Emergency Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Emergency Communications - Essay Example olds at a cheaper price, but at the same time makes it hard for other video signals to pass through the same channel to other TV sets in the same region. Considering the US Federal Communication Commission analog standard, one program is delivered in a 6 MHz band (Fotheringham and Sharma, 2008). Using digital formats, the same frequency space can deliver about five to ten pictures similar in clarity, or at least two programs in high definition. Additionally, a single 6 MHz broadcast TV spectrum channel can also supply broadcast services (Fotheringham and Sharma, 2008). However, the broadcast service is eliminated by the FCC digital TV standard, which states that TV stations must deliver high definition videos across the whole 6 MHz band allocation in order to retain their licenses (Fotheringham and Sharma, 2008). The result is underutilization of techniques that save spectrum span and emission of too much power by TV broadcasters. The broadcast TV represents the traditional spectrum management, which suggests that governments must have a control over the usage of frequency to limit and prevent harmful interferences. Thus, the government resolves to the administrative allocation or the state property management of the frequency. The increasing number of interconnections to other systems and the evolution of technologies utilized contribute to the significant changes taking place in the electric utilities operation and design of automation and control systems. These changes present some very challenging aspects in the utilities, including interoperability and cyber security. Nonetheless, interoperability has the highest priority between the two challenges. Operability is a key requirement in assisting vendors and utilities to solve the cyber security challenge. Interoperability has been present in arguments concerning the smart grid, but absent in the cyber security section. Interoperability is possible with almost all cyber security solutions, but only in

12 Angry Men | Appeal To Pity

12 Angry Men | Appeal To Pity Juror eight used Appeal to pity fallacy which was the most powerful fallacy in the film 12 Angry Men. If we want to see which of the fallacies in the film is used most effectively, we have to take a closer look at which juror did the best job. Twelve jurors gathered in a hot court room to decide if an 18-year- old young man, who had been accused of killing his father, was guilty or not. At first, eleven jurors voted for guilty and one for not guilty. Obviously, eleven jurors, who voted for guilty, had come to vote in a few minutes and go back home, but it was juror eight who convinced other jurors to change their vote. Even though 11 jurors voted for guilty, juror 8 proposed an Appeal to pity fallacy, which was used most effectively, and helped other jurors to investigate the events step by step, and convinced them to vote for not guilty. Juror eight used Appeal to pity fallacy in an effective way. He proposed the first fallacy of the film. He did not claim that the boy was not guilty in a straight way, but when he proposed an Appeal to pity fallacy, it became clear that he wanted to find a reason to convince other jurors that the boy was not guilty. As a result, when juror three asked him if he really thought the boy was innocent, Juror eight said that he did not know. After that, he explained that the boy was not guilty because he was an 18-year- old boy with a miserable past. In juror eights opinion, the boy was too young to kill his father. This is an appeal to pity fallacy because the boys age and miserable life have nothing to do with his conviction. There is an important point here. This fallacy is a positive form of an Appeal to pity fallacy because when juror eight talked about the boys past, other jurors started to think about the events and try to look at the problem in a different way. As if they did not k now anything about investigation at all, and juror eights fallacy gave them an idea to analyze all testimonies which they had heard in main court room. Moreover, he never showed any bad or rude behavior to other jurors. He was always polite. Along with these good behaviors, he was very smart. For example, before the court appointment, he had gone to investigate the neighborhood of the house. This is a kind of smart approach because it revealed an important point about switch-knife. Moreover, even though there was no advance equipment in their hot room, juror eight asked for the diagram of the building and gave an idea to other jurors to measure the time intervals of events with simple and inaccurate tools. At first, other jurors did not accept, but when they heard juror eights smart descriptions, they changed their mind. Because of juror eights smart arrangement, other jurors saw the results and add their own analysis. For example, juror nine explained about the dragging leg of the old man who testified in the court. Then, juror two talked about the stabbing angle of switch knife. After that, it was juror four who described the mechanism of the switch-knife. At last, when all pieces of the puzzle were founded, they changed their vote for not guilty. As a result, Appeal to pity, which was juror eights fallacy, was the most effective fallacy in the film. It changed the situation in favor of accused boy, and saved his life. Calm behavior and effective fallacy of Juror eight convinced juror three. Juror three was the most aggressive opponent, but juror eight finally managed to persuade him to change his vote. This is an important point because juror three never wanted to change his vote. As a result, comparing to other jurors, I was very hard for juror eight to convince juror three. If we take a closer look at juror eight and juror three and compare their behavior, we may see how well juror eight did and how effective juror eights fallacy was. During the meeting, by convincing jurors one by one, the fallacy of juror eight became more and more effective, and the juror three became more and more aggressive. In other words, when juror three saw how other jurors were convicted by juror eights smart approaches, he became more aggressive. For example, after taking preliminary vote, when Juror three talked about the facts and the neighborhood womans testimony, he seemed a very strong and logical jury, but when juror eight proposed his fallacy, juror three became nervous and attacked to juror eight and threatened him. In contrast, Juror eight did not pay any attention to juror threes aggressive behavior and convinced other jurors one by one. When juror three saw that juror eights effusive reasoning convinced others, he said he did not care. He continued his opposition and talked about his argument with his son to prove that he was right. After that, when Juror eight found out that juror eight had a bias against the accused boy, he continued his work more calmly. The calm behavior of juror eight was not tolerable for juror three. As a result, juror three become more aggressive. He revealed his main reason of opposition and showed the photo of his son. Here is an important point. Actually, this was juror threes turning point because when he tried to show the photo, he felt his valet. He was very nervous. The level of his anger showed that in response to juror eights effective fallacy, he had nothing to say. In my opinion, the calm behavior of juror eight was one of the important reasons which made juror three angry, and persuaded him to change his mind. For example, juror eight was very smart and knew that the anxiety of the juror three was based on his past. Moreover, in the middle of meeting, we may see that the argument of juror eight became more personal because he claimed that if he were the executor, he would pull the execution switch. Again, this was juror eight who did better job because his smart behavior obliged juror three to play his last card and reveal the photo of his son. At last, when other jurors left him alone, he torn the photo of his son and acknowledged that it was his whole reason. This is one of the most important moments of this film. Because it shows that the fallacy of juror eight was the most effective fallacy which managed to convince the last juror. In the end of the film, we see that juror eight completed his smart approach. He did not le ft juror three alone. He was the last juror who calmed juror three and accompanied him to left the meeting room. In my opinion, Juror eights effective fallacy step by step convicted juror three to change his vote, and the calm behavior of juror eight played an important role in this procedure. In conclusion, juror eight used an appeal to peaty fallacy, which was the most powerful fallacy in the film, to convince other jurors to change their vote. Juror eight talked about the boys past live. For example, he mentioned that the boy was eighteen years old and could not kill his father. Even though they were not relevant to boys charge, helped other jurors to think over the case, and analyze the evidence step by step. Without his leadership, other jurors did not even know what to do. Most of the jurors had come to vote in two or three minutes and go home. Juror eights fallacy gave them an idea of thinking about the details. After that, we saw that other jurors started to think about events carefully, and add their own understanding to the main incident. For example, they did various measuring time tests and made a connection between the tests. Through the discussion, other jurors convinced one another and changed their vote based on juror eights fallacy. In the end of the film, juror three was the last juror who was convinced and changed his vote for not guilty. Juror three was the most aggressive opponent, but juror eights effective fallacy convinced him to change his vote. In my opinion, this film is a sample of democracy in The United States of America. Different people from different social levels try to convince each other and make a strong verdict to save someones life.it was the fallacy of juror eight which helped others to find a solution.

Comparing Wiesels Night and The Gospel According to Mark :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Comparing Wiesel's Night and The Gospel According to Mark Wiesel's Novella, Night, can be labeled a 'religious book' when looked at in light of the unquestionably religious text, the "Gospel According to Mark" from the "New Testament" of Christianity's Holy Bible. This proves to be the case if one looks at the central parallels which may be drawn between the two works. A comparable narrative framework, consistent use of light and dark images (indicating 'good' and 'evil,' respectively), and the ongoing theme of questioning faith serve as these central similarities. However, the works do part company when the reader seeks to answer those questions of faith which the characters of both works raise. The narrative frameworks of the two texts are quite similar. Both are biographies (Night in first person, the "Gospel" in third person) of a strong and admirable individual's life (or aspect of his life) told in the form of a story. Both of these individuals, Wiesel and Jesus, experience an inversion of occupation within their lives. Wiesel, a "student" at home, says that he is a "farmer" when he is brought to the concentration camp in order to seem to the SS officer who is questioning him that he will be a good worker (Wiesel 29). Likewise, Jesus, who by birthright was a carpenter, chooses to lead his life as a teacher and healer. The oddity of this inversion is pointed out by the people of Jesus' "hometown", they ask "is not this [Jesus] the carpenter?" (Mark 6.3). Their question implies the absurdity of his teaching the word of God and healing when he is 'supposed' to be a carpenter. In addition, in both texts, the narrator's perspective is limited. Mark's limitation is revealed b y the other three gospels, that serve as a part of the canon of the "New Testament," in that his testimony is not entirely consistent with theirs. This is shown most explicitly in the difference between his gospel and John's gospel; "Mark's Jesus will neither confirm nor deny that he is the long-awaited king... [but] repeatedly throughout John's gospel, Jesus declares himself to be the means of salvation" (Oxtoby 211). Mark does not narrate the definitive version (or perspective) of Jesus' life. Wiesel's limitation is admitted by himself. He is a prisoner, and so he does not know what is going on in the greater world, or even who is winning the war.

Probability Exercice

MTH3301 Fall 2012 Practice problems Counting 1. A closet contains 6 di? erent pairs of shoes. Five shoes are drawn at random. What is the probability that at least one pair of shoes is obtained? 2. At a camera factory, an inspector checks 20 cameras and ? nds that three of them need adjustment before they can be shipped. Another employee carelessly mixes the cameras up so that no one knows which is which. Thus, the inspector must recheck the cameras one at a time until he locates all the bad ones. (a) What is the probability that no more than 17 cameras need to be rechecked? b) What is the probability that exactly 17 must be rechecked? 3. We consider permutations of the string †ABACADAFAG†. How many permutations are there? How many of them don’t have any A next to other A? How many of them have at least two A’s next to each other? 4. A monkey is typing random numerical strings of length 7 using the digits 1 through 9 (not 0). Call the digits 1, 2, and 3 â₠¬ lows†, call the digits 4, 5, and 6 †mids† and digits 7, 8 and 9 †highs†. (a) How many di? erent strings can he type? (b) How many of these strings have no mids? c) How many of these strings have only one high in them? For example, the string 1111199 has two highs in it. (d) What’s the probability that a string starts with a low and ends with a high? (e) What’s the probability that a string starts with a low or ends with a high? (f) What’s the probability that a string doesn’t have at least one of the digits 1 through 9? 5. School of Probability and Statistics (SPS) at IUA University has 13 male Moroccan professors, 8 female Moroccan professors, and 12 nonMoroccan professors. A committee of 9 professors needs to be appointed for a task. a) How many committees can be made? (b) What’s the probability 1 that the committee contains 2 Moroccan women, 3 Moroccan men, and 4 non-Moroccans? (c) What’s the probability t hat the committee contains exactly 4 nonMoroccans? (d) What’s the probability that the committee contains at least 4 nonMoroccans? (e) What’s the probability that the committee does not contain any Moroccan men? Conditional Probability, Bayes’ Theorem 1. Before the distribution of certain statistical software every fourth compact disk (CD) is tested for accuracy.The testing process consists of running four independent programs and checking the results. The failure rate for the 4 testing programs are, respectively, 0. 01, 0. 03, 0. 02 and 0. 01. (a) What is the probability that a CD was tested and failed any test? (b) Given that a CD was tested, what is the probability that it failed program 2 or 3? (c) In a sample of 100, how many CDs would you expect to be rejected? (d) Given a CD was defective, what is the probability that it was tested? 2. A regional telephone company operates three relay stations at di? rent locations. During a one-year period, the number of malfunctions reported by each station and the causes are shown below: Station Problems with electricity supplied Computer malfunction Malfunctioning electrical equipment Caused by other human errors A 2 4 5 7 B 1 3 4 7 C 1 2 2 5 Suppose that a malfunction was reported and it was found to be caused by other human errors. What is the probability that it came from station C? 3. Police plan to enforce speed limits by using radar traps at 4 di? erent locations within the city limits.The radar traps at each of the locations L1 , L2 , L3 , and L4 are operated 40%, 30%, 20%, and 30% of the time, and if a person who is speeding on his way to work has probabilities 2 0. 2, 0. 1, 0. 5 and 0. 2, respectively, of passing through these locations, what is the probability that he will receive a speeding ticket? You can assume that the radar traps operate independently of each other. 4. Jar A contains 6 red balls and 6 blue balls. Jar B contains 4 red balls and 16 green balls. A six-sided die is th rown. If the die falls †6†, a ball is chosen at random from jar A.Otherwise, a ball is chosen from Jar B. If the chosen ball is red, what is the probability that the die fell †6†? 5. The word spelled HUMOR by a person from the United States is spelled HUMOUR by a person from UK. At a party, two-thirds of the guests are from the United States and one-third from UK. A randomly chosen guest writes the word, and a letter is chosen at random from the word as written. (a) If this letter is a U, what is the probability that the guest is from UK? (b) If the letter is an H, what is the probability that the guest is from UK? 6.Jar A contains two black balls, jar B contains two white balls, and jar C contains one ball of each color. A jar is chosen at random. A ball is drawn from the chosen jar and replaced; then again a ball is drawn from that jar and replaced. If both drawings result in black balls, what is the probability that a third drawing from the same jar will a lso yield a black ball? 7. A jar contains 5 red balls and 10 blue balls. A ball is chosen at random and replaced. Then 10 balls of the same color as the chosen ball are added to the jar. A second ball is now chosen at random and seen to be red. What is the probability that the ? st ball was also red? Discrete Random Variables and their Cumulative Distribution Functions and Probability Mass Functions 1. A dice has 6 sides labelled 1 through 6, and the associated probabilities are a, b, c, d, e, and f respectively. Furthermore, you are told that P ({1, 2, 3}) = P ({4, 5, 6}). This die is tossed once and random variable X is twice the face value that showed up. Answer the following questions about X: 3 (a) What is the range space of X? (b) Draw the cumulative distribution function of X. (c) Write down the probability mass function of X. 2. A jar contains 10 balls, labelled 1 through 10.We will take 3 balls out of the jar. Let B be the random variable that is the highest label among the 3 balls withdrawn. Answer the following questions about B: (a) What is the range space of B? (b) Calculate p(b) for b = 3, 6, 10. (c) Calculate F (b) for b = 3, 6, 10. (d) Calculate P (B ? 8). 3. Consider a group of 5 blood donors, A, B, C, D, E, of whom only A and B have type O+. Blood samples will be taken from each donor in random order, until an O+ donor is reached. Let the random variable Y be the number of blood samples taken until an O+ individual is reached. (a) What is the range space of Y? b) Write down the probability mass function of Y. 4. A jar contains 15 balls, 10 of them red and 5 of them blue. Three balls are picked and let R be the random variable that is the number of red balls in these 3 drawn. (a) What is the range space of R? (b) Write down the prob. mass func. of R. (c) Write down the cumulative distr. func. of R. 5. A random variable Z has following range space and probability mass function: 4 value -3 -2. 5 0 4 12 20 probability of this value 0. 1 0. 15 0. 05 0. 3 0. 3 0. 1 (a) Draw the line graph of this PMF. (b) Write down the CDF of Z and draw its graph. (c) Calculate P (Z). . After all students have left the classroom, a probability professor notices that 4 copies of text book were forgotten behind. At the beginning of the next lecture, the professor distributes the 4 books in a completely random fashion to each of the four students who lef the books behind. Let X be the number of students who receive their own book. Determine the pmf of X. Hint: Think of permutations of 4 symbols. 7. Let X be the number of tires on a randomly selected automobile that are underin? ated. Which of the following three p(x) functions is a legitimate pmf for X, and why are the other two not allowed? p(x) p(x) p(x) 0 0. 3 0. 4 0. 4 1 0. 2 0. 1 0. 1 2 0. 1 0. 1 0. 2 3 0. 05 0. 1 0. 1 4 0. 05 0. 3 0. 3 8. In our experiment, we pick a random permutation of 1234. Let X be the number of symbols that remained in their original places. For example, if the rand om permutation is 3214, X = 2. Find the pmf of X. 9. In our experiment, we type a random string of length 6 using only the letters A, B, C, D, E, X, Y, Z. Let R be the number of letters that are occuring more than once. So, for example, if the string is †BAYEDA†, R = 1. If string is †DEBAZY†, R = 0. If string is †AABAXY†, R = 1.If string is †AABBXY†, R = 2. (a) How many elements are there in the sample space of the experiment? (b) How many elements in the range space of R? 5 (c) Calculate pR (0). (d) Calculate pR (r) for r ? 4. 8 6 (8)(6)? 7? 6? 5? 4+(8)(6)? 7? 6? 5+(1)(4)? 7? 6+(8)(6)? 7+(8)(6) 1 3 1 5 1 6 . (e) Show that pR (1) = 1 2 6 8 Continuous Random Variables and their Cumulative Distribution Functions and Probability Distribution Functions 1. A college professor never ? nishes his lecture before the bell rings to end the period and always ? nishes his lectures within 2 minutes after the bell rings.Let X equal the time that ela pses between the bell and end of the lecture and suppose the pdf of X is f (x) = kx2 0 0? x? 2 otherwise (a) Find the value of k. (b) What is the probability that the lecture ends within one minute of the bell ringing? (c) What is the probability that the lecture continues beyond the bell for between 60 and 90 seconds? (d) What is the probability that the lecture continues for at least 90 seconds beyond the bell? 2. The time X (in minutes) for a lab assistant to prepare the equipment for a certain experiment is believed to have a uniform distribution for values of X between 25 and 35. a) Write the pdf of X and sketch its graph. (b) What is the probability that the preparation time exceeds 33 min.? (c) Without computing it mathematically, what do you think is the mean value of X? (d) For any a such that 25 < a < a + 2 < 35, what is the probability that preparation time is between a and a + 2 minutes? 3. Consider the following pdf, where k and C are constants: f (x) = kC k xk+1 0 6 x? C x 50 1 625 r If the propolis content is less than 10 parts per thousand, the honey sells for 300 Dirhams per kilogram.If the propolis content is more than 40 parts per thousand, the honey sells for 200 Dirhams per kilogram (because of the too strong taste). If the propolis content is between 10 and 40 parts per thousand, the honey sells for 450 Dirhams a kilogram. Let the price of honey per kilogram be the random variable X. (a) Draw the pdf of R. (b) Determine the pmf of X. Continuous Functions of Continuous Random Variables 1. Let continuous random variable X have pdf fX (x). Let Y = |X|. Write FY (y) in terms of integral(s) of fX . 2. For more practice here, make sure you can do problems number 9 and 13 in Chapter 3 exercises in our text book. 8

Abridging Cultural Differences in Learning Essay

The world is not only composed of different races that come from different countries but also comprised of innumerable cultures unique from each other. Races from all around the world are greatly diverse. The diversity includes differences in practices, traditions and other cultural manifestations. Culture is one of the distinguishable characteristics of a group of people living in society. Culture is embedded in the community and is illustrated in various forms. In fact, even architectural design depicts culture of people in a particular place. Culture shapes and reshapes a person’s individuality. It is influenced by various factors including socio-political, sociological, religion, and historical. Culture continually conform and mold to provide the ever-changing needs of the people in the society. The difference in cultural identity of the people could be attributed to the inherent beliefs, traditions and practices they adhere or grew up with. It is also due to the geographical locations of where we live because culture should match or fit to the geographical and topographical characteristics of the place. For these characteristics greatly affects some aspects of the culture. Learning Styles Learning plays a big role in the lives of people for it is essential in acquiring knowledge that is utilized in understanding things. Learning is an inherent human ability that is honed by factors that affects this particular human process like parenting, formal schooling, experience etc. The process of learning is never-ending, as people reach old age they still acquire new things like information and knowledge they will be able to utilize in some way. Learning has biological and sociological aspects or dimensions. These aspects affect learning either in a positive or negative way. Students may have different processes in taking in information and different ways of learning. Teaching strategies and methods also vary among teachers. Whenever teacher-student education style methods and preference are the same, learning is more likely successful. When there is an existing discrepancy in the learning style preferred by both students and teachers, the students tend to get bored and become inattentive to the lessons (Felder). Every individual have their preferred way of learning things. They are often unaware of this particular preference, they are just aware that they learn more of things that way. People tend to learn more using certain activities and methods than others (Melkman & Trotman, 2005). The learning style preferences determine how people learn and the comfortable way in which they were able to learn more. These preferences exert influence learning efficacy (Melkman & Trotman, 2005). Some of the biological aspects of learning are sound and light (Shalaway & Beech, 1998), some people could not digest the things they should learn in the presence of loud noise and dim light, while there are some people who understand more of the lesson under that certain circumstances. The perception of an individual also affects the learning process of an individual. State of mental health is also another aspect that affects the learning process in which we determine if a person could easily learn the things being taught to them. This is where we could separate fast, average and slow learners. Developmental and sociological aspects that affect the cognitive processes include motivation (Shalaway & Beech, 1998), in which some persons need to be motivated in order to digest what is being taught. Being in the in-group also one of the factors that is mostly seen in the school setting where students are more eager to go to school when they are not ostracized by the cliques or social groups. In most classroom settings, noise is not tolerated. Teachers react negatively whenever students squirm or wriggle in their seats, whenever they tap their desks with their pencils or whenever they show restlessness. However, studies prove that some children need such activities for then to able to concentrate, think and learn (Shalaway & Beech, 1998). Research shows that when the learning preference of the children, either their biological or sociological aspect, there is a notable increase in achievement and behavioral response. Teachers also have individualized learning styles that affect their way of teaching. When the learning styles of the teacher and students happen to be the same, the more the students will learn (Shalaway & Beech, 1998). Various sources discussed many types of learning style preferences. The three main learning style preferences are the auditory, visual and kinesthetic. The auditory learning style explains that some students learn more using their sense of hearing. They tend to get oral instructions easily. The visual learning style, on the other hand, explains how some students tend to learn more using their sense of sight. They are the students who frantically take down notes and copy down keywords from visual aids in class. The kinesthetic learning style explains why some students opt to learn on their own. They tend to learn more through experience and discovery (Learning Styles, 2005). Cultural Differences and Learning Culture and learning are two inseparable things (Moore and Anderson, 2003). The innate cultural identity of a person tends to affect their learning capabilities through influencing their learning styles. Researches find out that cultural groups tend to have unique learning styles that are different from other ethnic groups. But there is also a contrasting finding that members of the family tend to have different learning styles. Instructors and learning facilitators should be aware of three important things. 1. There are existing universally accepted learning principles, 2. Culture greatly influences the learning styles of individuals, 3. Every person has their distinguishable learning style preferences that affect their potential achievement and acquired knowledge (Moore & Anderson, 2003). Culture could be held responsible in the developed learning style of an individual. Culture determines the preferences and values a person holds. United States is a multiracial and multicultural society in which the normal classroom is composed of people coming from the different ethnic groups (Shalaway & Beech, 1998). Oftentimes, we are having a difficult time understanding people who have dissimilar taste and preference, because we know that there is no commonality or common ground that that two person could talk about. We tend to be biased in some way. Cultural differences are persons’ strengths, knowing the cultural background of the student will greatly help us to facilitate and induce classroom learning (Shalaway & Beech, 1998). The knowledge in the cultural diversity and how it influences the learning process is very important especially to the course designers because there is an inevitable possibility that a group of individuals have different learning styles preferences (Moore & Anderson, 2003). The negative implication of the culturally diverse classroom setting is composed of individuals with various learning style preferences. The instructor or learning facilitator have no control over the heterogeneous mixture of learning styles for it is difficult to develop a mixture of training methods and teaching strategies for all the students to learn in class. Conclusion Learning is among the fundamental human process very essential in life. The process of learning occurs in every setting and outside the confines of school and we are unaware that it happens. Culture is the embedded characteristic deeply rooted in society. It somehow defines the social identity of a person. Culture shapes individuality and influences the different aspects of a person, including tastes and preferences. Variety is the spice of life. The global society is composed of different races and cultures. Cultural differences are reflected in learning style preferences. The negative implication of cultural diversity in a classroom and having too many learning styles is that the teachers do not know what teaching methods they should used in order the students to learn the subject. Knowledge in this particular matter is very important especially to learning facilitators and course designers to develop a comprehensive and efficient teaching method to be utilized in classrooms in which ever student’s learning style is utilized. In this way we will be able to abridge cultural differences in learning. References Felder, R. Learning Styles. Resources in Science and Engineering Education. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http://www4. ncsu. edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Learning_Styles. html. Learning Styles. (2005). Student Development Services. University of Western Ohio. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http://www. sdc. uwo. ca/learning/index. html? styles. Melkman, A. & Trotman, J. (2005). Training International Managers: Designing, Deploying and Delivering Effective Training for Multi-Cultural Groups. England: Gower Publishing Ltd. Moore, M. G. & Anderson, W. G. (2003). Handbook of Distance Education. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Shalaway, L. & Beech, L. (1998). Learning to Teach: Not Just for Beginners: The Essential Guide for All Teachers. New York: Teaching Resources/ Scholastic Professional Books.

D-Day Success or disaster essays

D-Day Success or disaster essays D-Day, Success or Disaster Twenty years after the end of the First World War a man named Adolph Hitler of Germany began a Second World War. On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland, which had a treaty with France and England to protect them. The English, French and Polish were all unprepared to fight, and as a result were beaten terribly. By the next spring France had been totally taken by the Germans. While Germany and there allies, Italy, controlled all of the western part of Europe. England, France and now America had to figure a way to take the control of Europe again. There decision was to try and storm a beach in Normandy France. It would be one of the bloodiest war battles in U.S. History. This storming of Omaha Beach would be a success because even though the allies lost a lot of men, they still were able to take the beach, which led them to take the continent. This was the beginning of the end for Hitler and his Nazis. Hitler and his partners, Japan and Italy, made many m istakes, which opened the door for the allied forces to make this operation possible. Germanys big mistake was that Hitler had assembled a massive naval fleet to try and invade England. Hitlers thinking was that if he did try to go against one of the greatest naval fleets in the world that he would not be able to get it done. He also realized that the British would anything to stop a German invasion. So Hitler delayed and eventually cancelled the attack. Even if he had lost the invasion into England, he could have at least damaged the British navy. His partner, Italy, had brought in northern Africa, and Japan brought the US in when they not only bombed the navy base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, but also hit other U.S. possessions like the Philippians. Now that the U.S. was in the war, Germany had its hands full. The allies kept planning a time when they could go ashore and take control of France again. In the summer of 1942 Britain and Canada actuall...

The Scientific Basis for Defining Seasons

The Scientific Basis for Defining Seasons Contrary to common belief, modern meteorology recognized that the beginning of any season is the day on which the sun passes over particular latitude rather than how cold or warm the following will be. Hashtag: #FirstDayOfFall Ancient and Modern Meteorology Meteorological phenomena such as storms, lightning, and thunder are often considered dangerous and frightening for many people. The ability to predict their occurrence in the past was valued in many cultures. In fact, there is a large body of literature that spans the ancient period dedicated to the prediction and explanation of meteorological and astronomical events including animal behavior.   The division of the year into seasons enables the ancient culture to select the proper time plowing, sowing, reaping, and harvesting, making voyages with ships, prepare and protect themselves for against the natural severity of the seasons. CAN SCIENCE GO TOO FAR? However, ancient meteorology was largely based on past experience or preservation of the events of past weather and their sequence, speculations on the relation between events and proximate causes, philosophy, appeal to the deities, and belief in personal weather-control and magic.   The practice was only changed in the mid 19th century when a collection of facts has been operated by electric–telegraph and now radiotelegraphy.   Although recording observation and discussing them from a philosophical point of view still remains to this day, meteorologist today have a multitude of facts and records to base their forecast and in creating a weather map. Weather and Seasons Weather maps are important tools for developing and explaining weather forecasts. They vary in scope as there are national, continental, and global weather maps. Surface weather maps commonly contain identified fronts; high and low-pressure areas and temperatures, wind strength and air pressure and often used to provide information on the present weather condition.   Forecast weather maps, as the name suggests, are computer generated maps to predict changes in the weather.   Meteorologist also developed short-term (18-36 hours) and long-term (5 days) maps that are updated daily. However, since weather condition is rapidly changing, the weather forecast may not always be accurate and mere honest guesses of the weather condition for a certain period of time. The above surface map illustrates four different fronts – cold, warm, stationary, and occluded.   Note that these fronts separate different air masses and associated with lower pressure. A meteorologist using this map will likely forecast that weather along the stationary front (points A and B) will be clear to partly cloudy. The weather condition in the cold front (points B to C) will be cold, rainy in green-shaded areas, and snowy in the white shaded areas. Contrary to common belief, modern meteorology recognized that the beginning of any season is the day on which the sun passes over particular latitude rather than how cold or warm the following will be.   For instance, the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere is June 21 or when the sun is at its highest position in the noonday sky or 23  ½ degrees north (N) latitude. Each day past June 21, the noon sun is slightly lower in the sky as 12 hours or more of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere begins to shorten. COMPUTER SCIENCE DIPLOMA THESIS By September 22, the sun is directly above the equator and the astronomical beginning of fall officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere.   Three months after the autumnal equinox, the sun on December 21, is further away from the tilted Northern Hemisphere where days are shorter and nights are longer.   On this day, the sun shines directly above latitude 23  ½ degrees S (Tropic of Capricorn) or the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The first day of spring occurs around March 20 or when the sun crosses the equator and moving northward.

Biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President

Biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President President Franklin D. Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945) led the United States during the Great Depression and World War II. Paralyzed from the waist down after suffering a bout of polio, Roosevelt overcame his disability and was elected president of the United States an unprecedented four times. Fast Facts: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Known For: Served four terms as president of the United States during the Great Depression and World War IIAlso Known As: FDRBorn: January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New YorkParents: James Roosevelt and Sara Ann DelanoDied: April 12, 1945 in Warm Springs, GeorgiaEducation: Harvard University and Columbia University Law SchoolSpouse: Eleanor RooseveltChildren: Anna, James, Elliott, Franklin,  JohnNotable Quote: â€Å"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.† Early Years Franklin D. Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882, at his familys estate, Springwood, in Hyde Park, New York, as the only child of his wealthy parents, James Roosevelt and Sara Ann Delano. James Roosevelt, who had been married once before and had a son (James Roosevelt Jr.) from his first marriage, was an elderly father (he was 53 when Franklin was born). Franklins mother Sara was only 27 when he was born and doted on her only child. Until she died in 1941 (just four years before Franklins death), Sara played a very influential role in her sons life, a role that some describe as controlling and possessive. Franklin D. Roosevelt spent his early years at his family home in Hyde Park. Since he was tutored at home and traveled extensively with his family, Roosevelt did not spend much time with others his age. In 1896 at age 14, Roosevelt was sent for his first formal schooling at the Groton School, a prestigious preparatory boarding school in Groton, Massachusetts. While there, Roosevelt was an average student. College and Marriage Roosevelt entered Harvard University in 1900. Only a few months into his first year, his father died. During his college years, Roosevelt became very active with the school newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, and became its managing editor in 1903. That same year, Roosevelt got engaged to his fifth cousin once removed, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (Roosevelt was her maiden name as well as her married one). Franklin and Eleanor were married two years later, on St. Patricks Day, March 17, 1905. Over the next 11 years, they had six children, although only five lived past infancy. Early Political Career In 1905, Franklin D. Roosevelt entered Columbia Law School but left once he passed the New York State Bar exam in 1907. He worked for a few years in the New York law firm of Carter, Ledyard, and Milburn. He was asked in 1910 to run as a Democrat for the State Senate seat from Duchess County, New York. Although Roosevelt had grown up in Duchess County, the seat had long been held by Republicans. Despite the odds against him, Roosevelt won the Senate seat in 1910 and then again in 1912. Roosevelts career as a state senator was cut short in 1913 when he was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson as the assistant secretary of the Navy. This position became even more important when the United States began making preparations to join in World War I. Franklin D. Roosevelt Runs for Vice President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to rise in politics like his fifth cousin (and Eleanors uncle), President Theodore Roosevelt. Even though Franklin D. Roosevelts political career looked very promising, however, he did not win every election. In 1920, Roosevelt was chosen as the vice presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket with James M. Cox. FDR and Cox lost the election. Having lost, Roosevelt decided to take a short break from politics and re-enter the business world. Just a few months later, Roosevelt got sick. Polio Strikes In the summer of 1921, Franklin D. Roosevelt and his family took a vacation to their summer home on Campobello Island, off the coast of Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. On August 10, 1921, after a day spent outdoors, Roosevelt began to feel weak. He went to bed early but woke up the next day much worse, with a high fever and with weakness in his legs. By August 12, 1921, he could no longer stand. Eleanor called a number of doctors to come and see FDR, but it wasnt until August 25 that Dr. Robert Lovett diagnosed him with poliomyelitis (i.e. polio). Before the vaccine was created in 1955, polio was an unfortunately common virus that, in its most severe form, could cause paralysis. At age 39, Roosevelt had lost the use of both of his legs. (In 2003, researchers decided it was likely that Roosevelt had Guillain-Barre syndrome rather than polio.) Roosevelt refused to be limited by his disability. To overcome his lack of mobility, Roosevelt had steel leg braces created that could be locked into an upright position to keep his legs straight. With the leg braces on under his clothes, Roosevelt could stand and slowly walk with the aid of crutches and a friends arm. Without the use of his legs, Roosevelt needed extra strength in his upper torso and arms. By swimming nearly every day, Roosevelt could move in and out of his wheelchair as well as up stairs. Roosevelt even had his car adapted to his disability by installing hand controls rather than foot pedals so that he could sit behind the wheel and drive. Despite the paralysis, Roosevelt kept his humor and charisma. Unfortunately, he also still had pain. Always looking for ways to soothe his discomfort, Roosevelt found a health spa in 1924 that seemed to be one of the very few things that could ease his pain. Roosevelt found such comfort there that in 1926 he bought it. At this spa in Warm Springs, Georgia, Roosevelt subsequently built a house (known as the Little White House) and established a polio treatment center to help other polio patients. Governor of New York In 1928, Franklin D. Roosevelt was asked to run for governor of New York. While he wanted back into politics, FDR had to determine whether or not his body was strong enough to withstand a gubernatorial campaign. In the end, he decided he could do it. Roosevelt won the election in 1928 for governor of New York and then won again in 1930. Franklin D. Roosevelt was now following a similar political path as his distant cousin, President Theodore Roosevelt, from the assistant secretary of the navy to governor of New York to the president of the United States. Underwood Archives / Getty Images Four-Term President During Roosevelts tenure as governor of New York, the Great Depression hit the United States. As average citizens lost their savings and their jobs, people became increasingly infuriated at the limited steps President Herbert Hoover was taking to solve this huge economic crisis. In the election of 1932, citizens were demanding change and FDR promised it to them. In a landslide election, Franklin D. Roosevelt won the presidency. Before FDR became president, there was no limit to the number of terms a person could serve in the office. Up to this point, most presidents had limited themselves to serving a maximum of two terms, as set by the example of George Washington. However, in the time of need caused by the Great Depression and World War II, the people of the United States elected Franklin D. Roosevelt as president of the United States four consecutive times. Partly because of FDRs long stint as president, Congress created the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution which limited future presidents to a maximum of two terms (ratified in 1951). Roosevelt spent his first two terms as president taking steps to ease the U.S. out of the Great Depression. The first three months of his presidency were a whirlwind of activity, which has become known as the first hundred days. The New Deal that FDR offered to the American people began immediately after he took office. Within his first week, Roosevelt had declared a banking holiday in order to strengthen the banks and reestablish confidence in the banking system. FDR also quickly created the alphabet agencies (such as the AAA, CCC, FERA, TVA, and TWA) to help offer relief. On March 12, 1933, Roosevelt addressed the American people via the radio in what became the first of his presidential fireside chats. Roosevelt used these radio speeches to communicate with the public in order to instill confidence in the government and to calm citizens fears and worries. FDRs policies helped lessen the severity of the Great Depression but it did not solve it. It wasnt until World War II that the U.S. was finally out of the depression. Once World War II began in Europe, Roosevelt ordered an increased production of war machinery and supplies. When Pearl Harbor on Hawaii was attacked on December 7, 1941, Roosevelt answered the attack with his a date which will live in infamy speech and a formal declaration of war. FDR led the United States during World War II and was one of the Big Three (Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin) that led the Allies. In 1944, Roosevelt won his fourth presidential election; however, he did not live to finish it. Death On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt was sitting in a chair at his home in Warm Springs, Georgia, having his portrait painted by Elizabeth Shoumatoff, when he stated I have a terrific headache and then lost consciousness. He had suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage at 1:15 p.m. Franklin D. Roosevelt was pronounced dead at 3:35 p.m. at age 63. Roosevelt, having led the United States during both the Great Depression and World War II, died less than one month before the end of the war in Europe. He was buried at his family home in Hyde Park. Legacy Roosevelt is often listed among the greatest presidents of the United States. A leader who guided the United States out of isolationism and into victory during World War II, he also created a New Deal that paved the path for an array of services to support Americas workers and poor. Roosevelt was also a major figure in the work that led to the creation of the League of Nations and, in later years, the United Nations. Sources â€Å"Franklin D. Roosevelt.† The White House, The United States Government.ï » ¿Freidel, Frank. â€Å"Franklin D. Roosevelt.† Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, 26 Jan. 2019.

Improving the innovation capability of Blackberry Assignment

Improving the innovation capability of Blackberry - Assignment Example This Canadian company decided to change its name to Blackberry as consumers were having a difficult time correlating the Blackberry name with Research in Motion. This trading name gives the Blackberry device a solid brand image associated with the company and its core values, which was a positive marketing decision made by the organisation. Between 2000 and 2007, Research in Motion had been the foremost pioneer in smartphone technology, being a pioneer in the technology industry. The market, at the time, did not provide consumers with a variety of options when it came to evolving mobile phone technology and, upon the launch of the Blackberry Pearl 8100, it was the only company that had a comparable offering, thus setting the product category for the industry. It was not until today’s leaders in smartphone technologies, such as Apple and Samsung, launched their first smartphone versions in the retail market that Blackberry began to quickly lose market share and also their reput ation for being an untouchable innovator in the industry. This essay describes how innovation is managed at Blackberry, how innovation projects are managed and carried out along the existing business model, and how culture supports or hinders innovation production at the firm. Findings are supported by both secondary and primary data, including an Internet chat interview with a representative from Blackberry, Christophe Lefort, general manager of Blackberry in France who agreed to participate in a 20 minute online interview. Strategy Unfortunately, Blackberry does not publicise its internal operational strategies and innovation efforts as this would deplete its publicized competitive advantages for a struggling organisation. In 2002, at the height of the business’ pinnacle as an innovator, the company experienced explosive sales volumes of its earliest Blackberry devices. By 2008, the company had become a cost leader, having launched multiple versions of the widely-accepted B lackberry device whilst reducing operating expenses, boasting a stock price of over $144 (Yahoo! Finance 2013). However, it quickly became apparent that Apple and Samsung, in 2008, had produced much more innovative smartphone devices, thus both companies seizing market share from Research in Motion and quickly gaining brand loyalty. By 2012, stock valuation in Research in Motion was less than $8 per share as the company struggled enormously to regain its footing as a pioneering leader. With a highly leveraged business model coupled with consumers that were quickly becoming entranced with the innovative technologies offered by Apple, Blackberry nearly approached bankruptcy. Therefore, the new business, Blackberry, would find considerable competitive danger by publicizing its internal efforts at innovation and strategy. It was just recently, in 2013, that Blackberry launched its latest Blackberry smartphone model which did find success in its target markets, thus providing the capital required for Blackberry to continue operating, to persevere as a publicly traded company, and determine the next innovation to save the company’s future. Having identified these limitations in available research, the current strategy for innovation as a survival methodology and to regain positive brand reputation can be explored, with assistance from the interview respondent. Prior to 2008, no representatives at then Research and Motion believed that they would lose their innovative competitive edge. Even industry experts believed that RIM would maintain its leadership position in the smartphone industry indefinitely which continued to push its stock prices ever higher with each news release about impending product developments. Essentially, Research in Motion

Jpmorgan income&growth PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Jpmorgan income&growth PLC - Essay Example 18). Both Income shareholders and Capital shareholders play exemplary role towards enhancing Capital growth and initiating strategies that would ensure the company realizes positive outcomes from its massive financial investments. The company has successfully invested in a relatively diverse portfolio comprising between 50 to 70 percent of all equities of the United Kingdom as well as a wide range of other assets. In order to accomplish its long-term financial investment goals, JPMorgan Income & Growth Investment Trust plc has extended the diversity of its Capital investments to include equities, assets, convertible bonds and bond funds (Dadrian 2006 p. 18). Despite the trading and logistical challenges of the UK stock exchange market, the company has managed to accumulate substantial investment, which are not only manifesting in the United Kingdom but also in other bordering economies. In particular, the company has increased its portfolio in direct equities base in the United Kingd om (Dillman 2006, p. 34). This has boosted the realization of the financial and investment goals of the corporation without compromising the individual ideas and preferences of its Income and Capital shareholders. Diversified assets have also been critical to expansion and accomplishment of the financial and investment objectives of the company. ... To attain long term financing, the firm has instigated a comprehensive plan with its primary aim being to identify the trustworthy and reliable sources of finance. Among the vital sources in its priority list are term loans, debenture, bonds, warrant, and lease. Term loans are loans from commercial banks and other financial institutions with clear repayment schedule along with a floating interest rate (Gupta 2005 p. 43). These loans are essential in realizing a major investment in the organization upon acquisition. Commercial banks offer short term as well as long-term loans to prospective clients. Since JPMorgan Income & Growth Investment Trust has had plans to meet its internal and external financial needs, term loans are hence inevitable. Acquisition of such loans would depend on the conveniences of the repayment schedule and the interest rates charged on such credit facilities. Bank loans have been instrumental to the major expansion of the company’s Capital and Asset base in the past few years (Gupta 2005 p. 43). In effect, the Income shareholders and Capital shareholders have managed to rip huge returns since the acquisition of these credit facilities of various commercial banks. However, repayment has emerged to one of the greatest challenges the company has to grapple with owing to the difficulties in the investment market. Thus, the company has initiated schemes with a view to ensure it diversified its long-term monetary ambitions are well spread across the board. Term loans have advantages and disadvantages to the company in equal measure. The main befit of these short term and long term loans is that they help the organization meet its growing financial

Image representation of Women in Magazines (which are targeted to Dissertation

Image representation of Women in Magazines (which are targeted to University Students) - Dissertation Example 1 Afghan Girl 4.3 Fig. 2 She looks spoiled 4.4 Fig. 3 â€Å"Quite a Pear† 4.5 Fig. 4 Wad 4.6 Fig. 5 Keep on Dreaming of a Better World 4.7. Fig. 6 It’s nice to have a girl around the house 4.8 Fig. 7 Dove Advertising 4.9 Fig. 8 Twiggy 4.10 Fig. 9 Do Men Hate Fat Women? 4.11 Fig. 10. Dolce and Gabbana Advertisement 4.12 Summary 5.0 Chapter Five: Discussion List of Figures References Appendices Abstract The research that was conducted for this study concerns the images in the media and their influence over women of university level age. Images in the media have been shown to have a powerful influence over the body image of young women, affecting their self esteem and their development of identity (Cash, Cash, and Butters 1983: Catterall, Maclaran, and Stevens 2000). In a study that discussed the responses to ten different images in a group setting with twelve women, the phenomenon of the way in which women experience influences by media images gave a new dimension through responses, both expected and unexpected. Broken into five chapters, this qualitative study examines the nature of media images and the impact that they have on society. Chapter One Introduction The effect of the representation of women in media through both photojournalism and fashion photography acts as a catalyst to emotional responses which have helped to frame the way in which women see themselves as members of Western culture. The issues of body image, self, and identity are often manipulated by the media as women grow from childhood through adolescence. The influences that media imposes upon women can often lead to issues such as anorexia, bulimia, BED (binge eating disorder), and other medically dangerous conditions. Objectification of women has now begun to shift to subjectification, leading women into a world where they must now be the aggressive sexual being, rather than the passive object. Through research conducted using images and the discussion of twelve women who wer e put into a focus group the concepts of image and self is explored through the information gathered within the interview process. In a qualitative study of the emotional responses to women when a ‘story’ or suggested interpretation of images was interjected, the concept of trend is also explored as it relates to the interpretation of the responses to the images. This type of research helps in understanding the way in which images influence the direction of how women perceive beauty and how they are positioned within the discourse of attractiveness. The power of photo imagery in contemporary discourse has influenced culture, making changes in the concept of beauty and ’normalcy’. 1.1Background The objectification of women is not a new concept. However, the ways in which images of women have been formulated to specifically associate women as objects as an everyday occurrence is a part of the information age. As advertising has become a cycling of images thr ough television, the internet, and print media such as magazines, the concept of female is habitually stripped of its identity and reformulated into creatures of ’otherness’, usable objects of the imagination. An example of this can be seen in Fig. 3, women are morphed with objects, redefined as something consumable as indicated in Fig. 4, and objects of manipulation as seen in Fig. 4. The nature

Technical Proposal Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Technical Proposal Paper - Essay Example In fact, the computers on a network are linked through telephone lines, cables, radio waves (wireless technology), or infrared light beams. In addition, a computer network is also acknowledged as simply an information network or simply net. In this scenario, the Internet is the most popular information network. It distributes data and information between internet users. Additionally, a computer network uses any network operating system that is responsible for managing and co-coordinating the operations of computers that are connected to the network. Some of the well known examples of these operating systems are: Windows NT, Linux, Unix etc. (Nash, 2000; Tanenbaum, 2002; Turban et al., 2005). This project proposal presents the specification of a new network technology based system that will allow data sharing and communication for the effective management of the corporate areas. This proposal is based on the given scenario. Our business is a small architectural business with different working teams. For superior interaction and communication we need to establish a computer network that can offer an excellent support for working remotely as well as communicate with business headquarters. 2- Background As discussed above, we have a small architectural business, with a Chief Executive, Finance Director and Sales Director. Apart from the mentioned hierarchy there are four architects, two administrative staff members and two architectural engineers. In this scenario, architects and engineers could be working at remote locations and would need communication facilities. Regarding this situation, we need a corporate network that can offer an excellent support for managing and coordinating tasks. In addition to this, it could be a web based network or system that can offer the capability to communicate and collaborate effectively. 3- Proposed Solution A new â€Å"network arrangement† will be established that will offer the facility to communicate effectively with business staff, share resources, data and facts remotely. In addition, this network will be supported by the Internet and can make use of workstations, network server and handheld PDAs for the establishment of overall communication of our business. 4- Office Plan In order to establish a network on the basis of the above given set-up, we need a more flexible network arrangement that would be able to support every area of our business and offer a capability for mutual sharing and handling of corporate resources. 4.1- Requirements for the Network In this setting the main requirements for the new network technology implementation are as follows: The established network must offer the means to communicate effectively The established network must offer an effective data sharing environment The established network must offer the secure data access points The established network must offer an excellent communication facility The established network must offer the remote access to network Th e established n

Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Treatment Assignment

Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Treatment - Assignment Example Correspondingly, this paper intends to critically describe the notions of delinquency prevention and delinquency treatment along with explaining the respective fundamental principles. Furthermore, the paper conducts a critical analysis of effectiveness, underlying the similarity and the differentiation in between delinquency prevention and delinquency treatment along with identifying the importance of juvenile justice system with respect to juvenile delinquency. DELINQUENCY PREVENTION Recent analysis of American society has revealed that America as a nation faces a significant risk of juvenile delinquency. Concerning the youth’s anti-social activities, the US Federal law has incorporated several state policies with the juvenile court system in order to prevent the act of delinquency. Based on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, the US government provides a lot of funds to the states for focusing on an assortment of delinquency protection principles and Acts. The core protection principles as well as Acts are especially focused on four parameters which include Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO), Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC), sight and sound as well as jail removal. The DSO along with sight and sound protection Acts are included with the original Federal law 1974. However, owing to the increasing rate of physical, mental and sexual assaults, suicides and drug addictions, the government of the US had to add ‘Jail Removal’ Act in 1980. Furthermore, federal system of the US also added DMC Act with the constitution in 1992 for effectively restraining rising issues related with the youth crime within the American society (United States Legal Inc, â€Å"Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Law & Legal Definition†). FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES The prevention of juvenile delinquency is ascertained to be utmost important for attaining all-round socio-economic development of a country. F urthermore, a culturally sound society seeks for immediate focus on the prevention measures of juvenile delinquency. Accordingly, it has been ascertained that several factors are responsible for the emergence of juvenile crime such as economic and social factors, urbanization and impact of media among others. In this context, an assortment of principles is required to be followed for the prevention of juvenile delinquency. Correspondingly, a few important principles are represented below: The government should emphasize and promote humanistic orientation programs to reduce criminal activities among the juveniles The entire society should duly involve in developing harmony among the adolescents The parents should take initiatives to guide their children properly In accordance with national legal system, various preventive programs should be implemented in the society such as DMC and gang reduction program among others (United States Legal Inc, â€Å"Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Law & Legal Definition†) EXAMPLES OF THE TYPES OF PREVENTION STRATEGIES AND AN ANALYSIS OF THEIR EFFECTIVENESS In order to restrain the adverse consequences of juvenile delinquency, several prevention strategies and programs are implemented in t

UNODC and organized crimes Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

UNODC and organized crimes - Coursework Example In Afghanistan, the Taliban had a share of about US$ 155 million; drug traffickers obtained a share of about US$2.2 billion while farmers got around US$440 million (UNODC, 2011). The report also claims that the cultivation of poppy in Afghanistan surpasses the global demand leading to vast quantity of stocks. â€Å"Over the past decade, Afghanistan has risen to prominence as the primary global source of illicit opium poppy cultivation† (Wyler, 2012). Despite the fact that Afghan heroin is only trafficked to Islamic nations of Iran, Pakistan and central Asia, it eventually finds its ways to the rest of the world. Approximately 150 tons of Afghan heroin was smuggled into Europe, 120 tons to Asia and 45 tons to Africa in 2009. The fight against illicit drug trade has been an ongoing war. In 2009, law enforcement agencies seized about 76 tons of heroin around the world (UNODC, 2011). This report finding exposes vulnerable areas that should be given more attention. For instance, implementing strict border regulations and controls in places such as the Afghanistan-Pakistan border at Baluchistan province would help greatly in intercepting massive trafficking of heroin, opium as well as precursor chemicals. Another way through which the flow of opiates from Afghanistan could be reduced is through increasing monitoring and search capability so that transit containers at harbors, airports and other transit points can be put under intensive check. This is likely to improve the rate of interdiction. According to the UNODC report, building capacity and ensuring efficient information sharing between transit points and law enforcement agencies in major countries and areas of opiates destination would be crucial in rounding up the trade of illicit drugs. The cultivation of poppy in Afghanistan is strongly correlated with insecurity in the country. The report findings point out that Afghan opium poppy is mainly

Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Treatment Assignment

Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Treatment - Assignment Example Correspondingly, this paper intends to critically describe the notions of delinquency prevention and delinquency treatment along with explaining the respective fundamental principles. Furthermore, the paper conducts a critical analysis of effectiveness, underlying the similarity and the differentiation in between delinquency prevention and delinquency treatment along with identifying the importance of juvenile justice system with respect to juvenile delinquency. DELINQUENCY PREVENTION Recent analysis of American society has revealed that America as a nation faces a significant risk of juvenile delinquency. Concerning the youth’s anti-social activities, the US Federal law has incorporated several state policies with the juvenile court system in order to prevent the act of delinquency. Based on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, the US government provides a lot of funds to the states for focusing on an assortment of delinquency protection principles and Acts. The core protection principles as well as Acts are especially focused on four parameters which include Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO), Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC), sight and sound as well as jail removal. The DSO along with sight and sound protection Acts are included with the original Federal law 1974. However, owing to the increasing rate of physical, mental and sexual assaults, suicides and drug addictions, the government of the US had to add ‘Jail Removal’ Act in 1980. Furthermore, federal system of the US also added DMC Act with the constitution in 1992 for effectively restraining rising issues related with the youth crime within the American society (United States Legal Inc, â€Å"Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Law & Legal Definition†). FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES The prevention of juvenile delinquency is ascertained to be utmost important for attaining all-round socio-economic development of a country. F urthermore, a culturally sound society seeks for immediate focus on the prevention measures of juvenile delinquency. Accordingly, it has been ascertained that several factors are responsible for the emergence of juvenile crime such as economic and social factors, urbanization and impact of media among others. In this context, an assortment of principles is required to be followed for the prevention of juvenile delinquency. Correspondingly, a few important principles are represented below: The government should emphasize and promote humanistic orientation programs to reduce criminal activities among the juveniles The entire society should duly involve in developing harmony among the adolescents The parents should take initiatives to guide their children properly In accordance with national legal system, various preventive programs should be implemented in the society such as DMC and gang reduction program among others (United States Legal Inc, â€Å"Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Law & Legal Definition†) EXAMPLES OF THE TYPES OF PREVENTION STRATEGIES AND AN ANALYSIS OF THEIR EFFECTIVENESS In order to restrain the adverse consequences of juvenile delinquency, several prevention strategies and programs are implemented in t

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Project management - Essay Example Keeping in view the importance of the advertisement, the Electronic Arts Incorporation (our client) decided to advertise their products over the internet, sale of the products (eCommerce) and along with development of videos (EA Inc., 2014). The Electronic Arts Inc. selected the Rubicon (Project Vendor and I am the Project Manager) to initiate the development of eCommerce enabled website along with the online videos for the advertisement. The vendor Rubicon is one of the leading companies for selling and buying of the advertising globally (Rubicon, 2014). In the initial sections of the document examines the scope, objectives, goals and the critical success factors of the project. The document proceeds with explaining the project management methods include: the Gantt Chart, critical path, network diagram and financial plan (cost estimates) of the project. Moreover, the document includes the organizational chart showing the internal and external organization as well as a responsibility assignment matrix. The document further contains an evaluation of the risks involved in the project and how they (risks) avoided by the vendor. The last part of the document contains suggestions for alternative project management methods and guidelines for the project to bring back it to the track, if there is slippage in the schedule of the project. The Rubicon (Project Vendor) utilizes eight (8) human resources to complete the project within specified time, including the project manager (me), database administrator, eCommerce specialist, website developer, website designer, content developer, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert and video editing specialist. There are four (4) basic or predefined success factors of a project, including cost, schedule (time), scope and quality. A project is said to be successful if the project has

Infant Observation: 10 Month old Baby

Infant Observation: 10 Month old Baby Infant Observation Ivan Mitsko Less than a year ago my close family friend delivered a second baby. And since we lived close to each other and the couple already had an experience with infants I realized that it was a perfect place for my observation paper. I decided to observe the child three times at different dates and time of day because it could help me better distinguish infant’s psychological behavior. The baby’s name was Alex and at the time of the observation he was ten months old. He was born healthy and without any complications. At the first day of his life he weighted 7.5 pounds and was 19 inches tall which is considered a normal range (Zinsser, 2015). The parents are very diligent and hardworking people and take care of their children very well. The behavior of the new born baby reminds me of a chain of reactions in response to new sensations which surrounds the infant during first year of life. When I observed Alex it was almost impossible not to notice his reflexes, senses, and natural instincts. When the mother tried to touch his lip with a finger the baby immediately opened his mouth and was prepared to suck. However, I noticed that he more prefers to suck his own fingers rather than someone else’s. When the mother put something sweet on her finger the baby used to start sucking it and in response to something sour or bitter he immediately wrinkled his face and tried to clean his mouth. This phenomenon can be explained by research conducted by scientist who claimed that humans’ affinity to sweet taste over any other taste corresponds to human genetics (Tatter, Schubert, Timischl, Simbruner, 1986). Another very interesting response I observed was a reaction to the loud noise. The sudden loud TV sound made hi m to furrow his brow, he looked very aware, and at the same time very scared. It seems that all of these reflexes are involuntary and the infant doesn’t have a knowledge or experience to realize that he is a baby and that he is the part of the world. All of the infant’s natural reflexes and instincts were very well described by Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist who is known for his studies with children. According to Piaget’s cognitive stage theory, the babies have an innate schema which is developed before they have any experience with surrounding environment. These cognitive structures are responsible for innate reflexes which are genetically programmed inside of us (Huitt, Hummel, 2003). For instance, most of the infants have sucking reflex which can be triggered by touching baby’s lips and based on these observations Piaget came up with the idea that infants have a sucking schema. Paget’s schema development can be applied to many other innate reflexes. For example, when something touches baby’s palm he will experience the grasping reflex, or similarly, the rooting reflex in which the child will turn his head in direction of the cheek you touched. For instance, during my observation I realized that rooting reflex works much better when the baby is hungry. Once the mother touched his cheek the infant turned his head right away and slightly open his mouth. It was very interesting to follow this process because it helped me to visualize how the schema works in real life situations. Moreover, I felt like the baby was waiting for the next signal which is food consumption. Both of these actions are nothing more than a reaction to touch which makes the life itself a very unique phenomenon. The overall baby’s physical appearance is very similar when he is still in the womb. His body, arms, and legs tend to take position in the way in which they were occupied in mother’s belly. When I asked my friend to hold a baby, the first thing I noticed was how the musculoskeletal system was undeveloped. Newborn babies tend to have very weak muscles which don’t allow them to hold the head or anything in hands. On the other hand, I noticed that when the infant grasped my finger I felt quiet bit of a power produced by the muscles. This interesting observation made me think how the voluntary and involuntary muscular contractions developed and their role in adaptation with surrounding environment. An innate reflex is the specific response to external stimuli. The study of reflexes is mainly used to assess the state of the nervous system and all of the related pathologies. There can be some exception but in most cases children are born with grasp reflex. In order to activate it the parents should simply touch the palm of baby’s hand and he will immediately flex his digits. Usually, some of the reflexes can be noticed from the birth and it is very important for young parents to distinguish any abnormalities in infants. (Futagi, Toribe, Suzuki, 2012). During the first month of the life the baby spends most of his time lying down either on a bed or in the mother’s hands. Also, it was very obvious to see that the baby liked being rocked, and when the parents surrounded him. I believe that most of the baby’s behavior is strictly automatic rather than deliberate. All of the actions are meant to evoke a sense of attachment. For example, when the infant starts crying he is probably hungry or wants to be held. During the infancy period most of the babies are far away from language/speech development. However, I realized that communication does exist between parents and the child. All of the babies tend to cry a lot and this is one of the main sign for a caregiver that something is wrong. During my observation I realized that babies cry because they feel some sort of discomfort which requires immediate attention. For young parents it might be often difficult to understand what happened and why the baby is crying. However, over some period of time caregivers begin to distinguish main concerns. As a future parent this observational experience was very educational for me. I learned that it takes a lot of compassion and hard work to take care of the baby. This a very demanding job which requires a lot of time and hard work and the knowledge of developmental psychology is a good way to understand scientifically what is like to be a baby. Paget’s cognitive stage theory is a great way for new parents to get familiar with the environment and psychological behavior of the new born baby which can be applied in order to establish connection between caregiver and child. References Futagi, Y., Toribe, Y., Suzuki, Y. (2012, June 11). The Grasp Reflex and Moro Reflex in Infants: Hierarchy of Primitive Reflex Responses. Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3384944/ Huitt, W., Hummel, J. (2003). Piagets theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved February 4,2015 from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cognition/piaget.html Tatzer, E., Schubert, M., Timischl, W., Simbruner, G. (1985, October 12). Discrimination of taste and preference for sweet in premature babies. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4064994 Zissner, K. Physical development in infancy [PowerPoint slide]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes https://uic.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_87219_1content_id=_4081122_1 Is Memory a Constructive Process? Is Memory a Constructive Process? Gemma L Sobah ‘Memory is a constructive and active process’ Psychology To be able to successfully evaluate this claim, it is important that some research is done. A lot of relevant research supports this claim but what information we process and store is actually being actively processes by our conscious and how much of this is being stored in a more automatic, passive manner? Before we can delve any further into memory, we need to find a way to break it down into what memory consists of. This essay will look at the research conducted on memory and evaluate to what extent the memory is a constructive and active system. As we know already, memory is a part of our everyday lives. It enables us to carry out daily tasks and skills from knowledge and gives us access to information we may need at a later date, but has been stored in our memory for the mean time. It is an essential part of our lives, and this makes it important for psychologists to be able to understand how it works and its functions. Over time research has been done that breaks memory down in to three component processors. Encoding Putting information into memory Storage Retaining information into memory Retrieval Getting information back out of memory (Brace et al, 2007) Encoding is putting information into code and then inserting it into our memory to then be stored. Storage is when information is retained and is kept in the form or visual, physical or other depictions. Retrieval is when we try and retrieve information out of our memory, into our conscious mind. The memory is not only broken down into processes but also has subsystems that work parallel to and include sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory. William James (cited in Brace et al, 2007) was one of the first psychologists to make this connect and present memory as having these three subsystems. His theory also included the idea that the brain used a primary memory permitting conscious mental activity and a secondary memory responsible for storing knowledge. (Brace and Roth, 2007, p.g 115) This alone supports the claim that memory is a constructive and active process, for it not only receives stores and retrieves information, but it also sorts the information we receive into sections. If the brain was a passive process, we could believe that all information processed would be generically stored. It would take a conscious and active memory to be able to decide which information will be logged as short term, and which should be logged as long term. We will look at th is more later. Memory is an ability that we as humans and also animals to some extent, depend upon to be able to recall different events, relate to experiences, and connect with people. It is a very important system that allows the brain to acknowledge and receive information from our surroundings and from our own bodies, (also known as stimuli), store it, (in either short or long term memory, depending on the information), and then allow it to be accessed in future occasions (known as retrieval). It allows us to continually live one day after the next, without having to relearn everything, giving us the ability to learn from our past actions, relive experiences in different times of our life’s and use all the information we have stored, to carry on and grow. If you think about the first time you read a book or tried roller-skates; those are memories formed, either short or long or term. If we have no memory from the past, you would never learn; thus unable to process and understand. Without memory we would constantly be faced with new and unfamiliar things. This alone and cause us distress. We only have to look at someone with dementia to understand how fragile and vulnerable we would be without the capacity to remember, our everyday lives and actions would be affected and so would our survival. More and more research is being uncovered that suggests that the brain works as a whole, integrating with all areas of its self and aren’t small separate sections doing independent work. When processing a new memory the brain sends information to the Papez circuit which involves many parts of the brain. Research on the brain shows that forming a memory causes physical changes to the organisation of neurons and maybe even the neurons in a process called brain plasticity. (Brace et al. 2007, p.g 146) Ever since William James (1890) first revealed his theories on memory, a substantial body of research has followed. Many other psychologists have shared approaches that conce ptualize memory as a flow of information through a sequence of sub-systems. It is believed information is recoded as and when it is carried from one sub-system to the next. Let’s look at the short term memory. Some research suggests that this form of memory is just a temporary store. But Baddeley and Hitch (1974) (as cited in Brace et al, 2007, p.g 117) allows us to understand it better. They believe that to be able to really understand the functions of short term memory we have to first understand what we use it for. They suggest it has several functions. Brace, 2007 puts it like this: One key function is to concentrate on processing new inputs, and rehearse and code them for transfer to long term memory. Another function is to retrieve information relevant stored knowledge to assist in making sense of these inputs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..STM is an active store holding information that we are consciously thinking about- it is attention-limited ‘work-bench’ system of memory. (Brace et al, 2007 page p.g 117) Here memory is described as active, and the reason for this is simple. Memory is constantly working or organise its information for the purpose of our life. We are constantly learning and developing, and our memory processes are constantly sorting through all the information we receive, to make sure the everyday things we need to remember, such as how to tie our shoes are stored in the right place, the information we only need temporary, such as the number we are typed into our phone, can be stored for the appropriate length of time, then discarded to utilise the space. We interact with many things in our everyday life’s and our brain are aware of that, and is constantly on standby to help us live, so to speak. Another reason we can say memory is active and not passive is for the simple fact that we are able to consciously control what we want to retrieve from our memories and what information we would rather no remember, at that present time. For example, a young has lost her house keys, and in order to help her find them, she decides to try and remember when she last seen them, this is her consciously selecting memories from a specific time. She hasn’t decided to try and remember the colour of the keys, or when she very first came to own the keys, she has consciously tried to recall a specific moment in her life when she had the keys. This is her memory actively working to select the relevant memory and disregard any memory that is not currently needed that may be related to the keys. If our memory were passive, maybe it would automatically recall every memory she has had with the keys, which wouldn’t help the woman find the keys, it would just create confusion and possible frustration. Memory might for this reason be seen as a perceptually active process of the brain that derives from three key components. As we can see memory isn’t a simple matter. It is very complex and there are still many aspects of it under research and not yet understood, and because memory cannot be directly monitored, psychologists have found ways to analyse it enough to be able to have some understanding of how our memory works and why. Our memory serves a crucial purpose and without it, we cannot evolve, and learn and although it does more good than harm, it can from time to time cause us distress and many other things. Our memories are key to making us who we are and there are times that some people’s bad memories impact their lives greatly. Nevertheless, our memory is active, and we can us this to our advantage. We can change our memories, we can implant some memories deeper than others, and we have found ways to hide or keep some memories dormant. We can actively strengthen and challenge our memories daily and find ways to get the most out of the memory process, because without memory, we can not survive. Word count:1444 References: Brace, N., Ilona, R. (2007) ‘Memory: structures, processes and skills’ in Miell, D., Phoenix, A., and Thomas, K. (eds) Mapping Psychology, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Psychology18th March 2014

The Reflections Of Gore Vidal :: essays research papers fc

The Reflections of Gore Vidal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many people in today's society that would love to have their views published for the whole world to view, but few can match the wit and originality of Gore Vidal. Vidal is the author of many short stories, novels, playwrights, and movie scripts. Gore Vidal has been and continues to be an influential figure in American literature. One of Vidal's most effective strategies as a writer has been to make the public aware of his opinions through his very popular and controversial works. Gore Vidal is an opinionated man with strong beliefs on many aspects of modern American culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gore Vidal is a man who likes to provoke controversy. The works of Gore Vidal revolves around three main themes: human behavior, politics, and homosexuality. These are Vidal's favorite subjects to write about because they are all something he deals with every day of his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Readers of Gore Vidal should realize that he is out to shock the public with his beliefs, and he accomplishes this task quite well by being in favor of homosexuality. Gore Vidal sees nothing but positive outcomes should homosexuality become an accepted practice. According to American Writers 'The consequences of publishing a gay novel in 1948 were severe, and Vidal's literary career nearly ground to a premature halt'; (681). With the publication of The City and the Pillar, Vidal became ostracized by his fellow writers and the public as well. Homosexuality is not an accepted practice today by many, and since it was less common in 1948, some became enraged and refused to buy any of his work (681). For years Vidal could not sell anything because he had already been labeled as an advocate of homosexuality. In an interview with Salon, Vidal said that he thought that within the next century the government would encourage homosexuality to decrease the population (3). Gore Vidal believes that children are no longer needed and that they are only taking up valuable space in today's world (3). Mr. Vidal believes that by promoting Dunst 2 homosexuality the over crowding will cease to be a problem (3).He refuses to have children because he thinks he will only be adding to the world's population problem. ('Vidal, Gore'; 683) Vidal also sees the practice of homosexuality as a cure for sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS. Vidal thinks that by eliminating all male and female intercourse the sexually tranmitted diseases will eventually cease to be passed on as he believes this is the safest form of sexual intercorse. (684)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of Gore Vidal's more popular beliefs is that women should never be abused.

Teaching Mathematics through Guided Discovery Essays -- Teachers Schoo

Teaching Mathematics through Guided Discovery As with every academic subject, there are a variety of strategies for teaching mathematics to school-aged students. Some strategies seem to be better than others, especially when tackling certain topics. There is the direct instruction approach where students are given the exact tools and formulas they need to solve a problem, sometimes without a clear explanation as to why. The student is told to do certain steps in a certain order and in turn expects to do them as such at all times. This leaves little room for solving varying types of problems. It can also lead to misconceptions and students may not gain the full understanding that their teachers want them to have. So how can mathematics teachers get their students to better understand the concepts that are being taught? A somewhat underused strategy for teaching mathematics is that of guided discovery. With this strategy, the student arrives at an understanding of a new mathematical concept on his or her own. An activity is given in which "students sequentially uncover layers of mathematical information one step at a time and learn new mathematics" (Gerver & Sgroi, 2003). This way, instead of simply being told the procedure for solving a problem, the student can develop the steps mainly on his own with only a little guidance from the teacher. The ability for children to discover is innate. From birth children discover all sorts of different things about the world around them. It has even been said that "babies are as good at discovery as the smartest adult" (Gopnik, 2005). Discovering is the natural way that children learn. By interacting with the world around them, they ar... ... a sense of accomplishment, something they cannot get through direct instruction alone. This sense of accomplishment will raise their mathematical self-esteem. This can, in turn, help students appreciate and enjoy mathematics even more. Few would argue against the idea that any teaching strategy that gets students to believe in themselves and enjoy the subject is a good one. Works Cited 1. Begley, Sharon. The Best Ways to Make Schoolchildren Learn? We Just Don't Know. Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). New York, NY: December 10, 2004. pg. B1. 2. Gerver, Robert K. and Richard J. Sgroi. Creating and Using Guided-Discovery Lessons. Mathematics Teacher. Vol. 96, No. 1. January 2003. pg. 6. 3. Gopnik, Alison. How We Learn. The New York Times. New York, NJ: Sunday January 16, 2005. Section 4A; Column 1; Education Life Supplement; pg. 26.

Twilight 9. THEORY

9. THEORY â€Å"Can I ask just one more?† I pleaded as Edward accelerated much too quickly down the quiet street. He didn't seem to be paying any attention to the road. He sighed. â€Å"One,† he agreed. His lips pressed together into a cautious line. â€Å"Well†¦ you said you knew I hadn't gone into the bookstore, and that I had gone south. I was just wondering how you knew that.† He looked away, deliberating. â€Å"I thought we were past all the evasiveness,† I grumbled. He almost smiled. â€Å"Fine, then. I followed your scent.† He looked at the road, giving me time to compose my face. I couldn't think of an acceptable response to that, but I filed it carefully away for future study. I tried to refocus. I wasn't ready to let him be finished, now that he was finally explaining things. â€Å"And then you didn't answer one of my first questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stalled. He looked at me with disapproval. â€Å"Which one?† â€Å"How does it work – the mind-reading thing? Can you read anybody's mind, anywhere? How do you do it? Can the rest of your family†¦ ?† I felt silly, asking for clarification on make-believe. â€Å"That's more than one,† he pointed out. I simply intertwined my fingers and gazed at him, waiting. â€Å"No, it's just me. And I can't hear anyone, anywhere. I have to be fairly close. The more familiar someone's†¦ ‘voice' is, the farther away I can hear them. But still, no more than a few miles.† He paused thoughtfully. â€Å"It's a little like being in a huge hall filled with people, everyone talking at once. It's just a hum – a buzzing of voices in the background. Until I focus on one voice, and then what they're thinking is clear. â€Å"Most of the time I tune it all out – it can be very distracting. And then it's easier to seem normal† – he frowned as he said the word – â€Å"when I'm not accidentally answering someone's thoughts rather than their words.† â€Å"Why do you think you can't hear me?† I asked curiously. He looked at me, his eyes enigmatic. â€Å"I don't know,† he murmured. â€Å"The only guess I have is that maybe your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I'm only getting FM.† He grinned at me, suddenly amused. â€Å"My mind doesn't work right? I'm a freak?† The words bothered me more than they should – probably because his speculation hit home. I'd always suspected as much, and it embarrassed me to have it confirmed. â€Å"I hear voices in my mind and you're worried that you're the freak,† he laughed. â€Å"Don't worry, it's just a theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His face tightened. â€Å"Which brings us back to you.† I sighed. How to begin? â€Å"Aren't we past all the evasions now?† he reminded me softly. I looked away from his face for the first time, trying to find words. I happened to notice the speedometer. â€Å"Holy crow!† I shouted. â€Å"Slow down!† â€Å"What's wrong?† He was startled. But the car didn't decelerate. â€Å"You're going a hundred miles an hour!† I was still shouting. I shot a panicky glance out the window, but it was too dark to see much. The road was only visible in the long patch of bluish brightness from the headlights. The forest along both sides of the road was like a black wall – as hard as a wall of steel if we veered off the road at this speed. â€Å"Relax, Bella.† He rolled his eyes, still not slowing. â€Å"Are you trying to kill us?† I demanded. â€Å"We're not going to crash.† I tried to modulate my voice. â€Å"Why are you in such a hurry?† â€Å"I always drive like this.† He turned to smile crookedly at me. â€Å"Keep your eyes on the road!† â€Å"I've never been in an accident, Bella – I've never even gotten a ticket.† He grinned and tapped his forehead. â€Å"Built-in radar detector.† â€Å"Very funny.† I fumed. â€Å"Charlie's a cop, remember? I was raised to abide by traffic laws. Besides, if you turn us into a Volvo pretzel around a tree trunk, you can probably just walk away.† â€Å"Probably,† he agreed with a short, hard laugh. â€Å"But you can't.† He sighed, and I watched with relief as the needle gradually drifted toward eighty. â€Å"Happy?† â€Å"Almost.† â€Å"I hate driving slow,† he muttered. â€Å"This is slow?† â€Å"Enough commentary on my driving,† he snapped. â€Å"I'm still waiting for your latest theory.† I bit my lip. He looked down at me, his honey eyes unexpectedly gentle. â€Å"I won't laugh,† he promised. â€Å"I'm more afraid that you'll be angry with me.† â€Å"Is it that bad?† â€Å"Pretty much, yeah.† He waited. I was looking down at my hands, so I couldn't see his expression. â€Å"Go ahead.† His voice was calm. â€Å"I don't know how to start,† I admitted. â€Å"Why don't you start at the beginning†¦ you said you didn't come up with this on your own.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"What got you started – a book? A movie?† he probed. â€Å"No – it was Saturday, at the beach.† I risked a glance up at his face. He looked puzzled. â€Å"I ran into an old family friend -Jacob Black,† I continued. â€Å"His dad and Charlie have been friends since I was a baby.† He still looked confused. â€Å"His dad is one of the Quileute elders.† I watched him carefully. His confused expression froze in place. â€Å"We went for a walk -† I edited all my scheming out of the story â€Å"- and he was telling me some old legends – trying to scare me, I think. He told me one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. â€Å"Go on,† he said. â€Å"About vampires.† I realized I was whispering. I couldn't look at his face now. But I saw his knuckles tighten convulsively on the wheel. â€Å"And you immediately thought of me?† Still calm. â€Å"No. He†¦ mentioned your family.† He was silent, staring at the road. I was worried suddenly, worried about protecting Jacob. â€Å"He just thought it was a silly superstition,† I said quickly. â€Å"He didn't expect me to think anything of it.† It didn't seem like enough; I had to confess. â€Å"It was my fault, I forced him to tell me.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Lauren said something about you – she was trying to provoke me. And an older boy from the tribe said your family didn't come to the reservation, only it sounded like he meant something different. So I got Jacob alone and I tricked it out of him,† I admitted, hanging my head. He startled me by laughing. I glared up at him. He was laughing, but his eyes were fierce, staring ahead. â€Å"Tricked him how?† he asked. â€Å"I tried to flirt – it worked better than I thought it would.† Disbelief colored my tone as I remembered. â€Å"I'd like to have seen that.† He chuckled darkly. â€Å"And you accused me of dazzling people – poor Jacob Black.† I blushed and looked out my window into the night. â€Å"What did you do then?† he asked after a minute. â€Å"I did some research on the Internet.† â€Å"And did that convince you?† His voice sounded barely interested. But his hands were clamped hard onto the steering wheel. â€Å"No. Nothing fit. Most of it was kind of silly. And then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stopped. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I decided it didn't matter,† I whispered. â€Å"It didn't matter?† His tone made me look up – I had finally broken through his carefully composed mask. His face was incredulous, with just a hint of the anger I'd feared. â€Å"No,† I said softly. â€Å"It doesn't matter to me what you are.† A hard, mocking edge entered his voice. â€Å"You don't care if I'm a monster? If I'm not human!† â€Å"No.† He was silent, staring straight ahead again. His face was bleak and cold. â€Å"You're angry,† I sighed. â€Å"I shouldn't have said anything.† â€Å"No,† he said, but his tone was as hard as his face. â€Å"I'd rather know what you're thinking – even if what you're thinking is insane.† â€Å"So I'm wrong again?† I challenged. â€Å"That's not what I was referring to. ‘It doesn't matter'!† he quoted, gritting his teeth together. â€Å"I'm right?† I gasped. â€Å"Does it matter?† I took a deep breath. â€Å"Not really.† I paused. â€Å"But I am curious.† My voice, at least, was composed. He was suddenly resigned. â€Å"What are you curious about?† â€Å"How old are you?† â€Å"Seventeen,† he answered promptly. â€Å"And how long have you been seventeen?† His lips twitched as he stared at the road. â€Å"A while,† he admitted at last. â€Å"Okay.† I smiled, pleased that he was still being honest with me. He stared down at me with watchful eyes, much as he had before, when he was worried I would go into shock. I smiled wider in encouragement, and he frowned. â€Å"Don't laugh – but how can you come out during the daytime?† He laughed anyway. â€Å"Myth.† â€Å"Burned by the sun?† â€Å"Myth.† â€Å"Sleeping in coffins?† â€Å"Myth.† He hesitated for a moment, and a peculiar tone entered his voice. â€Å"I can't sleep.† It took me a minute to absorb that. â€Å"At all?† â€Å"Never,† he said, his voice nearly inaudible. He turned to look at me with a wistful expression. The golden eyes held mine, and I lost my train of thought. I stared at him until he looked away. â€Å"You haven't asked me the most important question yet.† His voice was hard now, and when he looked at me again his eyes were cold. I blinked, still dazed. â€Å"Which one is that?† â€Å"You aren't concerned about my diet?† he asked sarcastically. â€Å"Oh,† I murmured, â€Å"that.† â€Å"Yes, that.† His voice was bleak. â€Å"Don't you want to know if I drink blood?† I flinched. â€Å"Well, Jacob said something about that.† â€Å"What did Jacob say?† he asked flatly. â€Å"He said you didn't†¦ hunt people. He said your family wasn't supposed to be dangerous because you only hunted animals.† â€Å"He said we weren't dangerous?† His voice was deeply skeptical. â€Å"Not exactly. He said you weren't supposed to be dangerous. But the Quileutes still didn't want you on their land, just in case.† He looked forward, but I couldn't tell if he was watching the road or not. â€Å"So was he right? About not hunting people?† I tried to keep my voice as even as possible. â€Å"The Quileutes have a long memory,† he whispered. I took it as a confirmation. â€Å"Don't let that make you complacent, though,† he warned me. â€Å"They're right to keep their distance from us. We are still dangerous.† â€Å"I don't understand.† â€Å"We try,† he explained slowly. â€Å"We're usually very good at what we do. Sometimes we make mistakes. Me, for example, allowing myself to be alone with you.† â€Å"This is a mistake?† I heard the sadness in my voice, but I didn't know if he could as well. â€Å"A very dangerous one,† he murmured. We were both silent then. I watched the headlights twist with the curves of the road. They moved too fast; it didn't look real, it looked like a video game. I was aware of the time slipping away so quickly, like the black road beneath us, and I was hideously afraid that I would never have another chance to be with him like this again – openly, the walls between us gone for once. His words hinted at an end, and I recoiled from the idea. I couldn't waste one minute I had with him. â€Å"Tell me more,† I asked desperately, not caring what he said, just so I could hear his voice again. He looked at me quickly, startled by the change in my tone. â€Å"What more do you want to know?† â€Å"Tell me why you hunt animals instead of people,† I suggested, my voice still tinged with desperation. I realized my eyes were wet, and I fought against the grief that was trying to overpower me. â€Å"I don't want to be a monster.† His voice was very low. â€Å"But animals aren't enough?† He paused. â€Å"I can't be sure, of course, but I'd compare it to living on tofu and soy milk; we call ourselves vegetarians, our little inside joke. It doesn't completely satiate the hunger – or rather thirst. But it keens us strong enough to resist. Most of the time.† His tone turned ominous. â€Å"Sometimes it's more difficult than others.† â€Å"Is it very difficult for you now?† I asked. He sighed. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"But you're not hungry now,† I said confidently – stating, not asking. â€Å"Why do you think that?† â€Å"Your eyes. I told you I had a theory. I've noticed that people – men in particular – are crabbier when they're hungry.† He chuckled. â€Å"You are observant, aren't you?† I didn't answer; I just listened to the sound of his laugh, committing it to memory. â€Å"Were you hunting this weekend, with Emmett?† I asked when it was quiet again. â€Å"Yes.† He paused for a second, as if deciding whether or not to say something. â€Å"I didn't want to leave, but it was necessary. It's a bit easier to be around you when I'm not thirsty.† â€Å"Why didn't you want to leave?† â€Å"It makes me†¦ anxious†¦ to be away from you.† His eyes were gentle but intense, and they seemed to be making my bones turn soft. â€Å"I wasn't joking when I asked you to try not to fall in the ocean or get run over last Thursday. I was distracted all weekend, worrying about you. And after what happened tonight, I'm surprised that you did make it through a whole weekend unscathed.† He shook his head, and then seemed to remember something. â€Å"Well, not totally unscathed.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Your hands,† he reminded me. I looked down at my palms, at the almost-healed scrapes across the heels of my hands. His eyes missed nothing. â€Å"I fell,† I sighed. â€Å"That's what I thought.† His lips curved up at the corners. â€Å"I suppose, being you, it could have been much worse – and that possibility tormented me the entire time I was away. It was a very long three days. I really got on Emmett's nerves.† He smiled ruefully at me. â€Å"Three days? Didn't you just get back today?† â€Å"No, we got back Sunday.† â€Å"Then why weren't any of you in school?† I was frustrated, almost angry as I thought of how much disappointment I had suffered because of his absence. â€Å"Well, you asked if the sun hurt me, and it doesn't. But I can't go out in the sunlight – at least, not where anyone can see.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I'll show you sometime,† he promised. I thought about it for a moment. â€Å"You might have called me,† I decided. He was puzzled. â€Å"But I knew you were safe.† â€Å"But I didn't know where you were. I -† I hesitated, dropping my eyes. â€Å"What?† His velvety voice was compelling. â€Å"I didn't like it. Not seeing you. It makes me anxious, too.† I blushed to be saying this out loud. He was quiet. I glanced up, apprehensive, and saw that his expression was pained. â€Å"Ah,† he groaned quietly. â€Å"This is wrong.† I couldn't understand his response. â€Å"What did I say?† â€Å"Don't you see, Bella? It's one thing for me to make myself miserable, but a wholly other thing for you to be so involved.† He turned his anguished eyes to the road, his words flowing almost too fast for me to understand. â€Å"I don't want to hear that you feel that way.† His voice was low but urgent. His words cut me. â€Å"It's wrong. It's not safe. I'm dangerous, Bella – please, grasp that.† â€Å"No.† I tried very hard not to look like a sulky child. â€Å"I'm serious,† he growled. â€Å"So am I. I told you, it doesn't matter what you are. It's too late.† His voice whipped out, low and harsh. â€Å"Never say that.† I bit my lip and was glad he couldn't know how much that hurt. I stared out at the road. We must be close now. He was driving much too fast. â€Å"What are you thinking?† he asked, his voice still raw. I just shook my head, not sure if I could speak. I could feel his gaze on my face, but I kept my eyes forward. â€Å"Are you crying?† He sounded appalled. I hadn't realized the moisture in my eyes had brimmed over. I quickly rubbed my hand across my cheek, and sure enough, traitor tears were there, betraying me. â€Å"No,† I said, but my voice cracked. I saw him reach toward me hesitantly with his right hand, but then he stopped and placed it slowly back on the steering wheel. â€Å"I'm sorry.† His voice burned with regret. I knew he wasn't just apologizing for the words that had upset me. The darkness slipped by us in silence. â€Å"Tell me something,† he asked after another minute, and I could hear him struggle to use a lighter tone. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"What were you thinking tonight, just before I came around the corner? I couldn't understand your expression – you didn't look that scared, you looked like you were concentrating very hard on something.† â€Å"I was trying to remember how to incapacitate an attacker – you know, self-defense. I was going to smash his nose into his brain.† I thought of the dark-haired man with a surge of hate. â€Å"You were going to fight them?† This upset him. â€Å"Didn't you think about running?† â€Å"I fall down a lot when I run,† I admitted. â€Å"What about screaming for help?† â€Å"I was getting to that part.† He shook his head. â€Å"You were right – I'm definitely fighting fate trying to keep you alive.† I sighed. We were slowing, passing into the boundaries of Forks. It had taken less than twenty minutes. â€Å"Will I see you tomorrow?† I demanded. â€Å"Yes – I have a paper due, too.† He smiled. â€Å"I'll save you a seat at lunch.† It was silly, after everything we'd been through tonight, how that little promise sent flutters through my stomach, and made me unable to speak. We were in front of Charlie's house. The lights were on, my truck in its place, everything utterly normal. It was like waking from a dream. He stopped the car, but I didn't move. â€Å"Do you promise to be there tomorrow?† â€Å"I promise.† I considered that for a moment, then nodded. I pulled his jacket off, taking one last whiff. â€Å"You can keep it – you don't have a jacket for tomorrow,† he reminded me. I handed it back to him. â€Å"I don't want to have to explain to Charlie.† â€Å"Oh, right.† He grinned. I hesitated, my hand on the door handle, trying to prolong the moment. â€Å"Bella?† he asked in a different tone – serious, but hesitant. â€Å"Yes?† I turned back to him too eagerly. â€Å"Will you promise me something?† â€Å"Yes,† I said, and instantly regretted my unconditional agreement. What if he asked me to stay away from him? I couldn't keep that promise. â€Å"Don't go into the woods alone.† I stared at him in blank confusion. â€Å"Why?† He frowned, and his eyes were tight as he stared past me out the window. â€Å"I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there. Let's leave it at that.† I shuddered slightly at the sudden bleakness in his voice, but I was relieved. This, at least, was an easy promise to honor. â€Å"Whatever you say.† â€Å"I'll see you tomorrow,† he sighed, and I knew he wanted me to leave now. â€Å"Tomorrow, then.† I opened the door unwillingly. â€Å"Bella?† I turned and he was leaning toward me, his pale, glorious face just inches from mine. My heart stopped beating. â€Å"Sleep well,† he said. His breath blew in my face, stunning me. It was the same exquisite scent that clung to his jacket, but in a more concentrated form. I blinked, thoroughly dazed. He leaned away. I was unable to move until my brain had somewhat unscrambled itself. Then I stepped out of the car awkwardly, having to use the frame for support. I thought I heard him chuckle, but the sound was too quiet for me to be certain. He waited till I had stumbled to the front door, and then I heard his engine quietly rev. I turned to watch the silver car disappear around the corner. I realized it was very cold. I reached for the key mechanically, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. Charlie called from the living room. â€Å"Bella?† â€Å"Yeah, Dad, it's me.† I walked in to see him. He was watching a baseball game. â€Å"You're home early.† â€Å"Am I?† I was surprised. â€Å"It's not even eight yet,† he told me. â€Å"Did you girls have fun?† â€Å"Yeah – it was lots of fun.† My head was spinning as I tried to remember all the way back to the girls' night out I had planned. â€Å"They both found dresses.† â€Å"Are you all right?† â€Å"I'm just tired. I did a lot of walking.† â€Å"Well, maybe you should go lie down.† He sounded concerned. I wondered what my face looked like. â€Å"I'm just going to call Jessica first.† â€Å"Weren't you just with her?† he asked, surprised. â€Å"Yes – but I left my jacket in her car. I want to make sure she brings it tomorrow.† â€Å"Well, give her a chance to get home first.† â€Å"Right,† I agreed. I went to the kitchen and fell, exhausted, into a chair. I was really feeling dizzy now. I wondered if I was going to go into shock after all. Get a grip, I told myself. The phone rang suddenly, startling me. I yanked it off the hook. â€Å"Hello?† I asked breathlessly. â€Å"Bella?† â€Å"Hey, Jess, I was just going to call you.† â€Å"You made it home?† Her voice was relieved†¦ and surprised. â€Å"Yes. I left my jacket in your car – could you bring it to me tomorrow?† â€Å"Sure. But tell me what happened!† she demanded. â€Å"Um, tomorrow – in Trig, okay?† She caught on quickly. â€Å"Oh, is your dad there?† â€Å"Yes, that's right.† â€Å"Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Bye!† I could hear the impatience in her voice. â€Å"Bye, Jess.† I walked up the stairs slowly, a heavy stupor clouding my mind. I went through the motions of getting ready for bed without paying any attention to what I was doing. It wasn't until I was in the shower – the water too hot, burning my skin – that I realized I was freezing. I shuddered violently for several minutes before the steaming spray could finally relax my rigid muscles. Then I stood in the shower, too tired to move, until the hot water began to run out. I stumbled out, wrapping myself securely in a towel, trying to hold the heat from the water in so the aching shivers wouldn't return. I dressed for bed swiftly and climbed under my quilt, curling into a ball, hugging myself to keep warm. A few small shudders trembled through me. My mind still swirled dizzily, full of images I couldn't understand, and some I fought to repress. Nothing seemed clear at first, but as I fell gradually closer to unconsciousness, a few certainties became evident. About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was part of him – and I didn't know how potent that part might be – that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.