Chapter 6 The Portkey

Harry felt as though he had barely lain down to steep in Ron's room when he was being shaken awake by Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"Time to go, Harry, dear,† she whispered, moving away to wake Ron. Harry felt around for his glasses, put them on, and sat up. It was still dark outside. Ron muttered indistinctly as his mother roused him. At the foot of Harry's mattress he saw two large, disheveled shapes emerging from tangles of blankets. â€Å"‘S time already?† said Fred groggily. They dressed in silence, too sleepy to talk, then, yawning and stretching, the four of them headed downstairs into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley was stirring the contents of a large pot on the stove, while Mr. Weasley was sitting at the table, checking a sheaf of large parchment tickets. He looked up as the boys entered and spread his arms so that they could see his clothes more clearly. He was wearing what appeared to be a golfing sweater and a very old pair of jeans, slightly too big for him and held up with a thick leather belt. â€Å"What d'you think?† he asked anxiously. â€Å"We're supposed to go incognito – do I look like a Muggle, Harry?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, smiling, â€Å"very good.† â€Å"Where're Bill and Charlie and Per-Per-Percy?† said George, failing to stifle a huge yawn. â€Å"Well, they're Apparating, aren't they?† said Mrs. Weasley, heaving the large pot over to the table and starting to ladle porridge into bowls. â€Å"So they can have a bit of a lie-in.† Harry knew that Apparating meant disappearing from one place and reappearing almost instantly in another, but had never known any Hogwarts student to do it, and understood that it was very difficult. â€Å"So they're still in bed?† said Fred grumpily, pulling his bowl of porridge toward him. â€Å"Why can't we Apparate too?† â€Å"Because you're not of age and you haven't passed your test,† snapped Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"And where have those girls got to?† She bustled out of the kitchen and they heard her climbing the stairs. â€Å"You have to pass a test to Apparate?† Harry asked. â€Å"Oh yes,† said Mr. Weasley, tucking the tickets safely into the back pocket of his jeans. â€Å"The Department of Magical Transportation had to fine a couple of people the other day for Apparating without a license. It's not easy, Apparition, and when it's not done property it can lead to nasty complications. This pair I'm talking about went and splinched themselves.† Everyone around the table except Harry winced. â€Å"Er – splinched?† said Harry. â€Å"They left half of themselves behind,† said Mr. Weasley, now spooning large amounts of treacle onto his porridge. â€Å"So, of course, they were stuck. Couldn't move either way. Had to wait for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to sort them out. Meant a fair old bit of paperwork, I can tell you, what with the Muggles who spotted the body parts they'd left behind†¦..† Harry had a sudden vision of a pair of legs and an eyeball lying abandoned on the pavement of Privet Drive. â€Å"Were they okay?† he asked, startled. â€Å"Oh yes,† said Mr. Weasley matter-of-factly. â€Å"But they got a heavy fine, and I don't think they'll be trying it again in a hurry. You don't mess around with Apparition. There are plenty of adult wizards who don't bother with it. Prefer brooms – slower, but safer.† â€Å"But Bill and Charlie and Percy can all do it?† â€Å"Charlie had to take the test twice,† said Fred, grinning. â€Å"He failed the first time. Apparated five miles south of where he meant to, right on top of some poor old dear doing her shopping, remember?† â€Å"Yes, well, he passed the second time,† said Mrs. Weasley, marching back into the kitchen amid hearty sniggers. â€Å"Percy only passed two weeks ago,† said George. â€Å"He's been Apparating downstairs every morning since, just to prove he can.† There were footsteps down the passageway and Hermione and Ginny came into the kitchen, both looking pale and drowsy. â€Å"Why do we have to be up so early?† Ginny said, rubbing her eyes and sitting down at the table. â€Å"We've got a bit of a walk,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Walk?† said Harry. â€Å"What, are we walking to the World Cup?† â€Å"No, no, that's miles away,† said Mr. Weasley, smiling. â€Å"We only need to walk a short way. It's just that it's very difficult for a large number of wizards to congregate without attracting Muggle attention. We have to be very careful about how we travel at the best of times, and on a huge occasion like the Quidditch World Cup†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"George!† said Mrs. Weasley sharply, and they all jumped. â€Å"What?† said George, in an innocent tone that deceived nobody. â€Å"What is that in your pocket?† â€Å"Nothing!† â€Å"Don't you lie to me!† Mrs. Weasley pointed her wand at George's pocket and said, â€Å"Accio!† Several small, brightly colored objects zoomed out of George's pocket; he made a grab for them but missed, and they sped right into Mrs. Weasley's outstretched hand. â€Å"We told you to destroy them!† said Mrs. Weasley furiously, holding up what were unmistakably more Ton-Tongue Toffees. â€Å"We told you to get rid of the lot! Empty your pockets, go on, both of you!† It was an unpleasant scene; the twins had evidently been trying to smuggle as many toffees out of the house as possible, and it was only by using her Summoning Charm that Mrs. Weasley managed to find them all. â€Å"Accio! Accio! Accio!† she shouted, and toffees zoomed from all sorts of unlikely places, including the lining of George's jacket and the turn-ups of Fred's jeans. â€Å"We spent six months developing those!† Fred shouted at his mother as she threw the toffees away. â€Å"Oh a fine way to spend six months!† she shrieked. â€Å"No wonder you didn't get more O.W.L.s!† All in all, the atmosphere was not very friendly as they took their departure. Mrs. Weasley was still glowering as she kissed Mr. Weasley on the cheek, though not nearly as much as the twins, who had each hoisted their rucksacks onto their backs and walked out without a word to her. â€Å"Well, have a lovely time,† said Mrs. Weasley, â€Å"and behave yourselves,† she called after the twins' retreating backs, but they did not look back or answer. â€Å"I'll send Bill, Charlie, and Percy along around midday,† Mrs. Weasley said to Mr. Weasley, as he, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny set off across the dark yard after Fred and George. It was chilly and the moon was still out. Only a dull, greenish tinge along the horizon to their right showed that daybreak was drawing closer. Harry, having been thinking about thousands of wizards speeding toward the Quidditch World Cup, sped up to walk with Mr. Weasley. â€Å"So how does everyone get there without all the Muggles noticing?† he asked. â€Å"It's been a massive organizational problem,† sighed Mr. Weasley. â€Å"The trouble is, about a hundred thousand wizards turn up at the World Cup, and of course, we just haven't got a magical site big enough to accommodate them all. There are places Muggles can't penetrate, but imagine trying to pack a hundred thousand wizards into Diagon Alley or platform nine and three-quarters. So we had to find a nice deserted moor, and set up as many anti-Muggle precautions as possible. The whole Ministry's been working on it for months. First, of course, we have to stagger the arrivals. People with cheaper tickets have to arrive two weeks beforehand. A limited number use Muggle transport, but we can't have too many clogging up their buses and trains – remember, wizards are coming from all over the world. Some Apparate, of course, but we have to set up safe points for them to appear, well away from Muggles. I believe there's a handy wood they're using as the Apparition point. For those who don't want to Apparate, or can't, we use Portkeys. They're objects that are used to transport wizards from one spot to another at a prearranged time. You can do large groups at a time if you need to. There have been two hundred Portkeys placed at strategic points around Britain, and the nearest one to us is up at the top of Stoatshead Hill, so that's where we're headed.† Mr. Weasley pointed ahead of them, where a large black mass rose beyond the village of Ottery St. Catchpole. â€Å"What sort of objects are Portkeys?† said Harry curiously. â€Å"Well, they can be anything,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Unobtrusive things, obviously, so Muggles don't go picking them up and playing with them†¦stuff they'll just think is litter†¦.† They trudged down the dark, dank lane toward the village, the silence broken only by their footsteps. The sky lightened very slowly as they made their way through the village, its inky blackness diluting to deepest blue. Harry's hands and feet were freezing. Mr. Weasley kept checking his watch. They didn't have breath to spare for talking as they began to climb Stoatshead Hill, stumbling occasionally in hidden rabbit holes, slipping on thick black tuffets of grass. Each breath Harry took was sharp in his chest and his legs were starting to seize up when, at last, his feet found level ground. â€Å"Whew,† panted Mr. Weasley, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his sweater. â€Å"Well, we've made good time – we've got ten minutes.† Hermione came over the crest of the hill last, clutching a stitch in her side. â€Å"Now we just need the Portkey,† said Mr. Weasley, replacing his glasses and squinting around at the ground. â€Å"It won't be big†¦.Come on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They spread out, searching. They had only been at it for a couple of minutes, however, when a shout rent the still air. â€Å"Over here, Arthur! Over here, son, we've got it.† Two tall figures were silhouetted against the starry sky on the other side of the hilltop. â€Å"Amos!† said Mr. Weasley, smiling as he strode over to the man who had shouted. The rest of them followed. Mr. Weasley was shaking hands with a ruddy-faced wizard with a scrubby brown beard, who was holding a moldy-looking old boot in his other hand. â€Å"This is Amos Diggory, everyone,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"He works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And I think you know his son, Cedric?† Cedric Diggory was an extremely handsome boy of around seventeen. He was Captain and Seeker of the Hufflepuff House Quidditch team at Hogwarts. â€Å"Hi,† said Cedric, looking around at them all. Everybody said hi back except Fred and George, who merely nodded. They had never quite forgiven Cedric for beating their team, Gryffindor, in the first Quidditch match of the previous year. â€Å"Long walk, Arthur?† Cedric's father asked. â€Å"Not too bad,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"We live just on the other side of the village there. You?† â€Å"Had to get up at two, didn't we, Ced? I tell you, I'll be glad when he's got his Apparition test. Still†¦not complaining†¦Quidditch World Cup, wouldn't miss it for a sackful of Galleons – and the tickets cost about that. Mind you, looks like I got off easy†¦.† Amos Diggory peered good-naturedly around at the three Weasley boys, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny. â€Å"All these yours, Arthur?† â€Å"Oh no, only the redheads,† said Mr. Weasley, pointing out his children. â€Å"This is Hermione, friend of Ron's – and Harry, another friend -â€Å" â€Å"Merlin's beard,† said Amos Diggory, his eyes widening. â€Å"Harry? Harry Potter?† â€Å"Er – yeah,† said Harry. Harry was used to people looking curiously at him when they met him, used to the way their eyes moved at once to the lightning scar on his forehead, but it always made him feel uncomfortable. â€Å"Ced's talked about you, of course,† said Amos Diggory. â€Å"Told us all about playing against you last year†¦I said to him, I said – Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will†¦.You beat Harry Potter!† Harry couldn't think of any reply to this, so he remained silent. Fred and George were both scowling again. Cedric looked slightly embarrassed. â€Å"Harry fell off his broom, Dad,† he muttered. I told you†¦it was an accident†¦.† â€Å"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you?† roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back. â€Å"Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman†¦but the best man won, I'm sure Harry'd say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!† â€Å"Must be nearly time,† said Mr. Weasley quickly, pulling out his watch again. â€Å"Do you know whether we're waiting for any more, Amos?† â€Å"No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week already and the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets,† said Mr. Diggory. â€Å"There aren't any more of us in this area, are there?† â€Å"Not that I know of,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Yes, it's a minute off†¦We'd better get ready†¦.† He looked around at Harry and Hermione. â€Å"You just need to touch the Portkey, that's all, a finger will do -â€Å" With difficulty, owing to their bulky backpacks, the nine of them crowded around the old boot held out by Amos Diggory. They all stood there, in a tight circle, as a chill breeze swept over the hilltop. Nobody spoke. It suddenly occurred to Harry how odd this would look if a Muggle were to walk up here now†¦nine people, two of them grown men, clutching this manky old boot in the semidarkness, waiting†¦. â€Å"Three†¦Ã¢â‚¬  muttered Mr. Weasley, one eye still on his watch, two†¦one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It happened immediately: Harry felt as though a hook just behind his navel had been suddenly jerked irresistibly forward. His feet left the ground; he could feel Ron and Hermione on either side of him, their shoulders banging into his; they were all speeding forward in a howl of wind and swirling color; his forefinger was stuck to the boot as though it was pulling him magnetically onward and then – His feet slammed into the ground; Ron staggered into him and he fell over; the Portkey hit the ground near his head with a heavy thud. Harry looked up. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory, and Cedric were still standing, though looking very windswept; everybody else was on the ground. â€Å"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill,† said a voice.

Leadership Profile Essay

I am currently the Director of the Patient Care Management Department at one of the local for-profit hospitals. We have gone through some tremendous changes since I have been there. When I started at the hospital, we did not have a director we only had a team leader and the hospital was up for sale. April 2012, the team leader decided to resign. I was then nominated by my co-workers to step up to the team leader position. Immediately the hospital was sold and they posted a job listing for director of our department. For the next year, there were only a scant number of interview prospects for the job listing. I then decided that I should tackle this job opportunity, so I applied. In the midst of all of this, the new owners brought in a consulting firm for our department. The consulting firm mentioned to upper administration that there was great talent already in the department to fulfill the director position. In May 2013, I was promoted to director. I currently oversee the day to day operations in the department. Leadership Weakness I consider Welch’s core principles of voice and dignity to be an area of development. As indicated in Welch’s book Winning â€Å"every person in the world wants a voice and dignity, and every person deserves them†. As an evolving leader, this will be a principle that needs further development. I need to learn to conduct my voice in a professional manner so that I am heard and well respected. I also want to allow my team to have a voice and dignity in the workplace. I want them to bring all their brain power to the table (Welch, 2005) and make sure they know they can do this. Leadership Profile I was given a task to handle in my department even though it really should have been assigned to another department. I did not want to turn anything down being the new person and fear of having a voice, so I accepted the responsibility of writing the policy. I started to work with one of my team members to write the policy. My team member came to me one day and stated â€Å"I really do not mind helping write this policy but it should really be the other department†. I listened and once she was finished I scheduled a meeting with the director of the other department. I met with the other director to discuss that his department should really take a handle on writing this policy and that we would help in any way possible. I had a voice and was listened to because the other department has now been assigned the policy writing. This has impacted me as a leader because we all should have a voice. Everyone in the work-place deserves to be heard. Winning states that not â€Å"everyone’s opinions should be put into practice or every single complaint needs to be satisfied†, however this team members opinion did need to be heard. If I would not have given her a voice, we probably would still be writing the policy. Voice and dignity in relation to my D/C management style, I am very direct and straightforward (â€Å"Everything Disc Management Online Profile†, 2008). This is where I need to be mindful when speaking, that I do not come across as harsh. The voice and dignity principle that I plan to improve will take specific steps. I plan to execute methods within our department that will consistently allow every ones voice to be heard. I will set up monthly meetings where everyone will be able to discuss any concerns or ideas to better improve our workflow. I will keep meeting minutes where I can go back to address these Leadership Profile concerns and see where we can make changes and even collaborate with other team member’s hospital wide. The team will also know that they can come to me at any time or day to discuss issues and that I will listen openly and confidentially if need be. This will give them a chance and opportunity to feel included in the task at hand. Leadership Strength Winning states that â€Å"leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach, and build self-confidence†. I consider this to be a strength of mine. Before I took this new position, I knew that I had to get the best team together if we wanted to succeed. I had evaluated two employees that were not capable of performing the daily job duties, and released them. I did lots of research on my prospective employees and hired the best. Now that I have a fully qualified team, I am constantly looking for ways to enhance the department and their skills. I also look daily to entertain one’s self-confidence if appropriate. This is a passion of mine to acknowledge others when they have earned it. As indicated in Welch’s book Winning â€Å"when you become a leader, success is all about growing others†. I feel this has impacted me as a leader because I take pride in helping and watching others grow. The growth of others represents my management style in that I am results-oriented. I like to see the end product of my team members. With my style I also need to be conscious not to be so demanding. To further improve on leadership rule number one, I would like to incorporate a monthly evaluation tool that can also be part of their quarterly review. This will allow me to be managing Leadership Profile their production throughout, instead of waiting to the end to do the quarterly review. I believe when waiting until the end of the three month period to do the quarterly review, we lack the ability to constantly upgrade because things are missed or forgotten. This makes the quarterly review less worthy and a disadvantage to the team, the team member and myself. Recommendation As a young leader, I want to learn from the Jack Welch Management Institute and apply my learning daily. I hope to accomplish becoming a more effective leader in the near future. Leadership Profile References Everything DiSC Management Online Profile (2008). Resources Unlimited (3rd edition). Inscape Publishing. Welch, J. (2005). Winning. New York, NY: HarperCollins

The GDP per unit of energy use Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The GDP per unit of energy use - Essay Example According to Pimentel (2013), data from populous and industrialized nations like China and India will serve the purpose of substantiating the relationship between the variables mentioned above. In this case, stage three of the term paper involves a comprehensive literature review that seeks to acquire relevant information about the underlying hypothesis. Literature Review Introduction Since the paper seeks to examine nations’ economies from the perspective of domestic product and energy consumption, then it is inherent to clarify certain terminologies and abbreviations that will be used extensively in the essay. First, gross domestic product, commonly referred to as GDP, remains one of the essential indicators of a nation’s economic status. According to Meyers (2010), GDP is the cumulative monetary value of all goods and services produced and offered by a nation’s population over a period of one year. Secondly, energy intensity is a terminology referring to effic iency of energy use within a given economic setting. The intensity is obtained by determining the ration between total energy consumption and the total gross domestic product. ... rding energy intensity within a nation are gaining attention after World Bank projected that by 2050, the world’s fossil fuels will have reduced by approximately 35%. According to Mely and Chang (2012), such prediction insinuates that reduction in fossil fuels will create a subsequent increase in demand for the same commodity. Consequently, nations whose economy is energy dependent may experience diverse difficulties in adjusting to the significant drop in fuel content across the world. In this context, it is undeniable that third world nations in Africa relies more on agriculture and tourism as the main source of their gross domestic product. However, populous and industrialized countries like China and India rely on manufactured exports and skilled services. Bosselman (2010) says that in China, industries and skilled services like road constructions are known to consume a lot of energy. GDP per Unit of Energy Despite the fact that manufacturing and service industries in Chin a and India generating huge economic output from every given energy unit, they still face a threat with regard to diminishing oil reserves. For example in 2005, China yielded a GDP of 3.7 for every kilogram of oil consumed. India yielded a slightly higher GDP of 5.3 for the same mass of oil consumed. On the contrary, the adjacent Republic of Hong Kong posted a GDP of 21.2 for every kilogram of oil used within the same period. Switzerland, which is known to being a less populous nation than India, posted a GDP of 12.3. Based on these figures, one can develop an insight on the energy efficiency within the four nations compared above. From the figure of 3.7 GDP per kilogram of oil consumed, then it is undeniable that China has lower energy efficiency. On the other hand, Hong Kong can manage to

General System Theory and The Internet Design Idea Essay - 1

General System Theory and The Internet Design Idea - Essay Example Baran came up with the idea of establishing a network with no centralized switches, which could still operate even if many of the switching nodes were destroyed by a nuclear attack. The idea was first perceived as unrealistic and impossible but Baran worked on it, and it became successful. Initially, the APRANET, as it came to be known, was used by the US defense but later was adopted by military researchers and eventually spread to various universities. It was later named as Internet spreading to all nations. Nowadays it links people despite their geographical location and, hence, it is commonly referred to as the World Net or the Web (Bargh & McKenna, 2004). Internet has grown to be the most widely used means of communication. According to Tom (2002), it can be described as being non-centralized and unplanned. This is because it has given people freedom to choose who to communicate with, what to communicate and even what to hear. The Internet has broken the geographical boundaries and connected people worldwide. Internet widespread use has brought hot debates all over the world. Taking a general system theory perspective, Internet has had major positive impacts on social, political, economical, and even spiritual aspects of the society. Internet is used for research purposes. Learners around the globe are able to connect and share information from all parts of the world. Politicians get useful information on politics of their country and other countries over the same net. Economically, the commercial sector has benefited a lot from the Internet and has utilized it as the main medium of advertising and selling their products. However, as Sykttner (2006) points out, Internet is facing threats from the same qualities that contributed to its growth. It is argued that uncontrolled use of Internet has caused a lot of chaos in many countries. The Internet has been misused mainly by the commercial sector in advertising fake product or goods that do not

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The case for Bainbridge Borough - Essay Example First and foremost, this person will undergo intensive labour to deliver the baby. This entitles the person to have some time to rest in order to be able to recover from the pain likely to be experienced during the period of giving birth. Secondly, the mother needs to nurse the newly born baby by suckling her and providing other necessary gentle care. Instead, Carol was offered two consecutive 90-day reasonable purpose leaves which amounted to 6 months of leave. This is a relevant contract provision which states that leaves of absence for a limited period without pay—not to exceed 90 days—shall be granted for any reasonable purpose. What Carol wants is leave to be with her adopted baby so this unpaid leave is just as good as maternity leave. In other words, it can be seen that Carol just wants to be controversial over nothing since she has been given another alternative to maternity leave which is specifically meant for mothers who have given birth naturally. 2. As an attorney for AFSCME Local 10, I think the council’s rejection of Carol’s unpaid maternity leave request violated the collective bargaining agreement. Article X, Section 4.A which deals with issues related to maternity as indicated by the final agreement between Bainbridge Borough and Local 10 state that maternity leaves not to exceed 6 months shall be granted at the request of an employee. As stipulated in this provision, it can be seen that Carole has requested for the leave, therefore she should be granted the opportunity to get it. Maternity leave covers various issues related to child bearing and rearing hence Carol should also be granted this leave since she intends to take care for her newly adopted baby. The baby needs mother care and this is the reason why I believe that Carole should be granted the leave. The refusal by the council to grant Carol this leave can be regarded as discrimination since the law is very clear that this leave can be granted to the

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Planning task - Essay Example The teacher begins the lesson with checking for understanding of directionalities. She gives each student cardboard with an arrow and ask them to point to the direction in the classroom that she calls out. Ex. â€Å"Point to the North†, â€Å"East†, â€Å"Southeast†, â€Å"Northwest†, etc. Then she checks their understanding with the use of the compass. She writes some three figure bearings on the board ex. 060* (degrees) and students are supposed to face that direction as indicated by their compasses. She makes sure they start with the direction of North to calibrate the angle where they are supposed to face. Note some students’ non-verbal behaviour. Do they really know the directions or are they just going along with the group? If some are observed to be so, make sure there is individual calling just to make sure. Teacher gives out the directions of the activity. She says, â€Å"You shall be working in small groups as you go on a Rock Hunt. I shall be giving you directions how to find the rocks using three figure bearings, a compass and a wheel. These will help you find 5 rocks spread around the compound. These rocks spell a certain word that you are find out at the end of the hunt.. Remember everything, because later when you get back to the classroom, you shall map out these directions using your protractors so it will help if you note down objects or landmarks which you pass so you can add those details in your maps later. For example, if you pass by a tree or a fountain as you do the second direction, then note it down so you can include that drawing in your map.† Teacher distributes the materials. †If you are ready, then you can begin. The teacher processes their experience by asking them how they found the rocks. She can also comment on her observations and on their behaviours. Then she asks them how the activity is relevant to them (like how it can be useful to

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Allegory of good and bad government - Essay Example While depicting scenes from everyday life, Lorenzetti skillfully uses allegory to depict government and the effect it has on life of its people. Lorenzetti illustrates Justice, in  Allegory of Good Government, sitting under the presence of wisdom. She is represented by a woman who holds scales of balance to give out rewards or mete out punishments. The figure of Justice bares resemblance of Mary, a patron saint of Siena, also dresses in Siena’s black and white colors to also represent the Common Good and God. The Common Good figure is surrounded with different virtues, by which Lorenzetti clearly highlights the necessity for all society to believe and act for justice and impartiality to rule a city well. The three figures in  Good Government  symbolize the key virtues of faith, hope, and charity. They soar over the head of the sovereign of good government, a man dressed like a king and sitting on a throne. This royal figure is the way Lorenzetti physically creates a hear t of good government—a heart of common good. In this wisdom, he makes an unspoken equivocation between an authoritative yet kind central sovereign and the accomplishment of the common good.

Determinants of Elasticity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Determinants of Elasticity - Assignment Example At the other hand, the focus of this document points out towards the growth in the prices of mattresses, sofas and beds, throughout the world. Rest is one of the basic human needs for sustainable existence (Mei-Se, Shu-Jung, & Hung-Ta, 2009), therefore people are forced to cope with rising prices of this important need, through forgoing other important desires. Mattresses and luxury sofa sets were luxuries during the course of past two decades, but in this modern era, they transformed into necessities for families to maintain their status symbol. At the same time, there is no suitable substitute available for them; along with this, there is a growing social pressure to acquire good to excellent quality sofa sets and mattresses to keep up with the changing trends. Therefore, it is wise to imply that, the demand of mattresses and other similar social necessities is not affected by the change in price largely. In parallel, it is recommended to the governments to provide firms producing these items with subsidies in order to, stabilize prices of their products, so that people can fulfill other desires as well. This paper focused on analyzing the price elasticity of necessities of human life, and painfully noticed that despite of their increasing prices, people are purchasing them. Therefore, governmental intervention is recommended in order to; control inflating price of mattresses and other similar

Challenge in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Challenge in the Workplace - Essay Example He was quite angry because he had been making calls to our company and had suffered the run around by the people who were assigned to help him. When I received his call and learned of his plight, I looked up his inquiry and discovered that his check was ready but not yet sent out for some reason. I informed him of this problem and assured him that I would call him at the end of the day with an update regarding his claim. Normally, a check release request does not require a personal call follow up with the client. But I decided to make an exception in this case due to extenuating circumstances. After I had contacted the right departments in order to get the check cleared for release, I made sure to get the check into the mailing queue by the end of the day. I then called the client back and informed him that his check was honestly in the mail and gave him the routing number for future reference. The client was pleased with my work and thanked me profusely for helping him out. Needless to say, he was one happy client but I had to suffer the penalty of having to explain my actions to my supervisor. Although I had to accept a written warning attached to my employee file because of my actions, I strongly believe that I did the right thing. In fact, I would not change a single action I took that day if I had to do it all again. After all, company policies are in place to protect the company but do not exist to prevent clients from getting their just dues from the company. If a little manipulation of company policy will not affect the overall company function, then going that extra mile for the client should only serve to give the person a better partnership experience with the company.  

Russian Cultural Differences in Business Essay Example for Free

Russian Cultural Differences in Business Essay First of all, considering that Russian is my native language, I will warn that it is extremely hard for an American to learn Russian. Grammar is difficult, and we use the Cyrillic alphabet. But this will not be a big problem because every person with higher education in Russia speaks English fluently; we start learning English from 2-3 grades at school. Secondarily, names. Referring to one another by the first name is acceptable only between truly close friends, when meeting with someone-simply state your last name. Typically, Russians use three names: the first name, the last name, middle name is fathers first name, known as a patronymic. Here is an example, I will use my name: Elvira Viktorovna Stasescu. When you become well familiar with an individual, you may be asked to call him or her by the first and patronymic names. One more thing to remember, this made me confused when I came to USA, the date format. Here is the order of the date-06/04/2012; this is today’s date, which is April 4th 2012. Physical contact among Russians is uncommon, especially if you see the person for the first time. Although some gestures may be used, be cautious to control your own. The American OK (thumb and index finger) and ‘V’ signs are offensive gesticulations in Russia. Smacking the open hand over a fist can also be a bad-mannered gesture. Standing with your hands in your pockets may be considered impolite. The thumbs-up signal is positive as it indicates agreement. Eye contact should be recurrent, nearly to the point of staring, it expresses honesty and helps form trust. Speak in a tranquil, modest, tone of voice at all times. Speaking or laughing at the top of your voice in public is discouraged. Russians enjoy giving and receiving gifts. Gifts are normal for social events, especially as â€Å"thank-you†. If you invited to a Russian colleague house, bring a gift such as chocolates, cakes, good wine, and flowers for every woman in the house. And if you are about to buy some flowers for Russian women, bring the odd number, even number of flowers is used only for funerals, same with yellow flowers. Russian business culture has a deeply rooted hierarchy, although the state no longer dominates business as much as it used to. Managers have authority over their juniors and are eventually accountable for the concluding decision. Although you may give your presentation in English, it is important that any material and documents be printed in Russian. Praising and rewarding anyone in public are noticed only with mistrust. It will take a long time for conclusions to be made in Russia, we are particularly suspicious. The handshake is common. The Russian version is a strong hold with a number of quick shakes between two men. If you about to shake hands with a woman, wait until she extends her hand first. Take off your gloves before the handshake. Whistling in a home or other indoor spaces is unacceptable, and it is even referred as a superstition that it will cause a serious monetary damage. Russians feel very much susceptible by uncertain circumstances; it will take a long time to win their trust. Negotiations should be extremely detailed, well prepared and with brief explanations. Russians have a preference to have perspective and background material. Russians appear remarkably formal and distant. Although, formality is considered as a sign of respect. Russia is collectivist country; people belong to groups that take care of them in exchange for reliability. We use more often word â€Å"We† instead of â€Å"I†. Another example, if you are telling a story about you and your colleagues, you will name your colleagues names first and your name at the end. The international manager reconciles cultural dilemmas – the quote by Fons Trompenaars means that in order to succeed on international market, we must know the cultural values and assumptions differences between the countries we conduct our business.

National Transportation Safety Board Aircraft Accident Brief

National Transportation Safety Board Aircraft Accident Brief Accident Summary The Hendricks Motorsport plane crash occurred on 24 October 2001.   The airplane crashed in the mountainous regions in Stuart Virginia killing the crew and passengers aboard. The plane crash occurred after a missed landing on the runway 30 of the Martinsville Blue Ridge Airport (NTSB, 2006).   The plane contained two crewmembers and eight passengers who were part of the Hendricks Motorsport Racing team.   All the people on the aircraft died in the accident.   The plane crashed and exploded into flames after impact.   The team was traveling from Concord airport in North Carolina for a racing event. Information from the FAA records of communications and operations of the flight shows that the plane followed all the right procedures including altitude and headings.   However, the problem arose while approaching the Martinsville airport runway (NTSB, 2006).   The plane scheduled a landing on runway thirty but failed to do so under the advisement of the controller tower.   The controller informed the crew that they were second in line for the runway and initiated a holding pattern that extended to 28 minutes.   The flight crew received the message and started 5-mile legs to wait. The team undertook a five-mile holding pattern by making a right turn and ascent to 4000 ft.   The team went on with the holding pattern until the controller cleared them for landing and instructed them to announce their approach to the runway (NTSB, 2006).   The crew followed instructions, informed the controller of the inbound approach, and began their descent to the runway.   The controller confirmed the approached through the radio frequency and the crew proceeded with the approach by descending from 3900ft to 1400ft.   The plane maintained this attitude for approximately over one minute.   It was then that the team announced a missed approach was prompting the controller to ask for confirmation.   The crewmembers ceased all communications after confirming the missed approach.   The Controller further advised the flight crew to ascend to 4400ft but received no response and lost the radar. The Bull Mountains of Stuart Virginia were the scene of the crash about 2400ft away from the landing site.   Eyewitness reports indicated that the aircraft was operating efficiently before the accident.   The engine produced a smooth continuous sound that may have meant idling (NTSB, 2006).   Further reports showed that the plane was flying extremely low at a slow velocity.   There did not seem to be any challenges to the aircrafts performance at the time. However, it is important to note that there was fog in the atmosphere at the date of the crash.   The fog was a factor limiting visibility as it covered the Bull Mountains.   Reports indicate the visibility was up to a quarter mile. A review of the pilots credentials presented him as qualified. He had an estimated 10,733 hours of flight with almost 2000 in the Beech aircraft.   He was 51 years of age and had a significant amount of experience as a pilot.   He had also undergone rigorous training and passed his previous reviews.   The first officer had less experience totaling to 2090 hours of flight (NTSB, 2006).   However, she was qualified evidenced by her qualifications and past performance.   The multiengine plane had passed inspection a few months later with an accumulated flight time of 8079 hours.   The plane had a GPS system with an old database.   It also lacked ground proximity detectors that would have warned the pilot when flying at low altitudes.   The plane was scheduled for a systems upgrade later in the year.   The weather report during the accident indicated cloudy atmosphere with high humidity and patchy fog.   A pilot for the plane ahead of the Hendrickss Motorsports plane claimed that the climate under the clouds had relatively high visibility up to 2 miles.   However, the weather kept on shifting during the flight. Reference NTSB, (2006). Accident Investigations NTSB National Transportation Safety Board. App.ntsb.gov. Retrieved 15 February 2017, from https://app.ntsb.gov/investigations/fulltext/AAB0601.html

Differences between men and women in employement

Differences between men and women in employement The word gender refers to the socio-cultural definition of man and woman, it is a way through which society distinguish men and woman. The distinction between sex and gender was introduced to deal with the general tendency to attribute womens subordination to their anatomy. There are multiple reasons to understand the current increase in the proportion of male versus female in population across Asia. Firstly sex ratios in India have been recorded since the early 1980.the Indian scenario of female discrimination is extremely complex in view of Indias social and economic diversity: the interplay of cultural and economic factors, along with the impact of policy initiative has produced a heterogeneous situation .This complexity offers ways to better understand the mechanisms at work and to inform the policy debate on the struggle against gender discrimination. In our society it is seen that characteristics, roles and status accorded to women and men in society are determined by sex, that they are natural and therefore not changeable. Gender is seen closely related to the roles and behaviour assigned to women and men based on their sexual differences. When a child is born our families and society starts the process of gendering. If son is taken birth than it is celebrated and the birth of a daughter filled with pain; sons are showered with love, respect, better food and proper health care. Boys are encouraged to be tough and outgoing; girls are encouraged to be homebound and shy. All these differences are gender differences and they are created by society. Gender inequality is therefore a form of inequality which is distinct from other forms of economic and social inequalities. It dwells not only outside the household but also centrally within it. It stems not only from pre-existing differences in economic endowments between women and men but also from pre-existing gendered social norms and social perceptions. Gender inequality affects the development goals which reduce the economic growth. It hampers the overall well being because blocking women from participation in social, political and economic activities can adversely affect the whole society. THE Indian experience IN India it represents a clear picture about education and employment opportunities for girls. Our culture, social factor still prevents girls from getting education and employment. In rural area the girls child is made to perform household and Agriculture, cleaning the house, preparing food, and they have to perform many tasks like that. In village physical safety of girls especially when they travel a long distance to school and fear of sexual harassment are the reason s that impedes girls` education. In the urban area, girls have some opportunities in comparison to rural area but there is also some difference in the opportunities that girls get for education and employment .Through the figure for girls would still be low as compared to boys. In employment opportunities too, women in India today have stormed all male bastions. Be it piloting aircraft, heading multi-national corporations, holding top bureaucratic positions, leading industrial houses, making a mark as photographers, filmmakers, chefs, engineers and even as train and lorry drivers, women have made it to all hitherto considered male bastions in India. However, this is not reason enough for cheer. For the number of girls and women who have been left out of education and employment opportunities, still far outweighs those who have got them. Gender segration in employment This term refer to the occupational unequal distribution of men and woman in the occupational structure sometime also called occupational segration by sex. These are two type vertical segration; describe the clustering of man at the top of occupation hierarchies and of woman at the bottom, horizontal segregation. Many developing countries including India have displayed gender inequality in education, employment and health. It is common to find girls and women suffering from high mortality rates. There are vast differences in education level of two sexes. India has witnessed gender inequality from its early history due to its socio-economic and religious practices that resulted in a wide gap between the position of men and women in the society. Womans salary in India, less than a third of men According to the survey done by world Economic Forum (WEF) it show that a big gender gap in corporate India in the employment of women from the entry level to the top management of companies. As reported by Financial Chronicle the survey which is based on the response of 60 of the 100 best employers in India, showed that women employees held only 10 percent of the senior management positions in two-thirds of the surveyed companies. None of the companies had women chief executive officers (CEOs) and almost 40 percent of the respondents had only 10 percent women work force. The survey show that only 4% of the companies surveyed monitor salary gab. Nevertheless 84% of the companies dont believe that there is a wage gap while the remaining 12% do not track wage gap at all. India stand 114th among 134 countries in the WEFs India gender gap review 2009. It has closed 93 percent of its health gender gap, ranking 134th out of as many economies. It stands at 121st position in education gap with 84 percent and is at 127th place with 41 percent of economic participation gap. Besides, it is ranked 24th with 27 percent of the political empowerment gender gap, according to the study. Causes of gender discrimination 1. Religion One of the main causes of gender discrimination is gender. In many organisation woman below man only due to the different religion. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Pandey Prahlad Kumar (2007) in his study on gender discrimination studied the Gender equity is giving boys and girls ,woman and men equal opportunities in the utilisation personal capabilities to realize full human right .according to him a country cannot realize its dream of becoming super power by doing gender discrimination. Researcher has proved that a country where there are more employment opportunities for woman tends to provide better and honest governance. 2. Pollard, Taylor and Daher (2007) said that discrimination is not only the problem of India but it also exists in a developed country like USA .the finding clearly indicate woman discrimination. In USA woman earned $45,258/year while men earned $50,250/ year, having a median wage gap of $4,965. 3. Joanne Healy and Zucca J. Linda Mid-American Journal of Business; Spring(2004) study that only 3 percent of the most highly compensated executives are female, that the position are held by disproportionately by men, and that female executive are likely to clustered in particular industry group. 4. Simon Appleton (1977) suggested that expanding female education will improve gender equity which was the outcome of the study done in Uganda. The study focused on the involvement of women in politics in South Africa and Uganda. He also found a relationship between the importance of gender equity to economic growth and traced womens civil society in Uganda was given importance. 5. Song, Appleton and Knight, 2006 study that boys are more attend school in China than girls, is the work of scholars who worked to find the causes of the same. Boys are more likely than girls to attend school in rural China. There is evidence that gender equity is a luxury good; the demand for female schooling is more income elastic than that for male schooling. 6. Another study by Shellenbarger to find out the nature of work undertaken or assigned also differs on the gender ground. Boys tend to be given more physical tasks like lawn mowing and fixing things, `while girls are stuck with housecleaning and doing the dishes. Even parents who fight for gender equity in their own marriages find themselves splitting their childrens tasks along traditional gender lines. 7. The chairman and the CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi said that there was a need to educate the male population about women empowerment, besides educating the female population. If you do not treat the women well, society will not progress. 8. THE METHODOLOGY OF GENDER AND EMPLOYMENT OBJECTIVES:- 1. For low income women seeking employment, one of the most critical problems is a lack of adequate skills. Therefore, the provision of skill training can meet an important practical gender need. In contrast to this, skill training in such areas as primary school teaching, nursing and dressmaking can and do meet the practical gender needs of women to generate an income and this will automatically reduce the gender discriminating. Data collection Secondary data In this study I use only secondary data for literature review, situation of gender and employment in our economy.

The Origins Of Our Species Essays -- essays research papers

The latest discovery of a fossil skull in Kenya, more than three million years old, once again demonstrates the complex evolution of humankind. The following article examines the evidence and sees how it fits into the ideas of human origin formulated by Frederick Engels more than 100 years ago. "There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." (Charles Darwin, The Origin of the Species, pp. 459-60, Penguin 1985.) The latest discoveries in paleontology once again reveal the rich and complex evolution of the human species. In March, the magazine 'Nature' reported on a new fossil find in Kenya of a 3.5 million year-old skull. Originally, it was thought that the human linkage had been traced back to an ancestral genus called the Australopithecines (the "Southern Ape"), the most famous remains being 'Lucy', discovered by D.C. Johanson. These proto-humans roamed the savannahs and Rift Valley of Africa more than 3 million years ago, and are closer to modern humans than apes. However, new evidence suggests that the Australopithecus family was not the only hominid species to have existed at this time. 'Nature' describes a new species - Kenanthropus platyops - with a much flatter face than any Australopithecine. "Kenyanthropus shows persuasively that at least two lineages existed as far back as 3.5m years," said Meave Leakey of the Kenya national museum. It is clear that the evolutionary tree is far bushier that at first appeared. While the human lineage split from that of the African apes some 5-10 million years ago, this new evidence suggests possible new lines from which humans evolved. It shows a far greater diversification of human evolution prior to the emergence of the Homo genus. The newly discovered skull has a small ear hole, like those of chimpanzees. However, it shares other features of early hominids, such as a small brain. But there are other striking differences, including tall cheekbones, small teeth and a flat plane beneath its nose bone, giving it a flat face appearance. The flatter face - a feature once thought distinctly human - arises primaril... ...ical view of evolution, called punctuated equilibrium. Gould has recognized Engels' contribution, describing his essay on human origins as "a brilliant expose." However, notes Gould, it "had no visible impact on Western science." (Ever Since Darwin, p.210) "All merit for the swift advance of civilization was ascribed to the mind, to the development and activity of the brain", wrote Engels. "Men became accustomed to explain their actions from their thoughts, instead of from their needs... And so there arose in the course of time that idealistic outlook on the world, has dominated men's minds. It still rules them to such a degree that even the most materialistic natural scientists of the Darwinian school are still unable to form any clear idea of the origin of man, because under that ideological influence they do not recognize the part that has been played therein by labour." The latest discoveries in this field of human origins are a testimony to Engels thought and contribution, not least the discovery of Kenanthropus platyops. It is a confirmation of the method of dialectical materialism, the only consistent scientific outlook of the world. The Origins Of Our Species Essays -- essays research papers The latest discovery of a fossil skull in Kenya, more than three million years old, once again demonstrates the complex evolution of humankind. The following article examines the evidence and sees how it fits into the ideas of human origin formulated by Frederick Engels more than 100 years ago. "There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." (Charles Darwin, The Origin of the Species, pp. 459-60, Penguin 1985.) The latest discoveries in paleontology once again reveal the rich and complex evolution of the human species. In March, the magazine 'Nature' reported on a new fossil find in Kenya of a 3.5 million year-old skull. Originally, it was thought that the human linkage had been traced back to an ancestral genus called the Australopithecines (the "Southern Ape"), the most famous remains being 'Lucy', discovered by D.C. Johanson. These proto-humans roamed the savannahs and Rift Valley of Africa more than 3 million years ago, and are closer to modern humans than apes. However, new evidence suggests that the Australopithecus family was not the only hominid species to have existed at this time. 'Nature' describes a new species - Kenanthropus platyops - with a much flatter face than any Australopithecine. "Kenyanthropus shows persuasively that at least two lineages existed as far back as 3.5m years," said Meave Leakey of the Kenya national museum. It is clear that the evolutionary tree is far bushier that at first appeared. While the human lineage split from that of the African apes some 5-10 million years ago, this new evidence suggests possible new lines from which humans evolved. It shows a far greater diversification of human evolution prior to the emergence of the Homo genus. The newly discovered skull has a small ear hole, like those of chimpanzees. However, it shares other features of early hominids, such as a small brain. But there are other striking differences, including tall cheekbones, small teeth and a flat plane beneath its nose bone, giving it a flat face appearance. The flatter face - a feature once thought distinctly human - arises primaril... ...ical view of evolution, called punctuated equilibrium. Gould has recognized Engels' contribution, describing his essay on human origins as "a brilliant expose." However, notes Gould, it "had no visible impact on Western science." (Ever Since Darwin, p.210) "All merit for the swift advance of civilization was ascribed to the mind, to the development and activity of the brain", wrote Engels. "Men became accustomed to explain their actions from their thoughts, instead of from their needs... And so there arose in the course of time that idealistic outlook on the world, has dominated men's minds. It still rules them to such a degree that even the most materialistic natural scientists of the Darwinian school are still unable to form any clear idea of the origin of man, because under that ideological influence they do not recognize the part that has been played therein by labour." The latest discoveries in this field of human origins are a testimony to Engels thought and contribution, not least the discovery of Kenanthropus platyops. It is a confirmation of the method of dialectical materialism, the only consistent scientific outlook of the world.

Makioka Sisters & Pedro Paramo :: Free Essay Writer

Makioka Sisters & Pedro Paramo Though the two books, The Makioka Sisters and Pedro Paramo appear to be a part of two entirely separate worlds, some connections can be seen throughout the works. Junichiro Tanizaki uses The Makioka Sisters to tell the tale of four beautiful sisters who’s lives are encompassed by a world of tradition and propriety. While at the same time Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Paramo is exploring these same ideas of obligation and in the best term, formalities. This is the key to these two works, formalities. Each culture and time is experiencing pressures and obligations due to the characters’ belief in observing formalities and traditions. Both books open to a dilemma that plagues the characters and can be tied back to the observation of formalities. The Makioka family is desperately seeking a husband for the third sister, Yukiko. Sachiko explains â€Å"In†¦hopes of finding Yukiko a worthy husband, they had refused the proposals that in earlier years had showered upon them. Not one seemed quite what they wanted† (9). This prestigious Osaka family presumes that they must adhere to every formality to its highest degree in order to uphold their reputation and honor. A suitor has yet to meet what they believe must be their standards. The head of the family, Tatsuo has been displeased with the men that have sought Yukiko’s hand, he believes that the â€Å"old and once-important family† cannot afford to take in a man who might humble or disgrace â€Å"the dignity of the Makioka name† (8). The family is weaving itself into a web of pain and humiliation through their insistence to comply with t he precedence of exalting and sheltering the Makioka name at any cost, even that of love and happiness. Juan Preciado is also being thrust into a dilemma when he makes attempts to follow through with empty civilities. Rulfo opens this story with Preciado traveling to the small, desolate village of Comala. After the death of Preciado’s mother, he decides to uphold the promise he made to her by visiting his estranged father, Pedro Paramo, whom he never knew. Preciado admits, â€Å"I didn’t intend to keep my promise. But then I began to think about what she told me, until I couldn’t stop thinking and even dreaming about it, and building a whole world around that Pedro Paramo. That’s why I came to Comala† (1). Preciado is brought to this insufferable village because of an empty promise that he made to his dying mother.

Free Essays - Animal Farm :: Animal Farm

ï » ¿Introduction    â€Å"Animal Farm† is a symbolical political satire in which animals take the place of humans. These animals can talk and are just as intelligent as humans. They learn to read and each type of animal a different aspect of humanity. (Ex.: Pigs- Politicians; Horses- Laborers; Sheep- Gullible People; etc. ) This book shows how a government that is set up to serve the people turns against them, just like communism did to the Russian people. Animalism symbolizes communism and the characters symbolize Russian leaders and people of importance. This is a tale with no happy ending.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Characters   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Pigs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   They symbolize politicians in a stereotypical sense. Some of them lie, cheat,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and steal from the animals they are supposed to serve. They make promises   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   that are never kept. Propaganda is spread to the animals they are supposed to   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   represent. Old Major   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He is a pig who is very old. He has seen the lifestyle the animals live and is   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   dissatisfied with it. He creates a government ideology called animalism which   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   represents communism. He is the Karl Marx of this world. Napoleon   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He is a large, fierce looking Berkshire boar, who is not much of a talker. He   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   uses animalism only to increase his power and the dogs to terrorize the other   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   animals. Napoleon symbolizes the dictator Joseph   Stalin in this world. Snowball   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He is a pig that fights with Napoleon over the power on the farm. He is a very   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   energetic, eloquent speaking, brilliant leader who organizes the defense of the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   farm. Napoleons jealousness of him makes him try to kill Snowball. Snowball   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   flees the area and every misfortune in Animal Farm after that is blamed on   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   him. He represents Leon Trotsky in this story. Squealor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He is a short, fat, twinkle eyed pig who is a brilliant talker. He justifies the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   horrible actions of Napoleon and most of the animals buy into it. He has a sly,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   persuasive air to him. This is why he is head of Napoleon’s propaganda plan.    Boxer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He is a large, very powerful horse who is not too bright. He buys into   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   animalism and works the hardest on the farm. He saves the farm on multiple   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   occasions and declared a national hero. After he gets too sick to work   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Napoleon secretly sells him to a glue factory. Boxer symbolizes the hard   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   working Russian class that Stalin abused for his own benefit. Mollie   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   She is a mare who abandons Animal Farm for sugar and ribbons at the human

Does EU Enlargement make any sense Essay

European Union enlargement is the process of expanding the Union through incorporation and allowing accession of new members states and sovereign countries. This process took off with the first six members who were the founding powers of the European coal along with the steel community which was the European Union precursor in 1952. Since then, the Union has been expanding to the current twenty seven members with the more recent incorporation including the Romania and Bulgaria in the year 2007. At present there are negotiations underway with many states who wish to start the Union’s joining process. The expansion process is in most cases referred to as the European Union integration. Nevertheless, this term is often used to refer to the increased cooperation levels between the member states as the member states’ government are allowing for cooperation of the more common laws. According to the (European Union online 2010), for a state to be a member of the EU, it has to accomplish a lot of economic and political requirements which are famously referred to as the Copenhagen criteria (which is after the june1993 Copenhagen summit). In addition, any potential country that wishes to join the European Union needs to have not only a stable government but also a democratic government that respects the rule of law of the international law along with its corresponding institutions and freedom. In accordance to the Maastricht Treaty, each and every current member state and also the European government must agree to any expansion (European Union 2010). Further expansion of the European Union will highly benefit the existing members. With the earlier addition of member states to the European Union, it has emerged stronger, more confident and hence more capable of acting and presenting itself in the world stage. More important, en enlarged European Union will help the union to tackle the prevalent threats that cannot be confined in any manner to their geographical borders. For example the existing climate change problems and also to fight against organized crimes and to the broader perspective, the terrorism menace. Close cooperation with the neighboring states could form a very vital force for dealing with such problems and challenges. While this explains how the existing countries have extensively benefited in this union, it should also address the benefits of further unity that will come with expansion. Also, the potential members would as well benefit in the same way. The prospective member states are: Turkey, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Croatia. Further expansion will enhance more economic efficiency, create an extended playing level for business, drive more and more innovation and also provide an extra funding to the community. For example, by expanding the union, France will meet the challenges along with the challenges that are being currently presented by globalization. Most of the prospective and newer members have economies which have much lower cost which makes them very attractive production sources for business expansion to the country. The potential members will be at the same position as the older members to reap these benefits. If these prospective members joined this Union, for instance, their workers would go to work in the United Kingdom market where the wages is more likely to me much higher and also the benefits that come with accessing the markets of the other member states. For these countries’ economies membership to the European Union is a means of attaining stability and growth. An expanded Europ ean Union also invites a broad cultural discussion and creativity. A very good and an exciting example of this is the â€Å"Enlarge your vision† which is the 2010 young Journalist Award that was launched by the EC’s directorate general to see more enlargements. So, for the European union to attract more and more members, it should address two main factors including; the economics and security. In conclusion, it can be seen that there are many advantages that accrue to any country that joins the EU. This is further enhanced by the Cecchini report, that shows a rise of evidence to believe there is a much increase in the states’ GDP as a result of the common market that are produced by the expansion if the European Union countries. The obvious raise in GDP will raise the living standards of the EU member states. The potential benefits and challenges of joining the European Union are most likely to come from many perspectives and directions. This ranges from the potential benefits of the heightened economies of scale to the problem that the poor countries would receive a high budget from the already existing EU states. More so, if the European Union should be able to permit new members, it should at all time ensure that their decision making processes are not compromised but remain accountable to the larger EU. It should be in a position as it continues its expansion of implementing common policies to all the areas and also finance these policies equitably to all the new and existing areas in a very sustainable manner. The other key component of expansion should be harmonization of the important areas of the policy by involving coordination of policies on all the nation’s businesses and regulating the competition, taxation, fiscal policy, monetary policies and the environmental policie s. How the enlargement would affect the Businesses If enlargement takes effect, many things would happen including; Break down the barriers to trade and the businesses. The existing countries will highly benefit from accessing a larger market for trade and investment in the entire world. On the other hand, the consumers will also benefit by being given the opportunity of choosing from a wide range of goods and services from the extended markets and also at a favorable prices. Integration will also encourage the growth of GDP both to the existing member states and the newly joined members and this would also require changes to the institutions which are within the EU (Kardas and Saban, 2009). Through integration, the well established corporations of the existing nations will be faced with a lot of opportunities. Especially with the addition of more members and expansion of the union, the corporations will be able to reach more customers and cheap labor for their companies and products. This will increase their economies of scale with low cost of production and hence it would be a very bi boost to the existing members’ states (Piket and Vincent, 2010). The main aim for the 1957 treaty of Rome was to establish a common market for all the nations. For instance, if Turkey was allowed to join the union, they will cancel the barriers to trade like the tariffs along with the non-tariff barriers to align itself with the EU current policy. Therefore the products of the member countries will move to a more big market easier than before. The new member states will also open new investment opportunities to the existing member states due to their low economies. Therefore, expan sion of the EU makes a lot of sense both to the joining members and the existing members because a lot of export opportunities would be opened up for the existing members. The companies in the existing member states will enjoy a cheaper labor force from the joining members. This is because the existing member states like the France and the United kingdom have a very high living standards hence more and more workers from the eastern Europe nation will always flow into these labor markets and hence this will lower their production costs. Owing to the fact that France, Germany and United Kingdom are still the word’s most important financial centre, the integration of the Eastern Europe region into the EU is a win situation. The integration will increase the prosperity of wealth in the new members and hence stimulate economic growth in the existing member states. This is because their market will experience an addition of 100 million more consumers into the existing market if this enlargement was to be honored. All the remaining barriers between the countries would be removed. All the legal and technical trade barriers will be no more (Piket and Vincent, 2010). The trade possibilities and investment would be further enhanced and high expected economic growth would radically enhance the consumers’ purchasing power in the prospective nations. Increased trade would be so much valuable as a contribution to the functioning of the enlarged European Union and hence the economic development of the whole continent . The European Union’s expansion is seen as the most successful foreign policies even though it has in many instances suffered a lot of resistance. For example, France has alaways been very opposed to enjoy this enlargement. The British membership was vetoed by France as they actually feared the United States’ influence. Also according to (IISS 2008) France was so much opposed to the Greek, Portuguese and Spanish membership as they feared that these states were really not ready and hence it would dilute the European Union down to a Free trade Area (ESI 2006). The biggest reason why the first members applied and were accepted was basically economical, while for the second enlargement, it was much more to do with politically instigation (IISS 2008). The southern Mediterranean countries in the Europe were just recovering from dictatorship and also the single party government hence they wanted to preserve their democratic system security through the European union and also th e EU wanted to be sure that their counterparts in the southern region were stable democracies and also a move to steer them away from any possible influence by the communists. These two main factors, the economical factor and also political security has been the driving force towards enlargement of the EU. Hut with the recent expansion of 2004, the European public opinion has turned against any further extension. Also, it has been eminent that there are expansion limits and hence the Union cannot expand all through (ESI 2006) So as to understand these enlargement limits, we have to understand the effects that these enlargement may have on the European Union. Since the break of 2005, when the proposed treaty by the European constitution was rejected in the France and the Netherlands referenda, a debate on the enlargement drawbacks has since gained more intensity. The senior politicians across the Europe have since called for a slowdown in the expansion or even a permanent seizure of such enlargement. A lot of opposing enlargement voices had hit the headlines, which have created the impression of the future enlargement to be hanging in the balance (ESI 2006) One of the biggest factors that are turning the public opinion against this enlargement is the threat of immigration that may lead to overpopulation and hence stressing the resources of the Europe. The old Europe members fear influx of people that may come up by adding more members to the Union. Owing to the fact that the older European Union members’ states public, the France and the Britain, are very hostile to the foreign labor markets, makes this to be worse. In fact, the immigration factor was the main reason why the constitution was defeated in the Dutch and French Referenda of the year 2005. Another big problem is posed where the highly skilled work force of the member states will leave the country for the other new member states. The new member states would alter the economic boom that comes with joining the European union falling into economic decline and more and more money would be demanded from the European Union budget so as to keep the economy afloat (Bache, 2006 ). More so, further enlargement would also insert, more and more pressure on the European Union already struggling administrative system. With the failure of the constitutional planning, and also the unpopularity of the Lisbon treaty, it basically lacks the integration degree that is needed for effective decision making along with its implementation. Also owing to the fact that the European democracy is still lagging behind the limited progress that is being made in the strengthening the executive powers of the union, accommodation of more new members would not make any sense. (Bache, 2006) There seems a very little doubt that at this point, the classical European Union would have reached its end. For sure a lot of questions about the European Union relations with other countries which are further east like the Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia), Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova still remain (Bache, 2006). Although these questions will obviously be solved through varied processes that would involve more limited sovereignty sharing with the European union’s member states. Consequently this may well become a very much attractive deal for turkey in the coming decade. If the European Union expansion was put to a halt right now, it would be very disastrous not only to the peace of the continent but also to the democracy in the broader European Neighborhood. Nevertheless, we need a definition of the broader European commonwealth that is not binding to the both sides into the mainly detailed legal structure that was drawn up fifty years ago for the European countrie s which were facing quite varied challenges. The existing member states are very afraid that their markets might be swamped by cheap imports from these new members. Most of the markets that are vulnerable to this threat are the politically sensitive markets like the agricultural markets and the textiles where the European Union has imposed very high tariff barriers so as to protect the domestic producers. Also, there is great fear that the contribution of the well off states to the European Union budget would rise more considerably following this integration. If more poor countries join the union, and the regional along with the CAP payments are maintained. It is deemed inevitable that there would be large budgets transfers paid by the existing member states for the new members. Some nations also fear that there will be a delay by integration to the plans that are underway to move the union to even greater economic and political union. It might be very difficult for the implementation of a single currency if in that period more members are joining the union. Both labor and capital movement could also pose a very big problem. There is a very high fear that capital would slowly stroll to the new members with cheap labor while workers from these states would move in huge numbers from the newly joined states to the already existing countries having instigated by the high wage rates in these states. This shows the potential challenges that would be experienced in case of EU expansion. The main challenge is the inability for these states to reach the total economic integration. Also, different economical blocks or countries in the enlarged European Union may require different fiscal and monetary policies. Normally countries like United Kingdom require high interest rates so as to encourage savings while discouraging consumption, a country like Hungary would consider reduced interest rates so as to increase the consumers’ expenditure and consequently increase the aggregate demand which will in advance lead to an increased GDP (Kardas and Saban, 2009). These would form an arena of conflicting policies that would affect adversely the running of the union. It is also clear that Germany, France and UK posses a vast GDP advantage comparing with the Czech Republic and Hungary which are the prospective members of the union. This brings up a concern regarding the convergence requirement in the economies within the European Union and in regards to the monetary policy. In 2008, it was confirmed by Nicola Sarkozy and Angella Merkel, the French president and the German chancellor respectively that the EU cannot enlarge any more than the current twenty seven states without undergoing a reform to the institution of the present treaty of the nice laws. This kind of reform could only happen if the Lisbon treaty comes into action (Piket and Vincent, 2010). In a broader perspective, we can see that the benefits of EU integration highly outweigh the limits. The enlargement hence makes a lot of sense to both the existing and the new members. For the prospective members, access to the European Union implies a very high potential for raising trade and also cooperation. Also, this will be on the other hand a golden opportunity to the existing members’ companies. During the last ten years, these countries’ investors and exporters have secured a great dominance in these markets and exports have increased drastically. Many researchers have proved that this market could be multiplied many times if the existing member countries allowed further integration to the East Europe countries. Hence there is a lot of sense in enlarging the European Union. References Presidency Conclusions, Copenhagen European Council 1993 Piket, Vincent (2010) EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, Institute for Strategic Studies Beyond Enlargement Fatigue? The Dutch debate on Turkish accession, EuropeanSecurity Initiative 2006 Bache, Ian and Stephen George (2006) Politics in the European Union, Oxford University Press. p540–542 Kardas, Saban (13 May 2009) Merkel and Sarkozy Call for Privileged Partnership Angers Turkey, Jamestown Foundation European Commission (2005-11-10). â€Å"1972†. The History of the European Union. European Economic Community Treaty, Art†7Potential candidates, European Union’s official site Source document

Experiment with Diffusion Essay

Introduction The movement of molecules from an area of greater concentration to an area of less concentration is called Diffusion. Osmosis is the diffusion of water through a selectively permeable membrane from an area with greater concentration of water to an area with less concentration. A Hypertonic Solution is a solution of a higher concentration of solutes and a smaller concentration of water molecules than another solution. However, an Isotonic Solution is a solution that contains an equal concentration of solutes and of water molecules, the same as another solution. A solution that contains a lower concentration of solutes and a higher concentration of water molecules than another solution is called a Hypotonic Solution. A cell that has a Selectively Permeable Membrane has a plasma membrane that allows certain substances to pass through more readily than others. From this I have come up with a hypothesis of what will happen with the 2 bags. The one containing fresh water and put into salt water will lose weight, based on a Hypertonic Solution stated above. However, the bag containing salt water and put in fresh water will gain weight based on the Hypotonic Solution also stated above. Procedure 1.First we folded one side of the membrane-like bag we were given and tied it shut over the folded part. 2.Then we filled it 2/3 full of freshwater and tied the other end shut, and weighed it. 3.Next we weighed it and put the bag into the saltwater. 4.After that, we did Steps 1, 2, and 3, except, we filled the bag 2/3 full with saltwater, weighed it, and put it into freshwater. 5.After about 30 minutes we went back and took both bags out and weighed them. Results Before we placed the bags in the salt and fresh water we weighed them. The bag filled with freshwater weighed 18.3 grams and the bag containing the saltwater weighed about 23.9 grams. After they had soaked in their rightful waters for about half an hour we weighed them again. The freshwater weighed 16.2 grams and had sustained an 8.9% decrease of weight. The saltwater weighed 25.1 grams and had attained a 9.5% increase of weight. Conclusion Well, the freshwater bag lost weight through the Hypertonic Solution theorem. Because there was no salt in it, the fresh water left the cell to mix with the salt outside its cell. No salt molecules could get in, in return. The saltwater bag had gained weight during the 30 minute time period. It had done this through the Hypotonic Solution theorem. The freshwater outside the bag(cell) had entered it because there weren’t many water molecules inside the cell. Causing the bag filled with saltwater to gain weight.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 21

Maddie claimed that even Seth's family didn't know where he was. According to her, he'd really just†¦vanished. He wasn't answering his phone. He wasn't showing up at the bookstore. When people disappeared, I immediately jumped to supernatural conclusions, but Maddie then added – through more tears – that she used her key to get her belongings from Seth's place and found a suitcase and some clothing missing. Feeling guilty about having the key anymore, she then shoved it into my hand and told me to return it. Or throw it away. I did my best to comfort her some more and then offered to take her over to Doug's. Roman shot me a warning look as we were about to leave. â€Å"Don't do anything stupid,† he said out of Maddie's hearing. â€Å"I knew your nice bedside manner wouldn't last,† I returned. Despite Doug's slacker rocker-boy lifestyle, I knew Maddie'd be in good hands with him. I dropped her off there and found Doug a mixture of personas. To Maddie, he was astonishingly kind and gentle – the caring brother as opposed to the usual teasing brother. Once she was lying down in the other room, he made sure I knew exactly what he thought of Seth in very explicit detail. There wasn't much I could say to that except that they should call me if they needed anything. I left. In spite of Maddie's words, I drove to Terry and Andrea's anyway. Seth ending things with Maddie so abruptly was crazy – almost crazier than him proposing to her in the first place. But him disappearing without telling his family? No. He wouldn't do that. He was too responsible. Most likely he'd told them not to tell Maddie where he was. Kendall opened the door when I arrived, her face lighting up like Christmas morning. â€Å"Georgina! Georgina's here!† Morgan and McKenna, who had been watching cartoons, came tearing over and each wrapped themselves around a leg. â€Å"Nice to see you guys too,† I laughed. Terry had been sitting on the couch near the twins and came over to me with a little less zeal. â€Å"Hey, Georgina,† he said, face typically friendly. He was shorter than Seth and a few years older, but overall, they bore a notable resemblance. â€Å"Sorry for the mass assault.† â€Å"No problem.† I unwound Morgan from me, but McKenna proved a little more resistant. Glancing back at Terry, I said hesitantly, â€Å"I was wondering if I could talk to you, uh, about something.† Terry wasn't stupid. None of the Mortensens were. â€Å"Sure,† he said. â€Å"Girls, let go of Georgina and go back to the cartoons. We're going to go into the kitchen.† â€Å"But we want her to watch TV with us!† â€Å"Can we come?† Terry laid down firm but friendly fatherly law, and with great reluctance, the girls returned to the couch. I was impressed. I wasn't sure I could have refused that group anything. He led me to the kitchen, but before either of us could say anything, Andrea came in from down the hall, smiling in surprise when she saw me. I smiled in surprise right back at her, but it was more from her appearance than anything else. It was the middle of the day, but she wore a robe over pajamas. Her mussed blond hair and dark eye circles suggested she'd been sleeping. Terry had been leaning against the counter but jumped up when he saw her. â€Å"Oh, honey, you should go back to bed.† She shrugged him off. â€Å"I wanted to see who's here. How's it going?† â€Å"Fine,† I said. Then, unable to resist: â€Å"Are you feeling okay?† â€Å"A little under the weather. Fortunately, Terry's manning up today. He does almost as good a job as me with the girls.† I laughed politely at the joke, but it soon faded. We stood awkwardly for a moment, everyone knowing why I was here but no one doing anything about it. Finally, I took a deep breath. â€Å"I've come to ask you where Seth is.† â€Å"Funny,† said Andrea. â€Å"We were going to ask you the same thing.† I was taken aback. â€Å"How would I know?† They both just stared. â€Å"I don't!† â€Å"When this happened a couple days ago†¦this thing with Maddie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Terry glanced uneasily at his wife before continuing. â€Å"We just assumed, well, that it was because of you.† â€Å"Why would it be because of me? I just found out about this today.† â€Å"It's always been because of you,† said Andrea gently. â€Å"There was never anyone else. We like Maddie. He likes her. But that's the problem. Throughout it all, we could just tell that you were always the one. Now, whatever happened between you guys to make it go bad isn't any of our business. We're just not that surprised to see this new development.† â€Å"We would, however, like to know where he is,† said Terry more pragmatically. â€Å"I don't know,† I said helplessly, still a little stunned by Andrea's words. â€Å"Maddie said he'd packed up, and I figured you guys were keeping his location a secret from her.† I eyed them suspiciously. â€Å"And me?† â€Å"No,† said Terry. â€Å"We really don't know.† I didn't have an angel's talent, but I believed he was telling the truth. Andrea nodded in agreement. â€Å"He just called us a couple days ago and said he'd ended things. Didn't give any explanation – but well, you know how he is. He doesn't explain much anyway. Then, when Maddie and no one else had seen him, we started to get worried.† A couple days ago. Seth had ended things with her a couple days ago – when the whole soul retrieval gig had gone down. â€Å"We actually tried calling you,† added Terry. â€Å"But never got an answer.† â€Å"Ah, yeah. I've been sick this week too.† Eyeing Andrea – who looked exhausted – I suddenly felt bad for taking up any more of their time. â€Å"Look, I should go. Thanks for the info. Will you†¦let me know if you hear from him?† Andrea smiled again. â€Å"Something tells me you'll hear from him before we do.† I wasn't as confident. Leaving the house was a little tricky since the other girls didn't want me to go, but I managed to escape their adorable clutches at last and make a break for it. I was walking toward my car when a voice said, â€Å"She's sick, you know.† I turned, startled, and saw Brandy standing near a gate that led to their backyard. She had the same sullen look about her she'd had for so long. â€Å"Hey,† I said in greeting. â€Å"Where'd you come from?† â€Å"I was around. I heard you talking to Mom and Dad.† I replayed Brandy's initial words. â€Å"Your mom†¦you mean she's sick, right? I could tell.† â€Å"No, I mean she's really sick. She's really sick, and they won't talk about it.† Brandy gave a nod toward the front door. â€Å"No one else knows. Not even Uncle Seth knows just how sick she is.† A chilly breeze stirred dried leaves around my feet, but it was nothing compared to the cold starting to fill me. â€Å"Just how sick are we talking, Brandy?† Brandy scuffed her feet against the driveway, eyes averted. â€Å"She has ovarian cancer. It's bad†¦but they're still trying to figure out just how bad it is.† â€Å"She was going to the doctor that day I was here,† I recalled aloud. Andrea had been so bright and cheery, I'd assumed something routine was going on. I also realized I hadn't technically been here; I'd seen it in a dream. Fortunately, Brandy was too distracted to notice my slip. â€Å"She's been at the doctor a lot. Dad's missing tons of work. Uncle Seth's helped out sometimes, and I've been babysitting all the time.† I suddenly felt incredibly selfish. I'd been assuming Brandy's moodiness was all over me and Seth breaking up. But that was only a symptom of the larger problem. Her mother was dangerously ill, and every part of her world was destabilizing. Her own life was probably being put on hold to watch her sisters, and even something like her uncle's romantic life could ripple what she'd regarded as the norm. All the constants in her world were disappearing. â€Å"Brandy, I – â€Å" â€Å"I have to go,† she interrupted, heading back toward the gate, face stony. â€Å"Kayla'll be up from her nap soon. I'm supposed to keep an eye on her today.† Brandy disappeared around the corner before I could say anything. I stood there, feeling lost. I didn't know who I felt worse for: Brandy and Terry for knowing what was going on or the little girls for being oblivious. I felt bad enough for myself because there was nothing I could do. There was never anything I could do. I had powers beyond human imaginings, but they were nothing that could actually help humans. I drove downtown with a heavy heart, trying hard – and failing – not to overreact. Brandy herself had said things were bad but that they were still learning the extent of it. Surely there were more tests, tests that would give some hope. And surely there was treatment. Humans could do that much on their own. Jerome was where I'd hoped he'd be. Really, I decided, the Cellar was nearly as good as him having an office. Carter was by his side at the back table, both of them doing shots from a bottle of Jà ¤germeister. Those two didn't discriminate among their liquor. I wondered if they were drinking away the hardships of the other day or toasting their success over it. It must have been the latter because Jerome almost smiled when he saw me. â€Å"Georgie, out among the living and back to your petite self. Yet†¦so blue. Blue like always.† Yes, they'd been drinking. Angels and demons could sober up at will, and he was apparently indulging in the full effects. â€Å"I got some bad news,† I said, sitting opposite them. â€Å"What, about losing Mortensen?† asked Jerome. â€Å"How do you know about that?† â€Å"I talked to Roman. He recapped your day – the old man checking in, you comforting your romantic rival†¦it was quite moving.† I scowled. â€Å"Great. You have Roman spying on me.† â€Å"It's not spying. I just demand answers from him. If it makes you feel better, he's never very happy to give up those answers.† â€Å"How often do you do it?† I asked incredulously. â€Å"Not that often.† A waiter set down a new bottle. â€Å"Mostly I wanted to see how you were recovering post-dream.† â€Å"Fine. I'm fine.† I glanced at Carter. â€Å"No comments from you today?† â€Å"Leave me out of this,† he replied. â€Å"I'm just drinking.† So he said, but he was also watching and listening very carefully. He was not letting the alcohol affect him. I turned back to Jerome. â€Å"I've come to call in my favor.† The dark amusement in his eyes turned to suspicion. â€Å"What favor?† â€Å"The one you promised me for helping save you from Grace, remember?† Yes, no amusement at all anymore. â€Å"I just rescued you from another plane of existence from creatures who were torturing your mind.† I flinched but pushed on with my words. â€Å"You promised a favor, and I didn't call it in for that. Besides, you would have done it anyway so that you wouldn't get in trouble.† â€Å"That favor offer was brought on by the drama at the time,† he countered. â€Å"I probably said all sorts of things.† â€Å"You promised,† I repeated. â€Å"I can understand you just fine without putting italics in your voice, Georgie,† he snapped. â€Å"You did, though,† pointed out Carter. Demons could lie – and did – but certain deals they were bound to. Jerome had said he'd grant me a favor out on the beach, and it had been a true promise. â€Å"Fine,† he said irritably, gesturing for another shot. â€Å"What is it you want? And I don't have to grant it if it's something totally unreasonable.† â€Å"I want to know – â€Å" â€Å"Careful,† interrupted Carter. I paused, and Jerome glared at the angel. Carter offered no other insight, but those gray eyes were still watchful – and cautious. Which was what I needed to be. Jerome had promised me a favor, and like all demons, he would try to find as many loopholes in it as possible. I had been about to ask where Seth was, but that wouldn't necessarily do me any good. I wouldn't be able to get to Seth. â€Å"I want you to send me to Seth so I can spend a few days with him.† Jerome studied me, expression shrewd. â€Å"There's a couple problems. One is that you've kind of asked for two things. The other is that I'm not omniscient. I don't know where he is.† â€Å"You can find out,† I said. â€Å"At least, if he's flown anywhere, you can find out.† Seth packing indicated serious travel. Maddie had said his car was still at the house, meaning he hadn't driven somewhere. If he had, he'd be harder to track. But airports had records, and Hell had its hand in that kind of thing. Jerome could easily get an imp or lesser demon to access Sea-Tac's records this week and see where Seth had gone. I probably could have asked Hugh to do it, but that wouldn't have gotten me leave to actually go to Seth, hence my wording. â€Å"And we both know it'd be stupid for you to send me right there and right back. Asking for a few days makes it worthwhile or else it's a shitty favor.† â€Å"Debatable,† Jerome replied. â€Å"It could be worse,† said Carter. â€Å"She didn't ask for world peace or anything.† â€Å"Stay out of this,† returned the demon. â€Å"I know what you want.† Carter shrugged and ordered another drink. â€Å"Fine,† said Jerome at last. â€Å"I'll have Hugh check travel records. You know there might not be a paper trail.† â€Å"I know. But if you find him?† â€Å"Then you can go to him. For now, go home. You're ruining my good mood. I'll find you if there's news.† I didn't need to be told twice. â€Å"Soon,† I said. â€Å"You have to search soon.† Jerome's lips quirked. â€Å"You didn't put that into the wording.† Carter elbowed him, and I had to take it on faith that Jerome would act in a timely manner. My words had implied that I wanted to be where Seth was now. One could argue that waiting meant Seth would change locations, meaning I couldn't have what I wanted. I also had to believe that Carter had a point in saying this was a relatively easy favor. I could have demanded more. Simple or not, it was hard to wait to hear back. Roman was gone when I returned to my condo, and I had nothing to do but ruminate. I'd given myself a leave of absence at work and didn't regret it. Still, being alone with my thoughts was never a good thing, and I had far too many to trouble me: the Oneroi, Seth, Andrea†¦ â€Å"Okay, Georgie.† It was four hours later when Jerome appeared in my living room with a pop. I sagged in relief. â€Å"You found him?† â€Å"I did.† â€Å"And you'll send me to him – for a worthwhile amount of time?† â€Å"Three days,† the demon said. He sounded irritable and impatient. I'd wondered if he'd been drinking this entire time and was angry at the interruption. â€Å"I want you back here in seventy-two hours, and you're on your own as to how you do it. Do you understand?† â€Å"Yes,† I said eagerly. â€Å"Just send me to him.† I had to talk to him. I had to find out exactly what had happened. I had to make sure he was okay. â€Å"And that settles the favor. Agreed?† â€Å"Agreed,† I said. There was power in that word, just as there had been in Jerome's initial promise. I could ask for nothing else. â€Å"Then go,† he said. I vanished from my living room†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and reappeared on a busy sidewalk. People swarmed around me, none of them seeming to notice I'd appeared out of thin air. The sun was on its way down, but the sky was bright and clear – and hot. Very hot. The masses around me were dressed in beach clothes and had the feel of tourists. I stepped out of their path and found myself standing in front of a large, resort-type hotel. The abrupt change in location – and discomfort of teleportation – had left me disoriented, and I needed to get my bearings. Taking in more of my surroundings, I could hear people speaking in both Spanish and English. I turned to the closest person near me, a short, deeply tanned man in a hotel uniform who was directing taxis around the building's driveway. I started to ask where I was and decided that would be a little too stupid sounding. I pointed at the hotel and asked him what its name was. I knew tons of languages perfectly, and Spanish rolled off my lips easily. â€Å"El Grande Mazatln, seà ±orita,† he replied. Mazatln? This time, I did ask a stupid question: â€Å" ¿Estoy in M? ¦xico?† He nodded, giving me the are-you-crazy look I'd expected. It was probably made worse by my jaw dropping. Well, I supposed if you were going to run away, you should run away somewhere warm.