Plato and Stephen Hawking Essay

1. If some parties lead to trouble and trouble should be avoided, then some parties should be avoided. (m) Trouble (p) should be avoided (s) Some parties (m) lead to trouble (s) Some parties (p) should be avoided 2. Physicists are the only scientists who theorize about the nature of time and Stephen Hawking certainly does that. Therefore, Stephen Hawking must be a physicist. (p) Physicists are the only scientists who (m) theorize about the nature of time (s) Stephen Hawking (m) theorizes about the nature of time (s) Stephen Hawking (p) should be a physicist 3. Obviously J.R. is married, he’s wearing a ring. (m) Men that wear rings (p) are married (s) J.R. (m) is wearing a ring (s) J.R. (p) is married 4. If people should be paid comparative salaries for comparable work, then since women are people, it’s obvious that women should earn the same salary as men. People should be paid comparative salaries for comparable work Women are people Women should earn the same salary as men. 5. Everything must have a cause, then God must have a cause. After all God is something. Everything must have a cause God is something God must have a cause 6. Scientists today claim that the Peruvian Andes, a long mountain chain running the length of the Pacific plate of South America, are caused by subduction of the earth’s crust. Subduction is caused when two continents collide resulting in rock formation. El Mirador, one of the most famous peaks, is a mountain in that chain. It contains elements found in all molten rock such as basalt and lava. Scientist are convinced that El Mirador is a product of the subduction process. 7. In their never-ending quest to seek more efficient killing methods, scientists and engineers in the U.S. Army’s research and development division have produced a new biological agent. From previous studies the bio-technicians have seen that all biological agents capable of destroying the central nervous system are more cost-effective than explosive devices such as bullets or bombs. The new agent entitled The Patriot Bug effectively neutralizes the central impulse to the brain, killing a human being in just two minutes and it does this cheaply. The army will seek approval to deploy this agent at next month’s Pentagon meeting. 8. The California Supreme Court severely limited the rights of overweight-people to sue for job discrimination, ruling yesterday against a 305 pound woman who claimed she was denied a job in a health food store because of her size. By a 7-0 vote the court held that job applicants turned away because of weight cannot sue unless there is evidence of a physiological systemic basis for their condition. A person’s girth alone is not enough to qualify as a physical handicap protected by state discrimination laws, the justices ruled. The court didn’t specify what medical evidence is required but one employment lawyer speculated that a person overweight because of diabetes could sue. The ruling was a defeat for Toni Cassista, a five foot for woman who claimed she was illegally denied a job at a Santa Cruz health food store because of her weight. 9. This is from a Platonic Dialogue called the Crito: Socrates: Again Crito, can we do evil? Crito: Surely not, Socrates. Socrates: And what of doing evil in return for evil, which is the morality of the â€Å"many†, (society) is that just or not. Crito: Not just. Socrates: For doing injury is the same as injuring him? Crito: Very true. Socrates: Then we ought not to retaliate or render evil for evil to any one, whatever evil may have suffered from him†¦ 10. All Peace Corps volunteers are people who have witnessed poverty and desolation and all people insensitive to human need are people who have never witnessed poverty and desolation. Thus, all Peace Corps volunteers are people sensitive to human need. People who have never witnessed poverty and desolation are insensitive to human needs All Peace Corps volunteers are people who have witnessed poverty and desolation All Peace Corps volunteers are people sensitive to human needs 11. Some unintentional killings are not punishable offenses inasmuch as all cases of self-defense are un-punishable offenses and some intentional killings are cases of self-defense. All cases of self-defense are un-punishable offenses Some intentional killings are cases of self-defense Some unintentional killings are not punishable 12. The US surgeon General latest report on cigarettes and cancer is an interesting example of natural selection in the late 20th century. The intelligent members of our species will quit smoking and survive. The dummies will continue to puff away. 13. Policies to limit alcohol abuse in the military are the best preventative to alcohol abuse. If the Defense Department is so intent of fighting alcohol abuse why does it make alcohol so readily available? Alcohol is tax free at post liquor stores and enlisted and officers clubs make drinking almost a mandatory facet of military life. 14. Toy corporations which promote the purchase of toy guns give children a clear message that the best way to deal with frustration and conflict is with a gun. Yes, toy corporations spend millions on developing new toy weapons every year. What message are we sending our youth? The purchase of toy guns give children a clear message that the best way to deal with frustration and conflict is with a gun. Toy corporations spend millions on developing new toy weapons every year. Toy corporations which promote the purchase of toy guns give children a clear message that the best way to deal with frustration and conflict is with a gun.

Reflective Statement Essay

How I create a positive learning environment A positive learning environment are trust, open communication and shared learning experiences.Trainer is one who can create a positive learning environment, which will allow the students to feel comfortable, safe and engaged – something that all students deserve. I applied some factors that build a positive learning environment. Adult learners require the learning to be relevant, are highly motivated, need active involvement in the learning process, a variety of learning experiences, positive feedback, need to be recognized as individuals with unique experiences, to maintain their self-esteem. A positive learning environment requires the involvement of learners – to ask questions and feedback, encourage discussions, group and individual activities, group discussions, visual aids, role plays. The effective trainer helps to create the positive learning environment when using a variety of techniques for providing positive feedback. To provide positive feedback is to give verbal praise, to use positive responses during questioning, recognize appropriate skills. Be sure to treat the participants as individuals when using participant names, to involve all participants as often as possible, to treat participants with respect, to allow participants to share information with others, to maintain the self-esteem of learners with reinforcing practices and beliefs embodied in the activity, providing corrective feedback in an appropriate manner, providing training that adds to their sense of competence and self-esteem, recognizing participants accomplishments. The feedback I received from learner participants The feedback I receive is very positive. The learners rated all of the activities very highly. Content – is rated 4.6 from 5 which is Excellent. Organization – is rated 4.0 from 5 which is Very Good. Use of instructional aids – is rated 4.4 from 5 which is near Excellent. Creating interest in topic – is rated 4.8 from 5 which is Excellent. Involvement of participants – is rated 4.4 from 5 which is near Excellent. Met my needs – is rated 3.8 from 5 which is near Very Good. Suitable to my level of experience – is rated 4.2 from 5 which is Very Good. Interesting – is rated 4.4 from 5 which is near Excellent. Included sufficient examples – is rated 4.6 from 5 which is Excellent. Understandable -is rated 4.2 from 5 which is Very Good. This lead to conclude that activities provides interesting information. The feedback I received it is very useful and helping me to understand where I can develop my lessons in further. My perceptions of the effectiveness of the activity I felt engaged and that the content of the learning material was interesting and meaningful. The explanations given helped me to clarify and remember ideas, and the activities gave a way to remember the information in a clear way. That makes a difference in understanding the material, because I can see the strategies in action instead of just reading about them. The results of the team work activities are beneficial towards learning process and helps enhance learning process. Looking at the picture as a whole, one of the most valuable things is just sharing experiences with other participants. Because you just learn so much from each other. I think the whole focus behind the effectiveness of the activity it has made me reflect a lot more on my own practice and future development. 2 recommendations to improve my future performance

How to Write the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Essay 2018-2019

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a technological university established in 1865, located around 50 miles from Boston in Worcester, Massachusetts. Known for its project-based curriculum, WPI features a 95-acre campus and aims to provide its students with quality resources. WPI is ranked #59 by U.S. News and World Report with an acceptance rate of 48% for the Class of 2022. A unique admissions aspect of WPI is the test-optional policy—you need not submit an SAT or ACT score for your application to be considered. However, it is a STEM-based school, so you will need to have taken four years of math, including pre-calculus as an academic requirement. While the college application process may seem overwhelming, don’t worry– is here to help you tackle WPI’s 2018-2019 application! WPI is a school that prides itself on maintaining a global presence with over 40 project centers on 6 continents. Aligning with this aspect is WPI’s admissions essay: one that appears to embody the presence of a world that is growing more and more connected. Do you have an account on a blog website? A YouTube channel? Or maybe you even run your own website? If so, strongly consider providing the URL to it, if you are comfortable doing so. Here are some things you should keep in mind before you submit a URL: When you click on the link to a website, what do you notice first? Probably the interface and how user-friendly it is. If you are maintaining your own website, it will be of utmost importance to ensure that it is accessible. If your parents were handed a laptop with your website on the front screen, would they be able to navigate it? If you don’t think that you can confidently answer ‘yes’ to that question, it would be in your best interest to make updates to your website. For example, let’s say you are running a blog website on running. Instead of having all the different blogs and threads cluttered on one page, it would be helpful to organize them into several tabs or folders. For instance, categories could be Nutrition, Technique, Music, and Miscellaneous. Submit your essay and we’ll get back to you with helpful edits. If you maintain an account on YouTube or a blogging website, ask yourself if your content is appropriate and detailed. Would you be comfortable with your grandparents examining your online presence? Can someone who hasn’t met you glean aspects of your personality from your posts? For example, instead of writing ‘yes.’ as a response to a thread, you can back up your response with more detail. Write about that experience you had at the grocery store. Or maybe something interesting you learned from that Netflix show from the previous night. Of course, if you don’t have an online presence, that is perfectly acceptable; in fact, it’s why this essay prompt is optional! However, you should compensate for this with a strong Common Application essay . Make sure you detail your extracurricular activities so that admissions officers can understand how you contributed to each one, and build close relationships with your teachers so they can provide further insight into who you are as a person. Want help on your Worcester Polytechnic Institute application or essays? Learn about our College Apps Program . Want us to quickly edit your college essay? Submit it to our Rapid Review program , and we’ll get it back to you quickly with comments from our expert team.

Multicultural Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Multicultural Education - Essay Example The essay "Multicultural Education " talks about the difficulty to talk with their peers and teachers in the classroom for culturally diverse students. This imparts the need for schools to develop such programs that increase the cooperation among the culturally diverse students. TeachHUB.com has learning material that caters for the needs of a vast population of multicultural students ranging from preschoolers to graduate level students. Some of the features offered by TeachHUB.com pertinent to multicultural educational setting include lessons and teaching tools designed for culturally diverse student base, culture-related hot tips and topics, a platform for intercultural interaction, professional development opportunities, and Real Teacher Blogs. Finding knowledgeable and experienced guest speakers and visitors that are well-informed and masters of their fields is a big way for the schools and educational institutions to improve the knowledge of their students as well as gain a good reputation in the market. It is often difficult for the educational institutions to locate such speakers on their own or to arrange their visits to the institutions because of time and financial constraints. In addition to that, it is difficult to accommodate the needs of students coming from a variety of cultural backgrounds in any site visit or lecture. In this regard, the service provided by TeachHUB.com is remarkable and makes it very convenient for the administrators to regularly and frequently arrange guest speakers.

Healthcare Milestones and Benchmarks Research Paper

Healthcare Milestones and Benchmarks - Research Paper Example tient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has been the one of the most valuable dimensions in the past decades, which has been introduced by the President of the US Barrack Obama in the year 2010. Even before that, US social legislation had passed Oregon Death with Dignity Act (ODDA) in the year 1994. Apart from these, in the year 1973, United States had developed the Health Maintenance Organisation Act (HMO), which has been implemented widely in healthcare industry till the present scenario. Besides, the United States government had passed the Social Security Act in the year 1935, which has established the principle of federal aid for the people of America. Moreover, during the World War-I in the year 1919, the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates officially convicted compulsory health insurance for the public of the United States. Besides, AMA had also restricted the involvement of third parties in between the patient and medical aspects (Sultz & Young, 2010 ). With regard to the impact of the identified milestones and benchmark events on the healthcare system, it can be apparently asserted that the benchmarking events or milestones have contributed to the development of the American healthcare industry significantly. During the year 1940, 9% of the U.S. population had health insurance, which had exceeded the figure of around 74% by the year 1986 (Sultz & Young, 2010). On the other hand, through Social Security Act, the American government has been able to address several diseases and has been capable of improving the quality of food, drugs and cosmetics for consumer protection. Furthermore, through the help of Health Maintenance Organisations the American government has been capable of promoting health and preventing illnesses. Consequently, Oregon Death with Dignity Act has allowed adult incurably ill residents of Oregon to select the path of self-administration of lethal drugs to end their own lives. Simultaneously, PPACA has

How interest rates affect peoples purchasing decisions Assignment

How interest rates affect peoples purchasing decisions - Assignment Example The paper explores four types of writing at our most recent workshop. They are summary, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Some of the key differences between them were highlighted. An analysis provides a detailed examination of an article in order to make inferences while an evaluation is an informed judgment arising from an assessment or appraisal of a situation. A summary provides a brief but concise version of an article while a synthesis involves combining separate elements into a coherent and connected whole in order to make a new point. The level of interest rate determines whether people save or consume. At higher levels of interest, some persons save more and consume less. According to Pashigian, a higher interest rate makes current consumption relatively more expensive compared with future consumption. This is a result of the substitution effect that induces the consumer to reduce current consumption and save more. A rise in the interest rate also leads to an increase in wealth for savers as it increases the returns to savings. However, when the interest rate falls there is less or no incentive to save and so people prefer to spend their income on consumer items such as cars, clothing, jewelry, and appliances. Some of these consumer items are financed through borrowing. This confirms the fact that people tend to spend more on consumer items when interest rates are low.

How a Sports Coach Could Motivate the Athletes Term Paper

How a Sports Coach Could Motivate the Athletes - Term Paper Example Mere physical strength and athletic skill are not enough; the will to win and perform is crucial, and it needs to be inculcated within the performers. Many scientific theories purport the same and will be discussed hereunder. However, some, like the trait theory may present facts which go in the other direction. It focuses on the intrinsic traits of people which are inherently different. Nonetheless, as the development of the other theories will go on to show, a potent show of motivation by the coach can increase performance beyond expectations. Motivation intrinsically charges and individual, and becomes the intangible source of energy that directs a person towards his/her goal. This is the human fuel which basically separates the achiever from the adversary. All this goes beyond verbal whims. There is more than enough scientific evidence that supports the above-mentioned proposition. With recent examples of researches from sports journals, four such theories of motivation will be cited hereunder, namely achievement motivation theory, attribution theory, cognitive evaluation theory, and goal-setting theory. What're more, specific motivational theories fit right into the existing practices within sports, thereby clearly identifying the link between motivation and sport from the context of a coach. Three important needs surface in this context. The need for achievement comes first, wherein there is an urge to accomplish something difficult. Then is the need for affiliation, in which a person wishes to form close personal relationships. Finally, there is a need for power, in which one seeks to have control over others. Understand of the patterns of these needs is very important, as more often than not, a sportsman is making all the effort in order to accomplish one or more of these needs.  

Argument and further work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Argument and further work - Essay Example To investigate further this hypothesis, this emerging area of research needs further work, where study of interaction of oxaliplatin with survivin may lead to more insight into this phenomenon (Ngan et al. 2008). Since survivin is an expressed protein, its detection would need specific procedure, and hence the question is whether selection of Western Blot test is an appropriate one for this purpose. In Western Blotting, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) is considered to be the standard tool of protein analysis. The survivin analysis involves reaction with an antibody, and from this perspective, sufficient information can be gathered by employing a staining technique employed for the proteins in the gel. From these two angles deployment of Western Blot analysis offers many advantages, which are improved accessibility to these proteins offering ease of handling and the advantage of storing the immobilized proteins for future analysis (Fowler, 1995). There are several instances in experimental literature on survivin expression in response to oxaliplatin that use Western Blot assay. Fujie et al. (2005) has used anti-survivin rabbit polyclonal antibody to detect survivin under-expression in oxaliplatin treated cancer cell lines with commendable success (Fujie et al. 2005). Wilson et al. (2008) also used Western Blot tests to detect markedly reduced expression of survivin in oxaliplatin treated cells (Wilson et al. (2008). Prewett et al. (2007) also demonstrated how Western Blot could be used to demonstrate oxaliplatin suppressed survivin expression (Prewett et al. 2007). The effect of oxaliplatin on the number of the cytosol can be investigated by immunohistochemistry method. In this method, some antibodies against cytosolic proteins have been used. This proposition is based on the idea that is apoptosis induced by oxaliplatin is partly contributed to by Cytochrome C mediated triggers, then the anticancer activity of oxaliplatin can be quantified by

Performance Management System Analysis of Google Essay

Performance Management System Analysis of Google - Essay Example This research aims to understand the performance management system of an organization and evaluate its objectives, policies and procedures, and to identify problems if any. Furthermore, the research would highlight the strengths and the weaknesses of the performance management system and recommend improvements. In this research, the performance management system of the Google office in X, United Kingdom is analyzed in detail. The organization has many different internal teams, but the overall process for performance management has been streamlined across the organization. Rational and Methodology Google is a very performance oriented organization. Being a part of the dynamic internet industry, it is of top priority that the employees and the management perform to their optimal levels and keep on improving towards the mission and goal of the organization. This company was chosen because Google has been an organization that has revolutionized the internet industry; it is considered to be one of the best places to work in and because of its innovation as well as aggression. These reasons give an indication that the organization would have a strong and robust workforce that works collectively towards a common mission. Any strong and robust workforce would also be managed with the help of a performance management system that makes sure that the activities done by the employees align with the goals of their respective teams and with the larger mission of the organizations.... ystem that makes sure that the activities done by the employees align with the goals of their respective teams and with the larger mission of the organizations. The methodology for evaluating the performance management system was carried out through semi-structured interviews with a group of managers, human resource professionals as well as through the employees (total of 35 employees were interviewed). This was chosen as the methodology of research because it would not only provide insights about the system, but it will also give an indication of the different perspectives that employees and management have about the system in place. The semi-structured interview also gives scope for some open ended questions through which further detailed insights and opinions can be found out. According to the research done by Creswell (2007), semi-structured type of interview allows the researcher to lead a very informal discussion and conversation based on predetermined topics. Therefore, a semi -structured methodology of was decided upon. The research was done keeping all the ethical considerations in place and the respondents were chosen through a random selection. Once the information was collected, a subjective evaluation was done of the responses. In this research, quantitative analysis of data was not done because the key aim of the research was to understand and evaluate the performance management system. The information from each individual was collated to find out key facts and information related to the performance management system. Performance Management in the Organization Structure The structure of the Performance Management system in the Google office has multiple layers to it. Many different activities, such as informal chat with the employees to formal system of

Information Security at Al Nahda Hospital Essay

Information Security at Al Nahda Hospital - Essay Example This is because internet users are potential customers and suppliers, and potential threats, as well. In case information stored in the hospital premises is tampered with, serious, adverse effects may result, because there are so many people who are dependent on this information. It is the responsibility of management to liaise with other departments to protect an organization’s information assets. This report analyses and evaluates information security at Al Nahda Hospital. In this report, the main categories of information assets that may be at risk and have to be protected have been described. The report also appraises the actual and potential threats and vulnerabilities of Al Nahda Hospital’s information assets. The report then formulates a security plan that describes counter measures that will manage the threats that put Al Nahda Hospital’s information assets at risk from a risk management perspective. A comprehensive information security education and awar eness program for use by management, staff and contractors for Al Nahda Hospital is also provided in this report. The report also explores the social, legal, and ethical issues or constraints that may be associated with the implementation of the comprehensive information security plan at Al Nahda Hospital. Finally, the report recommends valid actions that can be taken to improve the information security situation of Al Nahda Hospital. Introduction Al Nahda Hospital is a government hospital which is located in Oman. The hospital has a client server application called â€Å"Health Information Management system (HIMS)† on a local network. It also has applications that have been developed with oracle database, forms and reports. Al Nahda Hospital’s medical staff users can access and use the system from a local network using desktops, Personal Computers, or they can use laptops with WIFI, during wards round. Also, this system is connected to the headquarters with MPLS line. Users have access to both the operating system username and password and the database username and password. After a careful assessment of the information security situation, a security plan for the protection of the information holdings of the Al Nahda Hospital is required. The security plan will ensure that the security personnel oversee the security of information from deliberate and accidental threats to the hospital so as to improve Al Nahda Hospital’s information security. 1.0: Main Categories of Information Assets that may be at Risk and have to be protected Al Nahda Hospital’s information assets may be at risk, as far as the information status is concerned. These assets may be categorized into information assets, software, hardware, systems and people. 1.1: Information Assets Information assets of Al Nahda Hospital that may be at risk and need to be protected include documented information. Documented information contains both printed or written information an d electronic information stored on the hospital’s servers, website, extranets and internets. Electronic information can be stored in laptops, personal computers, cell phones, CD ROM and USB sticks, among other devices. The information that may be threatened

Structure and symbolism in The Lottery Essay Example for Free

Structure and symbolism in The Lottery Essay In The Lottery, Shirley Jackson relates an unusual story concerning an old ritual within the setting of a small American village. Reading for the first time, most readers will be tremendously shocked by the ending: with an idyllic village atmosphere settled down at the beginning part, the cruel and outrageous ending comes all too suddenly and out of expectation. However, a careful examination can reveal that the shock is not sudden at all; The Lottery actually fuses two stories and themes into one fictional vehicle: the overt, easily discovered story appears in the literal facts, producing an immediate, emotional impact; whereas in the second story which lies beneath the first, the authors careful structure and consistent symbolism work to develop gradually the shock and to present a profound theme: Man is not at the mercy of savagery; he is the victim of unexamined and unchanging traditions which he may easily change if he only realizes their implications. The symbolic overtones which develop in the second story can be sensed as early as the fourth word of the story when the date of June 27th alerts us to the season of summer solstice with all its overtones of ancient ritual (The ancient rituals were traditionally held in summer solstice so as to ask for harvest of autumn. ) Carefully the scene is set-The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of the full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The children newly freed from school play boisterously, rolling in the dust. But, ominously, Bobby Martin has already stuffed his pockets with stones and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix follow his example, eventually making a great pile of stones in the corner which they guard from the raids of other boys. Thus by the end of just two paragraphs, the author has carefully indicated the season, time of ancient ritual of sacrifice; and the stones, most ancient of sacrifice weapons. Then The men began to gather, talking of the planting and rain-the central issues of the ancient propitiatory rites, and tractors and taxes-those modern additions to the concerns of man. The men are quieter, more aware, and the patriarchal order, the oldest social group of man, is quickly evidenced as women join their husband and call their children to them. When Bobby Martin tries to leaves the group runs laughing to the stones, he is sharply rebuffed by his serious father, who knows that this is no game. All these descriptions clearly show that this is more than the surface idyllic small town life, the symbolic undercurrents prepare us to be drawn step by step towards the ultimate, where everything will fuse.

Theories of Addiction Explanations for Continuing Drug Use and Relapse Essay Example for Free

Theories of Addiction Explanations for Continuing Drug Use and Relapse Essay Theories of addiction, many have been proposed and a variety of preclinical models have been constructed. several theories were utilized in this study to better understand the basis of addiction. The first theory, negative reinforcement, suggests that the continued use of the psychoactive substance is to avoid withdrawal dysphoria. The next theory subject to research during this study was positive reinforcement. The positive reinforcement theory of addiction suggests the subject continues use of the psychoactive substance simply because they enjoy it. These theories, positive reinforcement the more familiar of the preclinical models of addiction, stem from the associative learning theory. Either of these preclinical models are a perfect example of operant conditioning. Both subjects have associated their use of the psychoactive substance with consequences, reinforcing the behavior. Operant conditioning is the easiest form of associative learning and the hardest to correct once behavior is learned in this manner. There have been several studies done to understand operant conditioning. The most prominent was the operant chamber, a Skinner box. It was built in the mid sixties by B. F. Skinner and brought modern behaviorism to the forefront of psychology. Though a very controversial study much was learned in behavior control and was called the law of effect, stating that rewarding behavior is likely to recur. Another crucial model in understanding addiction is stimulus response learning. This model suggests, unlike that of associative learning where the response follows the stimulus, the stimulus itself creates a habitual response. This this occurs through classical conditioning and is a conditioned response. This conditioned response is developed through conditioned reinforcement. When the subject comes in to contact with paraphernalia, like the light in the skinner box, they know they are going to receive their primary reinforcer. This can easier be illustrated with Pavlovs studies on classical conditioning. Pavlov began to notice that dogs salivating whenever he w ould present the with a bowl of food. This is an example of an unconditioned stimulus eliciting an unconditioned response. When you introduce a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus. In this case the paraphernalia, you receive the unconditioned response. Eventually, if this is repeated over time the once neutral stimulus elicits the same response as the unconditioned stimulus. The once unconditioned response is now a conditioned response and can be controlled with exposure to the conditioned stimulus. When the subject is exposed to the paraphernalia the body begins adjusting for the use of the psychoactive substance and causes the cravings associated with addiction. The next model researched in the study was incentive salience. This is a motivational attribute given by the brain to reward predicting stimuli, causing the craving for the psychoactive substance. For example, if the subjects addictive behavior is extinguished and is then exposed to an illustration once associated with the stimulus, the craving can return. Cravings can also return through spontaneous recovery. This is when the subjects addictive behavior is extinguish and, without stimuli exposure, the subjects craving for the substance returns briefly. This is believed to be cause of relapse in some subjects battling this disorder. The final model to be discussed is the inhibitory control dysfunction model. Inhibitory control consists of neural impulses that act to dampen or stop a specific activity. The area of the brain that this function occurs is in\the pre-frontal cortex. This area of the brain is in control of personality, decision making, and other functions. If damage or a dysfunction is present in this area of the brain it could alter the subjects personality and decision making abilities. Other symptoms of this is impulsiveness and altered judgment. As a result if the subject has a dysfunction in this area they are more likely to begin, continue, and possibly relapse use of a psychoactive substance. The study was comprised of seventy-three non-treatment seeking Methamphetamine u sers both men and women. They were given a survey with questions of self perceived reasons why a methamphetamine user would continue use or relapse. They found that fifty-six percent of the participants use psychoactive substances due to positive reinforcement, forty-four percent would relapse for the same. This theory was rated the highest next was inhibitory control dysfunction at twenty- seven percent, stimulus response learning at twenty-five percent, negative reinforcement at twenty- three percent, and incentive salience at nineteen percent. Most of the participants that rated positive reinforcement high also had correlations in there answers. They rated incentive salience, stimulus response learning and inhibitory control dysfunction. This suggests that other concepts of theories of addiction are needed for a better understanding of addiction. This study also shows that not all methamphetamine users are alike, treatment should be further focused in subtypes. If treatment were focused and developed in subtypes it may be more effective. By issuing the survey to non-treatment seeking methamphetamine users they were able to identify possible patient subtypes. Thus bringing the treatment to the subject instead of the disorder.

Impact of Recession on Recruitment and Selection

Impact of Recession on Recruitment and Selection 1.0 Impact of current global economic situation on recruitment and selection The collapse of 2008 caused unemployment for many people in major countries of the world. The affected nations tried a lot to combat effects of slowdown in economy. We can easily conclude that the unemployment rate and the growth rate of a country are closely related and are inversely proportional. During the slowdown when the growth rate of various economies decreased the unemployment rate increased and now when the economies are recovering then the unemployment rate is decreasing (Roberts, 1997). During the economic crisis 2007-2008 the GDP growth rate of major economies decreased. For United States of America it decreased from 2.9% in 2008 to -6.8% in 2009, United Kingdom from 0.3% in 2008 to -2% in 2009, China from 11.2% in 2008 to 6.8% in 2009 and India from 9.7% in 2009 to 6.1% in 2010. The unemployment rate increased from 5.00% in 2008 to 7.70% in 2009 for United States of America, from 5.20% in 2008 to 6.60% in 2009 for United Kingdom, from 4.00% in 2008 to 4.30% in 2009 for China and from 7.8% in 2008 to 8.8% in 2009 for India (Rachel Potter,, 2001). The GDP growth rate of major economies has improved over a year. For United States of America it has increased from -6.8% in 2009 to 2.5% in 2010, United Kingdom from -2% in 2009 to 0.8% in 2010, China from 6.8% in 2009 to 9.6% in 2010 and India from 6.1% in 2009 to 8.8% in 2010. The unemployment rate decreased from 7.70% in 2009 to 7.60% in 2010 for United States of America, from 6.60% in 2009 to 6.30% in 2010 for United Kingdom, from 4.30% in 2009 to 4.20% in 2010 for China and from 8.80% in 2009 to 8.00% in 2010 for India (Pescha, 2001). It is clear from above that there is a very high correlation between GDP growth rate and unemployment. Also, after the setback to economy in 2007 the economy across the world has shown the sign of recovery which is also reflected in the employment trend across these countries (Armstrong.M 2003). Especially companies of Information Technology (IT) sector considering their good quarter results are back on hiring front. Indian major IT companies i.e. Infosys, TCS and Wipro have set a large target for hiring. Infosys declared that it add 30,000 new employees in 2010. According to NASSCOM Indian IT sector will add 90,000 employees in 2010 and overall hiring for this sector is expected to be 1,50,000 in 2011. Labour intensive sector has also shown improvements and has registered a 1.2% growth in the number of employees being hired over a year. Real State sector has also gain the pace and with gradual increase in demand of houses the sector has registered growth especially in developing cou ntries (Aswathappa.K 2005). This has also resulted in the increased demand of labour as the companies like DLF and Sahara are coming up with various projects. The Common Wealth Games and now Asian games also generated a lot of demand of workers. Thus couple with economic growth these sectors have provided employment opportunity for low income group thus contributing to the growth in employment rate of the country. The general trend in hiring is that the companies are optimistic about the future and are taking the opportunity created by slowdown of hiring talents at cheaper rate and replacing low performance workers (Weil, 2003). Also they plan to provide greater flexibility in work arrangements like compressed work weeks, shared work, sabbaticals, alternate schedules etc. Rehiring of Laid-Off-Workers has also increased with 29% of companies to hire back the earlier laid of employees increasing the ratio of these employees to 9% from 5%. The percentage of hired or contract worker are also estimated to increase to 18%. Thus all this figures indicates the future trend in recruitment of employees (Dale, 2004). From the above analysis two things are very clear. First, recruitment plan of a company depends upon the economic condition of a country. The better the economy the higher the employment rate is. Second, the future aspect of the recruitment and hiring seems to be positive in view of the expected growth in the economy. However, the unemployment rate is still high in most of the countries and the gap between men and women employees in developing nations has increased in past three years according to International Labour Office. A lot of effort has to be made by government in order to bring the unemployment percentage down and reduce the gap in men and women. 2.0 E-Learning and its role in Human Resource Development: E-Learning can be defined as providing training, books, journals or any other material that will help the person to enhance his or her knowledge base with the help of computer base applications usually with internet as the major source of catalyst in the process. It is very important for an employee to continuously update himself with the current trends in the market and with the new technologies and methods being practiced so that he remains competitive and in turn increase his efficiency (Rosenberg, 2001). Also organization look upon the employees who have a good work experience and knowledge of the industry to take up more responsibility and thus contribute to the organization instead of hiring a new employee for the same position as the previous person is well known in the organisation and can be trusted more than the latter one. However, if the employee is not having sufficient skills then it would be difficult for him to justify with the new responsibility. Thus, it is the responsibility of the human resource department to identify potential leaders and train them so as to enhance their skills. Thus, learning is of great importance to any organization. Also, it is very difficult to provide library facility by each and every company at each and every branch and offices. The options are contract based trainings but often the training courses designed by the external party are very costly and lacked the direction required by the company and hence are not as per company and individual requirement. E-Learning comes as a cheap and convenient solution to the above problem for many companies who cannot afford to manage libraries and are struggling with properly training facilities. Most of the IT companies for example Cognizant Technology Solutions, Infosys and IBM have a good E-Learning facility available where the employees can select the modules as per their need and requirement and complete the course sitting on his desk. This not only prevents the cost associated with such training but also reduces the work load at the Human Resource department of arranging for training of these employees. Some of the companies that provide E-Learning are Safari online books, Books 24X7, Skill-soft Corporation, Educause, Centra Softwate Inc. etc. Though Wikipedia and other online encyclopaedia also provide a good source of learning but it is often difficult to find a particular requirement on these websites. It is observed that the quality of education in most of the developing nations do not match the requirement of the companies and thought the employee is educated but lack the skills required for job and for this it is essential that HR of the company provide trainings for these employees. Almost 70% of the fortune 1000 companies lack properly trained employees to execute the task and sustain the require growth rate. Most of the employees in companies are encouraged for distant education based on computer (Horton, 2001). These courses not only help organizations to build a talent pool in the organization but also fulfil the requirement and demand of the company for required talent. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India, is an open university that facilitate the distant learning in India incorporate in 1985 has keeping a close watch on the development of talent pool in India to satisfy the requirement of the nation to sustain the growth rate. They have also adopted the online training modules so as to reach more and more people in the country. According to Dr. Ashok Kumar Gaba, Senior Research Officer Staff Training and Research Institute of Distance Education at Indira Gandhi National Open University, the online training has reduced the cost to one-fifth and over a period to time it is expected to be the main source of learning. It is the responsibility of human resource department of the organization to identify the requirement of the company and accordingly select a proper course, promote it and bring into practice the E-Learning culture in the organization. The constraint associated with E-Learning is computer and internet facility at company and one might require investing a good amount initially to build the required infrastructure for this. 3.0 Bonuses in Financial Service Sector when the banks are being bailed out: The issue related to bonuses are usually very emotional to employees. They expect the bonuses and plans accordingly and if these bonuses are cut or complete removed then this can be a serious cause of dissatisfaction among employees which can affect their productivity and the output delivers (Geroski et.al 1997). If these issues are not seriously handled then it might lead to a major problem in the organization. Hence, it is very important to first understand the importance of the issue before discussing the topic. The bonuses of any company depends upon the performance of the country vis-a-vis its performance last year, the performance of the sector, the growth in the economy and the future prospects of the economy and industry. During the economic crisis in 2008-09 the financial condition of many banks and giant organizations was so crushed that they have to plea the government to bail them from the financial distress (Sameuls, 2001). After the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers many banks came to plea United States government for bailing them for example Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and American International Group (AIG). In Britain, Northern Rock, a mid-sized British Bank, and Bank of England required government aid to continue their daily task. When these banks and financial institutions are being bailed out it means that the available liquidity in the market is very less and hence it will be very difficult for the companies to raise fund. In this situation the pressure on specially the financial service providers increases and they have to be very careful in investing the available cash. It is logical for these companies to either cut or completely remove the bonuses for that particular year so as not only to preserve the liquidity but also to avoid any firing of the employees. At this time it is very important for them to maintain the balance between the market condition and their financial condition. J.P. Morgan Chase, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Washington Mutual, Wachovia and other financial service providers if they would have thought of bonuses at that time then they would have been shut down and any more damage after Lehman Brothers would have proved last nail in the coffin to already shattered economy and we would hav e been still struggling to recover from the crisis (Bewley, 1999). As a matter of fact, US president Mr. Barack Obama said that asking for bonuses at the time of crisis is a shameful act and he urged the citizen of United States of America to show some sense of responsibility after Wall Street firms distributed a bonus of $18.4 billion (Howell, 2007). Also at time a hefty bonus payment culture might lead to loss in liquidity of the firm and might result in potential threat to the company and banks to face a financial crisis. The company should avoid paying hefty bonuses in order to save some tax (Sameuls, 2001). In May 2009, Financial Services Authority (FSA) declared certain rules regarding this and took various measures in order to reduce this practice. According to them bonuses was the reason for banking crisis. Probably Deutsche Bank already understood this and the bank chief did not accept the bonuses in 2008 so as to minimize the effect of crisis. This was the personal sign of solidarity by Josef Ackermann, the chief executive of Deutsche Bank, toward the employees. This move not only helped the bank to fight the crisis but also encouraged the employees to take the move of not distributing bonuses in a right spirit and contribute to the organization at the time of difficulty. Later John Mack, chief executive of Morgan Stanle y, and James Cayne, the former chief executive of Bear Stearns, also went ahead declining the bonuses. From the above study it can be concluded that in state of financial crisis where even banks are been bailed out it is more important for the companies especially financial services to prevent any firing of employees for which if they have to sacrifice the bonuses then they should go ahead with this. Employees should also understand this and they should consider long term gains rather than short term profits. It is the duty of organization to be transparent in its dealing and should reward the loyal employees when the favourable time comes. Also, it is important for the leaders in the organization to set an example for the employees so that employees believe that the organization is with them and they do not feel cheated. This is a very sensitive issue especially during crisis and should be dealt carefully and with high importance. 4.0 Relevance of trade unions: The nature of business has changed drastically over past few decades with the advent of technology most of the work is done by machines and human intervention has reduced in most of the cases (Fernie, 2005). The work environment and conditions has improved resulting in lesser disputes (Somers, 1976). Technology has enabled the management and employee to communicate effectively. In this era of technology the question is whether the trade union culture is still relevant in present scenario? The trade union acts a channel to help the workers communicate their issues and concerns to the management. They also provide support and help to these workers in times of difficulty and ensure that the work environment is healthy and safe. They also help management to communicate major announcements to these workers and help them understand their point of view (Wrigley, 2002). In case of any dispute it becomes easier for management to talk to the representatives of workers in the form of trade unions rather than talking with each and every individual. The union also help in uniting the workers who are usually from different background. There are many unions who are still very active and fight for the cause of the worker and help them educate about their rights. One example is REACH which focuses upon educating workers about the hazards caused by chemicals and their rights in case of such hazards. In India Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) is the largest report trade union which was founded in 1955 and with such a reach and power the organization has been working in making the life of workers better. They have carried out various education programs like spreading awareness among labours about their rights, proper safety practices, health education, women empowerment, minimum base wage and movement against child labour. Other major trade union in India are Madras Labour Union, Textile Labour Association, National Trade Union Federation, Hind Mazdoor Panchayat and All India Trade Union Congress (R Jha, 2000). Still in nations like India the trade unions are active and have not lost its relevance. However often the leaders in the unions take advantage of their position and put unjustified demands in front of management and threat them by announcing strikes, lock downs etc. This has reduced the relevance of trade unions. Also, in most of the organization has adopted performance based incentive schemes that encourage the employees to perform better in order to get better compensation this has also reduced the issues related to pay as the person enters in to an agreement to accept the compensation scheme of the organization. Another major issues that employees face today are the work-life balance issues for which the human resource department of the company actively take steps in most of the organization and moreover trade unions have failed to tackle this issue thus the need of the trade unions are reduced (Aswathappa, 2005). The trade unions also failed to address the issues of cross nation al employee and women empowerment. The trade unions have lost on major three grounds (Trant, 2010).). First, they have been neglecting the poor and thus lost the moral ground as their major concern is maximizing the interest of few people and groups. They also lost on the political front due to shrinkage in the membership of the union and also due to the formation of many parties and unions. The third ground is the loss of intellectual high as their strategies are outdated and for most of their solutions they go on strike irrespective of the severity of problem. A trade union if lead by a intelligent and well educated person having a proper understanding of situation of employees and who is directed to work for people can prove to a problem solver else a problem creator and as the latter is often found the trade union seems to loss its relevance in todays scenario (Horton, 2001). Though the technology has solved many problems of the employer and employees but still in developing nations like India where technology is a constraint and workers still fight for basic rights, trade unions acts as a tool to voice their concerns and hence still in these nations they hold a relevance.

Equality :: essays research papers

Equality I have a vision, that all people be treated equally. Race, religion, sex, age, and other petty differences should not mater. Every one has a rite to me here, on Earth. Everyone has a rite to be heard. I hope that some day, when a person looks at another they won't judge them until they actually meet them. Race, religion, sex, and age doesn't make someone any less of a person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Age should not mater. Both young and old have a rite to be heard. As long as a person is educated about something, they have a rite to form an opinion about it. Children are no less of people because they are young.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sex should not mater. Both men and women are people, therefore, they should be treated with respect. Many men and women are harassed every day by the opposite sex. People should realize that without the opposite sex, it would mean the end of the human race. So both men and women are just as important as the other. Religion should not matter. A person is raised to believe something. No religion is wrong. Any person could argue that another religion is wrong. So if you tell someone that they are believing the wrong thing, they could same to you. No religion is wrong. Reverse discrimination is also wrong. It isn't a person's fault that people of their race and sex usually get a brake. Reverse discrimination is still discrimination, and all discrimination is wrong. All discrimination is the same. No one should discriminate against another ever. Especially if I it is to bring them self up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I hope that all people will learn to go about things in a peaceful way. So many people have died in the past because someone was trying to make a statement. None of these people should have died. In society today we kill and

interview :: essays research papers

Tuesdays With Morrie For the past day or two I have spent time with my sister, discussing different topics with her about life. I closely observed her feelings and I recorded what she had to say. We talked about regrets- Ever since my sister Erin started school she got excellent grades. She doesn’t really have any regrets. She only regrets some choices she made with her friends. She thinks she could have picked better friends because she doesn’t have any true friends. She also wished that she stayed with the sports she played in the past. She was good at softball and she was alright at street hockey. She thinks that if she still played softball that she would probably be playing for Mainland. Other then that she doesn’t have any more regrets that she wishes to share. We talked about death- "Death is a horrible time in a young persons’ life, but once you get older you realize that there is no stopping it." Erin tries not to think about death that much because she knows when it’s time it’s time. "Losing a person you love one of the worst things that can happen to you, but as long as you keep him/her in your heart there is nothing to be scared of. Death is a big topic on the news now a days. Whenever I turn on the News I always happen to catch a broadcast about someone who has killed another person. That is all Erin had to say. We talked about family- "I love my family, especially my brother, and I’ll do anything for them. I may not have the biggest and the best family but we all usually get along. Sometimes I fight with my parents but they know that I love them a lot. I also fight with my brother but he is cool, sometimes. Without love for your family you are nothing. You should always have faith for your family and friends. If I had another family then the one I have now I would be very upset." We talked about the fear of aging- Erin is not afraid of aging. Soon she will be driving. Erin is almost 17. She is older and wiser then me so she knows what it is like to be "old". " I am going to be old one day, but I hope it isn’t soon.

Lowering Testing Standards in Third World Countries Essay -- HIV AIDS

Lowering Testing Standards in Third World Countries ABSTRACT: Recently, Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group (PCHRG), charged the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) with sponsoring fifteen immoral HIV studies in sub-Saharan Africa. The trials are being conducted to determine if certain alternate medical procedures or a short course of treatment with AZT, zidovudine or other drugs prevent some mother-child HIV transmissions. (1) Since the control group receives only placebos rather than AZT, Wolfe claims that the tests give suboptimal treatment that will result in more children contracting HIV and AIDS. (2) Public Citizen’s Health Research Group and others are calling for an immediate cessation of these important experiments. Public Citizen raises an important moral question. (3) Is it morally permissible to lower testing standards for the Third World? Unlike PCHRG, I contend that the answer to this question is yes, if the trials meet certain conditions. I e xplain both the First Best and Second Best Method (FBM and SBM, respectively) of testing new drugs and then compare the two. Next, I show the FBM’s impracticality in developing countries releases researchers from the moral obligation to use it. I then propose a new set of criteria — the Second Best Criteria (SBC) — that show if a test is moral or not. Finally, I argue that imposing a developed country’s moral standards for clinical trials in the Third World is immorally insensitive to the needs and conditions present in the latter area. Section 1 In clinical trials there are two different standard protocols for testing new drugs. The First Best Method tests the effects of a known drug (a benchmark), rathe... ...Biotechnology, vol. 11, pp. 135-143. Pederson, Daniel and Eric Larson, "Too Poor to Treat" Newsweek, 28 July 1997, p. 60. Rath, Richard, "Horton Hears the W.H.O." Dissonance, AIDS and Africa Resource page, 3 June 1996, http:/www.way.net/dissonance/nyrb_ltr.html, pp. 1-3. UNAIDS "HIV/AIDS: The Global Epidemic", Press Release, 28 November 1996, http:/www.us.unaids.org/highband/document/epidemic/situat96.html, pp. 1-15. —— "HIV/AIDS epidemiology in sub-Saharan Africa", 3 July 1997, http:/www.hiv.unaids.org/unaids/press/factafr.htm, pp. 1-3. —— "UNAIDS Announces New Clinical Trials for the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV", Press Release, 9 July 1996, http:/www.hiv.unaids.org/unaids/press/mtctpren.html, pp. 1-2 No Author Listed: "AIDS in Africa", The Guide, 9 May 1996, http://www.guidemag.com/newsslant/aids.africa.html. pp.1-2

Learning Plan Essay

The learning plan described in this paper is to have students debate a topic related to the Civil War. The debate topic is â€Å"Was the Emancipation Proclamation enacted for moral reasons or political reasons? † The main concept of this learning plan is to have students work collaboratively to research facts, and recall and use facts from the Civil War unit to incorporate into their arguments. (It should be noted that the learning plan described in this paper will take several classes to complete, however the learning plan procedures will only address the class where the debate will occur. ) It is  assumed that debate skills were taught in a previous class. The learning theory certainly incorporates constructivist aspects. They are constructing knowledge rather than absorbing it. This is constructivist approach is illustrated through the collaborative nature of the assignment, as well as through the research that students’ must produce. In terms of the use of technology and media; the students will be instructed to research one source of information, from the internet, related to their argument. They must submit a one-page analysis of the information in which they found along with a references page. This must be submitted to the teacher a week before the scheduled debate. The teacher will assess the content of the paper, but the references page will also be important. Teacher must evaluate the kinds of internet sources that the students have used. The credibility of the internet source, and the strength of student’s research will be analyzed by the teacher. The purpose is to assess student’s traditional literacy and critical analytical skills (assessed when evaluating the content), and information 1 2 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS literacy/interpretation skills of online material (assessed by reviewing the  reference page). Finally, the teacher will hand back papers to the students, and he/she will instruct each group to use at least two of their group members’ papers into their group’s arguments. Media and technology will also be incorporated with the use of social media. The teacher will tell students that their debates will be recorded and submitted to youtube or a private school website (if issues of privacy are raised). Others will be allowed to view the video to evaluate the strength of each team’s arguments. Based on the comments of public viewers, a winner will be chosen (by popular vote). This popular vote will be incorporated as a small percentage into the assessment. This is being done as to allow students to participate in new media opportunities within an educational context. Learning Plan Context Setting †¢The high needs school will be a High School in the Bay Area, either in San Francisco or Oakland. †¢There will be 25-30 students in an individual classroom. †¢The lesson will take place the week after the Civil War unit is finished. †¢It is anticipated that the unit will last about two weeks, therefore the debate class will occur during the third week. The actual debate class will take up one class period. †¢The content area is US History/Politics. The grade level is Juniors (11th grade). †¢In sum, the curriculum unit is 11th grade, US History/Politics, Civil War unit. 2 3 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS Standards †¢According to California standards for literacy in History/Social Studies in 6-12th grades. A student must be able to demonstrate analysis of primary and secondary sources, and connect these insights to the understanding of the whole text. This ability will be addressed and assessed when students must incorporate information learned from the textbook with information gained from the internet, and use both  sources of information, into their debate. The student’s ability to undertake this task will be evaluated by the teacher with the submission of student’s sources, and also during the debate. (http://www. cde. ca. gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards. pdf. ) †¢ Also according to California standards, students must be able to evaluate various explanations for events and actions. This standard is illustrated in the nature of the activity. A debate, in itself, evaluates different explanations for one event, which makes it an ideal means of addressing this standard. (http://www. cde. ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards. pdf. ) †¢Finally, according to California standards, students must be able to evaluate differing points of view on the same historical issue. Once again, this standard is illustrated within the nature of a debate. It is also illustrated when students submit their own analysis of internet research (http://www. cde. ca. gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards. pdf. ) Learning Objective 3 4 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS †¢Students will be able to collaboratively demonstrate their knowledge of Civil War policy, events and information, from the textbook and from  online sources, by formulating arguments to be presented within a debate. Learning Theory Applications †¢Constructivism is certainly at play in this lesson plan: †¢The activity allows knowledge to be organized into schemas, concepts, and worldviews. †¢This activity is emphasizing the use of authentic activities by constructing knowledge through interaction with the environments (internet and peers), and applying it to real-life situations (debate). †¢The collaborative component certainly illustrates constuctivism; learners will help each other create conceptual connections. †¢Finally, students are working autonomously with the help of the  teacher as facilitator, supporter, and model (Ormrod, 2006). Learning Accommodations: †¢Individualized Education Plan for Special Accomodations: In each team, all students will be assigned a role. For example, â€Å"speaker†, â€Å"writer†, â€Å"time-keeper†. A student’s IEP will be taken into consideration when assigning roles. A student with an IEP, will be assigned a role that best fits their IEP. For example, a student with ADD, may be best suited to be a time-keeper since their attention span is not as focused. They may be anxious to change the pace of the group’s discussions, and therefore they may be eager to keep track of the time. 4 5 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS †¢Language Development needs: When assigning the internet-based research; the teacher will give ELL students a website to navigate to, instead of having the students navigate the internet themselves. Teacher will give explicit instructions as to where to look on the website so students do not feel too overwhelmed with the English language. Teacher will ask the students to try to comprehend some of the information, however if this proves too difficult, then the teacher will ask the students to find 15-20 words from the website that the student did not understand. The student will then find the meanings of these words in their own language. They must write at least a paragraph about the Civil War unit incorporating five of the words that they found on the internet. Also, at least two of these words must be incorporated into the arguments of their team. †¢Gifted and Talented needs: This is a challenging component to consider because a gifted/talented student does not necessarily mean an academic-rigorous student. To really tailor the lesson to address the interests of a gifted/talented student, then the teacher will have to be familiar with the personality of that particular student. However, some situations will be addressed here. First of all, from the research, the lesson itself befits that of a gifted/talented student. Competition, which characterizes a debate, usually suits the nature of gifted/talented students. (http://www. teachersfirst. com/gifted_strategies. cfm) The first situation to consider is a student who is gifted/talented, but not academically 5 6 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS rigorous. This student will be given a leadership role within his/her team. He/she may be assigned to organize/manage all the ideas of the students. He/she is the one who will be given the rubric for what the  teacher is assessing when observing the team’s discussions and arguments. He/she is the manager, and he/she will be assessed on their ability to keep his/her team on task. In this way, this student isn’t necessarily doing more â€Å"academic† work, but he/she is being challenged in a rather difficult manner. A second situation to consider is to have a gifted/talented student who is academically rigorous. The teacher will give this student a second component to add to his/her research paper. The student must connect textbook material and internet material to the US politics of today. This is increasing the  cognitive process from analyze (which all students must do with their research papers) to evaluate (Anderson and Krathwol, 2001). The student can choose to incorporate this extra component into their team’s arguments. Resource Accommodations: †¢Low tech: There are no computers, projector, or internet access in the classroom. If this is the case, teacher may have to allocate time in different lessons to use school facilities where computers are available. Computers must be used so that the teacher can show students the kinds of websites that are credible, as well as to use sites, like youtube, to show students examples of debates. Computer use is necessary so 6 7 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS teacher may have to take time before or after school to meet with students (who are willing) to show them the above-mentioned websites. †¢Mid tech: One computer connected to a projector is available in the classroom. The teacher can use this computer to show examples of credible websites, as well as to show examples of debates online. †¢High tech: Class is equipped with several computers. Teams can go online themselves to view videos of debates and start research for their paper. In this way, the collaborative nature of the lesson will  start even earlier (in the pre-planning stage). Content-Based Literacy Skills †¢In terms of text-based literacy; students must incorporate information from their textbook into their arguments †¢Critical thinking, reflective thought, and text-supported thinking will be illustrated when students must draw connections between internet-based information and textbook information while doing their analysis/research paper. This connection will be evaluated when student’s cute their sources within their paper. (This explanation will also illustrate students’ information literacy. ) New Media Literacy Skills  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Performance: This skill is illustrated when students view sample debates on the internet and use this as models of performance in their own debates. 7 8 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS †¢Collective Intelligence: This skill is done when students are within their respective teams and they must draw upon their own and others ideas, research, and knowledge to formulate strong arguments. †¢Judgement: This skill is illustrated when students must judge which websites and information are to be included in their research/analysis paper. †¢Networking: Once again, this skill is illustrated when students must  search, connect, and analyze information on the internet for the purpose of their research/analysis paper (Jenkins, 2001). Learning Material: †¢Textbook: Learners will need textbook so that they can recall information. †¢Paper, pen: Leaners will need so that they can write down information. †¢Rubric: Both the learner and teacher needs. Learners need it so that they are aware of what’s expected of them while working in teams and formulating their arguments. Teacher needs it so that he/she can refer to it when assessing the team’s progress. †¢Notes: Learners will need them as a reference when formulating arguments. †¢Stopwatch/watch: This will be given to the student whose job is timekeeper. †¢Video Camera: Used to record the debate Learning Plan Procedures Phase I: Motivation Activity †¢Teacher will show a short clip of a very powerful, interesting debate. Possibly a presidential debate. The clip will only show the most 8 9 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS poignant part (according to the teacher) of the debate. Hopefully the clip will be no longer than 5 minutes long. (if there’s no computer available, then teacher must bring in her/his own computer. ) †¢In a class of 30 chair/table. There will be 15 chairs/ tables on each side  of the room. They will be facing eachother. †¢Learners will enter the classroom and sit down immediately with their team. †¢The teacher will then show the video as soon as the class is seated and quiet. †¢This activity is being done to motivate, encourage, and remind students of what a good debate looks like so that the output of the students’ debates can match skills such as speaking (clear and concise) and eye-contact of the debaters within the video. Phase II: Input (Teacher Driven) Activity: †¢During this class, the teacher will, serve only as facilitator, therefore not much activity will be driven by the teacher. However, after the video, the teacher will remind students of the rubric that was given to them, and tell students that she/he is only their to assist in the logistics of the debate (time, flow, managing emotions if this becomes a problem). The teacher will also instruct students to take notes on each other’s arguments because this assignment will be important for their homework assignment. She/he will also remind student that they will be recorded. †¢Teacher will tell all students to take out their rubrics. †¢She/He will go over some key point from the rubric as it relates to the debate. 9 10 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS. †¢The teacher will tell students to make sure that they keep these key points in mind because these points will be assessed during the debate. †¢The teacher will instruct students to have their rubrics out for the entire class so they can monitor their team’s progress by themselves. †¢Teacher will formally go over key questions from the rubric that he/she hopes the teams have incorporated into the nature of the debate (clear speech, eye contact, concise points, respectful behavior) as well as into the content of the debate. In term of the nature of the debate, questions might look like â€Å"Is my team being quiet/respectful as the  other team presents their arguments? †, â€Å"Are my responses to the other’s teams arguments not insulting? † etc. In terms of the content of the debate, questions may look like, â€Å"Did my team incorporate facts from the textbook? †, â€Å"Did my team use at least two credible internet sources within the argument? †, â€Å"Did my team follow special instructions assigned by the teacher (e. g. incorporating ideas from IEP students, ELL student, gifted students)?. † †¢This activity and these questions serve to remind students of the importance of the collaborative nature of the learning objective. They  also serve to remind students that they must be able to demonstrate their understanding of the Civil War unit, as well as their understanding of outside sources within the context of an argument. Phase III: Output (Learner Driven) Activity 10 11 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS †¢Students will take part in a debate. The topic is â€Å"Was the Emancipation Proclamation enacted for moral reasons or political reasons? † This activity will illustrate the learning objective in several ways. First, the collaborative nature of the previous classes will finally be demonstrated. Second, the students must illustrate their knowledge of  Civil War policies within their arguments. Third, both sides’ arguments must include information from outside sources. †¢The teacher will select one team to present their arguments first. †¢Recording will begin †¢The speaker of that team will stand up and come to the front of the class. They will present their team’s argument. In the argument they must mention the sources in which they got their information. For example, if they got a particular piece of data from the textbook, then they must state â€Å"As is presented in the textbook†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . If they got a particular piece of data from the internet then they must state, â€Å"As is  presented on so-called website, or by so-called author†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They must also explicitly state how they used the â€Å"special instructions† from the teacher. For example, â€Å"(ELL’s student’s name) found that ‘compromise’ was not a possible solution of the Civil War. † In this example, it is assumed that compromise was on a list of words that an ELL student did not understand. He/she presented these list of words to his/her team. The team reviewed the list, and chose to use the word compromise as part of their argument. †¢The student will finish the presentation of his/her argument. 11 12 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS. †¢The teacher will tell the next team to present its argument. The team will follow the same procedure as above. †¢The teacher will then stop recording of the debate. †¢This debate will naturally lead to questions, comments from both the teacher and the students. Phase IV: Culmination †¢The teacher will ask the groups to clear up any misunderstandings or misinformation the teams may have had within their argument. This is to give other team members a chance to speak about the argument, which reinforces the collaborative effort of the lesson. †¢The teacher will also ask students how their team’s or the other team’s  information and debate skills differed and how these things were similar to the debate presented in the beginning of the class. †¢As a smaller activity, the teacher will instruct all the students to come up with one question, comment, critique of the other team’s argument. This assignment will illustrate each student’s understanding of the Civil War Unit because it challenges students to relate, connect, or counter-argue their own knowledge of the unit. This question will be submitted to the teacher. Phase V: Extension †¢For homework, students will write a one-page analysis of the opposing teams arguments. The student will address the opposing side’s arguments. He/she will evaluate the argument’s weaknesses, strengths; and why he/she disagreed or agreed with the points that were made. 12 13 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS Learning Plan Analysis Formative assessments will include analyzing the collaborative efforts of the team, the behavior of each team during the presentation of the opposing team’s arguments, how well each team member took on their role within their team, and how well the team incorporated textbook information, outside information, and ‘†special instructions† from the teacher into their  argument. A summative assessment will include the teacher’s evaluation of the internet analysis/research paper, the one-page analysis of opposing team’s argument, teacher’s evaluations of the strength of the arguments, and finally the â€Å"popular vote† (the results of youtube or school-based website). Weaknesses of this lesson plan include time constraints, and the many assessments involved. It may be difficult to accurately assess how well each team members took on their roles. Some students may still be taking on more work than others. Also, incorporating ELL/IEP students proved to be a difficult task.. Strength of the lesson is it fosters team work, analytical skills, and gives students more power in the direction and implementation of a lesson. The teacher will implement these varied assessments in its first year, and then will evaluate the effectiveness of these assessments for future classes. The learning theories applied in the first phase was Vygotzky’s Cognitive Process. Students are witnessing two adults debating and they are expected to try to learn/imitate the behaviors of those adults. In the second 13 14 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS phase, social cognitive theory is at play. The teacher both models desired behaviors/outcomes, as well as emphasizes self-efficacy and self-regulation. In the third phase, constructivism is illustrated. The debate is student-driven because the students are demonstrating their constructed knowledge within the debate. The assessments have a behaviorist component. Negative reinforcement (decrease a behavior) is illustrated when the teacher warns students that if they are not respectful or a team member does not contribute meaningfully, then they may be marked down (Ormrod, 2008). References Anderson, L. W. , & Krathwol, D. R. (2001) . A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing, 28-31. California Department of Education. (2013) California Common Core State Standards. http://www. cde. ca. gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards. pdf Jenkins, H. , Clinton, K. , Purushotma, R. , Robison, A. J. , and Weigel, M. (2006). â€Å"Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. † Chicago, IL: MacArthur Foundation. Ormrod, J. E. (2008). Educational Psychology Developing Learners, 8. 25-36. Teachers First. (2014) http://www. teachersfirst. com/gifted_strategies. cfm 14 15 LEARNING PLAN: HISTORY DEBATE CLASS.

Iron Crowned Chapter 9

I propped myself up so that I could front Dorian in the cheek. in time in dim lighting, I could curb he was serious.Who, Kiyo? I asked in astonishment. none the otherwise annoying kitsune in your life. wherefore would you why would you suggest nearthing a same(p)(p) that? delicate question, he murmured. His brow furrowed in thought, hence relaxed into resignation. Because his sympathetic blood would cheer him and my roundbodyal opinions of him a incline he is a secure as countersink in a fight. Most importantly, he would turn forbidden no interest in the ski bindingsheesh. no. would it be of either use to him.Every one of those things was true. n eertheless t pre move was one obvious problem. Kiyo wouldnt assistance me. non each to a greater extent. Jasmine would be more free if only for a portion to escape. The joust that Kiyo and I had had in the mountains was in practiseive young in my drumhead.This brought a smile to Dorians lips, and he trailed his fingertips mountain my arm. You doubt your own charms. The kitsune ordain swear tabu you, if you ask him nicely. Hes non ever soy(prenominal)where you as much as you appreciate. And he to a fault would jump at the peril at virtu completelyy foolhardy tr block glowering to end this war.Foolhardy Youve gone screening and forth on the usefulness of the bill yourself. And now youre willing to I al around verbalize allow except recalled my primarily words. Dorian didnt dictate my life. accept me expiration despatch with my ex-boyfriend?This is an accep h surround solution. Still belted ammunitiontaboo however I believe you dickens could manage it. And I trust you, Dorian utter simply. As you trust me.I stared down into his look, Acherontic in the flitter torchlight, though the striking shape of his face and fair skin glowed wish head a masterpiece in marble. I do trust you.He smiled again. unafraid. Well make plans in the morning. only for now The smile gave means to a yawn. I pauperization sleep. This has been a long day.It was true. Hed been dissever of an epic contest and then do love or w nauseatever you cherished to classify that distorted shit as the wish a pro. My day had been pretty busy too, to claim the least(prenominal). I put my head down, negligee vertebral column against him, and soon slept in outrage of the shocking suggestion hed just make.When we woke, however, the jacket crown became our immediate breakfast topic. Wed opted for private dine at a small put run into in the sitting room bordering to his bedroom. after hearing just close to my traipsing most in his too-long robe, hed had my own do for these politicness parties white velvet with gold embroidery. It was a bit more elaborate than I would put on preferred unless snarl nice against my bare skin. The wounds certainly apprehended loose c dish uphing too.Invite him to your castle, submit Dorian. Fully rested, hed shif ted completely into cunning mode, barely touching the elaborate spread of pastries and meats his servants had practise sooner us. The gods hunch over he wont dress here.Or Tucson, I suggested after swallowing a gentry version of a cinnamon bark roll. Maybe I could get Tim the recipe. Hed believably deduce to my house there.Dorian considered. no Get him to this world, to your domain, so that you throne emerge as soon as possible. preceding(prenominal) all, you must not low any circumstances allow him to go cover song to Maiwenn and consult her on this.I swallowed other bite and smiled. You hypothecate shed be envious?Thats the least of our reasons. He ticked them off on his fingers. Remember she idolatrys you. Us. She wouldnt visit this as an end to the war. Shed chance on it as you scrambling for force-out. And, who issues? The kitsune competency arouse no use for the crown himself, tho she could coax him into bringing it to her.Shes not vying for power, depart I knew. Besides its winning the crown thats the big bundle, veracious? If it was just given(p) to her, no one would respect her for it. If it ignore even be given I thought it returns home when its a counselling from its victor.Dorian didnt move right away. True. solely then that would still maintenance the crown from you. And we mustnt bury she might simply call down him out of it because of simple concern for his life. Dorians tone implied this was a petty concern. No, dont give him a chance to talk to her. Invite him to you and ask beg, if convey be for his stand by. Stress whatever urgent reason will realise. A learn to end the war. Make up about ultimatum from the ghost.I set the roll down and tapped my water glass absentmindedly. This was all jump to make me feel strange. on that points a lot of conniving here.There forever is in politics. In war. In love, even. But this shag help us more than you earth-closet imagine. We must put our faith in th e old adage that the ends justify the means.I sighed. Okay, then. Ill do it. When?As soon as possible. Katrice is regrouping. We pl chthonic put in advantage of that. That smooth, reckon air faded. Though I hate to lose you.Hey. I reached across the table and laid my come active over his. Dont think of it as losing me. Its just similar Im expiration to Tucson for a a few(prenominal) days.He grimaced. neglect your petty man beings job doesnt entertain such risks. Fetches aside. I do gaze youd let my healers gather up care of those wounds before you go.The stitched-up cut itched, though the rest werent bothering me. I tested the range of motion on my left arm. It was stiff precisely moved. let your healers keep works here. Maybe Ill throw away Shaya fix it up. She didnt possess the acquirement of a bona fide healer and could do some quick patches.Dorian didnt like that plainly let the motion go. We finished breakfast, rehashing what junior-grade he knew active th e path to the press Crown. I shed my robe for my regulation clothes, after first having one of his servants sporty and re-bandage my back. My mother would be proud, seeing me bond doctors orders.We didnt get where Kiyo was exactly, here or the world world, but Dorian sent a messenger to Maiwenns court, inviting him to mine. No one from our lands would be welcomed with open arms in her territory, but shed allow a messenger by means of and hopefully let us sleep with if he wasnt currently in the Otherworld. I overly sent Volusian to Tim and Lara, warning Id be gone for a season and to scratch all my appointments. Lara wouldnt like that, but I had a feeling it would be the least of her worries when faced with Volusian for the first time.When the time for me to sacrifice came, Dorian couldnt hide his conflicted feelings. The part of him endlessly striving for advantage and control cherished that crown. The part of him that loved me worried intimately what I was walking in to.Itll be okay, I say, wrapping my arms around him. Im pres current great powers daughter, take to be? Thisll be cake. And hey, if that ghosts lying, Ill be back tonight.I dont know if Id prefer that or not, he mused. He rested his clear behind my neck and gave me a long, inert kiss. Be careful, Eugenie. Fight hard, but be careful. And take this. From a hidden soap in his cloak, he produced something glittering and hand it to me.I held it up. It was a ring, abatement on a fine chain. Both were made of gold. A diamond flanked by sapp betroths sit prominently on the ring, which was fashioned to depend like a circle of go ons.Is this witching(prenominal)? I asked.He shook his head. simply something to remember me by. Just something to think about.I eyed him carefully. Marriage happened among the gentry, though not as often as among humans. Considering our fall isolated rate, maybe that was invigorated. They didnt give engagement sound like humans did, but hed know my worlds custom. This ring suddenly made me uneasy.Its a thing of beauty, he said, seeing my reaction. For mortal beautiful. I knew you wouldnt wear it on your finger, so keep it on the chain.I nodded. sometimes a gift was just a gift particularly when someone was frightened his beloved might get killed soon. I kissed him again. Thank you.Id come alone via the human world, so he sent an meet back to the Thorn Land with me. No one except Dorian and Masthera knew what I was going to do, but the group could find something big was about to go down. latent hostility headled around us as we traveled. ilk so many, these soldiers considered Dorian and me a powerhouse. They could exactly wait to see what would happen abutting.Kiyo wasnt delay for me in the Thorn Land, not that Id pass judgment results that quickly. No refusal had come from Maiwenn either, which I took as a good sign.What are you and my ecclesiastic preparedness? asked Rurik when he saw me. Youve got that look.Wha t look is that? I asked curiously. He reminded me of Tim.The look that vocalises youre planning something.I rolled my eyeball. Eloquent as ever, Rurik.Should I assemble fighters? he asked, shrugging off my stimulus. Shaya joined us then, scrolls in her arms.No. I do this alone. Well, not exactly. Kiyos flood tide with me. I hope. He should be video display up here today. I radius more confidently than I felt up. contempt Dorians certainties, I still wasnt sure whether Kiyo would help or not. Rurik and Shaya exchanged glances. Stop that, I told them. Its perfectly platonic. Dorian suggested it.Rurik looked like he still had a few things to say about it, but Shaya interrupted. The Linden King wrote back. He wont join with us but he also wont fight against us. non the surpass news, not the worst. Well see if he comes crawling when his powers in dispute. The words came out with more venom than I expected. Rurik seemed to approve. Shaya riff by means of with(predicate) more p apers.Caria, the Laurel Queen, would like to meet with you and discuss the war, however.I knew nonentity about that land. Have we even contacted her?No, said Shaya, giving me a meaningful look. But her kingdom borders the Linden Land.Ah. I smiled. My comment to Ranelle that others would be eyeing her kings land as his power faded was true. In refusing my offer to subscribe against that, theyd allowed someone else to solicit me for the other side of that future dispute. Hell regret his neutrality later. chance upon if Cariall meet with Dorian while Im gone. Dorian would understand the situation perfectly.I count on this was it and started to leave. Theres one more thing, added Shaya, twisting a black braid in that neuronic habit of hers. Girard would like to see you.Her disquiet had made me think something bad was coming, but Girard was one of the few commonwealth who rarely delivered bad news. If anything, he usually delivered gifts, always coming up with some providential ne w piece of craftsmanship. near pieces like Dorians sword and Jasmines chains Id commissioned specifically. Sometimes, however, stirring struck the artist, and hed present some intricately worked necklace or diadem that I felt certain was beyond human skill. He could even touch iron in very small amounts.Im sure hes made something great, but Im not in the idea today, I told her. I privation to see Jasmine.Hes not here to display work. He wants to introduce you to his baby. She looked at me expectantly and seemed impress by my lack of reaction. Youve never perceive of her? Imanuelle de la Colline?I shook my head. Should I have?Shaya shrugged. Maybe not. But I think youll find her interesting. Itll only take a minute.It was true I was in a hurry, but Shayas attitude intrigued me. We went to Girards workshop, inhabit Id given to him on the castles outer edge in case his work ever set something on fire. He was deform over a table, fingers magically working a bundle of metal a nd jewels.another(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) crown? I asked with amusement. They seemed to be his ducky thing to make.Girard looked up, startled, and bowed. No, Your Majesty. Its something Lord Rurik has requested. If youd like another crown I waved him silent. No, no. deity knows I have plenty. Hardly seems like Ruriks style, though.Girard didnt comment. Client confidentiality, I supposed. Turning, he pointed off toward the side of his workshop, and I gaped. A char stood there, and somehow I hadnt noticed her upon get into which seemed impossible. She and her brother shared the same dark skin and black hair, as well as a taste for radiant clothing. The dress she wore was a stunning blue green silk, cut shorter than most gentry dresses. Something about it gave me the impression she wore it for utility, not sexiness.Your Majesty, she said, sweeping me a curtsey. Also like Girard, a faintly French-sounding accent laced her words.This is my sister, Imanuelle, he said. t he like Shaya, he seemed to expect me to know who his sister was.Its nice to meet you, I told her. When no one said anything, I shifted restlessly, intent to go. Seeing this, Imanuelle strode forward, her steps graceful and liquid.Your Majesty, she said. Ive come to offer my go to you, should you like to hire me.I glanced at the other faces, seek more information, but received none. What do you do? I asked. Do you work metal like Girard?A hurtful smile crossed Imanuelles face. She had caught on that I unfeignedly didnt know who she was and appeared to enjoy that. No. My talents are of a different nature.I saw a slight communicate of her hand, and then suddenly, the teal silk dress move yellow. A moment later, it changed form altogether, round into a flowing velvet gown. Then, she wasnt Imanuelle at all. A clone of Shaya stood before me. After letting that sink in, Imanuelle re sour to her original form. She bowed, as though having just performed a pegleg show.Im an illusio nist, she said. I can make people see things that arent there. Most importantly, I can make myself look like anything I choose.It was one of the cooler gentry powers, but I didnt entirely see how itd be useful for me. So I can finally be in cardinal places at once? I joked.That brought another smile. I suppose but Ive honed other skills to accompany these. Ones many monarchs find useful. I get rid of problems.Apparently dig my confusion, Shaya sighed and dropped her usual formality. Youre better off not dancing around the subject. My queen prefers directness. She glowering to me. Imanuelle is an assassin, Your Majesty.Imanuelles smile unbendableened a subatomic. I think she preferred her more flowery description. Thats an noisome word for a formidable skill set.It took me a moment to catch on. So, youre here to Wait. You think Im going to hire you to, what, despatch Katrice?Imanuelle shrugged eloquently, and her brother spoke up for her. Some might see that as a quick way to end the war, if I may be so bold. Girard had picked up that I didnt like this idea at all and was understandably nervous. He set his position with me.Its a dirty, sneaky way to end a war I exclaimed. Itd make me no better than Katrice and her hoot son.It would eliminate Katrice directly, said Imanuelle. Since she is the source of your problems. I could disguise myself as someone in her castle. Quick, easy. No other innocents need be hurt.For a heartbeat, her words almost made sense. Then I shook my head emphatically. No. Im not going to bow down to that level.Some of Imanuelles pleasant demeanor faded. There are monarchs who would give half their kingdoms for my services Im very selective. Im doing you a great honor.I narrowed my eyes. Youre doing me an honor?She hesitated, realizing she was addressing one of the most formidable queens in the Otherworld. Again, Girard jumped in to save her.Forgive our presumption, Your Majesty. We only wanted to offer it as an option.Its been offered, I said bluntly. And refused. Thank you for the honor. Youre welcome to visit your brother, of course, but Id prefer that you stay here no longer than absolutely necessary.I turned dramatically away from them, just ancestral the outrage on Imanuelles face, and strode out. Shaya hurried by my side.Spoken like a queen, she said.Do I need to worry about that woman killing me now? I asked. Is she going to change into you and pull a knife on me?Im sure youd respond as efficiently as you do to the other attacks on you, said Shaya dryly. Her illusions arent proof to everyone. Im guessing Volusian could see through them if he were around. But, honestly although her pride has been hurt she does have quite the reputation I leery shell simply stalk off and leave you be, if only for her brothers sake.Well, thats nice. One less person trying to kill me. I raked my hand through my hair. Anything else I need to deal with?That was a loaded question, of course. Shaya had a few more bus iness matters for me to look over before I could finally see Jasmine. I hadnt talked to her after the dinner at Dorians and felt shed be a good distraction as I waited to see if Kiyo would come. I found her outside in one of the gardens, sitting in the ghostwriter of a mesquite tree as the sun grew higher and the heat increased. Her guards stood stoically nearby, and her fine chains glittered in the light. At my approach, she glanced up from a book. Petulant, power-hungry teen that she might be, she was also an avid reader, using imagine to escape her mundane existence when shed still lived among humans. This book was one Id brought her recently, the first in a trendy series.Is it good? I asked, sitting down opposite her.not bad, she said, playing cool. A moment later, she gave herself away. argon there more out in the series?Three more, I think.She said nothing but smiled as she set the book beside her.Did you have fun at Dorians? I asked.Yeah. It was nice to be out. Her eyes gaz ed off, not sincerely focusing on anything. I think the best part was watching Shaya cow off all the guys hitting on me. She turned back to me. Is that what its like for you all the time?Not since I got together with Dorian. Theyve slacked off and Shaya doesnt scare them away. She abandons me.Jasmine smiled again. Dorians disquieted about you. Obsessed.Thats kind of an uttermost(a) observation.Its true. She brushed hair out of her eyes. The sunshine was turning it to gold, making me a little envious Id gotten true red from our father, sooner than strawberry blond. She could wear pink. Its good, she continued. His obsession. That bitch Ysabel wants him, you know. And she hates you. So does her mom.Yeah, I kind of figured that out.She shrugged. Well, then, keep Dorian close.Im not worried.Ysabels got kids, and you wont give him any.I was so sick of hearing about me and procreation. Lots of gentry women have kids. be you manifestation I should worry about all of them, Little Mi ss bash Guru?Not all of them look like you. I mean, not exactly like you but I think Dorian gets off on redheads. Maybe he figures hell have red-haired kids that way. I dont know. But, whatever. Im just saying shes wait there for you to typesetters case up with Dorian. And hes already gone for her before. Shes got a bigger chest than you, too.Hey, I said indignantly. Thats irrelevant. Besides, he went for her and she annoyed him. And Im not going to slip up. Hes not going anywhere. I frowned, move by my next words, that Id actually say them to her. Its Kiyo Ive got to pull in.Jasmines gray eyes widened in shock. Him? Hes no use to you unless, oh Jesus. You guys arent planning some three-way, are you? I mean, I know you and Dorian get into some No I exclaimed. Its nothing like that. I need a favor from Kiyo, thats all. A big one. A dangerous one. Im not sure whatll convince him. I smiled weakly, call up Dorians materialisation when Id showed up in the tight gentry dress. Id know what to do if it was Dorian.Jasmine scoffed and gave me a scathing look. How stupid are you? Even I know what to do if you want to suck in Kiyo. Look human.I am human. Whos stupid now? Good grief. Wed advanced to snippy quarrelling. We were becoming real sisters more and more each day.Youre half human. Dorian likes that because he thinks he can knock you up but the rest? He wants you to be a queen. One of the emit ones. Kiyo doesnt. He hates all of that. He doesnt want you anywhere near it. You hooked up before you were into all the Otherworld stuff. Be like that.I stared at her, startled because she had an resplendent point. Do I look human now?Jasmine studied me critically. I had jeans and a T-shirt on, my hair pulled sloppily into a ponytail. My boots were sturdy, made for hiking. Plain. Yeah, she said, sounding surprised. Scruffy and human. Hell be into that. nevertheless for the ring. Its from Dorian, right? Put it under your shirt.I touched the ring hanging on my che st, having forgotten about it. Howd you know it was from him?Because you wouldnt get it for yourself, and no one else would either. Its also got oak leaves.I peered down at it. Sure plentiful. I hadnt identified the leaves earlier. I followed her advice, concealing it under the shirt. She watched with approval, then seemed to really notice my shirt.Whos Mtley Cre?I was rescue from lecturing her on classic shudder when a servant scurried up to us, obese me Kiyo was here. The ease Id felt with Jasmine vanished. I stood up, forcing calm, half-wondering if I should take her after all. No. Kiyo was the right choice.Good luck, Jasmine said, picking up her book. And remember be human.I followed the servant away, upset that I was taking advice from an insane fifteen-year-old. Except I knew she was right. I made sure my gait was casual, nothing regal. Then, I sent the servant away, deciding itd be best to come to Kiyo on my own, rather than near with an escort, no matter how insignifi cant.He was waiting inside a parlor, pacing restlessly. I knew how uneasy I made him, and this invitation had no doubt put him on guard. I watched him unnoticed for a moment, admiring that muscled body while knowing it was wrong to do so. walk up on him was impossible, though. He could olfaction me. My sweat and skin alone would have given me away, let alone the vanilla sunscreen and violet perfume I also wore.Eugenie, he said, turning around. excellent to see you. He seemed impassive, but his eyes made me think he really did like seeing me physically at least.Sorry for the abrupt request, I said. You were belike visiting Luisa, huh?The mention of his daughter tedious his expression a tiny, tiny bit. Yeah, shes she grows every day. Its amazing. He flipped back to alert mode. But thats not why you asked me here.No. I settled into one of the chairs, crossing my legs and hoping I looked casual and unassuming. I need your help.He continued standing. Thats unexpected.Well, I got an unexpected offer. Do you still want me to get out of this war?Of course. He made a face. Oh, Eug. Please tell me you dont want me to talk terms or something.I smiled, both at the suggestion and his use of the nickname. No, I need you for something thats more your specialty. I dont suppose youve ever heard of the Iron Crown?Kiyo hadnt. I provided a brief rundown, explaining how the person who fought through and won it could allegedly inspire fear and awe.And thats enough to make Katrice back off? he asked skeptically.So they say. I shrugged. Its weird to me too, but everyone Ive talked to claims itll intimidate Katrice and her armies. Best not to mention that everyone was Dorian, a ghost, and a crazy seeress. Itll prove what a badass I am. And if that forces her into pacification talks I let him tie beam his own conclusions.Its a gamble, Kiyo said. He still sounded doubtful, but there was a crack there. He wanted the war over. He wanted me out of it. But why ask me? Why not Do rian?Because he couldnt survive the quest. The ways lined with iron. It would take an insanely strong gentry or people with human blood, like you and me. Plus, I trust you.I didnt know if the human solidarity had gotten me anywhere, but he was definitely considering this more and more. I also wondered if admitting trust in him did anything. Part of what had driven us apart was my accusation that he didnt care enough about me to punish Leith.Id like to help you, Kiyo said finally. Its crazy but no crazier than half the stuff around here. I should talk to Maiwenn first, though.You must not under any circumstances allow him to go back to Maiwenn and consult her on this.Theres no time, I said, hastily lead through Dorians laundry list of excuses. We have to go now. The ghost whos going to help me peril to back out if I didnt act soon. And were currently on hold with Katrice. If I could return with the crown before the next battle, it would be well, itd be amazing. No more bloodsh ed.I could see him wavering, but he wasnt quite convinced. Really, I didnt blame him. If I had an ally who could advise me on some bizarre quest, Id want to talk to her too before jumping in.You can talk to her if you want, I said. But Ive got to leave now. I cant stand waiting. Ill just go by myself.That drove the dagger in. No matter how sketchy the logic, no matter how smart it would be to get Maiwenns advice the fear of my running off into unknown dangers was too great. He stared at me for several heavy moments, his expression unreadable. Finally, he sighed.Right now? he asked.Right now, I said.Then lets go.