Pros and Cons of Social Networking Essay

There are many different pros and cons of social networks. Social networks allow for easier communication and allow people to make new friends. However, these sites allow pedophiles to groom kids and allow for bullying. Social Networking sites have allowed easier communication between family and friends. This means that instead of having to meet in a certain place to speak to your friends about school or what they are doing at the weekend, you would now be able to switch on your computer and go onto a social network such as Facebook or Twitter to do this. This reduces the chance of kidnappers of taking kids when they are walking to get their friends. This also reduces the amount of kids walking around the streets committing crimes. Social Networks also remove the problem of speaking to someone on the other side of the world and someone who follows a different religion. Inserted of just speaking to people from the same area as you, people can now speak to people from America to Australia who has the same interests as you. This allows people to make new friends and gives the world a more friendly society because more and more people are becoming friends across the world. These sites are also very interactive so you are able to upload pictures or videos, so you can see what your friends and relatives are up to. These sites also allow messages to be sent and received, which allows people to keep in touch. For example people may not speak to family members to often but because of Facebook they are able to have a chat whenever they want which allows for a better family relationship. These social networking sites can be taken advantage of by the wrong people. People could pass themselves as a sixteen year old girl but could actually be a forty year old man who is looking to take advantage of someone who will think they either know the person or they are the same age. As these pedophiles have the use of Google images or yahoo images they are able to post profile pictures of whatever or whoever they want and pass as that person. Even though we know this is happening there is no way to stop this  unless social networking sites were shutdown. These people will often go for young kids and are able to receive dirty pictures because they tempt the kids into doing these things. If u make your page open to the whole world to view pedophiles will use this to their advantage and take any pictures or videos you have uploaded for their personal use. Social Networks are also poorly censored. Kids, of a very young age, could end up downloading pornography or other unsuitable images. Kids will click on unsuitable images or videos but no warning will come up or something blocking people under a certain age to block this. However many people will lie about their age which will allow many very young kids the opportunity to view these unsuitable pictures. â€Å"Trolling† is also a major issue with social networking sights. â€Å"Trolling† is when someone posts rude or nasty messages on someone’s online forum, chat room or memorial page just to receive and emotional response from the readers. Trolls get a buzz from doing this on people’s pages and receiving responses as they think it is funny and they just love the attention they get from sending these messages. As Twitter and Facebook got bigger and bigger more and more trolls began to appear ruining sites and making people very upset. As the issue of â€Å"trolling† got bigger and bigger the police became more involved and have started jailing people. For example Sean Duffy, who wrote abusive messages on tribute pages for example a girl called Natasha MacBryde who was hit by a train. He also did this to many other pages. In the end he only received ninety weeks in jail. Like many trolls Duffy was unemployed and an alcoholic who spent his days sitting on social networking sites making people very upset. Even though we know â€Å"trolling† exists there is not much we can do to stoop it apart from not allowing people to view the tribute page or forum unless you know who they are. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8760504/Internet-troll-jailed-for-mocking-dead-teenagers-on-Facebook.HTML Cyber bullying is the main problem of social networking sites. Cyber bullying is when someone is threatened, harassed or humiliated using social networking sites, mobile phones or any other type of digital technology. Many people have either been cyber bullied of they have cyber bullied themselves. From the introduction of the big name social networks cyber bullying has become a very big problem. On sites such as Formspring people can post anonymous comments about people who they dislike which end up to people not wanting to leave there house or even committing suicide. For example Phoebe Prince, an Irish immigrant in America, killed herself after three months of bullying because she was dating somebody who was older then her. She was bullied through text message and Facebook. She hung herself because of who she was dating. Cyber bullying is very common and will never be stopped due to lack of supervision on these websites. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/TheLaw/teens-charged-bullying-mass-girl-kill/story?id=10231357 In conclusion, social networking sites are have pros and cons but mostly cons. Even though these websites allow people to make lots of new friends they don’t actually know if the person they are talking to is actually who they say they are. Religions are able to mix but sometimes this is not a good thing. People will start posting racist comments and then arguments will start because someone follows Christianity but the person doesn’t like that religion so they become racist. Pedophiles thrive on pictures being posted and they also love using things such as the Facebook chat system to their advantage. Trolls make peoples life’s, who has lost someone they love, a misery so they can feel better. Bullies get a kick out of being a coward and ruining someone else’s life because they have their own problems. Therefore social networking sights are not good for the world and cause more anger and hatred than people getting along.

Research Paper About Computer Addiction Essay

A.Background of the study It is known that we are living in technological era. The computers became irreplaceable tool in everyday life of almost each person. The adult users generally use it for business purposes while youngsters for computer games. Computers became that part of our life and every important component in the spheres of the life leisure. And nowadays majority of young people spend their leisure time playing computer games, surfing through the internet. Computer have become one of the favorite time-spending of young people in all ages, and even some adults and the students. With permanent development of computer technology the quality of people using computer either for working purposes or entertainment purposes is increasing speedily. There are many things that causes addiction to computer, one reason being, is that most of the students just need something to occupy their time and these games and browsing internet do that for countless hours. Some students use computer to escape their reality which can include school, work and possibly personal problems. Computer also represents students to challenges they can overcome so they can feel a sense of accomplishments in virtual world, mistakes can be undone and time can review itself with the push of a few buttons. B.Statement of the problem This study sought to evaluate the different factor that causes STI College Taft Students addiction to computer games. The researcher prepared some of the following questions: 1.What factors that students addicted to computers? 2.What are the signs that would let us know if a student is addicted or not? 3.How computer affect students vices in their everyday lives? C.Significance of the study This Study will enlighten the students of STI College Taft, about the causes, disorders, and negative affects that they can get through computers. Also these studies would like to encourage them to seek immediate way to prevent  computer addictions. D.Scope and Delimitation of the study These studies focused in computer addiction. How computer affect our co-students in STI College Taft in different factors, such as in their studies, personal problem, emotional, physical and mental, time, financial and social. We researched also the reason why they are involved in this problem. We also study the symptoms and effect of computer addictions. We emphasize some of alternative solution in this problem. We limit this study by given information in computer addiction, until we came up in the effects and at last we give our recommendations to help our student to solve their dilemma about computer addiction.

Research Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research Challenges - Essay Example These factors identify my weakness in developing research questions. Data analysis is another key challenge that I would face because of the involved technical approach and tools. Qualitative data analysis’ subjective approach that relies on a researcher’s background knowledge towards rational opinions is particular problem that I would face. I also lack experience in the research method’s application of software for data analysis and this would limit my ability develop my conclusion and recommendations. I would address the challenge of constructing good research questions by researching on strategies for conducting literature reviews and understanding other researchers’ approach to developing problem statements. I would also share my reviewed literature and problem statement with peers and my supervisor for identification and correction of possible mistakes and inconsistencies. I would further review qualitative research articles to understand authors’ approach to subjective data analysis besides consulting with an experienced researcher on the qualitative analysis technique. I would also attend training on software applications for qualitative

The Role of the United Nations in Transforming Global Governance Essay - 10

The Role of the United Nations in Transforming Global Governance - Essay Example Drawing off of secondary research literature describing the role of the United Nations as both a peacekeeping organization and ensuring human rights as related to democracy. As a peacekeeping entity, with a focus on democratization as an outcome for maintaining global stability, the United Nations has recently come under considerable scrutiny in regards to whether the agency has failed in the task of guiding post-conflict societies, such as Kosovo, toward political stability (Pritchard, 2001: 185). Having an ideology focused around democracy as the most viable method of national governance, likely inspired by the many Westernised nations incorporating the United Nations, the UN appears to have adopted the values of democracy, in terms of promoting human rights and maintaining global peace and stability. As part of their governing authority, various resolutions are created which focus on sanctioning nations which maintain potential threats to international stability. The aforementione d is quite evident in the UN today as the United Nations has agreed to a new round of sanctions on Iran due to the threat of chemical and biological warfare stemming from the nation (Financial Times, 2008). Using their authority for global governance, the new sanctions involved attempts to stop the flow of nuclear materials into Iran and to halt the efforts of those who support underground nuclear sales (Financial Times). Additional sanctions include restricting travel for Iranians expected to be involved in nuclear efforts. The main concept of these new UN sanctions is to send the public message that the agency believes in democratization as an expected outcome of global governance, publicising efforts to halt activities of nations which provide threats to democratic living and the promotion of human rights. However, despite the best efforts of the UN, the agency is continuously under attack for failing to meet social or civil expectations.

Business Research Individual Work 1 Week 3 Essay

Business Research Individual Work 1 Week 3 - Essay Example In order to establish such strategies, the company can carry out research on the economic environment of the emerging nations (Apple Inc. SWOT Analysis, 2014). For example, Asian emerging economies such as India may form a lucrative market for Apple products. However, a rigorous research is needed to identify the factors defining the business market in such economies. Business research can solve Apple’s problem of venturing into emerging nations as it has the capacity to provide specific information regarding the emerging markets. For example, research can provide relevant information on the pricing strategies that Apple should rely on if it is to penetrate such markets. Moreover, research will help the Apple Company identify potential barriers that it may face as it penetrates the new markets and give it an advantage to develop strategies for addressing the challenges it may face (Zikmund, 2013). A research proposal has several components which are considered as important. The first component is the statement of the problem whereby the researcher describes the context of the research topic and describes the research question that will be addressed. The second component involves a review of the available literature. In developing a literature review, the researcher considers both relevant and recent sources related to the research topic. The third component is the statement of the hypothesis. Evidently, each research project has a set of hypotheses that it seeks to either accept or reject depending on the findings of the research (Zikmund, 2013). The fourth component is a description of the methodology to be used in the research. This involves presenting details of the sample size, the proposed sampling technique, and the instruments to be used in the research. Under methodology, the researcher also describes the research design in details and presents

Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Music - Essay Example Moreover, it should be of very high popularity among listeners and performed by various artists over the years. Race music refers to all recordings produced and performed by African American musicians for African American spectators while hillbilly is an old-time music presented by and for southern whites (Starr and Waterman 109). According to them, both terms are used to distinguish and promote music of the south. These are used by the music industry to provide â€Å"racially segregated markets† because racial isolation was still not considered to be illegal during 1954 in United States (Frith, Straw and Street 259). Race records and hillbilly both incorporated popular music in their respective genre. Music was even used to separate the whites from the black. Although some would take it negatively, the blacks used the term race to refer to the African-American people. Twelve-bar blues progression is a very common form of blues. It is a twelve-measure long. It is a standard rhythm with three four-measure segments (Vincent). This progression uses three cords: â€Å"the Tonic (I), Dominant (V) and Subdominant (IV)† (Bennett-Lovsey n. pag.). It commonly has a three-line pattern of lyrics, the AAB pattern, with first two lines repeated or almost the same, and the other one is a response to the previous lines. Austin defined big band as a musical group presenting and performing jazz, which came out to be famous from 1930s to 1940s. It normally has brass, woodwind, and rhythm instruments with almost twenty-five musicians. The rhythm section of the big band is composed of keyboards or piano, synth, guitar, bass, and drums. Often times, percussion instruments are also added such as tumbadora or congas and bongo drum or a pair of smaller and larger Afro-Cuban drums, guiros, and vibraphone (Austin). Austin further added that rhythm section serves as the band’s stimulus and is very important to the band and to

Globalisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Globalisation - Essay Example These dimensions include economic, political, security, environment, and health social, cultural among others. Globalisation was coined in 1980’s but the concept is an ancient one that has a dissimilar significance to most people (Hansen et al, 2010). Apparently, scholars, policy makers and activist see it as a force that could be used to advance the economy in the world while others view the concept as a danger to the economic systems in the world. In light of view of globalisation as the concept that is relevant to the world economy, there is a remarkable increase in worldwide trade and exchanges through increasingly open, integrated and borderless international economy. Besides, remarkable growth has be noted in trade and exchange not only in traditional and international trade of commodities and services, but also in currency exchanges, in capital activities, transfer of technology, movement of people through international travelling and migration, over and above, the flow of information and ideas internationally (Ku?ng, 1998) Globalisation as an Unstoppable Force Globalisation has continually become an unstoppable force especially now when it has opened a golden chance for business, commerce and trade (Dervis and Altinay, 2011). In fact, never before in the history of the world has there emerged such a situation where many goods have been sold to many people in the easiest way as is happening currently. Moreover, the presence of information and communication has enabled everyone to access everything anywhere. In regard to this, markets are continually becoming global, numerous corporations are richer and powerful as compared to some countries. Of importance to note, is that there is a combination of reduced trade barrier, financial liberalisation, over and above, a technological revolt that has totally changed the environment of business in most of the industrialized countries. According to Boesak (2009), globalisation has promised more trade, more market, more business, and more information among other issues. This has been demonstrated through the considerable wealth that has continuously been brought by the tide of globalisation. Why does the World need a Global Set of Ethic rules and What would They be? A global ethic can be described as an ethical perspective which incorporates significant ethical relations between states, between individuals who live in different societies. In the ethic, there are claims with regard to the existence of some universal values and norms concerning obligations that have global scope (Chatterjee, 2011). Consequently, global ethics is a concept that entails ethical inquiry into the nature and explanation of the values and norms that are global. Simply, it articulates various issues that have risen in the recent past such as international aid, security, environmental problems, intervention and human rights. Never the less, scholars interested with global ethics argue that it is not possible of the global ethics to be accepted by the world over to make a single society. Needless to mention, global ethics are crucial and should be accepted as they arguably promote the global goals (Hutchings, 2010). In the event that some global ethics are not embraced by a considerable number of agents, the intended goals are not likely to be attained. Apparently, there can be diverse global ethics and diverse understanding of the goals. Some global ethics

Engaging Boys with SEN in Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Engaging Boys with SEN in Literacy - Essay Example The paper tells that since the last few decades, there has been a significant increment in the concern of educators and social scientists regarding educational processes of children with SEN or special education needs. Particularly, it has now become a debatable notion where educators and policy makers argue over the efficacy and applicability of ‘inclusion’ and ‘mainstreaming’ factors for children with special needs. It has been an observation that schools and teachers that offer inclusive packages for SEN students seem to be claiming their superiority over the schools that are educating SEN students with mainstream children. However, as the time go by and as research is being carried out, huge number of educators and teachers are now realizing the importance of mainstream education and the positive effects that mainstream education system leaves on students with special needs. The project under consideration was an attempt in the same context that allowed the researcher to explore his own teaching methodology, and more importantly, engage with male students having special educational needs to ensure their literacy in the classrooms that has been an imperative issue since many years. For this purpose, the project has been a milestone for the researcher’s teaching career, as it enabled him to look on other side of boat that is inclusive teacher-student experience while remaining a mainstream teacher. One of the major reasons of getting into this project was the understanding about different factors that exist in our education system, which do not allow a student to groom properly and sometimes, the child ends up being one with special educational needs. In this regard, I carried out this project as my responsibility to explore the issues that surround the problem of lack of literacy in students and that subsequently results in creation of SEN students. KNOWLEDGE BASE As mentioned earlier, topics surrounding children with special educational needs have received noteworthy amount of attention during the last few decades, especially in the European region where educators and policy makers have put enormous efforts in understanding the inclusion of students and the way with which mainstream schooling affects development and growth of students. Brief review of the literature has indicated that with the development of new educational policies, it has now become responsibility of local schools to ensure education of children with any disabilities or differences in the social, cultural, or emotional context. In the past, educators used to indicate the importance of an inclusive group of students with special needs, however, recent studies have indicated no need for any separate defined setting or grouping for such

John Locke V Thomas Hobbes Essay Example for Free

John Locke V Thomas Hobbes Essay Locke and Hobbes both had detailed accounts as to what the state of nature is. I will start with Hobbes and what he felt the state of nature is made up of. Hobbes believed in defining the state of nature as what it is instead of what it ought to be. So he focused in on the nature of people and came to a very descriptive conclusion as to how survive in this particular state of nature. He stated that man was equal in ambition, cruelty, and treachery, which in turn makes humans equal in the ability to kill each other. This is important because he believes that people can not live in peace in the state of nature because of those reasons. Also because of this he states that there are three principals of quarrels; competition, diffidence, and glory. Hobbes feels that because of human nature these three reasons to fight would take over and make the state of nature a state of war. Locke also has an opinion to the state of nature. He feels that men would respond to things and people around them with reason and rationality. Therefore he feels that a state of nature for the most part peaceful and pleasant. He also states that the natural law would guide humans in a state of nature. He thinks that people know right from wrong and are capable of doing both but it is upon the individual to carry out these values. In order to deal with the state of nature each of the two suggests a social contract. Whatever the contract is should be the obligations placed upon the people. They both believe in this particular agreement they just differ as to who it should be between. Hobbes speaks of the Leviathan and believes that the contract should be between the ruled and the ruler. He states that a strong ruler is the only way to enforce the social contract. He says that all me are born with three rights: the right to property, liberty, and life. He believes that the only important right is the right to life because without that right you cannot have a chance to enjoy the other two. So his contract consists of the subjects giving up the other two to the leviathan so that he can ensure the right to life. Lockes social contract differs in many ways. One of them is Locke does not believe that individuals should not give up liberty, but instead give up the right to punish people who commit wrongdoings and leave that up to a overwhelming force, in this case the popular sovereignty. His belief of the state of nature which is that man would use their reasoning and be rational when dealing with other people. So his contract is between the elected and the people. Locke and Hobbes social contract may be different but in ways they are similar. They both believe in revolt if the contract is broken, but they state it differently. Hobbes believes in the monarch so the revolt against him would be different then Lockes society of popular sovereignty, but in short it both of them called for persecution in such case. Still the case that called for persecution would naturally be different because of the different types of governments these men called for. For example Locke says it is time to revolt when a ruler tries to get absolute power of the people; but Hobbes states that the leviathan needs to have absolute power and the only time to revolt is if the monarch is not able to protect the people he rules over. Hobbes explains the relationship between the subjects and ruler as do what you told and you will not be killed. This means that these people could not say anything about the way the sovereign is running the kingdom or you are subject to death. This is so in the way Hobbes looked at it because the only way to control the people is a state strong enough to persecute someone for this particular reason. The monarch that Hobbes feels is the only way to govern should not be questioned by anyone as so long he is able to protect the people of the land. Lockes view of the relationship is really different. Based on the concept of popular sovereignty the sovereign are the people; so the relationship is more give and take or democratic. This is a very important concept to Lockes ideas because this is what differs him the most from Hobbes. His democracy is broken down into three branches; executive, legislative, and federal. The elected officials in these positions are an extension of the people so the people who make up the state serves the people until the people are tired of them. What Hobbes and Locke say about people moving into a political society from a state of nature is pretty similar and all most the same. Both say that contracts between people were necessary, but the dilemma in that is that in a state of nature there is no one to enforce the contracts between people. Both of them thought about this concept and figured that in order to move in to a political society someone was needed to enforce these contracts. Hobbes believes that the only one strong enough to force contracts is the monarch. Locke believes the same thing about someone being strong enough to force the contracts but he thinks it should be the elected doing so. Lockes two treatises limited sovereignty more so than it has before. Locke called for a separation of powers. He broke it down into three sections and combined it with the popular sovereignty; therefore the many limitations were in place. I believe Locke included this idea into is first and second treatise because he wanted to not allow the abuse of power that is so evident in a monarchy. This is important because this is what our American system of democracy is based upon. Hobbes system of government there is very little limitation. The only limitation I can see is when the monarch does not provide for the security of the people and they revolt. Though that limitation is called upon by Hobbes the rest of the terms of the monarch have no limitations. The monarch is the ruler and no one can go against him because he is the divine and going against him is going against god. So the limitations of a monarch are pretty much is inexistent in Hobbess the Leviathan. The rights of the subjects according to Hobbes are the right to live and that is it. The other rights now belong to the Leviathan; this is needed according to Hobbes to ensure security. A monarch that gives too many rights to the people is too weak to defend them. This is so because if the monarch is questioned a lot it takes away the fear of the ruler. Hobbes says that fear is needed to keep the people in check. Therefore a sovereign must practice a policy known as shock and awe. Without this strategy someone would feel that they might be able to challenge the monarch. So rights that the subjects hold on the sovereign are limited to the right to revolt if the monarch fails to protect them. Locke thinks that people should hold more rights to the elected. The subjects have the right to put people in the state and take them out. Locke gives people the right to liberty and property. This is different from Hobbes because Hobbes said to give those rights up. Locke says that you can have rights that Hobbes said would not work in transforming into a political society. Hobbes says that subjects cannot ensure that the sovereign roles for the greater good. Because if they are alive it is the greater good according to Hobbes; so what can they do to ensure that the ruler is operating for the greater good? According to Hobbes nothing because you can not go against the Leviathan on how he is ruling, and to do so can result in you getting killed. So once again the subject has very little to say in the Hobbes ideology. Locke also has a conflicting view with Hobbes on this ability to check the sovereign to make sure he is operating for the good of the people. The main thing that allows them to ensure what the government doing is right is the ability bring charges against any wrongdoings. This is powerful because it does not only kick those people out of office but also brings persecution to them. Another powerful way to make sure government is doing the right thing is the ability to vote or not to vote for people who make up the state. Both Locke and Hobbes are modern political philosophers with different ways of reaching the same objective. Their objective is to transform a state of nature into a political society. Though they disagree on what a state of nature is and they disagree on which is the better political society, but both were apparently right. This is so because both of the philosophies can be applied to life today, which is in a whole different context of their time.

Teachers Are Leaders Essay Example for Free

Teachers Are Leaders Essay Touching more lives, affecting the outcome of so many futures a teacher is the epitome of a leader. Just as a leader has his or her own style, their way of motivating their students, also plays an important part in a students success. Spending more time with our children then most parents do, a teacher is fundamental in shaping our children. If they are poor leaders our children suffer. When they shine as leaders our children blossom and the universe is wide open to them. As a teacher it is of utmost importance that you tune your leadership skills and find the best style of teaching for the students you are teaching. In finding resources for this paper it was interesting to note that all the information fell under the category of leadership and not teacher qualities. It was also interesting to note that the principle the US Army teaches on leadership are included in an overwhelming number of corporations as well taught mostly by retired military themselves. The intrinsic characteristics of a teacher can be categorized into a few main teaching styles or leadership styles. Directing, Participating, Delegating, and Combined styles are the main forms of teaching and leading. The qualities associated with these styles are imperative to any teacher. The purpose as teachers is fundamentally the same as leaders, to provide purpose, direction and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission in this case to educate. All four of these actions must be present in order for a student to benefit. A leader or teacher is not born but cultivated through his/her upbringing and environment. In my experience as a leader, teaching in Educational Psychology, being a parent, I have learned that what you as a leader or teacher bring to your students or audience is imperative to their development and learning. A teachers personal characteristics are also crucial factor in students development and motivation. The first principle is purpose, which has to be conveyed to the student. Why do I need to learn Math? How will studying History benefit me? Without the whys we as students are lost. A teacher must give the purpose. It is important to you because? If this question is left unanswered the student will not consider the value of the topic being discussed. To move from purely acceptance to questioning and understanding denotes a higher level of learning. This is the main objective of teaching. Moving the students from regurgitation to higher realization is the ultimate goal. Teachers need to take the time to explain the whys and in the long run it will benefit both the teacher and student. Direction is tied to purpose. Direction is the steps we are going to take to get to that important purpose. Without steps or direction, we lack the framework in which to learn. By prioritizing small tasks (you must teach numbers before adding them) your lessons will be more effective. By conveying the direction or path to your students you are setting up the checklist for them to follow on to higher learning. Purpose and direction are essential aspects to convey to your students. Without motivation however these factors will not be effective. The motivation will give your students the will and desire to do things. You can tell a student the purpose of a task and the direction in which to go but without the internal motivation of that student, sparked by your personality and learned tactics in dealing with students, these will be meaningless. Motivation is the drive and will to do what needs to be done to accomplish the mission. To instill motivation a teacher has to know his/her students and their capabilities. A teacher must know what the students can relate to, what tasks the student are capable of, and what method of teaching will relate to the students. If a student can handle not being supervised on a task, then the teacher doesnt baby-sit them. Some students need a teacher looking over their shoulder at all times; its important to know which student you have. To instill positive motivation when they succeed praise them; when they fail show them how to succeed next time. If this is done properly it will be a teachers strongest tool! Motivation is not just the words you say to your students, it is the actions that you do and the example you set for them. I have found that no matter what I tell my subordinates, or my son, the best way to teach them is by setting the example for them to follow. We all have someone watching and emulating our actions. If you want to convey hard work, proficiency, and the desire for learning to your students, then you must first emulate those qualities. The best teachers and leaders in my life have made me want to take some of their personality traits and copy them. In front of the classroom, who is looked at more than a teacher is! All of these factors combine to make a somewhat effective teacher or leader, but without the right combination of teaching the leadership will be ineffective. Effective leaders are flexible enough to adjust their leadership styles and techniques to the people they lead. Some students will respond best to coaxing, suggestions, or prodding while others may need a chewing out. If you treat all students the same you are probably being unfair because all students are not the same. You must use the directive, participating, delegating, and combined approaches to teaching. Obviously every situation dictates common sense and some adjusting, but you would not want to use a purely free and laid back approach with a group in a juvenile prison. The directive style of teaching is purely lecture which puts most students and myself to sleep. This is teacher centered with detailed instructions and no input from the class. Now this can be done effectively with students who have an innate interest in the subject but for the majority of those who have no choice but to take this class this becomes boring. Without the lecture or instruction part of teaching, however, most students would not be given the instruction for proficiency and understanding that the subjects may require. When students dont have the expertise in a subject, a crucial aspect of the subject is the introduction itself. In certain subjects like math it is imperative that formal instruction takes place. The do this to get this approach must exist. However too purely drown your students with facts and tedious instructions will turn off the students motivation. On the opposite extreme of teaching, the delegating style would be employed. The delegating style involves giving students the power to solve problems and make decisions themselves, without checking with the teacher in most circumstances. This can be effective with very mature students in whom a teacher wants to create independence and expand their thinking. This simply stated is the teacher giving a problem, minimal instructions, and expecting the student to find the solution. In some aspects this can be effective only if the students have a basic understanding and the fore knowledge of how to solve the problem. With too little amount of instruction this will be a disaster! The participating style centers on both the students and the teacher. The teacher gives the students a problem, gives instruction and possible solutions, and asks the students for input. The teacher, although dependent on recommendations from the students, makes the final solution however. This is most effective for teachers who have time as their advantage, which many do not. When this style is used, the students feel as though they are at least a part of the discovery process and it gives them a sense of ownership of the final plan. Again the factor here is time, so this can be ineffective when there are strict time constraints and many lessons to accomplish. The most effective teaching style is the combined approach. Just as the name implies it uses all of the benefits of the delegating, participating, and directive approaches. It is a flexible and transformational tool for any given situation. To become an effective teacher you must learn when, to what degree, and how to use this approach. This approach is best used when you have students with a conglomeration of experiences, knowledge, motivations, and maturity. This may sound like common sense, but too often do when have those pure lecture teachers, or those who are on the other extreme and let the students learn on their own. With all the styles of teaching and leading, who the teacher is plays a significannot role in what the student learns. As I sat in the first day of Educational Psychology I noted how many times the teacher looked at the clock. She noted when there was one minute until the class was to start and has promptly kept the same attention to time since that first day. This shows two of the characteristics awareness and perception that a teacher needs to bring to the classroom. Other characteristics include: listening receptively to what others have to say, accepting others and having empathy for them, foresight and intuition, awareness and perception, highly developed powers of persuasion, an ability to conceptualize and to communicate concepts as well as establish goals, empowering people, using multiple options thinking, and being passionate about what they are teaching. These are forged by our personal beliefs, and just as important our life experiences. Having these combined with the right approach; purpose, direction, and motivation are the key to effective teaching and leading. Leaders cant be trained, but they can be developed. Development needs to be ongoing and highly personalized in its nature. Teachers, true leaders, are so strategically important that schools cannot afford not to provide them with the support and developmental resources they need to grow. But not everybody is capable of being an outstanding leader. However, it is going to be the key to better education in a world of change, complexity and uncertainty. As I look back on the semester, I remember how it started. Never have I been in a class where the classroom students taught the instruction. What a weird, bizarre, and radical way of teaching. I have to admit, I hate to work in-groups and I didnt like this idea at all. In light of my stubbornness and repulsion I see why this had to happen. To me the process was not really about learning the material but bluntly seeing how you can be inspired put to sleep, or appalled at other students, or yourself. The fundamental concept is not really about what you are teaching, but how. The with-it-ness of the teacher makes the student learn or care about the subject. The lack of enthusiasm in an instructors voice, the laziness as they slouch on the podium or smack their gum, or the sheer brilliance of their presentation is what inspires and motivates a student to learn. The Army is the same way with winning wars and making heroes. Many civilian corporations have emulated the leadership principles applied in the Army doctrine and regulations. This is what I have applied this course to. As a supervisor in the Army in charge of those many years younger than me or twice as old as me this course has shown me in a less obvious way to adapt and be flexible to the situation. Also I feel that beyond the regular courses that teachers take they should be shown how to develop their leadership skills. They need to be shown which style to teach which students and how to be flexible. Teachers also need to have and develop some personal qualities that will make them successful. Without the characteristics mentioned they will not be successful teachers. The leaders of the most powerful army of the future need to be shown how to lead. They need to know how to give to their students meaning by showing the purpose, providing the direction and the motivation while they accomplish their mission, to educate. Teachers need to use different approaches to teaching based on the students and they need to be flexible in their approach. Sometimes it is okay to think (teach) in the box and sometimes we need to think (teach) out of the box but I believe we can think both ways at the same time. Sources Blanchard, Kenneth, Patricia Zigarmi, and Drea Zigarmi. Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership. William Morrow Company. 1985. Hesselbein, Frances, Goldsmith, M. , Beckhard, R. , Eds. The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the Next Era. Jossey-Bass Publication. 1996. Covey, Stephen J. The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. Reprint Edition. Fireside. 1990. Covey Leadership Center US Army Field Manual FM 22-100 Army Leadership. U. S. Government Printing Office: 1999.

Experinces of Working in an International Team

Experinces of Working in an International Team This paper tries to bring out the personal views of the author in terms of his experience of working with an international group. Being an Indian and coming down to UK to study, it is a different experience in itself. But the level of interactions with people across borders and cultures has given the author a chance to explore and understand people with diverse backgrounds. Doing a post graduate program here in UK not only gives the author access to the best education but also immense opportunity to network with people across nations. It is a different experience indeed. With time and increase in interaction, there is change in perception and a complete washout of the pre conceived notions regarding cultures and people. And surprisingly, not only people behave and act in different manners across the geography, they also think very differently. This paper tries to look at the benefits of such diverse thinking. With all the benefits also come some problems and hindrances. As mentioned above, preconceived notions regarding cultures and people is a big issue addressed in the paper. The paper also looks at the argument as to how much diversified can the group be, and the possibilities of not been able to reach consensus easily while working in a group and also handling conflicts and differences in opinions. The paper also looks at the possibilities of discrimination on the basis of race, gender and culture. The author also tries to give some suggestions to overcome these problems. He talks how these problems can be overcome and how the cultural mix and diversity can actually act as a advantage. The structure of the paper involves the introduction about the topic and then detailed insights and some experiences. Then about the advantages and disadvantages of working in such groups. The author then tries to bring in the concept of cultural intelligence and how it could solve issues related to problems arising among co workers of diverse backgrounds. So the reports concludes with some suggestive ideas. Introduction With the advent of globalization and vanishing of boundaries between the countries, it is very common to see people from various geographies, cultures coming down and working or studying. It is a common scenario even at a work place or a college where we can spot people from various countries interacting with each other, doing businesses, studying or being part of each others life in a big way. Before going ahead and describing about my experiences lets try defining cultural and its importance at workplace. Culture could be defined anything related to art, culture, lifestyle, music, etc relating to a particular community or a group of people living together or having and following the same set of beliefs. Now looking at the importance of culture in the workplace, it plays a very vital role. Cultural defines the values, the beliefs of the individuals or a community, even their day to day behavior is influenced by it. So it has a direct impact on their working style and relationships with people at workplace, their behavior at workplace, etc. Now when we talk about this, we should also consider the organization culture and its impact on the individual. Of course, the organization or the institution plays a significant role in shaping the behavior and the culture of the individual at work place, now how does he fit into this is important. Generally people opt for such organiza tions or institutions where they fit in on or where similar values and culture exists. Now let us look how things are today with the advent of organizations which consists of diverse teams. But before that let me share some of my experiences One thing I was really looking to when I decided to come to UK was to meet and interact with various people. But at the same time I was very nervous. I had all sorts of doubts in my mind also. Would I be accepted? Would I fit into the culture? Being lived in India throughout my life and not interacting with anyone from outside India, I had all notions in my head. Even I had apprehensions regarding the lifestyles and the behavior of the people. But after I landed in UK my perception changed a lot. I was not the only guy who had left his country and had come down here. There were thousands like me. And even the people were very receptive. Though I mingled with my community and country folks in the beginning, it was only after I came into college and started working and meeting other students I realized that it was not bad actually. All my perceptions and fears were a complete false. My first interaction was indeed during one of those assignments. My group had perceived me as a geek and someone who would be good at mathematics so would have by birth analytical skills being an Indian. But I really had to tell them that though we have quite a good number of the population who was good at these things back home, but I was a terrible lot at mathematics. This was when we all realized how we had pre-conceived notions about people based upon their cultural and geographical backgrounds. Like I thought, Pakistanis were a closed lot who would be tough to interact but they were as a matter of fact just like me. Of course, people always find comfort in people with similar interests or similar community and background. Like for example, I was only with my Indian friends for almost a month after I came to UK. I was just too shy and scared to interact or make friends with any one else. And I had so many Indians that I didnt find the need to also. But soon I realized that by doing so I am stopping myself from expanding my horizons in knowledge also. I got to know about a lot of things through my series of interactions with various people. Benefits of Cross-Culture Teams With the team being more and more diverse, the thinking will be different and it will result in really different perspectives and ideas flowing in. The team would not just reach consensus but really think of many solutions or different answers. This would encourage creativity and innovativeness. It makes the group brainstorm effective. Mutual benefits The whole team being diverse would fulfill the short comings of each other to some extent. And also it is a learning experience. Getting to know about other cultures, languages, and people is always interesting. Enhancement of interpersonal skills. Working with such a team, broadens your thinking and you come across new avenues and perspectives. Makes you more adaptable to any environment and people. Continuous improvement groups with such diversity always questions, thus making it more and more challenging and striving to get the best out of the group. Sometimes people in homogenous groups do not participate much thinking everyone thinks the same. But in such cases comparatively the participation levels of the group is high. Because everyone bring in a different thinking and perspective before the group. If I have to talk about my experiences, well I must say I have gained immensely. At first I used to be silent and non-participative. But now I feel I can pour in very important points because I think very differently from the rest of the group, so I bring in a different set of thinking. This actually benefits our discussions. I have really developed great interpersonal skills also. Now I feel free to talk to anyone and from anywhere. I am not shy or scared anymore. Even being in a diverse group, we use each of our individual strengths and combine them to form the strengths of the group. For example, one of my team members is good at identifying and collecting the data, I am good at analyzing it, some one else is good at presenting it and the other at identifying errors. So all these strengths are combined together so that we finally present the masterpiece. Problems faced with cross-culture teams Language: This is one of the major issues. Though English has emerged as the common International language but there is a lot of difference in British English and American and of course Indian. Even the pronunciation and the spoken language differ a lot. This can sometimes cause miscommunication. Language barriers can also lead to non-participation or inability to express ideas freely. Apart from verbal and written communication, a major part of communication happens through Non-verbal communication. Now across various cultures we have different communication styles and also different meanings to certain things. Now it is extremely important to better know before we communicate anything as others might get offended if we do not understand properly. Cultural clashes Sometimes, there can be a total clash in the cultures and their beliefs. Such things should be handled properly and not just ignored. Time this is a very important factor while working in groups. The attitude of the team members towards time is very important. Sometimes few of them group members emphasize on time a lot but others do not consider it that important or neglect it because of their old beliefs and practices. This could lead to a conflict of interest. Pre-conceptions and stereotypes: People have a lot of preconceived notions in their minds regarding people from some cultures and places. Now that could be totally wrong. The person might be totally different. So it is not good to judge anyone just because they belong to a culture or a location. Difference in execution of work. False Consensus effect: Sometimes people think that others also think exactly like them or they feel that everyone would have the same set of beliefs. Ways to overcome difficulties faced when working in an international team Effective communication: This is one of the most important aspects. The members should check if their points are properly understood. And check for any miscommunication. Adhere to certain rules, which can be framed accordingly, so that everyone sticks to it. For example, we talked about the importance of time. Now its better if the group decided that time has a lot of importance and no one is late for the meetings, etc. Having a global mindset always helps rather than carrying those old beliefs to the group. Every member of the group should workout on their strengths and weakness so that we can work out of the overall strengths and weakness. Avoiding preconceptions and stereotypes The whole energy of diversity is good if used positively and for the betterment of the group. But we have to be careful and avoid any negativity or conflicts. Now let me come to my personal experiences. I have already mentioned about the benefits I had got working with such a group. But I too faced many problems. Like for example, in the beginning I was not so good at understanding the language. Though I had learnt English throughout my education in India, but sometimes the level of vocabulary and the pronunciation was very difficult to grasp in the beginning and I used to sound funny with my Indian accent. Those were my tough times when I sometimes kept shut so that I dont embarrass myself or even I didnt understood anything I would not repeat it. But then of course during the course of time, things settle down. There was a similar experience with time. Being a lazy Indian, I was not used to the punctuality in my school or college. Back home it was a sort of a relaxed environment. But here every second counts, hence I had to really change myself to adapt to the current values and beliefs of the group. One of the effective ways of overcoming such problems is by increasing the Cultural Intelligence of the team members. Now what is this Cultural Intelligence? It is trying to understand others behavior and trying to understand his values and beliefs so that to interact with him in a way he is comfortable. People can be classified into 6 categories of Cultural Intelligence : The Provincial: Such person is effective only when working with people from a similar culture and background of his own. Lacks the ability to work with others. The Analyst: He is the person, who would analyze the culture of his fellow mate and try to get the strengths and frame strategies accordingly. The Natural: Relies entirely on intuition and is not interested in analyzing or learning new beliefs and about new cultures. The Ambassador: He is nice and friendly. Though he is not aware much about the people or individuals from other cultures and backgrounds, but he is confident he can handle them. The Mimic: He gels in very well and has tremendous confidence and he knows he will fit into the role. The Chameleon: Changes his colors accordingly. He is sometimes even confused about his origin. He fits into very perfectly. Now the work would be classifying all the members into the above category and work out how to handle them. Conclusion We have seen through this paper and through the insights and experiences of the author about the cross-culture teams and their benefits and challenges. But these days, with the advent of globalization such teams are unavoidable. Hence, we should work to overcome the challenges and use the strengths of the individuals to build up the strengths of the team. It is important to really understand individuals and their cultures and work accordingly so that there is no miscommunication or conflict.

Poems for the Eye Are Not Merely for the Sake of Eye :: English Literature Essays

Poems for the Eye Are Not Merely for the Sake of Eye What is poetry? Pressed for an answer, Robert Frost made a classic reply: â€Å"Poetry is the kind of thing poets write.† In all likelihood, Frost was not trying merely to evade the question but to chide his questioner into thinking for himself. A trouble with definitions is that they may stop thought. The nature of poetry eludes simple definitions. Definitions will be of little help at first, if we are to know poetry and respond to it. We have to go to it willing to see and hear. To a particular poem, thousands of readers will have thousands of understandings. A poem can please us in many aspects. We usually concentrate our attention on its sound, wording, and figure of speech. In fact, a poem in stanzas can please us by its visual symmetry. This kind of poems is usually called the poems for the eye including spatial free verse and picture poems. Though many poets seem hardly to care about it, enough importance should be given to the visual element of poetry. At least some of our pleasure in silently reading a poem derives from the way it looks upon its page. Poems for the eye can be divided into two types. One kind is the visual quality predominates the whole poem; the other is the visual remains subordinate to the aural and other elements of the poetry. There are indeed some spatial poems that can bring us pleasure through their words arrangement. And far from being merely decorative, the visual devices of a poem can be meaningful, too. For examples: This is William Carlos Williams’ poem that describes an energetic bellhop runs downstairs. Beside the words sound like that man is running downstairs, the appearance of the whole poem is like the stairs. This is not only good onomatopoeia and an accurate description of a rhythm; the steplike appearance of the lines goes together with their meaning. This kind of appearance or words arrangement makes the common words â€Å"ta tuck a† vivid. The same with the following Kenneth Patchen’s (1911-1972) poem: The ball bumps down the steps†¦ In the two poems above, the visual quality dominates the meaning of the whole poems. You can say that the shape of the words arrangement overweighs the meaning of the words. But it does bring us pleasure. It is more interesting and meaningful and stronger than just say, â€Å"ta tuck a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"The ball bumps down the steps†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Maybe this is one of the great charms of this kind of poems.

Jay Gatsby as Tragic Hero of Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay

Jay Gatsby as Tragic Hero of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby According to Aristotle, there are a number of characteristics that identify a tragic hero: he must cause his own downfall; his fate is not deserved, and his punishment exceeds the crime; he also must be of noble stature and have greatness. These are all characteristics of Jay Gatsby, the main character of Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby.   Jay Gatsby is a tragic hero according to Aristotle's definition.  Ã‚   Jay Gatsby is an enormously rich man, and in the flashy years of the jazz age, wealth defined importance. Gatsby has endless wealth, power and influence but never uses material objects selfishly. Everything he owns exists only to attain his vision. Nick feels "inclined to reserve all judgements" (1), but despite his disapproval of Gatsby's vulgarity, Nick respects him for the strength and unselfishness of his idealism. Gatsby is a romantic dreamer who wishes to fulfill his ideal by gaining wealth in hopes of impressing and eventually winning the heart of the materialistic, superficial Daisy. She is, however, completely undeserving of his worship.  Ã‚   "Then it had been merely the stars to which he had aspired on that June night. He came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendor" (79). Nick realizes Gatsby's estate, parties, shirts and other seemingly "purposeless" possessions are not purposeless. Everything Gatsby does, every move he makes and every decision he conceives is for a reason. He wants to achieve his ideal, Daisy. Gatsby's "purposeless splendor" is all for the woman he loves and wishes to represent his ideal. Furthermore, Gatsby believes he can win his woman with riches, and that his woman can achieve the ideal she sta... ...w World" (182). Gatsby's vision corresponds to that of the explorers who discover the promise of the New World.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gatsby is a man of extreme capabilities but he fails to see the inevitability of his vision's failure, and in his inability to see this, he keeps trying to attain it. He does everything in his power to accomplish this vision, until his death. Daisy indirectly causes Gatsby's death, making her more than ever, unworthy of Gatsby's affections. Ironically, Gatsby lived for Daisy and up to his death, believed and had faith in her and his vision. Works Cited Dillon, Andrew. "The Great Gatsby: The Vitality of Illusion." The Arizona Quarterly 44 Spr. 1988: 49-61. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992. Irwin, John T. "Compensating Visions: The Great Gatsby." Southwest Review 77 Autumn 1992: 536-545. Jay Gatsby as Tragic Hero of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby Essay Jay Gatsby as Tragic Hero of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby According to Aristotle, there are a number of characteristics that identify a tragic hero: he must cause his own downfall; his fate is not deserved, and his punishment exceeds the crime; he also must be of noble stature and have greatness. These are all characteristics of Jay Gatsby, the main character of Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby.   Jay Gatsby is a tragic hero according to Aristotle's definition.  Ã‚   Jay Gatsby is an enormously rich man, and in the flashy years of the jazz age, wealth defined importance. Gatsby has endless wealth, power and influence but never uses material objects selfishly. Everything he owns exists only to attain his vision. Nick feels "inclined to reserve all judgements" (1), but despite his disapproval of Gatsby's vulgarity, Nick respects him for the strength and unselfishness of his idealism. Gatsby is a romantic dreamer who wishes to fulfill his ideal by gaining wealth in hopes of impressing and eventually winning the heart of the materialistic, superficial Daisy. She is, however, completely undeserving of his worship.  Ã‚   "Then it had been merely the stars to which he had aspired on that June night. He came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendor" (79). Nick realizes Gatsby's estate, parties, shirts and other seemingly "purposeless" possessions are not purposeless. Everything Gatsby does, every move he makes and every decision he conceives is for a reason. He wants to achieve his ideal, Daisy. Gatsby's "purposeless splendor" is all for the woman he loves and wishes to represent his ideal. Furthermore, Gatsby believes he can win his woman with riches, and that his woman can achieve the ideal she sta... ...w World" (182). Gatsby's vision corresponds to that of the explorers who discover the promise of the New World.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gatsby is a man of extreme capabilities but he fails to see the inevitability of his vision's failure, and in his inability to see this, he keeps trying to attain it. He does everything in his power to accomplish this vision, until his death. Daisy indirectly causes Gatsby's death, making her more than ever, unworthy of Gatsby's affections. Ironically, Gatsby lived for Daisy and up to his death, believed and had faith in her and his vision. Works Cited Dillon, Andrew. "The Great Gatsby: The Vitality of Illusion." The Arizona Quarterly 44 Spr. 1988: 49-61. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992. Irwin, John T. "Compensating Visions: The Great Gatsby." Southwest Review 77 Autumn 1992: 536-545.

Family Values

Family Values with the Cosby Show Growing up in the mid 1980’s I can remember watching the Cosby Show. My family and I fell in love with the Huxtable family. The show was funny, witty, and dealt with serious issues at some times. It was also the first show that portrayed a black family living a successful middle class life style. The show’s concepts were very unusual to me, because around that time we thought America dealt with majority Caucasian problems and shows.Growing up in a dysfunctional home in which my mother was always under lots of stress and my father was to drunk to care about how we live our lives it was just a sad fact of family life at that time. At the time it didn’t seem like it was a bad way to live. That is until I discovered a different aspect of family life and values. The family values displayed in the Cosby show were things that I had never seen before. It was a complete shock to my young mind to say the least. Mr. and Mrs.Huxtable were th e ideal parents. They displayed strong moral values, they also involved themselves in their children’s lives as loving guides, and they taught their children the value of how important it was to have an education. Despite all of these positive aspects surrounding their children they were still able to remain happily married. My siblings and I had a wonderful mother. Yet our family had a lack of morals and values that would serve to inspire us to do something with our lives.Morals and values were those key components that the Huxtables were so good at portraying to there children. As a family we never felt that we weren’t loved. My mother was always very good at teaching us how to look out for one another. I can remember that that was one of the few good aspects from the show that I was able to identify with. The Huxtables always seemed to have a form of togetherness. They were good at relying on one another. Their parents made sure to keep the children away from bad in fluences like drugs and violence.They instilled inside their kids those good morals and values that would help them to become good adults. Besides being loving parents Cliff and Clair Huxtable were friends to there children and thus enabled them to be parental guides when problems would arise. I think that it was that friendship that allowed for their children to open up and share there problems with them. This was the exact opposite of what it was like for my siblings and me. My mother didn’t involve herself in our daily lives causing me, in part, to become rebellious and secretive.My mother and father never finished high school. So I think that to them it wasn’t that important for us to do so ether. On the Cosby show both parents were college grads and both were successful in there career fields. I noticed that in the show it was expected of the children to go to a university. I know that not finishing high school and going to college may sound strange to you the rea der right now, but due to were and when I grew up it was perfectly normal to be a drop out.Growing up in a poverty stricken drug and alcohol centered environment it would have been so easy for me to end up in a gang, or in prison, or maybe even dead. I believe that there are a number of positive factors that kept my family and me from suffering unfortunate events. Mainly it was our obedience and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I also believe that God has many different ways to speak to us. He is constantly throwing us life preservers, but it is up to us rather we grab hold to them or not.At a young an impressionable age I stumbled across a television show that would eventually change and challenge my way of thinking. I learn examples of what it would mean to be a good father, why it was beneficial to go to college, and I learned what I wanted my personal family to be like. The Cosby show was definitely a grate show. The show was a pioneer in its time leading the way for many other s hows like it. That family taught me life lessons that I will never forget. It was a very positive show that I enjoyed and that’s stayed with me even until this day. Family Values Family Values with the Cosby Show Growing up in the mid 1980’s I can remember watching the Cosby Show. My family and I fell in love with the Huxtable family. The show was funny, witty, and dealt with serious issues at some times. It was also the first show that portrayed a black family living a successful middle class life style. The show’s concepts were very unusual to me, because around that time we thought America dealt with majority Caucasian problems and shows.Growing up in a dysfunctional home in which my mother was always under lots of stress and my father was to drunk to care about how we live our lives it was just a sad fact of family life at that time. At the time it didn’t seem like it was a bad way to live. That is until I discovered a different aspect of family life and values. The family values displayed in the Cosby show were things that I had never seen before. It was a complete shock to my young mind to say the least. Mr. and Mrs.Huxtable were th e ideal parents. They displayed strong moral values, they also involved themselves in their children’s lives as loving guides, and they taught their children the value of how important it was to have an education. Despite all of these positive aspects surrounding their children they were still able to remain happily married. My siblings and I had a wonderful mother. Yet our family had a lack of morals and values that would serve to inspire us to do something with our lives.Morals and values were those key components that the Huxtables were so good at portraying to there children. As a family we never felt that we weren’t loved. My mother was always very good at teaching us how to look out for one another. I can remember that that was one of the few good aspects from the show that I was able to identify with. The Huxtables always seemed to have a form of togetherness. They were good at relying on one another. Their parents made sure to keep the children away from bad in fluences like drugs and violence.They instilled inside their kids those good morals and values that would help them to become good adults. Besides being loving parents Cliff and Clair Huxtable were friends to there children and thus enabled them to be parental guides when problems would arise. I think that it was that friendship that allowed for their children to open up and share there problems with them. This was the exact opposite of what it was like for my siblings and me. My mother didn’t involve herself in our daily lives causing me, in part, to become rebellious and secretive.My mother and father never finished high school. So I think that to them it wasn’t that important for us to do so ether. On the Cosby show both parents were college grads and both were successful in there career fields. I noticed that in the show it was expected of the children to go to a university. I know that not finishing high school and going to college may sound strange to you the rea der right now, but due to were and when I grew up it was perfectly normal to be a drop out.Growing up in a poverty stricken drug and alcohol centered environment it would have been so easy for me to end up in a gang, or in prison, or maybe even dead. I believe that there are a number of positive factors that kept my family and me from suffering unfortunate events. Mainly it was our obedience and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I also believe that God has many different ways to speak to us. He is constantly throwing us life preservers, but it is up to us rather we grab hold to them or not.At a young an impressionable age I stumbled across a television show that would eventually change and challenge my way of thinking. I learn examples of what it would mean to be a good father, why it was beneficial to go to college, and I learned what I wanted my personal family to be like. The Cosby show was definitely a grate show. The show was a pioneer in its time leading the way for many other s hows like it. That family taught me life lessons that I will never forget. It was a very positive show that I enjoyed and that’s stayed with me even until this day. Family Values Family Values with the Cosby Show Growing up in the mid 1980’s I can remember watching the Cosby Show. My family and I fell in love with the Huxtable family. The show was funny, witty, and dealt with serious issues at some times. It was also the first show that portrayed a black family living a successful middle class life style. The show’s concepts were very unusual to me, because around that time we thought America dealt with majority Caucasian problems and shows.Growing up in a dysfunctional home in which my mother was always under lots of stress and my father was to drunk to care about how we live our lives it was just a sad fact of family life at that time. At the time it didn’t seem like it was a bad way to live. That is until I discovered a different aspect of family life and values. The family values displayed in the Cosby show were things that I had never seen before. It was a complete shock to my young mind to say the least. Mr. and Mrs.Huxtable were th e ideal parents. They displayed strong moral values, they also involved themselves in their children’s lives as loving guides, and they taught their children the value of how important it was to have an education. Despite all of these positive aspects surrounding their children they were still able to remain happily married. My siblings and I had a wonderful mother. Yet our family had a lack of morals and values that would serve to inspire us to do something with our lives.Morals and values were those key components that the Huxtables were so good at portraying to there children. As a family we never felt that we weren’t loved. My mother was always very good at teaching us how to look out for one another. I can remember that that was one of the few good aspects from the show that I was able to identify with. The Huxtables always seemed to have a form of togetherness. They were good at relying on one another. Their parents made sure to keep the children away from bad in fluences like drugs and violence.They instilled inside their kids those good morals and values that would help them to become good adults. Besides being loving parents Cliff and Clair Huxtable were friends to there children and thus enabled them to be parental guides when problems would arise. I think that it was that friendship that allowed for their children to open up and share there problems with them. This was the exact opposite of what it was like for my siblings and me. My mother didn’t involve herself in our daily lives causing me, in part, to become rebellious and secretive.My mother and father never finished high school. So I think that to them it wasn’t that important for us to do so ether. On the Cosby show both parents were college grads and both were successful in there career fields. I noticed that in the show it was expected of the children to go to a university. I know that not finishing high school and going to college may sound strange to you the rea der right now, but due to were and when I grew up it was perfectly normal to be a drop out.Growing up in a poverty stricken drug and alcohol centered environment it would have been so easy for me to end up in a gang, or in prison, or maybe even dead. I believe that there are a number of positive factors that kept my family and me from suffering unfortunate events. Mainly it was our obedience and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I also believe that God has many different ways to speak to us. He is constantly throwing us life preservers, but it is up to us rather we grab hold to them or not.At a young an impressionable age I stumbled across a television show that would eventually change and challenge my way of thinking. I learn examples of what it would mean to be a good father, why it was beneficial to go to college, and I learned what I wanted my personal family to be like. The Cosby show was definitely a grate show. The show was a pioneer in its time leading the way for many other s hows like it. That family taught me life lessons that I will never forget. It was a very positive show that I enjoyed and that’s stayed with me even until this day.

Modern Family Essay

In September 2009, America was introduced to Modern Family, the new award-winning show. The show centers around three families, all of which interact with each other. Not only does Modern Family deal with the traditional family, but also introduces a homosexual couple, and a mixed marriage. Given that these families are interrelated, Modern Family can reasonably be described as â€Å"modern.† The combination of traditional and new elements grows from the blended dialog, which the producer of this show tries to communicate. These elements lay only on the surface, and deeper looks within each family structure prove that the show’s title is misleading. New family visions are never fully embraced, but instead altered to fit into a common family thought. In contrast to its title, Modern Family promotes traditional gender roles and stereotypes of women, which result in the portrayal of an inaccurate image of the female and weakens the stance of women in todays U.S. society. Even though Modern Family tries to communicate an new idea of family, the show’s trust on male structures has created plotlines modeling traditional thoughts within each family. With Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker, the producers of Modern Family succeeded in creating a liberal homosexual couple characterized by their progressive denial of a traditional family structure. The intermarriage of Jay Pritchett and Gloria Delgado also deviates from the norm, not only by highlighting Gloria’s Latin American origin, but also by their visible age difference. With this interracial relationship, Modern Family follows the trend of recent television series such as Lost Grey’s Anatomy and Emergency Room to include mixed partnership in their story-lines. The significance of these examples is that the audience assumes that Modern Family promotes new families and dismisses the classic gender construction; however, it lacks resistance towards male family dominance, showing t he false approach this show tries to communicate Stability is constructed around the promotion of a male, and traditional formation of the dominant thought of the â€Å"The Standard North American Family (SNAF),† as argued by Dorothy E. Smith. In her article about â€Å"SNAF as an Ideological Code,† she states that the clear division of work sphere and domestic sphere between husband and wife characterizes the concept of a family. The men are  the families’ principal earners, making the women dependent on their husbands’ income. As seen in Modern Family neither Claire Dunphy nor Gloria Pritchett is responsible for contributing to her family’s income, which forces them to rely on their husbands’ earnings. The show’s reliance on the deeply fixed thought becomes even more evident by looking at Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker. Their progressive portrayal seems to make a classical gender distribution unlikely, but the episode â€Å"Mothers Day† reveals that Mitchell takes the role as mother, while Cameron functions as father. Modern Family focuses on female gender stereotypes to further promote a male-dominant family thought. The mass media’s tendency to resolve so cial change and reproduce â€Å"assumptions about women’s appropriate roles† creates inaccurate images of Gloria and Claire as modern women (Dow 19). The work â€Å"Constructing Gender Stereotypes Through Social Roles in Prime-Time Television† gives a definition of the construction of female identity and communication throughout television. It states â€Å"stereotypes offer overviews about people on the basis of their group membership† (Lauzen, Dozier, and Horan 201). While both women share the identity of motherhood, home life, and family-orientation, their individual characteristics differ. Gloria’s Latin American origin deviates from her white, American colleague. Gloria’s character symbolizes views many Americans have regarding Latin American women, such as being â€Å"‘passive, and dependent on men. ABC’s official description of Gloria states that Jay â€Å"married the much younger, much hotter, much more Colombian Gloria. Numerous episodes also make fun of her strong Latin American accent. The episode â€Å"The One That Got Away â€Å"features Jay’s birthday and instead of his wish to get a â€Å"saxophone,† Gloria gets him a â€Å"sexy phone,† a phone in the shape of a mouth. Additionally, little is known about Gloria’s educational or professional background in Colombia. This results in the motives of her marriage to the much older Jay Pritchett are being questioned. Gloria is accused of being a gold digger for wanting to marry a rich white American, most likely to obtain the American Dream for her and her son Manny. Contrary to Gloria’s racist stereotypical description, Claire Dunphy represents the traditional stay-at-home-mother, who dedicates her life to the domestic land. Compared to Gloria’s glamorous looks, Claire is dressed more casually, indicating that her priorities lie within the family. Throughout the series the audiences discovers that she  once had a successful profession, which she quit for her family. This shows that despite her strong, controlling character, she is not an independent woman. Claire’s description of vacation as a â€Å"business trip† demonstrates that she takes her position as mother very seriously, even more than her previous occupation. Through the promotion of traditional family values and the stereotypical presentation of women in the U.S. show Modern Family, an inaccurate image of the reality and impact of women in U.S. society is created. Even though feminist scholar Andrea L. Press argues that it is not the role of television to immediately and accurately reflect social and political behavior in one’s society, she draws the attention to the representation of â€Å"contradictory notions about feminine gender identity and female roles† in mass media (Press, Women Watching Television Andrea Press has also studied the relationship between women and work on television, and has identified that the image of working women on U.S. sitcoms correlates with the rise of women’s participation in the U.S. labor force, resulting from the changing shape of the American family through rising divorce rates and increasing acceptance of alternative family forms (Press,†Gender And Family† 148). While currently 58.9 percent of married women with younger children, and 70.7 percent with children aged six to seventeen are employed, it is questionable why none of the women in Modern Family holds jobs (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Of course, the concept of women working is not the only controversial family-related issue that inconveniently left out of discussion in the television series. Even though the introduction of sensitive issues, such as sexuality and race, in present television shows (Press, â€Å"Gender And Family† 140) can be noticed, these narratives often minimize the real problems American women face today (Press, Women Watching Television27-28). This observation does not meet the ideals of Modern Family, whereas issues like race, sexuality, and career decisions might be shown, but not openly be discussed. The longstanding moral concept of the traditional family is promoted through the show and by constantly repeating gender roles; the audience assumes these structures as true and authentic (Lauzen, Dozier, and Horan 201-202). A critical review on Modern Family easily reveals old-fashioned values. Despite its success, this show is not as modern as it claims to be and could  easily have been aired in the 1980s, a television era that was also characterized by a return to traditional family values. Nevertheless, Modern Family, airing in the 21st century, is continually stereotyping women in an old fashioned manner as mothers and housewives. These lines do not meet real female ambitions or provide a satisfactory reading of today’s American women. As Bonnie J. Downotes: â€Å"the danger is not in enjoying television series but in mistaking these images for something more than the selective, partial images that they are† (Dow 214).

The Return: Midnight Chapter 3

Damon leaped. Somewhere in the middle of the leap Elena felt herself left to the whims of gravity. She tried to curl into a bal to take the impact on one buttock. What happened was strange – almost miraculous. She came down, right side up, on the opposite side of the couch from the plate of steak tartar. The plate did a little leap of its own, three or four inches, perhaps, and then settled back where it had been. Elena was also lucky enough to get a perfect view of the end of the heroic rescue – which involved Damon diving for the floor and grabbing the bottle of precious Black Magic wine just before it hit the ground and smashed. He might not have the kind of lightning-fast reflexes he had when he was a vampire, but he was stil far, far faster than an ordinary human. Leap holding girl, drop girl onto something soft, turn leap into dive, and at last instant grab bottle, just before it would hit. Amazing. But there was another way that Damon wasn't like a vampire anymore – he wasn't invincible to fal ing onto hard surfaces. Elena only realized this when she heard him gasp, trying to breathe and not being able to. She scrambled wildly in her mind for al the accidents she could remember with jocks, and – yes, recal ed one when Matt had had the wind completely knocked out of him. The coach had seized him by the col ar and thumped him on the back. Elena ran to Damon and grabbed him under the arms, rol ing him onto his back. She put al her strength into hauling him into a sitting position. Then she made a club of her hands. Pretending she was Meredith, who had been on the basebal team at Robert E. Lee High and had a .225 ERA, she swung as hard as she could at Damon, slamming her fists into his back. And it worked! Suddenly Damon was wheezing, and then breathing again. A born straightener of ties, Elena knelt and tried to rearrange his clothes. As soon as he could breathe properly, his limbs stopped being pliant under her fingers. He gently curled her hands into each other. Elena wondered if possibly they'd gone so far beyond words that they would never find them again. How had it al happened? Damon had picked her up perhaps because her leg was burned, or perhaps because he had decided Mrs. Flowers was the one with the star bal . She herself had said, â€Å"Damon, what are you doing?†Perfectly straightforward. And then halfway through the sentence she had heard for herself the â€Å"darling†and – but who would ever believe her? – it hadn't been connected with anything they had been doing earlier at al . It had been an accident, a slip of the tongue. But she'd said it in front of Bonnie, the one person most likely to take it seriously and personal y. And then Bonnie had been gone before she could even explain. Darling! When they had just started fighting again. It real y was a joke. Because he had been serious about just taking the star bal . She had seen it in his eyes. To cal Damon â€Å"darling†seriously, you would have to be – have to be†¦hopelessly†¦helplessly†¦desperately in†¦ Oh, God†¦ Tears began to run down Elena's cheeks. But these were tears of revelation. Elena knew she wasn't in her best form today. No real sleep for going on three days – too many conflicting emotions – too much genuine terror right now. Stil, she was terrified to find that something fundamental had changed inside her. It wasn't anything she had asked for. Al she had asked was that the two brothers stop feuding. And she had been born to love Stefan; she knew that! Once, he'd been wil ing to marry her. Wel , since then she'd been a vampire, a spirit, and a new incarnation dropped from the sky, and she could hope that one day he would be wil ing to marry the new Elena, too. But the new Elena was bewildered, what with her strange new blood that to vampires was like rocket fuel compared to the gasoline most girls carried about in their veins. With her Wings Powers, such as Wings of Redemption, most of which she didn't understand and none of which she could control. Although lately she had seen the beginning of a stance, and she knew it was for Wings of Destruction. That, she thought grimly, might be quite useful someday. Of course a number of them had already been helpful to Damon, who was no longer simply an al y, but an enemy-al y again. Who wanted to steal something that her whole town needed. Elena hadn't asked to fal in love with Damon – but, oh God, what if she already had? What if she couldn't make the feelings stop? What could she do? Silently, she sat crying, knowing that she could never say any of these things to Damon. He had a gift of farseeing and a level head in times of emotion, but not, as she knew al too wel , about this particular issue. If she told him what was in her heart, before she knew it, he would kidnap her. He would believe she had forgotten Stefan for good, as she had forgotten him briefly tonight. â€Å"Stefan,†she whispered. â€Å"I'm sorry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She could never let Stefan know about it either – and Stefan was her heart. â€Å"We've got to get rid of Shinichi and Misao fast,†Matt was saying moodily. â€Å"I mean, I real y need to get into condition soon or Kent State's gonna send me back stamped ‘Reject.'†He and Meredith were sitting in Mrs. Flowers's warm kitchen nibbling on gingersnap cookies and watching her as she diligently worked at making beef carpaccio – the second of the two raw beef recipes in the antique cookbook she owned. â€Å"Stefan's doing so wel that in a couple of days we could even be tossing around the old pigskin,†he added, sarcasm edging his voice, â€Å"if everybody in town would just stop being crazy possessed. Oh, yeah, and if the cops would stop coming after me for assaulting Caroline.† At the mention of Stefan's name, Mrs. Flowers peeked into a cauldron that had been bubbling away on the stove for so long, and was now emitting such a fearsome odor that Matt didn't know who to pity more: the guy getting the huge pile of raw meat or the one who'd soon be trying to choke down whatever was in that cooking pot. â€Å"So – assuming you're alive – you're going to be glad to leave Fel ‘s Church when the time comes?†Meredith asked him quietly. Matt felt as if she had just slapped him. â€Å"You're joking, right?†he said, petting Saber with one tanned, bare foot. The huge beast was making a sort of growly purring sound. â€Å"I mean, before that, it's going to be great to throw a couple of passes to Stefan again – he's the best tight end I've ever seen – â€Å" â€Å"Or ever wil see,†Meredith reminded him. â€Å"I don't think many vampires go in for footbal , Matt, so don't even think of suggesting that he and Elena fol ow you to Kent State. Besides, I'l be right beside you, trying to get them to come to Harvard with me. And worse, we're both checkmated by Bonnie, because that junior col ege – whatever – is much closer to Fel ‘s Church and al the things around here they love.† â€Å"Al the things around here Elena loves,†Matt couldn't help correcting. â€Å"Al Stefan wants is to be with Elena.† â€Å"Now, now,†Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"Let's just take things as they come, shal we, my dears? Ma ma says that we need to keep up our strength. She sounds worried to me – you know, she can't foresee everything that happens.† Matt nodded, but he had to swal ow hard before saying to Meredith, â€Å"So, you're eager to be off for the Ivied Wal s, I'm sure?† â€Å"If it wasn't Harvard – if I could just put it off for a year and keep my scholarship†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith's voice trailed off, but the yearning in it was unmistakable. Mrs. Flowers patted Meredith's shoulder, and then said, â€Å"I wonder about dear Stefan and Elena. After al , with everyone thinking that she's dead, Elena can't live here and be seen.† â€Å"I think they've given up on the idea of going somewhere far, far away,†Matt said. â€Å"I'l bet that now they think of themselves as Fel ‘s Church's guardians. They'l get by somehow. Elena can shave her head.†Matt was trying for a light tone, but the words sank like lead bal oons as they left his mouth. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers was talking about college,†Meredith said in a tone just as heavy. â€Å"Are they going to be super-heroes at night and just veg out the rest of the time? If they want to go somewhere even next year, they need to be thinking about it now.† â€Å"Oh†¦wel , I guess there's Dalcrest.† â€Å"Where?† â€Å"You know, that little campus in Dyer. It's smal but the footbal team there is real y – wel , I guess Stefan wouldn't care how good they are. But it's only half an hour away.† â€Å"Oh, that place. Wel , the sports may be fantastic but it's sure not an Ivy, much less Harvard.†Meredith – unsentimental, enigmatic Meredith – sounded as if she had a stuffed-up nose. â€Å"Yeah,†Matt said – and just for a second took Meredith's slim, cold hand and squeezed it. He was even more surprised when she linked her chil ed fingers up with his, holding his hand. â€Å"Ma ma says whatever is fated to happen wil happen soon,†Mrs. Flowers said serenely. â€Å"The main thing, as I see it, is to save the dear, dear old town. As wel as the people.† â€Å"Of course it is,†Matt said. â€Å"We're going to do our best. Thank God we have somebody in town who understands Japanese demons.† â€Å"Orime Saitou,†Mrs. Flowers said with a little smile. â€Å"Bless her for her amulets.† â€Å"Yeah, both of them,†Matt said, thinking of the grandmother and mother who shared the name. â€Å"I think we're going to need a lot of those amulets they make,†he added grimly. Mrs. Flowers opened her mouth, but Meredith spoke, stil focused on thoughts of her own. â€Å"You know, Stefan and Elena may not have given up on their far, far away thing after al ,†she said sadly. â€Å"And since at this point none of us may even live to make it to our own col eges†¦Ã¢â‚¬ She shrugged. Matt was stil squeezing her hand when Bonnie dashed in the front door, keening. She tried to speed through the foyer toward the stairs, avoiding the kitchen, but Matt released Meredith and they both dashed up to block her. Instantly, everyone was in combat mode. Meredith grasped Bonnie's arm tightly. Mrs. Flowers came into the foyer, wiping her hands on a dish towel. â€Å"Bonnie, what happened? Is it Shinichi and Misao? Are we being attacked?†Meredith asked quietly but with the intensity to cut through hysteria. Something shot like a bolt of ice through Matt's body. No one real y knew where Shinichi and Misao were right now. Perhaps in the thicket that was al that was left of the Old Woods – perhaps right here at the boardinghouse. â€Å"Elena!†he shouted. â€Å"Oh, God, she and Damon are both out there! Are they hurt? Did Shinichi get them?† Bonnie shut her eyes and shook her head. â€Å"Bonnie, stay with me. Stay calm. Is it Shinichi? Is it the police?†Meredith asked. And to Matt: â€Å"You'd better check through the curtains there.†But Bonnie was stil shaking her head. Matt saw no police lights through the curtains. Nor did he see any sign of Shinichi and Misao attacking. â€Å"If we're not being attacked,†Matt could hear Meredith saying to Bonnie, â€Å"then what is happening?† Maddeningly, Bonnie just shook her head. Matt and Meredith looked at each other over Bonnie's strawberry curls. â€Å"The star bal ,†Meredith said softly, just as Matt growled, â€Å"That bastard.† â€Å"Elena won't tel him anything but the story,†Meredith said. And Matt nodded, trying to keep from his mind a picture of Damon casual y waving and Elena convulsing in agony. â€Å"Maybe it's the possessed kids – the ones who walk around hurting themselves or acting insane,†Meredith said, with a side glance at Bonnie, and squeezing Matt's hand very hard. Matt was bewildered and fumbled the cue. He said, â€Å"If that S.O.B. is trying to get the star bal , Bonnie wouldn't have run away. She's bravest when she's scared. And unless he's kil ed Elena she shouldn't be like this – â€Å" Which left Meredith the grim job of saying, â€Å"Talk to us, Bonnie,†in her most comforting big-sister voice. â€Å"Something must have happened to get you in this state. Just breathe slowly and tel me what you saw.† And then, in a torrent, words began to spil from Bonnie's lips. â€Å"She – she was cal ing him darling,†Bonnie said, gripping Meredith's other hand with both of hers. â€Å"And there was blood smeared al around on her neck. And – oh, I dropped it! The bottle of Black Magic!† â€Å"Oh, wel ,†Mrs. Flowers said gently. â€Å"No use crying over spil ed wine. We'l just have to – â€Å" â€Å"No, you don't understand,†Bonnie gasped. â€Å"I heard them talking as I came up – I had to go slow because it's so hard not to trip. They were talking about the star bal ! At first I thought they were arguing, but – she had her arms around Damon's neck. And al that stuff about him not being a vampire anymore? She had blood al over her throat and he had it on his mouth! As soon as I got there he picked her up and threw her so I couldn't see but he wasn't fast enough. She must have given the star bal to him! And she still was calling him ‘darling'!† Matt's eyes met Meredith's and they both flushed and looked away quickly. If Damon was a vampire again – if he had somehow gotten the star bal from its hiding place – and if Elena had been â€Å"taking food†to him just to give him blood†¦ Meredith was stil looking for a way out. â€Å"Bonnie – aren't you making too much of this? Anyway, what happened to Mrs. Flowers's tray of food?† â€Å"It was – al over the place. They'd just tossed it away! But he was was holding her with one hand under her knees and one under her neck, and her head was way back so that her hair was fal ing al over his shoulder!† There was a silence as everyone tried to imagine various positions that might correspond to Bonnie's last words. â€Å"You mean he was holding her up to steady her?†Meredith asked, her voice suddenly almost a whisper. Matt caught her meaning. Stefan was probably asleep upstairs, and Meredith wanted to keep it that way. â€Å"No! They – they were looking at each other,†Bonnie cried. â€Å"Looking. Into each other's eyes.† Mrs. Flowers spoke mildly. â€Å"But dear Bonnie – maybe Elena fel down and Damon had to just scoop her up.† Now Bonnie was speaking remorselessly and fluently. â€Å"Only if that's what's just happened to al those women on the covers of those romance books – what-d'you-cal -'ems?† â€Å"Bodice-rippers?†Meredith suggested unhappily when no one else spoke. â€Å"That's right! Bodice-rippers. That's how he was holding her! I mean, we al knew that something was going on with the two of them in the Dark Dimension, but I thought al that would stop when we found Stefan. But it hasn't!† Matt felt sick in the pit of his stomach. â€Å"You mean right now Elena and Damon are in there†¦kissing and stuff?† â€Å"I don't know what I mean!†Bonnie exclaimed. â€Å"They were talking about the star ball! He was holding her like a bride! And she wasn't fighting it!† With a chil of horror, Matt could see trouble, and he could see that Meredith could see it too. Even worse, they were looking in two different directions. Matt was looking upstairs, at the staircase, where Stefan had just appeared. Meredith was looking at the kitchen door, one glance at which showed Matt that Damon was entering the foyer. What was Damon doing in the kitchen? Matt wondered. We were there until a minute ago. And he was, what, eavesdropping from the den side? Matt gave the situation his best shot, anyway. â€Å"Stefan!†he said in a hearty voice that made him wince inwardly. â€Å"You ready for a little athlete's-blood nightcap?† A tiny part of Matt's mind thought: But just look at him. Only three days out of prison and he already looks like himself again. Three nights ago he was a skeleton. Today he just looks – thin. He's even handsome enough to make the girls al go crazy over him again. Stefan smiled faintly at him, leaning on the banister. In his pale face, his eyes were remarkably alive, a vibrant green that made them actual y shine like jewels. He didn't look upset, and that made Matt's heart twist for him. How could they tel him? â€Å"Elena is hurt,†Stefan said, and suddenly there was a pause – an utter silence – as every person froze in place. â€Å"But Damon couldn't help her, so he brought her to Mrs. Flowers.† â€Å"True,†Damon said coldly from behind Matt. â€Å"I couldn't help her. If I were stil a vampire†¦but I'm not. Elena has burns, mainly. Al I could think of was an ice pack or some kind of poultice. Sorry to disprove al your clever theories.† â€Å"Oh my heavens!†cried Mrs. Flowers. â€Å"You mean dear Elena's waiting right now in the kitchen for a poultice?†She hurried out of the foyer toward the kitchen. Stefan was stil coming down the stairs, cal ing, â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, she scalded her arm and leg – she says because Damon didn't recognize her in the dark and jostled her. And that he thought it was an intruder in his room, and nicked her throat with a knife. The rest of us wil be in the parlor if you need help.† Bonnie cried, â€Å"Stefan, maybe she's innocent – but he isn't! Even according to you, he burned her – that's torture – and he put a knife to her throat! Maybe he threatened her to make her tel us what we wanted to hear. Maybe she's stil a hostage right now and we don't know it!† Stefan flushed. â€Å"It's so hard to explain,†he said very softly. â€Å"And I keep trying to tune it out. But so far – some of my Powers have been growing†¦faster than my ability to control them. Most of the time I'm asleep, so it doesn't matter. I was asleep until a few minutes ago. But I woke up and Elena was tel ing Damon that Mrs. Flowers doesn't have the star bal . She was upset, and injured – and I could feel where she'd been injured. And then suddenly I heard you, Bonnie. You're a very strong telepath. Then I heard the rest of you talking about Elena†¦.† Oh my God. How insane, Matt was thinking. His mouth was babbling some â€Å"Sure, sure, our mistake†gibberish, and his feet fol owed Meredith's to the parlor as if they were attached to her Italian sandals. But the blood on Damon's mouth†¦ There had to be some mundane reason for the blood, too. Stefan had said that Damon had nicked Elena with a knife. As to how the blood got smeared around; wel , that actual y didn't sound like vampirism to Matt. He'd been a donor for Stefan at least a dozen times in the last days and the process was always very neat. It was strange, too, he thought, that it had never occurred to any of them that, even from the top of the house, Stefan might be able to hear their thoughts directly. Could he always do that? Matt thought, wondering at the same time whether Stefan was doing it right now. â€Å"I try not to listen to thoughts, unless I'm invited or I have a good reason,†Stefan said. â€Å"But when anybody mentions Elena, especial y if they sound upset – that I can't help. It's like when you're in a noisy place and you can barely hear, but when somebody says your name you hear it instantly.† â€Å"It's cal ed the Cocktail Party Phenomenon,†Meredith said. Her voice was quiet and remorseful as she was trying to calm the mortified Bonnie. Matt felt another tug at his heart. â€Å"Wel , you can cal it whatever you want,†he said, â€Å"but what it means is that you can listen in on our minds any time you like.† â€Å"Not any time,†Stefan said, wincing. â€Å"When I was drinking animal blood I wasn't strong enough unless I real y worked at it. By the way, it may please my friends to know that I'm going back to hunting animals by tomorrow or the next day, depending on what Mrs. Flowers says,†he added with a significant glance around the room. His eyes lingered on Damon, who was lounging against the wal by the window, looking disheveled and very, very dangerous. â€Å"But that doesn't mean I'l forget who saved my life when I was dying. For that I honor and thank them – and, wel , we'l have a party sometime.†He blinked hard and turned away. The two girls melted at once – even Meredith sniffled. Damon heaved an exaggerated sigh. â€Å"Animal blood? Oh, bril iant. Make yourself as weak as you can, little brother, even with three or four wil ing donors around you. Then, when it comes to the final showdown with Shinichi and Misao, you'l be about as effective as a piece of damp tissue paper.† Bonnie started. â€Å"Is there going to be a showdown†¦soon?† â€Å"As soon as Shinichi and Misao can manage it,†Stefan said quietly. â€Å"I think they'd rather not give me time to get wel . The whole town is supposed to go up in fire and ashes, you know. But I can't keep asking you and Meredith and Matt – and Elena – to donate blood. You've already kept me alive the last few days, and I don't know how to repay you for it.† â€Å"Repay us by getting as strong as you can,†Meredith said in her quiet, level voice. â€Å"But, Stefan, can I ask a few questions?† â€Å"Of course,†Stefan said, standing by a chair. He didn't sit himself until Meredith, with Bonnie almost in her lap, had sunk down on the love seat. Then he said, â€Å"Fire.†