School District Essay Example for Free

School District Essay Present research provides the analysis of dissertation titled Multimedia-Based Classroom Instruction and Student Achievement: What is the Relationship Between Multimedia-Based Classroom Instruction and Student Achievement in a Public Elementary School District written by J. J. Spaulding. Central objectives of the present analysis deal with dissertation’s key research questions, types of data collection and its effectiveness, sampling frame, unit of analysis, theories and methodology underpinning research, literature review quality and some other important aspects of the dissertation discussed. In general, the author formulated eleven research questions which, however, may be reduced to key three questions, which immediately results from author’s stated research purposes (Spaulding 49). These questions are as follows: 1. ‘the relationship between the levels of multimedia-based classroom instruction and student learning in language arts in grades four, five, six and seven’. â€Å"The differences between student learning in language arts in grades four, five, six and seven that exists between grade levels and ESL and non-ESL students†; and finally, 3) Students’ and teachers’ perceptions of ‘multimedia-based classroom instruction and learning’ (Spaulding 49). In our view, the first research meta-question is the most crucial for author’s research, since it embraces 8 sub-questions from the total number of 11, and requires widespread implementation of research methods. However, due to the total number of questions pertaining to the abovementioned meta-questions, it is reasonable to limit analysis to the first research question: â€Å"What is the relationship between the level of multimedia-based classroom instruction and student learning in language arts? ’, which contains all major elements and problems found in the other seven questions of this category (Spaulding 49). 2. The type of data collection, implemented in the discussed dissertation immediately follows from the stated objectives and research methods: descriptive and correlational (Spaulding 51). The first research question was addressed using quantitative methods of data collection, including questionnaire for teachers, participating in research and pretest and posttest surveys for the students (Spaulding 57). The questionnaire for teachers was prepared to differentiate the use of multimedia-based instruction by each of the total number of 32 teacher involved in the researched process. The questions designed sought to define the frequency of multimedia-based instructions use among the teachers. As a result, eight intervals were created, the first interval pertinent to the lowest frequency and the eighth to the highest frequency. The abovementioned instrument of quantitative data collection is of particular importance in the first research question (as well as the rest 7 questions of this group), because it helps differentiate pretest and posttest results in correspondence with the multimedia-based instruction utilization. The second quantitative method applied to the first research question refers to pretest and posttest surveys for students. These tests, administered by the selected teachers were designed to define the level of English proficiency growth during nine-week period of the study (Spaulding 58). As for the issue of data collection’s appropriateness for the first research question, it has two-fold answer. The questionnaire designed for teachers to define the level of multimedia-based instructions perfectly fits the set research problem, which seeks to find the answer to the questions, how their use affects students’ educational progress in schools. However, it should be noted that the room for subjective assessment was left, due to the fact that teachers’ answers could not be checked, due to specific difficulties. Pretest and Posttest surveys are the most problematic methods of data collection for this research question, because in my view they fail to tie positive or negative educational changes with the use of multimedia-based instructions. To put in other words, there exists several important external factors, which are not taken into consideration: Positive or negative findings may result from factors other than multimedia-based instructions, such as teacher professionalism and students’ potential. 2. Low levels of progress in classes frequently using multimedia-based instructions may mean not their low effectiveness, but the limit of progress they can provide (Spaulding 73). Hence, pretest and posttest data collection techniques, should have involved the questions and tools for measuring these particular factors.

Importance Of Political Scandals To The Newspapers Media Essay

Importance Of Political Scandals To The Newspapers Media Essay The aims of this research are focused on assessing the importance of political scandals to the newspapers, on the role that the press assumes and how it is influenced by the fact that newspapers are supportive of political parties and on general trends that may be found in the coverage of political scandals by the quality press. The methodology used involves a comparative research that places side by side the study of three different scandals. Comparing the conclusions taken from the three cases studied this research aims to find general trends that are transversal to the newspapers while covering political scandals, but also to generalize the results to the British quality press. The reason to choose as object of the study newspapers instead of other media is related with the fact that in the United Kingdom the press is openly supportive of political parties, in contrast to what happen in television and radio broadcasters that are said to be independent. By studying newspapers it is possible to take an in-depth look at the conflict of interests of supporting a party, reporting the events to the readers and manager to report the situation keeping or increasing the profits of the newspaper. The relationship stated before influences the coverage produced by newspapers and the level of impartiality and independence that must be expected from them. The present dissertation will also take a look at the quality press instead of analysing the tabloid newspapers. While the tabloid press if often more connected with infotainment rather than serious news reporting, they are likely to have more scandals. Notwithstanding the fact that they report more scandals does not mean that they report it better, nor people who buy these newspapers expect it to be serious. In opposition to this reality there is the quality press. Even if openly supportive of political parties, the quality press is expected to give more serious news (Niblock, 1996:23; Conboy, 2005:12). People who buy these newspapers expect to be informed about issues related with international and political affairs. The reason why the Guardian, the Independent and the Daily Telegraph (including the Sunday versions) were chosen to be analysed is that they allow the coverage of the entire political spectrum. Analysing one newspaper would not be enough to generalize or to find trends that could be transversal to the quality press. However an analysis that includes the whole political spectrum in a system that is effectively bipartisan allows a more detailed comparison. In this context, one can expect that the Guardian will provide a Liberal/Labour vision of the facts, the Telegraph is expected to present a Conservative vision, and the Independent is expected to give an independent vision since the newspapers claims to be free from editorial connections since its beginning. The articles analysed are from the following dates: Cash for influence 25/01/2009 to 31/01/2009; Expenses Scandal 8/05/2009 to 15/05/2009; and finally Lord Ashcroft tax status 01/03/2010 to 07-03-2010. The criteria by which the articles were chosen to be analysed was if there was in them references to the scandal. The access to the newspapers was guarantee through the online archives present in the newspapers websites. In total 400 articles were analysed. Scandals The first story to be study is known as Cash for Influence and it is a scandal concerning four Labour Party life peers who were supposedly accepting money in order to help to make amendments to legislation. The peers involved were Lord Moonie, Lord Snape, Lord Truscott and Lord Taylor. The four Labour members were accused of breaking two principles of the Code of Conduct for the House of Lords. The story was first published in the Sunday Times on the 25th of January of 2009, when staff from the newspaper approached the four peers pretending to be lobbyists from an unnamed company. The peers told them that for the right amount of money they could help them introducing some changes to the legislation. The second story is about the British Parliamentary expenses scandal that was revealed by the Telegraph after a leak. The story broke on May 2009 and it involved the revelation of the expenses claimed by the Members of Parliament. The scandal received a lot of attention as it was shown that MPs were abusing the system of allowances and expenses related with their duty in the House of Commons. The last case to be studied involves Mr. Ashcroft and his tax status. The controversy around Lord Ashcroft is not recent, but in 2010 Ashcroft decided to come public with his tax status. The controversy aroused not from the legal wrongdoing but due to the fact that it was thought that the Conservative Party deputy chairman had agree to become resident in the UK for tax purposed when he was recommended for a peerage in 2000. The three stories involve financial transgressions/ controversies. The same logic that decided the newspapers to be analysed was also used in the selection of scandals. In the coverage of scandals: one of them is associated with peers from the Labour party, other is associated with people connected with the conservative party and the expenses scandals involve MPs from all the parties that are represented in the House of Commons. The scandals are all very recent and that, I hope, will provide an up to date perspective of the coverage of political scandals. Content Analysis The first decision that was to be made was considering the approach that should be used to answer the research questions. After looking at some studies concerning media studies produced before such as the works produced by Gans, 1979; Fishman, 1980; and Canel and Sanders, 2006; It was decided that an ideal approach to the study would be combining qualitative and quantitative research techniques. This is so because the questions involve a different type of answers but also because by combining different approaches the work will follow a principle of triangulation presenting greater validity. Triangulation is: the traditional view that quantitative and qualitative research might be combined to triangulate findings in order that they may be mutually corroborated (Bryman, 2006:608). For the combination of different approaches it would be used first Content Analysis of the articles published by newspapers related with the scandals and interviews with journalists from the three newspapers that are study here. However the journalists were not very accessible and many did not show availability to be interviewed. Due to this fact, the interviews were dropped from this project. The main technique to be used will be Content Analysis as it allows a, comparative analysis of the coverage of the scandals. Using this method it is possible to study the prominence and the importance that the stories may assume to the newspapers (Hansen et al., 1998:95). The comparative approach also allows the identification of the trends and changes in the position adopted by newspapers during the coverage of the stories. These questions are similar to those that this dissertation has to deal with in order to answer the research questions. Other advantage of Content Analysis is that it produces, if well-conducted, data that is less likely to suffer from subjective selectiveness and idiosyncrasies as it is a transparent and systematic technique of analysis (Hansen et al., 1998:94: Bryman, 2006:289). The difficulties that are inherent to the Content Analysis are related with the fact that the categories and units of analysis may demand some interpretation form the coders (Bryman, 2006:291). This can result in some disputes over the interpretation when the study is replicated. However, as these limitations were taken into account the codebook was design in order to guarantee its consistency and reliability. While coding the Content Analysis the first seven categories the newspaper where the article was present, the story covered, the date, the headline, the article length, the reporter and position and the genre of the article are basic information related with the characteristics of the articles. However this basic information will provide answers to questions related with: the scandal that received most attention, the newspapers that wrote more about the scandals, the newspaper that included more articles concerning these stories, the moment where the interest in the stories peaked and when it began to decrease, the nature of the genres that are more prominent in the coverage. The analysis of the position of the journalists is also very important because it is can show the importance that the article assumes for the newspaper. If a story is considered very important then it is more likely to have an experienced and high-positioned journalist in the newspaper hierarchy writing the ar ticle. Possibly these variables are expected to provide data to analyse general trends and the importance that the stories assumed for the newspapers. The exclusive content claim is a category that aims to give indications about the role of the newspapers while covering the stories. If newspapers are releasing information that they claim to have exclusive content, it is assumed that they are investing time and money on the story. The scandal category is used to evaluate the coverage of the stories. It is expect to give a perspective on whether or not the stories were defined as scandals. It can also be a point to analyse potential changes related with the editorial choices of the newspaper. The position of the articles towards the people involved and towards the acts committed by those is also coded. As the scandals are disclosed, the newspapers tend to assume positions towards it. This point is interesting to understand the reactions of the newspapers to the stories and if they are transversal or if they tend to change as more is known about the scandal. The variables involving the name of the party in the headline or lead are present to provide data to study if the connection between the party and the actors of the scandals is considered important to the newspapers. It is expected to indicate if newspapers are likely to identify more often, in these two parts of the articles, the name of the party they do not support rather than the party they support. This category is also expected to give information about the importance of the party identification for the newspaper when covering political scandals. The access to newspapers by the political parties is also coded by looking at the different stances that are present in the articles. This information is provided by the category concerning the inclusion of different political stances in the articles. The identification of the party that is less heard is also important to test the capacity of the parties to access the different newspapers. The number of people quoted is also a focus of this study. The number of persons coded is assumed as one indicator of the time that was spent with the article. However to better evaluate the role of the quotes used they are counted in three different categories: the number of sources that assume neutral, accusative or sympathetic positions towards the people involved in the scandals. It is believed that by doing this it is possible to test the bias of the quotes used towards the story. The victims of the scandals identified by the journalists in the articles are counted as well. This provides information about how the consequences of the scandal are perspective by the newspaper. This information is expected to offers information if scandals are seen as a morality tale or if there is space for the political game perspective. In continuation to the analysis paid to the political parties, it is tested if the coverage has presented the idea of elections and the consequences that the scandal may have for the outcome of the polls. This is done by the inclusion of a category that counts if the article mentions the elections. In order to understand the role of the press during the scandals, and the positions adopted by the newspapers and it was not possible to interview the people involved in the coverage of the scandals the editorials will be more profoundly analysed that the other articles. The profound analysis is applied to these articles because in the United Kingdom this genre is assumed to be the place where the opinion of the newspapers is exhibit (Canel and Sanders, 2006:10). The extra variables that are coded in the analysis of the leading articles are six. Two variables are named praises and criticisms and they will record who is being attacked and protected by the newspapers. Are newspapers more confortable attacking newspapers they do not support? Or can it be said that they will attack whoever is involved in a scandal in the same way? While attacking the people involved from one party, are newspapers softer with the party they support? The other four categories coded are concerned with the role assumed by the quality press. Right to information is a category that aims to measure the posture of newspapers towards its readers and the information it provides them. How often do newspapers look for legitimacy by claiming that they are providing information that is of the public interest? As for the solidarity and we vs. them categories, these target to analyse if the quality press tries to establish a close relation with its readers or if it tries to assume a more isolated position of a neutral vigilant. Lastly, the role of the papers towards the political system is tested in the claims for reform done by newspapers. Do we have newspapers that are very active claiming for politicians to be changed, or is the quality press passive? The claim for reform category is probably expected to give an answer to those questions. The biggest limitations to this research are related with the second technique of research used and the access to newspapers. The fact that the journalists that were covering the stories were not interviewed omits one set of accounts of the events in question. The access to newspapers also imposes limitations to the study. While accessing to online editions variables such as pictures, front-cover and size of the article in relation with the format of the page of the newspaper are not available. In excluding such variables information that may be relevant for the research is not included. The similar nature of the scandals may also be question, as Lord Ashcroft in opposition to what happen to the peers of the Labour Party did not perform any act that was illegal. The fact that this scandal was closer to the general elections can influence the coverage that it received. Contrary to the other scandals, Lord Ashcrofts controversy was rumoured before, and so this scandals when noticed may have lost the impact that the other cases attached.

Woodstock 1969 :: essays research papers fc

Many large concerts have occurred in the United States, but none have been as symbolic as the three-day music and art fest that touted the slogans of peace and love. This event was identified as such as a result of the peace movement and the emergence of the flower children. Woodstock Music Festival took place near Woodstock New York on August 15, 16, and 17, 1969, and became a symbol of the 1960s American counterculture. Woodstock began with the following four partners: Michael Lang, the manager of a rock band, Artie Kronfeld, an executive at Capitol Records, and two capitalists, John Roberts and Joel Rosenman who supplied most of the money and the original idea. Their original plan was to build a recording studio in Woodstock, a small town in the Catskill Mountains that had become a rock music Mecca when musician Bob Dylan and his rock group called the Band settled there. To get the word out, the four partners decided to hold a concert, which they called the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. The group originally tried to have the festival in the town of Woodstock, but the citizens would not permit it. Then after much debate Michael Lang decided to move the concert to Wallkill, New York, where the people also protested, so finally he decided to move it about 70 miles away from the town of Woodstock to Max Yasgur’s dairy farm. Looking back on the sighting of the Bethel farm Lang remarked "It was magic, it was perfect. The sloping bowl, a little rise for the stage, and the lake in the background.† Woodstock had more acts scheduled to play then any other single event ever held before. They were trying to sign the biggest rock ‘n’ roll bands in America. The problem was getting the bands. Bands didn’t want to take contracts from an unproven venture, because they had no credibility. â€Å"To get the contracts, we have to have the credibility, and to get the credibility, we have to get the contracts,† Rosenman said. Woodstock Ventures solved that problem by paying enormous sums unheard of in 1969. The breakthrough came when they signed the Jefferson Airplane, the biggest psychedelic band back then. They signed for $12,000. An incredible sum of money considering the Jefferson Airplane usually took gigs for five or six thousand dollars. Credence Clearwater Revival signed for $11,500, and the Who signed for $12,500.

Graduation Speech: I Can Do Anything :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I needed a change. I was bored at my old school. I was working hard, but I was bored. I had been with the same kids and teachers since I was five years old. I don't really remember why I chose to come to Tates Creek (TC), but I had heard about it because our French class had pen pals here. My mom and I looked into the school and decided it would be a good fit for me. TC looked like a great school. Coming to TC was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Now, I like coming to school. I use to hate having to go to class and get lectured all day. But every day at TC is very different and you never know what to expect when you wake up each morning. I've always loved math, and I was doing well at my old school, but the teachers just weren’t as involved as they could have been. Because of TC, I've learned so much more in every subject, and actually enjoy them. I am a much better student, and the quality of my work has definitely gotten better because I'm so much more organized when it comes to my schoolwork. Now I just have to work on my room. TC is a great school for many reasons. The teachers understand the students and that it's important that everyone learns in the best way possible for them. Everyone works incredibly hard to help us pass all the standardized tests, especially the BSTs. What happened to the charter military academy would never happen here because the teachers care about our future. Students at TC are encouraged to do well not only academically, but also socially and mentally. CRISP isn’t just about scholarship — that’s only part of it. Because of TC I know I can do anything I set my mind to. I was always told that, but I never really believed it.

Wise Children Essay -- English Literature

Wise Children Essay Angela Carter uses a variety of methods and techniques to present events and characters in an interesting way in chapter 1. By using Dora’s voice she is able to express the character’s viewpoint and introduce the reader to the story at a pace and style that not only establishes other characters but from how language is used the reader can create a personality for Dora also. The novel starts with a question to slowly introduce the reader into the idea of the legitimacy and illegitimacy. ‘WHY is London like Budapest? A. Because it two cities divided by a river. Dora uses London to immediately explain how her and Dora live on the ‘bastard side of Old Father Thames’, not just literally but as illegitimate children it is a metaphor for their situation. Carter uses these parallels of the North and South divide to explain how Nora and Dora are from ‘the wrong side of the tracks.’ and can also help the reader to relate and empathise with Dora and Nora’s position. The novel does not follow a chronological timeline, but is a non-linear narrative jumping back and forth between what is happening on the twin’s 75th birthday and events that have taken place in the past. The first main event in the novel is the arrival of the invitation to Melchior Hazards birthday party, not only does it introduce some action, but also other characters into the play and allows Carter to tell the reader some information on Dora’s situation, that Melchior Hazard is her father and who ‘Wheelchair’ is. Carter uses plot very effectively in the first chapter; she offers part of the story and then holds back, when Tristram is showing the video recording, ‘Freeze –frame’. This allows Carter to explain the famil... ...llen’, Dora is mocking the demise of the Hazard family, the once great Shakespearian act reduced to a host on a tacky game show. Dora pours scorn on the idea that the Hazard family are the height of respectability and legitimacy: ‘Speaking of illegitimacy, there was more than a hint of romantic, nay, melodramatic illegitimacy in the Hazard family long before Nora and myself took our first bows’, she breaks down the social barriers between the two families, lowering them to her status by revealing that even families of good reputation hide dark secrets. By the end of chapter 1 different questions gave been raised for the reader that now need answering, these questions create tensions that encourage the reader to find out more. The plot development within the first chapter portray not only the events, but as they are seen through Dora shape her character.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 14

Elena woke up the next morning in Stefan's narrow bed. She recognized this before she was fully awake and hoped to heaven that she had given Aunt Judith some reasonable excuse last night. Last night – the very concept was extremely fuzzy. What had she been dreaming to make this wakening seem so extraordinary? She couldn't remember – jeez, she couldn't remember anything! And then she remembered everything. Sitting up with a jolt that would have sent her flying off the bed had she attempted it yesterday, she searched her recollections. Daylight. She remembered daylight, full light on her – and she didn't have her ring. She took a frantic look at both hands. No ring. And she was sitting up in a shaft of sunlight and it wasn't hurting her. It wasn't possible. She knew, she remembered with a raw memory that pervaded every cell of her body, that daylight wouldkill her. She had learned that lesson with a single touch of a sunbeam to her hand. She would never forget the searing, scalding pain: the touch had imprinted a behavior on her forever. Go nowhere without the lapis lazuli ring that was beautiful in itself, but more beautiful in the knowledge that it was her savior. Without it, she might, shewould†¦ Oh.Oh. But she alreadyhad , hadn't she? She'd died. Not simply Changed as she had when she'd become a vampire, but died the true death that no one came back from. In her own personal philosophy, she ought to have disintegrated into nameless atoms, or gone straight to hell. Instead she hadn't reallygone anywhere. She'd had some dreams about fatherly or motherly people giving her advice – and of wanting very much to help people, who were suddenly much easier to understand. School bully? She had watched sadly as his drunken father took his own outrages out on him night after night. That girl who never got her homework done? She was expected to raise three younger sisters and brothers while her mother lay in bed all day. Just getting the baby fed and cleaned took all the time she had. There was always a reason behind any behavior, and now she could see it. She had even communicated with people through their dreams. And then one of the Old Ones had arrived in Fell's Church, and it was all she could do to stand his interference in the dreams and not run away. He caused the humans to call for Stefan's help – and Damon had accidentally been summoned, too. And Elena had helped them all she could even when it had been almost unbearable, because Old Ones knew about love and which buttons to push and how to make your enemies run in all the right directions. But they had fought him – and they had won. And Elena, in trying to heal Stefan's mortal wounds, had somehow ended up mortal again herself: naked, lying on the ground of the Old Wood, with Damon's jacket over her, while Damon himself had disappeared without waiting for thanks. And that awakening had been of basic things: things of the senses: touch, taste, hearing, sight – and of the heart, but not of the head. Stefan had been so good to her. â€Å"And now, what am I?† Elena said aloud, staring as she turned her hands over and over, marveling at the solid, mortal flesh that obeyed the laws of gravity. Shehad said that she'd give up flying for him. Someone had taken her at her word. â€Å"You're beautiful,† Stefan answered absently, not moving. Then suddenly he rocketed up.†You're talking!† â€Å"I know I am.† â€Å"And making sense!† â€Å"Thank you kindly.† â€Å"And in sentences!† â€Å"I've noticed.† â€Å"Go on, then, and say something long – please,† Stefan said as if he didn't believe it. â€Å"You've been hanging out too much with my friends,† Elena said. â€Å"That sentence has Bonnie's impudence, Matt's courtesy, and Meredith's insistence on the facts.† â€Å"Elena, it's you!† Instead of keeping up the silly dialogue with â€Å"Stefan, itis me!† Elena stopped to think. Then, carefully she got out of bed and took a step. Stefan hastily looked away, handing her a robe.Stefan? Stefan? Silence. When Stefan turned around after a decent interval, he saw Elena kneeling in the sunlight holding the robe. â€Å"Elena?† She knew that to him, she looked like a very young angel in meditation. â€Å"Stefan.† â€Å"But you're crying.† â€Å"I'm human again, Stefan.† She lifted a hand, let it fall into the clutches of gravity. â€Å"I'm human again. No more, no less. I guess it just took me a few days to get fully back on track.† She looked into his eyes. They were always suchgreen green eyes. Like green crystal with some offside light behind them. Like a summer leaf held up before the sun. I can read your mind. â€Å"But I can't read yours, Stefan. I can only get a general sense, and even that may be going†¦we can't count on anything.† Elena, I have all I want in this room.He patted the bed.Sit by me and I can say â€Å"all I want is on this bed.† Instead she got up and threw herself at him, arms around his neck, legs tangled with his. â€Å"I'm still very young,† she whispered, holding him tightly. â€Å"And if you count it in days, we haven't had many days together like this, but – â€Å" â€Å"I'm still far too old for you. But to be able to look at you and seeyou looking back at me – â€Å" â€Å"Tell me you'll love me forever.† â€Å"I'll love you forever.† â€Å"No matter what happens.† â€Å"Elena, Elena – I've loved you as mortal, as vampire, as pure spirit, as spiritual child – and now as human again.† â€Å"Promise we'll be together.† â€Å"We'll be together.† â€Å"No. Stefan, this isme .† She pointed to her head as if to emphasize that behind her gold-flecked blue eyes there was a bright active mind spinning in overdrive. â€Å"Iknow you. Even if I can't read your mind I can read your face. All the old fears – they're back, aren't they?† He looked away. â€Å"I will never leave you.† â€Å"Not for a day? Not for an hour?† He hesitated and then looked up at her.If that's what you really want. I won't leave you, even for an hour. Now he was projecting, she knew, for she could hear him. â€Å"I release you from all your promises.† â€Å"But, Elena, I mean them.† â€Å"I know. But when you do go, I don't want you to have the guilt of breaking them looming over you as well.† Even without telepathy, she could tell what he was thinking to the tiniest shade of a nuance:Humor her. After all, she'd just woken up. She was probably a little confused. And she wasn't interested in becoming less confused, or in making him less confused. That must be why she was nipping his chin gently. And kissing him. Certainly, Elena thought, one of the two of them was confused†¦. Time seemed to stretch and then stop around them. And then nothing was confusing at all. Elena knew that Stefan knew what she wanted, and he wanted whatever she wanted him to do. Bonnie stared at the numbers on her phone, concerned. Stefan was calling. Then she ran a hasty hand through her hair, fluffing the curls out, and took the video call. But instead of Stefan it was Elena. Bonnie started to giggle, started to tell her not to play with Stefan's grown-up toys – and then she stared. â€Å"Elena?† â€Å"Am I going to get this every time? Or only from my sister-witch?† â€Å"Elena?† â€Å"Awake and good as new,† Stefan said, getting in the picture. â€Å"We called as soon as we woke up – â€Å" â€Å"Ele – but it's noon!† Bonnie blurted out. â€Å"We've been occupied with this and that,† Elena cut in smoothly, and oh, wasn't it good to hear Elena talk that way! Half innocent and wholly smug about it, making you want to shake her and beg her for every wicked detail. â€Å"Elena,†Bonnie gasped, using the nearest wall for support, and then sliding down it, and allowing an armload of socks, shirts, pajamas, and underwear to shower down onto the carpet, while tears began to leak out of her eyes. â€Å"Elena, they said you'd have to leave Fell's Church – will you?† Elena bridled. â€Å"They saidwhat ?† â€Å"That you and Stefan would have to leave for your own good.† â€Å"Never in this world!† â€Å"Little lovely lo – † began Stefan, and then abruptly he stopped, opening and shutting his mouth. Bonnie stared. It had happened at the bottom of the screen, out of sight, but she could almost swear that Stefan's little lovely love had just elbowed him in the stomach. â€Å"Ground zero, two o'clock?† Elena was asking. Bonnie snapped back to reality. Elena never gave you time for reflection. â€Å"I'llbe there!† she cried. â€Å"Elena,† Meredith breathed. And then â€Å"Elena!† like a half-chocked sob. â€Å"Elena!† â€Å"Meredith. Oh, don't make me cry, this blouse is pure silk!† â€Å"It's pure silk because it's my pure silk sari blouse, that's why!† Elena suddenly looked as innocent as an angel. â€Å"You know, Meredith, I seem to have grown much taller lately – â€Å" â€Å"If the end of that sentence is ;;so it really fitsme better'† – Meredith's voice was threatening – â€Å"then I'm warning you, Elena Gilbert†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She broke off, and both girls began to laugh and then to cry. â€Å"You can have it! Oh, you can have it!† â€Å"Stefan?† Matt waved his phone – first cautiously, then banging it into the wall of the garage. â€Å"I can't see – † He stopped, swallowed. â€Å"E-le-na?† The word came out slowly, with a pause between each syllable. â€Å"Yes, Matt. I'm back. Even up here.† She pointed to her forehead. â€Å"Will you meet with us?† Matt, leaning on his newly purchased, almost-running car, was muttering, â€Å"Thank God, thank God,† over and over. â€Å"Matt? I can't see you. Are you okay?† Shuffling sounds. â€Å"I think he fainted.† Stefan's voice: â€Å"Matt? Shereally wants to see you.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah.† Matt lifted his head up, blinking at the phone. â€Å"Elena, Elena†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'm so sorry, Matt. You don't have to come – â€Å" Matt laughed shortly. â€Å"Are yousure you're Elena?† Elena smiled the smile that had broken a thousand hearts. â€Å"In that case – Matt Honeycutt, I insist that you come and meet with us at Ground Zero at two o'clock. Is that more like it?† â€Å"I think you've almost got it down. The old Elena Imperial Manner.† He coughed theatrically, sniffed, and said, â€Å"Sorry – I've got a little cold; or allergies, maybe.† â€Å"Don't be silly, Matt. You're bawling like a baby and so am I,† Elena said. â€Å"And so were Bonnie and Meredith, when I called them. SoI've been crying nearly all day – and at this rate I'll have to scramble to get a picnic ready and be on time. Meredith's planning to pick you up. Bring something to drink or eat. Love ya!† Elena put down the phone, breathing hard. â€Å"Nowthat was tough.† â€Å"He still loves you.† â€Å"He'd rather that I stayed a baby all my life?† â€Å"Maybe he liked the way you used to say  ¡Ã‚ ®hello' and ;;good-bye.'† â€Å"Now you're teasing me.† Elena quivered her chin. â€Å"Never in this world,† Stefan said softly. Then, suddenly, he grabbed her hand. â€Å"Come on – we're going shopping for a picnic and a car, too,† he said, pulling her up. Elena startled both of them by flying up so quickly that Stefan had to grab her by the waist to keep her from shooting toward the ceiling. â€Å"I thought you had gravity!† â€Å"So did I! What do I do?† â€Å"Think heavy thoughts!† â€Å"What if it doesn't work?† â€Å"We'll buy you an anchor!† At two o'clock Stefan and Elena arrived at the Fell's Church graveyard in a brand-new red Jaguar; Elena was wearing dark glasses under a scarf with all her hair pinned up under it, a muffler around her lower face, and black lace mitts borrowed from Mrs. Flowers' younger days, which she admitted she didn't know why she was wearing. She made quite a picture, Meredith said, with the violet sari top and jeans. Bonnie and Meredith had already spread a cloth for a picnic, and the ants were sampling sandwiches and grapes and low-fat pasta salad. Elena told the story of how she had woken up this morning, and then there was more hugging and kissing and crying than the males could stand. â€Å"You want to see the woods around here? Check if those malach things are around?† Matt said to Stefan. â€Å"They'd better not be,† Stefan said. â€Å"If the trees this far from where you had your accident are infested – â€Å" â€Å"Not good?† â€Å"Serious trouble.† They were about to go when Elena called them back. â€Å"You can stop looking all male and superior,† she added. â€Å"Suppressing your emotions isbad for you. Expressing them keeps you well balanced.† â€Å"Listen, you're tougher than I thought,† Stefan said. â€Å"Having picnics at a cemetery?† â€Å"We used to find Elena here all the time,† Bonnie said, pointing to a nearby headstone with a celery stick. â€Å"It's my parents' gravesite,† Elena explained simply. â€Å"After the accident – I always felt closer to them here than anywhere. I would come here when things got bad, or when I needed to have a question answered.† â€Å"Did you ever get any answers?† Matt asked, taking a home-preserved cucumber pickle from a glass jar and passing the jar on. â€Å"I'm not sure, even now,† Elena said. She had taken off the dark glasses, muffler, headscarf, and mitts. â€Å"But it always made me feel better. Why? Do you have a question?† â€Å"Well – yeah,† Matt said unexpectedly. Then he flushed as he suddenly found himself the center of attention. Bonnie rolled over to stare at him, the stalk of celery at her lips, Meredith scooted in, Elena sat up. Stefan, who had been leaning against an elaborate headstone with unconscious vampire grace, sat down. â€Å"What is it, Matt?† â€Å"I was going to say, you don't look right today,† Bonnie said anxiously. â€Å"Thankyou ,† Matt snapped. Tears pooled in Bonnie's brown eyes. â€Å"I didn't mean – â€Å" But she didn't get to finish. Meredith and Elena drew in protectively around her in the solid phalanx of what they called â€Å"velociraptor sisterhood.† It meant that anybody messing with one of them was messing with them all. â€Å"Sarcasm instead of chivalry? That's hardly the Matt I know.† Meredith spoke with one eyebrow raised. â€Å"She was only trying to be sympathetic,† Elena pointed out quietly. â€Å"And that was a cheap comeback.† â€Å"Okay, okay! I'm sorry – reallysorry, Bonnie† – he turned toward her, looking ashamed – â€Å"It was a nasty thing to say and I know you were only trying to be nice. I just – I don't really know what I'm doing or saying. Anyway, do you want to hear the thing,† he finished, looking defensive, â€Å"or not?† Everyone did. â€Å"Okay, here it is. I went to visit Jim Bryce this morning – you remember him?† â€Å"Sure. I went out with him. Captain of the basketball team. Nice guy. A little bit young, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Meredith shrugged. â€Å"Jim's okay.† Matt swallowed. â€Å"Well, it's just – I don't want to gossip or anything, but – â€Å" â€Å"Gossip!† the three girls commanded him in unison, like a Greek chorus. Matt quailed. â€Å"Okay, okay! Well – I was supposed to be over there at ten o'clock, but I got there a little early, and – well, Caroline was there. She was leaving.† There were three little shocked gasps and a sharp look from Stefan. â€Å"You mean you think she spent the night with him?† â€Å"Stefan!† Bonnie began. â€Å"This isn't how proper gossip goes. You never just outright say what you think – â€Å" â€Å"No,† Elena said evenly. â€Å"Let Matt answer. I can remember enough from before I could talk to be worried about Caroline.† â€Å"More than worried,† Stefan said. Meredith nodded. â€Å"It's not gossip; it's necessary information,† she said. â€Å"Okay, then.† Matt gulped. â€Å"Well, yeah, that was what I thought. He said she'd come early to see his little sister, but Tamra is only about fifteen. And he turned bright red when he said it.† There were sober glances between the others. â€Å"Caroline's always been†¦well, sleazy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Bonnie. â€Å"But I've never heard that she even gave Jim a second glance,† finished Meredith. They looked to Elena for an answer. Elena slowly shook her head. â€Å"I certainly can't see any earthly reason for her visiting Tamra. And besides† – she looked up quickly at Matt – â€Å"you're holding out on us somehow. What else happened?† â€Å"Somethingmore happened? Did Caroline flash her lingerie?† Bonnie was laughing until she saw Matt's red face. â€Å"Hey – c'mon, Matt. This isus . You can tell us anything.† Matt drew in a deep breath and shut his eyes. â€Å"Okay, well – as she was going out, I think – I think Caroline†¦propositioned me.† â€Å"She didwhat ?† â€Å"She wouldnever – â€Å" â€Å"How, Matt?† Elena asked. â€Å"Well – Jim thought she'd left, and he went to the garage to get his basketball, and I turned around and suddenly Caroline was back again, and she said – well, it doesn't matter what she said. But it was about her liking football better than basketball and did I want to be a sport.† â€Å"And what did you say?† Bonnie breathed, fascinated. â€Å"I didn't say anything. I just stared at her.† â€Å"And then Jim came back?† Meredith suggested. â€Å"No! And then Caroline left – she gave me this look, you know, that made things pretty clear as to what she meant – and thenTami came in.† Matt's honest face was flaming by now. â€Å"And then – I don't know how to say it. Maybe Caroline said something about me to make her do it to me, because she – she†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Matt.† Stefan had scarcely spoken until this point; now he leaned forward and spoke quietly. â€Å"We're not asking just because we want to gossip. We're trying to find out if there's something seriously wrong happening in Fell's Church. So – please – just tell us what happened.†

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures an Essay on the Rise of Adolf Hitler Essay

When Adolf Hitler and his party of National Socialists were elected into power, Germany was in quite a rut. The stock market had crashed, it was the middle of the great depression, and Germany was still in uproar over the Treaty of Versailles. The public was desperate to find someone to take them out of this terrible place, and because they were willing to listen to the outlandish ideas that Nazis had, what they got was far from that. Adolf Hitler was a phenomenal public speaker and he was very firm in his own beliefs. He managed to pin every German fault on someone else, creating a sense of power in the German public, and thus why he was elected. The times were so desperate, Germans turned to a mentally unstable man for help. Hitler became leader because the living conditions were so bad in Germany that he was the only guy it made sense to turn to, which is a problem in itself. The Treaty of Versailles is a big reason why Germany was having such bad troubles. The main terms of the Treaty stated that : â€Å"- Germany to give up Alsace-Lorraine to france – The Rhineland to be demilitarized and placed under Allied occupation – Germany to lose West Prussia and Posen to Poland – Danzig to be made an international city – Germany to surrender all its overseas colonies – Germany to be deprived of its warships and aircraft and to have its army limited to 100 000 † (Lynch 2004: 4) The German Public felt that the terms of the treaty were unfair and were humiliated by it. The Nazi party felt the same, and when Germans discovered this they felt more comfortable siding with them. It was because of these people and the overwhelming sense of humiliation in Germany that the Nazi government (when elected) violated the treaty in many different ways, and ultimately caused WW2. The times that these people lived in would have been difficult for any country to handle, not just Hitler and the Nazis and Germany. The economy in Germany was terrible after the first war. Not only were they already in debt for the money they used to finance the failure of a war that they had, but now because of the war guilt clause they had another $5 billion debt to pay off. Instead of paying out of their own pocket, they decided to begin printing more money until they could wax off their debts. However this did not help the economy, but hindered it instead. The more money Germany printed out, the less it became worth as a currency, creating mass inflation. This put Germany in an even worse economic situation, and the worse that situation got, the more popular the Nazi party became. The party took advantage of the economic struggles in germany, and the better the situation got, the less people felt the need to side with the Nazis. In May of 1924 the Nazi party had 32 seats and 6.6 percent of the vote in Germany. In December of 1924, these numbers dropped to 14 seats and 3 percent of the vote, and worsened in Ma y of 1928, at 12 seats and 2.6 percent of the vote. However, in the beginning of the 1930’s (Lynch 2004: 10), the economy steadily got worse and worse, and the Nazi party gained more recognition and was finally elected. The times had become so rough that the mentally unstable Hitler became a beacon of hope. At the end of the day, Hitler became leader of Germany because of economic instability, and because the public hated the Treaty of Versailles. The times were extremely difficult and due to the Nazi’s extreme views on how to fix Germany’s problems (and the fact that they only had 2 opposing parties), they were elected into the Reichstag. So what does this mean? It means that the times were what made the people turn to Hitler, not Hitler just flat out being an awesome guy.