Aerodynamics Which shape can accomplish the design objectives Essay

Aerodynamics Which shape can accomplish the design objectives - Essay Example However, they are not to be assumed in the current time where fuel is expensive. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (2013) define aerodynamics as the manner in which air travels around things. It indicates that through the laws of aerodynamics, researchers have been able to expound on how aircrafts fly. Physics indicates that for an airplane to be able to travel through the air, there are force constituents that make up aerodynamics. These force constituents relate in such a way that an airplane is able to fly symmetrically. When flying symmetrically, two forces are in action. They are lift and drag. Drag is defined as the part of the aerodynamic force, which is parallel to the wind in action. It is said to impede on the forward movement of the airplane. If an airplane is travelling at a speed less than that of the speed of sound through air, it experiences induced and parasite drag (Dole & Lewis, 2000). On the other hand, lift is the sum of all aerodynamic forces that are acting on an airplane, which is after they are determined perpendicu larly to the path of flight. It is the result from forces of pressure that act on the surface exposed to airflow. So, what design can save fuel? It is the paper’s aim to answer this question. Firstly, this paper will look at the arguments in support of the idea that winglets help in saving fuel. Secondly, it will examine the arguments against this idea. Thereafter, a conclusion shall be made on the fuel saving ability of winglets. Lift is required to cover for mass forces and is approximately equal to the weight of the airplane (Torenbeek & Wittenberg, 2009). The wings and tail plane generate lift successfully when drag is at most minimum. Hence, there arises a lift to drag ratio (L/D) that is used to measure their efficacy. Minimum drag (D min) is obtained by: (W) Ã · (L/D) max. With these in mind, there has been questions around the best

“The Origin of Species” Response Essay Example for Free

â€Å"The Origin of Species† Response Essay In â€Å"The Origin of Species†, Charles Darwin painstakingly explores the different character traits exhibited among species. He looks at natural selection as a way of explaining extinction and adaptation and tries to prove evolution as the main theory of human origin. He states, â€Å"this whole volume is one long argument† (362), and that is exactly what this book is. There are no definite answers provided to the question of the origin of existence, but instead, many unanswered questions are posed and explored. Darwin argues on the issue of variance, stressing that it is most likely that any single species may derive from one common ancestor. He goes on to state that although not everything is known or can be proven about origin in ‘modern’ times because of ignorance about current climatic effects on our universe, it is most likely that the Earth itself affects certain groups of descendants of a certain species, making them extinct, while other migrated groups continue to thrive. In other words, species who remain in one area are bound to become extinct due to environmental factors, while those who migrate, or move from their homeland may have a better chance of survival. In doing so, roots become harder to trace, and changes in the species are inevitable due to their new surroundings. Darwin also believes that the world has had more groups of species than we will ever be able to uncover in our lifetime, so we will never truly know all that walked or lived on the Earth. I am personally fascinated with Darwin’s theories, experiments, and unanswered questions. It is intriguing how Darwin questions and test life and the origin of life. Many times in my own life I have wondered about the origin of life and questioned the religious answer versus the scientific answer. It was courageous and bold of Darwin to explore this issue the way that he did, especially since he came up with no true answers, merely a very educated and studied argument with sections of admitted ignorance on certain subtopics. The language is highly technical and â€Å"stiff†, so it does not make for a very fun read, but once the reader gets used to the content, it becomes easier. I agree with the concept that ‘only the strong survive’ and believe that natural selection is inevitable or the world would be uninhabitable. I disagree with Darwin’s explanations of complex questions, stating things such as, â€Å"I can answer these questions and grave objections only on the supposition that the geological record is far more imperfect than most geologists believe† (365). This weakens his argument, but still allows room for possible validity in his argument. However, it is noble that Darwin stuck to his theory and defended it, despite his lack of ability to actually prove it, â€Å"Grave as these several difficulties are, in my judgement they do not overthrow the theory of descent with modification† (367). From reading The Origin of Species, I learned how complex science can be. I learned that theories need to be tested and explored, and sometimes even if they fail, the original hypothesis remains unchanged. I learned that one must acknowledge the weaknesses in one’s own argument in order to make it stronger or more valid and I also learned that sometimes in life, there are no answers; some of life’s questions will always remain unanswered. Works Cited Darwin, Charles. The Origin of Species. Spark Publishing: New York. 2003.

Energy Flow Systems :: essays research papers

Energy Flow Systems   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richard White's Organic Machine, and William Cronon's Changes in the Land, both examine environments as energy flow systems. The energy flow model was utilized by the authors to explain relationships within ecosystems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richard White's thesis is to examine the river as an organic machine, as an energy system that, although modified by human intervention, maintains it's natural, its â€Å"unmade† qualities. White emphasizes on energy because it is a useful concept that can be easily understood. He says, â€Å"the flow of the river is energy, so is the electricity that comes from the dams that block that flow. Human labor is energy; so are the calories that are stored as fat by salmon for their journey upstream.† White notes that energy is as concrete as salmon, human bodies, and the Grand Coulee Dam. White wants his readers to think about nature and its relationship with humanity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  White explains how the river is energy. The Columbia River works as gravity pulls it to the Pacific Ocean. The Columbia is continuously cutting into the terrain that it flows through. Over millions of years water rushed through the Columbia Basin to form the Columbia River. Water carries soil, silt, and debris downstream. The constant movement of material in the river cuts and shapes the river basin into the land. This movement is a slow and inefficient use of energy. According to White, only two percent of water's potential energy results in the work of erosion. The other ninety-eight percent of water's energy was lost as water molecules rub against themselves, the river bed, and the river banks. This energy was released as heat into the river.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Often the energy of flowing water was not recognized. There are occasions when rivers do show their power is destructive ways. Power was usually demonstrated through floods, and more so in flash floods. Thousands of years ago, an ice dam in the Columbia River, holding the glacial lake Missoula, broke and created the largest known freshwater flood in earth's history. The flood rushed into the Columbia Channel and created the Grand Coulee and other rock channels that would have taken the Mississippi River three hundred years at full flood to create.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Salmon are also a part of the Colombian energy model. As the river works its way downward to the Pacific Ocean, the salmon work their way up the Columbia to spawn. The energy in salmon can be measured by their body fat and caloric value. Salmon start their run upstream prepared for the long hard run. Their bodies have stored fat and oil after a year worth of feeding at sea.

Barilla SpA Case Study Essay

Barilla SpA, the world’s biggest pasta manufacturer, has continuously experienced problems with increased costs and inefficiencies in their operation. The fluctuations in demand have caused Barilla SpA’s manufacturing costs, inventory costs, and distribution costs to go up. Issues that influenced the demand fluctuations are the discounts Barilla SpA offers on both price and transportation, the compensations for sales representatives that is based on the volume of goods they sell to the distributors, and long lead times between time of order and time of delivery – just to name a few. The idea of JITD is to allow sales and inventory data to be shared along the supply chain. By doing so, Barilla SpA can use that data from its distributors to better understand the demand of its products and perform better forecasting. The results would be lower transportation costs due to better shipment planning, increase manufacturing efficiency, reduce inventory costs, and less stock outs for its distributors. This will benefit both Barilla SpA and its distributors, but resistance from the distributors and Barilla SpA’s internal opposition makes it difficult to implement such strategy. Barilla SpA’s sales representatives were afraid of losing their jobs because they felt with the JITD in place; they will no longer be needed. Also, it would essentially eliminate the current compensation system, meaning they would make less money. As for the distributors, the idea of providing sales data to others was unheard of at the time. The distributors did not trust Barilla SpA with their private information, and felt that they would lose control of their own operations if they had agreed with Barilla SpA. Despite of all the internal and external resistances and doubts, I still think JITD is feasible for Barilla SpA, and they should continue to try and implement it due to the large savings and increased efficiency that JITD will bring to both Barilla SpA and its distributors. In order to succeed, Barilla SpA must convince its distributors that the JITD strategy will work, and that it is also beneficial to everyone. Before trying to convince the distributors, I believe Barilla SpA must convince its sales representatives first because they are the ones the distributors talk to the most, and can have an influence in a distributor’s decision. An example of that is the Macaroni GD in the case, where its sales representative had some influence on Macaroni’s decision. Barilla SpA must communicate to its sale representatives that even with JITD in place, they will still be needed. Their responsibilities will be changed from trying to sell high volumes to selling the JITD idea and to maintain a good relationship with the distributors. The sales representatives will be the first ones to help solve any problems that the distributors has, and they will be involved in other logistic responsibilities that the JITD will require. Also, convince them that the more money the company saves, the more the company will profit; therefore a higher bonus can be given to employees. This may change Barilla SpA’s sales representatives’ perception to Pro-JITD. As for the distributors, there are a few ways that will help Barilla SpA convince them that JITD will be beneficial for everyone. Instead of trying to convince the distributors just by talking to them and telling them about JITD, Barilla SpA should develop some kind of an analysis that they can show the distributors just how it can benefit them. Show them the high costs and cons of the current strategy, and compare it to the costs savings that JITD will bring across the supply chain. Next, Barilla should implement JITD in a number of the Barilla-owned regional warehouses first. Since they own the warehouses, they will be able to test JITD with them. After a period of time, Barilla can use the information gathered to show the distributors (only if it was successful), that the implementation of JITD is a good thing. Showing the distributors the improved efficiency and cost savings that resulted from it may help win them over. One other thing that Barilla SpA can do to gain its distributors’ confidence to agree to the JITD program is signing some kind of a contract. It will be an agreement between Barilla SpA and its distributors that Barilla SpA will  basically guarantee the positive results of the JITD program. If the JITD does not work, and in turn cause the distributors to lose money due to increased costs incurred by the distributors or increased stock outs (which leads to lost of sales), then Barilla SpA will be responsible to pay them that amount. This will show the distributors that Barilla SpA is confident that this JITD program will benefit the distributors, and will help convince the distributors to sign up for JITD. The JITD strategy will result in less fluctuation in demand, and allow Barilla SpA to reduce costs and become more efficient. It will also benefit others in the supply chain as well and not just Barilla SpA. Barilla SpA must be able to convince both its internal sales representatives as well as the distributors. Once JITD is implemented, it will improve communication, cooperation, and relationship between Barilla SpA and its distributors. It will allow Barilla SpA to become more competitive and grow bigger than it already is, and its growth will benefit the distributors that trusted Barilla SpA and agreed to the JITD.

The View From The Airplane Window

As often as possible, I try to get a window seat when I’m traveling. Certainly anything beats the dreaded middle seat, and crawling over other people when you need to stretch your legs can be a pain, but that window seat has the best thing on board—a window. A recent article by Peter Ferry on World Hum, â€Å"Out the Airplane Window,† describes some of the most stunning moments he’s had as an observer through the window of a commercial aircraft. When I think back on some of the flights I’ve taken, it’s not the movies on that teeny little screen that are memorable.It’s the views of the world below me that stay in my mind, like the time we passed over the Great Blue Hole, off the coast of Belize. I’d always imagined it much larger, but that didn’t diminish the beauty of the perfect deep blue circle surrounded by gem-toned Caribbean water just below my window. Once, I got an aerial tour of Yosemite National Park on the way h ome to San Francisco. As a California native, I’d visited Yosemite countless times, but the priceless view from above was something I’d never seen—other than on TV.We may never be able to visit all the places we see out the airplane window, but just seeing them as we pass over is far better than seeing them on screen. And it adds to the travel experience in counting not just the destination, but also the journey as important. I’ll always remember gazing out from a small propeller plane as I left the Peruvian Amazon behind me on my way to Cuzco. The bark-colored water lay in lazy loops among the lush emerald forest like a monstrous serpent. Ahead, the Andes formed a snow-capped wall.I don’t think there will ever be a movie that will make me feel like I did at that moment. Traveling on an airplane never fails to amaze me. Well, that is if I manage to get a seat by the window. Why? I get to see all sorts of landscapes as the plane lifts off, cruises a bove the rest of the world for hours, and I always believe there’s always something beautiful out at the window, waiting to be discovered. It could be the enchanting sunset, the vast mountains and terrains, or the buzzing city scene with its intricate transport network woven into society. ï » ¿The View From The Airplane Window As often as possible, I try to get a window seat when I’m traveling. Certainly anything beats the dreaded middle seat, and crawling over other people when you need to stretch your legs can be a pain, but that window seat has the best thing on board—a window. A recent article by Peter Ferry on World Hum, â€Å"Out the Airplane Window,† describes some of the most stunning moments he’s had as an observer through the window of a commercial aircraft. When I think back on some of the flights I’ve taken, it’s not the movies on that teeny little screen that are memorable.It’s the views of the world below me that stay in my mind, like the time we passed over the Great Blue Hole, off the coast of Belize. I’d always imagined it much larger, but that didn’t diminish the beauty of the perfect deep blue circle surrounded by gem-toned Caribbean water just below my window. Once, I got an aerial tour of Yosemite National Park on the way h ome to San Francisco. As a California native, I’d visited Yosemite countless times, but the priceless view from above was something I’d never seen—other than on TV.We may never be able to visit all the places we see out the airplane window, but just seeing them as we pass over is far better than seeing them on screen. And it adds to the travel experience in counting not just the destination, but also the journey as important. I’ll always remember gazing out from a small propeller plane as I left the Peruvian Amazon behind me on my way to Cuzco. The bark-colored water lay in lazy loops among the lush emerald forest like a monstrous serpent. Ahead, the Andes formed a snow-capped wall.I don’t think there will ever be a movie that will make me feel like I did at that moment. Traveling on an airplane never fails to amaze me. Well, that is if I manage to get a seat by the window. Why? I get to see all sorts of landscapes as the plane lifts off, cruises a bove the rest of the world for hours, and I always believe there’s always something beautiful out at the window, waiting to be discovered. It could be the enchanting sunset, the vast mountains and terrains, or the buzzing city scene with its intricate transport network woven into society.

CHILDRENS BOOKS ON DEATH AND DYING essays

CHILDREN'S BOOKS ON DEATH AND DYING essays Selection of five children's books will be made in the paper. To discuss or treat the issue about death and dying the paper will include books from the period of 1980 till the present times. Summary of the information from these five books will be provided in the paper, focusing on the following 1. What understanding or impression would children have of the issue discussed after reading or having the books read to them' 2. Do the books treat the subject in the same way' If not, comment on or compare viewpoints amongst the books.' 3. Perhaps you feel some books are better at dealing with the issue than others. If the book is fiction, comment on your reactions to how the story treats the issue. If the book is nonfiction, how factual and objective is The books will be discussed both in individual and collective form so as to provide a true and fair view of the information which are presented in these books. The consideration and importance of these books will relate to the point as to how the authors of these books have foster better understanding for children regarding the issue of death and dying. The five books, which are selected for the development of the paper, are as 1) Sad Isn't Bad: A Good-Grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing With Loss by Authors: Michaelene Mundy , R. W. Alley by Authors: Maria Shriver , Sandra Speidel 4) Why Do People Die' Helping Your Child Understand with Love and Cynthia MacGregor, David Clark (Illustrator) Mass Market Paperback, April 1998 "Young children may ask very direct questions about death, if given the opportunity. It is important to be honest and consistent with your responses. If they ask a question that you do not know the answer to, it is acceptable for you to say so, rather than make up an answer. Children at a very young age can detect falseness in an answer. ...

Political Candidates essays

Political Candidates essays For eternity many Americans have fought for the same equal opportunities. A better job, a nice living environment, a better education, and a danger free America for them and their children. All this is a realistic goal to have, especially if you are an American trying to obtain this opportunity. During the 2004 campaign both the democratic and republican party are promising Americans these opportunities. However still may never be able to obtain such easy goals. Applying power, authority and influence to the valued things that support the public good, will produce the quality of life a society desires. In the present day, citizens in the United States demand certain valued things such as welfare, education, safe streets and healthcare. Through politics, citizens can apply their power in many different ways to get the things they want. Power is the ability to get someone to do something they may or may not want to do. Through the use of or the application of coercion, persuasion, manipulation and negotiation, power is used to influence the system. Every time election year rolls around we begin to hear the usual complaints of how politics is morally corrupt. It typically means we get to see the superficial image-oriented campaigning, negative attacks against one's opponent, and the thirty-second spot commercials that interupt our favorite program. Experts note that the rates of political participation in the United States, as measured by the percentage of elligable voters who register and actually cast their ballot, has been dropping for years, in part due to the fact that citizens are disgusted with the conduct of political campaigns. The overall impact of such politics is undermining the intelligence of the American populous by turning political campaigning into a childlike power struggle. Both the Democrats and Republicans have reverted to a state of guerrilla media warfare. World War I, World War II, Vietnam War, Korean Wa...

The Role of Theatron in Greek Theatre

The Role of Theatron in Greek Theatre The theatron (plural theatra) is the word referring to the seating area section of an ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine theater. The theatron is one of the earliest and most pronounced parts of ancient theaters. In fact, some scholars argue it is the most significant part of Greek and Roman theatrical structures, the part that defines them. Theatra in Classical Greek and Roman theaters are spectacular forms of architecture, built of circular or semi-circular rows of seating in stone or marble, each row increasing in height. The earliest Greek theaters date to the 6th to 5th centuries CE, and they included theatra  in rectangular sections of seating made of wooden bleachers called  ikria. Even in this rudimentary state, the theatron was a crucial part of a theater, drawing attention to the audience and providing a place where many people could be housed to be addressed or entertained. The Greek playwright Aristophanes mentions the theatron in each of his extant plays, particularly when the actors address the audience directly.   Other Meanings of Theatron Other definitions of theatron include the people themselves. Like the word church, which can refer to both an architectural structure or the people who use it, the theatron can mean both the seats and the seated. The word theatron also refers to seating or standing areas built over springs or cisterns, so spectators could come and view the waters and watch the mysterious vapors rise. Whether or not you consider the  theatron  a defining part of a theater, the seating area is certainly why those ancient theaters are so recognizable to every one of us today. Sources Bosher K. 2009. To Dance in the Orchestra: A Circular Argument. Illinois Classical Studies(33-34):1-24.Chowen RH. 1956. The Nature of Hadrians Theatron at Daphne. American Journal of Archaeology 60(3):275-277.Dilke OAW. 1948. The Greek Theatre Cavea. The Annual of the British School at Athens 43:125-192.Marciniak P. 2007. Byzantine Theatron - A Place of Performance? In: Grà ¼nbart M, editor. Theatron: Rhetorische Kultur in Sptantike und Mittelalter / Rhetorical Culture in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. p 277-286.

Managerial Economics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managerial Economics - Coursework Example This will put off the company that is to enter the market as the profit margin will seem to be very low and might even constitute to losses. This leaves the first company to enjoy monopolistic markets. The manager of this company will reduce the products’ prices to monopolistic market prices there by enjoying the monopolistic profits. By decreasing the prices of the products the company that is to enter into the market will be discouraged as the profit margin will be very low and may also leading to losses. The profitability of the firm with the marketing power will decrease with increase in capital interest as the borrowing costs increases there will be a decrease in supply there by attracting another company to satisfy the demand. This forces the companies to sell at a lower price than the monopolistic market price. If this continues, the company is bound to go into losses in the long run. 2. IHC hospitals are thinking of using a smart phone system to send health record data, laboratory test results data, and charge/payment data to the Mountain Star hospitals system when patients use any combination of medical services between the two hospital organizations. Mountain Star has been thinking of a similar idea of exchange. Going forward with such inter-hospital data communication means that a given data sharing network has to be developed. The cost savings involved in initiating such a system are the driving force of the decision but there are questions about these savings and the standard upon which the intercommunication is to be operated. The projected cost savings (in $millions) for each standard (Apple relative to Android) are given in the normal form payoff table below for each hospital conglomerate, with IHC cost savings given first in going from left to right. It reflects a good technology. This is because independent of the smart phone mountain star opts for IHC will go for apple phone as it yields the best pay off. The

Praise the Humble Dung Beetle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Praise the Humble Dung Beetle - Essay Example The media as well as the law makers are biased towards these invertebrates although these creatures are of tremendous importance to the society. It is not the large animals that are feeding the majority of the population. It is these invertebrates that help in the stabilization of soil and help in providing people with majority of their diet. Furthermore they even help in the development of necessary drugs for serious illnesses. Such as the molecules that help in the development of a drug called compound taxol that helps in the treatment of breast cancer and they even help in developing a medicine for patients suffering from leukemia. Their existence is even essential to encourage scientists in developing new elements. For example they have encouraged engineers in developing methods that can help in the extraction of water from fog. These invertebrates are very necessary and the government needs to take measures such as providing them protection under Endangered Species

Sports Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sports Law - Essay Example accreditation for laboratory tests (and laboratories themselves) carried out in foreign lands, and that the IAAF should execute measures to see that this is reflected in all EU sports governing bodies. As stated in Rule 55.11 of the IAAF, the procedure of determining whether an athlete is culpable with regards to an illegal substance use does not really matter unless it is "such as to cast real doubt on the reliability of such a finding." (IAAF cited by Parliament 1999) Yet the IAAF compensates for this by stating in paragraph eight (8.2) of the procedural guidelines that the test of Sample B, following that of Sample A, should be done in the presence of the athlete and/or a representative. Also paragraph 8.5 states that every athlete should have the right to a fair hearing, before decisions are reached to avoid unjust suspension or discharging. In the Modahl versus BAF case there were loopholes, open wounds for vampires, on both sides. The effect of it calls for action, not only at the domestic level, but at the international level as well. Note the defence of the BAF: it was simply following the guidelines set out by the IAAF (which in turn probably did not foresee that kind of circumstance). In summary, it is not the sports law and policy that is the enemy here, but the type of attention paid to it. Situations like this summon a need for more focus on positively detailed contractual rules and their application. As always, there is room for growth. REFERENCE LIST Abbott, H. (2006) Sports Law Blog: People Hate Honest Athletes - True Hoop, [Online] Available from: http://sports-law.blogspot.com/ [Accessed 26th October 2008]. CMM (2007), Diane Modahl, [Online] Available from:...Sports Management 335, [Online] 1 Available from: http://www.isenberg.umass.edu/sportmgt/uploads/listWidget/13465/spt335-lpm.pdf ISLA (2007) Doping and Corruption in Sports. Sports and Law, [Online] 1-4 Available from: http://www.icsspe.org/news/pdf/SportsandLaw.pdfPHPSESSID=fed48f126f02e253c7d54624d633a0a0 [Accessed 28th October 2008]. Wadler, G. I. (no date) Doping in Sport: From Strychnine to Genetic Enhancement, It's a Moving Target, [Online] 1-9 Available from: http://www.law.duke.edu/sportscenter/wadler.pdf [Accessed 27th October 2008].

Consider these arguments in terms of culture, motivation, and Essay

Consider these arguments in terms of culture, motivation, and strategy, and comment on their substance. You should also reflect - Essay Example The paper also seeks to reflect on how power is exercised in organisations in relation to moral values. The paper begins by explaining the concept of culture in view of the arguments raised by Stiglitz. The paper will also critically analyse how motivation of the people as well as the strategy implemented have a bearing in the way financial institutions are operating during the contemporary period in USA in particular. Culture is the most basic cause of a person’s wants and behaviours. â€Å"This is commonly referred to as a set of basic values, perceptions, wants behaviours learned by a member of society from the family and other important institutions,† (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). For instance, the following values are given priority in the United States of America: achievement and success, activity and involvement, efficiency and practicality, progress, material comfort, individualism, freedom as well as humanitarianism. The success or failure of a given organisation can be attributed to this concept of culture. However, Stiglitz argues that individualism and market fundamentalism have eroded the sense of community and have led to exploitation of the ordinary people. ... In actual fact, the approach taken by the banks is that which advocates the survival of the fittest. Whilst the free market concept posits to the effect that the market forces should shape the standards expectations especially of financial institutions, it can be argued that the conditions set are favourable to the business organisations which leaves the ordinary people exposed to manipulation by these big businesses. The aspect of materialism has increased dramatically in the operations of financial institutions and this has posed a serious challenge to the ordinary people who end being victims especially during turbulent periods that can be attributed to the strategies implemented by the financial institutions. Whereas marketers in the other industries worry about the impact of culture on their strategies, financial institutions in USA are primarily concerned with entrenching the aspect of individualism in their operations (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). Stiglitz argues that rugged ind ividualism combined with a high degree of materialism has led to loss of trust among the members of the society and different financial institutions. The aspect of culture and moral values can also be attributed to the concept of ethics. Business ethics loosely refers to values, principles and standards that operate within a particular organisation which attempts to make a distinction between something that is morally good from bad (Rossouw, 2004). The concept of business ethics therefore derives from the value system that is used by a particular organisation to shape its operations. To reinforce this assertion, DesJardins (2006, p. 5) describes values as the â€Å"essential and enduring tenets†

Assignment Number Two Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Number Two Research Proposal - Assignment Example This has not only psychological and social but also economic dimensions as these issues also refer to an economic burden on an often already-strained health care system. In order to answer these issues that involve many psychological questions the suggestion is to answer these, i.e. the value of community support groups, by organising these around core questions into the perception of the care received by the elderly (â€Å"therapeutic efficacy†), their satisfaction with care given by health care personnel, feelings of being respected as real human beings, the role of family, friends and the community in fulfilling one’s needs for respect and improve one’s wellbeing, and to describe possible grievances regarding the encounter with the medical profession. Answers to these questions are assumed to shed light on the emotional wellbeing of older adults and their use of drugs, hospitals and home visits by nurses. To begin with, the aim is to give brief background info rmation on age in general and contextualize the research questions and their relevance in the literature and best practices regarding geriatric nursing. Reviewing the relevant literature we emphasize that age and needs as well as satisfaction with treatment is socially constructed and perceived in many different ways according to the values and assumptions that people (residents and their families, friends, networks) have about the nature of age, functioning and goals. Next, the research-team will be introduced, and a setting, a population-sample (purposive, cross-sectional and inclusive) and study design (longitudinal) are defined. Ethical considerations surrounding this research will also be noted (required consent and approval by research ethics committee). This also connects to the qualitative approach of this proposal and its choice of methodology, in particular semi-structured interviewing. Subsequently, the data to answer the questions are collected for later analysis and dis cussion in terms of themes surrounding perceptions and behaviour. The data analysis phase will again refer to relevant literature that may back or shed further light on the results. The findings will also be presented in tables and diagrams and limitations of the results will be noted. The eventual conclusion will summarize the findings and make recommendations that are both relevant to practice and policy (Rees, 2003). Background First, a little background regarding age, set in the context of the â€Å"developmental cycle† of families (Goody 1958). Goody has suggested that the family goes through various stages or phases of development, a so-called â€Å"developmental cycle†, where families are young and grow (with the addition of children) and â€Å"contract† and grow old as the offspring grows up, moves out and leaves the original family which now only consists of the parents or a single parent when the partner dies in old age. Literature Review Having descri bed the contents of the proposal, a focused analysis of relevant literary sources and notions in order to answer the research question is now given. The review reflects â€Å"

Week four assignment (history) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week four assignment (history) - Essay Example vocation was introduced, meaning that American soldiers were not allowed to shoot at the enemy combatant unless they were shot at first, yet this was a full-blown conventional war which was unforgiving because it was fuelled by the communist ideology and actively supported by the communist USSR. Later on, the same soldiers were made to wait for approval to open fire on enemy combatant, in the ROE. In part, this was also a source of anger for the individual soldiers felt that they were being restricted merely for political reasons, and not serious considerations: American Presidents, wanted to maintain America’s international reputation as a country that values life. Battalion Commanders unlike individual soldiers serving under them had a wider threshold of operational freedom. Interestingly, Battalion Commanders had more operational freedom than their superiors even though they seldom fully utilized these powers. Battalion Commanders were accorded the power to use their discretion depending on: the nature of military operations they were discharging; and the type of force they were presiding over. Battalion Commanders such as Col. David Hackworth who served in the 101st Airborne Division adopted guerrilla war strategies to match Vietcong’s strategies. This was informed by strategic, other than political reasons. The ROE accorded Division Commanders more power at the platoon, company and battalion levels. Nevertheless, there were ROE-informed limitations such as the Division Commanders not being allowed to engage in divisional-sized combat. ROE had bifurcated Division Commanders into on-line and off-line categories, with the former being the only category being the only one allowed to engage its platoons on operations and patrols, provided that the group was being led by commanders. Division Commanders nevertheless were nevertheless restricted by institutional policies and Corps Commanders, and thereby making this group a hindrance to the effectiveness of

Assignment Number Two Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Number Two Research Proposal - Assignment Example This has not only psychological and social but also economic dimensions as these issues also refer to an economic burden on an often already-strained health care system. In order to answer these issues that involve many psychological questions the suggestion is to answer these, i.e. the value of community support groups, by organising these around core questions into the perception of the care received by the elderly (â€Å"therapeutic efficacy†), their satisfaction with care given by health care personnel, feelings of being respected as real human beings, the role of family, friends and the community in fulfilling one’s needs for respect and improve one’s wellbeing, and to describe possible grievances regarding the encounter with the medical profession. Answers to these questions are assumed to shed light on the emotional wellbeing of older adults and their use of drugs, hospitals and home visits by nurses. To begin with, the aim is to give brief background info rmation on age in general and contextualize the research questions and their relevance in the literature and best practices regarding geriatric nursing. Reviewing the relevant literature we emphasize that age and needs as well as satisfaction with treatment is socially constructed and perceived in many different ways according to the values and assumptions that people (residents and their families, friends, networks) have about the nature of age, functioning and goals. Next, the research-team will be introduced, and a setting, a population-sample (purposive, cross-sectional and inclusive) and study design (longitudinal) are defined. Ethical considerations surrounding this research will also be noted (required consent and approval by research ethics committee). This also connects to the qualitative approach of this proposal and its choice of methodology, in particular semi-structured interviewing. Subsequently, the data to answer the questions are collected for later analysis and dis cussion in terms of themes surrounding perceptions and behaviour. The data analysis phase will again refer to relevant literature that may back or shed further light on the results. The findings will also be presented in tables and diagrams and limitations of the results will be noted. The eventual conclusion will summarize the findings and make recommendations that are both relevant to practice and policy (Rees, 2003). Background First, a little background regarding age, set in the context of the â€Å"developmental cycle† of families (Goody 1958). Goody has suggested that the family goes through various stages or phases of development, a so-called â€Å"developmental cycle†, where families are young and grow (with the addition of children) and â€Å"contract† and grow old as the offspring grows up, moves out and leaves the original family which now only consists of the parents or a single parent when the partner dies in old age. Literature Review Having descri bed the contents of the proposal, a focused analysis of relevant literary sources and notions in order to answer the research question is now given. The review reflects â€Å"

What motivational factors facilitate or hinder student performance in Essay

What motivational factors facilitate or hinder student performance in the process of EFL learning - Essay Example The importance of the topic on determining diverse motivational factors that influence academic learning in the EFL environment is to enable educators to apply best practices in contemporary setting. Most of the studies encountered acknowledged the importance of motivation in Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Some studies discussed and proposed different motivational approaches, ranging from group processes (group norms and cohesiveness); focusing on the teachers’ instructional style and the educators’ ability to creatively provide examples that are vivid and acclimatized to local settings; and also instructional interventions applied by educators in conjunction with self-regulating strategies applied by learners. There are studies that aimed to determine the effectiveness of the motivational strategies in enhancing the academic performance and understanding of ESL students. One would like to determine if these factors were effectively used by teachers in designing mot ivational strategies. If so, were performance evaluation or monitoring measures been implemented to gauge the effectiveness of these strategies in creating a conducing learning environment for ESL learners. The articles reviewed were published within the last seven years where one study, Chen, Warden, & Chang was the oldest, published in 2005; followed by Lamb’s article which was published in 2007; Guilloteaux & Dornyei in 2008; and finally, two articles that were covered in the review were published in 2010: Chang and Wong.... C. Goal of the Review The overall goal of the review, therefore, is to add new factors that have been deemed instrumental in motivating ESL learners to manifest enhanced performance within contemporary setting. From the authoritative sources that have been evaluated, one recognized the value of incorporating culture, or specifically birthplace differences (Wong, 2010); acclimatizing examples used to local settings (Lamb, 2007); and even differentiating three distinct motivation orientations (instrumental, required, and integrative) where â€Å"integration may not be a significant factor in motivating language learning effort† (Chen, Warden, & Chang, 2005, p. 622) within the Chinese cultural context. With increased universality of recognizing diversity in culture and in emphasizing the need to integrate factors that have been proven to be motivating and improving the learning environment, the current literature review would present these findings for future applicability. II. M ethod Section A. Years Covered The articles reviewed were published within the last seven years where one study, Chen, Warden, & Chang was the oldest, published in 2005; followed by Lamb’s article which was published in 2007; Guilloteaux & Dornyei in 2008; and finally, two articles that were covered in the review were published in 2010: Chang and Wong. B. Preliminary Sources Used to Locate the Studies These sources were all searched from the TESOL Quarterly (four articles) and TESOL Journal (one article). The TESOL Quarterly is explicitly described as â€Å"a refereed professional journal, fosters inquiry into English language teaching and learning by providing a forum for TESOL professionals to share their research

Qualities A Person Must Possess Essay Example for Free

Qualities A Person Must Possess Essay In this fast paced world , highly competitive labour market and lesser jobs for every individuals , Sometimes it becomes very hard for a person to get a good job for himself if he does not possess good qualities required from him . Every individual is born with some qualities but one cannot say that those qualities are the best and suited for all jobs . For different jobs different types of qualities are required from a person such as for a student , commitment towards his studies is the most important aspect that can lead him/her to success . If a student has a quality of being committed to his studies then he will never give priority to any other task other than studies and will be fully absorbed in it until he gets what he wants . Apart from that there are some qualities that are equally important in any field of work you are doing . In this essay I will focus on three particular qualities I have identified that a person practicing in the field of work you want to go into must possess. The first quality that I have identified as important for a person doing any type of work is Communication skills . Communication skills means Ability to communicate with other people. It includes Oral and written both mood of communication. A person who is able to communicate effectively and with confidence is said to have a good Communication skills. This type of skill is almost required in any field of work, whether it is military , teaching , marketing or finance . Here it is important to note that Knowing good English doesn’t mean a person is a good communicator but how and when he uses a particular word or phrase can tell if a person is good communicator or not . Suppose if a marketing manager wants to tell his boos that the product Is in declining phase but says that the product is not liked by the customer anymore will entirely just change the whole meaning. Therefore in order to success in any field of work ability to communicate effectively can be considered as the most important quality. (Alessandra , 2002) Pressure Handling is another quality that employees should possess. Having pressure handling quality means controlling oneself when the pressure of work is tremendous. A person whose work and dealing with other people remains unaffected even when he has a lot of work to complete is said to have a good pressure handling quality. There are many fields of work where individuals remains in pressure of work, some of the jobs are management, labor working in factory, freelance writing, etc.. Moreover A person who has been on a job for years will feel less pressure towards his job as compare to a person who is recently employed. Suppose if there are two project managers, A and B, A has been recently hired and is a fresh graduate and B has been working for 10 years in the same field. Because of difference in experience, Manager A will have more pressure from his jobs, his personal life and professional life will both be disturbed whereas manager B will do the work without effecting is personal and professional life. Fortunately this quality can also be learned through books and experience Third and Last quality that I have identified is of Emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a new phenomena but a very important one especially for decision makers Emotional intelligence means how intelligently a person behaves when emotions comes in between. A person who makes a wrong decision when an emotion is involved means that the person is not emotionally intelligent. We encounter plenty of situations in our daily lives when we don’t act logically but emotionally. We buy cars for young children even when we know that the child is not big enough to drive it. Decision over Laying off an close employee when he has committed a wrong deed can only be made by a person who is emotionally intelligent because he knows that it can hurt the organization’s reputation very badly. (Alessandra , 2002) Any field of work you want to go into you must possess some qualities that will differentiate you from the rest of the employees. Qualities like good Communication skills, Pressure Handling and Emotional Intelligent are some of those qualities. At the same time we should always keep in mind that a person is not born with all the qualities but he can learn it anytime during his lifetime

Children Learning and Symbolic Play

Children Learning and Symbolic Play Abstract Our understanding of children development and learning is complicated because of the numerous and varied factors that impact it. These include physiological, mental, emotional, social, linguistic, cognitive, socio-cognitive, and cultural aspects. Two of the most considerable theories on the growth and development of cognitive thinking in children were proposed by Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Both offered explanations for childrens cognitive learning styles and abilities; their explanations and ideas have significantly contributed to the field of learning and instructions. While they have different views into the cognitive development in children, Piaget and Vygotsky both emphasized that much of childrens early learning is achieved through play and symbolic play in particular. The objective of this paper is to examine the major constructs of Piaget and Vygotsky theories about cogitative development in children and to evaluate the implications of their theories for instructions and sy mbolic play practices for children in preschool (kindergarten) age. Cognitive Development Theories: Children Learning and Symbolic Play Cognitive development refers to the development of the ability to think and reason. It is the transformation of the childs undifferentiated, unspecialized cognitive abilities into the adults conceptual competence and problem-solving skills (Driscoll, 2005). For many psychologists, cognitive development answers the questions about how children moves toward reaching the endpoint of gaining the adults skills, what stages they are pass through and how do changes in their thinking occur and what role dose learning play? Among many theories that are introduced to explain the children cognitive and knowledge development, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky proposed the most influential theories that contributes to this component of psychology. Their theories underlined that the way the children learn and mentally grow has a critical role in their learning progress and abilities development. Piaget and Vygotsky were considered as constructivists who believed that learning occurs as a result of mental construction and by fitting the new information into the cognitive structure (scheme) that the learners already have (Driscoll, 2005). Constructivism approach also suggests that learning is affected by the context in which knowledge transfer occurs and by learners beliefs and attitudes . Piaget and Vygotsky also agreed on the societal influences in cognitive growth; however, they differ in the learning progression process. Piaget believed that children learn by interacting with their surroundings but with no impo rtance for the input from others and that learning occurs after development; Vygotsky, on the other hand, held the idea that learning happens before development and that children learn through history and symbolism and they value the input from their surroundings (Slavin, 2003). Further, it is imperative for teachers to understand the progression of cognitive development and the constructs of the major theories in the field in order to be able to attend the unique needs of each child and to develop the learning program, instructions plans and classroom activities in a developmentally appropriate approach. Kindergarten program is an example of these learning programs that is of particular interest because it influences children in very young age and shapes their cognitive development journey. Kindergarten learning programs should be designed on the natural approach for children learning as suggested by the cognitive development theories. The natural approach suggests that the physical, socio-emotional and cognitive development of children depends on activity and interactions with others (Driscoll, 2005). This means the play is a key aspect of the Kindergarten learning programs and that is seen as phenomenon of thoughts and activity growth (Piaget, 1951). Play consists of activities performed for self-amusement that have behavioral, social, and psychomotor rewards. Play is directed towards the child, and the rewards come from within the individual child; it is enjoyable and spontaneous. Children engage in different types of play depending upon situations and different needs. Types of play range from physical play which involves jumping, running and other physical activities to the surrogate play at which ill children watch others play on their behalf. They also range from inactive observation play to active associative in group play that requires planning and co operation. Play types also include expressive play which involves playing with materials (such as clay, play dough,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) and the manipulative play that gives children the measure of control over others and their environment (for example, to throw a toy out of a cot, watch a parent pick it up, and then throw it out again). Symbolic play (also be referred to as dramat ic play) is another important type of play at which children enact scenes where they substitute one object for another (for example, a child will use a stick to represent a spoon or a hair brush to represent a microphone). This kind of pretend play takes on various forms: The child may pretend to play using an object to represent other objects, playing without any objects and pretending that they are indeed present. Or the child may pretend to be someone else and imitate adults and experiment what it means to be an adult in a role they are exposed to in their surrounding environment (for example, mother, father, care-giver, doctor and so on). They may also pretend through other inanimate objects (e.g. a toy horse kicks another toy horse). Symbolic play in children can usually be observed during the beginning of the second year of life and it has been linked through the studies and experiments to the cognitive problem solving skills, creative abilities, and emotional well-being. In the following sections of this paper, the major constructs and ideas proposed by Piaget and Vygotsky theories will be examined in relation to symbolic play for cognitive and knowledge development of children; and the implications of each theory for instruction and practice in Kindergarten educational settings. Theories of Cognitive Development: Piaget and Vygotsky It is a fact that most of the methods and approaches for teaching are driven from Piaget and Vygotsky research studies. They both offer teachers good proposals on how to teach certain learning materials in appropriate approach that matches the child developmentally conditions. Piaget (1896-1980) believed that children progress through an invariant sequence of four stages. Theses stages are not arbitrary but are assumed to reflect qualitative differences in children cognitive abilities (Driscoll, 2005, p.149). He proposed that each stage must represent a significant qualitative and quantitative change in children cognitive and that children progress through these stages in a culturally invariant sequence. Each stage will include the cognitive structures and abilities (schemes) of the previous stages (constructivism) which all will act as an integrated cognitive structure (accumulated knowledge) at that given stage (Driscoll, 2005). These schemes can be alerted, changed or developed through assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation occurs when a child perceives new objects or events in term of existing scheme (Driscoll, 2005); in other words, within information the child already knows. Accommodation occurs when existing schemes are modified to adopt (or fit in) a new experience or information. If the new information doesnt fit or it conflicts with the existing scheme then the disequilibrium occurs. Equilibrium, however, is the master developmental process which encompasses both assimilation and accommodation and prepares for the child transaction from one state of the development to the next (Driscoll, 2005). Piaget stages of development are: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations and formal operations. Sensorimotor stage is over the period between the birth to two years. During this stage, the child experiences the surrounding world through the senses and movement. The child develops object permanence which refers to the ability to understand an object exist even if it is not in field of vision (Woolfolk, 2004). Toward the end of this period, children begin to mentally represent object and events but to that point they only can act and during the transaction to the mental representation, they may use simple motor indicators as symbols for other events (Driscoll, 2005). They also begin to understand that their actions could cause another actions developing a goal-director behavior; for an example, throwing a toy from the cot to make parents pick the toy and pressing the doll button to make the sound and so on (kind of the manipulative play). Preoperational stage extends from the child second year to seventh year. According to Piaget, children have not yet mastered the ability of mental operation or to think through the actions (Woolfolk, 2004) but they acquire the semiotic function early in this period. This means that they are able to mentally represent the objects and events, as evidenced in their imitation of some activities long after it occurred (Driscoll, 2005). Hence, pretending, or symbolic play, is highly characteristic stage and the language acquisitions. One more interesting idea proposed by Piaget is that during this stage children are considered to be egocentric assuming that others share their points of view and which makes them engage in self monologue with no interacting with others (Woolfolk, 2004). Concrete operations period that is from seventh year to eleventh, is characteristic to be the hands-on period at which children overcome the limitation of egocentrism and learn through discovery learning while working (operating) with real tangible objects (Woolfolk, 2004). They become more internalized and able to create logical-mathematical knowledge resulting in operations (Driscoll, 2005). Formal operation occurs from eleventh year to adulthood and at which propositional logic is developed. Reaching this stage, children (who become adult) should be able to not only to think hypothetically but to plan systematic approaches to solve problems (Driscoll, 2005). The acquisition of the met-cognitive (thinking about thinking) is also an important characteristic of the formal operations. Piaget also believed in the active role of the child during development. He proposed that children act on their own environment and cognitive is rooted in the action (Driscoll, 2005). He acknowledged the social interaction aspect of the children development but only to move the child away from egocentrism to develop the social knowledge that can be learned only from other people (language, moral rules, values..). Although, Piaget theory of cognitive development proposed an integrated and beneficial framework for children learning that can be utilized by educators and parents to influence and enrich the learning process of the children; the theory has faced serious challenges and especially in the recent years with the contemporary research add to this filed. For an example, Piaget believed that all children, regardless of the culture, progress through four stages and once particular stage is reached, the regression to earlier stage cant occur. Replications of Piagets experiments have shown that children in different cultures do not pass through the same types of reasoning suggested in Piaget stages (Driscoll, 2005). Moreover, there are people, in any culture, who fail to reason at the formal operation level; we experience interacting with these people in our day-to-day life in personal and professional levels. Also, Piaget claimed that there must be a qualitative discontinues change in cognit ive from stage to stage; this has been questioned with the ability to accelerate development and the studies and experiments showed that that children can learn more than Piaget thought they could (Siegler Svetina 2002 as cited in Driscoll, 2005). One more is that children dont exhibit the characteristics of each stage; for example, children are sometimes egocentric beyond the proportional stage and the preoperational children are not egocentric all the time (Driscoll, 2005). However and despite these challenges, understanding Piagets proposed stages and development sequence suggests useful and effective certain learning and teaching strategies at each level. Example of these strategies as implications of Piaget theory will be discussed in the next section. Vygotsky (1896 -1943) proposed an alternative to the Piaget stages of cognitive development, he stated that children learn mainly by social interactions and their culture plays a major role to shape their cognitive (woolfolk, 2004). He believed that individual development could not be understood without reference to the social and cultural context within which such development is embedded (Driscoll, 2005, p.250). His theory suggests a co -constructed process of social interactions at which through children move toward individualized thinking. When a child receives a help through this process, her or she may be able to develop better strategy in the future to deal with a similar problem. This co-constructed channel of communications between the child and his culture will lead to internalization and eventually to independent thinking (Woolfolk, 2004). A good example to understand social dialogue and internalization is what introduced by Vygotsky himself and cited in Driscoll (2005) One a child stretching out her hand for an object she cant quite reach, an adult interprets the gesture of pointing and responds accordingly. Until the adult responds, the child is simply grasping for an object out of reach, however, the situation change with the adult respond to be a social exchange and the act of grasping takes on a shared meaning of pointing. When a child internalizes the meaning and uses the gesture as pointing, the interpersonal activity has been transferred into intrapersonal one. (p.252). The zone of proximate development is another principle introduced by Vygotsky. He agreed with Piaget that there is knowledge and skills associated with the child developmentally range of understanding, but he believed that with given help and support, children can perform problems that Piaget would consider out of their staged mental capabilities (Woolfolk, 2004). Scaffolding is the technique proposed by Vygotsky to support the discovery learning through social interaction and in the zone of approximate development. Scaffolding entails providing the child with a hint or clue for the problem solving and encouraging childs thinking in order to allow him or her to better approach the problem in the future. Further, Vygotsky highlighted the importance of the mediation cultural tools to support learning and higher-level processing in children. These cultural signs and tools involve technological, symbolic and any available resource that aids in social communication (language, signs, symbols, media television, computer, booksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Although the tools at hand may include sophisticated toys, children are successful at creating imaginary situations with sticks and other common objects in their environment. This leads into the symbolic play as a strategy for children teaching. Driscoll (2005) noted that in play, Vygotsky argued, children stretch their conceptual abilities and begin to develop a capacity for abstract thought; the signs they establish in their imaginations, in other word, can make up a very complex symbol system, which they communicate through verbal and nonverbal gestures(P.259). The development of language is another major principle that is proposed by Vygotsky s theory. Althoug didnt address specific implications for instruction of language, he believed that language constitutes the most important sign-using behavior to occur during the cognitive development and this is because it frees children from the constraints of their immediate environment. The language of a certain group of people reflects their own cultural beliefs and value system and children initially associate the words meaning to their contexts and life aspects till they learn to abstract the word from a particular concrete context (decontextualization). This process of decontextualization must occur with any symbol system if it is to serve higher mental functions such as reasoning (Driscoll, 2005, p. 259-260). Once again, Vygotsky suggested that symbolic play is important for language learning in young children. He also emphasized the importance of the private speech as a self-directed regula tion and communication with the self to guide actions and aid in thinking; this is in contrast to Piaget who viewed privative speech as egocentric (or immature) (Woolfolk, 2004). Undoubtedly, both Piaget and Vygotsky provided educators with influential insights and important views on the cognitive development in children. Piaget suggested that the children progress through maturation stages and discovery learning with minimal social impact. Vygotsky, from other hand, stressed the importance of the cultural context and language on cognitive development. The following will browse, in general, some implications of the both theories for instructions in different educational settings then more specific for symbolic play in kindergarten. Implications for Instructions of Piaget and Vygotsky Educators and school systems have been applying the cognitive development theories of Piaget and Vygotsky in classrooms teaching for some time. The most important implications of the both theories are that the learning environment should support the discovery-learning and that child should be effectively involved in the learning process. They stressed the role of peer interaction and the symbolic play. Both also agreed that development may be triggered by cognitive conflict; this entails adopting instructional strategies that make children aware of conflicts and inconsistencies in their thinking (Driscoll, 2005). A good example of this would be the Socratic Dialogs which fosters the critical thinking through a series of questions and answers that enable learner to develop the understanding of the learning materials. However, Piaget and Vygotsky differ in the way to guide the children in the discovery learning. Piaget recommended a very little teacher interference while Vygotsky prompted the teacher to guide the discovery learning offering questions to students and having them discover the answer by testing different options (Scaffolding). According to Piaget, teachers dealing with children in preoperational stage (like in kindergarten) are encouraged to incorporate the play as a pedagogic strategy; in play children are engaged in active self-discovery activities employing concrete object or symbolically. It also helps to understand that and since the children in this stage have not yet mastered the mental operations, the teacher should not only use action and verbal short instructions but also to demonstrate these instructions. Using visual aid is very important in this stage to create attractive and discovery-oriented learning environment (Driscoll, 2005). Moreover, is to pay attention to the egocentrism in this stage as suggested by Piaget and the teacher to be sensitive that children may not realize that not everyone shares their view or understand the word they invented (Woolfolk, 2004). It is important to in the stage to provide the children with a range of experiences and knowledge to build the foundation (basic scheme) for concept learning and languages those children are expected to master in coming stages. Teaching children in the concrete operation stage should involve hands-on learning at which children have the opportunity to test and manipulate objects, perform experiments and solve problems in order to develop logical and analogical thinking skills. Teacher should consider using familiar examples to explain the complex ideas and this is by linking to the existing knowledge of the learners (scheme). While teaching the students in formal operations stage requires teachers to offer student open-ended projects that enhance their advanced problem solving and reasoning skills. It is critical in this stage for the teachers to help learners understanding of the broad concepts and their applications in the real life. The teachers applying Vygotsky teaching methods would be very active player in their students education. The most popular technique to be utilized is the scaffolding at which teachers will provide assistance and the feedback as the knowledge source to support learning of new information. The teachers then will not present information in one sided way but will provide the guidance and assistance required for learners to bridge the gap between their skills level and the desired skills; when they are able to complete tasks on their own, the guidance and support will be withdrawn (Greenfield, 1984 cited in Driscoll 2005). Also teachers applying Vygotsky theory utilized the meditation tools and teach students how to use these tools in their learning (computers, books,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Vygotsky emphasized the language and other sign systems (such as symbolic playing) as important tools for children learning. Language is the cultural communication tool that transmits history and cultural va lues between individuals and from parents and teachers toward children. Most importantly, is incorporating the group or peer learning as an important source of cognitive development. A good application of Vygotsky principles of social learning and the zone of approximate development zone is the strategy at which teachers encourage children with varying level of knowledge to help each other by allowing the child who master the skill to teach and guide his or her peer who still trying to master this skill. It is evident to be an effective learning strategy not only in children learning but also in adult learning. Piaget also believed that peer interactions are essential in helping children move beyond the egocentric and that children are more effective to provide information and feedback to other children about the validity of their logical constructions (Driscoll, 2005); hence the instructional strategies are favored that encourage peer teaching and social negotiation. Applying Piaget or Vygotsky, the teachers main goal should be to support learners and to provide the assistance plan that fulfill the learner needs and promote his thinking skills and cognitive development. Teachers should also prepare the learning environment that attracts children attention and encourages their self-discovery. The instruction plan should be designed on the premises that classrooms have students with different cultural, linguistic and knowledge backgrounds. In preparing learning activities, teachers should be able to get children to play and learn collaboratively and enhance their understanding through teacher feedback, peer feedback and social negotiation. Symbolic Play: Cognitive and Language Development As introduced, the cognitive development theories encourage play and symbolic play-in particular- as a pedagogic strategy for active self learning and language development. In play, the children initiate and take control of their activity (Driscoll, 2005); and this very nature of play along with other criteria are what distinguish play from other behaviors: play is essentially motivated with self-imposed goals, play is activity of spontaneous and pleasure, play is free from imposed rules, player is an active participants in the play; play focuses on means rather than ends, play is characteristics by the as if dimension that encourages children to use objects and gestures as if they were something else ( Hymans, 1991 ; Fein Rivikin as cited in Yan, Yuejuan Hongfen, 2005; Piaget, 1951; Rubin, Waston Jambor, 1978). In symbolic play that starts in second year of life, children use tools of objects, actions, language, signs and roles to represent something from their real or imagined world of experiences. It enables the children to build and express their understanding of either individual or social experience (Driscoll, 2005; Hymans, 1991; Lenningar, n.d; Lyytinen, Poikkeus Laakso, 1997; Piaget, 1951; Woolfolk, 2004). Symbolic play indicates that the child developed the two main cognitive operations: reversibility and decentralization; reversibility refers to the child awareness that he or she can come from the pretended role to the real world at any time while decentralization refers to the child understanding that the child in the play is still him/her at the same time with the person he/she is imitating (Rubin 1980 as cited in Marjanovic Lesnic, 2001). The next intellectual skill noticeable in the symbolic play is conservation which refers to the child ability to preserve the imaginary iden tity of the play materials despite the fact they are perceptually and could be functionally inadequate (Marjanovic Umek Lesnic Musek, 2001). The social element of the symbolic play is also a very important aspect to be considered for the cognitive development in the children. According to Vygotsky, children learn to use the tools and skills they practice with social parents; he also emphasized that learning occurs in social interactions and it is affected cultural context it occurs at. He further proposed that social interaction could lead to developmental delays or abnormal development as well as to normal or accelerated development (Driscoll, 2005). Piaget also highlighted the importance of social interaction for the children to develop beyond the egocentrism that is a characteristic of pre operational stage. The impact of symbolic play in this dimension is supported by Smilansky (1968) studies at which she proposed that social activities influence the development of the childs cognitive and social skills. When children are engaged in a role performance; they have to reach a agreement about the play idea, the course of actions and the transformation of roles and play materials and this can only be achieved when individuals come over their egocentrism and develop the ability to communicate and empathize (cited in Marjanovic Umek Lesnic Musek, 2001). Smilansky then developed the Scale for Evaluation of Dramatic and Socio-Dramatic Play; the scale tracks the progressive development in the use of the objects in the symbolic play over five stages. The first stage includes simple manipulation followed by the stage of imitating the adults activities of adults by using the model of the object as adult do (as using the hair brush as a microphone). In the third stage, the object becomes an instrument for enacting certain roles while in the forth stage the use of object/toy goes together with the speech and gestures. The final stage focuses in the speech without using objects or gestures (Smilansky 1968; Smilansky Shefatya, 1990 as cited in Marjanovic Umek Lesnic Musek, 2001). Smilansky scale supported also the role of symbolic play in the language development that was firstly proposed by Vygotsky and this language-play relation has been investigated all the way since then. The research studies discussed the component of the language in the context of symbolic play and mainly in the role playing part of it. In role playing, children engage in a communication dialogue with their playing parties. It is evident that the role playing and object transformations enable the childe to use lexicographic meanings and clear speech (Pellegrini Galda as cited in Marjanovic Umek Lesnic Musek, 2001). According to Lyytinen, Poikkeus and Lassko (1997); their study to observe and examine the relationship between language and play among 110 18-month-old children showed that early talkers of these children displayed significant more symbolic play than the late talkers ; a significant connection was found between the language comprehensive and percentage of symbolic play. Th is is supported by the study conducted by Marjanovic Umek and Lesnic Musek (2001) at which they compared three age groups of children in preschool settings with different level of play using Smilanskys Scale for the Evaluation of Dramatic and Socio-dramatic Play; the observations and results proved stronger use of the language in the function of defining roles, scenes and materials that are required for the play context. More interesting studies looked into the implications of symbolic play for the education of children with special needs and disorders such as Down syndrome and Autism. Example of these studies is the study conducted Stanley and Kinstantareas (2006) who investigated the relationship between symbolic play and other domains such as nonverbal cognitive abilities, receptive language, expressive language and social development among 131 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The result indicates a significant positive relation between symbolic play and development of these domains in children with (ASD). The study also stressed that training in symbolic play will help to improve these children skills in other domains (Stanley Kinstantareas , 2006). Another recent study conducted by Venuti, Falco, Giusti and Bronstein (2008) to investigate the impact of mother-child interaction in the play on the cogitative functions of children with Down Syndrome concluded that such inter action leads to enhanced cognitive functioning (Venuti, Falco, Giusti Bronstein , 2008). Symbolic play, then, inked through the literature to the development of cognitive problem solving skills, linguistic transformation and creative abilities. It also supports the emotional and social development. Role playing is evident to be a way of coping with emotional conflict through which children can escape into a fantasy world in order to make sense out of the real one. From different aspect, it enhances the child self awareness and self directed; when a parent or sibling plays a board game with a child, shares a bike ride, plays baseball, or reads a story, the child learns self-importance. The childs self -esteem gets a boost. Parents send positive messages to their child when they communicate pleasure in providing him or her with daily care. From these early interactions, children develop a vision of the world and gain a sense of their place in it. In term of social development, the children enjoy playful interactions with others staring with parents through which they learn their culture values and aspects. Interaction with other children helps the children helps children to learn about boundaries, taking turns, teamwork, and competition. Children also learn to negotiate with different personalities and the feelings associated with winning and losing. They learn to share, wait, and be kind. Some of the more common functions of play are to facilitate physical and moral development. Physical play develops both fine and gross motor skills. During play, children repeat certain body movements purely for pleasure, and these movements develop body muscles and control. Moreover, when children engage in play with their peers and families, they begin to learn the acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. During playing with peers, they learn that taking turns is rewarding and cheating is not; they learn to appreciate teamwork, share and respect others feelings. Therefore, models of children learning and preschool education in professional settings are mainly driven from different understanding and implications of symbolic play which are in turn based on the premises of different cognitive development theories. Play and Learning: Educational Framework in Kindergarten Settings Children learn through play is the golden rule that any educational frameworks in the preschool (Kindergarten) settings should revolve around. According to the theories and studies

William Blake; The schoolboy Essay -- English Literature

William Blake; The schoolboy William Blake believed in freedom of speech, democracy and ‘free love’, for these reasons he disagreed strongly with formal education and conventional teaching in both schools and churches. He believed that this constrained people stopping them from having their own thoughts. Blake believed that children who were not given a formal education would want to learn off their own accord making learning more fun and enjoyable for the child. Blake portrays these opinions in the poem ‘The schoolboy’; which he chose to write in the voice of ‘the schoolboy’ himself, to stand up for children who’s views on schooling are rarely acknowledged. Blake’s decision to use a definite article in the title; ‘The schoolboy’ shows that the poem is a biographical piece about a specific schoolboy, and allows Blake to voice his own opinions as if they were that of a school child provoking more sympathy from the reader than would simply expressing his own views, therefore making his opinions on formal education more persuasive. The poem uses strong themes of nature throughout; the first verse describes a sense of harmony between the schoolboy and nature through a positive description of the sounds of the birds which the schoolboy awakes to hear. Pathetic fallacy is used relating the ‘summer’ morn to the schoolboy’s joy for being awoken in this way. The second verse starts with the conjunction ‘but’ to link the two verses, yet show the contrast in mood between them. This negative verse outlines the child’s dread of school and brings the reader back to reality after the dream-like feel to the first stanza. The line ‘under a cruel eye outworn’ suggests that the children are exhausted by school, personif... ...is used throughout the poem referring to the stages of a person’s life as the seasons in the year, the last stanza uses this metaphor to insinuate that a persons childhood is the most important time because if they don’t learn how to have fun in the spring of their life they will not know how to enjoy themselves in the summer of life. This makes the last line of the poem particularly effective ‘when the blasts of winter appear’ as people rarely think about how the way they live their childhood will effect their later lives, this rhetorical question makes the reader contemplate whether a formal education in an early life is worth facing the regrets it will cause them to live with in later life looking back upon few happy memories. And maybe learning the joys of life and how to live to the fullest is the most important lesson to be learned within childhood.

King control Essay

After 400 AD, there was no central power in the West, but a central ecclesiastical power, which claimed primacy from the earliest times. The barbarian invasions and the ensuing anarchy resulted in a tremendous growth in the power of the papacy. With the appearance of strong political powers in Europe, a struggle between the papacy and the kings started to grow. The principal disagreement was the proper distribution of power; the king was believed to be the ruler by divine right. Should the King control church as well, contrary to the belief of pope as vicar of God on earth? It was in these circumstances that, Pope Boniface VII appeared on the religious scene in Europe. As Papacy was congested with internal wrangling of war of succession, it is believed that Pope Benedict VI (973-974) was strangled to death. For Boniface VII, papacy was a secular issue, rather than a divine mission, which had to be acquired by all means. After his accession, with in a month, he was forced to leave the Constantinople, but he did not hesitate to steal a large sum of money from the Vatican treasury. After nine years of exile, he returned with an army to depose his successor Pope John XIV (983-984). All these deeds earned him the name of Antipope. According to historians Boniface VII sitting in Peter’s chair was at the lowest point in the papal history. This decline and corruption in church was visible at the time of Gregory VII accession to the papacy. He laments the unhappy state of the Church in the following words, â€Å"Wherever I turn my eyes–to the west, to the north, or to the south, I find bishops who have obtained their office in irregular ways†. Gregory made efforts to stamp out the Church from major evils, for him the Bishop of Rome was not simply the court of last appeal, but the pope was to govern the universal Church as a vicar of St Peter. The medieval kingdoms were religious states and king as the head of people was the supreme authority in religious, as well as in political matters. The spiritual governance was now in the hands of the bishops and pope, kingship had to be understood differently and new foundations laid for the political authority of the state. The state deprived of its spiritual authority was forced to conceive itself as a corporate body independent of the Church. Gregory knew that the customs prevailing in the Church and society had no foundation in ancient Christian tradition. According to him faithfulness did not mean slavish obedience to the rituals, but faith required deeper understanding of the religion. Gregory began his great work of purifying the Church by a reformation of the clergy and enacted a number of decrees, such as banning the office of sacred orders by payment, baring guilty priests from exercising ministries, and rejection of the clerics who failed to obey these injunctions. These decrees were met with vigorous resistance, but were partially successful. Pope Boniface VII and Gregory VII had the same ambitions, but with different point of views. According to Pope Boniface VII, Church cannot not be separated from the state, there had to be balance for this co-existence. Gregory VII, on the contrary de-sacralized the authority of the king, and separated the spiritual world from politics. As a result, the Church became a sovereign body with its own head, administrative structure, body of law, and courts, which eventually gave rise to the modern state. Source: Ullmann. W (1962), The Growth of Papal Government in the Middle Ages: A Study in the Ideological Relation of Clerical to Lay Power, Methuen London. Catholic Encyclopedia, Pope St. Gregory VII (8 Nov. 2005), http://www. newadvent. org/cathen/06791c. htm

Is Rock Music To Blame For Violence?

Another day and a new crime committed by pupils in an American High School involving firearms. No longer does this event shock society, but instead it is seen as a problem that needs to be solved. The public can only guess what it is leading teens into carrying out such unthinkable actions at their age. What is it in their youth culture that is causing them to turn into murderers? One thought is that perhaps the rock music of today and its often violent and disturbing lyrics and videos may be partially to blame, but can this argument be justified? Is it the music steering people to violence or do vulnerable minds just turn to dark music as they associate with the often-sinister lyrics and the repulsive images portrayed? Music has many well-known benefits; most are associated with helping to control emotion. It is at the heart of most social gatherings and there is a song or tune for every mood. By learning to play music it has been proved that better academic potential and skills can be achieved. Because of music providing entertainment, there are many social benefits that come from liking a particular genre as friends can be found with a common interest, the music. Rock music is a very strong and passionate form of music that tends to draw mainly those in early to mid teens yet unlike many other genres it seems to be able to hold on to its followers throughout the fans' lifetimes. What is it that draws in so many youngsters? Why do they feel the need to get involved in what is seen to be a dark world of outrageous behaviour? It is a simple answer; they feel the need to associate with the others feeling the same strain as they do as they struggle to gain freedom and identity in a confusing world. The lyrics are real and don't hide from the bad parts of life, the passion is so strong people know that the performers have felt what they're singing about. It is a world about being you and being able to escape from growing pressures. Emotionally adolescence is very tough indeed and many fans feel rock music helps them to cope with the feelings rather than it causing them to become yet more incontrollable. â€Å"It gives me more of a relief of tension than actually making me angry† Alisha (19) – Dum Dums Message Bored â€Å"If I need to chill or have a little cry the music helps† Kate (18) – Dum Dums Message Bored â€Å"It helps because you know other people have had the same experiences as you – you are not alone† Ivy Brandybuck – Dum Dums Message Bored Yet there is a thought that the music could be twisting the young's minds and turning them to unmoral behaviour especially as rock music has always had its roots in shadowy circumstances. It is thought many of the images portrayed in the early days of psychedelic rock come from hallucinations caused by drugs such as LSD. The lyrics became confused and dream-like. The progression from this was to music associated with Satanism and the rock world portrayed this as a move against religions, particularly Christianity and today we have artist such as Marilyn Manson who are publicly Anti-Christ (â€Å"Hopefully I'll be remembered as the person who brought an end to Christianity† – Manson August 1996) and members of the church of Satanism. Such changes in the style of music gave artists a more individual rebel image that is often idolised by the young as they fight society to gain freedom and search for their own identity. It is also thought the rise in interest in this brand of music may be down to an overall rise in society of interest around fantasy, black magic and surrealism as the gothic image became popular in the late 70s and since then the obsession with the ‘darker side' and Satan has grown causing production of music that is pushing the teachings of the devil: â€Å"We all praise the devil He is so fine We all praise the devil Till the day we'll die!† Sad Iron The appearance rock music has been given begins with the appearance given out by the performers themselves. Covered in dark and sinister make-up and dressed in Halloween type outfits, just by looking at rock stars you can see where the concern is coming from. Notorious for wrecking hotel rooms as well as abusing alcohol and recreational drugs and often having criminal records or accusations behind them. They stand out as individuals, what youngsters in their early teens want to be like. They idolise this life wishing they could lead the lives of the stars they follow, like the majority of their peers. It isn't unnatural for them to want to be like the performers but the appearance, attitudes and actions of the performers can be so extreme they become dangerous for a vulnerable adolescent to copy. â€Å"I don't think it's the music itself the affects the way people act but the attitudes of the people who sing them. They should be careful about what they do and say because there's always some people who will think what they're doing is fine and go ahead and do it themselves† ~dum girl~ – Dum Dums Message Bored The most worrying rock genre is the most hardcore type that seems to many to be pushing the use of drugs and violence, particularly against women. It is this aspect of rock that is the most controversial with many opponents who fear it is damaging the minds of the young. Lyrics constantly refer to abuse against women; sexual violence, self-harming and drug abuse and contain a large amount of blasphemous or offensive language. The following is a classic example of violence and sexual abuse being expressed in a song: â€Å"I am a big man (yes I am) and I have a big gun, got me big old dick and I like to have fun, held it against your forehead, I'll make you suck it, maybe I'll put a hole in your head; you know, just for the f**k of it†¦. i'm every inch of a man, and I'll show you somehow; me and my f**king gun; nothing can stop me; shoot shoot shoot†¦.† Nine Inch Nails – Big Man with a gun It is not always clear what the lyrics are but now with the age of the music videos the scenes can be acted out so the public has constant access to the true horror the musicians are trying to portray through the lyrics and music itself. It is angry music written about anger and intended to alert minds. The dramatic images of sick actions are there to draw in the audience, to bring them into a disturbed world of mental torture. By glorifying these images and ideas it is thought the performers are encouraging violence in society, particularly in the young as they struggle to be noticed. The most worrying thought is that maybe these images are causing people to accept such actions as part of life. The move away from Christianity so far that it causes anti-religion is also an area for concern. Religion gives society many of its morals and if people are seeing no faith in it then why should they follow its beliefs? Also it is seen as good to be going against the bibles teachings so the more the church condemns the rock world, the more likely the rock world is to fight back harder against it. The problem lies with Christian rock music as some extreme evangelists believe even the beats are from the devil but many Christians believe this is a crazy view: â€Å"these anti-rock people claimed that not only were the lyrics leading teenagers to damnation, but the beat of the music was evil itself as it came from tribes affiliated with Satan†¦This theory struck me as harder to swallow than subconscious messages we allegedly received from ‘secular' music† Taryn – Crafy Gal Stump What many people seem to not understand is that the images and lyrics are there to represent the state of society and where the performer sees it is heading, kind of like a warning to the world. The trouble with this is do we know if society is naturally going in that direction or if it's the music steering us that way. Rock music has always set out to cause controversy and portray the darker occult society. It could not survive if people did not feel associated with the statements it makes. Maybe youth is drawn into it simply out of rebellion against the society they grow up in or maybe they see rock as the only form of art that reflects how the world is changing or the real passion behind emotions they often feel. The ideas are new and fresh and give teens a sense of individuality. People who are angry at life and are naturally aggressive are more likely to turn to gaining an image that portrays that so fall straight into the rock world. The anger against religion is simply a fight back because many fans feel let down by the disappointment of not receiving a happy life but believing in a god. In the world there are many fans of all levels of rock and the proportion of these who turn to violence is not exceptionally high. Yes maybe the amount of violent young offenders who listen to hardcore rock may be high but perhaps this is because they have always been unnaturally fascinated by the world of the occult sinisterism and the music they listen to simply portrays this. The majority of fans know that what seems to be very evil anti-society behaviour is in fact just a go at all the critics and the critics themselves by apposing the rock world is simply making it more popular. There has always been a problem with rock music and its sinister side. It seems the violence portrayed was made worse by the introduction of videos where performers could add disturbing visualisations to their already violent lyrics. I do not however feel that these images alone can turn a mind to violent crime. In society we are all made fully aware of what is morally seen to be right and wrong and we cannot hide from that. Most followers of the hardcore rock genres are just like everyone else only they dress differently. All in all it depends on how a listener portrays what the performer is saying. Most realise they are not trying to convert everyone into criminals. In conclusion I feel that it is not the music and in particular rock music that is causing violence among the teens in America but I feel that the extreme hardcore rock may not be helping to solve the problem and its violent lyrics and videos may be putting ideas into the heads of the already disturbed. It is a free passion form of music and to most people it helps them cope with difficult emotions and helps them to understand pain by comforting them with reassurance they are not alone. As for the religious aspect, why should people be scorned at for not believing in a certain way? The world if free and there is no proof rock music is causing great harm so it, like the rest of society, should be free to be expressed.

Spirit Bound Chapter Eleven

WELL. HOW PERFECT. It took us a while to decide our next course of action. We tossed around a few feeble ideas to track Robert and Victor, all of which we eventually shot down. Robert's phone was a cell, and while the CIA could trace those kinds of things, we certainly couldn't. Even if Robert's address was listed in the phone book, I knew Victor wouldn't have let them go back there. And while Adrian and Lissa could spot a spirit user's aura, we could hardly go wandering aimlessly in a city and expect to find something. No, we were out of luck with those two. There was nothing to be done now but head back to Court and face whatever punishment awaited us. We–I–had screwed up. With sunset approaching–and seeing as we no longer had a known criminal to get us in trouble–my group glumly decided to head to the Witching Hour to make our travel plans. Lissa and I had the potential to be recognized over there, but runaway girls weren't quite in the same category as fugitive traitors. We decided to roll the dice (no pun intended) and hang around guardians rather than risk more Strigoi attacks before we could get out of Vegas. The Witching Hour was no different from any of the other casinos we'd been to–unless you knew what to look for. Humans there were too interested in the allure of the games and glitz to notice that a lot of the other patrons were uniformly tall, slim, and pale. As for the dhampirs? Humans couldn't tell that we weren't human. It was only the uncanny sense Moroi and dhampirs had that let us know who was who. Sprinkled throughout the cheering, chattering, and–at times–wailing crowd were guardians. As in demand as guardians were, only a handful could be allocated full-time to a place like this. Fortunately, their numbers were reinforced by the wealthy and powerful who'd come to play. Excited Moroi whooped over slot machines or roulette while silent, watchful guardians hovered behind them, keeping an eye on everything. No Strigoi would come here. â€Å"What now?† asked Lissa, almost yelling over the noise. It was the first time any of us had spoken since deciding to go here. We'd come to a halt near some blackjack tables, right in the thick of everything. I sighed. My mood was so dark, I didn't even need any spirit side effects. I lost Victor, I lost Victor. My own mental accusations were on an endless loop. â€Å"We find their business center and book tickets out of here,† I said. â€Å"Depending on how long until we can catch a flight, we might have to get a room again.† Adrian's eyes were scanning the action around us, lingering longest on one of the many bars. â€Å"Wouldn't kill us to spend a little time here.† I snapped. â€Å"Really? After everything that's happened, that's all you can think about?† His enraptured gaze turned back to me and became a frown. â€Å"There are cameras here. People who may recognize you. Getting hard proof that you were in this casino and not Alaska is a good thing.† â€Å"True,† I admitted. I think Adrian's typical blase air was masking discomfort. Aside from learning why I'd really come to Las Vegas, he'd also run into Strigoi–Dimitri among them. That was never an easy experience for any Moroi. â€Å"Though we've got no alibi for when we were actually in Alaska.† â€Å"So long as Victor doesn't get himself spotted around here, no one's going to make the connection.† Adrian's voice became bitter. â€Å"Which really shows how stupid they all are.† â€Å"We helped put Victor away,† said Lissa. â€Å"No one would think we'd be crazy enough to let him out.† Eddie, staying silent, gave me a pointed look. â€Å"Then it's settled,† said Adrian. â€Å"Somebody go book us tickets. I'm going to get a drink and try my hand at some games. The universe owes me some good luck.† â€Å"I'll get the tickets,† said Lissa, scanning a sign that pointed out the directions for the pool, restrooms–and business center. â€Å"I'll go with you,† said Eddie. Whereas before his expression had been accusatory, he now seemed to be avoiding my eyes altogether. â€Å"Fine,† I said, crossing my arms. â€Å"Let me know when you're done, and we'll find you.† That was to Lissa, meaning she'd tell me through the bond. Convinced he was free, Adrian headed straight for the bar, me trailing after him. â€Å"A Tom Collins,† he told the Moroi bartender. It was like Adrian had a mental cocktail dictionary in his head and just checked them off one by one. I almost never saw him drink the same thing twice. â€Å"You want it spiked?† the bartender asked. He wore a crisp white shirt and black bow tie and hardly appeared older than me. Adrian made a face. â€Å"No.† The bartender shrugged and turned around to make the drink. â€Å"Spiked† was Moroi code for putting a shot of blood into the drink. There were a couple of doors behind the bar, ones that probably led to feeders. Glancing down the bar, I could see happy, laughing Moroi with red-tinged drinks. Some liked the thought of having blood with their alcohol. Most–like Adrian, apparently–wouldn't take blood unless it was â€Å"straight from the source.† It supposedly didn't taste the same. While we waited, an older Moroi standing next to Adrian glanced over at me and nodded with approval. â€Å"You got yourself a good one,† he told Adrian. â€Å"Young, but that's the best way.† The guy, who was either drinking red wine or pure blood, jerked his head toward the others standing at the bar. â€Å"Most of these are used and washed-up.† I followed his shrug, even through there was no need. Interspersed among the humans and Moroi were several dhampir women, dressed very glamorously in silk and velvet dresses that left little to the imagination. Most were older than me. Those who weren't had a weary look in their eyes, despite their flirtatious laughter. Blood whores. I glared at the Moroi. â€Å"Don't you dare talk about them like that, or I'll smash that wineglass in your face.† The guy's eyes widened, and he looked at Adrian. â€Å"Feisty.† â€Å"You have no idea,† said Adrian. The bartender returned with the Tom Collins. â€Å"She's had kind of a bad day.† The asshole Moroi guy didn't look back at me. He apparently didn't take my threat nearly as seriously as he should have. â€Å"Everyone's having kind of a bad day. You hear the news?† Adrian looked relaxed and amused as he sipped his drink, but standing so close to him, I felt him stiffen a little. â€Å"What news?† â€Å"Victor Dashkov. You know, that guy who kidnapped the Dragomir girl and was plotting against the queen? He escaped.† Adrian's eyebrows rose. â€Å"Escaped? That's crazy. I heard he was at some maximum-security place.† â€Å"He was. No one really knows what happened. There were supposedly humans involved†¦ and then the story gets weird.† â€Å"How weird?† I asked. Adrian slipped an arm around me, which I suspected was a silent message to let him do the talking. Whether that was because he believed that was â€Å"proper† blood whore behavior or because he was worried I'd punch the guy, I couldn't say. â€Å"One of the guards was in on it–though he claims he was being controlled. He also conveniently says it's all a haze and he can't remember much. I heard it from some royals who are helping with the investigation.† Adrian laughed, taking down a big gulp of his drink. â€Å"That is convenient. Sounds like an inside job to me. Victor'd have a lot of money. Easy enough to bribe a guard. That's what I think happened.† There was a pleasant smoothness to Adrian's voice, and as a slightly dopey smile came over the other guy's face, I realized Adrian had pulled a little compulsion. â€Å"I bet you're right.† â€Å"You should tell your royal friends,† added Adrian. â€Å"An inside job.† The guy nodded eagerly. â€Å"I will.† Adrian held his gaze a few moments more and then finally glanced down to the Tom Collins. The glaze-eyed look faded from the man, but I knew Adrian's order to spread the â€Å"inside job† story would stick. Adrian gulped down the rest of the drink and set the empty glass on the bar. He was about to speak again when something across the room caught his attention. The Moroi man noticed too, and I followed both of their gazes to see what had them both so starstruck. I groaned. Women, of course. At first I thought they were dhampirs since my kind seemed to be making up most of the eye candy here. A double take revealed a surprise: The women were Moroi. Moroi showgirls, to be precise. There were several of them, clad in similar short, low-cut sequined dresses. Only, each one wore a different jewel-toned color: copper, peacock blue†¦ Feathers and rhinestones glittered in their hair, and they smiled and laughed as they passed through the gaping crowd, beautiful and sexy in a way different from my race. Which wasn't a surprise. I tended to notice Moroi men ogling dhampir girls more often, simply because I was a dhampir. But naturally, Moroi men were attracted to and infatuated with their own women. It was how their race survived, and though Moroi men might want to fool around with dhampirs, they almost always ended up with their own kind in the end. The showgirls were tall and graceful, and their fresh, brilliant appearances made me think they must be on their way to a performance. I could just imagine what a glittering display of dancing they must make. I could appreciate that, but Adrian clearly appreciated it more, judging from his wide-eyed look. I elbowed him. â€Å"Hey!† The last of the showgirls disappeared through the casino crowd, off toward a sign that said THEATER, just as I'd suspected. Adrian looked back at me, turning on a rogue smile. â€Å"Nothing wrong with looking.† He patted my shoulder. The Moroi standing next to him nodded in agreement. â€Å"I think I might take in a show today.† He swirled his drink around. â€Å"All this Dashkov business and that mess with the Dragomirs†¦ makes me sad for poor Eric. He was a good guy.† I put on a dubious look. â€Å"You knew Lissa's fath–Eric Dragomir?† â€Å"Sure.† The Moroi gestured for a refill. â€Å"I've been a manager here for years. He was here all the time. Believe me, he had an appreciation for those girls.† â€Å"You're lying,† I said coolly. â€Å"He adored his wife.† I'd seen Lissa's parents together. Even at a young age, I'd been able to see how crazy in love they were. â€Å"I'm not saying he did anything. Like your boyfriend said, nothing wrong with looking. But a lot of people knew the Dragomir prince liked to party it up wherever he went–especially if there was female company.† The Moroi sighed and lifted his glass. â€Å"Damn shame what happened to him. Here's hoping they catch that Dashkov bastard and leave Eric's little girl alone.† I didn't like this guy's insinuations about Lissa's dad and was grateful she wasn't around. What made me uneasy was that we'd recently found out Lissa's brother Andre had also been kind of a party boy who fooled around and broke hearts. Did that kind of thing run in the family? What Andre had done wasn't right, but there was a big difference between a teenage boy's exploits and those of a married man. I didn't like to admit it, but even the most in-love guys still checked out other women without cheating. Adrian was proof. Still, I didn't think Lissa would like the idea of her dad flirting around with other women. The truth about Andre had been hard enough, and I didn't want anything to shatter the angelic memories of her parents. I shot Adrian a look that said listening to this guy any longer really would come down to a fistfight. I didn't want to be standing here if Lissa came searching for us. Adrian, always more astute than he appeared, smiled down at me. â€Å"Well, my sweet, shall we try our luck? Something tells me you're going to beat the odds–like always.† I cut him a look. â€Å"Cute.† Adrian winked at me and stood up. â€Å"Nice talking to you,† he told the Moroi. â€Å"You too,† the man said. The thrall of compulsion was wearing off. â€Å"You should dress her better, you know.† â€Å"I'm not interested in putting clothes on her,† Adrian called as he steered me away. â€Å"Watch it,† I warned through gritted teeth, â€Å"or you might be the one with a wineglass in your face.† â€Å"I'm playing a part, little dhampir. One that's going to make sure you stay out of trouble.† We stopped near the casino's poker room, and Adrian gave me a head-to-toe assessment. â€Å"That guy was right about the clothes, though.† I gritted my teeth. â€Å"I can't believe he said those things about Lissa's dad.† â€Å"Gossip and rumors never go away–you of all people should know that. Doesn't matter if you're dead. Besides, that conversation was actually to our–by which I mean your–advantage. Somebody else is probably considering the inside-job theory already. If that guy can help get it around even more, it'll ensure no one even thinks the world's most dangerous guardian could have been involved.† â€Å"I suppose.† Forcibly, I pushed my temper down. I had always been trigger-happy, and I knew for sure now that the bits of darkness I'd gleaned from Lissa in the last twenty-four hours were making things worse, as I'd feared. I changed the subject, steering to safer ground. â€Å"You're being pretty nice now, considering how mad you were earlier.† â€Å"I'm not all that happy, but I've done some thinking,† Adrian said. â€Å"Oh? Care to enlighten me? â€Å"Not here. We'll talk later. We've got more important things to worry about.† â€Å"Like covering up a crime and getting out of this city without being attacked by Strigoi?† â€Å"No. Like me winning money.† â€Å"Are you crazy?† Asking Adrian that was never a good idea. â€Å"We just escaped a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters, and all you can think about is gambling?† â€Å"The fact that we're alive means we should live,† he argued. â€Å"Especially if we've got the time, anyway.† â€Å"You don't need any more money.† â€Å"I will if my dad turns me out. Besides, it's really about enjoying the game.† By â€Å"enjoying the game,† I soon realized that Adrian meant â€Å"cheating.† If you considered using spirit cheating. Because there was so much mental power tied into spirit, its users were very good at reading people. Victor had been right. Adrian joked and kept ordering drinks, but I could tell he was paying close attention to the others. And even though he was careful not to say anything explicitly, his expressions spoke for him–confident, uncertain, annoyed. Without words, he was still able to project compulsion and bluff the other players. â€Å"Be right back,† I told him, feeling Lissa's call. He waved me off, unconcerned. I wasn't worried about his safety either, seeing as there were a few guardians in the room. What concerned me was the possibility some casino official would notice his compulsion and throw us all out. Spirit users wielded it the most strongly, but all vampires had it to a certain extent. Using it was considered immoral, so it was banned among Moroi. A casino would definitely have reason to be on the lookout for it. The business center turned out to be near the poker room, and I found Lissa and Eddie quickly. â€Å"What's the report?† I asked as we walked back. â€Å"We've got a flight in the morning,† said Lissa. She hesitated. â€Å"We could have gone out tonight, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She didn't need to finish. After what we'd faced today, no one wanted to risk even the slightest chance of running into a Strigoi. Going to the airport would only require a taxi ride, but even still, that would mean we'd have to risk walking out into the darkness. I shook my head and led them toward the poker room. â€Å"You did the right thing. We've got time to kill now†¦. Do you want to get a room and get some sleep?† â€Å"No.† She shivered, and I felt fear in her. â€Å"I don't want to leave this crowd. And I'm kind of afraid of what I'd dream†¦.† Adrian might be able to act like he didn't care about the Strigoi, but those faces were still haunting Lissa–especially Dimitri's. â€Å"Well,† I said, hoping to make her feel better, â€Å"staying up will help get us back on the Court's schedule. You can also watch Adrian get thrown out by casino security.† As I'd hoped, watching Adrian cheat with spirit did indeed distract Lissa–so much so that she grew interested in trying it herself. Great. I urged her to safer games and recapped how Adrian had planted the idea of an inside job in the Moroi guy's head. I left out the part about Lissa's father. The night miraculously passed without incident–either of the Strigoi or security type–and a couple of people even recognized Lissa, which would help our alibi. Eddie didn't speak to me the entire night. We left the Witching Hour in the morning. None of us were happy about losing Victor or the attack, but the casino had soothed us all a little–at least until we got to the airport. At the casino, we'd been flooded with Moroi news, insulated from the human world. But while waiting for our plane, we couldn't help but watch the TVs that seemed to be everywhere. The headline story that night was all about a mass killing over at the Luxor, one that had left no clues for the police. Most of the casino guards involved had died from broken necks, and no other bodies were found. My guess was that Dimitri had tossed his cronies outside, where the sun would turn them to ash. Meanwhile, Dimitri himself had slipped away, leaving no other witnesses behind. Even the cameras had recorded nothing, which didn't surprise me. If I could disable surveillance at a prison, Dimitri could certainly manage it at a human hotel. Whatever mood-improvement we'd achieved instantly disappeared, and we didn't talk much. I stayed out of Lissa's mind because I didn't need her depressed feelings amplifying my own. We'd arranged a direct flight to Philadelphia and would then catch a commuter flight back to the airport near Court. What we'd face once there†¦ well, that was probably the least of our concerns. I wasn't worried about Strigoi boarding our plane in the daytime, and without any prisoners to watch, I allowed myself to fall into much-needed sleep. I couldn't remember the last time I'd gotten any on this trip. I slept heavily, but my dreams were haunted by the fact that I'd let one of the Moroi's most dangerous criminals escape and allowed a Strigoi to walk free and gotten a bunch of humans killed. I held none of my friends responsible. This disaster was all on me.