The Communist Manifesto Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Communist Manifesto - Term Paper Example â€Å"The socialist and communist systems, properly so called†¦spring into existence in the early undeveloped period, described above, of the struggle between proletariat and bourgeoisie†(Marx and Engels, p.28). As pointed out in ‘The Communist Manifesto,’ the class struggle can be observed in the early epochs of human history. â€Å"Freeman and Slave, Patrician and Plebeian, lord and serf, guildmaster and journeyman† (Marx and Engels, p.3). These two classes were always facing each other in a feat that is characterized as oppressor and oppressed. The opening of the new market as America, The East-Indian and China gave rise to the bourgeoisie. Then, the old feudal system was not able to satisfy these markets, causing the manufacturing system to take place. Given the rise of the middle class, the bourgeoisie had turned every occupation into a wage-worker relationship and had constantly revolutionized production and expanding market causes the destructio n of local markets in old established nations. By demanding large quantity of raw materials and forcing nations to become bourgeoisie themselves and calling into existence the working class: The Proletariat(Marx and Engels, p.34). ... Under communism, all classes will disappear in the face of socialism. The proletarian in England, France and America had lost traces of national character and the bourgeois law, morality and religion had lost its appeal. The idea pertains to the destruction of all concept of individual property. This becomes a national struggle guided by the communist party. Eventually civil war is followed by a full blown revolution and the overthrow of the bourgeoisie is inevitable. Historically the serf, while serving, can rise above and become part of the commune as a small bourgeois under feudal society was able to develop into a bourgeois. As for the modern worker, instead of trying to keep up with the progress of the industry, this will only sink him deeper into poverty. Poverty can be seen to advance much faster than population and wealth. â€Å"The proletariat of each country must of course, first of all settle matters with their own bourgeoisie† (Marx and Engels, p.12). This is the m ain natural law that makes the bourgeoisie unfitted to be able to be the ruling class in a society. The bourgeoisie now may not take care of the wage-worker since it depends on the wage-worker to support it. This causes the elimination of the bourgeoisie by nature as it will not be able to define itself in the society. â€Å"The socialistic bourgeois want all the advantages of modern social conditions without the struggles and dangers necessarily resulting therefrom† (ibid, 27). The creation and augmentation of capital is at the heart of the condition for the existence of the bourgeoisie. The wage-worker is essential to create capital. It rests exclusively on competition for wage-worker. The

Doing Business in the U.K. Essay Example for Free

Doing Business in the U.K. Essay Business Etiquette UKThe United Kingdom (UK) is comprised of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is important not only to be aware of these geographical distinctions but also the strong sense of identity and nationalism felt by the populations of these four countries. The terms English and British are not interchangeable. British denotes someone who is from England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. English refers to people from England. People from Scotland are referred to as Scots. People from England are not likely to take offence at being called â€Å"English†, whereas a Welsh, Scots, or Northern Irish person will. Cultural Diversity Formerly a very homogenous society, since World War II, Britain has become increasingly diverse as it has accommodated large immigrant populations. The mixture of ethnic groups and cultures make it difficult to define British as looking or acting in one particular manner. People may sound British and retain the cultural heritage of their forefathers while others may become more British than someone who can trace his/her lineage to the 5th century. The fact that the nation’s favourite dish is now a curry sums up the cultural mish-mash that is modern day Britain. Doing business in the UK The British are rather formal. Many from the older generation still prefer to work with people and companies they know or who are known to their associates. Younger businesspeople do not need long-standing personal relationships before they do business with people and do not require an intermediary to make business introductions. Nonetheless, networking and relationship building are often key to long-term business success. Rank is respected and businesspeople prefer to deal with people at their level. If at all possible, include an elder statesman on your team as he/she will present the aura of authority that is necessary to good business relationships in many companies. British communication styles The British have an interesting mix of communication styles encompassing both understatement and direct communication. Many older businesspeople or those from the upper class rely heavily upon formal use of established protocol. Most British are masters of understatement and do not use effusive language. If anything, they have a marked tendency to qualify their statements with such as perhaps or it could be. When communicating with people they see as equal to themselves in rank or class, the British are direct, but modest. If communicating with someone they know well, their style may be more informal, although they will still be reserved. Business meetings Punctuality is a very British trait. It is especially important in business situations. In most cases, the people you are meeting will be on time. Always call if you will be even 5 minutes later than agreed. If you are kept waiting a few minutes, do not make an issue of it. How meetings are conducted is often determined by the composition of people attending. If everyone is at the same level, there is generally a free flow of ideas and opinions. If there is a senior ranking person in the room, that person will do most of the speaking. In general, meetings will be rather formal and always have a clearly defined purpose, which may include an agenda. There will be a brief amount of small talk before getting down to the business at hand. If you make a presentation, avoid making exaggerated claims. Make certain your presentation and any materials provided appear professional and well thought out. Be prepared to back up your claims with facts and figures. The British rely on facts, rather than emotions, to make decisions. Maintain eye contact and a few feet of personal space. After a meeting, send a letter summarising what was decided and the next steps to be taken. Basic British Etiquette Tips: Business Dress * Business attire is conservative. * Men should wear a dark coloured, conservative business suit. * Women should wear either a business suit or a conservative dress. Greetings * Shake hands with everyone at a meeting upon arrival. * Maintain eye contact during the greeting. Titles * Only medical doctors and the clergy use their professional or academic titles in business. * Most people use the courtesy titles or Mr, Mrs or Miss and their surname. (Mr and Mrs are words in the United Kingdom and do not require a period after them as they are not abbreviations.) * If someone has been knighted, they are called Sir followed by their first and surnames or Sir followed simply by their first name. * Wait until invited before moving to a first-name basis. People under the age of 35 may make this move more rapidly than older British. Business Cards * Business cards are exchanged at the initial introduction without formal ritual. * The business card may be put away with only a cursory glance. Business Gifts * Business gift giving is not part of the business culture. * If you choose to give a gift, make certain it is small and tasteful. * Good gifts include desk accessories, a paperweight with your company logo, or a book about your home country. * Inviting someone out for a meal can be viewed as a gift. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-uk.html http://books.google.com.my/books?id=1ccPcVjaRGMCpg=PA30lpg=PA30dq=how+to+bargain+with+britainsource=blots=FB64L7Wk6Fsig=6QVjUrzk4AcQ2OuUezZuyL64Mlwhl=ensa=Xei=2kALUeu0BcKPrgfjooH4Cwved=0CHAQ6AEwCA#v=onepageq=britishf=false

The Four Political Parties Of Canada Essay -- Canadian Politics Politi

The Four Political Parties of Canada   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a country as vast and as culturally diverse as Canada, many different political opinions can be found stretched across the country. From the affluent neighbourhoods of West Vancouver to the small fishing towns located on the east coast of Newfoundland, political opinions and affiliations range from the left wing to the right wing. To represent these varying political views, Canada has four official national political parties to choose from: the Liberals (who are currently in power), the Progressive Conservatives, the New Democrats, and the Reform Party. What is particularly interesting is that none of the latter three parties compose Her Majesty's Official Opposition in the House of Commons. The Bloc Quebecois, a Quebec separatist party who only ran candidates in the province of Quebec in the last federal election in 1993, won 54 seats in that province, and claimed the title of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition over the Reform Party, who garnered only 52 seats. Because the Bloc ran candidates only in Quebec, it would be difficult to think of them being a national political party, even though they hold a significant number of seats in the national legislature. This paper will examine the significant early history of Canada's four main national political parties, and then will analyse their current state, referring to recent major political victories/disasters, and the comparison of major economic policy standpoints, which will ultimately lead to a prediction of which party will win the next federal election in Canada.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Starting on the far left, there is the New Democratic Party of Canada. Today's modern New Democratic Party was originally called the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), and was founded in 1932. Originally led by a man by the name of James Shaver Woodsworth, the CCF was formed by several radical farming groups who found out that they had more similarities with each other than just their destitution. The 1920's had been a dark period for radicals and unions within Canada; poverty and significantly lower wages for workers were prevalent, and apathy regarding these issues was rampant. When the depression wove its destructive web across Canada in the 1930s, proponents of capitalism were staggered, but their left-wing opponents were too busy coming to the aid o... ... into the 21st century, however, will be made in the soon-to-be- called Canadian federal election. Democracy will speak out once again. BIBLIOGRAPHY (1996) A Fresh Start for Canadians [Online]. Available: http://www.reform.ca/FreshStart/summary.html [1997, Feb.25]. Guy, John J. People, Politics and Government. Scarborough: Prentice Hall, 1995. Harrison, Trevor. Of Passionate Intensity. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1995. (1996) Liberal Party of Canada [Online]. Available: http://www.liberal.ca/english2/policy/red_book/chapter1.html [1997, Feb.25]. Macquarrie, Heath. The Conservative Party. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Limited, 1965. McMenemy, John, Winn, Conrad. Political Parties in Canada. Montreal: McGraw- Hill Ryerson, 1976. Morton, Desmond. The New Democrats, 1961-1986. Toronto: Copp Clark Pitman Ltd., 1986. (1996) New Democrats of Canada [Online]. Available: http://www.fed.ndp.ca/fndp/fairtaxnow.html [1997, Feb.25]. Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Designing a Blueprint for Canadians. Ottawa, 1997. (1996) Progressive Conservative Youth [Online]. Available: http://www.openface.ca/PCU/library4.html [1997, Feb.25].

An It Proposal for Network Management of the College of Computing and Information Sciences(Makerere University, Uganda)

AN IT PROPOSAL FOR NETWORK MANAGEMENT OF THE COLLEGE OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SCIENCES(MAKERERE UNIVERSITY,UGANDA) Introduction The College of Computing and Information Sciences (COCIS) Makerere University in Uganda was established on 13th December 2010. It is made up of the School of Computing and Informatics Technology (CIT) and the East African School of Library and Information Science (EASLIS). COCIS is one of the largest computing and ICT training, information science, research and consultancy colleges in Africa.It cuts across as a world class College and has maintained its place as an icon of excellence on the continent. It is committed to delivering excellent services in the area of Computing, Library, Records and Information Sciences and attracts both local and international students. COCIS boasts of the state of the art infrastructure including lecture theaters, giant computer laboratories, specialized computer laboratories and a college library.The established academic staff strength of the College is about 300 teaching staff including 30 visiting and local professors. Over twenty of these staff members hold doctorate, with many others in advanced stages of completing their PhD studies. This merger has seen a pool of resources and facilities like computer laboratories, specialized laboratories, book libraries, journals, cameras, and personnel both administrative and academic staff.To maximize productivity and efficiency, the college of computing and informatics technology(CoCIS) routinely relies on the network to support its operations ranging from E-learning activities on the E-Learning environment(Muele) to support services offered to students and staff ,services like access to wireless internet, access to the internet through the Domain(CoCIS domain) The network topology used by the college is an extended star LAN that is used with network devices that filter frames or packets, like switches, and routers.This topology significantly reduces the traffic on the wires by sending packets only to the wires of the destination. This network is managed by only four people or staff. This network is also being managed using tools like Nagios and solar winds for monitoring devices. Problems identified affecting the network Insufficient resources Under this there is limited human resources which include support staff and network administrators . there are only four network administrators for the whole college of which some of the are incompetent or not always available.Limited number of Computers, most of the computers in the labs at the college are dwindling in numbers due to technical problems, a few switches and insufficient number of Ethernet cables of which some don’t work, one of the servers at Block A has issues and It has really disrupted the network mainly during the access to the domain by the students. Low bandwidth The bandwidth that is provided for the college by the service providers (UTL) is not enough to cater f or the students and staff that are the end users of the network.Delayed Service delivery and network instability There is slow network connectivity in the labs and other areas of work in the college for example these days lecturers rarely access Muele(Makerere E-Learning environment) to upload Notes for students due to this problem. Network intrusion / unauthorized usage There is increased network access by unauthorized users on the Wireless network that increases the network traffic and hence slowing down of the network which deprives the rightful users who are the students of the college from fully utilizing this resource.Security issues The College faces security problems which include theft of network devices like cables, mouse, keyboards et cetera. Also to note that much as there are measures for security like cameras in some labs and strategic areas of the buildings, security men for the two blocks; they are not enough Proposed Solutions to the above mentioned Problems at CoCI S Network management being a complex and broad component in networking, it can be achieved through a number of networking frameworks.So we recommend that if this college can use the following approaches, its network management can be eased and improved tremendously. Fault management The college network administrator should be able to identify all the network faults like no connection or slow connection , locate where the fault is ,restore the service ,identify the root cause of the fault and then find a resolution for the problem. This can be done proactively or reactively. Hence the network downtime is minimized highly. Configuration managementThe network administrators of the college should be able to capture network and system configuration information of all network elements. (local, remote, automated and manual) ,Map the network topology, Set up configuration parameters in management agents ,track and document what changes are made to the network, where they are made and why th ey are made , Identify where upgrades need to be made so as to manage the network efficiently as they curb problems of delayed Service delivery and network instability (physical and logical configuration).Accounting management Since there are limited resources like computers, human resources that is to say administrators of the network ,distribution of these resources can be done optimally and fairly on the college so as the network is managed well . This makes the most effective use of the systems available, minimizing the cost of operation. Security Management Security measures should be adopted so that the network is protected against unauthorized users, and physical or electronic sabotage hence mitigating issues of network intrusion.The security systems should also allow network administrators to control what each authorized student or staff can and cannot do with the system. Other security measure to adopt can be: -Physical security This can be done by providing enough security cameras in all the labs and other areas in the buildings of Block A and Block B, locking the computer labs and mounting servers on cabinets or racks that have locks.Proposal to the top administrators to purchase enough Bandwidth to suit the growing numbers of users at the college. If there’s enough bandwidth provided, it will cater for the slow connections on the network as earlier indicated. Purchase of needed network equipments like extended servers, routers, better tools for monitoring the network should also be done to stabilize the network infrastructure. CONCLUSIONThe college of computing and information sciences needs to aim at putting the above mentioned measures into consideration and practice where possible so as to enable full utilization of resources which minimizes redundant resources, gives higher chance to students and staff to access resources on the network without inconveniences, quick service delivery for the students and staff will be guaranteed reducing on the downtime experienced on a slower network and also curbing time delays in all the network operations.References CIS. (n. d) Retrieved from Cis. mak. ac. ug:http://cis. mak. ac. ug/about-cocis/history-a-facts/the-college. html Makerere E-learning Environment (n. d) Retrieved from Muele: http://muele. mak. ac. ug/

Snow White and Red Rose

There was once a poor woman who lived in an old thatched cottage . In front of the cottage grew two rose bushes. One grew flowers as white as snow, the other had flowers as red as wine. The woman had two daughters who resembled these rose bushes: one had a complexion as white as snow, the other lips as red roses. She named her daughters snow white and red rose. They were both good girls, but very different. Snow white, the elder, liked to stay with her mother and help her around the house, while her sister, Red rose, would wander the fields collecting flowers. But they loved each other dearly, and enjoyed each other’s company. This pleased there mother. ‘what one has she must share with the other. ’ The two girls liked to go walking in the woods to pick berries. Although the woods were filled with wild animals they never came to any harm-rather the reverse. The rabbits would come would come to feed from their hands and the deer would walk by their sides. If the girls were far from their home when night fell, they would make themselves a bed on the soft moss and sleep peacefully until morning. Their mother did not worry, as she knew her daughters were perfectly safe in the woods. The cottage itself was spotlessly clean, thanks to the way the two girls helped their mother. Red rose did the work housework during the summer. She would rise early, before anyone else was awake, so that she could bring her fresh flowers to put by her bed. During the winter, it was Snow white who lit the fire and set the cooking pot to boil. It was a copper cauldron, but she cleaned it so well, it shone like gold. One evening, as the snow falling softly outside, Snow white and Rose red sat by the fire as their mother read to them. A small lamb lay beside them, basking in the warmth, and a dove dozed on its perch above them. As the night drew on there came a loud knock at the door. ‘Quickly, Rose red,’ said her mother. ‘Open the door. It must be a lost traveller looking for shelter for the night. ’ Rose red opened the door, but standing there, instead of a traveller, was a enormous bear! She screamed and Snow white ran to hide behind her mother. ‘Do not be afraid,’ said the bear. ’ I mean you no harm. I am dying of cold and I am simply seeking some warmth. ‘The lamb trembled with fear and the dove flew away at the sound of the bear’s voice, but the girls’ mother was not scared. ‘Poor bear,’ she said. ‘Come, and warm yourself by the fire. Come, my daughters, do not be afraid, this bear will not harm you. ‘The girls came closer and were soon felling confident enough to brush the snow from his thick fur and tickle him with a stick. This would make the bear chuckle, but every now and again they would poke him too hard. The bear would growl softly, ‘Snow white, Rose Red, be careful. You almost spread me. ’ When it was time to go to bed, the girl’ mother suggested that the bear stay and sleep close to the fire. The next morning the two sisters woke and saw that the bear had left. Its heavy footprints in the snow led towards the wood. The next night the bear returned, and the next, and the next. All winter, the bear returned to sleep in the thatched cottage. The young girls spent the evenings playing with him, then at daybreak the bear would leave. One morning, when spring had come, the bear to Snow white, ‘I must leave now, and I will not be able to return until after summer. ’ ‘Must you go? ’ asked Snow white. ‘I’m afraid so,’ he replied. ‘I have to protect my treasure from the elves. As long as the ground is cold, the elves cannot find it, but as soon as the sun returns and heats the ground, they try to steal it. Snow white was very sad to see the bear leave, but as he passed the door, the latch caught against his skin and cut him. For a moment Snow white thought she saw a flash of gold shining through his fur, but she glimpsed it so briefly she could not be sure. Seeing snow white’s confused look, bear fled quickly into the woods. Sometime later, Rose red and Snow white were sent by their mother to collect firewood in the forest. As they approached a newly-felled tree, they spotted something hopping around the stump. It was an elf with a long white beard. The end of the beard was caught in the trunk and he pulled and tugged at his beard to try to release it. The elf glared at the girls. ‘What are you, statues? Why don’t you help me? ’ The happened here? ’ asked Red rose nicely. ‘You have a brains of a turkey! ’ the elf snapped back. ‘Can’t you tell that I was trying to chop down this tree here for firewood? It was all doing fine until my beard got caught in this cursed tree. Then you two young turkeys wandered past laughing at me! ’ To two sisters tried to free the elf, but his beard remained held fast on the tree. ‘Let’s go for help,’ suggested Rose red. You idiots! ’ he cried. ‘How dare you cut off the end of my beard? ’ Then he threw the bag on his shoulder and left without even looking at the young girls, let alone thanking them for freeing him. A few days later, Snow white and Rose red decided to go fishing. When they were close to the river, they saw something moving. It was the elf that Snow white had helped a few days earlier. A strong wind had entangled his beard with a fishing line-and at the other end of the line was a big fish. The fish was pulling so hard it threatened to drag the elf into the water. ‘Be careful! shouted Rose red. ‘You’ll fall into the water. ’ ‘I am not doing this on purpose, you fools,’ replied the elf, rudely. ‘It’s this cursed fish which wants me to fall in. ’ The young girls went to help. They hauled the elf into the bank and tried to disentangle the beard from the line. Unfortunately his beard was so twisted that Snow white was forced once again to resort to the scissors. The elf started to howl, ‘Oh, you devils! Why do you feel you have to mutilate the faces of everyone you meet? You disfigured me earlier, cutting off the point off my beard, and now you’ve cut off more! I daren’t show my face now because of you. ’ Snow white and Rose red were astonished. Then the elf added a curse. ‘I wish you only one thing-it is that you have to run without stopping until you have worn out the soles of you shoes. ’ Then he turned his back on the two girls, picked up a bag of pearls he had left on the riverbank, threw it over his shoulder and marched away. A short time afterwards, the girls’ mother sent them to town to buy some needles and thread. The path to the city crossed a moor covered with large rocks. Snow white and Rose red spotted an immense eagle circling in the sky.

The Iraq War and Globalism essays

The Iraq War and Globalism essays Several theories have been advanced by political commentators around the world about the real reasons behind the United States' war with Iraq. These include the Bush administration's "official" version[1] about preventing the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" (WMDs) from falling into the terrorists' hands, the supposed connection between Saddam and Al-Qaeda, liberation of Iraq from the clutches of a cruel tyrant, and the neo- conservative agenda of creating a "model democracy" in Iraq for the Arab world to follow. Although some of these reasons may be valid to an extent, the more plausible explanation for the US war in Iraq lies in the imperatives of globalization. This is because economics have always been and remain the driving force behind international relations. This paper looks at the current Iraq war from the perspective of the Globalism International Relations theory besides reviewing the historical background of the conflict and its possible outcomes. Historical Background of the Conflict Modern Iraq was created by the British colonialists out of three Ottoman provinces after the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I in 1918. A pro-British monarch was installed in the country to safeguard Western interests and to ensure that the Iraq Petroleum Company, which enjoyed monopoly control over the Iraqi oil industry, would be allowed to follow the cartel interests of the international Anglo-American oil companies. A nationalist coup in 1958 overthrew the pro-British monarch, throwing a spanner in the works by shifting the ideological policies of the country towards left leaning nationalism which was a threat to Western influence in Iraq. ("History of Oil in Iraq") Saddam Hussein, the hated tyrant who was declared the enemy # 1 by the US in later years was not always in the anti-American camp. In fact there is evidence to suggest th...

Our Life Is Effected By Music Essays - Reggae, Project 86

Our Life Is Effected By Music Essays - Reggae, Project 86 Our Life Is Effected By Music Research Proposal: Our everyday lives are effected by music. People listen to it in the car, while grocery shopping, in the movies, at home, and practically anywhere else possible. There are many different types and styles of music such as: rock and roll, classical, rap, hardcore, Christian, jazz, reggae, country, and the list goes on. Each person has his or her own likes and dislikes of music that they enjoy. Listening to the lyrics, though, it is interesting to hear what musicians are actually saying. Some artists use lyrics in their songs to express explicit messages or to make people think. Other artists want to inspire people, while others are just relaxing. The type of music people listen to are personal opinions, but the lyrics can have surprising effects. It is not just the lyrics that affect people, but the way bands or musicians perform, the videos they make, and the way they act in public. If a band sings about death and acts it out on stage, fans may begin to act like that too. The way the band acts and what they say can influence people more than they think. Music is a very powerful force. Its effects can be disgusting or delightful. Thesis: Because society embraces musicians and their messages as role models, we allow them to influence our society in any way they please. Bibliography none

Willis Johnson and the Egg Beater Invention

Willis Johnson and the Egg Beater Invention African-American Willis Johnson of Cincinnati,  Ohio, patented and improved the mechanical egg beater (U.S. pat# 292,821) on February 5, 1884. The beater was made up of a handle attached to a series of spring-like whisk wires used to help mix ingredients. Prior to his eggbeater, all mixing of ingredients was done by hand and was quite labor-intensive and time-consuming. In fact, what Willis Johnson had really invented was the early mixing machine and not just an egg beater. His device was not intended for eggs alone. Johnson had designed his egg beater and mixer for eggs, batter, and other bakers ingredients. It was a double-acting machine with two chambers. Batter could be beaten in one section and eggs could be beaten in another section, or one section could be cleaned while the other section could continue beating. Egg Beater Patent Abstract The object of [the] invention is to provide a machine wherewith eggs,  batter, and other similar ingredients used by bakers, confectioners, c., can be beaten or mixed in the most intimate and expeditious manner. The machine consists, essentially, of  a mainframe within which is journaled a driving-wheel and a pinion or pulley, the horizontal shaft of the latter having at its opposite ends clutches or sockets, with which are engages square or other non-circular arbors at the inner extremities of a pair of beater shafts. These shafts, which are armed with suitable blades, beaters, or stirrers, are journaled in cylinders that occupy detachable trays or racks applied to the opposite sides of the main frame,  hooks, and staples or the convenient devices being employed for retaining said racks in their proper places. As a result of this construction, either one or the other of both cylinders can be readily applied to the racks, and the latter can be coupled to the machine, so as to e nsure  a very rapid revolution is applied to the driving-wheel, as hereinafter more fully described. Other Types of Mixers Stand mixers mount the motor in a frame or stand which bears the weight of the device. Stand mixers are larger and have more powerful motors than hand-held mixers. A special bowl locks into place while the mixer runs.  Heavy-duty commercial versions can have bowl capacities greater than 25  gallons and weigh thousands of pounds. Mixers that are 5 gallons or less are usually countertop mixers, while larger mixers tend to be floor models due to their size and weight.Spiral mixers  are specialist tools for mixing dough. A spiral-shaped agitator remains stationary while the bowl rotates. This method enables spiral mixers to mix the same size dough batch much quicker and with less under-mixed dough than a similarly powered planetary mixer. This allows the dough to be mixed without increasing its temperature, ensuring the dough can rise properly.Planetary mixers  consist of a bowl and an agitator. The bowl remains still while the agitator rapidly moves around the bowl for mixing. W ith the ability to mix a wide variety of ingredients, planetary mixers are more versatile than their spiral counterparts. They can be used to whip and blend.

Kiowa song Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Kiowa song - Essay Example According the legends, Kiowa belonged to the Yellowstone River territories in Western Montana from where they migrated to the Black Hills. Their culture primarily centered on their associations with the Buffalo. Nearly all aspects of Kiowa life had internalized buffalo. For instance, their tepees, clothes, and moccasins were all prepared with buffalo skin. They used the whole buffalo for several daily life functions. In addition, buffalo had been central to Kiowa religion which is expressed in many rituals. For instance, Sun Dance, healing prayers, and ritualistic songs are strongly associated with Kiowa quest and honor for great buffalo herds (Hager). During nineteenth century, Kiowa culture was devastated by buffalo herd obliteration on Great Plains. With exceeding buffalo hunt by professional hunters, Kiowa culture and religion were also crushed. Buffalo hide served as a precursor of modern art tradition as Kiowa’s used it as their canvases for recording the intricate detai ls, story, and drawings of the fall of nomadic culture. In their encounter with white culture, imprisoned Kiowa warriors expressed their nostalgia and sorrow to ledger-book drawings. These drawings were acknowledged by white culture as elaborate roots of Indian art (Hager). Kiowa songs and dances originated from the tribal tradition and experiences of death and life.

Frolicking animal scroll Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Frolicking animal scroll - Essay Example "Generally speaking, Japanese picture scrolls can be divided into two main categories: religious scrolls, usually made for some didactic purpose, and non-didactic scrolls, the aim of which is purely to entertain." (Okudaira, p. 164) As their historical significance is often put into question as to if they are actually being satirical of the priesthood, in this case Buddhism, would not give proper credence to what the scrolls are meant to depict. Perhaps the virtuosity of what the scrolls depict cannot be properly translated for modern theorists in their understanding of religious entities such as the Buddhist priests. During the 12th and 13th century, the Buddhist priest were looked upon by many as the epitome of the religious monarchism and that they should not be depicted as mere mortals. Buddhist priests, in the viewpoint of many western cultures of the time, were no doubt placed on the same level as mysterious practitioners of eastern religious figures as the Dali Lama and should be revered as such. As Buddhist clerics and priests were often celebrated, the depiction of the animal scrolls, four in total, shows the entertaining side of the Buddhist priests and thus might prove a contentious issue with respect the priests interacting with laypersons. "The first scroll, portrays monkeys, rabbits, frogs, etc. which seem to be playfully impersonating human beings. ... "The first scroll, portrays monkeys, rabbits, frogs, etc. which seem to be playfully impersonating human beings. The second scroll pictures horses, cows, hawks, eagles, lions, tigers, dragons, etc. in their natural forms; real and imaginary animals are intermingled. The third scroll is divided into two parts, with Buddhist priests and laymen enjoying games of chance in the first part, and with monkeys, rabbits, and frogs sporting in imitation of human beings in the second part. The fourth scroll, similar to the first half of the third scroll, shows Buddhist priests and laymen at play." (Okudaira, p. 173) This is perhaps where the conception of the scrolls being satirical in nature with respect to the priesthood as it is hard to understand how and why priests would be interacting in playful activities with laypersons. It may also be conceivable that through interpretation by western cultures from what the scrolls depicted may have in fact been misinterpreted with respect to how those two centuries viewed their religious figures. A Difference of Opinion As much of our translations and interpretations of historical artifacts are done by western cultures, there may in fact be a difference of opinion as to what is being interpreted. From the limited resources available about these historical artifacts, it is evident that the painters of those times may have shown us a different viewpoint of what occurred during this cultural period. It would seem that not only are the members of the priesthood, the Buddhists, revered and held to high standard, but they were in fact leaders of the community that would interact with the general public. As many believe that the painting of the scrolls came from China and entered into Japan during the Han dynasty, it

Economic Theory of Marketing Control and Business Essay

Economic Theory of Marketing Control and Business - Essay Example It is pointed out that franchising has certain benefits. Firstly, it allows distinctive competency, then quick expansion, uniform operation-standardisation, and lastly, same food experience (Funding Universe, n.d). Admittedly, McDonald’s has adopted franchising as a way of expansion. In this franchising, the parent company sells the right to distribute its products and to use its trade name to smaller businesses around the world. McDonald’s organisational culture is the culture the parental company transmits to its franchisees. The company operates according to four values; quality, service, convenience, and value. Though the company has enforced these basic values into all its franchisees, the franchisees are allowed to incorporate local culture into their marketing and products (McDonalds. Com, 2011) Another point is that the company hires local people for its regional operations so that they become able to make the company a good image in the local community by adopt ing locally accepted working culture, salaries, products and communication. There are two points that deserve attention here; firstly, the company seeks to offer the same product offerings around the world, and secondly, it intends to offer the same food experience for all customers. There are various reasons that prompt the company to go global. They are to gain more brand and shareholder value, to have more sources of income and growth markets, to lessen its dependence on the home market, to leverage the existing corporate technology, supply chains, knowledge and intellectual property, and to find better acceptance in the home country by being global. Thus, as cited in Ghosh et al (n.d), presently, McDonald’s holds 19% of the global fast food market followed by Doctor’s... As the paper discusses  McDonald’s has adopted franchising as a way of expansion. In this franchising, the parent company sells the right to distribute its products and to use its trade name to smaller businesses around the world. McDonald’s organisational culture is the culture the parental company transmits to its franchisees. The company operates according to four values; quality, service, convenience, and value. Though the company has enforced these basic values into all its franchisees, the franchisees are allowed to incorporate local culture into their marketing and products.From this research it is clear that McDonald’s holds 19% of the global fast food market followed by Doctor’s Associates with 10%, and Yum Brands with 9%. Other important players are Wendy’s, Burger King, and Dominos. The remaining market is held by companies which are local in nature. It seems that McDonald’s has adopted two strategies since 2003 to keep up with t he changing international market. The first strategy is to introduce new foods and concepts as opposed to loyalty to traditional foods. As a pat of this strategy, the Premium Chicken Sandwiches and Angus Beef Burger took birth. In addition, there was the addition of premium salads. The second major strategy was to focus on increasing sales at its existing restaurants instead of starting new ones. As a part of it, the company remodelled its many restaurants, increased working hours, and raised the options on menus.

Requirements for Admissible Statements Analysis Case Study - 1

Requirements for Admissible Statements Analysis - Case Study Example Illinois', Danny Escobedo, a 22 year-old young man, was accused for the murder of his brother-in-law. The incident happened at the night of 19th January, 1960 when the victim was fatally shot. After few hours Escobedo was arrested without a warrant and taken to custody for interrogation. Escobedo made no statements to police and he was released in the afternoon when his lawyer pursued writ of habeas corpus to the state court with the appeal of releasing his client as according to him there were no sufficient evidences against his client. But Escobedo was again arrested along with his sister on January 30, on the basis of the statement of Benedict DiGerlando who was another suspect of the murder. Benedict DiGerlando stated to police that Escobedo shot his brother-in-law causing his death. Police handcuffed Escobedo while taking him to police station and threatened him by saying that they have enough proof of his crime and it will be better for him to confess. According to the Fifth Am endment of the United States Constitution, nobody can be forced to be witness against himself in any criminal case but this rule was violated in case of Escobedo. Even, when Escobedo requested to consult with his attorney, his request was rejected. The attempt from Escobedo's attorney to see his client was also rejected by police. Again it was the violation of Sixth Amendment of U.S. Constitution as it states that, the suspected person has the right to enjoy legal assistance in all criminal prosecution. Finally, Escobedo confessed the crime and based on that he was found guilty of the murder. He appealed in the Illinois Supreme Court to reconsider his conviction. But it was rejected and then he approached to the U.S. Supreme Court. Supreme Court's decision went with Escobedo and his conviction was overturned by declaring his confession statement as inadmissible. In the second case 'Miranda v. Arizona', Ernesto Arturo Miranda, was accused in two cases one is robbery and the other is attempt to rape. He was arrested on March, 1963. In the attempt to rape case, the victim identified Miranda as the attacker. He also confessed the fact during police interrogation. The court appointed attorney of Miranda, John J. Flynn, tried to defend the accused by highlighting two points. First point was the instability in the story stated by the victim in the attempt to rape case and the second point was the confession of Miranda during police interrogation without any legal advice from any lawyer. But the Arizona Supreme Court convicted Miranda a 20-30 years imprisonment for the punishment of both cases by overruling all objections of his lawyer. But an appeal to the U.S. S

Factors that organisation can utilise to help build brand equity Essay

Factors that organisation can utilise to help build brand equity - Essay Example The clients, through what they speak of the product, ultimately determine the brand equity of a commodity. In this case, the most promising products in meeting the needs of the clients have a strong value for their brand. Through the use of information available at the market and the clients’ perception of the products capacity to meet the needs, an appropriate product is selected. This is greatly influenced by the beliefs and perception of the client towards a commodity in relation to the specific needs that need to be addressed. In the course of improving brand equity of a specific product or institution, the two main factors that are taken into account include brand knowledge and brand awareness. The product should be placed in the client mind to an extent that when s/he is confronted with a problem, the products appears to be the first choice among the products that could address the challenge. Understanding the rivals in a business Understanding the brand equity of compet itors is important in the making of brand equity; this is mainly because the organization will maximize on their weaknesses. Moreover, this will provide sufficient information in preparation of a brand that is unique from the existing ones and thus easily identifiable by the clients. This places the product as well the organization at a competitive edge in the market that is ever competitive, thus enjoying customer loyalty, increased sales and consequently growth. Approaches for ensuring brand equity There are various approaches to ensure brand equity in an organisation within the market in which its supplies products to its customers. Customer-based equity brand approach is one in which an organisations considers various factors to be implemented so as to come up with a brand that is strongly established in the market. Customer-based brand equity model ensures that an organisation can be able to attract its customers by clearly considering their choices as could be determined by th eir preferences. Kevin Keller developed the model and hence it also bears the name Keller’s Brand Equity and it involves four steps of developing a stable and strong brand in the market. The first step of customer-based brand equity implies that a product needs to be logical, and should integrate different aspects of life as well as establishing itself in the market. This happens by creating customer awareness or salience, which aims at ensuring that a brand stands out, and customers recognise it. According to this step, an organisation, which is implementing a branding venture, should focus on being all-inclusive and focusing on its ability to its establishment in the market. This means that for a brand to thrive in a market, it will have to undergo the process of growth to establish itself in the business by involving as many people with their own differences. This means that an

Requirements for Admissible Statements Analysis Case Study - 1

Requirements for Admissible Statements Analysis - Case Study Example Illinois', Danny Escobedo, a 22 year-old young man, was accused for the murder of his brother-in-law. The incident happened at the night of 19th January, 1960 when the victim was fatally shot. After few hours Escobedo was arrested without a warrant and taken to custody for interrogation. Escobedo made no statements to police and he was released in the afternoon when his lawyer pursued writ of habeas corpus to the state court with the appeal of releasing his client as according to him there were no sufficient evidences against his client. But Escobedo was again arrested along with his sister on January 30, on the basis of the statement of Benedict DiGerlando who was another suspect of the murder. Benedict DiGerlando stated to police that Escobedo shot his brother-in-law causing his death. Police handcuffed Escobedo while taking him to police station and threatened him by saying that they have enough proof of his crime and it will be better for him to confess. According to the Fifth Am endment of the United States Constitution, nobody can be forced to be witness against himself in any criminal case but this rule was violated in case of Escobedo. Even, when Escobedo requested to consult with his attorney, his request was rejected. The attempt from Escobedo's attorney to see his client was also rejected by police. Again it was the violation of Sixth Amendment of U.S. Constitution as it states that, the suspected person has the right to enjoy legal assistance in all criminal prosecution. Finally, Escobedo confessed the crime and based on that he was found guilty of the murder. He appealed in the Illinois Supreme Court to reconsider his conviction. But it was rejected and then he approached to the U.S. Supreme Court. Supreme Court's decision went with Escobedo and his conviction was overturned by declaring his confession statement as inadmissible. In the second case 'Miranda v. Arizona', Ernesto Arturo Miranda, was accused in two cases one is robbery and the other is attempt to rape. He was arrested on March, 1963. In the attempt to rape case, the victim identified Miranda as the attacker. He also confessed the fact during police interrogation. The court appointed attorney of Miranda, John J. Flynn, tried to defend the accused by highlighting two points. First point was the instability in the story stated by the victim in the attempt to rape case and the second point was the confession of Miranda during police interrogation without any legal advice from any lawyer. But the Arizona Supreme Court convicted Miranda a 20-30 years imprisonment for the punishment of both cases by overruling all objections of his lawyer. But an appeal to the U.S. S

Does the globalisation of culture effectively mean the westernisation Essay

Does the globalisation of culture effectively mean the westernisation of culture - Essay Example It is a process of transformation that is affected by several changing factors at the global level. The main factors that promote globalisation are technology, economy and culture. Politics has been widely influenced by globalisation; and the political institutions, such as the nation – state have been significantly transformed, on account of globalisation (Shaw 1999: iii). There are a number of concepts involved in the globalisation process, which vary according to the circumstances. It has been argued that globalisation is a symbol of capitalism that is controlled by the market forces. Globalisation legalises transnational capitalism, and establishes international governmental institutions to supervise the world. As such, it brings about global domination, thereby depriving sovereign nations of their power of self – determination (Kellner). Culture can be defined as a combination of diverse features, such as spirituality, materialism, intellectual pursuits and emotions in a society. It incorporates art, literature, lifestyles, social forms of living, value systems, traditions, and belief in a social group or society. Culture can also be construed as communication. Civilisation developed on the basis of the cultural features of society. In the past, the development of dominant societies in a specific region established unique cultural identities for that region. The development of culture resulted in civilisation (Effects on Globalization in Culture Differentiation 2009). In the aftermath of globalisation, cultural identity, in some societies that depict cultural diversity, will emerge stronger. The determining factors, in relation to cultural identity will change, after globalisation. Consequently, diversities in culture will coexist with globalisation. However, the criteria that underlie culture differentiation will undergo transformation, due to globalisation (Effects on Globalization in Culture Differentiation 2009). Western

Research proposal Essay Example for Free

Research proposal Essay Roselle Jardin Ranario, DPA Research Adviser October 2013 ACKNOWLEDGMENT Thinking that this was impossible to achieve made us realize that everything would be possible especially with enough help and support from people around us. Not only motivating us but also helped us to pursue our goal. They gave us the courage to do good and guided all throughout. It is our pleasure to thank those who made this possible. To our Heavenly Father, for His divine providence and for giving us enough strength. To our families, for their moral and financial support especially during difficult times. To our very supportive adviser, Dr. Roselle Jardin-Ronario, DPA for giving us words of wisdom and guiding us all throughout. Thank you also for the patience and encouragements. TABLE OF CONTENTS TitlePage Number INTRODUCTION Rationale4 Theoretical Background7 Statement of the Problem13 Significance of the Study14 RELATED LITERATURE15 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY22 Research Design Research Environment Research Respondents Research Instrument Selected based on the performance Data Gathering Procedures23 Treatment of Data DEFINITION OF TERMS24 BIBLIOGRAPHY25 APPENDICES28 CURRICULUM VITAE29 Introduction Rationale The love and eagerness to know is the beginning of a beautiful journey towards learning. The moment we want to know about any concept, we tend to  develop attachment towards it. By then, we would like to learn more about the concept and would do anything to know better. Statistically, Mathematics has been the academic subject that has presented the greatest challenge to many students. Many researchers suggest that difficulties in learning mathematics begin as early as pre-school. They argue that inadequate knowledge and ineffective teaching by some teachers plant the seed for future complications in the mathematics classroom. In an effort to address the challenge of poor academic performance in math, there is an abundant amount of literature and research on improvement in methods of math instruction. Since then, teachers are trying to utilize their creativity and initiative to grasp more strategies on how to develop the mathematical ability of learners effectively. The students start to dislike math because they do not understand. It builds up each grade level to the point that they hate it because they have difficulty in learning. The learners were not able to master the competency that they need to master each grade level. And because of this, learners develop attitude and anxiety towards math. Computer assisted instruction being used by many Asian countries in school especially in teaching math subject is of great help for both teachers and students. This can help learners understand well the concept of numbers, symbols, and objects through clear visual, accurate, and fast learning process and develop more of their mathematical ability. Through this, learners are now more confident to learn math and learning is more effective when teaching-learning method is incorporated with both verbal and visual entity with the use of computer assisted instruction. This concern draws an interest to the researchers to know the Asian people’s math attitudes and anxieties in computer assisted instructions. The researchers attempt to help the learners to appreciate math more and with it, they will be able to start learning math better. In the long run, the learners will be able to develop their mathematical ability and be able to make use of it on their future chosen field. With the findings, the  researchers may also be able to relate it to the math learners since the researchers themselves are also a math instructor in one of the schools in Asia. The researchers may come up with effective strategies in the teaching-learning environment with the learners to improve their math performance. Theoretical Background This study is anchored by these two theories; Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and Vygotsky’s Social Constructivist Theory. Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory is composed of four processes of goal realization: self-observation, self-evaluation, self-reaction and self-efficacy. These components are interrelated, each having an effect on motivation and goal attainment (Redmond, 2010). Self-observation–Observing oneself can inform and motivate. It can be used to assess one’s progress toward goal attainment as well as motivate behavioral changes. There are two important factors with regards to self-observation: regularity and proximity. Regularity means the behavior should be continually observed, whereas proximity means the behavior should be observed while it occurs, or shortly after. Alone, self-observation is insufficient because motivation depends on one’s expectations of outcomes and efficacy (Zimmerman Schunk, 2001). Self-evaluation– Self-evaluation compares an individuals current performance with a desired performance or goal. It is affected by the standards set and the importance of the goals. Goals must be specific and important; therefore, goals such as, do your best are vague and will not motivate. Schunk and Zimmerman (1994) state that specific goals specify the amount of effort required for success and boost self-efficacy because progress is easy to gauge. If one has little regard for his goal he will not evaluate performance. There are two types of self-evaluation standards: absolute and normative. For example, a grading scale would be an example of a fixed or absolute standard. A social comparison such as evaluating one’s behavior or performance against other individuals is an example of a normative standard  (Zimmerman Schunk, 2001). People gain satisfaction when they achieve goals that they value. When individuals achieve these valued goals, they are more likely to continue to exert a high level of effort, since sub-standard performance will no longer provide satisfaction (Bandura, 1989). Self-reaction– Reactions to one’s performance can be motivating. If the progress made is deemed acceptable, then one will have a feeling of self-efficacy with regard to continuing, and will be motivated towards the achievement of their goal. A negative self-evaluation might also be motivating in that one may desire to work harder provided that they consider the goal to be valuable. Self-reaction also allows a person to re-evaluate their goals in conjunction with their attainments (Bandura, 1989). If a person has achieved a goal, they are likely to re-evaluate and raise the standard (goal); whereas, if a person has not achieved the goal, they are likely to re-evaluate and lower the standard (goal) to an achievable goal. Self-efficacy– One’s belief in the likelihood of goal completion can be motivating in itself (Van der BijlShortridge-Baggett, 2002). Self-efficacy refers to peoples judgements about their capability to perform particular tasks. Task-related self-efficacy increases the effort and persistence towards challenging tasks; therefore, increasing the likelihood that they will be completed (Barling Beattie, 1983, as cited in Axtell Parker, 2003, p. 114). Vygotsky (as cited by Whitcomb, 2002) stresses that cognitive development is a social activity. â€Å"Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological).† Adolescents develop their own thoughts and attitudes through social interaction and communication with peers and other members of society. (Rogoff, et al, 2007). They can also learn by observing the activities and interactions of others in a social setting. Adolescent students must have access to a more knowledgeable person or persons with whom they can communicate and interact socially. Realizing this will help keep teachers aware of just how meaningful their interactions and attitudes  are to a student, and how what they say and do can influence a student. Depending on the social context of the classroom, a student may benefit from being able to interact freely and socially with other students as they learn. The teacher may be socially less approachable in the classroom context. A ten year study at Harvard (Crouch, Mazur, 2001) showed that most students learn more from group learning activities than they do studying alone or listening to the teacher dispense information. When students are required to explain their ideas to their peers in a dialogue, rather than recite whatever â€Å"correct† explanation the teacher has told them, they more fully engage their minds, using their own cultural tools and opening their own personal beliefs to eventual modification. Vygotsky’s important notion state that students learn most effectively when they are given tasks which are a little too difficult for an individual to accomplish alone but can be mastered through social cooperation, is called teaching in the students’ Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). What he means is that if the lessons and tasks given to a student are not close enough â€Å"proximal† to what the student finds challenging, then the student will not develop. Trivial exercises result in mostly boredom and little to no cognitive development. On the other end of the spectrum, if a task is too difficult for students, even when they can work together, then they will simply fail at it and also achieve little development. So there is an optimal zone, or â€Å"magic middle†, where students are challenged, but can cooperate socially to increase their mastery of the task. Such a task is said to be within the ZPD. The concept of a ZPD can also be applied to the way adolescents think and develop. Most adolescents want to develop into adults and join adult society, perhaps to be free from their diminished status below the adults within society, particularly in our culture. If we consider that operating within the ZPD is the most efficient way to develop the cognitive and social functions of an adult, then it is only natural that adolescents tend to form groups of their peers and then attempt to understand and imitate adult social and cultural behaviors. The ZPD is very strongly evidenced by classroom studies. A study at the University of Illinois (Wenning, Wenning, 2006) on the implementation of new inquiry-based lab activities, which are more challenging and more work for  both students and instructors, found that these new and difficult activities must be introduced gradually. The research group achieved great success when they began the course with lab activities that were the easiest to understand within the pre-existing scaffolding (in this case, their educational background) and within the students’ ZPD. As the course progressed, the lab activities became increasingly complex, but the students continued to succeed and increased their skills and understanding. By working within their ZPD, they were able to shift it ever higher and achieve mastery, just as Vygotsky would have predicted. When I become a physics teacher, I know I will have to use this same approach: First I will have to investigate and identify my students’ ZPD, as they did in the Illinois study.(Wenning, Wenning, 2006). Statement of the Problem This study aims to examine the relationship of Math attitude and anxiety of students in computer assisted instruction across Asian countries. Specifically, this study aims to know the following: 1. What is the Math attitude of the learners across Asian countries? 2. What are the levels of Math anxiety of the learners across Asian countries? 3. What are the types of computer assisted instruction in Math across Asian countries? 4. What are the effects of computer assisted instruction in Math attitude of the learners? 5. What are the effects of computer assisted instruction to the levels of Math anxiety of learners? Significance of the Study The results of this research study categorically benefited from many sectors of the educational institutions by providing information on the results of the performance in terms of students language achievement that will enable the teachers to know the students areas of difficulty and strength, thereby guiding them in reconstructing their program of teaching to suit their needs. Among the persons who will be directly or indirectly benefited are the following: To the principal concerned, the results of this research  study may give her insights which would encourage her to plan projects designed to improve the quality of language teaching in the public school like Minglanilla National Science High School as the lead school of all public secondary schools in the Municipality of Minglanilla, Cebu Province. The district coordinator in English of the Municipality of Minglanilla as a researcher will benefit from the experimental study for future references. He has been provided with the d ata and information necessary for his experimental analysis utilizing the macro-skills learning performance intended for High School students, particularly in science classes. This will help the English teachers in Science High School realize in order for them to understand the new approaches in teaching and to be able to use the techniques and procedures effectively. Thus, it is necessary to bring their training up-to-date. They should as well encourage independent thinking and free communication of notions among the students concerned using the tools of expressions acquired in English class because this is the eventual aim of language teaching. To the first year teachers assigned to teach pilot classes as formative years in first year, it may enable them to realize that they should understand evaluation and procedures with emphasis on experimental viewpoints and learning approaches not only them as teachers but also their students so they can integrate with their own teaching and testing. More significantly, they will realize that in fairness to their students, they should test what they really teach. The secondary freshmen as student entrants of Minglanilla National Science High School will further ameliorate their savvy based on the structured lessons and differ mentally according to the departmentalized lessons, advanced lessons presented, and general learning performance based also on their intellectual aspects of learning. It will enable the students in general to grasp at the innovative teaching-learning approaches shared with them not only by the teachers but also by the freshmen pilot classes in terms of the four (4) areas of English language teaching, namely, listening, speaking, reading and writing as sequenced in the lessons. Finally, the learning institution should initiate and institute a re-training program for the students as the training ground for them to go for the next higher level. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The learning of mathematics is affected by the confidence of learners in their mathematical abilitiesand the attitudes, beliefs, and feelings they harbour towards mathematics (Coben, 2003 as cited by Kerlinger 2004). Their conceptions of the subject and their perceptions of themselves and of their relationship to mathematics lie at the heart of their mathematics learning behaviour (Philippou Christou, 1998). For fear of embarrassment, many adults go to great lengths to avoid admitting that they experience reading difficulties, yet it appears to be normal, even acceptable, in modern life to readily admit to a dislike and misunderstanding of mathematics. Sewell (1981) suggested that at least half the population, including many with high mathematical qualifications, had negative attitudes to mathematics, ranging from lack of confidence to anxiety and even fear. According to Bandura’s sociocognitive theory, student’s motivation is a construct that is built out of individual learning activities and experiences, and it varies from one situation or context to another as cited by Pantzaira Philippou, 2007. Schereiber (2000) said that those who have positive attitudes towards Mathematics have better performance in Mathematics. Latterell (2008) writes in her book about the â€Å"Math Wars† that â€Å"Japanese people believe in gambae. Gambae means that one is successful if one works hard enough to be successful. One’s attitude and behavior must match the belief that hard work leads to success† (p. 126). Considering the results of the TIMSS, American students are no competition for Japanese students in mathematics. Japanese and other Asian students consistently outperform American students in mathematics (Latterell, 2008) and innumeracy. â€Å"Those with low mathematical abilities are likely to have more negative attitudes toward the subject and less inclination to make the effort to improve their mathematical abilities† (p. 212). Hammerman and Goldberg (2003) also state that to become successful in mathematics requires a positive attitude and belief in one’s ability to succeed. The factors affecting mathematics anxiety were mathematics achievement,  attitude toward mathematics, trait anxiety, and debilitating anxiety.^ Mathematics attitude, mathematics achievement, field indepedence, and the anxiety measures were found to be significant predictors of level of mathematics anxiety. Math anxiety is a real problem facing students, teachers, and parents. Teachers and parents that are afraid of mathematics pass that on to their students and children (Furner Duffy, 2002). Students who have math anxiety face real and long-lasting consequences. Ashcraft and Kirk (2001) describe the common belief that because of â€Å"long-term avoidance of math, and their lesser mastery of the math that couldnt be avoided, high-math-anxiety individuals are simply less competent at doing math† (p. 224). Extensive literature demonstrates that anxiety, stress, lack of confidence, and phobic reactions in the face of mathematical problems are exhibited in most modern cultures (Macrae, 2003), and math- anxiety is commonly characterized by feelings of tension, apprehension, or fear that impacts on mathematical performance (Ashcraft, 2002). It is associated with loss of self-esteem in confronting a mathematical situation (Acelajado, 2004), negative reactions to mathematical concepts and evaluation procedures, and with many constructs including working memory, age, gender, self-efficacy, and mathematics attitudes (Cates Rhymer, 2003). Students faced with the dual burdens of intractable content and math-anxiety a posteriori tend to have weak or negative mathematics self-efficacy beliefs. Bandura (1986) defined self-efficacy beliefs as â€Å"people’s judgements of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances† as cited by Chiu 2009. Self-efficacy beliefs are a better predictor of success than an inventory of skills or prior achievements, and relationships have been found between self-efficacy for solving mathematics problems and mathanxiety, mathematics attitudes, general mental ability, mathematics self-concept, and mathematics experience (Finney Schraw, 2003). Yà ¼ksel-Åžahin (2008) said that Mathematics anxiety has to do with a sense of discomfort while required to work on mathematical problems (Hadfield   Trujillo, 1999; Ma, 2003). Low grades or failure in mathematics could also lead to mathematics anxiety or exasperate students’ existing levels of anxiety for mathematics (Ma Xu, 2004; Norwood, 1994; Reynolds, 2001; Satake Amato, 1995; Townsend, Moore, Tuck, Wilton, 1998). Failure in mathematics, fear and anxiety about it could cause extreme feelings of dislike about mathematics. Indeed, Hopko et.al. (2003) observed that persons with mathematics anxiety make more mistakes in dealing with mathematics problems. Poor performance in mathematics has been linked to an increase in mathematics anxiety (Furner Duffy, 2002; Hopko et.al., 2003). Megan R. Smith (2004) said that Math anxiety is a real problem facing students and teachers today. The mathematics teacher especially needs to understand the causes and effects of math anxiety as well as ways to help students overcome it. There are many symptoms of math anxiety including an unwillingness to attempt mathematics problems, a fear of taking advanced mathematics classes, and being unusually nervous when in mathematics class. Math anxiety hinders students working memory (Perina, 2002). It occurs at different ages in different people for different reasons. The main cause of math anxiety is the teacher himself It has been shown that students tend to internalize their instructors interest in and enthusiasm for teaching math (Jackson and Leffingwell, 1999). It is imperative when teaching mathematics that the teacher progresses from simple problems to complex ones (Schwartz, 2000). The students also need to have support systems in mathematics, whether this comes from their parents at home or with other students at school (Schwartz, 2000). The greatest prevention of math anxiety is the teacher himself. As stated before, the teacher needs to have a positive attitude when in class and needs to be willing to help students. The teacher must believe in the students even when they do not believe in themselves. Math anxiety is a real problem facing students, teachers, and parents. Teachers and parents that are afraid of mathematics pass that on to their students and children (Furner Duffy, 2002). Students who have math anxiety  face real and long-lasting consequences. Ashcraft and Kirk (2001) describe the common belief that because of â€Å"long-term avoidance of math, and their lesser mastery of the math that couldnt be avoided, high-math-anxiety individuals are simply less competent at doing math† (p. 224). Indeed, Hopko et.al. (2003) observed that persons with mathematics anxiety make more mistakes in dealing with mathematics problems. Such mistakes lead to lower grades in mathematics which in turn increases anxiety about math. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) is a narrower term and most often refers to drill-and-practice, tutorial, or simulation activities. Computer based tools and applications are used to assist the teacher or school administrator in the management of the learner and instructional process. Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) A self-learning technique, usually offline/online, involving interaction of the student with programmed instructional materials. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is an interactive instructional technique whereby a computer is used to present the instructional material and monitor the learning that takes place. Computer – based instruction is a remediation or instruction presented on a computer according to the American Institute of Research, 2004. Johnson (2000) said that the computer opens a wide range of resources. When correctly used, they give learners a different level of experience and bring new style and height of analysis in the classroom. In the Philippines, the Department of Education is in the final stage of completing the five – year Information and Communication Technology for Education Strategies Plan as Lapus (2008) puts it. Computer – based instruction is a remediation or instruction presented on a computer, the American Institute of Research (2004) reiterated. CAI is also known as Computer Assisted Instruction. Examples of CAI applications include guided drill and practice exercises, computer visualization of complex objects, and computer-facilitated communication between learners and teachers. CAI can dramatically increase a learners  access to information. The program can adapt to the abilities and preferences of the individual student and increase the amount of personalized instruction a student receives. Many students benefit from the immediate responsiveness of computer interactions and appreciate the self-paced and private learning environment. Moreover, computer-learning experiences often engage the interest of students motivate them to learn and increase independence and personal responsibility for education (Microsoft Encarta, 2008 as cited by Vibar et. Al, 2010). As mentioned by Hergenhahn and Olson (1997) Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) motivates students to learn in ways that traditional instruction may not by providing immediate feedback, personal attention, exciting visual displays, and a game-like atmosphere. In fact, students are often so motivated by CAI that depriving them of their turn with the computer acts as punishment, and giving them additional time with the computer that acts as re-enforcement. Research Methodology Research Design This study will employ quantitative approach of data analysis and presentation. It utilizes descriptive correlation method of deriving data from 4 different Asian countries namely: Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Philippines. Research Respondents The respondents of the study will be selected using data mining technique. The 4 Southeast Asian countries including Philippines are among the many that joined the Trends In Mathematics and Science Survey and based on the records, among the Southeast Asian countries, only four joined namely, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Philippines based on the 2003 TIMSS records. Research Environment The research will be conducted within the Four Southeast Asian Countries namely: Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Philippines. Research Instrument For the empirical phase of the study, the researchers will make use of the record sheet based from the Trends In Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS 2003). Research Procedures Gathering of Data Academic performance will be downloaded from Trends In Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS 2003). Through data mining technique, fou different South East Asian countries will be selected based on their performance in Math. Treatment of Data The cluster sampling will be utilized to identify the four South East Asian Countries and Pearson r correlation coefficient will help determine the relationship between Math anxiety and Math Attitude. DEFINITION OF TERMS For a better and clearer understanding of this study, the following terms are operationally defined in the context of this investigation. Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) refers to the method of teaching that uses computers to interact with students in the teaching-learning process. Math Anxiety refers to the feeling of tension or fear in Math. Math Attitude refers to the behavior towards Math TRENDS IN INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE STUDY (TIMSS) international assessment of the mathematics and science knowledge of students from different grade levels across countries. DATA MINING TECHNIQUE getting information from a data set and makes it understandable for further use. BIBLIOGRAPHY Crouch, C. H., Mazur, E. (2001). Peer Instruction: Ten years of experience and results. American Journal of Physics, 69(9), 970-977. (Peer Instruction and Inquiry)doi:10.1119/1.1374249 Daniels, H. (2007). Pedagogy. In H. Daniels, J. Wertsch, M. Cole (Eds.), The Cambridge companion to Vygotsky. New York: Cambridge University Press. Dilber, R., Karaman, I., Duzgun, B. (2009). High school students’ understanding of projectile motion concepts. Educational Research and Evaluation, 15(3), 203-222. Ibrahim, B., Buffler, A., Lubben, F. (2009). Profiles of Freshman Physics Students’ Views on the Nature of Science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46(3), 248–264. Mason, A., Singh, C. (2010). Helping students learn effective problem solving strategies by reflecting with peers. American Journal of Physics, 78(7), 748-754. Rogoff, B., Moore, L., Najafi, B., Dexter, A., Correa-Chavez, M., Solis J. (2007). Children’s development of culture repertoires through participation in everyday routines and practices. In J. E. Grusec P. D. Hastings (Eds.), Handbook of socialization. New York: Guilford. Pachler, Norbert, Center of Excellence for Work-based Learning for Education Professionals, Dept. of learning, Curriculum Communication, Institute of Education, University of London. 2004. Using fuzzy statistics to determine Mathematics Attitude and Anxiety, Necla Turanli (2013), Middle East Journal of Scientific Research 13 (4): 568-572, IDOSCI Publications. Megan R. Smith. (2004). Math Anxiety: Causes, Effects, and Preventative Measures. Internet Sources glwhitcomb.iweb.bsu.edu Tago et al, Mobile Learning, Challenges and Potentials. www.inderscience.comfilter.php http://www.edpubs.org. PatrickGonzales (2004). Highlights from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science study (TIMSS) 2003. [emailprotected] http://www.icmeorganizers.dk/tsg15/ APPENDIX E BUDGET SUMMARY 1. Supplies: Drawing book P 46.00 Clear FolderP 16.00 Cost of Services: a. Print out P 30.00 Total P 76.00 Prepared by: ARMESTIDES M. BARGAYO VI RESEARCH TEAM TREASURER Curriculum Vitae PERSONAL DATA Name:Odessa M. Bonjoc – Avenido Address:Luyang, Carmen, Cebu Birthday:November 15, 1983 Civil Status:Married Sex:Female Age:29 Spouse:Ariel B. Avenido EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND Elementary: Luyang Elementary School Year Graduated: 1996 Secondary: Cebu Academy Year Graduated: 2000 Tertiary: University of the Visayas – Main Campus Year Graduated: 2004 Course: Bachelor in Elementary Education – Area in Mathematics Graduate Studies: Cebu Normal University Graduated: Present Course: Master of Arts in Education – Major in ELT Employment Record: Position: Teacher 2 Designation:ICT Teacher School: Luyang Elementary School – DepEd Province PERSONAL DATA Name: Armestides M. Bargayo VI Address: Lower Pakigne, Minglanilla, Cebu Birthday: October 22, 1981 Civil Status: Single Sex: Male Age: 31 years old EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND Elementary: Minglanilla Central School Year Graduated: 1994 High School: Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy Year Graduated: 1998 College: University of San Carlos Year Graduated: 2002 Course: Bachelor in Secondary Education major in Math Graduate Studies: Cebu Normal University Year Graduated: Present Course: Master of Arts in Education major in Math Employment Record: Position: Math Teacher School: University of Cebu – Main Campus PERSONAL DATA Name: Jun Antoinette Z. Navaja Address: 4- E Gorordo Avenue, Kamputhaw, Cebu City Birthday: January 27, 1988 Civil Status: Single Sex: Female Age: 25 years old EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND Elementary: Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion Year Graduated: 2001 High School: Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion Year Graduated: 2005 College: University of San Carlos Year Graduated: 2009 Course: Bachelor of Education major in Special Education Graduate Studies: Cebu Normal University Year Graduated: Present Course: Master of Arts in Education major Special Education- Mental Retardation Employment Record: Position: Substitute Teacher School: Barrio Luz Elementary School, DepEd Cebu PERSONAL DATA Name: Angelie Lopez Senarosa Address: Catmaran, Basak, Compostela, Cebu Birthday: April 25, 1982 Civil Status:Single Sex: Female Age: 31 years old EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND Elementary: Panangban Elementary School Year Graduated: 2000 High School: Compostela National High School Year Graduated: 2003 College: Cebu Normal University Year Graduated: 2007 Course: Bachelor in Secondary Education major in Math Graduate Studies: Cebu Normal University Year Graduated: Present Course: Master of Arts in Education major in Math Employment Record: Position: Math Teacher School: Mulao National High School, DepEd Cebu

E-commerce Internet Shopping

E-commerce Internet Shopping Is e-commerce boundary-less? Effects of individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance on internet shopping. Abstract: Regardless of the unusual growth of internet during the last few years, the enormous business potentials of the internet remain largely untapped. There is a general observation that with the internet, national and international boundaries should become irrelevant when engaging in business exchanges. There exist two national cultural dimensions, individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance and their interaction that influences internet shopping rates across a wide spectrum of countries. For countries lower in uncertainty avoidance, individualistic cultures show higher internet shopping rates than do collectivist cultures. Implications for national and internet firm-level web design strategies are discussed. Problem Statement: Is e-commerce boundary-less? Effects of individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance on internet shopping. Although the adoption rate of internet shopping is relatively high in the west, it is still generally unpopular in the east. In spite the promises of the greater global customer reach and potential profits; internet shopping adoption is still systematically affected by cultural differences. National wealth also contributes towards the adoption of internet shopping, because money is needed for necessary internet access infrastructure, subscription of internet services, and online purchases. Although national wealth alone cannot account for the vastly different internet shopping rates among high gross GDP countries. The adoption of internet shopping is jointly effected by a set of contextual factors i.e. national income and educational level as well as two major cultural factors, namely, individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. Research Objectives: The objective of this research is to find the effects of individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance on internet shopping keeping under consideration the Internet shopping adoption rate, individualism index, uncertainty avoidance index, per capita GDP, educational level, unemployment rate, and crime rate. Hypothesis 1: Internet shopping adoption rates are higher for countries with relatively lower uncertainty avoidance levels. Hypothesis 2: Internet shopping adoption rates are higher for individualist than for collectivist countries. Hypothesis 3a: For countries with high relatively high uncertainty avoidance levels, individualism-collectivism shows little impact on internet shopping rates. Hypothesis 3b: for countries with relatively low uncertainty avoidance levels, the individualist countries show higher Internet shopping adoption rates than the collectivist countries. Importance / benefit of study: The importance of this study is that it addresses the issues and problems related to internet shopping and will also help in working around these issues and problems. It will also help in the regulation of e-commerce activities in a proper and efficient manner. Research Design: Exploration: Quantitative. The data was mainly collected from Global e-Commerce Report, Hofstede, World Fact book and United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture, Institute for statistics online base. Data Analysis: The dependent variable under observation is Internet shopping adoption rate by country. Internet shopping adoption rate is the percentage of internet users, who have bought goods or services during the past month. Data on internet shopping adoption rate were obtained from the Global e-Commerce Report of Taylor Nelson Sofres (2001). This report consists of data from 36 countries derived from interviewing a total of 42,742 people. The two independent variables are individualism index and uncertainty avoidance index. The data for both these variables was obtained from Hofstede, which includes 50 countries. The control variables are per capita GDP, educational level, unemployment rate, and crime rate. The data for GDP and unemployment rate was collected from World Fact book, The International Monetary Fund (2001). Data for educational level was obtained from United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture, Institute for statistics online base. Data for internet crime rate was derived from the total sum of the number of offences contained in national crime statistics and major categories of reported crime in each of the Interpol member countries. Nature and Form of Results Schedule: The results which can be concluded from the whole study are: Higher the income levels of a country, the higher the internet penetration rate. It can also be concluded from the case that taking income into consideration, educational level, unemployment rate, crime rate, and economic growth rate do not significantly affect internet penetration. Internet shopping adoption rate is negatively correlated with uncertainty avoidance, but positively correlated with individualism-collectivism. The relationship of uncertainty avoidance with internet shopping adoption is not as strong as expected, and is not significant. All the results support our hypotheses. National income plays a very important rate in both internet penetration rate and adoption rate of internet shopping. It can also be said that whether it is online or offline shopping, the higher the income level, the higher the purchasing power. Cultural factors also play an important role in affecting internet shopping behavior, over and above the effect due to national income and educational levels. Internet shopping is still at its infancy for some countries. The result also support that dimensions of national culture affect internet shopping rate. The national government level, macro level policies that are designed to suit the local culture can be implemented to stimulate the adoption of internet shopping. Facilities and Resources: The resources of this case study are Global e-Commerce Report, Hofstede, World Fact book and United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture, Institute for statistics online base. Bibliography: References: Anderson, J.C. Naurus, A. (1990) ‘A model of distributor firm and manufacturer firm working partnerships, Journal of marketing 54(1): 42-58 Hirschey, M. and Pappas, J.L (1993) Managerial Economics, 7th edn, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers: Orlando, FL. Hofstede, C.H. (2001) Cultures and Organizations: Software of the mind, McGraw -Hill: London. Leung, K. and Bond, M.H (2004) ‘Social exioms: a model for social beliefs in multicultural perspective, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 36: 119-197. Lynn, R. and Martin, T. (1995) ‘National differences for 37 nations in extroversion, neuroticism psychoticism and economic, demographic and other correlates, Personality and Individual Differences 19: 403-406. Morris, M.W., Williams, K.Y., Leung, K., Larrick, R., Mendoza, (1998) ‘Conflict management style: accounting for cross national differences, Journal for International Business studies 29(4): 729-747. The International Police Organization (Interpol) (2003) Online data, http://www.interpol.com The International Monetary Fund (2001) ‘World economic outlook data.

Essay --

The question I chose to focus on is question seven, â€Å"How Should Families be Involved in Assessment† (Nation Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], 2003, p. 13). It is important to understand how to incorporate the families of the children being assessed into the assessment process. Whether the assessment is merely routine, or is being done out of concern for the child’s development, it is my belief that the parents should be involved. Rous et al. (2007) affirms this belief by defining assessment as â€Å"†¦a shared experience between families and professionals in which information and ideas are exchanged to benefit a child’s growth and development.† Involving the families in the assessment process requires three basic steps. The first step in involving the family of a child being assessed is to notify the family before assessment begins. When a parent (or parents) enrolls their child in a childcare program, they are entrusting the caretakers with the task of knowing what is best for their child. Discovering that may require assessment. NAEYC and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialist in State Departments of Education [NAECS/SDE] (2003) note that â€Å"to assess [a] young [child’s] strengths, progress, and needs, use of assessment methods should†¦[be] inclusive of families.† Essentially, in order to properly assess a child, the families knowledge and input is required (NAEYC & NAECS/SDE, 2003). Once the family has been notified, the second step should take place. The family should be made aware that their involvement in the assessment process is important for their child’s overall development (Rous et al., 2007). Rous et al. (2007) notes that â€Å"the role of family as the child’s first and most significant teac... ...ssed, which is step one. Step two is revealed when the parents and the teacher have a conference to discuss what steps can be taken to improve Tyler’s progress. Lastly, step three occurs when the teacher gathers evidence to show the parents their child’s marked improvement in skills he once struggled in. Involving the parents in their child’s assessment is incredibly important. As a teacher, it shows concern for the child’s overall wellbeing and concern for the parents involvement in their child’s development. While it is important to involve the parents, it is much more important in how a teacher or caregiver does this. With the three steps of informing the parents of assessment, encouraging the parents to participate, and showing the parents the final outcome of the assessment, a teacher or caregiver is able to involve the parents in a meaningful and helpful way. Essay -- The question I chose to focus on is question seven, â€Å"How Should Families be Involved in Assessment† (Nation Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], 2003, p. 13). It is important to understand how to incorporate the families of the children being assessed into the assessment process. Whether the assessment is merely routine, or is being done out of concern for the child’s development, it is my belief that the parents should be involved. Rous et al. (2007) affirms this belief by defining assessment as â€Å"†¦a shared experience between families and professionals in which information and ideas are exchanged to benefit a child’s growth and development.† Involving the families in the assessment process requires three basic steps. The first step in involving the family of a child being assessed is to notify the family before assessment begins. When a parent (or parents) enrolls their child in a childcare program, they are entrusting the caretakers with the task of knowing what is best for their child. Discovering that may require assessment. NAEYC and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialist in State Departments of Education [NAECS/SDE] (2003) note that â€Å"to assess [a] young [child’s] strengths, progress, and needs, use of assessment methods should†¦[be] inclusive of families.† Essentially, in order to properly assess a child, the families knowledge and input is required (NAEYC & NAECS/SDE, 2003). Once the family has been notified, the second step should take place. The family should be made aware that their involvement in the assessment process is important for their child’s overall development (Rous et al., 2007). Rous et al. (2007) notes that â€Å"the role of family as the child’s first and most significant teac... ...ssed, which is step one. Step two is revealed when the parents and the teacher have a conference to discuss what steps can be taken to improve Tyler’s progress. Lastly, step three occurs when the teacher gathers evidence to show the parents their child’s marked improvement in skills he once struggled in. Involving the parents in their child’s assessment is incredibly important. As a teacher, it shows concern for the child’s overall wellbeing and concern for the parents involvement in their child’s development. While it is important to involve the parents, it is much more important in how a teacher or caregiver does this. With the three steps of informing the parents of assessment, encouraging the parents to participate, and showing the parents the final outcome of the assessment, a teacher or caregiver is able to involve the parents in a meaningful and helpful way.

Zoe’s Tale PART III Chapter Twenty-Three

Something was nudging me awake. I swatted at it. â€Å"Die,† I said. â€Å"Zoe,† Hickory said. â€Å"You have a visitor.† I blinked up at Hickory, who was framed as a silhouette by the light coming from the corridor. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I said. â€Å"General Gau,† Hickory said. â€Å"He is here. Now. And wishes to speak to you.† I sat up. â€Å"You have got to be kidding me,† I said. I picked up my PDA and looked at the time. We had arrived in Conclave space fourteen hours earlier, popping into existence a thousand klicks out from the space station that General Gau had made the administrative headquarters of the Conclave. He said he hadn't wanted to favor one planet over another. The space station was ringed with hundreds of ships from all over Conclave space, and even more shuttles and cargo transports, going between ships and back and forth from the station. Phoenix Station, the largest human space station and so big I've heard that it actually affected tides on the planet Phoenix (by amounts measurable only by sensitive instruments, but still), would have fit into a corner of the Conclave HQ. We had arrived and announced ourselves and sent an encrypted message to General Gau requesting an audience. We had been given parking coordinates and then willfully ignored. After ten hours of that, I finally went to sleep. â€Å"You know I do not kid,† Hickory said. It walked back to the doorway and turned up the lights in my stateroom. I winced. â€Å"Now, please,† Hickory said. â€Å"Come to meet him.† Five minutes later I was dressed in something I hoped would be presentable and walking somewhat unsteadily down the corridor. After a minute of walking I said, â€Å"Oh, crap,† and ran back to my stateroom, leaving Hickory standing in the corridor. A minute later I was back, bearing a shirt with something wrapped in it. â€Å"What is that?† Hickory asked. â€Å"A gift,† I said. We continued our trip through the corridor. A minute later I was standing in a hastily arranged conference room with General Gau. He stood to one side of a table surrounded by Obin-style seats, which were not really well designed either for his physiology or mine. I stood on the other, shirt in my hand. â€Å"I will wait outside,† Hickory said, after it delivered me. â€Å"Thank you, Hickory,† I said. It left. I turned and faced the general. â€Å"Hi,† I said, somewhat lamely. â€Å"You are Zoe,† General Gau said. â€Å"The human who has the Obin to do her bidding.† His words were in a language I didn't understand; they were translated through a communicator device that hung from his neck. â€Å"That's me,† I said. I heard my words translated into his language. â€Å"I am interested in how a human girl is able to commandeer an Obin transport ship to take her to see me,† General Gau said. â€Å"It's a long story,† I said. â€Å"Give me the short version,† Gau said. â€Å"My father created special machines that gave the Obin consciousness. The Obin revere me as the only surviving link to my father. They do what I ask them to,† I said. â€Å"It must be nice to have an entire race at your beck and call,† Gau said. â€Å"You should know,† I said. â€Å"You have four hundred races at yours. Sir.† General Gau did something with his head that I was going to hope was meant to be a smile. â€Å"That's a matter of some debate at this point, I'm afraid,† he said. â€Å"But I am confused. I was under the impression that you are the daughter of John Perry, administrator of the Roanoke Colony.† â€Å"I am,† I said. â€Å"He and his wife Jane Sagan adopted me after my father died. My birth mother had died some time before that. It is on my adopted parents' account that I am here now. Although I apologize† – I motioned to myself, and my state of unreadiness – â€Å"I didn't expect to meet you here, now. I thought we would come to you, and I would have time to prepare.† â€Å"When I heard that the Obin were ferrying a human to see me, and one from Roanoke, I was curious enough not to want to wait,† Gau said. â€Å"I also find value in making my opposition wonder what I am up to. My coming to visit an Obin ship rather than waiting to receive their embassy will make some wonder who you are, and what I know that they don't.† â€Å"I hope I'm worth the trip,† I said. â€Å"If you're not, I'll still have made them nervous,† Gau said. â€Å"But considering how far you've come, I hope for both our sakes the trip has been worth it. Are you completely dressed?† â€Å"What?† I said. Of the many questions I might have been expecting, this wasn't one of them. The general pointed to my hand. â€Å"You have a shirt in your hands,† he said. â€Å"Oh,† I said, and put the shirt on the table between us. â€Å"It's a gift. Not the shirt. There's something wrapped in the shirt. That's the gift. I was hoping to find something else to put it in before I gave it to you, but you sort of surprised me. I'm going to shut up now and let you just have that.† The general gave me what I think was a strange look, and then reached out and unwrapped what was in the shirt. It was the stone knife given to me by the werewolf. He held it up and examined it in the light. â€Å"This is a very interesting gift,† he said, and began moving it in his hand, testing it, I guessed, for weight and balance. â€Å"And quite a nicely designed knife.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said. â€Å"Not precisely modern weaponry,† he said. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"Figured that a general must have an interest in archaic weapons?† Gau asked. â€Å"Actually there's a story behind it,† I said. â€Å"There's a native race of intelligent beings on Roanoke. We didn't know about them before we landed. Not too long ago we met up with them for the first time, and things went badly. Some of them died, and some of us died. But then one of them and one of us met and decided not to try to kill each other, and exchanged gifts instead. That knife was one of those gifts. It's yours now.† â€Å"That's an interesting story,† Gau said. â€Å"And I think I'm correct in supposing that this story has some implication for why you're here.† â€Å"It's up to you, sir,† I said. â€Å"You might just decide it's a nice stone knife.† â€Å"I don't think so,† Gau said. â€Å"Administrator Perry is a man who plays with subtext. It's not lost on me what it means that he has sent his daughter to deliver a message. But then to offer this particular gift, with its particular story. He's a man of some subtlety.† â€Å"I think so, too,† I said. â€Å"But the knife is not from my dad. It's from me.† â€Å"Indeed,† Gau said, surprised. â€Å"That's even more interesting. Administrator Perry didn't suggest it?† â€Å"He doesn't know I had the knife,† I said. â€Å"And he doesn't know how I got it.† â€Å"But you did intend to send me a message with it,† Gau said. â€Å"One to complement your adopted father's.† â€Å"I hoped you'd see it that way,† I said. Gau set the knife down. â€Å"Tell me what Administrator Perry has to tell me,† he said. â€Å"You're going to be assassinated,† I said. â€Å"Someone is going to try, anyway. It's someone close to you. Someone in your trusted circle of advisors. Dad doesn't know when or how, but he knows that it's planned to happen soon. He wanted you to know so you could protect yourself.† â€Å"Why?† General Gau asked. â€Å"Your adopted father is an official of the Colonial Union. He was part of the plan that destroyed the Conclave fleet and has threatened everything I have worked for, for longer than you have been alive, young human. Why should I trust the word of my enemy?† â€Å"The Colonial Union is your enemy, not my dad,† I said. â€Å"Your dad helped kill tens of thousands,† Gau said. â€Å"Every ship in my fleet was destroyed but my own.† â€Å"He begged you not to call your ships to Roanoke,† I said. â€Å"This was a place where he was all too subtle,† Gau said. â€Å"He never explained how the trap had been set. He merely asked me not to call my fleet. A little more information would have kept thousands alive.† â€Å"He did what he could,† I said. â€Å"You were there to destroy our colony. He wasn't allowed to surrender it to you. You know he didn't have many options. And as it was he was recalled by the Colonial Union and put on trial for even hinting to you that something might happen. He could have been sent to prison for the simple act of speaking to you, General. He did what he could.† â€Å"How do I know he's not just being used again?† Gau asked. â€Å"You said you knew what it meant that he sent me to give you a message,† I said. â€Å"I'm the proof that he's telling you the truth.† â€Å"You're the proof he believes he's telling me the truth,† Gau said. â€Å"It's not to say that it is the truth. Your adopted father was used once. Why couldn't he be used again?† I flared at this. â€Å"Begging your pardon, General,† I said. â€Å"But you should know that by sending me to send you this warning, both my dad and my mom are absolutely assured of being labeled as traitors by the Colonial Union. They are both going to prison. You should know that as part of the deal to get the Obin to bring me to you, I can't go back to Roanoke. I have to stay with them. Because they believe that it's only a matter of time before Roanoke is destroyed, if not by you then by some part of the Conclave you don't have any control over anymore. My parents and I have risked everything to give you this warning. It's possible I'll never see them or anyone else on Roanoke again, because I am giving you this warning. Now, General, do you think any of us would do any of this if we were not absolutely certain about what we are telling you? Do you?† General Gau said nothing for a moment. Then, â€Å"I am sorry you have all had to risk so much,† he said. â€Å"Then do my dad the honor of believing him,† I said. â€Å"You're in danger, General. And that danger is closer than you think.† â€Å"Tell me, Zoe,† Gau said, â€Å"what does Administrator Perry hope to get from telling me this? What does he want from me?† â€Å"He wants you to stay alive,† I said. â€Å"You promised him that as long as you were running the Conclave, you wouldn't attack Roanoke again. The longer you stay alive, the longer we stay alive.† â€Å"But there's the irony,† Gau said. â€Å"Thanks to what happened at Roanoke, I'm not in as much control as I was. My time now is spent keeping others in line. And there are those who are looking at Roanoke as a way to take control from me. I'm sure you don't know about Nerbros Eser – â€Å" â€Å"Sure I do,† I said. â€Å"Your main opposition right now. He's trying to convince people to follow him. Wants to destroy the Colonial Union.† â€Å"I apologize,† Gau said. â€Å"I forgot you're not just a messenger girl.† â€Å"It's all right,† I said. â€Å"Nerbros Eser is planning to attack Roanoke,† Gau said. â€Å"I have been getting the Conclave back under my control – too slowly – but enough races support Eser that he has been able to fund an expedition to take Roanoke. He knows the Colonial Union is too weak to put up a defense of the colony, and he knows that at the moment I am in no position to stop him. If he can take Roanoke where I could not, more Conclave races could side with him. Enough that they would attack the Colonial Union directly.† â€Å"You can't help us, then,† I said. â€Å"Other than to tell you what I just have, no,† Gau said. â€Å"Eser is going to attack Roanoke. But in part because Administrator Perry helped to destroy my fleet, there is no way I can do much to stop him now. And I doubt very much that your Colonial Union will do much to stop him.† â€Å"Why do you say that?† I asked. â€Å"Because you are here,† General Gau said. â€Å"Make no mistake, Zoe, I do appreciate your family's warning. But Administrator Perry is not so kind that he would have warned me out of his own simple goodness. As you've noted, the cost is too high for that. You are here because you have nowhere else to turn.† â€Å"But you believe Dad,† I said. â€Å"Yes,† Gau said. â€Å"Unfortunately. Someone in my position is always a target. But now of all times I know that even some of those who I've trusted with my life and friendship are calculating the costs and deciding that I'm worth more to them dead than alive. And it makes sense for someone to try for me before Eser attacks Roanoke. If I'm dead and Eser takes revenge on your colony, no one else will even try to challenge him for control of the Conclave. Administrator Perry isn't telling me anything I don't know. He's only confirming what I do know.† â€Å"Then I've been no use to you,† I said. And you've been no use to me, I thought but did not say. â€Å"I wouldn't say that,† Gau said. â€Å"One of the reasons I am here now is so that I could hear what you had to say to me without anyone else involved. To find out what I could do with the information you might have. To see if it has use to me. To see if you are of use to me.† â€Å"You already knew what I told you,† I said. â€Å"This is true,† Gau said. â€Å"However, no one else knows how much you know. Not here, in any event.† He reached over and picked up the stone knife and looked at it again. â€Å"And the truth of the matter is that I'm getting tired of not knowing, of those whom I trust, which is planning to stab me in the heart. Whoever is planning to assassinate me is going to be in league with Nerbros Eser. They are likely to know when he plans to attack Roanoke, and with how large a force. And perhaps working together we can find out both of these things.† â€Å"How?† I asked. General Gau looked at me again, and did that I-hope-it's-a-smile thing with his head. â€Å"By doing a bit of political theater. By making them think we know what they do. By making them act because of it.† I smiled back at Gau. â€Å"‘The play is the thing in which I shall catch the conscience of the king,'† I said. â€Å"Precisely,† Gau said. â€Å"Although it will be a traitor we catch, not a king.† â€Å"In that quote he was both,† I said. â€Å"Interesting,† Gau said. â€Å"I'm afraid I don't know the reference.† â€Å"It's from a play called Hamlet,† I said. â€Å"I had a friend who liked the playwright.† â€Å"I like the quote,† Gau said. â€Å"And your friend.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"I do too.† â€Å"One of you in this chamber is a traitor,† General Gau said. â€Å"And I know which one of you it is.† Wow, I thought. The general sure knows how to start a meeting. We were in the general's official advisors' chamber, an ornate room, which, the general told me beforehand, he never used except to receive foreign dignitaries with some semblance of pomp and circumstance. Since he was technically receiving me for this particular meeting, I felt special. But more to the point, the room featured a small raised platform with steps, on which sat a large chair. Dignitaries, advisors and their staff all approached it like it was a throne. This was going to be useful for what General Gau had in mind for today. In front of the platform, the room opened up into a semicircle. Around the perimeter stood a curving bar, largely of standing height for most sentient species in the Conclave. This is where advisors' and dignitaries' staff stood, calling up documents and data when needed and whispering (or whatever) into small microphones that fed into earpieces (or whatever) worn by their bosses. Their bosses – the advisors and dignitaries – filed into the area between the bar and the platform. Usually, I was told, they would have benches or chairs (or whatever suited their body shape best) offered to them so they could rest as they did their business. Today, they were all standing. As for me, I was standing to the left and just in front of the general, who was seated in his big chair. On the opposite side of the chair was a small table, on which lay the stone knife, which I had just (and for the second time) presented to the general. This time it was delivered in packaging more formal than a shirt. The general had taken it out of the box I had found, admired it, and set it on the table. Back along with the staff stood Hickory and Dickory, who were not happy with the plan the general had come up with. With them were three of the general's security detail, who were likewise not very pleased at all. Well, now that we were doing it, I'm not sure I was entirely thrilled with it either. â€Å"I thought we were here to hear a request from this young human,† said one of the advisors, a tall Lalan (that is, tall even for a Lalan) named Hafte Sorvalh. Her voice was translated by the earpiece I had been given by the Obin. â€Å"It was a pretense,† Gau said. â€Å"The human has no petition, but information pertaining to which one of you intends to assassinate me.† This naturally got a stir in the chamber. â€Å"It is a human!† said Wert Ninung, a Dwaer. â€Å"No disrespect, General, but the humans recently destroyed the entire Conclave fleet. Any information they would share with you should be regarded as highly suspect, to say the least.† â€Å"I agree with this entirely, Ninung,† Gau said. â€Å"Which is why when it was provided to me I did what any sensible person would have done and had my security people check the information thoroughly. I regret to say that the information was good. And now I must deal with the fact that one of my advisors – someone who was privy to all my plans for the Conclave – has conspired against me.† â€Å"I don't understand,† said a Ghlagh whose name, if I could remember correctly, was Lernin Il. I wasn't entirely sure, however; Gau's security people had given me dossiers on Gau's circle of advisors only a few hours before the meeting, and given everything else I needed to do to prepare, I had barely had time to skim. â€Å"What don't you understand, Lernin?† asked General Gau. â€Å"If you know which of us is the traitor, why hasn't your security detail already dealt with them?† Il asked. â€Å"This could be done without exposing you to an unnecessary risk. Given your position you don't need to take any more risks than are absolutely necessary.† â€Å"We are not talking about some random killer, Il,† the general said. â€Å"Look around you. How long have we known each other? How hard have each of us worked to create this great Conclave of races? We have seen more of each other over time than we have seen of our spouses and children. Would any of you have accepted it if I were to make one of you disappear over a vague charge of treason? Would that not seem to each of you that I was losing my grip and creating scapegoats? No, Il. We have come too far and done too much for that. Even this would-be assassin deserves better courtesy than that.† â€Å"What do you intend to do, then?† asked Il. â€Å"I will ask the traitor in this room to come forward,† he said. â€Å"It's not too late to right this wrong.† â€Å"Are you offering this assassin amnesty?† asked some creature whose name I just did not remember (or, given how it spoke, I suspect I could not actually pronounce, even if I did remember it). â€Å"No,† Gau said. â€Å"This person is not acting alone. They are part of a conspiracy that threatens what all of us have worked for.† Gau gestured to me. â€Å"My human friend here has given me a few names, but that is not enough. For the security of the Conclave we need to know more. And to show all the members of the Conclave that treason cannot be tolerated, my assassin must answer for what they have done to this point. What I do offer is this: That they will be treated fairly and with dignity. That they will serve their term of punishment with some measure of comfort. That their family and loved ones will not be punished or held responsible, unless they themselves are conspirators. And that their crime will not be made known publicly. Every one outside this room will know only that this conspirator has retired from service. There will be punishment. There must be punishment. But there will not be the punishment of history.† â€Å"I want to know where this human got its information,† said Wert Ninung. Gau nodded to me. â€Å"This information ultimately comes from the Colonial Union's Special Forces division,† I said. â€Å"The same group that spearheaded the destruction of the Conclave fleet,† Wert said. â€Å"Not especially trustworthy.† â€Å"Councilor Wert,† I said, â€Å"how do you think the Special Forces were able to locate every one of the ships of your fleet? The only time it assembles is when it removes a colony. Locating four hundred ships among the tens of thousands that each race alone has at its disposal was an unheard of feat of military intelligence. After that, do you doubt that the Special Forces had difficulty coming up with a single name?† Wert actually growled at me. I thought that was rude. â€Å"I have already told you that I have had the information checked out,† General Gau said. â€Å"There is no doubt it is accurate. That is not under discussion. What is under discussion is how the assassin will choose to be discovered. I repeat: The assassin is in this room, right now, among us. If they will come forward now, and share information on their other conspirators, their treatment will be generous, light and secret. The offer is in front of you now. I beg you, as an old friend, to take it. Come forward now.† No one in the room moved. General Gau stared at each of his advisors, directly and in the eye, for several seconds each. None of them took so much as a step forward. â€Å"Very well,† General Gau said. â€Å"We do this the hard way, then.† â€Å"What will you do now, General?† asked Sorvalh. â€Å"Simple,† Gau said. â€Å"I will call up each of you in turn. You will bow to me and swear your allegiance to me as the leader of the Conclave. Those of you who I know are truthful, I will offer you my thanks. The one of you who is a traitor, I will reveal you in front of those you have worked alongside for so long, and have you arrested. Your punishment will be severe. And it will be most definitely public. And it will end with your death.† â€Å"This is not like you, General,† Sorvalh said. â€Å"You created the Conclave with the idea that there would be no dictators, no demands of personal allegiance. There is only allegiance to the Conclave. To its ideals.† â€Å"The Conclave is near collapse, Hafte,† Gau said. â€Å"And you know as well as I do that Nerbros Eser and his sort will run the Conclave like a personal fiefdom. One among you has already decided that Eser's dictatorship is preferable to a Conclave where every race has a voice. It's clear to me that I must ask for the allegiance I once only held in trust. I am sorry it has come to this. But it has.† â€Å"What if we will not swear allegiance?† Sorvalh said. â€Å"Then you will be arrested as a traitor,† Gau said. â€Å"Along with the one who I know to be the assassin.† â€Å"You are wrong to do this,† Sorvalh said. â€Å"You are going against your own vision for the Conclave to ask for this allegiance. I want you to know I believe this in my soul.† â€Å"Noted,† Gau said. â€Å"Very well,† Sorvalh said, and stepped forward to the platform and knelt. â€Å"General Tarsem Gau, I offer you my allegiance as the leader of the Conclave.† Gau looked at me. This was my cue. I shook my head at him, clearly enough that everyone in the room could see that he was waiting for my verification. â€Å"Thank you, Hafte,† Gau said. â€Å"You may step back. Wert Ninung, please step forward.† Ninung did. As did the next six advisors. There were three left. I was beginning to get very nervous. Gau and I had already agreed that we would not carry the act so far as to accuse someone who wasn't actually guilty. But if we got to the end without a traitor, then we both would have a lot to answer for. â€Å"Lernin Il,† General Gau said. â€Å"Please step forward.† Il nodded and smoothly moved forward and when he got to me, viciously shoved me to the floor and lunged for the stone knife Gau had left on the table next to him. I hit the floor so hard I bounced my skull on it. I heard screaming and honks of alarm from the other advisors. I rolled and looked up as Il raised the knife and prepared to plunge it into the general. The knife was left out and within easy reach for a reason. Gau had already said he intended to reveal the traitor; he said he knew without a doubt who it was; he said the punishment for the traitor would include death. The traitor would already be convinced he would have nothing to lose by attempting the assassination then and there. But Gau's advisors didn't usually carry around killing implements on their person; they were bureaucrats and didn't carry anything more dangerous than a writing stylus. But a nice sharp stone knife carelessly left lying around would be just the thing to convince a desperate would-be assassin to take a chance. This was also one reason why the general's guards (and Hickory and Dickory) were stationed at the perimeter of the room instead of near the general; we had to give the illusion to the assassin that he could get in a stab or two before the guards got him. The general wasn't stupid, of course; he was wearing body armor that protected most of the parts of his body susceptible to stab wounds. But the general's head and neck were still vulnerable. The general thought it was worth the risk, but now as I watched the general trying to move to protect himself, I came to the conclusion that the weakest part of our plan was the one where the general presumably avoids being stabbed to death. Il was bringing down the knife. None of the general's guards or Hickory or Dickory was going to get there in time. Hickory and Dickory had trained me how to disarm an opponent; the problem was I was on the ground and not in any position to block the knife blow. And anyway the Ghlagh were a Conclave race; I hadn't spent any time learning any of their weak points. But then something occurred to me, as I lay there on my back, staring up at Il. I may not know much about the Ghlagh, but I sure know what a knee looks like. I braced myself on the floor, pushed, and drove the heel of my foot hard into the side of Lernin Il's most available knee. It gave way with a sickly twist and I thought I could feel something in his leg go snap, which made me feel sick. Il squealed in pain and grabbed at his leg, dropping the knife. I scrambled away as quickly as I could. General Gau launched himself out of his chair and took Il all the rest of the way down. Hickory and Dickory were suddenly by me, dragging me off the riser. Gau shouted something to his guards, who were racing toward the general. â€Å"His staff!† Gau said. â€Å"Stop his staff!† I looked over to the bar and saw three Ghlagh lunging at their equipment. Il's people were clearly in on the assassination and were now trying to signal their conspirators that they'd been discovered. Gau's men skidded to a stop and reversed themselves, leaping over the bar to get at Il's staff. They knocked away their equipment, but not before at least one of them had gotten a message through. We knew that because all through the Conclave headquarters, alarms began stuttering to life. The space station was under attack. About a minute after Il had made his clumsy attack on General Gau, an Impo battle cruiser named the Farre launched six missiles into the portion of the Conclave space station where Gau's offices were. The Farre was commanded by an Impo named Ealt Ruml. Ruml, it turns out, had reached an agreement with Nerbros Eser and Lernin Il to take command of a new Conclave fleet after Gau was assassinated. Ruml would then take the entire fleet to Phoenix Station, destroy it and start working down the list of human worlds. In exchange all Ruml had to do was be prepared to do a little flagrant bombing of Gau's offices and flagship when signaled, as part of a larger, orchestrated coup attempt, which would feature Gau's assassination as the main event and the destruction of key battle ships from races loyal to Gau. When Gau revealed to his advisors that he knew one of them was a traitor, one of Il's staffers sent a coded message to Ruml, informing him that everything was about to go sideways. Ruml in turn sent coded messages of his own to three other battle cruisers near the Conclave station, each captained by someone Ruml had converted to the cause. All four ships began warming up their weapons systems and selecting targets: Ruml targeted Gau's offices while the other traitors targeted Gau's flagship Gentle Star and other craft. If everything went as planned, Ruml and his conspirators would have disabled the ships most likely to come to Gau's aid – not that it would matter, because Ruml would have opened up Gau's offices to space, sucking anyone in them (including, at the time, me) into cold, airless vacuum. Minutes later, when Il's staff sent a confirmation note just before getting their equipment kicked out of their paws, Ruml launched his missiles and readied another set to go. And was, I imagine, entirely surprised when the Farre was struck broadside almost simultaneously by three missiles fired from the Gentle Star. The Star and six other trusted ships had been put on alert by Gau to watch for any ships that began warming up their weapons systems. The Star had spotted the Farre warming up its missile batteries and had quietly targeted the ship and prepared its own defense. Gau had forbidden any action until someone else's missiles flew, but the instant the Farre launched, the Star did the same, and then began antimissile defenses against the two missiles targeting it, sent by the Arrisian cruiser Vut-Roy. The Star destroyed one of the missiles and took light damage from the second. The Farre, which had not been expecting a counterattack, took heavy damage from the Star's missiles and even more damage when its engine ruptured, destroying half of the ship and killing hundreds on board, including Ealt Ruml and his bridge crew. Five of the six missiles fired by the Farre were disabled by the space station's defenses; the sixth hit the station, blowing a hole in the station compartment next to Gau's offices. The station's system of airtight doors sealed off the damage in minutes; forty-four people were killed. All of this happened in the space of less than two minutes, because the battle happened at incredibly close range. Unlike space battles in entertainment shows, real battles between spaceships take place over huge distances. In this battle, however, all the ships were in orbit around the station. Some of the ships involved were just a few klicks away from each other. That's pretty much the starship equivalent of going after each other with knives. Or so I'm told. I'm going by what others tell me of the battle, because at the time what I was doing was being dragged out of General Gau's advisor chamber by Hickory and Dickory. The last thing I saw was Gau pinning down Lernin Il while at the same time trying to keep his other advisors from beating the living crap out of him. There was too much noise for my translation device to work anymore, but I suspected that Gau was trying to tell the rest of them that he needed Il alive. What can you say. No one likes a traitor. I'm also told that the battle outside of the space station would have gone on longer than it did except that shortly after the first salvo of missiles a funny thing happened: An Obin cruiser skipped into existence unsettlingly close to the Conclave space station, setting off a series of proximity alarms to go with the attack alarms already in progress. That was unusual, but what really got everyone's attention was the other ships that appeared about thirty seconds afterward. It took the station a few minutes to identify these. And at that point everyone who had been fighting each other realized they now had something bigger to worry about. I didn't know about any of this right away. Hickory and Dickory had dragged me to the conference room some distance away from the advisor chamber and were keeping it secure when the alarms suddenly stopped. â€Å"Well, I finally used that training,† I said, to Hickory. I was amped up on leftover adrenaline from the assassination attempt and paced up and down in the room. Hickory said nothing to this and continued to scan the corridor for threats. I sighed and waited until it signaled that it was safe to move. Ten minutes later, Hickory clicked something to Dickory, who went to the door. Hickory went into the corridor and out of sight. Shortly after that I heard what sounded like Hickory arguing with someone. Hickory returned, followed by six very serious-looking guards and General Gau. â€Å"What happened?† I asked. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"What do you have to do with the Consu?† General Gau asked me, ignoring my question. â€Å"The Consu?† I said. â€Å"Nothing. I had asked the Obin to try to contact them on my behalf, to see if they could help me save Roanoke. That was a few days ago. I haven't heard from the Obin about it since.† â€Å"I think you have an answer,† Gau said. â€Å"They're here. And they're asking to see you.† â€Å"There's a Consu ship here now?† I said. â€Å"Actually, the Consu asking for you is on an Obin ship,† Gau said. â€Å"Which doesn't make any sense to me at all, but never mind that. There were Consu ships following the Obin ship.† â€Å"Ships,† I said. â€Å"How many?† â€Å"So far?† Gau said. â€Å"About six hundred.† â€Å"Excuse me?† I said. My adrenaline spiked again. â€Å"There are still more coming in,† Gau said. â€Å"Please don't take this the wrong way, Zoe, but if you've done something to anger the Consu, I hope they choose to take it out on you, not us.† I turned and looked at Hickory, disbelieving. â€Å"You said you required help,† Hickory said.