Marketing and Trasforming Business in Porcini's Company Case Study

Define the Italian Renaissance. When did it begin and when did it end Essay

Characterize the Italian Renaissance. When did it start and when did it end What were the erudite person, social, monetary, and polit - Essay Example This was grasped by greater part of the individuals from the medieval times. Variables that made the Italian renaissance conceivable There were political, scholarly, monetary and social that encouraged the Italian renaissance prompting extraordinary accomplishments. These are examined underneath: Political Factor There was political division between the Northern and the upper Central Italy. They were isolated into warring states. There were likewise two restricting gatherings specifically Guelfs and Ghibellines which worked inside each state. More grounded states assembled enough powers and caught littler states. During the renaissance time frame, Italy was administered through a progression of governments. These were controlled by explicit families like the Borgia and the Medici families which were well off. These families upheld the renaissance. For instance, the Medici family had the option to subsidize the masterminds of that time3. During the late fifteenth century, the decision class and the gentry completely embraced the Renaissance perfect. This made it simple for its way of thinking and craftsmanship to spread quicker. Under the standard of Cosimo de' Medici, the child of Giovanni de' Medici, the town of Florence got steady and prosperous. This persuaded individuals to help the possibility of advancement as opposed to fixing their brains to the impact of the Catholic Church. Political savants like Niccolo Machiavelli impacted renaissance through their works. Niccolo composed articles like Florentine Histories and The Prince and Discourses on Livy. The Prince and Discourses on Livy had considerably more impact than some other bit of composing at that point. It prompted a change in political viewpoint of numerous individuals. Niccolo needed individuals to see legislative issues from the purpose of the real world and absolutism. The families which managed utilized the renaissance as their capacity. The renaissance got to its top in the sixteenth century. There were remote intrusions in Italy which prompted the unrest of Italian wars. It prompted incredible destruction of northern Italy and loss of autonomy of numerous states. In May, 1527, Spanish and German soldiers attacked Italy. It was because of this attack Rome experienced significant misfortunes for two decades. This finished the job of the Papacy as a driver of Renaissance4. There were moves in the control of the Papacy. Renaissance theory and workmanship overwhelmed the Vatican when affluent families like the Borgias and Medici started controlling the Papacy. Scholarly The phase for renaissance was set by the Italian writing unrest in the thirteenth century. Prior to renaissance, Latin, French and Provencal were utilized as the artistic dialects in Italy rather than the Italian language. Come the thirteenth century, Italian creators started delivering their works utilizing their local language. Mid thirteenth century artists like Giuttone d'Arezzo and Giodo Guinizelli spear headed verse works like Dolce Stil Novo which implies Sweet New Style. This verse work worried on dispassionate as opposed to cultured love. Aldus Manutius started book printing. This prompted an expansion in books distributed in the Italian language. Italian essayists had the option to create numerous new books about games, science, cultivating and governmental issues. Simultaneously, there were numerous writings written in Greek and Latin. These had incredible commitments to the Italian renaissance. A ton of study and interpretation was directed to the Greek and Latin writings. Science and reasoning was additionally creating. This impacted the verse and writing of the renaissance. Italy had extraordinary rationalists, craftsmen, stone workers

15 Books to Read After a Breakup

15 Books to Read After a Breakup February can be a tough time of year if youre heartbroken. Its become almost impossible to avoid the complete frenzy of Valentines Day. Plus, in the Northern Hemisphere, its winter and everything is cold. Not to get too depressing, but leaving work in the dark and coming back to an empty home is pretty bad for morale. Luckily, we have books! Heres an eclectic list of books to read after a breakup, featuring a mix of novels and non-fiction. First comes sadness, then distraction, then putting your life back together â€" and theres even some romance for when youre ready to think about happy endings again. Tin Man by Sarah Winman First, sadness. This beautifully written novel is both affirming and heartbreaking. Two 12-year-old boys meet in Oxford and become fast friends, until one day their friendship blossoms into more. But years later, one is married, and the other has left town. What happened between them, and how has it shaped them into the men they became? Part love story, part elegy, this novel is a moving meditation on love in all its forms. Hard to Do: The Surprising, Feminist History of Breaking Up by Kelli Maria Korducki When in doubt, turn to research to help you understand what youre going through. In this slim, perceptive work of cultural history, Korducki looks at the act of breaking up. The idea of marriage or relationships as romantic partnerships (as opposed to economic partnerships) has only been around for a relatively short time in human history. And now, feminism has changed the way we view romantic love. Korducki argues that as women continue to gain power and status, the ability to break up is essential in the struggle for equality. My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite Im not advocating murder, but sometimes its nice to read something that totally distracts you from your own feelings. Koredes younger sister, Ayoola, has a problem: she keeps killing her boyfriends. And Korede keeps helping her cover it up. But then Ayoola starts dating a doctor Korede works with and also happens to be in love with. In this darkly funny novel, Braithwaite examines the relationship between the two sisters, mixing layered character development with delicious satire. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed Cheryl Strayed wrote the advice column Dear Sugar at the Rumpus for years.  Tiny Beautiful Things  is a collection of those columns, and Strayed offers generous, warm advice for almost every situation. Shes honest, insightful, and helpful. There are many letters about heartbreak of all kinds, but even if your exact situation cant be found in this book, youll still find good advice. And you can follow it up by reading Strayeds memoir,  Wild, also full of hard-won wisdom about heartbreak. Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes Are you ready to think about changing your life, even just a little bit? Thats the idea driving this memoir by Greys Anatomy and Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes. When her sister points out that she rarely says yes to opportunities, Rhimes decides that for one year, she will say yes to everything. And of course, it ends up changing her life for the better. No one is saying that you need to run out and do All the Things immediately, but why not pick up a new hobby, take a class, plan a trip, or learn something new? Distraction feels good and working toward a new goal feels even better. Would You Rather?: A Memoir of Growing Up and Coming Out by Katie Heaney Katie Heaney came out in her late twenties and shortly after entered into her first relationship. With relatable humor and insight, she chronicles how all this happened in this collection of essays. She shares stories about dating adventures, navigating her first serious relationship, and reconsidering what she thought she knew about herself. This is a comforting read thatll make you thinkâ€"as gently as possibleâ€"about what good things might be waiting for you. The Republic of Love by Carol Shields This is a smart, thoughtful novel that will remind you a little bit of Jane Austen. Fay, a folklore scholar, and Tom, a radio host, have both been unsuccessful in love. Fay has a hard time making relationships last, while Tom has been marriedâ€"and divorcedâ€"three times. When they meet by chance and embark on a whirlwind romance, it seems like theyve both finally gotten it right. But modern life is full of complications, and sometimes love takes a little more work than we expect. Full of funny, touching dialogue and shifting perspectives, this is the perfect read for a snowy winter day. Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a Party of One by Anita Lo In the middle of reading all these books, youre going to get hungry. Cooking for one can be a total drag, especially because so many recipes make such huge portions. Just freeze it and eat it later! they say. And that can be great, but sometimes you just want to make a single serving of mac and cheese. Enter Anita Lo, a Michelin-starred chef. In  Solo, she offers us recipes inspired by her childhood and travels around the world. They all make just enough for one person to enjoy. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy This is one of my favorite Victorian novels and there are also  two  excellent film versions, so settle in. Hardy is known for his cripplingly depressing plotlines, but in  Far From the Madding Crowd  hes at his most tender and hopeful (still with a side of sad, just so youre prepared). When Bathsheba Everdene inherits a farm, shes one of few female landowners. Independent, spirited, and determined to succeed, she sets to work. Three very different suitors soon appear on the scene: selfish soldier Sergeant Troy; her neighbor Farmer Boldwood; and Gabriel Oak, a steady shepherd. Which one has her best interests at heart? As the three men complicate her life and upset her plans, Bathsheba must make a decision about what her life will look like. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo We are obsessed with Kondo around here, and for good reason: shes great! After a breakup, you might feel the need to clean and clear out clutter. Returning an exs belongings and getting rid of things that remind you of sadness are normal parts of the healing process. Kondos method, in which you hold each one of your possessions and think about whether or not it sparks joy in you, is a helpful guide to getting rid of clutter and making room for the new. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith My all-time favorite comfort read is also the perfect book to read as you move on from heartbreak. Cassandra Mortmain is seventeen years old and starting a journal to chronicle her life with her family in a crumbling castle. Her father is a brilliant author with writers block; her stepmother is an eccentric model; her sister is beautiful but despairs of ever meeting anyone to marry; her younger brother is sarcastic; and family friend Stephen is, inconveniently, in love with Cassandra. When two American brothers show up and turn out to be the Mortmains new landlords, the stage is set for romance and a little bit of chaos. This charming, wistful look at the magic of first love will have you longing to start again in no time. Corazón by Yesika Salgado Yesika Salgado is a Salvadoran poet based in LA. This, her first book of poems, is about love and heartbreak and everything we learn from these experiences. The book is organized into five stages that follow the timeline of romance, from hunger for love to starting a relationship to ending one. In poems that celebrate fat bodies, brown bodies, and women, Salgado explores what we live and how that changes us. These are the poems to read when youre thinking about dating again. How to Date Men When You Hate Men by Blythe Roberson Roberson is a writer for  The Onion and the  New Yorker, so expect to find lots of humor in this snappily-titled comedy philosophy book. In essays about whether or not a date was actually a date, and whether Tom Hanks is the true villain in  Youve Got Mail, Roberson skewers our confusing dating culture, looking at how to date men when you are also, really, kind of tired of them. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory This fun romance novel just might inspire you to dip your toes back into the dating waters. And if not, you can enjoy reading about other peoples love lives. When Drew and Alexa meet cute in an elevator, he convinces her to go with him to his exs wedding. But their fake date turns real, and even though theyre back in their old lives in different cities, their connection proves hard to break. Can these two get it together and turn something that started as fake into a real relationship? Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin This modern riff on Pride and Prejudice  is a sweet, funny novel set in a Muslim community in Toronto. Ayesha is pretty busyâ€"between working as a teacher, paying off debt to her uncle, writing poetry, and dealing with her boisterous cousin, she doesnt have a lot of time for romance. Shes not interested in an arranged marriage, either, despite her familys prodding. But when she meets conservative, stuffy Khalid, sparks fly despite their differences. Unfortunately, Ayeshas family has other plans for Khalid and when a surprise engagement between him and her cousin, Hafsa, ensues, Ayesha has to decide how she feels once and for all. Getting over heartbreak takes time. Thank goodness we have books to help us! If you want even more books to read after a breakup, check out this past Book Riot list, as well as this list of YA books about breakups.

Pollution Of Indi An Emerging Country - 1835 Words

India is an emerging country that, industrially and in terms of population, has boomed to provide for the nation. With these industrial buildings booming, it has brought about a vast amount of pollution. This pollution has taken a huge toll on the population. Between toxic air and undrinkable water, it could be extremely hard to remain healthy while residing here. Those who don’t have the proper means to keep their bodies clean of these harmful toxins, suffer the toll of sickness and disease. Even if people do have the means, sometimes it is inevitable and impossible to avoid the toxins in some of the major Indian cities. Many studies have verified that pollution is a major, concerning issue that needs to be addressed soon as in the coming†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ One would believe that with such a staggering increase in sewage, from thirty-eight thousand million liters per day in 2009 to sixty-two thousand million liters per day today, that the sewage treatment pl ants would increase their capacity, but surprisingly, have not (Vashishtha 2015).† Even in 2009, India did not have the treatment capacity to provide adequate services. Now, with sewage doubled, the capacity to treat the polluted water has remained constant. †According to India s Central Pollution Control Board, the country has an installed capacity to treat only about 30% of the household waste it generates – the rest is released into open drains or straight into the ground (Balasubramaniam, 2014).† This waste water is then transferred through natural and man-made irrigation and into fresh water systems. Freshwater systems that flow through villages and towns that are incapable of establishing a way to treat the water. These towns and villages, most of the time, do not know that the water is even polluted. The population here then develops disease that significantly impacts the entire village and town. â€Å"â€Å"Faulty perceptions on water treatment, la ck of knowledge about health hazards associated with drinking unsafe water, false sense of protection from locally available water, resistance to change in taste or odor of water and a lack of support from male

Analysis Of Joseph SchumpetersCapitalism Socialism, And...

In his book Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy, the political scientist Joseph Schumpeter elucidates on his critique of the 18th century concept of democracy. By establishing what he sees wrong with this notion of democracy, Schumpeter then posits his own theory of democracy that is best described as â€Å"the rule of the politician.† Rule of the politician involves free competition for people’s votes, leading to politics becoming a career. Although this new theory of democracy may have significant drawbacks, this paper will assess and analyze its focus on political leadership rather than on the â€Å"incompetent masses† to draw out the insights it can offer to contemporary Democratic politics in the United States. Consequently, Schumpeter’s new†¦show more content†¦Thus, his new theory of democracy looks to reverse those roles. He defines his new method as â€Å"that institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which indivi duals acquire the power to decide by means of a competitive struggle for the people’s vote† (Schumpeter 269). Through this method, the electorate’s main function is to produce government. It is a method that is deemed â€Å"rule of the politician† through competition among potential leaders for the electorate’s vote. Although his theory is a reversal of a more tradition notion of democracy, Schumpeter’s new democracy does have some strengths. Primarily, this theory can now serve as a method for measuring when a nation is not a true democracy. Thus, it provides a more precise criterion for discerning between democratic governments. Secondly, Schumpeter accounts for the importance of leadership in a democracy while the classical theory deemed leaders almost dispensable. Finally, although the electorate’s main function is to produce a government, it can also evict a government. Consequently, â€Å"the electorate can accept political lead ers, and withdraw this acceptance† (Schumpeter 272). Now, despite the many strength of Schumpeter’s conception of democracy, it also has significant drawbacks. First, this theory produces a dualism within the people.

Chapter 28 The Madness of Mr Crouch Free Essays

string(97) " out of Winky about Crouch!† â€Å"Oh as if you care about that!† scoffed Hermione\." Harry, Ron, and Hermione went up to the Owlery after breakfast on Sunday to send a letter to Percy, asking, as Sirius had suggested, whether he had seen Mr. Crouch lately. They used Hedwig, because it had been so long since she’d had a job. We will write a custom essay sample on Chapter 28 The Madness of Mr Crouch or any similar topic only for you Order Now When they had watched her fly out of sight through the Owlery window, they proceeded down to the kitchen to give Dobby his new socks. The house-elves gave them a very cheery welcome, bowing and curtsying and bustling around making tea again. Dobby was ecstatic about his present. â€Å"Harry Potter is too good to Dobby!† he squeaked, wiping large tears out of his enormous eyes. â€Å"You saved my life with that gillyweed, Dobby, you really did,† said Harry. â€Å"No chance of more of those eclairs, is there?† said Ron, who was looking around at the beaming and bowing house-elves. â€Å"You’ve just had breakfast!† said Hermione irritably, but a great silver platter of eclairs was already zooming toward them, supported by four elves. â€Å"We should get some stuff to send up to Snuffles,† Harry muttered. â€Å"Good idea,† said Ron. â€Å"Give Pig something to do. You couldn’t give us a bit of extra food, could you?† he said to the surrounding elves, and they bowed delightedly and hurried off to get some more. â€Å"Dobby, where’s Winky?† said Hermione, who was looking around. â€Å"Winky is over there by the fire, miss,† said Dobby quietly, his ears drooping slightly. â€Å"Oh dear,† said Hermione as she spotted Winky. Harry looked over at the fireplace too. Winky was sitting on the same stool as last time, but she had allowed herself to become so filthy that she was not immediately distinguishable from the smoke-blackened brick behind her. Her clothes were ragged and unwashed. She was clutching a bottle of butterbeer and swaying slightly on her stool, staring into the fire. As they watched her, she gave an enormous hiccup. â€Å"Winky is getting through six bottles a day now,† Dobby whispered to Harry. â€Å"Well, it’s not strong, that stuff,† Harry said. But Dobby shook his head. â€Å"‘Tis strong for a house-elf, sir,† he said. Winky hiccuped again. The elves who had brought the eclairs gave her disapproving looks as they returned to work. â€Å"Winky is pining, Harry Potter,† Dobby whispered sadly. â€Å"Winky wants to go home. Winky still thinks Mr. Crouch is her master, sir, and nothing Dobby says will persuade her that Professor Dumbledore is her master now.† â€Å"Hey, Winky,† said Harry, struck by a sudden inspiration, walking over to her, and bending down, â€Å"you don’t know what Mr. Crouch might be up to, do you? Because he’s stopped turning up to judge the Triwizard Tournament.† Winky’s eyes flickered. Her enormous pupils focused on Harry. She swayed slightly again and then said, â€Å"M – Master is stopped – hic – coming?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, â€Å"we haven’t seen him since the first task. The Daily Prophet’s saying he’s ill.† Winky swayed some more, staring blurrily at Harry. â€Å"Master – hic – ill?† Her bottom lip began to tremble. â€Å"But we’re not sure if that’s true,† said Hermione quickly. â€Å"Master is needing his – hic – Winky!† whimpered the elf. â€Å"Master cannot – hic – manage – hic – all by himself†¦.† â€Å"Other people manage to do their own housework, you know, Winky,† Hermione said severely. â€Å"Winky – hic – is not only – hic – doing housework for Mr. Crouch!† Winky squeaked indignantly, swaying worse than ever and slopping butterbeer down her already heavily stained blouse. â€Å"Master is – hic – trusting Winky with – hic – the most important – hic – the most secret†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† said Harry. But Winky shook her head very hard, spilling more butterbeer down herself. â€Å"Winky keeps – hic – her master’s secrets,† she said mutinously, swaying very heavily now, frowning up at Harry with her eyes crossed. â€Å"You is – hic – nosing, you is.† â€Å"Winky must not talk like that to Harry Potter!† said Dobby angrily. â€Å"Harry Potter is brave and noble and Harry Potter is not nosy!† â€Å"He is nosing – hic – into my master’s – hic – private and secret – hic – Winky is a good house-elf – hic – Winky keeps her silence – hic – people trying to – hic – pry and poke – hic -â€Å" Winky’s eyelids drooped and suddenly, without warning, she slid off her stool into the hearth, snoring loudly. The empty bottle of butterbeer rolled away across the stone-flagged floor. Half a dozen house-elves came hurrying forward, looking disgusted. One of them picked up the bottle; the others covered Winky with a large checked tablecloth and tucked the ends in neatly, hiding her from view. â€Å"We is sorry you had to see that, sirs and miss!† squeaked a nearby elf, shaking his head and looking very ashamed. â€Å"We is hoping you will not judge us all by Winky, sirs and miss!† â€Å"She’s unhappy!† said Hermione, exasperated. â€Å"Why don’t you try and cheer her up instead of covering her up?† â€Å"Begging your pardon, miss,† said the house-elf, bowing deeply again, â€Å"but house-elves has no right to be unhappy when there is work to be done and masters to be served.† â€Å"Oh for heavens sake!† Hermione cried. â€Å"Listen to me, all of you! You’ve got just as much right as wizards to be unhappy! You’ve got the right to wages and holidays and proper clothes, you don’t have to do everything you’re told – look at Dobby!† â€Å"Miss will please keep Dobby out of this,† Dobby mumbled, looking scared. The cheery smiles had vanished from the faces of the house-elves around the kitchen. They were suddenly looking at Hermione as though she were mad and dangerous. â€Å"We has your extra food!† squeaked an elf at Harry’s elbow, and he shoved a large ham, a dozen cakes, and some fruit into Harry’s arms. â€Å"Good-bye!† The house-elves crowded around Harry, Ron, and Hermione and began shunting them out of the kitchen, many little hands pushing in the smalls of their backs. â€Å"Thank you for the socks, Harry Potter!† Dobby called miserably from the hearth, where he was standing next to the lumpy tablecloth that was Winky. â€Å"You couldn’t keep your mouth shut, could you, Hermione?† said Ron angrily as the kitchen door slammed shut behind them. â€Å"They won’t want us visiting them now! We could’ve tried to get more stuff out of Winky about Crouch!† â€Å"Oh as if you care about that!† scoffed Hermione. â€Å"You only like coming down here for the food!† It was an irritable sort of day after that. Harry got so tired of Ron and Hermione sniping at each other over their homework in the common room that he took Sirius’s food up to the Owlery that evening on his own. Pigwidgeon was much too small to carry an entire ham up to the mountain by himself, so Harry enlisted the help of two school screech owls as well. When they had set off into the dusk, looking extremely odd carrying the large package between them. Harry leaned on the windowsill, looking out at the grounds, at the dark, rustling treetops of the Forbidden Forest, and the rippling sails of the Durmstrang ship. An eagle owl flew through the coil of smoke rising from Hagrid’s chimney; it soared toward the castle, around the Owlery, and out of sight. Looking down, Harry saw Hagrid digging energetically in front of his cabin. Harry wondered what he was doing; it looked as though he were making a new vegetable patch. As he watched, Madame Maxime emerged from the Beauxbatons carriage and walked over to Hagrid. She appeared to be trying to engage him in conversation. Hagrid leaned upon his spade, but did not seem keen to prolong their talk, because Madame Maxime returned to the carriage shortly afterward. Unwilling to go back to Gryffindor Tower and listen to Ron and Hermione snarling at each other, Harry watched Hagrid digging until the darkness swallowed him and the owls around Harry began to awake, swooshing past him into the night. By breakfast the next day Ron’s and Hermione’s bad moods had burnt out, and to Harry’s relief, Ron’s dark predictions that the house-elves would send substandard food up to the Gryffindor table because Hermione had insulted them proved false; the bacon, eggs, and kippers were quite as good as usual. When the post owls arrived, Hermione looked up eagerly; she seemed to be expecting something. â€Å"Percy won’t’ve had time to answer yet,† said Ron. â€Å"We only sent Hedwig yesterday.† â€Å"No, it’s not that,† said Hermione. â€Å"I’ve taken out a subscription to the Daily Prophet. I’m getting sick of finding everything out from the Slytherins.† â€Å"Good thinking!† said Harry, also looking up at the owls. â€Å"Hey, Hermione, I think you’re in luck -â€Å" A gray owl was soaring down toward Hermione. â€Å"It hasn’t got a newspaper, though,† she said, looking disappointed. â€Å"It’s -â€Å" But to her bewilderment, the gray owl landed in front of her plate, closely followed by four barn owls, a brown owl, and a tawny. â€Å"How many subscriptions did you take out?† said Harry, seizing Hermione’s goblet before it was knocked over by the cluster of owls, all of whom were jostling close to her, trying to deliver their own letter first. â€Å"What on earth – ?† Hermione said, taking the letter from the gray owl, opening it, and starting to read. â€Å"Oh really!† she sputtered, going rather red. â€Å"What’s up?† said Ron. â€Å"It’s – oh how ridiculous -â€Å" She thrust the letter at Harry, who saw that it was not handwritten, but composed from pasted letters that seemed to have been cut out of the Daily Prophet. YOU ARE A WICKED GIRL. HARRY POTTER DESERVES BETTER. GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM MUGGLE. â€Å"They’re all like it!† said Hermione desperately, opening one letter after another. â€Å"‘Harry Potter can do much better than the likes of you†¦.’ ‘You deserve to be boiled in frog spawn†¦.’ Ouch!† She had opened the last envelope, and yellowish-green liquid smelling strongly of petrol gushed over her hands, which began to erupt in large yellow boils. â€Å"Undiluted bubotuber pus!† said Ron, picking up the envelope gingerly and sniffing it. â€Å"Ow!† said Hermione, tears starting in her eyes as she tried to rub the pus off her hands with a napkin, but her fingers were now so thickly covered in painful sores that it looked as though she were wearing a pair of thick, knobbly gloves. â€Å"You’d better get up to the hospital wing,† said Harry as the owls around Hermione took flight. â€Å"We’ll tell Professor Sprout where you’ve gone†¦.† â€Å"I warned her!† said Ron as Hermione hurried out of the Great Hall, cradling her hands. â€Å"I warned her not to annoy Rita Skeeter! Look at this one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He read out one of the letters Hermione had left behind: â€Å"I read In Witch Weekly about how you are playing Harry Potter false and that boy has had enough hardship and I will be sending you a curse by next post as soon as I can find a big enough envelope.’ Blimey, she’d better watch out for herself.† Hermione didn’t turn up for Herbology. As Harry and Ron left the greenhouse for their Care of Magical Creatures class, they saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle descending the stone steps of the castle. Pansy Parkinson was whispering and giggling behind them with her gang of Slytherin girls. Catching sight of Harry, Pansy called, â€Å"Potter, have you split up with your girlfriend? Why was she so upset at breakfast?† Harry ignored her; he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing how much trouble the Witch Weekly article had caused. Hagrid, who had told them last lesson that they had finished with unicorns, was waiting for them outside his cabin with a fresh supply of open crates at his feet. Harry’s heart sank at the sight of the crates – surely not another skrewt hatching? – but when he got near enough to see inside, he found himself looking at a number of flurry black creatures with long snouts. Their front paws were curiously flat, like spades, and they were blinking up at the class, looking politely puzzled at all the attention. â€Å"These’re nifflers,† said Hagrid, when the class had gathered around. â€Å"Yeh find ’em down mines mostly. They like sparkly stuff†¦.There yeh go, look.† One of the nifflers had suddenly leapt up and attempted to bite Pansy Parkinson’s watch off her wrist. She shrieked and jumped backward. â€Å"Useful little treasure detectors,† said Hagrid happily. â€Å"Thought we’d have some fun with ’em today. See over there?† He pointed at the large patch of freshly turned earth Harry had watched him digging from the Owlery window. â€Å"I’ve buried some gold coins. I’ve got a prize fer whoever picks the niffler that digs up most. Jus’ take off all yer valuables, an’ choose a niffler, an get ready ter set ’em loose.† Harry took off his watch, which he was only wearing out of habit, as it didn’t work anymore, and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he picked up a niffler. It put its long snout in Harry’s ear and sniffed enthusiastically. It was really quite cuddly. â€Å"Hang on,† said Hagrid, looking down into the crate, â€Å"there’s a spare niffler here†¦who’s missin? Where’s Hermione?† â€Å"She had to go to the hospital wing,† said Ron. â€Å"We’ll explain later,† Harry muttered; Pansy Parkinson was listening. It was easily the most fun they had ever had in Care of Magical Creatures. The nifflers dived in and out of the patch of earth as though it were water, each scurrying back to the student who had released it and spitting gold into their hands. Ron’s was particularly efficient; it had soon filled his lap with coins. â€Å"Can you buy these as pets, Hagrid?† he asked excitedly as his niffler dived back into the soil, splattering his robes. â€Å"Yer mum wouldn’ be happy, Ron,† said Hagrid, grinning. â€Å"They wreck houses, nifflers. I reckon they’ve nearly got the lot, now,† he added, pacing around the patch of earth while the nifflers continued to dive. â€Å"I on’y buried a hundred coins. Oh there y’are, Hermione!† Hermione was walking toward them across the lawn. Her hands were very heavily bandaged and she looked miserable. Pansy Parkinson was watching her beadily. â€Å"Well, let’s check how yeh’ve done!† said Hagrid. â€Å"Count yer coins! An’ there’s no point tryin’ ter steal any, Goyle,† he added, his beetle-black eyes narrowed. â€Å"It’s leprechaun gold. Vanishes after a few hours.† Goyle emptied his pockets, looking extremely sulky. It turned out that Ron’s niffler had been most successful, so Hagrid gave him an enormous slab of Honeyduke’s chocolate for a prize. The bell rang across the grounds for lunch; the rest of the class set off back to the castle, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione stayed behind to help Hagrid put the nifflers back in their boxes. Harry noticed Madame Maxime watching them out other carriage window. â€Å"What yeh done ter your hands, Hermione?† said Hagrid, looking concerned. Hermione told him about the hate mail she had received that morning, and the envelope full of bubotuber pus. â€Å"Aaah, don’ worry,† said Hagrid gently, looking down at her. â€Å"I got some o’ those letters an all, after Rita Skeeter wrote abou me mum. ‘Yeh’re a monster an yeh should be put down.’ ‘Yer mother killed innocent people an if you had any decency you d jump in a lake.'† â€Å"No!† said Hermione, looking shocked. â€Å"Yeah,† said Hagrid, heaving the niffler crates over by his cabin wall. â€Å"They’re jus’ nutters, Hermione. Don’ open ’em if yeh get any more. Chuck ’em straigh’ in the fire.† â€Å"You missed a really good lesson,† Harry told Hermione as they headed back toward the castle. â€Å"They’re good, nifflers, aren’t they, Ron?† Ron, however, was frowning at the chocolate Hagrid had given him. He looked thoroughly put out about something. â€Å"What’s the matter?† said Harry. â€Å"Wrong flavor?† â€Å"No,† said Ron shortly. â€Å"Why didn’t you tell me about the gold?† â€Å"What gold?† said Harry. â€Å"The gold I gave you at the Quidditch World Cup,† said Ron. â€Å"The leprechaun gold I gave you for my Omnioculars. In the Top Box. Why didn’t you tell me it disappeared?† Harry had to think for a moment before he realized what Ron was talking about. â€Å"Oh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said, the memory coming back to him at last. â€Å"I dunno†¦I never noticed it had gone. I was more worried about my wand, wasn’t I?† They climbed the steps into the entrance hall and went into the Great Hall for lunch. â€Å"Must be nice,† Ron said abruptly, when they had sat down and started serving themselves roast beef and Yorkshire puddings. â€Å"To have so much money you don’t notice if a pocketful of Galleons goes missing.† â€Å"Listen, I had other stuff on my mind that night!† said Harry impatiently. â€Å"We all did, remember?† â€Å"I didn’t know leprechaun gold vanishes,† Ron muttered. â€Å"I thought I was paying you back. You shouldn’t’ve given me that Chudley Cannon hat for Christmas.† â€Å"Forget it, all right?† said Harry. Ron speared a roast potato on the end of his fork, glaring at it. Then he said, â€Å"I hate being poor.† Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Neither of them really knew what to say. â€Å"It’s rubbish,† said Ron, still glaring down at his potato. â€Å"I don’t blame Fred and George for trying to make some extra money. Wish I could. Wish I had a niffler.† â€Å"Well, we know what to get you next Christmas,† said Hermione brightly. Then, when Ron continued to look gloomy, she said, â€Å"Come on, Ron, it could be worse. At least your fingers aren’t full of pus.† Hermione was having a lot of difficulty managing her knife and fork, her fingers were so stiff and swollen. â€Å"I hate that Skeeter woman!† she burst out savagely. â€Å"I’ll get her back for this if it’s the last thing I do!† Hate mail continued to arrive for Hermione over the following week, and although she followed Hagrid’s advice and stopped opening it, several of her ill-wishers sent Howlers, which exploded at the Gryffindor table and shrieked insults at her for the whole Hall to hear. Even those people who didn’t read Witch Weekly knew all about the supposed Harry-Krum-Hermione triangle now. Harry was getting sick of telling people that Hermione wasn’t his girlfriend. â€Å"It’ll die down, though,† he told Hermione, â€Å"if we just ignore it†¦.People got bored with that stuff she wrote about me last time. â€Å"I want to know how she’s listening into private conversations when she’s supposed to be banned from the grounds!† said Hermione angrily. Hermione hung back in their next Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson to ask Professor Moody something. The rest of the class was very eager to leave; Moody had given them such a rigorous test of hex-deflection that many of them were nursing small injuries. Harry had such a bad case of Twitchy Ears, he had to hold his hands clamped over them as he walked away from the class. â€Å"Well, Rita’s definitely not using an Invisibility Cloak!† Hermione panted five minutes later, catching up with Harry and Ron in the entrance hall and pulling Harry’s hand away from one of his wiggling ears so that he could hear her. â€Å"Moody says he didn’t see her anywhere near the judges’ table at the second task, or anywhere near the lake!† â€Å"Hermione, is there any point in telling you to drop this?† said Ron. â€Å"No!† said Hermione stubbornly. â€Å"I want to know how she heard me talking to Viktor! And how she found out about Hagrid’s mum!† â€Å"Maybe she had you bugged,† said Harry. â€Å"Bugged?† said Ron blankly. â€Å"What†¦put fleas on her or something?† Harry started explaining about hidden microphones and recording equipment. Ron was fascinated, but Hermione interrupted them. â€Å"Aren’t you two ever going to read Hogwarts, A History† â€Å"What’s the point?† said Ron. â€Å"You know it by heart, we can just ask you.† â€Å"All those substitutes for magic Muggles use – electricity, computers, and radar, and all those things – they all go haywire around Hogwarts, there’s too much magic in the air. No, Rita’s using magic to eavesdrop, she must be†¦.If I could just find out what it is†¦ooh, if it’s illegal, I’ll have her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Haven’t we got enough to worry about?† Ron asked her. â€Å"Do we have to start a vendetta against Rita Skeeter as well?† â€Å"I’m not asking you to help!† Hermione snapped. â€Å"I’ll do it on my own!† She marched back up the marble staircase without a backward glance. Harry was quite sure she was going to the library. â€Å"What’s the betting she comes back with a box of / Hate Rita Skeeter badges?† said Ron. Hermione, however, did not ask Harry and Ron to help her pursue vengeance against Rita Skeeter, for which they were both grateful, because their workload was mounting ever higher in the days before the Easter holidays. Harry frankly marveled at the fact that Hermione could research magical methods of eavesdropping as well as everything else they had to do. He was working flat-out just to get through all their homework, though he made a point of sending regular food packages up to the cave in the mountain for Sirius; after last summer, Harry had not forgotten what it felt like to be continually hungry. He enclosed notes to Sirius, telling him that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and that they were still waiting for an answer from Percy. Hedwig didn’t return until the end of the Easter holidays. Percy’s letter was enclosed in a package of Easter eggs that Mrs. Weasley had sent. Both Harry’s and Ron’s were the size of dragon eggs and full of homemade toffee. Hermione’s, however, was smaller than a chicken egg. Her face fell when she saw it. â€Å"Your mum doesn’t read Witch Weekly, by any chance, does she, Ron?† she asked quietly. â€Å"Yeah,† said Ron, whose mouth was full of toffee. â€Å"Gets it for the recipes.† Hermione looked sadly at her tiny egg. â€Å"Don’t you want to see what Percy’s written?† Harry asked her hastily. Percy’s letter was short and irritated. As I am constantly telling the Daily Prophet, Mr. Crouch is taking a well-deserved break. He is sending in regular owls with instructions. No, I haven’t actually seen him, but I think I can be trusted to know my own superior’s handwriting. I have quite enough to do at the moment without trying to quash these ridiculous rumors. Please don’t bother me again unless it’s something important. Happy Easter. The start of the summer term would normally have meant that Harry was training hard for the last Quidditch match of the season. This year, however, it was the third and final task in the Triwizard Tournament for which he needed to prepare, but he still didn’t know what he would have to do. Finally, in the last week of May, Professor McGonagall held him back in Transfiguration. â€Å"You are to go down to the Quidditch field tonight at nine o’clock. Potter,† she told him. â€Å"Mr. Bagman will be there to tell the champions about the third task.† So at half past eight that night. Harry left Ron and Hermione in Gryffindor Tower and went downstairs. As he crossed the entrance hall, Cedric came up from the Hufflepuff common room. â€Å"What d’you reckon it’s going to be?† he asked Harry as they went together down the stone steps, out into the cloudy night. â€Å"Fleur keeps going on about underground tunnels; she reckons we’ve got to find treasure.† â€Å"That wouldn’t be too bad,† said Harry, thinking that he would simply ask Hagrid for a niffler to do the job for him. They walked down the dark lawn to the Quidditch stadium, turned through a gap in the stands, and walked out onto the field. â€Å"What’ve they done to it?† Cedric said indignantly, stopping dead. The Quidditch field was no longer smooth and flat. It looked as though somebody had been building long, low walls all over it that twisted and crisscrossed in every direction. â€Å"They’re hedges!† said Harry, bending to examine the nearest one. â€Å"Hello there!† called a cheery voice. Ludo Bagman was standing in the middle of the field with Krum and Fleur. Harry and Cedric made their way toward them, climbing over the hedges. Fleur beamed at Harry as he came nearer. Her attitude toward him had changed completely since he had saved her sister from the lake. â€Å"Well, what d’you think?† said Bagman happily as Harry and Cedric climbed over the last hedge. â€Å"Growing nicely, aren’t they? Give them a month and Hagrid’ll have them twenty feet high. Don’t worry,† he added, grinning, spotting the less-than-happy expressions on Harry’s and Cedric’s faces, â€Å"you’ll have your Quidditch field back to normal once the task is over! Now, I imagine you can guess what we’re making here?† No one spoke for a moment. Then – â€Å"Maze,† grunted Krum. â€Å"That’s right!† said Bagman. â€Å"A maze. The third task’s really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks.† â€Å"We seemply ‘ave to get through the maze?† said Fleur. â€Å"There will be obstacles,† said Bagman happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. â€Å"Hagrid is providing a number of creatures†¦then there will be spells that must be broken†¦all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze.† Bagman grinned at Harry and Cedric. â€Å"Then Mr. Krum will enter†¦then Miss Delacour. But you’ll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?† Harry, who knew only too well the kind of creatures that Hagrid was likely to provide for an event like this, thought it was unlikely to be any fun at all. However, he nodded politely like the other champions. â€Å"Very well†¦if you haven’t got any questions, we’ll go back up to the castle, shall we, it’s a bit chilly†¦.† Bagman hurried alongside Harry as they began to wend their way out of the growing maze. Harry had the feeling that Bagman was going to start offering to help him again, but just then, Krum tapped Harry on the shoulder. â€Å"Could I haff a vord?† â€Å"Yeah, all right,† said Harry, slightly surprised. â€Å"Vill you valk vith me?† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry curiously. Bagman looked slightly perturbed. â€Å"I’ll wait for you. Harry, shall I?† â€Å"No, it’s okay, Mr. Bagman,† said Harry, suppressing a smile, â€Å"I think I can find the castle on my own, thanks.† Harry and Krum left the stadium together, but Krum did not set a course for the Durmstrang ship. Instead, he walked toward the forest. â€Å"What’re we going this way for?† said Harry as they passed Hagrid’s cabin and the illuminated Beauxbatons carriage. â€Å"Don’t vont to be overheard,† said Krum shortly. When at last they had reached a quiet stretch of ground a short way from the Beauxbatons horses’ paddock, Krum stopped in the shade of the trees and turned to face Harry. â€Å"I vant to know,† he said, glowering, â€Å"vot there is between you and Hermy-own-ninny.† Harry, who from Krum’s secretive manner had expected something much more serious than this, stared up at Krum in amazement. â€Å"Nothing,† he said. But Krum glowered at him, and Harry, somehow struck anew by how tall Krum was, elaborated. â€Å"We’re friends. She’s not my girlfriend and she never has been. It’s just that Skeeter woman making things up.† â€Å"Hermy-own-ninny talks about you very often,† said Krum, looking suspiciously at Harry. â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, â€Å"because were friends.† He couldn’t quite believe he was having this conversation with Viktor Krum, the famous International Quidditch player. It was as though the eighteen-year-old Krum thought he. Harry, was an equal – a real rival – â€Å"You haff never†¦you haff not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No,† said Harry very firmly. Krum looked slightly happier. He stared at Harry for a few seconds, then said, â€Å"You fly very veil. I vos votching at the first task.† â€Å"Thanks,† said Harry, grinning broadly and suddenly feeling much taller himself. â€Å"I saw you at the Quidditch World Cup. The Wronski Feint, you really -â€Å" But something moved behind Krum in the trees, and Harry, who had some experience of the sort of thing that lurked in the forest, instinctively grabbed Krum’s arm and pulled him around. â€Å"Vot is it?† Harry shook his head, staring at the place where he’d seen movement. He slipped his hand inside his robes, reaching for his wand. Suddenly a man staggered out from behind a tall oak. For a moment, Harry didn’t recognize him†¦then he realized it was Mr. Crouch. He looked as though he had been traveling for days. The knees of his robes were ripped and bloody, his face scratched; he was unshaven and gray with exhaustion. His neat hair and mustache were both in need of a wash and a trim. His strange appearance, however, was nothing to the way he was behaving. Muttering and gesticulating, Mr. Crouch appeared to be talking to someone that he alone could see. He reminded Harry vividly of an old tramp he had seen once when out shopping with the Dursleys. That man too had been conversing wildly with thin air; Aunt Petunia had seized Dudley’s hand and pulled him across the road to avoid him; Uncle Vernon had then treated the family to a long rant about what he would like to do with beggars and vagrants. â€Å"Vosn’t he a judge?† said Krum, staring at Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Isn’t he vith your Ministry?† Harry nodded, hesitated for a moment, then walked slowly toward Mr. Crouch, who did not look at him, but continued to talk to a nearby tree. â€Å"†¦and when you’ve done that, Weatherby, send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the tournament, Karkaroff has just sent word there will be twelve†¦.† â€Å"Mr. Crouch?† said Harry cautiously. â€Å"†¦and then send another owl to Madame Maxime, because she might want to up the number of students she’s bringing, now Karkaroff’s made it a round dozen†¦do that, Weatherby, will you? Will you? Will†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Crouch’s eyes were bulging. He stood staring at the tree, muttering soundlessly at it. Then he staggered sideways and fell to his knees. â€Å"Mr. Crouch?† Harry said loudly. â€Å"Are you all right?† Crouch’s eyes were rolling in his head. Harry looked around at Krum, who had followed him into the trees, and was looking down at Crouch in alarm. â€Å"Vot is wrong with him?† â€Å"No idea,† Harry muttered. â€Å"Listen, you’d better go and get someone -â€Å" â€Å"Dumbledore!† gasped Mr. Crouch. He reached out and seized a handful of Harry’s robes, dragging him closer, though his eyes were staring over Harry’s head. â€Å"I need†¦see†¦Dumbledore†¦.† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry, â€Å"if you get up, Mr. Crouch, we can go up to the-â€Å" â€Å"I’ve done†¦stupid†¦thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Crouch breathed. He looked utterly mad. His eyes were rolling and bulging, and a trickle of spittle was sliding down his chin. Every word he spoke seemed to cost him a terrible effort. â€Å"Must†¦tell†¦Dumbledore†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Get up, Mr. Crouch,† said Harry loudly and clearly. â€Å"Get up, I’ll take you to Dumbledore!† Mr., Crouch’s eyes rolled forward onto Harry. â€Å"Who†¦you?† he whispered. â€Å"I’m a student at the school,† said Harry, looking around at Krum for some help, but Krum was hanging back, looking extremely nervous. â€Å"You’re not†¦his?† whispered Crouch, his mouth sagging. â€Å"No,† said Harry, without the faintest idea what Crouch was talking about. â€Å"Dumbledore’s?† â€Å"That’s right,† said Harry. Crouch was pulling him closer; Harry tried to loosen Crouch’s grip on his robes, but it was too powerful. â€Å"Warn†¦Dumbledore†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I’ll get Dumbledore if you let go of me,† said Harry. â€Å"Just let go, Mr. Crouch, and I’ll get him†¦.† â€Å"Thank you, Weatherby, and when you have done that, I would like a cup of tea. My wife and son will be arriving shortly, we are attending a concert tonight with Mr. and Mrs. Fudge.† Crouch was now talking fluently to a tree again, and seemed completely unaware that Harry was there, which surprised Harry so much he didn’t notice that Crouch had released him. â€Å"Yes, my son has recently gained twelve O.W.L.s, most satisfactory, yes, thank you, yes, very proud indeed. Now, if you could bring me that memo from the Andorran Minister of Magic, I think I will have time to draft a response†¦.† â€Å"You stay here with him!† Harry said to Krum. â€Å"I’ll get Dumbledore, I’ll be quicker, I know where his office is -â€Å" â€Å"He is mad,† said Krum doubtfully, staring down at Crouch, who was still gabbling to the tree, apparently convinced it was Percy. â€Å"Just stay with him,† said Harry, starting to get up, but his movement seemed to trigger another abrupt change in Mr. Crouch, who seized him hard around the knees and pulled Harry back to the ground. â€Å"Don’t†¦leave†¦me!† he whispered, his eyes bulging again. â€Å"I†¦escaped†¦must warn†¦must tell†¦see Dumbledore†¦my fault†¦all my fault†¦Bertha†¦dead†¦all my fault†¦my son†¦my fault†¦tell Dumbledore †¦Harry Potter†¦the Dark Lord†¦stronger†¦Harry Potter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I’ll get Dumbledore if you let me go, Mr. Crouch!† said Harry. He looked furiously around at Krum. â€Å"Help me, will you?† Looking extremely apprehensive, Krum moved forward and squatted down next to Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Just keep him here,† said Harry, pulling himself free of Mr. Crouch. â€Å"I’ll be back with Dumbledore.† â€Å"Hurry, von’t you?† Krum called after him as Harry sprinted away from the forest and up through the dark grounds. They were deserted; Bagman, Cedric, and Fleur had disappeared. Harry tore up the stone steps, through the oak front doors, and off up the marble staircase, toward the second floor. Five minutes later he was hurtling toward a stone gargoyle standing halfway along an empty corridor. â€Å"Sher – sherbet lemon!† he panted at it. This was the password to the hidden staircase to Dumbledore’s office – or at least, it had been two years ago. The password had evidently changed, however, for the stone gargoyle did not spring to life and jump aside, but stood frozen, glaring at Harry malevolently. â€Å"Move!† Harry shouted at it. â€Å"C’mon!† But nothing at Hogwarts had ever moved just because he shouted at it; he knew it was no good. He looked up and down the dark corridor. Perhaps Dumbledore was in the staffroom? He started running as fast as he could toward the staircase – â€Å"POTTER!† Harry skidded to a halt and looked around. Snape had just emerged from the hidden staircase behind the stone gargoyle. The wall was sliding shut behind him even as he beckoned Harry back toward him. â€Å"What are you doing here, Potter?† â€Å"I need to see Professor Dumbledore!† said Harry, running back up the corridor and skidding to a standstill in front of Snape instead. â€Å"It’s Mr. Crouch†¦he’s just turned up†¦he’s in the forest†¦he’s asking -â€Å" â€Å"What is this rubbish?† said Snape, his black eyes glittering. â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"Mr. Crouch!† Harry shouted. â€Å"From the Ministry! He’s ill or something – he’s in the forest, he wants to see Dumbledore! Just give me the password up to -â€Å" â€Å"The headmaster is busy. Potter,† said Snape, his thin mouth curling into an unpleasant smile. â€Å"I’ve got to tell Dumbledore!† Harry yelled. â€Å"Didn’t you hear me. Potter?† Harry could tell Snape was thoroughly enjoying himself, denying Harry the thing he wanted when he was so panicky. â€Å"Look,† said Harry angrily, â€Å"Crouch isn’t right – he’s – he’s out of his mind – he says he wants to warn -â€Å" The stone wall behind Snape slid open. Dumbledore was standing there, wearing long green robes and a mildly curious expression. â€Å"Is there a problem?† he said, looking between Harry and Snape. â€Å"Professor!† Harry said, sidestepping Snape before Snape could speak, â€Å"Mr. Crouch is here – he’s down in the forest, he wants to speak to you!† Harry expected Dumbledore to ask questions, but to his relief, Dumbledore did nothing of the sort. â€Å"Lead the way,† he said promptly, and he swept off along the corridor behind Harry, leaving Snape standing next to the gargoyle and looking twice as ugly. â€Å"What did Mr. Crouch say. Harry?† said Dumbledore as they walked swiftly down the marble staircase. â€Å"Said he wants to warn you†¦said he’s done something terrible†¦he mentioned his son†¦and Bertha Jorkins†¦and – and Voldemort†¦something about Voldemort getting stronger†¦.† â€Å"Indeed,† said Dumbledore, and he quickened his pace as they hurried out into the pitch-darkness. â€Å"He’s not acting normally,† Harry said, hurrying along beside Dumbledore. â€Å"He doesn’t seem to know where he is. He keeps talking like he thinks Percy Weasley’s there, and then he changes, and says he needs to see you†¦.I left him with Viktor Krum.† â€Å"You did?† said Dumbledore sharply, and he began to take longer strides still, so that Harry was running to keep up. â€Å"Do you know if anybody else saw Mr. Crouch?† â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"Krum and I were talking, Mr. Bagman had just finished telling us about the third task, we stayed behind, and then we saw Mr. Crouch coming out of the forest -â€Å" â€Å"Where are they?† said Dumbledore as the Beauxbatons carriage emerged from the darkness. â€Å"Over here,† said Harry, moving in front of Dumbledore, leading the way through the trees. He couldn’t hear Crouch’s voice anymore, but he knew where he was going; it hadn’t been much past the Beauxbatons carriage†¦somewhere around here†¦. â€Å"Viktor?† Harry shouted. No one answered. â€Å"They were here,† Harry said to Dumbledore. â€Å"They were definitely somewhere around here†¦.† â€Å"Lumos,† Dumbledore said, lighting his wand and holding it up. Its narrow beam traveled from black trunk to black trunk, illuminating the ground. And then it fell upon a pair of feet. Harry and Dumbledore hurried forward. Krum was sprawled on the forest floor. He seemed to be unconscious. There was no sign at all of Mr. Crouch. Dumbledore bent over Krum and gently lifted one of his eyelids. â€Å"Stunned,† he said softly. His half-moon glasses glittered in the wandlight as he peered around at the surrounding trees. â€Å"Should I go and get someone?† said Harry. â€Å"Madam Pomfrey?† â€Å"No,† said Dumbledore swiftly. â€Å"Stay here.† He raised his wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of Hagrid’s cabin. Harry saw something silvery dart out of it and streak away through the trees like a ghostly bird. Then Dumbledore bent over Krum again, pointed his wand at him, and muttered, â€Å"Ennervate.† Krum opened his eyes. He looked dazed. When he saw Dumbledore, he tried to sit up, but Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder and made him lie still. â€Å"He attacked me!† Krum muttered, putting a hand up to his head. â€Å"The old madman attacked me! I vos looking around to see vare Potter had gone and he attacked from behind!† â€Å"Lie still for a moment,† Dumbledore said. The sound of thunderous footfalls reached them, and Hagrid came panting into sight with Fang at his heels. He was carrying his crossbow. â€Å"Professor Dumbledore!† he said, his eyes widening. â€Å"Harry – what the -?† â€Å"Hagrid, I need you to fetch Professor Karkaroff,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"His student has been attacked. When you’ve done that, kindly alert Professor Moody -â€Å" â€Å"No need, Dumbledore,† said a wheezy growl. â€Å"I’m here.† Moody was limping toward them, leaning on his staff, his wand lit. â€Å"Damn leg,† he said furiously. â€Å"Would’ve been here quicker†¦what’s happened? Snape said something about Crouch -â€Å" â€Å"Crouch?† said Hagrid blankly. â€Å"Karkaroff, please, Hagrid!† said Dumbledore sharply. â€Å"Oh yeah†¦right y’are, Professor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Hagrid, and he turned and disappeared into the dark trees, Fang trotting after him. â€Å"I don’t know where Barty Crouch is,† Dumbledore told Moody, â€Å"but it is essential that we find him.† â€Å"I’m onto it,† growled Moody, and he pulled out his wand and limped off into the forest. Neither Dumbledore nor Harry spoke again until they heard the unmistakable sounds of Hagrid and Fang returning. Karkaroff was hurrying along behind them. He was wearing his sleek silver furs, and he looked pale and agitated. â€Å"What is this?† he cried when he saw Krum on the ground and Dumbledore and Harry beside him. â€Å"What’s going on?† â€Å"I vos attacked!† said Krum, sitting up now and rubbing his head. â€Å"Mr. Crouch or votever his name -â€Å" â€Å"Crouch attacked you? Crouch attacked you? The Triwizard judge?† â€Å"Igor,† Dumbledore began, but Karkaroff had drawn himself up, clutching his furs around him, looking livid. â€Å"Treachery!† he bellowed, pointing at Dumbledore. â€Å"It is a plot! You and your Ministry of Magic have lured me here under false pretenses, Dumbledore! This is not an equal competition! First you sneak Potter into the tournament, though he is underage! Now one of your Ministry friends attempts to put my champion out of action! I smell double-dealing and corruption in this whole affair, and you, Dumbledore, you, with your talk of closer international wizarding links, of rebuilding old ties, of forgetting old differences – here’s what I think of you!† Karkaroff spat onto the ground at Dumbledore’s feet. In one swift movement, Hagrid seized the front of Karkaroff’s furs, lifted him into the air, and slammed him against a nearby tree. â€Å"Apologize!† Hagrid snarled as Karkaroff gasped for breath, Hagrid’s massive fist at his throat, his feet dangling in midair. â€Å"Hagrid, no!† Dumbledore shouted, his eyes flashing. Hagrid removed the hand pinning Karkaroff to the tree, and Karkaroff slid all the way down the trunk and slumped in a huddle at its roots; a few twigs and leaves showered down upon his head. â€Å"Kindly escort Harry back up to the castle, Hagrid,† said Dumbledore sharply. Breathing heavily, Hagrid gave Karkaroff a glowering look. â€Å"Maybe I’d better stay here. Headmaster†¦.† â€Å"You will take Harry back to school, Hagrid,† Dumbledore repeated firmly. â€Å"Take him right up to Gryffindor Tower. And Harry – I want you to stay there. Anything you might want to do – any owls you might want to send – they can wait until morning, do you understand me?† â€Å"Er – yes,† said Harry, staring at him. How had Dumbledore known that, at that very moment, he had been thinking about sending Pigwidgeon straight to Sirius, to tell him what had happened? â€Å"I’ll leave Fang with yeh. Headmaster,† Hagrid said, staring menacingly at Karkaroff, who was still sprawled at the foot of the tree, tangled in furs and tree roots. â€Å"Stay, Fang. C’mon, Harry.† They marched in silence past the Beauxbatons carriage and up toward the castle. â€Å"How dare he,† Hagrid growled as they strode past the lake. â€Å"How dare he accuse Dumbledore. Like Dumbledore’d do anythin’ like that. Like Dumbledore wanted you in the tournament in the firs’ place. Worried! I dunno when I seen Dumbledore more worried than he’s bin lately. An’ you!† Hagrid suddenly said angrily to Harry, who looked up at him, taken aback. â€Å"What were yeh doin’, wanderin’ off with ruddy Krum? He’s from Durmstrang, Harry! Coulda jinxed yeh right there, couldn he? Hasn’ Moody taught yeh nothin’? ‘Magine lettin him lure yeh off on yer own -â€Å" â€Å"Krum’s all right!† said Harry as they climbed the steps into the entrance hall. â€Å"He wasn’t trying to jinx me, he just wanted to talk about Hermione -â€Å" â€Å"I’ll be havin’ a few words with her, an’ all,† said Hagrid grimly, stomping up the stairs. â€Å"The less you lot ‘ave ter do with these foreigners, the happier yeh’ll be. Yeh can trust any of ’em.† â€Å"You were getting on all right with Madame Maxime,† Harry said, annoyed. â€Å"Don’ you talk ter me abou’ her!† said Hagrid, and he looked quite frightening for a moment. â€Å"I’ve got her number now! Tryin’ ter get back in me good books, tryin’ ter get me ter tell her what’s comin in the third task. Ha! You can’ trust any of’em!† Hagrid was in such a bad mood, Harry was quite glad to say good-bye to him in front of the Fat Lady. He clambered through the portrait hole into the common room and hurried straight for the corner where Ron and Hermione were sitting, to tell them what had happened. How to cite Chapter 28 The Madness of Mr Crouch, Essay examples

Understanding Womens Responses to Domestic Violence

Cavanagh (2003) brings forth a scientific study exploring women experiences in relation to violence occasioned on them by their intimate male partners. The study takes cognizance of the contextual space within which the violence exists as well as the complex interactive relationship between intimate partners.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Understanding Women’s Responses to Domestic Violence specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The theoretical framework presented is strongly supported by three key themes firstly by highlighting that women are not passive in their response to violence against them by their male partners. Rather they are actively involved in making their relationships safe. Secondly, violence against women is seen to happen in an environment of intimate and interactive relationships making it quite complex to deal with. Thirdly the theoretical framework is broad enough to address vio lence against women not only from an individual perspective but also from the wider social context. The researcher reviewed existing literature in support of the themes grounded in the theoretical framework. The researcher was objective in the study and was therefore able to ably articulate the issues around violence against women. The author’s research orientation is a mix of interpretive, positivism and critical science – interpretive in informing social workers or practitioners on how to enhance their effectiveness as they deal with cases related to violence against women, positivism in its use of measurable evidence to draw conclusions to the study, and uses of scientific method in the conduct of research. The researcher however fails to explicitly bring forth the research question thus causing the reader to infer from the study. Two research questions can be deduced as follows: i) how do women respond to violence perpetrated by an intimate male partner? and ii) wh at new information would social workers or practitioners require to offer effective services to in the event of violence and/or abuse among intimate partners? The study design blends with the research questions derived from the study. Though the study was set out to identify accounts of the way women understand and respond to their violent and abusive experiences through qualitative data obtained from interviewing one hundred thirty six (136) women, eventually the inclusion of interviews to one hundred twenty two (122) male strengthens the research through broadening the source of informants. The longitudinal approach of the study design enhances validity of data.Advertising Looking for critical writing on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conducting interviews in home environments in the absence of one partner enhances freedom of expression hence more likelihood for respondents to cooperate in freely giving res ponses. A major limitation of the study is the fact that information sought from respondents is confidential and sensitive by nature hence increased chances for fear to reveal information critical to the study. Sampling strategies are not clearly explained or defended e.g scientific justification on numbers of male verses female respondents is not provided. However, given the nature of the problem, focus on affected families is appropriate and results of the study can be generalized to the entire population. Data collection procedures are clearly articulated and data is analyzed through interpretation of qualitative data and descriptive statistics for quantitative data. The key findings are clearly presented in the paper. The author has however not articulated the study’s key limitations. The results of the study bring out its contribution to the professional practice of social work practitioners and it is capable of informing future policy direction. It also expounds on impl ications of social injustice against women relatively well. The article has however failed to identify research gaps for further study (Cabinet Office, 2008). A study focusing on violence against men by their intimate female partners would present a suitable subject for further study. References Cabinet Office (2008). Quality in qualitative evaluation: A framework for assessing research evidence. Retrieved from //www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/~/media/assets/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/qq e rep%20pdf.ashx Cavanagh K. (2003). Qualitative social work: Understanding women’s responses to domestic violence. DOI: 10.1177/14733250030023002, 2, 229-249.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Understanding Women’s Responses to Domestic Violence specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This critical writing on Understanding Women’s Responses to Domestic Violence was written and submitted by user Haiden Y. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

paralogism - definition and examples

paralogism - definition and examples Definition Paralogism is a term in logic and rhetoric for a fallacious or defective argument or conclusion.In the field of rhetoric, in particular, paralogism is generally regarded as a type of sophism or pseudo-syllogism.In the  Critique of Pure Reason  (1781/1787), German philosopher  Immanuel Kant identified  four paralogisms corresponding to the four fundamental knowledge claims of rational psychology: substantiality, simplicity, personality, and ideality. Philosopher  James Luchte points out that the section on the Paralogisms was . . . subject to differing accounts in the First and Second Editions of the First Critique (Kants Critique of Pure Reason: A Readers Guide, 2007). See Examples and Observations below. Also see: FallacyInformal LogicLogicSophistry EtymologyFrom the Greek, beyond reason   Examples and Observations [Paralogism is illogical] reasoning, particularly of which the reasoner is unconscious. . . .Ex: I asked him [Salvatore, a simpleton] whether it was not also true that lords and bishops accumulated possessions through tithes, so that the Shepherds were not fighting their true enemies. He replied that when your true enemies are too strong, you have to choose weaker enemies (Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose, p. 192).(Bernard Marie Dupriez and Albert W. Halsall, A Dictionary of Literary Devices. University of Toronto Press, 1991)Paralogism is either Fallacy, if unintentional, or Sophism, if intended to deceive. It is under the latter aspect particularly that Aristotle considers false reasoning.(Charles S. Peirce, Qualitative Logic, 1886) Aristotle on Paralogism and PersuasionThe use of psychological and aesthetic strategies is based, first, on the fallacy of the linguistic sign, for not being the same thing as the reality it names, and, secondly, on the fallacy of what follows somethin g is the effect of this. Indeed,  Aristotle says that the reason why persuasion derives from psychological and stylistic strategies is a paralogism or fallacy in both cases. We instinctively think that the orator that shows us a certain emotion or trait of character through his speech, when he employs the appropriate style, well adapted to the emotion of the audience or the character of the speaker, can make a fact credible. The hearer, indeed, will be under the impression that the orator is speaking the truth, when his linguistic signs correspond exactly with the facts they describe. Hence the hearer thinks, consequently, that in such circumstances his own feelings or reactions would be the same (Aristotle, Rhetoric  1408a16).(A. Là ³pez Eire, Rhetoric and Language.  A Companion to Greek Rhetoric, ed. by  Ian Worthington. Blackwell, 2007) Paralogism as Self-DeceptionThe word paralogism is taken from formal logic, in which it is used to designate a specific type of formally fallacious syllogism: Such a syllogism is a paralogism insofar as one deceives oneself by it. [Immanuel] Kant distinguishes a paralogism, thus defined, from what he calls a sophism; the latter is a formally fallacious syllogism with which one deliberately tries to deceive others. So, even in its more logical sense, paralogism is more radical than that mere sophistry which, directing others into error, still reserves the truth for itself. It is rather self-deception, inevitable illusion without reserve of truth. . . . Reason entangles itself in paralogism in that sphere in which self-deception can assume its most radical form, the sphere of rational psychology; reason involves itself in self-deception regarding itself.(John Sallis, The  Gathering of Reason, 2nd ed. State University of New York Press, 2005) Kant on ParalogismToday the term [paralog ism] is associated almost entirely with Immanuel Kant who, in a section of his first Critique on Transcendental Dialectic, distinguished between Formal and Transcendental Paralogisms. By the latter he understood the Fallacies of Rational Psychology which began with the I think experience as premise, and concluded that man possesses a substantial, continuous, and separable soul. Kant also termed this the Psychological Paralogism, and the Paralogisms of Pure Reasoning.(William L. Reese, Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion. Humanities Press, 1980) Also Known As: fallacy, false reasoning

New SAT Practice Tests 8 Tips for Finding and Using Them

New SAT Practice Tests 8 Tips for Finding and Using Them SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The new SAT is officially here, which means that a lot of the old SAT practice material out there isn’t very helpful anymore. In order to study effectively, it’s important to use practice tests that test the same strategy and content as the SAT. With the recent SAToverhaul, this means turning to new practice material. Official College Board tests are the gold standard when it comes to test prep materials. Here, you’ll find free links to all the official New SAT practice tests, essays, answer keys, and scoring instructions, along with tips and strategies on how to use them. You might notice, however, that there’s a limit to how much free official prep is available. If you’re looking for more legitimate practice problems to work with, you’ll find helpful alternatives to the official practice tests towards the end. Free Official New SAT Practice Tests These following tests are the only free official practice tests for the redesigned SAT. If you need preparatory material, these practice tests are the best things you can use. In order to prepare effectively for the SAT, you want to use practice problems that test the same content, in the same ways, with the same timing restrictions as the actual test. If you use sub-par practice materials, you may be doing yourself more harm than good by preparing for things that won't actually help you on the SAT- this just wastes your time and leaves you underprepared, even if you study hard. Actual practice tests from the College Board meet all of the criteria I listed above because they're written by the makers of the SAT. Practice Test 1: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 2: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 3: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 4: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 5: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations |Essay Practice Test 6: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations |Essay Practice Test 7: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations |Essay Practice Test 8: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 9: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations Practice Test 10: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations How to Use Official New SAT Practice Tests Most Effectively With a limited number of officialSAT practice tests available, you'll want to make sure you use each and every practice problem as effectively and as efficiently as possible. Follow these steps to get the most out of the official tests: Mimic Official Testing Conditions You need to use official practice tests because they're as close to the real SAT as you can get. In order to get the most out of them, you should also recreate real SAT testing conditions as best you can. To do this, you should: Take each test straight through, in a single sitting if possible. The SAT requires an extended period of intense focus- the more you practice these marathon testing sessions, the better off you'll be on test day. Time each section carefully. Many students have issues with timing on the SAT- if you give yourself extra time (even a couple minutes) on a practice section, you might think you're performing better than you actually would on test day. Even if you can't take a whole test straight through, make sure you time each section appropriately Do a Post-Mortem After Every Test The whole point of investing time and energy in SAT practice is so that you can learn from your mistakes and improve your score. If you do a ton of practice but never figure out where you're messing up, you scores won't go up- it's as simple as that. If you want to know exactly how to analyze your practice materials, check out our guide on the best way to review your mistakes on the SAT. Don't Use Them All at Once With only 10 official practice tests, you're limited when it comes to optimal practice materials. As such, it's important to pace yourself and use the official tests wisely. This means only moving on to the next practice test after thoroughly reviewing your mistakes from the previous one. You may even want to re-do tough questions (after a waiting period) to see if you can figure them out after reviewing the material. What Are Your Other Options for SAT Practice Materials? Thesetests are a good place to start, but you could run out of practice material quickly if you have an intensive study plan. Here are some other things you can do to get your hands on quality study material: Use PSAT Practice Tests The PSAT is made by the College Board (the maker of the SAT) and closely resembles the new SAT. It's not a perfect match, but it will be very similar to what you see on the actual test. You can find a complete list in our guide to PSAT practice tests. Get an SAT Prep Book You should have the same concerns with SAT prep books that you do with free online prep materials: you want to make sure they’re as close to the real thing as possible so that you can study effectively. If you choose to get an SAT prep book, make sure you purchasea highly rated, legitimate resource. You can start by checking out our guide to the best SAT books- it's updated regularly so you know you're getting the most up-to-date recommendations. Use Other College Board Resources The College Board has other practice material available besides their complete, official practice tests. You can check out individual practice questions on their website for the math, reading, writing language, and essay sections- they're all official. You can also check out College Board-approved practice problems through Khan Academy. Although this is a great resource, keep in mind that there are problems with just relying on this service to prepare for the SAT. Use Unofficial Free Tests (With Caution) Unofficial free tests can be good resources for students who will be doing a lot of prep and require supplementary materials. There are afew things to be wary of when you look for unofficial tests: Free test prep materials, by virtue of being free, are often lower quality than paid prep materials They may not test the same content in the same way that you'll see on the real SAT These tests may be particularly helpful if you're already a high scorer and want to do a deep dive on what makes official materials different from non-official ones.Ultimately, unofficial tests are best for untimed content review- don't worry if you come across weird question types or content. You can start your search for unofficial tests with Ivy Global, MajorTests.com, Varsity Tutors, and Veritas Prep. Check out our massive guide to free prep material for more tips and tricks to using these unofficial tests. Be careful to think critically about how unofficial materials differ from the real SAT Use PrepScholar to Stay Linked In PrepScholar will always be a great free and reliable resource for students trying to prep for the SAT. Our blog content is constantly updated to keep up with changing SAT content and strategy. Some of our updated posts on the new SAT include: The Complete Guide to the New SAT in 2016 How to Study for the New SAT in 2016 New 2016 SAT: What's a Good Score? The New SAT vs. the ACT: Full Breakdown Best SAT Prep Books 2016 (Updated for the New SAT) What's Next? Still not enough? You can also check out our complete collection of free SAT prep materialsand our guide to usingold SAT practice tests to study for the redesigned test. You'll also need to make sure you understand what's on each section: Math, Reading, Writing, and the Essay. Finally, learn the best tips and tricks for acing the test. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Personal and Professional Development Assignment - 2

Personal and Professional Development - Assignment Example Individuals who are persuading their studies, still in colleges and yet to join organization can learn from friends, newspapers and internet. Self-managed learning provides the people with chances of innovation with their own learning strategies. In some cases, many of the learners are seen to adopt short term learning strategies but the changing environment has made it inevitable that the learners should take up long term learning (Garrow, 1998). Approaches of Self-Managed Learning In colleges, students can learn through research, this is even possible when the individual is in his workplace. There are several learning approaches that the individual can follow for learning. However, the most common approaches are discussed below: Informal or experimental learning Most of the people are seen to learn through informal or experimental means. ... Through social networking sites, individuals can chat with their friends and colleagues and can learn from them. There are various written materials along with articles that enhance the knowledge base of the individuals. Coaching Coaching is the art of facilitating the enhancement of the development, learning and performance of the others. It has a personal form that is one to one on the job approach. This approach of helping people assists in developing the levels of competence and skills. Mentoring Mentoring is the process through which some trained individuals are specially selected to provide support, guidance and pragmatic advice in order to help the individual or a group of persons, under the responsibility of the trained individual, to develop and learn. Mentors help the individuals in performing better in the future and grooming them to attain greater heights in their career, which is commonly referred as career advancement. Mentors provide suggestions to the people for learn ing contracts and drawing self-development programs. They also provide help with learning programs and guidance regarding the necessary skills and knowledge that can be acquired to perform the new job roles. Life Long Learning Lifelong learning can be defined as a learning activity that can be conducted throughout one’s life, with an aim of enhancing competencies and knowledge skills within a social, civic, personal and employment-related perspective (O'Grady, 2013). The two different ways in which lifelong learning, in a personal and professional context, could be encouraged are Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Personal Development Planning (PDP). Continuing Professional Development CPD is the enhancement and

HEB Grocery Store Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

HEB Grocery Store - Case Study Example It holds the largest market share in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Austin. HEB is owned by the H.E. Butts since the commencement of the 21st century when it was established and is the major private company in the state of Texas. The H-E-B slogan possesses the same acronym as its slogan, which reads out, as â€Å"Here Everything is better†. To accomplish this, HEBN has committed itself to low prices, exceptional service, and friendly shopping. HEB has altered its marketing mix in accordance to the environment. Since the company is popular with Americans of Mexican origin, they carry many Mexican vegetables that might seem foreign to most Americans. HEB thrives on the unique skills and talents of its diverse, dedicated partners who embody their commitment to excellence and provide a strong, competitive advantage in the extremely competitive Texas market. One show of HEB’s internal strength is the consistently high ranking in industry magazines like Forbes and Progressi ve Grocer. The company’s long-standing support for charity has also grown a loyal base of customers. However, one of its major weaknesses is the demographical limitation as they mainly serve Texan towns. Externally, the company could look to increase its market share in towns outside Texas. They could also explore the opportunities from setting up shop in Mexico. The threats faced by HEB can all be tied to its numerous competitors, with Walmart a particularly fierce competitor. Various macro-environmental factors will affect the operations of HEB. These are economic factors like the economic crisis and technological ones too like social networking, which provides for a cheaper advertising platform. Additional factors are political and cultural in nature. HEB GROCERY STORE 1. Introduction & Background HEB Grocery Company is America’s fifteenth largest chain of grocery stores in terms of revenue, as well as being a market leader in Texas. It holds the largest market shar e in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Austin. As the largest private company in the state of Texas, HEB is owned by the H.E. Butts since the beginning of the 20th century when it was founded. With 269 stores in operation, most of its business revolves around combination food and pharmacy stores (Plunkett, 2009). Approximately 90 of the stores are small sized pantry stores that boast low prices, are built for convenience purposes and are located between Southwest Louisiana and South east Texas’ rural area. Sixty of the stores feature Gas N Go gasoline self-service islands. HEB also runs stores in Mexico, on top of those in Louisiana and Texas. Among the many products that they process are fruit drinks, meat, tortillas, baked goods, ice cream, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, and milk. HEB also manufactures its own bottles and runs a photofinishing laboratory. The company does not have an official mission statement, although the H-E-B slogan, values, and commitments reveal t he daily mission that they are involved. The H-E-B slogan possesses the same acronym, which reads out, as â€Å"Here Everything is better†. To accomplish this, HEBN has committed itself to low prices, exceptional service, and friendly shopping. HEB has always believed that hard work is vital, as well as given extra attention to caring for their employees. Additionally, they have always dreamt big, hired great employees, offered the best customer service, as well as sold the safest and freshest product (Hylton &

hamlet metaphor Essay -- essays research papers

Iterative use of vivid and detailed imagery in a piece of literature is often a way of expressing a theme or concept in a literary work. This is the case in William Shakespeare"'"s Hamlet, a revenge tragedy that continually depicts the vibrant metaphors of manifesting corruption and festering disease in order to auger the impending calamities in the state of Denmark. Throughout Shakespeare"'"s play, there are successive images of deterioration, decay and death. These images are skilfully accomplished through the use of metaphors of rotting and dead gardens. Shakespeare wonderfully creates these metaphors that add great dimension to the play of Hamlet. The garden metaphor is all throughout the play of Hamlet. This metaphor can be viewed in many different ways. Firstly it can be seen as the state that Denmark is in under Claudius"'"s rule and how he is the wrong person in power. A garden is dependent upon two things: the rule of nature and the tender care of the gardener. Claudius, being the gardener, does not tend to his garden, Denmark, adequately enough so the garden begins to decay and eventually succumbs to his poor care. Another way of interpreting the garden metaphor is to see it as a reference to the Garden of Eden and more importantly, the eventual fall of man. Denmark was once under a beautiful rule by Hamlet Sr. but then is overcome by the malignant rule of Claudius and his crooked ways. Similarly, Adam and Eve once lived in the beautiful Garden of Eden but then were exiled to the wilderness of the earth because of their crooked ways. While these are only two of many interpretations of the garden metaphor, these are very important in creating the images of sickness, decay and death in William Shakespeare"'"s Hamlet. One of the many instances in Hamlet where gardens are used to project themes of death and decay is in Act 1, Scene 2 where Hamlet says '"'"'"Tis an unweeded garden / That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature / Possess it merely'"' (135-137). In this short passage, which is also Hamlet"'"s first soliloquy, Shakespeare introduces the thought of a rotting garden. This '"'unweeded garden'"' is Denmark"'"s state before Claudius"'"s rule. It shows that under Claudius"'"s rule Denmark '"'grows to seed'"' from his ... ...d death for Hamlet and Denmark. Another great way Shakespeare references to a garden is through the character of Ophelia. In the beginning of the play, Ophelia is vibrant with life and beauty, just like a growing flower. Ophelia represents the innocence of Elsinore, a vast contrast to the corruption of Claudius. She personifies a flower in the metaphorical garden. Under Claudius"'"s rule, Denmark starts to decay and become overcome with weeds just as a garden would if it was left unattended. Similarly, Ophelia is a growing flower but when Claudius becomes king, we start to see Ophelia fall apart†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.need to finish paragraph William Shakespeare"'"s Hamlet, Shakespeare does a brilliant job of creating a metaphor between the doom of Denmark and a garden. His use of these metaphors created a sense of disease and death that gave readers an allusion towards Denmark"'"s unenviable fate under Claudius"'"s malignant rule. These continuous images create a reoccurring theme of death and decay in Hamlet. While there are many other ways Shakespeare insinuates to the theme, the metaphors between the dying garden and the state of Denmark are of the finest.

Satiation

Satiation is a term that is often used in everyday life. However, it is also a behavioral principle with psychological foundations. The main goal of this paper is to develop a comprehensive understanding of satiation as a behavioral principle. This will be done through a thorough analysis of two previous investigations utilizing the concept of satiation. The investigations will include two types: one applied and one basic or experimental. The applied investigation that will be utilized and analyzed is a paper completed by Kahng, Iwata, Thompson, & Hanley (2000) on differentiating satiation versus extinction effects for noncontingent reinforcement schedules. The basic investigation that will be utilized is one conducted by Pierce, Epling, & Boer (1986) on satiation and deprivation as related to the interaction between food and wheel running. The mechanism by which satiation was able to act in the two investigations will be identified. The differences and similarities in the role satiation played in both investigations will also be analyzed. Introduction Satiation is a concept that can be applied to a number of different actions. The act of being satiated, for example, can be related to different behaviors such as eating, drinking, and pleasure-seeking. Although it is a single word, the term satiation has wide and varied applications. This is also due to the fact that it is a term encompassing numerous other basic underpinnings. In the everyday use of the word, satiation refers to the act of being satiated. It is similar in meaning to being full and satisfied. Satisfaction in terms of having enough to eat, for example, is satiation in action. In fact, satiation will be conceived by the layman to be an event beyond satisfaction. Satiation is being at the maximum capacity of whatever one is satiated with. There is no more room for more. To the layman, satiation is linked to feelings of contentment and pleasure. Technically, satiation is defined as the point wherein the organism under study stops eating or engaging in the behavior under examination. This halting of action indicates that the activity has been performed long enough for the organism to have achieved the goals set for initiating the activity. This explains why satiation would be linked to layman definitions such as fullness and satisfaction. The purpose of the present paper is to develop a scientific and more precise understanding of satiation. It is hoped that the mechanism of satiation with regards to deprivation in relation to food and wheel running and also to extinction effects under noncontingent reinforcement schedules will be understood. In general, the paper aims to develop a clearer understanding of satiation as a behavioral principle. A comparison of two ways by which satiation operates will be the means establish this understanding. Research Review A review of previous research is the main means of the present paper at achieving its goals. Two different investigations will be analyzed – one applied investigation and one basic investigation. Identifying Satiation versus Extinction Effects Kahng, Iwata, Thompson, & Hanley (2000) investigated the possibility of formulating a method for identifying satiation versus extinction effects under noncontingent reinforcement schedules. The main goal of the study was to understand whether the suppression of a response during noncontingent reinforcement schedules in experiments was caused by extinction or by satiation. Participants and Setting The study involved the participation of 3 individuals with developmental disabilities and who engaged in self injurious behavior and other forms of agression. The participants were two females, ages 43 and 31, and one male, age 25. Communication with the participants was done through gestures such as pointing. All three lived in a state residential facility with developmental disabilities. The study was performed in therapy rooms located at the said residential facility. Response Measurement The independent variables in the study were satiation and extinction which were measured through the experimenter’s assessment and treatment procedures. These included delivery of instructions, prompting, praise upon compliance, and turning away upon non-compliance. Dense reinforcement schedules of the independent variable would imply satiation as it would include more presentations of the reinforcer during a given time period. Thin reinforcement schedules, on the other hand, would indicate extinction. The dependent variable included the target behavior, which was either self injurious behavior (SIB) or aggression, in the participants. These behaviors included skin picking, hand or arm biting, hitting, scratching, pinching, and kicking. The data for SIB was noted on computers and were recorded in terms of number of responses per minute. The effects of the experiment were measured via a multiple baseline across subjects design. This involved the comparison of baseline rates of SIB and aggression with rates of SIB and aggression under noncontingent reinforcement schedules utilized in the experiment. Procedures The procedure of the experiment was divided into two phases. Phase 1 included the functional analysis and Phase 2 included the analysis of responses during and after noncontingent reinforcement. Phase 1 was conducted according to five different assessment conditions: play, tangible, attention, demand, and alone. Of these, tangible, attention, demand, and alone were experimental conditions while play was a control condition. In the tangible condition, the experimenter was present in the room and would deliver food to the participant if SIB or aggression was noted. In the attention condition, the participant had access to leisure materials in the room and the experimenter would ignore the participant except when SIB or aggression was noted to which the experimenter would respond with brief attention and light physical contact. In the demand setup, the experimenter would give instructions on a fixed-time 30-s schedule which would merit praise upon the participants compliance. If SIB or aggression was noted, the experimenter would cease all interaction and would turn away until the next trial. In the alone setup, the participant was simply left alone in a room with access to leisure materials. The play setup was a control setup that involved access to leisure materials. The experimenter was always present and gave noncontingent attention on a fixed-time 30-s schedule. There were no instructions given to the participant and SIB or aggression was ignored. For Phase 2, the same reinforcements present in Phase 1 were used. For the baseline experimental sessions lasted 10 minutes each with reinforcers delivered on a continuous schedule.. For noncontingent reinforcement sessions, fixed-time schedules were applied and SIB or aggression was ignored. Schedule thinning and terminal schedules for each participant was utilized. Extinction sessions or post-noncontingent reinforcement sessions lasted 20 minutes after every noncontingent reinforcement session; conditions were similar to that at baseline except that no reinforcers were delivered. Results The results of Phase 1 of the study showed that all three participants engagement in SIB and aggression were due to social-positive reinforcement. The male participant’s problem behavior occurred most frequently during the tangible setup while the two female participants’ problem behavior occurred most frequently during the attention setup. For Phase 2, it was seen that noncontingent reinforcement sessions automatic declines in the rate of problem behavior of the participants. The investigation showed that the mechanism, whether satiation or extinction, of noncontingent reinforcements may be different across individuals and that these may also change during the period of the treatment. This was evidenced by the different reactions of the three participants to thick and thin fixed-time schedules where the male exhibited satiation during thin noncontingent reinforcement schedules and one of the female participants exhibited extinction during the dense noncontingent reinforcement schedules. Contributions One of the main contributions of the study is in the finding that thin noncontingent reinforcement schedules could produce satiation. This was an unexpected finding and was inconsistent with previous investigations that showed thick noncontingent reinforcement schedules to be the ones that produce satiation effects. The understanding that reaction to noncontingent reinforcements may be idiosyncratic across individuals implies that the mechanisms behind reactions to noncontingent reinforecements can be arrived at through observations similar to that conducted for the study. This will have numerous applications in the medical field. If dense schedules of noncontingent reinforcement schedules can produce satiation effects, as stated by the results of the study, there might no longer be any need for extinction sessions to take place. Also, if extinction plays a greater role than satiation in behavior suppression during noncontingent reinforcement, individuals applying the treatment should be made aware that there is a possibility of an increase in responses to occur temporarily during the transition. The findings and methodology of the study can also be extended to include other behavior-reduction techniques and not just noncontingent reinforcement. Limitations The study had several limitations. Pinpointing the true mechanism behind behavior suppression was indirect because the schedules used contained an extinction component. The analysis of the findings were also dependent on expected response patterns caused by satiation versus extinction, which could be caused by other factors. Also, the intervals for the extinction sessions were chosen arbitrarily and were not based on empirical data. Longer and shorter intervals might have led to different results. Also, the differences in the results of all three participants caused a limitation in the conclusions that could be drawn regarding satiation, extinction, behavior suppression, and noncontingent reinforcement. Deprivation and Satiation Pierce, Epling, and Boer (1986) also conducted an investigation to better understand the effects of satiation and deprivation on behavior. The main goal of the study was to assess the reinforcement power of food for wheel running when rats were deprived and also for when rats were satiated. The entire study was thus divided into two experiments: Expirement 1 which involved deprivation and Experiment 2 which involved satiation. Participants and Setting The subjects for Experiment 1 were 5 female and 4 male Sprague-Dawley rats. Upon the initiation of the experiment, the rats were all 50 days old. For Experiment 2, 4 male Sprague-Dawley rats, all of which were 45 days old were used. The dietary needs of the rats, nutrition and water, were always kept available in the cages where the rats were placed when they weren’t in the experimentation set-up. The rats cages which were kept under continuous light and temperature conditions. The room in which the cages were located was always at approximately 20 degrees Celsius. Experiment 1 took place in a room with a running wheel (Wahmann Co. ) with a solenoid-operated brake. The equipment used by the experimenters for programming and recording the rats activities on the wheel were placed in a separate room. Expeiment 2 employed 2 running wheels (Wahmann Co. ), one that freely turned and one that was locked. Another modified activity wheel was used. This turned when a motorized metal shaft was rotated. The experiment took place in an operant-conditioning chamber with a pellet feeder, houselight and response lever. This was placed in an enclosure with a fan that provided masking noise. Control and recording apparatus were again placed in a separate room. Response Measurement The independent variables in the study were deprivation (Experiment 1) and satiation (Experiment 2). Deprivation was measured by the decrease in the rats’ body weight. Satiation, on the other hand, was measured by a decrease in frequency of the rat’s wheel running behavior. The dependent variable for Experiment 1 was the reinforcement effectiveness of wheel running for the rats. The dependent variable was measured by the highest ratio to be completed and the total number of lever presses. In Experiment 2, the dependent variable was the reinforcement effectiveness of food. The total number of presses the rats made on the food-reinforced lever measured the dependent variable. Procedures For Experiment 1, a progressive-ratio schedule was utilized to determine the potency of wheel turning as a reinforcer when the rats were either deprived or not deprived of food. A fixed number of lever presses released the solenoid-brake on the running wheel for 60-s. The fixed number of lever presses required for the release of the wheel was increased systematically until the rat stopped pressing the lever after a period of 1 hour had elapsed or until 8 hours had elapsed. For Experiment 2, three procedures were employed: progressive ratio, variable interval, and forced running. Prior to implementing the progressive ratio and the variable interval procedures, rats were placed for 19 hours in a running wheel with access to water. The experimental setup had wheels that turned while the control setup had wheels that were locked. They were also deprived of food for 20 hours. For the progressive ratio, the rats were then placed in an operant chamber where 45-mg food pellets would be released after a fixed number of level presses had been done. The required number of lever presses increased incrementally after each pellet release until 8 hours had elapsed or until the rat had stopped responding for a 1 hour duration. For the variable interval, continued lever pressing produced food pellets based ona variable interval 30-s schedule. After 60 food pellets had been dispensed, the session would be stopped. When an interreinforcement schedule went beyond 1 hour, the session was also terminated. For the forced running procedure, a motorized wheel was used to force running. The run was equivalent to 750 wheel turns and was based on the turns generated by the rats from the previous procedures. Throughout the day of forced running, the rat was deprived of food. This meant that this rat underwent 44 hours of food deprivation as opposed to the 20 hours of deprivation experienced by the other rats for Experiment 2. After the total number of turns for the forced run was completed, the rat was tested on a variable interval 30-s food reinforcement schedule through a procedure similar to the variable interval procedure. Results In Experiment 1, seven of the 9 rats were recorded to spend less time in the experimental setup when they were at 100% of their body weight as opposed to when they were at 75% of their body weight. Higher ratios of lever pressing were also sustained when the rats were food deprived. The rats responses increased as deprivation became more severe. However, at the most severe deprivation levels, responses decreased. This suggested an inverted-U function between deprivation and reinforcement effectiveness of wheel running. In Experiment 2, fewer lever presses were made during the progressive ratio schedule. The number of food-reinforced lever presses and the accomplished ratios were smaller when the rats had been allowed to run on the wheel as opposed to when they were not. Responding also occurred less frequently during the variable interval schedule. Rats that been placed in the locked wheels showed equivalent responses to those that had simply been placed in the home cage. This showed that food reinforcement was not affected by mere placement in a wheel. Those that had been placed in the open wheel, however, showed a significant decrease in lever pressing upon introduction of the variable interval 30-s schedule of reinforcement. The rat placed in the forced running procedure was shown to have almost twice the number of lever presses as the other rats. This may have been due to the fact that it was subject to 44 hours of food deprivation while the other rats were only placed under 20 hours of food deprivation. Lever pressing for the forced running procedure was reduced from 39. 6 responses per minute to 3. 6 responses per minute. This is a significant decrease in local response rate. Contributions The contributions of the investigation is in its finding that food deprivation increases reinforcement effectiveness of wheel running and that satiation decreases the reinforcement effectiveness of food. A major contribution of the findings is in the fact that forced running more effectively decreases the effectiveness of food reinforcement. The study was the first to attain scientific measurements and numerical values to back up these claims regarding the operation of deprivation and satiation. Further research regarding the effects of deprivation and satiation on reinforcing properties of certain activities and substances will be encouraged by the success of the findings of the Pierce et al. (1986) study. The limitations of the study include the possibility of warm up effects in the rats. The differences between closed and open wheel setups were also exaggerated with the progress of the sessions because of the long intervals that began to crop up in between responses. Comparison between sessions and procedures was then made more difficult. Also the rats used for the experiment were sedentary and this might have caused their responses to be exaggerated. In a population that had free access to wheel running, the same treatment might not have the same effects. It is clear that satiation played an important role in both the basic investigation as well as the applied investigation. In both investigations, satiation was studied in contrast to another behavioral principle; extinction for the applied investigation and deprivation for the basic investigation. One distinct difference between the two investigations is in the fact that in the applied research, satiation was expected to lead to an increase in the desired behavior or response. In the basic research, however, satiation was expected to lead to a decrease in the desired response. This difference shows the dynamic nature of satiation in the behavioral processes of an organism. In the basic research, satiation was able to show that two behavioral principles can have effects on one event while successfully altering reinforcement effectiveness of another event. In the case of the experiment deprivation-satiation operations with respect to wheel running altered the reinforcing properties of food. Deprivation-satiation operations also altered the reinforcement effectiveness of wheel running with regard to food. That is that satiation is able to work with another behavioral principle reciprocally. In the applied research, the mechanism of satiation was similar to that of extinction. It was a question of which principle could more effectively bring about the desired response and behavior. It is clear, then, that satiation or the organism’s tendency to feel full or to have enough of a given activity or substance has multi-faceted qualities. Achievement of satiation can result in a decrease in certain behavior and an increase in others. Also, it may interact with other behavioral principles reciprocally or take the same mechanism of others.