Report of the Leadership Camp Essay

On the 27th- 29th, Co-curricular Unit of SMK Tun Mamat organised a Leadership Camp at Perimbun Resort , Cheras. The camp was attended by all presidents and secretaries of the various clubs in school. About 72 participants include facilitators joined this three days camp. Its objective is to install leadership qualities and to improve teamwork among presidents and secretaries of various clubs. Youth leaders from local university are invite to be facilitators along this three days camp. Facilitators are invited from local university, known as University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). During this three days camp, several activities are arranged for participants. On the first day, after the registration of participants a briefing about the camp was given by facilitators. After that, participants were setting up tents. Then, participants were distributed among several groups and group activities were held. By participate in group activities, one can improve the leadership qualities such as group leader quality and also teamwork. Leader of the group should have a clear vision of what they want their team to achieve. Not only must there be an awareness of this common goal of the group but it must also be shared and agreed upon with the other members of the team. On the second day morning , it was a morning exercise. Some survivals skills are explained by facilitators.Those survival skills are important to all presidents and secretaries of clubs. In this camp , some of the important attributes that go into producing a good leader were highlighted. Such us , understand that every team member is different , be a model . An effective leader should firm the team up by having team and individual meetings to inspire and motivate team members. This can be done when a member of club representing to a competition. During the night , participants go on a ten-mile hike. The last day of the camp is the most memorable part . On the third day , there was a feedback session whereby participants have been asked about the camp. The co-curricular unit of SMK Tun Mamat was able to carry out this camp successfully because of the high commitment and dedication of all teachers and students.

How does Shakespeare make Lady Macbeth into such a Dramatic Character Essay

Creating a character like Lady Macbeth who is ahead of her time, domineering and so far away from the 16th and17th century stereotypical women, is a fantastic achievement for Shakespeare. Lady Macbeth’s character is not too dissimilar to that of a witch as many aspects of the things she does and the language and imagery she uses have led me to believe that she may well be one. This could well have been the response if a Jacobean audience, There are also frequent times when she appears to call on spirits. At the time when Macbeth was written the public were becoming increasingly pre-occupied with witchcraft. A law was even put in place to ban it. It was also estimated that at least a staggering 8,000 witches were burned at the stake just in Scotland between 1564 and 1603 (which would have supported the Jacobean view at the time). As witches were used in the play it would have made it all the more intriguing to the audience and to James I. Another point of attraction is the fact that Lady Macbeth appears to have some witchlike features, or that she could be working in sync with them. This only adds another fascinating dimension to her character and so would have broadened her appeal as a dramatic character at the time. When Macbeth was written, women were believed to be inferior to men. Lady Macbeth contrasts to this belief in numerous ways. She, for example, has more control over Macbeth than he has of her. She also seems able to manage and manipulate effectively and uses these skills in act 1 scene 7 she does a great job of persuading Macbeth to go through with the murder of Duncan and in act 3 scene 4 when she attempted to stop Macbeth from giving away that he murdered Duncan. I also believe that the impact of the witches, especially at the very beginning of the play provides an excellent building block for her to manipulate, control and domineer him. One of the most important factors in being able to control Macbeth are the witches. Without the information and ambition that the witches feed him, Lady Macbeth’s persuasive powers wouldn’t be anywhere near as effective. In addition Lady Macbeth seems to be undecided whether she is good, evil, somewhere in between or indeed what ulterior motive she has. Maybe she acknowledges she is human after being taken over by spirits, but ultimately she cannot defeat her humanity. Lady Macbeth’s portrayals in the Polanski and ‘Estate’ film version contrast greatly. In the Polanski portrayal, Lady Macbeth is seen to reflect the way Shakespeare intended her to manifest. She also is seen to be devious and conniving just as Shakespeare intended. However in the ‘Estate’ version, Lady Macbeth gains sympathy from the audience and we are certainly more sympathetic towards her, because as the film indicates she lost her child earlier in life. This is also why many characters in the film look upon her differently in comparison the Polanski version. The evidence we have of Lady Macbeth being portrayed in two different ways shows what an impressive, dramatic and intriguing character Shakespeare has created, and I’m sure that numerous other interpretations can be made, and will be made in the future. The very first time we are introduced to Lady Macbeth is when she has received a letter from Macbeth informing her about what the witches had told him. What is interesting is that she never dwells on the letter for a moment. She just gets straight into devising a way of how to get Macbeth to be king (and of course herself queen) by killing. She immediately knows he isn’t capable of committing the murder as she says â€Å"It’s too full of the milk of human kindness†. Using the work milk means she views Macbeth as young or inexperienced and definitely incapable of murdering Duncan. Also it initiates a sense of images connected with motherhood and femininity. She then does on to say â€Å"I pour my spirits into thine ear† which is a reference to the fact that she’ll have to use her persuasive powers to influence him. It is immediately clear Shakespeare intended to give her power, and the way she has already started to devise a plan instantaneously in her mind is astonishing. She clearly thinks she is powerful already when she says â€Å"Under my battlements†. In Lady Macbeth’s mind the Macbeth’s castle is hers. This view is completely in contrast with events at the time as any normal stereotypical woman in this time period would never claim to own her husband’s property. We as an audience already know that Lady Macbeth is an extraordinary powerful woman. But she thrives for more power. When she says â€Å"Unsex me here† this means that she feels restricted and wants to have mens’ power. She may also believe that a woman can only have so much power and to gain more she would have to become a man. I believe she feels jealous of Macbeth’s power and longs to feel what it is like to me a man like him. Immediately when Macbeth has met his wife after sending the letter, barely any pleasantries are exchanged and she quickly sets upon overwhelming him. Lady Macbeth’s sharp innovative thinking has already devised a plan to kill Duncan and she wastes no time in unleashing it upon Macbeth Duncan â€Å"That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan†. She has concocted that the murder will be covered up â€Å"And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell† and that the murder will happen under the â€Å"Blanket of dark†. She also tells him that she will poison the guards in order for him to get to Duncan â€Å"And take my milk for gall†. The way Lady Macbeth has already pieced together a plan of how to get herself into the powerful position of queen so rapidly is a prime example that power and domination are the main features of her existence. She clearly thrives on power and her last statement in act 1 scene 5 only underlines this fact â€Å"Leave all the rest to me†. She is telling Macbeth that she has complete control over the situation and that instead of her relying on him, he can rely on her. This would be shocking to the audience as it challenges beliefs about society’s roles at the time. Although Lady Macbeths plan seems convincing, Macbeth is still a bit wary of it. He puts forward the view that doing more than what is natural for a man to do, no longer makes him a man. In other words it would make him unnatural as it could almost be construed that Lady Macbeth is trying to mould Macbeth and make him into a somewhat supernatural character. Although we know Macbeth kills Duncan, he may not have done so if it had not been for his love and affection for his wife, as in the letter he wrote to her he called her â€Å"My dearest partner of greatness†. We also know that he trusted her with his life, as if the letter he had written to her had been seen by anybody else; it may have been seen as treasonous. Without Macbeth’s love and trust for his wife Lady Macbeth may not have been able to persuade him to commit the murder. In act 1 scene 7 Lady Macbeth hits her husband where she knows it will hurt by making him feel like a coward when she continues to â€Å"Pour my spirits into thine ear† and she says mockingly â€Å"Poor cat†. The image of the cat is designed in to re-inforce the fact that Macbeth is being cowardly for having second thoughts over the murder of Duncan. Another even more damaging persuasive technique Lady Macbeth uses is to insult Macbeth’s manhood. When Lady Macbeth says â€Å"When you dur’st do it, then you were a man† it appears to demolish Macbeths futile attempts to convince himself that he shouldn’t murder Duncan by mocking his masculinity and contrasting it to her commitment to him. Anxiety Lady Macbeth seems hell-bent on persuading Macbeth to murder Duncan, but could she have done it herself? She claims Duncan looked like her father so she couldn’t do it. But she also said she would kill her own baby if she had to â€Å"I would while it was smiling in my face†. I think she isn’t quite as powerful as she appears on the surface and she is too scared herself of the consequences of killing a king. Although if this was the case it would be ironic as the guilt of Macbeth killing Duncan affects her a lot more. On waiting for Macbeth to commit the murder, Lady Macbeth is triumphant and bold and is confident having played her part by drugging the guards. Here Macbeth makes a foolish mistake by bringing the two bloodstained daggers back from the scene of the crime. Lady Macbeth quickly notices his mistake and decisively orders him to put the daggers beside the drunken guards. Macbeth is too overcome with the fear of guilt to do this, which forces Lady Macbeth to carry out the deed for him. Without Lady Macbeth’s readiness of mind and strength of purpose, Macbeth may have been exposed. We see Lady Macbeth has the initiative and grasps the situation; however after persuading Macbeth to murder Duncan she has turned a great warrior into a guilty wreck. After Duncan’s death Macbeth kills the guards in a false display of loyalty, however Macduff questions this and although Macbeth justifies his actions it still seems unconvincing. Lady Macbeth conveniently faints after seeing the dead bodies. I believe she fakes to faint as she is afraid that Macbeth wasn’t convincing and this provides the perfect way to draw the attention away from Macbeth. Nevertheless I believe that Lady Macbeth may be genuinely shocked by her husband’s quick ruthless actions and maybe before she thought that he wouldn’t be capable of murdering again. She may be shocked at what he has turned into, and not realize how omnipotent she has been. Also, with Macbeth acting so spontaneously this could be conceived by her as him challenging her power Lady Macbeth becomes uneasy as her husband seems to spend his time alone â€Å"Desire has got without content†. She is also not enjoying her new found role as queen. It seems the position she so wanted in life hasn’t lived up to her high standards. When Macbeth eventually does see her she pretends she is at ease with the current situation. In addition in this scene Lady Macbeth begins to lose her power over Macbeth and from her being so dominant now the situation and balance begins to shift. He is beginning to formulate a plan without her, but he won’t tell her what it is. Macbeth despite calling her â€Å"Dearest chuck† clearly feels he doesn’t need her. Whereas in the first act, Lady Macbeth is overpowering Macbeth, now their roles have changed. In act 3 scene 4 Lady Macbeth grasps control over the situation for one last time. Banquo’s ghost ironically occupies Macbeth’s seat as Banquo’s descendants will do the throne. Only Macbeth can see the ghost and he is terrified. Lady Macbeth’s quick thinking to draw the banquet to a close and dismiss everyone is another example of how much influence she has had throughout the play, and without her Macbeth surely wouldn’t be in the position he now currently finds himself in. However he seems to only talk of himself alone â€Å"For mine own good†. He even admits that he wants to visit the witches again. Lady Macbeth results in keeping â€Å"Her state† which means she is going to remain and sit on the throne. On the throne is where she should be able to enjoy her role as queen but it somehow feels hollow and empty for her without Macbeth by her side. And maybe it is no wonder that Lady Macbeth begins to question what has become of her. In Macbeth’s castle at Dunsinaine a doctor and a waiting gentlewoman discuss their patient, Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking and it must finally dawn on the audience that she has lost all control and is on the verge of insanity as sleepwalking was seen as a supernatural sign of being possessed. Earlier in the play she said â€Å"What’s done is done† meaning she is suggesting that killing Duncan would not be of concern once it had been accomplished. However now what’s done is not in the past put present in her mind. She now goes on to say â€Å"What’s done cannot be undone† Which is the complete opposite to her earlier statement. She says â€Å"Who would have thought the old man would have so much blood in him?† while in her dream-like state. I think this means that she didn’t realize so much guilt would overwhelm her after Macbeth had murdered Duncan, also that she didn’t think there would be so many deaths after they had killed Duncan. What is fascinating about Lady Macbeth’s situation now is she set about trying to influence Macbeth and it appears she has influenced herself into her own death. Lady Macbeth’s death could almost be viewed as a sacrifice for Macbeth. She may have felt that she was becoming a burden for him and that he would do better without her. Furthermore she could have killed herself as she had lost control over herself and more importantly over Macbeth, who seemed to be acting spontaneously without her dramatic impact over him. Macbeth’s reaction may also come as a surprise to the audience as when he says â€Å"She should have died hereafter† it feels like he is being offhand and has more important things to worry about than his wife’s death. Or does the word hereafter suggest he may dwell and mourn over the matter later? In conclusion the dramatic power of Lady Macbeth is at first influential and rewarding to her and her husband, but then spirals out of control. Shakespeare has created an iconic and revolutionary character and one who seems to have numerous personalities on-the-go at once. At first she seems supernatural with her uncompromising desire for her husband to take the throne, but then she shows aspects of humanity- she would have killed Duncan herself if he hadn’t have reminded her of her father. Finally, it seems that Shakespeare created the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to compliment each other. As when Macbeth is weak and hesitant, Lady Macbeth is strong and dynamic; when Macbeth is diligent and determined, Lady Macbeth is tormented and slowly disintegrates. Without the relationship they provide for each other they wouldn’t have got to the stage of their downfall.

Blind Date Script Essay Example for Free

Blind Date Script Essay Essay Topic: Literature , Thomas Hardy Choose cite format: APA MLA Harvard Chicago ASA IEEE AMA â€Å"Far From The Madding Crowd† Blind Date Script. Graham: It’s Blind Date! And here is your host, Miss Cilla Black! Cilla: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Blind Date. In a moment we’ll be meeting the lucky lady who gets to pick from one of these gorgeous guys! So, let’s meet the boys! So, hello number 1; what’s your name and where do you come from? Bo: Good Evening, Cilla. My name is William Boldwood, and I am from Weatherbury. C: Nice to meet you, William. So tell everyone a bit about yourself. Bo: Well, Cilla, I am a 42 year old bachelor, I own a large farm, and†¦. I’m incredibly wealthy! C: And, I understand, correct me if I’m wrong love, that you have had a nasty experience involving a Valentine’s card? Bo: That is correct, Cilla. I once received a Valentine’s card through in the mail, and I had no idea who the sender was. I was a little afraid, you see, it could have been anything. So, I erm, placed it on my mantelpiece. Well, then I couldn’t stop thinking of it, so I stared at it for quite some time. C: How long for, love? Bo: For a matter of days, Cilla. C: Oh dear. Well I for one am always scared when the postman comes, I mean, when them bills get posted through my door I know I’m too terrified to open them for a week! C: Alright love, well, best of luck tonight, and please don’t be scared of the date cards if you’re picked ’cause we’ve only got so long, you know. Okay, number two, what’s your name and where do you come from? T: Hello, Cilla, my love, my name’s Frank Troy and I’m from Weatherbury too! C: Hiya Frank. Tell us all a bit about yourself, love. T: Well, I’m 31, I’m a Sergeant in the Army, so I travel a lot, and I enjoy sword fighting, so I spend a lot of my spare time practising that, and, I’m quite skilled if I may say so myself. C: Oh really? Come on, then. Show us some moves! (Troy shows off with sword techniques). C: Wow, I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that lot! Eh, thanks very much love, well done. Best of luck tonight, but if you win, leave the sword at home, won’t you? Hello number three, what’s your name and where do you come from? O: Eh Cilla, me name’s Gabriel Oak an I be from Weatherbury as well. C: Hiya, chuck, why don’t you tell everyone a bit about yourself? O: Well, I’m 28 an I work on a farm in Weatherbury, Cilla. C: And I heard that you used to own your own farm, is that right? O: Ay, that be correct, Cilla, I used to ave some lovely little sheepies, but, sadly, most of em died in a tragic accident. C: Awwwwww†¦ (Sympathy) O: Yer, so maybe, even though I don’t ave a lot, she’ll still be willing to ave me. Then I’ll know she be genuine an all that. An it could get me a few sympathy votes as well, But I wont let on until after the show, just in case. C: A man with a plan! Well, you probably wont even need to use the sheep story Gabriel, I’m sure you’ll be fine. And may the best fella win. Good luck to all of you. Now, guys and girls, lets meet the lucky lady who gets her pick of one of these gorgeous guys! (Bathsheba enters) C: Hello love, and you are Bathsheba, is that right? B: Yes Cilla, that’s right. C: And where are you from, Bathsheba love? B: I’m from Weatherbury Cilla. C: Oh I didn’t see that one coming. Now, what sort of thing are you looking for, and hoping to find tonight in one of our top-class bachelors? B: Well, I’m looking for someone who will flatter me but also stand up to me. I’m very independent. C: Oh, that’s right, you own a farm, dont you? B: I do indeed, Cilla. C: Well, let’s hope those three blokes over there stand up to you more than your farm animals do. And lets hope they smell better an all. B: well I won’t know until the date, but lets hope so. C: Alright love. Let’s get on with your three questions then. Fire away! B: Hello boys! ALL: Hello Bathsheba! B: Okay, my first question is; If I was an animal, I would be a tiger, because I could definitely use a little taming. If you were an animal, what would you be, and why? That goes to number 1, please. Bo: Well, Bathsheba, I would be a snake, a boa constrictor, so I would be able to wrap myself around you, and squeeze you as tight as I can. B: And to number 2, please. T: Well, I would be a fox, most obviously because of my red coat, but also because I hunt my prey and always get what I want. B: And, lastly, to number 3, please. O: Well, I would probably be a sheep, because, apart from being cute n cuddly, I would follow you round as a sheep does and always be with you. B: Okay, 2nd question. If I were a type of food, I would be a curry, because I am hot and spicy! What food would you be, and why? That is to number 2, please. T: Well, I would be Egg and Soldiers, so you could have a dip in me anytime! B: And to number 3, please. O: Okay, if I was a food, I would be Shepherd’s Pie, because I be a shepherd, and I be warm, tasty and simple. So, heat me up, and it’ll be dinner for two. B: And lastly, to number 1, please. Bo: If I was a sort of food, I would most certainly be Toad in the hole, because once you dig down to my deep centre and kiss the toad, I would be your handsome prince. B: And my last question is; I am a woman who likes to be pampered and showered with gifts. If you could give me one thing, what would it be and why? To number 3, please. O: Well, I don’t ave a lot, you see, but I would give you my heart of gold, because that be all I wantin in return. B: And to number 1, please. Bo: I would give you anything you want, anything your heart desires. And the greatest gift any woman could wish for – ME! B: And last but not least, to number 2, please. T: I would give you the sheath to my prized possession, my sword, because then I would be allowed to put my things inside yours. C: Oh well, Bathsheba, that’s all your questions. But don’t make your mind up yet, here’s a bit of help from Our Graham! G: So Bathsheba, will it be Toady number 1, who will give you himself and squeeze you tightly, just don’t send him any mail! Or, will it be foxy number 2, who likes nothing better than putting on his Soldier coat and doing sword tricks – just keep the toast away from his yolk. Or, will you decide on warm and simple number 3, and if on your date his sheepy antics get on your nerves, you could always sell that gold heart he gave you. THE DECISION – IS YOURS! C: So who will it be love – 1, 2 or 3? B: I’m going to have to go with number 3, Cilla. C: Oh, but what about the two you turned down? (introduces Troy, then Boldwood – they leave) C: So here is your Blind Date, you picked number one, that was Gabriel Oak from Weatherbury – come in Gabriel! (Gabriel and Bathsheba meet) C: Alright, are you pleased? (Both nod). Okay then, let’s pick a date! Which one will be picking? O: I’ll let the lovely lady here pick. (Bathsheba picks) B: A sightseeing trip to London! (Hands envelope to Cilla) C: It says here that the two of you will be seeing all the sights of the Famous London! Have either of you been there before? (both say no). Good. Then after that, you’ll be shopping ’til you drop and then staying in a luxury hotel! It says here let’s hope that the two of you aren’t calling each other pigs by the end of the week! Okay, let’s have a round of applause for Bathsheba and Gabriel! Blind Date Script. (2017, Oct 01). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Computer Sciences and Information Technology Essay

Computer Sciences and Information Technology - Essay Example On the other hand, web applications like Google Docs and its updates are always available to the users free of cost. However, web applications lack security which means for doing highly confidential work, application software is always better than web applications. Moreover, web based applications are shared by a number of users and therefore the system loading speeds at a particular moment may depend on the number of users at that moment. Web applications require internet connection and it is impossible to work on web applications while internet connection problems are there. On the other hand, normal software may not have such problems loading speed problems or internet connection problems. I recommend normal software to my company since normal software provides more flexibility to the users and it is difficult for a company to rely fully on web applications for executing its functions because of the safety, loading speed and internet related problems. 2. Mac vs. PC. Mac computers start always faster than PC’s and it opens the files faster than PC’s. Web pages also open faster in Mac computers than in PC’s. Mac computer make use of Motorola processors which are superior in performance than the Intel processors used in the PC’s. ... p publishing works, Mac computers are preferred worldwide because of its superior image handling abilities whereas PC’s are preferred because of its better software compatibility. In short, performance-wise and operational-wise, Mac computers are superior to PC’s even though it is slightly expensive. I would advise Universal Computing to purchase both Mac and PC’s based on the nature of works in each department. 3. Ethics in Action Privacy is a hotly debated topic in the world at present. There are many cases, in which the security agencies monitor the private communications between people. They are doing so for the national interests or for avoiding security threats. The threats from the terrorists are increasing day by day and all communication mediums including electronic media are used by the terrorists. Many of the countries like China, Pakistan, America etc are believed to be engaged in undeclared Cyber-attacks. It is impossible to counter cyber-attacks wit hout censoring the information passed through internet. Under such circumstances, nobody can blame the security agencies if they monitor private messages. Security is more important than privacy in my opinion. The loss of privacy of some people can save the lives of thousands of people and monitoring of communication channels can be ethically justified in that sense. 4. Should the government require that all Web sites meet the W3C accessibility guidelines? It is not necessary that all web sites meet the W3C accessibility guidelines. For example, it is difficult to implement W3C accessibility guidelines to Web sites hosted by disability organizations since these guidelines can cause more barriers in front of the disabled people in accessing web pages. Websites which are designed properly can be handled

Discussion unit 3 Social Problems Research Paper

Discussion unit 3 Social Problems - Research Paper Example Matt, drug addict, faced some serious problems during the survival period until the addiction took his life (personal communication, 2012). Drugs have negative impact on attitude and personality of addict. What makes it worse is the overdose of medicine used which results in other disease. Family members play a very important either to help the addict or to bring him down. Parents, siblings, partner and children all are equally destroyed as a family unit. Society is least considered and yet bears most of the consequences (Byrne,2005). Education or job, financial issues or economical issues, over dosage of medication or illegal drugs usage, each and everything plays a role in effecting the society as a whole. The criminal rate goes up and down with the addiction rate. With crimes comes the Law and Order. Is it enough to put a law on the using of drugs or alcohol? If it was enough then the sufferings would not be increasing on such large scale. Measures should be taken by the law beyond the drugs and welfare of addicts. There should be law that should involve the effected family members and other social destructions caused due to addiction. Human service professionals should be entrusted with greater responsibilities so that they can directly have positive impacts in bringing back the addicts to their normal lives. Byrne,A.(2005).Addict in the Family: How to Cope With the Long Haul. Retrieved from

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade - Essay Example This process caused great population loss for Africa, and many died before boarding the ships, making the situation worse. Ghana was chosen as the headquarters for the African slave trade. The Trans-Atlantic slave created great impacts on Africa as well as on the social life of people. Even though slavery existed in Africa before the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, it was not been so intensive and flourishing. No African origin was ever as prominent slaveholders as they later became. It had altered the societal structure of the country and capturing and selling of slaves across the Atlantic boosted up and stimulated the expansion of slavery within Africa. And the system of slavery became the central element to societies all across the African continent. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade sooner or later changed the American slavery in some of its unique several elements. America was not at war with any of the nations like Ireland, or China, but had compensated several wars with the Native Am ericans, for the natives made poor slaves. African slaves were forcefully brought to America and were kept against their will. However, they wanted to become a part of the nation â€Å"America† but were denied the option to enjoy their full rights and freedom within America. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade moreover, changed the social structure of America and had a great impact on its development. 2. Enlightenment was one of the important ideas of European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries. This principle holds ideas relating to God, reason, man, and nature synthesizing all into an all-inclusive atmosphere, which gained a wide acclamation and assent. The intellectual movement had initiated innovative development in the areas of art, politics, and philosophy. The central point of Enlightenment idea was the utilization and exploitation of reason, the power which enables man to recognize the universe and his own condition. The fundamental objectives of rational man were considered to be freedom, knowledge, and happiness. The Enlightenment movement was the great revolt against inherited intellectual authority, both classical and Christian alike that passed across Europe during the eighteenth century (Voltaire, XIV). The roots of the thought can be traced back fro the intrepid thinkers from the middle of the former century. The prominent figures among them were later called the Scientific Revolutionists, like Galileo Galilee, William Harvey, and Isaac Newton, and also the philosophers such as Rene Descartes, Benedict de Spinoza and Gottfried Leibniz (Voltaire, XIV). The Enlightenment at first instance was used by the French Thinkers to translate and popularize the thoughts of their more advanced Dutch and English predecessors. These concepts did not even formulate a single coherent until the Enlightenment reached its final stage of its development. By the middle of the century, the rough consensus about the idea among the major contributors lightened, and major themes of the intellectual movement started to influence the European society. The foremost themes and ideas of the movement, which had an impact on the European social life were.

Martin Luther Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Martin Luther - Essay Example Historians agree that he drew his inspiration from the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and from his Christian faith as well. Based on the principles of non-violence, he was the leader of nonviolent movement in the late 1950’s and 1960’s. As a result of his determination, he contributed immensely towards realization of equality in the United States particularly among the Africa- Americans (The King Center para 2). Martin Luther was born in January 15, 1929 and attended segregated public schools in Georgia. He was born in a Christian family; his father served as a pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church and his mother was a co-pastor at the same church. After high school, he attended Morehouse Georgia where he graduated with B.A degree in 1948. He then attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and later on won fellowship at Crozer which enabled him to enrol in graduate doctorate in 1953 at Boston University where he received a degree in 1955. While in Boston, he met Coretta Scott whom he married and they bore two sons and two daughters together (The Nobel Prize Organization para 1). He served as the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama from 1954. During his time as the pastor, he was a strong civil rights worker of his race. This was evidenced by the fact that he served as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people executive committee m ember The Nobel Prize Organization para 2). Martin Luther was elected as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) president in 1957; SCLC was an organization that had been formed to provide leadership necessary for burgeoning civil rights movements (The Nobel Prize Organization para 3). In a span of eleven years (1957-1968), he travelled over six million miles and made over 2500 addresses regarding civil rights, injustice and need for action. In addition, he wrote five books and numerous articles aimed at addressing racial

Game Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Game Theory - Essay Example In context, Marx and his wife Anna are faced with critical decisions in their life. Given that their marriage has been on the rocks for a period, each of them separately relies on the game theory as the route towards getting preferable choices in their marriage, which is one of the top techniques to resolve marital problems (Szuchman). In addition to being a couple, the two operate separate but similar businesses, on which they have had fights because of their stiff competition. Their profiled problems start on Valentine’s Day, regarding the gifts they want to buy for each other and even proceed to resolution of their business woes, whose best propositions are determined by the game theory. The couple requires solutions that will salvage their marriage and prosper their businesses using the best strategies. Scenario 1 Marx wants to buy a comb for Anna this Valentine’s Day so that she can tend to her long hair. On the other hand, Anna would love to buy a wrist strap for her husband’s pocket watch, who has difficulties in keeping time at his place of work. Despite their perfect love for each other, neither has enough money to purchase the gift they would want to give. We may want to assume quite a different scenario, where the two lovers are in an uncertain short-term relationship and are self-centered. In this perspective, they do not care about each other, but are more concerned on the gains or losses they hope to make in the term of their relationship.

Performance Analysis Between Told by and Idiots The Horse You Rode In Essay

Performance Analysis Between Told by and Idiots The Horse You Rode In On and Earthfalls The Factory - Essay Example Analysis of a play or a stage show initially demands the nature of its theme and in this point of viewer can make out the theme of political satire in And the Horse Your Rode In On. It is not possible for a viewer or critic to approach the Horse Your Rode In On merely an entertainment and the plays have need of a special attention from the viewer because of its effort of social criticism. In the same way, the dance program entitled The Factory bestows a new theatrical experience for the viewer through its magnificent performance. As a piece of popular theatrical performance, both Told by an Idiot and Eartfall made a unique effort in creating their latest works as a delighting one. It is obvious that And the Horse Your Rode in On captures the attention of its viewers through its theme and unique structure. Unlike And the Horse Your Rode in On, Ear fall’s The Factory marked its greatness through its magnificent movements. Both of them have their own compensations as well limitat ions in designing and performance. Hayley Carmichael and Paul Hunter tackle politics in first time and most of the events in this stage show concerned with politics and related violence. Advocates of the show design the performance of the characters of the show with the presence of number of intersecting narratives which illustrates political events. In this respect Brian Logan observes; â€Å"the show's ostensible subject is "extreme acts of violence and the lengths people will go for their beliefs" (Logan, 2011). Producers of the show effectively used the possibilities of black humor in their play. Director practices variety of performance strategies like mime, singing, one act play, and fart noises. All these techniques help the viewer to justify the intentions of its makers. The image of Conrad’s bomb-carrying anarchist permits the viewer to analyze the existence of armed revolution in modern world. Characters of the play made a conscious effort to create funny moments t hroughout the play and through these funny moments they transformed their criticism. Mat Trueman rightly comments that â€Å"Its outwardly jocular demeanor delights in slapstick and silly voices, but its core is a passionate reflection on revolution drawn out of a pop-cultural mash-up† (Trueman, 2011). The problem of identity crisis and gender issues that affected in modern society are obviously weaved in the play and viewer can hit upon the fact that the honest approach towards its theme is a significant reason for its general acceptance. One can begin the discussion about the performance of the play And the Horse Your Rode in On with a statement that it is not possible for a viewer to come across many occasions which makes much sense. Therefore, it is better for a viewer to watch it without prejudiced mind and stay away from questions about the reason behind it. The great thing is that the conclusion or moral of the play is brilliantly formed through a serious combination o f different stories and the outstanding performance of its actors. The entire play mirrors the inability of common people to have a handle on the real intentions of political parties and also the failure of people to be aware of terrorist’s motivations. The viewers can understand how an individual or a person with good intentions changed into an anarchist or how the lives of victims or revolutionaries changed into a moment of explosive. The great challenge that the performers faced was that the creation of humor in the play. It is evident that the

Strategic Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic Human Resources - Essay Example It is a statement, which shows the company’s ideology and direction. Many things depend upon this. Employees get a clear picture of what is going to happen in the near and far future. On the other hand, there is confusion in many organizations that the HR is only limited to bring new faces in the company. S/he is hardly aware of what the company has as its target. The HR strategy clears this confusion proving the fact that the HR is an essential person in the organization who is very much aware of everything happening there and thus help in attaining an important goal of retaining the employees. (Messmer, 2001) The HR of a company clearly states what the company has done so far. All the ups and downs are openly discussed before people and therefore, the employees become aware of the results that have come out of the business strategy that has been obtained by the company so far. Periodic briefings regarding the goals and objectives of a particular project and sharing of information also help. Therefore, the management also thinks about new changes that can be brought into service for pacing up the company furthermore. (Messmer, 2001) Basically, HR strategy and HR theories meet at two points – requirements of the firm and requirements of the employee. An HR manager always tries to explain the reality with a theoretical perception. This helps him/her to compare the reality with the ideal. S/he tries to improve the company’s standard by deciphering its basic requirements comparing with the theory. On the other hand, requirements of the individuals are also the important matters to him/her. S/he tries to bring the equilibrium between the theory and reality. In his book ‘The Human Side of Enterprise† McGregor shows how Theory Y influences the effectiveness of managers and salaries and promotions. The two theories highlight two different orientation of behavior or disposition. Theory X

Issues in the 2008 Presidential Elections Essay Example for Free

Issues in the 2008 Presidential Elections Essay The forthcoming US presidential election has elicited excitement from the public due to its unique characteristics. For the first time in the history of the United States there is a high probability that the next president to take the office will be either the most advanced in age or be from a minority grouping. The core of the election however is not on the superficial characteristic of the two individuals but by on the far reaching policies that affect the Americans. The purpose of this paper is to look at the nature of the policies that each candidate vows to uphold. It will also offer a persuasive opinion on who between the two candidates has the better policies. A look at the US foreign policy indicates that it revolves around a number of issues key to them being terrorism and proliferation of nuclear weapons. For John Mc Cain’s, the Republican Presidential candidate, foreign policy adversely focuses on these two issues. McCain links the ongoing Iraq war to the war on terror. To him, a win in the war will be a huge step in the eradication of terrorists especially the Islamic extremists in the Middle East. His policy points out to the need to provide additional forces in Iraq and also in Afghanistan. Afghanistan requires a surge of NATO forces to get rid of the insurgents that are currently carrying out bomb attacks against civilians and the coalition forces present. McCain’s foreign policy is mostly centralized in the Middle East. He advocates for the closer ties between the US and Pakistanis which is a strategic partner in the war against terror. He notes that America must continue to work with President Perez Musharraf to dismantle the cells and the camps that the Taliban and Al Qaeda maintain in his country (Council of Foreign Relations, 2007) On nuclear weapons McCain first target is Iran which he accuses to be a chief supporter of terrorism and hence an arch enemy of the US. He proposes the imposition of sanctions to compel Iran to forego its nuclear mission. He also advocates for the solving of the global issues through partnerships with other nations in the world through what he refers to as the â€Å"world wide League of Democracies. † (Council of Foreign Relations, 2007) In Foreign policy, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, Barrack Obama advocates for defensive attacks as opposed to pre emptive attacks. In the same breath his policy voices its opposition to the war in Iraq. He terms it as having been pre emptive. Obama’s proposal is that it is the high time that the United States began a well laid down policy that addresses pulling out the forces in Iraq. He sees no link between the war in Iraq and terrorism instead believing that Afghanistan should be the centre of attention. He argues that his core strategy will be â€Å"getting out of Iraq and on to the right battle field in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Such strategy will be backed by multilateral interactions with other partners and not through unilateral actions (George, 2008). In contrast to McCain, Obama does not believe that sanctions in Iran should be the first steps but rather he advocates for the initiation of direct diplomatic talks to address the underlying issues. (Nicholas, 2008) On health care, McCain’s core interest is on the cost and the expensive nature of health insurance cover. He notes that it is becoming increasingly costly for both employers and individuals to buy health covers. Hence, the key concern would be making it cheaper. Universal care to him is not the solution but the solution lies in addressing the factors that push the cost of healthcare. Americans, according to McCain, should be allowed to buy their insurance from any place in the nation where they deem it cheap rather than restricting them to their own states. In this hence, employers will not be compelled to provide insurance cover to their employees making his scheme to be more individual oriented (Catherine, 2008). Obama’s plan for health care differs from McCain. Whereas McCain is advocating for lesser government role health care, Obama is for increased government participation. Obama refers to his plan as advocating for managed competition where the government sponsors health care provision and also gives room to the provision by private insurers but notes on the importance of their regulation to ensure they do not deny access to some members. Contrary to McCain’s plan, Obama does not propose individual access or intra-state buying of health insurance. Obama also states that it will not be mandatory upon adults to have an insurance cover but insists that children will have to be covered (Catherine, 2008). The issue of immigration has also been given prominence in the election and it is posing tricky challenges with each candidate hoping to garner the support of over 8 million Latinos and at the same time being cautious not to vex the conservative block in their specific parties. McCain recognizes the urgency in the need to address the issue of immigration. His approach to the problem is to first seal the boarders to prevent illegal immigration then proceed from there. His policy lacks in clarity and concision especially in the knowledge that he introduced a bill in the house to address comprehensively the issue of immigration. McCain appreciates the fact that immigration is the force behind the wave of crimes that face the United States and believes that the solution lies in deporting criminals and only allowing guest workers from Latin America. He vows to introduce an electronic system that will verify the identification of workers and be able to detect aliens. This will be backed by the need to prosecute those employers that employ illegal immigration (McCain- Palin, 2008). Obama also recognizes the seriousness of the issue and how it continues to draw heated debates in the public forum. He is in support of the McCain-Edward bill that sought to address the issue and advocates for comprehensive immigration reforms. He promises to address the issue during his first year in office. Both McCain’s and Obama’s immigration policies resemble each other although Obama emphasizes on the need also to fast track the process of legalization for those that are yet to be registered in the United States, while at the same facilitating family immigrations (Farnam, 2008).. The verdict on the race to the white house indicates that it is a hotly contested election. Both candidates are running neck to neck though some polls favor Obama as having an edge over McCain. A look at the issues presented in this paper and on others in the public court indicates that both candidates have set out concrete plans to drive the nation for the next four years. However, a simple analysis of the core issues that require immediate attention reveals Obama’s policies to be better than McCain’s. Obama had vehemently voiced his opposition to the war long before his candidacy to 2008 presidential elections had become obvious. McCain on the other hand had voted for the Iraq war and has continued to support an upsurge of the military forces in Iraq. It is plausible to say that the war in Iraq has contributed a lot to the woes facing the United States today. The government has spent billions in a war that meant nothing to Americans in the face of the spiraling economic recession. McCain is vowing to continue with the war, risking more of American soldier’s lives and spending additional billions. Obama has advocated for a withdrawal vowing instead to concentrate efforts in Afghanistan which is believed to be the cradle of terrorism. This is a sound foreign policy strategy and majority of Americans are siding with him. Most Americans draw parallel between the wars in Iraq and woes facing the economy. With no additional expenditure on the war and with a better plan to revive the economy, Obama indicates he is in touch with the immediate problems facing the United States. This is further evident in his health plan. While it is clear that both candidates are seeking for the extended health coverage for Americans, Obama’s idea of regulating health insurance companies and emphasis on the increased role of the government emphasizes the importance of the government to directly safeguard the health interests of its citizens. It is indeed clear that with the proposal for a multilateral approach to global problems, the sound health policy and the recognition of immigrants’ labor importance, Obama is the natural choice of the forthcoming presidential elections.

Theories of Motivation Essay Example for Free

Theories of Motivation Essay Ask any person who is successful in whatever he or she is doing what motivates him/her, and very likely the answer will be goals. Goal Setting is extremely important to motivation and success. So what motivates you? Why are you in college? If you are in college because thats what your parents want, you may find it difficult to motivate yourself. Sure, its possible to succeed with someone else providing the motivation for you. (If you graduate from college, Ill give you a car! or worse If you dont graduate from college, you wont get a car. ) But motivation that comes from within really makes the difference. Theories have been developed over the years as to what motivates us and those theories are what I intend to discuss. Compare and Contrast of Motivational Theories Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Maslow showed little interest in animal or laboratory studies of human behavior. He chose instead to collect data for his theories by studying outstanding individuals. His studies led him to believe that people have certain needs, which are unchanging and genetic in origin. These needs are the same in all cultures and are both physiological and psychological. Maslow described these needs as being hierarchal in nature, meaning that some needs are more basic or more powerful than others and as these needs are satisfied, other higher needs emerge. (Abraham H. Maslows, 2001) Herzberg Hygiene Theory Herzberg found that the factors causing job satisfaction (and presumably motivation) were different from those causing job dissatisfaction. He developed the motivation-hygiene theory to explain these results. He called the satisfiers motivators and the dissatisfiers hygiene factors, using the term hygiene in the sense that they are considered maintenance factors  that are necessary to avoid dissatisfaction but that by themselves do not provide satisfaction. Herzberg described motivators as: growth, esteem, recognition, responsibility, advancement and personal goals. Hygienes are: job security, working conditions, company policies, co-worker relations and supervision relations. (McShane Von Glinow, 2003) McGregors Theory X and Theory Y People who espouse Theory X would believe that the average human being dislikes (all) work and will avoid it if they can; that because of this, people must be coerced to put in the required effort, offered inducements and threatened with punishment. Theory X goes on to hold that the average human being seeks to avoid responsibility, is not ambitious and seeks security before advancement. People who hold to Theory Y, on the other hand, believe that for most people work is as natural as play; that people have capacity for self-control: that motivation also arises from the higher order needs such as self-esteem and achievement and that people, if properly managed, will be more than willing to take on responsibility. Finally, theory Y holds that people can be creative and team spirited and that few organizations make use of the abilities that people have. Summary Maslows theory and Herzbergs Hygiene theory differ due to peoples needs not changing over time in Herzbergs theory. They all three resemble each other in that Maslows physiological, safety abd social needs; Herzbergs hygiene factors and all of McGregors Theory X and Theory Y factors are satisfied through conditions of employment and the workplace. McGregors Theory X and Theory Y are two distinct types of people where the other two individualize all of the theory factors. Maslows is a hierarchy that when one need is fulfilled others kick in. Herzberg outlines factors that need to be maintained on a constant basis rather than a hierarchy of one achievement to the next. All of the theories have validity, but I find that Herzbergs Hygiene Theory is what I see most at my work or in my field. It is especially noticed when I look at the dissatisfaction and then look at the hygiene factors and see such a resemblance.

Is Mary the Theotokos?

Is Mary the Theotokos? Is Mary the Theotokos?  Does it matter? Without the Blessed Virgin Mary Christianity, would be meaningless. That Mary is Mother of God is rooted deeply in sacred scripture, and this Church doctrine has been confidently taught since the Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431), during which occurred a decisive intervention of the Churchs teaching authority on behalf of Marys divine motherhood and against the claims of Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople who stated that Mary did not give birth to God, but to an ordinary baby, called Christ, who was in some way connected to God. Consequently, Mary did not deserve to be called by the title of Theotokos, or God-bearer, but rather the meeker title of Christotokos, or bearer of Christ. To get an idea of what was happening at the time we need to take a brief look at why this controversy began and at what was being said. So, to begin, it was the primary concern of the Council of Nicaea to make it plain beyond all possibility of misunderstanding that Jesus of Nazareth, while personally distinct from the Father, is God in the fullest sense of the word. As the Creed states, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, consubstantial with the Father; it was the Churchs determination to maintain this doctrine of derived equality without deviating into either modalism or tritheism, that led her on the long intellectual pilgrimage whose goal was full understanding of that mutual interpenetration of the three divine Persons, through their union with the one divine Essence, which is denoted by the word perichoresis. Only when the divinity of the Son had been firmly established could the Church give her full attention to the fact that the Son, being God, had become man. But can there be in Christ an unconfused union of Godhead and manhood? This was the question which was to exercise the minds of theologians and throw the life of the Church into turmoil from Constantinople to Chalcedon. What the orthodox Fathers were striving to do, and what was ultimately achieved at Chalcedon, was to preserve the doctrine of unconfused Godhead and manhood of Christ against tendencies which strove, on the one hand, to unite the two terms at the cost of confusing them with each other and, on the other hand, to keep them distinct at the cost of separating them. This today may not seem to offer any special difficulty; that this is so is a sign of the triumph of Chalcedon in theological thought, but, in the fifth century it was a notion that could only be achieved at the cost of bitter controversy and schism. So, when the theologically unimaginative but critically active Nestorius became Patriarch of Constantinople everything was ready for an explosion, which came when Nestorius openly supported his chaplain Anastasius in denouncing the application to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the title Theotokos. Nestorius was an Antiochene in Christology, deeply influenced by the ideas of Theodore of Mopsuestia, and it was his clumsy, clumsily articulated elucidation of the inferences of the position of the Antiochenes that was to set light to the controversy. Quite early on Nestorius was called upon to pronounce on the suitability of Theotokos as a title of the Virgin Mary, and ruled that its correctness was doubtful unless Christotokos was added to balance it. But in getting himself around this issue Nestorius used uncontrolled language which was calculated to provoke those whose approach was different to his own. He argued that no human being could be Gods mother and no human being could give birth to God; Mary gave birth to a man not God, the instrument of divinity. God could not have been carried for nine months in a womans womb, or have been wrapped in baby-clothes, or have suffered, died and been buried. Behind the description of Mary as Theotokos, he professed to detect the Arian theory that Marys Son was human or the Apollinarian concept that the manhood was imperfect. These flare-ups of Nestorius were calculated to be confrontational. But they played into the hands of Cyril of Alexandria, Nestoriuss bitter rival. Cyril claimed to see in them as a resurgence of the theory of two sons which was rejected in the fourth century. Alarmed by this claim that Marys son was just a man, Eusebius, later to become Bishop of Dorylaeum, quickly concluded that Nestorius was trying to re-establish the adoptionism of Paul of Samosata. By exploiting this interpretation Cyril was able to secure Nestoriuss condemnation as a heretic at the Council of Ephesus in 431. Based on these judgements the traditional picture of Nestorianism as a heresy which split God/man into two distinct Persons rapidly formed itself. When Divine Scripture is about to tell of the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary or [his] death, in no place does it appear that it puts God but either Christ or Son or Lord, because these three are indicative of the two natures, now of this and now of that, now of the one and now of the other. For example, when the Book relates unto us the birth from the Virgin, whom docs it say? God sent his Son. It says not that God sent God the Word, but it takes a name which indicates both the natures. Since the Son is man and God, it says that God sent his Son and he was born of a woman; and therein thou seest that the name is put which indicates both the natures. Thou callest [him] Son according to the birth from the blessed Virgin, for the Virgin Mother / of Christ bare the Son of God. But since the Son of God is twofold in natures, she bare not the Son of God but she bare the humanity, which is the Son because of the Son who is united thereto (Nestorius, 450 AD). The first chapter of St Johns Gospel tell us quite simply that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Two points need to be noticed. The first is that in Hebrew flesh and blood means not just the material part of a man in contrast with his soul, but human nature as a whole. The second is that St John does not say that the Word united flesh to himself, but that he became flesh. St Athanasius was fundamentally clear on this point. In general, however, he was quite content to think of the Incarnation as taking place through the union of human flesh to the divine Word. He took upon him our flesh, as Aaron did his robe, and assumed a body like ours, having Mary for the Mother of his body (Athanasius, 356/360). Nestorius himself never drew from his premises the conclusions which Cyril believed him to have drawn and which were drawn by some of his followers. Nor is it to be supposed that the outlook of Antiochene theology logically implied the Nestorian heresy. What is true, however, is that, while the pluralistic emphasis of Antioch made it perfectly easy to preserve the distinction of the humanity and the divinity in Christ, it made it very difficult to provide for their real union. Apollinarius had maintained the union by removing from Christs humanity one of its constituents, the rational soul, and inserting the divine Word (Logos) in its place. No Antiochene could tolerate such a mutilation; the humanity must remain entire and complete. But how then is this unity of divinity and humanity to be effected? If the humanity is complete we shall surely have a complete human individual and it will be this individual and not the divine Word (Logos) who will be the subject of Christs life. No wonder, then, the Alexandrian will reflect, that these Antiochenes refuse to call Mary theotokos; they cannot help believing that he whom she bore was not God but a man, even if God came to dwell in him after she had borne him. Whatever they may say, they believe in two Sons, one the Son of God and the other the son of Mary, however close the relation of the two may be. The clash between these points of view was fierce at first. Cyrils intervention was quick when he heard of Nestoriuss mockery of Theotokos, in refuting what he deemed gross heresy. The patriarchs exchanged some quite prickly letters without with neither of them making any significant headway. So, Pope Celestine was contacted by Cyril, who send him a dossier of extracts from Nestoriuss writings and from the declarations made on the Incarnation by the reverend fathers of past generations. Nestorius also wrote letters to Celestine and in his third he stated: I have learned that Cyril, the most distinguished bishop of the city of Alexandria, has become worried about reports against him that we received, and is now hunting for subterfuges to avoid a holy synod taking place due to these reports. In the meantime he is devising some other disturbances over terms and has chosen [as a point of controversy] the term Theotokos and Christotokos: the first he allows, but as for Christotokos, sometimes he removes it from the gospels, and sometimes he allows it, on the basis of what I believe is a kind of excessive prudence. In the case of the term Theotokos, I am not opposed to those who want to say it, unless it should advance to the confusion of natures in the manner of the madness of Apollinaris or Arius. Nonetheless, I have no doubt that the term Theotokos is inferior to the term Christotokos, as the latter is mentioned by the angels and the gospels. And if I were not speaking to Your Worship who is already so knowledgeable, I would need to give a very long discourse on this topic. But even without a discourse, it is known in every way to Your Beatitude, that if we should think that there are two groups opposed to each other, the one using only the term Theotokos, the other only Anthropotokos, and each group draws [others] to what it confesses or, if they have not accomplished this, puts [others] in danger of falling from the church, it would be necessary to assign someone to such an affair if it arises who exercises concern for both groups and heals the danger of both parties by means of the term taken from the gospels that signifies both natures. For as I said, the term Christotokos keeps the assertion of both parties to the proper limits, because it both removes the blasphemy of Paul of Samosata, who claimed that Christ the Lord of all was simply a human being, and also flees the wickedness of Arius and Apollinaris. Now I have written these very things to the most distinguished bishop of Alexandria, as Your Beatitude can tell from the copies I have attached to this letter of mine, as well as from the copies of what he wrote to us. Moreover, with Gods help it has also been agreed to announce a world-wide synod in order to inquire into the other ecclesiastical matters. For I do not think it will be difficult to investigate an uncertainty over words, and it is not a hindrance for a discussion of the divinity of Christ the Lord (Nestorius, 430) It did not take to long for Celestine to make a decision, and he called a synod in Rome in August 430 which decided against Nestorius and voted in favour of the title Theotokos. Nestorius was given a warning that, within ten days he would be treated as excommunicate unless, after receiving the notification, he retracted his teaching. The implementation of this ruling was given to Cyril and he characteristically carried out his task. He held a synod at Alexandria, afterwards sending a letter to Nestorius requiring him to subscribe to twelve anathemas. These anathemas, which were intentionally confrontational, summarise in terms which were uncompromising the Cyrilline Christology, some of which I reference here: If anyone does not confess that Emmanuel is God in truth, and therefore that the holy virgin is the mother of God (for she bore in a fleshly way the Word of God become flesh, let him be anathema. If anyone does not confess that the Word from God the Father has been united by hypostasis with the flesh and is one Christ with his own flesh, and is therefore God and man together, let him be anathema. If anyone divides in the one Christ the hypostases after the union, joining them only by a conjunction of dignity or authority or power, and not rather by a coming together in a union by nature, let him be anathema. If anyone distributes between the two persons or hypostases the expressions used either in the gospels or in the apostolic writings, whether they are used by the holy writers of Christ or by him about himself, and ascribes some to him as to a man, thought of separately from the Word from God, and others, as befitting God, to him as to the Word from God the Father, let him be anathema. If anyone dares to say that Christ was a God-bearing man and not rather God in truth, being by nature one Son, even as the Word became flesh, and is made partaker of blood and flesh precisely like us, let him be anathema. If anyone says that the Word from God the Father was the God or master of Christ, and does not rather confess the same both God and man, the Word having become flesh, according to the scriptures, let him be anathema. If anyone says that as man Jesus was activated by the Word of God and was clothed with the glory of the Only-begotten, as a being separate from him, let him be anathema. If anyone dares to say that the man who was assumed ought to be worshipped and glorified together with the divine Word and be called God along with him, while being separate from him, (for the addition of with must always compel us to think in this way), and will not rather worship Emmanuel with one veneration and send up to him one doxology, even as the Word became flesh, let him be anathema. (Alexandria, 430). This union of two natures in the one divine Person of Christ is called the hypostatic or personal union. It is the mystery of the Incarnation of God; it is also the mystery of the divine Motherhood of Mary. Cyril also said in this letter: Therefore, because the holy virgin bore in the flesh God who was united hypostatically with the flesh, for that reason we call her mother of God, not as though the nature of the Word had the beginning of its existence from the flesh (for the Word was in the beginning and the Word was God and the Word was with God, and he made the ages and is coeternal with the Father and craftsman of all things), but because, as we have said, he united to himself hypostatically the human and underwent a birth according to the flesh from her womb. This was not as though he needed necessarily or for his own nature a birth in time and in the last times of this age, but in order that he might bless the beginning of our existence, in order that seeing that it was a woman that had given birth to him united to the flesh, the curse against the whole race should thereafter cease which was consigning all our earthy bodies to death, and in order that the removal through him of the curse, In sorrow thou shalt br ing forth children, should demonstrate the truth of the words of the prophet: Strong death swallowed them Up, and again, God has wiped every tear away from all face. It is for this cause that we say that in his economy he blessed marriage and, when invited, went down to Cana in Galilee with his holy apostles (Alexandria, 430). A letter was issued by Theodosius summoning a general council to meet at Ephesus at Pentecost 431, with an astonishing medley of rival meetings taking place before the event. Recognised as the Third General Council Ephesus was effective in that Nestorius was never rehabilitated, dying in exile in 451. Its more positive achievement was to canonize the Nicene creed as establishing orthodoxy. In the two years following Ephesus strenuous efforts were made to heal the divisions in the Church. The instrument of agreement, known as the Formula of Reunion, was contained in a letter sent by John of Antioch to Cyril, it ran as follows: We confess, therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, perfect God and perfect man composed of a rational soul and body, begotten before the ages from the Father in respect of His divinity, but likewise in these last days for us and our salvation from the Virgin Mary in respect of His manhood, consubstantial with the Father in respect of His divinity and at the same time consubstantial with us in respect of His manhood. For the union(henosis) of two natures has been accomplished. Hence we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord. In virtue of this conception of a union without confusion we confess the holy Virgin as Theotokos because the divine Word became flesh and was made man and from the very conception united to Himself the temple taken from her. As for the evangelical and apostolic statements about the Lord, we recognise that theologians employ some indifferently in view of the unity of person but distinguish others in view of the duality of natures, applying the God-befitting ones to Christs divinity and the humble ones to His humanity (Antioch, 433). Cyril greeted this formulary with enthusiasm in his letter to John Laetentur coeli. Which was read out at the Council of Chalcedon, part of which I now cite: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦We confess, therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, perfect God, and perfect Man of a reasonable soul and flesh consisting; begotten before the ages of the Father according to his Divinity, and in the last days, for us and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin according to his humanity, of the same substance with his Father according to his Divinity, and of the same substance with us according to his humanity; for there became a union of two natures. Wherefore we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord. According to this understanding of this unmixed union, we confess the holy Virgin to be Mother of God; because God the Word was incarnate and became Man, and from this conception he united the temple taken from her with himselfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Chalcedon, 451). After these early great councils of the Church feasts to The Blessed Virgin increased, lots of churches were dedicated to her and in the latter part of the seventh century four new feasts to Mary had started to be celebrated; the Annunciation, the Assumption, the Purification, and the Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary. With Pius IX promulgation of the Immaculate Conception in 1854 devotion to our Blessed Lady accelerated, and many appearances of the Blessed Virgin took place. And also at this time many Marian customs grew which included Maytime processions, the wearing of the Miraculous Medal and the Rosary. 1962 saw a major change which happened with Vatican II grounding more firmly in Scripture and liturgy devotion to Mary placing The Blessed Virgin securely in the mystery of the Church. The truth of the Blessed Virgin Marys divine Motherhood and its corresponding dignity are found in these words of the Second Vatican Council: The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and honoured as being truly the Mother of God and Mother of the Redeemer. Redeemed by reason of the merits of her Son and united to Him by a close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with the high office and dignity of being the Mother of the Son of God, by which account she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this gift of sublime grace, she far surpasses all creatures, both in heaven and on earth. At the same time, however, because she belongs to the offspring of Adam she is one with all those who are to be saved (Lumen Gentium, 53). The mark of our Blessed Ladys holiness is that she was filled with the grace of God. The Blessed Virgin is the pattern to follow. Giving herself completely with love she was filled with the life of God. Marys Yes to the angels message reveals her part in the work of salvation. And the Angel said: Fear not, Maryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the most High shall overshadow you, and therefore the Holy which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:26-35). These are the words of the great mystery of Marys divine motherhood heralded by the angel in Lukes Gospel, their straightforwardness is persuasive as they announce the origin of our religion. In the beginning, they inspired triumphant faith, the faith of the martyrs and the Saints. The faith which will continue to inspire all Christians to the end of time.

Critical Analysis of Oleanna :: essays papers

Critical Analysis of Oleanna The most straight forward gender conflict in the movie Oleanna is that between the Professor and the student. She accuses him of sexual harassment. He denies it and they go before the Tenure Committee who find him guilty. The question at hand is what is sexual harassment? Must the harasser intend to harass? When a student would ask Socrates to answer a question, Socrates would ask them to define their terms. He would continue to ask the student to clarify until finally the student would realize the answer to the question. In this case the question that may have been put to Socrates is "Can a person, man or woman, commit sexual harassment on accident?". The answer from this ugly old man would be "What is sexual harassment?" It is physical advancement, sexist or sexual remarks, even pornographic material, that someone finds offensive and threatening. The Professor in Oleanna sexually harasses the student by this definition. This first part of sexual harassment, that someone must find the activity personally offensive, is met without a doubt. Why? Oleanna says she is offended by his remarks. Only she can know for sure how she feels. The second part of sexual harassment, that the person must be threatened, is harder to prove than for her to just say she was threatened. Oleanna says in her claim that the professor referred to female students as "darlin’" and other such terms of endearment. Why would she feel more threatened than the other women in her class? In defense of the professor it must be understood that he only intended to help Oleanna. He slipped across the line of what is proper behavior. He went from being a teacher to wanting to be a father figure. It is sad but at some point a person must draw a line and realize what they can and cannot accomplish. Another question that pertains to the guilt or innocence of the Professor is a concern for the Bill of Rights.

Batman :: essays research papers

The best part of Batman Begins was its ending... and I'm not being sarcastic. As I was watching the last scene of the movie, I wanted to jump out of my seat and cheer when Jim Gordon handed Batman the Joker playing card. It's been a while since I reacted with such glee at the promise of a sequel (usually it's more of, "hay nako, may part two pa yan!"). Yes, the movie was that good. Without question this is the best Batman movie ever made. Finally we have a film adaptation that shows the essence of who Batman is: not a superhero, but an ordinary guy (as ordinary as a billionaire playboy can be) doing extraordinary things in the name of justice. This is what sets Batman apart from all the Supermans and Spidermans out there (and what makes him my favorite comic book hero of all time): he is human, so very human, which makes him, and his fight for right, all the more real. That, and his perennial angst, which I can totally relate to. Haha. I wish I could meet director Chris Nolan so I could shake his hand for rescuing the Batman franchise from its shlock purgatory that was Schumacher-Land. Hats (and cowls) off to underappreciated actor Christian Bale, who filled in the Batsuit quite nicely (and his gravelly Batman voice was spot on!), but more importantly, he gave both Bruce Wayne and Batman true character. And of course I also applaud the excellent supporting cast of acting greats: Liam Neeson shows that he's not just wise old mentor material (the twist at the end surprised and impressed me-- who would have thunk it? Ra's al Ghul is IRISH!:p), Michael Caine shows why he's the obvious and really only choice to play wry, reliable Alfred, Morgan Freeman shows how an understated, classy performance can be memorable, and Gary Oldman shows an entirely new (at least new to me) facet of his acting prowess by turning in what I think is the real breakthrough performance in the movie. It was kind of freaky seeing someone who usu ally plays scary, psycho villains transform into gruff, kindly, future-commissioner Gordon. My only complaint about Batman Begins is that Katie Holmes is in it. Every time I see that infuriatingly irritating smirk on her face I want to slap her silly. I hated her as early as her Dawson's Creek days, and I hate her even more now that she and that jackass Tom what's-his-name are shoving their icky May-December romance in our faces.

Book Report On The Outsiders Essay -- Essays Papers

Book Report On The Outsiders Character Analysis: Ponyboy Curtis - Ponyboy is a fourteen-year-old member of a gang called the Greasers. His parents died in a car accident, so he lives alone with his two older brothers, Darry and Soda. He is a good student and athlete, but most people at school consider him a vagrant like his Greaser friends. Sodapop Curtis - Soda is Pony's handsome, charming older brother. He dropped out of school to work at a gas station, and does not share his brothers' interest in studying and sports. Darrel Curtis - The oldest of the Curtis boys, Darry is also the acknowledged leader of the Greasers. Johnny Cade - Johnny is Pony's closest friend and the gang's pet. They are especially protective of him since he is smaller than the rest, his father beats him, and he is afraid to walk the streets alone after being attacked by a group of Socs. Cherry Valance - Cherry is from the richer part of town and associates mainly with the Socs, but she befriends Pony and the other Greasers and gives them information about the Socs. Bob Gardner - Bob is Cherry's boyfriend. Johnny murders Bob to stop him from killing Pony. Dallas Winston - A member of the Greasers, Dally has spent time in prison. He helps Johnny and Pony by telling them to go to Jay Mountain to hide out and by giving them money. Two-Bit Mathews - The Greasers' oldest member. He acts like a mentor or mascot to the Greasers. Steve Randle - Soda's best friend and anoth...

Concern of Government Trade Policy Essay

Whose interests should be the paramount concern of government trade policy – the interests of producers (the business and the employees) or of the consumers? This is a very interesting question. I would hope that the policies that are in place by the government would help not only the producers but in the long run would also help the consumers. The government has a responsibility to ensure that businesses will get that competitive advantage in the global business world. That said, if governments place were to place too much of its interest in businesses, the consumers would definitely suffer immensely. Historically, the United States has made many mistakes where we have protected the producers and companies and have developed many policies to ensure American companies do not fail. The book discusses the steel industry and how government placed an Ad Valorem Tariff on steel. It talked about how we wanted to protect domestic steel producers and how government had too many policies in place. That eventually was counterproductive and it raised the cost of production. This then caused the output to fail miserably and before we know it, we eliminated that tariff within two years. Can we learn from this mistake in the future? Sure we can. But you need the right people for the job. We need to make sure better policy-making decisions are made and that local content requirement is occurring. The book talks about government intervention. When it does, it seems to me, that it is talking about protecting the inefficient companies, people’s jobs, and industries from unfair foreign competition. While employees may well lose their jobs if there are more well-organized and competent foreign competitors, I would argue that this is the nature of competition, and that the role of government should be to help these employees get jobs where they can be efficiently employed rather than to protect them from reality. Government intervention can also lead to trade wars. Government intervention  usually ends up not working. The European Common Agriculture Policy by European farmers backfired and has cost consumers greatly. One the other side of the spectrum, if government does not set policies to protect the interests of businesses then global firms, companies, may come in and take an unfair advantage, a.k.a. the Steel industry in 2002.

Mini-Assignment #1 †Case: Mccain Foods Limited

1. If you were in charge of the Asian operations for McCain, how would you recommend the company overcome the challenges in the Chinese market? Being a foreigner in any market is a challenge, if I were in charge of the Asian operations for McCain I would first gain an understanding of what appeals to the Chinese market. This way I will be able to produce a product that will not only satisfy the Chinese consumers but also not offend them.For example, in regards to packaging, the Chinese market are very attracted to the colour red as it conveys good luck and good fortune while our company should avoid the colour white as it represents death and mourning. It is simple details like these that the Chinese market would become more comfortable and willing to accept western food. Additionally, prices of the McCain products may be seen as overpriced compared to local Chinese products.A different approach being in charge of the Asian operations would be to adjust the prices of our products, pe rhaps set them at a price lower than the standard in order to appeal to the Chinese consumers who are not familiar with McCain. Lowering the price will allow consumers to give McCain foods an opportunity to show western foods can be accepted. Once McCain foods have become more familiarized with the Chinese community our company would be able to raise prices as we have already established an appealing brand with consumers.Another effective decision to overcome the challenges in the Chinese market would be to improve advertising of McCain products. Advertising campaigns including celebrities endorsing products have proved numerous times they improve sales and overall awareness of the brand. The reason for this is because especially in the Chinese market, when consumers see celebrities they look up to become associated with a product, it gravitates their interest towards that certain brand or product. 2. Drawing from Hofstede’s work on global cultures, what challenges might Cana dian managers at McCain face when interacting with their Chinese business colleagues?Hofstede’s work on global cultures includes power distance, individualism-collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity-femininity. The challenges in regards to power distance include that Canadians may treat subordinates more fairly and equally unlike Chinese managers who believe in formal authority and knowing your place of rank within the company/business. The challenges with power distance Canadian managers may face will initially be establishing a relationship with Chinese business colleagues.They may find that the Chinese are less willing to exchange information and communicate with one another as Canadians follow a more democratic view versus the Chinese following an autocratic view. Secondly Canadians may face challenges with individualism-collectivism as their scores differ vastly. The mindset of the two cultures clash as Canadians have an un-biased take when it comes to hirin g and promotions; solely looking at performance and the potential of that person while the Chinese take on a more biased view giving higher priority towards people managers have a connection with such as family members.The main challenges would be compromising on how to promote and hire employees with such different views. Essentially Chinese business colleagues have an approach of comparing results with other companies whereas Canadians look at a broader picture, viewing productivity/efficiency success. The challenge both cultures will have to face is compromising management styles to please employees as well as contribute towards the company’s success. Bibliography: China – Geert Hofstede. 2 Feb. 2013 Canada – Geert Hofstede. 2 Feb. 2013

Succubus Revealed Chapter 20

I thought about it for half a heartbeat, and even that was too long. There was no question what my decision could be. Seth and I were bound together. Even if it had been for Jerome's convenience, Seth had found my soul across the incredible reaches of the dream world. Seth and I had found each other, life after life, and continually fallen in love. Even if we didn't consciously remember each other, some inner part of ourselves had connected. I remembered Roman's words. Over and over, you find each other and lose each other, you bicker and fight, throw it all away on mistrust and lack of communication. Are you going to let that continue? No, the cycle was going to end. On my terms. These lives we'd lived . . . the pain we'd suffered . . . it wouldn't be for nothing. It didn't matter if Seth hated me and never wanted to see me again. I wouldn't abandon him – not now, not ever. â€Å"No deal,† I said to Roman. â€Å"Seth and I are doing this together, whether he knows it or not.† Roman didn't try to talk me out of it. He simply said, â€Å"You understand what's at stake?† â€Å"I do.† If we failed here, I wouldn't just lose my soul. I would also be looking forward to an eternity in Hell's service, with superiors none-too-pleased that I'd shaken up the status quo. I didn't doubt that there was some article or clause somewhere that said I couldn't be penalized for this, but as I'd noted before, Hell had plenty of ways of punishing people off the record. The Las Vegas position would probably no longer exist, forcing me to relocate to some truly terrible location. Hannibal called the court back to order, and Roman relayed my decision. Hannibal clicked his tongue disapprovingly. â€Å"Risking it all for the new car, eh? Well, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it falls in your hands now. You've heard the evidence – and lack thereof. Do you believe there is enough ‘proof' to support the petitioner's case? Should both contracts – that these individuals willingly signed – be invalidated?† So much for justice being blind. The jury cast votes anonymously, which I found interesting. It was a small nod toward impartiality, theoretically providing protection to those who voted against their side's best interests. From what both Roman and Marcel had told me, I could see it happening among the angels. But did it ever happen with demons? Even if they knew the right or wrong of a situation, their ultimate goal was to accrue souls for Hell. Would any of them be moved by a case enough to go with their conscience? Was it possible that some spark of goodness could still endure in the darkness of this place? Judging from the quick way everyone scrawled their responses on the pieces of paper given, it didn't look like it. There was no hesitation. The demons wore cocky, self-assured expressions. Angels and demons came from the same stock, but I'd been told that once they spent enough time in Hell, that angelic nature was eroded away. These demons weren't going to lose any sleep about what became of my soul. The votes were collected by the bailiff. He sorted them into two suspiciously similarly sized piles and handed them to the judge. Hannibal did a quick count and nodded to himself before addressing us. A new stillness fell over the room. â€Å"Here we go,† murmured Roman. â€Å"The jury has spoken,† said Hannibal. â€Å"Six to six. We have a tie.† There was a collective exhalation in the room, and then the tension ramped back up as everyone waited for the next step. I shouldn't have been surprised by the tie, but some part of me had been hoping maybe, just maybe, a wayward demon would've voted in my favor. I had my answer. There was no spark of goodness here. It couldn't survive in Hell. â€Å"In accordance with article . . . fuck, I don't know . . . article something-or-other, we'll be going to a tiebreaker vote,† said Hannibal. The bailiff returned with an ornate vase, which he handed to the judge. Hannibal dumped out the contents, revealing a white marble and a black marble. â€Å"In this case, it really is as simple as black and white. If the black one's drawn, a demon casts the deciding vote. If it's white, an angel will.† He paused, looking bemused. â€Å"That's so cliched. I don't suppose we could switch the colors around? Just this once? No? Okay, let's get on with it.† He scanned the jury and pointed to an angel with curly red hair and long-lashed blue eyes. â€Å"You. You'll do the draw.† She nodded her acceptance and approached the bench gracefully. Again, another attempt at justice. If Hannibal had drawn the marbles, I would have been suspicious of the outcome. The fairness of the matter was future solidified when he made her swear to draw fairly, without using her powers to advantage. â€Å"I swear,† she said, placing the marbles in the vase. She shook them up and reached her hand in, casting a brief and – unless I was mistaken – sympathetic look at me. Her hand emerged, closed in a fist. When she opened it, no one could see the marble right away, but her face told the story. â€Å"Shit,† said Roman. The angel's palm revealed a black marble. She handed it to the judge who made no pretense at hiding his joy. He thanked her as she returned to her seat and then held the marble up for all the room to see. There was a murmur of excitement among the demons, delighted at having won the gamble he'd laid before us. I had a moment of regret, but only a small one. I could've walked away from here with my soul and life intact. I could've never brought this up and continued my life as a succubus undisturbed, living out the dream scenario in Las Vegas. Instead, I'd risked everything for the chance to free myself and Seth. And I'd lost for both of us. Had it been worth it? Yes. † ‘Fate' has spoken,† said Hannibal, still admiring the marble. â€Å"Per the rules, the decision now falls to a thirteenth juror, who will be randomly selected from a pool of Hell's illustrious servants. Doris?† Doris began clicking away at her laptop. After a few moments, she gave a nod toward the bailiff. He walked toward the back exit, presumably to escort in the thirteenth juror. My heart felt heavy and leaden, and I was startled when Roman again placed his hand on mine. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said in a low voice. â€Å"I should have fought harder. Or pushed you to take the deal – â€Å" I squeezed his hand back. â€Å"No. You were perfect. The only thing you shouldn't have done was get involved with this mess.† It was impossible to believe, but whatever fate awaited me after my suit was denied wouldn't be half as bad as his. He gave me a playful smile. â€Å"What, and miss the chance to laugh in the face of Heaven and Hell? Besides, there's no way I could leave you to – â€Å" The courtroom had given way to chatter when the bailiff left, and now silence resumed upon his return. Whatever sentiments Roman had been about to say were lost, as he joined me in looking back to see the demon who would cast the last condemning vote on me. When I did, I had to do a double take. It was Yasmine. I almost didn't recognize her. It had been a year since I'd seen her, a year since I'd watched her fall from grace, transforming from an angel to a demon. Yasmine had committed a number of grave sins as an angel, starting when she'd fallen in love. That alone was forbidden for her kind, but it had gone one step further – she'd fallen for a nephilim named Vincent. Vince was a great guy, but like Roman, the standard reaction from angels and demons alike had been prompt destruction. One angel had finally acted on that impulse, and Yasmine had rushed to defend Vince – killing the other angel in the process. And with that, she had been condemned to Hell. I had seen it. It had been terrible. One angel's death, another's fall. It had all gone down the night Nyx had been found and recaptured. Vince and I had been in the cross fire of it. I'd done what I could for him, but there was nothing I could do to stop Heaven's punishment. Before leaving town, Vince had told me that it didn't matter what I thought I knew about Yasmine. He'd said that once she had spent enough time in Hell and around other demons, she'd become like them. It was what happened to all of them, how someone like Carter could become someone like Jerome. I hadn't believed it at the time but could understand it better after being surrounded in the despair and wrongness of this place. And when I studied her now, I could see it had happened to her too. I remembered a smiling, laughing young woman with sparkling dark eyes and shining black hair. The hair and eyes were ostensibly the same, but there was no light or laughter in them. Her eyes seemed fathomless, dark and cold as she stared straight ahead and walked to the front of the courtroom. She was wearing a gauzy black dress, reminding me of some Goth courtesan, and her long, flowing hair blended into the silken fabric. Even if I'd never met her or known her history, I would have instantly identified her as a demon. Just like the others in the room, there was something in the way she looked and carried herself. I was about to be condemned by someone who had once been my friend. Yasmine reached the front of the courtroom and was gestured toward the witnesses' table. She sat down, gazing around the room with an unreadable expression. â€Å"You've been following the trial?† asked Judge Hannibal. â€Å"Yes,† she said, in a voice as expressionless as her face. How she'd been watching, I couldn't say. With Hell, it could've been closed-circuit TV or a magic mirror for all I knew. â€Å"And you understand your duty?† asked Hannibal. â€Å"Yes,† she replied. Hannibal was trying to maintain some semblance of formality and procedure, but the self-satisfied smirk on his face was kind of negating that. He was too goddamned pleased with himself and this turn of events. â€Å"Cast your vote then, based on the evidence and arguments you've witnessed. If you believe the two contracts are both sound and have not contradicted each other, then cast your vote against the petitioner.† When silence followed, Roman spoke up. â€Å"And if she thinks the two contracts aren't valid?† â€Å"Yes, yes.† Hannibal made a dismissive gesture, annoyed at this obvious waste of his time. â€Å"If you believe the contracts do contradict each other, then cast your vote for the petitioner.† Yasmine was given a piece of paper and pen, just like the other jurors. And just like the others, she wasted no time in writing her vote, her markings swift and certain. When she finished, she looked up serenely, no change in her expression, no sign that we'd ever once known each other. As terrible as I felt about my own fate, I couldn't help but feel nearly as bad for what Hell had done to someone as good and kind as her. No, I thought. Not just Hell. Really, Heaven was just as guilty. What kind of group could advocate goodness and not allow its members to love? Hannibal took the paper from her with a flourish and held it out before him to read. â€Å"In accordance with the laws of this court, and the infallible Kingdom of Hell, the jury finds – † There was a pause, and the next part came out as a question. â€Å"In favor of the petitioner?† A spark of goodness in the darkness. . . . For a moment, nothing happened. The courtroom was silent, frozen in time. Then, several things happened right on top of each other. From behind me, I heard Jerome say, â€Å"Shit.† Yasmine winked at me. Roman hugged me. Hannibal reread the slip of paper, looked at Yasmine, and then swallowed before speaking. â€Å"Both contracts are declared invalid, null and void.† Most of the room was on its feet, voices raised in fury. I had no time to process what they were saying, though, because I was disintegrating away. â€Å"No, not yet!† I exclaimed. I reached desperately for Roman, whose arms had been around me, but couldn't get ahold of him anymore. I was becoming nothing, a will-o'-the-wisp, unable to grasp anything of substance. I tried, though. I tried to grab him and take him with me because there was no way I could leave him here, not in the midst of a bunch of demons pissed off over having just lost two souls. I even tried to say his name, but it didn't work. I had no mouth, no voice anymore. I was leaving this place, and he was staying. The last thing I saw was his sea green eyes regarding me with both happiness and sorrow. I thought I heard him saying something about â€Å"a far, far greater thing,† and then I perceived nothing. I would have screamed in fury if I could have, but I was gone. I was nothing. Only darkness.