The Golden Lily Chapter 23

IT TOOK SONYA a few days to recover, thus delaying her return to Pennsylvania. When she was ready to go to the airport, I offered to drive her. The rental car had been found, but Dimitri was using it to clean up after the mission. Within twenty-four hours, the Warriors had vacated their compound, which had turned out to be a rental facility generally used for retreats. They'd left almost no trace of their presence behind, but that hadn't stopped the guardians from scouring every inch of the abandoned compound. â€Å"Thanks again,† Sonya told me. â€Å"I know how busy you must be.† â€Å"It's no problem. It's the weekend, and anyway this is what I'm here for – to help you guys.† She laughed softly to herself. Her recovery in the last couple of days had been remarkable, and she now looked as pretty and bright as usual. She wore her auburn hair down today, letting it fall in fiery waves around the delicate lines of her face. â€Å"True, but it seems like you keep having to go above and beyond your job description.† â€Å"I'm just glad you're okay,† I said earnestly. I'd grown close to Sonya and was sad to see her go. â€Å"Back in that arena†¦ well, it was kind of terrifying.† Some of her amusement faded. â€Å"It was. I was out of it most of the time and not really able to process what was going on around me. But I do remember your words. You were pretty amazing, not to mention brave, to face down that crowd and defend me. I know how hard it must have been to be in opposition with your own kind.† â€Å"Those people are not my kind,† I said adamantly. Some part of me wondered exactly who my kind were. â€Å"What's going to happen to your research now?† â€Å"Oh, it'll continue back East. Dimitri will be returning soon too, and there are other researchers who can help us at Court. Having an objective spirit user like Adrian was extremely useful, and we've got plenty of data to keep us busy now, thanks to the blood samples and aura observations. We'll let Adrian continue with his art and get in touch later if we need him again.† I still couldn't shake the guilt over how my refusal to give more blood had indirectly resulted in Sonya's kidnapping. â€Å"Sonya, about my blood – â€Å" â€Å"Don't worry about it,† she interrupted. â€Å"You were right about me being pushy and also that we need to focus on Dimitri first. Besides, we might be making some headway with getting Alchemist help.† â€Å"Really?† Stanton had seemed pretty against it when we spoke. â€Å"They said yes?† â€Å"No, but they said they'd get back to us.† I laughed. â€Å"With them, that's a pretty positive answer.† I fell silent for a moment, wondering if this meant everyone would forget about my blood. Between the Warriors and the potential of Alchemist aid, surely my blood was no longer important. After all, initial study had found nothing special. No one had any reason to worry about my blood anymore. Except, the thing was†¦ I was kind of worried. Because no matter how much I dreaded being experimented on, that nagging question wouldn't leave me alone: Why hadn't the Strigoi been able to drink my blood? Sonya's earlier mention of auras reminded me of another burning question. â€Å"Sonya, what does purple mean in someone's aura? Adrian says he saw it in mine but won't tell me what it is.† â€Å"Typical,† she said with a chuckle. â€Å"Purple†¦ well, let's see. From what I've observed, it's a complex color. It's a spiritual but passionate color, tied to those who love deeply and also seek a higher calling. It's interesting in that it has such depth. White and true gold tend to be the colors associated with higher powers and metaphysics, just as red and orange are linked to love and baser instincts. Purple kind of has the best of all of those. I wish I could explain it more clearly.† â€Å"No, that makes sense,† I said, pulling into the airport's circle driveway. â€Å"Kind of. It doesn't exactly sound like me, though.† â€Å"Well, it's hardly an exact science. And he's right – it's there in you. The thing is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We'd stopped at the curb, and I saw her studying me carefully. â€Å"I've never noticed it before. I mean, I'm sure it's always been there, but whenever I looked at you, I just saw the yellow of most intellects. Adrian isn't as adept at reading auras as I am, so I'm surprised he noticed what I missed.† She wasn't the only one. Spiritual, passionate†¦ was I really those things? Did Adrian believe I was those things? The thought made me feel warm all over. Elated†¦ and confused. Sonya seemed like she was about to say more on the matter and then changed her mind. She cleared her throat. â€Å"Well, then. Here we are. Thank you again for the ride.† â€Å"No problem,† I said, my mind still swimming with visions of purple. â€Å"Have a safe trip.† She opened the car door and then paused. â€Å"Oh, I have something for you. Clarence asked me to give it to you.† â€Å"Clarence?† Sonya rustled through her purse and found an envelope. â€Å"Here you are. He was pretty adamant you get it – you know how he is when he gets worked up about something.† â€Å"I do. Thanks.† Sonya left with her luggage, and curiosity made me open the envelope before I drove away. Inside was a photograph, showing Clarence and a young guy, close to my age, who looked human. The two of them had their arms around each other and were smiling at the camera. The unknown guy had straight blond hair that just barely brushed his chin and stunning blue eyes that stood out against suntanned features. He was extremely handsome, and although his eyes mirrored his smile, I thought there was a little sadness too. I was so caught up in his good looks that I didn't notice his tattoo right away. It was on his left cheek, an abstract design made of clustered crescents of various sizes and orientations, lying together so that they almost looked like a vine. It was exotic and beautiful; the rich indigo ink a near match for his eyes. Studying the design more closely, I noticed something familiar about its shape and swore I could see a faint glimmer of gold edging the blue lines. I nearly dropped the picture in shock. The crescents had been tattooed over an Alchemist lily. I flipped the picture over. One word was scrawled on it: Marcus. Marcus Finch, whom the Warriors had claimed was an ex-Alchemist. Marcus Finch, whom the Alchemists had claimed didn't exist. The crazy thing was, unless someone locked away like Keith counted, there were no â€Å"ex-Alchemists.† You were in it for life. You couldn't walk away. Yet, that obscured lily spoke for itself. Unless Marcus had had a name change that somehow eluded the Alchemists, Stanton and the others were lying to me about knowing who he was. But why? Had there been some rift? A week ago, I would have said it was impossible that Stanton wouldn't tell me the truth about him, but now, knowing how carefully information was parceled out – or not – I had to wonder. I stared at the picture a few more moments, caught up in those haunting blue eyes. Then, I tucked it away and returned to Amberwood, resolved to keep the photograph a secret. If the Alchemists wanted to deny Marcus Finch's existence to me, I would let them continue until I figured out why. That meant my only lead was Clarence and the absent Warriors. Still, it was a start. Somehow, sometime, I was going to find Marcus Finch and get my answers. I was surprised to see Jill sitting outside our dorm when I walked in. She was in the shade, of course, still able to enjoy the nice weather without the sun's full force. We'd finally moved into a sort of autumn around here, not that eighty was what I usually associated with brisk fall weather. Jill's face was pensive, but she brightened a little when she saw me. â€Å"Hey, Sydney. I was hoping to catch you. Can't find you anymore without your phone.† I made a face. â€Å"Yeah, I need to replace that. It's been a huge pain.† She nodded in commiseration. â€Å"Did you drop Sonya off?† â€Å"She's on her way back to Court and Mikhail – and hopefully a much more peaceful life.† â€Å"That's good,† said Jill. She glanced away and bit her lower lip. I knew her well enough by now to recognize the signs of when she was bracing to tell me something. I also knew better than to push the matter, so I waited patiently. â€Å"I did it,† she said at last. â€Å"I told Micah it's over†¦ really over.† Relief flooded me. One less thing to worry about. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said. â€Å"I know that must have been hard.† She brushed curly hair away from her face as she considered. â€Å"Yes. And no. I like him. And I'd like to keep hanging out with him – as friends – if he wants to. I don't know, though. He took it kind of hard†¦ and our mutual friends? Well†¦ they're not very happy with me right now.† I tried not to groan. Jill had made such headway with her status here, and now it could be shattered. â€Å"But it's for the best. Micah and I live in different worlds, and there'd be no real future with a human anyway. Besides, I've been thinking a lot about love†¦ like, epic love†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked up at me for a moment, her gaze softening. â€Å"And that wasn't what we had. Seems like if I'm with someone, that's what I should feel.† I thought epic love was kind of a stretch for someone her age but didn't say so. â€Å"Are you going to be okay?† She snapped back to reality. â€Å"Yeah, I think so.† A small smile played over her lips. â€Å"And once this has passed, maybe Eddie will want to go out sometime – away from campus, of course. Seeing as we're ‘related.'† Her words were almost a repeat of what I'd heard the other night at Clarence's, and I stared in surprise as realization dawned on me. â€Å"You don't know†¦ I thought you would since Angeline's your roommate†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jill frowned. â€Å"What are you talking about? What don't I know?† Oh God. Why, oh why, did I have to be the one to deliver this news? Why couldn't I be locked away in my room or the library doing something enjoyable, like homework? â€Å"Eddie's, um, asked Angeline out. I don't know when it's going to happen, but he decided to give her a chance.† He hadn't borrowed my car, so presumably there'd been no date yet. Jill looked stricken. â€Å"W-what? Eddie and Angeline? But†¦ he can't stand her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Something changed,† I said lamely. â€Å"I'm not sure what. It's not like, er, epic love, but they've gotten closer these last few weeks. I'm sorry.† Jill seemed more devastated by this than breaking up with Micah. She looked away and blinked back tears. â€Å"It's okay. I mean, I never encouraged him. He probably still thinks I'm dating Micah. Why should he have waited around? He should have someone.† â€Å"Jill – â€Å" â€Å"It's okay. I'll be okay.† She looked so sad and then, amazingly, her face grew even darker. â€Å"Oh, Sydney. You're going to be so mad at me.† I was still thinking of Micah and felt totally confused at the topic change. â€Å"Why?† She reached into her backpack and pulled out a glossy magazine. It was some kind of southern California tourism one, with articles and ads highlighting the area. One of the pages was marked, and I turned to it. It was a full-page advertisement for Lia DiStefano, a collage of pictures of her various designs. And one of the photos was of Jill. It took me a moment to catch it. The picture was a profile shot, with Jill in sunglasses and a fedora – as well as that peacock-colored scarf Lia had given her. Jill's curly hair streamed out behind her, and the angles of her face looked beautiful. If I hadn't known Jill so well, I would never have identified her as this chic model – though it would certainly be obvious that she was a Moroi to anyone who knew what to look for. â€Å"How?† I demanded. â€Å"How did this happen?† Jill took a deep breath, ready to accept her blame. â€Å"When she dropped off the costumes and gave me the scarf, she asked if I'd let her take a picture to see how the colors photographed. She had some of the other accessories in the car, and I put those on too. She wanted to prove to me that with the right coverage, she could hide my identity. But I never thought†¦ I mean, she didn't say she'd use it. God, I feel so stupid.† Maybe not stupid, but certainly naive. I nearly crumpled up the magazine. I was furious at Lia. Part of me wanted to sue for using a picture of a minor without permission, but we had much bigger problems. How wide was this magazine's circulation? If Lia had only put Jill's photo on display in California, maybe no one would recognize her. Still, a Moroi model could raise eyebrows. Who knows what kind of trouble this was going to cause for us now? â€Å"Sydney, I'm sorry,† said Jill. â€Å"What can I do to fix this?† â€Å"Nothing,† I said. â€Å"Except to stay away from Lia.† I felt ill. â€Å"I'll take care of this.† I really didn't know how, though. I could only pray no one noticed the picture. â€Å"I'll do whatever you need if you think of something. I – oh.† Her eyes lifted to something behind me. â€Å"Maybe we should talk later.† I glanced back. Trey was walking toward us. Another problem to deal with. â€Å"Probably a good idea,† I said. Jill's heartache and publicity would have to go on the back burner. She left as Trey came to stand beside me. â€Å"Melbourne,† he said, attempting one of his old smiles. It faltered a little. â€Å"I didn't know you were still around,† I said. â€Å"I thought you'd left with the others.† The Warriors had scattered to the wind. Trey had said before that they traveled for their â€Å"hunts,† and Master Angeletti had also mentioned gathering from various places of the country. Presumably, they had all returned to where they'd come from. I'd thought Trey would simply disappear as well. â€Å"Nope,† he said. â€Å"This is where I go to school, where my dad wants me to stay. Besides, the other Warriors never had a permanent base here in Palm Springs. They'll move on to wherever†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He couldn't finish, so I did. â€Å"Wherever you get a tip-off about monsters you can brutally execute?† â€Å"It wasn't like that,† he said. â€Å"We thought she was one of the Strigoi. We still do.† I scrutinized his face, this guy I'd thought was my friend. I was pretty sure he still was. â€Å"Not you. That's why you threw the fight.† â€Å"I didn't,† he protested. â€Å"You did. I saw you hesitate when you could have taken out Chris. You didn't want to win. You didn't want to kill Sonya because you weren't sure she really was Strigoi.† He didn't deny it. â€Å"I still think they should all be destroyed.† â€Å"So do I.† I reconsidered. â€Å"Well, unless there's a way to save them all, but that's unclear.† Despite how much I'd said while advocating for Sonya, I wasn't quite comfortable letting him on the secrets and experiments. â€Å"If the Warriors travel around, what'll happen the next time they're in this area? Or even ll.A.? Will you join them again? Will you travel to the next hunt?† â€Å"No.† The answer was hard. Blunt, even. Hope surged in me. â€Å"You've decided to split off from them?† The emotions on Trey's face were hard to read, but they didn't look like happy ones. â€Å"No. They decided to cut us off – me and my dad. We've been outcast.† I stared for a few moments, at a loss for words. I didn't like the Warriors or Trey's involvement, but this wasn't quite what I'd been trying to achieve. â€Å"Because of me?† â€Å"No. Yes. I don't know.† He shrugged. â€Å"Indirectly, I guess. They don't blame you personally or even the Alchemists. Hell, they still want to team up with the Alchemists. They figure you just behaved in your typically misguided way. But me? I'm the one who pushed to let you in, who swore everything would be fine. So, they blame me for the lapse of judgment and fallout that came from it. Others are taking the blame too – the council for agreeing, security for not stopping the raid – but that doesn't make me feel better. Dad and I were the only ones exiled.† â€Å"I†¦ I'm sorry. I never thought anything like that would happen.† â€Å"Wasn't your place to,† he said pragmatically, though his tone was still miserable. â€Å"To a certain extent, they're right. I was the one that got you in. It is my fault, and they're punishing my dad for what I did. That's the worst part of all.† Trey was trying to play it cool, but I could see the truth. He'd worked so hard to impress his father and ended up causing the ultimate humiliation. Trey's next words confirmed as much. â€Å"The Warriors have been my dad's whole life. To be kicked out like that†¦ well, he's taking it pretty badly. I have to find a way to get back in – for him. I don't suppose you know where any easy-to-kill Strigoi are, do you?† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"Especially since none of them are easy kills.† I hesitated, unsure how to proceed. â€Å"Trey, what's this mean for us? I understand if we can't be friends anymore†¦ seeing as how I, uh, ruined your life's work.† A hint of his old smile returned. â€Å"Nothing's ruined for good. I told you, I'll get back in. And if it's not by killing Strigoi, who knows? Maybe if I learn more about you guys, I can bridge the gap between our groups and get us to all work together. That would score me some points.† â€Å"You're welcome to try,† I said diplomatically. I really didn't think that would happen, and he could tell. â€Å"Well, I'll figure something out then, some big move to get the Warriors' attention and get my dad and me back in with them. I have to.† His face started to fall again, but then there was a brief return of the phantom smile – though it was tinged with sadness. â€Å"You know what else sucks? Now I can't ask Angeline out. Hanging out with you is one thing, but even if I'm an outcast, I can't risk being friendly with Moroi or dhampirs. I especially can't date one. I mean, I'd figured she was one a while ago, but I could have played dumb. That attack in the arena kind of killed any chance of that. The Warriors really don't like them either, you know. Dhampirs or Moroi. They'd love to see them brought down too – they just think it's too hard and less of a priority right now.† Something about those words made me shiver, particularly since I recalled the offhand Warrior comment about eventually taking out Moroi. The Alchemists certainly had no love for dhampirs and Moroi, but that was a far cry from wanting to bring them down. â€Å"I gotta get going.† Trey reached into his pocket and handed over something that I was grateful to see. My phone. â€Å"Figured you were missing this.† â€Å"Yes!† I took it eagerly and turned it on. I hadn't known if I'd get it back and had been on the verge of buying a new one. This one was three months old and practically out-of-date anyway. â€Å"Thanks for saving it. Oh. Wow.† I read the display. â€Å"There are like a million messages from Brayden.† We hadn't spoken since the night of Sonya's disappearance. The mischievous look I liked so well on Trey returned. â€Å"Better get on that then. True love waits for no one.† â€Å"True love, huh?† I shook my head in exasperation. â€Å"So nice to have you back.† That earned me an outright grin. â€Å"See you around.† As soon as I was alone, I texted Brayden: Sorry for the radio silence. Lost my phone for three days. His response was almost immediate: I'm at work, due for a break soon. Come by? I thought about it. Seeing as I had no life-saving tasks right now, this was as good a time as any. I texted back that I'd leave Amberwood right away. Brayden had my favorite latte ready for me when I got to Spencer's. â€Å"Based on when you were leaving, I calculated when I would need to make it in order for it to be hot when you arrived.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said, taking it. I felt a little guilt that I had a greater emotional reaction to seeing the coffee than him. He told the other barista he was going on break and then led me over to a remote table. â€Å"This won't take long,† Brayden said. â€Å"I know you probably have a lot of things to do this weekend.† â€Å"Things are actually starting to lighten up,† I said. He took a deep breath, showing that same resolve and anxiety he'd had when asking me for future dates. â€Å"Sydney,† he said, voice formal, â€Å"I don't think we should see each other anymore.† I stopped mid-sip. â€Å"Wait†¦ what?† â€Å"I know how devastating this probably is for you,† he added. â€Å"And I admit, it's hard for me too. But in light of recent events, it's become clear you just aren't ready for a relationship yet.† â€Å"Recent events?† He nodded solemnly. â€Å"Your family. You've broken off a number of our social engagements to be with them. While that kind of familial devotion is admirable, I just can't be in that kind of volatile relationship.† â€Å"Volatile?† I just kept repeating his key words and finally forced myself to get a grip. â€Å"So†¦ let me get this straight. You're breaking up with me.† He thought about it. â€Å"Yes. Yes, I am.† I waited for some internal reaction. An outpouring of grief. The sense of my heart breaking. Any emotion, really. But mostly, all I felt was kind of a puzzled surprise. â€Å"Huh,† I said. That was apparently enough of a distraught reaction for Brayden. â€Å"Please don't make this harder than it is. I admire you a lot. You're absolutely the smartest girl I've ever met. But I just can't be involved with someone as irresponsible as you.† I stared. â€Å"Irresponsible.† Brayden nodded again. â€Å"Yes.† I'm not sure where it started, somewhere in my stomach or chest, maybe. But all of a sudden, I was consumed by uncontrollable laughter. I couldn't stop. I had to set down my coffee, lest I spill it. Even then, I had to bury my face in my hands to wipe away tears. â€Å"Sydney?† asked Brayden cautiously. â€Å"Is this some kind of hysterical-grief reaction?† It took me almost another minute to calm myself enough to answer him. â€Å"Oh, Brayden. You've made my day. You've given me something I never thought I'd get. Thank you.† I reached for the coffee and stood up. He looked completely lost. â€Å"Um, you're welcome?† I left the coffee shop, still laughing like a fool. For the last month or so, everyone in my life had gone on and on about how responsible I was, how diligent, how exemplary. I'd been called a lot of things. But never, ever, had I been called irresponsible. And I kind of liked it.

How the practitioner should respond to parents Essay

P8. 1 In a setting it is very often that practitioners will receive enquiries from parents and carers. It is therefore important to respond in the appropriate way. It is very important to follow up any enquiries from parents as this will show them that you care about their concerns or questions. Every practitioner should show and reassure the parents that their opinions and circumstances matter and will always be addressed to. As a student practitioner with children, it is most likely necessary to refer parents to supervisors who they may be more acquainted with and who may be able to help them more in order to ensure best practice. As a practitioner, it is my role to know the policies and procedures of the setting as to what to do if parents ask for my advice or need help with a matter. This is important because it offers a professional approach and will show consistency in practice with all the other staff members. If I would not read the policies and procedures, it could show a lack of communication between practitioners and parents may lose respect or trust for the setting. Knowing the policies and procedures will also safeguard practitioners from any abuse or strange practice as they would have followed the correct procedures for the situation. It is important for practitioners to be aware that all parents have individual needs and circumstances thus needing an individual response. Whilst doing so, it is important to remember to carry out inclusive practice and not to judge or show any prejudice attitude, but instead to show genuine care and interest in helping them. A way in which practitioners can respond to parents is to make sure they know to make appointments for a set date to discuss matters unless it is an emergency. Practitioners must also maintain that they keep to this format and do not let parents change the procedures, as this would not be beneficial to anyone. In my setting A class teacher became very stressed when having to deal with a parent’s enquiry because the parent would not listen to the advice given to them. This then resulted in the other children of the class being unattended because the teacher was being harassed. There needs to be mutual respect and it is the practitioner’s role to instigate this in their speech and conduct. It is important for practitioners to know and understand their role in order to create the best environment for children and their families. It is important to know the policies and procedures, whilst also knowing their role so that they can be confident in their practice and will deal with matters rationally and professionally. Making a mistake in what their role involves can result in the harm to the children or legal action being taken. P8. 2When dealing with enquiries and information about children and their families, it is very important to maintain confidentiality and this can be executed by many ways. Any information should be stored correctly and safely and only shown to certain necessary adults on a need to know basis. If other adults who know the child want to know any information, it is important that I do not share it with them but tell them to ask the parents who are involved. That way, it is the parents’ right to tell anyone else or not, and I would be respecting that decision and it reflects a professional approach towards others in your practice. It is important to make sure there is no confidential information stored on display boards that strangers and other people could see. To make sure that there is no confusion as to what is confidential, there should be indication on letters, emails and in conversation about the need of confidentiality, therefore creating a safe environment for children and their families. Practitioners can also explain the importance of confidentiality to parents so that they can carry out the same practice in the setting and at home proving a high level of consistency and safety. A lot of the time it is difficult to maintain confidentiality whilst speaking on the phone as neither end of the conversation knows who could be listening. Therefore an effective way to ensure confidentiality is by making appointments to see practitioners or parents face to face in a private area so only the necessary adults are involved and there is less danger brought for the child. In order to maintain confidentiality in the setting, practitioners should provide a use passwords on computers and files so that important and personal information will not be shared with people who are not involved with the family, or who could become a danger to a child and their family. To ensure and maintain confidentiality it is important to not speak about the children in a public place where there are other parents that may know the child or who may be offended by teachers ‘gossiping’. It is also important for practitioners to make sure they don’t speak about children or their families with other practitioners for example students, or practitioners from other agencies and organisations. Whilst in my setting I showed ways to maintain confidentiality while carrying out observations on children; By not stating the child’s name for protection purposes or the settings details so that no traces can be brought back to the child because if it got into the wrong hands there could be serious problematic outcomes. Information that gets out could include medical issues and I would not want to cause any embarrassment to either the parents or the practitioners. Having this confidentiality helps to maintain the trust between the practitioners and the parents and this is very important because you want the parents to feel happy to leave their child in your care. I also made sure that one I finished my observation I put it straight into my back where no one else had access to it. If I allowed the situation for anyone else to get hold of the written observation, it could cause issues that other people would be part of. If any other parents pick it up for example, they now have specific information about another child and they could expose it to other people, causing tension between families and practitioners Lastly, I showed that I maintained confidentiality by only showing my observation to my supervisor in order for her to mark it for me which was a requirement as part of my unit 2 assignments. After it was signed it went straight into my bag in a secure place so I knew where it was at all times. P8. 3 There are many suitable ways to greet and welcome parents to provide inclusive practice and create a positive environment. Practitioners can provide welcome messages in a variety of languages which could include boards of different languages and teaching children phrases to say in other languages. Practitioners can provide a use of interpreters for parents and carers to be able to communicate with practitioners and to make them feel welcome and valued. To greet and welcome parents, practitioner can make it a positive experience by using positive body language, smiling and using kind words when greeting children and their families. It is important to have a positive start to the day and also a positive finish to the day as this will ive parents confidence that their children are being cared for and are in a stimulating and happy environment. As there will most likely be parents from other countries who have different customs, it is important for practitioners to find out how parents want to be addressed. This could mean using a certain title of their choice, or using a greeting from their home land. By finding out this information, practitioners can show they have genuine personal interest in the lives of the parents and this can have a very positive effect on parents who will be happy to leave their children in the care of the practitioners. Having approachable staff is of great importance as this can create a professional but relaxed atmosphere in the setting which will contribute to having positive feedback to the way parents are greeted. Ways that practitioners can show their positive attitude is by having good eye contact with parents and carers, which means listening to their concerns and opinions and responding in a way that will put them at ease. Part of the role of the practitioner includes being aware of cultural differences in gestures and greetings. This is vital because there could be a risk of offending parents and carers by the attitude or gestures that are portrayed in the setting when communicating. When working in an early years setting, there should be an unhurried approach towards the children and the queries of parents, showing them how much you value their opinion. This would mean even if your plans are to go home at that time.

The History of Grammar School Education in England Essay

The History of Grammar School Education in England - Essay Example This essay declares that the modern education system has developed to become a public facility that is accessible to every person in the society. When religious bodies started education forum, they intended to form a training ground for Latin language that was the traditional language that linked people in religion. This paper stresses that in the 19th century, education experienced numerous changes that are regarded as critical turning points in the history of education. This period began with the leadership of the Lord Chancellor who came with the motive of abolishing the traditional school system that only paid attention to the study of Greek and Latin. His feeling was that the system was unprogressive and immodest for a world that was quickly changing and experiencing forces that demanded an expansion of the education culture. In 1840, the Grammar School Act was put in place to allow the traditional school to teach other languages such as French other than the traditional languages. This wave of change was suppressed by other forces that were foreseen in the Grammar School Act. In this act, the head of the school had to approve a change in the educational structure within the institution and hence those who did not feel the necessity to revise their learning subjects were left at liberty to retain their old system. This freedom of the educational heads to decide the kind of curriculum to teach in their schools inhibited institutional transformation. By the year 1968, the number of grammar school in England was at a figure of 782, and an increase in these figures was anticipated. In this year, the Public Schools Act came into existence and formed a new era when regulation policies for institutions became evident (Miner, 2010, P. 32). This act was enacted by the British parliament that as a reformation strategy that would see the leading English boys’ schools that had been previously grown out of some traditional charity school. After this act, these schools were placed under the direct care of the government as public schools apart from a few schools such as St Pauls’ and Merchant Taylor schools that were able to prove their authenticity as private schools. This was a critical point in the history when the educational system became divided into public and private, which is a characteristic of the modern education system. Another markable transition came into place after the formulation of the Endowed Schools act in 1869 that sought to change the social aspect of the traditional school system. After the Public schools act launched a policy to control the nine leading boys' school, the Taunton commission was given the mandate to investigate the affairs of the 782 grammar schools that existed by that time. In their investigation, the commission gave a feedback report that noted the gender imbalance that existed in these schools and the low quality of education that was offered (Miner, 2010, P. 32). The two issues were identified as a weakness of the educational system and that these conditions did not match the demands of the current population. In this regard, the government sought to reform educational structures by imposing an act that would enhance quality and gender balance in these grammar schools. Consequently, the Endowed school s act was put in place and declared that some

Fair Value Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fair Value Accounting - Essay Example (Parshall, 2009) This study is set out to discuss fair value accounting and more specifically determine its role in the credit crisis that rocked the world in 2008. It will try to justify the statement that, â€Å"Fair value accounting only works in efficient, active and liquid markets. In order to produce information which is relevant and reliable, fair value focuses on market prices.† Due to the financial crisis, fair-value approach for accounting has triggered major debates globally. Among the debaters are the European Commission, USA Congress as well as accounting and banking regulators in the globe. Cynics have it that the financial crisis impacting the whole world in the recent past has been mostly caused by the effects of fair-value accounting. The study is going to determine whether fair value accounting is only applicable in active, efficient and liquid markets. Various arguments will be considered while trying to draw the befitting approach to the issue. The Standards of accounting reports, IFRS and US GAAP, aid in deriving from market prices in various circumstances. However, it is not very clear whether these standards are the origin of the predicaments. The allowing of the managements of organisations to be flexible when it comes to dealing with future value accounting problems leads to the manipulation during such times as those of financial crisis. From the perspective thus the market conditions may impact on fair value accounting. However, according to Laux and Leuz, future value accounting is an approach to the measurement of liabilities and assets in a given company’s balance sheet. FAS’s number 157 definition is that fair value accounting is â€Å"the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.† Under IFRS fair value has been defined as the sum at which a certain asset and liability could be

The Yield Curve Kink Decision Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Yield Curve Kink Decision - Case Study Example The past last seven years of operation the company has been outstanding as revealed by its ability to attract new clients in that same period it lost two small pension accounts that is worth $ 10million while gaining a whopping $400 million in new pension business. The investment style is summed up by a pension consultant as 20% pure interest rate anticipation and 80% quantitative strategies based on values. The company anticipates trying to predict whether the interest rate will rise or fall. The periods when the interest rate reaches volatile state are rare, but when it does like in a period between December 1994 and July 1995, then a timing mode was engaged because GBA already expected a fall in interest rates.AT such scenarios a barbell strategy was employed where other bond are retained with the bench mark or entering a period long dated trip bonds. The system created a system of long dated strips and a shorter duration bond that form a barbell. Barbell is an investment strategy mostly employed in fixed type of investment that comprises a combination of short term and long term bonds. The term barbell is used here to reflect the both end loading the system look to be experiencing. Therefore in a nutshell, barbell tries to exploit the best of both end of situation hence it combine the high and the low risk assets to influence for the best outcome. However during the period the interest rate is stable, then their family gets in and creates a management for portfolio’s that ranges for a 1.5 year period and are standard income benchmark which most clients are awarded unless the request differs. Most or all of the GBA invested strategies on computer models and quantitative models which compare the bond selling price to the price as determined by GBA.GBA has its own analysis technique regarded as proprietary model which has parameter’s close to fifty with 20 of it being critical checking points and that help GBA

JOHN CALVINS AND HIS TRINITARIAN PERSPECTIVE Research Paper

JOHN CALVINS AND HIS TRINITARIAN PERSPECTIVE - Research Paper Example The main beliefs and ideas of John Calvin concerning the Holy Trinity form an exposition that explains each of the persons with the provisions of the good will to human beings. Therefore, God is the originator, the son as a wise director and the spirit as an executor who is powerful in regard to the characteristics of the Holy Trinity. John Calvin believes that the ideas creates or gives awareness whereby there is equality of the roles of the three persons in this case God1. Furthermore, the essence of a divine mode naturally subjects and rebukes the speculations concerning the spirituality of the people2. These facts on the Holy Trinity give a vigor description whereby the processes gave to the idea of the existence of God. The teaching o this idea have also developed a stance to acquire direct elaboration in the attraction of learning the main themes on the doctrine in the Calvin’s Trinity. In most of the cases these view captures the eye that primarily suggest that the concept of God is philosophy rather than devotion. These; however, bring out the attention that focuses on the art of worship and divine unity. Calvin’s term of cooperation with the three persons under the name who is God brings out the salvation and understanding in relation to being eternal3. In accordance to the natural world, the position of the Holy Trinity interprets actions that the scriptures endorse in the ancient creed. The Catholic Church is the main attack on the various views on the Holy Trinity by John Calvin. Calvin reasons are that there are specialties put forth by the catholic in a revolutionary modern way that seem not to have meaning to the Christianity world. The description particularly gives unnecessary declaration whereby the three person’s treatment is on different paths. In the scripture Mathew 28:16-20 the great commission of Jesus to his disciples brings out the Holy Trinity views whereby the disciples are commanded to

Marketing Principles of Tesco Plc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Principles of Tesco Plc - Essay Example In the paper, a proposal on how Tesco can position a product in a new market will be examined. The microenvironment mostly consists of the various factors that impact the company’s operations directly or indirectly especially from an internal perspective. A rivalry is one of these factors. Tesco has several rivals in the business such as Morrison and Sainsbury’s and needs to keep its position in the market. They have to make sure that their quality, pricing, products, and convenience keep them above their competitors. This is because these are some of the strongest factors that may drive profits to zero if not looked into carefully. A threat of substitutes is another factor that needs to be considered. This is because the products may be sourced from other companies in the same business environment and this would reduce its attractiveness to its clientele. It is, however, benefiting from its bulk purchases since it gets its products at cheaper prices and with greater be nefits trickling down to the clients at the end of the day. Suppliers also determine how a company fairs. This is a horizontal factor that needs to be highly regarded. It affects the production costs and eventually the pricing. They have, however, maintained a tight grip on their suppliers which has made it difficult for the suppliers to look for alternatives. They take bulk orders which the suppliers’ desire and thus making it possible for Tesco to regulate the prices to suit their clientele. The threat of a new entrant poses considerable danger to the company because it has the ability to influence profitability and control the market share. To counter this, they engage in expensive advertising which makes it difficult for the smaller or new companies to match.

Chapter 4 exercises Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chapter 4 exercises - Essay Example Internet connected the world and thus made the communication process more effective. In the early days a base phone and a dial up modem was used to connect the internet, but after that cable connection was invented and it increased the speed of internet. Soon after that, wireless connections were also introduced and it offered a speed of 20 Mbps. Another advantage of wireless connection is the wider area of coverage, which is not possible in cable connections. With the passage of time, the hardware section also got tremendously modified. There were enhanced and modern versions of computers were invented. The new forms came forward in the form of laptops, notebooks, tablets, Smartphone etc. Similarly other peripherals also got invented, such as printers, webcams etc. However, all the aforementioned computing devices have different uses and different functions. The software market is also the same, there have been large developments. Software such as SPSS and Office suite has changed the business world. Also there were introduction of open source software, which offered free software to the customers. Advancement of technology has also allowed the manufacturers to come up with large number of variants for a product. A user therefore gets the opportunity to choose from various technical specifications. One of the most important digital inventions came in the form of digital cameras. In simple words it revolutionized the world of photography. It not only got technologically advanced but succeeded in making ‘unlimited photography’. With the help of memory cards, users can now click as much pictures as they want. Now whether it is a digital camera or a computing device, users chooses to buy it depending upon the purpose of the user. Once the purpose gets decided the next step is to compare the technical specifications and price of the items. Most of the users consider the present trends of market in deciding the

Women offenders and prisioners Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women offenders and prisioners - Essay Example The special guidelines for the treatment of female prisoners, namely the Bangkok Rules, have been adopted by the United Nations (UN) in the year 2010. Despite the fact that these rules have not been implemented in totality, they represent vast improvement for female prisoners in international law. The main motivator for this astounding development was Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand. This redoubtable champion of women’s issues was instrumental in ensuring that the efforts of the Thai delegation to the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice was successful in its efforts (Barberet, 2014, p. 174). It has been acknowledged in these rules that female prisoners have drastically different requirements, in comparison to their male counterparts. To a major extent the Bangkok Rules are evidence based and acknowledge several of the findings of ‘Women Crime and Criminal Justice: A Global Enquiry’, by the eminent scholar Ms. Barberet. Moreover, the Bangkok Rules mirror several of the erstwhile reform efforts that had been undertaken on behalf of females in prison, across the world. For instance, these rules acknowledge the high incidence of victimization of female prisoners and their greater inclination to engage in self-harm and suicide; the lower risk of most female prisoners, but higher classification levels; the special status of female prisoners who are also mothers of children; the stigma encountered by female prisoners; the abuse of women for immoral crimes; and the specific needs of indigenous women prisoners (Barberet, 2014, p. 174). Furthermore, these rules recommend the provision of intimate articles for females, alternatives to invasive or strip searching, alternatives to incarceration for females, and research and data collection regarding the issues pertaining to imprisoned females. Moreover, these rules acknowledge that females, in some nations, are incarcerated, in order to safeguard them,

Chinese Politics Essay Example for Free

Chinese Politics Essay Subject: Chinese media need democratizing and building up credibility Recommendations: Chinese media can be more democratic and credible by reporting timely, openly and accurately; getting officials involved into social media and setting up Journalism Award to recognize outstanding news organizations and individual journalists. Summary: This memo introduces the autonomy of Chinese media and the increasing dissatisfaction both domestically and internationally. It also proposes three recommendations to help Chinese media become more democratic and credible, that are reporting timely, openly and accurately; getting officials involved into social media and setting up Journalism Award to recognize outstanding news organizations and individual journalists. Background: Chinese government fears that the free flow of information through media could threaten the party rule. Therefore, it makes a huge effort to censor the newspaper, magazines and television and Internet, ensuring Chinese media sends out the voice of the party and central government. The Internet is under government scrutiny through â€Å"Great Firewall†, which blocks many foreign sites and censor information and news deemed sensitive. Media restrictions and block not only reduce the credibility of Chinese media, but also damage the image of the party. Starved of uncensored information and unconstrained public opinion, Chinese people dissatisfy with government’s control in media, inspire social resistance and demand for freedom of information and expression. Therefore, it’s time for Chinese media reform, which need democratizing and setting up credibility. Analysis: Chinese media should build up credibility by reporting timely, openly and accurately on breaking news events. Media is hard to make a breakthrough, considering the slow reaction, lack of the in-depth report, and cover-up the accident. Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008 is one of the cases. After overseas media reporting the news for 10 minutes, CCTV was still silent. Five days later, there was saturated coverage of achievements of rescue efforts in Sichuan. The report‘s coverage was narrow and lack in depth, mainly about where did Chinese leaders visit and what did they ask to the victims. High-speed train accident in Wenzhou is another example. Netizens attacked the government’s response of burying the wreckage, muzzling media coverage and forcing the journalists focus on rescue efforts. Media restrictions and block not only reduce the credibility of Chinese media, but also damage the image of the party. Therefore, Chinese media need improvements in providing timely, openly and accurately information, ensuring the citizens’ right to know. Government should encourage officials getting involved into social media by setting up account, getting official message across, interacting with citizens and reacting to the criticisms. Social media has been flourished in China. As the most influential social media in China, Weibo(Microblogs) serves as a â€Å"fire alarm† to the government. Weibo is a real-time, high-speed information channel, which is widely used by 350 million Internet users. It touches large and impactful public sphere, such as food safety, corruption, environment issue, and drives the entire national dialogue. Right now, it is good to see that many government departments jump into social media, get official message across, embrace communication with their constituents, and react to criticisms. According to a recent report released by Sina. com, there are 50,947 different government entities with Weibo accounts, in which 33,132 represented government organs and 17,815 represented specific government officials. However, there is still plenty of room for China’s bureaucracy fully joined the social media. However, when different departments and officials join into social media, it might trigger some problems, such as fragmentation of institutional authority and cross-region operations. For example, Chinese media report to different government departments. At the national level, Chinese media is divided by cable, telecommunications, and press network. And media belong to different local government, which do not want other regions to participate into its local events. In face of the problems, central government should enhance the communication and collaboration among different media channels and local governments, and put more effort on the supervision at central level. Government should set up Journalism Award to recognize outstanding news organizations and individual journalists that have integrity, social responsibilities and outstanding contribution in their work. Censorship, persecution, arrests hinder the breakthrough of Chinese media. Most of the complaints and criticisms against government have been filtered out. Wang Qinglei, former producer of CCTV â€Å"24 Hours† news program, was suspended from his job because his reports questioned the cause of the train crash and question the number of victims. It reveals the weakness of Chinese media regime: citizens are constrained to self-expression and Chinese media loses its function as a communication tool. Therefore, the government should give selective incentives to encourage public expressing their opinions and making critical points. (word count 750) . [ 1 ]. Xiaoling Zhang, Control, Resistance and Negotiation: How the Chinese media carve out greater space for autonomy. [ 2 ]. There Are More Than 50,000 Government Accounts on Sina Weibo, http://www. techinasia. com/50000-government-accounts-sina-weibo/ [ 3 ]. Hu, Zhengrong, â€Å"Towards the Public: the Dilemma in Chinese Media Policy Change and Its influential factors†, Joan Shorenstein Center Press, Dec 2005. [ 4 ]. Status of Chinese People, â€Å"Chinese journalists suspended for reporting train disaster† http://chinaview. wordpress. com/2011/08/04/chinese-journalists-suspended-for-reporting-train-disaster/.

Bartleby the Scrivener Life in the Iron Mills

Bartleby the Scrivener Life in the Iron Mills English Exam – II Bartleby the Scrivener Life in the Iron Mills The two books up for analysis are Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener and Life in the Iron Mills by Rebecca Harding Davis. Neither work can be called a Novella, as both are short stories. Explicit similarities and differences highlight the superficial aspect of both stories. The more implicit ones underline the actual meat of the stories. Both works were produced at around the same period of the late 19Th century, and both feature plots both engrossing, yet unconventional, but contemporary (in the case of Bartleby, the Scrivener). In order to write a comparative analysis, required are comparisons between Bartleby and Hugh as workers, their working conditions in their respective jobs, and the moral responsibility of other characters in the stories towards the respective two protagonists. To begin with, the setting of both the stories plays an important part in explaining the job and the working conditions each protagonist faces. Herman Melville’s story takes place in the bustling New York City, which is still up-and-coming during the 19th century.[1] The setting in Life in the Iron Mills was influenced by the mills nearby in Wheeling, Virginia on the Ohio River during the factory world. Another major influence is the ongoing Industrial Revolution.[2] Life in the Iron Mills tells us the story about Hugh Wolfe, a young labourer in the Iron Mills of Wheeling.[3] Hugh is a poor Welsh descendent who turns pig iron into wrought iron by a process called puddling.[4] Along with several other labourers, that’s his main job there. But, Hugh is also highly gifted in the art of sculpting, and in his spare time, sculpts a woman out of Korl, the refuse from iron smelting. His cousin, Deborah-who loves him dearly-brings him dinner every day, forsaking her own meal. She is a hunchback, and the other workers make fun of her relationship with Hugh. Hugh’s working conditions weren’t exactly too habitable. As was the ‘custom’ during the Industrial revolution, immigrants working in factories and warehouses would be exploited by the owners. Low paying jobs, horrible living conditions just contributed to their misery. Hugh’s life in the Iron mills was no different. He had to toil day in and day out, with barely any time to even eat. In all the ‘darkness’ surrounding his life, the only source of ‘light’ was his Korl figure, which distinguished itself from his other creation, the crude, dark Iron from the smelter. Bartleby’s world is New York City circa 1860. And in utter contrast, though, during around the same time as Life in the Iron Mills, he works for a lawyer on the booming Wall Street of Manhattan. The difference between Bartleby’s and Hugh’s working conditions is so substantial, that, at first look, it’s almost ludicrous how Bartleby refuses to do a lot of work tasked to him, in spite of his grade-A working conditions. Bartleby is a scrivener, a copier, who, at first completes his task with utmost dedication. His eating habits are peculiar. He just eats snacks-specifically Ginger-nut cakes- and skips dinner and lunch altogether. His polite refusal to do a small task intrigues the lawyer, and he gradually discovers that Bartleby’s work rate diminishes to the point where he literally doesn’t do any work, and just sits around the lawyer’s office. One point which can be made exclusively for the comparison of both stories is the American Dream. Though it’s not the main theme in either of the books, I can’t help but define Hugh’s actions to be solely for the purpose of achieving the American dream, to be wealthy, to make a name for himself. As for Bartleby, he works in the city of endless opportunities – New York. It’s Ironic that the American dream is closer within his grasp than it is in the case of Hugh in the Iron Mills, and yet he does naught about it. But then again, that can be explained too, after the revelations at the end of the book. Both are completely different kinds of workers. Hugh, a hard-working yet unsatisfied one, whereas, Bartleby a mentally affected one, which makes his work sloppy as time passes. Endings of both stories are quite similar. Both end on a morose note, and that’s where a major point of comparison comes into light. Bartleby, due to being a liability on the author is arrested and jailed. The lawyer isn’t exactly too excited to have put him behind bars, but he did it anyway to protect his business. At the end of the story, the lawyer visits Bartleby in jail for the second time, only to find him dead. One can perceive his death to be induced by the lawyer’s actions, and the same can be said about Hugh Wolfe. Deborah steals a wealthy man’s wallet while he is visiting the Iron mills and hands it over to Hugh. Not knowing what to do with it, he eventually succumbs in his greed for money. When the man finds out about the theft, he has Hugh arrested and jailed. This causes Hugh to slash his wrist one day, and commit suicide. In my personal opinion, the deaths of the protagonists in both stories would not be directly, and intently because of the actions of other character. And as such, I would believe that Hugh’s death was caused by his own greed, or selfishness. Although Deborah was the one who stole the money, Hugh had a choice to either take it, or refuse. He took the check, and his dream of having a better life, of being in a better social standing caused his greed to get the better of him. Considering that a large sum of money was stolen, Mitchell obviously wouldn’t allow that to go unnoticed and unpunished. His moral obligation towards Hugh is little, or none. It is only fair that he wished to see Hugh punished for the theft of his money. Though, if only he would have known that Deborah was the one who stole the check, then probably he would have been wrathful towards her instead of Hugh. The only error Mitchell committed was the misdirection of his finger. Maybe, the story would have ended differently if the theft would have been thoroughly investigated. In the case of Bartleby, I would think that the lawyer was not responsible for his death. As the story tells us, Bartleby had started to become a burden on the lawyer. He spent all of his time, quite literally too, in the lawyer’s office doing nothing. His customers remarked upon that, and the lawyer realised that Bartleby was bad for business. And that is only fair of him. He has no moral obligation towards prioritizing Bartleby’s well-being instead of his business. He shifted his office, but the workers still complained of Bartleby, and finally he had to-albeit reluctantly-turn him in to the police. Bartleby died in the jail. The lawyer hears a rumour about Bartleby having worked in a dead letter office, and maybe Bartleby was mentally affected due to the extremely sad nature of his work there. And maybe that does justify his actions in the lawyer’s office, but at the end of the day, the lawyer’s business was at stake. I would believe that the lawyer was in no way morally responsible for Bartleby’s death. To analyse, are three literary works – The narrative of Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass and the Scarlet Letter. All three works highlight their protagonists in various ways, using different themes and settings. They were written in around the same time period as well, the late 1840s and 50s. The main protagonists have an unconventional livelihood for some part of their life, and this is most often reflected in their stories. In the case of Frederick Douglass and Henry Thoreau, this unconventional life of theirs forms the basis for their narratives. After reading all three books, the readers can make out the fact that all three protagonists disagree with some aspects of their society, and it’s this disagreement that forms the basis for this analysis. Henry Thoreau is repulsed by the materialism in the society then, and Douglass strongly disagrees with slavery and its social, economic and moral effects, whereas, Hester Prynne is shunned, or deemed as an outcast by the society. This is the major similarity between all three protagonists Isolation from conventional society. Frederick Douglass’s narrative is set in the America of the early 19th century. Before and during the American civil war, when slavery was rampant the country. Douglass was probably the son of Captain Anthony, a white slave owner, who was also his first owner. Throughout his life as a slave Douglass is looked down upon as inhumanely as possible by his white slave masters. He is inhumanely treated, beaten, and deprived of the basic necessities in life. From his very birth, he is labelled as a ‘slave’, throughout a long period of his life, he remains one. He is a unique character in his story, as he doesn’t fit in the regular description of both the social standings at that time – The slaved blacks, and the free citizens. He is not free only in his mind, and not physically. And he takes an interest in reading and writing, after he learns from Sophia Auld. He takes it upon himself to continue reading and writing after Sophia cruelly stops teaching him. Most slaves weren’t literate then, and that’s what set him apart from them. The constant mistreatment he suffers sets off a spark in him, a spark of deep hatred against slavery, it leads him to devise plans to escape, to find his way to more liberal parts of the country. He creates his own opportunities. Opportunities to create, and increase awareness about anti-slavery. He becomes an eloquent writer and orator, recording his life in his narrative, his beliefs and his thoughts about the evils prevalent in the society. Douglass, exercising his new-found skill becomes actively involved in the abolitionist movement, doing what his deepest wish was to. When comparing Douglass to Hester Prynne and Thoreau, the readers can notices that there is no physical restriction applied to the latter two protagonists. It’s rather social and psychological. But like Douglass, Hester Prynne too does not fit in the society. She married an elderly man in England who sent her to America, where she lived in a puritan settlement in Boston. The reason why she is held like an outcast in the society is because she had an affair with a young minister – Arthur Dimmesdale, and had a child out of wedlock. The society frowned upon this incidence and Hester Prynne was an outcast, who was punished for her sin and secrecy. She had to wear a Scarlet coloured letter ‘A’ on her breast. It was a symbol of adultery, one which she bore throughout her time in the society. She was never a regular citizen, and lived her life in isolation in small cottage with her daughter Pearl. When her husband surfaced in the puritan society, he was malevolent towards her former lover Dimmesdale, which eventually caused them to plan to flee to Europe and settle there as family. But before they could do so, Dimmesdale kills himself due to the anguish caused by Chillingworth (who wanted revenge against him).[5] Hester and Pearl do escape the society, but only after Chillingworth’s death a year later. As a result of her experiences in the puritan society, she becomes a kind and compassionate figure, caring the poor and wounded. Her charity work eventually makes her a mother-figure in the society, and when she returns back to Boston from Europe, the scarlet letter which she still wears is no longer a sign of shame. Like Douglass, Hester contemplated about the evils present in the society, the treatment of women in general, and the society’s outlook towards her. She made a better person out of herself as a result, and forged a better future for herself and her daughter just like Douglass did. Henry David Thoreau lives an isolated life for two years. Similar to Hester Prynne, he is fairly cut off from civilization in Walden Pond, except for the occasional visitors (and the fact that concord is of walking distance). The reason why Thoreau went to live in this recluse of his is because he wanted to experience more of his life. Unlike, Douglass and Hester Prynne, his isolation wasn’t inflicted on him due to societal norms and conventions. He chose to live in isolation to find a new side of the society. Henry’s beliefs were mostly critical towards the then modern society. The materialism present in the society thoroughly irked him, and he considered tangible assets and money to be the evils in the society. He believed that every material muse was a burden for the society and that a life in recluse was the purest form of contact with the nature. His almost biased criticism was not only limited to money and wealth, but also to technology. The main similarity between the three protagonists is their shared beliefs towards the societal ills. Although, their issues are different, they point towards a better version of a society in their mind.

Free Essay on Nathaniel Hawthornes Scarlet Letter - Spiritual Growth of Hester Prynne :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter: The Spiritual Growth of Hester Prynne The character of Hester Prynne changed significantly throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner; she has gone against the Puritan ways, committing adultery. For this harsh sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her life. However, the Romantic philosophies of Hawthorne put down the Puritanic beliefs. She is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is forgiven. Hawthorne portrays Hester as "divine maternity" and she can do no wrong. Not only Hester, but the physical scarlet letter, a Puritanical sign of disownment, is shown through the author's tone and diction as a beautiful, gold and colorful piece. From the beginning, we see that Hester Prynne is a young and beautiful woman who has brought a child into the world with an unknown father. She is punished by Puritan society by wearing the scarlet letter A on the bosom of her dress and standing on the scaffold for three hours. Her hair is a glossy brown and her eyes deep-set, and black, her attire is rich, carefully caressing her slender figure. The scaffold is a painful task to bear; the townspeople gathered around to gossip and stare at Hester and her newborn child, whom she suitably named Pearl, named because of her extreme value to her mother. In the disorder of faces in the crowd, young Hester Prynne sees the face of a man she once was fiercely familiar with, whom we later learn is her true husband, Roger Chillingworth. Her subjection to the crowd of Puritan onlookers is excruciating to bear, and Hester holds the child to her heart, a symbolic comparison between the child and the scarlet letter, implying that they are trul y both intertwined. Prynne is imprisoned with her child, both of whom are emotionally and physically exhausted from the punishment at the scaffold. The husband, Roger Chillingworth, passes by and is commissioned to be the physician to the two, and remedy them of their sicknesses. She is surprised he had come at such a time where she was at a point of such horrendous turmoil. He demands that she cannot reveal his identity, yet he also wishes to know the identity of her lover, the father of the child. She refuses to tell him.

Circus-circus Summary :: essays research papers

Circus-Circus was an unprofitable business and a small time casino when William Bennett and William Pennington purchased it in 1974 for $50,000. With a new marketing program in place and a stock offering in October of 1983, the company was rejuvenated. What it has become is a hotel/casino that is targeted mainly towards middle income gamblers as well as family oriented vacationers, but has not strayed away from the high rollers that are found in most casinos. With the focus being on many market segments, along with it's amusement park type atmosphere, this company can be categorized as a broad differentiator. Most recently, to go along with their amusement park atmosphere, Circus-Circus has broke ground into developing an aquatic environment that has beaches, snorkeling reef, and a swim-up shark exhibit. 2. ww 1. Financial Ratio Analysis 1997  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1996  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1995 A. Current Ratio 151,849/129,768 124,380/95,532  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   110,923/82,000   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.17 times 1.3 times 1.35 times B. Total Debt to 1,694,739/ 968,161/ 826,424/ Total Assets 2,729,111  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2,213,503 1,512,548   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   62%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  43%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  55% C. Asset Turnover 1,170,182/  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1,299,596/  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1,334,250/ 2,729,111  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2,213,503  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1,512,548   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   43%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   59%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   88%   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The results for current ratio are favorable. It states that Circus-Circus can pay off their short run debt with money to spare. Total debt to total asset is also favorable showing that they do not borrow much money that is listed as an asset. Asset turnover, however, is unfavorable. It was not as bad in 1995, but they are only making back about half of what they are spending. This is most likely due to the new aquatic addition they are putting adding. 4.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Circus-Circus' stock has been in somewhat of a slump since mid-March when the stock was at 26, but in June of 1998, had plummeted to 16. One of the main reasons for the drop is the rumor that Hilton Hotels has planned a takeover of the business.

Character Traits In A Seperate Peace Essay -- essays research papers

In the book A Separate Peace by John Knowles, one of the main themes is the effects of realism, idealism, and isolationism on Brinker, Phineas, and Gene. Though not everyone can be described using one of these approaches to life, the approaches completely conform to these characters to create one realist, one idealist, and one isolationist; thereby providing the foundation of the novel. The realist is Brinker. Brinker's realism takes on a very morbid quality after Gene decides not to enlist with him, do to Phineas's return to Devon. Brinker still sees everything the way it is, but begins to think that the way it is, is bad. On page 122, he is quoted as saying, "Frankly, I just don't see anything to celebrate, winter or spring or anything else." Brin...

Rotc in the Philippines

ROTC: Empowering the youth for peace and progress â€Å"Why take the hard way, if there’s an easy way†, these are the words that will come out from the mouth of an average and malingering human being, but taking the Reserved Officer Training Corps as their National Service Training Program will make them no average human being. These Cadets like me stepped out from the rest, to be above all the rest. Taking up the Civic Welfare Training Service, will be no extra ordinary just like every civilian can do and unlike a militiaman can do.Not all students in the tertiary level have the guts and courage to take the ROTC as their chosen NSTP or to enter a Military Service, but why do you think these students outside the military profession did not take this path of being a future reservist, a defender of the republic and a keeper of harmony among the Filipinos? First, they say that in ROTC they will stand up under the heat of the sun for a long time, yes they will stand under t he heat of the sun, but that is part of their training however, they will not stand up that long that will be too hazardous for their wellbeing.Second, they say that Hazing is rampant and were being conducted to cadets in ROTC, but Hazing is clearly not tolerable in the organization, how will a Cadet, a youth will empower peace and progress if they will be exposed to unlawful violence such as hazing? Third, ROTC is full of burden and hardships. These people consider Physical Training as burden and hardships; these are only part and parcel of their training as Cadets and to be a future defender of the state.Physical training is for the betterment of their wellbeing and life when they came back as a civilian in the society, they entered a Military Service not a playground. These are the three common reasons on why these students who did not take the ROTC and rejected to be part of the corps. These students or even the civilian world perceived only the one side of the coin, the negativ e side of Military Service. In ROTC, it promotes patriotism, moral values, virtues, respect for rights of the civilian and adherence to the constitution, the core values on empowering peace and progress.These youths, the cadets are casted to be future leaders of our country and to be the hope of our nation, here where some of our finest warriors are products of the ROTC. They are equipped mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally. They are trained to be disciplined, to build a better personality, and to overcome weaknesses. Military Professionalism is not the only lesson taught here but as well as the Conduct of a good Civilian. ROTC is one good way of keeping the youth away from harmful vices. As Rizal quoted â€Å"The youth are the hope of the nation†.ROTC Cadets as part of the youth sector are the hope of the nation and one of the primary movers on empowering peace and progress of the nation. As they come back to civilian life they are prepared to be a soldier, a lea der, and a better civilian or member in the society. They are deployed as civilians to contribute in the development and progress of the society and nation. What Parents cannot taught and straighten up to their children for years, can be done and straighten in several Sundays in ROTC. Disciplined and cooperative members of the society are one of the ingredients for the peace and progress of the nation.The reservists, including the ROTC Cadets are the backbone of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and as well as the society. The ROTC Cadets, Reservists and the Regular Force together with their Civilian Counterparts are having a joined force for the betterment and the advancement of the Philippines. The Military especially the reserve force supports all civic welfare activities done by the government and some Non Government Organizations; in regard with this the Armed Forces of the Philippines launched the OPLAN Bayanihan that was criticized by numerous activists, leftists, and detra ctors.Despite of these criticisms, this operation was pursued and successfully continues to help the wellbeing of the civilians, such activities are food programs, medical missions, clean up drives, and other civic and humanitarian efforts, these is to promote peace and to prevent armed struggle among the Filipinos . In times of catastrophe and calamity the ready reserve force and a number of ROTC cadets are called to respond, help and rescue the people in need, after these, these soldiers remained in active duty to conduct relief operations.These duties and service to the nation may be done not only by the Cadets or men in military service, but also by people in the civilian community or any ordinary citizen in the society. Small actions can make a big difference. Men in uniform cannot do these things all by themselves effectively, but rather if the civilians will come in aid to them or cooperate with them big difference will come out, Peace and Progress in the Philippines. In this we can say that Military is no powerful or more useful than the civilians. Men in uniform have been trained to gain more abilities, but they are trained to phold the civilian supremacy at all times. The ROTC Cadets magnifies the epitomical image of an ideal Filipino who contributes to the progress and keeping the harmony among the Filipinos in the Philippines. This shows that the ROTC Cadets as a future reservist are the epitome of an ideal citizen of our country. A citizen that has a heart to sympathize his fellow Filipinos, and a soldier that has patriotism to preserve the peace and order in the country. Be a young hero, join the unit, be an ROTC Cadet! * CDT. DIEGO MARIANO Rotc in the Philippines ROTC: Empowering the youth for peace and progress â€Å"Why take the hard way, if there’s an easy way†, these are the words that will come out from the mouth of an average and malingering human being, but taking the Reserved Officer Training Corps as their National Service Training Program will make them no average human being. These Cadets like me stepped out from the rest, to be above all the rest. Taking up the Civic Welfare Training Service, will be no extra ordinary just like every civilian can do and unlike a militiaman can do.Not all students in the tertiary level have the guts and courage to take the ROTC as their chosen NSTP or to enter a Military Service, but why do you think these students outside the military profession did not take this path of being a future reservist, a defender of the republic and a keeper of harmony among the Filipinos? First, they say that in ROTC they will stand up under the heat of the sun for a long time, yes they will stand under t he heat of the sun, but that is part of their training however, they will not stand up that long that will be too hazardous for their wellbeing.Second, they say that Hazing is rampant and were being conducted to cadets in ROTC, but Hazing is clearly not tolerable in the organization, how will a Cadet, a youth will empower peace and progress if they will be exposed to unlawful violence such as hazing? Third, ROTC is full of burden and hardships. These people consider Physical Training as burden and hardships; these are only part and parcel of their training as Cadets and to be a future defender of the state.Physical training is for the betterment of their wellbeing and life when they came back as a civilian in the society, they entered a Military Service not a playground. These are the three common reasons on why these students who did not take the ROTC and rejected to be part of the corps. These students or even the civilian world perceived only the one side of the coin, the negativ e side of Military Service. In ROTC, it promotes patriotism, moral values, virtues, respect for rights of the civilian and adherence to the constitution, the core values on empowering peace and progress.These youths, the cadets are casted to be future leaders of our country and to be the hope of our nation, here where some of our finest warriors are products of the ROTC. They are equipped mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally. They are trained to be disciplined, to build a better personality, and to overcome weaknesses. Military Professionalism is not the only lesson taught here but as well as the Conduct of a good Civilian. ROTC is one good way of keeping the youth away from harmful vices. As Rizal quoted â€Å"The youth are the hope of the nation†.ROTC Cadets as part of the youth sector are the hope of the nation and one of the primary movers on empowering peace and progress of the nation. As they come back to civilian life they are prepared to be a soldier, a lea der, and a better civilian or member in the society. They are deployed as civilians to contribute in the development and progress of the society and nation. What Parents cannot taught and straighten up to their children for years, can be done and straighten in several Sundays in ROTC. Disciplined and cooperative members of the society are one of the ingredients for the peace and progress of the nation.The reservists, including the ROTC Cadets are the backbone of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and as well as the society. The ROTC Cadets, Reservists and the Regular Force together with their Civilian Counterparts are having a joined force for the betterment and the advancement of the Philippines. The Military especially the reserve force supports all civic welfare activities done by the government and some Non Government Organizations; in regard with this the Armed Forces of the Philippines launched the OPLAN Bayanihan that was criticized by numerous activists, leftists, and detra ctors.Despite of these criticisms, this operation was pursued and successfully continues to help the wellbeing of the civilians, such activities are food programs, medical missions, clean up drives, and other civic and humanitarian efforts, these is to promote peace and to prevent armed struggle among the Filipinos . In times of catastrophe and calamity the ready reserve force and a number of ROTC cadets are called to respond, help and rescue the people in need, after these, these soldiers remained in active duty to conduct relief operations.These duties and service to the nation may be done not only by the Cadets or men in military service, but also by people in the civilian community or any ordinary citizen in the society. Small actions can make a big difference. Men in uniform cannot do these things all by themselves effectively, but rather if the civilians will come in aid to them or cooperate with them big difference will come out, Peace and Progress in the Philippines. In this we can say that Military is no powerful or more useful than the civilians. Men in uniform have been trained to gain more abilities, but they are trained to phold the civilian supremacy at all times. The ROTC Cadets magnifies the epitomical image of an ideal Filipino who contributes to the progress and keeping the harmony among the Filipinos in the Philippines. This shows that the ROTC Cadets as a future reservist are the epitome of an ideal citizen of our country. A citizen that has a heart to sympathize his fellow Filipinos, and a soldier that has patriotism to preserve the peace and order in the country. Be a young hero, join the unit, be an ROTC Cadet! * CDT. DIEGO MARIANO

Of Mice and Men Themes: Depression Essay

A central focus in the novel â€Å"Of Mice and Men† is the idea of inherent human loneliness. This manifests itself in many different ways for each character, but is collectively expressed as an unshakeable sadness or worry. Crooks states early on in the novel â€Å"I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. They come, an’ they quit an’ go on; an’ every damn one of ’em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ’em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Everybody wants a little piece of land’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head† This is an accurate representation of the general feeling of never-ending sadness expressed by the characters in this novel. Steinbeck’s approach to this feeling ventures outside the realm of just a plot device, because he uses it as a way to enable the reader to better understand each character’s self discovery and viewpoints on the world they live in. One of the most intriguing characters in the novel is Curley’s wife, who is never given a name, as to represent the treatment of women during the era. She is introduced as a character you are meant to dislike, promiscuous and seemingly out for trouble. Throughout the novel in the time leading up to her murder, we learn that she is not working to harm the people around her, but rather working to satisfy the sadness that stems from her lowly place in the world. She expresses this feeling when she states â€Å"Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live. Explaining how her â€Å"promiscuity† is actually just a cry for attention, showing that she isn’t the happy flirty woman she is made out to be, rather a fairly depressed and unhappy woman who wants to find ways to lift herself up. Moreover, it is hard for some people reading the novel to relate to the sadness felt by Curley’s wife, because it is seemingly warrantless, but Steinbeck does a commendable job of appealing to a broader audience with the character Crooks, an unhappy African American farmhand who feels isolated and melancholy because of his depressed status on the farm due to his race. He finds great joy in Lennie and George’s dream, and we see it become a savior for him, and outlet for all the anger and sadness he feels because of his position in the world. His depression is more obvious to the reader and also more relatable to anyone who has felt marginalized in their life. His sadness is very raw and clear, but he never acts upon his sadness. This shows a level of self control that isn’t seen in the other characters, and it very clearly differentiates his role within the world he lives in. In contrast to the reserved nature of Crooks, Curley’s sadness is expressed in his aggression that is rooted in his deep insecurities about himself. He acts out of rage and to assert his dominance to the characters around him, in an attempt to cure himself about his extreme lack of self confidence. This is proven to be an ineffective method for him, because no matter what he does he is seen with a bigger ego, but never seen liking himself anymore than before. Steinbeck writes him to be a short and stout man , which I believe is a representation of how trapped and unhappy he feels on the inside, almost as if he is being so oppressed by himself that it becomes physically manifested. His sadness affects me the most of all the characters in this novel, because it is the most unresolved. You get the sense that he does not even recognize his own sadness, which is something very tragic. In contrast to most of the characters in this novel, there is one that seems to be at peace with himself, and who also seems to recognize everyone else’s sadness, and has no problem accepting it as his own. I believe that slims character was added by Steinbeck to be a sharp contrasts from every other character, as well as a method of giving the reader hope that not all dreams die, and sadness is not permanent. Slims lack of internal or external conflict gives him an interesting perspective on the other characters, and made him my favorite character in the book. He handles the depression and the loneliness around him so effectively that it almost makes him appear to be superhuman. He is an educator to the others in the book, as well as an educator to the reader. He teaches everyone that our insecurities and our unhappiness doesn’t have to last forever and doesn’t have to define who we are as people. In conclusion, Steinbeck teaches us through â€Å"Of Mice and Men† that sadness is universal, but it doesn’t have to be an end all. It manifests itself in different ways for all of us, but the causes are never very different. We can learn to accept it and grow from it, or we can let it consume us, but either way it will always be there, and we just need to work to find the little things in life to help us persevere.

Psychological Testing Article Analysis Essay

Psychological testing is a tool to properly assess behaviors and characteristics of individuals. Results of psychological testing are often presented through statistical tables that allow evaluation and comparison of the different variables tested against set norms. This paper will review an article lifted from the Health Psychology journal and determine the appropriateness of the psychological testing instruments used in the study. For this purpose, the article chosen is â€Å"Evolution of Biopsychosocial Model: Prospects and Challenges for Health Psychology† written by Jerry Suls and Alex Rothman in 2004. Article Summary The Biopsychosocial Model has enabled health psychologists in the search for a multi-level, multi-system approach to human functioning (Suls & Rothman, 2004). This idea is based on the premise that there is an intrinsic relationship between what is physical, psychological and social. However according to the research of Suls and Rothman, there are marked challenges that the model faces that have essentially impeded the progress of its full potential as a research, intervention and practice tool. The article’s ultimate goal was to determine what can be done to ensure the continuous refinement and evolution of the biopsychosocial model (Suls & Rothman, 2004). As a means to determine the viability of the biopsychosocial model as a multi-faceted instrument to help explain an individual’s health psychology, Suls and Rothman resorted to the use of statistical tests in psychology. By conducting frequency tests and factor analysis, the team of Suls and Rothman came up with a list of recommendations in the model’s areas of research, training, policy and funding, and practice. These recommendations are to further utilization of the links between biological, psychological, social, and even macro-cultural variables, with the ultimate aim of enhancing health (2004). Through the tests five issues were also identified to be crucial in the progress of the biopsychosocial model as a legitimate approach to health assessment. The article concluded by highlighting the various advancements in health psychology, particularly with the biopsychosocial model. However, Suls and Rothman stressed that the full potential of the model in terms of the ability to advance the theory and practice remain untapped (2004). Only a strong commitment to the model and it implications would establish long-term success of its involvement in health psychology (Suls & Rothman, 2004). Psychological Testing Instruments Used The article of Suls and Rothman did not explicitly discuss the test they used to assess the biopsychosocial model. In spite of this, it can be deduced from the tables they presented and the discussion of their findings that they relied on statistical tests in psychology in data-gathering. Statistical tests are commonly used to analyze results of a psychological research (Green & D’Oliveria, 1982). In fact many social sciences, particularly psychology, necessitate the use of statistical inference to explain findings (Meehl, 1967). In this particular article where the bulk of the fact-finding are based on peer research, two statistical tests in psychology were used. Suls and Rothman conducted frequency tests two times in their research study. Frequency tests are the most helpful tool when comparing data against each other (Lane, 2004). Through frequency tests, marked differences in independent variables are clearly distinguished. To measure the progression of the biopsychosocial model as a accepted concept in health psychology, Suls and Rothman conducted a frequency test on the use of the term â€Å"biopsychosocial† in journals and articles of Medline from 1974 to 2001, totals of which were group into a 3-year period interval (2004). Suls and Rothman likewise applied a frequency test to measure the integration of behavioral approaches to medical science in the study (2004). They reviewed articles in 4 major medical journals namely New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association, and the Annals of Internal Medicine between the years of 1974 and 2001 (Suls and Rothman, 2004). Once again, they grouped the results into 3-year period intervals. From the raw frequency scores collected, they were able to produce a frequency polygon. A frequency polygon is the best way to present data gathered from frequency tests because it shows the shape of distribution of measured variables (Lane, 2004). Apart from frequency tests, Suls and Rothman also used factor analysis test. Factor analysis is one of the most commonly used statistical tests in various disciplines. It is used to determine patterns of relationships between variables (Gorsuch, 1983). In the area of psychology, factor analysis is commonly applied in intelligence research but it can also be used in other areas, like personality, behavior, belief, and even theory assessment. In this instance, factor analysis was used to assess the attitude of health psychologists towards the biopsychosocial model. The biopsychosocial model is dependent on the interaction between the biological, psychological, and social factors within an individual (Suls and Rothman, 2004). Suls and Rothman theorized that health psychologists are more likely to focus heavily on the psychological factor alone in the biopsychosocial model (2004). Therefore they used factor analysis to measure the presence of all the factors in articles written within a 12-month period, November 2001-September 2002 in Health Psychology. This particular application is called confirmatory factor analysis. It is used when the concern is to determine the number of variables that conform to a pre-determined theory set (Gorsuch, 1983). The value of this test is to assess the validity of preconceived ideas. In the case of Suls and Rothman’s study, it is the leaning of health psychologists towards psychological factors to assess an individual’s health. The article of Suls and Rothman did not make use of any standardized psychological testing instruments. The reason may be due to the fact that it is a study aimed at determining the advancement of a framework of health assessment. However, they still integrated valuable statistical testing in psychology to explain clearly the findings they have gathered. Effectiveness of the Psychological Testing Instruments Used The main premise of Suls and Rothman’s article is that the biopsychosocial model has proven remarkably successful in shaping the way health psychologists view an individual’s overall functioning (Suls and Rothman, 2004). To prove this point, the team proceeded to measure the familiarity of the concept among health psychologists by reviewing published journals in Medline, and four other notable medical journals. The raw data collected was then subjected to different statistical tests commonly applied in the field of psychology. From there Suls and Rothman were able to formulate recommendations vital to the advancement of the biopsychosocial model as a valid instrument in health assessment. The effectiveness of psychological testing is based mainly on two factors, validity and reliability. Validity measures the soundness of a test against its set objectives. On the other hand reliability measures the accuracy of the test in terms of producing consistent results. To determine whether the result of psychological testing is effective, researchers usually turn to statistical tests. In this case where no standardized psychological testing instruments were used, the effectiveness of the study may be directly correlated with the quality of the results produced by the statistical tests used by Suls and Rothman. Suls and Rothman resorted to frequency test to explain their findings on the use of â€Å"biopsychosocial† as a term in medical journals. The test confirmed their initial assumption that the biopsychosocial model has helped in advancing health psychology in the last 25 years. The frequency test showed a consistent rise in the use of â€Å"biopsychosocial† as a term in medical journals. However, Suls and Rothman are quick to stress that this may also be due to the increase of the number of articles published that deal with behavior in recent years (2004). They also used frequency test to assess the integration of behavioral approach to medical science (Suls & Rothman, 2004). The results attested as well to the increased integration of behavioral approaches to medical science in the last 30 years (Suls & Rothman, 2004). Finally a factor analysis test was conducted to determine the reliance of health psychologists on the variables essential to the biopsychosocial model. The factor analysis test clearly showed that health psychologists are still biased in considering psychological issues over biological, and even social. This correctly proved the initial postulation of Suls and Rothman. Considering that the statistical tests in psychology used in the research of Suls and Rothman ably supported their theory, it can be said that they were effective. However, since the study is mostly a review of journals it is not enough to completely determine the actual advancement of the biopsychosocial model as a tool for health assessment. George Schwartz in his book suggested that the biopsychosocial model faces a challenge with the use of empirical testing (1982). Empirical testing is a vital component to any psychological research. Another is that the model remains a concept in research. It has yet to transcend from research to practice, then back to research (Keefe, Buffington, Studts & Rumble, 2002). This is when the recommendations of Suls and Rothman become important. They were able to identify important areas that are tangible and measurable that will help in the transition of the model from a mere conceptual framework to a fully working tool in health assessment. As a stand-alone article, Suls and Rothman presented a thorough exposition of their chosen subject. However, based on the criteria of the article review, it did not meet the standards required. The fundamental component needed in the review is psychological testing in which the article did not have. On the other hand, the statistical tests were very helpful in understanding the basis of Suls’ and Rothman’s conclusion. Considering the statistical tests were properly chosen and used, it can be concluded that in the end the article of Suls and Rothman was a success. References Gorsuch, R. (1983). Factor analysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum Green, J. & D’Oliveria, M. (1982). Learning to use statistical tests in psychology 3rd edition. NY: Open University. Keefe, F. , Buffington, A. , Studts, J. , & Rumble, M. (2002). Behavioral medicine: 2002 and beyond. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 852-856. Lane, D. (2004, Augus 10). Frequency polygons. Connections. Retrieved August 25, 2010,