Laughing All the Way to the Bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Laughing All the Way to the Bank - Essay Example Consequently, one maybe compelled to advance his education by getting an MBA. However, the reality and frustration soon sets in when even after achieving higher credentials, no promotion is forthcoming. To this end, Adams came to the reality that it was not always guaranteed that the highly qualified and best suited candidate for a job gets a promotion. In addition, hard work done by one employee is normally accorded to another less deserving employee. Moreover, based on his comic strip on Dilbert, Adams present the view that only the ‘bright but clueless’ individuals are hired. Consequently, employees are promoted on the basis of low competence rather than merit. From Adam’s viewpoint, in addition to his economic degree, he had gone a step further to achieve an MBA. All of his extra effort was centered on the belief that he would achieve promotion. However, after realizing that no promotion was forthcoming, and a stagnated career, Scott Adams was compelled to qui t his job. It is quite evident that Scott Adams was frustrated with the corporate world. This was after realizing that job promotion and high academic qualifications are not always intrinsically linked. Consequently, Scott Adams opted to go fulltime into his entrepreneurial job as a cartoonist following its initial popularity and potential to flourish. What sources of information and expertise did Adams use in starting and developing his business? Did the start-up of the Dilbert cartoon follow the typical pattern of entrepreneurial start-ups? Why or why not? The concept of Scott Adams cartoon strip, ‘Dilbert’ was initially inspired through his personal experiences as an employee in the bank. To this end, Scott Adams cites that he used Dilbert to channel the frustration, absurdity and stress of working life that he experienced in the corporate world of America. In the onset of ‘Dilbert’s’ prominence, Scott Adams changed tact in the sourcing of informa tion for Dilbert’s development. To this end, Adams sought customer opinion by attaching his email address to every cartoon strip. The purpose for attaching his email address was to draw in suggestions and comments that would develop the Dilbert comic strip further. Consequently, Adams would receive between 350 and 800 feedback messages daily. The start up of Dilbert cartoon did not follow the typical pattern of entrepreneurial start ups. Foremost, Adams started off his cartoon strip while still working at Pacific Bell. To this end, his method off start up contravened the classical model norm that usually calls for total commitment and resource allocation for start up. Moreover, owing to the fact that Scott Adams started off his cartoon strip while still working, he incurred few risks. To this end, majority of classical entrepreneurial start ups involve the incurring a high extent of risk. For example, if the risk of failure in the enterprise comes to pass, the entrepreneur in most cases has no fallback plan. To this end, he/she risks not only losing investments made but also an optional resource pool. However, in Scott Adams case, if he failed in his cartoon strip, he had an immediate fallback plan within his job security. This is in recognition that Adams had not yet quite his job while starting up Dilbert. Adams claims that his success is due primarily to luck and persistence; do you agree or disagree? Do you think his advice is helpful to potential entrepreneurs? Why or why not? Based on Scott Adams view on

Watergate Scandal Essay Example for Free

Watergate Scandal Essay The Watergate Scandal is one of the most crucial and controversial moments in United States history, proving to be extremely influential in both constitutional and political concerns. What began as a seemingly simple burglary turned out to be a revelation of the abuse of power of the Chief Executive and the violations of the rights of the citizens. It eventually resulted in the first resignation of an American president. The name Watergate is the term designated to collectively identify the scandal and controversy that surrounded the Nixon administration (Patterson 64; â€Å"Watergate†). The scandal began with the burglary which occurred on June 17, 1972, as five men forced entry into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The DNC office was situated at the Watergate building in Washington, D. C. In the beginning, the burglary was not highly publicized. However, there were two reporters from the Washington Post that persistently followed the story; they were Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward (Washington Post; â€Å"Watergate†). Woodward soon learned that the burglars were from Miami; they used surgical gloves in the burglary and left with a significant sum of money (Washington Post). Bernstein and Woodward soon worked on other reports which began to reveal more about the nature of the burglary (Washington Post). It was later revealed that one of the burglars was James McCord; he was involved in the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP) (Patterson 64; Washington Post). Afterwards, President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff H. R. Haldeman began planning ways in which the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) can persuade the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to discontinue the investigation regarding the burglary (Washington Post). Some weeks after, the two reporters discovered that the grand jury responsible for the burglary investigation had tried to obtain the testimony of two officials that previously worked in the Nixon White House (Washington Post). These men were E. Howard Hunt, who used to work for the CIA, and G. Gordon Liddy, who used to work for the FBI. Hunt and Liddy participated in the burglary through the use of walkie-talkies; situated in one of the hotel rooms across the building, they used the said device to guide the burglars. In September 1972, Hunt, Liddy, McCord and the four other burglars were charged with burglary, conspiracy and wiretapping (Patterson 64). District Court Judge John J. Sirica was the presiding judge for the case, and he convicted all seven men who received prison term sentences (Patterson 64). The Washington Post reporters continued their thorough inquiry into the burglary issue. Bernstein proceeded to Miami, wherein he discovered that a check worth $25,000 that was intended for the reelection campaign of Nixon was deposited in one of the burglars bank account (Washington Post). According to the report, the check was received by Maurice Stans; he was the former Secretary of Commerce which also became the chief fundraiser for Nixon. This is the first time that a direct link between the burglary and the reelection campaign funds of Nixon was discovered. All the important details that Washington Post used in their reports were taken from a reliable anonymous source that was referred to as Deep Throat (Washington Post; â€Å"Watergate†). The identity of this source was only revealed in 2005; it turned out to be W. Mark Felt, the deputy director for the FBI during the Watergate scandal (Washington Post; â€Å"Watergate†). The Washington Post stories continued its investigation, and soon it brought to light the involvement of several of Nixons closest aides (Washington Post; â€Å"Watergate†). These included John N. Mitchell, a former U. S. Attorney General and assistant to the CRP director; John W. Dean III, a counsel to the White House; John Ehrlichman, a White House Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs and Haldeman. In February 1973, the U. S. Senate created a committee to be lead by North Carolina Senator Sam Ervin, to investigate the issue at hand. On April 30, 1973, as the reports regarding the White House involvement with Watergate burglary intensified, Nixon made public the resignations of Haldeman and Ehrlichman, as well as the dismissal of Dean (Washington Post; â€Å"Watergate†). Richard Kleindienst, the U. S. Attorney General, also submitted his resignation (â€Å"Watergate†). The Senate investigation also intensified (Patterson 64). Aside from the Committee, the investigation now included Judge Sirica, Bernstein and Woodward, and Archibald Cox. Elliot Richardson succeeded Kleindienst as attorney general, and Cox was the special prosecutor assigned by Richardson (â€Å"Watergate†). In May 1973, the hearings of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Activities began. Dean told the committee that the burglary was the brainchild of Mitchell. He also claimed that Nixon himself released money to silence the burglars (â€Å"Watergate†). However, the most crucial step in the investigation was the testimony of Alexander Butterfield (â€Å"Watergate†). Butterfield was a former staff member in the White House (Patterson 64). On July 16, 1973, he testified that Nixon ordered for a system to be installed which enabled all conversations to be tape recorded (â€Å"Watergate†). Immediately, the Senate Committee sought to acquire the tapes (Patterson 64). The former subpoenaed eight tapes as included in Deans testimony (â€Å"Watergate†). Nixon used Executive Privilege as an excuse to not to release the tapes; he also attempted to have Cox fired (Patterson 64). On October 20, 1973, Richardson resigned in protest of Nixons efforts to have Cox fired (Patterson 64; â€Å"Watergate†). Even William Ruckelshaus, the Deputy Attorney General, resigned. In the end, it was Solicitor General Robert Bork who fired Cox. The series of events was later known as the Saturday Night Massacre (Patterson 64; â€Å"Watergate†). On November 1, Leon Jaworski became the new special prosecutor (Patterson 64; â€Å"Watergate†). Nixon did submit the tapes to Judge Sirica, but some conversations were missing while one tape had an 18-minute gap caused by erasures (â€Å"Watergate†). In March 1974, seven men, including Haldeman, Ehrlichman and Mitchell, were indicted for conspiracy to obstruct justice with regards to the Watergate cover up (Patterson 64; â€Å"Watergate†). Soon, the House Judiciary Committee held its own investigation; in April that same year, the tapes of 42 conversations in the White House were subpoenaed by the committee. Later that month, Nixon released instead â€Å"edited transcripts† (â€Å"Watergate†). The transcripts were not accepted by the committee, as it was not what they were asking for in the subpoena. Afterwards, Judge Sirica also subpoenaed for another set of tapes. This time, it was those which contained the 42 conversations in the White House. The said tapes were to be used as evidence against the seven aforementioned officials. One again, Nixon failed to do so. This forced Jaworski to appeal to the Supreme Court (Patterson 64; â€Å"Watergate†). On July 24, The Supreme Court unanimously voted that Nixon release the tapes (Patterson 64; â€Å"Watergate†). The last few days of July 1974 was characterized by the efforts of the Judiciary Committee to impeach Nixon (â€Å"Watergate†). The grounds for impeachment were the following: â€Å"obstruction of justice, abuse of presidential powers, and trying to impede the impeachment process by defying committee subpoenas† (Patterson 64). On August 5, 1974, Nixon finally released the tapes in public (Patterson 64; â€Å"Watergate†). One of the said tapes revealed how Nixon was indeed guilty in attempting to hinder the FBI in investigating the Watergate burglary (Patterson 64). On August 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon resigned as chief executive (Patterson 64; â€Å"Watergate†). The Watergate scandal had extremely shattered the belief of the American community in their own president (â€Å"Watergate†). Even the U. S. Constitution was tested in this situation. However, the scandal proved that indeed the system of checks and balances was effective enough to detect the abuse in power. It also taught everyone a lesson: regardless of the ones position in society, the law applies to all (â€Å"Watergate†). Hence, the Watergate scandal brought the downfall of an abusive president and the peoples belief in the presidency. However, it was also a victory for the American people, as justice was served to those at fault as justice was attained by those who fought for it. Works Cited Patterson, James T. â€Å"Watergate. † Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia. 21 vols. New York: Lexicon Publications, 1992. â€Å"Watergate. † Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2007. 20 May 2008 http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761553070/Watergate. html. Washington Post. â€Å"Part 1: The Post Investigates. † The Watergate Story. 20 May 2008 http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-srv/politics/special/watergate/part1. html.

Why were Alehouses and Gin-shops Threatening to Authorities?

Why were Alehouses and Gin-shops Threatening to Authorities? Why were alehouses and gin-shops threatening to the authorities? This essay will argue that alehouses and gin-shops were threatening to the authorities because they were deemed to disrupt the established social, political and economic order. Commentators of the time, labelled alehouses as nests of Satan[1] and gin-shops as the source of Theft, Murder and Perjury.[2] These hostelries were perceived a widespread menace linking them to crime, poverty, sedition, drunkenness and idleness. At the time, drinking took place in three main types of institutions: the coaching inn that supplied lodgings, victuals and replacement horses, taverns mainly in towns supplying beer and wine, and lastly alehouses, small, often one room, offering only beer. Whilst evidence suggests that government, Parliament, county magistrates and parish constables did not always worry about the same threats, it is likely that much protest and condemnation emanated from the inhabitants of the towns and cities. This viewpoint is supported by extensive research carried out on petition s, legislations, pamphlets, ballads and woodcut prints. There appears a difference in the charges levelled by the authorities between alehouses and gin-shops. With the alehouses, they were concerned in policing to prevent licentiousness and drunkenness, and the latter by moral reformers, targeting the spirits trade and the social problems caused by the labouring classes addiction to gin. This essay will look in detail at the threats posed by the alehouses and the response from government and Parliament. The protests rose from the judgments of the emerging middle-classes, moral reformers identified as Puritans, and local inhabitants. From the mid-seventeenth century, the authorities identified the potential seditious nature of some of the activities within the alehouses. The second part will identify the dangers that the gin craze posed to society at large, the size of the growing problem and the speed of the response of the authorities in tackling this issue. The social function of the alehouses, providing drinking, eating, gambling, dancing and even flirting cannot be underestimated, as these no longer occurred in churchyards following the English Reformation of the 1530s.[3] Recent studies estimate that by 1570 there were 24,000 alehouses, a ratio of 1 every 142 inhabitants, this rose to 50,000 by the 1630s and hit a peak of 60,000 in 1700, a ratio of 1 to every 87 residents.[4] Clearly, as evidence suggests, alehouses were becoming more and more popular, and more and more common within society. The corollary of this expansion infers the central nature and focus of social activities inside the alehouses. It was widely accepted that the alehouses were an essential institution run by the poor for the poor[5], and provided vital income for the innkeeper. In many ways, the alehouses could be said to offer the poor and the unemployed an alternative home.[6] Throughout this period the number of wage-earners within society grew and it is very likely that the authorities feared that people worked just long enough to earn their beer-money rather than spending it on their families, as a petition in Pewsey in Whiltshire demonstrates[7]. It could then be further claimed that this led to a greater strain upon poor relief provided by the parishes because of feckless parents. Samuel Pepys, the diarist, reflects this viewpoint in one of the ballads in his collection: in The Bad-Husbands Folly or Poverty made known a drunken husband who used to spend all his money in strong beer, neglecting his family obligations, repents and vows not to return to the alehouse because Bad company did me undo.[8] The Licencing Act of 1552, set in motion some legal controls over the proliferation of the alehouses, the law stated that to open an alehouse a licence issued by two local Justices of the Peace and evidence of a good character were required.[9] It should also be noted that the late 1500s were a period of bad harvests, hence Parliament and magistrates were probably concerned in storing the grain rather than allowing it to be used for brewing. However, this legislation failed to curb the growth in numbers of the alehouses due to the people not complying with the law and most of them remained unlicensed. This section will address the concerns of the moral reformers, known as Puritans, and of the self-declared better-sort or chief inhabitants of the towns towards the alehouses. Puritanical thought emerged from Protestantism and comprised a moral view of family life in line with scripture. They exercised authority via positions of prominence within society and were ministers of religion, Justices of the Peace, the middle-classes and the gentry. Puritan ministers were not opposed to drinking alcohol in moderation, however the excesses of the alehouses, with all that that entails and the resultant effects on family life were to be condemned. Ministers often took the lead in organising petitions against disorderly alehouses that attracted thieves, prostitutes, gamblers and female drunkards. This hotter sort of Protestants wrote pamphlets attacking the tipplers of the drunkards academye[10] as immoral, depraved and dissolute. Moreover, alehouses attracted people of ill-repute who preferred to drink rather than attend church services on the Sabbath. In addition, a recent study has proved that Puritans disliked the ritual of health-drinking or toasting, full of ceremony, that reminded them of Papist traditions of drinking from the same cup.[11] Besides, healths were often described as lascivious acts that deliberately scorned puritan values and, by declaring allegiance to the king, they were straightforward in resisting Cromwells puritanical regime.[12] Whilst during the Interregnum of 1649-1660 no new legislation was enacted against the alehouses, greater enforcement was undertaken to vet and bar royalist sympathisers from obtaining a licence.[13] Another offensive came from the local yeomanry, gentry and middle-class, who unlike the Puritans, did not seek to suppress all the alehouses, but to censure the ones who were deemed to be in excess, those without a licence, off the beaten path, unruly and disruptive. It was clear that the sheltering of vagrants and prostitutes, the trade of illicit goods and excessive alcohol consumption beyond the point of drunkenness, led to a lack of sleep at night, fights and unchaste behaviour. This habit is cited in the case of Michael Fayered of Inworth in Essex who was accused of having evill rule in his house all night long.[14] Even women alehouse-keepers were deemed to be a menace with the assumption they were setting up brothels and running these establishments with immoral sexual conduct. The number of court cases and protests brought to the attention of government, who sought to limit the effects of drunkenness, led to the Acts of 1604, 1606 and 1618. For the first time, being drunk in public was a finable offence and the annual renewal of licences was established.[15] These acts were more successful than the 1552 Licensing Act and provided some control in confining disorderly behaviour. However, gaming, swearing, tippling, theft, assault and illicit sex were common cases in the law courts. James Scott in his book claims that alehouses hosted a radically subversive culture, one that was well hidden from the view of the elites, hence he coined the term hidden transcript.[16] In support of his thesis, he cites a court case of 1691 where an ale seller in Whiltshire denied hearing any seditious discourses in his house, and that he usually advised his customers not to talk about governments affairs.[17] This statement may infer that political discourse was commonly taking place. In addition, it is possible that it was within the inns and taverns, institutions frequented by the better-sort, that plots against the Crown were hatched. At the same time authorities were concerned about what was really taking place in the alehouses. In the light of these inappropriate political discourses, the targeting of the alehouses might have become a priority for the authorities who sought to crack-down on these behaviours by instituting spies. Records from seventeenth-century Southampton sh ow that a tight surveillance, by both publican and landlords, was in place[18] to make sure that their principal use, victualling and lodging, remained the primary purpose and disorderly behaviour actively discouraged. Thus, the emphasis of the authorities shifted to all forms of recreational drinking which were assumed to be a threat to law and order. Recent historical investigations support the viewpoint that the role of the alehouses for social purposes was more important than the subversive nature previously thought. The observed correlation between alehouses and drunkenness has, in recent years, moved into investigating the alehouse sociability in a more lenient and a less radical approach. The scholar Mark Hailwood demonstrates that it was not always the case that alehouses were the source of lewd behaviour and political radicalism, and that the relationship between getting drunk and being sociable was not antagonistic but interdependent.[19] Sociability might have provided so cial cohesion among people who worked and lived in the same neighbourhood, a jovial environment rather than chaos and disorder. From the proliferation to the peak of the alehouses it took roughly one hundred and fifty years, and several Acts of Parliament before the authorities brought the alehouses under control. By the end of the seventeenth century a new threat appeared on the horizon, namely the Gin Craze. Looking at the effect gin shops had on society and their threat to the authorities, there was an ever-increasing consumption of gin following the banning of French brandy in 1689 by William III. This ban and the London Company of Distillers losing its monopoly led to the increased production of cheap British gin and the establishment of unregulated distillers, who often put turpentine and other lethal ingredients as part of their concoctions. Consequently, thousands of small gin-shops opened in cellars, back rooms of private homes, some people even sold it from pushcarts in the streets. With no regulations in place and a cheap price, the so-called Gin Craze took off. By the mid-1720s the practice of regularly attending dram shops, especially amongst Londons labouring and poor classes, had become a significant social and health concern for the authorities, with the impeding need to pass legislation designed to control the consumption of gin. In contrast to the alehouses, the gin trade and its consumption were opposed mainly by the propertied classes, Puritans and a coalition of Middlesex and Westminster Justices. It can be claimed that the 1729 Gin Act did little or nothing to limit the number of unlicensed premises, which in London alone were about 4,000.[20] Protests against the gin trade reached a fever-pitch by 1735 with the publication of pamphlets, cartoons and treatises. These discourses claimed that drunkenness caused by gin in the street was responsible for social disorders, with an increased number of robberies, fights, murders and deaths by intoxication. It was inferred that the consumption of gin may have been linked to idleness and the incapacity to work, resulting in opportunistic crimes being committed to obtain money to satisfy their addiction to Mother Gin. The Puritans feared that the addled minds of drunk people might have supported the ever-present Jacobean threat, resulting in a return to Catholicism in Britain. These concerns have been well summarised in the 1736 Thomas Wilsons pamphlet Distilled Spirituous Liquors the Bane of the Nation: people were enervated by a fatal love of a slow but sure Poyson.[21] The likely lobbying of Sir John Gonson, a Westminster magistrate, associated with the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and Sir Joseph Jekyll, played an active role in the contended passage of the 1736 Gin Act that increased license fees and fines, and also aimed to reduce the smuggling of gin.[22] Historians have started to investigate the impact of gin drinking on society, and according to Peter Clark, the reformists campaign against the spirits trade was exaggerated and sensationalist.[23] His theory is supported by records of the time which demonstrate that in Clarkenwell, Mile End and Stepney, where gin selling was widespread, there was no substantial evidence of increased crime rates, and this was also reflected in the wider country. Despite legislation being enacted in 1736, it failed to regulate gin selling leading to widespread public disorder by 1738. Many of the gin-shops and street gin selling occurred in the southern and eastern suburbs of London where gin was mostly popular amongst women. The increasingly observable situation of drunk mothers and neglected children caused moral outrage to the Puritans with their view of family life[24]. There was a polarisation between drunken behaviour and thriftiness promoted by moralists. It was believed that heavy drinking was increasing the number of mothers and babies deaths, and that gin was the root of disruption of domestic oeconomy and respectability. It was also widely perceived that gin-drinking mothers were regarded to produce a Spindle shankd generation,[25] with the foetus being damaged in the womb. Above all, it was a commonly held thought that drunkenness led to fecklessness, and people were condemned to a life of misery. The renowned 1751 engraving by Wi lliam Hogarth, Gin Lane,[26] highlights all these threats posed to society. The print pictorialises the violence of excessive gin consumption depicting a ragged bare-breasted mother scraping the contents of her snuff box as her child is toppling from her arms down a cellar that bears the inscription Drunk for a penny, Dead drunk for twopence. The new 1751 Act was effective and restricted retailing to respectable sellers and raised duties on distilling, subsequently gin consumption fell. Overall, it can be asserted that the offensives of Parliament, middling urban society and reformers towards gin consumption blamed the poor for their behaviour. This essay had discussed the different reasons why alehouses and gin-shops were a threat to the authorities in early modern England. Even though the consumption of ale had existed within English society in perpetuity, the increased popularity and concentration of excessive beer drinking became a problem from the mid-sixteenth century. Although the authorities were not against drinking per se, they were worried about the acts of disorder caused by excessive drinking. The authority exercised on the alehouses came from above, government and Parliament, and from below by Puritans and citizens. On the other hand, the gin craze was a sudden import from the continent in the late 1600s and started in metropolitan areas as opposed to the mostly rural alehouses. As demonstrated, the gin craze presented similar problems to the authorities as the alehouses, but included more acute threats that required urgent action: extreme criminality, adult mortality and infant deformity. It should be noted t hat the authorities reaction to the alehouses spanned a period of about one-hundred and fifty years and multiple acts of legislation by Parliament. This is a marked difference to legislation against the gin trade that took over a period of about twenty years culminating in the provisions set out in the Act of 1736. The seditious nature of alehouses only became to be considered a problem from the mid-1600s, prior to this period the alehouses were a focus of social discord which could have deemed to have been a threat to authority but it was not in its nature seditious. On the other hand, gin-shops were deemed to be seditious since their inception. The difference in the response by authorities to the alehouses and gin-shops could be partially explained by the hidden rural proliferation of the alehouses amongst the poor, compared to the self-evident chaos observable in Gin Lane by the urban upper and middle-classes. The influence of puritanism and its revulsion of the amoral family val ues, that resulted from the gin-craze, was probably more keenly felt in the metropolitan areas rather than in the countryside. Ultimately, it is very interesting to note the changes in historical perspective with regards to beer. As detailed in Hogarths Beer Street and Gin Lane[27], intended to be viewed together, alehouses were not seen as places of chaos and disorder any more, they were rather a site of social conviviality, in contrast with the parish of St. Giles portrayed as an urban image of an alcohol-induced road to oblivion. [1] Christopher Hudson 1631 in Peter, Clark, The Alehouse and the Alternative Society in Donald Pennington and Keith Thomas (eds.), Puritans and Revolutionaries. Essays in Seventeenth-Century History presented to Christopher Hill, (Oxford, 1978), p.47 [2] Hogarth, William and Fielding, Henry, Gin Lane, (1751) [accessed 15 February 2017] [3] Mark, Hailwood, Alehouses and Good Fellowship in Early Modern England, (Boydell and Brewer Ltd, 2014),p.5 [4] Peter, Clark, The English Alehouse: a Social History 1200-1830, (London, 1983),pp.42-47 [5] Clark, The Alehouse,p.53 [6] Patricia, Fumerton, Not Home: Alehouses, Ballads and the Vagrant Husband in Early Modern England, Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies,32:3 (Fall 2002),p.505 [7] Hailwood, Alehouses,p.41 [8] The Bad-Husbands Folly; or, Poverty made known (c.1671-1702), in Pepys Ballads, IV, p. 77 [accessed 15 February 2017] [9] James, Nicholls, The Politics of Alcohol: A History of the Drink Question in England, (Manchester University Press, 2011),p.11 [10] Sir Richard Grosvenor 1625 in Hailwood, Alehouses,p.19 [11] Angela, McShane, Material Culture and Political Drinking in Seventeenth Century England, Past and Present Supplement 9, (2014),p.260 [12] Marika, Keblusek, Wine for Comfort: Drinking and The Royalist Exile Experience, 1642-1660, in Adam Smyth (ed.), A Pleasing Sinne. Drink and Conviviality in Seventeenth-Century England, (Cambridge, 2004),pp.55-68 [13] Bernard, Capp, Englands Culture Wars: Puritan Reformation and Its Enemies in the Interregnum, 1649-1660, (Oxford University Press, 2012),pp.162 [14] Keith, Wrightson, Alehouses, Order and Reformation in Rural England, 1590-1660 in Eileen Yeo and Stephen Yeo, (eds.), Popular Culture and Class Conflict 1590-1914: Explorations in the History of Labour and Leisure, (The Harvester Press Limited, 1981),p.8 [15] Nicholls, Politics,pp.13-15 [16] Scott in Hailwood, Alehouses,p.65 [17] Ibid.,pp.70 [18] James, Brown, Drinking Houses and the Politics of Surveillance in Pre-industrial Southampton, in B. KÃ ¼min (ed.), Political space in Pre-industrial Europe, (Ashgate, 2009),pp.61-80 [19] Mark, Hailwood,'It puts good reason into brains: Popular Understandings of the Effects of Alcohol in Seventeenth-Century England,Brewery History,150 (2013),p.14 [20] Peter, Clark, The Mother Gin Controversy in the Early Eighteenth Century, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society,vol.38 (1988),p.68 [21] Wilson in Jonathan, White, The slow but sure Poyson: The Representation of Gin and its Drinkers,1736-1751, Journal of British Studies,42:1(2003),p.46 [22] Clark, Mother Gin,pp.74-75 [23] Ibid.,p.72 [24] Maddox in White, The Representation,p.59-63 [25] Nicholls, The Politics,p.40 [26] Hogarth, Gin Lane, (1751) [27] Hogarth, Beer Street and Gin Lane (1751)

Health Care Inequities for Aboriginal Women Essay -- Health, Access to

Health care inequities for Aboriginal women There are 1.1 million Aboriginal peoples living in Canada as of 1996 and 408,100 of them are women (Statistics Canada, 2000; Dion Stout et al, 2001). More than half live in urban centres and two thirds of those reside in Western Canada (Hanselmann, 2001). Vancouver is comprised of 28,000 Aboriginal people representing 7% of the population (Joseph, 1999). Of this total population, 70% live in Vancouver’s poorest neighbourhood which is the Downtown Eastside (DTES). Health care inequities can be elucidated by the research that identifies the social, economic and political ideologies that reflect aspects of cultural safety (Crandon, 1986; O’Neil, 1989 as cited in Browne & Fiske, 2001). There are various factors that affect the mistreatment of aboriginal peoples as they access health care in local health care facilities such as hospitals and clinics. Aboriginal women face many barriers and are discriminated against as a result based on their visible minority status such as race, gender and class (Gerber, 1990; Dion Stout, 1996; Voyageur, 1996 as cited in Browne & Fiske, 2001). A study done on Aboriginal peoples in Northern B.C. showed high rates of unemployment, underemployment and dependency on social welfare monies (Browne & Fiske, 2001). This continued political economic marginalisation of aboriginal peoples widens the gap between the colonizers and the colonized. The existence of racial profiling of aboriginal peoples by â€Å"Indian s tatus† often fuels more stigmatization of these people because other Canadians who do not see the benefits of compensations received with having this status often can be resentful in what they may perceive is another compensation to aboriginal peoples. The re... ...ir personal encounters with Aboriginal classmates that they might have had in high school. Life experiences, parental upbringing, ethnic roots, social status and education all shape nursing practices. Nurses and other health care professionals are trained in institutions that fail to recognise the socio-political injustices that occur in health care settings. In addition to this, their experiences in their work and in their personal lives and communities, they already have opinions about certain groups of people. â€Å"Cultural safety would encourage nurses to question popular notions of culture and cultural differences, to be more aware of the dominant social assumptions that misrepresent certain people and groups, and to reflect critically on the wider social discourses that inevitably influence nurses’ interpretive perspectives and practices† (Browne, 2009, p. 21).

My Mom Essay

Many people have a specific person who inspires them, but many people still walk from day to day wondering who there’s is, I know mine is my mother. Anybody can be the person who will inspire you, from a friend, to even a pet dog. A person who inspires you is a person who cares about you and what choice that you make. An adult who inspired me is my mother, she believes in me, cares about me, and always helps me. My mother believes in me, in everything I do, and is always positive about it. Every decision, task, and every level that I concur, my mom is always there, believing in me that I will succeed. Graduating 5th grade and moving up to 6th grade was a big step, just like graduating 8th grade and moving up to 9th grade was. But my mother believed that I would still do well in school and would enjoy it alot. Moving up a grade was always a bit scary, but my mother always had my back, and told me to just do my best, and have fun. With my mothers support I enjoy high school a lo t more than I thought I would. My mother believing in me helped motivate me, and show that I can do everything that I put my mind to. But my mother believing in me isn’t the only way that she inspired me, but that my mom also cared about me. My mother never let a day go by without asking me how my day was or telling me how much she loved me. She always wanted to make sure I’m having fun, and enjoying life, with no distractions. All kids have heard different sayings that their mom says like, call me when you get there which for many kids they hate to hear it. But my mom says them because she cares what happens to me and she wants me to be always safe and doing the right thing. Whenever things get tough I can always come to my mom and get her opinion. Many kids aren’t very close with their mom but I know I can share anything with my mom and that she will support me always. Not only is my mom very caring, and kind but she is also very helpful. A person who believes in me, cares about me, and helps me always would have to be my mother. Through the thick and thin she always has had my back in everything, and trusts me. Like lots of other mothers, she makes sure that I am enjoying life, and that everyday I feel inspired, to do something great. My mother truly believes in me, cares about me, and is always willing to help me with everything. Hopefully you have an adult that inspired you like my mom inspires me.

John Updike essays

John Updike essays John Hoyer Updike was born in Shillington, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1942. He was the only child of parents, Wesley Hoyer Updike, and mother, Linda Grove Hoyer. His father was a high school math teacher and his mother was a housewife. In1936, at the age of four John began attending public schools in Shillington. Nine years later, in 1945, on Halloween day he moved with his parents and grandparents to a farm in the town of Plowville, Pennsylvania. Even though John and his family moved to a new town he still attended Shillington public schools. In 1950, at the age of eighteen he graduated from Shillington High School as president and co valedictorian. In the summer of 1950, john began his first real job as a copy boy for the, READING EAGLE, also writing a few lead stories for the paper as well. In the fall of that same year he attended Harvard University, and wrote for the, Harvard Lampoon, a humor magazine. Three years later in 1953, he married Mary E. Pennington on June 26, in Shillington, Pennsylvania. In 1955, his first child was born, Elizabeth, on April 1. Later that year he moved to an apartment in Manhattan and joined The New Yorker, as a staff writer and writes stories for The Talk of the Town sections. Two years later his second child, David was born on January 19. In April that year he left The New Yorker, and moved to Ipswich, MA to concentrate on poetry and fiction. In 1958, his first book published was The Carpentered Hen and Other Tame Creatures, which contained poetry. In 1958 his first novel was published, The Poorhouse Fair. His first book of short stories was published just months after his first novel The Same Door. Then in May of 1959 his third child with Elizabeth, Michael, was born on May 14. In 1960 his fourth and Final child with Elizabeth, was a daughter named, Miranda, whom was born on December 15. He won his first award, the Rosential Fou ...

Scelidosaurus - Facts and Figures

Scelidosaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Scelidosaurus (Greek for rib of beef lizard); pronounced SKEH-lih-doe-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of western Europe and southern North America Historical Period: Early Jurassic (208-195 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 11 feet long and 500 pounds Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Bony plates and spines on back; quadrupedal posture; horny beak About Scelidosaurus As dinosaurs go, Scelidosaurus has a fairly deep provenance, popping up in the fossil record at the start of the Jurassic period, 208 million years ago, and persisting for the next 10 or 15 million years. In fact, this plant-eater was so basal in its features that paleontologists speculate it may have given rise to the family of dinosaurs, the thyreophorans, or armor-bearers, that included both the ankylosaurs (typified by Ankylosaurus) and stegosaurs (typified by Stegosaurus) of the later Mesozoic Era. Certainly, Scelidosaurus was a well-armored beast, with three rows of bony scutes embedded in its skin and tough, knobby growths on its skull and tail. Whatever its place on the thyreophoran family tree, Scelidosaurus was also one of the first ornithischian (bird-hipped) dinosaurs, a family that included pretty much all of the highly specialized, herbivorous dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, with the exception of sauropods and titanosaurs. Some ornithischians were bipedal, some were quadrupedal, and some were capable of walking on both two and four legs; although its hind limbs were longer than its forelimbs, paleontologists speculate that Scelidosaurus was a devoted quadruped. Scelidosaurus has a complicated fossil history. The type specimen of this dinosaur was discovered in Lyme Regis, England, in the 1850s, and forwarded to the famous naturalist Richard Owen, who accidentally erected the genus name Scelidosaurus (rib of beef lizard) instead of the Greek construction he intended (lower hind limb lizard). Perhaps embarrassed by his mistake, Owen promptly forgot all about Scelidosaurus, even though its quadrupedal posture would otherwise have confirmed his early theories about dinosaurs. It was up to Richard Lydekker, a generation later, to pick up the Scelidosaurus baton, but this eminent scientist committed his own blunder, mixing up the bones of an additional fossil specimens with those of an unidentified theropod, or meat-eating dinosaur!

Creative Essay Topics Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Macbeth and other Shakespeares Plays

Creative Essay Topics Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Macbeth and other Shakespeares Plays Creative Essay Topics: Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Macbeth and other Shakespeare’s Plays Do you often make mistakes while spelling Shakespeare’s name? If you do, don’t get upset – there are numerous proofs like his signatures on different documents that showed his struggling with writing his own last name correctly. Shakespar, Shakespear or Shakspere? Unfortunately, a great and renowned writer didn’t have any spell checkers to suggest his mistake (by the way, made not only in his name’s spelling, but in all his literary works). Nevertheless, that didn’t prevent him from becoming a playwright master known all over the world. Romeo and Juliet is one of the most popular works created by Shakespeare. It was adapted directly in about 45 films and TV shows in different countries, and taken as a main idea for more than a hundred other adaptations. Macbeth and Othello don’t hang behind either. And can you imagine how many times were they used as school play? That’s just unbelievable! So, whether you’re a literature major or just a high schooler, be sure that you’ll get an academic assignment to write an essay on one of Shakespeare’s plays sooner or later.   And it’s better to be ready for that, for example, to have 20 sample essay topics: Romeo and Juliet, Othello or Macbeth will not stop you from getting a decent grade! Similar Tragic Elements in Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth Reinterpretation of Juliet’s Character in Film Adaptations The Role of a Female Character in Othello The Battle Between Families as the Encouragement for the Romance between Romeo and Juliet Juliet as a Passionate Feminist of Her Time Romeo Juliet vs Othello Desdemona The Evaluation of Macbeth’s Ambitions: Would They Be Enough for a Modern Career Hunting? Lady Macbeth vs Melisandre: Determination to Kill and Change the Course of Events What Makes up Masculinity in Shakespeare’s Macbeth? The Image of Witches in Macbeth Racial Issues Displayed in Othello Why Was Othello Played by a Caucasian with a Pained Face in the Old Times? Othello’s Distrust in Desdemona: Why Didn’t He Check Whether She Really Betrayed Him? Twelfth Night: the Topic of Sex and Sexuality The Fool’s Role in the Twelfth Night The Positioning of Denmark in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Hamlet’s Claudius vs Macbeth: Differences and Similarities Goethe’s View on Hamlet: Do You Agree? The Relationships between a Daughter and a Father – King Lear Who Supports and Nourishes King Lear’s Madness? These topics will help you to get inspired and select (or create) the best title for your essay. Our general tips is to connect Shakespearean ideas, characters and concepts with modern issues like feminism, racism, sexuality, etc. This way you will come up with fresh and under-researched topics that will do just great for school or college academic writing (and be interesting enough to challenge and motivate you). So, bookmark our sample topic list and return to it when you finally receive the relevant task!

Sexual Harassment in Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sexual Harassment in Workplace - Essay Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the issue of sexual harassment has become a common problem in many organizations. This proposal aims at finding means of eliminating sexual harassment. Some people claim that they did not know the acts which amount to sexual harassment and this proposal is aimed at creating awareness of the acts which a referred to as sexual harassment to employees or employer. Sexual harassment is a crime and individuals who commit the act are held reliable and punished by law. This punishment should not be limited when the act is carried out in Pepsi but the perpetrators should be punished as it can reduce the morale of the employees or victim. Many of the workers who commit the act in Pepsi claim that they are not aware that the act they committed could be regarded as sexual harassment. Before going into details, the proposal has to explain the circumstances in which sexual harassment takes place and the effects. There are differe nt circumstances in which the actions occur or take place. The harasser and survivor can be of similar gender. They can also be of different gender like a woman being harassed by a man. Women can also be perpetrators of sexual assault in a workplace it does not mean that only men commit the act. In order for the act to be regarded as sexual harassment, the harasser’s actions should not be welcomed by the victim. Sexual harassment leads to different effects when committed at a workplace. The act leads to poor work concentration. The victim may have low self-esteem and the harasser may fail to concentrate with work and focus on how to harass the victim. The act may also lead to anxiety, drug or alcohol abuse, increased absenteeism, poor staff morale and less teamwork. Organizations with multiple incidents of sexual harassment have low staff productivity. An increase of the act will make the Pepsi’s employees be less productive and the issues should be addressed. Sexual h arassment is a serious offense in a workplace as it creates a bad image for an organization. The act ruins the entire business operations of Pepsi. Many organization keeps complaining as secrete and solve the issue within the organization in order to protect the reputation of the organization.

Strategic Management Procedures Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Management Procedures - Case Study Example Strategic planning is viewed to possess many advantages in the management aspect of the institution. These advantages manifest as this approach generally maintains the focus of the group towards their objectives and goals. Also, strategic planning also ensures that the different factors involved in the group's action are indeed incorporated and be well regarded in their plan ahead of time. Management who uses this approach becomes fully aware of the things and aspect that must be dealt with thus minimizing the certain issues of uncertainty and disconcertment. In addition to that, the efforts of the groups are well distributed to all the works and issues that must be addressed thus, minimizing waste and worthless efforts. However, strategic planning also do posts several disadvantages to the group and this is mainly related to cultural changes and ambiguity in the plan. Commonly, strategic planning comes in contrast with prevalent cultural trend in a certain locality thus, this approa ch also require change and adaptation when it comes to its implementation. Another is the ambiguity regarding the planning part where the strategy is mainly formulated with underestimation and overestimation, coordination failure, failure in following the created plan, resistance to the implementation of the plan, and others. If critically analyzed, it is evidently true that the advantages of strategic planning do outweigh is disadvantages regarding the achievement of the goals and objective of the group. The main roots this approach flaws can actual be viewed to be in relation to the culture trend and the planning itself. Strategic planning is indeed relevant because it can actually focus the efforts of the groups to the objective and keep all pertinent issues and aspect at perspective however, the plan itself must be created with the participation of every individual in the group for it for efficiently function. The group itself is composed of different individual and that their presence and support is indeed valuable thus they must all be regarded in the aspect of planning. If this concept if significant implemented in the formulation of the strategic management approach then the said value can actually be advantageous for the group towards the achievement of their primary goals and objectives. Case Based Analysis Today's business world is totally different form what the business industries were about ten years ago. Indeed, with the introduction of Information Technology to the globe, along came the different innovations for the business activities in the present system of global trade. This is the reason why many traditional organizations take the option in changing the way they approach the business world in attaining their goals of gaining profit. Among the corporations usually changing their systems are publishing business corporations. This is mainly due to the fact, that with the business of information distribution, a larger scale of customers is needed to support the said industry. Surely, with the traditional set up of business industries, a corporation's aim of reaching the most number of customers may not be that possible. But because of the emerging of virtual business and e-commerce, reaching a worldwide range of different customers had been possible for publishing companies in t he present

International Monetary Economy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Monetary Economy - Assignment Example PPP and the exchange rate are almost similar, 1 and 1.33. This shows that the value of the Canadian is almost equal to the American dollar. This shows that the Canadian consumers and the American consumers have an equal PPP with their respective currencies. The exchange rate will be stable. PPP= Price in Denmark/Price in U.S=8.08. Comparing the PPP and the exchange rate between Denmark and America is 5.82. The value of the Canadian dollar is undervalued. The Canadian consumers have a loss of the PPP relative to the American consumers. The exchange rate will increase. iTunes price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price in Euro of 0.99. The PPP between the two countries is 1. The exchange rate between U.S and Euro is $1=0.78 pounds. The value of Euro pound is almost equal with value of the American pound. The Euro and American consumers have almost equal PPP with their respective currencies. The exchange rate between the two countries will be constant (Tanzi and Gupta 145). iTunes price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price in Japan’s 200 Yen. The PPP between the two nations is 202. The exchange rate of the Japanese Yen compared to the American dollar of 112. There is a loss of PPP of the Japanese consumers relative to the U.S consumers. The exchange rate will increase. iTune price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price of the iTunes in Sweden of SKr is 9. The PPP of the two countries is 9.10. The PPP of the two countries is almost similar, but not exact. The Sweden consumers and the American consumer have an equal PPP with their respective currencies. However, the exchange will increase between the two countries. iTunes price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price of the iTune prices in Switzerland SKr is 1.50. The PPP of the two countries is 1.52. The PPP of the two countries is almost similar, but not equal. The exchange rate of the two countries will remain as1.21 or slightly high. iTunes

Explained in details Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Explained in details - Essay Example Moreover, researchers have pointed out sever limitations in the policy instruments which are used to regulate the financial markets. The current paper attempts to answer â€Å"why and how the world financial markets must be regulated to minimize the adverse effects of crisis to the world economy.† The specific objectives of the current study are (1) to assess the need for regulating the financial markets and (2) to propose an effective framework for managing the financial systems. For this purpose four selected research publications which are focused on â€Å"financial market regulations† are thoroughly reviewed in terms of the rational, mechanisms, limitations and risks presented in each study. Next in relation to the essence of the above studies, the management framework of the EU zone banking and financial crisis, 2008 is evaluated. Beginning of the Financial and Banking systems failure National Bank Act and state banking laws which were imposed after 1933 restricted the activities of commercial banks to specific geographic locations and heavily used Federal deposit insurance and Federal Reserve funding to protect the banking system against risk and uncertainty. The above financial markets were largely stable and fairly profitable however, there was limited space for evolving the system. Towards the late 1960s depositors and investors found the above financial system inefficient in providing their dynamic and complex needs. Development of a â€Å"shadow banking system† which integrates the traditional lending activities and capital markets activities began during the early 1970s. Shadow baking system heavily adopted â€Å"securitization and derivative instruments† in place of real money. Traditional linkage between the depositors and commercial banks in lending activities largely deteriorated in shadow banking system. Recent financial crisis is viewed as an after math of exploding the above system (Tarullo, 2012). Organization of the Report Part 1 of this paper describes the characteristics of the financial markets, need for regulating and regulatory mechanisms used by the governments. This section of the paper is largely based on â€Å"Regulation of Banking and Financial Markets† by Dirk Heremans (1999) and â€Å"Regulatory Reform since the Financial Crisis† by Daniel Tarullo (2012). In the part 2, limitations and risks of regulating the world financial markets are described by using the â€Å"A crisis of Politics, Not Economics: Complexity, Ignorance, and Policy Failure† study by Jeffrey Friedman (2009) and â€Å"The Bailout through a Public Choice Lens: Government-Controlled Corporations as a Mechanism for Rent Transfer† study by J.W. Verret (2010). Part 3 contains implications of the above arguments in relation to the real world scenarios. Finally, the conclusions drawn from the literature review and examining the real world case scenarios are outlined in â€Å"Conclusions.â €  Part 1 Characteristics of Financial Markets and the Need for Regulating According to Dirk Heremans, 1999, financial markets are imperfect and contain â€Å"unique† characteristics (i.e. risk & uncertainty, information asymmetry, heard behavior and influence on money circulation) which demand systematic government intervening (pp 953). Risk and uncertainty in the financial mar

A Review of the book Packinghouse Daughter by Cheri Register Essay

A Review of the book Packinghouse Daughter by Cheri Register - Essay Example But she is only reflecting the 'beatnik' or 'hippy' point of view of the 1960's. Her hindsight at this stage of her life is evident in her work, but she does keep some childish perspective as she talks about her youth. Memories of her dad are that he talked about making knives at work and she called him a "millwright". It isn't until later that she speaks to the actual work he did butchering up animals. Like many kids who discover the reality of their parents' work world, she is not willing, or able, to give his real work the same dignity that she gives a millwright. But after describing the 'rich' kids at school, the white-collar suburban kids, she says that people from her town are "too moral" to do the things necessary to become rich, assuming that the only way to acquire money is to be dishonest. Another assumption is that they are all Republicans who would sell you out in a minute, unlike her Democratic roots. There is a pretty strong irony at the conclusion of the book where Register says that her parents end up living in the same assisted living facility as the former Governor and Mrs. Freeman. They bridge their social divide when Mr. Register shows the former Governor how to set the controls on his exercise bicycle and they have dinner together. In the second and thir... Unions are strong and important but are still aimed toward obtaining basic working conditions for union members. Being part of a union house holds its own merit. The strike at the plant lasts 109 days, about 3-1/2 months, which can be a long time for someone who has worked for years every day, and also for his family. Register doesn't write about her mother as much as she does her dad. The mother, maybe a typical housewife of the era, is in the background as a nice, supportive woman. Register does seem to have a lot of family and friends in Albert Lea. Friendships become strained as a result of the strike that threatens the economy of the area. Many people are opposed to it. But the strength of the union members' principles holds fast and after a violent patch, in which the Governor of Minnesota has to call in the National Guard and threatens to close the plant, they win their case and return to work. This memoir includes historical research and interviews with its personal memories. It crosses the lines that clarify what type of book it is this way. By doing this it sets itself apart from traditional memoirs or historical fiction. It won the American Book Award and the Minnesota Book Award for autobiography. Summary In the first chapter, The Blue Workshirt, Register relates how she wants to buy a blue work shirt from her hometown Montgomery Ward while on school break so that she can align herself with the campus radicals who, as Register puts it, "use fashion to decry fashion" (pp. 9-10). Register does not even want to call her folks 'parents' because she feels it is too "haughty" a word. After being in New York for the first semester of school,, she

History of women in the military Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History of women in the military - Research Paper Example It has only been since recent decades that women have been welcomed into the military, but before this, it was something that was often done discretely. Even though women had often be seen in wars in the ancient and medieval battles, such as Joan of Arc in 1429 (Willens, 1996), it was in the early 1900s that women were being spoken against about why they should not participate in war. One of the biggest arguments was that women should stay at home and tend to their family, leaving their husbands to battle. Many women accepted this, though many more had the counterargument that the men could stay home while the women went off to fight. This was always quickly shot down, though, as the mothers were the ones that children really relied on. Other arguments included the fact that women were not physically built as men were, and therefore unlikely to handle the physical burden of being in a war; the emotional nature of a woman was also looked down upon, with many males and military officials believing that women did not have what it took to handle to emotional and often traumatic impacts of war. Women, however, fought their own battle to be allowed the chance to fight the other battles. The more that military officials realized how many women were sneaking into the wars, the more open they became to accepting them, also realizing that they could be huge assets in the outcome of the wars. Their male counterparts took their willingness as something positive that could be applied to the war; after all, nobody could deny someone who sincerely wanted to fight for a cause or for their country. Men quickly found the positives in this level of strength. It was World War I that really brought the change that women had been fighting for when the United States Navy began to accept women for enlisted service. After a successful first World War, it became clear that it would be beneficial to have women enlisted by

Explained in details Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Explained in details - Essay Example Moreover, researchers have pointed out sever limitations in the policy instruments which are used to regulate the financial markets. The current paper attempts to answer â€Å"why and how the world financial markets must be regulated to minimize the adverse effects of crisis to the world economy.† The specific objectives of the current study are (1) to assess the need for regulating the financial markets and (2) to propose an effective framework for managing the financial systems. For this purpose four selected research publications which are focused on â€Å"financial market regulations† are thoroughly reviewed in terms of the rational, mechanisms, limitations and risks presented in each study. Next in relation to the essence of the above studies, the management framework of the EU zone banking and financial crisis, 2008 is evaluated. Beginning of the Financial and Banking systems failure National Bank Act and state banking laws which were imposed after 1933 restricted the activities of commercial banks to specific geographic locations and heavily used Federal deposit insurance and Federal Reserve funding to protect the banking system against risk and uncertainty. The above financial markets were largely stable and fairly profitable however, there was limited space for evolving the system. Towards the late 1960s depositors and investors found the above financial system inefficient in providing their dynamic and complex needs. Development of a â€Å"shadow banking system† which integrates the traditional lending activities and capital markets activities began during the early 1970s. Shadow baking system heavily adopted â€Å"securitization and derivative instruments† in place of real money. Traditional linkage between the depositors and commercial banks in lending activities largely deteriorated in shadow banking system. Recent financial crisis is viewed as an after math of exploding the above system (Tarullo, 2012). Organization of the Report Part 1 of this paper describes the characteristics of the financial markets, need for regulating and regulatory mechanisms used by the governments. This section of the paper is largely based on â€Å"Regulation of Banking and Financial Markets† by Dirk Heremans (1999) and â€Å"Regulatory Reform since the Financial Crisis† by Daniel Tarullo (2012). In the part 2, limitations and risks of regulating the world financial markets are described by using the â€Å"A crisis of Politics, Not Economics: Complexity, Ignorance, and Policy Failure† study by Jeffrey Friedman (2009) and â€Å"The Bailout through a Public Choice Lens: Government-Controlled Corporations as a Mechanism for Rent Transfer† study by J.W. Verret (2010). Part 3 contains implications of the above arguments in relation to the real world scenarios. Finally, the conclusions drawn from the literature review and examining the real world case scenarios are outlined in â€Å"Conclusions.â €  Part 1 Characteristics of Financial Markets and the Need for Regulating According to Dirk Heremans, 1999, financial markets are imperfect and contain â€Å"unique† characteristics (i.e. risk & uncertainty, information asymmetry, heard behavior and influence on money circulation) which demand systematic government intervening (pp 953). Risk and uncertainty in the financial mar

History of women in the military Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History of women in the military - Research Paper Example It has only been since recent decades that women have been welcomed into the military, but before this, it was something that was often done discretely. Even though women had often be seen in wars in the ancient and medieval battles, such as Joan of Arc in 1429 (Willens, 1996), it was in the early 1900s that women were being spoken against about why they should not participate in war. One of the biggest arguments was that women should stay at home and tend to their family, leaving their husbands to battle. Many women accepted this, though many more had the counterargument that the men could stay home while the women went off to fight. This was always quickly shot down, though, as the mothers were the ones that children really relied on. Other arguments included the fact that women were not physically built as men were, and therefore unlikely to handle the physical burden of being in a war; the emotional nature of a woman was also looked down upon, with many males and military officials believing that women did not have what it took to handle to emotional and often traumatic impacts of war. Women, however, fought their own battle to be allowed the chance to fight the other battles. The more that military officials realized how many women were sneaking into the wars, the more open they became to accepting them, also realizing that they could be huge assets in the outcome of the wars. Their male counterparts took their willingness as something positive that could be applied to the war; after all, nobody could deny someone who sincerely wanted to fight for a cause or for their country. Men quickly found the positives in this level of strength. It was World War I that really brought the change that women had been fighting for when the United States Navy began to accept women for enlisted service. After a successful first World War, it became clear that it would be beneficial to have women enlisted by

Lab - Risk Essay Example for Free

Lab Risk Essay Name and Number: CIS 333 LAB#6 Instructor Name: Professor West Lab Due Date: 19 May 2013 1. What is the difference between a risk analysis (RA) and a business impact analysis (BIA)? Risk analysis is often identifying the potential threats and the associated vulnerabilities to the organizations . Risk analysis doesn’t view the organization from the mission critical Business Process point of view. More over BIA perceives the organization from the impact that is going to occur for an organization if the critical business processes are interrupted or tampered What is the difference between a Disaster Recovery Plan and a Business Continuity Plan? Disaster recovery is the older of the 2 functions. DR planning is an essential part of business planning that – too often – gets neglected. Part of this has to do with the fact that making a Disaster Recovery plan requires a lot of time and attention from busy managers and executives from every functional department within the company. Business continuity is a newer term which was first popularized as a response to the Y2K bug. In order to stop your company from bleeding money in these situations, you need a plan that will allow the organization to continue generating revenue and providing services – although possibly with lower quality – on a temporary basis until the company has regained its bearings. 3. Typically, a business continuity plan is also a compilation or collection of other plans. What other plans might a BCP and all supporting documents include? Technical backup Plan: How can you recover smoothly from technical glitches. Communications Plan: What communication will facilitate this recovery. Why is it important to have detailed backup and recovery steps within your disaster recovery plan (DRP)? 5. What is the purpose of a risk analysis? What is the purpose of a business impact analysis? Why are these an important first step in defining a BCP and DRP? The purpose of a Business Impact and Risk Assessment is to determine the approximate business value of IT assets, to assess the impact the loss of those assets would have on business units, and to assign recovery priorities to the assets. 6. How does risk analysis (RA) relate to a business impact analysis for an organization? The purpose of a Business Impact and Risk Assessment is to determine the approximate business value of IT assets, to assess the impact the loss of those assets would have on business units, and to assign recovery priorities to the assets. 7. Given the list of identified mission critical business functions and processed, what kind of company would you say this organization is, and what do you think are its most important business processes and functions? It Company; Risk Analysis Disaster Recovery Plan to get the business up and running on the web 8. Given the prioritization list provided for the organizations identified business functions and processes, write an assessment of how this prioritization will impact the need for IT systems, applications, and data access? Recovery strategies should be developed for Information technology (IT) systems, applications and data. This includes networks, servers, desktops, laptops, wireless devices, data and connectivity. Priorities for IT recovery should be consistent with the priorities for recovery of business functions and processes that were developed during the business impact analysis. IT resources required to support time-sensitive business functions and processes should also be identified. The recovery time for an IT resource should match the recovery time objective for the business function or process that depends on the IT resource. Information technology systems require hardware, software, data and connectivity. Without one component of the â€Å"system,† the system may not run. Therefore, recovery strategies should be developed to anticipate the loss of one or more of the following system components: * Computer room environment (secure computer room with climate control, conditioned and backup power supply, etc.) * Hardware (networks, servers, desktop and laptop computers, wireless devices and peripherals) * Connectivity to a service provider (fiber, cable, wireless, etc. ) * Software applications (electronic data interchange, electronic mail, enterprise resource management, office productivity, etc. ) * Data and restoration Some business applications cannot tolerate any downtime. They utilize dual data centers capable of handling all data processing needs, which run in parallel with data mirrored or synchronized between the two centers. This is a very expensive solution that only larger companies can afford. However, there are other solutions available for small to medium sized businesses with critical business applications and data to protect. 9. For the top identified business functions and processes, what recovery time objective (RTO) would you recommend for this organization and why? The RTO must match or be shorter than the MTD 10. Why is payroll for employees and Human Resources listed as a co-number 1 business priority? It is listed as a number one because it is highly what runs the office and something very important for these to parts to be correct.

Secure Data Retrieval Based on Hybrid Encryption

Secure Data Retrieval Based on Hybrid Encryption SECURE DATA RETRIEVAL BASED ON HYBRID ENCRYPTION FOR DISRUPTION-TOLERANT NETWORK Kollipara Durgesh, Dr.P. Sriramya I. ABSTRACT Military network is one of the most important network in any country but this network mostly suffers from intermittent network connectivity because of the hostile region and the battlefield. To solve the network problem faced by the military network we use Disruption-tolerant network (DTN) technologies which is widely becoming the successful solution. This technology allows the people to communicate with each other to access the confidential data even in the worst network by storing the data in the storage node. Some of the most challenging issues in this scenario are the enforcement of authorization policies and the policies update for secure data retrieval. Two types of encryption are used for the security. The two algorithms are Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Java Simplified Encryption (Jasypt). These two algorithms are combined to provide the secure data which is even more difficult to decrypt the confidential data by unauthorized people. In this paper, we propose a secur e data retrieval scheme by generating a new secret key each time when the user sends a secure data to the destination, this proposed method enhances the security of the confidential data. We demonstrate how to apply the proposed mechanism to securely and efficiently manage the confidential data distributed in the disruption-tolerant network. Keywords: Disruption-tolerant network (DTN), Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Java Simplified Encryption (Jasypt), secure data retrieval II. INTRODUCTION In most of the military network it is very difficult for the soldiers and majors to communicate with each other because of the  difficult network environment and even if there is no proper to end-to-end connection between the sender and the receiver. Disruption-tolerant network (DTN) are widely used in the networks were there is no proper end-to-end connection between the sender and the receiver. In this paper we choose DTN to communicate between the soldiers and the others. Initially, if the end-to-end connection is missing between the source and destination pair the data from the source node has to wait until the network is recovered in the intermediate node which can be easily hacked by the third party user hence to solve this critical problem we use storage node which is introduced in the Disruption-tolerant network where in only the authorized users can access the respective data. Most military data are said to very confidential and hence we use confidential access control methods that are cryptographically enforced. Here we provide different access services for different users that is the admin decides in who access the data based on the respective designation of the users. The registration of the user is completed only if the admin accepts and verifies the users’ account to be valid but if the user is not authorized he will not be allowed to access the data in spite of the registration. For example if the â€Å"user 1† sends a data to the â€Å"user 2† the data will be encrypted by combining two algorithms such as AES and Jasypt and the resulted data will be encrypted and stored in the storage node where even if there is no end-to-end connection between the source and the destination pair the data will be secured in the storage which can be accessed by the respective authorized person. 111. ALGORITHM A. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm is used in this paper to provide secure data retrieval scheme. AES algorithm is chosen to be used in this paper because it is said to be more secured which supports most of the secure retrieval scheme. This algorithm is considered to be more secured because it is more widely used by the U.S. government to protect classified information and is implemented in hardware and software throughout the world to encrypt secure and confidential data. AES comprises three block ciphers, AES-128, AES-192 and AES-256. Each cipher encrypts and decrypts data in blocks of 128  bits  using cryptographic keys of 128-, 192- and 256-bits, respectively. (Rijndael was designed to handle additional block sizes and key lengths, but the functionality was not adopted in AES.) Symmetric or secret-key ciphers use the same key for encrypting and decrypting, so both the sender and the receiver must know and use the same  secret key. All key lengths are deemed sufficient to protect classified information up to the Secret level with Top Secret information requiring either 192- or 256-bit key lengths. There are 10 rounds for 128-bit keys, 12 rounds for 192-bit keys, and 14 rounds for 256-bit keys a round consists of several processing steps that include substitution, transposition and mixing of the input  plain text  and transform it into the final output of  cipher text. Various researchers have published attacks against reduced-round versions of the Advanced Encryption Standard, and a research paper published in 2011 demonstrated that using a technique called a biclique attack could recover AES keys faster than a brute-force attack by a factor of between three and five, depending on the cipher version. Even this attack, though, does not threaten the practical use of AES due to its high computational complexity. In this paper AES is used along with the DTN technologies because of the many security and privacy challenges. Since some users may change their associated attributes at some point (for example, moving their region), or some private keys might be compromised, key revocation (or update) for each attribute is necessary in order to make systems secure. For example, if a user joins or leaves an attribute group, the associated attribute key should be changed and redistributed to all the other members in the group. B. Java Simplified Encryption (Jasypt) The other algorithm used in this paper is Java Simplified Encryption (Jasypt), it is chosen for the hybrid encryption for a full secured mode to provide secure data retrieval of confidential data. This algorithm is combined with the AES algorithm to provide hybrid encryption. The final challenge in this paper is to provide a new secret key each time a user sends a secret data to the receiver. The secret key generated is unique and it generates a new key each time, which is even more secured for the secure data retrieval. The admin plays a vital role here to manage the overall source and destination pair but the admin is not authorized to access the information because the secret key is generated automatically which is sent to the receiver’s personal account which is not managed by the admin. Fig 1. Architecture of secure data retrieval in Disruption Tolerant Network (DTN) IV. EXISTING SYSTEM The existing system comprises a concept of attribute-based encryption (ABE) is a promising approach that fulfills the requirements for secure data retrieval in DTNs. ABE features a mechanism that enables an access control over encrypted data using access policies and ascribed attributes among private keys and ciphertexts. Especially, ciphertext-policy ABE (CP-ABE) provides a scalable way of encrypting data such that the encryptor defines the attribute set that the decryptor needs to possess in order to decrypt the ciphertext. Thus, different users are allowed to decrypt different pieces of data per the security policy. The problem of applying the ABE to DTNs introduces several security and privacy challenges. Since some users may change their associated attributes at some point (for example, moving their region), or some private keys might be compromised, key revocation (or update) for each attribute is necessary in order to make systems secure. However, this issue is even more difficult, especially in ABE systems, since each attribute is conceivably shared by multiple users (henceforth, we refer to such a collection of users as an attribute group). V. PROPOSED SYSTEM In the proposed system we use hybrid encryption by combining two algorithms and hence we enhance the security of confidential data. Here the admin keeps in track of all the users account hence even if the attribute of the particular user is changed, the admin makes the notification of the changes. Thus, the disadvantages of the existing system is solved. Unauthorized users who do not have enough credentials satisfying the access policy should be deterred from accessing the plain data in the storage node. In addition, unauthorized access from the storage node or key authorities should be also prevented. If multiple users collude, they may be able to decrypt a ciphertext by combining their attributes even if each of the users cannot decrypt the ciphertext alone. VI. MODULES Key Authorities module The key generation module generates secret key where the hybrid encryption occurs using AES and Jasypt algorithm. This key generation is very efficient because it combines the two encryption and produces the secret code. In this paper to increase the security of the military network, the secret key generated by the hybrid encryption is sent to the users personal email id, so that even the admin who manages the entire network will not be able to access the confidential data. Storage node module In the storage node module, the data from the sender is stored even when there is no stable network between the sender and the receiver since, we use Disruption Tolerant Network (DTN). The storage node consists of the encrypted data where only the corresponding receiver can access the respective data. To access the data from the storage node the receiver has to specify the secret code which is generated by the hybrid encryption and is secretly mailed to the receiver. Sender module The sender module is the one who holds the confidential data and wishes to store them into the external data storage node for ease of sharing or for reliable delivery to users in the extreme networking environments. A sender is responsible for defining (attribute based) access policy and enforcing it on its own data by encrypting the data under the policy before storing it to the storage node. Fig 2. Hybrid Encryption of secret message User Module This the last module which tends to access the confidential data from the sender which is stored in the storage node. The receiver has to provide the correct secret key which will be sent to his corresponding mail id. If a user possesses a set of attributes satisfying the access policy of the encrypted data defined by the sender, and is not revoked in any of the attributes, then he will be able to decrypt the cipher text and obtain the data. VII. CONCLUSION DTN technologies are becoming successful which allows for the communication between devices which do not have stable network and hence this can be more efficiently used in the military network. AES and Jasypt are scalable cryptographic solution to the access control and secure data retrieval. In this paper we proposed efficient data retrieval method using hybrid encryption by combining two algorithms. The encrypted data is then stored in the storage node which can be accessed only by the corresponding user by providing the respective secret key. In addition admin monitors all the attributes of the users which allows fine-grained key revocation for each attribute group. We demonstrate how to apply the proposed mechanism to securely and efficiently manage the confidential data distributed in the disruption-tolerant military network. VIII. REFERENCES [1] J. Burgess, B. Gallagher, D. Jensen, and B. N. Levine, â€Å"Maxprop: Routing for vehicle-based disruption tolerant networks,† in Proc. IEEE INFOCOM, 2006, pp. 1–11. [2] M. Chuah andP.Yang,â€Å"Nodedensity-basedadaptiveroutingscheme for disruption tolerant networks,† in Proc. IEEE MILCOM, 2006, pp. 1–6. [3] M. M. B. Tariq, M. Ammar, and E. Zequra, â€Å"Mesage ferry route design for sparse ad hoc networks with mobile nodes,† in Proc. ACM MobiHoc, 2006, pp. 37–48. [4] S.Roy and M.Chuah,â€Å"Secure data retrieval based on cipher text policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) system for the DTNs,† Lehigh CSE Tech. Rep., 2009. [5] M. Chuah and P. Yang, â€Å"Performance evaluation of content-based information retrieval schemes for DTNs,† in Proc. IEEE MILCOM, 2007, pp. 1–7. [6] M. Kallahalla, E. Riedel, R. Swaminathan, Q. Wang, and K. Fu, â€Å"Plutus: Scalable secure file sharing on untrusted storage,† in Proc. Conf. File Storage Technol., 2003, pp. 29–42. [7] L. Ibraimi, M. Petkovic, S. Nikova, P. Hartel, and W. Jonker, â€Å"Mediated ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption and its application,† in Proc.WISA, 2009, LNCS 5932, pp. 309–323. [8] N. Chen, M. Gerla, D. Huang, and X. Hong, â€Å"Secure, selective group broadcast in vehicular networks using dynamic attribute based encryption,† in Proc. Ad Hoc Netw. Workshop, 2010, pp. 1–8. [9] D. Huang and M. Verma, â€Å"ASPE: Attribute-based secure policy enforcement  in vehicular adho cnetworks,† AdHocNetw.,vol.7,no.8, pp. 1526–1535, 2009. [10]A.LewkoandB.Waters,â€Å"Decentralizing attribute-based encryption,† Cryptology ePrint Archive: Rep. 2010/351, 2010. [11] A. Sahai and B. Waters, â€Å"Fuzzy identity-based encryption,† in Proc. Eurocrypt, 2005, pp. 457–473. [12] V. Goyal, O. Pandey, A. Sahai, and B. Waters, â€Å"Attribute-based encryption for fine-grained access control of encrypted data,† in Proc.ACMConf.Comput.Commun.Security,2006,pp.89–98. [13] J. Bethencourt, A. Sahai, and B. Waters, â€Å"Ciphertext-policy attributebased encryption,† in Proc. IEEE Symp. Security Privacy, 2007, pp. 321–334. [14] R. Ostrovsky, A. Sahai, and B. Waters, â€Å"Attribute-based encryption with non-monotonic access structures,† in Proc. ACM Conf. Comput. Commun. Security, 2007, pp. 195–203. [15] S. Yu, C. Wang, K. Ren, and W. Lou, â€Å"Attribute based data sharing with attribute revocation,†in Proc.ASIACCS,2010,pp.261–270. [16] A. Boldyreva, V. Goyal, and V. Kumar, â€Å"Identity-based encryption with efficient revocation,†inProc.ACMConf.Comput.Commun.Security, 2008, pp. 417–426. [17]M.Pirretti,P.Traynor,P.McDaniel,andB.Waters,â€Å"Secure attribute based systems,†inProc.ACMConf.Comput.Commun.Security,2006, pp. 99–112. [18]S.RafaeliandD.Hutchison,â€Å"A survey of key management for secure group communication,† Comput. Surv., vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 309–329, 2003. [19] S. Mittra, â€Å"Iolus: A framework for scalable secure multicasting,† in Proc. ACM SIGCOMM, 1997, pp. 277–288. [20] P.Golle, J.Staddon, M. Gagne,and P. Rasmussen,â€Å"A content-driven access control system,† in Proc. Symp. Identity Trust Internet, 2008, pp. 26–35. [21] L.Cheungand C.Newport,â€Å"Provably secure cipher text policy ABE,† inProc.ACMConf.Comput.Commun.Security,2007,pp.456–465. [22] V.Goyal, A.Jain,O.Pandey, and A.Sahai,â€Å"Bounded cipher text policy attribute-based encryption,†inProc.ICALP,2008,pp.579–591.

Taco Bells Response to Lawsuit Essay -- Case Study

Unexpected Event In January 2011, a class action lawsuit was filed against Taco Bell, alleging the restaurant chain used more meat fillers than real ground beef. Specifically, the suit claimed Taco Bell’s products were made with â€Å"taco meat filling,† which consisted of extenders and other non-meat substances. The complaint further pointed out that Taco Bell not only misled consumers but also violated federal requirements by labeling â€Å"taco meat filling† as beef. This incident was unexpected as Taco Bell was not informed before the lawsuit was publicized. In addition, the â€Å"beef fiasco† made national headlines and could seriously tarnish the Taco Bell brand. Taco Bell’s response to the â€Å"meat filling† charges was quick and direct. In an attempt to reassure both the customers and employees, Taco Bell launched an advertising campaign explaining the ingredients in its ground beef. The following analysis will discuss how Taco Bell used integrative thinking to combat the bad press and how the company applied Weick and Sutcliffe’s five HRO principles to reverse the negative sentiments generated by the lawsuit. I will also suggest small wins for Taco Bell in regards to the functionalities and implementation of the five HRO principles in order to manifest a more mindful and sustainable infrastructure in the wake of this event. Integrating IMC 457 Taco Bell could choose to remain silent in response to the charges and had its attorneys to negotiate on its behalf. However, silence from the company would mean to reluctantly agree with the accusations. Or, Taco Bell could stay aggressive and took legal action against the plaintiff for making allegedly false statements about its products. The implied trade-off here would be the risk of inviti... ...the five HRO principles must be implemented at all levels to develop a state of â€Å"mindfulness† and to meet customers’ expectations. Works Cited 1. http://adage.com/article/news/taco-bell-launches-ad-campaign-response-lawsuit/148552/ 2. http://www.prdaily.com/crisiscommunications/Articles/7297.aspx 3. http://www.prdaily.com/crisiscommunications/Articles/PR_crisis_averted_Lawsuit_targeting_Taco_Bells_bee_7980.aspx 4. http://mashable.com/2011/01/28/taco-bell-social-media-crisis/ 5. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/taco-bell-defends-beef-legal-action/story?id=12785818#.T6r9046nS8U 6. http://www.mrmediatraining.com/index.php/2011/04/22/taco-bells-great-crisis-management/ 7. http://ww2.crisisblogger.com/2011/01/taco-bell-if-there-beef-is-as-good-as-their-crisis-management-theyre-looking-good/ 8. http://www.coneinc.com/taco-bell-manages-beef-crisis

Medical Ethics :: essays research papers

Quaestiones Disputate #3) Whether it is ethical to keep a person alive if their quality of life is not good and will not improve. In such a case, what is the responsibility of the medical profession?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The following argument will be made toward the negative, suggesting that it is intrinsically unethical to keep a person alive under certain circumstances The first issue to address is the sub-components of the Quaestione in order to better set the argument in motion as a proof. The Quaestione can be divided up into the following components [whether it is ethical to keep a person alive] , [if their quality of life is not good] , [and will not improve]. , [In such a case, what is the responsibility] , [of the medical profession].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first component is, in a general sense, unarguable. Standing alone, the statement of keeping someone alive bears a right to which every human is morally obliged to uphold. They key here is standing alone....Of course society’s code of conduct says that we must preserve life, but this can only be true to a sense until the next issue is incorporated - what if their life is not good?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What exactly is not good? If we take it from an Aristotelean point of view, we can see that Aristotle claimed that happiness or good living - being happy, healthy, prosperous, and flourishing - is the goal of human life and the basis of all ethical behavior. This eudaimonia that he begins to describe is an end, in a sense that that goal has been reached. If one can no longer reach this ultimate goal or end or is rendered unable to physically or mentally move oneself in that direction (after all, someone else can’t live your life for you to move you to happiness) their life is considered not good. A life rendered not good combined with our ethical obligation to keep someone alive, probably still not enough to grant the individual the ultimate end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now if you listen closely, this is where the turning point begins. Being a teleologist, Aristotle claims that every action is good only in so far that they achieve some good end. If life is not good, and we reach stage three where it will not improve, where is the action of keeping the individual alive reaching a good end. The life is not good, nor will it ever be good - so what is the good end that would result that would warrant this action to be a good action.

Is Christian Morality Today Too Lenient

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, Morality is a personal or social set of standards for good or bad behavior and character, or the quality of being right, honest or acceptable. It is characteristically the way you make decisions based on what you think is right or wrong. It is this same principle that today is affecting the Christian Population. Christians are being tormented with daunting questions such as: Am I doing the right thing? Should I do the right thing even though it may end up affecting me? How come nonbelievers get to have fun and I can’t? Just because I attend church and I am a Christian, does it mean that I have to do what the church says? on a daily basis. Christian morality hasn’t changed and should not ever change. It is a constant. The New Testament reminds us that Christian Morality is a contract with God and mankind. In fact, Leviticus 19 says that we should follow his commandments and be moral; not to steal, not to lie, not to commit adultery etc. if we plan to get to heaven. However, this warning seems to be considered a fraud due the amount of people who subscribe to these laws seem to diminish every day. This, therefore, gives reason to my opinion that Christian morality is having a tough time surviving due to its leniency. As compared to years past, the principle of Christian morality has been taken advantage of. People tend to make decisions now based on social pressures and what they feel will be accepted. They believe that because the entire world is doing something, they should too or else they would be considered an outcast. Therefore, they end up making their decisions in vacuums, without a solid base. In the past, the church, the society, parents and elders had an input in guiding and helping in the decision making process of its young people. In fact, Christian Morality can be considered too tolerant as compared to the adjective lenient. For example, many people watch things in movies and television that they shouldn't, sometimes hangout with the wrong people and think nothing of a hearing a dirty joke or something similar. They put worldly things before God- sports, entertainment, people, and their needs. A very common example in Belize is the willingness among teenagers to engage in sexual activity in spite of heir Christian moral values. Even though the Christian church has certain rules that its followers should follow, teenagers ignore them and turn on their good Christian morals. The same with the music; Christian music has meaning but because of wanting to attract youths, they use the rhythm of secular music. This cheap tactic works; however, youths are attracted to the sound of the music rather than the message. We live in a society of carnality, brutality and mortality since our motivation stems from our longing for â€Å"comfort†, â€Å"convenience† and â€Å"pleasure†. In order to achieve this, people who practice to be moral are attacked and made irrelevant. Those who defend past principles and try to practice their traditional Christian values are being put down and becoming an insignificant minority. Liberal institutions condemn the church for its Christian moral values and try to instill in our youths immorality and unethical values. I believe that the Christian Church need not change their morals but try to become stricter while still keeping their traditional values and hopefully a spark of hope will be lit.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Twenty-One

SOME PART OF ME BEGGED FOR there to be a mistake. I watched the footage three more times, tossing crazy theories around in my head. Maybe Master Jameson had a twin who wasn't a fanatic who hated vampires. No. The video didn't lie. Only the Alchemists did. I couldn't ignore this. I couldn't wait. I needed to resolve this immediately. If not sooner. I sent Marcus a text as soon as my plane was on the ground: We meet tonight. No games. No runaround. TONIGHT. There was no response from him by the time I got back to my dorm. What was he doing? Reading Catcher in the Rye again? If I'd known what dive he was holed up in, I would've marched over there right then. There was nothing I could do but wait, so I called Ms. Terwilliger both as a distraction and to buy some freedom. â€Å"Nothing to report,† she told me when she answered. â€Å"We're still just watching and waiting – although, your extra charm is almost complete.† â€Å"That's not why I'm calling,† I said. â€Å"I need you to get me a curfew extension tonight.† I felt bad using her for something totally unrelated, but I had to do this. â€Å"Oh? Are you paying me an unexpected visit?† â€Å"Er – no. This is for something else.† She clearly thought that was funny. â€Å"Now you use my assistance for personal matters?† â€Å"Don't you think I've earned it?† I countered. She laughed, something I hadn't heard from her in a while. She agreed to my request and promised to call the dorm's front desk right away. As soon as we hung up, my phone chimed with the expected message from Marcus. All the text contained was an address that was a half hour away. Assuming he was ready for me now, I grabbed my messenger bag and got on the road. In light of my past meetings with Marcus, I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd led me to a department store or karaoke bar. Instead, I arrived at a vintage music shop, the kind that sold vinyl records. A large CLOSED sign hung on the door, emphasized by dark windows and an empty parking lot. I got out of my car and double-checked the address, wondering if my GPS had led me astray. My earlier zeal gave way to nervousness. How careless was this? One of Wolfe's first lessons was to avoid sketchy situations, yet here I was, exposing myself. Then, from the shadows, I heard my name whispered. I turned toward the sound and saw Sabrina materialize out of the darkness, carrying a gun as usual. Maybe if I showed her the one in my glove compartment, we could have a bonding moment. â€Å"Go around back,† she said. â€Å"Knock on the door.† Without another word, she returned to the shadows. The back of the building looked like the kind of place that screamed mugging, and I wondered if Sabrina would come to my aid if needed. I knocked on the door, half expecting some kind of speakeasy situation where I'd be asked for a password like â€Å"rusted iguana.† Instead, Marcus opened the door, ready with one of those smiles he kept hoping would win me over. Strangely, tonight it put me at ease. â€Å"Hey, gorgeous, come on in.† I stepped past him and found we were in the store's back room, which was filled with tables, shelves, and boxes of records and cassette tapes. Wade and Amelia stood against a wall in mirrored stances, their arms crossed over their chests. Marcus shut the door behind me and locked it. â€Å"Glad to see you back in one piece. Judging from your text – and your face – you found something.† All the rage I'd been holding in since my discovery came bursting out. I retrieved my laptop from my bag and had to resist the urge to slam it against a table. â€Å"Yes! I can't believe it. You were right. Your insane, far-fetched theory was right. The Alchemists have been lying! Or, well, some of them. I don't know. Half of them don't know what the other half's doing.† I expected some smug remark from Marcus or at least an â€Å"I told you so.† But that handsome face was drawn and sad, reminding me of the picture I'd seen of him and Clarence. â€Å"Damn,† he said softly. â€Å"I was kind of hoping you'd come back with a bunch of boring video. Amelia, go swap with Sabrina. I want her to see this.† Amelia looked disappointed to be sent away, but she didn't hesitate to obey his order. By the time Sabrina came back in, I had the video cued up to the correct time. They gathered around me. â€Å"Ready?† I asked. They nodded, and I could see a mix of emotions in all of them. Here it was, the conspiracy theory they'd all been waiting to prove. At the same time, the implications were staggering, and the three of them were well aware of how dangerous what they were about to see could be. I played the video. It was only a few seconds long, but they were powerful ones as that bearded figure appeared on the screen. I heard an intake of breath from Sabrina. â€Å"It's him. Master Jameson.† She looked between all our faces. â€Å"That's really the Alchemist place? He's really there?† â€Å"Yes,† said Wade. â€Å"And that's Dale Hawthorne with him, one of the directors.† That triggered a memory. â€Å"I know that name. He's one of Stanton's peers, right?† â€Å"Pretty much.† â€Å"Is it possible she wouldn't know about a visit like this?† I asked. â€Å"Even at her level?† It was Marcus who answered. â€Å"Maybe. Although, walking him right in there – even to the secure level – is pretty ballsy. Even if she doesn't know about the meeting, it's a safe bet others do. If it were completely shady, Hawthorne would've met him off-site. Of course, the secure list means this wasn't out in the open either.† So, it was possible Stanton hadn't lied to me – well, at least not about the Alchemists being in contact with the Warriors. She'd certainly lied about the Alchemists knowing about Marcus since he'd said he was a notorious figure to most higher-ups. Even if she was ignorant about Master Jameson, it didn't change the fact that other Alchemists – important ones – were keeping some dangerous company. Maybe I didn't always like their procedures, but I'd desperately wanted to believe they were doing good in the world. Maybe they were. Maybe they weren't. I just didn't know anymore. When I dragged my eyes from the frozen frame of Master Jameson, I found Marcus watching me. â€Å"Are you ready?† he asked. â€Å"Ready for what?† He walked over to another table and returned with a small case. When he opened it, I saw a small vial of silver liquid and a syringe. â€Å"What is – oh.† Realization hit me. â€Å"That's the blood that'll break the tattoo.† He nodded. â€Å"Pulling the elements out creates a reaction that turns it silver. It takes a few years, but eventually, the gold in your skin will fade to silver too.† All of them were looking at me expectantly, and I took a step back. â€Å"I don't know if I'm ready for this.† â€Å"Why wait?† asked Marcus. He pointed at the laptop. â€Å"You've seen this. You know what they're capable of. Can you keep lying to yourself? Don't you want to go forward with your eyes open?† â€Å"Well . . . yes, but I don't know if I'm ready to have some strange substance injected into me.† Marcus filled the syringe with the silver liquid. â€Å"I can demonstrate on my tattoo if it'll make you feel better. It won't hurt me, and you can see that there aren't any dire side effects.† â€Å"We don't know for sure that they've done anything to me,† I protested. He had a logical argument, but I was still terrified of taking this step. I could feel my hands shaking. â€Å"This could be a waste. There may be no group loyalty compulsion in me.† â€Å"But you also don't know for sure,† he countered. â€Å"And there's always a little loyalty put in the initial tattoo. I mean, not enough to make you some slave robot, but still. Wouldn't you feel better knowing everything's gone?† I couldn't take my eyes off the needle. â€Å"Will I feel any different?† â€Å"No. Although you could walk up to someone on the street and start telling them about vampires.† I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. â€Å"Then you'd just get thrown into a psych ward.† Was I ready for this? Was I really going to take the next step into becoming part of Marcus's Merry Men? I'd passed his test – which he'd been right about. Clearly, this group wasn't useless. They had eyes on the Alchemists and the Warriors. They also seemingly had the Moroi's best interests at heart. The Moroi – or, more specifically, Jill. I hadn't forgotten Sabrina's offhand remark about the Warriors being interested in a missing girl. Who else could it be but Jill? And did this Hawthorne guy have access to her location? Had he passed it on to Master Jameson? And would this information put those around her at risk, like Adrian? They were questions I didn't have the answers to, but I had to uncover them. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"Do it.† Marcus didn't waste any time. I think he was afraid I'd change my mind – which, perhaps, was not an unfounded fear. I sat down in one of the chairs and tipped my head to the side so that he'd have access to my cheek. Wade gently held my head with his hands. â€Å"Just to make sure you stay still,† he told me apologetically Before Marcus started, I asked, â€Å"Where'd you learn to do this?† His face had been solemn with the task ahead, but my question made him smile again. â€Å"I'm not technically tattooing you, if that's what you're worried about,† he said. I was actually worried about a lot of things. â€Å"These are just some small injections, just like being re-inked.† â€Å"What about the process itself? How'd you find out about it?† It was probably a question I should have asked before I sat down in this chair. But I hadn't expected to be doing this so soon – or suddenly. â€Å"A Moroi friend of mine theorized about it. I volunteered to be a guinea pig, and it worked.† He switched to business mode again and held up the needle. â€Å"Ready?† I took a deep breath, feeling like I was standing on the edge of a precipice. Time to jump. â€Å"Go ahead.† It hurt about as much as re-inking did, just a number of small pricks on my skin. Uncomfortable, but not really painful. In truth, it wasn't a long process, but it felt like it took forever. All the while, I kept asking myself, What are you doing? What are you doing? At last, Marcus stepped back and regarded me with shining eyes. Sabrina and Wade smiled too. â€Å"There you go,† Marcus said. â€Å"Welcome to the ranks, Sydney.† I took my compact out of my purse to check the tattoo. My skin was pink from the needle's piercing, but if this process continued to be like re-inking, that irritation would fade soon. Otherwise, the lily looked unchanged. I also didn't feel that changed on the inside. I didn't want to storm the Alchemist facility and demand justice or anything like that. Taking him up on his dare to tell an outsider about vampires was probably my best bet to see if my tattoo had been altered, but I didn't really feel like doing that either. â€Å"That's it?† I asked. â€Å"That's it,† Marcus said. â€Å"Once we get it sealed, you won't have to worry about – â€Å" â€Å"I'm not getting it sealed.† All those smiles vanished. Marcus looked confused, as though he might have misheard. â€Å"You have to. We're going to Mexico next weekend. Once that's done, the Alchemists won't ever be able to get to you again.† â€Å"I'm not getting it sealed,† I repeated. â€Å"And I'm not going to Mexico.† I gestured toward my laptop. â€Å"Look what I was able to pull off! If I stay where I'm at, I can keep finding out more. I can find out what else the Alchemists and Warriors are doing together.† I can find out if Jill is in danger. â€Å"Getting permanently marked and becoming an outcast kills all those opportunities for me. There's no going back after that.† I think Marcus almost always got his way, and this new development totally threw him off. Wade took up the argument. â€Å"There's no going back now. You're leaving a trail of bread crumbs. Look at what you've done. You already made inquiries about Marcus. Even if you haven't gotten super-friendly with the Moroi, the Alchemists still know you spend a lot of time with them. And one day, someone may realize you were there when the data was stolen.† â€Å"No one knows it was stolen,† I said promptly. â€Å"You hope they don't,† corrected Wade. â€Å"These little things are enough to raise red flags. Keep doing more, and you'll make it worse. They'll finally notice you, and that's when it'll be over.† Marcus had recovered from his initial shock. â€Å"Exactly. Look, if you want to stay where you're at until we go to Mexico, that's fine. Make your peace with it or whatever. After that, you need to escape. We'll keep working from the outside.† â€Å"You can do whatever you want.† I began packing up my laptop. â€Å"I'm going to work from the inside.† Marcus caught hold of my arm. â€Å"You're setting yourself up for a fall, Sydney!† he said sternly. â€Å"You're going to get caught.† I pulled away from him. â€Å"I'll be careful.† â€Å"Everyone makes mistakes,† said Sabrina, speaking up for the first time in a while. â€Å"I'll take that risk.† I slung my bag over my shoulder. â€Å"Unless you guys are going to forcibly stop me?† None of them answered. â€Å"Then I'm going. I'm not afraid of the Alchemists. Thank you for everything you've done. I really do appreciate it.† â€Å"Thank you,† said Marcus at last. He shook his head at Wade, who looked like he wanted to protest. â€Å"For getting the data. I honestly didn't think you'd be able to pull it off. I figured you'd return empty-handed, though I still would've broken the tattoo for you. A for effort, you know. Instead, you just proved what I'd thought before: you're remarkable. We could really use you.† â€Å"Well, you know how to get in touch with me.† â€Å"And you know how to get in touch with us,† he said. â€Å"We'll be here all week if you change your mind.† I opened the door. â€Å"I won't. I'm not running away.† Amelia called goodbye to me when I got into my car, oblivious to the fact that I'd just defied her beloved leader. As I drove back to Amberwood, I was amazed at how free I felt – and it had nothing to do with the tattoo. It was the knowledge that I had defied everyone – the Alchemists, the Warriors, the Merry Men. I didn't answer to anyone, no matter the cause. I was my own person, able to take my own actions. It wasn't something I had a lot of experience with. And I was about to do something drastic. I hadn't told Marcus and the gang because I'd been afraid they really would stop me. When I got back to Amberwood, I went straight to my room and dialed Stanton. She answered on the first ring, which I took as a divine sign that I was doing the right thing. â€Å"Miss Sage, this is unexpected. Did you enjoy the services?† â€Å"Yes,† I said. â€Å"They were very enlightening. But that's not why I'm calling. We have a situation. The Warriors of Light are looking for Jill.† I wasn't going to waste any time. â€Å"Why on earth would they do that?† She sounded legitimately surprised, but if there was one thing in all of this that I believed wholeheartedly, it was that the Alchemists were exceptional liars. â€Å"Because they know if Jill's whereabouts got out, it could throw the Moroi into chaos. Their focus is still on the Strigoi, but they wouldn't mind seeing thing go bad for the Moroi.† â€Å"I see.† I always wondered if she paused to gather her thoughts or if it was simply for effect. â€Å"And how exactly did you learn this?† â€Å"That guy I know who used to be with the Warriors. We're still friendly, and he's been having doubts about them. He mentioned hearing them talk about finding a missing girl that could cause all sorts of trouble.† Maybe it was wrong to drag Trey into this lie, but I seriously doubted Stanton would interrogate him anytime soon. â€Å"And you assume this is Miss Dragomir?† â€Å"Come on,† I exclaimed. â€Å"Who else would it be? Do you know any other Moroi girls? Of course it's her!† â€Å"Calm down, Miss Sage.† Her voice was flat and untroubled. â€Å"There's no need for theatrics.† â€Å"There's a need for action! If they might be on to her, then we need to get out of Palm Springs immediately.† â€Å"That,† she said crisply, â€Å"is not an option. A lot of planning went into getting her to her current location.† I didn't believe that argument for a second. Half our job was doing damage control and adapting to rapidly changing situations. â€Å"Yeah? Well, did you also plan on those psycho vampire hunters finding her?† Stanton ignored the jab. â€Å"Do you have any evidence at all that the Warriors actually have concrete data about her? Did your friend supply you with details?† â€Å"No,† I admitted. â€Å"But we still need to do something.† â€Å"There's no ‘we' here.† Her voice had gone from flat to icy. â€Å"You do not decide what we do.† I nearly protested and then caught myself. Horror set in. What had I just done? My initial intent had been to either get Stanton to take legitimate action or else find out if she might accidentally reveal knowledge of a Warrior connection. I'd thought mentioning Trey would give me valid backup since I could hardly tell her the real reason I feared for Jill. Yet, somehow, I'd gone from a request to a demand. I'd practically yelled an order at her. That wasn't typical Sydney behavior. That wasn't typical Alchemist behavior. What had Wade said? You're leaving a trail of bread crumbs. Was this because I'd broken the tattoo? This was no crumb. This was a full loaf. I was on the verge of insubordination, and my mind could suddenly imagine that list Marcus kept warning about, the one that kept track of every suspicious thing I did. Was Stanton already updating that list right now? I had to fix this, but how? How on earth did I take this back? My mind was racing frantically, and it took several moments for me to calm down and start thinking logically. The mission. Focus on the mission. Stanton would understand that. â€Å"I'm sorry, ma'am,† I said at last. Be calm. Be deferential. â€Å"I'm just . . . I'm just so worried about this mission. I saw my dad at the services, you know.† That would be a fact she could check on. â€Å"You had to have seen how it was that night I left. How bad things are between us. I . . . I have to make him proud. If things fall apart here, he'll never forgive me.† She didn't respond, so I prayed that meant she was listening intently . . . and believing me. â€Å"I want to do a good job here. I want to fulfill our goals and keep Jill hidden. But there have already been so many complications no one predicted – first Keith and then the Warriors. I just never feel like she's fully safe now, even with Eddie and Angeline. It eats at me. And – † I was no actress who could muster tears, but I did my best to make my voice crack. â€Å"And I never feel safe. I told you, when I asked to go to the services, how overwhelming it is with the Moroi. They're everywhere – and the dhampirs too. I eat with them. I'm in class with them. Being with other Alchemists this last weekend was a lifesaver. I mean, I'm not trying to dodge my duties, ma'am. I understand we have to make sacrifices. And I've gotten better around them, but sometimes the stress is just unbearable – and then when I heard this thing about the Warriors, I cracked. All I could think about was that I might fail. I'm sorry, ma'am. I shouldn't have flipped o ut on you. I was out of control, and it was unacceptable.† I cut off my rant and tensed as I waited for her response. Hopefully I'd given her enough to dismiss any thoughts of me being a dissident. Of course, I might have just come off as a totally weak and unstable Alchemist who needed to be pulled from this mission. If that happened . . . well, maybe I'd have to take Marcus up on Mexico. Her characteristic pause was especially painful this time. â€Å"I see,† she said. â€Å"Well, I'll take this all into consideration. This mission is of the utmost importance, believe me. My earlier questioning of your information was not some weakening of our resolve. Your concerns have been heard, and I will decide the best course of action.† It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but hopefully she would be true to her word. I really, really wanted to believe she was on the up-and-up. â€Å"Thank you, ma'am.† â€Å"Is there anything else, Miss Sage?† â€Å"No, ma'am. And . . . and I'm sorry ma'am.† â€Å"Your apology is noted.† Click. I'd paced while I'd talked and now stood staring at the phone. A gut instinct told me I really had driven Stanton to take some sort of action. The mystery was whether that action would prove beneficial or catastrophic for me. Falling asleep was difficult after that, and it had nothing to do with Veronica for a change. I was too keyed up, too anxious about what had happened with Marcus and Stanton. I tried to seize that feeling of freedom again, using it to strengthen me. It was only a spark this time, flickering with my new uncertainties, but it was better than nothing. I fell asleep sometime around three. I had a vague sense of a couple hours passing before I was swept into one of Adrian's dreams, back in the reception hall. â€Å"Finally,† he said. â€Å"I almost gave up checking in. I thought you were going to pull an all-nighter.† He'd stopped wearing his suit in these dreams, probably because I always showed up in jeans. Tonight he wore jeans also, along with a plain black T-shirt. â€Å"Me too.† I wrung my hands and began pacing here as well. The nervous energy from my waking self had carried over into the dream. â€Å"A lot of stuff's kind of happened tonight.† The dream felt real, solid. Adrian was sober. â€Å"Didn't you just get back? How much could've happened?† When I told him, he shook his head in amazement. â€Å"Man, Sage. It's all or nothing with you. Never a dull moment.† I came to a halt in front of him and leaned against a table. â€Å"I know, I know. Do you think I just made a huge mistake? God, maybe Marcus was right, and there was some compulsion forcing me to be loyal in the tattoo. I'm free for one hour and completely go over the edge with my superior.† â€Å"It sounds like you covered your tracks,† he said, though a small frown appeared on his face. â€Å"But I would be disappointed if they sent you somewhere less stressful. That seems like it might be the worst-case scenario from everything you said.† I started laughing, but it was the hysterical kind. â€Å"What in the world's happened to me? I was doing crazy stuff way before Marcus broke the tattoo tonight. Meeting with rebels, chasing evil sorceresses, even buying that dress! Yelling at Stanton is just one more thing on a long list of insanity. It's just like I said at Pies and Stuff: I don't know who I am anymore.† Adrian smiled and clasped my hands, taking a few steps toward me. â€Å"Well, first off, I'm the expert in insanity, and this is nothing. And as for who you are, you're the same beautiful, brave, and ridiculously smart caffeinated fighter you've been since the day I met you.† Finally, he put â€Å"beautiful† at the top of his list of adjectives. Not that I should have cared. â€Å"Sweet talker,† I scoffed. â€Å"You didn't know anything about me the first time we met.† â€Å"I knew you were beautiful,† he said. â€Å"I just hoped for the rest.† He always got this glint in his eyes when he complimented my looks, like he was seeing so much more than just my actual appearance. It was disorienting and heady . . . but I didn't mind. And that wasn't the only thing I suddenly found overwhelming. How had he gotten so close to me without me even realizing it? It was like he had secret stealth abilities. His hands were warm on mine, our fingers locked together. I still had remnants of that earlier joy within me, and being connected to him amplified those feelings. The green of his eyes was as lovely as usual, and I wondered if mine had the same effect on him. There was a little amber mixed with the brown that he had once said looked like gold. He's the only one who never tells me to do anything, I realized. Oh, sure, he asked me to do lots of things, often with cajoling and fast talking. But he made no demands on me, not like the Alchemists or Marcus. Even Jill and Angeline tended to preface their requests with, â€Å"You have to . . .† â€Å"Speaking of that dress,† he added, â€Å"I still haven't seen it.† I laughed softly. â€Å"You couldn't handle it.† He raised an eyebrow at that. â€Å"Is that a challenge, Sage? I can handle a lot.† â€Å"Not if our history is any indication. Each time I wear some moderately attractive dress, you lose it.† â€Å"That's not exactly true,† he said. â€Å"I lose it no matter what you're wearing. And that red dress was not ‘moderately attractive.' It was like a piece of heaven here on earth. A red, silky piece of heaven.† I should've rolled my eyes. I should've told him I wasn't here for his personal entertainment. But there was something in the way he was looking at me and something in the way I felt tonight that made me want to see his reaction. Breaking the tattoo hadn't affected anything between us, but it – and the deeds I'd done this weekend – had left me feeling bold. For the first time, I wanted to take a risk with him, despite my usual set of logical arguments. Besides, there was nothing dangerous in letting him look. I manipulated the dream the way he'd taught me. A few moments later, the lacy minidress replaced my jeans and blouse. I even summoned the heels, which bumped my height up. I was still nowhere near as tall as him, but the small boost brought our faces closer together. His eyes widened. Still holding my hands, he took a step back so that he could take in the whole look. There was almost something tangible to the way his gaze swept my body. I could practically feel every place it touched. By the time his eyes reached mine again, my breathing was heavy, and I was acutely aware that there really wasn't that much clothing between the two of us. Maybe there was something dangerous in letting him look after all. â€Å"A piece of heaven?† I managed to ask. He slowly shook his head. â€Å"No. The other place. The one I'm going to burn in for thinking what I'm thinking.† He'd moved toward me again. His hands released mine and moved to my waist, and I noticed I wasn't the only one breathing heavily. He pulled me to him, bringing our bodies together. The world was all heat and electricity, thick with tension that was only one spark away from exploding around us. I was balancing on another precipice, which wasn't easy to do in heels. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and this time I was the one who drew him closer. â€Å"Damn,† he murmured. â€Å"What?† I asked, never taking my eyes off his. He ran his hands over my hips. â€Å"I'm not supposed to kiss you.† â€Å"It's okay.† â€Å"What is?† â€Å"It's okay if I kiss you.† Adrian Ivashkov wasn't easy to surprise, but I surprised him then when I brought his mouth toward mine. I kissed him, and for a moment, he was too stunned to respond. That lasted for, oh, about a second. Then the intensity I'd come to know so well in him returned. He pushed me backward, lifting me so that I sat on the table. The tablecloth bunched up, knocking over some of the glasses. I heard what sounded like a china plate crash against the floor. Whatever logic and reason I normally possessed had melted away. There was nothing but flesh and fire left, and I wasn't going to lie to myself – at least not tonight. I wanted him. I arched my back, fully aware of how vulnerable that made me and that I was giving him an invitation. He accepted it and laid me back against the table, bringing his body down on top of mine. That crushing kiss of his moved from my mouth to the nape of my neck. He pushed down the edge of my dress and the bra strap underneath, exposing my shoulder and giving his lips more skin to conquer. A glass rolled off and smashed, soon followed by another. Adrian broke off his kissing, and I opened my eyes. He had an exasperated look on his face. â€Å"A table,† he said. â€Å"A goddamned table.† A few moments later, the table was gone. I was in his apartment, on his bed, and was glad that I no longer had silverware underneath me. With the venue change complete, his lips found mine again. The urgency in the way I responded surprised even me. I never would've thought myself capable of a feeling so primal, so removed from the reason that usually governed my actions. My nails dug into his back, and he trailed his lips down the edge of my chin, down the center of my neck. He kept going until he reached the bottom of the dress's V-neck. I let out a small gasp, and he kissed all around the neckline, just enough to tease. â€Å"Don't worry,† he murmured. â€Å"The dress stays on.† â€Å"Oh? Is that your decision to make?† â€Å"Yes,† he said. â€Å"You're not losing your virginity in a dream. If that's even possible. I don't want to deal with the philosophical side of it. And besides, there's no need to rush anyway. Sometimes it's worth lingering on the journey for a while before getting to the destination.† Metaphors. This was the cost of making out with an artist. I nearly said as much. Then his hand slid up my bare leg, and I was lost again. Maybe the dress was staying on, but he didn't mind taking liberties with it. That hand slipped under my dress, running along the side of my leg and up to my hip. I burned where he touched me, and everything within me became focused on that hand. It was moving far too slowly, and I grabbed it, ready to urge it on. Adrian chuckled and caught hold of my wrist, pulling my hand away and pinning it down against the covers. â€Å"Never thought I'd be the one slowing you down.† I opened my eyes and met his. â€Å"I'm a quick study.† All that burning and animal need within me must have shone through because he caught his breath and lost the smile. He released my wrist and cupped my face in his hands, bringing his face down only a whisper away from mine. â€Å"Good God, Sydney. You are – † The passion in his eyes turned to surprise, and he suddenly looked up. â€Å"What's wrong?† I asked, wondering if this was some weird part of â€Å"the journey.† He grimaced and began to fade away before my eyes. â€Å"You're being woken up.†