There Were Many Reasons For The Revival Movement Known As The Great Aw

There were many reasons for the revival movement known as the Great Awakening in the mid-18th century. Two of the most influential were the spread of religious indifference in the colonies, and backsliding among previously faithful churchgoers. However, once started, the Great Awakening had a great impact on colonial life and changed the way many people thought about religion. As time passed in the colonies and the once strong-felt religious feelings of the populace faded, many people stopped valuing religious as the most important standard of measuring a person's character. Instead, a person's wealth and status began to weigh heaviest. Most 18th century colonists did not go to church often, and as one Charleston minister said, "the Taverns have more Visitors than the Churches." Even the descendants of some of the most fervent supporters of their religions began to slack off. As their wealth grew larger, the zeal of their faith dried up. Many of the people who went to church loitered outside gossiping for longer than they actually attended sermons. Increasingly did so-called "Christians" begin to succumb to various vices. One man was actually fined for paying a girl ?50 to strip in front of him. This is in direct contrast with the late 1600's, when people were looked down upon in their communities for showing less than godly behavior. Upon seeing the way people were beginning to be led astray, many ministers looked for a way to bring people back into the fold of the Church. Revivals were designed to help combat the growing religious apathy by appealing "more to the heart than to the head." Many ministers changed their style of delivering the word of god by incorporating theatrics and allowing congregations to express their feelings of religious ecstasy. However, revivals did not significantly boost church membership although it did "awaken and refresh" many colonists' spiritual energies. After the revivals were over, the colonists went back to the daily grind and did what needed to be done to survive. Revivals did serve an important cause; they communicated to the colonists that every soul mattered, young or old, rich or poor. Revivals were just one more thing that brought the colonists together.

Free Essays on A Reflection On The Narnian Chronicles

. He spoke the world into existence. He spoke into the vast expanse and created night, day, seas, land, sky, animals, and everything He saw fit for His purpose. Though there was already land in existence in the magical other world, the notion of â€Å"Narnia† was born simply through Aslan’s use of both song and speech. By singing, Aslan brought about the stars and the sun. He began another song, and all around him as he walked grass sprouted underfoot and quickly spread all around, and trees began to take root and grow in the valley. Aslan’s song is analogous to the voice of God during the creation of the world. God breathed life into Adam, the first human to walk the earth. Aslan as well gave life through his breath into the animals of Narnia. Though the animals were already physically alive, their lack of knowledge and speech prevented them from being characterized as true citizens of Narnia. That is until Aslan breathed the ability of speech into the chosen... Free Essays on A Reflection On The Narnian Chronicles Free Essays on A Reflection On The Narnian Chronicles A Reflection on the Narnian Chronicles Throughout the C.S.Lewis series, The Narnian Chronicles, there are many indirect references to the Christian faith and the Bible itself. Through the use of allegories, Lewis provides his readers with a link to explore and contemplate this â€Å"other world.† Though allegorical instances are prevalent throughout the entire series, they are particularly ubiquitous in both â€Å"The Magician’s Nephew† and in â€Å"The Silver Chair.† Aslan the lion is portrayed as the Christ figure in Lewis’ books. As you progress through the novels, it becomes more and more apparent that there is a strong connection between God (or Jesus) and Aslan. This first becomes evident in â€Å"The Magician’s Nephew.† The first connection that is established between â€Å"The Magician’s Nephew† and the Bible (particularly Genesis 1) is the notion of and occurrence of creation. In the Bible, everything was created merely from God’s words. He spoke the world into existence. He spoke into the vast expanse and created night, day, seas, land, sky, animals, and everything He saw fit for His purpose. Though there was already land in existence in the magical other world, the notion of â€Å"Narnia† was born simply through Aslan’s use of both song and speech. By singing, Aslan brought about the stars and the sun. He began another song, and all around him as he walked grass sprouted underfoot and quickly spread all around, and trees began to take root and grow in the valley. Aslan’s song is analogous to the voice of God during the creation of the world. God breathed life into Adam, the first human to walk the earth. Aslan as well gave life through his breath into the animals of Narnia. Though the animals were already physically alive, their lack of knowledge and speech prevented them from being characterized as true citizens of Narnia. That is until Aslan breathed the ability of speech into the chosen...

Risk Assesment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Risk Assesment - Essay Example If the 100, 000 people were financially well off, they would have left the city before the storm. In addition, if the number were small, say less than 5,000, the government would use its resources to evacuate them. There is a high association between poverty and crime. From a sociological perspective, the poor are more prone to criminal activities such as stealing and looting whenever such a chance occurs. Bearing in mind that the people left behind were the poor, this theory holds true as they participated in the looting in the city. Additionally, the high number of the affected delayed the recovery process, as the government had to wait for the storm to end before implementing any program. There was a large population of the sick, injured, homeless, and psychologically tortured residents. For this reason, it required more resources to provide rehabilitation facilities, medical services, and housing. As a result, the recovery process was slow compared to a situation where the number of victims was manageable, and the affected had personal resources to assist in various projects such as housing and

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade - Research Paper Example The trans-Atlantic slave trade has normally been considered only regarding the adults. However, now children’s experiences are also being counted. According to an estimate, children made up one-quarter of the African slaves made to migrate to America. In spite of this big number there is indeed a lack of sources and apparently, no importance is given to what the children experienced, leaving their voices unheard. Enslavement Children were very unwilling to participate in the slave trade and in spite of their age they saw themselves captured and in imprisonment after the war. The women, children and the older people became particularly vulnerable after their men were killed during the war; the ones who were spared death were then ransomed or even sold as slaves. After military expeditions, there were commercial caravans that actually brought textiles and imported goods and traded the slaves with those. Another way of acquiring slaves, particularly children, was through kidnappi ng and this method was more common in certain regions in West Africa. The kidnapping was done when the kids were away from their parents or guardians, maybe simply playing outside, working in fields or taking a calm walk. This was not the only way, however, and the traders even bought children from their families who were more than willing to â€Å"sell† them for money since they were desperate for money and food. Still, others were pawned or bargained for by their parents or used to repay debts or given to be acquitted of any crime they or their family members might have committed. Weak children were also sometimes sold and so were the ones whom their parents thought brought them ill luck. The upcoming events after the capture were a nightmare for the slaves. The traders sold off some children to be sent for the coast while others were sold many times. Several of these kids remained within Africa only and became slaves to whoever bought them. Many others could not survive th e sea route. The ones who were able to reach the coast alive were taken to a factory or post where merchants bought them and kept them inside prisons with the other slaves. These children were then completely stripped and their bodies were rubbed with palm oil. Many times their heads were also shaven. After the merchants had bought their slaves they â€Å"branded† them in order to make sure that their â€Å"property† does not get mixed up with someone else’s and they are able to distinctly make out which their cargo is. The brand was normally a symbol on their chest or back. The Middle Passage According to the slave traders the individuals less than 4’4’’ in height were considered to be children and these children were permitted to stay on the deck with the women. These deck people were, on rare occasions, given certain favors such as giving them old clothes, teaching them how to play certain games or even how to sail. Some children, however , did not play or eat while others preferred to stay with the women and cry all night. If a child was taller than the specified height he was automatically kept with the adults and there they were treated like an adult too. The conditions there were worse and there was no concept of hygiene. If they cried or did not eat or sleep they were punished harshly.  

Law of Investment and Financial Markets Case Study

Law of Investment and Financial Markets - Case Study Example According to the appendix 'Four Corners', the WestPoint case involved 4000 Australians, most of which were pensioners (Four Corners, 2006, Page 1). Small investors were the ones to face the tragic collapse of WestPoint, as they lost their savings and the impact of these investors is described by the procession of WestPoint Investors Group to organize demonstrations to emphasize their predicament and attract the investment casualties. Some years before, WestPoint aggrandized funds by ensconcing a network of financial planners in order to upgrade its products. The entities interested in investment ought to hold an Australian Financial Service License for initiating with the investment operation, the venture or entity that counsels about financial products ought to be an Australian Financial Service holder (AFS); called as an AFS licensee. Financial business usually are deposit accounts, insurances, investments in funds such as shares, debentures etc. If not an AFS bearer, he can either be a director or apprentice to the license bearer. Furthermore, if the former doesn't intervene, he should be an authorized delegate of the Australian Finance service bearer. These delegates or representatives can be termed as 'business authorized representatives' as they hold an approbation to represent license bearers. There are assorted legal protections provided by the Australian Finance Services license, if at all, something in appropriate or contradictory situation occurs. It is always advisable to keep in account the license details of any financial services or benefits one is planning to avail. Since, West Australia is a renowned hub for business successes and entrepreneurship, the promoters and planners allied to financial sectors, accountants and others took availed all the possible opportunities of risk tolerations to gain profits. This was all possible because of a property development called WestPoint. But, some of the financial arrangements which were careful in planning involved the profits outside the governance of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), which was its governor. It focuses on the promulgation of Markets Advisory Committee to operate the corporate establishments. Also, it focuses on establishment of Takeovers Section, an Australian accounting Board, a financial Reporting Panel involved in financial services. This act is conformed on jurisdiction and in states which are referring only to the reach to which the legislative powers of the Parliament takes charge of the application. Australian Securities and Investment Commission is a c ommon seal with enduring succession, along with the procurement or disposal of real or personal asset. As far as membership is concerned, ASIS comprises of 8 members out of which 3 ought to be full-time associates appointed by the Governor-General. The solutions to it, definitely,

Zara For Just In Time Management Commerce Essay

Zara For Just In Time Management Commerce Essay Profitability of the company depends upon the companys effective management. Effective management includes productive resources of the company which generally are raw material, resource planning, human resources, equipments and goods manufacturing facilities or services delivered by the company. This effectiveness in Operations gives competitive advantage to the company. In todays world of competition, lack in operations management could lead to failure in companys productivity. What is Fashion? Fashion is a way of acting differently from the rest community. If community likes it then they start acting in the same way and we say its a new fashion trend. But in the mean while if community comes across the new fashion then they start following them as everybody wants to be different than the others. Fashion expires, much the same way yogurt does, The Inditex Chief executive Jose Maria Catellano comments. (Wall street Journal, 2001). Zara has picked up the fashion trend in a smarter way creating a supply chain reacting to the trend in a faster way. This made Zara to be successful in many countries like Europe, Asia etc. The distinctive supply chain management gives competitive advantages to Zara and this was the inspiration to me to take the case study of Zara. 1.2 COMPANY PROFILE: Zara is a subsidiary of famous and biggest fashion distributor Inditex. It became the worlds biggest retailer over taking Gap in August 2008 (The Guardian, 2008). Zara contributes to 2/3 of sales of Inditex Group. According the Data obtained from Company website, we can see the Origin and Evolution of Zara as follow, Amancio Ortega Gaona formed Inditex in 1963 as textile manufacturer. It started with several manufacturing centers distributing products to various European countries in the next decade of 1963 1974. The first Zara store is opened in 1975 on a central street in A Coruà ±a (Spain). From 1976 till 1984, Zara grown his business and captured the Spanish market with attracting major public. In December 1988, Zara went outside the Spain and opened his first international store in Oporto (Portugal). In 1989, Zara took next step on internalization opening its first store in New York (USA) and his second in worldwide market. Also it came up with a store in Paris (France) in 1990. In 1991, Inditex opened new subsidiary called Pull and Bear chain Acquiring 65% of capital from Massimo Dutti. Inditex keep on going ahead and ahead in International market opening its stores in Mexico (1992), Greece (1993), and Belgium Sweden (1994). In 1995, Massimo Duttis entire share capital acquired by Inditex opening the groups first store in Malta and in Cyprus on the consecutive year. After 1996 till 2008 Zara captured 73 countries opening 1292 store on prime locations on major cities proving national borders cannot stop sharing of single fashion culture. But there were some important dates for Zara and its parent company Inditex. These are 23rd May 2001, when Inditex listed on Spanish stock market also in 2002, construction work of new Zara logistics centre were started in Zaragoza (Spain). Inditex opened Zara home store in Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Malaysia (2003) also in the same year Zaras second distribution centre opened in Zaragoza (Spain) contributing in the wo rk of Zaras first distribution centre in Arteixo (A Coruà ±a, Spain). Zaras 1000th store opened in Florence (Italy) in 2007. Till 2008, Inditex opened 4000 stores of Zara and other sister concerns in almost 73 countries. 2.0 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND FISHBONE DIAGRAM. Most of the organizations face some or the other kind of problem to run their system efficiently. They can affect production and quality of the product in the company. This is the reason for company to have close look on the problem and get it resolved as soon as possible. 2.1 PROBLEMS Zara has a different business model than the traditional retailers which is quite successful as well but this can affect the sustained growth of the company. Zaras weaknesses also differs from the traditional retailers. Zara holds around 86% of Inditex total international sales (Craig et al, 2004, Page 3). This is the reason why Inditex is concentrating on Zara more than their other products and also invest most of their capital in Zara. Failure of Zara can make Inditex rethink about their firms strategies and cause an internal meltdown. Zara is facing inability to penetrate the American market due to different tastes of Americans and Europeans. Also they dont have strongly developed strategy to capture U.S. market. The major threat of Zara for their sales in U.S. is lack of distribution facility in America. Although they are running 1000 retail stores efficiently their Centralized logistics model may not be able to supply more stores in U.S. Vertical integration reduces the possibilities of producing large quantity of goods in economic rate (Craig et al, 2004). There is also increase in cost due to speedy recurrent introduction of new products. Also they have higher research development cost. Creation of different apparel lines causes constant changeover of production techniques resulting in higher elevated cost and also increase in the employee training cost to enable them in order to use new manufacturing techniques. Zara has a bigger threat from the competitors when they try to enter the new market. Almost every retailer is competition for Zara as they have wide range of products. But their main competitors are Gap and HM as they have similar kind of product range with them. Also the HM products are less costly than Zara. HM opens a distribution centre in the country they enter to respond the demand quickly. Zara is also facing the problem due to cannibalization (Craig et al, 2004). All the Zara stores in one city will have the same product range. This means Zara is selling same product range to the customers in same city. This can affect them resulting in loss of sales. 2.2 FISHBONE DIAGRAM According to the current business industry the apparel manufacturer can face the problems which are shown in the fishbone diagram and these can be the main area of concern for the organization. 3.0 OPERATIONAL MODEL IN ZARA Shifting from mass standardisation to customisation on a global scale is the most interesting aspect of the Zaras model. The founder highlighted Zaras approach to fashion which is unique, like food, must be consumed immediately rather than rot in a cupboard. Thus the production of fresh new clothes is in response to the consumers preference (Dutta, 2002). Zaras business model (see appendix 3) enables their operations to be more successful and achieving the goal of customers satisfaction. Its operational model generally encompasses many elements like Vertical Integration, Company structure, Just in Time, etc. which finally contributes to Total Quality Management (TQM) of the Company. 3.1 COMPANY STRUCTURE: In which there is Chairman and followed by the other directors below him. The directors or managers will act as Cell leader for the cells below them. Each cell be reporting to its cell leader and finally cell leader will report to the head. Inditex has Flat organization structure (see appendix 1). In which Amancio Ortega as a Chairman is a head of all cell leaders and there are different directors who acts as a cell leaders e.g. Deputy Chairman and CEO will be the cell leader for tax advisory, finance and management control etc. This helps to keep track of the processes going in the company easily. With this structure Inditex can actually keep a close watch on the processes and quality in the company. 3.2 VERTICAL INTEGRATION: Vertical integration means merging of two businesses that are on different stages of production (Hindle, T., 2009). This leads the business closer to the customers. It controls access to input and to control the costs, quality and delivery times of inputs. It is usually very hard to vertically integrate the organization because this process being expensive and hard to reverse. It is generally found that many companies integrate with distributors to secure market of their output. Lack of existing channels to Spanish consumer in 1980s caused Zara being forced into control of production, distribution and sales. Zaras success lies in its vertically integrated system (see appendix 5). This highly synchronized system gives extraordinary speed and design litheness. This is the reason behind success of Zaras strategy. Zaras Strategy is to give mid-market pricing, niche fashion and rapidly changing product range to the customers. This has also helped Zara to reduce Bullwhip effect (Ghemawat, P., 2003). Further Ghemawat (2003) has described the bullwhip effect as the tendency to fluctuation in final demand to get amplified as they were transmitted back up the supply chain. As a vertically integrated company, Zara always able to keep close look on the quality and delivery of the product to its retail store. Zara has developed such a strategy that they will manufacture 40% of the fabric in house and 60% they will get it from external supplier. Zara will then manufacture the designed the fabric in the house and send out to the external supplier for sewing and then again it comes to Zara where it is checked for its quality and then labeling will be done. Then the product goes to the central warehouse of Zara from where it is distributed to the stores. Disadvantage of this vertically integrated system to Zara is elevated costs for manufacturing in Europe, deficiency in moving plant to different location. 3.3 PUSH AND PULL SYSTEM: When a new designs being pushed in the market based on fashion market trend is referred as PUSH system and when design changes has been done on the customers feedback, but at a lightning fast speed, which emphasizes on customer satisfaction then its referred as PULL system(Urugray, M., 2005). In the push system generally the new design is created by the designer team of the manufacturer and then it will be produced in mass which will be promoted in the stores and market. This increases the demand in the market and customers will be attracted to the store to get the stuff. Zaras designer team generally launches there seasonal collection late in the market (see appendix 4) which enables them to get know about the designs being launched by manufacturers and their demand accordingly as well as they attend fashion shows for readymade clothing where they get the idea of the designs being launched in the market and accordingly they launch their design in the market (Ghemawat, P., 2001). Som etimes Zara also launches the new collection forecasting the demand of the product e.g. when Madonna visited Spain for the stage show, Zara launched the new collection of design which was replicating the design used by Madonna in the past which distinctively increased the demand of the product. Pull system generally works on customers demand, this demand is generally transmitted to the design team which will then create the design and send back to the market to satisfy their demand. There is another approach manufacturers can take in which they advertise the product on mass level which will increase the demand for the product resulting in the increase of the sales (Anon, 2007). 3.4 JUST IN TIME (JIT): Just in time is invented in Japan. Japanese ship builder introduced this concept by lowering their steel inventory from one month stock to three days stock. The first writing on JIT is done by Toyotas Vice president Taiichi Ohno. But this writing was in Japanese so it was difficult to understand so it has been converted in English. Excessive inventory storage is wasteful in the current manufacturing scenario causes JIT philosophy (Mejabi, O. et al, 2001). Further it says JIT encourages the adaption of methodologies to generate the order of material and intermediate products only when required. The transformation to JIT is not instantaneous, but rather it occurs in steps over the time (Schroer et al, 1985). In the current manufacturing scenario removing of waste is important. JIT helps to make small batch production and is also helps to keep commitment towards continual process product improvement. In the current market scenario, deliver the high quality and low cost product to captu re most of the market share is main concern for many organization. JIT helps to solve this concern for most of the companies. JIT helps to reduce the cost for the companies because it saves the cost of storing the inventory and maintenance of the inventory. Generally in Pull management JIT is used which helps to keep supply in time when there is high demand. Zaras Design process is more focused on the public who uses Zaras product. This information is generally collected by store manager or the store staff which is stored at the collection counter of each store and in the evening the collection details the information stored is transmitted to the distribution centre (Gallaugher, J., 2008). This information transmitted to the Zaras designing professional daily. Using this information the designer figures out what are customers needs and what are their main concerns which helps them to design the product carefully and reduce the customers concern. From design to the shelves it takes 6 weeks for Zara to introduce new design in market it is more effective than the normal 6 months cycle for any other organization (see appendix 2). According to Ghemawat, P. (2001), the short time cycle reduces working capital intensity and facilitates continuous manufacturing of new merchandise. In 2008, it was observed that From design to the shelves it take s 15 days to Zara to bring the product in the market (Gattorna, J., 2007). Also Zara purchase about one-half fabric in Grey colour which gives them the maximum flexibility. The internal manufacturing plants of Zara are located in or around Zaras headquarters. This makes designing and approval of the product very fast ultimately resulting in the faster production. These products then goes to the central distribution centre of Zara which further distributes the product to the stores twice in a week. This helps Zara to inventory and concentrate on customers requirement. 3.5 KAIZEN: It means continuous improvement. Kaizen is Japanese concept and its a whole business philosophy. Kaizen is important for everyone in the organization and requires the same kind of participation from each employee (Imai, M., 1986). Customer always has some requirement, needs expectation from the supplier and the output from the supplier has some characteristics relevant to the customer expectation, these characteristics are called as Quality characteristics (Rao et al, 1996). There is always a gap between customers need and quality characteristics. Implementation of Kaizen helps to reduce that gap and meeting customers expectation to the closest. Key elements of Kaizen are as follows: Customer focus, Just in time, Kanban, Flexible workplace practices, Empowerment, Quality assurance, Leadership, Future thinking, High quality, Low cost, Reduction in wastage, Punctuality. Zara as organization has almost all the elements of Kaizen. As we have seen, Zara has efficient Just in time running also they are more customer focused as there most of the designs are made according to the customers demand. With the efficient JIT system Zara has reduced the wastage in the company. Most of the Zaras products are lower in cost with good quality. Zara always follows flexible workplace practices. 4.0 CONCLUSION: Competitive advantage and ability to face new challenges in fashion clothing industry gives Zara the potential growth. Zara has the key elements like just in time, its structure and Kaizen which enables them for having Total Quality Management (TQM) in the company. They also have the strong and unique business model which helps them to keep operating income elevated and gives the opportunity for growth in retail industry. They are known for their trendy and well priced new apparels every week. In the America they are seen as growing fashion retailers. The Inditex research and development team is continuously working on methods of expansion as well as keep themselves fresh in the fashion apparel industry and also quality improvement. Many fashion retailer industries trying to follow Zaras business model. 5.0 RECOMMENDATION: Zara has to look for new expansion opportunity to maintain its growth. There is growth opportunity for Zara in the U.S. market with the constant change in behavior of the customers as a result of the globalization. Zara should think about opening the distribution centre in U.S. which can give them the opportunity to be the trendiest and low price retailer in U.S. Also this distribution centre will be the expansion of Zaras centralized distribution centre. This can give them added income which Zara can use for other purpose like advertisement to capture the market. To attract the U.S. market, Zara can take the online selling approach which will enable them to reach to the customers very efficiently. Although they wont be able to whole product range available on internet but they can keep some trendy cloths with some basic cloths. For the cannibalization Zara can offer different product range for the different geographical location. In this case each store will have some different range of product which can attract the customers to visit the different Zara stores in the same city. Appendix 1: Inditex Management Structure Source: Inditex Appendix 2: Cycle Time Compression through quick response. Source: Inditex Appendix 3: Zaras Business Model. Source: Case writer. Appendix 4: Product Precommitments: Zara vs. Traditional Industry. Source: Inditex Appendix 5: Zaras Supply chain Trend spotters search for new fashion trends and ideas for new designs. Inputs from the sales personnel about customers demands. Delivered to stores. Fabric is cut and dyed, marked for sewing (outsourced) and marketed. More than two hundred designers and production managers work on the new line. Headquarter consolidates the information and decide on design, fabric, etc. Garment production in Northern Portugal and Spain. Sourced from: fashionnet.org

My First Host Family :: Personal Narrative Studying Abroad Essays

My First Host Family The situation I was presented with was somewhat ironic. In preparation for my departure to Study Service Term in Costa Rica, I worried a great deal about my first host family. Would they be mean? Would I be able to understand their Spanish? Would I like their food? These were the main concerns for me then. At no time did I stop to consider that it might be difficult to leave my first host family, the thought never entered my head. After all, they were not really my family, why should it be hard? I was in a different country, thousands of miles away from the land of my birth, yet I had become so comfortable that it was hard to break away. So much of this place had left an impact on me that I didn’t want to consider leaving. These people took me, a total stranger, into their home, gave me food and shelter, and in only six short weeks made me feel like a genuine part of their family. I may not have understood before, but I was forced to deal with it now: this would be one of the longest nights of my life. Facing the inevitable, I said goodnight to my family as I did every other evening, and headed towards my room for the night. The hot sun had given way to the night, and crickets now sang in the infinite blackness outside my window. The curtains danced as cool, sweet breezes leaked effortlessly into my room, helping to calm my shaky soul. Yet I lay there for an eternity, eyes fixed on the intricate patterns of cracks in the ceiling as the wonders and worries of what was to come now swirled through my head. How would I make it for another six weeks? What would my next family be like? How could I possibly be as happy there as I was here? I finally fell asleep, but not the deep sleep that cleanses and offers comfort, rather a shallow trance tormented by visions and dreams, thoughts and emotions, fears and concerns. I traveled in and out of consciousness, seeking unsuccessfully to grasp something to hold onto, something stable in my life. The house was dark and motionless when my alarm jerked me out of slumber; my father, brother and sister had all left for the day already. I rose unrefreshed and headed for the bathroom, feeling as if I hadn’t slept at all.