? Or that I had just met some kind of Adrian hot-girl criteria? Moments later, I had to forcibly stop thinking about it. Let it go, Sydney. It’s a compliment. Accept it. We played through the rest of the course, finally finishing off with the waterfall itself. That was a particularly challenging hole, and I took my time lining up the shot – not that I needed to. I was beating everyone pretty handily. Eddie was the only one who came close. It was clear Jill and Lee didn’t even have their attention on the game, and as for Adrian and his natural talent†¦ well, they were very solidly in last place. Eddie, Adrian, and I were still ahead of the other two, so we waited for them by the waterfall. Jill practically ran to it when she had the chance, gazing up at it with enchanted eyes. â€Å"Oh,† she breathed. â€Å"This is wonderful. I haven’t seen this much water in days.† â€Å"Remember what I said about the toxicity,† teased Lee. But it was clear he found her reaction endearing. As I glanced at the other two guys, I saw that they shared the same feelings. Well, not exactly the same. Adrian’s affection was clearly brotherly. Eddie’s? It was hard to read, kind of a mix of the other two. Maybe it was a kind of guardian fondness. Jill made a gesture to the waterfall, and suddenly, part of it broke off from the tumbling cascade. The chunk of water shaped itself into a braid, then twisted high into the air, making spirals before shattering into a million drops that misted over us all. I had been staring wide-eyed and frozen, but those drops hitting me shocked me awake. â€Å"Jill,† I said in a voice I barely recognized as my own. â€Å"Don’t do that again.† Jill, eyes bright, barely spared me a glance as she made another piece of water dance in the air. â€Å"No one’s around to see, Sydney.† That wasn’t what had me so upset. That wasn’t what filled me with so much panic that I could barely breathe. The world was doing that thing where it started to spin, and I worried I was going to faint. Stark, cold fear ran through me, fear at the unknown. The unnatural. The laws of my world had just been broken. This was vampire magic, something foreign and inaccessible to humans – inaccessible because it was forbidden, something no mortal was meant to delve into. I had only once seen magic used, when two spirit users had turned on each other, and I never wanted to see it again. One had forced the plants of the earth to do her bidding while the other telekinetically hurled objects meant to kill. It had been terrifying, and even though I hadn’t been the target, I’d felt trapped and overwhelmed in the f ace of such otherworldly power. It was a reminder that these weren’t fun, easy people to hang out with. These were creatures wholly different from me. â€Å"Stop it,† I said, feeling the panic rise. I was afraid of the magic, afraid it would touch me, afraid of what it might do to me. â€Å"Don’t do it anymore!† Jill didn’t even hear me. She grinned at Lee. â€Å"You’re air, right? Can you create fog over the water?† Lee stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away. â€Å"Ah, well, it’s probably not a good idea. I mean, we’re in public†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Come on,† she pleaded. â€Å"It won’t take any effort for you at all.† He actually appeared nervous. â€Å"Nah, not right now.† â€Å"Not you too.† She laughed. Above her and in front of her, that demon water was still spinning, spinning, spinning†¦ â€Å"Jill,† said Adrian, a harsher note in his voice than I’d ever heard before. In fact, I couldn’t recall him ever addressing her by her actual name. â€Å"Stop.† It was all he said, but it was like a wave of something went through Jill. She flinched, and the water spirals disappeared, falling away in droplets. â€Å"Fine,† she said, looking confused. There was a moment of awkwardness, and then Eddie said, â€Å"We should hurry. We’re going to be pushing curfew.† Lee and Jill set out to make their shots and soon were laughing and flirting again. Eddie continued watching them in his concerned way. Only Adrian paid any attention to me. He was the only one who really understood what had happened, I realized. His green eyes studied me, with no trace of their usual bitter humor. I wasn’t fooled, though. I knew there had to be some witty quip coming, mocking my reaction. â€Å"Are you okay?† he asked quietly. â€Å"I’m fine,† I said, turning from him. I didn’t want him to see my face. He’d already seen too much, seen my fear. I didn’t want any of them to know how afraid of them I was. I heard him take a few steps toward me. â€Å"Sage – â€Å" â€Å"Leave me alone,† I snapped back. I hurried off toward the course’s exit, certain he wouldn’t follow me. I was right. I waited for them to finish the game, using the alone time to calm myself down. By the time they caught up to me, I was fairly certain I had wiped most of the emotions from my face. Adrian still watched me with concern, which I didn’t like, but at least he didn’t say anything else about my breakdown. Surprising to no one, the final score showed that I had won and Adrian had lost. Lee had come in third, which seemed to trouble him. â€Å"I used to be a lot better,† he muttered, frowning. â€Å"I used to be perfect at this game.† Considering he’d spent most of the time paying attention to Jill, I thought third was a pretty respectable performance. I dropped him and Adrian off first and then just barely got Eddie, Jill, and me back to Amberwood on time. I was more or less back to normal by then, not that anyone would’ve noticed. Jill was floating on a cloud as we went into our dorm room, talking nonstop about Lee. â€Å"I had no idea he’d traveled so much! He’s maybe been more places than you, Sydney. He keeps telling me that he’ll take me to all of them, that we’ll spend the rest of our lives traveling and doing whatever we want. And he’s taking all sorts of classes in college because he’s not sure what he wants to major in. Well, not all sorts this semester. He’s got a light schedule so that he can spend more time with his father. And that’s good for me. For us, I mean.† I stifled a yawn and nodded wearily. â€Å"That’s great.† She paused from where she’d been searching her dresser for pajamas. â€Å"I’m sorry, by the way.† I froze. I didn’t want an apology for the magic. I didn’t even want to remember it had happened. â€Å"For yelling at you the other night,† she continued. â€Å"You didn’t set me up with Lee. I should never have accused you of interfering. He really has liked me all along, and, well†¦ he’s really great.† I let out the breath I’d been holding and attempted a weak smile. â€Å"I’m glad you’re happy.† She returned cheerfully to her tasks and to talking about Lee until I left to go down to the bathroom. Before brushing my teeth, I stood in front of the sink and washed my hands and arms over and over, scrubbing as hard as I could to wash away the magical drops of water I swore I could still feel on my skin. Bloodlines Chapter Twelve We tried to tell him that Tamara was killed by Strigoi, but he won’t believe it. He doesn’t want to. He can’t take revenge on a Strigoi. They’re immortal. Invincible. But some human vampire hunter? Somehow, in his head, that’s something he can go after. And if he can’t, then he can focus his energy on how the guardians won’t go after these nonexistent vampire hunters.† I just barely heard Eddie mutter, â€Å"Strigoi aren’t that invincible.† In the rearview mirror, I saw Jill’s face filled with compassion. She was seated between Lee and Eddie. â€Å"Even if it’s a fantasy, maybe it’s better this way,† she suggested. â€Å"It gives him comfort. I mean, kind of. Having something tangible to hate is what gets him through. Otherwise he’d just give in to despair. He’s not hurting anyone with his theories. I think he’s sweet.† She caught her breath in that way she did when she’d said a whole lot all at once. My eyes were back on the road, but I could swear Lee was smiling. â€Å"That’s nice of you,† he told her. â€Å"I know he likes having you around. Turn right up here.† That was to me. Lee had been giving me directions ever since we left Clarence’s. We were just outside of Palm Springs proper, nearing the very impressive-looking Desert Gods Golf Course and Resort. Further guidance from him led us to the Mega-Fun Mini-Golf Center, which was adjacent to the resort. I searched for a parking spot and heard Jill gasp when she caught sight of the golf course’s crowning glory. There, in the center of a cluster of gaudily decorated putting greens, was a huge fake mountain with an artificial waterfall spouting from its top. â€Å"A waterfall!† she exclaimed. â€Å"It’s amazing.† â€Å"Well,† said Lee, â€Å"I wouldn’t go that far. It’s made of water that’s been pumped over and over and has God only knows what in it. I mean, I wouldn’t try to drink or swim in it.† Before I even had the car to a stop, Adrian was out the door, lighting a cigarette. We’d gotten in an argument on the way over, despite me telling him three times that Latte was a strictly no-smoking car. The rest of us soon got out as well, and I wondered what I’d signed up for here as we strolled toward the entrance. â€Å"I’ve actually never been mini-golfing,† I remarked. Lee came to a halt and stared. â€Å"Never?† â€Å"Never.† â€Å"How does that happen?† asked Adrian. â€Å"How is it possible that you’ve never played mini-golf?† â€Å"I had kind of an unusual childhood,† I said at last. Even Eddie looked incredulous. â€Å"You? I was practically raised at an isolated school in the middle of nowhere Montana, and even I’ve played mini-golf.† Saying I was homeschooled was no excuse this time, so I just let it go. Really, it just came down to having a childhood more focused on chemical equations than on fun and recreation. Once we started playing, I soon got the hang of it. My first few attempts were pretty bad, but I soon understood the weight of the club and how the angles on each course could be maneuvered. From there, it was pretty simple to calculate distance and force to make accurate shots. â€Å"Unbelievable. If you’d been playing since you were a child, you’d be a pro by now,† Eddie told me as I knocked my ball into a gaping dragon’s mouth. The ball rolled out the back, down a tube, bounced off a wall, and into the hole. â€Å"How’d you do that?† I shrugged. â€Å"It’s simple geometry. You’re not that bad either,† I pointed out, watching him make his shot. â€Å"How do you do it?† â€Å"I just line it up and putt.† â€Å"Very scientific.† â€Å"I just rely on natural talent,† said Adrian, strolling up to the start of the Dragon’s Lair. â€Å"When you have such a wealth of it to draw from, the danger comes from having too much.† â€Å"That makes no sense whatsoever,† said Eddie. Adrian’s response was to pause and take out a silver flask from his inner coat pocket. He unscrewed it and took a quick drink before leaning in to line up his shot. â€Å"What was that?† I exclaimed. â€Å"You can’t have alcohol out here.† â€Å"You heard Jailbait earlier,† he countered. â€Å"It’s the weekend.† He lined up his ball and shot. The ball went directly for the dragon’s eye, bounced off it, and shot back toward Adrian. It rolled and came to a stop at his feet, nearly where it had started. â€Å"Natural talent, huh?† asked Eddie. I leaned forward. â€Å"I think you broke the dragon’s eye.† â€Å"Just like Keith,† said Adrian. â€Å"I figured you’d appreciate that, Sage.† I gave him a sharp look, wondering if there was any hidden meaning behind that. Mostly, Adrian seemed amused by his own wit. Eddie mistook my expression. â€Å"That was inappropriate,† he told Adrian. â€Å"Sorry, Dad.† Adrian shot again and managed not to maim any statues this time. A couple more shots, and he sank the ball. â€Å"There we go. Three.† â€Å"Four,† said Eddie and I in unison. Adrian looked at us incredulously. â€Å"It was three.† â€Å"You’re forgetting about your first one,† I said. â€Å"The one where you blinded the dragon.† â€Å"That was just the warm-up,† Adrian argued. He put on a smile I think he hoped would charm me. â€Å"Come on, Sage. You understand how my mind works. You said I was brilliant, remember?† Eddie glanced at me in surprise. â€Å"You did?† â€Å"No! I never said that.† Adrian’s smile was infuriating. â€Å"Stop telling people that.† Since I was in charge of the scorecard, his play was logged as four, despite his many further protests. I started to move forward, but Eddie held out a hand to stop me, his hazel eyes gazing over my shoulder. â€Å"Hold up,† he said. â€Å"We need to wait for Jill and Lee.† I followed his gaze. The two of them had been in deep conversation since we arrived, so much so that they’d slowed and lagged behind the rest of us. Even during his bantering with Adrian and me, Eddie had continually checked on her – and our surroundings. It was kind of amazing the way he could multitask. Thus far, Jill and Lee had only been one hole behind us. Now it was nearly two, and that was too far for Eddie to keep her in his sight. So, we waited while the oblivious couple meandered their way toward the Dragon’s Lair. Adrian took another drink from his flask and shook his head in awe. â€Å"You had nothing to worry about, Sage. She went right for him.† â€Å"No thanks to you,† I snapped. â€Å"I can’t believe you told her every detail of my visit that night. She was so mad at me for interfering behind her back with you, Lee, and Micah.† â€Å"I hardly told her anything,† argued Adrian. â€Å"I just told her to stay away from that human guy.† Eddie glanced between our faces. â€Å"Micah?† I shifted uncomfortably. Eddie didn’t know about how I’d gone proactive. â€Å"Remember when I wanted you to say something to him? And you wouldn’t?† I proceeded to tell him how I’d then sought out Adrian’s help and found out about Lee’s interest in Jill. Eddie was aghast. â€Å"How could you not tell me any of this?† he demanded. â€Å"Well,† I said, wondering if everything I did was going to result in the wrath of a Moroi or dhampir, â€Å"it didn’t involve you.† â€Å"Jill’s safety does! If some guy likes her, I need to know.† Adrian chuckled. â€Å"Should Sage have passed you a note in class?† â€Å"Lee’s fine,† I said. â€Å"He obviously adores her, and it’s not like she’ll ever be alone with him.† â€Å"We don’t know for sure that he’s fine,† said Eddie. â€Å"Whereas Micah’s a hundred percent okay? Did you do a background check or something?† I asked. â€Å"No,† said Eddie, looking embarrassed. â€Å"I just know. It’s a feeling I get about him. There’s no problem with him spending time with Jill.† â€Å"Except that he’s human.† â€Å"They wouldn’t have gotten serious.† â€Å"You don’t know that.† â€Å"Enough, you two,† interrupted Adrian. Jill and Lee had finally reached the start of the Dragon’s Lair, meaning we could move on. Adrian lowered his voice. â€Å"Your argument’s useless. I mean, look at them. That human boy doesn’t enter into it.† I looked. Adrian was right. Jill and Lee were clearly enthralled with each other. Some guilty part of me wondered if I should be a doing a better job of looking out for Jill. I was so relieved that she was interested in a Moroi that I hadn’t stopped to wonder if she should even be dating anyone. Was fifteen old enough? I hadn’t dated at fifteen. I’d actually, well, never dated. â€Å"There is an age difference between them,† I admitted, more to myself. Adrian scoffed. â€Å"Believe me, I’ve seen age differences. Theirs is nothing.† He walked off, and a few moments later, Eddie and I went to join him. Eddie maintained his simultaneous vigil of Jill, but this time, I got the impression the danger he was watching out for was right beside her. Adrian’s laughter rang out ahead of us. â€Å"Sage!† he called. â€Å"You have got to see this.† Eddie and I reached the next green and stared in astonishment. Then I burst out laughing. We had reached Dracula’s Castle. A huge, multi-towered black castle guarded the hole some distance away. A tunnel was cut out through the center of it with a narrow bridge meant for the ball to go over. If the ball fell off the sides before getting through the castle, it was returned back to the starting point. An animatronic Count Dracula stood off to the castle’s side. He was pure white, with red eyes, pointed ears, and slicked-back hair. He jerkily kept raising his arms to show off a batlike cape. Nearby, a speaker blasted eerie organ music. I couldn’t stop laughing. Adrian and Eddie looked at me as though they’d never seen me before. â€Å"I don’t think I’ve ever heard her laugh,† Eddie told him. â€Å"Certainly not the reaction I was expecting,† mused Adrian. â€Å"I’d been counting on abject terror, judging from past Alchemist behavior. I didn’t think you liked vampires.† Still grinning, I watched Dracula raise his cape up and down. â€Å"This isn’t a vampire. Not a real one. And that’s what makes it so funny. It’s pure Hollywood camp. Real vampires are terrifying and unnatural. This? This is hilarious.† It was clear from their expressions that neither really understood why this would appeal to my sense of humor so much. Adrian did, however, offer to take a picture with my cell phone when I asked him. I posed by Dracula and put on a big smile. Adrian managed to snap the shot just as Dracula was raising his cape. When I viewed the picture, I was pleased to see it had come out perfectly. Even my hair looked good. Adrian gave the picture a nod of approval before handing me the phone. â€Å"Okay, even I can admit that’s pretty cute.† I found myself overanalyzing the comment. What had he meant in saying even he could admit it? That I was cute for a human? Or that I had just met some kind of Adrian hot-girl criteria? Moments later, I had to forcibly stop thinking about it. Let it go, Sydney. It’s a compliment. Accept it. We played through the rest of the course, finally finishing off with the waterfall itself. That was a particularly challenging hole, and I took my time lining up the shot – not that I needed to. I was beating everyone pretty handily. Eddie was the only one who came close. It was clear Jill and Lee didn’t even have their attention on the game, and as for Adrian and his natural talent†¦ well, they were very solidly in last place. Eddie, Adrian, and I were still ahead of the other two, so we waited for them by the waterfall. Jill practically ran to it when she had the chance, gazing up at it with enchanted eyes. â€Å"Oh,† she breathed. â€Å"This is wonderful. I haven’t seen this much water in days.† â€Å"Remember what I said about the toxicity,† teased Lee. But it was clear he found her reaction endearing. As I glanced at the other two guys, I saw that they shared the same feelings. Well, not exactly the same. Adrian’s affection was clearly brotherly. Eddie’s? It was hard to read, kind of a mix of the other two. Maybe it was a kind of guardian fondness. Jill made a gesture to the waterfall, and suddenly, part of it broke off from the tumbling cascade. The chunk of water shaped itself into a braid, then twisted high into the air, making spirals before shattering into a million drops that misted over us all. I had been staring wide-eyed and frozen, but those drops hitting me shocked me awake. â€Å"Jill,† I said in a voice I barely recognized as my own. â€Å"Don’t do that again.† Jill, eyes bright, barely spared me a glance as she made another piece of water dance in the air. â€Å"No one’s around to see, Sydney.† That wasn’t what had me so upset. That wasn’t what filled me with so much panic that I could barely breathe. The world was doing that thing where it started to spin, and I worried I was going to faint. Stark, cold fear ran through me, fear at the unknown. The unnatural. The laws of my world had just been broken. This was vampire magic, something foreign and inaccessible to humans – inaccessible because it was forbidden, something no mortal was meant to delve into. I had only once seen magic used, when two spirit users had turned on each other, and I never wanted to see it again. One had forced the plants of the earth to do her bidding while the other telekinetically hurled objects meant to kill. It had been terrifying, and even though I hadn’t been the target, I’d felt trapped and overwhelmed in the f ace of such otherworldly power. It was a reminder that these weren’t fun, easy people to hang out with. These were creatures wholly different from me. â€Å"Stop it,† I said, feeling the panic rise. I was afraid of the magic, afraid it would touch me, afraid of what it might do to me. â€Å"Don’t do it anymore!† Jill didn’t even hear me. She grinned at Lee. â€Å"You’re air, right? Can you create fog over the water?† Lee stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away. â€Å"Ah, well, it’s probably not a good idea. I mean, we’re in public†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Come on,† she pleaded. â€Å"It won’t take any effort for you at all.† He actually appeared nervous. â€Å"Nah, not right now.† â€Å"Not you too.† She laughed. Above her and in front of her, that demon water was still spinning, spinning, spinning†¦ â€Å"Jill,† said Adrian, a harsher note in his voice than I’d ever heard before. In fact, I couldn’t recall him ever addressing her by her actual name. â€Å"Stop.† It was all he said, but it was like a wave of something went through Jill. She flinched, and the water spirals disappeared, falling away in droplets. â€Å"Fine,† she said, looking confused. There was a moment of awkwardness, and then Eddie said, â€Å"We should hurry. We’re going to be pushing curfew.† Lee and Jill set out to make their shots and soon were laughing and flirting again. Eddie continued watching them in his concerned way. Only Adrian paid any attention to me. He was the only one who really understood what had happened, I realized. His green eyes studied me, with no trace of their usual bitter humor. I wasn’t fooled, though. I knew there had to be some witty quip coming, mocking my reaction. â€Å"Are you okay?† he asked quietly. â€Å"I’m fine,† I said, turning from him. I didn’t want him to see my face. He’d already seen too much, seen my fear. I didn’t want any of them to know how afraid of them I was. I heard him take a few steps toward me. â€Å"Sage – â€Å" â€Å"Leave me alone,† I snapped back. I hurried off toward the course’s exit, certain he wouldn’t follow me. I was right. I waited for them to finish the game, using the alone time to calm myself down. By the time they caught up to me, I was fairly certain I had wiped most of the emotions from my face. Adrian still watched me with concern, which I didn’t like, but at least he didn’t say anything else about my breakdown. Surprising to no one, the final score showed that I had won and Adrian had lost. Lee had come in third, which seemed to trouble him. â€Å"I used to be a lot better,† he muttered, frowning. â€Å"I used to be perfect at this game.† Considering he’d spent most of the time paying attention to Jill, I thought third was a pretty respectable performance. I dropped him and Adrian off first and then just barely got Eddie, Jill, and me back to Amberwood on time. I was more or less back to normal by then, not that anyone would’ve noticed. Jill was floating on a cloud as we went into our dorm room, talking nonstop about Lee. â€Å"I had no idea he’d traveled so much! He’s maybe been more places than you, Sydney. He keeps telling me that he’ll take me to all of them, that we’ll spend the rest of our lives traveling and doing whatever we want. And he’s taking all sorts of classes in college because he’s not sure what he wants to major in. Well, not all sorts this semester. He’s got a light schedule so that he can spend more time with his father. And that’s good for me. For us, I mean.† I stifled a yawn and nodded wearily. â€Å"That’s great.† She paused from where she’d been searching her dresser for pajamas. â€Å"I’m sorry, by the way.† I froze. I didn’t want an apology for the magic. I didn’t even want to remember it had happened. â€Å"For yelling at you the other night,† she continued. â€Å"You didn’t set me up with Lee. I should never have accused you of interfering. He really has liked me all along, and, well†¦ he’s really great.† I let out the breath I’d been holding and attempted a weak smile. â€Å"I’m glad you’re happy.† She returned cheerfully to her tasks and to talking about Lee until I left to go down to the bathroom. Before brushing my teeth, I stood in front of the sink and washed my hands and arms over and over, scrubbing as hard as I could to wash away the magical drops of water I swore I could still feel on my skin.