Bank Manager

Bank managers direct bank branches and departments, resolve customers’ problems, ensure that standards of service are maintained, and administer the institutions’ operations and investments, in addition to overseeing the following employees: * Bank tellers, the largest number of workers in banking, provide routine financial services to the public. They handle customers’ deposits and withdrawals, change money, sell money orders and traveler’s checks, and accept payment for loans and utility bills. Increasingly, tellers also are selling bank services to customers. * New accounts clerks and customer service representatives answer questions from customers, and help them open and close accounts and fill out forms to apply forbanking services. They are knowledgeable about a broad array of bank services and must be able to sell those services to potential clients. Some customer service representatives work in a call or customer contact center environment, taking phone calls and answering emails from customers. In addition to responding to inquiries, these workers also help customers over the phone with routine banking transactions and handle and resolve problems or complaints. * Loan and credit clerks assemble and prepare paperwork, process applications, and complete the documentation after a loan or line of credit has been approved. They also verify applications for completeness. * Bill and account collectors attempt to collect payments on overdue loans. Many general office clerks and bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks are employed to maintain financial records, enter data, and process the thousands of deposit slips, checks, and other documents that banks handle daily. Banks also employ many secretaries, data entry and information processing workers, receptionists, and other office and administrative support workers. Office and administrative support worker supervisors and managers oversee the activities and training of workers in the various administrative support occupations. Loan officers, who evaluate loan applications, determine an applicant’s ability to pay back a loan, and recommend approval of loans. They usually specialize in commercial, consumer, or mortgage lending. When loans become delinquent, loan officers, or loan counselors, may advise borrowers on the management of their finances or take action to collect outstanding amounts. Loan officers also play a major role in bringing in new business and spend uch of their time developing relationships with potential customers. * Trust officers manage a variety of assets that were placed in trust with the bank for other people or organizations; these assets can include pension funds, school endowments, or a company’s profit-sharing plan. Sometimes, trust officers act as executors of estates upon a person’s death. They also may work as accountants, lawyers, and investment managers.

Cromwells contribution was greater off the battlefield than on it Essay

â€Å"Cromwell’s contribution was greater off the battlefield than on it†. How far do you agree with this view of Cromwell’s role in the First Civil War? Many historians have argued that Cromwell’s rise to prominence was through his work during the First Civil War (1642-1646). This work can be split into two sections: on the battlefield and off the battlefield. On the battlefield, his main success came during the Battle of Marston Moor and Battle of Naseby, whilst off the battlefield he was instrumental in passing the Self-Denying Ordinance which created the path to victory for Parliament. Cromwell’s early military engagements in East Anglia had been relatively successful compared to other parliamentary generals during the first two years of the First Civil War. The Eastern Association, Cromwell’s army, were successful in several minor battles, namely Gainsborough, Winceby and Grantham. This prevented the Royalists from controlling Lincolnshire. These victories had provided much-needed propaganda for parliamentary newspapers, during a year in which the Royalists were clearly the stronger side. In addition, Cromwell also stopped the proclamation of the Royalist commission of array in Hertfordshire. However, it should be noted that these triumphs were trivial, and when placed in the context of the entire war its only function was to delay the southward march of the Earl of Newcastle’s army. Nevertheless, Cromwell’s prominence was enhanced significantly since he was the only parliamentary general to have any success in 1643. His other military successes in 1643 include establishing the northern frontier of the Eastern Association at the River Nene. The victory at Crowland Abbey entrenched parliamentary control in East Anglia, indicating that Cromwell was clearly successful in preventing Royalist forces from taking over Lincolnshire. Again, this had provided the Parliament Scout with propaganda. This propaganda gave Cromwell an increased military reputation, which helped him in the political arena during the latter years of the First Civil War. The Battle of Marston Moor, July 1644, changed Cromwell’s career both as a politician and a military general. Cromwell’s unique ability to regroup of his soldiers after attacking Byron’s cavalry in order to attack George Goring from the rear was the main catalyst for the victory. Although this battle did not decide the final fate of the First Civil War, it gave parliament hope and confidence; after the battle parliamentary soldiers were euphoric. This suggests that, just as in 1643, Cromwell’s military leadership not only resulted in victories but also increased the morale and confidence of the parliamentary army in general. Following this victory Cromwell’s political and military reputation were elevated to new heights. Whilst the Battle of Marston Moor was not the turning point in the First Civil War, the Battle of Naseby (June 1645) certainly was. Yet again, Cromwell was instrumental in winning the battle for parliament. Just like at Marston Moor, Cromwell’s horse was able to attack the Royalist from the rear, breaking the initial Royalist momentum. Since royalist infantry were either or slaughtered or surrendered, the King was never able to field a full size army again, implying that at Naseby Cromwell had effectively won the war for parliament. Furthermore, by capturing the King’s baggage train, Parliament were able to publish the details of the Charles’ correspondence with the Irish Catholics and hence giving Parliament more support from the people. Evidently, one can see that Cromwell was at the heart of the victory at Naseby, which ensured that parliament won the First Civil War. It may appear that all Cromwell’s military actions all resulted in victories. This is not the case. Even in 1643, Cromwell had some failures as a soldier. Although he was successful in East Anglia, he completely failed whenever he tried to participate in wider military engagements. By the summer of that year, his military position was as dire as other parliamentary generals, and thus was in no position to provide military support. Meanwhile, Cromwell’s military failures after Marston Moor include the Battle of Newbury and Battle of Donnington Castle. However, these failures were minor and did not have as much an impact as his victories. For instance, the Battle of Marston Moor was not decisive, so the loss at Donnington Castle did not mean that parliament lost the opportunity to win the war. On the other hand, Essex’s loss at Lostwithiel was much more consequential since it negated the advantage gained at Marston Moor. One might wonder whether if Essex had not lost at Lostwithiel, parliament would have won the war much earlier due to the advantage gained at Marston Moor. Therefore, Cromwell’s military failures are cancelled out by his more important successes. These military successes turned Cromwell into a parliamentary hero. As a result, he was able to advance his political influence. In the political arena, Cromwell was able to a more integral part than before the civil war. Cromwell’s main political achievements occurred in the Self-Denying Ordinance, in which he secured a pathway to victory for parliament. The Self-Denying Ordinance forbade any MP to hold an army command. This meant the likes of Manchester and Essex were forced to relieve their military commands. Consequently, the peace party lost control of parliament’s army, leaving the war party, who wanted outright victory first, in control of the army. This meant that the parliamentary army was united in its aims, implying that Cromwell had set the framework for parliament’s future military engagements. The Self-Denying Ordinance also allowed for the creation of the New Model Army, whose excellence was witnessed at the Battle of Naseby, again indicating Cromwell’s ability in the political arena. The Self-Denying Ordinance was not Cromwell’s only political accomplishment. In January 1644, Cromwell is involved in raising monthly assessments by 50%. This helped parliamentary finances which were in short supply. Cromwell also attacked many other parliamentary generals who he felt had played insignificant and incompetent roles in battles. All of these happened because of Cromwell’s increased political status, as seen by his position in the Committee of Both Kingdoms. Therefore, it seems that Cromwell played key roles in political events during the civil war. However, it is important to remember that the Self-Denying Ordinance was not devised by Cromwell but instead by his parliamentary allies, notably Viscount Saye and Sele. Although he was involved in its passage through parliament, Cromwell was merely the most prominent beneficiary. In parliament Cromwell was supported by at least 9 connections. Without these connections it could be argued that Cromwell would not have received such political importance. Furthermore, it was Cromwell’s military success that allowed him to be influential in parliament, thus implying that his political status was dependent upon his military prowess. His military triumphs also helped him when Essex and Denzil Holles debated whether or not to impeach him. They had decided not to proceed because of Cromwell’s military importance to the parliamentary army, suggesting that his military contribution cannot be replaced. In addition, before the First Civil War, Cromwell lacked many essential political skills as seen by many of his mistakes. Cromwell’s paucity of political aptitude is also seen when he attacks Manchester in November 1644. This attack split parliament into rival two factions: peace party and war party, which would have consequences after the war. Although Cromwell did try to unite the factions together, he was responsible for the breakout in the first place, thus implying a negative contribution off the battlefield. Therefore, one finds that Cromwell’s contribution off the battlefield is not as desirable as his military contribution. His political contribution alone could not have won the war for parliament, whereas his military contribution on its own could have won the war for parliament. In conclusion, Cromwell’s role on the battlefield and in the political arena cannot be underestimated; in both areas he was useful and helpful towards parliament’s cause. However, Cromwell’s role main role was on the battlefield where he led many parliamentary armies to victories in full-scale battles as well as minor skirmishes, which eventually ensured triumph for parliament over the king. These victories allowed him to acquire an increased status not only militarily but also politically, which gave him more influences in parliamentary affairs on and off the battlefield. Nevertheless, politically he did not architect any notable event, even the Self-Denying Ordinance wasn’t devised by Cromwell. On the other hand, militarily he guided a parliamentary side from near defeat in 1643 to victory three years later. Thus, this gives the impression that Cromwell’s contribution was greater on the battlefield.

Business Communication Essay

Part-1 Question 1.Communication is an essential function of Business Organizations. 2.Physiological Barriers of listening are: Ans. (a) Hearing impairment 3.Which presentation tends to make you speak more quickly than usual? Ans. (b) Oral 4.What is the main function of Business Communication: Ans. (c) Persuasion 5.The responsibilities of the office manager in a firm that produces electronics spares is Ans. ( d).. All of the above 6.Labov’s Storytelling Model based on: Ans.(a) Communication through speech 7.Diagonal Communication is basically the: Ans. (b). Communication between the CEO and the managers 8.How to make Oral Communication Effective? Ans. (d). All of the above 9.Direct Eye contact of more than 10 seconds can create: Ans. (a). Discomfort & Anxiety 10.10. Encoding means: Ans. (a). Transmission Par -2 1. 7’c of effective communication 1.Courtesy and consideration – Improves Relationship 2. Clarity-Make comprehension better 3. Credibility -Builds Trust 4. Correctness-Builds confidence 5. Completeness and consistency-Introduces stability 6. Concreteness-Reinforces Confidence 7. Conciseness-Save time 2. Space Language

Distribution center, warehouse, and plant location Essay

Distribution center, warehouse, and plant location - Essay Example In order to know the number of people and their characteristics, census needs to be conducted in such areas. Although the information collected may vary, it still helps the distribution planners to know how to distribute their goods depending on the population size. Most organizations look at a number of characteristics that may affect labor. These factors may be appreciably related; for instance, the amount of the workforce may be directly comparative to wage rates. Transportation availability is an important aspect in facility location decisions. It may also influence the space cost and the availability of labor. Transport availability mostly depends on the kind of products that need to be transported. If the products are bulky, then a lorry can be used, but in case of light products a pickup can be used (Zvi and Hamacher 58). Facility relocation is when a plant is closed from an area where there is low demand to an area where the demand is high while facility closing is when a plant is closed permanently. The companies should form laws on how the employees should be paid if a plant is closed. In case of facility relocation, the wage rates should increase because the demand has also

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 17

Case study - Essay Example Globalization in the film industry can be approached from four main categories as discussed by Lorenzen (2008). He enumerates these approaches as being globalization of involvement in film-making, film consumption, film production and organization of film making. Globalization involvement in film-making is characterized by a rapid growth in the number of feature films that hit the market, either for TV, cinema or exhibition. For instance, Lorenzen observes that India and China have considerably experienced steady growth in the film industry, a situation backed by their respective growth in purchasing power and investment in the industry. The rise of global consumer taste the world over characterizes globalization in consumption. Lorenzen notes that apart from continuous expansion of the global market, the ease with which producers can reach the prospective market has also improved. The advantage that comes with this phenomenon is that products can be released simultaneously to global audiences on a good number of national markets. This consumption globalization is immensely boosted by such quick distribution and exhibition platforms as internet, Satellite TV and DVDs. India and Japan have been noted to be more aggressive in adopting new technological distribution means compared to Hollywood. Cross-border co-production of films is what marks production globalization. Even though this practice has been around for some time, it has recently witnessed a great surge, with most films from US, Canada, Asia, and Europe involving cross-border production. India, due to is conservative nature, is yet adopt cross-border co-production, hence the relatively low external market share for its films. The final aspect of globalization is global organization, characterized by the advent of global corporations. With the onset of internalization, Lorenzen observes that most Hollywood

Lack of Parental Involvement at a Local Elementary School Negatively Essay

Lack of Parental Involvement at a Local Elementary School Negatively Affects the Academic Success of the Students - Essay Example This paper also investigates the reasons as to why some parents don’t get fully involved, as it has been observed that not all parents participate actively in the education process of their children. The ways through which schools and teachers can have parents get involved actively in educating their kids at home is also closely examined in this paper. Outline Lack of parental involvement at a local elementary school negatively affects the academic success of the students Chapter I: Introduction Chapter one examines the background of the proposal topic (Lack of Parental Involvement in Education and how it affects children and their academic success) by bringing out the statement of the problem. The purpose of the study and research questions has also been stated. In chapter two the secondary information relating to parental involvement in their children’s academic process has been examined and related to the performance of the child. This has been based on the previous studies carried on the topic. Problem Statement As observed by Bryan (2005) it is very likely for student to perform below their potential if parents are not actively involved in their academic progress. However, despite this problem parents as seen still not to be fully involved in their children school activities. As revealed by Wanat (1992), this problem is mainly as a result of lack of time or expertise in the side of the parent. Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the extent in which the involvement of parents in academic process has been lacking and the impact it has caused in the achievement of the children. Chapter II: Study of the Problem Description of the study area This... This paper stresses that it is evident that parents’ involvement in their children education is very vital for the children academic success. It is therefore true that lack of parental involvement would lead to poor performance of their children in school. The findings of this study are expected to examine how good performance of children in school depends to a large extend on parental involvement in children education. It is expected to suggest ways of enhancing parental participation in educating their kids. Therefore, given that data collection tool is a questionnaire to teachers, the research will seek data from the audience best placed to give the best feedback on children and what is required of their parents to improve academic performance. This report makes a conclusion that suggestions likely to be collected from teachers are: calling for parents meetings in school more often, making parents aware that their children good performance depends on their involvement, encouraging parents to assist and supervise their kids when doing their home work as well as encouraging parents to have in place a good study, play and family time home program for their children when not in school. The author of the paper declares that the decision to use schools from one zone in this study could limit the generalization of the findings to other schools but could be useful for illustrations and basis for more research. This is because the study will be carried out under constrain of time and therefore the data sample may not be distributed to many schools but will only be concentrated in ten schools which are close together.

Risk Factor Handout Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Risk Factor Handout - Essay Example Main family risk factors for gang membership include the family structure (e.g., broken home), family poverty, child abuse or neglect, gang membership of family members (Howell, 2003 as cited in Wyrick and Howell, 2004), sibling antisocial behavior, and parental attitudes favoring violence (Hill et al., 2001). Poor family management, including poor parental supervision (monitoring) and control of children, is also a risk factor of gang membership (Hill et al., 1999 as cited in Wyrick and Howell, 2004; Le Blanc and Lanctot, 1998 as cited in Wyrick and Howell, 2004; Thornberry, 1998 as cited in Wyrick and Howell, 2004; Thornberry et al., 2003 as cited in Wyrick and Howell, 2004). One of the most influential school-related risk factors for gang membership is low achievement in school, especially at the elementary level (Hill et al., 1999 as cited in Wyrick and Howell, 2004; Le Blanc and Lanctot, 1998 as cited in Wyrick and Howell, 2004; Thornberry et al., 2003 as cited in Wyrick and Howell, 2004).

Mrs Fields Cookies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Mrs Fields Cookies - Case Study Example It has thus created a wider database of new opportunities in the real world. It has also become a necessary business tool with its wide range of applications in the ever-expanding and competitive global environment, especially where acquisitions and mergers are concerned. When Fields’ acquired La Petite Boulangerie or LPB in 1987 from PepsiCo, the company saw the huge potential of successful diversification into new sit-in cafà © that would also serve to complement the delights of Fields’ cookies. LPB was a French bakery cum sandwich retail chain with 119 outlets. Within a month after the acquisition, Fields’ cut down LPB’s administrative staff to 3 from the strength of 53 employees as various administrative functions like accounts, human resource, finance, training, and development were brought within the wider scope of Fields’ in-house information system. It was a major tactical strategy that was used to promote centralized monitoring and uniformity in the work functioning across its various outlets. The prime importance of using technologies is not only improving the various processes within the system but also the overall performance. It also greatly facilitates the merger of diverse ideologies and processes for improved performance. In the case of LPB, it was an essential tool to promote better efficiency in the delivery of the common organizational goals and objectives. In a fiercely competitive business environment, the firm gains the position by leveraging its strengths by improving and improvising its business management and organizational goals. ‘A company can outperform rivals only if it can establish a difference that it can preserve. It must deliver greater value to customers or create comparable value at a lower cost, or do both’ (Porter, 1996). The technology-driven organization culture within the parent company needs to become the intrinsic part of all its subsidiaries and acquisitions.

Pregnant Women Whose Age is Over Forty Assignment - 1

Pregnant Women Whose Age is Over Forty - Assignment Example In general, this group of women is in the most difficult phase in its womanhood: menopause period. There are several changes that occur in their bodies that are mainly biological; undoubtedly, the physiological modification has the direct and visible effect on the psychological aspect of the person undergoing such body changes. Pregnancy in this particular period is very dangerous for women who undergo such childbearing. Â  Based on certain statistics, women of such age bracket are twice more at risk of having a fetal demise in contrast to the younger women (Klossner, 2006). This implies that in giving birth to a newborn baby, the lives of the women whose age is over 40 are in greater danger than those of the women below such age bracket. This sort of tragedy (i.e., death) from childbearing is largely attributed to the physiological characteristic characterized in the at-risk group of women. Due to dramatic changes in their bodies (e.g., ovaries), pregnancy for this group of women is complicated, which leads, at certain times, to their ultimate demise. Moreover, women who are pregnant in their 40s and above are more likely to have a type of cesarean delivery (Klossner, 2006). In contrast to young women, women of considerable age are prone to cesarean operation probably due to the biological complexity inherent in menopausal stage. It is noteworthy that there are two human beings that are at risk in this type of scenario: the mother and the baby. Â  In the process, the at-risk group of women inevitably needs vital support from the family in particular and the community in general. In the absence of the family, the community through its resources is essential in facilitating the pregnant woman whose age is over 40.

SOX Section 404 Consulting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SOX Section 404 Consulting - Essay Example Section 404 is the key aspect of SOX; it  highly  demands the external auditors and management of a company to  emphasis  on reporting of financial statements. This  process  turns out to be the most  costly  processes among all requirements laid down by the  legislation  for companies. This is because testing and documenting of paramount automated and  manual  final  financial statements is highly sensitive. Under this section, the Act requires  management  to  avail  an â€Å"internal control  report† together with annual Exchange Act report. The report encompasses the  role  of  management  in putting down the  procedure  and procedures of the internal control system. This is because their  efficiency  dictates the  adequacy  of the financial statements (Ramos, 2008, p 23). This section contains an  assessment  of the company after the financial year, including the  establishment  and maintenance of the control system. The  section  also includes the  level  of  effectiveness  of the control system is reporting the audit scope. The management has to adopt the internal control systems described in international auditing standards. In reference to Apollo Shoes Company, the cost elevation, guidance, and  practice  is taking place. There is a  compilation  of approvals made by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. All this activities ensure there is a fair representation of the shareholders by the management. Significant regulations and guidelines regarding audits of internal control It is  evident  that the internal controls of Apollo Shoes are above average. As a result, there are few recommendations needed to meet the set standards. The company should ensure that all employees  respect  the internal controls in order to meet the set standards. It is  noticeable  that many employees hardly  follow  the set  procedure  to  secure  the asse ts of the company. We also  propose  that the relationship between the internal auditors and  management  is not  healthy; therefore, the audit committee should have a sitting to  resolve  this arising issue. Through this,  company  is going to  enhance  auditors’ independence (Ramos, 2008, p. 23). Risks identified within the company In Apollo Shoes Company, there are few areas open to  risk. This is a result of negligence on the employees. After a detailed evaluation of the company, it is  evident  that Apollo Shoes is a company that has identified itself in terms of quality control systems. This is a  complement  that goes to the internal auditors. However, there are gaps which may lead to material misrepresentation in the financial statements. One of the key areas is the procedure followed in completing a transaction. For a company to  prevent  Ã¢â‚¬Å"ghost transactions,† there should be many signatories between initiation and comp letion of a transaction. An  ideal  example  is when a potential buyer places an order; the party receiving the  notice  should be different from that processing the  order. The party processing the  order  should be different from the party arranging the  dispatch, and  lastly  the  party  delivering  goods  should be different from the other parties. In reference to the audit report,  confidential  accounts have a weak security  system. The system is using out of date technology, and this may lead to unhealthy competition. The company should adopt new technology to enhance secrecy, and  protection  of ideas. Examples of these technologies include biometric security systems, and the  recent  business  solution such as the SAP models. These solutions make use of integrated IT  knowledge  that is free from hacking and other mal-handling. Other areas that  need  concentration are  stock  counting, depreciation and  appreciati on  calculation, and  basis  behind activities such as bonuses, retirement pension, writing off bad-debts, and disposal of assets, among others. Internal controls and the  audit  process Internal controls determine the

Hughs character Essay Example for Free

Hughs character Essay The final story, which Hugh tells, incorporates the many criticisms of Hughs character. He covers up his own failings and inadequacies as a defence mechanism and reiterates this by saying to Owen, to remember everything is a form of madness. This story is almost a turning point of Hughs character and for the audiences interruption of his character. Hugh is no longer a two dimensional caricature but a real character with human attributes, hence why we can be critical and admirable towards him. After all, Hugh is a self-educated man with a vast depth of knowledge of the Classics, speaking four languages, that we know of, Greek, Latin, Gaelic and English; nearly all of which he would have to have taught himself. He seems to be driven to share his knowledge. By teaching the Classics in his environment of rural poverty, himself a picture of poor ragged countryman, we must appreciate his drive and ability. Hugh also formed the Hedge School well as far as we know. He is attempting to educate the locals and one almost feels that he has taken the school from the hedge lines into the barn and still as an old man in his early sixties he has the ambition to move onward and upward to a new position at the new national school. He is clearly a figure in the local community who is looked up and respected by his peers and students alike. In addition, Yolland has a great deal of respect for him, calling him an astute man. Yolland almost has more respect for Hugh than Owen does because Owen continues to be critical of him and Yolland repeats, But so astute, almost placing Hugh on a pedestal. In addition, as an audience you have to respect his ability to cope with his situation, his wife has died and his sons are without a mother. It is easy to be critical of Hugh but you have to admire his ability to cope with the hard reality of the times he is living in even if that means trying to erase the past. After all he did live in an age of hand to mouth existence and he almost blocks out the reality of these hardships. His survival mechanism is a natural and human instinct. We cannot really blame him for wanting to live in an unrealistic world of Greek myth and Latin past. Neither can you chastise his drinking. His lifestyle and the stress of his situation is what drives him to drink and you cannot really fault him for that. All of these small but simple gestures that Friel incorporates into Hughs character are what make us as an audience have admiration for him. Friel does not create a stereotypical character, but a fully-rounded individual with human qualities, it is these qualities, which allow us as an audience to both admire and criticise his character.

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Response to Literature Essay Example for Free

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Response to Literature Essay Society is a judgmental and rejecting place. It only allows uniform individuals to be in this society which discards anyone’s individuality and pride. In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, Nurse Ratched alienates the patients’ individualities which only allows them to never progress in their mental health. The society rejects the people who are not normal. In this case, the people are the ones with mental disorders. Kesey’s anti-establishment point of view against society portrays that the government misuses power to manipulate society which leads to the suppression of individuality through the literary devices analogy, metaphor, and symbolism. Ken Kesey conveys his theme by vividly explaining the â€Å"pecking party†. As one of the treatments, Nurse Ratched holds group therapy for the patients. During the group therapy session, McMurphy notices that the Nurse ignites all the conflict at first so he explains, â€Å"The flock gets sight of a spot of blood on some chicken and they all go to peckin’ at it† (Kesey 57). McMurphy is trying to explain the abusiveness of Nurse Ratched’s power. This analogy supports Kesey’s message of how society rejects and leads to the suppression of individuals. Kesey uses the chickens to represent the patients and the â€Å"first peck† would represent Nurse Ratched because she manipulates an individual which causes uneasiness to the patient which will never be the cure for one who is mental to get better. After McMurphy goes on about the pecking party, he says one more thing to Harding about the pecking party, â€Å"You want to know who pecks that first peck? † (58). McMurphy’s rhetorical question signifies his opinion even more. This allows not only Harding, but the rest of the patients to see how Nurse Ratched is just another person and how they should not let her take complete control over them. Kesey furthers his analogy after the pecking party image because it reveals and justifies who really does â€Å"peck that first peck†. This relates to the theme because Nurse Ratched represents the government while the patients represent society; concluding that the government continuously pecks at the individuals who feel that they are not a part of society. Overall, the pecking party is an analogy of how society suppresses one’s individuality because to be an individual one must â€Å"get better† like the patients attempt to do; but all they are doing are taking steps back due to Nurse Ratched. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey demonstrates his use of metaphors through machinery comparisons to portray the theme of suppression of an individual. When Bromden characterizes Nurse Ratched he says, â€Å"So she really lets herself go and her painted smile twists, stretches to an open snarl, and she blows up bigger and bigger, big as a tractor, so big I can smell the machinery inside the way you smell a motor pulling too big a load. † (5). Bromden sees Nurse Ratched as machinery and not as a human being. This supports the fact that the ward is like a factory, just waiting to make patients into â€Å"products†. Kesey uses metaphor to compare Nurse Ratched to machinery because this describes her persona perfectly. Like a machine, Nurse Ratched is very smooth and calm about things at first but like every machine there are flaws. When Nurse Ratched meets her flaws, that is when things begin to go haywire like a machine. It can either breakdown or malfunction but it is always repairable. When Bromden has the dream about Blastic, he thinks â€Å"†¦I was looking to see – just a shower of rust and ashes, and now and again a piece of wire or glass† (88). The significance of Bromden’s dream is that it represents how the ward is inhumane because â€Å"a shower of rust and ashes† fell out of Blastic’s body instead of human organs. Kesey exemplifies metaphor through Bromden’s dream by explaining how society’s standards of being â€Å"accepted† can transform one to be inhumane and to lose their individuality. Overall, these comparisons relate to the theme having the machines represent a form of government, standing in the way, or suppressing, the individual, or society. This can support the main theme that society abuses their power to manipulate and suppress the individuality of others. Fog is used by Kesey to demonstrate them and to symbolize the aloneness and individuality of a patient. Bromden describes the effects of fog when he thinks, â€Å"I don’t have to end up at that door if I stay still when the fog comes over me and just keep quiet† (132). This explains how much control Nurse Ratched had over the patients. It demonstrates how something like fog takes away their individuality be they â€Å"just keep quiet†. The fog symbolizes a safe zone and aloneness for the patients because Nurse Ratched had so much authority over the patients that it was like a crib holding them while she was out. Kesey’s theme is supported in this because society takes away individuality as well as fog does. One characteristic they both share is the way they manipulate and abuse their power. Bromden also thinks about fog when he said, â€Å"You had a choice: you could either strain and look at things that appeared in front of you in the fog, painful as it might be, or you could relax and lose yourself† (131). Bromden describes how the patients were almost forced to be in the fog because â€Å"you could relax and lose yourself† and that the time that is all the patients really want. The fog also symbolizes a scapegoat for the patients so they don’t have to face all the challenges ahead because â€Å"you had a choice†. A simple break from everything, especially Nurse Ratched. This furthers Kesey’s message of how the fog is another form of control from Nurse Ratched, in which she abuses her power by manipulating her patients so they cannot get better. Ken Kesey uses analogy, metaphor, and symbolism to demonstrate how society uses their power to manipulate others which leads to a suppressed individual. He uses examples from the ward to compare the real outside world with a mental asylum. This world and society focus too much on how to fit in and it has become more of a moral thing to fit in than to be one’s self. Kesey blames it on the establishment that people are suppressed of their individuality, but is that really true? It has become a custom rather than a rule and that needs to change; and it starts from being a leader and an individual rather than a follower. The real story of individuals is not within the establishment, but it is within a person. To express that is to depending on the person and that is the problem in our society, no one likes to be that person to step up and be the first to go. But if someone were to do it, our society would change instantly.

Mutation Testing by Using Formal Method

Mutation Testing by Using Formal Method Jaspreet Singh Abstract Mutation testing was introduced in 1970’s in the field of software testing as a process of testing the test suites by intentionally seeding errors i.e. mutation operators, into the original program’s source code. Its main purpose is to verify the functionality of the test cases which are executed with the aim of catching the variations between the program and the mutants. It’s extremely essential to improve the efficiency and adequacy of test cases. Hence, the goal is to make the mutant program fail. This paper depends upon the literature survey of mutation testing by using formal methods. Keywords- Mutant, Code, Program, Test cases, Kill, PIMS. I INTRODUCTION Since 1970’s, this technique is used by developers for validating the test cases as well as the test data generation. It’s a well know process to computer scientists for years. But due to heaviness of the method, it demanded huge computational power which reduced its usability. But the advancements in software engineering and the era of increased computational power, has laid it continue to serve as the most powerful method of verifying the functionality and performance of test suites. The objective is to improve the aptness and efficiency of test cases where the programmer will intentionally alter the original program’s source code by injecting a faulty piece of code known as a mutant, into it. The resultant code is referred to as mutated code. The mutation procedure will create many versions of the original program. Each version is known as a mutant. The execution of a mutant will verify the proficiency of the test case. If the output of the original program wi ll vary with that of the mutant one causing each faulty version to fail [1]. The resultant mutant is killed and the test case is saved considering it an adequate one. More the number of mutants killed by a test case, the better is the competency of the test case. Mutation testing is proficient in testing programs at the unit level, integration level and the specification level. It has been applied to many programming languages like C, C++, etc. and is a part of white box test technique [2]. II LITERATURE SURVEY Initial concepts of mutation were introduced by Richard Lipton in a class term paper titled â€Å"Fault Diagnosis of Computer Programs†. The first referred publications were presented in the late 1970’s ; the DeMillo, Lipton. PIMS was one of the first mutation testing tools [3]. It originated the basic procedure typically used in mutation analysis of creating mutants, obtaining test cases from the users, and then executing the them on the mutants to conclude how many mutants were killed. The most widely used tool among researchers was the Mothra mutation toolset [3], which provided an integrated set of tools, each of which performed an individual, separate task to support mutation analysis and testing. Several variants of Mothra were created in the early 1990s, including one that implemented weak mutation [4], and several distributed versions. A compiler-integrated mutation tool for C was also developed [5], and tool that was based on program schemata [6]. However, thes e tools were primarily used by the researchers who developed them and the only widely used system besides the original version of Mothra has been the Proteum mutation system for C [7]. A Formal Methods Formal methods are techniques based on mathematics and formal logic. It supports automated consistency checking and testing specifications. It helps finding defects when applied to good quality software. Such methods allow large number of classes of test cases having finite proof with support least dependence on subjective reasoning [8]. B The benefits of using Formal Methods include: Product-focused measure of correctness: The use is used for the of Formal correctness of a system. Early detection of defects: Formal Methods can be applied to earlier detection and elimination of design defects and associated late cycle rework. Guarantees of correctness: Unlike testing, formal analysis tools go through all possible execution paths through the system. If there is any way to reach a fault condition, a tool will find it. In a multi-threaded system where concurrency is an issue, formal analysis can explore all possible interleavings and event orderings[13]. Fig-1 Formal Methods such as model checking examine more system behaviors for safety violations than testing alone III NOTIONS OF FORMAL PROOF: A Mathematical proof: A formal proof is a complete and convincing mathematical argument, presenting the full logical justification for each proof of set of theorems B Machine-checked proof: A formal proof is evidence accepted by a proof checker showing that a conjecture is a valid consequence of given axioms. C Hilbert proof: A formal proof in a theory is a sequence of formulas, each of which is either an axiom of or a direct consequence of preceding formulas in the sequence by virtue of a rule of inference associated with the underlying formal system[14]. IV TYPES OF MUTANTS We define the following classification of mutants as follows: A Killed Mutant; which was killed by a test case which was specifically written to kill it. The concept behind mutation testing is that modifying the source code of a given unit (or mutating it) should cause the test that operates on that unit to fail. Example : Method and Corresponding Unit Test //original code under test public class Example { public boolean is LessThanThree(int number) { return (number Example : Mutated Method public class Example { public boolean isLessThanThree(int number) { return (number > 3); } } Notice that with this mutation, the method testLessThanThree would fail because the mutated method now returns the boolean number > 3, which in this case would be false and the assert statement is checking to see that the desired result is true. The method TestLessThanThreeFail would not fail, however, because 3 is not greater than 3 and the returned boolean would be false, which is what the assert statement is checking for. Because testLessThanThree failed, this mutant is said to be killed; the mutation caused the test to fail, which means the test is adequately catching this kind of mistake[12]. Dead on Arrival (DOA)- Mutant that was killed by the initial test suite found in the test bed. Ignored Mutant which a study participant encountered but did not kill. Living-Mutant which could not be killed due to time constraints (whether or not the mutant was encountered). Crossfire- Mutant that was killed by a test case intended to kill a different mutant. Stubborn.-Mutant that cannot be killed by a test case due to logical equivalence or language constructs. B Ordering Mutants: Let P be an implemented program and P’ be a first order mutant that differs from P at location l. A test case, t1 can distinguish P form P’ provided the following necessary and sufficient conditions hold on executing P and P’ with starting state t1: This has 3 properties: The execution must reach location l ( ); The evaluation of expressions at location l in P and P’ must result in different values at least once ( ) ; The final states on termination of execution of P and P’ must be different ( ). Properties (a) and (b) follow by observing that the location must be reached and in the case of a c-location the two executions must result in two different states if they are to be distinguished. 1) Process of Mutation Testing NO YES YES NO Fig. 2 Working of Mutation process The process of mutation analysis is shown in fig. 2. Steps are as follows: The program is being fed as an input and is executed. The resultant is checked . If the resultant indicates successful completion of the program, then terminate. If not, then create mutants (mutated code). A mutant, as previously mentioned is an intentionally altered program by the programmer. It is fed by some errors termed as mutation operators. Test cases are created to the system to be executed on the program. Execute the test cases against the mutant. If the output of the mutant is correct, then execute the test case on each version of the mutant. If not, then again the output of the original program is checked. Compare the output of the original source code with that of each version’s. A decision is made after determining the output of the original code with that of the mutated one. If the output differs, then the test is considered to be an adequate one and is executed on each of the mutants of the program The mutant that is detected is marked as dead/killed. Whereas, output being same indicates inadequacy of the test case and the program. 2) Mutation Operators- Taxonomy of mutation operators: 3)Statement Mutations: The mutant is produced by replacing the keywords in the statement, like While to do while While to For Example for Switch statement: Program Switch Statements case 0: i++; case 1: i = 4; Mutant: case 1: i++; case 0: i = 4; Operator Mutations The mutant is produced by changing the operator in the original source code. For ex: a=1, b=0 If (a b) { C=1; } else { C=0;} The condition mutation operator would replace with the mutation operator || and gives us the following mutant: If(a||b) { C=1; } else { C=0;} Variable Mutations Replace each variable with another variable declared in the same scope (variable types should be the same). Constant Mutations In constant mutations, the mutant tends to fail as there is no mutation operator to be replaced Ex: If (1) { printf (â€Å"How are you?†); } Else {printf(â€Å"I am fine.†);} In this case, mutation testing fails. [2] Example Original piece of a code: c=a+b; where a=3and b=2 Putting the values for a and b, it will result in 3+2=5 Now, possible mutants are c=a-b; , c=a/b; and c=a*b; Such mutations are mostly easier for a test suite to recognize if (a == b) { //do something } will be mutated to if (a != b) { // do something } Here, == is replaced by !=. V PROS AND CONS Mutation procedure is widely acceptable as an essential way to determine the fault-detecting effectiveness of the test sets. Now software developers and testers everywhere can enjoy the most powerful error- detection capabilities with the speed and ease of use of an automatic running debugging tool [9]. But, at the same time it pertains some disadvantages also, which are as follows: A PRO’S: Providing the testers with a target- One of the major advantages of mutation testing is that it provides the tester with a target. The tester has to generate a test data with the aim of killing all the generated mutants. Therefore, we can generate an adequate test data set that is capable enough to detect errors in the program.[10] Bringing more confidence in customers and testers- The customer also benefits from this technique , as he receives a more reliable and bug free software. This will increase confidence in them which will profit your company where it matters most. Mutation Testing originated as a means of creating more effective test suites by which the tester can be more confident that his program is adequately tested. It’s a powerful fault-based testing approach for competent programmers. B CON’S: Computationally expensive due to lack of automated tool..Mutation Testing is complicated and time-consuming to perform without an automated tool. Often, there are massive number of mutants that are generated for a original program as number of mutants is directly proportional to the mutation operators applied. Hence it is computationally expensive to run. The test cases on each and every mutant. It is also expensive to compile and execute every mutant [9][10]. An example of this is shown in Table No. 2 given below. Table 2 Increase In Computational Cost Such mutants only contribute in increasing the computational cost as the efforts needed to check if mutants are equivalent or not, can be very high even for small programs against the test cases. [2] Equivalent Mutants, one of the biggest problems- Syntactically different from the original program. But, semantically the same. Consider the example given in Table No. 3 given below: The equivalent mutant is generated by changing the operator Table 3 Equivalent Mutants Manual equivalent mutant detection is quite tedious- The other barrier to more widespread use of mutation testing is the amount of manual labor involved in using this technique. Hence, developing mutation adequate test cases can be very labor-intensive.[2] VI CONCLUSION This paper provides a detailed review of mutation testing .It covers the objective, Analysis of previous mutation systems, Formal Methods, working of mutation testing and efficient test case generation, Taxonomy of mutation operators and its Pro’s and Con’s . Mutation testing has given a great contribution in the field of software testing and provided the testers with a matured and affordable technique in detecting best test suites. Future Scope Our future scope is to develop a more advanced mutation testing approach that minimizes the issue of computational cost up to a certain level with the aim of killing all the possible mutants and thereby generating good test cases. REFERENCES [1] Yue Jia ans Mark Harman. An Analysis and Survey of the Development of Mutation Testing. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, King’s College London, Centre for Research on Evolution Search and Testing (CREST), Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, UK, 2010 [2] Hiralal Agrawal , Richard A. DeMillo, Bob Hathaway, William Hsu, Wynne Hsu, E.W. Krauser, R.J. Martin and Aditya P. Mathur, â€Å"Design Of Mutant Operators For The C Programming Language†, Software Engineering Research Centre, Department of Computer Sciences, Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN 47907, Revision 1.02, March 20, 1989. [3] D. M. S. Andre. Pilot mutation system (pims) user’s manual. Technical report GIT-ICS-79/04, Georgia Institute of Technology, April 1979 [4] A.J Offutt and S.D.Lee. An empirical evaluation of weak mutation. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering , 20(5): 337-344, May 1994. [5] R.A. DeMillo, E.W.Krauser, and A.P. Mathur. Compiler-integrated program mutation. In Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual Computer Software and Applications Conference (COMPSAC’ 92), Tokya, Japan, September 1991. Kogakuim University, IEEE Computer Society Press. [6] R. Untch, A.J. Offutt, and M.J. Harrold. Mutation analysis using program schemata. In Proceedings of the 1993 International symposium on Software Testing, and Analysis, pages 139-148, Cambridge MA, June 1993. [7] M.E. Delamaro and J.C. Maldonado. Proteum – A tool for the assessment of test adequacy for C programs. Proceedings of the Conference on Performability in Computing Systems, pages 75-95. July 1996. [8] A. Jefforson Offutt, A practical system for mutation testing: Help for the common programmer, ISSE Department, George Mason University,Fairfax, VA 22030, 1994. [9] S. Madiraju ,S. Ramakrishnan and A.J.Hurst, â€Å"Towards Automated Mutation Testing†, March 2004. [10] A. Jefferson Offutt and Roland H.Untch, Mutation : Uniting the orthogonal, A. Jeerson Offutt ISE Department, George Mason University Fairfax, VA USA, Roland H.Untch, Department of Computer Science Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, 2000. [11] David L. Dill, â€Å"Formal Methods Specification and Verification Guidebook for software and computer systems† Vol. 1, Computer Science Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, July 1995. [12] Ben Smith and Laurie Williams, â€Å"Software Engineering†, Department of computer science North Carolina State University. [13] Murali Rangarajan, â€Å"Formal Methods†,Honeywell Laboratories 3660 Technology Drive Minneapolis, MN 55418. [14] James G. Williams and Marshall D. Abrams, â€Å"Formal Methods And Models†.

Essay --

Nuclear power is a relatively new method of supplying the ever growing population with the electricity that is required. Although the majority of people are unsure of how generation occurs, nuclear power provides roughly 17% of the world’s power. (Rich, Alex K...) This makes nuclear power a deciding factor in how the race progresses in technology and energy fabrication as it is able to produce mass amounts of electricity in short periods of time. The limit potential for nuclear power is unclear in not only energy but also weaponry and some medical uses. The fact that uranium and the radioactivity that comes with it are used in facilities and other inventions often lead people to distrust the inventions which, while not entirely un-called for, hinders progress and leads to fables and tales around nuclear energy, its creation, and the nuclear power plants that are springing up around the world. This causes nuclear facilities to slow in their development which only makes things w orse because as things progress the facilities will only get increasingly safe as long as they are handled professionally. (Rich, Alex K†¦) Some of the slanderous fables around nuclear power include things like claiming that nuclear facilities cannot operate during droughts and water shortages. (Kharecha, Pushker†¦) While nuclear power is accompanied by several risks, it can also be the solution for various global strains and difficulties. Nuclear power is generated through a process known as nuclear fission which occurs when the uranium molecules are placed in the water. This process causes the water to heat up to boiling point and generates steam, from there it operates like most other power plants by using the steam to turn turbines and create energy. Stea... ...ut. It has been shown that raising passive temperatures in a nuclear facility by only one degree Celsius reduces the production amount by 0.4%. (Linnerud, Kristin) Nuclear power may lead to some extensive breakthroughs in multiple fields for better or for worse in the case of humanity and its survival. It’s a topic that people need to take a bit more seriously as it holds the chance to make or break the future for earth and its inhabitants. Greater risks have greater rewards and as observance of nuclear products and ideas deepen then so do the products yield, perhaps into infinity. While nuclear power is accompanied by several risks, it can also be the solution for various global strains and difficulties. Sufficient energy for the world is a huge goal to tackle and requires the use of any efficient resource we have, especially when the source has so much potential.

Gullivers Travels :: essays research papers

Gulliver’s Travels   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the novel, Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift addresses many things wrong with the society around him. His portrayal of English society shows how much he saw evil in it. He mainly addressed five issues throughout his book: war, government and politics,economy, society, and mankind as a whole.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Lilliputians uncover the idiocracy of war in our society. The Little-Ender and Big-Ender war all started on the debate of which way to break an egg. It didn’t matter that the entire reason of the war was ridiculous--no one knew that reason. They just fought because they knew that they fought long ago, and guessed that it should have been for a good reason.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gulliver himself even showed the absurdity of war when he explained the reasons England would fight to Mistress or the Queen of Brobdingnag. His justifications to fight were simply because the enemy was weaker and they wanted more land. This shows Swift’s sympathy for Ireland at that time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Swift believed that politics and government were games. The “election'; of “leaping and creeping'; of the Lilliputians was the basis of choosing their government officials. The government was ran with people that could go under or jump over a stick. The entire notion of classes and ranks seemed to be stupid to Swift.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The island of Brobdingnag portrayed Swift’s idea of a perfect society. Everyone was equal, and everyone got an equal share. There were no taxes and everyone got a say in how to deal with problems that arose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Gulliver explained English society to the queen of Brobdingnag, she no longer regarded the little man with wonder. She proclaimed that the crimes of his society were lying and swindling, and the English were horrible vermin. When Gulliver decided to show the queen a wonder of his society, he seemed to further alienate himself because he showed her the destructiveness of his world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Swift probably knew that having knowledge was power. But the impractical seeking of knowledge was of no use to him. At the Academy, professors would stay inside for years at a time, letting nature outside go to waste. They would ponder different ways to perform simple tasks and looked for answers to questions that hadn’t any. They did not take a thing of nature as God intended it, rather they took it apart and analyzed it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Swift saw humankind as evil, as portrayed in the life of the Houyhnhms and Yahoos.

vote for me :: essays research papers

It has been a year since the networks called the election for Al Gore, then for George W. Bush, which caused Gore to concede to Bush, after which the news of the closeness of the Florida vote caused Gore to retract his concession. Armies of lawyers then descended upon Florida and the nation was buried in a flurry of dimpled ballots and falling chads. Almost immediately, a number of influential academics, pundits, and political leaders seized the opportunity of confusion in Florida to blame the Electoral College and urge us to throw it out in favor of a simple national vote. Their cry for a more direct democracy makes a nice bumper sticker for their Volvos, but would it make good law? A new study released this week by the McConnell Center for Political Leadership at the University of Louisville casts doubt on the wisdom of those who would abolish our constitutional system of presidential elections and shows that much of what we think we know about the Electoral College is wrong. " Electing the President in the 21st Century" is based on survey responses of leading academic observers from across the nation. It provides sober warnings for those who would urge the abandonment of the system of presidential elections that has served the nation well for more than two centuries. Among the misunderstandings corrected by this study are several myths that have grown up around the Electoral College. Myth 1: An Election based on a national popular vote would have spared us the Florida debacle of hanging chads and dimpled ballots. Actually, the Electoral College saved us from a much worse national nightmare. The existence of the Electoral College that made the outcome of the election hinge on the winner of Florida's 25 electors served to focus the attention of the parties and the media in one state (and, in fact a few counties in that state). Imagine the trauma that would have befallen the nation in such a close election if a simple plurality of the national vote determined the outcome of the election? With just a few hundred thousand votes separating the candidates, every vote in every precinct, in every state would have been worthy of a recount and every recount in every county subject to suit and countersuit. When would it ever have ended? Myth 2: A direct national election would be more representative of the diversity of the nation.

Vygotsky’s Socio Cultural Learning Applied to Teaching

VYGOTSKY’S SOCIO – CULTURAL LEARNING INTRODUCTION Who is Lev Vygotsky? Birth: Lev Vygotsky was born November 17, 1896 Death: He died June 11, 1934. Vygotsky's Early Life: Lev Vygotsky was born in Orsha, a city in the western region of the Russian Empire. He attended Moscow State University, where he graduated with a degree in law in 1917. He studied a range of topics white attending university, including sociology, linguistics, psychology and philosophy. However, his formal work in psychology did not begin until 1924 when he attended the Institute of Psychology in Moscow and began collaborating with Alexei Leontiev and Alexander Luria.Vygotsky's Career: Lev Vygotsky was a prolific writer, publishing six books on psychology topics over a ten year period. His interests were quite diverse, but often centered on topics of child development and education. He also explored such topics as the psychology of art and language development. Lev Vygotsky is considered a seminal thin ker in psychology, and much of his work is still being discovered and explored today. While he was a contemporary of Skinner, Pavlov and Piaget, his work never attained their level of eminence during his lifetime.Part of this was because his work was often criticized by the Communist Party in Russia, and so his writings were largely inaccessible to the Western world. His premature death at age 38 also contributed to his obscurity. Despite this, his work has continued to grow in influence since his death, particularly in the fields of developmental and educational psychology. http://psychology. about. com/od/profilesmz/p/vygotsky. htm What is Sociocultural Theory? http://www. docslide. com/vygotskys-sociocultural-theory/This theory stresses the interaction between developing people and the culture in which they live. Sociocultural theory states that children’s learning and cognitive development is a result of social interactions with more knowledgeable others and their culture . Children learn behavior and ways of thinking from interactions with others. Sociocultural theory is an emerging theory in psychology that looks at the important contributions that society makes to individual development. This theory stresses the interaction between developing people and the culture in which they live.Vygotsky explained areas in how social processes form learning and thinking. The areas are: * The Social Sources of Individual thinking * The role of Cultural tools in Cognitive Development * The role of Language in cognitive development We will also discuss how we can apply Vygotsky’s theory to teaching through: * Assisted learning – Scaffolding and Zone of Proximal Development. The Social Sources of Individual thinking Vygotsky believed that the social source of individual thinking is their interactions with people who are more capable or advanced in their thinking.He assumed that â€Å"every function in a child’s cultural development appears t wice. † First, it appears in an interpsychological way and then in an intrapsychological way. Interpsychological means on the social level – interaction with others. Intrapsychological means on the individual level or inside the child. Higher mental processes first come about through a co-constructed process between people during shared activities and then later on it is internalized by the learner.For example, the solving of problems during class group discussions, a student may not know how to solve the problem before but after the group discussion and the help provided by all members of the group, he is able to solve the problem on his own. In other words, the steps of solving the problem have been grasped by the individual and he is now able to solve the problem on his own. This problem solving process has been adopted by the learner and now it has become part of the learner’s cognitive development. So for Vygotsky, social interaction is not merely an influen ce on a person but also a staircase to higher mental processes.Vygotsky unlike Piaget believed that the more knowledgeable others fosters the cognitive development of children because of the children’s interactions with such people who are more advanced in thinking, experiences and behavior. These people can be their parents and their teachers. Cultural Tools and Cognitive Development mortempo. net donsmaps. com What are cultural tools? These consist of the real tools and the symbolic tools that allow people to communicate, solve problems, think and acquire new knowledge.The real cultural tools can be the abacus which is commonly used by the Chinese, rulers, printing presses, scales for measuring weight and modern tools such as what we mainly use – computers, cell phones, calendars, clocks or wrist watchers and the internet to name a few. The symbolic tools can be numbers and the mathematical system. The Roman numerals are an example of a symbolic tool that is widely u sed today. Sign language and Braille system for the blind, maps, works of art, signs and codes and language which is the most integral part of acquiring knowledge and learning which contributes greatly to cognitive development.These tools are used by adults in a day to day basis and are taught to the young and passed down to younger generations. Today, people use modern technology such as computers and the internet to find information that they need and they acquire new knowledge from such real tools. Vygotsky emphasized that these tools are what the young use to make sense of what is around them. He also believed that higher mental processes are accomplished through the help of language, signs and symbols. He concentrated mainly on language which is a common factor to all societies.The Role of language In the case of language acquisition, children learn to associate sound with meaning or actions. Talking is one of the earliest cognitive developments in a child – How a child associates the sound with an action or what something means. Another way is through private speech. Have you watched a child play with a toy and talk to himself at the same time? Studies have found that children who frequently talk to themselves at play or any other time learn challenging tasks more effectively than children who seldom use private speech.Later on in life, private speech is no more said out loud but becomes silent. For example, when trying to fix something or when you are attempting a critical thinking question do you silently talk to yourself during the process? Or when you are in bad situation some people mutter swears to themselves either out loud or in silence. These are just examples of private speech and how it relates to cognitive development. Furthermore, communication with more knowledgeable others are done through language. Here is where the role of the teacher, parents and peers comes in.They serve as guides and mentors in providing the support and informa tion that the learner needs in intellectual development. All these guidance and support is communicated through language. But we have to be mindful that not all learning takes place through talking. In some cultures, observance of a skilled performance is sufficient enough to guide the learner. For example, mat weaving, dancing, and sewing involve more observance than relating myths and legends through speech. These are some ways according to Vygotsky, in which language helps in cognitive development and learning.Implications of Vygotsky’s theory to Teaching The Zone of Proximal Developmentwww. glogster. comThis is an implication of Vygotsky’s theory. Vygotsky believed that children’s learning take place when they are working within this zone. What is this zone of proximal development? It is the level of development immediately above the present level of the learner. Tasks within this zone of proximal development are ones that a learner cannot tackle alone but o nly with temporary assistance from teachers and peers who are known to be more knowledgeable.This zone describes tasks that a learner has not yet mastered but will master later on after all the assistance that will be provided. This is where the idea of scaffolding comes in to place. Scaffoldingurpages. com. auScaffolding is the assistance provided by teachers, peers and parents to the learner. This is just the support provided to the learner at early stages but as the learner is more capable the learner is left to tackle the problem or the task alone. For example, the teacher can give problems for the students to solve.Before the students are able to solve the problems, the teacher will be assisting the students by showing them the steps that need to be taken in to consideration in solving the problem. Once that assistance is given, the teacher then leaves students to solve the problem on their own. Once a student gets the answer wrong the teacher then assists the student again. So here the teacher intervenes only when the need arises but does not solve the problems for them. Application of Vygotsky’s theory to Teachingoisbengaluru. blogspot. omTeachers should allow for group activities where more capable students are grouped together with the less capable ones. * Apply scaffolding in teaching methods so that students learn to be responsible and not be spoon fed most of the time by the teacher. * Reciprocal teaching – where the teacher starts up a discussion by asking questions on materials that require reading and then turn over the responsibility of the discussion to the students * Teacher must prepare a lesson plan which includes activities that not only can be performed individually but which involves the help of others. Allow for activities where students interact with each other such as games, group work, class picnics and social nights etc. This will help develop their social skills and self-confidenceConclusionIn conclusion, Vygotskyâ₠¬â„¢s theory is widely practiced today. He believed that children learn through their interactions with more skillful people – this can be their peers, parents and teachers. He also believed that culture shapes the mind of people and their view towards what is around them.Cultural tools help people make sense of the world in which they live. Language is one such tool in which contributes greatly to cognitive development. Providing the idea of scaffolding in teaching will help students to be responsible independent learners. Therefore, taking in to consideration Vygotsky’s theory will help us as future teachers to be aware of what teaching methods that we should implement and how we should deal with students effectively in regards to their learning and task performance and also how to enhance their social skills. | | Reference * Slavin, R, ‘Educational Psychology – Theory and Practice,’ 7ed(2003), Pearson Education Limited, USA, pgs 43-47. * Woolwort h, A, ‘Educational Psychology,’8ed(2001), Allyn and Bacon, Pearson Education Co, USA, pgs 44-51 * https://sites. google. com/site/jfielportfolio/philosophystatement * www. docslide. com * http://psychology. about. com/od/profilesmz/p/vygotsky. htm * www. glogster. com * www. donsmaps. com * www. oisbengaluru. blogspot. com * www. urpages. com. au * Lecture notes

Pay for Play: College Athletes Deserve Payment Essay

Although many college athletes receive a free education in exchange for playing a sport, it’s not enough. The sports industry, college football specifically, is a multimillion dollar business. The athletes who participate in this multimillion dollar business are primarily why the business does so well. Student athletes should receive a monetary compensation for their work. There are quite a few reasons to support college athletes making a type of monetary compensation. A few of the reasons include the dangers of playing sports, how expensive college is, and how much the programs make annually. College football athletes â€Å"leave it all on the field† when they compete. Many players would say â€Å"blood, sweat, and tears were shed for their schools.† In return, shouldn’t they deserve compensation in the form of a stipend? Joe Nocera of The New York Times said the top 15 highest-paid NCAA division 1 football coaches made $53.4 million; meanwhile, the 13,866 Division 1 players made $0. The definition of an amateur is an athlete who has never accepted money, or who accepts money under restriction specified by a regulatory body, in this case the National Collegiate Athletic Association, for participating in a competition (FreeDictionary.com). The problem the NCAA has with paying their student athletes for their work on the field is that it would no longer be considered an amateur sport which goes against tradition (NCAA Board of Directors, ESPN.com). Historically speaking, programs didn’t make $100 million dollars 100 years ago. The NCAA is relucta nt to share revenue with their student athletes in an effort to keep it all for themselves (Tom Farrey – ESPN Writer). The times have changed and student athletes deserve to get paid. College education is not cheap under any circumstance. The average cost of in-state resident tuitions and fees for a four year degree is approximately $40,000 (Savingforcollege.com). The cost of tuition is going up every year with an average increase of 6%. Here we can break down the numbers in a general sense to see how much a student athlete â€Å"makes† with a free four year scholarship. Nocera also mentioned student athletes participate in approximately 50 hours a week in football related activities. For example, practice, film studying, team meetings, working out, and games. 50 hours a week, at 52 weeks per year, multiplied by 4 years comes out to 10,400 hours. $40,000 divided by 10,400 hours comes out to $3.85 an hour. $3.85 is lower than the national average for minimum wage, which is about $7.25. This number of 50 hours per week is just time spent on the sport. This time doesn’t include the school portion, which is supposed to be why the student athletes are there. Presented with this kind of data, anyone could tell that college athletes are being â€Å"underpaid.† Now that we know how much student athletes â€Å"make,† we can take a look at how much universities profit from their student athletes. According to ESPN in 2008, the top 10 universities in college football reported revenues of $100 million on average (ESPN.com). The lower 10 schools in revenue make around $15 million. There are 120 Division 1 schools in college football. $5.4 billion dollars is the approximate revenue for one year of Division 1 college football. This number is alarming. Students are the focal points of this business and they do not receive any part of the revenue? Strictly speaking of per institute, the NCAA should govern a system that collected a form of tax from each university that would be substantial to paying student athletes. They wouldn’t need to pay the student millions of dollars because, let’s face it, the student athletes are not professionals. If they were to get paid an additional $5,000 for the season their sport was in, the total amount paid to the students in comparison to revenue would still be less than 1% (Personal calculation via ESPN data). Another reason to consider payment for student athletes is the potential risk of injury. Professional athletes get paid hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars and have players unions to protect them in case of serious injury. There are many associated risks with every sport; with football it seems there are more than most sports. The very nature of football is very violent; violence is what makes football so popular in America. The most popular sports are those with an associated violent contact such as hockey, football, and mixed martial arts (cbsnews.com). The advancement of safety equipment for football players is heavily debated. Every year the administration of both the National Football League and the NCAA is striving to make the sport safer for its players. The potential injuries from football include everything imaginable to include broken bones, paralysis, brain damage, tearing of ligaments, and other neurological problems that can affect someone for the rest of their lives. Recent studies show traumatic brain injury is the result of multiple concussions over the lifespan of a player (civtrial.com/traumatic-brain-suicide). Junor Seau, an all-pro NFL linebacker, recently committed suicide due to brain injuries he sustained from playing a 10+ year career in the NFL (NFL.com/Family-sues-NFL). More and more studies are linking mental health problems to concussions acquired in violent sports. The student athletes need something more if they were to be irreparably damaged for life. The amount of money they could be paid could go into a fund dedicated to helping them later in life. The students put their future on the line while playing these sports; they deserve to get compensated for their efforts. College athletes deserve to be paid for their sacrifices. Universities make millions of dollars on a yearly basis. University of Michigan’s ticket sales for one season of college football can pay for their entire athletic program (MGOBlue.com). The student athletes are responsible for themselves and their university’s image as a whole. Traditionally speaking they are amateurs, but recently with the rise in popularity of college football, they are more than that. They are stars and they deserve at least a reasonable amount of monetary compensation. The NCAA should govern a system to pay their student athletes because they deserve it.

George Washington Presidential Outline

George Washington I. Background- Birth-February 22, 1723 Death- December 14, 1799 II. Quote- â€Å"The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves. . . . The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance or the most abject submission. We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die. † (General orders, July 2, 1776) III. Prior occupations- Captain and Colonel in Virginia militia Plantation owner/Farmer Service in the Virginia House of Burgesses Delegate to the First Continental Congress General of the American Army IV. Dates in Office- 1789-1792 1793-1797 V. Prominent issues of elections- Washington was elected unanimously and did not host a campaign VI. Opponents of terms- N/A VII. Vice President- John Adams VIII. Political Parties- President- N/A Congress- IX. Foreign Policy- * Washington’s Proclamation of Neutrality (1793) says that the United States will remain neutral in the series of wars between the French and English as a result of the French Revolution. This proclamation was not viewed favorably by the American people who despised the British and thought that the United States should help the French in hopes of prolonging the Franco-American Alliance. Washington issued this proclamation in spite of these arguments because he saw that remaining neutral in European conflicts as the only way to insure the continuance of the United States. * The Genet Affair (1793) was a series of problems that the French emissary Edmund Charles Genet caused while in the United States. Genet immediately started to drum up support for the French from among the American people, especially here the Republican-Democrats were influential. Genet even went as far as to outfit privateers to attack Spanish Florida. When Washington tried to deport the emissary, he realized that Genets political party had fallen from power and would be killed on his return. Washington allowed Genet to remain in the United States. * Jay’s Treaty with England (1794) was an at tempt by the United States and Britain to settle the problems remaining between them after the War of Independence by representatives of both countries with Chief Justice John Jay acting for the United States. It was almost not supported by the United States because Jay was a Federalist and the Jeffersonians believed that he had forfeited American rights during the treaty in order to appease Britain. The treaty was successful in solving many of America’s grievances but also heightened tensions between the two political parties. * The Pinckney Treaty (1795) was a treaty with Spain carried out by Thomas Pinckney to determine a definite border between Spanish Florida and the southern boundary of the United States, free navigation of the Mississippi by American traders and established trading relations between the United States and Spain. Washington’s Farewell Address (1796) was an urge from him to the American people and the next President to keep the fledgling country from involving itself in foreign affairs so that the United States could develop more economically and militarily. This leads to the American isolationist mentality for most of its existence. X. Domestic Policy * Washington elected unanimously to be the first president of the United States (1789) * The Judiciary Act (1789) created a three tiered national court system that upheld the principle of the Federal government’s supremacy while also compromising with the States rights. Bill of Rights (1791) added to the constitution to appease anti-federalists who believed that the Federal Government would squash the states and the people. These amendments helped to help people see the good in a central government. * First Bank of the United States charted (1791) by Congress as a response to Hamilton’s financial plan. This congressional decision lead to creation of the Hamilton-lead Federalists and the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans along with controversy over the central governments jurisdiction for years. * Vermont is first admitted to the union after the original 13 colonies (1791) Washington begins second term as president (1793) * The Fugitive Slave Act (1793) was passed by co ngress to prohibit the freeing of persons â€Å"held to Service and Labour. † It made freeing slaves illegal and forced States to return and/or help locate any fugitive slaves in the boundaries, regardless of whether they were a slave-free state or not. To do so, the act recognized the roles of â€Å"agents† in recovering these fugitives, authorized judges and magistrates to oversee transfers of slaves, and imposed a fine on any person helping runaway slaves. This was the start of the real slavery issue in the United States. The Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794) was battle between the Miami Indian tribes lead by Little Turtle and the American Army lead by General Anthony Wayne. Wayne was more prepared than his predecessors and successfully crushed the Miami tribes in Ohio. * Treaty of Greenville (1795) was signed between the Miami Confederacy and the United States to stop aggressions between the two groups. The United States benefitted from this treaty more because the C onfederacy seceded approximately 25,000 square miles of territory in the Ohio are, more than half of present day Ohio. Naturalization Act (1795) was passed by congress to allow â€Å"†¦ any alien, being a free white person, may be admitted to become a citizen of the United States. † This was the first law to define restrictions on who may or may not become a citizen of the United States. XI. Economic Policy- * Samuel Slater sets up first American factory (1790) * Alexander Hamilton’s Financial plan (1790) helps to unite the United States through a common problem of debt XII. Supreme Court- None XIII. Social Events- * Whiskey Rebellion (1794) was a revolt by Western Pennsylvanian farmers protesting the new taxes on whiskey. Disbanded by Washington-lead militia without blood-shed. XIV. New Technologies- * Cotton Gin invented (1793) which leads to an increase in cotton growth and the Southern economy XV. Presidential Evaluation- George Washington was a president of the highest measures. He set up the office of the president almost single-handedly and had to settle disgruntled farmers in western Pennsylvania that were specters of the original Revolutionaries. He also had to juggle both the British and French harassments and also choose to not support the new French government in their war against Britain. That choice was unpopular among many of the American people but he kept to his decision because he wanted to make sure that his new nation would continue to exist and hold its own against any foreign power in the future. To rate George Washington is an extremely difficult thing to do. The man set the guidelines of the presidency and was always looking out for the good of the government and the people. I will rate him 10/10 because he is the guideline for all the other presidents to compare to. XVI. Themes- War and Diplomacy- * George Washington Presidential Outline I. George Washington (1732-1799) II. â€Å"I have no other view than to promote the public good, and am unambitious of honors not founded in the approbation of my Country. † III. He was a surveyor, planter, and general of the Army of the United Colonies. IV. His term was from 1789-1797. V. There were no prominent issues in his first or scone term and ran unopposed. VI. He didn't have any opponents, it was only a matter of who would become vice president. VII. John Adams was his vice president for both of his terms. VIII. Washington had no political party, and there was no congressional majority yet. IX. Foreign policy decisions Proclamation of Neutrality: prevented Americans from supplying either side with weapons or help, stated that the U. S would not offer protection to Americans who violated neutrality laws, and that the United States would prosecute anyone in its jurisdiction that violated international neutrality. Genet Affair: Citizen Edmond-Charles Genet violated the neutrality laws by planning to use American ports to stop British commerce and support France, which disgraced French supporters in the U. S. Jay Treaty with England: withdrawal of British soldiers in the west of U. S. , commission to settle border issues with U. S. and Canada, commission to resolve American losses in British ship seizures and loyalist losses from Revolutionary War Battle of Fallen Timbers: famous for the decisive victory of the United States over a confederacy of Indian tribes, took place between the two at Fallen Timbers, which was an area full of trees toppled by a tornado, Americans wanted to settle the west but were afraid of the natives Treaty of Greenville: between Indians and Americans, natives give up land in southwest part of northwestern territory and other defined areas, U. S. pays tribe $20,000 and $9,500 a year to split among tribes, tribes can still hunt there Naturalization Act: raised the period of residence from two years to five years before a person could be a citizen Pinckney Treaty with Spain: Spain recognized U. S. borders at Mississippi River and 31st parallel, granted Americans the right to deposit goods for transshipment at New Orleans X. Political Affairs George Washington is Elected: Only president unanimously elected Judiciary Act: established a court of one chief justice and five associate justices, court met for the first time in 1790 Alexander Hamilton's Financial Plan: proposed that the federal government take on debts contracted by the states during the revolution, at the national government borrow money to be repaid over a long period, national bank runs it and have taxes to help pay for it, pay off all debts and high tariffs kept out foreign competition Bill of Rights added to the Constitution: added to make all states ratify the Constitution and ensure rights of the people First Bank of US chartered: created by Hamilton to tackle war debt and make one currency Vermont admitted to the Union Second Term: unanimously elected again Whiskey Rebellion: protest on tax of 25% of liquor's value, showed government not afraid to enforce it's laws with it's militia, farmers who sold corn as whiskey hit the hardest and western frontiersmen were main prostestors Farewell Address: country scared that it would tear apart without Washington as president, but he said that whatever changes happened were because of their efforts and success, and he wasn't qualified for being president anyways XI. Economic Decisions Alexander Hamilton's Financial Plan: (see above) XII. Major Supreme Court Cases N/A XIII. Major Social Events Fugitive Slave Law: Slave hunters were allowed to capture an escapee in any territory or state and only had to say in front of a state or federal judge that the person was a runaway, captive was not entitled to a trial by jury and the judge's decision was terminal, people hiding an escaped slave could be fined $500 XIV. Major Inventions Cotton Gin Invented: took seeds out of cotton quickly, created widespread cash crop of cotton and revived slavery Samuel Slater builds first American factory: used stolen ideas from Britain to create first American textile factory, hired entire families, including children, to work in his mills; workers lived in company-owned housing, shopped at company-owned stores, and studied in company-run schools XV. Presidential Evaluation President Washington was kind of overrated in my opinion. We glorify him today as if he was perfect and god-like, but most of â€Å"his† achievements are actually a result of his colleagues' ideas. Alexander Hamilton had many of the attainments during Washington's presidency, and really ensured that the country would continue to prosper and pay off all debts. George Washington's best decision was actually surrounding himself with intelligent people to rely on in times of crisis that the new country would go through. His major foreign successes would have to be the Proclamation of Neutrality and his treaties with Europe. The proclamation helped keep the country out of wars and trouble in general at a time of weakness. Any fighting could have destroyed the nation if they lost and it would be back under the command of a European power. His treaties wit Europe gained the U. S. land and respect, helping in the long run. His major domestic successes would be the Bill of Rights and Hamilton's Financial Program. The Bill of Rights made sure that the rights that we still have today would be granted to citizens of the nation, though there were qualifications based on gender and race. Without the financial plan, the U. S. ight never have fully payed off it's debts to Europe and caused further conflict, and it made it easier to pay off with it's extended period that wouldn't require high taxes all at once. He and his cabinet handled the issues of building a nation and having rights for the people while avoiding the tyranny like they had in Britain very well, though he played an almost minimal role in the handling of it. Overall, I rate him 7 out of 10. XVI. Major Themes Slavery: Negative Impact -Passing of t he Fugitive Slave Law -Slaves and black men and women had no rights in the Bill of Rights Invention of the cotton gin revived slavery because of cheap labor and massive production of cotton -Slaves treated like second class citizens with no trial by jury, freedom, or credibility in matters of importance -Status: Slavery is running rampant in the South with large plantations of cotton and cheap easy labor. Though the North opposes it, there are no movements as of yet to abolish it. During the presidency, nothing is being done to free slaves, give black people more freedoms and rights,or find an alternative work force. The status of slavery right now is bleak with no signs of improvement. Social and Political Movements and Reforms: Positive impact for some, negative for others – Bill of Rights gives freedoms to some Americans and gives an overall better quality of life than under Britain – Slavery was an important social issue that wasn't only ignored, but perpetuated by the cotton industry – More jobs in factories, leading to better education with in-company schools and better quality of life – Complete political change from the tyranny of Britain o a representative democracy in it's very early stages – Status: The country is doing well for being brand new and handling tough situations with good long term solutions. There are some massive improvements over the original government of England, such as education and the rights of the people of the United States, or at least a select few. Major issues like slavery are not being addressed, and are actually being furth ered by the lack of help in finding alternative work forces and advances in the rights of every citizen, not just the landowning white males.

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 8

â€Å"Georgina?† I looked up from a baffling return Tammi had asked me to help her with. A customer without a receipt was attempting a refund on a stack of books with dog-eared pages and broken spines, claiming all of them were duplicates someone had just given him for his birthday. â€Å"Just a sec,† I told her. â€Å"I've got to finish this.† â€Å"Okay,† Beth said. â€Å"I just thought you should check out Casey.† â€Å"Casey?† â€Å"Yeah. She's up in the cafe.† That snagged my attention. I finished up with the customer, telling him nicely that we couldn't accept books in this condition. Maybe if the alleged other books were in better shape, he could bring those in. He pouted and argued a bit before finally skulking off. I rolled my eyes once he was gone. One thing that never changed among humans: there were always those who wanted to get something for nothing. It was what kept hell in business. I found Casey sitting in the cafe, drinking a glass of water. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she didn't display her usual care in makeup and hairstyling. She stared bleakly at the table, eyes dull and glazed over. â€Å"Hey,† I said gently, pulling up a chair across from her. â€Å"How's it going?† After a moment's delay, she looked up, not really focusing on me. â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"You sure? You don't look so okay.† â€Å"Dunno.† Her tone was flat, distracted. â€Å"I just had a late night, that's all. Sorry. Sorry I came in like this.† â€Å"No problem. I've had my share of crazy nights.† The thing was, Casey didn't exactly look hung over. I mean, she definitely looked like she was recovering from something†¦but I couldn't put my finger on it. It was weird. â€Å"What'd you get into? A party?† â€Å"Yeah. Doug's band had another one.† â€Å"Really.† News to me. â€Å"Must have been pretty good.† â€Å"Dunno.† â€Å"What do you mean? You were there.† Her brow furrowed, confusion glinting in her brown eyes. â€Å"I don't†¦really remember. Stupid, huh? I must have really been trashed. I remember†¦being with Alec. Then we left. We went somewhere. â€Å" â€Å"You don't know?† She looked upset and closed her eyes. â€Å"There was this big house, and†¦I don't know. I just†¦I just can't remember. I'm sorry, Georgina. I shouldn't have come in today, okay? Sorry.† â€Å"It's okay. So you have no idea what you did with him? Nothing at all?† She shook her head. I shouldn't have kept pushing for details of an employee's personal life, but something here bothered me. It was more than my bias against Alec too. I remembered him pushing alcohol on women, his invitation to go somewhere â€Å"more intense.† Casey's inability to remember what had happened with him smacked of date-rape drugs. â€Å"Did Alec give you anything?† For the first time in this conversation, her dull expression sharpened and looked alert. â€Å"I†¦no. No.† But she was lying. I could tell. Why? Fear of him? Embarrassment? I couldn't bring myself to question her anymore. She looked too miserable. I told her she should go home and get some rest; she didn't need much convincing. I took her place at the registers, silently fuming at that jerk Alec. My anger was furthered by the fact that I could do nothing. Casey's life wasn't really my business, and without her admitting to anything, Alec stood blameless. With Casey now gone, Paige out sick again, and Warren golfing in Florida, I felt relieved when Doug showed up. He looked as energetic as ever, so I hoped he could counter my plunging mood. â€Å"I heard you had a party.† â€Å"Yup.† He grinned, working the register next to mine. â€Å"I tried calling you, but you weren't home.† â€Å"Had a party of my own. Hey, did you notice anything weird with Casey and Alec last night?† â€Å"Weird how? I mean, they seemed to be hitting it off.† â€Å"Nothing else?† â€Å"Nope. Not that I saw. Why? Are you interested? He's a little young for you, but if you're into that, I can give you his phone number.† â€Å"Hardly.† â€Å"Whoa,† he suddenly exclaimed. â€Å"Check this action out.† He picked up one of the books his customer was paying for. It was a romance novel, emblazoned with a big chested man holding an equally big chested woman. Her neck was arched back, her lips open in a moan. And her dress was falling off. â€Å"Bet there's some good shit in here. Nothing like some throbbing members and private time to get you off, eh?† He winked at the customer, who turned crimson and didn't say anything. She handed over some cash and hurried away as fast as she could. Aghast, I ignored the customers standing there and grabbed Doug's arm, jerking him away from the counter. â€Å"What the hell was that?† I asked in a low, angry whisper. He laughed loudly. â€Å"Oh come on, Kincaid. I was just having a little fun. Those romance novels always crack me up.† â€Å"You do not comment on customer purchases. Furthermore, you certainly don't swear in front of them.† â€Å"Basic training. I know all this.† â€Å"Yeah? Then act like it.† We stood there, both of us shocked at my tone. I didn't think I'd ever talked to Doug in such a reprimanding way. Certainly not here. We were both assistant managers, partners in crime. Our entire working relationship was one of lightheartedness and messing around. â€Å"Fine,† he said after a moment. â€Å"Whatever.† We went back to the registers, both of us pointedly ignoring the other. We worked without incident a while longer until I heard him say, â€Å"Man, this has to be rough. Hope it all works out.† Looking over, I saw his customer buying a book about STDs. Doug returned my gaze with a challenging look. I finished my own purchase and then put up a â€Å"register closed† sign. Finding Andy at the information desk, I told him to ask Doug to swap spots. â€Å"Don't tell him I told you to.† Doug seemed safer helping customers find books, yet no matter where I was in the store, I could hear him. He spoke and laughed too loudly. Whenever I caught sight of him, he was always in motion – like he couldn't stay still. Once, he was – literally – juggling books for a customer. Another time, I saw him actually skipping as he led a customer over to the cooking section. I frowned, unsure what to do. His lively nature had been fun this last week, but he was pushing it now, and I wasn't entirely sure what my role should be in all of this. â€Å"That redheaded girl said you're the manager here,† a middle-aged woman suddenly said, approaching me as I rearranged a display. â€Å"I'm an assistant manager,† I told her. â€Å"What can I help you with?† She pointed to the information desk. â€Å"That man was so rude to me. He helped me find some books, and then†¦he said†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She couldn't finish, oscillating between anger and distress. I looked at what she held. Books on clinical depression. Lovely. At least it wasn't called Going Postal in an Insensitive Bookstore. I took a deep breath to steady myself and apologized profusely, promising I'd deal with it. I then walked her over to the head of the check-out line and told Andy to ring her books up for free. Warren never approved of that, but I didn't care at the moment. I waited for Doug to finish with his customer and then pulled him aside once more. â€Å"We need to talk in the office.† He gave me a lopsided grin. Studying him, I saw his eyes glittering with a distracted fervor. â€Å"What for? Let's talk here. I've got customers to help, you know. Can't let this goddamned place go unattended.† I blanched at this, still forcing calm. We had a line of about four customers listening. â€Å"No. Let's go in the back.† He rolled his eyes and threw a friendly arm around me. â€Å"Christ, you're uptight. What's this about?† â€Å"You know what it's about,† I returned, wiggling out from under the arm. â€Å"You're out of line today.† His smile fell. â€Å"No, you're out of line. What's with the attitude anyway? You can't talk to me like this.† He was still too loud. More people were stopping. â€Å"I can talk to you like this when you're acting like a jerk. You're upsetting customers. You're doing stuff that's completely inappropriate, and you know it.† â€Å"‘Inappropriate?' Jesus Fucking Christ, Kincaid! You sound like Paige now. I'm having fun. Remember that? Remember when you and I used to do that around here back before you got this stick up your ass?† We had a bona fide audience now. Customers and staff alike. Dead silence, save for the faint sounds of Vivaldi playing through the store's sound system. â€Å"I mean,† he continued, thriving on the attention, â€Å"where do you get off acting like this? Who put you in charge? You and I are the same rank, remember? It's like you get ten seconds of fame in Mortensen's story, and now you think you can put on airs. Why don't you go find him? Maybe if you got laid again, you'd stop being such a bitch.† â€Å"Doug,† I said, astonished at how firm and strong my voice was. It was like someone else was using my body to confront him, and I only watched. â€Å"You need to go home. Now. If you don't leave, I'll have you removed.† Of course, I had no clue how I was going to pull that off. As it was, I felt almost terrified to be facing off against him like this. My heart raced. We were standing close, thrusting our wills at one another, and he had half a head's height on me and a bigger build. I didn't really fear violence from him, but the physical intimidation was as scary as the psychological. Still, I held my ground, keeping my expression commanding and decisive. At last, he backed down, breaking eye contact. He shrugged and gave his goofy grin to those watching, like they were in on some joke with him. â€Å"Sure. Whatever you want. I don't care. I could use a day off anyway.† He looked around again, face smug and defiant, like he'd won. After another survey of the crowd, he laughed and stalked out. Nobody spoke or breathed after that. I drew myself up, like none of this had bothered me either. I strode purposefully away, saying to Beth as I passed: â€Å"Will you cover the desk now?† I went upstairs to the caf? ¦ and had the barista make me a mocha. I took it with shaking hands and turned around to find Seth standing there. He wore a Ratt shirt today. â€Å"Thetis,† he said softly. I walked over to one of the windows, and he followed. Outside, cars and people moved throughout Queen Anne. I watched them without seeing them. Seth moved behind me, his presence steady and reassuring. Waiting to catch me, even though I refused to fall just yet. This, I realized, was why I chose to stay with him, sexual mishaps or no. â€Å"I suppose you witnessed all that.† â€Å"Yeah,† he said. â€Å"You handled it well.† â€Å"I didn't want to handle it at all.† â€Å"Someone had to.† He touched my arm gently. â€Å"You can be pretty fierce sometimes.† I shook my head, still numb. â€Å"I don't want to be fierce either.† â€Å"Georgina. Look at me.† I turned and looked. Those lovely eyes were soft and full of love, yet underscored with strength. â€Å"You did the right thing.† He rested his hands on my arms, thumbs stroking the bare skin. â€Å"You did the right thing.† â€Å"He's my friend.† â€Å"That doesn't matter.† â€Å"What's wrong with him, Seth? What's gotten into him?† â€Å"Isn't it obvious?† â€Å"Not to me.† He smiled ruefully. â€Å"The same thing that made you eat a bag of Taco Bell food last night.† â€Å"What? Pot doesn't do that. Make him behave like he did, I mean. Not the Taco Bell thing.† â€Å"No,† he agreed. â€Å"Pot won't do that, but he was obviously on something. â€Å" I turned back to my view, thinking. I recalled Doug's nonstop vigor, that feverish look in his eyes. Yes, it made sense, and it was saddening. I'd never known him to mess around with anything much harder than alcohol and marijuana. Yet†¦there was more to his exuberance lately. A drug couldn't make you good at Tetrisor churn out an album's worth of songs in under a month. â€Å"I don't know what it could be then. I've tried almost everything once,† I admitted sheepishly. Immortality allowed experimentation without the dangerous consequences mortals faced. â€Å"But I haven't made enough of a study to really ID anything. What do you think? Some kind of amphetamine?† â€Å"I don't really know either.† I rubbed my temples, sensing a nasty headache coming on. I wanted nothing more just then than to go home and veg on the couch with Seth on one side, Aubrey on the other, and a plate of brownies on my lap. It wasn't going to happen. â€Å"I've got to get back down there. We're short two people now. I'm going to be here until closing again.† â€Å"You want me to come over after work? I'm supposed to paint at Terry's, but I can bail on it.† I assured Seth he didn't need to change his plans for me and then returned downstairs. Functionality had resumed as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The only thing noteworthy was the way the other staff watched me now. Not with mockery or amusement, but something else. If I hadn't known better, I would have said my respect rating had just shot up. I got home after work, drained. Weak with exhaustion, mental and physical. When I absorbed life from victims, it was usually to sustain my immortal existence and shape-shifting. But life was full of other things that required energy. Breaking and entering. Working two twelve-hours shifts in a row. Staying virtuous around the man of your dreams. Reprimanding one of your best friends and discovering he was probably addicted to something nasty. The need for vitality itched within me, making me irritable and anxious despite my worn-out feeling. For me, that energy-longing translated into lust, a sudden need to be touched and consumed by someone I could consume in return. I called Bastien. â€Å"What is it now?† he asked sarcastically. â€Å"I suppose you're just going to cut to the chase and call Dana. That way you can get it over with and tell her how her neighbor has a plan to seduce her and bring down her organization. Maybe while you're at it, you can mention the break-in and get me arrested. You could even key my car if you wanted. It would be a perfect ending to my already ruined career.† â€Å"Oh shut up,† I snapped, not having the patience for this. Apparently I still had some fury left in me from earlier. â€Å"First, you were not going to bed Dana last night, so get that out of your system. Second, you probably deterred her by answering the door in the first place, as stoned as you were. Third, if you'd really wanted to endear yourself to her, you would have shown more concern for me rather than coming off as an uncaring asshole.† â€Å"How is your ankle?† he asked reluctantly. â€Å"Fine. You know how it goes.† A sprain was barely a day's concern for an immortal. â€Å"Good enough to go dancing on.† â€Å"Dancing?† â€Å"Yes. I want you to take me out. Now. I just had the worst day ever. â€Å" â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"Sorry? Are you turning me down? Since when have you been such a grudge-holder?† â€Å"It's not just that†¦well, okay, maybe a little. But Bill invited me over to watch a football game.† â€Å"You hate football.† â€Å"Yeah, but I might see Dana. Sorry, Fleur . You're on your own tonight. â€Å" Annoyed, I hung up and dialed the next best dancer I knew. â€Å"Cody,† I said, â€Å"we're going clubbing.† â€Å"Okay,† he returned agreeably, â€Å"but I'll have to bring Hugh and Peter.† â€Å"Ack. They dance almost as badly as Seth.† â€Å"Yeah. But I promised I'd hang out with them tonight. Unless you want to come over here? We're playing D&D right now. Do you know how many hit points a succubus has?† â€Å"All right, all right. Bring them along.† I hung up. It didn't really matter who came anyway. I mostly just wanted people to go out with. Companionship gave the outing some semblance of normality, though it wasn't like I needed any of them for what I was going to do. â€Å"Jesus, woman,† breathed Hugh when I answered my door an hour later. â€Å"You're kind of screwing with my sisterly feelings for you.† I had on a pleated black skirt that covered less than half my thighs. My top was off the shoulder with three-quarter sleeves, and it stopped just above my belly button, leaving my midriff bare. It was made of clinging, stretchy black lace that looked opaque in dim lighting and showed everything – and I do mean everything – in full light. The only decision left was what body to go out in. I didn't like to do succubus work in my usual shape – the one that worked at Emerald City and slept with Seth. I wanted an anonymous face, one that could forget and be forgotten. Staring at my bathroom mirror, I considered a number of features and ethnicities. Finally, I opted for a pretty Latina look, sultry with long dark hair. We went to the same club Bastien and I had danced at before. It played varying genres of music, but all of it was fast and heavy. It thrummed in the blood. Hugh immediately parked himself at the bar, looking exactly like the creepy guy who ogled younger women that he was. Peter seemed torn between joining him and hitting the floor. He was homebody enough to want to stay with Hugh, but I knew places like this were fertile hunting grounds for vampires and succubi alike. Reluctantly, the frumpy vampire bought a drink and then made his way to the dancers, looking hopelessly out of place. I knew he'd survive, though; he'd been doing what he did almost as long as I had. I walked up to the bar and ordered a shot of Rumple Minze, which I downed immediately. It was funny – part of me thought that I could scorn Doug for getting mixed up with some drug when I turned so readily to alcohol to ease my own tension. â€Å"Dance with me,† I told Cody, grabbing his hand. He looked good tonight, wearing a button-up shirt untucked and loose. It had a neat printed pattern on it, one of those that only confident guys with real fashion sense could actually wear. With his agile dancing and golden blond looks, he made a good partner. â€Å"What am I, your warm-up?† he asked me a few songs later. I laughed. We were dancing awfully close, and I had been moving my body more provocatively than I normally would with a friend. Unconscious motion. My succubus hunger surfacing. â€Å"Does it bother you?† â€Å"Nope. Well, other than giving me that weird incest feeling Hugh was talking about. But I don't think you're going to get what you need off me.† â€Å"True,† I said scanning the crowd. The place was packed with mortals, all warm and energetic and burning with life in a way my friends and I did not. Again, the itch of longing seized me. I wanted to touch them all and knew I'd have to break from Cody soon. â€Å"What's got you all fired up anyway? We don't usually see you like this.† That was true. Mostly he and the others just heard me bitching and moaning about my infernal job and how I hated seducing nice guys. â€Å"Need to burn off some Seth lust. That, and I got majorly run down today,† I explained, proceeding to tell him the rest. Cody felt as sad as I did about Doug, whom he knew and liked. The young vampire agreed that Doug's erratic behavior sounded amphetamine based, and he threw out a few suggestions for me. I made a mental note to look them up later. Cody and I finally split up, each to take care of our own business. I started working the room, much as I had the other night, only this time my motivation was legitimate. I had my pick of partners and no end of free drinks. Each time I got someone to buy me one, Hugh – still at the bar – would shake his head with wry amusement. In about two hours, I had my mark. He was young and muscular, made extra gorgeous by sexy Mediterranean features. Italian descent, I suspected. He was also sweet and shy, clearly astonished that I kept dancing with him. His friends, watching from afar, apparently felt the same way. We had moved to a crowded part of the dance floor, jam-packed with other sweating, frenzied bodies. I rubbed mine against his in a more intimate way than the crowd quite required, my hands sliding over his body as we swayed. When our lips brushed against each other's, he pulled back. He told me then – awkwardly and reluctantly – that he had a girlfriend. That didn't come as a surprise to me. We stopped dancing, getting jostled by the crowd, and I feigned modest embarrassment for my boldness while pretending not to notice how he hadn't seemed to want to make the girlfriend admission. â€Å"Er, wait,† he said as I started to turn and leave. Hesitation hung heavy in his voice. The voice of someone trying to rationalize something he knew he shouldn't be doing†¦but wanted to anyway. True consternation churned on his face. â€Å"I mean, we can still†¦we can still†¦keep dancing. Can't we?† Five dances later, I'd sweet-talked – and bribed – one of the waiters into letting us into a storage room in the club's basement. It was dark and small and filled with extra tables, but it sufficed for what we needed. I could still hear the music from above, though none of the song's specifics. The whole building vibrated with the beat. My guy still appeared nervous, but alcohol and opportunity were clearly winning out over his better judgment. I didn't tell him my name. I didn't ask for his. I pulled him to me, and we kissed – the kind of hard, furious kissing that makes your lips feel swollen afterward. His hands started on my hips and then moved upward, peeling the lace shirt up as they went, exposing my breasts. His hands fondled them wonderingly, feeling their shape and size, making my nipples harden and stand out. He leaned down and put his lips to one, sucking hard. When I felt his teeth bite gently, I grunted in approval and shifted my hands down to loosen his belt. He straightened back up, and this time I was the one who went down – literally. On my knees, I tugged on his boxers and released the erection that had been straining at the fabric. I ran my tongue along its tip, tasting the few salty drops that had already seeped out. Then, without further hesitation, I took the whole thing into my mouth, letting my tongue roll over it as my lips moved back and forth along the length of the shaft. He groaned and laced his fingers across the back of my neck, trying to push more of him inside. The first tendrils of his energy began flowing into me, sweet and delicious. He was a good one, full of strength. I sucked harder, teasing him for a couple more minutes, then broke away and stood up. The look on his face when I stopped became almost comically desperate. Like he couldn't believe I had just done that to him. Like I had just gone and hit his shins with a baseball bat. I licked my lips and smiled. â€Å"You want more? You're going to have to come and get it. â€Å" This was the clincher. If I was going to go to the trouble of bagging a guy with a strong life force, I might as well hit my quota with Jerome and do some corrupting as well. A guy with a serious girlfriend might feel guilty about fooling around with another woman, but he'd feel guiltier still if he was the one who took serious steps toward initiating it. It was too easy to say she made me do it. My part was done; he had to take over now. This guy might not have realized my ulterior motives here, but he seemed to sense the gravity of the situation. He stood on the edge now, the edge of a decision that could affect his eternal soul. Did he or didn't he? Did he give in to his lust and betray a woman he cared about? Did he take a chance with me he might never get again? Or did he reject me and walk away? Did he stay faithful? My smile grew, slow and languid, as he debated. I paced around the room like I had all the time in the world, like I didn't care what he decided to do. The click of my heels sounded loudly on the hard floor. I turned away from him, trying to make out some old framed picture on the wall. It was mostly a dark blur in the dim lighting. Then, I felt him behind me. His hands slid from my waist down to my hips, then lower to cradle my ass. He pushed up what little of the skirt there was and pulled down the strappy black thong I had underneath. Slowly, his hands traced every curve, feeling and exploring. One hand moved around the outside of my leg toward the front, between my thighs. The movement forced him to move closer to me, and I could feel him – still hard, still ready – press against my flesh. The exploring hand pushed farther between my thighs, and his breath was hard and hot on my neck. His fingers brushed the small, neatly trimmed patch of hair between my legs, then moved lower, dancing at the edges of my lips, teasing them. A small, urgent moan left my mouth, and I ground against him, hoping to get a response. He slid his fingers in a smooth rhythm, stoking my already raging desire. A minute later, those urgent fingers moved into me, probing and exploring. I was wet and slippery, but it still caught me by surprise, and I exclaimed loudly. He wrapped his other arm around my waist, pulling me even closer, and continued driving those fingers in and out. His life poured into me again. A purely physical burning welled inside of me too, growing stronger each time he moved in. But before that feeling could reach completion, he pulled his fingers out and left them out. My turn to feel unfulfilled. Gripping my shoulders, he turned me around, and I braced myself to be shoved on top of the table or up against the wall. To my astonishment, he pushed me onto my knees instead, his breathing frantic now, his eyes burning with hunger and lust. â€Å"Your mouth,† he gasped out. â€Å"I want your mouth again.† Unexpected – and perhaps a little disappointing – but it all worked the same for me. Before I could even act, he thrust himself back between my lips. A surprised sound lodged in my throat, and it seemed to turn him on even more. I no longer had to worry about who was taking the initiative here; it was all him. His hands held my head and neck in place as he pumped away, pushing into me over and over. The life-force transfer started in earnest, his energy flooding into me with his thoughts and feelings. Finally, finally, finally, he thought, aching desire crackling through him. Feeling his mind and soul, I realized then he might not have been so easy a tag as I originally thought. He loved his girlfriend. Loved her passionately. But she didn't like oral sex, and one of the biggest fantasies of this guy's life was to – bluntly – fuck her face. Had I started foreplay in some other way tonight, he might very well have been strong enough to decline. But I had given him the one thing he couldn't refuse. It overpowered the guilt lurking in the back of his mind. I'll never get this chance again. Allison doesn't have to know. I knew that rationalization well. It was just about the oldest in the book. He thrust more urgently, that long shaft filling my mouth as his eyes watched me eagerly, and unintelligible, primal noises sounded in his throat. And for me, who had been denied an orgasm, pleasure was building in a different way. Life-force transfer doesn't occur at the point of a physical contact or even orgasm. It's bigger than that, more holistic. Soul to soul. His energy washed over me now in waves, and it was pure ecstasy as I rode that ocean higher and higher. My body burned with it, nearly to the breaking point. Before that crest crashed over, before our connection broke, I caught one more thought from him, plain and simple: mouth or face} Ah, men. He chose mouth, moaning loudly as he came. Warm, bitter liquid flooded over my tongue as his body spasmed and his nails dug into my neck and scalp. I waited until he finished, then swallowed because I knew it was what he wanted me to do. It was what every guy wanted. And really, it was the least I could do for him, because with his orgasm came a climax of my own. The full force of his energy hit me like a bolt of lightning at the same time he felt its loss. I broke from him, gasping at the feel of that power, swimming in that bliss, invigorated and alive. He, however, stiffened and paled, suddenly weak and confused at losing something he hadn't even known he had. He groped blindly for support and caught the edge of a table as his legs gave out underneath him. The table saved him from completely falling over, and I caught his other arm, balancing him. Carefully, I eased him down so he could sit and lean his body against a chair. His eyes struggled to stay open as the shock of his energy loss pulled him toward unconsciousness. Another cardinal succubus rule: the stronger the guy, the stronger his loss would be. â€Å"Oh my God†¦what's wrong with me?† Pushing aside whatever kindly feelings or sympathy I might have, reminding myself he'd – eventually – recover, I stared down at him coolly and rearranged my clothes. â€Å"I think you drank too much.† I leaned over and tugged up his pants. â€Å"I'll go get help.† He started to protest, but I was already out the door. I strode back to the dance floor, haloed in his energy. I felt like a goddess entering a temple of worshippers, and many sets of eyes seemed to regard me as exactly that. A few quick searches, and I found his friends from earlier. I told them he'd passed out downstairs and left them to deal with it. â€Å"This one's on me,† I heard Hugh say when I walked back up to the bar. My post-sex glamour would be especially obvious to him. I ordered a shot of Jagermeister and chased it with another shot of Goldschlager. Nothing like funny-named liquor to top off an evening. â€Å"Does it make you feel better?† the imp asked. He inclined his head toward the two empty glasses. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"But sometimes it helps me not remember as much.† I went home after that and cooked myself in a long, hot shower, trying to wash away the feel of sex. My buzz soon yielded to my second headache of the day and a slightly nauseous feeling. I had just settled down on the couch for mindless TV watching, back in my normal shape, when Seth showed up. â€Å"I wanted to see how you were doing,† he explained, sitting down next to me. â€Å"Better,† I told him uneasily. â€Å"Sort of. I went out with the gang.† â€Å"Ah. Sounds fun.† He didn't sound entirely sincere. I think â€Å"the gang† still kind of weirded him out a little. He leaned his head on the couch and stared at me for a long time, not saying anything. I laughed in spite of myself. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I don't know,† he said, face serious. He reminded me of a child staring at the tree on Christmas morning. â€Å"It's weird. It's just you're so†¦so beautiful tonight. I mean, you're always pretty, of course, but tonight, I don't know – I can't take my eyes off of you. I want to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't give voice to the urge. â€Å"Must be the wet hair and pajamas,† I said lightly. â€Å"Always a turn-on.† But I knew what was bedazzling him. The guy from the club. Or rather, that guy's stolen life. Humans couldn't resist it. Immortals couldn't resist it. Racking my brain, I realized Seth had never seen me so soon after a fix. He'd seen me the same day sometimes – and also commented on my attractiveness then – but this was the first time he'd received its full effect. It made me feel guilty to see him looking at me like this. His hand reached for mine, and I tried not to flinch as he took it. Even after the shower, I felt dirty and cheap. I didn't want him to touch me after what I'd done, even if it had been in a different body. I didn't deserve such love. Seth sighed, still enchanted. His long fingers traced warm, whirling patterns on my skin. I felt my breathing grow heavier. â€Å"I wish I could put your beauty into words. But I'm not that good of a writer. Guess I need some work.† I stood up hastily and tugged at his hand. â€Å"Now you're just being silly. I think you're the one that needs to go home and rest.† He blinked. â€Å"Oh. So no more, uh, attempts at sleeping?† I hesitated. I wanted to do it again but still didn't trust myself. Or Seth actually, not with the way he kept watching me with such rapt admiration, that heat burning in his eyes. One would have thought a backroom fling might have sated my lust for the night, but I wanted Seth just as much as ever. Of course, in retrospect, maybe that wasn't a surprise after all. Said fling hadn't exactly addressed my physical needs. â€Å"No,† I told Seth. â€Å"Not yet. Too soon.† He looked like being separated from me would hurt him physically, but he finally conceded when I let him kiss my cheek. It was long and lingering, more sensuous than one would expect, making me inhale and then exhale a long, shuddering breath. I wouldn't return the gesture, however. Not with these lips. He waxed on about my beauty a few more times before finally leaving, and I went to bed shortly thereafter. Lying there, I told myself over and over that I had done the right thing at the club. I had done what I needed to do to keep myself strong and capable. After all, Seth had said he loved my â€Å"whirlwind.† Sex was the means of keeping it strong. I had done the right thing. And I had done the right thing with Doug too. Everything I'd done today had been for the best. And yet†¦if that was true, then why did I feel so terrible about it all?