New Product Development Strategy for Google Essay

Google is a world known company founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1997 based on the new name of their search engine that was BackRub that operated in Standford more than a year. The word Google itself comes from a pun of word â€Å"googol† a mathematical term for the number represented number 1 followed by 100 zeros that reflect their mission to organize infinite information in the web. Google is known for its search engine â€Å"Google† that is the world’s largest search engine since 2000 defeats other search engine such as Yahoo! and Bing. Since then, Google innovates and creates new products by partnership with or acquisition of some companies and the result is famous services their provided in the web or real life such as Gmail, Google+, Google Maps and Android mobile platform that is used by a lot of people around the world. QUESTION 1 Discuss and suggest some feasible application considerations when developing a new product development strategy for Google. Google is one of the biggest companies in the world that creates some of the famous product such as Google search engine, Android mobile platform, Gmail e-mail and many more. These products can compete with other products from other companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo! and many more that has market lead first rather than Google that join the business competition several years later even take a lead in the market. These products are not instant famous created but instead it’s created based on intensive and repetitive research that makes these products to be accepted by the customers. Below are some considerations when develop new product development strategy. 1. Corporate Planning Since Google established at 1998 with their web search engine â€Å"Google†, it started to create other services and applications that can be used by users to help them do their activities and business. Google focus into three primary market segments that is end users that is using Google for searching services, advertisers that will be charged when user clicks the advertisements and partner web sites of the Google (Google, 2005). Google utilizes the power of advertisements especially in the internet since there are a lot of Google users around the world that are using Google anytime and anywhere by using AdWords that can be used by anyone to advertise their business and AdSense that can be used by online publishers with displaying relevant ads about their contents. Google follows and creates customer’s trends in technology market to make sure that Google can be accepted by customers. For instance, at 2010 Google initiated cloud computing as their centerpiece strategies since a lot of companies and users are moving their storage data and processing into cloud (web) and Google offered their services for cloud computing using Chrome OS and Google Cloud Services. And Google strategies for 2011 are LTE or 4G development to gives users fast internet connection for their gadgets, mobile money that can be used by users using their mobile phone to do transactions including banking, buy and sell and review places using Near Field Communications (NFC), and increase availability of inexpensive smartphones since in 2011 Android has been used worldwide by users that can reach low end market. To expand the technology market target of users, Google creates some partnerships with some companies such as MTV, eBay, MySpace to help promotes and puts their products in their websites and services as well. Also Google do mergers and acquisitions of some companies such as Pyra Labs, Urchin, dMarc and many more to help create new market target and also new source of technology that can be developed for their products later on. 2. Marketing Planning To make sure Google introduce new products into the correct market target, Google needs to plan their marketing strategies to make sure customers and users can receive Google’s new products well. Google marketing plan can be divided into 4 categories that are Product, Price, Promotion and Place. Below are the explanations of 4 categories: a. Product  Google has categorized their products into some categories that are advertising solutions, business solutions, web solutions and product solutions that are used entirely in the web. In advertising solutions Google offers AdWord that can be used to advertise people’s businesses with flexible payment arrangements and AdSense that is used by publishers to advertise their products and contents in the web. Google will charge advertisers every time users click on Google advertisements in the web that help to increase the visitors to their website . Google offers some solutions for business purpose such as Google Cloud Services that will help business to put their data and processing into the cloud (web) that will help to expand their business and also minimize maintenance and expense since all services will be monitored by the Google itself. Also Google provides Search Appliance whether hardware or software that helps to document search in the organization. Web solutions also offered by Google for internet users such as Google search engine, Gmail e-mail services, Google+, Google Map and Blogger website blogging that can be used for free. Also Google sell products that partnership with some distributors to sell from bag, trolley and many more and also some products with Google brands in it. b. Price Google offers different price range for Google’s products that are offered to the customers from free into paid price with distinct price difference for each price. For free Google’s products it’s offered for the users for web services product such as Google+, Google Maps, Android, and Blogger that can be used by users in the web to do their activities or businesses. The reason why Google makes their web services product free is because they believed that services in internet should be free and easy to use for all the users. Google’s products with paid price is also have different price based on type of products that customer want to use. For example, AdWords will charge for the customers based on the cost per click (CPC) by the web users to advertisers with minimum startup cost for US$5.00 with flexible budget arrangement per day. Search Appliance also has different prices based on the type of hardware and software to used whether for mid size co mpany to multinational company. c. Promotion Google promotion is done by using the power of mouth advertising from one web users to other web users since users are using Google search engine to help them search what they want. While other search engine such as Yahoo! and Bing have complicated interfaces, Google offers simple and easy to use interface that makes it used by a lot of people and a lot of people will recommend it through words. Google creates some partnerships with companies to help them promote their products into the market such as Samsung and Google works together to create Google Nexus Prime, the first smartphone with Android 4.0. platform to run the phone. And Google offers open source for some of their products such as Android and Chrome OS so that a lot of people will familiar with the products before it’s released. d. Place Users can find Google easily in the internet since a lot of users are using Google to search what they want in the internet. With internet, Google can expand their products and businesses untrammeled with region, language and cultures problems since now users can access internet and check information anytime and anywhere. And using that, Google can easily promote their products and services to the users based on their search. Google also creates some representative offices in some of countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and India to help customers to set up some services and products because maybe there are some changes that need to do before put the services and products into their business. 3. Technology Management Technology management is very important to Google because with good technology management Google can produce and innovate their product based on the technology resources they have. Also with good technology management Google can compete with other competitors in the same market area to get customers and users. For example of technology management is Google Chrome, a web browser that was introduced at 2008 to accommodate user to dynamic and complex web that is based on a speed, simplicity and security. Google Chrome design is different with other browsers such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox because Google Chrome doesn’t have unnecessary toolbar or add on that makes browser slow and heavy processes but instead it’s using JavaScript engine V8 to handle all web applications fast. Google Chrome isolates each page or tab into its own â€Å"sandbox† to make sure the information in each page are secured from other page. Also Google Chrome is the first browser that supports HTML5 and extensions gallery that increases user experiences when browsing web. Google provides updates and patches for the Chrome but users can choose whether to install the updates and patches by themselves, automatically install or not to install. Google also provides source code of Google Chrome that makes it open source for public to help developing Google Chrome with name Chromium. After Google Chrome web browser hits the market, Google launched Google Chrome OS that is an cloud computing operating system based on Linux that will store the data and services optionally in the web and hard disk as well. Google also puts Chrome OS source code into open source with name Chromium OS that can be developed by public that helps development of Chrome OS. Google Chrome OS officially hits the market at 2011 in collaboration with Acer and Samsung with laptop called Chromebook. Inside Chromebook, user won’t need to install anything else but instead running web applications in interface just like Google Chrome web browser that makes the process faster, easier and more secure than other OS.

Disability in Sports

Sports for persons with disabilities are described using the disability element and not using the sporting/athlete element as is usually common in traditional sports. For example, in a sporting activity like volleyball there may be more than one team for the same gender and age category due to the different divisions created to cater for the varied degrees of disabilities. Even so, this does not mean that sports for persons with disabilities are inferior to those practiced by their counterparts without disabilities.In fact, the core tasks of organization, management, officiating, competing, and development of the sports for persons with disability are more or less similar to those carried out in their colleagues without disabilities. They are all run by international bodies that do similar tasks of identifying, nurturing, funding, and developing talent just as in the case with traditional sports. For example, the management of the game of Tennis for persons with disabilities sport is carried out by the International Tennis Federation.Persons with disabilities are accorded equal opportunities to compete at the international level during major global sporting meetings. For instance, the â€Å"Paralympics Game, Special Olympics World Games, and the Deaflympics Games† (p. 136) are the three major global sporting events that brings together competitors from all parts of the world. Again, sports for persons with disabilities are organized into summer and winter to allow for proper preparation as well as not to coincide with other global events.Basically, the underlying idea on sports for persons with disabilities, particularly the global tournaments is to explore the various abilities and reward them. The Paralympics Games are generally meant for professional athletes with one or multiple disabilities to compete. Disabilities here can be taken to include cerebral palsy, amputation, visual impairment, and dwarfs among other types of disabilities. On the other h and, Special Olympics form a relatively smaller outing for persons with disabilities.This event covers a wide range of disabilities that touches on cognitive and developmental with the main aim being not to compete for winning wards but to just to take part in the event. Generally, the rules applied here are more or less similar to those applied in traditional sports with minor modifications made to cater for specific disabilities. Deaflympics Games are more or less similar to the Paralympics only that they specifically deal with Deaf athletes.Perhaps another very important aspect of disability sports is the coaching part of it. Given their physically challenged nature, persons with disability may find it very hard committing themselves to sports. In this regard coaches working with persons with disabilities should be highly qualified and most importantly motivated individuals capable of providing both sport-specific training as well as psychological mindset to the athletes.Unfortun ately, this is not always the case with many athletes – some do not have access to coaching facilities while others access ill-prepared coaches who end up not helping them. Essentially, coaches should be professionally trained people, probably retired disability sports athletes who can understand and diagnose varied remedies for disability sports athletes. Ideally, they should be very listening so as to notice any change in attitudes among their trainees and make the necessary adjustments in training.They should also liaise with the necessary medical practitioners to have the disabilities checked to avoid cases of strain or even under training. Most importantly, they should complement disability sports-specific training styles with other traditional coaching methods such as use of video tapes for comparative purposes. Due to the bulging number of athletes with disabilities venturing into sports, there has been notable increase in demand for disability sports medicine and trea tment.Essentially, the overall fitness of athletes with disabilities is greatly determined by the nature of training they undertake as well as the medicine or treatment they undergo. Moreover, some of the disabilities demands require careful medical checkups to diagnose any potential health lapses, to prevent future infection and injury, as well as to give overall body care. Such medication should be closely linked to normal training particularly to the affected body parts.Athletes with disabilities require a great deal of equipments to perform to their optimum. Apart from the normal sports equipments utilized in traditional sports, disability sports require complex and expensive activity-specific equipments without which the activity cannot take place. Amputees taking part in wheelchair basketball may be hindered greatly due to the poor nature of their wheelchairs. Perhaps, this is one of the few areas that bring out the huge difference between traditional and disability sports.Wit h the proliferation of technological innovations, disability sports has been greatly enhanced as new, reliable, and efficient activity-specific equipments are now available. Organizing disability sports involves more or less the usual procedures involved in traditional sport. Basically, the tenets of event management are employed in making disability sports events a success. The whole process is done under the stewardship of the democratically elected management boards, depending on the type of sport being held as well as whether the event is being held at a national or even international level.It involves the forming of planning and organizing committees that are charged with the responsibilities of focusing on critical issues such as booking and preparation of fields to suit the various disability sports activities. Again, the committees’ makes accommodation and transport arrangements, preparation of sport facilities such as fields, courts etc, and coordinates security team s particularly in this era of global terrorism, and works closely with the media people.

Health economics, market structures, government interventions Assignment

Health economics, market structures, government interventions - Assignment Example MONOPOLISTIC: Share the feature of monopoly and perfect competition. Similar purpose products are differentiated by many firms operating in market. Low entry and exit barriers welcomes new participants with high profits in short run. Participants gain profits various innovations in products. OLIGOPOLY: Market is based on few dominant firms offering similar but high level of differentiated products with innovation. Firms with dominance create barrier to entry exist with extensive control over price. Despite control of firms, prices are dependent on peer firms’ decision in market. MONOPOLY: Only one firm provides goods and services. Least differentiated product but control over price is enjoyed by the firm. Industry has high level of barrier to enter and exit from market. Profits are enjoyed by firm with constantly increasing economies of scale. ANSWER #2 The monopolistic competition is a type of competition that share features of two extreme types of competition being perfect c ompetition and monopoly. Many firms are present like perfect competition while products are differentiated like monopoly form of market structures such as movies etc. In short run monopolistic industry gets attractive by offering positive profits to participant firms and new firms enter to the market in long run. It is also due to due to no to low barrier of entry and exit in the market like perfect competition. Prices continue to increase over marginal cost in similar fashion as in case of monopoly competition. Profit maximization in monopolistically competitive market requires marginal revenue to equate marginal cost while downward slope of the demand curve takes marginal revenue lower than price. Also entry of new firm results in increased supply of differentiated products resulting in shift in the demand curve. Sharing the feature of perfect competition, price is determined at point equal to average total cost. This price is similar point where demand curve is tangent to average total cost. At this point industry offers zero economic profits and hence does not attract new participants due to zero economic profits (Gartner, 2009). ANSWER #3 Public goods are defined as set of goods having following two distinct characteristics of non-excludability and non-rival consumption. Non-excludability feature refers to the fact that usage or benefit of public goods gained by certain peoples does not result in prevention of its benefits offered to others. Non-rival consumption features of public goods refer that irrespective of consumption of public goods by certain people availability of amount or level of benefit to others is not reduced. These feature contrast public goods from the private goods. The example of public goods includes services of disaster management cells managed by government, roads and street lights etc. The feature of non- excludability results in facilitation of products to all even those who bear no financial cost. All financial cost bearers and non-bearers enjoy equal benefit of public goods irrespective of tastes and preferences and diminishing value. Such facilitation results in free-riders problem in economy. People gains confidence of availability of the goods even without paying for and hence tend to adopt trend of not paying for such services. This trend presses the increased burden on payer of such facilities. Such features of publi

Customer Loyalty in Airline Industry Dissertation

Customer Loyalty in Airline Industry - Dissertation Example The paper also looks for elucidating the factors that could eclipse the level and scope of loyalty towards the airline industry. In addition to this, the paper is determined to suggest solutions, which may enhance the customer satisfaction and dedication to the industry to a great extent. The current study was carried out by focusing on two different populations sharing and differing the traits and characteristics. The first study has been carried out on the individuals that were directly or indirectly associated with the airline, traveling and tourism industries, and hence will include the corporate class and community rendering services in the airline industry. Similarly, the second study has been conducted on the customers and end-users that were frequent in setting out to the journeys through airplanes, where they certainly travel through planes at least once in two months. The study demonstrated a strong association between the provision of superior services at the competitive p rice on the one side and customer dedication and loyalty on the other. Hence, the study endorsed the proposition that it was the high quality and low price of the products that played a central role in respect of obtaining customer satisfaction. The research findings endorse the price factor enquired in the research question, though it does not ratify the great significance of the brand name as an imperative factor for buying the airline services. However, the place of international brands cannot be negated altogether due to the very fact that nearly half of the population viewed brand name as an important thing in respect of retaining their loyalty and commitment. In the same way, the attitude and behavior of the crew and ground staff also matter, along with the condition, overhauling, and cleanliness of the aircraft. Besides, the customers also seek the strict observing of punctuality and regularity from their favorite airline industry. In addition to this, traditionalism is also looked for by the noteworthy proportion of the respondents in the airline industry of their choice, though innovation and modernity are always welcomed alongside conventional ways of presentations.

Financial Management of eBay Company Assignment

Financial Management of eBay Company - Assignment Example One of the company's strategic business units is Ebay Marketplace-actually the core among its businesses. eBay aims to increase the volume of transactions that are conducted by users as part of its operational objective. By increasing the per-transaction value, as well as its volume, eBay aims to increase its overall objective of increasing operating profit margin. Ebay's human resource policy includes creating a good and friendly environment for its company, where employees will always have an environment which will be human at all times. This includes activities that aim to provide services for employees' convenience including a gym, restaurant, coffee shop and relaxation rooms, as well as family events for special holidays and occasions. Apart from ordinary employees, managers in Ebay are given bonuses and economic benefits as part of their remuneration, as regards the company's human resource policies. By including bonuses and other economic benefits to people who hold top positions in the company, the company aims to improve accountability and lessen the agency costs-with top managers as the agency to the shareholders. Consider the extent to which these objectives are in conflict with each other.On one hand, the company aims to improve its operating profit margin. On the other hand, costs that are related to increasing...eBay aims to increase the volume of transactions that are conducted by users as part of its operational objective. By increasing the per-transaction value, as well as its volume, eBay aims to increase its overall objective of increasing operating profit margin. Ebay's human resource policy includes creating a good and friendly environment for its company, where employees will always have an environment which will be human at all times. This includes activities that aim to provide services for employees' convenience including a gym, restaurant, coffee shop and relaxation rooms, as well as family events for special holidays and occasions.  

Chapter 16 Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chapter 16 Discussion - Essay Example This is because the market value in the Nine Mile’s side is backed up by evidence, and Lewis must also argue his case by providing concrete evidence to back up his case, and contradict Nine Mile. The evidence bout market value has already been established to be decisive. This followed the fact that Nine Mile met its burden in that case, while Lewis had no evidence. The summary judgment motion favors the Nine Mile Mine. To start with, Lewis lacks sufficient equipment for the job. Although this should have been accounted for before signing the contract, lack of market value evidence or any other evidence to back Lewis’s lawsuit favors the Nine Mile. Lack of sufficient equipment meant that Nine Mile faced loss threats. On the other hand, Lewis was not said to have an alternative means of meeting the loss. Therefore, the summary judgment motion favors the Nine Mile by great margin prior to the evidence provided. Lewis on the other hand holds no position to qualify for lost profits or consequential damages that would result from the signed

Strategic Futures Insight and Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategic Futures Insight and Design - Essay Example th, and industry relying on its cash cow products for generation of core income rather than working on extracting income from new products (ESROCK, WALKER & HART, 2014). Moreover, to maintain the market share in the maturity phase, companies would need to focus on their marketing their product as competitors would come in the market in an effort to chip off market share, and they could only be driven away if the brand image of the current producers is strong enough in the mind of consumers (ESPEJO, 2014). Cigarette consumption is an addiction, and its users would continue its use despite the negative health patterns associated with it (HIRSCHFELDER, 2010). Having said that, the industry is likely to witness pressure going forward from alternate products which are relatively safe as compared to cigarettes, including electronic or e-cigarette, and hookah or shisha amongst others. Moreover, governments are working worldwide towards reducing the consumption of cigarettes via increase in box prices, which is likely to impact cigarette demand going forwards, though not by significant margin as those addicted to the product will consume it anyway (BRANDT,

Media globalization's effect on the creation of a hybrid identity and Research Paper

Media globalization's effect on the creation of a hybrid identity and the use of the Internet to project this simulated image of self - Research Paper Example erally implies the sweeping changes in demographic, cultural, and technological trends which, in their turn, turn cosmopolitanism into the distinctive feature of the routine reality. The question is in whether individuals have a chance to preserve their own uniqueness and withstand the pressure of cosmopolitanism without losing their cultural and individual identity. Second, although globalization opens new frontiers and facilitates international contacts and relationships, many cultures and individuals perceive globalization as a serious threat to their identity. Given the overall irreversibility of the globalization processes, social scientists must develop new practical frameworks, which will make globalization work for the benefit of the cultural masses. Finally, technology is fairly regarded as the principal driver of globalization in the postmodern world. Therefore, how technology impacts identities, and what globalization has to do with the rapid expansion of global media requ ires detailed analysis. This knowledge will help to prevent and reduce the scope of identity crises, which necessarily follow the intervention of the new forms of global media and technological communication with countries, cultures, and individual selves. Globalization and its Theoretical Dimensions. The current state of literature provides an insight into what globalization is, how it impacts identities, and how the rapid expansion of the global media instruments contributes to the development of the new identity thinking. Despite a wealth of literature on the topic, many questions are still without answers. Moreover, how to conceptualize globalization remains the issue of the mounting scholarly concern. Generally, globalization means â€Å"the transformation of temporal and spatial limitation, that is the shrinking of distance due to the dramatic reduction in the time needed to bridge spatial differences that has, in turn, resulted in the gradual integration of political, economic,

Event study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Event study - Essay Example A plausible explanation for these findings is that changes in the optimal dividend and debt levels stem from changes in, expected cash flows, and thus, signal a change in firm value. Efficient Market Hypothesis Researchers have developed a hypothesis known as the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) which states that the market prices reflect all information known to the public. Market react to any new information available in the market immediately as reflected in stock prices rather than gradually adjust it. The term ‘efficient market’ was coined by Eugene Fama in 1965. He described an efficient market as a market where at any point in time, actual prices of individual securities already reflect the effects of information based both on events that have already occurred and on events which, as of now, the market expects to take place in the future. The efficient market prices represent the intrinsic value of the securities. The EMH along with the Random Walk Hypothesis (RW H) flies in the face of Wall Street financial analysts. Financial analysts despise even hearing those terms. This is because these hypotheses suggest that there are no future predictions that can be made about how a market will behave. The suggestion that all the information known about past, present and future events is reflected in the current market prices means that the financial analysts are snake oil salesmen. This is why the EMH is such a controversial hypothesis. Types of Market Efficiency There are three primary categorization of EMH given by Fama (1970) according to the type of information reflected in the stock price – 1. Weak-form efficiency - Share prices reflect all past information and thus, rules out the possibility of predicting future stock prices on the basis of past price data alone. 2. Semi strong-form efficiency - A market is semi strong-form if share prices reflect all the relevant publicly available information. It also includes earnings and dividend a nnouncements, technological breakthroughs, mergers and splits, resignation of directors, and so on. 3. Strong-form efficiency -Market in which share prices reflect not only publicly but also the privately available information. It is assumed that all the information is available to everybody at the same time. Even an insider who has private information about a company cannot earn abnormal profits in strong form of market efficiency. Literature Review Event studies have a long history, including the original stock split event study by Fama, Fisher, Jensen, and Roll (1969). Inconsistent evidence with the efficient market, hypothesis started to accumulate in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Evidence on the post earnings announcement effects (Ball and Brown, 1968, and Jones and Litzenberger, 1970), size effect (Banz, 1981), and earnings yield effect (Basu, 1983) contributed to skepticism for Capital Asset Pricing Model as well as market efficiency. According to the theory of information efficiency, security prices should reflect immediately all information available to the efficient capital market. As positive information and trading cost can be expected, this extreme efficiency hypothesis cannot be held. Fama (1998) in his survey studied the various event studies that intend to validate if the stock prices respond to new information. The events studied include announcements such as earnings surprises, stock splits, dividend, mergers, new

Oscar Wilde’s Essay Example for Free

Oscar Wilde’s Essay The following essay will examine British Literature in two fold: the first being that of Oscar Wilde’s contribution to British Literature and the second being feminism in British Literature in the 1800’s and on. It is hoped that focusing on two separate but entangled subjects will make the paper more accessible and therefore broader in scope and understanding of the reader to British Literature. Peacocks and Sunflowers:Oscar Wilde’s â€Å"Immoral Aestheticism† as an Escape from Reality into the Realm of Beauty Gilbert, the author’s alter ego in Oscar Wilde’s essay â€Å"The Critic as Artist† (originally published in 1888) declared that â€Å"[a]ll art is immoral† (274), and that phrase turned into a manifesto for the â€Å"immoral aestheticism† doctrine of the famous dandy who decorated rooms with peacock feathers and showed in public with a sunflower in the buttonhole. The writer was condemned by contemporaries as a breacher of Victorian ‘moral’ style of living but justified by successors. As Ellmann explains, â€Å"[s]in is more useful to society than martyrdom, since it is self-expressive not self-repressive† and thus contributes more significantly to the acute goal of â€Å"the liberation of the personality† (Ellmann 310). The man who used to be convicted of the offence of â€Å"gross indecency† is praised now as an icon of decadent and modernist style, a revolutionary in aesthetics and ethics, and a prophet of beauty which is above and outside any boundaries. The concept of art and beauty as abstract notions being unrelated to the narrowly dichotomous morals takes a key position in Wilde’s oeuvre. Today’s critics are never tired in their coining of appropriate definitions for the writer’s aesthetic programme. Gillespie, one of the most important researchers of Wilde’s legacy, viewed it as consisting of â€Å"paradoxical gestures† which â€Å"delineate an aesthetic that celebrates the impulse to integrate, amalgamate, and conjoin rather than separate, dissipate, or disperse† (37). Although the writer was aware of â€Å"the grave spiritual dangers involved in a life of immoral action and experiment† (Pearce 164), he underlined the right of an artist to be immoral for the sake of eternal beauty. In his aestheticism, Wilde was an admirer and disciple of essayist and art critic Walter Horatio Pater with the latter’s emphasis on the esthete as a novel kind of being (Murphy 1992; Wood 2002). He was also immersed into the late 19th century cultural milieu as being involved into a polylogue on the topics of art, artist, ethics, and beauty which resulted in the emergence of Decadence and Modernism (Bell 1997). Altogether with the English fin de siecle men of art such as A. C. Swinburne, Walter Pater, Lionel Johnson, Ernest Christopher Dowson, George Moore Symons, and D. G. Rossetti, Wilde researched the concept of aesthetics as being constructed by a person who was proud of â€Å"[his] non-participation †¦ in ethical controversy† (Woodcock 53) and thus freed from the restrictions imposed by society and common law. Oscar Wilde’s â€Å"immoral aestheticism† as an integral part of the decadent and early modernist styles is what the present proposal attempts to look at. It will research Wilde’s critical and fictional legacy in regard to ideas and concepts as pertinent to the new understanding of relationship between art and morals. This proposal attempts to re-examine Oscar Wilde as a theorist of the novel aesthetics, establishing a link between the writer and other theorists and critics to prove that the call for immoral aestheticism was a brilliant attempt to overcome the boredom of reality and enter the world of absolute beauty. Modern Women’s Voices: Sexual Subjectivity in the texts of Victorian and contemporary British women writers Feminism is still one of the most popular critical lenses to zoom into details of history of literature and social life (Brennan 2002; Jackson 1998; Kemp 1997; Scott 1996), and it is proven to be useful within the framework of the given proposal aimed at tracing the common and differentiating points of the two critical periods of British literature. I am especially interested in the late Victorian epoch with its rise of independent women’s suffragist voices and the latest period with its diversity of tones and melodies composed by women writers amidst the turmoil of free speech and re-thinking of common gender values such as career, family, child-rearing, and gender relationships. The novels chosen are The Story of a Modern Woman by Ella Hepworth Dixon (1894), Anna Lombard by Victoria Cross (the pseudonym of Annie Sophie Cory1901), Foreign Parts by Janice Galloway (1994) and Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding (2004). The earlier and later books are divided by almost a century but despite a temporal distance there are common motives and aspirations which approximate the Victorian ‘New Woman’ and a modern British female as depicted in fiction. The feminist movement of the late Victorian period was pre-conditioned by many factors which made the trend not accidental but seriously grounded in the wider social context being permeated by patriarchal ascendance and rigidness of social structure (Bernstein 1997; Lewis and Ardis 2003). The ‘New Women’ movement that acquired much power during the period from the late 1890s to roughly 1915 featured a range of opinions concerning the heightened role of a female in a modern society (Walls 2002; Mitchell 1999). As Ardis (1990) observed, Dixon went farther than her colleagues in asserting the preciousness and independency of a woman as a self-sustaining creature (see also Fehlbaum 2005), whereas Cross’s Anna Lombard represents another type of the late Victorian womanhood as sacrificing her desires and aspirations for the sake of the traditional familial institution. The most recent books by Galloway and Fielding cannot be straight-forwardly labeled as ‘feminist’ writing, although they utilise some stylistic elements of feminist narration (Greene 1991). Whereas Galloway vividly portrays contemporary women as being able to function outside the patriarchic framework but provides no answer to the question about the appropriateness of such life style, Fielding is often criticised for the attempts to find consensus with a men’s world and, therefore, to abandon the programme of modern Amazons (Marsh 2004). Anyhow, both contemporary British women of letters share specific ideas concerning authorship and the interplay between feminist and non-feminist traditions to the extent that they can be seen as spiritual sisters of their Victorian predecessors. Being equipped with solid theoretical instruments from gender studies and psychology (e. g. Lacanian psychoanalytic theory) to conceptualise the evolution of womanhood and gendered selves in Great Britain throughout a century, I hope to establish a link between late Victorian and recent women’s writings with a special emphasis on the literary features of the female novel. The freshness of the proposal is in the choice of research objects (all the four novels are not enough extensively discussed by academic critics) and the carrying of analysis within the theoretical framework concerning authorship that was proposed by a Russian scholar Michael Bakhtin.

The Atmosphere Hydrosphere Lithosphere

The Atmosphere Hydrosphere Lithosphere Great Barrier Reef is in the cyclone zone. The strength and duration of the storm can cause varying levels of damage to the coral and the local ecosystem plus the animals that inhabit the ecosystem. Strong winds and low pressure systems can create strong destructives waves that cause damage to the coral themselves. In March 2006, Dunk Island, a small continental island 4km of the North Queensland coast was battered by Cyclone Larry. The island was decimated however much of the unseen damage occurred to the coral around the island, the levels of coral bleaching were significant after the storm. Cyclone Larry passed to the north of Dunk Island resulting in an 81% reduction in coral cover at 2 m depth on the northern side of the island, while at the same depth on the southern side, only 2% of the coral cover was lost. Sediment can also be carried and deposited by waves causing the coral ecosystem to be buried in a particular area. If there is heavy rainfall during any given time, this will alter the level of salinity in the water cause changes that can be detrimental to the livelihood of these corals. The turbidity of the water can also be increased due to the fact that the precipitation has a mixture of many oxides and chemicals in the air that have condensed into single droplets. The turbidity can affect the sunlight penetration into the water and can hinder the growth of the coral as the sunlight is vital for their survival and for the crucial process of photosynthesis. If they are starved of this sunlight then they may die. The excess rainfall can also alter the temperature level of the sea water and it could be disastrous for the coral if it were to leave the temperature range of 25-29 degrees Celsius in which the corals flourish. Hydrosphere The most favourable conditions for coral reef growth are those with high wave energy. Reefs act as a barrier against waves and they absorb most of their energy. This causes the waves to be weaker once they have passed through them creating much calmer waters. The water flows in the Great Barrier Reef are the driving force behind the great diversity that exists there. For the majority of the year the cooler currents from the south move into the tropics and flow into the reef. In contrast, the summer months see a change with warm water from the north bringing high levels of nutrients to the ecosystems and causing the salinity in the water to fluctuate at that time of year. The ecology of the reef depends on this natural cycle as the ecosystem has adapted to this pattern over a long course of time. Lithosphere Coral polyps are the skeletal remains of coral once they have died. These undergo a natural process and form limestone. Through fluvial processes this limestone is first weathered and is deposited around the coral ecosystem. This build-up of sediment can cause the formation of coral cays. These are low lying islands that have been made from the remains of coral over thousands of years. The accumulation of limestone creates underwater landforms on which new coral can grow. This is extremely helpful in the functioning of their ecosystems as they will be more resilient to damage from waves as they will have a solid natural structure to protect them. The flow of sediment both from waves and from runoff of the land can affect coral reefs. In the Great Barrier Reef fringing reefs are found in the areas around continental islands, which are prominent throughout the whole region. These are located in close proximity to the shoreline. Due to the nature of the weather nearby, considerable rain fall causes these corals to be buried and they will ultimately die. Biosphere The Great Barrier reefs contains a colossal amount of diversity. The reef is the largest World Heritage site in the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.and it has around 360 species of hard coral (direct quotes from textbook). The Great Barrier Reef consists of a northern and southern region, with the northern region having the greater amount of diversity, much of which does not or cannot function in the southern region. Small creatures known as polyps are responsible for creating reefs. Polyps have a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, algae that lives within it. The polyp undergoes the process of photosynthesis whereby it produces necessary nutrients for its survival while the zooxanthellae produce oxygen and sugars. Eventually polyps grow and reproduce, this process continues until a reef is formed with millions of small polyps. Due to the high diversity that exists within coral reefs there is always dead matter that it releasing nutrients into the water allowing all the life there to thrive. Parrotfish are a species of fish that benefit from coral reefs. (See Appendix A, figure 1.1). These multi-coloured fish live in reefs and eat algae filled polyps which account for the majority of their diet. Cnidarians, echinoderms and crustaceans are also other vital organisms that contribute to the functioning and diversity of reef ecosystems. Cnidarians are animals that do not have a backbone. Some cnidarians cant move such as coral which others can such as jellyfish. The word echinoderm means spiny skin. These organisms are complex as their bodies are usually consisting of a few parts. Some prime examples of echinoderms are sea urchins and starfish. There are also many types of crustacean that inhabit reef ecosystems. They include prawns, reef crabs and reef lobsters. These crustaceans are sea floor dwellers and they tend to eat dead matter that reaches the sea floor. This may include dead fish or other organisms that die in the reef. Along with these small creatures larger mammals include sharks, whales, turtles, sea snakes molluscs and dolphins. Dugongs are also found in coral reef ecosystems. With some of the worlds largest concentration of dugongs calling Australias Great Barrier Reef home. Coastal Dunes Atmosphere There are three key factors that affect the way sand dunes function in the atmosphere. They are wind, precipitation and temperature. Aeolian transport refers to the movement of sand by wind. The factors that determine the amount of sands that is transported are; the type of vegetation in the area, the size of the sand particles, the topography in which the sand was located and the size of the sand particles. Stronger winds pick up more sand than calmer winds and this increases the amount of sand that gets deposited in different compartments along the coast. The prevailing wind can also affect how sand is moved around. In areas of high vegetation, Aeolian transport is difficult as the roots of the plants bind the sand, making it harder to dislodge. They also act as barrier absorbing most of the power of the wind. Precipitation determines the type of vegetation that lives in the area in which the sand dune has formed. If a coastal area is very moist with constant rainfall then it will have considerable vegetation to bind the sand together, however if it has a dry climate there will be a lack of vegetation thus meaning that there will be a less diverse range of vegetation, sand will not be bonded strongly by plant roots resulting in an unstable ecosystem that can suffer from change easily. Temperature plays a key role in affecting the rate at which the sand dries. In areas of warmer weather sand will dry faster, thus allowing the wind, through Aeolian transport to deposit sand further up the beach and form a foredune. In stark contrast cooler weather will leave the sand wet for longer periods of time resulting in less deposition of sand and smaller dunes, leaving the land prone to erosion from the wind and sea water. Temperature also affects the types of vegetation that grow in coastal areas. Having considerable sand dunes works in favour of vegetation growth, as more diverse pioneer grasses such as spinifex, pigsface, and goatsfoot and guinea flower can grow allowing the sand to have a stronger bonding from their roots. Temperature can also have an impact on ocean currents. The sun can cause convection currents in the ocean which allows water of different temperatures to move, albeit at very low speeds however changes in water flow can also affect the distribution of sediment on beaches and ultimately coastal dunes. Hydrosphere Hydrological processes are the main reason for the formation of sand dunes. Water erodes cliffs and headlands through fluvial processes such as abrasion and hydraulic pressure causing sediment as a result. More often than not these sediments make their way into sediment compartments such as bays. Sediment that does not directly enter bays accumulates in offshore deposits on landforms such as sandbars. Sandbars play an important role in regulating the amount of sediment reaching the coast as waves hit them and deposit the sediment closer to the land. The process of longshore drift is also instrumental in the formation of sand dunes. Longshore drift refers to the movement of sediment parallel to a beach. Longshore drift fosters the growth of coastal dune systems as they can form far away from where the sediment deposit is. With an excess of sand in one area sand will eventually be deposited further up the beach causing the creation of dunes and a foredune. Waves also affect the way that coastal dunes form. Destructive waves such as plunging waves can remove sediment from a beach resulting in a smaller dune over team which results in a loss of habitat and biodiversity. These waves mostly occur during storms when large amounts of sediment can be lost in a short period of time. Constructive waves such as surging and spilling waves increase the amount of sediment on beaches hence increasing the size of the dune and foredune as well as the amount of biodiversity in the coastal dune system. Considerable rainfall can cause runoff that eventually reaches the coast, due to the fact that it is a low lying area. Water will infiltrate the dunes causing the water table to rise, meaning that the dune will be saturated. When the sand dune dries the water table decreases however much of the vegetation on the dune has either drowned or has been washed away. Now that the sand is not bound together by the vegetation, it is exposed to erosion by water and by wind. Lithosphere The accumulation of sediment over time has led to the creation of coastal dune systems. These systems are dynamic, they are constantly changing. The main sources of sediment for sand dunes are offshore sandbar deposits and sediment that had also accumulated at the mouth of narrow rivers. These sediments reach the coast through the process of longshore drift. Along with this is the action of the waves which forces sediment up onto the swash zone and eventually onto the berm until it accrues to form a dune or foredune. There are three main types of dunes are parabolic dunes, foredunes and parallel dunes. A parabolic dune is a sand dune that is in the shape of a U or V. these dunes can be very long and they form parallel to the coast. Parabolic dunes form where strong winds hit the coast, allowing for the dune to become larger and to retreat inland. Parabolic dunes move backwards in the direction of the prevailing wind. The strong winds that move landward create an axis in the dune, allowing it to grow. The sides of the parabolic dune are called its arms; they frequently have vegetation growing on them which contributes to the stabilisation of the dune. A lack of vegetation on the arms of the dune will cause instability. The entire dune may collapse causing Aeolian transport to move the loose sand (sediment) somewhere else along the beach or to a parallel dune. A foredune is an accumulation of sand at the back of a beach. Over time sand accumulates in the swash zone, dries up and it is moved landward via Aeolian transport. Subsequently this sand amasses in the berm and eventually forms a foredune which can protect the land from further erosion. Parallel dunes form when several foredunes are aligned at a right angle to the beach face. When a foredune is affected by a large storm, destructive waves take away most of its sand. This leaves the foredune unstable. Eventually, constructive waves will bring sediment back to the beach however; the accumulation of sand will begin to occur in front of the original foredune. While a new foredune begins to form, the original foredune is shielded from waves and the prevailing wind and therefore it becomes stable as more vegetation begins to grow on it. This process has occurred in many coastal areas around Australia resulting in many foredunes forming on a beach that are parallel to each other. Eventually the foredunes furthest back on a beach are completely vegetated and stable and are consequently difficult to destabilise. Biosphere Coastal dunes support a variety of complex and diverse plant and animal species. While newer coastal dunes tend to have more pioneer grasses, older dunes are more stable as they support a much more diverse set of plants due to their well-developed soils. Coastal dunes have a variety of species divided into three groups. Primary, secondary and tertiary species. Primary species usually occupy the pioneer zone; this is the area between the top of the beach and the foredune. The sand in this area contains considerable salinity as it is constantly subject to sea spray. Therefore the plants that grow here are highly specialised as they are acclimatised to these conditions. Beach Spinifex or Spinifex longifolius is one of the most abundant species in coastal dunes and it is commonly found in this zone (See Appendix A figure 1.2). Beach spinifex has been used to stabilise dunes across Australias coast which it has done successfully along with pigface which can flourish in such conditions due to its resilience to the salt content in the sea water. Examples of secondary species are coastal Banksia, coastal wattles and she-oaks. These are found on stable foredunes. Coastal wattle and coastal banksia predominantly grow on less developed yet stable foredunes whereas she-oaks due to their large size would grow further back on the beach on an extremely developed and stable parallel dune. At the back of a beach lie the most stable dunes. These dunes are characterised by larger vegetation such as a trees. These dunes were originally foredunes themselves and over time parallel dunes may have formed in front of them protecting them from the spray and erosive power of the waves. The nature of species that exist here will depend on the climate of the area. A more moist climate will support more diverse life however a dry climate may mean that a smaller diversity of species inhabit the area. Due to the fact that tertiary species live further landward there will be more organic matte r present and the sand will almost be soil like. Paperbark trees also known as Melaleuca are prominent in this region and they may even develop in swales, providing that there are well developed soils. Paperbark trees are found at the back of coastal dunes systems and are given the title of climax communities as they are said to have a balance with their environment due to the fact that they are fully developed and acclimatised to their ecosystem. Atmosphere: Natural and human impacts on Coral Reefs Natural stress and human induced modifications have a profound impact on coral reef ecosystems. Pollution plays a large role in shaping the way coral reefs function. Harmful greenhouse gasses accumulate and rise into the troposphere affecting the air that all organisms absorb. Harmful chemicals from the burning of fossil fuels and car exhausts cause this process as they can stay in the atmosphere for up to 70 years. Another culmination of this is photochemical smog. After evaporating and eventually condensing the chemicals mixed with dust particles and water vapour fall as precipitation on the Earths oceans and on coral reefs. Acid rain in large amounts can pollute water and cause turbidity levels to rise. The turbidity increases the cloudiness of the water and reduces the sunlight that corals need for their growth. With the lack of sunlight, coral bleaching occurs and coral ecosystems may die out which can affect their other organisms that rely on them as a source of food or as a br eeding ground. Examples; Parrot fish. These consequences also occur when there is an increase in phosphate and nitrate due to precipitation. These chemicals encourage algal growth on coral, also causing coral bleaching due to the lack of sunlight.Climate change can occur either naturally or through human induced changes around the world. This can cause a microclimate to form, hence directly impacting the ecosystem. Human induced climate change may occur due to the use of chlorofluorocarbons. These organic compounds are found in aerosol cans and cause ozone depletion because the accumulation of CFCs in the atmosphere chemically react with the ozone thus destroying it. This subjects the earth to an increase in sunlight exposure and ultraviolet radiation which can bring about an increase in temperature. Coral ecosystems are sensitive to a temperature change and can die as a result of this. Similarly if too much pollution is prevalent in an adjacent urban area, pollutants in the atmosph ere can hinder sunlight, consequently causing a drop in water temperature which will have similar effects on the coral and their interdependent organisms as with an increase in water temperature. Natural disasters such as cyclones and tsunamis also cause extensive damage to coral ecosystems. Underwater earthquakes can cause an entire seabed to collapse meaning that life there can no longer be sustained. Hydropshere: Natural and human impacts on Coral Reefs Coral reefs are also affected by the hydrosphere. Precipitation on land can come back as runoff into the ocean or through waterways that eventually drain into the ocean. Along the way sediment may have been picked up and will eventually be deposited in the water, polluting it, raising turbidity and killing coral. This natural change can be detrimental however some sediment that is deposited in the coral ecosystem may be from humans. Examples may be plastic bags, bottles even wrappings for food. Infiltration and percolation also bring ground water to the sea along with many chemicals that have leached into the soils. These chemicals change the composition of the sea water promoting the growth of toxic algal blooms and ultimately killing coral and other sea life. This is another example of how a natural process combines with human activity to cause further damage to coral ecosystems. Chemicals from humans can also come in the form of tourism. Australias Great Barrier Reef is a world class tourism destination that attracts thousands of tourists every year due to its natural beauty. One of the main highlights for any tourist is to dive underwater to witness the diversity of life that exists. This can result in people touching corals or removing them from their natural habitat and as a result killing them. Glass bottom boats or normal charter boats that visit the reef may have their anchors trailing below them. This can have a devastating effect on the reef because metal anchors can scrape through corals, and destroy them. A recent report by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority states that over 2,000 ships travel through the Great Barrier Reef every year and fears have grown amid news that states near collisions with coral reefs have not been reported. This was further backed up by an anonymous interview carried out on 82 ship captains who claimed that had n ear groundings on the reef. Although no groundings have occurred, the Marine Park Authority believes that the likelihood of a major spillage is around 93% within the next 20 years. A spill of this extent could spread over many kilometres and eventually oil would form a thick black coating on coral and other marine organisms that interact with the coral. The high toxic levels in the water would kill both marine plants and animals and interrupt the breeding that would occur in the coral ecosystem. An event such as this could occur over a matter of hours or days and marine life in the vicinity of the spill would not adjust to the change. Lithosphere: Natural and human impacts on Coral Reefs Natural processes play a predominant role in how Lithospheric components impact on coral reefs. Waves constantly which away at large masses of rock (fluvial process). This breaks down and waves eventually carry the sediment creating turbid waters which can kill corals in the short term. However, the International Coral Reef Symposium compiled a report in 2000 suggesting that the waters at many coral assemblages in the coastal turbid-zone along the GBR coastline have probably been naturally turbid for millennia. As a result of these findings it can be concluded that the coral of the Great Barrier Reef have adjusted to the turbid waters. These findings suggest that natural stress that occurs over a long time is much easier to adjust to; this is why the corals there are able to survive with a smaller amount of sunlight, a sudden change in sediment would exacerbate the turbidity level in the water and could disturb dynamic equilibrium causing the coral to be affected . Weathering and ero sion causes sediments to be freed up and makes them easily movable. Topography affects the extent to which the land can be eroded. This depends on whether the land is fertile, well mulched, strongly bonded or dry. Arid land is much weaker and has larger sediment discharge. Biosphere: Natural and human impacts on Coral Reefs Natural and human impacts on Coastal Dunes Natural changes such as wind, temperature and precipitation affect coastal dunes. Wind through Aeolian transport affects the movement of sand along a beach and aids with the formation of dunes. Precipitation affects the nature of vegetation that grows on the sand dunes, which ultimately affects the strength of the dune system. Temperature affects how dry the sand dune is and how long it remains wet after being affected by waves. Constructive and destructive winds also affect the size of coastal dune ecosystems as they determine whether sand is added or removed from there. Global warming and the rising of sea levels is another natural impact on coastal dune ecosystems. A rise in temperature on a global scale may result in higher sea levels which can decimate coastal dunes and their vegetation as well as cause erosion to the land. The introduction of exotic species has also had advantages and disadvantages. The introduction of rabbits into Australia has had disastrous consequences. Rab bits eat the vegetation on sand dunes as well as the grasses that stabilise them. This reduced the cover the vegetation provides for the sand and it exposes the sand to wind erosion meaning that whole dunes can be subject to Aeolian transport. Rabbits also live in these fragile dunes and their burrowing can cause the dune to collapse which will also result in erosion. In contrast the Bitou Bush, which was introduced from South Africa, has been successful at stabilising dunes across Australias east coast as it currently composes of 70% of New South Wales coastline. The bitou bush creates a stronger bonding in the sand and thus makes it more resilient natural and human changes. This is one of the few human induced changes that have brought benefits to coastal dunes. The bitou bush has been particularly helping as stabilising dunes after sand mining has occurred. Sand is abundant on Australias coastlines and sandmining on the Kurnell peninsular has changed the landscape their dramatica lly. The Sutherland Shire Environment Centre has said that once towering sand dunes have been replaced by deep lakes, many of which are now being filled with demolition waste. This is having an adverse effect on groundwater in the area. The high instance of demolition waste has disrupted the ecosystem destroying many diverse plant species and animals that would have inhabited the area (See Appendix A figure 1.3 and 1.4). Find info on the size of dunes before and after mining. Stepping on dunes by humans can also destabilise them. Similar to the impacts of rabbits, humans may trample on vital pioneering grasses and the sand dune may be subject to erosion because its natural shape has been altered. Due to the fact that coral reefs and sand dunes are constantly being impacted on by nature and by humans the degree at which they adapt varies. It can be established that natural change takes much longer that human induced change which can be very rapid. Under these circumstances these ecosystems are more likely to adapt to natural change thus giving them a better chance of survival because their genetic makeup may be altered, however, genetic changes cannot occur in one generation but over many generations and for this reason plants and animals in coral reefs and sand dunes will struggle to survive or die out after a human induced change because they simply do not have the time to do so. Coral reefs Vulnerability Resilience Coastal Dunes Vulnerability Resilience

Alan Turing :: essays research papers

Biography: Alan Mathison Turing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alan Mathison Turing was surrounded by enigma, not only did he break many cryptic codes but he also lived a mysterious life. Turing was born on June 23, 1912 in Paddington, London to Julius Mathison and Ethel Sara Turing. Turing’s father, Julius, was an officer in the British administration in India when he decided that his son would be raised in England.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Turing had an older brother named John, who also had a childhood determined by the demands of the class and the exile in India of his parents. Alan and his older brother lived among various English foster homes while they were children until 1926, when their father retired from India. While raised in foster homes, Alan was not encouraged nor shown any support, yet through his own curiosity and imagination he found a deep underlying passion for science, primarily in chemistry experiments. Later he went on to other areas of science.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alan became more and more enthralled with science, and his mother worried that he would not be accepted to Sherbourne, an English public school, because he was so much of a scientific specialist. But in 1926, Alan was granted admittance to the public school. However, after a short while the Headmaster reported to his mother that if Alan was solely a scientific specialist, that he was wasting his time. Many other teachers also felt the same was as the Headmaster.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1928, Turing became interested in relativity, and it was at this time that Alan met Christopher Morcom, and everything changed for him. And it was Morcom’s death that prompted Turing to get further involved and motivated to do what Morcom could not. Turing questioned how the human mind was embodied in matter, and whether this matter was released after death. This led him to study twentieth century physics where Alan began to question whether quantum mechanical theory affected the state and his questions of mind and matter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1931, Turing won an entrance to King’s college in Cambridge on scholarship. It was here that Turing was able to express his ideas freely. In 1932 Turing read Con Neumann’s work on the logical foundations of Quantum Mechanics. It was also here at Cambridge that Turing’s homosexuality became a big part of his identity. Turing went on to receive his degree in 1934 followed by a M.A. degree from King’s college in 1935, and a Smith prize in 1936 for his work on probability theory.

An Army of One: Me. Essay -- Psychology, Self-esteem, Generation Me

Feeling good about oneself is an inherently good thing; however when this is intensified so severely that it becomes the focus of everyday life, complications and consequences may occur. Jean Twenge tries to warn today’s â€Å"Generation Me† about the dangers of their obsession with the self in her piece, â€Å"An Army of One: Me.† This desire to look out for only the individual has dramatic effects on the direction of today’s society. What has also evolved out of this self adoring society is a seemingly endless need for argument, especially in the educational field, an issue addressed by Debora Tannen in her essay, â€Å"The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue.† Of course, no researchers or educational experts expected the negative results such as narcissism and argumentative culture that followed from these teaching methods. These are unintended consequences and displaced risks, just as the types addressed in Edward Tennerâ€℠¢s, â€Å"Another Look Back, and A Look Ahead† but applied to a different subject. In effect, one problem causes another as an excess of self-esteem more often than not leads to narcissism. That development of narcissism promotes an argumentative culture in which everyone thinks they are right because confidence in oneself is far too high. Revenge effects may include constant irritability and excessive sensitivity, a lack of obtaining a good education, or in some cases pure laziness. Through a flawed system of education and the development of Generation Me, the attitude of the United States has unintentionally drifted towards narcissism and discontent. In many ways, people who are incapable of accepting criticism have developed narcissistic tendencies. Graduate students, discussed by Tannen were almos... ...the flip side of intensity† (Tenner 709). Narcissism is this revenge and it has negatively impacted education and society in general. By aiming too much at self-esteem educators have changed the way Generation Me children look at themselves. They act the way they do because they do not know any other way of thinking. The progression of US society has become increasingly more individualistic every generation. Twenge’s analysis of Generation Me accurately depicts the way people today are more irritable and inclined to argue when their points are challenged. Similarly, the argument culture discussed by Tannen has taken over the American education system in part due to this rise in narcissism. Overall it is clear while one was not meant to lead to another, the argument culture and narcissism are not only related, but they unintentionally grow off of one another.

The Ice Cream Incident :: English Literature Essays

The Ice Cream Incident The Ice Cream Incident Eric Mortinson November 18, 2002 There inevitably comes a time during the course of your life where everything you are employs itself to seek revenge from a friend or loved one. This paradoxical concept drives you to the point of hating someone you care dearly for. In the end, the typical result is absolute regret. This moment in my life came at the ancient age of 13. I was the intellectual king of my class. No cerebrum could surpass the database of knowledge I carried within me. This sovereign fantasy of mine was shattered on the nightmarish day Josh Renfro entered the 5th grade classroom at Evans Valley Elementary School. I knew immediately that I was outmatched at last. As the old saying goes, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." That's precisely what I did. I quickly befriended Josh and became a study partner, even doing an intricate report with him. That joyous year of friendship was over within a few months, and a new challenge awaited us new friends. Josh and I perceived middle school as an educational joke. Most of the material being covered had already been noted and logged into our far advanced memory banks. Getting an 'A' became so simple that we resorted to analyzing teachers and their techniques (which we used for later use) as a form of intellectual entertainment. It was a little past the middle of our 6th grade year when the infamous incident happened. It was late in the science period when Mr. Harrison made an odd request of Justin Watkins and I. He stated that there was a short film that was going to be viewed, that therefore required us to assemble the ancient film projector. As Justin and I constructed and positioned the prehistoric projector, we concentrated hard on the correct assembly and use of this long forgotten technological marvel. Little to our knowledge, a minute science assignment was given to the class as Justin and I worked feverishly. The period ended after the short film; the day ended normally. First period came, and with it came the rumor of an unknown assignment. I questioned, "Josh, did we have a science assignment 'cause someone told me we did. I haven't heard anything about it." "Nope," he replied innocently, "Mr. Harrison didn't give us anything to do. We just watched that movie remember?

A Game of Thrones Chapter Fifteen

Sansa Eddard Stark had left before dawn, Septa Mordane informed Sansa as they broke their fast. â€Å"The king sent for him. Another hunt, I do believe. There are still wild aurochs in these lands, I am told.† â€Å"I've never seen an aurochs,† Sansa said, feeding a piece of bacon to Lady under the table. The direwolf took it from her hand, as delicate as a queen. Septa Mordane sniffed in disapproval. â€Å"A noble lady does not feed dogs at her table,† she said, breaking off another piece of comb and letting the honey drip down onto her bread. â€Å"She's not a dog, she's a direwolf,† Sansa pointed out as Lady licked her fingers with a rough tongue. â€Å"Anyway, Father said we could keep them with us if we want.† The septa was not appeased. â€Å"You're a good girl, Sansa, but I do vow, when it comes to that creature you're as willful as your sister Arya.† She scowled. â€Å"And where is Arya this morning?† â€Å"She wasn't hungry,† Sansa said, knowing full well that her sister had probably stolen down to the kitchen hours ago and wheedled a breakfast out of some cook's boy. â€Å"Do remind her to dress nicely today. The grey velvet, perhaps. We are all invited to ride with the queen and Princess Myrcella in the royal wheelhouse, and we must look our best.† Sansa already looked her best. She had brushed out her long auburn hair until it shone, and picked her nicest blue silks. She had been looking forward to today for more than a week. It was a great honor to ride with the queen, and besides, Prince Joffrey might be there. Her betrothed. Just thinking it made her feel a strange fluttering inside, even though they were not to marry for years and years. Sansa did not really know Joffrey yet, but she was already in love with him. He was all she ever dreamt her prince should be, tall and handsome and strong, with hair like gold. She treasured every chance to spend time with him, few as they were. The only thing that scared her about today was Arya. Arya had a way of ruining everything. You never knew what she would do. â€Å"I'll tell her,† Sansa said uncertainly, â€Å"but she'll dress the way she always does.† She hoped it wouldn't be too embarrassing. â€Å"May I be excused?† â€Å"You may.† Septa Mordane helped herself to more bread and honey, and Sansa slid from the bench. Lady followed at her heels as she ran from the inn's common room. Outside, she stood for a moment amidst the shouts and curses and the creak of wooden wheels as the men broke down the tents and pavilions and loaded the wagons for another day's march. The inn was a sprawling three-story structure of pale stone, the biggest that Sansa had ever seen, but even so, it had accommodations for less than a third of the king's party, which had swollen to more than four hundred with the addition of her father's household and the freeriders who had joined them on the road. She found Arya on the banks of the Trident, trying to hold Nymeria still while she brushed dried mud from her fur. The direwolf was not enjoying the process. Arya was wearing the same riding leathers she had worn yesterday and the day before. â€Å"You better put on something pretty,† Sansa told her. â€Å"Septa Mordane said so. We're traveling in the queen's wheelhouse with Princess Myrcella today.† â€Å"I'm not,† Arya said, trying to brush a tangle out of Nymeria's matted grey fur. â€Å"Mycah and I are going to ride upstream and look for rubies at the ford.† â€Å"Rubies,† Sansa said, lost. â€Å"What rubies?† Arya gave her a look like she was so stupid. â€Å"Rhaegar's rubies. This is where King Robert killed him and won the crown.† Sansa regarded her scrawny little sister in disbelief. â€Å"You can't look for rubies, the princess is expecting us. The queen invited us both.† â€Å"I don't care,† Arya said. â€Å"The wheelhouse doesn't even have windows, you can't see a thing.† â€Å"What could you want to see?† Sansa said, annoyed. She had been thrilled by the invitation, and her stupid sister was going to ruin everything, just as she'd feared. â€Å"It's all just fields and farms and holdfasts.† â€Å"It is not,† Arya said stubbornly. â€Å"If you came with us sometimes, you'd see.† â€Å"I hate riding,† Sansa said fervently. â€Å"All it does is get you soiled and dusty and sore.† Arya shrugged. â€Å"Hold still,† she snapped at Nymeria, â€Å"I'm not hurting you.† Then to Sansa she said, â€Å"When we were crossing the Neck, I counted thirty-six flowers I never saw before, and Mycah showed me a lizard-lion.† Sansa shuddered. They had been twelve days crossing the Neck, rumbling down a crooked causeway through an endless black bog, and she had hated every moment of it. The air had been damp and clammy, the causeway so narrow they could not even make proper camp at night, they had to stop right on the kingsroad. Dense thickets of half-drowned trees pressed close around them, branches dripping with curtains of pale fungus. Huge flowers bloomed in the mud and floated on pools of stagnant water, but if you were stupid enough to leave the causeway to pluck them, there were quicksands waiting to suck you down, and snakes watching from the trees, and lizard-lions floating half-submerged in the water, like black logs with eyes and teeth. None of which stopped Arya, of course. One day she came back grinning her horsey grin, her hair all tangled and her clothes covered in mud, clutching a raggedy bunch of purple and green flowers for Father. Sansa kept hoping he would tell Arya to behave herself and act like the highborn lady she was supposed to be, but he never did, he only hugged her and thanked her for the flowers. That just made her worse. Then it turned out the purple flowers were called poison kisses, and Arya got a rash on her arms. Sansa would have thought that might have taught her a lesson, but Arya laughed about it, and the next day she rubbed mud all over her arms like some ignorant bog woman just because her friend Mycah told her it would stop the itching. She had bruises on her arms and shoulders too, dark purple welts and faded green-and-yellow splotches, Sansa had seen them when her sister undressed for sleep. How she had gotten those only the seven gods knew. Arya was still going on, brushing out Nymeria's tangles and chattering about things she'd seen on the trek south. â€Å"Last week we found this haunted watchtower, and the day before we chased a herd of wild horses. You should have seen them run when they caught a scent of Nymeria.† The wolf wriggled in her grasp and Arya scolded her. â€Å"Stop that, I have to do the other side, you're all muddy.† â€Å"You're not supposed to leave the column,† Sansa reminded her. â€Å"Father said so.† Arya shrugged. â€Å"I didn't go far. Anyway, Nymeria was with me the whole time. I don't always go off, either. Sometimes it's fun just to ride along with the wagons and talk to people.† Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody. This Mycah was the worst; a butcher's boy, thirteen and wild, he slept in the meat wagon and smelled of the slaughtering block. Just the sight of him was enough to make Sansa feel sick, but Arya seemed to prefer his company to hers. Sansa was running out of patience now. â€Å"You have to come with me,† she told her sister firmly. â€Å"You can't refuse the queen. Septa Mordane will expect you.† Arya ignored her. She gave a hard yank with the brush. Nymeria growled and spun away, affronted. â€Å"Come back here!† â€Å"There's going to be lemon cakes and tea,† Sansa went on, all adult and reasonable. Lady brushed against her leg. Sansa scratched her ears the way she liked, and Lady sat beside her on her haunches, watching Arya chase Nymeria. â€Å"Why would you want to ride a smelly old horse and get all sore and sweaty when you could recline on feather pillows and eat cakes with the queen?† â€Å"I don't like the queen,† Arya said casually. Sansa sucked in her breath, shocked that even Arya would say such a thing, but her sister prattled on, heedless. â€Å"She won't even let me bring Nymeria.† She thrust the brush under her belt and stalked her wolf. Nymeria watched her approach warily. â€Å"A royal wheelhouse is no place for a wolf,† Sansa said. â€Å"And Princess Myrcella is afraid of them, you know that.† â€Å"Myrcella is a little baby.† Arya grabbed Nymeria around her neck, but the moment she pulled out the brush again the direwolf wriggled free and bounded off. Frustrated, Arya threw down the brush. â€Å"Bad wolf!† she shouted. Sansa couldn't help but smile a little. The kennelmaster once told her that an animal takes after its master. She gave Lady a quick little hug. Lady licked her cheek. Sansa giggled. Arya heard and whirled around, glaring. â€Å"I don't care what you say, I'm going out riding.† Her long horsey face got the stubborn look that meant she was going to do something willful. â€Å"Gods be true, Arya, sometimes you act like such a child,† Sansa said. â€Å"I'll go by myself then. It will be ever so much nicer that way. Lady and I will eat all the lemon cakes and just have the best time without you.† She turned to walk off, but Arya shouted after her, â€Å"They won't let you bring Lady either.† She was gone before Sansa could think of a reply, chasing Nymeria along the river. Alone and humiliated, Sansa took the long way back to the inn, where she knew Septa Mordane would be waiting. Lady padded quietly by her side. She was almost in tears. All she wanted was for things to be nice and pretty, the way they were in the songs. Why couldn't Arya be sweet and delicate and kind, like Princess Myrcella? She would have liked a sister like that. Sansa could never understand how two sisters, born only two years apart, could be so different. It would have been easier if Arya had been a bastard, like their half brother Jon. She even looked like Jon, with the long face and brown hair of the Starks, and nothing of their lady mother in her face or her coloring. And Jon's mother had been common, or so people whispered. Once, when she was littler, Sansa had even asked Mother if perhaps there hadn't been some mistake. Perhaps the grumkins had stolen her real sister. But Mother had only laughed and said no, Arya was her daughter and Sansa's trueborn sister, blood of their blood. Sansa could not think why Mother would want to lie about it, so she supposed it had to be true. As she neared the center of camp, her distress was quickly forgotten. A crowd had gathered around the queen's wheelhouse. Sansa heard excited voices buzzing like a hive of bees. The doors had been thrown open, she saw, and the queen stood at the top of the wooden steps, smiling down at someone. She heard her saying, â€Å"The council does us great honor, my good lords.† â€Å"What's happening?† she asked a squire she knew. â€Å"The council sent riders from King's Landing to escort us the rest of the way,† he told her. â€Å"An honor guard for the king.† Anxious to see, Sansa let Lady clear a path through the crowd. People moved aside hastily for the direwolf. When she got closer, she saw two knights kneeling before the queen, in armor so fine and gorgeous that it made her blink. One knight wore an intricate suit of white enameled scales, brilliant as a field of new-fallen snow, with silver chasings and clasps that glittered in the sun. When he removed his helm, Sansa saw that he was an old man with hair as pale as his armor, yet he seemed strong and graceful for all that. From his shoulders hung the pure white cloak of the Kingsguard. His companion was a man near twenty whose armor was steel plate of a deep forest-green. He was the handsomest man Sansa had ever set eyes upon; tall and powerfully made, with jet-black hair that fell to his shoulders and framed a clean-shaven face, and laughing green eyes to match his armor. Cradled under one arm was an antlered helm, its magnificent rack shimmering in gold. At first Sansa did not notice the third stranger. He did not kneel with the others. He stood to one side, beside their horses, a gaunt grim man who watched the proceedings in silence. His face was pockmarked and beardless, with deepset eyes and hollow cheeks. Though he was not an old man, only a few wisps of hair remained to him, sprouting above his ears, but those he had grown long as a woman's. His armor was iron-grey chainmail over layers of boiled leather, plain and unadorned, and it spoke of age and hard use. Above his right shoulder the stained leather hilt of the blade strapped to his back was visible; a two-handed greatsword, too long to be worn at his side. â€Å"The king is gone hunting, but I know he will be pleased to see you when he returns,† the queen was saying to the two knights who knelt before her, but Sansa could not take her eyes off the third man. He seemed to feel the weight of her gaze. Slowly he turned his head. Lady growled. A terror as overwhelming as anything Sansa Stark had ever felt filled her suddenly. She stepped backward and bumped into someone. Strong hands grasped her by the shoulders, and for a moment Sansa thought it was her father, but when she turned, it was the burned face of Sandor Clegane looking down at her, his mouth twisted in a terrible mockery of a smile. â€Å"You are shaking, girl,† he said, his voice rasping. â€Å"Do I frighten you so much?† He did, and had since she had first laid eyes on the ruin that fire had made of his face, though it seemed to her now that he was not half so terrifying as the other. Still, Sansa wrenched away from him, and the Hound laughed, and Lady moved between them, rumbling a warning. Sansa dropped to her knees to wrap her arms around the wolf. They were all gathered around gaping, she could feel their eyes on her, and here and there she heard muttered comments and titters of laughter. â€Å"A wolf,† a man said, and someone else said, â€Å"Seven hells, that's a direwolf,† and the first man said, â€Å"What's it doing in camp?† and the Hound's rasping voice replied, â€Å"The Starks use them for wet nurses,† and Sansa realized that the two stranger knights were looking down on her and Lady, swords in their hands, and then she was frightened again, and ashamed. Tears filled her eyes. She heard the queen say, â€Å"Joffrey, go to her.† And her prince was there. â€Å"Leave her alone,† Joffrey said. He stood over her, beautiful in blue wool and black leather, his golden curls shining in the sun like a crown. He gave her his hand, drew her to her feet. â€Å"What is it, sweet lady? Why are you afraid? No one will hurt you. Put away your swords, all of you. The wolf is her little pet, that's all.† He looked at Sandor Clegane. â€Å"And you, dog, away with you, you're scaring my betrothed.† The Hound, ever faithful, bowed and slid away quietly through the press. Sansa struggled to steady herself. She felt like such a fool. She was a Stark of Winterfell, a noble lady, and someday she would be a queen. â€Å"It was not him, my sweet prince,† she tried to explain. â€Å"It was the other one.† The two stranger knights exchanged a look. â€Å"Payne?† chuckled the young man in the green armor. The older man in white spoke to Sansa gently. â€Å"Ofttimes Ser Ilyn frightens me as well, sweet lady. He has a fearsome aspect.† â€Å"As well he should.† The queen had descended from the wheelhouse. The spectators parted to make way for her. â€Å"If the wicked do not fear the Mng's Justice, you have put the wrong man in the office.† Sansa finally found her words. â€Å"Then surely you have chosen the right one, Your Grace,† she said, and a gale of laughter erupted all around her. â€Å"Well spoken, child,† said the old man in white. â€Å"As befits the daughter of Eddard Stark. I am honored to know you, however irregular the manner of our meeting. I am Ser Barristan Selmy, of the Kingsguard.† He bowed. Sansa knew the name, and now the courtesies that Septa Mordane had taught her over the years came back to her. â€Å"The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard,† she said, â€Å"and councillor to Robert our king and to Aerys Targaryen before him. The honor is mine, good knight. Even in the far north, the singers praise the deeds of Barristan the Bold.† The green knight laughed again. â€Å"Barristan the Old, you mean. Don't flatter him too sweetly, child, he thinks overmuch of himself already.† He smiled at her. â€Å"Now, wolf girl, if you can put a name to me as well, then I must concede that you are truly our Hand's daughter.† Joffrey stiffened beside her. â€Å"Have a care how you address my betrothed.† â€Å"I can answer,† Sansa said quickly, to quell her prince's anger. She smiled at the green knight. â€Å"Your helmet bears golden antlers, my lord. The stag is the sigil of the royal House. King Robert has two brothers. By your extreme youth, you can only be Renly Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End and councillor to the king, and so I name you.† Ser Barristan chuckled. â€Å"By his extreme youth, he can only be a prancing jackanapes, and so I name him.† There was general laughter, led by Lord Renly himself. The tension of a few moments ago was gone, and Sansa was beginning to feel comfortable . . . until Ser Ilyn Payne shouldered two men aside, and stood before her, unsmiling. He did not say a word. Lady bared her teeth and began to growl, a low rumble full of menace, but this time Sansa silenced the wolf with a gentle hand to the head. â€Å"I am sorry if I offended you, Ser Ilyn,† she said. She waited for an answer, but none came. As the headsman looked at her, his pale colorless eyes seemed to strip the clothes away from her, and then the skin, leaving her soul naked before him. Still silent, he turned and walked away. Sansa did not understand. She looked at her prince. â€Å"Did I say something wrong, Your Grace? Why will he not speak to me?† â€Å"Ser Ilyn has not been feeling talkative these past fourteen years,† Lord Renly commented with a sly smile. Joffrey gave his uncle a look of pure loathing, then took Sansa's hands in his own. â€Å"Aerys Targaryen had his tongue ripped out with hot pincers.† â€Å"He speaks most eloquently with his sword, however,† the queen said, â€Å"and his devotion to our realm is unquestioned.† Then she smiled graciously and said, â€Å"Sansa, the good councillors and I must speak together until the king returns with your father. I fear we shall have to postpone your day with Myrcella. Please give your sweet sister my apologies. Joffrey, perhaps you would be so kind as to entertain our guest today.† â€Å"It would be my pleasure, Mother,† Joffrey said very formally. He took her by the arm and led her away from the wheelhouse, and Sansa's spirits took flight. A whole day with her prince! She gazed at Joffrey worshipfully. He was so gallant, she thought. The way he had rescued her from Ser Ilyn and the Hound, why, it was almost like the songs, like the time Serwyn of the Mirror Shield saved the Princess Daeryssa from the giants, or Prince Aemon the Dragonknight championing Queen Naerys's honor against evil Ser Morgil's slanders. The touch of Joffrey's hand on her sleeve made her heart beat faster. â€Å"What would you like to do?† Be with you, Sansa thought, but she said, â€Å"Whatever you'd like to do, my prince.† Jofftey reflected a moment. â€Å"We could go riding.† â€Å"Oh, I love riding,† Sansa said. Joffrey glanced back at Lady, who was following at their heels. â€Å"Your wolf is liable to frighten the horses, and my dog seems to frighten you. Let us leave them both behind and set off on our own, what do you say?† Sansa hesitated. â€Å"If you like,† she said uncertainly. â€Å"I suppose I could tie Lady up.† She did not quite understand, though. â€Å"I didn't know you had a dog . . . â€Å" Joffrey laughed. â€Å"He's my mother's dog, in truth. She has set him to guard me, and so he does.† â€Å"You mean the Hound,† she said. She wanted to hit herself for being so slow. Her prince would never love her if she seemed stupid. â€Å"Is it safe to leave him behind?† Prince Joffrey looked annoyed that she would even ask. â€Å"Have no fear, lady. I am almost a man grown, and I don't fight with wood like your brothers. All I need is this.† He drew his sword and showed it to her; a longsword adroitly shrunken to suit a boy of twelve, gleaming blue steel, castle-forged and double-edged, with a leather grip and a lion's-head pommel in gold. Sansa exclaimed over it admiringly, and Joffrey looked pleased. â€Å"I call it Lion's Tooth,† he said. And so they left her direwolf and his bodyguard behind them, while they ranged east along the north bank of the Trident with no company save Lion's Tooth. It was a glorious day, a magical day. The air was warm and heavy with the scent of flowers, and the woods here had a gentle beauty that Sansa had never seen in the north. Prince Joffrey's mount was a blood bay courser, swift as the wind, and he rode it with reckless abandon, so fast that Sansa was hard-pressed to keep up on her mare. It was a day for adventures. They explored the caves by the riverbank, and tracked a shadowcat to its lair, and when they grew hungry, Joffrey found a holdfast by its smoke and told them to fetch food and wine for their prince and his lady. They dined on trout fresh from the river, and Sansa drank more wine than she had ever drunk before. â€Å"My father only lets us have one cup, and only at feasts,† she confessed to her prince. â€Å"My betrothed can drink as much as she wants,† Joffrey said, refilling her cup. They went more slowly after they had eaten. Joffrey sang for her as they rode, his voice high and sweet and pure. Sansa was a little dizzy from the wine. â€Å"Shouldn't we be starting back?† she asked. â€Å"Soon,† Joffrey said. â€Å"The battleground is right up ahead, where the river bends. That was where my father killed Rhaegar Targaryen, you know. He smashed in his chest, crunch, right through the armor.† Joffrey swung an imaginary warhammer to show her how it was done. â€Å"Then my uncle Jaime killed old Aerys, and my father was king. What's that sound?† Sansa heard it too, floating through the woods, a kind of wooden clattering, snack snack snack. â€Å"I don't know,† she said. It made her nervous, though. â€Å"Joffrey, let's go back.† â€Å"I want to see what it is.† Joffrey turned his horse in the direction of the sounds, and Sansa had no choice but to follow. The noises grew louder and more distinct, the clack of wood on wood, and as they grew closer they heard heavy breathing as well, and now and then a grunt. â€Å"Someone's there,† Sansa said anxiously. She found herself thinking of Lady, wishing the direwolf was with her. â€Å"You're safe with me.† Joffrey drew his Lion's Tooth from its sheath. The sound of steel on leather made her tremble. â€Å"This way,† he said, riding through a stand of trees. Beyond, in a clearing overlooking the river, they came upon a boy and a girl playing at knights. Their swords were wooden sticks, broom handles from the look of them, and they were rushing across the grass, swinging at each other lustily. The boy was years older, a head taller, and much stronger, and he was pressing the attack. The girl, a scrawny thing in soiled leathers, was dodging and managing to get her stick in the way of most of the boy's blows, but not all. When she tried to lunge at him, he caught her stick with his own, swept it aside, and slid his wood down hard on her fingers. She cried out and lost her weapon. Prince Joffrey laughed. The boy looked around, wide-eyed and startled, and dropped his stick in the grass. The girl glared at them, sucking on her knuckles to take the sting out, and Sansa was horrified. â€Å"Arya?† she called out incredulously. â€Å"Go away,† Arya shouted back at them, angry tears in her eyes. â€Å"What are you doing here? Leave us alone.† Joffrey glanced from Arya to Sansa and back again. â€Å"Your sister?† She nodded, blushing. Joffrey examined the boy, an ungainly lad with a coarse, freckled face and thick red hair. â€Å"And who are you, boy?† he asked in a commanding tone that took no notice of the fact that the other was a year his senior. â€Å"Mycah,† the boy muttered. He recognized the prince and averted his eyes. â€Å"M'lord.† â€Å"He's the butcher's boy,† Sansa said. â€Å"He's my friend,† Arya said sharply. â€Å"You leave him alone.† â€Å"A butcher's boy who wants to be a knight, is it?† Joffrey swung down from his mount, sword in hand. â€Å"Pick up your sword, butcher's boy,† he said, his eyes bright with amusement. â€Å"Let us see how good you are.† Mycah stood there, frozen with fear. Joffrey walked toward him. â€Å"Go on, pick it up. Or do you only fight little girls?† â€Å"She ast me to, m'lord,† Mycah said. â€Å"She ast me to.† Sansa had only to glance at Arya and see the flush on her sister's face to know the boy was telling the truth, but Joffrey was in no mood to listen. The wine had made him wild. â€Å"Are you going to pick up your sword?† Mycah shook his head. â€Å"It's only a stick, m'lord. It's not no sword, it's only a stick.† â€Å"And you're only a butcher's boy, and no knight.† Joffrey lifted Lion's Tooth and laid its point on Mycah's cheek below the eye, as the butcher's boy stood trembling. â€Å"That was my lady's sister you were hitting, do you know that?† A bright bud of blood blossomed where his sword pressed into Mycah's flesh, and a slow red line trickled down the boy's cheek. â€Å"Stop it!† Arya screamed. She grabbed up her fallen stick. Sansa was afraid. â€Å"Arya, you stay out of this.† â€Å"I won't hurt him . . . much,† Prince Joffrey told Arya, never taking his eyes off the butcher's boy. Arya went for him. Sansa slid off her mare, but she was too slow. Arya swung with both hands. There was a loud crack as the wood split against the back of the prince's head, and then everything happened at once before Sansa's horrified eyes. Joffrey staggered and whirled around, roaring curses. Mycah ran for the trees as fast as his legs would take him. Arya swung at the prince again, but this time Joffrey caught the blow on Lion's Tooth and sent her broken stick flying from her hands. The back of his head was all bloody and his eyes were on fire. Sansa was shrieking, â€Å"No, no, stop it, stop it, both of you, you're spoiling it,† but no one was listening. Arya scooped up a rock and hurled it at Joffrey's head. She hit his horse instead, and the blood bay reared and went galloping off after Mycah. â€Å"Stop it, don't, stop it!† Sansa screamed. Joffrey slashed at Arya with his sword, screaming obscenities, terrible words, filthy words. Arya darted back, frightened now, but Joffrey follo wed, hounding her toward the woods, backing her up against a tree. Sansa didn't know what to do. She watched helplessly, almost blind from her tears. Then a grey blur flashed past her, and suddenly Nymeria was there, leaping, jaws closing around Joffrey's sword arm. The steel fell from his fingers as the wolf knocked him off his feet, and they rolled in the grass, the wolf snarling and ripping at him, the prince shrieking in pain. â€Å"Get it off,† he screamed. â€Å"Get it off!† Arya's voice cracked like a whip. â€Å"Nymeria!† The direwolf let go of Joffrey and moved to Arya's side. The prince lay in the grass, whimpering, cradling his mangled arm. His shirt was soaked in blood. Arya said, â€Å"She didn't hurt you . . . much.† She picked up Lion's Tooth where it had fallen, and stood over him, holding the sword with both hands. Jofftey made a scared whimpery sound as he looked up at her. â€Å"No,† he said, â€Å"don't hurt me. I'll tell my mother.† â€Å"You leave him alone!† Sansa screamed at her sister. Arya whirled and heaved the sword into the air, putting her whole body into the throw. The blue steel flashed in the sun as the sword spun out over the river. It hit the water and vanished with a splash. Joffrey moaned. Arya ran off to her horse, Nymeria loping at her heels. After they had gone, Sansa went to Prince Joffrey. His eyes were closed in pain, his breath ragged. Sansa knelt beside him. â€Å"Joffrey,† she sobbed. â€Å"Oh, look what they did, look what they did. My poor prince. Don't be afraid. I'll ride to the holdfast and bring help for you.† Tenderly she reached out and brushed back his soft blond hair. His eyes snapped open and looked at her, and there was nothing but loathing there, nothing but the vilest contempt. â€Å"Then go,† he spit at her. â€Å"And don't touch me.†