International Financial Reporting Standards Essay

1. Introduction: With the announced adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for publicly accountable starting 2011 by the Canadian’s Accounting Standards Board (AcSB), issues about the effect on the usefulness of financial statement need serious attention starting on knowing the similarities and differences between Canadian GAAP and IFRS.   Some critics have argued that IFRS will   give up too much reliability in order to achieve relevance, while others have argued that the increased relevance and comparability will promote usefulness of the financial statements.   This paper attempts to address some of these issues as is seeks to analyze the potential effects of Canada Adoption of IFRS by making an opinion as to whether the change will result in more or less decision useful information, thus making securities markets either more or less efficient. 2. Analysis and Discussion 2.1 What is IFRS and its advantages if adopted? IFRS is being promoted by its supporters as a â€Å"single set of globally accepted, high quality accounting standards† (KMPG Canada, 2007), that is adopted by over a hundred countries, including five of the G8 countries (KMPG Canada, 2007).   It appears to have gained the support of a number of countries and with announced adoption in Canada, starting 2011 by AcSB, there is good ground to believed about the benefits of the said set of international accounting standards in Canada compared staying on with the present Canada GAAP.   To cite names of countries, it could be asserted that as early as 2005, publicly listed companies in European Union member countries , Australia, Hong Kong,   and South Africa and have used IFRS (KMPG Canada, 2007).   In the absence of these countries’ plan or indication of returning to where they came from, with more reason and interest it is to know about the improvement from IFRS adoption in the financial statements of Canadian comp anies. Given therefore the similarities of the two standards under Canadian GAAP and IFRS, there is basis to state that Canada has had considerable input and influence in the development of IFRS over the years (KMPG Canada, 2007).   Therefore, Canada’s decision to join the many countries in adopting IFRS carries with it the intention to benefit enterprises in Canada.   That it would provide better access to international capital, funding and investment opportunities should not come as a big surprise.   The realities of samurai bonds or Eurobonds (Hill, 2009) could be asserted to have strong support from the presence of IAS or IFRS in the countries where bonds are floated as companies seek cheaper sources of capital as finding the same outside each homo country   helps in minimization of cost of capital as an objective (Brigham and Houston, 2002).   The improved information in terms of comparability of financial reports across countries could just be easy to accept as many c ompanies pursue international business. Another advantage of using the IFRS is the belief that it   should also more cost effective for the accounting information compared with maintaining a separate and isolated set of Canadian accounting standards (KMPG Canada, 2007).   This could be the same reason for the move by the US to eventually adopt harmonization of its accounting standards with the IFRS since non-US companies, which want to list their stocks in the US stock exchanges, are required still to make translation of IFRS based financial statements into US GAAP based.   From the practical sense of view, it would be easy to see the added cost for companies making still translations in the same way that non-Canadian companies may be required to make the translation   when they go to Canadian stock exchanges. Another advantage of adoption is to make financial results more transparent and consistent for user globally, which will mean using more judgment and providing more disclosure in the short term (KMPG Canada, 2007).   For this reason,   persons involved in the public company financial reporting of Canada will have to   expect to pass under   a steep learning curve (KMPG Canada, 2007).   IFRS and Canadian GAAP compare in just few important lines   but since IFRS standards are comprehensive and principles-based, it is expected that its application would require greater use of professional judgment than Canadian GAAP.   The availability of more accounting policy choices under   IFRS would take companies longer time now to evaluate these choices for each organization and is expected to result in valuable outcomes in the long-term (KMPG Canada, 2007). 2.2 The impact of the IFRS adoption It is believed that the first and most obvious impact of IFRS adoption would be in the effect on the presentation of the financial position of an entity as set out in its financial statements   (Romano and Grewal, 2009).   Since IFRS represents a statement of principles that must be applied based on judgment and assumptions given the facts at hand, it is expected that many principles will change including possibly modifying the many rigid prohibitions or rules that have become part of Canadian GAAP over time   via either practice or prescription (Romano and Grewal, 2009).   To illustrate since IFRS allows for more fair value accounting policy choices, this would open to a greater degree of interpretation and professional judgment.   The new principles underlying the presentation of financial measures will change both the way in which things are measured and what is included in the measurement as wells timing of measurement and needed disclosure (Romano and Grewal, 2009). The impact of the adoption of the IFRS would be in the allowing greater freedom to exercise professional judgment on which will make the financial statements to have greater relevance that will enhance the usefulness of the accounting information.   It may be recalled that the qualitative characteristics of accounting include both reliability and relevance of the accounting information for decision-making (Meigs and Meigs, 1995). A financial information may therefore be too reliable as to approximate a high a degree of objectivity but may no longer be of significance to decision makers since the decision is already done. To illustrate,   a person buying a car   or any typical product may be interested to know what is the estimated cost of production for a car that he or she wants to buy for the buyer for comparing it with the actual price of the product. On the other hand, another buyer may not really know what is the actual cost but he or she has information that the production possess so much value that is it relevant and unique about the product being sold and could be used for commercial production. The second buyer may not have the actual objective cost of production for the product but he or she has a good and businesslike assessment of the situation because of familiarity of relevant information which can generates value and could make a reasonable estimate of the values of possible input cost of the product.   He is therefore more strategically positioned than the first buyer is.   Thus, relevance at this point may be more advantageous than having greater reliability of information.   Adoption of IFRS is however not expected to amount of total loss of reliability of information. The adoption of IFRS is criticized by the fact that it would provide too much management flexibility or the freedom of interpretation that may be adopted with the concurrence of the independent auditors, thus it would reduce the quality of financial reporting.   There is however, no strong evidence to believe that feared consequence of the adoption on these ground.   In fact, this feared consequence remains to be seen (Romano and Grewal, 2009).   On the hand, one great inducement of adoption is for greater international comparability due from a perspective of globalized-investment market place.   There is now movement towards the implementation of the adoption and there are now plans to effect a successful transition (Romano and Grewal, 2009). 2.3 Sample Partial Application of IAS or IFRS to Business about Fair value Accounting One sample interesting effect of adoption of IFRS is the eventual effect International Accounting Standard (IAS) 39.   It is asserted that IAS 39   is   partial application of fair value accounting since the said standard gives institutions the possibility of irrevocably applying fair value valuations to any financial instrument starting from the concept of â€Å"fair value option† (Enria, et al, 2004). It is argued that one fundamental building block of   developed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB),   the present makers of standards under the IFRS based in UK, is to bring the financial statements up to day with market developments hence, a working group on the issue has proposed the use of Full Fair Value Accounting (FFVA) for all financial instruments.   (Enria, et al, 2004).   While adoption of the IFRS by Canada would not immediately result to adoption of fair value accounting, it will open the great possibility because as stated earlier, the use of international accounting standard would give more flexibility to company’s management and accounting professionals and fair value accounting is part of the IFRS. If it feared that FFVA could produce effects on financial stability of banks, the same arguments could be made applicable to the Canadian companies, which are just to co-exist with other international and global companies in the use of IFRS.   The analysis of authors found confirmation about concerns on the potential wider application of fair value in unduly increasing the volatility of banks’ balance sheets, which could reduce possibly ability of companies to react to adverse shocks.   The adoption of fair value could also result to the pro-cyclicality of the bank lending especially if the application of fair value happens simultaneously with other developments under a new accord.   Thus, one of possible consequence is for encouraging banks to react if values change by use of FFVA through panic selling and tightening lending standard (Enria, et al, 2004).   The effect could be far reaching as it could bring a possible financial crisis at the worst case possibly. From deeper tests, however, the researchers have found no significant impact on volatility by the introduction of FFVA standards for companies studied in the 1980s and 1990w.   However, they cautioned about the need to be interpret the result with caution for several reasons and call for further research citing as one reason the lack of clear-cut choice of the cut-off dates on which banks change from one accounting standard to the other (Enria, et al, 2004). 3. Conclusion To conclude, this researcher   believes that the adoption   by the Canadian Accounting Standard Board of IFRS for companies   concerned starting in 2011 will result to   more useful information that would make securities markets either more or less efficient than not adopting the said international; accounting standard.   The adoption, while could result to possibly losing some reliability,   is expected bring   greater relevance of the financial statements and increased comparability which would then it more useful for Canadian companies and the users of these information.   The possibility of losing some reliability may possibly be counter checked by user still requiring from these companies from which they would like to deal with the production of financial statements prepared under the present Canadian GAAP but they could run the risk of losing the benefit of a decision that would be based on relevant grounds.   The mere fact that CASB has announced the adoption should signal there the advantages could outweigh the disadvantages of IFRS adoption.

Benefits to Running Bleachers

Athletes, along with others trying to get into shape usually incorporate running bleachers into their exercise routines. This activity has a variety of health and physical fitness benefit. One obvious benefit is the ability for body to develop more efficiently than running on a flat surface. Another benefit is the increase of the heart rate. The heart rate increases because the activity is much more intense than running regularly or jogging.Jogging bleachers requires the exercise to be performed at a higher intensity. This type of workout helps to teach an individual’s cardiovascular system to recovery quickly. This is because after going up the bleachers and resting for a few seconds, the body needs to be ready to be able to work hard again once it is time to run back up. This workout is known as a cardiovascular exercise which is effective in burning calories.This helps to increase the body fat loss and allows the heart rate to elevate for at least 30 minutes. A big reason w hy most athletes run bleachers is because of its ability to increase leg power. In certain sports, such as basketball, soccer, football and track, leg power is necessary to better the performance of the player. Climbing up the bleacher requires the quadriceps and glute muscles in the legs to push off each step with force. Running bleachers also puts more of a variety into an average person’s workout.This prevents muscles from adapting and allows them to continue development. For runners, finding a set of bleachers to run can be considered a break from their same daily route, which will keep them from becoming tired. For those who are not runners, bleachers will most certainly help to work out the muscles throughout the legs. Although running bleachers can be considered cruel punishment in gym classes, it is an effective exercise that keeps the heart healthy and the legs muscular.

My Life as a Basketball Player Essay

My lifestyle of basketball part 1 Basketball is not a sport for everyone it takes a lot of dedication, strength, focus ,and teamwork. I have been playing basketball since I was seven years old. The love that I have for the game is indescribable, if by chance I could never play again, my soul would be a hollow lifeless shadow. From the Separating White Line I glance up at the scoreboard; the clock reads 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter. My team is down by 4 points; we have to score a three-pointer and have no time-outs left. I yell out the play for a three-pointer and a two-pointer, now the perfectly spherical ball is put in my hands. Taking a short glance to the clock I saw time was running out. The only objects I see are two tall defensive players bearing down on me. Somehow I release the ball, just in time as a defender tries to block my shot. Miraculously the ball finds its way into the hoop, with 6 seconds left and the clock stopped, the other team calls a timeout. I jog to our bench, my coach waiting on the sideline to discuss the most effective play for the situation. Upon my arrival I realize the scowl usually on my raging coach’s face has disappeared; in its place is a huge grin. He slaps me on the hand and tells me how good the offense is looking. The many things he has instilled in his players appear to be coming together for at least four quarters. It’s about time we have suffered through six straight losses, and have barely put any points on the scoreboard all season. My coach brushes the few hairs that have kept their pigment through the strenuous season. He is a man that really yells a lot†¦until he asks me how you get talented then I begin to tell him the story of my origins†¦

Low cost airline Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 12000 words

Low cost airline - Dissertation Example udice of people who probably who do not fly a great deal on business themselves and may regard those who do as pampered and privileged minority'' (pp14). According to Knowledgerush website ''A low-cost carrier (also known as a no-frills or discount carrier) is an airline that offers low fares but eliminates all unnecessary services. The typical low-cost'' According to the Statistics and Forecast (STATFOR) Service of Euro control there is no single best definition of a low-cost carrier. It is generally accepted that a low-cost airline, also known as no-frills or discount airline, is such carrier, which offers low fares but eliminates most traditional passenger services. The 'low-cost carrier' business design is defined by three key elements: - Simple product: catering on demand for extra payment; planes with narrow seating ( but bigger capacity) and only a single class; there is no seat assignment; they don't offer frequent-flyer programs; ticket less travel - positioning : non-business passengers, esp. leisure traffic, and budget priced; they have short-haul point-to-point traffic with high frequencies; they are making an aggressive marketing; they are using secondary airports (e.g. regional airports); they have a strong competition with all transport carriers - low operating costs: low wages, low air fees; low costs for maintenance; reduced employment (with much lower rates of number of passengers per employer); cockpit training and standby crews due to homogeneous fleet; high resource productivity: short ground waits due to simple boarding processes, no air freight, no hub services, short cleaning times (Internet). There are also other characteristics, which are typical for low-cost airlines. They all have in their fleet a single type of airplane, chosen to reduce... According to the Statistics and Forecast (STRATFOR) Service of Euro control, there is no single best definition of a low-cost carrier. It is generally accepted that a low-cost airline, also known as no-frills or discount airline, is such carrier, which offers low fares but eliminates most traditional passenger services. The ‘low-cost carrier’ business design is defined by three key elements: - Simple product: catering on demand for extra payment; planes with narrow seating and only a single class; there is no seat assignment; they don’t offer frequent-flyer programs; ticketless travel - Positioning: non-business passengers, esp. leisure traffic, and budget priced; they have short-haul point-to-point traffic with high frequencies; they are making an aggressive marketing; they are using secondary airports (e.g. regional airports); they have a strong competition with all transport carriers - low operating costs: low wages, low air fees; low costs for maintenance; reduced employment (with much lower rates of number of passengers per employee); cockpit training and standby crews due to homogeneous fleet; high resource productivity: short ground waits due to simple boarding processes, no air freight, no hub services, short cleaning times. There are also other characteristics, which are typical for low-cost airlines. They all have in their fleet a single type of airplane, chosen to reduce training and service costs. Commonly it is the Boeing 737, but it is not always like that, e.g. the Wizzair fleet has only Airbus A320.

EBay Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

EBay - Case Study Example Unlike in the marketplace, eBay provides a market space which is not constrained by time and distance. Through the internet technology buyers and sellers from all over the world meet virtually in order to trade their products with each other. In order to ensure the safety and convenience of the participants in each auction that the company hosts, the company has also designed value-added features and services which adds to the value that the customer receives. Thus, aside from bringing buyer and seller together, eBay also delivers safety to customers by ensuring convenient, fast, and safe online transactions. Alongside the huge advantages of transacting online are the risks shouldered by the participants and challenges for eBay. The hesitance of individuals to trade their products and services through online portals, stems from the fact that unlike in the marketplace, that there is a huge information asymmetry in marketspace both on the credibility of the participants and the quality of the products which are traded. Thus, numerous contracting problems occur including shipped products which are unpaid, goods which do not meet the expectations of the buyer, joy bidders, and fraud. These contracting problems are typical in the nature of eBay's business. Since each of the participant in the market wants to maximize his utility by buying unique goods at the same time paying the least for the products which he thinks have higher value while the seller wants to get the best possible money from his commodities, both could have the intention of outdoing each other because of information asymmetr y. 3. How does eBay address these problems Aside from bringing buyers and sellers together, eBay also enhanced its portal with value-added services and features which eliminate fear and assures each participant of safe, reliable, and convenient transaction. As mentioned in the case, Feedback forum is available for everyone who would like to have a thorough understanding of the credibility of a participant. In order to ensure that buyers are getting their money's worth, each buyer or seller is also provided with "insurance." The company also established SafeHarbor to identify, investigate, and take corrective actions on fraud and other misuse of the company's services. eBay's partnership with i-Escrow provides security to payment made. All of these value added features enhances the value delivered to the company's services. 4. What are the contracting costs of eBay The contracting problems identified above that eBay wants to eliminate pressures the business organization to shell out financial resources in order to provide solutions. As discussed in the previous paragraphs, eBay has been keen in identifying the contracting problems in its system and is committed in eliminating these in order to ensure the satisfaction of auction participants. However, in so doing, it also needs to make particular investments which require financial resources. All of these efforts stems from the company's aim of making trading safe and convenient to virtual buyers and sellers. In order to

Marketing for financial services (Research project)-HSBC Bank Research Paper

Marketing for financial services ( project)-HSBC Bank - Research Paper Example The company has significant presence in the world of internet and this essay is mainly attempted to analyze this aspect of HSBC. The principle reason behind choosing HSBC for this essay is the fact that it is one of the most respected organizations among the global banking and financial companies. Furthermore, data regarding HSBC is likely to be obtained conveniently as compared to any other financial organization. This essay aims to provide a clear understanding regarding the online presence of HSBC, main reasons behind such presence and various online marketing activities that are undertaken by the company. HSBC has robust presence in the world of internet through its different websites. The company has separate portals that are developed for several of its important markets. For instance, the website that is developed for UK (www.hsbc.co.uk) is significantly different from the site that is made for Indian market (www.hsbc.co.in). Each of these websites are linked to the corporate website (www.hsbc.com) of the main holding company i.e. HSBC plc. In addition to these websites, HSBC is also present online through several of its advertisements. Such advertisements are placed in different websites of other organizations that are usually relevant to banking and financial sector. Major objectives of such internet presence of HSBC are to introduce its products and services to the target customers and promote the brand ‘HSBC’. The websites of HSBC contain all the important information regarding the company and its products. Most importantly these websites provide all the facilities of internet banking. Furthermore each of the websites includes the detail contact information so that the customers can interact with the bank and its stuffs conveniently. HSBC promotes its brand and products in the world of internet through different marketing strategies like creating special website for corporate banking and

Strategic Management of Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Strategic Management of Human Resources - Essay Example On the other hand many enlightened businesses undertook the same to provide an enhanced experience to their employees which in turn greatly added their contribution to the organisation. The next level of change in the role and functions of personnel departments occurred with automation. Thus computerisation of functions such as pay roll and record keeping relieved personnel managers to focus on larger issues enhancing their contribution to strategic value addition to the organization as a whole. Personnel departments are also becoming more aware of the roles and responsibilities of line managers so that there is greater integration between the two for attaining strategic value. The delivery of greater quality of services by personnel departments is thus providing impetus to development in other functions of management. Personnel departments thus increasingly came to be seen not as boundary managers but value builders The traditional role of the personnel department has been seen as recruitment, defining job roles, training, structuring of pay and allowances, measuring performance and finally relieve those who are not performing satisfactorily. In many organisations these were also dealing with labour relations. However over the years, this role has been enlarged within the scope of general functions stated above to include induction of the best talent, providing effective training as per needs of the organization, designing and measuring job roles and performance, compensation management to include not just remuneration but also employee stock options based on performance and as a form of incentive and providing feedback to the management on the state of human resources in the organisation. During this stage, the term, human resources manager was being increasingly used in the management lexicon to represent the functions carried out by personnel managers. (Bersin, 2006) Induction of information technology into management and personnel functions had a lasting impact on its role and functions. Information technology systems automated routine and repetitive tasks which were so far engaging personnel managers such as pay rolls, performance reporting and incentive management. (Bersin, 2006). Systems such as recruitment and application tracking, total compensation packages build around cost to company, e learning and organizational development resulted in freeing the human resources manager to focus his attention on achieving key organizational goals by becoming a business partner in strategy implementation. Thus gradually personnel departments provided critical inputs for organizational growth. The emergence of the information and knowledge economy has also provided a critical role to personnel departments in what is being called as talent management. (Bersin, 2006). This implies personnel strategies which can identify best talent critical to organizational growth, retain and motivate it. The various strategies used for this purpose include management of competencies, measurement of performance, aligning these with the compensation package; assess overall contribution to the organization and so on. The overall aim is to limit job hopping, a trend

The Calvin Coolidge Administration Research Paper

The Calvin Coolidge Administration - Research Paper Example As the report discussesin 1912, people elected him to the Massachusetts State Senate. From 1916-1918 he served as the lieutenant governor before moving to the executive's chair. Coolidge as governor supported the pay increment for public workers and reduced working hours for women and children. He also limited outdoor advertising. In the 1920 presidential nominations, he was voted in as Warren Harding’s running mate. As a vice president, he kept a low profile but dedicated a lot of time towards public speaking. In august 2nd 1983, President Harding died because of a heart attack. Coolidge was administered the oath of office by his father, as his father was a justice of peace. He then became the 30th president of the US.From this research it is clear that  Coolidge was one of the U.S presidents who put the interest of their country at heart. He was not willing to let the state get involved in any international relationships that did not address its interests. This was congrue nt with his pledge of ensuring that his country would not be in a position entangled with any other state. It was with this respect that he was reluctant for his country to join the League of Nations.  Coolidge did not agree with the notion that legislation may uplift all problems. He saw it as a pernicious doctrine. As governor and eventually being a president, Coolidge favored no legislative agenda in the broad sense because he generally did not believe in any legislation.

Consumer-Firm Relationship and Bonding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Consumer-Firm Relationship and Bonding - Essay Example Some claim that behaviors people adopt, simplify the buying experience, reduce risks and maintain a psychological level of comfort. Others describe it as attracting, maintaining and enhancing customer relationships. These relationships go through hierarchical chain of events and development phases including exchanges, transactions through which customers receive psychological benefits. The relationships are earned through transactions. Relationship marketing sets out to establish, maintain, develop and commercialize so that objectives of both the customer and the marketer is met. This is done by mutual exchange and promise fulfillment. Relationship marketing can be viewed as relationships, interactions and networks connecting customers to customers, suppliers to customers, suppliers to suppliers as well as competitors. It includes employing tactical elements like customer contact, customer database management and customer-oriented service. Strategic elements re-characterize the business as a service business and view the organization as a process instead of a function. The dissertation considers all relationships as having life cycles and questions whether relationship marketing is the development of a new marketing paradigm.

Exploratory essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Exploratory - Essay Example I have taken information from other primary and secondary resources to demonstrate that consumption of organic food has more advantages to human health, the environment and the economy than consumption of GM food; but before I had amassed this knowledge, I was already of the opinion that consuming organic food is better that consuming GM food. This view was formed by my own personal experience; I had purchased some GM strawberries and although they were very large and looked perfect in appearance as compared to the smaller and oddly shaped organic strawberries, they were tasteless compared to the sweeter organic strawberries. I had also known that organic food does not use chemicals such as pesticides or tamper with the genes of food as is the case with GM food, so I assumed that eating organic food would be much safer. Though this seems like a biased view, I did conduct the research and examined many articles on both GM and organic food to find out if my preconceived notions about t he benefits of organic food were true. The information I found did actually corroborate my assumptions about organic and GM food, and so, my research question remains that consuming organic food is more advantageous because it tastes better than, is more environmentally friendly than, is safer to human health than, and better at promoting local economy than, consumption of GM food. 1. Part 2: What I have learned so far about my subject (the search). 2. Chait, n.p Chait, Jennifer. "8 Reasons Why Consumers Should Buy Organic Food."Http://organic.about.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 July 2013. . 3. Organic food is better than GM food since eating it is tasty, safe and does not contain any chemicals. Also, its production minimizes risk to the environment, since it does not pollute water bodies like production of GM food does, and neither does its farming techniques result in soil erosion and damage to the land. 4. (a) Chait demonstrates that not only is consumption of organic food

In this task, you will explore the process of selecting a research Assignment

In this task, you will explore the process of selecting a research topic. You may use journal articles, scholarly books, and dis - Assignment Example University of Southampton: Mathematical Sciences: databases & indexes Two additional keywords i. Teaching methods ii. Curriculum Key words that yielded the most useful searches i. Misconception ii. Area and perimeter D. Annotated bibliography for five sources identified in your search. Carle, S. (1993). Student Held Misconceptions Regarding Area and Perimeter of Rectangles. Boston: University of Massachusetts. This source focuses on the misconceptions of students in relation to area and perimeter of rectangles. Carle (1993) describes that students enter classroom with personal schemas, anchored in their ideas and experiences, which impact on their interpretation, reception, and recollection of new information. The author’s essentially recommends that the teachers should understand the impacts of such schemas. The author observes that the students manipulate and apply information without difficulties in class, only to forget the content after a while. Consequently, misconceptio ns are entangled into schemas, hence obstructing with the reception of information. Furthermore, the author discusses a framework including Anderson's theory of memory, taxonomy of critical thinking dispositions and abilities, Ennis' definition of critical thinking and cognitive psychology. ... The author has explained how the process of identification starts with pre-test analysis, which has five misconceptions including spatial bias, Equality Assumptions, Conversion Conclusion, Increase/Decrease assumption, and Fallacy of multiples. Disclosure of different types of misconceptions has a direct implication on the current study, which primarily deals with the way such misconceptions affect students’ understanding of area and perimeter formulas. Also useful from this source are the several theories that the author has explained which can help teachers in establishing the process of getting rid of misconception as well as initiating education change – this information can help in formulation the solution and recommendation in the current area of study. Although this source has some very relevant information that relates to the current topic, its usefulness is somewhat limited because it was published two decades ago, and many things have since changed. Therefore, its relevance is subject to further investigations on the more recent studies, to find out if any substantial changes have occurred in connection with the author’s findings. The author concludes the thesis by noting that the multi-faceted framework is very useful in investigating ways of building lessons, while focusing on elimination of particular misconceptions. Furthermore, the author makes suggestions on the manner in which the current innovative educational methods can be improved to aid students in understanding of formulas and mathematics in general. I reacted very positively to this source, because I found its multi-faced framework of investigating students’

The Morally Blasphemous Essay Example for Free

The Morally Blasphemous Essay In the following essay, I will argue that modern day suicide bombers are not morally blameless by Camus’s standards. To be morally blameless in Camus’s terms, modern day suicide bombers must absolutely meet two vital criteria. For suicide bombers to be morally blameless, Camus stresses that these terrorists must have a just cause, and secondly meet the qualifications of proportional atonement. Since some suicide bombers have a just cause, but all do not meet the criteria of proportional atonement, they are therefore considered not to be morally blameless by Camus’s standards. In the following paragraphs, I will lay out the framework and foundations to explain why the majority of suicide bombers do not meet the criteria for proportional atonement. Secondly I will attempt to demonstrate how some of the terrorism committed by these people, may be in the name of justice but then again look at fluent counter arguments that point out that suicide bombers are breaking one of Camus’s important deontological constraints. Proportional atonement for Camus is the ability for any terrorist , and in this case Kaliayev, to reflect on his actions after having committed the act of violence against the Grand Duke. The terrorist or suicide bomber must then have the courage to pay the ultimate price with their own life. In Kaliayev’s case, this means to refuse any form of acquittal and to suffer the punishment. For Camus, paying with one’s life is the highest price an individual can pay. Therefore a terrorist willing to go through with his or her plan must understand that by doing so, he or she is acting under the pretenses that they are giving up everything. Those who provide an argument in saying that terrorists do pay a proportional price, bring forth the idea that by blowing themselves up, suicide bombers are clearly paying with their life, and are therefore accepting to pay the maximum price. Whether a terrorist like Kaliayev, kills one person by blowing up the Grand Duke’s carriage, or whether it be the back bombers who blew themselves up killing 191 Spaniards in Madrid, these terrorists are paying the ultimate price for what they see as committing an act of justice. The number of people you kill, be it one or ten thousand is irrelevant as a person only has one life to give since we cannot kill ourselves over. For those who hold this true, what they are failing to realize is that suicide bombers, although they are paying the ultimate price, are often celebrated as heroes back at home and monetary compensation is often rewarded to the family members of the suicide bombers. Therefore, you might say that terrorist do pay with their lives but minus the amount of post-mortem social prestige. In his book Driven to Death, author Ariel Merari discusses the effect that monetary compensation has on helping to recruit suicide bombers. In his book, Merari states that families receive money from many sources, including local charities as well as terrorist recruiter groups like modern day Al-Qaeda and the Palestinian authority. In Iraq, before the fall of Sadam Hussein’s regime, his government would give between $20,000 and $25,000 to the families of su icide bombers, often given the goal to blow up and kill American troops or Iranian Shi’ites. 1 1Merari, Ariel. A Controlled Study of Would Be Suicides. Driven to Death. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. 132-33. Print This brings me to my next point which discuses the power of what I call selfish reasoning. Another method is to try and compare modern day suicide bombers, (which we unfortunately have to generalize as Muslims) to Kaliayev. In my estimation suicide bombers blow themselves up for much ore selfish reasons. This would include the Islamic tradition of securing a place in paradise. Thus it could be far fetched to say that their death is an act of repentance but rather a quick way of going right up to paradise. Of course we do have to recognize that this may not be true for all suicide bombers. Unlike these suicide bombers Kaliayev is content to die for his cause, which is for securing a better life for the Russian people. Throughout the play there is absolutely no talk of heaven or paradise but rather the act of death as merely the end. During one of his arguments with Stepan, Kailayev notes that he joined the revolution because he loves life and is willing to give it up for the group’s cause. 2 The final foundation I wish to discuss is this idea of repentance. After having killed the Grand Duke, Kaliayev was forced to go on living in prison for a short amount of time, forced to focus and repent on his action. Even for the short amount of time, Kaliayev was forced to live knowing that he was a murderer and knowing of his dirty blood stained hands. Unlike Kaliayev who is forced to reconcile and repent, suicide bombers blow themselves up immediately, removing any bit of suffering, self reflection and pity from their agenda. This of course brings me to the next idea, which will focus on Camus’s first argument of being able to fulfill la just cause. 2Camus, Albert. The Just Assasins. Trans. Stuart Gilbert. Caligula And 3 Other Plays. New York: Random House, 1958. 243. Print. To say whether or not suicide bombers have a just or unjust cause is a very tricky question to answer. Since we are talking about modern day examples, let us assume we are referring to modern day su icide bombers recruited for groups like Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda’s objective is to stop the evils of American-Western oppression and economic control in the Arab world. In the last century, America has secured a dictatorship in Iran, invaded Iraq on a number of occasions, invaded Afghanistan overthrowing the Taliban and has stationed troops in Saudi Arabia in an effort to maintain a partnership that would give the United States cheap oil. Certainly having felt the oppression, suicide bombers and terrorists networks who do not have the means to take on the American military head on and engage in what is called guerilla or asymmetrical warfare. Suicide bombers will target the populations of western countries in order for the people to demand policy changes from the government out of fear of further attacks. After the dreadful Madrid bombings in 2004, the Spanish government pulled out of Iraq. A parallel can be drawn to the terrorist organization in the â€Å"Just Assassins†, unable to take the Russian military head on, the oppressed proletariats resort to unconventional warfare of terrorism against the leaders of governments in order to achieve their goal of freedom which Camus would define as clearly a just want for both those in the Arab world and for the proletariats of Russia. All this being considered, those opposed to the granting terrorists the â€Å"just cause† stamp of approval, we must consider that suicide bombers unlike Kaliayev are engaging in the violation of one of Camus’s largest moral constraints which includes the killing of innocents, along with the guilty. When a suicide bomber blows himself up, he usually does so with the goal of killing as many people as possible. In the story, kalayev cannot bring himself to kill the Grand Dukes niece and nephew because they are innocent; a group consensus follows his decision. If the Madrid back pack bombers wanted to get Camus’s morally blameless stamp of approval, perhaps they would have blown up the Spanish government rather than commuters. Having considered all the factors that have been discussed, for suicide bombers to be morally blameless by Camus’s standards they must first have a just cause and secondly practice proportional atonement. Whether or not some suicide bombers have a just cause is certainly up for interpretation and can be seen in many different lights, factors would include whether blowing up civilians is morally just and on what account they can be seen as blameful for even supporting a government that oppresses a people. On the other hand, assuming that the given suicide bombers have a just cause, it is evident for the reasons stated above that no modern day suicide bomber can fit the criteria of proportional atonement. Therefore anyway you put it, modern day suicide bombers are not morally blameless because they cannot meet both criteria successfully. Works Cited Camus, Albert, and Stuart Gilbert. Caligula Three Other Plays. New York: Random House, 1958. Print. Merari, Ariel. Driven to Death: Psychological and Social Aspects of Suicide Terrorism. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.

Importance of a Crime Analysis Unit

Importance of a Crime Analysis Unit Crime analysis is not a new concept, as police officers have searched for ways to discover patterns and similarities between incidents for years. Furthermore, crime analysis has become a progressively common component in many police organizations. An increasing number of departments have allocated additional personnel to assume the role of crime analyst. Further, a number of police departments have established special units to perform crime analysis. In general terms, crime analysis deals with the collection and analysis of data relating to a criminal incident, offender, and target. Recently, there has been a shift from reactionary policing to proactive policing. Crime analysis does just that, it addresses the causes of crime and disorder overall preventing criminal activity before it ever occurs. Crime analysis is easily used in conjunction with community policing and problem-oriented policing, as they all have the same goal of preventing criminal activity before its too late (Gibli n, 2006). Analysis stands out amongst the best and most effective tools available to support law enforcement agencies today. Crime analysis is an effective and necessary constituent for both community and problem-oriented policing. Data collection is useless unless it is easily comprehended and relates to a case. The analysis of data not only puts an entire puzzle together, but it reveals what pieces are missing as well. Ultimately, crime analysis arranges information in such a way that it guides its departments towards prosecutorial achievement. Having a crime analysis function could fulfill the analytical needs related to problem-oriented policing. Basically, crime analysis coincides with any agencys contingency agenda and is an essential asset (Giblin, 2006). This paper is a proposal of guidelines revealing just how critical it is for this department to establish and maintain a Crime Analysis Unit. Mission, goals and objectives The mission of this crime analysis unit will be facilitating situational awareness and assisting out police officers with crime reduction efforts. The results of crime analysis will be generated to assist our officers with understanding their jurisdictions environment, as well as guide them in implementing specific strategies for crime reduction (Santos, 2012). The goals of this crime analysis unit will be to uncover vital pieces of intelligence from within huge quantities of data and to distribute this information to officers and investigators in the field, overall assisting their efforts in apprehending criminals and eliminating criminal activity. Additionally, analysis of crime is an essential tool when it comes to establishing crime prevention efforts. The cost benefit analysis shows that preventing crime costs less than apprehending, or trying to apprehend, criminals subsequent to the crime occurring (Osborne Wernicke, 2003). The overall objective of this crime analysis unit is to transform data into actionable intelligence on crime series, patterns, trends, etc. in order to support the department with preventing criminal acts from ensuing for both short and long term problems. Role of Analysis within the Department The role of analysis in this department is to assist with the overall intelligence, investigative, and planning activities. The crime analysis unit will analyze crime for a number of reasons. The analysts within the unit will allow this department to benefit from the wealth of information that exists in law enforcement agencies, the criminal justice system, and the public domain. The unit will also analyze crime to make the most of the limited law enforcement resources and to update our officers on general and precise crime trends, patterns, and series in a continuous, timely manner. Further, the crime analysis unit will be able to access crime problems beyond the local jurisdiction to pull from and assist fellow law enforcement agencies. On top of that, the analysts will be proactive in discovering and thwarting crime problems, as well as matching the departments efforts to the demands of an ever-changing society (Giblin, 2006). The crime analysis unit will ensure this department incorporates a geographic, spatial, and local focus that stresses the importance of incorporating crime-mapping techniques into departmental management, analysis, and enforcement procedures (Giblin, 2006). The unit will keep officers updated with critical information via crime bulletins, briefings, and a variety of intelligence reports. The analysts will also support officers and investigators in the field by identifying crime problems in their jurisdiction and assisting with short and long term prevention efforts utilizing the SARA model. The analysts will ensure they support the field both tactically and strategically. Although some crime analysis units solely produce crime statistics or only profile criminals, this unit will conduct a wide range of tasks in order to fully support field operations (Osborne Wernicke, 2003). The Crime Analysis Unit will also have an advanced and easy to comprehend software program as well. This program will be able to create statistics based off of inputted data, and will feature other tools like crime-mapping and an automated crime trend generator. With this database, even the entry-level analysts will be able to input data and generate basic reports. Analysts will also have knowledge on and be able to operate a geographic information system (Santos, 2012). Staffing A Senior Analyst will be in charge of the crime analysis unit and will be responsible for the everyday actions and products of the crime analysis unit. This position will be held by an experienced analyst with knowledge of all capabilities of the crime analysis unit and will be the link between the leaders in the department and the crime analysts. Below the Senior Analyst will be two specialty analysts, each with their own mission and team of three members. One team will be led by a tactical specialty analyst and the other specialty analyst will be skilled at strategic analysis. Both of these specialty analysts will have knowledge of general analysis techniques as well. The tactical team will focus primarily on present day issues, such as crime patterns and short-term statistics. The strategic teams objective will be long term analysis, focusing on permanent problems within the community. Although the two teams are split with separate missions, all analysts will have the basic knowle dge of all duties of the unit. The members on each team will consist of two entry-level analysts and one experienced analyst. The entry-level analysts will be responsible for conducting routine crime analysis duties. The experienced analysts on both teams will produce more advanced analysis, to include conducting statistics and research methodologies (Santos, 2012). These analysts will also assist the entry-level analysts and teach them what they know. Procedures There are five generally recognized stages in crime analysis: collection, collation, analysis, dissemination, and feedback. To start the process, the assigned analysts will start collecting data from a variety of sources, such as police reports, field interviews, probation and parole reports, as well as open source data. Analysts will ensure the information is coming from only the departments jurisdiction, as they dont need to be analyzing other departments jurisdictions. This data will be entered into a computer software program which assists the analyst with sorting. Since new data is constantly being generated, our department will choose specific crimes they would like analyzed. The analysts will then organize and place the data into sub-categories under the specified crimes. Once the data is organized, it will be analyzed more thoroughly and turn it into timely, useful, and accurate information for distribution. The analysis procedure will assist in identifying subjects, identify ing MOs, recognizing linked cases, and profiling all involved parties. Once the data has been concentrated down into useful information, it is distributed to the crime analysis units customers. Primarily it goes to the patrol officers, investigators, and command staff, but can also be disseminated to media, citizens, other city government employees, and other law enforcement agencies if needed (Osborne Wernicke, 2003). Since new crimes happen every day, they need to be added to the ongoing collation and incorporated into the bigger picture. When done effectively, this interesting and challenging work allows you, the crime analyst, to help police officers do a better job in making communities safer. Training All analysts in the crime analysis unit are preferred to have police knowledge, proficient research abilities, and technological skills. Subsequent to being hired, the analysts will undergo more training than their basic background knowledge. have training on geographical information systems (GIS), in order for them to generate intelligence products. Crime-mapping, CompStat, profiling, .. REWORD: The International Association of Crime Analysts has and continues to work to develop standards for crime analysis as a career and its practice. They have developed a national certification process and a handbook that provides basic crime analysis knowledge needed for certification, as well as a certification training series (IACA, 2011). More recently, they have initiated a standards, methods, and technology committee with the purpose of defining analytical methodologies, technologies, and core concepts relevant to the profession of crime analysis (IACA, 2011). Quarterly and annual training will be conducted using resources from the International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) and from the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA) (Ratcliffe, 2004). Expected products Tactical crime analysis deals with the examination of recent criminal incidents and probable criminal activity through various methods (Santos, 2012). This type of analysis involves looking at data to produce intelligence on the where, when, and how of the crimes in order to aid field officers in pinpointing and interpreting certain, pressing crime problems. The objective of tactical crime analysis is to initiate a quick response to crime problems occurring in the present. The role of the crime analysts under the tactical team will be to identify current patterns of crime activities and forecast potential future crimes. The units tactical analysts will distribute information using a format known as pattern bulletin and include details such as suspect profiles, victim profiles, modus operandi (MO) factors, area type, day/time favored by the subject, and other elements that will assist in identifying the subject (Osborne Wernicke, 2003). The analysts will also provide products such as time series charts, crime pattern bulletins, and BOLOs (Santos, 2012). Strategic crime analysis involves long-range issues and arranging for long-term plans. The two main goals of strategic crime analysis are to aid in the identification and examination of long-term issue and to assess responses to issues as well as organizational measures (Santos, 2012). The analysts on the strategic team will observe long-term crime trends. The analysts will utilize different types of products to provide information to a variety of people, from command staff to field officers, as well as the community to put out this information. These reports will provide information on the ongoing deviation in certain crime categories, victim categories, target locations, or other crime elements of interest (Osborne Wernicke, 2003). The products of strategic crime analysis come in the form of memos, quarterly reports and maps, yearly reports, special reports, and research, evaluation, and problem reports (Santos, 2012). Because strategic analysis deals more with long term analysis, the reports will be pushed out over longer periods of time compared to tactical analysis reports. Along with tactical and strategic analysis, the crime analysis unit will also be able to conduct administrative crime analysis. Administrative crime analysis delivers a variety of services such as summary data, statistics, and general trend intelligence to the department. These products will assist administrators when they assign community resources and/or aid in relating pertinent information to citizens on crime and disorder issues (Osborne Wernicke, 2003). Conclusion: Most agencies are transitioning to a tactical and strategic crime analysis focus, dedicated to helping patrol officers and investigators apprehend criminals as well as assisting in problem-oriented and community policing efforts. References Giblin, M. J. (2006). Structural elaboration and institutional isomorphism: The case of crime analysis units. Policing, 29(4), 643-664. doi:13639510610711583 International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA). 2011. Professional training series. Retrieved from http://www.iaca.net/training.asp Osborne, D., Wernicke, S. (2003;2013;). Introduction to crime analysis: Basic resources for criminal justice practice (illustrat ed.). GB: Routledge Ltd. doi:10.4324/9780203463284 Ratcliffe, J. H. (2004). Crime mapping and the training needs of law enforcement. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 10(1), 65-83. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/docview/222839188?accountid=8289 Santos, R. B. 2012. Crime Analysis with Crime Mapping, 3rd Edition. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781483302270/ http://journals.sagepub.com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/doi/full/10.1177/1043986214525080 https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0271-pub.pdf (?)

Teachers and modern classroom

Teachers and modern classroom There have been profound changes in the education policies with the change in times requiring skills from modern teachers that were not even imagined possible in an earlier era. Generally teaching in classrooms were sessions that used the board, lecture, and oral and written tests of the subject and direct interaction between the teacher and students. This required skills for the teacher like a willingness to explain in depth, lecturing and presentation skills, motivation and in some cases the excise of authority and leadership. This role is slowly changing and so is the method of the delivery of instruction. Today information is not in the lecture or library but on the internet and sometimes lectures are replaces by multimedia presentations. The teacher today is called upon to be techno smart and highly creative. This has posed problems for teachers who are not trained in these technologies. Tied with modern concepts like involvement, and many other new concepts like global learning communities the teacher is always expected to upgrade their skills, and standards not only in the respective subjects but also teaching skills and methods used. This causes a dual draw. As it is there is a lack of information in the teaching departments about performance. Secondly teachers are yet to be trained properly in the use of information for the identification of weaker students and also to understand their own deficiencies. Thus teachers are not privy to data and where data is available either on the education prospects, or on the subjects or even on the students progress teachers are unable to use the information meaningfully due to lack of competency in the use of technology or the necessary medium is not available to them perhaps even on cost considerations. Unfortunately such shifts have caused teaching merely to be academic based on formulas, and painting by numbers. Technology has made the primary-school teachers into technicians. There are more and more of the administrative demands on teachers, and with a larger population of students and changes in policy that make social practices become optional. As education gets modernized it is pointed out that there is a need to develop the data processing methods. Instructional designs properly done will reduce the difficulty of understanding and the modern requirements that is necessary for task automation, time components, and technology. There is a great care required for the educational processes from textbook selection, instruction and the often marginalized social position in womens work. Creativity has become the good example in education with the teachers required to improvise the teaching methods irrespective of the use of modern technologies. As a result modern teachers use props and craft to get the message passed on to the students rather than the rote and learn technology of previews years. More students are taken to field trips and teachers are called upon to show their creative skills in creating absorbing activities. These manipulations need the teacher to plan a sequence of projects where the student is made to learn by doing, something unheard of in the past. The earlier discussions revealed that for a long time the teaching community has been using props and small technology that was creative and crafted to the requirements of the class room. That was an aide and a supplement to the class teaching and did not distance the teacher from the learning stream. Their work was participatory. However with the modern gadgets the things get confusing. The teacher showing a multimedia presentation does not participate with it and there is no doing and learning. Instructions are on the screen and are impersonal. Does this impair the learning process? There is no direct research on this though arguments have been advanced on either site. There are many types of technology that is in use today and it is argued that it can be used to teach. Thus the modern information and electronic technology can be used to convey information like a word processor. This helps those with writing problems as in dyslexia. Teachers can use such technologies to advantage. Other available tools like desktop publishing tools, music software, are all used in modern classrooms. Computer Programs like Excel that can plot graphs and pie charts can be used to save time in the teaching of data analysis. Likewise the physics class can be with practical multimedia. These facilities often handicap the teacher who is not trained to only in the use of the media but also in the method of using them as the supplement to his or her lecture skills and direct rapport with the student. In order to prevent the teacher from becoming a switch presser who takes no active part in the session other that show slides or let the software do the talking teachers have to be educated on the methods of using technology without compromising their ability to build a relationship. This calls for reorienting the teacher. Teachers have a great difficulty in the use of technology. The teacher today is faced with the changes in the classroom and technology. Novick says that students today are into the use of technology but are emotionally and physically drained. They are according to Bernard Novick the products of a new era. Therefore there is a need to train and encourage the teaching communities to be equipped themselves and handle the changes and adapt to the standard of the new student generation and their requirements. Lankshear devolve into the problems of teachers who are subject to a world that is changing not only in the area of literacy and education but also in the changing face of technology which is complicating the way education is being modernized. Thus today there is a link between literacy, technology and learning. The authors comment that there is a lot of enthusiasm and initiative with teachers and students in integrating new technologies into the activities of classroom-based literacy education. The author has researched the aspect o changes in technology that could do both, bridge the inabilities and cover for the shortcomings of the students and also become a possible creator of disabilities. On the other hand, Mac Arthur et al argue that the changes in the technology have changed the nature of the technology practices and also have caused impairment to cognitive facilities. Computer technologies may have a very far reaching influence on skills especially to writing skill and vocabulary. The ability of writing well phased matter with reflection is a skill that is cultivated by the written language; unfortunately these skills could be jeopardized. On the other hand technology could bring in aid to the really disadvantaged by providing required support. In extreme cases this could afford a method of imparting knowledge where formerly there were none. Thus it is evident that the modern teacher cannot be away from the influence of technology and it is time that teachers are technically trained, and they are also made aware of the use of modern data processing methods which will enable them in assessing students and understanding their own potential and role. As with all industries these problems are also the foundations for unions to call in the status quo. Because the modern technologies. The unions for the teachers have unfortunately blocked their own progress. Unions though a great means of collective bargaining interfere in the progressive measures which include programs to enhance the teachers proficiency and effectiveness. Thus there is a problem of the parent collective and the teachers unions and the educational institutions. Though there is autonomy of institutions larger decisions often involve the negotiation with the unions. The recent move in Columbia to make the teaching effective with the voucher plan for example gives greater say to parents. This will ensure that the teacher is dedicated to the job. Thus the initial voucher plans for the children in the District of Columbia which were funded by the government have for example given teeth to parents in education. The unions mostly are raking up issues for political mileage and this seriously impairs the quality of not only education but also of teachers. That unions were involving teachers in their political agenda was evident when the IRS charged that the NEA is illegally making use of funds which are tax-exempt for the purpose of political activity. This is in the wake of the Democratic Party documents showing that NEA is a campaign which was coordinated by the party in the year 1996. The unionism has not affected all teachers. The NEAs agenda is making teachers turn away from it because it involves opinions on international issues not involved with teaching. The AAE and its coalition have 250,000 members, and are not into collective bargaining, on the other hand offer liability-insurance policies and scholarships for teachers. There is also the suggestion of a voucher system where the teacher will be assessed by the parents. This may benefit the good teachers. That these problems do not escape the notice of teachers is evident from the protests of the teachers who wish to be devoid of union compulsions. Teachers are critical of the unions. For example public-school teachers are opposing the unions that claim to represent them on issues ranging from alleged misuse of member dues for political activity to union insistence on politically correct curricula. Thus with parental rights teachers are calling for teachers right to be devoid of union harassment. Thus there is a division on the issue and while unions provide for insurance, and other group benefits, they must not enter into the very root of the education system. Freedom of expression without compulsions must be guaranteed to the teachers. There are lots of women teachers in all communities. In fact women tend to take to teaching as a vocation more than men. However the issues that confront male teachers in the school are also present for the female teachers in the same ratio. Thus they also have to be technically skilled, and oriented to the modern teaching methods. Earlier women were relegated to the kindergarten and the primary schools. Now they are in high positions in academic institutions including research institutions and have a role in the formulation of education policies. The distinction between the male teacher and the female teacher lies in the reach women have on the marginalized children and therefore the teaching of these groups who cannot attend school is a speciality that has to be developed in willing women teachers. Thus the technology of today enables women at home take a shot at home schooling to have virtual but still intimate emotional connections. There is evidence of social disintegration, with the loss of the common school and the teacher education programs and there is a move aimed at retraditionalization with individualism being more asserted. Home schooling has come to stay especially in cases where the child is disadvantaged. It is there that Michael W. Apple lays stress on the role of women educators. It is his opinion that teacher education must be available for women, not only the professional teacher at school, but also those who care for the disadvantaged and are engaged in schooling either at home or in the community. It is urged that this ought to be considered seriously.

Agamemnon Essay -- essays research papers

Aeschylus was born in 525 B.C. and died in 466 B.C. He was the first of the three Athenian dramatists, the other two being Sophocles and Euripides. The first of Aeschylus’ plays were laid open in 499. He was established as the founder of tragedy, according to Aristotle. He diminished the importance of the chorus and introduced a second actor. Between the years of 484 and 458, he won awards at the festival in the City Dionysia. He wrote more than ninety plays, but only seven survive. The oldest of these is The Suppliant Maidens. The trilogy, Agamemnon, Choephore, and Eumendis, was not long before 458. Aeschylus acted in his own plays. His family belonged to an old Athenian nobility and, as part of his duty, he fought in at least two wars where the Greeks defeated the Persians: Marathon and Salamis. Some scholars say that he participated in one or more of the northern expeditions in the years following the Persian War. Aeschylus died and was buried in Gela in 456 B.C. A fable state that an eagle dropped a tortoise on his bald head mistaking it for a rock that it could crack its rock on. That is ridiculous. Word count: 202 The plot section: A bit of background: The king of Argos, Atreus, had a very large quarrel with Thyestes, his younger brother. Thyestes had seduced Atreus’ wife, Aerope. Thyestes went into exile. Agamemnon, seeking revenge, welcomed him back, promising forgiveness. When Thyestes returned, Agamemnon served Thyestes’ sons to him in a stew and showed their heads on a silver platter to him. Thyestes went into exile again. Aerope had previously been married to Atreus’s son Plisthenes and had two children, Agamemnon and Menalaus. The children were raised by Atreus and married sisters: Clymenstra and Helen. Paris stole Helen and Agamemnon arranged the war to get her back. This war lasted ten years and the plot starts at Agamemnon’s return home. The watchman is sitting on the roof of Agamemnon’s palace awaiting the beacon signaling that the war was over. He is sad that his master is gone and what has been happening in his absence. What has been happening is Clymenstra has been â€Å"getting friendly† with Aegisthus, Thyestes’ son. Aegisthus is seeking revenge on Agamem... ...the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.† This tells us that lust and pride are of the world. Clymenstra was definitely of the world. She lusted after someone and was prideful in her lies. All of these things are wrong and we know that they are not looked upon favorably by our Father in heaven. We learn that from this book. Another theme is do not commit adultery. It is in the Bible! Exodus 20:14 says,† Thou shall not commit adultery."This does not mean just sleeping with someone who is not your husband or wife. It can also mean do not lust with your eyes and mind. When you look at someone with lustful thoughts, it is considered adultery. The last theme I saw was when Agamemnon walked on the tapestries to please his wife although he knew it would displease the gods. This teaches me that we should have an attitude of â€Å"no compromise.† He compromised his values for someone else. This is not the way things should be in Christian lives. Too many people compromise and stretch their values to suit everyone else’s needs. Christ did not comprise on the cross, we should not either. Word count: 297

James Buchanan :: US Presidents

James Buchanan was born in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania on April 23, 1791. He became the fifteenth President of the United States of America on March 4, 1857. . He was the only President that was never married. His first lady was his niece Harriet Lane. He was the only citizen of Pennslvania to hold that office. He has been criticized for failing to take any positive action in order to attempt to pervent the country from sliding into the Civil War. Some have even speculated that he had gay tendencies with William Rufus King, the Senator for Alabama. He graduated from Dickinson College. After graduation he went on to study law. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives and then he was elected to Seventeenth and to the four succeeding Congressess. He was also chairman of the Committeee on the Judiciary in the Twenty-first Congress. With of these accomplishments he had created a great political background. Although his political background was excellent, his presidency was consider one of the worst ever. In his Inangural the President referred to the territorial question as "happily, a matter of but little practical importance" since the Supreme Court was about to settle it "speedily and finally." One of the main issues during his presidency was the very controversail issue of slavery. Although he opposed slavery, he acted very Kerry like by changing his beliefs. Buchanan decided to end the troubles in Kansas by urging the admission of the territory as a slave state. Although he directed his Presidental authority to this goal, he further angered the Republicans and alienated memebers of his own part. After all of this Kansas remained a territory. Another hot issue was regarding the sucession of southern states. President Buchanan, very dismayed and hesitant, denied the legal right of states to secede but held that the Federal Government legally could not prevent them. He hoped for compromise, but secessionist leaders did not want compromise so he just let them do what the wanted to do. Then Buchanan took a militant tack. As several Cabinet members resigned, he appointed northerners, and sent the Star of the West to carry reinforcements of Fort Sumter.

All human beings have a deep need for affection and respect Essay

Do you think that Steinbeck conveys the message that nearly all human beings have a deep need for affection and respect? Yes I do think that Steinbeck conveys the message that nearly all human beings have a deep need for affection and respect because there is a lot of characters in the story that are very lonely and depressed, they need someone to talk to and to discuss their own problems with. Curley’s wife is very lonely and she doesn’t have anyone to talk to. She is the only woman on the ranch and isn’t treated properly. She has a dream to become and actress and she tells us the story about the time she was talking to a man and he told her that he would send her a letter back to become an actress and she is still waiting on the letter. She should be respected and it makes us release it. George and Lennieà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s dream is to ‘liv of the fata the lanà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. This means that they dream to buy their own land and be there own boss and work there every day. They also want to be fed from there and Lennie wants to ‘tendà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ his rabbits. As soon as candy finds out that George and Lennie have a dream, Candy ‘buysà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ in to it by offering all his savings. Lennie and George are outcasts and exiles, the reason for this is for the fact that they are itinerant workers and they always work together and go everywhere with each other. This makes them outcasts because they always go everywhere together where as compare to other people at that moment in time every one went on their own. Crooks is lonely and no one talks to him, he doesn’t sleep in the bunkhouse with the other ranch-hands because he is black. This shows the racism at this time. When Lennie goes in to his room he tells Lennie to get out of it because he wasn’t allowed in their rooms so why should Lennie be in his room. It shows the way he is rejected from the others and that he has a need for deep affection. Curley is very bossy and he thinks that everyone is afraid of him. He bullies people because this is the way he can talk to people. He thought that he would be able to bully Lennie because Lennie looked stupid and very shy, but after he hit Lennie a few times so as soon as George told Lennie to hit him back he did so. Every person has a need to convey their affection and in Of Mice and Men Steinbecks shows this in different ways, with the different characters.

Operatiom Process of Kfc Essay

Throughout the industry of fast-food, there were so many organisations which gained power and title for them, such as McDonald, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Pizza Domino, etc. In the list of these successful fast-food organisations, KFC is also one of the best organisation which gained their title and power for more than 80 years. KFC is a chain of fast food restaurants and first established known as Yum! Brands. However, the organisation name has been change since 1952. Until now, KFC – Kentucky Fried Chicken is the third largest fast-food organisation in the world. KFC has more than 14,000 outlets and in more than 80 countries around the world, serving about 12 million customers each day. (KFC Franchise Opportunity, 2007) PART 1 II – BUILDING BLOCKS: First of all, we need to analyze the general process of KFC. For the customer’s order, customer can have many choices to order food and meal from KFC. They can choose to dine in KFC restaurant which the process was order food, pay for food, eating food and leave. Or customer may order for delivering with fast or normal service, for a family’s meal or a party. More convenient, if customer is driving car, they can choose whether to park the car then dine in the restaurant or buying food by the fast service of KFC. * KFC general restaurant layout: KFC’s restaurant layout also has helped the organisation. In order to have a good layout, KFC’s purpose was planning and arrangement of all machines, utilities, staff room, kitchen, customer service areas, material storage areas, aisles, restrooms, internal walls, offices, and children area, which aim for the good flow of materials and customer. Moreover, also need to consider about the time, for example, demand for food of customer may high during breakfast, lunch and dinner. Parents may choose the KFC restaurant for running a birthday parties for their children on Saturday or Sunday and some other different event. By understanding the important of time and location, management of KFC can determine what size or how big their outlets should be in order to appropriate on each different circumstance and environment condition. * Value Added: The capacity of KFC restaurant which means how big the restaurant should be and where it should be locate is also important and contribute greatly to their operating management. If their outlets locate in a good place and got many good conditions for them such as skill labor, good supplier, high business climate or populated areas, their operating process will get started easier and more effectively. 4/ WORKFORCE: KFC has a slogan for their employees were that â€Å"makes more friends, earn some cash†.

My Thoughts About Science

â€Å"Thoughts About Science† by Robert Sager, write a one-half to one page (no longer) reflective essay on your thoughts about science and environmental science. Reading â€Å"Thoughts About Science† intrigued my research towards what science really is. Whether or not someone may believe that the earth started out with a great boom, the amount of research we have today about why we can survive living on this planet explains other theories.The scientific method shows how we can take thoughts and turn them into facts with a reasonable ay of doing so. I think the scientific method is great to use as humans because it involves tons Of research and not just a thought we claim is true. Questioning our mind and putting it into actions such as testing if the thought may be true or not shows we can explain our reason here on earth.Although there are many other contradictions, such as religious and cultural beliefs, I think as humans we have to accept scientific facts in our liv es because it makes up our development of humankind. Without science, we could be living in a world where all humans die because we don't know how to survive n terms of what to do if we get a fever, what to do to nourish our bodies and so forth. Science, in my opinion, is all about testing hypothesis so that we can better ourselves.Some scientists may go back to a hypothesis or theory that was proven a long time ago, yet touch back on it to see if we can improve a certain formula / truth. Think science helps our environment because the environment has so many factors that we need in order to survive (animals, plants, heat, etc). Knowing that we need these through the help of science will better ourselves even if we go through negative times where a thought may not be able to be proven.

Lord of the Flies- Leadership Analysis on Ralph

A leader is someone who directs or guides a group. However, good leadership is the ability to set priorities and accomplish what needs to be done with the feelings of the group in mind. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph demonstrates many traits that would be considered good leadership. At times he also lacks them, and if he had demonstrated them he could have helped the situation greatly. Ralph understands how people feel and has the ability to respect that and make decisions based off of people’s feelings. He also has the ability to be very serious, which is a good leadership trait if you want to accomplish something.Ralph was also very wise and always made the decisions that he thought were best for the group. In addition, Ralph is very hard working, once he knows what needs to be done he will work very hard to accomplish that task. Throughout the book Ralph demonstrates he is empathetic towards other people’s feelings, he is serious towards his goal, he makes wise decision s, and he is hardworking towards the task at hand. In the book, Ralph was empathetic and showed understanding towards the boys’ feelings. â€Å"‘Trouble is, we haven’t got enough people for a fire. You got to treat Samneric as one turn.They do everything together-’† (138) This shows that, even in a time of crisis, Ralph will consider everyone’s feelings before he acts. This trait also hinders Ralph because he does not realize how unproductive it would be to treat the twins as one boy until Piggy explains it to Ralph. This is an example of how he may understand the boy’s feelings, but he must use his wisdom to make the best decision for the whole group. Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, â€Å"You do not lead by hitting people over the head — that's assault, not leadership. † This is a perfect example of the difference between Ralph and Jack.Jack lacks the quality of empathy, which is what divides Ralph from Jack and leads Ja ck’s group to chaos while Ralph’s still holds onto some civilization. Ralph also cared about Jack’s feelings in the beginning because he felt bad that he had all the power so he told the boys, â€Å"‘Jack’s in charge of the choir. They can be- what do you want them to be? ’† (23) This shows that he is willing to share his power, while Jack will later want it all for himself. In the book Ralph is also very serious most of the time. Ralph is serious because he knows what must be done and how to accomplish it.Ralph’s main goal is to keep the fire going and to get rescued. Ralph often sticks to this idea and prioritizes what they must do, while the other boys just focus on having fun. â€Å"‘You hunters! You can laugh! But I tell you smoke is more important than the pig, however often you kill one. Do all of you see? ’ He spread his arms wide and turned to the whole triangle. ‘We’ve got to make smoke up th ere – or die. ’† (69) This shows that Ralph can be serious, while the other boys do not try to be. In being serious, Ralph is able to focus on the main task at hand and make practical decisions, which in turn makes him a good leader.However, at first Ralph had fun with Jack and Simon when they all went to see if the island they were on was truly an island. This shows that he may have developed leadership qualities once he needed to. Being serious did not always help Ralph, the other boys joined Jack’s group because they thought it would be more fun. Had Ralph been able to have fun while trying to accomplish his important tasks (like keeping the fire going), he may have been able to have more boys stay with him. At the beginning of the book Ralph says, â€Å"‘This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grown-ups come to fetch us we’ll have fun. † (33) While Ralph was more open to fun, the group of boys held together tighter; the more and more Ralph tries to keep the fire going the more and more nobody listens. Ralph is also very wise for his age. He knows what needs to be a priority for the group, he says, â€Å"‘The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don't keep a fire going? ’† (80) and he continues on to say that they should die before they let the fire go out because Ralph knows that if the fire goes out they are as good as dead, and have no hopes for ever being rescued.He was always wise to try to keep order because he knew if it was lost there would be no way to regain it, he always insisted on sticking to the rules and everyone doing an equal part. Also, once order was almost lost Ralph knew not to call the boys back to the meeting, when they went with Jack, because he knew if he blew the conch then and it failed the power of it would be lost forever to the boys on the island. In the beginning of the book Ralph also knew that building huts should have been the priority over hunting. Ralph says, â€Å"‘If it rains like when we dropped in we’ll need shelters all right.And then another thing. We need shelters because of the-’† (52) At the end of the quote Ralph is referring to the beast all of the children are afraid of. This shows he is wise because he knows what needs to be the group’s priorities. Throughout the book, Ralph was also hardworking. He always knew what had to be done and was willing to put in the work to do it. He knew that it was more necessary to build the huts rather than to hunt and he worked hard, with only Simon’s help, to complete the shelters. Ralph says in an argument with Jack, â€Å"‘People don’t help much†¦ Simon. He helps. He pointed at the shelters. ‘All the rest rushed off. He’s done as much as I have. ’† (54) This shows that even with very little help from the rest Ralph will work hard to accomplish his goal, even if it makes him angry to do so. Ralph also works hard on trying to get the boys to make sure the fire keeps going. He insists on multiple occasions that it is the priority and tries very hard to get that idea ingrained into the boys’ heads. However, towards the beginning and the end of the book Ralph is not as hard working because he doesn’t have the goal of keeping the fire going.Towards the end of the book he gets confused and slightly confused by the savagery, which causes him to forget about the fire at times. Ralph says to the group of children, â€Å"‘The fire’s the most important thing. Without the fire we can’t be rescued. I’d like to put on war-paint and be a savage, But we must keep the fire burning. The fire’s the most important thing on the island, because, because-’† (142) Towards the end of Ralph’s speech he starts to forget the main importance of the fire. He doesnâ €™t recall until Piggy reminds him.Towards the beginning of the book Ralph says, â€Å"This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grown-ups come to fetch us we’ll have fun. † (33) This shows that Ralph is not as hardworking at first towards the goal of being rescued and takes the idea of being rescued for granted. He does not realize how hard he actually has to work to be rescued until he stayed on the island for longer and realized they must keep the fire going and cannot just rely on luck. Ralph demonstrated many leadership qualities throughout the course of the book.However, in some cases he lacks some of the same traits that would be necessary towards the situation. Throughout the course of the book his leadership skills develop because, at first, the only reason he was leader was because he found the conch. He had to develop some of his leadership traits afterwards to rise to the occasion. He was also not hungry for power; he developed the idea t o remain leader once he was elected. Jack wanted the power to begin with and came with most of the traits he displayed throughout the book, while Ralph develops a lot throughout the course of it.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 7

â€Å"You're right,† said Roman the next morning, ruminating over what had happened with Gavin. â€Å"I didn't like that.† I was standing in the bathroom, going over my hair with a flat iron. It was a pain in the ass compared to shape-shifting, but I liked the challenge. Plus, I could always fine-tune the frizziness away afterward. â€Å"Not like it's the first time it's happened,† I pointed out, my eyes on the mirror rather than where he leaned in the doorway. â€Å"You used to never mind.† â€Å"Didn't I?† he asked dryly. â€Å"Well, being with him distracted me from wallowing in self-pity. Not that it made me feel that great either,† I admitted. â€Å"But it kept my†¦whatever†¦away. And hey, it couldn't have been as nasty as what you saw Simone do.† â€Å"True, but now that guy's just going to come trolling around all the time. He'll be showing up to borrow cups of sugar in the hopes he can score some more action.† â€Å"I'll deal with him. I've got a little practice in pushing guys away.† â€Å"Don't I know it.† I paused to shoot him a glare. â€Å"Will you lay off the attitude this morning? You're starting to sound like you're jealous or something.† Roman snorted. â€Å"Hardly. Why in God's name would I be jealous over the woman who got my sister killed and tried to unleash the forces of Heaven and Hell to destroy me?† Fair point. â€Å"It's a little more complicated than that.† â€Å"Oh, yes, I'm sure.† He crossed his arms and stared down at the floor. â€Å"But maybe the next time you're looking for distraction, we could rent a movie and microwave some popcorn instead of fucking the neighbors.† â€Å"You have horrible taste in movies,† I mumbled. But that closed the conversation, and Roman wandered off. A few moments later, I heard the TV turn on. I had to work today, but it was an afternoon shift. I was up and ready to go early because I wanted to visit Erik. I should have felt secure in Jerome's ability to figure out what was going on, as well as Roman's protection. But I'd had too much shit happen to me in the past to ever fully trust anyone. Erik had always proven a valuable resource. Roman went with me, covertly, but it took a while for me to actually get some quality time with Erik. He had customers in the store – which was great for him, but I could hardly discuss immortal affairs with others around. When the people finally thinned out, Erik turned his attention to me, ready with his typical friendly smile. His color looked better, and his movements weren't as jerky. He was still weak, just not as weak. â€Å"Your cold's cleared up,† I said. His smile grew. â€Å"Yes, I told you it was nothing. A mere cold isn't going to kill me off.† His voice was light, but I couldn't help a small frown. There had been something in his words – something I couldn't quite put my finger on – that made it sound like he did know what was going to kill him. A chill ran down my spine. I didn't like to think of those sorts of things. I sat down at his little table with him but declined tea. â€Å"I just wanted to see if you'd learned anything else.† It was a nervous impulse on my part. I knew he would have contacted me if he had discovered something. â€Å"No, but as I said, the information we have is vague enough for it to be any number of things.† â€Å"That's what Jerome said.† Erik looked pleased. â€Å"I'm glad he knows. I've always said that your own people are more likely to know better than me.† I couldn't help a small laugh. â€Å"Debatable. I might have something to make it a little less vague.† Briefly, I explained my recent encounter and how it had occurred to me that this force only visited when I was troubled and depressed. â€Å"It's like†¦it's like it's preying on my weakness. Trying to lure me in with promises of comfort.† â€Å"Then you must be careful not to give in.† If Roman had said that, I would have snapped at him for stating the obvious. â€Å"It's easy to say that now, in the cold light of logic, but when it happens†¦I don't know. I lose my grip on the world. Reason's gone. Hell, half the time I don't even know what's happening until afterward. It's like†¦sleeping. Sleepwalking. Whatever.† â€Å"And it always appears as a type of doorway?† I pondered this for several seconds. â€Å"I don't know†¦kind of. I don't know how to describe it – and I know I keep saying that. And how useless it sounds. I'm not sure if it's a door, exactly, but it's definitely trying to pull me into something.† Erik had made himself tea and sat for almost a minute sipping it, his brow knit in thought. â€Å"I'll think about all of this. In the meantime, I'd just advise†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He hesitated. â€Å"Well, let me put it this way. You are a delight, Miss Kincaid, and I always enjoy my time with you. However, you are also – how can I say this – someone frequently given to darker moods.† â€Å"Is that your polite way of saying I'm always down?† I teased. â€Å"No†¦not exactly. But if this thing is seeking out those in emotionally depressed states, then I'd say you are particularly susceptible. If it's at all possible, you should try to stay away from those moods.† I thought about it. One of my best friends was marrying my ex – an ex whom I was starting to fall for all over again. An ex whose soul I had inadvertently damned to Hell and who was now being stalked by another succubus. My own soul had long since been Hell-bound, and I was committed to an eternity of sleeping with men whom I often didn't like. Oh, yeah. Let's not forget that my roommate was given to sociopathic tendencies and had me on his hit list. â€Å"That might be easier said than done,† I told Erik. â€Å"I can imagine,† he said ruefully. â€Å"But it may be the only way to protect yourself. That and your own willpower – the strength of which I firmly believe in.† Erik's faith in me warmed up a piece of my heart, even though the rest of today's insight hadn't been all that insightful. I thanked him for his time and headed off to work, grateful Roman offered no â€Å"witty† commentary during our drive. At the bookstore, Seth worked alone in the caf? ¦. Simone was nowhere in sight, which was one bonus. The fact that it was Maddie's day off also improved my mood. Maybe staying away from my usual glum state wouldn't be as hard as I thought. â€Å"Yo, Kincaid.† Doug found me putting stickers on our rack of clearance books. They mostly consisted of out-of-print coffee-table books, things like Stone Arches of Tuscany and The Complete Book of Bridal Cross-stitch. I wasn't entirely sure what that last one was, but maybe it'd make a good wedding present for Seth and Maddie. The price was certainly a bargain. We'd reduced it three times now, and still no one wanted to buy it. â€Å"What's up?† I asked. â€Å"I've got news that's going to rock your world. And make you think I'm even awesomer than you already do.† â€Å"That's a bold statement.† He paused, apparently trying to decide if he'd been complimented or insulted. â€Å"I just found out that Gabrielle's a fan of Blue Satin Bra.† â€Å"She never struck me as that type. I figured all of her lingerie would be black.† Doug gave me a withering look. â€Å"No, Kincaid. I don't mean that she wears one. I mean that she likes the group. Haven't you heard of them?† â€Å"There's a group called Blue Satin Bra?† I shook my head. â€Å"Sorry. I can't keep up with every new garage band in Seattle.† â€Å"They aren't a garage band! They're the hottest thing to hit the metal scene. They're going to make it big.† I tried to hide my skepticism. Doug himself was in a band called Nocturnal Admission, and whenever he spoke about local bands, it seemed like everyone was on the verge of making it big. â€Å"What's this got to do with Gabrielle again?† Doug was clearly growing frustrated with me. â€Å"She's a huge fan – and they've got a concert tomorrow night. Unfortunately, it's all sold out. She was pretty bummed about it.† Despite his annoyance with me, I could sense the smugness within him. â€Å"Here it comes†¦.† Pride lit his features. â€Å"I'm friends with the bass player and managed to score some tickets. If your pal Cody approaches her with them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I paused in my stickering. â€Å"You're right. You did just get awesomer.† â€Å"You've got to go too, you know.† â€Å"I – what?† Me trailing along didn't sound romantic in the least. Doug shrugged. â€Å"He can't just ask her out for an actual date. Not yet. He'll spook her.† â€Å"Then what exactly is he supposed to ask her out for?† â€Å"I do the asking. I'll just be all like, ‘Hey, Gabby, I got some extra tickets to the show. You want to go along with me and my friends?' Then she's off guard. She comes along, Cody's there, magic happens†¦.† â€Å"Wow,† I said. â€Å"Looks like you've got it all figured out. And I don't think she likes to be called Gabby.† â€Å"This is a good plan.† He was clearly very pleased with himself. â€Å"I've been around, Kincaid. When you get mad romantic skills like me, you'll understand.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"We can only hope. So how many friends are going along exactly?† â€Å"I scored four tickets. So: you, me, Cody, and Gabrielle.† â€Å"Sounds suspiciously like a double date. You trying your mad romantic skills on me?† It wouldn't be the first time. â€Å"Hell no. Do I look suicidal? You're already claimed.† For a minute, Seth came to mind, then Doug added: â€Å"I'm not getting on the bad side of that guy you're shacked up with. I mean, I can hold my own in a fight, but he looks like he could seriously fuck someone up.† â€Å"You have no idea,† I muttered. No doubt Roman – lingering nearby invisibly – was loving this. â€Å"But we aren't involved. He's just my roommate.† â€Å"For now,† said Doug ominously. He began a retreat. â€Å"I'll go invite Gabs. You tell Cody the deal and that you're going to be his wing-woman.† I shook my head after Doug left, wondering what I'd gotten myself into. His absurd comments about mad skills and wing-women aside, the whole casual group thing might be a gateway outing to get Gabrielle closer to Cody. I just hoped word of his Goth getup the other day hadn't gotten around to her. I also wondered what kind of experience I was getting myself into with Blue Satin Bra. Doug's bizarre industrial alternative music had grown on me over the years, but I had a feeling this concert would be a very different experience. About an hour later, I was in my office when some unexpected guests popped their heads in. Well, one wasn't entirely unexpected. I'd found that even when Maddie wasn't working, there was never any real security. You couldn't count on her absence, not when her boyfriend and brother were often in the store. I could feel some safety when we didn't have the same shift, but I'd long accepted that Maddie could really show up at any moment. No, the real surprise was that Maddie was in my office with Brandy Mortensen, Seth's niece. He had five of them, and she was the oldest. When Seth and I had dated, I'd grown pretty attached to that brood. My longing for children and the girls' total adorableness made it easy for me to love them. They'd grown close to me too. Of course, at fourteen, I suspected Brandy wouldn't appreciate being called â€Å"adorable.† She stood with Maddie, who was holding a garment bag on a hanger. Brandy wore a surprisingly sullen teen expression. She seemed taller to me than when I'd last seen her. Just like with Erik, time was passing quickly for these humans. â€Å"Hey, guys,† I said, setting my paperwork aside. â€Å"What's up?† â€Å"More wedding errands,† said Maddie cheerfully. â€Å"We just came by to pick up Seth. We went back to that shop and got a dress for Brandy. She's a bridesmaid too.† Maddie lifted the edge of the bag, revealing the same dress Maddie had bought me the other day. â€Å"How embarrassing,† I told Brandy. â€Å"We're going to show up in the same outfit.† She gave me the ghost of a smile but stayed silent. â€Å"We also went and talked to some florists but didn't really come up with any ideas on what to get. If I get something purple, will it be too monochromatic? And if I get a different color, will it look weird?† â€Å"Hard questions,† I said solemnly. Ones I didn't want to answer. â€Å"Maybe you can come back with me and take a look at some of their books?† Maddie was giving me that hopeful, cheery smile that was so good at inspiring guilt in me. â€Å"I don't know,† I said vaguely. â€Å"Depends on my schedule.† â€Å"Well, let me know. Let me go grab Seth – maybe he has some ideas.† Good luck with that, I thought. Seth was notoriously awful at offering opinions, and he'd seemed particularly non-committal about this wedding stuff, no pun intended. Maddie left Brandy with me, and I gave her a genuine smile. â€Å"So how's it been going?† I asked. â€Å"Did you have fun shopping?† Brandy crossed her arms over her chest and tossed her blond hair over one shoulder. She was wearing a formfitting Rocky Horror Picture Show T-shirt. Really, I thought. She was one step away from turning into her uncle. â€Å"No,† she said bluntly. I arched an eyebrow in surprise. Last I'd known, shopping and having people buy you clothes was pretty sweet when you were a teenage girl. Maybe I was out of touch. â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because,† she said dramatically. â€Å"This wedding is a joke.† I cast an uneasy glance at the doorway. â€Å"Better not let them hear you say that.† Brandy looked unconcerned. She wasn't exactly scowling, but it was pretty close. â€Å"Uncle Seth isn't supposed to be marrying her.† â€Å"Why not? They've been dating for†¦well, a while.† That was kind of true, guilt-induced engagement or no. â€Å"He proposed. She accepted. Easy as that.† â€Å"She's not the one,† said Brandy stoutly. â€Å"He's supposed to be marrying you.† Yeah, I really wished the door was closed. â€Å"Brandy,† I said, pitching my voice as low as I could. â€Å"Your uncle and I broke up. That's how it is. People move on.† â€Å"You two weren't supposed to. You guys were in love.† â€Å"He loves her too.† â€Å"It's not the same.† This was not a discussion I'd ever expected to have. I'd known Seth's nieces still liked me, but I'd hardly thought I'd left this sort of impression. â€Å"Do you not like Maddie or something?† Brandy gave a half-hearted shrug and averted her eyes. â€Å"She's okay. But she's not you.† I didn't say anything for several moments. I wondered if Brandy's resentment toward the wedding was because she had greater devotion to me than Maddie – or if it was part of some romantic ideal girls her age often had about love and soul mates. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said. â€Å"Love in the real world doesn't usually work out the way stories make us think it should. We don't always get fairy-tale endings. People split up and move on. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you can't love someone else.† I shivered. This was remarkably similar to a conversation Carter and I had once had, shortly after the (first) break-up with Seth. â€Å"It's still not right,† said Brandy obstinately. Seth and Maddie retrieved her shortly thereafter, for which I was grateful. I really didn't want to have to play devil's advocate and defend a marriage that I was hardly thrilled about myself. I felt that sorrow that always seemed to plague me when I thought about them surface†¦and then remembered Erik's comments. Don't give in to it. Stay away from it – that was what kept leading me into trouble. Easier said than done, just as I'd told him. Distraction seemed to be the key to it all, and I just didn't feel up to another liaison tonight. I certainly didn't need the energy. â€Å"Distract me,† I murmured when I was seated in my car. â€Å"Annoy me with your ‘wit,' or just make me outright mad.† No physical evidence of Roman appeared – no signature, no physical appearance – but his voice answered me back just as softly. â€Å"Go see your friends. Aren't they going to that bar tonight? You need to tell Cody he's going on a double date.† â€Å"It's not a double date,† I growled back. But Roman had a point. I probably should let the young vampire know what was in store tomorrow. I was also kind of curious how Roman even knew about the bar outing. I'd received a voice mail message earlier today that one would think would have been out of Roman's hearing range. He'd either been standing really close, or nephilim just had superhuman hearing. And, well, seeing as they were superhuman, I supposed that wasn't too far off. Another idea suddenly came to mind about tonight's social gathering, one that would most definitely provide a distraction – and possibly take care of a nuisance. â€Å"The bar it is,† I declared. I drove down to Pioneer Square, Seattle's historic district, and sought out the Cellar, a dive of a bar located in a basement akin to its name. It was a favorite place for immortals – well, hellish immortals. Since most angels didn't drink – Carter being the exception – you didn't usually find them hanging out in bars. They were more likely to be found at upscale coffee shops. For inexplicable reasons, a number of them also liked to hang out at the restaurant on top of the Space Needle. Maybe they thought it was bringing them closer to Heaven. And, indeed, as I walked down the stairs into the Cellar, I felt Carter's signature, along with those of my usual clique. Best of all, there was an additional signature I'd been hoping to find. â€Å"Hot damn,† I said, striding toward the table where Simone sat with my friends. She burned with the glow of energy that succubi stole from their victims. I hated to admit it, but hers was brighter than the one I still sported. I assured myself that it was just because she'd probably bagged someone today, rather than last night. Hugh scooted to make room for me, and I pulled up a chair from a neighboring table. â€Å"Didn't think you'd show tonight.† I waved a waiter over and ordered a vodka gimlet. â€Å"You know I can't stay away from you guys.† â€Å"You're just in time,† said Carter. His face was neutral, but I caught a mischievous glint in his eyes as he sipped his bourbon. â€Å"Simone was just regaling us with tales of the Underground Tour. Did you hear that Seattle burned to the ground and was rebuilt a century ago?† â€Å"Only every time I take the tour,† I replied. Which had been about a dozen times. It was a tourist hotbed, and I'd taken friends and out-of-town victims on it often. I gave Simone a curious look. â€Å"Did you do that today?† She nodded. â€Å"Figured I should take in the city while I'm here.† She was still using that librarian voice, but I had to admit she looked more like a succubus than the last time I'd seen her. Her neckline was cut so low, it was a wonder her nipples didn't show. Her lips were fuck-me red, and unless I was mistaken, her hair was longer and more voluminous than before. I couldn't decide if she looked like an angel or a beach bunny. And speaking of angels†¦Simone had her chair pushed right next to Carter's, so close that she couldn't help but brush her arm against his each time she reached for her drink. I suspected her leg was pressed up to his as well. He glanced over, giving her a look that wasn't exactly romantic but filled with deep interest I felt certain was feigned. â€Å"I find Seattle's history fascinating. I haven't been here that long, so it's great to keep learning new things.† Simone beamed. Across the table, Hugh choked a little on his drink. Carter had been in Seattle for a couple hundred years. True – not that long for an immortal like him, but he'd most certainly been here for the Seattle fire. Hell, considering how he'd once accidentally burned down my Christmas tree, he might have been the one who set the city ablaze, for all I knew. My gimlet appeared, and I took a long drink of liquid courage. â€Å"From what I hear, you've been checking out some of our local celebrities too,† I said sweetly. Simone dragged her adoring gaze from Carter and fixed me with a frown. â€Å"I don't think I've run into many celebrities.† â€Å"Well,† I said, still smiling like a fool. â€Å"I guess it depends on how you define ‘celebrity.' I certainly consider best-selling authors celebrities. You've been chatting up one quite a bit.† Immediately, Cody, Hugh, and Peter eagerly snapped to attention. They could sniff female conflict a mile away and were undoubtedly bracing themselves for a cat fight. â€Å"Oh, that,† she said dismissively. â€Å"I thought you meant like an actor or something. Yeah, he's just someone on my radar. One of many. Pretty cute. Nice enough.† â€Å"And a friend of mine,† I said. My voice was still cheerful, but I could see in her eyes that she was well aware of the escalating tension. â€Å"Still, fair game,† she replied with a shrug. â€Å"And what do you care? His soul's already tainted. He's not that good a catch. Not like I can do much more damage.† That wasn't true. Seth might currently be Hell-bound, but he wasn't beyond redemption – even though the odds of that were allegedly slim. If by some crazy chance Simone got him to cheat on Maddie again, his soul would grow darker and kill any lingering chances to save him. Plus, sin aside, Simone would shorten his life – which was something I was definitely against. â€Å"So, he's just a random guy you scoped out?† I asked. The politeness was fading from me. It was disappearing from her too. So. Bland Simone wasn't quite as oblivious as she played. â€Å"The fact that he's a friend of mine and someone I used to date makes no difference?† â€Å"You make it sound like I'm trying to get you back for something. I don't even know you. I'm just here on vacation. Getting guys is part of our life – and you don't have any territorial control like them.† She nodded toward the vampires, who had very well-defined hunting grounds. â€Å"Unless,† she added smugly, â€Å"you've got some kind of arrangement with Jerome.† I certainly didn't. In fact, my boss had made it extremely clear that he didn't care about what happened to Seth. â€Å"No, but I'd think you'd do it as a courtesy when you're visiting someone else's city. It's the nice thing to do.† My smile returned, filled with ice this time. â€Å"And it ensures that your visit stays nice too.† Maybe using her favorite adjective would drive home my message. Simone stiffened, attention totally on me now. â€Å"What is this, some kind of warning that you'll come after me if I don't back off?† I shrugged and finished my drink. â€Å"Just friendly advice.† She stood up and slung her purse over her shoulder with such force that it nearly hit Carter in the head. Apparently, he wasn't on the radar anymore. Well, at least for now. â€Å"I'm not going to stay and listen to thinly veiled threats. Especially ones over inconsequential men. If I want him, I'll get him.† â€Å"You'll be missed,† I muttered as she stalked away. â€Å"Oh,† said Hugh brightly. â€Å"There is nothing I like better than when succubi fight. Puts Dynasty to shame. You could have cleaned the floor with Tawny, but Simone might give you a match.† â€Å"Hardly,† I said. â€Å"And she'll have about as much luck with Seth as Carter.† Carter raised an eyebrow, apparently not agreeing with my statement. â€Å"She's really hitting on Seth?† asked Cody. â€Å"Yup. In a shy, starry-eyed fan girl kind of way.† â€Å"Isn't that how you won him over way back when?† asked Peter. I shot him a glare. â€Å"It's irrelevant. It won't work.† â€Å"Then why worry?† asked Hugh slyly. â€Å"Because an ounce of prevention – oh, never mind,† I groaned. â€Å"I need another drink.† Hugh and the vampires were clearly amused by all this and weren't particularly concerned. I think they too believed Seth would prove immovable; they just liked the idea of me making another succubus irate. The sad part was that I'd probably just encouraged Simone to try even harder. Two drinks later, I decided to head home. I was sufficiently angry that I didn't fear the siren song's comfort. Before leaving, I informed Cody about his impending date. Unsurprisingly, he freaked out. â€Å"What? I†¦I can't. What will I say? What will I do?† â€Å"Frankly, my dear†¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Hugh in an undertone. â€Å"You'll be fine,† I said. â€Å"Just stop stressing and be yourself.† â€Å"Sounds like a double date,† said Peter. â€Å"I can get more black hair dye.† â€Å"No,† I warned. â€Å"Do not even think about it.† I could still see faint streaks that hadn't entirely washed out from Cody's blond mane. â€Å"Just dress like you are now. I'll meet you at the club.† I started to turn, and then a thought came to me. â€Å"Carter, can I talk to you?† His lips twitched slightly. If that was his sign of surprise, I couldn't say. â€Å"Anything for you, Daughter of Lilith.† He followed me outside the bar, where we stood amid all the Pioneer Square partygoers. Once clear of the building's non-smoking interior, he promptly lit a cigarette. â€Å"If you're jealous of my relationship with Simone,† he said, â€Å"I can assure you, we're just friends.† â€Å"Oh, be quiet. You know that's not what this is about. Look, she was lying, right? About Seth being a coincidence?† Carter took a long drag before answering. Angels could tell when others were lying. â€Å"Yep. But she seemed pretty sincere in the last comment about going after him regardless.† I grimaced. â€Å"Why? Why would she target Seth? Is it some kind of way to assert dominance over the local succubus?† â€Å"Not sure. The ways of succubi – and all women – are a mystery to me.† â€Å"Jerome originally thought she'd come to spy. He had Roman follow her, but nothing came of it. She never reported in or anything. He pulled Roman from her – † I paused, suddenly turning over the events and analyzing them in a way I hadn't considered before. â€Å"But it wasn't until I told him Simone was hitting on Seth. It seemed like that was the moment Jerome pulled Roman. He seemed pretty adamant about leaving her alone.† â€Å"Did he now?† Carter inhaled on the cigarette again, but I could see thoughts churning behind his eyes. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Just a musing,† he said. A half-truth, typical of angels. â€Å"Did Jerome do anything else after that?† â€Å"Yeah, he put Roman on me.† This elicited surprise. â€Å"Why?† Apparently, Jerome and Carter hadn't been hanging out recently. I gave Carter the rundown on my latest bizarre situation. â€Å"That is weird,† he admitted. â€Å"Do you know what it could be?† â€Å"Any number of things.† He spoke flippantly, but I knew I'd piqued his curiosity – maybe even his concern. I sighed. â€Å"I wish people would stop saying that. No one's really helping.† â€Å"I'll help you,† he said, dropping the cigarette and stamping it out. â€Å"I'll follow Simone.† That was not at all what I had expected. â€Å"Why would you do that? Are you going to stop her from making the moves on Seth?† This earned his amusement. â€Å"You know I can't interfere with that kind of thing. But I am curious about Simone's activities.† An uneasy feeling bubbled within me, one that had troubled me since I'd first met Seth, and Carter had begun taking an active role in my life. â€Å"Why? Why do you care so much about Seth? You've always been curious about what he does – and how we interact.† â€Å"I'm interested in the creative process of a great artist. It's fun to watch.† â€Å"Another half-truth.† Like always, he answered the question without really answering it. I was astonished at the desperation in my voice when I spoke next. â€Å"I'm serious. Why, Carter? How does Seth – and me being with Seth – concern you?† He chucked me on the chin. â€Å"You've got better things to do than worry about the goings-on of a curious angel. Besides, wouldn't you feel better if someone was reporting back to you on Simone?† â€Å"Well, yeah,† I admitted. â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"Then it's settled. You're welcome.† He turned quickly away and disappeared into a crowd of partiers. I knew better than to go after him because he'd probably literally disappear once no one was paying attention. I sighed yet again. Fucking angels.