One of the most mysterious places in this world is Essays

One of the most mysterious places in this world is Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. It is made of 75 huge stones in a pattern, each weighing 25 tons. Now, this wouldn't be so dynamic if it was constructed in modern times. However, Stonehenge is inimitable because it was created between 2000 and 3000 B.C. The anonymous people who created this, must have done an extreme amount of work because at this point in history, they had no helpful tools. A stone in Stonehenge is also almost 30 feet tall. This means that either the people pushed it up using enormous strength or they pulled it up with strong rope. Either of these would take vast amounts of power. Assuming that the people got these stones all the way up, there are also stones on the top of two stones. This is almost impossible to put because even if they had ladders tall enough to reach the top of the stone, they would have to carry a stone on one side. If this is not enough to crush the people carrying the stone, the truckload of weight on the standing stone would make it fall over and the poor people would be crushed. This is an amazing feat for people of the medieval world and would be almost impossible for them without our modern tools.

A Very Scary Tooth Fairy Professor Ramos Blog

A Very Scary Tooth Fairy What is the golden rule? Why do people worry if they do bad things that bad things will happen to them? There is a saying what comes around goes around but what does that mean? The fear of karma is real and keeps some people walking on eggshells. There are many who do not believe in karma even though it can be traced back to the bible, in the book of Luke it says â€Å"do to other as you would have them do to you† (6:31). Karma can come in many forms but for this paper karma comes in the form of a hideous vengeful banshee known as the Tooth Fairy. This vengeful sprit wreaks havoc on the town who wronged her. The Tooth Fairy has always been an iconic symbol of childhood and represented as a good fairy like those seen in Walt Disney’s fairy characters, until the 2003 horror, mystery suspense movie Darkness Falls introduced a quite different type of Tooth Fairy that we had grown up to know. This evil specter has taken the very wanting tradition of exchange of teeth for money to a whole new level. When children of the town Darkness Falls lose their last baby tooth or milk tooth as referred to in some other cultures, this evil Tooth Fairy comes to collect their teeth and for those who so happen to awake and look upon her face will not only lose their tooth but their life. As stated in Cohens thesis VII â€Å"this thing of darkness I acknowledge mine†, society creates our monsters as this dark fairy is the product of a towns sinful act of murder of an innocent woman (Cohen 20). Fueled by revenge for her murder and an evil not known to us, this murderous Tooth Fairy takes her revenge out on the town’s children for generations to come. The monstrous tooth collector in my opinion makes an excellent monster that would frighten any child but since this evil specter only kills the children of Darkness Falls, I feel this tooth fairy has limited herself to the rest of the world making her less menacing. The Tooth Fairy in a black cloak and porcelain mask that covers her hideous burnt face is an image that would give any child nightmares, but what would be more frightening than the realization that this story of the Tooth Fairy is based on true events. What great monster doesn’t originate from legend? Darkness Falls evil Tooth Fairy originates from the legend of Matilda Dixon. The movie was inspired by events that occurred over the last 150 years in the small town of Port Fairy, Australia. The biography film of Matilda Dixon explains in short: her life in Port Fairy and events that lead to her death, also the cover up of her murder thereafter. Matilda was born December 24, 1803 and worked in a bakery. Matilda would bake a special cake for the children in exchange for their baby teeth earning her the name the Tooth Fairy, until one day in 1840 Matilda had an oven fire which burned most of her face and body. Matilda wore a porcelain mask on her face and refused to go out into the daylight because of the sensitivity to light. She did not let kids come over to her home and Matilda did not bake anymore but she still gave the children gifts for their baby teeth. Matilda would wait for the town to sleep before going out into the night with cloak and mask. The children left their teeth in handkerchiefs tacked to their doors and Matilda would leave small amounts of change in exchange for them. The towns people thought this behavior was weird but allowed it because of Matilda’s kind nature. Until September 23, 1841 two children went missing and Matilda was blamed and hung to death by a drunken mob only later to realize that the children were safe at home. Cohen specifies in monster thesis IV that â€Å" the monster is difference made flesh, come to dwell among us†, this helps us to understand that the people saw Matilda as being different therefore once the a child went missing she was easily made into an insidious child murder (Cohen 7). Matilda cursed the town with her dying breath saying, â€Å"what I took before in kindness I will take forever in revenge†. The towns people buried her along with their secret, but like all secretes they are revealed sooner or later. The Movie Darkness Falls is exactly what a horror movie should be; fun, scary, fast paced, with plenty of jump moments. The movie is enjoyable to watch with your children (PG-13 of course) and I would recommend it to those who enjoy the genre. The movie starts off with a back story of the legend of Matilda Dixon, then fast forwards to modern time were a boy named Kyle Walsh is in a restroom retrieving his last baby tooth from his bloody mouth. Later that night Kyle practices the tradition of leaving his tooth on his end table for the Tooth Fairy. Kyle is asleep when the Tooth Fairy enters the room. Kyle accidentally wakes up to see the Tooth Fairy floating above his bed wearing a black cloak and a porcelain mask. The Tooth Fairy lets out a shriek like a banshee from the old Irish mythologies and tries to kill Kyle from this time on. Kyle manages to escape but his mother sees the frightening facial image in the mirror while going to investigate his room and is killed instantly by the tooth procuring dark fairy. From that point on he is considered crazy by the towns people. Years later, Kyle must return home to confront his past, and save his childhood sweetheart’s son from an unrelenting evil that has plagued the town of Darkness Falls for over 150 years. Even if this wicked tooth fairies’ actions of revenge were justified her hideous appearance alone instantly categorizes her as a monster and her less than appealing looks leaves her burnt, decomposing body not to be desired. Cohens monster thesis I tells us that â€Å"the monster signifies something other than itself†, this allows me to believe that burnt body of Matilda Dixon is a representation of the Salem Witch Trials? In the late 1600’s 19 innocent women were found guilty of witchcraft and executed by hanging others were burned at the stake. Matilda was accused of wrongdoing and hung because the people saw her practices weird. Even though it is not stated in the movie it could be said that the town’s people saw the strange behavior of collecting baby teeth as a form of witchcraft. Different cultures have their beliefs in tooth disposal as stated in Donald Capps academic journal The Tooth Fairy â€Å"parents believed that it was very bad for them to let their child’s baby tooth fall into the hands of a witch or an evil spirit because, if this should happen, the witch or spirit could gain a magical power over the child†(Capps and Carlin 269). The Toothy Fairy has not been associated with one specific look but has appeared in countless shapes and sizes. According to Cohens thesis III â€Å"the refusal to participate in the classificatory orders of things is true of monsters,† therefore the tooth fairy is monstrous (6). In Joyce Graham’s book The Tooth Fairy she describes the Tooth Fairy â€Å"as a creature with two dark eyes, shiny like green-black carapace of a beetle, lurking under a matted shock of black hair and tangled elfin locks with a mouthful of blue light, teeth like sharpen daggers and standing about four feet†(Graham 17). In the short film Tooth Fairy by Joe Harris he tells of a Tooth Fairy that does far more wicked things than just take baby teeth left for her in the night. The Tooth Fairy in this film scratches out the boy’s eyes for peeking while in the middle of her toothy duties. However, the Tooth Fairy is represented I can agree that it shares the characteristic of a monster. Overall, the Tooth Fairy horror genre was entertaining and enjoyable to watch. The Darkness Falls take on the Tooth Fairy myth melded with other folklore created an image of true monstrosities. The towns people of Port Fairy insidious act of murder of an innocent woman and the karma that took form an evil tooth banshee bent on revenge. Researching the different cultures and traditions of tooth lore and applying Cohens Monster Culture (Seven Theses) to my research has open my eyes to a whole new world of understanding why these monsters exist and continue to regenerate through time, also what frightens us most is not what we see but the unknown of what lies in the darkness waiting. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Capps, Donald, and Nathan Carlin. â€Å"The Tooth Fairy: Psychological Issues Related to Baby Tooth Loss and Mythological Working Through.†Pastoral Psychology, vol. 63, no. 3, June 2014, pp. 265–280. This article focuses on the Tooth Fairy legend that emerged in the United States and Britain in the nineteenth century. Legends that are presented from around the world tell of rituals dealing with the loss of baby teeth. I will use information from this article to argue about the development of the Tooth Fairy in different cultures. Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. â€Å"Monster Culture: Seven Theses.† From Monster Theory: Reading Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1996. 3-25. The Monster Culture (Seven Theses) gives examples and explains how the world has created monsters throughout the centuries. The seven theses are break down characteristics, actions and images of the monsters of society and what propels them to live on in our culture. I will incorporate information from the thesis to evaluate the tooth fairy in my monster evaluation. â€Å"Darkness Falls (2003).† YouTube, uploaded by You Tube Movies, Provider Sony Movies Shows, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhN30C8ZpLw. This movie is about Matilda Dixon (aka The Tooth Fairy) exacting her revenge on the town of Darkness Fall. Darkness Falls is based off the legend of Matilda Dixon, but instead of occurring in Australia where the legend originated the story takes place in the United States. Matilda comes for the last baby tooth of the children of Darkness Falls and if they look upon her face, she will take their life. I will evaluate this avenging tooth fairy that Matilda has become for my monster evaluation. Joyce, Graham. The Tooth Fairy. Great Britain, Signet Books, a division of the Penguin group, 1996. This is a short story about a young boy growing up in England in the 1960s. The boy is haunted by a demonic Tooth Fairy who gets him into all sorts of trouble. The description and my perception of Graham Joyce’s evil Toothy Fairy will be incorporated in my monster evaluation. â€Å"movieweb Darkness Fall The Legend of Matilda Dixon MovieWeb com.† YouTube, uploaded by Samuel Thompson, 8 April 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GYSf32mJ_Yt=33s. Legend of Matilda Dixon gives a short biography of her life in the town of Port Fairy, Australia. Interviews with people that live in Port Fairy tell tales of how Matilda would give gifts to the children in exchange for their baby teeth, earning the name the Tooth Fairy. One day two children went missing and an angry drunken mob blamed Matilda. Matilda was hung by the neck by the mob only to find later that the children were fine at home in their bed. The legend of Matilda Dixon will be used in monster evaluation as an origin of the monstrous tooth fairy. â€Å"Tooth Fairy (2019) Trailer.† YouTube, uploaded by Wicked Thrilling Freaks, 29 November 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDbQCD_p7xo. The Tooth Fairy is a supernatural horror film released in Britain 2018. The Tooth fairy is a tale about an evil tooth fairy who rips out teeth. The images and actions of the evil tooth fairy will be used as a primary source of my monster evaluation.

The Directive and the Conduct of the Undertakings or Individuals Research Paper

The Directive and the Conduct of the Undertakings or Individuals - Research Paper Example In â€Å"Pretore di salo v unknown †, it was held that a directive cannot, of either independently or itself of a â€Å"national law perused by a Member Nation for its execution which has the impact of aggravating or deciding the accountability in criminal law of individuals who function in infringement of the provisions of such a ruling† .† The above constitute as an incompatible with fundamental needs of legal certainty; individuals must be able to bank upon their national law. It is to be noted that no obligation can be imposed upon individuals if a directive has not implemented in a Member Nation. This connotes that where a Member Nation is yet to implement an EC directive, for instance, a specific environmental tax, it cannot legally levy the environmental tax directly in its region on the footing of such a directive. This also connotes that there is a choice for an individual: where national law is silent as about the directive, individuals may bank upon, by selecting the best alternative which is suitable to them, either, on the contrary provision of national law or on a directly applicable directive provision. Thus, in such cases, individuals are entitled to go for â€Å"provision shopping. â€Å" This can be regarded as a one -way vertical impact of directives due to an inherent outcome. However, there is a possibility that the directive may have some negative impacts on taxpayers. National courts and authorities are needed to construe national law in such a manner that it confers with specific Community Law, particularly where directives have not or ambiguously or not correctly been integrated into national law.

Informal report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Informal report - Essay Example They have recorded a steady increase in revenue, gross profit, income used in operation and net income in the past four years. Currently they have standing revenue of $ 476,294 million; $ 118,225 million gross profit; $ 26,872 million operating income and; $16, 022 million net incomes (Wal-Mart). Wal-Mart has over forty senior officers led by Doug McMillon as the President and CEO Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Its home office is found on 702Sw 8th street Bentonville, in the US. They employ over 2.2 million employees globally. Each time a new supercenter is erected, approximately 300 job opportunities are created. Most employees/ associates begin as hourly associates with between $ 50,000-170,000 as yearly income, but over time get promotion to jobs with more responsibility and higher pays (Wal-Mart). Wal-Mart is, therefore, undoubtedly the best fortune 500 company to consider in this search of a job opportunity. It is a big company that allows for diversity thus can accommodate one’s specialties in the job market along with a promising

Exceptionalism In Us Foreign Policy History Essay

Exceptionalism In Us Foreign Policy History Essay Why did the notion of American exceptionalism erupt during the American colonial era and how has it influenced U.S. foreign policy from the time of the American Revolution until the Vietnam War? Introduction One of the core components of the American identity that has greatly influenced the creation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy is the historical notion of American exceptionalism. American exceptionalism is a term used to describe the idea that the United States is a superior and unique nation with a distinct and special destiny in the world. Although the expression exceptional was first used to describe Americans and their country during the early 19th century by Alexis de Tocqueville in his work Democracy in America after his travels to America, the origins of the belief can be traced back to the earliest times of the colonial era with both secular and religious roots. Talk about foreign policy here Like other nations, the foreign policy of the United States is influenced by a number of important factors American exceptionalism has been used as propaganda for Americans to reason with and justify the acts of their country Get a fancy definition of exceptionalism! What exactly is exceptionalism? U.S. foreign policy throughout Americas history have been influenced by two main strains of thought in regards to American exceptionalism missionary and exemplar Throughout American history, the two forms of exceptionalism have clashed numerous times and each have had a their own tremendous influence on foreign policy. Frontiersmen ship and spreading of democratic, Christian ideals Preserving their unique way living with out being corrupted by the outside world could of be done since America was so isolated from Europe America was blessed by being geographically isolated from the troubles of Europe Also given the duty of spreading American ideals, responsible to install and ensure the freedom and liberty of others The Emergence of American Exceptionalism Part of the notion of American superiority can be traced back to the colonial era with one of the first groups of settlers; the Puritans. While aboard the Arbella during its passage to New England in 1630, a Puritan leader named John Winthrop delivered a lay sermon where the earliest expression of American exceptionalism can be found. In this sermon, Winthrop declared to his fellow settlers we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us. Unlike the Pilgrims who were Separatists, Puritans in England wanted to stay within the established order and to change it from the inside rather than to completely break away. (Galvin Finley). They saw the New World as an opportunity given to them by God where it was possible to establish a perfect, pure church and community, which would serve as models for those back in England and around the world. Metaphorically placed in Winthrops sermon is the idea that the colonists in America were especially blesse d by God to create an ideal, utopian society for the purpose of bettering humankind. The American Revolution and the creation of a new Republic in America asserted the notion that the United States was an exceptional nation with a unique destiny in the world. In the literature of the revolutionary era, one can find many descriptions of how special, unique and destined people thought America and its people were. The vast, numerous differences between the American colonies and the typical European society in England contributed greatly to the idea of American exceptionalism. Indeed, there were many important differences between the old European society and the flourishing one in the colonies that led the colonists to think of themselves and their country as superior. Unlike in England, there was an absence of feudalism, a class system or hierarchy, a centralized government, and there were very few immense differences in wealth between the settlers. Each individual worked for himself and owed loyalty to no one but to the land that nourished him. (What is an American?) A merica was land of opportunity and hope where the common person could flourish where they could not back in England. In one of the most famous pamphlets of the time Common Sense, Thomas Paine expresses the idea how the exceptional nation of America had outgrown its mother country due to their immense separateness and needed to seek its freedom. He asserted the notion that America had a special place in the world and claimed the cause of America is, in great measure, the cause of all mankind. He believed that America would be the place where people could start over and a new, progressive society could be built based on American ideals. The framers of the American Constitution took this idea and ran with it. Although they were pessimistic about its results, the farmers were hoping that the framework that they had placed in the constitution would one day lead to a perfect republic. They hoped that the unique geographical isolation of America from Europe would help protect it from the i lls and corruption of the Old World. Thus, with the establishment of the Constitution, republicanism and providential ideology came together to cement the notion of exceptionalism into the national identity of Americans. U.S. foreign policy that followed the revolution was exemplar and isolationist in nature. The United States, isolated from the evils of the European world, would serve as a model of liberty, freedom, and democracy for the rest of the world. The nation would be a city upon a hill, acting as a beacon of light for the rest of mankind. Early national leaders such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson advised Americans to protect their countrys superiority over the worlds ills, saying that the U.S. needed to avoid permanent and entangling alliances. This early strand of isolationist exceptionalism however, would be challenged as the power of America grew and became more dominate in the world. Even while urging the continued separateness of the U.S., President Jefferson supervised the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 which doubled the size of the country. He defended his act by calling upon the notion that the U.S. needed to expand to preserve liberty. Coupled with the frontier spirit à ¢Ã¢ ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦ SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE FRONTIER DANIEL BOONE This idea was contributed to further by the creation of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. In this doctrine, President James Monroe declared that any European intervention in any of the states in the Western Hemisphere would be seen as an act of aggression and would invoke the involvement of the United States. With this declaration, President Monroe gave additional emphasis to the difference of intentions between the U.S. and the countries of Europe in regards to their foreign policy. It underlined the United States as the regional dominate power even though the American military at the time was weak compared to those in Europe. An inherent factor contained within the Monroe Doctrine was the belief of exceptionalism. The United States declared that it had nothing but good intentions in terms of intervening in the affairs of other states located in the Americas. The foreign policy of the U.S. was innately different from the oppressive, imperialistic ones of European countries. As once state d by John Adams, the Secretary of State at the time, the United States does not go abroad in search of monsters to vanquish. Being declared exceptional, the United States could do no wrong and therefore was incapable of being imperialistic by interfering in the affairs of other nations. It was defended that U.S. intervention, should there even be any, would be beneficial for the state in question and would not be in the self-interest of the U.S. The exceptional idea of the necessity of American expansion for the insurance of liberty was further asserted by President James Polk. In 1845 he reasserted the Monroe doctrine and declared that the U.S. was solely responsible for the liberty and security of all the nations within the Western Hemisphere. As maintained by Polk, the United States was not in search of conquest but rather in search of the establishment of independence within the nations of the Americas. Again, it was declared that the U.S. interference in their neighbors affairs was in the interests of the neighbors and was completely beneficial. U.S. intervention was exceptional in nature meaning that the motivation behind their interference was not self-interest unlike those of the imperial European nations. Polk used these notions to defend the Mexican-American War in 1846 with which he desired to expand the states all the way to the Pacific coast. Polk presented his argument for the acquirement of new land by placing emphasis on the exceptional nature of American foreign policy and through the notion of Manifest Destiny. The idea of Manifest Destiny was first used by democratic journalist, John OSullivan in 1839 in an article where he declared that the United States had a divine destiny to establish on earth the moral dignity and salvation of man based on American ideals. This destiny was not necessarily territorial in nature but rather it expressed the responsibility of America to spread their values through the establishment of republics. OSullivan officially coined the phrase six years later in an article arguing for the annexation of Texas, but the phrase received little national attention. During the same year however, the expression gained a tremendous amount of recognition throughout the nation in an article he wrote for the New York Morning News. In this document, the conflict between England and the United States over the territory of Oregon was focused on and OSullivan argued that the United States was the one that had the right to annex the land. He believed that, through manifest destiny, Providence had given the U.S. the task to spread their unique republican democracy throughout North America. As noted by historian William Weeks, advocates of Manifest Destiny touched upon three main themes: the exceptional virtue of the American people (which was simply the notion of American exceptionalism), the mission to spread these virtues to remake the world in the image of the United States, and the God-Given destiny to complete His work. This idea is closely tied with the missionary strand of the American exceptionalism belief. The notion of Manifest Destiny was used to justify Americas expansion and the annexation of territory in North America for much of the 19th century. A clear form of missionary exceptionalism, Manifest Destiny embodied the notion that the U.S. had a special role to play in the world. Though it was never an official political policy, the idea of manifest destiny affected the creation and conduction of U.S. foreign policy greatly. The expansion of the American territory was justified by Americans through the idea that the United States was an exceptional nation , chosen by Providence to extend their values of liberty and freedom across North America. Americans at the time also argued their right to expand because they believed that they could utilize the land and resources for the amelioration of mankind better than the previous inhabitants could. The core element of Manifest destiny the idea that Americans had a mission given by God to spread their values and institutions across the world became a central aspect in the belief of missionary exceptionalism. The Mexican-American War asserted this notion and by the mid 19th century, this missionary strand had become the dominate form of American exceptionalism. With the outbreak of the Mexican-American war, another elemental factor was added to the notion of manifest destiny which became a central aspect in the belief of missionary exceptionalism. The idea that Americans had a religious duty to uphold emerged. This religious duty validated the need for the U.S. to intervene in other states affairs since Americans were responsible for bringing to the people their natural rights. Once the frontier was officially declared closed at the end of the 19th century, the United States set their missionary sights on states overseas. The Spanish American War in 1898 at first gained massive popularity among Americans since it was theoretically being fought to ensure the basic freedoms of the people in the Spanish colonies. But as calls for the annexation of former Spanish territories grew soon after American victories, a national debate was sparked over the issue of American imperialism. With the Treaty of Paris in 1898 which officially ended the Spanish-American War, Cuba was granted independence while the once Spanish territories of Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico, were given to the United States. The bloody conflict that ensued afterwards in the Philippines left many Americans known as Anti-imperialists to question the motives of the United States. Was the U.S. acting out of its exceptional principles or was the country following in the imperialistic footsteps of the Old World? With the issue of American oversea expansion, the two main strands of exceptionalism came into direct conflict. Both sides of the debate used aspects of what they believed to be the notion of American exceptionalism to defend their arguments. The majority of the proponents for the annexation of new overseas territory generally employed the potential strategic and commercial benefits for their rationale. Nevertheless, many defended American expansion with the exceptional notion that the U.S. had a divine duty to spread democracy and liberty across the globe. Theirs was a destiny to have freed the Spanish colonies from the imperial Old World. The United States, being an exceptional nation, was not being imperialistic in nature by occupying these states, but rather a beneficial actor in the territories search for liberty and freedom. Expansionists argued that the United States would act as a nurturing mother to help develop the once-oppressed lands to fully functional, democratic nation s. Once the territories were ready, they argued, they could chose either to join the union or declare independence. Evidently, these proponents were strong supporters of the missionary strand of the American exceptionalism belief and the notion of manifest destiny. Opponents against imperialistic actions of the U.S. on the other hand drew their arguments from the exemplar strand of American exceptionalism. Anti-imperialists believed that the United States was destined to play a different role in the world than the expansionists believed. Their strand of exceptionalism emphasized that the U.S. shouldnt dirty its hands in the imperialistic dealings of the old world. The colonies which they had freed should be able to establish their own government, keeping true to the American ideology of the consent of the governed. They claimed that America was special in the fact that it did not interfere in other nations affairs like the countries of the Old World and they feared that the United States was not acting accordingly to the principles laid down by the Founding Fathers. Both anti-imperialists and expansionists believed America to be exceptional in nature with a special role to play in the world but each had their own expectations for what exact rol e the country would play. The anti-imperialists failed to gain a strong following among Americans under the McKinley administration and after the Philippine uprising was crushed, the territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines were annexed. Despite this failure however, the anti-imperialists provided a valuable check on the imperialistic fever that had befallen the country and helped return American sentiments to the original opposition of colonialism. One famous anti-imperialist who actively spoke out against the annexation of the Philippines was three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan. Bryan, who had volunteered for the Spanish American War, argued that United States should not try to copy the imperialistic practices of Great Britain and other European countries. With his presidential candidacy defeat in 1900 however, the anti-imperialist movement gradually died down and the desire for American oversea expansion would soon follow. Proof that this desire had receded came along with the election of President Theodore Roosevelt. Although he was a huge advocate of American expansion, Roosevelt reaffirmed the belief that America did not have imperialistic intentions in other nations. Following the Venezuela Crisis of 1902-1903, Roosevelt added the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine which asserted the right of the United States to intervene in the affairs of Latin America in cases of flagrant and chronic wrongdoing by a Latin American Nation. He claimed that the U.S. did not have imperialistic desires in the land and would only intervene in Latin America for their own welfare, even if their problems were internal. Roosevelt rejected the idea of complete American isolationism and instead opted for a balance of power between separation and actively spreading American ideals. With this, he effectively reconciled the two strands of the American exceptionalism belief. When extreme circumstances demanded it, the U .S. had a responsibility through manifest destiny to intervene in other nations affairs to preserve American ideals abroad when threatened. Other than in those cases, the U.S. should spend its time focusing their attention on improving their own society to become a model for the rest of the world. President Woodrow Wilson on the other hand strongly supported the missionary belief of American exceptionalism. Keeping to tradition, he firmly believed that the United States was an exceptional nation given a special destiny to spread its values and principles across the globe. He argued that the U.S. acted to serve the rest of the world and was not self-interested in its relations abroad. In the case of military affairs, Wilson was morally driven in his decisions. He believed that U.S. military intervention, unlike those of other nations, would be used for the amelioration rather than the oppression of mankind. Although Wilson claimed that the United States would never again search to expand their territory, his ideologies were deeply embedded in the missionary strand of exceptionalism. He frequently used military force abroad to introduce and enforce democratic values in many different countries such as the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua and Russia. With the outbreak of World War I, Wilson justified his decision of entering the conflict by declaring that the world needed to be made safe for democracy and declared that the U.S. was entering the war with the best benign intentions. The United States was going into war to protect the very ideals that they defended during the Revolution and the Spanish-American War. Doubt about the involvement was quieted by the notion of American exceptionalism being put in terms with the intervention. Thus, American exceptionalism was used to justify the U.S. intervention in World War I. The period between the two world wars was dominantly marked by isolationist and anti-entanglement policy. The Congress rejected Woodrow Wilsons petition to join the League of Nations due to the nations popular isolationist belief that the United States should not be under the obligation of any other country. Keeping to tradition, Americans believed that they should take advantage of the fact that they had been blessed with geographic peace and security, isolated from the ills of the Old World. Being 5,000 miles away from Europe with two unthreatening, friendly neighbors above and below gave reason to the lack of fear of foreign attack. The United States had no real motivation to entangle itself in other nations affairs abroad. Proponents of isolationism and many others did not believe that the United States should remain completely separated from the worlds affairs but rather detached from its trivial conflicts. America should focus on the becoming an ideal, exemplar nation that would serve as a model for the rest of mankind. Isolationists argued their opinions using rhetoric consistent with the exemplar strand of American exceptionalism. With the outbreak of World War II, the two strands of exceptionalism came into direct conflict once more. President Franklin D. Roosevelt kept to the popular American census when war was declared on Germany and asserted U.S. neutrality. After World War I Isolationism prevented the US from entering the war in 1939 Pearl Harbor silenced these voices FDR used exceptionalism to justify entering the war the US needed to protect freedom After World War II The outcome of the war affirmed the belief that the US had a special role to play in the world US become the strongest nation in the world Activist internationalism President Truman US was the best nation under the sun the US had a responsibility to defend liberty and freedom all across the world Cold war good vs evil Vietnam the end of American exceptionalism? Common Sense was written in a time of doubt concerning freedom from England and Thomas Paine used the idea that America was an exceptional entity to persuade people that independence was necessary. In many other works of the time and in public discussion, England was described as being a tyrannical monster whose sole purpose was to steal the new-found liberty away from the innocent colonists. In reality however, England was acting rational in their standards and were defending their right to tax the colonists. Many people used the idea of American exceptionalism as propaganda. Conclusion Although the notion is about 400 years old, one can still see today the influence of American exceptionalism on the American identity and on how U.S. foreign policy is created and conducted. Used as a way for Americans to justify their countrys acts Foreign policy turned aggressive as the notion of Manifest destiny spread

Bartolomé de Las Casas.. Immanuel Kant, “What Is Enlightenment?” Response Essay

This reading is an account of the discovery of the Americas by Spanish Christians. It tells of the devastation of the many islands around Hispaniola and the mainland of what is now North America for forty-nine years. On the Spaniards arrival the Natives did no harm to them and believed them to be descended from the heavens. That was until the Spanish began to murder and torment them due to their greed for what the Natives had. The choices of converting to the Christian religion or dying were the Native’s only options and anyone showing any sign of resistance were killed. An estimated 12 million Native American souls were lost during those forty-nine years due to the devastation. The motives behind the Spanish’s taking over of the land was supposed to be religious but the killings, violence and theft showed no sign of religion at all. It was all about greed and the Native American’s were treated extremely unfairly. The Spaniards greed kept them from treating the Natives as anything more than beasts. It also makes me wonder how they would have treated the Chinese or Asians, since that is what they were originally looking for on their voyage west. Reading: 18-5 Immanuel Kant, â€Å"What Is Enlightenment? † This reading is an essay by Immanuel Kant going into detail about the lack of enlightenment, explain what enlightenment is and what the public needs in order to be enlightened. Kant explains what dependency is and how it is hard for someone to work themselves out of it and that enlightenment is a person’s emergence from their own dependency. He says that the public can only achieve enlightenment slowly. Freedom is required for enlightenment according to Kant, the freedom to use our own reason on issues. I think that this essay has a powerful message. Kant explains how important it is for individuals to be independent and free in order for the public as a whole to be enlightened. It would seem that these things are common sense to people, because they really are simple and things that we here every day but I have never really thought of it the way Kant explains it. Kant’s words are sort of a guide to what people should strive for in life.

Spirit Bound Chapter Nineteen

â€Å"ARE YOU CRAZY?† I ASKED. He gave me the same wordless look he always did when I asked that question. I sighed and tried again. â€Å"A party? That's pushing it, even for you. People just died! Guardians. Priscilla Voda.† Not to mention, people had just come back from the dead. Probably best to leave that part out. â€Å"This isn't the time to get trashed and play beer pong.† I expected Adrian to say that it was always a good time for beer pong, but he remained serious. â€Å"Actually, it's because people died that there's going to be a party. It's not a kegger type. Maybe party's not even the right word. It's a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He frowned, grasping at words. â€Å"A special event. An elite one.† â€Å"All royal parties are elite ones,† I pointed out. â€Å"Yeah, but not every royal is invited to this. It's the†¦ well, elite of the elite.† That really wasn't helping. â€Å"Adrian–â€Å" â€Å"No, listen.† He made that familiar gesture of his that indicated frustration, running his hand through his hair. â€Å"It's not so much a party as a ceremony. An old, old tradition from†¦ I don't know. Romania, I think. They call it the Death Watch. But it's a way to honor the dead, a secret that's been passed on through the oldest bloodlines.† Flashbacks of a destructive secret society at St. Vladimir's came back to me. â€Å"This isn't some Mana thing, is it?† â€Å"No, I swear. Please, Rose. I'm not all that into it either, but my mom's making me go, and I'd really like it if you were there with me.† Elite and bloodline were warning words to me. â€Å"Will there be other dhampirs there?† â€Å"No.† He then added quickly, â€Å"But I made arrangements for some people you'll approve of to be there. It'll make it better for both of us.† â€Å"Lissa?† I guessed. If ever there was an esteemed bloodline, hers was it. â€Å"Yeah. I just ran into her at the medical center. Her reaction was about like yours.† That made me smile. It also piqued my interest. I wanted to talk to her more about what had happened during her visit to Dimitri and knew she'd been avoiding me because of it. If going to some silly royal ritual or whatever it was could get me to her, then so much the better. â€Å"Who else?† â€Å"People you'll like.† â€Å"Fine. Be mysterious. I'll go to your cult meeting.† That earned me a return smile. â€Å"Hardly a cult, little dhampir. It really is a way to pay last respects to the people killed in that fight.† He reached out and ran a hand along my cheek. â€Å"And I'm glad†¦ God, I'm so glad you weren't one of them. You don't know†¦.† His voice caught, the flippant smile trembling for a moment before stabilizing again. â€Å"You don't know how worried I was. Every minute you were gone, every minute I didn't know what had happened to you†¦ it was agony. And even after I heard you were okay, I kept asking everyone at the medical center what they knew. Had they seen you fight, did you get hurt†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I felt a lump in my throat. I hadn't been able to see Adrian when I'd returned, but I should have sent a message, at least. I squeezed his hand and tried to make a joke of something that really wasn't funny. â€Å"What'd they say? That I was a badass?† â€Å"Yeah, actually. They couldn't stop talking about how amazing you were in battle. Word got back to Aunt Tatiana too about what you did, and even she was impressed.† Whoa. That was a surprise. I started to ask more, but his next words brought me up short. â€Å"I also heard you were yelling at anyone you could to find out about Belikov. And that you were beating down the guardians' doors this morning.† I looked away. â€Å"Oh. Yeah. I†¦ Look, I'm sorry, but I had to–â€Å" â€Å"Hey, hey.† His voice was heavy and earnest. â€Å"Don't apologize. I understand.† I looked up at him. â€Å"You do?† â€Å"Look, it's not like I didn't expect this if he came back.† I glanced back at him hesitantly, studying his serious expression. â€Å"I know. I remember what you said before†¦.† He nodded, then gave me another rueful smile. â€Å"Of course, I didn't actually expect any of this to work. Lissa tried to explain the magic she used†¦ but good God. I don't think I could ever do anything like she did.† â€Å"Do you believe?† I asked. â€Å"Do you believe he's no longer Strigoi?† â€Å"Yeah. Lissa said he's not, and I believe her. And I saw him from a distance out in the sun. But I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to try to see him.† â€Å"That's your jealousy talking.† I had absolutely no right to sound accusing, considering the way my heart was all tangled up over Dimitri. â€Å"Of course it's jealousy,† said Adrian nonchalantly. â€Å"What do you expect? The former love of your life comes back–from the dead, no less. That's not something I'm really excited about. But I don't blame you for feeling confused.† â€Å"I told you before–â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know.† Adrian didn't sound particularly upset. In fact, there was a surprisingly patient tone in his voice. â€Å"I know you said him coming back wouldn't affect things between us. But saying one thing before it happens and then actually having that thing happen are two different things.† â€Å"What are you getting at?† I asked, kind of confused. â€Å"I want you, Rose.† He squeezed my hand more tightly. â€Å"I've always wanted you. I want to be with you. I'd like to be like other guys and say I want to take care of you too, but†¦ well. When it comes down to it, you'd probably be the one taking care of me.† I laughed in spite of myself. â€Å"Some days I think you're in more danger from yourself than anyone else. You smell like cigarettes, you know.† â€Å"Hey, I have never, ever said I was perfect. And you're wrong. You're probably the most dangerous thing in my life.† â€Å"Adrian–â€Å" â€Å"Wait.† With his other hand, he pressed his fingers over my lips. â€Å"Just listen. It'd be stupid for me to think that your old boyfriend coming back isn't going to have any effect on you. So do I like you wanting to see him? No, of course not. That's instinct. But there's more, you know. I do believe that he's a dhampir again. Absolutely. But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But what?† Adrian's words had me more curious than ever now. â€Å"But just because he isn't a Strigoi doesn't mean it's entirely gone from him. Hold on.† Adrian could see my mouth opening in outrage. â€Å"I'm not saying he's evil or means to be evil or anything like that. But what he went through†¦ It's huge. Epic. We really don't know much about the changing process. What effect did that kind of life have on him? Are there violent parts of him that might suddenly lash out? That's what I'm worried about Rose. I know you. I know you aren't going to be able to help yourself. You'll have to see him and talk to him. But is it safe? That's what no one knows. We don't know anything about this. We don't know if he's dangerous.† Christian had said the same thing to Lissa. I examined Adrian intently. It sounded like a convenient excuse to keep Dimitri and me apart. Yet, I saw truth in those deep green eyes. He meant it. He was nervous about what Dimitri might do. Adrian had also been honest about being jealous, which I had to admire. He hadn't ordered me not to see Dimitri or tried to dictate my behavior. I liked that too. I extended my hand and laced my fingers with Adrian's. â€Å"He's not dangerous. He's†¦ sad. Sad for what he's done. The guilt's killing him.† â€Å"I can imagine. I probably wouldn't forgive myself either if I suddenly realized I'd been brutally killing people for the last four months.† Adrian pulled me to him and kissed the top of my head. â€Å"And for everyone's sake–yes, even his–I really hope he is exactly the way he was. Just be careful, okay?† â€Å"I will,† I said, kissing his cheek. â€Å"Inasmuch as I ever am.† He grinned and released me. â€Å"That's the best I can hope for. For now, I've got to head back to my parents' for a little bit. I'll come back for you at four, okay?† â€Å"Okay. Is there anything I should wear to this secret party?† â€Å"Nice dress clothes are fine.† Something occurred to me. â€Å"If this is so elite and prestigious, how are you going to get a lowly dhampir like me in?† â€Å"With this.† Adrian reached for a bag he'd set down upon entering. He handed it to me. Curiously, I opened the bag and gaped at what I saw. It was a mask, one that just covered the top half of the face around the eyes. It was intricately worked with gold and green leaves and bejeweled flowers. â€Å"A mask?† I exclaimed. â€Å"We're wearing masks to this thing? What is this, Halloween?† He winked. â€Å"See you at four.† We didn't actually put on the masks until we arrived at the Death Watch. As part of the secret nature of it all, Adrian said we didn't want to call any attention to ourselves while going to it. So we walked across the Court's grounds dressed up–I wore the same dress I'd worn to dinner at his parents'–but not getting much more notice than the two of us usually did when we were together. Besides, it was late, and a lot of the Court was getting ready for bed. Our destination surprised me. It was one of the buildings that non-royal Court workers lived in, one that was very near Mia's. Well, I supposed the last place you'd look for a royal party would be at the home of a commoner. Except we didn't go to any of the apartments inside. Once we stepped into the building's lobby, Adrian indicated we should put our masks on. He then took me over to what appeared to be a janitor's closet. It wasn't. Instead, the door opened to a staircase leading down into darkness. I couldn't see the bottom, which put me on high alert. I instinctively wanted to know the details of every situation I entered. Adrian seemed calm and confident as he headed down, so I took it on faith he wasn't leading me to some sacrificial altar. I hated to admit it, but curiosity over this Death Watch thing was temporarily taking my mind off Dimitri. Adrian and I eventually reached another door, and this one had two guards. Both men were Moroi, both masked like Adrian and me. Their postures were stiff and defensive. They said nothing but simply looked at us expectantly. Adrian said a few words that sounded like Romanian, and a moment later, one of the men unlocked the door and gestured us inside. â€Å"Secret password?† I murmured to Adrian as we swept past. â€Å"Passwords, actually. One for you and one for me. Every guest has a unique one.† We stepped into a narrow tunnel lit only by torches embedded in the walls. Their dancing flames cast fanciful shadows as we passed by. From far ahead, the low murmur of conversation reached us. It sounded surprisingly normal, like any conversation you'd hear at a party. Based on Adrian's description, I'd half-expected to hear chanting or drums. I shook my head. â€Å"I knew it. They keep a medieval dungeon under the Court. I'm surprised there aren't chains on the walls.† â€Å"Scared?† Adrian teased, clasping hold of my hand. â€Å"Of this? Hardly. I mean, on the Rose Hathaway Scale of Scariness, this is barely a–â€Å" We emerged out of the hall before I could finish. An expansive room with vaulted ceilings spread out before us, something that boggled my spatially challenged brain as I tried to recall just how far underground we'd gone. Wrought-iron chandeliers holding lit candles hung from the ceiling, casting the same ghostly light the torches had. The walls were made of stone, but it was a very artful, pretty stone: gray with reddish flecks, polished into smooth round pieces. Someone had wanted to keep the Old World dungeon feel but still have the place look stylish. It was a typical line of royal thinking. Fifty or so people were milling around the room, some huddled in groups. Like Adrian and me, they wore formal clothing and half masks. All the masks were different. Some had a floral theme like mine, while others were decorated with animals. Some simply had swirls or geometric designs. Even though the masks only covered half the guests' faces, the sketchy lighting went a long way to obscure any other identifying features. I scrutinized them carefully, hoping I might pick out details that would give someone away. Adrian led me out of the entryway and over toward a corner. As my view of the area expanded, I could see a large fire pit in the middle of the room, embedded in the stone floor. No fire burned in it, but everyone kept well away. For a moment, I had a disorienting flash of deja vu, thinking back to my time in Siberia. I'd been to a type of memorial ceremony there too–though hardly one with masks or passwords–and everyone had sat around a bonfire outdoors. It had been in Dimitri's honor, as all those who had loved him sat and told stories about him. I tried to get a better look at the fire, but Adrian was intent on keeping us behind the bulk of the crowd. â€Å"Don't bring attention to yourself,† he warned. â€Å"I was just looking.† â€Å"Yeah, but anyone who looks too close is going to realize you're the shortest person here. It'd be pretty obvious you're a dhampir. This is elite old blood, remember?† I frowned at him as much as I could through the mask. â€Å"But I thought you said you'd made arrangements for me to be here?† I groaned when he didn't answer. â€Å"Does ‘making arrangements' mean just sneaking me in? If so, those guys were kind of crap security.† Adrian scoffed. â€Å"Hey, we had the right passwords. That's all it takes. I stole–er, borrowed them off my mom's list.† â€Å"Your mom's one of the people who helped organize this?† â€Å"Yup. Her branch of the Tarus family's been deep inside this group for centuries. They apparently had a really big ceremony here after the school attack.† I turned all of this over in my mind, trying to decide how I felt. I hated when people were obsessed with status and appearances, yet it was hard to fault them wanting to honor those who had been killed–particularly when a majority of them had been dhampirs. The Strigoi attack on St. Vladimir's was a memory that would forever haunt me. Before I could ponder much further, a familiar sensation swept me. â€Å"Lissa's here,† I said, looking around. I could feel her nearby but didn't spot her immediately in the sea of masks and shadows. â€Å"There.† She stood apart from some of the others, wearing a rosehued dress and a white and gold mask with swans on it. Through our link, I felt her searching for anyone she knew. I impulsively started to go to her, but Adrian held me back, telling me to wait while he retrieved her. â€Å"What is all this?† she asked when she reached me. â€Å"I figured you'd know,† I told her. â€Å"It's all top secret royal stuff.† â€Å"Too top secret for me,† she said. â€Å"I got my invite from the queen. She told me it was part of my heritage and to keep it to myself, and then Adrian came and said I had to come for your sake.† â€Å"Tatiana invited you directly?† I exclaimed. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. Lissa would have hardly needed sneaking in like I did. I figured someone would have made sure she got an invitation, but I'd assumed it had all been Adrian's doing. I glanced around uneasily. â€Å"Is Tatiana here?† â€Å"Likely,† said Adrian, voice annoyingly casual. As usual, his aunt's presence didn't have the same impact on him that it did the rest of us. â€Å"Oh, hey. There's Christian. With the fire mask.† I didn't know how Adrian spotted Christian, aside from the not-so-subtle mask metaphor. With his height and dark hair, Christian easily blended in with the other Moroi around him and had even been chatting with a girl standing nearby, which seemed out of character. â€Å"No way did he get a legit invite,† I said. If any Ozeras had been deemed special enough to come to this, Christian wouldn't have been one of them. â€Å"He didn't,† agreed Adrian, making a small gesture for Christian to join us. â€Å"I gave him one of the passwords I stole from Mom.† I gave Adrian a startled look. â€Å"How many did you steal?† â€Å"Enough to–â€Å" â€Å"Let us come to attention.† A man's booming voice rang out through the room, halting both Adrian's words and Christian's steps. With a grimace, Christian returned to where he'd been standing, cut off from us now on the other side of the room. It looked like I wouldn't have the chance to ask Lissa about Dimitri after all. Without any direction, the others in the room began forming a circle around the fire pit. The room wasn't big enough for us to make a single-layered circle, so I was still able to stay behind other Moroi as I watched the spectacle. Lissa stood by me, but her attention was fixated across from us, on Christian. She was disappointed that he hadn't been able to join us. â€Å"Tonight we come to honor the spirits of those who died fighting the great evil that has plagued us for so long.† This was the same man who had called us to attention. The black mask he wore glittered with silver swirls. He wasn't anyone special that I recognized. It was probably safe to assume that he was someone from an important bloodline who happened to have a good voice for bringing people together. Adrian confirmed it. â€Å"That's Anthony Badica. They always recruit him as an emcee.† Anthony seemed more like a religious leader than an emcee right now, but I didn't want to answer back and attract anyone's notice. â€Å"Tonight we honor them,† continued Anthony. I flinched as almost everyone around us repeated those words. Lissa and I exchanged startled looks. Apparently, there was a script we hadn't been told about. â€Å"Their lives were taken from us too soon,† continued Anthony. â€Å"Tonight we honor them.† Okay, this script might not be so hard to follow after all. Anthony kept talking about how terrible the tragedy was, and we repeated the same response. The whole idea of this Death Watch still weirded me out, but Lissa's sadness permeated the bond and began to affect me too. Priscilla had always been good to her–and polite to me. Grant might have only been Lissa's guardian a short time, but he had protected her and helped her. In fact, if not for Grant's work with Lissa, Dimitri might still be a Strigoi. So, slowly, the gravity of it all began to hit me, and even if I thought there were better ways to mourn, I appreciated the acknowledgment the dead were getting. After a few more refrains, Anthony gestured someone forward. A woman in a glittering emerald mask came forward with a torch. Adrian shifted beside me. â€Å"My darling mother,† he murmured. Sure enough. Now that he'd pointed it out, I could clearly make out Daniella's features. She tossed her torch into the fire pit, and it lit up like the Fourth of July. Someone must have doused that wood with either gasoline or Russian vodka. Maybe both. No wonder the other guests had kept their distance. Daniella melted into the crowd, and another woman came forward holding a tray with golden goblets. Walking around the circle, she handed a cup to each person. When she ran out, another woman appeared with a tray. As the goblets were distributed, Anthony explained, â€Å"Now we will toast and drink to the dead, so that their spirits will move on and find peace.† I shifted uncomfortably. People talked about restless spirits and the dead finding peace without really knowing what that meant. Being shadow-kissed came with the ability to see the restless dead, and it had taken me a long time to gain control so that I didn't see them. They were always around me; I had to work to keep them blocked out. I wondered what I'd see now if I let down my walls. Would the ghosts of those killed the night of Dimitri's attack be hovering around us? Adrian sniffed his cup as soon as he got it and scowled. For a moment, I felt panic until I sniffed mine too. â€Å"Wine. Thank God,† I whispered to him. â€Å"From your face, I thought it was blood.† I recalled how much he hated blood that wasn't straight from the source. â€Å"Nah,† he murmured back. â€Å"Just a bad vintage.† When everyone had their wine, Anthony raised his cup over his head with both hands. With the fire behind him, it gave him an almost sinister, otherworldly look. â€Å"We drink to Priscilla Voda,† he said. â€Å"We drink to Priscilla Voda,† everyone repeated. He brought the goblet down and took a sip. So did everyone else–well, except for Adrian. He gulped half his down, bad vintage or not. Anthony raised his cup over his head again. â€Å"We drink to James Wilket.† As I repeated the words, I realized James Wilket was one of Priscilla's guardians. This crazy group of royals really was showing respect to dhampirs. We went through the other guardians one by one, but I kept my sips small, wanting to keep a level head tonight. I was pretty sure that by the end of the name list, Adrian was faking his sips because he'd run out. When Anthony finished naming all who had died, he held his cup up again and approached the blazing fire, which had begun to make the small room uncomfortably hot. The back of my dress was growing damp with sweat. â€Å"To all those lost by the great evil, we honor your spirits and hope they will move on in peace to the next world.† He then dumped the remainder of his wine into the flames. All this talk of spirits lingering in the world certainly didn't go along with the usual Christian afterlife beliefs that dominated Moroi religion. It made me wonder just how old this ceremony really was. Once more, I had an urge to drop my barriers and see if any of this had really drawn ghosts to us, but I feared what I'd find. Besides, I promptly got distracted when everyone else in the circle began dumping their wine into the fire as well. One by one, going clockwise, each person approached. All was silent as this happened, save for the crackling in the fire pit and shifting of logs. Everyone watched respectfully. When my turn came, I fought hard not to tremble. I hadn't forgotten that Adrian had sneaked me in here. Lowly Moroi weren't allowed, let alone dhampirs. What would they do? Declare the space violated? Mob me? Cast me into the fire? My fears proved unfounded. No one said or did anything unusual as I poured out my wine, and a moment later, Adrian stepped forward for his turn. I melted back beside Lissa. When the entire circle had gone up, we were led into a moment of silence for the departed. Having witnessed Lissa's kidnapping and subsequent rescue, I had a lot of dead to ponder. No amount of silence would ever do them justice. Another unspoken signal seemed to pass through the room. The circle dispersed, and the tension lifted. People again fell into small chatty groups, just like at any other party, though I did see tears on the faces of some. â€Å"A lot of people must have liked Priscilla,† I observed. Adrian turned toward a table that had mysteriously been arranged during the ceremony. It sat against the back wall and was filled with fruit, cheese, and more wine. Naturally, he poured a glass. â€Å"They aren't all crying for her,† he said. â€Å"I find it hard to believe they're crying for the dhampirs,† I pointed out. â€Å"No one here even knew them.† â€Å"Not true,† he said. Lissa quickly caught his meaning. â€Å"Most of the people who went on the rescue would have been guardians assigned to Moroi. They couldn't all be Court guardians.† She was right, I realized. We'd had too many people with us at the warehouse. Many of these Moroi had undoubtedly lost guardians that they'd become close to. Despite the disdain I often had for these types of royals, I knew some had probably formed legitimate friendships with and attachments to their bodyguards. â€Å"This is a lame party,† a voice suddenly said. We turned and saw that Christian had finally made his way over to us. â€Å"I couldn't tell if we were supposed to be having a funeral or summoning the devil. It was kind of a half-assed attempt at both.† â€Å"Stop it,† I said, surprising myself. â€Å"Those people died for you last night. Whatever this is, it's still out of respect for them.† Christian's face grew sober. â€Å"You're right.† Beside me, I'd felt Lissa light up inside when she saw him. The horrors of their ordeal had brought them closer together, and I recalled the tenderness they'd shared on the ride back. She offered him a warm look and got a tentative smile in return. Maybe some good would come of all that had happened. Maybe they'd be able to fix their problems. Or maybe not. Adrian broke into a grin. â€Å"Hey. Glad you could make it.† For a moment, I thought he was speaking to Christian. Then I looked and saw a girl in a peacock mask had joined us. With the mingling people and masks, I hadn't noticed that she was purposely standing near us. I peered at her, seeing only blue eyes and golden curls before I finally recognized her. Mia. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked. She grinned. â€Å"Adrian got me a password.† â€Å"Adrian apparently got passwords for half the party.† He seemed very pleased with himself. â€Å"See?† he said, smiling at me. â€Å"I told you I'd make this worth your while. The whole gang's here. Nearly.† â€Å"This is one of the weirdest things I've ever seen,† said Mia, glancing around. â€Å"I don't see why it has to be a secret that the people who got killed were heroes. Why can't they wait for the group funeral?† Adrian shrugged. â€Å"I told you, this is an ancient ceremony. It's a holdover from the Old Country, and these people think it's important. From what I know, it used to be a lot more elaborate. This is the modernized version.† It occurred to me then that Lissa hadn't said a single word since we'd noticed Christian had come with Mia. I opened myself to the bond, feeling a flood of jealousy and resentment. I still maintained Mia was one of the last people Christian would be involved with. (Okay, it was hard for me to imagine him involved with anyone. His getting together with Lissa had been monumental.) Lissa couldn't see that, though. All she saw was him continually hanging out with other girls. As our conversation continued, Lissa's attitude grew frostier, and the friendly looks he'd been giving her began to fade. â€Å"So is it true?† Mia asked, oblivious to the drama unfolding around her. â€Å"Is Dimitri really†¦ back?† Lissa and I exchanged glances. â€Å"Yes,† I said firmly. â€Å"He's a dhampir, but no one believes it yet. Because they're idiots.† â€Å"It just happened, little dhampir.† Adrian's tone was gentle, though the topic clearly made him uncomfortable too. â€Å"You can't expect everyone to get on board with it right away.† â€Å"But they are idiots,† said Lissa fiercely. â€Å"Anyone who talks to him can tell he's not a Strigoi. I'm pushing for them to let him out of his cell so that people can actually see for themselves.† I wished she would push a little harder for me to get to see him, but now wasn't the time to talk about that. Eyeing the room, I wondered if some people would have trouble accepting Dimitri because of his role in the deaths of their loved ones. He hadn't been in control of himself, but that wasn't enough to bring back the dead. Still uncomfortable around Christian, Lissa was growing restless. She also wanted to leave and check on Dimitri. â€Å"How long do we have to stay here? Is there more to–â€Å" â€Å"Who the hell are you?† Our little cluster turned as one and found Anthony standing by us. Considering most of us were here illicitly, he could have been speaking to anyone. But, based on where his gaze was fixed, there was no question who he meant. He was talking to me.