The Mission Of Southeast Online - 1362 Words

The mission of Southeast Online (SEO) is to provide the best possible service to all students. Southeast currently offers 14 online undergraduate degrees, 10 online graduate degrees with 3 more projected this summer, and 4 online certificates. Even though students in an online degree program are the primary population SEO assists, traditional students with enrollment in online classes and all visiting students are served as well. The SEO staff is comprised of a coordinator, two full time advisors, an undergraduate online program specialist who is currently serving in the capacity of an advisor, a graduate online program specialist and an Administrative Assistant. The coordinator is responsible for overseeing all operational processes†¦show more content†¦Staff are always willing to go above and beyond their assigned duties as evidenced by attending recruitment events, developing an online tutoring program, working in conjunction with departments on developing growth goals, assisting in marketing efforts, etc. All staff have a genuine interest in seeing students succeed and reach their goals. Because online classes are very popular with traditional students it is necessary to reserve seats in certain courses for students pursuing an online degree, a process we call â€Å"saved seats†. This process and the generosity and willingness of departments to allow us to reserve these seats is critical to our success. Without this process, many students would not be able to enroll in courses. Online business courses and upper level courses continue to be at a premium each semester. On average SEO reserves at least half the seats in online business courses for online students and in some courses, entire sections. This ensures on campus students have access to online courses if it is their preference. Toward the end of the enrollment period, we find new admits to the university with a business major must begin their experience at Southeast on waiting lists, some with no option to enroll in anything they need for their major. While we don’t have a specific instance of a student leaving the University as a result of this, it isn’t a stretch to think this happens on occasion,

Richard Miller Free Essays

Brittany Scott February 22, 2013 Prof. Brittany Scott February 22, 2013 Prof. â€Å"The Stereotypes of Freire, Miller, Rodriguez, and Bordo† Having to read four stories from four well educated authors can leave you puzzled, but it can also open your mind to other forms of learning. We will write a custom essay sample on Richard Miller or any similar topic only for you Order Now The stories â€Å"The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education by Paulo Freire, â€Å"The Dark Knight of the Soul† by Richard Miller, â€Å"The Achievement of Desire† by Richard Rodriguez, and â€Å"Beauty (Re)Discovers the Males Body† by Susan Bordo all take on different aspects of learning. But while analyzing my readings I noticed that each author made a stereotype for their view of learning. Paulo Freire’s, said to be one of the most influential radical educators of our world viewings of literature were based on students and teachers. Freire created a system for teachers and students to have an equal power, but while doing his research him began to compare student teacher learning relations. Freire stereotyped students as takers (depositories) and teacher’s givers (depositors), but he also made it known that at times a student can be the giver. By students getting their education from a higher power, Freire feels as if it is depriving students of their creativity. In a passage from Freire states â€Å"Oppression – overwhelming control – is necrophilic; it is nourished by love of death, not life. The banking concept of education, which serves the interest of oppression, is also necrophilic. Based on a mechanistic, static, naturalistic, spatialized, view of consciousness, it transforms students into receiving objects. It attempts to control thinking and action, leads women and men to adjust to the world, and inhibits their creative powers. † I believe that Freire use his concepts as examples. From the quote from the book, he made it known that we as students are oppressed by the higher authority, the teacher. Through his explanations he made it known that we receive and the more that we just receive, we are only going to regurgitate. Which leave you to having no creativity. In Richard E. Miller†s â€Å"The Dark Knight of the Soul† he compared literature to massacres. In Millers first story He used the events that happened at Columbine High School. Stating that the two young fellas Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were all these things such as middle class, follower and leader, smart kid and a loser, and the even had alcohol fueled dreams but yet Miller felt as if more education and religion would have kept the two in line. The young ma Harris was said to have applied to numerous of colleges but was rejected and he was also rejected from the Marine Corps from having some drug in his system, all of this being weeks before the big massacre. They were bright students and brilliant when it came to computers and math but only one of them had something going for themself and that was Klebold. Klebold was well known in school, had a date for prom and even visited a college wee we was going to be attending in the upcoming semester, but soon both boys worlds would meet and collide. Miller basically said that if we read, write, and talk more that we are less likely to commit to deviance acts of violence. Richard Rodriguez used himself as a personal image but used his family as reflective image for the upcoming success he was striving for in â€Å"The Achievement of Desire. † Although Rodriguez is Latino and his family is considered to be middle class, as he got older and his knowledge began to expand he began to look down on of those little or less knowledge of what he knew. He was very distant from his family because of the love he ad from his books and the little interaction he would give them because he felt different; he felt like he could/should be better than them. As he got older his family laughed at him and called him names because he somewhat considered himself better than them. As he got older he began to critique himself for the distance, looking down on his family, and wanting to be so much of a scholar that he finally realized he was basically by himself. Being in a school in another country, watching others and how they socialize made realize that he was by himself and that instead of investing so much time into books, trying to be like that teacher he should have invested his time into a family ad even having friends. In Susan Bordo’s â€Å"Beauty (Re) discovers the Male Body† she takes the pressure off of us woman and finally puts it on the man by comparing the judgment of the males’ picture and the females’ picture. Bordo took the fire off of us females and finally put it of the male by comparing the likelihood of a female dressed a certain way in a photo on a billboard or in a magazine somewhere to a male dressed with more or less clothing. I can recall Bordo saying â€Å"Woman may dread being surveyed harshly†¦ men are not supposed to enjoy being surveyed period. † She feels that men are getting more comfortable wearing little to no clothing, being looked at as meat, or maybe even a sex symbol. In a commercial advertisement that Bordo seen read â€Å"men act and woman appear. A man can sit around and do work but not pay attention to any attention that is coming his way while a woman will show off her legs and her cleavage just to get that attention she is looking for. As time changes men are becoming more self-conscious of their appearance and what others may think of them. They are more willing to pose naked and take on certain roles in movies that they would not have in once upo n a time. Whether it is their size, their looks, their shape, or even their masculinity both mean and woman are creatures of appearances and actions. Each author has their own perception of imaging. Whether it is visual, hands on, or something that they actually may have been a part of. During their phases of teaching they all began to hypothesize or stereotype a human been in some shape or form of an object. They still stick to their idea and they go on to describe how and why they feel that we as people are what they are characterizing. Freire, Miller, Rodrigues, and Bordo were all well educated in their area of works. They also made it easy for me as a student to understand learning through their eyes. How to cite Richard Miller, Essay examples

The Roaring Twenties The Best Decade for America free essay sample

The Roaring Us was the best decade of America Everyone dreams of living the good life, having all the luxuries for a bargain price and not worrying about a thing in the world. Well for many people In the sasss that was their life. This Jump from 1919 to 1920 brought the greatest change In society, politics and values. The key word during this decade was prosperity. Americans were evolving from an era of conservatism to an era of more liberal views. New Ideas were expanding and being put out In society.Many of these Ideas had a historical Impact. All over the united States people had the highest standard of living In the world during this time period. The sasss was the decade to live In. As a matter of fact the sasss were such a phenomenon that they got the nickname of the Roaring asss. The Roaring asss brought new inventions and many technological innovations that made this decade a time to live in. The first step Americans took was the shift from coal to electricity. There was mass production all over the nation with higher wages and more employee benefits.People were now moving from the country into the cities to main work opportunities with all the new businesses opening up selling brand new ideas that people had never seen before. Electronic appliances were selling like fresh bread. From irons to toasters to refrigerators, for once it wasnt men going and picking out appliances for home but it was the women who had this responsibility. These new products made life for housewives so much easier by reducing laundry labor, food preparation and cleaning.Women were running to the stores to buy these new electronic appliances. Granted many of these appliances had already been invented but it was in the sasss when they were improved and more people actually had the budget to purchase them. Ernst Alexander then introduced the radio and it was a huge impact on society. People could now be informed of things happening around America. The business industry took full advantage of this by marketing and selling their products by using persuading words and attracting the attention of their customers.The radio also transmitted many important events in America from sport events to historical events. The radio was a huge hit among the people but It was no intender for what was coming next. Henry Ford launched an Innovation that was so revolutionary that drove Americans crazy, literally. The combustion automobile was made and not only that but It was selling for an affordable price all over the united States. The first low-cost cars ever were created all the same so there was no way to differentiate the different classes.Later GM motors came up with the Idea to make different type of combustion automobiles and sell them at different prices. This was a huge sensation and people could now get from point A to point B remarkably faster t a lower expense unlike the previous years. For the first time more Americans could travel the country and explore places that most of them had never seen before. This Roaring asss. World War I had Just ended and there was a sense of peace and freedom among Americans. During this era there were numerous of movements and new political norms.The greatest of them could have been the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote. Women were now politically equal to men and it was chaotic. Pushing their luck, women also created the Equal Rights Movement which targeted laws the favored only men. This was the start of the new women. Women now had different goals and ambitions. With a new role, more women began to desire not only successful careers of their own but also families. With all the new opportunities women still seemed to prefer the housewife Job and find a husband they could depend on.Also the 20th century introduced the minimum wage and also forced many industries and factories to shorten their work days. Factories produced labor more quickly and more efficiently due to the incentives and bonuses that were now given to workers. Many Jobs were now available for all kinds of classes. Government then did a risky move which was the prohibition of alcohol. At this point there was a strong demand for alcohol and the government had now made it illegal. Many Americans still found a way to obtain this by going to illegal hidden bars or pubs and consuming alcohol.When people are refused something they really desire they will find a way to get it and many times it is going to be secretive and at a higher price. People needed to celebrate and drink up and thats exactly what they did. It was a time of Joy and festivity and no one not even the government was going to take hat away from them. It also helped that during this prohibition period the selling of alcohol was illegal but there were no laws prohibiting the consumption of it. In the government they had their own kind of new era. Three conservative presidents from the Republican Party were elected into office during this age. Warren G Harding who was elected in 1921, Calvin Coolidge elected in 1923 and ending with Herbert Hoover in 1929 all had their flaws but with one common goal, to help business and industry to operate with the maximum efficiency and productivity as possible. This most definitely helped the economy and opened many Job opportunities in America. The Roaring asss was a decade of show time and entertainment. People had new activities that got them entertained and wanting to leave their home or get a break from work.During this time Jazz Age was born in New Orleans by African Americans. Jazz soon became the most popular music all over the United States. Jazz was fast, loud and a ruckus much like the Roaring asss. Jazz bands quickly moved up north some to Chicago and others to New York and played in many dance clubs or had their own hows in theaters. Jazz was mostly influenced by the prohibition of alcohol. Soon records were being produced and every music manager wanted to get a hold of these Jazz bands that were causing chaos all over Chicago and New York.With Jazz came many new things such as dances. Jazz created the famous Charleston and the Black Bottom. People everywhere had this new energy every time they listened to this new sound and soon were dancing all over the place. It was a party everywhere one of these African American bands played. Dance clubs became extremely popular at this time. Dance clubs across America would host dance competitions and many unique and never before seen steps were created. Along with the new dances in came the Flappers. These Flappers were women of the new era who drank, smoked, men.They danced and carried on this idea of changing previous roles or views of women. Their attire was what stuck out the most, wearing short skirts, bobbed haircut and feather like clothing. These women didnt care what anyone thought about them, they were living their lives with no regrets. As if the Jazz era wasnt exciting enough Hollywood soon came into play. Movies became Americas favorite activity in the sasss. The cinema industry had an enormous expansion filling up movie theaters to the maximum capacity.These innovative movies were based on the new era and people were thrilled about that. The new cinema age provided a dream world for the audiences. The movies now had role models for young men and women. People wanted to act like the actors they were viewing on the big screen. Another great source of entertainment that really became famous was sports. The Roaring twenties was indeed the breakout decade for sports in America. This became now as the Golden Age of Sports. All over the states Americans made their way to stadiums and arenas to watch the top of the world athletes perform.Among top performers in the 20th century the name Babe Ruth with the 1927 Yankees is the first to come to mind. No player had, or has for that matter, ever played the sport of baseball like this man did. Babe Ruth was an exciting player to watch play and improved the way the game was played. His team during this time is said to be the greatest team of all-time. Another name that pops into my head is Red Grange the Galloping Ghost. Red Grange was an amazing football player in the college league with the University of Illinois who had outstanding talents on the field.After college he signed with the Chicago Bears and became the highest paid football player in the NFG. This was the first time the NFG franchise had seen incredible potential and skills in one player. In addition to incredible sport figures, in the Olympic games of Paris 1924, many American athletes would go and break records by a remarkable difference and would bring the gold back home. Society in the sasss had a very liberal perspective towards life. People were leaving old and traditional behind and adapting to the new era. Americans wanted to become rebellious and feel free.Many of the people in this decade looked up at models in magazine and propaganda. Americans were attracted to the media and marketing was in a way brain washing them. During this time acceptance was becoming a bit clearer. Acceptance to homosexuality was becoming more common and also that of minor race groups in America. Society was in awe of all the new advances both technological and in culture. Everything seemed so easy for them and it Just so happened during a period here most Americans had the money to do as they wish. Everything was good, maybe too good to be true.As all things come to an end, in October 29, 1929 one of the worst catastrophes in America and even the world occurred. The Wall Street Crash came into place. This day the stock prices on Wall Street collapsed resulting in a world-wide depression that would later be known as the Great Depression. This crash on Wall Street would put millions of people out of work across the globe. In 1933 the 21st amendment would legalize alcohol in an effort to stop the depression. Happiness has its price and the people of the sasss unfortunately took the toll for it.

Summary Holy Thursday from Songs of Experience Essay Example

Summary: Holy Thursday from Songs of Experience Paper In the companion poem of Holy Thursday Songs of Innocence, William Blake discusses in the Songs of Experience the social chaos, especially the treatment of poor children, at that time. In the first stanza, Is this a holy thing to see, (line 1) Blake emphasizes holy again after the topic of this poem and implies the criticism toward church. In a rich and fruitful land, babes reduced to misery, (2-3) the ironic contrast in these two lines describes the peaceful world is not real; the human arrow and the suffered children does exist instead. Furthermore, in the second stanza, Blake uses three questions, which are Is that trembling cry a song? Can it be a song of Joy? And so many children poor? (5-7), to confirm the theme a land of poverty (8) and the sympathy toward children of this poem. For enhancing the description of the human suffering, stanza 3 vividly conveys the image of the miserable land. And their sun does never shine, (9) indicates the sun disappears ND the endless dark fall upon the world. In addition, Blake takes thorns (11) to express various difficulties to live; on the other hand, the eternal winter (12) in the end of this stanza reveals the hopeless future for human kind. Nor poverty the mind appall, (16) Blake discloses his attitude that our mind will never get peace when mind never get poverty. From this poem, Blake tries to describe childrens tragic situation and the chaotic social system at his time; its a vivid but sorrowful masterpiece. We will write a custom essay sample on Summary: Holy Thursday from Songs of Experience specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Summary: Holy Thursday from Songs of Experience specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Summary: Holy Thursday from Songs of Experience specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

A Google HR Chief Shares The Secrets to Getting Promoted

A Google HR Chief Shares The Secrets to Getting Promoted While there’s no one set way to guarantee you’ll get promoted, there are a few strategies that seem to work much better than others- even across a range of industries. Here are a former Google HR chief’s top 5  tips. 1. Get constant feedbackDon’t be a pest, but do constantly ask your boss what you would need to demonstrate to her to advance. Or, even more subtly, what she values most in a truly trusted employee. Then do that. Exactly that. Get in the habit of naturally, casually asking for feedback after meetings or presentations (â€Å"How’d that go?† â€Å"Anything I could have improved?†). Check in and ask periodically what skills you should be accumulating or developing.2.  Be the office problem solverThe first thing you need to do to be in good standing for a promotion is to earn the trust and confidence of your boss and the company at large. Do this by assessing, first and foremost, your boss’s biggest crisis or concer n, and set about solving it for them. Once you prove that you can listen carefully and pick out the most important priority and square it away, you’ll be well on your way.3.  Think in the long termYou should always be thinking three to five moves ahead, both of your colleagues and your boss. Make yourself a 5, 10, 25 year plan and start to map your progress to meeting your longest term goals- now. This way, you will continually generate new opportunities for yourself. Invest in your skills and career- even in unorthodox or sideways ventures. You never know when you’ll hit the magic alchemy to catapult yourself to the top.4. ASK!You’ll very rarely get a promotion if you don’t assert yourself as wanting one. This is particularly a problem for women, who nominate themselves far less frequently for advancement. Regardless of who is doing the promoting- your boss or a committee who hardly knows you or your work- be sure to put your name in every chance you g et. And ask your boss to help support you in moving forward.5.  Have a strong sense of realityIf you’re facing a ceiling- glass or any other kind, accept reality and figure out a smarter move. Say your boss’s job is the logical next step for you in your career path; if she’s not going anywhere, neither are you. Consider lateral moves to different departments, or even different companies, to give yourself the room to grow. If you’re not being recognized in a way you know you should be, move on. Always be willing to accept a difficult reality and pivot yourself to a solution.

Godwins Law

Godwins Law Godwin’s Law Godwin’s Law By Maeve Maddox Mike Godwin is an American attorney and author who formulated â€Å"Godwin’s Law† in 1990 when he made the following assertion: As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1. Note: In probability theory, an event is said to never happen when its probability is 0, and to always happen when its probability is 1. Godwin’s Law, also known as â€Å"Godwin’s Law of Nazi Analogies,† is applicable to threaded online discussions in forums, chat rooms, and on blogs. The term has earned a place in the OED: Godwin’s Law: noun. A facetious aphorism maintaining that as an online debate increases in length, it becomes inevitable that someone will eventually compare someone or something to Adolf Hitler or the Nazis. Although coined to describe an Internet phenomenon, the term is being applied to the use of â€Å"the Nazi card† in other contexts, as in this account of Ted Cruz’s filibuster to delay a vote on the Affordable Care Act: In the course of the afternoon wegot some Nazi analogies, just proving that Godwin’s Law holds for filibusters as for online discussion. and in this blog: And it’s not only online discussions that prove Godwin’s Law, I remember sitting at lunch with a construction crew when one of the carpenters brought up my work in the pro-life movement: â€Å"Yep, tea-baggers are always telling people how to live, just like the Nazis.† Clashdaily A complaint by many forum users is that the so-called law is stifling discussion. One commenter invokes a Nazi analogy and another crows, â€Å"You said Hitler, so I win!† At that point, the discussion ends. The term has spawned a verb, â€Å"to Godwin,† as in, â€Å"You Godwined this discussion!† The invocation of Godwin’s Law has come to be seen as a way to end an online discussion. Here are some complaints voiced by forum users: It seems like Godwins law is becoming a real problem for any sort of discussion on the internet. Whenever Hitler, Nazis, or the Holocaust are brought up in a discussion, the discussion is then over and the poster who mentioned the subject is derided. This wouldnt be a problem if it was just people injecting these things into seemingly unrelated topics, but people invoke Godwins law even when the Hitler/Nazi/Holocaust mention is relevant to the topic at hand. forum user Before I get started Im aware that originally â€Å"Godwins Law† didnt carry the now common meaning of You said Hitler, So I Win! that so many people seem to think it means. forum user Nazism is a cultural meme that encapsulates not just the notion of political authoritarianism, but of the worst possible human behavior towards other human beings. Note: In a theory of mental content called memetics, a meme is analogous to a gene in the theory of evolution. A meme represents a unit of culture (idea, belief, pattern of behavior) that travels from mind to mind. Perhaps Nazi analogies are best reserved for discussions of the dehumanization and inhumane treatment of large numbers of human beings. If the intention is to compare one form of authoritarianism to another, without the connotation of racism or genocide, perhaps one of the following word choices would meet the need: fascism: any form of right-wing authoritarianism. totalitarianism: Totalitarian theory and practice; the advocacy of totalitarian government. Also loosely, authoritarianism dictatorship: A system of government by the absolute rule of a single individual; despotism: The rule of a despot; despotic government; the exercise of absolute authority. autocracy: (A system of) government by one person with absolute power; a state, society, etc. governed in this way. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Incorrect Pronunciations That You Should Avoid"Latter," not "Ladder"20 Ways to Laugh

Redbox Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Redbox - Essay Example ly, the Redbox provided video games that are good sources of entertainment of children thereby relieving their parents once they are in stores and restaurants among other places (Redbox Corporate Managemen 00: 01:46). Notably, other than being initiated by the McDonald’s management, the Redbox was introduced to other retail outlets including mass retailers, grocery and convenience stores, and pharmacies among other fast food restaurants. Finally, it is worth noting that despite the Redbox not only started its operation as a movie selling store kiosk, but also majored on items including grocery items including eggs, milk, and sandwiches. However, of all the store kiosks, the DVD rental kiosks became more successful of the other grocery kiosks thereby making the company to focus on the DVD market (Redbox Corporate Managemen 00: 08:22). Notably, the same success of the DVD kiosks has made the company to be thinking of expanding the market to other regions with the immediate region in mind being

Describe the emergence of transitional political islam Essay

Describe the emergence of transitional political islam - Essay Example he emergence of the transitional political Islam, the Arab Spring protested increased the influence of the Islamic parties among several countries that has seen dissipated power. The paper reviews the emergence of transitional political Islam in the Middle East and North Africa during the Arab Spring. The resurgence of Islam is closely associated with the crushing of military defeats of Arabic countries that suffered in the hands of the hands of Israeli forces in 1967. After the fail of the military in Arab resulted into the Islamic revival that grow to challenge nations in the Middle East and North Africa (Barton et al, 2014). According to Howard (2010), the exodus of these began with the formation of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt that found in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna that became very influential in religious and political sector. The Muslim Brotherhood movement gained popularity among the Islam as it addressed issues affecting and threatening Muslim societies such as westernization, secularization and materialism. However, the movement did not last long before it suffered a terrible blow, for instance during the rule of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in Egypt that was followed by onslaught of the Muslim brotherhood movement. The effect was evident across several nations su ch as Tunisia where the Islamist Ennahda party lost election. The Arab Spring protest came as a surprise to Islamic bodies bringing many unanswered issues to light such as religious and political differences. Islamist had a difficult moment addressing the issue among different people because of the delicacy of the matter as it included varied constituencies requiring different things (McCormick, 2012). However, the Islamists from most of the Middle East States who are ruled by autocratic regimes who gains power by denying the Islamists a popular vote that brutally suppresses of both the leaders and followers. In the same spirit, this has escalated autocracy among nations in the Middle

Chart and Reflection Essay Example for Free

Chart and Reflection Essay 1980 Election This was a political event because it caused a change in the government. Americans wanted a firm, patriotic leader who had a plan to fix the economic problems carrying over from the 1970s. Jimmy Carter was running for reelection, and Americans overall were very unhappy with his leadership. Ronald Reagan emerged as his challenger, a former actor with great public skills and a plan. They elected Ronald Reagan in 1980 who had a controversial plan for fixing the U.S. economy, later dubbed â€Å"Reaganomics. † 1980  Reagan Doctrine Treaty of 1987 the presidents foreign policy in the 1980s of supporting anti-Communist revolutions. reduced existing weapons. the Reagan Doctrine would not shy away from directly confronting Soviet-supported regimes or groups. prevent nuclear proliferation in our own territory and around the globe.   U.S. support favored groups that, while not Communist, were not democratic either. The most controversial of these efforts was in Nicaragua. Mikhail Gorbachev took control of the Soviet Union. He believed that the future of the Soviet Union depended on important reforms and began to implement two programs. the policy led to U.S. involvement in conflicts around the world. Part 2: Answer the following questions in a complete paragraph of your own words. Do you think President Ronald Reagans policies had a positive or negative effect on the country overall? Explain your response. Reagans foreign policy actions were very positive because they lead to the end of the Cold War and the threat of communism that had been plaguing America for decades. What do you think was the most significant event of the 1980s and why? -Ronald Reagan elected president -Britains elite SAS frees Iranian embassy in London after being taken over by terrorists -52 Americans held hostage are returned home after 444 days in captivity -Ronald Reagan survives an assassination attempt by John Hinckley -Riots in Brixton and inner cities in Britain -Britains Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencers wedding -Discovery of AIDS virus These events are significant because they have had an impact on our country today.

The Bean Trees :: essays research papers

There were many sacrificial elements that existed in The Bean Trees. Sacrifices that the characters in the novel made for the benefit of others or themselves. These sacrifices played a role almost as significant as some of the characters in the book. Some prime examples of these sacrifices are Mattie’s will to offer sanction to illegal immigrants, the fact that Taylor sacrificed the whole success of her excursion by taking along an unwanted, abused Native-American infant, and Estevan and Esperanza’s decision to leave behind their daughter for the lives of seventeen other teacher union members. Mattie sacrifices her business, her reputation, and her life to help out illegal aliens that are running, for one reason or another, from their original country. Most of these aliens are searching for a better life in America. Mattie assists them by providing them with housing, food, and medical attention whenever needed. She knows the consequences involved, and yet she perseveringly volunteers to give these people sanction. "There was another whole set of people who spoke Spanish and lived with her for various lengths of time. I asked her about them once, and she asked me something like had I ever heard of a sanctuary."(Kingsolver 105) It’s amazing how Mattie’s morals and beliefs make her sacrifice her everyday life for the benefit of people whom she had never met before. Taylor Greer had been running away from premature pregnancy her entire life. Afraid that she would wind up just another hick in Pittman County, she left town and searched for a new life out West. On her way getting there, she acquires Turtle, an abandoned three-year-old Native American girl. Taylor knows that keeping Turtle is a major responsibility, being that she was abandoned and abused. Yet, Taylor knows that she is the best option that Turtle has, as far as parental figures go. "Then you are not the parent or guardian?’†¦. ‘Look,’ I said. ‘I’m not her real mother, but I’m taking care of her now. She’s not with her original family anymore." (Kingsolver 162) As the story progresses, Taylor accepts Turtle as part of life. This sacrifice later turns into a blessing. Estevan and Esperanza’s sacrifice involved a major part of their lives. Both Estevan and Esperanza sacrificed their daughter for the lives of seventeen other people. Back in Guatemala, they were part of an secret underground teachers union where important information was passed by word of mouth.

Creative Accounting and Fraud: A Violation of Ethical Principles Essay

There are numerous books, references and guidelines that are available that provide detailed accounting standards. Yet, especially over the past few years, these same standards were neglected or deliberately misapplied for personal gain. There had been a number of high profile cases that involved fraudulent financial reporting. At the top of the list were Enron and Worldcom which were racking up losses but were able to cover it up and even reported earnings. Merck recorded billions of payments which it never collected. For several years, Xerox improperly distorted accounting rules to boost its profits which were falsely reported at over a billion dollars. These big-scale accounting frauds were not the exclusive domain of US companies. Italy’s 8th largest company included non-existent bank accounts on its books which allegedly ciontained billions in deposits (Badawi 13 & 15). The motivation behind the corporate practice of creative accounting varies from concealment of poor performance to raise stock value, for personal gain in terms of bonus pay-outs, to increase worth to get loans. For corporate accountants, it could be due to internal and external pressures to meet expectations or in deference to other business relationships such as a consultancy retainership with the client under audit which is essentially a conflict of interest, or simply a personal lack of character to stand up for honor, integrity and truth. A manipulation of the actual figures and financial status is nothing but fraud. Regardless of how much it is rationalized, it is tantamount to lying and this type of dishonesty for personal gain runs contrary to any known ethical principle. Such behavior has greatly undermined the reputation of the accounting profession for having seemingly lost its ethical standards. According to Cottell, Jr. & Perlin, there are two dominant ethical systems. One is Utilitarianism which â€Å"looks to consequences of acts for moral justification†. Actions are guided by decisions which weighed the good against bad results. The other is Deontologism from the Greek word deon meaning duty. The focus is not on consequence but on whether the act itself is correct or not. It works under the assumption that â€Å"there are duties, rules and principles that are inherently valuable and should never be violated† (3-4). Inasmuch as different individuals will react differently to the same situation depending on which ethical system is personally more dominant, organizations for accountants and auditors had adapted a code of ethics way back in the 1980s to serve as a guide for appropriate professional behavior. In the academe, ethics instructions had already been integrated into the curriculum through situational cases, simulated techniques and interviews. In the corporate setting, a top down approach is being employed to promote and establish a code of conduct that includes integrity and responsibility. However, having a list of ethical principles to follow is merely the ground work for a foundation. In the wake of the financial reporting scandals, there were calls for reform and in 2002, the U. S. Sorbones-Oxley Act was passed as law. The Act created a necessary oversight board to look into audits. It can establish controls, investigate probable violations and sanction the guilty party. The senior managers were made liable to for any financial disclosure by the company and must certify this. Disagreement between the auditors and management was required to be included in the report. Moreover, this does not only apply to U. S. companies but even the non-U. S. firms with trading in the U. S. This paved the way for further enactment of compliance practices on a global scale. Ethical principles allow accounting professionals to develop a strong character that will put honor and integrity back into the profession and once more raise investor confidence. To reinforce it, management support, corporate governance and oversight by regulatory bodies are required for the individual to successfully adhere to these principles. Works Cited Badawi, Ibrahim M. â€Å"Global Corporate Accounting Frauds and Action for Reforms. † Review of Business 26. 2 (2005): 8+ Cottell Jr, P. G. and T. M. Perlin. Accounting Ethics: A Practical Guide for Professionals. Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 1992.

Brachiation Project

Postcolonial Indices: Brachia Index Monterey Peninsula College Keywords: Hummer, skeletal Indices, locomotion, arboreal, fabrication, Biped, Quadruped, Percolator Abstract I measured multiple Hummer and radiuses from multiple mammals Including H. S. Sapiens In order to correlate a hypothesis on how they move using their Individual brachia indexes. Generally speaking fabrication is associated with the major alterations in the arm, thorax and hand. The more powerful the arm movements, more robust and â€Å"stronger† the stabilizing musculature must be.Materials and Methods The materials I used included a lightweight field esoteric board, and a pair of spreading calipers. I measured the length of the radius from the Proximal Epiphysis to the Distal Epiphysis and recorded the length in millimeters. I then did the same for the hummers. I then found the fabrication Index by using the equation (R) Radius length / (H) Hummers length X 100 or R/H(OHIO). I did this for the Sea Otter (An hydride ultra), Human (H. S.It Is one of the many Indexes we use to see how the animal moves. For example we can assume that all of the mammals on the list above besides the human and otter, are in some form swinging from trees because of the higher index. We can take the assumptions to another level. If the arms are longer then the legs then we can assume the animal will be a knuckle walking and fist walking. If the legs are longer than the arm then we can assume bipedal. If the legs are longer then the arms then we can assume leaping and arboreal.Discussion I found that there are several types of fabricators. The gibbons and the signings primarily use arm swinging as a way of getting around and are said to be the best kinds of fabricators. Although the fabricator Indexes Imply that humans and chimpanzees are not the best on the charts they are certainly capable, but they do to practice this as their primary source of locomotion. We as humans are the only ones dedicated to only usi ng bipedal does not mean that the other primates are to upright almost human like. Non-human primates use bipedal locomotion when carrying food.One hypothesis for human bipedal is that it evolved as a result of successful survival from carrying food to share with group members. The Chimpanzees forearm is relatively long in comparison to the humans. The major differences between chimpanzees and humans limbs are contrasts in relative proportion. Some anthropologists believe that fabrication could be a premeditation o bipedal. It was astonishing to me that humans brachia index is so similar to an otters but the otter was in no way designed to swing from a tree.It is also baffling to understand that a ring-tailed lemur, highest on the brachia scale, is closer on this index to an otter then too human. But we have the ability to climb and swing if we so desire. So it poses the question as to why the brachia index of the otter says it could swing from trees but the otter has yet to evolve this desire to do so. So what we can conclude from the brachia index is that the environment plays a significant role in evolving the ways in which animals move. Reference Elaine N. Evident, W. C.

The Life of a Firefighter Professor Ramos Blog

The Life of a Firefighter James Butte Ramos English 010 3:00 03 october 2018 Life as a Firefighter In the article â€Å"What to Expect as Your First Year as a Firefighter† (Battalion Chief Paul Lepore) he describes what it is like being a rookie Firefighter and what life will be like on the job. Most commonly firefighters work in 24-hour shifts, reporting to work at 0700 and work until 0700 the next day. Firefighters usually work a total of 56 hours per week†, On the average, firefighters work ten 24-hour shifts each month, leaving them with 20 days off each month. Firefighters are able to trade shifts with other firefighters. (Battalion Chief Paul Lepore) The article â€Å"A day in the life as a firefighter† tells the reader the life of a firefighter in a day’s work. It tells the challenges, different aspects of the job, and also the work schedule. Firefighters have multiple assignments throughout the day. First thing in the morning the crew checks out the fire engines, all their equipment is ready to go. Then they have their briefings from the previous shift. This contains what happened on their shift and gives the oncoming shift a heads up on what they should double check and make sure it was restocked and put back. Once they complete the briefings Firefighters go out and wash the fire engines, this is a huge part in representing the department with equipment that looks good. Once cleaning and checks are complete Firefighters go out and do different assignments like Inspections in different businesses, fire hydrant checks, and also go to the store and get food for lunch and dinner. Once they are back from the store and doing the assignments they have to do training assignments online, they have weekly classes due every week that they must complete, and they also have time for exercising, and training. Dinner is at 6:00PM, Most people think Firefighters eat their food for free but they don’t, they pay their own money and everyone on the crew splits the food bill. Everyone takes turns cooking food on different shifts. After dinner is done, everyone has certain chores to complete like doing the dishes, taking out all the trash, vacuuming, and mopping. After dinner is the Firefighter’s personal time where they can relax, watch TV, study, and have free time. Sleeping conditions vary in different departments. In some departments, the the crew sleeps in the same room, and some departments they have their own rooms. Wake up time is 6:00AM. Rookie Firefighters will get made fun of, scolded if they aren’t up early and ready to go. Some challenges of being a Firefighter â€Å"consist o f challenging training, it is ongoing because there is always new technologies (such as hybrid cars) that we need to know about, so keeping on top of it all can be demanding. Some of the situations that you deal with can be confronting and stressful, and the people in those situations might not be thinking clearly, so that be difficult as well.† (A day in the life as a firefighter). The article â€Å"Lifestyle and safety practices of firefighters and their relation to cardiovascular risk factors† Tells us about the safety practices and lifestyle in relation to cardiovascular risks. In the United States, â€Å"Over 50% of the deaths of on-duty firefighters are classified as sudden cardiac deaths. A holistic view of the multiple risk factors and their relation to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease. Consumption of whole grains and alcohol were associated with a reduction of the risk of heart disease, while higher Body Mass Index (BMI) scores and increasing age were associated with increased risk of heart disease.† (Lifestyle and safety practices of firefighters and their relation to cardiovascular risk factors) It is not healthy waking up to a loud alarm, bright lights at times like 2:00AM and be able to get ready in about a minute and be geared up and on the fire engine. This puts a huge stress on a firefighters body and mentally wears them out as well. Some of the stuff Firefighters see is unseeable. Firefighters see people in their worst times, from infants to the elderly, blood, bones you name it. This is really hard to take and just forget about it, some Firefighters consume alcohol to get their mind off of it, make themselves feel better. Departments provide help for these people, rehab, and they have a debriefing after a serious call so they can all talk about it and get their feelings out. Holding this information in can be a bad thing. Research has also shown that Firefighters turnout gear holds all the ash and soot on itself, and effects firefighters health with symptoms like asthma, lung issues. BMI issues are common, there are firefighters that are overweight due to lack of exercise, and poor diet, this also causes problems like high cholesterol, blood pressure. The risks of being a Firefighter consists of Physical dangers, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Unstable Work-Life Balance. In the article â€Å"The Risks of Being a Fireman† (Lisa McQuerrey) â€Å"Firefighters are susceptible to burns, smoke inhalation and crush injuries from collapsing structures. They can suffer from heat exhaustion, as well as long-term job-related illnesses such as asthma, persistent coughing, heart disease, cancer and lung damage. Due to the highly physical nature of the job, all matter of bodily harm can befall firefighters in the line of duty. Some physical fallout from the profession may not materialize until years down the road.† (Lisa McQuerrey). Much like soldiers engaged in war zone conflicts, firefighters are susceptible to developing PTSD, This can lead to poor sleep habits, flashbacks, depression, and anxiety. Long work hours may create conflicts with family due to not being home for long periods at a time, this creates stress, and ca n also affect the quality of work provided. From my experience as a Reserve Firefighter, I have spent lots of hours at the fire station getting an idea of what it’s really like, I started working the full 24 hour shifts, and doing the same assignments as everyone else. I can relate to what the article: â€Å"Lifestyle and safety practices of firefighters and their relation to cardiovascular risk factors† says when we get woken up at 3:00 AM to a fire call from completely asleep to fully geared up ready to fight a fire within a couple minutes. By the time I am all geared up my heart is racing, adrenaline pumping. There are also calls where there is some gnarly stuff that the normal person might not ever see, some stuff that you can never unsee. After every call we talk about what happened and talk to each other so we aren’t holding it all in and thinking about it, making yourself depressed. The overall atmosphere of being at the fire station is really cool, we get our work done and keep ourselves busy throu ghout the day. I can see myself being there one day. (James Butte) This is the Life as a Firefighter. Annotated Bibliography â€Å"Lifestyle and safety practices of firefighters and their relation to cardiovascular risk factors.† (http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0sid=6f3d21f5-d84e-4b79-8ba3-9090a1f2e6d7%40pdc-v-sessmgr03bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=101330145db=eih) Tells about the daily life of Firefighters and how it affects their health. The rates of death buy stats and the reasons for therm. It is found at a scholarly website. â€Å"Most commonly firefighters work in 24-hour shifts, reporting to work at 0700 and work until 0700 the next day. Firefighters usually work a total of 56 hours per week†, On the average, firefighters work ten 24-hour shifts each month, leaving them with 20 days off each month. Firefighters are able to trade shifts with other firefighters. This article is very reliable because it is written by Battalion Chief Paul Lepore from the Long Beach Fire Department. http://firelink.monster.com/training/articles/403-what-to-expect-your-first-year-as-a-firefighter (Battalion Chief Paul Lepore) The article â€Å"A day in the life as a firefighter† (https://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/recruitmentandtraining/recruitment/Pages/firefightercasestudy.aspx) This article tells the reader the life of a firefighter in a day’s work. It tells the challenges, different aspects of the job, and also the work schedule. This article is scholarly because it is from a government organization Department of Fire and Emergency Services. â€Å"The Risks of Being a Fireman† â€Å"Firefighters are susceptible to burns, smoke inhalation and crush injuries from collapsing structures. They can suffer from heat exhaustion, as well as long-term job-related illnesses such as asthma, persistent coughing, heart disease, cancer and lung damage. Due to the highly physical nature of the job, all matter of bodily harm can befall firefighters in the line of duty. Some physical fallout from the profession may not materialize until years down the road.† https://work.chron.com/risks-being-fireman-8600.html (Lisa McQuerrey) This article shows the risk of firefighters and what the job will do to your health down the road with Physical Dangers, Mental trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and an Unstable Work-Life Balance.

Arranged Marriage Is Not Relevant in Today’s Society

In an arranged marriage, the choice of a husband or wife is done by parents or the elderly. In this era of science and technology, people doesn’t depends on their families or the elderly anymore. They trust that true love come naturally in their life’s. Arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society because of several reasons. Firstly, the reason why arranged marriage is done by young adults because of technology in today’s society after merdeka. In new modern, people always with internet , hand phone and television. Nowadays, the internet plays a crucial part in our lives. It is one of the most useful inventions of all time. For example, Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, Twitter and Skype invite us to know people each other from others country compare to the past generations which do know about technology. Thus, the technology plays a major rule in our life’s today. Besides that, educated is one of the reasons why arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society. This is because, people in this generations have a lot of opportunity to continues their study until university or overseas. They will choose their partner in life which have a good career and high wages. In the past generations, the women of that time have no chance to further their study and have a good life. Therefore, it is undeniable that educated is the reason why arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society. Apart from that, people like to travel at other country with family or friends to get a new experiences there. For example, people which travel at overseas maybe will like their culture and meets new people from other country. From knowing each other, they might have a relationship with the person they like. The ancients doesn’t have an opportunity to travel because they are lack of money and facilities. Because of that, they just depends on recommendations of their parents to arranged their marriage. In a nutshell, arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society because of several reasons. In order to gain those benefits, we need to have that advantages. Arranged Marriage Is Not Relevant in Today’s Society In an arranged marriage, the choice of a husband or wife is done by parents or the elderly. In this era of science and technology, people doesn’t depends on their families or the elderly anymore. They trust that true love come naturally in their life’s. Arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society because of several reasons. Firstly, the reason why arranged marriage is done by young adults because of technology in today’s society after merdeka. In new modern, people always with internet , hand phone and television. Nowadays, the internet plays a crucial part in our lives. It is one of the most useful inventions of all time. For example, Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, Twitter and Skype invite us to know people each other from others country compare to the past generations which do know about technology. Thus, the technology plays a major rule in our life’s today. Besides that, educated is one of the reasons why arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society. This is because, people in this generations have a lot of opportunity to continues their study until university or overseas. They will choose their partner in life which have a good career and high wages. In the past generations, the women of that time have no chance to further their study and have a good life. Therefore, it is undeniable that educated is the reason why arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society. Apart from that, people like to travel at other country with family or friends to get a new experiences there. For example, people which travel at overseas maybe will like their culture and meets new people from other country. From knowing each other, they might have a relationship with the person they like. The ancients doesn’t have an opportunity to travel because they are lack of money and facilities. Because of that, they just depends on recommendations of their parents to arranged their marriage. In a nutshell, arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society because of several reasons. In order to gain those benefits, we need to have that advantages.

Philippines Demographics Profile Research Paper

Philippines Demographics Profile - Research Paper Example Comparison with other countries is also presented in this essay. Base on the study done in the Population Growth of the Philippines, the country is said to be considered as one of the 12th world populous country. This is one of the reasons why poverty in the said country is increasing. The Philippines' annual population growth slowed down to a rate of 1.95 percent last year, prompting economic authorities to say that the deceleration would help make the country's poverty reduction goal within reach. a - Includes the household population, homeless population, Filipinos in Philippine Embassies/Consulates and missions abroad and institutional population who are found living in institutional living quarters such as penal institutions, orphanages, hospitals, military camps, etc. at the time of the census taking. At present the Philippines has a population of (2007 est.): 91,077,287 (growth rate: 1.8%); birth rate: 24.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 22.1/1000; life expectancy: 70.5; density per sq mi: 791. (www.infoplease.com). As compared to the 2000 census the growth rate has become even slower from 1.95% to 1.8%. The reason for the decline of population growth is because of several programs created by the government, to stop the continued growth of the population, which is causing severe poverty in the country Sources of Data The Survey Dataset files includes survey and study about individual recode, household recode, birth recode, couples recode, children's recode, male recode, household recode and geographic dataset. (www.measuredhs.com). The files for the mentioned study can be access thru the UN Demographic Yearbook. Below are the data gathered from the UN Demographic Profile: Household surveys are an important source of socio-economic data. In developing countries, they have become a dominant form of data collection, supplementing or sometimes even replacing other data collection programmes and civil registration systems. (http://unstats.un.org) The Philippines' is a developing countries and the future of the country depends on it's population. Several data's are important in studying the demographic profile of a certain country. These data can be access in the UN Demographic Profile. Migration from Urban to Rural Migration is an important livelihood strategy in the Philippines. Gender differences in

Underage Drinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Underage Drinking - Essay Example Lacks of legal framework coupled by moral decay in the society are the two main barriers to mitigating the problem of underage drinking. The number of young people engaging in underage drinking has been increasing with time. Everyday there are more than 5,000 kids in the US who are aged 16 and below who have the first full alcoholic drink. Statistics have shown that alcohol is the most abused substance compared to other like tobacco, marijuana, or other hard drugs by the young people. The average age of drinking has been set ad 12 to 17 years although the average age at which kids are introduced to alcoholic drinks is at 13 years. The episode of binge dirking has also been increasing with time. It is shown that the level of binge drinking by young people has increased by more that a half compared to the level in 1990s. Between 1993 and 2001 studies have found out that more than 56% of the kids aged between 13 and 20 had at least one binge drinking occasion in the past 30 days. A recent study has show that more than 10.8 million persons between the age of 12 and 20 reported to have been drinking alcohol in the past on e month. Almost 7.2 million of them were binge drinkers. (The Center for Alcohol Marketing, 2008) There are many reasons that have given by the young drinkers as to why they find it easy to abuse alcohol compared to other substances. They have given a variety of reasons but the availability of alcohol and lack of restrictive laws on the use of alcohol has been given as the most prevalent factor why they abuse alcohol than other drugs It has been shown that alcohol is readily available and can be purchased without restrictions unlike other substances. But a good number of them also showed that there is little apparently control. Even when they go to their home drunk, they are not reprimanded by their parents. This is perhaps the greatest factor that has contributed to increased number of underage drinking as compared to other reasons that can be given. It shows an intricate moral decay and lack of parental control on underage drinking. On the issue of availably of the drinks, the convenient suitor have been criticized for promoting under age drinking they have been providing drinks to the kids even without need of identification. While there are strict government laws regulation the sale of alcohol in other areas, these rules have not been well enforced in convenience stores. The fact that there are not official to look at what kids are drinking makes it more complicated to control underage drinking. However it may be difficult for the convenience stores to put in place control measures that will ensure that underage drinkers don't purchase drinks since it has been shown that some of them come in company of their parents and purchase the drinks. The issue of underage drinking has been tackled using a variety of tactics. The state security machinery including the police force has been directed to deal firmly with the problem. But the underage

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 38

Strategic Management - Essay Example According McKienan and Carter, planning enables the company or organization to set priorities focus energies and resources, strengthen operations and ensures employees and stakeholders are working towards a common goal (2000). It helps managers to establish the objectives they want to achieve and the intended outcome from their activities and assess and adjust the organization direction in response to the changing market structure. To achieve all these management needs to come up with a strategic plan that will guide them in management. A strategic plan is a document used to communicate the organizational objectives and goals that focuses on the actions that needed to be taken to realize these goals. Strategic management is guided by that written document. Clark maintains that strategic management transforms the static plan into a structure that provides strategic performance response to decision-making process and enables it to grow and adjust to changes (2004). Execution of the plan is synonymous with management, and it results in a systematic implementation of the plan. A good strategy tends to answer three critical questions that are; where is the organization at the moment? Where does it want to go? And, how will it get there? It should consider the end always. It is not about predicting the future it is about preparing for it with the exact steps the company has to follow in mind in order to gain a competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is what keeps a company ahead of others in the same industry. According to Lowendahl and Revang, a company with a competitive advantage will perform fairly better than the rest in terms of revenue development and customers’ satisfaction (2004). Planning is not guarantee that companies will achieve more competitive advantage over the rest, but it is an essential process that can enhance sustainability of the company in the business. Strategy

Teaching The Electrocardiography Procedure

Teaching The Electrocardiography Procedure The teaching session commenced with identification of the goals and expectations for clinical learning and continued through assessing students, planning electrocardiography procedure activities, guiding students, and evaluating ECG procedure learning and performance. The goals and expectations provided areas of assessment, teaching guidelines, and the basis of evaluating learning. They were often expressed in the form of clinical objectives established for the entire teaching session for specific teaching activities. The ECG procedure teaching objectives specified knowledge acquisition, nurturing of values, and performance of psychomotor and technological skills (Braunwald, 1997). The use of constructivist model as an essential approach in the teaching actively interacted students with the material system and concepts in electrocardiography procedure domain. Through effective supervision, students were able to discuss their developing understanding and competences in carrying out electrocardiography procedure (Gaberson, 1999). This paper is based on: teaching session conducted with peers in week seven. It reflects on my effectiveness as a teacher; the creativity and efforts applied to engage and teach learners; and broadly linking all these to the teaching philosophy, learning theories, and teaching strategies. The paper also analyzes the literature related to teaching electrocardiography procedure; teaching strategies used and details recommendations on how to improve future teaching sessions in the clinical environment (Tanner, 2009). Relevant Literature Review Including Pedagogies used in Clinical Education Learning involves the process through which knowledge, is achieved and provided meaning; and comes from experience, reading, and living life. The result of learning is growth, that is, transformation in thinking, feeling or behaving. Many studies that endeavor to explain how learning occurs have been done through the years; and they been done through the lenses of disciplines such as psychology, physiology, and sociology (Vandeveer, 2005). Findings of these studies have led in the evolution of theories that try to explain how individuals learn. A theory is developed from fact analysis in relation to one another and is then applied to explain a phenomenon. The knowledge achieved from such studies has contributed to the theoretical underpinnings for entire theoretical structures or frameworks for education (Roberta, 2003). Behavioral Theories of Learning Education has been influenced more by behaviorism than any other single theory. Currently, behavioral principles continue to be used appropriately and successfully whereas others have been rejected. Behaviorism foundational principles were developed by psychologists Pavlov, Thorndike, and Skinner; these principles were derived from observations of learning in animals (Braungart, 2003). There were also other behavioral theorists who presented a variety of principles. However, all shared a common element that all behavior is learned, and that learning is influenced through environmental manipulation in which it happens and the rewards given to encourage it (Vandeveer, 2005). Behaviorism was carried into a classroom where learning experiences were structured in a manner that would assist educators attain goals through the development of objectives. Tyler (1979) stated that the most useful form for stating objectives is to express them in terms which identify both the kind of behavior to be developed in the student and the content or area of life in which this behavior is to operate; and this was the foundation of behavioral objectives. Bloom et al (1956) continued to make a classification of educational objectives that addressed the cognitive domain, the recall or recognition of knowledge or development of intellectual abilities and skills through the application of observable actions. Krathwohl (1956) led efforts in the affective domain of knowledge with a behavioral inclination. The objectives here were mainly emphasizing on an emotion, a feeling tone or a degree of acceptance or rejection; also attitudes, values, appreciations, and emotional sets or pr ejudices (Krathwohl, 1956). Achievement of the objectives continued to be through highly structured, clearly delineated, and visible behaviors. Behavioral theories enabled teachers and students alike to learn to construct behavioral objectives to guide teaching and identify measurable outcomes as the basis for evaluating learning. Behavioral theoretical learning aspects are common and continue to be applied in clinical educational settings, particularly in gaining of technical skills. Commonly, at the start of clinical nursing education, what is important to known, experienced and demonstrated is determined by the faculty. Even today, faculty still retains primary influence and authority despite increase in students involvement in their own learning. Knowledge grows, that is, prior knowledge forms a reference point for both the assimilation of new knowledge and the application transfer of knowledge from one learning experience to another. Understanding prior knowledge available allows the teacher to help students connect new knowledge to old and hence, improve overall understanding. Classically, technical skills are learnt as procedures, following a designed approach. The behavioral objectives, designed keenly to identify the expected learning outcomes, prescribes both exposure of students to learning experien ces and for their evaluation. The sequential procedural format of the nursing process, and the resulting nursing care plans are a direct outgrowth of behaviorism. Any activity learners participate in that follows this procedure, for instance, development of teaching plans, reflects behavioral learning theories. Written and verbal positive reinforcement provides a strong extrinsic learning reward; and rewarding the achievement of intended outcomes is a key behavioral aspect. Cognitive Theories of Learning Behavioral theorists emphasize that which is external to the learner. On the other hand, cognitive theories emphasize on what occurs within the learner. According to cognitive theorists, mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, and structuring information are important aspects of learning (Braungart, 2003). They particularly identified six classes of cognitive learning; presented from simple to complex. These classes were; knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Each class was broken down further into varying numbers of components. For instance, knowledge class may be broken into knowledge of specifics, then of ways and means to deal with those specifics, and the knowledge of the universals and abstractions associated with a given field of study. Each level is associated with specific learning behavior, also verbs descriptive of those behaviors, which are to be used when writing objectives (Bloom et al., 1956). Faculty formulates the app ropriate objectives based on whether learning is new or constructed depending on prior learning, and the desired end point level of cognitive learning. Used verbs also give guidance for how the learning will be evaluated (Roberta, 2003). Models of Clinical Nursing Education Knowledge and understanding of models available in clinical practice empowers clinical education to work in a manner that suits teachers, students, and patients. Models have been defined as tools for generating ideas, guiding conceptualization, and generating explanations (Young, 2002). Clinical teachers can apply models in teaching to the procedure being experienced. Two approaches were used during the teaching session; traditional and constructivism models. Traditional Model Teaching electrocardiography procedure requires careful design of an environment in which students get opportunities to build mutual respect and support for each other while they are achieving identified learning outcomes, that is, recording electrocardiography procedures. Teachers in clinical teaching form a crucial bridge to successful experience for students (Braunwald, 1997). Research in nursing education shows that effective medical teachers are clinically competent; are able to teach; have collegial relationships with learners and agency staff; and are friendly, supportive, and patient (Halstead, 1996). Its essential for the teacher to be knowledgeable and able to share the knowledge with students in clinical setting. Such knowledge includes an understanding of the theories and concepts related to the practice of nursing, such as; recording electrocardiography procedure. Karuhije (1997) contends that attention to three teaching domains; instructional, evaluative and interpretat ional, facilitates achievement of teaching skills required to enhance success in clinical settings. Instructional infers those approaches or strategies adopted to facilitate knowledge transfer from didactic to practicum (Norton, 1998). Evaluative approach relates to making determinatives about performance and achievements as goals. Interpersonal approaches relate to relationships and interactions (Knox, 1985). Competence in clinical practice of nursing has been documented as being necessary for effective clinical teaching. Gaberson (1999) revealed that best clinical teachers exhibit expert clinical skills and judgment. Expert skills have particularly been described by students to be important. They tend to describe effective clinical teaching as those who demonstrate nursing competence in a real situation (Horst, 1988). Knowing how to teach is also a prerequisite for effective clinical teaching. Wong (1988) adds that effective clinical teachers are expected to have expertise in the art of teaching. Equally important are teacher behaviors that facilitate learning and support students in their acquisition of nursing skills (McCarbe, 1985). Brophy (1998) reveals that empirical evidence exists that correlates specific teaching methods with enhanced student learning; examples of such methods are use of objectives, effective questioning, and responding to questions. A study conducted by Pugh (19 88) revealed that preparation and the ability to explain concepts clearly and stimulate learning are also important. Other effective behaviors include being fair in evaluation, communicating expectations clearly, and providing positively timed and specific feedback (Nehring, 1990). Constructivism Model Adoption of constructivism approach to teaching in nursing gives nurse teachers with a new vision of teaching. It also parallels a paradigm shift in nursing practice from nurse centered to patient centered nursing practice (Bevis, 1989). In constructivist teaching, the teacher commences with the experience of the student and together they develop knowledge, skills and competencies for professional practice (Bergum, 2003). Teachers who embrace constructivist teaching not only prepare student nurses with the substantive knowledge necessary for competent practice, but also create an environment in students learn to think critically, practice reflectively, work effectively in groups, and access and use new information to support their practice, while modeling respect for meanings of lived experiences, learning and collaborative processes (Bevis, 2001). Bergum (2003) envisions nursing as a dynamic, interpersonal, generative and caring practice. To be consistent with this view of nursing, teaching nursing should be a relational, generative practice that occurs formally and informally; between the student and the teacher; the student and the patient; the student and colleagues; the student and peers; and the student and professionals from other courses (Young, 2002). Such learning needs to occur in diverse settings including the classroom, lab, and clinical areas; hospitals as well as community sites. Teaching nursing requires facilitating a thoughtful engagement between the learners and learning materials to ensure that students gain skills and knowledge for rotational (Bergum, 2003). Constructivism is a philosophy that applies well in clinical teaching. It bodes well in clinical teaching and learning since its central focus is the idea that students construct knowledge for themselves (Young, 2002). Students construct meaning individual as they learn. They attain this by reflecting on experiences. Under constructivist theory, students make their own rules and mental models which they apply to make sense of their experiences. Miranda (2005) provides guiding principles of constructivism, which includes: learning as an active process, searching for meaning. Therefore, it must commence with issues around which learners are trying to construct meaning actively; learning as a social activity associated with link to other people, such as, the teachers and peers; constructivist learning that concentrates on primary concepts, not isolated facts; understanding mental models in order to teach well (Wong, 1987). Learners use mental models to perceive the world and the assumpt ions they make to support those models; the learning purpose for individuals to construct their own meaning. Assessment requires being part of the learning process and gives learners information on the quality of their learning; time taken to learn. Students need to revisit ideas, think over them, try them out, and use them for significant learning to occur; and finally motivation as an essential tool for learning (Miranda, 2005). Models, Theories and Principles of Teaching and Learning In teaching ECG procedure, five steps followed in clinical teaching process; identifying the goals and learning outcomes of ECG procedure, assessing the learning needs of students, planning ECG learning activities, guiding learners, and evaluating ECG learning and performance. However, this process was not linear; instead each of these steps influenced the others. For instance, ECG procedure evaluation revealed data on further learning needs of the learners, which suggested fresh learning activities. Similarly, working with students, resulted to observations on performance that altered assessment, thus, suggesting different learning activities. First, the session commenced by identifying the goals and outcomes of the ECG clinical experience. Teaching at this stage was formed by behavioral theories which contemplated learning as influenced through environmental manipulation. This theory was carried into classroom in a way that assisted in making learners understand: the different aspects of ECG; reasons of using ECG; emergencies which require ECG for diagnosis; how ECG is conducted in an emergency: and ECG recordings generally considered as normal and abnormal. These learning goals and outcomes provided clearly areas of assessment, teaching guidelines, and the basis for evaluating learning. They were often expressed the form of clinical objectives and established for the entire teaching session, and specific clinical activities. Gaberson (1997) stated that learning objectives may specify knowledge acquisition, development of values, and performance of psychomotor and technological skills. ECG teaching objectives addressed eight key areas of learning; knowledge, concepts, and theories applicable to perform an ECG procedure; assessment, diagnoses, planning, and evaluation; psychomotor and technological skills; values related to patient care, families and communities; communication skills, ability to build interpersonal relationships, and skill in collaboration with others; leadership abilities, role behavior, and management care; accountability and responsibility on the part of the student; and finally, self development and continued learning. Guided by the traditional approach in clinical teaching, a learning environment was designed in a way that provided students with opportunities to build mutual respect and support one another while they achieved competence in performing ECG procedure (Braunwauld, 1997). The teaching strategy specified learning outcomes in terms of students competencies in demonstrating ECG procedure in full. They were able to have basic knowledge on carrying electrocardiography procedure in an emergency situation. As postulated by Lippincott (2008), electrocardiography is one of the essential and commonly used procedures to evaluate a cardiac arrest patient in an emergency circumstance (Braunwald, 1997). Through electrocardiography, the hearts electrical functions as a wave form can be displayed. Electrocardiogram is able to monitor impulses moving through the conduction system of the heart producing electric currents that can be monitored on the bodys surface. Normally, the electrodes attached to the skin can sense these electric currents and send them to an electrocardiogram; an instrument that produces a record of cardiac activity (Lippincott, 2008). Braunwald (2008) states that electrocardiography can be used effectively in diagnosing several conditions of the heart. Nurses who encounter patients in emergency wards must have knowledge on the importance of electrocardiography procedure in a life saving situation. The responsibility of caring patients with cardiovascular disorders cuts across every area of nursing practice. As a result, cardiovascular care is a rapidly growing area in nursing. Lippincott (2003) mentions cardiovascular care to be a dynamic field, with continued inventions of new diagnostic tests, new drugs and other treatments, and sophisticated monitoring equipment. Consequently, nurses need to keep up with these changing developments through relevant clinical education (Lippincott, 2008). The students were able to demonstrate their specific abilities; and often reflected their proficiencies required to perform specific tasks on ECG procedure that assigned to them. Performance criteria were established to determine the level of learner achievement of competency in carrying out necessary ECG procedure. For instance, gauging performance criteria for competency of; understanding the value of ECG in an emergency situation, assessing potential cases that require ECG attention, interpreting the electrical activity of the heart and its recordings by using skin electrodes (Lippincott, 2008). Constructivism model provided a new vision of teaching. Students were allowed to participate in the clinical objectives and competences established for carrying out ECG procedure from simple to complex. This approach made it possible for learners to be prepared with substantive knowledge necessary for performing ECG procedure. It also created an environment where students were able to think critically, practice ECG procedure reflectively, collaborate in groups, and others. Some of the outcomes were achieved by learners and had to add others to meet individual learning needs and goals. Student objectives were made flexible to the extent that they met essential ECG procedure objectives. Learning activities were directed by asking questions that provoked thought without interrogating them. Asking open ended questions about their thoughts and the rationale they applied for reaching at clinical decisions, enhanced their growth of their critical thinking skills. Queries were asked to asses s students grasp of relevant concepts and theories and how they were used in clinical practice (Bergum, 2003). The key principles of constructivism were applied to create sessions which assisted students to graduate with their own ideas. For instance, they were assisted in openly sharing their ideas through discussion strategy during and after each learning session. They were free to vary their concepts whenever possible. This enabled them remember the key concepts of electrocardiography. Frequent assessments on the students enabled to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. conveniently asked and valued their interpretations of what they learnt. Teaching plans were also varied effectively at some points to cope with the intelligence and cognitive abilities of students. What students provided as feedback, was not considered in a prejudiced manner; neither were judgmental comments (Brooks, 1993). Secondly, an assessment was conducted on the learning needs of students. The assessment was guided by cognitive theory which assisted in formulation of appropriate objectives on what the students had learnt. Teaching started at the level of the student. Therefore, assessed was done on; the present level of knowledge and skill of the students, and other factors that may had influenced their achievement of objectives. Data was collected to determine whether the students had necessary knowledge and skills to carry out ECG procedure and complete the learning activities. The teachers assessment was important as it engaged learners in learning activities that developed on their current knowledge and skills in ECG procedure competencies (Young, 2002). Third, instruction planned and delivered following the assessment of students learning needs. The plan for learning activities catered for clinical objectives and individual learner needs. Selected ECG learning activities met objectives of carrying out ECG procedure effectively. The learning activities included patient assignments where learners engaged in practical setting. Miranda (2005) contends that constructivism advocates for a curriculum that is related to learners prior knowledge and puts more emphasis on problem solving. Therefore, concentration focused on connecting between facts and fostering new understanding among learners. They heavily depended on questions that are open-ended and were encouraged dialogue among them. Constructivist model had direct application in ECG procedural setting, based on these facts. It centered in providing an overall approach that involved other theories and approaches, such as; experiential learning, reflection and problem based learning. It enabled teacher and faculty to direct educational experiences to suit their clinical setting and provide learners opportunity to integrate their learning (Bradshaw, 2006). More so, it accorded learners responsibility to make sense of what goes on in ECG clinical setting and motivates them grow and nurture a deeper understanding of ECG procedure (Cobb, 1999). Fourth, they were guided in achieving essential knowledge, skills and values for ECG practice through problem solving strategy. Facilitation and support of the process enabled students to achieve the intended outcomes; guiding them with their learning activities. Demonstrations were made to learners and they were questioned to enhance their levels of understanding ECG procedure. As a skilled person in this practice, the teacher was able to: observe learners clinical performance, make sound judgment about their performance, and planned for extra learning activities in instances necessary; and questioned students without interrogation. Observing learners as they performed the ECG learning activities enabled teacher to identify continued areas of learning and establish when help was needed (Gaberman, 1999). The third session was conducted in a training class in the ECG room where learners were taught on how ECG procedure is taken. They were provided enough opportunities to perform electrocardiography procedure themselves. In collaboration with the technician on duty, learners were guided throughout the clinical practice. At the end of the session, the students were able to: examine the patient in the emergency room and understand the significance of ECG procedure in a life-saving scenario; perform an ECG as an initial step with patients who arrive with cardiovascular complications, chest pains or after an accident; interpret the electrical activity of the heart and externally by using skin electrodes; and perform non invasive procedure in patients (Lippincott, 2008). Fifth, effective evaluation of clinical learning and performance was done on learners. The evaluation served two important purposes; formative and summative. Learners progress was monitored towards achieving clinical objectives through formative evaluation; through written examination. Demonstration strategy was also used to ascertain their competency in clinical practice. Through formative evaluation strategy, diagnoses for extra learning requirements of students and where additional clinical instruction was required for further instruction was realized. Recommendations for Improving Teaching Strategies Based on Feedback from Peer and Analysis of Literature Based on the feedback received from peers and analysis of the literature, the following recommendations to improve future teaching sessions in the clinical environment were suggested; one, identification of challenges learners are faced with. Commends made by peers indicated that teaching did not take into account the challenges the students faced. It was noted that initiation process of probing to understand students well was lacking. For instance, they may have been overburdened with family issues, language problems, fee problems, and many others. These factors impede effective clinical teaching as it heightens the fear of nurses to make mistakes that could injure patients or even fail a program (OConnor, 2001). Two, recommend extension of the possibilities of evaluation showing learners performance in relation to teaching and learning objectives. Ghazi (1988) noted that motivation for learners was sustained through strategies such as individualized learning, formative evaluations, and others. Teaching did not quite offer feedback on the areas of strengths and potential areas of development for students. Students were not given opportunities to evaluate their learning (OConnor, 2001). Three, recommend further research on effective characteristics of clinical teachers. The analysis of related literature reveals that students judged effective teachers as those having characteristics such as being clinically competent, knowledgeable, good interpersonal relationship, and enthusiastic (Gaberman, 1999). Laurent (2001) contends that teachers, who learners viewed as helpful, modeled competent behavior consistently and demonstrated a positive attitude and humanistic orientation. This will enhance responsiveness to the needs of students. Four, recommend collaborative planning of learning activities. It was felt that the teaching lacked a bit of this element. Learners are usually receptive to selecting among a variety of learning activities and contribute suggestions. Five, recommend different methods of assessing clinical performance. Teaching strategies were limited to only a few methods of assessing clinical performance, such as, discussions, lecture, question and answer, and rounds. Other important approaches involve role plays, case studies, group activities, and many others. More emphasis must have been made on case management also. Conclusion In sum, minimum requirements for an effective teaching and learning; these included the environment, dialogue and the closure. Provision was accorded for sufficient lighting, ample sitting arrangements and adequate audio-visual aids that enhanced an environment that was conducive for teaching and learning. Dialogue in a formal, clear, and logical way; therefore, students did not miss any part of it. At the end of the teaching session, sufficient time for discussion and clarifying doubts was allocated. Teaching summery was submitted at the end of the session. McTaggart (1997) contends that teaching must end by educators being in a position to submit a summery. Young (2002) also insisted that a teacher must be able to use proper teaching and learning principles in the three domains of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. References List Bergum, V. (2003). Relational Pedagogy. Nursing Philosophy, 4, 121-128. Bloom, B., Engelhart, M., Furst, E., Hill, W., Krathwohl, R. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: David McKay Company. Bradshaw, M., Lowenstein, A. (2006). Innovative Teaching Strategies in Nursing and Related Health Profession. London: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Brooks, M., Brooks, J. (1993). In Search of Understanding. The Case of the Constructivist Classroom. New York: Sunny. Braunwald, E., Lowenstein, A. (2006). Innovative Teaching Strategies in Nursing and Related Health Profession. London: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Cobb, T. (1999). Applying constructivism: A test for the learner as scientist. Educational Technology Research Development, 47 (3), 15-31. Gaberson, K., Oerman, M. (1999). Clinical Teaching Strategies in Nursing. London: Springer Publishing Company. Ghazi, F. Henshaw, L. (1998). How to Keep Student Nurses Motivated . Nursing standard, 13 (8), 43-49. Halstead, A. (1996). The Significance of Student Faculty Interactions: Review of Research in Nursing. New York: National League of Nursing Press. Horst, M. (1988). Students Rank Characteristics of the Clinical Teacher. Nurse Education, 13 (6), 3. Karuhije, E. (1997). Classroom and Clinical Teaching in Nursing: Delineating Differences. Nursing Forum, 32 (2): 5-12 Knox, J. Morgan. (1985). Important Clinical Teacher Behaviors as perceived by University Nursing Foculty Students and Graduates. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 10, 25-30. Krathwohl, R., Bloom, B., Masia, B. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: David McKay Company. Laurent, T., Weidner, T. (2001). Clinical Instructors and Student Athletic Trainers Perceptions of Helpful Clinical Instructor Characteristics. Journal of Athletic Training, 36 (1), 58-61. Lippincott, W. (2008). Lippincotts Nursing Procedures. Sydney: Wolters Kluwer Health McCabe, B. (1985). The Improvement of Instruction in the Clinical Area. Journal of Nursing Education, 24, 255-257. McTaggart, R. (1997). Participatory Action Research. New York: Sunny Press. Miranda, Best, D. (2005). Transforming Practice through Clinical Education, Professional Supervision. Sydney: Elsevier Health sciences. Nehring, V. (1990). Nursing and Clinical Teacher Effectiveness Inventory. Journals of Advenced Nursing, 15, 934-940. Norton, B. (1998). From Teaching to Learning: Theoretical Foundations. Philadelphia: Saunders. OConnor, A. (2001). Clinical Instruction and Evaluation. London: Jones and Bartlett. Tanner, C. Chesla, C. (2009). Expertise in Nursing Practice. New York: Springer Publishing. Tyler, W. (1979). Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Pugh, E. (1988). Soliciting Student Input to Improve Clinical Teaching. Nurse Education, 13 (3), 28-33. Roberta, E. (2003). Nursing Education in Clinical Teaching. Sydney: Elsevier Health Sciences. Vandeveer, M. Norton, B. (2005). From Teachings to Learning. Philadelphia: Saunders. Wong, J. Wong, S. (1987). Towards Effective Clinical Teaching in Nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 12, 505-513. Young, L., Paterson, B. (2007). Teaching Nursing: Developing A Student Centered Learning Environment. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams Wilkins.

Abortion Legalized leads to Assault :: essays research papers

This article â€Å"Pro-Life Laws Lead to Assault† by Steven Ereit is intrusive, and completely opinionated. This article noticeably mentions that many incidents of killings and assaults that have gone on between young teenagers are the direct result of legalized abortion. It is stated in the article by Ereit that having abortion legalized shows teens that killing is one of the solutions to life’s problems. Also that if the soon to be mother doesn’t comply with having the abortion the soon to be father has the right to assault or even kill their wives/girlfriends. The law making abortion legal doesn’t insist on anyone killing to solve the problems in their life. The contemplation of killing for peace comes from that persons own mental state or family background. Ereit’s conclusion is based on his own personal opinions, and is completely invalid.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s clearly stated in the article that legalized abortion is stating that killing is the solution to life’s problems. That instead of abortion these teens need help in making good decisions about sex, relationships, and responsibility. Ereit made the point that since abortion was legalized and teens have been notified about this fact they have no need for important information about sex, and relationships.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teenagers being taught about safe sex, and making smart decisions when it comes towards relationships is based on their environment while growing up. The fact that abortion was made legal has nothing to do with teenagers not making good decisions when it comes to matters of the opposite sex. Parents, Guardians, or important people in that child life are supposed to teach them what’s right and what’s wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ereit also mentioned that since abortion was made legal, soon to be fathers feel that they have the right to take matters into their own hands and give the mother an abortion. The law making abortion legal in no way gives or states that the father has any rights to abort the baby himself. The decision on what will be done with the child is left strictly up to the mother. The father has no right to that baby until it is out of its mother’s womb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The article Ereit wrote was totally invalid and a bunch of opinions. There was no valid information to back up what he was saying. Abortion doesn’t teach teens that killing is the solution to all life’s problems.

Chapter 20 The First Task

Harry got up on Sunday morning and dressed so inattentively that it was a while before he realized he was trying to pull his hat onto his foot instead of his sock. When he'd finally got all his clothes on the right parts of his body, he hurried off to find Hermione, locating her at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, where she was eating breakfast with Ginny. Feeling too queasy to eat, Harry waited until Hermione had swallowed her last spoonful of porridge, then dragged her out onto the grounds. There, he told her all about the dragons, and about everything Sirius had said, while they took another long walk around the lake. Alarmed as she was by Sirius's warnings about Karkaroff, Hermione still thought that the dragons were the more pressing problem. â€Å"Let's just try and keep you alive until Tuesday evening,† she said desperately, â€Å"and then we can worry about Karkaroff.† They walked three times around the lake, trying all the way to think of a simple spell that would subdue a dragon. Nothing whatsoever occurred to them, so they retired to the library instead. Here, Harry pulled down every book he could find on dragons, and both of them set to work searching through the large pile. â€Å"Talon-clipping by charms†¦treating scale-rot†¦' This is no good, this is for nutters like Hagrid who want to keep them healthy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Dragons are extremely difficult to slay, owing to the ancient magic that imbues their thick hides, which none but the most powerful spells can penetrate†¦' But Sirius said a simple one would do it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Let's try some simple spellbooks, then,† said Harry, throwing aside Men Who Love Dragons Too Much. He returned to the table with a pile of spellbooks, set them down, and began to flick through each in turn, Hermione whispering nonstop at his elbow. â€Å"Well, there are Switching Spells†¦but what's the point of Switching it? Unless you swapped its fangs for wine-gums or something that would make it less dangerous†¦.The trouble is, like that book said, not much is going to get through a dragon's hide†¦.I'd say Transfigure it, but something that big, you really haven't got a hope, I doubt even Professor McGonagall†¦unless you're supposed to put the spell on yourself? Maybe to give yourself extra powers? But they're not simple spells, I mean, we haven't done any of those in class, I only know about them because I've been doing O.W.L. practice papers†¦.† â€Å"Hermione,† Harry said, through gritted teeth, â€Å"will you shut up for a bit, please? I m trying to concentrate.† But all that happened, when Hermione fell silent, was that Harry's brain filled with a sort of blank buzzing, which didn't seem to allow room for concentration. He stared hopelessly down the index of Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed. Instant scalping†¦but dragons had no hair†¦pepper breath†¦that would probably increase a dragon's firepower†¦horn tongue†¦just what he needed, to give it an extra weapon†¦ â€Å"Oh no, he's back again, why can't he read on his stupid ship?† said Hermione irritably as Viktor Krum slouched in, cast a surly look over at the pair of them, and settled himself in a distant corner with a pile of books. â€Å"Come on, Harry, we'll go back to the common room†¦his fan club'll be here in a moment, twittering away†¦.† And sure enough, as they left the library, a gang of girls tiptoed past them, one of them wearing a Bulgaria scarf tied around her waist. Harry barely slept that night. When he awoke on Monday morning, he seriously considered for the first time ever just running away from Hogwarts. But as he looked around the Great Hall at breakfast time, and thought about what leaving the castle would mean, he knew he couldn't do it. It was the only place he had ever been happy†¦well, he supposed he must have been happy with his parents too, but he couldn't remember that. Somehow, the knowledge that he would rather be here and facing a dragon than back on Privet Drive with Dudley was good to know; it made him feel slightly calmer. He finished his bacon with difficulty (his throat wasn't working too well), and as he and Hermione got up, he saw Cedric Diggory leaving the Hufflepuff table. Cedric still didn't know about the dragons†¦the only champion who didn't, if Harry was right in thinking that Maxime and Karkaroff would have told Fleur and Krum†¦. â€Å"Hermione, I'll see you in the greenhouses,† Harry said, coming to his decision as he watched Cedric leaving the Hall. â€Å"Go on, I'll catch you up.† â€Å"Harry, you'll be late, the bell's about to ring -â€Å" â€Å"I'll catch you up, okay?† By the time Harry reached the bottom of the marble staircase, Cedric was at the top. He was with a load of sixth-year friends. Harry didn't want to talk to Cedric in front of them; they were among those who had been quoting Rita Skeeter's article at him every time he went near them. He followed Cedric at a distance and saw that he was heading toward the Charms corridor. This gave Harry an idea. Pausing at a distance from them, he pulled out his wand, and took careful aim. â€Å"Diffindo!† Cedric's bag split. Parchment, quills, and books spilled out of it onto the floor. Several bottles of ink smashed. â€Å"Don't bother,† said Cedric in an exasperated voice as his friends bent down to help him. â€Å"Tell Flitwick I'm coming, go on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This was exactly what Harry had been hoping for. He slipped his wand back into his robes, waited until Cedric's friends had disappeared into their classroom, and hurried up the corridor, which was now empty of everyone but himself and Cedric. â€Å"Hi,† said Cedric, picking up a copy of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration that was now splattered with ink. â€Å"My bag just split†¦brand-new and all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Cedric,† said Harry, â€Å"the first task is dragons.† â€Å"What?† said Cedric, looking up. â€Å"Dragons,† said Harry, speaking quickly, in case Professor Flitwick came out to see where Cedric had got to. â€Å"They've got four, one for each of us, and we've got to get past them.† Cedric stared at him. Harry saw some of the panic he'd been feeling since Saturday night flickering in Cedric's gray eyes. â€Å"Are you sure?† Cedric said in a hushed voice. â€Å"Dead sure,† said Harry. â€Å"I've seen them.† â€Å"But how did you find out? We're not supposed to know†¦.† â€Å"Never mind,† said Harry quickly – he knew Hagrid would be in trouble if he told the truth. â€Å"But I'm not the only one who knows. Fleur and Krum will know by now – Maxime and Karkaroff both saw the dragons too.† Cedric straightened up, his arms full of inky quills, parchment, and books, his ripped bag dangling off one shoulder. He stared at Harry, and there was a puzzled, almost suspicious look in his eyes. â€Å"Why are you telling me?† he asked. Harry looked at him in disbelief. He was sure Cedric wouldn't have asked that if he had seen the dragons himself. Harry wouldn't have let his worst enemy face those monsters unprepared – well, perhaps Malfoy or Snape†¦. â€Å"It's just†¦fair, isn't it?† he said to Cedric. â€Å"We all know now†¦we're on an even footing, aren't we?† Cedric was still hooking at him in a slightly suspicious way when Harry heard a familiar clunking noise behind him. He turned around and saw Mad-Eye Moody emerging from a nearby classroom. â€Å"Come with me, Potter,† he growled. â€Å"Diggory, off you go.† Harry stared apprehensively at Moody. Had he overheard them? â€Å"Er – Professor, I'm supposed to be in Herbology -â€Å" â€Å"Never mind that, Potter. In my office, please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry followed him, wondering what was going to happen to him now. What if Moody wanted to know how he'd found out about the dragons? Would Moody go to Dumbledore and tell on Hagrid, or just turn Harry into a ferret? Well, it might be easier to get past a dragon if he were a ferret, Harry thought dully, he'd be smaller, much less easy to see from a height of fifty feet†¦. He followed Moody into his office. Moody closed the door behind them and turned to look at Harry, his magical eye fixed upon him as well as the normal one. â€Å"That was a very decent thing you just did, Potter,† Moody said quietly. Harry didn't know what to say; this wasn't the reaction he had expected at all. â€Å"Sit down,† said Moody, and Harry sat, looking around. He had visited this office under two of its previous occupants. In Professor Lockhart's day, the walls had been plastered with beaming, winking pictures of Professor Lockhart himself. When Lupin had lived here, you were more likely to come across a specimen of some fascinating new Dark creature he had procured for them to study in class. Now, however, the office was full of a number of exceptionally odd objects that Harry supposed Moody had used in the days when he had been an Auror. On his desk stood what looked hike a large, cracked, glass spinning top; Harry recognized it at once as a Sneakoscope, because he owned one himself, though it was much smaller than Moody's. In the corner on a small table stood an object that looked something like an extra-squiggly, golden television aerial. It was humming slightly. What appeared to be a mirror hung opposite Harry on the wall, but it was not reflecting the room. Shadowy figures were moving around inside it, none of them clearly in focus. â€Å"Like my Dark Detectors, do you?† said Moody, who was watching Harry closely. â€Å"What's that?† Harry asked, pointing at the squiggly golden aerial. â€Å"Secrecy Sensor. Vibrates when it detects concealment and lies†¦no use here, of course, too much interference – students in every direction lying about why they haven't done their homework. Been humming ever since I got here. I had to disable my Sneakoscope because it wouldn't stop whistling. It's extra-sensitive, picks up stuff about a mile around. Of course, it could be picking up more than kid stuff,† he added in a growl. â€Å"And what's the mirror for?† â€Å"Oh that's my Foe-Glass. See them out there, skulking around? I'm not really in trouble until I see the whites of their eyes. That's when I open my trunk.† He let out a short, harsh laugh, and pointed to the large trunk under the window. It had seven keyholes in a row. Harry wondered what was in there, until Moody's next question brought him sharply back to earth. â€Å"So†¦found out about the dragons, have you?† Harry hesitated. He'd been afraid of this – but he hadn't told Cedric, and he certainly wasn't going to tell Moody, that Hagrid had broken the rules. â€Å"It's all right,† said Moody, sitting down and stretching out his wooden leg with a groan. â€Å"Cheating's a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and always has been.† â€Å"I didn't cheat,† said Harry sharply. â€Å"It was – a sort of accident that I found out.† Moody grinned. â€Å"I wasn't accusing you, laddie. I've been telling Dumbledore from the start, he can be as high-minded as he likes, but you can bet old Karkaroff and Maxime won't be. They'll have told their champions everything they can. They want to win. They want to beat Dumbledore. They'd like to prove he's only human.† Moody gave another harsh laugh, and his magical eye swiveled around so fast it made Harry feel queasy to watch it. â€Å"So†¦got any ideas how you're going to get past your dragon yet?† said Moody. â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"Well, I'm not going to tell you,† said Moody gruffly. â€Å"I don't show favoritism, me. I'm just going to give you some good, general advice. And the first bit is – play to your strengths.† â€Å"I haven't got any,† said Harry, before he could stop himself. â€Å"Excuse me,† growled Moody, â€Å"you've got strengths if I say you've got them. Think now. What are you best at?† Harry tried to concentrate. What was he best at? Well, that was easy, really – â€Å"Quidditch,† he said dully, â€Å"and a fat lot of help -â€Å" â€Å"That's right,† said Moody, staring at him very hard, his magical eye barely moving at all. â€Å"You're a damn good flier from what I've heard.† â€Å"Yeah, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry stared at him. â€Å"I'm not allowed a broom, I've only got my wand†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"My second piece of general advice,† said Moody loudly, interrupting him, â€Å"is to use a nice, simple spell that will enable you to get what you need.† Harry looked at him blankly. What did he need? â€Å"Come on, boy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  whispered Moody. â€Å"Put them together†¦it's not that difficult†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And it clicked. He was best at flying. He needed to pass the dragon in the air. For that, he needed his Firebolt. And for his Fire-bolt, he needed – â€Å"Hermione,† Harry whispered, when he had sped into greenhouse three minutes later, uttering a hurried apology to Professor Sprout as he passed her. â€Å"Hermione – I need you to help me.† â€Å"What d'you think I've been trying to do, Harry?† she whispered back, her eyes round with anxiety over the top of the quivering Flutterby Bush she was pruning. â€Å"Hermione, I need to learn how to do a Summoning Charm properly by tomorrow afternoon.† And so they practiced. They didn't have lunch, but headed for a free classroom, where Harry tried with all his might to make various objects fly across the room toward him. He was still having problems. The books and quills kept losing heart halfway across the room and dropping hike stones to the floor. â€Å"Concentrate, Harry, concentrate†¦.† â€Å"What d'you think I'm trying to do?† said Harry angrily. â€Å"A great big dragon keeps popping up in my head for some reason†¦Okay, try again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He wanted to skip Divination to keep practicing, but Hermione refused point-blank to skive off Arithmancy, and there was no point in staying without her. He therefore had to endure over an hour of Professor Trelawney, who spent half the lesson telling everyone that the position of Mars with relation to Saturn at that moment meant that people born in July were in great danger of sudden, violent deaths. â€Å"Well, that's good,† said Harry loudly, his temper getting the better of him, â€Å"just as long as it's not drawn-out. I don't want to suffer.† Ron looked for a moment as though he was going to laugh; he certainly caught Harry's eye for the first time in days, but Harry was still feeling too resentful toward Ron to care. He spent the rest of the lesson trying to attract small objects toward him under the table with his wand. He managed to make a fly zoom straight into his hand, though he wasn't entirely sure that was his prowess at Summoning Charms – perhaps the fly was just stupid. He forced down some dinner after Divination, then returned to the empty classroom with Hermione, using the Invisibility Cloak to avoid the teachers. They kept practicing until past midnight. They would have stayed longer, but Peeves turned up and, pretending to think that Harry wanted things thrown at him, started chucking chairs across the room. Harry and Hermione left in a hurry before the noise attracted Filch, and went back to the Gryffindor common room, which was now mercifully empty. At two o'clock in the morning, Harry stood near the fireplace, surrounded by heaps of objects: books, quills, several upturned chairs, an old set of Gobstones, and Neville's toad, Trevor. Only in the last hour had Harry really got the hang of the Summoning Charm. â€Å"That's better, Harry, that's loads better,† Hermione said, looking exhausted but very pleased. â€Å"Well, now we know what to do next time I can't manage a spell,† Harry said, throwing a rune dictionary back to Hermione, so he could try again, â€Å"threaten me with a dragon. Right†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He raised his wand once more. â€Å"Accio Dictionary!† The heavy book soared out of Hermione's hand, flew across the room, and Harry caught it. â€Å"Harry, I really think you've got it!† said Hermione delightedly. â€Å"Just as long as it works tomorrow,† Harry said. â€Å"The Firebolt's going to be much farther away than the stuff in here, it's going to be in the castle, and I'm going to be out there on the grounds†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"That doesn't matter,† said Hermione firmly.† Just as long as you're concentrating really, really hard on it, it'll come. Harry, we'd better get some sleep†¦you're going to need it.† Harry had been focusing so hard on learning the Summoning Charm that evening that some of his blind panic had heft him. It returned in full measure, however, on the following morning. The atmosphere in the school was one of great tension and excitement. Lessons were to stop at midday, giving all the students time to get down to the dragons' enclosure – though of course, they didn't yet know what they would find there. Harry felt oddly separate from everyone around him, whether they were wishing him good luck or hissing â€Å"We'll have a box of tissues ready, Potter† as he passed. It was a state of nervousness so advanced that he wondered whether he mightn't just lose his head when they tried to lead him out to his dragon, and start trying to curse everyone in sight. Time was behaving in a more peculiar fashion than ever, rushing past in great dollops, so that one moment he seemed to be sitting down in his first lesson, History of Magic, and the next, walking into lunch†¦and then (where had the morning gone? the last of the dragon-free hours?), Professor McGonagall was hurrying over to him in the Great Hall. Lots of people were watching. â€Å"Potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now†¦.You have to get ready for your first task.† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry, standing up, his fork falling onto his plate with a clatter. â€Å"Good luck, Harry,† Hermione whispered. â€Å"You'll be fine!† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry in a voice that was most unlike his own. He heft the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall. She didn't seem herself either; in fact, she looked nearly as anxious as Hermione. As she walked him down the stone steps and out into the cold November afternoon, she put her hand on his shoulder. â€Å"Now, don't panic,† she said, â€Å"just keep a cool head†¦.We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand†¦.The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you†¦.Are you all right?† â€Å"Yes,† Harry heard himself say. â€Å"Yes, I'm fine.† She was leading him toward the place where the dragons were, around the edge of the forest, but when they approached the clump of trees behind which the enclosure would be clearly visible, Harry saw that a tent had been erected, its entrance facing them, screening the dragons from view. â€Å"You're to go in here with the other champions,† said Professor McGonagall, in a rather shaky sort of voice, â€Å"and wait for your turn, Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there†¦he'll be telling you the – the procedure†¦. Good luck.† â€Å"Thanks,† said Harry, in a flat, distant voice. She left him at the entrance of the tent. Harry went inside. Fleur Delacour was sitting in a corner on a how wooden stool. She didn't look nearly as composed as usual, but rather pale and clammy. Viktor Krum looked even surlier than usual, which Harry supposed was his way of showing nerves. Cedric was pacing up and down. When Harry entered, Cedric gave him a small smile, which Harry returned, feeling the muscles in his face working rather hard, as though they had forgotten how to do it. â€Å"Harry! Good-o!† said Bagman happily, looking around at him. â€Å"Come in, come in, make yourself at home!† Bagman looked somehow like a slightly overblown cartoon figure, standing amid all the pale-faced champions. He was wearing his old Wasp robes again. â€Å"Well, now we're all here – time to fill you in!† said Bagman brightly. â€Å"When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag† – he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them – â€Å"from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different – er – varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too†¦ah, yes†¦your task is to collect the golden egg!† Harry glanced around. Cedric had nodded once, to show that he understood Bagman's words, and then started pacing around the tent again; he looked slightly green. Fleur Delacour and Krum hadn't reacted at all. Perhaps they thought they might be sick if they opened their mouths; that was certainly how Harry felt. But they, at least, had volunteered for this†¦ And in no time at all, hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent, their owners talking excitedly, laughing, joking†¦.Harry felt as separate from the crowd as though they were a different species. And then – it seemed like about a second later to Harry – Bagman was opening the neck of the purple silk sack. â€Å"Ladies first,† he said, offering it to Fleur Delacour. She put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon – a Welsh Green. It had the number two around its neck And Harry knew, by the fact that Fleur showed no sign of surprise, but rather a determined resignation, that he had been right: Madame Maxime had told her what was coming. The same held true for Krum. He pulled out the scarlet Chinese Fireball. It had a number three around its neck. He didn't even blink, just sat back down and stared at the ground. Cedric put his hand into the bag, and out came the blueish-gray Swedish Short-Snout, the number one tied around its neck. Knowing what was left, Harry put his hand into the silk bag and pulled out the Hungarian Horntail, and the number four. It stretched its wings as he looked down at it, and bared its minuscule fangs. â€Å"Well, there you are!† said Bagman. â€Å"You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now†¦Harry†¦could I have a quick word? Outside?† â€Å"Er†¦yes,† said Harry blankly, and he got up and went out of the tent with Bagman, who walked him a short distance away, into the trees, and then turned to him with a fatherly expression on his face. â€Å"Feeling all right, Harry? Anything I can get you?† â€Å"What?† said Harry. â€Å"I – no, nothing.† â€Å"Got a plan?† said Bagman, lowering his voice conspiratorially. â€Å"Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd like them, you know. I mean,† Bagman continued, lowering his voice still further, â€Å"you're the underdog here, Harry†¦.Anything I can do to help†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No,† said Harry so quickly he knew he had sounded rude, â€Å"no – I – I know what I'm going to do, thanks.† â€Å"Nobody would know, Harry,† said Bagman, winking at him. â€Å"No, I'm fine,† said Harry, wondering why he kept telling people this, and wondering whether he had ever been less fine. â€Å"I've got a plan worked out, I -â€Å" A whistle had blown somewhere. â€Å"Good lord, I've got to run!† said Bagman in alarm, and he hurried off. Harry walked back to the tent and saw Cedric emerging from it, greener than ever. Harry tried to wish him luck as he walked past, but all that came out of his mouth was a sort of hoarse grunt. Harry went back inside to Fleur and Krum. Seconds hater, they heard the roar of the crowd, which meant Cedric had entered the enclosure and was now face-to-face with the living counterpart of his model†¦. It was worse than Harry could ever have imagined, sitting there and listening. The crowd screamed†¦yelled†¦gasped like a single many-headed entity, as Cedric did whatever he was doing to get past the Swedish Short-Snout. Krum was still staring at the ground. Fleur had now taken to retracing Cedric's steps, around and around the tent. And Bagman's commentary made everything much, much worse†¦.Horrible pictures formed in Harry's mind as he heard: â€Å"Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"He's taking risks, this one!†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Clever move – pity it didn't work!† And then, after about fifteen minutes, Harry heard the deafening roar that could mean only one thing: Cedric had gotten past his dragon and captured the golden egg. â€Å"Very good indeed!† Bagman was shouting. â€Å"And now the marks from the judges!† But he didn't shout out the marks; Harry supposed the judges were holding them up and showing them to the crowd. â€Å"One down, three to go!† Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. â€Å"Miss Delacour, if you please!† Fleur was trembling from head to foot; Harry felt more warmly toward her than he had done so far as she heft the tent with her head held high and her hand clutching her wand. He and Krum were left alone, at opposite sides of the tent, avoiding each other's gaze. The same process started again†¦.†Oh I'm not sure that was wise!† they could hear Bagman shouting gleefully. â€Å"Oh†¦nearly! Careful now†¦good lord, I thought she'd had it then!† Ten minutes later, Harry heard the crowd erupt into applause once more†¦.Fleur must have been successful too. A pause, while Fleur's marks were being shown†¦more clapping†¦then, for the third time, the whistle. â€Å"And here comes Mr. Krum!† cried Bagman, and Krum slouched out, leaving Harry quite alone. He felt much more aware of his body than usual; very aware of the way his heart was pumping fast, and his fingers tingling with fear†¦yet at the same time, he seemed to be outside himself, seeing the walls of the tent, and hearing the crowd, as though from far away. â€Å"Very daring!† Bagman was yelling, and Harry heard the Chinese Fireball emit a horrible, roaring shriek, while the crowd drew its collective breath. â€Å"That's some nerve he's showing – and – yes, he's got the egg!† Applause shattered the wintery air like breaking glass; Krum had finished – it would be Harry's turn any moment. He stood up, noticing dimly that his legs seemed to be made of marshmallow. He waited. And then he heard the whistle blow. He walked out through the entrance of the tent, the panic rising into a crescendo inside him. And now he was walking past the trees, through a gap in the enclosure fence. He saw everything in front of him as though it was a very highly colored dream. There were hundreds and hundreds of faces staring down at him from stands that had been magicked there since he'd last stood on this spot. And there was the Horntail, at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon him, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, heaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground. The crowd was making a great deal of noise, but whether friendly or not, Harry didn't know or care. It was time to do what he had to do†¦to focus his mind, entirely and absolutely, upon the thing that was his only chance. He raised his wand. â€Å"Accio Firebolt!† he shouted. Harry waited, every fiber of him hoping, praying†¦.If it hadn't worked†¦if it wasn't coming†¦He seemed to be looking at everything around him through some sort of shimmering, transparent barrier, like a heat haze, which made the enclosure and the hundreds of faces around him swim strangely†¦. And then he heard it, speeding through the air behind him; he turned and saw his Firebolt hurtling toward him around the edge of the woods, soaring into the enclosure, and stopping dead in midair beside him, waiting for him to mount. The crowd was making even more noise†¦.Bagman was shouting something†¦but Harry's ears were not working properly anymore†¦listening wasn't important†¦. He swung his leg over the broom and kicked off from the ground. And a second later, something miraculous happened†¦. As he soared upward, as the wind rushed through his hair, as the crowd's faces became mere flesh-colored pinpnicks below, and the Horntail shrank to the size of a dog, he realized that he had left not only the ground behind, but also his fear†¦.He was back where he belonged†¦. This was just another Quidditch match, that was all†¦just another Quidditch match, and that Horntail was just another ugly opposing team†¦. He looked down at the clutch of eggs and spotted the gold one, gleaming against its cement-colored fellows, residing safely between the dragon's front legs. â€Å"Okay,† Harry told himself, â€Å"diversionary tactics†¦let's go†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He dived. The Horntail's head followed him; he knew what it was going to do and pulled out of the dive just in time; a jet of fire had been released exactly where he would have been had he not swerved away†¦but Harry didn't care†¦that was no more than dodging a Bludger†¦. â€Å"Great Scott, he can fly!† yelled Bagman as the crowd shrieked and gasped. â€Å"Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?† Harry soared higher in a circle; the Horntail was still following his progress; its head revolving on its long neck – if he kept this up, it would be nicely dizzy – but better not push it too long, or it would be breathing fire again – Harry plummeted just as the Horntail opened its mouth, but this time he was less lucky – he missed the flames, but the tail came whipping up to meet him instead, and as he swerved to the left, one of the long spikes grazed his shoulder, ripping his robes – He could feel it stinging, he could hear screaming and groans from the crowd, but the cut didn't seem to be deep†¦.Now he zoomed around the back of the Horntail, and a possibility occurred to him†¦. The Horntail didn't seem to want to take off, she was too protective of her eggs. Though she writhed and twisted, furling and unfurling her wings and keeping those fearsome yellow eyes on Harry, she was afraid to move too far from them†¦but he had to persuade her to do it, or he'd never get near them†¦.The trick was to do it carefully, gradually†¦. He began to fly, first this way, then the other, not near enough to make her breathe fire to stave him off, but still posing a sufficient threat to ensure she kept her eyes on him. Her head swayed this way and that, watching him out of those vertical pupils, her fangs bared†¦. He flew higher. The Horntail's head rose with him, her neck now stretched to its fullest extent, still swaying, hike a snake before its charmer†¦. Harry rose a few more feet, and she let out a roar of exasperation. He was like a fly to her, a fly she was longing to swat; her tail thrashed again, but he was too high to reach now†¦.She shot fire into the air, which he dodged†¦.Her jaws opened wide†¦. â€Å"Come on,† Harry hissed, swerving tantalizingly above her, â€Å"come on, come and get me†¦up you get now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And then she reared, spreading her great, black, leathery wings at last, as wide as those of a small airplane – and Harry dived. Before the dragon knew what he had done, or where he had disappeared to, he was speeding toward the ground as fast as he could go, toward the eggs now unprotected by her clawed front legs – he had taken his hands off his Firebolt – he had seized the golden egg – And with a huge spurt of speed, he was off, he was soaring out over the stands, the heavy egg safely under his uninjured arm, and it was as though somebody had just turned the volume back up – for the first time, he became properly aware of the noise of the crowd, which was screaming and applauding as loudly as the Irish supporters at the World Cup – â€Å"Look at that!† Bagman was yelling. â€Å"Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!† Harry saw the dragon keepers rushing forward to subdue the Horntail, and, over at the entrance to the enclosure, Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, and Hagrid hurrying to meet him, all of them waving him toward them, their smiles evident even from this distance. He flew back over the stands, the noise of the crowd pounding his eardrums, and came in smoothly to land, his heart lighter than it had been in weeks†¦.He had got through the first task, he had survived†¦. â€Å"That was excellent, Potter!† cried Professor McGonagall as he got off the Firebolt – which from her was extravagant praise. He noticed that her hand shook as she pointed at his shoulder. â€Å"You'll need to see Madam Pomfrey before the judges give out your score†¦.Over there, she's had to mop up Diggory already†¦.† â€Å"Yeh did it, Harry!† said Hagrid hoarsely. â€Å"Yeh did it! An' agains' the Horntail an' all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was the wors' -â€Å" â€Å"Thanks, Hagrid,† said Harry loudly, so that Hagrid wouldn't blunder on and reveal that he had shown Harry the dragons beforehand. Professor Moody looked very pleased too; his magical eye was dancing in its socket. â€Å"Nice and easy does the trick, Potter,† he growled. â€Å"Right then, Potter, the first aid tent, please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Professor McGonagall. Harry walked out of the enclosure, still panting, and saw Madam Pomfrey standing at the mouth of a second tent, looking worried. â€Å"Dragons!† she said, in a disgusted tone, pulling Harry inside. The tent was divided into cubicles; he could make out Cedric's shadow through the canvas, but Cedric didn't seem to be badly injured; he was sitting up, at least. Madam Pomfrey examined Harry's shoulder, talking furiously all the while. â€Å"Last year dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next? You're very lucky†¦this is quite shallow†¦it'll need cleaning before I heal it up, though†¦.† She cleaned the cut with a dab of some purple liquid that smoked and stung, but then poked his shoulder with her wand, and he felt it heal instantly. â€Å"Now, just sit quietly for a minute – sit! And then you can go and get your score.† She bustled out of the tent and he heard her go next door and say, â€Å"How does it feel now, Diggory?† Harry didn't want to sit still. He was too full of adrenaline. He got to his feet, wanting to see what was going on outside, but before he'd reached the mouth of the tent, two people had come darting inside – Hermione, followed closely by Ron. â€Å"Harry, you were brilliant!† Hermione said squeakily. There were fingernail marks on her face where she had been clutching it in fear. â€Å"You were amazing! You really were!† But Harry was looking at Ron, who was very white and staring at Harry as though he were a ghost. â€Å"Harry,† he said, very seriously, â€Å"whoever put your name in that goblet – I – I reckon they're trying to do you in!† It was as though the last few weeks had never happened – as though Harry were meeting Ron for the first time, right after he'd been made champion. â€Å"Caught on, have you?† said Harry coldly. â€Å"Took you long enough.† Hermione stood nervously between them, looking from one to the other. Ron opened his mouth uncertainly. Harry knew Ron was about to apologize and suddenly he found he didn't need to hear it. â€Å"It's okay,† he said, before Ron could get the words out. â€Å"Forget it.† â€Å"No,† said Ron, â€Å"I shouldn't've -â€Å" â€Å"Forget it, â€Å"Harry said. Ron grinned nervously at him, and Harry grinned back. Hermione burst into tears. â€Å"There's nothing to cry about!† Harry told her, bewildered. â€Å"You two are so stupid!† she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front. Then, before either of them could stop her, she had given both of them a hug and dashed away, now positively howling. â€Å"Barking mad,† said Ron, shaking his head. â€Å"Harry, c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores†¦.† Picking up the golden egg and his Firebolt, feeling more elated than he would have believed possible an hour ago, Harry ducked out of the tent, Ron by his side, talking fast. â€Å"You were the best, you know, no competition. Cedric did this weird thing where he Transfigured a rock on the ground†¦turned it into a dog†¦he was trying to make the dragon go for the dog instead of him. Well, it was a pretty cool bit of Transfiguration, and it sort of worked, because he did get the egg, but he got burned as well – the dragon changed its mind halfway through and decided it would rather have him than the Labrador; he only just got away. And that Fleur girl tried this sort of charm, I think she was trying to put it into a trance – well, that kind of worked too, it went all sleepy, but then it snored, and this great jet of flame shot out, and her skirt caught fire – she put it out with a bit of water out of her wand. And Krum – you won't believe this, but he didn't even think of flying! He was probably the best after you, though. Hit it with some sort of spell right in the eye. Only thing is, it went trampling around in agony and squashed half the real eggs – they took marks off for that, he wasn't supposed to do any damage to them.† Ron drew breath as he and Harry reached the edge of the enclosure. Now that the Horntail had been taken away, Harry could see where the five judges were sitting – right at the other end, in raised seats draped in gold. â€Å"It's marks out of ten from each one,† Ron said, and Harry squinting up the field, saw the first judge – Madame Maxime – raise her wand in the air. What hooked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure eight. â€Å"Not bad!† said Ron as the crowd applauded. â€Å"I suppose she took marks off for your shoulder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air. â€Å"Looking good!† Ron yelled, thumping Harry on the back. Next, Dumbledore. He too put up a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever. Ludo Bagman – ten. â€Å"Ten?† said Harry in disbelief. â€Å"But†¦I got hurt†¦.What's he playing at?† â€Å"Harry, don't complain!† Ron yelled excitedly. And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too – four. â€Å"What?† Ron bellowed furiously. â€Å"Four? You lousy, biased scum-bag, you gave Krum ten!† But Harry didn't care, he wouldn't have cared if Karkaroff had given him zero; Ron's indignation on his behalf was worth about a hundred points to him. He didn't tell Ron this, of course, but his heart felt lighter than air as he turned to leave the enclosure. And it wasn't just Ron†¦those weren't only Gryffindors cheering in the crowd. When it had come to it, when they had seen what he was facing, most of the school had been on his side as well as Cedric's†¦.He didn't care about the Slytherins, he could stand whatever they threw at him now. â€Å"You're tied in first place, Harry! You and Krum!† said Charlie Weasley, hurrying to meet them as they set off back toward the school. â€Å"Listen, I've got to run, I've got to go and send Mum an owl, I swore I'd tell her what happened – but that was unbelievable! Oh yeah – and they told me to tell you you've got to hang around for a few more minutes†¦.Bagman wants a word, back in the champions' tent.† Ron said he would wait, so Harry reentered the tent, which somehow looked quite different now: friendly and welcoming. He thought back to how he'd felt while dodging the Horntail, and compared it to the long wait before he'd walked out to face it†¦.There was no comparison; the wait had been immeasurably worse. Fleur, Cedric, and Krum all came in together. One side of Cedric's face was covered in a thick orange paste, which was presumably mending his burn. He grinned at Harry when he saw him. â€Å"Good one, Harry.† â€Å"And you,† said Harry, grinning back. â€Å"Well done, all of you!† said Ludo Bagman, bouncing into the tent and looking as pleased as though he personally had just got past a dragon. â€Å"Now, just a quick few words. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half past nine on the morning of February the twenty-fourth – but we're giving you something to think about in the meantime! If you look down at those golden eggs you're all holding, you will see that they open†¦see the hinges there? You need to solve the clue inside the egg – because it will tell you what the second task is, and enable you to prepare for it! All clear? Sure? Well, off you go, then!† Harry left the tent, rejoined Ron, and they started to walk back around the edge of the forest, talking hard; Harry wanted to hear what the other champions had done in more detail. Then, as they rounded the clump of trees behind which Harry had first heard the dragons roar, a witch leapt out from behind them. It was Rita Skeeter. She was wearing acid-green robes today; the Quick-Quotes Quill in her hand blended perfectly against them. â€Å"Congratulations, Harry!† she said, beaming at him. â€Å"I wonder if you could give me a quick word? How you felt facing that dragon? How you feel now, about the fairness of the scoring?† â€Å"Yeah, you can have a word,† said Harry savagely. â€Å"Good-bye.† And he set off back to the castle with Ron.