Mark Edmundson’s Critique

Critique: Our Views of Online Education In Mark Edmundson's article discussing online education, he makes many valid points about an online education short comings. His reaction, however, is based solely on traditional education and is limited to such online study. He focuses primarily on student teacher interaction and oftentimes states how such communication cannot be factored into online courses. He argues that a large lecture course with face to face contact and student teacher dialogue benefits the student more; opposed to online courses with contrasting features.While this is valid, Edmundson does not consider that these issues can be worked around and that there are many pros to online education as well. Edmundson’s passage states teacher-student interaction is vital in obtaining an education. This particular form of contact has proven to keep students engaged in the learning process. Also, teacher-student interaction allows for teachers to monitor each individual stude nts’ progressions and shortcomings throughout the course of study.In Edmundson's article, he states that teachers should make it necessary to learn who their students are and adapt to their ways of learning as well as helping them grow. I strongly agree with this point of view. Many times, students who are having a hard time grasping studies find themselves somewhat bashful or embarrassed and become hesitant to speak up. This causes them to be outshined by others who may be more vocal and grasp the information quicker. Having that teacher-student connection with online education is extremely vital. Since you're not studying in a traditional classroom, you'll also miss having face time with other students.This can deprive you of important networking opportunities for your future career, as well as basic social interaction. The article states that Edmundson is adamant that in order for students to excel and obtain information, a teacher should be adaptive to their students lear ning style. Having real life courses are extremely helpful in this case. Individuals who are more comfortable with one on one meetings should totally be allotted the option of having a professor on hand to call on and meet with. Also, students who adapt more to group learning need real courses as well.Having course mates and interacting in open course discussions are great examples of the benefits of teacher-student interaction. It is also proven that students can; in fact, teach teachers. Open course discussions are the perfect time to share. When studying an appointed topic, some students go above and beyond the requirements and obtain additional knowledge that the teacher or students may or may not know. Edmundson makes several valid points about being opposed to online education. He speaks volumes about the pros of choosing a traditional, face to face education.In some ways, I agree with his argument that not having that interaction amongst the teacher and student kills the stud ents chance of receiving fair education. However, I disagree with some other things he stated. What Edmundson fails to consider is the mere fact that online teachers carry the same capabilities as traditional teachers. Students’ progress can still be monitored, test and other assignments can still be administered and in the end, grades will still be obtained. Although there is no physical connection, the online teacher can still communicate and work online with their students’ via-email and lectures.The downside of email communication is that delay time in an answer being received. There are some online schools which have courses with virtual lectures or conference lectures which give an overall classroom feeling where there is dialogue. In my opinion, online college instructors gain access to students that is at least equal to the access to students of those instructors who are teaching courses in traditional colleges. Online colleges also serve as an alternative for some aspiring students who cannot attend traditional colleges.These may be students who have encountered hardships that eliminate their option to attend a traditional school. Online schools may, in this case, serve as an alternative; online college may be more convenient. Aspiring students seeking to pursue or further their education may be wrapped up in day to day chaos that enables them to reach a campus and online courses just may fit with their busy schedules. In some cases, lack of transportation may be a rendering factor as well. Another riveting factor may be monetary situations; online colleges may have courses that are more affordable than those of a traditional university.Edmundson's article was captivating and indeed informative. He metaphorically spoke of a teacher being taught by a student which caught my attention. Had that teacher ever been that student? It's a cycle that I'm sure will not end. A degree is in fact the goal. Whether it's online schools or â€Å"real l ife† a degree is sought. Teachers and students, in my opinion, should at some point in time have some sort of physical communication but that is not that a vital source of learning. If an education is sought it can be obtained regardless of any physical contact. The source of education ultimately depends on the students drive and initiative.

De Beers Analysis

STRATEGY: INDUSTRY AND COMPETITION Problem Set 3 1. Throughout the 1990s, several developments contributed to the loss of market-share of the Central Selling Organization, which inevitably led to diminishing profits for De Beers. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and this disintegration brought down the exclusivity that the CSO had enjoyed for so long. Indeed, the fall of communism made it difficult for the cartel to protect its trading agreements.As such, only limited shares of the Russian production reached the CSO, the rest being supplied to the competition by Alrosa (which became the worldwide dominant non-African producer) and other Russian enterprises. In 1996, as a consequence of the CSO’s reluctance to satisfy demand for very small stones, the Argyle mine in Australia (with a very distinctive rough production that De Beers had only a limited capacity to match), controlled by Rio Tinto – a multinational mining company and one of their main upstream competitors – became the first major producer to departure from its contract with De Beers.This disruption seriously compromised De Beers’ punishment capabilities through stockpiling. Additionally, in Canada, another major competitor arose (BHP). De Beers had a problem in these two markets. Unlike African countries, these are nations characterized by strong institutions, with a degree of bureaucratization and stability as well as cultural advancement that do not favor for the kind of â€Å"easy bribes† that had allowed the company to control the quantities sold worldwide.However, even in Africa other obstacles appeared. While Angolan and West African output were being diverted to other channels, the concerns about conflict diamonds – reaching their peak with outbursts in Angola through the 90s – also damaged De Beers’ image and only made it more difficult for those diamonds to be sold through the CSO. Finally, pressure from some African governments (Bot swana and Namibia, for example) inadvertently or purposely created internal competitors.Thus, De Beers saw its monopolistic position seriously threatened and since it could no longer control the diamond flow to the market, it was forced to practice a price closer to that of a competitive market, which meant lower profits. 2. Besides the increasing competition that was subject to in the last decade of the 20th century, De Beers also had to concern itself with the possibility of new entrants in the very market where it had prospered.Due to the compliance with the Global Witness proposal against conflict diamonds, De Beers saw the noose tightening around its operations and as a consequence the threat of new entrants surged, with several groups expanding aggressively on the continent. Perhaps the biggest of those threats was the business group controlled by Leviev, the world’s largest diamond cutter and polisher. One of his ideas was to integrate backward into marketing rough dia monds. Also, the pressures in Angola were putting in danger the marketing agreement the country had with the company.That agreement would eventually be terminated already in this century, being replaced with a single-channel marketing entity in which Leviev held a one-quarter interest. Obviously, these potential threats had a negative effect in De Beers’ profits, despite its strong Brand Image. 3. Traditionally, De Beers would buy the supply from other producers to control the market output. With the rise of competitors this became increasingly difficult. As alternatives to the cartel emerged, the bargaining power of suppliers grew. Argyle’s eventual withdrawal and Angola’s termination of the exclusivity with De Beers are clear proof of this growing power.Governments began to pressure the company as well. South Africa aimed to have more gems cut locally and other nations such as Botswana and Namibia sought to increase the value captured with the activities perfo rmed within their borders. Of course, for the company to grant this it would have to see its percentage of value retention lowered. In a climate of an undeniable backdrop, this was yet another factor that contributed to decreasing diamond earnings. 4. Although an increase in competition means that buyers will have alternatives (higher bargaining power), this was still an area (of the five forces) where the market remained attractive.Competitors did not have the level of expertise or the established supply chain that characterized a company with more than a century of market knowledge. The most relevant fact to mention on the buyers side is the Japanese recession of 1998. De Beers suffered severely from this downturn, after obtaining almost a decade of expansion in various Asian markets. Still, buyers in this industry are not just final consumers, but intermediaries as well. With the rising competition and consequent declining credibility, De Beers could not control sightholders, for instance, with the same discipline and efficiency as before.Leviev (a sightholder himself) is the perfect example of this reality. Of course the less control the company exerts, the lower its returns are. 5. Regarding substitutes, the closest product would be synthetic diamonds. Yet, these diamonds remained exclusive to industrial applications (to compensate for the scarcity of the others for these functions) and so natural diamonds were still a unique luxury. In spite of the social issues brought up by conflict diamonds, the product was still protected from substitution throughout the 1990s.The marketing efforts of the previous efforts (mainly represented by the campaign â€Å"Diamonds are forever†) continued to provoke the desired effect. By establishing them as a symbol of lasting love, power and wealth, De Beers had assured that nothing could be compared to a diamond, which translated in a he amount of profits throughout that century. On this area, the main challenge for the company presented itself in the early 1990s in the Chinese market. Not only were these consumers traditionally focused on gold and jade, while unfamiliar with diamonds, but also â€Å"white† color were thought to bring misfortune.This might seem trivial for a western consumer, but Chinese people were and are still today some of the most superstition nations on earth. The gold and jade products had certainly a negative effect on De Beers’ profits. Nevertheless, the company managed to overcome this paradigm by using Chinese beliefs to its advantage (the â€Å"red thread† ad is a perfect showcase for this idea). This advertisement strategy was very successful and by 2000, retail sales had reached $731 million. Duarte Costa, # 1284

Huck Finn and John Smith- Conning

As a person it is necessary to grow; whether it be good or bad, growing is essential. Within the novel of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the main character Huck goes through a tremendous amount of growing. As people we need to grow and as a body of people or a country it is crucial to continue to grow. However, the situations of helping us grow aren’t always done in positive manners. Throughout the novel Huck is forced to decide his own true morals and not those that are imposed on him.As a country first being established (as colonies) we had to find a way to grow and use tactics to do so. In these instances conning took place. The beginning of the great country began with Captain John Smith who was, â€Å"A soldier of fortune with rare powers of leadership and self- promotion† (Tindall/Shi 29). John Smith is the very reason Jamestown survived through the harsh seasons and periods of starvation. He was able to negotiate with the Natives at the time t o help them survive. The Natives had no real idea that the Englishmen wanted more than just a trade and military alliance.The real plan of the English was to seize the land and subjugate the Natives. John Smith even tries to persuade English people who are in England to come to the New World so that he can get rich in â€Å"Description of New England†. He writes letters to them using 3rd person describing himself and how great everything was going to con them into voyaging over the New World. Huck Finn, a young boy who is trying to run away from being â€Å"sivilized†. Through his journey he ends up growing in a huge way.He is constantly facing moral issues and having to make decisions that can result in life or death. One of the biggest obstacles Huck faces is when he meets the duke and the dauphin, whom are complete liars from the beginning by stating they were a duke and a dauphin. His first encounter with them they clearly seem to be facing backlash from the scam t he older one(dauphin) was trying to pull off running a revival and taking money from it, â€Å"a little report got around, last night†, â€Å"If they got me they’d tar and feather me and ride me on the rail for sure†(Norton 183).Huck knows that they are pulling his leg but still decide to stick with them considering his circumstances†these liars warn't no kings nor dukes, at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds†(Norton 185). These men team up together and drag Huck and Jim through countless scams. Finally, Huck deems that what the men are doing is wrong. This happens towards the end of the journey when they attempt to scam innocent girls out of an inheritance. This is time that Huck truly sees that what they are doing is wrong and begins to stand against it by sabotaging them and attempting to turn them in.At this point in the novel, Huck has a huge turning point into growing into a person of morals. Risking everything he had because he believed that it was right. No matter what angle a person comes from, there is always a source of growing. So be it that it happens to come from conning. With John Smith conning hundreds of people to come to an unknown country so that he could get rich and be someone of importance and Huck enduring conning and realizing that it is wrong and finally turning over a leaf and deciding things on his own apart from what others say.

From reading the selected pre-1914 Essay

The Return of the Native (pg 414 – 447) near end of novel From reading the above, what do you learn of Hardy’s use of vivid description, dramatic incident and reference to Nineteenth century customs and traditions? Which of the three pieces was your favourite and why? From reading the two extracts and the story, I can see that the main difference in the book is how life is in the book compared to our modern 21st century. People in the 19th century depended very heavily on agriculture and farming especially in ‘Wessex’, where nearly all of Hardy’s novels were set. Wages for agricultural labourers were the lowest in the country in Dorset, averaging out at the equivalent of 37p a week in 1840. Magic and superstition was rife in the 19th century, and many people believedin dark powers. Every village in Wessex was supposed to have their own witch. Magic play a big role in two of the stories which I am studying, ‘The Withered Arm’, and ‘The Return of the Native’. People who committed crimes in the 19th century were severely punished. Poachers were transported to Australia to do ‘hard labour’, night burglary was punishable by death. Hangings were still very popular in the 19th century and any hanging was an excuse for a ‘holiday’. Class systems in the 19th century were very rigid – not many people succeeded in moving up to a higher class, but Thomas Hardy was one of the few people who managed to do this. Thomas Hardy uses vivid description in all of his novels and short stories, including the novels which I am studying, in particular ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’. At the beginning of the chapter, we have an almost cinematic view, as if a camera is zooming in on the three travellers, describing them from afar at first, then in more detail as we begin to see them from closer up. We can almost feel the tension between the two adults, when Hardy says: â€Å"What was really peculiar†¦ was the perfect silence they preserved. † In ‘The Withered Arm’, Hardy uses vivid description very effectively when description Rhoda Brook’s vision. He uses words such as: â€Å"†¦ Peered cruelly† and â€Å"†¦ shockingy distorted† to imply that Gertrude is mocking her for being cast aside and then Gertrude taking her place as Farmer Lodge’s wife. This vivid description is also linked to dramatic incident as it is a key chapter in the story, and Hardy uses adjectives to describe Rhoda’s ‘dream’, it makes us feel as though we are actually there, watching this distorted version of Gertrude attacking Rhoda, so Hardy’s descriptions are very effective in this chapter of the book. Also, at the beginning of the story, we learn a lot from the dairy workers in the farm, who gossip. They gossip about Farmer Lodge’s new wife and they try to guess how old Farmer Lodge is, all the while ignoring Rhoda Brook, Farmer Lodge’s ex-wife. In ‘The Return of the Native’, when the superstitious Susan creates a ‘voodoo’ doll resembling Eustacia, Hardy’s use of vivid description is effective when Susan thrusts pins in the doll, and then puts it in the firem murmuring the Lord’s Prayer backwards – which was a proceed which called for help against an enemy. Magic played a key part in this story; Susan believed that Eustacia was making her son ill, because at the exact moment that he said he was feeling unwell, Eustacia’s dark shadow crossed the light from her house, but this was just a coincidence. Also, in ‘The Return of the Native’, when Eustacia falls into the pool of water near weir, Hardy uses pathetic fallacy, which is when events in the natural world mirror what is going on in the human world. In this case, Eustacia is very depressed and unhappy, so the weather is atrochiously stormy, raining and windy. Because, it has rained so much, the pool has created a whirlpool, and Eustacia falls in. To describe the scene more effectively, Hardy uses metaphors such as: ‘Boiling cauldron’, referring to the whirpool, the current, and emphasising the amount of water in the pool. Hardy’s use of dramatic incident in all three of his stories manage to shape the whole story, especially in ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’. In think amin the dramatic incident in the extract is when Michael Henchard sells his wife at auction when he becomes drunk. The day after, Michael realises how stupid he has been and vows never to touch another drop of alcohol for however many years as his age. I think this is very effective because the day after Michael sells his wife and baby, he realises that alcohol changed him into something he doesn’t want to be. In ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’, when Hardy uses dramatic incident, we learn that Hardy builds up suspension before the dramatic climax. When Michael Henchard is trying to sell his wife and baby at auction, nobody will bid the price that he is looking for, then just as Michael is going to withdraw: â€Å"‘Yes. ‘ said a voice from the doorway. ‘ The man in the doorway was in fact, a sailor. He bought Michael’s wife for five guineas, and she left, leaving us with the impression that she is glad that she has got away from her husband at last. Hardy uses lots of dialect to show exactly how Michael Henchard feels about his current state of affairs: â€Å"The woman is no good to me. Who will have her? † When Michael is trying to sell his wife, Hardy describes Michael’s distaste for her effectively, and when he finally does sell her, even the rough country people in the tent are surprised that he let his wife and child go without a second glance. In ‘The Withered Arm’, I think there are two main dramatic incidents: Rhoda Brook’s ‘dream’, and Gertrude’s turning of her blood, when she sees that the young man who has been hanged is, in fact, Rhoda’s son. When Rhoda has a dream that Gertrude visits her to mock her, Gertrude looks ugly and old. Hardy used use of vivid description works effectively in making us understand that Gertrude has come to mock her because Rhoda has been replaced by her in Farmer Lodge’s affections. Hardy’s use of verbs work well in this incident, using words such as ‘thrust’, ‘swung’, and ‘peered cruelly’ to create a feeling of hate between Rhoda and the figure come to visit her at night. The other dramatic incident in ‘The Withered Arm’ is when Gertrude travels to get her arm cured by holding her arm against a newly hanged man’s neck, who is in fact Rhoda’s son. Hardy’s use of dialect again gives and extra depth to the story, when Rhoda walks in when Gertrude’s blood is in the process of being ‘turned’: â€Å"This is the meaning of what Satan showed me in the vision! † Rhoda shouts. Hardy’s use of the word ‘Satan’, emphasizes the hatred Rhoda has for Gertrude and perhaps jealousy, for ‘stealing’ her husband – although Gertrude’s character is kind and gentle. In ‘The Return of the Native’, the main dramatic incident is when Eustacia falls into the whirlpool and Clym Yeobright and Wildeve try to save her, but fail. Three bodies are pulled out, and only one, Clym, survives. Referring again to pathetic fallacy, the weather is awful when Eustacia falls into the ‘boiling cauldron’. The slow realisation that Wildeve was actually holding on to Clym when Diggory Venn was seemingly just pulling Clym out creates images of horror. My favourite story is ‘The Withered Arm’, because I like Hardy’s use of magic in Rhoda’s vision, how Gertrude’s arm became deformed because of this. Gertrude obviously has no idea how this happened. Hardy’s use of vivid description in the book is very effective throughout, but especially in Rhoda’s vision. Rhoda is obsessed with the idea of Farmer Lodge being with another woman, and sends her son to look at Gertrude and report back to her. When he says that Gertrude is shorter that Rhoda, she seems pleased and smug about herself. I like the way how Hardy has interlinked everything, e. g. Rhoda’s son’s father is Farmer Lodge, the young man who was hanged was Rhoda’s son. I think it is a very clever story, and at the end, Gertrude dies at the fright of seeing Rhoda’s son dead, lying limp in the coffin. I think that the story shows that Rhoda is perhaps so obsessed about Farmer Lodge and Gertrude it is almost unhealthy, and because of this, maybe this is why she had the vision in the first place. I learn that Gertrude is forgiving, even though when she went to see Conjuror Trendle and he created the concoction of egg white and water, Rhoda’s image formed. Gertrude was surprised, but she doesn’t question it because she had no idea that Rhoda had anything to do with her arm.

Night World : Secret Vampire Chapter 2

â€Å"Poppy!† Poppy could hear her mother's voice, but she couldn't see anything. The kitchen floor was obscured by dancing black dots. â€Å"Poppy, are you all right?† Now Poppy felt hermother's hands grasping her upper arms, holding her anxiously. The pain was easing and her vision was coming back. As she straightened up, she saw James in front ofher. His face was almost expressionless, but Poppy knew him well enough to recognize the worry in hiseyes. He was holding the milk carton, she realized. He must have caught it on the fly as she droppedit–amazing reflexes, Poppy thought vaguely. Really amazing. Phillip was on his feet. â€Å"Are you okay? Whathappened?† â€Å"I-don't know.† Poppy looked around, thenshrugged, embarrassed. Now that she felt better shewished they weren't all staring at her so hard. Theway to deal with the pain was to ignore it, to notthink about it. â€Å"It's just this stupid pain-I think it's gastrowhatchmacallit. You know, something I ate.† Poppy's mother gave her daughter the barest fraction of a shake. â€Å"Poppy, this is not gastroenteritis.You were having some pain before-nearly a monthago, wasn't it? Is this the same kind of pain?† Poppy squirmed uncomfortably. As a matter offact, the pain had never really gone away. Somehow,in the excitement of end-of-the-year activities, she'dmanaged to disregard it, and by now she was used to working around it. â€Å"Sort of,† she temporized. â€Å"But That was enough for Poppy's mother. She gavePoppy a little squeeze and headed for the kitchen telephone. â€Å"I know you don't like doctors, but I'mcalling Dr. Franklin. I want him to take a look at you. This isn't something we can ignore.† â€Å"Oh, Mom, it's vacation†¦.† Her mother covered the mouthpiece of the phone.†Poppy, this is nonnegotiable. Go get dressed.† Poppy groaned, but she could see it was no use.She beckoned to James, who was looking thoughtfully into a middle distance. â€Å"Let's at least listen to the CD before I have to go.† He glanced at the CD as if he'd forgotten it, and put down the milk carton. Phillip followed them into the hallway. â€Å"Hey, buddy, you wait out here while she gets dressed.† James barely turned. â€Å"Get a life, Phil,† he said almost absently. â€Å"Just keep your hands off my sister, you deve.† Poppy just shook her head as she went into her room. As if James cared about seeing her undressed. If only,she thought grimly, pulling a pair of shortsout of a drawer. She stepped into them, still shaking her head. James was her best friend, her very bestfriend, and she was his. But he'd never shown even the slightest desire to get his hands on her. Sometimes she wondered if he realized she was a girl. Someday I'm going to makehim see, she thought,and shouted out the door for him. James came in and smiled at her. It was a smile other people rarely saw, not a taunting or ironic grin, but a nice little smile, slightly crooked. â€Å"Sorry about the doctor thing,† Poppy said. â€Å"No. You should go.† James gave her a keenglance. â€Å"Your mom's right, you know. This has been going on way too long. You've lost weight; it's keeping you up at night-â€Å" Poppy looked at him, startled. She hadn't told anybody about how the pain was worse at night, not even James. But sometimes James just knewthings. As if he could read her mind. â€Å"I just know you, that's all,† he said, and then gaveher a mischievous sideways glance as she stared at him. He unwrapped the CD. Poppy shrugged and flopped on her bed, staring atthe ceiling. â€Å"Anyway, I wish Mom would let me have oneday of vacation,† she said. She craned her neckto look at James speculatively. â€Å"I wish I had a mom like yours. Mine's always worrying and trying to fix me.† â€Å"And mine doesn't really care if I come or go. Sowhich is worse?† James said wryly. â€Å"Your parents let you have your own apartment. â€Å" â€Å"In a building they own. Because it's cheaper thanhiring a manager.† James shook his head, his eyeson the CD he was putting in the player. â€Å"Don't knockyour parents, kid. You're luckier than you know.† Poppy thought about that as the CD started. Sheand James both liked trance-the underground electronic sound that had come from Europe. James likedthe techno beat. Poppy loved it because it was real music, raw and unpasteurized, made by people who believed in it. People who had the passion, not people who had the money. Besides, world music made her feel a part of otherplaces. She loved the differentness of it, the alienness. Come to think of it, maybe that was what she likedabout James, too. His differentness. She tilted her head to look at him as the strange rhythms of Burundi drumming filled the air. She knew James better than anyone, but there wasalways something, something about him that was closed off to her. Something about him that nobody could reach. Other people took it for arrogance, or coldness, oraloofness, but it wasn't really any of those things. It was just differentness. He was more different thanany of the exchangestudents at school. Time after time, Poppy felt she had almost put her finger on thedifference, but it always slipped away. And more than once, especially late at night when they were listening to music or watching the ocean, she'd felthe was about to tell her. And she'd always felt that if he didtell her, itwould be something important, something as shocking and lovely as having a stray cat speak to her. Just now she looked at James, at his dean, carvenprofile and at the brown waves of hair on his forehead, and thought, He looks sad. â€Å"Jamie, nothing's wrong, is it? I mean, at home, oranything?† She was the only person on the planet allowed to call him Jamie. Not even Jacklyn or Michaela had ever tried that. â€Å"What could be wrong at home?† he said, with asmile that didn't reach his eyes. Then he shook his head dismissively. â€Å"Don't worry about it, Poppy. It'snothing important-just a relative threatening to visit. An unwanted relative.† Then the smile didreach his eyes, glinting there. â€Å"Or maybe I'm justworried about you,† he said. Poppy started to say, â€Å"Oh, as if, â€Å"but instead she found herself saying, oddly, â€Å"Are you really?† Her seriousness seemed to strike some chord. Hissmile disappeared, and Poppy found that they were simply looking at each other without any insulating humor between them. Just gazing into each other's eyes. James looked uncertain, almost vulnerable. â€Å"Poppy Poppy swallowed. â€Å"Yes?† He opened his mouth-and then he got upabruptly and went to adjust her 170-watt Tall-boy speakers. When he turned back, his gray eyes were dark and fathomless. â€Å"Sure, if you were really sick, I'd be worried,† hesaid lightly. â€Å"That's what friends are for, right?† Poppy deflated. â€Å"Right,† she said wistfully, andthen gave him a determined smile. â€Å"But you're not sick,† he said. â€Å"It's just somethingyou need to get taken care of. The doctor'll probably give you some antibiotics or something-with a bigneedle,† he added wickedly. â€Å"Oh, shut up,† Poppy said. He knew she was terrified of injections. Just the thought of a needle entering her skin †¦ â€Å"Here comes your mom,† James said, glancing atthe door, which was ajar. Poppy didn't see how he could hear anybody coming-the music was loud andthe hallway was carpeted. But an instant later her mother pushed the door open. â€Å"All right, sweetheart,† she said briskly. â€Å"Dr.Franklin says come right in. I'm sorry, James, but I'm going to have to take Poppy away.† â€Å"That's okay. I can come back this afternoon.† Poppy knew when she was defeated. She allowedher mother to tow her to the garage, ignoring James's miming of someone receiving a large injection. An hour later she was lying on Dr. Franklin's examining table, eyes politely averted as his gentle fingers probed her abdomen. Dr. Franklin was tall, lean,and graying, with the air of a country doctor. Some body you could trust absolutely. â€Å"The pain is here?† he said. â€Å"Yeah-but it sort of goes into my back. Or maybe I just pulled a muscle back there or something The gentle, probing fingers moved, then stopped. Dr. Franklin's face changed. And somehow, in that moment, Poppy knew it wasn't a pulled muscle. Itwasn't an upset stomach; it wasn't anything simple; and things were about to change forever. All Dr. Franklin said was, â€Å"You know, I'd like toarrange for a test on this.† His voice was dry and thoughtful, but panic curled through Poppy anyway. She couldn't explain what was happening inside her-some sort of dreadful premonition, like a black pit opening in the ground in front of her. â€Å"Why?† her mother was asking the doctor. â€Å"Well.† Dr. Franklin smiled and pushed his glassesup. He tapped two fingers on the examining table.†Just as part of a process of elimination, really. Poppysays she's been having pain in the upper abdomen, pain that radiates to her back, pain that's worse atnight. She's lost her appetite recently, and she's lost weight. And her gallbladder is palpable-that meansI can feel that it's enlarged. Now, those are symptomsof a lot of things, and a sonogram will help rule out some of them.† Poppy calmed down. She couldn't remember whata gallbladder did but she was pretty sure she didn't need it.Anything involving an organ with such a silly name couldn't be serious. Dr. Franklin was goingon, talking about the pancreas and pancreatitis andpalpable livers, and Poppy's mother was nodding as if she understood. Poppy didn't understand, but thepanic was gone. It was as if a cover had been whisked neatly over the black pit, leaving no sign that it had ever been there. â€Å"You can get the sonogram done at Children's Hospital across the street,† Dr. Franklin wassaying. â€Å"Come back here after it's finished.† Poppy's mother was nodding, calm, serious, andefficient. Like Phil. Or Cliff. Okay, we'll get this taken care of. Poppy felt just slightly important.Nobody sheknew had been to a hospital for tests. Her mother ruffled her hair as they walked out ofDr. Franklin's office. â€Å"Well, Poppet. What have you done to yourself now?† Poppy smiled impishly. She was fully recoveredfrom her earlier worry. â€Å"Maybe I'll have to have an operation and I'll have an interesting scar,† she said,to amuse her mother. â€Å"Let's hope not,† her mother said, unamused. The Suzanne G. Monteforte Children's Hospitalwas a handsome gray building with sinuous curve sand giant picture windows. Poppy looked thoughtfully into the gift shop as they passed. It was clearly akid's gift shop, full of rainbow Slinkys and stuffed animals that a visiting adult could buy as a last-minute present. A girl came out of the shop. She was a little olderthan Poppy, maybe seventeen or eighteen. She was pretty, with an expertly made-up face-and a cutebandanna which didn't quite conceal the fact that she had no hair. She looked happy, round-cheeked,with earrings dangling jauntily beneath the band anna-but Poppy felt a stab of sympathy. Sympathy†¦and fear. That girl was reallysick. Which was what hospitals were for, of course-for really sick people. Suddenly Poppy wanted to get herown tests over with and get out of here. The sonogram wasn't painful, but it was vaguelydisturbing. A technician smeared some kind of jelly over Poppy's middle, then ran a cold scanner over it,shooting sound waves into her, taking pictures of her insides. Poppy found her mind returning to the prettygirl with no hair. To distract herself, she thought about James. And for some reason what came to mind was the first time she'd seen James, the day he came to kindergarten. He'd been a pale, slight boy with big gray eyes and something subtly weirdabout him that made thebigger boys start picking on him immediately. On the playground they ganged up on him like houndsaround a fox-until Poppy saw what was happening. Even at five she'd had a great right hook. She'dburst into the group, slapping faces and kicking shins until the big boys went running. Then she'd turned to James. â€Å"Wanna be friends?† After a brief hesitation he'd nodded shyly. Therehad been something oddly sweet in his smile. But Poppy had soon found that her new friend wasstrange in small ways. When the class lizard died, he'd picked up the corpse without revulsion andasked Poppy if she wanted to hold it. The teacher had been horrified. He knew where to find dead animals, too-he'dshown her a vacant lot where several rabbit carcasseslay in the tall brown grass. He was matter-of-factabout it. When he got older, the big kids stopped pickingon him. He grew up to be as tall as any of them, and surprisingly strong and quick-and he developed areputation for being tough and dangerous. When he got angry, something almost frightening shone in hisgray eyes. He never got angry with Poppy, though. They'dremained best friends all these years. When they'd reached junior high, he'd started having girlfriends all the girls at school wanted himbut he never kept any of them long. And he never confided in them;to them he was a mysterious, secretive bad boy. Only Poppy saw the other side of him, the vulnerable, caring side. â€Å"Okay,† the technician said, bringing Poppy backto the present with a jerk. â€Å"You're done; let's wipe this jelly off you.† â€Å"So what did it show?† Poppy asked, glancing upat the monitor. â€Å"Oh, your own doctor will tell you that. The radiologist will read the results and call them over to your doctor's office.† The technician's voice was absolutely neutral-so neutral that Poppy looked ather sharply. Back in Dr. Franklin's office, Poppy fidgeted whileher mother paged through out-of-date magazines. When the nurse said â€Å"Mrs. Hilgard,† they bothstood up. â€Å"Uh-no,† the nurse said, looking flustered. â€Å"Mrs.Hilgard, the doctor just wants toseeyou for a minute-alone.† Poppy and her mother looked at each other. Then,slowly, Poppy's mother put down her People magazine and followed the nurse. Poppy stared after her. Now, what on earth . . . Dr. Franklin had neverdone that before. Poppy realized that her heart was beating hard. Notfast, just hard. Bang†¦bang†¦ bang, in the middle of her chest, shaking her insides. Making her feelunreal and giddy. Don't think about it. It's probably nothing. Reada magazine. But her fingers didn't seem to work properly. When she finally got the magazine open, her eyes ran over the words without delivering them to herbrain. What are they talking about in there? What's going on?It's been so long†¦. It kept getting longer. As Poppy waited, she foundherself vacillating between two modes of thought. 1) Nothing serious was wrong with her and her motherwas going to come out and laugh at her for even imagining there was, and 2) Something awful waswrong with her and she was going to have to go through some dreadful treatment to get well. The covered pit and the open pit. When the pit was covered, it seemed laughable, and she felt embarrassed for having such melodramatic thoughts. But when it was open, she felt as if all her life before this had been adream, and now she was hitting hard reality at last. I wish I could call James, she thought. At last the nurse said, â€Å"Poppy? Come on in.† Dr. Franklin's office was wood-paneled, with certificates and diplomas hanging on the walls. Poppy sat down in a leather chair and tried not to be tooobvious about scanning her mother's face. Her mother looked†¦too calm. Calm with strainunderneath. She was smiling, but it was an odd,slightly unsteady smile. Oh, God, Poppy thought. Something isgoing on. â€Å"Now, there's no cause for alarm,† the doctor said,and immediately Poppy became more alarmed. Her palms stuck to the leather of the chair arms. â€Å"Something showed up in your sonogram that's alittle unusual, and I'd like to do a couple of othertests,† Dr. Franklin said, his voice slow and measured, soothing. â€Å"One of the tests requires that you fast from midnight the day before you take it. But your mom says you didn't eat breakfast today.† Poppy said mechanically, â€Å"I ate one Frosted Flake.† â€Å"OneFrosted Flake? Well, I think we can countthat as fasting. We'll do the tests today, and I think it's best to admit you to the hospital for them. Now, the tests are called a CAT scan and an ERCP-that's short for something even I can't pronounce.† Hesmiled. Poppy just stared at him. â€Å"There's nothing frightening about either of thesetests,† he said gently. â€Å"The CAT scan is like an X ray. The ERCP involves passing a tube down the throat, through the stomach, and into the pancreas. Then we inject into the tube a liquid that will show up onX rays .† His mouth kept moving, but Poppy had stoppedhearing the words. She was more frightened than she could remember being in a long time. I was just joking about the interesting scar, shethought. I don't want a real disease. I don't want to go to the hospital, and I don't want any tubes down my throat. She looked at her mother in mute appeal. Her mother took her hand. â€Å"It's no big deal, sweetheart. We'll just go home andpack a few things for you; then we'll come back.† â€Å"I have to go into the hospital today?† â€Å"I think that would be best,† Dr. Franklin said. Poppy's hand tightened on her mother's. Her mind was a humming blank. When they left the office, her mother said, â€Å"Thankyou, Owen.† Poppy had never heard her call Dr. Franklin by his first name before. Poppy didn't ask why. She didn't say anything asthey walked out of the building and got in the car. As they drove home, her mother began to chat aboutordinary things in a light, calm voice, and Poppy made herself answer. Pretending that everything wasnormal, while all the time the terrible sick feeling raged inside her. It was only when they were in her bedroom, packing mystery books and cotton pajamas into a small suitcase, that she asked almost casually, â€Å"So whatexactly does he think is wrong with me?† Her mother didn't answer immediately. She waslooking down at the suitcase. Finally she said, â€Å"Well, he's not sure anything is wrong.† â€Å"But what does he think?He must think something. And he was talking about my pancreas-Imean, it sounds like he thinks there's somethingwrong with my pancreas. I thought he was looking at my gallbladderor whatever. I didn't even know that my pancreas was involvedin this†¦.† â€Å"Sweetheart.† Her mother took her by the shoulders, and Poppy realized she was getting a little over wrought. She took a deep breath. â€Å"I just want to know the truth, okay? I just wantto have some idea of what's going on. It's my body, and I've got a right to know what they're lookingfor-don't I?† It was a brave speech, and she didn't mean any of it. What she really wanted was reassurance, a prom ise that Dr. Franklin was looking for something trivial. That the worst that could happen wouldn't be so bad. She didn't get it. â€Å"Yes, you do have a right to know.† Her motherlet a long breath out, then spoke slowly. â€Å"Poppy, Dr. Franklin was concerned about your pancreas allalong. Apparently things can happen in the pancreas that cause changes in other organs, like the gallblad der and liver. When Dr. Franklin felt those changes, he decided to check things out with a sonogram.† Poppy swallowed. â€Å"And he said the sonogramwas-unusual. How unusual?† â€Å"Poppy, this is all preliminary†¦.† Her mothersaw her face and sighed. She went on reluctantly.† The sonogram showed that there might be something in your pancreas. Something that shouldn't bethere. That's why Dr. Franklin wants the other tests;they'll tell us for sure. But-â€Å" â€Å"Something that shouldn't be there? You mean †¦ like a tumor? Like †¦cancer?† Strange, it was hard to say the words. Her mother nodded once. â€Å"Yes. Like cancer.†

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of legislation relating to Essay

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of legislation relating to gender discrimination in the workplace - Essay Example In this case, managers may prefer assigning attractive women the role of marketing products while men are assigned technical, manual and production. Nevertheless, the paper will focus on discussing the advantages and disadvantages of legislation concerning gender discrimination in the work place. The legislation that relate to gender discrimination in the work place is the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, where the federal law seeks to establish gender equality in the workplace (Docksey, 1984, 81). Furthermore, there are other laws such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1973 and Executive Order 11246, while the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 was established to deal with the federal criminal offences for violence against women. However, it has been subdivided into two federal district court cases, which are applicable in the employment setting to supervisors (Otten, 1993, 20). In addition, the Title VII and Equal Pay Act were enacted accor ding to Congress’s powers under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. ... Therefore, this has brought the question of the family commitments affecting the competence of a woman in her workplace, thus posing a significant challenge in deciding on employing a woman at work. Decisions of choosing an individual to accept work in a given occupation are a decision, which is influenced by the learned cultural and social values that are considered discriminatory to women. Nevertheless, the preferences are determined by learners gender related factors that stereotype occupations as either male or female (Miller & Budd, 1999, 17). Advantages One advantage of the legislation concerning discrimination of gender in the workplace relating to the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which focuses on discrimination on pay, whereby men and women should receive equal compensation (Aaron, 1993, 45). The other merit is that terms of the legislation are gender natural, whereby in a situation when a man is a plaintiff, and a women they are expected to show the difference in court, where eith er of them receives a lower pay than the other if they performed the same task for the same employer. The legislation also emphasises on the notion of "substantial equivalence,† which is depicted by equal effort, skills, responsibilities and working environment. However, the legislation relating to the issues of gender discrimination offers the defendant a chance justify the disparity, in a situation where the elements are established by the plaintiff. Therefore, the defendant justifies by seniority, merit quality or quality of production and other factors that are not related to gender (Rutter, 1997, 30). Employers are not given a chance to depend on subjective estimates; thus, they have to provide precise criteria that can be applied and communicated

The European Invasion of North America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The European Invasion of North America - Essay Example The invasion of the European immigrants into North American forced the Native Americans to cope with the new environments, intercultural social relations and to a new environment in general. This paper will explore the kind of life the native residents of North America before the European Invasion, there life after the invasion, and how they coped with the new environment with reference to the book ‘The American People Creating a Nation and Society’ by Gary Nash and other authors. The Invasion Before the European invasion of North America, the natives had divisions of many different polities which involved bands of families to large business empires. Primordial paradise is the term used to refer to the lives of the Native Americans today. This effectively means that the native residents lived a life free from any restrictions. Before the invasion of the Europeans in North America, there was no clear evidence of Christianity among them. The broad generalization way of pai rs of philosophical principles leads to the quality of the native culture. The American Indian religion was wrapped together in a multidimensional cycle. These natives believed in the power of gods, performed and gave sacrifices to them in the belief that the gods were naturally supreme powered. This religion contributed towards peace and harmony among the native residents as they developed a sense of belonging towards the gods they worshipped. However, this does not necessarily mean that harmony was always maintained. Conflicts arose from various issues but were easily solved by the governance units that were already in place. Another remarkable feature of the Native American cultures was the degree of symbolic and moral convergence or homogeneity among the people who socially and geographically disparate. Perhaps this displays a common history and explains the fate that eventually ensued from the European invasion and the ultimate conquest for the bands and empires that were assoc iated with the native North Americans (Nash 108). The European invasions, as anyone would expect, caused more conflicts than they were before. The native residents were not ready to surrender that easily to the invaders. They had to stage up a fight in order to avoid losing the land they regarded to as a paradise to the European invaders. The Indians undoubtedly had to devise ways on how to cope or merge with the culture that came along with the European invaders. More importantly is to note that the European invasion brought along what they call the western civilizations even presently. Before their invasion as outlined in the second paragraph, the native residents worshipped gods. It was their way of religion, but after the European invasion, Christianity is widely spread as the major method of worship. The acceptance of the Native Americans showed towards Christianity as the religion means that the native Indians were not necessarily rebellious to the culture that was introduced by the European invasion (Nash 212). The different European nations that invaded the Indian Territory in North America made different approaches to invading North America. After the invasion of the French into North America, there is evidence that trade thrived fairly well between the French and the Native Americans. For instance, the French developed an interest in beaver