Mcafee Case Study Essay Example

Mcafee Case Study Essay McAfee Case Study I. Current Situation A. Current Performance McAfee is in acceptable budgetary standing. * In 2004, squared away $347 million in convertible obligation and repurchased $220 million in like manner stock. * Revenue has declined over recent years yet overall gain has expanded. * Ongoing activities created over $350 million in real money, with the monetary year finishing off with $1 billion in real money, money counterparts, and speculations. * Deferred income expanded for the period by $220 million. B. Vital Posture 1. Crucial. To tie down buyers and organizations from the work area to the center of the system by conveying best-of-breed items and administrations that secure †¦ worldwide customer’s data innovation frameworks and foundation. † 2. Destinations: More of an objective â€Å"become overall pioneer in interruption anticipation and hazard the board arrangements and administrations. † II. Corporate Governance C. Directorate 3. George Samenuk (inward) b. Gotten formal training at Brown University, Political Science. c. Held different senior administration positions at IBM. d. Previous CEO and President of TradeOut Inc, a secretly held online trade. . Leslie G. Denend (inward) e. Holds numerous Ph. D. s from Stanford University, Economics, Public Policy, and Business. f. Joined McAfee after merger with Network General Corp. , whom she was CEO and President. 5. Robert Pangia (outside) g. Gotten formal instruction from Brown University and Columbia University, Business. h. Held various senior administration positions with Paine Weber Inc. which is a riches the executives specialist co-op. I. 1997 to 2003 filled in as a private dealer broker. We will compose a custom article test on Mcafee Case Study explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now We will compose a custom paper test on Mcafee Case Study explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer We will compose a custom paper test on Mcafee Case Study explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer 6. Robert B. Bucknam (outside) j. Gotten formal instruction at Georgetown University with a Juris Doctoral in Foreign Service. . A senior VP of Cross Match Technologies Inc. , a unique finger impression distinguishing proof supplier. l. Served in numerous administration positions including the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Chief of Staff and the U. S. Division of Justice, Deputy Attorney General. 7. Liane Wilson (outer) m. She doesn't have a professional education. n. Runs her own counseling firm in the wake of resigning from Washington Mutual as senior VP of data innovations. 8. Robert Dutkowsky (outer) o. Gotten formal instruction from Cornell University, Industrial Engineering and Industrial Relations. p. Fills in as CEO and President of Engenera Inc and recently held a similar title at J. D. Edwards and Company. q. He has likewise held different senior Management positions with other IT firms. 9. Denis J. O’Leary (outside) r. Gotten formal training from the University of Rochester, Economics and New York University, MBA. s. Worked for J. P. Morgan up until 2003, during his 25 years he held different senior administration positions including Chief Information Officer. t. In the wake of leaving J. P. Morgan he turned into a private speculator. D. Top Management 10. George Samenuk u. CEO and Chairman of the Board, since 2001. . Previous CEO and President of TradeOut Inc. 11. Quality Hodges w. President, since 2001. Joined McAfee in 1995. x. Held different official situations inside McAfee. 12. Kent H. Roberts y. Official Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, since 2001. z. Held different legitimate situations before this position. 13. Kevin Weiss {. Official Vice Preside nt of Worldwide Sales, since 2002. |. In the past Senior VP for Ariba Inc. 14. Eric F. Earthy colored }. CFO and Executive Vice President, since 2005. ~. Already CFO for MicroStrategy Inc. III. Outer Environment: Opportunities and Threats E. Cultural Environment 15. Financial . Early piece of the 21st century had an abatement in IT spending. (T) ?. IDC anticipated a development of 16. 9% yearly somewhere in the range of 2003 and 2008 in the security programming market. (O) ?. There has been a consistent development of normal 22% in web based business retail deals in the U. S. (O) 16. Innovative ?. Recently created infections, spyware, and worms influence how well they can deal with their protections (T) ?. Redistributing heft of new programming advancement. (O) ?. Expanded utilization of broadband and DSL speed web, developing from 9. million clients to 22. 7 million clients. (O) ?. McAfee holds a 19% piece of the pie among the PC assurance organizations. (O) (Exhibit A) 17. Political-Legal ?. Potential misfortunes that outcomes in investors claims against organization. (T) ?. SEC made NAI re-state profit as a result of consistence issues. (T) 18. Sociocultural ?. Obliging to the maturing society. The more establishe d populace needs an item they can rely upon, that is straightforward and simple to utilize. (O) ?. Society is progressing into a remote increasingly versatile society. McAfee must know about this and build up an item that will ensure PDA’s, remote PCs and cell phones. (O) F. Errand Environment Strategic sort = miner, concentrated on item advancement and market openings 1. McAfee should hope to extend its versatile and remote arrangements. (O) 2. Cooperation with VeriFone Holdings, Inc. permits McAfee to be first to showcase with infection insurance for retail location terminals. (O) 3. Advance being beneficiaries of the KM Reality Award, exhibited administration in the execution of information the executives practices and procedures by acknowledging quantifiable business benefits. O) 4. There are many substitute items offered by contenders. (T) 5. High contention exists between firms like Symantec, Computer Assoc. , Trend Micro, and Panda. (T) 6. McAfee faces abroad rivalry. (T) 7. Symantec Products: Norton AntiVirus, Norton Utilities, Symantec AntiVirus. (T) 8. Microsoft changing to Trend Micro for use on all hotmail accounts. (T) 9. Micros oft’s entrance, obtaining GIANT Company Software, Inc. also, appropriating free enemy of spyware programming. (T) G. Outline of External Factors 19. Outer Factor Analysis Summary Matrix (Exhibit B). IV. Inside Environment: Strengths and Weaknesses H. Corporate Structure 20. Utilitarian Structure: Worldwide Sales, Consumer, Mobile, and Small Business, Corporate Strategy and Business Development, Operations and Finance, HR, Risk and Compliance, Worldwide Technical Support and Customer Service, and so on, each have its own Executive or Senior Vice President who report to the President. (S) 21. CEO is additionally Chairman of the Board. (W) 22. Individuals from board and the executives are assorted all through various business zones. Not simply innovation center. (S) I. Corporate Culture 23. Actualized a â€Å"Ethics First† program, which is fundamental for any specialized organization. (S) 24. Positioned in top 10 for a PC programming organization somewhere in the range of 2000 and 2005. (S) 25. Among Computer insurance suppliers just hold a 15% piece of the pie. (W) J. Corporate Resources 26. Advertising * Two classifications of items: McAfee System Protection Solution (work areas and servers) amp; McAfee Network Protection Solutions (corporate systems) * Types of items: against infection, hostile to programmer and against spyware, against spam, against misuse, portable and remote, and packaged. Client base-organizations, governments, and shoppers. a. Item permitting. (S) * Products are valued and sold on membership premise Single client, 1yr permit (home web security suite) = $69. 99 (preceding mail-in discount). * Three client, 1 year permit (home web security suite) = $129. 99. * Small organizations are estimated relying upon size of the association and length of permit. b. Items are dispersed all through North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, and Latin America. (S) c. McAfee Foundstone Enterprise 4. 0 is the main supplier of interruption counteraction arrangements (IPS). S) d. Collaborated with Dell to build up the McAfee SecurityCenter group (incorporates McAfee Personal Firewall Plus, McAfee Privacy Service and McAfee SpamKiller). (S) e. AOL started its organization with McAfee in April of 2003 (detailed obstructing over a billion infection contaminated messages in thirteen months time). (S) 27. Fund ?. In 2003, NAI was required by the Securities and Exchange Commission to re-state it income for 1998, 1999 and 2000. NAI denied any bad behavior, however consented to reissue the changed proclamations after conversations with SEC authorities. The examination managed the way where NAI announced income from deals by its wholesalers. (W) ?. In a post-Enron business condition, such examinations and the ensuing recalculations of budget summaries can negatively affect a company’s estimation of its stock and endeavors to acquire capital speculation for future extension. (W) ?. In 2002 and 2003, despite the fact that incomes had diminished, NAI kept on putting resources into new advancements, burning through $220 million to procure IntruVert Networks, Inc. , and Entercept Security Technologies, the two of which make interruption avoidance items. S) ?. In 2004, NAI changed its name to McAfee, squared away $347 million under water, and re-bought $220 million in like manner stock with an end goal to re-structure its capitalization procedure and accomplish an objective of a 25% working edge. (S) ?. With about $350 million created from progressing activities, McAfee finished 2004 with almost $1 billion in real money, money reciprocals, and speculations. McAfee plans to utilize this money to buy extra security items. Moreover, the organization intends to sell its unbeneficial Sniffer system to Silver Lake Partners and Texas Pacific Group. S) ?. Extra Information (Exhibit C through E). 28. Innovative work ?. Expanding innovation assets through organization acquisitions (S) ?. Keeps on increasing present expectations in item innovati

Roman Architecture Essay Example For Students

Roman Architecture Essay The design style of Rome was solidly established in the Hellenistic customs. Be that as it may, Roman design is most likely more precisely reflected in the developmentof new building aptitudes and mainstream landmarks than the thoughts of divine beings and perfectionthat birthed the Greek engineering. They acquainted not just new ways with develop love productive structure yet in addition an altogether unique reason for the structure to be constructed. While as yet holding the excellence that was so unbelievably accomplished by the Greek culture andadding their own for all intents and purposes and resourcefulness, the Romans built up a compositional stylethat stays right up 'til the present time. The Greeks individuals had an excellent explanation, in their psyches, to fabricate a beautifulpiece of design; the love of divine beings. Generally the entirety of the instances of Greek architecturethat we are aware of today were sanctuaries. The divine beings were the main thrust behind any majorarchitecture of the Hellenistic time frame. This isn't valid for the Roman culture. Despite the fact that theRomans built sanctuaries to their divine beings, the Roman style was all the more transcendently seenin open residences and get-together zones, for example, basilicas and discussions, than in theirtemples. Actually, a greater part of the sanctuaries that the Romans manufactured were nothing more thancopies of Greek sanctuaries, except for the domed Pantheon that will bediscussed later. Likewise, the Romans remembered their rulers for the sanctuaries alongside thegods and some of the time the sanctuary was only for the head himself. Another significant distinction among Greek and Roman design was thepurpose behind the structure. Greek engineering was intended to be seen as a bit of fine art that was devoted to the divine beings. This is anything but difficult to see from the resplendency of theoutside of the structure with the pediments and metopes and the fairly dreariness of theinside except for the friezes. The Greek planned it as a figure in a sense,with the entirety of the magnificence to be seen all things considered. Thusly of reasoning is turnedcompletely around in the Roman engineering style. In spite of the fact that the Roman structure arebeautiful outwardly, the genuine workmanship lies within with the colorful dividers andpaintings that gave a feeling of profundity to the room. Likewise, the Roman planne r wasconcerned with the lighting of the room so the inside enhancements could be seenclearly. These things were essential to the Romans on the grounds that their structures were meantto be gathering places for general society. The basilica was one such of these sorts ofbuildings that was planned to be a social affair place for Romans residents to hold meetingand maybe even courts. Bathhouses and commercial centers know as gatherings are yet otherexamples of the sorts of building that the Romans concentrated on making satisfying to the eyeon within as opposed to the outside. Not exclusively did the Romans contrast on for what reason to assemble a structure however they additionally madedrastic contrasts on the best way to construct it. The Greeks utilized what is know as a ?post andlintel? arrangement of structuring a structure. This is essentially remaining to columnsup and putting a shaft across them. An extremely straightforward and simple development however on the otherhand not an exceptionally solid one. As the Roman human progress became bigger and bigger thebuildings they utilized for gatherings and markets obviously needed to develop as well. This gave aproblem the utilization of sections, in light of the fact that the large the structure, the more segments neededto hold it up. In this way the Romans went to building for the arrangement and the curve wasborn. By utilizing curves rather than segments and shafts, the heaviness of the structure wasspread uniformly out and toward the ground instead of straightforwardly down on the pillar. Thisincrea sed the measure of weight that could be upheld in a solitary zone and accordingly givingmore room within by removing beforehand fundamental segments, however they didkeep some around for enrichment. This creation obviously changed the outlook on theconstruction of standard structure that would have depended of sections, however it additionally was astepping stone to another development. The vault is just a system of archesthat structure an encased structure. This is the hypothesis that made the Pantheon, a circulardome that was the sanctuary to the divine beings. It is one of the first of its sort and has stood forthousands of years while other structure planned carefully with segments have turn intonothing more than ruins. The predominant designing aptitudes of the Romans genuinely assumed amajor job in their engineering and set it apart from their Greek partners. .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1 , .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1 .postImageUrl , .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1 .focused content territory { min-tallness: 80px; position: relative; } .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1 , .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1:hover , .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1:visited , .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1:active { border:0!important; } .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1 .clearfix:after { content: ; show: table; clear: both; } .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1 { show: square; change: foundation shading 250ms; webkit-progress: foundation shading 250ms; width: 100%; murkiness: 1; change: darkness 250ms; webkit-change: obscurity 250ms; foundation shading: #95A5A6; } .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1:active , .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1:hover { mistiness: 1; progress: haziness 250ms; webkit-progress: darkness 250ms; foundation shading: #2C3E50; } .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1 .focused content zone { width: 100%; position: relati ve; } .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1 .ctaText { outskirt base: 0 strong #fff; shading: #2980B9; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: striking; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; content design: underline; } .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1 .postTitle { shading: #FFFFFF; text dimension: 16px; text style weight: 600; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; width: 100%; } .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1 .ctaButton { foundation shading: #7F8C8D!important; shading: #2980B9; fringe: none; fringe sweep: 3px; box-shadow: none; text dimension: 14px; text style weight: intense; line-stature: 26px; moz-fringe range: 3px; content adjust: focus; content embellishment: none; content shadow: none; width: 80px; min-tallness: 80px; foundation: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/modules/intelly-related-posts/resources/pictures/straightforward arrow.png)no-rehash; position: supreme; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1:hover .ctaButton { foundation shading: #34495E!important; } .uc65ac1d47 c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1 .focused content { show: table; tallness: 80px; cushioning left: 18px; top: 0; } .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1-content { show: table-cell; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; cushioning right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-adjust: center; width: 100%; } .uc65ac1d47c5f74a3899b4f8042b73ae1:after { content: ; show: square; clear: both; } READ: Carlos Santana EssayThough the starting point of their thoughts originated from the Greek engineering, the Romanswere splendid in the manners by which they sorted out and improved those thoughts. Theypioneered advancements in engineering, created noteworthy plans, and changed thevery way we see structures. They have left an everlasting effect on design bycombining their lifestyle in the engineering that start some time before them.

Blog Archive Mission Admission How to Handle Tough MBA Interviews

Blog Archive Mission Admission How to Handle Tough MBA Interviews Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday. With MBA interview decisions continuing to arrive this time of year, we thought now would be an appropriate time to discuss challenging interview situations. Most business school interviews are straightforward opportunities for an interviewer to learn more about a candidate’s personal and professional backgrounds, goals, reasons for selecting a specific school and leadership/team experiences, yet interviews can vary dramatically from school to school and sometimes include a few peculiarities. So, what constitutes a tough interview, and how can you best navigate one? Stoic interviewer: Some interviewers can be unemotional, refusing to give the candidate any indication as to whether he or she is making a positive impression or not. Of course, when an applicant is under intense pressure, this perceived lack of approval can be misunderstood as a sign of disapproval. The key in managing such an interview is to tune out the interviewer’s lack of emotion. Focus on your answers and do your best to not be distracted by anything about the interviewer, tuning out everything except the questions he or she is posing. “Reading” the interviewer in real time can be challenging, and you should instead concentrate on showcasing your strengths. Philosophical questions: Most candidates are ready to discuss their experiences and accomplishments, but many are not prepared to discuss their values and philosophy on life. Harvard Business School in particular likes to understand applicants’ motivations and will ask questions like “What is your motivation to succeed?,”   “What drives you?”  and “What gives you purpose in life?” The key to answering these sorts of questions is pretty simple: expect and prepare for them in advance (after all, you are being warned right now).   You cannot assume that all the questions you will receive during your interview will be experiential. Persistent questioning: Sometimes a tough interviewer will continuously delve deeper into a subject, such as by  repeatedly asking, “Can you be more specific about [the topic under discussion]?” after posing an initial question. These kinds of unusual pressure tactics can be disconcerting, but the key is to simply stay on topic. No matter how persistent, the interviewer is always essentially asking you about a subject that you know quite wellâ€"you! So, again, by avoiding the distraction of the tactic and sticking to your agenda, you should be fine. mbaMission offers even more interview advice in our  Interview Guide, as well as through targeted one-on-one  mock interview sessions  and group  Wharton team-based discussion simulations, so check those out! Share ThisTweet Mission Admission

Effects Of Music On Health And Its Effects On The Human Body

Effects of Music on Health Through the history of humanity experts have found evidence that music was made since early years. Whether its social effect and the forced out at dances, rituals and festivities accompanying music has remained as inherent to the development of human history. Then there is the very evolution of music, its stages, its use as a distinctive cultural feature and make it seem infinite, so different in each region, age, culture, subculture, niche, layer, band, urban tribe, person, so on to infinity. The music, that makes life a success, has powerful effects on the human body. Since the beginning of mankind, it has become apparent the effects that music has had on human behavior in many ways. Various studies have been made over time, and they found that music, for example, affect brain chemistry. This happens because nice music make people release dopamine, a neurohormone released by the hypothalamus, which is associated with pleasure. However, it has other benefi cial functions as being present in the learning process, behavior, motor activity, sleep, mood, and attention. That is why other studies have found in music the relationship in improving motor activity in the treatment of patients with Parkinson s or increased spatial reasoning in autistic patients and support therapies patients with seizure disorders. When people listen music their brains become active in different areas. A study made by the University of Florida suggests that active musicShow MoreRelatedMusics Health Effects1229 Words   |  5 Pagesnot some far flung reality. It’s possible, through the powerful healing effects of music. Music for centuries has entertained the crowds who came to watch it, but until recently have we learned the effects it brings to the human body. From raising your oxygen saturation, to lowering your blood pressure to changing mood, the health effects of music are becoming more and more revealed. As man begins to unlock the secret’s of music, this knowledge can start being applied to the real world. This includesRead MoreMusic And Its Effect On Society1500 Words   |  6 Pages Music as life provider, never would I have suspected that music could possess a strong element in treating the human body, despite the pure entertainment, music can give to us, it cannot compare to how it affects people. The main reason for it would be how it is used for medical purposes, how it is affecting us (health wise), and how it helps educationally. There are a lot of interesting aspects that music brings and it is identified as analgesic and anxiolytic. It has been used as a therapeuticRead MoreMusic : An Explosive Expression Of Humanity1748 Words   |  7 PagesBilly Joel once said, â€Å"I think music in itself is healing. It s an explosive expression of humanity. It s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we re from, everyone loves music.† In many ways this quote is very accurate both socially and scientifically. Music is a vital part of almost every culture and serves many purposes culturally as a means of self expression and communication withi n a culture and the world at large. While music does serve several external purposes, perhapsRead MoreGratitude And Gratitude1708 Words   |  7 Pagesgratitude, forgiveness, laughter, humor, guided imagery, meditation music with and without lyrics, rhythm, tone, color, chakras, synchronicity, integrative health and integrative healing group sessions. Gratitude can be defined as being grateful about an aspect or several aspects of life. Gratitude is a character that should rather be practiced on a daily routine. It can be very easy to request gratitude theoretically as it is tough for human due to divided inner drive which in return bring conflicts fromRead MoreEffect Of Stress On The Human Body1577 Words   |  7 Pagesthreatened. The aspects that threaten this equilibrium within ones brain are called stressors and individuals struggle to restore the normal state by coming up with physiological and behavioral responses to that effect (Thoma, La Marca, Brà ¶nnimann, Finkel, Ehlert, Nater, 2013). Within the human body, there are hormones that play a significant role in restoring this balance mainly the neuroendocrinic hormones. For stress to be experienced, the threshold of any stressor must be exceeded. When that thresholdRead MoreEssay about Informative Speech Outline About Music809 Words   |  4 Pages Specific Purpose: My audience will learn why music is healthy and beneficial to your health Thesis Statement: Music is an essential part of our lives and is important to the development and health of your body. Introduction I. Attention Getter: (Start speech by playing music, turning lights off, dancing a little?) So we all listen to music, it’s apart of our everyday lives. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who said they cant stand music.. and if I ever did I would call them out for lyingRead MoreMusic: the Medicine of the Mind784 Words   |  4 PagesMusic can have effects on the human brain that are hard to exaggerate. For instance, a mere snippet of song can trigger one’s memories so vividly. A tune can induce emotions ranging from unabashed joy to deep sorrow and can drive listeners into states of patriotic fervour or religious frenzy--to say nothing of its legendary ability to soothe the savage beast. The study of how music affects the mind and the interconnection between music and the physical and mental health of human beings has been aRead MoreEffects of Music on the Mind1350 Words   |  6 PagesEffects of Music on the Mind The study of how music affects the mind has been a subject of interest for many. The interconnection between music and the physical and mental health of human beings has been researched on since long. Research has concluded that music does have positive effects on our mind. It has the power of healing certain ailments. Indian classical music has been found to have the strongest healing powers. Music has a calming effect on the mind. It is known to speed the recoveryRead MoreMusic Therapy Association ( 2013 )1555 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican music therapy association (2013) defined as a clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to help individuals archive their goals between a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. Music therapy is an upcoming health profession. It involves the use of sound wave that penetrate through the soul and mind to heal, repair and improve the overall emotional well-being. It c an be by playing a music instrument, singingRead MoreThe Effects Of Music On College Students Essay1470 Words   |  6 Pagescountry’s largest grassroots mental health organization, rates of anxiety and depression have skyrocketed in what many are calling a crisis of mental health on college campuses. More than 5 million college students struggle with mental health (Heck). Because of this, it is pertinent that one finds healthy coping mechanisms. Music is a plays a large part in every culture. No matter where you are from or what you believe, music plays a significant role in the average human, but also college students. There

A Role Of Harriet Tubman In History - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 878 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/06/14 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Harriet Tubman Essay Did you like this example? Harriet Tubman was born into American slavery, a world that had been created by social, cultural, legal, and psychological effects for nearly 200 years. The revolutionary war opened new opportunities for African Americans, with growing support by the Quakers and others who were against slavery. Although slavery was becoming non-existent in the North, the elite of the south were against this new movement, and they feared this new ideology, as their economy depended on the supply and demand of cotton. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A Role Of Harriet Tubman In History" essay for you Create order The south continued to defend their proslavery views, and Harriet Tubman could not escape the harsh circumstances of African American slaves during this period. At the time, no one could have ever imagined Harriet Tubman would become the woman she is known to be today, but the extreme circumstances that she had to overcome led to a legacy that will be remembered forever. Harriet Tubmanrs adolescent years were full of neglect. Harriet Tubman lived most of her younger years with her family on a plantation owned by the Brodess family near the town of Bucktown, located near Dorchester County, Maryland. The relationships between Harriet and her family is not well known because she was split apart from her family at a very early age (History). Her mother worked as a cook for the Brodess family, and her father, Benjamin Ross, was owned by Anthony Thompson. Her mother was the property of Matty Pattinson who married Joseph Brodess in 1800, but later died in 1803. It was then that Marry Pattinson married a widower named Anthony Thompson. It was at this time that the Brodess and Thompson family were united by marriage, and the mother of Harriett Tubman, Harriet Green, and her father, Benjamin Ross started a family (Jean McMahon 12). Harriet Tubman witnessed the injustices of slavery, and the memories were ingrained in her mind from a very early age. It is said that Harriet Tubman believed her mother was slaved illegally, and she was right. She paid a lawyer $5 dollars to look up the will of her motherrs first master, and she found out that her mother was slaved even long after she was due to be emancipated (Jean McMahon 14). As a child, she witnessed her sisters being taken away with a group of chained prisoner slaves (Jean McMahon 14). Having to deal with such discriminatory experiences at such an early age, Harriet Tubman developed a strong desire for liberation and freedom, not only for African American people, but the family that was taken away from her. Her difficult childhood did not stop there, her first job required her to take care of a new born. If the baby cried at night, she would be whipped by her master. Harriet Tubman was hired from house to house since she was 5 years old, working jobs that were mentally and physically taxing. At the age of 7, she contracted measles from a job that required her to be constantly wet, and she collapsed from exhaustion (Harriet-Tubman). Throughout all the hardships Harriet Tubman faced in her childhood years, it seems she was born with a virtuous sense of character and fighting spirit, and her true character was unveiled when she stood up for a fellow slave. Her master demanded she help whip the slave for going to the store without permission, but she refused. The slave tried to run away, when the master picked up an iron weight and threw it. Harriet Tubman was struck in the head, with the weight crushing her skull. The attack left her permanently scared, and she would have seizures for the rest of her life (AmericarsLibrary). The extreme difficulties she faced as a child would be monumental, and the strength that she developed was necessary for the next chapter in her life. Harriet Tubmanrs middle years would set the tone in her search for freedom for her and her people. At the age of about 24 years old, she married a free man by the name of John Tubman in 1844 (Jean McMahon 15). Little is known about her relationship with her husband and she is not known to have any children in her life. At the time, slaved woman married at a very early age, and they were often advised to have children early. Punishment was often a consequence of deciding not to have children early. Even so, Harriet Tubman married in her later years compared to her peers, and it is believed that her mother may have played a role in doing so. Mothers of slaved woman during this period attempted to slow the pace of courtship (Jean McMahon 15). The relationship between Harriet Tubman and John Tubman is said to have been a complicated one because she was still a slave while he was free man, but this very fate would be her opportunity to focus on the task at hand and pursue her escape (Jean McMahon 15). On 1849, her master, Edward Brodess died, and he left a will that stated the Tubmanrs would be slaves for the purpose of raising his family (Jean McMahon 16). Harriet Tubman would have other plans, and she decided her escape in 1849, with two or three of her brothers (Jean McMahon 16). However, fearing the all the horrible things that might happen to them if they were caught, the brothers retreated, and Harriet Tubman was own her own.

Training And Development Between Hard Model And Soft Model...

ABSTRACT This assignment will analyse the connection about employees’ training and development between Hard Model and Soft Model of Human Resource Management which has been achieved due to numerous studies that indicates the following: Hard Model in HRM has fleeting changes in employee numbers; it also has insignificant correspondences, starting from the top; and the pay is enough to enrol and maintain sufficient staff. (Cassidy, 2014) Moreover, the Soft Model in HRM has longer-term workforce arranging on strategic focus; it also have solid and customary two-way correspondence, and aggressive pay structure, with appropriate achievement-related rewards. Additionally, it will explore on how training and development can be used as a method of employee motivation providing relevant motivation theories, such as Alderfer’s ERG Motivation Theory which tackles about existence needs, relatedness needs, and growth needs; as well as McClelland’s Achievement and Acquired Needs Theory which addresses the high need for achievement, high need for affiliation, and high need for power; and Adams’ Equity Theory which applies the inputs, outputs, and perception about money. (Jose, 2013) Lastly, will evaluate about unproductive training and development of employees which explains that unproductive employees do not add to the development and benefit of the association which can be because of lack of chances, correspondence, input, value, and eagerness. Moreover, will investigate the approachesShow MoreRelatedAt present then, the contribution of HRM in improving a firm’s performance and in the overall1300 Words   |  6 Pagesin this area as it is now. 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Leadership Theory and Contemporary Challenges †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Leadership Theory and Contemporary Challenges. Answer: Introduction: Rock Paper Scissors is a salon operating on small scale in hair dressing industry in Australia. Establishment of salon was done after its owner won a major Australian national hair dressing competition. Report is prepared to address several contemporary challenges faced by salon in the Australian business environment. Rock Paper Scissors does not have any established mission and vision statements and does not have any defined strategic goals and objectives. Management of organization lacks in each and every aspect as it does not have any properly planned financial and strategic planning (Dean Bowen, 2016). Since, the year of its formation, salon has never been operating profitably and in light of ongoing issues profit generation seems impossible. Present study deals with analysis and evaluation of strength of salon by forming and executing strategic in appropriate manner to achieve desirable targets. Furthermore, it has been viewed that there are no proper documentation of policies and does not have any developed performance indicators for measuring financial performance and customer satisfaction. Employees are demotivated to the extent that they are not punctual and leading to theft of salon properties (Petronio, 2013). All these have a devastating impact on the overall performance of salon and its sustainability position. Implementation of proper management tool for improving the position of salon in competitive environment of Australia hairdressing industry. Development of key performance indicators for assessing financial performance and performance of employees. Formation of coherent and cohesive mission statements and development of corporate goals and objectives. Identification of core competencies and working on it for gaining competitor advantages over other salon operating in same area. Employment of management tools and principles of leadership and motivational theories for creating a environment that will generate organizational success. Management concepts, principles and theories: Mission and vision statements are regarded s an extremely important part of business planning of enterprise such as salon. It serves as a platform for unifying all the stakeholders such as employees, customers, government as they work towards attainment of organizational goals. Mission statements should incorporate defining of core competencies that would set a particular organization apart from its competitors. Such statements should ne motivating and inspiring and all stakeholders are benefitted from uplifting mission statements. It is required by any business to formulate its mission statement first as stayed by rational goal model that would ultimately lead to establishment of strategies, objectives and goals (Van Wart, 2013). Rock Paper Scissors is required to formulate a mission statement that should incorporate the following elements: Mission statement of Rock Paper Scissors should be concise, focused and clear and the statement can be crafted depending upon the budget of salon. Mission statement should be displayed proudly and certain materials should also display such statement. Providing quality service to its customers Incorporating and adhering to ethical requirements Priorities of management and organization as a whole Strategy, goals and objectives: An organization is likely to experience higher growth and profitability if it has well defined strategy, objectives and goals. Setting clear objectives and goals will assist the management in monitoring the performance of enterprise such as hair dressing salon. There are few organizational goals that is served by the formulation of strategies and goals such as it facilitates planning, provides direction and guidance, inspiring and motivate employees and staffs and assisting organization in controlling and evaluating performance. Employees can seek strategies and goals for guidance when they are to deal with difficult circumstances (Antonaki House, 2013). Goal setting should be done by considering all the facets of salon as there can be inappropriate gaol formation if it is done promptly. Carrying out assessment of salon opportunities and weakness for strategies formation Developing action plan and setting out measurement basis Developing ways to overcome some of operational issues faced by salon Gaining perspective of target market about what they seek from hair dressing salon and according forming strategies Evaluation of financial and operational performance by setting benchmark Strategic and Financial planning: Rock Paper does not have any strategic and financial plan that is one of the reasons why salon is lacking behind in terms of profitability and performance. Prolonged sustainability can be experienced by any business if it has the capability of overcoming external and internal challenges posed by competing environment. The back bone of any business is its financial planning (Meredith, 2013). Salon discussed in the case study does not have any such plan and it has never operated profitably since its establishment. Rock Paper is required to have financial and strategic plan in place to deal with current issues they are facing: Development of financial indicators for measuring financial performance and reviewing financial report in annual basis as well Salon has immense potential for growth if they have proper plans and sufficient amount of funds should be available to meet some unanticipated changes. A proper and understanding in the field of business should be there as having a professional qualified experts and staffs would add great advantage to salon. Performance indicators and adoption of some techniques for data collection on number of customer visits and serviced by staffs to monitor operations. Innovation plays a vital role in shaping the future of salon and they should have the commitment of responsible and sustainable innovation. Innovation will help salon to improve their existing operations by developing, testing, prioritising and modifying. However, it is sometimes difficult for organization to get involved and formulate innovative strategy. In the area of intense competition in Australian business environment, shortened product life cycle and speedy changes in trend and tastes of customers, innovation is regarded as critical factor (Hill et al., 2014). Rock Paper should make marketing a central part of the business planning as they have a very significant role to play in creating sustainable business. Rather than developing an image, salon should focus on cultivating an ethos that will ultimately improve image. Salon is required to be savoir-faire about their products and services prices. Services provided by professionals should be kept on higher prices and this high price can be offset by offering discount on some promotional programs. Creation of an efficient process by and encouraging and creating a collaborative and participative environment. Leadership is essential tool of management that is necessity for managing any organization. Team building is a key management approach for managing salon. For handling growth in cultural diversities of employees and customers and changing trend in Australian society is done by inculcating appropriate leadership skills and employing appropriate leadership theories. A leaders leading any salon is required to have some traits such as confidence, self promotion, resilience, delegation, motivation, independence, thirst for knowledge and passionate. Manage are required to employ a particular leadership style depending upon organizational structure and current scenario for dealing with emerging situations (Pfeffer, 2014). A leadership style theory incorporates two basic leadership style that can be employed by leaders or mangers such as democratic leadership style and autocratic leadership style. Democratic leaders encourage staffs to participate in decision making, work with employees and do not carry out supervisions. Autocratic leaders closely supervise employees and direct them and take decision themselves. Fiedlers contingency leadership theory makes the assumption that leadership styles are constant and it considers the situation for employing leadership style and maximizing performance. It determines whether the leadership style is relationship oriented or task oriented. Another model is path gaol leadership theory that helps in identification of most appropriate style of leadership suiting specific circumstances for maximization of both job satisfaction and performance (Northouse, 2015). In accordance with this model, responsibility of leaders is to motivate employees for attaining organizatio nal and personal goals. Such leaders take into account environmental and situational factors. Hairdressers at Rock Paper should be encouraged to pursue hair dressing carrier rather than performing their task as daily routine job. Delegation of weakest leadership skills by salon mangers for identifying the existing gap in there. Rock Paper scissors should employ path goal leadership style that is one of the most suitable leadership models to be incorporated in the management of salon given the current scenario. Consultative decision making, participation and encouraging and collaborative participation, sharing responsibility, task delegation and reflective listening should be adopted by manners at salon. Motivation is crucially important for getting task done by employees in efficient and effective manner. Rock Paper employees are not motivated for performing their obligations and damaging and causing theft to salons property. Motivation is required for increasing job satisfaction and enabling a sense of achievement. There are three motivational factors that drive the performance of employees according to McCellands, theory of needs that involves affiliation, achievement and influence (Gladwin et al., 2015). As per Maslows hierarchy of need theory, there are five motivational factors that involve physiological needs, self actualization needs, ego and self esteem, social needs and safety needs. Salon is required to develop an environment that encourages and motivated employees to work. Rock Paper should make the employment of Maslows hierarchy that will drive the employees performance if such needs are addressed. For setting challenge and specifying goal and objectives, salon should incorporate goal setting theory. Management of performance of organization and employees is very essential for its sustainability. Rock Paper does not have any want to measure employee performance such as there is no track and records of number of clients served by them on each particular day. There are not any developed performance indicators for measuring financial performance (Ramos et al., 2014). Implementation the performance appraisal system would help in rewarding employees for the efforts undertaken by them. Individual hairdressers should be assessed by reviewing their performance and rewarding them for their efforts. Execution of performance planning that leads to identification of key responsibilities of employees. Managerial environment in which hairdressing salon operates: Skills development for managing resources and planning are required to be done by managers at salon. Strengthening of retention and recruitment strategies is the priority of managers for handling the current scenario. At the very initial stage of business planning and enabling hair dressing salon to survive, management training is considered to be of utmost importance. In the era of technological advancements, managers at Rock Paper are required to have greater knowledge and understanding of technologies. There is wide variety of small roles that needs to be upgraded for skills enhancements that requires possession of such skills. For management of Rock Paper, managers are required to have greater knowledge of financial, operational, marketing and human resource management. Human resource management skills are needed for addressing diversified needs and boosting employees morale towards attaining organizational goals (Donaldson et al., 2014). Government regulations- Hair dressing salon are required to adhere with regulations of hair dressing establishments. They are required to comply with the requirements of code of practice for skin penetration procedures. Any change in such regulations requirement would impact salon operations (Donaldson, 2014). Technological development- Information and communication technology influences the rate of performance of salon. It is required by salon to adjust in current competing environment by adopting the technological softwares that would ease the task of employees and assist them in providing services efficiently. Trends and fashion- Operations of hair dressing salon is considerably impacted by the rapid changes in trend, tastes and preferences of customers. Population- The demand of hair dressing and beauty services in Australia has been increasing significantly with the increase in population that has the consequence of increasing discretionary income. Conclusion: From the analysis of case study on Rock Paper Scissors, it has been ascertained that there are many contemporary challenges that are faced by salon in present situation. Issues are mainly related with financial and strategic planning that had adversely affected the overall performance of organization. Salon is required to develop internally on several fronts such as management of its employees, customers and other stakeholders for sustaining in this competitive environment. Addressing such challenges and issues faced by Rock paper would help them in operating profitably. Recommendations: Report has displayed recommendations separately for each of issues presented and discussed above. However, all the recommendations van be wrapped up by saying that Rock Paper should employ relevant management theories and tools for dealing with present challenges they are facing. Issues faced by organization in retention of customers and for handling demotivated employees are dealt by employing the above recommended leadership and motivational theories. Path goal theory of leadership is considered to be the suitable strategies for generating employee satisfaction and motivating them leading to improved performance. Employment of management theories would assist managers in developing appropriate managing skills for managing the salon in the competitive environment. References list: Antonakis, J., House, R. J. (2013). The full-range leadership theory: The way forward. In Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: The Road Ahead 10th Anniversary Edition (pp. 3-33). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Brigham, E. F. (2014). Financial management theory and practice. Atlantic Publishers Distri. Cole, G. A. (2014). Management theory and practice. Cengage Learning EMEA. Dean, J. W., Bowen, D. E. (2016). Management theory and total quality: improving research and practice through theory development. Academy of management review, 19(3), 392-418. Dinh, J. E., Lord, R. G., Gardner, W. L., Meuser, J. D., Liden, R. C., Hu, J. (2014). Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current theoretical trends and changing perspectives. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 36-62. Donaldson, L. (2014). The ethereal hand: Organizational economics and management theory. Academy of management Review, 15(3), 369-381. Donaldson, L., Qiu, J., Luo, B. N. (2013). For rigour in organizational management theory research. Journal of Management Studies, 50(1), 153-172. Gladwin, T. N., Kennelly, J. J., Krause, T. S. (2015). Shifting paradigms for sustainable development: Implications for management theory and research. Academy of management Review, 20(4), 874-907. Hill, C. W., Jones, G. R., Schilling, M. A. (2014). Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning Lussier, R. N., Achua, C. F. (2015). Leadership: Theory, application, skill development. Nelson Education Meredith, J. (2013). Building operations management theory through case and field research. Journal of operations management, 16(4), 441-454. Meuser, J. D., Gardner, W. L., Dinh, J. E., Hu, J., Liden, R. C., Lord, R. G. (2016). A network analysis of leadership theory: The infancy of integration. Journal of Management, 42(5), 1374-1403. Morgenroth, T., Ryan, M. K., Peters, K. (2015). The motivational theory of role modeling: How role models influence role aspirants goals. Review of General Psychology, 19(4), 465. Mosala-Bryant, N. N., Hoskins, R. G. (2017). Motivational theory and knowledge sharing in the public service. SA Journal of Information Management, 19(1), 9-pages. Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications Petronio, S. (2013). Brief status report on communication privacy management theory. Journal of Family Communication, 13(1), 6-14. Pfeffer, J. (2014). The management theory morass: Some modest proposals. New directions in management and organization theory, 447-456. Ramos, F. P., Enumo, S. R. F., Paula, K. M. P. D. (2015). Motivational Theory of Coping: A developmental proposal for the analysis of coping with stress. Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas), 32(2), 269-279. Rausch, P., Sheta, A. F., Ayesh, A. (Eds.). (2013). Business intelligence and performance management: theory, systems and industrial applications. Springer Science Business Media. Van Wart, M. (2013). Lessons from leadership theory and the contemporary challenges of leaders. Public Administration Review, 73(4), 553-565.

Impact Of Music Essays - Grammy Award For Best Rap Album

Impact Of Music Fifteen people died on April 20th 1999. Two misunderstood teens went to school and killed 12 people and then themselves(Manson). On October 6th, 1998 a man was beaten, robbed and left tied to a fence. He died 6 days later(Boston). Both of these cases are a focus for something that no one would ever think could cause such harm. Music. Both of these have a focus of music and the negative impact that it has on the youth. Music is a way to express your self, an outlet for emotions and personal issues. It is also a place to force ideas and opinions on a mass of thousands. People can relate to it on many different levels. But who should be responsible for the actions it provokes? Should the artist or the parents? What can we as average citizens do? Some say that music should be rated and in some cases banned. One such person would be Tipper Gore. Back in 1985 she was listening to her daughters Prince album Purple Rain. The album contained a song ? Darling Nikki? about a woman who was ?masturbating with a magazine.? The song continued with a sexual tone. She felt this was not proper for her, or any other child to listen to. She and other concerned parents founded the PMRC ? Parent Music Resource Center. They wanted a standard rating system for all albums to alert parents of the content. Such ratings as ?V? for violence and ?X? for sex related (Holland). Many musicians fought against the PMRC. Artists like Dee Snider (of Twisted Sister) and John Denver fought for the case of artists' free speech. The result was not a standard set of ratings but one black and white sticker with the words, Parental Advisory Explicit Content. This was to be on all albums containing content not suitable for minors. The record companies would decide w hich album was to be stickered. Fifteen years later we are still arguing over free speech and what should be available to children and teens. The youth of America have many different forms of music to choose from. A large portion of youth's listen to rap or alternative music and most has an advisory sticker on them. But is this sticker doing anything? Youth are still being influenced by the themes and not so much the words that are being said. Many feel that the music has a great influence on youth. Most teenagers spend a lot of time listening to music. Studies have also found that music affects behavior. Was this what happened at the Columbine High School? Did the two boys listen to something and it told them to go and shoot someone? Maybe not directly but in some ways music has affected everything around them. It was said that at the time Marilyn Manson was a major cause of the problems. The boys dressed like him and listened to his dark music. Such music has a hate base to it, often telling of revenge and killing. He says in one song how he will make everyone pay(Jipping). This has a parallel with what the two boys were feeling, always being picked on by the other students. So the two do have some connection. Not saying that if Manson hadn't wrote what he wrote then the killings wouldn't have happened. In fact the two boys didn't even like Manson's music. This still does not excuse Manson for writing these lyrics. In his words he asks the question of whose fault it is. ? Throw a rock and you'll hit someone who's guilty, ? he said in a response to the killings in Rolling Stone Magaz ine. He also states ?We live in a free country, but with that freedom, there is a burden of personal responsibility.?(Manson) Where is his responsibility when it comes to hate music? Music has been found to directly relate to people and their behavior. Those who listen to negative themed music are more apt to behave in antisocial attitudes. Matthew Shepard died a horrible death that fall day. We know who killed him and we know why, it was a hate crime. Ignorance killed Matthew; did music play a part

Macbeths rise and fall

Macbeths rise and fall At the beginning of the play "Macbeth" by Shakespeare, Macbeth is described as the undefeatable hero who has downed high treason and the Norwegian invaders and due to his bravery Scotland can expect a new peace.But on their way to King Duncan the commanders Macbeth and Banquo meet the three witches and their prophecies will change the course of history .Thane of Glamis is supposed to become Thane of Cawdor and afterwards even king and Baquo should become progenitor of kings. After a short while he is greeted as Thane of Cawdor by the king's delegates. Consequently he desires to be king as well and believes that all he has to is to commit regicide. The first sign of his ambition is visible.Unlike the hesitating and reflecting Macbeth his wife is willing to become queen and encourages and incites him. Here Macbeth still shows inhibitions and reason when he claims that being Thane of Cawdor would be good enough for him.Macbeth and Banquo meeting the witches in a woodcu...

Discourse Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discourse Analysis - Case Study Example The author further illustrates ‘islandness’ as a â€Å"construct of the mind,† which facilitates the islanders a â€Å"singular way† of looking at the world (192). Thus, the Island Institute has begun to publish the Island’s Journal, to create awareness in the general public about the islanders. The article draws research evidence from a wide variety of literature published in this journal, which the author has reviewed and he also uses his personal experience with island life. The author has supported and validated his thesis through an array of evidence from the island culture as well as referring to certain island qualities that â€Å"transcend local culture† (192). This becomes apparent in his illustration of the â€Å"self-consciousness about islandness† among the inhabitants of different islands (193). He also refers to the â€Å"cellarhole melancholy† that defines the sense of loss that permeates every inch of the island space and reflects on the islanders (193). The intended audience for this type of an audience may include scholars and teachers of geography, anthropology, literature and other humanities as well as people who have an interest in these subjects. The Geography Review, in which the article has been published, is a suitable publication for an article that contains such a topic. The author has taken a judicious stance in presenting the topic and there are not apparent bias on his part, except for his specific affini ty for the Islanders and his keen interest in informing the world about them. Similarly, Conkling also identifies many attributes that are common in islanders across the archipelagos different islands such as: a sense of freedom, loyalty and honor, frugality, â€Å"polydextrous and multifaceted competence† as well as the oral traditions, canny literacy and ability to tolerate eccentricity (192). The author’s use of language and style has been appropriate to the topic

Mutiple Sclerosis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Mutiple Sclerosis - Research Paper Example In addition, this disease is commonly reported among the female gender besides affecting young adults. At certain incidences, the infection may lead to either physical or cognitive disability (Kalb, 2011). Hence, worsen the ailing person’s condition because it assumes either relapse or progressive state (Kalb 2011). The disease’s pathophysiology is widely unknown to many, though numerous studies are underway with the intention of ascertaining other factors about it (Lezzoni, 2010). Multiple Sclerosis presents itself in two phases (Lezzoni, 2010). The initial phase encompasses brain hidden damage whereas the second is spinal cord paralysis (Lezzoni, 2010). During these phases, most lesions characterize the silent areas of brain damage thus, becoming difficult for doctors to detect them. What follows is infiltration of immune cells known as demyelination (Lezzoni, 2010). The depiction of this state mostly encompasses white matter and lesions appearing mainly in a peri-ventricular pattern (Lezzoni, 2010). Besides the intense injury of the normal white matter, the illness also damages cortex and profound gray material nuclei (Lezzoni, 2010). Symptoms of this illness majorly occur due to the accumulation of lesions in the central nervous system (Lezzoni, 2010). The most notable symptoms of th is disease encompass lapses, which are due to axonal conduction at the trace of the lesions (Lezzoni, 2010). Multiple sclerosis lesions in the brain and spinal cord lead to the damage of numerous central nervous system parts (Lezzoni, 2010). The disease professes various clinical symptoms that can be either mild or aggressive. For instance, numbness in limbs, slurred speech, fatigue and dizziness which represent mild symptoms, whereas vision impairment, pain in various body parts, lack of body coordination and balance breakdowns encompass aggressive symptoms (Lezzoni, 2010). Infected persons are extremely

Suport individuals to eat and drink Essay Example for Free

Suport individuals to eat and drink Essay It is important to give people some choice in the food thay eat. This will make mealtimes more enjoyable. Just imagine being unable to prepare meals for myself and having to sit down day after day to eat boring, unappetising or badly cooked food. Choice should be offered in the type of food, he way it is cooked and the quantity of food that is provided. It may also be helpful, if possible, to vary the times at which food is provided, so that people can choose the tome at which they wish to eat rather than having to fit in with the arrangements of their care setting. Of course, this is not easy as there are always considerations about staffing and running any care facility. Knowing the types of food and drink a person likes will help to build a trusting relationship. Some people choose not to eat meat because of their concern for animals. Some people have foods that they just do not like. Some people choose not to eat certain food because of religious easons. People from some groups will only eat food that has been prepared in certain ways depending on their religions laws. It is important to know what a healty and balanced diet is encouranging people to make suitable choices about what they eat is a very important part of supporting them. Some people may need to have a special diet for medical reasons, such as diabetes. A healthy balanced diet gives people all the nutrients in the right amounts for their age and gender. The amount of food taken in by a person needs to balance with the energy they use. If these are not balanced, the person will lose or gain weight. For example, an energetic teenager aets more than a older person who is not very active, because the teenager uses more energy. Everyone should eat a variety of foods, so that our bodies get all the nutrients that we need. This is especially important if people are recovering from an accident or an operation. The nutrition pyramid above typically shows the amount needed from each food group every  day. If dietary choice permits, try to choose low fat dairy foods and lean meat. Eat two portions of fish each week. Alcohol should be kept within the recommended limits or, better still, to occasional use only. The long-term effects of too much alcohol include conditions that can cause serious damage to the liver, of the stomach. It can also lead to dementia. It is important to encourage people to drink on a regular basis. For example, I could offer water, fruit squash, fruit juice and other drinks. However, too many sugary drinks, suck as fizzy drinks, and drinks that contain high levels of coffeine should be avoided. A lot of reseach has been carried out about what we eat. It has shown that too much salt is bad for me because it can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease. Research has also shown that eating enough fruit and vegetables can help to prevent some cancers. A person who eats too much and does not exercise enough may become obese. There can be many reasons why a person does not choose a healthy, balanced diet. They may not know what a healthy diet is. Diet can also be linked to social class because poorer people may not be able to afford good-quality food; however, with some thought it is possible tto eat a healty diet on a budget. Busy lifestyles mean that some people eat a lot of processed or conveniene foods, which usually contain a lot of salt and fat. Other peope just do not want to follow the advice to eat well, because they feel that the unhealthy option tastes better! Make sure that I know what a healthy diet is so that I can help people to make healthy choices. If I help them to develop independent skills by supporting them to do their own shopping, point out the healthy options and alternatives, I may also need to knowwhat the consequences of a poor diet choice might be. For example obesity can lead to heart disease, varicose veins, diabetes and arthritis. High cholesterol and diets high in salt can lead to heart attacks and strokes. If I am aware of the consequences, this means that I can offer sound advice. People may be reluctant, or may even refuse, to eat certain types of food which have been noted in their support plan as a requirement for their condition- such as a diabetic diet, a weight-reduction diet or a gluten-free diet. This can cause difficulties in terms of being able to offer freedom of choice. I may feel that this places me, and other care staff, in a very difficult position. If someone is determined to ignore medical advice and to follow a different diet, this should be reported and discussed among the care team and the  madical staff responsible for the person’s care. Ultimately I have little control over a diabetic who buys and eats chocolate bars and sweets. However, I do have a responsibility to provide full information and explanations, and to repeat the explanations regulary to the person, making every effort to persuade them to comply with the dietary requirements. If a person chooses, in full knowledge of the consequences, to ignore medical advice, then that is their choice.

The Anti-Free Speech Movement on Americas College Campuses

The Anti-Free Speech Movement on America's College Campuses The nation's leftists, whether in academia or the news media tout themselves as advocates of free speech. Back in 1964, it was Mario Savio a campus leftist who led the Free Speech Movement at the Berkeley campus of the University of California, a movement that without question played a vital role in placing American universities center stage in the flow of political ideas no matter how controversial, unpatriotic and vulgar. From the Nazis to the Stalinists leftists have always supported free speech rights, at least initially. Why? Because speech is important for the realization of leftist goals of command and control. People must be propagandized, proselytized and convinced. However, once the leftists are in power, as they are in most universities, free speech becomes a liability and must be suppressed. This is increasingly the case on college campuses and even finds its way into the work place. West Virginia University's student handbook reads in part: "Individuals or organizations may utilize designated free speech areas on a first-come, first-served basis without making reservations." Adding, ". . .the two designated areas for free speech and assembly will be the amphitheater area of the Mountainlair plaza and the concrete stage area in front of the Mountainlair and adjacent to the WVU Bookstore." In other words, 99 percent of West Virginia's campus was made into a censorship zone. This Nazi-Stalinist-like policy did not last long. The Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) began a campaign of public exposure and the Charlottesville, Virginia-based Rutherford Institute brought suit. This persuaded West Virginia University... ...nese, Jewish, African or Arab and hold Western values. It's no accident that western values of reason and individual rights have produced unprecedented health, life expectancy, wealth and comfort for the ordinary person. There's an indisputable positive relationship between liberty and standards of living. Western values are by no means secure. They are under ruthless attack by the academic elite on college campuses across America. These people want to replace personal liberty with government control; they want to replace equality with entitlement; they want to halt progress in the name of protecting the environment. As such they pose a much greater threat to our way of life than any terrorist or rogue nation. Multiculturalism and diversity are a cancer on our society and ironically, with our tax dollars and charitable donations to universities, we're feeding it.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty

â€Å"YOU SHOULD SLEEP.' Sydney's soft voice nearly made me leap out of my skin, proving that even while in Lissa's mind, I could still stay alert. I tuned back to Sonya's dark living room. Aside from Sydney, everything was quiet and at peace. â€Å"You look like the walking dead,' she continued. â€Å"And I don't say that lightly.' â€Å"I've got to stay on watch,' I said. â€Å"I'll watch. You sleep.' â€Å"You're not trained like me,' I pointed out. â€Å"You might miss something.' â€Å"Even I wouldn't miss Strigoi beating down the door,' she replied. â€Å"Look, I know you guys are tough. You don't have to convince me. But I have a feeling things are going to get harder, and I don't want you passing out at some crucial moment. If you sleep now, you can relieve Dimitri later.' Only the mention of Dimitri made me give in. We would need to relieve each other eventually. So, reluctantly, I crawled into Sydney's bed on the floor, giving her all sorts of instructions that I think she rolled her eyes at. I fell asleep almost instantly and then woke up just as quickly when I heard the sound of a door closing. I immediately sat upright, expecting to see Strigoi busting down the door. Instead, I found sunlight creeping in through the windows and Sydney watching me with amusement. In the living room, Robert was sitting up on the couch, rubbing his eyes. Victor was gone. I turned to Sydney in alarm. â€Å"He's in the bathroom,' she said, anticipating my question. That was the sound I'd heard. I exhaled in relief and stood up, surprised at how even a few hours of sleep had energized me. If I only had food, I'd be ready for anything. Sonya didn't have any, of course, but I settled for a glass of water in the kitchen. As I stood there drinking, I noticed that the Dashkov brothers had made themselves at home: coats hanging on hooks, car keys on the counter. I quietly grabbed hold of the keys and called for Sydney. She came in, and I slipped her the keys, trying not to let them rattle. â€Å"Do you still know about cars?' I murmured. In one exquisite look, she told me that was a ridiculous and insulting question. â€Å"Okay. Can you go do a grocery run? We're going to need food. And maybe on your way out, you can, um, make sure their car has engine trouble or something? Anything that keeps it here. But not something obvious, like slashed tires.' She put the keys in her pocket. â€Å"Easy. Got any food requests?' I thought about it. â€Å"Something with sugar. And coffee for Dimitri.' â€Å"Coffee's a given,' she said. Victor stepped into the kitchen, his typically unconcerned expression making me think he hadn't heard me instructing Sydney to sabotage his car. â€Å"Sydney's getting groceries,' I said, hoping to distract him before he might notice the missing keys. â€Å"Need anything?' â€Å"A feeder would be nice, but barring that, Robert has an especial liking for Cheerios. The apple cinnamon kind.' He smiled at Sydney. â€Å"I never thought I'd see the day an Alchemist would be an errand girl. It's charming.' Sydney opened her mouth, no doubt to make some biting comment, and I quickly shook my head. â€Å"Just go,' I said. She went, and Victor soon returned to Robert's side. Convinced the brothers wouldn't be going anywhere in full daylight without a car, I decided it was time to check on Dimitri. To my surprise, Sonya was awake. She sat cross-legged on the bed with him, and the two spoke in hushed tones. Her hair was disheveled from both sleep and fighting, but otherwise, she showed no cuts or bruises from the battle. Dimitri had been the same after his transformation, escaping terrible burns. The power of a Strigoi restoration healed all injuries. Between my skinned legs and pseudo-concussion, I kind of wished someone had transformed me from a Strigoi. Sonya turned from Dimitri as I entered. A sequence of emotions passed across her face. Fear. Astonishment. Recognition. â€Å"Rose?' There was hesitancy in the word, like she wondered if I was a hallucination. I forced a smile. â€Å"It's good to see you again.' I chose not to add, â€Å"Now that you're not trying to suck the life out of me.' She averted her eyes down to her hands, studying her fingers like they were magical and wonderful. Of course, after being a monster, maybe having her â€Å"old hands' back really was wondrous. The day after his change, Dimitri hadn't seemed quite so fragile, but he'd certainly been in shock. That was also when he'd grown depressed. Was she? Or did she want to turn again, as Victor had suggested? I didn't know what to say. It was all so strange and awkward. â€Å"Sydney went for groceries,' I told Dimitri lamely. â€Å"She also stayed up so that I could sleep last night.' â€Å"I know,' he said with a small smile. â€Å"I got up once to check on you.' I felt myself flushing, somehow embarrassed that I'd been caught in weakness. â€Å"You can rest too,' I told him. â€Å"Get some breakfast, and then I'll keep an eye on everything. I have it on good authority that Victor's going to have car trouble. Also that Robert really likes Cheerios, so if you want some, you're out of luck. He doesn't seem like the sharing type.' Dimitri's smile grew. Sonya suddenly lifted her head. â€Å"There's another spirit user here,' she said, voice frantic. â€Å"I can feel it. I remember him.' She looked between Dimitri and me. â€Å"It's not safe. We're not safe. You shouldn't have us around.' â€Å"Everything's fine,' said Dimitri, voice so, so gentle. That tone was rare for him, but I'd heard it before. He'd used it on me in some of my most desperate moments. â€Å"Don't worry.' Sonya shook her head. â€Å"No. You don't understand. We †¦ we're capable of terrible things. To ourselves, to others. It's why I changed, to stop the madness. And it did, except †¦ it was worse. In its way. The things I did †¦' There it was, the same remorse Dimitri had felt. Half-afraid he'd start telling her there was no redemption for her either, I said, â€Å"It wasn't you. You were controlled by something else.' She buried her face in her hands. â€Å"But I chose it. Me. I made it happen.' â€Å"That was spirit,' I said. â€Å"It's hard to fight. Like you said, it can make you do terrible things. You weren't thinking clearly. Lissa battles with the same thing all the time.' â€Å"Vasilisa?' Sonya lifted her eyes and stared off into space. I think she was digging through memories. In fact, despite her ramblings now, I didn't believe she was quite as unstable as she'd been just before becoming Strigoi. We'd heard healings could lessen spirit's madness, and I think Robert's transformation had lightened some of the darkness within her for now. â€Å"Yes, of course. Vasilisa has it too.' She turned to me in a panic. â€Å"Did you help her? Did you get her out of there?' â€Å"I did,' I said, trying to emulate Dimitri's gentleness. Lissa and I fled St. Vladimir's for a while, partly because of warnings from Sonya. â€Å"We left and then came back and, uh, were able to stop what was hunting her.' I didn't think it was a good idea for Sonya to know that the thing–or rather, person–hunting Lissa was now sitting out in the living room. I took a step forward. â€Å"And you can help Lissa too. We need to know if–‘ â€Å"No,' said Dimitri. No gentleness now in the warning look he gave me. â€Å"Not yet.' â€Å"But–‘ â€Å"Not yet.' I shot him a glare in return but said no more. I was all for giving Sonya her recuperation time, but we didn't have forever. The clock was ticking, and we had to find out what Sonya knew. I felt like Dimitri would have been able to give us this information immediately after he'd been changed back. Of course, he hadn't been unstable beforehand, so he'd kind of had an edge. Still. We couldn't play house in Kentucky forever. â€Å"Can I see my flowers?' asked Sonya. â€Å"Can I go outside and see my flowers?' Dimitri and I exchanged glances. â€Å"Of course,' he said. We all moved toward the door, and that's when I had to ask. â€Å"Why did you grow flowers when you were †¦ like you were?' She paused. â€Å"I've always grown flowers.' â€Å"I know. I remember. They were gorgeous. The ones here are gorgeous too. Is that why †¦ I mean, did you just want a pretty garden, even as a Strigoi?' The question was unexpected and seemed to throw her off. I was about to give up on an answer when she finally said, â€Å"No. I never thought about pretty. They were †¦ I don't know. Something to do. I'd always grown flowers. I had to see if I still could. It was like †¦ a test of my skills, I guess.' I met Dimitri's eyes again. So. Beauty hadn't been part of her world. It was just like I'd told him. Strigoi were notoriously arrogant, and it seemed the flowers had simply been a show of prowess. Growing them had also been a familiar habit for her, and I recalled how Dimitri had read Western novels while Strigoi. Being Strigoi might cost someone their sense of goodness and morality, but old behaviors and hobbies remained. We took her out to the living room, interrupting a conversation between Victor and Robert. Sonya and Robert both froze, sizing each other up. Victor gave us one of his knowing smiles. â€Å"Up and around. Have we found out what we need yet?' Dimitri shot him a look similar to what I'd received when asking about interrogation. â€Å"Not yet.' Sonya dragged her gaze from Robert and moved quickly toward the patio door, pausing when she saw our shoddy patch job. â€Å"You broke my door,' she said. â€Å"Collateral damage,' I said. In my periphery, I think Dimitri rolled his eyes. Needing no guidance from us, Sonya opened the door and stepped outside. With a gasp, she came to a halt and stared upward. The sky was a perfect, cloudless blue, and the sun had crossed the horizon now, illuminating everything in gold. I went outside too, feeling the warmth of that light on my skin. Some of the night's coldness lingered, but we were in store for a hot day. Everyone else came out too, but Sonya was oblivious. She lifted her hands upward, as though maybe she could grab hold of the sun and wrap it in her arms. â€Å"It's so beautiful.' She finally looked away and met my eyes. â€Å"Isn't it? Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?' â€Å"Beautiful,' I reiterated. For some reason, I felt both happy and sad. She walked around her yard, examining every plant and flower. She touched the petals and inhaled their fragrance. â€Å"So different †¦' she kept saying to herself. â€Å"So different in the sun †¦' Several especially caught her attention. â€Å"These don't open at night! Do you see it? Do you see the colors? Can you smell that?' The questions didn't seem to be for anyone in particular. We watched, all of us kind of hypnotized. At last, she settled into the patio chair, happily gazing around, lost in sensory overload–in that beauty that had been denied to her as a Strigoi. When it became obvious she wasn't leaving for a while, I turned to Dimitri and repeated Sydney's advice about him taking a turn at sleeping while we waited for Sonya to recover. To my surprise, he actually agreed. â€Å"That's smart. Once Sonya's able to talk, we'll need to move.' He smiled. â€Å"Sydney's turning into a battle mastermind.' â€Å"Hey, she's not in charge here,' I teased. â€Å"She's just a soldier.' â€Å"Right.' He lightly brushed his fingers against my cheek. â€Å"Sorry, Captain.' â€Å"General,' I corrected, catching my breath at that brief touch. He gave Sonya a kind goodbye before disappearing into the house. She nodded, but I don't know if she really heard. Victor and Robert brought out two wooden kitchen chairs and set them in the shade. I chose a spot on the ground. Nobody spoke. It wasn't the weirdest thing I'd ever experienced, but it was certainly strange. Sydney returned later with the groceries, and I briefly abandoned the group to check in with her. Victor's keys were lying back on the counter, which I took as a good sign. Sydney unloaded an assortment of food and handed me a box of a dozen donuts. â€Å"Hope that's enough for you,' she remarked. I made a face at her presumption but took the donuts anyway. â€Å"Come on outside when you're done,' I told her. â€Å"It's like the barbecue of the damned. Except †¦ there's no grill.' She looked puzzled, but when she joined us later, she seemed to get what I'd been saying. Robert brought out a bowl of Cheerios, but neither Sydney nor Victor ate. I gave Sonya a donut, the first thing that took her attention from her yard. She held it in her hands, turning it over and over. â€Å"I don't know if I can. I don't know if I can eat it.' â€Å"Of course you can.' I recalled how Dimitri had regarded food uncertainly too. â€Å"It's chocolate-glazed. Good stuff.' She took a tentative, rabbit-sized bite. She chewed it a billion times and finally swallowed. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. â€Å"Such sweetness.' Slowly, she continued taking more tiny bites. It took forever for her to get halfway through the donut, and at that point, she finally stopped. I'd polished off three donuts by then, and my impatience to accomplish something was growing. Part of it was still the irritability from spirit, and part of it was just my continual restlessness to help Lissa. â€Å"Sonya,' I said pleasantly, fully aware of how pissed off Dimitri was going to be at me defying his instructions. â€Å"We wanted to talk to you about something.' â€Å"Mm-hmm,' she said, gazing at bees hovering around some honeysuckle. â€Å"Is there a relative of yours †¦ someone who, uh, had a baby a while ago †¦ ?' â€Å"Sure,' she said. One of the bees flew from the honeysuckle to a rose, and she never looked away. â€Å"Lots.' â€Å"Articulate, Rosemarie,' remarked Victor. â€Å"Very articulate.' I bit my lip, knowing an outburst would upset Sonya. And probably Robert too. â€Å"This would be a secret baby,' I told her. â€Å"And you were the beneficiary on a bank account that took care of the baby †¦ an account paid for by Eric Dragomir.' Sonya's head whipped toward me, and there was no dreamy absentmindedness in her blue eyes now. A few seconds passed before she spoke. Her voice was cold and hard–not a Strigoi voice, but definitely a back off voice. â€Å"No. I don't know anything about that.' â€Å"She's lying,' said Robert. â€Å"I didn't need any powers to figure that out,' scoffed Sydney. I ignored both of them. â€Å"Sonya, we know you know, and it's really important we find this baby †¦ er, child. Person.' We'd made guesses on the age but weren't 100 percent sure. â€Å"You said you were worried about Lissa earlier. This will help her. She needs to know. She needs to know she has another family member.' Sonya turned her attention back to the bees, but I knew she was no longer watching them. â€Å"I don't know anything.' There was a trembling in her voice, and something told me that maybe I shouldn't push this after all. I couldn't tell if she was afraid or on the verge of rage. â€Å"Then why were you on the account?' This came from Victor. â€Å"I don't know anything,' she repeated. Her voice could have made icicles form on the ornamental trees. â€Å"Nothing.' â€Å"Stop lying,' snapped Victor. â€Å"You know something, and you're going to tell us.' â€Å"Hey!' I exclaimed. â€Å"Be quiet. You don't have interrogation rights here.' â€Å"You didn't seem to be doing a very good job.' â€Å"Just shut up, okay?' I looked back at Sonya, replacing my glare with a smile. â€Å"Please,' I begged. â€Å"Lissa's in trouble. This will help her. I thought you said before that you wanted to help her?' â€Å"I promised †¦' said Sonya. Her voice was so low, I could barely hear it. â€Å"Promised what?' I asked. Patience, patience. I had to remain calm. I couldn't risk a breakdown. She squeezed her eyes shut and raked her hands through her hair violently, almost like a child about to have a tantrum. â€Å"Promised not to tell. Promised not to tell anyone †¦' I had the urge to run over and shake her. Patience, patience, I repeated to myself. Don't upset her. â€Å"We wouldn't ask you to break your promise if it wasn't important. Maybe †¦ maybe you can get in touch with this person †¦' Who had she promised? Eric's mistress? â€Å"And see if it's okay to tell us?' â€Å"Oh for God's sake,' said Victor irritably. â€Å"This is ridiculous and getting us nowhere.' He glanced at his brother. â€Å"Robert?' Robert hadn't done much so far today, but at Victor's command, Robert leaned forward. â€Å"Sonya?' Still obviously distraught, she turned to look at him †¦ and her face went still. â€Å"Tell us what we need to know,' said Robert. His voice wasn't kind so much as smooth and lulling, with a faintly sinister touch. â€Å"Tell us who and where this child is. Tell us who the mother is.' This time, I did jump to my feet. Robert was using compulsion on her to get the answers. Sonya's eyes stayed locked on him, but her body began to shake. Her lips parted, though no sound came out. A tangle of thoughts swirled in my mind. Compulsion would get us what we needed to know, but something told me, it wasn't right– Sonya stopped me from any more pondering. She shot up almost as quickly as I had. She was still staring at Robert, but no longer in that transfixed, hypnotized way. She'd broken the compulsion, and now †¦ now she was pissed. The features that had been scared and fragile earlier were filled with fury. I had no magical senses, but after being with Lissa, I knew raging spirit when I saw it. Sonya was a bomb, about to explode. â€Å"How dare you †¦' she hissed. â€Å"How dare you try to compel me?' Plants and vines near Robert suddenly sprang to life, growing to impossible heights. They reached out, tangled themselves around his chair's legs, and pulled. The chair toppled over, Robert along with it. Victor moved to help his brother, but Robert was already taking matters into his own hands. Recovering remarkably fast, he narrowed his eyes at Sonya, and she went flying backward, slamming against the wooden fence. Air users could do that trick sometimes, but this wasn't air blowing her back. This was spirit's telekinetic abilities. He apparently possessed them outside of dreams too. Lovely. I'd seen spirit users battle it out before, when Avery Lazar and Lissa had gone one on one. That hadn't been pretty, particularly since more than this exterior psychic phenomena had occurred. Avery had actually dug into Lissa's mind–and mine. I didn't know Robert or Sonya's full skill set, but this couldn't end well. â€Å"Dimitri!' I yelled, springing toward Sonya. I didn't exactly know what I was going to do, but tackling her seemed like a sound plan. From what I'd observed, a lot of spirit involved eye contact with the target. And sure enough, when I managed to wrestle her to the ground, she struggled half- heartedly but mostly fought to keep her gaze on Robert. He screamed in sudden alarm, looking down at his own body in terror. Sonya was planting visions into his head. His expression hardened. He had to know it was an illusion, and a few moments later, he looked up, having broken her spell like she'd broken his earlier compulsion. Dimitri came tearing out the door at that point, just as Robert used his mind to fling one of the chairs toward Sonya. Of course, I was on top of her, so the chair hit me in the back. Dimitri picked up pretty quickly what was going on and ran toward Robert, attempting the same tactic as me. Victor, possibly thinking his brother was in physical danger, tried to pry Dimitri away, which was futile. More vines began to reach toward Robert, and I realized constraining Sonya wasn't all that useful. â€Å"Get him inside!' I yelled to Dimitri. â€Å"Get him away from her!' Dimitri had already guessed that and began dragging Robert toward the door. Even with Victor interfering, Dimitri's strength was enough to get Robert out of there and back into the house. As soon as her target was gone, all the energy seemed to fade out of Sonya. She made no more efforts to fight me and collapsed to the ground. I was relieved, having feared she'd turn on me once Robert was gone. Tentatively, still on guard, I helped Sonya sit up. She leaned against me, weak as a rag doll, and cried into my shoulder. Another breakdown. After that, it was a matter of damage control. In order to keep the spirit users apart, Dimitri had taken Robert to the bedroom and left Victor with him. Robert seemed as worn out as Sonya, and Dimitri deemed the brothers safe enough to leave alone. Sonya collapsed on the couch, and after both Dimitri and I had tried to calm her down, we stepped away while Sydney held the Moroi woman's hand. I briefly recapped what had happened. Dimitri's face grew more and more incredulous as I did. â€Å"I told you it wasn't time!' he exclaimed. â€Å"What were you thinking? She's too weak!' â€Å"You call that weak? And hey, I was doing fine! It wasn't until Victor and Robert got involved that things went to hell.' Dimitri took a step toward me, anger radiating off him. â€Å"They should never have gotten involved. This is you, acting irrational again, jumping in foolishly with no thought of the consequences.' Outrage shot through me in return. â€Å"Hey, I was trying to make progress here. If being rational is sitting around and doing therapy, then I'm happy to jump over the edge. I'm not afraid to get in the game.' â€Å"You have no idea what you're saying,' he growled. We were standing closer now, hardly any space left between us as we engaged in our battle of wills. â€Å"This may have set us back.' â€Å"This set us forward. We found out she knows about Eric Dragomir. The problem is she promised not to tell anyone about this baby.' â€Å"Yes, I promised,' piped up Sonya. Dimitri and I turned as one, realizing our argument was fully visible and audible to Sonya and Sydney. â€Å"I promised.' Her voice was very small and weak, pleading with us. Sydney squeezed her hand. â€Å"We know. It's okay. It's okay to keep promises. I understand.' Sonya looked at her gratefully. â€Å"Thank you. Thank you.' â€Å"But,' said Sydney carefully, â€Å"I heard that you care about Lissa Dragomir.' â€Å"I can't,' interrupted Sonya, turning fearful again. â€Å"I know, I know. But what if there was a way to help her without breaking your promise?' Sonya stared at Sydney. Dimitri glanced at me questioningly. I shrugged and then stared at Sydney too. If someone had asked who could stage the best intervention with a crazy woman who'd formerly been an undead monster, Sydney Sage would have been my last guess. Sonya frowned, all attention on Sydney. â€Å"W-what do you mean?' â€Å"Well †¦ what did you promise exactly? Not to tell anyone that Eric Dragomir had a mistress and baby?' Sonya nodded. â€Å"And not to tell who they were?' Sonya nodded again. Sydney gave Sonya the warmest, friendliest smile I'd ever seen on the Alchemist. â€Å"Did you promise not to tell anyone where they are?' Sonya nodded, and Sydney's smile faltered a little. Then, her eyes lit up. â€Å"Did you promise not to lead anyone to where they are?' Sonya hesitated, no doubt turning every word over in her mind. Slowly, she shook her head. â€Å"No.' â€Å"So †¦ you could lead us to them. But not tell us where they actually are. You wouldn't be breaking the promise that way.' It was the most convoluted, ridiculous piece of logic I'd heard in a while. It was something I would have come up with. â€Å"Maybe †¦' said Sonya, still uncertain. â€Å"You wouldn't break the promise,' Sydney repeated. â€Å"And it would really, really help Lissa.' I stepped forward. â€Å"It would help Mikhail too.' Sonya's mouth dropped open at the mention of her former lover. â€Å"Mikhail? You know him?' â€Å"He's my friend. He's Lissa's friend too.' I almost said that if we found the missing Dragomir, we could then take Sonya to Mikhail. Recalling Dimitri's feelings of unworthiness, I decided to avoid that tactic just now. I didn't know how Sonya would react to a reunion with her beloved. â€Å"And he wants to help Lissa. But he can't. None of us can. We don't have enough information.' â€Å"Mikhail †¦' Sonya looked down at her hands again, small tears running down her cheeks. â€Å"You won't break your promise.' Sydney was so compelling she could have been a spirit user. â€Å"Just lead us. It's what Mikhail and Lissa would want. It's the right thing to do.' I don't know which argument convinced Sonya the most. It could have been the part about Mikhail. Or it could have been the idea of doing â€Å"the right thing.' Maybe, like Dimitri, Sonya wanted redemption for her Strigoi crimes and saw this as a chance. Looking up, she swallowed and met my eyes. â€Å"I'll lead you there,' she whispered. â€Å"We're going on another road trip,' Sydney declared. â€Å"Get ready.' Dimitri and I were still standing right next to each other, the anger between us beginning to diffuse. Sydney looked proud and continued trying her best to soothe Sonya. Dimitri looked down at me with a small smile that shifted slightly when he seemed to become aware of just how close we were. I couldn't say for sure, though. His face gave little away. As for me, I was very aware of our proximity and felt intoxicated by his body and scent. Damn. Why did fighting with him always increase my attraction to him? His smile returned as he tilted his head toward Sydney. â€Å"You were wrong. She really is the new general in town.' I smiled back, hoping he wasn't aware of my body's reaction to us standing so close. â€Å"Maybe. But, it's okay. You can still be colonel.' He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Oh? Did you demote yourself? Colonel's right below general. What's that make you?' I reached into my pocket and triumphantly flashed the CR-V keys I'd swiped when we'd come back inside. â€Å"The driver,' I said.