Business Process Reengineering Essay

Fundamental rethinking and radical design to achieve dramatic improvement in cost, quality, service and delivery (Hammer & Champy, 1993; Manganelli & Klein, 1994). It means that business process reengineering involves many steps that change the entire business process. This is done to reduce the cost of production of a product or service, increasing the quality, and satisfying customers by offering an excellent service and delivery. BPR can be done in four ways that are: i. Business transformation By using this way, the whole organization is changed. This includes the business process, business management and business strategies. ii. Redesign business process In this way, only the business processes are changed. Usually, the number processes will be reduced. The non value added processes are eliminated. iii. Business process change management This is the process for managing human/employee side of change. It includes the steps taken to change the management team or a project leader. iv. Redesign strategies and value added processes It means that the organization changes the business strategies and creates or improves their value added activities. Objectives of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) There are many objectives of business process reengineering. The main objective is of course to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the whole business. Listed below are the specific objectives of business process reengineering: i. To save time and cost Time can be saved once the non value added activities are removed from the process as there is fewer work process to be done. This will lead to cost saving as the cost incurred during the production will also decrease. As the cost decreases, the profit margin will be higher and it will lead to a greater income for the company. ii. To improve the quality of work By implementing business process reengineering, the fragmentation of work can be reduced. This is contributed by the fewer process involved in production. This will reduce the errors that occur in production as fewer machines or human are involved. The performance of the business process reengineering can be improved through feedback received by the users of the goods or services. iii. To satisfy customers This is also one of the objectives of implementing business process reengineering. Customers will always be the main priority. BPR will ease the customer in many ways. For instance, nowadays we no longer have to stand in a queue line while waiting to be served if we go to any bank as the number system had been introduced. This is one example of the contribution of business process reengineering for customers’ satisfaction. Advantages of Business Process Reengineering i. Lower cost Reengineering proves to be cost effective as the cost of operating after implementing BPR will decrease significantly. ii. Better use of existing staff The existing staff expertise can be retained enhance through training them at the point of implementation of BPR. iii. Increase effectiveness and efficiency As the employees are aware of the processes that they involve in that has been reduced, it also reduces the time lag between different process. Implementation of BPR Key Steps: Selection of strategic added value processes Simplify new process Once the engineering take place, organization should stop and execute the selection of idea from the above step. The top management cannot live in limbo between yes or no and what are going to do with the idea. Organize a team & workflow Assign responsibilities Train the process team Manager will act as a coaches for the workers as they do not orders but they will guide, direct, coordinate and empower the job to the workers. This involved the top management and subordinates in working together as a team. Critical success factors required to compete are identified and prioritized. Participative business makeovers reject the â€Å"top- down† approach to reengineering in favor of a middle ground, where the managers and workers come together to redesign business processes. The BPR team will be split into two parts, a design team made up of senior managers, and an execution team composed of people who will actually do the work Introduce the redesigned process These initiatives seek to provide understanding of the markets, competitors, and the position of the organization within the industry Implementation BPR Success factors Revising reward and motivation system New reward and incentive scheme must be revised as supporting BPR effort to encouraging people to endorse BPR such as introduce new job titles in order to motivate the workers to the new system implementation. The workers are a resource for an organization to manage the operation effectively. The BPR will successfully be implemented if the workers are highly motivated to the changes made. Effective communication It is needed throughout the changes process at all levels in order to ensure patience and understanding among all employees. Communication breakdown between top management and the workers tend to happen due to the significant changes in the new system. By improving a better way of communication could lead the company to successfully implemented BPR in the organization. Empowerment The organization should establish a culture which staff at all levels feel more responsible and accountable to their respective job scope. Empowerment will make the staff feel more appreciative of their work when the organization give them the authority which in other means recognized and appreciate their work towards the success of the organization. The staff also will be able to set their goals and monitor their own performance thus supporting the implementation of BPR. Management of risk BPR involves radical changes to several systems in organization. Continuous risk assessment is needed throughout the implementation process to ensure the BPR success. The calculation of risk will help the organization in decision making regarding BPR implementation. Aligning BPR strategy with corporate strategy As corporate strategy determines objectives and guidance on how the organizational capabilities can be best utilised to gain competitive position, BPR strategy guides the alteration of tasks into integrated process. It also must accompanied by strategic planning in order to be successful in the long run. Kaizen Costing Introduction Kaizen costing also has a Japanese heritage. It comes from the combination of the Japanese characters ‘kai’ and ‘zen’ which mean ‘change’ and ‘good,’ respectively. The word ‘Kaizen’ translates to ‘continuous improvement’ or ‘change for the better’ and aims to improve productivity by making gradual changes to the entire manufacturing process. Masaki Imai known as the â€Å"Lean Guru† and the father of Continuous Improvement (CI) Masaaki Imai has been a pioneer and leader in spreading the Kaizen philosophy all over the world. Understand Kaizen Costing To understand Kaizen costing, one first needs to grasp standard costing methodology. The typical standard costing approach works by designing a product first, and computing costs by taking into account material, labour and overhead. The resulting figure is set as the product cost. The standard cost is set and revised on a yearly basis. Cost deviation analysis involves checking to see whether the projected cost estimates tally with the final figures. Manufacturing procedures are assumed to be static. In example, approach centres around recognizing that employees who work on a particular job are aware of how that particular task can be greatly improved. Employees are treated as valuable sources of viable solutions, an approach that differs greatly from the standard cost system that views employees as labourers with variable performance levels. Goals In order to properly implement Kaizen principals for process improvement, there are four goals towards reaching successful implementation of Kaizen: 1. To ensure that actual production cost are less than the prior year cost. 2. To reduce the difference between profit estimates and target profits (every department in the company makes an effort to introduce operational changes on a daily basis). 3. Analyzing every part of the process and generating ideas on how they can be further improved. 4. Kaizen costing takes into account aspects such as time-saving strategies, employee efficiency and wastage reduction. Advantages Focus on customers Kaizen permits no middle ground its either you provide best products and customer satisfaction or not. All the activities should aim at providing customer with whatever he wants and should help the firm long term objective of customer’s satisfaction at the same time building up good relationship. It is a responsibility of each and every person working in a Kaizen company to make sure that the product is up to the mark and it satisfies customers need. Make improvements continuously In order to search for excellence just does not end. We should work on the improvement implemented and see if we can make it even more effective. Acknowledge problems openly Every company has certain problems related to finance, competition, change in demand etc. Kaizen companies are no exception, but by fostering an appropriately supportive, constructive culture it becomes easier for any team to get its problem in the open. The whole organization works as a team to solve the problem. The problems are openly shared by the management with the employees which avoids rumours. It simply means â€Å"FIGHT WITH YOUR PROBLEMS DON’T RUN AWAYFROM THEM†. Promote openness There seems to be less functional ring fencing i.e. only the senior managers have private cabins. Otherwise the workplace is generally open and in many companies even the dress code and canteen for everyone is the same Create work teams Each individual in a Kaizen company belongs to work team headed by a leader. Working in various overlapping teams draws employees into corporate life and reinforces the mutual understanding. Cross- functional teams Kaizen states that no individual or team has all the required skill and knowledge to complete a task. Cross-functional teams help in getting all the valuable information’s from the view of all the related people. It calls for letting ideas to flow as wide as running on moon. Disadvantages Reluctant to change Most employees do not like changes as it will lead them to a new style of working Too much suggestion may lead to confusion and time wastage. By giving the opportunities to help in getting all the suggestion from the view of all the related people, they may be confuse to focus what are the best way to follows and also required a lot of time in considering which ways is the beneficially to them. Real life example: A Case Study of New Kaizen Activities at Tahara plant (Toyota) This type of costing was used by Japanese automobile companies (Toyota). The assembly line at Tahara plant was reorganized in 1995 clearly following the new concept realized first at Toyota Kyushu. However it was the assembly section itself that conceived this new assembly line, taking the initiative in product design and reconstruction of the assembly line. It began in 1991 where the revision in 1995 of the Hilux Surf (sports utility) being assembled and the assembly of another sports utility (Land Cruiser Prado) from 1996 were planned. On the basis of discussions held in the Committee above mentioned, the director of this assembly plant suggested to his assembly section’s manager (section chief) to prepare the revision of this sports utility by searching for an ideal assembly line. He then started to conceive it and organize engineers, â€Å"try team† staff, chief leaders and group leaders so that everyone would collaborate in order to realize an ideal assembly line about which he did not have any clear conception. Then he fixed the orientation toward the reconstruction of his assembly line as follows: Construct an assembly shop where the workers can work easily and execute  their operations â€Å"rhythmically†; Organize a human centered Toyota Production System; Form a kaizen mind of everyone so that he/she willingly does kaizen. The section chief thought that if the assembly shop were organized in such a way, it would also contribute to increase production efficiency assuring quality and security, and then to reduce costs. There were many problems to solve, which necessitated the collaboration of the product manager of these models, Product Engineering Design Sections, Production Engineering Division as well as those of Araco and Hino (Araco designs the body of Land Cruiser Prado; Hino, that of Hilux Surf whereas Toyota develops their chassis). In fact, the conception of new assembly line could not be developed without modifying vehicle structures and parts designs of these models. Comparison between BPR and Kaizen approach. Re-engineering Kaizen Type of process Work best: cross organizational boundaries as complex interrelationship of variables. Work best: with well defined boundaries. Degree of change Incremental or radical and usually affect an entire integrated process. Incremental or radical but usually only affect a limited sub process at a time. Speed Generally implemented in a big bang changeover Generates immediately noticeable and measurable changes Acceptance High risk of things reverting back to the way they were soon after the consultants leave. Since the people that actually do the work are the ones making the changes – acceptance are very high. Cost Often involves expensive technologies, computers, and other system. Most â€Å"lean† changes are inexpensive or even free. Technology Reengineering project is often led by computer consultants. Most â€Å"lean† methods minimize or even eliminate reliance on technology with a preference toward visual methods and simplification. Similarities of Business Process Reengineering and Kaizen Approach i. They increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the way the organization operates. ii. These two approaches focus on lowering cost. iii. Customers’ satisfaction is always the goal for these two strategic management accounting approaches. Conclusion The Business Process Reengineering is the process of redesigning the business processes and the associated systems and organizational structures to achieve a dramatic change in the whole business process and performance. On the other hand, Kaizen is a small improvements and changes for a better for business process and performance. It must be accompanied by change of method. Business Process Reengineering is a â€Å"project† with a defined beginning and ending. Kaizen is a never ending process.

My Hips My Caderas

In the excerpt, â€Å"My Hips, My Caderas† by Alisa Valdes, gives distinctive examples of her life story to develop a meaning for how society perceives women. America strives to fit the perception of beauty because it is the single physical characteristic that makes us matter. Her anecdotes show us how the world shapes our thoughts to brainwash us. Alisa Valdes personal experiences are a service to provide a better explanation of how we perpetrate in order to be welcomed in society. â€Å"Beauty is in the eye of the culture. † This is an essential quote that summarizes the moral of Valdes story.Being a biracial woman, she received perspectives from two cultures about the way she looks. Valdes is white and Cuban. She is a girl with hips and curves. She is seen as voluptuous. White Americans and Cubans have different viewpoints on how women should look and what beauty is considered to be. Valdes body type isn’t accepted in by all of her family because of the type o f the different type of society they live in. As a child it confused her as to what herself image should be. Her mother’s side of the family is white Americans who believed being skinny was the key to beauty.In America, we have several reminders of what we should look like. Our models are size zeros. All our foods are low fat or reduced in calories producing dieting. We also promote surgery to stay skinny. Hips or la caderas are seen as fat which is ugly, ugly being the antonym for beauty. On the contrary her father’s side believed that the thicker you were or the more curves that complimented one’s body made you more of a woman. That notion highlighted a woman’s beauty. Caderas, often referred to in her explanation, simply translated is hips.In Latin cultures caderas are the stomach, waist, and thighs. It’s all that makes a â€Å"real woman†. La caderas are the essence of a woman. Those who don’t posses these caderas are seen as sick . It’s unattractive to the eye. The different cultures that she exemplifies contradict each other. Valdes has significant times in her child hood where she remembers the two cultures impacted the way she thought about herself. Being involved in her father’s culture, being voluptuous was a blessing. When Valdes was 12 she remembers the Chicanos making catcalls at her because she was so curators.She took those signs of beauty for granted and started to diet, taking to the American way of beauty. She also talks about her and her friend going to dance and men lining up to dance with her and her turning them down because she said â€Å"I often say †no†, because I can†. This leads me to infer that she felt beautiful and she knew she was due to her hips. If she didn’t think so she wouldn’t turn the men down. That culture made her appreciate herself and have positive outlooks about how she looked. In America she remembers being in a step aerobi cs class and women making negative statements about how she looks.She sometimes hear the woman in the front row whisper â€Å"My God, would you look at those hips†. Her attributes are looked down upon as if they are a bad thing in America. She has experienced both cultures and have a gotten a different response on her body. Self image is destructive but it’s what makes civilization significant. The world revolves around images that are acceptable and it’s the drive around the world. In the society we live in, civilization is based on appearance. Our world rotates on its axis because of it. It’s deadly to walk outside without makeup on or above a certain weight.American’s have reality television that are designed just for losing weight and to critique the appearance of our celebrities. Everyone is a target in America to bee objectified. There is no discrimination. In middle school I was often picked on for being so skinny and I hated my body. When I got to high school I started to gain weight not in my â€Å"caderas† but my butt. I started to love my body more because everyone else did. Girls would tell me how they would kill for my shape and I would tell them how I would love to have theirs. I wanted breast and hips like those girls but they wanted to be a stick like me, I couldn’t understand.Those girls were envisioning themselves as being the females they see on the television and I was the closest thing to their dreams. Continuously taking my body for granted the next teenage girl was admiring my imperfections perfectly. I learn eventually to embrace my small figure but looking at celebrities like Beyonce’ and other full figured women I get self conscious sometime. It’s as if my body isn’t good enough and I fall back into the depression of why my body can’t look a certain way. It is a struggle in itself because your image is your introduction.

Innovation and Creativity and Enterprise Research Paper - 1

Innovation and Creativity and Enterprise - Research Paper Example Through illustrations to back up this statement, the article shows how viable this notion by Schumpeter is; decades after its realisation. Emirates Airline is the national flight company of the emirates of Dubai that was established in 1985. The airline is located at Dubai International Airport and it also serves the United Arab Emirates. With regard to the number of passengers ferried, Emirates Airline is the largest airline globally and the fastest developing with expansions across all continents. The fleet largely comprises of Airbus and Boeing crafts. The Airbus A830 is the prime passenger carrier in the fleet. The flights cover various destinations around the world such as: Middle East, Africa, South Asia, North America, Europe and Australasia. The air shipping segment serves over 40 terminuses (Centre for Aviation). The airline industry in the Middle East, like anywhere else is subject to cyclical fluxes. Emirates Airline has experienced various hurdles and overcome them to gain its current standing. Technological and economical innovation are a part of the strategies assumed by the airline in a bid to stay ahead of the competition. Joseph Schumpeter acknowledged innovation as the critical dimension of economic development. According to Joseph, market power and entrepreneurial activities rely on innovation for them to flourish. The short lifespan of certain technologies is the catalyst that provokes development in various industrial fields for it creates a temporary monopoly in the market that the rivals compete to outdo. He believed that the innovation process was driven by major firms that spared no expense in research and development undertakings (McGraw 2007, pp. 4-6). The innovation theory formulated by Joseph has in varied forms been implemented by Emirates Airline in its brand positioning and market entry approaches. In the

Study of Belt Drive Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Study of Belt Drive - Lab Report Example Though gears are more efficient, they can only work with fixed gear ratios. Various in case of belts they can work with continuously varying sizes of the pulleys, thus enabling usage at all levels. Belts are used in applications in the kitchen grinders to cars. While belts can transmit power, they are generally considered inefficient because of the slip between the pulley and the belt. This also results in ineffective transmission ratio and hence the speed. The slip of a belt depends on the coefficient of friction between the two, the shape of the belt and the torque transmitted. Belts used can be flat belts which are supposed to have a higher slip compared the vee belts. Originally, belts were made of leather and rubber but today a number of synthetic materials and steel based belts are available that reduce the wear and tear. The relationship between the tensions in the slipping pulley is studied and recorded by Grosjean1 and Fawcett and Burdes2 using the apparatus shown in the figure 1. The details are shown in the calculations below: 1. The motor voltage is set at 10V and the angle of contact between the pulley and the string is made 90 degrees. The pulley direction is maintained such that the weight tension is more than the spring tension at the spring balance end. The theoretical values and the experimental values do not tally. ... 3. Apparatus The experiment has the following apparatus in place as shown in figure 1. 1. There is a variable speed DC electric motor driving pulley of a fixed radius. 2. The pulley has on one end a series of weights which is variable from 0 N to 10 N. 3. On the other end, the string running over the pulley supports a spring balance which helps in measuring the tension on the other side. 4. The angle of contact between the pulley and the string can be set to four different values 5. The motor voltage and current is measured using digital meters and the rotational speed of the pulley is measured using a digital tachometer. 4. Procedure The following procedure is followed during the experiment: 1. The motor voltage is set at 10V and the angle of contact between the pulley and the string is made 90 degrees. The pulley direction is maintained such that the weight tension is more than the spring tension at the spring balance end. 2. Load T2 is varied by hanging a range of weights on the string. For each weight the string tension along the spring balance is measured and recorded. 3. The load is varied until the motor stalls and the red current control light starts flickering. 4. This operation is repeated for various string contact angles of 180, 270 and 360 degrees. 5. For one contact angle alone, in addition to measuring the tensions, the pulley speed, the voltages and the current at the motor end are also measured and recorded. 5. Results The results of the above experiment are recorded below: Belt Drive Results 90degrees T2 T1 Voltage (V) Current (A) Motor Speed (rpm) Motor Speed

Prohibition of Cigarette Manufacturing Term Paper

Prohibition of Cigarette Manufacturing - Term Paper Example â€Å"Awareness of and involvement with tobacco marketing were both significantly associated with being a smoker: for example, 30% (55/185) of smokers had received free gifts through coupons in cigarette packs, compared with 11% (21/199) of non-smokers (P

How to be an effective learning organization Essay

How to be an effective learning organization - Essay Example 23). Thirdly, these organizations have mental models that are the beliefs and assumptions held by the employees. Fourthly, effective learning organizations have personal mastery and this requires the employees to learn faster than in other organizations. Finally, these organizations must have a system thinking that requires the employees to work as joined objects. Furthermore, effective learning organizations should perform the following actions. They should promote training and employee development programs. Facilitate learning as an important aspect in the organizational culture (Jones, 2012, p. 23). Act as an example to other companies in the nature of effective case studies. Extend the learning to their partners to create profit centers. Base learning to establish a competitive edge. Finally, they should provide learning their clientele as an additional service. The best approach that can be used to explain my perspective with regards to the learning organizations is the classical theory. This theory was formulated at the start of the 20th century and presented a merger between the administrative theory and the scientific theory of management. It can also be noted that this theory was highly based on facts of Max Weber’s bureaucratic theory in 1947. This theory states that organizations should set up well defined structures that help define authority within an entity. This theory mainly focused on limiting diversity and ambiguity within organizations. It states that power within an entity should be hierarchical. This approach is important and made a crucial blue print of other theories that were formulated later (Daft, 2010: 23). This theory supports learning organizations that believe in the effectiveness of specialization while training their employees. This requires organizations to have asset of well-established formal rules.

Corporate law for managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corporate law for managers - Essay Example The courts had found that contracts which were subsequently ratified in a general meeting were not valid as well. (Ashbury Railway & Iron Co v Riche) The Parliament tried to reform such tensions and debates in respect of the objects clause by specifying a provision under the Companies Act 1985.Under section 3A of the Companies Act 1985, a company could carry out business of any nature and could do anything that was incidental or conduct to such business. However, the problem in respect of the objects clause remained and there were cases whereby on the basis of the objects clause the acts of a company were challenged and it was said that the actions of the company were ultra vires. The sole reason for such action was the fact that the company could do acts which were incidental or conductive, however, acts, which were completely separate from such business were still caught for being ultra vires thereby creating problems for companies and their directors for actions which could be hit by way of such an objects clause. In lieu of the problems the Companies Act 2006, by way of section 1295 repealed section 3A and in section stated that unless there were restrictions placed on the objects of the company, the company could indulge in any actions whatsoever.

NYSE and AMEX Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

NYSE and AMEX - Research Paper Example The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) are examples of stock markets that this paper will address. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) original name was the New York Stock & Exchange Board at its inception in 1817. The NYSE resides in New York City and stands out as the largest equities-based exchange based on market capitalization in the world and the only exchange operator in the Fortune 500. It also known as the "Big Board† and only became a public entity in 2005 on acquiring the electronic trading exchange Archipelago. However, in 2007, NYSE merged with the European exchange to establish a parent company called the NYSE Euronext, which operates the NYSE. The merger marked a great step in the global financial markets where most of the NYSE operations are now electronic. Subject, to its rich history, the NYSE attracts majority of the largest and successful companies in the world. Indeed, the NYSE even allows foreign-based corporations to list their shares on the NYSE upon satisfying the listing standards (â€Å"NYSE Euronext† 1). On the other hand, the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) also resides in New York City. Its original name was the New York Curb Exchange until it changed to AMEX in 1953. Initially, members in a mutual organization owned the AMEX. The AMEX attracts many smaller companies who cannot meet NYSE's strict listing and reporting requirements (â€Å"ADVFN† 1). As a result, the AMEX stands out as the third largest stock exchange in the U.S by trading volume where it handles approximately 10% of all American trades and comes after NYSE and NASDAQ (â€Å"ADVFN† 1). However, the NYSE Euronext acquired AMEX on October 1, 2008 and its equities changed to NYSE Amex Equities (â€Å"NYSE Euronext† 1). The National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) owns the AMEX but the NYSE Euronext operates it (â€Å"ADVFN† 1). The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) now known as the NYSE Euro next operates global financial markets and provides innovative trading technologies in the financial market. It also offers the largest futures and options trading venues in the world where it provides derivatives on commodities, FX, equities, bonds, interest rates, indices, and swaps. Specifically, the NYSE deals with U.S equities, European equities, NYSE technologies, global derivatives, exchange trade products, indices, and bonds (â€Å"NYSE Euronext† 1). Indeed, the NYSE Technologies are significant in offering high-class transaction, data, and infrastructure management services and solutions across the globe (â€Å"NYSE Euronext† 1). Notably some of the corporations that trade with the

Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 9

Literature review - Essay Example The statement of aims and objectives in the main body is clearly provided and thus guarantees a score of 3. First and foremost is the research method used in collecting data for this study. According to the research paper data was collected from only those nursing students who had earlier participated in similar â€Å"peer learning partnerships†. This appears to be a narrow and restrictive criteria for carrying out this particular study since students who have already participated in such activities are generally conditioned to answer and/or show emotions a particular way as opposed to students who have never been part of such a study. Spontaneous responses, hence, are lessened to some extent. Moreover the paper fails to specify its data concerning the students involved within the study in a quantitative manner. There is no detailed mention of how many students joined in the research study or whether they were initially comfortable with the ground rules laid out for them. The study does not specify the number of dropouts (if any). There is also no detail why the students might have felt the need to be no longer part of the research study. The study does not make any mention of the response rate of the students under observation. It only mentions that in a moderated group environment the students tended to speak at the same time which again led to confusion when taking down responses in an organized manner. The nurses only provide data concerning their feelings and emotions when in a student-mentorship relationship. For most of the students in the group this would be classified as a positive experience since they would have decided it prior to joining the research study group that they were getting enrolled in this study as a positive experience and self study as well as self development. Hence, there are largely positive undercurrents to such a study as opposed to signs

The History of East Timor Essay Example for Free

The History of East Timor Essay Timor is an island on the eastern side of the Indonesian archipelago and to the northwest of Australia. West Timor was a part of Indonesia and East Timor was a Portuguese controlled colony. East Timor was taken under the control of the Portuguese in the 1600s. They were in control until 1975. During 1942 the Japanese invaded East Timor whilst fighting the Australian troops. Around 60,000 East Timorese were killed for protecting the Australian troops. The Japanese were in control of East Timor until 1945. In 1975 on the 28th of November, the Fretilin declared East Timor as independent. On the 5th of December that year the Indonesian forces invaded East Timor; claiming it as a province. The U. N. did not officially recognise the move by the Indonesians. The East Timorese tried to resist the Indonesian invasion, all attempts failed. While the invasion was happening 200,000 East Timorese died. The political climate in 1975 The fear of communism had spread throughout Asia at the Vietnam War. Many countries were afraid of it and the Indonesians accused the East Timorese of trying to become communist. The Indonesian military used this as a scare tactic for the rest of the world. They claimed that they were only trying to keep East Timor under control. But really they just didn’t want them to become independent. The Australian government knew of the invasion but did nothing to help the East Timorese people. The Hawke government didn’t want to risk Indonesia making us enemies. At the time, the Indonesian government had military, political and economic support from countries such as the UK, USA and Australia. It is to be believed that these countries did not aid the East Timorese from the invasion for various reasons, such as the Timor gap, trading and cheap labour interests. The impact of the invasion in 1975 and the future repercussions The invasion of the Indonesians left peoples homes destroyed, their family’s dead and their lives uprooted. Many refugees left East Timor in search of a peaceful new home. In August 1999, the 99% of the people of East Timor voted in a U. N referendum. Four days after the referendum the tally showed that 78% of the East Timorese voted for independence. A militia leader said it bluntly, Peace? Why would we want peace? If the vote is for independence well just kill—kill everybody. Within one week the Indonesian military-backed militia started a terror campaign. Women, children, but mostly men, boys, the educated, nuns, and priests were murdered. The Indonesian government was trying to make it so that East Timor didn’t have any educated people left. The capital, Dili, was set alight as people fled. Homes, churches and even the United Nations compound were attacked. Many refugees left for other Indonesian islands. The only safe places for the East Timorese were the four cantonments in the mountains that were held by the East Timorese armed resistance. At some points in time there were said to be 200,000 to 300,000 refugees with up to 600,000 people displaced. The role of significant individuals Jose Ramos-Horta: Jose Ramos-Horta was born and raised in East Timor. In 1969 he worked as a journalist and in 1974 he was exiled to Mozambique after his attempts to make East Timor independent anger the colonial administration. When Jose Ramos-Horta returned to East Timor he joined the Fretilin in 1974. In October 1975, Jose Ramos-Horta took the group of five journalists to the town Balibo so they can film the Indonesian attack. He left the town only hours before the five men were killed. On the 28th of November that year Jose Ramos-Horta was appointed as the Fretilin’s minister of communications and external affairs. Ramos-Horta had left just days before Indonesia invaded on the 7th of December. He was in New York representing East Timor to the UN Security Council. He successfully made a pass on the resolution demanding that Indonesia withdraw. But Indonesia ignored the UN. From 1977 until 1985 Jose Ramos-Horta became the representative of the Fretilin at the UN. Jose spoke to many different councils, committees and commissions about the human rights violations by the Indonesian military. He had a peace plan that would end all the violence in his country. During his time in exile, he was trained in human rights law in Australia. In February 1996 Jose was awarded the first UMPO prize, Unrepresented National and Peoples Organisation, for his â€Å"unswerving commitment to the rights of and freedoms of threatened people† later on it that year Jose Ramos-Horta and Bishop Carlos Belo were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2006 Jose Ramos-Horta take a place in the government as caretaker prime minister after many hiccups with the previous government. In 2007 he stepped down from his position while the East Timor’s first presidential election was taking place. Jose won the election with 70% of the vote. Jose Ramos-Horta was shot by rebel soldiers in 2008 and was flown to Australia. He returned to East Timor 2 months later. He continued on as president until the 20th of May 2012. If those in power, wherever we are, whichever country but also at whatever level in society that we are leaders, began working together—we would eliminate abject poverty and ensure that poverty becomes history in twenty years from now. It’s a moral duty of any of us as human beings. † The Balibo 5: In October 1975 five Australian journalists -Greg Shackleton, Tony Stewart, Brian Peters, Malcolm Rennie and Gary Cunningham- landed in East Timor. They travelled through East Timor filming the areas that they passed to show to the world. They were heading to a town called Balibo to film the Indonesian war ships of the coast of East Timor. Indonesian forces killed the five men in Balibo. We don’t know how they were killed but many believe they were burnt along with the footage they had taken on their journey so far. The journalists were reported as missing on the 16th of October. On The 12th of November Indonesian officials, whom handed their remains to the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, confirmed their deaths. These men were important because they were trying to show the world what was really happening in East Timor, not the lies that the Indonesian government were making up.

Experiment to Learn the Amount of Iron in Iron Tablets

Experiment to Learn the Amount of Iron in Iron Tablets GABRIELA CARUSO KANDIR 1.1 What is Topic area you are investigating in to: Prepare and standardize a potassium permanganate solution and use it to determine the amount of iron (II) in iron tablets What is your title: Analyze the actual amount of iron (II) present in a tablet of iron supplement What is your Aim: Demonstrate if iron supplements have the adequate levels of iron (II) by studying if the claims in supplement bottles are correct or not. 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 Objectives: Measure the amount of iron (II) in supplement tablets through performing a redox titration reaction 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 Extraneous variables (contaminants): Permanganate solutions tend to decompose with time, causing a change in concentration. To overcome this variable it is important to standardizing the KMnO4 solution. Sulfuric acid should always be in excess to avoid insoluble brown manganese oxide (MNO2) formation. Introduction and/or rationale: Iron is a mineral that is naturally present in many foods, added to some food products and available as a dietary supplement. Ion is an essential component of hemoglobin, an erythrocyte protein that transfers oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. As a component of myoglobin, it provides oxygen to muscles. Iron also supports the metabolism and is necessary for growth, development, normal cellular functioning, and synthesis of some hormones and connective tissues. In case of iron deficiency the human body cannot make enough healthy oxygen carrying red blood cells (erythrocyte), and a lack of those cells is called iron deficiency anemia. Without healthy red blood cells it is not possible to transport enough oxygen through the body, and without oxygen there is fatigue. Exhaustion can affect everything, from brain function to the ability of the immune system to fight infectious. The daily requirements for iron depends o age, gender and overall health. Starting at adolescence, a woman’s daily iron needs increases. Women need more iron because they lose blood each month during their period. That is why the NHS advices women from ages 19 to 50 to get 14.8 mg of iron each day, while men the same age need to ingest only 8 mg. For the same age group the United States department of health and the Heart and stroke foundation in Canada recommends a even higher daily intake of 18 mg of iron per day. Most women will ingest their daily iron needs through their normal meat and vegetables diet. Some groups, such as vegetarians, pregnant women, or those with higher blood loss (blood donations, heavy menstrual periods, stomach or intestine conditions among other examples) may need iron tablets supplementation on top of their regular diet. This is due either because of a decrease in ion intake (diet) or absorption or there is an increase in the iron needs (such as pregnancy or breast feeding for example). An iron deficiency and consequent anemia will lead to signs of short of breath, fast heartbeat, cold hands and feet, craving for strange substances such as dirt or clay, hair loss, sores at the corner of the mouth and sore tongue. As mentioned before, in some cases of iron deficiency eating a diet that is high in iron-rich foods such as fortified cereals, read meat, dried fruit and beans may not be enough to give the required needs, in this case a doctor may recommend iron supplement, but unlike some supplements, when the subject is iron, more is definitely not better. Adults shouldn’t take any more than 45 mg of iron a day unless they are being treated with iron under close medical supervision. 2.4 Analysis of source material: Oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions are one of many chemical reactions. Redox usually involves the transfer of electrons. Titration is the volumetric measurements of a solution of know concentration when it reacts completely with a measured volume or mass of another substance. The analysis of present iron in a supplement tablet can be done by a redox titration reaction. Iron (II) ions can be ionized to ion (III) ions by potassium permanganate in acidic solution. For the redox titration reaction one of the most commonly strong oxidizing agent is used, the potassium permanganate (KMnO4). Iron (II) will be oxidized to iron (III) and the potassium permanganate will be reduced to Manganese. MnO4+8H++5Fe2+à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  Mn2+4H2O+5Fe3+ As the Potassium permanganate doesn’t require an indicator to signal the end-point of the titration, it has a unique advantage among titrants. In an acidic condition the deep purple solution of manganite ions is reduced to a very pale pink solution of manganese ions. This solution is so pale as to appear colorless when dilute and, in practice, the marked difference in color between these two oxidation states is useful as an end-point for this redox reaction. The manganite ion accepts electrons and is reduced to colorless Mn 2+ ions according to the following half-equation: The potassium manganite solution is added from the burette to the solution of the reducing agent and is immediately decolorized. As soon as the reducing agent is used up, the next drop of potassium manganite solution is not decolorized therefore coloring the solution as a pale purple color. The end-point is the first appearance of this purple color. The acid used to provide H+ is dilute sulfuric acid. Risk assessment: Name of the Chemical Risk incurred How to reduce the severity of the risk Disposal/Spillage KMnO4 Not Hazardous Not Hazardous Not Hazardous 3M H2SO4 Risk 4 for irritating eyes and skin. Casing severe burns to eye, skin and body tissues. If well handled the risk is low. Wear Safety Glasses Keep out of reach of Children, Keep container in a ventilated place In case of contacted with skin or eyes, rinse immediately with water and seek medical advice If ingested wash out month, apply artificial respiration if needed, seek medical help Avoid contact of the acid with water. As any strong acid it may explode and or produce corrosive fumes in (fast) contact with water Wash down the sink with a large amount of water In case of Spillage, liquid can be absorbed using sand adsorbent. This should be transferred to a suitable container and disposed as contaminated waste Iron Supplement tablets Not Hazardous Not Hazardous Not Hazardous 2.1 List the equipment and chemicals/reagents you would use to undertake your experiment: Potassium Permanganate Burette and Clamp with white numbering Iron sample (Iron supplement tablets- 3 different samples) Appropriate glassware 3M sulfuric acid (H2SO4) Magnetic stirrer 3 100- 150 mL beakers 2.1 How you would carry out the experiment including the use of equipment and what chemicals/reagents you would use? preparation of the Iron tablet sample: Clear three 100-150 mL beakers with soap and water. Rinse with several small portions of distilled water Directly into each beaker, weigh approximately 0.5 grams of iron sample. Add 15 mL of distilled water to each sample and stir to dissolve the solid Add 8mL of 3M sulfuric acid, to each sample. This step is needed to provide the hydrogen ions, which are required for the reduction of the permanganate ion. Titration of the Iron sample Potassium Permanganate: Obtain approximately 55 mL of the standardized potassium permanganate solution (KMnO4), and record the exact concentration of the KMnO4 solution. Prepare the buret by cleaning, rinsing and filling with potassium permanganate solution. Record the initial volume reading to the nearest 0.01 mL Titrate each sample to the endpoint (first appearance of permanent- at leat 10 seconds-, pale pink color). Record the final buret reading The mass of iron in each sample can be determined from the volume of KMnO4 required to titrate. This is possible through determining the moles of KMnO4 used, and a balanced equation. 2.1 How will you collect and record the data: data will be collected from the 3 samples in a table with the initial and final volume of titrate. A note on the exact concentration of the KMnO4 solution will also be present in the results sheet. 2.1 How will you Analyze results: The mass present in each sample will be determine through the calculation of the concentration of a reagent from the titration results. Results will be compared with the claims from supplement bottles to verify if the amounts are similar or the claims are incorrect. 2.1 How will you present your data?: Data will be presented with tables showing the amount of iron (II) in the three samples followed by a comparing graph of the quantities found in the tests with the claims in the iron supplement bottles. References: Reference List: Heart and Stroke Foundation (2015) Nutrients for women [Online] Available from: http://www.healthcheck.org/page/nutrients-women>  (Accessed on 22 April 2015) NHS (2015) Vitamins and Minerals- Iron [Online] Available from: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Iron.aspx  (Accessed on 22 April 2015) Centers for disease control and prevention (2011) Iron and iron deficiency [Online] Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/iron.html  (Accessed on 22 April 2015) Webmed (2011) What You Need to Know About Iron Supplements [Online] Available from: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/iron-supplements?page=3  (Accessed on 22 April 2015) National Institute of Health (2015) Iron [Online] Available from: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/#h2  (Accessed on 22 April 2015) AQA (2009) 2 Inorganic Chemistry PSA10 Carry out a redox titration [Online] Available from: http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-2420-W-TRB-PSA10.PDF  (Accessed on 23 April 2015) A-level Chemistry web (2015) Redox titration [Online] Available from: http://alevelchem.com/aqa_a_level_chemistry/unit3.6/inorg01.htm  (Accessed on 23 April 2015) Collin College (2010) Determination of Iron in Dietary Supplement through Redox Titrations [Online] Available from: http://www.collin.edu/chemistry/Handouts/1412/Redox Titration Experiment.pdf>  (Accessed on 23 April 2015) Chemistry Lab Mouse A2 (2008) Practical: Determination of the Percentage of Iron in Iron Tablets [Online] Available from: http://sustainability.sellafieldsites.com/resources/labmouse/chemistry_a2/3204.php>  (Accessed on 24 April 2015) Northern Virginia Community College (2014) Chemistry 111 Lab- Redox Titration [Online] Available from: http://www.nvcc.edu/alexandria/stb/chm/111/111.08RedoxTitrationSpring2015.pdf >  (Accessed on 24 April 2015) Boundless (2014) Redox titrations [Online] Available from: https://www.boundless.com/chemistry/textbooks/boundless-chemistry-textbook/aqueous-reactions-4/oxidation-reduction-reactions-48/redox-titrations-248-1533/>  (Accessed on 24 April 2015) Winona State University (2010) Determination of Iron by Redox Titration [Online] Available from: http://course1.winona.edu/cmiertschin/213/inquiry_lab/exp10_fe_redox.pdf  (Accessed on 24 April 2015) Braemar College (2015) Internal Assessment Guidelines Unit Timeline [Online] Available from: http://vinkichemistry12.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/2/1/25219856/course_description_-_unit_3_2015.pdf>  (Accessed on 24 April 2015) Risk assessment services (2008) Hazard Communication Sheet  SULPHURIC ACID 90-100%w/w [Online] Available from: http://www.riskassessmentservices.co.uk/HazCom/Sulphuric Acid3.pdf>  (Accessed on 24 April 2015) TAQ 2 Time Frame of the investigation if the experiment was to be carried out: 3 days for background research 2 days to write an introduction, reference list 1 day to arrange chemicals, samples and equipments to do the experiment 1 day to do the experiment 1 day to analyze collected data 2 days to write results, build tables and graphs and write a conclusion and abstract Total 10 days to finalize carry out the research project

Ability Tracking Essay -- Teaching Education

Ability Tracking Introduction If there is one general consensus among those who analyze America’s system of education, it is that we are lacking somewhere. Whether it’s in our inner-city schools, or rural districts, there is a distinct literacy dilemma that has yet to be resolved in our schools. Not only are we gravely behind other nations in our literacy rate and mathematics abilities, but there is also an increasing void within our schools. A method of segregation known as â€Å"ability grouping† has been a commonly used practice throughout the 90’s, and has changed the way in which primary and secondary school students are educated. The idea behind ability grouping, or tracking, is that â€Å"many school practitioners assume that grouping by ability promotes student’s achievement because, it is argued, all students learn best when grouped with students of similar capabilities or levels of achievement.†(Perceptions) There are many arguments for either side, thus begging the question â€Å"is ability grouping an efficient way to handle differences in student abilities?†(Education World) Contrary to today’s popular opinion, which naturally runs against the current educational structure of our schools, I believe ability tracking is an effective and worthwhile means of educating our youth, for a variety of reasons. Ability tracking promotes academic achievement, quality instruction, and is a means of student motivation. Unfortunately, those who do not participate willingly in the tracking program can easily become lost or distraught with the system. This having been said, I don’t d eny the fact that many improvements can be made to the existing system as a means of expanding and providing opportunities to all those who desire success. Academic Achievement In an essay, Anne Wheelock, a prominent education critic writes, â€Å"Tracking does not result in the equal and equitable distribution of effective schooling among all students. Instead, tracking allocates the most valuable school experiences -- including challenging and meaningful curriculum, engaging instruction, and high teacher expectations -- to students who already have the greatest academic, economic, and social advantages†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This having been said, I found my high school experiences to be much different than that. I attended a primarily middle-class school in Sacramento, CA, with students f... ...h ability grouping, contrary to the post-modern belief of many proponents of â€Å"de-tracking† our schools. Granted there are many flaws (as there would be in any education system), but once we work through those flaws, such as social and racial prejudice, ability grouping will take our society to new heights. We are on the right track. Bibliography: â€Å"Tracking†, http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/tracking.htm, Copyright 2000, Editorial Projects in Education Chen-Lin C. Kulik and James A. Kulik, "Effects of Ability Grouping on Secondary School Students: A Meta-Analysis of Evaluation Findings," American Educational Research Journal, 19 (1982) Jeannie Oakes, Kevin Welner, and Susan Yonezawa, "Mandating Equity: A Case Study of Court-Ordered Detracking in San Jose Schools." From the California Policy Seminar Brief Series, March 1998, Available online at: http://www.ucop.edu/cps/oaks.html. Tom Loveless, â€Å"The Tracking and Ability Grouping Debate†, The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. http://www.edexcellence.net/library/track.html Heidi Schweingruber â€Å"The Perception of Ability Differences in U.S. Education†, http://www.ed.gov/pups/Research5/United States/perception.html

Making School Uniforms Mandatory :: essays research papers

Intro I am a student that has attended 3 schools and has always worn a school uniform, a mate has never experienced any issues with school uniforms, and have noticed a few issues that can be prevented from the use of a uniform. Uniforms, not only had they been proven to be helpful at school, but they are also helpful at home. Base Parents spend a couple hundred dollars per year on clothing just to make their children meet the latest fashion. An average shop favoured by many teenagers, such as International, sells a piece of clothing for around $40 each! Parents can really find this money useful while paying bills. Uniforms are cheap, after a mate when his primary, his parents had a lot of excess money to spend because of uniform! A typical gang trait is to have a gang name, gang color, and other characteristics, that make them diverse this makes parent spend money on clothes that children don?t need. There is a possibility of violence due to an article of clothing. If a student is dressed up similar to a member of a gang, another student who does not like that gang might plan to attack that person. In this case uniforms can protect the safety of another. Many people believe if you compare a uniform school with a non-uniform school, you?ll see that violence is much popular in the non-uniform school. As said above clothing can be quite expensive, how would one feel if their garment has been misplaced or stolen? A lot of students love to brag about their shoes, especially sport shoes, when they first buy it. Famous Sport shoes are worth $120 on average, and not everybody in the school is Happy. Envy takes place when a student replaces their new shoe, with an old one for a gym class. The other student returns to the changing room, and finds out that his new sport shoes have disappeared. The shoe that had cost a lot of money, and now it?s gone! This would have never happened if the sc hool the student goes to makes a uniform compulsory. Instead of bring a students fancy shoes that student would have brought his leather shoes, that matches the school uniform. Uniform decreases the amount of theft on school property. Uniforms make it harder for strangers to sneak in the school, because for sure they?ll be the center of everyone?

Colonial Representations of India in Prose Fiction :: Essays Papers

Colonial Representations of India in Prose Fiction As in representations of the other British colonies, India was used by colonial novelists as a tool of displacement of the individual and re-affirmation of the metropolitan whole. There are three methods by which this effect is achieved. The first method displays an unqualified reliance on a culture too remote to be approached except physically: a hero or protagonist in a pre-mutiny novel is at liberty to escape to India at a moment of crisis, rearrange his life to his advantage and return to a happy ending and the establishment of a newly defined metropolitan life. Dobbin of Thackeray's Vanity Fair (1848) and Peter Jenkins of Gaskell's Cranford (1853) exemplify this well. Even the child Bitherstone of Dickens' Dombey and Son (1848) regards India as his salvation. The second method demonstrates the duality of the post-mutiny era. We are told by Patrick Brantlinger that the earliest work of fiction to deal with the mutiny is "The Perils of Certain English Prisoners", a collaboration by Dickens and Wilkie Collins in the Christmas 1857 edition of Household Words . Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone (1868) revolves around the theft and reclamation of the Koh-i-Noor and creates an ambiguous point of antagonism between Brahmin and Englishman. The Brahmins cannot be said to be wholly right or wrong in their dealings with the stone and it is the British Ablewhite who is portrayed in the most one-dimensional manner and who is cast almost as penumbra to the issues redefining the character of the former. However, only eleven years after the Mutiny, Collins's Indians remain at all times a threatening presence subject only to the most tenuous negotiation:- the reader must not forget that they belong to the realm of the non-rational. Collins' Brahmins, unaware that they are observed, participate in magical rites and his Hindus, en masse, typify Romantic notions of Man's ideal union with Nature. As re-affirmation, they reconfirm the relationship between the central characters. The third method again demonstrates the duality of the post-mutiny era but with more emphasis on reconciliation. Later novels such as Rudyard Kipling's Kim (1901) or E. M. Forster's Passage to India (1924) attempt to remove either the Indian character from the confines of previous stereotype or the Anglo-Indian character from the confines of automatic moral superiority. Colonial Representations of India in Prose Fiction :: Essays Papers Colonial Representations of India in Prose Fiction As in representations of the other British colonies, India was used by colonial novelists as a tool of displacement of the individual and re-affirmation of the metropolitan whole. There are three methods by which this effect is achieved. The first method displays an unqualified reliance on a culture too remote to be approached except physically: a hero or protagonist in a pre-mutiny novel is at liberty to escape to India at a moment of crisis, rearrange his life to his advantage and return to a happy ending and the establishment of a newly defined metropolitan life. Dobbin of Thackeray's Vanity Fair (1848) and Peter Jenkins of Gaskell's Cranford (1853) exemplify this well. Even the child Bitherstone of Dickens' Dombey and Son (1848) regards India as his salvation. The second method demonstrates the duality of the post-mutiny era. We are told by Patrick Brantlinger that the earliest work of fiction to deal with the mutiny is "The Perils of Certain English Prisoners", a collaboration by Dickens and Wilkie Collins in the Christmas 1857 edition of Household Words . Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone (1868) revolves around the theft and reclamation of the Koh-i-Noor and creates an ambiguous point of antagonism between Brahmin and Englishman. The Brahmins cannot be said to be wholly right or wrong in their dealings with the stone and it is the British Ablewhite who is portrayed in the most one-dimensional manner and who is cast almost as penumbra to the issues redefining the character of the former. However, only eleven years after the Mutiny, Collins's Indians remain at all times a threatening presence subject only to the most tenuous negotiation:- the reader must not forget that they belong to the realm of the non-rational. Collins' Brahmins, unaware that they are observed, participate in magical rites and his Hindus, en masse, typify Romantic notions of Man's ideal union with Nature. As re-affirmation, they reconfirm the relationship between the central characters. The third method again demonstrates the duality of the post-mutiny era but with more emphasis on reconciliation. Later novels such as Rudyard Kipling's Kim (1901) or E. M. Forster's Passage to India (1924) attempt to remove either the Indian character from the confines of previous stereotype or the Anglo-Indian character from the confines of automatic moral superiority.

Analysis of Hamlet Act II.2 Essay

Act 2, Scene 2 is an important scene for the audience’s impressions of Hamlet, as it is the first time we can see the â€Å"antic disposition† of which he has previously spoken. He enters the scene on page 50, and immediately enters into conversation with Polonius. We can see that the act of his madness relies upon rhetoric devices such as puns and double meanings, which are deliberately intended to confuse. On page 51, for example, when Polonius asks him what matter he reads, he replies: HAMLET: Between who? In this, Hamlet is playing on the double meaning of the word â€Å"matter†- although Polonius intends it to mean his reading matter, Hamlet knows it could also mean personal matters, and picks the wrong interpretation, intending Polonius to think that his mental instability is such that he cannot follow the conversation. Although there are these occasions upon which Hamlet seems to be truly mad, the audience can see that he is being rather clever in constructing his act. When Polonius clarifies the meaning of the word â€Å"matter† which he intended, Hamlet responds with a thinly veiled attack on him: HAMLET: The satirical rogue says here that old men have grey beards, (†¦ ) and that they have a plentiful lack of wit. Here, Hamlet pretends to discuss the â€Å"slanders† of which he reads, but the audience can see that he is commenting on Polonius as an old man. By mentioning the â€Å"plentiful lack of wit†, he recognises how obvious Polonius’ motives are in conversing with him, and attacking his methods. Although Polonius does not pick up on this, he does see that there is more to the â€Å"madness† of Hamlet than is seen, commenting â€Å"there is method in’t. † While Hamlet’s act here seems rather convincing, as soon as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter his madness begins to slip. His conversation with the two is coherent, as he directly questions them to see how honest they are. For example, on pages 53-54: HAMLET:Were you not sent for? Is it your own inclining? Is it a free visitation? This short, direct questioning shows his cynicism of the two- he knows that they did not come of their own free will, and is simply testing them to prove their honesty. When they are hesitant to answer, he decides they have not passed his test, and afterwards treats them with a contempt or disregard. This wariness in his personality will become important later in the scene when he contrives a means of testing Claudius. Furthermore, the coherency with which he asks these questions show the sanity underlying his act of madness. Hamlet himself recognises this, when on page 57 he comments â€Å"I am but mad north-north-west. â€Å", implying that although there are times when he acts with seeming insanity, he is also capable of coherent conversation. This also emphasises to the audience that what they see is simply an act, and underneath the madness there is a young man obsessed with avenging the death of his father. Although his mood during this first part of the conversation is that of anger and mistrust towards his two friends, there is an abrupt change in his speech and actions when the players are mentioned to him. In fact, his speech becomes uplifted and he appears to be genuinely excited about the upcoming play. For example, on page 55: HAMLET: He that plays the king shall be welcome- his majesty shall have tribute of me. This is rather ironic- while he shall welcome the actor who plays the king, in reality it is a king who is the source of all his problems. This shows Hamlet’s love for actors in that while very few people in his life are trustworthy and it is hard to distinguish their actions from the meanings behind them, one can be certain that the actors will be acting. After this, he then goes on to list the many characters who appear in a play, explaining what they shall do and how he shall enjoy it- â€Å"the lover shall not sigh gratis†. This also shows that he is knowledgable on the matter of the theatre, as he is acquainted with the many parts which are played. It also shows his excitement, as he speaks more a long time on the matter. His speech is not organised into short, direct questioning as before, but instead he speaks in longer, freer sentences. This change in syntax clearly shows his mood- whereas before his short sentences showed doubt and mistrustfulness, these longer sentences show that he is what he is saying is exactly what he thinks- in contrast to the earlier part of the conversation, he now clearly seems to be relishing and enjoying the words as he says them. This is the first time that the audience is made aware of Hamlet’s love of drama, which is an important part of his personality and will become vital later on in the scene, when the audience is made aware of his plans. It also explains how, when faced with the dilemma of how he should react to the news of the ghost, his immediate reaction is to put on an act. At the end of the scene, Hamlet is left alone and speaks his second soliloquy of the play. As is typical of Shakespearean dramas, soliloquies are used to give the audience an insight into the character’s innermost thoughts and feelings without worrying about the opinions and reactions of other characters towards them. The speech is organised into three main parts: the first, a comment on the player he has just seen perform, followed by a self-critical analysis, before he goes on to explain his plan of action. He begins by speaking about the player, who has put such great emotion into his performances that he weeps during them. Hamlet contrasts this with the state of emotional turmoil in which he resides, although he is not allowed to show it externally. During the soloiloquy, Shakepeare uses several rhetoric devices to communicate this distress to the audience- for example, the frequent use of exclamation marks, which suggest a passion behind his speech. By line 568, he uses a great deal of rhetorical questions: HAMLET: Am I a coward? Who calls me villain? Breaks my pate across? These questions serve to increase his anger, and as he says them his speech becomes increasingly passionate. At this point, he is talking about himself- by saying â€Å"Who calls me villain? † he is opening up to criticism from others, but then swiftly moves on to speak about himself. HAMLET: But I am pigeon-livered and lack gall During this section of the soliloquy, Hamlet reveals his attitude to the revenge which he has sworn to take. He shows the audience his conflicting feelings- on one hand, we can see that he feels he is cowardly for not having acted sooner. This shows a contrast between what he feels he should be and what he actually is, which is further reinforced when he explains â€Å"ere this/I should ha’ fatted all the region kites/ With this slave’s offal. † This shows that he feels that he should have taken revenge by now in order to remain true to his dead father, and yet he is reluctant to act too quickly. To add to this feeling, he has just ben watching the players speak of Pyrrhus, who was a man of revenge and action- what Hamlet feels he should be. He is also clearly filled with loathing towards his uncle- at one point referring to him as: HAMLET: Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! This list of negative adjectives very clearly show the audience how passionate he is upon this issue. By this point, his extreme hatred of Claudius is obvious, and by describing him in this way Hamlet is only working himself into greater fits of passion and determination to act upon the situation. However, Hamlet is not, like his father, a man of war and fighting, but instead rather more cunning in his revenge- in this respect, he could almost be described as like Claudius. He realises that passion is not the way to solve his problems, saying on page 63: HAMLET: About, my brains. This signifies a change in his thoughts- whereas before he was speaking with passion and anger, he has now regained some control over his emotions and can speak with a greater coherency. It shows his belief that, in order to exact his vengance most effectively, he will need to remain calm and collected while thinking about it. As revenge is clearly the most urgent matter on his mind at this tiime, then, there is a need for him to think carefully, and by saying â€Å"About, my brains. † he is recognising this. It is at this point in the scene that the cynical facet of Hamlet’s personality comes back into importance- we can see that he needs evidence before he acts, as he declares towards the end of page 63: HAMLET: I’ll have grounds more relative than this. To the audience, this is further reinforcement of his suspicious nature- rather than simply take revenge without thought, he must first devise a plan to test the truth of the ghost’s words. This in in keeping with what we have been told of his past- namely, that he is a scholar from Wittenberg, which at the time was one of the most prestigious universities in Europe. Therefore, his questioning nature is in keeping with this- for, being educated, he is less likely simply to accept what others tell him wthout proof. We see this during his â€Å"testing† of the motives of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern earlier on in the scene, but only now does it begin to relate directly to the central plot. This concludes Act 2:2, during which Hamlet as a character has greatly developed. We see his plans begin to come together, as he feigns the â€Å"antic disposition† which was spoken of in previous scenes. The audience also begins to see his character develop, as we are introduced to such elements of his personality as his love for drama and his cynicism, all of which fashion the style which revenge will take, and ultimately guide the play to its inevitable ending.

Why is education important in order to achieve the MDGs

The Millennium Development Goals ( MDGs ) are eight international development ends that were established after the 2000 Millennium Summit in which United Nations Member States and International Organisations consented to accomplish by the twelvemonth 2015 ( United Nations Millennium Development Goals, 2010 ) . The MDGs set clip edge marks in bettering societal and economic conditions in the universe ‘s hapless states, which advancement towards cut downing income poorness, hungriness, disease, deficiency of equal shelter and exclusion, while advancing gender equality, wellness, instruction and environmental sustainability. They besides embody basic human rights so that each individual on the planet has the right to wellness, instruction, shelter and security ( Ki-Moon, 2010 ) . Three major countries of Humanity are focused in the MDGs: First, reenforcing human capital by bettering substructure, and increasing societal, economic and political rights, specifically concentrating on increasing the basic criterions of life ( United Nations, 2006 ) ; Second, bettering substructure through increasing entree to safe imbibing H2O, energy and modern information communications engineering, magnifying farm end products through sustainable patterns, bettering transit substructure, and continuing the environment ; and eventually the societal, economic and political rights, including authorising adult females, cut downing force, increasing political voice, guaranting equal entree to public services, and increasing security of belongings rights. The ends are intended to increase an person ‘s human capablenesss and progress the agencies to a productive life ( United Nations, 2006 ) . As persons moving together we have the power to take action and influence the procedure of making the MDGs by 2015 ( End Poverty Millennium Campaign, 2010 ) . Education is of import in accomplishing these ends. A basic instruction of a good quality is necessary for developing an apprehension of the universe and the possibilities it provides, and for being able to work efficaciously within it. Without the cognition and assorted accomplishments developed through schooling and basic instruction plans, the chances for persons and the ability to move independently are greatly reduced ( UNESCO, 2010 ) . Escalating the motion towards instruction MDGs will take straight to an acceleration of many of the other MDGs ( 2010 MDG SUMMIT, 2010 ) . In this essay I will explicate why instruction is of import in order to accomplish each of the eight millenary development ends. The first end of the millenary development ends is to eliminate utmost poorness and hungriness. Poverty forces kids out of school displacing their instruction driving them into the low paid work force because parents can non afford to educate them. Haines & A ; Cassels ( 2004 ) explain that one twelvemonth of schooling can increase a individual ‘s net incomes by 10 % with each extra twelvemonth of schooling raising the mean one-year GDP by 0.37 % . Accessible instruction can assist feed an faultless rhythm of enhanced growing and an elevated decrease in poorness, helping the hapless and profiting society as a whole. Education provides people with the accomplishments and cognition they require in order to increase income and develop employment chances. By educating the hapless, adult females and vulnerable groups it opens doors to occupations and recognition and has the potency for economic growing. With rigorous Torahs on compulsory instruction the millenary development end to eliminate utmost poorness and hungriness should be accomplishable in the hereafter. The 2nd MDG is to accomplish cosmopolitan primary instruction. Every kid regardless of where they live deserve the right to an instruction. The Development Education online Depository ( 2010 ) province that cosmopolitan primary instruction involves come ining school at an appropriate age, come oning through the system and finishing a full rhythm of primary instruction. By eliminating primary school fees 1000000s of kids worldwide have the opportunity to derive literacy and numeracy accomplishments increasing the per centum of educated people in the universe, increases the chances for employment and a stable hereafter for many kids which in manus will assist in accomplishing the MDG of accomplishing cosmopolitan primary instruction. The 3rd MDG focuses on advancing gender equality and authorising adult females. Attaran ( 2005 ) province that there are 759 million people in the universe that can non read or compose, and of those people two-thirds are female. Females face many barriers to education in several states around the universe, runing from negative attitudes to the load of family work and distance to school. In order to right the balance instruction needs to be made a precedence, particular attempts such as using female instructors, back uping hapless households and doing the instruction system girl-friendly could assist in advancing gender equality and in authorising adult females. Severine & A ; Shahani ( 2009 ) claim that there is a strong correlativity between educating females and an addition in adult females ‘s net incomes, improved kid and household wellness and nutrition, an addition in school registration, protection against HIV infection, higher maternal and child life anticipation, reduced birthrate rates and delayed matrimony. Equal schooling for both male childs and misss is the foundation for development in accomplishing the MDG of advancing gender equality and authorising adult females. The 4th MDG purposes to cut down child mortality. Supplying instruction to girls provides a great opportunity of endurance to her kids in the hereafter. Severine & A ; Shahani ( 2009 ) claim that a female parent with secondary or higher instruction more than halves the hazard of kid mortality compared to a female parent with small or no instruction. As mentioned above there is a strong connexion between educating females and higher maternal and child life anticipation every bit good as betterments in kid and household wellness and nutrition, they are besides more likely to immunise their kids. Educating adult females, with at least primary instruction, the MDG of cut downing child mortality is more likely to be achieved. The 5th end purposes to better maternal wellness. Maternal instruction is one of the strongest counterpoisons to childbearing-related hazards ( United Nations, 2010 ) . By educating females it enables them to do improved wellness associated determinations, fewer female parents would decease and the MDG of bettering maternal wellness would hold a greater opportunity of being achieved. The 6th MDG intends to battle HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Education is the key to battling HIV/AIDS, malaria and many other diseases. Education establishments take a cardinal function in the bar of HIV and other catching diseases as they can make out to a big figure of people, promoting positive attitudes and behaviors supplying them with the cognition and accomplishments to cut down their opportunity of undertaking HIV. School wellness plans are besides ideal in supplying consciousness and hygiene patterns to assist contend malaria and other diseases. Haines & A ; Cassels ( 2004 ) province that adult females with an instruction higher than primary degree are five times more likely than literate adult females to be cognizant of and cognize about HIV/AIDS. Education offers an of import step of protection against HIV and other diseases. The MDG for cosmopolitan primary instruction is estimated to forestall 700, 000 new HIV infections each twelvemonth ( MDG Monitor, 2007 ) . It is claimed that instruction reduces the exposure of misss, and each twelvemonth of schooling offers greater protective benefits. Education is the best vaccinum against HIV and Aids and other diseases it is besides the most cost effectual manner to accomplish the MDG of battling HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. The 7th MDG is directed at guaranting environmental sustainability. Education for sustainable development ( ESD ) can assist us to populate sustainably. ESD is defined by UNESCO as the purposes to assist people to develop the attitudes, accomplishments and cognition to do informed determinations for the benefit of themselves and others, now and in the hereafter, and to move upon these determinations. By supplying instruction for environmental sustainability it besides educates pupils on cardinal issues including poorness decrease, sustainable supports, planetary heating and clime alteration, gender equality, corporate societal duty and the protection of autochthonal civilizations ( TeachMDGs, 2010 ) ESD will let persons to do determinations that meet the demands of the present without compromising those of future coevalss. Education is indispensable for guaranting environmental sustainability. The 8th and concluding millenary development end is directed at developing planetary partnerships for development. Developing states financially can non supply cosmopolitan primary instruction for free to their people. Therefore a planetary partnership is needed to make full the fiscal spread for instruction so that globally the education-related development ends can be achieved. And if underdeveloped states make instruction a precedence they can so in bend hike their economic system, which can assist to accomplish all of the millenary development ends. Teaching and larning in schools should take to heighten accomplishments, cognition and behavior related to the millenary development ends. Schools should be after their course of study so that content covered increases the impact that instruction has on the MDGs. Such as, in order to battle child mortality and to change female authorization, course of study on cleanliness, sanitation, and steps to minimise contagious diseases. In the instance of environmental sustainability the school should include plans such as the demand to conserve H2O and trees. To better the nutritionary position of the pupils the school can present meal plans to guarantee the pupils have atleast one nutritionary repast each twenty-four hours. Schools can besides advance gender equality by the different functions that school leaders take. Positive behavior aimed at accomplishing the MDGs can be learned and reinforced throughout instruction. By presenting grownup instruction and literacy plans for both work forces and adult females can supply chances for employment, bettering labour productiveness and presenting plans such as H2O and sanitation. The impact of grownup instruction for adult females can ensue in lower kid mortality rates and higher degrees of maternal wellness. With the completion of secondary instruction adult females are more likely to seek out prenatal attention and better medical intervention, are more likely to direct their kids to school, and have greater economic chances that will relieve poorness and hungriness. All in all grownup instruction in occupational and life accomplishments will positively impact the millenary development ends. 2010 should non be the beginning of the ‘new and unsure ‘ journey towards the millenary development ends, instead it should be the ‘refueling ‘ point on this ocean trip that has been traveling on for the past 10 old ages. The following five old ages complete the journey in accomplishing the MDGs by 2015. With the execution of the millenary development ends in school course of studies globally the program to make the finish should be accomplishable.ResourcesAttaran, A. ( 2005 ) . An Immeasurable Crisis? A Criticism of the Millenium Development Goals and Why they can non be Measured. PLoS Medicine 2 ( 10 ) 318. Development Education on-line Depository. ( 2010 ) . Making Global Connections through Education. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.developmenteducation.info// Haines, A. & A ; Cassels, A. ( 2004 ) . Can the Millennium Development Goals Be Attained? British Medical Journal, 329 ( 7462 ) 394-397. MDG Monitor. ( 2007 ) . Quick Facts. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mdgmonitor.org/country_progress.cfm? c=BEN & A ; cadmium Moon, K. ( 2010 ) . Millennium Goals. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.un.org/millenniumgoals/bkgd.shtml Severine, D. , & A ; Shahani, L. ( 2009 ) . An Introduction to the Human Development and Capability Approach: Freedom and Agency. Sterling, VA: Earthscan. TeachMDGs. ( 2010 ) . The Millennium Development Goals. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //teachmdgs.net/// United Nations. ( 2006 ) . The Millenium Development Goals Report: United Nations Development Program. Retrieved from www.undp.org/publications/MDGReport2006.pdf United Nations Millennium Development Goals. ( 2010 ) . Acme on the Millenium Development Goals. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.un.org/milleniumgoals/

Modernization Essay

Modernization is a process of modernizing a way of life. South Africa and China both attempted to modernize for a beneficial outcome. China was successful at modernizing and benefited greatly. South Africa resisted modernization and in the end suffered from harmful effects. South Africa and China both modernized in their own way. China attempted to modernize from the struggles that were present in the country. In China, modernization occurred later than then most countries; this allowed the Chinese to use other countries as a model. China began to focus on important industry’s that would help their country prosper. They began to advance in military, science, and technology, and established a strong economy by selling products to other nations. As a result of modernization China became urbanized, and industrialized. The nation also became economically stronger which made the growing nation prosper. Modernization benefited China in all aspects of a great nation. China modernization process started to begin after the Qing dynasty fell, with this the country wanted to reform which led to modernization. Modernization was a very beneficial process to china as a whole. South Africa did not benefit from the process of modernization. Modernization caused a loss of culture and society to African culture. The British came to South Africa hoping they could take over the country and modernize the country as a hole. The people of South Africa were known as the Zulus, the Zulu’s resented modernization of the British and wanted to modernize on their own. The British attempted to convert South Africans to Christianity to create modernization in the country. The Zulu’s lost the war to the British and their freedom; natives were forced to provide cheap labor to the British to make money for food. The British benefitted more from modernization then South Africans did. Modernization was not beneficial to the South Africans. Modernization was beneficial to China and was harmful to South Africa. China took years to modernize and was late in modernization but did eventually modernize and greatly befitted from it. South Africa did not benefit from modernization; they had a loss in society and culture. Modernization will always ether help a country or be harmful to the country. This will depend on how the country attempts this process as a hole and what they go off of.

Thorn Queen Chapter Fourteen

â€Å"You!† Even with her hands bound, Jasmine didn't hesitate to attack me. She came tearing across the room, face filled with fury. I'm not sure if her intent was to kick me or simply throw herself at me, but she never even got close. My guards were on her in a flash, hauling her back. Magic started to flare around her, but one of the guards countered it with some weak nullifying magic. Her iron cuffs made magic hard to use, but the human in her gave her greater resistance. I turned on all of them incredulously. â€Å"That's not the missing girl. That's my sister! How could you not know that? She was Aeson's mistress!† It was Rurik who answered. â€Å"A lot of the guard has changed since Aeson's time. Many here came as a gift from King Dorian.† It was true. Dorian had warned that even though I'd won the Thorn Land fair and square, many of those who had served Aeson would have a hard time shaking that loyalty. Rurik had consequently sifted through the servants and guards, getting rid of those he didn't think could be trusted. â€Å"Still,† I said. â€Å"Someone should have known. Where the hell is Shaya?† â€Å"She is away, tending to administrative errands,† said the guard who'd been so excited initially. Now he seemed deeply embarrassed and upset. Jasmine, meanwhile, hadn't ceased in her struggles to break free of the guards. Without her magic, she wasn't much of a threat and seemed to realize using it was futile right now. She stood average height for a girl her age, but her build was slim, and she always seemed a little too skinny. Maybe that just ran in our family. Her eyes were large and blue-gray, reminiscent of storm clouds. â€Å"You can't hold me here, Eugenie!† she screamed. â€Å"I'm going to break free and kill you. Then I will be the one to bear our father's heir!† â€Å"Jesus Christ,† I muttered. â€Å"The song remains the same.† To be honest, I was actually kind of surprised Jasmine wasn't already pregnant and took it as a positive sign that she was still referring to it as a future event. The prophecy that loomed over both of us said that Storm King's daughter's son would be the one to lead the battle to conquer humanity. It hadn't specified which daughter, and apparently, Jasmine was still hell-bent on beating me to it. â€Å"It's going to happen,† Jasmine continued. â€Å"You can't stop it.† â€Å"Are you out of your mind?† I demanded. â€Å"You're fifteen! You have no business even talking about getting pregnant, let alone conquering the human world. You were raised there, for God's sake. Do you know how much Wil misses you?† â€Å"I hate them,† she spat. With the angry look in her eyes, I expected to hear thunder rumbling somewhere. â€Å"I hate them all. Even him. I never belonged there. This is my world.† â€Å"Not if I pack you up and send you to Catholic boarding school somewhere,† I mused, rather entertained by the idea. â€Å"They'd never be able to hold me.† â€Å"I was joking. Geez, doesn't sarcasm run in the family?† â€Å"You'll never be able to hold me either. Your men got lucky, and you know it. I've been dodging them for weeks, each time they thought they had me.† I rolled my eyes at her smug attitude, secretly wondering what the hell I was going to do with her now. I'd spent all this time hunting her and had almost gotten used to the idea that she was gone for good. Now that we had her, I was at a bit of a loss. Never would I have guessed that my guards would inadvertently stumble across her while looking for Moria. In the midst of my puzzling, Jasmine's words suddenly replayed through my mind. â€Å"My guys have never found you before,† I said. â€Å"Believe me, we've been looking.† Jasmine stared at me like I was crazy, which was something, considering that she was the one who needed to be on medication. â€Å"They almost got me last week. Maybe they were just too embarrassed about how I nearly drowned them with a tidal wave to tell you.† I shot a questioning look to Rurik, who shook his head. I turned back to her. â€Å"Those weren't my guys.† A strange thought suddenly occurred to me. â€Å"Were they human?† â€Å"No, of course not.† â€Å"Are you sure?† Jasmine gave me a narrow-eyed look. â€Å"I know the difference between humans and shining ones. You're the one who's in denial, trying to act like you're all-human.† I doubted she would say that if she had any idea what I'd been contending with here lately. Her obnoxious adolescent attitude aside, I was thinking again about what she'd said. She'd spoken of nearly being caught†¦by whom? I thought back to my meeting with Moria and her babbling about the Red Snake Man. I'd made a huge leap about Art being responsible for kidnapping her and the others. Again, I slowed down my racing mind to think of other options. It was possible that Moria's red snake was something entirely different. Or, maybe she'd just run into him here. Like all shamans, he probably crossed over every now and then. Maybe she'd seen the tattoo then. Or, perhaps most likely, was my earlier notion that Art had simply banished her back. All of that seemed more plausible. Yet was it enough to cause Moria such terror? That was the repeated question with no answer. And now here was Jasmine, also talking about abduction. It seemed too much of a coincidence that that would happen while other young girls were disappearing. â€Å"Were they brigands?† I asked Jasmine. â€Å"Like†¦sort of rough and dirty types?† â€Å"They were guards or some other kind of fighter,† she said. â€Å"Stop trying to act like you had nothing to do with it. I know the difference between a bunch of gross beggars and trained soldiers.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah, you're a freaking genius,† I muttered. â€Å"That's not hard, compared to you.† â€Å"Oh, look at that. Sarcasm is in the genes.† When I was younger, I'd hated being an only child and had longed for siblings. I'd never in my wildest dreams imagined this was what I'd end up with. â€Å"What did these guys look like? Were they in uniform?† My guards' uniforms were mismatched. They all had leather armor, but Dorian's recruits wore the green of his army while mine had blue left over from Aeson. Some just wore whatever color tunics they wanted. â€Å"I'm not telling you anything else,† she said. â€Å"Now let me go!† There was almost a whine to her command, making her seem very much her age and less like someone literally set on world domination. Of course, there was no way I was letting her out of this place, not when she was clearly willing to spread her legs for anyone who might help fulfill our deranged father's grand plans. Then, staring at her young face, a new thought occurred to me. I was always so concerned about her wanting to get pregnant that I never paid much attention to the idea of her facing the same risks I did. My queenly status had given me some reprieve, but there were still plenty of Otherworldly guys not above raping me. Jasmine had to be facing the same thing, the target of anyone who wanted to be the father of Storm King's heir. These soldiers she was talking about might have had no connection at all to Moria's abductors-if she had been abducted. Fuck. This was all hurting my brain. I needed to talk to Roland and Art before jumping to any more conclusions. And in the meantime, this was all good reason to keep Jasmine under lock and key. â€Å"Sorry,† I told her. â€Å"You aren't going anywhere. You'll be lucky if I don't break out the Depo-Provera and fill your cell full of abstinence propaganda.† â€Å"Cell? You are not locking me in any cell.† Her lips were puffed into a pout. Again, she seemed so much like any ordinary surly teen that I nearly laughed. She looked more like a girl who'd been grounded from texting than one who aspired to be an all-powerful fairy queen. When I didn't respond, the impact seemed to truly hit her. â€Å"You can't†¦you can't do that! Do you know who I am? I'm a princess. I'm Storm King's daughter! My son is going to rule the worlds.† I shook my head. â€Å"No, you're a self-absorbed brat in serious need of discipline and counseling.† â€Å"You can't do that!† â€Å"I can†¦or did you forget who I am? I'm the big sister who rules a kingdom and isn't going to let you jump all over this prophecy.† â€Å"You can't lock me up forever,† she warned. â€Å"She's right,† a voice behind me said. I turned and saw Ysabel hovering near the doorway. She didn't look terrified of me anymore, but she no longer bore that cocky arrogance. She looked cool and aloof. â€Å"You can't lock her up forever,† continued Ysabel. â€Å"You should kill her.† â€Å"What?† Both Jasmine and I spoke at the same time. Ysabel seemed perfectly blase about it all. â€Å"She's your greatest rival to bearing Storm King's grandson. So long as she lives, she always will be an obstacle. The only way you'll be free and retain your power is if she's gone.† I started to protest that I didn't want to beat Jasmine to the prophecy. Then, I realized that part didn't matter. It was Jasmine's own desire for getting pregnant that was the problem, and Ysabel was right to a certain extent. As long as Jasmine was around, I wouldn't have any peace. I slowly shook my head. â€Å"I'm not killing my own sister. But I am double-binding her. Somebody get another set of iron cuffs.† I saw a few guards flinch. Even with as little iron as the cuffs had, that was still more than most gentry could comfortably handle. Doubling it would stunt her magic even more, but that human blood was still going to give us trouble. â€Å"I want her cell guarded at all times,† I told Rurik. â€Å"With more than you usually would post. And make sure you've got guards that can actually use magic.† Someone had returned with the second set of cuffs by then, causing Jasmine to start up a new round of shrieks and protests. Rurik gave me a nod and then said in a low voice, â€Å"If I could speak to your majesty in private?† I arched an eyebrow. Rurik always obeyed me but rarely bothered with formalities or respect, which didn't bother me. In public, though, he always used my titles, and I wondered what was on his mind. We stepped out of the room, past a disapproving Ysabel, and came to a halt a little ways down the hall. â€Å"Keeping the girl locked and under guard might not be the best idea,† he said. I groaned. â€Å"Don't tell me you think I should kill her too.† He shrugged. â€Å"Dorian would tell you to. But if you insist on keeping her here, then get that demon of yours to guard her.† For a moment, I thought of the fire demons. Then, I realized he was using a more generalized term. â€Å"You mean Volusian?† â€Å"I'm not saying they'd do it†¦.† Rurik hesitated. â€Å"But I'm not saying they wouldn't either. A lot of those guards might be tempted by the thought of fathering the heir, and if she offered†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Good God. She's fifteen.† â€Å"Old enough. It didn't stop Aeson, and if she convinced one of the guards, her age wouldn't matter. I'm guessing your, uh, friend wouldn't be so easily swayed.† Volusian swayed by sex? Hardly. Particularly if he was under my commands. â€Å"Fine. I'll summon him.† Volusian would also stop any magic she could muster. â€Å"You might also consider finding a potion master to create a tincture of nightshade.† â€Å"A what?† â€Å"It's a drink that will inhibit her from using her magic.† â€Å"Isn't nightshade poisonous?† â€Å"Not to shining ones. Not if mixed with the right ingredients. With her human blood, it will, ah, leave her a little†¦disoriented. But it won't kill her.† â€Å"I'm not going to keep her in a drugged stupor.† I started to return to the room and then paused to give Rurik a canny look. â€Å"Why warn me? I remember a time when you wanted to father the heir. Why not take your own shot?† â€Å"With her?† Rurik snorted. â€Å"I still wouldn't hesitate to beget Storm King's grandson-but she's not the one. The heir's mother should be a warrior, and unfortunately, that only leaves you.† â€Å"You're never getting near my bed, Rurik.† â€Å"Yes, I've deduced as much. But I would still support Storm King's grandson and would be nearly as happy for my lord the Oak King to father him.† â€Å"Dorian? That's the only other alternative as far as you're concerned?† Rurik's expression seemed to wonder that there could be any question. â€Å"Who else?† I shook my head and left him, off to order the imprisonment of my sister. Before setting Volusian on permanent guard duty, I had one brief task for him. He wasn't very happy about it, not that that came as any real surprise. â€Å"My mistress, as usual, is intent on furthering my eternal torment.† â€Å"I don't really see how watching a teenage girl is that bad-for you, anyway. It's going to be a lot harder on her.† â€Å"I am a being of considerable power. I cannot die. If you insist on enslaving me, you should use my abilities to bring nations to their knees.† Volusian's red eyes narrowed ever so slightly. â€Å"Instead, my mistress dispatches me to supervise children and deliver love notes.† â€Å"It's not a love note! Just ask him, okay?† Volusian blinked once and then vanished. While he couldn't teleport, exactly, he could travel much faster than human or gentry. After Jasmine's capture and Moria implicating Art, I wanted nothing more than to sit down with Kiyo. I needed to talk this out. I wasn't used to this sort of turmoil and indecision in my life. I longed for the days when my job had simply been to go out, find the monster, and get rid of it. It had been a lot easier than this sort of deliberation. Kiyo, to my knowledge, was with Maiwenn, and I'd dispatched Volusian to see if Kiyo would come to me later. It was the closest I could get to making a phone call in the Otherworld-but still far from it, seeing that it took Volusian about twenty minutes to get back to me. â€Å"You see?† I said when he appeared in my bedroom. â€Å"That wasn't so bad.† â€Å"The kitsune says he will come to you in two hours,† Volusian said in his flat voice, not deigning to acknowledge my comment. Two hours. Well, it was better than nothing. I sighed. â€Å"Okay. Thanks.† Volusian simply stared. My gratitude meant nothing to him. â€Å"Alright. Go watch Jasmine then. Don't let her escape, and for God's sake, don't let her get pregnant.† â€Å"For how long?† â€Å"Until I say so,† I snapped. The malice radiated off Volusian, but my mastery of him would not let him disobey. Demeaning task or not, he had no choice. He vanished. Once alone, I lay back on my bed, hoping two hours would go by quickly. Like everything else among gentry royalty, the bed I'd inherited was plush and luxurious, with a thick down mattress. The covers were heavy brocade and almost never needed in this weather-but they felt great to lie against. It wasn't quite sunset outside, but the light was fading, casting long shadows onto the room's heavy stone walls. I'd need to light torches soon. A knock at the door forced me upright. â€Å"Yeah?† It was Nia. She gave a polite curtsey. â€Å"Your majesty, you have a guest.† For a glorious moment, I thought it was Kiyo. Then: no. It was too soon. And Nia wouldn't have announced him. Everyone around here knew enough to let him in by now. â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Prince Leith of the Rowan Land.† â€Å"Leith?† I said, certain I'd misheard. â€Å"I just saw him, like, six hours ago.† Nia shook her head helplessly. â€Å"He's here, that's all I know.† I swung my legs over the bed's edge and stood up, slipping my socked feet into short leather boots. Leith? What was he doing here? A flash of panic went through me. Had something gone wrong in Westoria? If so, wouldn't my own people have told me? They'd taken him to my parlor, where he sat on the edge of one of the satin-lined chairs. He sprang up at my approach, hurrying over to catch my hands in his. He leaned down and kissed them. â€Å"Your majesty. Thank you for seeing me so unexpectedly. I'm sure I'm interrupting all sorts of important things.† â€Å"Not so much,† I said, withdrawing my hands. â€Å"And you should really just call me Eugenie now. What's up? Is there a problem?† Around here, who knew what could go wrong? Famine, flood, locusts†¦ â€Å"A problem with-oh, no. Everything in Westoria is great. We made amazing progress today.† I relaxed. â€Å"Good. I was worried.† Leith shook his head, eager to reassure me. â€Å"No, no problems there. I just†¦well, I know this is strange, but I just had to come see you. That is, I had to ask you something. I feel like an idiot, though.† I frowned. â€Å"You can ask me anything. What's going on? Are you okay?† â€Å"Oh, yes.† His embarrassment grew. â€Å"But after today†¦I just had to hear something from you.† â€Å"Okay, ask.† â€Å"Are you involved with the Oak King?† â€Å"Involved with†¦what, you mean romantically? With Dorian? No!† Leith's face shone like the sun. â€Å"You mean it? When I saw you together today. The way he spoke†¦and the way you two interacted†¦well, I thought for sure the rumors were true.† â€Å"What rumors?† I asked warily. â€Å"That you were still lovers.† â€Å"Where are you hearing these rumors?† â€Å"Pretty much everywhere.† â€Å"Well, the answer is no. Absolutely not.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Really.† Leith exhaled with palpable relief. He reached for my hand, and I stepped back, putting space between us. The rapture on his face made me uneasy. â€Å"Then there's still a chance.† â€Å"A chance for what?† I asked. â€Å"You and me.† â€Å"You and-oh, Leith, no.† It was just like everyone had said. â€Å"I like you-you're really great-but there isn't going to be anything happening with you and me.† â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He moved forward again, and again, I moved away. â€Å"But you keep wanting to see me and have asked me to be a part of your kingdom. I just assumed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No, no†¦Leith, I'm involved with someone already†¦you know, Kiyo? The kitsune? We're together.† He frowned and was still too close to my personal space. â€Å"I didn't think it was a serious romance. I thought he was just a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Fling?† I suggested. â€Å"Yes. I mean, someone like you couldn't take him as a true consort.† I sighed. â€Å"Why does everyone say that? I love Kiyo. We're together. We're going to be together for a very long time.† Leith's earlier joy was rapidly giving way to distress. â€Å"But†¦I mean, with my background and the way we get along, we're a perfect match. Admit it: you are usually happy to see me.† â€Å"Of course I am. But that's because I want to be your friend, not encourage you romantically. I like you-like hanging out with you. But that's it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I led you on.† â€Å"It has to be more than friendship. I know it is for me.† He sighed. â€Å"I've never been able to talk to someone so easily. It feels natural.† â€Å"That's because you guys always make everything so†¦exaggerated. There are probably a dozen girls you could sit down with and have great conversations with if you just got rid of the formality.† â€Å"No.† The grief on his face was killing me. â€Å"It's something about you. I just can't help it. I'm falling more and more in love with you every day.† â€Å"You barely know me! You can't love me.† â€Å"I do,† he said in a low voice, and some of that glowing passion returned. â€Å"From the moment I saw you. Mother had said you'd be a suitable match politically, but even if that weren't true, I'd still love you. I've never met anyone like you, Eugenie. So brave and beautiful†¦I'd want to be with you even if we weren't ruling a kingdom together.† â€Å"Leith,† I said, trying hard to make my voice stern. God-dammit. Why couldn't he have been an annoying jerk like most of my other would-be suitors? Why did he have to be a nice guy? With great effort, I tried to let him down easy instead of in my usual harsh way. â€Å"I meant it: I like you. But that's it. I value your help and your friendship, but I'm not leaving Kiyo.† â€Å"But I love you.† It was weak and plaintive. I shook my head. â€Å"I'm sorry.† His face fell, and he turned away, wrapped in despair. He started to walk toward the door and then abruptly turned, eyes alight once more. â€Å"If things end between you and the kitsune†¦then I'd be next in line, right?† â€Å"Next in line? Er, well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Why couldn't I just lie and say yes? Or why not use a â€Å"I don't want to ruin our friendship† kind of crap line? â€Å"I don't think so, Leith. I just don't think I could ever feel that way about you.† Leith stared at me wide-eyed for several moments, and then at last, his features tightened. â€Å"I see. I'm sorry to have taken your time, your majesty. Your workers in Westoria understand my task and should no longer require my help.† He gave a small, polite bow and then hurried out the door. â€Å"Leith†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I took a few steps forward, my stomach sinking. I felt horrible. I knew he'd had a crush on me, but I hadn't thought it was much more than the usual Otherworldly attractions I experienced. His face at the end there had broken my heart. I hadn't wanted to hurt him, particularly after all he'd done for me. Dejected, I returned to my bedroom and ordered wine sent up. It arrived in a jewel-encrusted pitcher, complete with a heavy golden goblet. Had to love gentry room service. I declined any requests to see anyone until Kiyo arrived. I sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed and wondering how much of the wine I could get through before he arrived. To my surprise, all of it. I had no clock there but was pretty sure more than two hours had passed. I'd drunk goblet after goblet, thinking about Jasmine, Leith, and Art-and finding no resolution for any of them. I was staring at the bottom of the empty pitcher, pondering the time, when I heard a soft knock at my door. Finally! I stood up and felt the world sway around me. I gripped the bed for support. â€Å"Kiyo?† But it wasn't him. It was Shaya. Like Rurik, she'd dropped a lot of formalities and didn't bother with a curtsey. Her face was troubled, and I saw her clever eyes assess me and my drunkenness in a matter of seconds. â€Å"I'm sorry to bother you†¦but a messenger just arrived from the Willow Land.† The anger I'd been kindling against Kiyo's tardiness ran cold. â€Å"Oh my God. Is he okay?† Shaya hesitated and then gave a swift nod. â€Å"As far as I know, he's fine. It's Queen Maiwenn everyone's concerned about†¦she's gone into labor.†