Pearl Harbor Essay

Picture yourself as a crew member on one of the naval ships in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1944 before complete destruction began. It’s a perfectly calm Sunday; everyone’s going about their own duties in a peaceful manner. Suddenly in the sky dozens of fighter pilots zoom overhead. Crew members have zero time to react to the planes as they begin to fire and drop bombs in the harbor. The initial surprise and confusion of the attack prevents any actions of defense. This attack on Pearl Harbor and all the pain and panic it caused for the US, will forever be remember as one of peril and devastation. In the 1940’s war erupted in Europe and parts of Asia. The US had initially planned to stay out of the war as long as they possibly could. America’s economy was weak from WWI efforts and Americans weren’t looking to get involved right away (Bachrach, Deborah, 12). Instead the US took a more safe approach by aiding Allied powers in Europe with weapons, ammunition and overall supplies. When US became aware that Japan had joined Hitler and the Axis powers they immediately ended trade and blocked many of their trading routes (Encyclopedia WWII, 81-82). While taking action overseas America still had no intent of joining the war and encouraged non-violence (Rosenberg, About. com). Even though the US only did what they thought was necessary because of recent Japanese actions. The Japanese didn’t feel the same way as they did. Aggravated Japanese military officials began a plot to attack the US. It took months for the Japanese to decide on their plan and where they would attack. Japan and Admiral Yamamoto Isuroku decided on a surprise attack that consisted of a very organized sneaky approach (82-84). Isuroku the man in-charge of planning pleaded with Japanese officials for weeks. Convincing them that retaliation was needed. When approved planning began (84). They planned to sneak; 6 aircraft carriers, 9 destroyers, 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, and 2 submarines across the Pacific. (Bachrach, Deborah Pearl Harbor, 35). Their destination would be Pearl Harbor and they planned to station within about 90 minutes of Oahu (pearlharbor. org). Once in position for attack the Japanese Planned to release 3 waves of attacks on the Harbor. Main targets for destruction were the naval aircraft carriers, next were the battleships and airfields (on the day aircraft carriers were out at sea). The real-time attack would be under the command of Admiral Naguma (Encyclopedia WWII, 86). Even though Japan thought there plan was flawless. They nearly avoided many speed bumps. Around the time of tensions between the US and Japan the US had created a secret message interceptor. Which if not terminated would have most-likely prepared the US for the attack. Because of paranoia of war the US terminated the interceptor program. These actions further helping the Japanese keep their attack a secret and undetected (pearlharbor. org). The first wave of attacks began at 7:48 a. . Hawaiian time consisting of 183 aircrafts (all sources). Thirty minutes before attack Japan claims they sent a message stating that peace negotiations were over between the two countries (Rosenberg, about. com/Pearl Harbor). Loses for the US were much worse during the first than second because of surprise. Two-thirds of losses came from the first wave. The fighter planes bombed all 8 battleships in the harbor. They also blew up all airfields in the area giving the US no air defense for 2nd wave (erikanderson. net/pearlharbor). The USS Arizona was blown up into flames and was sunk other ships were damaged none as bad as the Arizona. Despite complete surprise brave crew members on ships managed to get on guns and take down several planes flying overhead (Encyclopedia, 87). The most destruction to the ships in the harbor came from the suicide fighter pilots. Most intended for the USS Arizona. The USS Arizona also accounted for more than half of the casualties in both waves because of the 2,000 plus people on board (Encyclopedia WWII, 88). The destruction the first wave did was devastating and had the island in panic. After the attack people in Oahu still didn’t understand what exactly had happened (all sources). Many men and women were immediately rushed to the hospital. Of the American fatalities, nearly half of the totals were due to the explosion of the USS Arizona (88). At 8:00 am Admiral Husband W Kimmel sent out an emergency dispatch that the US was under attack by the Japanese (pearlharbor. org). The second wave which didn’t come long after the first ended started at 8:54 am. In an attempt to cripple the US naval fleet even more, the Japanese sent 170 more planes toward Oahu (pearlharbor. rg). This attack was sent to finish off whatever was still floating in the Harbor. Even though the 2nd wave didn’t do nearly as much damage as the first, it still managed to do a surplus amount of extra damage (ph. org). The second wave was divided into three groups. One was tasked to attack Kaneohe, the rest Pearl Harbor proper. The separate sections arrived at the attack point almos t simultaneously from several directions (Encyclopedia WWII, 90). Despite this low alert status, many American military personnel responded effectively during the battle. The crew members of ships and pilots on land all made efforts to make a difference during the second wave. They managed to kill sixty men and capture one. Even though the American death toll was much greater the response they made was very impressive while dealing with complete and utter surprise. Ninety minutes after it began, the attack was over (Rosenberg, About. com). The attack was over, but much was loss and damaged and many left wounded. After the fact 2,386 Americans died and 1,139 left wounded. Also 50 – 60 civilians were killed from anti-aircraft shells landing in populated areas. Eighteen ships were sunk or beached, including five battleships and one blown up (the USS Arizona) (Pearlharbor. org). Battleships damaged; the Arizona exploded, Oklahoma was capsized along with 429 people dead, West Virginia was sunk along with 106 dead, California was sunk along with 100 dead, Nevada was beached along with 60 dead, Tennessee was hit by two bombs but remained afloat along with 5 dead, Maryland hit by 2 bombs remained afloat along with 4 dead, and The Pennsylvania hit by one bomb remained afloat with 9 dead (Bachrach, Pearl harbor, 36-38). Also 178 aircrafts were destroyed in the bombing of the airfields (WWII encyclopedia, 89). Ten days after the attack Admiral Husband W. Kimmel was relieved of his duty as Commander of the naval fleet in Oahu. The reason was, because government officials believed that Kimmel didn’t take the right actions in preparing for upcoming attacks. He later went to testify against explaining that enough information was not presented to him to make the right calls (90). After all the death and destruction the US realized that they had many chances to prevent the attack from becoming. For example, Kimmel knew that an attack was evident just not where the attack would be at. Despite his knowledge of that he still let the day be a relaxed Sunday instead of having men station prepared for attack. Also the government and high officials didn’t take enough initiative in the fact that they and seriously angered the Japanese with their recent actions (erikandeson. net/pearlharbor). More or less the attack could have been defended or much rather stopped if initiative had been taken at the time. The day was a terrible day in American history and is the biggest death toll on American soil by foreign attack in that time period (Bachrach, Deborah, Pearl Harbor, 45). As said by Franklin Delanor Roosevelt, â€Å"a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. †(All sources) Ultimately the attack at Pearl Harbor was one of tragedy and unwelcoming surprise. Since the attack there have been only a few events in American history that have cause as much panic and despair. As a matter of fact to this day is known as one of the worse attacks on American soil by a foreign enemy, which pulled an unwilling nation into unwanted war. Even though the Japanese succeeded with their plan at Pearl Harbor, the response from the US was much greater than they expected. Their plans to cripple the US Naval fleet ended the war for them very disturbingly. In all the hate this event caused in the end it pulled America in to do the war and out of the great depression. All the men who lost their lives in this attack died an honorable death. December 7, 1944 is a day will live in infamy.

History of Life

Superman was breaking down a door. It's important to remember this because he talks about how he refused to act stupid and how he is breaking down his own door In the sense that he Is teaching others how to read and write and breaking stereotypes. Indians aren't supposed to be able to read and write, but now he Is teaching other Indians to do these things because he didn't conform. 2) The verb that Is repeated was read. This emphasizes his passion for reading and his dedication to it.He is trying to say that his coming to literacy was a hardship. It took perseverance to achieve it and now he is trying to help others to achieve that same goal. 3) The statement made by Frederick Douglas has the complete opposite meaning to what Alexia feels. I don't think Alexia envied his classmates because if he did envy them, why did he go his own way when others ridiculed him? Alexis difficulties demonstrated not conforming to the stereotype he was given while his classmates worried about upholding that stereotype. ) She waited and waited for her parent's to tell her the news. They were moving away from everything she knew†¦ Again. It pained her to know that she had to say goodbye. Writing in 3rd person decreases the meaning of the moment. It creates a distance between my emotions and me. Graduation 1) She hopes to one day be able to do what her heart desires, not Just what society believes she should do. The speaker knew the Negro race to be athletes and farmers. She aspired to be more than that. 2) It shows how life was back then for African-American citizens.It appeals to the reader's emotions because you see how hard the Negroes work for their education just for somebody to tell them that they will just be the next big athlete or farmer. 3) Angelo viewed poetry as a way to sustain culture and empathic with the author's emotions. AnzaÃ'Ëœa viewed poetry as a right and a way to express one's self. She was always told to tame her tongue and poetry was a way that she cou ld freely express herself. 4) When I first made cheerleaders In high school, I expected It to be easy. It wasn't.It was a lot of hard work, but once I adjusted to the reality of it, I loved every minute of it My expectations for the next year were definitely modified to fit what actually happens. Turkeys In the Kitchen ) He talks about how the women work in the kitchen while the men watch sports. Also he addresses how men wont go Into the kitchen unless they need a beer or something to snack on. He adds that the only men who know how to cook have hyphenated last names and stay at home all day while his wife works, which isn't always the case. 2) HIS use of humor helps make a serious subject lighthearted.It helps people better relate to these situations about men and women. He confirms the stereotypes of men and women. 3) Parry's humor is lighthearted and funny, while Steadier's humor is more sarcastic. They are similar in the sense that both styles of humor make reading these storie s easier on the audience. They differ in that one is lighthearted and playful, while one is more serious. 4) Holidays in my family are very similar to Parry's. My dad and the other men sit around and talk and drink beer. The women are usually in the kitchen cooking the meals or watching the younger kids play.Why Don't We Complain? 1) His three examples were when the temperature on a train is 85 degrees, when the movie screen is out of focus, and when he was in a ski shop and one of the employees wasn't working. ) He states that each year, Americans voice their opinions less and less because they feel that it is the place of the government to decide what is best for this country. He uses the example of when Premier Khrushchev came to American and only a few people made posters that challenged his tyranny. 3) The behaviors in Buckley essay are when people are too afraid to stand up for themselves.The behaviors in Coacher's essay are when people feel empathy for another human who is su ffering. The difference that can be seen between these 2 essays are that one has to do with why people give into what they ear or what they feel and the other deals with why people are afraid of standing up for what they want. 4) I care about the equal treatment of everyone, no matter who they are. I demonstrate my beliefs by treating everyone with love and compassion. I act as if everyone is my friend. I treat others the way I want to be treated. Myth of Latin Woman 1) They all show people treating Coffer like her cultures stereotype.They treat her as if she was uneducated, unprofessional, and easy. In these incidents, no one stopped and thought to talk to her or give her the respect any human deserves. Instead, they treated her like an idiot or like she didn't belong. 2) She states that the Latinist that are recognized in our culture are the ones who wear scandalous clothing with too much make up and Jewelry, those who are uneducated and don't speak much English, those who are unp rofessional, and those who belong in the kitchen or as maids. She claims that classifications about certain races or cultures aren't always right.People Judge other cultures based off what the media portrays them as. 3) Over the course of my life, Eve had instances of people treating me like I am uneducated because of the stereotype that people label blondes and cheerleaders as. It's very degrading when people treat me that way. I take a lot of pride in my schoolwork and grades. I cheer because I love the sport, not because of the social status I receive. 4) When I see a girl wearing revealing clothing, I usually assume she's doing it for the attention and to be slut. I realize this isn't always the case.I believe we can live without these snap Judgments. You don't know the other person's situation therefore you can't Judge them. People don't always act like their stereotype. On Morality 1) She feels that when people claim that there is a moral imperative to do something that is whe n they will take action to get what they deem as â€Å"right† done. 2) She never defines what morality is. She explains that morality is what we feel right and wrong are and that those beliefs are formed in our childhood. She approaches it this way to help people understand that morals will vary Witt every person.No person is raised the same way as another. 3) As humans we are always forced to make choices. Eve been in situations where I had to choose between right and wrong. It isn't always the easiest decision, but because of how I was raised, I know to make the right decision. My mom always taught me to put others before myself. That is what I view as right. 4) The conscience can be insidious. When people are caught up in a moment, their old may be tempting them to make the wrong choice. For example, serial killers think in a different way than other people do.What they are doing may be â€Å"right† to them because of what they grew up around. Learning to Read 1) He learned to read from the boys around his neighborhood and from his mistress when she was kind to him. He read the newspapers when he could. He learned to write from watching the men at the shipyard label what the boards were going to. He also learned from his little Master's copybook and the boys in the neighborhood. 2) His mistress undergoes a learning experience from her husband on how to treat slaves. She used to be kind and tender -hearted. She used to treat Douglas how any human being should be treated.Her husband thought that was wrong and she then became cruel Just like him. She stopped teaching Douglas how to read as well. 3) The way Douglas was treated and why he wasn't educated was ere similar to that of how Epsilons were treated in Brave New World. Douglas wasn't deprived of oxygen and didn't have alcohol poured into his test tube, but he was deprived of an education out of fear that he may revolt, Just like the Epsilons. If both slaves and the Epsilons knew that they we re being mistreated, they would revolt. 4) I Just recently found out that I'm allergic to seafood.It is pleasurable and painful because seafood is my favorite food and I can never at it again, but it's also very unhealthy. So on the downside I can't eat it, but on the bright side, I'm avoiding unhealthy food. Serving in Florida 1) She has to pay rent and buy food for herself. 2) She tells us about each of their living conditions and the latest drama going on in the hotel and their lives. She tells us when people are planning on quitting and some who want to switch Jobs. Also, there was a drug issue going on with the hotel and she told us whom all the employees thought it was. ) People can be homeless or near foreclosure even if they have a Job. Some people work at minimum wage or work double Jobs Just to try and pay rent, but sometimes that isn't enough. 4) Eve never worked for minimum wage, but most of my friends do. I can imagine how hard it must be to slave away for hours to only make enough to Just get by. The Allegory of the Cave 1) The cave represents how we see or interpret our reality or the reality around us. The shadows in the story represent an interpretation of reality that people try to interpret or explain without really knowing what it meaner.The light represents the truth of all things. The puppeteers represent the people of higher rank in society and how they try to alter other people's realities. 2) The comparisons help to show the importance of non-worldly things such as knowledge, wisdom, and common sense. He compares wisdom and virtue to silver and gold because they nave the same importance. Without silver or gold, we wouldn't be able to trade or purchase items Just like how without virtue and knowledge we wouldn't know anything about the world we live in. 3) The allegory made in Plat's essay is seen today in many countries all over the world.Most governments use their authority to benefit themselves; they use it for personal gain. For exa mple, some governments ay tax the people more to sponsor a personal fund. Also, in North Korea, the government tries to alter the citizens' perceptions of the world like the puppeteers in Plat's story. ) Some people involved in politics may have a personal connection to a public affair. Cancer fundraisers, charities, marathons supporting a good cause, etc. Are all great examples of public affairs that politicians want to get involved in purely because they are for a good cause.Just Be Average 1) Brother Dill, who taught him to be tough. Mr.. Metropolis, who had them read Caesar and half think. Mr.. Monnet took no responsibility and taught Rose to do the same thing. Brother Clint was the one who caught the error and placed him in College Prep, which led to Rose getting a decent education. Mr.. McFarland pushed him to be the scholar he wanted to be. McFarland led to Rose's love of language and books and recommended that he go to college. 2) He talks about the boundaries that schools p lace on kids who learn at a slower level. These boundaries serve as a guide as to who goes where in society.Society deems the Vocational Education students as â€Å"inadequate† in the work field, so they are given mediocre Jobs. That boundary also teaches those kids that they are nothing more than the â€Å"Common Leo† and that they shouldn't try because they are always going to be behind. 3) Both f the classifications made in Angelinos essay and in Rose's essay represent the hardships that some people have to overcome in order to succeed. The African- Americans were always told they would amount to nothing more than athletes Just as the kids in Vocational Education were told and viewed themselves as below average and mediocre. ) I have definitely been pushed past what I thought was my limit. My teachers have helped and guided me through my schooling experience to be the best possible student I can be. In our education system, students are rewarded with DOD grades, hon or medals/certificates, and recognition from teachers or colleges. Traditional motivation has always worked for me because I take a lot of pride in my schoolwork and I know what I am capable of. A system that might encourage all students to do their best would be on without boundaries.If a child doesn't feel restricted from his/her potential, then they will aspire to be better instead of Just quitting. A Plague of Tics 1) He kissed news papers, licked a mushroom decoration, licked light switches and door knobs, Jabbed butter knifes into an electrical outlet, smashed his shoes to his forehead, rocked, listened to music and tried to interpret its meaning, touch the front or with his elbows, count things, Jerk his head, roll his eyes back, put his nose to the windshield, he'd straighten objects into lines or rows, and he would tighten lids and lights.These are tics because he found an uncontrollable urge to perform these tasks and couldn't move on with his day until everything was done . 2) Five examples would be when he imagined bad things happening to his roommate so he could rock, him questioning why his teacher would want to lick his light switches when she doesn't use hers, when en told his roommate that his head snaking was because to a moor, when he goes over the list of demands his brain makes him do, and when he questions why he can't press his nose to the windshield of the car.These examples act as a relief from the seriousness of the story. It makes it more enjoyable to read rather than somber. Also, him questioning why he can't do certain things acts as a contrast to how he thinks to that of how a normal person thinks. 3) They act similarly to those situations. Both authors are so caught up in what others think about them, that they can't find time to think for themselves and decide who it is they ant to be. They both try to alter the way people about them by making up excuses or by trying to change their look. ) One time when I was little, I Jumped of f the bed after my mom told me not to and I got a huge gash in my shin from hitting the dresser. I didn't want to tell my mom because I was so afraid that she was going to yell at me. I tried to play it off and hide the cut, but the guilt of not telling her consumed my every thought. I finally broke down and told her, but in that moment I wished that I could've stopped thinking about it and Just have let it go. Some people sis that they could turn their mind off so that they won't continue harmful habits or so they can hide the truth from others.It's a defense mechanism our mind has to help us cope with the reality of the situation. The Death of the Moth 1) As the moth takes flight, everything outside seems to come to life. The birds are flying, the horses are roaming, the farmers are out tilling the land, and everything is alive. As the moth dies everything outside ceases to commence, almost as if the outside world has sensed death. 2) The size off creature does not matter. Life an d death impacts every organism eventually. It Just goes to show that the same struggles that humans go through other creatures do too.The way that the moth flies from corner to corner represents the way humans go through life. We create a sort of pattern that we rely on to keep us going. When we get older and start to become more immobile, death starts to take its toll on us. We can try and fight it, but it comes to get all of us in the end. She could have used any living thing to write this essay or lust simply explain the common patterns that occur in everyday life. 3) I had a friend pass away freshman year at the age of 13.This story reminds me of her in the sense that death comes at the most unexpected moments like it did for the moth. She was very happy and acted as if everything was normal. She went through her day as she normally did in the same pattern: school, cheer, bed. Then all of a sudden she was gone, Just like the moth. 4) I pass a lot of road kill on my way to school in the morning and it makes me think about how truly short life is. It can Just be taken away from you in an instant. Just because someone or something seems to be doing fine and going about its normal patter doesn't mean that it's invincible.

Safe State vs. Swing State

Ben Mason Eng. 1001 sect. 38 9/26/12 The Voting Playground: Play it safe? Or swing? This is a concern that arises for presidential candidates every four years as we approach presidential elections. First, there are two terms to be recognized: â€Å"safe state† and â€Å"swing state†. In a â€Å"safe state† the presidential candidate of a particular party has the vast majority of support of that state's voters, regularly, so that he/she can safely assume the favorable outcome of the state's electoral college votes. Some ell-known safe states are California for democrats, and Texas for republicans. On the contrary, there are states that are not like safe states and no single candidate or party has overwhelming support of the votes. These are called â€Å"swing states† or â€Å"battleground states†. Some examples of swing states of this election are Florida, Iowa, Colorado, and others. In the voting world, the president is decided through representativ e votes by the states. This is called the electoral college. A presidential candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the election. For 48 states, it is a inner-takes-all election which means that whichever candidate receives a majority of the popular vote, or a plurality of the popular vote (less than 50 percent but more than any other candidate), takes all of the state's electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska are the only states that use a proportional vote system. In these states, there could be a split of electoral votes among candidates. (Dugan) The electoral college plays a huge role on the topic of safe states and swing states by effecting the behaviors of presidential candidates. For instance, safe states that re known to vote a certain way will not receive near as much attention or campaigning as swing states during the times close to elections. This is why candidates fight over swing states that may only have as little as 4 electoral votes, instead of fighting for states wit h a lot more. (Dugan) An example of this would be Romney and Obama spending large amounts of money campaigning in a swing state such as Iowa with 7 electoral votes and very little in a safe state like California with 55 electoral votes. (Politico) Candidates do not put a lot of effort into afe states because it is unlikely that he/she can change the minds of the people there. Also, one will not spend time and money campaigning in safe states because he/she may already have the support of the people in those states. As you can see, the electoral college is key to understanding how safe states and swing states work. There is a kind of two party dictatorship in today's American politics and the vast majority of voters fall into these two categories or parties: Republican or Democratic. Every election period there are two candidates unning for these parties. In order for the candidate to get the vote of a particular state he/she must run a campaign. The aggressiveness and frequency of t he campaigns might vary due to the status of a party's influence over certain states. Sometimes the candidates have to modify there stance or ideals on certain issues to fit to that particular state. An example would be that some candidates may want to position themselves to appeal to a certain ethnic group of that area. Obama has tried to appeal to the Hispanic vote in Colorado due to the growing umber of Hispanic immigrants. (Larcinese) This may be a smart move because he is usually popular among minority groups. In return, Romney has tried to address people in rural areas. Recent polls show that he is 14 percent more popular with people in rural areas than Obama is. (Gruber) Also, issues that are a big concern in an area may be emphasized. Things like restoring the health of a declining ecosystem may be brought up in an area that is suffering from deforestation or pollution to secure the votes of people concerned about that subject.Other factors play into campaigning in swing sta tes as well. Many times instead of stretching the truth, a candidate will just neglect to bring up the matter, whatever it may be. The sensitive issues of a certain state might be avoided in order to sound better on a vague level. Slogans are made short and vague for this reason to get anyone to jump on the band wagon. Making the issues fit the political views of the people in a certain area or background is imperative to getting favorable votes. Candidates do whatever it takes to look good or appeal to people.This sometimes means mud-slinging or making the opposing candidate look bad. This has been going on since the beginning of presidential runoffs. A great example of this would be â€Å"Romney's war on women† as said by Obama because of Mitt Romney's stance on issues for women. This gives the allusion that Romney doesn't care about women's health issues so that Obama would be favorable to women. (Politico) In return, Mitt Romney has attacked Obama's healthcare plan saying that Obama wont cover people with preexisting conditions. This is an ongoing thing that will never stop.There will always be differences in views that candidates will trash each other with. There are a vast array of ways to advertise to capture the hearts and minds of would-be voters. The key to it all is appealing to the people that have the most stake in the situation and convincing them to vote a certain way to decide the victor of the presidential race. As you can see, the role of swing states and safe state are crucial to how things are done and the way that American politics play out. Works Cited Larcinese, Valentino. â€Å"Allocating the U. S. Federal Budget to the States. The Journal of Politics. Wiley Library. , 27 Apr 2006. Web. Vol. 68 May 2006 Gruber, Jonathan. â€Å"Rural Favor and Polls† Hastings Center Report. Wiley Library. , 8 Feb 2012. , Sep,Oct 2006 Politico. org. , â€Å"News, Analysis, Candidates, and Polls. † Real Clear Polls. Swing state view. , Sep 26 2012 archive. fairvote. org/e_college. htm. , â€Å"Maine and Nebraska. † â€Å"Center for voting and Democracy. †, copyright 2002. , Dec 10 2009 Dugan, Andrew. Gallup. com/poll/swingstate. htm. , â€Å"Swing State Voters. † Washington D. C. , â€Å"Race Track 2012† Sep 9 2012

Plastic sorgery Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Why cant Canadians compete with lower labour cost countries such as Term Paper

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Dating paragraph - Essay Example I currently work as support staff in the I.T department where most of my duties revolve around creating systems and getting applications and software that ensures operations efficiently. I work at a pharmaceutical company that brings in medicine and medical equipment from Europe and Asia mostly and sells to retailers within the country. My other hobbies include reading legal drama novels (in another life I would have probably pursued a career in law), dance/trance music and indie rock, and a good old-fashioned meal of fries and a cheeseburger. Things I am not too fond of include loud-mouthed and intolerant people, that is, people who cannot accommodate people that are different from them whether in physical appearance or social background, reggae music, celery (I don’t care how healthy it is, it tastes unpleasant!) and brown bread. That being said, I should point out that I do try to eat healthy and keep fit though I am not much of a runner. My choice of exercise is swimming thus warm weather places appeal to me, and cycling. My favorite alcoholic drink is vodka mixed with club soda and I indulge in this when I am out partying only, I generally do not enjoy drinking at home maybe an occasional glass of sweet red wine. This brings me to another revelation; I have a sweet tooth, which has cost me many visits to the dentist! I am looking for an outgoing girl to complement my laid-back nature who enjoys TV and movies as most of my free time is spent watching comedies and legal drama stuff. It would be a plus if she can bake, as I like to indulge my sweet tooth from time to time. Men should look for a girl that brings out their good parts and helps them become better. I am a good listener and I believe this is important in relationships as it makes communication easier. However, I hate confrontations, this makes me walk away from any potential arguments, and I will more likely than not let things slide when they should be aired out. I am working on this and at

I has a dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

I has a dream - Essay Example The â€Å"I has a dream† ad was a picture of a man with his back turned facing the opposite direction and the words â€Å"I has a dream† written in bold letters below the picture. To the bottom on one side was a small extract added to the picture that spoke out against Ebonics. The use of this historical appeal made famous by Martin Luther King was meant to gain the attention of those who saw the ad and needless to say, it did just that (Rickford 82). The argument behind the as was that the African American race had fought so hard to get where it was, and the use of Ebonics by the children would only serve to undermine this achievement. The ad meant to theorize the question â€Å"What if Dr. King had not been as articulate as he was? Would his message still have the same impact that it did?† This was shown by the screwed up version â€Å"I has a dream†. The man in the picture was also dressed in regalia that looked similar to Dr. King so as to bring this point across. The ad was meant to illustrate the immense impact that type of language used could have on an audience and convince them to encourage their children to speak proper English and reject Ebonics (Rickford 82). The phrase â€Å"I have a dream.† Can be considered to one of the most popular catch terms in the world and Martin Luther King is a man who generated a lot of respect especially from the black community and thus the use of his message was meant to bring the point across about the need for proper speech. There are other parts of the ad apart from the phrase and the depiction of a man similar looking to Martin Luther King that was used to bring the message across as well. One of these is the fact that the man in the ad has his back facing the audience (Rickford 89). This can be seen as a symbol of progression (or lack of it) as it brings out the message that Ebonics was a

Ethics in Corporate Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics in Corporate Governance - Essay Example Corporate governance helps to bring a supreme level of satisfactions to five different constituencies, such as employees, customers, vendors, investors and societies. Effective corporate performance and successful markets are based on a commitment to fundamental ethical principles. Ethical standards can be expressed in a formal conduct requirement of the organization which can guide preferred behavior of an organization. Six Steps Majority of the successful organizations implemented several codes of ethics for their employees to conduct in an appropriate manner while practicing business operations. Corporate ethics are considered as the guiding principles. â€Å"Ethics helps to build mutual relationship and develop the sense of social belongingness† (Sison, 2008). Effective corporate governance can be achieved through best practices and set of principles. An effective deal depends upon the honesty, integrity and manners. Corporate governance determines how an organization is m anaging their relationship with their stakeholders and shareholders. Ethical investors always expect transparency and honesty from the organizations. Six steps can be recommended to the board of an organization in order to maintain ethics. The board of the organization must implement their own fundamental capabilities and values. This will help them to optimize their leadership potential. They should build an organizational environment of trust with their investors and employees. Moreover, all the stakeholders of the organization should feel free to discuss several ethical issues and dilemmas with the board of the organization. It is the important for the organizations to clarify and announce the responsibilities and roles of the management and board in order to provide an effective level of accountability to the stakeholders. â€Å"Material matters’ disclosure should follow transparency by the organizations† (Fernando, 2009). The board of the organization should ensur e that all the investors have effective access to the factual and clear information. Therefore, it can be stated that ethics play an important role in corporate governance and organizational performance. If the organizations have high reputation for effective ethical behavior, it can engender both employee and customer loyalty. Board of the organization should ensure that ethical codes and vision of the organization is communicated to every stakeholders of the organization. The board should integrate these codes with the ethical vision of their company. This process can be executed through policy manuals, newsletters, team meetings, corporate meeting with investors, and several training events. The board of the organization should ensure that the organizational culture and behavior are following ethical vision. Reports regarding unethical behavior need to be thoroughly investigated by the board. Moreover, it is their responsibility to punish the violators of corporate governance and ethical standards. In addition, the board should provide rewards to those employees who are maintaining positive ethical behavior. Most importantly, the organization should provide all true and factual information to their investors and other stakeholders. Last controlling and sustaining ethical behavior will be the last step for the board of the organization. They need to execute survey process in order to know the ethical behavior of the organizatio

The potential costs and benefits of participation in future Research Paper

The potential costs and benefits of participation in future multilateral nuclear arms - Research Paper Example Further, the continued dissemination of technical and scientific knowledge and the increasing concerns regarding the environmental effects of fossil fuels, the access to dual-purpose technologies will undoubtedly grow. From a Beijing perspective, this project will write a policy paper that outlines the potential costs and benefits of participating in future multilateral nuclear arms control negotiations involving the United States, Russia and China. China declared during the Cold War that as a nation, it would become part of a multilateral arms control regime so long as the US and Russia reduced their arsenals by half (SCRF 47). This led to the US and Russia reducing their nuclear stock piles. China went ahead and fulfilled that condition, but there are recent reports that it will keep holding back from getting into multilateral arms control with the two nations until their arsenals are more closer in size to its own (Fowler 53). Further, financial, technological and doctrinal constraints have kept China from engaging in nuclear arms control with the US and Russia. However, if China participates in the disarmament, nonproliferation and multilateral arms control, negotiations, there will be associated costs to Beijing. First, China will have to contend with the risk of being exposed to attacks by other NWS and, in particular, the US and Russia, with whom they are supposed to enter a control regime (Larson & Shevchenko 118). This is regardless of how unfounded the possibility presently seems but, given the massive population of China and the likely consequences of an attack, it is a risk that cannot be assumed. There will also be further moral and strategic costs, particularly in terms of defending key national interests and those touching on territorial integrity and national sovereignty. While officially declining to be participants of the 2003 US-proposed

Ancient Chinese Contributions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ancient Chinese Contributions - Essay Example Gunpowder is considered as the most important invention of the ancient Chinese, according to the legend, the invention of gunpowder was an accident (McClellan, 2011, p.125). Those who were responsible for inventing gunpowder were actually trying to locate a method through which human beings could remain immortal and by accident, they produced gunpowder which has the ability to take human life easier. Gunpowder is an essential contribution of the ancient Chinese because it has helped human beings in defending themselves against loss of life and loss of property for several years. Gunpowder has been used by militia and defense forces of the western world to protect themselves at the time of war and to protect loss of property and life against enemy attacks. The use of gunpowder in the field of warfare started taking place during the 14th century. Ancienct Chinese have even gained heavy recognition for the creation of compass. If the compass would not have been invented then individuals would have suffered great difficulty in moving from one end to another. They would have faced difficulty in finding their local destinations and destinations they intended to reach. Chinese should be thanked for their invention of compass because without this invention people would not have been able to fly aircrafts and condcut adventorours activities such as hiking. The early compass devloped by the ancient Chinese was created to help the chinese population in finding the location to the southern regions as these regions were considered as significant areas for them (McClellan, 2011, p.126). The compasses that were manufactured during the 4th century were created with the useof lodestone. Today education is considered as one of the most essential parts of humanwellbeing and if it would not have been the contribution of paper made by the anci ent Chinese, human beings would have remained uneducated for a very long period of time. If paper would not have been created by the great ancient chinese, record keeping would have never existed as there is no humanbeing who can hold huge amount of data in their memories for a long period of time. Paper has assisted in managing reocrds and has helped humanbeings in managing important information. The modern day paper used by the entire world is an achievment that was created by Cai Lun, he was the inventor of paper and during A.D 105, he invented paper by mixing fibers obtained from wood and water (Ho, 2000, p.216). The fourth greatest invention made by the ancient chinese was the Chinese abacus which is a simple tool for conducting calculations that are mathematical in nature. The four main mathematical functions that are performed with the assistance of abacus includes: multiplication, divison, addition and subtraction. The abacus was an invention of Chentg Dawei and this inventi on was created during the era in which the Ming Dynasty was in power (Ho, 2000, p.85). Abacus proved to be very

The Rape of Lucretia Essay Example for Free

The Rape of Lucretia Essay Roman culture was largely based on the citizens’ honor. Honor was one of the most important aspects of a Roman citizen’s life. Honor was very important to Roman society. Lucretia displayed her honor in two ways, first she served Sextus Tarquinius and his men, and then she killed herself after being raped by Sextus Tarquinius, the son of the king. â€Å"I will absolve myself of blame, and I will not free myself from punishment. No women shall use Lucretia as her example of dishonor. † Conlatinus tried to persuade her saying she did not have to kill herself and she had done no wrong. She could not live with herself because she was violated. â€Å"They promised her that they would pursue him, and they tried to appease her sorrow, saying that it was the soul that did no wrong and not the body, and because she had no intention, she did no wrong.† They tried to tell her she had done nothing wrong, that she had no intention to be raped, but that failed. â€Å"Then she took up the knife which she had hidden beneath her robe, and plunged it through her heart.† Conlatinus, her husband, knelt by her side. She would have died a dishonorable woman if she did not kill herself. Also by killing herself, she could not be used as a source of dishonor and shame for Roman society. Brutus then took the knife and said â€Å"By this blood, which was so pure before the crime of the prince, I swear before you, O gods, to chase the King Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, with his criminal wife and all their offspring, by fire, iron, and all the methods I have at my disposal, and never to tolerate Kings in Rome evermore, whether of that family of any other.† He used this as an example to end the reign of Kings in Rome. This showed vast honor, promising to avenge his friend’s wife by pursuing the king’s entire family for the horrible crime Sextus committed.

Short Speech on Singapore Universities Essay Example for Free

Short Speech on Singapore Universities Essay Good morning teacher and fellow classmates. My name is ______and today, I will be talking about the increasing amount of diversity in higher education in terms of student admissions and the different university experiences in Singapore. With 7 different local universities to choose from, A-level and polytechnic graduates nowadays have a variety of courses to choose from that suit their needs. But is diversity in schools a problem? Singapore Management University (SMU) partnered up with the American Wharton Business School in 1999 and accepted their first batch of students in 2000. To set itself apart from the more established National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), students are not only accepted based on grades, but also through panel interviews, reflective essays and their other qualities and achievements. The American-style of teaching students in small seminar groups and giving marks to students for class participation that SMU has adopted has taught their graduates to think on their feet and to speak up in a more confident, articulate and mature manner. With SMU’s increasing popularity amongst students and employers posing a challenge, both NUS and NTU are stepping up to try and draw the best students. NUS has made use of its high worldwide ranking to form partnerships with different universities around the world to offer overseas exchange programmes to its students. The NUS-town was also opened at the former Warren Golf Club site in Clementi to give students a residential college experience. Meanwhile, NTU started to focus on sciences and technology, setting up several labs  including the Future Mobility Research Lab with BMW to study the future of transportation. With 2000 graduates a year, NTU pioneered in engineering education, and is the world’s largest single-campus engineering facility. NTU students also get to spend a year with a partner university before taking up internships at start-up companies and companies abroad. In the eyes of the government, it would make sense to encourage diversity among the higher education sector to offer an education with a difference and in the process, preparing  graduates for the job market. However, this should be done carefully so as to avoid labelling the institution as purely â€Å"research-intensive† or â€Å"teaching† universities. The friendly competitions and rivalry between the schools has also encouraged the universities to build on their unique strengths. Thus, diversity in the higher education is not a problem. The different institutions provide a platform for their students to be as prepared as they can be to enter the job market according to their strengths. Thank you.

Teaching and Learning Online: Reflection

Teaching and Learning Online: Reflection Teaching and Learning Online In this reflection, I will capture a few of my thoughts that have changed my views the most. Although there was far more that I reflected on in my learning journal, I will focus on the main topics that interest me to take forward into my teaching. I found the initial orientation between different tools confusing, as I had been using Blackboard for everything previously. Moving to Canvas was good as it has a friendlier feel, less institutional, more laidback, which helped in feeling freer to informally chat. This helped create a sense of community. The wiki was initially overwhelming, now, as there are all the course materials and assignments kept there, I see it as a fantastic repository of shared knowledge, I shall use this idea in the future on teacher training courses. I was tentative about the online sessions as I had previous negative experiences of these and wondered if it was ever possible for the technical aspects to be overcome as Schrum Hong (2002 b) say, minimizing technical difficulties is very important, I felt this myself and at the start of the course, this experience can lead to a feeling of foreboding about online sessions. After the first synchronous session, I bought a new web camera and contacted my ISP to check all my connections. This worked well for me, as I was able to join the next sessions, albeit tentatively, and the technical problems were fixed. This was a huge relief and meant that I could follow and participate in the sessions. The effect of this meant that where I was originally much more at home with an asynchronous environment, I now started to see the real benefits in synchronous sessions, not least the social, community building aspect. I think that the technical aspect of online learning must be given a lot of tho ught and any use of new tools must also include clear guidelines or help in how to use them. As I progressed through the course, I noted in my journal times when I felt that the literature and course activities were overlapping, which led to several mini epiphanies. For me, this lead to a deeper understanding of the subject as I was reading the theoretical background and acting it out at the same time. Schrum Hong (2002 a)’s recommendations was a paper I found very helpful. The way that it is set out forms an excellent framework for thinking about how to organize online courses and in looking through these at the end of the course, I was able to see that they were all part of the course. Vicarious learning was quite revelatory for me; it gave a name to something I had been aware of. This somehow made it a more acceptable way of being an online learner and made me reflect on the fact that all learners are different, and while participation is a key factor in learning online, students can participate in different ways. On the forum I noted that â€Å"I found the Sutton (2001) paper very interesting from the point of view of reflecting on my own learning in online environments. I think that it would be difficult to categorise myself as either a direct interactor or vicarious interactor, as I use both aspects to greater or lesser extents. I think that the context does influence which one I am at any given time.† I was not previously aware of this category, the vicarious interactor, and would have put it down to social anxiety or shyness. This has never really sat well with me before, as I am not especially shy or introverted in social situations, and do not feel intimidated by posting my own opinions online. However, I can see that I have many traits of the vicarious interactor. I like to observe and process direct interaction, often before interacting myself and I do learn from the actions of others. I find it useful to reflect on my learning style and I think that this also plays a big part in my teaching. This is especially true when I am involved in teacher training, I like to observe the actions of participants, and draw threads and ideas together. I think that this works well when cultivating a social learning environment. As stated by Garrison Cleveland-Innes (2010), interaction plays a central role in any educational experience, and online learning is no exception. I had previously noted in my journal that I felt that there were two types of online learning, one where the teacher taught a class online, through a tool such as Adobe Connect, that would be similar to a lecture, and one where the teacher used an LMS to provide learning materials and was fairly hands-off after that. I now started to think that the teacher needs to be more active in monitoring progress and reacting to emerging needs, and also to act as a facilitator to the social experience. The idea of flexible learning as proposed by White (2006) and Collis Moonen (2008) was something that resonated with me. I had previously noted in my journal that I thought that one of the key factors in online learning for me was good quality learning materials. While I still agree with this view, Collis and Moonen (2008) said that learning situations need to be flexible and adaptable and White (2006) talks of making sure that learners receive sustained attention. On reflection, I think that this is a large part of teaching online. In the classroom, students expect the teacher to give them attention and to provide personalized learning according to their needs. I had tried out a number of MOOCs and always gave up due to the sheer size of them. Many of the materials were excellent, but I just did not engage with the course. I realize that this was one of the factors in my failure. I found that the framework proposed by Collis Moonen (2008) of the before, during and after activities one that could be easily and effectively transferred to my teaching context. Many teachers in my organization lack technical know-how and appear unwilling to try out new ideas. This framework can quite easily be adapted as many teachers use a similar lesson framework for activities such as listening comprehensions. This could be an excellent way of getting teachers to start working on using online learning with their students, probably with an emphasis on a blended learning approach. Word count: 1,081 †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ References Collis, B. Moonen, J. (2008) The Contributing Student, Computers in the Schools, 19:3-4, 207-220 Garrison, R. Cleveland-Innes, M. (2010) Facilitating Cognitive Presence in Online Learning: Interaction Is Not Enough, American Journal of Distance Education, 19:3, 133-148 Minocha, S. Roberts, D. (2008) Laying the Groundwork for Socialisation and Knowledge Construction within 3D Virtual Worlds, ALT-J, Research in Learning Technology, Vol. 16, No. 3, September 2008, 181–196 Moore, M.G. (1997) Theory of Transactional Distance, in Keegan, D., ed. Theoretical Principles of Distance Education (1997), Routledge, pp. 22-38. Schrum, L. Hong, S. (2002 a) Dimensions and Strategies for Online Success: Voices from Experience and Educators, JALN Volume 6, Issue 1 July 2002 Schrum, L. Hong, S. (2002 b) From the Field: Characteristics of Successful Tertiary Online Students and Strategies of Experienced Online Educators, Education and Information Technologies 7:1, 5–16, 2002 White, C. (2006) Contribution of Distance Education to the Development of Individual Learners, Distance Education, 26:2, 165-181 Sutton, L.A. (2001) The Principle of Vicarious Interaction in Computer-Mediated Communications, International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 7(3), 223-242 Electronic Submission Form – Version 1.0

Allen Ginsberg’s America and Kerouac’s Vanity of Puluoz :: Ginsberg America Essays

Allen Ginsberg’s America and Kerouac’s Vanity of Puluoz    Throughout the words and the lives of the Beat Generation, one theme is apparent: America, everywhere from Allen Ginsberg’s â€Å"America,† to Jack Kerouac’s love for Thomas Wolfe. Although the views of America differ, they all find some reason to focus in on this land. Ginsberg, in his poem â€Å"America,† makes a point that not many of us can see as obvious: â€Å"It occurs to me that I am America. I am talking to myself again.† Each and every one of us make up America, and when we complain about something that is wrong, we are complaining about ourselves. Being raised by his mother as a Communist, and being homosexual, Ginsberg found many things wrong with America, and he does his fare share of complaining, but at the end he decides, â€Å"America I’m putting my queer shoulder to the wheel.† Ginsberg didn’t want to sit and watch everything go wrong. He was going to do something, despite the fact that he was not the ideal Amer ican. Kerouac’s view of America was completely different from Ginsberg’s view. Kerouac saw America as a beautiful place, with many unexplored regions for himself, and the rest of the people in the country. Kerouac credited his love for America to Thomas Wolfe. In Kerouac’s book Vanity of Puluoz he said that Wolfe made him realize that America was not a dreary place to work and struggle in, it was a poem. If everybody thought of America as a poem rather than a place where we just come to in order to live work and die, this country would be the ideal place that Kerouac wanted it to be. The â€Å"Night of the Wolfeans† was an event in the lives of the Beats that affected them for a long time. It brought together all of the Beat’s feelings toward America. They were put into two categories: â€Å"Wolfeans,† and â€Å"non-Wolfeans.† Kerouac and Hal Chase were heterosexual, all-American boys who believed in America, the perfect image of the American citizen. The non-Wolfeans (William Burroughs and Ginsberg) were also known as â€Å"Baudelaireans† or â€Å"Black Priests.† They wanted to destroy the Wolfeans and all that they believed in. The Beats felt that everybody fell into one of these two categories. One thing that all the Beats agreed upon, was that in order to truly become a great writer, you had to be considered an American writer.

Technology And The Stock Market Essay -- essays research papers

The purpose of this research paper is to prove that technology has been good for the stock market. Thanks to technology, there are now more traders than ever because of the ease of trading online with firms such as Auditrade and Ameritrade. There are also more stocks that are doing well because they are in the technology field. The New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ have both benefitted from the recent technological movement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The NYSE says they â€Å"are dedicated to maintaining the most efficient and technologically advanced marketplace in the world.† The key to that leadership has been the state-of-the-art technology and systems development. Technology serves to support and enhance the human judgement at point-of-sale.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NASDAQ, the world’s first fully electronic stock market, started trading on February 8th, 1971. Today, it is the fastest growing stock market in the United States. It alo ranks second among the world’s securities in terms of dollar value. By constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of investors and public companies, NASDAQ has achieved more than almost any other market, in a shorter period of time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Technology has also helped investors buy stocks in other markets. Markets used to open at standard local times. This would cause an American trader to sleep through the majority of a Japanese trading day. With more online and afterhours trading, investors have more access to markets so that American traders can still trade Japanese stocks. This is also helped by an expansion of most market times. Afterhours trading is available from most online trading firms.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For investing specialists, technology provides operational capability for handling more stocks and greatly increased volumes of trading. Specialists can follow additional sources of market information, and multiple trading and post-trade functions, all on â€Å"one screen† at work or at home. They are also given interfaces to â€Å"upstairs† risk-management systems. They also have flexiblity to rearrange their physical workspaces, terminals and functional activities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Floor brokers are helped with supports for an industry-wide effort to compare buy/sell contracts for accuracy shortly after the trade. They are also given flexibility in establishing w... ...e Hand-Held is a mobile, hand-held device that enables brokers to recieve orders, disseminate reports, and send market â€Å"looks† in both data and image format, from anywhere on the trading floor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Intermarket Trading System is a display that was installed in 1978 linking all major U.S. exchanges. ITS allows NYSE and NASDAQ specialists and brokers to compare the price of a security traded on multiple exchanges in order to get the best price for the investor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These are the machines that have helped greatly increase the buying and selling of stocks over the past few years. There are great advantages to trading today over the situation that past traders had. The biggest beneficiaries of this new technology are investors themselves. They have all day to trade instead of trading only during market hours, they have more stocks to choose from, and the markets are very high so people are making a lot of money. In conclusion, I have discovered that the research I have done on this project has revealed what I originally thought to be true. That is that the stock market has greatly benefitted from the recent advances in technologies.

Islam :: essays research papers fc

It may seem similar and it may not, but what we do know, is that they both believe that they are Muslims. The Islamic beliefs of the black American male and the males of the Middle East are the same. My argument lies in the question of whether or not Africans can call themselves true Muslims, believers and followers of the Islamic faith. To be considered a true Muslim you must follow the rules and regulations of the Islamic faith. What is Islam? Islam is defined as "the complete acceptance of and obedience to the teachings of Allah " (I. A. Ibrahim 45) As a Muslim you are to believe in Allah, who is incomparable. He has no son nor does he have a partner, he is unique and he is one. You shall not worship, magnify, or pay tribute to any other, for all others are false. Yet we see otherwise in Africans who call themselves Muslims. In John S. Mbiti's book, "Introduction to African Religion" he states traditional African beliefs mixes those of Islam to suit the require ments of the people concerned so they get the best out of both religions (188-189). How can one say such a thing? To believe in something is to fight for it, is to die for it. You can not get the best of a religion if you do not fully believe in it. You should not "adopt the way of dress and some other cultural forms" (Mbiti 189), just to suite a community. Religion is something that is held dear to the heart of many people and to mix and mingle them does not allow you to truly believe in one. When you convert to a religion it is not to convert halfway, it is not to convert three- fourths of the way, but to convert all the way. It is stated that even if Africans "convert to another religion, they do not completely abandon the traditional religions" (Mbiti 14) Here we see that the first real defiance has already occur. By mixing the two would not you be doing an injustice to the true believers of the Islamic faith and defying Allah the leader of the Islamic faith. in addition, are you not doing an injustice to the rites and rituals to the Gods, Spirits, and Divinities of the African religion? How can you please the leader/leaders of these separate religions if you are not even following them fully with your heart, mind, body and soul?

Hedging Currency Risks at AIFS Essay

The American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) is offering cultural exchange programs for American students and High School pupils throughout the world. Their customers have the possibility to go abroad while the AIFS organises the whole trip for them. Due to their business model the revenues of the company are denominated only in USD, since the offer is for American students who pay in USD. Meanwhile the costs of the company is mostly denominated in foreign currency because AIFS has to pay the transport, the hotel and much more in the countries in which their customers are travelling, hence the firm has to pay in the local currency of these countries. In consequence of the fluctuating exchange rate of USD against foreign currencies and the fact that AIFS fixes the price for their services before the costs can be estimated, the firm faces an inevitable currency exposure. In order to limit or eliminate this risk, AIFS has to hedge their currency exposure. At the moment the company hedges 100% of their exposure using forward contracts and currency options. Now Becky Tabaczynski, CFO of one of the main divisions, is creating a model, including different scenarios, with the goal of identifying which proportion of the exposure should be hedged at all and in which proportion forward contracts and currency options should be used for hedging. Not hedging at all could have disastrous consequences for the whole company because in the case of a weak dollar the costs could rise drastically while the revenues remain fixed. Suppose the company has fixed the prices for the current season and now the costs in Europe are one million euros, while the exchange rate is at 1.20 USD/EUR. This means the firm’s costs are 1.2 million dollar. If the dollar weakens against the euro and the exchange rates rises to 1.32 USD/EUR, costs for AIFS would increase by 10%. Thus costs would increase by The higher the costs turn out, the higher this negative effect would be in nominal amount. The biggest stake of the costs are in euro and pound sterling, hence these two currencies are of major concern. In case of a strong dollar the company would profit the most without hedging but due to the downside trend of the dollar against euro and sterling simultaneously in short and medium term (Exhibit 6 & 7) there is  reasonable evidence that AIFS s hould be prepared to cover their currency exposure. If the company would use 100% forward contracts to hedge their costs, they would fix the costs, no matter what happens to the exchange rates of dollar to foreign currencies. An advantage of this strategy is that AIFS does not have to bear any costs entering the forward contracts, but on the other hand, it will neither make a profit in case the dollar strengthens nor will it suffer a loss in case the dollar weakens. A more flexible but meanwhile more expensive strategy to hedge is only using currency options. That means AIFS would have to pay the option premium in any case but this strategy allows to profit from unlimited favourable movements while limiting losses by the premium. So if the spot rate at expiry is higher than the strike price, AIFS can exercise their option and buy foreign currency for the lower strike price. And if the spot rate at expiry is less than the strike price, AIFS can forget about the option and buy for the lower spot rate. In any case the option premium has to be added to the costs. The possible outcomes in the two described strategies and a scenario with no hedge at all are summarized in the table below. % Cover 100% 100% 0% Contracts 0% 100% – Options 100% 0% – 1.01 -3,725,000 0 -5,250,000 1.22 1,525,000 0 0 1.48 1,525,000 0 6,500,000 The table is based on a sales volume of 25,000 and average cost of â‚ ¬1,000 per participant. That means, with the current spot rate of 1.22 USD/EUR the costs would be $30,500,000 (â‚ ¬25,000,000 * 1.22 USD/EUR). The option premium in this case is 5% of the USD notional value that is hedged and three scenarios are examined: The dollar strengthens (1.01 USD/EUR) The dollar remains stable (1.22 USD/EUR) The dollar weakens (1.48 USD/EUR) In the first column the proportion of the hedged amount is given and in the second and third column of the table the proportions of forward contracts and currency options used to hedge are listed respectively. The fourth fifth  and sixth column show the nominal effect on the costs in each scenario relative to the ‘zero impact’ scenario (exchange rate remains stable at 1.22 USD/EUR) while it is assumed that in each hedging strategy the strike price is the current spot rate of 1.22 USD/EUR. Comparing the results of the table shows the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy. If 100% of the currency exposure is hedged only using options, the costs rise by $1,525,000 (which is exactly the option premium $30,500,000 * 5%) both in the ‘zero impact’ scenario and in the scenario of 1.48 USD/EUR, since in both cases the option will be exercised. In the case of a strong dollar (1.01 USD/EUR) the option will not be exercised since euros can be bought to the lower spot rate but the premium is lost. In total the costs still sink by 3,725,000 because the effect of the lower spot rate compensates the premium. Using only forward contracts to hedge results into no impact on the costs in any case since the exchange rate is fixed no matter what happens and there is no initial cost entering the contract. In case AIFS does not hedge at all, the costs either decrease by $5,250,000 if the exchange rate is 1.01 USD/EUR, or remain unchanged in the ‘zero impact’ scenario or increase by $6,500,000 if the exchange rate is 1.48 USD/EUR. The impact on the cost if nothing is hedged arises merely from the difference in the spot rate and is much stronger than in the hedged case. Since the company is highly affected by news of war, terrorism and political instability, events which are impossible to predict, I would suggest to alter their hedging policy and use mainly options for hedging. In case of such terrible news the forecasted volume of 25 thousand could drop up to 60%. That means in the worst case of a 60% drop, the companies costs decrease by 15 million euros but AIFS would be obliged to buy this amount if they are only hedged with forwards. Options instead would give the company more flexibility, which is a major issue since not only the exchange rates fluctuate but also the volume of participants. In my opinion AIFS should use proportions of 75% options and 25% forward contracts. In this way AIFS would fix the costs for a quarter of their exposure and still be flexible enough to react to different market circumstances and unforeseen events. Moreover AIFS should keep covering 100% of their exposure because they have already experienced a loss of $700,000 in 1995 while they only hedged 80%. In addition the company should continue to deal with 6 different banks to reduce the counterpart risk. In the following table the impact on the costs in different scenarios are summarized using the same methodology as in the table above. In the worst case scenario with 10,000 participants and in the scenario with 30,000 participants the currency exposure decreases to â‚ ¬10 million and increases to â‚ ¬30 million respectively but the impact on the costs using different proportions of forward contracts and options remains the same relatively speaking. Instead of derivatives, an alternative possibility for AIFS to hedge their currency exposure would be to set up accounts abroad in foreign currency up to a certain amount. This would simplify the hedging approach and it would be reasonable the business model of AIFS forces them to keep foreign exchange every year.

A Tragedy Averted

On the 2nd of November, year 2006, an almost-tragic event happened in the roads of Kalipayan, here in Tacloban City. I was in the 6th grade at the time and it was All Souls’ Day. My relatives and I went to the cemetery to visit the grave of my late grandfather, who passed away in June of the same year. We arrived there in the late afternoon. After offering prayers for the eternal repose of my grandfather, as well as exchanging stories with my cousins and aunts, my mom decided it was time to go home. It was already getting late, the time indicating it was almost midnight. We waited for several minutes for a jeepney to come and when we were able to get one†¦ The vehicle was moving at moderate speed and everything was going well. My mom was busy conversing with my aunt about important matters when the jeepney came to a halt, letting a passenger off near the bend on the road. All of a sudden; a man, out of nowhere, snatched my mom’s bag and immediately jumped off the vehicle. It seemed like time was stopped and everyone was left in a trance. Not wasting any more precious time, I jumped off the vehicle and chased the snatcher – who was carrying a small knife – until I came to a dead end. I got a little frightened for the path where the snatcher ran off to was narrow and looked like a ledge and one small step would have led me drenched in the water. I ran back to the main road and finding relief in the presence of light posts, I jogged to a walk and tried to catch my breath. Going back to the jeepney where my mom, sister and aunt were waiting – all the while anxious about my sudden departure – I found men and bystanders gathering around my mom’s bag. Turns out, the snatcher dropped the bag and only stole my mom’s mobile phone and didn’t touch the other paraphernalia in the bag. Thankfully, my mom was pretty clever in keeping our passports and other essential things in a plain-looking plastic bag. The snatcher probably thought it was just trash and decided to discard it. We went back to the jeepney and arrived safely in our house. My sister was in a state of shock while my mom was truly grateful for the essentials that were left unharmed. I was mainly disappointed that I wasn’t able to catch the criminal but nevertheless thankful that I was given enough courage by God to chase the snatcher and got out of that situation without facing any threat or danger.

Twilight 17. THE GAME

17. THE GAME It was just beginning to drizzle when Edward turned onto my street. Up until that moment, I'd had no doubt that he'd be staying with me while I spent a few interim hours in the real world. And then I saw the black car, a weathered Ford, parked in Charlie's driveway – and heard Edward mutter something unintelligible in a low, harsh voice. Leaning away from the rain under the shallow front porch, Jacob Black stood behind his father's wheelchair. Billy's face was impassive as stone as Edward parked my truck against the curb. Jacob stared down, his expression mortified. Edward's low voice was furious. â€Å"This is crossing the line.† â€Å"He came to warn Charlie?† I guessed, more horrified than angry. Edward just nodded, answering Billy's gaze through the rain with narrowed eyes. I felt weak with relief that Charlie wasn't home yet. â€Å"Let me deal with this,† I suggested. Edward's black glare made me anxious. To my surprise, he agreed. â€Å"That's probably best. Be careful, though. The child has no idea.† I bridled a little at the word child. â€Å"Jacob is not that much younger than I am,† I reminded him. He looked at me then, his anger abruptly fading. â€Å"Oh, I know,† he assured me with a grin. I sighed and put my hand on the door handle. â€Å"Get them inside,† he instructed, â€Å"so I can leave. I'll be back around dusk.† â€Å"Do you want my truck?† I offered, meanwhile wondering how I would explain its absence to Charlie. He rolled his eyes. â€Å"I could walk home faster than this truck moves.† â€Å"You don't have to leave,† I said wistfully. He smiled at my glum expression. â€Å"Actually, I do. After you get rid of them† – he threw a dark glance in the Blacks' direction – â€Å"you still have to prepare Charlie to meet your new boyfriend.† He grinned widely, showing all of his teeth. I groaned. â€Å"Thanks a lot.† He smiled the crooked smile that I loved. â€Å"I'll be back soon,† he promised. His eyes flickered back to the porch, and then he leaned in to swiftly kiss me just under the edge of my jaw. My heart lurched frantically, and I, too, glanced toward the porch. Billy's face was no longer impassive, and his hands clutched at the armrests of his chair. â€Å"Soon,† I stressed as I opened the door and stepped out into the rain. I could feel his eyes on my back as I half-ran through the light sprinkle toward the porch. â€Å"Hey, Billy. Hi, Jacob.† I greeted them as cheerfully as I could manage. â€Å"Charlie's gone for the day – I hope you haven't been waiting long.† â€Å"Not long,† Billy said in a subdued tone. His black eyes were piercing. â€Å"I just wanted to bring this up.† He indicated a brown paper sack resting in his lap. â€Å"Thanks,† I said, though I had no idea what it could be. â€Å"Why don't you come in for a minute and dry off?† I pretended to be oblivious to his intense scrutiny as I unlocked the door, and waved them in ahead of me. â€Å"Here, let me take that,† I offered, turning to shut the door. I allowed myself one last glance at Edward. He was waiting, perfectly still, his eyes solemn. â€Å"You'll want to put it in the fridge,† Billy noted as he handed me the package. â€Å"It's some of Harry Clearwater's homemade fish fry – Charlie's favorite. The fridge keeps it drier.† He shrugged. â€Å"Thanks,† I repeated, but with feeling this time. â€Å"I was running out of new ways to fix fish, and he's bound to bring home more tonight.† â€Å"Fishing again?† Billy asked with a subtle gleam in his eye. â€Å"Down at the usual spot? Maybe I'll run by and see him.† â€Å"No,† I quickly lied, my face going hard. â€Å"He was headed someplace new†¦ but I have no idea where.† He took in my changed expression, and it made him thoughtful. â€Å"Jake,† he said, still appraising me. â€Å"Why don't you go get that new picture of Rebecca out of the car? I'll leave that for Charlie, too.† â€Å"Where is it?† Jacob asked, his voice morose. I glanced at him, but he was staring at the floor, his eyebrows pulling together. â€Å"I think I saw it in the trunk,† Billy said. â€Å"You may have to dig for it.† Jacob slouched back out into the rain. Billy and I faced each other in silence. After a few seconds, the quiet started to feel awkward, so I turned and headed to the kitchen. I could hear his wet wheels squeak against the linoleum as he followed. I shoved the bag onto the crowded top shelf of the fridge, and spun around to confront him. His deeply lined face was unreadable. â€Å"Charlie won't be back for a long time.† My voice was almost rude. He nodded in agreement, but said nothing. â€Å"Thanks again for the fish fry,† I hinted. He continued nodding. I sighed and folded my arms across my chest. He seemed to sense that I had given up on small talk. â€Å"Bella,† he said, and then he hesitated. I waited. â€Å"Bella,† he said again, â€Å"Charlie is one of my best friends.† â€Å"Yes.† He spoke each word carefully in his rumbling voice. â€Å"I noticed you've been spending time with one of the Cullens.† â€Å"Yes,† I repeated curtly. His eyes narrowed. â€Å"Maybe it's none of my business, but I don't think that is such a good idea.† â€Å"You're right,† I agreed. â€Å"It is none of your business.† He raised his graying eyebrows at my tone. â€Å"You probably don't know this, but the Cullen family has an unpleasant reputation on the reservation.† â€Å"Actually, I did know that,† I informed him in a hard voice. This surprised him. â€Å"But that reputation couldn't be deserved, could it? Because the Cullens never set foot on the reservation, do they?† I could see that my less than subtle reminder of the agreement that both bound and protected his tribe pulled him up short. â€Å"That's true,† he acceded, his eyes guarded. â€Å"You seem†¦ well informed about the Cullens. More informed than I expected.† I stared him down. â€Å"Maybe even better informed than you are.† He pursed his thick lips as he considered that. â€Å"Maybe.† he allowed, but his eyes were shrewd. â€Å"Is Charlie as well informed?† He had found the weak chink in my armor. â€Å"Charlie likes the Cullens a lot,† I hedged. He clearly understood my evasion. His expression was unhappy, but unsurprised. â€Å"It's not my business,† he said. â€Å"But it may be Charlie's.† â€Å"Though it would be my business, again, whether or not I think that it's Charlie's business, right?† I wondered if he even understood my confused question as I struggled not to say anything compromising. But he seemed to. He thought about it while the rain picked up against the roof, the only sound breaking the silence. â€Å"Yes,† he finally surrendered. â€Å"I guess that's your business, too.† I sighed with relief. â€Å"Thanks, Billy.† â€Å"Just think about what you're doing, Bella,† he urged. â€Å"Okay,† I agreed quickly. He frowned. â€Å"What I meant to say was, don't do what you're doing.† I looked into his eyes, filled with nothing but concern for me, and there was nothing I could say. Just then the front door banged loudly, and I jumped at the sound. â€Å"There's no picture anywhere in that car.† Jacob's complaining voice reached us before he did. The shoulders of his shirt were stained with the rain, his hair dripping, when he rounded the corner. â€Å"Hmm,† Billy grunted, suddenly detached, spinning his chair around to face his son. â€Å"I guess I left it at home.† Jacob rolled his eyes dramatically. â€Å"Great.† â€Å"Well, Bella, tell Charlie† – Billy paused before continuing – â€Å"that we stopped by, I mean.† â€Å"I will,† I muttered. Jacob was surprised. â€Å"Are we leaving already?† â€Å"Charlie's gonna be out late,† Billy explained as he rolled himself past Jacob. â€Å"Oh.† Jacob looked disappointed. â€Å"Well, I guess I'll see you later, then, Bella.† â€Å"Sure,† I agreed. â€Å"Take care,† Billy warned me. I didn't answer. Jacob helped his father out the door. I waved briefly, glancing swiftly toward my now-empty truck, and then shut the door before they were gone. I stood in the hallway for a minute, listening to the sound of their car as it backed out and drove away. I stayed where I was, waiting for the irritation and anxiety to subside. When the tension eventually faded a bit, I headed upstairs to change out of my dressy clothes. I tried on a couple of different tops, not sure what to expect tonight. As I concentrated on what was coming, what had just passed became insignificant. Now that I was removed from Jasper's and Edward's influence, I began to make up for not being terrified before. I gave up quickly on choosing an outfit – throwing on an old flannel shirt and jeans – knowing I would be in my raincoat all night anyway. The phone rang and I sprinted downstairs to get it. There was only one voice I wanted to hear; anything else would be a disappointment. But I knew that if he wanted to talk to me, he'd probably just materialize in my room. â€Å"Hello?† I asked, breathless. â€Å"Bella? It's me,† Jessica said. â€Å"Oh, hey, Jess.† I scrambled for a moment to come back down to reality. It felt like months rather than days since I'd spoken to Jess. â€Å"How was the dance?† â€Å"It was so much fun!† Jessica gushed. Needing no more invitation than that, she launched into a minute-by-minute account of the previous night. I mmm'd and ahh'd at the right places, but it wasn't easy to concentrate. Jessica, Mike, the dance, the school – they all seemed strangely irrelevant at the moment. My eyes kept flashing to the window, trying to judge the degree of light behind the heavy clouds. â€Å"Did you hear what I said, Bella?† Jess asked, irritated. â€Å"I'm sorry, what?† â€Å"I said, Mike kissed me! Can you believe it?† â€Å"That's wonderful, Jess,† I said. â€Å"So what did you do yesterday?† Jessica challenged, still sounding bothered by my lack of attention. Or maybe she was upset because I hadn't asked for details. â€Å"Nothing, really. I just hung around outside to enjoy the sun.† I heard Charlie's car in the garage. â€Å"Did you ever hear anything more from Edward Cullen?† The front door slammed and I could hear Charlie banging around under the stairs, putting his tackle away. â€Å"Um.† I hesitated, not sure what my story was anymore. â€Å"Hi there, kiddo!† Charlie called as he walked into the kitchen. I waved at him. Jess heard his voice. â€Å"Oh, your dad's there. Never mind – we'll talk tomorrow. See you in Trig.† â€Å"See ya, Jess.† I hung up the phone. â€Å"Hey, Dad,† I said. He was scrubbing his hands in the sink. â€Å"Where's the fish?† â€Å"I put it out in the freezer.† â€Å"I'll go grab a few pieces before they freeze – Billy dropped off some of Harry Clearwater's fish fry this afternoon.† I worked to sound enthusiastic. â€Å"He did?† Charlie's eyes lit up. â€Å"That's my favorite.† Charlie cleaned up while I got dinner ready. It didn't take long till we were sitting at the table, eating in silence. Charlie was enjoying his food. I was wondering desperately how to fulfill my assignment, struggling to think of a way to broach the subject. â€Å"What did you do with yourself today?† he asked, snapping me out of my reverie. â€Å"Well, this afternoon I just hung out around the house†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Only the very recent part of this afternoon, actually. I tried to keep my voice upbeat, but my stomach was hollow. â€Å"And this morning I was over at the Cullens'.† Charlie dropped his fork. â€Å"Dr. Cullen's place?† he asked in astonishment. I pretended not to notice his reaction. â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"What were you doing there?† He hadn't picked his fork back up. â€Å"Well, I sort of have a date with Edward Cullen tonight, and he wanted to introduce me to his parents†¦ Dad?† It appeared that Charlie was having an aneurysm. â€Å"Dad, are you all right?† â€Å"You are going out with Edward Cullen?† he thundered. Uh-oh. â€Å"I thought you liked the Cullens.† â€Å"He's too old for you,† he ranted. â€Å"We're both juniors,† I corrected, though he was more right than he dreamed. â€Å"Wait†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused. â€Å"Which one is Edwin?† â€Å"Edward is the youngest, the one with the reddish brown hair.† The beautiful one, the godlike one†¦ â€Å"Oh, well, that's† – he struggled – â€Å"better, I guess. I don't like the look of that big one. I'm sure he's a nice boy and all, but he looks too†¦ mature for you. Is this Edwin your boyfriend?† â€Å"It's Edward, Dad.† â€Å"Is he?† â€Å"Sort of, I guess.† â€Å"You said last night that you weren't interested in any of the boys in town.† But he picked up his fork again, so I could see the worst was over. â€Å"Well, Edward doesn't live in town, Dad.† He gave me a disparaging look as he chewed. â€Å"And, anyways,† I continued, â€Å"it's kind of at an early stage, you know. Don't embarrass me with all the boyfriend talk, okay?† â€Å"When is he coming over?† â€Å"He'll be here in a few minutes.† â€Å"Where is he taking you?† I groaned loudly. â€Å"I hope you're getting the Spanish Inquisition out of your system now. We're going to play baseball with his family.† His face puckered, and then he finally chuckled. â€Å"You're playing baseball?† â€Å"Well, I'll probably watch most of the time.† â€Å"You must really like this guy,† he observed suspiciously. I sighed and rolled my eyes for his benefit. I heard the roar of an engine pull up in front of the house. I jumped up and started cleaning my dishes. â€Å"Leave the dishes, I can do them tonight. You baby me too much.† The doorbell rang, and Charlie stalked off to answer it. I was half a step behind him. I hadn't realized how hard it was pouring outside. Edward stood in the halo of the porch light, looking like a male model in an advertisement for raincoats. â€Å"Come on in, Edward.† I breathed a sigh of relief when Charlie got his name right. â€Å"Thanks, Chief Swan,† Edward said in a respectful voice. â€Å"Go ahead and call me Charlie. Here, I'll take your jacket.† â€Å"Thanks, sir.† â€Å"Have a seat there, Edward.† I grimaced. Edward sat down fluidly in the only chair, forcing me to sit next to Chief Swan on the sofa. I quickly shot him a dirty look. He winked behind Charlie's back. â€Å"So I hear you're getting my girl to watch baseball.† Only in Washington would the fact that it was raining buckets have no bearing at all on the playing of outdoor sports. â€Å"Yes, sir, that's the plan.† He didn't look surprised that I'd told my father the truth. He might have been listening, though. â€Å"Well, more power to you, I guess.† Charlie laughed, and Edward joined in. â€Å"Okay.† I stood up. â€Å"Enough humor at my expense. Let's go.† I walked back to the hall and pulled on my jacket. They followed. â€Å"Not too late, Bell.† â€Å"Don't worry, Charlie, I'll have her home early,† Edward promised. â€Å"You take care of my girl, all right?† I groaned, but they ignored me. â€Å"She'll be safe with me, I promise, sir.† Charlie couldn't doubt Edward's sincerity, it rang in every word. I stalked out. They both laughed, and Edward followed me. I stopped dead on the porch. There, behind my truck, was a monster Jeep. Its tires were higher than my waist. There were metal guards over the headlights and tail-lights, and four large spotlights attached to the crash bar. The hardtop was shiny red. Charlie let out a low whistle. â€Å"Wear your seat belts,† he choked out. Edward followed me around to my side and opened the door. I gauged the distance to the seat and prepared to jump for it. He sighed, and then lifted me in with one hand. I hoped Charlie didn't notice. As he went around to the driver's side, at a normal, human pace, I tried to put on my seat belt. But there were too many buckles. â€Å"What's all this?† I asked when he opened the door. â€Å"It's an off-roading harness.† â€Å"Uh-oh.† I tried to find the right places for all the buckles to fit, but it wasn't going too quickly. He sighed again and reached over to help me. I was glad that the rain was too heavy to see Charlie clearly on the porch. That meant he couldn't see how Edward's hands lingered at my neck, brushed along my collarbones. I gave up trying to help him and focused on not hyperventilating. Edward turned the key and the engine roared to life. We pulled away from the house. â€Å"This is a†¦ um†¦ big Jeep you have.† â€Å"It's Emmett's. I didn't think you'd want to run the whole way.† â€Å"Where do you keep this thing?† â€Å"We remodeled one of the outbuildings into a garage.† â€Å"Aren't you going to put on your seat belt?† He threw me a disbelieving look. Then something sunk in. â€Å"Run the whole way? As in, we're still going to run part of the way?† My voice edged up a few octaves. He grinned tightly. â€Å"You're not going to run.† â€Å"I'm going to be sick.† â€Å"Keep your eyes closed, you'll be fine.† I bit my lip, fighting the panic. He leaned over to kiss the top of my head, and then groaned. I looked at him, puzzled. â€Å"You smell so good in the rain,† he explained. â€Å"In a good way, or in a bad way?† I asked cautiously. He sighed. â€Å"Both, always both.† I don't know how he found his way in the gloom and downpour, but he somehow found a side road that was less of a road and more of a mountain path. For a long while conversation was impossible, because I was bouncing up and down on the seat like a jackhammer. He seemed to enjoy the ride, though, smiling hugely the whole way. And then we came to the end of the road; the trees formed green walls on three sides of the Jeep. The rain was a mere drizzle, slowing every second, the sky brighter through the clouds. â€Å"Sorry, Bella, we have to go on foot from here.† â€Å"You know what? I'll just wait here.† â€Å"What happened to all your courage? You were extraordinary this morning.† â€Å"I haven't forgotten the last time yet.† Could it have been only yesterday? He was around to my side of the car in a blur. He started unbuckling me. â€Å"I'll get those, you go on ahead,† I protested. â€Å"Hmmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he mused as he quickly finished. â€Å"It seems I'm going to have to tamper with your memory.† Before I could react, he pulled me from the Jeep and set my feet on the ground. It was barely misting now; Alice was going to be right. â€Å"Tamper with my memory?† I asked nervously. â€Å"Something like that.† He was watching me intently, carefully, but there was humor deep in his eyes. He placed his hands against the Jeep on either side of my head and leaned forward, forcing me to press back against the door. He leaned in even closer, his face inches from mine. I had no room to escape. â€Å"Now,† he breathed, and just his smell disturbed my thought processes, â€Å"what exactly are you worrying about?† â€Å"Well, um, hitting a tree -† I gulped â€Å"- and dying. And then getting sick.† He fought back a smile. Then he bent his head down and touched his cold lips softly to the hollow at the base of my throat. â€Å"Are you still worried now?† he murmured against my skin. â€Å"Yes.† I struggled to concentrate. â€Å"About hitting trees and getting sick.† His nose drew a line up the skin of my throat to the point of my chin. His cold breath tickled my skin. â€Å"And now?† His lips whispered against my jaw. â€Å"Trees,† I gasped. â€Å"Motion sickness.† He lifted his face to kiss my eyelids. â€Å"Bella, you don't really think I would hit a tree, do you?† â€Å"No, but I might.† There was no confidence in my voice. He smelled an easy victory. He kissed slowly down my cheek, stopping just at the corner of my mouth. â€Å"Would I let a tree hurt you?† His lips barely brushed against my trembling lower lip. â€Å"No,† I breathed. I knew there was a second part to my brilliant defense, but I couldn't quite call it back. â€Å"You see,† he said, his lips moving against mine. â€Å"There's nothing to be afraid of, is there?† â€Å"No,† I sighed, giving up. Then he took my face in his hands almost roughly, and kissed me in earnest, his unyielding lips moving against mine. There really was no excuse for my behavior. Obviously I knew better by now. And yet I couldn't seem to stop from reacting exactly as I had the first time. Instead of keeping safely motionless, my arms reached up to twine tightly around his neck, and I was suddenly welded to his stone figure. I sighed, and my lips parted. He staggered back, breaking my grip effortlessly. â€Å"Damn it, Bella!† he broke off, gasping. â€Å"You'll be the death of me, I swear you will.† I leaned over, bracing my hands against my knees for support. â€Å"You're indestructible,† I mumbled, trying to catch my breath. â€Å"I might have believed that before I met you. Now let's get out of here before I do something really stupid,† he growled. He threw me across his back as he had before, and I could see the extra effort it took for him to be as gentle as he was. I locked my legs around his waist and secured my arms in a choke hold around his neck. â€Å"Don't forget to close your eyes,† he warned severely. I quickly tucked my face into his shoulder blade, under my own arm, and squeezed my eyes shut. And I could hardly tell we were moving. I could feel him gliding along beneath me, but he could have been strolling down the sidewalk, the movement was so smooth. I was tempted to peek, just to see if he was really flying through the forest like before, but I resisted. It wasn't worth that awful dizziness. I contented myself with listening to his breath come and go evenly. I wasn't quite sure we had stopped until he reached back and touched my hair. â€Å"It's over, Bella.† I dared to open my eyes, and, sure enough, we were at a standstill. I stiffly unlocked my stranglehold on his body and slipped to the ground, landing on my backside. â€Å"Oh!† I huffed as I hit the wet ground. He stared at me incredulously, evidently not sure whether he was still too mad to find me funny. But my bewildered expression pushed him over the edge, and he broke into a roar of laughter. I picked myself up, ignoring him as I brushed the mud and bracken off the back of my jacket. That only made him laugh harder. Annoyed, I began to stride off into the forest. I felt his arm around my waist. â€Å"Where are you going, Bella?† â€Å"To watch a baseball game. You don't seem to be interested in playing anymore, but I'm sure the others will have fun without you.† â€Å"You're going the wrong way.† I turned around without looking at him, and stalked off in the opposite direction. He caught me again. â€Å"Don't be mad, I couldn't help myself. You should have seen your face.† He chuckled before he could stop himself. â€Å"Oh, you're the only one who's allowed to get mad?† I asked, raising my eyebrows. â€Å"I wasn't mad at you.† â€Å"‘Bella, you'll be the death of me'?† I quoted sourly. â€Å"That was simply a statement of fact.† I tried to turn away from him again, but he held me fast. â€Å"You were mad,† I insisted. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"But you just said -â€Å" â€Å"That I wasn't mad at you. Can't you see that, Bella?† He was suddenly intense, all trace of teasing gone. â€Å"Don't you understand?† â€Å"See what?† I demanded, confused by his sudden mood swing as much as his words. â€Å"I'm never angry with you – how could I be? Brave, trusting†¦ warm as you are.† â€Å"Then why?† I whispered, remembering the black moods that pulled him away from me, that I'd always interpreted as well-justified frustration – frustration at my weakness, my slowness, my unruly human reactions†¦ He put his hands carefully on both sides of my face. â€Å"I infuriate myself,† he said gently. â€Å"The way I can't seem to keep from putting you in danger. My very existence puts you at risk. Sometimes I truly hate myself. I should be stronger, I should be able to -â€Å" I placed my hand over his mouth. â€Å"Don't.† He took my hand, moving it from his lips, but holding it to his face. â€Å"I love you,† he said. â€Å"It's a poor excuse for what I'm doing, but it's still true.† It was the first time he'd said he loved me – in so many words. He might not realize it, but I certainly did. â€Å"Now, please try to behave yourself,† he continued, and he bent to softly brush his lips against mine. I held properly still. Then I sighed. â€Å"You promised Chief Swan that you would have me home early, remember? We'd better get going.† â€Å"Yes, ma'am.† He smiled wistfully and released all of me but one hand. He led me a few feet through the tall, wet ferns and draping moss, around a massive hemlock tree, and we were there, on the edge of an enormous open field in the lap of the Olympic peaks. It was twice the size of any baseball stadium. I could see the others all there; Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie, sitting on a bare outcropping of rock, were the closest to us, maybe a hundred yards away. Much farther out I could see Jasper and Alice, at least a quarter of a mile apart, appearing to throw something back and forth, but I never saw any ball. It looked like Carlisle was marking bases, but could they really be that far apart? When we came into view, the three on the rocks rose. Esme started toward us. Emmett followed after a long look at Rosalie's back; Rosalie had risen gracefully and strode off toward the field without a glance in our direction. My stomach quivered uneasily in response. â€Å"Was that you we heard, Edward?† Esme asked as she approached. â€Å"It sounded like a bear choking,† Emmett clarified. I smiled hesitantly at Esme. â€Å"That was him.† â€Å"Bella was being unintentionally funny,† Edward explained, quickly settling the score. Alice had left her position and was running, or dancing, toward us. She hurtled to a fluid stop at our feet. â€Å"It's time,† she announced. As soon as she spoke, a deep rumble of thunder shook the forest beyond us, and then crashed westward toward town. â€Å"Eerie, isn't it?† Emmett said with easy familiarity, winking at me. â€Å"Let's go.† Alice reached for Emmett's hand and they darted toward the oversized field; she ran like a gazelle. He was nearly as graceful and just as fast – yet Emmett could never be compared to a gazelle. â€Å"Are you ready for some ball?† Edward asked, his eyes eager, bright. I tried to sound appropriately enthusiastic. â€Å"Go team!† He snickered and, after mussing my hair, bounded off after the other two. His run was more aggressive, a cheetah rather than a gazelle, and he quickly overtook them. The grace and power took my breath away. â€Å"Shall we go down?† Esme asked in her soft, melodic voice, and I realized I was staring openmouthed after him. I quickly reassembled my expression and nodded. Esme kept a few feet between us, and I wondered if she was still being careful not to frighten me. She matched her stride to mine without seeming impatient at the pace. â€Å"You don't play with them?† I asked shyly. â€Å"No, I prefer to referee – I like keeping them honest,† she explained. â€Å"Do they like to cheat, then?† â€Å"Oh yes – you should hear the arguments they get into! Actually, I hope you don't, you would think they were raised by a pack of wolves.† â€Å"You sound like my mom,† I laughed, surprised. She laughed, too. â€Å"Well, I do think of them as my children in most ways. I never could get over my mothering instincts – did Edward tell you I had lost a child?† â€Å"No,† I murmured, stunned, scrambling to understand what lifetime she was remembering. â€Å"Yes, my first and only baby. He died just a few days after he was born, the poor tiny thing,† she sighed. â€Å"It broke my heart – that's why I jumped off the cliff, you know,† she added matter-of-factly. â€Å"Edward just said you f-fell,† I stammered. â€Å"Always the gentleman.† She smiled. â€Å"Edward was the first of my new sons. I've always thought of him that way, even though he's older than I, in one way at least.† She smiled at me warmly. â€Å"That's why I'm so happy that he's found you, dear.† The endearment sounded very natural on her lips. â€Å"He's been the odd man out for far too long; it's hurt me to see him alone.† â€Å"You don't mind, then?† I asked, hesitant again. â€Å"That I'm†¦ all wrong for him?† â€Å"No.† She was thoughtful. â€Å"You're what he wants. It will work out, somehow,† she said, though her forehead creased with worry. Another peal of thunder began. Esme stopped then; apparently, we'd reached the edge of the field. It looked as if they had formed teams. Edward was far out in left field, Carlisle stood between the first and second bases, and Alice held the ball, positioned on the spot that must be the pitcher's mound. Emmett was swinging an aluminum bat; it whistled almost untraceably through the air. I waited for him to approach home plate, but then I realized, as he took his stance, that he was already there – farther from the pitcher's mound than I would have thought possible. Jasper stood several feet behind him, catching for the other team. Of course, none of them had gloves. â€Å"All right,† Esme called in a clear voice, which I knew even Edward would hear, as far out as he was. â€Å"Batter up.† Alice stood straight, deceptively motionless. Her style seemed to be stealth rather than an intimidating windup. She held the ball in both hands at her waist, and then, like the strike of a cobra, her right hand flicked out and the ball smacked into Jasper's hand. â€Å"Was that a strike?† I whispered to Esme. â€Å"If they don't hit it, it's a strike,† she told me. Jasper hurled the ball back to Alice's waiting hand. She permitted herself a brief grin. And then her hand spun out again. This time the bat somehow made it around in time to smash into the invisible ball. The crack of impact was shattering, thunderous; it echoed off the mountains – I immediately understood the necessity of the thunderstorm. The ball shot like a meteor above the field, flying deep into the surrounding forest. â€Å"Home run,† I murmured. â€Å"Wait,† Esme cautioned, listening intently, one hand raised. Emmett was a blur around the bases, Carlisle shadowing him. I realized Edward was missing. â€Å"Out!† Esme cried in a clear voice. I stared in disbelief as Edward sprang from the fringe of the trees, ball in his upraised hand, his wide grin visible even to me. â€Å"Emmett hits the hardest,† Esme explained, â€Å"but Edward runs the fastest.† The inning continued before my incredulous eyes. It was impossible to keep up with the speed at which the ball flew, the rate at which their bodies raced around the field. I learned the other reason they waited for a thunderstorm to play when Jasper, trying to avoid Edward's infallible fielding, hit a ground ball toward Carlisle. Carlisle ran into the ball, and then raced Jasper to first base. When they collided, the sound was like the crash of two massive falling boulders. I jumped up in concern, but they were somehow unscathed. â€Å"Safe,† Esme called in a calm voice. Emmett's team was up by one – Rosalie managed to flit around the bases after tagging up on one of Emmett's long flies – when Edward caught the third out. He sprinted to my side, sparkling with excitement. â€Å"What do you think?† he asked. â€Å"One thing's for sure, I'll never be able to sit through dull old Major League Baseball again.† â€Å"And it sounds like you did so much of that before,† he laughed. â€Å"I am a little disappointed,† I teased. â€Å"Why?† he asked, puzzled. â€Å"Well, it would be nice if I could find just one thing you didn't do better than everyone else on the planet.† He flashed his special crooked smile, leaving me breathless. â€Å"I'm up,† he said, heading for the plate. He played intelligently, keeping the ball low, out of the reach of Rosalie's always-ready hand in the outfield, gaining two bases like lightning before Emmett could get the ball back in play. Carlisle knocked one so far out of the field – with a boom that hurt my ears – that he and Edward both made it in. Alice slapped them dainty high fives. The score constantly changed as the game continued, and they razzed each other like any street ballplayers as they took turns with the lead. Occasionally Esme would call them to order. The thunder rumbled on, but we stayed dry, as Alice had predicted. Carlisle was up to bat, Edward catching, when Alice suddenly gasped. My eyes were on Edward, as usual, and I saw his head snap up to look at her. Their eyes met and something flowed between them in an instant. He was at my side before the others could ask Alice what was wrong. â€Å"Alice?† Esme's voice was tense. â€Å"I didn't see – I couldn't tell,† she whispered. All the others were gathered by this time. â€Å"What is it, Alice?† Carlisle asked with the calm voice of authority. â€Å"They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before,† she murmured. Jasper leaned over her, his posture protective. â€Å"What changed?† he asked. â€Å"They heard us playing, and it changed their path,† she said, contrite, as if she felt responsible for whatever had frightened her. Seven pairs of quick eyes flashed to my face and away. â€Å"How soon?† Carlisle said, turning toward Edward. A look of intense concentration crossed his face. â€Å"Less than five minutes. They're running – they want to play.† He scowled. â€Å"Can you make it?† Carlisle asked him, his eyes flicking toward me again. â€Å"No, not carrying -† He cut short. â€Å"Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting.† â€Å"How many?† Emmett asked Alice. â€Å"Three,† she answered tersely. â€Å"Three!† he scoffed. â€Å"Let them come.† The steel bands of muscle flexed along his massive arms. For a split second that seemed much longer than it really was, Carlisle deliberated. Only Emmett seemed unperturbed; the rest stared at Carlisle's face with anxious eyes. â€Å"Let's just continue the game,† Carlisle finally decided. His voice was cool and level. â€Å"Alice said they were simply curious.† All this was said in a flurry of words that lasted only a few seconds. I had listened carefully and caught most of it, though I couldn't hear what Esme now asked Edward with a silent vibration of her lips. I only saw the slight shake of his head and the look of relief on her face. â€Å"You catch, Esme,† he said. â€Å"I'll call it now.† And he planted himself in front of me. The others returned to the field, warily sweeping the dark forest with their sharp eyes. Alice and Esme seemed to orient themselves around where I stood. â€Å"Take your hair down,† Edward said in a low, even voice. I obediently slid the rubber band out of my hair and shook it out around me. I stated the obvious. â€Å"The others are coming now.† â€Å"Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side, please.† He hid the stress in his voice well, but I could hear it. He pulled my long hair forward, around my face. â€Å"That won't help,† Alice said softly. â€Å"I could smell her across the field.† â€Å"I know.† A hint of frustration colored his tone. Carlisle stood at the plate, and the others joined the game halfheartedly. â€Å"What did Esme ask you?† I whispered. He hesitated for a second before he answered. â€Å"Whether they were thirsty,† he muttered unwillingly. The seconds ticked by; the game progressed with apathy now. No one dared to hit harder than a bunt, and Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper hovered in the infield. Now and again, despite the fear that numbed my brain, I was aware of Rosalie's eyes on me. They were expressionless, but something about the way she held her mouth made me think she was angry. Edward paid no attention to the game at all, eyes and mind ranging the forest. â€Å"I'm sorry, Bella,† he muttered fiercely. â€Å"It was stupid, irresponsible, to expose you like this. I'm so sorry.† I heard his breath stop, and his eyes zeroed in on right field. He took a half step, angling himself between me and what was coming. Carlisle, Emmett, and the others turned in the same direction, hearing sounds of passage much too faint for my ears.