How is Gatsby introduced by Fitzgerald? Essay

Jay Gatsby is presented by Fitzgerald first in Chapter One during a fleeting encounter between the Narrator (Nick Carraway) and Gatsby. Whilst Nick is resting in his garden after a fatiguing evening with Tom and Daisy Buchanan, ‘fifty feet away a figure had emerged from the shadow’ and this is later revealed to be Jay Gatsby’s very first presence in the novel. Although he does not have any dialogue with any other characters and nor has he interacted with any other characters at this point, the reader can gain some insight into what his personality may entail. For instance, the fact that he ‘emerged from the shadow’ may allude to the possibility that he may have had a dark history and that there is something enigmatic about him. It is not a clandestine that Jay Gatsby lives a life of luxury as he possesses ‘more than forty acres of lawn and garden’ and his home is initially referred to as ‘Gatsby’s mansion’, implying that it is of a more than generous size. Furthermore, he holds a party once a week at his home and invites everyone- including Nick. This gives us a further insight into what Jay Gatsby is like. The fact that he holds a party once a week could be due to him wanting to keep his social status amongst his peers at a high level whilst it also acts as a constant reminder of his power and raises the question of whether he enjoys people being reminded of his power or whether he feels the need to remind himself. Moreover, in preparation for his parties, he has been known to waste ‘five crates of oranges and lemons’ during the weekend and every Monday they leave through ‘his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves’. This is representative of the over-indulgence of the rich at the time and the fact that the wastage is taken out through the ‘back door’ resembles the era of prohibition in the 1920’s whereby many things were done in secret. This could show how Gatsby is attempting to keep his faà §ade of being ‘The Great Gatsby’ by trying to negate any bad qualities he may possess or any immoral actions that he may commit. In addition to this, during the party, ‘a tray of cocktails floated’ around and this reveals to the reader that Gatsby was evidently breaking the law by serving alcohol at his party in 1922 prohibition America. Also indicating that he has a very high level of influence to be able to hold a party with such a  large number of guests and not one of them doubts his motives for serving alcohol – which could be a ploy to attract more people to his parties. Likewise, the guests that attend his parties are little more than carbon copies of each other, where many woman appear to be wearing ‘yellow dresses’. This is symbolic of their attempt to be something that they are not and try to fit in and conform to society’s need to be in the elite or rather, living the American Dream. When the reader finally meets Jay Gatsby, they are already under the influence of many rumours regarding Gatsby that many minor characters mentioned, such as the fact that he is a ‘nephew of cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm’ or that he ‘killed a man’. However, when we meet him through the eyes of Nick Carraway, he gives him a ‘rare smile with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life’. This almost makes the reader forget about everything that Fitzgerald had informed us of because it appears as if we have just met the real Gatsby. From this we can infer that he is a person who has gone through a lot but is at least genuine and despite what he may have done, he is still ‘The Great Gatsby’. From my point of view, it seems that F. Scott Fitzgerald had spent the most part of the beginning of the novel building up an image of Gatsby that was someone who inherited their wealth, had possibly killed someone and was ambiguous. But I believe that this was so that the reader could be shown how the other characters in the novel viewed Gatsby before giving him a chance, and when we finally meet him, we are able to get to know him and slowly build up our own image that I believe will completely contradict the beliefs that the other people in the novel share of Jay Gatsby and by doing this we are able to view the many perspectives that people have of him, allowing us to create a better informed judgment on the controversial character.

Effect of Temperature on Enzyme Activity

Investigating the Effect of Temperature on Enzyme Activity Almost all chemical reactions that occur in living organisms are catalyzed by enzymes. Many factors in a cell’s environment affect the action of an enzyme. In this investigation, you will design an experiment to determine the effect of temperature on an enzyme-catalyzed reaction. You will complete an entire lab write-up using the CHS LAB REPORT FORMAT. Fundamental Question How does temperature affect the rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction?Materials †¢Raw liver†¢Forceps †¢Petri dish†¢Labeling tape and pen †¢Dropper pipette†¢Ice bath †¢0. 1% hydrogen peroxide solution†¢3 thermometers †¢Liver puree†¢Warm-water bath †¢25-mL graduated cylinder†¢Clock or watch with second hand †¢5 50-mL beakers†¢Paper towels †¢Filter-paper disks Part A: Observe the Catalase Reaction 1. Put on apron and safety goggles. Use forceps to place a small piece of raw liver in an open petri dish. Use a dropper pipette to put a drop of hydrogen peroxide solution on the liver.CAUTION: Hydrogen peroxide can be irritating to skin and eyes. If you spill any on yourself or your clothes, wash it off immediately and tell your teacher. Observe what happens. RECORD in notebook. Liver contains the enzyme catalase, which breaks down hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to water (H2O) and oxygen gas (O2). When hydrogen peroxide is broken down by catalase, bubbles of oxygen gas are released. 2. With your teacher’s guidance, select the proper equipment and technology to measure catalase activity—a filter-paper disk. . To measure the activity of catalase, use a graduated cylinder to place 25 mL of hydrogen peroxide solution in a 50-mL beaker. 4. Use forceps to dip a filter-paper disk in liver puree. Place the filter-paper disk on a paper towel for 4 seconds to remove any excess liquid. 5. Use the forceps to place the filter-paper disk at the bottom of the beaker of hydrogen peroxide solution. Observe the filter-paper disk, and record the number of seconds it takes to float to the top of the liquid.RECORD in notebook. Part B: Design an Experiment 1. Use your observation and knowledge to develop a TESTABLE QUESTION and about how temperature will affect the rate at which catalase breaks down hydrogen peroxide. RECORD in notebook : TQ in When†¦Will format; 2. Write a BACKGROUND section of the lab by doing some research about enzymes. Use part A of this lab, and the information in section 2-4 of the textbook to help you write this.Be sure to include the Biological significance (why does it matter how enzymes function; why is it essential to rid the cell of H2O2; why is enzyme specificity important to the speed of the reaction), the Content of the class (what is the enzymatic reaction; what are the products, reactants, and enzymes involved in the chemical reaction; what do you expect to happen to the speed of the reaction when temperature is ma nipulated; what do enzymes do in chemical reactions), and the Link to this lab (how will you test this in lab; what are the mv, rv, and cvs in the lab).RECORD in notebook in paragraph format. 3. Write a HYPOTHESIS to include your prediction of what will happen in the lab. RECORD in notebook: HYP in IF†¦THEN†¦BECAUSE format. 4. Design an experiment to test your hypothesis. Your experimental plan should include PROTOCOL (materials and procedure in pictures) as well as any appropriate controls and replications (repetitions). Be sure to identify all manipulated, responding, and controlled variables in your experimental plan. Include any necessary safety precautions and safety equipment in your plan. . As you plan your investigative procedures, refer to the Lab Tips box on p. 55 of your textbook for information on demonstrating safe practices, making wise choices in the use of materials, and selecting equipment and technology. 6. Construct a DATA table similar to the one below in which to record the results of your experiment. Perform you experiment ONLY after you have obtained your teacher’s approval of your plan. RECORD data in your notebook. Data Table Temperature (oC)Time (seconds)Observations Trial 1Trial2Trial3Control Temperature: 7. Make a graph of the results of your experiment. Plot temperature on the x-axis and the variable by which you measured catalase activity on the y-axis. RECORD the graph in your notebook under the ANALYSIS section. Explain this graph. 8. Make a graph of class results in the ANALYSIS section. Explain this graph. In addition to your graph, write the rest of the ANALYSIS section of the lab, using the CHS LAB REPORT FORMAT. Include the following in your notebook: Explain what should have happened Identify what should have happened including the relationship between the time it takes the disk to float to the top and the amount of catalase activity; the optimal temperature for the enzyme; the shape change of enzymes when not in homeostasis and how that changes the effectiveness of the enzyme. Explain what actually happened †¢Summarize data Explain why these results occurred by incorporating background information †¢Again, use the information from the background section (enzyme structure, enzyme function, homeostasis, temperature, pH, etc) to explain the actual results.Compare actual to expected results (describe and explain similarities and differences—use numbers) Use simple statistics to explain data †¢Be sure to use both extremes represented (coldest, hottest, fastest, slowest) and be sure to use averages (group and class) calculate percent change if appropriate State likely human errors and how these affected the data †¢What did go wrong, what could’ve gone wrong, explain Explain how the experiment could’ve been done differently †¢Did this lab protocol actually test the testable question? Were the controlled variables actually controlled? †¢Wha t could’ve been controlled better? †¢Was the experimental control actually controlled? 9. Write a CONCLUSION for the lab, again referring to the CHS format. RECORD in your notebook and be sure to include the following: †¢Re-state the hypothesis and indicate whether it was supported or rejected †¢Did this protocol answer the fundamental question? †¢What controlled variable(s) could be changed to better answer the fundamental question? (Describe at least two different ones)

A Murdur Is Announced

A Murder Is Announced A Murder Is Announced is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1950 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in the same month. The UK edition retailed at eight shillings and sixpence (8/6) and the US edition at $2. 50. ] The novel features her detective Miss Marple and is considered a crime novel classic. The book was heavily promoted upon publication in 1950 as being Christie's fiftieth book, although in truth this figure could only be arrived at by counting in both UK and US short story collections.Plot summary A strange notice appears in the morning paper of a perfectly ordinary small English village, Chipping Cleghorn: â€Å"A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks, at 6:30 p. m. Friends accept this, the only intimation. † This apparently comes as a great surprise to Letitia Blacklock, the owner of Little Paddocks, as she has no idea w hat the notice means; she didn't place it and none of her companions knows more than she. Miss Blacklock decides to take it in her stride and prepares herself to have guests that evening.Naturally, the villagers are intrigued by this notice, and several of them appear on the doorstep with awkward reasons but a definite interest. As the clock strikes 6:30, the lights go out and a door swings open, revealing a man with a blinding torch. In a heavily accented voice, the man demands they â€Å"Stick 'em up! † Most of the guests do so, believing it to be part of a game. The game ends when shots are fired into the room. The door slams shut, and panic takes hold: in short order, it's discovered that the fuses are blown, the gunman has been shot, and Ms.Blacklock's ear is bleeding, apparently from a bullet's near-miss. The most curious thing of all is the gunman: he is recognized by Dora Bunner (an old friend of Letitia's, affectionately known as â€Å"Bunny,† who lives at Lit tle Paddocks as her companion) as Rudi Scherz, the receptionist at a local spa, who had asked Letitia for money just a few short days ago. The police are called in. All clues suggest that the case is merely a strange suicide or accidental death, but Inspector Craddock is uneasy about both possibilities.As luck would have it, Miss Marple is a guest at the very same spa where Rudi Scherz was employed. Craddock is advised to involve her in the case, and the two commence working together. At the spa, it emerges that Rudi has a criminal background, but petty theft and forgery rather than any more serious crime. His girlfriend, a waitress at the spa, however, reveals that he had been paid to appear as the holdup man; he believed it was all â€Å"a silly English joke†, and was clearly not planning on being shot at. With this new knowledge, Craddock returns to Chipping Cleghorn.Miss Marple, not uncoincidentally, is the godmother of the local vicar's wife, and decides to stay with her . The first step is to establish a motive for Scherz's attack on Miss Blacklock. This presents a problem: Letitia has no known enemies. She worked for a successful financier (Randall Goedler) and has done quite well for herself but is not herself wealthy. She does not lead a lavish life and, aside from her house, she has only enough to live on. However, she may shortly come into a great deal of money; Randall Goedler's estate passed to his wife, Belle, when he died.Belle is frail, and is now very near death. When Belle dies, Miss Blacklock inherits everything. If, however, she predeceases Belle, the estate goes to the mysterious â€Å"Pip† and â€Å"Emma†, children of Randall's estranged sister, Sonia. No one knows where these two are, much less what they look like. Inspector Craddock discovers oil on the hinges of a door into the parlour (where the shooting took place) thought to be unused, and Bunny mentions that until quite recently there had been a table placed aga inst the door.Inspector Craddock travels to Scotland to meet Belle; she mentions that Letitia had a beloved sister, Charlotte, who was born with a goiter. Their father, an old-fashioned doctor, tried unsuccessfully to treat Charlotte, but she only withdrew further into herself as her goiter got worse. Their father died shortly before World War II, and Letitia gave up her job with Goedler and took her sister to Switzerland for the necessary surgery to repair the defect. The two sisters waited out the war in the Swiss countryside, but before it was over, Charlotte died very suddenly.Letitia returned to England shortly thereafter. Miss Marple takes tea with Bunny during her shopping trip with Letitia, and Bunny reveals several details about the case: she talks about the recently oiled door she found with the Inspector; she's sure that Patrick Simmons, a young cousin of Letitia's who, with his sister Julia, is also staying at Little Paddocks, is not as he appears; and, most tellingly, s he's absolutely positive there was a different lamp in the room on the night of the murder (the one with the shepherdess and not with the shepherd) than there was now.Their tete-a-tete is interrupted, however, as Letitia arrives, and she and Bunny resume their shopping. That evening, Letitia arranges a birthday party for Bunny, complete with almost everyone who was at the house when Rudy Scherz was kills; and she asks Mitzi to make her special cake, which Patrick has nicknamed â€Å"Delicious Death†. This was while post-war austerity rationing was in effect — butter and eggs were hard to come by even in a rural community, and the chocolate and raisins used in the cake were very difficult to get.A box of chocolates is also a present. Bunny loves chocolate but it gives her a headachek and she can't find the aspirin she bought. She takes some of Letitia's aspirin instead, lies down for a nap – and dies. Miss Marple visits Ms. Blacklock, who mourns Bunny and starts crying. Miss Marple asks to see photo albums which might contain pictures of Sonia Goedler, Pip and Emma's mother, but all photos of Sonia were taken out of the albums recently, although they were in place before the death of Rudi Scherz.Through deduction and re-enactment, Misses Hinchliffe and Murgatroyd (two spinster farmers who were also present at the time of the Scherz murder) figure out that Miss Murgatroyd could see who was in the room as she was standing behind the door when it swung open; she couldn't have seen Rudi as he was on the other side of the opened door, but she could see whose faces were illuminated by the torch beam. The two women conclude that the person who wasn't in the room (and therefore not seen by Miss Murgatroyd) could have sneaked out of the room when the lights went out and come around behind Rudi, and shot at him—and Miss Blacklock.Just as she remembers the one person not in the room, the stationmaster calls to notify them that a dog has just ar rived. As Miss Hinchliffe pulls away in her car, Miss Murgatroyd runs into the driveway, shouting â€Å"She wasn't there! † She is murdered while Miss Hinchliffe is away, and so does not reveal whom she did not see. Miss Hinchliffe returns and meets Miss Marple. They discover Murgatroyd's body, and a distraught Hinchliffe informs Miss Marple of Murgatroyd's cryptic statement. At Little Paddocks, Letitia receives a letter from the real Julia Simmons in Perth.She confronts â€Å"Julia† with the letter, and â€Å"Julia† reveals that she is actually Sonia's daughter, Emma Stamfordis, masquerading as Julia so that she could attempt to gain a portion of the inheritance from Letitia and let the real Julia spend time pursuing an acting career. Julia/Emma insists she is uninvolved in the assassination attempt—she was a crack shot during the French Resistance and would not have missed at that range, even in the dark—nor did she wish to prevent Letitia from i nheriting Randall Goedler's estate.She had intended to ingratiate herself with Letitia and try to obtain a portion of the money, and once the murder took place, had no choice but to continue the masquerade. Phillipa Haymes (a boarder at Little Paddocks and a young widow) sneaks into the kitchen to speak to Julia/Emma, but Julia/Emma sends her away before finding out what Phillipa had to say. That night, the vicar's cat, Tiglath Pileser, knocks over a glass of water onto a frayed electrical cord, which causes the fuses to blow, and the final clue falls into place for Miss Marple.Inspector Craddock gathers everyone at Little Paddocks and launches the final inquest, which is interrupted by Mitzi, Letitia's foreign â€Å"lady-help†, crying out that she saw Letitia commit the murder. The inspector does not believe her, and continues with his questioning. The inspector continues, and quickly insinuates that Edmund Swettenham who, with his widowed mother, was also present at the sho oting, is in fact Pip. However, Phillipa comes forward and confesses that she is in fact Pip; Inspector Craddock then accuses Edmund of wanting to marry a rich wife in Phillipa by murdering Letitia.Edmund denies this and as he does so, a terrified scream is heard from the kitchen. Everyone rushes to the kitchen and discovers Miss Blacklock attempting to drown Mitzi in the sink. Miss Blacklock is arrested by a local constable who has been hiding in the kitchen with Miss Marple, who imitates Dora Bunner's voice to make Ms. Blacklock break down. Miss Marple explains it quite simply: it wasn't Charlotte who died in Switzerland, but Letitia.Charlotte, aware that Letitia was in line to inherit a fortune, posed as Letitia and returned to England; few people knew Charlotte, as she had been a recluse before leaving England, and a slight change in Letitia's appearance could be explained away to casual acquaintances by her time abroad during the war. She only needed to avoid people who knew Le titia well, such as Belle Goedler, and to always cover her throat with strings of pearls or beads to hide the scars from her goiter surgery. Bunny was one of the few people who remembered Charlotte as Charlotte, but by then, Charlotte was so lonely that she allowed her old chool friend to move in. However, Rudi Scherz could have ruined everything: he worked at the Swiss hospital where Charlotte had been treated and could therefore identify Charlotte as herself. This is why Letitia/Charlotte hired him to come to Chipping Cleghorn and â€Å"hold up† a room full of guests: she blew the fuse by pouring water from a vase of flowers onto the frayed cord of a lamp, slipped out the second door, stood behind Rudi, and shot him. She then nicked her ear with a pair of nail scissors and rejoined the others, playing the part of perplexed host.Bunny became the next target because she, too, could reveal too much. Bunny had an eye for detail, but was prone to slip-ups: on several occasions, she referred to Ms. Blacklock as â€Å"Lotty† (short for â€Å"Charlotte†) instead of â€Å"Letty† (short for â€Å"Letitia†), and her conversation with Miss Marple in the cafe proved fatal. Miss Murgatroyd, the final victim, was also killed for guessing too much and for coming to the realization that Letitia/Charlotte was the one person, beside herself, whose face was not illuminated by Rudi Scherz's torch.Mitzi and Edmund had been persuaded by Miss Marple to play parts in tripping Charlotte Blacklock up; Miss Marple's plans were almost brought down when Phillipa admitted to being Pip, but Inspector Craddock thought fast enough to turn around and claim Edmund was after Phillipa's money. In the end, Phillipa/Pip and Julia/Emma inherit the Goedler fortune; Edmund and Phillipa/Pip get married and return to Chipping Cleghorn to live. Characters in â€Å"A Murder is Announced† * Miss Jane Marple * Inspector Dermot Craddock Letitia Blacklock, lady of th e house, in her early/mid 60s * Dora Bunner, her elderly fluttery childhood friend, usually known by her nickname, â€Å"Bunny† * Patrick and Julia Simmons, Miss Blacklock's spoiled and foolish young cousins (who call her Aunt) * Mitzi, Miss Blacklock's foreign housekeeper and cook, a young refugee * Phillipa Haymes, a young widowed paying guest/gardener with a young son at boarding school * Colonel Archie Easterbrook, blustery old colonel just returned from India * Laura Easterbrook, his considerably younger, glamorous wife * Mrs Swettenham, elderly lady who dotes on her son Edmund Swettenham, cynical young writer * Miss Hinchcliffe, efficient lady farmer * Miss Amy Murgatroyd, her pleasant but giggly companion * Belle Goedler, dying widow of Letitia's former wealthy employer * Diane `Bunch? Harmon, wife of the local vicar * Julian Harmon, the vicar * Tiglath Pileser, the vicarage cat * Rudi Scherz, a young man of Swiss extraction, the receptionist at a local spa * Myrna Har ris, girlfriend of the latter, waitress at local spa * Chief Constable George Rydesdale, Craddock's superior

Response # 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response # 2 - Assignment Example The title was wrong for the paper as it never connoted the content of the paper at all. It was also combative in stance due to the use of an exclamation point in the title. The title is the most important part of an essay or article because it helps the writer target an audience for the papers discussion content. None of those factors exist in the title. It presented the problem from the point of view of the writer but did not include any factual data in support of her claims. Although the writer made reference to a source for what I assume to be paraphrased information, she improperly cited her source in MLA format within the paragraph. The paper was made even weaker because of her presentation of numerous theses which lacked supporting evidence and a more extensive discussion in order to cover the issues she presents. This presentation told me that she did not bother to previously outline her discussion so that she could coherently talk about her topics in the final paper. Rather, the paper had no sense of direction and left the paper chaotic in content. The paper also lacked grammar and proof reading on the part of the writer. It was almost as if the paper had been written a few minutes before it was due for submission. Most importantly, even though she had presented a source in one of her earlier paragraphs, she failed to present a works cited page for her reference at the end of the essay thus making the content of the paper questionable. Without the reference page her paper could be deemed to have been

The Theme Of Happiness In The Movie Revolutionary Road Essay

The Theme Of Happiness In The Movie Revolutionary Road - Essay Example I feel the frustrations of not achieving their dreams could have polarized the relationship. Finding purpose and meaning in life has lasting impact one's well-being. Occasionally, this results from having fulfilled dreams. Living below your dreams can lead to mental distress and become unable to cope with life issues. The quick turn of events changes the platform to achieve the dreams for the two lovers. Frank gets promotion and April are pregnant again. The frustrations grew up to the point of break up. True to Friedan, a magazine analyst, words, women in The New Woman Heroine yearn for career growth, self-identity and if they did not make it, those dreams would still be burning inside them to a point that they would wish their daughters to live their dreams. Looking at April, I can understand why she had to do what she did. She did not have anything to hold on in life. Her career becoming close to impossible to achieve and unhappy marriage running in her hand every time she would think of it was enough to torture her to death. Everyone wants to achieve the life’s dream and if not have something that closely resembles such dreams. It gives purpose and meaning which I believe lacked for the couple. I feel like no one can understand our dreams better than we do and hence the need to follow our  heart.

Media and Cultural Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Media and Cultural Diversity - Essay Example These movies constructed white men as heroes and guardians of morality and civilization, white women as frail but morally superior figures, and African-American and immigrant men and women as uncontrollable sexual deviants who threatened civilization. These films reflected the fears of the white middle class that massive immigration, waves of black migration to the North, and the increasingly public role of women were irrevocably changing American society and threatening the power of the traditional dominant group in the United States: white middle- and upper-class men. In the 1910s and 1920s the film industry was fascinated with rape in silent feature films. Out of a sample of fifteen of the most popular feature films from 1915 through 1927, eleven contained single or multiple scenes of attempted rape.(1) The attempted rape served as a transitional point for the films and indicated some momentous change in the story line was about to occur. But more importantly rape also acted as a metaphor for larger cultural concerns. Indeed, the action initiated by the sexual violence operated as a symbolic episode that legitimized the power and dominance of white men of the middle and upper classes, who were united through a common culture of respectability that emphasized etiquette and genteel values (Bushman, 1993). Attempted rape scenes in these popular films developed a triangular relationship between the white, manly hero saving his white, female love interest from the sexual violence of the African-American or immigrant rapist. Such plots were based upon a long tradition of melodramatic story-telling with clearly defined notions of good and evil, and many films followed the time-worn traditions of the past. But because films defined white men as good and powerful, white women as objects of sexual violence or adoration, and African-American and immigrant men as violent, all helped to reinforce the cultural perception that white middle-class men were powerful, and that civilization depended on that power. These films defined images of all three types of people by juxtaposing them against the others: logical and powerful white manhood contrasted with weak and passive womanhood and with the destructive sexual energy of the more "primitive" manhood of African-American and southern- and eastern-European men. In short, silent feature films often used rape to preserve and support dominant white manhood, to subordinate women, and to perpetuate negative stereotypes of non-Caucasian males. Further, the metaphorical form these movies used to c onvey that power--rape--also created a highly charged atmosphere of sexuality. Dersu Uzala [1975]: This film, directed not by a Russian but a Japanese (the famous director, Kurosawa) using mostly Russian or Soviet actors and staff, is nonetheless a classic of Russian cinema in the same way that the St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow is a symbol of Russia despite having been designed by an Italian. An Imperial Russian Army survey party in pre pre-WW1 times goes to chart previously uncharted lands in Eastern Siberia.

Effect of School Uniform on Students Life Essay

Effect of School Uniform on Students Life - Essay Example This result was appreciated by the community at large with only 600-700 out of the 70,000 students in the district preferring to be exempted from wearing uniforms, which mean a whopping 99% of students preferred uniforms (Cohn and Cohn). This policy was adopted in other states with positive results being registered in all cases. This argument is supported by North Carolina Family Police Council Director Stephen Daniels publication on students’ dress codes in which he asserts ‘Dress codes reduce conflict associated with name brand and gang clothing, decrease the gap between poor and rich students, and encourage a sense of belonging that contributes to overall order and discipline. (Daniels). This also supports the proponents of the debate. Opponents of the school dress code, on the other hand, claim it will infringe on the first amendment rights of students to freedom of expression, their religious rights and will contribute to dampening of student expression rights. Despite the displeasure of the opponents, many schools have already started making uniforms mandatory in Kentucky sharply contrasting to the majority of public schools showing reluctance to do the same (Daniels). While both sides of the divide continue to hold on to their position, it can be seen quite clearly from their arguments that their debate revolves around general morality and constitutionality. Proponents think this will help to improve the discipline among the students and increase morality in school while opponents hold onto their culture preservation and constitutional rights of expression. Considering that constitutionality of school uniforms has been challenged in court and the decision was in favor of dress codes, it is evident that proponents are winning the debate. They seem to have support even from the few research results available as well as The Center for the Prevention of School Violence who pointed out

Unit 2 class activity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 2 class activity - Assignment Example Recognizing the way that the Islamic traders that came to China and bought and sold goods along the Silk Road had expertise with astronomy, the Chinese commissioned some of these Islamic craftsmen and scholars to help build the first Chinese clocks. Just as the Islamic groups before them had done, the Chinese used these first clocks primarily for astrological and astronomical purposes instead of telling time. Europe was introduced to the clock during the Muslim conquest of Southern Europe during the early part of the early Dark Ages. As with most forms of cultural interaction, Europe sought t improve upon the idea of the clock and soon thereafter began using it to tell time of day. Previously the time of day was told not by clocks but by the position of the sun and or celestial bodies. Such a form of time telling was adequate at times but made increasingly difficult in case of poor weather or visibility. By means of using a clock to tell time, the Europeans were able to industrialize their societies and have a solid base for arrangements and organization of the nations and peoples One of the biggest ways that the mechanical clock affected the United States was by way of navigation and discovery. Early navigation, like time telling, took place through visual confirmation of the sun moon and stars. However, such a method was not practical and led to many errors in judgment. Soon other forms of navigation were produced to include the sextant. However, one of the most useful was the use of navigation equipment that also utilized the time. The way that early mariners would do this was by having two clocks and a sextant. The first clock would tell them what time of day it was back home (in London or elsewhere) and the second they would use and set based upon their latitude. In this way, they could practically pin-point their location on the map as they navigated; helping them in finding their way back

One of the primary aims of copyright is to ensure society is rich with Essay

One of the primary aims of copyright is to ensure society is rich with creative works. Without copyright creators would not create new works. Discuss - Essay Example Pirating copyrighted products is an inexpensive venture since pirates only need a computer, internet access, and power to run the computer (Waldfogel 2012, p. 44). In addition, available digital technology boosts the ability to produce excellent copies. Worldwide losses due to infringement of copyrights are estimated to be $4.2 billion per year. To put it into perspective, in 2005, motion picture industry and the software industry reported losses estimated at $ 18.2 and $34 billion respectively. Today, digital piracy is the primary issue of concern, which calls for a thorough understanding of its driving forces. It is worth noting that a majority of today’s issues relating to digital piracy relate to the evolution of computing era (Cronan & Al-Rafee 2006, p.238). However, advancements in technology are also vital in the protection of copyrighted products as well as digital rights management. On the other hand, pirates have strived to make use of technology to â€Å"hack† or â€Å"crack† protected contents. The only option left for copyright owners includes finding strong legal protection against copyright infringement. The legal system has agreed that technological advancements have the potential to circumvent the legal system, and leave a poor intellectual property framework (Matsuura 2009, p. 25). The ability to store data in a binary format is the cause of digital piracy (Fenwick & Locks 2010, p. 18). From this point, this paper will look into forms of digital piracy (media and software piracy), their incidences and motivating factors. It would also be crucial to look into some of the technologies applied in fighting digital piracy. Other than technologies, the paper will also touch on copyright laws and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. To date, the media industry has suffered heavy losses due to increased rates of digital piracy. Information generated through digital media is easy to represent

Two Questions 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two Questions 3 - Essay Example Because of his inability to exert proper cost control, Lopez was relieved of his responsibilities in 2008, and Gabriella Garcia became head of Consumer Products Research. Garcia vowed to improve the performance of CPR and scaled back CPR’s development activities to obtain favorable financial performance reports. In terms of profit, Garcia did a better job than Lopez as a result of scaling back the project development. When profits are low and management is looking to cut costs, spending significant amounts of money on research and development is not the appropriate tactic. R&D is expensive and, as the timeline of two years from project initiation to implementation under Lopez demonstrates, there is no return on investment reflected in the financial statements until well after the products are brought to market. During times of low profit margins, development has to be scaled along with cost initiatives to keep management and investors satisfied. Even though Lopez developed good ideas, his efforts at cost control failed because there was no actual cost cutting and no immediate impact on revenues. While it could be argued that, given enough time, Lopez’s management would have yielded greater profits at lower costs. Management’s focus on profitability, however, precluded the comp any’s ability to focus on R&D to the extent that Lopez intended. Garcia, however, reduced—but did not eliminate—development while simultaneously focusing on cutting the costs related to current market offerings. This had an immediate impact on the company’s profitability and management was no-doubt pleased with the results. The issue here was time. It does take time to develop innovative products and bring them to market. This effort, however, cannot be the sole focus unless the company is currently in a strong financial position and can absorb the R&D costs until the new products are in place. Simply stated, the company could not afford

Comparison of Stieglitz and Jacob Riis photography style Essay

Comparison of Stieglitz and Jacob Riis photography style - Essay Example This essay  «Comparison of Stieglitz and Jacob Riis photography style » outlines and compares the works and heritage of this two talented photographs. Dubbed as the â€Å"Patron Saint of Straight Photography†, Alfred Stieglitz (January 1, 1864 – July 13, 1946) began earnest photography in 1883 and from the very beginning was against the idea of manipulation of any sort in the photographs that, to him, meant capturing life completely as it is. He is most famously noted for his promotion of photography as a complete art form in itself. Through 1892 and onwards, Stieglitz became considerable famous for his photographs of the every day life of New York and Paris. He was one of those people who were able to see the transformation of New York City from one of considerable poverty to one that rose as a symbol of the modern world. His photographs have captured the essence of both eras and follow the transformation of the larva into the butterfly. His one famous photograph is â€Å"The Terminal† which he took from the 4x5, which was, unlike the 8x10 camera not considered for professional purposes. However, due to his greater freedom of carrying the camera and talking photographs without a tripod, he was able to take as many photographs as he wanted through much greater ease. Using all natural elements such as the smoke and the ice, he softens the fame and presents his sober mood through the medium. All the faceless subjects of the photograph present what came to be recognized as his pioneering faculties in the field of straight photography.

Jesus and Victory Essay Example for Free

Jesus and Victory Essay Chapter eleven, pages 510 through 539, in the book Jesus and the Victory of God by N. T. Wright, details Jesus as a messiah, and the meaning of this messiahship. The chapter had several sections, each titled according to the question N. T. Wright was trying to answer at that particular moment. Pages 510 through 539 detailed the Temple being destroyed and Jesus being vindicated, Jesus being put on trial for claiming to be a messiah, â€Å"Caesarea Philippi†, messianic praxis, messianic sayings, and the roots of Jesus ministry. In the first section, it was established that Jesus was a prophet. It was explained that he described warnings against the Temple, and against Jerusalem. Jesus knew that he was the messiah, Mark 13 explained this. Jesus warned of the destruction of the Temple, and was vindicated as both a prophet and a messiah when this did indeed happen. Jesus also warned against false messiahs using apocalyptic language. Because of the claims Jesus made, he was put on trial. The second section of the chapter questions the accuracy of the â€Å"trial narrative† in Mark. The main questions Wrights asks are whether or not the Jewish authorities were legally able to carry out the death penalty and who was responsible for Jesus death. It was found that the Romans had prohibited the Jewish leaders from carrying out the death penalty. This is why the Romans executed Jesus. The official charge against Jesus was that he claimed to be a messiah. In essence, Jesus was thought to be blasphemous. The Romans saw this as a threat to Caesars order, but the Romans would have never found out about it had the Jewish authorities not turned him in. Jesus confessed to the allegations, and was put to death. The next section makes clear that Jesus acted and spoke as a messiah even before he made his final trip to Jerusalem. It was said that Jesus thought himself to be the messiah when he was still in Galilee. He accepted the title of messiah, and tried his best to carry out the mission that went along with that title. Jesus account of the kingdom of god indicates that he believed the kingdom to be where ever he was. Jesus believed that the kingdom was only in operation through him. He was fully aware that he was following a messianic program, even in his sayings. Jesus, for example, likens himself to a shepard; a shepard that goes looking for lost sheep. He was saying that he was the shepard, guiding his flock, the people, to a better life through god. Jesus uses this analogy several times to describe his ministry. The chapter goes on to explain that one can trace the roots of Jesus ministry. It was explained that Jesus was called by god to be a messiah for the people of Israel. For example, Psalm 2.7 and Isaiah 42. 1 indicate that there was a voice at Jesus baptism. This voice was thought to be the call for Jesus to be a messiah. There is no historical proof that Jesus received his call then, but it is possible. God worked through Jesus ministry. The kingdom was present because Jesus was there. Jesus was the reason for the kingdom of god on Earth. One was welcomed into the kingdom by following Jesus. Jesus believed that he was the messiah, that he embodied Israel itself because of the people who followed his ministry. The conclusion of chapter eleven sums up what the chapter was about. It revisited Jesus belief and claim that he was the messiah. Jesus had a â€Å"kingdom-agenda†, and he gained followers for his ministry with this agenda. After he was executed, Jesus followers needed no other confirmation that he was indeed the messiah when Jesus was resurrected. Jesus believed that he was the messiah, and he was prepared to die because of this belief. Wright, N. T. (1996). Jesus and Israel: The Meaning of Messiahship. Jesus and the Victory of God. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. 510-539.

A Literature Review of Association Rules in Mining

A Literature Review of Association Rules in Mining Abstract Mining association rules is an essential job for information discovery. Past transaction data can be analyzed to discover client behaviors such that the superiority of business decision can be improved. The approach of mining association rules focuses on discovering large item sets, which are groups of items that come into view together in a sufficient number of dealings. Association rules are if/then statements that help uncover relationships between seemingly unrelated data in a information repository. In this paper we will show by experimental results the behavior of apriori algorithm. Weshall describes the basic concepts of association rules mining, the basic model of mining association rules. Finally, this paper describes the association rules mining and its techniques. Introduction Association rules mining is an important task in data mining. It is a popular and well researched method for discovering strong associations between variables in large databases. It is intended to discover strong rules between different variables in databases. A large amount of data can easily be analyzed to discover customer purchasing behavior which improve business behavior. The goal of the association rules mining is to identify items that are bought together by sufficiently many customers. The strong relation between different items in the market are existing like the peoples who buy milk also tends to buy bread and eggs in this sentence there is a relation between milk and bread. So association rules are used to identify these relationships between items for the improvement of business behavior. Association rules can be expressed as: R: X==>Y, where: X à ¢Ã…  Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ I, Y I, and X, it is said that if the item set X occurs in a transaction, then Y will inevitably appears in the transaction. Therefore, X is called a prerequisite for the rule; Y is the result of the rule. Support and Confidence are two different interestingness for measure. Support of an item I is the number of transactions that support (contains) I, and Confidence compares the number of times the pair was purchased to the number of times one of the items in the pair was purchased. In probability terms this is referred to as the conditional probability of the pair. For example, if a supermarket database has 100,000 point-of-sale transactions out of which 2,000 include both items A and B and 800 of these include item C, the association rule If A and B are purchased then the item C is also purchased on the same trip has a support of 800 transactions (alternatively 0.8% = 800/100,000) and a confidence of 40% (=800/2,000). A huge number of association rules can be identified if the database is large. So for minimizing association rules minimum Support and Confidence are considered, both are specified by the user which help us to and valuable rules from database. Association Rule Mining Algorithms A-priori Algorithm Principle of Apriori Algorithm: If an item set is frequent, then all of its subsets must also be frequent. Apriori algorithm is a classical and breadth first search association rules algorithm. This algorithm was first proposed by Agrawal et al in 1993.Apriori algorithm strategy is to separate association rule mining tasks into two steps: First discover frequent item sets, and the second is the Generating of Association rules, it extracts high confidence rules from the frequent item sets. The first step for mining frequent item sets the algorithm will produce a large number of Items; the algorithm will execute K iterations where K is the number of items in the second iteration the algorithm produce some frequent item sets with the first selected frequent item set. After the K iteration the algorithm produce the superset of all frequent items. Here the basic idea of generating frequent item sets is: First step, statistics the frequency of the set with an element, and identify those item sets that is not less than the minimum support, that is, the maximum one-dimensional item sets. Then start the cycle processing from the second step until no more maximum item sets generated. The cycle is: in the first step k, k-dimensional candidate is generated form (k-1) dimensional maximum item sets, and then scans the database to get the candidate item set support, and compare with the minimum support, k-dimensional maximum set is found. The apriori algorithm takes advantage of the fact that any subset of a frequent item set is also a frequent item set, therefore it reduce the number of candidates being considered by only exploring the item sets whose support count is greater than the minimum support count snf all infrequent item set can be pruned if it has an infrequent subsets. Apriorialgorithm is breadth-first algorithm, therefore if the database is too large then it suffer from a number of inefficiencies by creating a large number of subsets. Apriori algorithm uses sets intersections to determine support values. It determines the support values of all (K-1) candidates before counting the K candidates. The dataset may be too large thus the problem is that the resulted frequent item set may be exceeded with main memory and wasting of time to Figure 1: Apriori algorithm Pseudo code. Figure 2: Improved version of Apriori Algorithm Hold a large number of candidate set with much frequent item sets. So to overcome this problem the dataset is partitioned in different chunks and each chunk is treated independently. And then the resulted frequent items are merged with one extra scan. Applications: Basket data analysis, cross-marketing, catalog design, sale campaign analysis, Web log (click stream) analysis, and DNA sequence analysis. 2.1.1. Variation in Apriori Algorithm The limitation of appriori algorithm is improved by the improved version ofappriori algorithm. It is to be defined as: Suppose Ck is the candidate item set of size k, and Lk is the frequent item set of size k in the proposed approach the algorithm is improved by reduce the time consuming for candidates item set generation. Here the algorithm firstly scan all transactions to generate L1 which contains all items, and found their support and transaction ID, and then L1 is used as a helper to generate L2, L3.Lk, then generate C2 by joining L1 * L1 to construct 2-itemset C(x,y) where x,y are the items of C2. Before scanning all transaction records to count the support count of each candidate, use L1 to get the transaction IDs of the minimum support count between x and y, and thus scan for C2 only in these specific transactions. The same thing for C3, construct 3-itemset C (x, y, z), where x, y and z are the items of C3 and use L1 to get the transaction IDs of the minimum support count bet ween x, y and z, then scan for C3 only in these specific transactions and repeat these steps until no new frequent item sets are identified. FP-Growth Algorithm FP-growth algorithm is one of the latest and most efficient algorithms in depth-first algorithm. It allows frequent item sets discovery without candidates item set generation. It is a two step approaches, first build a compact data structure called FP-tree and then extract the frequent item sets directly from the FP-tree. Compared with Apriori Algorithm, FP-growth has the following advantages: To avoid multiple dataset scanning it scan only the dataset twice. It increases space and time efficiency. But its difficulty lies in large and sparse datasets, in the mining processing and recursive computations require considerable space. Applications: Basket data analysis, frequent patterns. Association Rules Applications 3.1. Market Based Data Analysis A typical and widely-used example of association rule mining is market basket analysis. It is a technique that discovers relationships between pairs of products purchased together. The technique can be used to identify the items having strong relationship. The idea behind market basket analysis is simple, simply examine the order of products have been purchased together. For example in market basket analysis the fact might be uncover that if a customer buy milkalso tends to buy breads. So using this information we might organize our store that milk and bread next to each other. For doing market basket analysis there is some couple of measures is used, which is frequency, minimum Support and minimum Confidence, frequency is the number of times two products were purchased together, and minimum Support and Confidence are discussed before. Market Basket Analysis print report about given items, for example if we need to find relationship of Milk with others Bread, Eggs and Cheeses, then market basket analysis print a reports. TheReport consists of the products name, Frequency, Support and Confidence. Market Basket Analysis: Milk Product Frequency Support Confidence Breeds 820 82% 91.1% Cheese 800 80% 23.5% Eggs 750 75% 34% The higher the confidence means that there is a probably of strong relationship between the products. In the above example confidence of Milk and Breads shows that in 91% of transactions Milk and Bread are sold together. 3.2 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Customer Relationship Management is a combination of business process and technology that seeks to understand a companys customers from the perspective of who they are, what they do, and what they are like. Here we are focusing on the CRM of banking sector, which are focused to find the preference of different customer, to provide services to the customer to enhance cohision between customers and the bank. Association rules are used to identify customer preferences and customer behavior. Conclusion Association rules mining are a popular and well researched method for discovering strong associations between variables in large databases. In this paper we have describe Association rules mining which is the important task of data mining. Then we describes techniques for the Association rules which is apriori and FP-growth algorithm, the limitation of apriori algorithm was inefficiency in case of large database by checking all k-1 items, the improve apriorialgorithm overcome this problem by finding transactions ids of every frequent item and then for k+1 set generation used that k-1 table and search only those transactions in which the current item are exist. According to this the efficiency of the algorithm is improved. Then we discuss FP-growth algorithm which is depth first search and fastest algorithm, it uses tree to find frequent item sets. In the last the application of association rules Market basket data analysis and Customer Relationship management are discussed in this pa per. References Mohammed Al-Maolegi, Bassam Arkok Jordon, An improved apriori algorithm for association rules International Journal on Natural Language Computing (IJNLC) Vol. 3, No.1, February 2014. Ruowu Zhong and Huiping Wang China Research of Commonly Used Association Rules Mining Algorithm in Data Mining 2012. S. Rao, R. Gupta, Implementing Improved Algorithm Over APRIORI Data Mining Association Rule Algorithm International Journal of Computer Science And Technology, pp. 489-493, Mar. 2012. Jiawei Lian , Michelins Kamber. Data mining: Concepts and Techniques [M]. America: Morgan Kaufman Publishers, 2000. Market basket data analysis http://www.albionresearch.com/market_basket Show-Jane Yen and Arbee L.P. Chen Taiwan An Efficient Data Mining Technique for Discovering Interesting Association Rules2010

UK Law on Voluntary Manslaughter

UK Law on Voluntary Manslaughter Jocelyn Ayres Diminished responsibility.This is one of the three special defences which exist for the defence of murder. It is contained in the Homicide Act of 1957 and is modified by the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. When the defence of diminished responsibility is pleaded successfully it can reduce a murder conviction to manslaughter. To use diminished responsibility the defendant must be able to demonstrate one of the following: An abnormality of mental functioning caused by a recognised medical condition. The question of whether the defendant is suffering from the abnormality of a mental functioning is decided by the jury after hearing medial evidence.   The jury dont have to follow the medical evidence. Some examples of what counts as an abnormality of the mind include Jealousy, Battered woman syndrome, pre-menstrual tension, Epilepsy and chronic depression. An example of this is R v Byrne. The appellant murdered a young girl staying in a hostel, and mutilated the body. He did so as he was suffering from irresistible impulses which he was unable to control. Abnormality of mind was wide enough to cover the minds activities including the ability to exercise will power. He was allowed the defence to reduce the charge to manslaughter. The abnormality must provide an explanation for defendants act or omission in being party to the killings.   This follows from the old law which required the abnormality to be caused by an arrested or retarded development of the mind or induced by injury or disease. Alcohol and drugs are not considered unless the abnormality is alcoholism or drug addiction. Something like binge drinking doesnt allow the defendant to use diminished responsibility. Case law for this could come from R v Wood. The appellant was an alcoholic who had been sleeping rough. He was friends with a group called the breakfast club and had been drinking heavily with them for the past two days before the attack. He was invited to spend the night at the deceaseds house. During the night, he woke up and found the deceased trying to perform oral sex on him, he attacked him with a meat cleaver and hammer killing him. The judge said that a mans act is involuntary if, and only if, it is it very difficult to do otherwis e. The appellant appealed this and the conviction for murder was quashed. Which substantially impaired his/her mental ability. The defendant must show that the abnormality of the mind must have substantially impaired their mental ability to either understand the nature of their conduct, form a rational judgement or to exercise self-control. This is something for the jury to decide after hearing the medical evidence. A case example for this diminished responsibility is R v Campbell. The appellant killed a female hitch hiker he had picked up when she refused his sexual advances. She wanted to go from Oxford from London. He pulled up at a remote spot and made a pass at her. She hit him in the eye and he punched her in the throat. She began gurgling and blood came from her mouth. Realising the force he must have hit her he panicked and strangled her. He killed her by hitting her with a hockey stick. The appellant had frontal lobe damage and epilepsy. He appealed for diminished responsibility with medical opinion that the effect of his epilepsy and lobe damage affected his judgement, control of emotions and impulses and forward planning. His conviction for murder was ended and he went to retrial. Provocation.Provocation is part of the special defences for murder, like diminished responsibility. The requirements for the defence of provocation are: There must be evidence of provocation. This requires there to be evidence that the person charged was provoked by things done or said. There is no requirement that the provocative act was deliberate or aimed at the victim. Even something like the constant crying of a child can be used as evidence. Without the evidence the judge cannot put the issue of provocation to the jury. The jury can consider actions that happen over a period. The defendant is allowed the defence if they induced the provocation. A case example for this is R v Johnson. The appellant was at a night club. A woman called him a white nigger. The appellant was white but had taken to adopting a west Indian accent. He took exception to the comment and made threats to her. A male friend of the woman intervened and poured a drink over the appellant. A fight happened and the appellant stabbed the man and he died. He argued that he was acting in self-defence. The judge directed the jury on self-defence, which they rejected, but did not direct them on provocation. He was convicted for murder which he appealed, and it was swapped for manslaughter because of the provocation. Loss of control. This requires the accused to be provoked into losing their self-control. The definition of provocation came from R v Duffy, and is some act, or series of acts which would cause in any reasonable person and causes in the accused, and sudden and temporary loss of self-control, rendering the accused so subject to passion as to make him or her for the moment not a master of his or her mind. If there is any evidence of planning this will demonstrate no sudden and temporary loss of control. The loss of control need not be complete to negate murderous intent. Case law relevant to this is R v Richens. At the age of 17 the appellant killed a man who had raped his girlfriend. The deceased had taunted him about the rape saying that his girlfriend wanted to have sex and that she had enjoyed it. At which point the appellant stabbed him. The defendant raised the defence of provocation at the trial and the judge directed the jury on loss of control, saying that it doesnt apply to l osing that kind of control, and that it is a complete loss of control, to the extent that you dont know what youre doing. He appealed against the jurys conviction of murder. The provocation must be such as to make a reasonable man do as the defendant did. This is a question for the jury who must balance the gravity of the provocative act against the actions expected of a reasonable man. This is problematic when courts try to interpret and apply the section and it gets appealed regularly. Originally it was objective and no account could be taken of characteristics of the defendant in assessing this. However, it was accepted that particular characteristics could be taken into account, and this lead to some uncertainty. The characteristics must be sufficiently permanent. Some case law for this part of provocation in R v Ahluwalia. The appellant poured petrol and caustic soda on her sleeping husband and then set him on fire. He died six days later from the injuries. The couple had an arranged marriage and the husband had been violent and abusive throughout the marriage, he was also having an affair. On the night of the killing he had threatened to hit her wi th an iron and told her he would beat her the next day if she didnt give him money. At the trial, she admitted to killing him, but used the defence of provocation. She was however, convicted of murder. She appealed this decision and raised diminished responsibility. Diminished Responsibility Case Mary and Peter Abnormality of the mind For Mary, the abnormality of the mind would be her post traumatic stress disorder, which is recognised as a medical condition. The jury would decide if he is suffering for this by looking at medical evidence. Explanation Marys PTSD would have be part of the explanation of why she acted in the way she did, and killed Peter. PTSD can be triggered by sights, sounds and feelings they experience, for example being shouted at by Peter. This trigger can cause an intense emotion and physical reaction, stabbing Peter with a bayonet. Impaired mental ability Mary would also have to show that her PTSD affected her own mental ability to form a rational judgement or to exercise her self-control. The Jury would then use medical evidence to decide if this is the case. Provocation Case Mary and Peter Evidence She would need to have evidence of Peter insulting her and telling her that he hated her to be able to use it as part of her defence. She would be able to argue that he provoked her into stabbing him. Loss of Control This could also form part of Marys defence. This is because she had been soldier, and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. She could say that it affected her judgement her self-control of her emotions, and that is why she acted in the way that she did. Reasonable man defence The jury would need to decide if a reasonable person would act in the same way as Mary did in that situation. This is difficult to use because it is very objective, and based on the juries opinion. Provocation Case Sarah and Michael. Evidence Sarah would have been provoked by Michael smirking because about sexually abusing young boys. This could also be affected because she is a mother. She would need to have evidence of him doing this. Michaels actions would still be considered provocation, even though Sarah had initiated it by confronting him about the sexual abuse. Loss of Control Sarah could say that the fact that he smirked at the accusation of sexual abuse provoked her, and this caused her to lose her self-control. That would explain why she acted in the way she did. Reasonable man defence The jury would need to decide if a reasonable person would act in the same way as Sarah. This is difficult to use because it is very objective, and based on the juries opinion. Diminished Responsibility wouldnt apply to the case of Sarah and her Neighbour as there is no evidence that she had an abnormality of the mind. The fact that she   was drunk would not be able to be used as evidence, because this defence requires it to be a history of alcoholism.

Drug Testing is Not a Violation of Individual Rights Essay -- Drugs Ar

Every day companies lose millions of dollars due to employee drug use. Athletes break world records with gargantuan strength, but not on a fair scale. Drugs ruin the lives of users and cause injury to those who must work with users. Detection by officials is necessary to curb this problem. When does the safety for others violate the rights of drug users? Drug testing, whether in the workplace or on the athletic field, is not a violation of civil rights. "In 1988, the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimated that 12 percent of full-time employed Americans between the ages of 20 and 40 used an illicit drug" (Goldburg 62). Twenty percent of the 14.5 million Americans who use drugs are employed. This fact has convinced many that drug testing at the workplace should be mandatory (Goldburg 51). Sixty percent of the major corporations in America require drug testing as a condition of employment (Goldburg 50). Steven Mitchell Sack asserts that "Experts estimate that more than 50 percent of the major corporations in the United States now engage in drug and alcohol screening before hiring new employees; such tests are on the rise, particularly in high technology and security-conscious industries" (41). Because of such frequent testing, the number of applicants who test positive is down to under five percent (Sack 41). Not only do the companies pay the price for drug users, but so does the public. The public pays higher prices due to lost productivity from work-related accidents and job absenteeism caused by drug abuse (Goldburg 51). The average drug user is three times as late as fellow employees and has 2.5 times as many absences (Sack 141). A drug user is five times more likely to file a worker's compensation ... ...earche. July 1991:52. Goldburg, Raymond, ed. Taking Sides. Guilford, Connecticut: Dushkin, 1993. Huxford, Andrea. "What You Need to Know About Drug Testing in the Work Place." Netscape. http://www.charm.net/~trade/s/stein/index.html Levy, Leonard W., ed. Encyclopedia of the American Constitution. New York: Macmillan, 1992. O'Brien, David. "Rx for Disaster." Sun-Sentinel. 14 July 1991: 52-54. "Policy of Clarkson Construction Company." Pamphlet. No other information given. Preferred Alliance. "The Road to D.O.T Compliance" Netscape. http://www.preferredalliance.com/ Sack, Steven Mitchell. From Hiring to Firing. New York: Legal Strategies, 1995. Wornsnop, Richard L. "Athletes and Drugs." CQ Reasearcher. 26 July 1991: 513-519. Zigarelli, Michael A. Can They Do That? A Guide to Your Rights on the Job. New York: Lexington, 1994

Metaphors We Live By :: George Lakoff Mark Johnson Language Essays

Metaphors We Live By In the book Metaphors We Live By, authors George Lakoff and Mark Johnson address the traditional philosophic view denouncing metaphor's influence on our world and our selves (ix). Using linguistic and sociological evidence, Lakoff and Johnson claim that figurative language performs essential functions beyond those found in poetry, clichà ©, and elaborate turns of phrase. Metaphor permeates our daily experiences - not only through systems of language, but also in terms of the way we think and act. The key to understanding a metaphor's effect on behavior, relationships, and how we make sense of our environment, can be found in the way humans use metaphorical language. To appreciate the affects of figurative language over even the most mundane details of our daily activity, it is necessary to define the term, "metaphor" and explain its role in defining the thoughts and actions that structure our conceptual system. According to Lakoff and Johnson, "the essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another" (5). This definition extends to any symbolic type of expressions, like the concept of hate, the spatial direction "up", or the experience of inflation. When our most important life experiences are often too abstract for basic understanding, we attempt to capture the nature of the experience by placing it in a relevant and more easily recognizable context. Three basic types of metaphor are used to, "conceptualize the less clearly delineated in terms of the more clearly delineated"(59). These are: the orientational metaphor, the ontological metaphor, and the structural metaphor. Orientational metaphor organizes concepts by giving them a spatial orientation. These metaphoric representations are not random; they are based on the structure of our bodies, and how we physically interact in a specific culture or environment. Metaphors like "I'm falling asleep," "he dropped dead," and, "You are under my control" provide a spatial relationship between the human subject and something found in the world. The authors explain that, while directional oppositions (up-down, in-out, front-back, etc.) are physical in nature, they aren't always the same for every culture. For example, while some cultures may see the future as ahead of us, others view it as behind us (14). Ontological metaphors involve ways of viewing intangible concepts, such as feelings, activities, and ideas as entities. When we identify these experiences as substances, we can "refer to them, categorize them, group them, and quantify them - and, by this means, reason about them" (25).

Apes Ecological Footprint Lab

APES Ecological Footprint Lab In the Ecological footprint lab I had learned that my family uses a lot of resources, goods and etc. In some parts of the calculations for the ecological footprint my family would either use less and in some parts of the footprint my family would use more of. That my ecological footprint is 5. 6 hectares. 5. 6 hectares is about 14 acres. Just for the goods, housing, food, transportation, services and waste my family is spending about 56,285. My ecological footprint is high, and my family, including me should not be using as much items, or spending money on waste, when we do not have to.Exactly what is an ecological footprint? An ecological footprint is the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply an area with resources and to absorb the wastes and pollution produced by such resource use. It is an estimate of the average environmental impact of individuals in a given country or area. The per capita ecological footprint is the aver age ecological footprint of an individual in an area. Humanity’s ecological footprint exceeds by about 39% of the earth’s ecological capacity to replenish its renewable resources and to absorb the resulting waste products and pollution.With the United States the footprint per person or hectares per person is 9. 7. Way over of what we are suppose to be using, when a country’s ecological footprint is larger than its ecological capacity, it is using and degrading its cropland, forest, etc. With my family, were using 5. 6 hectares which is almost half of what other people are using. When a country depletes its natural capital, it must either suffer the harmful environmental consequences or import food and other resources from other countries and export its pollutants and wastes to global atmosphere, oceans, and rivers that run through several countries.There are also some other developed countries like ours. Developed countries are countries that have a high level o f development according to some criteria. The first industrialized country was Britain, followed by Belgium, Germany, United States, France and other Western European countries. One of the most developed countries in China. China now consumes almost twice as much meat and nearly two and a half times more steel. By 2020, China is projected to be the world’s largest producer and consumer of cars and to have the world’s leading economy in terms of GDP-PPP.If China’s economy continues growing exponentially at 8-10% a year, by 2031 the country’s income per person will reach that of the United States in 2006. If this happens China will need two-thirds of the world’s current grain harvest, twice the world’s current paper consumption, and more than the current global production of oil. Then are countries that are not like China, for instance Africa. Africa would be an undeveloped country. Underdeveloped countries are at the very bottom of the global economy, with widespread extreme poverty and dire living conditions.That is because they usually have little or no infrastructure or reliable health care and other social services. Many have experienced long-term political unrest in the form of civil war or armed conflict with other nations, or have been subject to unstable governments, dictatorships, and/or corruption. In addition, they may frequently suffer environmental events and natural disasters that cause famine, destruction, and displacement of large segments of their populations.According to the UN, the African countries that experienced the sharpest declines in their HDI rankings between 1990 and 2003 are South Africa, with a drop of thirty-five places; Zimbabwe, with a drop of twenty-three places; and Botswana, with a drop of twenty-one places. The main indicators on the human development index include life expectancy and health, literacy and educational attainment, and income. Human Development Report 2005 noted that ch ances of survival for a person born in sub-Saharan Africa between 2000 and 2005 are not much better than those of individuals living in England and Wales during the 1840s.Ways to improve this issues is by trying to help out our underdeveloped countries. With our developed countries we already have more than we need. So we should help transport goods to the countries that are in a more poorer state. With the resources and goods, if we do not need them, then we do not need to buy them. Also people could cut back on much water we use, food being wasted, etc. We could all recycle bottles and anything else that needs to be recycled because those recycle bottles can be reused, that way it does not build up our pollution of waste. People should try to find a way to stop polluting the air.

Rhetorical Crtique Essay

On this rhetorical critique, I will be talking about the driving community of the state of Florida. As we all know, Florida is infamous for it’s terrible accidents. John Couwels and Vivian Kuo, journalists for CNN, prepared an article about the multi-car crash that occurred on January 29th,2012, where 11 people were killed and 46 others were injured. I chose this article because car accidents are a daily event in the state of Florida. However, the roads are spacious and for the most part, well designed. Florida drivers are being held accountable for the wreck due to their lack of safety precautions used while driving through a high fog/smoke area, caused by a nearby forest fire. This article is great for a project proposal; it addresses the drivers bad decision making when faced with cautious situations. The article named â€Å"Florida Highway Patrol: Some drivers didn’t slow before crashes†, explains that the Florida Highway Patrol prepared a traffic report holding the drivers of the crash, responsible for their actions by continuing to drive without headlights or warning signals, and without slowing down. The highway patrol quadrupled their staff on the road, and reported that conditions were clear enough to drive. Barely half an hour later, a car crash involving 25 vehicles closes the I-75 by gainesville. According to the report, drivers did not take the proper precautions assigned after fog and smoke warnings were placed on the road, causing more vehicles to smash into accidents that did not have enough time to be cleared from the road. This article informs us really well of a community problem. The authors use quotes from people who attended the scene giving a sense of complete reasoning or â€Å"truth† over emotion. The article continues by saying that the highway patrol has already accepted different measures and policies to promote a more secure Florida through professional law enforcement and traffic safety awareness. The specific type of writing is quoted when witnesses or police officials are interviewed. The writing that is used in the article is useful for making the reader visualize the event through a witness’ eyes.

Accounting Information Systems Essay

Every Company or Business has different Information Systems that the use to run the Company. There are various types of information systems employed by payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and accounting? Types of Information systems that are employed by payroll, accounts receivable, and accounts payable are Paychex, UltiPro Payroll Software, ADP Payroll services, Intuitive Payroll Systems, and QuickBooks Payroll. Various types of Accounting Software is Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet, Intuit Quicken, Sage 50, and QuickBooks. Paychex Inc. s a payroll and human resource service company which serves approximately 572,000 businesses in the US. The company provides services including Payroll Services, Time and Labor Management, HR Administration & Compliance, 401(k) Employee Benefits, Group Health Insurance, and Paychex HR Solutions. UltiPro by â€Å"Ultimate Software† is a comprehensive payroll, HR and talent management system that is delivered on-demand as Software-as-a-Service in the cloud, giving organizations a highly accessible solution for human capital management (HCM). See more: Distinguish between problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping Essay QuickBooks payroll is used for payroll, calculating taxes, and filing and paying taxes. You can also switch to running QuickBooks payroll manually. Manual payroll requires you to calculate, file and pay your own taxes. Excel is an electronic spreadsheet program that can be used for storing, organizing and manipulating data. Other operations that excel can be used for includes: graphing or charting data to assist users in identifying data trends and sorting and filtering data to find specific information. QuickBooks is accounting software developed and marketed by Intuit. Sage 50 is an accounting software. With sage 50 you can manage cash flow, custom payments, and collections. You can gain insight with custom reporting for budgeting, cash flow management, and benchmarking. Also Track inventory, plan purchases, or expand service offerings and Reduce errors and deter fraud with screen-level security and a clear audit trail. Riordan Manufacturing is a global plastics manufacturer. The company is owned by Riordan Industries, which is a Fortune 1000 enterprise with revenues in excess of $1 billion. The products that they produce is plastic beverage containers. The containers are produced in Albany, Georgia, the custom plastic parts produced at its plant in Pontiac, Michigan, and plastic fan parts produced at its facilities in Hangzhou, China. They employ 550 persons with projected yearly earnings of $46 million. Riordan Manufacturing’s mission is to focus its industry leaders in using polymer materials to provide solutions to our customer’s challenges. Riordan is a privately held company. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is Hugh McCauley and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is Dale Edgel. Individuals in a business usually do not work alone all the time, but instead in teams, committees, departments, and other types of workgroups. Riordan Manufacturing is one of them. The hardware that Riordan Manufacturing used within the organization to support information systems is Management information systems, internal control system, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System. The hardware this used is very sufficient. Today’s ERP systems can cover a wide range of functions and integrate these functions into one unified database. ERP is a way to integrate the data and processes of an organization into a single system. Other hardware that is used to support the information systems is a monitor, processor, printer, and keyboard. They all work together to accept, process, show data and information. The types of software applications that is utilized to support the information systems is Windows NT 4. 0. Windows XP would better meet the needs of Riordan Manufacturing. Windows is very much a compatible software and it is easy to use and user friendly. Payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivables, and accounting information systems interact with one another. They all do this by storing and maintain information relating to business or financial transactions. Accounting software packages usually consist of several different modules based on the traditional manual accounting process. Modules include general accounting, fixed assets, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll. The accounting information system is divided into following sub-systems. The sub-systems include but not limited to payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. The integration of the sub-systems leads to greater accuracy and higher speed with inputting and maintaining information. With that being said all four interact effectively. I would make some viable recommendations or uggestions to management to make the organization more efficient. Some recommendations or suggestions that I can make is making everything mobile. They can take advantage of mobile devices and mobile workforces to get information spread quicker. They can make the business more social. They can do this by integrating social technologies and using social networks to advertise the business. Riordan can do away with paper record keeping and use technology to record information. They also can elaborate more on the hardware and software that they utilize to support their information systems. It was very difficult to find certain about the company. Riordan Manufacturing can make public information easier to find and more readily available to whomever needs to view it. Other areas of business of improvement that I would make is sharing resources, software applications that are installed on servers, and managing resources better. In all business can always use room for improvement because things changes and there is always a continuous growth when it comes to new advances in technology. Change is never a bad thing. With making the organization more efficient allows things to be a lot easier and run more smoothly.

How Disability May Affect Development Essay

You should explain in detail how and why the disability affects development because disability affects children’s development in different ways. That can be physically and sensory, social, emotional and behavioural and learning or cognitive. There’s too many disabilities and conditions to list so I did write in general terms or make examples of specific types of disability eg Hearing impairment affects language and communication in that †¦. etc. ADHD affects behaviour and social development in that†¦.etc. Emotional and social development are also affected by a condition like Autism – Asperger’s syndrome. Dyslexia is a condition that affects learning literacy, dyscalculia affect learning numeracy skills. Physical development may be affected if the child or young person uses a wheelchair, they may not have good mobility. Dyspraxia also affects body movements and coordination. Intellectual development may be affected by a learning difficulty eg. a child with Downs syndrome Children with a learning or physical disability may be exposed to prejudice or discrimination at school for the reason that they could be treated differently than the rest of the children. They may be bullied or teased by other students which will affect their self-confidence and in turn affect their learning ability and development. Disabilities are categorised in different forms i.e. learning or physical. Learning disabilities which affect development could be. Autism; autism is a disability which affects how a person relates and communicates with other people and the world around them. Children with autism find it difficult to understand facial expressions or the tone of a voice. They can feel lonely and cut off from  society as they avoid social interaction. This could affect their ability to development or interact in social settings or in the classroom. Dyslexia; is a difficulty in learning to read. Children suffering from this may become frustrated and problems could arise at home or in school, behavioural problems could also be seen, as well as the child becoming unenthusiastic or disliking school. If dyslexia is undetected then this will affect their development at school and could spoil any chance of achievement. Physical disabilities could include. Cerebral palsy; cerebral palsy is a condition which affects the movement, posture and co-ordination of a person. A child/young person with this disability may only be affected physically with this disability while others could be affected by seizures, epilepsy or difficulties with speech and language. [continues]

The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Fifteen

In his wanderings at Belgrave, Jack had, during a rainstorm that had trapped him indoors, managed to locate a collection of books devoted to art. It had not been easy; the castle boasted two separate libraries, and each must have held five hundred volumes at least. But art books, he noticed, tended to be oversized, so he was able to make his task a bit easier by searching out the sections with the tallest spines. He pulled out these books, perused them and, after some trial and error, found what he was looking for. He didn't particularly wish to remain in the library, however; he'd always found it oppressive to be surrounded by so many books. So he'd gathered up those that looked the most interesting and took them to his new favorite room – the cream and gold drawing room at the back of the castle. Grace's room. He would never be able to think of it as anything else. It was to this room that he retreated after his embarrassing encounter with Grace in the great hall. He did not like to lose his temper; to be more precise, he loathed it. He sat there for hours, tucked into place at a reading table, occasionally rising to stretch his legs. He was on his final volume – a study of the French rococo style – when a footman walked by the open doorway, stopped, then backed up. Jack looked back at him, arching a brow in question, but the young man said nothing, just scurried off in the direction from which he'd come. Two minutes later Jack was rewarded for his patience by the sound of feminine footsteps in the hall. Grace's footsteps. He pretended to be engrossed in his book. â€Å"Oh, you're reading,† she said, sounding surprised. He carefully turned a page. â€Å"I do so on occasion.† He could practically hear her roll her eyes as she walked in. â€Å"I've been looking everywhere for you.† He looked up and affixed a smile. â€Å"And yet here I am.† She stood hesitantly in the doorway, her hands clasped tightly before her. She was nervous, he realized. He hated himself for that. He tilted his head in invitation, motioning to the chair beside him. â€Å"What are you reading?† she asked, coming into the room. He turned his book toward the empty seat at the table. â€Å"Have a look.† She did not sit immediately. Rather, she rested her hands at the edge of the table and leaned forward, peering down at the open pages. â€Å"Art,† she said. â€Å"My second favorite subject.† She gave him a shrewd look. â€Å"You wish for me to ask you what your favorite is.† â€Å"Am I so obvious?† â€Å"You are only obvious when you wish to be.† He held up his hands in mock dismay. â€Å"And alas, it still doesn't work. You have not asked me what my favorite subject is.† â€Å"Because,† she returned, sitting down, â€Å"I am quite certain the answer will contain something highly inappropriate.† He placed one hand on his chest, the dramatic gesture somehow restoring his equilibrium. It was easier to play the jester. No one expected as much from fools. â€Å"I am wounded,† he proclaimed. â€Å"I promise you, I was not going to say that my favorite subject was seduction, or the art of a kiss, or the proper way to remove a lady's glove, or for that matter the proper way to remove – â€Å" â€Å"Stop!† â€Å"I was going to say,† he said, trying to sound beleaguered and henpecked, â€Å"that my favorite subject of late is you.† Their eyes met, but only for a moment. Something unnerved her, and she quickly shifted her gaze to her lap. He watched her, mesmerized by the play of emotions on her face, by the way her hands, which were clasped together atop the table, tensed and moved. â€Å"I don't like this painting,† she said quite suddenly. He had to look back at the book to see which image she referred to. It was a man and a woman out of doors, sitting on the grass. The woman's back was to the canvas, and she seemed to be pushing the man away. Jack was not familiar with it, but he thought he recognized the style. â€Å"The Boucher?† â€Å"Ye – no,† she said, blinking in confusion as she leaned forward. She looked down. â€Å"Jean-Antoine Watteau,† she read. â€Å"The Faux Pas.† He looked down more closely. â€Å"Sorry,† he said, his voice light. â€Å"I'd only just turned the page. I think it does look rather like a Boucher, though. Don't you?† She gave a tiny shrug. â€Å"I'm not familiar enough with either artist to say. I did not study painting – or painters – very much as a child. My parents weren't overly interested in art.† â€Å"How is that possible?† She smiled at that, the sort of smile that was almost a laugh. â€Å"It wasn't so much that they weren't interested, just that they were interested in other things more. I think that above all they would have loved to travel. Both of them adored maps and atlases of all sorts.† Jack felt his eyes roll up at that. â€Å"I hate maps.† â€Å"Really?† She sounded stunned, and maybe just a little bit delighted by his admission. â€Å"Why?† He told her the truth. â€Å"I haven't the talent for reading them.† â€Å"And you, a highwayman.† â€Å"What has that to do with it?† â€Å"Don't you need to know where you're going?† â€Å"Not nearly so much as I need to know where I've been.† She looked perplexed at that, so he added, â€Å"There are certain areas of the country – possibly all of Kent, to be honest – it is best that I avoid.† â€Å"This is one of those moments,† she said, blinking several times in rapid succession, â€Å"when I am not quite certain if you are being serious.† â€Å"Oh, very much so,† he told her, almost cheerfully. â€Å"Except perhaps for the bit about Kent.† She looked at him in incomprehension. â€Å"I might have been understating.† â€Å"Understating,† she echoed. â€Å"There's a reason I avoid the South.† â€Å"Good heavens.† It was such a ladylike utterance. He almost laughed. â€Å"I don't think I have ever known a man who would admit to being a poor reader of maps,† she said once she regained her composure. He let his gaze grow warm, then hot. â€Å"I told you I was special.† â€Å"Oh, stop.† She wasn't looking at him, not directly, at least, and so she did not see his change of expression. Which probably explained why her tone remained so bright and brisk as she said, â€Å"I must say, it does complicate matters. The dowager asked me to find you so that you could aid with our routing once we disembark in Dublin.† He waved a hand. â€Å"That I can do.† â€Å"Without a map?† â€Å"We went frequently during my school days.† She looked up and smiled, almost nostalgically, as if she could see into his memories. â€Å"I'd wager you were not the head boy.† He lifted a brow. â€Å"Do you know, I think most people would consider that an insult.† Her lips curved and her eyes glowed with mischief. â€Å"Oh, but not you.† She was right, of course, not that he was going to let her know it. â€Å"And why would you think that?† â€Å"You would never want to be head boy.† â€Å"Too much responsibility?† he murmured, wondering if that was what she thought of him. She opened her mouth, and he realized that she'd been about to say yes. Her cheeks turned a bit pink, and she looked away for a moment before answering. â€Å"You are too much of a rebel,† she answered. â€Å"You would not wish to be aligned with the administration.† â€Å"Oh, the administration,† he could not help but echo with amusement. â€Å"Don't make fun of my choice of words.† â€Å"Well,† he declared, arching one brow. â€Å"I do hope you realize you are saying this to a former officer in His Majesty's army.† This she dismissed immediately. â€Å"I should have said that you enjoy styling yourself as a rebel. I rather suspect that at heart you're just as conventional as the rest of us.† He paused, and then: â€Å"I hope you realize you are saying this to a former highwayman on His Majesty's roads.† How he said this with a straight face, he'd never know, and indeed it was a relief when Grace, after a moment of shock, burst out laughing. Because really, he didn't think he could have held that arch, offended expression for one moment longer. He rather felt like he was imitating Wyndham, sitting there like such a stick. It unsettled the stomach, really. â€Å"You're dreadful,† Grace said, wiping her eyes. â€Å"I try my best,† he said modestly. â€Å"And this† – she wagged a finger at him, grinning all the while – â€Å"is why you will never be head boy.† â€Å"Good God, I hope not,† he returned. â€Å"I'd be a bit out of place at my age.† Not to mention how desperately wrong he was for school. He still had dreams about it. Certainly not nightmares – it could not be worth the energy. But every month or so he woke up from one of those annoying visions where he was back at school (rather absurdly at his current age of eight-and-twenty). It was always of a similar nature. He looked down at his schedule and suddenly realized he'd forgotten to attend Latin class for an entire term. Or arrived for an exam without his trousers. The only school subjects he remembered with any fondness were sport and art. Sport had always been easy. He need only watch a game for a minute before his body knew instinctively how to move, and as for art – well, he'd never excelled at any of the practical aspects, but had always loved the study of it. For all the reasons he'd talked about with Grace his first night at Belgrave. His eyes fell on the book, still open on the table between them. â€Å"Why do you dislike this?† he asked, motioning to the painting. It was not his favorite, but he did not find anything to offend. â€Å"She does not like him,† she said. She was looking down at the book, but he was looking at her, and he was surprised to see that her brow was wrinkled. Concern? Anger? He could not tell. â€Å"She does not want his attentions,† Grace continued. â€Å"And he will not stop. Look at his expression.† Jack peered at the image a little more closely. He supposed he saw what she meant. The reproduction was not what he would consider superior, and it was difficult to know how true it was to the actual painting. Certainly the color would be off, but the lines seemed clear. He supposed there was something insidious in the man's expression. Still†¦ â€Å"But couldn't one say,† he asked, â€Å"that you are objecting to the content of the painting and not the painting itself?† â€Å"What is the difference?† He thought for a moment. It had been some time since anyone had engaged him in what might be termed intellectual discourse. â€Å"Perhaps the artist wishes to invoke this response. Perhaps his intention is to portray this very scene. It does not mean that he endorses it.† â€Å"I suppose.† Her lips pressed together, the corners tightening in a manner that he'd not seen before. He did not like it. It aged her. But more than that, it seemed to call to the fore an unhappiness that was almost entrenched. When she moved her mouth like that – angry, upset, resigned – it looked like she would never be happy again. Worse, it looked like she accepted it. â€Å"You do not have to like it,† he said softly. Her mouth softened but her eyes remained clouded. â€Å"No,† she said, â€Å"I don't.† She reached forward and flipped the page, her fingers changing the subject. â€Å"I have heard of Monsieur Watteau, of course, and he may be a revered artist, but – Oh!† Jack was already smiling. Grace had not been looking at the book as she'd turned the page. But he had. â€Å"Oh my†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Now that's a Boucher,† Jack said appreciatively. â€Å"It's not†¦I've never†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her eyes were wide – two huge blue moons. Her lips were parted, and her cheeks†¦He only just managed to resist the urge to fan her. â€Å"Marie-Louise O'Murphy,† he told her. She looked up in horror. â€Å"You know her?† He shouldn't have laughed, but truly, he could not help it. â€Å"Every schoolboy knows her. Of her,† he corrected. â€Å"I believe she passed on recently. In her dotage, have no fear. Tragically, she was old enough to be my grandmother.† He gazed down fondly at the woman in the painting, lounging provocatively on a divan. She was naked – wonderfully, gloriously, completely so – and lying on her belly, her back slightly arched as she leaned on the arm of the sofa, peering over the edge. She was painted from the side, but even so, a portion of the cleft of her buttocks was scandalously visible, and her legs†¦ Jack sighed happily at the memory. Her legs were spread wide, and he was quite certain he had not been the only schoolboy to have imagined settling himself between them. Many a young lad had lost his virginity (in dreams, but still) to Marie-Louise O'Murphy. He wondered if the lady had ever realized the service she had provided. He looked up at Grace. She was staring at the painting. He thought – he hoped – she might be growing aroused. â€Å"You've never seen it before?† he murmured. She shook her head. Barely. She was transfixed. â€Å"She was the mistress of the King of France,† Jack told her. â€Å"It was said that the king saw one of Boucher's portraits of her – not this one, I think, perhaps a miniature – and he decided he had to have her.† Grace's mouth opened, as if she wanted to comment, but nothing quite came out. â€Å"She came from the streets of Dublin,† he said, â€Å"or so I'm told. It is difficult to imagine her obtaining the surname O'Murphy anywhere else.† He sighed in fond recollection. â€Å"We were always so proud to claim her as one of our own.† He moved so that he might stand behind her, leaning over her shoulder. When he spoke, he knew that his words would land on her skin like a kiss. â€Å"It's quite provocative, isn't it?† Still, Grace seemed not to know what to say. Jack did not mind. He had discovered that watching Grace looking at the painting was far more erotic than the painting itself had ever been. â€Å"I always wanted to go see it in person,† he commented. â€Å"I believe it is in Germany now. Munich, perhaps. But alas, my travels never took me that way.† â€Å"I've never seen anything like it,† Grace whispered. â€Å"It does make one feel, does it not?† She nodded. And he wondered – if he had always dreamed of lying between Mademoiselle O'Murphy's thighs, did Grace now wonder what it was like to be her? Did she imagine herself lying on the divan, exposed to a man's erotic gaze? To his gaze. He would never allow anyone else to see her thus. Around them, the room was silent. He could hear his own breath, each one more shaky than the last. And he could hear hers – soft, low, and coming faster with each inhalation. He wanted her. Desperately. He wanted Grace. He wanted her spread before him like the girl in the painting. He wanted her any way he could have her. He wanted to peel the clothes from her body, and he wanted to worship every inch of her skin. He could practically feel it, the soft weight of her thighs in his hands as he opened her to him, the musky heat as he moved closer for a kiss. â€Å"Grace,† he whispered. She was not looking at him. Her eyes were still on the painting in the book. Her tongue darted out, moistening the very center of her lips. She couldn't have known what that did to him. He reached around her, touching her fingers. She did not pull away. â€Å"Dance with me,† he murmured, wrapping his hand around her wrist. He tugged at her gently, urging her to her feet. â€Å"There is no music,† she whispered. But she stood. With no resistance, not even a hint of hesitation, she stood. And so he said the one thing that was in his heart. â€Å"We will make it ourselves.† There were so many moments when Grace could have said no. When his hand touched hers. When he pulled her to her feet. When he'd asked her to dance, despite the lack of music – that would have been a logical moment. But she didn't. She couldn't. She should have. But she didn't want to. And then somehow she was in his arms, and they were waltzing, in time with the soft hum of his voice. It was not an embrace that would ever be allowed in a proper ballroom; he was holding her far too close, and with each step he seemed to draw her closer, until finally the distance between them was measured not in inches but in heat. â€Å"Grace,† he said, her name a hoarse, needy moan. But she did not hear the last bit of it, that last consonant. He was kissing her by then, all sound lost in his onslaught. And she was kissing him back. Good heavens, she did not think she had ever wanted anything so much as she did this man, in this moment. She wanted him to surround her, to engulf her. She wanted to lose herself in him, to lay her body down and offer herself up to him. Anything, she wanted to whisper. Anything you want. Because surely he knew what she needed. The painting of that woman – the French king's mistress – it had done something to her. She'd been bewitched. There could be no other explanation. She wanted to lie naked on a divan. She wanted to know the sensation of damask rubbing against her belly, while cool, fresh air whispered across her back. She wanted to know what it felt like to lie that way, with a man's eyes burning hotly over her form. His eyes. Only his. â€Å"Jack,† she whispered, practically throwing herself against him. She needed to feel him, the pressure of him, the strength. She did not want his touch only on her lips; she wanted it everywhere, and everywhere at once. For a moment he faltered, as if surprised by her sudden enthusiasm, but he quickly recovered, and within seconds he had kicked the door shut and had her pinned up against the wall beside it, never once breaking their kiss. She was on her toes, pressed so tightly between Jack and the wall that her feet would have dangled in the air if she'd been just an inch higher. His mouth was hungry, and she was breathless, and when he moved down to worship her cheek, and then her throat, it was all she could do to keep her head upright. As it was, her neck was stretching, and she could feel herself arching forward, her breasts aching for closer contact. This was not their first intimacy, but it was not the same. Before, she'd wanted him to kiss her. She'd wanted to be kissed. But now†¦It was as if every pent-up dream and desire had awoken within her, turning her into some strange fiery creature. She felt aggressive. Strong. And she was so damned tired of watching life happen around her. â€Å"Jack†¦Jack†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She could not seem to say anything else, not when his teeth were tugging at the bodice of her frock. His fingers were aiding in the endeavor, nimbly unfastening the buttons at her back. But somehow that wasn't fair. She wanted to be a part of it, too. â€Å"Me,† she managed to get out, and she moved her hands, which had been reveling in the crisp silkiness of his hair, to his shirtfront. She slid down the wall, pulling him along with her, until they were both on the floor. Without missing a beat, she made frenetic work of his buttons, yanking his shirt aside once she was through. For a moment she could do nothing but gaze. Her breath was sucked inside of her, burning to get out, but she could not seem to exhale. She touched him, laying her palm against his chest, a whoosh of air finally escaping her lips when she felt his heart leaping beneath his skin. She stroked upward, and then down, marveling at the contact, until one of his hands roughly covered hers. â€Å"Grace,† he said. He swallowed, and she could feel that his fingers were trembling. She looked up, waiting for him to continue. He could seduce with nothing but a glance, she thought. A touch and she would melt. Did he have any idea the magic he held over her? The power? â€Å"Grace,† he said again, his breath labored. â€Å"I won't be able to stop soon.† â€Å"I don't care.† â€Å"You do.† His voice was ragged, and it made her want him even more. â€Å"I want you,† she pleaded. â€Å"I want this.† He looked as if he were in pain. She knew she was. He squeezed her hand, and they both paused. Grace looked up, and their eyes met. And held. And in that moment, she loved him. She didn't know what it was he'd done to her, but she was changed. And she loved him for it. â€Å"I won't take this from you,† he said in a rough whisper. â€Å"Not like this.† Then how? she wanted to ask, but sense was trickling back into her body, and she knew he was right. She had precious little of value in this world – her mother's tiny pearl earrings, a family Bible, love letters between her parents. But she had her body, and she had her pride, and she could not allow herself to give them to a man who was not to be her husband. And they both knew that if he turned out to be the Duke of Wyndham, then he could never be her husband. Grace did not know all of the circumstances of his upbringing, but she'd heard enough to know that he was familiar with the ways of the aristocracy. He had to know what would be expected of him. He cupped her face in his hands and stared at her with a tenderness that took her breath away. â€Å"As God is my witness,† he whispered, turning her around so he could do up her buttons, â€Å"this is the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life.† Somehow she found the strength to smile. Or at the very least, to not cry. Later that night Grace was in the rose salon, hunting down writing paper for the dowager, who had decided – on the spur of the moment, apparently – that she must send a letter to her sister, the grand duchess of that small European country whose name Grace could never pronounce (or, indeed, remember). This was a lengthier process than it seemed, as the dowager liked to compose her correspondence aloud (with Grace as audience), debating – at painful length – each turn of phrase. Grace then had to concentrate on memorizing the dowager's words, as she would then be required (not by the dowager; rather, by a general duty to humanity) to recopy the dowager's missive, translating her unintelligible scrawl into something a bit more neat and tidy. The dowager did not acknowledge that she did this; in fact, the one time Grace offered, she flew into such a huff that Grace had never again whispered a word of it. But considering that her sister's next letter opened with gushes of praise on the dowager's new penmanship, Grace could not imagine that she was completely unaware. Ah, well. It was one of those things they did not discuss. Grace did not mind the task this evening. Sometimes it gave her a headache; she did try to do her recopying when the sun was still high and she could enjoy the advantages of natural light. But it was an endeavor that required all of her concentration, and she rather thought that it was exactly what she needed right now. Something to take her mind off†¦well, everything. Mr. Audley. Thomas. And how awful she felt. Mr. Audley. That painting of that woman. Mr. Audley. Jack. Grace let out a short, loud sigh. For heaven's sake, who was she trying to fool? She knew exactly what she was trying so hard not to think about. Herself. She sighed. Maybe she ought to take herself off to the land of the unpronounceable name. She wondered if they spoke English there. She wondered if the Grand Duchess Margareta (nee Margaret, and called, she was pertly told by the dowager, Maggs) could possibly be as ill-tempered as her sister. It did seem unlikely. Although as a member of the royal family, Maggs presumably had the authority to order someone's head lopped off. The dowager had said they were a bit feudal over there. Grace touched her head, decided she liked it where it was, and with renewed determination pulled open the top drawer to the escritoire, using perhaps a bit more force than necessary. She winced at the screech of wood against wood, then frowned; this really wasn't such a well-made piece of furniture. Rather out of place at Belgrave, she had to say. Nothing in the top drawer. Just a quill that looked as if it hadn't seen use since the last King George ruled the land. She moved to the second, reaching to the back in case anything was hiding in the shadows, and then she heard something. Someone. It was Thomas. He was standing in the doorway, looking rather peaked, and even in the dim light she could see that his eyes were bloodshot. She gulped down a wave of guilt. He was a good man. She hated that she was falling in love with his rival. No, that was not it. She hated that Mr. Audley was his rival. No, not that. She hated the whole bloody situation. Every last speck of it. â€Å"Grace,† he said. Nothing else, just her name. She swallowed. It had been some time since they'd conversed on friendly terms. Not that they had been un friendly, but truly, was there anything worse than oh-so-careful civility? â€Å"Thomas,† she said, â€Å"I did not realize you were still awake.† â€Å"It's not so late,† he said with a shrug. â€Å"No, I suppose not.† She glanced up at the clock. â€Å"The dowager is abed but not yet asleep.† â€Å"Your work is never done, is it?† he asked, entering the room. â€Å"No,† she said, wanting to sigh. Then, refusing to feel sorry for herself, she explained, â€Å"I ran out of writing paper upstairs.† â€Å"For correspondence?† â€Å"Your grandmother's,† she affirmed. â€Å"I have no one with whom to correspond.† Dear heavens, could that be true? It had never even occurred to her before. Had she written a single letter in the years she'd been here? â€Å"I suppose once Elizabeth Willoughby marries and moves away†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She paused, thinking how sad that was, that she needed her friend to leave so she might be able to write a letter. â€Å"†¦I shall miss her.† â€Å"Yes,† he said, looking somewhat distracted, not that she could blame him, given the current state of his affairs. â€Å"You are good friends, aren't you?† She nodded, reaching into the recesses of the third drawer. Success! â€Å"Ah, here we are.† She pulled forth a small stack of paper, then realized that her triumph meant that she had to go tend to her duties. â€Å"I must go write your grandmother's letters now.† â€Å"She does not write them herself?† he asked with surprise. Grace almost chuckled at that. â€Å"She thinks she does. But the truth is, her penmanship is dreadful. No one could possibly make out what she intends to say. Even I have difficulty with it. I end up improvising at least half in the copying.† She looked down at the pages in her hands, shaking them down against the top of the desk first one way and then on the side, to make an even stack. When she looked back up, Thomas was standing a bit closer, looking rather serious. â€Å"I must apologize, Grace,† he said, walking toward her. Oh, she didn't want this. She didn't want an apology, not when she herself held so much guilt in her heart. â€Å"For this afternoon?† she asked, her voice perhaps a little too light. â€Å"No, please, don't be silly. It's a terrible situation, and no one could fault you for – â€Å" â€Å"For many things,† he cut in. He was looking at her very strangely, and Grace wondered if he'd been drinking. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. She had told herself that she mustn't scold him; truly, it was a wonder he was behaving as well as he was, under the circumstances. â€Å"Please,† she said, hoping to put an end to the discussion. â€Å"I cannot think of anything for which you need to make amends, but I assure you, if there were, I would accept your apology, with all graciousness.† â€Å"Thank you,† he said. And then, seemingly out of nowhere: â€Å"We depart for Liverpool in two days.† Grace nodded. She knew this already. And surely he should have known that she was aware of the plans. â€Å"I imagine you have much to do before we leave,† she said. â€Å"Almost nothing,† he said, but there was something awful in his voice, almost as if he were daring her to ask his meaning. And there had to be a meaning, because Thomas always had much to do, whether he had a planned departure or not. â€Å"Oh. That must be a pleasant change,† she said, because she could not simply ignore his statement. He leaned forward slightly, and Grace smelled spirits on his breath. Oh, Thomas. She ached for him, for what he must be feeling. And she wanted to tell him: I don't want it, either. I want you to be the duke and Jack to be plain Mr. Audley, and I want all of this just to be over. Even if the truth turned out to be not what she prayed for, she wanted to know. But she couldn't say this aloud. Not to Thomas. Already he was looking at her in that piercing way of his, as if he knew all her secrets – that she was falling in love with his rival, that she had already kissed him – several times – and she had wanted so much more. She would have done more, if Jack had not stopped her. â€Å"I am practicing, you see,† Thomas said. â€Å"Practicing?† â€Å"To be a gentleman of leisure. Perhaps I should emulate your Mr. Audley.† â€Å"He is not my Mr. Audley,† she immediately replied, even though she knew he had only said as much to provoke her. â€Å"He shall not worry,† Thomas continued, as if she'd not spoken. â€Å"I have left all of the affairs in perfect order. Every contract has been reviewed and every last number in every last column has been tallied. If he runs the estate into the ground, it shall be on his own head.† â€Å"Thomas, stop,† she said, because she could not bear it. For either of them. â€Å"Don't talk this way. We don't know that he is the duke.† â€Å"Don't we?† His lip curled as he looked down at her. â€Å"Come now, Grace, we both know what we will find in Ireland.† â€Å"We don't,† she insisted, and her voice sounded hollow. She felt hollow, as if she had to hold herself perfectly still just to keep from cracking. He stared at her. For far longer than was comfortable. And then: â€Å"Do you love him?† Grace felt the blood drain from her face. â€Å"Do you love him?† he repeated, stridently this time. â€Å"Audley.† â€Å"I know who you're talking about,† she said before she could think the better of it. â€Å"I imagine you do.† She stood still, forcing herself to unclench her fists. She'd probably ruined the writing paper; she'd heard it crumple in her hand. He'd gone from apologetic to hateful in the space of a second, and she knew he was hurting inside, but so was she, damn it. â€Å"How long have you been here?† he asked. She drew back, her head turning slightly to the side. He was looking at her so strangely. â€Å"At Belgrave?† she said hesitantly. â€Å"Five years.† â€Å"And in all that time I haven't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shook his head. â€Å"I wonder why.† Without even thinking, she tried to step back, but the desk blocked her way. What was wrong with him? â€Å"Thomas,† she said, wary now, â€Å"what are you talking about?† He seemed to find that funny. â€Å"Damned if I know.† And then, while she was trying to think of a suitable reply, he let out a bitter laugh and said, â€Å"What's to become of us, Grace? We're doomed, you know. Both of us.† She knew it was true, but it was terrible to hear it confirmed. â€Å"I don't know what you're talking about,† she said. â€Å"Oh, come now, Grace, you're far too intelligent for that.† â€Å"I should go.† But he was blocking her way. â€Å"Thomas, I – â€Å" And then – dear heavens – he was kissing her. His mouth was on hers, and her stomach flipped in horror, not because his kiss was repulsive, because it wasn't. It was the shock of it. Five years she'd been here, and he'd never even hinted at – â€Å"Stop!† She wrenched herself away. â€Å"Why are you doing this?† â€Å"I don't know,† he said with a helpless shrug. â€Å"I'm here, you're here†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'm leaving.† But one of his hands was still on her arm. She needed him to release her. She could have pulled away; he was not holding her tightly. But she needed it to be his decision. He needed it to be his decision. â€Å"Ah, Grace,† he said, looking almost defeated. â€Å"I am not Wyndham any longer. We both know it.† He paused, shrugged, held out his hand in surrender. â€Å"Thomas?† she whispered. And then he said, â€Å"Why don't you marry me when this is all over?† â€Å"What?† Something akin to horror washed over her. â€Å"Oh, Thomas, you're mad.† But she knew what he really meant. A duke could not marry Grace Eversleigh. But if he wasn't†¦If he was just plain Mr. Cavendish†¦Why not? Acid rose in her throat. He didn't mean to insult. She didn't even feel insulted. She knew the world she inhabited. She knew the rules, and she knew her place. Jack could never be hers. Not if he was the duke. â€Å"What do you say, Gracie?† Thomas touched her chin, tipped her face up to look at him. And she thought – maybe. Would it be so very bad? She could not stay at Belgrave, that was for certain. And maybe she would learn to love him. She already did, really, as a friend. He leaned down to kiss her again, and this time she let him, praying that her heart would pound and her pulse would race and that spot between her legs†¦Oh, please let it feel as it did when Jack touched her. But there was nothing. Just a rather warm sense of friendship. Which she supposed wasn't the worst thing in the world. â€Å"I can't,† she whispered, turning her face to the side. She wanted to cry. And then she did cry, because Thomas rested his chin on her head, comforting her like a brother. Her heart twisted, and she heard him whisper, â€Å"I know.†