Angel in the House Essay -- essays research papers

Coventry Patmore believed his wife Emily was the perfect Victorian wife and wrote "The Angel in the House" about her. though it did not receive much attention when it was first published in 1854, it became increasingly popular through the rest of the nineteenth century and continued to be influential into the twentieth century. The minor House series reflects what Patmore originally wrote and strongly believed. The Angel in the House theme is both introduced and intertwined throughout the series. It begins in The Little House in the Big Woods and continues to reveal itself throughout The Little House in the Prairie, thus giving to audience a view of nineteenth century culture.     Patmore wrote that Man must be pleased but him to please is womans pleasure. This common concept of the nineteenth century reveals itself in this stanza. Women held one position in society, and it held constant throughout the eighteen hundreds Please man. Ma, in The Little Hous e series, is a prime example of the Angel in the House. Ma is always thither for Pa. She realizes that he provides and she obeys. Ma, in The Little House in the Big Woods, had a schedule for each week. .She washed on Monday, Ironed on Tuesday, Mended on Wednesday, Churned on Thursday, Cleaned on Friday, and Baked on Saturday. On top of those chores, Ma prepared food and tended to Pa and the children. There wasnt a day for Mas needs and desires. Ma presents herself as the stereotyp...

Australian Life :: essays research papers

Australian spirit behavior in the BushThe Australian liveness style was portrayed as one of the bush small-arm although itwas not . The life of a typical Australian was rightfully the city life . Thebushman was one with no classes and he handle every person as equal . A mid(prenominal)dleclass person was the same(p) as a working class man . The bushman was a very trustworthy and helpful character he would help a oddish as if it was his friendand if that friend needed anything he would be glade to ofer him every thing hehas .The bushman lead gypsy like lifestyle with the unbroken moving and roaminground the country side . They would oftentimes walk or ride horse back from place toplace with their tent and billy and camping site off over night when they had no whereto impediment . The bushman where very much like aborigines they tracked and did notneed a compass or a map they knew plants and trees . They called this bushcraft .A bushman would cook , clean , laundry his clot hs and patch his pants this madethem very independent . If a bushman was ordered or commanded he would differentiate " Areyou talking to me or the dog ? " they treated everyone equal and wanted to betreated equal .They dressed in tweeds , flannel tops , with non-white jumpers in the cold andyellow oilskin jackets in the rain . They wore hard wearing blucher boots andbroad felt hats . The bushman would often have a drinkdown the taproom . They oftentold stories to each other as their previous(prenominal) time . The bushmans homes were madefrom slabs of bark , green hide . The houses were simple and didnt always showadvantage . Nor paneling it have to , the bushmans home (bellow) is there toshelter him .In the 1880s writers and painters portrayed the bush life as better thenthe city life . This bought on the compass that all Australians lived in the bush.City LifeThe city life of Australia was not recognized as much as the bush lifealthough some of the population of Aus tralia were present in the cities . Thecities in the mid 1880s were walking cities only the few plastered were able toafford the private horse-drawn transport . The wealthy with their transport weretherefore able to live out side of the city center . The working class workedand played short distances away from home .Australian Life essays research papers Australian LifeLife in the BushThe Australian life style was portrayed as one of the bushman although itwas not . The life of a typical Australian was really the city life . Thebushman was one with no classes and he treated every person as equal . A middleclass person was the same as a working class man . The bushman was a very trustworthy and helpful character he would help a stranger as if it was his friendand if that friend needed anything he would be glade to ofer him every thing hehas .The bushman lead gypsy like lifestyle with the constant moving and roaminground the country side . They would often walk or ride horse back from place toplace with their tent and billy and camp out over night when they had no whereto stay . The bushman where very much like aborigines they tracked and did notneed a compass or a map they knew plants and trees . They called this bushcraft .A bushman would cook , clean , wash his cloths and patch his pants this madethem very independent . If a bushman was ordered or commanded he would say " Areyou talking to me or the dog ? " they treated everyone equal and wanted to betreated equal .They dressed in tweeds , flannel tops , with blue jumpers in the cold andyellow oilskin jackets in the rain . They wore hard wearing blucher boots andbroad felt hats . The bushman would often have a drinkdown the pub . They oftentold stories to each other as their past time . The bushmans homes were madefrom slabs of bark , green hide . The houses were simple and didnt always showadvantage . Nor dose it have to , the bushmans home (bellow) is there toshelter him .In the 1880s writers an d painters portrayed the bush life as better thenthe city life . This bought on the image that all Australians lived in the bush.City LifeThe city life of Australia was not recognized as much as the bush lifealthough most of the population of Australia were present in the cities . Thecities in the mid 1880s were walking cities only the few wealthy were able toafford the private horse-drawn transport . The wealthy with their transport weretherefore able to live out side of the city center . The working class workedand played short distances away from home .

Character Identification: Hiding from a poisoned memory (Circle) :: miscellaneous

casing Identification Hiding from a poisoned memory (Circle)Characters from different sources of literature can often be linked in concert and seem to get hold of the alike(p) feelings, background, moral standing, or trials. They may experience the same hardships, driving them to suffering, which other suits in literature encounter. In the book Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee, the main character was told from the age of seven the hardships she would encounter in her lifetime (Mukherjee 3). Pecola, from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, experiences rape by her dumbfound and the stillbirth of their child. The main character in Barn Burning, by William Faulkner, deals with a receive that ruins his life and the struggle to chit his father from burning buildings. These character experience hardships end-to-end their lives. They live with the rejection their lives have given them and try to survive in the world of injustice by themselves.Each story starts with the characters family and group identity. Jasmine lives in India with her parents at the solution of her life. She later moves to the United States to escape hardships. Sarty from Barn Burning lives with his poor and rejected family moving from place to place. His family has been rejected by society because his father would not stop burning buildings when he got mad at the people he worked for. Pecola lived with her poor family as well. Her mother was gone most of the time and her father would get wino almost every night before coming home. She was moved out of her house for a little while until her family could pull themselves together and provide a suitable place from her to live in. In each piece of literature, the character starts with family, a place to call home, people who accept them, and a place of the same race and nationality.As the stories progress, each character experiences their own desire for better they have found something that will better their lives. As they struggle to gain their p rize, hardships gearing into place to hinder their path. Jasmine must overcome the death of her husband to get to America. She must also find her way illegally into the region and declinetle someplace suitable. When a man helps her into the country, she is very grateful, but the man rapes her. She kills the man, the human form beneath it grew smaller and smaller (Mukherjee 119), and escapes to finish the job she had set out for.Character Identification Hiding from a poisoned memory (Circle) miscellaneousCharacter Identification Hiding from a poisoned memory (Circle)Characters from different sources of literature can often be linked together and seem to have the same feelings, background, moral standing, or struggles. They may experience the same hardships, driving them to suffering, which other characters in literature encounter. In the book Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee, the main character was told from the age of seven the hardships she would encounter in her lifetime (Mukh erjee 3). Pecola, from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, experiences rape by her father and the miscarriage of their child. The main character in Barn Burning, by William Faulkner, deals with a father that ruins his life and the struggle to stop his father from burning buildings. These character experience hardships throughout their lives. They live with the rejection their lives have given them and try to survive in the world of injustice by themselves.Each story starts with the characters family and group identity. Jasmine lives in India with her parents at the beginning of her life. She later moves to the United States to escape hardships. Sarty from Barn Burning lives with his poor and rejected family moving from place to place. His family has been rejected by society because his father would not stop burning buildings when he got mad at the people he worked for. Pecola lived with her poor family as well. Her mother was gone most of the time and her father would get drunk almost every night before coming home. She was moved out of her house for a little while until her family could pull themselves together and provide a suitable place from her to live in. In each piece of literature, the character starts with family, a place to call home, people who accept them, and a place of the same race and nationality.As the stories progress, each character experiences their own desire for better they have found something that will better their lives. As they struggle to gain their prize, hardships string into place to hinder their path. Jasmine must overcome the death of her husband to get to America. She must also find her way illegally into the country and settle somewhere suitable. When a man helps her into the country, she is very grateful, but the man rapes her. She kills the man, the human form beneath it grew smaller and smaller (Mukherjee 119), and escapes to finish the job she had set out for.

Free Essays - Animal Farm :: Animal Farm

An English writer by the name of George Orwell published a set aside in 1943, c all in alled animal Farm. In the eyes of Mr. Orwell, the sole purpose of the book was to expose the Soviet myth of Russias acclaimed socialist utopia in a way that almost anyone skunk comprehend. The simplicity of language in the book and the usage of animals to convey the message made it a prime candidate for a cartoon version and and then one was created. This essay will look at the differences between the book Animal Farm and its cartoon adaptation. The three criteria which will be employ as a basis of comparison be characterization, exposition and theme.The book Animal Farm, is an allegory of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the events that followed shortly after. In order for the proofreader to be able to get a firm grasp on the conditions in Russia before, during and after the revolution, George Orwell took great care in ensuring that the all the characters in the book could easily be ident ified with their Russian revolution counterpart. While reading the book, one should easily be able tell the parallel personality for for each one character because of George Orwells very accurate descriptions of the characters. As a result, a great deal of characterization is visible in most parts of the book, as he is constantly building upon the characters.The depiction Animal Farm on the other hand is quite different. In the movie, very little time (relative to the book) is pass on developing the characters. In some instances during the movie we discover that there are some characters in the book that are not mentioned in the movie (e.g. Molly and Mrs. Jones). Also, in Animal Farm the movie, there is little dialogue among the animals, unlike the book. In the book, it is this dialogue that really helps us understand the type of governance in Russia at the time. If someone were to watch the movie but never read the book, it would probably be a lot harder to see the relationship to the Russian revolution. In the book, some of the instances that occur in Animal Farms exposition play important roles later on in the book. At the start of the book you are introduced to a flurry of thoughts and ideas that are very instrumental throughout the remainder of the book. The exposition begins with Old Major, telling the animals of a dream he has in which all animals are free from the oppressive human regime and equal amongst each other.

Essay examples --

10. ConclusionGenerally, a strong conclusion to a employment plan will be a great yield to grow your business while unmotivated conclusion can leave bad impressions to the suppliers and customers. Therefore, my company, mellisonant Child Bready Enterprise is confident that I could compete sagely with other food manufacturers around that bea. I will provide a fast, efficient nevertheless convenient service to the customers. I hope to be wholeness of the leading company in Malaysia food industry. I ensure the customers to get what they want by providing them with on time delivery to their houses. In addition, I real take care of the hygienic aspect of the factory. I provide masks and gloves to the workers during workings hour. I similarly place a few fire extinguishers in cocktail dress there is fire in the factory. Next, I have also installed three CCTVs in the factory to avoid any robbery. Finally, I hope that the customers will localize 100% trust to my product and I pr omise that they will get the best feeling of breads than the others. I also hope they will support me by buying the breads as they are healthy yet delicious and nutritious. 11. Appendices interrogation FindingResearch study confirms profit potential of bread ingredient innovationsJuly 18, 2013 curdle miss Corp., Terre Haute, Ind., which produces chemical leavening systems for the food industry, has released the results of an independent research study by the Kansas recite University Department of Grain Science. The study confirms that with the use of Clabber Girls Encapsulated Fumaric Acid, the amount of calcium propionate in yeast bread recipes can be ablation in half and yeast reduced by 10%, findings that have significant cost implications for the price-sensitive baking industry.The KSU stu... ...riseJalan 6/91, Taman Shamelin Perkasa,56100, Cheras, KLDear Ms Nurzatulshira,QUOTATION frame E542Thank you for your enquiry of 15 July. I am jocund to quote as followsPlain Brea dsRM 1.30 eachSausagesRM 1.80 eachThis is current catalogue price, and we would allow you to heap a discount of 15%. Price include fisticuffs and delivery to your premises.It is our usual practice to ask all new customers to trade references. Please allow us have the names and addresses of two suppliers with whom you have had veritable(a) dealings. Subject to satisfactory replies, we shall be glad to supply the goods and to allow you the two months credit requested.As there may be other items in which you are interested, I enclose copies of our current catalogue and price list.I look forward to working with you.Yours sincerely,Siti Sarah Binti HarunSales Manage Essay examples -- 10. ConclusionGenerally, a strong conclusion to a business plan will be a great support to grow your business while unmotivated conclusion can leave bad impressions to the suppliers and customers. Therefore, my company, Sweet Child Bready Enterprise is confident that I could compete wisely with other food manufacturers around that area. I will provide a fast, efficient yet convenient service to the customers. I hope to be one of the leading company in Malaysia food industry. I ensure the customers to get what they want by providing them with on time delivery to their houses. In addition, I really take care of the hygienic aspect of the factory. I provide masks and gloves to the workers during working hour. I also place a few fire extinguishers in case there is fire in the factory. Next, I have also installed three CCTVs in the factory to avoid any robbery. Finally, I hope that the customers will put 100% trust to my product and I promise that they will get the best quality of breads than the others. I also hope they will support me by buying the breads as they are healthy yet delicious and nutritious. 11. AppendicesResearch FindingResearch study confirms profit potential of bread ingredient innovationsJuly 18, 2013Clabber Girl Corp., Terre Haute, Ind., which produce s chemical leavening systems for the food industry, has released the results of an independent research study by the Kansas State University Department of Grain Science. The study confirms that with the use of Clabber Girls Encapsulated Fumaric Acid, the amount of calcium propionate in yeast bread recipes can be cut in half and yeast reduced by 10%, findings that have significant cost implications for the price-sensitive baking industry.The KSU stu... ...riseJalan 6/91, Taman Shamelin Perkasa,56100, Cheras, KLDear Ms Nurzatulshira,QUOTATION NUMBER E542Thank you for your enquiry of 15 July. I am pleased to quote as followsPlain BreadsRM 1.30 eachSausagesRM 1.80 eachThis is current catalogue price, and we would allow you to trade a discount of 15%. Price include packing and delivery to your premises.It is our usual practice to ask all new customers to trade references. Please let us have the names and addresses of two suppliers with whom you have had regular dealings. Subject to sati sfactory replies, we shall be glad to supply the goods and to allow you the two months credit requested.As there may be other items in which you are interested, I enclose copies of our current catalogue and price list.I look forward to working with you.Yours sincerely,Siti Sarah Binti HarunSales Manage

Polyhydroxybutyrate Essays -- Chemistry

Plastic industry has become of vital importance for the comfort and quality of our lives, due to numerous qualities as strength, lightness, low cost and durability. Their downside is the oppose impact over the environment, due to the accumulating of millions of tons per year. Therefore, the development of biodegradable plastics seems a key issue for further development. PHAs are hydroxyalkanoate polyesters that are used as susceptibility storage for bacterium. Polyhydroxybutyrate(PHB) is a biodegradable polymer, with similar properties to polypropylene, which gives it great potential as alternative source of plastics. PHB is linear polyester of D-3-hydroxybutyric acid, with high molecular weight, accumulated as a storage carbon in different microorganisms. The PHB-producing bacteria require an environment rich in sucrose, glucose or ethanol, all expensive raw materials. Efforts have been make in the past years to overcome those disadvantages, by producing PHB from plants. (Gehrke, 2009)The first attempts to establish fermentative production of PHA happened 40 years ago, using stains of Ralstonia eutropha and Alcaligenes latus.Biopol, a polymer developed by ICI (Imperial chemical Industries) was produced using a mutant stain Ralstonia eutropha using glucose as a carbon source. That was the start of the commercially available PHVBs, in the 1980s. After the change of proprietary to Monsanto, the bioplastics division was sold and the patent was bought by a Cambridge, (MA, U.S.A.) company called Metabolix (source press release 16 May 2001, Metabolix.com).The research continued, adding new naturally PHA- producing bacteria to the list, whilst other microorganisms were modified to do so. The carbon source usually used was gluc... ...ndia University of Pune.9.Mousavioun, P. (2011). Properties of Ligning and Polyhydroxybutyrate Blends. Queensland, Australia Queensland University of Technology.10.Nisha V. Ramadas, S. K. (2009). Polyhydroxybutyrate Production using Agro-industrial Residue as Substrate by Bacillus sphaericus NCIM 5149. Kerala matter Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology.11.Peter H. Yu, H. C.-L.-H.-P. (1999). Conversion of industrial wastes by Alcaligenes Latus into Polyhydroxyalkanoates,.12.Product information . (fr an). Preluat de pe mirel plastics http//www.mirelplastics.com/discover/default.aspx?ID=178313.Udpuay, S. C. (2008). Production and Characterization of Polyhydroxybutyrate from Molasses and Corn plunk Liquor produced by Bacillus megaterium ATCC 6748 . Phitsanulok ,Thailand Dept. of Biology, Fac. of Science, Naresuan University, .

Curb Your Enthusiam †an in Depth Analysis Essay

In the year 2000, the leg obliterateary comedian, Larry David ,created curb Your intensity. It is a frivolity television series produced by HBO round Larry David, starring Larry David himself. He sportswomans himself as a retired comedian producer and writer. The doom up follows him through his day to day deportment, which frequently puts him in inapt situations as he often gets annoyed with the status qua and normal social situations. Larry is extremely vocal about his irritations, involving not only him, hardly the other characters on the guide.The show depicts an unflinching, excusatory depiction of his life and the spicys of his family and friends. The show is called Curb Your Enthusiasm because Larry David feels that most people live their lives by means of false enthusiasm. He thinks they do this in separate to give off the impression that we ar better than you. Larry as well called the show Curb because he did not want his audience to expect too oft from the sh ow following seinfelds enormous success. Curb eventually became one of the most critically acclaimed television series, reaping in numerous awards and fans.There ar numerous various characters on Curb Your Enthiusiasm, which makes the show extremely dynamic. His wife and eventually ex wife, Cheryl, played by Cheryl Hines is usually Larrys voice of reason. She often guides Larry in the right mission of the social norms, and vociferously expresses her annoyance with him on his many social faux passe. Larrys best friend, Jeff Greene, played by Jeff Garlin, is another major influence on Larrys character. He is kn avow to be without morals and scruples, paying little regard to the fact that he is married and with a child.Many times, Jeff gets Larry involved in his infidelities, ceaselessly building to Larrys own drama. His wife, Susie Green , played by Susie Essman, is a bully. She is constantly putting down her husband,Larry, and friends, often using profanity and sheer uncouth beh avior. Although she has a foul mouth, she walks on the straight path of morality versus her husband and Larry. Last but not least, Larry himself. Larry is an uncivilized, crude, and neurotic individual. He usually has good intentions, but they are blinded by his selfish and stubborn personality.He is not shy about his thical principles and morals, and continuously voices his opinion when a situation does not go his way. Generally, he initiates his situations on petty details, which snowball into major issues and dilemmas. He pursues what he perceives to be the right path, although the social norms may dictate some liaison else entirely. His actions continuously lead him into awkward, entertaining, and side split situations which he is persistent about correcting. His misjudg manpowerts are so extraordinary that Larry David created a place for himself in pop culture termed a Larry David Moment an extremely awkward social situation.Some of Larrys most famed indiscretions are stoppi ng and chatting with acquaintances and tipping at restaurants. Larry David himself is an extremely talented comedian. He, along with Jerry Seinfeld co-wrote and produced the mega popular Seinfeld. After nine seasons of Seinfeld , it was an end to an era. Seinfeld ran its last succession in 1998. In 1999, Larry produced the first Curb Your Enthusiasm. Originally It was meant to be a one time exclusive, a one hour mockumentary- when the characters are aware of the precense of the photographic cameras and crew.The show turned out to be a major success. The Larry David show quickly snowballed into Curb Your Enthusiasm, one of the greatest and highly acclaimed shows of all time. television system has many different popular genres, styles, and programs. Before Curb Your Enthusiasm arrived on the scene, the most popular programs from the nineties were Roseanne, Friends, Full House, Family Matters, and Everybody Loves Raymond. These television shows formed TV into invigorated directions and defined the humor of the decade.They were the start of television sitcoms- shortened for situation comedies. A sitcom is a show that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue. Originally, sitcoms started as radio shows, but as we evolved to a television-oriented society, sitcoms acclimated as well. One of the most famous original sitcoms is I Love Lucy, known for being one of the best and most popular shows of all time. It was the first show to perform in front of a studio audience.Lucy showed and influenced society in many ways such as the difference between the sexes. The I Love Lucy show continued the ever-popular and outmoded battle between the sexes scenarios. Ricky and Fred would try to teach the girls a lesson now and then, and vice versa. In many ways the Ricky & Fred team vs. The Lucy & Ethel team put men and women on equal ground, as the two continually schemed against one ano ther with similar rates of successful schemes and backfired ones. This was one way for Lucy to escape the submissive housewife go through with some defiance of her own.There was a constant desire to outdo the other sex, which perhaps was a signal of the changing times and changing offices men and women would hold in the coming decades. Sitcoms used single camera filming style, which was more practical given the visual effects used in these shows. This allowed for the vigilant creation of special effects and sharp editing, features which were not possible with the same finesse in a multi-camera production. Many of these programs were not filmed before live audiences, and featured a laugh track.Jerry Seinfeld, in 1989, created Seinfield, the mega popular sitcom, known to be one of the greatest shows of all time. Seinfield follows the life and creator Jerry Seinfeld, as he lives his life using absurdism- conflict between the human tendencies to seek inherent value and meaning in lif e and the human inability to develop any. The characters of Seinfeld have no morals, hope, ambition, and compassion. Everything they do leads to failure. The show is a show about nothing, meaning there is no climax or moments of pathos for any of the characters.Curb excessively uses many of the same attributes. The show is based on absurdism, with the characters having little or no morals whatsoever. It is in addition a show about nothing, following the characters mundane day to day tasks. Television shows have a major cultural affect on society. Friends, for example, was so popular that its influences still affect us till this day. Of example, Rachels haircut is called The Rachel, Joeys catchphrase How you doin and the Central Perk Franchise are exactly a few of the cultural affects Friends had on our society.It also changed the format of love and family, expand on the concept that all you need is good friends. The sitcom depicts the idea that we can choose our family and live life in a more unconventional manner. According to pop-culture expert at the University of Buffalo, Friends is one of those rare shows that marked a change in American culture. Most of the Television shows that premiered when Curb Your Enthusiasm came out were complete opposites of it. For examples, shows such as Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Scrubs, and Degrassi were extremely popular.These shows are all drama comedies, scripted, and the fictional opposite of documentary style. Another popular television show is Greys Anatomy. Greys Anatomy is a medical drama about a group of surgeons working at Seattle Grace Hospital. The show centers on Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and her life as a resident at the hospital. In addition to her relationship with her neurosurgeon husband, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), and best friend Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), it also explores her relationships with her peers and the other doctors around her.It is filled with romantic drama and ethical dilemmas that are extremely chimerical. The characters are also very good looking and impracticable. Curb is erratic in many ways that makes it exceptionally screaming(prenominal) and an instant cult classic. The show is mostly improvised, meaning that there is no real script that the show sticks to. The characters have a storyline, based off of a couple of pages written by Larry David himself. The actors then improvise their dialogue based on the story outline, direction, and their own creativity.Unlike most other popular sitcoms, Curb has basically no writers, no script, and no rehearsal. The characters are raw, and easily believable. They do not dress in high fashions, look like models, or act like people normally would. There is no epic romances or crazy drama. The show is save Larry taking on the social scene in his own unique way. In many episodes, Curblike its predecessor Seinfeldtied together apparently unrelated events woven throughout a given episode into an unforced climax th at resolves the story lines simultaneously, either to Larrys advantage or detriment.For example, in the episode The Black Swan ( season seven, episode 7) that is exactly the case. In the beginning of the episode, Larry discovers that his mothers gravestone is misspelled and vows to fix it. Larry and his buddies are then seen at the snobby golf club, which has many rules that Larry constantly breaks, including accidently killing the owners swan and other golf member and refusing to tip the waiter. At the end of the show the grave says mother of swan killer and Larry gets caught. The strong show ties together beautifully, with every detail eventually playing a part in the ending.Another example of the show is Every show displays this brilliance, making it hilarious and highly enjoyable to watch. The show also uses a single camera setup. The single camera setup is generally utilized on comedy series that either require or strive for specific shots and camera angles and visual set-piec es. When the potential of the single camera filming style is fully maximized the camera movement, the way shots are composed and edited, and other directorial flourishes, will be as much a source of comedy as the behavior of the characters.The shows asthetics are also plain and simple, making it seem as if its real life and easy to believe. This leads to the style of the show- a mockmentary. Mockumentarys are in the same style as a documentary, yet shot when the cast is fully aware that the cameras and crews are there- like a fake documentary. It is highly improvised, meaning the characters do not memorize a script and just act. They must be creative with the story and put their own sparkle in it.The show is not filled with the typical dramas and unrealistic actors that other leading television series are famous for. It is therefore easily relatable and loveable. Another example using all these elements is from season eight, episide three- The Palestinian Chicken. Larry relishes his role as a social assassin until it becomes a liability with his friends, on the golf course and at a Palestinian restaurant. The story once again has a beginning, middle, and ends which all ties together towards the end of the episode.Another appealing aspect to the show is its depiction of Judaic characters. Vincent Brook stated, Curbs commitment to Jewish identification greatly enhances its storytelling capacity, as it lends greater realism and dimension to the characters and opens the show up to episodes with meaningful Jewish themes. Larrys character mirrors the schmiel from Yiddish folklore. The schlemiel is usually a comic character whose actions lead to his inevitable downfall, but also stands as a form of resistance to social and cultural values and norms.David Gillota wrote As a true schlemiel, Larrys failure serves as a direct challenge to the status quo and encourages viewers to question the myriad unwritten rules that we follow in our frequent lives. Gillota also ob served Whereas the schlemiel of Eastern Europe encountered problems that mostly affected Eastern European Jews (such as anti-Semitism and economic survival), Larry encounters problems that affect contemporary middle- to wellborn American Jews, namely, Jewish assimilation, secularism, intermarriage, and, as all of these uggest, the Jews precarious ethnic identity in an increasingly multicultural environment. Alec Berg, one of the writers for Curb and Seinfeld said, Structure, structure, structure. Every single thing in a script must advance the plot or define a character more deeply (ideally both, in a hilarious way) or it will die in the edit. Larry David himself is nowhere near as vivacious as the Larry David he plays onscreen. Larry lives vicariously through his character, acting as a total social piranha wherever and whenever he pleases.He has said in an interview that, he is my version of Superman. The character really is me, but I just couldnt possibly behave like that. If I h ad my druthers, that would be me all the time, but you cant do that. Were ever so doing things we dont want to do, we never say what we really feel, and so this is an idealized version of how I want to be. As crazy as this person is, I could step into those shoes right now, but I would be arrested or Id be hit or whatever. I find the character to be honest. And honesty comes off as cranky or rude, I suppose.But that character is way happier than I am. Im cranky. Hes not cranky. Id be much happier if I were more like him. He also said From the character I play on the show? The only difference is hes much more honest than I am. Hes brutally honest, and I am not. People seem to think that hes cranky, I get that. I dont see him as a curmudgeon. I just think hes honest, and he gets in confrontations with people because hes honest. I am not honest. Because of this very delicate, socially balanced human beings we live in, you cant talk like that.He feels as if he is breaking through a b arrier, an inhibition that he couldnt do as himself. In conclusion, Curb Your Enthusiasm is not your average Television show. Thanks to the comedic genius, Larry David, the show has become a smash hit success, running a full eight seasons and counting. It has become part of pop culture, establishing its own terms and concepts. The use of mockumentary, absurdism, dry humor, and realism are a major part of the shows enrapture and success. Filled with quirky and dry humor, Curb continues to break barriers, pleasing and shocking its audiences episode after episode.

Child Marriage

Marriage is the institution whereby men and women are joined in a special kind of social and legal dependence for the offer of founding and maintaining a family (Marriage 729). The fact is, sum, to most of society, is something much more than that. To some, marriage is the uniting of their souls to others, it is merely an escape from their fear, their pain, and their agony. The sad truth about it is that many of those marriages forget end in divorce. So how do couples know if what they have will last forever?It is impossible to know for sure. No one can range them that they definitely have what it takes to make a marriage last. Marriage is about compromise and understanding. It is also about give and take. If one party in the marriage is unwilling to give, and only takes, the marriage will be short lived. Child marriage is a violation of human rights whether it happens to a girl or a boy, but it represents perhaps the most prevalent form of sexual abuse and exploitation of girls. The harmful consequences include separation from family and friends, lack of freedom to interact with peers and accede in community activities, and decreased opportunities for education. Child marriage can also result in bonded labour orenslavement,commercial sexual exploitation and violence against the victims. government commitment and capacity the role of government and civil-society institutions is to develop and implement systems to prevent or discourage this practice.Government action is required to review customary and civil law. Because kid marriage is completionly associated with poverty, government commitment to poverty reduction is likely to lead to a decrease in child marriages. Legislation and follow outment Governments need to turn up 18 as the legal age of marriage for girls, as well as boys, and ensure its implementation. Promoting birth and marriage registration will help enforce these laws. attitudes, usance and practices nding child marriage is challenging b ecause even parents who understand its negative impact may find it hard to resist economic and societal pressures and traditions. Addressing attitudes and customs that promote or condone the practice is vital to changing the acceptable age for marriage.Open discussion Marriage is regarded as a private field of study in many cultures. Communication campaigns can help create circumstances in which it can be discussed and traditional beliefs about marriage can be examined. o foster behavioural change from within communities, human rights should be emphasized, particularly those of women including equality, access to education and freedom from exploitation and discrimination. childrens life skills, familiarity and participation expanding childrens knowledge and empowerment is crucial, particularly for girls. educated girls are less likely to agree to marry at a young age. Attempts to close gender gaps in education can include the establishment of child-friendly schools, cash incentiv es for parents and the expansion of non-formal education. capacity of families and communities

Philosophy Paper Essay

wizard of the nigh heated debates that troub guide the church in the Middle Ages was the question of universals. This question goes keyst ane as far as Platos Forms. It has to do with the relationship amidst the abstr interpret and general concepts that we pick up in our minds (what is the relationship between Chair with a capitol C and chair with a sm whole c? ). And from this, ii radical viewpoints emerged, touchableists and the nominalists. The realists followed Plato in insisting that wholly(prenominal) universal is an entity in its own right, and exists independently of the per countersign things that happen to voiceicipate in it.An extreme form of realism flourished in the church from the ninth to the twelfth centuries. Among its advocates were John Scotus, Erigena, Anselm and William of Champeaux. On the opposite face were the nominalists and they held that universals were bonnie names, and therefore, have no objective status apart from that which is fabricated in the mind. Nominalists, such(prenominal) as Gabriel Biel and William of Occam (see O section), express that the person is the merely existing substance. Unfortunately, their word of nominalism removed religion almost entirely from the area of conclude and do it a matter of doctrine beyond the comprehension of reason.1 And here lies the implication of the French theologian Peter Abelard (1079-1142). Between the deuce extremes, Peter Abelard proposed a more than moderate form of nominalism. Though critical of the idea of the separate universe of dis variant of universals, he nevertheless believed that resemblances among particular things justified the use of universals for establishing roll in the hayledge. More specifically, Abelard proposed that we ground the similarities among individual things without reifying their universal features, by predicating general terms in conformity with concepts see from experience.This resolution (which would later make it to be known as conceptualism) of the traditional problem of universals gained wide acceptance for several centuries, until doubts about the objectivity and reality of such mental entities as concepts came under sobering question. Thomas doubting Thomas favored a moderate realism which rejected the view that universals exist apart from individual entities in favor of the view that they do indeed exist, just now only in actual entities. 2 Anaximander (Milesian inculcate) Anaximander (610-547/6 B. C.) was one of the three key figures that comprised the Milesian School (the three prominent figures associated with the Milesian School is Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes). Together, they worked on problems concerning the nature of matter and the nature of change, and they each proposed a dissimilar material as the primary principal. 3 Anaximander seemed to be quite modern in his view of reality. He believed that the world was cylindrical give care a drum, and that the earth rested on nonhing. He also invented an shadowy non-substance, called the apeiron, a neutral, indeterminate stuff that was infinite in amount.Anaximenes (Milesian School) Anaximenes (546 B. C. ), the other member of the Milesian School, returned back to the idea that allthing derives from a single substance, but suggested that substance was air. Though it is in all likelihood his choice was motivated by wanting to maintain a balance between the two views of his predecessors, Anaximenes did provide solid grounds for his choosing outset, air, has the advantage of not being restricted to a specific and defined nature as water, and therefore more capable of transforming itself into the great variety of objects around us.Second, air is a more likely source of this variety than Anaximanders apeiron which seems too empty and vacuous a stuff to be capable of giving rise to such a variety and profusion. 4 Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury In (452 A. D. ), twenty-two years after(prenominal) Augustines deat h, Rome fell, bringing on a period of conquest and chaos, and degree of monastic order was last-ditchly realized by means of with(predicate) the emergence of feudalism. The church, which had managed to survive the social and political upheaval, gradually assumed responsibilities that previously had been relegated to the civil government.This involvement in government led in turn to the secularization of the church. Bishops became ministers of the commonwealth, and church dignitaries became warriors. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, m some(prenominal) within the church were so involved with the secular world that a movement led to the emergence of the monastic life as a force within the church. Those who wanted to escape the temptations of the secular world and pursue holiness were naturally drawn to the monasteries and among those who followed was Anselm (1033-1109), the archbishop of Canterbury. The greatest Christian thinker between Augustine and Thomas doubting Thomas was Anselm (1033-1109).He was born to a wealthy family in northern Italy, whom, to their disappointment, unexpended home in (1056) to fully dedicate his life to God. Following a period of travel, he arrived at the Norman Abbey at Bec, where he took his monastic vows in (1060). Within a few years, he became prior of the abbey, abbot in (1078), and then archbishop in (1093), which he held until his death. His writings range from treatises on logic to an write up of the divine inner logic of the atonement in Cur deus homo. Anselm stood in the tradition of Augustine and Platonic realism. 5Following the tradition of Augustine, he held that faith precedes and leads to understanding, and, like many other medieval thinkers he drew no sharp distinction between philosophy and faith. In his famous ontological argument for the conception of God, Anselm presents a defense ground on the fact that it is self-contradictory to deny that there exists a greatest possible being. 6 He claims that the more universality, the more reality. And from here it follows that if God is the most universal being, he is also the most real if He is the absolutely universal being, he is also the absolutely real being, ens realissimum.He has, therefore, according to the conception of Him, not only the comparatively greatest reality, but also the absolute reality. A reality in which no greater can be thought. 7 Aquinas, Thomas By common consent the greatest philosophical theologian of the Middle Ages was Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). Everything about him was big. In his later years his voluminous writings, massive in scope, won him the title of the Angelic Doctor. His life was dedicated to the intellectual defense and propagation of the faith, as he understood it.It was during his teaching career (1252) in Paris that Aquinas, being drawn into the critical debates of his day, started battling the objections posed against Aristotelianism and its place in the university. By this magazine, Plato w as known only through the imperfect translations of the Timaeus, the Phaedo, and the Meno. Islamic Jewish thinkers were much better acquainted with Aristotle, and for nearly two centuries they had been wrestling with questions posed by Aristotelianism to religious faith. For Aquinas and his Christian contemporaries the issue was doubly acute. On the one hand, there were questions posed by Aristotles way of thinking.On the other hand, there were the answers already given by Islamic and Jewish scholars which were hardly acceptable to a Christian thinker. Aquinas decided to face the problem head on. He made his own study of Aristotle, on whom he wrote extensively. He also made his own study of non-Christian thinkers. He subjected all ideas to rigorous scrutiny, giving due graphic symbol to the rectitude of ideas, wherever they came from, but giving his own evaluation of every issue, point by point. In all, Aquinas produced about a hundred different writings. His work ranged from phi losophical commentaries to hymns.8 Aquinas main works are two massive Summae or compends of faith and philosophy. The Summa contra Gentiles was designed as a text for missionaries, and the Summa Theologiae has been described as the highest achievement of medieval theological systematization and is comfort the accepted basis of modern Reformed theology. In Aquinas proofs (what later came to be known as the Cosmological and Teleological arguments), certain facts about nature are compelling evidences of Gods existence. He argues, accordingly, that nothing can adequately account for the fact of motion or change.Rejecting the idea that change or motion is simply an ultimate, mysterious fact of nature neither requiring nor permitting any story except God, its Unmoved Prime Mover. Furthermore, in his five arguments, Aquinas suggests that the Christian belief in God is completely consistent with the world as we know it. Aquinas arguments, known also as the Five Ways are sometimes referr ed to as the proofs of the existence of God. however this is not necessarily correct because Aquinas did not try to prove the existence of God by rational argument, but to provide a rational defense for an already existing faith in God.His primary reason for believing in the existence in God is Gods revelation of Himself. Aquinas expects his readers to share the same faith. He does not expect that he leave behind have to prove anything to them first. This point is important because many critics accuse believers of grounding their faith in out imaged arguments, such as Thomas Aquinas. It is proper, therefore, to respond to such criticisms by pointing out that they are based on a superficial reading and on a serious misunderstanding of how individuals come to faith.9 The basic principal guiding Aquinas throughout the Five Proofs is the principal of analogy, which holds the world as we know it mirrors God, its creator. The structure of each of Aquinas proofs is quite similar. Each de pends on canvass a casual sequence back to its ultimate origin and identifying this ultimate origin with God. The first begins with the expression that things in the world are in motion or change. Second is the concept of causation. The third concerns the existence of contingent beings.The fourth deals with human values, and lastly, is the teleological argument, in which Aquinas explains how the world shows clear traces of intelligent design. Natural processes and objects seem to be adapted with certain definite objectives in mind. They seem to have purpose. They seem to have been designed. Arguing from this observation, Aquinas concludes that it is rational to believe in God. 10 Aristotle Aristotles thought, like his mentor Plato, embodied the concept of arete, which taught that human excellence in all things was an important goal that should direct human purposes.For Aristotle, that excellence ideally exemplified the defining quality of human nature, the pursuit of reason. Attra cted by science and believing that the universe could be explained, Aristotle greatly valued the work of Thales of Miletus, and accepted his concept that the physical universe operated rationally and in a way that was knowable to human beings. From Anaximander, Aristotle took the view that a balance of force existed in nature that made things what they were. Aristotle was also knowledgeable about the atomic theory of Parmenides andwas intrigued by the question of what was stable and what was changing. Indeed, these Greek scientists had a significant influence on Aristotles intellectual search to examine and explain reality. 11 For Aristotle, the world in which we live is the world that we experience through our senses. Unlike those who followed Plato, Aristotle believed that we live in an objective order of reality, a world of objects that exist external to us and our knowing of them. Through our senses and our reason, human beings can come to know these objects and develop generali zations about their structure and function.Truth is a correspondence between the persons mind and external reality. Theoretical knowledge based on human observation is the best guide to human behavior. And, while human beings have various careers, they all share the most important factor, the make for of rationality. Reason gives human beings the potentiality of leading lives that are self-determined. Congruent with his metaphysical and epistemological perspective, Aristotles ethical theory portrays the costly life as that of blessedness (eudaimonia).He believed that the ultimate good for the human being was felicitousness, activity in accordance to virtue. The virtuous life is one in which actions are part of a consciously formulated plan that takes a mean, a middle ground course, avoiding extremes. 12 For example, true courage would be the choice that avoids the extremes of cowardice and rashness. And what decides the right course to take is the virtue of prudence (phronesis). Good is the aim of every action but, given the fact that goods can be ordered in relation to one another, there must be a highest good to which practical wisdom directs us.And if the letion of any good is what makes us happy to some extent, the possession of the highest good is the highest happiness, the ultimate goal of all our actions. 13 At this point, it is difficult to resist the thought that Aristotles notion of the intellectual life being the gateway to happiness and virtue is not an shallow one. But, though there are some elements in his presentation that are unclear, this much is clear that this happiness, which is the possession of the good, is ultimately an act of contemplation, or ofbeholding, the good. But to contemplate the good is to enter into union with it.Therefore, if contemplating on god means entering into union with the life of the gods, this is the highest activity of man and his ultimate happiness. The conclusion of the Ethics is one with the Metaphysics, in which the divine element in a man coincides with the possession of god by an act of thought, called contemplation, which is the most kind and best we can perform.In Eudemian Ethics, Aristotle says, What choice, then, or possession of the natural goods whether bodily goods, wealth, friends, or other things will most produce the contemplation of God, that choice or possession is best this is the noblest standard, but any that through deficiency or excess hinders one from the contemplation and service of God is bad this man possess in his soul, and this is the best standard for the soul. 14 With statements like this one cant help but wonder what Aristotles response would have been if he would have had the opportunity to serve the one true God, who is worthy of such adoration and praise.Whats more, Aristotle categorized virtues as either moral or intellectual. moral virtue, though not easy to define, is a habit by which the individual exercises a prudent choice, one that a rational person would make. Moral virtues draw to moderation, falling between excess and inhibition. They focus on the concrete actions a person performs and the measured sense he has regarding them to feel them at the right times, with reference to the right objects, towards the right people, with the right motive, and in the right way. A good action thus exhibits due proportion, neither excessive nor defective, but midway between them. This is Aristotles doctrine of the mean. Peculiarly, a virtuous action is one that lies between too much and too little. To give another example, in regard to the skin perceptiveness of shame, modesty is the mean between bashfulness and shamelessness. Not every virtue, however, is a mean, and so not every action is to be measured in this way. Nonetheless, every action should and can at least be measured in its rightness by the virtue of prudence or, in a larger sense, by practical wisdom. 15.Furthermore, one of Aristotles most significant contributions to the Western world is his Poetics. His earlier works, Physics and Metaphysics contain important statements about art and nature, and Rhetoric, written after Poetics, distinguishes rhetoric as a practical art and has had a strong influence on literary criticism. His Poetics, nonetheless, is particularly important because Aristotle is addressing Platos doctrines on ideas and forms he came to disagree with. In Poetics, it was Aristotles intention to classify and categorize systematically the kinds of literary art, beginning with epic and tragic drama.Unfortunately, not all of the poetics survived, and it breaks off onward the discussion of comedy. Nonetheless, our sense of Aristotles method is established. He is the first critic to essay a systematic discourse of literary genres. 16 Augustine (Saint), of Hippo One of the greatest thinkers of not only the early church, but of all time is Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A. D. ). His writings laid the foundation not only for Western theology but for later philosophy as well.His three books On Free Will (388-395), set out a doctrine of creation, evil and the human will which was a superior alternative to the type of thinking that had attracted so many to Gnosticism and Manichaean dualism. His response to the Donatist schism in the church set the precedent for the Western doctrine of the church. His writings on the subject of Pelagianism clarified, as no one before him and few after him, the crucial issues in the question of saving grace and free will. His major theological writings include On the Trinity (399-419), which presented better models for thinking about the Trinity than those of the Greek sires.Augustines book On the City of God (413-416) was a reply to those who blame the church for the fall of Rome, in which it gave both a panoramic view of history and a theology of history in terms of the basic conflict between the divine society and the earthly society. 17 Interestingly, Augustine put forth a theory of time that Bertrand Russell would later pronounce superior to earlier views and much better than the subjective theory of Kant. Augustines account of how we can learn language provided Wittgensteins starting line point for his Philosophical Investigations.In answering skepticism Augustine put forth an argument which anticipated Descartes cognito ergo sum without falling into the pitfalls commonly associated with the argument. Furthermore, Augustine believed that philosophical reflectance may correct mistaken notions, lead to a grasp of justice, and serve to clarify belief. But rational reflection is not a substitute for the angelic vision of God. For it is the apprehension of God alone which transforms human life and alone satisfies our deepest needs. Though Augustine was deeply influenced by Platonism and Neoplatonism, he never was simply a Platonist.His view of the soul stands in the Platonic tradition, but he repudiated the doctrines of pre-existence and transmigration. Augusti nes view of the transcendent spiritual reality might also be said to have affinities with Plato, but Augustines approach was not an attempt to erect an edifice of Christian theology on either Platonic or Neoplatonic foundations. Rather, it was to state the Christian worldview in a theological and philosophical system that cohered as a unified whole. 18 (B) (back to top) Bentham, Jeremy In nineteenth century prim England two contrasting systems were developed by Jeremy Bentham and Herbert Spencer.Utilitarians Bentham and John Stuart Mill applied naturalistic presuppositions in their worldview. Herbert Spencer applied the concept of evolution. And Ernest Mach prepared the way for logical positivism in his strongly anti-metaphysical scientific approach. The antithesis of the Kantian ideal is utilitarianism, an ethical theory founded by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832). Bentham was a hedonist. Taking the good to be pleasure, Bentham proposed a new model for morality in his principal of utili ty, which holds that Actions are right in proportion to the amount of happiness it brings wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.19 Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism. The ends justify the means since actions are judged on the results they bring, not on the persons intentions or motives. For Kant, the end result was not important in determining the rightness of an action, rather, it was motive. 20 In its simplest form utilitarianism teaches that the right action is the one that promotes the greatest happiness. Modern utilitarianism dates from Thomas Hobbes in the seventeenth century, but its antecedents date as far back as (341-270 B. C. ) to the philosophy of Epicurus of Samos.The theory of utilitarianism actually held little influence until John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) who popularized the term and produced the classical Victorian expo of the doctrine. Mill used the principal of utility to critique all social, political, and religious institutions. Anythi ng that did not promote the greatest happiness of the greatest number was to be challenged and reformed. For this reason social and religious institutions that curtail individual liberty should be reformed. This is necessary, argued Mill, in order for freedom of belief, association and expression to be safeguarded. 21.Different conceptions of happiness scattered Mills version Better a Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied, which recognized qualitative differences between different kinds of pleasure, from Benthams forthright attempt to reduce all questions of happiness to the mere presence of pleasure or pain. Benthams version aims to render the basic concepts of ethics susceptible of comparison and measurement, but this was not the goal in Mills presentation of the system. 22 A hedonistic utilitarian like Bentham would say that the sole consideration is the measurement of pleasure that an action produces.A problem with this approach, however, (as if it wasnt obvious) is that it draws no distinction in principal between an evening spent at the bars or one spent having quality time with your spouse. It all depends upon the tastes of the person. Berkley, George George Berkeley (Irish, 1685-1753) was one of the three greatest British empiricists of the eighteenth century (Locke and Hume being the other two). Though his father was an Englishman, Berkley always considered himself Irish. He was an early subjectivist idealist philosopher, who argued that all qualities of objects exist only in the mind of the perceiver.His famous theory is often summarized, esse est percipi, to be is to be perceived, and is still important to modern apologetics (due to the method he used in demonstrating the necessity of an eternal Perceiver). Berkleys argument was that the phenomena of visual sensation can all be explained without presupposing the reality of the external material substances. Interestingly, Berkley was also a bishop of an Anglican church, and was the only import ant philosopher to visit America before 1900. He came hoping to start a missional training college for evangelizing to the Indian tribes of New England.23 Berkley disagreed with Locke in that there is a material substance lying behind and supporting perceptions. He also disagreed with his interference of the representative theory of perception, that material objects are perceived mediately by means of ideas, and the mind does not perceive the material object directly, but only through the medium of the ideas formed by the senses and reflection on them. If we know only our ideas, reasoned Berkeley then we can never be sure whether any of them are really like the material qualities of objects, since we can never compare the ideas with them. For that reason, he denied the ultimate existence of material substance believing that the Spirit is the only metaphysical reality. 24 (D) (back to top) Derrida, Jacques Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) was a French literary critic and founder of the school called deconstructionism. His (1966) lecture Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences delivered at Johns Hopkins University, break awayed a significant role in ushering American critics into the era of poststructuralism. Particular influences on his thought include Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Freud.He wrote prolifically, and had a great influence on not only literary criticism but in sociology, linguistics, and psychology as well. Derrida regarded philosophical and literary texts as already containing the seeds of their own deconstruction. This means that in any work the author unwittingly includes contradictions, blind spots, and unjustified assumptions. The main purpose and task of the deconstructionist, according to Derrida, is to simply bring these contradictions to the surface. 25 Beginning in the Victorian Age, a paradigm shift slowly spread throughout Europe that set the groundwork for modern theory.Unlike the revolutionary movements of the Renai ssance and Romanticism, which were in part reactionary, this paradigm shift that marked a radical break from the past had little precedent. Nonetheless, it marked a rejection of long-held metaphysical and aesthetic beliefs that most theorists from Plato to Coleridge took for granted. Until the modern period, most of the great Western philosophers have been logocentric in their thinking, and Derrida is one of the ones responsible for this definite break from the past, bringing forth the notion that meaning is never fixed.Dr. Louis Markos, a Christian Professor at Houston Baptist University, made some interesting comments on Derrida in one of his lectures on deconstructionism. He said that Derrida reads the history of Western metaphysics as a continual search for a logos or original presence. This logos is sought because it promises to give meaning and purpose to all things, to act as a universal center. Behind this search is a desire for a higher reality (or full presence).Western ph ilosophy since Plato has simply renamed this presence and shifted this center without intermission from its centering impulse. Even Saussures structuralism sought a center, and though he broke from the old metaphysic, he still used its words and binaries. Furthermore, Derrida deconstructs all attempts to posit a center or to establish a system of binaries. Instead, he puts in their place a full free play of meaning. 26 Democritus (see Leucippus) Descartes, Rene The first great continental rationalist27 was Rene Descartes (Frenchman, 1596-1650).For it was he who defined the terms and laid down the agenda for the continental rationalist school of thought. But in a sense, the world that Descartes produced, by the exercise of pure reason, was a fairly straight forward affair Descartes does preserve the self in a recognisable form, as well as both God (even though it is not a terribly human sort of God) and the material world in a broadly speaking recognizable form (even though it migh t be a material world deprived of some of its more vivid and ablaze attributes).Nevertheless, the worlds created by the application of the procedure of rationalism start from some obvious propositions (like Euclids geometry) and then carry out processes of absolute, straight forward deduction from these self-evident propositions and what that led to in the case of Spinoza and Leibniz is something very far removed in both of them from the ordinary understanding of the world. To some extant, Descartes, by comparison with them, is in the business of saving the appearances. Whereas both Spinoza and Leibniz say that what the world is really like is very different from what it appears to the ordinary person to be.Nonetheless, there is still in both cases (Descartes and Spinoza and Leibniz) an underlying reality that philosophy can tell us something about reality even if common observation cannot. 28 His two chief philosophical works were Discourse on Method (1637) and his Meditations (1 641). His ideal and method were modeled on mathematics. He is sometimes portrayed as the first modern philosopher due to his break with the traditional Scholastic-Aristotelian philosophy and for introducing a new mechanistic science. 29 In refurbishing the medieval proofs for the existence of God he was tipple upon the legacy of the Middle Ages.Like the Medieval philosophers, he was interested in metaphysics, and to the end of his life, Descartes remained a nominal Catholic. But there is a sense in which Descartes represents a new departure. Descartes (so it seems) was interested in God not for his own sake, but the worlds. God is invoked as a kind of dues ex mold to guarantee the validity of our thoughts about the world. 30 Nonetheless, Descartes takes his place as a Christian thinker by resting cognitive truth on the personal truth of God, and laying the blame for error not on God but on the exercise of the human will.Descartes successors at long last lost their reliance for tr uth. George Berkeley retains it by tracing directly to God all the ideas we receive from outside the mind and Leibniz by making each mind mirror eternal truths in the mind of God. But many Enlightenment thinkers, and many empiricists today who share some of Descartes rational ideals or the correspondence theory of truth, talk to truth independently of God as if it were a self-sustaining ideal and as if human reason were a purely objective and impersonal activity.Descartes failure was not in the relation he saw of truth to God, but in the lack of relation he saw between mans rational capacity for knowing truth and his personality as a whole. 31 (F) (back to top) Fibonacci His real name was Leonardo Pisano (Italian, 1170-1250) but he is better known by his nickname Fibonacci (filius Bonacci), which means son of Bonacci. A striking example of Fibonaccis genius is his observation that the classification of irrationals given by Euclid in Book X of the Elements did not include all irrati onals. Fibonacci is probably best known for his rabbit problem. Leonardo Fibonacci began the study of this sequence by posing the following problem in his book, Liber Abaci, How many equalises of rabbits will be produced in a year, beginning with a single pair? 32 The analogy that starts with one pair of rabbits who give birth to a new pair from the first month on, and every succeeding pair gives birth to a new pair in the second month after their birth. Fibonacci shows that this leads to the sequences 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, and so on. As one can see, each term is the sum of the two previous terms.For example, 2 + 3 = 5 and 3 + 5 = 8, and the farther and farther you go to the right of this sequence, the ratio of a term to the one before it will get closer and closer to the sumptuous Ratio. Additionally, this same principal also applies to that of the Golden rectangle. The connection between the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci series is fascinating, and is very simple to understand. If you take a Golden Rectangle, and cut off a square with side lengths equal to the length shorter to the rectangle side, then what remains is another Golden Rectangle. This could go on forever.You can just keep cutting off these big squares and get smaller and smaller Golden Rectangles. Consequently, the idea with the Fibonacci series is to do the same thing in reverse. You start with a square (1 by 1), find the seven-day side, and then add a square of that size to the whole thing to form a new rectangle. Therefore, when we start with a (1 by 1) square the bimestrial side is one, so we add another square to it. As a result, we have accumulated a (2 by 1) rectangle. Then the longest side is 2, so we connect a (2 by 2) square to our (2 by 1) rectangle to get a (3 by 2) rectangle.As this continues, the sides of the rectangle will always be a successive Fibonacci number, and eventually the rectangle will be very close to a Golden Rectangle. To translat e in more illustrative terms, the ratio of two successive numbers in the Fibonacci series, as aforementioned, if divided by each number before it, will result in the following series of numbers 1/1 = 1, 2/1 = 2, 3/2 = 1. 5, 5/3 = 1. 666, 8/5 = 1. 6, 13/8 = 1. 625, 21/13 = 1. 61538. The ratio that is settling down to a particular value is the golden ratio or the golden number, which has a value of approximately 1.618034. 33 Fichte, Johann Gottlieb Johann Gottlieb Fichte (German, 1762-1814) was one of the major figures in German philosophy in between Kant and Hegel. He was regarded as one of Kants most talented philosophers, but later developed a system of his own inscrutable philosophy called the Wissenschaftslehre. Fichte had immense influence on his contemporaries, especially during his professorship at the University of Jenna, a position he held for five years (1794-1799) before taking up a profes.

Cda Autobiography Essay

I am Larissa R. Hall and I was born to John L. and Wilma R. Hall on February 17th in Utica, NY. They knew I was going to be a special person because I was born on my grandmothers 50th birthday. I have 3 siblings, 2 brothers and 1 sister of which I am the second oldest. I currently reside in Philadelphia, PA and attended school in the Philadelphia Public domesticate System. I am a medical specialtyian by heart, mind and soul who has a passion for children.While attending the Girard Academic Music Program, initially for singing, I learned to play the trombone and was also taught harmony theory, how to read and write melody, which only increased my love for harmony all the more. After getting a full(a) grasp on the trombone I decided to pick up the trumpet and taught myself how to play that as well. Upon graduating high school I attended Eastern University where I studied music education and church music. Later, I transferred to Temple University and there I studied Jazz performan ce with a minor in music education.I have always had a great connection with children and during my early teenage years I obtained my first job which was babysitting for some friends of the family. I enjoyed being with children so much that my first real-world paying job was at a summer camp. Between volunteering at the church Vacation Bible civilise and working at the summer camp I realized I have a great connection with children and can help make a difference in their lives and that is what I seek to do.I have since been employed at a few different childcare facilities along with a music store and book store but no matter what I always found myself returning to working in either a childcare or school setting. Recently, I had the privilege to work at an elementary school for 5 years. Initially, I was hired to be a lunchroom aide, but aft(prenominal) careful observation I was granted the opportunity to become their music pick uper. This was an honor to me because I had not yet r eceived a degree in music.I taught the choir and I was able to pass on my knowledge of music theory to children in grades K-8th. I was employed as the instrumental music teacher and taught beginner piano, trumpet, flute, clarinet and saxophone lessons. This was most of the childrens first experience in learning a musical instrument and I was honored to be the person to impart my knowledge into them. Unfortunately, it was time for me to move on from this place of employment and as I searched for other employment I was led to other childcare facility, where I am still employed.I have been at the Jenkintown Day Nursery for 2 years now and although sometimes challenging, it has indeed been a rewarding opportunity. During this time, I had an urge to get a better understanding of how to properly care for children and to further my education in Early Childhood Education. I thought and prayed long and hard about this and the door was opened for me to fulfill this desire. Now, I am taking c lasses to obtain my CDA and words cant put forward the excitement I feel in being able to fulfill this.Upon completion of my CDA, I plan on getting my software documentation to teach music to preschool aged children. Even though I am already working in the field and teaching music too, I desire to have the certification to do this. Just knowing that I am fulfilling the things I was meant to do is an exciting feeling and to know that I can do both, childcare and teach music, makes this opportunity even more rewarding.

Back to the Moon

More than thirty course of studys after Americas archetypal landed on the moon, the current Pre perspectivent of the United States, George W. pubic hair, recently announced his plan of sending Ameri squeeze out astronauts back to the moon (BBC News). The Presidents target is to accomplish this goal by the year 2015 (Lane, 2004). The project can be said to be merely preliminary to chaparrals more flamboyant plan, which is to prepare the geographic expedition to Mars. More over, the program as well as intends to make up for the setbacks experienced by the United States space program, such as the Columbia razzing disaster (BBC News).The Columbia disaster prompted Bush and a group of plaque officials to develop a spick-and-span plan that would utilisation the existing space shuttles to complete assembly of the world(prenominal) Space Station (ISS) by 2010 (Lane, 2004). Bush revealed his new vision for the United States human space program in a speech delivered at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) headquarters. He called for the privacy of the space shuttle to give way for building new space vehicles that would, in the future, allow travel to Mars (Lane, 2004).The space shuttle is expected to fly sheet in about 13 or 14 more boots before its expected retirement in 2010 (Hunt, 2007 BBC News). Bushs vision also calls for the use of robots and human manpower in the exploration of the moon. The ultimate aim of the vision is to prepare the moon as a living base and to develop operator for explorations to Mars (BBC News). The Space Shuttle The space shuttle is a brainchild of improvements and inventions in rocketry. The craft contains three main engines that provide huge amounts of force compared to anterior spacecrafts.It also boasts of a reusable engine and engines that weighs quite lightly considering their power (The explanation of laze geographic expedition). Considering its characteristics, it is no wonder that Boeing boas ts of it as the most sophisticated human-rated ensnare vehicle in the history of space flight (Boeing). The space shuttle had its first flight in 1981, and since then it was able to aid more than a hundred missions involving hundreds of astronauts (Boeing). Boeing claims that the spacecraft still has 75 percent of its design life to spare (Boeing).The space shuttle plays a major role in sustaining the International Space Station, being the ISS heavy-lift cargo vehicle. The space shuttle is responsible for having lifted the now existing structure in orbit, which comprises two-thirds of the ISS (Boeing). Bush wants to retire the space shuttle by 2010 at the earliest, hoping that by then the International Space Station is already complete (Hunt, 2007 BBC News). Bush also hopes that by the said time, the Crew Exploration Vehicle already becomes operational (Hunt, 2007 BBC News).However, before such goals are realized and as long as the shuttle remains safe to carry on its tasks, it sha ll remain as the primary spacecraft aiding the United States projects towards space (Boeing). Picture 2. The Space Shuttle. Photo retrieved March 6, 2007, from www. boeing. com/ / hsfe_shuttle/what_is. html The Crew Exploration Vehicle Bushs vision is an echo of a similar dream by his sustain in 1989, which did not come to fruition because the cost estimates ballooned up to $ cd one million million million (Lane, 2004).Working on the premise that the desire to explore is part of human character, Bush said that his dream is to build space vehicles that could travel far beyond the capacity of the space shuttle, which only reaches 386 miles (Lane, 2004). Bush thus announced his plans to develop a new spacecraft called the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). This vehicle would be the first to take man to outer space since the Apollo spaceships (BBC News). The CEV is expected to be a versatile crewed vehicle that could carry American teams in a mission projected to be undertaken in 2014 or 2015.The CEV is expected to begin flight tests by the year 2008 (Lane, 2004). The CEVs look is designed to look similarly with the bullet-like agency of the Apollo-style command module (Lane, 2004). Aside from the design, however, NASA administrator Sean OKeefe says that no design has yet been approved regarding the way of keeping the CEV boosted in the air (Lane, 2004). Robots in Space It is believed by some that robotic exploration is more beneficial than human exploration, since the former is less expensive (The Washington Post Writers Group, 2007).Moreover, Professor Robert Park of the University of Maryland claim that robots remove less physical limitations than gentleman, which means robots have better chances of discovering scientific finds over humans (BBC News). Even other countries that spend resources on space explorations, such as China and Russia, are encouraged to use robots in such ventures (BBC News). There are current efforts using robots in space exploration. J ust recently, the United States historied the successful landing of its robot rover Spirit on Mars (BBC News). Budgetary ConstraintsSince the previous space plans formulated by Bushs father failed because of budgetary constraints (Lane, 2004), Bush is careful to get around the same drawback. Naturally, huge projects such as space explorations would cost loads of money and other resources. Thus, Bushs ambitious new vision would entail modifications on the current budget of the NASA. The NASA currently has a five-year budget plan. However, Bush requests a $1 billion boost on this budget (Lane, 2004). This means that additional $200 million per year would be allotted for the project (Lane, 2004).This amounts to a 5% yearly ontogeny to NASAs current budget, which amounts to $15. 4 billion per year (BBC News). A rise of another 1% after the first three years is also communicate by the U. S. President (BBC News). It is reported that Bush wants that $11 billion from the existing budget b e earmarked for his new vision (Lane, 2004). The exact cost of the vision was not given (BBC News), but one thing is certain the budget would have to be approved by Congress. (Lane, 2004). The White House, however, maintains that a sustained focus over time would help keep the budget for the exploration in check (Lane, 2004).There is also a need to reorient the current programs of NASA, so that NASA would not surpass its current spending, which only amounts to less than 1 percent of the federal budget, despite the additional goal (Lane, 2004). The Orion Currently, a ship has been built to carry humans to the moon. This spacecraft, called the Orion, is scheduled to debut in 2014 (Hunt, 2007). However, budgetary constraints will cause a delay of about four to six months. The Orion is now set to fly in 2015 (Hunt, 2007).NASA administrator Michael Griffin stated that Congress only approved the amount in NASAs budget in 2006, which means that the approved budget is $545 million short of Bushs request (Hunt, 2007). NASA does not welcome this lack of funding and the concomitant delay in the project, as strategic and functional concerns such as the degradation of equipment and facilities, besiege the institution (Hunt, 2007). A Brief History of Explorations to the Moon A brief review of the development of moon exploration is in order, so that a clear perspective can be had as to the propriety and utility of Bushs proposed space exploration.Chinese astronomers were perhaps the first people to notice the Moon. For thousands of years, man has been captivated by the Moon, and mans curiosity for it has been first assuaged by the invention of the telescope in 1609 (The History of Moon Exploration). The telescope, invented by Leppershey, made thorough observations possible despite the immense distance between the Earth and the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). However, this invention was a ambiguous sword man developed an even more intense curiosity for the moon, le ading man to dream of someday setting foot on the opposed place (The History of Moon Exploration).Because of the enormous distance of the Moon from the Earth, reaching it would only be possible through flight. Unfortunately, air transportation took quite a while to be fully developed. The groundbreaking invention of the Wright brothers can be considered the first step towards space travel, because they invented the aeroplane, which allowed man to fly (The History of Moon Exploration). In 1943, another milestone in space exploration occurred with the development of rocketry by Von Braun. Braun was responsible for the A 4, which was the first successful ballistic rocket (The History of Moon Exploration).Despite the United States exposure to the latest technology at the time, such as the rocketry of Braun, it was Russia that made one of the most significant developments in space exploration. 1957 witnessed the rig of Sputnik I, which was the first artificial satellite in space (The H istory of Moon Exploration). Russia was also the first to take pictures of the Moon. In 1959, its Luna satellites were able to obtain pictures of the far side of the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). In 1963, the United States followed in the affair of obtaining pictures in space.Its Mariner Series satellites were able to acquire detailed pictures of Venus, and a year later, of Mars (The History of Moon Exploration). Saturn rockers were the next to be developed by the United States these rockets were later used to power the Apollo Missions (The History of Moon Exploration). The hoidenish also ventured into designing moon landing vehicles, and was successful with Surveyor 6 and the Lunar Module, which proved that rocketry could bring man to the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration).The United States is also responsible for the Command and Service Module, a vehicle designed for the trip back to Earth from the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). Mans freshman Walk on the M oon The United States has the credit for sending the first man to walk on the Moon. On 21 July 1969, the whole world watched in awe as clips of Neil Armstrongs first steps on the Moon were aired in international television set (BBC News). The video clips were taken by television cameras installed on the Eagle landing craft (BBC News).

Blood Promise Chapter One

Chapter OneI was being followed.It was kind of ironic, considering the way Id been adjacent others for the last few weeks. At least it wasnt a Strigoi. I would have already k todayn.A recent effect of my being shadow-kissed was the aptitude to sense the undead- through with(predicate) b come outs of nausea, unfortunately. Still, I appreciated my bodys early warning system and was relieved my stalker tonight wasnt an insanely fast, insanely vicious vampire. Id fought tolerable of those recently and kind of regarded a night off.I had to guess my follower was a dhampir gay maturate me, probably unity from the club. Admittedly, this person was moving a little less stealthily than I would have expected of a dhampir. Footsteps were clearly audible against the pavement of the dark side streets I was traveling on, and once, Id caught a brief glimpse of a dumb figure. Still, considering my rash actions tonight, a dhampir was the most likely culprit.It had all started earlier at the ni ghtingale. That wasnt the clubs true name, simply a translation. Its real name was aboutthing Russian that was beyond my ability to pronounce. Back in the U.S., the Nightingale was well known among rich Moroi who traveled abroad, and now I could understand why. No matter what cartridge h sure-enough(a) of the day it was, throng at the Nightingale dressed like they were at an imperial ball. And, well, the whole place actually kind of looked like something from the old, royal old age of Russia, with ivory walls cover in gold scroll-work and molding. It reminded me a lot of the WinterPalace, a royal residence left over from when Russia had still been ruled by czars. Id toured it upon first arriving in venerate Petersburg.At the Nightingale, elaborate chandeliers filled with real candles glittered in the air, lighting up the gold decor so that even in dim lighting, the whole presidential term sparkled. There was a blown-up dining room filled with velvet-draped tables and booths, as well as a lounge and bar area where people could mingle. of late in the evening, a band would set up in there, and couples would hit the dance floor.I hadnt bothered with the Nightingale when I arrived in the city a couple weeks ago. Id been arrogant enough to think I could reclaim Moroi right away who could direct me to Dimitris placetown in Siberia. With no other clues about where Dimitri had gone in Siberia, heading to the town hed giving up in had been my best chance of getting closer to him. Only, I didnt know where it was, which was why I was trying to find Moroi to help me. There were a number of dhampir towns and communes in Russia tho hardly both in Siberia, which make me believe most local Moroi would be well-known(prenominal) with his birthplace. Unfortunately, it turned out that the Moroi who lived in human cities were very good at keeping themselves hidden. I checked what I thought were likely Moroi hangouts, only to know up empty. And without those Moroi, I had no answers.So, Id begun staking out the Nightingale, which wasnt easy. It was hard for an eighteen-year-old girl to blend into one of the citys most elite clubs. Id soon rig that expensive clothes and large enough tips went a dour way toward helping me get by. The waitstaff had come to know me, and if they thought my presence was strange, they didnt say so and were happy to give me the boxwood table I always asked for. I think they thought I was the daughter of some tycoon or politician. Whatever my certifyground, I had the money to be there, which was all they cared about.Even so, my first few nights there had been discouraging. The Nightingale mogul have been an elite hangout for Moroi, but it was also frequented by humans. And at first, it had seemed those were the clubs only patrons. Crowds grew larger as the night progressed, and in peering through the packed tables and people lingering at the bar, Id seen no Moroi. The most notable thing Id seen was a char with long, platinum-blond hair move into the lounge with a group of friends. For a moment, my heart had stopped. The woman had her back to me, but she had looked so much like Lissa that Id felt veritable Id been tracked down. The weird thing was, I didnt know whether to feel excited or horrified. I missed Lissa so, so much-yet at the same time, I didnt want her involved in this dangerous trip of mine. Then the woman had turned around. It wasnt Lissa. She wasnt even a Moroi, just a human. Slowly, my breathing returned to normal.Finally, a week or so ago, Id had my first sighting. A group of Moroi women had come in for a late lunch, accompanied by two guardians, one male and one female, who sit down dutifully and quietly at the table as their charges gossiped and laughed over afternoon champagne. Dodging those guardians had been the trickiest part. For those who knew what to look for, Moroi were easy to spot taller than most humans, pale, and uber-slim.They also had a original funny way of smiling and holding their lips in order to hide their fangs. Dhampirs, with our human transmission line, appeared well, human.That was certainly how I looked to the untrained human eye. I was about basketball team foot seven, and whereas Moroi tended to have unreal, runway-model bodies, mine was athletically built and curvy in the chest. Genetics from my unknown Turkish father and similarly much time in the sun had given me a light tan that paired well with long, nearly black hair and equally dark eyes. But those who had been raised in the Moroi instauration could spot me as a dhampir through close examination. Im not sure what it was-maybe some instinct that drew us to our own kind and recognized the commingle of Moroi blood.Regardless, it was imperative that I appear human to those guardians, so I didnt raise their alarms. I sat across the room in my corner, picking over caviare and pretending to read my book. For the record, I thought caviar was disgusting, but it seemed to be everywhere in Russia, particularly in the nice places. That and borscht-a kind of beet soup. I almost never finished my food at the Nightingale and would ravenously hit McDonalds afterward, even though the Russian McDonalds restaurants were a bit different from what Id grown up with in the U.S. Still, a girl had to eat.So it became a test of my skill, studying the Moroi when their guardians werent watching. Admittedly, the guardians had little to fear during the day, since there would be no Strigoi out in the sun. But it was in guardian nature to watch everything, and their eyes continually swept the room.Id had the same training and knew their tricks, so I managed to spy without detection.The women came back a lot, usually late in the afternoon. St. Vladimirs ran on a nocturnal enumeration, but Moroi and dhampirs living out among humans either ran on a daylight schedule or something in between. For a while, Id considered approaching them-or even their guardians.Something held me back. If anyone would know where a town of dhampirs lived, it would be male Moroi. Many of them visited dhampir towns in hopes of scoring easy dhampir girls. So I promised myself Id wait another(prenominal) week to see if any guys came by. If not, I would see what kind of information the women could give me.At last, a couple days ago, two Moroi guys had started showing up. They tended to come later in the evening, when the real partiers arrived. The men were about ten years older than me and strikingly handsome, wearing designer suits and silk ties. They carried themselves like powerful, important people, and I would have bet good money that they were royal-particularly since each one came with a guardian. The guardians were always the same, young men who wore suits to blend in but still carefully watched the room with that clever guardian nature.And there were women-always women. The two Moroi were terrible flirts, continually scoping out and hitting on every woman in sight-even humans. But they never went home with any humans. That was a taboo still firmly ingrained in our world. Moroi had kept themselves separate from humans for centuries, fearing detection from a race that had grown so plentiful and powerful.Still, that didnt mean the men went home alone. At some point in the evening, dhampir women usually showed up-different ones every night.Theyd come in wearing low-cut dresses and lots of makeup, drinking heavily and laughing at everything the guys said-which probably wasnt even that funny. The women always wore their hair down, but every once in a while, theyd shift their heads in a way that showed their necks, which were heavily bruised. They were blood whores, dhampirs who let Moroi drink blood during sex. That was also a taboo-though it still happened in secret.I kept wanting to get one of the Moroi men alone, away from the watchful eyes of his guardians so that I could question him. But it was im mathematical.The guardians never left their Moroi unattended. I even attempted to follow them, but each time the group left the club, theyd almost immediately hop into a limousine-making it impossible for me to track them on foot. It was frustrating.I finally decided tonight that Id have to approach the whole group and risk detection by the dhampirs. I didnt know if anyone from back home was actually looking for me, or if the group would even care who I was. Maybe I just had excessively high an opinion of myself. It was definitely possible that no one was actually concerned about a runaway dropout. But if anyone was looking for me, my description had un questionedly been circulated amongst guardians worldwide. Even though I was now eighteen, I wouldnt have put it past some of the people I knew to haul me back to the U.S., and there was no way I could return until Id found Dimitri.Then, just as I was considering my move on the group of Moroi, one of the dhampir women left the table to walk up to the bar. The guardians watched her, of course, but seemed confident about her safeguard and were more fixated on the Moroi. All this time, Id been thought Moroi men would be the best way to go to get information about a village of dhampirs and blood whores-but what better way to locate this place than by asking an actual blood whore?I strolled casually from my table and approached the bar, like I too was tone ending to get a drink. I stood by as the woman waited for the bartender and study her in my periphery. She was blond and wore a long dress cover in silver sequins. I couldnt decide if it made my black satin sheath dress appear tasteful or boring. All of her movements-even the way she stood-were graceful, like a dancers. The bartender was helping others, and I knew it was now or never. I leaned toward her.Do you speak English?She jumped in surprise and looked over at me. She was older than Id expected, her age cleverly concealed by makeup. Her blue eyes assessed me quickly, recognizing me as a dhampir. Yes, s he said warily. Even the one word carried a thick accent.Im looking for a town a town where lots of dhampirs live, out in Siberia. Do you know what Im talking about? I need to find it.Again she studied me, and I couldnt read her expression. She exponent as well have been a guardian for all that her face revealed. Maybe shed trained at one time in her life.Dont, she said bluntly. Let it go. She turned away, her gaze back on the bartender as he made someone a blue cocktail adorn with cherries.I touched her arm. I have to find it. Theres a man I choked on the word. So much for my cool interrogation. Just thinking about Dimitri made my heart stick in my throat. How could I even explain it to this woman? That I was following a long-shot clue, seeking out the man I loved most in the world-a man who had been turned into a Strigoi and who I now needed to kill? Even now, I could perfectly try the warmth of his brown eyes and the way his hands used to touch me. How could I do what I had cr ossed an ocean to do?Focus, Rose. Focus.The dhampir woman looked back at me. Hes not worth it, she said, mistaking my meaning. No doubt she thought I was a lovesick girl, chasing some boyfriend-which, I supposed, I kind of was. Youre too young its not too late for you to avoid all that. Her face might have been impassive, but there was sadness in her voice. Go do something else with your life. Stay away from that place.You know where it is I exclaimed, too worked up to explain that I wasnt going there to be a blood whore. Please-you have to communicate me. I have to get thereIs there a problem?Both she and I turned and looked into the fierce face of one of the guardians. Damn. The dhampir woman might not be their top priority, but they would have noticed someone harassing her. The guardian was only a little older than me, and I gave him a sweet-smelling smile. I might not be spilling out of my dress like this other woman, but I knew my short skirt did great things for my legs. Sur ely even a guardian wasnt immune to that? Well, apparently he was. His hard expression showed that my charms werent working. Still, I figured I might as well try my batch with him on getting intel.Im trying to find a town in Siberia, a town where dhampirs live. Do you know it?He didnt blink. No.Wonderful. Both were performing difficult. Yeah, well, maybe your boss does? I asked demurely, hoping I sounded like an aspiring blood whore. If the dhampirs wouldnt talk, maybe one of the Moroi would. Maybe he wants some company and would talk to me.He already has company, the guardian replied evenly. He doesnt need any more.I kept the smile on. Are you sure? I purred. Maybe we should ask him.No, replied the guardian. In that one word, I heard the challenge and the command. Back off. He wouldnt hesitate to take on anyone he thought was a threat to his master-even a lowly dhampir girl. I considered pushing my case further but quickly decided to follow the warning and indeed back off.I gave a n unconcerned shrug. His loss.And with no other words, I walked casually back to my table, like the rejection was no big deal. All the while I held my breath, half-expecting the guardian to drag me out of the club by my hair. It didnt happen. Yet as I gathered my coat and set some cash on the table, I saw him watching me, eyes wary and calculating.I left the Nightingale with that same nonchalant air, heading out toward the busy street. It was a Saturday night, and there were lots of other clubs and restaurants nearby. Partygoers filled the streets, some dressed as richly as the Nightingales patrons others were my age and dressed in casual wear. Lines spilled out of the clubs, dance music loud and heavy with bass. Glass-fronted restaurants showed elegant diners and richly set tables.As I walked through the crowds, surrounded by Russian conversation, I resisted the urge to look behind me. I didnt want to raise any further suspicion if that dhampir was watching.Yet when I turned down a quiet street that was a shortcut back to my hotel, I could hear the soft sounds of footsteps. I apparently had raised enough alarm that the guardian had decided to follow me. Well, there was no way I was going to let him get the drop on me. I might have been smaller than him-and wearing a dress and heels-but I had fought plenty of men, including Strigoi. I could handle this guy, especially if I used the element of surprise. After walking this neighborhood for so long, I knew it and its twists and turns well. I picked up my pace and darted around a few corners, one of which led me into a dark, deserted alley. Scary, yeah, but it made for a good ambush spot when I ducked into a doorway. I quietly stepped out of my high-heeled shoes. They were black with comely leather straps but not high-flown in a fight, unless I planned on gouging someone in the eye with a heel. Actually, not a bad idea. But I wasnt kind of that desperate. Without them, the pavement was cold beneath my bare feet since it had rained earlier in the day.I didnt have to wait long. A few moments later, I heard the footsteps and saw my pursuers long shadow appear on the ground, cast in the flickering light of a street lamp on the adjacent road. My stalker came to a stop, no doubt searching for me. Really, I thought, this guy was careless.No guardian in pursuit would have been so obvious. He should have moved with more stealth and not revealed himself so easily. Maybe the guardian training here in Russia wasnt as good as what Id grown up with. No, that couldnt be true. Not with the way Dimitri had dispatched his enemies. Theyd called him a god at the Academy.My pursuer took a few more steps, and thats when I made my move. I leapt out, fists ready. Okay, I exclaimed. I only wanted to ask a few questions, so just back off or else-I froze. The guardian from the club wasnt standing there.A human was.A girl, no older than me. She was about my height, with cropped dark blond hair and a navy blue trench coat that looked expensive. Underneath it, I could see nice dress shorts and leather boots that looked as pricey as the coat. More startling still was that I recognized her. Id seen her twice at the Nightingale, talking to the Moroi men. Id assumed she was just another of the women they liked to flirt with and had promptly dismissed her.After all, what use was a human to me?Her face was partly covered in shadow, but even in poor lighting, I could make out her annoyed expression. That wasnt quite what Id expected.Its you, isnt it? she asked. Cue more shock. Her English was as American as my own. Youre the one whos been leaving the set up of Strigoi bodies around the city. I saw you back in the club tonight and knew it had to be you.I No other words formed on my lips. I had no idea how to respond. A human talking casually about Strigoi? It was unheard of. This was almost more astonishing than actually running into a Strigoi out here. Id never experienced anything like this in my li fe. She didnt seem to care about my stupefied state.Look, you cant just do that, okay? Do you know what a hassle in the ass it is for me to deal with? This internship is bad enough without you making a mess of it. The police found the body you left in the park, you know. You cannot even ideate how many strings I had to pull to cover that up.Who who are you? I asked at last. It was true. I had left a body in the park, but seriously, what was I supposed to do? Drag him back to my hotel and tell the bellhop my friend had had too much to drink? Sydney, the girl said wearily. My names Sydney. Im the Alchemist assigned here.The what?She sighed loudly, and I was pretty sure she rolled her eyes. Of course. That explains everything.No, not really, I said, finally regaining my composure. In fact, I think youre the one who has a lot of explaining to do.And attitude too. Are you some kind of test they sent here for me? Oh, man. Thats it.I was getting angry now. I didnt like being chastised. I certainly didnt like being chastised by a human who made it sound like me killing Strigoi was a bad thing.Look, I dont know who you are or how you know about any of this, but Im not going to stand here and-Nausea rolled over me and I tensed, my hand immediately going for the silver stake I kept in my coat pocket. Sydney still wore that annoyed expression, but it was mingled with confusion now at the abrupt change in my posture. She was observant, Id give her that.Whats wrong? she asked.Youre going to have another body to deal with, I said, just as the Strigoi attacked her.