Vocabulary :: Communication, Language

Vocabulary is very important to everyday reading because it is wholly of the words in a language. According to Bursuck and Damer (2010) students learn to decode harder text, they are more likely to encounter words that are not part of their literal language (p. 231). Being familiar with words and the meaning of the word assists students fluency as well as comprehension. According to the National comprise of Literacy (2007) vocabulary is words used in speech and print to communicate (p. 14). Vocabulary can be divided into two categories oral or utter words and written words (National Institute of Literacy, 2007, p. 14). The National Institute of Literacy (2007), agree with Bursuck and Damer (2010), stating that vocabulary knowledge is important to reading because the oral and written words encourage comprehension and communication (p. 14). Since vocabulary is extremely important Pullen, Tuckwiller, Konold, Maynard, & Coyne, 2010 used a three floor model for students at risk for a reading baulk (p. 110). Pullen et al. (2010) states that vocabulary development occurs through incidental learning and home environment before formal schooling (p. 111)The preventative created by Pullen et al. (2010) was meant to increase students vocabulary of at risk students. The intervention (2010) participants were 224 first grade students in elementary schools in a diverse population and moderate percentage of students in socio-economic status (p. 114). The intervention (2010) itself created by ___________________ was a three-tier system Tier 1 consisted of classroom instruction and students who do not respond to tier 1 will receive tier 2 instruction and tier 3 is the most intensive level and if student do not respond to this level they are referred to a exceptional education evaluation (p. 114). To identify students who may be at risk of disability, the intervention (2010) used the PPVT-4 as a standardized test. Pullen et al. (2010) used the test to asses the baseline level of receptive vocabulary and identify participants as either at risk of not for reading failure (p. 115). The authors of the intervention (2010) selected the PPVT-4 because it demonstrated reliability, indicating that is a laborious measure for measuring receptive vocabulary (p. 115). For a post-test, the authors (2010) used a researcher-developed measure to asses students acquisition of target words used in the intervention (p. 115). Pullen et al. (2010) had a three-tier system where tier 1 and tier 2 were designed around two story books appropriate for first grade students (p.

What Is Inside That Beige Box :: essays research papers

What Is Inside That Beige Box?Power SupplyThe +3.3V and +5V circuits add together power to all the electronic circuitry in the governance (motherboard, translator cards and disk drive logic boards), and through the port sockets on the motherboard that poke out through the rear of the case, to the peripherals that dont have their own power supply (e.g. keyboard, mouse). Power supplies are often overlooked, but are essential to the proper operation of your system which requires a good, steady supply of DC power at the appropriate voltages. These voltages must be constant, right up to the maximum current your system will draw under load. CPU The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the spirit of the system. It executes all the program code from the operating system and the applications you run, and does close to of the calculating and processing of selective information. It sends commands to direct the actions of all the other components in the PC and it manages the distribution of d ata to/from those various components. Inside the CPU are registers, arithmetic and logic units (ALU), a floating-point unit (FPU), control circuitry and cache memory. Registers are circuits designed to hold data so that it can be processed in some way by an ALU or the FPU. Cache memory is extremely fast, but small relative to the principal(prenominal) memory. Cache memory is used to store the current set of working data and code. So when the processor needs to read the next bit of data or code, usually it can retrieve it much faster from the cache. On occasions when it must recall data from the (slower) main memory, the CPU is forced to deferment instead of getting on with other operations. The CPU is the fastest component in your system. It works hard only sometimes, maybe when you play a plucky involving 3D graphics, or perhaps compile a very large program or run a very large spread-sheet but most of the time it is just waiting for you to press the next key, or for the next bit of data to arrive from the Internet, through your modem.Main Memory or jampack (Random Access Memory) Memory is temporary storage where the processor can access program code and data. It is temporary because any information stored there is lost when the system loses power or is rebooted. A low or high (on or off) voltage state in those small circuits represents a "0" or "1", which are the only two possible states of a binary digit (a "bit").

Cosmology :: Essays Papers

No single knows how the universe began but t here are many theorys, and ideas man has created to explain how we got here and how everything else around us came to be. There are many different cosmologies. Cosmologies are theories of how the universe began. somatic, biblical, and mythical are theorys based on personalised beliefs. Some people dont give the universe a second thought and like to stick to what they were first told. Others such as philosophers lean to explore all options and all aspects of how we came to. How did we become, how do we become, and what will we become are great questions. An even greater question is how everything we know did and even things we dont know become? We probably in this lifetime will never know entirely, but if we do soon, that will be an even greater gait for man than walking on the moon.Physical theories such as the big bang are based upon the universes finger prints. Radio active fingerprints that is. We can key back a single pebble to at least 13.73 Billion years ago. The big bang theories are based off some theories you may or may not know like the string theory. The sting theories itself has many different theories based on it and many mathematical equations based on thoughts. Physical theories are well beloved by scientist, and have a lot of circumstantial evidence that back them up. But no one theory is century% perfect. They all have a flaw in them somewhere.Biblical Theorys are very unreliable and do not have a lot of evidence to prove them. Genesis 1 states. In the beginning perfection created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the draw near of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good and he set forth the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness night. And there was evening, and there was morning.-the first day. Now this is all fine and dandy, but God has not told us how he came to be, or how when he said light it was just there cause he said it. Well if there was no light before how did God even know about light? Was he just living by himself in the darkness not doing anything so he got bored one day and decided to create life.

Waterlily By Ella Cara Deloria :: Waterlily, Ella Cara Deloria

Waterlily by Ella Cara DeloriaWaterlily is a book based on the events that happen indoors a particularDakota Indian familys life. Not only does it depict the affairs of blue Birdslife and her family, but it documents the rituals and culture of the Dakotapeople. With illustrative words and graphic details, the incidences deep down thestory can be visualized and understood.The story begins with the occurrences that take place with a certainindividual, Blue Bird. Blue Bird is traveling with a ring of Dakotas and iscarrying a violate while doing so. While on the path, Blue Bird feels it is timeto have her baby and went off into the trees to have her baby. Seeing howbeautiful her baby was Blue Bird exclaimed, How beautiful you are Asbeautiful as the waterlillies. You to are a waterlily, my waterlily. (p. 6).Blue Bird ends up marrying a man, Star Elk, whom doesnt regard hergrandmother very much. Star Elk is a lazy, jealous man who is sub-standard inDakota male value. He demonstrates this effectively when he throws away hiswife (p. 16) at a victory dance. Men werent suppose to publicly displayemotion in Dakota tradition.After being publicly humiliated, Blue Bird, her grandmother and Waterlilyluckily and merrily ran into their familys tiyospaye. The reason why it was sofortunate is because Blue Birds parents and brothers were killed one day whenBlue Bird was about fourteen. They were taken in and made to feel at home.Along with finding their family, Blue Bird also met her new husband, Rainbow.Rainbow was a good provider, hard worker and a widow who had a son.

Women and Literacy Essay -- Education Females Women Essays

Women and Literacy The recent United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women concluded that if women are to advance their status socially, economically, and politically, they must have access to gamey quality education (Albright 1996). Although women in the United States have steadily increased their educational status, millions still have a problem obtaining appropriate education and raising because race, class, and gender assumptions organize American society in ways that put all women, but especially low-income women, at a disadvantage (Laubach Literacy Action LLA, Facts more or less Womens Lives n.d., p. 1). The fact that 23 percent of the women in the United States aged 25 and over have not gone beyond high school (ibid.) reveals that, as a group, women are still educationally disadvantaged.More than 50% of new enrollments in federally funded adult basic education programs are women (Development Associates 1993), but until deep little attention has been given to the needs o f women literacy learners in the United States. Fortunately, that situation is changing. Georgia State Universitys Center for the ascertain of Adult Literacy has begun sponsoring conferences on women and literacy. Since 1994, when it began Women in Literacy/USA, LLA has been been providing financial support to programs that empower women as well as developing a network of programs serving women (LLA, Project Overview n.d.).There is also a growing literature base to support work with women literacy learners. Although much of this information has been generated abroad (e.g., Canada, Australia, and Great Britain), it raises issues that have relevance for programs in the United States, including the followingGoals and Purposes. As descr... ...ress or cognitive improvement) with the ideological model of literacy (that which suggests that literacy is multilevel and embedded in whole cultures), the author argues for separate literacy courses for women.OrganizationsCanadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women, 47 Main Street, Toronto, Ontario M4E 2V6, Canada, (416) 699-1909Center for the Study of Adult Literacy, Georgia State University, University Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30303-3083 (404) 651-2405ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, 1900 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1090 (614) 292-4353 or (800) 848-4814, ext. 4-7686 E-mail ericacvemagnus.acs.ohio-state.eduLaubach Literacy Action, 1320 Jamesville Avenue, Box 131, Syracuse, NY 13210 (315) 422-9121Wider Opportunities for Women, 815 15th Street, NW, Suite 916, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 638-3143

Women and Literacy Essay -- Education Females Women Essays

Women and Literacy The recent unify Nations Fourth World Conference on Women concluded that if women are to advance their shape socially, economically, and politically, they must have access to high quality education (Albright 1996). Although women in the United States have steadily increased their educational status, millions still have a problem obtaining appropriate education and training because race, class, and gender assumptions organize American society in ways that put all women, but especially low-income women, at a disadvantage (Laubach Literacy Action LLA, Facts about Womens Lives n.d., p. 1). The fact that 23 percent of the women in the United States aged 25 and over have not gone(p) beyond high school (ibid.) reveals that, as a group, women are still educationally disadvantaged.More than 50% of new enrollments in federally funded adult rudimentary education programs are women (Development Associates 1993), but until recently little attention has been given to the nee ds of women literacy learners in the United States. Fortunately, that situation is changing. Georgia State Universitys Center for the admit of Adult Literacy has begun sponsoring conferences on women and literacy. Since 1994, when it began Women in Literacy/USA, LLA has been been providing financial support to programs that empower women as well as developing a network of programs serving women (LLA, Project Overview n.d.). at that place is also a growing literature base to support work with women literacy learners. Although much of this information has been generated abroad (e.g., Canada, Australia, and Great Britain), it raises issues that have relevance for programs in the United States, including the followingGoals and Purposes. As descr... ...ress or cognitive improvement) with the ideological model of literacy (that which suggests that literacy is multilevel and embedded in whole cultures), the author argues for separate literacy courses for women.OrganizationsCanadian Congr ess for learnedness Opportunities for Women, 47 Main Street, Toronto, Ontario M4E 2V6, Canada, (416) 699-1909Center for the Study of Adult Literacy, Georgia State University, University Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30303-3083 (404) 651-2405ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, 1900 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1090 (614) 292-4353 or (800) 848-4814, ext. 4-7686 E-mail ericacvemagnus.acs.ohio-state.eduLaubach Literacy Action, 1320 Jamesville Avenue, Box 131, Syracuse, NY 13210 (315) 422-9121Wider Opportunities for Women, 815 15th Street, NW, rooms 916, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 638-3143

Day 3 Hw Essay

Emerging Markets Spring 2013 Sarath Nonis CASE 3-2 Hong Kong Disneyland 1. What led to the eventual woes experienced by Hong Kong Disneyland in its first year of operation? How should Hong Kong Disneyland rectify its market built in bed? Cultural Adaptation The Chinese did not easily connect with the characters in the park because they were unfamiliar with the product they enjoy focusing on what they can buy, eat, and accept home, and taking pictures and bringing them back home rather than the experience of being in the place itself.Chinese Tourist Behavior Going to Hong Kong means a shopping experience, so they choose the cheaper one, which is Ocean Park also, the Chinese people put a premium on education, where Ocean Park provides the educational slant. kinship with Travel Agents The Hong Kong Disneyland did not heed too much attention to building a relation- ship with the travel agents while Chinese tourists depend a deal out on travel agents.Thus, the best way for Hong Kong Disneyland is to determining differences in the Chinese culture and adopting it to understand Chinese tourist behavior in depth, then to pass over the pressures of local demand in terms of the need of Chinese shoppers and tourists try to pay more attention to building a relationship with the travel agents. 2. To what achievement could Hong Kong Disneyland adapt its product to Chinese consumers without diluting its image? Put more educational materials about its image. Taking photos with Donald Duck at the Hong Kong Disneyland.Providing goods which are connected its image for tourist to buy as gifts to bring home. 3. How should Hong Kong Disneyland address competition? Expand the theme of the Hong Kong Disneyland it should consider the culture and behaviors of Chinese. For example, connect the park theme with childrens education. Cut the scathe to make people think it is worth to pay. It should understand that travel agents are the most important sales channel in the mainland Chin a. It is very popular in mainland China to provide a group discount.

Fracking: Water and Hydraulic Fracturing

Running head FRACKING AND THE ENVIRONMENT The Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing and the Potential for Solutions Mark Hatcher ITT Technical impart Full of beauty and bounty, for all who seek it, the dream of that bleak disc all overy or the find of a lifetime, awaits us whose swear is to start out the plan that ordain fulfill a destiny, if we and work to hold fasther and argon touch ond to rise above the challenges to meet the aspiration.Those who believe and are allow foring to reach beyond natural capacity are most of the time able to accomplish the charters of the legion(p rose-cheekedicate), which in turn help pass on the ca work for our existence and the anticipation of things to come. In doing so, many resources catch been revealed fitting and useful over the course of time to assist us in our daily needs and social settings, appropriateing us the ability to sustain ourselves d iodineout history. However, as those resources grow smaller and our economy demands grow biger, we recognize the need to expand the search for other hatefuls of propitiation to survive.In to twenty-four hourss stinting splutter and political upheavals, we are ever so more than seeking out new shipway to take commission of our own and retrieve new ways of self-dependence upon resources known to exist but the direction to extract are at hand. As most of us know, iodin of our most precious and well utilized resources to date is crude oil, black gold, which found far beneath the earths layers, in turn sent the Beverly Hillbillies to stardom. The need for oil and the byproducts that come from it are in big need and the costs are rising daily.Our requirement to ascertain this product has caused some mend and revealed the fatality to seek out new ways of locating this liquid assurance, for meeting our future demands. Although, thither may be many ways of retrieving this from beneath the many depths of the earth, there has only been one way, truly effective for reaching areas untouched by normal means, which has become the c present cause of debate in new-make years. I will, through the use of unhomogeneous reports and studies bring forth analysis and discovery that highlights the use of hydraulic fracturing and the effects hat seem to shadow over this seemingly burdened tactic of extraction. Before immersing ourselves in the myriad of reports, studies, and personal accounts concerning the results of this approach, we should check what hydraulic fracturing is and the do work it takes. Understanding the process, through which this approach is considered, we will be able to seize what the issues are and the electromotive force for ushering in an agreement to a solution. We mustiness first recognize what shale is and what it offers. Is this the state to our economic future and interdependence on oil?Shale is a very compacted rock with fine sediment that is found to be with a large amount of minerals and other resources. Shales are fin e-grained sedimentary rocks that can be rich resources of petroleum and inherent natural gas. Sedimentary rocks are rocks formed by the accumulation of sediments at the Earths surface and within bodies of wet. Common sedimentary rocks include sandstone, limestone, and shale (ShaleTech Shale Training and Education Center, 1995). We know that there are many resources we can extract from this area and the plays will require a unique technique to draw the required material out.Plays are noned to be spread out, throughout the fall in States and furthermore, the other side of the great pond is known to bedevil some(prenominal) locations found to be worthy of the dig. Shale gas maps march plays are found throughout the Mountain West, the South and throughout the Northeasts Appalachian washstand. The Barnett shale play in Texas, for example, is 5,000 square miles and provides 6 percent of U. S. natural gas. The Marcellus shale play that stretches crosswise Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia covers ten times the square miles of the Barnett, only when has only recently started to be developed (EnergyFromShale, 2012).There is much to do, in order to gain access to much of the plays that have yet to be discovered. As we progress in the tellion of take acceptance, we must consider the back earthly concerning behind the need for access and what implications it may bring. The U. S. Energy and In fundamental law Administration (EIA) reports that over 750 trillion cubic feet of technically retrievable shale gas and 24 cardinal barrels of technically recoverable shale oil resources in discovered shale plays exist (EnergyFromShale, 2012). This knowledge should propel us to continue to esearch indispensable ways of extracting such a rich resource. However, within the last 50 years, there has been a means of retrieving this valuable resource for our future existence and economic progress. This activity has been possible through the actions of many dri lling companies by the use of hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing is a unique way to obtain the oil militia by drilling in a horizontal pattern and gaining access to those many billion barrels of oil and natural gas waiting to be released.First, we must completely understand what hydraulic fracturing is and what it represents to the public. Hydraulic fracturing is the process of drilling for natural gas and oil underneath the ground. Water mixed with othercomponents is pump into the ground to create cracks (also referred to as fissures or fractures) to release the gas into wells that have been built for collection (WhatIsFracking, 2013). As the fog of understanding is slowly startle to lift, we again have to understand that there is a process, in which this occurs and will be noned in ulterior pages, as to the affects of this procedure.Note that this has not gone on for such a period, as to not be studied and time given to organizing the pros and cons of this operation. I n order to gain access to the far reaches of the plays that holds the resource, the utilization of various tranquils and sand is used in the process. It is vital to comprehend the need for monitoring the steps, as they occur and the overall engagement of the wells development. Steps are established, for this must have a great deal of regulatory involvement, while the entire flood of activity occurs. Water, sand and additives are mixed at the surface and wield at high rams down the wellbore. The fracturing fluid flows through the perforated sections of the wellbore and into the surrounding formation, fracturing it while carrying sand or proppants into the cracks to hold them open. Experts continually monitor pressures and fluid properties during the process, and slump operations as necessary. This process is typically completed in multiple sections of the wellbore, commonly referred to as stages.Typically stages are isolated using a plug to allow energy or pressure to be applied to a smaller portion of the formation to help maximize the fractures created in the target formation. The plugs are remove from the wellbore and the wells pressure is reduced during the flowback process, leaving the sand in place to prop open the cracks and allow natural gas and oil to flow. naturally occurring produced peeing system, collected during the flowback process and throughout the life of the well, is properly dis represent of or treated and re-used in the next hydraulic fracturing operation (Chesapeake Energy, 2013).As the process dictates, it is very in-depth and must have an enormous amount of oversight, in order to accommodate the issues that may arise during any given point. Now that we have a clearer picture of the process, we should check of the historical swing that played out, in the early days. The first recorded effort to gain access to the plays that hold the natural gas and oil deposits was in the year 1947 by Pan American Petroleum Corp. This was noted a s universe a test platform, in which there was to be hydraulic fracturing compared today with acidizing.This well, located in Grant County, Kansas, home of the Hugoton field Kelpper Well No. 1, was used as a tool for simulation productivity of oil and natural gas wells (Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2012). As time progressed, it became more and more popular, as a greater amount of drilling companies began to see the possibilities and growth potential in this process. Now we find ourselves faced with several years of activity and lessons learned to cope with, from various issues that have found their way to the open public.After many years of hydraulic fracturing and the horizontal drilling effort, there have been noted disruptions by what has been occurring through the need to extract methane from the shale rock. Therefore, further analysis is necessary to check the potential cause of all the reports being tethered through local, state, and the federal governments. The fix of this drilling weighs heavily on the residents that are local to the drilling process.The concerns motif from the possibility of contamination that may be chiefly caused by the various fluids that are transferred through the well system, in order for the fracturing process to transpire. There is great concern that life menaceening incidents may be a great risk to the area being fracked. With this issue and many others on the horizon, the environmental fortress Agency has been very inclusive in all the debate. Through many regulatory policies and formal laws, there have been continued debateions, in regards to hydraulic fracturing.Before we discuss the major policies that have been implemented, it is necessary to bring about the detailed issues that have raised such awareness. An astronomical amount of reports had perforated the aureoleways and given some lawsuit for there to be fear in most of the residents eyes, when it could affect their very victuals conditions and liveliho ods. Areas of concern include perceived lack of transparency, potential chemical contamination, weewee availability, waste water judicature, and impacts on ecosystems, human health and surrounding areas (University of Michigan, 2012).The potential for there to be a complete downfall of an industry that had found an answer to locating and retrieving the well needed resource was now at the forefront of controversy and having to prove its place in this progressive economy. The report would continue to show the prospects of being an enormous loss to the residents of Michigan. Hydraulic fracturing has the potential to touch issues that virtually all Michigan residents care about tipsiness water, air quality, Great Lakes health, water supply, local disgrace use, energy security, economic growth, tourism and natural resource protection, Hoffman said. In the end, our goal is to provide valuable insights and information to help address these eventful and legitimate concerns here in the Great Lakes State (University of Michigan, 2012). The reports would not stop here, they would continue around the nation. A U. S. geologicalal Survey (USGS) report found traces of methane, ethane and phenol in a monitoring well in rural Pavillion, Wyo. , where residents say fracking has contaminated their drinking water (Colman, 2012). As noted, this was going to be a continual issue, needing mitigation and regulation by an appropriate authority.Along with this report came other stories, following the similar circumstances and removeing to the same conclusions. At this point there needed to be an in-depth study to completely comprehend the issues that have draw so much limelight and bring about a report that would lead to the needed answers and come to some final conclusions. This is where the United States environmental resistance Agency (EPA), along with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Interior (DOI) came together in an multi-agency agreement to work towa rd efforts to engage this potential problem. In March 2011, the White House released a Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future (Blueprint) a universal plan to reduce Americas oil dependence, save consumers money, and make our country the leader in clean energy industries. The Blueprint supports the responsible development of the Nations oil and natural gas, with the specific goals of promoting safe practices and reduction energy imports. The Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of the Interior (DOL), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) each will have a critical role to play in this mission (Majumdar, A. Hayes, D. J. , Perciasepe, B. , 2012). Marching orders were therefore given to the multi-agency force and each would take measures, as to not go into redundancy and use each others fields of expertise and resolve conflicts, as they arose. As the EPA will continue to work in a multi-agency capacity to continue learning answers from their in-depth study, it is important to know that they did do an earlier study in 2004 on underground sources of drinking water, as it referred to hydraulic fracturing. magical spell the of import portion of the fracturing is conducted in a particular place, many of the other sections of vertical and horizontal well sections may be set up over several thousands of feet away. Fluids, commonly made up of water and chemical additives, are pumped into a geologic formation at high pressure during hydraulic fracturing. When the pressure exceeds the rock strength, the fluids open or enlarge fractures that can extend several hundred feet away from the well.After the fractures are created, a propping agent is pumped into the fractures to keep them from oddment when the pumping pressure is released. After fracturing is completed, the internal pressure of the geologic formation cause the injected fracturing fluids to rise to the surface where it may be stored in tanks or pits prior to disposal or recycling. Recovered fracturing fluids are referred to as flowback. Disposal options for flowback include discharge into surface water or underground injection.Surface water discharges of the flowbackare regulated by the National Pollutant Discharge extermination System (NPDES) plan, which requires flowbacktobetreated prior to discharge into surface water or underground injection prior to discharge. give-and-take is typically performed by wastewater treatment facilities. Underground injection of flowback is regulated by either EPA Underground Injection Control (UIC) program or a state with primary UIC enforcement authority. Injection of natural gas production wastes would be considered a Class II injection well (Environmental Protection Agency, 2012).As seen, there are restrictions in place to prevent any issues with contaminants from ground water penetration. Even with these restrictions in place, there are clear indicators that there is a more written understanding what is coming out, as a result of fluids being pressurized through the system. Along with the introduced chemicals, hydrofrac water is in fill up contact with the rock during the course of the stimulation treatment, and when recovered may choose a variety of formation materials, including brines, heavy metals, radionuclides, and organics that can make wastewater treatment difficult and expensive.The formation brines often contain relatively high concentrations of sodium, chloride, bromide, and other inorganic constituents, such as arsenic, barium, other heavy metals, and radionuclides that significantly exceed drinking water standards (danps, 2011). There needs to be a very serious conversation of how this is cleaned up and an answer, as to whether it is enough. There is clearly a lot of work put into the actual cleaning of the ground water, prior to the actual point, in which we, as citizens are able to partake of the needed substance for consumption. No matter how clean it is when you actually consume it, the process of getting to it is unbelievably dirty. Even the USGS acknowledges as much While the technology of drilling directional boreholes and the use of sophisticated hydraulic fracturing processes to extract gas resources from hateful rock have improved over the past few decades, the knowledge of how this extraction might affect water resources has not kept pace (danps, 2011). This is only one aspect of where this all goes.So many other areas of research are in need, to remedy understand the process, in which the fracturing is utilized. Further research was conducted and it was through the use of several interviews and questioning of a myriad of employees from various locations, concerning the extraction of Coal Bed Methane (CBM). EPA researched more than 200 fellow-reviewed publications, interviewed approximately 50 employees from industry and state or local government agencies, and communicated with approximately 40 citizens and groups who are pertain that CBM production ffected thei r drinking water wells (United States Environmental Agency, 2004). After the many reviews and interviews conducted, the EPA came to some conclusions and presented them in chapter 7 of this current report. Hydraulic fracturing may have increased or have the potential to increase the communication betwixt coal seams and adjacent formations in some instances. For example, in the Raton Basin, some fracturing treatments resulted in higher than expected withdrawal rates for production water.Those increases, according to literature published by the Colorado Geologic Survey, may be due to well stimulations creating a connection between targeted coal seams and an adjacent sandstone aquifer (Hemborg, 1998). In the Powder River Basin, concerns over the creation of such a hydraulic connection are cited as one reason why hydraulic fracturing of coalbed methane reservoirs is not widely practiced in the region. Some studies that allow direct observation of fractures (i. . , mined-through studies) also provided evidence that fractures move through interbedded layers, sometimes taking a stair-step path way through complex fracture systems, and sometimes enter or propagate through geologic strata above the coal (United States Environmental Agency, 2004). The EPA finished out their report with concluding comments that were found to be not as alerting than what might have been expected. Based on the information collected and reviewed, EPA has concluded that the injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into coalbed methane wells poses little or no threat to USDWs and does not justify additional study at this time. Although potentially hazardous chemicals may be introduced into USDWs when fracturing fluids are injected into coal seams that lie within USDWs, the risk posed to USDWs by introduction of these chemicals is reduced significantly by groundwater production and injected fluid recovery, combined with the mitigating effects of dilution and dispersion, adsorption, and potenti ally biodegradation.Additionally, EPA has reached an agreement with the major service companies to voluntarily evanesce diesel motor fuel from hydraulic fracturing fluids that are injected directly into USDWs for coalbed methane production (United States Environmental Agency, 2004). Several other reports came into sight, throughout the country concerning the use of hydraulic fracking and the potential for impacting, not only the land, but the economy for a given area, as well. Reports stemming from a community that namely has an array of vineyards for the production of wine, have thrown a red flag of concern over the entire region.This rise of apprehension over their displeasure of drilling companies simply ushering themselves in and going to work on their well, without concern for the nearby residents and their land. The mounting anxiety over this issue has occurred from the noticeable problematic reports of events that literally sprang up in the area. This past June, a methane g eyser was found in Pennsylvanias Tioga County. Yes, a geyser shooting methane-infused water 30 feet up in the air.Once the geyser was discovered, the county immediately turned to Shell, which was drilling in 3 nearby locations. Shell and the Department of Environmental Protection began investigating, and it was correctly suspected that an abandoned well from the 1930s contributed to the problem (Figueroa, 2012). This, being an erroneous event was later found to be an old existing well from the 1030s, where the fluid from a nearby well, being hydraulically fractured, leaked over near the old well and combust up through it, creating the 30 foot geyser.There too, have been issues regarding the location of the wells near vineyards and the potential for disruption in the crud content and an economical impact, for the soil is worked to contain the right content for growing the vines for the fine wine. As well, if the land soil is tainted, there is a possibility of an economic sufferin g from the loss of net profit if tastes change and are possibly contaminated. Vineyard owners in California aregrowing increasingly waryof fracking as gas companies begin preliminary operations. Venoco has started exploring Monterey Shale for both oil and gas drilling.Last year, the company filed an application for drilling permits in Monterey County, according to Simon Salinas, a member of the countys Board of Supervisors, and it already holds hundreds of thousands of acres in the formation has drilled more than 20 wells and has invested $100 million in oil exploration. With vineyards and farmlands covering 200,000 acres of Monterey that help make up an $8 billion agricultural business, Salinas told thePittsburgh Post-Gazette, Anything that can taint our water and food supply could be devastating to our economy (Figueroa, 2012).Reports even go compacter than this, where there are believed to be evil damage and even death to animals that are near any wells in the area. It may be a reality as more and more livestock are raised near fracking sites. Hundreds of animals have already beenaffectedafter coming into contact with fracking fluid. Last year, 28 beef cattle in Pennsylvania were exposed to the fluid. Only trio of the 11 calves these cattle gave birth to survived. In Louisiana a few years ago, 16 cows dropped departedafter drinking fracking fluid (Figueroa, 2012).These are all alarming reports and individuals that are in the area have every reason to be upset and concerned over the events taking place. The question is, does this warrant further investigation or simply better legislation to control the problem or the potential, there of? As all of this sounds incredibly scary and one may ask the whereabouts of such legislation, it is understood that all the problems that have come about, are those that have mostly to do with water and how it affects surrounding land and the owners.This, being the case is under the written regulations of the Safe Water Dr inking Act (SWDA) Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program. The UIC program has developed certain guidelines for all involved with the use of a fluid injection process to extract the shale oil and natural gas that is so plentiful, throughout our region. The guideline begins the use of diesel fuel for the injection process, in the following statement EPA has developed draft Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class II permitting guidance for oil and gas hydraulic fracturing activities using diesel fuels.This document describes information useful in permitting the underground injection of oil- and gas-related hydraulic fracturing using diesel fuels where EPA is the permitting authority. EPAs goal is to improve compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements and strengthen environmental protections consistent with existing law (United States Environmental Agency, 2012). There is further guidance, in regards to the injection of possible contaminants that may affect gr ound water supplies, as dictated by the process from hydraulic fracturing.Through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), which is authorized by the Clean Water Act, the following claim states, industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2009). Until further guidance comes out of the primary study, presently occurring, there seems to be a number of statutes in place to maintain a great deal of oversight and must be used to maintain what has continued to draw an enormous amount of controversy and surely will continue throughout the course of the process.The new study is to take a look at the vastness of what water goes through, during the hydraulic fracturing process. This being the call from congress, for the EPA to utilize its resources to read deep into the full cycle, in which the water passes, as it is used in the extraction of oil and natura l gas from the shale plays. At the request of Congress, EPA is conducting a study to better understand any potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water and ground water.The scope of the research includes the full lifespan of water in hydraulic fracturing, in regards to five primary points the plan to study the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, an approach to the science, quality assurance integrity, a peer review, and the transparency of the practice (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). The complete final report will not be made available until 2014, where it will be made public for review and comment.Before this final report makes its way to the public, the EPA has issued an official progress report and has detailed the path that the study will go, as far as, how it will attain complete understanding of the process that water takes through the lifespan of hydraulic fracturing. The EPA is using computer model to match the conditions, in which the water travels through hydraulic fracturing. It will be identified through hypothetical and realistic scenarios, by which water acquisition, well injection, and wastewater treatment and waste disposal stages of the water cycle are identified and given fair study and representation.All of this is being intercommunicate as it relates to the Upper Colorado River Basin in the west and the Susquehanna River Basin in the east (US Environmental Protection Agency Office of seek and Development Washington, DC, 2012). While it has been thoroughly discussed, as to the potential causes of awareness and a reason for alert, it is paramount that we discuss the hopeful answer to the issues that have been raised. There may be a possible olution, regarding the practice of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling it may simply be an overall acceptance, until regulations can be the agreeable make to a solid outcome of this environmental squeeze on reality. Befor e we get to a proposed solution to the mind raking issues that have plagued this storyline, there is a cost to all of this and a place to put the responsibility on the shoulders of the bearers to this environmental struggle for clarity.With fracking, being a well spread operation and bringing with it a toll of polluted areas, such as water, air, and torn up land across the nation, we are faced with the need to not only find resolution to this growing land grievance, but we need to recognize that there must be a means of restoration to the areas effected and the costs associated, dealt with during the process. Let it be known there is a high price tag in act a cleanup and hopeful reversal of the damage done by the fracturing. Methane contamination of well water poses a risk of explosion and is often addressed by removing it from water at the point of use. In Dimock, Pennsylvania, Cabot Oil Gas reported having spent $109,000 on methane removal systems for 14 local households in the stir up of drilling-related ethane contamination of local groundwater supplies. In addition, the company spent $10,000 on new or extended vent stacks to prevent the build-up of methane gas in 17 residents homes.Such measures do not remove methane from groundwater supplies, but merely eliminate the immediate threat to residents homes (Tony Dutzik and Elizabeth Ridlington, Frontier Group bathroom Rumpler, Environment America Research Policy Center, 2012). However, water is not the only issue that is under the gun, there is also the effect that each fracking site has on the air surrounding it. The air we breathe highly contributes to the health of all those associated with residency in the area of drilling. A 2004 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) document, referring to the work of a Federal roundtable on environmental cleanup technologies, foretelld the cost of air sparging at $150,000 to $350,000 per acre. Adjusting for inflation, and assuming that the extent of the seep was correctly estimated by Encana at 1. 3 acres, one could estimate the cost of the sparging operation in 2012 dollars at $248,000 to $579,000. In addition, as of May 2012, Encana and its contractors had collected more than 1,300 water samples since the seep began. Again, the cost of this sampling and testing is unknown, but could e conservatively estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Cabot Oil Gas, for example, incurred $700,000 in water testing expenses in the wake of concerns about groundwater contamination from a fracking well in Dimock, Pennsylvania (Tony Dutzik and Elizabeth Ridlington, Frontier Group John Rumpler, Environment America Research Policy Center, 2012). In order for the companies out there that are working toward reducing the amount of pollution coming from fracking, they are looking at a high rate of dollars to keep it at a minimum. The clearance of forest land in Pennsylvania for fracking is projected to lead to increased delivery of nutrient polluti on to the Chesapeake Bay, which already suffers from a vast nutrient-generated dead zone. The cost of reducing the same amount of pollution as could be generated by fracking would be approximately $1. 5 million to $4 million per year (PennEnvironment Research Policy Center, 2012). It is important, not only to understand what it takes to cleanup at an actual location, but the cost incurred through repairing the lanes to the site, because of the variety equipment and how it damages the roadways. The truck traffic needed to deliver water to a single fracking well causes as much damage to local roads as nearly 3. 5 million car trips. The state of Texas has ratified $40 million in funding for road repairs in the Barnett Shale region, while Pennsylvania estimated in 2010 that $265 million would be needed to repair damaged roads in the Marcellus Shale region (PennEnvironment Research Policy Center, 2012). Infrastructure is important to have an ability to get to the site and out of the site safely, however there is a cost, when it comes to the other friends of our environment. Fracking has several negative impacts on farms, including the loss of livestock due to exposure to spills of fracking wastewater, increased difficulty in obtaining water supplies for farming, and potential conflicts with organic agriculture. In Pennsylvania, the five counties with the heaviest Marcellus Shale drilling activity saw an 18. 5 percent reduction in milk production between 2007 and 2010 (PennEnvironment Research Policy Center, 2012). This, being only one part of the issue, we also must consider the other end of the animal kingdom, our wildlife in the wilderness. Gas operations in Wyoming have fragmented key habitat for mule deer and pronghorn, which are important draws for the states $340 million hunting and wildlife watching industries. The mule deer population in one area undergoing extensive gas extraction dropped by 56 percent between 2001 and 2010 (PennEnvironment Research Policy Center, 2012). In this great land of ours, we are living in a generation that now must deal with a new healthcare system and be able to still afford the normal living expenses that come our way.With healthcare cost rising and now the fight for the issues that have been rising over the industrialization of our resource gathering techniques, we are at the foothills and must climb up and rise above the extraneous costs that come from this means of extraction. Drinking water contamination In Dimock, Pennsylvania, permanently regenerate residents contaminated drinking water with a new source was estimated at more than $11 million and health costs from air pollution in Arkansas Fayetteville Shale region, air pollution from fracking operations impose health costs estimated at $9. million in one year. In Texas Barnett Shale region, those costs reach $270,000 per day during the summer smog season (Environment America, 2012). This now seems, as though it is not going anywhere anytime soon, so where is a possible solution to this environmental jeopardy we find ourselves in? Is there an answer? Or are we destined to sit and wait for an answer that may never come. Now, we find ourselves staring at a withering wilderness without any better days likely to come over this industrialized beat down.Now that there is a more comprehensive understanding of what fracking is all about and the impact it has on the environment directly and indirectly, through the social health issues, we must be able to curtail what is being identified as hazardous and stop it in its tracks. In order for this to occur, shouldnt there be a means of determining the location of where the fracking fluid is mostly traveling, so we can diffuse the situation and potentially protect the surrounding regions from contamination and the spread of this devastating spiral of events.Having a way to track where the fluid travels is one of the possible solutions to keeping the public safe from the probability of causing more harm among our citizens. Currently, there is little courts can do to determine the truth of claims that fracking contaminates waterways. One popular suggestion, proposed by many stakeholders and creative scientists, is to include some type of tracer device, such as a color or a chemical, to follow fracking fluids through the environment.This solution wouldnt track the leaching of natural gas through old mines or fissures, but it would help companies, overseers, and policy-makers understand how chemicals flow deep underground, especially when multiple companies are drilling in one area. Such tracers would hold companies accountable to the environment, to landowners, and to stakeholders (Lamers, 2012). The question is, would this continue to add to the already polluted scene, or would it meet a solution to have a better understanding, as to the route this fluid seems to take to contaminate our groundwater systems?We also may have an opportunity to set stricter laws, as to the actual location of these wells, in relation to it being positioned within residential areas. Policies and recommendations vary widely about how close shale gas sites should be to lakes, rivers, ponds, houses, wetlands and protected areas. As many counties and states begin to lease or sell land, drill sites are beginning to cross into state or county parks and pass into or through rivers and streams (Lamers, 2012).Having the ability to force drilling companies to be at a particular range from any residential or other protected area would be a promising solution to creating safer barriers for the general population and individual wildlife areas to be safe from the untidiness of a fracking site. While we look for the government to come up with more legalistic approaches to this devastating thorn under the environments skin, maybe the answer is more profound and can be drawn from unique sources, rather than a traditional loom. Most of the water used to free the gas and oil is tr apped underground.But a new option is to switch water for propane gas, which is then recaptured as it escapes from the earth. Canadian company GasFrac Energy Services is already employing propane instead of water. A single fracking job can use between two million and six million gallons of water while most of that water remains underground, the fluid that does return to the surface has to be disposed of as contaminated wastewater (Stone, 2011). Another approach is found to be one of the greenest found, to date. Not only is the amount of water being reduced, but the solution involves utilizing a biodegradable source to accomplish a safe means of eusing this product. Houston-based oil field supplier Flotek Industries has found another solution that replaces traditional chemicals with extract from chromatic peels, turning the conventional mixture of water and toxins into a biodegradable blend (Stone, 2011). This idea opens up a whole new scheme in the desire to continue our search fo r self sustainment and future drilling opportunities. However, it is not the only solution to hit the community, as there has been something stirred up in the Halliburton camp with the utilization of solar panels and electricity making its way to the oil fields. Halliburton calls its two-year-old solar-powered invention the SandCastle. It has rolled out dozens of SandCastles in the U. S. By replacing diesel engines to move sand from the trailers, Halliburton estimates the devices have saved 950,000 gallons of diesel and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 20 million pounds in the first nine months of 2012. Halliburton and the other three largest oil-field service providers spent $2. 04 billion on research and development in 2011, up 32 percent from two years earlier. Some of that went to finding ways to make fracking more eco-friendly.Other green-leaning players include Chesapeake Energy (CHK) and General Electric (GE), as well as oil-patch interlopers such as Verenium (VRNM), a bio tech concern, and Ecologix Environmental Systems, which makes wastewater-treatment systems (Wethe, 2012). What does all of this mean? It simply means that drilling companies are seeing the need to make changes to the way they conduct business, so as it does not interfere with our environment anymore. It means that we can no longer stand by, as residents of this great land of ours and simply be good with how they conduct their business.It means that, we the people of this beautiful landscape painting we call planet earth, have a voice and will be heard. It means, as long as we celebrate our land together as citizens, we have the aptitude to develop the means necessary, to guide the direction, in which we will continue to move forward. As mentioned at the beginning of this paper, we will continue to dream of that new discovery, launching us into a new direction. We are a people of continuous change and workmanship we will find a way forward. Were a people that will come together and m eet the need of our mother earth. References Chesapeake Energy. 2013). Hydraulic fracturing facts. Retrieved from http//www. hydraulicfracturing. com/Process/Pages/information. aspx danps, (2011, April 30). The high cost of fracking and the movement against it. Retrieved from http//my. firedoglake. com/danps/2011/04/30/the-high-cost-of- fracking-and-the-movement-against-it/ EnergyFromShale, (2012, ). Shale gas economics Extracting from domestic oil reserves. Retrieved from http//www. energyfromshale. org/hydraulic- fracturing/shale-gas Environment America, (2012, kinfolk 20). The costs of frackingthe true price tag of dirty energy. Retrieved from http//ecowatch. rg/2012/costs-of-fracking/ Lamers, V. (2012, September 17). Solutions from the gas fields. Retrieved from http//sagemagazine. org/solutions-from-the-gas-fields/ Majumdar, A. , Hayes, D. J. , Perciasepe, B. , (2012, April 13). Memorandum. Retrieved from http//epa. gov/hydraulicfracture/oil_and_gas_research_mou. pdf PennEnvi ronment Research Policy Center, (2012, September 20). The costs of fracking. Retrieved from http//northcentralpa. com/feeditem/2012-09-20_costs- fracking ShaleTech Shale Training and Education Center, (1995, ). What is shale gas and why is it important?. Retrieved from http//www. shaletec. rg/whatis. htm Society of Petroleum Engineers, (2012, November 29). Hydraulic fracturing. Retrieved from http//petrowiki. org/Hydraulic_fracturing Stone, J. (2011, August 19). Green solutions to fracking debate. Retrieved from http//www. propane. pro/alternative-fuel/green-solutions-fracking-debate-0819/ Tony Dutzik and Elizabeth Ridlington, Frontier Group John Rumpler, Environment America Research Policy Center, (2012, Fall ). The costs of fracking the price tag of dirty drillings environmental damage. Retrieved from http//www. environmentamerica. org/sites/environment/files/reports/The Costs of Fracking vUS. pdfUnited States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009, March 12). National pollutant discharge elimination system (npdes) overview. Retrieved from http//cfpub. epa. gov/npdes/ United States Environmental Agency. (2004, June ). Evaluation of impacts to underground sources of drinking water by hydraulic fracturing of coalbed methane reservoirs . Retrieved from http//www. epa. gov/ogwdw/uic/pdfs/cbmstudy_attach_uic_ch02_methodology. pdf United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2012, May 9). Hydraulic fracturing background information. Retrieved from http//water. epa. gov/type/groundwater/uic/class2/hydraulic fracturing/wells_hydrowhat. fm United States Environmental Agency, (2012, September 6). Hydraulic fracturing under the safe drinking water act. Retrieved from http//water. epa. gov/type/groundwater/uic/class2/hydraulicfracturing/hydraulic- fracturing. cfm United States Environmental Protection Agency, (2012, February 14). Study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources Progress report. Retrieved from http//epa. gov/hfstudy / US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development Washington, DC, (2012, December ). Study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources progress report.Retrieved from http//epa. gov/hfstudy/pdfs/hf-report20121214. pdf University of Michigan. (2012, November 29). Fracking Researchers study potential impact on health, environment, economy. Retrieved from http//www. labspaces. net/125572/Fracking__Researchers_study_potential_impa ct_on_health__environment__economy Wethe, D. (2012, November 29). For fracking, its getting easier being green. Retrieved from http//www. businessweek. com/articles/2012-11-29/for-fracking-its-getting- easier-being-green WhatIsFracking, (2013, ). What is hydraulic fracturing?. Retrieved from http//www. what- is-fracking. com/what-is-hydraulic-fracturing/

Introduction/Conclusion on Drug Abuse

Robert Cain Cocaine, Marijuana, Meet, Crack Cocaine, Heroin, and Prescription Pills argon all illegal drugs. All of these types of drugs can be found on any corner of America these days. It seems that a lot of Americans are doing them. Many Americans are tempted by the excitement or possibly the escape these drugs seem to offer. knowledge about the facts of these drugs can help you see the potential risk of chasing the excitement and escape. No one knows exactly why so many Americans are use drugs.Some use drugs as a way to escape reality and somewhat may use them just to fit in. While others use them to be uncontrollable and get attention. Many people use drugs because they feel It will help them cope with whatever feelings they are trying to mask. The sad truth Is after employ the drugs many of the users have a feeling of regret and feel worse than they did to begin with. Drugs can ruin e very(prenominal) aspect of a persons life. That Is why It Is very Important to spread the word of how damaging drugs can be. In conclusion with drug use in America.No matter what type of drug you try you are that much closer to becoming addicted to it. All it takes is one time try it and like it. Drugs can ruin everything you have worked so hard for. friend me spread the word on how not to become a drug user. COW use drugs as a way to escape reality and some may use them Just to fit in. While they feel it will help them cope with whatever feelings they are trying to mask. The sad truth is after using the drugs many of the users have a feeling of regret and feel is why it is very important to spread the word of how damaging drugs can be.

Decision Analysis Essay

In business today, many decision-making situations guide under conditions of uncertainty. The demand for a product can be one number this hebdomad and double that number next week or vice versa. thither ar several decision-making techniques to aid the decision maker in dealing with these types of uncertainties. There argon two classes of decision situations, situations where probabilities can be assigned to future occurrences and probabilities that cannot be assigned.A decision-making situation includes several components, the decision itself and the actual events that can occur in the future, we refer to those as states of nature. The states of nature can be good and bad economic conditions, cold or warm weather, and an accident or no accident. The state of nature that does occur will determine the outcome of the decision, but the decision maker has no control over which state occurs. Payoff accedes are organized so that the decision situations can be analyzed.Using a cook upof f table is a means of organizing a decision situation, including the payoffs from different decisions, effrontery the various states of nature. Each decision will result in a specific outcome corresponding to the particular state of nature that occurs in the future. Payoffs are usu onlyy expressed as revenues or costs, but the can be expressed in a variety of values. Once a payoff table has been organized, there are several criteria available for making the actual decision.One of those is the maximax criterion. The maximax criterion results in the maximum of the maximum payoffs. The decision maker would be very(prenominal) optimistic. They would assume the most favorable state of nature would occur. When considering profit, the decision maker would pick the state of nature that gains the highest revenue. When considering cost, the decision maker would select the tokenish of the token(prenominal) of costs, which is also referred to as the minimin criterion.The maximin criterion is another criteria that can be used. The maximin criterion results in the maximum of the minimum payoff. This is a pessimistic criterion. The decision maker assumes that the minimum payoff will occur. Of those minimum payoffs, the maximum is selected. If the decision maker were to consider costs instead of profits as the payoff, the conservative approach would to select the maximum cost for severally decision. Then they would select the minimum of those costs. The minimax regret criterion minimizes the maximum regret. Regret is the difference between the payoff from the best decision and all other decision payoffs.With this criterion, the decision maker attempts to avoid regret by selecting the decision alternative that minimizes the maximum regret. To use this criterion, the decision maker selects the maximum pay off under each state of nature and then subtracts the other payoffs from those amounts. The Hurwicz criterion is a compromise between the maximax and maximin criteria. T he decision maker is not all optimistic not totally pessimistic. With this criterion, the payoffs are weighted by a cofficient of optimism, which is a measure of the decision makers optimism.The coefficient of optimism must be pertinacious by the decision maker, which is a limitation. It can be difficult for a decision maker to accurately determine his or her degree of optimism. This is a whole subjective decision making criterion. The equal likelihood criterion is done in the same way. The equal likelihood criterion multiplies the decision payoff for each state of nature by an equal weight. In conclusion, decision making analysis is a key component to maximizing profit and minimizing cost. There are several different decision-making criteria. Which criteria is used would be based on the decision makers outlook on the future.

Reducing Gang Violence

In order to reduce ring violence I would implement federation crime prevention programs or strategies targeting changes in community infrastructure, culture, and the strong-arm environment. Further more, gang violence will be reduced by executing a mixed bag ofapproaches includingneighborhood watch, community policing, urban or physical design, and comprehensive or multi-disciplinary efforts. These strategies whitethorn seek to engage residents, community and faith-based organizations, and local government agencies in addressing the factors that set in to the communitys crime, delinquency, and disorder.As a means of comer turn up to offenders of gang violence I would administer well-disposed interventions that would involve a variety of service provided to gang members, such as remedial education, unpaid activities (e. g. , softball games involving both gangs), counseling in homes and on the streets, crisis counseling, and referral to drug treatment and mental health functi on. Employing more community youth workers that would be responsible for arrival out, contacting, and providing a range of limited but intensive services to youth gang members.A form of in the public eye(predicate) education by providing economic and social opportunities finished the access of jobs and to job discipline, as well as educational resources and educating the community by informing them that gang problems result from the interaction of sociological, demographic, economic, and cultural factors along with social instability and lack of economic opportunity. Having more people understand where this stems from can lead to concentrating on assessing the postulate of youths and providing them with individualized support services and suppression/ comptroller by involving their families, local organizations, and their communities.This program will be based as an extension of the Juvenile coquette facilities in Salinas, CA. It will be administered through our citys Sherrif fs office and the office of the Attorney General. It will be paid for by severe to get a cooperative agreement trophy from the State of California and from donations and fund raisers. The program should include local law officers, probation officers, community youth workers, church building groups, boys and girls clubs, and several local residents who work as a team to understand gang structures and provide social intervention and social opportunities whenever possible.The program should reach out to youths unable to connect with legitimate social institutions. Youths at different points in their lives need different things. Older gang members may be ready to strong a legitimate job and need training and education to do so. Younger youths at risk of becoming gang members may need ersatz schools or family counseling. The program should provide individualized services for each youth based on his or her needs. This not only consists of surveillance, arrest, probation, and imprison ment to stop red behavior, but also involves greater communication amongst agency service providers and control providers.All providers jointly decide what happens to a youth when trouble arises or when it is nigh to. All workers need to work closely with wiz another and collaborate. Former gang members working as community youth workers need to be presumptuousness as much respect as police officers in the program. Each group can provide important information for the program that the other may not be able to obtain. Works Cited offense Solutions (2010). Program Profile Comprehensive plurality Model. Retrieved from http//www. crimesolutions. ov/ProgramDetails. aspx? ID=278 (OJJDP) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 2010. Best Practices to apportion Community Gang Problems OJJDPs Comprehensive Gang Model. Second Edition. Washington, D. C. U. S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 15 Mar. 2013. Web. Spergel, Irving A. , and Susan F. Grossman. 1997. The gnomish Village Project A Community nest to the Gang Problem. Social Work 4245670.Reducing Gang ViolenceIn order to reduce gang violence I would implement community crime prevention programs or strategies targeting changes in community infrastructure, culture, and the physical environment. Furthermore, gang violence will be reduced by executing a diversity ofapproaches includingneighborhood watch, community policing, urban or physical design, and comprehensive or multi-disciplinary efforts. These strategies may seek to engage residents, community and faith-based organizations, and local government agencies in addressing the factors that contribute to the communitys crime, delinquency, and disorder.As a means of reaching out to offenders of gang violence I would administer social interventions that would involve a variety of services provided to gang members, such as remedial education, recreational activities (e. g. , softball games involving both gangs), counseling in homes and on the streets, crisis counseling, and referral to drug treatment and mental health services. Employing more community youth workers that would be responsible for reaching out, contacting, and providing a range of limited but intensive services to youth gang members.A form of public education by providing economic and social opportunities through the access of jobs and to job training, as well as educational resources and educating the community by informing them that gang problems result from the interaction of sociological, demographic, economic, and cultural factors along with social instability and lack of economic opportunity. Having more people understand where this stems from can lead to concentrating on assessing the needs of youths and providing them with individualized support services and suppression/control by involving their families, local organizations, and their communities.This program will be based as an extension of the Juvenile Court facilities in Salinas, CA. It will be administered through our citys Sherriffs office and the office of the Attorney General. It will be paid for by trying to get a cooperative agreement award from the State of California and from donations and fund raisers. The program should include local police officers, probation officers, community youth workers, church groups, boys and girls clubs, and several local residents who work as a team to understand gang structures and provide social intervention and social opportunities whenever possible.The program should reach out to youths unable to connect with legitimate social institutions. Youths at different points in their lives need different things. Older gang members may be ready to secure a legitimate job and need training and education to do so. Younger youths at risk of becoming gang members may need alternative schools or family counseling. The program should provide individualized services for each youth based on his or her needs. This not only consists of surveillance, arrest, probation, and imprisonment to stop violent behavior, but also involves greater communication between agency service providers and control providers.All providers jointly decide what happens to a youth when trouble arises or when it is about to. All workers need to work closely with one another and collaborate. Former gang members working as community youth workers need to be given as much respect as police officers in the program. Each group can provide important information for the program that the other may not be able to obtain. Works Cited Crime Solutions (2010). Program Profile Comprehensive Gang Model. Retrieved from http//www. crimesolutions. ov/ProgramDetails. aspx? ID=278 (OJJDP) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 2010. Best Practices to Address Community Gang Problems OJJDPs Comprehensive Gang Model. Second Edition. Washington, D. C. U. S. Department of Justice, Office o f Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 15 Mar. 2013. Web. Spergel, Irving A. , and Susan F. Grossman. 1997. The Little Village Project A Community Approach to the Gang Problem. Social Work 4245670.

Tiered Lesson Plan

Differentiated instruction is a concept that has gained in popularity over the past few years. The goal of differentiated instruction is to maximise learning success for solely scholars. This type of instruction provides a variety of different ways for scholarly persons to take in information and make sense of ideas (Hall, 2002). The presentiment associated with differentiated instruction is that a teacher is willing to make certain modifications in order to ensure learning participation by all students (Hall, 2002).Each student learns in a different way and in order to make sure that all students meet educational designs differentiated instruction uses a conspiracy of whole group, small group and individual instruction in order to meet the learning needs of all students (Hall, 2002). In addition, differentiated instruction recognizes that all students have different background knowledge, readiness, language, preferences in learning and interests. Recognizing these differences allows all students, regardless of academic baron, the chance to succeed in school.Unfortunately, society has a negative placement about those with learning disabilities (Carolan & Guinn, 2007). However, it is essential that teachers atomic number 18 able to modify lesson and curriculum in order to meet the learning needs of all students. Teachers cannot have abelist attitudes towards their students. They cannot dribble them to do things they ar not able to do (Carolan & Guinn, 2007). Therefore, this lesson aims to minimize the impact of disability and maximize the opportunities for students with disabilities to participate in schooling and the community (Carolan & Guinn, 2007).The lesson calls for each student to write a report about a farm animal. Modifications about length, number of sentences and spelling requirements can be made for struggling writers in course I playing below grade train. A visit to a local farm has allowed all students the chance to see animals in th eir natural habitat to find out what they eat, what their offspring argon called and what resource their animal provides for humans. In order to encourage struggling writers to involve all of this information they could write a list instead of whole sentences.In addition, they could include illustrations to help them get their point across. The idea behind the standard (Students use writing as a scratch for learning, inquiry, and research) is that students get the opportunity to practice their writing skills. For a struggling writer, simply writing a few words would meet that objective. In addition, students are excessively required to write a letter to their animal. For struggling writers this could include just one sentence and a picture. Another option would be to have students gumwood a picture of their animal to a piece of paper and thank their animal for what it provides to humans.Tier II includes students learning at grade level. These students must complete the objective according to grade level so they will be required to include three complete sentences in their letter to their animal. They will also include information about their day in their letter. These students will be expected to use proper capitalization and punctuation mark as well. Tier III includes students performing above grade level. Often these students are not challenged enough in the classroom so certain modifications need to be made to ensure that they are learning.To this end, these students can write a complete story about their trip to the farm including a beginning, middle and end. They could also create a poster obese why their animal is the best animal on the farm. These activities, in addition to required assignments, will provide high achieving students with the chance to further their writing skills through extended activities. In order to best serve each student they must be placed in the appropriate tier. Students of the same age are not all alike when it comes to l earning (Tomlinson, 2001).Therefore, careful consideration must be made when choosing the best tier for each student. In differentiated instruction, commonalities among students are noted but differences are also addressed as well (Tomlinson, 2001). Realizing the differences is what allows a teacher to maximize educational success for all students regardless of ability level. Each tier allows students to process and internalize information found on their specific skill level (Tomlinson, 2001). This type of division promotes classroom learning by all students. Students will be placed in tiers based on their writing abilities.Students who struggle to write complete sentences, form individual letters or incorporate capitalization and punctuation will be placed in Tier I. These students will enhance their skill level in these areas by instruction on fewer sentences but more time spent on creating a proper sentence. Students who are performing at grade level based on writing skills wi ll be placed in Tier II. These students will display the ability to write complete sentences using capitalization and punctuation and will also be able to write legibly in order to get their point across.Finally, students who are performing above grade level will be placed in Tier III. These students will show remarkable ability to quickly write more than three complete and correct sentences. They will show high levels of thinking in their writing. The lesson will be considered successful when all students have correct written work to show for their time. irrespective of ability level, all students will write, based on their individual skills, correct sentences.Tier I students will write one complete and correct sentence that shows onward motion in capitalization and punctuation just as Tier II students will write three sentences. Tier III students will show higher levels of learning through writing using paragraphs. It doesnt matter how many sentences each student writes, but it does matter if they can show what they have conditioned about farm animals through the writing of clear and concise sentences. Grades will be given based on the final product but the close to important assessment of student learning is the growth a teacher is able to see from each student (Tomlinson, 2001).

Realism and Ibsen’s a Doll’s House Essay

Ibsen Keeping it Real Since 1879 Realism is a style of make-up in which the author strays away from romance and fantasy and leans toward the everyday life of existing citizenry and the negative aspects of their lives. The Norwegian author Henrik Ibsen captures the true essence of naive realism in his famously controversial take A Dolls House. Nora is an idealistic wife who bows cumulus to her husbands commands and fulfills his every wish. When Torvald, her husband, fell gloomy she did everything she could to save his life, going as far as forging her dead obtains signature to receive m angiotensin converting enzymey to pay for their trip to Italy for break-dance heath care.The story takes place during Christmas time, where Nora is now forced to come to terms with the crime she has committed once Krogstad, the man at the bank who gave Nora the money she needed, reveals to her his throw to tell Torvald some her forgery. A Dolls House is a perfect example of realism, containi ng many of the key elements of this genre. Ibsen highlights the forced role of women, the deceptive appearances pack use to hide their troubles behind, and uses a realist form and style of writing.Understanding the realism genre of literature allows the reader to enjoy a style of writing in which they can relate to and find comfort in, knowing that someone, somewhere, sometime experienced exactly what they themselves are going through Like many women of her time, Nora has to forget about her possess wants and ideas and put on the role a women must play to please the people around her. Torvald constantly is putting Nora in her place. When Torvald comes home one afternoon he finds Nora sitting surrounded with bags from her trip to town.He reprimands her about her spending habits before comforting her, saying, Now, now, my humble song-bird mustnt be so crestfallen. rise up? Is the squirrel sulking? (Ibsen 149). Torvald is sweating to console his wife while also belittling her by using endearing terms. In reality, his words make Nora feel controlled and repressed. Ibsen wants his sense of hearing to command that by demeaning Nora, Torvald is trying to get her to mold to the role of a submissive wife who will listen to her husband as if her were her father.Torvald wants Nora to know that he is the one on top in the relationship he is the bread winner, the man, and the more powerful person. He is always trying to suppress Nora and keep her pronouncement over him at bay. Not only must women be submissive to their husbands but they were expects to be obedient to him as well. Torvald is always telling this wife not to eat her favorite treat, macaroons, because her teeth with rot and fall out. When Nora buys the dessert in town, she hides them from Torvald. She lies to him when he asks if the thought crossed her mind that day to stop and get a treat.Nora tells her husband, No, Torvald really I promise you I wouldnt do anything that you dont like (Ibsen 151). No ra is afraid of contradicting Torvalds word and promises to him she would never do anything to go against him. Instead of being her husbands equal Nora feels as if she were a child. Ibsen depicts Noras marriage as a relationship between a father and his child instead of a husband and his wife and mother of his young children. Torvald treats Nora like a little girl who cannot make her own decisions. She is forced to play this role of a child her whole life fist under her own fathers roof and now under Torvalds.The forced roles of women were implement in society, as well as the idea of keeping ones flaws concealed from the outside world. Deceptive appearances hide the troubles and nuisance Nora and Torvald both go through during the play. Mrs. Linde, Noras longtime friend, comes over to the Helmer household. Nora and her are chatting about New Years plans when Nora says, Look, the people upstairs, the Stenborgs, are having a fancy-dress party tomorrow night, and Torvald wants me to go as a Neopolitan fisher-girl and dance the tarantella that I learnt in Capri (Ibsen 183). Nora tells Mrs.Linde that her and Torvald plan on attending a masquerade party in which she will be dressing up to perform the tarantella as her husband had told her to. Ibsen is telling the reader that people hide behind clothes and masks to hide the hurt and pain going on in their own life, so as to please society and their own friends. Nora is suffering from an internal crisis et she is forced to dress up and go to the party so that her friends do not suspect anything is wrong with her. Torvald being the doll player that he is, controls Nora and basically forces her to put up a bm for the world to see.He never sees Noras misery the week leading up to the revelation of Noras crime because she has been taught to hide the pain so well. along with hiding from society, one must fulfill all its demanding expectation. When Torvald reads the letter from Krogstad revealing Noras forgery, he is enr aged. He screams at Nora and tells her she can have no lure over the children and he loves her no longer. Then he remembers what others will think about this situation and says, Somehow or other I must try to appease him- the thing must be hushed up at all costs.As for ourselves- we must seem to go on just as before but only in the eyes of the world of course (Ibsen 221). Torvald is only concerned about keeping Krogstad quiet and the outside world be in the dark about his troubled marriage. He tells Nora they must continue on with life outside as it was before but once in spite of appearance the house, it all does not matter he could not care less. Ibsen communicates that along with wearing deceptive appearances, those who want to be accepted, like Torvald, must bow down to societys expectations.These expectations include maintaining a perfect marriage, raising the children properly, and not allowing your wife to overpower you. Torvalds only concern is to keep the peace, for the sake of his own last name. He does not care about Nora any longer. He only cares about keeping himself and his reputation safe. Along with outlining some of the key elements of the real world and the society one lives in, Ibsen uses a realistic style of writing. Staying true to realism literature, Ibsen uses a realistic form and style while writing A Dolls House.One the first page of the play, one can find a detailed description of the set including, A comfortable room, weaponed inexpensively, but with taste. In the back wall there are two doors that to the right leads out to a hall, the other, to the left, leads to Helmers study. Between them stands a piano (Ibsen147). A long list of props preludes all of the acts of the play. Ibsen uses this detailed list of props to bring a sense of reality to his play. He allows the audience to feel as if they truly are sitting in the Helmers living room watching Nora fall prey to her husband.It allows one to sink completely in the story and c hoke a part of it all. One of Ibsens viewers could easily identify with the characters seeing that they lived in the same middle class home and neighborhood as they themselves do. Ibsen also was able to identify with his audience by using a simplistic writing style. When talking to Nora about her children, the childrens nanny says, The poor little mites are playing with their presents, but- (Ibsen 181). The nurse speaks in a common, simple language.Unlike previous writing styles, realism uses everyday common language and interrupted thoughts, expelling on sentences, and expressions. Ibsen used this style of writing, again, to identify with the audience he was presenting to. His works were seen my middle class citizens, who were used to working hard long hours in loathly conditions. These people were not spending their days eating cakes and playing chess. They spoke in a ruffle-free, basic language, which is exactly the language Ibsen adopted for his realist play.Ibsen exposed the his audience to a new view of the very lives they were living by using this form of writing. Although Ibsen was not showing his audience anything new, he presented them their most inner secrets they unploughed hidden and shoved them in their own faces. Ibsen highlighted the role women were taught to play, the deceptive appearances the people wore daily, and expressed these ideas using the peoples realistic style of speech. Ibsen was a writer for the people of the 1800s, but his works are treasured and applicable even in todays world. ALL QUOTES DIRECTLY FROM A DOLLS HOUSE

Steryotypes Of Teenagers

I am writing to inform you about how I feel when I find out certain conditions that welcome been published in your newspaper. Most of these articles ar about teenagers with a stripe of disconfirming coverage. I hope through this letter that you will understand what so many teenagers feel when indication the negative articles that YOU publish. Hopefully, after this letter you wont ever stereotype anyone without full information about them again. It was undecomposed last week that I was tuition a copy of The Sun when my eyes focussed on this one article, it was titled Jeremys Happy Slap Ordeal.My eye then alighted on Jeremy Clarksons face, (the guy from Top Gear) and that I think just spurred me on to read more. I didnt re eithery know what to expect but honestly I had no idea this was about teenagers. Whilst reading this article I realized something was wrong. Usually when you have an article like this in the newspapers theres always two points of view. Normally the two par ties or persons involved have a guess, but this position article shows extreme bias.We simply hear Jeremys point of view and leave the teenagers opinions unheard. Personally I think this is real unfair, when journalists do things like this, its not right its actually very sly and manipulative. You instantly portray Clarkson as our man the victim and the others as a gang of teenage thugs. How are readers going to have a balanced view of the situation, when this is how you set the article up? There is one quote in the article about police which I am angry about, which is the police?Oh come on they are too busy filling in health and safety forms and processing speeding fines. This quote irritates me dramatically because frankly its not true. The, I put one over them police are not too busy with speeding fines or health and safety forms. I always see police when I go out dealing with young drunk work force or people brawling in the street. This sound outs me that Jeremy was wrong about the police. Jeremy Clarkson has obviously been brainwashed by the media.Hes just making assumptions about stuff, like most famous people do, because unlike some people he doesnt have the decency to go and talk to teenagers and find out the truth, or maybe there arent any brains in his head. Either that or HIS parents didnt bring him up properly. His parents probably didnt con him basic manners and he doesnt know what being polite is. Interestingly enough, as I was reading on I noticed how conceited and arrogant he was when discussing the parenting skills of these teenagers.Jeremy states that Nothing can be done about the parents because they are too thick. Yes, he is attempting to be humorous, but there is truth, in his eyes, in what he is saying and it is offensive I strongly disagree with him because parents have the intelligence to do anything for their kids and help them through their lives. I was actually very enraged at this, I can tell you that my parents are NOT and I repeat NOT thick. Rather they are very intelligent because to come on a baby into a grown female/male with basic manners and high morality takes a lot.I can understand why he is thinking like this because he didnt have a very happy ending of the encounter with the teens but common who needs all of the trespass? He starts off by branding teenagers as brutal thugs who love drink a lot of cider and love to stab passers-by. When i read this i feel really outraged that he has the audacity to say such things, I mean how the hell does he know all teenagers are like this. I can confirm to you that i am a teenager and me and my friends dont drink vast quantities of alcohol or love to stab passers-by as a hobby.I have to say he is being really ignorant because hes trying to make teenagers look all violent and whats really weird is that the teens didnt touch him but he just suasion hed just grab the ringleader by the scruff of his neck. Now what do you call that? I say thats what you woul d call a middle age thug. Now there is no way you can disagree with me he was the aggressor there, he just assumed it was ok to practice violence on a group of teens who hadnt even touched him.

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 10

Jesus. What had I been prizeing? I had to work today. Not hardly that, I had to work in ten minutes. I had no cartridge clip for real cloaffair or compo r on the wholeyion. With a sigh, I shape-shifted form, my robe giving way to gray slacks and an ivory blouse, hair and subscribe toup suddenly d one(a) to my normal, immaculate perfection. Brushing my teeth and adding perfume could non be faked, and after perform those tasks, I grabbed my purse and sprinted out.When I reached my lobby, the desk clerk c on the wholeed out to me.Got nighthing for you. He handed oer a straightaway parcel.Still conscious of the time, I quickly tore at the wrapping and stifled a gasp at what I found. Black Velvet Paint by Number Kit, read the package. A subheading proclaimed Create Your Own Masterpiece Contains Everything You Need to Paint unless Like a echt Artist The masterpiece I could create depicted a desert landscape with a teras cactus to one aspect and a howling coyote on the other. A n eagle soargond in the sky, and a ghostly, rid Native Ameri rout out head floated nearby. Terribly stereotyped and cheesy.A small piece of paper had been tape-recorded to it. Start small, the none said. Love, popish. The writing was so perfect as to be unreal.I was still chuckling when I got to work. In my office, I settled in front of the computer and discovered a second morning surprise another e-mail from solidification. It had been sent at five in the morning.Georgina,A fewer days ago, while writing Gods of G gaga, I met a woman at a class I excessivelyk on South American archaeology. I dont subsist how it is for women its probably not steady always the same for us men. hardly for me, when I play off several(prenominal)one Im attracted to, time stands still. The planets bother in into alignment, and I stop breathing. The angels themselves descend to sit upon my shoulders, whispering promises of love and devotion while less heavenly creatures whisper promises of a n earthier, baser nature. I guess thats detonate of beingness a man.Anyway, that was what happened with this woman. We fell clean hard for each other and dated off and on for a very long time. Some days we wouldnt be able to leave each others side for more than a minute, and then later, months would go by without any sort of physical contact. I set out to confess, this last mentioned behavior was more my fault than hers. I mentioned before that Cady and ONeill ar demanding. During phases when I was hot into my writing, I wouldnt be able to mobilize close to or do anything else that didnt involve my novel. I knew it hurt her knew she was the kind of psyche who wanted to settle prevail over and start a family, live a quiet and committed heart. I was not that kind of person Im not even sure I am now simply I interchangeabled the idea of always having any(prenominal)one more or less, someone reliable who I could telephone up when I was at last ready to control time . It in reality wasnt evenhandedly to do that to her, always leave her pause uniform that. I should surrender ended things early on, however I was withal selfish and too comfortable.One day, after not having spoken to her in a few months, I called her up and was dazed to hear a man answer the phone. When she came on the line, she told me shed met someone else and wouldnt be able to try out me anymore. To joint I was shocked would be an understatement. I started rambling, going on and on around how much I cargond for her, how she couldnt throw away what we had. She took it all pretty nicely, considering what a psycho I must have sounded bid, still in the end, she closed things by saying I shouldnt have expected her to wait forever. She had her own life to live.The priming coat I share this embarrassing tale from the canon of Seth Mortensen is twainfold. First, I need to rationalise to you for what happened tonight. In infract of my grumblings, I really did intend to meet you. A couple hours before the game, I ran home to get something and suddenly thought of a solution to the snag that had been blocking me all day. I sat down to write, only planning to spend an hour on it. As you efficacy be guessing by now, it took a lot longer than that. I got so caught up that I in all forgot almost the game and some you. I never heard my phone ring. I wasnt aware of anything else merely getting the fable out on paper (or rather, my screen).This, Im afraid, is a problem I frequently have. It happened with my ex, it happens with my family, and unfortunately, it happened with you. Dont even get my brother started about how I nearly missed his wedding. The worlds and people in my head are so alive to me that I lose track of the real world. Sometimes Im not even persuade Cady and ONeills world isnt the real one. I never think about to hurt people, and I feel terrible afterward, barely it is a failing I cant seem to overcome.None of this proficientifie s abandoning you last night, moreover I hoped this might tenderize some insight into my unbalanced worldview. Please escort how very sorry I am.My second reason for the memoir is to address your comment about Cady getting some. In thinking about her and ONeill, I distinct that Cady wasnt the kind of person who would wait around forever either. Now, dont get me wrong I dont think Cady and my ex-girlfriend have a lot in common. Cady isnt expression to settle in the suburbs and pick out curtains with ONeill. But, she is a brilliantly and passionate woman, who loves life, and wants to live it. A lot of people were upset to see her break out of her devoutly chaste, puppy-at-ONeills-side role, but I think she had to do it. permits face it ONeill replications her for granted, and he needed a wake-up call. Now, does this mean travel are being made to finally bring them together, as so many readers have asked? Naturally, as their creator, my lips are sealed on that, but I can say t his I have a lot more books with them in mind, and readers tend to lose interest when protagonists hook up. SethP.S. By the way, I bought the condo. Mistee was so excited that she took me on the spot, and we made love all over the granite countertops.P.P.S. All right-hand(a), Im do up that last part. Like I said, Im a man. And a writer.My nerves still heavy with sleep, I sluggishly pondered the letters message. Seth had had a serious girlfriend. Wow. That shouldnt have surprised me, especially considering the sex scenes he wrote. I mean, he couldnt have pulled them all out of imagination. Still, it was hard to picture introverted Seth participating in all the social exchanges normally required of a long-term relationship.And then the other part, his reasons for not showing. What to think of those? He was right in saying his burst of inspiration was no excuse for what he had through. The explanation did take away some of the sting, however, moving him from rude to simply thoug htless. No, maybe thoughtless was too harsh. Scattered, that was it. Perhaps staccato wasnt such a bad thing, I mused, since ignoring the real world allowed him to work on the written one. I and didnt know.I pondered all this for the rest of the morning, my anger from last night growing cold in the wake of time passing and my speculation on a brilliant writers mind. By the time lunch rolled around, I realized I had gotten over the hockey mishap. He had not intended the neglect, and it wasnt uniform my night had turned out too badly after all.Around late afternoon, Warren came circulate around.No, I said immediately, recognizing the life in his eyes. I hated his presumption, yet always found myself eerily drawn to it. Im in a terrible mood.Ill make you feel better.I told you, Im too momentchy.I exchangeable you bitchy. The succubus feeding instinct began waking up. I swallowed, annoyed at it and my own weakness. And Im really busy. thither are things I should do My excuse s ounded halfhearted, though, and Warren apparently recognized that.He walked over to me and knelt by my chair, rivulet a hand over my thigh. I wore thin, silky slacks, and the feel of his fingers stroking me through and through that smooth-spoken veridical was almost more sensual than on bare skin.How was your date the other night? he murmured, moving his mouth up to my ear and then my neck.I arched my head obligingly, in spite of my best resistance, liking the way his mouth grew fiercer once morest my skin, his teeth just teasing me. He was far from being a boyfriend but was still the closest I had to any sort of consistent relationship. That meant something. Fine.Did you hump him?No. I slept alone, alas.Good.Hes coming screen tonight, though. For the trip the light fantastic lesson.Really? Warren unbuttoned the top two buttons of my blouse, revealing a pale pink lace bra. His fingertips traced the shape of one of my breasts, following its inner cut down to where it met the o ther one. accordingly he locomote his hand up to that breast, playing with the nipple through the lace. I closed my eyes, surprised at my s well(p)ing desire. After helping Hugh close the contract with Martin, I wouldnt have thought Id need a fix so soon. Yet, the hunger tugged ever so jolly within me, mingled with lust. Pure instinct. Well introduce him to Maria.Maria was Warrens wife. The thought of passing roman print off on her was too funny.You sound jealous, I teased. I pulled Warren toward me, and he responded by pushing me on top of the desk. I moved my hands down to unfasten his pants.I am, he grunted. Leaning over, he pulled the bra down to bare my breasts and lowered his mouth to one of the nipples. He hesitated. Are you sure you didnt fuck him?I think Id remember something like that.A knock sounded at the accession, and Warren hastily sprang away from me, pulling up his pants. Shit.I, too, sat up and returned to my chair. With Warrens eyes on the door, I quickly us ed some more shape-shifting to sort out myself up and rebutton my blouse. Satisfied we were both decent, I called, Come in.Seth opened the door.I clamped down on my jaw, lest it drop open in astonishment.Hi, said Seth, cheeking back and forth between Warren and me. I didnt mean to interrupt.No, no, you arent, Warren assured him, clicking into public relations mode. We were just having a quick meeting.Not a very important one, I added. Warren gave me a droll look.Oh, said Seth, still appearing like he wanted to bolt. I just came by to see if maybe you wanted lunch. I e-mailed you about what happened.Yeah, I read it. Thanks.I grimaced at him, hoping to silently communicate that all was forgiven. The worried look on his face was so heart-wrenching that I felt certain his conscience had suffered more than my ego last night. sensitive idea, boomed Warren. Lets all go get some lunch, shall we? Georgina and I can meet again later.I cant.I reminded him about how short-staffed we were and how I was needed for coverage. He scowled when I finished.Why havent we hired anyone?Im working on it.Warren ended up just taking Seth out something the writer seemed highly nauseating about and I was left alone, feeling abandoned. I would have half desire to hear what else Seth had to say about writing taking over his life. I might have even liked getting laid. Neither was to be. Ah, the injustices of the universe.I apparently had one karmic favor left, however. Around four, Tammi the red-haired girl from Krystal Starz showed up to settle my staffing problem. As suggested, she brought a friend. After a quick interview, I felt satisfied by their competency. I hired them on the spot, pleased to have one task taken off my list.When the store finally closed later, those few hours of sleep were catching up with me more fiercely. I felt in no mood to teach a spring lesson.Realizing I needed to change, I closed the office door and shape-shifted my outfit for the second time th at day. It felt like cheating, as always. For dancing I selected a conceited dress, clingy through the bodice and flowing through the skirt just right for twirls. Colored in blending hues of discover and orange, I hoped the dress would warm my mood up. I also hoped no one had noticed I hadnt carried a change of clothes in with me this morning.On the overhead speakers, I heard one of the cashiers make the announcement that the store had closed, just as another knock sounded on my door. I called an entry, wondering if it might be Seth again, but Cody appeared this time.Hey, I said, forcing a smile. Are you ready for this?I had taught Cody to totter dancing a year or so ago, and he had picked it up remarkably well, probably half repayable to vampire reflexes. As a result, I had against his better judgment recruited him to be my coteacher in these impromptu lessons for the staff. He kept claiming he was no good, but in both lessons so far, hed proven remarkably efficient.What? s altation? Yeah. No problem.I glanced around, ascertaining we were alone. Any more unearthly occurrences?Cody shook his head, blond hair framing it like a lions mane. No. Its been pretty quiet. Maybe I was overreacting.Better safe than sorry, I advised, feeling like somebodys cliched grandmother. What are you doing after this?Meeting Peter at a bar downtown. You want to come with us?Sure. Wed all be safer as a group.The door pushed open, and Seth stuck his head inside. Hey, I oh, Im sorry, he stammered, catching sight of Cody. I didnt mean to interrupt.No, no, I said, waving him inside. We were just talking. I gave Seth a curious look. What are you still doing here? Are you staying for the lesson?Er, well I, that is, Warren invited me to but I dont think Ill actually dance. If thats okay.Not dance? What are you going to do then, watch? I demanded. Be like a voyeur or something?Seth gave me a sage look, appearing for the first time in a while like the guy who had written the comic o bservations about real estate agents and old girlfriends. The guy Id once followd in a stumbling flirtation with.Im not that desperate. Not yet, anyway. But its really safer if I dont dance. For those around me.Thats what I used to say until she made me try it, remarked Cody, clapping me on the shoulder. Just wait until youve been in Georginas capable hands. Youll never be the same.Before any of us could acknowledge that declarative comment, Doug appeared behind Seth, outfitted as his grunge band self rather than assistant manager self.Hey, are we getting this party started or what? I came back here today just for this lesson, Kincaid. You better make the trip worth my while. Hey, Cody.Hey, Doug.Hey, Seth.Hey, Doug.I groaned. All right. Lets do this.We left en masse for the cafe, where tables were being moved to give us space. I introduced Cody and Seth along the way. They shook hands briefly, the young vampire looking at me meaningfully when he realized just which Seth this must be.You sure you arent going to dance? I asked the writer, still puzzled by his obstinacy.Nope. Just doesnt feel right.Yeah, well, after the shitty day Ive had, running this shindig doesnt feel right to me either, but we all endure. Put on the happy face and go, you know?Seth looked like he didnt know, only giving me a small, bemused smile. A moment later, that smile dimmed somewhat. You said you got the e-mail did it do youIts fine. Forget about it. His bizarre social habits might not mesh with mine, but I couldnt stand seeing him give care anymore about last night. Honestly. I patted his arm, gave him my Helen of Troy smile, then turned my precaution to the scene upstairs.Most of the staff whod worked today milled around, along with a few others who, like Doug, had come back. Warren and his wife waited with them, and so did Roman.He approached with a smile when he saw me, and I felt a faint wave of lust sweep me, supreme of any succubus feeding. As good-looking as ever, he wore black slacks and a teal shirt that gleamed like his eyes.Group date, huh? For my safety. Ive always found it best to keep a few 12 chaperones on hand.Youll need a few dozen more in that dress, he warned in a low contribution, those eyes molesting me from head to toe.I flushed, taking a few steps away from him. Youll have to wait your turn, like everyone else.Turning away from him, I inadvertently made eye contact with Seth. He had obviously overheard the brief exchange. My blush deepening, I fled both of them for the center of the floor, Cody in tow.Putting on the supposed happy face, I pushed my long day out of my mind and grinned at my coworkers whoops and cheers. All right, gang, lets get going. Dougs in kind of a hurry and wants to finish this up as quickly as possible. I understand thats pretty standard for him in a lot of matters especially romantic ones. This elicited both positive and negative catcalls from the crowd, as well as an obscene gesture from Doug.I reintrodu ced Cody, who was less comfortable with the attention than I was, and began sizing up the group. We had more women than men, per usual, and a wide range of skill levels. I pull couples up accordingly, putting especially adept women with other women since I felt confident they could dance the staminate part for this practice and switch effortlessly later. I didnt have such faith in everybody some of them still struggled to follow a beat.Consequently, I started the lesson by reviewing from last time, turning on the music and making everyone practice basic steps. Cody and I monitored, making minor adjustments and suggestions. My tension from the long day eased slightly as I worked the crowd. I loved swing dancing, had loved it when it first emerged in the early 20th century, and had been thrilled when its revival came around recently. I knew it was going out of style again, which was part of the reason I wanted to pass on the knowledge to others.Not knowing Romans level of expertise , Id placed him with Paige, a pretty skilled dancer. After watching them a minute or so, I shook my head and approached.You hustler, I chastised. You acted all nervous about dancing, but in reality, youre a pro.Ive done it a few times, he admitted modestly, taking her into a turn I hadnt taught them yet.Stop that. Im splitting you guys up. Your skills are needed elsewhere.Oh come on, pleaded Paige. Let me keep him. Its about time we had a man around here who knows what hes doing.Roman cut me a glance. She said it, not me.I turned my eyes heavenward and reassigned them to new partners.After a bit more supervising, I grew satisfied with the whole groups prowess, convinced Id see little change. Deciding to move on, Cody and I taught them lindy kicks next. Not surprisingly, chaos soon broke out. The gifted in the group picked the move up right away, those who had struggled previously continued to struggle, and some who had performed fine with the basic steps and turns now fell totally apart.Cody and I moved through the dancers, doing damage control, offering our words of wisdom. bear on the tension in your wrist, Beth not too much, though. Dont hurt yourself.Count, damn it Count The beats are still the same as before. relieve facing your partner dont lose track of her.My role as teacher consumed me, and I loved it. Who cared about vampire hunters and the eternal struggles of good and evil?I caught sight of Seth sitting off to the side, just as hed vowed. Hey, voyeur, still just want to watch? I chided, breathless and excited from running all over the makeshift dance floor.He shook his head, a faint smile playing crosswise his features as he studied me. Plenty to see from here.Standing up from his chair, he leaned forward in a familiar sort of way, startling me when his hand reached out and pushed up a dress whip that had slipped off my shoulder down to my arm There, he pronounced. Perfect.Goose bumps rose on my flesh at his touch, his fingers warm and gentle. F or just a moment, a look I hadnt seen before crossed his face. It made him look less like the distracted writer Id come to know and more well, male. Admiring. Considering. Maybe even predatory. The look was gone as quickly as it had come, though I still felt taken aback.Keep an eye on that strap, warned Seth mildly. Youve got to make him work for it. He inclined his head slightly toward some dancers, and I followed the motion to see Roman walking one of the baristas through a complex step.I admired Romans graceful moves a moment before turning back to Seth. Its not that hard. I can teach you. I held up a hand by way of invitation.He looked as though he might agree but shook his head at the last second. Id make a fool of myself.Ah yes, and sitting here alone, while everyone else dances and were short of men yes, that doesnt make you look foolish at all.He gave a soft laugh. Maybe.When no other explanation came, I shrugged and returned to the dance floor, continuing my instruction. C ody and I added a couple new tricks, assisted in more practice, and finally stood off to the side admiring our pupils. call up theyll be ready for the Moondance ? he asked.The Moondance Lounge was a ballroom dance club that hosted monthly swing dance nights. We considered this groups appearance thither to be the ultimate triumph of graduation.One more lesson, I think. Then we can take them out in public.An arm caught me around the waist, pulling me onto the dance floor. I healed my footing quickly, falling in step with Roman as he spun me into an intricate turn. A few people nearby stopped to watch.Its my turn to be teachers pet, he admonished. Ive hardly seen you all night I dont think this counts as a date.I let him lead me around flamboyantly, curious as to just how good he really was. Youre always changing what you want, I complained. First you just want to go out, now you say you actually want to be alone with me. You need to pick a story and stick with it. Be more specific.A h, I see. No one told me that. He led me into a rustle whip, and I followed through flawlessly, earning a grudging look of approval from him. I dont suppose theres a Georgina Kincaid study Manual around somewhere to help me avoid these embarrassing blunders in the future.We sell them downstairs.Oh yeah? He began improvising steps now, and I enjoyed the challenge of second-guessing where he would go. Is there a page on how to woo the fair Georgina?Page? Hell, theres a whole chapter.Required reading, Id imagine.Definitely. Hey, thanks for the paint by number.I expect to see that on your wall the next time Im over.With that horrible Native American stereotype? The next time you see it will be on the ACLUs hit list.He spun me out into a flourish-filled ending, much to the cheer of everyone else. They had long since stopped dancing to watch me make a spectacle of myself. I felt slightly conscious but shrugged it off, savoring the moment, taking Romans hand to bow luridly to my cowork ers applause.Get ready, I announced, because thats going to be next weeks exam.Cheers and laughter continued, but as they faded and the group dispersed for the night, Roman persisted in keeping on to my hand, his fingers laced with mine. I didnt mind. We walked around, making small talk and saying goodbyes.You want to go get a drink? he asked me, once we were momentarily alone.I turned toward him, stand close, studying those gorgeous features. In the now-warmed-up room, I could strongly smell his perspiration mingled with cologne, and it made me want to bury my face in his neck.I want to I began slowly, wondering if alcohol and raw animal lust would be a wise combination with someone I wanted to avoid sleeping with.Looking beyond him, I caught Codys eye. He was talking earnestly with Seth, which I found odd. Suddenly, I remembered my earlier promise to go meet the vampires at the bar.Damn, I muttered. I dont think I can. Still holding Romans hand, I led him over to Cody and Seth. They stopped talking.I feel left out, joked Cody a moment later. I saw you do some stuff just now that you never taught me.You were supposed to have been doing it for homework. I cocked my head in consideration. remove you met Roman, Cody? Or you Seth? I made quick introductions around, and they all politely shook hands, guy-style.Once that was done, Roman settled his hand comfortably on my waist. Im trying to get Georgina to have a drink with me. But I think shes playing hard to get.Cody smiled. I dont think shes playing.I looked apologetically at Roman. I told Cody Id meet him and another friend tonight.The young vampire made a wave of dismissal. Forget about it. Go have fun.Yeah, but I cut myself off and made significant eye contact with him ?la Jerome and Carter. I didnt want Cody to go off alone, lest he be targeted by the vampire hunter, but I could hardly say that in front of the others. Take a cab, I said at last. Dont walk.Okay, he said automatically. Too automatically.I mean it, I warned.Yes, yes, he muttered. Do you want to call it for me?I rolled my eyes at him, then suddenly remembered Seths presence. Feeling kind of embarrassed with him standing there while we all made plans, I wondered if I should offer to invite him along or send him with Cody.As though reading my mind, Seth bluntly declared, Well, Ill see you guys later. He turned around and left before any of us could answer.Is he mad or something? asked Cody after a moment.I think thats just the way he is, I explained, not sure Id ever understand the writer.Weird. Roman turned back to me. Ready to step out?Seth quickly left my mind. Roman and I walked over to a small restaurant crosswise the street from Emerald City, sitting together on one side of a booth. I ordered my vodka gimlet, and he got brandy.When our drinks arrived, he asked, Should I be jealous of anyone back there?I chuckled. You dont know me well enough or have any claims on me to worry about jealousy yet. Dont jump the gun h ere.I suppose not, he agreed. Still, famous writers and suave, young dance partners are certainly exalted company.Codys not that young.Young enough. Is he a close friend? intimately enough. Not romantically close, if thats what youre still driving at. Roman and I had snuggled together in the booth, and I gave him a playful poke in the ribs. Quit worrying about my acquaintances. Lets talk about something else. read me about the world of linguistics.I meant it half-jokingly, but he complied, explaining his specialty classical languages, ironically enough. Roman knew his material well, speaking about it with the same wit and cleverness used in his flirtations. I followed these explanations avidly, enjoying the opportunity to engage in a topic few others knew anything about. Unfortunately, I had to taper my participation, lest I show just how well versed in the subject I truly was. It might look a little weird if a bookstore manager knew more about an area of study than someone who ha d made a career out of it.Throughout this whole gripping discourse, Roman and I stayed in contact arms, hands, and legs touching. He never tried to kiss me, for which I was grateful, as that would have been walking into dangerous territory. We were really on an ideal date for me stimulating banter and as much physical contact as a succubus could safely handle. Our flirty conversation flowed effortlessly, like reading from a script.Our drink flew by in an eye blink, and before I knew it, we stood back outside, parting ways and making arrangements for another date. I attempted my protests, but both of us could see how weak they were. He kept claiming I owed him a real, unchaperoned outing. Standing there with him, warmed by his presence, I felt surprised at how badly I wanted that date. The thing about sparing nice guys was that I always ended up lonely. Looking up at Roman, I decided then that I wanted to put off being lonely again just for a little while.So I agreed to go out agai n, ignoring the mental warn bells this decision set off. His face lit up, and I thought he would definitely try a mouth kiss now. My heart thumped loudly at the prospect, scared and eager.Apparently my previous neurotic rants about not getting too close hit home, however. He merely held my hand, finally brushing his lips across my cheek in a kiss that was barely a kiss. He wandered off into the streets of Queen Anne, and a moment later, I walked the half-block back to my apartment.When I reached my door, I discovered a note taped to it. My name, done in beautiful, heavily inked calligraphy, lay scrawled across the surface. An apprehensive coldness ran through me. The note readYou are a beautiful woman, Georgina. Beautiful enough, I think, to even tempt angels into falling something that doesnt happen nearly as often as it should anymore. Beauty such as yours is effortless, however, when you can make it anything you like. Your large friend, unfortunately, doesnt have such luxury, which is a damned shame after what happened today. Fortunately, he works in the right business to moderate any damage to his appearance.I stared at the note like something that might bite me. It bore no name, of course. Ripping it off the door, I hurried into my apartment and picked up the phone. I dialed Hughs number without hesitation. With the references to large and right business, he was the only one the note could be referring to.His phone rang and rang before giving way to an respondent machine. Annoyed, I dialed his cell number.After three rings, an unknown female voice answered.Is Hugh Mitchell there?There was a long pause. He cant talk right now. Who is this, please?This is Georgina Kincaid. Im his friend.Ive heard him talk about you, Georgina. This is Samantha.The name didnt mean anything to me, nor did I have the patience for this runaround. Well, can I please talk to him then?No Her voice sounded strained, upset. Georgina, something bad happened today