Consuming Kids

Consuming Kids The video documentary â€Å"Consuming Kids† highlights the impact of media and advertising on the health and well-being of children. Advertising has critically changed comparing from the past to today, as it penetrates children more than adults. Companies have decided to deliver their advertisements to children due to their vulnerable minds. The techniques companies use to attach a child with their advertisement is by using famous role models equipped with their product. This influences a child to grasp that product and evidently the same child becomes a consistent consumer in the marketing world.Not only is advertisement publicized on TV but, also on the internet and cellular mobile devices, making it harder for a parent to neglect its unwanted presence. Science is involved in this documentary as scientists use the â€Å"blinking experiment† to analyze the child’s attention rate. Scientist have mentioned that advertisers use round figures througho ut their commercial, as it has been found that children are attracted to this shape; making it harder for them to neglect the purpose of the advertisement. This is only a small contribution of how advertising has used symbolism to support its function.Using symbolism within an advertisement is very clever because it not only portrays the significance of the product but, portrays the â€Å"positive† lifestyle given when the product is purchased. Age compression plays a huge role in the marketing scheme, as it provokes young kids to feel older, making the product more suitable for the younger consumers. Advertisements affect a children’s mind negatively, as it can impact their vocabulary, cause them to lose their concentration span and eventually diagnose them with ADHD.In this documentary I was able to recognize and understand each and every perspective of how advertisements are abusing children. The media claims that parents are ultimately responsible for what their ch ildren watch, wear, and eat. I believe this is not true, because realistically a parent is unable to guard their child from advertisements every minute of the day. There is a likely chance that advertisement can be viewed at public locations like schools or daycares, making it harder to repel your child from advertisements. From this point, only the government has the ability to control such advertisements.As a society we should embrace the conflict raised from the media and publicize the negative effects of a child watching advertisements. We should ban the usage of advertisements used in schools and daycares so, children are not affected by them. A letter concerning the vital information about the documentary should be sent out to every family, so parents are aware of this cause. What shocked me the most, was the disturbing picture of the little girl who claims she’s trying to be sexy. This picture portrayed a young female child with her back pointing to the camera without a shirt.As soon as I recognized that, my point of view on advertisements harming children has changed enormously. There should be no reason for children to dress inappropriately in modern society. Yes, I feel like I have been affected by advertisements throughout my childhood. From a very young age of 6, I was behaving like the young boys shown in the documentary. Similar to them, I would also commit to violence and aggressive materials, such as movies and video games. At the time, it felt normal but now recognizing the effect of advertisement I am able to comprehend that I was under the influence of media.

The Handmaids Tale

Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale takes place in a post Cold War society plagued by infertility. Atwood presents the reader with â€Å"The Republic of Gilead†, the Christian theocracy that overthrew the United States government. Narrated by a woman renamed Offred, the reader gets an idea of a future in which women are no longer women, but are solely needed for reproduction. Atwood uses a system of vocabulary established under the Republic of Gilead in order to manipulate and dehumanize women and men throughout the text. Under this new society women are efined under their gender roles.No longer are women allowed to hold Jobs, make an income, or have control over their body. Men on the other hand are referred to by their military rank. Women are then placed into the group in which the Republic of Gilead finds fitting. Some sent off to reproduce children, others to work and wait for a slow cruel death. Offred is what the Republic of Gilead labels a handmaid. A handmaid's sole purpose is to produce a child for elite families of the Republic. Handmaids are stripped from their own clothes and are forced to wear all red.A floor length dress that gives the handmaid no shape, red shoes, and red gloves. The color red is extremely symbolic towards their position in society. The red clothing could be interpreted in a multitude of ways. Red is the color of a women's menstrual blood. Therefore the wearing of red deems the handmaids one of the few fertile women among society. However, in history red has been a marker of sexual sin. The handmaids are essentially having sex with married men. All handmaids are immediately stripped of their birth name and put under possession of the commander.Offred receives this name because her commander's name is Fred, and she is â€Å"of† Fred. This is the Republic of Gilead's way of literally dehumanizing and stripping the handmaid's from any personalization. I looked up the definition of the word â€Å"handmaiden†, and it is defined as such, â€Å"A handmaiden is a personal maid, female servant, or a subordinate thing†. Under this new society, these women who are able to produce life, are literally referred to as â€Å"things† and â€Å"possessions†. In the beginning of this new society handmaidens arrive at a place called â€Å"the red center†.It is here they learn to be trained by what the Republic of Gilead labels â€Å"Aunts†. Aunts attempt to promote the handmaid's as an honorable Job and position in society. The term â€Å"aunt† is appropriately used and applied by Atwood throughout the novel. Their Job is to train, reform and advise handmaids in order to prepare them for their new life. One activity the aunt's used in attempt to brainwash and manipulate the handmaid's was â€Å"testifying†. It was during this time handmaid's told their apparent â€Å"faults† from their previous lives and was then taunted for it.Offred tells one han dmaid's story from â€Å"testifying as such, â€Å"It's Janine, telling about how she was gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion†. The other handmaids chant in unison claiming it is â€Å"her fault, her fault, her fault†. Offred explains how during the last time Janine told the story she burst into tears. However, during this weeks testifying she immediately takes responsibility tor being raped claiming, â€Å"It was my tault It was my own fault, I led them on†. The aunt's have completed their Job by manipulating the handmaids into believing that a rape was wanted.Upon entering a commander's home there are no longer aunts, but â€Å"Marthas†. The Handmaid's Tale is laced with biblical references throughout the entire novel. Atwood's use of the name â€Å"Martha† comes directly from a story in Luke 10:38-42 in which Jesus goes to visit his mother Mary and Martha. While Mary sits and listens to Jesus speak, Martha is too busy with all of the dut ies she had to accomplish. This is exactly what the Martha's are seen doing while working in the commander's home. The Marthas, Cora and Rita, are to fulfill all domestic roles in the house, exactly likeMartha had done in the bible. While Marthas take care of the house, the commander's wives are not expected to do the same. Wives are superior to all women, and it is made clear to Offred right away. However, while living in the commander's home it is apparent that even though the handmaidens are forced into a situation unwanted, so have the wives. Wives are to lay with the handmaiden while the commander has sex with the handmaiden. Labeled as, â€Å"the ceremony', this event is emotionally scarring towards both females in the situation.After one of the ceremonies Offred even wonders, Which of us is it worse for, her or me†. The act of the â€Å"ceremony' directly shows how the Republic of Gilead has dehumanized both low ranking and high-ranking women. Sex is no longer perform ed for love and passion, but only to produce a child. On one hand, Offred has no say over her body and what is happening to her. Offred even states, â€Å"It's only the inside of our bodies that is important. The outside can become hard and wrinkled for all they care†. On the other hand, the commander's wife, Serena Joy, has to lie there while her husband has sex with another woman.While dealing with those struggles seem unfair and unjust, other women are worse off. Deformed babies, sterile women and former feminists are not even given a chance in this society. Denoted with the labels of â€Å"unwomen† and â€Å"unbabies†, they are sent to â€Å"the colonies†. The colonies are places in which agriculture is produced and also a place of deadly radiation and pollution. The Republic of Gilead immediately sends them there because they have no use for them in their supreme society. The Republic of Gilead does not only oppress women, but men too.Offred's ormer friend Moira explained to her in detail the colonies, â€Å"All of them wear long dresses like the ones at the Center, only gray. Women and the men too, Judging from the group shots. I guess it's supposed to demoralize the men having to wear a dress†. Under this society, if you do not fit their standards, you are deemed unnecessary. Atwood also uses certain vocabulary to define certain religious rituals that take place throughout the novel. â€Å"Praywaganzas,† â€Å"Salvagings,† and â€Å"Particicutions† are a few of the rituals used to manipulate handmaidens into practicing the societies beliefs. The Handmaids Tale Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale takes place in a post Cold War society plagued by infertility. Atwood presents the reader with â€Å"The Republic of Gilead†, the Christian theocracy that overthrew the United States government. Narrated by a woman renamed Offred, the reader gets an idea of a future in which women are no longer women, but are solely needed for reproduction. Atwood uses a system of vocabulary established under the Republic of Gilead in order to manipulate and dehumanize women and men throughout the text. Under this new society women are efined under their gender roles.No longer are women allowed to hold Jobs, make an income, or have control over their body. Men on the other hand are referred to by their military rank. Women are then placed into the group in which the Republic of Gilead finds fitting. Some sent off to reproduce children, others to work and wait for a slow cruel death. Offred is what the Republic of Gilead labels a handmaid. A handmaid's sole purpose is to produce a child for elite families of the Republic. Handmaids are stripped from their own clothes and are forced to wear all red.A floor length dress that gives the handmaid no shape, red shoes, and red gloves. The color red is extremely symbolic towards their position in society. The red clothing could be interpreted in a multitude of ways. Red is the color of a women's menstrual blood. Therefore the wearing of red deems the handmaids one of the few fertile women among society. However, in history red has been a marker of sexual sin. The handmaids are essentially having sex with married men. All handmaids are immediately stripped of their birth name and put under possession of the commander.Offred receives this name because her commander's name is Fred, and she is â€Å"of† Fred. This is the Republic of Gilead's way of literally dehumanizing and stripping the handmaid's from any personalization. I looked up the definition of the word â€Å"handmaiden†, and it is defined as such, â€Å"A handmaiden is a personal maid, female servant, or a subordinate thing†. Under this new society, these women who are able to produce life, are literally referred to as â€Å"things† and â€Å"possessions†. In the beginning of this new society handmaidens arrive at a place called â€Å"the red center†.It is here they learn to be trained by what the Republic of Gilead labels â€Å"Aunts†. Aunts attempt to promote the handmaid's as an honorable Job and position in society. The term â€Å"aunt† is appropriately used and applied by Atwood throughout the novel. Their Job is to train, reform and advise handmaids in order to prepare them for their new life. One activity the aunt's used in attempt to brainwash and manipulate the handmaid's was â€Å"testifying†. It was during this time handmaid's told their apparent â€Å"faults† from their previous lives and was then taunted for it.Offred tells one han dmaid's story from â€Å"testifying as such, â€Å"It's Janine, telling about how she was gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion†. The other handmaids chant in unison claiming it is â€Å"her fault, her fault, her fault†. Offred explains how during the last time Janine told the story she burst into tears. However, during this weeks testifying she immediately takes responsibility tor being raped claiming, â€Å"It was my tault It was my own fault, I led them on†. The aunt's have completed their Job by manipulating the handmaids into believing that a rape was wanted.Upon entering a commander's home there are no longer aunts, but â€Å"Marthas†. The Handmaid's Tale is laced with biblical references throughout the entire novel. Atwood's use of the name â€Å"Martha† comes directly from a story in Luke 10:38-42 in which Jesus goes to visit his mother Mary and Martha. While Mary sits and listens to Jesus speak, Martha is too busy with all of the dut ies she had to accomplish. This is exactly what the Martha's are seen doing while working in the commander's home. The Marthas, Cora and Rita, are to fulfill all domestic roles in the house, exactly likeMartha had done in the bible. While Marthas take care of the house, the commander's wives are not expected to do the same. Wives are superior to all women, and it is made clear to Offred right away. However, while living in the commander's home it is apparent that even though the handmaidens are forced into a situation unwanted, so have the wives. Wives are to lay with the handmaiden while the commander has sex with the handmaiden. Labeled as, â€Å"the ceremony', this event is emotionally scarring towards both females in the situation.After one of the ceremonies Offred even wonders, Which of us is it worse for, her or me†. The act of the â€Å"ceremony' directly shows how the Republic of Gilead has dehumanized both low ranking and high-ranking women. Sex is no longer perform ed for love and passion, but only to produce a child. On one hand, Offred has no say over her body and what is happening to her. Offred even states, â€Å"It's only the inside of our bodies that is important. The outside can become hard and wrinkled for all they care†. On the other hand, the commander's wife, Serena Joy, has to lie there while her husband has sex with another woman.While dealing with those struggles seem unfair and unjust, other women are worse off. Deformed babies, sterile women and former feminists are not even given a chance in this society. Denoted with the labels of â€Å"unwomen† and â€Å"unbabies†, they are sent to â€Å"the colonies†. The colonies are places in which agriculture is produced and also a place of deadly radiation and pollution. The Republic of Gilead immediately sends them there because they have no use for them in their supreme society. The Republic of Gilead does not only oppress women, but men too.Offred's ormer friend Moira explained to her in detail the colonies, â€Å"All of them wear long dresses like the ones at the Center, only gray. Women and the men too, Judging from the group shots. I guess it's supposed to demoralize the men having to wear a dress†. Under this society, if you do not fit their standards, you are deemed unnecessary. Atwood also uses certain vocabulary to define certain religious rituals that take place throughout the novel. â€Å"Praywaganzas,† â€Å"Salvagings,† and â€Å"Particicutions† are a few of the rituals used to manipulate handmaidens into practicing the societies beliefs.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 12

Assignment - Essay Example Also, he has not sharply brought the impression that the large mushroom of white smoke is not cloud, but smoke. Irrespective of the type of camera used, the focus of the image is clear. The photographer clearly aims and focuses on the tallest tower under fire attack. Other buildings surrounded by the tower are an addition to indicate the extent of damage brought about by the great explosion. The shallow depth of field used leaves every element out of focus except the buildings under attack, as well as the messy environment created by the impact. The purpose for using a shallow depth of field is to keep the viewer’s focus on the main subject (the tower), and to bring about a sense of mystery over where the event occurred. Additionally, crafting a monochromatic tone brings about a vintage feeling which further reminds the viewer that it is an historical event. When it comes to matters concerning the framing of the shot, the photographer intends to guide the viewer’s roaming eyes from the tower of focus, to the buildings surrounding it. The photojournalist also seeks to show the viewer the surrounding environments and buildings that have been literary blanketed by the mushroom of smoke coming from the tower. This adds extra interest on the picture. In the second picture, the photographer seeks to create an impression of a war-tone environment where there are casualties of war. He focuses on the dark, often unmentioned effects of war. The soldier pictured, is the subject of focus. The object he is trying to hold with his two hands, is probably a war victim, who might be a fellow soldier, or innocent non-combatants. The object that relays an impression of war includes the full combat outfit worn by the person under focus. The photo has an extremely sharp contrast which creates a blurring effect. The point of interest in this photo is the soldier. To distinguish them from other elements captured, the photographer captured a photo with a shallow depth of field,

Implementing Leadership Change Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Implementing Leadership Change - Term Paper Example Objective The main objective of the company is to remain competitive via product development and to focus on innovations. Strategies to Be Followed Two main strategies can be inculcated by Gene One. They are leadership strategy and the training strategy. Leadership has been a key component for determining the success of for-profit as well as non-profit organizations. Gene One has taken the decision of going public via IPO issuance; however lack of knowledge of effective implementation is becoming the challenge for the company. It is leadership strategies through which the company will effectively be able to implement the decisions that have been taken by the management. When such decisions are taken, it becomes important for the company to opt for effective leaders since they can make even the weak business plan a successful one. It is the leaders who will set a proper direction for the followers and thus help to visualize the goals to be achieved (Mills, 2005). The leaders at Gene O ne needs to have a proper vision of what is to be achieved. He further needs to assume the risk of loss as well as failure and thus formulate his strategies accordingly.

How the Black Panthers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How the Black Panthers - Essay Example The street gangs of the 1960’s were the result of the frustration of black youngsters against whites, who did not welcome them in their neighborhoods. The BPP called upon the black youth to rise in self defense and proclaimed the U.S. government as its enemy. Gangs have been a part of the culture of America ever since the 1800’s but the street gang subculture is constantly evolving, so as to conform to prevailing conditions. The leaders of one of these small street gangs, the Slausons, founded the Los Angeles arm of the Black Panther Party (BPP). Soon the rowdy gang culture was being shaped into an overtly political agenda. In 1969, Carter and Huggins, the leaders of the Los Angeles BPP were killed in a gun battle on the UCLA campus during a face-off with members of the United Slaves, a rival gang. These murders triggered a massive FBI retaliation, which led to the disbanding of the BPP. With the BPP no longer in existence, black youth scoured for newer gangs, and at this point Raymond Washington rallied them together under the banner, Baby Avenues or Baby Cribs. With time, the Cribs evolved into Crips in the local vernacular. Washington recruited a large number of members into his gang and in 1971, formed the Westside Crips by me rging his rival Tookie’s gang with his own. The name Crips stands for â€Å"Continuous Revolution in Progress† and this gang had the fearlessness of the Panthers, combined with their rebellious attitude (Davis, Mike; City of Quartz, PP.293-300). Members of Crips gang identify themselves by wearing blue bandanas. When the Crips began to expand, it led to conflicts with other gangs and during a summer conflict in 1972, between the Crips and Pirus gang, the Crips won. The Pirus and other small gangs of the area came together to form a separate organization called the Bloods, and began to sport red bandanas. Just like the BPP, these gangs were formed to protect black people

Matrix Organization Structure in Jebal Ali Harbor Case Study

Matrix Organization Structure in Jebal Ali Harbor - Case Study Example The whole project was very complex, owing to the nature of the land terrain on which the project was undertaken, coupled with the immense risks involved, such as the risk of gulf fall. The Jebal Ali Harbor project was characterized by lack of bureaucracy, where the major decisions that were made impromptu, did not require bureaucratic procedures to be approved but were immediately rendered to tests and assessments, after which they were easily approved if they proved economical and feasible. Communication among the project team members was also smooth, despite the fact that the project comprised of diverse experts and contractors with different experiences and specializations. This enhanced the team coordination and promoted the project success. â€Å"Matrix organization structure† refers to a structure of an organization that has operations running from different locations, but the structure of the management team is arranged such that the top management is only located in the organization’s major office or headquarters, while the low-level managers are based on different site locations, where the organization has some businesses running, and the chain of command flows from the different locations. Pauling plc. is a good example of a contractor operating a â€Å"matrix organization structure†, with the top management of the company; the managing director based in London, the general manager based in Dubai, and the manager of the project based at the site location; Jebel Ali, where the construction process is ongoing. In the Pauling’s case, the chain of command is such that, the Managing Director based in London makes crucial decisions regarding the project, while the general manager implements th e decisions through delegating the same to the manager of the project on site. Nevertheless, both the project manager and the general manager make relevant decisions, based on the project situations, while consulting the same with the managing director.  Ã‚  

GYPSY DANCE from spain Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

GYPSY DANCE from spain - Research Paper Example The dances also represent freedom - freedom of personal and spiritual expression, the only type of freedom possible for an oppressed people. (Background on Romani Dance) The culture of the Gypsies can be interpreted as being intellectually divine and intriguing which is successfully expressed through their music and dance. It is probably safe to assume that because of various pull factors and migratory patterns, the Gypsies who are Indians by native and not Egyptians travelled throughout Europe and beyond settling in different geographic locations such as Spain. What they brought with them, however, throughout this wary travel was their unique identity of culture. Between 800 and 900 A.D., a large exodus of people occurred from the Punjabi region of India. These people are believed to be members of the Untouchables, a group within the Indian caste system comprised of animal traders and trainers, acrobats, dancers, musicians, palmists and metalworkers. These nomadic groups, generally referred to as Roman and/or gypsies, divided into two major migratory routes, the most traceable moving west across Asia and the European continent, including Spain. The first recorded account of Spanish Gitanos "Beticos" dates from 1447 in Barcelona. It is also believed that a second migratory route took them down to and across North Africa (including Egypt) and up into Southern Spain "Andalusia" via the Gibraltar. This faction, known as Cale (black), has been far more difficult to verify and trace due to the great similarity of appearance and lifestyle to the indigenous peoples along the route. We should not forget that Southern Spain was part of the Islamic Empire for a period of 800 years. Although, the Northern Beticos immigrated to the more tolerant Islamic region of Andalusia, to this day, the gypsies themselves maintain a great distinction between the Beticos and ‘Cales’, with virtually no intermarriage between the groups. During the Inquisition of the ‘Re conquista’, even this tolerance ended while gypsies from all over Spain were herded into "gitanerias" or ghettos. However unjust and cruel, this persecution and isolation was the very influence that safeguarded the purity of their music and dance within the family group. Finally, in 1782, the Leniency Edict of Charles III restored some measure of freedom to the Spanish gypsy and allowed this music and dance to be presented to and adopted by the general population of Spain. This resulted in a period of great exploration and evolution within the art form, which continues to this day. Unlike the common gypsy language, gypsy music has great variety, varying from country to country, with strong local characteristics which, to a certain extent, are decided by their nomadic lifestyle. The gypsies picked up the music from their surroundings and the native people present, and adopted it with their own understanding. As a result, gypsy music has highly-flavored traits of region, which in turn has a significant impact on the development of the local music. For instance, a gypsy who migrated from Russia will add accordion or guitar into their music. The alternation of solo and chorus, and parallel thirds can frequently be

Professional report about an issue pertaining to business ethics or Essay - 1

Professional report about an issue pertaining to business ethics or CSR - Essay Example As an ethical advisor of the company, it will be advised on what actions it can take to address this issue. Finally, the limitations of this course of action will be highlighted. A major online concern for social networking sites is privacy of its users over the Internet and their right to it. There are many areas of concern under this issue; the amount of information that users are required to submit about themselves that identifies them, how this information is displayed, how this information is used by social networks; whether it is simply stored or shared with other companies that require customer information, and finally whether users are made aware and given control of how their information is displayed and used. The important ethical question that comes to mind regarding Internet privacy is whether social network users have a right to privacy. Social networkers and other internet users are becoming more aware of how social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace read through information provided by users. What is unethical is that users, most of time, think of this information as personal and may not be aware of how this information is being read by second and third parties. Right to privacy also involves the level of control social network users have over the display of their images and information online (Santa Clara University, 2008). In order to justify the issue of user’s right to internet privacy as an ethical one, the Rights ethical theory is an important indicator. Before a link is created to how the rights ethical theory is related to user’s right to internet privacy, the theory itself will be explained briefly – under the rights ethical theory, the rights expressed by a society are given protection and the higher priority than all other things. These rights are then deemed to be morally acceptable and

Living at Home Versus Living in an Apartment Essay Example for Free

Living at Home Versus Living in an Apartment Essay People do not realize how different living at home and living in an apartment is until they compare the two. Other people don’t realize it until they are actually out on their own. There are many differences when a person is living at home compared to living in an apartment. In this essay we will look at the differences of the two. One difference between living at home and living in an apartment is how the bills get paid. When living at home parents or whoever the person lives with pays all the bills and buys all the food. Even if the person has to pay for anything while living at home, I’m sure it is just a small portion of what all the bills come out to be. When living in an apartment the person has to pay their own bills and buy your own food. This means that they have to find somewhere that is affordable for them. Some apartments have bills like electricity, water, and sewer/garbage included in the rent. If the person needs help buying food they have a program out there that they can sign up for food stamps at the local social services office. They also have places that have food pantries that gives people a food basket. Some towns also have a place for people to go and eat like the Salvation Army or a church. This is one major difference of living at home versus living in an apartment. Another difference between living at home and living in an apartment is making sure the person has everything they need. When living at home with the person’s parents or whoever they live with, they already have or have bought all the necessities that they will need for a place like furniture, pots and pans, cleaning supplies, stuff for hygiene, etc. When a person is living in an apartment they have to buy everything that they are going to need for the apartment. That means that the person has to go out and buy their own furniture and everything else that they want for their place. A person can watch for garage sales or even go check out some thrift stores. The Salvation Army gives a person a voucher to go to their store and get some stuff for their new place if they have it in stock. They even help out with furniture to. Some stuff the person will probably want brand new like their silverware and dishes. Another difference between living at home and living in an apartment is all about how clean the place is. When someone lives at home or with whomever they live with they usually want their place nice and clean. They want everyone that lives there to help with the cleaning and to maintain a clean home. When a person lives in an apartment they are the one that decides when to clean the place. Also they are the one to decide how clean they want their place and if they are going to try and maintain a clean place. Some people like their house spotless while others don’t really care if their place is clean or not. Maintaining a clean home means a lot to others when they come over to visit. The final difference between living at home and living in an apartment is being independent. When a person is living at home they have rules to follow. Some rules may be easy to follow like cleaning up after oneself, help with the cooking, and maintain a job or go to school. Other rules may be harder to follow like if the person has a certain time to be home and if certain people that they hang out with are not allowed to be at the person’s house they are staying at because they don’t like or get along with them. When a person is living in an apartment they are on their own. They are the one that picks the rules. When living in an apartment a person can come and go as they please. Also they can do whatever they want. Just be careful when living in a person’s own apartment because some people go crazy and have all kinds of parties. If the neighbors call the cops the landlord has a right to evict them. If they get evicted it makes it hard for them to get an apartment the next time they are looking for one. In conclusion, everybody now has some of the differences between living at home and living in an apartment. It’s all up to them to decide if they want to stay living at home or move into an apartment. Everybody has their own way of thinking and choosing what they want to do. If they want to move into an apartment a person could keep an eye out for stuff they will need so they will have it by the time they move.

Assess the view that women Essay Example for Free

Assess the view that women Essay In order to fully assess the view that women are stereotyped and symbolically annihilated in the media, the two terms; Stereotype and symbolic annihilation must be defined. A stereotype is a negative name given to a group of individuals and which is always an ideological name so that it supports an already existing idea. For example, as the sociologist Meehan found, women are often represented as matriarchs or witches in TV dramas and soaps. Stereotyping is also seen as an ordering process that brings order to potential chaos by the means of relating groups of people so we can understand them. Symbolic annihilation is the way in which a certain group of people are featured less or are totally erased from the media. Within the media, women have been symbolically annihilated if they are not slim, beautiful or fashionable for instance. Instead, all women shown in the media are slim, attractive and seemingly very image conscious. The 3 main types of media in which women have been stereotyped and symbolically annihilated are; TV, magazines and Video games. Research carried out by the sociologist D. M Meehan into the way women are portrayed in television, revealed that women are categorised into 10 different character types. These character types are; The imp, The goodwife, The harpy, The bitch, The victim, the decoy, The siren, The courtesan, The witch and The matriarch. Obviously the imp is a rebellious tomboy character, the Goodwife is a domestic, attractive, home centred character, the bitch is a sneak and a cheat and the courtesan is close to being a prostitute. Even though these findings were released in 1983, they are still relevant today because there are some characters in modern soap operas who still fit into the 10 character types. For example, Pauline from Eastenders is an example of a good housewife, as is Monica in friends. Also, Janine from Eastenders is an example of the courtesan and Steph from neighbours is an example of the imp. Others findings of Meehans study are that women are portrayed as either good or evil, and never a combination, that good women are portrayed as submissive, sensitive and domesticated and that bad women are often portrayed as being rebellious, independent and selfish. Another main finding of Meehans study was that female occupations were limited to a few, primarily housewife, receptionist and whore and that women are portrayed as lacking any sexual appetite. However, studies such as Meehans can be criticized for being dated, because most of the TV programs researched were from the 1960s and 1970s, but because these TV shows are still being shown on satellite channels it means that the study is still relevant. Another type of media in which women are stereotyped and symbolically annihilated is magazines. Almost all women who are shown in magazines are; slim, attractive, fashionable, white and have perfect skin etc. However, when you look more closely at these magazines, you also find that almost all women are portrayed as being in fairly poor jobs and are portrayed as sex objects. The sociologist Ferguson said that womens magazines deal with material that is considered too trivial for general media and that these magazines tell women what to do and how to think about themselves, their men and their colleagues. In adverts within magazines, twice as many women appeared with children than men and women are rarely shown outdoors, instead in the house being depicted as a housewife. Since the 1980s, there has been increased awareness of eating disorders among young people, especially girls, and statistics indicate that the frequency of eating disorders is increasing. The main reason behind this are magazines aimed at teenage girls, which are too preoccupied with romance and reinforcing a dominant ideology of femininity. These magazines show pictures of slim, attractive, beautiful young women, and this causes the readers to strive to achieve unrealistic body sizes girls as young as 11 and 12 are worried about their weight and body size. The sociologist Bruch said that illness is related to the enormous emphasis fashion places on being slim. Movies and magazines carry this message, but the most persistent message is portrayed through TV. The message says that one cannot be loved or respected if you are not slender. Also, the sociologist Coward said that advertising encourages women to view their body as a project, similar to DIY, which can be worked upon and improved. Therefore, some women are symbolically annihilated from this type of media, because only women who are slim, attractive and fashionable appear in them, but you hardly ever see any other type of woman. However, a criticism by the sociologist Hermes points out that people derive pleasure from these magazines and from interviews she found that people found them relaxing and educative. One other type of media that stereotypes and symbolically annihilates women is video games. The sociologist Provenzo pointed out that video games show a very stereotypical view of both males and females. The games are very macho and women are often depicted in poses of ritual subordination. In most video games, women are acted upon rather than being initiators of action and in the game Double Dragon for example, Billy has to rescue Marian, his kidnapped girlfriend. The cover for this game depicts Billy supporting Marian, her dress in shreds and her tank top ripped. Another aspect of video games is that women are not even named very often, instead being referred to as someones girlfriend or the princess. Video games are often very Macho in orientation, depicting boxing, car racing and so on, and the roles of both males and females in such scenarios are very limited. Finally, both male and female characters within such video games are always portrayed and depicted as young and being physically ideal. Therefore there is an aspect of symbolic annihilation in video games too, because only a certain type of character is portrayed as you rarely see a fat, old man for instance. After looking at these 3 media types, I can say the women are indeed stereotyped and symbolically annihilated within them. All of the 3 medias show in ideal image of women; slim, attractive and fashionable, but this raises a question does the media create the people in society or do the people in society create what goes into the media? I think that it is the people who create what goes into the media, because things that get printed or shown are things that people in society want to see. In conclusion, you can also look at the feminist view of the media to try to see if women are stereotyped and symbolically annihilated. Liberal feminists believe that journalists have learnt to portray women in a particular way, usually classless and family based. Radical feminists see men as the enemy. Men hold dominant positions in the media and they consciously manipulate the content for their own benefit, and to the detriment of women Finally, socialist feminists blame the capitalist structure for the disadvantaged position of women in society and that the role of the media is to sustain the capitalist system and the role of women within it.

Management of Global Warming Impacts

Management of Global Warming Impacts David Vellacott Title: How are the impacts of global warming best managed? Accompanying files: n/a Did you know that there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than at any point in the last 800,000 years?11 This is a massive contributor to global warming, is mostly induced by human activity and needs urgent attention. The impacts of global warming could feasibly be managed at a variety of scales, local, national and global, but before deciding which approach or combination of approaches is best, we must surely look at the causes, that way we potentially find a cure as opposed to merely treating the symptoms. Causes Over many centuries, CO2 levels have built up, trapped beneath the Earth’s ozone layer, creating an ever thickening ‘blanket’. This is a big problem for us as it will take many centuries for it to be dispersed. Furthermore, rainforests and large areas of vegetation have been removed. This exacerbates the problem of adding extra CO2 when we are essentially removing our natural carbon storage devices. There is a proven strong link between population size, economic activity and our consumer led lifestyle and global warming. As the population has risen over time, so has the level of production of greenhouse gases, further contributing to global warming (see Fig. 1) Fig. 17 China, the most populated country on the planet, which had a population of 1.241 billion in 1998 and 1.351 billion in 2012 4, has seen a rise of 100.1 million people in the space of 10 years and has become the world’s biggest contributor of emissions, therefore leading me to believe that one cause of the worsening of Earth’s global warming is down to overall population increase. However, it would be short sighted to say that this is the only determining factor. Globalisation and extensive economic development/industrialisation is fuelling China’s consumption of fossil fuels and it’s carbon footprint. Fig.2 below shows the Global Warming Emissions by Economic Sector 1 Fig. 2 If we could manage our use of fossil fuels, we can begin to control our carbon excesses, but that won’t reverse the damage already done. Fig. 3 From a different, more focussed local perspective, a cause of climate change is the relentless mass production of new products. Most of the ‘old’ products were sent to landfill sites. Eventually this emits methane (a greenhouse gas). It is only recently (last 20 years) that we have seen the introduction of extensive recycling schemes to try and alleviate this. This allows re-use of materials, helping to reduce emissions from factories producing new materials, as now there is less demand for them, reduces emissions from landfill sites and helps oil supplies last longer. If local schemes like this are continued to be emphasised as they are now, I believe this will have a significant impact on climate change and global warming. Impacts Local Case Study: Telford, Shropshire Telford is an urban area with a population size of 155,000 (2010). Telford’s economy is tertiary based, with some manufacturing. Telford Wrekin Council reported emissions of 18,728 tonnes from the usage of gas, electricity and oil within its property portfolio which includes schools, libraries and leisure centres13. Telford and Wrekin is home to a coal fired power station (owned currently by E.on), which contributes significantly to our local CO2 emissions. As a result of national government’s pressure on local councils to act upon the effects of global warming (Agenda 21), Telford and Wrekin council operates a recycling scheme as a way to cut down on the amount of household waste sent to landfill. Reusable items from households are collected fortnightly and sorted at a recycling centre in the town. The scheme is encouraging in every way. The page about their recycling explains why you don’t have to pay an upfront cost (definitely a positive, good for getting the public on board): because the council saves a great deal of money by recycling; this is cheaper than sending rubbish to landfill. I believe the Telford and Wrekin council runs their recycling scheme very well, ensuring each household has the right containers and are adequately advertising the programme. Since recycling was introduced into Telford, there must surely have been a huge reduction in the amount of rubbish sent to landfill, thus reducing the volume of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. Telford’s recycling scheme, however, may not have come into existence if the effects of global warming had not been recognised. [used 15] The council are also very conscious about the amount of gases released from industrial processes, believing it is very easy to let it get out of hand, to pose a health risk and to harm land, water and air quality through pollution. Therefore, they use a regime called ‘Environmental Permitting’, also known as pollution prevention control, whereby â€Å"it is an offence for any person/company to operate a permitted (prescribed) activity without a valid permit.† 14 National The UK government is keen to mitigate the effects of climate change by looking to reduce our reliance upon fossil fuels for the generation of electricity. It is encouraging energy companies to look at alternative sources eg renewables like wind and wave and is also encouraging individuals to ‘do their bit’ by part funding their investment in solar panels – many homeowners may see this as the crucial time to invest in solar panels for the roof of their house. This is seemingly confirmed by governmental minister Greg Barker. He states: â€Å"Solar PV can play a central role in meeting this challenge [global warming]. It’s a genuinely exciting energy technology which has already seen rapid growth and enjoys strong public support. I want this growth to continue and to help us push further ahead in the global race† Global I believe that the amount of energy produced from renewable methods will increase. It has been predicted that wind and solar power production will increase 4% by 2018 from 2011 figures.2 In time, the polar ice caps will melt as a result of the higher temperatures brought about by global warming. This will cause a rise in sea levels. It is predicted that by 2100, the global sea level is estimated to rise 28 to 98 centimetres (a maximum of more than three feet)10. Having a warmer planet will interfere with countries’ climates. It has been predicted that on average, there will be more warmer days, and fewer colder; there has been a rise of 0.7 °C over the last century.1 Even in our country, UK, we can see the changes to our climate: in recent years, we have had more prolonged spells of sunny weather in the summer months, and much more severe snowy conditions, eg January 2011. In addition, the extreme weather will result in a global increase in the amount of money put towards predicting what may happen. And when this isn’t enough, even more money will be spent reducing the overall impact of climate change. Global warming could lead to water becoming harder to come by in some places. There may be increasing competition over water, which could lead to conflict between nations and areas of the world. How is global warming being managed? Global In recent years, many countries have created laws that restrict the amount of emissions they produce. For example, the Kyoto Protocol was set up to attempt to control the problem. It was intended to monitor the greenhouse emissions produced by all countries that signed, and reduce them by 5% below 1990 levels by 2012; some countries, such as UK, have subsequently set their own targets (UK 12.5% by 2012)6. But not all countries in the world have signed, so in my opinion, the protocol is not at its most effective. If all countries signed up to the Kyoto Protocol, I strongly believe that this would be an extremely effective method of reducing climate change because the whole world would be tackling a global problem as one, hopefully better than using many different methods which may lead to confusion. National Recently, the UK has raised road taxes, perhaps in a bid to discourage the public from buying and using cars emitting large volumes of harmful gases. Cars that emit high or excessive amounts of emissions are charged a higher road tax, and the opposite for those that produce a lesser amount. However, I feel that this  £140 road tax fee would not be enough to discourage most motorists. Many may see this as simply an additional cost to pay for the car, rather than thinking about or realising the true reason for the extra cost the government has imposed. I truly believe that even the smallest changes will have some impact on the overall global warming picture. In the UK a few years ago, homeowners were strongly encouraged to purchase energy efficient light bulbs. Traditional high wattage incandescent light bulbs were deemed to be inefficient, and people started to buy energy efficient light bulbs to replace these. Using an energy efficient light bulb rather than a 60-watt incandescent bulb will save approximately  £20 in bulb costs, last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat. If every UK household installed 3 Compact Fluorescent light bulbs, enough energy would be saved in a year to supply all street lighting in the UK12. I would say that this small change is indeed a very efficient method of reducing the effects of global warming and is very economically and environmentally viable. Local In cities such as London, a congestion charge has been put into action since the year 2002. Between 07:00 and 18:00 Monday to Friday, vehicles are charged for using particular roads in an area of London. This was introduced to encourage motorists to use their cars less, resulting in a decrease in emissions. On the first day 190,000 vehicles moved into or within the zone during charging hours, a decrease of around 25% on normal traffic levels, partly due to it also being the half-term school holiday8. However, this congestion charge area may backfire. I think that there would be, before and after the congestion charge was imposed in 2002, exactly the same number of vehicles wishing travel to destinations at these times, if not more. The tax may in turn bring the opposite to the desired effect- vehicles would travel a further distance around the area to avoid paying the money, thus increasing harmful emissions produced, not what the scheme was implemented for. Fig.4: The congestion charge area. Scenarios Local Case Study- Proactive There are many scenarios that could emerge as a result of the pressure from the local council and the national government alike. Telford and Wrekin council’s recycling scheme could be increased in capacity in relation to its success- we could see in the future more frequent collections, possibly once a week, and an even bigger reduction in the amount of waste this town sends to landfill, again reducing the effects of climate change. Another option for the future may be using more public transport than we do currently. In Telford, 2011, there were 84,671 cars and vans in the area16. That equates to an average of 1.3 cars or vans per household in the area. In addition, in Telford there are 1406 households with 4 or more cars16. If these 1406 households reduced down to one car and depended more on public transport, there would be 81,893 cars in the area, only a small reduction. Would depending on public transport more in this area then be worthwhile? Global Case Study Laissez Faire vs Proactive What if we do nothing? It is after all the cheapest option! Can ‘nature’ protect itself? If we consider unmanaged coastal erosion, nature usually ‘stops’ in time. Sea level rise will inevitably ‘drown’ low lying countries but it is a slow process, so we have time to relocate those people or to manage the effects eg building coastal defences to protect them. Alternatively, we look to generate power solely from renewable sources; this way, very few or no emissions will be released into the atmosphere. However, this doesn’t solve the here and now issue of the current emission levels! One viable solution for the future may be to avoid transporting goods far distances across the world, such as to the UK from China. But, factories will need to be built in the countries the goods are intended for in order to use less ‘air miles’. However, this is not completely feasible as some countries have very little room to accommodate the factories. It does however mean that the emissions impacts are felt in the place that created them, which is fairer than at present. Conclusion I believe that some of the best ways to combat the impacts of global warming include: Reduce- Re-use-Recycle – achievable by all global inhabitants Change/convert to energy efficient appliances – mostly applicable to NIC and MEDC residents Using fewer ‘air miles’ – mostly applicable to NIC and MEDC residents Increasing the use of public transport – applicable to most global urban inhabitants – but how do we convince them to leave their cars behind? The smallest changes can, collectively make the biggest difference. If everybody could pull together to address the issues surrounding global warming and climate change, I believe we can achieve a sustainable future. However, I feel that we need to better educate people so that they do not adopt the selfish, ‘couldn’t care less, not my problem’ approach. Bibliography http://www.climatehotmap.org/about/global-warming-causes.html http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/10-Renewable-Energy-Statistics-you-Might-Not-Know.html https://www.gov.uk/government/news/solar-energy-central-to-renewables-expansion http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL http://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-of-coal/coal-electricity/ Page 83, GCSE Geography OCR Specification B, Bowness, Ellen, Brazier, Joe et al,CGP, 2009 http://quietmike.org/2013/05/28/global-warmings-biggest-contributors/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_congestion_charge#Immediate_impact http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm http://e360.yale.edu/feature/rising_waters_how_fast_and_how_far_will_sea_levels_rise/2702/ http://www.dosomething.org/actnow/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-global-warming http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/51002 http://www.telford.gov.uk/news/article/398/councils_carbon_reduction_recognised http://www.telford.gov.uk/info/200075/pollution/319/environmental_permitting http://www.telford.gov.uk/faqs/200084/recycling_and_rubbish http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7b=6275277c=telfordd=13e=14g=6386646i=1001x1003x1004m=0r=1s=1386883440731enc=1dsFamilyId=2483

The Vietnamese American 1.5 generation Stories of war, Revolution, Flig

When we talk about the Vietnamese, most people will think them as refugees because of their history. The book â€Å"The Vietnamese American 1.5 generation Stories of war, Revolution, Flight, and New Beginnings† by Sucheng Chan described the history of Vietnam; the Vietnamese refugees’ experiences and sufferings they had gone through while on boat to go out of Vietnam, and their settlements outside of Vietnam. The Vietnamese as refugees who had gone through many hardships while escaping to other countries. Vietnam had to fight for its independence from Japan and French. It made them suffered more when they had to fight against their own people during the Civil War. By trying to declare its independence, Ho Chi Minh started the revolution in the North to fight with invaders, and fought with the South people who was supported by the United States to finally took over the South and make Vietnam a Communist state; this civil war caused many Vietnamese suffered because they h ad to fight with their own people in the war and became the refugees to leave Vietnam to seek for freedoms after the Fall of Saigon. The book is divided into two sections. The first section is about the history of Vietnam and the Vietnamese refugees’ experiences and different reasons they travel to America or other countries. In the early time of the history, Vietnam was influenced by China that the emperor was in control of ruling the dynasties. The French went to Vietnam in 1614 to try to colonize and cultivate the Vietnamese to promote Catholicism. French forced Vietnam to sign The Treaty of Saigon in 1862 to cede Saigon to French. Under French’s control and suppression, the Vietnamese wanted to start the movement of anti-French and declare its independence. To fig... ...ch discriminations in school because China’s power is increasing. Not like Vietnam in 1970s, it has been 30 years after I came here because a lot of things are different nowadays. As refugees in America, Vietnamese experienced many difficulties adopting the American culture. They came from Asia where there is complete different culture from the United States. They had to change their life styles and believe. In order to fit into the American culture, they have to start everything newly again and abundant everything they had in Vietnam. They were still being discriminated at even though they tried to assimilate fully. They did not have to experience this if there were no wars in Vietnam. The war only gave them suffering and nothing else. Especially, when there is a Civil War when people have to fight with their own people. Therefore, peace is important to people.

The Economic Impact Of The Olympic Games Essay -- Olympics Economy

The Economic Impact of the Olympic Games Missing Graphs With the Olympic games being held in Sydney this year, I wondered if perhaps the performance of the economy was being affected in part by the fiscal stimulus provided by Olympic construction in Sydney and other parts of the country. Australia’s economy has been performing well recently, suggesting that there might be some effect. Over the last five years, growth in Australia’s gross domestic product has averaged 4.35%, almost a full point above it’s thirty year annual average of 3.5%, and the unemployment rate is near a ten year low. According to one estimate, the Olympics will tack on an additional six and a half billion dollars, about 1.6% of the GDP, to Australia’s GDP over the 1994-2000 period. A natural question to ask is if this growth is due primarily to the Olympic preparation, or if, instead, it is a result of some other change in policy, or perhaps just plain old luck. One way to address this question is to see if other host countries have experienced increases in GDP around Olympic years. Below is a graph of one measure of the boost to GDP that countries receive from hosting the Olympics. Each point represents the average, over all of the host countries since 1952, rate of growth of GDP. What this graph suggests is that prior to the Olympics and during the Olympic year GDP growth is higher than average - maxing out at nearly 1.5% above average GDP in the 3rd year before the Olympics. This number seems consistent with the estimates for Sydney - at least prior to the Olympic year. However, the graph also suggests that growth rates are lower in the years after the Olympics, than in the years prior to the games. The economic benefits of the 2000 Olympics can be classified as direct and indirect. Direct benefits include the impact of the Olympics on exports, investment and employment. In terms of exports, the main impact will be inbound tourism, sponsorship fees, media broadcast rights, and ticket sales. The staging of the Olympics will encourage more international tourists to visit Australia. Sponsorship fees received from international sources were strong leading up to the Olympics and according to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), broadcast rights, approximately one billion dollars in value, were recorded as exports in September quarter 2000. Ticket sale sold to overseas visitors,... ...tself. Importantly, the benefits will continue well into the new millennium as Australia gets more international exposure for its exports and gains from the transfer of technology and knowledge from the world’s best. Opportunity beckons for the athletes, for exporters, for artists, for scientists and for the whole Australian community. Bibliography Arthur Anderson / CREA (1999) â€Å"Economic Impact Study of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games†. January 1999. Arthur Anderson and the Centre for Regional Economic Analysis, University of Tasmania. Dabkowski, S and Ketchell, M (1999) â€Å"Olympic Dream May Not Deliver Riches.† The Melbourne Age. Gittins R (1999) â€Å"Swifter! Higher! Richer? Sadly Not With Our Games.† May 8 1999, Sydney Morning Herald. Mules,T â€Å"The Economic Impact of Special Events .† Griffith University, Gold Coast Queensland. Olympic Co-ordination Authortiy (OCA) (1999) â€Å"State of Play: A Report to the People of New South Wales† June 1999, OCA, Sydney. Reserve Bank of Australia (1999) â€Å"The Economic Effects of Staging the Olympic Games† Semi-Annual Statement of Monetary Policy, May 1999, Reserve Bank, Sydney.

Behavioral Program

Much of real-life behavior is like this: responses are learned because they operate on, or effect the environment. Referred to as an operant conditioning, this kind of learning occurs in human’s species, as well as in lower species. Alone in a crib, a baby may kick and twist and coo spontaneously.When left by itself, a dog may pad back and forth, sniff, or perhaps pick up a ball, drop it, and play with it. In the case study presented, Claire apparently learned that her tantrums had given her the leverage to get what she wants and this definitely is also a picture of operant conditioning in application.Neither organism is responding to the onset or offset of a specific external stimulus. Rather, they are operating on their environment. Once the organism performs a certain behavior, however, the likelihood that the action will be repeated depends on its consequences. The baby will coo more often if each such occurrence is followed by parental attention, just as what happens to C laire, and the dog will pick up the ball more often if petting or a food reward follows this action.If one would think of the baby as having a goal of parental attention, and the dog as having a goal of food, then operant conditioning amounts to learning that a particular behavior leads to attaining a particular goal (Atkinson, 1993). Theoretical framework Instrumental conditioning, in the strict sense, is based on the concept and idea of Burrhus Frederick Skinner or B. F. Skinner. Like John Watson, Skinner insists that psychologists concern themselves only with observable behavior; that is, the psychologist should study behavior as it is and nothing more.Hence, Skinner tried to look for lawful processes in behavior with the use of rats and pigeons (Atkinson, 1993). Operant conditioning may then play a role in attitude formation where parents tend to reward their children for expressing attitudes that coincide with their own and to punish or ignore then for expressing attitudes that deviate from them (Atkinson, 1993). Applications of the theory Applications of operant conditioning to a child focus on the temporal relation between a response and its reinforcer.Laboratory experiments have shown that immediate reinforcement is more effective than delayed; the more time between an operant response and a reinforcer the less is the strength of the response. Many developmental psychologists have noted that the delay of reinforcement is an important factor in dealing with young children. If a child acts kindly towards a pet, the act can best be strengthened by praising (rewarding) the child immediately, rather than waiting until later.Similarly, if a child hits someone without provocation, this aggressive behavior will more likely be eliminated if the child is punished immediately rather than waiting until later (Atkinson, 1993). Allen and Harris (1966) report on a research on the successful elimination of a child’s incessant scratching by first teaching the mo ther the idea behind operant conditioning. Another study though not so related with Claire’s case is the application of instrumental conditioning in motivating oneself to lose weight (Collier, 1969).Reinforcement- is anything that increases the probability that a particular response will increase in frequency. The presentation (positive) or removal (negative) of particular consequences may reinforce responses. Thus, reinforcement may be either positive or negative. Positive reinforcer. Increases the probability that an operant will occur when it is applied, or it increases the likelihood that a particular response will occur.When Claire gets praised whenever she responds in a quiet manner if her wishes were not granted immediately, she is likely to consistently follow this rewarded behavior. This is an example of positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcer. Increases the probability that an operant will occur when it is removed. People often learn to plan ahead so that they n eed not fear that things will go wrong. Fear acts as a negative reinforcer, because removal of fear increases the probability that the behaviors preceding it will be repeated (Rathus, 1990).Putting the Behavioral Program in Motion: Since it is predictable that Claire will put on a tantrum anytime of the day for whatever it may fancy her, the parents must know or be knowledgeable about why it happens. The parents must be thoroughly acquainted with the notion of operant conditioning. Claire obviously has learned in a number of events that whenever she puts on a tantrum her parents cannot help but react according to her wishes instead of according to theirs. They must understand that, 1) Claire’s behavior (e. g.tantrums) will not be changed in an instant or overnight, if that’s to be realistic; 2) that they will probably be tempted to succumb for fear of the unknown or fear of what might happen to their daughter; 3) that they should not give in to their fears or to anger or frustration when the child will not learn immediately. When Claire goes into fits (which is usually the behavioral manifestation of a child in tantrums) like when she demands to have something that should not be hers, both parents must agree never to give in and instead, to leave where the event is happening.If it is happening inside the house, they must leave the area out of sight of the child but close enough to know what’s happening with her but never without her knowing. This must be done repeatedly until she learns to adapt; if inside a store or in a public area, either parent must anticipate these scenarios to happen and must come up with a variety of diversions. Both must be skillful enough that their diversion tactic must not be another venue or channel for Claire to use her manipulative abilities.The goal then is to make her know eventually that the child is not in command. The real goal is that parents must be the one in control in a firm manner and the child mus t come to accept her parents’ superior ability and that her good is their ultimate concern. Measuring the Success of the Behavioral Program The strength of an operant response can be measured by its resistance to extinction; that is, by how long it takes for the behavior to return to its original rate once the pleasant consequent consequence following the behavior no longer occurs.It is thus told that it is generally correct that for an operant response to be strengthened, the response should be rewarded. But reward in ordinary language denotes things such as money, candy, or praise. There would be times, however, that a reward will not always strengthen an operant response. Suppose, in this instance with Claire, that one of the parents or both parents would give Claire a candy or chocolate but if the problem is to withhold food such as these from her then it will be another dilemma that the parents are getting into.Hence, psychologists prefer to speak of reinforcement/s rath er than reward. The withdrawal of a negative reinforcer will also increase the likelihood of a particular behavior. It is clear that it is possible to increase the occurrence of the desired response by presenting or withdrawing a positive or a negative reinforcer, respectively. Note that positive and negative reinforcers do not connote â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad. † Psychologists neither call a positive reinforcer â€Å"good† reinforcer, nor a negative reinforcer a â€Å"bad† reinforcer.To eliminate tantrums then, the parents withhold the reinforcer (the attention), the tantrums should extinguish eventually if the parents can hold long enough. Measuring then the success of the program is through the length of time Claire spends in crying from the first time attention was withheld (probably from an hour to 45 minutes the next time it happens); then the second time; the third time and so on and this can be usually noticeable within only one week or seven days. Reference: Allen, K. E. , & Harris, F. R. (1966).Elimination of a child's excessive scratching by training the mother in reinforcement procedures. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 4, 79-84. Atkinson, R. L. , R. C. Atkinson, E. E. Smith, D. J. Bem, and S, Nolen-Hoeksema. 1993. Introduction to psychology. 13th Ed. New York: Harcourt College Publishers. Collier, G. (1969). Body weight loss as a measure of motivation in hunger and thirst. Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 157, 594-609. Rathus, S. A. 1990. Understanding child development. New York; Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

Childhood Is the Best Time of Ones Life Essay

Childhood is certainly the best time in one’s life. Do you agree? Have you ever thought about the happiest part of your life? Many people will probably agree that childhood is the best time of one’s life. But not every childhood is happy. Some children may be born in a poor family or under such circumstances that make their lives bad. In my opinion, childhood is the happiest time of a person’s life in most cases. The first reason is when we were kids, we had no responsibility or problem to think about. We had more time to play with toys and friends, we were treated like kings and queens by our parents, and we did not have the complicated and heavy issues. The biggest problem when we were small was what color of crayon to choose for drawing. Childhood is a period which is associated with fun and play. Children tend to enjoy life without thinking about the consequences. Kids are considered as the most innocent human beings. This is because they are not prone to see the world as the adults do. Secondly, childhood is the best time for us to gain knowledge and understand life. When we were young, of course we were eager to try many things. We tried to ride a bicycle, we tried to catch a grasshopper, and we even played with mud and sand! With this adventure, we start to build interests and it gives us the experience that we cannot replace with anything. However, when A person is born in a patological family, can’t go to school, can’t learn how to read and write, can’t experience new things or can’t play with other kids. Or a child has parents who abuse him or her. Such childhood is a nightmare of one’s life. Fortunatly, cases like this are not frequent and vast majority of children have a happy childhood. To sum up, I do strongly agree that ‘Childhood is the happiest time of a person’s life’. our expectations for life and other people around us are very simple and would not cause any trouble. The childhood time is the best time in life, the experiences we have been through are irreplaceable and we will cherish in our mind.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Nine

FORTUNATELY, THEY WERE MOROI FACES. That didn't stop me from raising my stake and moving closer to Sydney. No one was attacking us, so I held my position–not that it probably mattered. As I took in more and more of the setting, I saw that we were completely surrounded by about ten people. We'd told Sydney we were good, and it was true: Dimitri and I could probably take out a group like this, though the poor fighting quarters would make it difficult. I also realized the group wasn't entirely Moroi. The ones closest to us were, but around them were dhampirs. And the light I'd thought had come from torches or flashlights was actually coming from a ball of flame held in one of the Moroi's hands. One Moroi man stepped forward, about Abe's age, with a bushy brown beard and a silver stake in his hand. Some part of me noted the stake was crudely made compared to mine, but the point held the same threat. The man's gaze passed over me and Dimitri, and the stake lowered. Sydney became the object of the guy's scrutiny, and he suddenly reached out for her. Dimitri and I moved to stop him, but other hands reached out to stop us. I could have fought them but froze when Sydney let out a strangled, â€Å"Wait.' The bearded Moroi gripped her chin and turned her head so that the light fell on her cheek, lighting up the golden tattoo. He released his hold and stepped back. â€Å"Lily-girl,' he grunted. The others relaxed very slightly, though they kept their stakes poised and still looked ready to attack if provoked. The Moroi leader turned his attention from Sydney to Dimitri and me. â€Å"You're here to join us?' he asked warily. â€Å"We need shelter,' said Sydney, lightly touching her throat. â€Å"They're being chased by–by the Tainted.' The woman holding the flame looked skeptical. â€Å"More like spies for the Tainted.' â€Å"The Tainted Queen is dead,' said Sydney. She nodded toward me. â€Å"They think she did it.' The inquisitive part of me started to speak but promptly shut up, wise enough to know this bizarre turn of events was best left in Sydney's hands. I didn't understand what she was saying. When she'd said Tainted were pursuing us, I thought she was trying to make this group think we had Strigoi after us. Now, after she'd mentioned the queen, I wasn't so sure. I also wasn't so sure identifying me as a potential murderer was that smart. For all I knew, Brown Beard would turn me in and try to score a reward. From the looks of his clothes, he could have used one. To my surprise, this brought a smile to his face. â€Å"And so, another usurper passes on. Is there a new one yet?' â€Å"No,' said Sydney. â€Å"They'll have elections soon and choose.' The group's smiles were replaced by looks of disdain and disapproving mutters about elections. I couldn't help myself. â€Å"How else would they choose a new king or queen?' â€Å"In the true way,' said a nearby dhampir. â€Å"The way it used to be, long ago. In a battle to the death.' I waited for the punch line, but the guy was clearly serious. I wanted to ask Sydney what she'd gotten us into, but by this point, we'd apparently passed inspection. Their leader turned and began walking down the path. The group followed, moving us along as they did. Listening to their conversation, I couldn't help a small frown–and not just because our lives might be on the line. I was intrigued by their accents. The motel's desk clerk had had a thick southern accent, exactly like you'd expect in this part of the country. These guys, while sounding similar, had a few other pronunciations mixed in. It almost reminded me a little of Dimitri's accent. I was so tense and anxious that I could hardly focus on how long we walked. Eventually, the path led us to what seemed like a well-hidden campground. A huge bonfire blazed in a clearing with people sitting around. Yet, there were structures scattered off to one side, stretching into the woods along the now widened path. It wasn't quite a road yet, but it gave the illusion of a town, or at least a village. The buildings were small and shabby but appeared permanent. On the other side of the fire, the land rose sharply into the Appalachians, blocking out the stars. In the flickering light, I could see a mountain's face that was textured with rough stone and scattered trees, dotted here and there with dark holes. My attention moved back to the living. The crowd gathered around the fire–a couple dozen or so–fell silent as our escort led us in. At first, all I saw were numbers. That was the warrior in me, counting opponents and planning for attack. Then, just like I had earlier, I truly took in the faces. More Moroi mixed with dhampirs. And–I was shocked to discover–humans. These weren't feeders either. Well, not in the sense that I knew feeders. Even in the dark, I could see glimpses of bite marks along some of the humans' necks, but judging by their curious expressions, I could tell these people didn't give blood regularly. They weren't high. They were mixed in among the Moroi and dhampirs, sitting, standing, talking, engaging–the whole group clearly unified in some kind of community. I wondered if these humans were like the Alchemists. Maybe they had some sort of a business relationship with my kind. The tight formation around us began to spread out, and I moved closer to Sydney. â€Å"What in God's name is all this?' â€Å"The Keepers,' she said in a low voice. â€Å"Keepers? What does that mean?' â€Å"It means,' said the bearded Moroi, â€Å"that unlike your people, we still keep the old ways, the way we truly should.' I eyed these â€Å"Keepers' in their worn clothes and the dirty, barefoot children. Reflecting upon how far we were from civilization–and based on how dark it was away from the fire–I was willing to bet they didn't have electricity. I was on the verge of saying that I didn't think this was how anyone should truly be living. Then, remembering the casual way these people had spoken about fights to the death, I decided to keep my views to myself. â€Å"Why are they here, Raymond?' asked a woman sitting by the fire. She was human but spoke to the bearded Moroi in a perfectly ordinary and familiar way. It wasn't the dreamy manner a feeder usually used with a Moroi. It wasn't even like the stilted conversations my kind had with the Alchemists. â€Å"Are they joining us?' Raymond shook his head. â€Å"No. The Tainted are after them for killing their queen.' Sydney elbowed me before I could deny the claim. I clenched my teeth, waiting to be mobbed. Instead, I was surprised to find the crowd looking at me with a mix of awe and admiration, just as our welcoming party had. â€Å"We're giving them refuge,' explained Raymond. He beamed at us, though I didn't know if his approval came from us being murderers or if he simply liked the attention he was getting. â€Å"Although, you are welcome to join us and live here. We have room in the caves.' Caves? I jerked my head toward the cliffs beyond the fire, realizing now what those black holes were. Even as I watched, a few people retiring for the night crawled off and disappeared into the dark depths of the mountain. Sydney answered while I worked to keep a look of horror off my face. â€Å"We only need to stay here †¦' She faltered, not surprising considering how sketchy our plans had become. â€Å"A couple days, probably.' â€Å"You can stay with my family,' said Raymond. â€Å"Even you.' That was directed toward Sydney, and he made it sound like quite the favor. â€Å"Thank you,' she said. â€Å"We'd be grateful to spend the night at your house.' The emphasis on the last word was for me, I realized. The wooden structures along the dusty path didn't look luxurious by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd take one over a cave any day. The village or commune or whatever was getting increasingly excited as our novelty sank in. They bombarded us with a flurry of questions, starting with ordinary things like our names but moving quickly on to specific details about how exactly I'd killed Tatiana. I was saved from having to answer when the human woman who had spoken to Raymond earlier jumped up and steered my threesome away. â€Å"Enough,' she said, chastising the others. â€Å"It's getting late, and I'm sure our guests are hungry.' I was starving, actually, but didn't know if I was in dire enough straits to eat opossum stew or whatever passed as food around here. The woman's proclamation was met with some disappointment, but she assured the others they could talk to us tomorrow. Glancing around, I saw a faint purpling of what must have been the eastern sky. Sunrise. A group of Moroi clinging to â€Å"traditional' ways would most certainly run on a nocturnal schedule, meaning these people probably only had a few more hours before bedtime. The woman said her name was Sarah and led us down the dusty path. Raymond called that he'd see us soon. As we walked, we saw other people wandering near scattered, ramshackle homes, on their way to bed or possibly woken up with all the commotion. Sarah glanced over at Sydney. â€Å"Did you bring us anything?' â€Å"No,' said Sydney. â€Å"I'm just here to escort them.' Sarah looked disappointed but nodded. â€Å"An important task.' Sydney frowned and appeared even more uneasy. â€Å"How long has it been since my people brought you anything?' â€Å"A few months,' said Sarah after a moment's thought. Sydney's expression darkened at this, but she said no more. Sarah finally took us inside one of the larger and nicer looking of the houses, though it was still plain and made of unpainted wooden boards. The inside was pitch black, and we waited as Sarah lit old-fashioned lanterns. I'd been right. No electricity. This suddenly made me wonder about plumbing. The floors were hardwood like the walls and covered in large, brightly patterned rugs. We appeared to be in some hybrid kitchen-living-dining room. There was a large fireplace in the center, a wooden table and chairs on one side, and large cushions on the other that I presumed served as sofas. Racks of drying herbs hung near the fireplace, filling the room with a spicy scent that mingled with the smell of burnt wood. There were three doors in the back wall, and Sarah nodded to one. â€Å"You can sleep in the girls' room,' she said. â€Å"Thanks,' I said, not sure I really wanted to see what our guest accommodations were like. I was already missing the MOTEL. I studied Sarah curiously. She looked to be about Raymond's age and wore a plain, knee-length blue dress. Her blond hair was pulled back and tied at her neck, and she seemed short to me the way all humans did. â€Å"Are you Raymond's housekeeper?' It was the only role I could deduce for her. She had a few bite marks but obviously wasn't a feeder. At least not a full-time one. Maybe around here, feeders doubled as household help. She smiled. â€Å"I'm his wife.' It was a mark of my self-control that I managed any sort of response. â€Å"Oh.' Sydney's sharp eyes fell on me, a warning in them: Let it go. I again clenched my jaw shut and gave her a brief nod to let her know I understood. Except, I didn't understand. Dhampirs and Moroi hooked up all the time. Dhampirs had to. More permanent liaisons were scandalous–but not completely out of the realm of possibility. But Moroi and humans? That was beyond comprehension. Those races hadn't gotten together in centuries. They'd produced dhampirs long ago, but as the modern world progressed, Moroi had completely withdrawn from intermingling (in an intimate way) with humans. We lived among them, sure. Moroi and dhampirs worked alongside humans out in the world, bought houses in their neighborhoods, and apparently had bizarre arrangements with secret societies like the Alchemists. And, of course, Moroi fed from humans–and that was the thing. If you kept a human close to you, it was because they were a feeder. That was your level of intimacy. Feeders were food, pure and simple. Well-treated food, yes, but not food you became friends with. A Moroi having sex with a dhampir? Racy. A Moroi having sex with a dhampir and drinking blood? Dirty and humiliating. A Moroi having sex with a human–with or without blood drinking? Incomprehensible. There were few things that shocked me or gave me offense. I was pretty liberal in my views when it came to romance, but the idea of human and Moroi marriage blew me away. It didn't matter if the human was a type of feeder–as Sarah appeared to be–or someone â€Å"above' that like Sydney. Humans and Moroi didn't get together. It was primitive and wrong, which was why it was no longer done. Well, at least not where I came from. Unlike your people, we still follow the old ways. The funny thing was that no matter how wrong I thought all this was, Sydney had to feel even more strongly about it with her vampire hang-ups. I supposed she'd been prepared, however, which is why she could manage that cool expression of hers. She hadn't been blindsided like Dimitri and me, because I felt with some certainty that he shared my feelings. He was just better at hiding surprise. A commotion at the door startled me out of my shock. Raymond had arrived and wasn't alone. A dhampir boy of about eight or so sat on his shoulders, and a Moroi girl about the same age scurried alongside them. A pretty Moroi woman who looked to be in her twenties followed, and behind her was a cute dhampir guy who couldn't have been more than a couple years older than me, if not exactly my age. Introductions followed. The children were Phil and Molly, and the Moroi woman was named Paulette. They all appeared to live there, but I couldn't exactly figure out the relationships, except for the guy my age. He was Raymond and Sarah's son, Joshua. He had a ready smile for all of us–especially me and Sydney–and eyes that reminded me of the piercing, crystalline blue of the Ozeras. Only, whereas Christian's family tended to have dark hair, Joshua's was a sandy blond with lighter gold highlights. I had to admit, it was an attractive combination, but that stunned part of my brain reminded me again that he'd been born from a human-Moroi hookup, not a dhampir and Moroi like me. The end product was the same, but the means were bizarre. â€Å"I'm putting them in your room,' Sarah told Paulette. â€Å"The rest of you can share the loft.' It took me a moment to realize â€Å"the rest of you' meant Paulette, Joshua, Molly, and Phil. Glancing up, I saw there was indeed what looked like a loft space covering half the house's width. It didn't look big enough for four people. â€Å"We don't want to inconvenience you,' said Dimitri, sharing my thoughts. He'd been silent for almost all of this wood-land adventure, saving his energy for actions, not words. â€Å"We'll be fine out here.' â€Å"Don't worry about it,' said Joshua, again giving me that pretty smile. â€Å"We don't mind. Angeline won't either.' â€Å"Who?' I asked. â€Å"My sister.' I repressed a grimace. Five of them crammed up there so that we could have a room. â€Å"Thank you,' said Sydney. â€Å"We appreciate it. And we really won't be staying long.' Their dislike of the vampire world aside, Alchemists could be polite and charming when they chose. â€Å"Too bad,' said Joshua. â€Å"Stop flirting, Josh,' said Sarah. â€Å"Do you three want something to eat before bed? I could warm up some stew. We had it earlier with some of Paulette's bread.' At the word stew, all my opossum fears came racing back. â€Å"No need,' I said hastily. â€Å"I'd just be fine with bread.' â€Å"Me too,' said Dimitri. I wondered if he was trying to reduce their work or if he shared my food fears. Probably not the latter. Dimitri seemed like the kind of guy you could throw into the wilderness and he would survive off anything. Paulette had apparently baked a lot of bread, and they let us have a picnic in our small little room with a full loaf and a bowl of butter that Sarah had probably churned herself. The room was about the size of my dorm room at St. Vladimir's, with two down stuffed mattresses on the floor. Quilts neatly covered them, quilts that probably hadn't been used in months with these temperatures. Munching on a piece of bread that was surprisingly good, I ran my hand over one of the quilts. â€Å"It reminds me of some of the designs I saw in Russia,' I said. Dimitri studied the pattern too. â€Å"Similar. But not quite the same.' â€Å"It's the evolution of the culture,' said Sydney. She was tired but not enough to abandon textbook mode. â€Å"Traditional Russian patterns brought over and eventually fused with a typical Americana patchwork quilt form.' Whoa. â€Å"Um, good to know.' The family had left us alone while they got ready for bed, and I eyed our cracked door warily. With the noise and activity out there, it seemed unlikely we'd be overheard, but I lowered my voice anyway. â€Å"Are you ready to explain who the hell these people are?' She shrugged. â€Å"The Keepers.' â€Å"Yeah, I got that. And we're the Tainted. Sounds like a better name for Strigoi.' â€Å"No.' Sydney leaned back against the wooden wall. â€Å"Strigoi are the Lost. You're Tainted because you joined the modern world and left behind their backward ways for your own messed up customs.' â€Å"Hey,' I retorted. â€Å"We're not the ones with overalls and banjos.' â€Å"Rose,' chastised Dimitri, with a pointed look at the door. â€Å"Be careful. And besides, we only saw one person in overalls.' â€Å"If it makes you feel better,' said Sydney, â€Å"I think your ways are better. Seeing humans mixing with all this †¦' The pleasant and professional face she had shown to the Keepers was gone. Her blunt nature was back. â€Å"It's disgusting. No offense.' â€Å"None taken,' I said with a shiver. â€Å"Trust me, I feel the same way. I can't believe †¦ I can't believe they live like that.' She nodded, seeming grateful I shared her view. â€Å"I like you guys sticking with your own kind better. Except †¦' â€Å"Except what?' I prodded. She looked sheepish. â€Å"Even if the people you come from don't marry humans, you do still interact with them and live in their cities. These guys don't.' â€Å"Which Alchemists prefer,' guessed Dimitri. â€Å"You don't approve of this group's customs, but you do like having them conveniently stashed out of mainstream society.' Sydney nodded. â€Å"The more vampires who stay off on their own in the woods, the better–even if their lifestyle is crazy. These guys keep to themselves–and keep others out.' â€Å"Through hostile means?' I asked. We'd been met by a war party, and she'd expected it. All of them had been ready to fight: Moroi, dhampir, and human. â€Å"Hopefully not too hostile,' she said evasively. â€Å"They let you through,' said Dimitri. â€Å"They know the Alchemists. Why did Sarah ask about you bringing them things?' â€Å"Because that's what we do,' she said. â€Å"Every so often for groups like these, we drop off supplies–food for everyone, medicine for the humans.' Again, I heard that derision in her voice, but then she turned uneasy. â€Å"The thing is, if Sarah's right, they could be due for an Alchemist visit. That would just be our luck to be here when that happens.' I was going to reassure her that we only needed to lie low a couple days when an earlier phrase tugged at me. â€Å"Wait. You said â€Å"groups like these.' How many of these commune things are out there?' I turned to Dimitri. â€Å"This isn't like the Alchemists, is it? Something only some of you know about that you're keeping from the rest of us?' He shook his head. â€Å"I'm as astonished by all of this as you are.' â€Å"Some of your leaders probably know about the Keepers in a vague way,' said Sydney. â€Å"But no details. No locations. These guys hide themselves pretty well and can move on a moment's notice. They stay away from your people. They don't like your people.' I sighed. â€Å"Which is why they won't turn us in. And why they're so excited I might have killed Tatiana. Thanks for that, by the way.' Sydney wasn't apologetic in the least. â€Å"It gets us protection. Such as it is.' She stifled a yawn. â€Å"But for now? I'm exhausted. I'm not going to be able to follow anyone's crazy plans–yours or Abe's–if I don't get some sleep.' I'd known she was tired, but only now did the extent of it hit me. Sydney wasn't like us. We needed sleep but had the endurance to put it off if needed. She'd been up all night and forced into some situations that were definitely outside of her comfort zone. She looked like she could fall asleep against the wall then and there. I turned to Dimitri. He was already looking at me. â€Å"Shifts?' I asked. I knew neither one of us would allow our group to stay unguarded in this place, even if we were allegedly queen-killing heroes. He nodded. â€Å"You go first, and I'll–‘ The door was flung open, and both Dimitri and I nearly leapt up to attack. A dhampir girl stood there, glaring at all of us. She was a couple years younger than me, about the age of my friend Jill Mastrano, a student back at St. Vladimir's who wanted to be a Moroi fighter. This girl looked like she did too, just by her stance alone. She possessed the strong, lean build most dhampirs had, her whole body braced like it might tackle any one of us. Her hair was stick-straight to her waist, a dark auburn that had picked up gold and copper highlights from the sun. She had the same blue eyes as Joshua. â€Å"So,' she said. â€Å"You're the big heroes taking my room.' â€Å"Angeline?' I guessed, remembering Joshua mentioning his sister. She narrowed her eyes, not liking that I knew who she was. â€Å"Yes.' She studied me unflinchingly and didn't seem to approve of what she found. That sharp gaze flicked to Dimitri next. I expected a softening, expected her to fall prey to his good looks the way most women did. But, no. He received suspicion as well. Her attention turned back to me. â€Å"I don't believe it,' she declared. â€Å"You're too soft. Too prim.' Prim? Really? I didn't feel that way, not in my battle-scarred jeans and T-shirt. Looking at her attire, I could maybe understand the attitude, though. Her clothes were clean, but her jeans had been around a while, both knees worn to threads. The shirt was a plain, off-white tank top that had a homemade feel. I didn't know if it had originally been white. Maybe I was prim by comparison. Of course, if anyone deserved the title of prim, it would be Sydney. Her clothes would've passed at a business meeting, and she hadn't been in any fights or jail-breaks recently. Angeline hadn't even given her a second glance, though. I was getting the feeling Alchemists were in a strange category around here, a different type of human from the ones who intermarried with the Keepers. Alchemists brought supplies and left. They were almost a type of feeder to these people, really, which boggled the mind. The Keepers had more respect for the types of humans my culture looked down on. Regardless, I didn't know what to say to Angeline. I didn't like being called soft or having my battle prowess called into question. A spark of my temper flared, but I refused to cause trouble by getting in a fight with our host's daughter, nor was I going to start making up details about Tatiana's murder. I simply shrugged. â€Å"Looks are deceiving,' I said. â€Å"Yes,' Angeline said coolly. â€Å"They are.' She stalked over to a small chest in the corner and pulled out what looked like a nightgown. â€Å"You better not mess up my bed,' she warned me. She glanced over at Sydney, sitting on the other mattress. â€Å"I don't care what you do to Paulette's.' â€Å"Is Paulette your sister?' I asked, still trying to put this family together. There didn't seem to be anything I could say that wouldn't offend this girl. â€Å"Of course not,' Angeline snapped, slamming the door as she left. I stared at it in astonishment. Sydney yawned and stretched out on her bed. â€Å"Paulette is probably Raymond's †¦ eh, I don't know. Mistress. Concubine.' â€Å"What?' I exclaimed. A Moroi married to a human and having an affair with a Moroi. I wasn't sure how much more I could take. â€Å"Living with his family?' â€Å"Don't ask me to explain it. I don't want to know any more about your twisted ways than I have to.' â€Å"It's not my way,' I retorted. Sarah came shortly thereafter to apologize for Angeline and see if we needed anything else. We assured her we were fine and thanked her profusely for her hospitality. Once she was gone, Dimitri and I set up sleeping shifts. I would have rather we both stayed on alert, particularly since I felt pretty sure Angeline would slit someone's throat in their sleep. But, we needed rest and knew we'd both react promptly if anyone came busting down our door. So, I let Dimitri take the first watch while I snuggled into Angeline's bed and tried not to â€Å"mess it up.' It was surprisingly comfortable. Or, maybe I was just that tired. I was able to let go of my worries about execution, lost siblings, and vampire hillbillies. Deep sleep wrapped around me, and I began to dream †¦ but not just any dream. It was a shifting of my inner world, the sense of being both in and out of reality. I was being pulled into a spirit-induced dream. Adrian! The thought excited me. I'd missed him and was eager to talk to someone directly after all that had happened at Court. There hadn't been much time to talk during my escape, and after this bizarre backwoods world I'd stumbled into, I really needed some piece of normality and civilization around me. The dream's world began to form around me, growing clearer and clearer. It was a location I'd never seen, a formal parlor with chairs and couches covered in lavender paisley cushions. Oil paintings lined the walls, and there was a large harp in the corner. I'd learned long ago that there was no predicting where Adrian would send me–or what he'd make me wear. Fortunately, I was in jeans and a T-shirt, my blue nazar hanging around my neck. I turned around anxiously, looking for him so that I could give him a giant hug. Yet, as my eyes searched the room, it wasn't Adrian's face I suddenly found myself looking into. It was Robert Doru's. And Victor Dashkov was with him.