Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Mcclean “Slice of Life” Essay

The Author Russell Baker wrote a very humorous piece entitled â€Å"The Slice of Life†. In his essay, he chose a mostly directional approach on how to carve a turkey. Most instructions, especially when it comes to cooking or preparing food are very cut and dry without any personality involved. Russell Baker instilled his personality and humor by throwing in ingredients and items that are not convential in te preparation of a turkey. Some of those tools are an ax, barbells, bath towels, sutures (used for surgical wounds) and iodine. Many of the instructions are useless in the actual application of carving the turkey, which I believe was the point of the writer. There was little intention in actually accomplishing the task, but more focus on making you laugh. On step 6 he states, you should â€Å"exericse the biceps and forearms by lifting barbells until they are strong† (Scarry 632). Further into the story he talks about turkeys falling in laps and watching the football game. It is pretty clear that those previous two actions are not synonymous with carving a turkey. To keep the flow of the essay he did use a few transitional words. Some of those transitional words were: now, in this case, begin, and repeat. There were a few transitional words that were ommitted such as then, once you have, the second step or the last step. Overall, it seems the author is trying to convey that carving a turkey is not a pleasant experience. I would also argue that he believes that no one wants to do it and it should be pawned off on someone else, if possible.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Job Satisfaction and Employees Performance

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. 0 Background of the study of Job Satisfaction and Employee Performance in Total Nigeria Plc. The Total Nigeria PLC is a privately held, owned and managed industrial lubrication, oil and gas manufacturing company spread across the geographical regions and districts in Nigeria. The company has been a part of the Nigeria manufacturing landscape since 1962 and has earned the reputation as one of the key suppliers for lubrication equipment, oil and gas products in the industry.It manufactures petrol, kerosene, diesel, cooking gas, car care products, insecticides and lubricants such as oilers spray systems, applicators and condition monitoring equipment. Total Nigeria Plc. is dedicated to selling its products through distribution. TOTAL is the world’s fourth-largest publicly-traded integrated oil and gas company, with operations in more than 130 countries spanning all aspects of the petroleum industry, including Upstream operations (oil and gas exploratio n, development and production, LNG) and Downstream operations (refining, marketing and the trading and shipping of crude oil and petroleum products ).TOTAL employees more than 95,000 employees worldwide, TOTAL reported sales of â‚ ¬153. 8 billion in 2006. TOTAL Upstream activities are carried out by three subsidiary companies in Nigeria. They are: 1. Total Export and Production Nigeria Limited (TEPNG) 2. Total Upstream Nigeria Limited (TUPNL) for oil/gas 3. Total Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Limited for gas. They are committed partners in Nigeria's growth and improvement: what they take out of the ground, they put into the economy.Their long term vision is to remain Nigeria's preferred operator, promoting the nation's economy through their various activities, and all the while contributing positively to the sustainable development of its communities. Samuel Emeka Mbah (Unilag Research Paper): There is a general consensus that there exists a managerial problem of finding successful mechanism of retaining employees especially in a job environment that is characterized by constant yearnings for pay rise.Employee job satisfaction has influence on employee turnover in organisations. The implication of this is that the extent to which an organisation is able to retain its employees’ depend on the level of job satisfaction that are made available to these workers. Job satisfaction is known to have positive impact on employee turnover intentions. It means that dissatisfaction on the job increases or will increase the rate of employee turnover intention in organisation. Job satisfaction is how content an individual is with his or her job.Dessler (1978:37) refers to job satisfaction, ‘as the degree of needs satisfaction that is derived from and or experienced on the job’. He affirms to the ability of employees in an organisation aspirations, feeling happy doing their job with the hope that their needs will be achieved. A job is a group of positions , which involves essentially the same duties, responsibility, skill and knowledge†. Scholars and human resource professionals generally make a distinction between affective job satisfaction and cognitive job satisfaction.Affective job satisfaction is the extent of pleasurable emotional feelings individuals have about their jobs overall, and is different to cognitive job satisfaction which is the extent of individuals’ satisfaction with particular facets of their jobs, such as pay, pension arrangements, working hours, and numerous other aspects of their jobs. Consequently, the inability of employees to achieve their needs will amount to dissatisfaction because job satisfaction is a general attitude towards an individual’s job, and the difference between the amount of reward workers receive and the amount they believe they should receive.It has been observed that a person with a high level of job satisfaction holds positive attitude towards the job while the person who is dissatisfied with the job holds negative attitude about the job. Also satisfied employees are known to show higher level work performance in organisations. By analysing job satisfaction an organisation can possibly increase positive outcomes such as employee satisfaction and performance, and may decrease absenteeism and turnover. 1. 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Employees in Total Nigeria Plc. lay important roles, so employee’s satisfaction is a very essential one; hence there arises a need to study the job satisfaction of oil, gas and lubrication employees. The Total Nigeria Plc. has been a part of the Nigerian industrial setting for over 40years. Investigating the employee’s value-perception can aid in managers building and creating work environments that help them to achieve high levels of employee satisfaction. The intention of investigating employee job satisfaction is therefore a step toward creating a healthy psychological contract for people at work (Palme r, 1999, Pg. ). This research therefore, seeks to evaluate the antecedents of employee turnover in the Total Nigeria PLC with a view to understanding its retention strategy. It would also evaluate the level of employee job satisfaction in relation to pay, nature of work and supervision as well as recommend ways of sustaining or improving on the company’s retention strategy. This research study would help in mapping out strategies and methods that would foster objective conclusions. 1. 2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDYJob satisfaction can be used as a powerful tool to achieve goal congruency and enhance employee motivation. It has been observed and noted that employees who find self-identity within the organisational context are motivated even in the face of adversity and channel their efforts towards the achievement of organisational goals. The absence of employee motivation may have significant negative implications to the company achieving its strategy. The objectives of this resea rch are: 1. To access the general level of job satisfaction in Total Nigeria Plc. . To determine the nature of the relationship between employees’ job satisfaction level and their performance. 3. To determine the major sources of dissatisfaction in Total Nigeria Plc. 4. To recommend some measures for improving the satisfaction level of the employees. This research will reinforce the knowledge on the holistic approach to job satisfaction from corporate strategy to individual level. It would also help in the academic understanding and development in the field of change management with specific reference to job satisfaction.It will be useful to Total Nigeria Plc. , other state owned enterprises, governmental and private sector organisations in Nigeria in the implementation of job satisfaction. It will give an overview of management and employees’ understanding of the whole concept of job satisfaction, their level of participation in its implementation, from strategy devel opment, goal setting to performance reviews, and their perception regarding its impact on the achievement of corporate objectives. 1. 3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. How can the general level of job satisfaction in Total Nigeria Plc. e accessed? 2. How can the nature of the relationship between employees’ job satisfaction level and their performance be determined? 3. How can the major sources of dissatisfaction in Total Nigeria Plc. Be determined? 4. Recommend some measures for improving the satisfaction level of employees? 1. 4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 1. There is no association between working conditions and job satisfaction. 2. There is no association between rewards provided and job satisfaction. 3. There is no association between welfare measures and job satisfaction. . There is no association between job security and job satisfaction. 1. 5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 1. Job satisfaction should be the major determinants of an employee organizational behaviour. 2. A satisfied employee will be having positive attitude towards his or her job and would go beyond the normal expectation in his or her job. 3. A person who places high importance on imagination, independence and freedom is likely to be poorly matched with an organization that seeks conformity from its employees. 1. 6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDYThe study included all employees of the organisation, with the exception of the researcher and the CEO and regional managers. All the findings and observations made in the study are purely based on the respondents’ answers which may be biased. Time and cost is also another constraint. 1. 6 DEFINITION OF TERMS PLC – Public Liability Company LNG – Liquefied Natural Gas TEPNG – Total Export and Production Nigeria Limited Unilag – University of Nigeria, Lagos State CEO – Chief Executive Officer TUPNL – Total Upstream Nigeria Limited

Monday, July 29, 2019

Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Critical Thinking - Essay Example The proposition has bureaucratic regulations and guidelines that do not guarantee that guardians are informed. It does not specify a person that will sign the mail, what will happen in case the mail delays, or if guardian is not at home, and if the teenage intercepts the letter. The propositions on my side only endanger the life our teens which can only be taken care of by a caring family. Additionally, the proposition does not protect the teens from the sexual predators and older men. There are already set up institutions that offer behavioral counseling and reporting illegal tasks and activities. Therefore, the proposition will not minimize the cases of teenage pregnancy and cannot force households to embrace communication because it is quite complex and unworkable and not confined on the predators. This will only put the teenagers at risk. Voting against means the teens will be safer and the freedom of choice will be protected. The proposition forces the teenagers to delay their m edical attention thereby suffering serious damages or consider committing suicide. Additionally, I would vote against the proposition since it puts the safety and health of the girls at stake. There is no single guideline that ensures good communication with a family. The only way that could minimize the issue of abortion and pregnancy is through caring, strong families and an outstanding sex education. In summary, I would vote against the proposition because there is no single law that will ensure communication within a family.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Research paper 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

1 - Research Paper Example In this experiment we would like to understand 2 primary things. Firstly, the physiological change induced by caffeine keeping in mind that the chemical is capable of altering heart rate and secondly, observes any behavioral changes in the organism if any. This research serves more than one purpose. Firstly, we will understand the toxicity of the chemical in shrimp and observe the affect on its life cycle. Shrimp is an important part of the marine ecosystem and food chain and if caffeine has any harmful effects on the organism there maybe consequent affects in the marine food web as well. Secondly, since research is mostly aimed at human welfare and we are aware that caffeine is non-toxic only up to a certain level this research would help determine the changes induced if human happened to consume shrimp that were loaded with caffeine. However, the most important thing is that we will understand clearly the consequence and possible consequence of polluting marine water system with effluents loaded with toxic chemicals. Caffeine is a stimulant and primarily affects the central nervous system and the heart. It causes an increase in the heart rate since the stimulant has an effect on the neurotransmitter and thereby alters the rate of the heart. Alongside this behavioral changes may also be induced in the organism which may be understood by keeping the organism under observation and noticing deviation from normal behavior. Reduction in normal activity is common response to an induced stress (Weiss,2013) and activity may be studies at larval or adult stage. Humans, are already exposed to caffeine but there is a concentration up to which the human body can tolerate the stimulant and metabolize it effectively. In case caffeine enters the body along with food there may be an increase in the intake of stimulant thereby causing effects on the health as well. Among

Human rights in armed conflict and the relationship between Essay

Human rights in armed conflict and the relationship between international criminal law and international use of force, and the r - Essay Example This paper will examine the legal framework within which the human rights of individuals and territorial rights of nations around the world is critically examined. The paper will examine the research question, the reconciliation of national sovereignty and non-intervention with humanitarian intervention to preserve human rights. To this end, the research will examine the position of national sovereignty and the prevention of military intervention as posited by UN law against humanitarian interventions. This will involve a critique of international laws and the prevention of military intervention. The limits of military intervention in areas like humanitarian intervention and the right to protect as defined in international law and its justification for intervention. International Law Against Interventions The United Nations was formed in 1945 as a response to the large scale human rights violations and destruction that came with World War II1. The primary essence of the UN was to ens ure that nations were created and structured in a way and manner that they would serve the real and true interests of the citizens and people it serves, not interest groups and individuals who had selfish interests. The United Nations came up with different views and different efforts to prevent foreign aggression and international wars that could potentially destroy nations and cause large-scale wars and destruction. This was done through the formation of the UN charter that created a context of a â€Å"family of nations† that were required to deal with issues and matters according to universal standards preserved by the United Nations which became the basis for international law and the foundation of international relations2. One of the approaches for achieving international peace was through a system of guaranteeing the rights of different nations around the world. This way, there was the guarantee that foreign nations could not just invade weaker nations as it was in the two World Wars. The two World Wars and other wars that created major regional and continental destabilization like the Napoleonic wars were because nations rose up against other nations. So the UN found it necessary to create laws that were meant to negate and prevent other nations from attaching others. Some of the core rules and core regulations of the UN were integrated into the UN Charter. The UN Charter was meant to create the framework for the regulation of nations. Thus, Article 1 of the UN Charter set the preamble of the United Nations, its composition and values. However, Article 2 moved to set out the core and fundamental principles that defined the UN. Article 2(4) of the UN stated explicitly that: â€Å"All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations†3 This article indicates that the UN renders international aggression by one nation against another through the use of force as illegal. This is because the UN needed a framework to define the interactions of nations. Hence, the article makes it illegal and wrong for any nation to rise against another through military force or violence. Another angle through which Article 2(4) can be critiqued is on the grounds of preserving the territorial sovereignty of

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Drug Addiction Disorder & Group Therapy as Part of Recovery Dissertation

Drug Addiction Disorder & Group Therapy as Part of Recovery - Dissertation Example Doweiko has also discussed the problem of drug addiction and its therapeutic treatment in his famous book â€Å"Concepts of Chemical Dependency†. He has analyzed the problem among the adolescents and suggested the individual and group therapy for the cure from drug addiction disorder. He declares modern civilization and technological advancement as responsible for drug addiction among children. Detachment and distances between the family members, Doweiko estimates, force the young ones to seek the artificial and temporary support from chemicals and drugs. Furthermore, child abuse is one of the most significant causes of chemical codependency among adolescents. Moreover, decline, in the sound family ties and relationships, has also paved the way in this direction. As a family is the basic unit of a society and plays a primary role in nourishment and socialization of young generation, it is also responsible for the emotional uplift of the children. The decline in the family bond age and ignorance of religious practices, ethical values, and moral obligations, result in the deterioration of the youth of society. Doweiko has discussed the case of young Brittney, who got recovery from therapy. Brittney, a young girl of fourteen years only, had been very bright and graceful student at the school. It was surprising for the whole family when she was recommended by her teacher, to a rehabilitation program after being found the drug- user. She was referred to the Alateen, the rehabilitation institute that deals with the cure of adolescents consuming alcohol and other intoxication.  

Friday, July 26, 2019

You choose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

You choose - Essay Example As per Mark Knapp’s model, the commencement of every human relationship especially when it is an intimate, close friendship, or romantic sets out with the initiation stage. This stage necessitates the initial contact with another person (Knapp 40). As evident from the movie, the stage begins when Sally and Harry meet for the first time and they prepare to share a day together travelling in Sally’s car heading to New the stage begins when Sally and Harry meet for the first time, and they prepare to share a day together travelling in Sally’s car heading to New York City from Chicago. In this stage, Sally and Harry are introduced by Harry’s girlfriend. Experimentation is the second stage in Mark Knapp’s model. This stage is usually focused on the time spent when people are getting to know each other (Knapp 42). In this stage, people are observed to make small talks which helps in preparing the stage for future interaction and communication. In the movie ‘When Harry Met Sally’ the second stage begins when Sally and Harry begin their long trip, and Harry requests Sally to tell him about the story of her life. Evidently, there are small talks between the two. They talk about happiness and who is more prepared to face death. It is evident that Harry is more knowledgeable, and he uses his communication abilities in an effort to know more about Sally. In the third stage of Mark Knapp’s model, people’s feelings and expressions get more intimate (Knapp 44). The third stage begins after Harry articulates to Sally how beautiful and attractive she is. Shortly afterwards, Harry asks Sally if they can spend a night at the motel. This leads to an interesting viewpoint that women and men cannot be friends. Notably, this stage is not fully developed at this point. The stage fully develops after the two meet many years later and share about their past and their failed relationships. They started spending a lot of

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Expatriate management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Expatriate management - Essay Example has seen several medical practitioners and health workers deployed in those areas from foreign nations including doctors, nurses, counsellors, and social health workers among others. However, success as a professional expatriate in the foreign countries with new cultures and new people is never guaranteed as most expatriates record failures whenever they get to these new work stations. This paper aims at analysing and accounting for some of these failures and ways of minimising them. In most cases when these expatriates are sent to these new and foreign regions for an assignment, they are usually offered extra allowances. The added financial benefits would make one think these people have higher chances of success owing to the hype that comes along with the whole expatriation (Guest, 2014:199). Allowances such as risk, housing, transport, food and accommodation are some of the benefits that employees enjoy when these oversees opportunities arise. It also presents a person with a chance to develop career-wise as they are more likely to meet new colleagues and face different challenges that trigger the need to research more. However, the periods do not only bring out the positive effects but also some negative impacts that immerses one into a sea of emotional turmoil owing to the anticipation of leaving for another country for probably longer periods like it happens in some cases. Therefore, there are several reasons why expatriates are likely to fail in their mis sions in these foreign lands and may lead to their posting being withdrawn before the contracted period elapses. Culture is quite a significant aspect of our lives which in shaping behaviour and defining social life. Dissociating from one’s culture and integrating into another new one is such a big problem to people; expatriates included. Moving into another country especially a new continent means a whole new lifestyle. Cultural inflexibility may deter an expatriate from effectively discharging their

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

The Issue of Remorse on The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Research Paper

The Issue of Remorse on The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Research Paper Example Various studies were conducted about the novel and they discuss the symbols, imageries, issues and parallelisms prevailing in The Scarlet Letter. The critical analysis of the novel would start with a brief biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne and also the significant issues faced by the United States of America in its early years would be analyzed in connection to the story. The main focus is on the issue of remorse faced by the main characters of the novel. Nathaniel Hawthorne came from a famous family living in Salem, Massachusetts. His relatives took care of him when his father died in a voyage. He studied at Bowdoin College together with some famous personalities in literature and politics like Horatio Bridge who became a writer, Jonathan Ciley who became a senator, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who became a poet, and Franklin Pierce who became a president of the United States. The personalities mentioned helped Hawthorne to get a public sector job. Afterwards he started as a writer when his works imitate the style of Sir Walter Scott and was considered to be his early writing training. The Transcendentalist Movement of Ralph Waldo Emerson influenced Hawthorne by investing in the Utopian community. The Trancendentalist belief rejects formalism as they promote individualism because humans according to them are more than just sensory realm. Individualism and symbolism became prominent in Hawthorne’s later works especially in The S carlet Letter wherein the Transcendentalist ideals clashed against the ideals of the Puritans. The Custom House was written by Hawthorne as a prologue to The Scarlet Letter and also as an autobiographical essay. His published work became possible through the help of his friends. The Scarlet Letter became famous across time since morality, spirituality and identity of the Americans were affected by the Puritans. During the time of Hawthorne, adultery was considered as a taboo because of prevailing rigidity and formality of culture. The novel became popular to people from all ages across time (University of Wisconsin Milwaukee). The Scarlet Letter made its author a famous writer. After seeing the relevance of the novel to the life and time of Hawthorne, going deeper into the summary would link the history to the story. Spirituality, morality and Puritan influence on the early America were reflected in The Scarlet Letter. The novel went against the norms and showed how the dreaded beha vior and beliefs would be turned from weakness into strength. The story started from a prologue that could be considered as a standalone essay. The essay revealed how the novel was written as the narrator mirrored Hawthorne himself. The narrator worked as a surveyor in the customhouse and he found certain documents bundled and contained a piece of cloth shaped into an A. Since the narrator was careless and lost some important documents, he made a story out of the two-hundred-year-old manuscript made by a past surveyor. His creative thinking produced The Scarlet Letter  and the story opened in a Puritan settlement at Boston during the early years of USA. The scarlet letter â€Å"A† labeled on the chest of the protagonist named Hester Prynne symbolized her crime as viewed by the townspeople. She walked out of a prison cell together with her baby named Pearl. She arrived at Boston when her old and scholarly husband sent her there. Her husband was lost in the voyage and was ass umed to be dead. Because of loneliness, Hester engaged in an affair that led to the birth of Pearl. Afterwards the town elders put Hester Prynne to a public confession to reveal the father of Pearl. She did not reveal the name of

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Soft Path Energy vs. Hard Path Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Soft Path Energy vs. Hard Path Energy - Essay Example On the contrary, champions of soft path argue that soft path energy ensures quality energy in that the energy is environmentally friendly (Botkin and Keller, 2010). More so, soft path policy leads to production and delivery of flexible and sustainable energy (Parkins, 2001). Such sources of energy, therefore, include, wind, sunlight and biomass. Unfortunately, many nations, including developed nations, such as the United States, have energy policies that are more oriented to hard path than the soft path. Therefore, an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of soft path energy, as compared to the hard path energy, is crucial in deciding whether to exploit soft path energy. Soft path energy alternatives are more environmentally friendly than their hard path counterparts. In particular, they have less harm to their environs than hard path energy (Parkins, 2001). For example, the electricity used to light houses and drive air conditioning systems can be produced from hydroelectric power plants comprised of large dams, which pose a risk to people living around them. Electricity can also be produced from nuclear power plants, which are health hazards and consume large amounts of water for cooling purposes. Sunlight can be used for lighting purposes, in its raw form through opening windows or using transparent iron sheets, or electrically using solar panels that convert sunlight to electric energy. Wind turbines can also be used to harness wind energy and convert it to electric energy for lighting purposes. These lighting methods do not pose as much harm to the environment or risk animal, plant and human life as is the case with hard energy. Moreover, they contribute less to global warming because they emit fewer gases and carbon (if any) to the atmosphere. Soft path energy alternatives are also renewable in that their sources cannot be exhausted, which is not the case with hard path energy sources. For

Monday, July 22, 2019

Implementing Effective Job Delegation in the Units Essay Example for Free

Implementing Effective Job Delegation in the Units Essay As a supervisor on our medical surgical unit, our hospital patient satisfaction scores for the past two years have been going down and there is a great need to improve patient satisfaction scores, particularly in the area of effective job delegation. Research (2011) has shown that a leader who does not delegate might likely feel stressed and overloaded. Although it might seem the best way for work to get done, is to do it yourself, but its not a good long-term solution. Feedback and review remain helpful and important, although the relationship is more likely one of mentoring, rather than coaching. The Question In order to improve patient satisfaction score in hospitals, the first question that health care providers should ask is what can be done to improve the quality of care given to our patients, and the second question is, how can effective job delegation improve our patient satisfaction score in our hospital? Will the creation of a policy on implementation of effective job delegation, encourage collaboration between the nursing staff and personnel to ensure that all personnel are not stressed or overworked? On our medical surgical unit, nurses struggle to deliver all the care their patients need, but are unable, due to stress and overwork. Good delegation saves time, develops people, grooms a successor, and motivates. Poor delegation will cause frustration, discouragement and Confusion, as such the delegated person will fail to carry out the delegated task. Effective job delegation will improve our patient satisfaction scores, even if most nurses would prefer to deliver all the care their patients need, but can’t, due to overwork and stress. The delegated task may be small, but has a large overall impact for all those involved. Nursing is a demanding profession, often nurses feel as though there are not enough hours in the day to complete all tasks, delegation of job will help nurses complete all the jobs allocated, this will help improve patient’s satisfaction scores. In the medical field today there is shortage of nurses, but still nurses are still expected to provide safe and effective care for their patients, by elegating some aspects of care to others this goal can be archived. Evidenced-Based Studies Many studies have been performed on effective job delegation. An article by American Nurses Association: Research and expert opinions suggest that effective job delegation frees up Nurses to do what they have been educated to do and coordinate patient care (ANA, 2020). It explained that delegating jobs help improve collaboration between healthcare workers, by delegating some aspects of care to others. Another article in the ADVANCE web site published by trustworthy researchers, who did the research on: why it is significant for healthcare workers to delegate job: since they decided what patient care intervention is necessary and how, when, and by whom these interventions need to be provided. The article narrated how effective job delegation will improve patient satisfaction scores; though most nurses would prefer to deliver all the care their patients need (Juno, 2010). An advanced research was carried out by nursing expert, who explained, that effective job delegation will improve patient satisfaction scores due to nurses shortage and the need to lower medical cost. The article describes how good job delegation saves time, develops people, grooms a successor, and motivates workers, while Poor job delegations causes frustration and overwork to nurses, making the task of healthcare workers difficult to give safe healthcare to their patients ( Juno, 2010). It explained that delegating jobs help improve collaboration between workers. An international research in South Africa discovered that there is a large disparity in service levels workload, between private and public sectors. The research point out that effective job delegation is necessary for both private and public sectors for jobs to be carried out efficiently (AFN, 2012). The organization Advocate for Nurses carries out a research and found out that the provision of health care in America has been compromised by the loss of trained health workers due to over work and stress, the article explained that when Managers or leaders engage in effective job delegation in the health care organization, Nurses will not leave the profession because of overwork and stress. It explained that poor job delegation lead to pressure and work overload, because most nurses think they can provide all the care their patient need, which is impossible to do, as such leaving one tressed, unhappy, and feeling that youre letting your profession down, the solution to prevent this feeling is effective job delegation (AFN, 2012). They also explained why health care worker have to delegate, because of changes in healthcare delivery, they stressed the fact that task delegation is here to stay at least for the foreseeable future. Job delegation is crucial to cost containment and Job d elegation is important; as such health care professionals should take it as an expected professional nursing activity (AFN, 2012). The Proposal The outcome of creating a policy is something that is realistically obtainable in a professional practice: Access to the hospital policies, meeting with floor managers/unit leaders and Identifying problems in our hospital have shown that our nurses and managers are stressed and overworked. The task of a competent manager is not to do all the work on his or her own, but to smartly deliver within the given parameters of budget and timeline I propose that all managers must make sure that the delegated person understands the importance of the task, the responsibility it brings and the long-term consequences. Once they are clear about the task it becomes easy for the job to be accomplished. Managers should make sure, those who are delegated, feel they are contributing to the success of the organization rather than standing on the periphery, and they must ensure that the job being delegated is handed to the appropriate individual, because if the task is not done, the person who delegated the job as well as the delegated person are responsible for non-performance of the job. Delegation is transferring a competent individual the authority to perform selected tasks in a selected situation. Effect job delegation facilitates success and trust among nurse, who then be able to deliver safe and satisfactory care of patients, as a result improve patient’s satisfaction scores. Conclusion Effective delegation involves achieving the desired results, managing the demanding deadlines, empowering and equipping the team. Ultimately, the responsibility of getting delegated job accomplished remains with the manager. Researchers have shown that leaders who do not delegate feel stressed and overloaded with work. Good delegation saves time, develops people, grooms a successor, and motivates. Poor delegation will cause frustration, discouragement and confusion. Effective job delegation strategies incorporated into health care practice can provide health care workers with more time for professional nursing roles, and enhance job satisfaction in the areas of decision-making and promotional opportunity.

Fourth Quarter English Interpretive Paper Essay Example for Free

Fourth Quarter English Interpretive Paper Essay A Man for All Seasons, by Robert Bolt illustrates the adult life of Sir Thomas More. In this play, the Common Man portrays man and his vices and sins showing the ordinary man of every age, class, culture, and society. Bolt uses the Common Man in the roles of the steward, boatman, and jailor to show how man can easily sin. Common Man exhibits man’s immorality through the roles of the steward, boatman, and jailor, in A Man for All Seasons. Christian virtues are lacking in the Common Man’s role of the steward. The Common Man’s character, the steward, disrespects Rich by the snubbing manner of which he speaks to Rich. Likewise, when he spies on Thomas More he is being disloyal and dishonest. (pp. 40-42) Furthermore, the steward exhibits greediness by spying on More for Richard Rich, Thomas Cromwell, and Signor Chapuy in exchange for money. (pp.40-42) In addition, pride is conveyed towards Rich by the steward when he behaves as if he superior over Rich. (pp.104-105) Vices are seen in the steward’s behavior. The Common Man in the role of the boatman demonstrates a lack of morality. The boatman displays dishonesty when he tries to overcharge Thomas for his boat ride home. (p. 25) Likewise, he is being greedy as he wants more money than he should receive for giving Thomas a ride home. (p. 25) Moreover, his disobeyed the law by ignoring the fixed boat fares. (p. 25) The boatman’s actions are sinful. Lack of morals can be observed in the Common Man in the role of the Jailer. The vice of greed is seen by the Jailor when he is willing to accept fifty guineas from Cromwell in exchange for information about Thomas More. (p. 135) Likewise, the jailor is dishonest when he is willing to take anything that Thomas says and tell it to Cromwell to use as evidence against Thomas More in court. (pp. 135-136) Lack of charity is exhibited by the jailor when he does not allow Thomas’s family to visit Thomas at the jail. (pp. 145-146) The Common Man, as the jailor, displays vices. The role of the steward, boatman, and jailor played by the Common Man reveal the lack of mans morals in A Man for All Seasons. Disrespect, dishonesty, greed, pride, lack of charity, and disobedience are witnessed in the words and actions of the three characters. The vices represent the basic character of the Common Man who is every person in every age, class, race, and society. Bolt’s play, A Man for All Seasons instructs one to avoid sin and protect his morals and Christian faith. [ 1 ]. Robert Bolt, The Man for All Seasons(New York, NY; Vintage International, 1990),pp. 4-5. All subsequent references will be noted in the text.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Integrated Marketing Communication Plan

Integrated Marketing Communication Plan The main aim of the Integrated Marketing Communication plan is to acquire one-third (33%) of DiGi Telecommunications market share over the next 3 years in Malaysia. We are being appointed as the marketing consultant by DiGi Telecommunications in Malaysia and we have analyze the firms marketing strategy in the field of their prospective segments, the chosen target market, SWOT analysis, brand awareness, product design, product positioning, advertising and sales promotion. As a marketing consultant, we have notice that the DiGi Telecommunications utilized generic marketing strategy such as low cost leader in DiGi Prepaid brand services, resulted in a number of first industry benchmarks for simplicity and innovation, differentiated goods and services satisfy the needs of customers through a sustainable competitive advantage. In fact, in 31st March 2010, DiGi Telecommunications had 7.9 million mobile subscriptions, also the third largest mobile operator in Malaysia. In Integrated Marketing plan, we will contribute in the area such as group or segment those types of potential and existing customers that are most likely to benefit from our DiGi product line. Continuing with that, we will set up our IMC objectives to achieve our aim, which also covers the promotional mix for each of the tools as well. Further, we shall be looking at the budget that we need for the whole IMC plan. Lastly, we will evaluate the media tools that we select to see whether are effective or not. 2.0 Situation Analysis DiGi.Com Berhad is listed on Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad and is part of the global telecommunications provider, Telenor Group. Its mobile service operations are undertaken by its wholly-owned subsidiary, DiGi Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd. DiGi started opetaions in May 1995 when it launched its fully digital GSM1800 services, the first digital mobile communications service in Malaysia. Over the last five years, DiGis revenue has more than doubled to approximately RM4.9 billion with a subscriber base of 7.7 million. DiGi focuses on making it easy, affordable, convenience and providing the best deals to ensure its customer experience in mobile and internet services. DiGi presence as leader in prepaid services resulted in a number of firsts that have set industry benchmarks for creativity and innovation. These services are offered under the DiGi Prepaid brand name. DiGis postpaid services under the DiGi Postpaid brand name and DiGi Business deliver quality voice as well as value-added mobile content and data services to both individual and corporate customers. In late 2008, DiGi launched its 14.4 Mbps 3G/ HSPA network, the Groups mobile broadband and mobile internet have been well received by the market. Now DiGis mobile internet services have a proposition synonymous called Quality internet for less. (Source: DiGi Annual Report 2009)Æ’Â  Appendix 6 2.1 Corporate Objectives and Marketing Objectives Vision: To be seen as stars in excellent customer experience Mission: To exceed the customers expectations, by delivering mobile and internet services easier and offer the best deal Corporate Objectives: To lead in sustainable and ethical business into every aspects of the organization To treat every people fairly and responsibly to empower them to reach full potential To minimize the environmental impact and offering climate-friendly solutions to the customers To go beyond financial contributions and look for ways to serve the community (Source: DiGi Annual Report 2009)Æ’Â  Appendix 6 Marketing Objectives: Delivering excellent customer experience that are simple, innovative and of best value DiGi business Customers are free to choose a new mobile service provider without having to change to a new number To facilitate the exchange of information between mobile service providers for porting transactions and update routing information to all mobile service providers. (Source: DiGi Telecommunication, CPA MNP General FAQ)Æ’Â  Appendix 7 2.2 SWOT Analysis We have done the SWOT analysis for DiGi Telecommunications. Strengths -Effective branding and marketing -Great innovation -Lowest prepaid charge rate Opportunities -Newest 3G broadband provider -New approach to attract corporate customers -Celcom and DiGi collaboration Weaknesses -Large international shareholders -Low revenue market share -High implement of new services Threats -Competition in terms of coverage -Product imitation -Spam Issue Strengths The DiGis Yellow Coverage Fellow (YCF) idea has won confidence from customers where it gives better coverage to all users around nation. Additionally, DiGi often set up booths in locations with many teenagers to win a lot of customers. DiGi is the first telco in Malaysia that launches fully digital cellular network, GSM1800 services. In DiGi Campus package, the charge rate for sms is 0 cent to family and friends, and with the lowest call charge that further charge will be waived after usage of RM2. (Source: Sun Zi, Scribd)Æ’Â  Appendix 8 Weaknesses The revised dividend policy sought to distribute minimum 80% of Groups annual profit to shareholders. This policy put pressure on DiGi on dividend payment. Furthermore, the CFO of DiGi stated that they have a very low revenue market share which is only 16%. In addition, DiGi is always implementing new products or services. The chairman says company would meet some stress on margins due to the higher level of handset subsidy offered for iPhone sales. Opportunities On 22th September 2009, DiGi officially launched the 14.4 Mbps network Turbo 3G in Malaysia. DiGi is the first 3G broadband provider in Malaysia that invests in the latest High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technology in Malaysia. DiGi has tried to attract corporate customers through a sexy approach, by giving winner the chance to be one day pilot. The campaign gains positive feedbacks and expect to attract corporate customers. Additionally, Celcom, DiGi and their respective major shareholders Axiata Group and Telenor Asia signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for advanced network collaboration. This sharing model is geared to generate significant operational and cost efficiency for both operators. (Source: Penang and Sabah first to enjoy DiGis Turbo 3GTM for mobile phone)Æ’Â  Appendix 9 (Source: DiGi business takes sexy approach to attract corporate customers)Æ’Â  Appendix 10 (Source: Celcom and DiGi sign MoU for advanced network collaboration)Æ’Â   Appendix 11 Threats Maxis has make an announcement that they will spend RM 1.4 billion to improve their 2G and 3G network coverage from 60% to 80% nationwide by year-end. This make the situation worse for DiGi, as increasing coverage can make customers to switch from DiGi in seeking of higher quality network coverage. DiGi always face the threats of competitors imitation. Very soon after a new services or products launch, its competitors will launch the similar package. On 24th September 2010, Maxis launch iPhone 4 simultaneously with DiGi. Maxis has come out with a Maxis Do Not Disturb Campaign to solve Spam sms. This campaigns purpose is to protect consumers privacy. (Source: Maxis service to improve with spending of RM1.4 bil)Æ’Â  Appendix 12 2.3 Product Line Digi Telecommunications is a mobile communications services provider which provides services such as voice/data Prepaid and Postpaid services, DiGi Internet, and DiGi Business. Besides that, it also provides a few special offers for DiGizens, such as Mobile Lifestyle, International Services, and Personal Insurance Coverage. (Please refer to appendix 13) Product Life Cycle Product Life Cycle consist of five stages, which are development, introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. The current situation of DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd is on the maturity stage as the sales revenue of DiGi has begin to slowdown and the net profit, even the market share has also decreased. Besides that, instead of introducing a new product into the market, DiGi is now focusing more on modifying and changing the characteristics of existing products, such as introducing new packages for prepaid and postpaid by offering different rates and features compared to the previous products. 3.0 Objectives Aim: DiGi brand to acquire 1/3 (33%) of Telecommunication market share over the next 3 years in Malaysia. (From 2010) The primary purpose of setting objectives is to state what is to be accomplished in order to direct an organizations efforts and allow the organization to evaluate effectiveness. To prove that IMC objectives were effective, we should follow SMART Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable and Timeline. Three IMC plan main objectives: 1. To strengthen the competitive advantage preferring DiGi as the most innovative Telecommunication in Malaysia. (From start of January 2011, until end of December 2011) 2. To increase the market share to 28% start from January 2011, finishing at the end of December 2011. 3. To build positive brand equity among all mobile users towards DiGi Telecommunications within one year. First Objective The competitive advantage of DiGi is the innovation it offers on its services. One of the latest innovations that DiGi provides is the DiGis Turbo 3G broadband service. DiGi is the first telecommunication service provider in Malaysia that provides 14.4Mbps High Speed Packet Assess (HSPA) technology. The purpose of this objective is to attract mobile users from competitors to become DiGi users. Second Objective Our second objective is to increase market share to 28% from existing market share of 25%. This means that we have to increase 3% within year 2011 and it represents 903,000 new subscribers. The reason for setting increase of 3% market share is to achieve our companys aim, which is to acquire 33% market over next 3 years. To achieve 33% market share from 25% market within 3 years means each year we have to increase an average of 2.6% market share. Third Objective The third objective is to build positive brand equity among all mobile users towards DiGi Telecommunications. Brand equity is referring to the power of a brand, affiliation with the goodwill and brand recognition of consumers. Moreover, when a company successfully built the positive brand equity, consumers will stick to the brand even the price is higher than competitors. It allows the DiGi Telecommunications to reduce the cost on promotion, and set a premium price for the products and services in the future, which will also enables a brand to generate higher sales volume and higher profits among the competitors. 4.0 Tools The effectiveness of our Integrated Marketing Communication plan is mainly depends on the successfully integration between different marketing tools. It is an important part of communication process. (Please refer to appendix 14) There are wide selections of marketing tools that can be used to bring significant impact on customers perception on DiGi telecommunication. In order to achieve our IMC plan objectives, we have chosen two tools which are advertising and sales promotion. 4.1 Advertising Our advertising tool is further divided into TV commercial advertising, radio broadcasting, and printed media-newspaper. All these three advertising tools carry different purposes and importance for achieving our IMC main objectives. The three objectives that we have created for our advertising tools are: To refresh mobile users that DiGi is always approachable by implementing continuity advertising over one year. To maintain DiGi telecommunications as the most affordable prepaid service in Malaysia. To sustain the benchmark of best commercial advertisement among telecommunications industry in Malaysia. 4.1.1 Television Commercial Advertising Television is a media channel that will be able to deliver our advertising message to a wide diverse audience. The advertisement showed on television commercials is creative and demonstrative. Besides that, it has the ability to convey our message with sight, sound and motion. Television commercial also allows immediacy of messages to be easily interpreted by audience. The channels that we have selected to advertise are TV3 and ntv7 which is under media prima. Media primas channels are TV3 (30% viewers), tv9 (9% viewers), NTV7 (6% viewers) and 8TV (5% viewers). The reason why we chose TV3 is because it has the highest viewership of 30% among all the channels under media prima. The 30% of viewers are majority made up of 95% Malays. Even though NTV 7 is the third rated among the four media primas channels, we chose to advertise in this channel because it has the highest percentage of Chinese viewership which is 70%. 4.1.2 Radio Broadcasting Radio broadcasting is one of the mediums with the broadest exposure. Advertising on radio is more cost-effective compared to ads on television. Besides that, radio broadcasting has selectivity and audience segmentation according to different radio channels. In Malaysia, there are a total of 30 radio channels. The radio station that we have chose to advertise our advertisement is hitz.fm. The reason of us choosing this particular channel is because hitz.fm has the highest listenership of English channels in Malaysia, reaching 1.58 million (9.2%). On the other hand, Fly fm is rated second position with 728,000 (4.3%) listeners followed by MIX fm with 451,000 (2.6%) listeners. 4.1.3 Printed Media Newspaper Printed media newspaper is one of the most famous printed medium in advertising. This is so because newspaper is able to reach geographically dispersed audience all over Malaysia. Besides that, newspapers have immediacy. In other words, it is tangible and audiences are able to re-view the advertisements at anytime and anywhere according to individuals convenience. The newspaper company that we have chosen to publish our advertisement is The Star. The reason of us choosing this company because it is the top rated newspaper company in Malaysia, followed by Utusan Malaysia at second place and Berita Harian at third. The Star has a total of 981,000 readers daily. As for Sundays, Sunday Star has a total of 935,000 readers. 4.2 Sales Promotion Sales promotion offers a tangible added value to encourage and accelerate a response. There are two basic types of sales promotions: the consumer promotions and trade promotions. For our sales promotions, we chose to implement consumer promotions. Consumer promotions are pull strategy in which it uses incentives to encourage end-users to buy a brand. The campaign that we planned to organize for our sales promotion is DiGis Fan-Tastic Bonanza! The purpose of this sweepstakes is to attract new subscribers to DiGi telecommunications and further increase our current market share from 25% to 28%. In addition, we plan to increase 900,000 new mobile subscribers to DiGi via this campaign. The three objectives for our sales promotion are: To retain brand loyalty of DiGizens within the period of one year (from start of January 2011 to end of December 2011) To capture end-users to choose DiGi as the primary telecommunications choice To build a strong and friendly customer relationship among mobile users in Malaysia 5.0 Budgeting Budgeting for IMC plan requires a good estimate of the cost of each element of the plan. In this IMC plan, we choose Objective and Task Budgeting method. Objective and Task Budgeting method is an estimate of the cost of each IMC task identified by zero-based planning. The reason that we chose this method is because this method can help us to determine for our marketing communication objectives and the tasks that needed to be done to accomplish each objective. In order to run our IMC plan, we request for an estimated amount of RM10million for all tools. First and foremost, there are three main objectives in our IMC plan. These three objectives bring different impact in our whole IMC campaign. In order to achieve these three objectives, we must carry out some promotional tools. Advertising was the primary medium needed in the DiGi Telecommunications to achieve the two objectives which are: 1. To strengthen the competitive advantages preferring DiGi as the most innovative Telecommunications in Malaysia 2. To build positive brand equity brand equity among all mobile users towards DiGi Telecommunications. All the three advertising tools chosen are needed to maximize the effects of our objectives and also to build up consumer mindset as DiGi is always the smarter choice in a long-run period, so we estimated around RM8 million in our advertising tools which allocated into three areas, which are TVC advertising, radio broadcasting, and printed-media (newspapers). For TV commercial advertising, we advertise in channel TV3 and NTV7 that costs RM3 million for both channels, while for radio, we will broadcast into Hitz.fm station that costs RM1 million. Whereas for newspapers, we will published into The Star newspapers, that costs RM3 million. The budget is huge as these three advertising tools will be implemented frequently for the duration of one year. Sales promotion will be the second promotional tools for DiGi Telecommunications, ongoing through DiGi sweepstakes. From DiGi sweeptakes, we will receive more than just the products and its image, it may also gives a favorable impression among our target audience. One of the biggest prize that give out is the luxury HONDA ACCORD, followed by SONY VAIO, iPad and also free DiGi reloads. All these prizes total up will be RM2 million for the duration of 1 year. One of the objectives is to increase the market share to 28%, this need to be achieved through attracting more new subscribers to DiGi with the support of sales promotion. It further enables DiGi Telecommunications to achieve our IMC aim, which is to acquire 1/3 (33%) of Malaysia telecommunications market share. 6.0 Implementation of Tools The implementation process is specific actions to be taken to execute the strategy set for our marketing communication tools. It is an important aspect of MC strategy which is the timing and scheduling. 6.1 Advertising The schedule of advertising will be shown in appendix 15. (Please refer to appendix 15) 6.2 Sales Promotion The DiGis Fan-Tastic Bonanza! that we have planned to organize will last for entire year, starts from 1st January 2011 until 30th November 2011. Evaluation and selection of winners will be done in December 2011 and prizes will be completely distributed before 1st January 2012. The qualification of enter this contest is top up with at least RM10 for prepaid users or sign up for new postpaid, broadband, and business plan. The order of the prizes will be set as: Prizes Product Items Units Grand Prize Honda Accord 2.4 VTi-L 1 Second Prize Sony Vaio X series 50 Third Prize Apple iPad 100 Consolation Prize Free top up of RM100 10,000 7.0 Evaluation The evaluation process is essential in IMC plan as it measures how well the effort meets our objectives. Successful marketing communication can makes customers remember our brand and bring them into our store. For our IMC plan, we do two evaluations on our advertising tools and sales promotion tools. 7.1 Advertising For advertising tools, what we want to evaluate is the effectiveness of our message reach our target audience. On how we evaluate the effectiveness, we will calculate on the data recorded by media service provider. The reason why we need to evaluate this is to check whether our advertising has successfully build positive brand equity and image in customer mindset. The criteria are 3 million viewership. 7.2 Sales Promotion In sales promotion, what we want to evaluate is the effectiveness of attracting new subscribers. On how we evaluate the effectiveness, we will calculate on the increase in new subscribers for all categories: prepaid, postpaid, broadband, and business plans. For the reason why we want to evaluate this is because the increase in new subscribers will increase DiGis market share, from 25% to 28%. Thus, the criteria are the increase of 903000 new subscribers. 7.3 Contingency Plan The evaluation process for both marketing tools will be done each half year, first in June and second in December. For advertising, if we cannot achieve half of the total amount within six month, we will increase the frequency of advertising for each advertising tools. Hence, we allocated 1 million budgets from advertising to prepare for this uncertainty. The sales promotion, sweepstakes is important in attracting new subscribers. If we cannot attract 450,000 new subscribers in the first six month, more prizes will be added in to increase the attractiveness of our sweepstakes. For this, we allocated around RM300000 and the additionally prize will be added as special prize.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Essay --

2. Critical Literature Review We relate the methods with respect to the criteria. The plan of the suggested approach is replacement, wrapping and migration. 2.1Replacements of Legacy Systems Replacement is not one of the policies. It may make sense to complete reshape of the legacy system from scratch. Reshaping the application from scratch is costly risky and time consuming, but has a good thing that it fulfills the organizations demands by giving a solution according to need and demand. Replacement can take place either by a strategy or incrementally. If the legacy system has defined structures then replace it incrementally. 2.2Wrapping Strategies The wrapping is another approach used for the implementation of SOA from legacy code. The useful legacy code is sticked with code wrapper to be integrated into an SOA system if the legacy system has a high business value and good quality code, wrapping can be a good option. The problematic thing in this approach is that it does not change the fundamental features of the legacy applications that are being integrated. Wrapping will not solve problems already present, such as problems in maintenance and Upgrading. In many cases, studying the internals of the legacy system is important and white-box modernization tools are required. 2.3Overview of wrapping techniques Sneed [11, 12] proposed a tool supported method for maintaining legacy code within an SOA environment. Legacy code Segments that accomplish a desired service or data reform are identified using Clustering tools and a new component is built by them. The new component is set a WSDL interface, and a SOAP framework is used. The technique has been demonstrated by wrapping a COBOL calendar function extracted from the legacy ... ...antage is that it is time consuming skilled resources are necessary for this and source code is required. There is still no general migration technique that can be applied that solves all of the problems that a developer may face. The required goal can be achieved by combining two or more modernization strategies according to the advantages and disadvantages of every strategy in the context. The reuse of legacy system components and their exposition as services are not always easy. In certain situations their exposition, as services will have an increased risk and a greater cost than their replacement completely with a new SOA architecture. The problem of modernization of legacy system has no perfect solution. Choosing a strategy is based completely on the objectives of the SOA architecture the budget and resources available and required time to achieve the project.

Benjamin Franklin Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio

Benjamin Franklin was born on Milk Street in Boston on January 17th, 1706. His father was Josiah Franklin, a candle and soap maker. His mother was Abiah Folger and she was Josiah's second wife. Benjamin Franklin was the youngest son of 17 children. Benjamin attended Boston Latin School for two years but did not graduate because of lack of money; however he continued his education by reading great quantities. His parents wanted him to go into the church, however at age 10 his schooling ended and he worked for his father until he was 12, when he became an apprentice printer for his brother James. When Benjamin was 15 his brother created the "New England Courant" which was the first independent newspaper in the colonies. Benjamin was not allowed to write for the paper so he invented a pseudonym of Mrs. Silence Dogood, these letter were published and became a subject of conversation around town. When his older brother, James, discovered that these letter belonged to Benjamin he has not happy. Benjamin Franklin left his apprenticeship without permission and became a fugitive. At 17 Franklin ran away to Philadelphia seeking a new start, at his arrival he worked in a few print shops in town. He was the convinced to go to London by Sir William Keith who supposedly wanted to start a new newspaper, however this was untrue. Franklin worked in London as a compositor in a printers shop and then returned to Philadelphia in 1726 with the help of a merchant who gave Franklin a position as clerk, shopkeeper and bookkeeper in his merchant business. In 1727 at the age of 21 Benjamin created the Junto, this was a group of aspiring artisan and tradesmen who wanted to improve themselves as they improved their community. The members of the Ju... ...s. He sailed into British waters and had a great fight against the British, eventually two proud British ships surrendered and they were taken to French waters as American prices. He conducted the affairs of the United States with great success, he was able to secure a military alliance in 1778 and was able to negotiate the Treaty of Paris, and this led to the end of the American Revolutionary war. He remained in Paris until 1785 having accomplished what he was sent there to do. When Benjamin Franklin returned to America in 1785 his position as the champion of American Independence was second only to George Washington. He is the only founding father who signed all four of the major documents of the founding of the United States; these are the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, the Treaty of Alliance with France and the United States Constitution.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Conjectures and Refutations by Sir Karl Popper :: Science Sir Karl Popper Scientists Essays

Conjectures and Refutations by Sir Karl Popper In a broad sense science is a systematic quest for knowledge. With this working definition in mind one can see that many areas of human endeavors could qualify as science. Therefore, Popper attempts to find a point of demarcation between science and psuedo-science. "Is there a criterion for the scientific character or status of theory."(1) The most widely accepted answer to this problem Popper says is induction and empirical method. At this point I find it necessary to define these two terms. One, the idea of induction as it is used in this context is the process of deriving general principles from particular facts or instances.(2) Two, the empirical method is basing an idea on observation or experiment or an idea guided by practical experience and not by theory.(3) The most notable contributor to modern thinking about these two concepts was John Stuart Mill. Mill formulated proofs that he believed to characterize empirical science in his System of Logic (1843).(4) Popper believes that these two things alone cannot differentiate between science and psuedo-science. He emphasized the hypothetico-deductive character of science.(5) Whereby scientific theories are hypothesized and statements from them can be tested. If experimentation falsifies these statements then they are refuted. However, if the statements survive experimentation then and only then can they be tentatively accepted. No theory, however well tested can be conclusively established. Popper further goes on to say that every attempt to test a theory is an attempt to falsify it. Testability is Falsifiability. At a convention of the Aristotelian Society at Oxford in 1936; Popper gave his hypothesis which was to become world famous -- "what we call scientific knowledge is hypothetical, and often not true, let alone certainly or probably true".(7) Theories are never really confirmed by experiment, they can only survive from one test to another, remaining hostage to possible disproof tomorrow. For the first part of Poppers argument I must adamantly agree. Science is a continual process through which induction and empirical method play a major part, Nonetheless, if a theory is to be scientific it must be able to be tested. It must have this component of Falsifiability! If we do not continually test ourselves and strive for reaffirmation we risk falling in to a pit of conjecture and; I would further say that any theory that cannot be falsified by either present means or by proposed means cannot be a scientific one.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 4. GESTURE

The wedding flowed into the reception party smoothly – proof of Alice's flawless planning. It was just twilight over the river; the ceremony had lasted exactly the right amount of time, allowing the sun to set behind the trees. The lights in the trees glimmered as Edward led me through the glass back doors, making the white flowers glow. There were another ten thousand flowers out here, serving as a fragrant, airy tent over the dance floor set up on the grass under two of the ancient cedars. Things slowed down, relaxed as the mellow August evening surrounded us. The little crowd spread out under the soft shine of the twinkle lights, and we were greeted again by the friends we'd just embraced. There was time to talk now, to laugh. â€Å"Congrats, guys,† Seth Clearwater told us, ducking his head under the edge of a flower garland. His mother, Sue, was tight by his side, eyeing the guests with wary intensity. Her face was thin and fierce, an expression that was accented by her short, severe hairstyle; it was as short as her daughter Leah's – I wondered if she'd cut it the same way in a show of solidarity. Billy Black, on Seth's other side, was not as tense as Sue. When I looked at Jacob's father, I always felt like I was seeing two people rather than just one. There was the old man in the wheelchair with the lined face and the white smile that everyone else saw. And then there was the direct descendant of a long line of powerful, magical chieftains, cloaked in the authority he'd been born with. Though the magic had – in the absence of a catalyst – skipped his generation, Billy was still a part of the power and the legend. It flowed straight through him. It flowed to his son, the heir to the magic, who had turned his back on it. That left Sam Uley to act as the chief of legends and magic now___ Billy seemed oddly at ease considering the company and the event – his black eyes sparkled like he'd just gotten some good news. I was impressed by his composure. This wedding must have seemed a very bad thing, the worst thing that could happen to his best friend's daughter, in Billy's eyes. I knew it wasn't easy for him to restrain his feelings, considering the challenge this event foreshadowed to the ancient treaty between the Cullens and the Quileutes – the treaty that prohibited the Cullens from ever creating another vampire. The wolves knew a breach was coming, but the Cullens had no idea how they would react. Before the alliance, it would have meant an immediate attack. A war. But now that they knew each other better, would there be forgiveness instead? As if in response to that thought, Seth leaned toward Edward, arms extended. Edward returned the hug with his free arm. I saw Sue shudder delicately. â€Å"It's good to see things work out for you, man,† Seth said. â€Å"I'm happy for you.† â€Å"Thank you, Seth. That means a lot to me.† Edward pulled away from Seth and looked at Sue and Billy. â€Å"Thank you, as well. For letting Seth come. For supporting Bella today.† â€Å"You're welcome,† Billy said in his deep, gravelly voice, and I was surprised at the optimism in his tone. Perhaps a stronger truce was on the horizon. A bit of a line was forming, so Seth waved goodbye and wheeled Billy toward the food. Sue kept one hand on each of them. Angela and Ben were the next to claim us, followed by Angela's parents and then Mike and Jessica – who were, to my surprise, holding hands. I hadn't heard that they were together again. That was nice. Behind my human friends were my new cousins-in-law, the Denali vampire clan. I realized I was holding my breath as the vampire in front – Tanya, I assumed from the strawberry tint in her blond curls – reached out to embrace Edward. Next to her, three other vampires with golden eyes stared at me with open curiosity. One woman had long, pale blond hair, straight as corn silk. The other woman and the man beside her were both black-haired, with a hint of an olive tone to their chalky complexions. And they were all four so beautiful that it made my stomach hurt. Tanya was still holding Edward. â€Å"Ah, Edward,† she said. â€Å"I've missed you.† Edward chuckled and deftly maneuvered out of the hug, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder and stepping back, as if to get a better look at her. â€Å"It's been too long, Tanya. You look well.† â€Å"So do you.† â€Å"Let me introduce you to my wife.† It was the first time Edward had said that word since it was officially true; he seemed like he would explode with satisfaction saying it now. The Denalis all laughed lightly in response. â€Å"Tanya, this is my Bella.† Tanya was every bit as lovely as my worst nightmares had predicted. She eyed me with a look that was much more speculative than it was resigned, and then reached out to take my hand. â€Å"Welcome to the family, Bella.† She smiled, a little rueful. â€Å"We consider ourselves Carlisle's extended family, and I am sorry about the, er, recent incident when we did not behave as such. We should have met you sooner. Can you forgive us?† â€Å"Of course,† I said breathlessly. â€Å"It's so nice to meet you.† â€Å"The Cullens are all evened up in numbers now. Perhaps it will be our turn next, eh, Kate?† She grinned at the blonde. â€Å"Keep the dream alive,† Kate said with a roll of her golden eyes. She took my hand from Tanya's and squeezed it gently. â€Å"Welcome, Bella.† The dark-haired woman put her hand on top of Kate's. â€Å"I'm Carmen, this is Eleazar. We're all so very pleased to finally meet you.† â€Å"M-me, too,† I stuttered. Tanya glanced at the people waiting behind her – Charlie's deputy, Mark, and his wife. Their eyes were huge as they took in the Denali clan. â€Å"We'll get to know each other later. We'll have eons of time for that!† Tanya laughed as she and her family moved on. All the standard traditions were kept. I was blinded by flashbulbs as we held the knife over a spectacular cake – too grand, I thought, for our relatively intimate group of friends and family. We took turns shoving cake in each other's faces; Edward manfully swallowed his portion as I watched in disbelief. I threw my bouquet with atypical skill, right into Angela's surprised hands. Emmett and Jasper howled with laughter at my blush while Edward removed my borrowed garter – which I'd shimmied down nearly to my ankle – verycarefully with his teeth. With a quick wink at me, he shot it straight into Mike Newton's face. And when the music started, Edward pulled me into his arms for the customary first dance; I went willingly, despite my fear of dancing – especially dancing in front of an audience – just happy to have him holding me. He did all the work, and I twirled effortlessly under the glow of a canopy of lights and the bright flashes from the cameras. â€Å"Enjoying the party, Mrs. Cullen?† he whispered in my ear. I laughed. â€Å"That will take a while to get used to.† â€Å"We have a while,† he reminded me, his voice exultant, and he leaned down to kiss me while we danced. Cameras clicked feverishly. The music changed, and Charlie tapped on Edward's shoulder. It wasn't nearly as easy to dance with Charlie. He was no better at it than I was, so we moved safely from side to side in a tiny square formation. Edward and Esme spun around us like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. â€Å"I'm going to miss you at home, Bella. I'm already lonely.† I spoke through a tight throat, trying to make a joke of it. â€Å"I feel just horrible, leaving you to cook for yourself – it's practically criminal negligence. You could arrest me.† He grinned. â€Å"I suppose I'll survive the food. Just call me whenever you can.† â€Å"I promise.† It seemed like I danced with everyone. It was good to see all my old friends, but I really wanted to be with Edward more than anything else. I was happy when he finally cut in, just half a minute after a new dance started. â€Å"Still not that fond of Mike, eh?† I commented as Edward whirled me away from him. â€Å"Not when I have to listen to his thoughts. He's lucky I didn't kick him out. Or worse.† â€Å"Yeah, right.† â€Å"Have you had a chance to look at yourself?† â€Å"Urn. No, I guess not. Why?† â€Å"Then I suppose you don't realize how utterly, heart-breakingly beautiful you are tonight. I'm not surprised Mike's having difficulty with improper thoughts about a married woman. I am disappointed that Alice didn't make sure you were forced to look in a mirror.† â€Å"You are very biased, you know.† He sighed and then paused and turned me around to face the house. The wall of glass reflected the party back like a long mirror. Edward pointed to the couple in the mirror directly across from us. â€Å"Biased, am I?† I caught just a glimpse of Edward's reflection – a perfect duplicate of his perfect face – with a dark-haired beauty at his side. Her skin was cream and roses, her eyes were huge with excitement and framed with thick lashes. The narrow sheath of the shimmering white dress flared out subtly at the train almost like an inverted calla lily, cut so skillfully that her body looked elegant and graceful – while it was motionless, at least. Before I could blink and make the beauty turn back into me, Edward suddenly stiffened and turned automatically in the other direction, as if someone had called his name. â€Å"Oh!† he said. His brow furrowed for an instant and then smoothed out just as quickly. Suddenly, he was smiling a brilliant smile. â€Å"What is it?† I asked. â€Å"A surprise wedding gift.† â€Å"Huh?† He didn't answer; he just started dancing again, spinning me the opposite way we'd been headed before, away from the lights and then into the deep swath of night that ringed the luminous dance floor. He didn't pause until we reached the dark side of one of the huge cedars. Then Edward looked straight into the blackest shadow. â€Å"Thank you,† Edward said to the darkness. â€Å"This is very†¦ kind of you.† â€Å"Kind is my middle name,† a husky familiar voice answered from the black night. â€Å"Can i cut in?† My hand flew up to my throat, and if Edward hadn't been holding me I would have collapsed. â€Å"Jacob!† I choked as soon as I could breathe. â€Å"Jacob!† â€Å"Hey there, Bells.† I stumbled toward the sound of his voice. Edward kept his grip under my elbow until another set of strong hands caught me in the darkness. The heat from Jacob's skin burned right through the thin satin dress as he pulled me close. He made no effort to dance; he just hugged me while I buried my face in his chest. He leaned down to press his cheek to the top of my head. â€Å"Rosalie won't forgive me if she doesn't get her official turn on the dance floor,† Edward murmured, and I knew he was leaving us, giving me a gift of his own – this moment with Jacob. â€Å"Oh, Jacob.† I was crying now; I couldn't get the words out clearly. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"Stop blubbering,Bella. You'll ruin your dress. It's just me.† â€Å"Just? Oh, Jake! Everything is perfect now.† Hesnorted. â€Å"Yeah – the party can start. The best man finally made it.† â€Å"Now everyone I love is here.† I felthis lips brush my hair. â€Å"SorryI'm late, honey.† â€Å"I'm just so happy you came!† â€Å"That was the idea.† I glanced toward the guests, but I couldn't see through the dancers to the spot where I'd last seen Jacob's father. I didn't know if he'd stayed. â€Å"DoesBilly know you're here?† As soon as I asked, I knew that he must have – it was the only way to explain his uplifted expression before. â€Å"I'm sure Sam's told him. I'll go see him when†¦ when the party's over.† â€Å"He'll beso glad you're home.† Jacob pulled back a little bit and straightened up.He left one hand on the small of my back and grabbed my right hand with the other. He cradled our hands to his chest; I could feel his heart beat under my palm, and I guessed that he hadn't placed my hand there accidentally. â€Å"I don't know if I get more than just this one dance,† he said, and he began pulling me around in a slow circle that didn't match the tempo of the music coming from behind us. â€Å"I'd better make the best of it.† We moved to the rhythm of his heart under my hand. â€Å"I'm glad Icame,† Jacob said quietly after a moment. â€Å"I didn't think I would be. But it's good to see you†¦ one more time. Not as sad as I'd thought it would be.† â€Å"I don't want you to feel sad.† â€Å"I know that. And I didn't come tonight to make you feel guilty.† â€Å"No – it makes me very happy that you came. It's the best gift you could have given me.† He laughed. â€Å"That's good, because I didn't have time to stop for a real present.† My eyes were adjusting, and I could see his face now, higher up than I expected. Was it possible that he was still growing? He had to be closer to seven feet than to six. It was a relief to see his familiar features again after all this time – his deep-set eyes shadowed under his shaggy black brows, his high cheekbones, his full lips stretched over his bright teeth in the sarcastic smile that matched his tone. His eyes were tight around the edges – careful; I could see that he was being very careful tonight. He was doing all he could to make me happy, to not slip and show how much this cost him. I'd never done anything good enough to deserve a friend like Jacob. â€Å"When did you decide to come back?† â€Å"Consciously or subconsciously?† He took a deep breath before he answered his own question. â€Å"I don't really know. I guess I've been wandering back this direction for a while, and maybe it's because I was headed here. But it wasn't until this morning that I really started running. I didn't know if I could make it.† He laughed. â€Å"You wouldn't believe how weird this feels – walking around on two legs again. And clothes! And then it's more bizarre because it feels weird. I didn't expect that. I'm out of practice with the whole human thing.† We revolved steadily. â€Å"It would have been a shame to miss seeing you like this, though. That's worth the trip right there. You look unbelievable, Bella. So beautiful.† â€Å"Alice invested a lot of time in me today. The dark helps, too.† â€Å"It's not so dark for me, you know.† â€Å"Right.† Werewolf senses. It was easy to forget all the things he could do, he seemed so human. Especially right now. â€Å"You cut your hair,† I noted. â€Å"Yeah. Easier, you know. Thought I'd better take advantage of the hands.† â€Å"It looks good,† I lied. He snorted. â€Å"Right. I did it myself, with rusty kitchen shears.† He grinned widely for a moment, and then his smile faded. His expression turned serious. â€Å"Are you happy, Bella?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Okay.† I felt his shoulders shrug. â€Å"That's the main thing, I guess.† â€Å"How are you, Jacob? Really?† â€Å"I'm fine, Bella, really. You don't need to worry about me anymore. You can stop bugging Seth.† â€Å"I'm not just bugging him because of you. I like Seth.† â€Å"He's a good kid. Better company than some. I tell you, if I could get rid of the voices in my head, being a wolf would be about perfect.† I laughed at the way it sounded. â€Å"Yeah, I can't get mine to shut up, either.† â€Å"In your case, that would mean you're insane. Of course, I already knew that you were insane,† he teased. â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Insanity is probably easier than sharing a pack mind. Crazy people's voices don't send babysitters to watch them.† â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"Sam's out there. And some of the others. Just in case, you know.† â€Å"In case of what?† â€Å"In case I can't keep it together, something like that. In case I decide to trash the party.† He flashed a quick smile at what was probably an appealing thought to him. â€Å"But I'm not here to ruin your wedding, Bella. I'm here to .. .† He trailed off. â€Å"To make it perfect.† â€Å"That's a tall order.† â€Å"Good thing you're so tall.† He groaned at my bad joke and then sighed. â€Å"I'm just here to be your friend. Your best friend, one last time.† â€Å"Sam should give you more credit.† â€Å"Well, maybe I'm being oversensitive. Maybe they'd be here anyway, to keep an eye on Seth. There are a lot of vampires here. Seth doesn't take that as seriously as he should.† â€Å"Seth knows that he's not in any danger. He understands the Cullens better than Sam does.† â€Å"Sure, sure,† Jacob said, making peace before it could turn into a fight. It was strange to have him being the diplomat. â€Å"Sorry about those voices,† I said. â€Å"Wish I could make it better.† In so many ways. â€Å"It's not that bad. I'm just whining a little.† â€Å"You're†¦ happy?† â€Å"Close enough. But enough about me. You're the star today.† He chuckled. â€Å"I bet you're just loving that. Center of attention.† â€Å"Yeah. Can't get enough attention.† He laughed and then stared over my head. With pursed lips, he studied the shimmering glow of the reception party, the graceful whirl of the dancers, the fluttering petals falling from the garlands; I looked with him. It all seemed very distant from this black, quiet space. Almost like watching the white flurries swirling inside a snow globe. â€Å"I'll give them this much,† he said. â€Å"They know how to throw a party.† â€Å"Alice is an unstoppable force of nature.† He sighed. â€Å"Song's over. Do you think 1 get another one? Or is that asking too much?† I tightened my hand around his. â€Å"You can have as many dances as you want.† He laughed. â€Å"That would be interesting. I think I'd better stick with two, though. Don't want to start talk.† We turned in another circle. â€Å"You'd think I'd be used to telling you goodbye by now,† he murmured. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but I couldn't force it down. Jacob looked at me and frowned. He wiped his fingers across my cheek, catching the tears there. â€Å"You're not supposed to be the one crying, Bella.† â€Å"Everyone cries at weddings,† I said thickly. â€Å"This is what you want, right?† â€Å"Right.† â€Å"Then smile.† I tried. He laughed at my grimace. Tm going to try to remember you like this. Pretend that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"That what?That I died?† He clenched his teeth. He was struggling with himself – with his decision to make his presence here a gift and not a judgment. I could guess what he wanted to say. â€Å"No,† he finally answered. â€Å"But I'll see you this way in my head. Pink cheeks. Heartbeat. Two left feet. All of that.† I deliberately stomped on his foot as hard as I could. He smiled. â€Å"That's my girl.† He started to say something else and then snapped his mouth closed. Struggling again, teeth gritted against the words he didn't want to say. My relationship with Jacob used to be so easy. Natural as breathing. But since Edward had come back into my life, it was a constant strain. Because – in Jacob's eyes – by choosing Edward, I was choosing a fate that was worse than death, or at least equivalent to it. â€Å"What is it, Jake? Just tell me. You can tell me anything.† â€Å"I – I†¦ I don't have anything to tell you.† â€Å"Oh please. Spit it out.† â€Å"It's true.It's not†¦ it's – it's a question. It's something I want you to tell me† â€Å"Ask me.† He struggled for another minute and then exhaled. â€Å"I shouldn't. It doesn't matter. I'm just morbidly curious.† Because I knew him so well, I understood. â€Å"It's not tonight, Jacob,† I whispered. Jacob was even more obsessed with my humanity than Edward. He treasured every one of my heartbeats, knowing that they were numbered. â€Å"Oh,† he said, trying to smother his relief. â€Å"Oh.† A new song started playing, but he didn't notice the change this time. â€Å"When?† he whispered. â€Å"I don't know for sure. A week or two, maybe.† His voice changed, took on a defensive, mocking edge. â€Å"What's the holdup?† â€Å"I just didn't want to spend my honeymoon writhing in pain.† â€Å"You'd rather spend it how? Playing checkers? Ha ha.† â€Å"Very funny.† â€Å"Kidding, Bells. But, honestly, I don't see the point. You can't have a real honeymoon with your vampire, so why go through the motions? Call a spade a spade. This isn't the first time you've put this off. That's a good thing, though,† he said, suddenly earnest. â€Å"Don't be embarrassed about it.† â€Å"I'm not putting anything off,† I snapped. â€Å"And yes I can have a real honeymoon! I can do anything I want! Butt out!† He stopped our slow circling abruptly. For a moment, I wondered if he'd finally noticed the music change, and I scrambled in my head for a way to patch up our little tiff before he said goodbye to me. We shouldn't part on this note. And then his eyes bulged wide with a strange kind of confused horror. â€Å"What?† he gasped. â€Å"What did you say?† â€Å"About what†¦ ? Jake? What's wrong?† â€Å"What do you mean? Have a real honeymoon? While you're still human? Are you kidding? That's a sick joke, Bella!† I glared at him. â€Å"I said butt out, Jake. This is so not your business. I shouldn't have†¦ we shouldn't even be talking about this. It's private – â€Å" His enormous hands gripped the tops of my arms, wrapping all the way around, fingers overlapping. â€Å"Ow, Jake! Let go!† He shook me. â€Å"Bella! Have you lost your mind? You can't be that stupid! Tell me you're joking!† He shook me again. His hands, tight as tourniquets, were quivering, sending vibrations deep into my bones. â€Å"Jake – stop!† The darkness was suddenly very crowded. â€Å"Take your hands off her!† Edward's voice was cold as ice, sharp as razors. Behind Jacob, there was a low snarl from the black night, and then another, overlapping the first. â€Å"Jake, bro, back away,† I heard Seth Clearwater urge. â€Å"You're losing it.† Jacob seemed frozen as he was, his horrified eyes wide and staring. â€Å"You'll hurt her,† Seth whispered. â€Å"Let her go.† â€Å"Now!† Edward snarled. Jacob's hands dropped to his sides, and the sudden gush of blood through my waiting veins was almost painful. Before I could register more than that, cold hands replaced the hot ones, and the air was suddenly whooshing past me. I blinked, and I was on my feet a half dozen feet away from where I'd been standing. Edward was tensed in front of me. There were two enormous wolves braced between him and Jacob, but they did not seem aggressive to me. More like they were trying to prevent the fight. And Seth – gangly, fifteen-year-old Seth – had his long arms around Jacob's shaking body, and he was tugging him away. If Jacob phased with Seth so close†¦ â€Å"C'mon, Jake. Let's go.† â€Å"I'll kill you,† Jacob said, his voice so choked with rage that it was low as a whisper. His eyes, focused on Edward, burned with fury. â€Å"I'll kill you myself! I'll do it now!† He shuddered convulsively. The biggest wolf, the black one, growled sharply. â€Å"Seth, get out of the way,† Edward hissed. Seth tugged on Jacob again. Jacob was so bewildered with rage that Seth was able to yank him a few feet farther back. â€Å"Don't do it, Jake. Walk away. C'mon.† Sam – the bigger wolf, the black one – joined Seth then. He put his massive head against Jacob's chest and shoved. The three of them – Seth towing, Jake trembling, Sam pushing – disappeared swiftly into the darkness. The other wolf stared after them. I wasn't sure, in the weak light, about the color of his fur – chocolate brown, maybe? Was it Quil, then? Tm sorry,† I whispered to the wolf. â€Å"It'sall right now,Bella,† Edward murmured. The wolf looked at Edward. His gaze was not friendly. Edward gave him one cold nod.The wolf huffed and then turned to follow the others, vanishing as they had. â€Å"All right,† Edward said to himself, and then he looked at me. â€Å"Let's get back.† â€Å"But Jake – â€Å" â€Å"Sam has him in hand. He's gone.† â€Å"Edward, I'm so sorry. Iwas stupid – â€Å" â€Å"You did nothing wrong – â€Å" â€Å"I have such a big mouth! Why would I†¦ I shouldn't have let him get to me like that. What was I thinking?† â€Å"Don't worry.† He touched my face. â€Å"We need to get back to the reception before someone notices our absence.† I shook my head, trying to reorient myself. Before someone noticed? Had anyone missed that? Then, as I thought about it, I realized the confrontation that had seemed so catastrophic to me had, in reality, been very quiet and short here in the shadows. â€Å"Give me two seconds,† I pleaded. My insides were chaotic with panic and grief, but that didn't matter – only the outside mattered right now. Putting on a good show was something I knew I had to master. â€Å"My dress?† â€Å"You look fine. Not a hair out of place.† I took two deep breaths. â€Å"Okay. Let's go.† He put his arms around me and led me back to the light. When we passed under the twinkle lights, he spun me gently onto the dance floor. We melted in with the other dancers as if our dance had never been interrupted. I glanced around at the guests, butno one seemed shocked or frightened. Only the very palest faces there showed any signs of stress, and they hid it well. Jasper and Emmett were on the edge of the floor, close together, and I guessed that they had been nearby during the confrontation. â€Å"Are you – â€Å" Tm fine,† I promised. â€Å"I can't believe I did that. What's wrong with me?† â€Å"Nothing is wrong with you† I'd been so glad to see Jacob here. I knew the sacrifice it had taken him. And then I'd ruined it, turned his gift into a disaster. I should be quarantined. But my idiocy would not ruin anything else tonight. I would put this away, shove it in a drawer and lock it up to deal with later. There would be plenty of time to flagellate myself for this, and nothing I could do now would help. â€Å"It's over,† I said. â€Å"Let's not think of it again tonight.† I expected a quick agreement from Edward, but he was silent. â€Å"Edward?† He closed his eyes and touched his forehead to mine. â€Å"Jacob is right,† he whispered. â€Å"What am I thinking?† â€Å"He is not.† I tried to keep my face smooth for the watching crowd of friends. â€Å"Jacob is way too prejudiced to see anything clearly.† He mumbled something low that sounded almost like â€Å"should let him kill me for even thinking †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Stop it,† I said fiercely. I grabbed his face in my hands and waited until he opened his eyes. â€Å"You and me. That's the only thing that matters. The only thing you're allowed to think about now. Do you hear me?† â€Å"Yes,† he sighed. â€Å"Forget Jacob came.† I could do that. I would 60 that. â€Å"For me. Promise that you'll let this go.† He stared into my eyes for a moment before answering. â€Å"I promise.† â€Å"Thank you. Edward, I'm not afraid.† â€Å"I am,† he whispered. â€Å"Don't be.† I took deep breath and smiled. â€Å"By the way, I love you.† He smiled just a little in return. â€Å"That's why we're here.† â€Å"You're monopolizing the bride,† Emmett said, coming up behind Edward's shoulder. â€Å"Let me dance with my little sister. This could be my last chance to make her blush.† He laughed loudly, as unaffected as he usually was by any serious atmosphere. It turned out there were actually lots of people I hadn't danced with yet, and that gave me a chance to truly compose and resolve myself. When Edward claimed me again, I found that the Jacob-drawer was shut nice and tight. As he wrapped his arms around me, I was able to unearth my earlier sense of joy, my certainty that everything in my life was in the right place tonight. I smiled and laid my head against his chest. His arms tightened. â€Å"I could get used to this,† I said. â€Å"Don't tell me you've gotten over your dancing issues?† â€Å"Dancing isn't so bad – with you. But I was thinking more of this,† – and I pressed myself to him even tighter – â€Å"of never having to let you go.† â€Å"Never,† he promised, and he leaned down to kiss me. It was a serious kind of kiss – intense, slow but building†¦. I'd pretty much forgotten where I was when I heard Alice call, â€Å"Bella! It's time!† I felt a brief flicker of irritation with my new sister for the interruption. Edward ignored her; his lips were hard against mine, more urgent than before. My heart broke into a sprint and my palms were slick against his marble neck. â€Å"Do you want to miss your plane?† Alice demanded, right next to me now. â€Å"I'm sure you'll have a lovely honeymoon camped out in the airport waiting for another flight.† Edward turned his face slightly to murmur, â€Å"Go away, Alice,† and then pressed his lips to mine again. â€Å"Bella, do you want to wear that dress on the airplane?† she demanded. I wasn't really paying much attention. At the moment, I simply didn't care. Alice growled quietly. â€Å"I'll tell her where you're taking her, Edward. So help me, I will.† He froze. Then he lifted his face from mine and glared at his favorite sister. â€Å"You're awfully small to be so hugelyirritating.† â€Å"I didn't pick out the perfect going-away dress to have it wasted,† she snapped back, taking my hand. â€Å"Come with me, Bella.† I tugged against her hold, stretching up on my toes to kiss him one more time. She jerked my arm impatiently, hauling me away from him. There were a few chuckles from the watching guests. I gave up then and let her lead me into the empty house. She looked annoyed. â€Å"Sorry, Alice,† I apologized. â€Å"I don't blame you, Bella.† She sighed. â€Å"You don't seem to be able help yourself.† I giggled at her martyred expression, and she scowled. â€Å"Thank you, Alice. It was the most beautiful wedding anyone ever had,† I told her earnestly. â€Å"Everything was exactly right. You're the best, smartest, most talented sister in the whole world.† That thawed her out; she smiled a huge smile. â€Å"I'm glad you liked it.† Renee and Esme were waiting upstairs. The three of them quickly had me out of my dress and into Alice's deep blue going-away ensemble. I was grateful when someone pulled the pins out of my hair and let it fall loose down my back, wavy from the braids, saving me from a hairpin headache later. My mother's tears streamed without a break the entire time. â€Å"I'll call you when I know where I'm going,† I promised as I hugged her goodbye. I knew the honeymoon secret was probably driving her crazy; my mother hated secrets, unless she was in on them. â€Å"I'll tell you as soon as she's safely away,† Alice outdid me, smirking at my wounded expression. How unfair, for me to be the last to know. â€Å"You have to visit me and Phil very, very soon. It's your turn to go south – see the sun for once,† Renee said. â€Å"It didn't rain today,† I reminded her, avoiding her request â€Å"A miracle.† â€Å"Everything's ready,† Alice said. â€Å"Your suitcases are in the car – Jasper's bringing it around.† She pulled me back toward the stairs with Renee following, still halfway embracing me. â€Å"I love you, Mom,† I whispered as we descended. Tm so glad you have Phil. Take care of each other.† â€Å"I love you, too, Bella, honey.† â€Å"Goodbye, Mom. I love you,† I said again, my throat thick. Edward was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. I took his outstretched hand but leaned away, scanning the little crowd that was waiting to see us off. â€Å"Dad?† I asked, my eyes searching. â€Å"Over here,† Edward murmured. He pulled me through the guests; they made a pathway for us. We found Charlie leaning awkwardly against the wall behind everyone else, looking a little like he was hiding. The red rims around his eyes explained why. â€Å"Oh, Dad!† I hugged him around the waist, tears streaming again – I was crying so much tonight. He patted my back. â€Å"There, now. You don't want to miss your plane.† It was hard to talk about love with Charlie – we were so much alike, always reverting to trivial things to avoid embarrassing emotional displays. But this was no time for being self-conscious. â€Å"I love you forever, Dad,† I told him. â€Å"Don't forget that.† â€Å"You, too, Bells. Always have, always will.† I kissed his cheek at the same time that he kissed mine. â€Å"Call me,† he said. â€Å"Soon,† I promised, knowing this was all I could promise. Just a phone call. My father and my mother could not be allowed to see me again; I would be too different, and much, much too dangerous. â€Å"Go on, then,† he said gruffly. â€Å"Don't want to be late.† The guests made another aisle for us. Edward pulled me close to his side as we made our escape. â€Å"Are you ready?† he asked. â€Å"I am,† I said, and I knew that it was true. Everyone applauded when Edward kissed me on the doorstep. Then he rushed me to the car as the rice storm began. Most of it went wide, but someone, probably Emmett, threw with uncanny precision, and I caught a lot of the ricochets off Edward's back. The car was decorated with more flowers that trailed in streamers along its length, and long gossamer ribbons that were tied to a dozen shoes – designer shoes that looked brand-new – dangling behind the bumper. Edward shielded me from the rice while I climbed in, and then he was in and we were speeding away as I waved out the window and called â€Å"I love you† to the porch, where my families waved back. The last image I registered was one of my parents. Phil had both arms wrapped tenderly around Renee. She had one arm tight around his waist but had her free hand reached out to hold Charlie's. So many different kinds of love, harmonious in this one moment. It seemed a very hopeful picture to me. Edward squeezed my hand. â€Å"I love you,† he said. I leaned my head against his arm. ‘That's why we're here,† I quoted him. He kissed my hair. As we turned onto the black highway and Edward really hit the accelerator, I heard a noise over the purr of the engine, coming from the forest behind us. If I could hear it, then he certainly could. But he said nothing as the sound slowly faded in the distance. I said nothing, either. The piercing, heartbroken howling grew fainter and then disappeared entirely.