Global Warming And Its Effects On The Environment - 999 Words

â€Å"Global Warming†-TheBiggest Scam of Modern Times Global warming is the steady increase in the Earth’s average surface temperature. There are two sides of this story. Some people believe that global warming is caused by natural components in the environment and not man-made production of carbon dioxide, while the others believe that it is caused by man-made production of carbon dioxide and not by natural components in the environment. Global warming is due to the increased level in temperature of a climate which is certainly not proven that the humans are the cause of this global warming effect. To the ethos approach, this documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle by British television producer Martin Durkin presents a number of respected scientists, economists, politicians, and writers who dispute the scientific consensus regarding fictitious global warming. According to the narrator â€Å"The earth’s climate keeps on changing but there is nothing unusua l about the current temperature and the scientific evidence does not support the notion that the climate is driven by CO2 man made or otherwise.† According to the documentary the speaker are very passionate about their experiments and statics. Their logical approach provides different correlation study of various graphs, statistics, and relationships between atmospheric carbon dioxide and temperature change. For example, according to Professor Patrick Michaels from the Department of Environmental Science University ofShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming And Its Effect On The Global Environment1144 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal warming has emerged as one of the most serious concerns for scientists and environmentalists in the 21st century. This is based on the negative impact of global warming, which is not limited to deforestation, drastic variations in climate, decline in output of global agricultural industry, degradation of ice sheets in Antarctic, decrease in ocean productivity, rise in sea levels, and increase in tornadoes, hurricanes and floods. The primary reason for global warming has been identified asRead MoreThe Effects Of Global Warming On The Environment977 Words   |  4 PagesThe Effects of Global Warming Introduction Global warming has been discussion for many years, but has, in the last decade or two been at the forefront of attention. The enormous effects and potential risks on humanity that can result from rise in global temperatures and the environment must be addressed, because the earth after all is finite. â€Å"Globalization refers to the rise of average temperature of oceans and earth’s atmosphere. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the earth’s average surfaceRead MoreThe Effects Of Global Warming On The Environment1224 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal warming continues to be a huge concern affecting the environment, people and the world. If action to stop this phenomenon is not taken immediately by the global community, the consequences will certainly be catastrophic. Already, some of the consequences of global warming are being felt globally. The frequency and intensity of tropical storms has increased as a result of global warming. Global temperatures continue to rise at rapid and unprecedented rates. According to scientific researchRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effect On The Environment1311 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Global warming refers to an incremental in earth’s temperature. Some believes this is occurring naturally but the prevailing view attributes climate change to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect refers to the warming resulting from certain gases such as carbon dioxide in Earth s atmosphere trapping heat. These gases traps heat but let light in, similarly to the glass walls of a greenhouse. The general belief is that mankind are chiefly responsible for global warming becauseRead MoreThe Effects Of Global Warming On The Environment1549 Words   |  7 PagesGlobal warming is an increasing in average global temperatures across the planet. This is due to the rising temperatures on the continent. Temperatures continue to rise yearly causing global warming. The greenhouse effect is sun light radiation being driven back to the earth. When solar energy is released into the atmosphere, there is an effect of bouncing back. Solar radiation is bounced back into the atmosphere causing the temperature of the earth to remain steady. However, over time greenhouseRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects On The Environment Essay1516 Words   |  7 PagesSome people say global warming is caused by human activity, others say global warming doesn’t even exist. Some people claim that the climate is changing for the worse. They believe that humans are the primary cause of these changes, especially the increase in temperature, caused by the burning of fossil fuels. They believe that the temperature changes are causing glaciers to melt. They claim that the melting of ice masses leads to a higher sea level and worsening conditions for Arctic animals, asRead MoreThe Effects Of Global Warming On The Environment1175 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal warming, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, â€Å"refers to the recent and ongoing rise in global average temperature near Earth s surface.† Effects of human influence on the environment has long been a cause of concern regarding the disturbance of the â€Å"natural order.† Although a cycle which results in the periodic increase and decrease of the average global temperature has long been known to exist, due to new data suggesting the substantial and relatively r ecentRead MoreThe Effects Of Global Warming On The Environment1453 Words   |  6 PagesHuman impact such as industrialization, livestock farming and the increase in recent population have all caused serious environmental impacts that have let to dramatic global climate change. â€Å"Scientists generally agree that the globe has warmed over the past 40 years, due largely to human activities that raise carbon-dioxide levels in the atmosphere† (Clemet). Greenhouse gasses have always existed, but not to the extent that they do in today’s world; they are causing a dramatic change in climateRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects On The Environment928 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Global Warming†-The Biggest Scam of Modern Times Global warming is the steady increase in the Earth’s average surface temperature. There are two sides of this story. Some people believe that global warming is caused by the natural components in the environment and not man-made production of carbon dioxide, while the others believe that it is caused by man-made production of carbon dioxide and not by natural components in the environment. Global warming is due to the increased level in temperatureRead MoreThe Effects Of Global Warming On The Environment767 Words   |  4 PagesHow does the daily action of driving a car contribute to global warming pollution and other air pollutions? Economic growth has triggered an explosion in the automobile industry, but along with that expansion comes consequence. The motor vehicle business has increased air pollution, causing acid rain, and has also contributed to global warming. Global warming is the process of the earth heating up due to increased levels of gases such as carbon dioxid e, on the the leading emissions from cars. Most

The University Of North Carolina At Wilmington - 1315 Words

Statistics show that after high school, many graduates tend to end their education. Many people do not choose to continue their education and attend college. My goal is to not be a part of this statistic. After I graduate from Wayne Early Middle College High School with my high school diploma and my two-year Associate in Science degree, I hope to transfer to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. According to newly released facts by the Business Journal, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington was ranked as one of the top 50 business schools in the nation. This influences my desire to attend even more as I plan to major in business administration. People have different reasons for choosing their majors in college. I want†¦show more content†¦Of this list, I chose UNC-W for a number of reasons. The main reason I chose this school was the location. UNC-W is centered in one of the largest cities in North Carolina. Within just a few miles, there is access to the beach and there is access to a flourishing city. Wilmington is also known for its breathtaking landscape. Being only an hour and a half from Goldsboro, I can quickly get home if needed. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is known for its size, for the price reasonability, and for the Cameron School of Business. Upon acceptance to UNC-W, I plan to attend the Cameron School of Business. In this area, you can specialize in different aspects such as accounting, marketing, and human resource. The Cameron School of Business also has contact to an organization called the Cameron Executive Network. This is a program where retired and current senior executives mentor students in the business school. The size of UNC-W is very reasonable. In the fall 2014 semester, there were 14,611 students, both graduate and undergraduate, enrolled. The student-faculty ratio is 16:1. The cost of attending UNC-W is very sensible, as the annual budget for the

History Harley Davidson Free Essays

In 1903, William Harley-Davidson, Arthur Davidson, Williams Davidson, and Walter Davidson started Harley-Davidson in a 10Ãâ€"15 shed in their backyard in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Production started with three motorcycles in 1903 and increased to 8 in 1908. In 1969, AMF Incorporated acquired Harley-Davidson Motor Company and expanded capacity from 15,000 to 40,000 motorcycles. We will write a custom essay sample on History Harley Davidson or any similar topic only for you Order Now Harley-Davidson, Incorporated was formed in 1981, when it was purchased from AMF Incorporated in a management buyout. In 1986, Harley-Davidson, Incorporated became a publicly held company. The new management installed a just-in-time inventory system to reduce inventories and improve total quality. With a new quality focus Harley-Davidson began to invest heavily in research and development. In one year the new Harley-Davidson management reduced the break-even point by 18,000 motorcycles. Management’s focus on efficiency in production and improvements in quality resulted in increased demand and a production capacity of 100,000 motorcycles in 1995. Harley-Davidson operates in two segments Motorcycles and Related Products, and Transportation and vehicles segment. Total net sales for the first nine months of 95 were $1.3 billion, an increase of $174.1 million from the first nine months of 1994. Net sales increased in both the Motorcycles segment and the Transportation Vehicles segment. Demand for motorcycles is continuing to increase at a rate faster than supply for most of the markets in which Harley-Davidson competes. Parts and Accessories market should grow at a rate similar to the annual growth in motorcycle market. From its beginning in a shed at turn of the century, Harley-Davidson has survived the Great Depression, two world wars and a manufacturing revolution to become a company with products so valued and sought after that they are a way of life for many owners (Wheelen). Organization†s Vision, Mission, and Objectives The Harley-Davidson’s vision is as follows: â€Å"Harley-Davidson, Incorporated, is an action-oriented, international company-a leader in its commitment to continuously improve the quality of profitable relationships with stakeholders (customers, dealers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, government, and society). Harley-Davidson believes the key to success is to balance stakeholders’ interests through the empowerment of all employees to focus on value-added activities.† Harley-Davidson’s mission statement is as follows; â€Å"We fulfill dreams through the experience of motorcycling, by providing to motorcyclists and to the general public an expanding line of motorcycles and branded products and services in selected market segments†(Harley-Davidson Home Page). The mission statement shows that the focus of the organization is on customer satisfaction and growth. Harley-Davidson’s statement of company philosophy contains a separate list of the values of the organization. The values listed in this statement are, â€Å"Tell the Truth, Be Fair, Keep your Promises, Respect the Individual, Encourage Intellectual Curiosity†(Values). The objectives of the both the Motorcycle and Transportation Segments are listed below:  · Double production capacity to 200,000 motorcycles annually by 2003.  · Increase the number of women who purchase motorcycle-riding apparel.  · Gain entry in to the performance motorcycle industry and increase the sales of the newly acquired Buell Motorcycle Company.  · Increase international market share by increasing the number of foreign dealers and improving the foreign channels of distribution.  · Increase the availability of credit and lower the cost of credit for both the retail customer and the Harley Davidson Dealer.  · Improve customer satisfaction and improve communication with European stakeholders by increasing dealer service competencies. Mr. Richard Teerlink age 59 joined Harley-Davidson in 1981 and was elected to the board of directors in 1982. In 1988 he was appointed President, and he was named Chief Executive Officer in 1989 (Wheelen). Mr. Teerlink is also on the Boards of Directors of Johnson Controls, Incorporated and Snap-On Incorporated (Rethinking Leadership). Mr. Teerlink has been the leader in developing a value-based culture at Harley. His focus is on the importance of establishing mutually beneficial relationships with all of stakeholders has served the company well in the past. Teeklink believes that top management is responsible for creating an operating environment that can allow continual learning (Harley Davidson Home Page). Unlike the traditional executive leader who is focused on structure and strategy, Teerlink thinks about the operating environment in less tangible ways. Teeklink has a quality focus and has initiated a just in time inventory system along with a value-added approach to manufacturing (Wheelen). In addition to the focus on a quality product, Teeklink is also focused on growth and corporate governance, which is reflected in the company†s vision. In a speech at Yale University Teerlink said that, â€Å"the Motor Company expects its market share to be bolstered by increased production in the next few years. Teerlink stated the company expects to produce 200,000 units annually by the year 2003, compared to about 100,000 in 1995. Teerlink added in his speech, â€Å"We have not found any reduction in the demand for Harley-Davidson,†. He said the Milwaukee firm had close to 50 percent of the 651cc-and-above U.S. motorcycle market. Teerlink also said that almost 30 percent of the company’s motorcycles are traditionally sold outside the United States. â€Å"Harley-Davidson seeks a patient and careful approach to overseas expansion. It’s our intention to be very successful in all markets,† Teerlink added. â€Å"We are taking time to develop markets, rather than just going in and putting a dealer on every corner and have them sell motorcycles. Because we’re capacity-constrained, we’ve been losing some market share, but we’re not losing market share because people don’t want to buy our product.† According to Teerlink, Harley-Davidson now has distributors in Peru, Singapore, Indonesia, South Africa and other emerging markets. He said Harley-Davidson had no immediate plans to diversify beyond its traditional strength in large-displacement motorcycles. Teerlink also noted that women now make up about eight percent of new Harley-Davidson buyers, as opposed to only two percent in the past (Online Magazine). How to cite History Harley Davidson, Essay examples

Digital Marketing Strategies Of Dentistry Asleep †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Digital Marketing Strategies Of Dentistry Asleep. Answer: Introduction: Dentistry Asleep, Dr. Kevin Dann is a certified and specialized provider of Dental Anaesthesia, which is located in Toronto, Ontario. The organization provides dental treatments to both adults and children while promoting anaesthesia, which enables treatments in a peaceful state of relaxation. Several surveys have indicated that the population in Ontario prefer the just freezing option over anaesthesia as they are unaware about the benefits of anaesthesia. Dr. Kevin Dann is a certified specialist in dental anaesthesia and offers several sedation techniques that involve use of mild, moderate and intravenous sedation techniques that make the patients sleep during the dental treatments. The anaesthesia provided by Dr. Kevin Dann is entirely different from the ones provided in the hospitals as he uses fewer medications, lower dosages and milder anaesthesia as compared to the anaesthesia techniques used by the traditional hospitals ("Family Dentist Toronto Ontarion | Sedation Dentistry | Dentistry Asleep Dentistry Asleep | Dr. Kevin Dann", 2018). The organization also caters to the dental needs of the children while reducing the number of visits to the doctor. Dentistry Asleep is very safe as there are strict controls and precautions that are taken into consideration while treating a patient. Objective: The objective of the report is to determine the manner in which the organization uses digital strategies on their websites for acquiring, converting, retaining and adding value to its customers. Digital marketing: Digital marketing refers to the utilization of technologies especially Internet for marketing the products and services. Digital marketing also involves use of mobile phones and several other digital mediums for marketing the products and services of an organization. Digital marketing methods involve content marketing, campaign marketing, e-mail marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization, e-commerce marketing and search engine marketing (Chaffey Ellis-Chadwick, 2016). Digital marketing enables the customers to interact with the brand more easily by using technologies. Digital marketing helps the organizations to exchange information regarding their products and services with its customers in a more effective manner using digital mediums such as e-mail, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and many others. Digital marketing also enables the organizations to gain a competitive advantage over the rival organizations by establishing sound relationships with the customers and re taining them. Digital marketing activities of Dentistry Asleep, Dr. Kevin Dann: Dentistry Asleep, Dr. Kevin Dann has its presence over several social media networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google + and blog. The official website of the organization encourages the viewers to write a review over Google + and like their Facebook page. The organization provides detailed information regarding its services so that all the viewers obtain complete information regarding the organization. It also enables the viewers to contact them via calls and emails (Armstrong et al., 2015). The website also enables the viewers to ask a question by submitting their name, email, phone number and comments or suggestions. The website has been designed to provide suitable answers to the queries of the customers and provide proper information related to the organizations dental practices. The website also enables the customers to book an appointment as per their convenience. The use of digital marketing has witnessed a huge rise in the past few years. The increase in the use if Internet and social media networking sites have enables the organizations to reach their customers more easily. Facebook, Youtube and Twitter advertisements have gained huge popularity in the recent years and have given the opportunity to the organizations to acquire new customers as well as retain them (Ryan, 2016). Dentistry Asleep, Dr. Kevin Dann has effectively designed its website in order to cater to all the requirements of its customers. However, the organization needs to improve its digital marketing strategies in order to attract more customers. The organization has its presence over social media networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google + but it needs to enhance its interactions with the customers. Dentistry Asleep, Dr. Kevin Dann has designed and used its website as a part of their digital marketing strategy for the following purposes: Acquiring new customers: The website of the organization is very simple and is designed in such a manner that anyone can easily obtain proper information about the organization and the services provided by the organization. The patients, who suffer from some dental issues, can easily access the website of the organization and ask questions related to their issues. The website also enables the customers to contact the doctors via phone calls and e-mails so as to obtain answers to their queries. The website also allows the new customers to book an appointment with the doctors. The organization has kept its website simple and attractive in order to attract and acquire new customers (Rowley Keegan, 2017). The website mentions the range of services provided by the organization and helps the new customers with their queries by offering them prompt reply to their queries. The proper description regarding the services provided and the easy access to the website has enables the organization to acquire new customers. Converting new customers into loyal customers: The organization lays equal emphasis on taking appropriate measures for converting the new customers into loyal customers. The organization makes this possible by maintaining the quality of services provided as per the expectations of the customers and ensuring that there are no deviations of the actual services provided and the quality of services mentioned in the website. The organization also sends regular e-mails to its new customers in order to provide them additional and detailed information regarding their new services and offers (Tiago Verssimo, 2014). The organization requests the new customers to provide their feedbacks on Google +. This enables the company to maintain good relationships with its customers and also enables the organization to convert new customers into loyal customers. The loyal customers are expected to visit the company whenever they face any kind of dental problems in future and help in the acquisition of n ew customers by referring their known ones. Therefore, the organization lays much emphasis upon maintaining good relationships with the new customers using several digital marketing tools such as website, Google+, Facebook and several others. Retaining new and old customers: The organization provides detailed and authentic information regarding its services as well as its happy customers through its website and Google +. The organization also has its page on Facebook, using which the organization interacts with its customers (both new and old). The website offers the feature of ask a question to its viewers that adds to the convenience of the customers. Effective communication using digital marketing tools have enabled the organization to retain new as well as old customers. The organization keeps it social media accounts fresh in order to provide updated information to the customers. However, the organization is required to emphasize upon making its online content available on smartphones in order to add convenience to the customers. The online marketing practice of the organization must be focused towards getting more traffic on the site so as to increase revenues. Adding value to the customers: The organization adds value to the customers by following the approach of opportunity, strategy and action. This has enabled the organization to improve its digital marketing strategies as it helps the organization to compare where it is in the present and were it wants to see itself in the future. The organization uses proper strategic approach and obtains satisfactory outcome from he website, e-mail and social media marketing (Leeflang et al, 2014). However, the organization is required to emphasize more upon its digital marketing strategies in order to remain ahead of its competitors. This can be possible when the organization links its personal objectives with the SMART digital marketing objectives. The organization shall require investing more in its digital marketing strategies in order to derive more benefits and increase the organizations profitability. Conclusion: The increase in the popularity of digital marketing has provided an opportunity to Dentistry Asleep, Dr. Kevin Dann to enhance its business operations. Digital marketing is advantageous to small organizations like Dentistry Asleep, Dr. Kevin Dann as the digital marketing activities involve lower cost and investment as compared to the other traditional marketing techniques. Digital marketing provides greater coverage to the organizations and enables the organizations to stay connected with the customers and establish strong personal relations with the potential as well as the existing customers (Urban, Gosline Lee, 2017). Dentistry Asleep, Dr. Kevin Dann has efficiently utilized digital marketing strategies to acquire new customers, convert new customers into loyal customers and retain the customers. However, the organization is required to emphasize more upon SMART objectives of digital marketing in order to enhance its digital marketing strategies and remain ahead of the competitor s. The organization shall require utilizing other digital marketing tools in order to establish strong relations with the new as well as existing customers in order to enhance its business operations and improve its revenues. References: Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., Brennan, R. (2015).Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Chaffey, D., Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2016).Digital marketing. Prentice Hall. Family Dentist Toronto Ontarion | Sedation Dentistry | Dentistry Asleep Dentistry Asleep | Dr. Kevin Dann. (2018). Drdann.ca. Retrieved 12 February 2018, from https://www.drdann.ca/ Leeflang, P. S., Verhoef, P. C., Dahlstrm, P., Freundt, T. (2014). Challenges and solutions for marketing in a digital era.European management journal,32(1), 1-12. Rowley, J., Keegan, B. (2017). Looking back, Going forward: the role and nature of systematic literature reviews in digital marketing: a meta-analysis. Ryan, D. (2016).Understanding digital marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation. Kogan Page Publishers. Tiago, M. T. P. M. B., Verssimo, J. M. C. (2014). Digital marketing and social media: Why bother?.Business Horizons,57(6), 703-708. Urban, G. L., Gosline, R., Lee, J. (2017). The Power of Consumer Stories in Digital Marketing.MIT Sloan Management Review,58(4).

THE 1999 FORD MUSTANG Essays - Coupes, Convertibles, Muscle Cars

THE 1999 FORD MUSTANG? The 1999 Mustang is a superb automobile at an excellent value. Ford has created a car with all of the amenities for a fair price. The performance and handling of this car is exceptional and the competition should be worried. When this car is driving down the strip, its styling will most definitely catch your eye. For a reasonable price tag you can own the '99 mustang. About $23,000 will get you a fully loaded pony. This car comes with everything from a high performance V-8 engine to leather, lumbar supported seats. This car also has an optional V-6 engine. The $23,000 GT model comes with power windows and door locks, standard Am/FM stereo/cassette CD player with six powerful speakers. It also comes with cruise control, which is mounted on the side of the steering wheel along with the stereo controls, so you virtually never have to take your eyes off the road. The performance of this car is excellent at all speeds. The Mustang's optional 4.6 liter V-8 engine produces a neck pulling 260-horse power at 5,000 rpm, which shoots off the line like a "bat out of hell". It comes with an optional four speed automatic or if you want to feel the full power of this pony you will go with the five speed standard transmission; which of course gets slightly better gas mileage. The gas mileage is about 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. Ford has made a finely tuned suspension that provides a comfortable yet firm ride. The pony takes sharp turns beautifully with its 16-inch alloy wheels and z-rated tires. Ford completely redesigned the '99 Mustang from the inside out. The car's interior is not only comfortable, but very stylish. The climate control is very easy to adjust along with the rest of the car's controls. The GT model also comes with a security system, which includes keyless entry, standard. The exterior of the car has been dramatically changed and includes a wide variety of colors. It comes with a choice of three different styles of aluminum wheels. The rear of the body has two intricately carved half- circle openings for the stainless steel exhaust system, which creates the Mustang's unique sounding rumble. The car is also available with fog lamps and an optional spoiler. In the '99 Mustang you have got style, comfort, and most important plenty of power. What more could you ask for in an automobile. For about $23,000 you are getting a great car at a great value. Do not take my word for it; you have to drive the car to truly appreciate the Mustang. With interest rates lower than they have been in years and if you are in the market to buy a new car, you have to test-drive the 1999 Ford Mustang. Anthony Thermenos 2-11-98 TR

The captain of the Sephora Essays

The captain of the Sephora Essays The captain of the Sephora Essay The captain of the Sephora Essay Both Legatt and the captain are unknown to an experienced crew. The captain had been appointed to his position, becoming a complete stranger among men who had worked together for some time. I had been appointed to the command only a fortnight before. Neither did I know much of the hands forward. All these people had been together for eighteen months or so, and my position was that of the only stranger on board. (pg 2) His fellow crew regarded Legatt as a stranger to the Sephora. Seven- and thirty virtuous years at sea, of which over twenty of immaculate command, and the last fifteen in the Sephora (pg 12) I did not encourage that young fellow (pg12) The captain of the Sephora had not felt that Legatt was worthy enough to be a chief mate. . he wasnt exactly the sort for the chief mate of a ship like the Sephora! (pg 17) The captains intense relationship with his secret sharer, Legatt, resolved in him feeling that mentally, two people had become one. The mental feeling of being in two places at once had affected me physically. (pg 20) The captain describes his secret sharer as his double; they are mentally, physically a shadow of each other. I was so identified with my secret double (pg 21) .my other self in there (pg 22) The secret partnership Legatt and the captain have, becomes stronger and more apparent as the story unveils. The captain feels he can share anything with his secret sharer. At the beginning of the story, the captain does not know his place and has feelings of inadequacy. It becomes increasingly apparent to the captain that if he fails in his abilities to lead his ship and crew, then his future could be as bleak as Legatts. . and I realised suddenly that all my future, for which I was fit, would perhaps go irretrievably to pieces in any mishap to my first command (pg 26) Near the end of the story, the captain gets in tune with himself and feels confident about his abilities and role as a captain. After choosing to risk the life of himself and his crew in order to save the life of Legatt, he risks everything for the sake of his stranger, to help him reach land so he can begin a new life. The captain skillfully averts destruction and remarks on his new found trust in his crew and his ability as the ships commander. Nothing! No one on the world should stand between us, throwing a shadow on the way of silent knowledge and mute affection, the perfect communication of a seaman with his first command. The captain realises he is in complete control and is confident as a leader of his vessel. His newly discovered trust in his abilities will help in the rest of his journey and the rest of his life. i As a direct result of his relationship with the secret sharer, the captain transforms from an inexperienced and insecure individual to a self assured and stable leader. In the beginning of the story, the captain does not know his place and has feelings of inadequacy. This changes when the captain meets the secret sharer and becomes secure and confident in his duty and his abilities. By releasing him into freedom, he is achieving his own maturation, and for it he is willing to pay a heavy price. After this experience the captain is ready to start a new confident life and guide his ship on its journey. The outcome of the story is that Legatt and the captain both become free, Legatt achieves personal freedom and the captain becomes free of his fears of command. This signifies the final bid they share together freedom.

Proposal-determine if the cell cycle proteins are expressed at Essay

Proposal-determine if the cell cycle proteins are expressed at different stages of nurse cell development in Trichinella spires infected muscle - Essay Example The life cycle of Trichinella begins with larvae being ingested raw or undercooked, pork meat. The larvae attach and bury themselves in the intestinal mucosa developing into adults in the small intestines. The adults in the intestinal mucosa mate producing more larvae. A single female can produce up to 1500 over a period of 1 to for weeks. The produced larvae then enter the lymph and mesenteric veins traveling throughout the body eventually attaching itself as a cyst in the striated muscle. The cyst helps the Trichinella species to survive the host’s immune system. The larva may remain viable for up to 25 years in humans. The viable cysts when ingested by a new host they become viable again beginning the cycle. The nematodes of genus Trichinella infect a wide range of mammal’s reptiles and birds. The parasite usually alternate between the enteric and skeletal muscle stages within their hosts. The eleven known genotypes are made up of two categories. The first is the species that encapsulation occurs and that one that no encapsulation occurs. (Zarlenga et al. 2004). T spirally is the most common cause of human infections, and much of the proposal will discuss this species. The T spirally usually inhabits the host muscle cells and become encapsulated. The Trichinella species is found in a broad geographic range from the tropics to the Arctic. The encapsulated species shows more adaptations to colder climates as compared to the encapsulated species. The major hosts of Trichinella species are sylvatic swine and domestic swine. The synanthropic group of animals such as rat’s cats, dogs, and carnivore also from the host to the Trichinella species. The high infections to swine mean that Trichinella species spread to most continents thus showing a cosmopolitan distribution in equatorial and temperate climates (Pozio 2001). The species has been classified into three by use of molecular phylogenetics(Blaxter et al. 1998).

Newspaper Article or News Program Discussion Post Essay

Newspaper Article or News Program Discussion Post - Essay Example The article argues that discretion is a function of many variables that differ from case to case. Therefore, how to apply discretion for the best results in all or most cases cannot be reduced to a simple formula that can be used to guide prosecutors (Davis 30). Without such as guide, prosecutors are given too much freedom and power and this leads to abuse and injustice. The issue of prosecutorial discretion came under spotlight recently when Attorney General told prosecutors that they are under no obligation to defend unjust laws (Gershman). This raises the question of whether they can nullify laws. If prosecutors are under no obligation to defend unjust laws, they are effectively nullifying those laws. This is a further evidence of the wide powers of prosecutors given to them under the doctrine of prosecutorial discretion. A prosecutor with a political agenda can apply the law selectively and that is manifest injustice (Davis 26). The issue of prosecutorial discretion is important because it inevitably comes up in discussion about injustice in criminal justice system especially now when the number of cases of wrongful conviction are increasing. It appears there is need to relook into discretionary powers or strengthen accountability. Gershman, Bennett. "Refusing to Defend Unjust Laws: Prosecutorial Discretion or Prosecutorial Nullification?." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.

The Legal Environment of Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Legal Environment of Business - Essay Example Some of the major cost that is to be paid by the company while launching IPO includes expenses that are incurred for legal services, underwriter’s commission, printing costs, accounting services and personal marketing. Other legal factors include the loss of control, flexibility and confidentiality as all the necessary regulations are governed by SEC after the company gets publicly limited. Dilution of ownership results in disgruntling management. From economic point of view, the company faces a lot of pressure from the unsteady and unstable position of the economy of a country. When any news regarding the company is revealed on media, it impacts the IPO or share price of the company. Company also faces pressure to maintain and enhance its quarterly earnings as the public invests by verifying the financial position of the company. Several other economic and legal factors affect the company’s decisions while launching IPO. It is necessary to keep all the information into account as any discrepancy can lead to a discounted price of share. Labour Laws and Employment Labour laws can be defined as those laws and regulations that are defined for the employees in order to protect their rights from employer retaliation and reporting the violations to the legitimate authorities. Employment and labour policies are shaped by the countries in which they operate. However, in most of the countries the employment and labour laws are based mainly on the international standards. Due to this reason, companies do not get much influenced by the labour laws and policies. Yet, it has a certain amount of influence because the laws and policies are not precisely same. Some major criteria that labour laws of every country follow include: Freedom of assembly and speech Protection of right to sue Dues, Fees, Initiation and Assessment When companies start to expand domestically and internationally, they face some sort of discrepancies. As a company grow, the employee policy manual must grow with it. Simply being aware of what is right or wrong is not enough. Implementing these practices is also vital for the healthy growth of the companies. Fredman (1997) provided comprehensive study on the importance of labour laws in the dynamic and fast changing world. The study provided different perspective of modifications in labour law as per the changing economic and social condition of the country. Should the labour law be refashioned while protecting the worker’s right or should it be flexible enough by removing the employment protection? In my mind, it all depends upon the condition of the economy of a country and the extent to which it allows labour right protection and employee’s rights. Globalization has caused many companies to expand their business domestically and internationally. Without doing so, it is not possible to for the companies to compete with other companies. Brussels (2006) in his report mentioned the ways of â€Å"modernisin g the labour laws for the 21st centuries†. He stated that the traditional model is not suitable for all workers for adapting change and utilizing the opportunities that are offered by globalization. (Modernizing the labour laws for the 21st centuries, 2006) A report named as â€Å"The employment relationship: Overview of challenges and opportunities, (2006)† showed employment and labour law challenges faced by the company while expanding internationally and domestically. The profound changes that occurred in the work world especially in the labour

Group Work and Language Learning

Group Work and Language Learning Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1. Introduction This chapter consists of the rationale behind my decision of having the thesis subject, and the way I found out the problem that my first year students have in speaking activities. Finally, they are the scope; the objectives, research questions, methods and design of this study are also begun. 1.2. Rationale In recent years, English has been considered one of some important subjects and a compulsory one for Vietnamese students. Better English, better careers was the answer given by many of them when they told about their purpose of learning this language. In their daily life, it cant be denied that this international language may help them prepare better for their career in the future because it does not only equip learners with a necessary source of information of social and culture knowledge but also gives them up-to-date information concerning a different issues in our society nowadays. Especially, our countrys recent regional and global participation has been increasing the demand for English speaking people, who are wanted to communicate with the outside world and access up- to- date technology. Vietnamese students are creative however there are many problems facing them when they speak this language, especially the first year students at HUBT. Among them, the problem of oral communication seems to be the most serious one. Teaching this language has been had necessary help from educators but having the best appropriate teaching method which may meet the need of the education and the society is still considered a big question for teachers of English in Vietnam. There have been some important changes in the teaching and learning this language in recent years because of big efforts from many international organizations and educational projects. Different modern approaches, techniques and methods on the teaching of this language have been applied in many universities, colleges and high schools. Generations of teachers of English are trying their best to have the best result in their career and in the classrooms contexts. 1.3. Finding out the problem. During learning English, speaking skill is one of the most necessary ones that can help students have a better job. For many years in teaching, teachers may know that learners would like to speak but they feel they have not enough confidence. As a fact they can think that, this language is not easy so they are not interested in learning, especially in speaking. This action research study of how to promote learners speaking through group work activities is very good because that may also give students more opportunities to improve other skill better. According to Richards (2000, p3): Employers too insist their employees have good English language skills and fluency in English is a prerequisite for success and advancement in many fields of employment in todays world. Focusing on English learners communication skills is an important idea to help them make progress in speaking. Wongsuwana (2006, p 44) shows that speech could be trained and it does not depend on talent anymore or talent is not the most important thing. In addition, Edge (1993, p17) points out the importance of communication that communication is at the heart of modern English Language Teaching, the part of the learning process and the goal of language teaching. However, most students do not have enough opportunities to speak English in an English environment that is why speaking this language has not had the best result. The first year students are from different areas in Vietnam. Maybe they were good at grammar but they have a lot of difficulties in speaking. They feel shy when they speak because they did not have a lot of chances to practice English in communication or for interaction in their daily life. Students from rural areas, sometimes had worse speaking skills than those from big cities. During speaking lessons, the strong students are very confident and the weak ones are afraid of speaking. Therefore, it is necessary to find out some solutions to this problem that the first year students have more chances to communicate with each other as well as to speak to each other in a so-called close-to-real English speaking condition. One of the strategies that reflects the principle of learner centeredness is group work. According to Nuna n and Lamb (1996, p, 142) group work is designed as any classroom activity in which learners perform collaborative tasks with one or more speakers. It has been considered one of the main changes to the dynamics of classroom interaction wrought by students-centered teaching. Moreover this speaking activity is able to increase the amount of active speaking and listening undertaken by all the learners in the language class. Conclusively, group work is the best way to have success in learner centered approach. This kind of speaking activities has had more and more emphasis in language classroom and it is used in encouraging learners oral practice. Participating in group, learners can join actively in the learning process. They do not have to sit passively and listen to their teacher. For all the above good points, it is willing for me to propose Group work as an approach to improving speaking skills for the first year non- major students of English at HUBT as the subject of this study. 1.4. Scope of the study. This study was taken place with the first year students who were learning English as a normal subject. Maybe, the study could not cover all the problems 1st students dealt with in using group work because it was limited to the investigation of learners attitudes towards group work, the level of learners participation in group activities 1.5 Objective of the study. There have been many studies on the spoken English teaching group work so far. Therefore, this study does not claim to introduce a new way of English teaching method. The main objective of the study is for the benefits of the learners, and the study will be a source of materials for teachers of English on the teaching of speaking skill, who consider group work as one of some important educational ways to help students speak better. To be more specific, the main objective is: To investigate the effects of group work on students speaking skill and its results. With this objective, the research questions are: 1. What are the learners attitudes towards group work? 2. What are the effects of group work on learners speaking skills? 1.6. Organization of the study The study consists of 5 main chapters: Introduction, Literature review, Methodology, Finding and discussion, and the last one is Conclusion. Chapter 2: Literature review This chapter presents major issues that relate to the theory of communicative learning in general and in language teaching in particular. The main features are taken into consideration, the concepts related to the study including the communication language teaching and the teaching of speaking skill, the definition of group work. Finally, they are benefits of group work. 2.1. Definition of Communicate language teaching and the teaching of speaking skill CLT is the latest influence on language teaching in Vietnamese education. CLT is considered as a broad approach to teach and results from a focus on communication as the organizing principle for the teaching rather than a focus on mastering of grammatical system of the language. Many different of CLT have been provided so far so it is not easy to show which a standard one is. Byrne (1981, p71) shows that the communicative approach allows many interactive oral activities in the classroom. Learners learn to use the English language, not English usages, to speak better in communication. They participate in group work (including of more than 2 students), play their own roles to speak to others, who have the same role, so each of them make intentional utterances that can help them have the best result and reach their goal in the shortest time. Learners are introduced to clear targets by their teacher and teachers may create communicative conditions, go round, and participate in the activities to help their students. Nunan (1989, p94) points out the approach which consists of aspects common to some definitions of CLT: CTL review language as a system for the expression of meaning. Activities involve oral communication, carrying out meaning tasks and using language, which is meaningful to the learners. Objectives reflect the needs of the learners. They consist of functional skills as well as linguistic objectives. The learners role is as a negotiator and integrator. The teacher role is as a facilitator of the communication process. Materials promote communicative language use; they are task based authentic. This definition shows a clear view of understanding and explaining language acquisition. It is socially constructed and may be effect when exploiting to teach language speaking. In communication, speaking plays an important role. The nature of speaking, both the element of pronunciation and connected speech, and the pragmatic aspects, has been discussed to examine by some well- known scholars and linguists. Brown (1994, p256 ) shows many of the characteristics such as the reduced forms, the stress, rhythm and intonation, the clustering, the colloquialism, the affective factors and the interaction, that could make oral performance not easy. From these writers support, it is easy to realize that the good results of communication consist of many features. They are the ability to articulate phonological ones of the language, the suitable degree of fluency, the mastery of stress intonation patterns, rhythm and etc 1. The development of CLT has had implications, which are necessary for students to develop their speaking ability through cooperative learning. Moreover, it gives students many chances to speak the language with appropriate learning conditions. 2.2. Group work 2.2.1. Definitions of group work. Group work is considered one of the important factors to improve learners communication. Different individuals have developed many approaches to group work over the last time. Group work is defined by Johnson, Johnson and Smith (1991, p15) as group work, in language class, is a co- operative activity, during which students share aims and responsibilities to complete a task assigned by the teacher in groups or in pair. It is said that, in group work, students learn to listen to different ideas, learn to discuss and to negotiate. They take part in equally and sometimes they feel comfortable to experiment and speak the language. Every member has more opportunities for independence and they can have some learning decisions. David (1993) shows that group work activity consists of three general types. The first one is informal learning group. The second one is formal learning group. The last one is the study teams. From these definitions of group type, the first one is more suitable for the term group work activities described in this study. This means that learners are required to have small groups from 3 or more members to work on a speaking task. 2.2.2. Benefits of using group work activities in language teaching. There are many sorts of activities in speaking lesson. They are discussions, dialogues, etc. These activities are often used in group work and have a lot of advantages. Firstly, students responsibility and autonomy are promoted through group work activities. All students work together, share their ideas, and always want to reach the goal in group activities. In addition, one of their main tasks is being in charge of their group activities. Every learner is in charge of his own and each others speaking, so there is a friendly help and high personal interdependence between them. Doff states: Group work and pair wok encourage students to share ideas knowledge. In a reading activity, students can help each other to explore the meaning of a text, in a discussion activity; students can give each other new ideas. (Doff, 1988). Secondly, learners participation, talking time and oral fluency are improved through group. As for Ur (1996, p 232), students can have a learning task during small interaction in group work and it is considered as a kind of their activation and is very valuable for practicing of fluency in speaking. There are 5 groups in a class; students can get 5 times as some chance to speak as in a big class. Finally, the students motivation is improved through group work activities. . Group-work activity can allow participants to use the language. Moreover, it is one of the most effective ways to motivate participants to become more involved. Richards and Loc Khart (1994) point out that, students not only play more active roles in the learning process but also get the benefits of sharing ideas with their team member through taking part in groups. Doff (1988, p141) states students fell less anxiety when they are privately than when they are on shown in front of the whole class. Pair work and group-work can help shy students, who would never say anything in a whole class activity The source of benefits of group-work can be seen in many different fields, consists of improving students speaking skill. In the best group-work activity in a language classroom, the participants of a learning group can benefit in several ways. By dividing the class into group, a new social context in created whereby learners get the opportunity to share individual cognitions with their group mates and decide on a conclusion based on the sum of these cognitions. In general, group work has had a lot of emphasis in language classroom and its activities are taken place in some ways of the second language instructions, especially in encouraging learners face to face practice. However, group activities still have got many problems when some students control the group a lot and make others uncomfortable, so how to organize group work effectively is the big question for educators and language teachers, who consider group wok as one of the best ways to improve students speaking skill. Chapter 3: Methodology. Chapter 3 presents the methodology of the study. The methods used in this study includes both quantitative and qualitative. 3.1. Research design. There have been many methods provided to be used in the way of applied linguistics. They are experimental method, case study but Action Research was chosen in this study because it includes many advantages and it is one of the most effective ways to obtain more objective and reliable information, including observation and interview. 3.2 Participants. The students were in the last term (or second term) of the first year at the University. They are in class KT 1421, Account Department, and learned in a small sized class of 25 ones, including 15 girls and 10 boys. Each class has one private room to study and they attend 10 class hours of English in a week. They are from 18 to 19 years old. Some of them, especially students from big cities, studied English at high school for 7 years, and others, who come from different provinces, finished this language for only 3 years. Although their English knowledge was not the same, they have to study the same level Elementary at University. 3.2 The procedures of the study. 3.2.1 Problem identification During organizing group work activities, due to my experience in teaching and a lot of discussions between me and my first year students, I found out a problem: students lack of interest in participating in group work activities so this speaking activity has not had the best result. 3.2.2 Collecting data To clarify the problem, a student interview was chosen because it has many advantages. Nunan (1987, p150) states it gives the interviewee a degree of power and control over the course of interviewer a great deal of flexibility. The purpose of the interview was to get students opinions about group work activities and the causes of this problem. The interviewer is a teacher of English- a researcher of this study. The interviewees are 6 students from 3 groups which were divided by the researcher. The first group is a weak one, consisting of unconfident students. They are very shy and sometimes lazy with speaking activities. The students in this group were quite and passive, they seemed to keep silent and listen to other team members most of the time. They are 8 students, and often got bad mark (mark 5 or 4) in a pre- test speaking. The second one is a strong group, including dynamic, enthusiastic and hard working students in the study (9 out of 25 students). Most of them were really active and talkative and dominant in group activities. In last test speaking, they got good mark (mark 7.5, 8 and 9).They are always successful in every speaking activity The last group consists of students, whose performance at speaking lesson, especially group work activities is indifferent. Maybe they are not lazy but they are lack of English speaking skill. They shared 33 % (8 students in the class). Mark 6 or 6.5. They do not make noise in the class but their result in studying is not always excellent. 3.2.3. Analyzing data. The information collected from the interview will be discussed in detailed in section 4.1- the initial 3.2.4. Planning action Basing on the findings from the initial data, the solution chosen is to rearrange students seats in group work activities and reconsider the way of teaching. More details will showed in 4.2.2 3.2.5. Implementing the action plan The action plan implementation lasted during 3 weeks, with the participations of the teacher and 25 students in class Kt 1421. 3.2.6 Collecting post- data. Attitude interview was used to collect data in order to find out where group work activities improve their speaking skill. Moreover, I would like to discover the students attitudes towards this speaking activity. 3.2.7 Analyzingpost data This action was evaluated on the results collected from the post data. Some recommendations for other research were presented from the results of the action research. An interview was chosen as a data collection instrument for this study.. The interview was designed by the teacher, based on information I would like to find. The students interview consisted of 5 questions. (See appendix 1). In order to help interviewees understand all the questions clearly, 5 questions were translated into Vietnamese. Chapter 4: Result and discussions This chapter provides the results of the action research. The presentation consists of the description of the initial result from the interview, the information on the findings from this result. 4.1. Initial data. 4.1.1 Results from pre-students interview. Question 1: The students self assessment of their English speaking skill in group work activities. Most of the students (4 out of 6) admitted that their speaking skill in group works discussions was bad, even very bad. They found it very complicated .Only one third (2 out of 6 students) started that the speaking skill was not a big problem in their English learning. Question 2: Students interest in taking part in group work activities. Question 2 asked students if they liked to participate in group work activities. Students answers showed that a majority (4 out of 6) said no to the question. They are from the first and the last group. In their opinions, they would like to have more help from their classmates, whose English is better than their because they are lack of speaking skill and afraid of asking their teacher a lot. Only one third of students (2 out of 6) expressed that they are interested in this speaking activity because it allows them have more opportunities to practice in English. Question 3: Difficulties of learners while participating. Question 3 aimed to collect difficulties the students had to deal with while taking part in group work activities. Two students from the weak group complained that they had a lot of difficulties and the most difficult one is without a leader team. They did not know what to say, how to start and express their ideas, their opinions in English with a topic in discussions. Two other students from the last group mentioned that they had too much difficulty. They often could not understand clearly all the noun phrases and expressions when their teacher taught and explained in English. That was the main reason that they often spent time chatting or reading funny stories and made noise in the class. Other members English level is the same so they would like to have a chance in their sitting in group work activities. Only one third (2 out of 6),who are very confident and independent in studying, started that they did not have any difficulties in every group work speaking activity but sometime they were not satisfied when there was too much noise from the weak group.. Question 4: Learners attitude towards teachers monitoring their seats in group work activities. As can been seen in questions result, a majority students were looking forward to it (4 out of 6). They are from group one and three. One student from the strong one was not ready to accept that. She was afraid that, she is willing to help team mates but she would spend too much time explaining lessons for the weak ones in the team. The last student from the strong group had positive attitude towards changing their seats. Question 5: Learners opinion kids of team member they like to work with. Six interviewees had the same opinion that they do not care of this. 4.1.2. Finding from the initial data As can be seen from the data analysis from students interview, the first year students would like to take part in group work activities until there will be some chances in organizing, especially their seats, and team members. Most of them, especially from the first and the last group are looking forward to this. In addition to this, I try to explain lessons more clearly to help students understand better. In order to overcome these problems, I should think about how to arrange group work activities that they can work effectively and better and what to do to make the activities been done properly. When organizing group work, the first point should be taken into consideration is the selection of group work member. The students always sit in the same place since it means that they will always be in the same group, which can give rise to boredom over a prolonged period. From the identification of this problem mentioned above, the following hypothesis was chosen: If the teacher rearranges students seats in group work activities and changes something in the way of teaching, students will be full of interest in participating in group work activities, and their speaking skill will be better. 4.2. Action Plan The action plan was conducted to check the chosen hypothesis and more importantly to give the answer to the 2 Research Questions. The action implementation was taken place for 3 weeks, during 6 class hours of English with these steps: The first, students are not allowed to choose their partners or group mates because this happened in the first term and better students often sat together and so did the weak ones. Participants are in mixed ability group, consisting 4 members. A group should have a mixture of a weaker and a stronger student since the more able students can help their less fluent or knowledgeable friends, the process of helping will such strong students to understand more about the language themselves. Secondly, I had better to take some important things into my consideration to overcome these problems mentioned above such as instructions, monitoring. Presenting the activity to the class will be a major in its success. Therefore, it is a good idea for me to keep instruction simply and if necessary can use the mother tongue, however I also should try to use English as much as possible because both explaining and evaluating activities is a very real use of language in a classroom situation. Providing many examples and giving the learners a trial run are usually good ideas. Moreover, when activities are in progress, my main task is to move around the class and to listen in directly in order to find out how the participants are getting on well. I think, I should not correct students mistakes of language during a group activity but I should make a note of them and use them as the basis of feedback. The participants should be told that the teacher is available for consultation if they ne ed During 6 class hours, students in 3 groups were divided in different groups with separated roles. The students from the weak one had help from new group members, seemed to take part in discussions actively and the strong ones had opportunities to help their friends. They discussed together positively with their opinions. Post-interview was used to collect post- data after the action plan finished. The five pre-interview questions were used again. Result from post-interview Students problems Pre-action Post-action Noise from weak group 2 0 Fear of speaking 4 2 Low participation 2 0 Use of mother tongue 2 0 Difficulty in understanding lessons 4 1 Arrange their seats in group work activities 4 0 It is clear from the pre-interview results that most students problems have been reduced. There was not noise in group work activities. Only two students from the weak group were still shy when they spoke. They used to keep silent during group work activities, but now their participation is not low. They started to have ideas in groups discussions. Four students from the first and the last group complained about their difficulties in participating. After 3 weeks, they had a little one because of rearranging their seats and having a leader team. It is very helpful for them to speak English better. Most of students are interested in their new seat Chapter 5: Conclusion 5.1. Summary of the study It is not a new idea to use group work activities in improving learners speaking ability. In many educators opinions, this speaking ability no doubt gives big and necessary benefits not only teachers but also learners. In this study, the effects of group work on the students participation and achievement have been shown and learners attitude towards this speaking activity bas been investigated. The study has presented many good results through regards to quantitative and qualitative analysis. The first, a lot of students as the participants in the research expressed their interest in taking part in group work activities. The second, through the implementation of this research, the stronger and friendlier relationship between team members has been proved. Most of the students showed that their speaking skills in English were developed and improved significantly. Therefore this research helped me and my colleagues have more chances to know students weaknesses and strengths during their participating as well as their desires, feelings, difficulties and expectations revealed through their roles. It is valuable source of personal information for teacher to know and helps the teacher adjust and strengthen her role as a facilitator, an educator and a teacher in classroom activities. The increasing quantity of learners interaction in the post- group work activities support the opinion that a lot of students in a group worked more effectively with each other in order to reach the goal of the group by the way they asked question, responded others, clarified and explained opinions and ideas to team members. The weak students were more confident when they asked for help from better members in the group as the participants were willing and ready to help. Moreover they felt comfortable to encourage the weak ones to participate in practicing group work activities as the good students find out that through doing these things, their oral communication skills and many other academic skills, for example level thinking skill, critical thinking skill to explain evaluate , discuss, formulate ideahave been improved. Using group work effectively can help students become more independent, confident and responsible. This is very good because they can have and use many suitable lea rning strategies in their studying for a long time. 5.2. Limitations of the study and suggestions for further studies. This action was made to improve teaching and learning in group work activities. Like many action research, obviously it has limitations. Firstly, the finding could not be generalized and should be interpreted with caution by using to other contexts. Secondly, the participants are only the first year students not the second or third ones, who have more experience in learning English and in taking part in a teamwork. Moreover, only the way to develop speaking skill is showed while group work activities could be used to teaching other integrated skill for students such as listening, writing, reading and of course, speaking. 5.3. Pedagogical implications of the study English lessons are considered good opportunities to practice this language. Students can have help from their teachers and their classmates. Moreover, to encourage students on the initial trying of studying and improving their practicing English, teachers of English may supply some investment to organize and use the program on a bigger scale such as student-organized English speaking clubs, English students newspaper that provide necessary experience in learning this language, important knowledge and main skill to learn English better. In addition, when organizing group work activities, these important factors should be taken into consideration: setting up a group work activity, managing group work effectively, organizing group successfully. Further more, the realization of this study has showed the orientation and showed the practicality of using group work in teaching English in Vietnamese education, especially in university context, where a lot of teachers use traditional approach and students depend on them a lot. Group work activities are very important and necessary for Vietnamese students, especially the first year students, who have finished high school, where teachers use traditional methods of teaching English a lot. Participating in group work activities can help them improve their independent working, have more critical thinking skills. REFERENCES: Byrne, D (1981). Communication in the classroom. England: Longman.

Case Study on Alcoholism Essay -- substance abuse case study

Introduction: The ingestion of alcoholic beverages for their enjoyable effects is a custom which has been around for thousands of years, and alcohol continues to be a popular drug because of its short-term effects (Coleman, Butcher & Carson, 1984). An enormous amount of damage can be attributed directly to alcohol abuse as a result of lost jobs, accidents caused by drunk drivers, and so forth (Maltzman, 2000). Alcohol also compounds other problems--an estimated 25% to 40% of hospital patients have problems caused by, or recovery delayed by alcohol abuse (Maltzman, 2000). Clinical psychologists spend about one-fourth of their time dealing with people who are suffering in part from alcohol or other substance problems (Vaillant, 1995). Although alcohol problems have been around for so long, it is only recently that these problems have begun to be associated with medical or psychological difficulties. The first to advocate alcoholism as a disease was Benjamin Rush (1785-1843), and he even proposed that hospitals should be established to aid in the treatment of this disease (Cox, 1987). Since Rush, there have been many more definitions of alcoholism including the Statistical Abstracts (1979) account that an alcoholic is defined as ?one who is unable consistently to choose whether he shall drink or not, and if he drinks, is unable consistently to choose whether he shall stop or not. ?Alcoholics with complications? are those who have developed bodily or mental disorders through prolonged excessive drinking? (O?Brien & Chafetz, 1982, p.26). Further, Mark Keller of Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcoholism in March of 1960 stated that alcoholism is a ?chronic disease manifested by repeat implicative drinking so as to ca... ..., Publishers. May, R. (1977). The Meaning of Anxiety. New York, NY: Washington Square Press. Menninger, W.W. (1994). Psychotherapy and integrated treatment of social phobia and comorbid conditions. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 58, A84-A90. Miner, C.M., & Davidson, J.R.T. (1995). Biological characterization of social phobia. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 244, 304-308. Potts, N.L., & Book, S., & Davidson, J.R.T. (1996). The neurobiology of social phobia. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 11, 43-48. Uhde, T.W. (1994). Anxiety and growth disturbances: Is there a connection? A review of biological studies in social phobia. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 55, 17-27. Wittchen, H. (2000). The many faces of social anxiety disorder. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 15, S7-S12.

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 20. COMPROMISE

EVERYTHING WAS READY. I was packed for my two-day visit with â€Å"Alice,† and my bag waited for me on the passenger seat of my truck. I'd given the concert tickets to Angela, Ben, and Mike. Mike was going to take Jessica, which was exactly as I'd hoped. Billy had borrowed Old Quil Ateara's boat and invited Charlie down for some open sea fishing before the afternoon game started. Collin and Brady, the two youngest werewolves, were staying behind to protect La Push – though they were just children, both of them only thirteen. Still, Charlie would be safer than anyone left in Forks. I had done all that I could do. I tried to accept that, and put the things that were outside of my control out of my head, for tonight at least. One way or another, this would all be over in forty-eight hours. The thought was almost comforting. Edward had requested that I relax, and I was going to do my best. â€Å"For this one night, could we try to forget everything besides just you and me?† he'd pleaded, unleashing the full force of his eyes on me. â€Å"It seems like I can never get enough time like that. I need to be with you. Just you.† That was not a hard request to agree to, though I knew that forgetting my fears would be much easier said than done. Other matters were on my mind now, knowing that we had this night to be alone, and that would help. There were some things that had changed. For instance, I was ready. I was ready to join his family and his world. The fear and guilt and anguish I was feeling now had taught me that much. I'd had a chance to concentrate on this – as I'd gazed at the moon through the clouds and rested against a werewolf – and I knew I would not panic again. The next time something came at us, I would be ready. An asset, not a liability. He would never have to make the choice between me and his family again. We would be partners, like Alice and Jasper. Next time, I would do my part. I would wait for the sword to be removed from over my head, so that Edward would be satisfied. But it wasn't necessary. I was ready. There was only one missing piece. One piece, because there were some things that had not changed, and that included the desperate way I loved him. I'd had plenty of time to think through the ramifications of Jasper and Emmett's bet – to figure out the things I was willing to lose with my humanity, and the part that I was not willing to give up. I knew which human experience I was going to insist on before I became inhuman. So we had some things to work out tonight. After everything I'd seen in the past two years, I didn't believe in the word impossible anymore. It was going to take more than that to stop me now. Okay, well, honestly, it was probably going to be much more complicated than that. But I was going to try. As decided as I was, I wasn't surprised that I still felt nervous as I drove down the long path to his house – I didn't know how to do what I was trying to do, and that guaranteed me some serious jitters. He sat in the passenger seat, fighting a smile at my slow pace. I was surprised that he hadn't insisted on taking the wheel, but tonight he seemed content to go at my speed. It was after dark when we reached the house. In spite of that, the meadow was bright in the light shining from every window. As soon as I cut the engine he was at my door, opening it for me. He lifted me from the cab with one arm, slinging my bag out of the truck bed and over his shoulder with the other. His lips found mine as I heard him kick the truck's door shut behind me. Without breaking the kiss, he swung me up so that I was cradled in his arms and carried me into the house. Was the front door already open? I didn't know. We were inside, though, and I was dizzy. I had to remind myself to breathe. This kissing did not frighten me. It wasn't like before when I could feel the fear and panic leaking through his control. His lips were not anxious, but enthusiastic now – he seemed as thrilled as I was that we had tonight to concentrate on being together. He continued to kiss me for several minutes, standing there in the entry; he seemed less guarded than usual, his mouth cold and urgent on mine. I began to feel cautiously optimistic. Perhaps getting what I wanted would not be as difficult as I'd expected it to be. No, of course it was going to be just exactly that difficult. With a low chuckle, he pulled me away, holding me at arm's length. â€Å"Welcome home,† he said, his eyes liquid and warm. â€Å"That sounds nice,† I said, breathless. He set me gently on my feet. I wrapped both my arms around him, refusing to allow any space between us. â€Å"I have something for you,† he said, his tone conversational. â€Å"Oh?† â€Å"Your hand-me-down, remember? You said that was allowable.† â€Å"Oh, that's right. I guess I did say that.† He chuckled at my reluctance. â€Å"It's up in my room. Shall I go get it?† His bedroom? â€Å"Sure,† I agreed, feeling quite devious as I wound my fingers through his. â€Å"Let's go.† He must have been eager to give me my non-present, because human velocity was not fast enough for him. He scooped me up again and nearly flew up the stairs to his room. He set me down at the door, and darted into his closet. He was back before I'd taken a step, but I ignored him and went to the huge gold bed, plopping down on the edge and then sliding to the center. I curled up in a ball, my arms wrapped around my knees. â€Å"Okay,† I grumbled. Now that I was where I wanted to be, I could afford a little reluctance. â€Å"Let me have it.† Edward laughed. He climbed onto the bed to sit next to me, and my heart thumped unevenly. Hopefully he would write that off as some reaction to him giving me presents. â€Å"A hand-me-down,† he reminded me sternly. He pulled my left wrist away from my leg, and touched the silver bracelet for just a moment. Then he gave me my arm back. I examined it cautiously. On the opposite side of the chain from the wolf, there now hung a brilliant heart- shaped crystal. It was cut in a million facets, so that even in the subdued light shining from the lamp, it sparkled. I inhaled in a low gasp. â€Å"It was my mother's.† He shrugged deprecatingly. â€Å"I inherited quite a few baubles like this. I've given some to Esme and Alice both. So, clearly, this is not a big deal in any way.† I smiled ruefully at his assurance. â€Å"But I thought it was a good representation,† he continued. â€Å"It's hard and cold.† He laughed. â€Å"And it throws rainbows in the sunlight.† â€Å"You forgot the most important similarity,† I murmured. â€Å"It's beautiful.† â€Å"My heart is just as silent,† he mused. â€Å"And it, too, is yours.† I twisted my wrist so the heart would glimmer. â€Å"Thank you. For both.† â€Å"No, thank you. It's a relief to have you accept a gift so easily. Good practice for you, too.† He grinned, flashing his teeth. I leaned into him, ducking my head under his arm and cuddling into his side. It probably felt similar to snuggling with Michelangelo's David, except that this perfect marble creature wrapped his arms around me to pull me closer. It seemed like a good place to start. â€Å"Can we discuss something? I'd appreciate it if you could begin by being open-minded.† He hesitated for a moment. â€Å"I'll give it my best effort,† he agreed, cautious now. â€Å"I'm not breaking any rules here,† I promised. â€Å"This is strictly about you and me.† I cleared my throat. â€Å"So . . . I was impressed by how well we were able to compromise the other night. I was thinking I would like to apply the same principle to a different situation.† I wondered why I was being so formal. Must be the nerves. â€Å"What would you like to negotiate?† he asked, a smile in his voice. I struggled, trying to find exactly the right words to open with. â€Å"Listen to your heart fly,† he murmured. â€Å"It's fluttering like a hummingbird's wings. Are you all right?† â€Å"I'm great.† â€Å"Please go on then,† he encouraged. â€Å"Well, I guess, first, I wanted to talk to you about that whole ridiculous marriage condition thing.† â€Å"It's only ridiculous to you. What about it?† â€Å"I was wondering . . . is that open to negotiation?† Edward frowned, serious now. â€Å"I've already made the largest concession by far and away – I've agreed to take your life away against my better judgment. And that ought to entitle me to a few compromises on your part.† â€Å"No.† I shook my head, focusing on keeping my face composed. â€Å"That part's a done deal. We're not discussing my . . . renovations right now. I want to hammer out some other details.† He looked at me suspiciously. â€Å"Which details do you mean exactly?† I hesitated. â€Å"Let's clarify your prerequisites first.† â€Å"You know what I want.† â€Å"Matrimony.† I made it sound like a dirty word. â€Å"Yes.† He smiled a wide smile. â€Å"To start with.† The shock spoiled my carefully composed expression. â€Å"There's more?† â€Å"Well,† he said, and his face was calculating. â€Å"If you're my wife, then what's mine is yours . . . like tuition money. So there would be no problem with Dartmouth.† â€Å"Anything else? While you're already being absurd?† â€Å"I wouldn't mind some time.† â€Å"No. No time. That's a deal breaker right there.† He sighed longingly. â€Å"Just a year or two?† I shook my head, my lips set in a stubborn frown. â€Å"Move along to the next one.† â€Å"That's it. Unless you'd like to talk cars . . .† He grinned widely when I grimaced, then took my hand and began playing with my fingers. â€Å"I didn't realize there was anything else you wanted besides being transformed into a monster yourself. I'm extremely curious.† His voice was low and soft. The slight edge would have been hard to detect if I hadn't known it so well. I paused, staring at his hand on mine. I still didn't know how to begin. I felt his eyes watching me and I was afraid to look up. The blood began to burn in my face. His cool fingers brushed my cheek. â€Å"You're blushing?† he asked in surprise. I kept my eyes down. â€Å"Please, Bella, the suspense is painful.† I bit my lip. â€Å"Bella.† His tone reproached me now, reminded me that it was hard for him when I kept my thoughts to myself. â€Å"Well, I'm a little worried . . . about after,† I admitted, finally looking at him. I felt his body tense, but his voice was gentle and velvet. â€Å"What has you worried?† â€Å"All of you just seem so convinced that the only thing I'm going to be interested in, afterward, is slaughtering everyone in town,† I confessed, while he winced at my choice of words. â€Å"And I'm afraid I'll be so preoccupied with the mayhem that I won't be me anymore . . . and that I won't . . . I won't want you the same way I do now.† â€Å"Bella, that part doesn't last forever,† he assured me. He was missing the point. â€Å"Edward,† I said, nervous, staring at a freckle on my wrist. â€Å"There's something that I want to do before I'm not human anymore.† He waited for me to continue. I didn't. My face was all hot. â€Å"Whatever you want,† he encouraged, anxious and completely clueless. â€Å"Do you promise?† I muttered, knowing my attempt to trap him with his words was not going to work, but unable to resist. â€Å"Yes,† he said. I looked up to see that his eyes were earnest and confused. â€Å"Tell me what you want, and you can have it.† I couldn't believe how awkward and idiotic I felt. I was too innocent – which was, of course, central to the discussion. I didn't have the faintest idea how to be seductive. I would just have to settle for flushed and self-conscious. â€Å"You,† I mumbled almost incoherently. â€Å"I'm yours.† He smiled, still oblivious, trying to hold my gaze as I looked away again. I took a deep breath and shifted forward so that I was kneeling on the bed. Then I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He kissed me back, bewildered but willing. His lips were gentle against mine, and I could tell his mind was elsewhere – trying to figure out what was on my mind. I decided he needed a hint. My hands were slightly shaky as I unlocked my arms from around his neck. My fingers slid down his neck to the collar of his shirt. The trembling didn't help as I tried to hurry to undo the buttons before he stopped me. His lips froze, and I could almost hear the click in his head as he put together my words and my actions. He pushed me away at once, his face heavily disapproving. â€Å"Be reasonable, Bella.† â€Å"You promised – whatever I wanted,† I reminded him without hope. â€Å"We're not having this discussion.† He glared at me while he refastened the two buttons I'd managed to open. My teeth clamped together. â€Å"I say we are,† I growled. I moved my hands to my blouse and yanked open the top button. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them to my sides. â€Å"I say we're not,† he said flatly. We glowered at each other. â€Å"You wanted to know,† I pointed out. â€Å"I thought it would be something faintly realistic.† â€Å"So you can ask for any stupid, ridiculous thing you want – like getting married – but I'm not allowed to even discuss what I -â€Å" While I was ranting, he pulled my hands together to restrain them in just one of his, and put his other hand over my mouth. â€Å"No.† His face was hard. I took a deep breath to steady myself. And, as the anger began to fade, I felt something else. It took me a minute to recognize why I was staring down again, the blush returning – why my stomach felt uneasy, why there was too much moisture in my eyes, why I suddenly wanted to run from the room. Rejection washed through me, instinctive and strong. I knew it was irrational. He'd been very clear on other occasions that my safety was the only factor. Yet I'd never made myself quite so vulnerable before. I scowled at the golden comforter that matched his eyes and tried to banish the reflex reaction that told me I was unwanted and unwantable. Edward sighed. The hand over my mouth moved under my chin, and he pulled my face up until I had to look at him. â€Å"What now?† â€Å"Nothing,† I mumbled. He scrutinized my face for long moment while I tried unsuccessfully to twist away from his gaze. His brow furrowed, and his expression became horrified. â€Å"Did I hurt your feelings?† he asked, shocked. â€Å"No,† I lied. So quickly that I wasn't even sure how it happened, I was in his arms, my face cradled between his shoulder and his hand, while his thumb stroked reassuringly against my cheek. â€Å"You know why I have to say no,† he murmured. â€Å"You know that I want you, too.† â€Å"Do you?† I whispered, my voice full of doubt. â€Å"Of course I do, you silly, beautiful, oversensitive girl.† He laughed once, and then his voice was bleak. â€Å"Doesn't everyone? I feel like there's a line behind me, jockeying for position, waiting for me to make a big enough mistake. . . . You're too desirable for your own good.† â€Å"Who's being silly now?† I doubted if awkward, self-conscious, and inept added up to desirable in anyone's book. â€Å"Do I have to send a petition around to get you to believe? Shall I tell you whose names would be on the top of the list? You know a few of them, but some might surprise you.† I shook my head against his chest, grimacing. â€Å"You're just trying to distract me. Let's get back to the subject.† He sighed. â€Å"Tell me if I have anything wrong.† I tried to sound detached. â€Å"Your demands are marriage† – I couldn't say the word without making a face – â€Å"paying my tuition, more time, and you wouldn't mind if myvehicle went a little faster.† I raised my eyebrows. â€Å"Did I get everything? That's a hefty list.† â€Å"Only the first is a demand.† He seemed to be having a hard time keeping a straight face. â€Å"The others are merely requests.† â€Å"And my lone, solitary little demand is -â€Å" â€Å"Demand?† he interrupted, suddenly serious again. â€Å"Yes, demand.† His eyes narrowed. â€Å"Getting married is a stretch for me. I'm not giving in unless I get something in return.† He leaned down to whisper in my ear. â€Å"No,† he murmured silkily. â€Å"It's not possible now. Later, when you're less breakable. Be patient, Bella.† I tried to keep my voice firm and reasonable. â€Å"But that's the problem. It won't be the same when I'm less breakable. I won't be the same! I don't know who I'll be then.† â€Å"You'll still be Bella,† he promised. I frowned. â€Å"If I'm so far gone that I'd want to kill Charlie – that I'd drink Jacob's blood or Angela's if I got the chance – how can that be true?† â€Å"It will pass. And I doubt you'll want to drink the dog's blood.† He pretended to shudder at the thought. â€Å"Even as a newborn, you'll have better taste than that.† I ignored his attempt to sidetrack me. â€Å"But that will always be what I want most, won't it?† I challenged. â€Å"Blood, blood, and more blood!† â€Å"The fact that you are still alive is proof that that is not true,† he pointed out. â€Å"Over eighty years later,† I reminded him. â€Å"What I meant was physically, though. Intellectually, I know I'll be able to be myself . . . after a while. But just purely physically – I will always be thirsty, more than anything else.† He didn't answer. â€Å"So I will be different,† I concluded unopposed. â€Å"Because right now, physically, there's nothing I want more than you. More than food or water or oxygen. Intellectually, I have my priorities in a slightly more sensible order. But physically . . .† I twisted my head to kiss the palm of his hand. He took a deep breath. I was surprised that it sounded a little unsteady. â€Å"Bella, I could kill you,† he whispered. â€Å"I don't think you could.† Edward's eyes tightened. He lifted his hand from my face and reached quickly behind himself for something I couldn't see. There was a muffled snapping sound, and the bed quivered beneath us. Something dark was in his hand; he held it up for my curious examination. It was a metal flower, one of the roses that adorned the wrought iron posts and canopy of his bed frame. His hand closed for a brief second, his fingers contracting gently, and then it opened again. Without a word, he offered me the crushed, uneven lump of black metal. It was a cast of the inside of his hand, like a piece of play dough squeezed in a child's fist. A half-second passed, and the shape crumbled into black sand in his palm. I glared. â€Å"That's not what I meant. I already know how strong you are. You didn't have to break the furniture.† â€Å"What did you mean then?† he asked in a dark voice, tossing the handful of iron sand to the corner of the room; it hit the wall with a sound like rain. His eyes were intent on my face as I struggled to explain. â€Å"Obviously not that you aren't physically able hurt me, if you wanted to . . . More that, you don't want to hurt me . . . so much so that I don't think that you ever could.† He started shaking his head before I was done. â€Å"It might not work like that, Bella.† â€Å"Might,† I scoffed. â€Å"You have no more idea what you're talking about than I do.† â€Å"Exactly. Do you imagine I would ever take that kind of risk with you?† I stared into his eyes for a long minute. There was no sign of compromise, no hint of indecision in them. â€Å"Please,† I finally whispered, hopeless. â€Å"It's all I want. Please.† I closed my eyes in defeat, waiting for the quick and final no. But he didn't answer immediately. I hesitated in disbelief, stunned to hear that his breathing was uneven again. I opened my eyes, and his face was torn. â€Å"Please?† I whispered again, my heartbeat picking up speed. My words tumbled out as I rushed to take advantage of the sudden uncertainty in his eyes. â€Å"You don't have to make me any guarantees. If it doesn't work out right, well, then that's that. Just let us try . . . only try. And I'll give you what you want,† I promised rashly. â€Å"I'll marry you. I'll let you pay for Dartmouth, and I won't complain about the bribe to get me in. You can even buy me a fast car if that makes you happy! Just . . . please.† His icy arms tightened around me, and his lips were at my ear; his cool breath made me shiver. â€Å"Thisis unbearable. So many things I've wanted to give you – and this is what you decide to demand. Do you have any idea how painful it is, trying to refuse you when you plead with me this way?† â€Å"Then don't refuse,† I suggested breathlessly. He didn't respond. â€Å"Please,† I tried again. â€Å"Bella . . .† He shook his head slowly, but it didn't feel like a denial as his face, his lips, moved back and forth across my throat. It felt more like surrender. My heart, racing already, spluttered frantically. Again, I took what advantage I could. When his face turned toward mine with the slow movement of his indecision, I twisted quickly in his arms till my lips reached his. His hands seized my face, and I thought he was going to push me away again. I was wrong. His mouth was not gentle; there was a brand-new edge of conflict and desperation in the way his lips moved. I locked my arms around his neck, and, to my suddenly overheated skin, his body felt colder than ever. I trembled, but it was not from the chill. He didn't stop kissing me. I was the one who had to break away, gasping for air. Even then his lips did not leave my skin, they just moved to my throat. The thrill of victory was a strange high; it made me feel powerful. Brave. My hands weren't unsteady now; I got through with the buttons on his shirt this time easily, and my fingers traced the perfect planes of his icy chest. He was too beautiful. What was the word he'd used just now? Unbearable – that was it. His beauty was too much to bear. . . . I pulled his mouth back to mine, and he seemed just as eager as I was. One of his hands still cupped my face, his other arm was tight around my waist, straining me closer to him. It made it slightly more difficult as I tried to reach the front of my shirt, but not impossible. Cold iron fetters locked around my wrists, and pulled my hands above my head, which was suddenly on a pillow. His lips were at my ear again. â€Å"Bella,† he murmured, his voice warm and velvet. â€Å"Would you please stop trying to take your clothes off?† â€Å"Do you want to do that part?† I asked, confused. â€Å"Not tonight,† he answered softly. His lips were slower now against my cheek and jaw, all the urgency gone. â€Å"Edward, don't -,† I started to argue. â€Å"I'm not saying no,† he reassured me. â€Å"I'm just saying not tonight.† I thought about that while my breathing slowed. â€Å"Give me one good reason why tonight is not as good as any other night.† I was still breathless; it made the frustration in my voice less impressive. â€Å"I wasn't born yesterday.† He chuckled inmy ear. â€Å"Out of the two of us, which do you think is more unwilling to give the other what they want? You just promised to marry me before you do any changing, but if I give in tonight, what guarantee do I have that you won't go running off to Carlisle in the morning? I am – clearly – much less reluctant to give you what you want. Therefore . . . you first.† I exhaled with a loud huff. â€Å"I have to marry you first?† I asked in disbelief. â€Å"That's the deal – take it or leave it. Compromise, remember?† His arms wrapped around me, and he began kissing me in a way that should be illegal. Too persuasive – it was duress, coercion. I tried to keep a clear head . . . and failed quickly and absolutely. â€Å"I think that's a really bad idea,† I gasped when he let me breathe. â€Å"I'm not surprised you feel that way.† He smirked. â€Å"You have a one-track mind.† â€Å"How did this happen?† I grumbled. â€Å"I thought I was holding my own tonight – for once – and now, all of a sudden -â€Å" â€Å"You're engaged,† he finished. â€Å"Ew! Please don't say that out loud.† â€Å"Are you going back on your word?† he demanded. He pulled away to read my face. His expression was entertained. He was having fun. I glared at him, trying to ignore the way his smile made my heart react. â€Å"Are you?† he pressed. â€Å"Ugh!† I groaned. â€Å"No. I'm not. Are you happy now?† His smile was blinding. â€Å"Exceptionally.† I groaned again. â€Å"Aren't you happy at all?† He kissed me again before I could answer. Another too-persuasive kiss. â€Å"A little bit,† I admitted when I could speak. â€Å"But not about getting married.† He kissed me another time. â€Å"Do you get the feeling that everything is backward?† he laughed in my ear. â€Å"Traditionally, shouldn't you be arguing my side, and I yours?† â€Å"There isn't much that's traditional about you and me.† â€Å"True.† He kissed me again, and kept going until my heart was racing and my skin was flushed. â€Å"Look, Edward,† I murmured, my voice wheedling, when he paused to kiss the palm of my hand. â€Å"I said I would marry you, and I will. I promise. I swear. If you want, I'll sign a contract in my own blood.† â€Å"Not funny,† he murmured against the inside of my wrist. â€Å"What I'm saying is this – I'm not going to trick you or anything. You know me better than that. So there's really no reason to wait. We're completely alone – how often does that happen? – and you've provided this very large and comfortable bed. . . .† â€Å"Not tonight,† he said again. â€Å"Don't you trust me?† â€Å"Of course I do.† Using the hand that he was still kissing, I pulled his face back up to where I could see his expression. â€Å"Then what's the problem? It's not like you didn't know you were going to win in the end.† I frowned and muttered, â€Å"You always win.† â€Å"Just hedging my bets,† he said calmly. â€Å"There's something else,† I guessed, my eyes narrowing. There was a defensiveness about his face, a faint hint of some secret motive he was trying to hide behind his casual manner. â€Å"Are you planning to go back on your word?† â€Å"No,† he promised solemnly. â€Å"I swear to you, we will try. After you marry me.† I shook my head, and laughed glumly. â€Å"You make me feel like a villain in a melodrama – twirling my mustache while I try to steal some poor girl's virtue.† His eyes were wary as they flashed across my face, then he quickly ducked down to press his lips against my collarbone. â€Å"That's it, isn't it?† The short laugh that escaped me was more shocked than amused. â€Å"You're trying to protect your virtue!† I covered my mouth with my hand to muffle the giggle that followed. The words were so . . . old-fashioned. â€Å"No, silly girl,† he muttered against my shoulder. â€Å"I'm trying to protect yours. And you're making it shockinglydifficult.† â€Å"Of all the ridiculous -â€Å" â€Å"Let me ask you something,† he interrupted quickly. â€Å"We've had this discussion before, but humor me. How many people in this room have a soul? A shot at heaven, or whatever there is after this life?† â€Å"Two,† I answered immediately, my voice fierce. â€Å"All right. Maybe that's true. Now, there's a world full of dissension about this, but the vast majority seem to think that there are some rules that have to be followed.† â€Å"Vampire rules aren't enough for you? You want to worry about the human ones too?† â€Å"It couldn't hurt.† He shrugged. â€Å"Just in case.† I glared at him through narrowed eyes. â€Å"Now, of course, it might be too late for me, even if you are right about my soul.† â€Å"No, it isn't,† I argued angrily. â€Å"‘Thou shalt not kill' is commonly accepted by most major belief systems. And I've killed a lot of people, Bella.† â€Å"Only the bad ones.† He shrugged. â€Å"Maybe that counts, maybe it doesn't. But you haven't killed anyone -â€Å" â€Å"That you know about,† I muttered. He smiled, but otherwise ignored the interruption. â€Å"And I'm going to do my best to keep you out of temptation's way.† â€Å"Okay. But we weren't fighting over committing murder,† I reminded him. â€Å"The same principle applies – the only difference is that this is the one area in which I'm just as spotless as you are. Can't I leave one rule unbroken?† â€Å"One?† â€Å"You know that I've stolen, I've lied, I've coveted . . . my virtue is all I have left.† He grinned crookedly. â€Å"I lie all the time.† â€Å"Yes, but you're such a bad liar that it doesn't really count. Nobody believes you.† â€Å"I really hope you're wrong about that – because otherwise Charlie is about to burst through the door with a loaded gun.† â€Å"Charlie is happier when he pretends to swallow your stories. He'd rather lie to himself than look too closely.† He grinned at me. â€Å"But what did you ever covet?† I asked doubtfully. â€Å"You have everything.† â€Å"I coveted you.† His smile darkened. â€Å"I had no right to want you – but I reached out and took you anyway. And now look what's become of you! Trying to seduce a vampire.† He shook his head in mock horror. â€Å"You can covet what's already yours,† I informed him. â€Å"Besides, I thought it was my virtue you were worried about.† â€Å"It is. If it's too late for me . . . Well, I'll be damned – no pun intended – if I'll let them keep you out, too.† â€Å"You can't make me go somewhere you won't be,† I vowed. â€Å"That's my definition of hell. Anyway, I have an easy solution to all this: let's never die, all right?† â€Å"Sounds simple enough. Why didn't I think of that?† He smiled at me until I gave up with an angry humph. â€Å"So that's it. You won't sleep with me until we're married.† â€Å"Technically, I can't ever sleep with you.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Very mature, Edward.† â€Å"But, other than that detail, yes, you've got it right.† â€Å"I think you have an ulterior motive.† His eyes widened innocently. â€Å"Another one?† â€Å"You know this will speed things up,† I accused. He tried not to smile. â€Å"There is only one thing I want to speed up, and the rest can wait forever . . . but for that, it's true, your impatient human hormones are my most powerful ally at this point.† â€Å"I can't believe I'm going along with this. When I think of Charlie . . . and Rene! Can you imagine what Angela will think? Or Jessica? Ugh. I can hear the gossip now.† He raised one eyebrow at me, and I knew why. What did it matter what they said about me when I leaving soon and not coming back? Was I really so oversensitive that I couldn't bear a few weeks of sidelong glances and leading questions? Maybe it wouldn't bug me so much if I didn't know that I would probably be gossiping just as condescendingly as the rest of them if it was someone else getting married this summer. Gah. Married this summer! I shuddered. And then, maybe it wouldn't bug me so much if I hadn't been raised to shudder at the thought of marriage. Edward interrupted my fretting. â€Å"It doesn't have to be a big production. I don't need any fanfare. You won't have to tell anyone or make any changes. We'll go to Vegas – you can wear old jeans and we'll go to the chapel with the drive-through window. I just want it to be official – that you belong to me and no one else.† â€Å"It couldn't be any more official than it already is,† I grumbled. But his description didn't sound that bad. Only Alice would be disappointed. â€Å"We'll see about that.† He smiled complacently. â€Å"I suppose you don't want your ring now?† I had to swallow before I could speak. â€Å"You suppose correctly.† He laughed at my expression. â€Å"That's fine. I'll get it on your finger soon enough.† I glared at him. â€Å"You talk like you already have one.† â€Å"I do,† he said, unashamed. â€Å"Ready to force upon you at the first sign of weakness.† â€Å"You're unbelievable.† â€Å"Do you want to see it?† he asked. His liquid topaz eyes were suddenly shining with excitement. â€Å"No!† I almost shouted, a reflex reaction. I regretted it at once. His face fell ever so slightly. â€Å"Unless you really want to show it to me,† I amended. I gritted my teeth together to keep my illogical terror from showing. â€Å"That's all right,† he shrugged. â€Å"It can wait.† I sighed. â€Å"Show me the damn ring, Edward.† He shook his head. â€Å"No.† I studied his expression for a long minute. â€Å"Please?† I asked quietly, experimenting with my newly discovered weapon. I touched his face lightly with the tips of my fingers. â€Å"Please can I see it?† His eyes narrowed. â€Å"You are the most dangerous creature I've ever met,† he muttered. But he got up and moved with unconscious grace to kneel next to the small bedside table. He was back on the bed with me in an instant, sitting beside me with one arm around my shoulder. In his other hand was a little black box. He balanced it on my left knee. â€Å"Go ahead and look, then,† he said brusquely. It was harder than it should have been to pick up the inoffensive little box, but I didn't want to hurt him again, so I tried to keep my hand from shaking. The surface was smooth with black satin. I brushed my fingers over it, hesitating. â€Å"You didn't spend a lot of money, did you? Lie to me, if you did.† â€Å"I didn't spend anything,† he assured me. â€Å"It's just another hand-me-down. This is the ring my father gave to my mother.† â€Å"Oh.† Surprise colored my voice. I pinched the lid between my thumb and forefinger, but didn't open it. â€Å"I supposed it's a little outdated.† His tone was playfully apologetic. â€Å"Old-fashioned, just like me. I can get you something more modern. Something from Tiffany's?† â€Å"I like old-fashioned things,† I mumbled as I hesitantly lifted the lid. Nestled into the black satin, Elizabeth Masen's ring sparkled in the dim light. The face was a long oval, set with slanting rows of glittering round stones. The band was gold – delicate and narrow. The gold made a fragile web around the diamonds. I'd never seen anything like it. Unthinkingly, I stroked the shimmering gems. â€Å"It's so pretty,† I murmured to myself, surprised. â€Å"Do you like it?† â€Å"It's beautiful.† I shrugged, feigning a lack of interest. â€Å"What's not to like?† He chuckled. â€Å"See if it fits.† My left hand clenched into a fist. â€Å"Bella,† he sighed. â€Å"I'm not going to solder it to your finger. Just try it on so I can see if it needs to be sized. Then you can take it right off.† â€Å"Fine,† I grumbled. I reached for the ring, but his long fingers beat me there. He took my left hand in his, and slid the ring into place on my third finger. He held my hand out, and we both examined the oval sparkling against my skin. It wasn't quite as awful as I'd feared, having it there. â€Å"A perfect fit,† he said indifferently. â€Å"That's nice – saves me a trip to the jeweler's.† I could hear some strong emotion burning under the casual tone of his voice, and I stared up at his face. It was there in his eyes, too, visible despite the careful nonchalance of his expression. â€Å"You like that, don't you?† I asked suspiciously, fluttering my fingers and thinking that it was really too bad that I had not broken my left hand. He shrugged his shoulders. â€Å"Sure,† he said, still casual. â€Å"It looks very nice on you.† I stared into his eyes, trying to decipher the emotion that smoldered just under the surface. He gazed back, and the casual pretense suddenly slipped away. He was glowing – his angel's face brilliant with joy and victory. He was so glorious that it knocked me breathless. Before I could catch that breath, he was kissing me, his lips exultant. I was lightheaded when he moved his mouth to whisper in my ear – but his breathing was just as ragged as mine. â€Å"Yes, I like it. You have no idea.† I laughed, gasping a little. â€Å"I believe you.† â€Å"Do you mind if I do something?† he murmured, his arms tightening around me. â€Å"Anything you want.† But he let me go and slid away. â€Å"Anything but that,† I complained. He ignored me, taking my hand and pulling me off the bed, too. He stood in front of me, hands on my shoulders, face serious. â€Å"Now, I want to do this right. Please, please, keep in mind that you've already agreed to this, and don't ruin it for me.† â€Å"Oh, no,† I gasped as he slid down onto one knee. â€Å"Be nice,† he muttered. I took a deep breath. â€Å"Isabella Swan?† He looked up at me through his impossibly long lashes, his golden eyes soft but, somehow, still scorching. â€Å"I promise to love you forever – every single day of forever. Will you marry me?† There were many things I wanted to say, some of them not nice at all, and others more disgustingly gooey and romantic than he probably dreamed I was capable of. Rather than embarrass myself with either, I whispered, â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Thank you,† he said simply. He took my left hand and kissed each of my fingertips before he kissed the ring that was now mine.