Compare/Contrast Works of Edgar Allan Poe Essay

Edgar Allan Poe’s view on poetry is that all poems must be a creation of beauty. In his eyes, depression and sadness is beautiful. He thinks that the death of a young beautiful woman is itself full of beauty. Poe’s way of beauty is a one of a kind compared to other poets and writers. In both â€Å"Annabel Lee† and â€Å"The Raven†, Poe writes about this so-called beauty. In â€Å"Annabel Lee†, a young man is mourning the death of a beautiful young lady. Even though the woman had died quite some time ago, the man is still in melancholy. He misses her terribly and constantly thinks of how she was she was tragically taken from him by the angels who were jealous of their love, and by her family who didn’t think the he himself was capable of bringing her to a final resting place. He loved Annabel Lee more than any other human can love another. â€Å"And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side of my darling, my life and my bride, in her sepulcher there by the sea, in her tomb by the side of the sea.† This quote shows how much this man loved her, by sleeping next to the tomb every night. In â€Å"The Raven†, a man, most likely older than the man in â€Å"Annabel Lee†, mourns the death of his love whom he called â€Å"Lenore†. Lenore, like Annabel Lee, had died several years earlier. In â€Å"The Raven†, man hears tapping on his chamber door and sees the curtains slowly swaying. He believes that it can be no other than Lenore. Unfortunately for him though, it is only but a bird. A large, black bird known as the Raven. A raven is usually symbolized as something dark and sinister. Throughout the poem, the man is tormented by his lost love, Lenore, who came back in the form of a Raven. Although the men in these two stories are similar because they both mourn for their loved ones, they are also different. The man in â€Å"The Raven† may be sad about his lost, but his love cannot compare to that of the man in â€Å"Annabel Lee†.In these two short stories, the two main characters, as mentioned before, are very much alike, yet at the same time different. They both lose the woman of their life and they both are still in mourning. Poe’s poems are  usually about such sorrow and sadness, and it is this that makes his poems beautiful.

Company Analysis: Hampton Machine Tool Company

The questions for the Hampton Machine Tool Company are given below. Please prepare for submission questions 1 and 2 only. That is, please submit your balance sheet for December 31, 1979 and income statement for the four month period, September through December 1979, requested in question 2 below (your income statement should not be monthly; it should cover the entire four months). Please also prepare, but do not submit, the remaining questions.1. Why can't a profitable company like Hampton repay its loan on time and why does it need more bank financing? What major developments between November 1978 and August 1979 have contributed to this situation?2. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected income statement for the four months Sept. 1979 through Dec. 1979 and a pro forma balance sheet as of December 31, 1979. (Your income statement should not be monthly. You should make one covering the entire four months.)3. Critically evaluate the assumptions on which your forecas ts are based. What developments could alter your results? Is Mr. Cowins correct in his belief that Hampton can repay the loan in December? 4. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected cash budget for the four months, September through December 1979. Do the cash budgets and pro forma financial statements yield the same results? Why, why not? Hint: they should.Another hint: Do not rely on the statement on page 6, ―†¦our engineering estimates indicate that we expect to earn a profit before taxes and interest of about 23% on sales on these shipmentsâ€â€". Instead using the accounting relation in Q#2 (footnote below) when constructing your income statement. 5. What action should Mr. Eckwood take on Mr. Cowins' loan request? What are the major risks associated with the proposed loan? What other alternatives does Mr. Eckwood have and what are the pros and cons? What would you do?6. Why did Hampton repurchase a substantial fraction of its outstanding common st ock? What is the impact of this repurchase on Hampton's financial performance? Critically assess Hampton's dividend policy. Do you agree with Mr. Cowins' proposal to pay a substantial dividend in December?With Cartwright, we had a relatively simplistic situation, particularly as it concerns inventory: only one class of inventory was represented, not the typical threesome of raw materials, work in process, and finished goods. (Presumably Cartwright was not adding much value to the raw materials, just selling them through, although—on the contrary—the case seemed to indicate that the company manufactured some door frames, trim, etc.)For Hampton, you might find helpful a basic accounting relationship: beginning inventory + purchases + other outlays – cost of sales = ending inventory;  solving for cost of sales (and recognizing that end – begin inventory is change in inventory), Cost of sales = purchases + other outlays – change in inventory. (Note t hat there are a couple inventory types to include.)Additional sub-hint: the ―other outlaysâ€â€" amount to $400K/mo. There are other expenses that should also be kept in mind when generating the pro-forma income statement. Company Analysis: Hampton Machine Tool Company The questions for the Hampton Machine Tool Company are given below. Please prepare for submission questions 1 and 2 only. That is, please submit your balance sheet for December 31, 1979 and income statement for the four month period, September through December 1979, requested in question 2 below (your income statement should not be monthly; it should cover the entire four months). Please also prepare, but do not submit, the remaining questions.1. Why can't a profitable company like Hampton repay its loan on time and why does it need more bank financing? What major developments between November 1978 and August 1979 have contributed to this situation?2. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected income statement for the four months Sept. 1979 through Dec. 1979 and a pro forma balance sheet as of December 31, 1979. (Your income statement should not be monthly. You should make one covering the entire four months.)3. Critically evaluate the assumptions on which your forecas ts are based. What developments could alter your results? Is Mr. Cowins correct in his belief that Hampton can repay the loan in December?4. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected cash budget for the four months, September through December 1979. Do the cash budgets and pro forma financial statements yield the same results? Why, why not? Hint: they should.Another hint: Do not rely on the statement on page 6, ―†¦our engineering estimates indicate that we expect to earn a profit before taxes and interest of about 23% on sales on these shipmentsâ€â€". Instead using the accounting relation in Q#2 (footnote below) when constructing your income statement.5. What action should Mr. Eckwood take on Mr. Cowins' loan request? What are  the major risks associated with the proposed loan? What other alternatives does Mr. Eckwood have and what are the pros and cons? What would you do?6. Why did Hampton repurchase a substantial fraction of its outstanding common s tock? What is the impact of this repurchase on Hampton's financial performance? Critically assess Hampton's dividend policy. Do you agree with Mr. Cowins' proposal to pay a substantial dividend in December?With Cartwright, we had a relatively simplistic situation, particularly as it concerns inventory: only one class of inventory was represented, not the typical threesome of raw materials, work in process, and finished goods. (Presumably Cartwright was not adding much value to the raw materials, just selling them through, although—on the contrary—the case seemed to indicate that the company manufactured some door frames, trim, etc.) For Hampton, you might find helpful a basic accounting relationship: beginning inventory + purchases + other outlays – cost of sales = ending inventory;Solving for cost of sales (and recognizing that end – begin inventory is change in inventory), Cost of sales = purchases + other outlays – change in inventory. (Note tha t there are a couple inventory types to include.)Additional sub-hint: the ―other outlaysâ€â€" amount to $400K/mo. There are other expenses that should also be kept in mind when generating the pro-forma income statement.

Observing Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication is the process of communicating that is characterized by the absence of words but rather communicating, sending and receiving messages via bodily language, styles, and symbols. I tried to observe this type of communication in the park with a particular male and female as a target subjects. A young man, possibly 20 yrs of age and a woman, more or less of the same age group, were ‘conversing’ in the park at 5 PM in the afternoon. I use the term ‘conversation’ loosely here. Using the concept of proxemics, parks would be classified under the group, public territory, but I note that, generally speaking, such places would have no control on the behavior of the people; people there would exceed territorial rights with regards to their behavior. Without thoughtful analysis, the first idea that had entered my head was that the man and the woman were in a relation but apparently I cannot make a concluding statement about this. Physical appearances suggest informal relations as suggested by their casual appearances. Both were wearing pants with the female wearing a pink tank top and the male wearing a faded statement shirt. There is a high possibility that their meeting was not business or work associated. I disregarded Monochromatic time schedule in favor of Poly-chronic time schedule since the subjects conversation and appearances were evidently personal. Kinesic communication of the subjects— facial expressions, body movements, gestures, and posture ­Ã¢â‚¬â€reveal one important thing; the subject’s conversation was neither intimate but rather harried, constrained and angry. There was an obvious lack of touch between the two which would denote ‘friendship’ or ‘love’. The woman was gesticulating her hands wildly, and at some point in time, she was waving her right hand at the right empty space indicating that she was ‘emphasizing’ something to the man. Her shoulders were not slumped but rather posed upwards indicating a highly constrained emotion. Her feet was braced apart and she walking around wildly. Her face was clearly angry; her brows were drawn together in a frown and most probably her nostrils were growing bigger or flaring up, with her irises dilating indicating, a high emotional state. The sides of her mouth were slanted downwards as she was talking clearly indicating a negative emotion. Her curly hair was moving with the movement of her mouth. Blood was rushing to her face which makes her face really look red indeed. When the male was talking, she was ‘rolling her eyes’, indicating mockery and disbelief to what the person was saying. She was intentionally trying or trying to appear like she was not listening to the other person was saying when she was looking away at the other direction. The male subject was equally angry. His stance, shoulders upwards were poised for a fight but he was defensive as indicated by the arms that were crossed high on his chest. When he was not talking, his lips were drawn in tight line and he was highly attentive what the female was saying because ‘he did not remove his eyes from her’. His eyes were in slits, indicating anger and at some point, he was also gesticulating his hands indicating that he was forcefully explaining something to the female. I observed that proxemics for the park as a space was clearly loosely defined as to the public territorial usage; the subjects were clearly using the space for ‘personal’ purposes. Movement and body position of my subjects hinges towards negative emotional responses, ost specially that of charged anger. The subjects exhibited negative attitudes, and mostly involuntary non-verbal communication. All messages transmitted between the two were conscous and deliberate and not subliminal; their conversation was intended to say something and both were equally aware of it. Bibliography Argyle, M. (1988). Bodily Communication. Madison: International UP.

Globalization and Boundless Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalization and Boundless Market - Essay Example It is the productivity of every nations combined. Information on world's outputs is based on economic data obtained from different countries through international regulatory institutions like the International Monetary Fund, who is involved in the monitoring of economic and financial developments (IMF, 2008) and the World Trade Organization, who oversees nearly 150 countries and 97% of world trade (WTO, n.d.). The indices can be represented by the regular economic parameters such as Gross Domestic Product or Gross World Product (GWP), per capita production, employment rate, and others. World production is greatly affected by trading. Without trading a nation would not strive to produce more of its products where it has comparative advantage. Without the demand from other countries, every nation only produces goods enough for the domestic need. Oil producing countries, for instance, strive to generate greater productivity because of world demands for oil. Food and other agricultural supplies are needed by countries who cannot produce them due to climatic conditions. Other countries provide surplus of labor and expertise. Because of this, world trade is an essential component for increase in world's production. In fact volumes of world trading is a good indicator of the soundness of the world's economy. When world trading is low the world economy is generally down. General pattern of international trade International trade, which forms the bloodstream of the world economy, represents the flow of goods and services from one nation to the other. There are several patterns suggested in terms of trading or import-export arrangements. One of the patterns is that, the nation who lacks the capability to produce a good needed by its constituents buy it from another nation who produce or specialize its production due to comparative advantage such as lower production cost or availability of raw materials. Likewise, the nation that has surplus of a particular product can supply it to others in need. Dean (2004, 312) referred this arrangement as inter-industry specialization. Another pattern referred by the same author describes the intra-industry specialization (313). Two nations who specialize the same industry trade their products. As an example, the US and Japan both manufacture cars but they both trade their respective cars models. Import and exports, however, have their controls and limitations based on regulations and standards. Different countries have their own product quality indices, trade taxes, and other barriers. Attempts however were made to unify regulations and eliminate barriers to world trade. These resulted to the forming of the World Trade Organization. With the molding of the WTO the world embark in a global exchange of goods and services from agricultural to high-end industrial outputs with limited restrictions. As part of its advocacy the World Trade Organization claimed, "It is the only international organization dealing with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible." The Consequence of no-trading Trade sanctions sometimes happen in the world scenario. It occurred many times in the history as a consequence of disciplinary actions against a hostile

Monophysite vs. Monophysitism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Monophysite vs. Monophysitism - Assignment Example Monophysitism was a reaction against the earlier Nestorian heresy, which viewed Christ as being two distinct persons with two distinct natures. Monophysitism is the viewpoint that Christ was a single, composite person with a single, composite nature that was neither God nor man, but a unique combination of both. Monophysites are the people and groups that embrace that viewpoint (Gregory, 2005). Orthodox Christians observe various fasts, including each Wednesday and each Friday. Wednesday is considered to be the day that the Jews conspired against Jesus, while Friday is considered to be the day of His crucifixion (Belwal & Tafesse, January, 2010). However, the Bible instructs Christians to be joyful, not dismal, in fasting, as it is for God and not for man that they fast (Matt. 6:16-17). Fasting should not be done out of guilt or self-hatred (Deville, 2005). Fasting, for Middle Eastern Orthodox Christians, is not done out of survival guilt, following famine, nor even done in memory of the more than 100,000 Orthodox Christians massacred by the Turks, nor for the millions starved and killed in the ongoing Orthodox Christian Holocaust around the world (Moore, 1999). It is done in obedience to Christ and in

What is the benfit and how does it help us Research Paper - 1

What is the benfit and how does it help us - Research Paper Example A monitor is part of a computer that coordinates with the video card to ensure that images and texts are displayed on the screen. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is a computer brain that is mandated to perform the basic functions such as arithmetic, logical, output and input operation of the computer system. On the other hand, keyboard is a part of a computer that is mandated to enter data and communicate using the computer. Finally, the mouse ensures that objects on the screen are easy to point, click and move them. It is worth noting that these four main parts vary in reference to the type of computer that is being utilized at the time (Oram 16). Eason (28) articulates that this technology emerged in the 19th Century when two scholars came up with a first computer that was known as HP 200 A Audio Oscillator, which rapidly gained popularity from the engineers as a test equipment. As a result of the impact that it brought about in the engineering field, there grew an urge to advance it so that would serve them with more options on functionalism. In the general sense, much advancement was realized between 1943 and 1988 whereby a computer was capable of incorporating drive for an optical storage disk , a built in digital signal processor that would handle voice recognition and object- oriented languages that were meant to simplify programming. Currently, there are variety of computers in the market that have been used for various functions in Engineering and other fields. It is for undoubted reasons that the benefits of computers are numerous particularly now that the world is submerged in a computer age. Firstly, computers have ensured that human beings are in a position to gain a working knowledge of other sciences and applications. Apparently, the engineering field has received an

Client brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Client brief - Essay Example Byron Kakulas. The organization works for the children suffering from such ailments through fundraising activities, gaining of sponsorships and through donations. Total amount of fund raised during 2011 was estimated to rise by $200 Million in comparison to the 2010 period. The major contributors to the organization’s charitable fund comprised of 28 industries pertaining to resources and 49 industries pertaining to property and lease holdings. 1 Internal and External Environment Analysis of the Organization Internal Environment TOWS Matrix for the Concern The TOWS Matrix for Muscular Dystrophy Western Australia can be framed as follows reflecting the threats, weaknesses, opportunities and strengths of the concern. ... oreover another threat faced by the firm is possessing small number of offices that in turn make it hard for the company to manage the different volunteers allocated to different regions. 2 Weaknesses-Threats Lack of proper office infrastructure limits the ability of the firm to enhance its research objectives. Again owing to the lack of effective volunteers operating in large numbers the organization fails to deliver the best possible service to the ailing community. Weaknesses- Opportunities Though opportunities exist in terms of financing and community support from the firm’s external climate the company suffers from its incapability in forming strategic alliances with other health based organizations. Inability of the company to open proper offices in ailment prone zones makes it difficult for the company to render effective services in spite of finances and communal support.3 Strength- Opportunities The organization tends to render a larger growth opportunity for the peop le in the form of volunteers to grow with the company which presently operates based on a permanent team member of five people. Moreover the opportunities available from the external environment in the form of financial and communal support help the firm to grow and develop its human resources through training and developmental functions. External Environment Public The Muscular Dystrophy Western Australia organization focuses on gaining a large amount of public support owing to its community sharing and support programs aimed at enhancing the relationships with the parents of the ailing children. Through such community network the organization tends to forward potential advice and support. Moreover the organization supports the people suffering from career problems through holding of workshops

Critically discuss the challenges in balancing security and freedom in Essay

Critically discuss the challenges in balancing security and freedom in delivering an effective counter terrorism strategy in operational practice - Essay Example e against another person or another persons’ property; the violence (and threat thereof) employed therein is aimed partly at destabilizing (or maintaining) an existing political or social order, but mainly at publicizing the goals or causes espoused by the agents or by those whose behalf the agents acts; often, though not always, terrorism is aimed at provoking extreme counter- measures which will win public support for the terrorists and their goals†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The radicals associated to terrorism are not confined to any particular region or race; rather it entails an extensive influence of drastic nature globally. Due to this very severity, terrorism has caught attention of various bodies globally which aim to reduce this nuisance through counter-terrorism strategies. These strategies can be dully defined as, â€Å"Activities which are intended to prevent terrorists acts or to eradicate terrorists groups† (thefreedictionary.com, 2014). Another definition for such me thods is as follow; â€Å"Operations that include the offensive measures taken to prevent, deter, pre-empt and respond to terrorism. Also called CT† (US Department of Defense, 2005). Such strategies can be designed and implemented at regional, national and at inter-national levels (UNODC, 2009). Although, these instruments are aimed at enhancing the efforts to exterminate violence but more than often these strategies are often coupled with certain downsides or limitations, particularly the delivery and implementation of such counter terrorism activities in operational practice pose a variety of challenges in balancing security and freedom. A counter terrorism strategy is often designed in collaboration with certain other states or non-state actors, particularly if it is of inter-national level. One of the challenges which arise in such counter terrorism strategies is the conflict of interest. Globalization has increased the likelihood of conflict, involving failed-state and non state actors (The Strategic

Immigration Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Immigration Reform - Essay Example This paper is aimed at providing a critical thoughtful process of the immigration reform that has been conducted in the United States of America, mainly after the incident of the 9/11 attack on the country. Comparative and Analysis: The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) has implemented reformatory policies aimed at providing anti-immigrant movements in the country. The most important mission of these policies is to achieve the aim of zero level of immigration in the country. These reformatory policies have blamed immigrants as the main cause of economic as well as environmental problems of the country. Immigrants are also blamed in regard to these policies as putting greater amount of pressure on the population of the country. The first policy in the context of immigration reform was implemented in 1979 by the chairman of the FAIR, John Tanton, who was also known as the "father of the anti-immigration movement" in the country. During this time policies related to immi gration reform have been developed for the purpose of providing greater amount of economic and environmental supports to the country and also to reduce the growing level of population of the country (FEDERATION FOR AMERICAN IMMIGRATION REFORM, 1). Classical liberalism Classical liberalism has been playing an important role in the process of social, cultural as well as economic development in the country since a long time. The country has been highly liberal regarding migration of people from other countries into their country. Large number of people who came into this country from countries across the globe is living temporarily or permanently in this country. They have become an integral part of this country. Political, economic, social, cultural, educational – all these aspects did not (do not and will not) match with these immigrants. However, these people are increasingly becoming citizens of the United States of America. But the debate regarding increase in the amount of migrated people in the country occurred after the 9/11 attack of 2001 on the World Trade Center. After this attack, politicians and American people started to raise their voice against immigrations and the need for immigration reform has been realized during this time by politicians of the country (Fitz and Kelley, 4). Factions (Pluralism) Political leaders and people of the country have started to raise their voice against the immigration and different policies have started to be proposed during this time. These policies have been put forward by several groups of people who have argued that the level of safety of resources and lives of general people of the country to a great extent if these policies are implemented. In these reformatory policies mainly specifies groups or factions were targeted. These groups have been constructed including, mainly, immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and people of other middle-east countries. Mainly people who belong to the Muslim religion have been included in this group. â€Å"The House of Representatives preempted anticipated Senate action in late 2005 by passing an extreme enforcement measure (H.R. 4437) sponsored by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI). That bill, which would have felonized the undocumented population and many who interact with them, triggered an enormous backlash

Why Am I an Atheist Essay Example for Free

Why Am I an Atheist Essay It is a matter of debate whether my lack of belief in the existence of an Omnipresent, Omniscient God is due to my arrogant pride and vanity. It never occurred to me that sometime in the future I would be involved in polemics of this kind. As a result of some discussions with my friends, (if my claim to friendship is not uncalled for) I have realised that after having known me for a little time only, some of them have reached a kind of hasty conclusion about me that my atheism is my foolishness and that it is the outcome of my vanity. Even then it is a serious problem. I do not boast of being above these human follies. I am, after all, a human being and nothing more. And no one can claim to be more than that. I have a weakness in my personality, for pride is one of the human traits that I do possess. I am known as a dictator among my friends. Sometimes I am called a boaster. Some have always been complaining that I am bossy and I force others to accept my opinion. Yes, it is true to some extent. I do not deny this charge. We can use the word ‘vainglory’ for it. As far as the contemptible, obsolete, rotten values of our society are concerned, I am an extreme sceptic. But this question does not concern my person alone. It is being proud of my ideas, my thoughts. It cannot be called empty pride. Pride, or you may use the word, vanity, both mean an exaggerated assessment of one’s personality. Is my atheism because of unnecessary pride, or have I ceased believing in God after thinking long and deep on the matter? I wish to put my ideas before you. First of all, let us differentiate between pride and vanity as these are two different things. I have never been able to understand how unfounded, baseless pride or empty vanity can hinder a person from believing in God. I may refuse to acknowledge the greatness of a really great person only when I have got fame without doing any serious efforts or when I lack the superior mental powers necessary to become great. It is easy to understand but how is it possible that a believer can turn into a non-believer because of his vanity? Only two things are possible: either a man deems himself to be in possession of Godly qualities, or he goes a step further and declares himself to be a god. In both these states of mind he cannot be an atheist in the true sense of the word. In the first case, it is not an outright rejection of God’s existence; in the other, he is affirming the existence of some kind of supernatural power responsible for the working of universe. It does not harm our argument whether he claims to be a god or considers God to be a reality in existence above his own b eing. The real point, however, is that in both cases he is a theist, a believer. He is not an atheist. I want to bring home this point to you. I am not one of these two creeds. I totally reject the existence of an Omnipresent, all powerful, all knowing God. Why so? I will discuss it later in the essay. Here I wish to emphasise that I am not an atheist for the reason that I am arrogant or proud or vain; nor am I a demi-god, nor a prophet; no, nor am I God myself. At least one thing is true that I have not evolved this thought because of vanity or pride. In order to answer this question I relate the truth. My friends say that after Delhi bombing and Lahore Conspiracy Case, I rocketed to fame and that this fact has turned my head. Let us discuss why this allegation is incorrect. I did not give up my belief in God after these incidents. I was an atheist even when I was an unknown figure. At least a college student cannot cherish any sort of exaggerated notion of himself that may lead him to at heism. It is true that I was a favourite with some college teachers, but others did not like me. I was never a hardworking or studious boy. I never got an opportunity to be proud. I was very careful in my behaviour and somewhat pessimistic about my future career. I was not completely atheistic in my beliefs. I was brought up under the care and protection of my father. He was a staunch Arya Samaji. An Arya Samaji can be anything but never an atheist. After my elementary education, I was sent to D. A. V College, Lahore. I lived in the boarding house for one year. Besides prayers early in the morning and at dusk time, I sat for hours and chanted religious Mantras. At that time, I was a staunch believer. Then I lived with my father. He was a tolerant man in his religious views. It is due to his teachings that I devoted my life for the cause of liberating my country. But he was not an atheist. His God was an all-pervading Entity. He advised me to offer my prayers every day. In this way I was brought up. In the Non-cooperation days, I got admission to the National College. During my stay in this college, I began thinking over all the religious polemics such that I grew sceptical about the existence of God. In spite of this fact I can say that my belief in God was firm and strong. I grew a beard and ‘Kais’ (long head of hair as a Sikh religious custom). In spite of this I could not convince myself of the efficacy of Sikh religion or any religion at all, for that matter. But I had an unswerving, unwavering belief in God. Then I joined the Revolutionary Party. The first leader I met had not the courage to openly declare himself an atheist. He was unable to reach any conclusion on this point. Whenever I asked him about the existence of God, he gave me this reply: â€Å"You may believe in him when you feel like it.† The second leader with whom I came in contact was a firm believer. I should mention his name. It was our respected Comrade Sachindara Nath Sanyal. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with Karachi conspiracy case. Right from the first page of his only book, ‘Bandi Jivan’ (Incarnated Life) he sings praises to the Glory of God. See the last page of the second part of this book and you find praises showered upon God in the way of a mystic. It is a clear reflection of his thoughts. According to the prosecution, the ‘Revolutionary Leaflet’ which was distributed throughout India was the outcome of Sachindara Nath Sanyal’s intellectual labour. So often it happens that in revolutionary activities a leader expresses his own ideas which may be very dear to him, but in spite of having differences, the other workers have to acquiesce in them. In that leaflet, one full paragraph was devoted to the praises of God and His doings which we, human beings, cannot understand. This is sheer mysticism. What I want to point out is that the idea of denying the existence of God did not even occur to the Revolutionary Party. The famous Kakory martyrs, all four of them, passed their last day in prayers. Ram Parshad Bismal was a staunch Arya Samaji. In spite of his vast studies in Socialism and Communism, Rajan Lahiri could not suppress his desire to recite hymns from Upanishads and Gita. There was but only one person among them who did not indulge in such activities. He used to say, â€Å"Religion is the outcome of human weakness or the limitation of human knowledge.† He is also in prison for life. But he also never dared to deny the existence of God. Till that time I was only a romantic revolutionary, just a follower of our leaders. Then came the time to shoulder the whole responsibility. For some time, a strong opposition put the very existence of the party into danger. Many leaders as well as many enthusiastic comrades began to uphold the party to ridicule. They jeered at us. I had an apprehension that some day I will also consider it a futile and hopeless task. It was a turning point in my revolutionary career. An incessant desire to study filled my heart. ‘Study more and more’, said I to myself so that I might be able to face the arguments of my opponents. ‘Study’ to support your point of view with convincing arguments. And I began to study in a serious manner. My previous beliefs and convictions underwent a radical change. The romance of militancy dominated our predecessors; now serious ideas ousted this way of thinking. No more mysticism! No more blind faith! Now realism was our mode of thinking. A t times of terrible necessity, we can resort to extreme methods, but violence produces opposite results in mass movements. I have talked much about our methods. The most important thing was a clear conception of our ideology for which we were waging a long struggle. As there was no election activity going on, I got ample opportunity to study various ideas propounded by various writers. I studied Bakunin, the anarchist leader. I read a few books of Marx, the father of Communism. I also read Lenin and Trotsky and many other writers who successfully carried out revolutions in their countries. All of them were atheists. The ideas contained in Bakunin’s ‘God and State’ seem inconclusive, but it is an interesting book. After that I came across a book ‘Common Sense’ by Nirlamba Swami. His point of view was a sort of mystical atheism. I developed more interest in this subject. By the end of 1926, I was convinced that the belief in an Almighty, Supreme Being who created, guided and controlled the universe had no sound foundations. I began discussions on this subject with my friends. I had openly declared myself an atheist. What it meant will be discussed in the following lines. In May 1927, I was arrested in Lahore. This arrest came as a big surprise for me. I had not the least idea that I was wanted by the police. I was passing through a garden and all of a sudden the police surrounded me. To my own surprise, I was very calm at that time. I was in full control of myself. I was taken into police custody. The next day I was taken to the Railway Police lockup where I spent a whole month. After many days’ conversation with police personnel, I guessed that they had some information about my connection with the Kakori Party. I felt they had some intelligence of my other activities in the revolutionary movement. They told me that I was in Lucknow during the Kakori Party Trial so that I might devise a scheme to rescue the culprits. They also said that after the plan had been approved, we procured some bombs and by way of test, one of those bombs was thrown into a crowd on the occasion of Dussehra in 1926. They offered to release me on condition that I gave a statement on the activities of the Revolutionary Party. In this way I would be set free and even rewarded and I would not be produced as an approver in the court. I could not help laughing at their proposals. It was all humbug. People who have ideas like ours do not throw bombs at their own innocent people. One day, Mr. Newman, the then senior Superintendent of CID, came to me. After a long talk which was full of sympathetic words, he imparted to me what he considered to be sad news, that if I did not give any statement as demanded by them, they would be forced to send me up for trial for conspiracy to wage war in connection with Kakori Case and also for brutal killings in Dussehra gathering. After that he said that he had sufficient evidence to get me convicted and hanged. I was completely innocent, but I believed that the police had sufficient power to do it if they desired it to be so. The same day some police officers persuaded me to offer my prayers to God two times regularly. I was an atheist. I thought that I would settle it to myself whether I could brag only in days of peace and happiness that I was an atheist, or in those hard times I could be steadfast in my convictions. After a long debate with myself, I reached the conclusion that I could not even pretend to be a believer nor could I offer my prayers to God. No, I never did it. It was time of trial and I would come out of it successful. These were my thoughts. Never for a moment did I desire to save my life. So I was a true atheist then and I am an atheist now. It was not an easy task to face that ordeal. Beliefs make it easier to go through hardships, even make them pleasant. Man can find a strong support in God and an encouraging consolation in His Name. If you have no belief in Him, then there is no alternative but to depend upon yourself. It is not child’s play to stand firm on your feet amid storms and strong winds. In difficult times, vanity, if it remains, evaporates and man cannot find the courage to defy beliefs held in common esteem by the people. If he really revolts against such beliefs, we must conclude that it is not sheer vanity; he has some kind of extraordinary strength. This is exactly the situation now. First of all we all know what the judgement will be. It is to be pronounced in a week or so. I am going to sacrifice my life for a cause. What more consolation can there be! A God-believing Hindu may expect to be reborn a king; a Muslim or a Christian might dream of the luxuries he hopes to enjoy in paradise as a reward for his sufferings and sacrifices. What hope should I entertain? I know that will be the end when the rope is tightened round my neck and the rafters move from under my feet. To use more precise religious terminology, that will be the moment of utter annihilation. My soul will come to nothing. If I take the courage to take the matter in the light of ‘Reward’, I see that a short life of struggle with no such magnificent end shall itself be my ‘Reward.’ That is all. Without any selfish motive of getting any reward here or in the hereafter, quite disinterestedly have I devoted my life to the cause of freedom. I could not act otherwise. The day shall usher in a new era of liberty when a large number of men and women, taking courage from the idea of serving humanity and liberating them from sufferings and distress, decide that there is no alternative before them except devoting their lives for this cause. They will wage a war against their oppressors, tyrants or exploiters, not to become kings, or to gain any reward here or in the next birth or after death in paradise; but to cast off the yoke of slavery, to establish liberty and peace they will tread this perilous, but glorious path. Can the pride they take in their noble cause be called vanity? Who is there rash enough to call it so? To him I say either he is foolish or wicked. Leave such a fellow alone for he cannot realise the depth, the emotions, the sentiment and the noble feelings that surge in that heart. His heart is dead, a mere lump of flesh, devoid of feelings. His convictions are infirm, his emotions feeble. His selfish interests have made him incapable of seeing the truth. The epithet ‘vanity’ is always hurled at the strength we get from our convictions. You go against popular feelings; you criticise a hero, a great man who is generally believed to be above criticism. What happens? No one will answer your arguments in a rational way; rather you will be considered vainglorious. Its reason is mental insipidity. Merciless criticism and independent thinking are the two necessary traits of revolutionary thinking. As Mahatmaji is great, he is above criticism; as he has risen above, all that he says in the field of politics, religion, Ethics is right. You agree or not, it is binding upon you to take it as truth. This is not constructive thinking. We do not take a leap forward; we go many steps back. Our forefathers evolved faith in some kind of Supreme Being, therefore, one who ventures to challenge the validity of that faith or denies the existence of God, shall be called a Kafir (infidel), or a renegade. Even if his arguments are so strong that it is impossible to refute them, if his spirit is so strong that he cannot be bowed down by the threats of misfortune that may befall him through the wrath of the Almighty, he shall be decried as vainglorious. Then why should we waste our time in such discussions? This question has come before the people for the first time, hence the necessity and usefulness of such long discussions. As far as the first question is concerned, I think I have made it clear that I did not turn atheist because of vanity. Only my readers, not I, can decide whether my arguments carry weight. If I were a believer, I know in the present circumstances my life would have been easier; the burden lighter. My disbelief in God has turned all the circumstances too harsh and this situation can deteriorate further. Being a little mystical can give the circumstances a poetic turn. But I need no opiate to meet my end. I am a realistic man. I want to overpower this tendency in me with the help of Reason. I am not always successful in such attempts. But it is man’s duty to try and make efforts. Success depends on chance and circumstances. Now we come to the second question: if it is not vanity, there ought to be some sound reason for rejection of age-old belief in God. Yes, I come to this question. I think that any man who has some reasoning power always tries to understand the life and people around him with the help of this faculty. Where concrete proofs are lacking, [mystical] philosophy creeps in. As I have indicated, one of my revolutionary friends used to say that â€Å"philosophy is the outcome of human weakness.† Our ancestors had the leisure to solve the mysteries of the world, its past, its present and its future, its whys and its wherefores, but having been terribly short of direct proofs, every one of them tried to solve the problem in his own way. Hence we find wide differences in the fundamentals of various religious creeds. Sometimes they take very antagonistic and conflicting forms. We find differences in Oriental and Occidental philosophies. There are differences even amongst various schools of thoughts in each hemisphere. In Asian religions, the Muslim religion is completely incompatible with the Hindu faith. In India itself, Buddhism and Jainism are sometimes quite separate from Brahmanism. Then in Brahmanism itself, we find two conflicting sects: Aarya Samaj and Snatan Dheram. Charwak is yet another independent thinker of the past ages. He challenged the Authority of God. All these faiths differ on many fundamental questions, but each of them claims to be the only true religion. This is the root of the evil. Instead of developing the ideas and experiments of ancient thinkers, thus providing ourselves with the ideological weapon for the future struggle, – lethargic, idle, fanatical as we are – we cling to orthodox religion and in this way reduce human awakening to a stagnant pool. It is necessary for every person who stands for progress to criticise every tenet of old beliefs. Item by item he has to challenge the efficacy of old faith. He has to analyse and understand all the details. If after rigorous reasoning, one is led to believe in any theory of philosophy, his faith is appreciated. His reasoning may be mistaken and even fallacious. But there is chance that he will be corrected because Reason is the guiding principle of his life. But belief, I should say blind belief is disastrous. It deprives a man of his understanding power and makes him reactionary. Any person who claims to be a realist has to challenge the truth of old beliefs. If faith cannot withstand the onslaught of reason, it collapses. After that his task should be to do the groundwork for new philosophy. This is the negative side. After that comes in the positive work in which some material of the olden times can be used to construct the pillars of new philosophy. As far as I am concerned, I admit that I lack sufficient study in this field. I had a great desire to study the Oriental Philosophy, but I could get ample opportunity or sufficient time to do so. But so far as I reject the old time beliefs, it is not a matter of countering belief with belief, rather I can challenge the efficacy of old beliefs with sound arguments. We believe in nature and that human progress depends on the domination of man over nature. There is no conscious power behind it. This is our philosophy. Being atheist, I ask a few questions from theists: 1. If, as you believe there is an Almighty, Omnipresent, Omniscient God, who created the earth or universe, please let me know, first of all, as to why he created this world. This world which is full of woe and grief, and countless miseries, where not even one person lives in peace. 2. Pray, don’t say it is His law. If He is bound by any law, He is not Omnipotent. Don’t say it is His pleasure. Nero burnt one Rome. He killed a very limited number of people. He caused only a few tragedies, all for his morbid enjoyment. But what is his place in history? By what names do we remember him? All the disparaging epithets are hurled at him. Pages are blackened with invective diatribes condemning Nero: the tyrant, the heartless, the wicked. One Genghis Khan killed a few thousand people to seek pleasure in it and we hate the very name. Now, how will you justify your all powerful, eternal Nero, who every day, every moment continues his pastime of killing people? How can you support his doings which surpass those of Genghis Khan in cruelty and in misery inflicted upon people? I ask why the Almighty created this world which is nothing but a living hell, a place of constant and bitter unrest. Why did he create man when he had the power not to do so? Have you any answer to these questions? You will say that it is to reward the sufferer and punish the evildoer in the hereafter. Well, well, how far will you justify a man who first of all inflicts injuries on your body and then applies soft and soothing ointment on them? How far the supporters and organizers of Gladiator bouts were justified in throwing men before half starved lions, later to be cared for and looked after well if they escaped this horrible death. That is why I ask: Was the creation of man intended to derive this kind of pleasure? Open your eyes and see millions of people dying of hunger in slums and huts dirtier than the grim dungeons of prisons; just see the labourers patiently or say apathetically while the rich vampires suck their blood; bring to mind the wastage of human energy that will make a man with a little common sense shiver in horror. Just observe rich nations throwing their surplus produce into the sea instead of distributing it among the needy and deprived. There are palaces of kings built upon the foundations laid with human bones. Let them see all this and say â€Å"All is well in God’s Kingdom.† Why so? This is my question. You are silent. All right. I proceed to my next point. You, the Hindus, would say: Whosoever undergoes sufferings in this life, must have been a sinner in his previous birth. It is tantamount to saying that those who are oppressors now were Godly people then, in their previous births. For this reason alone they hold power in their hands. Let me say it plainly that your ancestors were shrewd people. They were always in search of petty hoaxes to play upon people and snatch from them the power of Reason. Let us analyse how much this argument carries weight! Those who are well versed in the philosophy of Jurisprudence relate three of four justifications for the punishment that is to be inflicted upon a wrong-doer. These are: revenge, reform, and deterrence. The Retribution Theory is now condemned by all the thinkers. Deterrent theory is on the anvil for its flaws. Reformative theory is now widely accepted and considered to be necessary for human progress. It aims at reforming the culprit and converting him into a peace-loving citizen. But what in essence is God’s Punishment even if it is inflicted on a person who has really done some harm? For the sake of argument we agree for a moment that a person committed some crime in his previous birth and God punished him by changing his shape into a cow, cat, tree, or any other animal. You may enumerate the number of these variations in Godly Punishment to be at least eighty-four lack. Tell me, has this tomfoolery, perpetrated in the name of punishment, any reformative effect on human man? How many of them have you met who were donkeys in their previous births for having committed any sin? Absolutely no one of this sort! The so called theory of ‘Puranas’ (transmigration) is nothing but a fairy-tale. I do not have any intention to bring this unutterable trash under discussion. Do you really know the most cursed sin in this world is to be poor? Yes, poverty is a sin; it is a punishment! Cursed be the theoretician, jurist or legislator who proposes such measures as push man into the quagmire of more heinous sins. Did it not occur to your All Knowing God or he could learn the truth only after millions had undergone untold sufferings and hardships? What, according to your theory, is the fate of a person who, by no sin of his own, has been born into a family of low caste people? He is poor so he cannot go to a school. It is his fate to be shunned and hated by those who are born into a high caste. His ignorance, his poverty, and the contempt he receives from others will harden his heart towards society. Supposing that he commits a sin, who shall bear the consequences? God, or he, or the learned people of that society? What is your view about those punishments inflicted on the people who were deliberately kept ignorant by selfish and proud Brahmans? If by chance these poor creatures heard a few words of your sacred books, Vedas, these Brahmans poured melted lead into their ears. If they committed any sin, who was to be held responsible? Who was to bear the brunt? My dear friends, these theories have been coined by the privileged classes. They try to justify the power they have usurped and the riches they have robbed with the help of such theories. Perhaps it was the writer Upton Sinclair who wrote (Bhagat Singh is referring to Sinclair’s pamphlet ‘Profits of Religion’ – MIA transcriber) somewhere â€Å"only make a man firm believer in the immortality of soul, then rob him of all that he possesses. He will willingly help you in the process.† The dirty alliance between religious preachers and possessors of power brought the boon of prisons, gallows, knouts and above all such theories for the mankind. I ask why your Omnipotent God does not hold a man back when he is about to commit a sin or offence. It is child’s play for God. Why did He not kill war lords? Why did He not obliterate the fury of war from their minds? In this way He could have saved humanity of many a great calamity and horror. Why does He not infuse humanistic sentiments into the minds of the Britishers so that they may willingly leave India? I ask why He does not fill the hearts of all capitalist classes with altruistic humanism that prompts them to give up personal possession of the means of production and this will free the whole labouring humanity from the shackles of money. You want to argue the practicability of Socialist theory, I leave it to your Almighty God to enforce it. Common people understand the merits of Socialist theory as far as general welfare is concerned but they oppose it under the pretext that it cannot be implemented. Let the Almighty step in and arrange things in a proper way. No more logic chopping! I tell you that the British rule is not there because God willed it but for the reason that we lack the will and courage to oppose it. Not that they are keeping us under subjugation with the consent of God, but it is with the force of guns and rifles, bombs and bullets, police and militia, and above all because of our apathy that they are successfully committing the most deplorable sin, that is, the exploitation of one nation by another. Where is God? What is He doing? Is He getting a diseased pleasure out of it? A Nero! A Genghis Khan! Down with Him! Now another piece of manufactured logic! You ask me how I will explain the origin of this world and origin of man. Charles Darwin has tried to throw some light on this subject. Study his book. Also, have a look at Sohan Swami’s â€Å"Commonsense.† You will get a satisfactory answer. This topic is concerned with Biology and Natural History. This is a phenomenon of nature. The accidental mixture of different substances in the form of Nebulae gave birth to this earth. When? Study history to know this. The same process caused the evolution of animals and in the long run that of man. Read Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species.’ All the later progress is due to man’s constant conflict with nature and his efforts to utilise nature for his own benefit. This is the briefest sketch of this phenomenon. Your next question will be why a child is born blind or lame even if he was not a sinner in his previous birth. This problem has been explained in a satisfactory manner by biologists as a mere biological phenomenon. According to them the whole burden rests upon the shoulders of parents whose conscious or unconscious deeds caused mutilation of the child prior to his birth. You may thrust yet another question at me, though it is merely childish. The question is: If God does not really exist, why do people come to believe in Him? Brief and concise my answer will be. As they come to believe in ghosts, and evil spirits, so they also evolve a kind of belief in God: the only difference being that God is almost a universal phenomenon and well developed theological philosophy. However, I do disagree with radical philosophy. It attributes His origin to the ingenuity of exploiters who wanted to keep the people under their subjugation by preaching the existence of a Supreme Being; thus claimed an authority and sanction from Him for their privileged position. I do not differ on the essential point that all religions, faiths, theological philosophies, and religious creeds and all other such institutions in the long run become supporters of the tyrannical and exploiting institutions, men and classes. Rebellion against any king has always been a sin in every religion . As regard the origin of God, my thought is that man created God in his imagination when he realized his weaknesses, limitations and shortcomings. In this way he got the courage to face all the trying circumstances and to meet all dangers that might occur in his life and also to restrain his outbursts in prosperity and affluence. God, with his whimsical laws and parental generosity was painted with variegated colours of imagination. He was used as a deterrent factor when his fury and his laws were repeatedly propagated so that man might not become a danger to society. He was the cry of the distressed soul for he was believed to stand as father and mother, sister and brother, brother and friend when in time of distress a man was left alone and helpless. He was Almighty and could do anything. The idea of God is helpful to a man in distress. Society must fight against this belief in God as it fought against idol worship and other narrow conceptions of religion. In this way man will try to stand on his feet. Being realistic, he will have to throw his faith aside and face all adversaries with courage and valour. That is exactly my state of mind. My friends, it is not my vanity; it is my mode of thinking that has made me an atheist. I don’t think that by strengthening my belief in God and by offering prayers to Him every day, (this I consider to be the most degraded act on the part of man) I can bring improvement in my situation, nor can I further deteriorate it. I have read of many atheists facing all troubles boldly, so I am trying to stand like a man with the head high and erect to the last; even on the gallows. Let us see how steadfast I am. One of my friends asked me to pray. When informed of my atheism, he said, â€Å"When your last days come, you will begin to believe.† I said, â€Å"No, dear sir, Never shall it happen. I consider it to be an act of degradation and demoralisation. For such petty selfish motives, I shall never pray.† Reader and friends, is it vanity? If it is, I stand for it.

The King And The Once And Future King Religion Essay

The King And The Once And Future King Religion Essay This is Jesus, King of the Jews. (Matthew 27:37b) Yes, Wart, said Merlyn. Or rather, as I should say (or is it have said?), Yes, King Arthur.' (White 161) Jesus was King of the Jews; Arthur was King of the Britons. Many people would not see much of a comparison between these two great kings. However, upon further analysis, one would find that the similarities between Jesus and T.H. Whites depiction of King Arthur are plentiful. These similarities include: a destiny of greatness, a humble background, a pursuit of great change throughout the world, and a betrayal. Although there are some factors that hurt the comparison, there is far more evidence showing how similar these two kings truly are. There are some definite differences between Jesus and Whites Arthur that would cause many connoisseurs of literature to rebuke the idea that they shared any similarities at all. Although many of their differences are minor, there is one that is profound. This extremely noticeable and important contrast is the difference in maturity and wisdom between King Arthur and Jesus. From a young age, Jesus was noted as being very wise and showed much maturity. In the Gospel according to Luke, one reads And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40) Luke goes on to tell us that when Jesus was still only twelve years old, he stayed at the temple in Jerusalem instead of returning home with his parents. (Luke 2:41-47) When he was eventually found, his parents asked him why he had stayed behind; he replied Why were you searching for me? he asked. Didnt you know I had to be in my Fathers house?' (Luke 2:49) Even at such a young age, Je sus showed wisdom that rivaled the religious leaders. He also had the maturity at that age to realize who his true Father was, and showed signs that he was aware of his ultimate destiny. As Jesus grew older, he continuously showed off his wisdom and maturity in almost everything that was thrown his way. He never had to ask another person advice on what he should do, nor did he ever need to be told that what he was doing was wrong. Jesus truly did have the maturity necessary to become the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He knew it was his destiny to save mankind, and readily accepted his fate. Whereas Jesus was far more wise and mature than even the leaders of his time, T. H. White depicts an Arthur with the maturity and wisdom of a small child. There were many instances in which Arthur almost could not think for himself and relied on his tutor Merlyn to correct his faults. This can be seen after one battle when Arthur did not know how many men he had lost and was prideful of his victory. Merlyn was enraged but Arthur could not (or would not) figure out for himself what was wrong and was forced to ask Merlyn what was wrong. To this Merlyn replied, Tell you! he exclaimed. And what is going to happen when there is nobody to tell you? Are you never going to think for yourself?' (White 169) Here we can see that Merlyn was aware of King Arthurs fatal flaw. Even when Arthur is warned about Guenever, he ignores the warning and decides to marry her anyways. (White 252) Even though there is not one particular act that led to Arthurs demise, a combination of stupid mistakes led to h is ultimate downfall. Once that primary difference in maturity and wisdom is peeled away, one can begin to look at the similarities between Jesus and Arthur. The first of these comparisons is the fact that both of the two men were destined to be great. Throughout the Old Testament, there are many predictions and prophecies of the coming of Christ. One such account is in Isaiah, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14) The coming of Christ was not a random occurrence of chance; rather, it was foretold long before the day would come for an innocent man to die upon a tree. It was Jesuss destiny to become King of the Jews. It was Arthurs destiny to become King of the Britons. Although he was unaware of it, his father was Uther Pendragon, the former King of England. (White 160) This meant that Arthur was the rightful King of England after the death of his father. Though he was not raised as a future king, it was inevitable that he would become one. As he grew up, his tutor, Merlyn, taught him important lessons that were essential for Arthur to develop into a great king. Merlyn knew that Arthur was destined to be a great king because he lived backwards in time. (White 24) However, Merlyn was the only person who knew this. Arthur lived his life thinking that he would become the squire of his foster brother. He had a very humble beginning, but that all changed when he pulled a sword from a stone. Every story has a beginning, and for Jesus and Arthur, it was a humble one. When most people think of the birth of a future king, they think of the child in an extravagant crib within castle walls, especially for the King of Kings. Jesus, on the other hand, was first laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn. (Luke 2:7) This is vastly different from the picture that is normally painted within ones mind. He did not lie in a bed, he was not in a castle, and there was nothing extravagant about his birth. Other than the prophecies and predictions, there was no other indication that this baby boy was the Son of God. Even the environment in which he would grow up was normal. His father was not a king, soldier, or scholar. His father was just a carpenter that lived a simple life. As far as anyone else was concerned, Jesus was just a normal human being. The Wart was called the Wart because it more or less rhymed with Art, which was short for his real name. (White 5) Though he would come to be King of England, he was not raised as such. Before it was revealed that he should rule over the British Isles, Arthur was to be the squire of his foster brother, Kay. Wart looked up to Kay and could always be found at his side. Besides, he admired Kay and was a born follower. He was a hero-worshipper. (White 9) This shows the vast contrast between the early personality of Wart and the king that he would have to become. Fortunately for the sake of England, Wart did mature, and due to his humble beginning, King Arthur sought to bring about a lot of needed change. You must be the change you want to see in the world. (Gandhi) There have been many people throughout the history of mankind that wished to save the world from itself. They saw the fatal flaws of the human condition and tried to correct the flaws before they became detrimental to society. One such person was Jesus of Nazareth. However, he did not simply wish to change the world; he actually did it. In fact, Jesus was sent to Earth just for that reason. Everywhere he went, Jesus taught new ideas and concepts in order to change the way people thought, acted and felt. He would challenge everyone to always take things one step further. For instance, instead of telling people to not commit adultery, Jesus tells a crowd of people that they should not even look at a woman with lust. (Matthew 5:27-28) Jesus told people to love their enemies instead of hating them. (Matthew 5:44) Instead of warning the multitudes to not murder, He taught them to not even become angry with someone. (Matthew 5:2 1-22) Jesus was determined to bring about the change that he so desperately sought, even if it meant he had to die in the worst way imaginable. Before the rule of King Arthur, knights did as they pleased without consequence. (White ch. 6)They believed that the person who is the strongest is right and this led to a lot of chaos and violence. With the consult of Merlyn, Arthur saw how destructive this idea was and wanted to change knighthood into an institute that promoted good deeds. It was this pursuit of change in which the Knights of the Round Table were founded. Why cant you harness Might so that it works for Right? (White 189) Arthur reasoned that he could use the Knights to do good in England instead of causing chaos. He finally decided to instill a code of chivalry and formed the Knights of the Round Table. Then you should have died! Died, rather than betray your friends, as we would have done for you! (Rowling ) Sometimes our friends turn out to be enemies. For both King Arthur and Jesus Christ, this statement could not be any truer. Throughout his ministry, Jesus acquired many disciples who followed him, but only twelve of these disciples were known as the Apostles. The Apostles were always with Jesus and were meant to continue his ministry after his crucifixion. Unfortunately, one of these twelve Apostles was not as noble as everyone believed. Judas Iscariot agreed to betray his teacher (which would result in Jesuss arrest and execution) in exchange for thirty silver coins. (Matthew 25:38) Interestingly enough, betrayal has its way of exacting justice on the betrayer. After the crucifixion, Judas returned the money and hanged himself. This one act of betrayal had not only destroyed one life, but his betrayer was ruined as well. Arthur was a person that was quite familiar with the idea of betrayal. Throughout England, there was not a greater knight than Lancelot. (White 252) It was not long before Lancelot joined the Knights of the Round Table and would become Arthurs close ally. Unfortunately, Lancelot was not immune to human emotion and fell in love with Arthurs queen, Guenever. In turn, Guenever fell in love with Lancelot because he was such a great knight. The two eventually start a romantic relationship, thus betraying King Arthur. This would also lead to the demise of Arthur, because his enemy (and son) used Arthurs love of both Guenever and Lancelot against him. Interestingly, like Judas, Lancelot almost destroyed himself because of the guilt of his betrayal. He eventually went mad and it was many years before he would return to normalcy. Though King Arthur and Jesus Christ were to completely different people from completely different times, the two characters have many striking resemblances. They both had a very humble beginning and early life but were destined for greatness. Both men wished to bring about change that would make the world a better place. Finally, each of them was betrayed in a way that led to their demise. One was King of the Britons; the other was King of the Jews, but they both were great kings nonetheless.

Analysis of Dubais Economy

Analysis of Dubais Economy Dubais Financial Crisis: Dubai is usually characterized by sky piercing towers, rotating buildings, spectacular architectural designs, flow of petro-dollars which refers to the income coming from exporting oil and its products to other countries, broad and clean road networks, etc. It represents a face of modernization and advancement and has earned a place amongst one of the most technically advanced countries in the world. This rapid development of the country was a result of the focus of the government on tourism thus promoting the real estate sector with the help of revenues coming from export of oil and natural gas. With the largest real estate company of Dubai Emaar properties becoming bankrupt in the United States and vaDubai proposal to delay the repayment of all its debts for a period of 6 months on November 26, 2009 the financial crisis in Dubai was exposed in front of the world which had bad effects on countries around the world. The debts were as large as $59 billion causing a stop to the investm ent cycle of Dubai for 6 months. The Dubais real estate industry was based on huge loans which they expected to pay through the revenues they earn from them but with recession hitting the industry badly their plans failed. Thus the Dubais financial crisis to a large extent can be said to be a consequence of real estate bubble burst in Dubai. Dubais Economy: Before getting to the financial crisis it is important to know the structure of the Dubais economy which is one of the most unique and unusual in the world. It is divided into free zones setup by the government of Dubai. The zones are industry specific with Jebel Ali free zone being the fastest growing in the world. The Jebel Ali free zone offers a set of products and services such as: ready to use offices, Business centers, factories, Warehouses, infrastructure ready plots etc. Jebel Ali free zone commonly referred to as Jafza is a part of Dubai based; a state owned Economic Zones World. It is one of the worlds biggest developers of Economic Zones, Logistics and Research and development driven Industrial Parks. The main free zones of Dubai are Jebel Ali free zone, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, and Dubai Maritime City which are based on the industries they are related with. People have false misconception about Dubais economy they believe that its mainly driven by oil and gas although the oil sector comprises of less than 6% economy of Dubai that was primarily dependent on oil as a main source of revenue in the past. Dubai being a part of the United Arab Emirates is expected to be great producer of oil, petroleum and natural gas although it is a good producer but compared to other countries of the United Arab Emirates it produces relatively lesser quantities of oil. Dubai produces 240,000 barrels of oil per day and its revenues from natural gas constitute only 2% of the total revenue that United Arab Emirates gets from natural gas. Although it is true that Dubais economy was initially build on the revenues generated by its reserves of oil and natural gas but with time its oil reserves have reduced significantly as a result of a large increase in the demand for oil and oil products around the world and over the years and Dubai exporting a great amount of oil to other countries it is expected that Dubais reserves of oil will get exhausted in the next 20 years and so it has concentrated on the tourism industry to generate good revenues at that time. (Dubai hit hard) Another large contributing sector of Dubais economy is the real estate which forms 22.6% of the economy of Dubai. The great success of this industry is owed to the focus on tourism. Over the years the government of Dubai has concentrated largely on tourism they have invested large capitals in order to promote their tourism in the process they have built sky scrapers, clean and well knit network of roads. The government has focused on providing world class facilities in Dubai in the process creating architectural designs and buildings which attracts tourists from all around the world. As the real estate industry is closely related to the tourism industry it has developed as a major industry in Dubai and contributes greatly to its economy. According to a survey in 2007 the largest contributing sectors for the Dubais economy other than oil were real estate and construction, trade and financial services which contribute 22.6%, 16% and 11% respectively to the Dubais economy. From the facts mentioned above it can be ascertained that there has been a shift in Dubais economy from being solely dependent on oil to development of other sectors by using the large amounts of money coming from the oil to development of other sectors like tourism but it has been stuck badly due to fall in prices of buildings and as most of them were based on loans vaDubai formally announced that the biggest of its real estate companies would not be able to repay their debts for a period of at least six months leading to the financial crisis. The Policy of diversifying to Real Estate: The funds had always been flowing into Dubai due to its large reserves of oil that it posses and initially the whole economy of Dubai was dependent mainly on income coming from oil and natural gas but there has been a shift as the Dubai government now aims at making the tourism industry the biggest industry of Dubai and has invested a huge capital in developing this industry. In the year 2000 the establishment of Dubai Financial Market (DFM) as a secondary market for trading of trading securities and bonds both locally and globally was major step in diversifying Dubais economy. The establishment of Dubai Financial market was a part of the governments plan to diversify Dubais economy from a trade based economy to the one which is tourism and service oriented made real estate more valuable in Dubai. The inclination of the government towards tourism did turn out to be a promoter for the real estate and construction industry and the real estate industry grew at a rapid pace in Dubai becoming one of the largest industries in Dubai. As a result of the governments promotion to tourism Dubai witnessed a real estate boom which resulted in appreciation of property prices in Dubai from 2004-2006. These policies transformed Dubai into a center for large scale real estate development projects and made it a home for many large projects and tallest skyscrapers of the world which are now amongst famous buildings of the world. The results of these policies are visible through buildings like the Burj Dubai, the Palm Islands, the Emirates Towers, and the worlds most expensive hotel, the Burj Al Arab which reflect the rapid development and the great advancement of the real estate and construction industry in Dubai making it a world class tourist destination. All the results of these policies led to a great change in Dubais landscape which also led to a great amount of foreign investments in Dubai as Dubai became a great destination for investors around the world. For many years Dubai has given great returns to investors around the world with an aggregate of approximately more than 40% per annum which has attracted clients from around the world trying to get the investment ladder ready but during the last few months being hit badly by recession these profits have turned into losses with a depreciation in property prices creating a situation of financial crisis in Dubai. Although Dubai has given great returns in the past but the ugly face of the Dubai model that it was based on speculation and debt that was somewhere in the breakneck boom in Dubai and with the prices of buildings falling in the recent past this face was exposed as the largest real estate companies were not able to repay their debts that were due till December 2009 and the government asked the investment companies delay the collection of all their funds for at least a period of 6 months which hit badly the finance industry of Dubai which is one of the major industries of Dubai. The Dubai World: The Dubai world which is an investment company acts as a regulatory company in Dubai. It manages a portfolio of businesses projects for the Dubai government. It functions across a wide range of industries and projects which promote Dubai as a hub for trading and commerce. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem is the chairman of the company. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates is the major stake holder of the company. The company was established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum under a decree ratified on March 2nd 2006 with an aim to regulate and promote trade in Dubai. The stature of Dubai world is quite large in the global market and it has large investments not only within Dubai but also in countries around the world. Some of its major investments range from MGM Mirage Las Vegas Casino Company to Standard Chartered Plc a London-traded bank and luxury retailer Barneys New York through asset management firm named Istithmar PJSC. The Initial success of Dubai in the Period of global financial Crisis In the early period of global financial system Dubais financial structure, dynamic construction and tourism industries and relished tax free incentives seemed to be a great advantage for it and many people even expected it to remain free from any sort of recession. A major factor that created this illusion in the minds of people was the continuance of investment activities and construction at a feverish pace even when there was a lack of capital in all other parts of the world and no other country was even thinking of such investments Dubai announced to construct a new tallest building of the world just after Lehman Brothers collapsed in the United States. All these steps along with the booming infrastructure of Dubai attracted many investors from around the world who thought of Dubai as a good prospect for investment and expected good returns from it. Dubai has built one of the finest infrastructures of the world and it is quite natural for investors to be attracted towards such a p lace which lead to the initial success of Dubai in a period when the world was facing recession and lacking investments but its overdependence on debts caused the financial crisis. Seeds of trouble The global financial crisis during 2008-09 resulted in major downfall of Dubais real estate market. It led to slow down of the economy of Dubai. The economic revenue generated was not coming as efficient as before which greatly hindered Dubais growth and as most of its plans were based on money borrowed by investment companies and there were no plans to face any downturns in the economy it became difficult for them to repay that loan. As the main aim of Dubais economy was the tourism industry a slump in the global markets was always bound to affect the economy of Dubai. At the international press council conducted by Mohammed al Abbar, senior enough to abide Dubais Ruler and UAEs Vice President or Prime Minister. He was placed at the designation of the Director General of Dubais Department for Economic Development and also as a chairman for Emaar properties the largest real estate company in December 2008 declared the credits that Emaar enterprise had which had an adverse effect on the economy as a whole. Emaar Enterprise had credits for over 70 billion US Dollars. In addition to it they also had additional 10 billion US Dollars in Dubai with holdings estimated above 350 billion as a real estate asset. Earlier in 2009, situation was worse due to the global economic crisis, heavy tolls on employment, property values, constructions, etc. also added into it and resulted in the decrease in costs of these prices due to slow down in the world markets also hit the real estate sector of Dubai which was expecting a rapid development in order to repay all its debts in stipulated time. This not only hit the real estate industry of Dubai but also the finance industries which financed most of the projects of construction. In Feb 2009, the estimated foreign debt for Dubai was approximated at 100 billion US Dollars. It leads 250,000 United Arab Emirates national to be responsible for more than 400,000 US Dollars of foreign debts which is a very large amount although Dubai had been hit by a financial crisis in the past also. In the year 1999 Dubai was hit by a similar crisis but at that time the debts were much less than the amounts this time and at that time Abu Dhabi supported it but the amounts are very high this time as the main focus of Dubai government in the recent past has been tourism industry and the real estate is closely related to it. The assessment of Dubai market of property has shown a lot of depreciation or decrement. The property loss was more than 65% of their values since 2001 till November 2008 which has been one of the main causes of the financial crisis as the property market was expecting an increase in prices but the decrease proved to be fatal for it. The construction companies were expecting a rapid increase in the property prices and were expecting to repay their debts using the incomes created from it but that did not happen and lead to the financial crisis In addition to all these failures in key businesses, consumer satisfaction, wealth etc. is estimated to be in trillions of US Dollars. The financial commitments incurred by governments proved a fatal loss in economic activity. The Burst of Bubble Dubai which is governed by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum borrowed approx 80 billion US Dollars in a period of 4 years of construction for booming the construction market of economy of regional tourism as their main focus was on tourism as they expect that it would lead to a concrete source of income for them even when their oil reserves get exhausted. Emirates suffered a huge loss in the worlds steepest property slump as a result of global recession. The home prices dropped by 50 percent from their value in 2008 leaving Dubai in a situation where they were not able to generate adequate money in order to repay the debts that they had taken in order to promote the real estate industry. Dubai had 59 billion US Dollars of liabilities in agreement to the standstill of creditors. The debt included more than 3.5 billion dollars of bonds dated December 14. This property unit is from Nakheel PJSC a firm from Dubai. Analyst said that the prime reason for the financial crisis in Dubai was the mismanagement or the wrong decision of Sheikh Mohammed. He invested all his as well as the Dubai government wealth in the real estate market in United State and had no plans to deal with any kinds of shocks faced in their road to success such as recession. He thought that Dubai would never be stuck with any sort of recession which was a result of lack of adequate planning for bad phases during their journey. The foreign investment of Emaar claimed to be the second largest builders in United States. They ultimately went bankrupt because of the recession and/or filed for chapter 11, which allows reorganization of a company under the laws of bankruptcy for United States. United States bankruptcy code permits the reorganization of any of the company under the bankruptcy laws of United States of America. Dubai shifted to their crisis mode with their large and dangerous building boom. Their lending bonanza soon vanished due to the crisis. Government and banks took huge steps to provide some backup to the organization and to rescue the falling organization. The bankruptcy of Emaar properties was a big shock for people around the world and even bigger for the people in Dubai as it acted as a hint of the financial crisis that had begun in Dubai which was considered to be one of the flourishing economies of the world. Announcement and the impact of official moratorium: Dated: 25 November, 2009, the final announcement came in by the government of Dubai. They announced that the company intends to ask all its providers for financing to Dubai World, its subsidiary Nakheel to remain standstill and extend the maturities until at least the date 30 May 2010. This announcement meant a great decrease in the inflow of money for all the financial companies who had invested in various projects in Dubai and also sent a bad message to the world which had come to know that Dubai was in a financial crisis. Several months before the announcement Dubai world accounted for $59-billion debt which accounted for nearly three fourth of the emirates total debt of US$80-billion. These debts also included a $3.5-billion debt which the company was unable to pay by its December deadline. This announcement not only led to a degradation of Dubais goodwill among investment companies but also had a bad impact on the global markets which were recovering from the impacts of recessio n, the announcement in a way pushed the recovering markets back when they had started growing. The impact was very severe as it degraded the investment status of Dubai amongst various investment companies. The governments announcement led both Standard Poors Investors Services and Moodys who were the key investors of Dubai heavily downgraded the debt of various Dubai government-related entities with interests in commercial operations, utilities, property, and commodities trading which meant that it became harder for companies to get money for their projects. For Moody, the downgrade meant that the affected agencies would lose their investment grade status which would help Moody to make it very difficult for them to get the money required for their businesses. The effect was not only internal its impact was felt by all major markets of the world who experienced a drop in their stock indices. The main European markets shattered on November 26 followed by huge drops in Asian stocks on November 27 creating a bad impact on these markets that were recovering from the shocks of recession. Possibilities of Recovery: Although Dubai is presently suffering with a financial crisis there are still possibilities that it will recover from this crisis. Abu Dhabi the capital of the United Arab Emirates which is also the richest country of the United Arab Emirates is the brightest ray of hope for Dubai. Dubai has already asked Abu Dhabi to bail it out of the crisis. The hope even increases as Abu Dhabi has helped Dubai in the past when Dubai was in Crisis although the demand is much higher than the past. Abu Dhabi has helped Dubai with an amount of $10 billion in order to bail out the Dubai world. A recent report by HSBC which says that Abu Dhabi has the cash liquidity to support its own companies and banks is even more positive response as Dubais point of view. Thus Abu Dhabi may use some of this liquidity to bail out Dubai from this phase of crisis. With the U.A.E central bank showing positive signs by confirming that its board has discussed plans for supporting real estate business by lending Dubai as well as remaining United Arab Emirates has increased the probabilities of recovery for Dubai to a great extent. Impact on Indian Economy: Indian banks have communicated to the Reserve Bank of India that their sheets show insignificant investments in Dubai as compared to their revenues generated. The main investments are those of State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and ICICI combined together denote investments of around Rs 7000 crores with SBI having Rs 1500 crore in the combined charts. However Bank of Barodas spreadsheet has Rs 4000 crore invested in UAE with only Rs 600 crores in real estate markets and has no negative impact on the health of the bank. However the professional front may face losses as Indians constitute 40% of the population of Dubai and are all in the business or service sector and so it may affect the remittances to India could decline provided the company is able to work out a bailout from this scenario. UAE has not been a significant source of investment in the Indian portfolio however the crises as already stated will affect the remittances or permanent transference of money to the relatives of Indians settled in Dubai was an important component of Indian Economy as in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 as it formed 45% of the invisibles. But the crises have created intense pressure on employment thereby reducing the invisibles coming to the country. Dubai Worlds subsidiary DP World has investments in the Indian sea ports and planned investments of $ 500 million can hamper Indias water strength. Dubai crises and Indian exports are closely linked and reached a massive 13% in the fiscal of 2010 as is shown in the graph below. These figures give an estimate of how the exports could falter the critical situation and hamper the export market. Indian real estate developers who had ventured into Dubai like Nagarjuna Constructions, BSEL Infra, Larsen and Toubro etc References Dubai Crisis 2009. (n.d.), Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://www.gktoday.in/2009/11/what-is-dubai-crisis-2009.html Dubai Economic Crisis. (n.d.), Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/23974903/Dubai-Economic-Crisis-And-Its-Impacts-On-India Dubai hit hard. (n.d.), Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://www.globalcrisisnews.com/real-estate/dubai-hit-hard-by-financial-crisis/id=625/

My Philosophy of Teaching :: Philosophy of Education

Philosophy I have for several years played with the idea of becoming a teacher. I started my college education over twenty years ago and within this period of time, I have had the pleasure of raising my own children and being involved with hundreds of other children at the elementary school level, as a little league coach of basketball and softball. And the most important lesson I learned was that at this stage of a child’s life their self worth and self esteem, are so very important in the building blocks for adolescence and young adulthood. I feel that for a child with good education foundation, the sky is the limit in what they can accomplish in their lifetime. I feel that we lose so many children within our educational system by the sixth grade, because the foundation blocks are not solidly laid. We as teachers must start to rethink the material and content we are using to build these students educational foundation and make sure it is the very best we as educators can give our stude nts. As a pre-service teacher I feel that I would contribute to the education, self-esteem, and self worth of all children that would pass through my classroom. This fact alone is one of the greatest influences on me to enter the teaching profession. This makes me want to give something back. My classroom would be set up in a traditional style, desk in linear rows facing front of classroom, my desk would in a corner position so that I could observe all my students. My bulletin boards would show several different cultures of people and many different lands. Computer and Internet access would be part of my classroom supplement materials, alone with audio/visual equipment. My teaching styles would be a blending of two philosophies, I would use an eclectic style of teaching. Traditional to facilitating, essentialism to progressive, idealism and pragmatism. For I feel is the job of the teacher to create a learning environment for each an every student to make them want to learn.

Crop Circles :: essays research papers fc

Crop Circles have been found throughout the whole country. They are one of the most intriguing things that I have read and researched. There have also been many shows that I have watched that have been very interesting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first recent evidence of a crop circle was in 1966 in Tully England. The circles themselves ranged from a few inches in diameter to a few feet. There is also evidence of a crop circle in Hertfordshire, England in 1678.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There have been many theories as to why these peculiar circular shapes have appeared in peoples crops. These theories include UFO’s, energy fields, and also plasma vortexes(sine 1). There is no evidence as to how these patterns are formed. There is evidence that there is an electric field aroound some of these circles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One theory is that electrified air forms mini-tornadoes and causes the circles. This is called the â€Å"Plasma Vortex Theory†(Sine 1). Another theory that is very prominent is that all of these circles are hoaxes and were made by people to recieve publicity. Hoaxes are blamed for many of the circles especially the ones that are more complex. There have been people to admit to man making some of these circles. Two people who have admitted to this are Doug Bower and David Chorley(Sine 1). They admitted to faking around two hundred fifty cirle formations. Many of the circles that were admitted hoaxes were under suspicion because of there ragged look. Also some of the more complex and intricat ones are thought to be fakes. The amount of these circles is proof in itself and the fact that they are spread throughout the world is also proof that it is not all a hoax.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most interesting theory is that UFO’s made the circles(sine 2). there have been sightings of UFO’s and circles have been at the sight the next morning. There also has been sightingds of balls of light over the fields at night that have left these circles on the ground. When some of these circles have appeared a â€Å"sceaming†(Sine 1) noise was heard in the night along with strange nocturnal lights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sometime in the 1970’s circles appeared on the farm of a guy anmed Billy Meier’s farm. This person also had claimed to have been abducted by aliens in the past. The grass was flat but not broken just bent over.

Bloodlines Chapter Twenty

I ALMOST ASKED, â€Å"Are you serious?† But let's face it: that probably wasn't the kind of thing she would joke about, especially considering how grave her face looked. Other questions popped into my head, but I held back on those as well. They weren't that weird, but I didn't want to draw attention to myself by showing unusual interest in a grisly murder. Instead, I simply thanked Mrs. Dawson for her help with the letter and returned to East Campus. Mrs. Weathers was at her desk when I entered the dorm. I brought her the letter, which she read over twice before tucking it away in her filing cabinet. â€Å"All right,† she said. â€Å"Just make sure your sister signs in and out each time.† â€Å"I will, ma'am. Thank you.† I hesitated, torn over whether to go or ask the questions Mrs. Dawson's information had triggered. I decided to stay. â€Å"Mrs. Weathers†¦ ever since Jill disappeared, I just keep thinking about that girl you told me about. The one who died. I keep thinking that could've been Jill.† Mrs. Dawson's face softened. â€Å"Jill's fine. I shouldn't have told you that. I didn't mean to scare you.† â€Å"Is it true that girl's throat was slit?† â€Å"Yes.† She shook her head sadly. â€Å"Terrible. Simply terrible. I don't know who does that kind of thing.† â€Å"Did they ever find out why it happened? I mean, was there anything unusual about her?† â€Å"Unusual? No, not really. I mean, she was a lovely girl. Smart, pretty, popular. A good – no, great – athlete. Had friends, a boyfriend. But nothing that would especially make her stand out as a target. Of course, people who do awful things like that probably don't need a reason.† â€Å"True,† I murmured. I walked up to my room, wishing Mrs. Weathers had elaborated a little more on how pretty Kelly was. What I really wanted to know was if Kelly had been Moroi. If she had, I'd hoped Mrs. Weathers might comment on how tall or pale she was. By both Clarence's and the Alchemists' accounts, no Moroi on record had lived in the Palm Springs area. That didn't mean someone couldn't slip through the cracks, however. I'd have to find the answer myself. If Kelly had been Moroi, then we had three young Moroi women killed in the same way in southern California within a relatively short time span. Clarence might argue for his vampire hunter theory, but to me, this pattern screamed Strigoi. Jill was in our room, serving out her house arrest. The more time passed, the less angry I felt toward her. Having the feeding issue fixed helped. I would've been a lot more upset if we'd been unable to get her off campus. â€Å"What's wrong?† she asked me, looking up from her laptop. â€Å"Why do you think anything's wrong?† She smiled. â€Å"You've got that look. It's this tiny frown you get between your eyebrows when you're trying to figure something out.† I shook my head. â€Å"It's nothing.† â€Å"You know,† she said, â€Å"maybe all these responsibilities you have wouldn't be as bad if you talked them out and got help from other people.† â€Å"It's not quite like that. It's just something I'm trying to puzzle out.† â€Å"Tell me,† she entreated. â€Å"You can trust me.† It wasn't a matter of trust. It was a matter of unnecessarily worrying Jill. Mrs. Weathers had feared she would scare me, but if someone was killing Moroi girls, I wasn't in danger. Looking at Jill and her unwavering gaze, I decided if she could handle living with the knowledge that her own people were trying to kill her, she could handle this. I gave her a brief summary of what I knew. â€Å"You don't know if Kelly was Moroi, though,† she said, once I'd finished. â€Å"No. That's the crucial piece here.† I sat cross-legged on my bed with my own laptop. â€Å"I'm going to check our records and local newspapers to see if I can find a picture of her. All I learned from Mrs. Weathers is that Kelly was a star athlete.† â€Å"Which may mean she's not Moroi,† said Jill. â€Å"I mean, look at how terrible I perform in this sun. What happens if she's not? You've got a lot of theories hinging on her being Moroi. But what if she was human? What then? Can we ignore it? It could still be the same person†¦ but what would it mean if the murderer had killed two Moroi and one human?† Jill had a point. â€Å"I don't know,† I said. My search didn't take long. The Alchemists had no record of the murder, but then, they wouldn't if Kelly had been human. Lots of newspapers had stories about her, but I couldn't find any pictures. â€Å"What about a yearbook?† asked Jill. â€Å"Someone must keep them around.† â€Å"That's actually pretty brilliant,† I said. â€Å"See? I told you I'm useful.† I smiled at her and then remembered something. â€Å"Oh, I've got good news for you. Maybe.† I briefly recapped Kristin and Julia's â€Å"plan† about Jill joining the sewing club. Jill brightened but was still cautious. â€Å"You really think that would work?† â€Å"Only one way to find out.† â€Å"I've never touched a sewing machine in my life,† she said. â€Å"I guess this is your chance to learn,† I told her. â€Å"Or maybe the other girls will be happy to just keep you around as their in-class model.† Jill smirked. â€Å"How do you know only girls sign up for that?† â€Å"I don't,† I admitted. â€Å"Just playing off gender stereotypes, I guess.† My cell phone rang, and Ms. Terwilliger's number flashed on the display. I answered, bracing for a coffee run. â€Å"Miss Melbourne?† she said. â€Å"If you and your brother can be at Carlton within an hour, you can speak to someone in the registrar's office before they close. Can you manage that?† I looked at the time and took it on faith Adrian wasn't doing anything important. â€Å"Um, yes. Yes, of course, ma'am. Thank you. Thank you very much.† â€Å"The man you'll want to talk to is named Wes Regan.† She paused. â€Å"And could you bring me a cappuccino on your way back?† I assured her I could and then called Adrian with instructions to be ready for me. Quickly, I changed out of my uniform and into a blouse and twill skirt. Glancing at my reflection, I realized he was right. There really wasn't a lot of difference between Amberwood attire and my normal wardrobe. â€Å"I wish I could go,† said Jill wistfully. â€Å"I'd like to see Adrian again.† â€Å"Don't you kind of see him every day in a way?† â€Å"True,† she said. â€Å"Although I can't always get into his head when I want to yet. It just happens randomly. And anyway, it's not the same. He can't talk back to me through the bond.† I nearly replied that it sounded better than being around him in person but figured that wouldn't be helpful. Adrian was ready to go when I reached Clarence's, excited and eager for action. â€Å"You just missed your friend,† he said as he got into Latte. â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Keith.† I made a face. â€Å"He's not really my friend.† â€Å"Oh, you think? Most of us figured that out on day one, Sage.† I felt a little bad about that. Some part of me knew that I shouldn't let my personal feelings for Keith mix with business. We were co-workers of sorts and should've been presenting a united, professional front. At the same time, I was kind of glad these people – even if they were vampires and dhampirs – didn't think I was friendly with Keith. I didn't want them thinking he and I had much in common. I certainly didn't want to have a lot in common with him. The full meaning of Adrian's words suddenly hit me. â€Å"Wait. He was just here?† â€Å"A half hour ago.† He must have come straight from the school. I was lucky to have missed him. Something told me he wouldn't approve of me furthering Adrian's education. â€Å"What was he here for?† â€Å"Dunno. I think he was checking on Clarence. The old guy hasn't been feeling well.† Adrian pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. â€Å"Do you mind?† â€Å"Yes,† I replied. â€Å"What's wrong with Clarence?† â€Å"I don't know, but he's been resting a lot, which makes things even more boring. I mean, he wasn't the greatest conversationalist, but some of his crazy stories were interesting.† Adrian turned wistful. â€Å"Especially with scotch.† â€Å"Keep me updated on how he's doing,† I murmured. I wondered if perhaps that was why Keith had been in such a hurry earlier. If Clarence was seriously ill, we were going to have to make arrangements with a Moroi doctor. That would complicate our setup here in Palm Springs because we'd either have to move Clarence or bring in someone. If Keith was working on it, then I shouldn't have concerned myself†¦ but I just didn't trust him to do a good job with anything. â€Å"I don't know how you put up with him,† said Adrian. â€Å"I used to think you were weak and just didn't fight back†¦ but now, honestly, I think you're actually pretty tough. It takes a hell of a lot of strength to not complain and lash out. I don't have that self-control.† â€Å"You've got more than you think,† I said, a little flustered by the compliment. I was down on myself so much for what I saw as not pushing back sometimes that it had never occurred to me that took its own strength. I was even more surprised that it would take Adrian to point this out to me. â€Å"I'm always walking a line. My dad – and the Alchemists – are really big on obedience and following the directions of your superiors. I'm kind of in a double bind because I'm on shaky ground with them, so it's extra important for me to not make a fuss.† â€Å"Because of Rose?† His tone was carefully controlled. I nodded. â€Å"Yup. What I did was tantamount to treason in their eyes.† â€Å"I don't know what ‘tantamount' means, but it sounds pretty serious.† I could see him studying me out of the corner of his eye. â€Å"Was it worth it?† â€Å"So far.† It was easy to say that since Zoe had no tattoo yet and I hadn't seen a re-education center. If those things changed, so might my answers. â€Å"It was the right thing to do. I guess that justified dramatic action.† â€Å"I broke a lot of rules to help Rose too,† he said, a troubled tone in his voice. â€Å"I did it out of love. Misguided love, but love nonetheless. I don't know if that's as noble as your reasons, particularly since she was in love with someone else. Most of my ‘dramatic actions' haven't been for any cause. Most of them have been to annoy my parents.† I actually found myself a little jealous of that. I couldn't fathom purposely trying to get a reaction from my dad – though I'd certainly wanted to. â€Å"I think love's a noble reason,† I told him. I was speaking objectively, of course. I'd never been in love and had no point of reference to really judge. Based on what I'd observed in others, I assumed it was an amazing thing†¦ but for now, I was too busy with my job to notice its absence. I wondered if I should be disappointed by that. â€Å"And I think you have plenty of time to do other noble things.† He chuckled. â€Å"Never thought my biggest cheerleader would be someone who thought I was evil and unnatural.† That made two of us. Hesitantly, I managed to ask a question that had been burning inside me. â€Å"Do you still love her? Rose?† Along with not knowing what it felt like to be in love, I also didn't know how long it took to recover from love. Adrian's smile faded. His gaze turned inward. â€Å"Yes. No. It's hard to get over someone like that. She had a huge effect on me, both good and bad. That's hard to move past. I try not to think about her much in terms of love and hate. Mostly I'm trying to get on with my life. With mixed results, unfortunately.† We soon reached the college. Wes Regan was a big man with a salt-and-pepper beard who worked in Carlton's registration office. Ms. Terwilliger had tutored Wes's niece for free one summer, and Wes felt he owed her a favor. â€Å"Here's the deal,† he said once we were seated across from him. Adrian was wearing khaki pants and a sage-colored button-down shirt that would've been great for job interviews. A little too late. â€Å"I can't just enroll you. College applications are long and require transcripts, and there's no way you can swing one in two days. What I can do is get you in as an auditor.† â€Å"Like with the IRS?† asked Adrian. â€Å"No. Auditing means you're attending the class and doing the work but not getting a grade for it.† Adrian opened his mouth to speak, and I could only imagine what comment he had about doing work for no credit. I quickly interrupted him. â€Å"And then what?† â€Å"Then, if you can throw together an application in, oh, a week or two – and are accepted – I can retroactively change you to student status.† â€Å"What about financial aid?† asked Adrian, leaning forward. â€Å"Can I get some money for this?† â€Å"If you qualify,† said Wes. â€Å"But you can't really file for it until you've been accepted.† Adrian slumped back, and I was able to guess his thoughts. If getting enrolled would take a couple of weeks, there'd undoubtedly be a delay with the financial aid filing too. Adrian was looking at a month or more of living with Clarence, and that was probably optimistic. I half-expected Adrian to get up and nix everything. Instead, a resolute expression crossed his face. He nodded. â€Å"Okay. Let's get started with this auditing thing.† I was impressed. I was also jealous when Wes brought out the course catalog. I'd been able to lull myself into contentment with Amberwood's classes, but looking at real college offerings showed me the two schools were worlds away. The history classes were more focused and in depth than anything I could have imagined. Adrian had no interest in those, however. He immediately honed in on the art department. He ended up signing up for two introductory courses in oil painting and in watercolors. They met three times a week and were conveniently back-toback. â€Å"That'll make it easier if I'm busing in,† he explained as we were leaving. I gave him a startled look. â€Å"You're taking the bus?† He seemed amused by my astonishment. â€Å"What else? Classes are in the daytime. You can't take me.† I thought about Clarence's remote house. â€Å"Where on earth would you catch the bus?† â€Å"There's a stop about a half mile away. It transfers to another bus that goes to Carlton. The whole trip takes about an hour.† I confess, it left me speechless. I was amazed that Adrian had researched that much, let alone was willing to go to all that trouble. Yet on the ride back, he never uttered one word of complaint about how inconvenient it would be or how long he'd have to wait to move out of Clarence's. When I arrived back at Amberwood, I was excited to tell Jill the news about Adrian's collegiate success – not that she needed me to tell her. With the bond, she would probably know more than I did. Still, she always worried about him and would undoubtedly be pleased to see something go well for him. Jill wasn't in our room when I returned, but a note informed me she was studying elsewhere in the dorm. The only bright part of her punishment was that it limited where she could be at any time. I decided to use this opportunity to go make Ms. Terwilliger's crazy amulet. I'd accrued most of the necessary ingredients, and along with compliance from the biology teacher, Ms. Terwilliger had secured me access to one of the chemistry labs. No one was there this time of night, and it gave me plenty of space and quiet to mix up the concoction. As we'd noted, the instructions were extremely detailed and – in my opinion – superfluous. It wasn't enough to just measure out the nettle leaves. The instructions called for them â€Å"to rest for an hour,† during which time I was supposed to say to them, â€Å"into thee, flame I imbue† every ten minutes. I also had to boil the agate stone â€Å"to infuse it with heat.† The rest of the instructions were similar, and I knew there was no way Ms. Terwilliger would actually know if I followed everything to the letter – particularly the chants. Still, the whole purpose of this stunt was to report on what it was like to be an ancient practitioner. So, I followed everything dutifully and concentrated so hard on performing every step perfectly that I soon fell into a lull where nothing existed except the spell. I finished over two hours later and was surprised at how exhausted I felt. The final result certainly didn't seem to justify all the energy I'd expended. I was left with a leather cord from which hung a silk pouch filled with leaves and rocks. I carted it and my notes back to my dorm room, intending to write up my report for Ms. Terwilliger so that I could put this assignment behind me. When I reached my room, I gasped when I saw the door. Someone had taken red paint and drawn bats and fanged faces all over it. Scrawled across the front, in big blocky letters, were the words VAMP GIRL Full of panic, I burst into the room. Jill was there – along with Mrs. Weathers and another teacher I didn't know. They were going through all of our things. I stared in disbelief. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked. Jill shook her head, face mortified, and couldn't answer. I'd apparently arrived at the end of the search because Mrs. Weathers and her associate soon finished up and walked to the door. I was glad I'd taken my Alchemist supplies with me to the lab tonight. The kit contained a few measuring tools I had thought I might need. I certainly didn't want to explain why I owned a collection of chemicals to dorm authorities. â€Å"Well,† said Mrs. Weathers sternly. â€Å"There doesn't appear to be anything here, but I may do another spot check later – so don't get any ideas. You're already in enough trouble without adding yet another charge to it.† She sighed and shook her head at Jill. â€Å"I'm very disappointed in you, Miss Melrose.† Jill blanched. â€Å"I'm telling you, it's all a mistake!† â€Å"Let's hope so,† said Mrs. Weathers ominously. â€Å"Let's hope so. I've half a mind to make you clean up that vandalism outside, but in light of no hard proof†¦ well, we'll have the janitors take care of it tomorrow.† Once our visitors were gone, I immediately demanded, â€Å"What happened?† Jill collapsed backward onto her bed and groaned. â€Å"Laurel happened.† I sat down. â€Å"Explain.† â€Å"Well, I called the library to see if they had those yearbooks in – the ones about Kelly Hayes? Turns out they do normally have them, but they've all been checked out by the newspaper staff for some Amberwood anniversary edition. And you'll never believe who's heading that project: Laurel.† â€Å"You're right,† I said. â€Å"I never would have guessed that. Isn't she in Freshman English?† Laurel was a senior. â€Å"Yup.† â€Å"I guess everyone needs an activity,† I muttered. Jill nodded. â€Å"Anyway, Miss Yamani was in the building, so I went to ask her about joining the sewing club and working for Lia. She was really excited and said she'd make it happen.† â€Å"Well, that's something,† I said cautiously, still unsure how this was leading up to vandalism and a search of our room. â€Å"As I was coming back, I passed Laurel in the hall. I decided to take a chance†¦ I approached her and said look, I know we've had our differences but I could really use some help. Then I explained that I needed the yearbooks and asked if I could borrow them just for the night and that I'd get them back to her right away.† To this, I said nothing. It was certainly a noble and brave thing for Jill to do, particularly after I'd encouraged her to be better than Laurel. Unfortunately, I didn't think Laurel would reciprocate the adult behavior. I was right. â€Å"She told me in†¦ well, very explicit terms that I'd never get those yearbooks.† Jill scowled. â€Å"She told me a few other things too. Then I, um, called her a raving bitch. I probably shouldn't have, but, well, she deserved it! Anyway, she went to Mrs. Weathers with a bottle of†¦ I don't know. I think it was raspberry schnapps. She claimed I sold it to her and had more in my room. Mrs. Weathers couldn't punish me without harder evidence, but after Ms. Chang's hangover accusation on the first day, Mrs. Weathers decided that was enough for a room search.† I shook my head in disbelief, anger growing within my chest. â€Å"For such an elite, prestigious place, this school sure is quick to jump on any accusations that come up! I mean, they believe anything anyone says about you. And where did the paint outside come from?† Tears of frustration glinted in her eyes. â€Å"Oh, Laurel, of course. Or, well, one of her friends. It happened while Laurel was talking to Mrs. Weathers, so of course she's got an alibi. You don't think†¦ you don't think anyone's on to anything, do you? You said before it's just a mean joke†¦ and humans don't even believe in us†¦ right?† â€Å"Right,† I said automatically. But I was beginning to wonder. Ever since that phone call with my father, when he'd mentioned that there were humans who suspected and wouldn't be silenced, I'd wondered if I'd been too quick to dismiss Laurel's teasing. Had she simply found a cruel joke to run with? Or was she one of those humans who suspected about the vampire world and might make a lot of noise about it? I doubted anyone would believe her, but we couldn't risk attracting attention from someone who would. Is it possible she really thinks Jill is a vampire? Jill's forlorn expression turned angry. â€Å"Maybe I should do something about Laurel. There are other ways to get back at her besides freezing water.† â€Å"No,† I said quickly. â€Å"Don't lower yourself to that. Revenge is petty, and you're better than that.† Plus, I thought, any more supernatural activity, and Laurel might realize her taunts have more backing than she originally thought. Jill gave me a sad smile. â€Å"You keep saying that. But don't you think something needs to be done about Laurel?† Oh yes. I definitely did. This had gone too far, and I'd been wrong to let it slide. Jill was right that there were other ways to get back at someone. And I was right that revenge was petty and nothing that Jill should sully herself with. That was why I was going to do it. â€Å"I'll take care of it,† I told her. â€Å"I – I'll have the Alchemists issue a complaint from our parents.† She looked dubious. â€Å"You think that'll fix things?† â€Å"Positive,† I said. Because that complaint was going to pack an extra punch. A glance at the time told me it was too late to go back to the lab. No problem. I simply set my alarm extra early, with the intent to get up and head back there before classes started. I had one more experiment in my future, and Laurel was going to be my guinea pig.