Training and Development Task 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Training and Development Task 2 - Essay Example The manager gives feedback at every stage of the performance management process. The report focuses on developing an improved performance management process for construction supervisors and laborers of a mid-sized construction company operating in five states in the northeastern United States. This is the planning stage in the performance management process which set the performance standards or expectations for the laborers or supervisors in the construction company in the USA (Rolstadas, 2012). Utilization of resources by the construction supervisors like explaining the project requirements to the workers, locate the work zone, delegate work, plan the workers task and efficiently allocate the resources available. The performance must be measurable and adequate information should be gathered on the output of performance which should be assessed on the basis of cost, time, quality, quantity, nature of performance and the methods used in productivity (De Waal, 2013). Observation should be practiced in the performance evaluation process in a routine manner. It deals with evaluation of employee performance and providing instant behavioral feedbacks to the workers. The supervisors can obtain additional information about the performance of the workers which would be beneficial for performance appraisal. Coaching enable workers to gain important skill based knowledge from their mentors which increases the productivity of the organization. By following the coaches’ guidance, workers can discover skills that they were never aware of. Feedback helps in two way communication between the employee and the supervisor evaluating their performance. It helps in providing guidance which results in increased retention as workers feel motivated and encouraged by the continuous assessment given to them for improvement (Hatry, 2013). Observation

Costa Coffee Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Costa Coffee - Speech or Presentation Example The aims and objectives of the presentation are as follows: (1) to present a theoretical background of SWOT analysis as an analytical tool; (2) to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that besiege Costa; (3) to respond to the research question: How much has the application of the SWOT analysis influenced Costas success? And finally, (4) to present a short reflection based on what one has learned from the process of planning and researching the research report. The origin of SWOT analysis was traced to Albert S. Humphrey in the 1960s (Washington State University, 2011). The SWOT analysis is a useful analytical tool which provides crucial information on the internal and external factors impinging on the organization and enabling decision makers to formulate effective strategies. As emphasized, organizations â€Å"use it to get an understanding of competitors, which can give the insights needed to craft a coherent and successful competitive position† (Washington State University, 2011, p. 3). Likewise, the tool is deemed applicable in diverse settings and situations, such as in discerning courses of action in terms of exploring new efforts or solutions to a particular problem; in considering changes; as well as in making adjustments or refinements in mid-course projects or plans (University of Kansas, 2013). The key findings of one’s research are presented according to the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that were noted of Costa Coffee. Under strengths, the findings revealed that Costa has 40 years’ experience in exhibiting core competencies in preparing and selling specialty coffee. Likewise, 100% of their ingredients are from the Rainforest Alliance Certified farms (Costa Coffee, 2013). They boast of their high quality products and food offerings. In addition, their consistent source of coffee beans makes sustainability a strength. Also, ample training and development of human

Sport In The Construction Of Masculinity

Sport In The Construction Of Masculinity Gender studies is an interdisciplinary study which investigate different aspects of gender. Sport is one of the aspects that researchers in these years are trying to analyse in a gender perspective. It is believed that sport is socially conditioned based on many researches. This essay will examine sport contributing to the construction of masculinity by several ways, they are: gender stratification in tradition, homophobia in sport, sport as male bonding ritual, biased opportunities towards men and media influence. Further examples and elaborations will follow in each point to demonstrate sport is indeed a social constitution constructing masculinity. Sport has long been instituted as male dominated and masculine in orientation by a couple of reasons. First, the historical gender stratification throughout a century has established that sport is an institution constructing masculinity. We are living in a patriarchal society that male are always in superior status than female, from economic status to daily life. The society has embedded a concept that the role of women is to give birth and their only obligation is to take care of children. But in 20th century, women are no longer highly dependent on men, as more and more women have become labours in the market. It has shortened the distance between two sexes, but obviously gender inequality cannot be eliminated so easily. Bilrell and Cole (1990) have mentioned that superiority of physical fitness is the key factor of winning in sport, and sport is the main activities emphasis on the sexual differentiation. Since sport emphasizes a lot on strength and bravery, male are thought to per form well innately than women (Klein 1990). As a result, the male participating rate in sport in general is higher than women. It is no wonder that Zane Grey (1992) in his book wrote All boys love baseball. If they dont theyre not real boys. This concept was passed on from generation to generation and eventually sport becomes a site constructing masculinity. Second, homophobia is another factor constructing masculinity in sport. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, sport has somehow developed into a male hegemonic activity. Male who does not participate in sports are not regarded as real man, and female participating in sports are thought to be manlike. They may, therefore, be treated as homosexuals. In fact, in the traditional socialization process, men in the early age had learnt that male who does not perform in manly way may see as homosexual (Messner 1992). Athletics, no matter male or female, may sometimes make apparent or even exaggerated movement to show their masculinity and femininity, just because they are afraid of people confusing their gender identity. Ordinarily, males characteristics are tough, aggressive, competitive, physically strong, whereas women tend to show attractive appearance, to do make-up and wearing feminine clothing. The traditional association of physical strength, power and athleticism with masculinity causes many people to question the sexuality of women athletes. Former tennis star Chris Evert paid great attention to whether or not she acted like a woman in the court, and almost the end of her tennis career she finally willing to admit that she is an athlete (Woolum 1998). Though she is a tennis player, she tried to act like a woman so as to maintain her feminine image. When Evert evaluated on her early stage of career, she said she never feel like an athlete, she was just a person playing tennis (Woolum 1998). She would like to be a complete woman such as having nail polish and wearing fancy hair band, rather than a freak in others eyes. From this example, we have seen that sport is thought to be male-oriented. Since female athletes challenge traditional notions of femininity and their abilities are seen as stereotypically masculine, female athletes are always contending with homophobia so that they will not be labelled as lesbian. It, in turns, lessens females willingness to p articipate in sport. As for men, they tend to participating in sport in order to show their manhood and avoid categorized as gay. It is, therefore, understandable that sports is a site for the embodiment of masculinity because of its nature of male-oriented. Third, sports play an important role in masculinity because sport is constructed as male bonding ritual. Similar to fraternity and military, sport helps young boys making connections in their life (Fine 2000). As we all know, sport focuses a lot of competitiveness and aggression, or sometimes, even involves physical contact and collision in between athletes. These are the elements that enable the notion of masculinity and the hegemonic ideal to construct a boy into a real man. Burstyn (1999) believed that sport provided the kind of rituals of conquest and aggression that men with a weak sense of masculinity needed to symbolize, to make physical and palpable, the difference between a mans man and a mamas boy , which means sport is succeeded in socializing boys into manhood despite the absence of the family father (Burstyn 1999). Here we realize that sport is in fact served as an embodied ritual of confirming and strengthening mens gender identity. Even if some children may live in sin gle-parent families, they are still able to achieve manliness as sport can be a replacement of father for them to obtain masculinity. All men can group together to retain their manhood and to reassert their gender privilege via sport. Thus, we can conclude that sport is a bonding ritual for men to construct their masculinity. In addition, biased opportunity towards men is a way to gradually construct masculinity in sport. Traditionally we are told that girls are only suitable for activities which are related to the aesthetic side of sports such as ice cheerleading and skating. Females are not recommended to engage in high physical contact activities such as rugby, boxing and soccer. In the schooling stage, gender socialization and gender typing shaped teenagers how they should act based on their gender. Plausibly, self-fulfilling prophecy has occurred and these norms have shaped individuals behavior, which in turn shapes future expectations. This cycle has shaped our society into a male supremacy culture, and sport is an embodiment of this notion. The opportununties bias can be seen particularly in the professional ranks. Womens sport would never be at the top of the pirority when business companies looking to use sports to market their product (Person 2009). They concerned with earning money from the adv ertsing and they believed that the money return will not be as much if they invest in womens sport (Person 2009). The average salary can obviously indicate the inequality of opportunities within two sexes, men are able to earn 4 millions in average whereas women can only earn approximately 1.4% of men, around $55,000 in average. Without social and economical motivation, girls devote less time to the sport. As a result, sport become male domain and a site for constrcuting masculinity. Finally, media influence is a factor contributing to the masculine construction in sport. The Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles has done a research (Wilson 1999) claiming that over 90% of American teenagers consume sports media. Since sports are mostly dominated by men, from the athletes and coaches to the commentators and reporters, media is definitely influential enough to transmit ideas about masculinity and maleness. And when it comes to reporting sport news, the newsworthiness is the main point reporters are focusing on. Mens sport is generally believed to have more attention and enthusiasm from the public, compared with womens sport. Sometimes after a match has finished, reporters are able to immediately interview male athletes in the changing room, it is, however, impossible to do the same thing on women. It is, therefore, clear that there are lots of bias and limitations on sports media which ultimately contribute to the construction of masculinity in our society. In conclusion, sport was demonstrated as being a dominant social institution which naturalized mens power and privilege over women. It has marginalized and trivialized female athletes, which sequentially help reproducing the ideological of masculinity in sport.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: essays research papers

Reasons Huck Finn isn't racist The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist novel. This novel has been subject to much controversy about whether or not the book is racist. Whilst many believe the novel to be non racist, there a few people out there who believe it is. This is just not true. This essay will show you why this novel is not racist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Huck Finn is the main character in this novel; he is an uneducated, uncivilized, backwoods hick. Huck uses the word ‘nigger’ many times throughout this story. What many people have not come to realize is that at this point in time the word nigger was no more offensive then calling another man ‘white’. All slaves in that time were referred to as ‘niggers’. At this point in time that word is very hurtful to the black community when used offensively. Huck using the word only reinforces the idea that he was in fact uneducated and it shows what kind a vocabulary to have expected from a young southern boy. In fact if that word wasn’t used in the novel it wouldn’t be as realistic as it is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The costar of this novel is a runaway slave named Jim. Jim is a caring friend, a devoted husband, and a loving father. Many people believe that Jim is portrayed as silly and uneducated. Those people have failed to realize that this book is written through a child’s point of view. Before Huck gets to know Jim for the man he really is this is how Huck perceives him. Although Jim is perceived as stupid it’s because he is. Jim has probably lived his life as a slave and has a slaves’ education. This book wasn’t written to show how stupid the slaves were, although it somewhat did, but rather to express the situation of slaves being uneducated at the time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third reason why this is not a racist piece of literature is it shows that there in no racial boundrys in love and compassion for another human being. It shows the development of Huck and Jims’ father and son type of relationship. This novel concretely shows that relationships of any sort are not bound by race. The novel also shows how one’s ideals can change in spite of what you have been taught. Huck deciding that he would go to hell to help Jim escape to freedom is probably the most non racist part of the whole novel, and it is what the book is built upon.

You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 2~3

Chapter Two The Last Poop â€Å"So that was it?† â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"Never again?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"Not ever?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"I feel like I should save them or something.† â€Å"Would you just flush and come out of there.† Chapter Three I am Poor and My Cat Is Huge Jody walked a step or two behind Tommy, just watching him, as they made their way up Third Street toward Market. She was watching his reaction to his new senses, giving him some room to look around, whispering hints about what he was experiencing. She'd gone through this herself only a couple of months ago, and she'd done it without a guide. â€Å"I can see the heat coming off the streetlamps,† Tommy said, looking up and spinning as he walked. â€Å"Every window in every building is a different color.† â€Å"Try to just look at one thing at a time, Tommy. Don't let it overwhelm you.† Jody was waiting for him to comment on the aura that each person was giving off. Not a heat aura, more of a life force. So far they'd only seen healthy red and pink ones – not what she was looking for. â€Å"What's that noise, like running water?† Tommy asked. â€Å"That's the sewers running under the street. All that stuff will fade after a while – you'll still hear it, but you won't notice it unless you focus.† â€Å"It's like a thousand people are talking in my head.† He looked around at the few pedestrians who were out on the street. â€Å"Televisions and radios, too,† Jody said. â€Å"Try to focus on one thing, let the rest fall back.† Tommy stopped, looked up at an apartment window four floors up. â€Å"There's a guy up there having phone sex.† â€Å"Figures you'd zero in on that,† Jody said. She focused on the window. Yes, she could hear the guy panting and giving instructions to someone on the phone. Evidently he felt the caller was a dirty little slut and therefore needed to apply varieties of hot salsa to her body. Jody tried to hear the voice on the other end of the phone, but it was too faint – the guy must have been wearing a headset. â€Å"What a freak,† Tommy said. â€Å"Shhhh,† Jody said. â€Å"Tommy, close your eyes and listen. Forget the salsa guy. Don't look.† Tommy closed his eyes and stood in the middle of the sidewalk. â€Å"What?† Jody leaned against a â€Å"No Parking† sign and smiled. â€Å"What's just to the right of you?† â€Å"How do I know? I was looking up.† â€Å"I know. Focus. Listen. Two feet from your right hand, what is it?† â€Å"This is dumb.† â€Å"Just listen. Listen to the shape of the sound coming from your right.† â€Å"Okay.† Tommy squinted, showing he was concentrating. A couple of androgynous students dressed in black with severe hair, probably from the Academy of Art on the next block, walked by and barely gave them a look until Tommy said, â€Å"I can hear a box. A rectangle.† â€Å"Acid noob,† said one of the students, who sounded like it might be a guy. â€Å"I remember my first trip,† said the other, who was probably a girl. â€Å"I wandered into the men's room at the Metreon and thought I was in a Marcel Duchamp installation.† Jody waited for them to pass then asked, â€Å"Yes, a rectangle, solid, hollow, what?† She was a little giddy now, bouncing on the balls of her feet. This was better than buying shoes. â€Å"It's hollow.† Tommy tilted his head. â€Å"It's a newspaper machine.† He opened his eyes, looked at the newspaper box, then at Jody, his face lit up like a toddler who has just discovered chocolate for the first time. She ran into his arms and kissed him. â€Å"I have so much to show you.† â€Å"Why didn't you tell me?† Tommy asked. â€Å"How could I? Do you have words for what you're hearing? For what you're seeing?† Tommy let her go and looked around, took a deep breath through his nose, as if checking the bouquet of a wine. â€Å"No. I don't know how to say these things.† â€Å"See, that's why I had to share this with you.† Tommy nodded, but looked a little forlorn. â€Å"This part is good. But the other part†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What other part?† â€Å"The foul, dead, blood-drinking part. I'm still starving.† â€Å"Don't whine, Tommy. Nobody likes a whiner.† â€Å"Hungry,† he said. She knew how he felt, she was feeling some of it herself, but she didn't know how to solve the feeding problem. Tommy had always been her go-to blood guy; now they were going to have to hunt. She could do it, she had done it, but she didn't want to do it. â€Å"Come on, we'll figure this out. Don't pout. Let's go watch people on Market Street. You'll like it.† She took his hand and dragged him up the street toward Market, where rivers of tourists, shoppers, and freaks were flowing up and down the streets and sidewalks. Rivers of blood. â€Å"Everyone smells like whiz and feet,† Tommy said, standing on the sidewalk in front of a Walgreens drugstore. It was still early in the evening and the convention crowd from the hotels was flowing down the sidewalks like a great migrating herd, looking for dinner or a watering hole. Out on the edges, hustlers, homeless, and hangers-on worked their angles, playing the secret path of eye contact to the pocket, while the herd defended itself by paying rapt attention to their companions, their cell phones, or a spot on the sidewalk twelve feet ahead. â€Å"Feet and pee,† Tommy continued. â€Å"You get used to it,† Jody said. â€Å"Is there a clean pair of underwear anywhere on this street?† Tommy shouted. â€Å"You people are disgusting!† â€Å"Would you settle down,† Jody said. â€Å"People are looking. They think you're crazy.† â€Å"Which makes me different, how?† She looked up the street – for the three blocks she could see there were about three people per block shouting at passersby, wild-eyed and angry, and obviously bat shit. She nodded. He had a point, but then she snatched his shirt collar and pulled his ear down to lip level. â€Å"The difference is that you aren't living anymore and it's not a good idea to attract attention to yourself.† â€Å"Which is why you chose to wear that delightful ensemble from the skank-wear collection at Hoes-N-Thangs?† â€Å"You said you liked it.† Jody had become a little more provocative in her dress since becoming a vampire – but she saw it more as an expression of confidence, not a means to attract attention. Was it a predator thing? A power thing? â€Å"I did – do like it, but every guy who passes is staring at your cleavage. I can hear their heartbeats go up. Did you have to turn to mist to get into those jeans? You did, didn't you?† A tap on Tommy's shoulder. A young man in a white, short-sleeved dress shirt and a black tie had sidled up to him, holding out a pamphlet. â€Å"You sound troubled, brother. Maybe this will help.† The pamphlet proclaimed rejoice! on the cover in big green letters. Jody covered her mouth and turned away so the guy wouldn't see her giggling. â€Å"What?!† Tommy said, turning on the guy. â€Å"What? What? What? Can't you see I'm trying to discuss my girlfriend's – uh – well, those.† Tommy gestured to Jody's shoulder, which was now where those had just been. â€Å"Show him, Jody,† Tommy said. Jody shook her head and started to walk away, her shoulders shaking with laughter. â€Å"There's a message here,† said the tie guy. â€Å"It can bring you comfort – and joy.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I was trying to show you some examples of that, but there she goes with them.† â€Å"But this is a joy that goes beyond physical – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, like you'd know,† Tommy said, cupping his nose and mouth as if covering a sneeze. â€Å"Listen, I'd love to discuss this with you, buddy, but right now you have to GO HOME AND WASH YOUR ASS! You smell like you're smuggling a stockyard back there!† Tommy turned and strode after Jody, leaving the tie guy blushing and crumpling his pamphlet. â€Å"It's not funny,† Tommy said. Jody was trying so hard not to laugh, she snorted. â€Å"Yes, it is.† â€Å"Can't they see we're damned? You'd think they could tell. At least you. We are damned, aren't we? » â€Å"No idea,† Jody said. She hadn't really thought about it. â€Å"Didn't cover that in your advanced vampire course with the old guy?† â€Å"Forgot to ask.† â€Å"No problem,† Tommy said, with no effort at all to suppress sarcasm. â€Å"Minor detail. Anything else you might have forgotten to ask?† â€Å"I thought I'd have more time, for follow-up,† Jody said. â€Å"I didn't realize that the man I love was going to bronze us that first night.† â€Å"Yeah – well – okay. Sorry.† â€Å"Where's the trust?† Jody said. â€Å"You killed me,† Tommy said. â€Å"Oh, there you go again.† â€Å"Please, folks. I need a dollar,† said a voice from the left. Jody looked down to see a guy sitting against the granite wall of a closed bank. He was dirty beyond age or race, sort of grimy to the point of shine, and on his lap was an enormous long-haired cat. There was a cup on the sidewalk in front of him and beside it a hand-printed sign that read I AM POOR AND MY CAT IS HUGE. Tommy, who was still fairly new to the city and hadn't learned to look past this sort of thing, stopped and started digging in his pocket. â€Å"That is sure a huge cat.† â€Å"Yeah, he eats a lot. It's all I can do to keep him fed.† Jody nudged Tommy, trying to get him back into the pedestrian flow. She liked that he was a nice guy, but it could really be irritating sometimes. Especially when she was trying to teach him the profundities of being a creature of the night. â€Å"Mostly fur, though, right?† Tommy asked. â€Å"Mister, this cat weighs thirty-five pounds.† Tommy whistled and handed the guy a dollar. â€Å"Can I touch him?† â€Å"Sure,† the guy said. â€Å"He doesn't care.† Tommy knelt down and poked the cat gently, then looked up at Jody. â€Å"This is a huge cat.† She smiled. â€Å"Huge. Let's go.† â€Å"Touch him,† Tommy said. â€Å"No thanks.† â€Å"So,† Tommy said to the cat guy, â€Å"why don't you give him to a shelter or something?† â€Å"Then how am I supposed to make a living?† â€Å"You could print up a sign that says ‘I'm poor and I lost my huge cat'? That would work on me.† â€Å"You may not be the best sample,† said the cat guy. â€Å"Look,† Tommy said, standing now and digging into his pocket. â€Å"I'll buy the cat. I'll give you, uh, forty – â€Å" The cat guy shook his head. â€Å"Sixty – â€Å" Furious head shaking†¦ Tommy untangled bills from a wad he'd pulled out of his pocket, â€Å"One hundred – â€Å" â€Å"No.† â€Å"And thirty†¦ two – â€Å" â€Å"No.† â€Å"And thirty-seven cents.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"And a paper clip.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"That's a great offer,† Tommy insisted. â€Å"That's like four bucks a pound!† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well screw you, then,† Tommy said. â€Å"I don't feel sorry for you and your huge cat.† â€Å"You can't have your dollar back.† â€Å"Fine!† Tommy said. â€Å"Fine!† said the cat guy. Tommy took Jody by the arm and started to walk away. â€Å"That's a huge cat,† he said. â€Å"Why were you trying to buy it? We're not supposed to have pets in the loft.† â€Å"Duh,† Tommy said. â€Å"Dinner.† â€Å"Yuck.† â€Å"It's a stopgap,† Tommy said. â€Å"You know that the Masai of Kenya drink the blood of their cattle with no apparent ill effect to the cow.† â€Å"Well, I'm sure it violates our lease if we get a cow.† â€Å"That's it.† â€Å"What's it?† â€Å"A lease.† Tommy swung her around and brought her back to the cat guy. â€Å"I want to rent the cat,† Tommy said. â€Å"You could use a break and I want to show the huge cat to my aunt who is an invalid and can't come down here.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"One night. One hundred and thirty-two dollars and thirty-seven cents.† The cat guy raised an eyebrow, the grime over that eye cracked a little. â€Å"One fifty.† â€Å"I don't have one fifty, you know that.† â€Å"Then I want to see the redhead's hooters.† Tommy looked at Jody, then back at the cat guy, then back at Jody. â€Å"No,† Jody said calmly. â€Å"No,† Tommy said indignantly. â€Å"How dare you suggest it?† â€Å"One hooter,† countered the cat guy. Tommy looked at Jody. She gave him the wide, green-eyed expression that she would have described as I will slap you so far into next week that it will take a team of surgeons just to get Wednesday out of your ass. â€Å"No way,† Tommy said. â€Å"The redhead's hooters are not on the table.† He grinned, looked back at Jody, then looked away, really fast. The cat guy shrugged. â€Å"I'll need some kind of security deposit, like your driver's license – â€Å" â€Å"Sure,† Tommy said. â€Å"And a credit card.† â€Å"No,† Jody said, pulling her jacket closed and zipping it up to her neck. â€Å"Nothing kinky,† said the cat guy. â€Å"I'll know.† â€Å"Going to show him to my aunt, and I'll have him back tomorrow, this time.† â€Å"Deal,† said the cat guy. â€Å"His name is Chet.† â€Å"You first,† Tommy said. They stood in the great room of their loft on either side of the futon, where the huge cat, a crossbreed between a Persian, a dust mop, and possibly a water buffalo, was actively shedding. Tommy had decided that he was going to be very cool about the whole blood-drinking thing, despite the fact that he was so amped he felt as if he could run up and down the walls. In fact, he wasn't sure that he couldn't run up and down the walls, that was part of what was freaking him out. Still, since coming to San Francisco a couple of months ago, he had spent entirely too much time overreacting, and he wasn't going to do it now – not in front of his girlfriend. Not at all, if he could help it. â€Å"You should go first,† Jody said. â€Å"You've never fed before.† â€Å"But you gave the old vampire some of your blood,† Tommy said. â€Å"You need it.† It was true, she had given the vampire her blood to help heal him from the damage Tommy and his friends had caused by blowing up his yacht and so forth, but he hoped she would say no again. â€Å"No, no, no, after you,† Jody said, with a very bad French accent. â€Å"I insist.† â€Å"Well, if you insist.† Tommy leapt to the futon and bent over the huge cat. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to go about this, but he could see the healthy red life aura around Chet, and he could hear his little kitty heart pounding. There was a crackling noise inside of his head, like someone was popping bubble wrap in his ear canal, and then there was pressure on the roof of his mouth, painful pressure, and more crackling. He felt something give and two sharp points poking his lower lip. He pushed back from the cat and grinned at Jody, who yelped and jumped back a step. â€Å"Fangth,† Tommy said. â€Å"Yes, I can see that,† Jody said. â€Å"Why'd you jump? Do they look thupid?† â€Å"You startled me, is all,† Jody said, looking away from him like he was an arc welder or a total eclipse and full eye contact might blind her. She waved him on. â€Å"Go, go, go. Be careful. Not too hard.† â€Å"Right,† Tommy said. He grinned again and she shied away. Tommy turned back, braced the cat, who seemed much less freaked by this process than the two vampires in the room, and bit. â€Å"Thuppt, thuppt, ack!† Tommy stood up and started brushing at his tongue to remove cat hair. â€Å"Yuck!† â€Å"Hold still,† Jody said, going to him and brushing the loose, damp cat hair away from his face. She went to the kitchen counter and came back with a glass of water and a paper towel, which she used to wipe at Tommy's tongue. â€Å"Just use the water to rinse. Don't swallow it. You won't be able to keep it down.† â€Å"I'm not going to thwollow it, my mouf is full of cat hair.† Once he had rinsed, Jody picked the last of the hairs from his mouth, and in doing so, she pricked one of her fingers on Tommy's right fang. â€Å"Ouch.† She pulled her finger away and put it in her mouth. â€Å"Oh, jeez,† Tommy said. He pulled her finger out of her mouth and put it in his. His eyes rolled back in his head and he moaned through his nose. â€Å"Oh, I don't think so,† Jody said. She grabbed his hand and bit into his forearm, attaching herself to him like a remora to a shark. Tommy growled, flipped her around, and threw her facedown on the futon, his arm still in her mouth. She flipped her hair to the side and he sank his teeth into her neck. She screamed, but the shriek was muted, bubbling out on Tommy's bloody forearm. Chet, the huge cat, hissed and bolted across the room, through the bedroom door, to wedge himself under the bed, as the sounds of straining leather, tearing denim, and screaming predators filled the loft. The irony, that it sounded like a huge catfight, was completely lost on the huge cat.

Monroe Versus Madison.

Corey Salva Mr. Vieira APUSH 10/15/10 Marbury vs. Madison In 1803, a single case managed to change how America's government would be run forever. In John Adams' last few days as president, he appointed a small group of Federalists into power. When Thomas Jefferson was elected into office, and he told James Madison to not bring the commissions to an appointed â€Å"midnight judge† named William Marbury. This gave the newly appointed Chief Justice, John Marshall, a great opportunity to spread his Federalist influence deeper into the American government.When Marbury found out that his commission was being held back by Madison, he sued for its delivery. This event brought about the case of Marbury vs. Madison. Marbury v. Madison was the first time the Supreme Court declared something â€Å"unconstitutional†, and established the concept of judicial review in the U. S. (the idea that courts may oversee and nullify the actions of another branch of government). The landmark dec ision helped define the â€Å"checks and balances† of the American form of government. This case influenced how the government would establish laws forever.The biggest issue in the case was whether or not the commission could be forced on its delivery. The biggest questions of the case were: does Article III of the Constitution create a â€Å"floor† for original jurisdiction, which Congress can add to, or does it create an exhaustive list that Congress can't modify at all? If Article III's original jurisdiction is an exhaustive list, but Congress tries to modify it anyway, who wins that conflict, Congress or the Constitution? Most importantly, who is supposed to decide who wins?On February 24, 1803, the Court rendered a unanimous (4-0) decision, that Marbury had a right to his commission, but Congress did not have the power to force Madison to deliver it. This seemed like a loss for the Federalist people in the government, but in fact, it changed how the government wou ld work forever. Marshall was enable to enact Judicial Review, which gave the Supreme Court the ability to determine whether a law passed by Congress was constitutional or not. This was extremely influential in America's government, for this is still in use today. Marbury was never appointed a Justice of Peace in the District of Columbia.