Best sentencing for alcohol offenders Essay

ABSTRACT This paper will argue the fact that house arrest is the best option for alcohol offenders. It will prove through research that most alcohol offenders that have been sentenced to prison time become repeat offenders. Research will also show that offenders sentenced to SCRAMx were less likely to abuse alcohol once released. It will also show how house arrest saves the state money by making the offender pay a fixed rate for their time served on house arrest. Alcohol offenders are those who commit a crime while under the influence of alcohol. Some examples of these offenders are First-time and Repeat DUI/DWI offenders, offenders who commit homicide or assault while in an automobile, alcohol offenders who are charged with domestic violence, people on parole or probation who are known to use alcohol, minors that have been arrested for alcohol abuse, adults that take care of or oversee minors, offenders trying to reinstate their driving privileges, and licensed professionals who abuse alcohol. Most of these offenders are fined, have their driver’s license revoked and made to attend MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) meetings and MASEP (Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program) classes. Offenders are required to get SR22 insurance on their automobile and pay a reinstatement fee of $125 in the state of Mississippi, before they can have their license reinstated. Repeat offenders are sentenced to pay a higher fine and spend a longer time without their license. In some states third time offenders are sentenced to serve time in prison, in others, however, offenders are fined, have their licenses revoked for three years and made to spend twenty four to forty eight hours in jail. Would it not be more effective to sentence alcohol offenders to house arrest after the first offense? Some people feel that prison sentences are the best options for  alcohol offenders, however, house arrest is the best option. Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring System (SCRAMx) combines the Continuous Alcohol Monitoring system with the traditional house arrest bracelet. It provides alcohol monitoring every thirty minutes, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week instead of having to set up an appointment for the offender to come in and be tested for alcohol in his or her system. It saves the county and state in which the offender is serving his or her sentence considerable time, resources, and budgets because it is paid for by the offender and he or she is monitored continuously by GPS tracking. (AMS, Inc., 2012) It saves time and resources by letting the probation officer and other officials monitor the offender’s actions from a computer in his or her office. It saves the budget of the county and state by having the offender pay a fee for his or her time served. SCRAMx effects long-term behavioral change that cannot be achieved by incarceration. By helping the offender become alcohol free and find the reason for his or her alcohol abuse, SCRAMx is changing the life of the offender. SCRAMx offers significant advantages to the courts and supervising agencies that use it, as well as to the offenders themselves. The majority of judges hearing cases involving SCRAMx have recognized that the device is accurate, reliable, and generally accepted. The accuracy and reliability come from measuring the alcohol intake of an offender through transdermal alcohol concentrations in the sweat and insensible perspiration (oils) of the skin cells. Since these tests are done every thirty minutes it omits the possibility of the offender drinking the night before the test is set up to be done in an office setting. Courts accept these results because they are accurate and tamper resistant. SCRAMx allows probation officers and courts to manage hundreds of offender’s right from their desk. The non-invasive testing frees up time and requires no labor from the parties involved. SCRAMx helps improve offender outcomes by letting them maintain family obligations, hold jobs, and contri bute positively to the community they live in. (AMS, Inc., 2012) SCRAMx helps ease the problem of jail overcrowding by keeping non-violent  offenders out on house arrest. SCRAMx provides a cost-effective alternative to jail for those prisoners who are not a threat to the community when they are sober. County jails and prisons are populated by a high number of offenders awaiting trial. SCRAMx would reduce jail/prison overcrowding for offenders awaiting trial by providing a way for court officials to monitor and track those offenders from their offices. (Mitchell, 2012) SCRAMx helps individuals get the help they need to sober up, thus ending the revolving door of incarceration. (AMS, Inc., 20120) The revolving doors of incarceration are also known as recidivism. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, recidivism is a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior; especially: relapse into criminal behavior. (Merriam-Webster, 2012) SCRAMx gives offenders a sense of security, continuous accountability, financial responsibility and much more. First, it helps protect public safety, and provides a sense of security for the offender often saving their lives because they stop drinking. Second, Participants of the SCRAMx program give credit to the bracelet for saving their lives. Other programs are easy to beat while drinking. SCRAMx reminds the offender that they are not supposed to drink thus for keeping them sober. Sober days are twenty four hour periods in which the offender has no confirmed alcohol consumption and no confirmed tamper attempts or circumvent testing in order to mask the consumption of alcohol. Third, financial responsibility comes from the offender having to pay for their time on the program. Offenders feel that they are responsible for their own success in finishing the program. (AMS, Inc., 2012) Some people feel that SCRAMx gives offenders too much freedom unlike prisons where they are under constant supervision. Incarcerating an offender costs prisons approximately $25,251 a year and keeps them off the streets while they serve their sentence. (Lappin, 2011) Once released from prison the offender is required to pay a fine and attend alcohol treatment related therapy. The one common program they are asked to attend is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). This type of therapy is held in a group setting where people with alcohol addictions meet to talk about their lives and the time they  have spent sober. Offenders must meet with a parole officer on a monthly basis to ensure they are meeting the terms of their parole. Most terms of probation are simple. Some examples are letting the parole officer know where you live and work and if there are any changes in residence and work, letting them know if you are going to be more than 50 miles away from home, and how long you will be away. (C DCR, 2010) There are very strict rules that offenders participating the SCRAMx program must follow. Offenders participating in the SCRAMx program have a set schedule and curfew which keeps them off the streets during popular drinking hours. Offenders are only allowed to leave when it is cleared by the probation/parole officer monitoring their sentence. Most common schedules revolve around work schedules and appointments to meet with the probation/parole officer. They are monitored by a Continuous Alcohol Monitoring system that tests every thirty minutes for alcohol levels in their system. Offenders on the SCRAMx program are held accountable for their actions so the first time they try to tamper with the device or have a bad test are returned to prison custody. (AMS, Inc., 2012) Sentencing alcohol offenders to prison sentences is the number one punishment handed down by courts of law. These sentences cost the state and counties in which the crime is committed millions of dollars a year. SCRAMx, the house arrest program for alcohol offenders, has been proven to offer a better solution for the overcrowding problem in our prison systems. It also helps the offender maintain sobriety and keep them from becoming repeat offenders. Some people feel that prison sentences are the best solution, however, house arrest is the best option for alcohol offenders. In many ways it benefits both the state and the offender. Wouldn’t you agree? REFERENCES AMS, Inc., (2012) SCRAMx for AMS, The SCRAMx System, Retrieved on December 29, 2012 from www.alcoholmonitoring.com/index/scram/the-scramx-system AMS, Inc., (2012) SCRAMx from AMS, The Benefits of SCRAMx, Retrieved on December 31, 2012 from www.alcoholmonitoring.com/index/scram/scramx-benefits Mitchell, Matt (July, 2012) NACo Passes Resolution Supporting Transdermal Testing for Pre-Trial Populations, Retrieved on December 31, 2012 from www.alcoholmonitoring.com/blog/2012/07/naco-passes-resolution-supporting-transdermal-testing-fro-pre-trail-population/#.UNCStneE21o AMS, Inc., (2012) SCRAMx for AMS, Solutions, Jail Depopulation, Retrieved on December 31, 2012 from www.alcoholmonitoring.com/index/programs/jail-depopulation Merriam-Webster, Inc., (2012) Definition of recidivism, Retrieved on December 31, 2012 from www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recidivism AMS, Inc., (2012) SCRAMx for AMS, About Us, The Offender Perspective, Retrieved on December 31, 2012 from www.alcholmonitoring.com/index/scram/offender-perspective Lappin, Harley G (February, 2011) Annual Determination of Average Cost of Incarceration, Office of the Federal Register (US) Retrieved on December 31, 2012 from www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/02/03/2011-2363/annual-determination-of-average-cost-of-incarceration California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (2010) Division of Adult Parole Operations, Parolee Conditions, Retrieved on December 31, 2012 from http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/parole/parolee_conditions/index.html AMS, Inc., (2012) SCRAMx for AMS, The SCRAMx System, Retrieved on December 31, 2012 from www.alcoholmonitoring.com/index/scram/the-scramx-system

The Great Navigator Columbus

The great navigator Columbus Mr. Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) navigator Spain famous and pioneering major geographical discoveries in human history. He was in his youth believer in the theory of spherical Earth and not leading the famous Marco Polo every respect and appreciation, and the determination to become a navigator. During the period between the year 1492 and in 1502 crossed the Atlantic Ocean four times and discovered the American continent and became a great crew in the history of the world.Columbus Italy and had a passion for navigation and exploration since he was young and looked forward to traveling to China and India. And has repeatedly asked the Portuguese and Spanish kings and the British and French to help him do a cruise to the west until it reaches to the eastern states, but they rejected the plan because the spherical earth theory were not complete and convincing in those days. He spent more than ten years trying to convince people to help him implement his n avigational plan.In 1492 the queen of Spain with the help of satisfied Columbus financially the implementation of the plan. In September 1492 launched Columbus' fleet of three ships and 87 crew from Europe to the west, hoping to reach Asia in the end. A month after the fleet arrived at the dry ground, and Columbus and his men think Columbus and his men, it is the land of Asia, told the audience in Europe that they have arrived in India. Thus Columbus discovered the American continent without being aware of the fact discovered.This trip changed the great process of the evolution of the history of the world, and turned the World Trade Center from the Mediterranean Sea to the west shore of the Atlantic Ocean. In the following centuries, modern industrial civilization has become a new trend of the evolution of the global economy. The United States identified in 1792 on the 12th of October or the first two second-day of October each year, â€Å"Columbus Day†. In this day every yea r organizes most U. S. states many festive activities on the occasion of the anniversary of Columbus' discovery of the Americas.

Uses of Hris in Recruitment Process

INFORMATION SYTEMS AND RECRUITMENT Among the many definitions of Human Resource Management (HRM), this paper will approach it from a sistemic perspective. That is to say, HRM comprises the whole range of activities from the need to fill a free post to the time when an employee leaves the firm. The first one is the recruitment process, which is divided into three stages: Application, selection and socialization. This paper will leave out the latter, focusing in the use of HRIS (Human Resources Information Systems) for the recruitment process until the final appointment decision.Specifically, the first decision to be made by the firm is whether the recruitment will be internal or external. Table 1 shows a comparative between the pros and cons of each type of recruitment. As it can be seen, the internal recruitment has, initially, more advantages than the external. This is why several academics (e. g. Deguy, 1989; Pena Baztan, 1990 and Diez de Castro et al. , 2002) recommend this option whenever it is feasible and suitable. Only in those cases that this is not valid or sufficient, the firm must resort to external recruitment. Nevertheless, it is necessary to keep in mind that this statement is to be taken cautiously.There is no perfect recruitment method; the choice will have to be made considering the particular circumstances of the firm and its objectives. European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (EMCIS) 2006, July 6-7 2006, Costa Blanca, Alicante, Spain J. A. Fernandez-Sanchez et al. Use of HRIS in recruitment process. The Spanish case. 2 Internal recruitment External recruitment advantages disadvantages Advantages disadvantages Low cost Limited offer Higher number of candidates High cost Faster results Interest conflicts Slower Better knowledge of candidates Lack of authority due to excess of trustNo prior knowledge of candidates Shorter socialization period Lack of innovation and new ideas Encourage change and innovation Longer socializati on period Business culture is fortified Business culture may stagnate Encourage modifications in culture Likely cultural shock Increases motivation between employees Likely discontent among non-selected May de-motivate Increases the build up of knowledge Factor for attraction and upkeep of staff Table 1. Internal vs. external recruitment The optimal use of internal recruitment processes requires possessing an updated and accurate knowledge of the personnel of the firm (Leal Millan et al. 1999), for which a HRIS can be used. The simplest and cheapest of them all, most likely, is a human resource inventory (also known as Internal IS): a database or registrar in which the largest amount of information possible is kept. Basic data to be included in this database are the personal details, the recruitment dates, the positions held, promotions, and other observations regarding their performance and potential (Pena Baztan, 1990). Following this, it must be reminded that the internal recruit ment sources are to be employed wisely, because, on occasion, they may lead to deception instead of motivation.Likewise, in order to ensure that all internal and external (if any) applications are considered equally, the former should be complemented with the most complete information available (Besseyre des Horts, 1988). Considering this frame of work, this paper intends to test two main hypotheses on the topic of the use of these recruitment sources from an empirical point of view. On the one hand, regarding the relationship between HRIS and internal recruitment processes: Hypothesis 1: â€Å"The firms that deploy HRIS in their internal recruitment processes will perform better than those who do not do it†.On the other hand, following those authors that recommend internal over external recruitment decisions, the research inquires whether: Hypothesis 2: â€Å"The firms that prefer internal recruitment decisions over external recruitment will perform better than those who do not do it†. Nevertheless, the implications that the assertion or rejection of these statements will not be fully understood unless a descriptive analysis of the presence and usage of business HRIS is carried out. This will be done prior to the actual test of the hypotheses alleged above.European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (EMCIS) 2006, July 6-7 2006, Costa Blanca, Alicante, Spain J. A. Fernandez-Sanchez et al. Use of HRIS in recruitment process. The Spanish case. 3 2 DATA ANALYSIS To study the two hypotheses, along with some descriptive data, a nation-wide empirical research was performed. It was founded on the results of a prior research limited to the province of Alicante (Spain), in which the questionnaire was tested and the model was validated. SCOPE Spain POPULATION 3000 Firms with more than 200 employees SAMPLE 334 valid answers (11,1%)STANDARD ERROR 5,2%1 Table 2. Technical data of the empirical research The T test, used to determine the infere nce of the observations, concluded that there were no significant differences between the group of firms that did answer and that who did not. Consequently, the data here shown can be considered as valid indicators of the behaviour of the Spanish firms with more than 200 employees. 2. 1 Use of HRIS in the firm: a descriptive analysis Before the two main hypotheses are tested, a complimentary analysis of the findings may lead to a better understanding of the implications of this research.This part of the study will deal with the descriptive analysis of the use of HRIS in the firm. The first dimension to be concerned about is the type of information system implemented by these firms (see Table 3). Traditional (manual) Files Computerised HRIS Management of C. V. online F % V% C% F % V% C% F % V% C% YES 259 77,5 77,5 77,5 165 49,4 49,7 49,7 207 62,0 62,3 62,3 NO 75 22,5 22,5 100,0 167 50,0 50,3 100,0 125 37,4 37,7 100,0 Total 334 100,0 100,0 332 99,4 100,0 332 99,4 100,0 F=Frequency %=P ercentage V%= Valid percentage C%= Cumulative percentage Table 3.Most common applications of HRIS A few facts stand out in table 3. For starters, over two thirds of the firms (77,5%) use manual HRIS, i. e. traditional files. This is likely due to their lower cost and easier handling. As for the most sophisticated systems, this is, the computerised HRIS, barely half of the firms employ them, although this has shown an increasing tendency when compared to the results of the previous experimental research (in early 2004, only a 38,6% of the firms gave an affirmative answer).The motivations underneath this evolution include the sheer necessity to adapt to the requirements of a more complex organization, the desire to imitate those successful firms that had implemented them, or the uprising of more knowledgeable managers in present time businesses, among others. Regarding the deployment of applications for managing C. V. s online (retrieving them and storing the information adequately), it seems easy and useful enough to be accepted by 62% of the organizations. Regarding the use of HRIS in the recruitment policy, table 4 shows that every stage may benefit from them.Even though, their degree of application is inversely related to the timing and the complexity of 1 This error has been calculated for N=3000, assuming p=q and a confidence interval of 95%. European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (EMCIS) 2006, July 6-7 2006, Costa Blanca, Alicante, Spain J. A. Fernandez-Sanchez et al. Use of HRIS in recruitment process. The Spanish case. 4 the task. As it was observed before, more sophisticated HRIS (and, therefore, able to assist in more complex tasks such as decision making processes) are implemented by a smaller number of firms. Reception of pplications Data storage Data retrieval Decision making processes F % V% C% F % V% C% F % V% A% F % V% C% YES 294 88. 0 91. 0 91. 0 285 85. 3 88. 2 88. 2 216 64. 7 66. 9 66. 9 151 42. 2 46. 7 46. 7 NO 29 8. 7 9. 0 100 38 11. 4 11. 8 100 107 32. 0 33. 1 100 172 51. 5 53. 3 100 Total 323 96. 7 100 323 96. 7 100 323 96. 7 100 323 96. 7 100 F=Frequency %=Percentage V%= Valid percentage C%= Cumulative percentage Table 4. Use of HRIS in different recruitment stages In sum, table 5 shows that 36,5% of the firms do use some HRIS application for all four recruitmentrelated tasks, which indicate two conclusions: ) HRIS are not an exclusive tool, but they are seldom used in combination with other methods; and b) These applications are good enough as assistants and support devices, but they will never be able to substitute human criterion. Frequency Cumulative frequency % Valid % Cumulative % 0 14 14 4,2 4,2 4,2 1 28 42 8,4 8,4 12,6 2 80 122 24,0 24,0 36,5 3 90 212 26,9 26,9 63,5 4 122 334 36,5 36,5 100,0 Total* 334 100,0 100,0 *0= no HRIS; 1= HRIS for only one task; 2= HRIS for two tasks; and so on. Table 5. Number of tasks performed through HRISFinally, there was an interest in seeing whether seve ral structural characteristics of these firms were significantly related to the use of HRIS. It can be seen in table 6 that only two classifications are affected by the use of HRIS: parent firms over subsidiaries, and the larger firms. These results respond to the logic that both types of organizations require a more complex structure, which may influence in their decision of relying on HRIS for leaner and more efficient recruitment tasks. VARIABLES CHI-SQUARED DEGREES OF FREEDOM SIGN. Family Business 4,241 4 ,374Parent /subsidiary 19,832 6 ,003 Public/private 1,295 4 ,862 Industry 36,434 28 ,132 % Permanent staff 13,960 12 ,303 Number of employees 28,320 8 ,000 Table 6. Use of HRIS concerning other classification treats European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (EMCIS) 2006, July 6-7 2006, Costa Blanca, Alicante, Spain J. A. Fernandez-Sanchez et al. Use of HRIS in recruitment process. The Spanish case. 5 2. 2 Hypothesis 1: The firms that deploy HRIS in their inte rnal recruitment processes will perform better than those who do not do itThe first hypothesis is tested with the aid of a new variable created for the purpose of measuring whether the firms use internal recruitment methods based on HRIS applications. A Chi-squared test, carried out on the actual results against the null hypothesis, assesses that the actual results are different enough to overcome a certain probability that they are due to sampling error with a statistical significance of 0,045, thus confirming the assertion of hypothesis 1.Hence, it is found that those firms that rely on internal recruitment processes based on HRIS applications have better outcomes in the performance of the appointed person than those who do not. Table 7 shows the observed frequencies and how this fact may affect the overall performance of the recruitment process. Regarding the firms’ impression on the effects of using HRIS to recruit good candidates, the majority of those that implement the m (89,3%) agree in considering this fact â€Å"quite† or â€Å"plenty† beneficial. It is outstanding as well the fact that only one of them has marked this item as â€Å"No beneficial at all†.Perceived outcomes recruitment/ selection No beneficial at all A little Quite Plenty Yes Internal recruitment and HRIS 1 (0. 3%) 31 (10. 3%) 209 (69. 4%) 60 (19. 9%) No 0 (0. 0%) 7 (21. 2%) 25 (75. 8%) 1 (3. 0%) Table 7. Concurrence of HRIS usage and internal recruitment. Effects on recruitment results. In addition, in order to find if the use of HRIS has a positive influence on the outcomes of the recruiting process, another Chi-squared test shows that a relationship is established between the independent variable (Use of HRIS) and the dependent one (Perceived outcomes of the process), with a 0,000 statistical significance.Therefore, it is statically confirmed that a greater application of HRIS contribute in a positive manner to the outcomes of the recruitment process, and , in consequence, to the overall performance of the firm. This evidence agrees, once more, with hypothesis 1. 2. 3 Hypothesis 2: The firms that prefer internal recruitment decisions over external recruitment will perform better than those who do not do itBefore carrying out this test, it seemed necessary to see whether firms prefer internal recruitment techniques over external ones. To do so, a frequency analysis was carried out, as illustrated in table 8. Frequency % Valid % Cumulative % Never 5 1,5 1,6 1,6 Very rarely 11 3,3 3,5 5,1 Rarely 19 5,7 6,1 11,2 Occasionally 62 18,6 19,8 31,0 Frequently 72 21,6 23,0 54,0 Very frequently 77 23,1 24,6 78,6 Always 67 20,1 21,4 100,0 Preference of internal recruitment over external recruitment Total 313 93,7 100,0 Table 8.Preference of internal recruitment over external recruitment The low values of the â€Å"very rarely† and â€Å"never† categories, and the fact that 69% of the firms prefer internal over external recruitment o n a â€Å"frequently† to â€Å"always† basis, demonstrate that it is internal European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (EMCIS) 2006, July 6-7 2006, Costa Blanca, Alicante, Spain J. A. Fernandez-Sanchez et al. Use of HRIS in recruitment process. The Spanish case. 6 recruitment what organizations favour. The reasons under this tendency can be found in the advantages of internal recruitment methods, as seen in the literature review.As for the consequences of this choice, table 9 provides the results of the relationship between the use of internal recruitment by the firms and the perceived degree of satisfaction with the outcomes of such a decision. None Of little satisfaction Moderately satisfactory Satisfactory Very satisfactory Addition of the last two Seldom 0 (0. 0%) 0 (0. 0%) 3 (30. 0%) 6 (60. 0%) 1 (10. 0%) 7 (70. 0%) Occasionally 0 (0,0%) 0 (0,0%) 12 (15,0%) 58 (72,5%) 10 (12,5%) 68 (85,0%) Sometimes 1 (0,8%) 0 (0,0%) 11 (8,7%) 97 (76,4%) 18 (14 ,2%) 115 (90,6%) Often 0 (0,0%) 0 (0,0%) 5 (6,9%) 44 (61,1%) 23 (31,9%) 67 (93,0%) Use of nternal recruitment Always 0 (0,0%) 0 (0,0%) 1 (5,0%) 11 (55,0%) 8 (40,0%) 19 (95,0%) Table 9. Degree of satisfaction with the outcomes of the recruitment process This contingency table indicates that those firms that use primarily internal recruitment processes seem more satisfied with their decision. Moreover, another Chi-squared test carried on these two variables rejects the null hypothesis of independence with a statistical significance of 0,013.Therefore, hypothesis 2 is confirmed, as has been argued by the work of other authors (namely Pfeffer, 1994 and 1998; Huselid, 1995; Delaney and Huselid, 1996; Delery and Doty, 1996) who show a positive relationship between the internal recruitment strategy and the performance of the firm. 3 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The main conclusion of this paper is the realization that the use of business HRIS is in a developing and retrieval. In spite of thi s, it is recognized the positive influence that these systems have in the recruiting process, which make us think that HRIS will gain a place in many organizations in the short and medium term.Regarding the commonest applications of HRIS, our findings indicate that a fairly large percentage of firms rely on these systems for at least one the stages of the recruitment process. Nevertheless, the presence of these applications is scarcer for the most complex and delayed in time tasks, such as decision making processes, because they require, in return, more complex HRIS. This conclusion is therefore reinforced by the findings expressed above, since it is the developing stage of HRIS what leads to this decompensate situation. It was also observed that two groups of organizations lead the HRIS mplementation trend: the parent companies, with regard to their subsidiaries, and the largest firms in terms of number of employees. This seems a logical finding because their more complex structure s may benefit more of the advantages of HRIS to increase the efficiency of their recruiting processes. Besides, HRIS are found to be preferred in combination with other HRM practices, instead of on their own. This reveals that human judgement is still the main criterion for making decisions in this area, albeit assessed or supported by the information provided by the HRIS.As for the main hypotheses tested in this research, internal recruitment is the favourite method for filling in vacant positions within the firms, which confirms the theoretical assumptions that asserted that, even though both internal and recruitment strategies are to be considered, the former is less costly and provides more advantages to the firms. Indeed, the evidence supports that a better performance is expected from the people internally recruited, which in turn will improve the overall business performance.European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (EMCIS) 2006, July 6-7 2006, Costa Blanca , Alicante, Spain J. A. Fernandez-Sanchez et al. Use of HRIS in recruitment process. The Spanish case. 7 The same can be stated about the synergies caused by the interaction between HRIS and internal recruitment. The business managers, overwhelming, agree in the positive effects that the advantages of the latter, and the better quality information provided by the former, have in the outcomes of the recruitment decisions. Finally, we would like to express our own impression on this topic.It is our belief that HRIS add competitive value to the firm as a whole and to the HRM department specifically. Despite this conviction, shared with many other academics of the field, we have reservations supporting that information systems may endow businesses with a sustainable competitive advantage on their own. Classic strategic information systems benefited from their being the first to arrive, but they soon became a commodity, even a compulsory asset in order to remain in the industry. Their pe rvasive condition may inhibit other firms from developing the strategic changes needed for succeeding in the foreseeable future.

U choose a topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

U choose a topic - Essay Example In the past, video games were played by teens (young adults), but today, relatively old people are seen playing the games and enjoying themselves. As of 2005, over US$ 35 billion was spent on video game consoles, handled game devices, game software, online games and mobile games. Also, new generation consoles developed by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, as from 2005, were projected to push up the sales to over US$ 51 billion, in 2010 (Gamble 198). The video game industry also employs people experienced in other old-fashioned businesses, but some have skills and knowledge tailored to the video game industry. For instance, a majority of recruiters target only game industry experts, which has led to numerous employment opportunities. Through this, it can be noted that this industry is a vital player in the world economy. This paper will discuss the key success factors in this industry. It will also discuss how the industry is changing and evaluate the strategies used by big players such a s Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. Question 1 Demands in the video game industry will always be there. However, the strategies that players in this field use to market themselves are the ones that matter the most (Gamble 87). Some of the key strategies of marketing a product in this field include: marketing related, technology related, distribution related and skilled and capability related (Flew 53). The marketing of video games in the past was simple. Advertising was done by word of mouth and, at times, only steady in ads of leading video games consumer publications. However, in 1994, video game marketing became a more substantial factor such as clear advertising and a strong brand name. With regards to technology, the video game industry has the skill to develop production process for the demands and needs for the client, which, if the purchaser wants 8-bit video game, then the industry would create that type of creation. For instance, modernizers have a behavior of purchasing new s ystems, which offer vital technology improvement over present alternatives and are usually unresponsive to software availability, price breadth of distribution, brand identification and factory support (Gamble 87). Finally, with regards to skilled and capability related, the video game industry is experiencing the growth of more and more groundbreaking products over a short period of time, with organizations copying each other’s products to earn in the race to success. Even though, the vital players in this industry operated both in global and domestic markets, more success was attained on national grounds (Flew 53). Question 2 Regarded by others as an oddity in the mid-70s, the video and computer game industries have developed from centered markets to the mainstream business (Gamble 202). The industry took in almost US$9.5 billion in the United States, 11.7 billion and 25.1 billion, in 2007, 2008 and 2010, respectively. Contemporary personal computers and video game consoles owe numerous advancements and modernizations to the game industry: graphics cards, sound cards and 3D graphic accelerators, DVD-ROM and CD-ROM drives, are some of few more notable and significant improvements. Sound cards were established in order to add high and digital-quality sound to games. They were later improved and enhanced for audiophiles andmusic.Graphics cards were created for more colors, as well. As time moved

Front Line Innovations, Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Front Line Innovations, Inc - Essay Example Front Line Innovations, Inc. (FLII) provides professional management and alternative and cost effective marketing concepts, programs, and systems requirements that address concerns on customer retention, operational solutions, increased sales productivity, and increase quality of services. Incorporated in 1999, FLII combines the managerial expertise and resources of its proprietors to produce a marketing and management company and an IT company as well that would set the trend in management consultancy and alternative marketing in the industry. Investments in additional capital expenditures and manpower are put up by the shareholders as required on a per project basis. Resource tie-ups such as that with Goldplus, Converge Systems Inc., and Smart Card Solutions Inc. provide the base requirements for one of FLII's major applications involving card-based programs such as co-branded credit cards and loyalty programs. Likewise, this allows FLII to structure marketing incentive programs 'tailor-fit' for its clients. The office software set-up as well the customized software systems required for clients have been developed by FLII's technical group. FLII's current manpower complement is composed of 30 sales and marketing, processing, encoding and admininstration personnel. Industry Background Smart Cards Though a relatively new technology, smart cards have become an increasingly popular solution around the globe. A smart card is a tiny integrated-circuit chip embedded in a credit card-sized piece of plastic. The chip is what makes the card "smart" as it allows a lot more information to be stored and carried in the card compared to the standard magnetic-stripe card (Verifone, 1996). Smart cards have been used to solve a variety of problems ranging from serving as a platform for frequent-shopper electronic loyalty programs, to providing a highly secure and convenient automated currency option, to enabling cost-effective healthcare and entitlement programs. Electronic Loyalty Programs With the intense competition that characterizes retailing worldwide, forward-looking retailers have been turning to card-based electronic loyalty programs to attract new customers and retain their current customer base. Smart cards have the opportunity to play a major role in electronic loyalty programs. Electronic loyalty programs use a retailer's POS system to track purchases made with credit, debit, smart cards or a retailer's proprietary card. Consumers can be rewarded for their continued patronage with discounts, free items, bonus points or other incentives. Experience has shown that such programs encourage repeat business and boost sales for the merchant (Verifone, 1996). The primary business of FLII is developing a loyalty program system integrator to enable the smart card to work with a retailer's POS or any other tracking system. With the system, they are able to capture customer information from pre to post sales operations. Thus, FLII's core value lies on its ability to develop this type of proprietary software which is tailored to the

US Economic Policy Impact on Asian Economies Research Paper

US Economic Policy Impact on Asian Economies - Research Paper Example m the recession trap, the Federal Reserve undertook the policy of Quantitative Easing, since the value of bond price and interest rate in the market is inversely related. The high demand for fixed assets by the central bank had lowered the market interest rate in the economy of U.S. Thus, with the help of Quantitative Easing, the financial reserves available with the commercial banks increased and the banks could offer the accumulated reserves to the potential investors in the economy. Ultimately, the tool of Quantitative Easing helped to recover the economy of U.S. from the recessionary stage. However, it had been claimed by the U.S. government that the level of Quantitative Easing would reduce if the U.S. economy had generated a productive growth in the market. In the month of May 2013, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, had finally declared to taper quantitative easing (Eichengreen, 2011). As a result of this business decision undertaken by the Federal Reserve, the long term interest rates in U.S. increased and the foreign domestic stock market level declined to some extent. There were many public officials who claimed to defer the quantitative policy, but the Federal Reserve claimed that it was crucial for U.S. to rise from it’s near-zero interest rate trap. As the first step directed to end the Quantitative Easing, the Federal Reserve had lowered the bonds purchase in the economy. This resulted in lowering the demand for fixed assets in the market, thereby leading to the rise in the interest rate of the economy. However, presently, as a result of this initiative undertaken by the Federal Reserve, the demand for Dollar has significantly increased in the world market. This is because Dollar is a flexible currency and has a high value in the market... This research paper concentrates on the impact of U.S. economic policies on the Asian economies in recent years, following the financial crisis. After globalization, the state of commercial and non-commercial affairs of the different countries had become highly integrated with each other. The changing U.S. economic policy had negatively influenced the Asian countries initially, in the long run, the Asian nations will benefit from the U.S. growth. After the tapering of quantitative easing, investors who invest money in different economies fear that in future the supply of dollar would reduce in the market. This is the reason for which many investors, who had invested money in the different equity markets of several Asian economies, have started to withdraw these funds and reinvest them in the U.S. assets. The public authorities of a nation must forecast the long-term benefits of an economic policy instead of simply concentrating on the short run factors. History has proved that the growth of the developed nations has carved the path of evolution for the developing nations. Thus, the Asian countries should consider the long-term perspective and enhance its transactional relations with U.S. Despite the short run negativities, the changes in the U.S. economic policies have bestowed many benefits to the Asian nations. The rising investments of the Asian investors in the U.S. market have augmented the business competences and efficiencies of the domestic markets of the Asian economies

Research Proposal on The Rape Shield Law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

On The Rape Shield Law - Research Proposal Example To quote from Rudstein, â€Å"are obstacles to convictions of rapists because juries presented with evidence concerning a complainant's past sexual history make use of such information to form a moral judgment of her character and then are likely to be sympathetic to the assailant1.† It also discourages rape victims from going to the police, for fear that their dirty laundry may be washed for all the world to see. As a net consequence of this, there would be low convictions for rape and many rapists would not be made accountable for their crimes. This becomes especially true when a majority of all rapes committed are acquaintance rape2, where in all likelihood the rapist would be able to present some form of evidence or information about the sexual past of the victim by virtue of having moved in the same circles. The first rape shield law in the United States was passed in Michigan in 1974, and other states followed suit. It mainly arose from the lobbying of feminists who beli eved – and rightly so – that rape was a power issue and that the way it is being treated and dealt with in the courts of law reinforced the hierarchical gender relations. Allowing evidence of sexual history perpetuates stereotypes of women, e.g., women who slept around cannot be raped, women with a lot of partners must have â€Å"asked for it†, prostitutes can never secure a conviction for rape against a man who sexually abused her. In fact, there have been studies showing that there is a â€Å"credibility gap†3 between men and women in the court room. Haddad4 divided rape shield laws in the United States in roughly four categories. According to him: These laws can be roughly divided into four categories, distinguishable by the basis and form of their exceptions: (1) â€Å"legislated exceptions† laws, which contain general prohibitions on evidence of prior sexual conduct, subject to at least one legislated exception; (2) â€Å"constitutional catch -all† laws, which, in addition to prohibiting evidence of prior sexual conduct, subject to at least one legislated exception, contain an explicit exception allowing the admission of any evidence that, if excluded, would infringe upon the rights guaranteed to a defendant by the federal Constitution; (3) â€Å"judicial discretion† laws, which, instead of including legislated exceptions, simply grant to judges the broad discretion to admit or bar evidence of a woman’s sexual history; and (4) â€Å"evidentiary purpose† laws, which determine the admissibility of a woman’s sexual history based on the purpose for which the evidence is offered at trial. The issue of rape shield has gained contemporary platform once more in the case of Kobe Bryant, where the judge ruled that the victim’s sexual activity seventy two hours before she was subjected to medical examination in relation to the rape charge. Many legal experts believed that this dealt a crushi ng blow to the prosecution of the case and led to the eventual dismissal of the charges against Kobe Bryant. B. Statement of thesis My thesis intends to explore the possible inconsistencies between the rape shield law and the right of the accused to due process. The core of my argument is that the state policy to spare a survivor of rape from the possibility of being humiliated on the stand should not be held in higher regard than the right of an accused to be able to present all

Write a reflection using rolfe te al model of reflection Essay

Write a reflection using rolfe te al model of reflection - Essay Example This reflective account does not contain the real identity of the people involved for ethical and confidentiality reasons (Jasper, 2003, 1-31). I will use the Rolfe et al model of reflection in this reflective account from the point of view of a student nurse (Rolfe et al., 2001, 1-61). After checking the prescription and drugs, the medications were supposed to be administered to the patient. I saw that the patient has been prescribed 250 mg of Flucloxacillin. It was found that there was no 250 mg capsule on the trolley, a 500 mg was found. The staff checked and dispensed 500 mg and asked me to go and give it to the patient and said, â€Å"Just give her that, it’s the same stuff.† Although I was an observer for learning and training, I was surprised by the instruction of the staff, since as far as I knew there is no reason to violate the prescription. I felt very bad that she tried to convince me about the dose by saying that it was same. I was keen to know whether it would be right to dispense 500 mg when the prescribed dose is 250 mg. I was trying to corroborate my classroom learning of the effects of higher dose and was wondering whether this is violation of the code. I am a trainee, so I had not much of an action to take rather than pointing out t he error. Next medication was â€Å"Cure-it-all.† I have never heard about this drug and asked her when she dispensed that. I felt I should know about it since I am going to give it to the patient. I was stuck because I was thinking about any possible adverse effects of this unknown drug? I again asked her again why this is being given to this patient. Staff was irritated this time, and she replied that she does not know. I was upset that she was supposed to be knowing this, rather than helping me to know about this, she was forcing me to go and give it to the patient. I was frustrated since I knew the

Developing and Managing YourMoshas Key Marketing Relationships Essay

Developing and Managing YourMoshas Key Marketing Relationships - Essay Example More recently during 1970’s and 1980’s the most significant trends included increasing global competition greater demand for quality and process improvement, shorter product life cycles and the need for a more flexible work force. In 1990’s the most impact trend was the rapid emergence of the Internet. With 50 million people connected in only 5 years, the Internet has become the most rapidly accepted communications medium ever. Initially, the Internet’s potential seemed limited to its function as a dating network but that is no longer the case. The Internet is a sales and distribution channel and is facilitating e- commerce, the ability to do business over the web. It is further enabling the integration of previously isolated information and music industry components. This integration of data, content, storage, networks, business applications and consumer devices is facilitating the convergence of consumer electronics, television, publishing, telecommunica tions and computer business sectors. Technology is shifting power to buyers e-commerce is changing the channels through which consumers and business have traditionally bought and sold goods and services. It provides sellers with access to a global audience, the ability to operate with minimal infrastructure, reduced overhead and greater economies of scale; consumers with a broad selection, convenience, and competitive pricing. Consequently, a growing number of consumers are embracing the web, buying products and services etc.

Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Criminology - Essay Example ibute to the rise of such crimes in the cities, include the population density in the cities, level of education and unemployment rates (Baltic, 2011). Other related crimes that augment the prevalence of aggravated assaults include drug peddling and underage drinking. However, the prevalence of aggravated assault in the three cities decreased significantly, the rate of aggravated assault in Detroit fir example decreased by about 2% in the last two years. St. Luis for example had a higher prevalence of drugs and illegal guns in the city. Lack of effective border security coupled with weak immigration laws make the United States susceptible to illegal guns and drugs from such neighboring countries as Mexico. Illegal guns and the complex illegal drug business are among the factors that influence the prevalence of aggravated assaults. Within the last two years, the police departments in the cities revamped their efforts in controlling drug and substance abuse. The efficiency of the police helped reduce the levels of the aggravated assaults in the cities. Additionally, improving statistics on the levels of employment and education in the cities are among the factors accounting for the decrease in the rates of aggravated assaults in the three cities am ong many others throughout the United

The News Director of a Local Television Station Term Paper

The News Director of a Local Television Station - Term Paper Example In this regard, effect on viewers and story ratings are essential concerns to consider in deciding on the lead story (Harcup, 2009). In the scenario presented, there are two cases of a possible lead story. The first one relates to the city park and the council’s decision to close it three days a week. The second one relates to the death of the celebrity. While the park is associated with greater viewer effect, the celebrity’s death comes with bigger ratings. Even though both are important, the celebrity’s death makes a fundamental lead story. This is because death is an eventual occurrence while closure of the park is not. There must have been follow-up events on the news in relation to arriving at the decision of closing the part for the said three days. On the other hand, celebrities are crucial social icons that are great regard to different people. Also, the ratings would not be realized in the absence of creating significant viewer effect. In the making of l ead stories, the viewer effect or the rating achieved are fundamental but not primarily the only concern for journalists and their media houses. There are other after-story concerns that emerge every time a lead story is done. Just like any other business, media houses have financial objectives and goals to achieve. They have to generate revenues in every aspect of their business aspects. To do so, they have to relate all variables that affect the leads story ad further account for the impacts thereafter. The main concern is to create a name for the media house in every aspect that touches on the society as a whole. The city park may is likely to be of much significance to the residents of the city. The death of a celebrity is of national and international concern, making it the most favorable leads story between the two. On the same note, the media houses are likely to have the celebrity’s death as their main story during that time, following up the unfolding events therein. Disregarding this aspect relative to the likely regard that the celebrity may hold in both national and international contexts would not be addressing viewer concerns. Over and above this, the success of a lead story and the media house at large in realizing viewer effect is as much as significant as a bigger rating. It is important to account for all-round media variables when deciding on the lead story, other than just being oriental to the greater effect on viewers (Harcup, 2009). Part Two Television and movies are essential components of social design and development. Regard for television and movies vary across individuals, with one thing being commonly evident; interest for television and movies. In the television and movies context, culture is a diverse and dynamic concept. Variables that define culture vary, but aspects of culture are always evident. Culture is reflected in television and movies in unaccountable ways. However, the most common ways through which culture is r eflected in this regard can be condensed to constitute a few significant and notable ways. Themes of televising and movie making serves as a medium through which television and movies reflect culture (Miller, 2003). Movies must account for some theme, and so do the television. Themes are essentially the central variable focused on in television and

Achieve Your Dream Letter Essay Example for Free

Achieve Your Dream Letter Essay I am an ordinary teenager named Melanie Ngai. I study at Kiangsu Chekiang College International Section. I live with my parents and brother, sometimes my grandfather in Mid Levels. I’ve known some of my friends from primary, which is a long time. I live in Hong Kong. I have gone to Kiangsu Chekiang International Section and Kiangsu Chekiang College International Section since Kindergarden and now I am in grade 11. I have a Canadian passport. I like spending my time playing tennis, football, and basketball with my family and friends. I also like listening to music and playing electric guitar, I started playing guitar during January of 2011, I find it really fun. I also enjoy taking photographs of anything I can find, watching television and also hanging out with my friends. I like watching Modern Family, F.R.I.E.N.D.S , How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, CSI, Big Bang Theory, Malcolm In The Middle and many more. I also like watching baseball, football, basketball and ice hockey. For my future, I would like to become a computer program developer or a professional photographer. I find it amazing on how computer games and programs are developed because it is a really long process which takes a huge amount of time and effort. I also hope to become an awesome guitarist because I want to create my own music and form a band in my spare time. As a young girl, my dreams have always been to be happy, successful, and to make the best out of life at the same time. I will attend university and classes to become a computer program developer , get married, and then start a family. To be well prepared for university, I have to excel in middle and high school. In everything I do, whether its a career or motherhood, I will strive to be the best I can. My academic goal for university is not only to get good grades, but to learn and gain experiences that will prepare me for the future. My other dream is to bungee jump, I would want to have the experience of bungee jumping since I am a daredevil and would like to try bungee jumping. I hope that this comes true.

The Offer Contract Agreement

The Offer Contract Agreement Offer Contract Agreement Peter acquired a Degas painting. On 2nd May, he sent a telex message to Manjit that he was prepared to sell the Degas painting to her for  £240,000, but that he must receive an answer within seven days. Manjit replied immediately by telex, stating that she was willing and that she would pay for it in monthly instalments of  £20,000 each. On 3rd May, Manjit received a telephone message from Peter that he would prefer six monthly payments of  £40,000 for the painting. The following day, Manjit sent a letter to Peter which stated, I agree to pay monthly payments. Please arrange for the delivery of the painting on 10th May. Unfortunately, her letter reached Peter on 12th May. On 11th May, in response to a magazine advertisement Manjit contacted the seller Victoria over the phone and left a message on her answering machine, stating that she would buy the Van Gogh painting for  £201,000. On 15th May, both Peter and Victoria arrived at Manjits office, each claiming that she was contractually bound to buy their respective paintings. As Manjit had received a letter from her accountant that morning warning that her business was in some difficulty, she now states the she does not wish to buy either painting. Advise Manjit. In English Law in order to form a contract, the following elements have to be present: A valid offer has been proffered by the first party to the other party or parties. The offer has been accepted unchanged by the second party or parties and this has been communicated to the offeror. There is an intention by all parties to create legal relations, when they enter into the contract and the parties have the capacity to contract. The promises made within the contract are for valuable consideration. The terms of the contract are certain. An offer is defined as an expression of willingness to contract on certain terms, made with the intention that it shall become binding as soon as it is accepted by the person to whom it is addressed, the offeree. The expression referred to in the definition can have various forms, such as a letter, newspaper, fax, email, conduct (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offer_and_acceptance), etc., and the main criterion is that it has to perforce communicate the basis on which the offeror is prepared to contract. The courts will judge the aspect of intention, referred to in the definition, objectively. In Smith v. Hughes it has been emphasized that the important thing is not a partys real intentions but how a reasonable person would view the situation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offer_and_acceptance). This is attributable to the reason that in accordance with common sense neither party would wish to breach their side of the contract if it would make them culpable to damages. Acceptance is a final and unqualified expression of assent to the terms of an offer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offer_and_acceptance). A defendant cannot claim that it was never his intention to be bound by the agreement if it is established during trial that his action served to communicate to the other party or parties that he had in fact agreed. Assent may be exhibited in a variety of ways and one of them is by the signing of a contract or it might consist of a promise to pay someone if the latter performs certain acts and may be accepted by the requested conduct instead of a promise to do the act. The performance of the requested act confirms that the party has agreed to the terms of the offer. What is required, without fail, is that there should be evidence that each of the parties had, from an objective perspective, engaged in conduct manifesting their assent. This requirement of an objective perspective gains importance in cases where one of the parties claims that an offer had not been accepted and thereby takes advantage of the performance of the other party. In such instances the test of whether a reasonable bystander would have perceived that the party has impliedly accepted the offer by conduct is relevant. The rules of acceptance are: The acceptance must be communicated, this implies that depending on the construction of the contract, the acceptance may not have to come until the notification of the performance of the conditions in the offer, in as in Carlill v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Company (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offer_and_acceptance), where the defendants, the proprietors of a medical preparation called the carbolic smoke ball, issued an advertisement to the public, in which they offered to pay  £ 100 to any person who contracted influenza after having used one of these smoke balls in a manner specified by them and for a specified period. However, it is important to note that this offer was unilateral or open to the whole world to accept. In the absence of such an unilateral offer advertisements are nothing more than an invitation to treat. In Partridge v. Crittenden it was held that the offer for sale of certain wild birds, which was illegal, was deemed to be, by the High Court as an invitation to treat and not offers for sale. An offer can only be accepted by the offeree (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offer_and_acceptance). An offer is not bound if another person accepts the offer on his behalf without his authorisation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offer_and_acceptance) . It may be implied from the construction of the contract that the offeror has dispensed with the requirement of communication of acceptance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offer_and_acceptance). If the offer specifies a method of acceptance then such acceptance must be made using a method that is no less effective than the method specified (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offer_and_acceptance). Silence cannot be construed as acceptance, as held in Felthouse v. Bindley(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offer_and_acceptance). The power of acceptance is always terminated by rejection or counter offer by the offeree, revocation by the offeror prior to acceptance, lapse of time, debt or incapacity of the offeror or offeree. In Carlill v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Company there was an advertisement that consumption of a smoke ball in the prescribed manner would protect the consumer from influenza. The plaintiff believing in this advertisement bought one of these carbolic balls and used it in the prescribed manner and for the prescribed period but nevertheless contracted influenza. The court held that the plaintiff was entitled to recover the promised amount. However, the acceptance must be communicated and before acceptance, an offer can be withdrawn. In our present problem, Peter an art dealer was in possession of a Degas Painting which he offered to sell to Manjit, another art dealer for  £ 240,000/-, with the condition that acceptance had to be communicated to him within seven days. To this Manjit replied by telex that she was willing to purchase the painting and that she would pay in monthly installments of  £20,000/-. Manjit’s telex message cannot be considered to constitute acceptance since she had made a counter offer to Peter. From the above it is evident that legally, Manjit had made a counter offer to Peter and not an acceptance of his offer according to the provisions of the contract act. An offeror can revoke an offer before it has been accepted, but such revocation has to be communicated to the offeree. After receiving Manjit’s counter offer, Peter again made an offer to pay for the painting by six monthly installments of  £ 40,000/- each by telephone on the 3rd of May. Manjit indicated her acceptance by a letter, which she posted to Parker on the 4th of May. The letter was correctly stamped and addressed but nevertheless it was received by Peter only on the 12th of May. An offer will remain in force until: First, its revocation by the offeror any time before acceptance and such revocation is communicated to the offeree. Second, it is rejected by the offeree due to a counter offer. Third, the offer lapses due to the expiry of a stipulated time limit. Fourth, a contract condition has failed. Finally, if the offeror has expired and notice of such demise is received by the offeree. In Hyde v Wrench , Wrench offered to sell his property for  £1200 to Hyde. When Hyde rejected that offer, Wrench made a further offer to sell for  £1000. Hyde replied that he would buy the property if offered for  £950, but Wrench refused to sell for this amount. Subsequently, Hyde wrote to Wrench that he would buy this property for  £1000. The Court of Chancery held that Hyde had rejected both offers made by Wrench and that an offer, once rejected, cannot be revived. Accordingly, there was no contract in existence and consequently, the action was deemed to have failed. These facts clearly indicate that Hyde made a counter offer and also tried to accept an offer which he had previously rejected. Therefore, in accordance to the case law discussed above, an offer which was rejected in the first instance by the offeree cannot be accepted later on in order to create a legally binding contract. In our present case Peter made an offer to Manjit for selling the painting for a specified amount. Manjit made a counter offer in which she offered to pay by installments. Peter was not agreeable to the number of installments and accordingly, he made another in which the number of installments was reduced. Manjit accepted this offer but according to the Hyde v Wrench decision, Manjit cannot rely on the original offer since she made a counter offer subsequently, therefore there is no valid contract between Peter and Manjit. If the offeree rejects the offer, the offer has been destroyed and cannot be accepted in the future. Even otherwise, she had posted her letter of acceptance on the 4th of May, which reached Peter only on the 12th of May, in which she had made a time stipulation for the delivery of the painting by the 10th of May. However, since the letter, which was correctly stamped and addressed, was received only on the 12th of May, i.e. after the 10th of May by Peter, the contract is invalid. Consequently, Manjit is under no legal obligation to purchase the Degas painting from Peter. In respect of Victoria, on the 11th of May, Manjit saw a magazine advertisement in which Victoria had offered to sell a Renoir painting for the first offer above  £200,000. Manjit contacted Victoria over the phone and left a message on her answering machine, stating that she would buy this painting for  £201,000. The legal aspects to be considered are whether an advertisement constitutes a valid offer or not. Advertisements are termed as an invitation to treat and hence they do not constitute an offer, but only an indication of a person’s willingness to negotiate a contract. In Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boots , Boots were prosecuted for selling drugs in the absence of a qualified pharmacist. The procedure was that a customer, on entering the store was given a shopping basket and this customer after having selected which medicines to purchase, would place them in this basket and take them to the cash desk. In the vicinity of the cash desk a registered pharmacist would be available. The statute has made it unlawful to sell any listed poison unless the sale was effected under the supervision of a registered pharmacist. The Plaintiffs allegation was that the display of goods was tantamount to an offer which could be deemed to have been accepted when the customer put these drugs in the shopping basket, therefore, if the drugs were poisons then their sale took place at an instant of time which was prior to the pharmacist’s intervention. The Queens Bench and the CA rejected this argument, because they held that the offer to purchase originated from the customer only when the article was placed in the shopping basket and that the defendants had the choice to accept or reject this offer. Whenever, this purchase offer was accepted it was at the cash desk, where a registered pharmacist was available. Therefore, the courts held that there was no breach of the Act. In Harvey v. Facey, an indication by the owner of the property that he might be interested in selling at a certain price was regarded as an invitation to treat (ITT). Similarly, in Gibson v. Manchester County Council the words â€Å"may be prepared to sell’ were held to be a notification of price and therefore not a distinct offer. The courts have taken a consistent approach in respect of the identification of invitation to treat, as compared with offer and acceptance, in common transactions. The display of goods for sale, either in a shop window or on the shelves of a self service store, is ordinarily treated as an invitation to treat and not an offer, this was held by the judges in Fisher v. Bell. In Entores Ltd v. Miles Far East Corporation the contract was entered into when and where the acceptance was received. Lord Denning confirmed that the same principles also applied to acceptances by telephone. In respect of answering machines and voice mail the maximum delay for receipt of acceptance would be the next working day. Faulty hardware, lack of link paper or slipshod business practices, such as not checking the fax for days, does not stop or delay the acceptance of an offer. In our case Manjit in response to the advertisement given by Victoria for sale of the painting, placed a message in Victoria’s answering machine stating that she would buy the painting for  £ 201,000/-. Victoria’s magazine advertisement constitutes an invitation to treat and the message left by Manjit constitutes an offer to purchase the painting. This message was left on the answering machine by Manjit on the 11th of May. Victoria did not respond to this message but went on the 15th of May to Manjit’s office and insisted that Manjit should purchase the painting as there was a contract between them. Since, in this case there is no acceptance by Victoria, there is no binding contract. Therefore, Manjit need not buy the painting from Victoria. In this manner Manjit is not under any legal obligation, whatsoever, to perform these contracts as demanded by Peter and Victoria. Bibliography P.S Atiyah ‘Consideration: a restatement’ in Essays on Contract, Oxford University Press, 1986. P.S Atiyah ‘An introduction to the law of contract’ 5th ed., Clarendon Press Oxford, 1995. H.G Beale, W.D Wishop, M.P furmston, ‘Contract: cases and materials’ 4th ed., Butterworth, 2000. M. Cope ‘Duress, undue influence and unconscientious bargains’, Monash studies in law, The law book company Ltd, 1985. E. McKendrick ‘Contract law’, 4th ed., Palgrave law masters, 2001. G.H Treitel ‘The law of contract’ 10th ed., Sweet and Maxwell, 1999.

Exposing the Truth in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong Essay -- Things

Exposing the Truth in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong   Ã‚   "Dear Mom and Dad: The war that has taken my life, and many thousands of others before me, is immoral, unlawful, and an atrocity," (letter of anonymous soldier qtd. In Fussell 653). Tim O'Brien, a Vietnam war vet, had similar experiences as the soldier above. Even though O'Brien didn't die, the war still took away his life because a part of him will never be the same. Even in 1995, almost thirty years after the war, O'Brien wrote, "Last night suicide was on my mind. Not whether, but how. Tonight it will be on my mind again... I sit in my underwear at this unblinking fool of a computer and try to wrap words around a few horrid truths" (Vietnam 560). 1 think that O'Brien is still suffering from what he experienced in Vietnam and he uses his writing to help him deal with his conflicts. In order to deal with war or other traumatic experiences, you sometimes just have to relive the experiences over and over. This is what O'Brien does with his writing; he expresses his emotional truths even if it means he has to change the facts of the literal truth. The literal truth, or some of the things that happen during war, are so horrible that you don't want to believe that it could've actually have happened. For instance, "[o]ne colonel wanted the hearts cut out of the dead Vietcong to feed to his dog.... Ears were strung together like beads. Parts of Vietnamese bodies were kept as trophies; skulls were a favorite... The Twenty-fifth Infantry Division left a 'visiting card,' a torn off shoulder patch of the division's emblem, stuffed in the mouth of the Vietnamese they killed," (Fussell 655). While we don't want to believe these things because they sound too atrocious, soldi... ...e who sent the soldiers to war are just as responsible as the soldiers for any acts of war they committed. Works Cited Fussell, Paul. "Vietnam." The Bloody Game: An Anthology of   Modern War. Ed. Paul Fussell. London: Scribners, 1991. 651-6. O'Brien, Tim.   "How to Tell a True War Story." Writing as  Re-Vision. Eds. Beth Alvarado and Barbara Cully.   Needham Heights, MA: Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing, 1996. 550-8. _________.   In the Lake of the Woods.   New York: Houghton   Mifflin, 1994. __________.   "The Lives of   the Dead."   The Things They  Carried.   New York: Viking Penguin, 1990. 255-273. __________.   "The Vietnam in Me."   Writing as Re-Vision. 559-571. Schroeder, Eric James.   "Tim O'Brien: Maybe So."   Vietnam,  We've All Been There: Interviews with American Writers.   Ed.   Eric James Schroeder.   Westport, Conn: Praeger, 1992. 125-43.

A Life In The Day Of Me :: Papers

A Life In The Day Of Me My mother knocks. The door opens. Bright light blasts into my consciousness; I cannot see. I leap out of bed to reduce the longing to return and the cold hits me like a slap. As you can probably tell, I am not a morning person - I never have been. I have learnt to hate them over the years. We have never had heating on until Mid-November because my parents insist that they can't afford to heat the whole house. This makes mornings a nightmare! Once I'm up, I can just about manage. I dress and eat breakfast to music. Music is a significant thing for me. My parents used to be in a band together and my mother is still trying to get a record-deal. She always likes to think of herself as a young and trendy mum. She is really into the house and garage music scene, but meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I'm a different story. Everyone in my family has opposite views on music. My mother and one of my little sisters, Heidi, like pop and garage music. My father, my youngest sister, and I like rock and Heavy Metal. This causes terrible arguments over what to listen to in the car or whilst eating dinner. However, the one band that we all agree on is Nirvana. I am a massive fan of Nirvana and have flags and posters of them all over my room. This is why I listen to Nirvana in the mornings - because nobody minds. By the time I get to school, I am (almost) fully awake. I have to walk to the station and get the train to school so I arrive at school feeling like I've been up for ages. Once I get my brain in gear it doesn't slow down. I constantly think - about everything! I occasionally come out with a random comment, completely off the subject because I've been thinking about it while everyone else is speaking. People have therefore got the impression that I'm slightly mindless because I never know what people are talking about.

The Theme of Colonialism in Shakespeares Tempest Essay -- colonizatio

The Tempest, by Shakespeare, offers the reader a variety of themes. The one theme that stands out the most is that of colonialism. During the time of Shakespeare, many European countries such as Spain, France, and England, were expanding their borders by taking over less developed countries, referred to as colonies. During this time of exploitation, there was skepticism concerning the possible success of the colonies. While some scholars believe that the play is about the Americas, I argue that the play reflects on colonialism in general and how it is destined for failure which is shown through the character’s relationships throughout the play. During the 1600’s the English decided to have people colonize in the Americas for the potential resources and wealth that they may find. During this time Spain, France, Portugal, and the Dutch have already began trade and exploration in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. England hearing of their riches, didn’t want to miss out of the opportunity. However, during these expeditions, there has been various news beforehand of the strong oceanic storms that would sometimes destroy ships or mislead them from their destinations Such news was not uncommon but due to the storms, many of the people knew the dangers of the journey and would often doubt the success of these explorations. For example, â€Å" In may 1609, nine ships carrying 500 colonists under Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Summers had set sail to America to reinforce the colony at Jamestown. In an unusual storm, Gates and Summers were driven on the Bermudas, before managing to sail to the mainland† (Honan 371 ). News such as this was widespread throughout England and amongst these would be news of the encounters with natives. For example, â€Å"... ... such as slavery and exploitation of nature, and also gives us insight to the speculations that were common in the time of explorations and discovery. Works Cited Cesaire, Aime, Richard Miller and William Shakespeare. A Tempest: Based on Shakespeare‘s The Tempest, Adaptation for a Black Theatre. New York: TCG Translations, 2002. Print Shakespeare, William, Virginia Mason, Vaughan, and Alden T. Vaughan. The Tempest. Arden Shakespeare, 1997. Print. Third Series Smith, Hallet Darius. Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Tempest; A Collection of Critical Essays, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1969. Print. Honan, Park. Shakespeare: A Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print. Marshall, Tristan. â€Å"The Tempest and the British Imperium in 1611.† The Historical Journal 41.2 (2003): 375-400. Print.

In the Snack Bar Essay

I picked this poem because I could picture the main character and his daily struggle clearly as I read the poem. Edwin Morgan used a lot of descriptions within the poem describing the surrounding area of the cafe and described the main character. The main theme that runs thought the whole poem is one of the daily struggle that an elderly gentleman’s has to go through although people might be aware of his presence they are ignorant to the fact of the help and support that he might need. This is portrayed in the poem by the following lines:- â€Å"An old man is trying to get to his feet† â€Å"Slowly he leavers himself up, his hands have no power. † â€Å"He is as far up as he can get. The dismal hump looming over him forces his head down† â€Å"The face not seem, bent down in a shadow under his cap† â€Å"Even on his feet he is staring at the floor or would be if he could see† Edwin Morgan’s descriptions uses a lot of literary techniques to help us picture the character one of the techniques he uses is juxtaposition this is used to show that nobody is really interested in this gentleman. â€Å"A few heads turn in the crowded evening snack bar. † Juxtaposition again is used describing the gentleman getting to his feet with no self-esteem or status. â€Å"Slowly he leavers himself up, his hands have no power† The word leavers also could represent the hard mechanical movement that the hands go through slow and stiff. The next literary technique showed enjambment something that has more than one meaning this is shown in â€Å"The dismal hump looming over him forces his head down† This line could mean that the character has a humped back but it can also mean that the character has a dark cloud hanging over him no self-esteem, no status. That he is unseen in today’s society. â€Å"He stands in his stained beltless gabardine like a monstrous animal caught in a tent. † This sentence gives the allusion of a creature like King Kong it also has alliteration running through the theme that he slitters along unnoticed. The first turning point with in the poem that makes the character real instead of a creature when he states that the character is actually blind and although his appearance isn’t appealing to people around him he probably would not notice as he cannot see it. â€Å"Or it would be, if he could see†. Edwin Morgan then goes on to explain that he notices how the man’s white stick that once might have been new and clean was now all â€Å"scuffed and muddy† which told myself that the man probably lived alone, that there was no one there to help him co-ordinate and see that his clothes were clean and presentable. Edwin Morgan then lists the characters afflictions in the poem making you see him how everyone around may see almost making you feel pity for the gentleman. â€Å"Long-blind, hunchback born, half paralysed. † Edwin Morgan then makes the character real when he states that he â€Å"Speaks† This makes large probably dirty deformed object actually human. â€Å"I need the toilet† the character is also showing his vulnerability that he has to state out loud a personal function, making him fragile and dependant on someone else’s help. The text then changes into two people having a conversation stopping him from being the solitary object that people are ignoring to a person asking for help a human being. The gentle man hakes the man’s arm trying to take charge of the situation but the gentleman tells him â€Å"Give me your arm its better he says† Again the communication between the two gentlemen makes him real and also fragile once again that he is dependent on someone else’s help. Onamatapia is used in the next line to show the speed used to travel across the cafe â€Å"Inch by inch† With a passive reference on how they go â€Å"We drift† Edwin Morgan then describes what is possibly a short distance actually feels like a vast area by using the slimily. â€Å"A few yards of floor are like a landscape† The word landscape could also refer to obsicals that they have to avoid to cross the floor. That it feels to him like â€Å"Time has almost stopped† that it is taking an eternity to reach their destination. Edwin Morgan then sees the world through the gentleman’s perspective : â€Å"Slidie puddle from the night’s umbrella’s† â€Å"Table edges, people’s feet† â€Å"Hiss of the coffee – machine, voices and laughter,† â€Å"Smell of cigar, hamburgers, wet coats steaming.† And the shuffle of the slow pace to the stairs shoes alliterations the shuffling sound in the words â€Å"And the slow dangerous inches to the stairs† The tone of the poem changes to quite an active one here but it also shows how dependant the gentleman still is still vulnerable and needs help â€Å"I put his hand on the rail. † â€Å"And take his stick† â€Å"He clings to me. â€Å"The stick â€Å"this is enjambment the stick could represent the gentleman helping him. â€Å"White tiles and mirrors at last, he shambles† the writer is using synecdoche here to symbolise that they have reached their destination.

The Significance Of The Philadelphia Convention

Despite its comparatively condensed existence, America has swiftly scaled the summit of world power. This could not have been accomplished without the written constitution that was drawn up at the legendary Philadelphia convention. The convention was a secretive gathering, which brought together representatives of twelve of the thirteen states for the â€Å"sole and express purpose of revising the articles of confederation†. It began in May 1787, having been proposed the previous year at an assembly in which five states took part. Fifty-five state representatives took part, although there were rarely more than thirty-five at any one session. It was held in the State House at Philadelphia; â€Å"the city of brotherly love†, an appropriate location for the establishment of the new America. The delegates worked in small groups, six days a week, five to six hours a day, under the experienced gaze of presiding officer George Washington. After four months of exhausting talks, the delegates emerged having drawn up a completely rewritten constitution that now required ratification from nine states to come into effect. Removal of British rule had left America without an effective government. Although the articles of confederation had been devised to replace the British government in America, they were â€Å"nothing more than a treaty of amity, of commerce and of alliance between independent and sovereign states. It was soon apparent that the articles were unable to adequately overcome the problems that arose. Many leading figures became anxious over this issue and the need for reconsideration ensued. The convention acknowledged this and allowed the opportunity for the most prominent figures in America to rectify the predicament. In early post-independent America, many unforeseen difficulties had occurred. Disputes over trade routes and in particular war debt repayment had materialised due to separate state government. Between 1785 and 1786 seven states had issued paper money, which quickly became worthless, to repay their debts. In certain states, creditors were even compelled to accept the paper money. The central government had to rely on state generosity for its funds and authority, and a unanimous vote if key decisions were to be passed, which did not function satisfactorily due to self-interest. This rendered America as a mere collection of isolated states, vulnerable to attack by natives or rival colonists. The disjointed effort of states to solve their individual problems was becoming worryingly uncoordinated. The short-term trigger of Shays†s rebellion embodied these flaws. Massachusetts had raised taxes to repay its debts, and this hit the poor (who were already struggling in the aftermath of the war of independence) hard. Daniel Shays†s, a discontented war veteran turned farmer, led a mob consisting of over one thousand equally dissatisfied farmers in an assault on the Springfield armoury. Although easy put down, the incident had caused widespread concern over America†s weaknesses, resulting in the necessity for the convention and the changes it would incur. America†s problems in the mid 1780†³s stemmed from an inadequate central government. Due to a lack of control over states and individuals, congress was incapable to regulate America†s economy sufficiently, neither was it empowered to effectively defend not only its territory but also the rights of the individual. Thus the convention was significant as it intended to address the causes of these problems, not the symptoms. Thomas Jefferson, though absent from the convention serving as an envoy to France, played his part. He famously assigned the description â€Å"an assembly of demi-gods† to the gathering. Although this may not have been entirely appropriate, the delegates were certainly formidable; among their number such legends as Franklin, Hamilton, Madison and Washington were to be found. The extensive reputations and abilities of these men are tribute to the importance and prominence of the convention. The collective qualities of the convention also included diversity; there were federalists and anti-federalists, speakers and listeners, idealists and realists. Most of the delegates were comparatively young like James Madison; the average age was forty-four, but there remained ample room for experience in the form of Benjamin Franklin among others. George Washington played a substantial role at the convention. Being revered Commander-in-Chief of the victorious American army during the war of independence augmented his already impressive national stature. He commanded colossal respect over his fellow Americans, demonstrated by his immediate and unanimous election as presiding officer at the convention. He applied this influence wisely, quickly settling disputes and safeguarding America†s best interests while maintaining the atmosphere of goodwill. As a fledgling nation, divided into states and possessing only a loose political system, America was in need of a formal and comprehensive but flexible and durable document under which it was to be run. The convention recognised this fact and accordingly created the Constitution of the United States. The constitution compromised the authority of state and federal governments; for every branch of federal government there was a corresponding arm of each states† government. The constitution also handed supreme power to the central government; the right of individual states to make treaties, coin money, declare war or maintain an army and it required approval from the federal government over regulation of trade. Federal law took precedence, and congress now had sufficient power over taxes, defence, commerce and legislation. The supreme federal court also had the power to overrule the decisions made by state judiciaries, although states still retained everyday management of their legal systems. Although the federal government now had supreme power and authority over important areas such as defence, it was generally perceived that the states would be predominant in organising and managing themselves, albeit under the supervision of the federal government. It was also necessary to compromise over the issue of state representation. To satisfy both larger and smaller states, the house of representatives was to be based upon a system of proportional representation while each state would be equally represented in the senate. These concessions were acceptable to both small states such as New Jersey and larger states like Virginia and thus one of the most frequently debated issues of the convention was settled. The constitution created a sufficiently robust federal government that was now able to rectify the previous difficulties over taxes, debts, security, law and the economy. Although the American system was now comparatively democratic, it was not excessively so; only one-in-six adult males could vote so the fears of democracy arriving too abruptly were allayed. Both state and federal governments were to be deftly balanced. Each branch of government was responsible for regulating the others and could never possess a dominance of authority. For example, the president could make most key decisions, but could be overruled by the senate if the vote was adequate. He possessed much authority but due to the democratic method by which he was elected, it was unlikely that he would abuse it and congress were able to remove him if it proved necessary. Thus the constitution was also engineered to avoid its abuse and ensure that no section of America†s government could grow too powerful. America†s future as a viable nation hung in the balance following its political severance from Britain. Its governmental system was previously untried and thus susceptible to defects. The situation in the North American continent was potentially a very difficult one. There were huge expanses of land mainly to the east still under contention from Indians, the French and the Spanish. Europe was undergoing a great many changes; consequently America†s links with Europe would possibly be compromised. Thus America needed a strong position with which to confront forthcoming problems, and the new constitution provided this.

Needle Exchange Program Essay

The needle exchange program provides sterile needles in exchange for used dirty needles. Research has stated that with a program in place will reduce HIV and hepatitis C. The program will provide counseling and help educate the drug users. I am against the needle exchange program. The needle exchange program supports drug users in giving sterile needles. Needle exchange program’s are telling our children it is acceptable to use drugs because the government will supply clean needles. The legislation should not support the needle exchange program. The program will send the wrong message to our children if legislation in which to fund such a program. The exchange will use our tax dollars and will increase the amount of drug paraphernalia. If the legislation were to support a program, it will change the morals of our country. The pros of the program are the cost-effective way to reduce needle sharing among drug addicts. This program will help user’s obtain drug treatment, detox, and some health screening. The users will receive HIV education and counseling for their addiction. The disadvantages of the needle exchange program are more significant then having the program. The program would allow tax dollars to fund such a program. The tax dollars can be used for other programs. The program would increase drug paraphernalia in areas in which it is already high. The location of the needle exchange sites will hurt our communities and there will be more drug addicts in these areas. This will show the wrong message to our children. Drug addicts transfer HIV in many other ways then the use of dirty needles. Sharing the water mixture for heroin and having unsafe sex are examples if other ways to transmit HIV. Addicts choose to take drugs and have to accept the disease risks that follow drug use. It states that drug dealers sell drugs near needle exchange sites. This will increase crime in these areas. Needle exchange will create undesirable communities and will discourage new residents from the community. Needle exchanges will make the community unsafe. The programs bring in drug addicts, which are not clean individuals. The community will become less clean with needles on the streets and community parks. Drug-addicts are unstable and commit crimes. This will jeopardize the safety of the community. Treatment is low at needle exchange sites. The needle exchange programs do not make efforts to change drug-addicts. The counseling given is not effective treatment. Drug addicts are told ways to go cold turkey, which isn’t effective way to treat the addicts. Increasing treatment is a better solution then needle exchange. In conclusion the needle exchange programs will not decrease drug use or HIV. This is not an effective way to help drug addicts. Giving sterile needles to drug addicts is telling them it is alright to do drugs. We need to take tax dollars for rehab clinics. The government needs to give health care to the uninsured drug users and they can receive counseling to get off the drugs which ruin their lives. All of these programs will help reduce HIV. It is important to ensure that our young children know that drugs will kill drug addicts and should not be promoted with these programs on our streets.

Cat Eye Syndrome

Cat Eye syndrome Cat eye syndrome is a rare chromosomal disorder that may be plain to see at birth. The name â€Å"cat eye syndrome† comes from a distinctive abnormality in the eye that is shown in some affected people. This feature consists of partial absence of ocular tissue often affecting both eyes. Affected ocular tissues may include the colored region, the middle layer, and/or the innermost membrane of the eye. Individuals with cat eye syndrome frequently have coloboma(s) (which is a structural defect of the eye), down slanting eyelid folds, widely spaced eyes and/or other ocular defects.Discovery and cause: This disorder was discovered in 1898. In individuals with cat eye syndrome, the short arm and a small region of the long arm of chromosome 22 are present three or four times rather than twice in cells of the body. Symptoms: * Partial absence of the tissue pertaining to the eye * Mild or moderate mental retardation * Cat-like, downward slanting opening * Malformations of the facial and the skull region * Eyes are widely spaced Inherited: As cat eye syndrome is an inherited genetic disorder, it occurs by birth.The defect can arise from either parent, as it can be transmitted through both sexes. The person is diagnosed considering the symptoms present in the body. Treatment: Treatment is given according to the severity of the symptoms. Patients with short stature are given  growth hormone therapy. Miscellaneous: A recent study suggests that cat eye syndrome affects 1 in about 74000 people, making this a pretty rare disorder. This chromosomal disorder can occur in both, males and females. In many cases, individuals are born with this syndrome because it is prevalent in their families.

Bloodlines Chapter Thirteen

MY CELL PHONE RANG at the crack of dawn the next morning. I was already up, being an early riser, but Jill rolled over in bed and put her pillow over her head. â€Å"Make it stop,† she groaned. I answered and found Eddie on the other end of the line. â€Å"I'm downstairs,† he said. â€Å"Ready to practice some self-defense before it gets too hot.† â€Å"You're going to have to do it without me,† I said. I had a feeling Eddie was taking his promise to Clarence about training us very seriously. I felt no such obligation. â€Å"I've got a ton of homework to do. That, and I'm sure Ms. Terwilliger's going to make me do a coffee run today.† â€Å"Well, then send Jill down,† said Eddie. I glanced over to the cocoon of blankets on her bed. â€Å"That might be easier said than done.† Surprisingly, she managed to rouse herself enough to brush her teeth, take aspirin for a headache, and throw on some workout clothes. She bid me farewell, and I promised to check on them later. Not long after that, Ms. Terwilliger called with her coffee demand, and I prepared myself for another day of trying to fit in my own work with hers. I drove over to Spencer's and didn't even notice Trey until I was standing right in front of him. â€Å"Ms. Terwilliger's?† he asked, pointing to the caramel sauce cappuccino. â€Å"Huh?† I looked up. Trey was my cashier. â€Å"You work here?† He nodded. â€Å"Gotta make spending money somehow.† I handed him some cash, noting that he'd charged me half price. â€Å"Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look so great,† I told him. He looked tired and worn out around the edges. Closer inspection showed bruises and cuts as well. â€Å"Yeah, well, I had kind of a rough day yesterday.† I hesitated. That was a leading comment, but there was no one in line behind me. â€Å"What happened?† I asked, knowing it was expected. Trey scowled. â€Å"That asshole Greg Slade wreaked havoc in football tryouts yesterday. I mean, the results aren't up yet, but it's pretty obvious he's going to get quarterback. He was like a machine, just plowing guys over.† He extended his left hand, which had some bandage-wrapped fingers. â€Å"He stepped on my hand too.† I winced, remembering Slade's out-of-control athleticism in PE. The politics of high school football and who was quarterback weren't that important to me. True, I felt sorry for Trey, but it was the source behind the tattoos that intrigued me. Keith's warnings about not causing trouble rang back to me, but I was unable to stop myself. â€Å"I know about the tattoos,† I said. â€Å"Julia and Kristin told me about them. And I get now why you were suspicious of mine – but it's not what you think. Really.† â€Å"That's not what I've heard. Most people think you're just saying that because you don't want to tell where you got it.† I was a little taken aback by that. I was pretty sure Julia and Kristin had believed me. Were they actually spreading around the opposite? â€Å"I had no idea.† He shrugged, a small smile on his lips. â€Å"Don't worry. I believe you. There's something kind of naively charming about you. You don't seem like the cheating type.† â€Å"Hey,† I scolded. â€Å"I'm not naive.† â€Å"It was a compliment.† â€Å"How long have these tattoos been around?† I asked, deciding it was best to move in. â€Å"I heard since last year.† He handed me my coffee, thinking. â€Å"Yeah, but it was the end of last year. School year, I mean.† â€Å"And they come from a placed called Nevermore?† â€Å"As far as I know.† Trey eyed me suspiciously. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Just curious,† I said sweetly. A couple of college kids dressed like rich hobos got in line behind me and regarded us impatiently. â€Å"Can we get some service here?† Trey gave them a stiff smile and then rolled his eyes at me as I moved away. â€Å"See you around, Melbourne.† I headed back to Amberwood and delivered Ms. Terwilliger's coffee. I wasn't in the mood to stay leashed to her all day, so I asked if I could go elsewhere if I kept my cell phone handy. She agreed. The library had too much activity and – ironically – noise for me today. I wanted the solitude of my room. As I was cutting across the lawn to catch the shuttle, I spotted some familiar figures behind a cluster of trees. I changed direction and found Jill and Eddie squaring off in a small clearing. Micah sat cross-legged on the ground, watching avidly. He waved at me as I approached. â€Å"I didn't realize your brother was a kung-fu master,† he remarked. â€Å"It's not kung fu,† said Eddie gruffly, never taking his eyes off Jill. â€Å"Same difference,† said Micah. â€Å"It's still pretty badass.† Eddie feinted, like he was going to strike at Jill's side. She responded fairly quickly with a block, though not quite fast enough to match him. Had he been serious, he would have hit her. Still, he seemed pleased with her response time. â€Å"Good. That would deflect part of a hit, though you'd still feel it. Best is if you can duck and dodge altogether, but that takes a little more work.† Jill nodded obediently. â€Å"When can we work on that?† Eddie regarded her with pride. That expression softened after a few moments of study. â€Å"Not today. Too much sun.† Jill started to protest and then stopped herself. She had that worn-out-from-the-light look again and was sweating heavily. She glanced up at the sky for a moment, as though begging it to give us some cloud cover. It remained unresponsive, so she nodded at Eddie. â€Å"All right. But we're doing this tomorrow at the same time? Or earlier maybe. Or maybe tonight! Could we do both? Practice tonight when the sun's going down and then again in the morning? Would you mind?† Eddie grinned, amused at her enthusiasm. â€Å"Whatever you want.† Smiling back, Jill sat down beside me, getting into as much shade as possible. Eddie regarded me expectantly. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Aren't you supposed to learn to throw a punch?† I scoffed. â€Å"No. When would I ever need to do that?† Jill nudged me. â€Å"Do it, Sydney!† Reluctantly, I allowed Eddie to give me a quick lesson on throwing a punch without injuring my hand in the process. I barely paid attention and felt like I was mostly providing entertainment for the others. When Eddie finished with me, Micah asked, â€Å"Hey, would you mind showing me some ninja moves too?† â€Å"They have nothing to do with ninjas,† protested Eddie, still smiling. â€Å"Come on up.† Micah leapt to his feet, and Eddie walked him through some rudimentary steps. More than anything, it seemed like Eddie was sizing up Micah and his capabilities. After a while, Eddie grew comfortable and let Micah practice some offensive moves to get rid of an attacker. â€Å"Hey,† protested Jill when Eddie landed a kick on Micah. Micah shrugged it off in a guy kind of way. â€Å"No fair. You wouldn't hit me when we were practicing.† Eddie was caught off guard enough that Micah actually got a hit in. Eddie gave him a look of grudging respect and then said to Jill, â€Å"That was different.† â€Å"Because I'm a girl?† she demanded. â€Å"You never held back with Rose.† â€Å"Who's Rose?† asked Micah. â€Å"Another friend,† explained Eddie. To Jill, he said: â€Å"And Rose has had years more experience than you.† â€Å"She's had more than Micah too. You were going easy on me.† Eddie flushed and kept his eyes on Micah. â€Å"Was not,† he said. â€Å"Were too,† she muttered. As the boys sparred again, she said quietly to me, â€Å"How am I ever going to learn if he's afraid of breaking me?† I watched the guys, analyzing what I knew of Eddie so far. â€Å"I think it's more complicated than that. I think he also just believes you shouldn't have to take the risk – that if he's doing a good enough job, you shouldn't have to defend yourself.† â€Å"He's doing a great job. You should have seen him at the attack.† Her face got that haunted look it did whenever the attack that had driven her into hiding was mentioned. â€Å"But I still need to learn.† She lowered her voice even more. â€Å"I really want to learn to use my magic to fight too, not that I'll get much practice in this desert.† I shuddered, recalling her display from the night before. â€Å"There'll be time,† I said vaguely. I stood up, saying I had to go get some work done. Micah asked Eddie and Jill if they wanted to get lunch. Eddie said yes immediately. Jill looked to me for help. â€Å"It's just lunch,† said Eddie meaningfully. I knew he still thought Micah was harmless. I didn't know, but after seeing how infatuated Jill was with Lee, I figured Micah would have to make some pretty aggressive moves to get anywhere. â€Å"I'm sure it's fine,† I said. Jill looked relieved, and the group headed off. I spent the day finishing off that miserable book for Ms. Terwilliger. I still thought having to copy the archaic spells and rituals verbatim was a waste of time. The only point I could see for it was that if she ever did need to reference them for her research, she would have an easy computer file to check and not risk damage to the ancient book. It was evening by the time I finished that and my other homework. Jill still wasn't back, and I decided to use the opportunity to check on something that had been bothering me. Earlier in the day, Jill had mentioned Eddie defending her in the attack. I'd felt from the beginning that there was something strange about that initial attack, something that they weren't telling me. So, I logged onto the Alchemists' network and pulled up everything we had on the Moroi rebels. Naturally, it was all documented. We had to keep track of important events among the Moroi, and this ranked pretty high. Somehow, the Alchemists had gotten pictures of the Moroi Court, with protesters lined up outside one of the administrative buildings. Dhampir guardians were easy to pick out as they mingled and kept order. To my surprise, I recognized Dimitri Belikov – Rose's boyfriend – among those doing crowd control. He was easy to spot since he was almost always taller than everyone around him. Dhampirs look very human, and even I could admit that he was pretty good-looking. There was a rugged handsomeness to him, and even in a still photograph, I could see a fierceness as he watched the crowd. Other protest pictures confirmed what I knew. By far, most people supported the young queen. Those against her were a minority – but a loud and dangerous one. A video from a human news show in Denver showed two Moroi guys nearly getting in a bar fight. They were shouting about queens and justice, most of which wouldn't make sense to a human observer. What made this video special was that the guy who'd filmed it – some random human with a cell phone camera – claimed he'd seen fangs on both men in the argument. The videographer had submitted his recording claiming he'd witnessed a vampire fight, but no one gave it much credibility. It was too grainy for anything to show up. Still, it was a reminder of what could happen if the Moroi situation spun out of control. A status check showed me that Queen Vasilisa was indeed trying to get a law passed so that her rule was no longer dependent on there being at least one other person in her royal family. Alchemist experts guessed it would take three months, which was about what Rose had said. The number loomed in my head like a ticking time bomb. We needed to keep Jill safe for three months. And for three months, Vasilisa's enemies would be trying harder than ever to get to Jill. If Jill died, Vasilisa's rule would end – along with her attempts to fix the system. Yet none of this was what had really driven me to research. I wanted to know about Jill's initial attack, the one that no one talked about. What I found wasn't much help. No Alchemists had been there at the time, of course, so our information was based on what Moroi sources had reported. All we knew was that â€Å"the queen's sister had been viciously and severely attacked – but had made a full recovery.† From what I'd observed, that was certainly true. Jill showed no signs of injury, and the attack had occurred a week before she came to Palm Springs. Was that enough time to heal from a â€Å"vicious and severe† attack? And was an attack like that enough to make her wake screaming? I didn't know but still couldn't shake my suspicions. When Jill came home later, she was in such a good mood that I couldn't bear to interrogate her. I also remembered too late that I'd meant to research the case of Clarence's niece and her bizarre death by throat-slitting. Jill's situation had distracted me. I let the matter go and called it an early night. Tomorrow, I thought drowsily. I'll do it all tomorrow. Tomorrow came much more quickly than I expected. I was woken out of a heavy sleep by someone shaking me, and for a split second, the old nightmare was there, the one about Alchemists carrying me away in the night. Recognizing Jill, I just barely stopped myself from screaming. â€Å"Hey, hey,† I scolded. There was light outside, but it was purplish. Barely after sunrise. â€Å"What's going on? What's the matter?† Jill looked at me, face grim and eyes wide with fear. â€Å"It's Adrian. You have to rescue him.†