BlackHawk War And Seminole War

Two monumental wars began because of these disagreements, the Black Hawk War and the Second Seminole War. With these two wars the Tribal Indians classical fought on the grounds where they didn't feel it was right they as the land owners would be kicked off their rightful land because the government wanted it for their own use. The Second Seminole War was lead by an Indian named Solaces (Hatch, 2012). Solaces was the son of a white man and Indian women.Solace's father would beat his mother in front of him often until one day she chose to run (Chance, 2003). Solaces was captured one time after running which gave him a greater hatred for the ones he called â€Å"The White Man† (Chance, 2003). In 1819 Spain had turned Florida into the Unites States and the Native Americans that had fled south Were Once again caught in U. S territory who they knew would try to relocate them away from their home. Solaces was a part of one of the tribes, the â€Å"Seminole† tribe that was goin g to have to move towards the Mississippi.Solaces did not want him or his people to have to move, so when there was a meeting that was going to be held most of the other tribes signed their treaties agreeing to move their tribes out of Florida, but the Seminole tribe refused to move, Solaces stated as he stood up at the meeting with a knife in his hand â€Å"This is the only treaty I will make with the whites† (Hatch, 2012). From that point on it was a war between the government and the Seminole. For years the Generals could not take over the Seminole Tribe.The tribe was strong like their leader Solaces and the tribe knew the area well to know how to take advantage of anyone coming to hurt them or their people (Hatch, 2012). The Seminole Tribe fought many small wars and never lost until their leader got very sick with malaria and became very weak (Hatch, 2012). Solaces had two leaders under him which guided and ran the troops, but the tribe depended on Solace's strength and w hen he got weak so did all of his Indian Army.Towards the end of the war a General Hernandez was allowed to come to the Seminole camp, the Seminole hung its white flag at half mass as it's flag of truce, but since the Seminole had such a stubbornness to them when it came to the Generals and their Army, General Hernandez had his men silently surround the camp and when given the sign they took it over and the invincible Solaces was captured and imprisoned (Hatch, 2012). A year later Solaces died and when he died about only 100 Seminole were left in Florida (Hatch, 2012).The Blackjack War also happened during the sass's. Black Hawk himself as one of the Auk Indians. Two chiefs had agreed to a treaty that the Auk Indians would leave the land east of the Mississippi and let the government have it. Back Hawk and other Auk Indians did not believe these chiefs had the right to give this land away (Wisconsin, 2014). A quarter century later settlers began to start taking over the land with no respect for any treaties at the time and the Auk Indians thought it was futile to resist the overwhelming white forces (Wisconsin, 2014).Black Hawk decided to lead 1,200 Auk's in the hope of reoccupying their home and land (keep in mind Black Hawk didn't hind the treaty was real and thought it was fraudulent because of who had did the signing) and if anything bad Was to happen the British would come to his aid (which they did not) (Wisconsin, 2014). In 1832 for 16 weeks Black Hawk and his followers had plans. The warriors would fight and the non- combatants would try to find ways across the Mississippi River to safety.Many died from hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and were buried on the trail (Wisconsin, 2014). Troops were able to attacks when the Auk's Indians reached the banks of the Mississippi near the mouth of the Bad Axe River Wisconsin, 2014). In the end Black Hawk left his followers to surrender and only 150 Indians survived out of the 1,200 that began with Black Hawk. The two tribes didn't want to just give up land they believed was there, but who can blame them.Imagine if someone came into your home and said they were going to take it and you had to move with your family. These two tribes suffered a great deal and the families all suffered with so many dead. There is one big difference between the two wars though. Each tribe had one main leader Solaces and Black Hawk. Solaces did retreat as did Black Hawk, but Black Hawk just ended up giving up on his followers completely where Solaces didn't. Solaces tried to finally work with the military and come up with a treaty for his followers.Solaces didn't just give up and walk away from his followers in hopes they make it. Regardless of all the history, all the Indian tribes were treated unfairly and were always bullied by the government to due whatever the government thought was best (which was always best for the government, not everyone involved). The Tribes did fight and did try to stand their ground and h old onto their land. In the end the tribes just weren't strong or big enough to fight off he militias and troops involved against them and lost both battles.

How to Maintain Biodiversity

There are several important ways in which humans can slow biodiversity loss, although there is no way to bring back the species that have already gone extinct. Protecting Areas Creating protected areas where human activity is limited is the best way to prevent deforestation and exploitation of organisms and the resources they need to survive. In order to truly make a difference, much planning needs to go into the creation of a protected area. It needs to consider all elements of the ecosystem it is trying to protect, so that it isn’t too small.It needs to include all resources that are utilized by its inhabitants; for example, leaving out a stream where half of the mammals go to drink would not make a protected area very effective. Preventing Species Introductions It is often much easier and less expensive to prevent a problem from developing in the first place than to try to fix it once it occurs. This is the case with invasive species, which can wreak havoc when introduced t o ecosystems that aren’t prepared to deal with them.Many governments prohibit bringing foreign plants and animals into their countries without authorization; some even go so far as to disinfect landing planes and the shoe-bottoms of people on them. Informing / Educating Education is a powerful tool, and the more people know about biodiversity loss, the more they will be prepared to help slow it. Spreading the word about detrimental human effects on plants and animals can encourage people to change their ways and effect changes to preserve biodiversity.Slowing Climate Change Climate change is the documented cause of several extinctions that we know about, and has likely caused hundreds of species to go extinct about which we may never know. Any efforts as individuals, organizations, or governments, to slow current human-caused global warming is a step towards slowing biodiversity loss. Promoting Sustainability Sustainable agriculture is much better for the environment than gra zing and cropping that rely on clearing swathes of forest or field.

Bahan Kuliah Essay

1. The Rationale Literature and literary study is different. Literature is about a creative activity and an art. Literary study is not like a science. It is like a kind of knowledge and we need to learn it. Those are said by Austin Warren in Theory of Literature. The way to do a literary study is how we analyze the literary work. There are so many way to analyze a literary work, it depends on what we want to know about the literary work itself. There are many part of a literary work that we can choose to analyze it. We can analyze the inner part of a litarary work or want to know deeply a literary work by analyzing the outer side. It just depends on what we really want to know. A short story is one of literary works. It has the same elements like the others although the form is different. It has a theme that makes the story goes well as the writer wants to tell. A theme makes the story clearly to be read and the readers can get easily what the meaning of the story is. The theme helps us to interpret what the story means easily. Bidpai’s The Camel and His Friends has a clear theme. The theme is about a betrayal of a friendship. It is another kind of friendship theme in literary works. Friendship is usually told on the positive thing in a literary work but it tells the negative aspect of friendship. There will be a betrayal in a friendship when someone wants to get down his friend to win something and he betrays his friend to get what he wants. By knowing the theme, the moral of the story will be revealed. In the story, there is a camel that was left by his master in a jungle. Then he met the king of jungle, a lion, with his friends, a leopard, a fox, and a crow. Then they made friends in the jungle. Even though they already made friends,  they finally betrayed the camel and made him as a sacrifice for the hungry lion and his friends. It tells that someone must be careful in choosing his friends because sometimes they can be do well for us or the contrary. Theme is an important element of a literary work, especially in a short story. It influences the whole story. From the explaination above, there is a connection between theme and moral because by knowing the theme, the readers can get the moral aspect from the story. 2. Problem to Discuss The main topic of this term is about theme. It is about how the theme works in this short story. The theme of this story is a betrayal of a friendship. It was done by the new friends of a camel in this story, the were a lion, a leopard, a fox, and a crow. The theme makes it easy to understand and to interpret. The story begins with the lost camel who was left by his master in a jungle because he got fatigue. Then he met a lion, a leopard, a fox, and a crow. He made friends with them there. Although they were friends, finally the camel was killed by his friends because they were hungry. He was killed as a sacrifice for the king of jungle, the lion. The theme makes the story clear to understand and interpret. It also makes the other elements so clear to know. However, the writer still wants to know the evidences how it works on the other elements.

Religious indoctrination is wrong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religious indoctrination is wrong - Essay Example Then, why is constructivism viewed in many schools as the lone method for instruction? Children answering question papers with a prejudice for another religious belief will be punished if they answer by their beliefs rather than in line with the indoctrination of their schools. Under constructivism, and as argued by Richard Dawkins, religious indoctrination of children is particularly repulsive since it conflicts with moral standards. A number of critics observe the presence of indoctrination in any effort to teach religious beliefs. There is a major debate about the description of indoctrination, but this debate is beyond the scope of this paper. However, this paper applies John Chambers’s definition of indoctrination: â€Å"intentional implantation of equivocal or debatable content in the hope that no matter what counter-evidence is produced the†¦ students will continue to hold the content as true and never see it as equivocal or false† (Purdy 1992, 158). A relev ant aspect of this description is that it helps to differentiate between education and indoctrination, which requires imparting information or knowledge with a truthful explanation of its merits. The present author thinks that in question are unspoken, and often unrecognized, arguments about the value of individual judgment and choice. It appears that what is assumed to be essential about these judgment and choice is that they are ‘ours’. The core of this argument is some idea of ‘unadulterated,’ ‘unbiased’ choice. Widespread opinion at times compares any influencing or manipulating of other people, particularly helpless, innocent, or trusting ones like children, with brainwashing or indoctrination. LaFollette, for instance, argues that if children are religiously indoctrinated by their parents then they are hampered from maturing as critical thinkers and independent adults (Langlaude 2007, 51). As stated by John White: â€Å"If the parent has an obligation to bring up his child as a morally autonomous person, he cannot at the same time have the right to indoctrinate him with any beliefs whatsoever, since some beliefs may contradict those on which his educational endeavors should be based† (Langlaude 2007, 51). Indoctrination of established religions in fact disregards human vulnerability, weaknesses, or immaturity in other ways. Established religions’ physical abuse of children can be traced back to prehistoric times and is still widespread. Cases of such thrive within the walls of Christian religions, especially in their historical account of detained native children, and in the maltreatment committed by ministers, nuns, and priests who on account of their authority and its predestined worth were bestowed with faith and have held influence over the indoctrinated. Therefore, rather than depending on ambiguous and uncertain values and beliefs, we need an open dialogue of what children should learn and how to better assist them in doing it. Hence we should tackle the issue whether they should be taught about vital topics or whether they become skilled at making good decisions if left wholly to their own means. If children are given the opportunity as much as possible to decide on their own, it is possible but unlikely that they will effectively pull themselves out of the chaos and come out the stronger. Gradually, and through practice, people are able to possess the abilities which liberate them of the

Apple_Inc_Week_3 Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Apple_Inc_Week_3 - Thesis Example Apple has a set of values that it has fostered in its culture and employees personalities through aggressive training. Some of these values include empathy for users, aggressiveness, achievement, positive social contribution, innovation/vision, individual performance, team spirit, quality/excellence, individual reward and good management. These values appears to be ideological and achievement driven, Apples training manual further reinforces these values. The training manual includes programs like Component Isolation, The Power Of Empathy, Using Diagnostic Services etc. All these trainings methodologies promote Apples values and persuade the employees to act compassionately, be customer-oriented and stay fearless about the feedback (Duerson, 2012; Biddle, 2012). Apples long standing slogan of Think Different pushes its practices, offering and employees to be different, emphasizing on inventive and innovative ways. When it comes to motivation, Apple has successfully managed to attract and retain potential talent with the help of its intrinsic motivational techniques. Apple provides remuneration that is slightly higher than the average market remuneration package. Its mainly competitive environment and opportunity to progress that motivates employees to perform well in their respective jobs. Apple mainly recruits employees with flair for innovation and challenge. These personality traits comply well with the organizational culture of Apple. Apple has a culture that fosters competitiveness, innovation, creativity and ownership. This culture is a resultant of Apples ideology introduced by its leadership. It has managed to devise a working environment that allows employees to operate more independently. Other than on-site jobs through which employees are assigned with goals aligned with their job description with complete ownership, off-site jobs facilitate ownership and

Compare and contrast Burkes narrative of the scientific revolution Essay

Compare and contrast Burkes narrative of the scientific revolution with Merchant's - Essay Example gency of scientific revolution was a means of upward progression by humans that could witness them gain power in order to control, rule, and manage the earth while searching the lost Garden of Eden. In both narratives, scientific revolution brings scientific inventions, technological advancements, as well as capitalism. These scientific tools would enable humans reinvent the lost garden, subdue or rather dominate nature, and deliver people from the wilderness or desert to the safe place perceived as the garden (112). In this case, both narratives are similar in the manner they contemplate recovery of the lost garden in the modern world, the way humans use their power in a series of historical events regarding scientific revolution in view of improving their environment with the help of science and technology. In conclusion, both scientific revolution narratives of Burke and Merchant have contrasting aspects regarding science and its evolution. Burke argues a computer scientist can control computerized technology as well as computerized communication. Furthermore, availability of computers can revolutionize the world through internet where people can exchange ideas regardless of their locations. Merchant on the other side writes people are idealizing nature with a point of making profit out of it. The appeal of finding the lost garden is no more (169). Therefore, people are capitalizing on their interests such as intrepid economic based adventures that are popular with tourists and expanded civilization of people and nature exploitation is rapidly diminishing the wilderness making environmental issues become centre of

Bioethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bioethics - Essay Example We have to listen to all sides in order to get a wider idea of the complexity of this debate. But we also have to be firm in our position once we have reached a sound and factual conclusion. That way we avoid any kind of hypocrisy, and there will not be any double talk in our grasp of the issues at hand. Scientists, lawyers, policymakers, theologians, ethicists, and lay people have something to say about this matter. Many have spoken their minds raising up high their heated arguments. All of them have the right to give their opinions, and we will listen to some of them as we move forward up to our concluding words. We have to keep in mind the fact that at the end God is the centre of the debate. According to the position that we might defend, human freedom of choice becomes an alibi for behaving as we please, or it is the subject of a higher dimension in the eyes of God. When dealing with new reproductive technologies, we should study the bioethical aspects of such new instruments of Science. The mere production of spare embryos as well as their use for scientific research raises some serious bioethical questions that need to be answered. Just from the natural point of view, we have arguments in favor of showing respect for any kind of embryos, even if they are classified as "pre-embryos". C. W. Kischer gives us some useful information about the idea behind the term "conception", and its relationship with the beginning of human life: ""When animal experiments were done in the 18th and 19th centuries, deductive reasoning led to the conclusion that life began at conception; and, finally, this was observed directly by the first in-vitro fertilization procedures with human gametes some 40 years ago" (Kischer 2002). Following this kind of reasoning -not taking God into account, just from the natural point of view- Kischer arrives to this conclusion: "We should respect a microscopic human embryo because at that time it is an integrated whole organism, just as the human is at every moment in time until death. Every human embryo deserves as much respect as you or I because it is formed as a new individual human life within the continuum of life as a manifestation of NATURAL LAW!" (Kischer 2002) (Kischer's own emphasis in capital letters). Kischer speaks about a "continuum of life", and there are three different opposing views on this idea as R. Hoedemaekers explains in detail. He states that there are three fundamental positions with regard to the moral status of a new unborn human life: the first one is "continuity in development", and this view gives personhood to the embryo from the very beginning, that is, from conception, with the same degree of value and dignity as a human being; the second one is "discontinuity in development", and this position treats the embryos from two different angles, first as a property at conception, and much later as a person, depending on the age in development; and the third one is "incremental or gradual development" that assigns a lesser to a greater degree in personhood to the

Quality Reliability and Maintenance Research Paper

Quality Reliability and Maintenance - Research Paper Example 2. QUESTION 4: Describe and then critically assess how your company designs, develops and produces a new product or service. Suggest practical ways in which current methods could be improved and explain the likely benefits to be gained from application of your suggestions. Table of Contents 1. Table of Contents 3 1.QUESTION 2 4 1.1 INTRODUCTION 4 1.2 SIX SIGMA DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION OF SIX SIGMA 4 1.3 DEFINITION OF EFQM AND A BRIEF DESCRIPTION 7 1.4 THE MANNER IN WHICH SIX SIGMA ADDRESSES EFQM MODEL 8 1.5 ACTIONS OF EFQM THAT SIX SIGMA DOESN’T COVER 9 1.6 CONCLUSION 10 2.0 Question 4 10 2.1 INTRODUCTION 10 2.1.1 THE DESIGN PHASE 11 2.1.2 THE DEVELOPMENT PHASE 12 2.1.3 THE PRODUCTION PHASE 13 2.2 WHAT DMADV IS IN DESIGN OF SIX SIGMA 13 2.2.1 DEFINE 14 2.2.2 MEASURE 14 2.2.3 ANALYSE 15 2.2.4 DESIGN 16 2.2.5 VERIFY 16 2.3 A DETAILED EXPLANATION OF DMADV APPROACH. 17 2.4 IMPROVING THIS APPROACH. 18 2.5 CONCLUSION 19 BIBILIOGRAPHY/ REFERENCES 20 Graham Cartwright and John Oakla nd (2007) Lean Six Sigma – Making it ‘Business as Usual’. ... AINING DURATION OF BELTS IN SIX SIGMA 18 1.QUESTION 2 1.1 INTRODUCTION Most organisation in the world have concerns over process improvements in order to operate in the competitive market. Many CEO’s have been forced on implementing tools that will help them work smarter. This requires deep understanding of the business processes of the enterprise or the holistic overview of the organisation, as well as the ability to execute change on these processes. Tools focus generally in ensuring the organisation find a way to survive in the competitive All tools are Important but depending on certain situations one tool may be ideal to the other. Managers should be able to know when to use a tool depending on the advantages and disadvantages of the tools. Changing of tools enables the organisation run smoothly in the market gaining advantages that can’t be seen by its competitors, 1.2 SIX SIGMA DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION OF SIX SIGMA It is defined as a management approachwhich ai ms at improving the quality of processes by minimizing and eventually removing the errors and defects. This concept is developed to ensure that the customer’s satisfactions and requirements are meet and put in place.Tomkins (1997) defines that Six Sigma is aprogramme aimed at the near-elimination of defects from every product, process and transaction.Six sigma implies 3 main features statistical management, management strategy and quality culture.In fact, any process which does not lead to customer satisfaction is referred to as a defect and has to be eliminated from the system to ensure superior quality of products and services.The goal of the statistical quality control as a feature within the Six Sigma Methodology is to determine whether something has gone wrong with the manufacturing system. By

IP Addressing and Subnetting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

IP Addressing and Subnetting - Essay Example These identifiers are the one referred to as the internet protocols which are numerical figures that identifies a device connected to a network. IP addressing therefore means assigning these figures to a device so that it can be identified. On the other hand a sub network, also known as subnet is a sub division of an IP network, which makes sub netting to be the division of an IP network (Blank 2004). There exists two main versions of internet protocol which include internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) and internet protocol version 6 (IPv6).since these versions contain an endless pools of numbers, for IPv4, this pool of numbers is 32 bits written as (232) and contains 4,294,967,296 IPv4 addresses, where bits refer to a digit in the form of binary system which is used in storing information. For IPv6 version, it has 128-bits written as (2128) containing 340,282,366,920,938,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 IPv6 addresses. These two versions are assigned to a given network in different sizes. The size assigned is shown after an oblique, and it reflects the number of IP addresses contained in it. The lower the number after the oblique the more the number of addresses the protocol size has (Groth 2005). Since an internet protocol is made up of 32 binary bits, they are subdivided into network and host sections. The network portion identifies the particular network that it is connected to whereas the host portion identifies a node, be it a computer, on the local area network (LAN). This is aided by the use of subnet mask, which is described as a 32 binary bits combination that is these octets used to show which section or portion of an IP address refers to a subnet and the other tat refers to the host. The 32 binary bits are subdivided onto octets where octet holds 8 bits making a total of four octets. These octets are then turned into decimals and separated by a period. This is why an IP address is expressed in decimal with dots in between. The number of decimal in each oct et ranges from 0-255 decimals or 00000000-11111111 binary (Groth 2005). As indicated above, a subnet mask helps to know which section of the internet protocol identifies a given network and the section of the IP that identifies the nodes. If we have a network with a natural mask of 255.0.0.0 which has not been sub netted, it would have an address close to 8.20.15.1255.0.0.0.converting these addresses and masks to binary numbers, and we would have 8.20.15.1 = 00001000.00010100.00001111.00000001 255.0.0.0 = 11111111.00000000.00000000.00000000 There different types of IP addressing and each have their own features. One of the forms includes the unicast. This is the most used concept of internet protocol addressing for both IPv4 and IPv6.it is used to refer to a single sender and a single receiver which could be used for sending and receiving. A unicast address is usually for a single host. Different devices have different unique unicast addresses, each with a different unique purpose. This means that for a person to data to many unicast addresses, he is required to send it many times to each recipient. The second type of IP address is the broadcast. Only IPv4 implements the broadcast addressing since IPv6 replaces broadcast with multicast addressing. For the IPv4, it is with ease to send data to all hosts. In the IPv4 address the address 255.255.255.255 is used to broadcast. The third type of addressing is the multicast addressing. Multicast address is linked with a group of recipient. For IPv4 addresses, given addresses 224.0.0.0

Plea-bargaining Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plea-bargaining - Essay Example The advantage of this system is that there is no need for a trial, a right that the defendant waives losing the chance for acquittal. However, the defendant â€Å"escapes† with a lesser charge than would have been the case had trial been done. The state saves on the cost of conducting a trial (Grossman & Katz, 1983). For the system to be operational, there are issues that are pre-negotiated including the reduction of charges, recommendations regarding the sentence itself or the guarantee that the prosecution would not oppose a request for probation. The process of plea-bargaining after the crime is committed and the accused person is arrested. The accused pleads guilty in exchange of an agreed sentence recommended by the judge. There are three types of pleas bargains. These are charge bargaining, count bargaining and sentence bargaining. The first type of bargain is where the defendant agrees to plead to a charge that is lesser than the one he is charged with. The second is wh ere the defendant will have the number of charges that he faces reduced in number and the third is where the defendant simply pleads guilty with prior knowledge of what the sentence will be. The process of plea bargaining is a private matter where only the accused, the defendant counsel, the prosecutor and in some cases the judge may be in attendance. The offer of plea bargain is used to locate stolen goods, to help arrest other culprits or to know the location of a kidnapped victim or a killed individual. A plea bargain does not undermine the system of law. Although the facts indicate that the practice usually leads to reduced sentences to guilty parties without the process of trial, there are benefits that aid in offsetting the negative sentiments expressed in relation to the practice. There are many advantages to plea bargaining as there are disadvantages. Considering the success rates of plea bargaining compared to that of trials, the practice inadvertently aids in the reduction of criminals on the streets as well as guarantee speedy dispensation of justice (Goldstein, 1997). In exchange, the prosecution gets information that might be valuable to the conviction of more serious crimes or may get information that might be the missing link towards the conclusion of a case in a court or an investigation. There are instances where plea bargaining has been considered as lacking. The prisoner?s dilemma scenario plays out during plea bargains (Schulhofer, 1992). Consider two people who have been accused. The prosecution will attempt to unearth the facts of the case by offering a plea bargain to one party so that he can testify against the other party. Regardless of whether both parties are guilty or not, the person who confesses will give false information incriminating even those who may not be guilty in an attempt to get himself out of the larger sentence. Another scenario is when the defendant cannot raise bail. Such a defendant will plead guilty to the charges leveled against him regardless of whether he is guilty or not. Such a person considers the length of time that trials usually take and chooses to plead to a plea bargain that might present a lesser time than that which he would have faced awaiting trial. Some critics argue that plea bargaining does not always result in saving on costs (Kipnis, 1979). They consider that a prosecutor who has a remote chance of getting a conviction may enter a plea bargain with the aim of getting reduced time for the defendant. If such a defendant accepts the deal, he will increase the cost to the state as he will be catered for in a jail. On the contrary, if the trial had dragged on until the end, the defendant would have been acquitted and that would have carried no extra cost to the state. There are

How did women's fashions change in the 1920's Have these styles Research Paper

How did women's fashions change in the 1920's Have these styles survived or ever been revivied How do they reflect the new fre - Research Paper Example The designs, colours and fabrics and the associated accessories used by fashion technologists are not to be seen merely as expressions of random ideas or creativity. They, in fact, are meant to make statements; statements of joy, liberation, individuality, functionality, self-expression and post-war optimism. The fashion trends of the hedonistic 1920s assume importance in this light and the most wonderful thing about those well-coordinated outfits was the enormous freedom they gave women ‘to choose’. Women are the loveliest creation of god and now they were to become even lovelier. The music of 1920s was a trendsetter and so were the new fashion modules of the period, their ‘classical’ nature notwithstanding. They were simple, yet elegant carrying with them timeless and age-defying sex-appeal. Any discussion on women’s fashion in the colorful 1920s has to be centered on close-fitting cloche hats without rims, sleeveless dresses, slipper shoes, sheer s tockings, Madeleine Vionnet’s very feminine bias-cuts, pantsuits, canes, body-flattering Coco Chanel silhouettes and Art Deco fashion with its integration of the Oriental culture, not to mention La Garconne style, handbags, jewellery and such things so much so that any attempt to visualize their appeal by taking a look at black-and-white snapshots of that period does not just work. 1920s, more commonly known the ‘roaring 20s’, as much as 1940s, both being points of time that have witnessed not only the horror of World Wars but also the serenity that the end of hostilities marked, were historically prone to see a sea change in terms of people’s attitude and women’s in particular in terms of the idea of fashion. The first short skirt sounded the death knell of the haute couture era [Skirt length reached its lowest point in 1923 (1920s Fashions for Women)] and ushered in the modern era of fashion which conceived the idea of erotic beauty. The transform ation of woman from being an object of beauty to becoming a futurist machine was kick-started. ‘Chic’ became a vogue word. And there was no looking back. So we see the cumbersome Victorian clothing gradually losing ground. Crinolines, rear-enhancing bustles and restrictive corsets passed into oblivion, thankfully causing a steep decline in the incidence of ptosis. Lighter, brighter and daringly shorter dresses, straight-line chemises, nemo-flex brassieres, sleek, masculine or boyish look, flat chests with bandeaus, shingle cut and Bubikopf or the bob cut (popularized by actress Louise Brookes) formed the order of the day. The Basque dress or Robe de Style which clubbed the features of straight silhouette and belled skirt was very popular. Make up, in particular, was another ‘shocking’ development. Rising hemlines of the flappers, who characterized the revolutionary spirit of the typical jazz age woman, made dancing the Charleston, for instance to a tune of Duke Ellington or to the frenetic sounds of Bix Beiderbecke, easier. Light weight undergarments made it easier to play sport and drive automobiles. The Women’s Fashion Institute designed the ‘one hour dress’ in 1926 (Flapper Fashion). For the first time in history, pleats, gathers and slits ruled women’s fashion, liberating women from constricting clothes, though the Great Depression, for a while, brought about a roll-back towards conservative wear (The History of 20th Century

Some People Think That They Can Learn Better by Themsleves Than with a Teacher Essay Example for Free

Some People Think That They Can Learn Better by Themsleves Than with a Teacher Essay There has been a great deal written about the studying way of students for the past thousand years. Educators have started to wonder whether students should learn with intructors or not. Some people who are against this idea may argue that students ought to study by themsleves, which are likely to block their creativeness. One idea that has received much attention is that the majority of students tend to obtain knowledge from their teachers mainly because of its convenience and utility. This essay will discuss the teachers’ crucial function is not just the offer of excellent traning method but also an motivation for student. First and foremost, the wisdom of teachers can help learners steer their own boat in the ocean of life. For one thing, researchers have claimed that intructors may provide students with a wide range of advance knowledge thanks to their in-depth experience. When students learn without asking teachers’ assistance, they arenot be able to recognize their mistakes on their own and learn other difficult aspects in a lesson as well. For example, a number of students are in trouble in mathemartics; therefore, is is too hard for them to find out the way which in order to solve the problem. Teacher instructs and offers a variety of extra exercises so as to help them afterwards. For another, with teachers, students get the information not only in textbooks and materials but also the teachers’ knowledge. Almost teachers use adequate knowledge and accumulated experience to find the hidden talents of students. Realizing the students’ strong and weak points, which can help inst ructors implement approriate teaching methods for students. Second, a numerous entertainment activities, namely watching TV, searching web and playing games can distract students when they decide to learn subject by themselves at home. Put diferrently, teachers force students concentrate on lessons. They also approach a particular topic logically by taking it step by step. Without teachers, students will skip parts of learning process that arenot nesscesary for them, which can limit their understanding. Opponents of this may state that some people rather to waste their time to go for classes they can learn better with attend online classes by using internet at home since in a competitive world, time is one of the most concerned factors. Furthermore, there is not specific time, age limit to gain something new in online class. They have a point in thinking like that. On the other hand, they forget the fact that students usually start to feel nervous when exams come knocking at the door and teachers are able to prevent this situation by some special methods. In conclusion, it is undeniable teachers play important roles to motivate their children to become a successfull person.First, teachers with wide knowledge always provide students with a good direction to acheive goals. Moreover, they can push students in order to focus on the lessons. If this trend continues, more and more intellectual new generation will lay down a prosperous country.

Why Star Topology is Best

Why Star Topology is Best 1.0 SYNOPSIS This study focused on a star network topology. A star network is a local area network in which all devices are directly linked to a central point called a hub. Star topology looks like a star but not exactly a star. The findings from the study revealed that in star topology every computer is connected to a central node called a hub or a switch. A hub is a device where the entire linking standards come together. The data that is transmitted between the network nodes passes across the central hub. The project further goes on to explain the advantages, disadvantages and usage of star network topology. The centralized nature of a star network provides ease while also achieving isolation of each device in the network. However, the disadvantage of a star topology is that the network transmission is largely reliant on the central hub. If the central hub falls short then the whole network is out of action. Star networks are one of the most common computer network topologies that are used in homes and offices. In a Star Network Topology it is possible to have all the important data backups on the hub in a private folder and this way if the computer fails you can still use your data using the next computer in the network and accessing the backup files on the hub. It has come to realization that this type of network offers more privacy than any other network. 2.0 INTRODUCTION The main objective of this project is to discuss the advantages, disadvantages and usage of star network topology. A topology is a physical structure of a network. Star topology is a network structure comprising a central node to which all other devices attached directly and through which all other devices intercommunicate (http://www.yourdictionary.com/telecom/star-topology). The hub, leaf nodes and the transmission lines between them form a graph with the topology of a star. Star is one of the most and oldest common topology in the local area network. The design of star topology comes from telecommunication system. In telephone system all telephone calls are managed by the central switching station. Just like in star topology each workstation of the network is connected to a central node, which is known as a hub. Hub is a device where the whole linking mediums come together. It is responsible of running all activities of the network. It also acts as a repeater for the data flow. Generally when build a network using two or more computers, you need a hub. It is possible to connect two computers to each other directly without the need of a hub but when adding a third computer in the network, we need a hub to allow a proper data communication within the network. In a Star Network the whole network is reliant on the hub. (http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-6-2005-65413.asp) Devices such as file server, workstation and peripheral are all linked to a hub. All the data passes through the hub. When a packet comes to the hub it moves that packet to all the nodes linked through the hub but only one node at a time successfully transmits it. Data on a star network exceeds through the hub before continuing to its target. Different types of cables are used to link computers such as twisted pair, coaxial cable and fiber optics. The most common cable media in use for star topologies is unshielded or shielded twisted pair copper cabling. One end of the cable is plugged in local area network card while the other side is connected with the hub. Due to the centralization in star topology it is easy to monitor and handle the network making it more advantageous. Since the whole network is reliant on the hub, if the whole network is not working then there could be a problem with the hub. The hub makes it easy to troubleshoot by offering a single point for error connection at the same time the reliance is also very high on that single point. The central function is cost effective and easier to maintain. Star topology also has some draw backs. If the hub encounters a problem then the whole network falls short. In a Star Network Topology it is possible to have all the important data backups on the hub in a private folder and this way if the computer fails you can still use your data using the next computer in the network and accessing the backup files on the hub. 3.0 BACKGROUND STUDY In this section the researcher has clarified and explained in details some of the advantages, disadvantages and usage of star topology. These three concepts are the main core of this project. 3.1 ADVANTAGES OF STAR NETWORK 3.1.1 Isolation of devices: each device is isolated by the link that connects it to the hub. By so doing it makes the isolation of the individual devices simple. This isolation nature also prevents any non centralized failure from affecting the network. In a star network, a cable failure will isolate the workstation that it links to the central computer, but only that workstation will be isolated. All the other workstations will continue to function normally, except that they will not be able to communicate with the isolated workstation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_network) 3.1.2 Simplicity: The topology is easy to understand, establish, and navigate. The simple topology obviates the need for complex routing or message passing protocols. As noted earlier, the isolation and centralization simplifies fault detection, as each link or device can be probed individually .Due to its centralized nature, the topology offers simplicity of operation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_network) 3.1.3 If any cable is not working then the whole network will not be affected: in a star topology, each network device has a home run of cabling back to a network hub, giving each device a separate connection to the network. If there is a problem with a cable, it will generally not affect the rest of the network. The most common cable media in use for star topologies is unshielded twisted pair copper cabling. If small numbers of devices are utilized in this topology the data rate will be high. It is best for short distance ( http://fallsconnect.com/topology.htm#a) 3.1.4 You can easily add new computers or devices to the network without interrupting other nodes: The star network topology works well when computers are at scattered points. It is easy to add or remove computers. New devices or nodes can easily be added to the Star Network by just extending a cable from the hub. If the hub adds a device for example a printer or a fax machine, all the other computers on the network can access the new device by simply accessing the hub. The device need not be installed on all the computers in the network. The central function is cost effective and easier to maintain. If the computers are reasonably close to the vertices of a convex polygon and the system requirements are modest. And also when one computer falls short then it wont affect the whole communication. (http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/dictionary/definition/what-is-star-network.html#) 3.1.5 Centralization: the star topologies ease the chance of a network failure by linking all of the computers to a central node. All computers may therefore communicate with all others by transmitting to and receiving from the central node only. Benefits from centralization: As the central hub is the bottleneck, increasing capacity of the central hub or adding additional devices to the star, can help scale the network very easily. The central nature also allows the check up of traffic through the network. This helps evaluate all the traffic in the network and establish apprehensive behavior (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-different-network-topologies.html). 3.1.6 Easy to troubleshoot: in a star network the whole network is reliant on the hub so if the entire network is not working then there could be a problem with the hub. This feature makes it easy to troubleshoot by offering a single point for error connection ad at the same time the dependency is also very high on that single point 3.1.7 Better performance: star network prevents unnecessary passing of the data packet through nodes. At most 3 devices and 2 links are involved in any communication between any two devices which are part of this topology. This topology encourage a huge overhead on the central hub, however if the central hub has plenty of capacity, then very high network used by one device in the network does not affect the other devices in the network. Data Packets are sent quickly as they do not have to travel through any unnecessary. The big advantage of the star network is that it is fast. This is because each computer terminal is attached directly to the central computer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_network). 3.1.8 EASY INSTALLATION: Installation is simple, inexpensive, and fast because of the flexible cable and the modular connector. 3.2 DISADVANTAGES OF STAR NETWORK 3.2.1 If the hub or concentrator fails, nodes attached are disabled: The primary disadvantage of a star topology is the high dependence of the system on the functioning of the central hub. While the failure of an individual link only results in the isolation of a single node, the failure of the central hub renders the network inoperable, immediately isolating all nodes. (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-different-network-topologies.html ) 3.2.2 The performance and scalability of the network also depend on the capabilities of the hub. Network size is limited by the number of connections that can be made to the hub, and performance for the whole network is limited by its throughput. While in theory traffic between the hub and a node is isolated from other nodes on the network, other nodes may see a performance drop if traffic to another node occupies a significant portion of the central nodes processing capability or throughput (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_network). Furthermore, wiring up of the system can be very complex. 3.2.3 The primary disadvantage of the star topology is the hub is a single point of failure: If the hub were to fall short the whole network would fail as a result of the hub being connected to every computer on the network. There will be communication break down between the computers when the hub fails. 3.2.4 Star topology requires more cable length: When the network is being extended then there will be the need of more cables and this result in intricate installation. 3.2.5 More Expensive than other topologies: it is expensive due to cost of the hub. Star topology uses a lot of cables thus making it the most costly network to set up as you also have to trunk to keep the cables out of harm way. Every computer requires a separate cable to form the network. . A common cable that is used in Star Network is the UTP or the unshielded twisted pair cable. Another common cable that is used in star networks is the RJ45 or the Ethernet cables 3.3 USAGES OF STAR NETWORK Star topology is a networking setup used with 10BASE-T cabling (also called UTP or twisted-pair) and a hub. Each item on the network is connected to the hub like points of a star. The protocols used with star configurations are usually Ethernet or local-talk. Token Ring uses a similar topology, called the star-wired ring (http://fallsconnect.com/topology.htm#a). Star Topology is the most common type of network topology that is used in homes and offices. In the Star Topology there is a central connection point called the hub which is a computer hub or sometimes just a switch. In a Star Network the best advantage is when there is a failure in cable then only one computer might get affected and not the entire network. Star topology is used to ease the probabilities of network failure by connecting all of the systems to a central node. This central hub rebroadcasts all transmissions received from any peripheral node to all peripheral nodes on the network, sometimes including the originating node. All peripheral nodes may thus communicate with all others by transmitting to, and receiving from, the central node only (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Star network is used to transmit data across the central hub between the network nodes. When a packet comes to the hub it transfers that packet to all nodes connected through a hub but only one node at a time successfully transmits it. In local area networks where the star topology is used, each machine is connected to a central hub. In contrast to the bus topology, the star topology allows each machine on the network to have a point to point connection to the central hub and there is no single point of failure. All of the traffic which transverses the network passes through the central hub. The hub acts as a signal booster or repeater which in turn allows the signal to travel greater distances. When it is important that your network have increased stability and speed, the star topology should be considered. When you use a hub, you get centralized administration and security control, low configuration costs and easy troubleshooting. When one node or workstation goes down, the rest of your network will still be functional. 4.0 APPENDIX As the name suggests, this layout is similar to a star. The illustration shows a star network with five workstations or six, if the central computer acts as a workstation. Each workstation is shown as a sphere, the central computer is shown as a larger sphere and it is a hub, and connections are shown as a thin flexible cable. The connections can be wired or wireless links. The hub is a central to a star topology and the network cannot function without it. It connects to each separate node directly through a thin flexible cable (10BASE-T cable). One end of the cable is plugged into the connector on the network adapter card (either internal or external to the computer) and the other end connects directly to the hub. The number of nodes you can connect to a hub is determined by the hub. 5.0 CONCLUSION A star network is a local area network in which all computers are directly connected to a common central computer. Every workstation is indirectly connected to every other through the central computer. In some star networks, the central computer can also operate as a workstation A Star Network Topology is best suited for smaller networks and works efficiently when there is limited number of nodes. One has to ensure that the hub or the central node is always working and extra security features should be added to the hub because it s the heart of the network. To expand a star topology network, youll need to add another hub and go to a star of stars topology. In a Star Network Topology it is possible to have all the important data backups on the hub in a private folder and this way if the computer fails you can still use your data using the next computer in the network and accessing the backup files on the hub. 6.0 REFERENCES Available on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_network Available on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_small_aperture_terminal Available on http://fallsconnect.com/topology.htm#a Available on http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/dictionary/definition/what-is-star-network.html#(above) Available on http://www.answers.com/topic/star_network Available on http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-different-network-topologies.html Available on http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-6-2005-65413.asp Available on http://www.blurtit.com/q826101.html

Bosnian War Exploring Motives And Behaviour Of Perpetrators Criminology Essay

Bosnian War Exploring Motives And Behaviour Of Perpetrators Criminology Essay The main aim of this essay is to explore the motive, behaviour and policy of the perpetrators towards civilians and their enemy in the Bosnian Civil War from 1992 until 1995. The essay emphasizes common traits, behaviours of the perpetrators and identifies factors and elements that relate to their motives and aggression to commit mass killing and crimes against humanity. This essay will also explain the factors that drive people, who formerly co-habited harmoniously, to committing brutal acts of violence against their friends, neighbours and compatriots. The primary focus will be on three different ethnic groups in Bosnia during the conflict; the Serbs, the Bosnian Muslims and the Croats and the essay will focus more on the conflict between Serbs and Muslims. It will also focus upon violent acts committed by Serbs against Muslims; although as the war developed, Serbs also became victims of specific kinds of Croat and Muslim violence. Sometimes, it is difficult for scholars to determine the real reasons or motives that make ordinary people with no previous criminal record commit sudden brutal acts of violence. Focusing on the particular case of the ethnic conflict in Bosnia, this essay aims to demonstrate why behaviour and demeanour of the perpetrators of genocide and war crimes is important. This will help to highlight the personality of perpetrators and to illustrate the complexity of perpetrators behaviour and way of thinking. The perpetrator-focused research in Bosnia can be justified on a combination of moral, cognitive and practical grounds; it emphasizes the importance of circumstances as an explanation for perpetrator conduct; and suggests that Erwin Staubs concept of a continuum of destruction  [1]  reflecting the fact that a perpetrators behaviour can rapidly fluctuate between acts of cruelty and kindness.  [2]   The Bosnian Civil War was very complex and full of tragic events including the forced migration and killings of inhabitants based on their ethnicity, also known as ethnic cleansing. To achieve the objective on controlling territories, the perpetrators, usually with the full support from the largest ethnic group, violently displaced or killed members of other ethnic groups who stood in their way  [3]  . In all cases, assault on civilian populations was both an aim and instrument of war. The perpetrators included regular military, paramilitaries, militias, reservists, police, internal security forces or armed civilian group. The war in Bosnia was waged by ultranationalists who targeted civilians because they stood in the way of the idea of their national interest. This was achieved by ethnic cleansing, using violence and deportations of other ethnic communities who had previously lived together peacefully in Bosnia. For example, the Srebrenica massacre, the most infamous violent ac t by the perpetrators during the war, was described as the worst atrocity witnessed in the history of modern European world after the World War II  [4]  and the largest single war crime in Europe.  [5]   By demography, Bosnia is a multiethnic nation, in which there was no majority ethnic group. Out of the population of 4.4 million, Bosnian Muslims constituted 43.7 percent, Serbs constituted 31.4 percent, while Croats constituted 17.3 percent. Before the conflict erupted in 1992, Bosnia was an example of a harmonious society where Muslims, Serbs and Croats lived side by side, free of social subordination.  [6]  There had not been serious ethnic conflict after the World War II, and even though after the election in 1990 have made the ethnic relationship became more salient, the groups tried to resolve any conflict without any element of violence.  [7]  As a result, the vast majority of people in Yugoslavia co-existed in peace regardless of their ethnic or religious group. From one perspective, the war in Bosnia could be viewed as a clear-cut case of civil war which is an internal war among ethnic groups unable to agree on arrangements for sharing power. Similar to other civil wars, different parties who fought in this war had enjoyed substantial political and military backing from neighbouring states. The Serb and Croat paramilitaries involved volunteers from Serbia and Croatia, and were supported by nationalist political parties in those countries.  [8]  Although Bosnian independence was fully recognized by the United Nation, neither Serbia nor Croatia accepted the resolution. A further case could be made that the Bosnian Serb army was under the de facto control of the Yugoslav Army and Belgrade and was therefore an instrument of external aggression. A key factor to the conflict in Bosnia is the role of leaders as voices of extremism or nationalism. The attitude of Serbian leaders in Serbia and Bosnia played a crucial role in channelling the behaviour of ordinary Serbs against the Muslims and Croats. Shortly after the break-up of Yugoslavia, they led a nationalist movement, shape the progressions of events and made the decisions to lead the aggression against other ethnic groups. As an authority in the highest position, leaders could command the trust and obedience of their fellow ethnic, while the ordinary man could claim that there were just following orders from the authority.  [9]   Leaders in both Serbia and Croatia, sometimes aided by journalist, academics, and military organization, deliberately revived and exploited painful memories of the history of the former Yugoslavia in spreading the propaganda to create fear and hatred between ethnic groups. They exploited the brutality and atrocities among each other in the past especially in the Second World War and inflamed national sentiments between ethnic groups.  [10]  The Serb nationalist revival also led to intense public discussion of World War II about the atrocities of the Ustasha against Serbs. During 1980s, when tension among ethnic groups started to escalate, Serbs were often reminded about the massacres, betrayal, and continued hostility between Serbs, Croats and Muslims. In order to plant the seed of nationalism among fellow Serbs, Ustasha killings has been portrayed frequently in mass media, memoirs, plays, and history, and it became obvious when Milosevic ignited the fire of the Serbian nationali sm in everyday life especially on television.  [11]  Each side fears that they will be the victim of genocide if others gain political and military power in Bosnia and this reason has been justified by Serbian and Croatian nationalists to push their people into wars of self-defence.  [12]  Leaders of ethnic groups such as Franco Tudjman of Croatia, Alija Izetbegovic of Muslims, and Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadzic of Serbia inflamed the sentiments on their people by taking several actions and implementing some policies which favoured on their side.  [13]  For example, Radovan Karadzic had warned the Bosnian government that if they choose independent, They will disappear. That people will disappear from the face of the earth.  [14]   In general, perpetrators are those who initiate, facilitate, or carry out acts of genocide or crimes against humanity. During the Bosnian conflict, the motive of the perpetrators could be classified into various categories. In order to eliminate what the respective perpetrators believed as a real or potential threat, as well as to spread terror among real or potential foes, mass killing and other atrocities were used.  [15]  It is quite difficult to fully understand the motives of the perpetrators because the individual and group changes that lead to increasingly vicious acts may become not only more comprehensible, but even seemingly natural. Perpetrators make many small and great decisions as they progress along the continuum of destruction. They choose leaders, adopt ideologies, create policies and plans, and engage in harmful and violent acts and their circumstances and characteristics move them in certain directions.  [16]   In order to facilitate the intention of expulsion or killing of other ethnic groups, military and paramilitary organizations were used as a common institutional structures. Such organizations enforce obedience, encourage conformity, provide training, desensitize their members responses to killing, and planted the ideology of the struggle to all member of the organization. All parties to the conflict in Bosnia are actually guilty of perpetrating abuse and violence, although to varying degrees. The main perpetrators of the abuses may vary from certain circumstances depending on which forces are in control in the particular territories. On the whole, however, the main aggressors have been the Serbian military and paramilitary forces. As the main offenders, they are in a position to inflict great damage and their policy of ethnic cleansing with the intention to dominate the whole Bosnia. For example, the infamous Arkans Tiger, one of the most ferocious Serbian paramilitary organizations which responsible for crimes committed to Muslims and Croats all across Bosnia, is a Belgrade-backed paramilitary organization where soldiers under his command brutally imprisoned, beat, raped, and executed non-Serb persons.  [17]  During the war, majority of the territory in Bosnia forcibly came under Serb domination and large segments of the Muslim population were either killed or expelled by paramilitary which actively participated in these operations in order to secure Serb control over territories.  [18]   While most of the Serbian perpetrators were conducted by a larger groups which is paramilitary or militia, the abuses attributable to Croats and Muslims were usually perpetrated by individual and do not associated with certain groups. Bosnian Croat and Muslims also found guilty of serious abuse of human right and crime against humanity. The destruction of Serbian property, removal by force, the detention and killing of the inhabitant in many cases appear to be known but little had been done to prove it. For example, by committing the crime against Serbs in Kravica and for other atrocities committed around the region, Naser Oric, a Bosnian Muslims, was convicted by the International Court Tribunal for failing to take measures to prevent the murder and cruel treatment of Serb prisoners.  [19]  As for the Croat atrocities, the terrifying violence perpetrated against the Serbian populations in Krajina after its recapture by the Croatian HVO organization led by Mladen Markac in August 1995 will not be easily forgotten.  [20]   Many of the abuses attributed to Serbian perpetrators have long followed a recognizable pattern that has come to be known as ethnic cleansing.  [21]  The primary aim of Serbian forces is to capture or gaining complete control of the whole territory and forcibly removing or killing non-Serbs the area. In most Serbian-held territories of Bosnia, pattern of abuses against non-Serbs were very clear and the method of abuses including rounding up the inhabitant, detaining in the concentration camp or just simply killing the civilian taken. Even though much of the abuses committed by the Serbs were done in group, there were such abuses were been done by individual soldiers or single military, policemen and home guard  [22]  . The nature of the abuses, and the pattern and frequency which take place indicates that there was no command from the superior to stop the abuses. The patterns of behaviour of the perpetrators during the conflict were obvious when the tension escalated during the war. During the conflict, behavioural patterns among ordinary soldiers indicated patterns of racial hatred and prejudiced, manifested both in their actions against their victims and their feelings towards each other. The decision to utilize a large number of perpetrators may also be influenced by certain political objectives. Those who initiate genocide may seek to gain support for their actions by allowing elements of society to satisfy their passions and greed at the expense of the victims.  [23]  By plunging large numbers of the population into murder, the forces encouraging the mass killing may more tightly bind the perpetrators to the regime. The perpetrators have emphasised on collectivistic value that make group membership central to personal identity. Such regimes have been particularly adept at using such collectivistic values to highlight boundaries between in-groups and out-groups by making extreme categorical judgements based on the polar opposites of good us versus bad them.  [24]  They have set in their mind that their cause is sacred; while the enemies are evil, they themselves as righteous, innocent or victimized; and others are wicked, guilty, and the victimisers. It is clear in this conflict that the Serbs always portrayed themselves as the victim of the evil regime of Ustasha that murdered hundreds of thousands of Serbs during World War II.  [25]   There were varieties of practices used by the perpetrators to make their reprehensible conducts acceptable and to distance them from the moral implications of their actions. For instance, there is a moral justification in which mass murder is made personally and socially acceptable by portraying it as serving socially worthy or moral purposes. Perpetrators may believe this rationalisation to such an extent that their evil is not only morally justifiable, but became a moral one.  [26]  Perpetrators can then justify their evil as essential to their own self-defence, in order to protect the cherished values of their community, fight ruthless oppressors, preserve peace and stability, save humanity from subjugation, or honour their national commitments. Moral disengagement is also facilitated by the dehumanisation of the victims.  [27]  By doing this, perpetrators categorized a group as inhuman when the target group can be readily identified as a separate category of people belonging to a different race, ethnic, religious or political group that the perpetrators regard as inferior or threatening. These isolated groups are stigmatised as subhuman and memories of their past misdeeds, real or imaginary, are activated by the dominant group. The dehumanisation of victims helps perpetrators to justify their aggressive, sadist and brutal behaviour. A common form of dehumanisation is the use of language to redefine the victims so they will be seen as warranting the aggression. The moral disengagement of the perpetrators is complemented by a vulgarity of language that dehumanises the victims. Consistently, perpetrators dehumanised their victims that the words themselves become substitutes for perceiving human beings. For example, in most cases, Serbs described the Muslims in derogatory term as Balijas'(dirty), Turkish yoke, uncultivated and wild dog.  [28]   One of the shocking elements in this conflict was that many of the violence and abuses were perpetrated by their own neighbours. Violence against neighbour emerges as a major theme in numerous accounts of war and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, amidst cordial and amicable relations between Bosnian Muslims, Serbs and Croats. Before the conflict, ethnic relations in Yugoslavia is at satisfactory level, and many recall friendly and warm relations between neighbours, colleagues, or acquaintances of different ethnic or religious identities. Even once war began, many recognized that people of different ethnic or religious identity were not necessarily their enemies, and they believe that they can still get along together throughout the war.  [29]   At a glance, Serbs, Croats and Muslims saw each other as acquaintances, colleagues, neighbours, friends, and sometimes even relatives. However, deep in reality, they identified others as members of groups marked by history as enemies. These groups did not intend to make war, but there was an underlying latent and long lasting anger. This deep hatred were told by a Serb employee in the American Consulate to the American diplomat about his real feeling on Croat sometimes when he looked into their eyes, he could not help recalling the blood that stained the hands of those responsible for the slaughter of Serbs during the Second World War  [30]  . The War in Bosnia developed into a nightmare for the different ethnic groups, which had lived there in relative peace since the end of the Second World War. The peace was not meant for last forever, as ethnic leaders had created an atmosphere of mutual fear and hatred that led to three and a half years of conflict and terror  [31]  . Many survivors of ethnic cleansing during the conflict have told a series of attacks by their former neighbours. Rezak Huzanovic, a former detainee in Omarska camp, writes in his memoir about his Serbian neighbour who joined in the killing and torture. They were our neighbours and then they burnt our houses. At Prijedor, local Serbs joined in murders and ethnic cleansing.  [32]  Refugees repeatedly told about series of attacks by friends or neighbours they knew well. In Foca in Southern Bosnia, one woman told about her Serbian neighbour showed up in her family home late night with machine gun and detained his husband. In fact, we had coffee with him a day before.  [33]   Multiple similar accounts both at the time of ethnic cleansing and afterwards make clear the strong grassroots element to ethnic cleansing and violence which were carried out in various parts of Bosnia. It is true that neighbours did not carry out ethnic cleansing alone. Witnesses, reporters, and investigators working for human rights group also made clear how paramilitary forces and militia swept through many Bosnian communities, carrying out violent act and killing, and the fighters in these forces included teenagers, peasants, locals who had also grown up in this multiethnic Yugoslavia pledged to the concept of brotherhood and unity.  [34]   A point to note that the same neighbour of everyday life can mutate into an enemy when seen as a figure in a long-term historical narrative of nationalist struggle. Accounts of close relations between neighbours typically recall scenes of everyday life, of individuals as friends, classmates, and colleagues. Stories of ethnic rivalry, on the other hand, present narratives in which the same individuals function as members of enemy nations. This same paradox of a friendly neighbour who kills can be described with the concept of cognitive frames or a mental structure which situates and connects events, people and groups into a meaningful narrative.  [35]   Apart from that, a particular structure of nationalism plays a key role in generating ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. As an ideology of ethnic cleansing, nationalism is more a story than simply a form of identity. Within national narratives, the nation as an entity is viewed as the real protagonist. National narratives tend to be similar in their structure; they present their hero, the nation, as unique in suffering; and they depict the national narratives of rival nations as valid.  [36]   Concerning the perpetrators motives, they emphasized of betrayal and victimization that links to national narratives. Stories of national struggle recount attacks and even treason by other nations. These stories display hatred of the enemies of the ethnic groups, and for this reason they can be described as national hate narratives.  [37]  The nations enemies are inherently and irredeemably bad, and for this reason the problems created by the hated group can be resolved by its removal, disappearance, or destruction. For Serbs, they were being indoctrinated as the victims of the Ustasha and Muslim atrocities during the Second World War. They saw other ethnic groups as a real threat, and in order to ensure that the history would not happened again, and to ensure their own survival, they collectively eliminate the threat by killing others  [38]  . The Bosnian conflict brought the practice of killing based on ethnicity suggests that these violations were not random acts carried out by a few dissident soldiers. This policy has been masterminded by Serbian political and military leaders which is being systematically planned and strategically executed with the support of the Serbian and Bosnian Serb armies and paramilitary groups to create a Greater Serbia which will resulted in a religiously, culturally, and linguistically homogenous Serbian nation.  [39]   Some scholars, politician and commentators were quick to point out that the war was caused by the ancient hatreds that the various ethnic groups bore toward one another.  [40]  This is inaccurate, because the multi ethnic groups of former Yugoslavia did not coexist in ancient times at all; they were only joined together after the creation of the Yugoslav in 1918. Contrary to some world leaders, commentators and scholars claims that this ancient hatreds stemming from a long history of conflict and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans were responsible for the conflict  [41]  , the reality, however was different. Rather than ancient hatreds, the conflict in Bosnia reflected a combination of various factors. The term ancient ethnic hatreds were manipulated by opportunist during the break-up of Yugoslavia, exploited and revitalized by ethnic group leaders such as Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, Radovan Karadzic in Bosnia and Franjo Tudjman in Croatia as their hold on power slipped. Each of them felt that the idea of establishing an ethnically pure state would contribute of the expansion of their political power and to strengthen their position as a leader of each nation.  [42]   A generation of historians and social scientists has come out with the idea that the factors of ancient hatreds had broken apart Yugoslavia. In some cases, the discussions of ancient hatred made actual violence inevitable, but the key episodes in narratives of national victimization were already well known before the Titos death, and these episodes came from many periods and places rather from any one region such as Bosnia. For Serbs, the key events of ancient hatred depicted in a narrative of national struggle and victimization included the Battle of Kosovo of 1389, the First World War, and Serbs mass killing by Usthasa and the Partisan in the Second World War in Bosnia. The war in Bosnia cannot be explained by theories of inevitable ethnic hatreds, even when such explanations conveniently excuse outsiders from the responsibilities of intervening. Previously, there were several racial and historical disputes in the former Yugoslavia but it was put down wisely by Tito. The rhetoric of national interest became increasingly nationalist in the sense of defining one group and its goals in opposition to another.  [43]   The sentiment of being oppressed where clearly documented in Memorandum of the Serbian Academy Arts and Sciences which was a draft published by Serbian intellectual and scholars in 1986. This memorandum became controversial because it underlined the discrimination of the Serbs in Yugoslavia and had claim that Serbs were inferior to other ethnic groups in the Republic of Yugoslavia. This seventy four page memorandum, which became a bible for Serb nationalist, incited nationalism among Serbs in Yugoslavia. Serbs claimed that Titos policies had discriminated Serbia and also weakened Serbia politically and economically in the Republic. Serbs, especially nationalists, inspired by the memorandum, argued that the time had come for all Serbs to restore their national pride by becoming the dominant ethnic groups in Yugoslavia.  [44]   Apart from eliminating the real threat of the enemy, the perpetrators also wanted to spread terror among the enemies in order to show their dominance and authorization. To show their supremacy, mass rape and other forms of sexual violence were conducted as an act of dehumanizing the ethnic rivals.   When committed on a mass scale and in certain patterns, such as in front of family members or in public, sexual violence can communicate an intent to destroy the group, or the very foundation of a particular group, and this is particularly true perhaps in social, cultural and religious communities where acts of sexual violence not only shame and humiliate the victim, but also tear the core foundation of that community.  [45]  It appears that when committed on a mass scale and in certain patterns, sexual and gender-based violence may have communicative value and as such may have something to say about the intention of the perpetrator. The systematic rape of women from other ethnic gr oups was purposely designed to reach the very foundations of the group.   The main motive of systematic rape is to show the more powerful ethnic groups to demoralize the others through terror and humiliation. Rape and sexual assault on women were common during all stages of the conflict and occurred on all sides, but a lengthy report compiled by United Nation Commission of Experts had found extensive evidence of Bosnian Serbs sexual assault on Muslim women. Mass and systematic rape took place often in a detention camp and in all, UN Commission compiled reports of mass rape cases from fifty seven different location in Bosnia.  [46]   Sexual violence perpetrated against Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat women during the Bosnian conflict was intimately tied to the process of destruction of their ethnic group. The mass scale, the extremely public and humiliating nature of the rapes and the systematic nature in which they were committed, clearly shows the violation of the core foundation of the group. This systematic rape were not only destroying womens capacity to reproduce, but some rapes also resulted in what both victim and perpetrator considered to be children of a new ethnicity.   In patriarchal societies such as in the Balkans, the perpetrators of rape knew that the victim and her community would experience forced pregnancy as a way to transmit a new ethnic identity to the child.   Perpetrated on a systematic scale, this pattern provides persuasive evidence of intent to violate the very foundation of the group.  [47]   However, most above all, the motive of the perpetrators to commit such violent act was based on a belief or an ideology. Inflamed by the rhetoric of nationalism sentiment of their leaders, the perpetrators of such violence are usually clear about their objectives to established a pure single ethnic nation and anxious to exclude non-nationals and potentially disloyal minorities. The intention of the force removal of different ethnic population is very clear, which is to benefit the more powerful groups or ethnic in order to establish a single ethnic nation. Despite removing others from their existing place, the roots of practice are more closely tied to ideology.  [

Group Dynamics in 12 Angry Men Essay -- Movie, Film, Twelve Angry Men

In the 1957 classic 12 Angry Men, group dynamics are portrayed through a jury deliberation. Group dynamics is concerned with the structure and functioning of groups as well as the different types of roles each character plays. In the film, twelve men are brought together in a room to decide whether a boy is guilty of killing his father. The personality conflicts, the joint effort and the functioning of several minds together to search for the truth are just a few characteristics of group dynamics at work. The whole spectrum of humanity is represented in this movie, from the bigotry of Juror No.10 to the coldly analytical No.4. Whether they brought good or bad qualities to the jury room, they all affected the outcome. At the outset, eleven jurors vote in favor of convicting the accused without even discussing a single shred of the evidence presented at the trial. When a group becomes too confident and fails to think realistically about its task, groupthink can occur. Since it takes a longer time to communicate and reach a consensus in a group, decision making in a group is time-consuming. Therefore, when groups want to achieve a quick decision, as several jurors were eager to do, they make riskier decisions than individuals. Since not any individual is completely accountable for the decision, members will have a tendency to accept more extreme solutions. Only one brave juror refused to vote guilty. Juror #8 refused to fall into the groupthink trap and ultimately saved an innocent man's life. He openly admits that he does not know whether the accused is guilty or innocent and that he finds it necessary to simply talk about the case. What follows is not only a discussion of the particular facts of t he case, but also an intense ex... ...quires looking at matters objectively, analyzing the evidence, and coming to a fair conclusion. And even if the juror's personal baggage was not checked at the door, the shift into positive group dynamics allowed the jury members to overcome interpersonal conflicts and prejudices to reach consensus on the innocence of an alleged murderer. Bibliography 1. Kolb, David A., and Joyce S. Osland and Irwin Mr. Rubin. Organizational Behavior: An Experiential Approach. 6th edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1995 Pages 98-100 2. Sarah Trenholm. Thinking Through Communication: An Introduction To The Study Of Human Communication. 2nd edition. Allyn and Bacon: A Viacom Company, 1995 Pages 196 - 205 3. Damian Cannon, a review by. '12 Angry Men (1957)' Copyright Movie Reviews UK 1997 4. Steve Rhodes, a review by. '12 Angry Men (1957)' Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes

Nicaragua :: essays research papers

Nicaragua The area of Nicaragua is 50,193 sq. mi. The Nicaraguan highlands, with a elevation about 2000 ft, cross Nicaragua from the northwest to the southeast. Several mountain ranges, the highest of which, the Cordillera Isabelia, reaches an elevation of more than 6890 ft, cut the highlands from east to west. In the west is a great basin, or depression, containing two lakes, Nicaragua, the largest in Central America, and Managua. The two are connected by the Tipitapa River. A chain of volcanoes, which are a contributory cause of local earthquakes, rises between the lakes and the Pacific coast. In the east, the Caribbean coastal plain known as the Costa de mosquitoes (Mosquito Coast) extends some 45 mi. inland and is partly overgrown with rain forest. The four principal rivers, the San Juan, Coco (Wanks), Grande, and Escondido, empty into the Caribbean. The natural resources of Nicaragua are primarily agricultural. Deposits of volcanic material have enriched the soil, which is extremely fertile. About half the land is covered with forests. The country has some deposits of gold, silver, and copper. About 77% of the Nicaraguan population is mestizo (people of mixed white and Native American descent), about 10% is white, and the remainder is Native American (4%) and black (9%). The population of Nicaragua is 3,745,000, yielding an overall density about 75 per sq. mi. Approximately 60% of the population is concentrated in the western part of the country, and more than 55% is urban. Political Divisions and Principal Cities Nicaragua is divided into six regions and three special zones. Managua, with a population of 682,100, is the capital and commercial center. Leà ³n is an important religious and cultural center. Granada is the terminus of the railway from the main port of entry, Corinto, on the Pacific coast. Spanish is the official language of Nicaragua. Nearly 90% of the Nicaraguan people are Roman Catholic; most of the remainder are Protestant. As in other Latin American countries, the culture of Nicaragua reflects Spanish cultural patterns, influential since the colonial period, combined with an ancient Native American heritage. Nicaraguans hold many colorful celebrations to commemorate local saints' days and ecclesiastical events. The marimba is extremely popular, and ancient instruments such as the chirimà ­a (clarinet), maraca (rattle), and zul (flute) are common in rural areas. Dances from colonial times survive, as do fine examples of architecture. The coast of Nicaragua was sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1502, but the first Spanish expedition, under Gil Gonzà ¡lez Dà ¡vila, did not arrive until 1522; it established several Spanish settlements. A second conquistador, Francisco Fernà ¡ndez de Cà ³rdoba, founded Granada in 1523 and Leà ³n in 1524.

Twilight 11. COMPLICATIONS

11. COMPLICATIONS Everyone watched us as we walked together to our lab table. I noticed that he no longer angled the chair to sit as far from me as the desk would allow. Instead, he sat quite close beside me, our arms almost touching. Mr. Banner backed into the room then – what superb timing the man had – pulling a tall metal frame on wheels that held a heavy-looking, outdated TV and VCR. A movie day – the lift in the class atmosphere was almost tangible. Mr. Banner shoved the tape into the reluctant VCR and walked to the wall to turn off the lights. And then, as the room went black, I was suddenly hyperaware that Edward was sitting less than an inch from me. I was stunned by the unexpected electricity that flowed through me, amazed that it was possible to be more aware of him than I already was. A crazy impulse to reach over and touch him, to stroke his perfect face just once in the darkness, nearly overwhelmed me. I crossed my arms tightly across my chest, my hands balling into fists. I was losing my mind. The opening credits began, lighting the room by a token amount. My eyes, of their own accord, flickered to him. I smiled sheepishly as I realized his posture was identical to mine, fists clenched under his arms, right down to the eyes, peering sideways at me. He grinned back, his eyes somehow managing to smolder, even in the dark. I looked away before I could start hyperventilating. It was absolutely ridiculous that I should feel dizzy. The hour seemed very long. I couldn't concentrate on the movie – I didn't even know what subject it was on. I tried unsuccessfully to relax, but the electric current that seemed to be originating from somewhere in his body never slackened. Occasionally I would permit myself a quick glance in his direction, but he never seemed to relax, either. The overpowering craving to touch him also refused to fade, and I crushed my fists safely against my ribs until my fingers were aching with the effort. I breathed a sigh of relief when Mr. Banner flicked the lights back on at the end of class, and stretched my arms out in front of me, flexing my stiff fingers. Edward chuckled beside me. â€Å"Well, that was interesting,† he murmured. His voice was dark and his eyes were cautious. â€Å"Umm,† was all I was able to respond. â€Å"Shall we?† he asked, rising fluidly. I almost groaned. Time for Gym. I stood with care, worried my balance might have been affected by the strange new intensity between us. He walked me to my next class in silence and paused at the door; I turned to say goodbye. His face startled me – his expression was torn, almost pained, and so fiercely beautiful that the ache to touch him flared as strong as before. My goodbye stuck in my throat. He raised his hand, hesitant, conflict raging in his eyes, and then swiftly brushed the length of my cheekbone with his fingertips. His skin was as icy as ever, but the trail his fingers left on my skin was alarmingly warm – like I'd been burned, but didn't feel the pain of it yet. He turned without a word and strode quickly away from me. I walked into the gym, lightheaded and wobbly. I drifted to the locker room, changing in a trancelike state, only vaguely aware that there were other people surrounding me. Reality didn't fully set in until I was handed a racket. It wasn't heavy, yet it felt very unsafe in my hand. I could see a few of the other kids in class eyeing me furtively. Coach Clapp ordered us to pair up into teams. Mercifully, some vestiges of Mike's chivalry still survived; he came to stand beside me. â€Å"Do you want to be a team?† â€Å"Thanks, Mike – you don't have to do this, you know.† I grimaced apologetically. â€Å"Don't worry, I'll keep out of your way.† He grinned. Sometimes it was so easy to like Mike. It didn't go smoothly. I somehow managed to hit myself in the head with my racket and clip Mike's shoulder on the same swing. I spent the rest of the hour in the back corner of the court, the racket held safely behind my back. Despite being handicapped by me, Mike was pretty good; he won three games out of four singlehandedly. He gave me an unearned high five when the coach finally blew the whistle ending class. â€Å"So,† he said as we walked off the court. â€Å"So what?† â€Å"You and Cullen, huh?† he asked, his tone rebellious. My previous feeling of affection disappeared. â€Å"That's none of your business, Mike,† I warned, internally cursing Jessica straight to the fiery pits of Hades. â€Å"I don't like it,† he muttered anyway. â€Å"You don't have to,† I snapped. â€Å"He looks at you like†¦ like you're something to eat,† he continued, ignoring me. I choked back the hysteria that threatened to explode, but a small giggle managed to get out despite my efforts. He glowered at me. I waved and fled to the locker room. I dressed quickly, something stronger than butterflies battering recklessly against the walls of my stomach, my argument with Mike already a distant memory. I was wondering if Edward would be waiting, or if I should meet him at his car. What if his family was there? I felt a wave of real terror. Did they know that I knew? Was I supposed to know that they knew that I knew, or not? By the time I walked out of the gym, I had just about decided to walk straight home without even looking toward the parking lot. But my worries were unnecessary. Edward was waiting, leaning casually against the side of the gym, his breathtaking face untroubled now. As I walked to his side, I felt a peculiar sense of release. â€Å"Hi,† I breathed, smiling hugely. â€Å"Hello.† His answering smile was brilliant. â€Å"How was Gym?† My face fell a tiny bit. â€Å"Fine,† I lied. â€Å"Really?† He was unconvinced. His eyes shifted their focus slightly, looking over my shoulder and narrowing. I glanced behind me to see Mike's back as he walked away. â€Å"What?† I demanded. His eyes slid back to mine, still tight. â€Å"Newton's getting on my nerves.† â€Å"You weren't listening again?† I was horror-struck. All traces of my sudden good humor vanished. â€Å"How's your head?† he asked innocently. â€Å"You're unbelievable!† I turned, stomping away in the general direction of the parking lot, though I hadn't ruled out walking at this point. He kept up with me easily. â€Å"You were the one who mentioned how I'd never seen you in Gym – it made me curious.† He didn't sound repentant, so I ignored him. We walked in silence – a furious, embarrassed silence on my part – to his car. But I had to stop a few steps away – a crowd of people, all boys, were surrounding it. Then I realized they weren't surrounding the Volvo, they were actually circled around Rosalie's red convertible, unmistakable lust in their eyes. None of them even looked up as Edward slid between them to open his door. I climbed quickly in the passenger side, also unnoticed. â€Å"Ostentatious,† he muttered. â€Å"What kind of car is that?† I asked. â€Å"An M3.† â€Å"I don't speak Car and Driver.† â€Å"It's a BMW.† He rolled his eyes, not looking at me, trying to back out without running over the car enthusiasts. I nodded – I'd heard of that one. â€Å"Are you still angry?† he asked as he carefully maneuvered his way out. â€Å"Definitely.† He sighed. â€Å"Will you forgive me if I apologize?† â€Å"Maybe†¦ if you mean it. And if you promise not to do it again,† I insisted. His eyes were suddenly shrewd. â€Å"How about if I mean it, and I agree to let you drive Saturday?† he countered my conditions. I considered, and decided it was probably the best offer I would get. â€Å"Deal,† I agreed. â€Å"Then I'm very sorry I upset you.† His eyes burned with sincerity for a protracted moment – playing havoc with the rhythm of my heart – and then turned playful. â€Å"And I'll be on your doorstep bright and early Saturday morning.† â€Å"Um, it doesn't help with the Charlie situation if an unexplained Volvo is left in the driveway.† His smile was condescending now. â€Å"I wasn't intending to bring a car.† â€Å"How -â€Å" He cut me off. â€Å"Don't worry about it. I'll be there, no car.† I let it go. I had a more pressing question. â€Å"Is it later yet?† I asked significantly. He frowned. â€Å"I supposed it is later.† I kept my expression polite as I waited. He stopped the car. I looked up, surprised – of course we were already at Charlie's house, parked behind the truck. It was easier to ride with him if I only looked when it was over. When I looked back at him, he was staring at me, measuring with his eyes. â€Å"And you still want to know why you can't see me hunt?† He seemed solemn, but I thought I saw a trace of humor deep in his eyes. â€Å"Well,† I clarified, â€Å"I was mostly wondering about your reaction.† â€Å"Did I frighten you?† Yes, there was definitely humor there. â€Å"No,† I lied. He didn't buy it. â€Å"I apologize for scaring you,† he persisted with a slight smile, but then all evidence of teasing disappeared. â€Å"It was just the very thought of you being there†¦ while we hunted.† His jaw tightened. â€Å"That would be bad?† He spoke from between clenched teeth. â€Å"Extremely.† â€Å"Because†¦ ?† He took a deep breath and stared through the windshield at the thick, rolling clouds that seemed to press down, almost within reach. â€Å"When we hunt,† he spoke slowly, unwillingly, â€Å"we give ourselves over to our senses†¦ govern less with our minds. Especially our sense of smell. If you were anywhere near me when I lost control that way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shook his head, still gazing morosely at the heavy clouds. I kept my expression firmly under control, expecting the swift flash of his eyes to judge my reaction that soon followed. My face gave nothing away. But our eyes held, and the silence deepened – and changed. Flickers of the electricity I'd felt this afternoon began to charge the atmosphere as he gazed unrelentingly into my eyes. It wasn't until my head started to swim that I realized I wasn't breathing. When I drew in a jagged breath, breaking the stillness, he closed his eyes. â€Å"Bella, I think you should go inside now.† His low voice was rough, his eyes on the clouds again. I opened the door, and the arctic draft that burst into the car helped clear my head. Afraid I might stumble in my woozy state, I stepped carefully out of the car and shut the door behind me without looking back. The whir of the automatic window unrolling made me turn. â€Å"Oh, Bella?† he called after me, his voice more even. He leaned toward the open window with a faint smile on his lips. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Tomorrow it's my turn.† â€Å"Your turn to what?† He smiled wider, flashing his gleaming teeth. â€Å"Ask the questions.† And then he was gone, the car speeding down the street and disappearing around the corner before I could even collect my thoughts. I smiled as I walked to the house. It was clear he was planning to see me tomorrow, if nothing else. That night Edward starred in my dreams, as usual. However, the climate of my unconsciousness had changed. It thrilled with the same electricity that had charged the afternoon, and I tossed and turned restlessly, waking often. It was only in the early hours of the morning that I finally sank into an exhausted, dreamless sleep. When I woke I was still tired, but edgy as well. I pulled on my brown turtleneck and the inescapable jeans, sighing as I daydreamed of spaghetti straps and shorts. Breakfast was the usual, quiet event I expected. Charlie fried eggs for himself; I had my bowl of cereal. I wondered if he had forgotten about this Saturday. He answered my unspoken question as he stood up to take his plate to the sink. â€Å"About this Saturday†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he began, walking across the kitchen and turning on the faucet. I cringed. â€Å"Yes, Dad?† â€Å"Are you still set on going to Seattle?† he asked. â€Å"That was the plan.† I grimaced, wishing he hadn't brought it up so I wouldn't have to compose careful half-truths. He squeezed some dish soap onto his plate and swirled it around with the brush. â€Å"And you're sure you can't make it back in time for the dance?† â€Å"I'm not going to the dance, Dad.† I glared. â€Å"Didn't anyone ask you?† he asked, trying to hide his concern by focusing on rinsing the plate. I sidestepped the minefield. â€Å"It's a girl's choice.† â€Å"Oh.† He frowned as he dried his plate. I sympathized with him. It must be a hard thing, to be a father; living in fear that your daughter would meet a boy she liked, but also having to worry if she didn't. How ghastly it would be, I thought, shuddering, if Charlie had even the slightest inkling of exactly what I did like. Charlie left then, with a goodbye wave, and I went upstairs to brush my teeth and gather my books. When I heard the cruiser pull away, I could only wait a few seconds before I had to peek out of my window. The silver car was already there, waiting in Charlie's spot on the driveway. I bounded down the stairs and out the front door, wondering how long this bizarre routine would continue. I never wanted it to end. He waited in the car, not appearing to watch as I shut the door behind me without bothering to lock the dead-bolt. I walked to the car, pausing shyly before opening the door and stepping in. He was smiling, relaxed – and, as usual, perfect and beautiful to an excruciating degree. â€Å"Good morning.† His voice was silky. â€Å"How are you today?† His eyes roamed over my face, as if his question was something more than simple courtesy. â€Å"Good, thank you.† I was always good – much more than good – when I was near him. His gaze lingered on the circles under my eyes. â€Å"You look tired.† â€Å"I couldn't sleep,† I confessed, automatically swinging my hair around my shoulder to provide some measure of cover. â€Å"Neither could I,† he teased as he started the engine. I was becoming used to the quiet purr. I was sure the roar of my truck would scare me, whenever I got to drive it again. I laughed. â€Å"I guess that's right. I suppose I slept just a little bit more than you did.† â€Å"I'd wager you did.† â€Å"So what did you do last night?† I asked. He chuckled. â€Å"Not a chance. It's my day to ask questions.† â€Å"Oh, that's right. What do you want to know?† My forehead creased. I couldn't imagine anything about me that could be in any way interesting to him. â€Å"What's your favorite color?† he asked, his face grave. I rolled my eyes. â€Å"It changes from day to day.† â€Å"What's your favorite color today?† He was still solemn. â€Å"Probably brown.† I tended to dress according to my mood. He snorted, dropping his serious expression. â€Å"Brown?† he asked skeptically. â€Å"Sure. Brown is warm. I miss brown. Everything that's supposed to be brown – tree trunks, rocks, dirt – is all covered up with squashy green stuff here,† I complained. He seemed fascinated by my little rant. He considered for a moment, staring into my eyes. â€Å"You're right,† he decided, serious again. â€Å"Brown is warm.† He reached over, swiftly, but somehow still hesitantly, to sweep my hair back behind my shoulder. We were at the school by now. He turned back to me as he pulled into a parking space. â€Å"What music is in your CD player right now?† he asked, his face as somber as if he'd asked for a murder confession. I realized I'd never removed the CD Phil had given me. When I said the name of the band, he smiled crookedly, a peculiar expression in his eyes. He flipped open a compartment under his car's CD player, pulled out one of thirty or so CDs that were jammed into the small space, and handed it to me, â€Å"Debussy to this?† He raised an eyebrow. It was the same CD. I examined the familiar cover art, keeping my eyes down. It continued like that for the rest of the day. While he walked me to English, when he met me after Spanish, all through the lunch hour, he questioned me relentlessly about every insignificant detail of my existence. Movies I'd liked and hated, the few places I'd been and the many places I wanted to go, and books – endlessly books. I couldn't remember the last time I'd talked so much. More often than not, I felt self-conscious, certain I must be boring him. But the absolute absorption of his face, and his never-ending stream of questions, compelled me to continue. Mostly his questions were easy, only a very few triggering my easy blushes. But when I did flush, it brought on a whole new round of questions. Such as the time he asked my favorite gemstone, and I blurted out topaz before thinking. He'd been flinging questions at me with such speed that I felt like I was taking one of those psychiatric tests where you answer with the first word that comes to mind. I was sure he would have continued down whatever mental list he was following, except for the blush. My face reddened because, until very recently, my favorite gemstone was garnet. It was impossible, while staring back into his topaz eyes, not to remember the reason for the switch. And, naturally, he wouldn't rest until I'd admitted why I was embarrassed. â€Å"Tell me,† he finally commanded after persuasion failed – failed only because I kept my eyes safely away from his face. â€Å"It's the color of your eyes today,† I sighed, surrendering, staring down at my hands as I fiddled with a piece of my hair. â€Å"I suppose if you asked me in two weeks I'd say onyx.† I'd given more information than necessary in my unwilling honesty, and I worried it would provoke the strange anger that flared whenever I slipped and revealed too clearly how obsessed I was. But his pause was very short. â€Å"What kinds of flowers do you prefer?† he fired off. I sighed in relief, and continued with the psychoanalysis. Biology was a complication again. Edward had continued with his quizzing up until Mr. Banner entered the room, dragging the audiovisual frame again. As the teacher approached the light switch, I noticed Edward slide his chair slightly farther away from mine. It didn't help. As soon as the room was dark, there was the same electric spark, the same restless craving to stretch my hand across the short space and touch his cold skin, as yesterday. I leaned forward on the table, resting my chin on my folded arms, my hidden fingers gripping the table's edge as I fought to ignore the irrational longing that unsettled me. I didn't look at him, afraid that if he was looking at me, it would only make self-control that much harder. I sincerely tried to watch the movie, but at the end of the hour I had no idea what I'd just seen. I sighed in relief again when Mr. Banner turned the lights on, finally glancing at Edward; he was looking at me, his eyes ambivalent. He rose in silence and then stood still, waiting for me. We walked toward the gym in silence, like yesterday. And, also like yesterday, he touched my face wordlessly – this time with the back of his cool hand, stroking once from my temple to my jaw – before he turned and walked away. Gym passed quickly as I watched Mike's one-man badminton show. He didn't speak to me today, either in response to my vacant expression or because he was still angry about our squabble yesterday. Somewhere, in a corner of my mind, I felt bad about that. But I couldn't concentrate on him. I hurried to change afterward, ill at ease, knowing the faster I moved, the sooner I would be with Edward. The pressure made me more clumsy than usual, but eventually I made it out the door, feeling the same release when I saw him standing there, a wide smile automatically spreading across my face. He smiled in reaction before launching into more cross-examination. His questions were different now, though, not as easily answered. He wanted to know what I missed about home, insisting on descriptions of anything he wasn't familiar with. We sat in front of Charlie's house for hours, as the sky darkened and rain plummeted around us in a sudden deluge. I tried to describe impossible things like the scent of creosote – bitter, slightly resinous, but still pleasant – the high, keening sound of the cicadas in July, the feathery barrenness of the trees, the very size of the sky, extending white-blue from horizon to horizon, barely interrupted by the low mountains covered with purple volcanic rock. The hardest thing to explain was why it was so beautiful to me – to justify a beauty that didn't depend on the sparse, spiny vegetation that often looked half dead, a beauty that had more to do with the exposed shape of the land, with the shallow bowls of valleys between the craggy hills, and the way they held on to the sun. I found myself using my hands as I tried to describe it to him. His quiet, probing questions kept me talking freely, forgetting, in the dim light of the storm, to be embarrassed for monopolizing the conversation. Finally, when I had finished detailing my cluttered room at home, he paused instead of responding with another question. â€Å"Are you finished?† I asked in relief. â€Å"Not even close – but your father will be home soon.† â€Å"Charlie!† I suddenly recalled his existence, and sighed. I looked out at the rain-darkened sky, but it gave nothing away. â€Å"How late is it?† I wondered out loud as I glanced at the clock. I was surprised by the time – Charlie would be driving home now. â€Å"It's twilight,† Edward murmured, looking at the western horizon, obscured as it was with clouds. His voice was thoughtful, as if his mind were somewhere far away. I stared at him as he gazed unseeingly out the windshield. I was still staring when his eyes suddenly shifted back to mine. â€Å"It's the safest time of day for us,† he said, answering the unspoken question in my eyes. â€Å"The easiest time. But also the saddest, in a way†¦ the end of another day, the return of the night. Darkness is so predictable, don't you think?† He smiled wistfully. â€Å"I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars.† I frowned. â€Å"Not that you see them here much.† He laughed, and the mood abruptly lightened. â€Å"Charlie will be here in a few minutes. So, unless you want to tell him that you'll be with me Saturday†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He raised one eyebrow. â€Å"Thanks, but no thanks.† I gathered my books, realizing I was stiff from sitting still so long. â€Å"So is it my turn tomorrow, then?† â€Å"Certainly not!† His face was teasingly outraged. â€Å"I told you I wasn't done, didn't I?† â€Å"What more is there?† â€Å"You'll find out tomorrow.† He reached across to open my door for me, and his sudden proximity sent my heart into frenzied palpitations. But his hand froze on the handle. â€Å"Not good,† he muttered. â€Å"What is it?† I was surprised to see that his jaw was clenched, his eyes disturbed. He glanced at me for a brief second. â€Å"Another complication,† he said glumly. He flung the door open in one swift movement, and then moved, almost cringed, swiftly away from me. The flash of headlights through the rain caught my attention as a dark car pulled up to the curb just a few feet away, facing us. â€Å"Charlie's around the corner,† he warned, staring through the downpour at the other vehicle. I hopped out at once, despite my confusion and curiosity. The rain was louder as it glanced off my jacket. I tried to make out the shapes in the front seat of the other car, but it was too dark. I could see Edward illuminated in the glare of the new car's headlights; he was still staring ahead, his gaze locked on something or someone I couldn't see. His expression was a strange mix of frustration and defiance. Then he revved the engine, and the tires squealed against the wet pavement. The Volvo was out of sight in seconds. â€Å"Hey, Bella,† called a familiar, husky voice from the driver's side of the little black car. â€Å"Jacob?† I asked, squinting through the rain. Just then, Charlie's cruiser swung around the corner, his lights shining on the occupants of the car in front of me. Jacob was already climbing out, his wide grin visible even through the darkness. In the passenger seat was a much older man, a heavyset man with a memorable face – a face that overflowed, the cheeks resting against his shoulders, with creases running through the russet skin like an old leather jacket. And the surprisingly familiar eyes, black eyes that seemed at the same time both too young and too ancient for the broad face they were set in. Jacob's father, Billy Black. I knew him immediately, though in the more than five years since I'd seen him last I'd managed to forget his name when Charlie had spoken of him my first day here. He was staring at me, scrutinizing my face, so I smiled tentatively at him. His eyes were wide, as if in shock or fear, his nostrils flared. My smile faded. Another complication, Edward had said. Billy still stared at me with intense, anxious eyes. I groaned internally. Had Billy recognized Edward so easily? Could he really believe the impossible legends his son had scoffed at? The answer was clear in Billy's eyes. Yes. Yes, he could.