The Golden Lily Chapter 6

â€Å"YOU SHOOK HIS HAND?† Adrian asked incredulously. I shot an accusing look at Eddie and Angeline. â€Å"Is nothing private around here?† â€Å"No,† said Angeline, as bluntly honest as ever. Eddie actually chuckled. It was a rare moment of camaraderie between them. â€Å"Was it supposed to be a secret?† he asked. We were over at Clarence Donahue's house for Jill and Adrian's biweekly blood feedings. Jill was off right now with Clarence's human housekeeper, Dorothy, who doubled as his feeder. I could take a lot of Moroi things in stride now, but drinking blood – human blood – made me shudder every time. My best coping mechanism was trying to forget why we were here. â€Å"No,† I admitted. Julia and Kristin had grilled me for date details a couple of days ago, so I'd given them some. I supposed I had to accept that once I told them anything, it would inevitably get back to everyone in the world. No doubt my Amberwood family had then passed it on to Adrian. â€Å"Really?† Adrian was still hung up on the end of my date. â€Å"His hand?† I sighed and sank back into a sleek leather sofa. Clarence's house always reminded me of some stereotypical haunted manor from the outside – but inside it was modern and well furnished. â€Å"Look, it just happened – okay, you know what? Never mind. This is none of your business. Just let it go.† But something in Adrian's expression told me he would not, in fact, be letting it go anytime soon. â€Å"With all that red-hot passion, it's a wonder you guys can stay away from each other,† said Adrian, deadpan. â€Å"Is there going to be a second date?† Eddie and Angeline looked at me expectantly. I hesitated. This was information I hadn't given up to Julia and Kristin, largely because it had only just been arranged. â€Å"Yes,† I said at last. â€Å"We're going on a, um, windmill tour later this week.† If I'd wanted to shut them all up, I'd definitely succeeded. They all looked stunned. Adrian spoke first. â€Å"I'm going to assume that means he's flying you to Amsterdam on his private jet. If so, I'd like to come along. But not for the windmills.† â€Å"There's a huge windmill farm north of Palm Springs,† I explained. â€Å"It's one of the only ones in the world that does public tours.† More blank looks. â€Å"Wind energy is a powerful renewable resource that could have a huge impact on our country's future!† I said in exasperation. â€Å"This is a cool thing.† â€Å"‘Cool,'† said Adrian. â€Å"‘Wind.' I see what you did there, Sage. Pretty clever.† â€Å"It wasn't meant to be a – â€Å" The sitting room's stained glass French doors opened, and Dimitri and Sonya entered with our host Clarence in tow. I hadn't seen him since I arrived and gave him a polite smile, glad for the distraction from my so-called love life. â€Å"Hello, Mr. Donahue,† I said. â€Å"It's nice to see you again.† â€Å"Eh?† The elderly Moroi man squinted in my direction, and after a few moments, recognition lit his features. He had white hair and always dressed as though he were at a formal dinner party from about fifty years ago. â€Å"There you are. Glad you could stop by, my dear. What brings you over?† â€Å"Jill's feeding, sir.† We did this two times every week, but Clarence's mind wasn't quite what it used to be. He'd been pretty scattered since we first met, but the death of his son, Lee, had seemed to push the old man even farther over the edge – particularly since he didn't seem to believe it. We'd told him gently – a number of times – that Lee had died, leaving out the Strigoi part. Each time we did, Clarence insisted Lee was just â€Å"away right now† and would be back. Scattered or not, Clarence was always kind and relatively harmless – for a vampire, of course. â€Å"Ah, yes, naturally.† He settled into his massive armchair and then glanced back toward Dimitri and Sonya. â€Å"So you'll be able to fix the window locks?† There had apparently been some other discussion going on before they joined us. Dimitri seemed to be trying to find a nice way to respond. He was as amazing to look at as ever, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, with a long leather duster over it all. How anyone could survive wearing a coat like that in Palm Springs was beyond me, but if anyone could, I supposed it was him. Usually he only wore it inside, but sometimes, I'd see it outside too. I'd mentioned this odd wardrobe choice to Adrian a couple of weeks ago: â€Å"Isn't Dimitri hot?† Adrian's response hadn't been entirely unexpected: â€Å"Well, yeah, according to most women, at least.† Dimitri's face was the picture of politeness as he addressed Clarence's concerns. â€Å"I don't believe there's anything wrong with the ones you have,† Dimitri said. â€Å"Everything is sealed up pretty tightly.† â€Å"So it seems,† said Clarence ominously. â€Å"But you don't know how resourceful they are. I'm not behind the times, you know. I know there are all sorts of technologies out there that you can put in. Like lasers that tell you if someone's breaking in.† Dimitri arched an eyebrow. â€Å"You mean a security system?† â€Å"Yes, exactly,† said Clarence. â€Å"That'll keep the hunters out.† This turn in conversation wasn't exactly a surprise to me. Clarence's paranoia had also increased recently – and that was saying something. He lived in constant fear of what he claimed were vampire hunters, humans who†¦ well, hunted vampires. For the longest time, he'd claimed they were responsible for his niece's death and that reports of her being killed by a Strigoi were incorrect. It turned out he was half-right. Her death hadn't been the result of a Strigoi attack – it had been caused by Lee, in a desperate attempt to change back from a Moroi to a Strigoi. Clarence refused to accept that, however, and persisted in his beliefs about the hunters. My assurances that the Alchemists had no records of any groups like that existing since the Middle Ages hadn't gone very far. Consequently, Clarence was always making people do â€Å"security checks† of his house. Since Sonya a nd Dimitri were actually staying with him throughout the experimentation, that tedious task often fell to them. â€Å"I'm not really qualified to install a security system,† said Dimitri. â€Å"Really? There's something you can't do?† Adrian's voice was so soft that I could barely hear him, and he was sitting right next to me. I doubted even the others, with their superior hearing, could've made out his words. Why does he still let Dimitri get to him? I wondered. â€Å"You'd have to call professionals,† Dimitri continued to Clarence. â€Å"I'm guessing you wouldn't want a bunch of strangers coming in and out of your house.† Clarence frowned. â€Å"That's true. It'd be very easy for the hunters to infiltrate them.† Dimitri was the picture of patience. â€Å"I'll do daily checks of all the doors and windows while I'm here – just to be sure.† â€Å"That would be wonderful,† said Clarence, some of his tension easing. â€Å"Admittedly, I'm not really the hunters' usual type. Not dangerous enough. Not anymore.† He chuckled to himself. â€Å"Still. You never know what could happen. Best to be safe.† Sonya gave him a gentle smile. â€Å"I'm sure everything will be fine. You have nothing to worry about.† Clarence met her eyes, and after a few seconds, a smile slowly spread over his face as well. His rigid posture slackened. â€Å"Yes, yes. You're right. Nothing to worry about.† I shivered. I'd been around Moroi enough to know what had happened. Sonya had just used compulsion – only a whisper of it – to calm Clarence. Compulsion, the ability to force your will on others, was a skill all Moroi possessed to varying degrees. Spirit users were the strongest, rivaling Strigoi. Using compulsion on others was taboo among the Moroi, and there were serious consequences for those who abused it. I was guessing Moroi authorities would overlook her soothing a nervous old man, but the small act still unsettled me. Compulsion in particular had always struck me as one of the most insidious Moroi powers. And had Sonya really needed to use it? She was already so kind and soothing. Wouldn't that be enough for Clarence? Sometimes I wondered if they just used magic for the sake of doing so. Sometimes I wondered if it was being used around me†¦ without me even knowing. Clarence's talk of vampire hunters always triggered a mix of amusement and unease around everyone. With him pacified (even if I didn't like the means), we were all able to relax a little bit. Sonya leaned back against the loveseat, drinking some fruity drink that looked perfect on a hot day like this. From her dirty clothes and haphazard hairstyling, I was willing to bet she'd been outside – not that she still didn't look beautiful. Most Moroi avoided this kind of intense sun, but her love of plants was so great that she'd been risking it to work on some of the ailing flowers in Clarence's garden. Heavy sunscreen could work wonders. â€Å"I'm not going to be around much longer,† she told us. â€Å"A few more weeks at most. I need to go back and work on some wedding plans with Mikhail.† â€Å"When's the big day again?† Adrian asked. She smiled. â€Å"It's in December.† That surprised me until she added, â€Å"There's a huge, tropical greenhouse near the Court that we're going to use. It's gorgeous – not that it matters. Mikhail and I could be married anywhere. All that counts is that we're together. Of course, if we're able to choose, then why not go all out?† Even I smiled at that. Leave it to Sonya to find a spot of green in the middle of a Pennsylvania winter. â€Å"Dimitri may stay on,† she continued. â€Å"But it'd be great if we could make some kind of progress before I go. The aura tests so far have been†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Useless?† suggested Adrian. â€Å"I was going to say inconclusive,† she replied. Adrian shook his head. â€Å"So all that time we spent was wasted?† Sonya didn't answer and instead took another sip of her drink. I was willing to bet it was non-alcoholic – she didn't self-medicate the way Adrian did – and that Dorothy could make me one if I wanted. Yet, I was also willing to bet it was terrible for me. Maybe I'd see if there was any Diet Coke in the kitchen. Sonya leaned forward, an eager glint in her eye. â€Å"Dimitri and I were talking and realized there's something obvious we've been missing. Actually, I should say avoiding, but not pursuing it would be a waste.† â€Å"What's that?† asked Adrian. â€Å"Blood,† said Dimitri. I winced. I didn't like it when this topic came up. It reminded me of exactly what kind of people I was with. â€Å"Obviously, there's something about restored Strigoi that protects them – us,† he said. â€Å"We've looked for magical signs, but the answer might be more physical. And from the report I read, the Strigoi had trouble drinking ll – his blood.† Dimitri had been about to say Lee, but had amended his choice out of respect for Clarence. The old man's dazed, happy look made it hard to tell if he understood what we were discussing at all. â€Å"They complained about it,† I agreed. â€Å"But that didn't seem to stop them from drinking it.† Strigoi could be forcibly created if a Strigoi drained a victim's blood and then fed Strigoi blood back to him or her. Lee had asked Strigoi to do this for him, but all draining him had achieved was death. â€Å"We'd like to take a sample of Dimitri's blood and then compare it to yours, Eddie,† said Sonya. â€Å"Blood can hold all sorts of magical properties, which might show us how to fight Strigoi.† I kept my face as blank as possible, praying no one would notice me. Blood can hold all sorts of magical properties. Hopefully, in all this talk, no one would recall the mystery of why my blood was inexplicably revolting to Strigoi. And really, why should they? I'd never been restored. I wasn't a dhampir. There was no reason at all they'd want me in these experiments. And yet, if that was true, why was I suddenly sweating? â€Å"We can send it to a lab for the chemical part and try to read any magical properties off it too,† Sonya continued. She sounded apologetic, but Eddie didn't look concerned. â€Å"No problem,† he said. â€Å"Whatever you need.† He meant it too, I knew. Losing blood was a million times easier for him than being inactive. Besides, he probably lost more blood in daily practice than he'd even need to give up for this experiment. â€Å"If you need another dhampir,† said Angeline. â€Å"You can use me too. Me and Eddie could help you. We'd be a team. Sydney wouldn't have to keep coming along, especially now that she's got a boyfriend.† There were so many things wrong with that, I didn't know where to start. The confidence Eddie had shown over giving blood vanished at â€Å"we'd be a team.† â€Å"We'll consider it,† said Sonya. There was a sparkle in her eye, and I remembered her saying she could see affection in auras. Could she detect Angeline's crush? â€Å"For now, I'd rather not take you away from your schoolwork. It's less important for Eddie since he's already graduated, but you should keep up with it.† Angeline looked unhappy about that. She'd had a number of difficulties with her classes, not to mention some outright embarrassments – like when she'd been asked to create a map of Central America and had shown up with one of Nebraska and Kansas. She put on a cocky face, but I knew Amberwood overwhelmed her sometimes. Jill joined us, looking bright and refreshed. Ideally, Moroi drank blood every day. They could survive on this twice-a-week schedule, but I'd noticed that Jill grew tired and rundown the farther she got from feedings. â€Å"Your turn, Adrian,† she said. He was yawning and looked startled at being noticed. I don't think he'd really been interested in Sonya's blood experiments. As he stood up, he glanced over at me. â€Å"Will you walk with me a sec, Sage?† Before I could even lodge my protest, he said, â€Å"Don't worry, I'm not taking you to the feeding. I just want to ask you a quick question.† I nodded and followed him out of the room. As soon as we were away from the others, I said, â€Å"I do not want to hear any more ‘witty' commentary on Brayden.† â€Å"My commentary's hilarious, not witty. But that's not what I wanted to talk about.† He came to a halt in the hallway, outside what I suspected was Dorothy's room. â€Å"So, it seems my old man's coming to San Diego on business next weekend.† I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms, already getting a bad feeling about this. â€Å"He doesn't know why I'm here, of course, or that I'm with Jill. He doesn't even know what city I'm in. He just thinks I'm partying in California, up to no good as usual.† I wasn't surprised that Mr. Ivashkov wouldn't know the true reason for Adrian being here. Jill's â€Å"resurrection† was top secret, as were her whereabouts. We couldn't risk any extra people – not even someone who might not mean her harm – finding out where she was. What did surprise me was that Adrian was working so hard to act like he didn't care what his father thought – but he obviously did. Adrian's face was convincing, but there was a note of bitterness in his voice that gave him away. â€Å"Anyway,† Adrian continued, â€Å"he said he'd meet me for lunch if I wanted. Normally, I'd blow it off†¦ but I'd kind of like to know what's going on with my mom – they never tell me when I call or e-mail.† Again, I picked up mixed emotions from him. Adrian's mother was serving time in a Moroi prison for crimes of intrigue. You wouldn't know it by his cocky attitude and sense of humor, but it must have been hard on him. â€Å"Let me guess,† I said. â€Å"You want to borrow my car.† I was sympathetic to those with difficult fathers, even Adrian. But my compassion only went so far and didn't extend to Latte. I couldn't risk any dents. Besides, the idea of being stuck without any way to get around scared me, especially when vampires were involved. â€Å"No way,† he said. â€Å"I know better than that.† He did? â€Å"Then what do you want?† I asked, surprised. â€Å"I was hoping you'd drive me.† I groaned. â€Å"Adrian, it takes two hours to get there.† â€Å"It's pretty much a straight shot down the highway,† he pointed out. â€Å"And I figured you'd drive a four-hour round-trip before giving up your car to someone else.† I eyed him. â€Å"That's true.† He took a step closer, a disconcertingly earnest expression all over his face. â€Å"Please, Sage. I know it's a lot to ask, so I'm not even going to pretend you'd benefit. I mean, you can spend the day in San Diego doing whatever you want. It's not the same as going to see solar panels or whatever with Brady, but I'd owe you – literally and figuratively. I'll pay you gas money.† â€Å"It's Brayden, and where in the world would you get gas money?† Adrian lived on a very tight allowance his father gave him. It was part of why Adrian was taking college classes, in the hopes that he'd get financial aid next semester and have a bit more of an income. I admired that, though if we were all actually still in Palm Springs come January, it'd mean the Moroi had some serious political problems. â€Å"I†¦ I'd cut back on things to come up with the extra money,† he said after a few moments of hesitation. I didn't bother hiding my surprise. â€Å"Things† most likely meant alcohol and cigarettes, which was where his meager allowance usually went. â€Å"Really?† I asked. â€Å"You'd give up drinking to go see your dad?† â€Å"Well, not permanently,† he said. â€Å"That'd be ridiculous. But maybe I could switch to something slightly cheaper for a while. Like†¦ slushes. Do you know how much I love those? Cherry, especially.† â€Å"Um, no,† I said. Adrian was easily distractible by wacky topics and shiny objects. â€Å"They're pure sugar.† â€Å"Pure deliciousness, you mean. I haven't had a good one in ages.† â€Å"You're getting off topic,† I pointed out. â€Å"Oh. Right. Well, whether I have to go on a slush-based diet or whatever, you'll get your money. And that's the other reason†¦ I'm kind of hoping the old man might agree to up my income. You probably don't believe it, but I hate always borrowing from you. It's easy for my dad to dodge phone calls, but face-to-face? He can't escape. Plus, he thinks it's more ‘manly' and ‘respectable' to ask for something directly. Classic Nathan Ivashkov honor.† Once again, the bitterness. Maybe a little anger. I studied Adrian for a long time as I thought about my next response. The hall was dim, giving him the advantage. He could probably see me perfectly while some details were more difficult for me. Those green, green eyes I so often admired in spite of myself simply looked dark now. The pain on his face, however, was all too apparent. He hadn't yet learned to hide his feelings from Jill and the bond, but I knew he kept that lazy, devil-may-care attitude on for the rest of the world – well, for everyone except me lately. This wasn't the first time I'd seen him vulnerable, and it seemed weird to me that I, of all people, was the one he kept baring his emotions to. Or was it weird? Maybe this was just my social ineptitude confusing me again. Regardless, it pulled at something within me. â€Å"Is that really what this is about? The money?† I asked, tucking my other questions aside. â€Å"You don't like him. There has to be something more here.† â€Å"The money's a big part. But I meant what I said earlier†¦ about my mom. I need to know how she is, and he won't tell me about her. Honestly, I think he just wants to pretend it never happened – either for that reputation of his or maybe†¦ maybe because it hurts him. I don't know, but like I said, he can't dodge if I'm right there. Plus†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Adrian glanced away a moment before mustering the courage to meet my eyes again. â€Å"I don't know. It's stupid. But I thought†¦ well, maybe he'd be impressed that I was sticking to college this time. Probably not, though.† My heart ached for him, and I suspected that last part – earning his dad's approval – was bigger than Adrian was letting on. I knew all about what it was like to have a father who continually judged, whom nothing was ever good enough for. I understood as well the warring emotions†¦ how one day you could say you didn't care, yet be yearning for approval the next. And I certainly understood motherly attachment. One of the hardest parts of being in Palm Springs was the distance from my mom and sisters. â€Å"Why me?† I blurted out. I hadn't meant to touch on those earlier questions, but I suddenly couldn't help myself. There was too much tension here, too much emotion. â€Å"You could've asked Sonya or Dimitri to drive you. They probably would've even let you borrow their rental car.† The ghost of a smile flashed across Adrian's face. â€Å"I don't know about that. And I think you know why I don't want to risk being trapped in a car with our Russian friend. As for the rest†¦ I don't know, Sage. There's something about you†¦ you don't judge like the others. I mean, you do. You're more judgmental than any of them in some ways. But there's an honesty to it. I feel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The smile left his face as he faltered for words. â€Å"Comfortable around you, I guess.† There was no way I could stand against that, though I find it ironic he was allegedly most comfortable around me when Moroi gave me panic attacks half the time. You don't have to help, an inner voice warned me. You don't owe him anything. You don't owe any Moroi anything that isn't absolutely necessary. Have you forgotten Keith? This isn't a part of your job. The bunker came back to me, and I recalled how one vampire deal had landed Keith in Reeducation. How much worse was I? Social interaction was an inevitable part of this assignment, but I was blurring all the lines around it again. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"I'll do it. E-mail me what time you need to leave.† That's when the funniest part came. He looked totally floored. â€Å"Really?† I couldn't help but laugh. â€Å"You gave me that whole pitch and didn't really think I'd agree, did you?† â€Å"No,† he admitted, still clearly amazed. â€Å"I can't always tell with you. I cheat with people, you know. I mean, I'm good at reading faces, but I pick up a lot from auras and act like I just have amazing insight. I haven't learned to totally understand humans, though. You've got the same colors but a different feel.† Auras didn't weird me out as much as other vampire magic, but I still wasn't entirely comfortable with them. â€Å"What color is mine?† â€Å"Yellow, of course.† â€Å"Of course?† â€Å"Smart, analytic types usually have yellow. You've got a little purple here and there, though.† Even in the dimness, I could see a mischievous spark in his eyes. â€Å"That's what makes you interesting.† â€Å"What's purple mean?† Adrian put his hand on the door. â€Å"Gotta go, Sage. Don't want to keep Dorothy waiting.† â€Å"Come on. Tell me what purple is.† I was so curious, I nearly grabbed his arm. He turned the knob. â€Å"I will if you want to join us.† â€Å"Adrian – â€Å" Laughing, he disappeared inside the room and shut the door. With a shake of my head, I started to return to the others and then decided to seek out my Diet Coke after all. I lingered with it in the kitchen for a while, leaning against the granite countertops and staring absentmindedly at the brilliant copper pots hanging from the ceiling. Why had I agreed to drive Adrian? What was it about him that managed to crack all the propriety and logic I built my life around? I understood why I often had a soft spot for Jill. She reminded me of my younger sister, Zoe. But Adrian? He wasn't like anyone I knew. In fact, I was fairly certain there was no one in the entire world quite like Adrian Ivashkov. I delayed so long that when I returned to the living room, Adrian was on his way back too. I sat down on the couch, nursing the last of my Diet Coke. Sonya brightened upon seeing me. â€Å"Sydney, we just had a wonderful idea.† Maybe I wasn't always the quickest in picking up social cues, but I did notice this wonderful idea was addressed to me, and not Adrian and me. â€Å"We were just talking about the reports from the night of the†¦ incident.† She gave Clarence a meaningful look, and I nodded in understanding. â€Å"Both the Moroi and the Alchemists said the Strigoi had trouble with your blood too, correct?† I stiffened, not liking this at all. It was a conversation I'd lived in fear of. The Strigoi who'd killed Lee hadn't just had â€Å"trouble† with my blood. Lee's had tasted strange to them. Mine had been disgusting. The one who'd tried to drink from me hadn't been able to tolerate it at all. She'd even spit it out. â€Å"Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said carefully. â€Å"Obviously, you're not a restored Strigoi,† said Sonya. â€Å"But we'd like to take a look at your blood too. Maybe there's something about it that could help us. A small sample should suffice.† All eyes were on me, even Clarence's. The room started to close in as a familiar panic filled me. I had thought a lot about why the Strigoi hadn't liked my blood – actually, I'd tried to avoid thinking about it. I didn't want to believe there was anything special about me. There couldn't be. I didn't want to attract anyone's attention. It was one thing to facilitate these experiments and another to actually be a subject. If they wanted me for one test, they might want me for something else. And then something else. I'd end up locked away, poked and prodded. There was also the fact that I just didn't want to give up my blood. It didn't matter that I liked Sonya and Dimitri. It didn't matter that the blood would be drawn with a needle, not teeth. The basic concept was still there, a taboo stemming from the most rudimentary of Alchemist beliefs: giving blood to vampires was wrong. It was my blood. Mine. No one – especially vampires – had any business with it. I swallowed, hoping I didn't look like I wanted to bolt. â€Å"It was only one Strigoi's opinion. And you know they don't like humans as well as†¦ you guys.† That was part of why the Moroi lived in such fear and had seen their numbers reduced over time. They were the creme de la creme of Strigoi cuisine. â€Å"That's probably all it was.† â€Å"Perhaps,† said Sonya. â€Å"But there's no harm done in checking.† Her face was alight with this new idea. I hated turning her down†¦ but my principles on this matter were too strong. It was everything I'd been raised to believe. â€Å"I think it's a waste of time,† I said. â€Å"We know spirit has to be involved, and I have no connection to that.† â€Å"I do think it would be helpful,† she said. â€Å"Please.† Helpful? From her point of view, yes. She wanted to rule out every possibility. But my blood had nothing to do with Strigoi conversions. It couldn't. â€Å"I†¦ I'd rather not.† A tame response, considering the emotions churning inside me. My heart was starting to race, and the walls were still closing in on me. My anxiety increased as I was visited by an old feeling, the awful realization that I was outnumbered here at Clarence's. That it was me and a roomful of vampires and dhampirs. Unnatural creatures. Unnatural creatures who wanted my blood†¦ Dimitri studied me curiously. â€Å"It won't hurt, if that's what you're afraid of. We don't need any more than what a doctor would take.† I shook my head adamantly. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Both Sonya and I have training in this sort of thing,† he added, trying to reassure me. â€Å"You don't have to worry about – â€Å" â€Å"She said no, okay?† All the eyes that had been on me suddenly jerked toward Adrian. He leaned forward, fixing his gaze on Sonya and Dimitri, and I saw something in those pretty eyes I'd never seen before: anger. They were like emerald fire. â€Å"How many times does she have to refuse?† Adrian demanded. â€Å"If she doesn't want to, then that's all there is to it. This has nothing to do with her. This is our science project. She's here to protect Jill and has plenty to do there. So stop harassing her already!† â€Å"‘Harassing' is kind of a strong word,† Dimitri said, calm in the face of Adrian's outburst. â€Å"Not when you keep pushing someone who wants to be left alone,† countered Adrian. He shot me a concerned look before fixing his anger back on Sonya and Dimitri. â€Å"Stop ganging up on her.† Sonya glanced uncertainly between us. She looked legitimately hurt. As astute as she was, I don't think she'd realized how much this bothered me. â€Å"Adrian†¦ Sydney†¦ we aren't trying to upset anyone. We just really want to get to the bottom of this. I thought all of you did too. Sydney's always been so supportive.† â€Å"It doesn't matter,† growled Adrian. â€Å"Take Eddie's blood. Take Belikov's blood. Take your own for all I care. But if she doesn't want to give hers, then that's all there is to it. She said no. This conversation is done.† Some distant part of me noticed that this was the first time I'd ever seen Adrian stand up to Dimitri. Usually, Adrian simply tried to ignore the other man – and hoped to be ignored in return. â€Å"But – † began Sonya. â€Å"Let it go,† said Dimitri. His expression was always difficult to read, but there was a gentleness in his voice. â€Å"Adrian's right.† Unsurprisingly, the room was a little tense after that. There were a few halting attempts at small talk that I hardly noticed. My heart was still in overtime, my breath still coming fast. I worked hard to calm down, reassuring myself that the conversation was done, that Sonya and Dimitri weren't going to interrogate me or forcibly drain my blood. I dared a peek at Adrian. He no longer looked angry, but there was still a fierceness there. It was almost†¦ protective. A strange, warm feeling swirled in my chest, and for a brief moment, when I looked at him, I saw†¦ safety. That wasn't usually the first sentiment I had around him. I shot him what I hoped was a grateful look. He gave me a small nod in return. He knows, I realized. He knows how I feel about vampires. Of course, everyone knew. Alchemists made no secret about how we believed most vampires and dhampirs were dark creatures who had no business interacting with humans. Because I was with them so often, however, I didn't think my cohort here in Palm Springs really understood how deeply that belief ran. They understood it in theory but didn't really feel it. They had no reason to since they hardly ever saw any evidence of it in me. But Adrian understood. I didn't know how, but he did. I thought back on the handful of times I'd freaked out around them since being in Palm Springs. Once had been at a mini-golf course when Jill had used her water magic. Another time had been with the Strigoi and Lee, when Adrian had offered to heal me with his magic. Those were small lapses of control for me, ones none of the others had even noticed. Adrian had. How was it that Adrian Ivashkov, who never seemed to take anything seriously, was the only one among these â€Å"responsible† people who had paid attention to such small details? How was he the only one to really understand the magnitude of what I was feeling? When the time came to leave, I drove Adrian home along with the rest of us Amberwood students. More silence persisted in the car. Once Adrian had been dropped off, Eddie relaxed and shook his head. â€Å"Man. I don't think I've ever seen Adrian so mad. Actually, I've never seen Adrian mad at all.† â€Å"He wasn't that mad,† I said evasively, eyes on the road. â€Å"He seemed pretty mad to me,† said Angeline. â€Å"I thought he was going to jump up and attack Dimitri.† Eddie scoffed. â€Å"I don't think it was going to quite reach that point.† â€Å"I dunno,† she mused. â€Å"I think he was ready to take on anyone who messed with you, Sydney.† I continued staring ahead, refusing to look at any of them. The whole encounter had left me feeling confused. Why had Adrian protected me? â€Å"I offered to do him a favor next weekend,† I said. â€Å"I think he feels like he owes me.† Jill, sitting beside me in the passenger seat, had been quiet thus far. With the bond, she might know the answer. â€Å"No,† she said, a puzzled note in her voice. â€Å"He would have done it for you regardless.†

Hotel Case

The Royal Hotel Case Study describes a situation where a junior consultant has architected a hotel maintenance management and issue tracking solution for a boutique hotel client. Blake, the consultant, identified a hotel maintenance management package which included a Rapid Response issue logging module, Preventative Maintenance module and the Reporting Module. Blake left the engagement prior to the completion of the change and has been called back because the system has been month balled a few weeks after go live. The hotel GM and Blake’s boss are extremely unhappy. The Cast of charactersBlake Cantera > An MBA student with two weeks consulting training. The architect of the solution on his first engagement Royal Hotel GM > A no nonsense, old school hotelier, running a boutique business hotel in New York. The GM wants to eliminate situations where guests discover maintenance issues. Director of Housekeeping > Not a champion for the system and does not take ownership for the ma intenance issues at the hotel Director of Maintenance > Roll has a natural conflict with housekeeping – did housekeeping report the issues and maintenance lose it, or did housekeeping just not report it?Director IT Espresso Vendor > Potentially oversold the solution as a panacea Jack Scarso > A colleague of Blake’s with similar experience, who is held in low esteem. Jack was assigned to implement the solution when Blake was transferred off. Jack received virtually no handover. Fancy Consultants Boss > The kind of boss who provides little support and mountains of expectation and appears to take little or no responsibility for the issues. Issues with the solution and approachThe implementation of the Espresso system would classify as a second order change which impacts Technology, Process and People and requires careful planning on how to overcome the End Users resistance to change which could dramatically impact the adoption of the system. The GM is an â€Å"Old School † hotelier however the proposed solution is a very â€Å"New School† solution; relying on digital logging, reporting and electronic task tracking rather than relationships and hierarchy for effectiveness, this suggests some ultural challenges that would appear not to have been addressed. The staff who are required to interact with the system will undergo process and cultural changes The way that housekeeping report issues changes – instead of waiting until the end of the shift they now report issues using the phone as they come across them. Maintenance teams are now being tracked using the sidekick and bar code system, to ensure stations are visited. Additionally reporting has been implemented to identify top performers and motivate staff.As such attention to managing the people dimension to ensure that the change is adopted is critical to the success of the initiative In-experienced change implementor acting without supervision or guidance. Change in key resourc es during the implementation with little effective transition or handover. Limited or no executive or general management oversight or support of the implementation from FC, the Royal Hotel or the Vendor. What should Blake do? Firstly, Blake needs to ensure that the Espresso System has the comitment of the full management team.After all, these are the people who let the system get mothballed so quickly. This means assembling the stakeholders and seeking their commitment to the success of this initiative – this is not just Blakes’ problem and Blake can’t fix it by himself – the system needs to be owned. Next Blake needs to understand what the current situation is which will involve clarifying the following Why did the employees stop using the system Why did the Directors of Maintenance and Housekeeping let their employees stop using the system? What needs of the employees did the old system better suit?How was the bar coding of maintenance points deployed? Did the management team receive the new reports and were their requirements catered for with the reporting tools? How were job changes managed and assigned – for example monitoring the Command Centre? Infrastructure – did the solution integrate with existing infrastructure – were the reports accessible? Were the sidekick units adopted? Through this process of analysis Blake can produce a post implementation review and and action plan for system design modifications, change management, training and re-release.

How to Break a Bad Habit Essay

Research says that 40 percent of our actions are habits not conscious decisions. A Habit is defined as â€Å"a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up†. Generally habits are good things; but what about the bad habits- biting your nails, smoking, procrastination, etc.? Habits are learned, therefore they can’t just be deleted, but they can be replaced by more desired behaviors. Many people have habits that they want to break, but they feel like they can’t do it, the idea of it seems impossible or too difficult to challenge. Breaking a habit is easier than it seems. In order to break a bad habit we must first define the habit. What is the behavior you want to stop and why do you want to stop it? Many people are on board the idea of breaking a habit without being sure they really want to make the change and why they want to make the change. Once you recognize the habit you want to stop and the reason as to why you want/ need to stop it you then need to identify what triggers this habit. Many habits are habitual behaviors that have evolved because they have been rewarded in some way. Most bad habits come out as a way of dealing with situations that may cause stress, anger, boredom, etc. For example, many people who smoke look at it as a stress reliever. In order to break a habit it is important to identify what triggers the habit. What is the cue that sets you off? Is it a time a day, a memory, an emotion? Ask yourself â€Å"do I do this habit whenever blank occurs?† Once you are able to define whether it is a situational or emotional context that triggers the habit you are better able to find ways to break the habit and develop another healthier way of achieving the same reward. Next we need to identify the reinforcement and replace it with something that gives you the same satisfaction. What are you really getting out of this action/habit? This can be a really difficult step. By smoking you can get unhealthy skin, the risk of lung cancer, brown teeth, but it relieves your stress and so it’s justifiable, right? What can you do that is better for yo u and will give you the same satisfaction? For example you smoke because for you it relieves stress after you smoke you feel a sense relieve. What else gives you a sense of relief? Go to the gym, listen to music, chew gum, or cook. Visualize your success, in your mind practice breaking the habit by imagining yourself engaging in the desired  behaviors rather than the old ones. For example, if your goal is to eat better than visualize yourself in the kitchen preparing health meals. Visualize that in a short period of time you will lose the 10 pounds you’re trying to lose. Remember it is okay to think about the habit you’re trying to break, just remember to visualize and remind yourself of the outcome from breaking this bad habit. Support is very important when breaking a habit. When trying to break a habit tell supportive people about your plan, it’s a great feeling to have support and encouragement. Invite friends to call you out when you slip up and there be consequences. An example of this would be if you’re trying to stop cursing; keep a swear jar and every time you slip up you have to put a dollar or an amount you would hate to give up into your husband/wife/support jar as well as your own jar. Stick to this whenever you slip up. Eventually you’ll become more cautious of the things you’re saying because you’ll get tired of paying up. Habits are created when a behavior is rewarded in some way as I mentioned earlier. With that being said find a way to reward yourself for good behavior. For example, if you’re trying to break the habit of being late to class, you can reward yourself with something you like, like a caramel flan latte from Starbucks that you love so much every day that you’re on time to class, until the reward is no longer needed. However, the most successful reward will be the one that comes after that breaking that habit. Lastly, when breaking a bad habit, be patient. Behavioral training is a long process, and breaking a habit take time. Studies show that in most cases it takes 28 days to break a habit. However, reality is a lot more complicated and it progress depends on the individual and the habit. The first few days will be the hardest, but it important to stay focused and think about the outcome. There will be times when you want to give up there may even be times when you slip up but you must continue to push. Remember to you can do it!

Hamlet by Shakespeare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hamlet by Shakespeare - Essay Example the period from the 14th up to the 17th centuries, but also a series of works of literature and art with specific characteristics. The Renaissance literature in the west is discussed in this paper. Particular emphasis is given on Shakespeare tragedy and Elizabethan drama. It is proved that Renaissance literature is differentiated from the works of literature of other periods, probably under the influence of the social and cultural trends of the specific period. In any case, it is made clear that the expansion of Renaissance, as a social and political movement, has been strongly supported by the literature of the particular period, as proved through the analysis of the ideas and the trends promoted through the Shakespeare tragedy, the Elizabethan drama and other works of literature that were aligned with the principles of Renaissance. In order to understand the nature and the role of Renaissance literature, it would be valuable to refer to specific works of literature of the specific period. Shakespeare tragedy and Elizabethan drama represent the principles of Renaissance as they have been aligned with the political and social ethics of Britain in the particular period of time. At first level, the following issue should be made clear: western literature has been strongly affected by Renaissance literature as these two types of literature have been developed within the same geographical area. For this reason, Renaissance has managed to influence western literature more than other types of literature developed internationally, for instance the Japanese literature. This phenomenon is highlighted in the study of Moore and Moody (187) and seems to be quite logical, also in terms of the common political and social traditions of western countries. In accordance with Keenan, the Renaissance literature had to faced an important problem: most of the works of literature developed during the particular period proved as ‘not timeless’ (Keenan 38), as initially t hought. It is noted that since the 17th century, the reputation of Renaissance authors, like Shakespeare, started to fell (Keenan 38), a phenomenon that has lasted up to the late 19th century (Keenan 38). Then, the interest for the Renaissance literature and works of literature, like Hamlet, increased significantly. Regarding specifically Hamlet, the specific work of literature was considered as ideal for identifying information related to Elizabethan England of the Renaissance period (Keenan 38). Hamlet, a play that performed for first time approximately at 1600-1601, has been based on the Danish history, a tale initially developed by Grammaticus (Keenan 92). It is explained that Shakespeare has alternated the tale and added a series of events, such as the appearance of the ghost of Hamlet for increasing the elements of tragedy related to the particular story (Keenan 92). These events and dialogues have been considered as necessary in order for tragedy to be increased; at the same time, the response of Hamlet to the events showed the role of revenge, as a tool for enforcing justice, even if this tool is not legally and socially justified. However, given the fact of the development of court corruption in that particular period, as presented through Hamlet, the use of revenge for enforcing justice seems to be appropriate, as this support is reflected in the response of the audience, which tends to support Hamlet. Hamlet, like the other works of Shakespeare, emphasized on tragedy, a fact that has made

Answer both parts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Answer both parts - Essay Example It will be useful in the research because it will provide insight of what happens in the community. It addresses the use of media in addressing contemporary phenomenon of language manipulation. What is more interesting in this article was that it is the human beings that manipulate language the conditions of the other human being in the prison. Even though the international human rights are enumerated still the prisoners are tortures and deprived of basic needs. The implication is that these laws are made ti protect the prisoners and at the same time they are broken by the use of language to make the situation later than the normal conditions. There is knowledge gap that need to be addressed as early as possible in order to investigate And find out how the use of language contribute to the violation of human rights that are accepted internationally. The term originated from the United States’ President George Bush that coined and subsequently used it on 20th September 2001 through his government. Accordingly, the Western media picked it up to refer to a global military, legal, conceptual as well as political war against regimes linked supportive to terrorist’s activities, as well as terrorist-attached organizations. War on Terror, ‘The war on terror (Global War on Terrorism) is a global military movement that instigated after 11th September 2001 terrorist invasion of the US. The United States later spearheaded a coalition comprising of other NATO as well as non-NATO countries in this war campaign to extinguish al-Qaeda as well as their associated militant extremist groupings. The term always meant the Muslims nations linked to Islamic terrorism groupings such as al-Qaeda and their affiliates. The current US admiration replaced the term with the Overseas Contingency Operation but still drives similar agendum and objectives of the initial President Bush’s â€Å"War

The Business of Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Business of Health Care - Essay Example This paper seeks to determine the extent to what the health care can be a business, and seek evidence that may suggest the cost and quality improvement of the health care. The business aspect of health care encompasses the entire system, from financial analysis to personnel management. Similar to other businesses, the health care providers need qualified individuals for the management of resources, finance, database and computer systems, and other aspects of the health care administration. Those concerned with health care management essential deal with the ‘business side’ of the health care system, which include budget and staff needs, databases, accountability, and organizational systems. These personnel prepare reports on funds or resources allocation, focus on improving efficiency by ensuring that patients enjoy timely access to health care services, and engage in reorganization of departments through streamlining processes as well as assisting employees to achieve th eir best productivity (Greener, 2007:258). Small physicians and private practice groups may only require the services of a single administrator or a few staff members, but large organizations with a relatively higher number of physician, nurses, and surgeons may require an entire department to keep operations running smoothly. In recent times, the debate over the increasing costs of the health care system has sparked different opinions and proposals from scholars and experts in the field. Additionally, studies and research show that the health care system is less than ideal. These two factors constitute a significant problem to the system. There are numerous possible causes of these deficiencies, including the rapid development of technology, poorly informed customers, difficulties in measuring the performance of providers, resistance by providers to embrace information technologies and other potentially quality-improvement techniques. Turnover of workers and enrolees among employer s and insurers, administered prices, and delayed impact of investment in health promotion. A portion of health services researchers argue that National Health Service, a United Kingdom health care system, should lead the way in effort to promote quality healthcare in the UK and the rest of the world (Department of Health, 2008:6). There are many key stakeholders in the health care system, including the government, consumers, health plans, providers, hospitals, health insurers, and pharmacy-benefit managers, although the private sector is also an important catalyst for improving the health care. This is so because, first, more than 160 million non-elderly employees receive health insurance from their employers. Second, employers provide a substantial amount of compensation to employees in form of health insurance. Third, a section of employers is leading initiative to assess the quality of health care and hold providers accountable. Fourth, private employers may move focus to the pub lic sector after conviction that investing in the programs that seek to improve the quality of the health care services is profitable. There are two important points worth noting in this context. One, improving the quality of he

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 16

Reflection - Essay Example Many students feel that the meals they take for lunch are not tasty and as a result they prefer to skip the meals. According to Martin and Oakley (438), care programs that provide the learners with meals that have proper nutrition will succeed to make the learners ready for their studies. Learners should enjoy high nutritious meals before they get to school because this will help them to easily transition to meals offered in school. The physical environment of the school is ideal for learning. While in school, the students are to access the services of a well organised classroom, play ground and dining hall. When activities change, students change their physical setting, making them able to relate the activity they are doing with the environment. A student like Samuel for example is able to differentiate the different setting with the activities to be undertaken. The physical setting of the classroom makes students ready to learn. According to Cashin and Cooper, interaction between the teachers and the students improves the environment of learning compared to using online platforms to teach students on language. The positive interactions between the students and the mentor make the students motivated to learn. The mentors are also able to demonstrate their interest to participate in the learning process of the students and to provide the students with sufficient mentorship. From the experience of interacting with the students, the general performance of the students improve substantially when new innovative mentoring techniques are used in an alternating manner. Some of the effective techniques used include brainstorming sessions, note taking sessions and group activity sessions. While note taking enables the students to further master the language, other techniques like group activities make the students to motivate each other to learn more. Teacher’s participation

Are Circumcisions Necessary Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Are Circumcisions Necessary - Research Paper Example This paper seeks to give an in-depth analysis of circumcision outlining its merits and demerits. In the religious point of view, circumcision is observed to be commandment. From the biblical teachings, Abraham was instructed to be circumcised and all his decedents to follow that. As a result, the Jewish culture ensured that all men had to be circumcised in order to live by the religious teachings (Glass 1). Thus, circumcision is observed a means of adhering to the biblical teachings and preparing the heavenly kingdom. In the Muslim faith, circumcision derives its roots from the religious teachings (Rizvi and Hassan 1). Sexually transmitted diseases have been on the increase in the recent past and have threatened the future. Due to the illness, many persons have left their families and the number of orphans has been on the increase. Furthermore, the problem reduces the human labor of a country, which is necessary for its economic development. In a bid to address this, numerous researc hes has been conducted on the possible ways of controlling the spread of sexually transmitted infections (Barbieri 1; Jozkowski et al 1). According to a research conducted on circumcision and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in Uganda, South Africa, and Kenya, it was observed that circumcised men were less prone to contracting STIs. Prior to the research, all persons were given same advice on how to prevent the spread of STI. In addition, circumcision is observed to reduce the chances of developing urinary tract infection and cancer of the penis. During infancy, the foreskin of a child is not retractable until the age of six month. During this period, the bacterial colonization is very high which places the child at a risk of developing urinary tract infections. Sex is essential in the reproduction of human race. In the realization of pleasure, the sensitivity of the head of the penis plays a significant part. For an uncircumcised man, the head of the penis is more sensit ive as it is usually covered from interacting with the clothing. In the case of a woman, the removal of the clitoris and the labia reduces pleasures realized during sex. Thus in terms of pleasure, circumcision reduces it by a significant margin. Circumcision usually entails conduction of a surgery. As such, it is prone to the emergence of health complications. Bleeding is a common phenomenon during circumcision. In most traditional practices, very few measures were implemented to reduce bleeding. As a result, it resulted to excessive bleeding which sometimes lead to death. Currently, there has been technological advancement, which has led to the identification and implementation of various medicines and practices that reduces bleeding. Despite this, it still poses a danger to the patients. During any surgical experiment, sterilization of the tools and equipment to be used is very necessary. This is aimed at reducing the chances of contracting infections. Despite this, some circumcis ion has resulted in the contraction of infection by the victims especially when the tools used are not properly sterilized. Furthermore, when one is circumcised, the wound provides an easy avenue for attack by disease causing organism. Thus, if proper hygiene is not maintained, then the patients may get the infection. For the case of uncircumcised men, they are not exposed to such health risks. Thus, circumcision increases the chances of post-operative infections. Many persons and organizations have continuously

Strategic finance essay with word counts no less than 1500

Strategic finance with word counts no less than 1500 - Essay Example Like any other capital budgeting model, CAPM has its own weaknesses and strengths. In order to improve its usefulness, the standard capital asset pricing model has undergone various developments and modifications in the recent past. Since its conception about four decades ago, the Capital Asset Pricing Model has been used widely in applications to estimate cost of capital of firms and evaluate the performance of asset portfolios in companies. This report argues that CAPM has received such a wide support and use in the industry despite its strong assumptions because it provides powerful and reliable predictions about risk measurements and the relationship between risk and expected return. CAPM has several problems which are considered by many as the results of theoretical failures emanating from the strong assumptions of the model (Rubinstein 2006). However, they could also be caused by the difficulties of its empirical implementation. Although these problems are common, it is also understood that other models have their problems too. Therefore, the best model is the one which has proved to be successful in its application. Capital Asset Pricing Model is the model with such wide and successful application becaus e it provides powerful and reliable predictions about risk and returns of a given portfolio of assets. The Capital Assets Pricing Model (CAPM) suggests that the equilibrium rates of return of risky assets in the market have a linear relationship with the market portfolio. CAPM is used to establish a theoretical value of required rate of return of an asset in a diversified portfolio. This takes into consideration the systematic and market risks which are non-diversifiable risks (Rubinstein 2006). The model also considers the markets expected return and the theoretical risk-free assets expected return. CAPM draws from the portfolio theory developed by Harry Markowitz (1959). The formula of calculating expected return of an asset portfolio

Deaf President Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Deaf President - Research Paper Example Edward Miner Gallaudet was the first person to serve as the University’s president, and he served for 46 years. The second president was Dr. Percival Hall, a hearing man who served as a campus leader for 36 years. His successor, who ruled for 25 years, Dr. Leonard M. Elstad, was also a hearing man. Dr. Edward C. Merrill became the fourth hearing president of the university and served between 1969 and 1983 (Orlans, 1989, P.8, C. 2, L.6). It was during the election period for the fifth president that motions for a deaf president began. However, that did not succeed because Dr. W. Lloyd Johns stood as the fifth president of the University. In 1983, Jerry Lee stepped in as the sixth president of Gallaudet University. In 1987, he decided to step down from his seat due to the rising rate of protests from students (Orlans, 1989, P.9, C.2, L.28). Immediately, the Board of Trustees established a committee and appointed a qualified person to assess the deaf and hearing aspirants who wer e vying for the presidential position. On February 28, 1988, the committee announced three presidential finalists: Dr. Harvey Corson and Dr. I. King Jordan, who were both deaf. Finally, Dr. Elizabeth Zinser was the third finalist and was a hearing person (Orlans, 1989, P.11, C.3, L.18). On March 6, 1988, the Board declared Dr. Elisabeth Zinser as the eighth president of Gallaudet University. That date marked the beginning of a weeklong protest from the stakeholders at Gallaudet University (Orlans, 1989, P.9, C.2, L.28).

Telecommunications and Networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 3

Telecommunications and Networking - Essay Example 'Cloud Computing’ matches a perception of an imaginary cloud that illustrates the Internet or most likely a corporate network environment that is represented by a cloud. The imaginary Internet cloud of a corporate network environment is trustworthy for data transportation. Moreover, it is incorporated with advanced cloud generalization. In order to extend the cloud-computing concept, there are services along with network components consisting of routers, switches, application servers, and data servers. The components of the network are installed to operate at the back-end for providing advanced services that are proficient to develop web application (What is cloud computing?). Moreover, cloud computing consists of applications that are represented as a service on the web and the provision of hardware / software services provided by companies operating data centers. Likewise, the services provided over the Internet are referred as (Software as a Service) ‘SaaS’. Fe w sellers use the term (Infrastructure as a service) IaaS and (Platform as a service) PaaS ’in order to demonstrate their products and services. However, these terms are avoided and not accepted globally, due to variation (ARMBRUST, FOX et al. 2010). The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have illustrated some helpful definitions that focus on three concepts (Ryan, Loeffler 2010): The core components of a cloud are consists of the data center hardware and software. When these resources are made available to the public, they are referred as public clouds and the service provided by the cloud is called as utility computing. Moreover, private clouds are only available to private organizations and are not accessible by public. Accordingly, cloud computing is the combination of ‘SaaS’ and utility computing (ARMBRUST, FOX et al. 2010).  

Parole and Truth in Sentencing Essay Example for Free

Parole and Truth in Sentencing Essay To understand parole one needs to know what parole is and what it means. Parole is the status and early release of a convicted offender who has been conditionally releases from prison by a paroling authority before his or her sentence is expired. Parole and Probation have similar conditions. While an offender is on parole they have certain rules they need to follow. There is another form of parole which is Federal parole. Federal parole was determined by the Parole Board under the United Stated Parole Commission. Federal parole was changed after the Sentencing Reform Act. The Sentencing Reform Act was a part of the U. S. Federal statute that was intended to increase the consistency in the United States federal sentencing; this abolished federal parole all together. Parole was introduced by Brockway Zebulon in 1876 as a way to reduce jail overcrowding and as a way to rehabilitate offenders by encouraging them to win back their freedom with good behaviors. The role of parole was to reduce prison terms based on good behavior. Another role of probation was to supervise the convicted after being granted parole and grant freedom to those who had uncertain sentences. The reduction of jail terms after good and responsible behavior use to reduce indeterminate sentences. â€Å"There are 25 percent of inmates who are freed from prison are still paroled by the paroling authority, such as a parole board† (Schmalleger, F). Some conditions that affect parole would be the specific terms needed to be followed by the parolees. A parolee must check in with his parole officer within 24 hours after his release, they may be required to live in a certain area or with a certain person, and they may be required to stay away from certain people. If any of these stipulations are broken the parolee will go back to prison to serve out the remainder of their time of incarceration. This is also known as revocation of probation. Revocation of probation is an administrative action of a paroling authority removing a person from parole status. Once an offender is back in prison he has to serve out the remainder of his time and also anytime he may get from any other crimes he may have committed. Some typical conditions that affect whether a person gets parole are the nature of their crime, prior criminal record, and most importantly the amount of time already served. The goals of truth in sentencing are to improve the delivery of proportionate punishment and promote stability and predictability in offenders. â€Å"The abandonment of the rehabilitation goal, combined with a return to determine sentencing in many jurisdictions including the federal judicial system has reduces the amount of time an average corrections client spends on supervised parole†(Schmalleger,F pg. 424). In 1981 there was a revision that ensured that the credits to good behavior would exceed the length of the jail term: The more number of years one was to serve in prison the more the number of months they were likely to get. The credits were as follows five days per month on sentences between six months and one year, six days per month on sentences between 1 years and three years, and eight days per month on jail term between 5 years and 10 years. Convicts that were sentenced to life in jail were to be released on the basis of parole once they served 15 years in prison. There were other amendments that were done in the year 1930 and years after which have overseen the current parole regime that we have today. The probation and parole system is very intricate and is changed greatly overtime. Parole and probation are used all over the country and varies from state to state: even the truth in sentencing laws differ state to state. There are more parolees on parole than there has ever been all across the country and that number will only rise. As overcrowding continues to go on in prison, offenders will be released I feel like before they should be. Prison is meant to rehabilitate and to make the criminal think twice before committing a crime or giving him the skills he need to conduct a legal life style. Probation and Parole are 2 things that are an important part of the criminal justice systems.

Employee Performance in the Hotel Industry

Employee Performance in the Hotel Industry 1.1 Background Information: Employees are the assets for an organization. This is true because the success or failure of any organization depends upon its employee too. The importance of an employee in hospitality industry becomes more significant because of its nature- manpower intensive industry. In hospitality industry and hotel sector especially it is very important for organizations to stay focused on employee performance and so how to get enhancement in the employee performance. There are many reason of providing training to the employees. One basic reason is to fill the performance gap after having been identified the same. This gape can be known while having performance evaluation process. These days hotels have been taking continuous efforts to provide most practical and relevant training to the employees of all the functional area of the hotel concerned. These efforts of the hotels are more towards integration and getting more concrete results. Those hotels earning good profit have their well-developed training systems and they resort to a planned approach to training its employees. This level of hotel organization has regular training programmes regardless of its concrete tangible gains or not. There are many hotels where they have different approach to train the employees, that approach is intentional training, this includes providing training to all the employees irrespective of their deficiencies and strengths. This kind of approach of training goes on as one of the function of the organization. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K (2005) Employee performance is more important in this industry because employees are having direct interaction with the guest and secondly it is employee of the hotel industry that satisfies its guest. So it is very important for the manager concerned to know the factors that affects employee performance. There is a saying that perfection of work depends on pleasure at job. So pleasure and performance both can be achieved by quality education about the subject area and systematic training of the same. As far as Indian hospitality industry is concerned, a report commissioned by the department of tourism, Government of India, revealed that the annual demand for trained manpower in hotels and restaurants is likely to touch 29,000 by the year 2010. This figure is likely to increase to approximately 39,000 by the year 2020.And the actual supply of manpower? A total of approximately 18,000 students are being trained in hotel management and food craft annually in the country. Currently, in hotels, attrition rates are at 18-25 per cent per annum, and growing at an alarming rate of 10 per cent per annum. This, exacerbated by an escalating wage bill of 10-12 per annum with a five-year forecast pegged at a minimum increase of 40 per cent over current levels. Thus systematic training will play a life saving role in hospitality industry to counter with the current scenario. www.indiatoday/may2007/page24 After having basic information about systematic training and its significance to the hotel industry author would like to provide definitions of the key terms of this research. 1.2 Definitions: Training means learning some new things for increment or development of the working personnel. Training is becoming a necessary for having skills and attitudes as a part of each individuals working life for the higher performance. Performance Management: it is a process which is designed to improve organization, team and individual performance and which is owned and driven by line manager. Fool.M, Hock.C (2002). Training constitutes a systematic approach to training which includes taking the time to analyze what results the organization needs from its employees, if employees are accomplish those results. A systematic approach includes evaluating approaches before, during and after training to ensure employees truly benefited from the training in terms of enhanced results to the organization. www.managemertthelp.org/trng-dev/basics/sd.htm. Training is a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge or skill behavior through learning experience to achieve effective performance in an activity or range of activities. Golssmith.A, Nickson.D, Solan.S, Wood.R.C,; (1997). Training is a systematic process through which an organizations human resources gain knowledge and develop skills by instructions and practical activities that result in improved corporate performance. Frank.M.G, Mary.L, Monchello, BaumJ (1996). 1.3 Aim and objectives / Research Questions / Hypothesis: 1.3.1 Aim and Objectives: Purpose of this research work is to explore systematic training as a major factor in enhancement of employee performance in service department of hotel Industry. To explore the term Systematic Training and employee performance in hotel Industry. To explore the determinants of employee performance To find out relation between systematic training and employee performance. To explore training as motivational tool that leads to employee satisfaction. To explore the process involved in systematic training 1.3.2 Research Question: R.Q.1: What are the factors that influence employee performance in hotel sector of hospitality Industry? R.Q.2: How systematic training will ensure employee performance in hotel Industry? R.Q.3: What is the mechanism (process or technique) of systematic training? Is training works as motivational factor? 1.4 Rationale behind choice of this research topic: Employee performance is key to success of hotel organizations. So this is a prime area of focus because employee performance leads to organizational success and especially in hotel industry because of its nature that is manpower intensive industry. This is the reason employee performance is always a matter of consideration. These are the reasons author felt to explore this area with the help of systematic training. 1.5 Structure of Dissertation: This section is about presentation of the dissertation. First chapter after this introduction section is LITERATURE REVIEW which is chapter No.2, in this section author has presented his secondary research. After that chapter No.3 is METHODOLOGY chapter where in author has explained the methodology used to achieve the aim and objectives of this research. After methodology section there is chapter No.4 which is basically ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS with the help of tables and graphs. And at last chapter is 5 which contains CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. After these there is BIBLIOGRAPHY section which is nothing but list of references, followed by APPENDIX section which contains sample questionnaire and other additional material related with this research. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction: Literature review section of this report is secondary research related to the topic area and aim and objectives established by the author. This section of the research has been proving the research related to the topic area with the help of secondary research. All the variables of this research has been taken into account and all possible factors are also explored which is statements and quotes and sayings of scholars. 2.2 Significance of performance management: Performance management requires a willingness and commitment to focus on improving performance at the level of individual or team everyday. It focuses on performance and potential appraisal, performance review and feedback, and 360-degree feedback. All these processes center round improvement of performance levels of the employees. Its main purpose is to improve performance at all three levels- individual, group and hotel. A direct application of performance management is raising competency levels and potential of employees through employee training and development. Training and development efforts need to be linked with performance and potential appraisal systems prevailing in the hotel to improve results from training. Concrete gains from such training efforts initiated for employees can be achieved. Where performance appraisal has indicated poor performance, training focused at improving needed performance levels can yield significant improvement of performance by initiating need based professional development programs. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) Managing higher performance in a hotel is very much dependent on adopting a systematic training approach by which training gives better results and is more effective for both the individual as well as for the hotel. Training is a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge or skill behavior through learning experience to achieve effective performance in a activity or a range of activities. Goldsmith A, Nicleson D, Solan S, Wood RC: (1997) Training includes systematic training, which includes the different approaches like Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. Therefore systematic training means to analyze the needs and training goals of the organization with knowledge and skills to perform according to the hotel needs. Then a design of training system is there by which a training package is developed, which is inclusive of audio-visual, graphics, manuals etc. and at last implementing the package, which is developed. Simply approaches of systematic training provide a phase to next phase as it is a ongoing process. www.managementhelp.org/trng-dev/basics/sd.html. 2.3 Types of Training and Development: 2.3.1 Informal Training and Development Informal training and development is rather casual and incidental. Typically, there are no specified training goals as such, nor are their ways to evaluate if the training actually accomplished these goals or not. This type of training and development occurs so naturally that many people probably arent aware that theyre in a training experience at all. Probably the most prominent form of informal training is learning from experience on the job. Examples are informal discussions among employees about a certain topic, book discussion groups, and reading newspaper and journal articles about a topic. A more recent approach is sending employees to hear prominent speakers, sometimes affectionately called the parade of stars. Informal training is less effective than formal training if one should intentionally be learning a specific area of knowledge or skill in a timely fashion. Hardly any thought is put into what learning is to occur and whether that learning occurred or not. (However, thi s form of training often provides the deepest and richest learning because this form is what occurs naturally in life.) www.managementhelp.org/trng-dev/basics/sd.html. 2.3.2 Formal Training and Development: Formal training is based on some standard form. Formal training might include: Declaring certain learning objectives (or an extent of knowledge, skills or abilities that will be reached by learners at the end of the training), using a variety of learning methods to reach the objectives and then applying some kind(s) of evaluation activities at the end of the training. The methods and means of evaluation might closely associate with the learning objectives, or might not. For example, courses, seminars and workshops often have a form but its arguable whether or not their training methods and evaluation methods actually assess whether the objectives have been met or not.http:/ /www.managementhelp.org/trng_dev/methods/slf_drct.htm 2.3.3 Formal, Systematic Training and Development: Systematic, formal training involves carefully proceeding through the following phases: 1. Assessing what knowledge, skills and /or abilities are needed by learners; 2. Designing the training, including identifying learning goals and associated objectives, training methods to reach the objectives, and means to carefully evaluate whether the objectives have been reached or not; 3. Developing the training methods and materials; 4. Implementing the training; and 5. Evaluating whether objectives have been reached or not, in addition to the quality of the training methods and materials themselves www.managementhelp.org/trng-dev/basics/sd.html. A systematic approach is goal-oriented (hopefully, to produce results for the organization and/or learners), with the results of each phase being used by the next phase. Typically, each phase provides ongoing evaluation feedback to other phases in order to improve the overall systems process. Not all formal methods are systematic. Some courses, workshops, and other training sessions have goals, methods and evaluation, but they are not aligned, or even integrated. The methods, in total, do not guide the learner toward achieving the training goal. The evaluations are too often of how a learner feels about the learning experience, rather than of how well the learning experience achieved the goal of the training. http://www.managementhelp.org/trng_dev/rnethods/slf_drct.htrn 2.3.4 Self-Directed and Other-Directed Training: Self-Directed Training Self-directed training includes the learner making the decisions about what training and development experiences will occur and how. Self-directed training seems to be more popular of late. Note that one can pursue a self-directed approach to informal or formal training. For example, self-directed, informal training might include examples of informal training (book discussion groups, etc.), as long as the learner chose the activities and topics themselves, either for professional or personal reasons. Self-directed, formal training includes the learners selecting and carrying out their own learning goals, objectives, methods and means to verify that the goals were met. htpp//:www.authenticityconsulting.com/ Other-Directed Learning This form, of course, is where someone other than the learner drives what training activities will occur. Other-directed, informal training includes, e.g., supervisors sending employees to training about diversity, policies, sexual harassment in the workplace. Other-directed, formal training includes where someone other than the learner specifies the training goals will be met in training, how those goals will be met and how evaluation will occur to verify that the goals were met. This form of learning is probably the most recognized because it includes the approach to learning as used in universities, colleges and training centers. This form of learning typically grants diplomas and certificates. Note that this form of training, although readily available in universities, etc., is usually somewhat generic, that is, the program is geared to accommodate the needs of the most learners and not be customized to any one learner. Therefore, a learner may pay tuition fees to learn knowledge and skills that he or she may not really need.Another form of other-directed, formal training is employee development plans. The plans identify performance goals, how the goals will be reached, by when and who will verify their accomplishment. htpp//:www.authenticityconsulting.com/ Other-directed, formal training can be highly effective for helping learners gain desired areas of knowledge and skills in a timely fashion. A drawback is that learners can become somewhat passive, counting on the expert to show them when and what they should be doing. htpp//:www.authenticityconsulting.com/ 2.4 Systematic Training Approach: Adopting a systematic approach to training helps ensure that supervisors are getting the most out of themselves and their employees. A systematic approach to training includes the time to analyze what results the hotel needs from its employees, if employees are accomplishing those results, and what training and what training and development approaches are needed by employees to better accomplish those results. A systematic approach includes evaluating approaches before, during and after training to ensure employees truly benefited from the training in terms of enhanced results to the organization. These also have to be linked with performance management. Effective training and development includes using sound principles of performance management and effective training techniques. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) 2.4.1 Steps: Analysis-: Analyze the hotel needs and identify training goals which, when reached, will equip learners with knowledge and skills to meet the hotels needs. Usually this phase also includes identifying when training should occur and who should attend as learners. Purpose of training analysis is identifying training goals. A training analysis is conducted ultimately to identify training areas and plans for learners to help them acquire higher competence levels and contribute to accomplishment of the hotels goals (usually in terms of a performance standard). Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) Design:- Design a training system that learners and trainers can implement to meet the learning goals; typically includes identifying learning objectives, need facilities, necessary funding, course contents, lessons and sequence of lessons. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) Designing the Training Programs-: The step requires listing of typical activities involved in designing training. During the design phase (which is usually closely integrated with the development phase), trainers work from learning goals to design a training system that learners and trainers can implement to meet the learning goals. This phase also typically includes identifying learning objectives, need facilities, necessary funding, course contents, lessons and sequence of lessons. The various training media are selected, e.g.: instructor-led, computer-based, worldwide web based, self-directed, interactive and computer-based, or multi ­media. Therefore this design phase can also include identifying evaluation criteria to evaluate if course content is understandable by learners. There are some points considered for the phase which are as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The nature and type of training that is to be imparted. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The anticipated that learners may take to learn the particular aspects desired to be imparted from the training. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The financial provisions that can be possible to be made for the particular type of training. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The level of participants group. Formulating Program Learning Objectives-: Training programs should be designed by the trainers and/or learners to achieve certain overall goals. Programmes should also include various learning objectives that will help in achieving the overall goals of the training programme. Care must be taken while designing a training programmers learning objectives. These should be designed and worded to the extent that others can clearly understand. These training objectives have to be clarified to the learners in the beginning of the programme so that they know from the beginning what specifically are the programme objective and whether the same have been achieved or not. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) Develop : Programme development requires developing right from the programme outline to training manuals, trainers manuals, specific cases, so that programme objectives and learning goals can be achieved with optimum efforts for training made. It must be developed and implemented in a manner so that the best results from training are achieved. The way the entire programme is conceived and developed is also an important determinant for the success of the training effort. It contains the following main activities: Developing Programme Learning Activities-: Every programme must contain a set of learning activities consisting of a mix of role-plays, exercises, games, instruments, cases, etc. these learning activities have to be compiled theme and sub- theme wise. Training material must be systematically developed and finally each sub-theme, theme with the help of various learning activities must culminate in concrete learnings. Development requires documentation of all these and compiled a trainees and trainers manuals to use as resource material for conducting programmes systematically. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) Develop System of Continuous Learning-: Programme can be developed in such a way that the process of continuous learning is in-built in the programme structure itself and learners continue to learn even after the programme is over. Therefore it is important that the process learning must continue. This can be possible through developing mechanisms for reinforcements by the learners superiors, post training follow-ups, and helping learners develop a plan of action for implementing in the place of work both in short term and long term. The techniques to help facilitate occurrence of continuous learning on the various programme themes, has to be planned and integrated into the programme development phase. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) Implement-: This phase involves implementing the developed training package, which includes scheduling and delivering the training materials, and running the programme. This phase can include many administrative activities, such as copying, taken attendance data, billing participants, arrangements for program logistics and support facilities to create a favorable environment for learners. The major activities requiring care in this phase among others mentioned above are: Selecting a Trainer-: This activity is the most important activity. The appropriateness of the trainer will determine the effectiveness of the programme as well as the cost. The most important consideration when selecting a trainer is if they are well suited to the training design required to meet the learning goals. For e.g, if learners prefer computer-based instruction, then they will benefit most from a trainer only when he will have a thorough understanding of on-line/web enabled training technologies with a high level of personal mastery. Trainers may be chosen from among the following depending on needs, suitability and costs. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) Evaluate-: Training evaluation is extremely important phase and preferably, must be done before, during and after implementation of training. Evaluation process must adopt approaches that are practical and relevant. Typically evaluation could be carried out at four distinct points of time. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) Evaluating Before the Implementation Phase-: The evaluation at this point must find out whether: The planned training package will really result in enhancing the employees knowledge and skills needed to perform the task or carry out the assignment roles. The same has been attended by other employees in the hotel and that how useful have they found. The employees are/will be comfortable with the training pedagogy. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) Evaluating During Implementation of Training Programme-: It requires finding out: How are the participants feeling about the relevance and usefulness of the programme, getting more and more interested or disinterested? Continuously undertake recapitulation before the next day and sum up before the close of the day. A short-programme evaluation could be structured and taken during the middle of the programme to take any corrective action required. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) Evaluating Immediately After Completion of the Training-: The training programme must be evaluated properly after the same has been completed. This can be done by: Giving each participant a feedback form and taking a structured written feedback. Take the participants verbal feedback to check for anything that has not been covered up in the written feedback. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) Evaluation after completion of 3-4 Months of Training: This is generally done by an expert evaluator from inside or outside the hotel to evaluate what have been the concrete gains to both the learners knowledge and skills and to the hotel as well. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) 2.5 Advantages of Systematic Training: Training involves an expert working with the learners to transfer to them certain areas of knowledge or skills to improve in their current jobs. Development is a broad, ongoing multifaceted set of activities (training activities among them) to bring someone or an organization up to another threshold of performance, often to perform some job or new role in future. The typical benefits are as follows: Increased job satisfaction and morale among employees. Increased employee motivation. Increased efficiencies in processes, resulting in financial gain. Increased capacity to adopt new technologies and methods. Increased innovation in strategies and products. Reduced employee turnover. Enhanced hotel image. Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005) 2.6 Dimensions of Systematic Training and Development Processes: Systematic Training and development processes could be described using two dimensions one for the degree of formality and one for the balance between self-directed and other-directed learning. These two sets of choices result in four overall approaches. That is, one can take an informal approach to self-directed or other-directed learning. Similarly, one can take a formal approach to self-directed or other-directed learning. htpp//:www.authenticityconsulting.com The decision about what approach to take to systematic training depends on several factors. These factors include the amount of funding available for training, specificity and complexity of the knowledge and skills needed, timeliness of training needed, and capacity and motivation of the learner. Other-directed, formal training is typically more expensive than other approaches, but is often the most reliable to use for the learner to achieve the desired knowledge and skills in a timely fashion. Self-directed, informal learning can be very low-cost; however the learner should have the capability and motivation to pursue their own training. Training may take longer than other-directed forms. htpp//:www.authenticityconsulting.com Highly specific and routine tasks can often be trained without complete, formal approaches. On the other hand, highly complex and changing roles often require more complete and formal means of development, which can be very expensive as a result. If training is needed right away, then other-directed training is often very useful, e.g., to sign up for a training course at a local university, college or training center. Or, a training professional can be brought in. Again, other-directed training is usually faster and more reliable, but more expensive. Self-directed forms of training require that the learner be highly motivated and able to conceptualize their approach to training, particularly in formal training. htpp//:www.authenticityconsulting.com 2.6 Factors affecting systematic Training Programme: After having a series of discussions with the trainers/management consultants several factors were identified and grouped into which affect the training programmes negatively. Some of the factors which contributed to the negative results of training programmes are grouped as the reasons for failure of a training programme. Some reasons are identified for less effective training programmes and the responses were collected on a five point scale. All the reasons were listed in the questionnaire and the respondents were asked to rate the reasons for the less effective/ poor quality of a training programme. In the opinions of the respondents and the mean values of the reasons for less effective training programmes, the following are the factors, which affect the most of the training programme results: No follow up after the training programmes. Too much of individual difference among the trainees. Lack of motivation to trainees after the training. Inadequate opportunity to perform what the trainee has learned during the programme. Resistance to change due to uncertainty of outcomes. Communication gaps at the programmes. Too short duration. Lack of genuine support from top management. Very little planning or problems in the design itself. ( Srivastava.V.N, Shafiq.M, Ghosh.K; (2005)) Informations of this section have been taken from work of many scholars as a part of secondary research. Based on the secondary research author would like to conclude that to have enhancement in performance of hotel staff systematic training would be a vital factor. Now author will conduct primary research and discuss the concept based on his own experience after having interaction with the samples while conducting primary research. Author will replicate this conclusion based on secondary research, in the conclusion section of this report, while writing conclusion based on primary research. Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Design: A research can be exploratory, descriptive or explanatory. The determination of a particular research (as whether it is exploratory, descriptive or explanatory) is based on the aims and objectives of the research. Exploratory research seeks to get new insights into the subject, answers the research questions and assesses a phenomena from a new perspective. In other words, such research attempts to understanding or clarifying a problem (Saunders et al, 2005). Further they add that exploratory research goes through the processes of reviewing literature and consulting to experts on the subject through selected methods of consultation. They further put that exploratory research is advantageous in the sense that it is flexible and adaptable to change. Thus while conducting exploratory research a researcher can change his/her direction considering the new data and new insights. On the other end, as according to Saunders et al. (2005), the purpose of descriptive research is to highlight an accurate profile of an event or situation. This research is also termed as an extension of exploratory research, where a clear picture of phenomena is required before collecting the data. Finally there comes explanatory research, which according to Saunders et al. (2005), establishes relationship between variables and in such type of research focus is given on studying a situation or a problem (through explaining relationship between variables). In such type of research various statistical tests are conducted in order to examine the relationship. The aim of this research is to examine five star hotels on the basis of systematic training to the staff of service department and staff performance point of views. 3.2 Research Method Business and management Research, like any other study, has evolved through years of theoretical foundations and conceptualisations. Research may be defined as something that people undertake in order to find out things in a systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledge (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill, 2003). Research would not be meaningful if it is not done in a systematic way i.e. it should have a clear purpose and data collection should be done accordingly followed by assembling of data collected along with interpretation without which it is not considered a resea

Free Essay - The Token Black Guy :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

The Token Black Guy    In school social circles, I always find myself "The Token Black Guy." I thought of this term for my role after viewing an episode of Scrubs on TV.  Ã‚   I started thinking about the small number of black students at my school. It is something I have always turned a blind eye to.    I've never really been bothered about being the only black friend most of my friends have. But at times, it leads me to some stressful conclusions. I realize that I, in a way, represent the entire black community to them, as they get to know me, and see my strengths and weaknesses. It is one of the things that keeps me motivated. Perhaps I want people to see only the best in us, or perhaps it is something deeper.    I have never had problems with people because they were white. There have been, however, those who've had problems with me because I'm black. Sometimes, it's very subtle: because I am black, I must listen to rap music, play basketball or use a lot of slang. In truth, my parents make fun of me for using a lot of big words, I'm terrible at sports, and usually listen to classical music.    Other times, however, it is more overt. People come up to me using slang and gestures typical of urban African-American youth, and expect me to reciprocate. It's gone so far as for white kids to think they can use the "n" word around me. This does more than make me angry, it makes me question my identity.    Modern culture, especially that perpetuated on MTV, has given many suburban white kids the idea that they are oppressed by some business-like aristocracy. That may be true in a way, but in another, it is puzzling that the reaction has been for many middle-class Caucasian youth to adopt black culture as their own. And as far as media perception of black people, I really don't fit that mold. I am very in touch with my culture, heritage and race. And I take a great deal of pride in it. But because I don't fit the stereotype that even white kids are now trying to emulate, it sometimes puts me at odds with my own perception of my race.