Thomas Jefferson on Slavery and Race

B. Jefferson on Slavery and Race The terms of the emancipation proposal considered by Virginia legislators were all slaves born after the act would go on with their parents to tillage, arts or sciences, until girls (18) and boys (21) would colonize to places that â€Å"render the most proper† out with arms and domestic animals to declare them free and independent and extend the alliance and protection.Jefferson believes blacks are inferior to whites, he differentiates the two races by stating the obvious first, color, figure, hair, odor, he also states how they are harder working and don't require as much sleep. He also includes how adventuresome they are, they desire love more and are more sentiment and their â€Å"griefs are transient. † â€Å"This quality is the germ of all education in him. † Slavery influenced masters and other whites in ways of creating â€Å"boisterous passions† that created degrading comments to one another.This is spread through t he children and other whites seeing or being raised only one way of seeing a â€Å"master† degrade his slaves. Slavery influenced slaves that they prefer ways that avoid areas that can or have made work for them. Jefferson said â€Å"l tremble for my country when I reflect that God is Just† because e believes slavery is not right, he hopes for the total emancipation and that slavery is â€Å"disposed in the order of events with the consent of the masters. Jefferson's hopes for the end of slavery differed from his fears because he hoped of an emancipation, which happened. Rather than slaves taken from â€Å"masters† which would anger them. Jefferson's notes do not seem to be something typical of the era or that most would agree on, slavery and segregation were very strong and blacks were not even considered or thought of to have human rights like they have today during that era.

Advantages of Strategic Intent Thinking Essay

Introduction Though strategic intent thinking and strategic planning aim at one thing, they are quite different from one another. The former involves development and application of high-level and unique business strategies with the aim of attaining competitive advantage for the firm. Strategic intent helps firms to focus on new capabilities to tap future opportunities. The notion is internally focused and has serious implications on how a business competes. The process is characterized by broad and long-term target, and relates sense of urgency as well as lengthens attention.   The major purpose of strategic intent is to help organizations share a common intention in order survive business competition and adapt to changes in the business world. Strategic planning is defined by (Miztberg, 1994) as an analysis of business operations. The analysis involves breaking business goals into manageable parts, designing how steps are implemented and estimating the anticipated outcomes of each goal. According to this definition, the process elaborate goals and strategies that already exist. Strategic planning supports strategies that have been developed through strategic thinking. The two processes aims at raising the performance of the firm. However, they have significant differences. Strategic intent thinking is intent focused. It allows managers and all other stakeholders to commit themselves for as long as a certain strategy works. When applied to Costco Company, it can be noted that Costco employees are well  Ã‚   paid, which eliminates workers turnover. This means that the employees at Costco are motivated to ensure strategy works no matter the time it takes. Strategic intent thinking takes into consideration the past, the present and the future, unlike strategic planning which considers the future only. This means that strategy should not be driven by the future intent alone. The gap between today and tomorrow is very important when devising a business strategy. In addition to this, strategic intent think is responsive to business opportunities. This means that managers who employ this system of thinking are able to identify future opportunities and prepare to take them. Costco seems to employ this strategy. The company managers anticipate its sales to rise by 2017 because of the increased use of the internet. Internet continues to create new demand for goods and services. This means that Costco must revise its goals and missions to tap the demand being created by the use of the internet. According to( DeGeus ,1988) the traditional view of strategy emphasizes on the degree to which a business fits between current opportunities and existing resources while strategic intent brings misfit between ambitions and resources.   He further argues that the process requires a number of people who should understand their organization’s work. This way, they will be able to think strategically and work towards achieving organizational goals. Back to our case study, it can be noted that Costco understands that a business does not operate in vacuum.   With this in mind, Costco strives to conserve the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is one way of cutting down operational costs, and can help the company achieve a competitive advantage. On the other hand, Costco pays its employees more salary than the industry average. This way, Costco is able to operate at serene environment, which has no disruptions such as strikes. References DeGeus, A. P. (1988, March/April). Planning as learning. Harvard Business Review, 70-74. Mintzberg, H. (1994). The fall and rise of strategic planning. Harvard Business Review, 107-114.

Life on the Road Essay

â€Å"Life on the Road† was in my opinion written to entertain, but also to inform the reader about a hitch hikers life. The author explained the basics of his everyday journeys and how they affected him. He explained how he had to adapt to certain ways of living, from where he would sleep to where he was going to find food the next day. Surprisingly traveling also taught him how to better present himself. For example, he learned to stand, instead of sit while trying to catch a ride. This showed his determination and a more favorable self portrayed image. The lifestyle he was used to living had completely changed. He no longer had luxuries easily handed to him as we Americans do today. I also believed he wrote this article in order for us to recognize the small, but important factors in life that we usually miss considering the busy life most of us lead now a days. Wertz said, â€Å"I was gone only three months, but in those three months I felt heart. † (Wertz, 13). His view on society and life changed completely after his experience on the road. Being alone on the streets forced him to learn how to fend for himself and learn how to interact differently with people. Through out his encounters he learned there is many kinds of people. He met very beautiful people, overly happy people, extremely rude people, and sadly even people suffering worse than he was. Traits he never knew he had like sympathy peeked their head out and taught him that even though he was struggling, there are still a tremendous amount of people out in the world that have it worse than he did. His journey led him through many challenges, but mainly taught him more about how special life really is.

Ethical dilemma Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethical dilemma - Case Study Example For instance, socio-cultural background related to family structure and family inclusion often dictates personal responses to situations involving troubled families. The ethnographic background of the importance of relationships in the nuclear family often determine what should be the social norm regarding proper treatment of those within the family unit. Social class also plays a factor in determining ethical position as being in a middle-class family does not afford the resources to engage in high-dollar recreational activities (as one example), thus the family unit spends more quality time together inter-dependently. The closeness achieved with other family members through social class limitations tends to dictate the importance of lineage and household relationships that somewhat influences ethical judgment. Therefore, in this particular case, I can sympathize with Elizabeth Smith’s position for finding concern about the potential dangers to her brother’s children, even though sexual abuse allegations against their neighbor were unfounded by evidence. In my personal view, children are valuable and important elements of lifestyle and affiliation from a needs perspective, thus prejudgments can play a role in determining what the right course of action should be in Smith’s situation. Even though social location determines some of my personal values related to the case, as a social worker I must consider the nature of the CASW Code of Ethics and the Standards of Practice as a guide rather than relying on personal dispositions on the issue. According to the Code of Ethics, confidentiality is one of the cornerstone values that the social worker must maintain. Value 5 of the CASW template describes that no information about the client should be discussed without informed consent from the client (CASW, 2005). Further, Value 3 of the Code of Ethics also states that

Outsourcing Is the American Way Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Outsourcing Is the American Way - Coursework Example In fact, most of the jobs that are outsourced are because the technological capabilities to run many of these customer service centers with phone banks and high-speed Internet capabilities would be difficult—not to mention expensive—to maintain in the United States. Since India already has expanded its WiFi networks to accommodate several workers at cheaper prices, this actually keeps the production costs of products low because the customer support can be cheaply outsourced, thus giving companies more opportunities to invest their revenue elsewhere which can significantly increase their profit—and in turn, benefit employees and vested interests here in the U.S.   even-handed, centrist views on all the topics they cover. Lou Dobbs, on the other hand, is a conservative—and it could even be said ‘right-wing’— a commentator who only projects personal opinions supported by very little factual evidence. Mr. Dobbs is discriminatory against minorities and any other factions that don’t agree with his corporate elitist attitude and approach to the real issues at hand—ultimately making his claims that much less credible. Ultimately, Mr. Canto, seeing as how he writes for the Review, has much more credible insights.   outsourcing is truly the issue, and 2) how we might be able to create jobs in America since outsourcing is a way to get cheap labor to significantly reduce a company’s overhead. Regarding the first point, we need to realize if outsourcing really is the big problem some conservatives make it out to be. â€Å"In spite of what is said in much of the press, the greatest beneficiary of outsourcing is the U.S. itself. We import many more jobs than we export.

Managing change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing change - Essay Example In addition, by referring to the ever-increasing challenges in modern local and global market, organisation managers and leadership ought to be mindful of various intervention approaches and mechanism that can effectively facilitate successful and productive implementation of the proposed changes. Based on the available statistical facts and previous research findings, the adoption and implementation of the most effective changes and change intervention in modern institutions and profit making organisations is the most debated issue among business executives. Different levels and forms of complexity in contemporary local and global market always accompany changes in modern business entity and other profit-making organisation. Changes as well vary significant and in extent from transformational change to nominal change in modern business entities. ... ration or transformation in organization’s operations, activities, and managements undertaken in a company to advance its efficiency and productivity. In most cases, changes in any organisation are executed to comply with market dynamic, complexity and technological changes in local and global market. In most cases, economic activities produce benefits and costs that are spread over to all parties in the economic sector. These benefits and costs are described as externalities that have a very essential role in shaping changes and changing activities and operations in any organization Wellard Rural Exports Pty Ltd capitalises on sale and production of sheep and goat products in local and global market. However, despite its popularity in Australian local and global market, Wellard Rural Exports Pty Ltd was forced by modern technological developments and market complexity to introduce and institute various policies and changes that were aimed at advancing their short term and lon g-term productivity and profitability. In the last two decades, Wellard Rural Exports Pty Ltd has encountered consistent market competition from local and global competitors. To some extent, the increased markets competition and complexity have significantly affected its efficiency and productivity. To counter the ever-increasing challenges in local and global market, the company have instituted very effective internal and external operation and management changes and change intervention. Some of the changes instituted in Wellard Rural Exports Pty Ltd are aimed at holistically addressing emerging human process issues, structural and technological issues, strategic complications as well as human resource challenges. In an effort to ensure that the proposed changes are fully implemented and

Climate Condition of Last Deglaciation Research Paper

Climate Condition of Last Deglaciation - Research Paper Example Normally this kind of explosion is caused by turbulent forces which move tremendously in the water thus lifting large objects into the surface. It comes with a lot of particles which are thrown out of water over a great magnitude. When this happens, it results to huge sweep which fatally erodes the surface leaving behind scablands. The sweeping carried large animals like mammoths; this was evident as their vertebrate bones were found in deposits. It is still unclear whether human beings were subsequently affected because up to date, no human bone has been found in the deposits (Jeffrey, 2005). If they existed in the same habitat, chances are that they were also damaged by the flood. Although this era was frequented by multiple floods, they were not huge as the explosion which caused the scablands. There were big floods enough to do significant erosion with huge heaps of deposition; this is because for this activity to be carried out there has to be some very high force or threshold b ehind the activity. It still remains unclear whether there was a single flood or multiple floods that occurred or accumulated over the last 15,000 or so years. Scientists have given evidence about the formation of the Scablands as a result of the steep slides caused by waterfalls which create large gravel deposits resulting from splashes of water. When the rivers overflowed, they piled huge land islands which can be evidently seen protruding on the landscapes of the scablands. These show that, the streamlined features must have been carved by massive water torrents from the falls (Officer, 1994). This scientific evidence builds on the Megafloods which were the initial cause for the formation of the Scablands. The waterfalls acted as the major drainage of the glacial lake which later resulted to the Megafloods. How scientific evidence is used to reconstruct the Last Deglaciation Conditions The scientific evidences have been very instrumental in reconstruction the last deglaciation because, they give predictions as to what might happen based on the past experience. Using the weather patterns, climatic conditions of the past thousands years ca n be studied and subsequently predictions

Improvement in advertising, enhances consumer culture of society Essay

Improvement in advertising, enhances consumer culture of society - Essay Example One such advert is the ‘Impossible Field’ by Adidas that featured English football icon in striking David Beckham as well as other Adidas top list players, playing football on a steel girders field. They play against the odds of darkness and height, showing the balanced properties entrenched in the Adidas Predator soccer boots that were newly released in the market. It becomes apparent that the girders refer to a football field’s raised lines. One by one red dressed players courtesy of the athletic capacity and superior ball skills of the Adidas team are knocked off the girders. Eventually the ball is kicked with a high force into the goal that the goalie gets knocked back into his net (Maryon, 1). The entire goal falls back into what can be described well as nothingness, hence the tagline of â€Å"Impossible is Nothing†. It leaves a lot of imagination as to the influence this had on the marketability and consumption of the Adidas products. The best possibl e results expected and realized in the strongest business terms possible. At this point, it can be appreciated that of all the weapons of marketing, advertising affects most the minds of the viewers because its exposure is considered much more. This is better understood by defining advertising as a way of communicating for convincing an audience to take purchase decision concerning a product or service as well as delivering information to viewers. In a study that examined effective advertising and the related influence on the buying behavior of consumers, there was found a moderate relationship amid independent variables (emotional response and environmental response) and dependent variable (consumer buying behavior). This finding indicated that consumers purchase brands according to their emotional attachment (Niazi, Javaria and Shah, 114). In essence television advert combines audio, visual and text form that appeals to a consumer. This demonstrates the power that advertising hold s especially concerning the decision of consumers to purchase a product or service. It can therefore, be argued that advertising greatly influences the marketability of a product or service in this dispensation of diverse products, superior quality and high innovativeness across various industries. Consistent with the findings above a study focusing on advertising and its connection with consumer behavior with special reference to nestle limited highlights the power of advertising and consumer. From the outset marketing offers a key to gain real access just to those brands that match best to the present environment i.e. â€Å"imperative† that can be delivered the people’s needs and they are eagerly waiting to make a purchase at the appropriate time without any dilly dallying (Kumar, Gangal and Singh, 112). It was found that consumers are greatly influenced via advertising in their preference as concerns the brand. This preference is mainly due to the brand’s ric h quality and attractive advertising policy. In that regard TV advertisements of the brand influence the consumers’ buying most. The brand’s language and creative presentation of TV advertisements are successful to convey Emotion, Message, Value system concerning the product (Ayanwale, Alimi and Ayanbimipe, 9). In a nutshell advertisement has an effect on the consumers’ buying behavior. Thus, companies benefit from advertisement campaigns not only in terms of retaining their

E-commerce Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

E-commerce - Research Paper Example In Consumer-to-Business commerce, consumers publicize products or services and suppliers provide services to them (Magal, 2012). Finally, Consumer-to-Consumer commerce allows an individual to sell services or goods to other individuals over the internet. Levels of the internet economy comprise of internet infrastructure layer, application infrastructure layer, intermediary marker layer, as well as internet commerce layer, (Kamis, 2011). The internet infrastructure layer comprises of companies that offer services for creating an IP based network and a prerequisite for E-commerce. The internet application layer builds upon the internet infrastructure layer and makes technology viable to carry out business proceedings online. Internet intermediary layer increases the efficiency of E-markets through facilitating the interaction of sellers and buyers online (Magal, 2012). Finally, the internet commerce level includes the sales of goods over the internet through websites such as E-bay or Amazon among others. Also, internet economy has created various businesses such as website developers and Server manufactures in order to run businesses online (Kamis, 2011). Unlike the brick and mortar stores that require a wide variety of staff, e-commerce businesses do not need a bid staff (Kamis, 2011). Hence, the cost of running an e-commerce business is minimal. Also, brick and store businesses have to run only in a certain location, unlike e-commerce businesses. E-commerce businesses do not have to locate a location in order to run their business. They just need to have a website and everything follows. Even though, setting up a website requires funds, setting up a brick and mortar store requires more funds than an e-commerce

An overview of YouTube Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

An overview of YouTube - Essay Example An overview of YouTube â€Å"YouTube was founded by three former PayPal employees, who, witnessing the boom of online grassroots video, realized the need for a decent service that made the process of uploading, watching and sharing videos hassle-free† (Yadav). It was on February 15, 2005 that they registered the domain YouTube. In the initial periods YouTube came out with many contests in order to publicize the domain. The major target of YouTube was teenagers and college students. They offered attractive gifts for the winners of the contest. This created more traffic in the website. A person can watch the videos in YouTube even without registering. But if he intends to upload a video into YouTube, he should at first create an account with it. Both signing up process and uploading video are made simpler than what was during the initial stages. YouTube uses Adobe flash technology for enabling the videos to be watched on the internet. YouTube and Web 2.0: Web 2.0 is referred to as the network of websites that are used regularly by ordinary users. The ordinary users of the web are referred to the students, hobbyists, diarists etc. The ordinary users express themselves through their avatar in various social networking sites and blogs. â€Å"You can visualize Web 2.0 as a set of principles and practices that tie together a veritable solar system of sites that demonstrate some or all of those principles, at a varying distance from that core† (Tim). Thus they look for an opportunity to express them through internet.

Racism in basketball between china and USA Research Paper

Racism in basketball between china and USA - Research Paper Example In 2011, the United States Vice President Joe Biden made a  trip to Beijing China, and on the second day of his visit, there was a friendly basketball match. That was between the United States Georgetown Hoyas team and China’s Army-affiliated Bayi Rockets team. However, the basketball match did not turn out to be so much friendly eventually because each of the teams began engaging in hostile pushing and yelling. It persisted until one Chinese basketball player hurt in the abdomen shouted racist and offensive remarks at the Georgetown Hoyas coach, which made an eruption of both sides rising from their benches and crowding the basketball court.  The scuffle rapidly evolved into a very rough brawl between the United States and Chinese players. The chaotic fracas lasted for a few minutes while the referees watched on, and the basketball players stomped on each other and threw chairs towards one another. In addition to this, the audience tossed full water bottles and other wast e at the basketball court to add salt to the injury. Eventually, the Georgetown Hoyas’ coach called off his team from the basketball court, and the match was ruled a tie between the two teams (Stone, 2011). Reactions to the skirmish among the Chinese people were torn between humiliation and conceit because of racism. To a majority of the Chinese people, the incident tarnished the ambiance of hospitality that China had been trying to exhibit while the United States Vice President was in the country. It was indeed embarrassing to the Chinese people and a major loss of face for them. Several people who watched the scuffle between China and the United States called the Chinese players hooligans with poor basketball techniques, and even poorer character. However, some people applauded the Chinese players’ belligerence as bravery toppled with statements of racism. It involved the people saying that

Reporting Practices and Ethics Essay Example for Free

Reporting Practices and Ethics Essay Financial practices and ethics can play an important part of any organization including the health care environment. In order for the health care organization to be successful one must adopt an efficient financial practice and possess ethical standards. The management of finances for a health care organization may be a challenge for managers. This is why the health care manager will follow four basic elements for financial management. The basic elements include planning, controlling, organizing and directing, and decision making (Baker Baker, 2011). Health Care Organizations have accounting principles generally acceptable and will comply with the financial practice and the practice of ethics to avoid fraud or abuse of the reporting practices. Elements of Financial Management Financial management has four basic elements, which assist the manager in making effective decisions for the health care organization. The first element of financial management is planning. The financial manager needs to identify the steps that he or she needs to take to accomplish the goals of the organization. However, first the manager must determine what the goal is for the organization and at that time determine what steps to follow to achieve the goal. The next element is controlling; a plan is in place that each area of the organization must follow. The financial manager must ensure that the areas are following such plans. The staff can view the current reports and make a comparison with reports from the past. In comparing previous and current reports the financial manager can see if an area in the organization needs more attention because the area may not be meeting its goals. The third element is organizing and directing. In organizing the financial manager must decide on what resources are best to use to be more effective. The manager must also determine how to use those resources effectively to reach the goal of the organization. In directing, the manager must provide supervision daily to run the organizing element efficiently. The final element is decision making. The manager must make decisions with the alternatives available such as information in the reports. Decision making should be side-by-side with planning, controlling, and organizing. When making a decision the manager must analyze and evaluate the information to make effective decisions (Baker Baker, 2011). Acceptable Accounting Principles Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) provides guidelines to the company’s financial manager. The guidelines will cover the principles of accounting and practices. The generally accepted accounting principles guideline, guides the financial manager in the reporting and recording the financial information. For example, the financial manager will use the guidelines when preparing the financial statements such as the balance sheet. One health care organizations practice for releasing financial information will perform a practice of reconciliation in accounting. One organization reviews the balance sheets and makes them compatible as one. The next step is to determine the classification of each balance sheet such as high risk or low risk. The final step is the organization must decide a reporting schedule such as monthly or yearly. In knowing and understanding the documents and how to analyze the information this prevents an auditor from finding misstatements (Cox, Draa, 2008). Standard Financial Ethics Making an ethical decision is a requirement of health care managers. One must ensure the meeting of needs of individuals within the organization. Principles of ethics include fairness, justice, and professionalism. The organization possesses a code of ethics when interpreting the organizations transactions such as losses or assets. The Health Care Portability and Accountability Act help reduce abuse and fraud concerning finances whether it is deliberate or unintentional. Fraud and abuse is increasing because of the increase in the delivery of health care. Organizations take better actions in working toward the reduction of fraud and abuse. One way to do this is to develop a compliance program, which a financial manager will play a key role. Compliance programs allow a proper practice on reporting the financials, and comply with the ethical conduct standard by avoiding fraud and abuse (Hern, n.d. ). Conclusion For an organization to be successful it needs to ensure the following of the financial reporting practices and maintain a standard of conduct ethically. The organization should follow the basic elements of financial management. When an organization follows the steps in the correct order there is less of a chance the organization will receive an audit. As long as the organization follows the generally accepted accounting principles there is less chance of an audit, and less of a chance of fraud or abuse when reporting the finances. References. Baker, J. Baker, R. (2011). Health care finance: Basic tools for nonfinancial managers (3rd ed. ). Sudbury, MA: Jones Bartlett Publishers Cox, B. , Draa, M. (2008). Back to basics with account reconciliations. Business Finance, 14(6), 38-38. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/211076250? accountid=35812 Hern, W. (n. d. ). Corporate compliance is a necessity, not an option – healthcare financial managers’ role in helping their organizations prevent financial fraud. Retrieved from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m3257/is_n1_v51/ai_19146070.

Advertising Influences Purchasing Decisions Of Students Marketing Essay

Advertising Influences Purchasing Decisions Of Students Marketing Essay Total 2010 UK advertising expenditure amounted to 14.5 billion. Of this, more than 80 per cent was spent on display advertising in the press, broadcast, print and outdoor media. (Source: The Advertising Association) Under the current circumstances, advertising represents one of the major sectors in the economy with millions of workers worldwide. The efficiency of functioning of the economy in general, to a considerable degree, depends on that sector. Advertising accompanies competition between companies and is an essential attribute of the market economy. 1.2 Background Companies need to understand consumer behaviour in order to find the best way on how to shift demand of products in their favour. When companies are able to discover the reasons why consumers make particular purchasing decisions, they can adapt their marketing efforts to better suit the needs of the consumers. Understanding consumer behaviour may result in increased sales and improved profit performance of the organization. Classical microeconomic theories of consumer behaviour have focused on the principles of rational consumer behaviour, which suggests that consumers choice is primarily a matter of personal preferences, whereas utility theory of consumer behaviour maintains that consumer choices reflect their attempt to secure maximum usefulness from their financial resources. Citation! While classical theories still apply in contemporary western societies, the role of mass media, internet and various aspect of modern culture may have fundamentally changed many elements in the understanding of consumer behaviour. Also marketing opportunities available in the digital information age have altered the way how consumer choice is being shaped and used for profit. Advertising is perhaps the first thing that people think about when considering marketing. Companies must do more than make good products they must inform consumers about product benefits and carefully position products in consumers minds. To do this, they must skilfully use the mass-promotion tools of advertising. Advertising strategy consists of two major elements: creating advertising messages and selecting advertising media. Media planners consider many factors when making their media choices. The media habits of target consumers will affect media choice advertisers look for media that reach target consumers effectively. Target audiences are set to focus on different groups: adults, teens, pre-schoolers and other groups. It is essential to become familiar the target market, their habits, behaviours and attitude to advertising in general. It is known that student youth is less conservative in their views and decisions, comparing to others age and social groups. 1.3 Research Aims and Rationale Based on the above information, the main aim of the research is to investigate the extent to which the purchasing decisions of students in the UK are influenced by the advertisement campaigns. During the preparation of the current research paper a questionnaire was carried out among Queen Marys students, which aimed to study their attitude to advertising. Survey sample covered opinions of 20 young people between the ages of 21-24, that is students in their last years of studies. The survey had a probing character and could not represent the aggregate of the student youth population or even more general adult audience with statistical precision. However it offers a clear representation of dominating tendencies in preferences and opinions of the chosen audience, which is the main aim of mass advertising. 1.4 Outline of the Project The second chapter of this project will review the literature, and will focus on the importance of choosing an advertising media. Chapter 3 will introduce research method and procedures. Reasons for specific questions will be considered. Chapter 4 will report and analyse the results of the conducted survey. Finally a conclusion will be made in Chapter 5. It will also include recommendations for further research. Chapter 2: Literature review Advertising is an important means by which economic enterprises communicate with both their current and potential customers. It is often said that to be effective an advertisement must be read, understood, believed, remembered and acted upon (Adcock, Halborg, Ross, 2001) There are five principal ways in which a company can communicate with its markets: Media advertising (commercial television and radio, the press, posters, cinema and direct mail/internet) Public relations activities Selling Merchandising Packaging (Chisnal, 2001) These promotional activities are at the heart of effective marketing strategies. According to Adcock, Halborg, Ross, (2001) advertising strategy consists of two major elements: creating advertising messages and selecting advertising media. The major steps in media selection are: deciding on reach, frequency and impact; choosing among major media types; selecting specific media vehicles; and deciding on media timing. Media planners consider many factors when making their media choices. The media habits of target consumers will affect media choice advertisers look for media that reach target consumers effectively (Kotler, Armstrong, 1997). For example fashions are best advertised in colour magazines while daily newspapers are a first consideration in advertising real estate. Therefore different types of messages may require different media. The major media types are newspapers, television, radio, magazines, outdoor and the Internet. It is important to list advantages and limitations of these mediums, as they will prove to be guidelines in the interpretation of the observed results. For example, newspapers appeal for their timeliness and high believability. However, its audience is relatively small. On the other hand television has good mass market coverage and combines sight, sound and motion but it is quite expensive. Magazines are known for their credibility and prestige. Advantages of outdoor advertising are high repeat exposure and low cost, while lack of creativeness is its limitation (Adcock, Halborg, Ross, 2001). Advertising on the Internet is a growing market; commercials are very flexible and can be viewed anytime. Cost is another major factor in media choice. Whereas television is very expensive, for example, newspaper advertising costs much less. Setting the advertising budget is a complex task. Some critics claim that large consumer packaged-goods firms tend to spend too much on advertising. They claim that the large consumer companies use lots of image advertising without really knowing its effects. They overspend as a form of insurance against not spending enough. (Kotler, Armstrong, 1997) For a long time, television and magazines have dominated in the media mixes of advertisers with other media being neglected (Jobber, 1995). Recently, however, the costs of these media have gone up and audiences have dropped. Advertisers are now increasingly turning to alternative media, such as outdoor advertising or the Internet. The question that concerns companies remains the same: how much effect does advertising spending really has on consumer buying and branding royalty? In order to answer it media impact must be re-examined regularly. Chapter 3: Research Method and Procedure 3.1 Introduction The current research paper is concerned with determining an appropriate media type (medium) which better suits habits and preferences of the observed population. This chapter re Therefore the aim of this chapter is to review the research methods which were used in this project. It is necessary for a researcher to choose a suitable method for the problem. To get a full picture a blend of qualitative and quantative research analysis is recommended. This research will take the following procedure: define the research objectives, develop the research approach and examine the process. 3.2 Research Objectives. This research takes into consideration three main objectives. Firstly, it seeks to determine respondents attitudes to advertising in general. Secondly, it tries to identify students preferences among different types of media. The final objective of the survey is concerned with evaluating the impacts of advertisement campaigns on the purchasing decisions of students in the UK. Research sample Since the population all International Students in London is too big, the sample, that is going to be extracted from the population, are twenty Queen Mary University students doing Pre-Masters foundation Program in 2010-11. The sample technique that is going to be used is a simple random sampling or just random sampling. This method assumes that each unit has exactly the same chance to be selected and used in order to avoid any bias 3.3 Research Approach and Instruments. There are several methods of collecting data for a research. In the current paper the primary data was collected using questionnaires. This method has proved to be efficient way in getting both quantative and qualitative data. The questionnaire (Appendix 1) incorporated both main types of questions which are commonly used in surveys: open-ended questions and closed questions. Open questions are interesting because of the spontaneity and individual flavour of the replies, but frequently it is difficult to compress free answers into a limited number of computer coding. Whereas open questions gave to the research depth and range of information, findings in closed questions provided the research with statistical evidence. 3.4 Process Interviewer was recording all answers verbatim because there is always a danger of interviewer bias through inaccurate recording. In order to make the sampling random, the survey will be conducted in place and at the time when it is highly possible to chose from relatively large number of students 3.4 Specific questions Question 1 and 2 determines Question 3 is marketing question Questions 4 and 5 attempts to Questions 6 to 8 looks at In giving an answer to the question 1: What is your attitude to advertising in general? respondents had a considerable freedom in phrasing an answer, which may be lengthy and detailed, and in his or her own words. In the question 3 respondents were able to choose from a range of possible answers. The simple follow up question invited to give a more detailed explanation on the subject. Questions 4 to 8 were closed type questions, which call strictly limited responses. The respondents were offered a choice of alternative replies from which he or she was expected to select an answer corresponding to his or her personal views on a particular subject. The research used simple binary questions requiring yes or no answer. 3.5 Summary The results of this process will appear and be analysed in the next chapter. Chapter 4: Results 4.1 Introduction This project sought to examine exposure to advertising media among students and find out to what extent advertising influences their purchasing decisions. To achieve the research projects aim and rationale, a questionnaire was utilized as stated in the previous chapter. The following section will present and analyse results (see Appendix 2) of this survey. 4.2 Findings. Part 1 As shown in Figure 1, the largest proportion of respondents prefers television, whereas magazines took the second place. The results also indicate that the Internet is the third most popular media, while newspaper and outdoor advertising share the fourth place. The percentages indicate the proportion of total votes students gave to a specific media. Respondents could make multiple choices in this question. From the qualitative data, the popularity of television was not a surprise as it combines sight, sound and motion. It was described by respondents as the most effective and the best medium for advertising. Its advantage lies in broad mass market coverage. It is believed that magazines appeal to students for their credibility and prestige; long life and good secondary readership (Adcock, Halborg and Ross, 2001). Students explained that it is good for fashion, and pictures of movie stars make it attractive. Outdoor media was described as the most creative and eye catching. It is interesting to note that on the contrary (Ibid) mentioned little creativity as a negative side of this type of media. Newspapers appeal for its timeliness and high believability (Ibid). It is noted that they are popular among respondents who spend a lot of time travelling. Internet advertising is a relatively new media type. However, the number of its admirers grows. It can be partly explained by the growing popularity of online shopping. Another advantage is that it has no time limitation and can be viewed day and night. However, respondents mentioned spam as its negative point. Radio came last, probably due to its disadvantages, being that it has fleeting exposure and encourages lack of concentration. 4.2 Finding. Part 2 The figure 2 below shows responses to questions 1-2 and 4-8. The bar chart clearly shows students opinions on specific subjects. The majority of students have a positive attitude to advertising and commonly cite its informative function. In other words it creates awareness of products. It is noted that some students see the artistic value in commercials. Advertising creates awareness, so it is no wonder that majority (65%) prefer advertised products over unadvertised (question 4). However, there is a strong opinion that quality products do not need advertising. There have been quite a few commercials that state that a product of their company is better than the competitors product. The results show that the vast majority of respondents do not believe those commercials. Therefore, might be a good idea for companies not to employ such advertising strategies. Slightly more than a half of respondent believe that commercials help them to make a better purchase. It is noted that consumers are better off when exposed to some information about the product before buying it. However 45% prefer to do their own research about the product. Answers to the question 7 clearly show the power of advertising. Eighty five per cent of students wanted to try something just because they saw it in a commercial. It is noted, that respondents were curious and wanted try a product to see whether it was as good as the commercial said it was. It is important to note that 70% of respondents sometimes sing songs from commercials. This may work as an indicator for companies that adding an appealing tune to a commercial can increase sales. 4.3 Summary The results have helped to reach the objectives of this research. This chapter has attempted to compare findings with description of Adcock, Halborg and Ross, (2001). Summary will appear in the next chapter. Chapter 5: Conclusion Introduction This chapter will summarize the findings of this research project, highlight some of the interesting results, offer practical implications, cite limitations of this project and give suggestions for further research. Summary of Findings and Interesting Findings The purpose of the current study was to identify an advertising media with the largest exposure and find out the effect it has on its target audience. Results were analysed in the previous chapter. Practical implications of this research were also considered. Identifying and understanding the target audience is important for companies who use advertising tools to promote their products. The evidence about students preferences among different media types may help companies to better allocate their advertising space. Results have shown that students have positive attitude towards advertising in general because it carries an informative function, creates awareness and helps them to make a better purchase. Some interesting results were found. For example, an advertising strategy, when a company positions their products as superior to a competitors products proved ineffective as only few students trusted such commercials. Companies may also consider adding appealing songs to their commercials. Limitations of the Research The current study was limited by the size of the sample and imbalance concerning the students country of origin. Since all of the respondents within this project were international students, the findings do not necessarily reflect the habits and opinions of all students. This is important since advertising campaigns usually target the values of the western societies and different cultures may have different attitudes towards advertising. Therefore, it would be important to conduct further research in this area of media influence and involve more respondents from western culture countries. Another limitation is that the questionnaire might have been more complete if it incorporated likelihood scales. Recommendations for further studies This research has raised many questions in need of investigation. The designed questions were not perfect so some other aspects may be needed to investigate what contributes to making a purchasing decision. Some factors examined in this research influence consumers but do not necessarily mean that they will make an actual purchase. For example, further research may investigate what advertising strategies such as verbal or visual elements appeal to consumers. Endnote This project has been concerned with advertisings influence on students purchasing decisions and the research indicates that choosing the correct advertising strategy is a crucial element in an effective marketing strategy. Bibliography Kotler Philip, Armstrong Gary Kotler Philip, Armstrong Gary, Saunders John, Wong Veronica Dennis Adcock, Al Halborg, Caroline Ross Principles and practise of marketing, Fourth edition published 2001. David Jobber, Principles and practice of marketing, 1995 Peter Chisnall, Marketing research, McGraw Hill, 2001 The Advertising Association. www.adassoc.org.uk

Compassion Fatigue Analysis Health And Social Care Essay

Compassion Fatigue Analysis Health And Social Care Essay Nowadays, natural disasters, warfare, violent crime, acts of terrorism, domestic violence and child abuse are circumstances that significantly impact life in modern society (Bush, 2009). These events necessitate professional counselors to effectively treat the trauma associated with these personal and societal crises. When counselor are therapeutically engaged with a child or adult who has been traumatized or encounter with the trauma survivor, he or she may be at risk to intrusive thoughts, avoidance, negative affect and impaired psychological functioning (Chrestman, 1995). Therefore, counselors are vulnerable to compassion fatigue. The concept of compassion fatigue emerged only in the last several years in the professional literature. It represents the cost of caring about and for traumatized people (Adams et al., 2006; Figley, 2002). 1.1 Definition of compassion fatigue Some authors identified compassion fatigue as a state in which a counselor lacks of emotional strength, exhaustion, experience languor, and loss of vitality and energy (Alkema, Linton, Davies, 2008). In other words, it may be understand as a sense of being tired of helping others and finding it difficult to act out of compassion. Additionally, some experts view compassion fatigue as a hazard associated primarily with mental health clinicians and with first responders to natural and human made disaster such as China earthquake and incident of 9/11 (Boscarino, Figley, Adams, 2004). Among the helping professions, genetic counselors clearly do witness much pain and suffering, and may fall prey to compassion fatigue (Udipi, Veach, Kao, LeRoy, 2008). According to Fidley (1993) as cited in Figley (2002), compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress (STS) can be define as the natural consequence behaviors and emotions resulting from knowing about a traumatizing event experienced by a significant other-the stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering person. As Figley (2002) pointed out, compassion fatigue is identical to secondary traumatic stress disorder (STSD) and is the equivalent of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Figley, 2002). Moreover, compassion fatigue is also recognized as secondary traumatization, secondary traumatic stress disorder, or vicarious traumatization within professional literature (Figley, 2002; Hofmann, 2009). 1.2 Historical Background of Compassion Fatigue The study of traumatic events and their subsequent impact on human beings has grown considerably over the past two decades. Since the early 1980s, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) (APPENDIX A) has recognized both acute and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) as identifiable mental health concerns (Alkema et al., 2002). Besides that, according to the notion stated in criterion A1 of the PTSD diagnosis, it clearly indicates that people can develop the symptoms of PTSD without actually being physically harmed or threatened with harm (Alkema et al., 2008; Figley, 2002). That is, people can be traumatized simply by learning about the traumatic event. However, according to a review of the traumatology literature, it come to a conclusion that nearly all of the hundreds of reports focusing on traumatized people exclude those who were traumatized indirectly or secondarily and only focus on those who were directly traumatized, that is, the victims (Craig S prang, 2010; Figley, 2002). As a result, after more than a decade of negligence of the indirect traumatized people, it is important to consider the least studied aspect of traumatized stress, which is secondary traumatic stress (STS) or later, compassion fatigue. The term compassion fatigue was used as far back as 1990, the news media in the United States used compassion fatigue to describe the publics lack of patience, or perhaps simply the editors lack of patience, with the homeless problem, which had previously been presented as an anomaly or even a crisis which had only existed for a short time and could presumably be solved somehow. Later on in 1992, Joinson first used the term in print, in discussing burnout among nurses who deal with hospital emergencies, counselor, emergency workers and other professionals who experience STS in the line of duty (Dominguez-Gomez Rutledge, 2009). That same year Jeffrey Kottler (1992), in his book, Compassionate Therapy, emphasize the importance of compassion in dealing with extremely difficult and resistant patients. Additionally, compassion fatigue has been studied by the field of traumatology, where it has been called the cost of caring for people facing emotional pain (Boscarino et al., 2004; Hofman n, 2009). Furthermore, one of the first earliest references in the scientific literature regarding this cost of caring comes from Carl G. Jung in The Psychology of Dementia Praecox. In this text, Jung discusses the challenges of countertransference the therapists conscious and unconscious reactions to the patient in the therapeutic situation. In his text, he pointed out that therapist can treat their patients with schizophrenia by participates in the delusional fantasies and hallucinations with the patient. Nevertheless, he warns that this participation in the patients darkly painful fantasy world of traumatic images has significant deleterious effects for the therapist; especially when the therapist has not resolved his/her own developmental and traumatic issues (Craig Sprang, 2010; Figley, 2002). 1.3 Statistic of compassion fatigue on counselors Throughout the years, the number of natural and technological disasters was on the rise, therefore, studies of the effects of disaster events on both the victims and the disaster responders increased (Boscarino, Adams, Figley, 2006; Bush, 2009). Many researchers focus on those professionals who provide therapy to victims of trauma such as trauma counselors, crisis workers, nurses and other caregivers who become victims themselves of secondary traumatic stress (STS) or compassion fatigue (Bourassa, 2009; Coetzee Klopper, 2010; Figley, 2002). Studies which focus on examine the psychological impacts of providing mental health counseling to the disasters victims had found out that counselors were psychologically affected by their work, whether or not they personally experienced the disaster (Martin et al., 2010). For instance, as Myers and Wee (2005) pointed out, nearly three-quarters (73.5%) of counselors were rated as being at risk of compassion fatigue, which include moderate risk (23.5%), high risk (29.4%), and extremely high risk (20.6%) in their study of the psychological impact on counselors who work with the trauma survivors of the Oklahoma City Bombing (Myers Wee, 2005) Furthermore, Meldrum et al. (2002) found that 27% of a sample of Australian mental health professions who worked with traumatized individuals reported extreme stress from this type of work (Meldrum, King, Spooner, 2002). In a research article that have been done by Arvay and Uhlemann (1996) using a sample of 161 trauma counselors in British Columbia, they found out that 24% of the counselors interviewed perceived life as stressful. Sixteen percent reported high levels of emotional exhaustion, 4% reported levels of depersonalization and 26% reported feeling ineffective at work in terms of professional accomplishment (Arvay Uhlemann, 1996). Fourteen percent of the sample reported traumatic stress levels similar to PTSD. In their article, Arvay and Uhlemann (1996) also pointed out that the impaired counselor was in his or her early 40s, held less than a masters degree and was more likely to work for an agency than in a private setting. Additionally, Sprang et al. (2007) also found out that young female with higher educational degree and less experience in clinical settings predicted elevated levels compassion fatigue in the studys sample of 1,121 mental health providers (Sprang, Clark, Whitt-Woosley, 2007). 1.4 Causes of compassion fatigue According to Figley (2002), compassion fatigue occurs when one is exposed to extreme events directly experienced by another and becomes overwhelmed by this secondary exposure to trauma. Thus, counselors who always listen to reports of trauma, horror, human cruelty and extreme loss of their clients are at high risk of experience compassion fatigue. In effective counseling, controlled reactivation of the traumatic memories is promoted by many interventions or forms of psychotherapy due to in the prevailing opinion among psychotherapists; working through the traumatic events is beneficial to the client (Craig Sprang, 2010; Kinzel Nanson, 2000). For instance, in behavior therapy, clients are asked to confront with stimuli relating to the traumatic events through returning to a crime scene (in vivo) or imagining the events of the crime (in sensu) (Craig Sprang, 2010). However, psychotherapy work with torture victims is potentially harmful to the therapist and can lead to compassion fatigue although working through the traumatic events experienced by a sufferer of PTSD seems to be beneficial to the client. Undeniably, empathy allows counselors to relate to others in their care and to have a sense of what their clients are feeling. Moreover, it also helps the counselors to put the clients experiences into perspective and understanding how the clients are being affected by the incidents which the counselors are trying to mediate (Meadors et al., 2009). In brief, in an effective counseling, empathy understanding is necessary. Besides that, counselors, by the very nature of their work, are called on to be compassionate toward their clients on a daily basis (Meadors et al., 2009; Pickett, Brennan, Greenberg, Licht, Worrell, 1994). However, the more compassionate and empathetic a counselor is toward the suffering of the traumatized person, the more vulnerable that counselor is to compassion fatigue. It is due to compassion fatigue is based on the idea of a syndrome resulting specifically from empathizing with people who are experiencing pain and suffering; counselor can become overwhelmed a nd may begin to experience feelings of fear, pain and suffering similar to that of their clients (Figley, 2002; Meadors et al., 2009). As Alkema et al. (2008) pointed out, the common situations of counselor that can lead to compassion fatigue include 1) listening to stories of child abuse; 2) working with suicidal ideation, 3) interacting with the terminally ill; 4) responding with humanitarian aid in situations like disaster, poverty, or war; 5) caring for families with an injured or dying child; 6) providing support for survivors of rape; and 7) providing services for bereaved families. It is important to note that the sense of being overwhelmed or vulnerability to compassion fatigue is subjective, meaning that what overwhelms one counselor, may not necessarily overwhelm another. Additionally, even one story that overwhelms the counselors ability to make sense of the event, can lead to compassion fatigue symptoms (Alkema et al., 2008; Bush, 2009). Therefore, it is essential for the counselor to recognize compassion fatigue symptoms in themselves and their coworkers in turn to provide any emergency aid if needed. 1.5 Symptoms of compassion fatigue The symptoms of compassion fatigue vary in intensity depending on counselor characteristics and the characteristics of the client population. The resulting symptoms of compassion fatigue typically have an acute onset and are usually associated with a particular event (Stamm, 2005). Symptoms may include: being afraid, having intrusive images enter the persons attention, having trouble sleeping, or avoiding situations that remind the individual of the event (Tehrani, 2010). Moreover, compassion fatigue can have negative impact on spiritual development of counselor due to in some cases, counselor are psychologically bombarded by the traumatic recollections, emotional suffering, and psychological pain brought by their clients into session. A counselor might begin doubting his/her values, might express anger or bitterness toward God, and begin withdrawing from fellowship (Udipi et al., 2008). Furthermore, the range of counselor behaviors indicating compassion fatigue can include spending less time with clients, being late and absent from work, making professional errors, being hypercritical of others, making sarcastic and cynical comments about clients and the organization, abusing chemicals, and keeping poor records (Stewart, 2009; Tehrani, 2010). In addition, compassion fatigue also can manifest as physical symptoms such as rapid pulse, sleep disturbance, fatigue, reduced resistance to infection, weakness and dizziness, memory problems, weight change, ga strointestinal complaints, hypertension, and head-aches, backaches, or muscle aches (Meadors et al., 2009) According to Stewart (2009), for people exposed to primary stressors (i.e., client) and for those exposed to secondary stressors, there is a fundamental difference between the pattern of response during and following the traumatic event. Researches indicate the symptoms of secondary traumatic stress disorder (STSD) or compassion fatigue is nearly identical to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), except that PTSD symptoms are directly connected to the sufferer (e.g., client), yet STSD symptoms is associated with a exposure to knowledge about traumatizing event experienced by the people who care (e.g., counselor). Moreover, as Fidley (2002) pointed out, symptoms of compassion fatigue can be divided into categories of intrusive, avoidance, and arousal symptoms. Table 1: Compassion fatigue symptoms Intrusive Symptoms Thoughts and images associated with clients traumatic experiences Obsessive and compulsive desire to help certain clients Client/work issues encroaching upon personal time Inability to let go of work-related matters Perception of survivors as fragile and needing the assistance of the caregiver Thoughts and feelings of inadequacy as a caregiver Sense of entitlement or specialness Perception of the world in terms of victims and perpetrators Personal activities interrupted by work-related issues Avoidance Symptoms Silencing Response (avoiding hearing/witnessing clients traumatic material) Loss of enjoyment in activities/cessation of self-care activities Loss of energy Loss of hope/sense of dread working with certain clients Loss of sense of competence/potency Isolation Secretive self-medication/addiction (alcohol, drugs, work, sex, food, spending, etc.) Relational dysfunction Arousal Symptoms Increased anxiety Impulsivity/reactivity Increased perception of demand/threat (in both job and environment) Increased frustration/anger Sleep disturbance Difficulty concentrating Change in weight/appetite Somatic symptoms 1.6 Measuring compassion fatigue It is essential to assess for compassion fatigue symptoms in the caregiver especially for counselors who work with those traumatized clients (Hofmann, 2009; Stamm, 2005) Thus, certain reliable instrument is needed to use to measure the degree of compassion fatigue in counselors. It is mainly due to through the scoring of the instrument, it can give the counselor valuable feedback or insight of their vulnerability level to compassion fatigue (Adams et al., 2008; Stamm, 2005). Besides that, an examination of the history of the counselor is also a critical step in treating compassion fatigue as researchers have found that a personal history of a traumatic experience can contribute to the experience of compassion fatigue (Adams, Figley, Boscarino, 2008). Thus, compassion fatigue counselors can assist their co-workers to examine the role that their previous traumatic material has on making them vulnerable to the experience of compassion fatigue. For instance, the Professional Quality of Life Scale: Compassion Satisfaction and Subscales (ProQOL) have been widely used in assessing secondary/vicarious trauma (Bride, Radey, Figley, 2007). Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) ProQOL is a 30 item self-report measure to assess the dimensions compassion satisfaction, burn-out and compassion fatigue (APPENDIX A). The compassion satisfaction dimension (CS) measures pleasure derived from being able to do the daily work well where higher scores on this scale represent a greater satisfaction related to ones ability to be an effective caregiver. Besides that, the burnout dimension (BO) in this scale is associated with feelings of hopelessness and difficulties in dealing with work. Higher scores are related to higher risk for burnout. Moreover, the compassion fatigue dimension (CF) relates to work-related secondary exposure to extremely stressful events. High scores indicate that ones are exposed to frightening experiences at work. The alpha reliabilities for the scales are 1) Compassion Satisfaction alpha = .87, 2) Burnout alpha = .72 and 3) Compassion Fatigue alpha = .80. Additionally, the construct validity upon which the test is based is well established with over 200 articles noted in the peer-review literature. Using the multi-trait multi-method mode for convergent and discriminant validity the scales on the ProQOL do, in fact, measure different constructs (Adams et al., 2008; Bride et al., 2007). 1.7 Consequences of compassion fatigue Researches have indicated for those counselors who have the greatest capacity for feeling and expressing empathy are at the greatest risk from experiencing secondary traumatic stress or compassion fatigue (Alkema et al., 2008). Furthermore, it has been recognized that counselors suffering from compassion fatigue may be engaged in impaired or unethical practice. Those counselors may become worried with their patients/clients and exhibit signs and symptoms that are not beneficial to optimal patient/client care. It can negatively affect the ability to provide services and maintain personal and professional relationships (Craig Sprang, 2010). When a counselor is suffering from compassion fatigue, he or shes ability to listen with empathy becomes compromised, the counselor may unconsciously avoid the traumatic material brought by the client in an effort to maintain the integrity of the counselors world view (Alkema et al., 2008; Bride et al., 2007). For instance, the counselor will tend to remain silent when he or she is unable to attend to the clients traumatic material. Instead, the counselor will redirects the conversation to less disturbing material that is more pleasant to them (Alkema et al., 2008). Moreover, as Adam et al. (2006) pointed out, counselors who are suffering from compassion fatigue may hurt their clients by placing their own needs above the needs of the clients. They may tend to avoid the discussion of the traumatic content as a means of protecting themselves from further exposure. According to Bride et al. (2006), avoidance of clients traumatic issue in counseling comprise a degree of unethical practice as it further isolates the client in his or her psychological pain and suffering. As a result, the counseling alliance may be damage and will lead to further suffering for the client and puts the counselor itself at risk for injuring other clients. Besides that, it is important to note that counselor with compassion fatigue is more likely to develop a sense of isolation, exhaustion and professional dissatisfaction. Therefore, compassion fatigue has the potential to rob the professional of his or her sense of well-being if left unaddressed (Alkema et al., 2008; Crai g Sprang, 2010; Figley, 2002). PREVENTIONS AND INTERVENTIONS After years of clinical practice, counselors are being confronted with tragedies of life and depression (Hofmann, 2009). Therefore, they are at high risk of accumulated pain and sadness. Thus, if without an appropriate way or the time to have positive experiences, it will increase the risk of compassion fatigue and distancing (Kinzel Nanson, 2000; Newsom, 2010). For that reason, the need for some kind of structured prevention, support, and strengthening processes is necessary in order to help the counselor to deal with indirect traumatization. Among the intervention methods, debriefing sessions are a good way to help a counselor with compassion fatigue decompress and normalize what they are experiencing (Kinzel Nanson, 2000; Pickett et al., 1994). During debriefing session, traumatic incident is discussed in a structured group meeting. Through debriefing, it can help the counselor to address the immediate psychological impact that he or she experienced from the client. Thus, through discussing and seeking assistance from other colleagues and caregivers who have had experience with trauma and have remained healthy and hopeful, it can assist the counselor to alleviate the traumatic symptoms (Pickett et al., 1994). In addition, the importance of regular professional supervision, before and after traumatic events, has been identified as essential, as is continuing education and training (Kinzel Nanson, 2000; Meadors et al., 2009). It is due to for the purpose to promote long-term coping with the consequences of the traumatic events, continuity of the supervision and training program is necessary. Moreover, the aim of supervision is to explore and reduce the impact of the painful client material on the counselors thinking and emotions. In the United Kingdom, personal supervision is a professional requirement for counselors and it may be provided by a clinical supervisor, manager, or peer (Kinzel Nanson, 2000). According to pre-existing studies, it had been recognized that self-hypnosis have beneficial effects on immune control, enhanced mood and well-being (Martin et al., 2010; Mottern, 2010; Ruysschaert, 2003). Besides that, clinical experience with clients and therapists reports also indicated that ones can recovering and lowering their overall level of stress through self-hypnosis (Martin et al., 2010). Therefore, self-hypnosis is an effective tool to help counselor in preventing compassion fatigue or in promoting compassion satisfaction. In stress management, counselors ability to let go do play a very important role in stress-resistance or resilience. Figley (1995) also sees let-it-go as an important aspect in the reduction of compassionate stress. Therefore, in effective counseling, it is important for the counselor to find ways to create some distance from the emotional pain that they experienced from their clients. According to Morttern (2010), practicing self-hypnosis in a regular basis is important step in promoting self-awareness and temporarily distancing oneself from the outside world. For instance, it is possible for the counselor who suffered from compassion fatigue letting go of intrusions and thoughts indirectly by imagining thoughts as clouds, coming and going, and just noticing what happens (Mottern, 2010). Furthermore, counselors have to increase their own self awareness and live a healthy, balanced lifestyle in order decreases their vulnerability from compassion fatigue (Figley, 2002; Prati Pietrantoni, 2009). For instance, counselors can increase their self awareness by knowing their own triggers and vulnerable areas and learn to defuse them or avoid them (Bride et al., 2007). Besides that, counselors have to realize that normal responses to abnormal situations is true for helpers as well as victims. Thus, they should allow themselves to grieve when bad things happen to others (Figley, 2002). Moreover, it is essential for the counselors to set boundaries for themselves by develop realistic expectations about the rewards as well as the limitations of helping (Prati Pietrantoni, 2009). In brief, they have to become aware of any irrational beliefs that impair their well being throughout the helping process. Last but not least, diversions and recreation that allow the counselor to take mini-escapes from the intensity of their work is absolutely essential to avoid from compassion fatigue (Alkema et al., 2008). Researches indicate that those that have the ability to turn their thoughts about work off are more resilient throughout their career (Alkema et al., 2008; Figley, 2002). For instance, counselors can express their feelings through writing in a journal, music or art. CONCLUSION Counselors enroll themselves in the helping profession because they want to assist other in need. Yet, counselors can become so overwhelmed by the exposure to the feelings and experiences of their clients and leave them vulnerable for compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue, if left untreated, can spark a deterioration of personality and generate a decline in general health of the counselors. Thus, it is of vital importance to treat the helpers or counselors with compassion fatigue so that it do not reach a absurd situation where clients/victims are treated and helped, but those who help them experience such burnout that they can no longer function as mental health care providers or even continue their own life patterns as usual. Therefore, counselors and every mental health professionals must note and address the prevention steps in order to prevent compassion fatigue. In brief, compassion fatigue is a serious problem among members of the helping professions, but counselors will be a ble to get through it by acknowledging it, and staying connected to the good in their own life.

ancient mid-east history Essay -- essays research papers

History, or at least the study thereof, as shown by class, is divided into three specific categories: remembered, recovered and invented--each having their own benefits and downfalls. The main purpose of studying history is to gather information about the past; to see the cause and effects of different situations; to see how this information can be applied to our lives, to understand why and how and others think in certain ways; and thus eventually lead to a better appreciation different peoples—one way or another. It is also inprotant to realize that history is not just about ‘what-really-happened-in-the-past’, but is a complex intersection of truth, bias and hopes. Realizing that the major importance of history is rooted upon ideas or principles and not facts, dates or names, this course was designed not to address the material as the history of X region from X date to X date, but rather in an order and a manner that the student (in this case, me) could retain the most valuable ideas possible and learn them in a fashion most aptly suited to the students understanding of certain ideas and principles. I also realize the importance of the ideas and processes of history over the actual facts, names or dates within our study. Thus, in composing this capstone, I will attempt to use specific examples of course-material to exemplify what I thought was the main theme (themes) of the class, rather than attempting to go section by section and enumerate the material within. After all, I already have print copies of all of the course notes; if I wanted to go back and look at the any of the material covered, I can use those (note to my long-off-as-of-yet-self); therefore, it would be pointless for me to attempt restate all that was learned in all of the courses sections. With that stated, let us first look at one of the first cases of history as a science to see an exaple of the first type of history, remembered. Because he is one of the first men that we have found to attempt to record the past, we say that Herodotus is the â€Å"Father of History.† Herodotus’s works, â€Å"The Histories†, which are of form of both a remembered and invented are a record of primarily two things: the Persian Wars, and the Greeks’ double defeat of the mighty forces led against Greece by the Persian kings Darius and Xerxes. Just as any good entertaining story would, the histories are full of gos... ... Schliemann liars, because we do not trace our own personal values back to them—if they are found discreditable, that does not mean that anything that we believe in, or even ourselves, is threatened. However, put something that we cherish, for example the Christian Church, into the spotlight, and we quickly become very defensive and uncomfortable. Perhaps this says something about human nature, and more so, possibly says something about how our view of history could become perverted. Thus we see that history is much more than the study of â€Å"Dead White European Males†; it involves men and women from many different cultures, of many different lifestyles, the study of other related subjects such as language, writing and religion, it even at times requires one to be an expert on ceramics (as is the case of Denise Schmandt-Besserat's theory on the origins of cuneiform). The course has also provided invaluable information that has revealed the common background shared by some of the most dramatically contrasting civilizations of today. It is now up to the individual to use what he or she has learned from this class to better current society, and as an aid to comprehending other matters.

Baldwins Notes to a Native Son Essay -- James Baldwin

â€Å"If the relationship of father to son could really be reduced to biology, the whole earth would blaze with the glory of fathers and sons.† This quotation by James Arthur Baldwin helps to bring about one of the main points of his essay, â€Å"Notes of a Native Son.† Baldwin’s composition was published in 1955, and based mostly around the World War II era. This essay was written about a decade after his father’s death, and it reflected back on his relationship with his father. At points in the essay, Baldwin expressed hatred, love, contempt, and pride for his father, and Baldwin broke down this truly complex relationship in his analysis. In order to do this, he wrote the essay as if he were in the past, still with his father, but reflecting on the events of the era, both private and public, from his point of view. He partially accomplished this since he experienced events of the era first hand, showing that only an African American cou ld have written the essay as he did. James Baldwin throughout the essay hovered from his own personal life to the world around him and his father. Baldwin weaves between narration and analysis in order to show that his own experiences dealing with the public world and his private world were similar to many other Americans at that time. Evidence of Baldwin’s ability to connect public events to his personal life appeared right away in the very first paragraph of the essay. Baldwin changed from story of his father’s death, a private event, to the Detroit and Harlem riots of the civil rights movement, a public event. He linked the two together through the death of his father and, â€Å"One of the bloodiest race riots of the century† (63). Baldwin immediately started to analy... ... what occurred privately and in the rest of the United States. Baldwin put his own personal thoughts and reflections into what happened in his life and the lives of everyone else like him. Baldwin himself, being African American, was another one of the reasons he was able to pull off these transitions. He related his own personal stories of what took place in his life during the troubled times of the civil rights movement to the rest of the general public. The stories Baldwin had of his father correlated to the events African Americans faced in the same time period. All these things combined allowed Baldwin to transition between narrative and analysis keeping the reader on edge and attentive. Works Cited Baldwin, James. â€Å"Notes of a Native Son.† 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84.

Should Marijuana be Legalized? Essay -- Papers Weed Drugs Legalization

Should Marijuana be Legalized? Every 54 seconds, someone in the country is arrested for smoking marijuana. While some see this as a sign of the epidemic proportions of marijuana use in this country and as support for a continued crackdown; others argue that pot arrests are a waste of time and money, and a sign that it’s -- forgive the pun -- high time to legalize marijuana. What do you think: should lighting up a joint, join, beer drinking and puffing tobacco as an inalienable American rights? Supporters of legalized marijuana argue that it should be legalized to protect the greater social good, to prevent government hypocrisy towards recreational drug use, and to protect individual rights of choice. By defining all marijuana use as criminal, they argue, we are clogging courts and already-overburdened prisons, wasting police resources, and needlessly destroying the lives and jobs of otherwise model citizens. By legalizing marijuana, we would not only avoid these problems, we would also be drying up the money that goes to organized crime and drug smugglers through the marijuana market. The government would be able to regulate marijuana, preventing more dangerous substances from being combined with it. The economic benefits of legalization of marijuana would also be substantial. Not only would the government receive revenue from marijuana taxation, farmers would also be able to grow hemp, which was an important source of fiber for rope, cloth, and paper in the United States until sixty years ago. Marijuana, AKA: pot, dope, grass, weed, Mary Jane, reefer, ganja, kaya, and doobie, an illegal drug, is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. It can be eaten in c... ...ects timing, movements, and coordination. Also, according to a study conducted by Reitbrock and Harder, using pot can affect thinking and judgment, which can mean users may do things they wouldn’t do with a clear head. This can mean unsafe sex or other risky behaviors. We can debate this issue all day long. I don’t feel America is ready to legalize marijuana at this time. Give it some time and some extensive comprehensive studies, and then, maybe, just maybe there could be a place in the medical field for this herb, if it is administrated in a controlled environment. Resources American Council for Drug Education 164 West 74th Street New York, NY 10023 National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) 12 West 21st Street, 7th Floor New York, NY 10010 National Institute on Drug Abuse 6001 Executive Blvd Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9561.

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 2. EVASION

I FELT ODDLY BUOYANT AS I WALKED FROM SPANISH toward the cafeteria, and it wasn't just because I was holding hands with the most perfect person on the planet, though that was certainly part of it. Maybe it was the knowledge that my sentence was served and I was a free woman again. Or maybe it wasn't anything to do with me specifically. Maybe it was the atmosphere of freedom that hung over the entire campus. School was winding down, and, for the senior class especially, there was a perceptible thrill in the air. Freedom was so close it was touchable, taste-able. Signs of it were everywhere. Posters crowded together on the cafeteria walls, and the trashcans wore a colorful skirt of spilled-over fliers: reminders to buy yearbooks, class rings, and announcements; deadlines to order graduation gowns, hats, and tassels; neon- bright sales pitches – the juniors campaigning for class office; ominous, rose-wreathed advertisements for this year's prom. The big dance was this coming weekend, but I had an ironclad promise from Edward that I would not be subjected to that again. After all, I'd already had that human experience. No, it must be my personal freedom that lightened me today. The ending of the school year did not give me the pleasure it seemed to give the other students. Actually, I felt nervous to the point of nausea whenever I thought of it. I tried to not think of it. But it was hard to escape such an omnipresent topic as graduation. â€Å"Have you sent your announcements, yet?† Angela asked when Edward and I sat down at our table. She had her light brown hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail instead of her usual smooth hairdo, and there was a slightly frantic look about her eyes. Alice and Ben were already there, too, on either side of Angela. Ben was intent over a comic book, his glasses sliding down his narrow nose. Alice was scrutinizing my boring jeans-and-a-t-shirt outfit in a way that made me self-conscious. Probably plotting another makeover. I sighed. My indifferent attitude to fashion was a constant thorn in her side. If I'd allow it, she'd love to dress me every day – perhaps several times a day – like some oversized three-dimensional paper doll. â€Å"No,† I answered Angela. â€Å"There's no point, really. Rene knows when I'm graduating. Who else is there?† â€Å"How about you, Alice?† Alice smiled. â€Å"All done.† â€Å"Lucky you.† Angela sighed. â€Å"My mother has a thousand cousins and she expects me to hand-address one to everybody. I'm going to get carpal tunnel. I can't put it off any longer and I'm just dreading it.† â€Å"I'll help you,† I volunteered. â€Å"If you don't mind my awful handwriting.† Charlie would like that. From the corner of my eye, I saw Edward smile. He must like that, too – me fulfilling Charlie's conditions without involving werewolves. Angela looked relieved. â€Å"That's so nice of you. I'll come over any time you want.† â€Å"Actually, I'd rather go to your house if that's okay – I'm sick of mine. Charlie un-grounded me last night.† I grinned as I announced my good news. â€Å"Really?† Angela asked, mild excitement lighting her always-gentle brown eyes. â€Å"I thought you said you were in for life.† â€Å"I'm more surprised than you are. I was sure I would at least have finished high school before he set me free.† â€Å"Well, this is great, Bella! We'll have to go out to celebrate.† â€Å"You have no idea how good that sounds.† â€Å"What should we do?† Alice mused, her face lighting up at the possibilities. Alice's ideas were usually a little grandiose for me, and I could see it in her eyes now – the tendency to take things too far kicking into action. â€Å"Whatever you're thinking, Alice, I doubt I'm that free.† â€Å"Free is free, right?† she insisted. â€Å"I'm sure I still have boundaries – like the continental U.S., for example.† Angela and Ben laughed, but Alice grimaced in real disappointment. â€Å"So what are we doing tonight?† she persisted. â€Å"Nothing. Look, let's give it a couple of days to make sure he wasn't joking. It's a school night, anyway.† â€Å"We'll celebrate this weekend, then.† Alice's enthusiasm was impossible to repress. â€Å"Sure,† I said, hoping to placate her. I knew I wasn't going to do anything too outlandish; it would be safer to take it slow with Charlie. Give him a chance to appreciate how trustworthy and mature I was before I asked for any favors. Angela and Alice started talking about options; Ben joined the conversation, setting his comics aside. My attention drifted. I was surprised to find that the subject of my freedom was suddenly not as gratifying as it had been just a moment ago. While they discussed things to do in Port Angeles or maybe Hoquiam, I began to feel disgruntled. It didn't take long to determine where my restlessness stemmed from. Ever since I'd said goodbye to Jacob Black in the forest outside my home, I'd been plagued by a persistent, uncomfortable intrusion of a specific mental picture. It popped into my thoughts at regular intervals like some annoying alarm clock set to sound every half hour, filling my head with the image of Jacob's face crumpled in pain. This was the last memory I had of him. As the disturbing vision struck again, I knew exactly why I was dissatisfied with my liberty. Because it was incomplete. Sure, I was free to go to anywhere I wanted – except La Push; free to do anything I wanted – except see Jacob. I frowned at the table. There had to be some kind of middle ground. â€Å"Alice? Alice!† Angela's voice yanked me from my reverie. She was waving her hand back and forth in front of Alice's blank, staring face. Alice's expression was something I recognized – an expression that sent an automatic shock of panic through my body. The vacant look in her eyes told me that she was seeing something very different from the mundane lunchroom scene that surrounded us, but something that was every bit as real in its own way. Something that was coming, something that would happen soon. I felt the blood slither from my face. Then Edward laughed, a very natural, relaxed sound. Angela and Ben looked toward him, but my eyes were locked on Alice. She jumped suddenly, as if someone had kicked her under the table. â€Å"Is it naptime already, Alice?† Edward teased. Alice was herself again. â€Å"Sorry, I was daydreaming, I guess.† â€Å"Daydreaming's better than facing two more hours of school,† Ben said. Alice threw herself back into the conversation with more animation than before – just a little bit too much. Once I saw her eyes lock with Edward's, only for a moment, and then she looked back to Angela before anyone else noticed. Edward was quiet, playing absentmindedly with a strand of my hair. I waited anxiously for a chance to ask Edward what Alice had seen in her vision, but the afternoon passed without one minute of alone time. It felt odd to me, almost deliberate. After lunch, Edward slowed his pace to match Ben's, talking about some assignment I knew he'd already finished. Then there was always someone else there between classes, though we usually had a few minutes to ourselves. When the final bell rang, Edward struck up a conversation with Mike Newton of all people, falling into step beside him as Mike headed for the parking lot. I trailed behind, letting Edward tow me along. I listened, confused, while Mike answered Edward's unusually friendly queries. It seemed Mike was having car troubles. â€Å". . . but I just replaced the battery,† Mike was saying. His eyes darted ahead and then back to Edward warily. Mystified, just like I was. â€Å"Perhaps it's the cables?† Edward offered. â€Å"Maybe. I really don't know anything about cars,† Mike admitted. â€Å"I need to have someone look at it, but I can't afford to take it to Dowling's.† I opened my mouth to suggest my mechanic, and then snapped it shut again. My mechanic was busy these days – busy running around as a giant wolf. â€Å"I know a few things – I could take a look, if you like,† Edward offered. â€Å"Just let me drop Alice and Bella at home.† Mike and I both stared at Edward with our mouths hanging open. â€Å"Er . . . thanks,† Mike mumbled when he recovered. â€Å"But I have to get to work. Maybe some other time.† â€Å"Absolutely.† â€Å"See ya.† Mike climbed into his car, shaking his head in disbelief. Edward's Volvo, with Alice already inside, was just two cars away. â€Å"What was that about?† I muttered as Edward held the passenger door for me. â€Å"Just being helpful,† Edward answered. And then Alice, waiting in the backseat, was babbling at top speed. â€Å"You're really not that good a mechanic, Edward. Maybe you should have Rosalie take a look at it tonight, just so you look good if Mike decides to let you help, you know. Not that it wouldn't be fun to watch his face if Rosalie showed up to help. But since Rosalie is supposed to be across the country attending college, I guess that's not the best idea. Too bad. Though I suppose, for Mike's car, you'll do. It's only within the finer tunings of a good Italian sports car that you're out of your depth. And speaking of Italy and sports cars that I stole there, you still owe me a yellow Porsche. I don't know that I want to wait for Christmas. . . .† I stopped listening after a minute, letting her quick voice become just a hum in the background as I settled into my patient mode. It looked to me like Edward was trying to avoid my questions. Fine. He would have to be alone with me soon enough. It was only a matter of time. Edward seemed to realize that, too. He dropped Alice at the mouth of the Cullens' drive as usual, though by this point I half expected him to drive her to the door and walk her in. As she got out, Alice threw a sharp look at his face. Edward seemed completely at ease. â€Å"See you later,† he said. And then, ever so slightly, he nodded. Alice turned to disappear into the trees. He was quiet as he turned the car around and headed back to Forks. I waited, wondering if he would bring it up himself. He didn't, and this made me tense. What had Alice seen today at lunch? Something he didn't want to tell me, and I tried to think of a reason why he would keep secrets. Maybe it would be better to prepare myself before I asked. I didn't want to freak out and have him think I couldn't handle it, whatever it was. So we were both silent until we got to back to Charlie's house. â€Å"Light homework load tonight,† he commented. â€Å"Mmm,† I assented. â€Å"Do you suppose I'm allowed inside again?† â€Å"Charlie didn't throw a fit when you picked me up for school.† But I was sure Charlie was going to turn sulky fast when he got home and found Edward here. Maybe I should make something extra-special for dinner. Inside, I headed up the stairs, and Edward followed. He lounged on my bed and gazed out the window, seeming oblivious to my edginess. I stowed my bag and turned the computer on. There was an unanswered e-mail from my mom to attend to, and she got panicky when I took too long. I drummed my fingers as I waited for my decrepit computer to wheeze awake; they snapped against the desk, staccato and anxious. And then his fingers were on mine, holding them still. â€Å"Are we a little impatient today?† he murmured. I looked up, intending to make a sarcastic remark, but his face was closer than I'd expected. His golden eyes were smoldering, just inches away, and his breath was cool against my open lips. I could taste his scent on my tongue. I couldn't remember the witty response I'd been about to make. I couldn't remember my name. He didn't give me a chance to recover. If I had my way, I would spend the majority of my time kissing Edward. There wasn't anything I'd experienced in my life that compared to the feeling of his cool lips, marble hard but always so gentle, moving with mine. I didn't often get my way. So it surprised me a little when his fingers braided themselves into my hair, securing my face to his. My arms locked behind his neck, and I wished I was stronger – strong enough to keep him prisoner here. One hand slid down my back, pressing me tighter against his stone chest. Even through his sweater, his skin was cold enough to make me shiver – it was a shiver of pleasure, of happiness, but his hands began to loosen in response. I knew I had about three seconds before he would sigh and slide me deftly away, saying something about how we'd risked my life enough for one afternoon. Making the most of my last seconds, I crushed myself closer, molding myself to the shape of him. The tip of my tongue traced the curve of his lower lip; it was as flawlessly smooth as if it had been polished, and the taste – He pulled my face away from his, breaking my hold with ease – he probably didn't even realize that I was using all my strength. He chuckled once, a low, throaty sound. His eyes were bright with the excitement he so rigidly disciplined. â€Å"Ah, Bella.† He sighed. â€Å"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not.† â€Å"And I should feel sorry that you're not sorry, but I don't. Maybe I should go sit on the bed.† I exhaled a little dizzily. â€Å"If you think that's necessary. . . .† He smiled crookedly and disentangled himself. I shook my head a few times, trying to clear it, and turned back to my computer. It was all warmed up and humming now. Well, not as much humming as groaning. â€Å"Tell Rene I said hello.† â€Å"Sure thing.† I scanned through Rene's e-mail, shaking my head now and then at some of the dippier things she'd done. I was just as entertained and horrified as the first time I'd read this. It was so like my mother to forget exactly how paralyzed she was by heights until she was already strapped to a parachute and a dive instructor. I felt a little frustrated with Phil, her husband of almost two years, for allowing that one. I would have taken better care of her. I knew her so much better. You have to let them go their own way eventually, I reminded myself. You have to let them have their own life. . . . I'd spent most of my life taking care of Rene, patiently guiding her away from her craziest plans, good- naturedly enduring the ones I couldn't talk her out of. I'd always been indulgent with my mom, amused by her, even a little condescending to her. I saw her cornucopia of mistakes and laughed privately to myself. Scatterbrained Rene. I was a very different person from my mother. Someone thoughtful and cautious. The responsible one, the grown-up. That's how I saw myself. That was the person I knew. With the blood still pounding inmy head from Edward's kiss, I couldn't help but think of my mother's most life-altering mistake. Silly and romantic, getting married fresh out of high school to a man she barely knew, then producing me a year later. She'd always promised me that she had no regrets, that I was the best gift her life had ever given her. And yet she'd drilled it into me over and over – smart people took marriage seriously. Mature people went to college and started careers before they got deeply involved in a relationship. She knew I would never be as thoughtless and goofy and small-town as she'd been. . . . I gritted my teeth and tried to concentrate as I answered her letter. Then I hit her parting line and remembered why I'd neglected to write sooner. You haven't said anything about Jacob in a long time, she'd written. What's he up to these days? Charlie was prompting her, I was sure. I sighed and typed quickly, tucking the answer to her question between two less sensitive paragraphs. Jacob is fine, I guess. I don't see him much; he spends most of his time with a pack of his friends down at La Push these days. Smiling wryly to myself, I added Edward's greeting and hit â€Å"send.† I didn't realize that Edward was standing silently behind me again until after I'd turned off the computer and shoved away from the desk. I was about to scold him for reading over my shoulder when I realized that he wasn't paying any attention to me. He was examining a flat black box with wires curling crookedly away from the main square in a way that didn't look healthy for whatever it was. After a second, I recognized the car stereo Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper had given me for my last birthday. I'd forgotten about the birthday presents hiding under a growing pile of dust on the floor of my closet. â€Å"What did you do to this?† he asked in a horrorstruck voice. â€Å"It didn't want to come out of the dashboard.† â€Å"So you felt the need to torture it?† â€Å"You know how I am with tools. No pain was inflicted intentionally.† He shook his head, his face a mask of faux tragedy. â€Å"You killed it.† I shrugged. â€Å"Oh, well.† â€Å"It would hurt their feelings if they saw this,† he said. â€Å"I guess it's a good thing that you've been on house arrest. I'll have to get another one in place before they notice.† â€Å"Thanks, but I don't need a fancy stereo.† â€Å"It's not for your sake that I'm going to replace it.† I sighed. â€Å"You didn't get much good out of your birthday presents last year,† he said in a disgruntled voice. Suddenly, he was fanning himself with a stiff rectangle of paper. I didn't answer, for fear my voice would shake. My disastrous eighteenth birthday – with all its far- reaching consequences – wasn't something I cared to remember, and I was surprised that he would bring it up. He was even more sensitive about it than I was. â€Å"Do you realize these are about to expire?† he asked, holding the paper out to me. It was another present – the voucher for airplane tickets that Esme and Carlisle had given me so that I could visit Rene in Florida. I took a deep breath and answered in a flat voice. â€Å"No. I'd forgotten all about them, actually.† His expression was carefully bright and positive; there was no trace of any deep emotion as he continued. â€Å"Well, we still have a little time. You've been liberated . . . and we have no plans this weekend, as you refuse to go to the prom with me.† He grinned. â€Å"Why not celebrate your freedom this way?† I gasped. â€Å"By going to Florida?† â€Å"You did say something about the continental U.S. being allowable.† I glared at him, suspicious, trying to understand where this had come from. â€Å"Well?† he demanded. â€Å"Are we going to see Rene or not?† â€Å"Charlie will never allow it.† â€Å"Charlie can't keep you from visiting your mother. She still has primary custody.† â€Å"Nobody has custody of me. I'm an adult.† He flashed a brilliant smile. â€Å"Exactly.† I thought it over for a short minute before deciding that it wasn't worth the fight. Charlie would be furious – not that I was going to see Rene, but that Edward was going with me. Charlie wouldn't speak to me for months, and I'd probably end up grounded again. It was definitely smarter not to even bring it up. Maybe in a few weeks, as a graduation favor or something. But the idea of seeing my mother now, not weeks from now, was hard to resist. It had been so long since I'd seen Rene. And even longer since I'd seen her under pleasant circumstances. The last time I'd been with her in Phoenix, I'd spent the whole time in a hospital bed. The last time she'd come here, I'd been more or less catatonic. Not exactly the best memories to leave her with. And maybe, if she saw how happy I was with Edward, she would tell Charlie to ease up. Edward scrutinized my face while I deliberated. I sighed. â€Å"Not this weekend.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"I don't want to fight with Charlie. Not so soon after he's forgiven me.† His eyebrows pulled together. â€Å"I think this weekend is perfect,† he muttered. I shook my head. â€Å"Another time.† â€Å"You aren't the only one who's been trapped in this house, you know.† He frowned at me. Suspicion returned. This kind of behavior was unlike him. He was always so impossibly selfless; I knew it was making me spoiled. â€Å"You can go anywhere you want,† I pointed out. â€Å"The outside world holds no interest for me without you.† I rolled my eyes at the hyperbole. â€Å"I'm serious,† he said. â€Å"Let's take the outside world slowly, all right? For example, we could start with a movie in Port Angeles. . . .† He groaned. â€Å"Never mind. We'll talk about it later.† â€Å"There's nothing left to talk about.† He shrugged. â€Å"Okay, then, new subject,† I said. I'd almost forgotten my worries about this afternoon – had that been his intention? â€Å"What did Alice see today at lunch?† My eyes were fixed on his face as I spoke, measuring his reaction. His expression was composed; there was only the slightest hardening of his topaz eyes. â€Å"She's been seeing Jasper in a strange place, somewhere in the southwest, she thinks, near his former . . . family. But he has no conscious intentions to go back.† He sighed. â€Å"It's got her worried.† â€Å"Oh.† That was nothing close to what I'd been expecting. But of course it made sense that Alice would be watching out for Jasper's future. He was her soul mate, her true other half, though they weren't as flamboyant about their relationship as Rosalie and Emmett were. â€Å"Why didn't you tell me before?† â€Å"I didn't realize you'd noticed,† he said. â€Å"It's probably nothing important, in any case.† My imagination was sadly out of control. I'd taken a perfectly normal afternoon and twisted it until it looked like Edward was going out of his way to keep things from me. I needed therapy. We went downstairs to work on our homework, just in case Charlie showed up early. Edward finished in minutes; I slogged laboriously through my calculus until I decided it was time to fix Charlie's dinner. Edward helped, making faces every so often at the raw ingredients – human food was mildly repulsive to him. I made stroganoff from Grandma Swan's recipe, because I was sucking up. It wasn't one of my favorites, but it would please Charlie. Charlie seemed to already be in a good mood when he got home. He didn't even go out of his way to be rude to Edward. Edward excused himself from eating with us, as usual. The sound of the nightly news drifted from the front room, but I doubted Edward was really watching. After forcing down three helpings, Charlie kicked his feet up on the spare chair and folded his hands contentedly across his distended stomach. â€Å"That was great, Bells.† â€Å"I'm glad you liked it. How was work?† He'd been eating with too much concentration for me to make conversation before. â€Å"Sort of slow. Well, dead slow really. Mark and I played cards for a good part of the afternoon,† he admitted with a grin. â€Å"I won, nineteen hands to seven. And then I was on the phone with Billy for a while.† I tried to keep my expression the same. â€Å"How is he?† â€Å"Good, good. His joints are bothering him a little.† â€Å"Oh. That's too bad.† â€Å"Yeah. He invited us down to visit this weekend. He was thinking of having the Clearwaters and the Uleys over too. Sort of a playoff party. . . .† â€Å"Huh,† was my genius response. But what could I say? I knew I wouldn't be allowed to hit a werewolf party, even with parental supervision. I wondered if Edward would have a problem with Charlie hanging out in La Push. Or would he suppose that, since Charlie was mostly spending time with Billy, who was only human, my father wouldn't be in danger? I got up and piled the dishes together without looking at Charlie. I dumped them into the sink and started the water. Edward appeared silently and grabbed a dishtowel. Charlie sighed and gave up for the moment, though I imagined he would revisit the subject when we were alone again. He heaved himself to his feet and headed for the TV, just like every other night. â€Å"Charlie,† Edward said in a conversational tone. Charlie stopped in the middle of his little kitchen. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Did Bella ever tell you that my parents gave her airplane tickets on her last birthday, so that she could visit Rene?† I dropped the plate I was scrubbing. It glanced off the counter and clattered noisily to the floor. It didn't break, but it spattered the room, and all three of us, with soapy water. Charlie didn't even seem to notice. â€Å"Bella?† he asked in a stunned voice. I kept my eyes on the plate as I retrieved it. â€Å"Yeah, they did.† Charlie swallowed loudly, and then his eyes narrowed as he turned back to Edward. â€Å"No, she never mentioned it.† â€Å"Hmm,† Edward murmured. â€Å"Was there a reason you brought it up?† Charlie asked in a hard voice. Edward shrugged. â€Å"They're about to expire. I think it might hurt Esme's feelings if Bella doesn't use her gift. Not that she'd say anything.† I stared at Edward in disbelief. Charlie thought for a minute. â€Å"It's probably a good idea for you to visit your mom, Bella. She'd love that. I'm surprised you didn't say anything about this, though.† â€Å"I forgot,† I admitted. He frowned. â€Å"You forgot that someone gave you plane tickets?† â€Å"Mmm,† I murmured vaguely, and turned back to the sink. â€Å"I noticed that you said they're about to expire, Edward,† Charlie went on. â€Å"How many tickets did your parents give her?† â€Å"Just one for her . . . and one for me.† The plate I dropped this time landed in the sink, so it didn't make as much noise. I could easily hear the sharp huff as my father exhaled. The blood rushed into my face, fueled by irritation and chagrin. Why was Edward doing this? I glared at the bubbles in the sink, panicking. â€Å"That's out of the question!† Charlie was abruptly in a rage, shouting the words. â€Å"Why?† Edward asked, his voice saturated with innocent surprise. â€Å"You just said it was a good idea for her to see her mother.† Charlie ignored him. â€Å"You're not going anywhere with him, young lady!† he yelled. I spun around and he was jabbing a finger at me. Anger pulsed through me automatically, an instinctive reaction to his tone. â€Å"I'm not a child, Dad. And I'm not grounded anymore, remember?† â€Å"Oh yes, you are. Starting now.† â€Å"For what?!† â€Å"Because I said so.† â€Å"Do I need to remind you that I'm a legal adult, Charlie?† â€Å"This is my house – you follow my rules!† My glare turned icy. â€Å"If that's how you want it. Do you want me to move out tonight? Or can I have a few days to pack?† Charlie's face went bright red. I instantly felt horrible for playing the move-out card. I took a deep breath and tried to make my tone more reasonable. â€Å"I'll do my time without complaining when I've done something wrong, Dad, but I'm not going to put up with your prejudices.† He sputtered, but managed nothing coherent. â€Å"Now, I know that you know that I have every right to see Mom for the weekend. You can't honestly tell me you'd object to the plan if I was going with Alice or Angela.† â€Å"Girls,† he grunted, with a nod. â€Å"Would it bother you if I took Jacob?† I'd only picked the name because I knew of my father's preference for Jacob, but I quickly wished I hadn't; Edward's teeth clenched together with an audible snap. My father struggled to compose himself before he answered. â€Å"Yes,† he said in an unconvincing voice. â€Å"That would bother me.† â€Å"You're a rotten liar, Dad.† â€Å"Bella -â€Å" â€Å"It's not like I'm headed off to Vegas to be a showgirl or anything. I'm going to see Mom,† I reminded him. â€Å"She's just as much my parental authority as you are.† He threw me a withering look. â€Å"Are you implying something about Mom's ability to look after me?† Charlie flinched at the threat implicit in my question. â€Å"You'd better hope I don't mention this to her,† I said. â€Å"You'd better not,† he warned. â€Å"I'm not happy about this, Bella.† â€Å"There's no reason for you to be upset.† He rolled his eyes, but I could tell the storm was over. I turned to pull the plug out of the sink. â€Å"So my homework is done, your dinner is done, the dishes are done, and I'm not grounded. I'm going out. I'll be back before ten-thirty.† â€Å"Where are you going?† His face, almost back to normal, flushed light red again. â€Å"I'm not sure,† I admitted. â€Å"I'll keep it within a ten-mile radius, though. Okay?† He grunted something that did not sound like approval, and stalked out of the room. Naturally, as soon as I'd won the fight, I began to feel guilty. â€Å"We're going out?† Edward asked, his voice low but enthusiastic. I turned to glower at him. â€Å"Yes. I think I'd like to speak to you alone.† He didn't look as apprehensive as I thought he should. I waited to begin until we were safely in his car. â€Å"What was that?† I demanded. â€Å"I know you want to see your mother, Bella – you've been talking about her in your sleep. Worrying actually.† â€Å"I have?† He nodded. â€Å"But, clearly, you were too much of a coward to deal with Charlie, so I interceded on your behalf.† â€Å"Interceded? You threw me to the sharks!† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"I don't think you were in any danger.† â€Å"I told you I didn't want to fight with Charlie.† â€Å"Nobody said that you had to.† I glowered at him. â€Å"I can't help myself when he gets all bossy like that – my natural teenage instincts overpower me.† He chuckled. â€Å"Well, that's not my fault.† I stared at him, speculating. He didn't seem to notice. His face was serene as he gazed out the windshield. Something was off, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Or maybe it was just my imagination again, running wild like it had this afternoon. â€Å"Does this sudden urge to see Florida have anything to do with the party at Billy's place?† His jaw flexed. â€Å"Nothing at all. It wouldn't matter if you were here or on the other side of the world, you still wouldn't be going.† It was just like with Charlie before – just like being treated as a misbehaving child. I gritted my teeth together so I wouldn't start shouting. I didn't want to fight with Edward, too. Edward sighed, and when he spoke his voice was warm and velvet again. â€Å"So what do you want to do tonight?† he asked. â€Å"Can we go to your house? I haven't seen Esme in so long.† He smiled. â€Å"She'll like that. Especially when she hears what we're doing this weekend.† I groaned in defeat. We didn't stay out late, as I'd promised. I was not surprised to see the lights still on when we pulled up in front of the house – I knew Charlie would be waiting to yell at me some more. â€Å"You'd better not come inside,† I said. â€Å"It will only make things worse.† â€Å"His thoughts are relatively calm,† Edward teased. His expression made me wonder if there was some additional joke I was missing. The corners of his mouth twitched, fighting a smile. â€Å"I'll see you later,† I muttered glumly. He laughed and kissed the top of my head. â€Å"I'll be back when Charlie's snoring.† The TV was loud when I got inside. I briefly considered trying to sneak past him. â€Å"Could you come in here, Bella?† Charlie called, sinking that plan. My feet dragged as I took the five necessary steps. â€Å"What's up, Dad?† â€Å"Did you have a nice time tonight?† he asked. He seemed ill at ease. I looked for hidden meanings in his words before I answered. â€Å"Yes,† I said hesitantly. â€Å"What did you do?† I shrugged. â€Å"Hung out with Alice and Jasper. Edward beat Alice at chess, and then I played Jasper. He buried me.† I smiled. Edward and Alice playing chess was one of the funniest things I'd ever seen. They'd sat there nearly motionless, staring at the board, while Alice foresaw the moves he would make and he picked the moves she would make in return out of her head. They played most of the game in their minds; I think they'd each moved two pawns when Alice suddenly flicked her king over and surrendered. It took all of three minutes. Charlie hit the mute button – an unusual action. â€Å"Look, there's something I need to say.† He frowned, looking very uncomfortable. I sat still, waiting. He met my gaze for a second before shifting his eyes to the floor. He didn't say anything more. â€Å"What is it, Dad?† He sighed. â€Å"I'm not good at this kind of thing. I don't know how to start. . . .† I waited again. â€Å"Okay, Bella. Here's the thing.† He got up from the couch and started pacing back and forth across the room, looking as his feet all the time. â€Å"You and Edward seem pretty serious, and there are some things that you need to be careful about. I know you're an adult now, but you're still young, Bella, and there are a lot of important things you need to know when you . . . well, when you're physically involved with -â€Å" â€Å"Oh, please, please no!† I begged, jumping to my feet. â€Å"Please tell me you are not trying to have a sex talk with me, Charlie.† He glared at the floor. â€Å"I am your father. I have responsibilities. Remember, I'm just as embarrassed as you are.† â€Å"I don't think that's humanly possible. Anyway, Mom beat you to the punch about ten years ago. You're off the hook.† â€Å"Ten years ago you didn't have a boyfriend,† he muttered unwillingly. I could tell he was battling with his desire to drop the subject. We were both standing up, looking at the floor, and facing away from each other. â€Å"I don't think the essentials have changed that much,† I mumbled, and my face had to be as red as his. This was beyond the seventh circle of Hades; even worse was realizing that Edward had known this was coming. No wonder he'd seemed so smug in the car. â€Å"Just tell me that you two are being responsible,† Charlie pled, obviously wishing a pit would open in the floor so that he could fall in. â€Å"Don't worry about it, Dad, it's not like that.† â€Å"Not that I don't trust you, Bella, but I know you don't want to tell me anything about this, and you know I don't really want to hear it. I will try to be open-minded, though. I know the times have changed.† I laughed awkwardly. â€Å"Maybe the times have, but Edward is very old-fashioned. You have nothing to worry about.† Charlie sighed. â€Å"Sure he is,† he muttered. â€Å"Ugh!† I groaned. â€Å"I really wish you were not forcing me to say this out loud, Dad. Really. But . . . I am a . . . virgin, and I have no immediate plans to change that status.† We both cringed, but then Charlie's face smoothed out. He seemed to believe me. â€Å"Can I go to bed, now? Please.† â€Å"In a minute,† he said. â€Å"Aw, please, Dad? I'm begging you.† â€Å"The embarrassing part's over, I promise,† he assured me. I shot a glance at him, and was grateful to see that he looked more relaxed, that his face was back to its regular color. He sank down onto the sofa, sighing with relief that he was past the sex speech. â€Å"What now?† â€Å"I just wanted to know how the balance thing is coming along.† â€Å"Oh. Good, I guess. I made plans with Angela today. I'm going to help her with her graduation announcements. Just us girls.† â€Å"That's nice. And what about Jake?† I sighed. â€Å"I haven't figured that one out yet, Dad.† â€Å"Keep trying, Bella. I know you'll do the right thing. You're a good person.† Nice. So if I didn't figure out some way to make things right with Jacob, then I was a bad person? That was below the belt. â€Å"Sure, sure,† I agreed. The automatic response almost made me smile – it was something I'd picked up from Jacob. I even said it in the same patronizing tone he used with his own father. Charlie grinned and turned the sound back on. He slumped lower into the cushions, pleased with his night's work. I could tell he would be up with the game for a while. â€Å"‘Night, Bells.† â€Å"See you in the morning!† I sprinted for the stairs. Edward was long gone and he wouldn't be back until Charlie was asleep – he was probably out hunting or something to pass the time – so I was in no hurry to undress for bed. I wasn't in the mood to be alone, but I certainly wasn't going to go back downstairs to hang out with my Dad, just in case he thought of some topic of sex education that he hadn't touched on before; I shuddered. So, thanks to Charlie, I was wound up and anxious. My homework was done and I didn't feel mellow enough for reading or just listening to music. I considered calling Rene with the news of my visit, but then I realized that it was three hours later in Florida, and she would be asleep. I could call Angela, I supposed. But suddenly I knew that it wasn't Angela that I wanted to talk to. That I needed to talk to. I stared at the blank black window, biting my lip. I don't know how long I stood there weighing the pros against the cons – doing the right thing by Jacob, seeing my closest friend again, being a good person, versus making Edward furious with me. Ten minutes maybe. Long enough to decide that the pros were valid while the cons were not. Edward was only concerned about my safety, and I knew that there was really no problem on that count. The phone wasn't any help; Jacob had refused to answer my phone calls since Edward's return. Besides, I needed to see him – see him smiling again the way he used to. I needed to replace that awful last memory of his face warped and twisted by pain if I was ever going to have any peace of mind. I had an hour probably. I could make a quick run down to La Push and be back before Edward realized I had gone. It was past my curfew, but would Charlie really care about that when Edward wasn't involved? One way to find out. I grabbed my jacket and shoved my arms through the sleeves as I ran down the stairs. Charlie looked up from the game, instantly suspicious. â€Å"You care if I go see Jake tonight?† I asked breathlessly. â€Å"I won't stay long.† As soon as I said Jake's name, Charlie's expression relaxed into a smug smile. He didn't seem surprised at all that his lecture had taken effect so quickly. â€Å"Sure, kid. No problem. Stay as long as you like.† â€Å"Thanks, Dad,† I said as I darted out the door. Like any fugitive, I couldn't help looking over my shoulder a few times while I jogged to my truck, but the night was so black that there really was no point. I had to feel my way along the side of the truck to the handle. My eyes were just beginning to adjust as I shoved my keys in the ignition. I twisted them hard to the left, but instead of roaring deafeningly to life, the engine just clicked. I tried it again with the same results. And then a small motion in my peripheral vision made me jump. â€Å"Gah!† I gasped in shock when I saw that I was not alone in the cab. Edward sat very still, a faint bright spot in the darkness, only his hands moving as he turned a mysterious black object around and around. He stared at the object as he spoke. â€Å"Alice called,† he murmured. Alice! Damn. I'd forgotten to account for her in my plans. He must have her watching me. â€Å"She got nervous when your future rather abruptly disappeared five minutes ago.† My eyes, already wide with surprise, popped wider. â€Å"Because she can't see the wolves, you know,† he explained in the same low murmur. â€Å"Had you forgotten that? When you decide to mingle your fate with theirs, you disappear, too. You couldn't know that part, I realize that. But can you understand why that might make me a little . . . anxious? Alice saw you disappear, and she couldn't even tell if you'd come home or not. Your future got lost, just like theirs. â€Å"We're not sure why this is. Some natural defense they're born with?† He spoke as if he were talking to himself now, still looking at the piece of my truck's engine as he twirled it in his hands. â€Å"That doesn't seem entirely likely, since I haven't had any trouble reading their thoughts. The Blacks' at least. Carlisle theorizes that it's because their lives are so ruled by their transformations. It's more an involuntary reaction than a decision. Utterly unpredictable, and it changes everything about them. In that instant when they shift from one form to the other, they don't really even exist. The future can't hold them. . . .† I listened to his musing in stony silence. â€Å"I'll put your car back together in time for school, in case you'd like to drive yourself,† he assured me after a minute. With my lips mashed together, I retrieved my keys and stiffly climbed out of the truck. â€Å"Shut your window if you want me to stay away tonight. I'll understand,† he whispered just before I slammed the door. I stomped into the house, slamming that door, too. â€Å"What's wrong?† Charlie demanded from the couch. â€Å"Truck won't start,† I growled. â€Å"Want me to look at it?† â€Å"No. I'll try it in the morning.† â€Å"Want to use my car?† I wasn't supposed to drive his police cruiser. Charlie must be really desperate to get me to La Push. Nearly as desperate as I was. â€Å"No. I'm tired,† I grumbled. â€Å"‘Night.† I stamped my way up the stairs, and went straight to my window. I shoved the metal frame roughly – it crashed shut and the glass trembled. I stared at the shivering black glass for a long moment, until it was still. Then I sighed, and opened the window as wide as it would go.