Pa. Landlord Tenant Act of 1951 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Pa. Landlord Tenant Act of 1951 - Essay Example Nor is a lease simply a right to occupy premises in many situations, the tenant is entitled, by contract or statute, to receive a package of services from the landlord, such as the right to have the property well maintained and heated. For landlords, although the lease generally serves to be a source of wealth, there may be other considerations that influence the landlord's behavior such as good management practices, whether for welfares or commercial motives, some landlords may be more ruthless in their treatment of tenants, seeking to maximize profit and minimize management costs. In some situations the law has, therefore, had to intervene to promote minimum standards of behavior and to protect tenants from exploitation and eviction. Long leases have been used for selling both houses and flats. Historically, long leasehold sales were used for housing developments, originally under the building lease system and more recently by landlords with a long-term perspective on investment. Since the 1950s it has been increasingly common for flats to be purpose-built for sale on long leases and for existing buildings to be converted into flats. (Bright, 1995) Blocks built for rental in earlier times have been broken up for long leasehold sales and many of these buildings now contain flats of mixed tenure, some rental and some long leasehold. Typically, leases are granted for terms of 99 years, sometimes 999 years and sold at a substantial premium, with a low ground rent being reserved. The major reason why these flats are sold on a leasehold, rather than freehold, basis is due to the problems of enforcing freehold covenants. Sometimes leases have clauses and terms in them that cannot be enforced. For example, you cannot legally sign away your right to a decent place to live. The tenant cannot be made responsible for all repairs or repairs that cost under a certain amount of money. According to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Pugh v. Holmes, the landlord must maintain everything for which the tenant is paying rent. Similarly, the tenant cannot be made to take a house or an apartment as is.Regardless of any agreement you make with the landlord, it is the landlord's responsibility to keep the property up to Housing Code Standards. (lease, 2006a) Fixed Term lease This is a lease for a fixed period of time 'for five months', or 'for 99 years'. It does not matter that the lease might be brought to an end before the expiry of the fixed term; for example, where the landlord has the right to forfeit the lease if the tenant fails to pay rent, or if the tenant has the benefit of a 'break clause' by which he is given the right in a 25year lease to break it at the end of five years. Nor does the fixed term have to be a single continuous period. As there is no need for the lease to be 'in possession', it is possible to have 'reversionary leases' that take effect at a future date. By the Law of Property Act 1925, s 149 (3) however, it must take effect within 21 years otherwise it is void. The fixed term will automatically end when the term finishes and there is no need to serve any notice to end the lease. Periodic Tenancies A periodic tenancy is one, which is for a period, and

Informative Speech Plan Essay Example for Free

Informative Speech Plan Essay TITLE: The Scientific Explanation of Dreams SPECIFIC SPEECH PURPOSE: To inform my audience about the scientific explanation of common dreams of humans based on theories and studies which have been gathered at the present time. THESIS STATEMENT: Finding meaning in dreams is a recent subject in the field of psychology and science, the most frequent are traumatic dreams, recurrent dreams and typical dreams, all of which have back up theories aimed to explain its occurrence. INTRODUCTION ATTENTION STEP: Have you ever felt like your dreams mean something to you? Have you ever thought that your dreams have certain connections with perhaps, the future, your life? I for one often dream about the people I’m going to see on a certain day or even the weirdest things like celebrities or my long time crushes. I dream a lot, and I can’t help but think about why I dream of the same things over and over again and why I often dream about things which much to my surprise happens when I wake up. CLARIFICATION STEP: Sleep is our body’s way of rejuvenating the brain’s memories or giving ourselves a break from all the day’s stress, pressure, exhaustion and work. But alongside it, comes dreams. All of us dream right? We dream about random thoughts, people and phenomenon. So today, I will discuss the underlying concepts and theories of the most common dreams namely, traumatic, recurrent, typical and recurring. BODY I. Dreams are defined as sequences of images, thoughts, emotions and feelings occurring reluctantly in the brain during certain stages of sleep. II. There are four types of dreams which are common to people. A. The first type is a traumatic dream. 1. Traumatic Dream is a major symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. Traumatic dreams, now understood as a major symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder, are experienced by soldiers in war, people engulfed in natural catastrophes, individuals involved in terrible accidents, and women and children who have been raped or assaulted. They are notable because they tend to repeat the traumatic event in all its emotional detail and horror. People suffering from traumatic dreams often dread the thought of going to sleep. 2. Freud put war neurosis dreams to the side by saying that the function of dreaming, like so much else, is upset in this condition, traumatic neuroses and diverted from its purposes. Still, when it came to dream theory, Freud (1920:13) put war neurosis dreams to the side by saying that the function of dreaming, like so much else, is upset in this condition [traumatic neuroses] and diverted from its purposes. In his final formulation on dreams, he admitted that traumatic dreams did not fit his theory, but nonetheless stuck with the old theory by saying the exception does not overturn the rule (Freud, 1933:29). . Instead, we should begin with the most difficult of dreams, traumatic dreams, and search for a theory encompassing them as well as wish fulfillment dreams. 3. These dreams are real dreams experienced by the dreamer, it deals emotional problems people cannot handle, they decrease in frequency and the way these dreams reappear become images for new stressful situations. The most systematic studies on traumatic dreams concern Vietnam veterans because they can be studied in large numbers due to their common experience; then, too, they also make themselves available to researchers through VA hospitals. It is this work that makes it possible to go beyond a mere summation of a wide variety of individual instances in a search for generalizations. First, the combat soldiers who suffered later from traumatic dreams were younger, less educated, and more likely to be emotionally involved with a close buddy who was killed or injured as compared with non-sufferers with similar combat experiences. Those who did not have such dreams put up a wall between themselves and other people while in Vietnam; they decided very early not to become emotionally close to anyone (Hartmann, 1984:209). Second, the dreams begin to change slightly over time as the person recovers, gradually incorporating other elements and becoming less like the exact experience. Put another way, the traumatic dreams slowly come to resemble ordinary dreams (Hartmann, 1984:219). Third, there seems to be a decline in traumatic dreams if they are discussed in groups with other veterans who suffer from them (Wilmer, 1982). Hartmann (1984:238-239) reports early discussion also seems to decrease such dreams in those who suffer from other kinds of traumas as well. Finally, those who have recovered often suffer a relapse to the old dream content when faced with new stressorsWe draw the following implications from the work on traumatic dreams. First, such dreams should not be put aside as exceptions of one sort or another. They are legitimate, real dreams, and they are experienced as dreamlike by the dreamers. Second, these dreams deal, quite obviously, with emotional problems that have overwhelmed the person. They are about emotional events that people cannot handle or assimilate or master, to use several different words to capture aspects of the difficult experience we are here trying to comprehend. Third, the dreams decrease in frequency and become altered in content to the degree that the experience is assimilated. Fourth, the way in which the experiences sometimes reappear when new problems arise suggests the old traumas have become metaphors for new stressful situations. Traumatic dreams, then, reflect a preoccupation with problems we have not resolved. This is a possible starting point for a theory to explain what we dream about. Before making too much of one type of dream, however, it is necessary to look at the closest relative of traumatic dreams, the recurrent dream, to see what conclusions can be drawn from studying it. B. The second type is recurrent dream. 1. Recurrent dreams are often triggered by a certain life situation, a transitional phase in life or a problem that keeps coming back again and again. 1. Recurrent dreams are most often reported to begin in childhood. 2. Recurrent dreams are often reported to begin at times of stress, such as the death of a loved one, separation from parents, or the divorce of parents. C. The third type is a typical dream. 1. Typical Dreams are dreams which are very much alike for many people. 2. The most common are dreams of deceased loved ones, wedding dreams, inappropriate dress dreams and flying dreams. 3. They may disclose emotional expression of emotional preoccupations, both negative and positive, common to everyone at one time or another. D. The fourth type are repetitive dream themes and repeated dream elements 1. The recurring dream tends to reveal you real nature. 2. Recurring dreams are usually an attempt to recognize hidden problems. CONCLUSION SUMMARY STEP: Those are some of the major dreams that people have: traumatic, recurrent, typical and repetitive dreams. ACTION STEP: I look forward that we have learned something from the speech that I have rendered. Dreams have meanings, â€Å"Scientific Meanings† which can be of use to us. Knowing these theories and explanations can help us deal with dreams that we do not understand, hence they are tools for addressing some aspects in our lives. They occur inside our head, science may never tell the exact reason why these dreams occur or recur but personally understanding it will help us deviate from false beliefs about dreams and widen our perceptions about everything we experience and see in our dreams. REFERENCE: Schneider,A. and W.Domhoff. â€Å"The Quantitative Study of Dreams.† psych.ucsc.edu.17October2010.8July2011.

media :: essays research papers

Since the effects of the media increased over people, the aim of the media has gone into an alteration. The morals of the media changed and a huge conflict became into existence between the morals in past and now. As all over the world in Turkey, ethics of the media changed after the media bosses have caught it. Media must be objective, impartial, and balanced, but because of the media bosses, it changed its ethics. The first purpose of media must be objectivity, but media rarely objective while reporting or researching information. Media’s objectivity is filtered and censored by the media owners, advertisers, newsmakers, news sharpers, and the pressure groups. All of the affect media while its doing its job. Media’s job is to inform. Because of the filters of media, it usually uses for propaganda, having profit and power. Many people think media is the most powerful means for propaganda. Lord Beaverbrook (1879-1964), who is owner of the Daily Express and founder of The Sun, and he used his newspaper for entirely for propaganda without taking into consideration of the purposes of media (Watson, 84). Media works same in Turkey as the world. The bosses, who have newspapers and television channels, use them for their propaganda. Moreover, this propaganda works very well because they have power over the people and having amounts of profit owing to media. Media is mass communication, a connection all over the world that informs, entertains, and influences people. It is powerful because most people talk about what they see on the news. Therefore, we can easily say media primarily control people’s opinion, and beliefs. Due to this, media must do its job impartially. In addition to this, the basic criteria of the media would be always say truth. On the other hand, the anxiety of rating and getting power entails media taking sides. It would seem that the media is using for propaganda and laissez-faire, besides both of them obtains to control the people, and control means power (Watson, 86). This control over the people does not look down on because this control orientates the people as the media barons wishes. Like the example of the Italy. The effects of media can straightforwardly see in Italy. Silvio Berlusconi’s political party, which shaped newly, urge into authority in Italy by the hold up of the Berlusconi’s me dia empire. By the support of his media empire Berlusconi became prime minister of Italy as in Orson Welles’ classical film Citizen Kane, which is about the dream of political officer, eluded John Foster Kane (Watson, 85).

Coffee Ulbs Essay

Coffee is a brewed beverage with a distinct aroma and flavor from the roasted seeds of the coffea plant. Coffee comes in many types of colour such as dark brown,white,beige,black,light brown,and more. Coffee was first discovered in the northeast region of Ethopia. Cofee cultivation first took place in southern Arabia,appears in the middle of the 15th century in the Sufi shrines of Yemen. According to the ancient chronicle,Omar who was known for his ability to cure sick through prayer was once exiled from Mocha,Yemen to a desert cave near Ousab. Starving,Omar chewed berries from nearby shrubbery but found them to the bitter. He tried roasting the seeds to improve the flavor,but they become hard. He then tried boiling them to soften the seeds,which resulted in a fragrant brown liquid. Upon drinking the liquid,Omar was revitalized and sustained for days. As stories of this ‘miracle drug’ reached Mocha,Omar was asked to return and was made a saint. In production of coffee,it consist of many steps such as processing,roasting,grading the roasting seeds,decaffeination,stored,brewing and finally be served. When processing the coffee,the berries of coffee have been traditionally and selectively picked by hand,only the berries at the peak of ripeness would be selected. After that,green coffee is process by one of two methods. Whether by dry process method or wet process method. Then,it will be sorted by ripeness and colour. After that,the seeds are fermented to remove the slimy layer of mucilage still present on the seeds. When the fermentation is finished,the seeds are washed to remove the fermentation residue. Then,the seeds are dried. Finally,the coffee is sorted again and been labeled. The roasting process influences the taste of the beverage by changing the coffee seed both physically and chemically. During roasting,caramelization occurs as intense heat that breaks down starches,changing them to simple sugars that begin to brown,which alters the colour of seeds. Then the seeds will be grading depends on the colour of roasting seeds. It will be labeled as light,medium light,medium,medium dark,dark or very dark. The degree of roast has an effect upon coffee flavor and body. Many methods can remove the caffeine from coffee,but all involve either soaking the green seeds in hot water or steaming them and using a solvent to dissolve caffeine that containing oils. Once roasted,coffee seeds must be stored properly to preserve the fresh taste of the seeds. Coffee seeds must be ground and brewed to create a beverage. Almost all methods of preparing coffee require the seeds to be ground and mixed with hot water long enough to extract the flavor,but without overextraction that draws out bitter compounds. The roasted coffee may be ground at a roaster,in a grocery store or in the home. Then,the coffee may be brewed by several methods such as boiled,steeped,or pressurized. Once brewed,coffee may be served in a variety of ways. As an example,the white coffee was made into dairy product such as milk or cream or dairy substitute or as a black coffee with no such addition. It may be sweetened with sugar or artificial sweetener.

Interim Report Example Essay

Introduction: This document contains the interim report of – This report will tell what has been achieved, what still needs to be done in every department in the organization and in which timeframe. The employees of the RB company have been working greatly and putting a lot of effort to be a stable company and ultimately grow into a successful company. This report will show the companies past activities and if they have been completed successfully. Moreover, this report will also include our future goals and perspectives. Overview Review Rainy Business was established in last semester and experienced a whole new process of running a business. The marketing department has taken part in the process of developing products and finding the right way to price, promote and to sell the products. Selling technique In the business plan the Marketing and Sales Department illustrated a specific analysis about the 4p’s. Especially in promotion, the focus was on substantially expanding the selling channel of the company. We thought about selling the different kinds of raincoats through twitter, facebook, personal selling, direct marketing and selling through a website, but eventually personal selling turned out to be the best selling technique for our product. Target group At the start of the life of the company the idea was to focus especially on tourists as target group. By selling our products in the city-center of Amsterdam the company discovered that everyone who needs a poncho fits our target market. Since tourists were not really willing to buy our company’s ponchos including the city-centre map Rainy Business decided to change our product line. Therefore the company does not focus on tourists anymore but on every person in crowded places who is in need of a poncho. Goals & Objectives Sales The company has bought several kinds of rain ponchos at the beginning of the 2nd period. After trying to sell the rain ponchos, Rainy Business discovered that the disposable rain ponchos were selling a lot easier. So the marketing department decided to focus on the disposable ponchos, simply because that generates the quick sales, which our company could really use, with concerning the financial position at the moment. Valentine’s Day The marketing department started to think of new proper dates to sell our rain ponchos and came up with the idea to sell on Valentine’s Day. The reason why Rainy Business is to believe that there will be a lot of sales that day, is due to the fact that our company will order ponchos in red and maybe in white, which represent the colors of love. Our marketing department believes that when you sell the ponchos in these colors at that very moment, that it will sell much better than normal. Market fair The annual Market Fair is coming up, so the marketing department thought of a way to attract people to our stand. And they came up with a few solutions, the first one was: create an Easter theme around the stand and maybe have some people dressing up as an Easter bunny. The second idea was: that the members of Rainy Business could have real live mannequins walking around with our ponchos in all different colors in order to attract people to our market place and of course in order to get the attention of the ladies and gentlemen walking around. End of year By the end of this year the company hopes to have sold enough ponchos to make a good profit. Another important goal is getting satisfaction of the shareholders, which could possibly lead to an after live of the Rainy Business. Production department Overview In the last couple of months, the production department has putted a lot of effort in satisfying the company’s expectations. The department did a lot of research, like researching different kind of products that we can sell. The production department first thought of producing and selling only one product, but then Rainy Business decided that it was better to sell different kinds of products, which are the disposable rain poncho, the basic rain poncho, the basic rain poncho with a belt and a basic rain poncho with a map. The production department was also responsible for holding the stock. What we achieved with the research process The ultimate test was when we found out that there were two companies who are also selling rain poncho’s. We had to make sure to make our product more recognizable and unique. And with secretly approaching our competitors we were capable of screening their product, so we were aware and strong enough to compete with our competitors. We achieved a bigger market share when we came to the conclusion to sell different kinds of products. Instead of one kind of raincoats we have four variants. Our customers can choose from different rain ponchos and feel free to compare them, when it comes to the quality and the prices. The production department worked together closely together with all the departments in the Rainy Business but especially with the marketing department. This made both departments became more effective and efficient to get to understand how the customers would like their rain ponchos. This information is important to keep updated of the wants of our targeted customers. The production department can respond to them with the rain poncho’s who are the closest to their desire to keep their satisfaction on a high level as we try to make profit in such a short term. This gives us space to stay innovative without disappointing the customers. It also gives us a bigger chance to extend our profits for now and in the future. What do we want to achieve. The production team has its own set of goals, where we work hard and contribute to our part of the company. Now that our company has been established some time ago, we have to see where we can add value to the current products to increase profit margin of the company. Goals & Objectives At this moment the production team will cut a product out of our current line, because it decreases our profits, since the sales of that product are not what we expected. However, the production department is already working on a formula to add value to our current products. And the goals for department these couple of months is to create new products, so that we can continu1e our company’s growth and to maintain a stable flow of products against the lowest prices, but a new strategy is required as well, since the one we used up till now didn’t work as we thought it would, the new strategy should be focused on what the customer wants instead of finding a reason for a customer to buy our products. In a few months from now, our department will create new stars for the company where we can rely on, and successfully turn them into cash cows. The final and maybe one of the most important goal of the production department is that we will create satisfaction by giving the cust omers something they need and want. How will we achieve that The production team is always thinking about new innovative ideas. Because one of our products did not sell as well as we thought it would sell, we decided to drop the product, which means that we will focus on the disposable poncho. At this moment, we are going to vary our product line by brighten up the ponchos. Rainy Business is planning on selling the product in several colors such as: red, orange and green. This way, the poncho will be more appealing and will get the consumers’ attention which will lead to a more profitable product. Another idea is to give our customers something extra so they will have another reason to buy our poncho. This will, of course, be something that suits our product and adds extra value to the product. Financial Department Overview During the first semester, there was a high level of uncertainty within the Financial Department. The main cause of this was that the amount of shares was constantly changing, and we do not have a bank account due to the delay of ABN AMRO. So we have been using one of the employees’ account, which makes us difficult to track on every transaction that the shareholders pay and the revenues we have earned. The financial department has tried to cooperate with the other departments as much as possible. This to figure out for example the exact costs, the final profit that indicates how many dividends can be declared to shareholders at the end of the year. Being aware of what influences the other departments may have an impact on the decisions that will be made in the financial department. Moreover, we had to deal with dropouts, which meant loosing shares and not being able to spend the reserved amount of money on the marketing department. Lastly one of our biggest issues was that shareholders did not pay on time. This gave us financial uncertainty of whether they were going to pay or not in the near future. As of now, shares are still not completely sold. After finding a cheaper supplier, Rainy business has been able to finance the products. This happened in November, which is shown in our financial plan. Goals & Objectives The previous financial plan indicated that Rainy business is planning to issue 75 shares. As a result, we got only 50 shares, gaining a startup capital of 1000 Euros. With this starting capital, the decision was made to order 140 pieces raincoat for first semester. 100pcs for disposable raincoats and 40pcs for the normal ones. The product costs for raincoat is 196.83 Euros. The Average Selling price for disposable raincoat was 2 Euro ,for normal raincoat was 4.99 Euro, for raincoat with belt was 5.99 Euro, for raincoat with map was 6.99 Euro. The revenue for the entire business year will approximately be 442 Euro if we sold all of the 140pcs of raincoats. Now, we have already earned the amount of revenues of approximately 282 Euro. Achievements & Failures 1. Product After effort of one semester, our sales are doing quite well. We have learned how to work as a team, communicating with international people who comes from different countries, learn their culture, as well as how consumers establish a good relationship, in which also encountered many difficulties. For example, miscommunication, money are missing sometimes but we have accumulated valuable experience. 2. Marketing Expense We did not spend anything for marketing, even market research. The thing we only have to do is to persuade customers to buy our products. 3. Shares Unfortunately, the goals of attaining 75 shares have not been achieved. At the moment, Rainy Business only has 50 shares in total with a capital of 1000 Euro. This is due to the dropped out of employees during the business year. Even though these problems occurred, we still have enough. 4. Revenue Fortunately, our sales are doing quite well. We have already earned an amount of 294 Euros this includes some money which is going to be received soon. We still have enough capital to sustain and also order new products. If everything stays on track, our company will make a lot of profit at the end of the business year. Human Resource Department Overview The Human Resource Department has been a crucial element to the functioning of the organization. Rainy Business has recognized the importance of the working relations inside the company from the beginning on. Therefore the department has gone through a number of affairs with the personnel. These will be further detailed in the following paragraphs. Contract of employment The department has engaged in preparing the contract of employment. The contract embraces the demerit system and includes restrictions regarding apparel, absence and responsibilities. The contract has been signed during one-on-one conversations with the employees. Personal conversations During the confidential conversations the Human Resource department was able to evaluate the mindset of each individual. Their motivations, abilities, concerns, frustrations and ideas had a primary focus in midst of the conversations. The evaluations have been recorded in personal profiles and considered in the development of the organization. Satisfaction survey Also, all employees have been requested to fill in a survey appealed to value their level of satisfaction in the organization. On basis of views on the organization’s managers, employees’ contributions, task division and other criteria the Human Resource Department was given the opportunity to better the company as well as the working relationships among employees. Demerit system To maintain continuity and the ability to progress, the Human Resource Department has had to occupy in attributing demerits. The department has chosen to limit itself to demerits solitary since its main aim is to motivate employees to participate in the progress of the organization. A merit system would not be necessary and is therefore replaced by employee of the month announcements. Sales pitch Once the other departments had concluded their business activities regarding the attainment of shareholders and the stocking of supplies, the Human Resource Department decided to organize a sales pitch. In this sales pitch selling ideas and former experiences from all employees were brought forward. Team-building activity To both conclude the first few months of existence and to learn on a personal level about each colleague, the Human Resource Department organized a team-building activity. The activity consisted of a laser gaming trip and a dinner at a restaurant. Goals & Objectives When we take a look into the future, it looks very promising. The core competence of the Human Resource Department is that we want the employees to continue feeling comfortable with each other. To achieve this the Human Resource Department will try to build a stronger relationship with the employees. When an employee will feel as a part of the company, he or she will do his or her best to achieve the maximum of productivity. To achieve this goal the Human Resource Department will keep the same working-methods which we saw in the past. Demerit-system and the employee of the month: The Human Resource Department will keep working and using the demerit system and we will announce an new employee of the month. At the end of each month the new employee of the month will be introduced to the group members and the employee will receive a certificate. We use this method to show our employees that we appreciate that they deliver good work. Unfortunately that will not always be the case; sometimes an employee can miss a deadline or be too late at meetings. This can happen to everyone, but to make sure that this will not repeat more often the Human Resource Department set up rules where there is a part which says that missing one deadline a employee will receive 10 demerits and being late without notification will give you 2 demerits. The reason for receive 10 demerits for missing a deadline is because being late with finishing your task can damage the whole company. Everyone works together and everything is linked to each other, so if one person will miss the deadline the others can not continue doing their job. If you have 10 demerits you will get one official warning. If you get another 10 demerits you will get your second official warning. And if you get 10 demerits again, the employee will leave no other choice for the company but to let him or her go. When the employee get 10 demerits they will get a appointment with one of the members of the Human Resource Department who will guide the employee through the process, and they have to represent their new goal which has to be SMARTER and present that to the member of the Human Resource Department. Build/maintain the relationships with the employees: In the past we saw good results from this system, and want to maintain the improvements. One of the most important task for the Human Resource Department is to build trust with the employees and a good relationship, so if there will be conflicts in the company the employees will feel comfortable to communicate with one of the members of the Human Resource Department. To achieve this goal the employees of Rainy Business will get appointments with one or more member from the Human Resource Department, where the employee will get some questions about how they feel at work and if the want to say anything. The Human Resources department believe s that if we maintain delivering good quality to the company, this will lead the company into an positive and interesting future.

Analysis on “Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert Browning Essay Essay Example

Analysis on â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† by Robert Browning Essay Essay Example Analysis on â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† by Robert Browning Essay Paper Analysis on â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† by Robert Browning Essay Paper In â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† . Robert Browning dramatically builds strength and exhibits the diminution in the situation’s stableness to show the at hand day of reckoning of the characters’ love. The puzzling tone suggests the fright in the lover’s bosom would shortly get the better of him – the fright of the fate of their out love. Throughout the verse form. Browning intensifies the state of affairs indicated by each narrative displacement. There are several cases of this which correspond to a new action or a fresh point of position. In line 21. the passage from â€Å"me† to â€Å"she† occurs at the dash. bespeaking a new expression on the state of affairs. Before the hyphenated displacement. the verse form was a wholly factual history of the actions taking topographic point ; it was ramping. Porphyria came indoors. she sat down following to her â€Å"lover† and so at the dash. the talker begins analysing the state of affairs and construing her words. This creates suspense because it places the control of the verse form into the custodies of her lover. The 2nd displacement occurs between lines 39 and forty-one. This is. possibly. the most thrilling and cliff-hanging point in the verse form. Predating this narrative displacement. a sense of discordance was hardly present between the two characters. This is noticed when Porphyria attempts to talk to her lover and â€Å"no voice relpl [ ies ] † ( line 15 ) . At the displacement. the secret plan climactically intensifies when he strangles her to decease. This dismaying action goes farther to turn out the presence of fright in the bosom of the talker. He could see no other sensible class of action to take that would decide their love’s quandary but to stop it – with every bit small residuary hurting as possible. Simultaneously. the poet utilizations usually guiltless and customary descriptions in a manner that highlight the debasement of the state of affairs at manus. When Porphyria entered the bungalow. she â€Å"withdrew [ her ] dripping cloak and shawl. / and laid her dirty baseball mitts by† ( lines 11-12 ) . This comparatively common act reveals something greater about the state of affairs. When she came out of the dark stormy dark and took off her cloak. she finally opens herself up wholly to her lover. but the soil on her baseball mitts indicate something is incorrect. something dark about their yesteryear. Even more. this act shows the parturiency placed upon her from the outside world’s letdown ; nevertheless. with him. she feels comfy and trusts him wholly. This is all boding to the horrific events yet to take topographic point and how their â€Å"struggling passion† would shortly be relieved. The devices reveal the backwards ethical motives of the verse form. the result of ill-destined love. and the fatal change of human behaviour when tainted by passion and clouded with fright. The thrilling and changeless add-on of suspense along with the fade outing strength of the secret plan achieves the poet’s end of making a spectacularly cliff-hanging rendering of a love narrative.

Rise of the Church of England essays

Rise of the Church of England essays The Church of England was formed by King Henry III for political reasons and not religious. One of the reasons Henry VIII changed the religion in his country is because he wanted a son and since he believed his wife could no longer have children he wanted a divorce from her. Henry called Parliament into session and asked it to pass laws that would end the popes power in England and thus be able to divorce his wife. Parliament voted and approved The Act of Supremacy. All of this was brought about because of Henrys desire to have a son. Henry wanted to have a son even though he already had a daughter, Mary, from his wife Catherine. However, he wanted a son to inherit the throne because he knew that no woman had ever successfully claimed the English throne. He desperately wanted to divorce is 42 year old wife, Catherine, because he believed that she would no longer have children and be able to give him a son. He wanted to divorce her and marry someone younger who could produce a son. Henry asked the Pope to annul his marriage but the Pope refused because Church law forbade divorce. Henry then sought to take matters into his hands. Henry decided to solve the problem by himself. He called Parliament into session and asked it to pass laws that would end the Popes power in England. The Parliament session during this time (1529 to 1534) came to be known as the Reformation Parliament. In 1533, Henry secretly married Anne Boleyn, who was in her early twenties. Parliament legalized the divorce from Catherine. These events lead to the Act of Supremacy which made the King, not Pope, the official head of Englands Church. The Act of Supremacy made the King the head of Englands Church. This allowed King Henry the freedom to do basically what he wanted. Henrys marriage to Anne Boleyn did not produce the son he so much wanted but a daughter, Elizabeth. This caused Anne Boleyn to fall out of He...

Punctuation with Conjunctions

Punctuation with Conjunctions Punctuation with Conjunctions Punctuation with Conjunctions By Mark Nichol The rules for punctuating in proximity to simple coordinating conjunctions (and, but, and or) are straightforward, but writers can become confused about when and where to put a comma or other punctuation. Sentences that illustrate the basics, and a discussion of each, follow. When a conjunction links an independent clause (one that could stand on its own as a sentence) with a dependent clause (one that would form an incomplete sentence), omit internal punctuation: â€Å"She went to the pool and took a swim,† or â€Å"She went to the pool but did not swim.† (â€Å"She went to the pool† is an independent clause; â€Å"took a swim† and â€Å"did not swim† are dependent.) When a conjunction links two independent clauses, precede it with a comma: â€Å"She went to the pool, and then she took a swim,† or â€Å"She went to the pool, but she did not swim.† (â€Å"Then she took a swim† and â€Å"she did not swim† are independent clauses.) The comma may be omitted for a very short compound sentence such as â€Å"She swam and then she ate†; longer sentences, such as the examples given earlier in this paragraph, are often written without internal punctuation, but doing so is not recommended, and for consistency, even brief sentences with two independent clauses should include a comma. A comma should not follow a conjunction unless it is the first of two commas framing a parenthetical phrase, as in â€Å"She went to the pool and, soothed by the cool water, took a swim† and â€Å"She went to the pool but, chilled by the cold water, did not swim.† (Said another way, don’t precede a verb with a comma unless the comma closes a parenthetical.) These commas bracket â€Å"soothed by the cool water† and â€Å"chilled by the cold water,† respectively, which, when omitted, leave the sentences â€Å"She went to the pool and took a swim† and â€Å"She went to the pool but did not swim,† which do not require internal punctuation. A pair of em dashes or parentheses can take the place of the two commas: When the parenthesis is abrupt or provocative, use em dashes, as in â€Å"She went to the pool and- undeterred by the piranhas- took a swim.† When the interruption is subtle or offered as an aside, use parentheses, as in â€Å"She went to the pool and (though she felt tired) took a swim.† Although older literature, especially that written in British English, can be found that employs both a semicolon and a conjunction to provide a stronger contrast between two independent clauses (â€Å"She went to the pool; but she did not swim†), this is now considered incorrect, because the semicolon and the conjunction are redundant to each other. If you use a semicolon, the sentence should be rendered as follows: â€Å"She went to the pool; she did not swim.† Use of a comma in place of a semicolon in such a sentence is incorrect; this error is called a comma splice. Sentences in which or connects clauses should follow the same guidelines: â€Å"She went to the pool or the beach,† â€Å"She went to the pool, or she went to the beach,† â€Å"She went to the pool or, depending on the weather, the beach.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 101Confusing "Passed" with "Past"Running Errands and Doing Chores

4.2. American Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

4.2. American Revolution - Essay Example George Washington who is counted in the list of the founding fathers of the country did not have a very comfortable childhood and he became a land surveyor during his teenage. His assessment of land helped him when he became a part of the military. He was made the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in the year 1775. Following this, he performed his duties in an extraordinary way leading his soldiers to victory eventually. He did not give up hope and kept on pushing for the fight to continue which then became the reason for the surrendering of the British troops in the year 1781. His important decisions during the period of war were the unexpected attacks on the military bases at Trenton in 1776 and at Princeton in the year 1777 2. The success of Washington and his popularity during the American Revolution led him to become the first President of the United States of America in 1789. His services in the war are still remembered and he was an important figure of the Revolution3 (Learning 2008). Blythe, Bob. 2008. â€Å"George Washington.† The American Revolution.National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. 2008. Accessed March 28, 2013.

The Reaction of the Markets to the Step of ECB to Raise Interest Rates Term Paper

The Reaction of the Markets to the Step of ECB to Raise Interest Rates - Term Paper Example According to the monetary theory, the reverse effect should have taken place- the prices of the bond should have been decreased, whereas euro should have appreciated. However, this reaction can be explained by the fact that Mr. Trichet-the president of ECB reiterated that the latest move of the ECB should not be treated as an indication of the policy of high interest rates. The reaction of the market that followed can be explained by the confidence of investors in a more cautious approach of ECB, as the appreciation of the Euro ceased after new announcements of Mr. Trichet. After all, there is little doubt that the financial experts of ECB do not realize that high-interest rate of ECB which might entail appreciation of Euro and tightening of available pools of credit may hamper economic growth in the European area. This step can be viewed as an attempt (apparently temporarily) to combat the high level of inflation. It is too early to say whether this decision will seriously affect economic growth in European countries. According to OECD, the raising of interest rate could wait until the middle of 2006 when more robust economic growth is expected. However, countries of EU differ in economic, financial and political terms, with weak growth in Germany and France and stronger one in Spain and Ireland; after Maastricht agreements, none of the countries mentioned has the opportunity to regulate the growth in the country by traditional methods of the money supply. Overall, the economic growth in the European countries was less than in the USA (4.3% in the USA against 2.6% in the countries of European Union) and it affected major industrial nations of the EU. If the trend of appreciation of the Euro currency continues, it may hamper export- one of the vital elements of economic recovery in European countries and reduce the long term competitiveness of European companies.  

The Role of Computer Technology in the human race Research Paper

The Role of Computer Technology in the human race - Research Paper Example This ability to compute large amounts of data within very less time provided the basis of conducting analysis and comprehensive overall views of scenarios. Thus, computing assisted man immensely and was able to put to maximum use all the sources that were at hand to him. Literally speaking, Computer technology refers to the process of planning, constructing, designing and implementing a computer system. Since the basic meaning of ‘compute’ is calculate thus computing something was calculating it The History of computer technology can roughly be traced back to the year 1940 in which the first programmable computers were built for the very first time. The first computer ever built was the size of a typical modern bedroom and consumed power equivalent to that consumed by a couple hundred modern day computers. To give you the perception of the potential this computer was, think about the first generation IPhone. Yes, in fact the Phone was a significantly more powerful machin e than the first â€Å"supercomputer†. Back In those days, institutions had to dedicate a special room just for the computer lab server. The Temperature had to be on point ever single minute of the day or else the computer lab would become over heated. 1971 saw the advent of the microprocessor. The size of computers reduced considerably with this invention. The first Intel microprocessor had the name Intel 4004 associated with it. The advent of microprocessors then paved a very rapid way to the Personal Computers, Laptops and then eventually the present day tablets. Computer technology has excelled manifolds in the past seventy years; think about all the different features available on a modern day computer; you can email, draw, chat instantly with other people around the world, watch movies, download and listen to music, create your own music, build your own computer, design blueprints of the worlds most sophisticated buildings, you can do practically anything you desire on a modern day computer. Technology incorporated in present day computer CPU’s, memory, hard drive space, etc. is multiplying year by year without us even acknowledging how it is benefiting us. Engineers are constantly striving to figure out how to improve battery life, power consumption, and even most importantly, cost. For example, the Apple Ipad is the most user friendly tablet in the market and also the most advance when it comes to the components inside, yet the cost is only a few hundred dollars. Since its initiation the technology of computing devices has been of assistance and productivity for man. Specifically it may be said that this technology accompanies unimaginable horizons of positive aspects within it most of which are yet to be discovered and explored. Everywhere around us we see innumerable advantages of computer technology. May it be education, health or everyday use computer technology has been beneficial for man by extensive means. Though the advent of comp uter technology in the present times has primarily been extremely beneficial for mankind it does accompany certain drawbacks as well. These drawbacks may become potential hazards if not addressed with timely and appropriate measures. This perfectly comes in line with that technology behaves like a ‘double edged sword’ (Kurzweil) and, C. P. Snow, who is a renowned English physicist and novelist, said that, â€Å"Technology†¦is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in

Acounting mangerial project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Acounting mangerial project - Assignment Example The issue of total quality management usually focuses on the quality of products or services that are been offered by Barber foods. The company deals with ser ices and products. The services that are involved in the delivery of food and the selling of food need to be perfect so as to be appealing to the customers. The customers require satisfactory products and services so as to become loyal to the company products. As a result of that, barber foods has invested a lot on the delivery of food products and the means through which the products are delivered. That is in an attempt to ensure that there is customer satisfaction (Caplan, 14). The advantage of the company applying the technique is the fact that the provision of quality usually helps in the cutting of costs. According to analyst, the best way in which a company can become cost effective is only by the company eliminating any sorts of defects that may occur at any point of manufacturing and that will help cut on costs that are not necessary. The main aim of using total quality management is t ensure that there are controls that are preventive that help in the prevention of defects that occur. The just in time technique is a technique whereby the products of a company are made available when needed. That is a useful strategy for barber foods because it deals with food which is a perishable product. That means that the availability of a stock that is large could lead to a loss to the company. Just in time strategy usually deals with the company availing its products when required by the customer. That means that there will be no instances of company costs resulting from perishable goods or any instances of stock outs because the products will be made available when required. The use of JIT has helped Barber foods to cut costs on work in progress, finished goods, and raw materials. It has led to the reduction of holding costs that is associated with stock and reduction

Coca-Cola India Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Coca-Cola India - Case Study Example The company's re-entry into the Indian market was through a strategic alliance with Parle Exports which was owned by Ramesh Chauhan (ICFAI Center for Management Research (ICMR)). Parle Exports entered the soft drinks market in late 1970s and this was the time when the government pressures forced Coca-Cola to exit the Indian market. Through the strategic alliance, Coca-Cola India gained the ownership of 5 popular brands of Parle Exports namely Thums Up, Limca, Maaza, Citra and Gold Spot with a market share of around 60%, and a well established network of 56 bottlers. All these five brands were the leading and most popular soft drink brands which were initially owned by Parle and later take over by CCI. Coca-Cola India wanted to tap the vast rural market of India. The company did so by creating a tag line which almost every common man of India is well versed with - "Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola." As part of this initiative to tap rural India, in the year 2002, Coca-Cola India launched a new advertising campaign featuring leading Bollywood star Aamir Khan with the above mentioned tag line. The advertisement was targeted at rural and semi-urban consumers. According the sources from inside the company, the idea was to position Coca-Cola as a generic brand for cool drinks and at the same time also to support CCI's rural marketing initiatives. The company seriously started focusing on the rural market in the early 2000s with an aim to increase sales volumes. This decision was nothing to get surprised about if the huge untapped rural Indian market was looked at. Nevertheless, it is a fact that the real market in India is in the rural areas and if any company can tap it in the right way, there is a tremendous potential (Carratu). "The company's strategy to tap the rural market was based on three A's - Availability, Affordability and Acceptability. The first 'A' - Availability emphasized on the availability of the product to the customer; the second 'A' - Affordability focused on the pricing of the product, and third 'A' - Acceptability focused on convincing the customer to buy the product (Research) (ICFAI Center for Management Research)." After entering the rural market in India, CCI focused on strengthening its distribution network there. The company realized that the centralized distribution system used by the company in the urban areas would not be suitable for rural areas. In the centralized distribution system, the product was transported directly from the bottling plants to retailers, but the company realized that this kind of distribution system would not be effective in rural markets as the transportation of stocks directly from bottling plants to retail stores would be very costly due to the long distances that need to be covered. The other alternative that the company looked at was a hub and spoke distribution system. "Under this kind of system, stock used to get transported from the bottling plants to hubs and then from hubs, the stock was transported to spokes which were situated in small towns. These spokes in turn fed the retailers catering to the demand in rural areas. Apart from changing the distribut ion model, the company also

Acounting mangerial project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Acounting mangerial project - Assignment Example The issue of total quality management usually focuses on the quality of products or services that are been offered by Barber foods. The company deals with ser ices and products. The services that are involved in the delivery of food and the selling of food need to be perfect so as to be appealing to the customers. The customers require satisfactory products and services so as to become loyal to the company products. As a result of that, barber foods has invested a lot on the delivery of food products and the means through which the products are delivered. That is in an attempt to ensure that there is customer satisfaction (Caplan, 14). The advantage of the company applying the technique is the fact that the provision of quality usually helps in the cutting of costs. According to analyst, the best way in which a company can become cost effective is only by the company eliminating any sorts of defects that may occur at any point of manufacturing and that will help cut on costs that are not necessary. The main aim of using total quality management is t ensure that there are controls that are preventive that help in the prevention of defects that occur. The just in time technique is a technique whereby the products of a company are made available when needed. That is a useful strategy for barber foods because it deals with food which is a perishable product. That means that the availability of a stock that is large could lead to a loss to the company. Just in time strategy usually deals with the company availing its products when required by the customer. That means that there will be no instances of company costs resulting from perishable goods or any instances of stock outs because the products will be made available when required. The use of JIT has helped Barber foods to cut costs on work in progress, finished goods, and raw materials. It has led to the reduction of holding costs that is associated with stock and reduction

Discuss the view that increased regulation will not necessarily lead Essay - 1

Discuss the view that increased regulation will not necessarily lead to higher ethical standards - Essay Example t would have been so then companies to maintain the conduct of its employees ethically sound would have been competing on number of regulations than their effectiveness. Hence, this paper is aimed to support the view that increased regulation does not necessarily increase the ethical standards. On developing the general argument, this paper will also attempt to develop support from variation in accounting and auditing treatments with level of compliance to financial regulation and ethical standard. In the end, it would suggest ways to increase ethical standard of firms and especially accounting and auditing professionals. Concerns regarding the ethical conduct of the business have gained increased attention since recent past. Accurate to state would be to mention the point in time when corporate scandals mainly Enron scandal unveiled and resulted in huge fines, reputational loss and even sentenced to jail (BBC News, 2002). It proved to be the earthquake in trust of stakeholders on the validity of information presented by firms and increased cynicism about the accounting practices worldwide (Enderle, 2004). This shake accounted the top management of the firm for the fraudulent act mainly and the question to be posed to entire mechanism that remained in-capable to indentify the deceiving accounting practices were given least or no punishments (Enderle, 2004). In the mentioned case, it was desirable to correct the existing regulation with focus to eliminate the flaws. This exercise presumably was expected to have more constructive results. The role of auditors in particular became a question mark after this scandal. Moreover on adoption of the corrective measures, the impact of current financial crises was also expected to have been mitigated to some extent; if couldn’t be eliminated in full (Argandona, 2012).Contrary to this and without taking lessons from Enron case, increased regulations were imposed on businesses. Increased regulation provided more options to

Usefulness of participant observation to sociologists Essay Example for Free

Usefulness of participant observation to sociologists Essay Using information from the items and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of participant observation to sociologists. Participant Observation is a method of data collection that takes advantage of the human ability to empathise. It is often most useful to interpretist sociologists, as the data gathered is usually qualitative, and the research is invariably low in reliability. It is also high in validity, as the information is shared in a trusting environment. However, it is important to remember subjects may exaggerate for sympathy or to boast. There is a lot of depth and interaction involved in participant observation, therefore the data cannot be turned into measurable statistics. This is good for a sociologist using a micro, or bottom up approach, as they require feeling and opinions rather than numbers, as with positivists. Having said this, Emile Durkheim regarded suicide as a social fact, and used suicide statistics as hard evidence to explain a persons behaviour. Participant observation is adopted by sociologists aiming to discover the nature of reality, and get involved with other peoples interpretation and understanding of particular social environments. Thus it is sometimes referred to as a naturalistic method. Researchers want to put themselves in the shoes of another way of life, to get to the heart and live it as it is. Participant observers face many difficulties in getting accepted by the group they wish to study, especially if they use a covert approach, as trust has to be gained and the researcher must ensure they blend in, and not arouse suspision. Getting discovered would not only cause trouble, and even gage violent reactions, but would also waste a lot of time and money spent on the observation. For example, BBC reporter Donal Macintyre put himself at risk when he studied football hooliganism, or more specifically, the Chelsea headhunters. In order for him to get accepted by the group, he had to do a lot of background research using secondary sources. Not only this, but he had to to ensure his appearance and the way he acted was the same as the other hooligans. This conforming included getting a Chelsea tattoo, and even learning how to swear and smoke properly. Although this process is time consuming, and even drastic, the results he gained led to the arrest of several of the men, and exposed this behaviour. However, he put himself at great danger, as he could of been found out at any time, and was fully exposed after the programme was shown on TV. Therefore it is important to weigh up the pros and cons of participant observation before a sociologist decides on their method. The sociologist gains very in depth data by getting their information first hand, yet it is impossible to make generalisations from this data as it is usually a very select group of people, who may not represent the wider picture. Participant observation is usuful for those who have a particular interest in a subject, as they would get to see the world through the eyes of those people. Also, an interest is important otherwise the research may be half hearted and the researcher would likely know what to look for. Participant observation is a very useful, and possibly the only way of gaining access to a group involved in criminal or other socially unacceptable acts. For example, James Patrick (1973) covertly studied a Glasgow gang. No other form of research would have gained such in-depth results. Even an overt approach would not have been suitable, as the knowledge of a reaseacher in their gang would probably have changed their whole behaviour, and it would have been very difficult for James to get access into their gang, and impossible to gain their trust. The gang would never admit to these acts in questionnaires or other forms of research, as they never had to answer anything to James, he just went along with what they did. A similar situation is William Whytes study of a street corner gang in Boston. He became a member of their gang, and learnt that asking questions often resulted in the subjects closing up to him. Instead he listened, and found out more that way than if they had answered his questions. This shows how useful participant observation is to sociologists, as information can be discovered that would never have occurred to them in another form of research, and correlations can be made within their social group. For example, Donal Macintyre discovered a link between fascism and football hooliganism, which he may not even have considered before his observation. In important factor to keep in mind is the ethical issues involved in covert participant observation. It should only be fair that people give concent to their being observed, yet this knowledge may affect the results. Sociologists should bare in mind how their research could affect the lives of the subject and their families. Laud Humphreys studied homosexuals by acting as a gay voyeur or a watch-queen in toilets. He then got some of the mens addresses and a year later interviewed them as part of a heath survey. This may be seen as highly unethical, as he is getting involved in the families of his subjects. Polsky researched pool hustlers overtly in 1971. Polsky was against covert research: You damned well better not pretend to be one of them, because they will test this claim out and one of two things will happen: either you will get sucked into participant observation of the sort you would rather not undertake, or you will be exposed, with still grater negative consequences. You must let the criminals know who you are and if it is done properly it does not sabotage the research. With participant observation comes the problem of how to record findings accurately, in a way which is unbiased and accurate. Donal Macintyre used a covert camera to record his findings, which could then be transcripted and studied. This meant Donal was not relying on his memory, and personal interpretation did not get in the way of his results. Field diaries are often used by sociologists. Erving Goffman used a field diary in his study of asylums. He wrote down his findings at the end of the day. It is clear to see the obvious problems of accuracy here, as he may forget vital things, and his personal ideas will affect the way he interprets things.

The King Lears Enlightenment English Literature Essay

The King Lears Enlightenment English Literature Essay In King Lear, Lear goes through a process of attaining a true insight of himself, human nature, and the world. At the beginning, the vanity and the self-image of ultimate power dominate his character. However, a series of loss throughout his life provides him with many precious lessons about the conception of true love, about the nature of a man after rejecting his power, and about the real poverty of people around him. After the unexpected attitude of two older daughters, Lear realizes that real love is manifested not in words. At the beginning, a strong need for praise is set as a standard which he uses to divide his kingdom among his daughters. The one who praises him most will receive the largest dowry. Lear also finds himself blind to assume his reward will ensure his accommodation in the future. However, the following reality hurts him strongly. It is also the turning point for Lear when he realizes his partial blindness and learns the lesson about true love. When his daughters are reluctant to accept him in their houses, he shouts: O, how this mother swells up toward my heart! / Histerica passio, down, thou climbing sorrow; / Thy elements below.-Where is this daughter?(7.224-226). Histerica passio is referred to one kind of mental illness, and Lears sickness is the surprise, the fear, and ultimately, the pain in his heart. His previous assumption about his daughters love is destroyed. They sa id they loved him strongly, but where is this daughter?, he disappointedly asks himself without any reply. They just show their love when they need Lears reward of property; however, when Lear needs an accommodation, no one accepts him. Lear shouts how this mother swells up toward my heart to illustrate that an extreme sorrow fills up his mind and his heart. He cannot suffer it and runs off into a storm. The power of the storm elevates the process of change within Lear. What he changes is how he sees himself and his daughters. He realizes that his daughters love is for his kingdom, not for him. O Regan, Gonoril, / Your old kind father, whose frank heart gave you all- / O, that way madness lies (11.18-20), he states. The term frank heart can be interpreted in two different ways. It may be the divided kingdom Lear gives to his daughters, or it can be his strong hope and belief toward their loves they show up in the love test. In either meaning, he gives them to his daughters already. However, now Lear receives nothing, except their ungratefulness. Their love is just a rhetorical promise, or, more painfully, a lying story. Consequently, that way makes his madness. His enlightenment also illustrates when he insists, Ha, Gonoril! Ha, Regan! They flattered me like a dog, and told me I had white hairs in my beard ere the black ones were there à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ When the rain came to wet me once, and the wind to make me chatter, when the thunder would not peace at my bidding, there I smelt them out. Go to, they are not men of their words. They told me I was everything; tis a lie, I am not ague-proof. (20.95-103). He uses an interesting metaphor the rain came to wet me to illustrate that his old assumption about his daughters love was wiped out of his mind. His suffering in the storm has brought him new insight that they are not men of their words. They swore they loved him to attain his kingdom, but then they betray their words. He subtly uses the term not argue-proof to show how desperate he is when gradually seeing the treachery of his daughters, Goneril and Regan. Argue-proof refers to the immune to fever or shivering, but, in this context, he is not argue-proof. He is a normal human-being so he still gets extreme hurt when his daughters betray their love toward him. True love should be expressed by action rather than by hollow words, and capturing that lesson requires Lear to ask for the forgiveness when he has made an error. The primary point about true love assumption is apparently illustrated when Lear meets his true daughter, Cordelia. She refused to exaggerate her love toward him and be banished, but she returned to take care of him. Experiencing her kindness, Lear easily feels that she truly loves him; consequently, he regrets about his folly treatment to her before. He offers to Cordelia, if you have poison for me, I will drink it. (21.69). Lear is in a state of illusion, but also of great humility because he knows he has wrongly punished her when it was her sisters who should have suffered that treatment. Lear shows more of his humility when he asks his daughter, Cordelia: You must bear with me. / Pray now, forget and forgive. I am old / And foolish. (21.82-84). An almighty king as Lear, of course, hardly says he is foolish, but now Lear does. It proves that Lear himself admits his previous serious blindness about love, and he gains a new visionary insight which is accompanied by a true humility. A series of loss throughout the play teaches him a lesson in common humanity. People respect him just for his title. Once he gives it up, he is totally powerless and becomes a normal man like others. His position as a successful king leads him to overestimate his power, and he thinks of himself as almost a God. This perspective turns out to be a fatal mistake only when the first acts of disobedience of his daughters occur. He confusedly re-evaluates himself: Doth any her know me? / Why, this is not Lear. Doth Lear walk thus, speak thus? Where are his eyes? / Either his notion weakens, or his discerning are lethargies. Sleeping or waking, ha? / Sure, tis not so. / Who is it that can tell me who I am? / Lears shadow? I would learn that, for by the marks/ Of sovereignty, knowledge, and reason/ I should be false persuaded I have daughters (4.215-225). Many questions are raised in succession, expressing clearly Lears confusion about his real power. Sleeping or walking, ha? These terms su ggest his incredulity at what seems to happen in front of him. He always assumes he can keep his daughters in line by virtue of his authority as a father, but, in fact, he loses all of his privileged position. That reality makes him frustrated. Additionally, the self-question who is it that can tell me who I am? / Lears shadow? demonstrates that Lear begins to realize the amount of control he possesses and his position in his own kingdom. Its not Lear himself any longer, yet Lears shadow. An image of an egocentric king is replaced by one of a powerless, weak, and despised old man. The struggle in his self-esteem causes him to run madly into a storm. At this time, he acknowledges that he has nothing. Additionally, when Lear meets Tom, the beggar, in the storm, he discovers humans as no more than animals, except how we wear clothes. Clothing makes him a king and nothing else. He sees all of humanity in a bare level: Is man no more but this? Consider him well. Thou owest the worm no si lk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume. Heres three ons are sophisticated; thou are the thing itself. Unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art. (11.92-97). By listing a lot of nice material from the animal for his clothes like silk of worm or wool of sheep, Lear illustrates that only clothing distinguishes between him and the beggar. Once they remove their clothes, they are equally unaccommodated man. Accordingly, Lear thinks the way to reach at mans essence is to uncover human nature; in particular, he strips away his clothing to cast aside his customary status as a king and therefore bring himself in line with common image of humanity embodied in the poor beggar. Clearly, Lear changes his vision about human nature in which his kingship is just a symbolic status; he is still a normal man once he rejects his coverings. During the storm, Lear also learns about the poverty of people around him. He begins to think of the poor who suffer the extreme storm with the little that they have: Poor naked wretches, wheresoeer you are, / That bide the pelting of this pitiless night, / How shall you houseless heads and unfed sides, / Your looped and windowed raggedness, defend you / From seasons such as these? (11.25-29). He effectively uses many lively words such as houseless heads or looped and windowed raggedness to draw in the readers mind a picture of how harsh the poors condition is during the storm. He raises his concern for the poor as a big question that he had never posed in his life before. By those details, Lear approaches the notion of wide sympathies with his fellow sufferers, with the naked Poor Tom, and with the poor wretches. Now he feels the same needs like others and the basics needs of human beings when struggling with the nature. O, I have taen/ Too little care of this. Take physic, pomp,/ E xpose thyself to feel what wretches feel,/ That thou mayst shake the superflux to them/ and show the heaves more just (11.29-33), he states. With the regretful tone by the term I have taen / Too little care of this, Lear now has a better idea of how he should use his power as a king. He finally realizes that the throne must associate with privileges as well as obligations. Lears new lessons involves realizing that he was blind in judging the love of his daughters toward him, that all men are equal and it is only the clothes that make them different, and that many people in his kingdom are struggling with their poverty. The self-discovery in King Lear is not just for Lear himself, but also for other characters like Gloucester or Albany. Though most characters finally paid for their late self-awareness with their lives, what would their lives have been without it? The play has a sad ending, but its lessons still remain in any audiences mind.

stds :: essays research papers

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Essay written by: "pci" STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) are diseases that are transmitted through sexual intercourse with another domestic partner. Usually STD’s are transmitted through oral, anal, vaginal, or other sexually active bodily contact. Sexually Transmitted Diseases are 100% avoidable. There are many techniques, but the most effective way is to have sexual intercourse with only one partner in your whole life, making sure that your partner didn’t have sexual involvements with anyone else. Another method is a condom. A condom fits over the male erect penis, to protect both partners of any diseases that may possibly exist. It is also vital to buy the right kind of condom. Some condoms are porous, which means bacteria can travel through the holes as well as sperm. A good condom would be one with a small latex tip to avoid breaking of the condom. Overall, latex condoms are good ways to prevent STD’s and pregnancy, but they do break, so its not 100% guaranteed to prevent pregn ancy or disease. There are many methods out there, but the most effective method is to have sexual intercourse with one partner. Who thought that sex would be easy? It’s not. Nowadays we have tons of diseases, which are fatal. Only some of them are curable, and some can be slowed down. But all of them can be prevented. The most common sexually transmitted diseases are: Chlamidia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes(Simplex II), NGU(Nongonicoccal Urethritis), Vaginitis, Genital Warts, Pubic Lice/Scabies, AIDS, and Hepatitis. Chlamidia is a disease, which is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse. If you had this disease, you would experience bleeding between menstrual periods, abdominal pain, and painful urination. There is another term for painful urination. It is called â€Å"urinary tract infection†. This group includes Cystititis or Urethritis caused by Gonorrhea or Chlamidia. Fortunately, this disease can be treated unlike many STDs. Actually treatment of Chlamidia is quite simple. Some antibiotics, doxycycline, tetracycline, or zithromax will cure the problem within a week – a month. If this disease is not handled, urination will be more complicated due to the enlargement of the prostate gland in a male, your reproductive organs will malfunction and get damaged, and this disease can be transmitted to the fetus when a woman is pregnant. Gonorrhea is usually the cause of heart trouble and abdominal problems. It is a treatable disease, which takes some time. Usually daily doses of antibiotics will cure this problem. stds :: essays research papers Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Essay written by: "pci" STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) are diseases that are transmitted through sexual intercourse with another domestic partner. Usually STD’s are transmitted through oral, anal, vaginal, or other sexually active bodily contact. Sexually Transmitted Diseases are 100% avoidable. There are many techniques, but the most effective way is to have sexual intercourse with only one partner in your whole life, making sure that your partner didn’t have sexual involvements with anyone else. Another method is a condom. A condom fits over the male erect penis, to protect both partners of any diseases that may possibly exist. It is also vital to buy the right kind of condom. Some condoms are porous, which means bacteria can travel through the holes as well as sperm. A good condom would be one with a small latex tip to avoid breaking of the condom. Overall, latex condoms are good ways to prevent STD’s and pregnancy, but they do break, so its not 100% guaranteed to prevent pregn ancy or disease. There are many methods out there, but the most effective method is to have sexual intercourse with one partner. Who thought that sex would be easy? It’s not. Nowadays we have tons of diseases, which are fatal. Only some of them are curable, and some can be slowed down. But all of them can be prevented. The most common sexually transmitted diseases are: Chlamidia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes(Simplex II), NGU(Nongonicoccal Urethritis), Vaginitis, Genital Warts, Pubic Lice/Scabies, AIDS, and Hepatitis. Chlamidia is a disease, which is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse. If you had this disease, you would experience bleeding between menstrual periods, abdominal pain, and painful urination. There is another term for painful urination. It is called â€Å"urinary tract infection†. This group includes Cystititis or Urethritis caused by Gonorrhea or Chlamidia. Fortunately, this disease can be treated unlike many STDs. Actually treatment of Chlamidia is quite simple. Some antibiotics, doxycycline, tetracycline, or zithromax will cure the problem within a week – a month. If this disease is not handled, urination will be more complicated due to the enlargement of the prostate gland in a male, your reproductive organs will malfunction and get damaged, and this disease can be transmitted to the fetus when a woman is pregnant. Gonorrhea is usually the cause of heart trouble and abdominal problems. It is a treatable disease, which takes some time. Usually daily doses of antibiotics will cure this problem.

Nighthawks – Creative Writing

The night is velvet black. The streetlights are switched off; a would be cold dank street is illuminated by the fluorescent beam of the all-night diner, which watches the street, glancing through my window, an apartment above the hardware store. It could've disturbed my slumber but I wasn't in. I hadn't been in for a long time and tonight, I sat in the diner, a safe haven for vagrants and nomads. I'm alone. There are two other customers in the diner and a bartender but I'm alone. My body needs sleep but my mind won't allow it; it's been a long day. I must have travelled for several hours but I can't recall a second on the road. My head is a train station of thoughts, coming and going. As I peer upwards I'm forced to squint; the vibrant light burns my eyes from under my hat. From what I can see of the place's inhabitants, it's the most alive thing in here tonight, dancing along the oak veneer counter and blazing into the bottom of my cup, creating a reflection. I gaze into my own eyes. The man I see is not the man I am; he's grotesque with vile features and battle scar-like wrinkles. He's definitely not the man who woke up the previous morning in Baltimore in a fully occupied double bed. I've had countless Irish coffees but my mind still feels sober. The kid behind the counter looks at me tentatively for the usual impersonal small talk, attempting to catch my empty eyes. I resist, he doesn't remember me. His mother used to run this place but she's probably long dead. Besides, I'm not here to remember. I'm here to forget. It was a rough Manhattan neighbourhood but the street was as clean as any up town, to me this was largely because of the diner. It protected a once dim noisome street and brought together the community. Back when I was just an ignorant wiseacre before it all started, before the epiphany that was meeting her. I am awoken back to consciousness by the hushed whispers of the couple opposite, who look uneasy and not just because this apparent hobo is eyeballing them, there was something else, something deeper. I guess they too must have their reasons for not being at home, tucked up in bed. The man was young and handsome with wired caffeine-powered eyes; I'd seen him a thousand times before waltzing around up town in a suit. I can't tell whether he's paying for his company or not, I'm guessing not because if I was I'd demand a refund, she seems more interested in her hands than his voice, gazing intensely as if reading her palms, deeply occupied in her thoughts. She feels my stare. I'd better look away and play it cool but I can't. Even as she gazes back, I'm lost. She sends me a plaintive smile but I remain emotionless. I can tell she's still thinking hard of other things, half-heartedly raising a cigarette to her rouged lips, barely bothering to inhale. I watch its lacklustre droop for what feels like hours. She's entranced me. They always do this. She always does this. I bring my refilled cup back to my lips not letting anything slip to the broad. I remain motionless, my insides decomposing; she's not scared of me but childishly curious. She's attractive in obvious ways but her true beauty is esoteric, only I who have known her for so long could understand. We both maintain this level of equanimity as my eyes are starting to leak. I can't tell whether it's for lack of sleep or that I haven't blinked in many minutes. It's neither; I realise as that pain in my stomach that urged me to drive all this way home is becoming more tolerable. The drink only shielded me temporarily but my emotions are now releasing themselves all over the counter and into my half empty cup. She either doesn't mind or notice but I terminate my tears anyway. The suit next to her grabs her coat. â€Å"D'you wanna' get outta' here?† He can't have seen me. She'll make a fool out of him. She humours these lowlifes but I always know she'll be mine at the end of the night even if she makes me doubt it sometimes. â€Å"Yeah, sure. I've just been waiting for you.† I don't understand. â€Å"Why didn't you say so?† â€Å"Because I didn't want you following me home.† Of course, always one step ahead of me. He storms passed me muttering vulgar terms, I hear â€Å"slut† and would hurt him but I've long since learnt that's not what she wants. I look back to her. She is now standing. In a matter of seconds she's brushing passed my chair ignoring me, she's changed her perfume; she's changed her appearance. She's left me again but I still love her. I've loved her from the moment I set eyes on her in this very diner. I loved her when we settled down near her parents in South Baltimore, Maryland. I loved her when she told me why we weren't physically intimate and I loved her for years until the inevitable happened today. Until it happened today. I see her face on every blonde I've seen since and I don't doubt I will for a while. The barman looks suggestively at the clock. I've overstayed my welcome. My sojourn is over; tomorrow I must return to my new home. I glance up at the old apartment and the lights inside are on. I can still make out the other two figures on opposite sides of the street but I'm alone. I feel even together in the diner, we were all alone.

Country Life vs City Life

Country Life Better Than City Life In my opinion I think country life is better than city life. The city is very busy and crazy! The crowds and traffic generates stress that challenges the human being. Perhaps that is why the city people act like an angry, stressed and unfriendly person. The country is so calm and peaceful, makes the city people want to go down there for vacations. Life in the city is very challenging. The public transportation reduces the demand for your own vehicles and the accompanying expenses. City life provides distractions available in the arts, theater, and other forms of entertainment.Even though there is a lot of activities that you can do like, going shopping on every corner and sidewalk, the city life also carries a heavy price. Housing and food are expensive. Services, such as transportation, are expensive. Worst of all, the most expensive part of life in the city is the fee it takes on your body through stress. Stress is everywhere in the city with ever y waking moment in the city. The crowds, traffic, tight work schedules never calm down. The air in the city is not healthy at all. The poisons of thousands of vehicles overwhelm what little green life remains to clean the air. Crime is very high in most cities.The odds of becoming a victim are high even for simple trips to the local grocery store or bank. Your brain and body are endlessly attacked by environmental pollution that a human inhales. There are very few opportunities to relax, stress builds, and the quality of your life decreases. The city dweller looks forward to a day out of the city. Historically, movement patters have been from the city to the suburbs and later to the country. Escape becomes the order of the day. Each move to the outer boundaries of the urban environment makes life a little more peaceful. The move to the country is the greatest move of all.Peaceful is the most concise description of the country. The night is quiet. Soft insect noises and the plaintive call of an owl rule the stillness. No heavy traffic, no sirens, no rush of the â€Å"madding crowd. † Life is simple and calming. Food is grown locally, instead of remotely. Everyone knows your name, and has been to your grandparents’ house. The country offers advantages to the stressed city dweller that can reduce stress, induce health, and present understanding. The country is for the laid back, no-stress, free living life you always wished for! This is just a few reasons why the country life is better than the city life.

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Thirty-One

Why do they always want to be on top of buildings? Bonnie thought irritably. Inside. Inside is nice. No one falls to their death if they're inside a building. But here we are. Stargazing from the top of the science building while on a date with Zander was romantic. Bonnie would be al for another little nighttime picnic, just the two of them. But partying on a different roof with a bunch of Zander's friends was not romantic, not even slightly. She took a sip of her drink and moved out of the way without even looking as she heard the smack of bodies hitting the ground and the grunts of guys wrestling. After two days of living with Zander, she was beginning to get the names of his friends straight: Tristan and Marcus were the ones rol ing around on the floor with Zander. Jonah, Camden, and Spencer were doing something they cal ed parkour, which mostly seemed to involve running around like idiots and almost fal ing off the roof. Enrique, Jared, Daniel, and Chad were al playing an elaborate drinking game in the corner. There were a few more guys who hung around sometimes, but this was the core group. She liked them, she real y did. Most of the time. They were boisterous, sure, but they were always very nice to her: getting her drinks, immediately handing her their jackets if she was cold, tel ing her that they had no idea what she saw in a loser like Zander, which was clearly their guy way of declaring how much they loved him and that they were happy he had a girlfriend. She looked over at Zander, who was laughing as he held Tristan in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles over the top of Tristan's head. â€Å"Do you give in?† he said, and grunted in surprise as Marcus, whooping joyful y, tackled them both. It would have been easier if there were other girls around that she could get to know. If Marcus (who was very cute in a giant shaggy-haired Sasquatch kind of way) or Spencer (who had the kind of preppy rich-boy elegance that some girls found extremely attractive) had a regular girlfriend, Bonnie would have someone to exchange wry glances with as the guys acted like doofuses. But, even though a girl would occasional y appear clinging to the arm of one of the guys, Bonnie would never see her again after that night. Except for Bonnie, Zander seemed to travel in an almost exclusively masculine world. And, after two days of fol owing the macho parade around town, Bonnie was starting to get sick of it. She missed having girls to talk to. She missed Elena and Meredith, specifical y, even though she was stil mad at them. â€Å"Hey,† she said, making her way over to Zander. â€Å"Want to get out of here for a while?† Zander wrapped his arm around her shoulders. â€Å"Um. Why?† he asked, leaning down to kiss her neck. Bonnie rol ed her eyes. â€Å"It's kind of loud, don't you think? We could go for a nice quiet walk or something.† Zander looked surprised but nodded. â€Å"Sure, whatever you want.† They made their way down the fire escape, fol owed by a few shouts from Zander's friends, who seemed to think he was going on a food run and would shortly return with hot wings and tacos. Once they were a block away from the rooftop party, the noise faded and it was peaceful, except for the distant sound of an occasional car on the roads nearby. Bonnie knew she ought to feel creeped out, walking around at night on campus, but she didn't. Not with Zander's hand in hers. â€Å"This is nice, isn't it?† Bonnie said happily, gazing up at the half moon overhead. â€Å"Yeah,† Zander said, swinging her hand between them. â€Å"You know, I used to go on long walks – runs, real y – with my dad at night. Way out in the country, in the moonlight. I love being outside at night.† â€Å"Aw, that's sweet,† Bonnie said. â€Å"Do you guys stil do that when you're home?† â€Å"No.† Zander hesitated and hunched his shoulders, his hair hanging in his face. Bonnie couldn't read his expression. â€Å"My dad †¦ he died. A while ago.† â€Å"I'm so sorry,† Bonnie said sincerely, squeezing his hand. â€Å"I'm okay,† Zander said, stil staring at his shoes. â€Å"But, y'know, I don't have any brothers or sisters, and the guys have sort of become like a family to me. I know they can be a pain sometimes, but they're real y good guys. And they're important to me.† He glanced at Bonnie out of the corner of his eyes. He looked so apprehensive, Bonnie felt a sharp pang of affection for him. It was sweet that Zander and his friends were so close – that must have been the family stuff he had to deal with the other night. He was loyal, that much she knew. â€Å"Zander,† she said. â€Å"I know they're important to you. I don't want to take you away from your friends, you goof.† She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the mouth. â€Å"Maybe just for an hour or two sometimes, but not for long, I promise.† Zander returned the kiss with enthusiasm, and Bonnie tingled al the way down to her toes. Clinging to each other, they made their way to a bench by the side of the path and sat down to kiss some more. Zander just felt so good under her hands, al sleek muscles and smooth skin, and Bonnie ran her hands across his shoulders, along his arms, down his sides. At her touch, Zander suddenly winced. â€Å"What's the matter?† she said, lifting her head away from his. â€Å"Nothing,† said Zander, reaching for her. â€Å"I was just messing around with the guys, you know. They play rough.† â€Å"Let me see,† Bonnie said, grabbing at the hem of his shirt, half concerned and half wanting to just check out Zander's abs. He had turned out to be surprisingly modest, considering they were sharing a room. Wincing again, he sucked his breath in through his teeth as Bonnie lifted his shirt. She gasped. Zander's whole side was covered with ugly black-and-purple bruises. â€Å"Zander,† Bonnie said horrified, â€Å"these look real y bad. You don't get bruises like that just messing around.† They look like you were fighting for your life – or someone else was, she thought, and pushed away the words. â€Å"They're nothing. Don't worry,† Zander said, tugging his shirt back down. He started to wrap his arms around her again, but Bonnie moved away, feeling vaguely sickened. â€Å"I wish you'd tel me what happened,† she said. â€Å"I did,† Zander said comfortingly. â€Å"You know how crazy those guys get.† It was true, she'd never known guys so rowdy. Zander reached for her again, and this time Bonnie moved closer to him, turning her face up for his kiss. As their lips met, she remembered Zander's saying to her, â€Å"You know me. You see me.† She did know him, Bonnie told herself. She could trust Zander. Across the street, Damon stood in the shadow of a tree, watching Bonnie kiss Zander. He had to admit he felt a little pang, seeing her in the arms of someone else. There was something so sweet about Bonnie, and she was brave and intel igent under that cotton-candy exterior. The witchy angle added a little touch of spice to her, too. He'd always thought of her as his. Then again, didn't the little redbird deserve someone of her own? As much as Damon liked her, he didn't love her, he knew that. Seeing the lanky boy's face light up in response to her smile, he thought maybe this one would. After making out for a few more minutes, Bonnie and Zander stood up and wandered, hand in hand, toward what Damon knew was Zander's dorm. Damon trailed them, keeping to the shadows. He huffed out a breath of self-mocking laughter. I'm getting soft in my old age, he thought. Back in the old days he would have eaten Bonnie without a second thought, and here he was worrying about her love life. Stil , it would be nice if the little redhead could be happy. If her boyfriend wasn't a threat. Damon ful y expected the happy couple to disappear into the dorm together. Instead, Zander kissed Bonnie good-bye and watched as she went inside, then headed back out. Damon fol owed him, keeping hidden, as he went back to the party where they'd been before. A few minutes later, Zander came down again, trailed by his pack of noisy boys. Damon twitched in irritation. God save me from college boys, he thought. They were probably going to gorge themselves on greasy bar food. After a couple of days of watching Zander, he was ready to go back to Elena and report that the boy was guilty of nothing more than being uncouth. Instead of heading toward the nearest bar, though, the boys jogged across campus, quick and determined, as if they had an important destination in mind. Reaching the edge of campus, they headed into the woods. Damon gave them a few seconds and then fol owed. He was good at this, he was a predator, a natural hunter, and so it took him a few minutes of listening, of sending his Power out, of final y just racing through the woods, black branches snapping before him, to realize that Zander and his boys were gone. Final y, Damon stopped and leaned against a tree to catch his breath. The woods were silent except for the innocent sound of various woodland creatures going about their business and his own ragged panting. That pack of noisy, obnoxious children had escaped him, disappearing without the slightest trace. He gritted his teeth and tamped down his anger at being evaded, until it was mostly curiosity about how they'd done it. Poor Bonnie, Damon thought as he fastidiously smoothed and adjusted his clothing. One thing was abundantly clear: Zander and his friends weren't entirely human. Stefan twitched. This was al just kind of strange. He was sitting in a velvet-backed chair in a huge underground room, as col ege students roamed around arranging flowers and candles. The room was impressive, Stefan would give them that: cavernous yet elegant. But the little arrangements of flowers seemed chintzy and false somehow, like a stage set in the Vatican. And the black-masked figures lurking in the back of the room, watching, were giving him the jitters. Matt had cal ed him to tel him about some kind of col ege secret society that he'd joined, and that the leader wanted Stefan to join, too. Stefan agreed to meet him and talk about it. He never was much of a joiner, but he liked Matt, and it was something to do. It would take his mind off Elena, he'd thought. Lurking around campus – and it felt like lurking, when he saw Elena, with the way his eyes were irresistibly drawn to her even as he hurried out of sight – he'd watched her. Sometimes she was with Damon. Stefan's fingernails bit into his palms. Consciously relaxing, he turned his attention back to Ethan, who was sitting across a smal table from him. â€Å"The members of the Vitale Society hold a very special place in the world,† he was saying, leaning forward, smiling. â€Å"Only the best of the best can hope to be tapped, and the qualities we look for I think are very Wellexemplified in you, Stefan.† Stefan nodded politely and let his mind drift again. Secret societies were something he actual y knew a little about. Sir Walter Raleigh's School of Night in Elizabethan England wrestled with what was then forbidden knowledge: science and philosophy the church declared out of bounds. Il Carbonari back home in Italy worked to encourage revolt against the government of the various city-states, aiming for a unification of al of Italy. Damon, Stefan knew, toyed with the members of the Hel fire Club in London for a few months in the 1700s, until he got bored with their posturing and childish blasphemy. Al those secret societies, though, had some kind of purpose. Rebel ing against conventional morality, pursuing truth, revolution. Stefan leaned forward. â€Å"Pardon me,† he said politely, â€Å"but what is the point of the Vitale Society?† Ethan paused midspeech to stare at him, then wet his lips. â€Å"Well,† he said slowly, â€Å"the real secrets and rituals of the Society can't be unveiled to outsiders. None of the pledges know our true practices and purposes, not yet. But I can tel you that there are innumerable benefits to being one of us. Travel, adventure, power.† â€Å"None of the pledges know your real purpose?† Stefan asked. His natural inclination to stay away was becoming more resolute. â€Å"Why don't you wear a mask like the others?† Ethan looked surprised. â€Å"I'm the face of the Vitale for the pledges,† he said simply. â€Å"They'l need someone they know to guide them.† Stefan made up his mind. He didn't want to be guided. â€Å"I apologize, Ethan,† he said formal y, â€Å"but I don't think I would be an appropriate candidate for your organization. I appreciate the invitation.† He started to rise. â€Å"Wait,† said Ethan. His eyes were wide and golden and had a hungry, eager expression in them. â€Å"Wait,† he said, licking his lips again. â€Å"We †¦ we have a copy of Pico del a Mirandola's De hominis dignitate.† He stumbled over the words as if he didn't quite know what they were. â€Å"An old one, from Florence, a first edition. You'd get to read it. You could have it if you wanted.† Stefan stiffened. He had studied Mirandola's work on reason and philosophy with enthusiasm back when he was stil alive, when he was a young man preparing for the university. He had a sudden visceral longing to feel the old leather and parchment, see the blocky type from the first days of the printing press, so much more right somehow than the modern computer-set books. There was no way Ethan should have known to offer him that specific book. His eyes narrowed. â€Å"What makes you think I'd want that?† he hissed, leaning across the table toward Ethan. He could feel Power surging through him, fueled by his rage, but Ethan wouldn't meet his eyes. â€Å"I †¦ you told me you like old books, Stefan,† he said, and gave a little false laugh, gazing down at the tabletop. â€Å"I thought you would be interested.† â€Å"No, thank you,† Stefan said, low and angry. He couldn't force Ethan to look him in the eye, not with al these people around, so after a moment, he stood. â€Å"I refuse your offer,† he told Ethan shortly. â€Å"Good-bye.† He walked to the door without looking back, holding himself straight and tal . He glanced at Matt, who was talking to another student, as he reached the door and, when Matt met his eyes, gave him a shrug and a shake of the head, trying to telegraph an apology. Matt nodded, disappointed but not arguing. No one tried to stop Stefan as he left the room. But he had a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. There was something wrong here. He didn't know enough to dissuade Matt from joining, but he decided to keep tabs on the Vitale Society. As he shut the door behind him, he could sense Ethan watching him.