American Dream by James Truslow Essay

The ‘American dream’ is a term coined by James Truslow in his 1932 book Epic of America, but it is a concept as old as America itself: anything is possible if only the individual is willing to work hard. The dream draws immigrants to our shores and borders every year and keeps millions of Americans content in the idea that their toiling will pave the way to success for them and for their children. However, for every rags-to-riches story, there are thousands of other hard-working people who cannot get by, who do not have enough to eat, transportation, safe housing, or warm clothes in winter. There is much evidence that the American dream is little more than a myth, a false promise that keeps millions of people working themselves weary for a better tomorrow that will never come. The American dream is the promise of the Declaration of Independence, which indicates that our â€Å"inalienable rights† are â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† There is no single American dream, but Adams defines the concept in its most dignified sense: [It is the] dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement†¦a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which that are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. (qtd. In Ferenz) The lure of America for immigrants and the promise to its citizens is that, as Adams indicates, the individual is not held back by circumstances, but through individual efforts can pursue and attain whatever personal brand of happiness he or she desires. In the midst of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt recognized the part the federal government needed to play in keeping the American dream alive-no longer was hard work the only factor involved in ensuring an acceptable standard of living. Under his administration, a number of social programs were put into place to help Americans achieve the dream, which Roosevelt described as â€Å"sufficiency of life, rather than†¦a plethora of riches [and] good health, good food, good education, good working conditions† (qtd. In Muir). Owing to these principles, Roosevelt’s New Deal included the Social Security Act, Fair Labor Standards Act that banned child labor and established a minimum wage, and a variety of programs that put Americans to work in civil service (Successes 4-6). Roosevelt’s programs and World War II helped drag the nation out of the Great Depression, but were not permanent solutions in making the American dream possible for all Americans. By the 1960’s, one in five Americans were living in poverty, and in his first State of the Union address in 1964, Lyndon Johnson declared, â€Å"an unconditional war on poverty in America.† (qtd. In Quindlen 1) Johnson, too, understood that the American dream was one not attainable through hard work alone. As Anna Quindlen, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, notes in her 2004 editorial, â€Å"from [Johnson’s] declaration a host of government initiatives sprang, including Head Start, an expended food-stamp program, and sweeping reforms in health care for the needy† (Quindlen 2). Unfortunately, in spite of the attempts of Roosevelt, Johnson, and others to lend a hand to those Americans who need it most, the feeling that the poor are responsible for their own troubles always seems to creep its way back into the American mind. We’ve all heard the rumors that the poor are lazy, that welfare is just n excuse not to get a job. Quindlen comments that â€Å"part of the problem with a war on poverty today is that many Americans have decided that being poor is a character defect, not an economic condition† (Quindlen 2). Public policy of the last few decades seems to follow this line of thinking: the Federal minimum wage has not risen since 1997 even as welfare reform movements have forced millions of people, many single parents, off public assistance and into minimum wage jobs. Quindlen argues that â€Å"forty years after Johnson led the charge, the battle against poverty still rages. The biggest differences today if that there is no call to arms by those in power† (Quindlen 1). How does this shift in American policy affect the status of the American dream? Can we still call ourselves the land of opportunity when the American dream eludes so many of our citizens? Should the American dream exist and is it really worth it to try and live by the dream? In July 2000, Mortimer Zuckerman, editor-in-chief of U.S. News and World Report, wrote an essay about the success of the American dream. Zuckerman claims that â€Å"it is a dream on individual effort-talent, ambition, risk-taking, readiness to change, and just plain hard work-qualities that count more in America than social background of luck† (Zuckerman 120). That is a perspective that Zuckerman, a billionaire whose biography on the U.S. News and World Report website boasts he has substantial real-estate holdings, including properties in Boston, New York, Washington, and San Francisco can afford to have. The reality for most Americans, however, is not nearly so great. It is a reality where social background and luck play far too large a part in achieving the American dream. Two articles written a decade apart demonstrate that bitter reality. In USA Today in 1996, Charles Whalen writes that â€Å"beneath the misleading surface prosperity [of the 1990s] are numerous alarming trends,† among them â€Å"relentless downsizing, longer job searches and sluggish job creation, explosive growth in contingent work (part-time and temporary employment), and wage stagnation† (Whalen 2-3). One would be hard=pressed to find a list that better demonstrates the part luck plays in securing steady employment. Whalen also cites a survey, ironically conducted for U.S. News and World Report, that indicates â€Å"57% of those asked said that the American dream is out of reach for most families† (qtd. in Whalen 2). In 2006 in the Chicago Sun-Times, Clyde Murphy cites a â€Å"new report released by the Opportunity Agenda [that] measures the nation’s progress in living up to the American dream.† The findings? â€Å"That millions of Americans do not have a fair chance to achieve their full potential, despite their best efforts† (Murphy 33). Two of the reasons cited by the study are housing discrimination against blacks, Hispanics, and Asians are employment discrimination against women and minorities, which included favoring job candidates with â€Å"white-sounding† names. These findings clearly refute Zuckerman’s claim, demonstrating that background does in fact count more in America than individual effort when it comes to achieving certain aspects of the American dream. Another dubious claim in Zuckerman’s essay is that â€Å"anybody who wishes to work has the opportunity to move from the bottom of the ladder to a middle-class standard of life, or higher† (Zuckerman 120). As award-winning journalist Barbara Ehrenreich notes in her book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform â€Å"assumed that a job was the ticket out of poverty and that the only thing holding back welfare recipients was their reluctance to get out and get one† (Ehrenreich 196). As a wealth of evidence suggests, this is the fundamental misperception surrounding the American dream. In her 2003 editorial A New Kind of Poverty, Anna Quindlen argues â€Å"America is a country that now sits atop a precarious latticework of myth. It is the myth that working people can support their families† (Quindlen 2). Quindlen interviews two women who run services for the homeless and impoverished in New York City, ant they note that more often they are seeing working families in dire need of their help. Indeed, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2005 report on poverty, America’s poverty rate has been climbing, from 11.3 percent in 2000 to 12.7 percent in 2004, the latest for which data is available. This translates into 37 million people who live below the poverty line. This is further complicated, however, by the way that the Census Bureau calculates the poverty level. Barbara Ehrenreich explains that â€Å"[it] is still calculated by the archaic method of taking the bare-bones cost of food for a family of a given size and multiplying that number by th ree. Yet food is relatively inflation-proof† (Ehrenreich 200). This method results in a base calculation of $9,310 for one person, with $3,180 added for each additional person in the household. As anyone who has ever lived on his or her own understands, those poverty calculations are very low. Ehrenreich points out that â€Å"the Economic Policy Institute recently reviewed dozens of studies of what constitutes a ‘living wage’ and came up with an average figure of $30,000 for a family of one adult and two children† (Ehrenreich 213). When compared to the federal poverty calculation of $15,670, the gap becomes glaringly apparent. Anna Quindlen explains â€Å"when you adjust the level to reflect reality, you come closer to 35 percent of all Americans who are having a hard time providing the basics for their families† (Quindlen 2). As pioneering psychologist Abraham Maslow’s research reveals, psychological and safety needs-the â€Å"basics† referred to by Quindlen, such as food and housing-must be fulfilled before other needs, core components of the American dream such as belongingness and self-esteem, can be met (Abraham 2). This creates a basic gap between those who can reach for the American dream and those who cannot; if all someone’s energy is focused on providing food and shelter, there is nothing left to reach for higher goals. In a 2002 essay What’s So Great About America? Dinesh D’Souza, an Indian immigrant, makes assertions that demonstrate some common misconceptions about Americans meeting our basic needs. â€Å"The United States is a country where the ordinary guy has a good life,† (D’Souza 23). He even goes so far to say that â€Å"very few people in America have to wonder where their next meal is coming from† (D’Souza 23). Sadly, this is not true. Quindlen indicates â€Å"the U.S. Department of Agriculture notes that 1.6 million New Yorkers†¦suffer from ‘food insecurity,’ which is just a fancy way of saying they do not have to enough to eat† (Quindlen 1). Ehrenreich reports that â€Å"according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 67 percent of the adults requesting emergency food aid are people with jobs† (Ehrenreich 219). Two other basic needs, safe housing and health care, are also beyond the reach of many Americans. â€Å"When the rich and the poor compete for housing on the open market,† writes Ehrenreich, â€Å"the poor don’t stand a chance. The rich can always outbid them, buy up their tenements and trailer parks, and replace them with†¦whatever they like† (Ehrenreich 199). This is exaggerated by the fact that â€Å"expenditures on public housing have fallen since the 1980s, and the expansion of public rental subsidies came to a halt in the 1990s† (Ehrenreich 201). Health care is another sad story. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans with no health insurance has been slowly rising, arriving at 15.7 percent in 2004, and as Quindlen observes, â€Å"poor kids are much more likely to become sick than their counterparts, but much less likely to have health insurance. Talk about a double whammy† (Quindlen 1). How can families dream big an d plan for the future as they worry about whether the next month will bring eviction or illness? Two people in particular have put a human face on the statistical evidence that the American dream remains out of reach for millions of hard-working Americans. At the urging of her editor at Harper’s magazine, Barbara Ehrenreich undertook a yearlong undercover investigation of living on low-wage jobs in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota. She waited tables, worked as a maid, and worked at Wal-Mart, never revealing her statue as a reported, but keeping careful private diaries documenting the details of her experience. In spite of working at least full-time, usually more, she was unable to get by. The most heartbreaking part of her journey, however, was the people she met, women who were not just experimenting with the low-wage life, but who were trapped by it. They were women who were victims of the affordable housing shortage, who lived in cars, or if they were lucky, weekly rental motel rooms. They walked, rode bikes, or bummed rides to work. Certainly among those who experience food insecurity, they skipped meals or ate nutritionally void foods like hot dog buns because they couldn’t afford to eat. They were women with raw hands and sore backs, balancing two or more jobs who would never, in spite of their work ethic, move off that bottom rung of the social ladder. In a similar experiment, Morgan Spurlock (of Super Size Me fame) and his fiancà ©e lived on minimum wage for thirty days in Columbus, Ohio and recorded the results for the premiere episode of his television series 30 Days. As Spurlock works eighteen-hour days making at least $7.50 per hour and Alex works for minimum wage at a coffee house, the pair is faced with a host of challenges that mirror the everyday trials of the working poor. Emergency room visits for a urinary tract infection and a sprained wrist cost them $1,217. D’Souza correctly comments that in America, â€Å"even sick people who don’t have money or insurance will receive medical care at hospital emergency rooms† (D’Souza 23), but he fails to take into account that suck care generates bills are equivalent to six weeks’ of full time minimum wage work. The most affordable housing they could find, a steal at $325 per month, has ant infestations, malfunctioning heat, and is upstairs from an apartment that was a crack house just the week before. Furthermore, their relationship is strained by the stress that results from the constant worrying about money. At the end of the month they find themselves hundreds of dollars in the hole, by permanently changed by their experience. When taken together, the accounts of Ehrenreich and Spurlock offer powerful insight into the everyday struggles of the working poor, those who are anything but lazy but still find themselves drowning financially, the American dream slipping further away all the time. Dinesh D’Souza claims that â€Å"in America your destiny is not prescribed. Your life is like a blank sheet of paper and you are the artist† (D’Souza 24). It is difficult to believe, however, that the millions of working poor are not trying to create a better destiny for themselves, only to find their dreams let down by the harsh realities of daily life. So why is the American dream still suck a pervasive part of our consciousness, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that hard work is not the ticket to prosperity, or even necessarily to a comfortable standard of living? In his â€Å"Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of the Right,† Karl Marx wrote that â€Å"religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of the heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for the real happiness† (qtd in Cline). Marx’s clever observation is that religion, in keeping the focus on the afterlife, keeps people from demanding fair treatment in this world. D’Souza suggests, however, that â€Å"capitalism gives America a this-worldly focus that allows death and the afterlife to recede from everyday view†¦the gaze of the people is shifted to earthly progress† (D’Souza 25). If this the case, why is it that we are not more aware of (and enraged about!) the decided lack of â€Å"earthly progress† of so many of our friends and neighbors? Some believe that it is because the American dream has taken the place of religion as today’s â€Å"opiate of the masses.† So long as we all believe that there is a better life ahead, that is we only work harder, our dreams are within reach, it is easy to be lulled into satisfaction about the inequality that is so common in America today. Barbara Ehrenreich predicts that someday the working poor â€Å"are bound to tire of getting so little in return [for their labor] and to demand to be paid what they’re worth† (Ehrenreich 221). Some challenge, echoing Marx, that Ehrenreich’s predication will not come true until the American dream, â€Å"the illusory happiness of the people,† is abolished in favor of a more realistic world view that recognizes that more than hard work, a hel ping hand is needed to make America truly the land of opportunity. From the survey that I took in class, 14 out of 20 people were surveyed and said that they to, disagree that the American dream should exist. They believe as well that there should be a more realistic view in society that allows you to get what you work for. Of the people that did agree, most were people between the ages of 18 and 21, people who have not yet, most likely gotten out into the real world to experience what type of life they can actually work for. If you too, disagree with the American dream, I ask you to go to this website: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/the-american-dream-is-not-for-rent , sign the petition, and keep working hard at what you do! Work Cited â€Å"Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.† Shippensberg University Website. Sept. 2005: 2-3. Web. 16 June 2009. Cline, Austin. â€Å"Karl Marx on Religion.† About.com. 5 Apr. 2006: n.pag. Web. 16 June 2009. D’Souza, Dinesh. â€Å"What’s So Great About America?† The American Enterprise. May 2002: 22-25. Print. Ehrenreich, Barbara. â€Å"Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.† New York: Owl Books. 2002: 20-38. Print. Ferenz, Kathleen. â€Å"What is the American Dream?† San Francisco State University Online Web Site. 31 Mar. 2005: n.pag. Web. 16 June 2009. Muir, Ed. â€Å"Narrowing the Highway to the American Dream.† American Teacher. Oct. 2004: 25. Print. Murphy, Clyde. â€Å"When Opportunity Knocks, It Skips Over Some Adresses.† Chicago Sun-Times. 14 Feb. 2006: 33. Web. 16 June 2009. Quindlen, Anna. â€Å"A New Kind of Poverty.† Newsweek. 1 Dec. 2003: 1-2. Web. 16 June 2009. Quindlen, Anna. â€Å"The War We Haven’t Won.† Newsweek. 20 Sep. 2004: 1-2. Web. 16 June 2009. â€Å"Successes and Failures of Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’ Programs.† Bergen County Technical Schools and Special Services Web Site. 10 Mar. 2006: 4-6. 16 June 2009. U.S Census Bureau. 2005 Poverty Press Release. 30 Aug. 2005: n.pag. 16 June 2009. Whalen, Charles J. â€Å"The Age of Anxiety: Erosion of the American Dream.† USA Today. Sep. 1996: 1-3. Web. 16 June 2009. Zuckerman, Mortimer. â€Å"A Time to Celebrate.† U.S. News and World Report. 17 Jul. 2000: 120. Print.

Teens Becoming Parents

Teens Becoming Parents 56% of young women and 73% of young men today have had intercourse by the age of 18, compared to the 35% of young women and 55% of young men in the early 1970’s (Facts. ) Each year, nearly one million teenagers in the United States become pregnant. One third of these pregnancies result in being aborted, 14% miscarry, and 52% bear children (Kids. ) What are the effects of having children at a young age? Education, being unprepared, and a change in responsibility are just a few of the effects of having a child at a young age.Seven out of ten teen mothers complete high school or eventually earn their G. E. D. , but are less likely than women who delay childbearing to go on to college (Sex. ) Having a child in high school makes it more difficult to focus on your studies. Late nights staying awake to feed, change, and care for your baby, can have a huge impact on your ability to focus on school and other tasks you face. As a teenage mother in school, you miss out things such as your prom, sports, and other extracurricular activities.Unpreparedness is another effect of having a child as a teenager. Most teenagers if they work, work minimum wage jobs and have no way of supporting themselves and a child. When a box of diapers for a newborn cost around $32. 50, and last maybe a month, and a can of formula that cost $13, last maybe a week, your priorities of how you spend your money also changes. You no longer are able to go out with the girls for an all-day shopping trip or get your hair and nails done. Every penny you make goes to taking care of that child.The combination of the minimum wage jobs and going to school, allows for very little quality time with their child. Without a good support system, raising a child as a teenager is almost impossible. In 1992, the federal government spent more than $34 billion on welfare for families begun by teenagers, which is $16. 6 billion higher than in 1985 (Babies. ) Prior to becoming a teen parent, most high school students have no concept of what responsibility is. They think that life is theirs to do with as they please.If they want to go out with friends and have good time, they do just that. However, when they become a parent they have minimal time to go out with friends. Their main priority should become their child and taking care of that child. Most teen parents rush out and get married to try and hide that the child was conceived out of wedlock, but most marriages in this form end in divorce somewhere down the line. Having a child as a teenager can really change your life. Most teenagers can’t handle going to school and raising their child, so they drop out of school.Being unprepared for a child, makes it that much harder. Teens should really wait until they are old enough, with their priorities in order, and prepared to take care of a child. Raising a child is a full time job in itself. Works Cited 1) â€Å"Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy,† The A lan Guttmacher Institute, 1996. 2) Kids Having Kids, Robin Hood Foundation, 1996 3) Sex and America’s Teenagers, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994. 4) â€Å"Babies Born Into Peril,† Chicago Tribune, 22 May 1994

Global leadership Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global leadership - Research Proposal Example According to Patterson et al (1998), â€Å"the effectiveness with which organizations manage, develop, motivate, involve and engage the willing contribution of people who work in them is a key determinant of how well those organizations perform.† Some companies have faced numerous leadership challenges from a global perspective due to their leadership styles. As such, this study focuses on the case involving the merger of Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HWP) and Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ) which was intended to build an $87 billion global technology leader (Palo & Houston, 2001). However, this initiative was a failure due to the fact that the leadership was not effective in dealing with management issues from a global perspective. The CEO, Fiorina significantly differed with the views of the other people who supported the HP way of doing business. It can also be seen that the new culture created was not compatible with the usual HP way of doing business (Malone, 200 2). This led to the sacking of the CEO after the failure of implementing effective leadership strategies in solving the global challenges facing the company. Where there is lack of goodwill and positive leadership, it can be seen that there are likely to be numerous challenges that can be encountered in a global environment. ... egards to global challenges in leadership has influenced the researcher to undertake a study to investigate some of the measures that can be implemented in order to promote behaviour change of the of the leaders so that they can be effective. Basically, positive behaviour change among the leaders is one reliable way that can ensure the organisations’ viability and this can be achieved through exploring different leadership techniques that can enhance the leaders’ effectiveness in a global environment. The broad objective of the study is to investigate the measures that can be implemented by the leaders to address global challenges in leadership. The other objective is to explore the strategy that can be used to positively change the behaviour and attitude of leaders operating in a global environment. Transformational leadership â€Å"Focus of leadership research has shifted towards the examination of the behaviours exhibited by the leader that makes the followers more aware of the values and task outcomes, activate their higher order needs and induce them to transcend self interests for the sake of the organization,† (Bass, 1985, Yukl, 1989 as cited in Podsakoff et al, 1990). According to different researches about transformational leadership, followers often feel trust and respect toward a leader and they do more than what they are expected to do. It is imperative that a leader operating in a global environment should be in a position to show positive attitude and behaviour to the employees so that they can be motivated to put optimum performance in their operations. This is beneficial to the whole organization. A leader who is charismatic and capable of creating trust among the employees is also in a position to persuade them to have positive behaviour and

History of Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

History of Germany - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that several European, Asian and African states had been under the German subjugation particularly during the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Once divided into nearly three hundred and thirty-nine small Prussian states, as a shattered nation of Germania, the country witnessed its unification in 1871 after winning three decisive wars against Denmark, Austria-Hungary, and France in 1864, 1866 and 1871 respectively. The credit certainly goes to the distinguished Prussian statesman and iron chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who united the entire nation under one banner and motivated them to fight jointly against the rival nations in order to regain their lands from them to ensure and complete the unification process. â€Å"The Schleswig-Holstein War humbled Denmark, the Austro-Prussian War ended in the defeat of Austria-Hungary and the Franco-Prussian War completed German unification by the defeat of France. Consequently, Germany tur ned out to be supreme and one of the most powerful sovereign states of the entire region in the wake of the arrest of the French Emperor and the declaration made in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles in January 1871. Bismarck settled the aftermath of wars against Denmark and Austria-Hungary under very moderate terms and conditions; somehow, he observed unparalleled cruelty and disliking towards France. He not only inflicted upon vanquished France with enormous war indemnity but also snatched her most productive zones including two provinces of Alsace and Lorraine from her. It not only created a boundary wall between the French nation, but also the country had to undergo serious setback after she was deprived of the most productive industrial areas. Hence, Bismarck expressed his extreme repugnance towards the entire French nation, and consequently invited the same bitter sentiments in the hearts and minds of the deprived, humiliated and downtrodden French nation. As a result, feelings of repentance, remorse, hatred, and revenge started growing against the then recently united Germany in the hearts of the French, and Bismarck turned out to be the most unwanted personality for the whole French nation. The sentiments of vengeance arose among the French and the foundations of new foreign policies were laid on the principles of retaliation, uncertainty, and malice. Since the German Chancellor was not unaware of the intense sorrow and grief the French had been undergoing; on the contrary, he acknowledged the very possibility of French invasion whenever she got the opportunity of the same. Consequently, he introduced the politics of alliances in the European governmental avenues and international relations as well in the aftermath of the French humiliation at his own hands with the perils of an imminent French attack on Germany. Thus, the pivot of his foreign policy was to isolate France in the arena of international politics so that she could not manage to threat or t hwart Germany for the future years to come. Under such sheer state of comprehensions, Bismarck created the Dreikaiserbund or the Three Emperors League in 1873, where the Emperors of Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary were united to co-operate with one another at the hour of the need. The alliance also reiterated the moral and strategic support of the allies provided any other state invaded on them. Thus Bismarck's individual foreign policy to isolate France led the world towards the politics of alliances and rivalries dragging these rival alliances on the way to the horrible World War I subsequently.

Current impression of the american legal system Essay

Current impression of the american legal system - Essay Example Go back to the beginning: Problems arise between people; many of the problems go away by themselves, and others are solved through negotiation, economic pressure, or other informal means. But there remains a residuum of disputes that the parties cannot solve for themselves. The litigation process provides a mechanism for resolving those disputes. Consider what happens in subcultures in which litigation is unavailable. Among drug dealers, for example, disputes and claims of right are likely to be settled with drive-by shootings. But even aside from the threat of violence, the presence of unresolved grievances corrodes the public's sense of social order and well-being. In a fair, well-ordered, smoothly functioning society, problems get solved and injustices get corrected. We don't need a complex, adversarial legal system to resolve these disputes, however. We could adopt a much cheaper, simpler procedure-a judge could simply flip a coin to decide who wins. Or even simpler--set up computerized kiosks that would randomly generate decisions. The courts and police would then simply enforce the decisions determined by chance. That system could resolve many more problems at much lower cost. But a judicial system based on chance violates two of our fundamental beliefs about fairness: The courts should render decisions based on rules of substantive law that are fair, and they should do so after observing a fair process. The first task of civil procedure, then, is to implement substantive rules of law and the values and policies on which they are based. When a legislature or court announces a rule of law, the rule acquires authority simply by virtue of being the law. People respect the law and usually obey it without the threat of sanctions for failing to do so. But litigation provides both a backup mechanism for those cases in which people do not conform their conduct to the requirements of the law, and a forum in which the values and policies underlying the law can be articulated, reinforced, and worked out in new situations. Although no procedural system does this perfectly, a fair system will reduce the possibility of error by removing the barriers to a focused decision-making process. Civil procedure has a second task, too. We are offended by a dispute resolution system based on chance or corruption because it violates our understanding of fair process, in addition to being unlikely to produce results in accordance with just principles of substantive law. Civil procedure has an independent value in creating a litigation process that conforms to our concepts of fairness. A fair procedural system provides a public affirmation of our belief in justice under law. It also affirms the dignity of the individual litigants and of others like them. Litigation, like electoral politics, is an arena in which individuals can assert their values and the significance of their own interests. "Having your day in court" is a cherished American tradition. The role of civil procedure is to make sure that the day in court is a meaningful one. Under an adversary system as developed in the United States, fair process has several essential components. Parties to litigation must have an opportunity to adequately develop the facts and law in support of their cases and to present the relevant facts and legal arguments to the decision-maker. In the typical case, the parties must have a right to have a jury determine the facts of the case. The

Self-esteem (Literature Review) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Self-esteem (Literature Review) - Essay Example d concept which has developed over time and it depicts the quality of an individual because of which he can cope up with the strenuous tasks that come in his/her way. The concept evolved because of many things which lay in the very core of self leadership but the ground substance for self leadership has been the raw material known as self esteem (Parker et al. 2005). A person with a higher self esteem is able to realize his/her concept of life and act accordingly and thus he can tackle different situations of life and act as a self leader (Alavi & Askaripur 2003; Neck 2006). This literature review would further revolve around the concept of self esteem in relation to self leadership and would provide a critique on it. Moreover it would also make recommendations for the future research on the concept along with the implications for contemporary human resource practice. Self-esteem is a broad topic which is closely related to the framework given by the Social Cognitive theory. It can be described as an individuals feeling and assurance of his own self. In other words it can be known to be the self worth of an individual. Social Cognitive Theory helps to figure out the factors which lead to the variations in self-esteem. The concept that the social cognitive theory lays about one’s own thinking and perspective about his surroundings is widely acclaimed. This thinking and perspective about the surroundings which one goes through majorly affects the thoughts and personality one has. Similarly this also leads to develop the feeling of self-esteem accordingly. Self efficacy forms an important part of the understanding of different individuals in this world. It helps one to recognize his strengths and weaknesses accordingly. A well-known psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden provides a somehow complete definition of self-esteem as â€Å"Self-esteem is the disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of

Property Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Property Law - Essay Example However, in due course the differentiation between a will and a testament has become thin, and people use the term, will, to refer to a statement that both disposes of both personal property and real property. In the event an individual dies without drafting a will, the state proceeds to distribute the person’s estate in accordance with the laws of Descent and Distribution of the person’s stateii. The significance of a will is diverse from the fact that it gives the drafter a chance to choose the people who will be heirs to his property. It also allows the testator to decide the people who will execute their estate, and using fairness in distributing their wealth, in place of the court appointing a stranger to allocate the estate to the family. Another importance of a will is the fact that the testator can protect the interests of the people close to him, and those of his children in choosing who their guardian would be in the event of the testator’s death. When writing a will the law requires the testator give information as to who will take care of their children incase the stated guard dies before the execution of the will. This may include the other benefactors of the will in the event they die before the execution of the will. ... Requirements for a Will to be Valid The first requirement is that the testator, the person making the will must declare himself as the testator and that he revokes any previous will either express or impliediii. The person should also have the mental capacity to make a valid will at the time of drafting of the will. The person making the will to be accepted by the law as making a valid will through mental capability must be at least 18 years and above, bar for any exceptions provided for by law. Another indication of whether the person has the capacity to make a valid will is that they ought to be of sound mind, understanding, and memory. This is to mean that the person ought to be aware of what they are writing and its implications. It is essential to note that the Mental Capacity Act of 2005 does not have provisions for invalidating a will; that has already been prepared by an individual of unsound mind. There is normally the assumption of intention, in that if a will is validly ex ecuted and the person is of sound mind during the process of execution. This is the third requirement of a valid will; that the testator must have an intention to dispose of their properly as per the will upon the testator’s death. The third requirement is that there should be no traces of undue influence, force and/or fraud. If the court can establish that the testator was either pressured into making the will, or if the execution of the will was through fraudulent means, then it may set aside part of the will, or will in its entiretyiv. It is mandatory for the testator to sign the will or have someone sign it for them; the will must not be necessarily in writing. In most

Comparison of Paradise lost and Inferno Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparison of Paradise lost and Inferno - Essay Example Both the writings portray Satan as an angel of God who turned astray and denounced the superiority of God. The devil assumed that he was equal in status of God and yearned to be greater than him. For this insolence, he was banished to have hell as his eternal abode. Milton’s description of Satan is quite interesting. According to Milton, Hell was Satan’s land where he ruled over the sinners. He had chosen to stay in the hell because according to him it was better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven. (Peter) In ‘Inferno’, Dante has portrayed devil as a ferocious being, whose sight instills fear in the hearts of the beholders. Satan has been given the opposite of what he has yearned, he desired for supremacy and sovereignty and even though he appears to be powerful and huge, he is small and helpless and his fate has been sealed to remain frozen in ice till eternity. Hell in Dante’s view was an endless torment to the sinners who were destined to ent er it. The hell is a place where there is no connection with the warmth of life and bitter frost and isolation is the only destiny. Even the Satan, the most foreboding prisoner of the hell had the bitterest fate. Milton presents a similar picture of the hell. According to him, even though hell was full of flames and fire, there was only darkness and hopelessness prevalent in its atmosphere. (Alighieri) Inferno and ‘Paradise lost’ provide captivating and detailed yet different views of Satan and hell and this difference is clearly evident in their writings.

The Catholic Bishops Essay Example for Free

The Catholic Bishops Essay Evangelisation in England and Wales is a report written by Philip Knights and Andrea Murray for the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales published in 2002. Knights is a member of the Catholic Missionary Society. Murray teaches at Ushaw College, Durham. The bishops commissioned the report to assist the Church’s evangelisation efforts in the new century, aware that congregations were declining in size and that members were growing older. The report consists of eight chapters and 172 pages of text. There is also a foreword by Crispian Hollis, bishop of Portsmouth and Chairman of the Mission and Unity department of the Bishops Conference. The â€Å"Introduction† (7-10) describes how the research was conducted. A section follows this on â€Å"Theological Background† (11-55). Section three continues theological reflection with an exploration of the concept of â€Å"Missio Dei† (56-67). Section four discusses the contexts in which evangelisation takes place (68-79) then section five describes the â€Å"Framework of Analysis† (80-84), leading into the presentation of data in section six (85-132). Section seven, on â€Å"locations of evangelisation† (133-156) begins to suggest â€Å"some possibilities for evangelisation† while the final section offers â€Å"some recommendations† (157-169). The research behind the report included reviewing theological material on evangelisation including Church â€Å"documents and statements†, participant observation, interview and use of a questionnaire (7). The questionnaire was sent to several constituencies. These were Catholic parishes, priests, seminarians, bishops and diocesan officials. The largest constituency was the first, since more than four million people belong to Catholic parishes. The authors’ describe â€Å"Participation and Sample Size† in an Appendix, commenting that in order to ensure at least 1,000 responses from parishes, 5,000 questionnaires were distributed in 1250 â€Å"randomly chosen Catholic parishes† (171). 23% of these were returned. 1250 priests were sent questionnaires, of who 36% responded. 55% of bishops and officials responded of the 120 who received questionnaires. A 44% response rate came from seminarians. Pilot surveys tested drafts of the data-collecting instrument before the final version was distributed. All sections draw on the results of the social science type research and quotes from respondents are used throughout, placed in text-boxes. Section begins by defining the meaning of the term â€Å"evangelisation†, commenting that Catholics prefer this to the word â€Å"evangelism† which is widely used by Protestants. The Catholic Church has preferred the term â€Å"evanglisation† since the 1970s (29). The term â€Å"mission† has receded in usage, in the main due to colonial connotations (30). â€Å"Evangelism† tends to be associated mainly with personal or individual transformation: evangelisation has â€Å"a greater sense of the cosmic† (30). On the one hand, the terms †evangelism† and â€Å"evangelisation† can be used interchangeably (20). On the other, evangelism is more commonly associated with presenting the Gospel to â€Å"those who are not Christians† (12) often verbally, while â€Å"evangelisation† has a broader scope. Indicating that as many as 79 definitions of evangelisation are available, the authors offer their own definition, emphasizing that â€Å"evangelisation† includes living the Good News as well as proclaiming it. Evangelisation does not end when people become Christian but continues in formation and renewal of existing Christians and of converts and in transforming the whole of humanity and the world so that God’s kingdom of â€Å"love, peace and justice† become a reality (14). This broad definition of evangelisation challenges the tendency, noted by the authors, to limit its scope to trying to persuade non-believers to believe. The authors stress that evangelisation is God’s work, not an human work. God’s presence may be found in â€Å"unexpected places† (16) and the Church must not be regarded as having an exclusive claim on God’s presence or on God’s actions. As well as bringing new members into the Church, evangelisation also seeks to make less active members more active, to win back those who have left the church and to develop the life of parishes (18). Evangelisation, too, has a special concern for people on the margins, whether due to poverty, social circumstances or other reasons (16). Pages 23-29 trace the derivation of the word â€Å"evangelisation† from the Biblical word for Good News, or Gospel. Taking the Good News into all the world, the authors say, which Jesus entrusted to the apostles and they entrusted to the Church, involves more than winning converts. It has to do with manifesting God’s love in the world (28), establishing loving communities by deeds as well as by word. Throughout, the authors are eager to stress that evangelisation is the task of all Christians, not of a chosen few or of priests and religious only. Those who have been evangelized must become evangelizers (48). People’s gifts vary but all have a part to play. Building on their biblical research, the authors use three terms to indicate what might be understood as stages of the evangelisation process, kerygma (proclamation), koinonia (fellowship) and diakonia (service) which â€Å"cooperate in the task of arousing and fostering a living faith† (33). The author’s also link â€Å"evangelisation† and Trinity, arguing that it is not so much the Church that â€Å"does† evangelisation but that â€Å"evaneglisation happens to the Church† (36) which is â€Å"rooted in the Divine Communion of the Trinity† (46). There is a need to avoid the temptation to limit the scope and meaning of â€Å"evangelisation† to â€Å"any single activity† (36). The social circumstances of the twenty-first century, that is, a society of mainly unchurched people with Britain as one of the least religious countries in the world (70) demands new methods of evangelisation, new â€Å"means of communication†. The section on â€Å"Mission Dei† builds on the theological reflection by locating everything that the Church does within the â€Å"activity of the Triune God† (56). Mission is God’s work. Mission aims to â€Å"gather all things† to God through Christ and the Holy Spirit is the main agent of mission. The Spirit is not confined to the Church but is present in the world and active â€Å"in all people† including those of other faiths (61; 71). The term â€Å"mission dei† is popular with Evangelical as well as with Catholic thinkers. Again, personal responsibility for mission is stressed: because we have been transformed, â€Å"we must transform the world† (58). The aim of mission is not to preserve the Church but to establish the conditions required for God’s kingdom to dawn (62). God’s kingdom is intended for all humanity (63). The Church, however, is also central to the work of mission, the â€Å"primary participant in the mission dei† (64) because it anticipates the Kingdom (66). The Church is, the authors say, â€Å"a sacrament of the communion with God and unity among all peoples that we recognize as the kingdom of God† (66). Discussing the context of evangelisation, the authors argue that the Church needs to consider the â€Å"context† in which the people she seeks to address are located. The Church must have an intimate knowledge of society and be aware of social changes, both those that can be affirmed and those that should be â€Å"challenged and resisted† (69). Evangelisation reaches out to people in specific social, political and economic contexts. Membership of and participation in religious communities has seriously declined and younger people especially tend to have no â€Å"religious adherence† (70). Others are committed members of other faiths and of other Christian churches. Such people are to be respected. Cooperation rather than competition with â€Å"ecumenical partners† is to be preferred (71). Historically British Catholics have seen themselves as outside the mainstream of religious life and have adopted a â€Å"fortress mentality† (72). This has declined and Catholics are now better placed to engage in constructive Dialogue with thir â€Å"neighbours in Civil Society†. Decline in priestly vocations, too, impacts evangelisation, resulting in a need to reorganize parishes and to spread fewer resources more widely (73). Discussing contemporary culture, the authors argue that the trend towards fragmentation and individualism presents challenges. The post-modern idea that â€Å"great stories† and â€Å"meta-narratives† are not to be trusted challenges the Gospel, which is regarded as the definitive all comprehensive narrative. Institutions, organized religion, authority figures such as priests and bishops are distrusted as people pick and mix more freely. The Catholic Church is perceived to be out of step with some social trends, such as lifestyle choices but also on the role of women. Increasingly empowered in the wider society, the place of women in the Church appears to â€Å"lag behind† (76). Again, the authors highlight that the poor and marginalized have a special claim on the Gospel. Here, they refer to the ecumenical programme Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation as having particular resonance with the concerns of the age. Lobbying on issues of economic justice, environmental health are all aspects of evangelisation perceived as kingdom-building. British Catholics can help globally as well as more locally to deal with such issues as relieving the debt-burden of developing nations and with issues related to asylum seekers and refugees. Section five, on the â€Å"framework of analysis† is a brief explanation of how the social science research data was analyzed, as presented in the next section. In analyzing the data, the authors â€Å"found two frameworks helpful†. These are derived from the literary research summarized in preceding chapters. The frameworks are described as the â€Å"triangle† of â€Å"kerygma, koinonia and diakonia† and as â€Å"parish vitality†. The authors suggest that Catholics are weak at initial proclamation, that is, at attracting converts and traditionally stronger at fostering faith and serving society. Vital Parishes would function as places of â€Å"witness† of â€Å"welcome†, of â€Å"catechesis† and of â€Å"growth† whereas at present the former tends to be carried out elsewhere, such as through small-groups or special initiatives.

The History of Blaan Essay Example for Free

The History of Blaan Essay The origin of the Blaan is obscured by the mist of antiquity. Though a people of rich traditional, almost nothing is known about them in view of the absence of ancient records. The Blaans belong to the second group of people who migrated to the Islands between 12,000 and 15,000 years ago. According to the Blaan folk tale told by Fulong, the early Blaans arrived the country next to the To Bali or tiny people. Historians have identified these tiny people as pygmies or negritos (little black) who said to have arrived in the Philippines about 25,000 years ago across the land bridge that was connected the archipelago with mainland Asia. It appears that the Blaans were very much ahead of the Indonesians by almost 10,000 years and cannot logically belongs to the Indonesian type A. The term Blaan, refers to a socio-linguistic group, on the Island of Mindanao, with covers coastal, lowland and highland groups from approximately as far North of Mt. Buluan, to as far South as the Sarangani Peninsula. Both the coastal, lowland and highland distinctions are based in geographical and ecological considerations as will as historical contact with other groups. The coastal and lowland Blaan groups tend to display a much more heterogeneous composition that the more homogeneous highland groups. As such the coastal and lowland groups in the highland are which display a strong sense of culture identity, as will as, more traditional Blaan practice. [pic] HISTORY OF BLAAN ASSOCIATED TO THE LAND. The people come from the land, without the land, there would be no people. The land, comes from the people for without the people, there would be no cultivated land. This is because land to the tribal is as a partner in life-not as commodity, not as a property that is owned and which may be bartered or sold. For centuries, the tribal people have been able to do just this quite successfully, maintaining ecological balance within their territory maintaining harmony with their environment. The traditional kaingin system of farming practiced by the majority of tribal Filipino has kept the soil fertile and has given flora and fauna, time regenerate land, life and power. The Fulo Bato Blaan consider themselves as one of the highland Blaan groups. According to highland Blaan traditional relief and custom, the spiritual entities, who inhabit the earth and the sky, are the true owners of the land for Blaan. [pic] Blaan says, that, the Blaan are like the banana, before a generation dies, new roots appear and grow. They grow up and always grow into bananas. They never grow into papaya. In the same way, each new generation of Blaan grow up with the same responsibilities, the previous generation, the same they never change. Blaan relationship are characterized by the interdependence, while each village has property rights over territorial lands, individuals can take as much land as needed provided that this is not in use at the time when a field is abandoned, the ownership revert to the community or (Banwu) personal property applies to products of own labor and still, house, furnishing, weapons, tools, and land crops. [pic] Many Blaan are very upset about the loss of the traditional lands to non-Blaan groups. Some Blaans believe that the purchase of land is only practical method of obtaining their land from the non- Blaan group, who currently occupy it. BLAAN LANGUAGE: Ani sen aye tana go. La ti fan don ko agtagak go di gamo. Ani sen aye go sol. Benwu fan go tayok di gamo. ENGLISH LANGUAGE: This is my traditional land. I dont want to leave this land. This is my homeland that I will leave to go. The Blaan people have been struggling for the recognition of their Ancestral Domain. The issue goes beyond simply a question of land use. The manner by which the Blaan people relate to their land resources deeply inter-wines with the customs, culture and political practices. Thus, it is an issue of a people life in its totality, and their struggle is an expression of their self-determination to carve their own destiny as a distinct people. [pic] The Blaan people have the right to maintain the distinctive spiritual relationship with their land, water and resources. They have the right to own and develop these. Their environment and their culture and intellectual property must be protected. The Blaan people have the right to control the development of their land. Government shall assist the Blaan people to preserve and protect their sacred sites. The Blaan people have the right to their own language and government hall ensure that the Blaan people can understand and he understand through interpretations and other appropriate ways in legal and other proceedings. The Blaan people value their culture and their tradition. They want to nurture it and maintain it. They want others to respect their right to do so. Blaan ancestral domain (tabi tana) and culture identity must be respected. BONG BANWU.is a big community. It is not only a community of people, but also includes their alnigo or clearing, gumlok or the hunting ground, bolol or the mountains, e-el or the rivers, ritual sites and other geographic and human features, such as burial grounds. This domain is defined by territorial boundaries. In the past, the term Bong Banwu was used by the highland Blaan to refer to a very large village and its accompanying and/ or surrounding land. One village was conceptualized by the Blaan as the residence of one mans family. The name of the familys most senior male was often used to refer to the village and its surrounding area. The locality in which the residence of the Bong Fulong is located is usually indicated by a higher population density.

The Community Facilities Provision

The Community Facilities Provision CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Preface Community facilities is the important element in one neighbourhood area because this kind of facilities is the place where the resident used to reach their living needs so this makes the community facilities provision is important in give good living environment to the neighbourhood especially is term of location and accessibility. Other than that, community facilities also are the building or place that provides a particular service such as school, neighbourhood shop and playground. Community facilities also must be located at the strategic place and easy reachable to the people live in the neighbourhood. 1.2 Problem Statement Nowdays, the provision of community facilities in Malaysia is still standardize for all type of neighbourhood area whether in high cost houses, medium cost houses or low cost houses because the guideline used to development the community facilities is based on the guideline for public facilities which is produced by JPBD Malaysia. This provision of community facilities using this guideline for today situation is not suitable because of nowday different neighbourhood area have different kind of living condition such as people in low cost area tends to have different lifestyle compare to medium cost people, this situation will influence the use of community facilities in the neighbourhood area itself because of its location and accessibility to the community facilities. This causes some problem to occurs such as: People in the neighbourhood area feel hard to reach the community facilities by walking especially the medium cost houses area. People in the medium cost housing area take longer time taken to reach the community facilities from the residential area compare to low cost housing area. Some of the neighbourhood lack of community facilities. Climate affects the walking behaviour of resident to community facilities. The community facilities that provided in neighbourhood area are not well used and maintain. 1.3 Aim and Objective The aim of this study is to produce the recommendation for guideline in improving the provision of community facilities towards a walkable neighbourhood. 1.3.2 Objective In order to achieve the study aim, there are a few objectives stated, such as:- To investigate and compared the walking behaviour in low cost housing area and medium cost housing area to reach the community facilities. To investigate safety factors that influence the walking experience in low cost housing area and medium cost housing area. To investigate the convenience factors that influence the walking experience in low cost housing area and medium cost housing area. To propose the recommendation of guidelines to increase the walkability to reach the community facilities in neighbourhood area. 1.4 Scope of Study In order to achieve the objective that is mention above, the scope of study need to be identified. The important aspect that must be considered will determine the limitation of this study. The scopes are as follows: Walking behaviour of people from residential to the community facilities is compared between the low cost housing area with medium cost housing area. From residential to neighbourhood shop From residential to playground From residential to elementary school The accessibility of community facilities is determined by investigated the respondent opinion on how to reach the community facilities from residential area. The location of community facilities from the house in low cost housing area and medium cost housing area is quantify by walking distance within 0.4 km and the time taken to reach the community facilities. The household profile of people in low cost neighbourhood and medium cost neighbourhood area is analysed and the respondent are only people age within the range between 18 years old and above. The safety aspect that influence the walking experience is analysed in term of security, motorist behaviour and crossing exposure between the low cost housing area and medium cost housing area The convenience aspect that influence walking experience is analysed in term visual appeal, pedestrian amenities and coverage and connectivity between the low cost housing area and medium cost housing area. 1.5 Research Methodology Methodology is a guideline and that can describe the process in obtaining all of the information of the study. It also can determine the suitable method in how the research will be conducted. In this study, there are mainly four stages involved which starts from the exploratory study stage, follow with the data collection and data analysis stages and lastly the new proposal stage. Stage 1: Background Study and Literature Review This is the stage where the background of the study and the literature review is being prepared because it is important to understand the topic that has be chosen. Other than that, it is important to investigate the problem of the study area so that it can help in create the aim and objective of the study and also to make the early logical hypothesis. This theoretical study stages also is important because it can help in enhancing the knowledge and get a lot of information for this study. Usually the theoretical study is present materials and secondary data source which can be in form of books, document, report, journal, thesis, magazine, newspaper and internet sources. The source of the secondary data also can be found from library, executive agency office and internet. Stage 2: Field Survey Data collection is stage where the field work study is being done. Usually the data that can be produce is the primary data. Primary data is the raw data acquired through observation, interview, questionnaire and perception to the study area. In this study, the questionnaire is distributed using certain number of sample that has been calculated. The method used in calculating sample for the questionnaire and the technique used in distributed the sample is well done to produce more accurate data. The sample is calculating based on the variable used for calculating sample involved the total population and interval error. The formula used are n = N/ (1+Ne ²). The technique used in distributing the sample for this study is known as proportionate sampling and simple random sampling. The proportionate sampling is the techniques using the ratio of the population in determine the number of sample need to be used in low cost housing area and medium cost housing area with the total population. The simple random sampling is the technique using the number of population and pick in the random direction. Stage 3: Data Analysis and Finding At this stage, all the data will be analyse and finding is the product of the study. This stage is clear defined to determine the weaknesses of the site. Moreover, the issues and problem of the site area also can be identified. Finding of this study is very important and useful to me to make the study proposal successful. Stage 4: Proposal A proposal is made based on the finding of the study. At this stage also, the proposal can be design and proposed based on the output of the analysis and the summary that have been done earlier. 1.6 Significant of Study This study is done because to know what is the implication of public facilities provision toward the walking behaviour of the people in the neighbourhood area. Analyse the walking behaviour in the neighbourhood area is important in determine are the people actually walk to reach their community facilities and how far are they willing to walk to reach it. This is important because when people tend to walk to reach the community facilities in the neighbourhood, this show that the community facilities is well used and not be abundant. Other than that, this study is important because it can determine the walkability of the neighbourhood between different neighbourhood area because usually people in low cost housing area are more likely to walk compare to people in medium cost housing area. This happen because the density of the people and the availability of automobile of the people in the area. Moreover, this study also helps in making environment of the neighbourhood become the walkable environment because it can make people living in the neighbourhood walk in order to reach their living need, increase the safety and security aspect in the neighbourhood and make people more convenience and pleasant while walking. Other than that, the significant of this study is that it can help in improving the guidelines for neighbourhood concept. It also probably can help in upgrade the neighbourhood concept by Clarence Perry become new neighbourhood concept for the future because even in the modernize era, the neighbourhood concept by Clarence Perry still been used for developing the neighbourhood area for housing development. 1.7 Study Limitation Basically there are limitation in doing the research and primary and secondary data collecting during the survey. The limitations that have to be taken into consideration are:- The total number of sample cannot be completed as it hard to find respondent because people are working and not in their house. The bigger interval error needs to be used in calculating the sample because limited time available. Rainy day makes going to survey need to be postponed . 1.8 Case Study The study area is located in Section 7, Shah Alam and under the local authority of Shah Alam City Council. The study area covers 1080 unit of low cost houses and 566 unit of medium cost houses. The total population for the low cost housing area is 5400 people and the total population for medium cost housing area is 2830 people. The type of houses for low cost housing area is flat while the medium cost housing is the terrace houses. The area is chosen as the site area because Section 7 is has one of the biggest and newest low cost housing schemes in Shah Alam and Section 7 is the only section that consist both type of houses which is the low cost housing area and the medium cost housing area located in one section. Other than that, this site area also is chosen because the community facilities in most of the area are adequate and available. 1.9 Study Work Schedule Table 1.1 : Study Work Schedule MONTH January 2011 February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 WEEK 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Chapter 1 Study Synopsis Determined the aim and objective of study Identify problem statement Determined the study area for the study Submission of Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Literature Review Preparation the theoretical study related to the case study Collection the secondary data Preparation of questionnaire Submission of Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Data Collection Collection of primary data and survey Submission of Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Analysis and Findings Preparation of the study analysis and findings Finding and determine the current issues and problem at site Submission of Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Summary and Proposal Preparation of study summary and proposal Submission of Study Report (Draft) Submission of Study Report (Final)

Cheating and Plagiarism - Avoiding Plagiarism :: Journalistic Essays

Avoiding Plagiarism For a number of years now, I have been concerned about the growing amount of plagiarism on the Internet. As self-publishing on the web becomes increasingly common, the incidences of theft of intellectual property, whether intentional or unintentional have grown astronomically. As a writer , I find this situation intolerable. Intellectual theft is still theft. It harms everyone involved, the original authors, the audience, and the plagiarizer. As members of a spiritual community, we believe that all our actions will be returned up us three fold, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Certainly intellectual theft, intentional or unintentional has its own return.   After so many attempts at trying to inform people of problems on their websites regarding the improper citation , I decided that perhaps the best approach is to document what constitutes plagiarism and to provide to people who are sincere in presenting information   in an intellectually and spiritually honest manner, with some guidelines for proper citation of sources.    First of all plagiarism is derived from the Latin word, plagi rius, meaning to kidnap (American Heritage ® Dictionary). This implies that plagiarism is in fact the kidnapping of ideas; an interesting concept since kidnapping implies that the idea could be seized and held for some kind of intellectual ransom. The dictionary is more explicit about its meaning:   1. To use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own. 2. To appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from (another). (American Heritage ® Dictionary) Plagiarizing is to give the impression that the words written or the ideas presented are in fact your own. The MLA Style Manual, the definitive guide for scholarly publishing used as a bible in colleges and graduate schools defines plagiarism as any not acknowledging another’s ideas and wording, either through direct buy undocumented quotes or through paraphrasing (151). They further reflect: Plagiarism is a moral and ethical offense rather than a legal one. Most instances of plagiarism fall outside the scope of copyright infringement, a legal offense.

My Most Embarassing Day Ever Essay examples -- essays research papers

Dear Diary, Today was the most embarrassing day of my life. I hope this will never happen to me again. Here’s how my day went. I woke up this morning around 7:30am. It was the Grand Final day for my Under 17’s football side. We were undefeated. I was the full forward and so far I have kicked ninety seven goals. I need at least three more goals this game to get my first one hundred goal season. I was going through my normal Sunday morning football routine. Get up, eat breakfast (nine wheat bix and two glasses of orange juice) and get changed for footy. One of my superstitions is to wear the same footy jocks I’ve worn all season. Every game I have worn them we have won but for some reason today I completely forgot about them. I got to the oval at around 10:30am and met my team so we coul...

Southwest Internal Analysis

Southwest Airlines Internal Analysis Introduction This internal business analysis is on Southwest Airlines, which was founded in 1967 by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher. The main focus for Southwest Airlines was to provide low cost flights for their customers, and also have exceptional customer satisfaction. Southwest is a leading airline company that continues to do well in an industry that has been historically challenging. For instance, in the span of two years (2005-2007) five major airlines have filed for bankruptcy.The challenges are great in the airline industry, because competitors are trying to imitate the â€Å"low-cost† offering of Southwest. Many companies have tried to do what Southwest has done, and many have failed to stay in business. Surprisingly, many of those companies were started by ex-employees of Southwest. Southwest currently has a profitability record for the past thirty six years, which is spectacular in such a challenging industry. Herb Kelleher has be en replaced by Gary C. Kelly, as the president when he resigned in May of 2008.Southwest is in the process of expanding the locations they serve so that they can increase market share, and also find ways to cut costs without losing their quality. In order for southwest to continue their consecutive financial success there is a necessity for excellence in the execution process of their strategy. Business Level Strategy The business level strategy (BLS) that Southwest focuses on is Cost Leadership. They are the leading airline in the United States for providing low-cost fares to their broad customer base.Southwest has found innovative ways to reduce cost within their cost structure enabling them to offer lower fares than competitors and still maintain a profit. One way that has helped Southwest save time and money is their standardization of their airline fleet. This tactic is known as the â€Å"one-model-fleet† by the airline. Having a single airplane model in a fleet has allo wed Southwest to â€Å"lower inventory, record keeping and maintenance costs, and it minimizes the number of technical manuals, tools and spare parts. † Another methodology that has layed an important role in their thirty six years of profitability is their fuel hedging practices they’ve practiced since the late nineties. This tactic has saved the company millions of dollars, and in 2007 alone has saved the company 727 million dollars. Another cost saving measure that Southwest has implemented is the use of blended winglets on all of their 737-700’s models. This change is supposed to improve performance by extending the airplanes range, saving fuel, and lowering engine maintenance costs and reducing takeoff noise. More recently, Southwest began to use EcoPower engine wash services.This is going to allow Southwest to save an estimated $20 million dollars in fuel costs. All of these tactics by Southwest are designed to save on expenses that they incur doing busine ss. Many airlines cut cost by laying off employees, but Southwest has established a â€Å"no layoff policy† that is currently still in effect. This shows how committed the company is to their employees, and how they are an integral part of their business. Resources Southwest has plenty of resources that have contributed to their success as an airline company. Their intangible resources have created their competitive advantage in relation to their competitors.The reason for that is the simple fact that their tangible resources are not difficult to replicate. It’s the technique that Southwest uses to connect their resources that has enabled them to be successful in the airline industry. Their tangible and intangible resources are as follows: Tangible: The main tangible resources that Southwest has are its training center, employees, headquarter facility, acquisitions, partnerships, take off and landing spots, frequent flyer reward program, self-service check-in kiosks, a nd their fleet aircrafts.In 1986, Southwest opened a multi-million dollar training center for their flight crews. As all businesses, employees are necessary if you’re conducting business on a large scale. The connection between Southwest and its customers are their employees, which makes the employees role that much more important. Although, the employees are tangible, the culture of the employees is intangible aspect that has been difficult for competitors to imitate. The training center for their employees was an investment Southwest made early on knowing its importance to the long term success for the company.The headquarters for Southwest is another tangible resource, which is located in Dallas. The headquarter similar to many other companies allow top management to effectively communicate the organizational goals of the company. Acquisitions and partnerships that Southwest has completed throughout their duration allow the company to expand their services to more than 64 cities in the United States, and obtain more take-off and landing spots. The frequent flyer program is another tangible resource that Southwest possesses, but interestingly has not had a major impact on Southwest’s bottom line.With the help of IBM, Southwest was able to offer about 250 self-service check-in kiosks. The reason for having the kiosks for their customers was to reduce the amount of time the customers spend in line and to improve the airport experience. In the very beginning, Southwest only had 3 Boeings in their lineup but now they have more than 243 aircrafts in their lineup. Intangible: The main intangible resources that Southwest has are its brand, unique culture, and reputation. Southwest has a brand that is known widely when referencing the airplane industry.The brand that they represent is one that is reliable, convenient, employee centered, customer oriented, and at the same time providing a low cost alternative to their customers. This has helped dramatic ally in their formation of their culture, because even in the beginning their main focus has been on its employees. Southwest has a culture that is unmatched in the industry, and one of the main reasons they have been wildly successful in a challenging environment. Early on Southwest made the decision to sell one of their airplanes rather than laying off their employees to show their loyalty to its employees.All of these factors have enabled the company to maintain a reputation that is respected among the industry. The reputation that they have has enabled them to reap the benefits of being recognized as a leader in the industry. For example, Southwest has earned several Triple Crown awards, which is an award for having the best on-time record, best baggage handling, and fewest customer complaints. Outcomes from Combinations of the Criteria for Sustainable Competitive Advantage: Is the Resource of Capability Valuable? | Is the Resource or Capability Rare? | Is the Resource or Capabi lity Costly to imitate? Is the Resource or Capability Nonsubstitutable? | Competitive Consequences| Performance Implications| No| No| No| No| Competitive disadvantage| Below-average returns| Yes| No| No| Yes/No| Competitive parity| Average returns| Yes| Yes| No| Yes/No| Temporary competitive advantage| Average returns to above-average returns| Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes/No| Sustainable competitive advantage| Above-average returns| Result from the chart: Capabilities The capabilities of Southwest Airlines are the origin of the firm’s ability to create a competitive advantage over other airlines in industry.Southwest focuses on three main functional areas within the organization, which are management, human resources, and marketing. Management The management capabilities of Southwest Airlines are the main reason why the company has been so profitable, utilizing an effective low cost organizational structure throughout the entirety of the company. Using only one type of plane fleet, the Boeing 737 series, which allows minimizing inventory and resources needed for training, maintenance, parts, and is also a very reliable plane.This helps in the quick turnaround times at the gates, which keeps more planes in the air at any given point in time. In the 1990’s Southwest employed an aggressive fuel hedging tactic saving the company millions of dollars in hard times, while still being able to provide low ticket prices to consumers. Another important area management focuses on is the management of human resources that emphasis both employees and customer alike. Human Resources Focusing on customer service, Southwest Airlines opened a multi-million dollar training facility for its flight crews in 1986.The heart of this training facility is to promote human capitol and share knowledge throughout company. By focusing first on their own employees, southwest can ensure that the employees will then focus on the customer. Through motivation and empowerment in the training of its employees, Southwest can provide customers a comfortable experience while retaining employees and making it hard for competitors imitate. This is proven with its Triple Crown Award for best on-time record, best baggage handling, and least customer complaints. MarketingOne way to promote value and differentiate itself from competitors is Southwest’s humorous advertisements. Exercising the LUV ticker symbol, Southwest promotes its customer driven services and prices. While in the late 1980’s Southwest started a rewards program that has retained loyal customers, but has not been proven successful for leisure travelers. With the low cost abilities, timeliness flights, rewards, and focus on the customer, Southwest Airlines has carried out an exceptional marketing strategy. Core Competencies Employee LoyaltyWithin the first two years of operation Southwest suffered huge losses and had to make some major financial decisions. These decisions lead to the selling off an aircraft and keep all of the employees created the â€Å"no lay off policy†. Then in 1973 Southwest was one of the first companies to incorporate profit sharing where employees owned at least 8% of the company stock. This leads to higher employee satisfaction, retention rate, and increases the want for the company to do well, this way the employees focus more on creating value for the customer.Management Skills Southwest Airlines management has tailored numerous sets of activities around a low cost structure creating value for the customer. With short domestic, point-to-point flights, no additional in flight features and no seat reservations allows for a short turnaround time, which makes for less crowded airports and maximizes flight time. Along with fuel hedging and low maintenance costs, the design of these best-fit activities show that the excellent management skills are a core competency that creates a competitive advantage over other airlines.Conclusion Through the inte rtwining of its resources, Southwest Airlines has created a unique set of capabilities and competencies that has continuously allowed successful implementation of its business level strategy. With a focus on low-cost leadership and customer service, Southwest Airlines creates value with reliable on-time departures and a unique company culture. This provides a sustainable competitive advantage that is hard for competitors to imitate and provides a string foundation for Southwest Airlines’ future success.

A “Race and Color” Reading

Othello is one of the greatest tragedies by William Shakespeare. The Socio-Economic setting of the play drives us to ponder over it again and again. Othello was a Moor and had fallen head over heels in love with Desdemona and won her hands in marriage.Being unacquainted with the customs and norms of an alien culture, Othello had to suffer a lot.  Ã‚   What would have happened if Othello were not a Moor but a respected citizen of Venice?Automatically, the socio-economic equation would have changed and Othello might surely have enjoyed an enviable privilege to have a well-planned control over the whole situation. In Othello, we find a black man’s ‘sense of insecurity’, ‘puerility’, ‘eccentricity’ .Iago, the ‘artist in crime’ is a sordid opportunist of the postcolonial era, who insinuates, motivates and plans adeptly to take advantage of the characteristic weaknesses of Othello leading to irremediable frustration and despair t hat act as a stimulus in the murder of Desdemona.In Othello, we find a black man’s ‘sense of insecurity’, ‘puerility’, ‘eccentricity’ .Iago, the ‘artist in crime’ is a sordid opportunist of the postcolonial era, who insinuates, motivates and plans adeptly to take advantage of the characteristic weaknesses of Othello leading to irremediable frustration and despair that act as a stimulus in the murder of Desdemona.  Othello is the Moor white men need for their protection and well-being. Othello comes from a different socio-economic background and is employed by the tense and visibly perturbed Duke :†Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you,/Against the general enemy Ottoman.Written at a time when Negroes were being supplied to Virginia, Shakespeare’s Othello’s spirit glows with noble ancestral memories and critics like Grant White hold that only a civilized and warlike race could produce an Othello.Ot hello has a presence; he can raise the whites like Cassio to higher ranks, he can head an army, he can order two drunken men to sheath weapons, he can, if required, dismiss them for their offence and he is black and belongs to a lower socio-economic strata and after all race and social status mattered at that time.Hence the union of Othello and Desdemona is presented as the mating of animals, with the Moor as the ‘black ram’, a   practitioner of   ‘arts inhibited.’ A white Prospero can use magic openly and boldly and Shakespeare is apologetic to none but King James, while, Othello’s wooing and winning of a white woman is tantamount to the practice of ‘black magic.’Othello, after all, is an employee of the Duke and hails from a questionable background of a Moor who claims to be well-traveled but is reticent on his redoubtable socio-economic background.Can he in any way emulate the social status of Brabantio, whose daughter he marries out of love? Brabantio remembers the ‘wealthy curled darlings’ of his nation and is furious at the thought of his fair daughter against the Moor’s ‘sooty bosom’. Othello, the Moor, can hardly be accepted by the Venetian public as his skin is of black hue and he comes from an alien socio-economic status.  Othello seemed gratified as he had proved to be the right and only choice in the life of Desdemona. Till then, Othello had never been reminded of the fact that he was a Moor whom Desdemona was supposed to be afraid of. Basically, Othello was not a craven fellow, whose spirits could easily dampen on futile grounds. Othello wished not to doubt Desdemona but he never could brook the presence of any other lover in the life of Desdemona, whom he loved to the point of distraction. He blurted out at one point, â€Å"Cassio, I love the; But never more be officer of mine.†Regarding Othello, we come across a myriad points of view. Critics have labeled Othello   as a play of ‘sexual jealousy’ a play of motive and temptations ,so on, so forth. But here we see that Othello being unaware of the socio-economic picture of Venice treads the wrong path and gulps the dangerous bait. He ,like a fool, yields to Iago’s repeated insinuations. If Desdemona would have been a Moor herself , the disaster hardly would have followed.On the contrary, if Othello were not a Moor, his ‘sense of insecurity’ and ‘inferiority complex’ could not get the better of him, on the slightest provocation by Iago. Othello, even in Act III seemed ingenuous , generous easily credulous and firm in reason ,when he says, â€Å"†¦.This not to make me jealous/To say my wife is fair, feeds well,/loves company,†¦. Where virtue is, these are more virtuous.†Being a Moor, he won the love and undivided attention of Desdemona. When Iago crept in between them and strove heart and soul to malign the relationship, Ot hello lent him credulous ears. Didn’t he understand that Iago was keen on creating a rift in their unflinching alliance? Of course, in the subconscious of the protagonist, he made a dent surreptitiously and without Othello’s cognizance.Othello felt perplexed to find that even his truest and unalloyed love could not keep Desdemona ‘loyal’ to him! Was it simply because he was a Moor? Or, did Desdemona have to lose her life to Othello, only because the Black-and-White conflict caught hold of his mind unawares? We hear Othello recounting his shortcomings in a soliloquy in Act III ,Sc iii,lines-263-7: â€Å"Haply for I am black, /And have not those soft parts of conversation/†¦.She’s gone, I am abused.†His distrust lay rooted in himself ,in the society in which he feared himself ‘unaccepted’, though his love had   fully been requited, reciprocated. Why did then ‘uncertainty’ gnaw at his entrails? It was possibly be cause ,Othello could never forget the acrimonious warning of Brabantio: â€Å"Look to her, Moor, if thou hast   eyes to see:/She has deceived her father, and may thee.†

The Twilight Saga 5: Midnight Sun 8. Ghost

I did not see much of Jasper's guests for the two sunny days that they were in Forks. I only went home at all so that Esme wouldn't worry. Otherwise, my existence seemed more like that of a specter than a vampire. I hovered, invisible in the shadows, where I could follow the object of my love and obsession – where I could see her and hear her in the minds of the lucky humans who could walk through the sunlight beside her, sometimes accidentally brushing the back of her hand with their own. She never reacted to such contact; their hands were just as warm as hers. The enforced absence from school had never been a trial like this before. But the sun seemed to make her happy, so I could not resent it too much. Anything that pleased her was in my good graces. Monday morning, I eavesdropped on a conversation that had the potential to destroy my confidence and make the time spent away from her a torture. As it ended up, though, it rather made my day. I had to feel some little respect for Mike Newton; he had not simply given up and slunk away to nurse his wounds. He had more bravery than I'd given him credit for. He was going to try again. Bella got to school quite early and, seeming intent on enjoying the sun while it lasted, sat at one of the seldom used picnic benches while she waited for the first bell to ring. Her hair caught the sun in unexpected ways, giving off a reddish shine that I had not anticipated. Mike found her there, doodling again, and was thrilled at his good luck. It was agonizing to only be able to watch, powerless, bound to the forest's shadows by the bright sunlight. She greeted him with enough enthusiasm to make him ecstatic, and me the opposite. See, she likes me. She wouldn't smile like that if she didn't. I bet she wanted to go to the dance with me. Wonder what's so important in Seattle†¦ He perceived the change in her hair. â€Å"I never noticed before – your hair has red in it.† I accidentally uprooted the young spruce tree my hand was resting on when he pinched a strand of her hair between his fingers. â€Å"Only in the sun,† she said. To my deep satisfaction, she cringed away from him slightly when he tucked the strand behind her ear. It took Mike a minute to build up his courage, wasting some time on small talk. She reminded him of the essay we all had due on Wednesday. From the faintly smug expression on her face, hers was already done. He'd forgotten altogether, and that severely diminished his free time. Dang – stupid essay. Finally he got to the point – my teeth were clenched so hard they could have pulverized granite – and even then, he couldn't make himself ask the question outright. â€Å"I was going to ask if you wanted to go out.† â€Å"Oh,† she said. There was a brief silence. Oh? What does that mean? Is she going to yes? Wait – I guess I didn't really ask. He swallowed hard. â€Å"Well, we could go to dinner or something†¦and I could work on it later.† Stupid – that wasn't a question either. â€Å"Mike†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The agony and fury of my jealousy was every whit as powerful as it had been last week. I broke another tree trying to hold myself here. I wanted so badly to race across the campus, too fast for human eyes, and snatch her up – to steal her away from the boy that I hated so much in this moment I could have kill him and enjoyed it. Would she say yes to him? â€Å"I don't think that would be the best idea.† I breathed again. My rigid body relaxed. Seattle was just an excuse, after all. Shouldn't have asked. What was I thinking? Bet it's that freak, Cullen†¦ â€Å"Why?† he asked sullenly. â€Å"I think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she hesitated. â€Å"And if you ever repeat what I'm saying right now I will cheerfully beat you to death – â€Å" I laughed out loud at the sound of a death threat coming through her lips. A jay shrieked, startled, and launched itself away from me. â€Å"But I think that would hurt Jessica's feelings.† â€Å"Jessica?† What? But†¦ Oh. Okay. I guess†¦ So†¦ Huh. His thoughts were no longer coherent. â€Å"Really, Mike, are you blind?† I echoed her sentiment. She shouldn't expect everyone to be as perceptive as she was, but really this instance was beyond obvious. With as much trouble as Mike had had working himself up to ask Bella out, did he imagine it wasn't just as difficult for Jessica? It must be selfishness that made him blind to others. And Bella was so unselfish, she saw everything. Jessica. Huh. Wow. Huh. â€Å"Oh,† he managed to say. Bella used his confusion to make her exit. â€Å"It's time for class, and I can't be late again.† Mike became an unreliable viewpoint from then on. He found, as he turned the idea of Jessica around and around in his head, that he rather liked the thought of her finding him attractive. It was second place, not as good as if Bella had felt that way. She's cute, though, I guess. Decent body. A bird in the hand†¦ He was off then, on to new fantasies that were just as vulgar as the ones about Bella, but now they only irritated rather than infuriated. How little he deserved either girl; they were almost interchangeable to him. I stayed clear of his head after that. When she was out of sight, I curled up against the cool trunk of an enormous madrone tree and I danced from mind to mind, keeping her in sight, always glad when Angela Weber was available to look through. I wished there was someway to thank the Weber girl for simply being a nice person. It made me feel better to think that Bella had one friend worth having. I watched Bella's face from whichever angle I was given, and I could see that she was sad again. This surprised me – I thought the sun would be enough to keep her smiling. At lunch, I saw her glance time and time again toward the empty Cullen table, and that thrilled me. It gave me hope. Perhaps she missed me, too. She had plans to go out with the other girls – I automatically planned my own surveillance – but these plans were postponed when Mike invited Jessica out on the date he'd planned for Bella. So I went straight to her home instead, doing a quick sweep of the woods to make sure no one dangerous had wandered too close. I knew Jasper had warned his one-time brother to avoid the town – citing my insanity as both explanation and warning – but I wasn't taking any chances. Peter and Charlotte had no intention of causing animosity with my family, but intentions were changeable things†¦ All right, I was overdoing it. I knew that. As if she knew I was watching, as if she took pity on the agony I felt when I couldn't see her, Bella came out to the backyard after a long hour indoors. She had a book in her hand and a blanket under her arm. Silently, I climbed into the higher branches of the closest tree overlooking the yard. She spread the blanket on the damp grass and then lay on her stomach and started flipping through the worn book, as if trying to find her place. I read over her shoulder. Ah – more classics. She was an Austen fan. She read quickly, crossing and recrossing her ankles in the air. I was watching the sunlight and wind play in her hair when her body suddenly stiffened, and her hand froze on the page. All I saw was that she'd reached chapter three when she roughly grabbed a thick section of pages and shoved them over. I caught a glance of a title page, Mansfield Park. She was starting a new story – the book was a compilation of novels. I wondered why she'd switched stories so abruptly. Just a few moments later, she slammed the book angrily shut. With a fierce scowl on her face, she pushed the book aside and flipped over onto her back. She took a deep breath, as if to calm herself, pushed her sleeves up and closed her eyes. I remembered the novel, but I couldn't think of anything offensive in it to upset her. Another mystery. I sighed. She lay very still, moving just once to yank her hair away from her face. It fanned out over her head, a river of chestnut. And then she was motionless again. Her breathing slowed. After several long minutes her lips began to tremble. Mumbling in her sleep. Impossible to resist. I listened as far out as I could, catching voices in the houses nearby. Two tablespoons of flour†¦one cup of milk†¦ C'mon! Get it through the hoop! Aw, c'mon! Red, or blue†¦or maybe I should wear something more casual†¦ There was no one close by. I jumped to the ground, landing silently on my toes. This was very wrong, very risky. How condescendingly I'd once judged Emmett for his thoughtless ways and Jasper for his lack of discipline – and now I was consciously flouting all the rules with a wild abandon that made their lapses look like nothing at all. I used to be the responsible one. I sighed, but crept out into the sunshine, regardless. I avoided looking at myself in the sun's glare. It was bad enough that my skin was stone and inhuman in shadow; I didn't want to look at Bella and myself side by side in the sunlight. The difference between us was already insurmountable, painful enough without this image also in my head. But I couldn't ignore the rainbow sparkles that reflected onto her skin when I got closer. My jaw locked at the sight. Could I be any more of a freak? I imagined her terror if she opened her eyes now†¦ I started to retreat, but she mumbled again, holding me there. â€Å"Mmm†¦ Mmm.† Nothing intelligible. Well, I would wait for a bit. I carefully stole her book, stretching my arm out and holding my breath while I was close, just in case. I started breathing again when I was a few yards away, tasting the way the sunshine and open air affected her scent. The heat seemed to sweeten the smell. My throat flamed with desire, the fire fresh and fierce again because I had been away from her for too long. I spent a moment controlling that, and then – forcing myself to breathe through my nose – I let her book fall open in my hands. She'd started with the first book†¦ I flipped through the pages quickly to the third chapter of Sense and Sensibility, searching for something potentially offensive in Austen's overly polite prose. When my eyes stopped automatically at my name – the character Edward Ferrars being introduced for the first time – Bella spoke again. â€Å"Mmm. Edward.† She sighed. This time I did not fear that she had awoken. Her voice was just a low, wistful murmur. Not the scream of fear it would have been if she'd seen me now. Joy warred with self-loathing. She was still dreaming of me, at least. â€Å"Edmund. Ahh. Too†¦.close†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Edmund? Ha! She wasn't dreaming of me at all, I realized blackly. The self-loathing returned in force. She was dreaming of fictional characters. So much for my conceit. I replaced her book, and stole back into the cover of the shadows – where I belonged. The afternoon passed and I watched, feeling helpless again, as the sun slowly sank in the sky and the shadows crawled across the lawn toward her. I wanted to push them back, but the darkness was inevitable; the shadows took her. When the light was gone, her skin looked too pale – ghostly. Her hair was dark again, almost black against her face. It was a frightening thing to watch – like witnessing Alice's visions come to fruition. Bella's steady, strong heartbeat was the only reassurance, the sound that kept this moment from feeling like a nightmare. I was relieved when her father arrived home. I could hear little from him as he drove down the street toward the house. Some vague annoyance†¦in the past, something from his day at work. Expectation mixed with hunger – I guessed that he was looking forward to dinner. But his thoughts were so quiet and contained that I could not be sure I was right; I only got the gist of them. I wondered what her mother sounded like – what the genetic combination had been that had formed her so uniquely. Bella started awake, jerking up to a sitting position when the tires of her father's car hit the brick driveway. She stared around herself, seeming confused by the unexpected darkness. For one brief moment, her eyes touched the shadows where I hid, but they flickered quickly away. â€Å"Charlie?† she asked in a low voice, still peering into the trees surrounding the small yard. The door of his car slammed shut, and she looked to the sound. She got to her feet quickly and gathered her things, casting one more look back toward the woods. I moved into a tree closer to the back window near the small kitchen, and listened to their evening. It was interesting to compare Charlie's words to his muffled thoughts. His love and concern for his only daughter were nearly overwhelming, and yet his words were always terse and casual. Most of the time, they sat in companionable silence. I heard her discuss her plans for the following evening in Port Angeles, and I refined my own plans as I listened. Jasper had not warned Peter and Charlotte to stay clear of Port Angeles. Though I knew that they had fed recently and had no intention of hunting any where in the vicinity of our home, I would watch her, just in case. After all, there were always others of my kind out there. And then, all those human dangers that I had never much considered before now. I heard her worry aloud about leaving her father to prepare dinner alone, and smiled at this proof to my theory – yes, she was a care-taker. And then I left, knowing I would return when she was asleep. I would not trespass on her privacy the way the peeping tom would have. I was here for her protection, not to leer at her in the way Mike Newton no doubt would, were he agile enough to move through the treetops the way I could. I would not treat her so crassly. My house was empty when I returned, which was fine by me. I didn't miss the confused or disparaging thoughts, questioning my sanity. Emmett had left a note stuck to the newel post. Football at the Rainier field – c'mon! Please? I found a pen and scrawled the word sorry beneath his plea. The teams were even without me, in any case. I went for the shortest of hunting trips, contenting myself with the smaller, gentler creatures that did not taste as good as the hunters, and then changed into fresh clothes before I ran back to Forks. Bella did not sleep as well tonight. She thrashed in her blankets, her face sometimes worried, sometimes sad. I wondered what nightmare haunted her†¦and then realized that perhaps I really didn't want to know. When she spoke, she mostly muttered derogatory things about Forks in a glum voice. Only once, when she sighed out the words â€Å"Come back† and her hand twitched open – a wordless plea – did I have a chance to hope she might be dreaming of me. The next day of school, the last day the sun would hold me prisoner, was much the same as the day before. Bella seemed even gloomier than yesterday, and I wondered if she would bow out of her plans – she didn't seem in the mood. But, being Bella, she would probably put her friends' enjoyment above that of her own. She wore a deep blue blouse today, and the color set her skin off perfectly, making it look like fresh cream. School ended, and Jessica agreed to pick the other girls up – Angela was going, too, for which I was grateful. I went home to get my car. When I found that Peter and Charlotte were there, I decided could afford to give the girls an hour or so for a head start. I would never be able to bear following behind them, driving at the speed limit – hideous thought. I came in through the kitchen, nodding vaguely at Emmett's and Esme's greetings as I passed by everyone in the front room and went straight to the piano. Ugh, he's back. Rosalie, of course. Ah, Edward. I hate to see him suffering so. Esme's joy was becoming marred by concern. She should be concerned. This love story she envisioned for me was careening toward a tragedy more perceptibly every moment. Have fun in Port Angeles tonight, Alice thought cheerfully. Let me know when I'm allowed to talk to Bella. You're pathetic. I can't believe you missed the game last night just to watch somebody sleep, Emmett grumbled. Jasper paid me no mind, even when the song I played came out a little more stormily than I'd intended. It was an old song, with a familiar theme: impatience. Jasper was saying goodbye to his friends, who eyed me curiously. What a strange creature, the Alice-sized, white-blond Charlotte was thinking. And he was so normal and pleasant the last time we met. Peter's thoughts were in sync with hers, as was usually the case. It must be the animals. The lack of human blood drives them mad eventually, he was concluding. His hair was just as fair as hers, and almost as long. They were very similar – except for size, as he was almost as tall as Jasper – in both look and thought. A well matched pair, I'd always thought. Everyone but Esme stopped thinking about me after a moment, and I played in more subdued tones so that I would not attract notice. I did not pay attention to them for a long while, just letting the music distract me from my unease. It was hard to have the girl out of sight and mind. I only returned my attention to their conversation when the goodbyes grew more final. â€Å"If you see Maria again,† Jasper was saying, a little warily, â€Å"tell her I wish her well.† Maria was the vampire who had created both Jasper and Peter – Jasper in the latter half of the nineteenth century, Peter more recently, in the nineteen forties. She'd looked Jasper up once when we were in Calgary. It had been an eventful visit – we'd had to move immediately. Jasper had politely asked her to keep her distance in the future. â€Å"I don't imagine that will happen soon,† Peter said with a laugh – Maria was undeniable dangerous and there was not much love lost between her and Peter. Peter had, after all, been instrumental in Jasper's defection. Jasper had always been Maria's favorite; she considered it a minor detail that she had once planned to kill him. â€Å"But, should it happen, I certainly will.† They were shaking hands then, preparing to depart. I let the song I was playing trail off to an unsatisfying end, and got hastily to my feet. â€Å"Charlotte, Peter,† I said, nodding. â€Å"It was nice to see you again, Edward,† Charlotte said doubtfully. Peter just nodded in return. Madman, Emmett threw after me. Idiot, Rosalie thought at the same time. Poor boy. Esme. And Alice, in a chiding tone. They're going straight east, to Seattle. No where near Port Angeles. She showed me the proof in her visions. I pretended I hadn't heard that. My excuses were already flimsy enough. Once in my car, I felt more relaxed; the robust purr of the engine Rosalie had boosted for me – last year, when she was in a better mood – was soothing. It was a relief to be in motion, to know that I was getting closer to Bella with every mile that flew away under my tires.