Why an Online IT Degree Works for Me Essays

Why an Online IT Degree Works for Me Essays Why an Online IT Degree Works for Me Essay Why an Online IT Degree Works for Me Essay Having always been into computers in some way, shape, or form, I knew from an early age that I wanted to explore a career in this industry, although I wasn’t sure exactly the direction I was heading. After high school, with financial pressures on my back, I chose to forgo college and I found a pretty good paying job with a local company handling their computer system. Businesses were still just getting online – this was the beginning of the Internet taking hold in companies and homes – and all I had was an innate understanding of computer technology and a desire to work hard. I have to say that I’m pretty proud of how well I did without any formal education. Simply by teaching myself – and attending seminars here and there – I was able to learn more than the basics and excel in my job. But now, as I am older, I feel the need to formalize my education with a degree. Sure, my experience speaks volumes about what I can do; but without a college degree some companies won’t even talk to you and I wanted to make sure that I was protected and marketable, especially now with so many people worrying about their jobs. But I also didn’t want to give up my current job in order to better myself for the next one, so I chose to complete my education through an online IT degree program. I always knew online learning was an option and had it in the back of my mind but once I made the decision the rest was easy. The online IT degree program that I chose is convenient and I’m able to make my own schedule in terms of completing my work. Best of all, I don’t have to give up my job and I can still take as many classes as I can handle. I have always found great success with the computer and the online IT degree is no exception!

En Dashes Clarify Compound Phrasal Adjectives

En Dashes Clarify Compound Phrasal Adjectives En Dashes Clarify Compound Phrasal Adjectives En Dashes Clarify Compound Phrasal Adjectives By Mark Nichol Some style guides recommend using en dashes in place of hyphens for a wide variety of uses, but The Chicago Manual of Style, the guidebook of record for most American publishing companies, advises a more limited set of applications. According to Chicago style, these sentences would all be written with hyphens, not en dashes: â€Å"He had long flown the San Francisco-Los Angeles run.† â€Å"In 1930, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act went into effect.† â€Å"The final score was 6-5.† â€Å"After discussion, the board voted 6-3 to approve the project.† â€Å"Their father-son rivalry persisted for many years.† â€Å"The Michelson-Morley experiment was a significant milestone on the way to the theory of special relativity.† What, then, are en dashes for? First, they separate two numbers in a number range (as in the inclusive page numbers in a chapter, or the years of birth and death in a person’s life span). Second, the en dash functions as a superhyphen. It is this second function that this post details. In a simple phrasal adjective, two single words that, as a temporary compound, modify a noun are often hyphenated: â€Å"Her high-handed gesture backfired.† (The hyphen’s function is to eliminate ambiguity, so that the sentence is not understood as referring to a handed gesture that is high.) But when the first of the two terms in the temporary compound is itself a compound, the greater suspensive strength of the en dash is employed, as in â€Å"She wears jam jar–bottom glasses† or â€Å"The character’s origins go all the way back to the golden egg–laying magic goose.† Alternately, these sentences can be styled with hyphens between the three words in each phrasal adjective, as in â€Å"She wears jam-jar-bottom glasses† and â€Å"The character’s origins go all the way back to the golden-egg-laying magic goose.† This style is used when en dashes are discouraged or not an option, such as online (on Web sites, en dashes, unlike hyphens, require use of a code) or in newspapers, most of which do not use the longer symbol. However, such use of hyphenation does not demonstrate the subtle relationship between the elements of the phrasal adjective. In addition to linking an open compound to another adjective, an en dash serves to connect a proper noun to a word that indicates resemblance or another relationship: â€Å"The character is part Clint Eastwood–type cowboy.† â€Å"You can see him as a Leonardo da Vinci–like genius.† â€Å"She evolved from being a slick Mata Hari–esque female to a more rounded, tomboyish figure.† This structure clarifies that type refers, for example, to â€Å"Clint Eastwood,† not to â€Å"Eastwood† alone. En dashes connect the concepts in the following phrases: â€Å"Academy Award–winning actor,† pre–Industrial Revolution technology,† â€Å"ex–vice president,† and â€Å"non–United Nations action.† However, when connecting a term to a hyphenated compound, a simple hyphen is used, as in â€Å"non-English-speaking visitors† or â€Å"non-government-sponsored programs.† Another case in which a hyphen, not an en dash, is employed is â€Å"post-9/11,† because the short form of the month-date designation is not considered a compound. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should KnowEnglish Grammar 101: Verb Mood25 Idioms with Clean

USA World Bank Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

USA World Bank - Case Study Example USA World Bank has been a very successful firm, both for consumers and small businesses domestically and internationally. Like all companies, it needs to come up with new and exciting products for its customers so that they remain committed to the company. The Board of Directors wants the company to launch just one product each year. This one product can focus on the consumer side or the small business owner side. However this can result in conflicting ideas internally and as well as with conflicting customers. It is the decision of the president and vice president to come up with the new product and launch it in the current time frame.Each year Managers at USA World Bank are required to launch a new product for their bank. This has become the tradition that the president and vice president of New Product Development brainstorm and then create an idea for the product and then present it to the Board of Directors for approval. In recent years the all the new products launched have bee n marginally successful therefore there is increased pressure on the president and vice president this year to deliver the goods. Without concurrent launching of new products, USA World Bank feels that it would lose its market share and its huge customer base to other new and agile banks. [3]Like any company UWB, wants to maximize its profitability while satisfying its customer needs. It takes into consideration the customer requirements and prioritizes the needs to identify which customers its product will be targeted towards. The Company faces a dilemma in this scenario whether to launch a Consumer Product or a Small business Owner product. Catering to one or the other will create a bad reputation from the other side. The second stakeholders are the general consumers. They have the right to purchase the product from UWB and to be or not to be a part of the company. They want to maximize the utility they get on purchasing the products from the company. Their interests clash with the interest of the Small Business Owner Card holders and they are given higher priority. The third stakeholders are Small Business Owners for whom a different kind of card is being sought to be produced. They have the right to purchase the product from UWB and to be or not to be a part of the company. They want to maximize the utility they get on purchasing the products from the company. Their interests clash with the interest of the general consumers because they are given lesser priority. [1] Problem Statement USA World Bank will cater to all customers to increase market share and market value by building close customer relationships. End-State Vision USA World Bank will add value to its customer base by offering affordable products and incentives to increase its market share. Alternative Solutions Alternative solutions are generated from the problem at hand. Mary Monroe wants to go ahead with the Consumer product while Jim and executives emphasize for the Small Business Owner product. Brian is confused whether to go for both products or simply do more research to find out which one is more feasible. Here is the list of alternate solutions Launch General Consumer Product Launch Small Business Owner Product Launch Both Products These alternatives are included in the secondary alternatives as the company wants to launch the product this year without any delays. Delay launching product until further research studies are not completed Don't launch any product this year Analysis of Alternative Solutions There are 4 different goals that have been identified for USA World Bank from this scenario. The cost is not considered that important like Brian Allen said therefore it is assigned a rating of 2. A

Finance and accounts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Finance and accounts - Essay Example Stock markets are very volatile and investors need to learn through various important concepts before proceeding to invest their money to ensure satisfactory returns.Many at times there may be possibilities that investors suffer on the back drop of decreased prices after they invest. These situations should at least be reduced if they cannot be reduced as a whole. The process of loss reduction involves a complex understanding about the following terminologies:1.CAPM and Arbitrage Pricing Theory 2.Efficient markets hypothesis and Pecking order theory 3.Modigilani and Miller approach and Residual theory 4.Symbolic interactionism, ethnography and phenomenology 5.Conceptual framework of accounting and 6.Conceptual framework of management accounting.These abovementioned theories explain the basics of share trading and knowledge of them is a must to avoid risk in the stock market. 1.CAPM and Arbitrage Pricing TheoryCapital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM): It was developed to predict the future value of shares based on the previous trends in market equilibrium. It establishes the underlying relationship between the returns expected in the light of unavoidable risk. Any investment can be classified into risk free or portfolio categories. It analyzes the return which a portfolio is expected to deliver in the form of a characteristic line which comprises of three primary measures – the alpha (ÃŽ ±), Beta (ÃŽ ²) and unavoidable risk. ÃŽ ± is the simple intercept of the line and is bound to be zero and any value below that would avert the investor to participate in that particular stock. Unavoidable risk is the risk relating to a particular stock or industry which can be avoided or reduced comprehensively in a portfolio. Hence, the main determinant of the stock price is the ? which defines the sensitivity of a stock in relation to market changes. If it is more than 1, the stock is supposed to be more volatile than the market and vice versa. The formula for evaluating ? i s: Rj = Rf + (Rm-Rf)?j where Rj refers to the return expected of the security, Rm is the market return and Rf is the risk free return (treasury bond interest rate). ? is the unavoidable risk. The values of ? for many active stocks can be obtained through data published by various financial concerns. Thus, the expected return can be calculated. The same ? can also be interpreted as the discounted rate of the dividends to ascertain the value of the stock and thus by equating both the values, one can conclude whether a particular stock is over or undervalued. The underlying assumptions are: 1. Existence of efficient capital markets 2. Zero costs for transactions 3. No restrictions 4. Investors cannot influence the markets 5. Non-incurrence of taxes Specific situation: Let us evaluate a situation comprising of 7% Treasury bill rate and portfolio market returns of 12% to estimate the share value of pro-fli Corporation which contains a ? of 1.3. According to the formula, the share value w ould be: .07+(.12-.07) *1.3 which gives a result of 13.5%. This shows that when ? is more, the returns tend to be more rewarding. In the same case, if ? is estimated to

Prewriting Assignment Essay Example for Free

Prewriting Assignment Essay Times I Saw an Adult Cry I. I was very young when I first saw an adult cry.   I did not actually see an adult cry in person; I saw it on television.   Nonetheless, it was the first time I have seen an adult shed tears.   That night, I was at home with the babysitter when my mother left to run some errands.   I remember that the babysitter tucked me to my bed early and I immediately fell asleep.   After some time, I was awakened by the sounds of people talking.    It was rather loud, and I could hear the voices of a man and a woman in conversation. Out of curiosity, I got out of bed and opened the bedroom door.   At first, I thought that maybe the babysitter had some company. So I carefully walked downstairs to the den, where the babysitter usually stays.   I took a peek and found her alone.   The sounds I heard came from the television; she was only watching a movie.   I remember that it was an old movie, as it was in black and white.   To my surprise, the woman in the movie began to cry.   I was surprised because I have never seen the adults in my house cry.   I thought crying were only for babies and young children.   After that, I learned that adults can also cry. II. When I was younger, my family and I were on a road trip. The trip was generally smooth, until my father decided to take a short cut.   He was driving the car, and he turned left to a narrow dirt road.   It proved to be a wrong decision; the road led to a cemetery, where a burial was taking place.   The width of the road made it difficult to pass through, but the parked cars on both sides of the road made it more problematic. The traffic caused my father to drive slowly, allowing me to witness the burial.   I saw all of the mourners; all of them were dressed in black.   However, a man stood out in the crowd out of his sheer size. As a child, I was terrified of bald, stocky men.   They all seemed intimidating to me. The man in the cemetery was tall, stocky and bald.   Because he appeared intimidating, I did not expect him to cry in the burial. I was not used to seeing men cry, especially those of his size.   I was expecting him to be simply serious but not emotional.   Besides, it was said that men do not cry.   As we drove past the cemetery, I caught a glimpse of him pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his eyes.   He was indeed crying.   I contemplated that maybe the grief over the loss of a loved one may have been too much to bear, that it prompted a seemingly intimidating man to cry. III. Our next door neighbor was a woman with two children.   The woman had fair skin and dark curly hair. She was remarkably thin and was rarely seen at home.   My mother said that she worked two jobs so she could pay the rent and feed her children. I always liked her because whenever she was around, she would smile at me and her eyes would seem to smile too. She had those distinct smiling eyes.   One day, my mother and I went out of the house as we were hearing loud noises from her home. We saw this tall man coming out of her house, dragging the children with him. She was screaming while grabbing on to the man’s arm. She tried to stop him, but her small frame was no match to the man’s physique. The children were shouting for their mother as the man dragged them into the car. The man immediately hopped in the driver’s seat, closed the door, and drove away.   The woman just stood there in the street, her eyes still fixed on the car that just disappeared. A minute later, she bowed her head and covered her face with her hands. Then she began to cry.   Her cries became louder, and soon all our neighbors were already watching her.    I later found out that the man was her former husband and her children’s father. She worked so hard to take care of her children, only for them to be taken away from her.   I never saw her smiling eyes again.   She soon moved out. I believe it was after that incident when I truly began to have respect for single mothers who work hard to take care of their kids. IV. I am used to witnessing marriage proposals on television.   I have seen programs wherein the men would go down on one knee and the woman would then gasp in shock, cover their mouths with their hands and become motionless for a few seconds. Afterwards, they would become hysterical in glee. In the past, I thought that such moments were too emotional.   My opinion changed when I witnessed a marriage proposal firsthand.   I was in a coffee shop with a friend when a couple entered. They looked like the average couple; nothing seemed extraordinary about the two of them. The woman took her seat, while the man went to the counter to order.   I did not pay them much attention afterwards. It was not until much later when I realized they were deaf-mute, when I noticed that they were using sign language. I did not expect a proposal to occur, not in a coffee shop.   So when I saw the man go down on one knee, I was taken aback.   My friend and I watched closely, along with the other customers, as the woman nodded and hugged his future husband.   As the people in the shop cheered, tears were streaming down her face. Unlike other women, she did not overreact.   She was just happy, and her tears showed it.   I guess true love does make people happy, and the happiness does not have to be showy to be expressed. V. One time, I had the chance to watch The Oprah Winfrey Show.   I can remember that the episode featured a middle-aged African-American woman who took care of many children.   I cannot recall if she was married, but I know she had three children.   When the woman’s siblings died, she took the responsibility of raising them as well.   She and the children had to cram themselves in a small three-bedroom house.   She worked several jobs to support these kids, most of which are not even her own.   The problem was that the home was not hers and if she did not pay a certain amount within the specified time, they would be evicted. The woman and the children were invited to the show where they were to receive gifts from Oprah. They were given things they needed; they received new beds, kitchen appliances, and even a van.   However, the biggest surprise of all was when Oprah announced that they would be shopping for a new home. The woman hugged Oprah tight, and wiped the tears running down her face.   I knew the woman was happy because of all the material things she received. Most importantly, I know those tears were of gratitude.   It was not the material things per se that she was grateful for; she was thankful for the help that those things could offer her and the children.   I knew she deserved those things for all her dedication and hard work. Still, she was very grateful.

Causes of the Fenian Movement :: Essays Papers

Causes of the Fenian Movement Irish history is one that is filled with many successes, but heavily out weighted by tragedies and failures of all types. Beginning in the 1840’s, Ireland was faced with many occurrences that lead up to a movement that changed the history of Ireland’s nationalism. â€Å"Beginning with 1847, the potato blight left famine and death on every hand; emigration was excessive and disaffection wide spread yet the British government did little to relieve the deplorable conditions.† (Walker 2) One of the largest events of the time was the Fenian Movement. This movement was led by the people in order to take back what was theirs, their land and rights. While many occurrences might have contributed to the Fenian Movement, which was named after the legendary Gaelic hero, Finn Mac Cumhail (de Nie 215), the four large contributors were The Great Potato Famine; The Young Ireland Uprising; the Civil War; and Britain’s tightening oppression. In 1845, the main crop of the Irish was coming under attack. A blight that slowly killed the potatoes from the inside out, hit the country hard. With the devastation of the dying potatoes, much of the population was found to be in starving situations. Disease that already existed in the country, attacked those left weak by the starvation they were facing, and many died. The disaster of the Famine radicalized a generation of mainly catholic young men of modest social origin, some of whom eventually succeed in assembling an almost open and extremely widespread conspiracy to subvert British rule in Ireland (Gavin 471) This lead to the emigration of many to other countries in order to leave the diseased country. The Famine also caused many Irish to question the control that Britain had over their country. Britain granted no form of help to the devastated Irish population. Since potatoes were Ireland’s top export, the British decided to tax and bill for the potatoes that they never received. They also used religion as a tool to discourage the Irish. English Catholic’s prevalent concern: that Irish nationalism would supersede Catholicism in the hearts and minds of England’s Catholic population, which was predominantly composed of working-class Irish migrants†¦ Most Irish classified their Catholicism with nationalism while English Catholics considered themselves a refined Catholic minority in a vulgar Protestant land (Dye 358).

Carl Jung’s the Shadow Essay

The following assessment explores my understanding of how I apply the person-centred approach/core conditions to myself when considering my shadow. To help explore and deepen our understanding of Carl Jung’s term ‘the shadow’ the class this week carried out an exercise whereby we each chose a card depicting a negative/challenging personality trait. The card I chose was ‘The Miser’. We then individually explored how we considered this aspect to play a part in our shadow and how the shadow impacts on us personally and professionally. I will go on to describe what I discovered about my shadow during this exercise. The shadow represents the unconscious parts of our personality – the parts our conscious-self disowns due to inner conflicts often originating from foundations such as culture and upbringing. Refusing to acknowledge its existence and place within our psyche threatens to distort our relationships with ourselves and others. Embracing the shadow allows us to move deeper within our unconscious layers and develop a better understanding of self. According to Carl Jung, recognising our shadow material is part of the journey to embracing the totality of ourselves. However, this can prove to be a difficult task. As Jung notes, it takes considerable moral effort, insight, and good will to embrace the dark aspects of our personality. Some parts of the shadow can be recognised more easily than others but because the shadow is ‘a moral problem’, there is usually some resistance to confronting it. 3a) Apply the person-centred approach to self When thinking about the definition of The Miser, I initially was not sure about its true meaning. After questioning this I discovered it describes a miserable, penny pinching character. On expanding on this and relating it to my shadow, I expressed my own connection of this to selfishness leading on to false guilt. So how do I apply the core conditions to myself when experiencing these elements of my shadow? And how can I get to a deeper and more compassionate understanding of these behaviours? A miserly character conjures up, from my personal vantage point, an image of Scrooge – someone who takes no pleasure in spending money on other people or making gestures of generosity. It is not a trait I would claim to have as I genuinely enjoy being as generous as I realistically within my network of family and friends. But, looking at this from a societal perspective, I can link feelings of selfishness to admitting that I could give more money to charity. In the economy we live in, speaking in broad terms, we all need to be careful about how and where we choose to spend our money. I would class myself as an honest, hard-working, tax paying citizen making up part of the working class structure of society. I am however aware of times when I am frugal with my finances and the sense of guilt that can surface. When thinking of my shadow in the context of the core conditions, I can empathically understand that money is an integral part of my survival system – to having the lifestyle, health, necessities and luxuries I choose to strive for. I can feel very sad for people and countries in desperate need of charitable help which is accompanied by a sense of selfishness over the advantages and privileges I fortunately have and whilst I feel passionate that nobody should ever have to live a life of poverty in such a wealthy world, I remain realistic and congruent with myself about the extent of which I am able to help financially. I take the time to acknowledge such issues but manage and internalise them to a degree that does not defeat my sense of contribution to the world. This flows in to unconditional positive regard. I recognise that the feelings of selfishness and false guilt that arise in me are hard to process and if I am honest that I am capable of feeling selfish, I can start to understand with more clarity the reasons to how I arrived at that place and ultimately feel respect and compassion for myself through a clearer understanding and appreciation. 3b) Critically examine how this application impacts on your own counselling So how does thinking about my shadow relate to me professionally? Not owning my shadow as a counsellor could exert an unseen influence on my relationship with the client. To deny such parts of myself is to supress them and inevitably and unconsciously permit them seep in to the dynamics of the relationship. If I strive to use the core conditions with myself, and accept myself sensitively and compassionately, I will be capable of providing the same conditions for the client. Rogers (1961) describes further the relevance of being congruent; â€Å"The psychotherapist is what he is, when in the relationship with his client he is genuine and without front or facade, openly being the feelings and attitudes which at that moment are flowing in him†¦the feelings the therapist is experiencing are available to him, available to his awareness, and he is able to live these feelings, be them, and able to communicate them if appropriate. † As a counsellor I need to have the ability to own my flaws and admit that I am human and fallible but strive to internally construct them in a sensitive way so as not to allow them to sabotage the delicate conditions in which a therapeutic relationship can develop. Disavowing the conflicts and flaws within me could result in projecting my own value systems, beliefs and insecurities on to the client. If I were to deny the ability within me to feel selfish then my visceral reaction to a client bringing up such issues in a session would be stuck inside my own frame of reference and the core conditions I aim to provide myself and the client would be blinkered. References Rogers C, . (1961) On Becoming a Person: A Therapist’s View of Psychotherapy. London. Constable.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 20

Meredith usual y found her parents funny and sil y and dear. They were solemn about al the wrong things like, â€Å"Make sure, honey, that you real y get to know Alaric – before – before – â€Å"Meredith had no doubts about Alaric at al , but he was another of those sil y, dear, gal ant people, who talked al around things without getting to the point. Today, she was surprised to see that there was no cluster of cars around the ancestral home. Maybe people had to stay home to fight it out with their own children. She locked the Acura, conscious of the precious contents given by Isobel, and rang the doorbel . Her parents believed in chain locks. Janet, the housekeeper, looked happy to see her but nervous. Aha, Meredith thought, they have discovered that their dutiful only child has ransacked the attic. Maybe they want the stave back. Maybe I should have left it back at the boardinghouse. But she only realized that things were truly serious when she came into the family room and saw the big La-Z-Boy deluxe lounging chair, her father's throne: empty. Her father was sitting on the couch, holding her mother, who was sobbing. She had brought the stave with her, and when her mother saw it, she broke into a fresh burst of tears. â€Å"Look,†Meredith said, â€Å"this doesn't have to be so tragic. I've got a pretty good idea of what happened. If you want to tel me about how Grandma and I real y got hurt, that's your business. But if I was†¦contaminated in some way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She stopped. She could hardly believe it. Her father was holding out an arm to her, as if the somewhat rank condition of her clothes didn't matter. She went to him slowly, uncomfortably, and let him hug her regardless of his Armani suit. Her mother had a glass with a few sips left of what looked like Coke in front of her, but Meredith would bet it wasn't al Coke. â€Å"We'd hoped that this was a place of peace,†her father orated. Every sentence her father spoke was an oration. You got used to it. â€Å"We never dreamed†¦Ã¢â‚¬ And then he stopped. Meredith was stunned. Her father didn't stop in the middle of an oration. He didn't pause. And he certainly didn't cry. â€Å"Dad! Daddy! What is it? Have kids been around here, crazy kids? Did they hurt somebody?† â€Å"We have to tel you the whole story from that time long ago,†her father†¦said. He spoke with such despair that it wasn't anything like an oration. â€Å"When you were†¦al attacked.† â€Å"By the vampire. Or Grandfather. Or do you know?† Long pause. Then her mother drained the contents of her glass and cal ed, â€Å"Janet, another one, please.† â€Å"Now, Gabriel a – â€Å"her father said, chiding. â€Å"‘Nando – I can't bear this. The thought that mi hija inocente†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Meredith said, â€Å"Look, I think I can make this easier for you. I already know†¦Well, first, that I had a twin brother.† Her parents looked horrified. They clung together, gasping. â€Å"Who told you?†her father demanded. â€Å"At that boardinghouse, who could know – ?† Calming down time. â€Å"No, no. Dad, I found out – Well, Grandpa talked to me.†That was true enough. He had. Just not about her brother. â€Å"Anyway, that was how I got the stave. But the vampire that hurt us is dead. He was the serial kil er, the one who kil ed Vickie and Sue. His name was Klaus.† â€Å"You thought that there was only one vampire?†her mother got out. She pronounced the word the Hispanic way, which Meredith always found more scary. Vahm-peer. The universe seemed to start moving slowly around Meredith. â€Å"That's just a guess,†her father said. â€Å"We don't real y know that there was more than the very strong one.† â€Å"But you know about Klaus – how?† â€Å"We saw him. He was the strong one. He kil ed the security guards at the gate with one blow each. We moved to a new town. We hoped you would never have to know you had a brother.†Her father brushed his eyes. â€Å"Your grandfather spoke to us, right after the attack. But the next day†¦nothing. He couldn't talk at al .† Her mother put her face in her hands. She only lifted it to cal , â€Å"Janet! Another, por favor!† â€Å"Right away, ma'am.†Meredith looked to the housekeeper's blue eyes for the solution to this mystery and found nothing – sympathy, but no help. Janet walked away with the empty glass, blond French braid receding. Meredith turned back to her parents, so dark of eye and hair, so olive of skin color. They were huddling together again, eyes on her. â€Å"Mom, Dad, I know that this is real y hard. But I'm going after the kind of people who hurt Grandpa, and Grandma, and my brother. It's dangerous, but I have to do it.†She dropped into a Taekwondo stance. â€Å"I mean you did have me trained.† â€Å"But against your own family? You could do that?†her mother cried. Meredith sat down. She had reached the end of the memories that she and Stefan had found. â€Å"So Klaus didn't kil him like Grandmother. He took my brother with him.† â€Å"Cristian,†wailed her mother. â€Å"He was just un bebe. Three years old! That was when we found the two of you†¦and the blood†¦oh, the blood†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her father got up, not to orate, but to put his hand on Meredith's shoulder. â€Å"We thought it would be easier not to tel you – that you wouldn't have any memories of what was happening when we came in. And you don't, do you?† Meredith's eyes were fil ing with tears. She looked to her mother, trying to silently tel her she couldn't understand this. â€Å"He was drinking my blood?†she guessed. â€Å"Klaus?† â€Å"No!†cried her father as her mother whispered prayers. â€Å"He was drinking Cristian's, then.†Meredith was kneeling on the floor now, trying to look up into the face of her mother. â€Å"No!†cried her father again. He choked. â€Å"La sangre!† gasped her mother, covering her eyes. â€Å"The blood!† â€Å"Querida – † her father sobbed, and went to her. â€Å"Dad!†Meredith went after him and shook his arm. â€Å"You've ruled out al the possibilities! I don't understand! Who was drinking blood?† â€Å"You! You!† her mother almost screamed. â€Å"From your own brother! Oh, el aterrorizar!† â€Å"Gabriel a!†moaned her father. Meredith's mother subsided into weeping. Meredith's head was whirling. â€Å"I'm not a vampire! I hunt vampires and kil them!† â€Å"He said,†her father whispered hoarsely: â€Å"‘Just see she gets a tablespoon a week. If you want her to live, that is. Try a blood pudding.'He was laughing.† Meredith didn't need to ask if they had obeyed. At her house, they had blood sausage or pudding at least once a week. She had grown up with it. It was nothing special. â€Å"Why?†she whispered hoarsely now. â€Å"Why didn't he kil me?† â€Å"I don't know! We Stilldon't know! That man with his front al dripping with blood – your blood, your brother's blood, we didn't know! And then at the last minute he grabbed for the two of you but you bit his hand to the bone,†her father said. â€Å"He laughed – laughed! – with your teeth clamped in him and your little hands pushing him away, and said, ‘I'l just leave you this one, then, and you can worry about what she wil turn out to be. The boy I'm taking with me.'And then suddenly I seemed to come out of a spel , for I was reaching for you again, ready to fight him for both of you. But I couldn't! Once I had you, I couldn't move another inch. And he left the house Stilllaughing – and took your brother, Cristian, with him.† Meredith thought. No wonder they didn't want to hold any kind of celebration on the anniversaries of that day. Her grandmother dead, her grandfather going crazy, her brother lost, and herself – what? No wonder they celebrated her birthday a week early. Meredith tried to stay calm. The world was fal ing to pieces around her but she had to stay calm. Staying calm had kept her alive al her life. Without even having to count, she was breathing out deep, and in through her nostrils, and out through her mouth. Deep, deep, cleansing breaths. Soothing peace throughout her body. Only part of her was hearing her mother: â€Å"We came home early that night because I had a headache – â€Å" â€Å"Sh, querida – â€Å"her father was beginning. â€Å"We got home early,†her mother keened. â€Å"O Virgen Bendecida, what would we have found if we had been late? We would have lost you, too! My baby! My baby with blood on her mouth – â€Å" â€Å"But we got home early enough to save her,†Meredith's father said huskily, as if trying to wake her mother from a spel . â€Å"Ah, g racias, Princesa Divina, Vigen pura y impoluto†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Her mother couldn't seem to stop crying. â€Å"Daddy,†Meredith said urgently, aching for her mother but desperately needing information. â€Å"Have you ever seen him again? Or heard about him? My brother, Cristian?† â€Å"Yes,†her father said. â€Å"Oh, yes, we have seen something.† Her mother gasped. â€Å"‘Nando, no!† â€Å"She has to learn the truth sometime,†her father said. He rummaged among some cardboard file folders on the desk. â€Å"Look!†he said to Meredith. â€Å"Look at this.† Meredith stared in utter disbelief. In the Dark Dimension Bonnie shut her eyes. There was a lot of wind at the top of a tal building's window. That was al her mind had a thought for when she was out of the window and then back into it and the ogre was laughing and Shinichi's terrible voice saying, â€Å"You don't real y think we'd let you go without questioning you thoroughly?† Bonnie heard the words without them making sense, and then suddenly they did. Her captors were going to hurt her. They were going to torture her. They were going to take her bravery away. She thought she screamed something at him. Al she knew, though, was that there was a soft explosion of heat behind her, and then – unbelievably – al dressed up in a cloak with badges that made him look like some kind of military prince, there was Damon. Damon. He was so late she'd long ago given up on him. But now he was flashing a there-and-gone bril iant smile at Shinichi, who was staring as if he'd been stricken dumb. And now Damon was saying, â€Å"I'm afraid Ms. McCul ough has another engagement at that moment. But I wil be back to kick your ass – immediately. Move from this room and I'l kil you al , slowly. Thank you for your time and consideration.† And before anyone could even recover from their first shock at his arrival, he and Bonnie were blasting off through the windows. He went, not out of the building backward as if retreating, but straight ahead forward, one hand in front of him, wrapping them both in a black but ethereal bundle of Power. They shattered the two-way mirror in Bonnie's room and were almost al the way through to the next room before Bonnie's mind tagged the first â€Å"empty.†Then they were crashing through an elaborate videoset-window – made to let people think they had a view of the outdoors, and flying over someone lying on a bed. Then†¦it was just a series of crashes, as far as Bonnie was concerned. She barely got a glimpse of what was going on in each room. Final y†¦ The crashing stopped. This left Bonnie holding on to Damon koala-style – she wasn't stupid – and they were very, very high in the air. And mobilizing in front of them, and off to the sides, and as far as Bonnie could see, were women who were also flying, but in little machines that looked like a combination of a motorcycle and a Jet Ski. No wheels, of course. The machines were al gold, which was also the color of each driver's hair. So the first word Bonnie gasped to her rescuer, after he had blasted a tunnel through the large slave-owner's building to save her, was, â€Å"Guardians?† â€Å"Indispensable, considering the fact that I didn't have the first idea where the bad guys might have taken you and I suspected that there might be a time limit. This was actual y the very last of the slave-sel ers we were due to check. We final y†¦lucked out.†For someone who had lucked out, he sounded a little strange. Almost†¦choked up. Water was on Bonnie's cheeks but it was being flicked away too fast for her to wipe it. Damon was holding her so that she couldn't see his face, and he was holding her very, very tightly. It real y was Damon. He had cal ed out the cavalry and, despite the city-wide mind-gridlock, he had found her. â€Å"They hurt you, didn't they, little redbird? I saw†¦I saw your face,†Damon said in his new choked-up voice. Bonnie didn't know what to say. But suddenly she didn't mind how hard he squeezed her. She even found herself squeezing back. Suddenly, to her shock, Damon broke her koala-grip and pul ed her up and kissed her on the lips very gently. â€Å"Little redbird! I'm going to go now, and make them pay for what they did to you.† Bonnie heard herself say, â€Å"No, don't.† â€Å"No?†Damon repeated, bewildered. â€Å"No,†Bonnie said. She needed Damon with her. She didn't care what happened to Shinichi. There was a sweetness unfolding inside her, but there was also a rushing in her head. It real y was a pity, but in a few moments she would be unconscious. Meanwhile, she had three thoughts in mind and al of them were clear. What she was afraid of was that they would be less clear later, after she had fainted. â€Å"Do you have a star bal ?† â€Å"I have twenty-eight star bal s,†Damon said, and looked at her quizzical y. That wasn't what Bonnie meant at al ; she meant one to record onto. â€Å"Can you remember three things?†she said to Damon. â€Å"I'd gamble on it.†This time Damon kissed her softly on the forehead. â€Å"First, you ruined my very brave death.† â€Å"We can always go back and you can have another try.†Damon's voice was less choked now; more his own. â€Å"Second, you left me at that horrible inn for a week – â€Å" As if she could see inside his mind, she saw this slice into him like some kind of wooden sword. He was holding her so tightly that she real y couldn't breathe. â€Å"I†¦I didn't mean to. It was real y only four days, but I never should have done it,†he said. â€Å"Third.†Bonnie's voice dropped to a whisper. â€Å"I don't think any star bal was ever stolen at al . What never existed can't be stolen, can it?† She looked at him. Damon was looking back in a way that normal y would have thril ed her. He was obviously, blatantly distressed. But Bonnie was just barely hanging on to consciousness at this point. â€Å"And†¦fourth†¦Ã¢â‚¬ She puzzled out slowly. â€Å"Fourth? You said three things.†Damon smiled, just a little. â€Å"I have to say this – â€Å"She dropped her head down on Damon's shoulder, gathered al of her energy, and concentrated. Damon loosened his grip a little. He said, â€Å"I can hear a faint murmuring sound in my head. Just tel me normal y. We're well away from anyone.† Bonnie was insistent. She scrunched her whole tiny body together and then explosively sent out a thought. She could tel that Damon caught it. Fourth, I know the way to the seven legendary kitsune treasures, Bonnie sent to him. That includes the biggest star ball ever made. But if we want it, we have to get to it – fast. Then, feeling that she had contributed enough to the conversation, she fainted.

Perfect Gym essays

Perfect Gym essays Every person in the world would like to have a perfect body. In order to have a healthy and a strong body, people would need to consider going to a gym to work out. What do such people expect of a gym? Certainly, patrons would expect a wide selection of equipment available in a gym. Patrons would enjoy a well-educated staff who knows everything people want to know about working out. The Bally Total Fitness, located on the Boulevard, is a perfect match for that. Patrons will definitely enjoy working out at the Bally Total Fitness. What kind of environment would patrons expect? Patrons will find the Bally Total Fitness clean, well organized, and suitable for working out. First of all, patrons will appreciate a wide selection of equipment available to them. Whether they like to use machines or free weights to achieve their goals, Bally Total Fitness is right for them. For example, patrons have a choice of inclined, declined, and regular bench press available to them. The gym has about 8 machines for each part of the body. The gym has 3 machines of the same kind, so patrons dont have to wait for someone to get finished with their work out. Ballys has about 5 set of dumbbells for each weight, so up to 5 people can work out at a time. Patrons will appreciate the wide selection of equipment offered to customers. Second of all, patrons would enjoy the staff, who can assist them with their work out. The Bally Total Fitness has 12 trainers on duty at a time. Trainers walk around and ask everyone if they would like help. For example, trainers are there to spot people bench pressing. Trainers give patrons hints on how to work certain muscles. Trainers can also design a healthy diet for one to follow. Patrons would enjoy the staff working at the Bally Total Fitness located on the Boulevard. Finally, patrons will appreciate the environment. Patrons will find the gym clean. The machines are cleaned every 15 ...

Crimes of Killer Cop Antoinette Frank

Crimes of Killer Cop Antoinette Frank Antoinette Renee Frank (born April 30, 1971) is one of two women on death row in Louisiana.   On March 4, 1995, Frank was employed as a New Orleans police officer when she and accomplice Rogers Lacaze committed an armed robbery  at a restaurant and a killed New Orleans police officer and  two family members who were working at the restaurant. The motive of the murders was money. Frank interviewed with the New Orleans Police Department in January 1993. Despite that she was caught lying several times on her application and that after completing two psychiatric evaluations a firm do not hire status was recommended, the decision was made to hire her anyway. As a police officer cruising the streets of New Orleans, she came off as weak, indecisive and as some of her co-workers stated, borderline irrational. After her first six months on the force, her supervisor was close to having her return to the police academy for more training, but there was a shortage of manpower and she was needed on the streets. Instead, he teamed her up with a seasoned officer. Rogers Lacaze Roger Lacaze was a known 18-year-old  drug dealer who had been shot. Frank was the officer assigned to take his statement and a relationship between the two immediately transpired. Frank decided that she was going to help Lacaze turn his life around. However, the relationship quickly turned into a sexual one. Frank and Lacaze began spending a lot of time together and she did little to hide it from her fellow police officers or her superiors. She allowed him to ride in her police car when she was on duty and he sometimes accompanied her on calls. She would sometimes introduce him as a trainee or nephew. The Murders On March 4, 1995, Frank and Lacze showed up at the Kim Anh Vietnamese restaurant in east New Orleans, Louisiana, at 11 p.m. Frank had worked security at the restaurant and was on friendly terms with the family that owned and ran it. They would often give her food for free, even when she was not working. Fellow police officer Ronald Williams also worked security at the restaurant and was responsible for scheduling the other officers. He was there when Frank and Lacaze showed up.  Frank introduced Lacaze  as her nephew, but Williams recognized him as a thug who he had stopped on more than one occasion.   At around midnight, 24-year-old Chau Vu, who was working the restaurant with her sister and two brothers, decided it was slow enough to close. She was headed to the back to balance the money, when she noticed that the key to the restaurant was missing since the last time she had let Frank and her nephew out. She continued on to the kitchen to count money, then returned to the dining room to pay Williams who was working security that night.  Frank suddenly appeared back at the restaurant, shaking the door to come in. Sensing something was wrong, she went into the back and hid the money in the microwave, then returned to the front of the restaurant.   Earlier, after the first time the couple left, Williams told Chau Frank and her nephew were bad news. Chau had already decided that she did trust Frank after seeing her nephew, who looked like a gang member with his gold front teeth.   Chaus 18-year-old brother Quoc Vu, was talking with Williams when Frank returned. Chau shouted to him, not to let her in, but Frank came in on her own, using the missing key to open the door. As Frank walked into the restaurant, Williams approached her and confronted her about having a key, but she ignored him and continued towards the kitchen, shoving Chau and Quoc along with her. In the meantime, Lacaze, armed with a 9 mm pistol, came into the restaurant and shot Williams in the back of the head at close range, which immediately severed his spinal cord. Williams fell, paralyzed, and Lacaze shot him two more times in the head and back, killing him.He then took the officers revolver and his wallet. During the shooting, Franks attention turned to Lacaze, and Chau grabbed Quoc and an employee named Vui and they fled to the restaurants walk in- cooler, turned off the lights and hid. Chau, then Quoc carefully looked through the glass of the cooler to see what was going on. They watched as Frank and Lacaze searched frantically for the money. When they found it, they went to where Chaus older brother and sister were and forced them to their knees. The two siblings held hands and began praying and begging for their lives.   Frank shot both of them at close range with the same gun LaCaze had used to kill Williams. Then the killers began searching for the others. Assuming that they had escaped, Frank and Lacaze left the restaurant and drove away. Quoc ran to the neighbors to call 9.1.1. while  Chau stayed at the restaurant. She also called 911 but was so distraught after finding her brother and sister, and Williams dead, that she was unable to communicate clearly. Frank returned to the restaurant just seconds before the police. As Chau ran from the restaurant to a female police officer, it appeared that Frank was running after her, but she was stopped by the officers. She identified herself as a police officer and said that three masked men had escaped out the back door. Frank then approached Chau, and asked her what happened and if she was alright. Chau, in disbelief, and in broken English, asked why she would ask that, because she was there and knew what had happened. Sensing Chaus fear, the female officer pulled Chau away and told Frank not to leave. Slowly Chau was able to say what had happened. When Quoc returned to the scene, he validated what Chau had said. Frank was escorted to headquarters, after supplying the investigators with information on where she had dropped Lacaze off after leaving the restaurant after the shooting. When they were each interrogated, they pointed the finger at each other as being the trigger man. Frank finally said that she shot the younger brother and sister, but only because Lacaze had a gun to her head. They were both charged with armed robbery and murder. Death by Lethal Injection LaCaze trial was first. He tried to convince the jury that he was not at the restaurant and that Frank had acted alone. He was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to death by lethal injection. In October 1995 the jury sentenced Frank to death by lethal injection for the murders of Officer Ronald Williams and Ha and Cuong Vu. Update:  Rogers Lacaze is Granted a New Trial On July 23, 2015,  Ã‚  Judge Michael Kirby granted Rogers Lacaze a new trial because a former police officer was on the jury, which was in violation of jury rules. The juror,  Ã‚  David Settle, never revealed that he had worked for 20 years with the police.

Family Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Family Assessment - Essay Example Caroline is 38 years old. She has a 15 year old daughter. Carol and her daughter lived alone until Carol’s recent marriage to Trey Reyes. Carol is a very successful Sales Manager and travels a lot with her company. Mrs. Janice Jackson and Carol have a very strong bond. Lenny is Mr. and Mrs. Jackson’s third child. Lenny Jackson is 33 years old married to Desiree and has one child, a son Marcus. Marcus is 9 years old. Shelldon Jackson is Mr. and Mrs. Jackson’s youngest child. Shelldon is 32 years old married to Leigha and together have a daughter 4 years of age. Lenny also has a son from a previous relationship. Lenny’s son Alex is 12 years of age. The Jackson family is extremely close. Mrs. Jackson is very involved in not only all of her children’s lives and activities but also those of her grandchildren. Mr. Jackson unfortunately is not allowed the same opportunity due to his rigorous work schedule. Mr. Jackson is a chef and has to be up early in th e morning to be at work for 4 am. So when he gets home he usually sleeps a lot of the time. Mr. Jackson is there whenever he can be. The Jackson Family is and always has been very female influenced and dominated. â€Å"A Woman’s intuition never steers wrong† is there family motto. The males have always taken the role as the main providers of the family. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson are very involved in their church community and scold their children when they are not. Mrs. Jackson was raised a strong Baptist believer. The children are not always able to be there because of work and busy schedules. Mrs. Jackson does not feel that is an appropriate excuse. There should always be time for God since He’s made time for you. The Jackson Family does manage to attend church together as a whole at least one Sunday out of the month. Developmental The Jackson Family has always declared home their safe haven. Which means no matter what mistakes you make in life, do not ever think h ome is no longer an option. Home in the Jackson Family is where the center and heart of love is. There is no problem too great to solve and no hurt too great that can’t be healed. Usually behind the solutions to every problem and every hurt was Mrs. Jackson. Mrs. Jackson is the backbone of the family, until about a year ago. About a year ago Mrs. Jackson was getting ready to leave work when all of sudden she could not catch her breath. After causing the serious concern of her co-workers an ambulance was called. Mrs. Jackson was taken to a nearby hospital and admitted. Mr. Jackson was notified and arrived right away. Not long after the entire Jackson Family was sitting in a waiting room waiting to hear news that would devastate them all. Mrs. Jackson kidneys were failing and she needed a kidney transplant right away. The entire family went through tests to see if they were matches none of them passed the test. Mrs. Jackson’s condition continued to get worse even on the dialysis treatment. Functional Mrs. Jackson has had to relearn how to live life. The change her family has seen in her is devastating. A once strong woman is now defeated and trying to survive. Now it’s the family’s turn to be the backbone. The only problem is Mrs. Jackson refuses to allow anyone to take her place even though the days become more and more difficult for her. Mr. Jackson finally decided to take a risky stand cutting his hours at work to be at home more with Mrs. Jackson to monitor her. This was of course against Mrs. Jackson’