Government Intervention in Venezuela’s Economy

Economic Commentary_1 The article: How can Venezuela be so rich in resources, but so low in supplies? By Douglas French/April 24, 2012 http://www. csmonitor. com/Business/The-Circle-Bastiat/2012/0424/How-can-Venezuela-be-so-rich-in-resources-but-so-low-in-supplies To what extend do a country’s natural resources explain whether consumer goods are on the nation’s shelves for people to buy. Venezuela is a prime example of this question.This is a country having abundant natural resources for it is one of the world’s top oil producers and rich in gold and other minerals, also the rich soil and temperate climate allow the country for productive agriculture. However, there are shortages of staple products like milk, meat and writing paper. This commentary focuses on the main reason causing this problem in Venezuela that is over intervention of the government towards the free market. In order to maintain the level of consumer prices, the president of Venezuela imposed pr ice controls by setting the price ceilings.Government officials claim â€Å"companies cause shortages on purpose, holding products off the market to push up prices. This month, the government required price cuts on fruit juice, toothpaste, disposable diapers and more than a dozen other products. † However, bad consequences of the price ceilings set by the government were inevitable in terms of shortages in supply, decreased market size, elimination of allocative efficiency and black markets. In figure1. 1, the original market equilibrium price under the intervention of free market is at Pe where the quantity demanded and the quantity supplied are equal.After intervention of the central government, a binding price ceiling is set and the new market price is created at Pmax where the quantity supplied is much lower than quantity demanded. The artificially low price has caused more demand for the product, thus creating a movement from Qe along the demand curve to Qd. At the same time, producers cut production in response to the lower price, moving down along the supply curve from Qe to Qs. The distance between Qd and Qs shows a shortage of the good in supply.Because of this, now residents in Caracas are forced to rely on the once-a-week deliveries made to government-subsidized stores. Moreover, as figure1. 2 suggests, the gap between Qs and Qd creates a tension in the market. At Qs there are many consumers who would be willing to pay more than Pmax if Qs is on the market. These consumers may have a strong incentive to gain the goods and services they want on the black market. As a result, the supply curve will shoot right up at Qs and the price will raise right up at that point high on the demand curve.This shows that some price ceilings may actually drive the price higher than the original equilibrium and can be just applied to the case of Venezuela. Also, setting a maximum price lower than the market equilibrium price will result in a decreased market siz e as some of the companies will be driven out of the market. The government setting prices are too low for companies to make money so they either curtail production or stop all together. As shown in figure 2. 1, initially the producer surplus of the private companies, in terms of profit, derived by firms is shown as the area from the initial market price line to the supply curve.After price controls by the government, now the new producer surplus is shown as the area from the new price line to the supply curve which is smaller than before and this reflects a lower producer surplus, therefore a welfare loss in the society. In addition, the price ceilings eliminate an allocative efficiency in the country’s economy in a competitive market as it can only be achieved when the society produces enough of a good so that the marginal benefits is equal to the marginal, in other words, producer supply and consumer demand meet at a market equilibrium price.Due to intervention of the gove rnment, price controls disenable society to get goods and services it wants most. As Times mentions, â€Å"some of the shortages are in industries, like dairy and coffee, where the government has seized private companies and is now running them, saying it is in the national interest. † But the consequence of this action is that the government will turn the markets into monopolies as there would be only state ownership in these industries, so there are no competitions between various firms and consumers will not be able to acquire substitutes in the markets.What’s more, while these industries are being completely controlled by the central planner and create state ownership of the factors of production in addition to the guide of Venezuela socialist government, it will result in the lack of individual property rights and incentive to achieve maximum efficiency in the use of resources which characterize private ownership. To conclude, Venezuela is a typically very rich in resources but very low in supplies, price controls in the markets as well as

Black Slavery among the Cherokee Indians Essay

Despite the great attention that Black slavery are getting from different groups and individuals, the plight remains as there are some aspects that need to be further scrutinized and observed. Based on available literature, the slavery on Black tribes has been given only given a limited attention and that there has been a very low awareness that there exists slavery in the tribes of the Blacks Americans, including the Cherokee Indians. Southern histories which are supposed to retell the stories of Southern Americans do not provide a clear understanding and a vivid account on the slavery Cherokee nation. There are no available accounts of the complete history of the Cherokees and if there is, it only provides a little space for the discussion of the Cherokees—but nothing substantive, really. The Cherokees are said to be slave owners and regard themselves as a superior tribe. But despite their being slave owners, they treat their slave humanely unlike their white counterparts. The book Red over Black: Black Slavery among the Cherokee Indians written by R. Halliburton Jr. basically revolves around this idea and unmasks the unknown facts of slavery in Cherokee Indians. revolves around this issue The author exposed the different aspects of slavery in Cherokees and appears to have exhausted the literature available with regards to the Indian Cherokees. The author made use of historical accounts to present factual thoughts on Indian Cherokee slavery. The book is written in outline form so as to provide the readers a chronological narrative of the facts and data about the Indian Cherokee slavery. The book is written in detail as the author employed a descriptive and narrative style to provide a clearer scenario of what he is trying to relate to his readers. The author presented his perspective in the issue on slavery of Indian Cherokees—or Indians in general. The author related that Indian Cherokees give benefits to their slaves. They even provide training for the development of their slaves. Their slaves are even hired to serve as carpenters, gardeners or other works that they deem in line with the slave’s capacities. After a while, these slaves would be eventually set free. Perhaps, the intended audience of the author is the general public who has little knowledge on the culture and history of Black slavery particularly on the side of the Cherokees. The book could serve as a tool for realization of the intended audience to what the Indian Cherokees has to offer. The book offers a different perspective on slavery. The usual accounts of literature would project slavery as one extremely negative thing—the scenario that slaves are always overworked and unpaid. The book also breaks the stereotypes among Black Americans or Indians. The blacks are always depicted as inferior and powerless, but this book did otherwise. The book, I think, succeeded in persuading me in the thesis presented. Through the author’s analytical narratives and description, he was able to present his points and ideas clearly and effectively. Generally, the book is commendable in its effort to unmask the unexplored part of the American history. It is an attempt in breaking the stereotype of the inferiority of the Blacks. More so, it is an excellent source in presenting another perspective of the American history while upholding the empowerment of the Black Americans. The author, R. Halliburton Jr. , is an author of a number of books pertaining to Black Americans. The usual themes of his book are the discrimination and interesting facts addressing the social plight of the Black Americans. Reference: Halliburton, R. Red over Black: Black Slavery among the Cherokee Indians. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1977.

What can you learn from this source about attitudes to women in Britain in 1914?

Source A basically reveals that women should pressurise their husbands/sons to fight in the war. Women should support men in their war and encourage them to volunteer/enlist to fight in the war even if they don't want to. The Government are dependant on the women to get as many soldiers as possible to fight in this hostile war and this might help in getting the role of women in society to improve for the better. The main purpose of this source is to get more men into war by manipulating peoples mind through propaganda, censorship, morale, patriotism, and Jingoism. Its one of the ways the Government tried to cope with the war-effect. In title of the source to the ‘YOUNG WOMEN OF LONDON' they have used bold, capital letters to emphasize that this source is directed at all the women in particular. In the first section it's tying to say that if your son isn't in military uniform, don't you think he should be (at the women)? They tried to show this by using a direct method of grabbing attention. The words YOU and THINK are in bold capital and underlined letters because to stress the point of recruiting more men into war by persuading their partner/women to make them go. It's like the government is pleading for recruitment. In the second that are trying to say that if he can't be bothered to fight for beloved country and doesn't think it is worthy is he really worthy of being a son or husband who will be needed in later life. If he doesn't possesses the characteristics of being: strong, brave, willing, courageous and patriotic then he really can't be called a man. The word worthy is underlined and in bold capital letters to get this point across. Thirdly in the next point it is trying to say you shouldn't feel sorry for lonely girls/wives because their husbands or sons are doing their rightful and lawful duty of fighting for their darling country. Also it is referring to the women as YOU which is in bold and underlined to tell them that their men are fighting for them and are repaying back their love for them. Being lonely for the women is actually better because they have a commanding role of running the family back home. In the provenance it is basically if he doesn't fight for his country (monarchy) then the women will also be neglected and left. If they don't car about their country which gives them everything and how will they care about you. I think that the provenance is propaganda which is used to persuade and influence the minds of women. Finally it says ‘join the army TODAY' which is saying that that women should convince the men so quickly that they instantly join the army. In conclusion I think that the attitudes to women in Britain in 1914 wasn't much better as they were only were dependant by the Government in recruiting more men to war. Some women might not want to send their husbands to war and were forced as other families did and if they didn't; their family reputation would be diminished. Others might argue that the attitudes changed because they had more family responsibilities and ran the house by paying the taxes, bills and working in factory. Also they might say that they have been treated well as women and have become more dependant and useful. Q3 Study Source C This Poster produced in 1915 I think that this poster is produced in 1915 because it has been one year in to the war and as Britain is coping with the war effects its wants more recruitment. The source is basically about women doing their bit for the war and they are getting themselves recruited. The purpose of this source is to get more men and women to help in fighting the war and is trying to say if a woman is doing it then more should do as they are doing it for their beloved country. Another reason it could be produced is that they want more women to work in factories and this in a way changed their role as by 1915, the new style of war meant needed them to fill in the gaps left by men such as working in factories, T-unions etc. Women were helping the war effort by doing jobs such as: Voluntary Aid Detachments (VADs) or First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), and as drivers, cooks, mechanics and land army. Many women ‘munitionettes' worked in the government's munitions factories like it says on the poster' learn to make munitions' which is the most important job after the army of making the essential weapons needed to win the war. This was one way the Government was organising/financing and running the war. This picture essentially shows a happy women getting ready to put on her coat, ready to business for her country. This emphasizes patriotism and commitment the women are willing to take. In the background you can see people (men) leaving for the war and are getting cheered on as they go. This also shows the recruitment of soldiers the Government has made. Women also took on traditional men's jobs and became firemen, coalmen and bus conductors to keep everything going perfectly back home. This was also a chance for women to shows that they can do men jobs and should have an improved role in society. This source compares with source b by because that this one is showing that women are doing their both whereas the other contrasts a bit and is saying women running land army will help win the war In conclusion I think the main purpose of this poster was for the Government to get more recruitment, men and women.

Organisational Context of Management Accounting Essay - 1

Organisational Context of Management Accounting - Essay Example Agency theory has been considered as one of the significant theoretical paradigms in management accounting for the last 25 years. This theory is developed with the notion of conflicting aims between two groups, primarily agents and principals. One of the significant features of the agency theory is that it allows accounting researchers to unambiguously integrate ‘conflicts of interest, incentive problems and mechanism to control incentive problems’ (Lambert, 2007). The objective of this theory is to structure the contractual connection between the two groups: the agents take actions to exploit the welfare and benefits of principals. At the fundamental level, agency theory is utilised in accounting research in order to address two issues. The important issues involve accounting, information and compensation structure that affects incentive problems and the other significant issue is the presence of incentive problems that influence the structure and design of information, compensation systems and accounting (Lambert, 2007). On the other hand, agency theory fails to explain that the agreement between the agent and the principal is flexible in nature. This is a well known fact that principals used to possess shortage of information and are restricted in their sense of rationality; however, they are conscious that incentive related problems exist, when the contract takes place (Hauswirth, 2006). This theory can be applied in this case to understand the impact of budget cuts on the universities. The level of autonomy, as well as academic liberty in universities and colleges vary; thus it has been considered that universities act as agents, while the government acts as the principal (Auld, 2010). The contingency theory develops an expressive theory of management accounting systems (MAS). It implies that the effectiveness of a management accounting system is based on the structure of the organisation. According to this theory, the organisational structure is based on the environment and technology of the organisation. The existence of MAS enhances the effectiveness of managerial process which is dependant on the structure of an organisation. Along with the environmental and technological factor the structure of the organisation is also controlled by the situational attributes (location of information). In a ‘certain’ environment where technology is ‘routine’, there is an influence of external information. In an ‘uncertain’ environment with ‘non-routine’ technology, the information is considered to be internal. The decentralised authority is suitable for the contingency model where the environment is uncertain or technology is non-routine. When environments are certain or technology is routine, centralised authority is suitable (Martin, 1983). The contingency theory fails to explain the resemblance in the systems of management accounting across organisations. Furthermore, this provi des little assistance in designing an organisational structure (Graubner, 2006). Various aspects of this theory can be applied to the case. The structural alteration in universities is dependant upon the situational factor and based on the situational factor the decision making process of the boards can be changed. Hence, it can be concluded that the structural alte

Analysis of The Best Man Film Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of The Best Man Film - Research Paper Example They are a perfect way for humans to connect emotionally, communicate between each other, and highlight evil and good incidents in the society. Stories enable societies to pass important virtues, history through generations, and build strong relations. Stories are powerful tools, which if well narrated can posses enormous power that establishes a profound connection with the audience. Connecting with the audience is a crucial aspect in storytelling, which moves and creates lasting memories in the audience. Telling a compelling story is the sure way of ensuring that people do not forget the story. This is because the feelings and emotions from a superb story are inerasable. The Best Man film is an example of a compelling story, narrated in the form of a movie. It achieved this quality through the various aspects, which include proper selection of setting, themes, cinematography and directing. Perhaps, the producers achieved this through properly identifying a particular audience, thei r profound goal, and the particular message the writer wants to pass across. The best man film capitalizes on these aspects to bring out a superb connection with its audience. To start with, the film uses real-life characters to communicate with its audience. This is a realization that stories in films are about people. People are what the audience connects with, and the film achieves this goal using characters, which the audience appreciate and connect with completely. The directors of the film further, in the cinematography, exploit the use of characters to speak their story themselves. Through this way, the piece becomes relatable and personalized, which makes the film authentic and captivating. To keep the audience connected to the story and avoid boring them, ‘The Best Man’ creates suspense throughout its narration. The characters constantly stir up emotions by bringing out issues that the society highly appreciates. Throughout the film, the use of clear meaning an d direction provides a clear meaning and decisive moment. These entirely enable the movie to create cathartic moments with the end of each episode. This of course, leaves the audience craving for the next episode. The film does not leave out the theme either. The setting is in a society that is traditionally renowned to be romantic, a factor that captivates a sense of authenticity of the entire action. Filmsettings are an important area of concern for movie producers. The setting in the film affects its cinematography. In the production of any movie, there are things that are not possible to shoot both in full scale and in real time. Others come with an unacceptable expense in terms of time and money. Special effect is the domain of showing the impossible or impractical: the art of making things appear to have happened. Production effects, including mechanical, are those that producers can stage during the principal or second-unit photography; the crew can photograph in one pass usi ng unmodified cameras. Special photographic effects, often referred to as special effect cinematography, employ photographic techniques to achieve their illusion. They may call for modified production camera, a special process camera (used in optical printing houses and laboratories rather than on a set), unconventional lighting, fixed and travelling matters, bi-pack and optical printing. They also require unusual degree of creative resourcefulness. Because of the extreme care and precision required, a separate unit working at its own pace, without tying up production personnel and full-scale production sets, handles special effect cinematography. However, the most important reason why producers consign

Film Review on The Sixth Sense Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film Review on The Sixth Sense - Essay Example This is in addition to the fact that the movie made an important contribution in the film industry in terms of cinematography on the basis of the Academy Awards nominations (Kennedy, Marshall, Mendel, and Shyamalan, 1999). The Sixth Sense can be considered to have important contributions in the manner of creating films on the basis of different points such as the story line, the plot and the issues discussed. It can be considered as a film that is not classified as an ordinary thriller film since the main character’s capability lightened the effect of the film. Although this is the case, the said factor and style of the film brought it farther from the surreal aspect and nearer to reality. The said effect made it stand out and create impression apart from other films classified as thriller. The support of the adult to developing and growing up children can be considered as one of the important issues that can be observed in the film. The issue had been presented in the support needed by one of the main character, Cole Sear, related to his gift and capability of the paranormal events regarding communication with dead people and helping them. Due to the fact that even the boy’s mother had difficulty in believing and supporting him, the need for support and care in terms of his talent had been answered by the expert assigned to cure his perceived hallucinations, the child psychologist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe. The child himself had been changed by the support given by the doctor. He started to learn how to communicate and help the dead people he is seeing and how not to be afraid of them anymore. Basically in the process he was able to gain confidence that made the development of his character towards the positive aspect. Aside from the fact that he was able to face his fears, his relationship with his mother also improved. The whole movie can be considered to present different cases wherein the child’s development had also helped the people

Ethical interview Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical interview - Coursework Example From this illustration, it is evident that this method is not only used the moment a partner dies (Garcia, 2001). From the matter and hand, Karen Capato who used has husbands through the Vitro fertilization gave a result of twins. It is a fact that some children have been denied a right of accessing the heritage on how they were born. The governing bodies have to propose a bill that advocates genetically manipulated children to find and understand how they came into existence and to gain their inheritance. The attitude and the perception by the state not to recognize these children as humans even though they are issued with the birth certificates is an overwhelming factor that needs to be eliminated. Despite technology being used, what matters is that the result that will be generated is a human being. Putting these children in the state of doubt makes them lose confident of themselves being in mind their conception was as natural as compared to the other kids (Salumets, 2003). Globally, the matter grown to a higher level because the number of children produced with the assistance of technology has continued to grow. Its growth has gotten a bigger number of complex ethical issues especially those that are associated with the matter at hand. When it comes to the social security benefits entitlement for these children conceived through means, I suggest that there should be some limits in the decision that are proposed by the supreme courts. For the limit to be implemented there must be considerations and according to my opinion, I suggest this by the use of utilitarian ethical theory and the principle of fairness (SANKAI, 2000). When children are conceived using genetic manipulation, there are legal difficulties that that compounds the individual to gain the inheritance. Through applying the principle of justice, we focus on the equitability of the distributional risks because of the limited resources available. The

NUMBERS DROP FOR MARRIED WITH CHILDREN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

NUMBERS DROP FOR MARRIED WITH CHILDREN - Essay Example To be more precise and clear, a few statistical data can be taken into consideration. Over the last five decades, cohabiting couples in the United States have increased tenfold from 0.44 million to 4.2 million. Divorce rates have increased from 9 to 20 per 1000 married couples for the same period. Births to unmarried women have increased from 11% to 38% from 1970 to 2006. Nationally, more than 1.3 million children are born out of wedlock each year. While cohabitation, divorce and unmarried childbearing have increased, marriage in America has alarmingly declined over the last few decades. Married couples with children are one quarters of the total number of households and half of what was in 1960. Some are of the opinion that only the well educated and the well paid are interested in the institution of marriage. It has been observed that marriage not only declined less among the well educated and well paid, but also that they are less likely to divorce. Though college educated women i nitially prefer to live with a partner, they eventually do get married. However, it is worth noting that the constant increase in the number of people attaining college degree from 16.60 million to 88.75 million from 1950s to 1990s has not helped much in improving the statistics related to marriage. So, education is not the sole reason for the changes that are taking place. The increase in the well educated may not have made a direct impact, but indirectly, it has changed various other aspects of life. It has caused a gradual shift in people's priority from religion to science and technology. In the 1950s and 60s, religion played a vital role in keeping the count of cohabitation and unmarried childbearing low. But with the priority shifting, the emphasis is more on career and wealth maximization. Well educated men and women are less likely to marry those who are less educated. This has largely resulted in growth of income inequality. Before 1970, there was a broad based economic pro sperity which has gradually vanished. (http://www.chicagolandmarriage.org/marriage_statistics.htm) Apart from the economic dimension, some look at the same issue with the racial dimension in mind. Childbearing out of wedlock seemed to be more among the black people than the white. However, statistics in the recent past have shown that there has been a drastic decline in such births among the black teenagers (86% to 35% per 1000) as compared to the whites (24% to 12% per 1000). Hence, class based analysis seems to be a better tool. (http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/educ-attn.html) The question still lingers around as to what made the biggest impact, what is the reason for the way things are today. It is a well accepted fact that the present day situation is nothing but an outcome of the past. The number of marriages in the past may have been on the higher side, but there is no reliable statistical information on how many marriages out of those were actually doing well. People, who have spent their childhood in the shadow of a troubled marriage, most of the times, develop a fear towards getting into a serious relationship. Young people who have lived most of their lives in poverty would be of the opinion that marriage is not a commodity they can afford. Therefore, negative aspects in the past have made a negative impact now in

Analyzing Orwell's1984 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analyzing Orwell's1984 - Essay Example This allusion to the wiping out of memories is symbolic of a process of erasing memories, by which actually the sense of self within each and every human being is erased, culture is erased (Orwell, Chapter 4). In chapter 5 of the book, one understands that the Party is in a process of destroying many words which are supposed to be useless from the language (Orwell, Chapter 5). The reason for this is spelled out by Syme, a friend of Winston, when he says, â€Å"in the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it† (Orwell, Chapter 5). Here, thoughtcrime is the act of thinking against the Party and its laws. With this kind of progression of the narrative, the author has shown that people are deprived even of their power to think, disagree and dream; people are totally dehumanized (Orwell, Chapter 5). Loss of privacy is the most important aspect of the dehumanization process. In this novel, the face of the Big Brother a nd the caption, â€Å"Big Brother is watching you† follow the people everywhere thereby depriving them of even a moment of privacy (Orwell, Chapter 1). Even the â€Å"swirl of gritty dust† that enters with Winston into his apartment building is suggestive of the helplessness of people like him to have some personal space and time (Orwell, Chapter 1). Then there is this instrument on the wall, the tele-screen, which forces all to listen to what it says, through days and nights, so that nobody is allowed even the privacy for thought (Orwell, Chapter 1). When people have such voices screaming into their eardrums constantly, they become more like listening machines. Again, a helicopter is also seen sneaking into people's lives from the sky (Orwell, Chapter 1). By depicting these three presences- the Big Brother, the tele-screen and the helicopter- Orwell has in the very first page of his novel, made the readers apprehend that they are entering a world totally mechanical, y et very familiar in terms of certain aspects of modern life. As we read on, it is also communicated that the tele-screen is a receiver as well as transmitter (Orwell, Chapter 1). It is transmitting all the visuals and sounds that the protagonist made, to the thought police (Orwell, Chapter 1). From this moment, the reader actually enters the world of absolute power where, â€Å"you had to live-did live, from habit that become instinct- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every moment, scrutinized† (Orwell, Chapter 1). The first chapter of this novel, in this manner, strongly predicts the drama that is about to be unraveled yet keeps the reader hooked to the text and yearning to read more. Chapter 6 unfolds another horror of living in the world controlled by the Party and Big Brother- there is no sexual freedom, no freedom to love a person from the other gender (Orwell, Chapter 6). The reason behind this is explained as given in the following paragraph: The aim of the Party was not merely to prevent men and women from forming loyalties which it might not be able to control. Its real, undeclared purpose was to remove all pleasure from the sexual act. Not love so much as eroticism was the enemy, inside marriage as well as outside it. All marriages between Party members had to be approved by

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 6

Report - Essay Example Additionally, health education is offered to health care workers and patients so that treatment and care is offered appropriately for quick recovery. Health education will also facilitate in developing trust with physicians and treatments offered. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 1. Introduction and Rationale for the Study 5 2. Doppler Assessment - Background Information Regarding Doppler 6 2.1 Evidence in Support 6 6 2.2 Potential Disadvantages 7 7 2.3 Barriers to Implementation 7 3. Underpinning Policy 8 3.1 RCN 8 3.2 SIGN 8 3.3 CREST 9 3.4 Local Trust Policies 9 9 4. Health Education 10 4.1 Implications for the Patient 10 10 4.2 Secondary Intervention as Aids Treatment Decisions, How? 10 10 4.3 Implications for the Trust 10 5. Conclusions 11 5.1 Effective in Aiding Diagnosis 11 5.2 Limitations if used in Isolation 11 5.3 Risk of Misinterpretation 11 5.4 Referral for Vascular Assessment 12 6. Recommendations 12 6.1 Continue to use Doppler 12 6.2 Use in Conjunction with Leg Ulc er Assessment Tool 13 6.3 Ensure Programme of Education is Available for Staff 13 6.4 Ensure Patients Are Educated With Regard To Symptoms and When to Have Doppler Assessment 13 References 15 Bibliography 20 1. Introduction and Rationale for the Study Mrs. P has a wound in her legs for 4 weeks and there was no sign of heal with normal medication and care. On diagnosis by a vascular surgeon, it is identified that Mrs. P has leg ulceration. Moreover, Mrs. P should undertake other assessments with the intention of determining the type of leg ulcer and the factors accountable for this disease. The common health related problem amid the general population is leg ulcers. Leg ulcers are usually identified as wounds in the lower part of the legs. People with poor blood circulation or inappropriate working valves in the veins are the ones affected with leg ulcers. This disease is common in the adult population with age above 65 years. This disease is caused mainly due to certain factors incl uding obesity, smoking and diabetes. The disease takes a longer time to heal due to pathogenic factors in the infected area. Clinically it is identified that there are two types of leg ulcers, which include arterial ulcers and venous ulcers. Venous ulcers are common in leg ulceration. Venous ulcers are found in 1.2-3.2 rate of per 1000 people, which implies that around 70,000 to 190,000 people in the UK are suffering from this disease. The disease is required to be treated in an appropriate manner to minimise the risks associated with deteriorating wound conditions, harming the patients and delay in healing procedures (Posnett, 2008; Rippon & et. al., 2007). The common causes of leg ulcers are venous insufficiency, arterial occlusion, microcirculatory disorders, physical or chemical injury, infectious diseases, vasculitis, neuropathic diseases and haematological disorders among others. Heath care workers offering care and treatment to people with this disease must have adequate know ledge in relation to clinical picture, diagnostic possibilities, pathogenesis and treatment modalities about the causes of leg ulcers. Leg ulcers should be identified and treated suitably in its initial stage as later the risks increases leading to morbidity as along with impaired life quality. Additionally, cost of treatment and care in the initial stage is economical, but in the later stage of this disease cost has shown a considerable amount of rise of around ?200 million and $1 billion on an annual basis in the United Kingdom (UK) and United

Germany’s Violations of the Versailles Treaty Essay Example for Free

Germany’s Violations of the Versailles Treaty Essay Adolf Hitler rose to power after Germany was defeated in the First World War. There are a number of things that led Germany to be defeated in the war. For example, the British and French armies kept on advancing against Germany, the joining of the United States in the war which affected Germany greatly, the economy of Germany had already collapsed and people were starving and finally there were a lot of divisions in the army which rendered the army dis-united. After Germany was defeated in the First World War the victorious nations met in Paris where they agreed on various things and how they would deal with Germany. Under this treaty, Germany was given some conditions which it was expected to comply. For example, its army size was to be reduced to 100000 men, to accept to be responsible for the war outbreak and therefore to pay for damages that were caused by the war. These were called reparations and were to be divided amongst the victorious nations which included: Britain, French, Belgium and Italy. Hitler believed that if his army was not divided then, he could not have been defeated. He thought Germany was defeated because it was betrayed by the army but not because it was defeated by the Allies. Because of these reasons he violated the Versailles treaty by re arming. In this essay, I am going to discuss on the relationship between Germany’s aggression and her weapons or how arming his army led to the Second World War. Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party. He became a chancellor of Germany in 1933 and in 1934 he became its leader. He remained in power from that time until he committed suicide in 1945. Hitler used his oratorical skills, charisma and propagandas in putting hope to the population of Germany that had been traumatized by the war. Hitler started building up his army again increasing its size more than it was agreed. He revived the economy and also refused to accept that he was solely responsible for the First World War. He accepted only when he was promised another war by British and France. Those nations thought that by Germany paying the reparations, they could reverse their economic statuses which had been destroyed by the war but Germany refused to pay. The treaty of Versailles was signed on 28th June 1919 in the palace of Versailles near Paris. The victorious or the allied powers forced two Germans to accept the terms on behalf of the Germany. This treaty refused Germany to join the League of Nations. The territories it had conquered were taken by the allies and then shared amongst them. Germany was not allowed to have submarine and air force. The navy was to have only six war ships. Its army was limited to only 100000 men. Also Rhineland –an area of 50 miles wide was declared no man’s land or a buffer zone and Germany was not allowed to place its army there (Hoover A. J. ,1994) This treaty backfired because instead of making the world a better and safer place, it caused more problems and helped Hitler to ascend to power. Germany was not happy with those terms. They complained against its army size that it was vulnerable to attacks. It refused to pay the reparations giving the reason that its economy had been destroyed by the war, it was also bitter because it lost a tenth of its land to the victorious nations. Other nations even smaller than Germany were given free determination as opposed to Germany. The German in other states were not allowed to unite for example, the Australian Germans. They felt they were not to be blamed for the Russia was responsible. They also hated it because they were not allowed to be in the conference. This treaty created a political atmosphere for they blamed everything that went sour to the treaty and the lost war. Also whenever Hitler violated the Versailles treaty he shouted that ‘Germans have refused or want no more. He stated to them openly that he would do away with the oppressive treaty of Versailles. He promised to rearm and unite all Germans who were in other smaller nations. Germany was technical keeping to the terms but in real sense he was not. Hitler violated this treaty in many ways. For example in 1925 under the Locarno treaty he agreed that he would not cross the area bordering France, Belgium and the demilitarized Rhine land but on 7th March1936, Hitler violated this treaty by marching on to Rhineland. Britain and France complained but neither of them took action. In 1932 at a conference at Lausanne, Germany France and Britain signed a treaty to cancel the reparations that Germany was supposed to pay the allied powers. In 1935 Hitler introduced a compulsory military conscription thus mobilizing his army. These included the new navy and air force. Also in 1935 in appeasing Germany who had already started rearming himself, the treaty was violated again by allowing Germany to have submarines. This happened when Germany and Britain signed Anglo Germany Naval Agreement. In 1936, Hitler took the demilitarized territories especially in the Rhineland. In 1938, 12th March Germany entered Austria after gaining a lot mass support. On the following day, he conquered Austria and it became part of Germany. In 1938 Hitler wanted to break war unless he was allowed to take Sudetenland which was on its border. Also in the same year on September 29 the allied powers allowed Germany to take The Sedeten land and on 29th September 1938 they allowed Germany to move ahead but on condition that he would maintain world peace. At first Czechoslovakia refused but it was pressurized to accept that. In 1939 Hitler violated this treaty and occupied Czech province and Slovakia became independent. Later Hungary invaded and Czechoslovakia ceased to exist. In 1939 Hitler made demands on Poland because he wanted the Danzig province and be given a route for accessing it through the Polish Corridor. Since the time Hitler started to violate the treaty, the allies were trying to appease Germany but it proved that Germany’s desires were insatiable. Whenever he was allowed to take a section of its former colonies it insisted on all of it. When it gave an ultimatum to attack Poland, another war was promised by the allies to Germany and when he refused to bow down, he was attacked and the second war broke out in September 1939. There was a relationship between the way Hitler armed himself and the way he resulted to be aggressive. The more he equipped his army the more he became aggressive because he thought he would attack and defeat other nations. In his 2001 book Breuer says that Hitler armed himself more than before in terms of research and development. He even trained new crew members in the U-boat business. Something that was contrary to the treaty. The Germany’s military which had so many limitations after the First World War started developing new and most efficient tactics. They started using tanks and aircraft for the ground warfare. Germany also learned about more advanced ideas from British military scholars. In 1929 a German infantry officer was given the task of administering the German-Russian school which was located in Kazan. Its goal was to train Germans on how to operate tanks in Russia. Hitler was militarily creative and wanted the future war to be a totally different from the First World War (Breuer W. B. , 2001) It can be said that Hitler was sorely responsible for starting the war of 1939 because immediately he became the Chancellor of Germany in 1933 he began building up his army secretly. He also started compulsory army conscription. All these moves were against the Versailles treaty and although the allies were aware of this, they tried to appease Hitler so that he could help them fight against the spread of communism which had proved to be a big threat to them. They thought that by making Germany stronger, it would check the spread of communism. This policy of appeasement continued until Germany went as too far as to attack Poland (Weinberg G. , 1994) Hitler felt that he was fully prepared for the war because of the loyalty he received from his people plus the outstanding army he had built. He had a very potent army and his air force had become second to none in the whole world. He prepared his army with the new war strategy called blitzkrieg (lightning war) where by heavy ground armies were established and many war aircrafts accompanied these men who were highly mobile. This was a new strategy which had never been seen before. He believed that he was a great power in Europe and thus there was a need to strengthen his army. That is why in 1933 he ordered war planes to be increased to one thousand and army barracks were built. He even quit the Geneva conference after his plan of having his army to re-arm to the level of French or French to his level was refused. For the next two years his military might expand in secret and by 1935 march, he felt that he was prepared enough to arm his Nazi army publicly thus violating the Versailles treaty. As time went by, Germany had 300,000 army men and 2,500 war planes in Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht respectively. He ordered the army to be comprised of 550,000 men. In 1936, he repossessed the Rhineland, in 1938 he annexed Austria and in 1938 he demanded to be allowed to occupy Sudeten land at Munich. In 1939 he took over Bohemia and Monrovia and then made strident move to acquire back his territory –Danzig at the Polish Corridor. The attack he made on Poland is what led to the Second World War outbreak. To conclude this essay, we can say that Hitler idea of building up his army made him to feel that he was ready to face any other nation that appeared to be a threat to him. He assumed that no other nation especially the allied powers would dare attack him and that is why he went ahead to reclaim all the territories that had been taken from him and were now being administered by the victorious powers like France and Britain. If the Versailles treaty was not violated, perhaps then there could not have been a second world war. Reference: 1) Breurer W. B. ,( 2001) Deception of World War II, New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc 2) Hoover A. J. , God (1999) Britain and Hitler in World War II: the view of the British clergy, 1939-1945. Praeger publishers. 3) Weinberg G. L, (1994) A World at Arms: A global history of World War II, Cabridge, Cabridge University Press.

Can feminism be thought of as a theory of law Essay Example for Free

Can feminism be thought of as a theory of law Essay As a concept, feminism is very much a modern notion within legal circles, which aims to eradicate any prejudice against womens rights. This in a society strongly founded upon a male-orientated legal system, which historically fails to recognise the social and legal rights of women, and instead focuses upon male-orientated theories and ideologies.1 It is this patriarchy that feminists thrive to eliminate. The essence of patriarchy is emphasised by the Marxist legal theory, developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 19th Century, which places no emphasis upon gender, and consequently belittles the feminists fight for gender equality. Juxtaposed with the rigid Marxist approach to legal rule is the postmodernist dialect that offers a positive method of forcing individuals to confront and change the rigid contexts and structures (including laws) within which they have arbitrarily confined themselves.2 The ideology of feminism is split into three distinct categories, all of which work towards one common goal of removing gender prejudices: 1) Liberal feminism is grounded in classical liberal thinking that individuals should be free to develop their own talents and pursue their own interests. Liberal feminists accept the basic organisation of our society but seek to expand the rights and opportunities of women. Liberal feminists support equal rights and oppose prejudice and discrimination that block the aspirations of women.3 2) Socialist feminism is an evolution from Marxist conflict theory, essentially made in reaction to the little attention Marx paid to gender. Socialist feminists argue that the bourgeois family must be restructured to end domestic slavery in favour of some collective means of carrying out housework and child care. The key to this goal, in turn, is a socialist revolution that creates a state-centred economy operating to meet the needs of all. Such a basic transformation of society requires that women and men pursue their personal liberation together, rather than individually, as liberal feminists maintain.4 3) The third form of feminism is radical feminism. This, as the name suggests is the most extreme version of feminism, it disregards the liberal theory as superficial and inadequate,5 and they claim that even a socialist revolution would not end patriarchy. Radical feminists strive to create a society free from any gender inequality by completely abolishing the cultural notion of gender. To look at these three forms of feminism an observer would be ignorant to discard feminism as having no legal influence, as it is clear to see from these that support for such movements is vast and comes in various forms, all of which attack the same enemy, patriarchy, albeit in differing manners. These differing methods are accentuated by recent developments and movements in society, particularly in the 20th Century these can be clearly highlighted by looking at the actions of the suffragettes in 1910, which illustrate a more active approach to campaigning. As previously mentioned feminist legal theories are a contemporary concept, for this reason a radical new methodology in legal theory is required in order to encompass the new issues raised by feminism as a legal theory. Such a new methodology could be found in the critical legal theory method, as it would be able to incorporate feminist views such as the theory that a male-orientated appreciation of law emphasises individualism and rights at the expense of female emphases upon interaction and cooperation. 6 This approach is however, solely a theoretical one, and as such it does not entirely cover the needs of feminism, insofar as feminism is only partially and peripherally concerned with academic theorising,7 the major part of the work of feminism is to promote the dissatisfactions of a wide spectrum of women, which highlight the general inequality felt by women in regards to legal and social equality. Therefore critical legal studies, instead of acting as a definition, are rather a useful means of indicating the explicit and implicit male orientation of law and legal administration and the resulting disadvantage and marginalisation often suffered by women.8 This has led to the recognition of three fundamental elements which personify a feminist legal theory. These are: a) asking the woman question, i.e. the extent of the presence and recognition of womens experience in law; b) feminist practical reasoning, meaning a reasoning which proceeds from context and values difference and the experience of the unempowered; and c) consciousness raising, meaning an exploration of the collective experience of women through a sharing of individual experiences.9 These three elements, outlined above by Katherine T. Bartlett, are designed to act as the source for future feminist legal theory development, particularly in respect of womens outlook upon law with the intention of improving womens legal position in the future development or redevelopment of law.10 The legal evolution, or, redevelopment, mentioned above is one in which women strive to see a revolution from an inherently male legal mindset implicitly discriminating against women because it is framed in terms of male experience which does not necessarily relate to that of women.11 That is to say, that in numerous situations women are expected to mirror full-time, long-term and unionised male workers, when in reality women digress from this norm insofar as their working patterns tend to be far more interrupted and part-time. From this a clear paradox is produced, as feminists while thriving to be treated as the males equal simultaneously require a variant from this norm in order to account for their differing responsibilities. This attitude is stressed distinctly by the remarks of Joanne Conaghan and Louise Chudleigh, when they say, labour law both embodies and conceals the gender division of labour and, by focusing exclusively on the world of paid work, ignores the differing responsibilities [of] men and women.12 Such inadequacies within the legal system are numerous and ironically even legal structures that aim to eradicate gender discrimination can be seen to be based upon analogies created from irrelevant, and sometimes outdated, male experience. An unmistakable example of this is the treatment of maternity leave as analogous to the sick leave of their male counterpart. This is coupled by the notion that parenting is predominantly the females role, which is highlighted by the very limited provisions for paternity leave. 13 The underlying problem here is that, in order to be treated fairly and without any prejudice women are required to meet a norm set by existing male experiences which by there very nature do not create a balanced equality, and thus existing legal standards and concepts disadvantage women14 as they merely incorporate women into existing male-orientated legal structures, rather than recreating the legal structures so as to be established upon male and female requirements. The above mentioned relationship between female legal theory and critical legal studies creates a clear enhancement, in regards to political knowledge and understanding of feminists legal argument, and consequently for the female legal theory. The noticeable thing to emphasise from this is the disadvantaging effect of concealed and frequently unrealised bias in a legal order which has for the most part developed from male rather than female experience,15 and has therefore produced a rather lopsided legal system in favour of men. This prejudice has now been identified, thanks to the relationship between critical legal studies and feminist legal theory, this identification can be perceived as a significant legal stepping stone towards a legal system that not only incorporates females, but is instead founded upon female and male experiences resulting in an equality which is not merely all encompassing in terms of a male perspective, but rather an equality that is derived from the experi ences of both genders. Strongly contrasting the accommodating nature of critical legal studies in relation to female legal theories, are those theories of law and society created by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Their creation, Marxism, a derivative of a much older proposition by Immanuel Kant that stated that, every thesis has a contrary antithesis16 and that eventual resolution of these two contradictory perspectives, through revolution, would end up creating an absolute understanding. This led to Marx placing specific importance upon an economic foundation from which all things within society, both social and political, are merely superstructure. It is for this reason that Marxism has been described as being a distinctly materialistic theory. A strong contrast can be seen between the feminist legal theory, which bases its social beliefs at the apex of its legal structure, and the Marxist theory which states that social understanding is seen as an ideological perception of the economic relations existing at a given time which will change as the underlying economic relationships alter.17 Here it is clear that a Marxist approach would place very little emphasis upon the social question of gender inequality, but would instead focus upon an economic foundation with the speculation that if a high enough proportion of society feel a need to increase gender equality then a revolution would take place. For Marxism social revolution appears to be the basis for the theory to develop. It would therefore appear to be a theory that shows little appreciation for social needs, such as those displayed by the female legal theory. For feminists to advance their legal theory through a Marxist approach, the attitude of socialist feminists, as discussed above, would have to be adopted. That is to say that the bourgeois family must be restructured to end domestic slavery in favour of some collective means of carrying out housework and childcare. The key to this goal, in turn, is a socialist revolution that creates a state-centred economy operating to meet the needs of all. Such a basic transformation of society requires that women and men pursue their personal liberation together, rather than individually, as liberal feminists maintain.18 This once again highlights the idea of a union between both genders, encompassing experiences from both so as to enable females not only to be incorporated into an existing legal structure but instead to recreate a legal structure based upon the needs and experiences of both genders. A legal theory that promotes the liberating philosophy required in order to create a society able to accept the alterations needed to adequately unify both genders in a legal sense is the postmodern legal theory. This theory, commonly portrayed as a recipe for relativism,19 also displays the characteristics needed in order to force individuals to confront and change the rigid contexts and structures (including laws) within which they have arbitrarily confined themselves.20 In this sense it is the ideal method for women to promote and execute the installation of their female legal theory. As it would not only tolerate an amendment in the law to integrate women into existing law, but more than this it would allow them to change the rigid contexts and structures mentioned above, which have prevented the advancement of gender equality within the legal structure. However, postmodernism also raises some problems in relation to feminist jurisprudence. Hilaire Barnett states that there must be developed critiques which reject the universalist, foundationalist, philosophical and political understanding offered by modernismand in its place there exists diversity, plurality, competing rationalities, competing perspectives and uncertainty as to the potentiality of theory.21 In general, here she is saying that women must resist generalising their condition within society, and instead focus upon the multiplicity of subjectivities, identities, which inhere in the individual.22 Overall, I believe feminism to be undoubtedly fundamental in some way. The critical legal theory discussed above shows how society has failed to display mutuality, not only towards women as members of society but towards men and women, through an improper discriminatory selectivity, generate alienation and, ultimately, disfunctionality in the working of a legal order.23 This inequality has led to the recognition of three fundamental elements which personify a feminist legal theory. Resistance is however, met by a Marxist legal theory, which displays very little appreciation of gender issues. However, a feminist theory could be adopted through the Marxist bourgeois revolutionary approach, which would see both genders uniting in a revolution to change the pre-adopted norms of society. This idea of changing preconceived rules and laws within society would allow a feminist legal theory to develop, an idea given weight to by the postmodern legal theory, which also places special emphasis upon withdrawing from a united generalisation of women and instead focusing upon them as individuals. Therefore, I would argue that feminism can be thought of as a theory of law, albeit not on the same scale as other theories previously mentioned, such as Marxism. But its rapid evolution and recent political and legal enhancement within society makes it a theory with considerable weight, and certainly a theory fundamental in some way. 1 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 2 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 3 Sociology A Global Introduction John J. Macionis and Ken Plummer 4 Sociology A Global Introduction John J. Macionis and Ken Plummer 5 Resisting Patriarchy: The Womens Movement and Feminism 6 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 7 Dworkin, Which Dworkin? Taking Feminism Seriously in P. Fitzpatrick and A. Hunt, eds., Critical Legal Studies (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1987), p.47.) 8 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 9 Katherine T. Bartlett, Feminist Legal Method (1970) 103 Harv L Rev, 829 10 Katherine T. Bartlett, Feminist Legal Method (1970) 103 Harv L Rev, 829 11 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 12 Women in Confinement: Can Labour Law Deliver the Goods? In Critical Legal Studies, p. 133 at p. 137. 13 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 14 Feminist Legal Methods (1970) 103 Harv L Rev , p.829 at p.837. 15 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 16 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 17 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 18 Sociology A Global Introduction John J. Macionis and Ken Plummer 19 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 20 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 21 H. Barnett, Introduction to Feminist Theory (London: Cavendish Publishers, 1998, p. 180. 22 H. Barnett Introduction to Feminist Jurisprudence, pp. 1179-80 23 Textbook on Jurisprudence Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White

Effectiveness of Different Coaching Styles in Sport

Effectiveness of Different Coaching Styles in Sport Sports Coaching CONTENTS (JUMP TO) Principles and best practice in coaching The effectiveness of different styles of coaching in different contexts How models of coaching can help practitioners References Principles and best practice in coaching The ideal of sport has changed markedly in the past fifteen to twenty years (Polley, 1998)[1]. What was once seen as leisure and/or a recreational activity is now viewed primarily as a vehicle through which one can instigate deep-seated cultural and societal change. This is especially true in the UK which has a particularly insipid connection to sport with a variety of games considered endemic in British society; indeed, many of the most popular sports in the world were played first in Britain and their governing bodies still reside within British state borders. As a result, as Dawn Penney (2000:59) declares, sport, society and equity are interlinked to a degree that has only very recently been acknowledged by academic, specifically sociological, study. â€Å"Physical education and sport are part of our social and cultural worlds. The relationship is dynamic, with the policies and practices of physical education reflecting, but also clearly shaping (reproducing and/or challenging), the values and interests of broader society.†[2] It is for this reason that the concept of ‘best practice’ has attained a new level of significance in recent years relating specifically to the adoption of the finest possible academic, psychological and ethical procedures especially with regards to children and young people so as to prepare them mentally and physically for the multiple demands of adult life whether this be in a sporting or non‑sporting context. ‘Best practice’ utilises research conducted primarily between the years 1950 to 1980 with the implementation of these strategies taking place over the past thirty years. It is a wholly recent phenomenon and, as such, is lacking in some areas of research compared to other fields of sociological study. However, in the twenty first century the amount of attention devoted to the subject is likely to increase with the dual spectre of globalisation and commercialisation making sports a highly lucrative hub of activity. The principles governing the concept of ‘best practice’ are centred upon the twin aims of forging a common sense of unity and teamwork within a group of players and at the same time to nurture individual skill and flair on a one-to-one basis so that the more gifted players’ skills are honed without neglecting the primacy of the team as the over-riding ethos of ‘best practice’. This essential dualism which resides at the epicentre of ‘best practice’ coaching concepts is inherently affected by the evolution of sports players as they grow up. For instance, young players (aged six to ten years old) are much more inclined to gravitate towards the individual element of sports and competition with the group dynamic coming at a later age (developing primarily between the ages of twelve and sixteen). For this reason, there is no ‘best way’ to ‘best practice’; no right or wrong. Rather, there is a great exchange of fluidit y between concepts, principles and practices that should be implemented on an individual basis. This is as true of coaching adults (clients) as it is of coaching youngsters where Jennifer Rogers (2007:7-10)[3] has outlined six core principles that ‘define’ the role of the coach in the modern era. These are: The client is resourceful (the coach’s sole aim is to work with the client to achieve all of their potential – as defined by the client). The coach’s role is to spring loose the client’s resourcefulness. Coaching addressing the whole person: past, present and future. The client sets the agenda. The coach and the client are equals. Coaching is about change and action. The common denominator outlined by Rogers is that coaching is always triggered by change – be it a change in age, in circumstance, in style or technique. Furthermore, because change is the currency in which the coach does business, there is bound to be wildly fluctuating styles of coaching that fit wildly different social and cultural contexts and it is towards these different styles and contexts that attention must now be turned. The effectiveness of different styles of coaching in different contexts It has been shown that the evolution of young people greatly affects the implementation of coaching methods pertaining to the precarious balance between coaching the individual and the group dynamic. This is necessarily dependent on the kind of sport being coached: team sports such as football require a dedication to the team ethic while sports such as tennis and golf stress the individual element of competition. Sports such as cricket combine the team ethic with a heavy emphasis upon individual ability, certainly with regards to batting, which is a very solitary skill that requires intensive levels of concentration and individualism (Palmer, 1999)[4]. Thus, in the first instance, effective coaching requires the practitioner to tailor his or her coaching style to the sport in question and then to further tailor these coaching techniques to the age group of the team or individual being coached. This inherent diversity in coaching styles is also true of the economic context of coaching adults. Certain sports require greater levels of economic participation than others. Golf, for example, is an expensive sport that demands that the participant is well funded so as to purchase the necessary equipment such as clubs, bags, clothing and, most importantly, membership to a golf club. The same can be said of tennis and cricket where the equipment is a vital part of the ultimate success or failure of the technique of the client in question. Economic context is also important with regards to the psychological element of coaching with the social, cultural and political problems of urban poverty playing an important part in the types of coaching techniques which are likely to yield the best results from any given demographic. There can be no doubt that a coaching style employed for a group of middle class practitioners with free access to capital, time and resources is going to be marke dly different from the kind of coaching style deployed for children and adults who do not have access to the same luxuries and who therefore are going to respond to different coaching techniques. Economic context, demographic context and age context are further compounded by the increasingly common problem of multiculturalism and, specifically, globalisation, which has obvious consequences for teachers, mentors and coaches operating at all levels of society throughout the UK. When one thinks, for instance, of the impact of language upon coaching (relaying tactics, pointing out areas of strength and weakness, and, most significantly, attempting to instil a team ethic) one can see the extent to which the role of the coach is inexorably intertwined with the fate of mass movement of peoples across the planet in the twenty first century. As Jones (1997:27) declares, â€Å"there is no more important task within the wider coaching process than that of communication.†[5] Bains and Patel (1994) have long pointed out the blatant under‑representation of Asians playing professional football in England despite some areas in the Midlands and the North-West of England having u rban areas with a higher than 50% ratio of ethnic communities. â€Å"Recent Sport England national statistics confirmed that people of South Asian origin have markedly lower participation rates than other minorities or the indigenous population.† (Collins, 2003:75)[6] This anomaly with regards to the high numbers of Asians living in modern Britain and the disproportionately small number of Asians playing football, it has been argued, is due to coaches indulging in outmoded stereotyping when it comes to coaching players from the Asian community. Asians are still seen as primarily academic achievers over sports players and where they are perceived as sports players they are still pigeon‑holed in typical Asian images of cricket players; rarely are they ever seen as potential professional footballers. Likewise black players are still seen as primarily quick, powerful players; rarely, the tactical brains or the spiritual heartbeat of the side. This cultural element to sports coaching is exacerbated by the historical gender divide between males and females in a sporting context. Here, just as with ethnic people, stereotypes remain the dominant coaching paradigm. Girls and women are expected to play traditionally female sports such as netball, hockey, lacrosse, swimming and tennis. This, however, is in direct opposition to the growing numbers of women playing traditionally male‑dominated sports such as rugby, cricket and football with the latter in particular experiencing a veritable boom in female interest since the beginning of the 1990s. â€Å"A generation ago, sport was a core, patriarchal institution in a larger, contested gender order. Now, with the dramatic growth of girls’ and women’s athletics participation, sport no longer simply or unambiguously plays this reactionary role in gender relations. Sport is now more internally contested.† (2002 introduction xxii)[7] It is, in the final analysis, up to the sports coach to take each of these mitigating factors and contexts into account so that the practitioner is able to coach skills and techniques that are relevant to the contemporary era as opposed to perpetuating anachronistic stereotypes that do little to advance civilised society in both a sporting and non‑sporting context. How models of coaching can help practitioners Studying different models of coaching represents the scientific element of sports mentoring whereby the student and practitioner can attempt to explain the essence and purpose of coaching via the development of models (Fairs, 1987:17-19)[8]. It can be separated into two distinct camps: the ‘of’ coaching camp and the ‘for’ coaching camp. Models ‘of’ coaching are based upon empirical research investigating best practice while the ‘for’ coaching models are idealistic representations that arise from attempts to identify a concrete set of assumptions about the coaching process. The majority of practitioners tend to employ a symbiosis of the two models incorporating an ‘of’ and ‘for’ model of best practice. In this way, empirical data can be used in a realistic setting that takes into account the age, skills and other contexts that affect the coaching process. However, these two models of coaching underline the e xtent to which academia and intellectual analysis has come to dominate the empirical study of sports performance when in fact the first hand experience of established practitioners ought to form the basis of all models of coaching sports. The difference, essentially, comes down to one of theory and practice with the concept of ‘expertise’ necessarily clouded by the arguments of the academics and the professionals respectively. Once again, though, the individual element of the coaching process must be highlighted so as to reflect the inherent complexity that takes place within the field of sports with vastly differing levels of skill and ability being matched by the vastly different psychological reactions to slumps in form and technique. It is, ultimately, up to the national governing sports bodies to ensure that the primacy of holistic coaching practice does not become relegated at the expense of literature, theory and academia (Lyle, 1999:1-24).[9] For this reason, organisations such as Sport England have been established by the central government in a bid to impose a centralise model for sports development on regionalised sports bodies so as to directly influence and aid practitioners. The primary model deployed by Sport England is the â€Å"traditional sports development continuum† – a pyramid which locates foundation as the core, base value followed in hierarchical terms by participation, performance and, finally, excellence (Bramhan et al, 1999:3). This generic model is dovetailed by more advanced models for practitioners to use with athletes at a professional or elite stage in their sports. As is so often the case it is the Australians who represent the pinnacle of academic research into the coaching process with the revolutionary ‘Old Way, New Way’ technique correction model offering an intensive ‘one session’ approach to the problem of proven performers suffering seemingly inexplicable dips in form and technique with the case of Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie standing tall as the most prominent example of therapeutic success achieved via sports practitioners embracing new means of solving old problems. ‘Old Way, New Way’ is consequently a manifestation of the much sought after collaboration between academic researchers and sports practitioners which works on a psychological as well as a physical level in a bid to continue the sportsperson’s quest for skill development and continuous technical improvement. References Bramhan, P., Hylton, K., Jackson, D. and Nesti, M. (1999) Introduction, in, Bramhan, P., Hylton, K., Jackson, D. and Nesti, M (Eds.) Sport Development: Policy, Process and Practice London and New York: Routledge Collins, M.F. (2003), Social Exclusion from Sport and Leisure, quoted in, Houlihan, B. (Ed.) Sport and Society: a Student Introduction London: SAGE Fairs, J. (1987) The Coaching Process: The Essence of Coaching, in, Sports Coach Journal, Volume 11, Number 1 Jones, R.L. (1997) Effective Instructional Coaching Behaviour: A Review of Literature, in, International Journal of Physical Education, Volume, 24, Number 1 Lyle, J.W.B. (1999) The Coaching Process: Principles and Practice, in, Cross, N. and Lyle, J.W.B. (Eds.) The Coaching Process: Principles and Practice for Sport Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Messner, M.A. (2002), Taking the Field: Women, Men and Sports Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press Palmer, G.V. (1999) Cricket Coachmaster: Batting Mechanics London: Gary Palmer Penney, D. (2000) Physical Education: In what and who’s Interests? , in, Jones, R.L. and Armour, K.M. (Eds.) Sociology of Sport: Theory and Practice London and New York: Longman Polley, M. (1998) Moving the Goalposts: A History of Sport and Society since 1945 London and New York: Routledge Rogers, J. (2007) Coaching Skills Buckingham: Open University Press 1 Footnotes [1] Polley, M. (1998) Moving the Goalposts: A History of Sport and Society since 1945 London and New York: Routledge [2] Penney, D. (2000) Physical Education: In what and who’s Interests? , in, Jones, R.L. and Armour, K.M. (Eds.) Sociology of Sport: Theory and Practice London and New York: Longman [3] Rogers, J. (2007) Coaching Skills Buckingham: Open University Press [4] Palmer, G.V. (1999) Cricket Coachmaster: Batting Mechanics London: Gary Palmer [5] Jones, R.L. (1997) Effective Instructional Coaching Behaviour: A Review of Literature, in, International Journal of Physical Education, Volume, 24, Number 1 [6] Collins, M.F. (2003), Social Exclusion from Sport and Leisure, quoted in, Houlihan, B. (Ed.) Sport and Society: a Student Introduction London: SAGE [7] Messner, M.A. (2002), Taking the Field: Women, Men and Sports Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press [8] Fairs, J. (1987) The Coaching Process: The Essence of Coaching, in, Sports Coach Journal, Volume 11, Number 1 [9] Lyle, J.W.B. (1999) The Coaching Process: Principles and Practice, in, Cross, N. and Lyle, J.W.B. (Eds.) The Coaching Process: Principles and Practice for Sport Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann

The Character of King Claudius in Shakespeares Hamlet :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

     Ã‚  Ã‚   Delving into the character of King Claudius in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, we find a character who is not totally evil but rather a blend of morally good and bad elements. Let’s explore the various dimensions of this many-sided character. Peter Leithart in â€Å"The Serpent Now Wears the Crown: A Typological Reading of Hamlet,† considers the gravity of the main sin of offense of Claudius:    Claudius's murder of King Hamlet, the act catalyzing the drama of the play, is presented as a sin of primordial character and cosmic implications. Claudius confesses that his fratricide parallels the murder of Abel:    O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon 't, A brother's murder (3.3.36-38).    [. . .] Claudius has not only committed fratricide, but regicide. The king being peculiarly the image of God, regicide is a kind of deicide. At least, it is an act of rebellion against divine authority. Claudius is thus not only Cain but Adam.[7] Claudius's sin has, for Hamlet at least, turned Denmark into a fallen Eden; thorns and thistles dominate the landscape. (n. pag.)    The drama opens after Hamlet has just returned from Wittenberg, England, where he has been a student. What brought him home was the news of his father’s death and his father’s brother’s quick accession to the throne of Denmark. Philip Burton in â€Å"Hamlet† discusses Claudius’ sudden rise to the Danish throne upon the death of King Hamlet I:    The fact that Claudius has become king is not really surprising. Only late in the play does Hamlet complain that his uncle had "popped in between the election and my hopes." The country had been in a nervous state expecting an invasion by young Fortinbras, at the head of a lawless band of adventurers, in revenge for his father’s death at the hands of King Hamlet. A strong new king was immediately needed; the election of Claudius, particularly in the absence of Hamlet, was inevitable. What is more, it was immediately justified, because Claudius manages to dispel the threat of invasion by appealing to the King of Norway to curb his nephew, Fortinbras; the ambitious young soldier was the more ready to cancel the projected invasion because the object of his revenge, Hamlet’s father, was now dead, and in return he received free passage through Denmark to fight against Poland. The Character of King Claudius in Shakespeare's Hamlet :: GCSE English Literature Coursework      Ã‚  Ã‚   Delving into the character of King Claudius in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, we find a character who is not totally evil but rather a blend of morally good and bad elements. Let’s explore the various dimensions of this many-sided character. Peter Leithart in â€Å"The Serpent Now Wears the Crown: A Typological Reading of Hamlet,† considers the gravity of the main sin of offense of Claudius:    Claudius's murder of King Hamlet, the act catalyzing the drama of the play, is presented as a sin of primordial character and cosmic implications. Claudius confesses that his fratricide parallels the murder of Abel:    O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon 't, A brother's murder (3.3.36-38).    [. . .] Claudius has not only committed fratricide, but regicide. The king being peculiarly the image of God, regicide is a kind of deicide. At least, it is an act of rebellion against divine authority. Claudius is thus not only Cain but Adam.[7] Claudius's sin has, for Hamlet at least, turned Denmark into a fallen Eden; thorns and thistles dominate the landscape. (n. pag.)    The drama opens after Hamlet has just returned from Wittenberg, England, where he has been a student. What brought him home was the news of his father’s death and his father’s brother’s quick accession to the throne of Denmark. Philip Burton in â€Å"Hamlet† discusses Claudius’ sudden rise to the Danish throne upon the death of King Hamlet I:    The fact that Claudius has become king is not really surprising. Only late in the play does Hamlet complain that his uncle had "popped in between the election and my hopes." The country had been in a nervous state expecting an invasion by young Fortinbras, at the head of a lawless band of adventurers, in revenge for his father’s death at the hands of King Hamlet. A strong new king was immediately needed; the election of Claudius, particularly in the absence of Hamlet, was inevitable. What is more, it was immediately justified, because Claudius manages to dispel the threat of invasion by appealing to the King of Norway to curb his nephew, Fortinbras; the ambitious young soldier was the more ready to cancel the projected invasion because the object of his revenge, Hamlet’s father, was now dead, and in return he received free passage through Denmark to fight against Poland.

Promoting Family Values in Macbeth Essay example -- Macbeth essays

Promoting Family Values in Macbeth  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, was first printed in 1623, and is a play that is confrontational and disturbing to the values of the audience. Values such as truth, masculinity, security and goodness are all implied in the play, as their opposites are shown to be destructive and life shattering. Of all of Shakespeare’s plays, Macbeth is the one most obsessively concerned with evil. It is dark, brooding and bloodthirsty; by way of illustration, the only function of the messenger to Lady MacDuff is to prepare the audience for bloodshed. Blood in itself is considered an evil image and it aids in character development, as seen in the description of Macbeth at the start. According to Duncan, gutting someone like a fish is worthy of praise such as â€Å"Oh valiant cousin, Oh worthy Gentleman!† To the people of the age, being able to kill someone with such skill is a good thing†¦ of course, it does mean that Macbeth has the potential to snap. The evil imagery in the play also helps with the rising tension – the old man’s description of the horses devouring each other is a prime example of this. Macbeth himself is essentially evil as well; when he knows he is going to die, instead of taking the honorable way out by committing suicide he decides to take as many people with him as he can. It is somewhat ironic therefore that â€Å"Macbeth† means â€Å"son of life†. The evil that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth create within themselves means that the audience is made to experience the psychological emptiness involved in committing a murder. Evil is inevitably destructive, but it is also self-destructive. By murdering Duncan, Macbeth is destroying himself; his â€Å"single state of man† is shaken by his... ...elm.   Criticism on Shakespeare s Tragedies . A Course  Ã‚     of Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature. London: AMS Press, Inc., 1965.  Ã‚   Shakespeare, William.   Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul  Ã‚   Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Steevens, George. Shakespeare, The Critical Heritage. Vol. 6. London:  Ã‚   Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981.  Ã‚   T.W. Shakespeare, the Critical Heritage. Vol. 5. London: Routledge & Kegan  Ã‚   Paul, 1979.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wills, Gary. Witches & Jesuits. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.     Epstein, Norrie, The Friendly Shakepeare, New York, Viking Publishing, 1993. Harbage, Alfred, Macbeth, Middlesex England, Penguin Publishing, 1956. Magill, Masterplots- Volume 6, New Jersey, Salem Press, 1949. Staunten, Howard, The Complet Illustrated Shakespeare, New York, Park Lane Publishing, 1979.      

Summary of The Lesson Essay -- The Lesson Literature Essays

Summary of The Lesson In this story the author tells us about a girl named Sylvia, the narrator, who lives in a very low income family. A place where school is not a priority. A place where it is more important to be strong and hard, than to read a book. This was the thought anyway, before Miss. Moore moved in. She was a school teacher who took it upon herself to teach the neighborhood kids. On one summer afternoon in particular she was going to take the kids into town on a field trip. The kids are not at all happy about this because they know it is summer break and they are not supposed to be in school in the summer. They would rather be at the pool playin’, but Miss. Moore knows that if these kids want a chance at a better life, then she better show them what is out there. The story leads to the bus ride where Miss. Moore gives money to Sylvia to give the driver a tip. Sylvia can not figure the tip, so she keeps the money thinking that she really showed Miss. Moore. She did not even admit to herself that the real reason she did not leave the tip was because she did ...

Twilight 20. IMPATIENCE

20. IMPATIENCE When I woke up I was confused. My thoughts were hazy, still twisted up in dreams and nightmares; it took me longer than it should have to realize where I was. This room was too bland to belong anywhere but in a hotel. The bedside lamps, bolted to the tables, were a dead giveaway, as were the long drapes made from the same fabric as the bedspread, and the generic watercolor prints on the walls. I tried to remember how I got here, but nothing came at first. I did remember the sleek black car, the glass in the windows darker than that on a limousine. The engine was almost silent, though we'd raced across the black freeways at more than twice the legal speed. And I remembered Alice sitting with me on the dark leather backseat. Somehow, during the long night, my head had ended up against her granite neck. My closeness didn't seem to bother her at all, and her cool, hard skin was oddly comforting to me. The front of her thin cotton shirt was cold, damp with the tears that streamed from my eyes until, red and sore, they ran dry. Sleep had evaded me; my aching eyes strained open even though the night finally ended and dawn broke over a low peak somewhere in California. The gray light, streaking across the cloudless sky, stung my eyes. But I couldn't close them; when I did, the images that flashed all too vividly, like still slides behind my lids, were unbearable. Charlie's broken expression – Edward's brutal snarl, teeth bared – Rosalie's resentful glare – the keen-eyed scrutiny of the tracker – the dead look in Edward's eyes after he kissed me the last time†¦ I couldn't stand to see them. So I fought against my weariness and the sun rose higher. I was still awake when we came through a shallow mountain pass and the sun, behind us now, reflected off the tiled rooftops of the Valley of the Sun. I didn't have enough emotion left to be surprised that we'd made a three-day journey in one. I stared blankly at the wide, flat expanse laid out in front of me. Phoenix – the palm trees, the scrubby creosote, the haphazard lines of the intersecting freeways, the green swaths of golf courses and turquoise splotches of swimming pools, all submerged in a thin smog and embraced by the short, rocky ridges that weren't really big enough to be called mountains. The shadows of the palm trees slanted across the freeway – defined, sharper than I remembered, paler than they should be. Nothing could hide in these shadows. The bright, open freeway seemed benign enough. But I felt no relief, no sense of homecoming. â€Å"Which way to the airport, Bella?† Jasper had asked, and I flinched, though his voice was quite soft and un-alarming. It was the first sound, besides the purr of the car, to break the long night's silence. â€Å"Stay on the I-ten,† I'd answered automatically. â€Å"We'll pass right by it.† My brain had worked slowly through the fog of sleep deprivation. â€Å"Are we flying somewhere?† I'd asked Alice. â€Å"No, but it's better to be close, just in case.† I remembered beginning the loop around Sky Harbor International†¦ but not ending it. I suppose that must have been when I'd fallen asleep. Though, now that I'd chased the memories down, I did have a vague impression of leaving the car – the sun was just falling behind the horizon – my arm draped over Alice's shoulder and her arm firm around my waist, dragging me along as I stumbled through the warm, dry shadows. I had no memory of this room. I looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. The red numbers claimed it was three o'clock, but they gave no indication if it was night or day. No edge of light escaped the thick curtains, but the room was bright with the light from the lamps. I rose stiffly and staggered to the window, pulling back the drapes. It was dark outside. Three in the morning, then. My room looked out on a deserted section of the freeway and the new long-term parking garage for the airport. It was slightly comforting to be able to pinpoint time and place. I looked down at myself. I was still wearing Esme's clothes, and they didn't fit very well at all. I looked around the room, glad when I discovered my duffel bag on top of the low dresser. I was on my way to find new clothes when a light tap on the door made me jump. â€Å"Can I come in?† Alice asked. I took a deep breath. â€Å"Sure.† She walked in, and looked me over cautiously. â€Å"You look like you could sleep longer,† she said. I just shook my head. She drifted silently to the curtains and closed them securely before turning back to me. â€Å"We'll need to stay inside,† she told me. â€Å"Okay.† My voice was hoarse; it cracked. â€Å"Thirsty?† she asked. I shrugged. â€Å"I'm okay. How about you?† â€Å"Nothing unmanageable.† She smiled. â€Å"I ordered some food for you, it's in the front room. Edward reminded me that you have to eat a lot more frequently than we do.† I was instantly more alert. â€Å"He called?† â€Å"No,† she said, and watched as my face fell. â€Å"It was before we left.† She took my hand carefully and led me through the door into the living room of the hotel suite. I could hear a low buzz of voices coming from the TV. Jasper sat motionlessly at the desk in the corner, his eyes watching the news with no glimmer of interest. I sat on the floor next to the coffee table, where a tray of food waited, and began picking at it without noticing what I was eating. Alice perched on the arm of the sofa and stared blankly at the TV like Jasper. I ate slowly, watching her, turning now and then to glance quickly at Jasper. It began to dawn on me that they were too still. They never looked away from the screen, though commercials were playing now. I pushed the tray away, my stomach abruptly uneasy. Alice looked down at me. â€Å"What's wrong, Alice?† I asked. â€Å"Nothing's wrong.† Her eyes were wide, honest†¦ and I didn't trust them. â€Å"What do we do now?† â€Å"We wait for Carlisle to call.† â€Å"And should he have called by now?† I could see that I was near the mark. Alice's eyes flitted from mine to the phone on top of her leather bag and back. â€Å"What does that mean?† My voice quavered, and I fought to control it. â€Å"That he hasn't called yet?† â€Å"It just means that they don't have anything to tell us.† But her voice was too even, and the air was harder to breathe. Jasper was suddenly beside Alice, closer to me than usual. â€Å"Bella,† he said in a suspiciously soothing voice. â€Å"You have nothing to worry about. You are completely safe here.† â€Å"I know that.† â€Å"Then why are you frightened?† he asked, confused. He might feel the tenor of my emotions, but he couldn't read the reasons behind them. â€Å"You heard what Laurent said.† My voice was just a whisper, but I was sure they could hear me. â€Å"He said James was lethal. What if something goes wrong, and they get separated? If something happens to any of them, Carlisle, Emmett†¦ Edward†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I gulped. â€Å"If that wild female hurts Esme†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My voice had grown higher, a note of hysteria beginning to rise in it. â€Å"How could I live with myself when it's my fault? None of you should be risking yourselves for me -â€Å" â€Å"Bella, Bella, stop,† he interrupted me, his words pouring out so quickly they were hard to understand. â€Å"You're worrying about all the wrong things, Bella. Trust me on this – none of us are in jeopardy. You are under too much strain as it is; don't add to it with wholly unnecessary worries. Listen to me!† he ordered, for I had looked away. â€Å"Our family is strong. Our only fear is losing you.† â€Å"But why should you -â€Å" Alice interrupted this time, touching my cheek with her cold fingers. â€Å"It's been almost a century that Edward's been alone. Now he's found you. You can't see the changes that we see, we who have been with him for so long. Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you?† My guilt slowly subsided as I looked into her dark eyes. But, even as the calm spread over me, I knew I couldn't trust my feelings with Jasper there. It was a very long day. We stayed in the room. Alice called down to the front desk and asked them to ignore our maid service for now. The windows stayed shut, the TV on, though no one watched it. At regular intervals, food was delivered for me. The silver phone resting on Alice's bag seemed to grow bigger as the hours passed. My babysitters handled the suspense better than I did. As I fidgeted and paced, they simply grew more still, two statues whose eyes followed me imperceptibly as I moved. I occupied myself with memorizing the room; the striped pattern of the couches, tan, peach, cream, dull gold, and tan again. Sometimes I stared at the abstract prints, randomly finding pictures in the shapes, like I'd found pictures in the clouds as a child. I traced a blue hand, a woman combing her hair, a cat stretching. But when the pale red circle became a staring eye, I looked away. As the afternoon wore on, I went back to bed, simply for something to do. I hoped that by myself in the dark, I could give in to the terrible fears that hovered on the edge of my consciousness, unable to break through under Jasper's careful supervision. But Alice followed me casually, as if by some coincidence she had grown tired of the front room at the same time. I was beginning to wonder exactly what sort of instructions Edward had given her. I lay across the bed, and she sat, legs folded, next to me. I ignored her at first, suddenly tired enough to sleep. But after a few minutes, the panic that had held off in Jasper's presence began to make itself known. I gave up on the idea of sleep quickly then, curling up into a small ball, wrapping my arms around my legs. â€Å"Alice?† I asked. â€Å"Yes?† I kept my voice very calm. â€Å"What do you think they're doing?† â€Å"Carlisle wanted to lead the tracker as far north as possible, wait for him to get close, and then turn and ambush him. Esme and Rosalie were supposed to head west as long as they could keep the female behind them. If she turned around, they were to head back to Forks and keep an eye on your dad. So I imagine things are going well if they can't call. It means the tracker is close enough that they don't want him to overhear.† â€Å"And Esme?† â€Å"I think she must be back in Forks. She won't call if there's any chance the female will overhear. I expect they're all just being very careful.† â€Å"Do you think they're safe, really?† â€Å"Bella, how many times do we have to tell you that there's no danger to us?† â€Å"Would you tell me the truth, though?† â€Å"Yes. I will always tell you the truth.† Her voice was earnest. I deliberated for a moment, and decided she meant it. â€Å"Tell me then†¦ how do you become a vampire?† My question caught her off guard. She was quiet. I rolled over to look at her, and her expression seemed ambivalent. â€Å"Edward doesn't want me to tell you that,† she said firmly, but I sensed she didn't agree. â€Å"That's not fair. I think I have a right to know.† â€Å"I know.† I looked at her, waiting. She sighed. â€Å"He'll be extremely angry.† â€Å"It's none of his business. This is between you and me. Alice, as a friend, I'm begging you.† And we were friends now, somehow – as she must have known we would be all along. She looked at me with her splendid, wise eyes†¦ choosing. â€Å"I'll tell you the mechanics of it,† she said finally, â€Å"but I don't remember it myself, and I've never done it or seen it done, so keep in mind that I can only tell you the theory.† I waited. â€Å"As predators, we have a glut of weapons in our physical arsenal – much, much more than really necessary. The strength, the speed, the acute senses, not to mention those of us like Edward, Jasper, and I, who have extra senses as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we are physically attractive to our prey.† I was very still, remembering how pointedly Edward had demonstrated the same concept for me in the meadow. She smiled a wide, ominous smile. â€Å"We have another fairly superfluous weapon. We're also venomous,† she said, her teeth glistening. â€Å"The venom doesn't kill – it's merely incapacitating. It works slowly, spreading through the bloodstream, so that, once bitten, our prey is in too much physical pain to escape us. Mostly superfluous, as I said. If we're that close, the prey doesn't escape. Of course, there are always exceptions. Carlisle, for example.† â€Å"So†¦ if the venom is left to spread†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I murmured. â€Å"It takes a few days for the transformation to be complete, depending on how much venom is in the bloodstream, how close the venom enters to the heart. As long as the heart keeps beating, the poison spreads, healing, changing the body as it moves through it. Eventually the heart stops, and the conversion is finished. But all that time, every minute of it, a victim would be wishing for death.† I shivered. â€Å"It's not pleasant, you see.† â€Å"Edward said that it was very hard to do†¦ I don't quite understand,† I said. â€Å"We're also like sharks in a way. Once we taste the blood, or even smell it for that matter, it becomes very hard to keep from feeding. Sometimes impossible. So you see, to actually bite someone, to taste the blood, it would begin the frenzy. It's difficult on both sides – the blood-lust on the one hand, the awful pain on the other.† â€Å"Why do you think you don't remember?† â€Å"I don't know. For everyone else, the pain of transformation is the sharpest memory they have of their human life. I remember nothing of being human.† Her voice was wistful. We lay silently, wrapped in our individual meditations. The seconds ticked by, and I had almost forgotten her presence, I was so enveloped in my thoughts. Then, without any warning, Alice leaped from the bed, landing lightly on her feet. My head jerked up as I stared at her, startled. â€Å"Something's changed.† Her voice was urgent, and she wasn't talking to me anymore. She reached the door at the same time Jasper did. He had obviously heard our conversation and her sudden exclamation. He put his hands on her shoulders and guided her back to the bed, sitting her on the edge. â€Å"What do you see?† he asked intently, staring into her eyes. Her eyes were focused on something very far away. I sat close to her, leaning in to catch her low, quick voice. â€Å"I see a room. It's long, and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. He's in the room, and he's waiting. There's gold†¦ a gold stripe across the mirrors.† â€Å"Where is the room?† â€Å"I don't know. Something is missing – another decision hasn't been made yet.† â€Å"How much time?† â€Å"It's soon. He'll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He's waiting for something. And he's in the dark now.† Jasper's voice was calm, methodical, as he questioned her in a practiced way. â€Å"What is he doing?† â€Å"He's watching TV†¦ no, he's running a VCR, in the dark, in another place.† â€Å"Can you see where he is?† â€Å"No, it's too dark.† â€Å"And the mirror room, what else is there?† â€Å"Just the mirrors, and the gold. It's a band, around the room. And there's a black table with a big stereo, and a TV. He's touching the VCR there, but he doesn't watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits.† Her eyes drifted, then focused on Jasper's face. â€Å"There's nothing else?† She shook her head. They looked at each other, motionless. â€Å"What does it mean?† I asked. Neither of them answered for a moment, then Jasper looked at me. â€Å"It means the tracker's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room.† â€Å"But we don't know where those rooms are?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"But we do know that he won't be in the mountains north of Washington, being hunted. He'll elude them.† Alice's voice was bleak. â€Å"Should we call?† I asked. They traded a serious look, undecided. And the phone rang. Alice was across the room before I could lift my head to look at it. She pushed a button and held the phone to her ear, but she didn't speak first. â€Å"Carlisle,† she breathed. She didn't seem surprised or relieved, the way I felt. â€Å"Yes,† she said, glancing at me. She listened for a long moment. â€Å"I just saw him.† She described again the vision she'd seen. â€Å"Whatever made him get on that plane†¦ it was leading him to those rooms.† She paused. â€Å"Yes,† Alice said into the phone, and then she spoke to me. â€Å"Bella?† She held the phone out toward me. I ran to it. â€Å"Hello?† I breathed. â€Å"Bella,† Edward said. â€Å"Oh, Edward! I was so worried.† â€Å"Bella,† he sighed in frustration, â€Å"I told you not to worry about anything but yourself.† It was so unbelievably good to hear his voice. I felt the hovering cloud of despair lighten and drift back as he spoke. â€Å"Where are you?† â€Å"We're outside of Vancouver. Bella, I'm sorry – we lost him. He seems suspicious of us – he's careful to stay just far enough away that I can't hear what he's thinking. But he's gone now – it looks like he got on a plane. We think he's heading back to Forks to start over.† I could hear Alice filling in Jasper behind me, her quick words blurring together into a humming noise. â€Å"I know. Alice saw that he got away.† â€Å"You don't have to worry, though. He won't find anything to lead him to you. You just have to stay there and wait till we find him again.† â€Å"I'll be fine. Is Esme with Charlie?† â€Å"Yes – the female has been in town. She went to the house, but while Charlie was at work. She hasn't gone near him, so don't be afraid. He's safe with Esme and Rosalie watching.† â€Å"What is she doing?† â€Å"Probably trying to pick up the trail. She's been all through the town during the night. Rosalie traced her through the airport, all the roads around town, the school†¦ she's digging, Bella, but there's nothing to find.† â€Å"And you're sure Charlie's safe?† â€Å"Yes, Esme won't let him out of her sight. And we'll be there soon. If the tracker gets anywhere near Forks, we'll have him.† â€Å"I miss you,† I whispered. â€Å"I know, Bella. Believe me, I know. It's like you've taken half my self away with you.† â€Å"Come and get it, then,† I challenged. â€Å"Soon, as soon as I possibly can. I will make you safe first.† His voice was hard. â€Å"I love you,† I reminded him. â€Å"Could you believe that, despite everything I've put you through, I love you, too?† â€Å"Yes, I can, actually.† â€Å"I'll come for you soon.† â€Å"I'll be waiting.† As soon as the phone went dead, the cloud of depression began to creep over me again. I turned to give the phone back to Alice and found her and Jasper bent over the table, where Alice was sketching on a piece of hotel stationery. I leaned on the back of the couch, looking over her shoulder. She drew a room: long, rectangular, with a thinner, square section at the back. The wooden planks that made up the floor stretched lengthwise across the room. Down the walls were lines denoting the breaks in the mirrors. And then, wrapping around the walls, waist high, a long band. The band Alice said was gold. â€Å"It's a ballet studio,† I said, suddenly recognizing the familiar shapes. They looked at me, surprised. â€Å"Do you know this room?† Jasper's voice sounded calm, but there was an undercurrent of something I couldn't identify. Alice bent her head to her work, her hand flying across the page now, the shape of an emergency exit taking shape against the back wall, the stereo and TV on a low table by the front right corner. â€Å"It looks like a place I used to go for dance lessons – when I was eight or nine. It was shaped just the same.† I touched the page where the square section jutted out, narrowing the back part of the room. â€Å"That's where the bathrooms were – the doors were through the other dance floor. But the stereo was here† – I pointed to the left corner – â€Å"it was older, and there wasn't a TV. There was a window in the waiting room – you would see the room from this perspective if you looked through it.† Alice and Jasper were staring at me. â€Å"Are you sure it's the same room?† Jasper asked, still calm. â€Å"No, not at all – I suppose most dance studios would look the same – the mirrors, the bar.† I traced my finger along the ballet bar set against the mirrors. â€Å"It's just the shape that looked familiar.† I touched the door, set in exactly the same place as the one I remembered. â€Å"Would you have any reason to go there now?† Alice asked, breaking my reverie. â€Å"No, I haven't been there in almost ten years. I was a terrible dancer – they always put me in the back for recitals,† I admitted. â€Å"So there's no way it could be connected with you?† Alice asked intently. â€Å"No, I don't even think the same person owns it. I'm sure it's just another dance studio, somewhere.† â€Å"Where was the studio you went to?† Jasper asked in a casual voice. â€Å"It was just around the corner from my mom's house. I used to walk there after school†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said, my voice trailing off. I didn't miss the look they exchanged. â€Å"Here in Phoenix, then?† His voice was still casual. â€Å"Yes,† I whispered. â€Å"Fifty-eighth Street and Cactus.† We all sat in silence, staring at the drawing. â€Å"Alice, is that phone safe?† â€Å"Yes,† she reassured me. â€Å"The number would just trace back to Washington.† â€Å"Then I can use it to call my mom.† â€Å"I thought she was in Florida.† â€Å"She is – but she's coming home soon, and she can't come back to that house while†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My voice trembled. I was thinking about something Edward had said, about the red-haired female at Charlie's house, at the school, where my records would be. â€Å"How will you reach her?† â€Å"They don't have a permanent number except at the house – she's supposed to check her messages regularly.† â€Å"Jasper?† Alice asked. He thought about it. â€Å"I don't think there's any way it could hurt – be sure you don't say where you are, of course.† I reached eagerly for the phone and dialed the familiar number. It rang four times, and then I heard my mom's breezy voice telling me to leave a message. â€Å"Mom,† I said after the beep, â€Å"it's me. Listen, I need you to do something. It's important. As soon as you get this message, call me at this number.† Alice was already at my side, writing the number for me on the bottom of her picture. I read it carefully, twice. â€Å"Please don't go anywhere until you talk to me. Don't worry, I'm okay, but I have to talk to you right away, no matter how late you get this call, all right? I love you, Mom. Bye.† I closed my eyes and prayed with all my might that no unforeseen change of plans would bring her home before she got my message. I settled into the sofa, nibbling on a plate of leftover fruit, anticipating a long evening. I thought about calling Charlie, but I wasn't sure if I should be home by now or not. I concentrated on the news, watching out for stories about Florida, or about spring training – strikes or hurricanes or terrorist attacks – anything that might send them home early. Immortality must grant endless patience. Neither Jasper nor Alice seemed to feel the need to do anything at all. For a while, Alice sketched the vague outline of the dark room from her vision, as much as she could see in the light from the TV. But when she was done, she simply sat, looking at the blank walls with her timeless eyes. Jasper, too, seemed to have no urge to pace, or peek through the curtains, or run screaming out the door, the way I did. I must have fallen asleep on the couch, waiting for the phone to ring again. The touch of Alice's cold hands woke me briefly as she carried me to the bed, but I was unconscious again before my head hit the pillow.