Human Resource Management in Utilities Co - Implications of Employee L Case Study

Essays on Human Resource Management in Utilities Co - Implications of Employee Lay Off, OHS Concerns as a Result of the Layoff Announcements Case Study The paper â€Å"Human Resource Management in Utilities Co - Implications of Employee Lay Off, OHS Concerns as a Result of the Layoff Announcements† is a  motivating version of a case study on human resources. This report aims at identifying the implications of the layoff announcement at the Utilities Co. by the CEO, the occupation health and safety concerns as a result of the layoff as well as how the organization dealt with the concerns. Moreover, the report will identify the equity issues as a result of the redundancies and their implications for the organization. In conclusion, the report will give recommendations on how the organizations are supposed to make the layoff decisions. Apparently, Human resource leaders are currently under amplified pressure to express outcomes from their employees’ policies and practices. Nevertheless, to ensure the productivity and efficiency of the organization, human resource managers should put into effect strategies to ensure effi cient management of people.   The report has identified such implications as reduced productivity as a result of the employee lay off, complaints from its customers and the negative effects of the media. The employees also faced stress as a result of the layoff and their morale went down. Additionally, the OHS team of the human resource department was largely affected by the announcement of the layoff and the subsequent events that took place, for instance, the customer complaints. Furthermore, the equity officer evaluated the demographic profiles of the employees who had left the utility company on voluntary redundancies. He indicated that the employees reported that they are not ready to work in a company that does not value its employees. In conclusion, the report has recommended that the company should treat their employees with respect and compassionately to be able to lighten the situation and make the situation tolerable for the organization and employees if the layoff is investable.IntroductionThis report aims at analyzing human resource management at the Utilities Company. Human resource leaders are currently under amplified pressure to express outcomes from their employees’ policies and practices (Byars and Rue, 2006). In fact, such leaders are aware of the relationship between organizational success and individuals within the organization. Furthermore, they understand that individual linked matters necessitate being at the core of the boardroom agenda (Byars and Rue, 2006). As a result, human resource managers are highly encouraged to formulate and put into action people's strategies, which support the organizational objectives and boost transparency and accountability around the management of people.In this case, the organization should understand that managing people is not an easy task. Nevertheless, to ensure the productivity and efficiency of the organization, human resource managers should put into effect strategies to ensure efficient management of people (Clark, 19 93). According to studies, maintaining human capital in an organization should not be merely perceived as simply a responsibility, rather an extremely significant skill that human resource managers should continually hone and enhance to handle the varied personalities in an organization. Research has revealed that the most significant but difficult job of a manager is managing people (Ulrich, 1998). Managers must lead, inspire, motivate, and encourage them, whilst still, they are expected to employ, fire, and assess the workforce. The efficient management of people in an organization necessitates an understanding of job design, motivation, and group influence and reward systems (Ulrich, 1998).

The Cuban Missile Crisis - 1149 Words

â€Å"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.† The words of the 35th president John F. Kennedy. During the 1960’s the Soviets were looking to have world power. So they decided to expand their power towards the America’s. while in Vietnam they always had trouble keeping independence and now communism is splitting the North and South and causing a civil war. Both the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War illustrate the United States attempt to combat communism. The Cuban Missile Crisis in the prevention of a nuclear war. Whereas the Vietnam War ultimately curtailed the spread of communism. (CMC) During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S was trying to prevent a nuclear war, and attempting to contain the hostility between the U.S and the Soviet Union. In 1962, an American U2 plane spotted a Russian missile site being built with short, medium, and long range missiles (cite). After Kennedy got the notice of there being a threat, he didn’t want the public to know, so he met with his close advisors in private (cite). He also needed to hurry as those missiles were ninety miles away from the U.S. Kennedy and his advisors had to come up with a way to get rid of the missiles without causing a worldwide conflict or causing a nuclear war. After many meetings Kennedy came down to five options. The first optionShow MoreRelatedThe Cuban Missile Crisis1188 Words   |  5 Pageseven know. Topic Sentence: The Cuban missile was a crazy time. It happened some fifty years ago when John F. Kennedy was president. It was when one of U.S. spy plane caught Soviet Union trying to sneak some nuclear missiles into Cuba that was ninety miles off the United States’ coast. Soon enough president Kennedy had to talk to one of their leaders about what are they doing with the missiles and if they do not remove it there will be a war. The Cuban missile crisis happened during the Cold War betweenRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis1495 Words   |  6 PagesKennedy was made aware of Soviet missiles in Cuba. This was the testing ground, the closest the world has ever been to nuclear war, the Cuban Missile Crisis, 16-28 October, 1962. The future for millions of lives depended upon the ability of United States President John F. Kennedy and Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev to reach an agreement in which both did not lose face, and more importantly, the world survived. The events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis, as explained by Sheldon M. SternRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis Essay2455 Words   |  10 PagesThe Cuban Missile Crisis bought the world closer to extinction than ever before. It was through the decisive actions of newly elected president John F Kennedy and then premier of the USSR Nikita Khrushchev that the confrontation did not escalate into all out nuclear war. The Cuban Missile Crisis lasted for 13 days, it was predicated on the fact that the Soviet Union was placing intercontinental ballistic missiles on the island country of Cuba which is just off the coast of the United States nearRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis1016 Words   |  4 Pages Events leading up to this potential catastrophic war was the Cuban Revolution, the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion, US anti-communism, insecurity of the Soviet Union, and Cubas fear of invasion. Thankfully, the conflict was avoided due to great cooperation from both President J ohn F. Kennedy of the United States and Soviet Union leader, Nikita Khrushchev. Each decision made by each leader was vital in the outcome of The Crisis. Kennedys choice to take action by methods of quarantine insteadRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis2013 Words   |  9 PagesInvestigation The purpose of this investigation is to establish the extent to which there was a victor at the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. This investigation will evaluate the position of both Khrushchev and Kennedy after the crisis in order to draw the victor. Looking into the intentions and goals of USA and the USSR leading up to, during, and recently after the crisis to determine the true victor, in between the years 1959 and 1979. Sources that will be used in this investigation includeRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis2100 Words   |  9 PagesThe Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban missile crisis was the most dangerous of the Cold War, but it still involves the two main superpower enemies; Russia and America, only this time Cuba got involved too. The Cold War happened because Read MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis5937 Words   |  24 PagesThe Cuban Missile Crisis The world was at the edge of a third world war. This was the result of a variety of things: the Cuban Revolution, the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion, US anti-communism, insecurity of the Soviet Union, and Cubas fear of invasion all made causes for war. However, war was not the result due to great cooperation from both President Kennedy and President Khrushchev and each of the decisions made by the leaders was crucial in the outcome of The Crisis. Kennedys choiceRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis Essay3251 Words   |  14 Pageswar. Looking back now, I realize the Cuban Missile Crisis was an extreme pivotal moment in the Cold War. 6 months ago my own country, the United States of America, had never been so close to Armageddon with the Soviet Union. On October 16th, 1962 I was informed that the CIA’s National Photographic Interpretation Centre had reviewed findings from U-2 aircraft photographs and had identified objects that were soon to be interpreted as medium range ballistic missiles. The U-2 flight, piloted by MajorRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis Essay1292 Words   |  6 Pagesinevitable to the world, it was the first time nuclear war was hanging on a thread. The Cuban Missile Crisis presented a threat to the world, in which the USSR planted nuclear missiles on Cuba. America’s response was to threaten launching nuclear missiles at the Russians. This incident launched the world into a new time, which presented nuclear weapons as a source of power. The incident of the Cuban Missile Crisis still connects with us today because the power nuclear weapons present, which providesRead MoreCuban Missile Crisis Essay1203 Words   |  5 PagesThe Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13 day political and military deadlock in 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union. It appeared that the Soviet Union was installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, and it was the closest the United States has ever came to a nuclear war. Using the movie, 13 Days, the Cuban Missile Crisis is explained and compared to the actual event. The crisis was led to by the Cold War. The Cold War was a period between 1947 and 1991 of geopolitical tension between the corrupted

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

Question: Doiscuss about the patient who was asymptomatic right after the spleenectomy? Answer: Discussion In the case discussed, the patient was asymptomatic right after the spleenectomy. After few weeks, symptoms of sepsis appeared. Spleenectomy was important in this case because injuries sustained after the accident depended on the spleenectomy (Kristinsson, 2013). 1st Discussion Post The wound sustained after the spleenectomy was the origin of the septic, which led to the flared up discomfort and health issues. The wound became the breeding ground for infectious microorganisms. Replication in Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes is different. RNA primers in prokaryotes are longer than RNA primers in eukaryotes, some additional proteins are present during eukaryotic replication, eukaryotes have multiple replication origins, regulation of and there is another difference between the telomeres. The ends of the DNA are known as telomeres, replicating them is the problem. While the leading strand can be copied easily, the lagging strand is not easy to copy. In case of eukaryotes there is an overhang which cannot be avoided. Another problem is that after every round of cell division the DNA is shortened. The length of telomeres is different in Prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Eukaryotes also have a distinct process for replicating telomeres. 2nd Discussion Post Telomeres are an integral part of replication. But the role of telomere is different in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The lengths are small and replication procedure is different (Strzyz, 2016). Homologous recombination is a process in which similar nucleotide chains or sequences are exchanged between identical DNA molecules (Jasin Rothstein, 2013). 3rd Discussion Post The proteins for homologues recombination in prokaryotes are different from the proteins for homologous recombination in eukaryotes. References Jasin, M., Rothstein, R. (2013). Repair of strand breaks by homologous recombination.Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology,5(11), a012740. Kristinsson, S. Y., Gridley, G., Hoover, R. N., Check, D., Landgren, O. (2013). Long-term risks after splenectomy among 8,149 cancer-free US veterans: a cohort study with up to 27 years follow-up.Haematologica, haematol-2013. Strzyz, P. (2016). DNA replication: Rif1 times replication.Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology.

Hertz Goes Wireless Essay Example

Hertz Goes Wireless Essay We have chosen minicase Hertz goes Wireless from chapter seven which describes how information systems provided to employees facilities by wireless technology Which improves their performance and productivity. INTRODUCTION In a competitive world, Hertz is a company that rents cars. It is the world? s largest enterprise and competes against thousands of companies in hundreds of countries. Hertz is operating approximately in 8,100 in 145 countries worldwide. Its goal is to pay attention on customer acquisition and loyalty. Hertz is the first company that has incorporated information technologies in 1970. Moreover, it is a pioneer in mobile commerce applications like, for example, quick rentals, instant returns, in-car cellular phones, NeverLost onboard, additional customer services, car locations and Wi-Fi connection. The year 2004 was the debut of Wi-Fi — wireless, high-speed Internet service. Available in more than 50 U. S. airport locations. Its vision is to be the first choice brand among customers for vehicle and equipment rental/ leasing as well as total mobility solutions. We evolve to present a concept of our minicase by answering questions below: QUESTIONS 1. Which of these applications are intrabusiness in nature? Wireless intrabusiness is a kind of application that is developed inside of the company. It has been around since early 1900s in the non-Internet environment. Such applications include wireless networking used to pick items out of storage in warehouses via PCs, based on delivery status updates that enter on PCs inside collection of data. By now a vast number of Intrabusiness applications had been implemented inside enterprises. Since the early 1900s, Wireless intrabusiness application in the non-Internet environment has been around. We will write a custom essay sample on Hertz Goes Wireless specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Hertz Goes Wireless specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Hertz Goes Wireless specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer For example: -wireless networking used to pick items out of storage in warehouses via PCs mounted on forklifts -delivery-status updates entered on PCs inside distribution trucks -collection of data such as competitor? s inventories in stores and customer orders using a handheld (but not networked) device, from which data were transferred to company headquarters each evening. The intrabusiness applications that Hertz uses are: Instant returns helps you to make your check-out in less than a minute via wireless system that is connected to a data-base. So, thanks to automatic technologies there is a reduction in time and costs. The reduction in costs is caused by modern systems which makes the work of the organization easier when it uses automatic calculations. Car locations is a system that has its basis on Global Positioning Systems (GPS) that determines the precise location of the vehicle and can direct its automatic steering. Because of the rows GPS is very exact, so the company knows where their clients are staying every time. Hertz benefits are: a total control of its cars, prevention of a possible crime committed by customers (for instance stealing a car or trying to use fake customer data). . Identify any finance- and marketing-oriented applications The finance-oriented applications are: -Quick rentals This is a finance application because you don? t have to do transactions that wouldn? t be necessary. It allows quick figuring and billing of customers on the moment of giving back the car that had been rented. For example, this system is part of a national wireless network that can check credit cards , examine your rental history, determine which airline to credit your loyalty mileage to, and more. This application does everything for you because you only have to arrive at the airport and go to the slot where the car is waiting for you. It has services like greets attendance, confirmation of reservations and Wi-Fi which transmits your data to the renting booth. With the reduction of work connected with filling papers, this can be seen as an advantage for the company. Moreover, this system operated over a WLAN which is a type of local area network that uses high-frequency radio waves rather than wires to communicate between computers or devices. A WLAN typically extends an existing wired LAN and is built by attaching a wireless access point (AP) to the edge of the wired network. -Instant returns Because this application uses a handheld device that automatically calculates the costs of the rental and prints out a receipt for the renter. The information system that the company uses is data-base via wireless. This is an example how the internet supports companies in financial areas. The marketing-oriented applications are: -NeverLost Onboard You can get information about the locations of the nearest hospitals, gas stations, restaurants, and tourist areas. This system was introduced for first time in 1995 in the USA and was exported to Europe ten years later. -Additional customer services The customer can receive city guides, all the locations guides, city maps and other tools. This can be an advantage for Hertz, because the company provides all additional features to the customers, which is the perfect way to attract and retain its recipient. -Wi-Fi connection Wi-Fi is a technology that allows computers to share a network wirelessly without the need to connect to a commercial network. It usually consists of a router, which transmits the signal, and one or more adapters, which receive the signal and are attached to computers. This is a marketing application that became available in all major airports, hospitals, restaurants, tourist areas served by Hertz in the USA. Moreover, you can be connected across the entire world. 3. What are the benefits to Hertz of knowing exactly where each of its cars are? As a renter, how do you feel about this capability? In our opinion there is a number of reasons that Hertz Company benefits of knowing exactly where each car is. Firstly it is very useful to have GPS system that the philosophy of Hertz is mainly working on. Thanks to this system, the company can find a car in case of an offense by a customer. So the client can? t take advantage and steal the rented car. It proves that by having the knowledge where each of its cars are, Hertz can detect the vehicle immediately. ?Secondly, it is important to know where each car is exactl y, because when something wrong happens to the driver or vehicle, any accident no matter how serious it is, the company can for example send an ambulance to the place of the incident immediately. Or it can provide another vehicle, what builds a feeling of loyalty among customers and helps to avoid stress or time wasted. ?Thirdly, thanks to this kind of knowledge the firm cares about its own business. That’s because in some contracts while renting a vehicle there are kilometers limit, and after transgression of it the company possesses information about the location of the client in that moment, in case of trying not to pay for over limit. Also in some countries there is a law that doesn’t allow leaving it while renting a car. ?Besides, this system can prevent crimes. We mean that in case when the customer brings illegal stuff in a car rented from Hertz, the company can hand in information to the police about the suspected car and customer. As a renter, for us there are two sides for this phenomenon. On the one hand we would feel safe, and not worried wherever we go, because the GPS system would not allow us to get lost, it’s always satellite- controlled steering. Moreover, thanks to the fact that Hertz is monitoring the vehicle it helps us to avoid stress in case of an accident. This technology would alert employees of the company or the emergencies immediately. In addition, we think that when rental company possesses a piece of information about our speed may be profitable, because we stay in touch with people working on this system who can help us how to avoid any commitment for speed limit or conflict with law. On the other hand, we have also ethical issues in our minds which are strictly related to standards of right and wrong. This has the power to damage the image of the organization and its moral as well. It is obvious that what is considered ethical by one person may seem the opposite to another. This advantage of the localization of the company’s cars are an invasion of our privacy. We are a bit hesitant to have our movements tracked every day, even if it’s for our good, and even if we have nothing to hide. We are not convinced enough that with a full consciousness of being observed we would drive a rented car with pleasure and convenience. 4. What competitive edge can Hertz get from the system? Michael E. Porter said that competitive advantage to value a company is able to create an advantage for their customers in the form of lower prices than competitors for equivalent benefits or the provision of differentiated products whose revenues exceed costs. For Porter, the value is the amount hat buyers are willing to pay for what the company provides. A firm is profitable if the value that you get from your buyers exceeds the costs required to create the product. Creating products for buyers whose values exceeds the costs is the goal of any business strategy. To analyze the value a company is able to create for its buyers, Porter uses what he calls the value chain or succession of business where value arises. Hertz has developed a business performance management to get a competitive edge. This performance has four steps: 1. Decide on desired performance levels. What the company wants to achieve is to be the major enterprise in the â€Å"rent a car† market. 2. Determine how to attain the performance levels. The company has to do different levels in the performance, a specific short-, medium-, and long-term plans. 3. Periodically assess where the organization stands whit respect to its goals, objectives, and measures. 4. Adjust performance and/or goals. In this market, Hertz can get a competitive edge by improving its services. When a company introduces something new in the market like Hertz, it can get a competitive edge until other companies make the same. In this case, Hertz is a â€Å"first mover† to information technologies and this makes the company different from the others. Now, whit something new, Hertz can get a competitive edge. SUMMARISE To sum up we think that Hertz has advantages which makes them one of the popular rental companies because they give their best services to each costumer. It bases its function on new technologies and uses them to achieve their productivity. The company possesses a lot of values, which are mainly connected with integrity, transparency, continuous improvement that is related to diversity of services and products. It has passion that involves commitment and there are very important values in the company, as teamwork that has a lot in common with accountability. Hertz mission in majority contains all the points focused on customer rights, cost efficient vehicles and its service to capture every market they’re occupied. They want to strengthen their worldwide position to a very large culture of employee and partnership. But there is more! It provides Frequent Traveler Credit and has a huge number of partners from airports, hotels, travel agencies, consumer loyalty to service partners. Hertz offers global opportunities to join its franchise network. The company leads Business to Business transactions, whereas both the sellers and the buyers are business organization. Business-to-business has about 85 percent of EC dollar volume. Thanks to this the company can cover applications that enable an enterprise to form electronic relationships with operators. For instance, some of the models for B2B application are sell-side marketplaces, buy-side marketplaces, and electronic exchanges.

Georg Simmers Analysis Essay Sample

Georg Simmers Analysis Essay Sample Critique of Georg Simmers Analysis Essay Sample Critique of Georg Simmers Analysis Essay Sample Well known for his contributions in philosophy and sociology, Georg Simmel is perhaps one of the best thinkers of all times. He was a well learned person, receiving his Ph. D from the Berlin University in Germany. Besides this academic degree, he also received an honorary degree doctorate from one of the best universities in the world. In most of his dissertations, he used the Kantian theory of monads. This was in relation to its application to the nature of matter that formed most of his subjects. Moreover, he was always at logger heads with some of the best thinkers of his time. Much of the debate about not accepting his work was due to the fact that most of his work had spelling errors and some of the passages he wrote were not well spelt. All the same he was a great force to reckon with. He cited much of his work in alien languages that the board of examiners could not read. Between the 1885 and 1914, he was an unpaid lecturer and later he was employed as an honorary professor owing to his immense knowledge in a number of disciplines. His life was later to change when the University of Strasbourg offered him a full time job as professor of philosophy. Simmel gained notoriety and fame in equal measure. His lecturing skills were superb. He was a good orator who knew how to get his points across. He wrote so many articles that touched on many topics. Some of the topics he covered were art, sociology, ethics, esthetics, psychology, history and literature. Unluckily for him, his vast knowledge in most topics exposed him to criticisms. He was blamed for being a dabbler and as lacking in overall expertise in a number of issues he covered. The criticisms and his anti-Semitic undercurrents in the academia field, especially in Germany hindered his further professional development. He was a good instructor who was well understood by his students. Despite this, he f elt he had no â€Å"spiritual heirs† who would take over after him when he was gone. Some of the great thinkers at the time whom he was able to work with were Max Weber and Gvorgy Lukacs. It was through the latter that his presence was greatly felt at the Frankfurt School. Most notable of his presentation styles were his rationality and objectivity. These are the two areas he was able to adequately use to get people to like his thoughts and points. He was able to carry out his self-assessment; thus, this was later proved to be a true depiction of him. Through his self assessment, some people claimed a direct intellectual heritage from him. One of the places where his presence was felt was the Chicago Ecological School of sociology. Here, he combined theory and ethnography in an urban setting. Some of his thoughts still apply to date. His idea had been to found a school, though this was never happened. His greatest area of interest was writing. He especially wrote the anglophile world in the 1950s. This was after many translations of his work became well known and readily available. From the year 1889 to 1909, he helped foster the German Sociological Association. It took his efforts to see it come to existence, and became one of the strongest bodies. A Critique of Georg Simmel’s Work Simmel viewed sociology as a subsidiary field to philosophy. He had had an important intellectual interest in 1905. He went through philosophical problems on philosophies of history. In 1907, he was able to tackle the earlier works of Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche in a treatise. He was the first instructor to teach principles of sociology at a German University. This was in 1887. He later did attempt to plot a sociology course. This would be distinct from the earlier work of Herbert Spencer or Auguste Comte. He worked toward a sociology that was more formal. Simmel handled form and content distinctly. His critics see his insistence on dichotomy as well as his writing style to obscure any assertions he might have tried to make. Another aspect of his writing that proved problematic for him was the reputation for spotty translation. This was especially bad given his most important work Sociologie: Untersuchugen uber die Formen der Vergesellschaftung. In English, this is tr anslated as The Problems of the Philosophy of History. It was published in 1892. In the text, he uses a Kantian frame to investigate the modern world. About a decade later, the philosophy Of Money (Philosophie des Gesdes), was released. In this context, Simmel uses psychological, historical, social and political lenses to scrutinize the different aspects of historical materialism of the subject. These are the undercurrents that he uses to continue metaphysical machinery. Another significant aspect of his writing is modernism and his portrayal of the modern world. He uses this to continually revise and renew the very concept. These works counteract what would develop into Post-Modern cynicism and Modern Skepticism. Furthermore, he identifies currency as a social functioning substance. He advances this concept through stating that money is instable that it contributes to most problems experienced in the modern life. It comes with such a dissatisfaction and impulse that characterize its instability. In the contemporary world, most of the problems are due to people getting dissatisfied or even greedy and always wanting more. Paradoxically, Simmel singles out money as being dependent on freedom, and at the same time being a source of estrangement and animosities that come with it. However, this thought has been met with several reviews in the recent past. One of the reviews was carried out by Emile Durkheim proposed that work cannot be substantiated. Max Weber could not agree more. He especially praised the important and significance of the observations. Hegel is thought to have influenced Georg Simmel’s Philosophie des Geldes. In much of his work, Simmel uses synecdoche as a dialect in single direction. Through this, he captures the ambiguity of the modern time and the modernity that comes with it. He identifies the cause of this ambiguity as an uncertainty that arises from modernization process. For all his metaphysical urges, his ultimate project is far from finding essential nature behind most of his subjects. Rather, it is to align many disciplines in his study. The project does not include the desire for an innate meaning of experiences in his study. It is often thought that the tensions in his methodologies are as a result of his looking for meaning in a fragmentary world that defines most of his work. Some people see Simmel to be establishing a phenomenology, which better investigates an individual’s lack of awareness in the basic aspects of their lives. This is a deprivation of essential meaning of life. In one of characteristic passages of Elizabeth Goodstein, he quotes one of the forms of Simmel Philosophie des Geldes where Simmel’s thoughts become largely apparent. I believe that the secret agitation, the restless compulsion just below consciousness that drives the human being of today from socialism to Nietzsche, from Bà ¶cklin to Impressionism, from Hegel to Schopenhauer and back again is not simply a consequence of the external haste and excitement of modern life, but that on the contrary it is often the expression, the manifestation, the discharge of that most inner circumstance. (Simmel 2007) Simmel talks about a number of contemporary issues that affect different aspects of lives of an individual. Some of the topics he discusses are money, fashion, socialism and other issues as well. These are the real life experiences that people go though each day. Most of his thoughts on different issues apply to this day. Some of the critiques are in: Sociology On sociology, Simmel views it as a social science discipline. In the world, there are different interactions. Some of the interactions explain why people are able to identify with different situations. In his article The Problem of Sociology he sought that readers understand sociology as a social science discipline that should be viewed to be independent. The basic principle in this conclusion was that the basic foundations of sociology can be ostensible and far-reaching with myriad consequences. People interact with other people daily. It therefore means that people must get along. It was this mentality that Simmel had in mind when he wrote this famous piece. His propositions are true in the real world too. There are several examples that can be used to illustrate the same. People come together during different situation to offer help to people who are close to them. For this reason, the society realizes the need to come together and offer assistance to people who most need it in th eir different challenges. This is a fundamental interrelatedness. It applies in almost every facet of life. He introduces conceptualization in a number of ways that surpasses the thinking of the modern man. What we term as the society today comes into being through the interaction of different members or people who make up the society. A society can be broadly understood as a collection of different people with the same interest even if they were to come from different clans. In his world, and going by what is the norm in this day and age, society comes about as an interrelationship that encompasses many people. It is therefore important to note as well that they will be conflicts of interests and ideas along the way (Gross et al. 2003). This explains why understanding of the other person becomes the best thing and in fact the order of the day. Sociology, according to Simmel, is the only science that seeks to â€Å"understand the sensu strictissimo.† It can be defined to be the study of what a society actually is. Being members of a society will require that people within the society come together and work towards a common cause. Thus, this explains why people should come together in times of adversity and work together, assisting each other in their daily endeavors and finding solutions to different problem s that affect the society. Society is also defined as forms of sociation by Georg Simmel. Perhaps, he can be called the father of modern sociology, rightly because of immense contribution in the definition and the understanding of the current state of the society. In trying to understand the society, it would be important that first and foremost, people understand the society as the very building block, the very thread that holds the society and communities they come from at large to be what they are. How do we engage the different members of the society to do what they are supposed to do? How do make them understand the fundamental principle of culture of inclusiveness? These are some of the questions that must have been going on in the mind of the great thinker Georg Simmel and this must have inspired most of his works. The society is about the co-operation, the co-existence and the coming together of different people towards a common goal in the society. It is for this reason he makes a string case on matte rs that deal with investigation of the society. Any forms of sociation within the society should be deeply and well interpreted so that most of the problems in the society can be adequately and well understood in the first instance of problems being noticed within the society. Interactions occur everywhere within the life of an individual. They occur at the meal table, at the church and virtually in every social gathering. What make society to what it is are these interactions that must be well understood. In agreeing with Georg Simmel it would be important to note the fact that societies occur due to positive interactions of families and individuals within the family. This is what makes the society to be called so. It is about associations and positive interactions. All forms of associations should be studied comparatively and historically so that people may understand the general properties and features that all interact to make the society and understand what actually contributes to peaceful co-existence as well as all other forms of interactions that may be seen in the society. Conflicts can arise from many aspects of the lives of an individual, what is most important is the fact that the different people who make up the society come together and that they are united towards a common purpose which is to make the best out of the interactions. Society The society can be understood to be preceded by sociology. â€Å"How is society possible?† This is the question that Simmel was able to ask in one of his works. Without citizens who come and interact with one another in the community, there would be no society. Simmel is able to bring this out this too well in his pieces of work. He explored this in the transcendental, quasi- Kantian question. He asserts three important aprioris of individuality, role and structure. It is possible to find the four conceptions of society in Simmel Georg piece of work (Symons 2009). The first misconception of his ideas was the fact that society should be seen in totality. This should in fact have been the first sociological object. This is seen as an absolute entity. This could have contributed to disagreements between earlier think tanks Hubert Spencer and Durkheim. The society is viewed as the general term that embraces totality of all individuals within a society. They must be having specific interactions. There are myriad interactions that may take place within the society. However, before all these are exhausted, it is important that all these concepts are looked into any meaningful actions can take place. Before anybody can look into all the factors that influence what a society stands for, it would be important and in order that all the interactions and association within the society are looked into. This is what constitutes the wellness and the inclusiveness of the society, and without which the society cannot be said to be operational. Therefore, the society can be viewed as constellations of people, all who have come together to interact towards a common goal and course. The unities arising from these interactions can be a minimum of three, but this is only according to the Simmel. There are the â€Å"we†, the ‘I’ an d the â€Å"you.† These are very important aspects of what makes up a society. There crucial differences even in the society of the modern day. Going by what Simmel had foreseen some time back, it can be concluded that the triadic and dyadic relationships actually exist, even in the modern world and society that it is today. Simmel was able to indicate this candidly in most of his work. The society has many formations, though. There are for instance the class, the state and religion. These are important aspects of the society as well. These had been foreseen and well indicated by Georg Simmers. The individuals within the society must be able to interact and come together towards a common goal. These are the important connections or rather the threads that keep the society together and help in the unity of individuals who are part of the society. It is true going by what Simmers had foreseen that we should not just concentrate on the important formations within the society. Most of the times, it is important that many other factors are looked at the same time to for a better understanding of the society. As regard knowledge of a society really is, reference is made to Simmel’s essay, when he wrote about â€Å"how is the society possible?† and the ‘epistemology of society.† It is not just about the many cases and the meanings of the society that we ascribe to. Rather it is about formations and the consciousness with which the society should be understood. According to Simmers, and other thinkers of all times, a society is only possible when people wo rk together and solve the issue facing them in their daily lives. This cannot be overemphasized even in the contemporary society. These are the issues that affect people in the daily aspects of their lives. When it comes to sociological knowledge, again the society plays a major part in this front. The discipline of sociology cannot be overstated. It cannot be simplified, either. In fact, most of the works of Simmel Georg apply even today. These are aspects of lives that Simmel, together with other thinkers of his time had foreseen and predicated, and which have come to pass and can be witnessed in the contemporary world. The society can be taken to be an enterprise with so many participants and in which each and every one of these has a part to play and a contribution to make as well. There should be an agent of connection that connects different members of the society. These are the very bonds that keep society together. Forms of Association and Beyond This is another important aspect of Simmel and one that he is able to bring out clearly in the pieces he did write. This is a diversity of sociology and an important are that different schools of thought have examined more so after they were first discussed by Georg Simmel. These are some of the facts he is able to foresee and some that still take part in the modern world even today. How do cultural and social theories interact in the modern world? These were some of the questions that occupy most people’s minds in the contemporary society and most of which Simmel was able to look into. Through he faced objections and criticisms form most of his distracters then, he is often thought to be the father of modernity. He an insight of what the society looks like in terms of the many and selective values that some individuals within the society identify with. However, it must be notable that in his works, it was never his intention to create confusion about the subject. Rather, it w as his way of enlightening the current intellectuals about how a society should be organized. His different forms of sociation may have been misunderstood, but they set a good precedent to modern forms of associations that are understood even today. Moreover, he placed different and contemporary subjects into their current contexts. One example of these was his definition of fashion. Fashion appears in the same context as the philosophy of money. This is true even in the modern society where people are preoccupied with money or lack of it. This means that money is a major motivation of most people in the world today. With it comes greed since people in society try to get more and more of it. The philosophy of money according to Simmel was that (and still is) a differentiation of different commodities in the market can assume. This is quite true even in the contemporary society, â€Å"where money is used to show the value of a commodity.† The higher the value of the commodity, the more the value of money associated with it. Fashion is an equally a major preoccupation of most people today. As such, there are so many trends of fashion in the current world. Simmel was able to foresee these quite vividly. In his narrative style, he illustrates well how fashion affects different aspects of the lives of individuals within the community. The youth especially spend most of their time in front of mirrors and at the beauty shops all in a bid to look good and appeal to the members of the opposite sex. The society seems to have understood this and started dealing in most of these products that the youth are known to associate with. It is in the same light that money is also viewed. Fashion The modern metropolis understands the significance of fashion and how different individuals use it in order to differentiate themselves from the others. This has contributed to the trend that can be witnessed today in most parts of the world where the youth try to wear some of the best attires that they can lay their hangs on. This is what motivates them. These are trends they want to identify with so that they can maintain their looks and appeal to other members of the society. Furthermore, it gives them a sense of identity and some of the different aspects of life that contributes to their satisfaction, or sense of it. Wearing smart clothes of being fashionable gives an individual a chance to represent class and, gender and culture in interactions in cities and different places of stay (Simmel 2007). Fashion can also be understood as people wanting to be like others. In this front, they are likely to wear clothes and attires that will make them to be like other people. These are pe ople they have always admired and want to emulate. Simmel was able to bring this out candidly in most of the essays he wrote on fashion. It is purely a dialectic of choosing lives that belong to others of resemble other people’s lives. It could also mean that individuals are trying to differentiate themselves from the rest of the society and at the same time establishing social boundaries. These are the aspects of fashion and identity as pointed out by Simmel. These are the fuller treatment of fashion that can be witnessed in the modern society as well. He was able to bring us closer to modernity though he died centuries back. Such was the eloquence of this great thinker and philosophers of all times. He depicts modern life as being characterized by patience and haste. These can be seen in the modern life even to date. Today, it would not be unusual to see people moving hurriedly in streets and other business areas. These are some characteristics of modern life that are well depicted in the stories that he wrote some decade back, and those that will continue having relevance even to generations to come. In his own words he did say â€Å"the fact that fashion takes unprecedented upper hand in the modern culture perhaps is an indication that the contemporary culture is coalescing of modern psychological trait. This then means that internal rhythm requires shorter pauses to change impressions.† Through his stories, it can be seen that the accent of attraction is transferred to an increasing extent from its substantive center to its initial and final finishing points. However, this does not imply that Georg was preoccupied with contemporary issues. It was his way of indicating that these were some of the changes that would be witnessed in the contemporary society. Fashion is a concentration of consciousness within an individual â€Å"upon the seeds in which its death lie.† What this basically means is that fashion will always keep changing since individuals try to look into other issues or fashion trends that come into being. There will always be improvements in fashion given that designers and creative and will always come up with new fashion designs. In his view, fashion is a gradual form of destruction- aesthetic form of destruction. Can it ever be broken from the past? In the contemporary society, this is true because people adopt new forms of fashion each and eve ry day of their lives. It is a fleeting and changeable element that keeps changing. Can they lose their force in modernity? His analysis of fashion can be well understood in the modern context. Could it be an exploration of time consciousness? Among his earlier categories of experience, he was able to realize that there would be relation of his facts then to those of the society today. Enlargement of social groups contributes to diversity of fashion as well as different people want to identify with new fashions in the market. The contemporary culture takes fashion seriously. This can be witnessed in a number of people especially the youth conforming to the cultures. Some of these were well explained and articulated in Georg Simmel pieces. He had foreseen a culture where â€Å"fashion takes unprecedented upper hand in the modern culture.† The significance of fashion was not lost in the works of Walter Benjamin as well. The relevance of fashion in the contemporary society cannot be overstated since fashion has become a major preoccupation of most fashion icons of the modern designers. In fact, some well renowned fashion magazines in the world indicate that most fashion and design are among the best earning enterprises all over the world. Besides fashion, Simmel was able to work on religion as well. Concerning religion, he mentioned that religion can be used by the family to foster unity of purpose and unite towards achievement of peace and belonging. These can still be witnessed nowadays where different people are inclined towards different religious associations. Religious affiliations provide people with a common sense of purpose. He helped stretch the sociology of emotions. People have different emotions of th e â€Å"inner life.† Some of the emotions that he explored were shame, pessimism, gratitude and love. These are common emotions that people display in their daily lives. They have different motivations. Emotions change. One time an individual is happy; the other time they are angry. These are common feelings that people have. It pertains to â€Å"our mental life.† Emotions, unlike physical developments are not constant. This means they keep changing depending on different situation they find themselves. The articles he wrote were not just limited to his personal feelings. He did talk about trade unions. These are bodies that bring people, especially workers, together so that they can air their grievances and make suggestions about what best works for the in their places of work. Such unions are important in the modern world. In fact, studies show that workers who work under such unions always lobby for the best pay and work conditions. These are the kind of association that Simmel had foreseen and that still remain relevant to this day. The Berlin trade exhibitions that he wrote about in one of his pieces could be used to demonstrate his philosophy for money. Money remains the major motivation for most of these trade shows. Organizers of such events are people whose intention is to get money. It is still true even in the modern society. Nothing much has changed since the first time Simmel wrote about this. These could or can be used to explain the aesthetic value of money as well. Money is used to accord one the luxury and the comfort they want in modern life. Money is used to develop social hierarchies in the society. Thus, this explains why there social castes of classes within the society. If it were not for money there would be no such classes in the society. Simmers talks of â€Å"widening gap betw een subjective and objective culture, the creation of culture of things known as human culture† these would explain why even in the modern society, people would seek power over other. People have authority over then become their subjects. Such was the â€Å"gap† Simmel was talking about in his articles. Cultural Forms In sociology of culture, Simmel is perhaps one of the major contributors of all times. Apart from philosophical culture, he was able to bring out major cultural differences in most parts of the world. He talks of â€Å"conflict, tragedy and crisis† in culture. This means that people from different cultural identities may at some points of interactions with others conflict. These conflicts are brought about differences in values, cultures and interests. For instance, the Muslim and Christian cultures may conflict on these fronts. Christians believe in a holy and supernatural being they call God (Laermans 2006). On the other hand, the Muslims believe on a powerful being they call Allah. What then could be their differences? These are some of the questions psychologists, of who Simmel was part, seek to find answers to. Sociologists have tried to explain these tendencies. Differences in religious doctrines contribute to some of the religious warfare experienced in the world. One then wonders what could be the causes of these. In the contemporary society, it is a struggle between form and life, a conflict between objective and subjective culture. The two sites of modernity mentioned by Simmel in his works create a distinction between a modern metropolis and a money economy. These can be witnessed in the contemporary culture today. He talks of a â€Å"gendered culture.† This is true in that men control most aspects of life; they control most of the economic, social and political facets of life. Despite the fact that human activists and concerned individuals within the society lobby for gender equity, this has not been successful. Nowadays, society still experiences male chauvinist, inequality in gender as well as oppression of some members of the society. His assertion â€Å"with the exceptions of very few areas, our objective culture is thoroug hly male† brings the fact of gender equity to light. He talks of historical power relations, where most of the power in the past historical context, has been in the hands of males-not females. On this, different schools of thoughts may not agree with him, though. Historically, and even from biblical contexts, men have been known to be the custodians of power. Women were meant to be submissive to their husbands. Instead, the place of the woman in society was to take care of the household, and children. The man was to be the bread winner and provide protection for the family (Goodstein 2002). Though times have changed and the age of enlightenment is incumbent upon us, the woman will still not be at par, in terms of power, with the man. He will still continue domineering over her. Is it really possible to create a female culture that would be independent of the male-dominated culture? The answer to this frequently asked question would be â€Å"NO.† However,it is true that women could adapt to this culture though engaging in differentiated culture. They could take up roles that supplement or compliment those of their male counter-parts. It is true that this is a patriarchal system that is grounded is multifaceted interweaving of historical and psychological motives. The role of the female in modern times could be a source of problem, but one that would still be dealt with when people of the universe develop a developmental logic. The social form within the society is one where there is autonomy, a kind of independence that cuts across different facets of life. This is the objective cultural sphere that will continue to be experienced in different spheres and locations of the contemporary society. In the money economy, it can be argued that the kind of economy can be viewed as a pure relationship between different things expressed their economic motions. It is a notion of an individual that money can be used to ascertain most of the material support they may need. What then differentiates modernity and post modernity? Is it about the cultural forms that rear their faces in the contemporary society? A postmodern society is one that is alive to the fact that a society must be inclusive to different needs of members of the society, a society that tries to ensure equality among its people and one that lays more emphasis on dialogue than use of force. These are the elements of a post modern society that Simmel was able to articulate in most of his articles. Relevant debates about this argument can still be made given that the society keeps chang ing if form and cultural contexts as post (modernity) sets in. Modernity in Context The contributions of Georg Simmers to modernity cannot be overstated. He developed some of the most relevant theories about modernity, some of which have been studied in sociology and psychology classes across the world. All social sciences that have been developed theories seeking to know how the term modernity was fist coined. None of these compares to Georg Simmel’s. He provides the best definition for modernity. According to Simmers, modernity comes about as a result of people trying to rationalize their civilization and the rise of capitalism. Capitalism deals with creation of wealth. As people created wealth, built industries, there arose modernism. Thus, there came to being cities. This was civilization. Obviously people wanted a higher quality of life. Technology advanced. Mental reasoning improved. Competition came about since different members of the society tried to outdo other civilizations. Then set the class or caste systems. This was the whole idea of modernity- good life, improved fashion, improved communication, better roads, better communication and a host of other convenience that came with modernity. It is associated with aesthetic values, people looking for better forms of life and convenience. â€Å"The concept of modernity is both a socio-cultural process through which a society becomes modern and aesthetic representations of the modern experiences. Modernism can also be viewed as both a short-term and a long-term process. In the modern money economy that forms the basis of modernity according to Simmel, people’s attention to modernism is influenced by the need to be rich, and rationally so. There are those who contribute towards the economy and those who are just mere spectators of the very economy. It points towards capitalism in the contemporary society. It is also the basis of metropolis that characterizes different and modern societies. Most of the economy is also controlled by people who are in power, people who ensure that most of the economies in the world move. Simmel is a contemporary theorist, at least going by his analysis of modernity. He explains this as â€Å"mental life and money economy.† Modernity can be characterized by exchange of commodities, circulation and consumption as well. It is a post industrial as well as a post production society (Guillet et al. 2002). Industrial society dates some time back when the economy was moved or powered by industries. The same applies to production in the immediate context. However, times have changed, and today most of economies in the world are powered by capitalism, many business ventures that have contributed to the â€Å"good life† that people experience today. However, the capitalism places money only a few hands of people within society. The consumer is seen as the creation of money through trade. At the end of the day, there is money circulation, and commodities on sale in the contemporary life as had been envisioned by the iconic philosopher and great thinker, Georg Simme l. Value exists only when commodities exchange hands in the contemporary society. There is a symbolic significance of money. Urban conditions that are characteristic of modernity make it necessary for creation of â€Å"protective organ.† In The Metropolis and Mental Life, the metropolis that lives in the urban area is for instance, different from another who stays in rural area. It is for a reason that life in the urban setting is always changing and an individual has to buffer him in the constantly changing environment. Life in the city is quite different. It is fast paced. People who stay in urban areas have a higher sense of intellect and logic than people who stay in rural areas. Simmel quotes: â€Å" Instead of reacting emotionally, the metropolitan type reacts primarily in a rational manner . . . Thus the reaction of the metropolitan person to those events is moved to the sphere of mental activity that is least sensitive and furthest removed from the depths of personality. (12) The Critique relates most of Simmel’s to real life A great philosopher, he was a great think who talked of secrecy, fashion, sociology, metropolitan individual and modernity and money. Many writers and thinkers of his time critiqued him as would be expected, but the bottom line is that his works and articles explain most issues, some that are relevant even in the contemporary society. The paper is a critique of some of the issues he articulated in his articles and quotes him in some instances.

Crapulence Doesnt Mean That

Crapulence Doesnt Mean That Crapulence Doesnt Mean That Crapulence Doesnt Mean That By Maeve Maddox A reader called my attention to a sentence in which these words appeared: a cesspool of its own crapulence I turned to my browser and found so many examples of wallowing in their/his/its own crapulence that I conclude that the expression has already become a clichà ©. Apparently a lot of people imagine that crapulence means excrement. Columnist Jonah Goldberg thinks so: Two decades of crapulence by the political class has been prologue to the era of coprophagy that is now upon us. It is crap sandwiches for as far as the eye can see. Actually, crapulence and its related forms crapulent and crapulous, come from a Latin word meaning intoxication. and have to do with drunkenness. crapulence: great intemperance especially in drinking Merriam-Webster crapulence: 1. Sickness or indisposition resulting from excess in drinking or eating; 2. Gross intemperance, esp. in drinking; debauchery. OED crapulous: sick from too much drinking, from L. crapula, from Gk. kraipale hangover, drunken headache, nausea from debauching. The Romans used it for drunkenness itself. English has used it in both senses. Online Etymology Dictionary The vulgarism crap, on the other hand, is used as a noun to mean excrement, and as a verb to mean defecate. Merriam-Webster gives the etymology of crap as: Middle English, from Middle Dutch crap, crappe pork chop, greaves [cracklings], grain in chaff, from crappen to tear or break off The use of crap with excremental associations has been in the language since the 19th century. The Online Etymology Dictionary indicates that crap belongs to a cluster of words generally applied to things cast off or discarded (e.g. weeds growing among corn (1425), residue from renderings (1490s) dregs of beer or ale The OEtyD entry concludes that the word probably comes from the Middle English word crappe, grain that was trodden underfoot in a barn. In case the meaning of coprophagy in the quotation above is not evident from the context, heres the definition from Merriam-Webster: coprophagy: the feeding on or eating of dung or excrement that is normal behavior among many insects, birds, and other animals but in man is a symptom of some forms of insanity Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. HadRules for Capitalization in Titles6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know

Human Error in Aviation Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Error in Aviation - Annotated Bibliography Example The source is a journal, which means it is peer-reviewed and thus credible. In addition, the study is based on analysis of post-accident data, and not assumptions, which makes it reliable and credible. Moreover, the chances of biases associated with personal view of the authors are limited since the results are based on actual data. In addition, the study is relevant in the study of the influence of human error on aviation accidents. Regarding authors’ credentials, Douglas is an associate professor who has undertaken several researches on human factors and flight safety. On the other hand, Dr. Scott Shappel is a Department Chair of Human Factors and Systems. Furthermore, Shappel is an author of several publications and has participated in various researches related to human factors and aviation. Therefore, given their backgrounds on human factors in aviation accidents, the information presented in this article is credible and reliable. This article is helpful in my research because it analyzes the main ideas of human errors that contribute to aircraft accidents. The information from this source helps in the description, classification, and understanding of the concept of human errors. It also relates to the rest of my chosen bibliography in its main ideas and focus. The study analyzes error classification methods that explain the causes of human error. The author analyzes the errors made by reviewing error assumptions and proposing alternative solutions. The purpose of classifying human errors is to help people concerned with Human factors in aviation apply practical explanations to their accounts of human errors. The author argues that the major reasons behind his classification of errors are to identify a simple error principle that goes beyond superficial errors. The author’s main points revolve around the deeper understanding of classification of errors and the ways in which analysts

Faith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Faith - Essay Example Wills (2006) points out that faith meant something different then from what it means today. Ehrman (2005) is concerned with the separation of Christians and Jews on the grounds of faith as salvation and more important than law. Ludemann (2002) attempts to achieve a synthesis with Christ as the common meeting ground for the two religions. Grant (1976) notes that Paul’s labours were devoted to the equation of sin with the flesh, and hints at the early notions that later bore fruit in the Reformation whilst Muggeridge and Vidler (1972) seem to complete the circle with the return to the claim that by receiving Christ, one becomes justified and joins a community—the body of Christ. The Role of Faith in the First Century in the Justification of all Peoples before God The Apostle Paul has written a letter advising the Romans of his intention to visit on his way to Spain. An important theme of his letter concerns the role of faith as a unifying element in the deliverance of var ious peoples to what he sees as the supreme reality, Jesus Christ. In essence, he seeks a synthesis and detente that will include all citizens in the new monotheism. In Wills (2006) faith is equated with trust. God promotes people into partnership with Him through the Son. Also, Wills sees faith as meaning something very different in ancient times than what it connotes today. Then, faith meant belief in a person, not a dogma as in recent times. (Wills 2006, pp.183-184) The powerful personality of Jesus obviously had much influence on potential converts. Ehrman (2005)shows the division of faith in Rome at this time. To the Jews, Jesus was weak, and definitely not the Messiah. To them, the Romans had all the temporal power needed to dominate the world. The earliest Christians disagreed by asserting that Jesus was the Messiah and that His death was an act of God designed to bring salvation to the world. Indeed Paul claimed that salvation could come to Jews and Gentiles alike not by scr upulous adherence to the law but by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 10:3-4, New Jerusalem Bible). Here Paul delineates perhaps the main reason why the Jews would not recognise Jesus. Ehrman also notes that Paul held that the Jews were not justified by obedience to the law, and reminds Gentiles not to follow the law too closely but to remain as they are and to follow Jesus. Paul also believed that both faiths traced to Abraham—the â€Å"father of many nations.† His faith was surely put to the test, and Abraham was justified by this faith, for it guaranteed his salvation ( Ehrman 2005, pp. 188-189). Ludemann (2002) also agrees with Paul that salvation is achieved through Christ alone (Thessalonians 1:9-10). By having faith in Jesus Christ, both Jews and Gentiles become members of a third group—both qualified and eligible-- to enter the new synthesis. There is a three step process as an admission requirement: first, faith in Jesus, then baptism as a rite and finally inclusion in the church as a social body (Ludemann 2002, p.154). Grant (1976) is focused more on the sub-theme of sin, and notes that the ancient Greeks had a different definition of it than did Paul. To them, sin was a consequence of ignorance, and a rational mind could nullify it through reason. Paul was obsessed with the concept of sin and linked it closely with that of flesh He seemed to think that men and women were predestined for sin (Grant 1976, pp.31-32). In this, there is a surprising foreshadowing of Calvinism many

Howard Zinns A Peoples History of the United States Essay Example for Free

Howard Zinns A Peoples History of the United States Essay There are two types of people in this story. They are the conquerors and the conquered. The communities that Zinn talks about in the story are the Native Americans and the English settlers that came to America. Out of those communities the conquerors were the English settlers and the conquered were the Native Americans. These two communities had similar and different views on topics. One thing that the two viewed differently was how they viewed the land. The Native Americans believed that the land did not belong to one single person, rather they believed that the land belonged to a whole tribe. The English settlers did not feel the same way. The settlers believed that each individual person had the opportunity to own his own land and that he may do whatever he wants to with it. Another difference the two communities had was their views on religion. The Native Americans did not believe in religion. They believed that there was a type of spiritual force that controlled the land. The English settlers did believe in religion. They worshipped gods and executed religious practices. The two groups did have some similarities though. One similarity was language. The two groups both used language to communicate with one another. Another similarity the two had was a law system. They both had punishments set up for the level of crime that someone within their community committed. Those are some similarities and differences between the two communities. Chapters 2 and 3 Racism is not natural. Zinn expresses this in the story. There are two things that factor into racism not being natural. Those two things are historical forces and human decisions. Historical forces are certain ideas or movements become irresistible forces that will have their way. One example of this is plantations not having enough people to work on them. The plantation owners had Caucasian slaves but they were few and far to come by. They considered using Native Americans as slaves but they were hard to capture and the owners knew that they would rebel. They eventually turned their attention to the very populous African American group. They went out and captured many African Americans and brought them into slavery. Human decision is a purposeful selection from a set of alternatives. An example of human decision is how they treated the slaves. The owners treated the African American slaves way worse than they treated the Caucasian slaves. They made the penalty for crimes committed by African American slaves far worse than those for a white man that had committed the same crime. The owners also felt that the slaves may rebel. If the plantation was attack the black slaves were not given weapons to defend themselves. This was to prevent them from every feeling in power and to prevent rebellions. These two things both factor into racism, but the main one that creates racism is human decision. Racism is not something that is guaranteed to happen. It was not set in stone that one race would hate another. It takes people to create this feeling. People themselves create this feeling and that is why it is human decision.

Historical References to Faust Essay example -- Faust History Literatu

Historical References to Faust Faust I Prologue in Heaven  · The scene begins with the Three Archangels, Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael, confessing their inability to comprehend the awe-inspiring works of God.In the Christian tradition, archangels are angels of the highest rank and are associated with certain functions or responsibilities.In â€Å"Prologue in Heaven,† they personify the cosmos: Raphael describes and represents the heavens, Gabriel the earth, and Michael the elements.  · Mephistopheles.Goethe’s devil is inspired by a number of different literary sources, not just Christian.  · The basic structure of the dialogue between the Lord and Mephistopheles is inspired by the first two chapters of The book of Job, in which Satan obtains permission from God to try and tempt Job to do evil.  · Faust. The real Georg (or Johann) Faust was born in 1480 and died in 1540. Although contemporary sources suggest he was quite well known in Germany during his lifetime, his fame and notoriety is the result of an incredibly popular collection of (barely believable) anecdotes and stories about him called Volksbuch, which was published in 1587. The Volksbuch was an important source of inspiration to Goethe and other authors as they wrote about Faust. Night  · The opening monologue is an indirect adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical history of Doctor Faustus.  · Faust has in his possession a book by Nostradamus (1503-66), the French astrologer, physician and prophet.  · When Faust first opens the book by Nostradamus he sees the sign of the macrocosm, which is a diagram of the organization of the cosmos.  · The vision that the sign of the macrocosm inspires echoes Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28,... ...hab,so that Ahab could seize his subject’s vineyards. By referring to Naboth, Mephistopheles is preparing us to expect the deaths of Baucis and Philemon. Midnight  · In Medieval literature, allegorical figures symbolize the approach of death. The allegorical figures in â€Å"Midnight† also parallel the four horsemen of the Apocalypse: death, war, famine, and plague (see Revelations 6:1-8). Entombment  · In the original Faust legends, Faust is dragged off to hell.Mephistopheles is unable to do so this time because Faust was never so satisfied with the results of his striving that he wanted time to stand still.Mephistopheles is only able to seize Faust's soul through trickery. Mountain Gorges  · The Anchorites – Pater Ecstaticus, Pater Profundus, and Pater Seraphicus – are religious hermits who represent the mystical tradition of early Christianity.

Blood Promise Chapter Thirty

Alberta was waiting for me in the front office of the guardians' administrative building. Alberta's role as captain here was remarkable considering the lower numbers of women in our ranks. She was in her fifties and one of the toughest women I'd met. Her sandy hair was showing some gray, and years of working outdoors had weathered her skin. â€Å"Welcome back, Rose,† she said, standing up at my approach. She certainly didn't hug me, and her manner was businesslike, but the fact that she used my first name was a generous gesture for her. That, and I thought I saw a small spark of relief and happiness in her eyes. â€Å"Let's go to my office.† I'd never been there. Any disciplinary issues I had with the guardians were usually addressed in committee. Unsurprisingly, the office was spotless, everything arranged with military efficiency. We sat on opposite sides of her desk, and I braced myself for an interrogation. â€Å"Rose,† she said, leaning toward me. â€Å"I'm going to be blunt with you. I'm not going to give you lectures or demand any explanations. Honestly, since you aren't my student anymore, I don't have the right to ask or tell you anything.† It was like what Adrian had said. â€Å"You can lecture,† I told her. â€Å"I've always respected you and want to hear what you have to say.† The ghost of a smile flashed on her face. â€Å"All right, here it is. You screwed up.† â€Å"Wow. You weren't kidding about bluntness.† â€Å"The reasons don't matter. You shouldn't have left. You shouldn't have dropped out. Your education and training are too valuable-no matter how much you think you know-and you are too talented to risk throwing away your future.† I almost laughed. â€Å"To tell you the truth? I'm not sure what my future is anymore.† â€Å"Which is why you need to graduate.† â€Å"But I dropped out.† She snorted. â€Å"Then drop back in!† â€Å"I-what? How?† â€Å"With paperwork. Just like everything else in the world.† To be honest, I hadn't known what I'd do once I got back here. My immediate concern was Lissa-to be with her and make sure she was okay. I knew I couldn't officially be her guardian anymore, but I'd figured once we were together, no one could stop her from hanging out with a friend. I'd be her hired bodyguard, so to speak, kind of like what Abe had. And in the meantime, I'd bum around campus like Adrian. But to enroll again? â€Å"I†¦ I missed a month. Maybe more.† My days were scattered. It was the first week of May, and I'd left near the end of March, on my birthday. What was that? Five weeks? Almost six? â€Å"You missed two years and managed to catch up. I have faith in you. And even if you have trouble, graduating with low grades is better than not graduating at all.† I tried to imagine myself back in this world. Had it really only been a little over a month? Classes†¦ day-to-day intrigue†¦ how could I just go back to that? How could I return to that life after seeing the way Dimitri's family lived, after being with Dimitri and losing him-again. Would he have said he loved me? â€Å"I don't know what to say,† I told Alberta. â€Å"This is kind of a lot to take in.† â€Å"Well, you should decide quickly. The sooner you're back in class, the better.† â€Å"They'll really let me?† That was the part I found a little unbelievable. â€Å"I'll let you,† she said. â€Å"No way am I letting someone like you get away. And now that Lazar is gone†¦ well, things are crazy around here. No one's going to give me much trouble in filing the paperwork.† Her wry smile slipped a little. â€Å"And if they do give us any trouble†¦ I've been made to understand that you have a benefactor who can pull a few favors to smooth everything over.† â€Å"A benefactor,† I repeated flatly. â€Å"A benefactor who wears flashy scarves and gold jewelry?† She shrugged. â€Å"No one I know. Don't even know his name-only that he'll threaten to withhold a considerable donation to the school if you aren't let back in. If you want in.† Yeah. Deals and blackmail. I was pretty sure I knew who my benefactor was. â€Å"Give me some time to think about it. I'll decide soon-I promise.† She frowned, thoughtful, and then gave a sharp nod. â€Å"All right.† We both stood up, and she walked me toward the building's entrance. I glanced over at her. â€Å"Hey, if I do graduate†¦ do you think there's ever any way I could be in line to be Lissa's guardian officially again? I know they've already picked out people for her and that I'm in, ah, a bit of disgrace.† We stopped by the outer doors, and Alberta rested a hand on her hip. â€Å"I don't know. We can certainly try. The situation's gotten a lot more complicated.† â€Å"Yeah, I know,† I said sadly, recalling Tatiana's high-handed actions. â€Å"But, like I said, we'll do what we can. What I said about graduating with low grades? You won't. Well, maybe in math and science-but that's out of my control. You'll be the best among the novices, though. I'll work with you myself.† â€Å"Okay,† I said, realizing what a concession that was on her part. â€Å"Thank you.† I had just stepped outside when she called my name. â€Å"Rose?† I caught the door and glanced back. â€Å"Yeah?† Alberta's face was gentle†¦ something I'd never seen before. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said. â€Å"Sorry for everything that happened. And that none of us could do anything about it.† I saw in her eyes then that she knew about Dimitri and me. I wasn't sure how. Maybe she'd heard it after the battle; maybe she'd guessed beforehand. Regardless, there was no chastisement in her face, only sincere sorrow and empathy. I gave her a brief nod of acknowledgment and went outside. I found Christian the next day, but our conversation was brief. He was on his way to meet with some of his trainees and was running late. But he hugged me and seemed genuinely happy to have me back. It showed how far we'd come, considering the antagonistic relationship we'd had when we first met. â€Å"About time,† he said. â€Å"Lissa and Adrian get the market share on worrying about you, but they're not the only ones. And someone needs to put Adrian in his place, you know. I can't do it all the time.† â€Å"Thanks. It kills me to say this, but I missed you too. No one's sarcasm compares to yours in Russia.† My amusement faded. â€Å"But since you mentioned Lissa-â€Å" â€Å"No, no.† He held up his hand by way of protest, face hardening. â€Å"I knew you were going to go there.† â€Å"Christian! She loves you. You know that what happened wasn't her fault-â€Å" â€Å"I know that,† he interrupted. â€Å"But it doesn't mean it didn't hurt. Rose, I know it's in your nature to rush in and say what everyone else is afraid to, but please†¦ not this time. I need time to figure things out.† I had to bite back a lot of comments. Lissa had mentioned Christian in our talk yesterday. What had happened between them was one of her biggest regrets-probably the thing she hated Avery the most for. Lissa wanted to approach him and make up, but he'd kept his distance. And yes, he was right. It wasn't my place to rush in-yet. But I did need them to fix this. So I respected his wishes and simply nodded. â€Å"Okay. For now.† My last words made his smile twist a little. â€Å"Thanks. Look, I've got to head off. If you ever want to show these kids how to kick ass the old-fashioned way, come by sometime. Jill would pass out if she saw you again.† I told him I would and let him go on his way, seeing as I had places to be. No way was I finished with him, though. I had a dinner date with Adrian and Lissa, up in one of the lounges in guest housing. Talking to Christian had made me late, and I hurried through the building's lobby, barely taking note of my surroundings. â€Å"Always in a rush,† a voice said. â€Å"It's a wonder anyone can get you to stop moving.† I came to a halt and turned, my eyes wide. â€Å"Mom†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed, with her cropped auburn hair as curly and messy as ever. Her face, weathered like Alberta's from being out in the elements, was filled with relief and-love. There was no anger, no condemnation. I had never been so happy to see her in my life. I was in her arms in an instant, resting my head on her chest even though she was shorter than me. â€Å"Rose, Rose,† she said into my hair. â€Å"Don't ever do this again. Please.† I pulled back and looked at her face, astonished to see tears spilling from her eyes. I had seen my mother tear up in the wake of the attack on the school, but never, never had I seen her outright cry. Certainly not over me. It made me want to cry too, and I uselessly tried to dry her face with Abe's scarf. â€Å"No, no, it's okay. Don't cry,† I said, taking on an odd role reversal. â€Å"I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I missed you so much.† It was true. I loved Olena Belikova. I thought she was kind and wonderful and would cherish the memories of her comforting me about Dimitri and always going out of her way to feed me. In another life, she could have been my mother-in-law. In this one, I would always regard her as a kind of foster mother. But she wasn't my real mother. Janine Hathaway was. And standing there with her, I was happy-so, so happy-that I was her daughter. She wasn't perfect, but no one was, as I was learning. She was, however, good and brave and fierce and compassionate-and I think she understood me more than I realized sometimes. If I could be half the woman she was, my life would be well spent. â€Å"I was so worried,† she told me, recovering herself. â€Å"Where did you go-I mean, I know now you were in Russia†¦ but why?† â€Å"I thought†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I swallowed and again saw Dimitri with my stake in his chest. â€Å"Well, there was something I had to do. I thought I had to do it on my own.† I wasn't sure about that last part now. True, I had accomplished my goal on my own, but I was realizing now how many people loved me and were with me. Who knew how differently things might have turned out if I'd asked for help? Maybe it would have been easier. â€Å"I have a lot of questions,† she warned. Her voice had toughened, and I smiled in spite of myself. Now she was back to the Janine Hathaway I knew. And I loved her for it. Her eyes flitted to my face and then to my neck, and I saw her stiffen. For a panicked moment, I wondered if Oksana had missed healing one of the bite marks. The thought of my mother seeing what I'd lowered myself to in Siberia made my heart stop. Instead, she reached out and touched the bright colors of the cashmere scarf, her face filled with wonder as much as shock. â€Å"This†¦ this is Ibrahim's scarf†¦ it's a family heirloom†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No, it belongs to this mobster guy named Abe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stopped as soon as the name crossed my lips. Abe. Ibrahim. Hearing them both out loud made me realize how similar they were. Abe†¦ Abe was short for Abraham in English. Abraham, Ibrahim. There was only a slight variation in the vowels. Abraham was a common enough name in the U.S., but I'd heard Ibrahim only once before, spoken in scorn by Queen Tatiana when referring to someone my mother had been involved with†¦ â€Å"Mom,† I said disbelievingly. â€Å"You know Abe.† She was still touching the scarf, eyes filled with emotion once more-but a different kind than she'd had for me. â€Å"Yes, Rose. I know him.† â€Å"Please don't tell me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Oh, man. Why couldn't I have been an illegitimate half-royal like Robert Doru? Or even the mail-man's daughter? â€Å"Please don't tell me Abe is my father†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She didn't have to tell me. It was all over her face, her expression dreamily recalling some other time and place-some time and place that had undoubtedly involved my conception. Ugh. â€Å"Oh God,† I said. â€Å"I'm Zmey's daughter. Zmey Junior. Zmeyette, even.† That got her attention. She looked up at me. â€Å"What on earth are you talking about?† â€Å"Nothing,† I said. I was stunned, trying desperately to assimilate this new piece of data into my worldview. I summoned a picture of that sly, bearded face, trying to hunt down family resemblance. Everyone said my facial features were like my mom's when she was younger†¦ but my coloring, the dark hair and eyes†¦ yes, that was the same as Abe's. I'd always known my father was Turkish. That was Abe's mystery accent, the one not Russian but still foreign to my ears. Ibrahim must be the Turkish version of Abraham. â€Å"How?† I asked. â€Å"How in the world did you get involved with someone like that?† She looked offended. â€Å"Ibrahim is a wonderful man. You don't know him like I do.† â€Å"Obviously.† I hesitated. â€Å"Mom†¦ you must know. What is it that Abe does for a living?† â€Å"He's a businessman. And he knows and does favors for a lot of people, which is why he has the influence he does.† â€Å"But what kind of business? I've heard it's illegal. It's not†¦ oh God. Please tell me he isn't selling blood whores or something.† â€Å"What?† She looked shocked. â€Å"No. Of course not.† â€Å"But he is doing illegal things.† â€Å"Who's to say? He's never actually been caught for anything illegal.† â€Å"I swear, you almost sounded like you were trying to make a joke.† I never would have expected her to defend a criminal, but I knew better than most how love could drive us to crazy acts. â€Å"If he wants to tell you, he'll tell you. End of story, Rose. Besides, you certainly keep your share of secrets too. You two have a lot in common.† â€Å"Are you kidding? He's arrogant, sarcastic, likes to intimidate people, and-oh.† Okay. Maybe she had a point. A small half-smile played upon her lips. â€Å"I never really expected you to meet this way. I never expected you to meet, period. We both thought it'd be best if he wasn't in your life.† A new thought occurred to me. â€Å"It was you, wasn't it? You hired him to find me.† â€Å"What? I contacted him when you went missing†¦ but I certainly didn't hire him.† â€Å"Then who did?† I wondered. â€Å"He said he was working for someone.† Her lovestruck, reminiscent smile turned wry. â€Å"Rose, Ibrahim Mazur doesn't work for anyone. He's not the kind of person you can hire.† â€Å"But he said†¦ wait. Why was he following me? Are you saying he was lying?† â€Å"Well,† she admitted, â€Å"it wouldn't be the first time. If he was following you, it wasn't because anyone was making him or paying him. He did it because he wanted to. He wanted to find you and make sure you were okay. He made sure all his contacts knew to look out for you.† I replayed my brief history with Abe. Shadowy, taunting, infuriating. But he'd driven out into the night to get me when I'd been attacked, been adamant in his goal to get me back to school and safety, and had apparently gifted me with an heirloom because he thought I'd get cold on my way home. He's a wonderful man, my mother had said. I supposed there were worse fathers to have. â€Å"Rose, there you are. What's taking so long?† My mom and I turned as Lissa entered the lobby, her face lighting up when she saw me. â€Å"Come on both of you. The food's going to get cold. And you won't believe what Adrian got.† My mom and I exchanged a quick look, neither of us needing to speak. We had a long conversation ahead of us, but it would have to wait. I have no idea how Adrian had arranged it, but when we got to the lounge, there was Chinese food set up. The Academy almost never served it, and even then, it just never tasted†¦ right. But this was the good stuff. Bowls and bowls of sweet-and-sour chicken and egg foo young. In a corner garbage can, I saw some restaurant takeout cartons with an address in Missoula printed on the side. â€Å"How the hell did you get that here?† I demanded. Not only that, it was still warm. â€Å"Don't question these things, Rose,† said Adrian, loading up his plate with pork fried rice. He seemed very pleased with himself. â€Å"Just roll with it. Once Alberta gets your paperwork settled, we'll eat like this every day.† I stopped mid-bite. â€Å"How do you know about that?† He merely winked. â€Å"When you have nothing to do but hang out on campus all the time, you kind of pick things up.† Lissa glanced between the two of us. She'd been in class all day, and we hadn't had much time to talk. â€Å"What's this?† â€Å"Alberta wants me to enroll again and graduate,† I explained. Lissa nearly dropped her plate. â€Å"Then do it!† My mother looked equally startled. â€Å"She'll let you?† â€Å"That's what she told me,† I said. â€Å"Then do it!† my mother exclaimed. â€Å"You know,† mused Adrian, â€Å"I kind of liked the idea of us going on the road together.† â€Å"Whatever,† I shot back. â€Å"You probably wouldn't let me drive.† â€Å"Stop this.† My mother was firmly back to her old self, no grief over her daughter's departure or wistfulness for a lost lover. â€Å"You need to take this seriously. Your future's at stake.† She nodded toward Lissa. â€Å"Her future's at stake. Finishing your education here and going on to be a guardian is the-â€Å" â€Å"Yes,† I said. â€Å"Yes?† she asked, puzzled. I smiled. â€Å"Yes, I agree.† â€Å"You agree†¦ with me?† I don't think my mom could ever recall that happening. Neither could I, for that matter. â€Å"Yup. I'll take the trials, graduate, and become as respectable a member of society as I can. Not that it sounds like much fun,† I teased. I kept my tone light, but inside, I knew I needed this. I needed to be back with people who loved me. I needed a new purpose, or else I would never get over Dimitri. I would never stop seeing his face or hearing his voice. Beside me, Lissa gasped and clasped her hands together. Her joy flooded into me. Adrian didn't wear his emotions as openly, but I could see he too was pleased at having me around. My mom still looked kind of stunned. I think she was used to me being unreasonable-which, usually, I was. â€Å"You'll really stay?† she asked. â€Å"Good God.† I laughed. â€Å"How many times do I have to say it? Yes, I'll go back to school.† â€Å"And stay?† she prompted. â€Å"The full two and a half months?† â€Å"Isn't that implied?† Her face was hard-and very mom like. â€Å"I want to know for sure you aren't going to up and run away again. You'll stay and finish school no matter what? Stay until you graduate? Do you promise?† I met her eyes, surprised at her intensity. â€Å"Yes, yes. I promise.† â€Å"Excellent,† she said. â€Å"You'll be glad you did this down the road.† Her words were guardian-formal, but in her eyes, I saw love and joy. We finished dinner and helped stack dishes for the building's cleaning service. While scraping uneaten food into a trash can, I felt Adrian beside me. â€Å"This is very domestic of you,† he said. â€Å"It's kind of hot, really. Giving me all sorts of fantasies about you in an apron vacuuming my house.† â€Å"Oh, Adrian, how I've missed you,† I said with an eye roll. â€Å"I don't suppose you're helping?† â€Å"Nah. I helped when I ate everything on my plate. No mess that way.† He paused. â€Å"And yes, you're welcome.† I laughed. â€Å"You know, it's a good thing you didn't say much when I promised Mom I'd stay here. I might have decided otherwise.† â€Å"Not sure if you could have stood up to her. Your mom seems like someone who gets her way a lot.† He cast a covert look to where Lissa and my mom stood talking across the room. He lowered his voice. â€Å"It must run in the family. In fact, maybe I should get her help on something.† â€Å"Getting a hold of illegal cigarettes?† â€Å"Asking her daughter out.† I nearly dropped the plate I held. â€Å"You've asked me out tons of times.† â€Å"Not really. I've made inappropriate suggestions and frequently pushed for nudity. But I've never asked you out on a real date. And, if memory serves, you did say you'd give me a fair chance once I let you clean out my trust fund.† â€Å"I didn't clean it out,† I scoffed. But standing there, looking at him, I remembered that I had said that if I survived my quest for Dimitri, I'd give Adrian a shot. I would have said anything to get the money I needed then, but now, I saw Adrian through new eyes. I wasn't ready to marry him by any stretch of the imagination, nor did I fully consider him reliable boyfriend material. I didn't even know if I wanted a boyfriend ever. But he had been a good friend to me and everyone else throughout all of this chaos. He'd been kind and steady, and yeah, I couldn't deny it†¦ even with a fading black eye, he was still extraordinarily handsome. And while it shouldn't have mattered, Lissa had gotten it out from him that a lot of his infatuation with Avery had been compulsion-induced. He'd liked her and hadn't been ruling out a romantic attachment, but her powers had cranked up the intensity more than he actually felt. Or so he claimed. If I were a guy and all that had happened to me, I'd probably say I'd been under the influence of magic too. Yet from the way he looked at me now, I found it hard to believe anyone had taken my place for him in this last month or so. â€Å"Make me an offer,† I said at last. â€Å"Write it up, and give me a point-by-point outline of why you're a good would-be suitor.† He started to laugh, then saw my face. â€Å"Seriously? That's like homework. There's a reason I'm not in college.† I snapped my fingers. â€Å"Get to it, Ivashkov. I want to see you put in a good day's work.† I expected a joke or a brush-off until later, but instead, he said, â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Okay?† Now I felt like my mom had earlier, when I'd quickly agreed with her. â€Å"Yep. I'm going to go back to my room right now to start drafting my assignment.† I stared incredulously as he reached for his coat. I had never seen Adrian move that fast when any kind of labor was involved. Oh no. What had I gotten myself into? He suddenly paused and reached into his coat pocket with an exasperated smile. â€Å"Actually, I already practically wrote you an essay. Nearly forgot.† He produced a piece of folded paper and waved it in the air. â€Å"You have got to get your own phone. I'm not going to be your secretary anymore.† â€Å"What is that?† â€Å"Some foreign guy called me earlier†¦ said my number was in his phone's memory.† Again, Adrian eyed Lissa and my mom. They were still deep in conversation. â€Å"He said he had a message for you and didn't want me to tell anyone else. He made me write it out and read it back to him. You're the only person I'd do that for, you know. I think I'm going to mention it when I write up my dating proposal.† â€Å"Will you just hand it over?† He gave me the note with a wink, sketched me a bow, and then said goodbye to Lissa and my mom. I kind of wondered if he really was going to go write up a dating proposal. Mostly, my attention was on the note. I had no doubt who had called him. I'd used Abe's phone to dial Adrian in Novosibirsk and had later told Abe about Adrian's financial involvement in my trip. Apparently, my father-ugh, that was still an unreal thought-had decided that made Adrian trustworthy, though I wondered why my mom couldn't have been used as a messenger. I unfolded the note, and it took me a few seconds to decipher Adrian's writing. If he did write me a dating proposal, I really hoped he would type it. The note read: Sent a message to Robert's brother. He told me there was nothing I could offer that would make him reveal Robert's location-and believe me, I have much to offer. But he said as long as he had to spend the rest of his life in there, then the information would die with him. Thought you'd like to know. It was hardly the essay Adrian had made it out to be. It was also a bit cryptic, but then, Abe wouldn't want its contents easily understandable to Adrian. To me, the meaning was clear. Robert's brother was Victor Dashkov. Abe had somehow gotten a message to Victor in whatever horrible, remote prison he was locked away in. (Somehow, it didn't surprise me that Abe could pull that off.) Abe had no doubt attempted one of his trades with Victor in order to find out where Robert was, but Victor had refused. No surprise there either. Victor wasn't the most helpful of people, and I couldn't entirely blame him now. The guy was locked up for life â€Å"in there†-in prison. What could anyone offer a condemned man that would really make a difference in his life? I sighed and put the note away, somehow touched that Abe had done this for me, as futile as it was. And again, the same argument came to mind. Even if Victor had given up Robert's location, what did it matter? The farther I got from the events in Russia, the more ridiculous it became to even consider turning a Strigoi back to his original form. Only true death could free them, only death†¦ My mom's voice saved me before I could begin reliving the bridge scene once more in my head. She told me she had to leave but promised we'd talk later. As soon as she was gone, Lissa and I made sure everything was set in the lounge before heading off to my room. She and I still had a lot of talking to do too. We went upstairs, and I wondered when they'd move me out of guest housing and back to the dorm. Probably whenever Alberta finished with the red tape. It still seemed impossible to accept that I was going to be able to return to my old life and move on from all that had happened in the last month or so. â€Å"Did Adrian give you a love note?† Lissa asked me. Her voice was teasing, but through the bond, I knew she still worried about me grieving for Dimitri. â€Å"Not yet,† I said. â€Å"I'll explain later.† Outside my room, one of the building attendants was just about to knock on the door. When she saw me, she held out a thick padded envelope. â€Å"I was just bringing this to you. It arrived in today's mail.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. I took it from her and looked at it. My name and St. Vladimir's address were printed in neat writing, which I found odd, since my arrival here had been sudden. There was no return address, but it bore Russian postmarks and delivery through global overnight mail. â€Å"Do you know who it's from?† Lissa asked once the woman was gone. â€Å"I don't know. I met a lot of people in Russia.† It could have been from Olena, Mark, or Sydney. Yet†¦ something I couldn't quite explain set my senses on high alert. I tore open one side and reached in. My hand closed around something cold and metallic. I knew before I even pulled it out what it was. It was a silver stake. â€Å"Oh God,† I said I rolled the stake around, running my finger over the engraved geometric pattern at its base. There was no question. One-of-a-kind. This was the stake I'd taken from the vault in Galina's house. The one I'd â€Å"Why would someone send you a stake?† asked Lissa. I didn't answer and instead pulled out the envelope's next item: a small note card. There, in handwriting I knew all too well, was: You forgot another lesson: Never turn your back until you know your enemy is dead. Looks like we'll have to go over the lesson again the next time I see you-which will be soon. Love, D. â€Å"Oh,† I said, nearly dropping the card. â€Å"This is not good.† The world spun for a moment, and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. For the hundredth time, I ran through the events of the night I'd escaped from Dimitri. Every other time, my emotions and attention were always on the look on his face when I stabbed him, the sight of his body falling into that black water. Now my mind summoned up the details of the struggle. I recalled how his last-minute dodge had interfered with my shot at his heart. For a moment out there, I hadn't thought I'd gotten the stake in hard enough-until I'd seen his face go slack and watched him fall. But I really hadn't gotten the stake in hard enough. My first instinct had been right, but things had happened too fast. He'd fallen†¦ and then what? Had the stake been loose enough to fall out on its own? Had he been able to pull it out? Had the river's impact knocked it out? â€Å"All those practice dummies, all for nothing,† I muttered, recalling how Dimitri had drilled me over and over to plunge a stake into the chest so it would get past the ribs and into the heart. â€Å"Rose,† exclaimed Lissa. I had a feeling this wasn't the first time she'd said my name. â€Å"What's going on?† The most important staking of my life†¦ and I had messed it up. What would happen now? Looks like we'll have to go over the lesson again the next time I see you-which will be soon. I didn't know what to feel. Despair that I hadn't released Dimitri's soul and fulfilled the promise I'd secretly made to him? Relief that I hadn't killed the man I loved? And always, always that question: Would he have said he loved me if we'd had a few moments more? I still had no answers. My emotions were running crazy, and I needed to put them on hold and analyze what I knew here. First: two and a half months. I'd promised my mom two and a half months. No action until then. Meanwhile, Dimitri was still out there, still a Strigoi. As long as he was loose in the world, there would be no peace for me. No closure. Looking at that card again, I realized I would have no peace even if I tried to ignore him. I understood the card's message. Dimitri was coming for me this time. And something told me that I had blown my chance at being turned Strigoi. He was coming to kill me. What had he said when I escaped the manor? That there was no way we could both be alive in the world? And yet, maybe we could†¦ When I didn't answer her right away, Lissa's worry grew. â€Å"Your face is freaking me out a little. What are you thinking?† â€Å"Do you believe in fairy tales?† I asked, looking up into her eyes. Even as I said the words, I could imagine Mark's disapproval. â€Å"What†¦ what kind of fairy tales?† â€Å"The kind you aren't supposed to waste your life on.† â€Å"I don't understand,† she said. â€Å"I'm totally lost. Tell me what's going on. What can I do?† Two and a half months. I had to stay here for two and a half months-it seemed like forever. But I'd promised my mom that I would, and I refused to be rash again-particularly with the stakes so high now. Promises. I was drowning in promises. I'd even promised Lissa something. â€Å"Did you mean it before? You want to go with me on my next crazy quest? No matter what?† â€Å"Yes.† There was no uncertainty or hesitation in the word, no wavering in her steady green eyes. Of course, I wondered if she'd feel the same way later when she found out what it was we were going to do. What could anyone offer a condemned man that would really make a difference in his life? I'd pondered that earlier, trying to figure out what could get Victor Dashkov to talk. Victor had told Abe there was nothing anyone could offer that would make him give up the information about his brother's alleged ability to restore Strigoi. Victor was serving a life sentence; no bribe could matter to him anymore. But one thing could, I realized. Freedom. And there was only one way to achieve that. We were going to have to break Victor Dashkov out of prison. But I decided not to mention that to Lissa quite yet. All I knew for now was that I had a fleeting shot at saving Dimitri. Mark had said it was a fairy tale, but I had to take the chance. The question was: how long did I have until Dimitri came to kill me? How long did I have to figure out if the impossible was actually possible? That was the real issue. Because if Dimitri showed up before I had a chance to find the dragon in this story-Victor-things were going to get ugly. Maybe this whole Robert thing was one big lie, but even if it wasn't†¦ well, the clock was ticking. If Dimitri came for me before I could get to Victor and Robert, I'd have to fight him again. No question. I couldn't wait for this magical cure. I'd have to kill Dimitri for real this time and lose any chance I might have to bring back my prince. Damn. It's a good thing I work well under pressure.