Hotel Online Reservation

In today’s world of business in which technology has a part to play on where small or large business are slowly blooming and this particular business is in where leisure and relaxation is being presented the business of Hotel Management. On this kind of business they are always other competitor, so this is where technology will come they want a system and android base of application where they can make their business efficient so they want a reservation system on where it can book or reserve a room in where if they are vacancy or not, and notify on in coming events or news of their stay.They are a lot of android base on hotel reservation system but all of them has no locator and notification system on them in where a business consultant or a business man traveling to a particular destination to give a presentation or project details and wanted to stay on a hotel on where they can locate, book or reserve a room and notify them on what are the best recommendation of rooms to thi s particular hotel.In the world today traveling is the best option for the users who travel to do business proposal or business presentation to their destination soon in every establishment of hotel management want a system that can reserve a room base on an android application on where customers can do it on their android phones and in every hotel management can accommodated them to their every request and they can notify them on what are the best recommendation of the room and the possibility of their best service they offered.In the Philippines today as one of the tourist destination travelers and business men and women needed to have an application that they can reserve and book a room on a particular hotel and also given them a notification that notifies them on what are the best recommendation they have and give them on what are the particular event is the hotel is offering to its guest and it enables to be aware on what the hotel is offering. According to HRS, a hotel portal, mobile reservations grew from 3% in 2011 to 6% in 2012. It is safe to say that about 1/3 of business travelers use their smartphones and tablets to make a reservation.In the University of the Immaculate Conception, faculty and students may have already travel other country or right here in Philippines and they may want a android application that can book or reserve a room in a particular hotel on a particular country. This study may have its advantages and disadvantages on where it can be applied, due to the already present study it can be enhanced or be studied further in where it can be useful for the users and the management. The present study shows that it only has a reservation system and no notification system so it can be further be studied.In order to make this study to be more valid is to gather more data and able to distinguish on what are the materials needed for the Android Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System in order to give more reliable and accu rate information regarding to the said study. This study can be accomplished through analyzing and determine the advantages and disadvantages on Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System. Conceptual Framework Figure 1. 0 Conceptual Frame work of Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification system. Flow of the Conceptual frame work:Figure 1.0 shows that the first is that the client will access the application from their android phone and choose the following rooms and book the particular room then it goes directly to the internet and then it passes through to a cell tower and it is directed to the management and goes to the following process first the booking agent here is where the agent will get the client’s requested room to be book and it is passed to the facility director here is where the director will check if the said room has any problem on the requested room of the client after the director has checked the room it w ill directly go to the hotel agent here the hotel agent will verify that the room can be book or reserved, and then the data client that requested for the room and final after all the process of booking is done it will be back to the booking agent will send a notification that the room of the client is book and it passes through cell tower then through the internet and back to the client on where the client received the book room and its complementary. Statement of the Problem 1. What might are the advantages or disadvantages of the Android app. to the hotel industry?2. How effective do you think this Android App. toward the hotel industry? 3. Why do you think that this Android App. can benefit to the hotel industry? Hypothesis The android application with this kind of a purpose of making a reservation or booking of a hotel room will be easy to be used and only needs an internet connection on where the user will be guided easily and efficiently. Importance of the Study The importanc e of the study is to determine on how the system will work and can it help the user to book or reserve a room always notify if there is something wrong on his reserve room or simply notify them that the hotel is hosting an event.Researchers – This study can be beneficial for the researchers on where they can be aware to the research on Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System and have the knowledgeable background on what might the research might do. The Management: This research might help the management in improving their establishment and be knowledgeable on Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System can do for their establishment. Students: The study can be beneficial to students and have knowledgeable background on what might the research purpose and its establishment of Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System.Administration: The said research would provide knowledge on Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System and under this study the administration is able to have the knowledgeable background on the hotel reservation and notification system. Scope and Limitation This study is focused in determine on how this system would prove it’s effective to the industry. By this we are determine on how the system would take effect in the industry. This study is limited on how the Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System can be its effectiveness to the client and the management in terms Definition of TermsAndroid – is an operating system based on the Linux kernel, and designed primarily for touch screen mobile devices such as Smartphone’s and tablet computers Hotel Reservation System – A central reservation system is a tool to reach the global distribution system as well as internet distribution systems from one single system. A CRS assists hotel managers in managing their onlin e marketing and sales, allowing them to upload their rates and availabilities to be seen by sales channels that are using the CRS. Sales channels may include conventional travel agencies as well as online travel agencies. . Notification System – is a combination of software and hardware that provides a means of delivering a message to a set of recipients. Chapter 2Review of Related Literature and Studies Before giving details regarding the research methodology used in the study, it is appropriate to present a brief overview of the research articles, case studies, and books written on this particular topic. The area of study may be within the country or outside the country. â€Å"A Cloud App Hotel Reservation System from CiRBA† Adrian Bridgewater, September 02, 2013 In this article, he focused about the Cloud App from CiRBA Capacity Control software company CiRBA has announced a new Reservation Console for cloud developers (and teams) to control the automation of new wo rkload routing and capacity reservations processes.According to Adrian Bridgewater, using the â€Å"Cloud App† people will easy to reserve a room a soon as possible using the internet or through PC,The console automates (what is a manual process today) the job of selecting the optimal hosting environment for new workloads, reserving compute and storage capacity in advance of use, and ultimately providing the detailed host-level placement recommendations for the workload. The Reservation Console features a new, tunable scoring system that identifies the optimal destination environment for new application workloads. Teams can modify the attributes considered and also tune their weighting so that recommendations are aligned with organizational goals and application owner preferences. â€Å"Application of Biometric Security in Agent based Hotel Booking System – Android Environment† Wayne Lawrence,Suresh Sankaranarayanan, July 2012According to the authors The process of finding the finest hotel in central location is time consuming, information overload and overwhelming and in some cases poses a security risk to the client. Some of the more advanced web sites allow for a search of the destination via a map for example hotelguidge. com and jamaica. hotels. hu. Booking of hotels is secured by the standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to confirm the identity of a website or server, encrypt data during transmission, and ensure the integrity of transmitted data. Even with this in place, hackers have broken the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) by targeting weaknesses in the MD5 algorithm. Recently good amount of work been carried in the use of Intelligent agents towards hotel search on J2ME based mobile handset which still has some weakness.So taking the weakness in the current agent based system, smart software agents been developed that overcomes the weakness in the previous system In addition to smart agent based system been developed and published elsewh ere, we here propose to extend the system with the booking capability that allows the user to book a hotel of choice where the authenticity of the client may be determined securely using biometric security and information transmitted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) (Server-Gated Cryptography (SGC)) on the internet which is novel and unique. This will be facilitated on Android 2. 2-enabled mobile phone using JADE-LEAP Agent development kit. â€Å"Android Hotel Reservation System† Jukisoft CorporationThey introduce about the importance of Hotel Reservation using Android App like the features of the Application they introduce the UI or User Interface of the App. So that the people will know on how to use the Hotel Reservation using Android App. This App is friendly user so that the people will easy to use the existing app. The Hotel Reservation Apps is an application made for creating products that are useful applications for hotels owners and hotel users by making application to allows users to perform activities of online hotel room reservation, see profile. And facilities of a hotel without visiting in person, see the location of the hotel by using the URL map or see the hotel website that will be visited access it without going through a computer using Android. SynthesisIn the first article the authors introduce what is â€Å"Cloud App†, Cloud App or Cloud Application using the Cloud App the people will easy to communicate to the Hotel Administration, when there is a people who request to reserve a room. Using the internet or WiFi the people will easy to get a room where you are, the system provides the following occupancy levels, technical considerations, software licensing constraints, operational policies, and regulatory compliance. In the second article the authors focus about the Application Biometric Security which is the SSL(Secure Sockets Layer) to confirm the identity of a website or server, encrypt data during transmission, and ensure the integrity of transmitted data.Even with this in place, hackers have broken the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) by targeting weaknesses in the MD5 algorithm. Recently good amount of work been carried in the use of Intelligent agents towards hotel search on J2ME based mobile handset which still has some weakness. And also to protect the data from the hackers or malicious people. The third article which is Android Hotel Reservation System, the company focus about the Android Application using Android Mobile in this article the company introduce the UI/User Interface of they're Android Application. So that the people will easy to understand the interface of the Android Application and also it helps the people to use they're Application.In they're Android Application there are many Notification's that the people will directly understand the User Interface of the Application. Chapter III Methodology This section of the paper further discussed the research design used in the study, the res pondents of the study, and the type of sampling used in determining the respondents, research locale, the research instrument employed, procedures and the statistical techniques for the interpretation of data. Research Method The research design used in the study is the descriptive research. This was used to achieve the objectives of the study that aims whether the said system will be effective to the user and the management.To be able to achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers had began researching on the study read either printed or electronic regard the study Hotel Reservation and Notification system using Android base. Since the objective of the study is to know whether the study is effective or not. The researchers used observation on the study and researching about related articles on the said study. Research Instruments In conducting the research the instrument used by the researchers is based on the data they have gather in order to analyze and have observationa l result in which the researcher can deduct and exploit the necessary objectives of the Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification system by the researchers. And also, give their own hypothesis on the research. Data Gathering ProcedureThe researchers gathered materials for their research study, after the researchers gathered some materials to be used in their research, they extracted important information that maybe used in their research study. After the extracted data they made the first part of the chapter one same as chapter two with the citations of events. The researchers began making hypothesis on whether the particular study can be effective or not. From the data gather so far the advantages and disadvantages of the study can be concluded and the effectivness also can be concluded. The researchers made up their conclusions and recommendations of their study based on the information and the results they have gathered. Hotel Online Reservation IntroductionIn today’s world of business in which technology has a part to play on where small or large business are slowly blooming and this particular business is in where leisure and relaxation is being presented the business of Hotel Management. On this kind of business they are always other competitor, so this is where technology will come they want a system and android base of application where they can make their business efficient so they want a reservation system on where it can book or reserve a room in where if they are vacancy or not, and notify on in coming events or news of their stay.They are a lot of android base on hotel reservation system but all of them has no locator and notification system on them in where a business consultant or a business man traveling to a particular destination to give a presentation or project details and wanted to stay on a hotel on where they can locate, book or reserve a room and notify them on what are the best recommendation of rooms to this particular hotel.In the world today traveling is the best option for the users who travel to do business proposal or business presentation to their destination soon in every establishment of hotel management want a system that can reserve a room base on an android application on where customers can do it on their android phones and in every hotel management can accommodated them to their every request and they can notify them on what are the best recommendation of the room and the possibility of their best service they offered.In the Philippines today as one of the tourist destination travelers and business men and women needed to have an application that they can reserve and book a room on a particular hotel and also given them a notification that notifies them on what are the best recommendation they have and give them on what are the particular event is the hotel is offering to its guest and it enables to be aware on what the hotel is offering. According to HRS,   a hotel portal, mobile reservations grew from 3% in 2011 to 6% in 2012. It is safe to say that about 1/3 of business travelers use their smartphones and tablets to make a reservation.In the University of the Immaculate Conception, faculty and students may have already travel other country or right here in Philippines and they may want a android application that can book or reserve a room in a particular hotel on a particular country.This study may have its advantages and disadvantages on where it can be applied, due to the already present study it can be enhanced or be studied further in where it can be useful for the users and the management. The present study shows that it only has a reservation system and no notification system so it can be further be studied.In order to make this study to be more valid is to gather more data and able to distinguish on what are the materials needed for the Android Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System in order to give more rel iable and accurate information regarding to the said study. This study can be accomplished through analyzing and determine the advantages and disadvantages on Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System.Conceptual FrameworkFigure 1.0 Conceptual Frame work of Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification system. Flow of the Conceptual frame work: Figure 1.0 shows that the first is that the client will access the application from their android phone and choose the following rooms and book the particular room then it goes directly to the internet and then it passes through to a cell tower and it is directed to the management and goes to the following process first the booking agent here is where the agent will get the client’s requested room to be book and it is passed to the facility director here is where the director will check if the said room has any problem on the requested room of the client after the director has checked t he room it will directly go to the hotel agent here the hotel agent will verify that the room can be book or reserved.And then the data client that  requested for the room and final after all the process of booking is done it will be back to the booking agent will send a notification that the room of the client is book and it passes through cell tower then through the internet and back to the client on where the client received the book room and its complementary.Statement of the Problem1. What might are the advantages or disadvantages of the Android app. to the hotel industry? 2. How effective do you think this Android App. toward the hotel industry? 3. Why do you think that this Android App. can benefit to the hotel industry?HypothesisThe android application with this kind of a purpose of making a reservation or booking of a hotel room will be easy to be used and only needs an internet connection on where the user will be guided easily and efficiently.Importance of the StudyThe importance of the study is to determine on how the system will work and can it help the user to book or reserve a room always notify if there is something wrong on his reserve room or simply notify them that the hotel is hosting an event.Researchers – This study can be beneficial for the researchers on where they can be aware to the research on Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System and have the knowledgeable background on what might the research might do.The Management:This research might help the management in improving their establishment and be knowledgeable on Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System can do for their establishment.Students:The study can be beneficial to students and have knowledgeable background on what might the research purpose and its establishment of Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System.Administration:The said research would provide knowledge on Andr oid Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System and under this study the administration is able to have the knowledgeable background on the hotel reservation and notification system.Scope and LimitationThis study is focused in determine on how this system would prove it’s effective to the industry. By this we are determine on how the system would take effect in the industry.This study is limited on how the Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification System can be its effectiveness to the client and the management in termsDefinition of TermsAndroid – is an operating system based on the Linux kernel, and designed primarily for touch screen mobile devices such as Smartphone’s and tablet computers Hotel Reservation System – A central reservation system is a tool to reach the global distribution system as well as internet distribution systems from one single system. A CRS assists hotel managers in managing their onlin e marketing and sales, allowing them to upload their rates and availabilities to be seen by sales channels that are using the CRS. Sales channels may include conventional travel agencies as well as online travel agencies.Notification System – is a combination of software and hardware that provides a means of delivering a message to a set of recipients. Chapter 2Review of Related Literature and StudiesBefore giving details regarding the research methodology used in the study, it is appropriate to present a brief overview of the research articles, case studies, and books written on this particular topic. The area of study may be within the country or outside the country.â€Å"A Cloud App Hotel Reservation System from CiRBA† Adrian Bridgewater, September 02, 2013 In this article, he focused about the Cloud App from CiRBA Capacity Control software company CiRBA has announced a new Reservation Console for cloud developers (and teams) to control the automation of new workloa d routing and capacity reservations processes. According to Adrian Bridgewater, using the â€Å"Cloud App† people will easy to reserve a room a soon as possible using the internet or through PC,The console automates (what is a manual process today) the job of selecting the optimal hosting environment for new workloads, reserving compute and storage capacity in advance of use, and ultimately providing the detailed host-level placement recommendations for the workload.The Reservation Console features a new, tunable scoring system that identifies the optimal destination environment for new application workloads. Teams can modify the attributes considered and also tune their weighting so that recommendations are aligned with organizational goals and application owner preferences.â€Å"Application of Biometric Security in Agent based Hotel Booking System – Android Environment† Wayne Lawrence,Suresh Sankaranarayanan, July 2012According to the authors The process of fi nding the finest hotel in central location is time consuming, information overload and overwhelming and in some cases poses a security risk to the client. Some of the more advanced web sites allow for a search of the destination via a map for example hotelguidge.com and jamaica.hotels.hu. Booking of hotels is secured by the standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to confirm the identity of a website or server, encrypt data during transmission, and ensure the integrity of transmitted data. Even with this in place, hackers have broken the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) by targeting weaknesses in the MD5 algorithm.Recently good amount of work been carried in the use of Intelligent agents towards hotel search on J2ME based mobile handset which still has some weakness. So taking the weakness in the current agent based system, smart software agents been developed that overcomes the weakness in the previous system In addition to smart agent based system been developed and published elsewhere, we h ere propose to extend the system with the booking capability that allows the user to book a hotel of choice where the authenticity of the client may be determined securely using biometric security and information transmitted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) (Server-Gated Cryptography (SGC)) on the internet which is novel and unique. This will be facilitated on Android 2.2-enabled mobile phone using JADE-LEAP Agent development kit.â€Å"Android Hotel Reservation System† Jukisoft CorporationThey introduce about the importance of Hotel Reservation using Android App like the features of the Application they introduce the UI or User Interface of the App. So that the people will know on how to use the Hotel Reservation using Android App. This App is friendly user so that the people will easy to use the existing app. The Hotel Reservation Apps is an application made for creating products that are useful applications for hotels owners and hotel users by making application to allows u sers to perform activities of online hotel room reservation, see profile. And facilities of a hotel without visiting in person, see the location of the hotel by using the URL map or see the hotel website that will be visited access it without going through a computer using Android.SynthesisIn the first article the authors introduce what is â€Å"Cloud App†, Cloud App or Cloud Application using the Cloud App the people will easy to communicate to the Hotel Administration, when there is a people who request to reserve a room. Using the internet or WiFi the people will easy to get a room where you are, the system provides the following occupancy levels, technical considerations, software licensing constraints, operational policies, and regulatory compliance. In the second article the authors focus about the Application Biometric Security which is the SSL(Secure Sockets Layer) to confirm the identity of a website or server, encrypt data during  transmission, and ensure the inte grity of transmitted data.Even with this in place, hackers have broken the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) by targeting weaknesses in the MD5 algorithm. Recently good amount of work been carried in the use of Intelligent agents towards hotel search on J2ME based mobile handset which still has some weakness. And also to protect the data from the hackers or malicious people. The third article which is Android Hotel Reservation System, the company focus about the Android Application using Android Mobile in this article the company introduce the UI/User Interface of they're Android Application. So that the people will easy to understand the interface of the Android Application and also it helps the people to use they're Application. In they're Android Application there are many Notification's that the people will directly understand the User Interface of the Application.Chapter III MethodologyThis section of the paper further discussed the research design used in the study, the respondents o f the study, and the type of sampling used in determining the respondents, research locale, the research instrument employed, procedures and the statistical techniques for the interpretation of data.Research MethodThe research design used in the study is the descriptive research. This was used to achieve the objectives of the study that aims whether the said system will be effective to the user and the management. To be able to achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers had began researching on the study read either printed or electronic regard the study Hotel Reservation and Notification system using Android base. Since the objective of the study is to know whether the study is effective or not. The researchers used observation on the study and researching about related articles on the said study.Research InstrumentsIn conducting the research the instrument used by the researchers is based on  the data they have gather in order to analyze and have observational result i n which the researcher can deduct and exploit the necessary objectives of the Android Mobile Application for Hotel Reservation and Notification system by the researchers. And also, give their own hypothesis on the research.Data Gathering ProcedureThe researchers gathered materials for their research study, after the researchers gathered some materials to be used in their research, they extracted important information that maybe used in their research study. After the extracted data they made the first part of the chapter one same as chapter two with the citations of events. The researchers began making hypothesis on whether the particular study can be effective or not. From the data gather so far the advantages and disadvantages of the study can be concluded and the effectivness also can be concluded. The researchers made up their conclusions and recommendations of their study based on the information and the results they have gathered.

14th Amendment

More often than not, most Americans look upon the constitution as the guiding light of our country. Recent events occurring in our national election no doubt prove that. There are many important amendments to our Constitution regarding our rights as citizens and the delegation of powers to branches and states. However, I believe that the 14th amendment is the most important to our constitution. When the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, it put a whole new spin on our Constitution, far surpassing the importance of any amendment before it or sense. There are several crucial unconditional rights that are granted to everyone in the preamble of the Constitution. They are the rights to life, liberty, and property. We are also guaranteed a fair and due process of the law as stated by the 5th amendment. This brings our nation more closer to total equality than ever. Even though there will always be discrimination, this amendment will allow us to be protected under the law, so that wherever we are in our country, we will be protected and have the same rules applied to us that will effect our constitutional rights. These unconditional rights, reaffirmed by the 14th amendment, are the core structure behind our Constitution. The 14th Amendment also helps promote strong centralized government. By limiting the states power, this amendment gives more power to the federal branch of government. This in turn strengthens the power of congress as well. Strengthening America with a better range in which it can affect its citizens is priceless to our country. By treating all the states equally, this amendment helps bring the states of this nation together. One of the great qualities about this amendment is that it grants many freedoms to the states and as the country as a whole. Without the 14th Amendment, none of us would be guaranteed the rights stated in the other Amendments. Section 1 of the 14th amendment states that No state shall make or enforce any law, which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States. This ensures that any and all citizens are free from unconstitutional state or local actions. It is hard to appreciate how life would be if the states could take away freedoms and fundamental rights as they wished. All of our rights stated in the Constitution would then become frivolous, because the states would then simply dictate or alter our so-called rights. The 14th Amendment recognizes and discusses the most important right amongst our people in this country: who has the right to be a citizen. Section 1 of the 14th Amendment grants all people born or naturalized in the United States citizenship. Although the Constitution states that all men are created equal, before this amendments passage, only white landowners were considered citizens. Many minorities and people without a land title were not protected under the Constitution. The United States places the values of equality and equal protection high on the social ladder. The ratification of the 14th Amendment guaranteed equal protection under the law of all citizens. Although some argue that the 1st Amendment is more pivotal in providing privileges, without the 14th Amendment, many of the residents of the United States would not be granted the benefits of the 1st Amendment. Based on the evidence presented, the 14th Amendment is, without a doubt, the most important amendment to our Constitution. Without this Amendment, all of the other amendments would most likely be corrupted by the states we live in. The 14th Amendment is a symbol of freedom that America has given us as citizens. It was given to us not only help protect ourselves, but also to help build and bring together all of our Constitutional rights, and without this amendment, those freedoms as we know today might not have existed. That is why I believe that the 14th amendment is the most important and vital amendment to our great Constitution.

My Learning Experience Essay

How is it precisely, that people learn things? As you know, when being taught something it is presented through our five senses. Studies indicate that when it comes to the succession of entirely grasping the concept of something, how that information is presented is a governing factor. Furthermore, when you apply this concept to everyday life it is apparent that college educators should present information in a way that is best suitable to the content rather than the student. On my spare time, I like to disassemble and reassemble whatever computer devices I may have in my possession. About a week ago, I discovered that it is possible to get a custom colored added to your Apple iphone. Yesterday, I decided that I was going to learn how to disassemble my iphone. So naturally, when my custom purple parts came in the mail, I decided it was time to go to work. I approached the tasks by using what is known as the â€Å"Scientific Method. † This method is a form of learning style and includes the preliminary steps such as: visual research, recording data, formulating a plan and finally, executing your hypothesis on a test subject. Learning how to do this task is not easy, because I did not have a physical teacher and I was inexperienced with the mechanical design of the Apple iphone. I followed a visual tutorial that I found on Youtube on the disassembly of my specific phone. I watched the video once before determining that if I followed the guide in complete synchronization, that I would be able to apply the proper parts and make the phone look better than before. Which was a custom purple front and back-plate that I ordered online. Next, I put the video on widescreen and tried my best to mimic the guide as he move through the tutorial. I managed to completely disassemble my phone to the smallest of its components due to the effects of the visual interpretation I stored in my head from watching the video. Surprisingly, looking at the phone in pieces made way more sense than looking at it as a whole because you could see how every little piece adds up to its functional design. In my hands on experience, I learned how many things worked on the device without having read a manual. Furthermore, when I began to reassemble my iphone, I felt so confident in my ability that I closed out the tutorial that I reassembled without any help. Furthermore, when I was taking the iphone apart it took me about an hour to fully disassemble it but when I put it back together it took half of the time. This was made possible because of the video of the virtual instructor that I found on Youtube using the â€Å"Scientific Method†. I memorized every piece of the iphone because I had a vivid picture of the tutorial in my mind. This just goes to show how the use of a learning style is a governing factor of whether something is fully learned or not. The articles â€Å" Ask The Cognitive Scientist† and â€Å" The Myth of Learning Styles†, by Daniel T.  Willingham are informational collaborations on the study of cognitive science and its relation to how the human mind learns. On the other hand, the article â€Å"Learning Styles Fact and Fiction† by Derek Bruff slightly differs from the arguments posed by Willingham’s articles. The article â€Å" Ask the Cognitive Scientist†, analyzes whether visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners actually need to be learned though visual, auditory, and kinesthetic instruction. Indicated studies suggest that to learn new material effectively depends on the modality of the content. In other words, it is how new knowledge is introduced to a person that affects whether that material will be able to effectively be learned. In fact, some topics may call for more than one modality to be used. Furthermore, the article â€Å"The Myths on Learning Styles† questions the accuracy of learning styles by illustrating four different theories on learning styles. In summation, the article illustrates that a certain number of factors that vary from person to person and are known to affect learning styles. These factors include ability, background knowledge, interest, and intelligence. The authors argue that the belief in learning styles continue to persevere because learning styles have become common knowledge or a widespread acceptance. In addition, most of the general theories on learning styles are true. However, people need to take into account the differences in learner ability. Overall, the author focuses on the belief that students have different many factors involved when it comes to learning but there are no difference their learning styles. On the other hand, the article â€Å"Learning Styles Fact and Fiction† by Derek Bruff argues that the analysis of the learning styles illustrated by the other two articles may be true, but they area not precise. Furthermore, pinpointing a student’s learning style through test does not have an affect on how well they will learn through various other activities. According to the article, there are precisely three main important factors about modalities drawn from cognitive science. These three factors include are that visual thinking tools help everyone, using the best modality or modalities for the content, and that people learn new material best when they encounter numerous times in numerous different ways. Overall, the incorporated studies illustrate the concept that how information is presented to a person effects how effectively a person learns that information. My experience further displays how the use of an effective learning style as a means of approach when dealing with a task I’m not experienced in is a tremendous contribution to whether information presented to a person is fully understood or not.

Sexual attractions in the client - therapist relationship - Psychology Essay

Sexual attractions in the client - therapist relationship - Psychology - Essay Example apist has an intrinsic responsibility to understand this and be able to handle it - which means finding his or her own sexual gratification elsewhere†¦ It is far better to assert your own boundaries than to transgress those of the client. (par. 13) Three most important features describe the context in which the client-therapist relationship takes place: â€Å"there is an expectation of trustworthiness, an unequal power relationship exists and the interaction occurs under condition of privacy† (Feldman-Summers, 1989, cited in Hall, 2001, p. 512). First, trust is expected, because it is this trust that makes the therapist-client relationship possible. Trust on the part of the client is what makes him/her divulge even the deepest secrets in his/her life/self believing that his/her therapist would bring him/her â€Å"towards a healthy mind and healthy life† (Borden, n.d., par. 14). On the other hand, trust on the part of the therapist is more to him/herself that he/she could fulfill his/her responsibility to his/her client. Second, the relationship between the client and the therapist could never be equal, as the client relies almost fully on the expertise of the therapist. In fact the therapist’s power over h is/her client basically comes from the following sources: (1) aesculapian power – â€Å" the power that the physician possesses by virtue of her training in the discipline and the art or craft of medicine;† (2) charismatic power – â€Å"the personality characteristics of the physician;† (3) Social power – â€Å"arises from the social status of the physician† (Brody, 1992, cited in Hall, 2001, p. 513); and, (4) â€Å"hierarchical power, the power inherent by one’s position in a medical hierarchy† (McMillan & Anderson, 1997, cited in Hall, 2001, p. 513). Thus, it is of vital importance that a ‘neutral, safe place’ be established for the client to be fully free allowing a therapeutic alliance to grow (Simon, 1999, cited in Hall, 2001, p. 512). And third,

Probation Drug Screen Results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Probation Drug Screen Results - Essay Example If they use drugs, the screening results read positive, and if they do not use drugs, the screening test reads negative. Each month a sample was collected randomly, and defendants were informed in advance in order to fulfill the legal and ethical requirements of the research. The screening involved blood test, urine test, and breathe test (Strauss, 1999). The four stage analysis The codes The screening results of either positive or negative are the main codes in this study. The concept The main concept is to establish the relationship between substance abuse and crime. Categories The defendants were classified basing on the types of drugs. The main drugs are marijuana, opium, barbiturates, ethanol, and benzoate. The defendants were categorized basing on the positive or negative screen result of these drugs (Strauss, 1999). Theory From this study, the theory developed is that there is a clear relationship between substance abuse and crime. Relationship between the coded unit and the h ypothesis The data was collected for a period of one year. Qualitative analysis From the study, the sample shows that most of defendants were positive for the specified drugs. A careful analysis shows that most of the screened defendants were positive. ... This clearly indicates that there is a direct relationship between substance abuse and crime. In addition, the whole year statistic result shows that a large percentage of the tested sample were positive for drugs (Stebbins, 2001). Findings and discussion This research study, which is based on grounded theory methodology, assisted in developing a theory that states that there is a direct relationship between substance abuse and crime. From the legal point of view, crime can be minimized if substance abuse is tackled decisively. Substance abuse is one of the major social problems that have several impacts on the society. From the study, a large percentage of the tested samples displayed positive results, which shows that drug abuse influences crime incidence (Clarke, 2005). Substance abuse and crime have been linked for a long time. Criminal acts such as careless driving, robberies, prostitution, violence, and assaults occur as a result of drug abuse. Several research studies indicate that the increased relationship between substance abuse and crime can be attributed to decreased perception of social network and support. Other factors that may drive one to engage in illegal drug use include marital problems, harsh economic conditions, and mental health status. Substance abuse remains a major risk of criminality because of its ability to alter the reasoning capacity of a person who uses it (Clarke, 2005). This study that fulfills its hypothesis is important because it shows that crime can be minimized if necessary steps are taken to combat drug menace. Raising public awareness and educating people about the effects of drugs

Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Human Resources - Essay Example The project makes a thorough analysis of the firm’s internal HR conditions and requirements based on which it presents certain recommendations. Recommendations put forth are in view of employment of HR planning in the organization, job analysis and developing job designs and descriptions. This is followed by the recommendation of a complete recruitment and selection process for Twinkle Tows Two. Finally a training and development strategy is prescribed for the organization for the development of staffs recruited to perform efficiently in their respective skills. Human Resource Planning to determine the desired staffing position for Twinkle Toes Two Before the development and application of any strategy human resource planning is required. This is because it is crucial to make an analysis of the present and future expected business conditions in order to ensure the organization’s success. ... Since a number of staffing problems were encountered during the previous establishment it is expected that staffing would require extra analysis and focus this time, which would consequently require a thorough human resource planning strategy for the organization. Moreover the organization seeks to keep facilities for accommodating 10 babies under the aged below one year, 10 children between one and three years, and fifteen children between three and six years of age. There are also long term plans of school holiday programs for children between six and nine years of age. Thus there is requirement for at least 5 childcare workers for children in the organization along with 1 receptionist, 5 general cleaning and maintenance staffs, and 3 cooks. Human resource planning is required in view of developing estimating expenses associated with recruitment of staffs against the expected revenues to be generated by the organization. It also includes training equipments costs along with wages a nd salaries of staffs and employees. Planning is required for ensuring that human resource management strategies in the organization is appropriate for maximizing productivity and profitability of the organization and making it sustainable in the market (Schuler & Jackson, 1987, p.207). Job Analysis for designing the specific jobs Job analysis is required for developing the skill requirements for the particular jobs which is consequently required for staffing of candidates in the organization. Job analysis of a childcare workers’ position reveals responsibilities such as planning and implementing programs for taking care of babies and kids. Their responsibilities include development and safety of these children, being respectful of parents as well as their children and

Personal statement for communication major Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

For communication major - Personal Statement Example Yet my parents could understand what I was trying to say in my child-speak way. Then as I grew older, I began to notice the way that people are always interconnected and talking to each other. Communication has become a vital tool in the existence of mankind. In fact, it seems that without the interconnectivity that technology and communication allows us to have, our evolution as a people would come to a standstill. One would be hard pressed to imagine a word without communication. Even the deaf, mute, and the blind have their own methods by which they communicate with each other and those around. It is this fascination and simple understanding of how communication works for us as a society that led to my continuously increasing interest in the field of communication. Communication is the most important tool that we have as a people in terms of creating a bond and fostering understanding of people across the borders of countries. It is what unites us as the people of this planet. Due to the existence of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, Instagram, and the like, communication has come to the forefront of the consciousness of the people. This instant method of connecting with each other has served to bring communication to higher levels of use and existence. These days, one will be hard pressed to find somebody who does not have an international base of friends due to the network that these communication channels allow us to create based upon shared interests and other criteria. The world has become a better place because of evolution of our communication skills and gadgets. People easily connect and find common ground with each other these days because the internet has allowed people who communicate in various languages. In fact, I have often said that communication, just like any other spoken language on this planet, is a living, breathing, and evolving thing. Communication has in effect, taken on a life of its own and we owe

The role of strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The role of strategic management - Essay Example Orgniztions operte in rpidly chnging environment, nd for this reson it is vitl step to stipulte minor detils nd predict ll chnges needed for strtegy implementtion. BMW is Europen utomotive leder operting on the mrket since 1922. t the beginning of the 21st century, BMW is influenced by interntionl economic integrtion, removl of brriers to business nd trde nd incresed competition (BWM Home Pge. 2007). Following Hill & Jones (2004) strtegic mngement is importnt for successful orgniztionl performnce becuse it involves pre-determined course of ction which helps to provide purpose nd direction for members of n enterprise. The plnning process is ided by working in n environment which is conducive to it. Strtegic mngement influences its orgniztionl structure, processes nd reltions. BMW orgniztionl structure cn be identified s mtrix structure. Within the compny, the performnce of ll deprtments is closely relted to delegtion of uthority, but it includes ll res of mngement nd requires gret del more thn hnding uthority to subordintes (Hill & Jones 2004). The dvntge is tht it is esy to control ll ctivities nd implement generl nd unified policy. The disdvn tge is complicted "bureucrtic" structure which slows decision-mking nd chnge processes. Production nd sles re the first functions to be decentrlized nd finnce nd humn resources the lst. The degree of centrliztion is not esy to determine. Some decisions must be tken loclly nd mngement must decide wht re vitl decisions nd keep these, then delegte the rest. High degree of decentrliztion tkes plce in some production res where less checking is needed on decision, especilly if few people need be consulted on decision, or if the greter the number of functions ffected by decisions mde t lower levels (Hill & Jones 2004). Following Ry Zimmermn, Executive Director of BMW: The nine person Board of Directors establishes policy and overseas the overall operations of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. The Board holds the Executive Director responsible for the execution of the policies and daily operation of the club. there is also a "dotted line" relationship between some of the staff members and the different members of the Board. For example, our Treasurer and the Accountant work hand-in-hand on a number of projects related to financial reporting". This type of orgniztionl structure benefit overll well-being of business becuse it determines the nture of reltions, mkes possible the ppliction of the process of mngement nd cretes frmework of order nd commnd through which the ctivities of the orgniztion cn be plnned, orgnized, directed nd controlled (Hitt et l 2006). For instnce, size, geogrphicl seprtion of the deprtments or extended ctivities of BMW require decentrlized structure. Thus, BMW needs centrliztion to estblish common policies, but when employees know ll trditions they cn ct more independently (BWM Home Pge 2007, See ppendix Chrt 1). In this cse, strtegic mngement nd plnning gives the compny only sense of direction for the ctivities. Strtegic plns give brod guidelines towrds which more detiled nd specific plns re directed. The greter the time spn, the greter the number of mistkes. Present conditions re usully dominnt in the plnner's mind when the orgniztion initites pln nd these my be overstressed. lso, mny events re obviously unforeseen, but plnning cn be ided by techniques

Effects of International Trade Barriers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Effects of International Trade Barriers - Essay Example This essay critically discusses why the government continues to impose barriers to trade and are frequently engaged in a trade dispute. In the past decades, the opening of the markets has boosted economic and trade growth worldwide. However, the trade barriers have remained a key obstacle to the access of markets. Researchers have pointed out that the potential benefit of reducing the obstacle is significant. Countries engage in international trade for various reasons. First, international trade increases the choice of goods for the domestic consumers. It also allows the domestic market to export their goods. Trade barriers refer to the measures that the public authorities or the governments introduce so as to restrict or prevent overseas investment or trade. The measures of the restriction need to be taken in the form of a particular decision or legislation. The measures that are imposed may take the form of current practice. When countries are important or exported from one country to another, they have to be accompanied by the correct documentation adoption of free international trade may result in the collapse of the domestic markets. There is a need to protect the domestic market to ensure that there is the sustainability of the domestic industries and encourage the innovation of ideas in the different countries. The trade barriers will reduce the trade disputes that may come up as a result of the poor working condition. The tariffs enable the government to increase revenues as imports enter the domestic market.

Religious reform in the Age of Enlightenment Essay

Religious reform in the Age of Enlightenment - Essay Example the religious reform in the Age of Enlightenment then becomes an interesting topic, considering the fact that religion is fundamentally based on faith and traditions, yet the Age of Enlightenment was introducing reason, thus creating a fundamental conflict that would see religion change. Thus, despite the fact that religion does not auger well with reason and rationality; with rationality conflicting the provisions of the religious doctrine most of the time, then it will be interesting to see how reason and faith played to transform religion during this period. Therefore, the conflict between faith in religion and reason becomes the major reason why this topic has been selected. Concepts that will be used in your analysis of the text Secularism: This concept will be used to represent the non-religious culture of faithless action that is not based on any doctrines of religion or any sacred scripture, but solely dependent on the human reason, desire, and freedoms (Shapin, 47). Alternative Religion: This concept will feature in the analysis of the text, to represent other different options that emerged during the age of enlightenment, to replace the tradition of blind faith with reason as well as the freedom to act against the traditional religion and sacred traditions and doctrines (Ingram, 36). Religious reform: This is a concept that will be applied to represent the actual process of transitioning from the traditional religious ways and customs to the new culture of secularism and rationality in faith doctrines.

Qualities that a ‘good’ teacher should have Essay Example for Free

Qualities that a ‘good’ teacher should have Essay Task 1 – List 5 qualities that a ‘good’ teacher should have and give reasons for your choices. Which of these qualities do you consider to be more important, and why? 1. a good teacher should really love teaching because in my opinion you cannot be a good teacher if you do not like what you do. 2. a good teacher should be lively and entertaining because children do not like boring teachers, they need somebody who changes learning into pleasure. as my experience schooled children love games and it is one of the best way of encouraging them to take part in the lesson. 3. a good teacher is able to motivate learners as motivation is one of the most important aspects while learning. children who are well motivated are eager to learn thus they learn more. 4. a good teacher should have good rapport and interaction with the class because it is crucial to have a nice atmosphere in the classroom. I believe that children cannot be scared of the teacher, they must like him/her and then they are open and more involved in the lessons. 5. a good teacher should be able to correct student without offending them or affecting their motivation as if he/she does it then the children do not want to take part in the lessons because they are scared of making mistakes. i always tell my students that they shouldnt be scared of making mistakes as nobody is perfect and Im there to correct them. and explain that they are learners so they cant know all of the answers correctly. As far as I am concerned, I really believe that all of the qualities I chose are equal. you really need to have all of them to be a good teacher. it is really difficult for me to decide which one is more important and which one is less important. Task 2 – State what you consider to be the five most important roles of a teacher. Describe each role and say why you think it is important. 1. organizer teacher organizes to do various activities. it is important as children need instruction, need to be organized into groups or pairs. teacher must initiate and finish activities and give feedback. 2. participant teacher participates in the lesson as an equal. it is good  method as children can see that the teacher wants to be a part of the class so it is a good way of gaining trust. 3. observer teacher monitors what is going on in the classroom. it is important as teacher must know the improvement of the students and what needs to be revise. 4. model teacher (native speaker) is the source of real, live English. it is important because sometimes it is the only way for the students to encounter foreign language with foreign accent. native speaker is also a good source of cultural information. 5. assessor teacher gives feedback, correction, evaluates and grades. children want to know whether they make mistakes or not, as they want to improve their skills and try not to make the same mistake again. Task 3 – List 5 qualities you would expect to find in a ‘good’ learner. Which of these qualities do you consider to be more important, and why? 1. a desire to learn it is crucial to want to learn a language as if the students find learning language useless they simply dont want to take part in any activities and they dont want to study. 2. a willingness to ask questions students must ask questions as it is the way of finding more information and also practise their speaking skills. 3. a willingness to listen to the language listening to the language can improve not only listening but also speaking skills. it also helps to gain foreign accent. 4. an ability to think about their own learning process and methods every students is different and prefers different methods of learning. it is important for students to realize which method is the most helpful and useful for them while learning language. 5. an acceptance of error correction students must realize that when teacher corrects them he/she does it not to embarrass them but to improve their learning. students should try not to make the same mistakes over and over again. Task 4 – What are some of the major differences you would expect to find between adult and young learners? Young learners are sometimes less motivated than adults. what is more, young learners are more receptive to the new sounds and grammar. it is widely known that young learners can acquire foreign language faster than adults.  adults has longer history of learning experience than young learners, and they believe they can succeed with the language. Task 5 – List the levels of language ability that learners are often grouped into and give a brief summation of each level: beginner from zero knowledge of English to a very basic one which cannot be quickly or easily activated. elementary students are able to form basic sentence structures and communicate on simple topics. low/pre-intermediate able to communicate and understand a great variety of topics but lacking general fluency and depth of language awareness. still likely to make many errors even with basic structures. intermediate able to understand and communicate on a wide range of issues using limited vocabulary store but still lacking in accuracy and fluency. upper intermediate should be able to actively communicate on almost all topics using a great range of language but still lacking in accuracy. advanced students should have a very good knowledge of the English language and now will be studying more suitable language items. Task 6 – Give as many reasons as possible why students are motivated to study English. The reasons that you give do not have to be in the unit reading material. students are motivated to study English because they realize that English is an international language and you can communicate with almost everyobody all over the world using this language. they know English can improve their future career prospects. they realize it can make their travel abroad much easier. they also want to study English to improve their grades and achieve success in exams. they study because they want to communicate with prints, parents, colleagues. very often they just want to learn language because they are interested in English and English culture.

Do Political Parties Help or Hurt America Essay Example for Free

Do Political Parties Help or Hurt America Essay Political parties have been in America since the very inception of the country. Political parties were originally designed to give voice to a group of peoples interests. But as the time has passed, the ideas being presented has been growing less about the people and more about the power and the longevity of the party and the people controlling it. The people are not voting for the candidate that they think will represent them the best but for the D or the R that appears on the side of the name. Should this be the main thing we look to when deciding the leaders of our government? The issue that people take with the concept and general structure of the modern day political parties is the reality of its inability to effectively govern with its supporters. The state must not be usurped by side interests or used as a means of dictating unpopular or even popular laws. In todays parliamentary and representative republics, it is the power behind the party, not necessarily the party itself that decides policy. The question is, in todays capitalistic world, will it be the people or the economic and financial advisers that hold the Party keys? Undoubtedly, it must be the people. However, here we encounter the question of how large a role any particular political party must take within the ideally reconstructed and redefined state. Lets not forget: the state is but a temporary structure devised and built by Man. It is little more than the regulatory body that encompasses the concept of the political party. As such, it stands to be reformed or, in certain cases, overhauled by the parties that reside within it. What the people behind the Party must do, is make sure that their needs and necessary wants be taken up by the Party itself. This is but one aspect of the political party; my concern lies in the eventual and it would happen eventually fostering of a broader party cult of personality. Examples of this can be seen from the U. S. to Asia, from Europe to S. America and Africa. When the people begin to support the idealized face of party politics more so than the spirit of the individual, they resign themselves to the dictatorship of the governmental coalition. Instances of these can be seen in Americas dual-party political system, as well as in certain European states. In essence, the Party becomes little more than a modified form of political and social dictatorship. I would argue that while political parties have their place within society, their role and importance should be greatly isolated and/or minimalized. They should be nothing more than mouthpieces for the people who make up their constituency; as a legislative and governing body, their role must be subjected to the democratic will of the people they represent. I would propose a Democracy from the bottom up instead of the more recognized Democracy from the top down. Because living in a government with no freedom, is a fate worse than death!

League Of Nations

League Of Nations The League of Nations was an international association established by the victors of the First World War 1914-1918 as a result of the last point in the Treaty of Versailles of 1919. It was set up to prevent future disputes, protect world peace and ensure security, thus the member states pledged to follow procedures when dealing with international crises. However it was not an easy job to set up an assembly that would have control over all nations, so in the end the League of Nations was not very long-lived, already by 1946 it was dissolved and replaced by the United Nations. An investigation will be carried out, taking into consideration the facts and the aftermath of international affairs, from the early 1920s to the 1940s. The essay will deal with two key questions. Firstly, for what reasons did the League of Nations fail and was it doomed from the start? Secondly, to what extent could this collapse be blamed on the lack of cooperation between Britain and France? The setting up of the World Parliament After the end of the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, by Germany and the Allies of the Entente. As the result of this treaty an organization for international cooperation was founded. The American President, Woodrow Wilson was the one who actually drafted its creation and came up with the idea that international arguments should be sorted out and solved by the League which would be like the World Parliament  [1]  . His views and ideas clearly differed from those of Lloyd George and Georges Clemenceau. The League of Nations had a council, which was made up of 4 permanent members Britain, France, Italy and Japan along side the other 38 founder nations. Nevertheless throughout its existence the League did not manage to work up to its expectations of performing wonders as President Wilson has put it. Wilson hoped that the League of Nations would stop disputes and wars, improve peoples lives and working conditions and bring fairness and stability to Europe. However once the League was set up and he returned back home to the United States, he only found that the American Congress refused to join it. The Americans felt that by joining the LON they would be dragged into other countries conflicts and problems, which was not something they needed, thus they pulled out. This was just the very first weakness of the so called World Parliament.  [2]  The absence of the United States was not only a bitter blow which created a sense of incompleteness, but it also led to the major glitch in the Global Representation of the League. The United States was the driving force behind the LON and now there also would be no financing from their side. The League was all about embodying every nation and seeing that USA turned the LON down, any other minor member could feel like they had the right to leave any time. In 1922, it felt like the League was made up of sub nations since the worlds most powerful countries were not involved. The USA, the USSR and Germany were not members which left the League not as strong as it should have been and having an incomplete membership. Among other things the League did not have an army which was a big thing since their aim was to stop disputes and wars, the question arising, was whether they could do that if they had no fear -authority. Thus they relied on the members for military assistance who in turn refused to send their people to fight and for foreign lands, when they had no interest in that. The Treaty of Versailles left unhappiness, grief which stimulated jealousy, resentment and rivalry.  [3]  The inter-war economic situation exaggerated political reactions, condemned democracy and constitutionalism needed for lasting settlement. It slowly failed because there were no adequate guarantees. The Treaty of Versailles along with other treaties passed through the LON, were slowly going bankrupt and losing support. The International Labour Organization (ILO) failed too, in its attempt to convince the nations to adopt a different working policy. The League was already in danger of losing its popularity and authority. The Leagues aim was to maintain collective security and replace international anarchy. From the start it was supposed to be an organization that would use economic and military sanctions to stop aggressors. However the sanctions did not work since some nations managed to find ways to get around them, thinking that they would solely lose out on them. In 1931, at the time of the Manchurian crisis the League could not even agree upon the economic sanctions and later on in 1935, it failed again when attempting a ban on the sale of arms, rubber and metals to Italy, when the French and the British opposed these sanctions. They believed that this move would lead to Mussolini allying with Hitler. Also the League of Nations had been obliged to introduce a reduction of the armaments to the lowest, allowable for safety, level. A lot of time was put into this along with the effort from the Allies who have been bound to disarm together with the losers of the WWI. This was thought to be a step towards future peace development.  [4]   The problem with this however was, that the policy failed later on in 1923 because Germany refused to have lower armaments than everybody else. This led to other countries going against and bypassing the disarmament. This showed that there was not enough commitment and effort involved in the International decisions and actions. Another major difficulty for the League was handling disputes and solving problems. The specialized parts of the LON needed to cooperate but at the time of crisis they could not come to common understanding and decide on what was best for society. Also the decisions made within the League were unanimous which made it even harder for the organization to act out, it took them a long time to do anything and they were too slow to react. There were quite a noticeable number of international arguments in the years of 1919 to 1935 not dealt with properly, by the League of Nations for various immoral and to some extent, self-centered reasons. Too much pressure on the League of Nations The first instance of the Leagues passiveness is seen in early 1919, when the Italians took over the Fiume Port, which was previously granted to Yugoslavia by the Treaty of Versailles. The League of Nations did nothing despite the fact that it was their duty to prevent aggression and keep peace. In the end, an Italian by the name of Gabriele DAnnunzio governed the newly taken over port for over a year. Later on that same year, Poland and Czechoslovakia fought over Teschen Silesia, which was a bordering region between the two countries. The area was rich in iron, coal, railway lines, and a notable part of the Silesian coal fields and since both nations were just recently created, they both felt the need to strengthen their economies by acquiring Teschen. When the League was summoned to help solve the territorial dispute, what it did was just divide the region, among the two countries. Poland was unhappy with what they got and ignored the Leagues decision. The two countries argued over this issue for years to come. After 1919, town Vilna was considered to be the Capital city of Lithuania. However about 30% of the citys population was made up of Poles. In 1920, the Polish took over Vilna and when Lithuanians asked the League for help, it failed at making the Poles withdraw. They stayed in town until the start of the World War II. The League of Nations was once again powerless. We can see how many times within the same year the League failed at doing what it was created for. The second time the Polish broke the rules of the League, was in 1920. Poland invaded Russia and its army conquered Russian land. By 1921 the Russians finally signed the Treaty of Riga, agreeing to hand over financial compensation, railway materials and nearly 80 000 km2. The League of Nations did encourage them to make peace, however it did nothing to stop the Poles. Since Russia was communist, they would only gain advantage from such an operation, because they feared it and wanted to prevent it from spreading. To countries that were not members of the League, it might have seemed like the LON was selectively picking who is good enough and who is not to get help. This was another failure since it only angered the Russians and made them more hostile towards the Allies. Since the end of the First World War, one of the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles was that Germany had to pay reparations for the losses and damages that it had caused.  [5]  However when the Germans failed to do so in 1922, the anti-German feeling in both France and Belgium grew. Ignoring the laws of the League of Nations, both being members, France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr an important industrial area in Germany. But the arising question was whether the League would stop them. France was one of the main members and yet one of the aggressors. Britain could not afford to stand up against its powerful associates. The League failed this time, twice. Firstly and fore mostly because it broke its own rules and secondly, because of the example that was set for the other countries. This was not the first time that something like this happened, this was the second alarming authority-defying example the members of the League have set. Another dispute occurred in 1923, when an Italian commander Enrico Tellini, together with his assistants, was murdered on the border of the Greek territory. The Italians were sure and blamed the Greek nationalists for attacking their general. On the other hand the Greeks blamed criminals from Albania. Italy then demanded reparations and to be allowed to deal with the murderers, but the Greeks could not identify and find the killers. This sparked off an Italian attack on the Greek island of Corfu. The assassination of their General was not even the real reason, they have concealed the true motive all along. When Greece appealed to the League for help, the LON did not do anything but directed the matter to the Conference of Ambassadors who forced Greece to comply with Mussolinis conditions.  [6]  This was another failure since everybody knew that the Italians were just looking for an unjust excuse to invade Corfu and gain its coastline entrance position to the Adriatic Sea. Later on, in 1928 nearly all nations decided to sign, the Kellogg-Briand Pact. The pact prohibited any aggression and use of war unless required in need of self-defense. However the Pact of Paris did not live up to ideal expectations and did not succeed at preventing war.  [7]  It proved to be ineffective and did not manage to prevent the two future conflicts which together in turn sparked off WWII. These two were the real tests for the League. After the years of Depression, Japan still remained under its effects. She tried to overcome this by strengthening her empire although she lost many of her markets. This resulted in the Japanese searching for raw materials and trade markets. The province of Manchuria seemed perfect since right before; the Japanese had a strong economic presence there. Once the Japanese invaded Manchuria, the Chinese turned to the League of Nations for help. So what the League did was sent in, officials to Manchuria to analyze and study the root of the problem. They were very slow, it took them one year to do that and finally in 1933 Japan was ordered to step back and leave Manchuria. At the time the League did not seem as much of an authority any more which resulted in the Japanese ignoring the Leagues command. The League could do nothing about it. Japan was considered to be the greatest power in Eastern Asia and many countries supported trading with her. The Allies did not want a war and the LON cou ld not even impose sanctions. The League of Nations has yet terribly failed at encouraging peace. The other major problem of the League was that it seemed to be scared to anger the aggressors, instead of having a higher position of authority to suppress the assailants it just stayed neutral not to make them resentful. Benito Mussolinis idea of glory and popularity led him to believe that he could do anything he wanted. In 1934 he laid his eyes on the only African territory which was left without any control by the European Colonial Authority Abyssinia.  [8]  Italians had a previous encounter with the Ethiopians. In the year of 1895, Italians lost a humiliating battle and now were keen to get revenge. When Haile Selassie appealed to the League for help, the LON talked to Mussolini but with no success. He would not compromise and just ignored them and used the moment to his advantage to send an army into Africa and invade Abyssinia. The League tried putting sanctions but those did not work, there was nothing else it could do, because Mussolini was considered a potential ally against Hitler and the LON did not want to risk making him resentful towards the Allies. This was the last straw, after the Manchuria and Abyssinia crises the people just saw the League as a useless fraud, and once Hitler actually started to break the Treaty of Versailles there was no other way but to start off the World War Two since it would be the only way to stop him. All these unresolved disputes led to one another and in the end there was nothing left to do but to go to war. Also among the Leagues many failed crises there were the failed treaties and the Locarno Pact of 1925. The Washington treaty was a naval-limiting agreement signed in 1921 by Britain, United States, Japan, France and Italy; but it failed when the naval restrictions merely became unrealistic in the 1930s. The Dawes plan of 1924, that made Germany dependant on American loans failed when USA demanded the money back after going through a Depression and still did not get much back.  [9]  And finally the Geneva Protocol of 1925, proved to be ineffective when the disputes broke out. The lack of cooperation between the two main members of the League One of the big problems that the League of Nations faced was the fact that it had no army and thus it depended fully on Britain and France once USA did not join. And as a matter of fact, these two members were unwilling to share and help the League. Britain and France were very passive and as long as their own interests were not involved they preferred to stay in the dark.  [10]  They did not feel the need to or even want to use sanctions which as the members of the League they should have supported. Many historians fully blame France and Britain for the Leagues failure. They believed that since the USA was not a member, all the responsibility of taking control of the League lay on Britain and France who felt like they had their more important responsibilities towards their nations, outside of the organization. They ignored what had to be done to keep international peace and instead put their own priorities first. France feared Germany and did anything to ensure self-security because of suffering great devastation during the war, whilst Britain plainly concentrated on strengthening her empire.  [11]  These two members were the heads and yet they were not fully willing to commit. And what organization can survive without somebody managing it properly and willing to put in enough work and effort to run it especially when the heads of that organization fail to work together and fight towards the same goal. If we closely look at the crises that the League of Nations faced, we can see a pattern. In many of the cases the leaders of Britain and France were the ones to stir trouble. Taking the Vilna Crisis as an example, where France actually wanted to keep on the right side of Poland since she saw it as a potential ally against Germany and Russia in case a war would arise and as a buffer zone against communism. Britain was never prepared to act alone which resulted in the League not taking action against the aggressors. The two countries acted without thinking about the League and what was best for it. The main problem however was that the two members were unable to work together and thus bring any efficiency to the League of Nations. Each one had their own priorities and a lot of times they failed to reach agreements and come to compromises regarding the problems of Europe after the war. They clearly had different ideas of what the role of the LON was. As mentioned before France feared that Germanys bigger number of population would be a threat to her own, whilst Britain saw it as a commercial opportunity towards a quick and efficient economic recovery. Despite this being the time when the French needed the British support in case of a future encounter with Germanys aggression, Britain was not so keen on disarming Germany, which once again posed a threat to the entire stability of Europe. Both countries were obliged to show support for the LON in public, but really when in private they felt deep cynicism and pessimism for the organization but more importantly they had no faith in it. In order to properly understand the relations between Britain and France we have to consider looking at their past. During the years of the First World War, the British and French were allies and worked against the Central Powers. They strongly co-operated towards a common goal and in the end when the war was over they both were the victors. Immediately after the war, the British and French had been co-operating together, as their interests were very similar. They both needed countries like Germany and Russia weakened since they posed a bug threat to their nations and to the spread of Communism. Another similarity between them was that they both needed each other if they were to expand and strengthen their empires. At some point, there even was a very strong popular feeling in Britain towards France and when the leaders visited each other at latter countries they got warm receptions.  [12]   When the League of Nations was created, they both were the heads, and they had to accept the defense of countries between themselves. However after a while France started to see itself as a very powerful independent stand-alone power whilst Britain did not want to risk losing close relationships with Australia, Canada and New Zealand. This caused tension between the two and at one point the British were even thinking about free trade which would put France at stake by placing tariffs on its goods. Analysis There are various reasons as to why the League of Nations failed. The main ones being that it did not have enough support and a driving force willing to push it on. As a historian by the name of A.J.P. Taylor once said The League died in 1935. One day it was a powerful body imposing sanctions, the next day it was a useless fraud, everybody running away from it as quickly as possible. Hitler watched.  [13]  The actual idea of the League ensuring peace was great but since most of the member nations put their interests and priorities first, the League of Nations Failed. From the very beginning it was Wilsons idea to set up the League but then America was the one strongest nation whose presence was noticeably yearned. The league could not act alone and it was based and dependant on the two main members, Britain and France. This is where the bigger question comes in. Should these two be completely blamed for the collapse of the League? The answer is to a certain extent.  [14]  They only dealt with the smaller, weaker countries and did not dare to stand up to aggressors because they felt threatened. However that was not the main reason behind them being blamed. It is one thing when they do not feel secure and try to protect themselves and it is a completely different thing when they are not willing to work together even though the World Parliament relies on them. Japan and Italy betrayed the League thus Britain and France were its last hope. Nevertheless although Britain and France did not really betray the League, neither did they try to strengthen it and help it.  [15]  By invading the Ruhr, France let the Leagues authority down. Another example would be the Abyssinian crisis where Britain and France were the ones who actually confidentially gave up Abyssinia to Italy. The longer they kept this up, the less everybody believed and put their hopes in the League. At the end everybody just started to ignore it. Another factor was the Great Depression which made every country fight for itself and try to gain more and more power. The problem was that Britain and France were allies and had the same level of authority within the League but at the same time they lacked cooperation. Many times the two nearly went against each other to support their own self-interest only to be stopped by their own self-conscience that they needed each other.  [16]   One historian said It is not altogether impossible to bring the French and the British to see eye to eye- only their eyes are so different. It could be reasoned that Britain and France were at fault for the Leagues failure because had they cooperated more and worked their way up towards a common goal, together they might have been strong enough to stand up to the aggressors and prevent the crumpling of the world peace and the League of Nations. It was also said that the League was merely a field that Britain and France chose to fight on. On the other hand one can argue that other countries played a big part in the LONs collapse too and no matter how strong the bond between the two main members would have been nothing could have prevented the Leagues collapse and thereby the start of the WWII. All the crises that the League had to go through were not just the result of the lack of cooperation between Britain and France, but also the never-ending desire for more power within other strong countries like Germany and Italy, whose leaders knew just how to use the moment to manipulate others to get what they wanted. Conclusion In conclusion we can see that all of the events and crises that occurred in the inter-war years contributed to the fall of the League of Nations. However the most notable reason was the inability of Britain and France to effectively work together without competing against each other for full domination. Their mistrust, constant divisions and preoccupation with only their own affairs had cost the League some serious lack of development and effective performance which in the end resulted in a stalemate leading to new disputes and in 1939, the start of World War Two.

Spanish Influenza Epidemic :: essays research papers

Spanish Influenza Epidemic There is a sudden outbreak of the Spanish influenza here in the States. This sudden outbreak is said to be caused by vaccinations given to the soldiers over in Europe. In fact there is newly released fact that an estimated amount of 43,000 American soldiers over in Europe. This flu started in Spain, then spread like wild fire across Europe, the Mideast, and Asia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many symptoms to the Spanish influenza, it starts with a cough. Then the victim gets increasing pain behind the ears and eyes. Your body temperature, heart rate, and respiration will start to increase rapidly. Also in the wort cases, pneumonia quickly follows all the symptoms. The two diseases will then inflame and irritate your lungs they are filled with liquid, suffocating the victims and causing their bodies to turn cyanotic blue-black. Rumor has that this epidemic was caused by vaccinations given to troops in Europe, and back here on the home front. The Spanish influenza was also help spread by troops moving across Europe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is no treatment for this disease due to the fact that it is a viral infection, but there are a few ways to try in prevent. First way and most obvious is that you and your family stay away from people who have been infected with the disease. Also make sure you stay away from places where you that people have been people have gotten infected at, if you know of these places please notify us at 1-800-news-4ufast. Finally make sure u take good care of yourself and have good personal hygiene. These ways won’t guarantee that you won’t get infected, but it helps better your chances.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Spanish influenza has had a great impact on the population already and it is only the first month. Over 500 hundred people have already been infected and that number is increasing at a very fast rate. Over 100 people are already dead and more are sitting on their death beds with not much life ahead of them.

Romeo And Juliet 4 :: essays research papers

The Nurse and Friar Laurence are kind but powerless characters who inadvertently contribute to the tragic ends of Romeo and Juliet. The Nurse is ignorant and unthinking as she enjoys and sets up the secret marriage, but she does not think about the consequences or take responsibility for them. The Nurse helps Juliet to marry Romeo when the Nurse knows it is forbidden. The Friar is wise and insightful when he marries Romeo and Juliet, but he simply does not have the power or the foresight to stop the tragic events that come after the marriage. Friar Laurence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet, even though it is risky. These two characters share good intentions and love for Romeo and Juliet, and share the responsibility for their deaths. The Nurse helps Juliet to marry Romeo because she is just thinking about Juliet’s feelings without thinking about the problems this marriage could cause. In Act I, Scene. v., lines 137-138, she tells Juliet who Romeo is. It causes Juliet to get very upset: “My only love, sprung from my only hate.'; (I.V.139), but the Nurse doesn’t think about this. She doesn’t see the trouble that has started. After the nurse realizes that Juliet and Romeo love each other, she doesn’t stop it; instead, she agrees to carry the message to Romeo, although she knows Romeo is a Montague. After the Nurse has a secret meeting with Romeo, she teases Juliet and praises Romeo as a handsome and nice young man. She does not explain to Juliet the problems of loving Romeo. She helps and encourages Juliet to get to Friar Laurence’s cell to get married. The Nurse doesn’t consider the dangerous result of this action. She only thinks of the moment. After the marriage, the Nurse quickly abandons Juliet. The Nurse refuses to help Juliet any more after Romeo kills Tybalt. Even though the Nurse supported the marriage before, she does little to stop the forced marriage of Juliet to Paris. She does not understand Juliet’s emotional love for Romeo because the Nurse only thinks love is physical. She suggests to Juliet that Paris is as good as Romeo, and Juliet might as well take Paris because no one will know: “I think you are as happy in this second match,/ For it excels your first: or if it did not,/ Your first is dead; or ‘twere as good he were'; (III.

Use of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos on Social Networking Sites Essay

Social networking sites leave opportunities for vulnerability, however, I don’t believe many youths are an easy target. Using ethos, pathos and logos individuals can create their own reality to relate to the internet world who they think are and how they wish to be seen. In mediated publics such as Facebook and Instagram, the user has complete control of his or her profile and is the only one who can allow content about his/herself to be shared. It is my personal belief that as technology has evolved many people have taken to fabricating some truths here and there and omitting details to give an ideal representation of who they are without incriminating themselves or leaving themselves vulnerable for mistreatment. The fantasy of what is or could be is more desirable than reality. In the past few years, privacy settings have been adapted to cover the growing technological advances to keep users safe from online predators. In the beginning, Facebook was a free for all. It is my impression that everyone was so excited about this new mediated public and therefore wanted to use the application to its fullest, trying out every function it offered. My younger brother, unripe and fresh out of high school did not know the repercussions of his publications as most people didn’t really think about it. It wasn’t until a very incriminating photo was posted by his now ex-girlfriend, of Rob, smiling in a tree, that he thought twice about what he shared online. The photo was so big you had to scroll down to see the whole image. He was actually climbing a tree with his pants down around his ankles. The photo was taken from ground level, and in fact he was very high up. He bent slightly forward holding on to the sturdy trunk to steady... ...own Facebook account and be â€Å"friends† with their students to keep them safe like Boyd recommends. Instead, I believe by talking to students and children about how their posts directly impact their reality is a more effective approach in teaching how to prevent and remedy any inflictions that will be caused by adolescent lapses in judgment. Just as my brother has never posted another indecent photo and learned to limit his online profile content, people do learn from their mistakes. Educators should have an open door policy fortified by trust between themselves and their children in order to guide them in making appropriate decisions. Works Cited Boyd, Danah. â€Å"Social Network Sites: Public, Private, or What?† Understanding Rhetoric: A Graphic Guide to Writing. The Basics. Visual Rhetoric. Readings. Ed. Dore Ripley. Pleasant Hill: DVC, 2013 83-89. Print.

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 5

Jerome was waiting for me in my apartment as soon as I stepped through the door. â€Å"You have some nerve,† he growled. I set my suitcase down. Normally that tone of voice would have set me hiding, but I was in no mood to listen to him now after my long drive-or rather, lack of a drive. There'd been an accident that had put traffic at a standstill, and I'd sat in my car for a very long and very annoying time. â€Å"Look, Cedric told me to,† I said, crossing my arms as though they might actually shield me from him. â€Å"I didn't do anything wrong.† â€Å"You're not supposed to do what he says.† Jerome sat on the arm of my couch and flicked his cigarette over a nearby ashtray, which I took as a great courtesy on his part. â€Å"You're supposed to do what I say.† â€Å"He told me to go home. He didn't have anything for me to do until the Satanists had their breakfast meeting.† Jerome's glare momentarily faltered. â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"What are you talking about? I'm talking about Cedric sending me home early.† â€Å"And I'm talking about your failure to notify me of his little stunt last night.† Last night? I racked my brain. Last night I'd been killing time shopping and destroying a man's self-esteem. To my knowledge, Cedric had done nothing after I left except continue his quest to destroy Wikipedia's informative empire. â€Å"What'd he do?† I asked. â€Å"I didn't even see him.† Jerome didn't answer right away, his face thoughtful. I realized then he was reassessing his initial anger. It wasn't my early return that had upset him. â€Å"There was a vampire brawl last night,† he said finally. â€Å"Somehow, a few of them thought their hunting ground lines had been rearranged. So they started roaming into others' areas†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦and bad things ensued.† Vampires were as territorial as demons in some ways. Vampires had specific areas that they guarded to stalk victims and were very touchy about other vampires using them. The archdemon of a region usually drew up vampiric lines and enforced them through force and will. â€Å"Unfortunately, yes. Grace and Mei are still sorting it out.† A panicked thought suddenly struck me. â€Å"Are Cody and Hugh okay?† He shrugged. â€Å"A little bruised and battered, but nothing that won't heal on its own.† My fear was unfounded, of course. Lesser immortals, like vampires and succubi, couldn't kill each other, and we healed extremely quickly. Still, the instinct to worry about my friends was one that would never leave me. â€Å"Why were you yelling at me over this? I certainly didn't have anything to do with it.† â€Å"Because the vampires who thought they'd been reassigned got official notification that said they had: a stamped and sealed demonic missive. They thought it was from me.† â€Å"But it wasn't,† I guessed, seeing where he was going with this. Jerome had the area comfortably parceled out and would have no desire to change the status quo. He was too lazy. â€Å"There was no name?† â€Å"No, clearly. But they don't need it-not if the seal is good. It was, and only another demon could have drawn something like that up.† â€Å"And so you assumed Cedric did it,† I finished. Jerome nodded. â€Å"Yes, and I'm going to let him know exactly what I think of this. I'm not happy over that-or you slacking off in reporting his activities to me.† â€Å"You're giving my spying ability more credit than I deserve here,† I warned. â€Å"It's kind of limited. He's not really sharing his inner secrets with me, and anyway, he already knows that's what you want me to do.† â€Å"Of course he does.† I sighed. â€Å"Look, if you want my opinion†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The look Jerome gave me suggested he really didn't put a lot of stock in my opinion. â€Å"†¦I don't think Cedric's the type to do anything like that. He's more interested in Web surfing.† â€Å"After all this time with demons, you really should know better than that, Georgie.† Jerome smashed his cigarette into the ashtray and stood up. â€Å"Yeah, yeah, I know, you sound just like Nan-† I frowned. His wording had tickled a memory. â€Å"Oh, I do have some info for you. Cedric was meeting with Nanette.† Jerome had been straightening his sleeve, but his head jerked toward me at the mention of the archdemoness's name. â€Å"Nanette?† The word was carefully enunciated, icy in its tone. I relayed what I knew. Jerome's face grew dark as I spoke. Whatever his thoughts on the new development were, however, he didn't share them with me. â€Å"Looks like you might be doing your job after all.† He paused. â€Å"But why are you back?† â€Å"There's nothing to do until Saturday. Cedric sent me home.† I held my breath, waiting for him to blow up, but it didn't come. â€Å"Well, seeing as you aren't being too much of a bitch for a change, I suppose that's okay.† By that wording, I was apparently still being kind of a bitch. Jerome vanished. Aubrey immediately came out from behind the couch, giving me the censuring look cats always give owners who have been away for a while. I knelt down and scratched her chin. She was solid white with a few black specks on her forehead, often giving the impression that she couldn't keep her head clean. â€Å"Yeah, I know,† I told her. â€Å"Believe me, I don't want to go back there either.† Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was dinnertime. Too early to see the vampires quite yet, particularly since the days were getting longer. I'd have to wait until after sunset to get their version of the bloodsucking showdown. I gave Aubrey a few more conciliatory pats and then straightened up to call Dante. He didn't answer, and I wondered if he actually had a customer for a change. When not concocting vile spells, he made his living giving fake Tarot and palm readings. I left a message, telling him I was back. With time on my hands, I started fretting about Emerald City. I knew the bookstore really could function without me, but the motherly instinct kicked in nonetheless. And since I did have the time, I decided to go over and check on things. As expected, all was well. It was almost seven, and people on their way home from work were stopping in to pick up things. Business was steady but not crazy. â€Å"Georgina! You're back.† I'd been watching the registers from a distance and turned to see Maddie standing behind me, lugging a cardboard display for a new book coming out tomorrow. I smiled. No matter how hard things had been for me with her and Seth, there was something about her bright, open personality that could lighten dark moods. â€Å"For a while. I just wanted to check on things.† She grinned back. â€Å"That's just like you. Get time off, and come back to work. How are things? Still crazy?† I shrugged. â€Å"Yeah, a little. But it's nothing I can't manage. I'm hoping it'll improve soon.† â€Å"Is it something that might improve with a drink?† She wore a mischievous look, and I couldn't help but laugh. â€Å"Only if I'm drinking alone. You're still here for a couple more hours.† â€Å"Nope. I had to come in early to cover someone, so Janice is going to close.† It was always nice if a manager could close, but Janice was certainly competent enough. I hesitated. I'd been avoiding Maddie since Christmas, but before Seth, I'd always really liked her a lot. We'd had a lot of good times together, and our personalities clicked well. Seth wasn't here now, and a drink suddenly seemed like an even better way to pass the time than doing managerial things when I wasn't actually required to do them. â€Å"Okay.† She finished up, and about fifteen minutes later, we stepped outside. I got a cigarette out automatically, then paused. â€Å"Do you mind?† â€Å"Nah. I don't like them, but it's okay. Where do you want to go?† â€Å"I don't know.† I reached for my lighter, remembered it was out, and pulled out the matches instead. I ran my fingers over its cover and frowned. â€Å"You want to go to Mark's Mad Martini Bar?† Mark's was at the top of Queen Anne Hill, making for a rather steep hike. Living around here, I did it fairly regularly, but Maddie was breathing hard when we reached the bar. â€Å"Man,† she said. â€Å"I need to go to the gym more.† I held the door open for her. â€Å"Do this every day, and you won't need to.† â€Å"I think I need a little more than that.† Her weight was a continual source of worry for her. â€Å"I think I need to pick up some weird sport. You want to start playing squash with me?† â€Å"Why squash?† â€Å"I don't know. Never tried it. Figured I should.† Along with the other changes in her life, Maddie had recently adopted an attitude of getting out there and trying new things. Before my recent funk, I'd had kind of a similar view. Faced with centuries of existence, I'd found experimenting with new activities was a great distraction. There was always something new to learn in the world. Mark's was dimly lit, done in matte black d? ¦cor. I flipped through the expansive drink menu, which upheld the restaurant's name. When the waiter came around, I ordered a martini called First Blush: white chocolate liqueur, Chambord, and vodka. The menu called for Stoli, but I asked for Grey Goose. â€Å"You ever considered dancing?† I asked Maddie. â€Å"It can be a good workout. You're less likely to get hit in the head too.† Maddie had ordered Sing the Blues: Blue Curacao, pineapple juice, and Ketel One. Her face lit up. â€Å"I've always wanted to. Doug said you used to teach swing at the bookstore.† â€Å"Yeah, I did some group lessons last fall. My friend Cody helped me.† A pleasant wave of nostalgia swept me as I recalled those days. Things had been simpler, and I'd had a lot of fun teaching my friends and co-workers while doing one of my favorite activities. â€Å"I wish I'd been there,† she said wistfully. â€Å"I'm kind of uncoordinated, but you know†¦if I don't try, how will I learn?† â€Å"Maddie, you should be doing motivational speaking.† She laughed. â€Å"I don't know about that. But I'd do dance lessons if you ever taught again. Hint, hint.† The waiter returned with our drinks. I nearly died when I tasted mine. It was an 80 proof, raspberry dream. â€Å"I don't know. The staff pretty much learned all they could with swing.† â€Å"Then teach something else. Doug says you know every kind of dance in the world. I'd help you organize it.† â€Å"Maybe I'll do salsa or something,† I told her, not sure if I meant it. â€Å"When all this drama's over.† â€Å"Is there anything I can do to help? You know that I'm here if you need something.† The earnestness and compassion on her face made a lump form in my throat. I'd spent the last few months hating her, but her friendship and faith in me had never faltered. Suddenly feeling guilty, I glanced away from her eyes. â€Å"Nah, don't worry. I'll deal with it.† Silence fell, silence that bothered me immensely. I felt a need to give something back to her for her kindness. My thoughts from a few nights ago about moving flashed into my head. I glanced back up. â€Å"Maybe you can help me find a new place, though.† As I'd hoped, her face grew eager at the proposal. â€Å"Really? You're going to move?† â€Å"I don't know for sure. Just thought it might be time for a change.† Maddie became even more excited. â€Å"What are you looking for?† â€Å"Not sure about that either,† I admitted. â€Å"The only thing I'm sure of is that I want to try something outside of Queen Anne.† â€Å"Okay, that's a good start. How big? New construction or historic? Do you want to keep renting? The condo market's flooded, you know. Great time to buy.† I tried to keep a straight face but couldn't. â€Å"Were you a real estate agent in another life?† â€Å"No! I just think it's exciting, that's all. I want to help.† â€Å"Okay. I could rent or buy. It would depend on the place.† â€Å"What's your price range? If you don't mind me asking?† I hesitated, wondering if I should let on to the truth about my finances. I decided it didn't matter. â€Å"Well†¦let's put it this way. I've got a lot of savings.† â€Å"Fair enough.† Despite the rapid rate she was drinking, there was a sharp, businesslike air to her. â€Å"You want a similar kind of neighborhood? Shops? Restaurants?† â€Å"Yeah, I wouldn't mind that.† â€Å"Anything else?† â€Å"I told you, I haven't thought much about it.† She sighed in frustration. â€Å"You've gotta help me out here. Anything you've been wanting for a long time? Something you've missed?† Unbidden, a memory of my childhood came to me. The Cyprian town I'd lived in returned to me in startling clarity, its colors, smells, and airs. â€Å"I grew up around beaches,† I said softly. â€Å"Sun and surf.† I shook myself out of the wistful memory, feeling a bit embarrassed at my dreamy state. â€Å"But I'm in the wrong place for that.† â€Å"Yeah,† she agreed. â€Å"You'd have to move to California for that.† We had another round of drinks and talked about other things, and to my surprise, I had a really great time. I remembered now why I liked Maddie so much. She was so easy to talk to, so funny and smart. I didn't have a lot of female friends, and there was a big difference between her and the guys I normally hung out with. Women needed other women sometimes. I was signing my credit card bill when Seth walked over to our table. Maddie looked up, beaming. â€Å"Hey, sweetie.† She stood up and kissed him, something that unnerved both Seth and me. All of a sudden, the warm and pleasant feeling that had been building within me shattered. Maddie glanced at me explanatorily. â€Å"I called Seth to get a ride while you were in the bathroom.† I smiled tightly. â€Å"Ah.† Maddie turned back to him. â€Å"You're missing out. This place has great drinks. You sure you don't want to break the rules? We could stay another round.† â€Å"Actually, I need to go,† I said, thinking of few things more agonizing than drinking with the two of them. â€Å"And I'm not ready to break the rules,† said Seth, avoiding my eyes. â€Å"Besides, I've got work to do.† Maddie looked only moderately disappointed. â€Å"Oh, well. No problem. Let me run to the bathroom, and we'll go. We'll give you a ride, Georgina.† I should have run away then and there, but Maddie dashed off quickly, and I felt it would be rude to leave without saying good-bye to her. Seth sat down in her chair and clasped his hands in front of him. Our usual wall of awkwardness slammed down between us. â€Å"I don't need a ride,† I said abruptly. Seth glanced up at me. â€Å"It's a long walk.† â€Å"Not really. It's only six blocks.† â€Å"Yeah, but you've been drinking.† I scoffed. â€Å"I had two drinks. I'm hardly going to walk into traffic, if that's what you're worried about.† â€Å"No, but it's no problem for me. I just want to make sure you get home okay.† It was one of those rare times when his mild mood had been replaced by something more adamant. For whatever reason, that ratcheted up the anger within me. â€Å"I'll be fine,† I snapped. â€Å"It's not your job to look after me anymore.† â€Å"Georgina, please.† â€Å"Please what? You know I'm right.† â€Å"You're making this into a bigger deal than it is. It doesn't always have to be about us.† â€Å"Of course it does†¦I mean, inasmuch as there is an us. You got out. I'm not your concern.† â€Å"I can still worry about you. Still care.† I leaned forward, possibly emboldened by my martinis. â€Å"You made it perfectly clear how much you care, and that's fine. I've got a whole new life now.† His look turned wry. â€Å"Yeah, your new life seems great.† That incensed me further, largely because I wasn't really convinced my new life was all that great either. â€Å"It is. I can do whatever I want now. I don't have to worry about hurting your delicate sensibilities when I sleep with someone or having to modify our dates to boring things that don't take you out of your comfort zone or interfere with your writing schedule.† It was horrible of me. Mean, mean, mean. I would have expected him to flinch, to look hurt. Instead, he fought back. â€Å"And I don't have to worry about being hypocritically judged for being both too boring and too risky. I also don't have to wonder anymore if everything I'm being told is a half-truth or an outright lie.† That made me flinch. It was also when Maddie showed back up. She tried to cajole me into a ride, but I firmly refused-a bit more harshly than I needed to with her. She looked a little abashed, but I was too upset over Seth's words to care too much. I left, storming down the hill so hard, it was a wonder my footsteps didn't make the ground shake.