Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Crack Writers Can Lay Easter Eggs

Break Writers Can Lay Easter Eggs Break Writers Can Lay Easter Eggs Break Writers Can Lay Easter Eggs By Mark Nichol Do you like Easter egg chases? Actually no, not the sort with baffled little children and woven containers and brilliantly shaded treats and hardboiled eggs. The sort of Easter egg being referred to is a shrouded message or other element in any bit of substance or even a PC or programming program. A minor departure from this subject is naming or portraying a person or thing in a story to provide perusers some insight about a plot component. Journalists utilize this gadget constantly, simply by giving a character a suggestive name. The moniker of Ebenezer Scrooge, for instance, on account of its grinding, harsh characteristics, doesn't motivate a peruser to envision a compassionate, liberal figure (however names can be or, for this situation, can become misleading). Be that as it may, writers can go above and beyond and anticipate plot disclosures or turns by allotting a name that, in any event for certain perusers, will indicate later turns of events. Here are a couple of instances of this methodology (which, for all I know, may have another name): The Egg of Columbus Discussing eggs, an account about Christopher Columbus highlights him countering the case that any other person could have achieved his accomplishment of revelation by moving others to stand an egg on end. At the point when they neglect to do as such, he taps the egg on a table, breaking the end, and sets it upstanding on its currently straightened base. (A comparative, potentially fanciful story originates before this occurrence, which itself might be authentic.) This simple to the Gordian bunch or a reference to the Gordian bunch itself, some portion of the legend of Alexander the Great could suggest an odd answer for an issue. Kobayashi Maru This is the name of an anecdotal spaceship in the Star Trek universe, the subject of a PC reproduction that tests an imminent Starfleet officer’s character by introducing a situation in which the vessel is debilitated in a taboo area. The activity, comparative in topic to the questions of the Egg of Columbus and the Gordian bunch, is apparently a hopeless scenario: The recreation program cheats with the goal that the guinea pig consistently loses, in this way ensuring the spotlight will be not just on the person’s way to deal with tackling the issue yet in addition their response to the disappointment. Be that as it may, a few Star Trek films, arrangement scenes, and books allude to endeavors to undermine the test. In your story, a boat or individual so marked maybe with the names rearranged will prod knowing perusers with the understanding that some comparable trick is in the offing. Arthur Conan Doyle The maker of Sherlock Holmes can loan his name to any of various captivating thoughts. A character named Doyle (utilizing the complete name would be needless excess) may insinuate sleuthing or presents a connect to one of the accompanying elective thoughts: In any event one analyst presumes that Doyle was a plotter in the Piltdown Man fabrication, in which a fossil skull found in England in the mid twentieth century was accepted to be the legendary missing connection among primates and people. Doyle turned into an enthusiastic mystic after the passings of his better half, a child, and other close relatives, and contended for the presence of pixies. He was a companion of slick person Houdini until the latter’s antispiritualism campaign, during which Houdini exposed deceitful mystics and mediums, prompted an antagonism. Doyle additionally made another amazing character, Professor Edward Challenger, legend of The Lost World and different experiences. This post doesn't recommend utilizing these particular models; my expectation is that they will rouse you to concoct your very own portion Easter eggs bought in your store of information and served in a story in the proper classification. Need to improve your English in a short time a day? Get a membership and begin getting our composing tips and activities day by day! Continue learning! Peruse the Fiction Writing class, check our well known posts, or pick a related post below:Because Of and Because of Broadcast versus Broadcasted as Past FormA Certificate isn't a Degree

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Many characters in To Kill A Mockingbird are isolated from mainstream :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

Numerous characters in To Kill A Mockingbird are separated from standard society. Examine the manners by which Atticus Finch and one other character are separate from the general public of Maycomb To Kill A Mockingbird was set during the 1930s in the south of USA, Alabama. At that period, subjugation had just been made unlawful. However individuals in the south were a mad about it since they despite everything accepted that they required the captives to keep up their cotton ranches. They didn't regard the blacks just as they had a similar societal position as them fundamentally still regarded them just as they were still slaves. This out of line partiality was across the board all through the south. Maycomb, didn't really exist however was intended to be the epitome of an ordinary town in the south around then. In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, she has made characters who appear to be somewhat changed and in this manner, detached from the remainder of Maycomb's standard society. Prime instances of this seclusion are Atticus and the Ewells; especially Bob Ewell. Likely one of the most significant and clear point to Atticus Finch's seclusion is his absence of partiality towards dark individuals. In spite of the fact that this probably won't be viewed as something bizarre at the present day, it was around then. All the more clearly so on the grounds that the story was set in the south where preference against the blacks was something that was underestimated. The individuals in Maycomb realized that preference wasn't right but then, they didn't imagine that bias against the blacks was wrong. They considered it to be a different issue. A case of this would be the instructor telling the youngsters that here we don't have faith in abusing anyone. Abuse originates from individuals who are preferential. The incongruity in it is that the peruser realizes that the larger part of Maycomb are preferential against the blacks and to state that Hitler wasn't right in being preferential was tricky. Atticus however, wasn't biased and this was what made him unique. He lets Calpurnia, a dark lady, fare thee well and go about as a mother to his kids. This however isn't generally observed by the individuals of Maycomb. To the individuals of Maycomb, Calpurnia is simply a servant; yet she's in reality substantially more than that. As he told Aunt Alexandra when Aunt Alexandra needed to excuse her, She attempted to bring them up agreeing to her lights, and Cal's lights are quite acceptable. Unlike others, he acknowledges what Calpurnia accomplished for him. We were unable to work a solitary day without Cal, have you at any point thought of that? You think the amount Cal accomplishes for you? He says this to Scout when she needed Atticus to Numerous characters in To Kill A Mockingbird are disconnected from standard :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays Numerous characters in To Kill A Mockingbird are secluded from standard society. Talk about the manners by which Atticus Finch and one other character are separate from the general public of Maycomb To Kill A Mockingbird was set during the 1930s in the south of USA, Alabama. At that period, servitude had just been made illicit. Be that as it may individuals in the south were a mad about it since they despite everything accepted that they required the captives to keep up their cotton ranches. They didn't regard the blacks just as they had a similar economic wellbeing as them essentially still regarded them as if they were still slaves. This out of line partiality was far reaching all through the south. Maycomb, didn't really exist however was intended to be the encapsulation of a run of the mill town in the south around then. In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, she has made characters who appear to be somewhat changed and along these lines, disengaged from the remainder of Maycomb's standard society. Prime instances of this disengagement are Atticus and the Ewells; especially Bob Ewell. Likely one of the most significant and clear point to Atticus Finch's disengagement is his absence of partiality towards dark individuals. In spite of the fact that this probably won't be viewed as something unordinary at the present day, it was around then. All the more clearly so on the grounds that the story was set in the south where bias against the blacks was something that was underestimated. The individuals in Maycomb realized that bias wasn't right but, they didn't feel that preference against the blacks was wrong. They considered it to be a different issue. A case of this would be the instructor telling the kids that here we don't have faith in aggrieving anyone. Oppression originates from individuals who are biased. The incongruity in it is that the peruser realizes that the lion's share of Maycomb are preferential against the blacks and to state that Hitler wasn't right in being preferential was deceptive. Atticus however, wasn't partial and this was what made him unique. He lets Calpurnia, a dark lady, fare thee well and go about as a mother to his kids. This however isn't generally observed by the individuals of Maycomb. To the individuals of Maycomb, Calpurnia is just a servant; however she's in reality considerably more than that. As he told Aunt Alexandra when Aunt Alexandra needed to excuse her, She attempted to bring them up concurring to her lights, and Cal's lights are really acceptable. Unlike others, he acknowledges what Calpurnia accomplished for him. We were unable to work a solitary day without Cal, have you at any point thought of that? You think the amount Cal accomplishes for you? He says this to Scout when she needed Atticus to

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Three Things You Probably Didnt Know About Sal Khan

Three Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Sal Khan Did you know Sal Khan will be in Spain this week accepting a prestigious award from the Princess of Asturias Foundation? The team here at Khan Academy is very proud of Sal, and we’ll all be cheering for him on Friday, October 18 during the award ceremony! ??You might think of Sal as the founder of Khan Academy, but we know him as the approachable, down-to-earth guy who we work with every dayâ€"and we want you to know that Sal too! Here are three facts about Sal you might not know!Image: Sal Khan and Khan Academy Ambassador Crystal Famania 1) Sal often wears shorts to the office.You’ll probably see photos and video of Sal wearing a suit and tie accepting his award this week, but our Sal is often in the office wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Sal knows that people learn and work better in a variety of settings and at different times of day, and the culture in our office embraces that mindset. We enjoy a relaxed and casual dress code and are encouraged to work when and where we’ll be most productive. And, of course, Sal started Khan Academy by recording videos in his closet after work, so it’s always been casual for him.2) Sal loves to conduct walking meetings.If you have a meeting with Sal on your calendar, chances are you’ll be going for a walk with him outside the office. These walk-and-talk meetings are great for getting more physical exercise and experiencing a change of scenery. Plus, recent research found that walking can lead to increases in creative thinking!3) Sal’s favorite book is Pride and Prejudice.W hen Sal was forced to read Austen, Huxley, and Dickens in school, he hated these classic works of literature. But, when he reread Pride and Prejudice for fun in his twenties, he realized he loved it. What book from your childhood have you reread as an adult and now realize you actually love?Follow the hashtags #PremiosPrincesadeAsturias and #PrincessofAsturiasAwards on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on Friday, October 18, to see pictures from the awards ceremony. You won’t be fooled by the suit nowâ€"you know the real Sal!Onward!

Friday, May 22, 2020

Essay about The Pros and Cons of Censorship - 643 Words

Remember the day when you could say anything you wanted without worrying about someone telling you, â€Å"That’s not correct†or â€Å"don’t say that.† Yes? Everybody does. Many long to live in that era once more; they long to be able to speak their mind in public without anyone thinking they are weird or crazy. Lately it seems as though you have to retain your thoughts inside your mind and not say anything. Many college campuses and websites have started to establish rules which prevent people from saying what’s on their mind and writing or saying something which may harm others. Many students, parents and teachers may think this is a bad thing but they don’t understand that censoring some things may have some benefits rather than being all bad.†¦show more content†¦An example of what the outcome of hate mail can be is Megan Meier. Megan Meier was a â€Å"bubbly† 13-year-old girl who suffered from depression; she met a boy online who quickly became her online friend. They held conversations for as long as six weeks until one day the â€Å"boy† abruptly ended their friendship saying that Megan was cruel, fat and a slut. She committed suicide the next day; her family later foound out that the boy was Megan’s rival’s mother. If we had internet censorship when this was going on, Megan Meier could’ve still been alive. Another very good example of a good use of censorship is a parent raising his/her children. Children who are raised with parents who only speak of abhorrence and hate, will eventually become young people who only tolerate abhorrence and hate. The guardians of children need pay attention to the world around their children thus committing the act of censorship. On a very popular college gossip website called juicycampus.com, students could hide behind the â€Å"anonymity mask† posting anything they wanted while remaining anonymous to other users. This obviously had some consequences. Female students where being called sluts, whores and even their personal information such as their addresses and phone numbers were being given away on this website. Male students were being called jerks and some were said to have STD’s. Whether this was true or not, nobody should have to knowShow MoreRelatedPros And Cons Of Censorship1590 Words   |  7 PagesCensorship can be beneficial in some aspects but if used improperly it can also be harmful. Censorship is the control of what people may say or hear, write or read, or see or do. Censorship can affect all forms of art, music, speech, and expression. It can be seen as a means of suppressing free speech, especially in the case of musical lyrics and the impact music has on behaviors. According to Richard Taruskin, â€Å"It is all but irresistible kinesthetic response that music evokes that makes it suchRead MorePros and Cons of Censorship in Schools801 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Censorship is the process of suppressing something that is considered objectionable or offensive† (Emert 1). In order for a work to become censored, some authority figure imposes restrictions that establish what would be and would not be allowed to be put in front of the public for people to read. The standards those in authority base their restrictions off of are the standards set by the publishers, producers, and agencies of that work. Censorship is something that affects many people especiallyRead MorePros And Cons Of Censorship On Society1325 Words   |  6 PagesCensorship and its Caveats on Society From books to the internet, it is very easy to get any information quickly. Although this may be true you can’t find everything you may be looking for, there are things out there that are censored. Censorship is the restriction of certain information to one or a group of people, from others who think it’s dangerous. Censorship can be used in beneficial ways to protect people, but it is often misused to harm people long-term. Here is some information about someRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Internet Censorship1042 Words   |  5 PagesCensorship comes in many forms and for a lot of different reasons but when it comes to the internet, for the most part it is beneficial. It can provide security for sensitive material. The things that minors are exposed to can be limited. Also you can make sure that it is not used to cause chaos. Furthermore it would seem to be a beneficial part of online life. It can provide security for important documents and conversations. Internet censorship can help with cyber security when important informationRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Censorship In Libraries708 Words   |  3 PagesCensorship in some libraries is a big issue amongst people across the world. Censorships definition is the suppression or prohibition of any part of a book, film, news, etc that are thought to be considered as a politically unacceptable, or cause a threat to society. Many people believe that censorship is against our constitution. Some people believe although, that censorship was created to protect students and other people from the harmful information that may be inside some of the books. One ofRead MoreEssay on Pros and Cons of Censorship: Controlling Media and Ideas769 Words   |  4 PagesCensorship, or what I like to call â€Å"controlled media†, is the control of ideas and content in our world. For as long as people have discovered that human beings ha ve free will, there has been a way to regulate, govern and block the expression of its uses. There are many types of censorship when it comes to military, religion, political, public media or for just morale reasons. There have naturally been debates on whether censorship has truly been a restraint of expression, imposed to protect peopleRead MoreImportance Of Censorship In Society1406 Words   |  6 PagesCensorship is beneficial to our nation because it keeps harmful activity out of children’s minds, protects our country, and prevents children from seeing offensive language, while censorship is also harmful to our culture because it invades privacy. I believe censorship is necessary, especially in the social media world we live in today. Censorship is the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to securityRead MoreInternet Censorship and Government Regulation Essay1058 Words   |  5 Pagesregulating the internet, the citizens of this country would have no privacy to do what they needed to do. As a result of robbing the rights of the citizens, the people have started different projects and petitions in order to stop this internet censorship. In 2011, several people started a â€Å"Don’t Filter Me project.† They wanted to remove the web filters on the school computers that blocked several educational sites. They filed lawsuits and demanded that they unblock these sites and take away theRead MoreThe Effects Of Music On The Music Industry1555 Words   |  7 PagesNowadays many people try to convince other people that censoring music on the radio and CDs is not a right thing as censorship can hide a meaning of the song. There are a lot of different factors why many people want their songs to be the way that the songwriter writes them. But these people usually forget that there are many more factors why songs should be censored. On the other hand, people want songs to be Ã' ensored because uncensored music can highly affect young children, limit the exposureRea d MoreCensorship in the US Essay1136 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Internet. Others believe that it is the parent’s responsibility to control and censor what their children are watching on the Internet and television. Censorship is the suppression of publishing information on the Internet or television (Naik). The government blocks only the content that is proved to be unfit for the public. Censorship is only used to a certain extent in the United States of America, but it is much more widespread in other parts of the world. Many people argue that the First

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Cultural Identity Is Important For Developing Managers And...

Section I (Culture): What is meant by cultural identity? Please explain how knowing one’s cultural identity is important for developing managers and leaders working globally. Cultural identity is the identifying or feeling of belonging to a specific group or groups and is a part of a person s self-conception and perception. Aspects of culture that one can identify with include nationality, generation, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social class, locality, occupation, socio-economic status or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture. Everyone has culture. While we are born into certain cultures, we are not born with culture. Culture is learned, dynamic and can change over the course of one’s life.†¦show more content†¦This attitude leads to openness in learning about and getting through cultural differences. A true global leader should hold a keen sense of intercultural intelligence. And by understanding how one’s own culture inadvertently affects behavior in a global business landscape, leaders can learn to adapt regardless of inherent cultural differences. Section II (Cultural Intelligence): What are the four core elements of the cultural intelligence quotient? Cultural intelligence or Cultural Quotient (CQ), is the ability and capacity to work successfully in a culturally diverse environment. CQ examines if an individual has the ability to dispel existing judgments and is culturally sensitive, and thus able to successfully and respectfully reach their goals in any diverse situation. There are four critical elements of CQ—Drive, Knowledge, Strategy, Action. CQ Drive (motivation) is â€Å"the interest, confidence and drive to adapt† (p. 135, Van Dan, L., Ang, S., Livermore, D., 2010, Cultural Intelligence: A Pathway for Leading in a Rapidly Globalizing World). It is the motivational aspect of cultural intelligence that measures the degree of the willingness or capability of energy required to adapt cross-culturally. CQ Drive also includes three sub-interests that are evaluated. All of these sub-dimensions are significant in how one approaches a diverse situation. These include: †¢

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Return Nightfall Chapter 25 Free Essays

string(39) " would just make a run for it himself\." Matt lunged at Damon in a rush that clearly demonstrated the skills that had gotten him a college football scholarship. He accelerated from utter stillness to a blur of motion, trying to tackle Damon, to bring him down. â€Å"Run,† he shouted, at the same instant. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Nightfall Chapter 25 or any similar topic only for you Order Now †Run!† Elena stood still, trying to come up with Plan A after this disaster. She had been forced to watch Stefan’s humiliation at Damon’s hands at the boardinghouse, but she didn’t think she could stand to see this. But when she looked again, Matt was standing about a dozen yards from Damon, white-faced and grim, but alive and on his feet. He was preparing to rush Damon again. And Elena†¦couldn’t run. She knew that it would probably be the best thing – Damon might punish Matt briefly but most of his attention would be turned to hunting her down. But she couldn’t be sure. And she couldn’t be sure that the punishment wouldn’t kill Matt, or that he would be able to get away before Damon found her and had leisure time to think of him again. No, notthis Damon, pitiless and remorseless as he was. There must be some way – she could almost feel wheels spinning in her own head. And then she saw it. No, not that†¦ But what else was there to do? Matt was, indeed, rushing Damon again, and this time as he went for him, lithe and unstoppable and fast as a darting snake, she saw what Damon did. He simply sidestepped at the last moment, just when Matt was about to ram him with a shoulder. Matt’s momentum kept him going, but Damon simply turned in place and faced him again. Then he picked up his damned pine branch. It was broken at the end where Matt had trampled it. Damon frowned at the stick, then shrugged, lifting it – and then both he and Matt stopped frozen. Something came sailing in from the sidelines to settle on the ground between them. It lay there, stirring in the breeze. It was a maroon and navy Pendleton shirt. Both of the boys turned slowly toward Elena, who was wearing a white lacy camisole. She shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around herself. It seemed unusually cold for this time of evening. Very slowly, Damon lowered the pine branch. â€Å"Saved by yourinamorata ,† he said to Matt. â€Å"I know what that means and it’s not true,† Matt said. â€Å"She’s my friend, not my girlfriend.† Damon just smiled distantly. Elena could feel his eyes on her bare arms. â€Å"So†¦on to the next step,† he said. Elena wasn’t surprised. Heartsick but not surprised. Neither was she surprised to see, when Damon turned to look from her to Matt and back, a flash of red. It seemed to be reflected on the inside of his sunglasses. â€Å"Now,† he said to Elena. â€Å"I think we’ll put you over there on that rock, sort of half reclining. But first – another kiss.† He looked back at Matt. â€Å"Get with the program, Matt; you’re wasting time. First, maybe you kiss her hair, then she throws her head back and you kiss her neck, while she puts her arms around your shoulders†¦.† Matt,thought Elena. Damon had saidMatt . It had slipped out so easily, so innocently. Suddenly her entire brain, and her body, too, seemed to be vibrating as if to a single note of music, seemed to be flooded by an icy shower-bath. And what the note was saying was not shocking, because it was something that somehow, at a subliminal level, she already knew†¦. That’s not Damon. This wasn’t the person she had known for – was it really only nine or ten months? She had seen him when she was a human girl, and she had defied him and desired him in equal measure – and he had seemed to love her best when she was defying him. She had seen him when she was a vampire and had been drawn to him with all her being, and he had cared for her as if she were a child. She had seen him when she was a spirit, and from the afterlife she had learned a great deal. He was a womanizer, he could be callous, he drifted through his victims’ lives like a chimera, like a catalyst, changing other people while he himself remained unchanging and unchanged. He mystified humans, confused them, used them – leaving them bewildered, because he had the charm of the devil. And never once had she seen him break his word. She had a rock-bottom feeling that this wasn’t something that was a decision, it was so much a part of Damon, lodged so deep in his subconscious, that even he couldn’t do anything to change it. He couldn’t break his word. He’d starve first. Damon was still talking to Matt, giving him orders. â€Å"†¦and then take off her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  So what about his word to be her bodyguard, to keep her from harm? He was talking to her now. â€Å"So you know when to throw your head back? After he – â€Å" â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"You heard me.Who are you? If you had really seen Stefan off and promised him to take care of me, none of this would have happened. Oh, you might be messing with Matt, but not in front of me. You’re not – Damon’s not stupid. He knows what a bodyguard is. He knows that watching Matt in pain hurts me as well. You’re not Damon. Who†¦are†¦you?† Matt’s strength and fast-as-a-rattlesnake speed hadn’t done any good. Maybe a different approach would work. As Elena spoke, she had been very slowly reaching up to Damon’s face. Now, with one motion, she pulled his sunglasses off. Eyes red as fresh new blood shone out at her. â€Å"What have you done?†she whispered. â€Å"What have you done to Damon?† Matt was out of the range of her voice but had been inching around, trying to get her attention. She wished fervently that Matt would just make a run for it himself. You read "The Return: Nightfall Chapter 25" in category "Essay examples" Here, he was just another way for this creature to blackmail her. Without seeming to move quickly, the Damon-thing reached down and snatched the sunglasses from her hand. It was too fast for her to resist. Then he seized her wrist in a painful grip. â€Å"This would be a lot easier on both of you if you’d cooperate,† he said casually. â€Å"You don’t seem to realize what might happen if you make me angry.† His grip was forcing her down, forcing her to kneel. Elena decided not to let it. But unfortunately her body didn’t want to cooperate; it sent urgent messages of pain to her mind, of agony, of burning, searing agony. She had thought that she could ignore it, could stand to let him break her wrist. She was wrong. At some point something in her brain blacked out completely, and the next thing she knew she was on her knees with a wrist that felt three times the right size and burned fiercely. â€Å"Human weakness,† Damon said scornfully. â€Å"It will get you every time†¦. You should know better than to disobey me, by now.† Not Damon,Elena thought, so vehemently that she was surprised the imposter didn’t hear her. â€Å"All right,† Damon’s voice continued above her as cheerfully as if he’d simply given her a suggestion. â€Å"You go sit on that rock, leaning backward, and Matt, if you’ll just come over here, facing her.† The tone was of polite command, but Matt ignored it and was beside her already, looking at the finger marks on Elena’s wrist as if he didn’t believe them. â€Å"Matt stands up, Elena sits, or the opposite one gets the full treatment. Have fun, kiddies.† Damon had the palm-camera out again. Matt consulted Elena with his eyes. She looked at the imposter and said, enunciating carefully, â€Å"Go to hell, whoever you are.† â€Å"Been there, done that, bought the brimstone,† the not-Damon creature rattled off. He gave Matt a smile that was both luminescent and terrifying. Then he waggled the pine branch. Matt ignored it. He waited, his face stoic, for the pain to hit. Elena struggled up to stand by him. Side by side, they could defy Damon. Who seemed for a moment to be out of his mind. â€Å"You’re trying to pretend you’re not afraid of me. But you will be. If you had any sense, you would be now.† Belligerently, he took a step toward Elena.†Why aren’t you afraid of me?† â€Å"Whoever you are, you’re just an oversized bully. You’ve hurt Matt. You’ve hurt me. I’m sure you can kill us. But we’re not afraid of bullies.† â€Å"You will be afraid.† Now Damon’s voice had dropped to a menacing whisper. â€Å"Just wait.† Even as something was ringing in Elena’s ears, telling her to listen to those last words, to make a connection – who did that sound like? – the pain hit. Her knees were knocked out by it. But she wasn’t just kneeling now. She was trying to roll into a ball, trying to curl around the agony. All rational thought was swept from her head. She sensed Matt beside her, trying to hold her, but she could no more communicate with him than she could fly. She shuddered and fell to her side, as if having a seizure. Her entire universe was pain, and she only heard voices as if they came from far away. â€Å"Stop it!† Matt sounded frantic.†Stop it! Are you crazy? That’sElena , for God’s sake! Do you want to kill her ?† And then the not-Damon-thing advising him mildly, â€Å"I wouldn’t try that again,† but the only sound Matt made was a scream of primal rage. â€Å"Caroline!† Bonnie was raging, pacing back and forth in Stefan’s room while Meredith did something else with the computer. â€Å"Howdare she?† â€Å"She doesn’t dare try to attack Stefan or Elena outright – there’s the oath,† Meredith said. â€Å"So she’s thought this up to get at all of us.† â€Å"But Matt – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, Matt’s handy,† Meredith said grimly. â€Å"And unfortunately there’s the matter of the physical evidence on both of them.† â€Å"What do you mean? Matt doesn’t – â€Å" â€Å"The scratches, my dear,† put in Mrs. Flowers, looking sad, â€Å"from your razor-toothed bug. The poultice I put on will have healed them so that they’ll look like a girl’s fingernail scratches – about now. And the mark it left on your neck†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mrs. Flowers coughed delicately. â€Å"It looks like what in my day was called a  ¡Ã‚ ®love bite.’ Perhaps a sign of a tryst that ended in force? Not that your friend would ever do anything like that.† â€Å"And remember how Caroline looked when we saw her, Bonnie?† Meredith said dryly. â€Å"Not the crawling around – I’ll bet anything she’s walking just fine now. But her face. She had a black eye coming in and a swollen cheek. Perfect for the time frame.† Bonnie felt as if everyone was two steps ahead of her. â€Å"Whattime frame?† â€Å"The night the bug attacked Matt. It was the morning after that that the sheriff called and talked to him. Matt admitted that his mother hadn’t seen him all night, and that Neighborhood Watch guy saw Matt drive up to his house and, basically, pass out.† â€Å"That was from the bug poison. He’d just been fighting the malach!† â€Å"We know that. But they’ll say he’d just come back from attacking Caroline. Caroline’s mother will hardly be fit to testify – you saw how she was. So who’s to say that Matt wasn’t over at Caroline’s? Especially if he was planning assault.† â€Å"We are! We can vouch for him – † Bonnie suddenly stumbled to a halt. â€Å"No, I guess it was after he left that this was supposed to have happened. But, no, this is all wrong!† She took up pacing again. â€Å"I saw one of those bugs up close and it was exactly the way Matt described†¦.† â€Å"And what’s left of it now? Nothing. Besides, they’ll say that you would sayanything for him.† Bonnie couldn’t stand just walking aimlessly around anymore. She had to get to Matt, had to warn him – if they could even find him or Elena. â€Å"I thoughtyou were the one who couldn’t wait a minute to find them,† she said accusingly to Meredith. â€Å"I know; I was. But I had to look something up – and besides I wanted one more try at that page only vampires are supposed to read. TheShi no Shi one. But I’ve tweaked the screen in all the ways I can think of, and if there’s something written here, I certainly can’t find it.† â€Å"Best not to waste more time on it, then,† Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"Come get into your jacket, my dear. Shall we take the Yellow Wheeler or not?† For just a moment Bonnie had a wild vision of a horse-drawn vehicle, a sort of Cinderella carriage but not pumpkin-shaped. Then she remembered seeing Mrs. Flowers’ ancient Model T – painted yellow – parked inside what must be the old stables that belonged to the boardinghouse. â€Å"We did better when we were on foot than weor Matt did in a car,† said Meredith, giving the computer monitor controls a final vicious click. â€Å"We’re more mobile than – oh, my God!I did it! â€Å" â€Å"Did what?† â€Å"The website. Come look at this.† Both Bonnie and Mrs. Flowers came over to the computer. The screen was bright green with thin, faint, dark green writing. â€Å"Howdid you do it?† Bonnie demanded as Meredith bent to get a notebook and pen to copy down what they saw. â€Å"I don’t know. I just tweaked the color settings one last time – I’d already tried it for Power Saver, Low Battery, High Resolution, High Contrast, and every combination I could think of.† They stared at the words. Tired of that lapis lazuli? Want to take a vacation in Hawaii? Sick of that same old liquid cuisine? Come and visit Shi no Shi. After that came an ad for the â€Å"Death of Death,† a place where vampires could be cured of their cursed state and become human again. And then there was an address. Just a city road, no mention of what state, or, for that matter, what city. But it was a Clue. â€Å"Stefan didn’t mention a road address,† Bonnie said. â€Å"Maybe he didn’t want to scare Elena,† Meredith said grimly. â€Å"Or maybe, when he looked at the page, the address wasn’t there.† Bonnie shivered. â€Å"Shi no Shi – I don’t like the sound of it. And don’t laugh at me,† she added to Meredith defensively. â€Å"Remember what Stefan said about trusting my intuition?† â€Å"Nobody’s laughing, Bonnie. We need to get to Elena and Matt. What does your intuition tell you about that?† â€Å"It says that we’re going to get into trouble, and that Matt and Elena are in trouble already.† â€Å"Funny, because that’s just what my judgment tells me.† â€Å"Are we ready, now?† Mrs. Flowers handed out flashlights. Meredith tried hers and found it had a strong, steady beam. â€Å"Let’s do it,† she said, automatically flipping off Stefan’s lamp again. Bonnie and Mrs. Flowers followed her down the stairs, out of the house, and onto the street they had run from not so long ago. Bonnie’s pulse was racing, her ears ready for the slightestwhipwhip sound. But except for the beams of their flashlights, the Old Wood was completely dark and eerily silent. Not even the sound of birdsong broke the moonless night. They plunged in, and in minutes they were lost. Matt woke up on his side and for a moment didn’t know where he was. Outdoors. Ground. Picnic? Hiking? Fell asleep? And then he tried to move and agony flared like a geyser of flame, and he remembered everything. That bastard , torturing Elena, he thought. Torturing Elena. It didn’t go together, not withDamon . What was it Elena had been saying to him at the end that had made him so angry? The thought nagged at him, but it was just another unanswered question, like Stefan’s note in Elena’s diary. Matt realized that he could move, if very slowly. He looked around, moving his head by careful increments until he saw Elena, lying near him like a broken doll. He hurt and he was desperately thirsty. She would feel the same way. The first thing was to get her to a hospital; the kind of muscular contractions brought on by that degree of pain could break an arm or even a leg. They were certainly strong enough to cause a sprain or dislocation. Not to mention Damon spraining her wrist. That was what the practical, sensible part of him was thinking. But the question that kept going around in his mind still made him reel in complete astonishment. Hehurt Elena? The way he hurt me? I don’t believe it. I knew he was sick, twisted, but I never heard of him hurting the girls. And never, never Elena.Never . But me – if he treats me the way he treats Stefan, he’ll kill me. I don’t have a vampire’s resilience. I have to get Elena out of this before he kills me. I can’t leave her alone with him. Instinctively, somehow, he knew that Damon was still around. This was confirmed when he heard some little noise, turned his head too fast, and found himself staring at a blurred and wobbling black boot. The blur and wobble were the result of turning too quickly, but as quickly as he’d turned, he’d suddenly felt his face pressed into the dirt and pine needles on the ground of the clearing. By The Boot. It was on his neck, grinding his face into the dirt now. Matt made a wordless sound of pure fury and grabbed at the leg above the boot with both hands, trying to get a purchase and throw Damon off. But while he could grasp the smooth leather of the boot, moving it in any direction was impossible. It was as if the vampire in the boot could turn himself to iron. Matt could feel the tendons in his throat stand out, his face turn red, and his muscles bunch under his shirt as he made a violent effort to heave Damon off. At last, exhausted, chest heaving, he lay still. In that very same instant, The Boot was lifted. Exactly, he realized, at the moment when he was too tired to lift his head himself. He made a supreme effort and lifted it a few inches. And The Boot caught him under the chin and lifted his face a little higher. â€Å"What a pity,† Damon said with infuriating contempt. â€Å"You humans are so weak. It’s no fun to play with you at all.† â€Å"Stefan†¦will come back,† Matt got out, looking up at Damon from where he was unintentionally groveling on the ground. â€Å"Stefan will kill you.† â€Å"Guess what?† Damon said conversationally. â€Å"Your face is all messed up on one side – scratches, you know. You’ve got sort of a Phantom of the Opera thing going on.† â€Å"If he doesn’t, I will. I don’t know how, but I will. I swear it.† â€Å"Careful what you promise.† Just as Matt got his arm working enough to prop him up – exactly then, to the millisecond – Damon reached out and grabbed him painfully by a handful of hair, yanking his head up. â€Å"Stefan,† Damon said, looking straight down into Matt’s face and forcing Matt to look up at him, no matter how Matt tried to turn his face away, â€Å"was only powerful for a few days because he was drinking the blood of a very powerful spirit who hadn’t yet adapted to Earth yet. But look at her now.† He twisted his grip on Matt’s hair again, more painfully. â€Å"Some spirit. Lying there in the dirt. Now the Power is back where it should be. Do you understand?Do you – boy?† Matt just stared at Elena. â€Å"How could you do that?† he whispered finally. â€Å"An object lesson in what it means to defy me. And surely you wouldn’t want me to be sexist and leave her out?† Damontched . â€Å"You have to keep up with the times.† Matt said nothing. He had to get Elena out of this. â€Å"Worrying about the girl? She’s just playing possum now. Hoping I’ll ignore her and concentrate on you.† â€Å"You’re a liar.† â€Å"So I’ll concentrate on you. Speaking of keeping up with the times, you know – except for the scratches and things, you’re a fine-looking young man.† At first the words meant nothing to Matt. When he understood them, Matt could feel his blood freeze in his body. â€Å"As a vampire, I can give you an informed and honest opinion. And as a vampire, I’m getting very thirsty. There’s you. And then there’s the girl who’s still pretending to be asleep. I’m sure you can see what I’m getting at.† I believe in you, Elena, Matt thought. He’s a liar, and he’ll always be a liar. â€Å"Take my blood,† he said wearily. â€Å"Are you sure?† Now Damon sounded solicitous. â€Å"If you resist, the pain is horrible.† â€Å"Just get it over with.† â€Å"Whatever you like.† Damon knelt fluidly on one knee, at the same time twisting his grip on Matt’s hair, making Matt wince. The new grip dragged Matt’s upper body across Damon’s knee, so that his head was thrown back, his neck arched and exposed. In fact Matt had never felt so exposed, so helpless, so vulnerable in his life. â€Å"You can always change your mind,† Damon taunted him. Matt shut his eyes, stubbornly saying nothing. At the last moment, though, as Damon bent with fangs exposed, Matt’s fingers almost involuntarily, almost as if it were something his body was doingapart from his mind, clenched themselves into a fist and he suddenly, unpredictably, brought the fist swinging up to deal a violent blow to Damon’s temple. But – serpent-quick – Damon reached up and caught the blow almost nonchalantly in an open hand, and held Matt’s fingers in a crushing grip – just as razor-sharp fangs opened a vein in Matt’s throat and an open mouth fastened on his exposed throat, sucking and drinking the blood that sprayed upward. Elena – awake but unable to move from where she had fallen, unable to make a sound or turn her head – was forced to listen to the entire exchange, forced to hear Matt’s groan as his blood was taken against his will, as he resisted to the last. And then she thought of something that, as dizzy and frightened as she was, almost made her pass out in fear. How to cite The Return: Nightfall Chapter 25, Essay examples

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Retaining Employees Essays - Human Resource Management,

Retaining Employees An important factor in retaining employees that is sometimes highly overlooked is making the employee feel that they make a difference, and the rewarding of exceptional employee performance. When searching for employment almost everyone looks for salary, benefits, and other perks but more recently another important factor is job satisfaction. According to American Management Association ? Recent surveys by The Business Research Lab, Hauppauge, NY, which specializes in employee satisfaction measurement studies, infer there's a correlation between reward/recognition programs and whether people intend to stay at their place of employment? To retain employees employers must develop a system of rewards for employee achievements. One way to do this is an ?Employee of the Month? program. This would recognize an employee's hard work for that time period. Benefits of this award could include a gift certificate to a local restaurant and a designated parking spot for that month. Another way to reward employees would be by performance bonuses. Simply this could be a monetary reward for those individuals performing in the top percentage of their department. Also many times employees feel distanced from management and the rules and regulations structuring their jobs. To overcome this employers should allow employees to input ideas into company policy reducing the gap between employee and employer. Implementing such ideas as these and others would not only increase employee retention but also employee performance. According to an article in Workforce ?The National Association for Employee Recognition has found that human resource professionals and managers still underestimate how recognition can better motivate employees to achieve business goals.? It is very important to be concerned about employee satisfaction and make efforts to increase satisfaction for several reasons. One is that employees tend to perform better when there are incentives involved. The cost of any such programs would be offset drastically by the increase in performance resulting in increased profit. Those employees who feel that they personally make a difference tend to work harder and perform better as opposed to an employee who feels lost in the system. Another incentive in increasing employee satisfaction is that a more satisfied an employee is in their job the longer they are likely to continue employment in that company. Business Reports