Why did the bank of England adopt a policy of inflation targeting in Essay

Why did the bank of England adopt a policy of inflation targeting in 1992 and how has the pursuit of inflation targeting been linked to attempts to make monetar - Essay Example Any government has the power to regulate the economy of the country and not only does it regulate the economy, it has a vital role to ensure that the economic condition remains stable. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that all the aspects of economy maintain a stable level so that the country can grow and expand. Government regulates many things in an economy including inflation, exports and imports, prices of many vital commodities, and many important economic aspects. Government of England has entrusted the job of determining the monetary policy, in the hands of Bank of England. Bank of England looks into many other big issues. One of the most important issues is that of ensuring monetary stability in the economy, which can be achieved through a combination of stable prices of goods and services across the economy coupled with a low inflation level and level of confidence of the investors in the currency of the country. The Bank comes out with the monetary policy in order to ensure a certain key objectives like, delivering price stability with a low inflation level coupled with an objective to support the Government’s economic objectives of growth and employment. Price stability is taken care of, by the Government’s usual inflation target of 2%. There is a need to contemplate the crucial and critical role played by price stability in achieving the aforesaid economic stability, and in providing just the right conditions for a sustain able and longer living growth in output and employment. Chancellor of the Exchequer announces the Government’s inflation target every year in the annual Budget statement. Though The 1998 Bank of England Act enables it to set interest rates independently, however, The Bank does hold accountability to the parliament and the wider public, which can not be refrained from. The legislation provides the government the power to instruct the bank on the interest rates issues for a limited period

Document Analysis of Julius Caesar's The Gallic War Essay

Document Analysis of Julius Caesar's The Gallic War - Essay Example The Invasion of Britain The year 55 BC was Caesar's first attempt at invading Britain. It cannot be considered a complete success in the sense that after the excursion, the army went back to Gaul and Britain was not occupied. But from the Roman position, most assuredly from Caesar’s point of view, the invasion was a resounding especially when he already received the homage of British tribal chiefs and kings. This, undoubtedly, was the needed evidence to show how the territory has already been conquered as far as the campaign is concerned. This first foray, however, has provided Caesar a fleeting glimpse of the Britain and its societies. When they arrived, they found societies made up of large tribes and clans. Leaders of these groups were not averse to calling themselves kings even when all their constituents were an amalgamation of families and clans. In Caesar’s eyes we are provided some details about how the early Britons conducted their affairs. For instance, he fou nd this out for himself when he noted that the Cantii (people of Kent) have several kings from various kingdoms found in the region. Military Strategy The first campaign involved several skirmishes with the Britons. The Romans had achieved a certain degree of success. And there were several accounts that provided a clear idea about the Roman military strategy in Gaul. The Britons like their distant Gaul cousins are also tribal in the way they wage their war. They adopted the guerilla tactic, which, of course, proved ineffective in the long run. Caesar's legions were equipped and experienced in fighting in this condition. The soldiers had the benefit of Roman training, which produced the world’s first truly professional soldiers, those that considered their work as duty and responsibility, obeying the chain of command and are immune to external influence. Additionally, Caesar’s soldiers were already used to fighting similar strategies in their war with Gallic tribes. Th e long campaign in Gaul has equipped them with better understanding in regard to the most effective approach in dealing with their British opponents. Essentially, the strategy adopted in Britain was composed of two major components: the scorch earth strategy and the show of force. The former was adopted in response to the large British force. In addition, based from Caesar’s commentaries, the Britons also proved adept in stealth and treachery. So the strategy entailed the burning and destruction of fields and property and the plunder of supplies in order to deprive the opposition the resources to sustain their operations and weaken them in an effort to resolve conflict the soonest possible time. After a year passed, Caesar decided to lead another invasion and the campaign this time became a bigger conflict. The Romans and the Britons faced off in several bloody battles. The latter, of course, sustained the most damage since the training and discipline of the Roman force were unmatched. The poorly equipped British – though far superior in number – were still technically savages, too untrained, wielding rudimentary tools. The show of force was crucial in this campaign as demonstrated in the sheer number of Roman soldiers mobilized and the use of war machines and implements such as war elephants, which, of course, deterred much of the local populace. It is important to note

The Maori Religion And Rituals Of Various Cultures Religion Essay

The Maori Religion And Rituals Of Various Cultures Religion Essay This essay discusses the Maori religion and variety of culture of the indigenous Maori community. It also discusses the death rites and the rituals of various Maori cultures, for instance, the marriage, death and birth rites and rituals among others. Starting with the rich Maori religion Russell (2006) points out, that the Maori people believe in the existence of spiritual beings and a supreme supernatural being called lo. They believed that lo is only revealed to those who have reached a particular level of class preferable the most learned in the Maorisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ society. But all of them regardless of class or age believe in the existence of eight gods whose parents are called Rangi and papa. There is gods of the forests and the forefathers called Tane. There is the god of sea called tangaroa. There is the god of agriculture and peace known as rongo. They also have god of weather and god of the uncultivated food known as Tawhitimateo and Haumia respectively (Keith, 1980). The Maoris also have god for earthquakes that is called Ruaumoko .Their belief in the existence of darkness and evil makes them to believe in the existence of the god that caused the same known as Whiro (Russell, 2006). There is also a special god for war who is also responsible for the invention of the snares and digging sticks. On the other hand, each Maori tribe had a special god for war. The gods for war were useful when the tribes went for war. Apart from the war gods, each Maori family had family gods and spirits. The family spirits had their origin from the dead, abortions or miscarriages (Siers, 1976). In the Maori religion there is association with the visible symbols that has a natural phenomenon. These symbols are the rainbow, the comets, trees and even stones. Living creatures such as birds, fish and lizards also have a connotation in their religion. There is also carving of gods either from sticks or stones that are worshipped. The Maori have god families. Another important aspect of the Maori culture is on the death and funeral rituals. The dead body that is known as tupapaku is traditionally preserved and kept in a special meeting place called marae. The body has to stay for three consecutive days in this house and the body is never to be left alone even though the coffin is usually left open till the burial day. The mourning period is occasioned by wailings from the women and speeches are made in Maori language (Keith, 1980). Orupa that is the cemetery is adjacent to the marae. According to Siers (1976) those who view the body are required to wash their hands afterwards using water or bread that is usually at the exit In Maori culture the burial and funeral rituals of important people are carried with pomp as they believe that these people will send protective spirits afterwards. For example, the death and funeral ritual of a chief is characterized by immense decoration of the body using feathers. The skulls of the enemies are placed at the feet, while all the remains of the ancestors are put at the head. On the poles next to the body there is heads of the enemies. During the mourning period, relatives of the dead are not allowed to touch food using their hands but they are fed by their relatives, friends or members of the tribe. They just have to open their lower jaws and food tossed into it. In showing their sorrow people cut their bodies using shells and the profound bleeding is symbolic for the immense loss incurred by the bereaved (Russell, 1996). According to Keith (1980), on the burial day the chief have to be buried with all things that are valuable in the Maori community. He also points out that, the burial of the dead does not end with the first burial but there is the second burial known a secondary burial. In the second burial, the remains of the dead are removed from their primary burial place. These bones are then cleaned and painted with red ochre. The remains are then taken from village to village for a second mourning and later buried this time round in a sacred place (Keith, 1980). Another important culture among the Maori is the welcoming culture that is characterized by a number of rituals. This culture was called marae by the Maori people (Siers, 1976). During this ceremony women perform oratories called karanga. According to Keith (1980), the karangas are done in Maori language and these oratories are both educative as well as entertaining. Russell (1996) says that, after the karangas there are formal speeches from the host. These speeches are known as whaikorero. A song called waiata is sung by various groups immediately after the speeches. Gift giving is another important occasion during the welcoming culture. The gifts also known as koha are given out followed by karanga. Russell (2006) points out another symbolic ritual in the welcoming culture as the pressing of the noses, also known as hongi which is a sign of appreciation. To mark the end of the ceremony, a meal called hakari is usually shared (Siers, 1976) According to Keith (1980) the third culture with rituals in the Maori community is the marriage and wedding ceremony. In choosing partners members of the opposite sex can either choose their partners or the partners chosen for them by the elders. But the female can turn down the advances of the opposite sex by putting a mark on their forehead called atahu. Courtship generally varied in the Maori culture in that, some tribes simply proposed by capturing the potential bride. This tactics sometimes turn violent. In Maori marriage, adultery was heavily punishable. The punishment was in form of plundering the homes of the couple. Divorce was not ruled out. It was ritually carried out using water (Siers, 1976). The wedding usually takes place in the marae and during this ceremony a relative of the groom challenges the father of the bride to come forward for a fight. The father of the bride approaches the relative of the groom as if he is ready for a fight but instead stretches his hand and greets the challenger (Keith, 1980). Another culture of the Maori is the birth culture and the rituals that accompany it. Russell (1996) says that, the Maori women control the birth process but it is the midwives known as the tohunga who have control on the conception, abortion, birth and parenting. The women has to follow strict guidelines from the tohunga and during the delivery time, women deliver either in squatting or standing positions with minimal support offered on request. The Maori women either gave birth in an open place away from the main dwelling or in a temporary structure made for the same and were burnt at the end of it. This temporary structure was called whare kohanga or simply the nest place (Keith, 1980). The nest place was meant for high ranking women on their first deliveries. The placenta is usually buried. According to Siers there is an important ritual rite called tihe that is usually performed during child birth. It is a form of baptism that resembles the modern mode of baptism in Christianity. In most cases, there is chanting and singing to welcome the newborn baby. Gifts are also given out by the family members. Giving the Maori culture without giving the type of food, their economic activities, clothing and the traditional Maori culture will not make the discussion on the Maori culture, religion and rituals complete, therefore these aspects will be mentioned on the preceding paragraphs. Keith (1980) points out that, the economic activities of the Maori culture vary with the location. He says that they are hunters, gatherers, and farmers. They hunt birds such as pigeons, ducks, and rat among others. Those that live along the coastal lines hunt grubs, earthworms, fish, shellfish, and sometimes whales. The Maoris use dogs for hunting purposes and the Maori are said to be cannibals thus thy also survived through eating each other (Keith, 1980). Russell (1996) says that on art, the Maori has paintings and weavings mostly done by women. The indigenous Maori is characterized by group performance called kappa haka. There is also oratory that is authentic and has both entertaining and educative influence. The clothing is accompanied with tattooing of faces where women tattooed their lips and chins a method called ta ngutu. The tattooing was done either through piercing or pigmentation of various body parts (Keith, 1980) Siers (1976) says that in the traditional Maori culture, society is segregated into small villages called kainga. These villages contain members of one of more members of a tribe usually called hapu. The kainga varies in sizes depending on productivity and population density of the regions. There are also villages that are fortified called pa. Each village has a store called pataka where war weapons, fishing gear and preserved foods are stored. The villages also have well decorated houses called whare whakairo which were for indoor meetings and entertainment of guests In conclusion the rich indigenous culture of the Maori has been greatly influenced by modernity leading to some aspects being eroded. Has a result the Maori culture and religion has changed in the recent past (Keith, 1980).

Working to Stop the Slaughter :: College Admissions Essays

Working to Stop the Slaughter    Gunfire kills 30,000 Americans every year. Gunfire disproportionately kills the young. Fifteen to twenty-four-year-olds are far more likely to die in gun murders and accidents than the average American. (Center for Disease Control) People in their early twenties are also more likely to use a gun to take their own life. In 1998, gun violence killed 4,476 18 to 22 year olds. In other words, gunfire kills 13 people in our age group every day. Every day, students like us mourn friends, classmates, siblings, and childhood playmates who died from gun violence. We have volunteered our time in schools where students struggle to learn because of the preoccupying threat of gunfire. Duck and cover has made a comeback. Our generation is learning to cower under our desks- not in fear of Soviet bombs but in fear of neighborhood arsenals. There are common sense solutions that work in Canada and Europe. Our elected leaders compound the daily tragedy when they choose not to act.    All it takes is some common sense. We can start by treating guns more like cars. Guns are exempt from the product safety regulations that govern everything from automobiles to power mowers to teddy bears. The gun industry, like any other industry, needs to take responsibility for the risks it creates. A government investigation helped prompt the Firestone recall. No government agency has similar responsibilities to investigate and respond to defective guns. Gun buyers have responsibilities as well. People who own dangerous products, like cars and guns, have the responsibility to learn to operate them safely and get a license.    Generations of college students have spoken out against injustice. Their efforts forced change. Students took to the streets to call for an end to the Vietnam war. The Freedom Riders spearheaded the civil rights movement. Our age group bears the brunt of the gun violence epidemic. When guns kill 30,000 Americans a year while Congress stands by and does nothing, it is time for our generation to speak up. We need to tell the stories of the people behind the statistics -- the lives full of hope and promise cut short by gunfire.

Supporting Children and Young People’s Health and Safety

â€Å"Health and safety in a school is about taking a sensible and proportionate approach to ensure the premises provide a healthy and safe place for all who use them, including the school work force, visitors and pupils. † (HSE Health and Safety checklist for classrooms – August 2011) Task 1 Factors to take into account when planning healthy and safe, indoor and outdoor environments and services are: †¢Lines of responsibility – The Governing Body, Head teacher and Health and Safety Officer. Employees, for example yourself, caretaker and kitchen manager, visitors such as hirers and contractors. Safeguarding and welfare – Safe recruitment for example, CRB checking, raising awareness of child protection, establishing a safe environment for children to learn and develop. †¢Age, needs and ability – Assessing the risks and ensuring that equipment is provided and used appropriately. †¢The safe selection of toys, materials and equipment â₠¬â€œ Assessing the risks and ensuring equipment is provided and used appropriately. The school setting uses the Government's Legislation as set down by the HSE as a source for planning healthy and safe environments and services.Health and safety is monitored and maintained by following the guidance within the setting's Health and Safety Policy. Risk assessments must be carried out to eliminate or reduce risks with any findings recorded. Any arrangements made must be monitored and reviewed by appointed person's with the training, knowledge and skills to carry out these arrangements. It is the appointed person's (Health and Safety Co-ordinator) responsibility to ensure that everyone within the setting is made aware of, read and signed the changed or new policies and procedures.People within the work setting must be made aware of where of the Health and Safety Policy is kept, up to date training must be provided and copies of risk assessments must be given when necessary, for example w hen going on school trips, all adults on the trip must read the risk assessment specifies such as the minibus for travelling in, wearing visors, appointed first aiders, trip and group leaders and toilet trips. This ensures the staff are aware of risks and hazards, how to deal with them efficiently and who to report to.Current health and safety legislation, policies and procedures are followed by employees at the school by reading the Health and Safety Policy and implementing the correct procedures such as the provision of first aid and knowledge of designated first aiders. The reporting and recording of accidents, Fire and Emergency procedures, attending the update of training, the need for parental consent for â€Å"when there is significant risk of injury before children participate in any activity. † (Livingstone Primary School – May 2011) All Employees will report defective items of furniture and equipment and if able, remove.Task 2 It is important when managing ri sks that a balanced approach is taken, the needs of pupils and their rights to learn, explore and play no matter what their age or ability needs to be taken into account. However their health and safety is paramount and excessive risks should not be taken. An example of a balanced approach from my experience is the time when I was on morning playground duty, it came to my attention that the skipping ropes were not being used appropriately. The children had tied the skipping ropes to the climbing apparatus and were using them to swing on and climb.In my opinion this was an excessive risk because the children were at risk of getting the rope caught around their necks or hurting another child who was using the apparatus appropriately. I immediately removed the skipping ropes and explained my reasons that it was too unsafe and encouraged the children to use them for skipping games. Children aged five or six would not be able to play on playground apparatus that is only suitable for chil dren over 8 years of age because the apparatus ould be too high or have more complex climbing equipment and would not meet their age of development. Age appropriate apparatus and equipment should be available to aid their development. Apparatus/equipment for a child with special educational needs who is over 8 years old would not be suitable if their development age may only be equivalent to a 5 or 6 year old therefore they need access to apparatus/equipment to meet their developing age with approved adaptation and 1:1 support if necessary. It is a fact of life that accidents, injury and illness happen to all children on occasions regardless. † (Sited on a Microsoft Power Point, TA Accredited Course – 10 th November 2012) Task 3 Under the Health and Safety Policy, the procedures of the setting in response to accidents and incidents is that every case is dealt with by designated first aiders and is fully and accurately recorded and signed in the accident book that is kep t in the medical room. A form is sent home to parents/carers informing them of any accident.For head injuries parents/carers are informed immediately by telephone and the child is given a sticker to wear stating ‘I bumped my head' this allows all staff to be aware of the child's accident. In the event of an emergency the first aider should be summoned to attend the accident/incident to provide first aid and if necessary call for emergency services. Parents/carers must be contacted as soon as possible. In the event of illness parents/carers are contacted immediately to collect their child.Any medicines that need to be given to a child needs a parent/carer to fill out a form stating the medicine and dosage as well as signed to give permission. Only designated persons should give medicines. Outbreaks of infectious illnesses are reported to all parents/carers via a letter home. Bibliography: †¢HSE Health and Safety Checklist for Classrooms, August 2011 †¢Livingstone Prim ary School, Health and Safety Policy, May 2011 †¢Microsoft Powerpoint, TA Accredited Course, 10th November 2012 Read also: How Different Types of Transitions Can Affect Children

The Waste Land: a critical view

the Waste Land' In the autumn of 1921. And with the constructive suggestions of Ezra Pound about the structure of the poem ,the present draft of the poem , which was published in 1922, has become a classic. It is also, more Importantly, the symbol of a whole age, signifying a new kind of poetry and a poetic revolution In modern English Literature and culture. The poem Is a masterpiece of innovative poetic design and embodies an entirely new and original poetic technique.Elite's view that every generation should make a poem in its own image is to merely an aesthetically satisfying ‘raisin deter' for the composition of ‘The Waste Land', but [It] Is also a way of recognizing and placental deferent Interpretations of this great poem by succeeding generations who observe in its varying images their own predicament. F. R. Leaves has called it a poem -about the disillusionment of a generation', and ‘a vision of dissolution and spiritual drought . L. R.Richard has called Th e Waste Land'- ‘A music of Ideas' that – the Ideas like musician's phrases are arranged not that they may tell us something but that their effects on us may combine into a coherent whole of feeling and attitude. ‘ There are critics like Yamaha Lewis who finds ‘The Waste Land'- ‘a cross-word puzzle of synthetic literary chronology and ‘a spurious verbal algebra. ‘ It Is difficult to trace accurately the sources of The Waste Land' to specific writing or works of Literature apart from well known origins such as Jussive Weston – ‘From Ritual to Romance 1920 and James Freezer's ‘The Golden Bough' 1922.These two books have been identified by Eliot myself, along with a number of vegetation and fertility myths and rituals, especially those connected with ‘Taos, Adonis and Souris'. However, we do read the echoes of Ovoid's – ‘Metamorphoses', SST. Augustine ‘Confession', Dent's- ‘Inferno' and ‘P ropagator', Baudelaire ‘Paris La Forge's ‘City ,Hanger's opera- ‘Tristan and Soled', Chaucer and Spender's writing , Shakespearean- ‘Antonym and Cleopatra', and ‘The Tempest', Million's- ‘Paradise Lost', Kid's- ‘The Spanish tragedy, and Middleman's- Woman Beware Woman' etc. In The Waste Land'.More over, the works of Ezra Pond. F. H. Bradley, Joseph Conrad, James Joyce and Henry. James must have greatly Influenced Elite's creative process. And, though Eliot largely drew his material from the Began and Christian sources, the Impact of the Rig Veda , the Pinheads , and Buddhism upon him cannot be overlooked. The poem is concluded with the parable of ‘Brickyard's Punished'. Thus, The Waste Land' consists of Fragments, as Eliot himself endorses the view- ‘These Fragments I have shored against my ruins'- of potentialities in an otherwise prosaic, dull and despairing world.Eliot spoke tit the voice of a lonely prophet In a corrupt city, which reflects the post-war struggle for reorientation, immediate sense of ugliness, emptiness and aimlessness of man's spiritual state of post-war years is responsible for the genesis of The Waste Land'. The deep sense of futility, horror and boredom of post-war generation Is rendered In a most difficult structure of the poem. Despite the erudite commentaries, ‘The Waste Land' as a very complex poem gave the world a mild shock due to its extreme obscurity, a shock that had a curative effect to the war-crazy world. However, I OFF

What Half Life Means for Evolution

What Half Life Means for Evolution Perhaps the most widely used evidence for the theory of evolution through natural selection is the fossil record. The fossil record may be incomplete and may never fully completed, but there are still many clues to evolution and how it happens within the fossil record. One way that helps scientists place fossils into the correct era on the geologic time scale is by using radiometric dating. Also called absolute dating, scientists use the decay of radioactive elements within the fossils or the rocks around the fossils to determine the age of the organism that was preserved. This technique relies on the property of half-life. What Is Half-Life? Half-life is defined as the time it takes for one-half of a radioactive element to decay into a daughter isotope. As radioactive isotopes of elements decay, they lose their radioactivity and become a brand new element known as a daughter isotope. By measuring the ratio of the amount of the original radioactive element to the daughter isotope, scientists can determine how many half-lives the element has undergone and from there can figure out the absolute age of the sample. The half-lives of several radioactive isotopes are known and are used often to figure out the age of newly found fossils. Different isotopes have different half-lives and sometimes more than one present isotope can be used to get an even more specific age of a fossil. Below is a chart of commonly used radiometric isotopes, their half-lives, and the daughter isotopes they decay into. Example of How to Use Half-Life Lets say you found a fossil you think to be a human skeleton. The best radioactive element to use to date human fossils is Carbon-14. There are several reasons why, but the main reasons is that Carbon-14 is a naturally occurring isotope in all forms of life and its half-life is about 5730 years, so we are able to use it to date more recent forms of life relative to the geologic time scale. You would need to have access to scientific instruments at this point that could measure the amount of radioactivity in the sample, so off to the lab we go! After you prepare your sample and put it into the machine, your readout says you have approximately 75% Nitrogen-14 and 25% Carbon-14. Now it is time to put those math skills to good use. At one half-life, you would have approximately 50% Carbon-14 and 50% Nitrogen-14. In other words, half (50%) of the Carbon-14 you started with has decayed into the daughter isotope Nitrogen-14. However, your readout from your radioactivity measuring instrument says you have only 25% Carbon-14 and 75% Nitrogen-14, so your fossil must have been through more than one half-life. After two half-lives, another half of your leftover Carbon-14 would have decayed into Nitrogen-14. Half of 50% is 25%, so you would have 25% Carbon-14 and 75% Nitrogen-14. This is what your readout said, so your fossil has undergone two half-lives. Now that you know how many half-lives have passed for your fossil, you need to multiply your number of half-lives by how many years are in one half-life. This gives you an age of 2 x 5730 11,460 years. Your fossil is of an organism (maybe human) that died 11,460 years ago. Commonly Used Radioactive Isotopes Parent Isotope Half-Life Daughter Isotope Carbon-14 5730 yrs. Nitrogen-14 Potassium-40 1.26 billion yrs. Argon-40 Thorium-230 75,000 yrs. Radium-226 Uranium-235 700,000 million yrs. Lead-207 Uranium-238 4.5 billion yrs. Lead-206

Dubonnet essays

Dubonnet essays I have recently been looking at one of Cassandres poster designs called Dubonnet (below) that was designed in 1934 advertising wine. I think this poster is unusual because the poster has three parts to it but all represents the same theme. At the first stage of the design there is a man sitting at a table staring at the glass he is holding what appears to be filled with wine, as the man holds up the glass part of his arm and face becomes highlighted in a dark shade. Also, in the same stage the word DUBO stands out which is read like Du Beau, that means something beautiful. In the second stage the lettering gradually changes to DUBON (something good), and at the same time the man now tastes the wine, again the mans body is shaded more this time moving down towards his stomach. Eventually in the last stage of the design the full brand name of the wine, DUBONNET, is revealed and the man has finished his glass of wine and helps himself to a second serving with a fully highlighted body. To me, this design is very clever because of the way Cassandre has divided the poster into three stages to make it like a cartoon strip. I think the message that its trying to get across is that the more you drink, the more energy you fill up with. Another thing I noticed about this poster is that in each stage of the design he signs parts of his name just like the word DUBONNET and in the last stage he signs his name fully as A.M Cassandre, and also the background of the poster changes shades of yellow and the mans body fills in. I imagine that Cassandre had thought about this design really hard to produce such an unusual advertisement for wine. ...

Learn Whether Cloud Seeding Can Kill Hurricanes

Learn Whether Cloud Seeding Can Kill Hurricanes Efforts at storm modification date back to the 1940s, when Dr. Irwin Langmuir and a team of scientist from General Electric explored the possibility of using ice crystals to weaken storms. This was Project Cirrus. Enthusiasm about this project, combined with devastation from a series of hurricanes that made landfall, prompted the U.S. federal government to appoint a Presidential Commission to investigate storm modification. What Was Project Stormfury? Project Stormfury was a research program for hurricane modification that was active between 1962 and 1983. The Stormfury hypothesis was that seeding the first rain band outside of the eyewall clouds with silver iodide (AgI) would cause supercooled water to turn into ice. This would release heat, which would cause the clouds to grow faster, pulling in air that would otherwise reach the wall of clouds around the eye. The plan was to cut off the air supply feeding the original eyewall, which would cause it to fade away while a second, wider eyewall would grow further from out from the storms center. Because the wall would be wider, air spiraling into the clouds would be slower. The partial conservation of angular momentum was intended to decrease the force of the strongest winds. At the same time the cloud seeding theory was being developed, a group at the Navy Weapons Center in California was developing new seeding generators that could release large amounts of silver iodide crystals i nto storms. Hurricanes That Were Seeded With Silver Iodide In 1961, the eyewall of Hurricane Esther was seeded with silver iodide. The hurricane stopped growing and showed signs of possible weakening. Hurricane Beulah was seeded in 1963, again with some encouraging results. Two hurricanes were then seeded with massive quantities of silver iodide. The first storm (Hurricane Debbie, 1969) weakened temporarily after being seeded five times. No significant effect was detected on the second storm (Hurricane Ginger, 1971). Later analysis of the 1969 storm suggested that the storm would have weakened with or without the seeding, as part of the normal eyewall replacement process.​ Discontinuing the Seeding Program Budget cuts and lack of definitive success led to the discontinuation of the hurricane seeding program. In the end, it was decided that funding would be better spent learning more about how hurricanes work and in finding ways to better prepare for and lessen the damage from natural storms. Even if it turned out cloud seeding or other artificial measures could lessen the intensity of the storms, there was considerable debate about where on their course the storms would be altered and concern over the ecological implications of changing the storms.

In 2,500 words, discuss and analyse the key principles important for Essay

In 2,500 words, discuss and analyse the key principles important for developing speaking, listening, writing or reading skills ( - Essay Example A number of methods and techniques that demonstrate the implementation of these theoretical perspectives in the classroom are also articulated, including methods for specific class environments. Introduction Contemporary research into foreign language reading instruction notes that teaching models are greatly varied. Teaching models in first language reading have served foundationally as models in teaching second-language reading. Stahl and Hayes (1997) have discussed the ways that academic models influence and help shape approaches that teacher’s adopt in the classroom. The types of models also change with practitioners’ age and experience. A main concern is that the difference between first language reading teaching and second language reading teaching is that the students have already developed first language reading skills that are influencing the second-language reading process. The different orthographies of the first-language also affect second-language reading a bility and researchers argue that this must be taken into consideration when developing lesson plans. Second language reading theory dates back to the inception of psychology as a formal discipline with cognitive theorists such as William Wundt. This research focused mainly on investigating perceptual issues. Beginning in the 1880s researchers fore-grounded the foundations of what came to represent the predominant focus of studies for the next century. In 1908 Huey published Psychology and Pedagogy of Reading which shifted focus in a more behaviorist slant until the 1960s. With Syntactic Structures and further attacks on behaviorist processes, academic attention shifted back to perceptual issues, with researchers investigating reading speed and eye focus. Notably, it was around this time that reading comprehension became a major issue for teachers. Today there are a number of key principles that are crucial to teaching reading in the foreign language classroom. Still, it is necessar y for the teaching professional to balance these elements according to classroom circumstances and student needs. This essay discusses and analyses the key principles important for developing reading skills and ways these principles can be applied in the foreign language classroom. Communicative Competence Key Principles Research on communicative competence reading theory differs greatly in its exact definition, with each offering slight variations of perspective. In Fundamental Considerations of Language Testing, Bachman offers an extremely dichotomous definition of communicative competence. He begins by stating that effective communication begins with a Language Competence phase and then filters down to a Strategic, Psychophysiological, and ultimately contextual scenario. In large part, Bachman is making the case that separate components of language exist that can’t be measured in objective, starkly grammatical terms. That while Organizational Competence, or â€Å"those ab ilities involved in producing†¦grammatically correct sentences† is a major component of language, communicative competence functions to illuminate the necessity of teaching, â€Å"†¦language users and the context of communication† – that is, pragmatic concerns (Bachman 87). In Communicative Competence, an example of the written elements of language is examined through

Two forces in human nature reign; Passion, to Rule; and Reason, to Essay

Two forces in human nature reign; Passion, to Rule; and Reason, to Restrain - Essay Example As it turns out, The Misfit, with the help of his two offsiders, ends up shooting the whole family. This seems an unreasonable thing to do, to put it mildly. It's hard to say whether The Misfit is ruled by passion, but he's certainly not restrained by reason. At first, he seems nothing more than a cold-blooded killer, but when he talks about himself to the grandmother, he shows himself to be emotionally confused. He doesn't understand why he was sent to the penitentiary in the first place, and he even compares himself to Jesus, who also didn't know why he was punished. He seems to think that if you can't be sure whether Jesus did the great things he claimed, like raising the dead, or you just don't believe it, then there's no pleasure but meanness, and you may as well kill people, burn their houses down or whatever. Why he should think this is hard to say, but it just seems no more than an excuse for him to lash out at a world that, he believes, has treated him so cruelly. The passio n that rules him is a cold, hard passion for revenge. In 'The Secret Sharer', the newly-appointed captain of a ship, who is clearly a thoughtful and reasonable person, encounters a man who has escaped from another ship after having killed someone in a fit of anger. Perhaps surprisingly, the captain takes pity on the stranger and hides him in his cabin.

Everyday Use by Alice Walker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Everyday Use by Alice Walker - Essay Example Mama decides to send Dee to school and when the latter comes back to visit them, she seems to be a changed woman. On the one hand, she respects rural life more, as she covets different rural things. On the other hand, she remains condescending in her attitude toward her family. The plot concerns the summary of life of Mama and her girls and Dee’s return from college life. Walker shows the theme of rural versus urban beliefs and lifestyles, the conflict of interests between modern and traditional cultures, as the traditional insist on functionalism, while the modern insists on objectification of the rural life, and the similarities of Dee to white oppressors. Urban life and rural life clash with each other. Mama loves her rural life and upbringing. The rural setting is her life and she is comfortable inside it. The exposition part of the story is when Mama describes her relationships with her daughters. Her relationship with Dee is tensed, since the latter hates their rural lif e. Mama is more at ease with Maggie, because she is a farm girl herself, but she does not like it that Maggie has no self-confidence at all. It can be also seen from Mama’s voice that she is proud of what she can do as a farmer: â€Å"I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing; I can eat pork liver cooked over the open fire minutes after it comes steaming from the hog.† She clearly takes pride in what she does. Like Maggie, however, she does not finish school and remain illiterate all her life. Dee wants an urban lifestyle. When she learns to read, she reads to her family, but with such an arrogant manner: â€Å"She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks' habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice.† Dee has such as sharp disdain for her own family, because they are poor and ignorant. The story also remarks of the conflict of interests between modern and traditional cultures . Conflict begins, when Dee wanted to take the quilts that Grandma Dee and Big Dee made. Mama refused to give it to her, because she promised these quilts as her gift for Maggie’s forthcoming wedding. Dee insisted on having her way, as usual, and Maggie gave in to Dee, but Mama did something extraordinary. The climax of the story is when mama insister her will upon Dee. She must have never done it before, and as a result, she also shows a precedent to Maggie that she cannot allow anyone to just push her around, especially when she also deserves her own place on earth. Because of this argument, Maggie got her quilts back. The story is written from the viewpoint of Mama. The language and structure reproduce the rural beliefs, practices, and attitudes of Mama. It is a story that describes the simple pleasures and needs of rural people, who are content with who they are and what they are doing with their life. This story also reveals that Dee is parallel to the white oppressors t hat Mama hates. Dee also looks down on her own family and believes that they are not making more of themselves. She sees herself as a superior being, because she is educated and â€Å"learned† about the importance of heritage. Despite her education, she has no â€Å"real† breeding, because she did not learn how to respect her family and their simple dreams and happiness in life. The resolution of the story occurs when Maggie and Mama relax after Dee left: â€Å"

Portfolio project Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Portfolio project - Term Paper Example In 2012, the deficit in global budget narrowed down to approximately $2.7 trillion (a representation of 3.80% of the global GDP-Gross Domestic Product). However, the global economic growth shifted (dropped) to 3.10% in 2012 from 3.70% in 2011 and 5.10% in 2010 fiscal years. The global unemployment rate increased to 9.20% in 2012. Countries that used expansionary monetary and fiscal policies attained significantly increased growth rates, lower rates of unemployment, increased growth in tax revenues, and success in cutting down public debts. Countries that employment contractionary policies failed to achieve what the former countries realized. In 2012, over 85 countries with pro-growth strategy realized median Gross Domestic Product growth rates of 4.90%, compared to 0.80% realized 37 nations with restrictive monetary and fiscal policies. This represented a difference of 4%. Among the listed 85 countries with pro-growth strategy, Canada grew by 1.90%, 2.20% for the United States, 3.0% for Turkey, 3.40% for Russia, 4.0% for Mexico,, 6.0% for the Indonesia, and 7.80% for China. Among 37 countries that restricted their monetary and fiscal policies, Italy grew by -2.30%, -1.40% for Spain, -0.5% Netherlands, -0.20% Belgium, 0.10% France, 0.70% Germany, and 2.30% Brazil. These 37 countries reported unemployment rate s of 11.50%. The global financial crunch of 2008-2009 caused the first recession in international output similar to what was experienced in 1946. Thus, the globe was faced with a new challenge mainly defined by finding out what combination (mix) of monetary and fiscal policies to apply in restoring jobs and growth, while keeping debt and inflation under control. Monetary stimulus and stabilization programs initiated in 2009-2011 to lower revenues in taxes in 2009-2010; required a number of countries to employ large budget debits. New public debts were issued by treasuries – amounting to $7.6 trillion.

International Money and Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Money and Finance - Assignment Example Wilson Cobbett Ltd during 1870s (Yahoo Finance 2007). With this humble beginning, the business organization has risen to become one of the world's recognized aviation companies capitalizing on its leading market position and strong growth potential. BBA Aviation reports annual sales of 1 million, employs approximately 10, 700 individuals, and operates in 11 countries. The company's major markets include the United States, Asia, the United Kingdom and Europe, while maintaining its headquarters in London, England (BBA Aviation Plc 2007). BBA Aviation Plc focuses on the provision of flight support services and aftermarket services and systems. The company's Annual Report 2006 states that it focuses on extending primary services such as "providing flight support to business and commercial aircraft at almost 150 locations worldwide; overhauling turbine engines together with the supply and repair of related components; licensing components from OEM s [Original Equipment Manufacturers] and assuming responsibility for their support in the Aftermarket; designing, manufacturing, and repairing of aircraft landing gear and hydraulic systems; and training pilots and the provisions of other services at Oxford airport." During 2006, BBA Aviation reports a total turnover of 950.1 million, 556.4 million (59%) of which is shared by its flight support division while the remaining 393.7 million (41%) is accounted for by its aftermarket services and systems (Annual Report 2006). Figure 1 further divides the company's total turnover in 2006 among its business units. Figure 1. Shares of Business Units in BBA Aviation's Total Turnover (2006, in million) III. The Global Aviation Market Armed with its commitment in the provision of excellent products and services to its customers and its cultivated expertise gained through its experience in the market, BBA Aviation is recognized as one of the leaders in the global aviation market. Based on the total value of its turnover in 2006, BBA Aviation's biggest market is the business and general aviation market which accounts for 65% of its total revenue. The company also captures a large share in the commercial aviation primarily on flight support as this segment provides 30% of its turnover. The business organization has a very limited presence in the military market which shares a meager 5% to its gross earnings (Annual Report 2006). Figure 2. The Markets of BBA Aviation (based on sales percentage) A. General and Business Aviation The company's operation in the general and business aviation market has been challenged by the historically high crude oil costs coupled with the rise in average retail jet fuel prices. Amidst these threats in the market environment, BBA Aviation Plc reports a generally "robust growth" as "business aircraft utilization recovered and remained strong" after the "temporary softening in flying hours during the early 2006" (Annual Report 2006). The business organization's outlook for this market segment is bright as demand for its products and services are expected to rise driven by "the continued growth of traditional corporate flight

The Conflict between Profit-Making and Business Ethics Resulting in Essay

The Conflict between Profit-Making and Business Ethics Resulting in the Claims Made within the Article - Essay Example The report claims that by having the Olympic Branded products made within abusive sweatshops it makes a â€Å"mockery† of the claims made by London 2012 organisers that this summer’s Olympics will be the most ethical ever. 1.2- Who is the report intended for? The report is intended for the owner’s of the following six factories, PTShyang Yao Fung, Shyang Yao Fung, PT Parnarub Industry, PT Pancaprima, PT Golden Castle and PT Golden Continental. 1.3- Who asked for it? The Independent conducted the investigation. 1.4- What is the following report aiming to find out? The following report is aiming to examine the conflict between profit-making and business ethics whilst finding out if the claims made by The Independent’s investigation into the alleged sweatshops in Indonesia are making a ‘mockery’ out of the London summer Olympics and whether it is ethical. 2.0- Terms of reference: The report is intended for the owners of the Indonesian factories t o give findings and recommendations following an investigation from The Independent. The investigation was carried out because of claims from London Olympic organisers that ‘’this summer Olympics will be the most ethical ever.’’ 3.0- Procedure. ... 3.5- In total there were eleven people questioned within the article. 4.0- Findings: 4.1 –Indonesian factories have been contracted to produce Olympic branded clothing and shoes for the official sportswear partner of the London Olympics, which is the German company Adidas. These products are to be worn by athletes of Team Gb as well as games volunteers. 4.2 The German company Adidas hopes to make ?100 million pounds from its Olympic products. 4.3 An investigation carried out by The Independent has uncovered wide spread violations of workers rights in Indonesia. 4.4: From the investigation, The Independent has found out that the German company subjects its employees to long working hours, that is, they work for 65 hours which is 25 hours longer than what should be the case for a standard working week. 4.5 The employees of the German company are paid a very low pay and are mostly young females. 4.6 The German company is alleged to subject its employees to physical and verbal abu se and are punished in case they fail to achieve the production targets. 4.7 The Independent also found out that not a single factory among the nine factories of the Germany based company ensures that it pays its workers a living wage. 4.8 The report by the Independent unravelled that the Olympics Organising Committee (Locog) had adopted the base code set by the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) that a living pay should be approximately 20 percent more than the officially recognised minimum wage of a country. 4.9 The investigations also revealed that the employees in the nine factories live in deplorable conditions where they have to skip meals to save money. 4.10 The working conditions have affected the families of the workers where some are separated from

International Money and Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Money and Finance - Assignment Example Wilson Cobbett Ltd during 1870s (Yahoo Finance 2007). With this humble beginning, the business organization has risen to become one of the world's recognized aviation companies capitalizing on its leading market position and strong growth potential. BBA Aviation reports annual sales of 1 million, employs approximately 10, 700 individuals, and operates in 11 countries. The company's major markets include the United States, Asia, the United Kingdom and Europe, while maintaining its headquarters in London, England (BBA Aviation Plc 2007). BBA Aviation Plc focuses on the provision of flight support services and aftermarket services and systems. The company's Annual Report 2006 states that it focuses on extending primary services such as "providing flight support to business and commercial aircraft at almost 150 locations worldwide; overhauling turbine engines together with the supply and repair of related components; licensing components from OEM s [Original Equipment Manufacturers] and assuming responsibility for their support in the Aftermarket; designing, manufacturing, and repairing of aircraft landing gear and hydraulic systems; and training pilots and the provisions of other services at Oxford airport." During 2006, BBA Aviation reports a total turnover of 950.1 million, 556.4 million (59%) of which is shared by its flight support division while the remaining 393.7 million (41%) is accounted for by its aftermarket services and systems (Annual Report 2006). Figure 1 further divides the company's total turnover in 2006 among its business units. Figure 1. Shares of Business Units in BBA Aviation's Total Turnover (2006, in million) III. The Global Aviation Market Armed with its commitment in the provision of excellent products and services to its customers and its cultivated expertise gained through its experience in the market, BBA Aviation is recognized as one of the leaders in the global aviation market. Based on the total value of its turnover in 2006, BBA Aviation's biggest market is the business and general aviation market which accounts for 65% of its total revenue. The company also captures a large share in the commercial aviation primarily on flight support as this segment provides 30% of its turnover. The business organization has a very limited presence in the military market which shares a meager 5% to its gross earnings (Annual Report 2006). Figure 2. The Markets of BBA Aviation (based on sales percentage) A. General and Business Aviation The company's operation in the general and business aviation market has been challenged by the historically high crude oil costs coupled with the rise in average retail jet fuel prices. Amidst these threats in the market environment, BBA Aviation Plc reports a generally "robust growth" as "business aircraft utilization recovered and remained strong" after the "temporary softening in flying hours during the early 2006" (Annual Report 2006). The business organization's outlook for this market segment is bright as demand for its products and services are expected to rise driven by "the continued growth of traditional corporate flight

Reflective Statement Essay Example for Free

Reflective Statement Essay For this module, we are required to do an assignment with regards of SME company. The purpose of writing the report is to analyze the key internal issues the management is likely to face when strategizing their marketing formula. Besides, we are also required to provide a practical recommendation for the company. For this project, the class was divided into 3 groups and each group consists of 3 members. My group members are Miss Tai Geok Yeong and Miss Sharanya. Discussions among group members were held 4 times, on the 29th October, 2nd November, 4th November and 6th November, respectively. Besides of our normal eeting in college, the discussions also were held through the MSN chat and email. Each of our group members was allocated with task and although conflicts arise during the discussion, we still managed to solve the problem. In my opinion, conflict in a group is not necessarily bad and we use several of techniques in order to resolve conflicts like compromising and exercises work delegation. Throughout completing the task CareKoolTint Sdn Bhd, I have gained lots of new information about SME and the company. In order to get more facts about the company, we held an interview with one of their sales representatives on 2nd November 2009. From the 1 hour interview, we managed to gather the information needed for this project, which for example are, their current marketing strategies and the companys internal issues. One important lesson I learnt from the interview is that, even though small firms is not properly structured, it does not mean that SMEs do not engage in marketing. It is only that, they are doing marketing according to their own terms and not according to a theoretical framework. Other than interviewing the sales representatives, my group and I also did a research based from their websites and also by reading books. It is important so that e will have a broader view on the business environment and help us to write the task more accurately. In order to complete the task, I read Marketing and Entrepreneurship in SMEs, Principles of Marketing by Philip Kotler and Fundamentals of Management to have a better understanding about SME and its management as well as several websites related to the topic which for example SME Info Portal. This whole process, I believe has improved both my knowledge and skills. I learnt how to work with others as a team, it taught me how to compromise as I need to be open in accepting other people ideas or opinion and also in handling conflicts. In addition to that, basically, I am more knowledgeable on this topic. From the research, I discovered various type of SME in Malaysia which can classified under 3 category that are Primary Agriculture, Manufacturing (including Agro-Based) ; MRS, Services Sector (including CT) . Furthermore, I am also more aware on characteristics needed to be an entrepreneur, and one essential trait they must have is to be a risk taker. This is important as SME business environment is very uncertain and whenever they make a wrong decision, it may affect their business as a whole.

Code of Ethics and Safety in Engineering

Code of Ethics and Safety in Engineering Abstract With a safe product, we have no worries of using it because there is no risk that going to occur. But we must know that nothing in this world is perfect. Any accident can happen to any one of us out there. Engineer always involve themselves with design and creation of new things which demand for a good quality and safer product. Safe Design must comply with the applicable law, requires knowledge and capability, must attempt to foresee potential misuses of the product, must meet standard of accepted engineering practice and must verify every final design. After the process that being followed by the engineer themselves, so it is up to the user to use it in the right way. This project is expected to give awareness to the engineering ethic course student on the term risk, safety and accident in the real world. INTRODUCTION What can we say about Engineering Code of Ethics in this topic? To be simple, it is related to the engineers to produce products that are safe for the society. It is also important that they are the main role in preventing accidents of their invention. We must know that nothing can be 100% safe and perfect, but still engineers are required to make products as safe as reasonably possible.[1] Firstly, we must know that safety is about freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger or loss. So, engineers have to follow the process or designing his product in order to make it safe as possible. Safe design is a process of hazard identification mainly at the design stage or controlling risk as early as possible to health and safety in the planning and design of products, systems or process. Through risk assessment, design option will be generated to eliminate Occupational Health Safety (OHS) hazards or to minimize OHS risks of injury to those who make the product and to those who used it.[3] In response to societal demands for safer products and workplaces, governments, businesses, engineers and others who are involved in innovation are requiring that safety be a fundamental principle in design. Design is a fundamental engineering activity. Engineer always involve in design, development and creation of new or improved products, process, systems and services. Hence, quality and safety in design should be fundamental in engineering concerns, not only to ensure that the code of engineering ethic is to be practiced but also to maintain a good reputation in engineering profession for better sense to develop products, processes and systems.[3] Safe design plays a big role in design objective, including practicability, cost and the functionality of the designed-product. Safe design is the process of successfully achieving a balance of these objectives. To ensure a total safety in a design, safe design needs an understanding of the each stage in the life of a designed product, starting with the initial conception to the end life of the product. Poor design can result in low productivity, higher maintenance, higher employment and workers compensation expenses and reduced asset life. These economic costs are in addition to human costs of injury, illness, disease and disability.[3] As we all know that accidents can always occur in anytime. It is usually happened on the user itself although the product that being used is already being design in term of safety and the usage too. It is case to case basis situation. It depends on whom to be blame. It may seem that engineers sometime bear no responsibility for any accident that happened. However, engineer must understand that the system or products that he is working on and to attempt to be creative in determining how things can be designed to avert as many mistakes by people using the technology as possible.[1] As we design something, we must also consider the manual and procedure for the use of the device or technology of the design. It is for the user itself. Engineers have to follow the design rules and in fact they have to pay the risk by designing something so that any accident can be averted. By generating the owners manual, maybe the user can use the device or the technology in the right way and it also can reduce the chances of getting any accident that can lead to death or injury. So engineers are born to help the people in the world by inventing the advance technology and designing it with the prospect of safety too. SAFE DESIGN CRITERIAS 1) Safe Design must comply with the applicable law All the design must meet their specifications and standards to ensure a good and safe design. Federal safety laws are different for each departments or industries. For example, International Maritime Organization (IMO) has an important part to play for adopting legislation for ships. IMOs safety legislation deals with the ship and passenger while The SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) do concern with passenger safety and with lifesaving equipment on passenger ships. While for electrical field, The National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) is a set of rules to safeguard people during the installation, operation, and maintenance of electric power lines. The NESC contains the basic provisions considered necessary for the safety of employees and the public. Although it is not intended as a design specification, its provisions establish minimum design requirements. PPL Electric Utilities Corp. (PPL) has developed design specifications and safety rules which meet or surpass all requirements specif ied by the NESC.[3] 2) Safe Design requires knowledge and capability In this case, engineers need to have and be able to demonstrate required knowledge about the design that he or she is about to build. They must have knowledge about the workplace hazards and any harmful effect because some of the design or project involves the prevention that may have potential to release hazardous material or energy. Such incidents will affect the environment such as toxic effects, fire or explosion and will drive to other consequences such as serious injuries, property damage and loss production. These are the basis possibilities that engineers must concern and implement ways to avoid any danger causes.[4] 3) Safe Design must attempt to foresee potential misuses of the product Engineers are professionally responsible for ensuring that their products or system are safe enough before they are established. They are legally bounded through law and regulations to ensure that their designs are safe from concept through disposal. To ensure a safe design, engineers must foresee the possibilities about the misuses of the products and implement ways to minimize the cautions of product misuses by the users. By adopting a safe design approach, it is possible to design-out health and safety hazards to create a design options that meet both clients need and our obligations as an engineer.[2] 4) Safe Design must meet standard of accepted engineering practice. Accepted engineering practice is a safety issues that involve fundamental ideas about how we view the world and what we believe is important and right. A designer has a responsibility to ensure that their conceptions do not put the others on risk. They cant just create the design by simply ignore insignificant risk even it consumes lots of cost. For example, it might be less important for a small house to install lightning protection but it is a must for such a large factories or tower to do so and to meet the standard of specification.[3] 5) Safe Design must verify every final design For good engineers, they must always find alternatives about how to improve their current products to improve safety effect besides implementing new ways of design. However, after designing, the products and finished devices must be tested rigorously to see whether the products are safe and meet the specifications needed. For fresh graduate engineers, they would be expected to work under the supervision and guidance of more experienced engineers, while they gain experiences. This is very important as fresh engineer will attempt to make more mistakes as they have lack of experiences.[2] DESIGNING FOR SAFETY Safety is generally interpreted as implying a real and significant impact on risk of death, injury or damage to property. In response to perceived risks many interventions may be proposed with engineering responses and regulation being two of the most common. Better safe than sorry by Bruce Erion, President of the National Broadcast Pilots Assn, a simple but crucial for designers to bear with. One version of the process for safety design, taken from the finding of Wilcox will be thoroughly elaborated. Some of the steps are including defining the problem and generate as well as analysing several solutions before implementing the design Consideration of safety should be an integral part of the design process at the various stages. Designers should assess the design as it progresses and if any significant hazard is identified the design should be altered to eliminate the hazard where reasonably practicable, or otherwise to reduce the risk where reasonably practicable [4]. As the design progresses from concept to detail, consideration of safety issues moves from general aspects to specific aspects. The most important contribution that a designer can probably make is at the concept and early design development stages of a project when project-wide and system hazards are being considered. Another important thing that an engineer needs to consider is to minimize the inherent danger in the process as could as possible. It is good if we can excluded any potential danger in our design rather that to cope with or otherwise avoided Hence, dangerous substances or reactions are replaced by less dangerous ones, and this is preferred to using the dangerous substances in an encapsulated process[3]. Trevor Kletz said that to eliminate the hazard completely or reduce its magnitude sufficiently to eliminate the need for elaborate safety systems and procedures. Furthermore, this hazard elimination or reduction would be accomplished by means that were inherent in the process and thus permanent and inseparable from it. Here we focus on the specific area of pertaining to engineering design. We believe that engineering design constitutes an interesting starting point for ethical issues in engineering, both for educational and research purposes [3]. The first step that designer need to consider is to define the needs and requirements and often involves determining the constraints. Consideration of safety should be an integral part of the design process at the various stages. Designers should assess the design as it progresses and if any significant hazard is identified the design should be altered to eliminate the hazard where reasonably practicable, or otherwise to reduce the risk. Before some design has been done, we must consider all the pros and cons before implementing every single one. We have to recognise if there any design trade off of the products. In order to build a stadium for example, Stadium A gives a more astounding structure but less safe compared to Stadium B that is very safe but the structural design is not that remarkable. Which one will we choose to build? Here, we need to generate several solutions in order to decide the best selection to choose but as a good designer, safety is always be the main priority Hence, after several solutions have been listed with their advantages as well as disadvantages, they need to be analysed. Safer products, processes and systems will result and that ultimately benefits business and society generally, now and in the long term, because it minimises injury and illness and provides for a better social and workplace environment. This step involves determining the consequences of each design solution and determining whether it solves the problem. The aspect of the design process is connected to, or brings about possible negative consequences, for people other than the designers involved; hence it is a must for engineer to test the solution whether they are safe enough before each of product has been released. Then after completing the solution testing, the design is ready to implement. In the nutshell, safety must come first in every design to avoid any unwanted accidents in the future and subsequent criminal or civil action against us RISK-BENEFIT ANALYSIS Risk-benefit analysis is the comparison of the risk of certain cases to its related benefits in the real world. Exposure to personal risk is recognized as a normal aspect of every daily routine life in human being. We accept a certain level of risk in our lives as necessary in order to obtain some particular benefits. In most of these risks one feels as though he or she have some sort of control over the real situation. For example, driving a car is a risk most people take every day. The controlling factor appears to be their perception of their individual ability to manage the risk-creating situation. However, analysing the risk of a situation is very dependent on the individual that doing the analysis. When individuals are exposed to involuntary risk or risk which they have no control, they tend to avoid the risk that they faced. Under these conditions, the individuals will favor to have the risk to be as much as one thousand times smaller than for the same situation under their pe rceived control.[7] Let us consider the adequacy of this way of dealing with uncertainty with the help of the simple conceptual model of risk management described by Figure 1. It characterises risk management as a non-monetized form of cost-benefit analysis. Figure1: simple conceptual model of risk management The model postulates that everyone has a propensity to take risks this propensity varies from one individual to another this propensity is influenced by the potential rewards of risk taking perceptions of risk are influenced by experience of accident losses ones own and  others individual risk taking decisions represent a balancing act in which perceptions of  risk are weighed against propensity to take risk accident losses are, by definition, a consequence of taking risks; the more risks an  individual takes, the greater, on average, will be both the rewards and losses he or  she incurs.[6] To make it simple, there are three kind of risk as shown in the figure 2. Figure 2: three kinds of risks Virtual risks are products of the imagination which work upon the imagination. The less conclusive the science relating to a particular risk, the more liberated are peoples imaginations. directly perceptible risks are managed instinctively and intuitively. Science illuminates many of the connections between behaviour and consequence, sometimes so successfully that previously invisible risks become directly perceptible. However estimates of such probabilities are usually of limited value to those seeking guidance about what to do in the face of uncertainty. There are at least as many problems attaching to the probability estimates as there are to the value estimates by which they are multiplied.[6] ACCIDENT Accident is an unexpected event that will be interrupt any completion of an activity, and that may be include injury or property damage. . Work accidents can occur due to unsuitable protective clothing and gear and insufficient training or non training. Injury can also be caused by careless co- workers and poor lighting. The employers should provide safe place of working, safe system of working and safe methods of working. When the accident was investigated, the important part is to find out what is the causes of the accident. It will use as a guideline in order to prevent similar accident in the future. The objectives of the investigation accident is actually to find out the facts that can guide to take the actions and not to find the fault. The investigation of the accident can be conducted by someone who have experienced in accident causation and have experienced about investigation technique. Besides that, the person must be have a knowledgeable about the working process or condi tion, the procedures and the person involve.[1] Most of the accident happen maybe because of some human error or else. For example, when doing the investigation, the accident is occur due to the worker carelessness. The accident happen still must be to investigate if there are not involve any injury or property damage because any hazards can be corrected for in the future apply. Accident can be considered into a several type which is procedural, engineered and the systemic. For procedural accident, it is the most common happen and it will give the someone to make a bad decision or choice and will not follow the established procedures. The procedural accident are quite well to understood and can be minimize with the appropriate way for example with the given training to the workers, more supervision, and must have laws or regulations .For engineered accident, it caused by flaw in the design. Failures in the choice of material, devices not operating properly, devices or parts not operating well under all circumstances. Engineered failure should be anticipated in the design stages and should be caught and corrected during testing. However, it not always to anticipate in every condition that will be encountered, and sometimes testing doesnt occur over the entire range of possible operating condition. Engineered accident cam be understood and alleviated as more k nowledge is gain through testing and actual experienced in the field.[1] For systemic accident, it is quite hard to understand and not easy to control it. They are characteristic of every complex technologies and the complex organizations that are required to operate them. For example in airline industry which have a very complicated system that involve many working people including baggage handler, machine, pilot, and so on. In designing some project, there are so difficult to detect any systemic accident since there are many small and seemingly insignificant factor that can be considered. As the designer and engineer, we suppose to understand the complexity of the system working and try to design something which the accident occur can be minimized. CASE STUDY CASE STUDY FOR SAFETY DESIGN Case Study 1 Safe Design: Employee received electric shock while trying to adjust damaged connector linking coin operated box to photocopier. 50mm connector jutting out at 90o on side of copier unsafe workplace-equipment layout obstructing access to electrical power outlet Preventive Actions Reopen case worksite preventive / brainstorming session with staff thru process of consultation, hazard ID, risk control measures. Re-layout photocopier and book shelf Case Study 2 Safe design: Nov 2004 Exhaust fumes from diesel engine at basement got into the air conditioning intakes on Floors 4 to 7, building was evacuated. When building was first built, there was no restriction to exhaust ventilation. With development, adjacent buildings were causing environmental restriction to existing exhaust ventilation systems, creating unsafe and uncomfortable workplace environment! Corrective action: Building owner to fix Preventive Actions: Development Act LG admin controls BCA building regulations controls Building Designers responsibility Case Study 3 Safe design: Jan 2005 Maintenance worker received electric shock after coming into contact with an LIVE evaporative cooling system isolation switch filled with water. Cause: Water droplets from the filter pad splashed onto the fan-motor power cable and gradually gained entry into the conduit and switch housing through gravity feed. Safe Design Consideration: Install a 90o elbow facing downwards at the cable entry point from the inside of unit to create the lowest dip point by design. Sealing the conduit entry point with silicone rubber or equivalent may not provide a permanent  barrier. CASE STUDY FOR ACCIDENT Case Study 4: Collapse of Stadium Terengganu Image of Terengganu Stadium Collapse In 2 JUNE 2009, the Stadium of Terengganu collapse after one year of being built. It was officially opened by the Yang di-Pertuan agong sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin. The roof of the stadium is named after him in Gong Badak, Kuala Terengganu collapsed in early morning of 2 June 2009 and causing damage to the few cars that was park in the vicinity. Fortunately no one was injured in this accident. The frame structure of the roof of the 50,000-seat stadium came crashing down around 7.30 am and none of the stadium staff were at the premises yet. 60 percent of the roof at the stadium that was built at a cost of RM270 million and opened on 10 May 2008, collapsed, including that above the royal box at the grand stand. Overall damage was estimated at RM35mil. Meanwhile, even after the debris from the 2,500-tonne roof has been cleared, the Terengganu government is  unable to say if the stadium is safe  as the impact of the collapse is not known. Some causes of the collapse of this new stadium were identified. It is maybe because of components used and work quality did not meet the specifications; design factor was not appropriate; roof was not constructed properly; quality control was not carried out at the project site; weak supervision during the construction process; lack of skilled workers; and shortage of experts and experienced consultants. A notice has been issued to the contractor to repair the 50,000-seat Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium which is the biggest stadium in the East Coast but no response so far[9]. Case Study 5: The Crash of Valujet Flight 592 Image of Valujet Flight 592 In May 1996, Valujet Flight took off from Miami International Airport, heading for Atlanta. Theis Valujet Flight offered cheap fares to Florida and other popular destinations. It cost savings were achieved in part by hiring other companies which is Sabre Tech to perform many of the routine operations that keep an airline flying including the routine task of replacing oxygen generator canisters in some of its DC-9s. The canisters are located above the passenger seats and are used to provide oxygen to the passengers through masks should the cabin pressure somehow lost. The canisters contain a core of sodium chlorate, which is activated by a small explosive charge. This small explosion is initiated when the passenger pulls the oxygen mask toward herself. A chemical reaction within the canisters liberates oxygen, which the passenger breathes through the mask. During use, the surface temperature of the canister can be as high as 500F, which is normally not a problem, since the canister is well ventilated. To ensure that the canister will operate properly when needed, the oxygen generator canisters must be replaced periodically. Valujet maintenance rules made it clear that when the canisters are removed, a bright yellow safety cap must be installed on them to ensure that the explosive charge is not inadvertently set off. Unfortunately, Sabre Tech didnt follow this rule while performing this work. Instead, tape was applied where the caps should have been gone, and the canisters were placed in five cardboard boxes and left on a shelf in the hangar. However, two of the Sabre tech mechanics marked on the paperwork that the caps had been installed and signed off on the job. Within minutes after leaving the runway, the DC-9s electrical system started to fail and the cockpit and passengers cabin began filling with smoke. The pilots immediately called the Miami tower for permission to return and began to descend and turn back toward the airport. However, the situation becomes worsened because of fire started melting the control cables and the pilots become shrouded in smoke. The plane suddenly banked sharply and descended rapidly. The descent was so fast and causes the traffic control radar in Miami no longer able to register an altitude for the airplane. Amazingly, either through the efforts of the pilot or because the autopilot come back on, the plane becomes leveled off again. The airplane was now at only 1000 feet above the ground. The air traffic controllers in Miami radioed the pilots and attempted to send the aircraft to the closer airport at Opa Locka, Florida. Instead, the plane was rolled sharply to the right and facing nose down crashed into the Everglades. The two pilots, three flight attendants and 105 passengers on board were killed instantly in this accident. The subsequent investigation into this accident indicated that the fire was caused by the accidental firing of at least one of many chemical oxygen generators that were being carried in this plan to send back to Valujet headquarters in Atlanta. This chemical oxygen generator is the canister that had been removed from another Valujet airplane. The heat generated by this canister caused a fire in the cargo hold beneath the cockpit that ultimately brought this plane down. The investigation showed that this accident is not a flow in the airplanes design, but rather was attributed to a series of the oxygen canisters. These canisters were improperly secured and supposedly shouldnt have been on the airplane at all. One of the most important duties of an engineer is to ensure the safety of the people who will be affected by the products that he designs. As we have seen, all of the codes of ethics of the professional engineering societies stress the important of safety in the engineers duties [1][8]. CONCLUSION There are so many small insignificant factors that engineer doing that occur the accident. It may seem that the engineer has no responsibility and not alert about the law of safety and regulation. However, the engineer must understand and learn the complexity and the system that he is working on and also to be creative in determining how things can be design to avoid the accident happen again. Many of the risks can only be expressed by probabilities and no more educated guesses. Furthermore, there are synergistic effects between probabilities especially in a new and innovative design. Because of that, the engineer must design a product as safe as possible. Base on the designing for safety, the risk can minimize much more easierThe risk can minimize if the engineer spending more time to recheck the design cycle before sell it. It is because of to make sure that the product safe to use. Even though the price quite expensive, especially in the design cycle before the product has been built or is on the market, but the engineer must make sure that the product have a safety prevention and high quality. The prudent and ethical thing to do is to spend as much time and expense the design correctly so as to minimize future risk of injury and civil actions. The method to help analyze and to determine a project to proceed is risk benefit analysis. This method can summarize that the only ethical way is to implement risk-benefit by sharing the benefit between the engineer and society. As a conclusion, the product not surely 100% safe, but the engineer must design a product more effectively and follow the ethical law as a guideline.

Social Interaction Influence Cognitive Development Essay -- Psychology

Social interaction plays an important role in people’s life starting from the early childhood as infants interact with their caregivers and build the emotional attachment that is the base for future relationships. By social interaction with others children learn how to communicate, play and behave in particular situation. Berk (2009) proposed the overview of the literature that concentrates upon the early attachment and its importance. Knowing the influence of social interaction on child development in the first few years, the essay is going to elaborate upon the implication of social interaction on the development of cognition. Cognitive development as Lee & Gupta (eds.) claimed is the term that refers to acquisition and development of knowledge and cognition, namely the processes such as memory, language, and problem – solving and drawing. When elaborating upon cognitive development, the three main aspects can be distinguished: the understanding of the objects by chil dren, their ability to imitate caregivers and children’s ability to hold representations of the world (Oates, Wood & Grayson, 2005). All of the aspects play an important role in developing cognition of children and provide the explanation for the understanding of children’s learning influenced by social relationships and practices. In the essay there is going to be an emphasis on the social interaction between children and their caregivers and peer relations. To consider whether social interaction is a fundamental basis for cognitive development of children, there is going to be presented the overview of the literature that concentrates upon it. There are two fundamental theoretical frameworks that touch upon the subjects, namely the work of Piaget (1926) and Vygots... ...interact with their caregivers and through interaction not only their cognitive abilities are shaped by also their personality and behaviour in later stage of their life (Triandis & Suh, 2002). The essay is considering the background that social relation flourishes, namely interaction child – adult and peer relations. Through their early experiences with others, children develop their understanding of the world. By simple activities that are carried out on daily basis between children and caregivers, children are able to gain the meaning of new techniques and learning strategies, they expand their existing knowledge and experience new things. The interesting aspect is to elaborate on social interaction within different groups of children. Although the cognitive abilities may not fully develop in every child, social interaction encourages and prompts the progress.

Cahills How The Irish Saved Civilization Essay -- essays research pape

Cahill's How the Irish Saved Civilization Thomas Cahill opens his story describing Rome's fall, â€Å"For as the Roman Empire fell, as all through Europe matted, unwashed barbarians descended on the Roman cities, looting artifacts and burning books, the Irish who were just learning to read and write, took up the just labor of copying all of western literature - everything they could get their hands on. These scribes then served as conduits through which Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian cultures were transmitted to the tribes of Europe, newly settled amid the rubble and ruined vineyards of the civilization they had overwhelmed.† (Cahill, p.3) The theme of this book is that the scribes did something unique, they saved civilization, not the masses of people, but literature, the content of â€Å"classical civilization.† (Cahill, p. 58) One reads of the time from Rome's fall to medieval times learning through the stories of the characters, most notable Augustine and Patrick.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Augustine, his faith based on Roman Chrisitanity, â€Å"looked into his own heart and found the anguish of each individual.† (Cahill, p. 115) Patrick, the slave turned Christian, escapes only to return to convert the Irish. He was the first missionary to the barbarians beyond Greco-Roman law â€Å"who looked into the hearts of others.† (Cahill, p. 115)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cahill notes Ireland is the only land where Christianity is introduced without violence - there were no murdered Irish...

Bloodlines Chapter Nine

CONSIDERING I WAS ONLY SUPPOSED to visit Clarence's twice a week for feedings, I was kind of amazed that I seemed to be here practically every day. Not only that, this was my first time visiting the estate alone. Before, I'd been with Keith or Jill and had a very well-defined goal. Now, I was on my own. I hadn't realized how much that would freak me out until I was approaching the house, which became even more looming and dark than usual. There's nothing to be afraid of, I told myself. You've been with a vampire and dhampir all week. You should be used to it. Besides, really, the scariest thing about this place was the old house itself. Clarence and Lee weren't all that intimidating, and Adrian†¦ well, Adrian was pretty much the least scary vampire I'd ever met. He was too bratty for me to feel any real fear, and actually†¦ as much as I hated to admit it, I kind of looked forward to seeing him. It made no sense, but something about his infuriating nature made me forget about my other worries. Weirdly, I felt like I could relax around him. Dorothy escorted me in, and I expected to be taken to the sitting room again. Instead, the housekeeper led me through a few twists and turns of the dark halls, finally landing in a billiards room that looked like it could have been straight out of Clue. More dark wood lined the room, and stained glass windows let in filtered sunlight. Most of the room's illumination came from a hanging light centered over a rich green pool table. Adrian was lining up a shot as I shut the door behind me. â€Å"Oh,† he said, knocking a red ball into a hole. â€Å"It's you.† â€Å"You were expecting someone else?† I asked. â€Å"Am I interrupting your social calendar?† I made a big show of glancing around the empty room. â€Å"I don't want to keep you from the mob of fans beating down your door.† â€Å"Hey, a guy can hope. I mean, it's not impossible that a car full of scantily clad sorority girls might break down outside and need my help.† â€Å"That's true,† I said. â€Å"Maybe I can put a sign out front that says, ‘ATTENTION ALL GIRLS: FREE HELP HERE.'† â€Å"‘ATTENTION ALL HOT GIRLS,'† he corrected, straightening up. â€Å"Right,† I said, trying not to roll my eyes. â€Å"That's an important distinction.† He pointed at me with the pool stick. â€Å"Speaking of hot, I like that uniform.† This time, I did roll my eyes. After Adrian had teased me last time about my uniform looking like my normal clothes, I'd made sure to change out of it before coming today. Now I wore dark jeans and a black-and-white printed blouse with a ruffled collar. I should have known the outfit change wouldn't save me from his snark. â€Å"Are you the only one here?† I asked, noting his solo game. â€Å"Nah. Clarence is around doing†¦ I don't know. Old man stuff. And I think Lee's fixing that lock before he heads to LA. It's kind of funny. He seems upset that he needs to use tools. He keeps thinking the strength of his own hands should be more than enough.† I couldn't help a smile. â€Å"I don't suppose you offered to help?† â€Å"Sage,† Adrian declared. â€Å"These hands don't do manual labor.† He knocked another ball into a hole. â€Å"You want to play?† â€Å"What? With you?† â€Å"No, with Clarence.† He sighed at my dumbfounded look. â€Å"Yes, of course with me.† â€Å"No. I need to talk to you about Jill.† He was silent for a few moments and then returned to the game as though nothing had happened. â€Å"She wasn't sick today.† He said that with certainty, though there was a funny, bitter tone to his words. â€Å"No. Well, not in the same way. She got sick out in the sun during PE. I'm going to see Keith after this to see if we can get a medical excuse.† I'd actually tried calling him earlier, with no luck. â€Å"But that's not why I'm here. There's a guy who likes Jill – a human guy.† â€Å"Have Castile rough him up.† I leaned back against the wall and sighed. â€Å"That's the thing. I asked him to. Well, not rough him up, exactly. It's Eddie's roommate. I asked Eddie to tell him to back off and make up some reason for staying away from Jill – like that she's too young.† Fearing Adrian would be as lax as Eddie in this, I asked, â€Å"You understand why it's important, right? No Moroi and human dating?† He was watching the table, not me. â€Å"Yup, I'm with you there, Sage. But I still don't see the problem.† â€Å"Eddie won't do it. He says he doesn't think Jill should be denied the chance to date and go to dances. That it's okay if she and Micah hang out, so long as it doesn't get serious.† Adrian was good at hiding his feelings, but this looked like it'd caught him by surprise. He straightened up and spun the base of the pool stick on the floor as he thought. â€Å"That is weird. I mean, I get the logic, and there's something to it. She shouldn't be forced into isolation while she's here. I'm just surprised Castile came up with it.† â€Å"Yeah, but that's a hard concept to live by. Where do you draw the ‘casual' line? Honestly, I get this feeling Eddie just didn't want to confront Micah – the roommate. Which is crazy, because Eddie doesn't seem like the type to be afraid of anything. What is there about Micah that would make Eddie so uneasy?† â€Å"Is Micah some big, hulking guy?† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"He's built, I guess. Good at sports. Really friendly and easygoing – not the type you'd have to be afraid would turn on you if you warned him away from your sister.† â€Å"Then you can talk to him. Or just talk to Jailbait and explain things to her.† Adrian seemed satisfied he'd solved the matter and knocked in the last ball. â€Å"That was my plan. I just wanted to make sure you'd back me. Jill listens to you, and I thought it'd be easier if she knew you agreed with me. Not that I even know how she feels. For all I know, this is all overkill.† â€Å"Can't hurt to be too careful with her,† said Adrian. He stared off, lost in his own thoughts. â€Å"And I'll let her know how I feel about it.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said, kind of surprised at how easy this had been. His green eyes danced mischievously. â€Å"Now will you play a round with me?† â€Å"I don't really – â€Å" The door opened, and Lee walked in, dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt. He was carrying a screwdriver. â€Å"Hey, Sydney. I thought I saw your car out there.† He glanced around. â€Å"Is, uh, Jill with you?† â€Å"Not today,† I said. New insight struck me as I recalled that Lee attended school in Los Angeles. â€Å"Lee, have you ever dated a human girl at your school?† Adrian arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Are you asking him out, Sage?† I scowled. â€Å"No!† Lee turned thoughtful. â€Å"No, not really. I have some human friends, and we go out as a group and hang out†¦ but I've never done more than that. LA's a big place, though. There are Moroi girls around, if you know where to look.† Adrian perked up. â€Å"Oh?† My hope that Lee might tell Jill he too had to avoid dating faded. â€Å"Well, that would make your dating situation much easier than Jill's.† â€Å"What do you mean?† asked Lee. I recapped everything to him about Micah and Eddie. Lee nodded along thoughtfully. â€Å"That is hard,† he admitted. â€Å"Can we go back to the part about Moroi girls hanging out in LA?† asked Adrian hopefully. â€Å"Can you direct me to some of the†¦ oh, let's say, more open-minded ones?† Lee's attention was on me, however. His easy smile grew uncertain, and he glanced at his feet. â€Å"This might seem kind of weird†¦ but I mean, I wouldn't mind asking Jill out.† Adrian was on that before I could even think of a response. â€Å"What, do you mean like on a date? You son of a bitch! She's only fifteen.† You never would've guessed he'd been talking about easy Moroi girls only moments before. â€Å"Adrian,† I said. â€Å"I'm guessing Lee's definition of a date is a little different than yours.† â€Å"Sorry, Sage. You've got to trust me when it comes to dating definitions. Last I checked, you aren't an expert in social matters. I mean, when was the last time you were even on a date?† It was just another of the witty barbs he tossed around so easily, but it stung a little. Was my lack of social experience that obvious? â€Å"But,† I added, ignoring Adrian's question, â€Å"there is an age difference.† I honestly had no idea how old Lee was. His being in college gave me some clue, but Clarence seemed awfully old. Having a child late in life wasn't that weird, though, for humans or Moroi. â€Å"There is,† said Lee. â€Å"I'm nineteen. Not a huge gap – but big enough. I shouldn't have said anything.† He looked embarrassed, and I felt both sorry for him and confused for myself. Matchmaking wasn't in the Alchemist handbook. â€Å"Why would you want to ask her out?† I asked. â€Å"I mean, she's great. But are you just doing this to distract her from Micah and give her a safe dating alternative? Or do you, um, like her?† â€Å"Of course he likes her,† said Adrian, quick to defend Jill's honor. I had a feeling that there was really no good way for Lee to answer at this point. If he expressed interest in her, Adrian's bizarre chivalric instincts were going to kick in. If Lee wasn't interested, Adrian would no doubt demand to know why Lee didn't want to marry her then and there. It was one of those fascinating – but weird – quirks of Adrian's personality. â€Å"I like her,† said Lee bluntly. â€Å"I've only talked to her a couple of times, but†¦ well, I'd really like to get to know her better.† Adrian scoffed, and I shot him a glare. â€Å"Once again,† I said. â€Å"I think you guys have different definitions for the same words.† â€Å"Not true,† said Adrian. â€Å"All guys mean the same thing when they want to ‘get to know a girl better.' You're a well-bred young lady, so I understand why you'd be too innocent to understand. Good thing you've got me here to interpret.† I turned back to Lee, not even bothering to respond to Adrian. â€Å"I think it's fine if you go out with her.† â€Å"Assuming she'd even be interested,† said Lee, looking uncertain. I remembered her smile when he'd stopped to talk to her yesterday. That had seemed pretty promising. But then, so had her enthusiasm over Micah. â€Å"I bet she would.† â€Å"So you're just going to let her go off alone?† asked Adrian, giving me a look that told me not to question him. This time, his concern was legitimate. I shared it. Jill was in Palm Springs to be safe. She was enrolled at Amberwood because it was also safe. Suddenly going out with a guy we hardly knew would not meet either Alchemist or guardian protocols for safety. â€Å"Well, she can't even leave campus,† I said, thinking aloud. â€Å"Not without me.† â€Å"Whoa,† said Adrian, â€Å"if you get to come along as a chaperone, so do I.† â€Å"If we both do, then Eddie will want to as well,† I pointed out. â€Å"Doesn't sound like much of a date.† â€Å"So?† Adrian's brief moment of seriousness and concern had vanished in the face of what he saw as social fun. How could anyone's mood flip so quickly? â€Å"Think of it as less of a date than a faux-family outing. One that will entertain me while protecting her virtue.† I put my hands on my hips and turned toward him. This seemed to amuse him more. â€Å"Adrian, we're focusing on Jill here. This isn't about your personal entertainment.† â€Å"Not true,† he said, green eyes sparkling. â€Å"Everything's about my personal entertainment. The world is my stage. Keep it up – you're becoming a star performer in the show.† Lee glanced between us with a comically helpless look. â€Å"Do you guys want to be alone?† I flushed. â€Å"Sorry.† Adrian made no apologies, of course. â€Å"Look,† said Lee, who kind of seemed like he was beginning to regret bringing this up at all. â€Å"I like her. If it means bringing your whole group so I can be with her, then that's fine.† â€Å"Maybe it's better this way,† I mused. â€Å"Maybe if we do more things as a group – aside from her feedings – she won't be in danger of wanting to go out with a human guy.† Who we didn't even know for sure that she was interested in. We didn't even know if she was interested in Lee either. We were being awfully heavy-handed with her love life, I realized. â€Å"This is kind of what I wanted before,† Adrian said to me. â€Å"Just more of a social life.† I thought back to yesterday's conversation, in which he'd demanded I find him lodging. â€Å"That's not quite what you asked for.† â€Å"If you want to get out more,† said Lee, â€Å"you should come back to LA with me tonight. I'll be back here after class tomorrow anyway, so it'd just be a quick trip.† Adrian brightened so much that I wondered if Lee had suggested it to try to smooth over any tension remaining about his interest in Jill. â€Å"Will you introduce me to those girls?† asked Adrian. â€Å"Unbelievable,† I said. Adrian's double standard was ridiculous. I didn't notice the door opening until Keith was completely in the room. I was never exactly happy to see him, but it was good luck that he was suddenly here, right when I needed to talk to him about Jill and her problems with PE. My best plan had been to show up at his apartment and hope to catch him there. He'd saved me the trouble. Keith looked at all three of us – but he didn't share our smiles. No winks or pretty boy charm from him today. â€Å"I saw your car out there, Sydney,† he said sternly, turning to me. â€Å"What are you doing here?† â€Å"I had to talk to Adrian,† I said. â€Å"Did you get my message? I tried calling earlier.† â€Å"I've been busy,† he said crisply. His expression was hard, his tone chilling the room. Adrian and Lee had lost their smiles, and both now looked confused as they tried to figure out why Keith was so annoyed. I shared their curiosity. â€Å"Let's talk. In private.† I suddenly felt like a naughty child without knowing why. â€Å"Sure,† I said. â€Å"I†¦ I was just leaving anyway.† I moved to join Keith at the door. â€Å"Wait,† said Lee. â€Å"What about – † Adrian nudged him and shook his head, murmuring something I couldn't hear. Lee stayed quiet. â€Å"See you around,† said Adrian cheerfully. â€Å"Don't worry – I'll remember what we talked about.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"See you guys later.† Keith left without a word, and I followed him out of the house and into the late-afternoon heat. The temperature had gone down since the ill-fated PE class but not by much. Keith trudged through the gravel driveway, coming to a halt beside Latte. His car was parked nearby. â€Å"That was rude,† I told him. â€Å"You didn't even say goodbye to them.† â€Å"Sorry if I don't bring out my best manners for vampires,† snapped Keith. â€Å"I'm not as close to them as you are.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† I demanded, crossing my arms. Staring him down, I felt all my old animosity bubble up. It was hard to believe that I'd been laughing just a minute ago. Keith sneered. â€Å"Just that you seemed awfully cozy with them in there – hanging out, having a good time. I didn't know this was where you spent your free time after school.† â€Å"How dare you! I came here on business,† I growled. â€Å"Yeah, I could tell.† â€Å"I did. I had to talk to Adrian about Jill.† â€Å"I don't recall him being her guardian.† â€Å"He cares about her,† I argued. â€Å"Just like any of us would for a friend.† â€Å"Friend? They're not like us at all,† said Keith. â€Å"They're godless and unnatural, and you have no business being friends with any of them.† I wanted to shout back that from what I'd observed, Lee was a hundred times more decent of a person than Keith would ever be. Even Adrian was. It was only at the last second that my training kicked in. Don't raise a fuss. Don't contradict your superiors. No matter how much I hated it, Keith was in charge here. I took a deep breath. â€Å"It was hardly fraternizing. I simply came by to talk to Adrian, and Lee happened to be here. It wasn't like we'd all been planning some big party.† Best not to mention the group date plan. â€Å"Why didn't you just call Adrian if you had a question? You called me.† Because being face-to-face with him is less sickening than being around you. â€Å"It was important. And when I couldn't get ahold of you, I figured I'd have to drive over to your place anyway.† Hoping to shift away from my â€Å"bad behavior,† I jumped in and recapped everything that had happened today, including Jill's sun exposure and Micah's attentions. â€Å"Of course she can't date him,† he exclaimed, after I'd explained about Micah. â€Å"You have to put a stop to that.† â€Å"I'm trying. And Adrian and Lee said they'd help.† â€Å"Oh, well, I feel a lot better now.† Keith shook his head. â€Å"Don't be naive, Sydney. I told you. They don't care about this stuff as much as we do.† â€Å"I think they do,† I argued. â€Å"Adrian seemed to get it, and he has a lot of influence over Jill.† â€Å"Well, he's not the one the Alchemists are going to come after and send off to re-education for playing around with vampires when she should be disciplining them.† I could only stare. I wasn't sure which part of what he'd just said was more offensive: the well-worn insinuation that I was a â€Å"vamp lover† or that I was capable of â€Å"disciplining† any of them. I should've known his false friendliness wouldn't last. â€Å"I'm doing my job here,† I said, still keeping my voice level. â€Å"And from what I can see, I'm doing more work than you, since I'm the one who's been putting out fires all week.† I knew it was an illusion, seeing as the glass eye couldn't really stare, but I felt like he was glaring at me with both eyes. â€Å"I'm doing plenty. Don't even think to criticize me.† â€Å"What were you doing here?† I asked, suddenly realizing how weird that was. He'd accused me of â€Å"socializing† but had never explained his motives. â€Å"I had to see Clarence, not that it's any of your business.† I wanted more details but refused to let on how curious I was. He'd been here yesterday too, according to Lee. â€Å"Will you call the school tomorrow and get Jill excused from PE?† Keith gave me a long and heavy look. â€Å"No.† â€Å"What? Why not?† â€Å"Because being out in the sun won't kill her.† Again, I bit down on my anger and tried for the diplomacy I'd been schooled in. â€Å"Keith, you didn't see her. Maybe it won't kill her, but it was miserable for her. She was in agony.† â€Å"I don't really care if they're miserable or not,† Keith said. â€Å"And neither should you. Our job is to keep her alive. There was no mention of making sure she's happy and comfortable.† â€Å"I wouldn't think anyone would have to tell us,† I said, aghast. Why was he so upset? â€Å"I'd think being sensitive human beings, we could just do it.† â€Å"Well, now you can. You can either get someone above us to issue a note to the school or you can give her ice baths after gym class. I really don't care what you do, but maybe it'll keep you busy enough that you'll stop coming over here unannounced and throwing yourself at creatures of darkness. Don't let me hear about this happening again.† â€Å"You are unbelievable,† I said. I was too upset and at a loss for words to manage anything more eloquent. â€Å"I'm looking out for your soul,† he said loftily. â€Å"It's the least I can do for your dad. Too bad you aren't more like your sisters.† Keith turned his back on me and unlocked the car door without another word. He got in and drove off, leaving me staring. Tears threatened my eyes, and I swallowed them back. I felt like an idiot – but not because of his accusations. I didn't believe for an instant that I'd done anything wrong by coming over here. No, I was mad – mad at myself – because I'd let him walk away with the last word and because I hadn't had the nerve to say anything back. I'd stayed silent, just like everyone always told me to. I kicked the gravel in my anger, sending a spray of it into the air. A few small rocks hit my car, and I winced. â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"Would he accuse you of being evil for talking to an inanimate object?† I spun around, heart racing. Adrian was leaning against the house, smoking. â€Å"Where did you come from?† I demanded. Even though I knew everything there was to know about vampires, it was hard to shake superstitious fears of them appearing out of thin air. â€Å"Other door,† he explained. â€Å"I went out to smoke and overheard the commotion.† â€Å"It's rude to eavesdrop,† I said, knowing I sounded unbearably prim but unable to stop myself. â€Å"It's rude to be an asshole like that.† Adrian nodded toward where Keith had driven away. â€Å"Are you going to be able to get Jill out of class?† I sighed, suddenly feeling tired. â€Å"Yeah, I should be able to. It'll just take a little longer while I get some other Alchemist to be our fake parents. Would've been a lot faster if Keith had done it.† â€Å"Thanks for looking out for her, Sage. You're okay. For a human.† I almost laughed. â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"You can say it too, you know.† I walked over to Latte and paused. â€Å"Say what?† â€Å"That I'm okay†¦ for a vampire,† he explained. I shook my head, still smiling. â€Å"You'll have a hard time getting any Alchemist to admit that. But I can say you're okay for an irreverent party boy with occasional moments of brilliance.† â€Å"Brilliant? You think I'm brilliant?† He threw his hands skyward. â€Å"You hear that, world? Sage says I'm brilliant.† â€Å"That's not what I said!† He dropped the cigarette and stamped it out, giving me a devil-may-care grin. â€Å"Thanks for the ego boost. I'm going to go tell Clarence and Lee all about your high opinion.† â€Å"Hey, I didn't – â€Å" But he was already gone. As I drove away, I decided the Alchemists needed an entire department devoted to handling Adrian Ivashkov. When I got back to my dorm room, I found Jill sitting surrounded in textbooks and papers, undoubtedly trying to catch up from yesterday. â€Å"Wow,† I said, thinking of the homework that waited for me too. â€Å"You've got a whole command center set up.† Rather than smile at my joke, Jill looked up with an icy gaze. â€Å"Do you think,† she said, â€Å"that maybe next time you want to mess with my dating life, you could talk to me first?† I was speechless. Adrian had said he'd talk to Jill. I just hadn't realized it'd be so quickly. â€Å"You don't have to go behind my back to keep me away from Micah,† she added. â€Å"I'm not stupid. I know I can't date a human.† So Adrian had apparently told her that much. â€Å"And,† Jill continued, still in that cold tone, â€Å"you don't have to set me up with the only eligible Moroi within a hundred miles in order to keep me out of trouble.† Okay†¦ Adrian had apparently told her everything. I would've expected more discretion from him, especially with the Lee part. â€Å"We†¦ we weren't setting you up,† I said lamely. â€Å"Lee wanted to ask you out anyway.† â€Å"But rather than talk to me, he asked permission from you guys! You don't control my life.† â€Å"I know that,† I said. â€Å"We weren't trying to!† How had this just blown up right in front of me? â€Å"Lee acted on his own.† â€Å"Just like you did when you went to talk to Adrian behind my back.† Her eyes glittered with angry tears, daring me to deny it. I couldn't and only now realized the wrongness of what I'd done. Ever since she found out she was royal, Jill had watched other people dictate her life for her. Maybe my intentions to get Adrian to talk to her about Micah were good, but I'd addressed them in the wrong way. â€Å"You're right,† I said. â€Å"I'm sorry that I – â€Å" â€Å"Forget it,† she said, slipping a pair of headphones on. â€Å"I don't want to hear any more. You made me look stupid in front of both Adrian and Lee. Not that they'll even think twice about me in Los Angeles tonight.† She waved a hand at me and looked down at the book in front of her. â€Å"I'm done with you.† Whether she couldn't hear me because of the music or simply because she'd now chosen to ignore me, I couldn't say. All I knew was that I once again found myself comparing her to Zoe. Just like with Zoe, I'd tried to do something good for Jill, and it had backfired. Just like with Zoe, I'd ended up hurting and humiliating the one I'd tried to protect. Sorry, Sage. Last I checked, you aren't an expert in social matters. That, I thought bitterly, was the saddest part of all – that Adrian Ivashkov was right.