The Relationship of Macbeth and His Wife in Act 1 Scene 5 and 7

The Relationship of Macbeth and his wife in Act 1 Scene 5 and 7 From the beginning of the play, the relationship between Macbeth and his wife seem to be the expected partnership in romance, however, as the play progresses, our expectations seems to change for the worst. We are informed that Macbeth desires to be King of Scotland and initially, his wife appears to be supportive of him as a wife should be but her response to this changes quite drastically as we read further on. We are first introduced to Lady Macbeth when she reads the letter which Macbeth sent to her recapping his encounter with the three witches.She now becomes aware of Macbeth’s wish to become king but she knows that his conscience inhibits him from partaking in any risky business. She uses the phrase â€Å"yet do I fear thy nature, is too full o’th’milk of human kindness†¦ † in her opening soliloquy which suggests that he is a very kind and worthy gentleman. â€Å"Thou wouldst be g reat, art not without ambition but without the illness should attend it. † She explains how he has the ambition to become king but lacks the boldness to become violent if needed to get the crown.This helps to show how sensible and timid Macbeth can be and why Lady Macbeth has to intervene to make the situation progress further. To our surprise, Lady Macbeth appears to be the complete opposite of her husband’s supposed character. She is determined to make sure that Macbeth becomes king under any circumstances that need to be undertaken. At the end of her soliloquy, she says â€Å"Hie thee hither, that I may pour out my spirits to thine ear, and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round†¦ which means that she wishes to persuade and talk him out of whatever may be keeping him from seizing the crown. This furthermore emphasizes her persistence to crown him as king and shower her with glory. Throughout this act, Lady Macbeth appe ars to be the stronger partner and this is reflected when she calls upon supernatural powers, much greater than her own, to make her less of a woman and more like a man. â€Å"Come, you spirits that tend on moral thoughts, unsex me here and fill from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty†¦ She has made herself aware that she has to uphold the greater position in the relationship so that their aim of getting the crown is accomplished. The audience finds this act quite shocking as females are meant to be the fairer sex. During the rest of her call to the spirits, she develops the sense of maliciousness and ruthlessness which accentuates the depth of her serious attitude. At this point in the play, the audience has reached a full understanding of Macbeth and his wife’s ambition.When Macbeth is introduced in Scene 5, he begins with â€Å"my dearest love† focusing on Lady Macbeth which shows the position he holds his wife at proving quite admirable to the aud ience. However, Lady Macbeth shows no mercy to the situation. King Duncan planned to go to the castle that night and wished to leave tomorrow but Lady Macbeth’s response to this was â€Å"O never shall sun that morrow see† which implies he will not be leaving tomorrow leading to the cruel suggestion of death. This line reflects her decisive character showing that she is taking the lead role here.She also teaches Macbeth the way in which he must deceive Duncan and instructs him on the arts of hypocrisy as she says â€Å"†¦ look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t. † By using this metaphor, it shows that she is manipulating Macbeth and challenges his feelings of guilt and pity for Duncan and replaces them with demeaning and spiteful emotions. Lady Macbeth encourages him to be deceitful to his loyal and trusting leader that is Duncan and the audience can begin to make the judgement that the evil spirits are now manifesting in Lady Macbeth’s heart from her evil suggestions.She knows that Macbeth hasn’t got what it takes to make this plan work so she takes the leading role by saying ‘Leave all the rest to me† at the end of Scene 5. At the beginning of Scene 7 opening with Macbeth’s soliloquy, we as the audience, really get a sense of guilt that seeps through Macbeth. This is beyond his usual attitude so this is hard for him to cope with. He knows how much he wants to be king but what frightens him the most are the consequences. He uses the metaphor â€Å"If th’assassination could trammel up the consequence and catch with his surcease, success†¦ e’d jump the life to come†¦ † which translated means â€Å"If this assassination could work like a net and prevent any consequences, he would be more than happy to risk the afterlife to do so. † Macbeth knows that Duncan is a highly respected man because of his good intentions and purely hearted natu re so he is afraid if he is made known to the people that he is responsible, the chances of him becoming king will be shattered. He contemplates the idea of killing Duncan and weighs up the advantages and disadvantages. The only know advantage is that he will become King.However, the disadvantages are what he already is considered to Duncan. â€Å"First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed; then as his host who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself. † This quote from Scene 7 shows that Macbeth is in conflict with what Lady Macbeth is instructing and his loyal personality is urging him not to fulfil the â€Å"horrid deed†. After considering what a â€Å"meek† leader Duncan was, we as the audience can really depict a picture as to what Macbeth was emoting.When Lady Macbeth enters, Macbeth’s final decision has now been displayed. â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honoured me of late†¦ † He has decided to cancel the plan because of how nicely Duncan had treated him that evening. The amount of guilt was too much for him to bear so the easiest escape for him was to abort the business. To his misfortune, Lady Macbeth did not take the current news very lightly. She begins to bombard him with insults and various accusations. â€Å"Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valour, as thou art in desire? Lady Macbeth begins to question him and whether he is afraid to do what he must to achieve what he desires. As she has handed herself to the powers of darkness, she speaks to him brutally by saying â€Å"Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? † suggesting that he was drunk when he made the decision to kill Duncan. He raging fury increases furthermore when she says â€Å"Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem, letting I dare not wait upon I would, lik e the poor cat i’th’adage? calling him a coward if he doesn’t take the crown that he has always wanted to own. At this point in the play, the relationship between Lady Macbeth and his wife reaches its peak as they have a great dispute. Macbeth’s counter argument is not as furious as Lady Macbeth as he simply responds with â€Å"Prithee, peace. I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none. †He believes that he has done all that a man can do in this situation however Lady Macbeth disagrees. She believes that his definition is wrong and that he only becomes and man if he does the deed.Now Lady Macbeth is raging, she decides to use the excuse that Macbeth doesn’t love her which is the typical response for a woman to use in an argument with her partner. In addition to this, to emphasize the depth of evil in her she creates a vivid inhuman image in the audience’s mind â€Å"I have given such and know how tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face have plucked the nipple from my boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this. As she is the mother of the child, this makes the image even more disturbing as she has sworn to herself that she would have done it just as Macbeth swore he would do the rotten deed. The audience can really see the evil thoughts capturing her mind at this point as thoughts like this would not be evoked from a normal female figure. Macbeth is emotionally moved by the lengths Lady Macbeth would go to keep her word so he sees this as an opportunity to voice his fear of failure. â€Å"If we should fail? † Lady Macbeth’s response is â€Å"We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking-place and we’ll not fail. which suggests that it is impossible for them for them to fail if he just becomes more courageous. Lady Macbeth has planned the whole murder and reveals it to Macbeth which he can find no faults for himself. At this point in the scene, there is finally some common ground between Macbeth and his wife. â€Å"When Duncan is asleep, whereto the rather shall his day’s hard journey soundly invite him, his two chamberlains will I with wine and wassail so convince that memory the warder of the brain shall be fume, and the receipt of reason a limbeck only. She plans on making the guards so drunk so that they won’t be able to remember any affairs that take place during the night. Macbeth begins to understand his wife’s plans and knows that once the blood is put onto the guard’s daggers, people will assume they are the culprits. By the end of the scene, Macbeth has decided to go ahead with the murder, using every muscle in his body to help him carry out this task.He appears to have changed his tone also as he ends with â€Å"False face must hide what the false heart doth know† which in some aspects is similar to what Lady Macb eth had originally told him to do. By the end of both scenes, the audience can really determine the flow of Macbeth and his wife’s relationship. Originally, Lady Macbeth supported Macbeth’s desire to become King of Scotland but as the play went on, the support had turned into force and she did not have a friendly approach to the situation as she called upon the dark spirits to disable any feelings of remorse as a human being should have.Macbeth knew that the deed he was influenced to pursue was cruel and would have rotten consequences but his the persuasive tone of his wife led him to change his mind and use the same words she used on him to her. It is not an ordinary relationship as the audience can see the manifestation of the dark powers between one side of the partnership which leads to other side to perform murderous tasks.

Rachel Carson Bio

Rachel Carson (May 27, 1907  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ April 14, 1964) was a Marine Biologist. Her accomplishments included: Writing the books The Edge Of The Sea, bestsellers Under The Sea Wind, The Sea Around Us, and her most popular Silent Spring, and she was also the founder of the Environmental Movement. Her most famous book, Silent Spring, documented effects of harmful pesticides and pollution on the environment, especially on birds. The book helped launch Carson’s Environmental Movement. The movement was a political group to address and shine a light on important environmental issues.It set out to change public policy towards the environment and also individual’s behavior. The movement recognized humanity as an ally and not an enemy of ecosystems. The movement focused on  ecology,  health, and  human rights in order to maintain the environment. Rachel Carson joined the Bureau of Fisheries as a host of the radio station, â€Å"Romance Under the Waters,† which she wo uld explore and discover the life underwater and then tell about her adventures on the station.Rachel Carson received many awards including: National Book Award and the John Burroughs Medal for her book The Sea Around Us, and she was also the second woman to be elected into the National Institute of Arts and Letters. The Bureau of Fisheries hired her as a junior biologist, and over a long time of many years, she was finally promoted to the chief editor of publications for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Rachel Carson was the first woman to take and pass the civil service test.Rachel Carson is not like Mr. Rezendes because she is a women and Mr. Rezendes is a man. She is also not pink. I found the information about Rachel Carson online on Wikipedia and some other educational websites. It was fairly easy to find information about Rachel Carson because she is a really important scientist in the Marine Biology field. I just tried to be specific in the Google search engine so I coul d find important information.I am really jubilant that I was able to easily find a lot of information on Rachel Carson because it shows how important Marine Biology is in the field of science. Also it shows that women, too, make many important accomplishments just like men do in the world of science. Rachel Carson was not discriminated against during her life, which was surprising because women normally are. Instead, it seems like she was respected in her line of work which is cool.In conclusion, Rachel Carson contributed greatly in the world of Marine Biology and she was given many awards for her achievements and contributions. She is an example of a special scientist because unlike most, she is a woman, and she wasn’t even disrespected or segregated for being a woman, which is great that by the time she was a scientist, people were not blinded by racism or sexism. Bibliography http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Rachel_Carson http://castle. eiu. edu/~wow/carsachieve. html http:/ /www. lkwdpl. org/wihohio/cars-rac. htm

Christian Ethics

INTRODUCTION (DEFINITION) Christian ethics are theological teachings which govern decision making and the moral position of the Church based on various sources of guidance. These are traditions, church authorities, human experience, the Natural Law, the Bible; in particular Jesus’s Commandment of love, the Beatitudes and the 10 Commandments â€Å"You shall not steal† (Ex 20:15). HISTORICAL SETTING Christian ethical teachings vary between denominations for example, the Catholic Church places particular emphasis on Natural Law and authoritative bodies.The Protestant Church turns to scripture as its main source of ethical guidance due to the belive in â€Å"sol scriptura† (salvation through scripture alone, a belief originating in the Reformation of the Church. ) Despite these differences, the Bible remains the common source of morality among all denominations. SPECIFIC EXAMPLE: ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS/CLIMATE CHANGE Christian environmental ethics are specifically conc erned with the belief in humanity’s role as stewards of the Earth and how this role should be responsibly undertaken being a privileged bestowed by God.Prominent issues within Christian environmental ethics include Climate Change and deforestation. Climate Change is defined as a long term change in the Earth’s climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. There are many factors believed to be contributing to Climate Change. These include an overconsumption of fossil fuels which when used emit greenhouse gases. The Church’s stance on Climate Change is that it is the result of humanity abusing the role as stewards of the Earth by taking more than they need from it.Using the words of Pope John Paul II, Climate Change is caused by modern society being given to â€Å"instant gratification and consumerism. † There are many national and international Christian initiatives which aim to address Climate Change such as Carit as Australia’s â€Å"A Just Climate† campaign. Established in 2011, this campaign aims to promote ecological sustainability to minimise the impact of Climate Change. Its focus is the poorer communities of the world, being the most vulnerable to the effect of Climate Change such as rising sea levels.Its methods include: community awareness programs and facilitating participation of poor communities in national discussions. Internationally, the Ecumenical World Council of Churches (WCE) is an example of the Christian communities response to Climate Change. It has been present since 1992 at every United Nations Climate Change Conference and is especially concerned with the effect Climate Change has on the world’s poor, promoting the concept of sustainable communities.It’s motivation lies in Genesis 2:15 in which God entrusts Adam with the Garden of Eden â€Å" the Lord God, took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. † Today , humanity like Adam has the obligation to the world as responsible stewards. Using the words of Pope Benedict XVI â€Å"The wonder of God’s creation reminds us of the need to protect the environment and to exercise responsible stewardship of the goods of the Earth. † INTRODUCTION- DEFORESTATIONDeforestation is the loss of forest cover being converted into things such as agricultural land, golf courses and cattle paddocks. Consequences are wide ranging and include soil erosion, extinction of tree species as well as the endangerment or extinction of animal species which inhabit these forests. The Church’s opinion of deforestation is similar to that of Climate Change. Responsible stewardship of the land would not have caused not have caused such damage as deforestation has done.Society’s role as custodians of the land is demonstrated in the Bible by the quote â€Å"The land is mine;) with me you are but aliens and tenants† (Lev 25:23). This excerpt i llustrates society’s role as caretakers of the land and that the responsibility is to preserve the world. From this and other teachings found in the Church, it can be seen that the Christian ethical stance on forestation is that taking from the Earth should not be motivated by overconsumption but by sustainability.As Pop John Paul II said â€Å"Man cannot make arbitrary use of the Earth, subjecting it without restraint to his will. † Various Christian organisations established for the protection of the environment include Catholic Earthcare Australia (CEA), founded in 2003 by Australian Catholic Bishops. Its aim is to promote understanding of the sacredness of nature and functions as an advisory agent on ecological matters for Catholic Bishops and initiating sustainability programs.An example of this is the publication of â€Å"On Holy Ground† which is a faith based program for reflecting on environmental issues created by the CEA in conjunction with the Catholi c Education Office (CEO). An international example of the Church’s response to deforestation and other sustainability issues is POPPA Benedict XVI’s address at the opening mass of World Youth Day Sydney, 2008. He states â€Å"There are also scars which mark the surface of our earth: erosion, deforestation†¦ in order to face and insatiable consumption. With such a large audience the message of sustainability was spread to many countries. CONCLUSION Ethical issues are significant to the adherents of Christianity as they provide a means to living based on the teachings of Jesus who preached love and respect for God’s creation. The growing environmental concerns of Climate Change and deforestation are examples of modern society’s neglect of the Earth and, by extension their obligations to caring for it. Christian adherents are therefore called to encourage change and sustainability in the world around them.

GetWrite Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GetWrite - Coursework Example This is the location where crime and illegal immigration are most likely to intertwine. Accordingly, this is where the study would ideally be centered. In any experiment, it is desirable to partake in some form of random (probability) sampling. In this case, every member of the target population would have an equal chance at being a participant in the study. In order for this study to be truly random, then all persons living along a dangerous border crossing area would have the chance to be in the experiment. Unfortunately, this is not possible due to many restraints (time, money, etc.) and so we are forced to settle for a form of non-probability sampling. Specifically, we will be using convenience sampling, which means we will study the people who are easiest to study along the border area. This is necessary due to the potential hostility in the area, as well as travel restraints. This is certainly a limitation of the experiment, as it makes it much harder to apply the results to the entirety of the target population. It should be noted that the expected link between illegal immigration and crime might not be a simple direct relationship. One recent study identifies the overbearing crackdown on illegal immigration as a cause of more crime by making criminals stay in the areas longer (Hammond,

Sustainable Value Portfolio Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sustainable Value Portfolio - Research Paper Example The research paper "Sustainable Value Portfolio" overviews the sustainability concepts. Sustainability in business refers to the focus an organization puts on the impact of its activities on the environment, economy, and society and can take different concepts, for example, a balance in the operational concepts of a business. An examination of the sustainability value portfolio between Toyota and Hyundai reveals that Hyundai has the best portfolio in terms of sustainability value. To enhance sustainable management issues, Hyundai has put the effort in ensuring awareness among the executives and the staff members concerning sustainability, by ensuring an effective communication system. The company has created a wide sustainable management culture. To enhance sustainability, the company has put in place a global reporting initiative. It has also taken into consideration the social, environmental and economic factors necessary to ensure the performance of the business. Hyundai has also proved to have the best portfolio in terms of sustainability through their stakeholder participation. The company has made a classification of its stakeholders into staff members and stakeholders, subcontractors, customers, shareholders and investors, local communities, and government agencies. This, key issues concerning sustainability management have been assigned to each group. Examining Toyota’s portfolio towards sustainability, the company has focused on ensuring they always make better cars.... Hyundai has also proved to have the best portfolio in terms of sustainability through their stakeholder participation. The company has made a classification of its stakeholders into staff members and stakeholders, subcontractors, customers, shareholders and investors, local communities, and government agencies. Through this, key issues concerning sustainability management have been assigned to each group. However, examining Toyota’s portfolio towards sustainability, the company has focused on ensuring they always make better cars, and enriching the lives of different communities, hence the company is likely to ensure sustainability, however, in the long term range (Becker, 2008). Examining the sustainability value portfolio for Hyundai reveals that; the company has put emphasis on upgrading the core capabilities of the organization. The company has encouraged creative and innovative thinking among the employees, to boost performance in procurement, design and construction mana gement. To ensure global leadership, the company has put in place a vision towards sustainable management. An examination of their future projects, the company has put in place strategies, to accompany the action plans required to unsure sustainable growth of the company (Boudreau, Ramstad, 2005). An examination of the company’s sustainability value portfolio, in terms of the working environment, it is evident that; the company, which is under the construction industry, has undergone rapid transformations in the business environment because of the global environmental issues which include climate change. The business areas of the industry have also expanded and include the development of resources and infrastructure. To enhance sustainability, then company

Pricing Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pricing Problem - Essay Example The progress of a pre-negotiation plan that does not reflect any kind of rigorous analysis, assessment and examination through element of cost will lessen the accomplishment of obtaining a reasonable and fair price. Where there is a departure from the established negotiation objective, the memorandum of the price negotiation should not only recognize the negotiated results but also reproduce the same level of rigor and severity in the examination, assessment and basis for its acceptance. In the absence of sufficient price competition, the contracting officer should apply and document in the pre-negotiation plan the analytical and systematic techniques that will help evaluate whether a proposed price is reasonable and fair. The pre-negotiation plan is an official document and certificate of the negotiation objectives of the contracting officers with regard to pricing, business, technological and contractual issues. It documents the pertinent issues and problems to be negotiated and the objectives of cost and a profit or fee objective. Due to the fact that it serves as a foundation of the negotiation, the pre-negotiation plan must completely explain the positions of the government and the contractor. The template, which is integrated as Attachment-A, is provided to help contracting officers in the examination of their negotiation objectives when cost analysis is necessary to support negotiations. â€Å"Contracting activities are encouraged, through implementation level procedures, to establish additional templates that are more aligned with the specific needs of their organization and procurements† (â€Å"Negotiation Documentation: Pre-Negotiation Plan & the Price Negotiation Memorandum†). Completely explain the findings and recommendations of the evaluators, auditors and others providing advisory assistance, foundations of their findings and the extent to which they were involved in the

Third exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Third exam - Assignment Example John 150.0 16,200.00 523.81 16,723.81 523.81 16,000.00 Romeo Co Stachurski 206.0 22,866.00 437.64 23,303.64 0.00 22,608.85 Total 2374.5 281,396.25 11,584.67 292,711.42 9,598.95 269,788.74 Table 1 Table 1 shows the clients of ABC Consulting, the employees who work with the respective clients, the hours that these clients were billed, the reimbursable expenses (costs billed) relating to each worker, the total billed to each client, and the costs and fees collected from the clients to September 2013. The total hours billed for the month was 2,374.5 hours and the total fees billed excluding reimbursable expenses was $281,396.25. ... total hours billed = 254,665.13 ? 2,374.5 $107.25 Table 2 The information in Table 2 indicates that the overall cost per billable hour of operations for the month of September 2013 was $107.25. Effective Billable Hourly Rate per Worker The effective billable hourly rate per worker is found by dividing the fees collected from each client by the hours billed to that particular client. The effective billable rate for each worker is shown in Table 3. Client Worker Hours Billed Fees Collected ($) Effective billable rate per hour ($) Alpha Co Acevedo 170.0 18,837.37 110.81 Bravo Co Barger 143.5 16,425.01 114.46 Charlie Co Ekundayo 120.0 14,250.00 118.75 Delta Co Fitzgerald 137.0 15,842.40 115.64 Echo Co Fyffe 85.5 12,825.00 150.00 Foxtrot Co Gilbert 112.5 12,150.00 108.00 Golf Co Harmon 98.0 10,780.00 110.00 Hotel Co Hefner 122.0 14,274.00 117.00 India Co Kirchner 150.0 16,560.00 110.40 Juliett Co Madorma 123.5 14,202.50 115.00 Kilo Co Miller 102.0 11,268.04 110.47 Lima Co Myers 122.5 13,4 13.75 109.50 Mike Co Pellek 89.5 12,000.00 134.08 November Co Preston 156.0 16,818.71 107.81 Oscar Co Shahbazi 139.0 15,354.20 110.46 Papa Co Smith 147.5 16,178.91 109.69 Quebec Co St. John 150.0 16,000.00 106.67 Romeo Co Stachurski 206.0 22,608.85 109.75 Table 3 The information in Table 3 indicates that a total of six workers – Gilbert, Myers, Preston, Smith, St. John Stachurski exceeded the $110 benchmark. They achieved effective billable rates of $108, $109.5, $107.81, $109.69, $106.67 and $109.7 per hour respectively, The effective billable rates per hour for September 2013 ranged between $106.67 and $150 and this information suggests that ABC Consulting recovered the company’s overall costs of $107.25 per billable hour on every job except Quebec Co which

Formal report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Formal report - Assignment Example This study was limited to the evaluation of the effectiveness of Ace distributors’ salespeople. This study was also restricted to dealers operating in three major retail areas, including New York, Chicago, and Dallas. These dealers were selected randomly, and included those from the five leading brands of television in the country, including Todd Manufacturing Company; Apco, Incorporated: Davis Manufacturing Company; and Barr Industries, Incorporated, and Ace Manufacturing. This study may be limited through the insufficient time for doing the work. The scope of this study was wide; hence sufficient time was required for accurate completion of the study. In addition, the topic of study was wide; hence the aspect of subjectivity might have been introduced in the study, and some areas in the scope of the study might have been left out. Furthermore, this study adopted the use of questionnaires as the main data collection instrument in conducting the survey. Since questionnaires must generally be brief, areas that may have influenced effectiveness of distributors’ salespeople may not have been included in the questionnaire. The main goal of this report is to show the effectiveness of Ace distributors’ salespeople. It has become important for the company to launch investigations into the effectiveness of the salespeople, owing to the poor performance of the company in the last three years. Prior to these last three years, the company Ace Manufacturing ranked the top in all the five leading home television brands in the country. However, in the last three years, the performance of this company has dropped, as it currently ranks at position three. The sales activities of a company are key to its performance in the market. On the other hand, the salespeople involved with a company’s sales of products have a direct

The Strategies and Appropriate Solution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

The Strategies and Appropriate Solution - Essay Example He also decided to include a major restructuring in the firm’s administration and its operational activities. Under these conditions, the appointment of David Michels, in 1991, as a chief executive should be considered as justified. The experience of David Michels in the particular industry (ex-Executive Vice President of Hilton International, Deputy Chief Executive of Hilton U.K.) made him the most appropriate candidate for the particular position. One of the priorities of David Michel has been to examine and evaluate the performance of the company for the last three years (1990-1992). The results of this research were disappointed showing a loss (after tax) of 47.4m pounds for the year 1992 and a relevant loss per share of 47.3m pounds for the same year. For this reason, David Mitchel stated that â€Å"It was worse than I thought. I didn’t know the company had quite as many difficulties as it had. I don’t think the company knew all its difficulties†. The above statement of David Mitchel could lead to the following thoughts: a) David Michel was not appropriately informed in advance of the firm’s financial difficulties. In this case, Sir Robertson could be considered as having the responsibility for the inadequacy and inaccuracy of the information provided; b) David Mitchel would not be able to respond to the firm’s needs. More specifically, his statements could be considered as showing his inability to resolve the problems that the firm had the specific period of time. Again the choice of Sir Robertson could be strongly doubted. On the other hand, the possible responsibility of David Mitchel could exist to the extension that he did not provide accurate information regarding his skills and his competencies in the particular field. As for the strategies followed by Reo Stakis and his son, these should be evaluated throughout the firm’s operation since its establishment in 1947 in Glasgow. The strategic leadership followed by Sir Lewis and David Michels led gradually to the recovery of the firm. It should be noticed that in January 1993 shares in Stakes reached the price of 45 pence (a 4 pence increase comparing the price of the share in 1992). Although Sir Lewis was replaced in late 1992, his style of leadership proved to be extremely positive for the firm’s performance in the long term (in 1994 the pre-tax profits were increased to 10.4 million). It is due to his decisions that the firm managed to recover and becoming in January 1994 â€Å"a normal company, boring even† according to a statement of David Michels.   

Fairytales Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fairytales - Essay Example An important theme of Cinderella is male superiority. All men discussed in the story are in dominating and controlling positions and accordingly, the women are shown in submissive positions to the men. There are two men performing main roles in the story i.e. Cinderella’s father and the king’s son. While Cinderella’s father is shown to be a rich man, her mother is said to be old and sick. Death of Cinderella’s mother is an important event in the story as it changes Cinderella’s life. It does not take Cinderella’s father long to get married to another woman, and there is no mention of memories or love of Cinderella’s mother in her father’s mind or heart in the story that follows. This is suggestive of the notion that it is very easy for a man to forget a woman and that a man never falls short of women ready to be his wife, irrespective of his age. While her father happens to be a rich man, this hardly helps Cinderella in any way. Her father does not intervene anywhere as Cinderella’s step-mother and step-sisters make her their servant. This is suggestive of the ignorance of men toward women even in the position of their children, thus again mentioning the superiority of men over women in a way. Finally, when the king organizes the festival, its main purpose is to provide the prince with an opportunity to have all the beautiful girls in the town right in front of him and select anyone he wants to marry among them as his future wife. Not just this, but also the element that all girls in the town are so eager to be there at the festival, knowing the purpose for which it has been arranged suggests that men are far advanced in terms of power and superiority in comparison to women. It is understood that any girl the prince would pick up would sure be his wife, there is no question of the girl’s readiness for this. Even Cinderella, the main character of the story with whom, children sympathize and wh om they love finds a way to attend the festival. All these elements imprint this fact in the minds of the children that men assume a strange and obvious sort of superiority over the women. Rapunzel Rapunzel is another fairytale that never fails to get admiration from the little readers. There are many elements in the story that spark interest for it in the children. Some of these elements include the long and beautiful hair of Rapunzel, the garden that accommodates all sorts of beautiful flowers, not to mention, the magical rampions in it, use of the long hair of Rapunzel as a rope, and most importantly, her pitiful life. For a fact, a common element between many fairytales is that the main character of girl in the story is always pretty but is in pitiful circumstances, waiting for a prince to come to her rescue. Rapunzel is no different in this sense. Marriage is an important theme of Rapunzel. All couples talked about in the story are married couples. When children read such stori es in their childhood, they are raised with the assumption that marriage is the only way two people can live together and procreate in the society. Such stories lay the foundation of the fundamental status of marriage as the building block of the society and the criticism toward cohabitation and same sex marriage observed in everyday life. The story starts with the depiction of a couple of man and woman that are husband and wife to each other and have a

Reflection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 17

Reflection - Assignment Example The feeling was great because participating in a worthy cause of raising funds to cater for children’s health concerns is good. My thought is that more funds need to be raised by conducting regular walks to cater for research activities by the children’s hospital. My reaction was positive since the event was a platform to get to touch a child’s heart especially those from poor backgrounds who cannot afford expensive medical bills (Voelker 12). The walk was quite a success; however, the experience from it is what is vital. I noticed that few families participated. Instead, it was only school children. Parents should be encouraged to participate more. The event is also supposed to be expanded to other areas in order to raise more funds. Most important is for accountability of these funds to ensure it benefits the children from poor backgrounds. The funds should go into projects that aim to ensure all children access affordable quality healthcare. Questions that need to be considered include: was the event a success? What improvements need to be done? What impact has the awareness created and how are the funds going to be used? A number of nurses participated in the event. The experience from a professional nurse’s perspective was a constructive one. Nurses need to envision becoming caring so as to improve the health of the children. They have to carry out their duties with high standards of dedication through nursing research, evidence objective practice and high quality of nursing care to the kids. The nurses must place the needs of the kids and their families fast by ensuring they are responsible, excellent, and innovative enough and practice with respect and dignity (Voelker

Carcinogenic Hydrocarbons Essay Example for Free

Carcinogenic Hydrocarbons Essay Once in the body, they are converted into arene oxides by cytochrome P. An arene oxide is a compound in which one of the double bonds of the aromatic ring has been converted into an epoxide. The changing of the aromatic hydrocarbon into an epoxide forms a more water-soluble compound that can be eliminated from the body. Arene oxides can react in two ways. They can undergo attack by a nucleophile to form addition products or rearrange to form a phenol. Some aromatic hydrocarbons are carcinogens, meaning they can cause cancer. Investigations have shown that hydrocarbons themselves are not carcinogenic, but the carcinogens are the oxidation products of the aromatic molecules. Nucleophiles react with epoxides to form addition products. 2’-Deoxyguanosine, a component of DNA, has a nucleophilic NH? group that is known to react with certain arene oxides. Once it attaches to an arene oxide, the 2’-deoxyguanosine can no longer fit into the DNA. This results in the genetic code not being properly transcribed, which can lead to mutations that cause cancer. Arene oxides’ becoming carcinogenic depends on the rates of its two reaction pathways: rearrangement and reaction with a nucleophile. When an arene oxide rearranges, it forms phenols which are not carcinogenic. However, the formation of two addition products from nucleophilic attack by DNA can be carcinogenic. If the rate of arene oxide rearrangement is faster the nucleophilic attack by DNA, the arene oxide is harmless. If the rates are the other way around the arene oxide is likely to be carcinogenic. The rate of arene oxide rearrangement depends on the stability of the carbocation formed in the rate determining step. So, an arene oxide’s cancer causing ability depends on the stability of the carbocation. If the carbocation is stable, the rate will be faster and therefore the arene oxide is less likely to be carcinogenic. If the carbocation is unstable, the rate will be relatively slow and the arene oxide will more likely be attacked by nucleophiles. This leads to the possibility of carcinogens. After reading thoroughly through the Organic Chemistry 5th Edition book by Paula Bruice, I must agree with the investigations that have proven aromatic hydrocarbons to be non-carcinogenic. It is kind of interesting that arene oxides become carcinogenic depending on the reaction pathway it takes. I would like to know what other, if any, factors may contribute to carcinogens being formed once aromatic hydrocarbons enter the body

History of the Indian-Pakistan Conflict

History of the Indian-Pakistan Conflict Conflict Analysis 2nd assignment: Choose one conflict from the UCDP data. Identify and map the different historical stages and periods of the conflict using the conflict cycle. How did battle deaths and other forms casualties (one-sided violence) change during the conflict cycle? What kind of pattern do you observe over time? For this essay I have chosen to write about the Indian-Pakistan Conflict over the Kashmir which is a strategically placed region in the north west of the subcontinent, bordering China and the former Soviet Union. The main issue is that both countries are claiming this territory, based on religious reasons according to Pakistan considering the majority of population being Muslim and governmental reasons according to India because a Hindu Maharajah is ruling the area. The British India has been split up into three countries, Pakistan, India and East Pakistan. They have been divided by the population who were mainly Muslim in the north west and north east side of the subcontinent the Hindu in the central side. This partition caused a large human migration and from this point many violence have taken place across the region. The years 1946-1946 are the pre-conflict phase of this major conflict because after the partition of the British India, Kashmir had to choose whether they want to accede to Pakistan, India or to become Independent. The escalation to the First Kashmir War is taking place along the 1947 because Pakistan did not want Kashmir to accede to India therefore Lashkar tribesmen invaded the area so the ruler was forced to ask help from the Indian armed forces because he was facing internal revolts because the â€Å"Muslim peasants refused to pay their taxes to the Hindu landlords† (Stanley Wolpert, India and Pakistan, p22) and an external invasion because Pakistan wanted to â€Å"liberate Kashmir from Hindu control† (Stanley Wolpert, India and Pakistan, p22). The crisis phase during the First Kashmir War reaches the top between 1948 and 1949 when the Indian government responded with massive fighting against the Pakistan army, but then based on the aggression that came from Pakistan, India asked for the United Nations intervention in order to mediate the war. The intervention of the United Nations builds up the outcome of the war because both countries were forced to withdraw the troops and the tribal invaders. The Kashmir area had been split up in two territories by the ceasefire line and basically the north-western side of the region will be administered by Pakistan and the central, north-eastern side of Kashmir will be administered by India. The ceasefire line has been drawn based on the lawyers’ conclusions within the United Nations Security Council, which were based on the population wishes which showed that most of those who are living in the north-western part seemed to favour Pakistan and in the central and north-eastern part Hindu and Buddhists are majoritarian. The final decision has been taken in 1964 but until that, all the period was an â€Å"exacerbating Cold War†. (Stanley Wolpert, India and Pakistan, p27). Starting with the second decade of 1964 and the beginning of the 1965 the tensions are increasing because the United Nations ceasefire line could not stop the invaders to cross the border into the Indian administered Kashmir. This invasion took place because the Pakistani army general has been angry when India announced that the implementation of a constitution in Kashmir made the state part of the Indian Union. The confrontations rich the top and transform into a crisis when the Indian troops crossed the international border line to Lahore even if this was not the truest Indian intension. They only did that because the Pakistani army general dared the Indian army general to attack the defenceless capital but he actually didn’t believe that actually India could do that. After all these happened, the Pakistani general begged the US presidency to set a ceasefire line with India. At the very beginning of the 1966 as an outcome the Tashkent Agreement has been signed in Uzbekistan between both parties because each of the war actors were holding a territory from the other actor. This agreement has been signed under the following idea â€Å"Instead of fighting each other, fight against the poverty, disease and ignorance†. (Stanley Wolpert, India and Pakistan, p34). The situation is still quite tense because this outcome is still in a crisis moment when any spark could start the war again. Many revolts are taking place in Pakistan between 1966 and 1969. The student’s dormitories have been assaulted by the riots and most of the population in Lahore wanted to change the government. In both West and East Pakistan the martial law has been implemented by Ayub in the early 1969. Based on the martial law in Dhaka, the capital of East Pakistan most of the prisons have been filled up with political prisoners because the country wanted to become independent. Because of fast spread of the issues in both countries at the very beginning of 1971 the third war begins in East Pakistan and that is actually the transformation of East Pakistan into Bangladesh. The reason of this war is that the West Pakistan government did not accept the elected premier in East Pakistan to start his premiership. Basically the violence increases, reaching a top crisis when the West Pakistani air forces launched an attack over the north-western Indian airfields. After the actions India involves directly into the war and organizes an air, land and sea attach against the eastern Pakistani because most of the West Pakistani army was there. In March 1971 the western Pakistan army become war prisoners in Dhaka and the Bangladesh become independent, â€Å"reincarnated from the East Pakistan†. (Stanley Wolpert, India and Pakistan, p41). Right after that, in 1972 an outcome is on the way. Both Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India, meet in the Indian town of Shimla to sign an agreements where both parties promise to end up fighting and to start the promotion of a harmonious relationship and to establish a durable peace in the area. This agreement also transforms the ceasefire line into the Line of Control between these two countries. Following in the 1974, India’s state government affirms that Kashmir is part of the Indian Union but the Pakistan’s government rejects an accord that both countries had to sign in respects of the sharing region. In May the same year, India organizes the underground detonation of a nuclear bomb on its territory in order to show the nuclear power that the country has. 1988 is a very interesting year because reaches the lowest rate of violence since the whole conflict started and both sides signed an agreement which says that none of them will attack the nuclear facilities of the other’s. However, in 1989 a sharp rise of deaths transforms Kashmir again into a crisis because a resistance against the Indian rule began in the valley. Actually this resistance is happening because the Muslim Parties in the region accused the Indian government of intervention on the 1987 state’s legislative elections. At the same time India accuses Pakistan of providing weapons and training to the protestors in the valley but the Pakistani government denies everything. In 1990 the situation has still a crisis character because of the protests in Kashmir but in 1991 even if the tensions are still high rated, both countries manage to sign another agreement where they decide to provide advance notification regarding any military movement in order to protect th e airspace violation and in 1992 they sign a non-nuclear aggression agreement which prohibits both countries to use chemical weapons against each other. Between 1996-1999 there is an escalation because of several clashes between the military officers at the Line of Control. In 1998 begins a nuclear race between India and Pakistan because of the detonation responses between them but happily they end up being sanctioned by the international rule. Sadly in 1999 the confrontations transform into a crisis again because the Pakistan forces are taking strategic positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control. As a counter offensive Indian forces fights and manage to move the Pakistan army back on their side. This conflict is called Cargill war because of the location where took place and is the first one that happened right after both countries showed their nuclear power creating a worldwide fear of the possibility that one of both countries could use the nuclear bomb. In 2000 and 2001 the tensions in Kashmir valley are still very high plus the administrative leader of the region of India to start a military operation against the Pakistani training camps, but in July 2001 both Prime Ministers meet in a Summit in order to discuss about the core issue in Kashmir but they couldn’t come to an agreement. In December the same year the situation is still in a massive crisis because the Indian Parliament has been attacked and they continued to fight along the Line of Control until happily the war has ended thank to the international intervention. In 2002 both sides try to define an outcome despise the risky tensions and in 2003 they decide to stop fighting, following a quiet period until 2004 when both Prime Ministers meet within another Summit and decide to withdraw the troops from the Line of Control because the situation has been improved in the area. At the moment the conflict is still blurry an in outcome stage because during 2010 and 2011 minor bomb attacks happened in New Delhi but obviously the number of deaths decreased drastically bellow 100. As a conclusion what I would say is that, this is a quite complicated and long conflict with a very dynamic pattern. Despite of the several signed agreements both parties just couldn’t stop fighting from what it is considered to be theirs and as you can clearly see the conflict is still debated even if there is no crisis situation.

Comparing the Novel and Film Versions of Elizabeth Bowen’s The Heat of the Day :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Comparing the Novel and Film Versions of Elizabeth Bowen’s The Heat of the Day When reading Elizabeth Bowen’s 1949 novel, The Heat of the Day, and then, viewing the movie by the same title, large and small differences are noted. These differences are enough to make both the reading and the viewing interesting and not a boring duplication. When comparing the opening sequences, the differences are striking. Bowen’s story begins with the interaction between the mysterious Harrison and the determined woman, Louie, in Regent’s Park; the screenwriter’s version establishes all the characters and places the stories events into a chronological order that changes the impact of the scene. By discussing the opening scenes in each media it becomes apparent that Elizabeth Bowen has more faith in her audience than the screenwriter has in his. Bowen assumes that the reader is capable of comprehending the introductory scenes when written from the view of the ‘mind’s eye’. The screenwriter lacks confidence in his viewer and finds it necessary to lose the cloak and dagger impact in order to make sure the story is understood. Elizabeth Bowen’s writing is very descriptive. She takes great pains to ensure that her reader â€Å"sees† the environment in which her characters dwell as well as having a clear picture of the personalities and characteristics of each individual. In Chapter One’s opening two sentences, Bowen perfectly paints a portrait of autumn in London’s Regent’s Park. The reader’s mind easily drifts into an autumn mood and remembers fond times of his life when the leaves gently floated down from trees overhead attempting to cover the earth in a riot of color. As Chapter One continues, Bowen establishes her venue in the park describing the open-air theatre with its walled thickets and tall trees, musicians performing the music of waltzes, marches and overtures, and the varying nationalities of people in attendance, not just the English but visitors too. It is at this point that the reader first discovers the comic elements that will be hidden throughout within the perplexing story. Bowen writes, â€Å"mothers tired of being mothers forgot their children as their children forgot them – one held her baby as though it had been a doll† and then goes on to say, â€Å"these were the English† (4-5). Here is the dry tongue-in-cheek British humor that brings a quiet giggle to the surface or a smile to the face.

The Shakespearian Play: Hamlet Essay -- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Tom Stoppard creates a life off the stage for the characters of the poplar Shakespearian play, Hamlet. He provided a dramatic and comedic effect through the story of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two childhood companions of Hamlet. In the setting of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, two different worlds exist. There is the onstage world of Hamlet, in which all of the characters are caught up in the story line of the play, and the offstage world of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The odd and void-like world of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern provides these characters with little information and forces them to believe that nothing is happening in their lives. They come to realize that they solely exist within this story to provide their services to the needs of the story happening around them. They barely take part in this story, as the other characters are completely unaware of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s existence. The characters of Hamlet only seem to exist within th e play and are provided with no other reasons to believe that their world might not be real. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern finally show up in the play, they are discomforted and do not spend enough time onstage to gather enough information to understand this alternate life. None of the other characters show concern for the duo and do not seem to be interested in their lives once they leave the stage. However, they spark the interest of The Player. He illustrates the capability of being able to easily move between the two worlds. He is the leader of the Tragedians and displays a sense of understanding to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The Player seems to be the only character that can easily transition between both worlds and has an understanding of th... ...ut the play, even though death is determined, that fulfillment of life is enough for anyone. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do not realize this throughout the play and they become distraught to know that portrayed them to be insignificant. Through the Player, Stoppard creates a character that is able to appreciate the pointlessness of the absurd world he lives in, and discover significance in it by creating it for himself. The Player’s habit to mix the lines between theatre and reality by asserting he does not distinguish the two is a statement that the two require the same thing in order to be understood: suspension of disbelief. (2.81) Works Cited Shakespeare, William. â€Å"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark† Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 9th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print The Shakespearian Play: Hamlet Essay -- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Tom Stoppard creates a life off the stage for the characters of the poplar Shakespearian play, Hamlet. He provided a dramatic and comedic effect through the story of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two childhood companions of Hamlet. In the setting of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, two different worlds exist. There is the onstage world of Hamlet, in which all of the characters are caught up in the story line of the play, and the offstage world of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The odd and void-like world of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern provides these characters with little information and forces them to believe that nothing is happening in their lives. They come to realize that they solely exist within this story to provide their services to the needs of the story happening around them. They barely take part in this story, as the other characters are completely unaware of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s existence. The characters of Hamlet only seem to exist within th e play and are provided with no other reasons to believe that their world might not be real. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern finally show up in the play, they are discomforted and do not spend enough time onstage to gather enough information to understand this alternate life. None of the other characters show concern for the duo and do not seem to be interested in their lives once they leave the stage. However, they spark the interest of The Player. He illustrates the capability of being able to easily move between the two worlds. He is the leader of the Tragedians and displays a sense of understanding to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The Player seems to be the only character that can easily transition between both worlds and has an understanding of th... ...ut the play, even though death is determined, that fulfillment of life is enough for anyone. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do not realize this throughout the play and they become distraught to know that portrayed them to be insignificant. Through the Player, Stoppard creates a character that is able to appreciate the pointlessness of the absurd world he lives in, and discover significance in it by creating it for himself. The Player’s habit to mix the lines between theatre and reality by asserting he does not distinguish the two is a statement that the two require the same thing in order to be understood: suspension of disbelief. (2.81) Works Cited Shakespeare, William. â€Å"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark† Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 9th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print

Eating Disorders and the Media Essay -- Female Body Image Weight Healt

Eating Disorders and the Media What if you were surrounded by media messages telling you that, â€Å"people will like you more if you have the perfect body† or â€Å"being perfect makes people like you† ? How do you think young female teenagers would interpret these messages that the media are portraying? 81% of ten year old girls are afraid of being fat, of being considered ugly. Why do you think ten year olds would ever care about how they look? It’s because of the media implying that being slim is beauty. Due to the media’s brainwashing, poor self-image is one of the main causes of eating disorders in adolescent girls. The media sells products, not opinions nor facts. They will sell you anything, telling you that it will make you slimmer and that being skinny is the way to go. When we see models and celebrities on commercials and in movies, we often wish that that was us in that body, because the media has made everyone so obsessed with their own bodies. The media makes young female teenagers feel guilty if they are slightly overweight. Models are beautiful, skinny, they have the right size thighs, hips, and butt. They are models but they are not role models. They are everything teenagers want to be, because of the television they watch and the magazines that they read. The media are always telling them that being thin is considered beautiful. This sends a wrath between females and their impression of what beauty really is. Some females will go to any length to try to be that perfect body weight person. Such a person doesn’t even exist. For there is no perfect weight for which females should strive to achieve. Although there are many young females who will restrict what they are allowed to eat & when they are allowed to eat it. They will exercise compulsively and self effectuate vomiting. Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive overeating are three of the major eating disorders that infatuate young minds. Female teenagers see bingeing, dieting and vomiting, a way out of actually doing a workout and getting into shape. There is a widening gap between girl’s self-image and society’s messages about what girls should be like. The media uses television, magazines and subliminal messages to attract people. They have playboy models advertising for cars, boats and body lotion. They use a women’s body to advertise for their products. The media doe... ... they need to resolve, like the depression of not being happy with themselves. Of going through many procedures to make them look â€Å"thin† or â€Å"ordinary† because they can no longer be happy with themselves because of the media’s interference with adolescent girls images. Anorexia and bulimia are one of the main causes along with the media as to why adolescent girls are always slightly underweight and devastating skinny. If the media didn’t interfere with adolescent perceptions, maybe one half of fourth grade girls wouldn’t be on a diet. Intense fear of becoming fat and distorted body images aren’t the kinds of thing we want our adolescents girls to become. To think about their appearance and weight 24/7 isn’t right. The media should stop publicizing young female bodies and telling them what beauty is perceived to them. They should think of all those adolescents girls that they send into depression or force to become bulimic, just because they wish to make money. The media brainwashes too many of adolescent girls, making them think about their body in relation to models who have unmistakably the â€Å"perfect body†. Making them think that you have to be thin in order to be beautiful.

Mr. Bus

4. In March 2006, Tesco announced that it would enter the United States. This represents a departure from its historic strategy of focusing on developing nations. Why do you think Tesco made this decision? How is the U. S. market different from others Tesco has entered? What are the risks here? How do you think Tesco will do? In our opinion, Tesco had done a lot of research before they decide to open in United States market. Tesco believes that each market is unique and requires a different approach. Tesco experience In the United Kingdom has demonstrated that no single format can entirely penetrate a market. That is why the company has developed a range of formats from convenience stores to hypermarkets that it deploys to meet the needs and opportunities it encounters in each country. One of the reasons Tesco enters the United States market is because they want to build a brand for Tesco. Tesco believe brands are the building blocks of lasting relationships with consumers. Tesco want to develop capabilities. A critical part of Tesco’s culture is an intense focus on learning, developing skills, processes and systems, and then sharing them across international markets to increase the chances of success. United State market is different from others Tesco has entered. Accounting for almost 30% of world GDP, the United State is the world’s largest and most demanding market for almost everything from oil to microprocessors to premium coffee. Companies around the world aspire to do business in the United State or at least with United State companies in their home markets. By doing so, they learn much about the latest management practices, they can be closer to the cutting edge of innovation, and they can boost their reputations by supplying well known United States firms. The risk for Tesco decide to open a market in United States is, Tesco moved too fast and made too many wrong assumptions about the United States Market. If the concept was working, an established and well financed retailer like Tesco would be using the economic downturn to drive out weaker United States players. It will be some risk to Tesco if they open a new market in United States, because they will compete with Wal-Mart their biggest competitor in United States. Wal-Mart is the biggest retailer in United States and since Wal-Mart has bought ASDA, Tesco will be struggling to compete with Wal-Mart in United States market. In our opinion Tesco will fail or struggle in the beginning because they have to compete with their biggest competitor Wal-Mart. Most of the customers in United States used to go to Wal-Mart, since that Tesco will be struggle in a beginning. And from our research we found that none of British retailer has succeeded in United States market. But maybe after few months or few years Tesco will be back stronger in United States market and Tesco maybe will be more succeed than Wal-Mart.

A book review of `Bias` by Bernard Goldberg

The book Bias by Bernard Goldberg is statement by its author that network news (CBS, NBC, ABC, and CNN), has failed in its mission by presenting the liberal position on issues as the baseline, of reasonableness and that any variation from that position is controversial or a deviation from should be.   Reasonable minds, in other words, do not differ.The book asserts the claim that the News is packed with the views of liberal advocacy groups and rarely includes the views of conservative thinkers.   In his nearly thirty years at CBS News, Emmy Award- winner Bernard Goldberg earned a reputation as one of the finest reporters in television news. When he looked at his own business, however, he saw that the media far too often ignored their primary mission: objective, disinterested reporting.Time and time over and over he saw that they slanted the news to the left. For years Goldberg appealed to reporters, producers, and network executives for more balanced reporting, but no one listene d. The liberal bias has continued for some time. Now, in BIAS, he blows the whistle on the news business, showing exactly how the media slant their reporting while insisting that they're just giving the basic facts (Regency, 2001).One of the main points in the book deals with how CBS Evening News dealt with the flat tax proposal of the Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes.   The story as reported by Eric Engberg was one-sided.   There was no time given to flat tax supporters.   In point of fact, the report was actually a mocking of Steve Forbes’ plan.   The only critics were a small number of right-of-center sources.In the book Goldberg shows: ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   how media bias has twisted the facts of some of the biggest stories of the last two decades, ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the facts that prove that conservatives   and liberals in politics are treated radically different by the news media, ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   how the news is knowingly â€Å"manufactured,†Ã‚ ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   why certain key facts are omitted from news stories if they make a case a or a cause seem less compelling ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   that the news media feels free to heap criticism on just about anyone or anything but is absolutely intolerant of any criticism of its own work, and ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a behind-the-camera tour to witness scenes of jaw-dropping arrogance and â€Å"spin-cycle† journalism (Regency Publishing, 2001)The resulting furor was all started by an editorial published on February 13, 1996 by Goldberg in The Wall Street Journal entitled â€Å"Networks Need a Reality Check.†Ã‚   The premise of the editorial was 1) there was a liberal bias on the part of television news reporters that 2) got in the way of their reporting.This was not an earthshaking revelation, in that most people knew of this, without being told.   However, this had not been stated or publishe d before by an admitted liberal.   For that exactly what Goldberg had thought of him as.   But, he was also then a typical network newsman.Another example of liberal bias is during the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings, NBC News actually brought Catherine MacKinnon in as an ‘expert’ to bring perspective to the hearings.   MacKinnon is the feminist who famously implied that all sexual intercourse is rape (Wilson, 2001).This editorial was a very public announcement of the unpardonable sin of publicly mentioning the issue of the liberal bias in the media.   In the editorial, Goldberg called the offending reporter and his own network employer to task (Hartlaub, 2001).The resulting outcry from reporters and anchors on all three networks including cold shoulders from coworkers help to confirm his suspicions that bias in the new media was real.That editorial, as well as subsequent ones printed on February 15, 1996 and May 24, 2001 all caused extensive, but revealing problems for Goldberg.   It was a reaction not to the comments, whether they were true or false, but to the fact that the statements were made at all.

The Golden Lily Chapter 21

I'D SEEN MOVIES where blindfolded people were able to tell where they were going, based on some innate talent to sense motion and direction. Not me. After a few turns, I couldn't have told you where in Palm Spring we were – especially since I suspected Trey was taking a slightly roundabout way in order to make sure there wasn't a tail. The only thing I was certain of was when we got on I-10, simply because of the feel of the freeway. I didn't know what direction we were headed and had no way to accurately time how long we traveled either. Trey didn't offer much in the way of conversation, though he did give short answers whenever I asked questions. â€Å"When did you join the vampire hunters?† â€Å"Warriors of Light,† he corrected. â€Å"And I was born into it.† â€Å"That's why you're always talking about family pressure and why so much is expected of you, isn't it? It's why your dad is so concerned about your athletic performance.† I took Trey's silence as an affirmative and pushed on, needing to get as much information as possible. â€Å"How often do you guys have your, um, meetings? Are you always having those brutal tests?† Until very recently, there had been nothing to suggest Trey's life was much different from any other high school athlete who kept up with his grades, a job, and an active social life. In fact, thinking of all the things Trey usually did, it was hard to imagine him having any time at all for the Warriors. â€Å"We don't have regular meetings,† he said. â€Å"Well, not someone at my level. We wait until we're called, usually because a hunt's under way. Or sometimes we conduct competitions, in order to test our strength. Our leaders travel around, and then Warriors gather from all different places in order to be ready.† â€Å"Ready for what?† â€Å"The day when we can end the vampire scourge altogether.† â€Å"And you really believe this hunt is the way to do it? That it's the right thing to do?† â€Å"Have you ever seen them?† he asked. â€Å"The evil, undead vampires?† â€Å"I've seen quite a few of them.† â€Å"And you don't think they should be destroyed?† â€Å"That's not what I've been trying to tell you. I don't have any love for Strigoi, believe me. My point is that Sonya's not one of them.† More silence. Eventually, I felt us exit the freeway. We drove for a while longer until the car slowed again and turned, onto a gravel road. We soon came to a stop, and Trey rolled down the window. â€Å"This is her?† asked an unknown man. â€Å"Yes,† said Trey. â€Å"You turned off her cell phone?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Take her in then. They'll do the rest of the search.† I heard a squeaking gate open, and then we continued on the gravel road until turning onto what felt like packed dirt. Trey stopped the car and turned it off. He opened his door at the same time someone on the outside opened mine. A hand on my shoulder nudged me forward. â€Å"Come on. Get out.† â€Å"Be careful with her,† warned Trey. I was led from the car into a building. It wasn't until I heard a door shut and latch that my blindfold was finally taken off. I was in a stark room with unfinished drywall and bare bulb lights in the ceiling. Four other people stood around Trey and me, three men and one woman. All of them looked to be in their twenties, and two were the guys who had stopped me at the cafe. Also, all of them were armed. â€Å"Empty out your purse.† It was Jeff, the guy with buzzed dark hair, wearing a gold earring of the antique sun symbol. I complied, dumping my purse's contents onto a makeshift table composed of plywood set on top of some cinderblocks. While they sifted through it, the woman patted me down for wires. She had hair with a bad bleach job and a perennial snarl on her face, but at least her frisk was professional and efficient. â€Å"What's this?† Blond Hair from the cafe held up a small plastic bag filled with dried herbs and flowers. â€Å"You don't look like the drug type.† â€Å"It's potpourri,† I said promptly. â€Å"You keep potpourri in your purse?† he asked disbelievingly. I shrugged. â€Å"We keep all sorts of things around. I took out all the acids and chemicals before I came here, though.† He dismissed the potpourri as harmless and tossed it into a pile with other cleared items, like my wallet, hand sanitizer, and a plain wooden bracelet. I noticed then that the pile also included a pair of earrings. They were round gold discs, covered in intricate swirls and tiny gems. They were beautiful – but I'd never seen them before. I certainly wasn't going to call attention to anything, however, particularly when the woman snatched up my cell phone. â€Å"We should destroy this.† â€Å"I turned it off,† said Trey. â€Å"She might turn it back on. It can be tracked.† â€Å"She wouldn't,† argued Trey. â€Å"Besides, that's a little paranoid, isn't it? No one has that kind of technology in real life.† â€Å"You'd be surprised,† she said. He held out his hand. â€Å"Give it to me. I'll keep it safe. She's here on good faith.† The woman hesitated until Jeff nodded. Trey slipped the phone into his pocket, and I was grateful. There were a lot of saved numbers that would be a pain to replace. Once my purse was deemed safe, I was allowed to put it back together and take it with me. â€Å"Okay,† said Blond Hair. â€Å"Let's go to the arena.† Arena? I had a hard time picturing what that would entail in a place like this. My vision in the silver plate hadn't shown me much of the building, save that it was single-story and had a ratty, worn look to it. This room seemed to be keeping right along with that theme. If the antiquated brochures were further proof of the Warriors' sense of style, I expected this â€Å"arena† to be in someone's garage. I was wrong. Whatever the Warriors of Light had lacked in other areas of their operation, they'd sunk it into the arena – or, as I was told its official name was, The Arena of Divine Radiance of Holy Gold. The arena had been built upon a clearing surrounded by several buildings. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a courtyard. It was bigger, and the ground was more of that sandy packed dirt we'd driven in on. This setup was far from polished or high tech, yet as I took it all in, I couldn't help but think of Trey saying the Warriors had come to town this week. Because for them to have put this together so quickly†¦ well, it was kind of impressive. And frightening. Two sets of rickety wooden bleachers had been erected on opposite sides of the space. One set held about fifty spectators, mostly men, of varying ages. Their eyes, suspicious and even hostile, were on me as I was led in. I could practically feel their gazes boring into my tattoo. Did they all know about the Alchemists and our history? They were all dressed in ordinary clothing, but here and there, I caught glimmers of gold. Many of them wore some kind of ornament – a pin, an earring, etc. – with either an ancient or modern sun symbol. The other bleachers were nearly empty. Three men – older, closer to my dad's age – sat side by side. They were dressed in yellow robes covered in golden embroidery that glittered in the orange light of the setting sun. Golden helmets covered their heads and were engraved with the old sun symbol, the circle with the dot. They watched me as well, and I kept my head high, hoping I could hide the shaking of my hands. I couldn't present a convincing case for Sonya if I seemed intimidated. Around the arena, draped on poles, were banners of all shapes and sizes. They were made of rich, heavy fabric that reminded me of medieval tapestries. Obviously, these weren't that old, but they nonetheless gave the place a luxurious and ceremonial feel. The banners' designs varied considerably. Some really did look straight out of history, showing stylized knights fighting against vampires. Looking at those gave me chills. I really had stepped back in time, into the fold of a group with a history as old as the Alchemists'. Other banners were more abstract, portraying the ancient alchemical symbols. Still others looked modern, depicting the sun on Trey's back. I wondered if that newer sun interpretation was meant to appeal to today's youth. All the while, I kept thinking, less than a week. They put all this together in less than a week. They travel around with all of this, ready to put it up at a moment's notice in order to conduct these competitions or executions. Maybe they are primitive, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous. Although the large crowd of spectators had a rough-and-tumble look to them, like some sort of backwoods militia, it was a relief that they didn't appear to be armed. Only my escort was. A dozen guns were still too many for my tastes, but I'd take what I could get – and hope that they mostly kept the guns for show. We reached the bottom of the empty stands, and Trey came to stand beside me. â€Å"This is the high council of the Warriors of Light,† said Trey. He pointed to each of them in turn. â€Å"Master Jameson, Master Angeletti, and Master Ortega. This is Sydney Sage.† â€Å"You are very welcome here, little sister,† said Master Angeletti in a grave voice. He had a long and messy beard. â€Å"The time for the healing of our two groups is long overdue. We will be much stronger once we put aside our differences and unite as one.† I gave him the politest smile I could and decided not to point out the Alchemists were unlikely to welcome gun-toting zealots into our ranks. â€Å"It's a pleasure to meet you, sirs. Thank you for allowing me to come. I'd like to talk to you about – † Master Jameson held up a hand to stop me. His eyes looked too small for his face. â€Å"All in good time. First, we'd like to show you just how diligently we train our youth to fight in the great crusade. Just as you encourage excellence and discipline in the mind, so too do we encourage it in the body.† Through some unspoken cue, the door we'd just come through opened. A familiar face walked out to the center of the arena: Chris, Trey's cousin. He was wearing workout pants and no shirt, giving a clear view of the radiating sun tattooed on his back. He had a ferocious look on his face and came to stand in the clearing's center. â€Å"I believe you've met Chris Juarez,† said Master Jameson. â€Å"He's one of the finalists in this last round of combat. The other, of course, you also know. Quite the irony that cousins should be facing off, but also fitting since both failed in the initial attack on the fiend.† I turned to Trey, my jaw dropping. â€Å"You? You're one of the†¦ contenders to kill Sonya?† I could barely get the words out. I turned back to the council in alarm. â€Å"I was told I'd have a chance to plead Sonya's case.† â€Å"You will,† said Master Ortega, in a tone that implied it would be a wasted effort. â€Å"But first, we must determine our champion. Contenders, take your places.† I noticed now that Trey was also in sweatpants, looking as though he could be going off to football practice. He stripped off his shirt as well and, for lack of anything else to do with it, handed it to me. I took it and kept staring at him, still unable to believe what was happening. He met my gaze briefly but couldn't hold it. He walked off to join his cousin, and Master Jameson invited me to sit down. Trey and Chris faced each other. I felt a little embarrassed to be studying two shirtless guys, but it wasn't like there was anything too sordid happening. My impressions of Chris since the first time I'd met him hadn't changed. Both he and Trey were in excellent physical shape, muscled and strong with the kinds of bodies that constantly worked and trained. The only advantage Chris had, if it was one, was his height – which I'd also noticed before. His height. With a jolt, memories of the alley attack came back to me. There'd been little of our attackers to see, but the one wielding the sword had been tall. Chris must have been the one originally assigned to kill Sonya. Another robed man appeared from the door. His robes were cut slightly differently from the council's and somehow sported even more gold embroidery. Rather than a helmet, he wore a headdress more in line with what a priest might have. Indeed, that's what he seemed to be as Chris and Trey knelt before him. The priest marked their foreheads with oill and said some kind of blessing I couldn't hear. Then, to my shock, he made the sign against evil on his shoulder – the Alchemist sign against evil. I think that, more so than any of the spiels about evil vampires or shared usage of ancient symbols, was what really drove home the fact that our two groups had once been related. The sign against evil was a small cross drawn on the shoulder with the right hand. It had survived among the Alchemists since ancient days. A chill ran through me. We really had been one and the same. When the priest was finished, another man came forward and handed each of the cousins a short, blunt wooden club – kind of like what police sometimes used in crowd control. Trey and Chris turned toward each other, locked in aggressive poses, holding the clubs in striking positions. A buzz of excitement ran through the crowd, as it grew eager for violence. Evening breezes stirred up dust devils around the cousins, but neither of them flinched. I turned to the council incredulously. â€Å"They're going to attack each other with those clubs?† I asked. â€Å"They could be killed!† â€Å"Oh no,† said Master Ortega, far too calmly. â€Å"We haven't had a death in these trials in years. They'll take injury, sure, but that just toughens our warriors. All of our young men are taught to endure pain and keep on fighting.† â€Å"Young men,† I repeated. My gaze moved down to the bleach blonde girl who'd brought me in. She was standing near our bleachers, holding her gun at her side. â€Å"What about your women?† â€Å"Our women are tough, too,† said Master Ortega. â€Å"And certainly valued. But we'd never dream of letting them fight in the arenas or actively hunt vampires. Part of the reason we do what we do is to keep them safe. We're fighting this evil for their good and our future children.† The man who'd handed out the clubs also announced the rules in a loud, ringing voice that filled the arena. To my relief, the Juarez cousins wouldn't be beating each other senseless. There was a system to the combat they were about to enter into. They could only hit each other in certain places. Hitting elsewhere would result in penalties. A successful hit would yield a point. The first person to five points was the winner. As soon as it started, however, it was clear this wasn't going to be as civilized as I'd hoped. Chris actually landed the first hit right away, nailing Trey so hard on the shoulder that I winced. Animalistic cheers and whoops rang out from the bloodthirsty crowd, echoed by hisses of dismay from Trey's supporters. Trey didn't even react and kept trying to hit Chris, but I could tell there'd be a nasty bruise there later. Both of them were pretty fast and alert, able to dodge a majority of the attempted blows. They danced around, trying to get through each other's guards. More dirt was kicked up, clinging to their sweaty skin. I found myself leaning forward, fists clenched in nervousness. My mouth felt dry, and I couldn't utter a sound. In a remote way, I was reminded a little of the way Eddie and Angeline trained. Certainly, they walked away with injury too. In their situation, however, they were playing guardian and Strigoi. There was a difference between that and two guys striving to inflict the most damage on other. Watching Chris and Trey, I felt my stomach twist. I disliked violence, particularly this barbaric display. It was like I'd been transported back to the days of the gladiators. The crowd's fervor continued to increase. It was on its feet cheering wildly and urging the cousins on. Their voices rang out in the desert night. Despite being struck first, Trey could clearly hold his own. I watched as he made hit after hit on Chris and wasn't sure which sickened me more: seeing my friend hurt or seeing him hurt someone else. â€Å"This is terrible,† I said, when I could finally find my voice. â€Å"This is excellence in action,† said Master Angeletti. â€Å"No surprise since their fathers are outstanding warriors as well. They sparred quite a bit in their youths, too. That's them, down in the front row.† I looked at where he indicated and saw two middle-aged men, side by side, with gleeful looks on their faces as they shouted encouragement at the cousins. I didn't even need Master Angeletti's guidance to guess that they were related. The Juarez family stamp was strong on these men and their sons. The fathers cheered just as avidly as the crowd, not even flinching when Trey or Chris got injured. It was just like my father and Keith's. Nothing mattered except family pride and playing by the group rules. I'd lost track of the points until Master Jameson said, â€Å"Ah, this will be good. Next point determines the winner. It always makes me proud when the contenders are so evenly matched. Lets me know we've done the right thing.† There was nothing right about this. Tears stung my eyes, but whether it was from the dry, dusty air or simply my anxiety, I couldn't say. Sweat was pouring off Trey and Chris now, their chests rising and falling with the exertion of battle. Both were covered in scrapes and bruises, adding onto old ones from days past. The tension in the arena was palpable as everyone waited to see who would land the final hit. The cousins paused slightly, sizing up each other as they realized this was the moment of truth. This was the blow that had to count. Chris, face excited and alight, acted first, lunging forward to land a hit on the side of Trey's torso. I gasped, jumping to my feet in alarm with most of the crowd. The sound was deafening. It was clear from Chris's expression that he could taste victory, and I wondered if he was already imagining the strike that would kill Sonya. Sunset bathed his face in bloody light. Maybe it was because I'd seen enough of Eddie to learn some of the basics, but I suddenly realized something. Chris's movement was too rash and sloppy. Sure enough, Trey was able to evade the strike, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I sank back down to my seat. Those who had been certain he was about to be taken out roared in outrage. That left Trey with a beautiful opening to get in on Chris. My tension returned. Was this really any better? Trey â€Å"winning† the right to take a life? The point was moot. Trey didn't take the shot. I frowned as I watched. He didn't exactly fumble, but there was something that didn't seem right. There's a rhythm to fighting, where instinct and automatic responses take over. It was almost as though Trey had purposely fought against his next instinctive move, the one that said strike now! And in doing so, Trey left himself open. He took a hit from Chris, which knocked him to the ground. I rested a hand on my own chest, as though I'd also felt the blow. The crowd went crazy. Even the decorous masters jumped up from their seats, screaming approval and dismay. I had to forcibly stay seated. Every part of me wanted to run down there and make sure Trey was okay, but I had a feeling one of the armed members of my escort would shoot me or knock me out before I took two steps. My worry faded a tiny bit when I saw Trey stagger to his feet. Chris clapped Trey good naturedly on the back, grinning from ear to ear as those assembled shouted his name. Trey soon retreated to the crowded stands, yielding the victor's spot. His father met him with a look of disapproval but said nothing. The man who'd given out the clubs approached Chris with the sword I'd returned. Chris held it over his head, earning more applause. Near me, Master Jameson stood up and bellowed, â€Å"Bring out the creature!† Creature was hardly how I'd describe Sonya Karp as four heavily armed Warriors dragged her out across the dusty arena. Her legs barely seemed to work, and even from this distance, I could tell she was drugged. That was why Adrian couldn't reach her in dreams. It also explained why she wouldn't have used any magic to attempt escape. Her hair was a mess, and she wore the same clothes I'd seen her in that last night at Adrian's. They were bedraggled, but otherwise, she didn't seem to have any signs of physical abuse on her. This time, I couldn't stop myself from standing up. The blonde girl immediately put a hand on my shoulder, forcing me down. I stared at Sonya, wanting so desperately to help her, but knew I was powerless. Swallowing back fear and rage, I slowly sat back on the bleachers and turned toward the council. â€Å"You told me I'd have a chance to talk.† I remembered their sense of honor. â€Å"You gave your word. Doesn't that mean anything?† â€Å"Our word means everything,† said Master Ortega, looking offended. â€Å"You'll have your chance.† Behind Sonya's guard came two more men hauling a huge block of wood with arm constraints on it. It looked like it had come straight out of a medieval movie set, and my stomach twisted when I realized it was for: decapitation. The shadows had increased, forcing the men to bring out torches that cast sinister, flickering light around the arena. It was impossible to believe I was in twenty-first-century California. I felt like I'd been transported to some barbarian castle. And really, these hunters were barbarians. One of Sonya's guards pushed her to her knees from behind, forcing her head against the block's surface while he bound her hands with the leather restraints. In her addled state, it didn't require nearly the level of force the guy put into it. I couldn't believe they could act so self-righteous when they were about to end the life of a woman who could offer no resistance, let alone even knew she was here. Everyone was screaming for her blood, and I felt like I was going to get sick. Master Angeletti rose, and a hush fell over the arena. â€Å"We have gathered here from all parts of the country for a great thing. It is a rare and blessed day when we actually have a Strigoi in captivity.† Because she's not a Strigoi, I thought angrily. They'd never be able to capture a live one. â€Å"They plague decent humans like ourselves, but today we shall dispatch one back to Hell – one who's particularly insidious because of her ability to hide her true nature and pretend to be one of the more benign fiends, the Moroi – whom we will deal with one day as well.† Murmurs of approval ran through the crowd. â€Å"Before we commence, however, one of our Alchemist brethren would like to speak out on behalf of this creature.† The approval vanished, replaced by angry mutterings and glaring. I wondered uneasily if the guards who kept their guns pointed at me would turn on one of their associates if I was attacked. Master Angeletti held up his hands and silenced them. â€Å"You will show our little sister respect,† he said. â€Å"The Alchemists are kin, and once, we were one. It would be a momentous event if we could once again join forces.† With that, he sat down and gestured to me. Nothing else was offered, and I assumed this meant the floor was mine. I wasn't entirely sure how I was supposed to make my case or where. The council made the decisions, but this seemed like something everyone should hear. I stood up and waited for the girl with the gun to stop me from moving. She didn't. Slowly, carefully, I made my way down the bleachers and stood in the arena, mindful not to go near Sonya. I didn't think that would go over well. I kept my body angled toward the council but turned my head in a way that would hopefully carry to others. I'd given reports and presentations before but always in a conference room. I'd never addressed an angry mob, let alone spoken to such a large group about vampire affairs. Most of the faces out there were swallowed by shadows, but I could picture all those mad, bloodthirsty eyes fixed on me. My mouth felt dry, and, in what was a very rare occurrence, my mind blanked. A moment later, I was able to push through my fear (though it certainly didn't go away), and remember what I'd wanted to say. â€Å"You're making a mistake,† I began. My voice was small, and I cleared my throat, forcing myself to project and sound stronger. â€Å"Sonya Karp is not a Strigoi.† â€Å"We have records of her in Kentucky,† interrupted Master Jameson. â€Å"Eyewitnesses who saw her kill.† â€Å"That's because she was a Strigoi back then. But she isn't anymore.† I kept thinking the tattoo would stop me from talking, but this group was already well aware of the vampiric world. â€Å"In the last year, the Alchemists have learned a lot about vampires. You must know that the Moroi – your so-called ‘benign fiends' – practice elemental magic. We've recently found out there's a new, rare kind of magic out there, one that's tied to psychic powers and healing. That power has the ability to restore Strigoi back to their original form, be it human, dhampir, or Moroi.† A few angry denials quickly rose to a frenzy. Mob mentality in action. It took Master Jameson to quiet them again. â€Å"That,† he said simply, â€Å"is impossible.† â€Å"We have documented cases of three – no, four – people this has happened to. Three Moroi and a dhampir who once were Strigoi and are now in possession of their original selves and souls.† Speaking about Lee in the present tense wasn't entirely accurate, but there was no need to clarify. Besides, describing a former Strigoi who wanted to become Strigoi again probably wouldn't help my case. â€Å"Look at her. Does she seem Strigoi? She's out in the sun.† There wasn't much of it left, but even these fleeting rays of sunset would kill a Strigoi. With the way I was sweating from fear, I might as well have been out under a blazing midafternoon sun. â€Å"You keep saying this is the work of some twisted magic, but have you ever, even once, seen her in Strigoi form here in Palm Springs?† No one acknowledged that right away. Finally, Master Angeletti said, â€Å"She defeated our forces in the street. Obviously, she turned back into her true form.† I scoffed. â€Å"She didn't do that. Dimitri Belikov did – one of the greatest dhampir warriors out there. No offense, but despite all the training, your soldiers were hopelessly outclassed.† I was met with more aggressive gazes. I realized that probably wasn't the best thing I could've said. â€Å"You've been deceived,† said Master Angeletti. â€Å"No surprise since your people have long since become enmeshed behind the scenes with the Moroi. You aren't like us, down in the trenches. You don't come face-to-face with the Strigoi. They're evil, bloodthirsty creatures who must be destroyed.† â€Å"I agree with that. But Sonya's not one of them. Look at her.† I was gaining courage, my voice growing stronger and clearer in the desert night. â€Å"You keep bragging about capturing some terrible monster, but all I see is a drugged, restrained woman. Nice work. Truly a worthy enemy.† None of the council looked nearly as tolerant of me as they had before. â€Å"We simply subdued her,† said Master Ortega. â€Å"It's a sign of our prowess that we were able to do so.† â€Å"You've subdued an innocent and defenseless woman.† I didn't know if driving home that point would help, but I figured it couldn't hurt if they had twisted, chivalrous views of women. â€Å"And I know you've made mistakes before. I know about Santa Cruz.† I had no idea if this had been the same group whose men had gone after Clarence, but I was gambling the council at least knew about it. â€Å"Some of your more zealous members went after an innocent Moroi. You saw the errors of your way then when Marcus Finch told you the truth. It's not too late to correct this mistake either.† To my astonishment, Master Ortega actually smiled. â€Å"Marcus Finch? You're holding him up as some kind of hero?† Not exactly, no. I didn't even know the guy. But if he was a human that talked these crazy people down, then he must have some kind of integrity. â€Å"Why wouldn't I?† I asked. â€Å"He was able to see right from wrong.† Even Master Angeletti chuckled now. â€Å"I would never have expected an Alchemist to praise his sense of ‘right and wrong.' I thought your own views of that were immovable.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† I didn't mean to get derailed, but these comments were too puzzling. â€Å"Marcus Finch betrayed the Alchemists,† explained Master Angeletti. â€Å"You didn't know? I assumed a rogue Alchemist is the last person you'd use to make your case.† I was momentarily speechless. Was he saying†¦ was he saying that Marcus Finch used to be an Alchemist? No. He couldn't be. If he had been, then Stanton would have known who he was. Unless she lied about not having any record of him, a voice in my head warned. Master Jameson had apparently heard enough from me. â€Å"We appreciate you coming out here and respect your attempt to stand up for what you believe is true. We're also glad you were able to see just how strong we've become. I hope you'll take this news back to your order. If anything, your attempts here have demonstrated what we've long known: our groups need each other. Clearly, the Alchemists have gleaned a lot of knowledge over the years that could be very useful to us – just as our strength could be useful to you. Nonetheless,† he glanced over toward Sonya and scowled, â€Å"the point remains now that whatever your intentions, you truly have been deceived. Even if there's some tiny impossible chance that you're right, that she truly is a Moroi†¦ we can't take the chance that she's still been corrupted. Even if she believes she's been restored, she may still have been subconsciously influenced.† Again, I was speechless – but not because I appeared to have lost my case. Master Jameson's words were nearly identical to what Keith's father had said, when he'd told me Keith would be taken back to Re-education. Mr. Darnell had echoed the sentiment, that they couldn't take the risk of even a subtle bit of influence affectin g Keith. Extreme actions had been required. We're the same, I thought. The Alchemists and the Warriors. Years have divided us, but we came from the same place – in both our goals and blind attitudes. And then Master Jameson said the most shocking thing of all. â€Å"Even if she is just a Moroi, it's no great loss. We'll come for them eventually anyway, once we've defeated the Strigoi.† I froze at those words. The blonde girl came forward and again forced me to sit down on the first row of the bleachers. I offered no resistance, too shocked at what I'd just heard. What did they mean they'd come for the Moroi? Sonya could just be the beginning, then the rest of my friends, and then Adrian†¦ Master Angeletti snapped me back to the present. He made a grand gesture toward Chris as he spoke. â€Å"By the divine power we have been granted to bring light and purity into this world, you are authorized to destroy this creature. Commence.† Chris raised the sword, a fanatical gleam in his eyes. A happy gleam, even. He wanted to do this. He wanted to kill. Dimitri and Rose had killed many, many times, but both had told me there was no joy in it. They were glad to do what was right and defend others, but they didn't take pleasure in bringing death. I'd been taught the existence of vampires was wrong and twisted, but what I was about to witness was the true atrocity. These were the monsters. I wanted to scream or cry or throw myself in front of Sonya. We were a heartbeat away from the death of a bright, caring person. Then, without warning, the silence of the arena was pierced with gunfire. Chris paused and lifted his head in surprise. I flinched and looked immediately toward the armed escort, wondering if they'd take it upon themselves to become a firing squad. They looked just as surprised as me – well, most of them. Two of them didn't show much emotion at all – because they were crumpled on the ground. And that was when Dimitri and Eddie burst into the arena.