Chinese is similar in many ways to the politeness and respect language Essay

Chinese is similar in many ways to the politeness and respect language styles of Japanese - Essay Example This etiquette charms the day to day activities and adds luster to conversation. One derives pleasure to deal with such people. To put it in practical terms, what does it cost to be gracious and polite conversationalist? Say a few good words in appreciation of the individual with whom one is dealing?-that’s what the Chinese and Japanese seem o believe. Chinese is similar in many ways to the politeness and respect language styles of Japanese. Since language has direct bearing on then social disposition of both these people, an activity based comparison needs to be made to justify this assertion. Understanding Chinese and Japanese language means understanding their cultures and etiquettes. We find surprising similarities amongst these people. Their style of functioning is identical in many areas and activities. To cite an example, the Japanese don’t pour one’s own drink, if the glass is empty; usually the host will pour it. The Chinese also never pour one’s own drink first. Generally a toast is made for friendship, or business. While pouring drink for everyone, it is made sure, no one is left out. To forget someone is considered bad manners. Even when the glass is full, pour a few drops in, or give the cup a fond stare, before moving to the next guest. The Chinese dinner consists of many courses; just sample everything in the plate. If one empties the plate, the host observes it and he will get more food. Don’t eat the last piece; leave something. As per the Japanese traditions too, an empty plate means that one wishes to have more food. When fini shed with eating, leave some food on the plate. Chopsticks have a special importance for the Chinese as well as the Japanese. They are sacrosanct. The Chinese don’t take the chopstick and use them like forks by poking into the food. Chopsticks are used to pick up the food. In the picking process, if you drop a piece, no attempt is made to pick up another piece. Keep on trying to pick

Review of Financial Statements Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review of Financial Statements Paper - Essay Example Under both systems financial statements of both entities play an important role. Balance Sheet is a statement of affairs of the company on a particular date that provides in details the sources of funds for the company and how those sources have applied for by the company. This in fact is an overall financial summary of the company as on a date. The depiction of sources of funds provides an idea as to how the company has mobilized funds in order to meet its objectives. Basically, funds can be organized through two sources, namely investments by the company’s shareholders and/ or through borrowings by the company. Investments by shareholders is the capital of the owners invested into the company, and held by the shareholders in the shape of shares of a specific value into the total capital of the company, which may be equity or preferential. The distinction of equity and preferential capital has to do with allotment of certain priority rights relating to payment of dividend and repayment of capital invested into such shares at the time of liquidation of the company. Further, a balance sheet describes borrowings as secured and unsecured. Repayment of secured borrowings is insured on the security of certain specific assets; whereas unsecured borrowings’ rights of repayment emerge only after the satisfaction of se cured loans, and out of left over assets of the company. Balance sheet further describes how funds of the companies have been applied on a particular date on different assets and miscellaneous expenditures that include expenditures deferred over a period of some fiscal periods. Assets may be fixed or current. Fixed assets are expenditures made by the company that provide benefits to the company over useful life of the assets. That is why only a portion of fixed assets expenditure, called depreciation, is

Etiology of Parkinsons Disease

Etiology of Parkinsons Disease Parkinson’s Disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, after Alzheimer’s. Onset typically occurs late in life, affecting approximately 1% of 65 year olds, with the prevalence increasing to 4-5% by age 85 (Dawson Dawson 2003). There are also rare cases of early-onset Parkinson’s, which are usually familial. Research into the gene mutations discovered in such hereditary cases has also contributed to the understanding of the aetiology of the spontaneous, late onset form of the disease. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is characterized clinically by tremors at rest, bradykinesia (slowness of voluntary movement), muscle rigidity, decrease in postural reflex and facial expression and an altered gait (Kumar et al. 2005). A subset of patients (10-15%) also develop dementia. Symptoms are progressive and result in decreased mobility and eventually severe disability. The symptomatic motor disturbances arise from the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain. This results in a decrease in the dopaminergic content of the striatum. These areas play an important role in modulating feedback from the thalamus to the motor cortex. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This report aims to investigate the current knowledge of the aetiology of PD, by examining evidence in the literature. It is crucial to understand the pathological mechanisms underlying the selective destruction of dopaminergic neurons in PD so that effective treatments and prophylaxis can be developed. PROPOSED STRATEGY Researchers have studied the molecular mechanisms of PD pathogenesis using a number of techniques: in vitro tissue cultures of human and animal neurons, post-mortem human brain tissue, mouse models of the disease, genetic studies and more novel techniques such as the use of ‘cybrids’. Evidence from all of these will be amalgamated and conclusions drawn. MOLECULAR PATHOGENESIS OF PD That PD is generally associated with old age must be considered an important clue when trying to elucidate the causal mechanism of PD. The same is also true of the most common neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Both are also characterised by an accumulation of protein aggregates resulting in progressive neuronal loss, suggesting a common underlying pathology. Histological brain sections of PD patients shows characteristic, large inclusion bodies in the cytosol of surviving neurons of the substantia nigra, as well as locus ceruleus and surrounding brainstem nuclei, called Lewy bodies (Kumar et al. 2005). These are aggregates of à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡-synuclein (Spillantini et al. 1997), a protein whose gene (SYN, aka PARK 1) has been linked to familial PD (Athanassiadou et al. 1999), as well as other proteins such as ubiquitin and synphilin-1. It is unclear whether these aggregates contribute to the pathogenesis, are a simple by-product or even part of an attempted protective mechanism, described as the aggresome theory (McNaught et al. 2002). Some evidence has recently been produced by Setsuie and colleagues (2005), using a PD rat model in which proteasome inhibitors caused inclusion formation, which resulted in decreased dopaminergic neuronal death that normally follows 6-hydroxyl dopamine (6-OHDA) administration. Lewy bodies are also found in low numbers in normal aging and AD (Jellinger 2001). However, Lewy bodies are not found in some cases of juvenile onset PD, which suggests that the inclusions are not crucial for neuronal death in the substantia nigra (Fahn Salzer 2004). Animal models of the disease, created using neurotoxins such as rotenone or 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), or transgenic mice that overexpress human SYN gene (for à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡-synuclein) mutations, do not faithfully replicate the structure and antigenicity of the Lewy bodies found in PD (Dickson 2001). This highlights the problems associated with designing and producing an accurate animal model of human disease, which can be valuable tools, despite some limitations. Role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) Although the precise role of Lewy bodies in the pathogenesis of PD is still unclear, the accumulation and aggregation of proteins suggests that there is a deficit in the cellular systems that normally remove and degrade abnormal proteins. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is one such pathway, and there is growing evidence that implicates this system in PD. In conjunction with the enzymes E1, E2 and E3, ubiquitin is activated and attaches to abnormal proteins to form a polyubiquitin chain. The proteasome recognises this complex and degrades the unwanted protein. The ubiquitin polymer is released from the targeted protein and digested by ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydroxylases (UCHs), to release ubiquitin monomers back into the system (Alberts et al. 2002). Ubiquitination and recognition of proteins to be degraded are ATP-dependent processes. If the activity of this clearance pathway decreases, misfolded or oxidatively damaged proteins will accumulate rather than being recycled (Sherman Goldberg 2001). Studies of the rarer, familial cases of PD have revealed evidence that this system is involved in PD aetiology, which has aided the understanding of the pathogenesis of sporadic PD. Gene mutations for two proteins that are involved in the UPS are of particular significance. Kitada and colleagues (1998) demonstrated a link between mutations in the parkin gene (aka PARK 2) and familial incidence of autosomal recessive juvenile parkinsonism (AR-JP) in Japanese families. Parkin is an E3 ligase within the UPS, and has been shown to have a neuroprotective role (Petrucelli et al. 2002). Despite this, parkin null-mutant mice exhibited normal behaviour and brain morphology, with no loss of dopaminergic neurons. Dopamine levels were altered, suggesting a possible role in dopamine regulation (Goldberg et al. 2003). Drosophila parkin null-mutants showed a consistent pattern of pathology, with locomotor deficits, sterility and decreased lifespan (Greene et al. 2003). These were attributed to mito chondrial dysfunction, which is also a feature of PD (see below). Research into the potential toxic effects of accumulation of parkin substrates has been inconclusive (Betarbet et al. 2005). Evidence points to parkin involvement in the pathogenesis of PD, but mutations of this protein are not sufficient alone to cause the disease. A missense mutation for the gene encoding the protein UCH-L1 has been detected in autosomal dominant familial cases of PD in Germany (Leroy et al. 1998). In sporadic cases of PD, UCH-L1 is downregulated and oxidized in the cerebral cortex (Choi et al. 2004), the significance of this is unknown. UCH-L1 mutations in mice produce neuromotor signs that are not typical of PD, and are characterised as Gracile Axonal Dystrophy mice (GAD). As for parkin, the evidence confirms some involvement in PD pathogenesis of these elements of the UPS, but points to the need for further research to fully deduce their role. Other genetic mutations have been identified, such as LRRK2 (a kinase;Zimprich et al. 2004) and DJ-1 (aka PARK 7), which is involved in a similar protein degradation pathway (SUMO; Bonifati et al. 2003). It is tempting to attribute the accumulation of à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡-synuclein to a decrease in activity of the UPS, but evidence that à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡-synuclein is a substrate of this system is contradictory (Paxinou et al. 2001), with results differing between in vitro cell lines and conditions. Some studies suggest that à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡-synuclein accumulation may inhibit the UPS, resulting in further protein accumulation (Liu et al. 2005). Role of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress A significant amount of evidence supports the hypothesis of involvement of the UPS in PD aetiology. In familial cases genetic mutations have been discovered that account for a portion of the susceptibility to, and pathogenesis of PD; but other factors are obviously required for both early onset and sporadic cases to develop. UPS activity has been found to be lowered in sporadic PD patients, with impaired proteasomal activity and reduced expression of subunits in the substantia nigra (McNaught et al. 2003). Whether UPS impairment is a primary cause or secondary to another event is not yet clear. Some researchers believe that the mechanism underlying the dysfunctional UPS may involve mitochondrial dysfunction, which has also been implicated in other neurodegenerative diseases (Hashimoto et al. 2003). During energy production by respiration in the mitochondria, there is a continuous leakage of free radicals, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are also released by inflammatory cells. Antioxidant mechanisms exist to mop these up before they can cause oxidative damage to surrounding molecules, such as proteins, lipids and DNA, but these are not 100% efficient. This results in a gradual increase in damaged cellular components with aging (Vigoroux et al. 2004). Higher levels of oxidization products have been found in brain tissue of patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as PD (Dexter et al. 1994) and suggest an important role for free radicals in its aetiology. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage has been hypothesised to accumulate, leading eventually to mitochondrial dysfunction, which further increases free radical leakage. Mitochondrial complex I, in particular, has been implicated. Induced parkinsonism in animal models using the pesticide rotenone has been shown to inhibit mitochondrial complex I (Sherer et al. 2002). Administration of MPTP also induces PD symptoms and inclusion body formation, via the complex I inhibition of its metabolite MPP+ (Ram say et al. 1986). This has been recorded in human subjects following the use of illicitly manufactured narcotics, in which MPTP is produced as a contaminant, but has now been used to reliably induce disease in rodents to further knowledge of the pathogenesis of this disease. As well as providing valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying PD, the ability of chemicals to produce the symptoms and pathology of PD has also raised concerns about the role of environmental factors in the aetiology of the sporadic disease. Some epidemiological studies have linked pesticide exposure to an increased risk of developing PD (Park et al. 2005), as well as suggestions that increased coffee/caffeine consumption and smoking (Wirdefeldt et al. 2005) may have some protective benefits. Exposure to heavy metals, such as manganese has also shown a correlation with PD in some studies, but not all. Heavy metals are known to accelerate free radical formation and hence increase oxidative stress, so it w ould not be unexpected if higher levels were involved in PD aetiology. Results of epidemiological studies that claim to prove these positive and negative correlations with PD are contradictory, and further research is required, which could also take diet into account (particularly ingested antioxidant levels and lifestyle). Mitochondrial dysfunction may cause a decrease in UPS activity, either by reduced ATP production, which is essential for many processes of the pathway, and/or by increasing oxidative stress and damaging vital components of the system (Fahn Salzer 2004). The pivotal role of mitochondria has been elegantly demonstrated by the use of cytoplasmic hybrids. These ‘cybrids’ are formed by taking mtDNA from platelets of patients with PD and inserting it into cultured human neuroblastoma cells that have been depleted of their endogenous mtDNA. These neuronal cells faithfully recapitulate the structure and antigenicity of Lewy bodies (Trimmer et al. 2004), and similar studies have reported other pathogenic features consistent with a role for mitochondria and oxidative stress in PD. It is now widely accepted that oxidative stress is a contributory factor to PD aetiology, with markers of oxidative damage found to be higher than in non-PD controls. Antioxidants have been administered in a number of studies to further explore the impact of free radicals and therapeutic/prophylactic options. Transgenic mice that overexpress the endogenous antioxidant Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase did not show any symptoms or DA neuron loss following exposure to paraquat (herbicide)-maneb (fungicide), compared to non-transgenic controls (Thiruchelvam et al. 2005). Studies involving exogenous antioxidants have produced inconclusive results, and more research is required in this area. The specificity of dopaminergic neuronal loss, mainly in the substantia nigra pars compacta, in PD is replicated in chemically induced animal models of disease. The reason for this consistent and specific pattern of neuropathology may be due to the oxidation properties of DA, with highly reactive DA-quinones being generated. These are able to form complexes with à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡-synuclein and may inhibit mitochondrial complex I (Asanuma et al. 2003). This has important implications for the commonly used L-DOPA therapy, which may also contribute to neurodegeneration. Some researchers also believe that inflammation may play a role in PD, as microglial cells proliferate in affected brain regions (McGeer McGeer 2004). CONCLUSION The aetiology of Parkinson’s Disease is multifactorial, with a combination of genetic, environmental and possibly immunological factors, many of which are still unknown or poorly understood. There is growing evidence from a variety of research techniques that oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and deficits in protein degradation pathways, such as the UPS are interlinked. The aetiological factors initiate a process that culminates in the accumulation and aggregation of proteins, mainly à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡-synuclein, in dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal system, which leads to cell-death. Further research is required to fully elucidate the precise molecular mechanisms that underlie the neuropathology of PD, so that effective treatments or prophylactic advice can be established. REFERENCES Alberts, B., Johnson, A., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K., Walter, Molecular Biology of the Cell. 4th Ed. New York: Garland Publishing. pp.359-363. Asanuma, M., Miyazaki, I. Ogawa, N. 2003 Dopamine- or L-DOPA-induced neurotoxicity: the role of dopamine quinone formation and tyrosinase in a model of Parkinsons disease. Neurotox Res 5, 165-76. Athanassiadou, A., Voutsinas, G., Psiouri, L., Leroy, E., Polymeropoulos, M. H., Ilias, A., Maniatis, G. M. Papapetropoulos, T. 1999 Genetic analysis of families with Parkinson disease that carry the Ala53Thr mutation in the gene encoding alpha-synuclein. Am J Hum Genet 65, 555-8. Betarbet, R., Sherer, T. B. Greenamyre, J. T. 2005 Ubiquitin-proteasome system and Parkinsons diseases. Exp Neurol 191 Suppl 1, S17-27. Choi, J., Levey, A. I., Weintraub, S. T., Rees, H. D., Gearing, M., Chin, L. S. Li, L. 2004 Oxidative modifications and down-regulation of ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 associated with idiopathic Parkinsons and Alzheimers diseases. J Biol Chem 279, 13256-64. Dawson, T. M. Dawson, V. L. 2003 Rare genetic mutations shed light on the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease. J Clin Invest 111, 145-51. Dexter, D. T., Holley, A. E., Flitter, W. D., Slater, T. F., Wells, F. R., Daniel, S. E., Lees, A. J., Jenner, P. Marsden, C. D. 1994 Increased levels of lipid hydroperoxides in the parkinsonian substantia nigra: an HPLC and ESR study. Mov Disord 9, 92-7. Dickson, D. W. 2001 Alpha-synuclein and the Lewy body disorders. Curr Opin Neurol 14, 423-32. Fahn, S. Sulzer, D. 2004 Neurodegeneration and Neuroprotection in Parkinson Disease. Neurorx 1, 139-154. Goldberg, M. S., Fleming, S. M., Palacino, J. J., Cepeda, C., Lam, H. A., Bhatnagar, A., Meloni, E. G., Wu, N., Ackerson, L. C., Klapstein, G. J., Gajendiran, M., Roth, B. L., Chesselet, M. F., Maidment, N. T., Levine, M. S. Shen, J. 2003 Parkin-deficient mice exhibit nigrostriatal deficits but not loss of dopaminergic neurons. J Biol Chem 278, 43628-35. Hashimoto, M., Rockenstein, E., Crews, L. Masliah, E. 2003 Role of protein aggregation in mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration in Alzheimers and Parkinsons diseases. Neuromolecular Med 4, 21-36. Jellinger, K. A. 2001 The pathology of Parkinsons disease. Adv Neurol 86, 55-72. Kitada, T., Asakawa, S., Hattori, N., Matsumine, H., Yamamura, Y., Minoshima, S., Yokochi, M., Mizuno, Y. Shimizu, N. 1998 Mutations in the parkin gene cause autosomal recessive juvenile parkinsonism. Nature 392, 605-8. Kumar, V., Abbas, A.K., Fausto, N. 2005 Chapter 13. In Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. Pennsylvania, USA: Elsevier Saunders. Leroy, E., Boyer, R. Polymeropoulos, M. H. 1998 Intron-exon structure of ubiquitin c-terminal hydrolase-L1. DNA Res 5, 397-400. Liu, C. W., Giasson, B. I., Lewis, K. A., Lee, V. M., Demartino, G. N. Thomas, P. J. 2005 A precipitating role for truncated alpha-synuclein and the proteasome in alpha-synuclein aggregation: implications for pathogenesis of Parkinsons disease. J Biol Chem. McGeer, P. L. McGeer, E. G. 2004 Inflammation and neurodegeneration in Parkinsons disease. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 10 Suppl 1, S3-7. McNaught, K. S., Belizaire, R., Isacson, O., Jenner, P. Olanow, C. W. 2003 Altered proteasomal function in sporadic Parkinsons disease. Exp Neurol 179, 38-46. McNaught, K. S., Shashidharan, P., Perl, D. P., Jenner, P. Olanow, C. W. 2002 Aggresome-related biogenesis of Lewy bodies. Eur J Neurosci 16, 2136-48. Park, J., Yoo, C. I., Sim, C. S., Kim, H. K., Kim, J. W., Jeon, B. S., Kim, K. R., Bang, O. Y., Lee, W. Y., Yi, Y., Jung, K. Y., Chung, S. E. Kim, Y. 2005 Occupations and Parkinsons disease: a multi-center case-control study in South Korea. Neurotoxicology 26, 99-105. Paxinou, E., Chen, Q., Weisse, M., Giasson, B. I., Norris, E. H., Rueter, S. M., Trojanowski, J. Q., Lee, V. M. Ischiropoulos, H. 2001 Induction of alpha-synuclein aggregation by intracellular nitrative insult. J Neurosci 21, 8053-61. Petrucelli, L., OFarrell, C., Lockhart, P. J., Baptista, M., Kehoe, K., Vink, L., Choi, P., Wolozin, B., Farrer, M., Hardy, J. Cookson, M. R. 2002 Parkin protects against the toxicity associated with mutant alpha-synuclein: proteasome dysfunction selectively affects catecholaminergic neurons. Neuron 36, 1007-19. Ramsay, R. R., Dadgar, J., Trevor, A. Singer, T. P. 1986 Energy-driven uptake of N-methyl-4-phenylpyridine by brain mitochondria mediates the neurotoxicity of MPTP. Life Sci 39, 581-8. Setsuie, R., Kabuta, T. Wada, K. 2005 Does proteosome inhibition decrease or accelerate toxin-induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration? J Pharmacol Sci 97, 457-60. Sherer, T. B., Betarbet, R., Stout, A. K., Lund, S., Baptista, M., Panov, A. V., Cookson, M. R. Greenamyre, J. T. 2002 An in vitro model of Parkinsons disease: linking mitochondrial impairment to altered alpha-synuclein metabolism and oxidative damage. J Neurosci 22, 7006-15. Sherman, M. Y. Goldberg, A. L. 2001 Cellular defenses against unfolded proteins: a cell biologist thinks about neurodegenerative diseases. Neuron 29, 15-32. Spillantini, M. G., Schmidt, M. L., Lee, V. M., Trojanowski, J. Q., Jakes, R. Goedert, M. 1997 Alpha-synuclein in Lewy bodies. Nature 388, 839-40. Thiruchelvam, M., Prokopenko, O., Cory-Slechta, D. A., Richfield, E. K., Buckley, B. Mirochnitchenko, O. 2005 Overexpression of superoxide dismutase or glutathione peroxidase protects against the paraquat+maneb-induced Parkinsons disease phenotype. J Biol Chem. Trimmer, P. A., Keeney, P. M., Borland, M. K., Simon, F. A., Almeida, J., Swerdlow, R. H., Parks, J. P., Parker, W. D., Jr. Bennett, J. P., Jr. 2004 Mitochondrial abnormalities in cybrid cell models of sporadic Alzheimers disease worsen with passage in culture. Neurobiol Dis 15, 29-39. Vigouroux, S., Briand, M. Briand, Y. 2004 Linkage between the proteasome pathway and neurodegenerative diseases and aging. Mol Neurobiol 30, 201-21. Wirdefeldt, K., Gatz, M., Pawitan, Y. Pedersen, N. L. 2005 Risk and protective factors for Parkinsons disease: a study in Swedish twins. Ann Neurol 57, 27-33. Zimprich, A., Biskup, S., Leitner, P., Lichtner, P., Farrer, M., Lincoln, S., Kachergus, J., Hulihan, M., Uitti, R. J., Calne, D. B., Stoessl, A. J., Pfeiffer, R. F., Patenge, N., Carbajal, I. C., Vieregge, P., Asmus, F., Muller-Myhsok, B., Dickson, D. W., Meitinger, T., Strom, T. M., Wszolek, Z. K. Gasser, T. 2004 Mutations in LRRK2 cause autosomal-dominant parkinsonism with pleomorphic pathology. Neuron 44, 601-7.

Writings in Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw :: Henry James Turn Screw Essays

Writings in Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw Leon Edel, in his biography of Henry James, tells of an instance after Alice James’ death when Henry James discovered a collection of letters he had written to her.   James, aware that researchers would be all too interested in the details revealed in the correspondences to his sister, destroyed them.   Writers who gain notoriety within their own lifetime become aware that every written word will be inspected. James knew that documents relating to an author can be important to prove intention in the author’s work, as well as to look at personal relationships, friendships, or simply to acquire the details of a specific event.   He was fully informed that letters can reveal as much or as little as he chose to let them.   This knowledge explains why he used papers, diaries, notes, documents, plans, letters, manuscripts, wills, messages, decrees, telegrams, and other written communications as tools to advance his stories. For ease of reading, I will call these, coll ectively,   "writings." The frequency with which James utilizes these writings is surprising.   A few examples of these in his texts are: the telegrams from In the Cage, the messages and papers in The Aspern Papers, the letters (obviously) from A Bundle of Letters,   and the diary from The Visits.   Evaluation of these writings, within James’s literature has, until now, been ignored.   Within The Turn of the Screw, especially, writings tell a story about their own lives and deaths, about their readers, intended and unintended, and give clues to James’s own intentions and the intentions of the authors of the writings.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Many valid questions about these letters have been left unanswered by previous scholarship on this work.   For example, what do these writings in The Turn of the Screw reveal about the traumas at Bly?   What can they tell us about the past, about the ghosts, and about their unnatural deaths?   How does James use the story as a letter to his readers with other letters inside it, to characters in the text?   What can they reveal about their authors, and ours?   What do they say about their readers?   How do these letters hide each other, and the secret of their own importance?   Ã‚  Ã‚   Turn’s similitude to The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allen Poe is explicit.   Poe and James use the same device: they hide secrets, in a letter, by placing that letter in an obvious place.

Whether the Burgess land use model is still relevant in the modern day

Urban land use models are designed to help us understand how towns develop. Although towns and cities have no exact match, the models are designed to show that every urban area has its similarities. Since models rarely take into account things like hills and rivers, there are no guarantees that the model will be completely accurate. I am using the Burgess model because it was one of the most successful land use models- it may well be similarly successful in the modern town. A man called E.W Burgess designed an Urban Land use model, naming it after himself. It was designed in his home country of America, in the city of Chicago. This is what he designed: Burgess' theory was that people competed for limited amounts of space. Only people who that the zones were arranged concentrically, different in age and character. Burgess believed that the housing became newer, and the residents became wealthier, the further they got from the CBD. The people who could afford the best land got it, people like businessmen. The poorest groups were left with the worst locations. Burgess believed that different zones of the city had different functions. These are the sections of the city that he identified: * Central business district – contains the major shops and offices, and is the centre for commerce, entertainment and transport. * Wholesale light industry- This is where the oldest housing in the city is. Such housing is usually deteriorating into slum property. Some areas are also being taken over by light industry. The locals tend to be immigrants or poorer social groups. * Low class residential- Inhabited by people who have managed to escape from the previous zone. They work in nearby factories, and have no choice but to live there so they can get to work quickly and cheaply. * Medium class residential- The housing is of a better quality, and is mostly semi detached and council estates. * High class residential- Occupied by people who can afford the most expensive properties and the high cost of properties, and the high cost of commuting. This zone also includes the commuter villages beyond the edge of the city, although there were few in Burgess' time. The Burgess model is also linked to the bid-rent model. The amount of money different land users are willing to pay for the land depends on their location- the CBD has the most expensive rents. It is the most accessible area as most transport services are focused on the city centre, and main roads meet here. The more accessible a location, then the easier it is to get there. Therefore, people prefer to have work locations that people can access easily, and are also prepared to pay more for them. The Burgess Model also ignores the fact that nearly all towns are affected by physical features such as rivers, lakes and hills. It also ignores heavy industries, and housing redevelopment. Also, in 1924, there was not so much dependence on transport as there is today. Other weaknesses in the model include the criticism that in reality, zones do not just end, and the next one begins. Zones overflow, and the model is designed for highly developed cities such as Chicago, and not 3rd world cities that you might find in Ethiopia and Sudan. Therefore, the model is not universally correct. Hypothesis 1. Land use changes with increasing distance from the centre of Blaydon. This statement fits in with the Burgess model, as Burgess claimed that the land near the CBD will be densely populated and tightly fitted, whilst the land further out of town will have more room for things like gardens. Houses will be terraced near the town centre, and semi detatched on the outskirts. This statement fits in with Burgess' Bid Rent Model, as he claimed that land in the centre of the town was more useful and therefore expensive, so less people would be able to afford big gardens. This hypothesis should be true, because in reality most towns grow from the centre, and will therefore have many buildings squashed into a small section of land near the middle, but towards the countryside there is more free space Hypothesis 2. Housing age will become younger with increasing distance from the centre of Blaydon. This theory fits into the burgess model because the further you are from the city centre the younger the houses will be because the growth of cities are from the CBD so the houses on the outskirts will be the youngest. The CBD was built first in the beginning of the development of Blaydon. This means that houses will be built after the early developments. This process will continue until there is no land to build on. This theory means that houses will be younger as you progress further form the CBD. The hypothesis should be true because the Burgess model claims city growth occurred in the CBD first then grew outwards form there. Hypothesis 3 The quality of life will improve with increasing distance from the CBD of Blaydon. This theory also fits into the burgess model because as you get further away from the CBD the environment qualities should increase and also better housing materials will be available. Hypothesis 2 links with this hypothesis because as the houses become younger, they will become more modern and better building methods will be being used. Quality of life will increase due to the steady increase of size in houses as you progress further from the CBD. Bigger houses mean more money and better quality of life. For example, big gardens and garages accompanied with driveways. In my view this is a better quality of life compared to terraced houses with no gardens. This hypothesis should be true because the house age will decrease and quality of life will increase as you move further form the CBD. Also the environment won't be as bad because the roads and air will be less congested.

Law Enforcement Today

Enforcement Today Name CJS/200 October 28, 2012 Instructor Name Law Enforcement Today Police departments in today’s society face a variety of issues such as working in a multicultural society, corruption within the department, the dangers involved in their work, such as violence on duty, and their use of force when subduing a suspect, just to name a few. (Schmalleger, 2011). With so many issues to consider, the job of policing our streets continues to become increasing challenging. As society in the United States continues to evolve, this country has become home to people of various ethnic backgrounds and cultures.This creates more issues for police departments when the police department is not diverse enough, and this could lead to racial profiling and language issues. When a police officer is unaware with the dialect or the language of the community, this can make it harder to investigate cases because it makes it tough to find out whether the crime has happen, when it happe n and where it happened. If a police officer considers a person’s race to determine if a crime has happened, or more likely to happen, this is what is considered as racial profiling (Schmalleger, 2011).One solution to this problem would be to hire and train more officers that speak more than one language. Along with racial profiling, officers face another issue within their police departments, which is corruption. While most officers take their vow to protect and to serve seriously, and honor the commitment they took, there are others who do not. Some officers fall prey to temptations such as bribery. The lower salary of a police officer is one reason for officers to accept bribes (Schmalleger, 2011)..Some police officers will take money as payment from an offender for making a speeding ticket disappear, or for walking away from a drug transaction in progress. Another form of corruption would be when an officer denies the suspect their constitutional right to due process by p lanting evidence at a crime scene. Other officers may commit offenses such as drinking while driving, and by using illegal drugs. Their idea that they are above prosecution, because they are a law enforcement officer, is another form of police corruption (Schmalleger, 2011). Corrupt behavior can also lead to violence when something goes wrong.Police officers also face the dangers of violence in the line of duty, as well as the risk of coming into contact with dangerous, or infected evidence (Schmalleger, 2011). For example, when an officer has to respond to a domestic violence incident, there is a real possibility of the perpetrator becoming violent with the officer as well. Officers also need to be cautious of how they handle infected evidence, such as the needles which are used by a known drug user, If a drug suspect has disease such as Aids, an officer can become infected with Aids if he does not handle the needle properly, and inadvertently sticks himself with the needle.They al so face the possibility of coming into contact with dangerous evidence, such as explosive devices. Issues such as these make the officer’s job extremely dangerous. Fortunately, local law enforcement officers have the benefit of a close working relationship with state and federal law enforcement agencies to assist their efforts in combatting crime. Law enforcement at every level share information with the United States Department of Homeland Security, to safeguard the land of the United States from criminal activity which may occur domestically or at the hands of another country.These agencies include The United States of Citizenship – The Immigration Services, The United States Border of Protection, The United States Immigration – The Customs Enforcement, The Federal Emergency Management Agency, The United States Secret Service, and The Transportation Security Administration. The United States of Citizenship and the Immigration Services handle the progression of citizenship, residency, and housing for foreigners.The United States of Custom and the Border Protection is a law enforcement method that puts in force United States borders including land, sea or even air. The United States Custom and the Border Protection watches and enforced the customs, agriculture regulations and immigrants. The United States Immigration and the Customs Enforcement were put into 2 areas. One was to have an investigation of international and national crimes which was called Homeland Security Investigation.The other one was to enforce the removals of immigrants that violate, which was called the Enforcement and Removal Operations. The Transportation Security Administration was known for taking care of the air travel security international and domestic. Also they were responsible for the territory and the water transport security (Department of Homeland Security, n. d. ). The United States Coast Guard was the services for safeguarding our natural resources, defen ding national, and security of maritime.The United States Secret Service is known as an law enforcement that gives safeguard services for vital government officers. The United States Service also protects the United States exchange. Some suggestions on to how to develop the relationship between the DHS the police department is by educating more law enforcement and home land officials about using security and the process about how to use it too. More suggestions will be improving communication by learning different ways to communicate by adding language programs or just hiring a more diverse officer.Another suggestion will be improving is on how well the private security and the law enforcement get along. This matter because this takes an important role in Department of Homeland Security. References Department of Homeland Security. (n. d. ). Homeland Security Information Network – Law Enforcement Mission. Retrieved from http://www. dhs. gov Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal jus tice today: An introductory text for the twenty- first century(11th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall

Plato v. Aristotle essays

Plato v. Aristotle essays Aristotle's major work on the philosophy of art is the Poetics. There he maintains that all the arts imitate nature, and that imitative character is rooted in human psychology. For Aristotle, the end of artistic creation determines the appropriate means for its realization. In order to assess the excellence of a work, we must determine whether the work has a perfection of form and a soundness of method that make it a satisfactory whole. The elements of composition must display symmetry, harmony, and definition. Aristotle's theory differs considerably from Plato's. Plato insists that artistic imitation, especially tragedy, fuels the passions and misleads the seeker of truth. Aristotle, by contrast, believes that the arts repair defiences in nature and tragic drama in particular makes a moral contribution. Therefore the arts are valuable and justifiable. Aristotle rejects Plato's notion of the centrality of beauty and erotic love, as well as his metaphysical idealism. He sees beauty as a property of an artwork, rather than its purpose, whereas Plato the search for beauty is the proper end of art. He does agree with Plato "that art is a kind of techne, and that the most important human arts, such as music, painting, sculpture, and literature are imitative of human souls, bodies, and actions." Techne- the ability of an artist to be in command of a medium, to know what the end result would be, and to know how to execute the artwork to achieve that result. ...

Free Essays on Reasons For High Gas Prices

In recent months we have seen a rise in gasoline prices at the pumps and we all are wondering why. Part of the reason is the price of crude oil on the stock market; this can cause prices to jump up or down based on market price. The other reason that prices go up is the classic example of supply and demand. When the demand for something goes up, theoretically the supply will go up and keep prices low. When the demand for something goes up and the supply cannot increase with the demand, the price goes up. This is of course how a free market operates and the supply and demand of products can lead to wild price changes on the stock market, much like the oil prices we are seeing on the market right now. In this research paper I will look closely at the supply and demand for gasoline. I will look at the output of fuel from all of our refineries in the United States (U.S.); I will look at the supply of crude oil, as well as the demand for fuel in the U.S. I will also touch on a few other reasons for high gas prices, mainly government regulations and pollution control additives that are added to gasoline in certain heavily populated areas and determine if that has a price impact at the pump. With this data I hope to conclude that we simply do not have the refinery capacity in the U.S. to keep up with the demand for fuel and that is part of the reason for the high gas prices. Production of Crude Oil First let us look at the production of crude oil in the U.S. According to the web site www.eia.doe.gov using table 5.9 Refinery Capacity and Utilization, 1949-2003, I was able to determine that in 1949 the U.S. had 336 operable refineries with a capacity of 6,231 barrels a day (b/d), 5,556 b/d distillation units with a utilization percent of 89.2. Loosely translated that means in 1949 the U.S. had 336 operable refineries producing about 5,556 barrels a day of fuel and operating at 89.2 % capacity. The number of operable refineries slowly droppe... Free Essays on Reasons For High Gas Prices Free Essays on Reasons For High Gas Prices In recent months we have seen a rise in gasoline prices at the pumps and we all are wondering why. Part of the reason is the price of crude oil on the stock market; this can cause prices to jump up or down based on market price. The other reason that prices go up is the classic example of supply and demand. When the demand for something goes up, theoretically the supply will go up and keep prices low. When the demand for something goes up and the supply cannot increase with the demand, the price goes up. This is of course how a free market operates and the supply and demand of products can lead to wild price changes on the stock market, much like the oil prices we are seeing on the market right now. In this research paper I will look closely at the supply and demand for gasoline. I will look at the output of fuel from all of our refineries in the United States (U.S.); I will look at the supply of crude oil, as well as the demand for fuel in the U.S. I will also touch on a few other reasons for high gas prices, mainly government regulations and pollution control additives that are added to gasoline in certain heavily populated areas and determine if that has a price impact at the pump. With this data I hope to conclude that we simply do not have the refinery capacity in the U.S. to keep up with the demand for fuel and that is part of the reason for the high gas prices. Production of Crude Oil First let us look at the production of crude oil in the U.S. According to the web site www.eia.doe.gov using table 5.9 Refinery Capacity and Utilization, 1949-2003, I was able to determine that in 1949 the U.S. had 336 operable refineries with a capacity of 6,231 barrels a day (b/d), 5,556 b/d distillation units with a utilization percent of 89.2. Loosely translated that means in 1949 the U.S. had 336 operable refineries producing about 5,556 barrels a day of fuel and operating at 89.2 % capacity. The number of operable refineries slowly droppe...

Chicago Referencing †4 Things You Should Know

Chicago Referencing – 4 Things You Should Know Chicago Referencing – 4 Things You Should Know Chicago referencing is a flexible system for citing sources in academic writing. If it’s your colleges chosen system or you’re writing a paper for a journal, knowing how to use Chicago referencing is vital. Before you set to work, though, there are a few things you should know. 1. The Chicago Manual of Style Chicago referencing is set out in The Chicago Manual of Style. The 16th edition of this was released in 2010 and includes details on every aspect of editorial practice, from grammar to formatting. In the U.S., The Chicago Manual of Style is commonly used by publications in the social and human sciences. However, if your college simply specifies â€Å"Chicago referencing,† it’s only the rules for citing sources that you need to worry about. 2. One Manual, Two Styles Chicago referencing can be a little confusing because it incorporates two citation styles: author-date citations and a footnote and bibliography version. Author-date citations use a style similar to APA referencing, with the author’s surname, year of publication and (if relevant) page numbers given in brackets: The New World was colonized around 11,000 B.C. (Diamond 1997, 67). This is accompanied by full publication detail in a reference list. The footnote and bibliography system, meanwhile, cites sources with superscript numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3) in the main text. You can then give source information in footnotes (as well as in a bibliography). The first footnote for the source named above, for example, would appear as: 1. Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years (London: Vintage, 1997), 67. The fact there are two citation styles within Chicago referencing makes it crucial to check your style guide before you start writing. 3. Subsequent Citations If you’re using the author-date system, citing the same source more than once simply requires giving the author’s name and year of publication each time. With the footnote and bibliography system, however, you can shorten subsequent citations of the same source. For consecutive citations, you can use the Latin term â€Å"Ibid.† For nonconsecutive citations, give the author’s surname, a shortened title and relevant page numbers: 1. Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years (London: Vintage, 1997), 67. 2. Ibid., 112. 3. Derek Author, A Different Book, (New York: Publisher Inc., 2005), 45. 4. Diamond, Guns, Germs Steel, 23. 4. Reference List/Bibliography The two citation systems covered by Chicago referencing use a similar format for creating a reference list/bibliography, but there are differences. The information required for a book in a reference list when using the author-date system is: Author Surname, First Name. Year. Title. City of Publication: Publisher. With the footnote and bibliography system, on the other hand, publication information should be presented as follows: Author Surname, First Name. Title. City of Publication: Publisher, Year.

Paper for international study classes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paper for international study classes - Essay Example Before the discovery of oil in the Middle East states, the region had exhibited a hotbed characteristic of religious feuds over the rich Middle East resources and land. The declining of Ottoman Empire, for instance, paved the way for the rise in control of Asian territories by the European imperialists and the colonial powers, which were interested in securing various territorial boundaries. This paper describes the world problems emerging as a result of Asian social, political and economic sabotages and the ways of dealing with these problems. Middle East problems, which are currently reflected in the world systems, as some of the setbacks in the socio-political and economic gains in the world, include terrorism, sectarian violence, political instability, refugee influx and resource conflict (oil). Globalization, per se, is the reason behind the spread of these resources in the world systems; thus the United States, as the super power, has been on the receiving end in the struggle to mitigate all of these Middle East problems. Globalization has been internalized in Arabic as â€Å"awlaama†. It refers to the widespread of ideas throughout the globe. Global ideas include attitudes, customs and institutions, which originated in one part of the world specifically in the Western states. In the Middle East, the decades of globalization have been marked with endless wars, renewed economic independency, and Intrusive U.S. hegemony and continuity terrorism. Globalization has been ushered in the Middle East by war, which has given the Western victors excessive power over the Middle East region and a creation of an underlying violent of anti-globalization struggle (Fawcett 112). Globalization has ideologically strengthened Islamic fundamentalism and youth radicalization through terrorism activities. Due to the ambiguity of globalization, it has additionally resulted into a

Accreditation Audit Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Accreditation Audit - Research Paper Example One of the most focused priority communication area of the joint commission standards that needs to be addressed immediately is â€Å"patient safety†. It is a priority because using the survey information it is found that â€Å"patient safety† is one of the priority focus process. It is necessary to review the organization’s patient safety norms from time to time to review the audit compliance standards related to patient safety. Some of the publicly available data which has called for the priority focus area are med par for hospitals and Nursing home compare reports. While all the areas in the hospital accreditation program are important like the assessment and care/ services, quality improvement expertise/Activities, communication, infection control and patient safety. The most important priority focus area which calls for an immediate accreditation audit is â€Å"patient safety† initiative. Therefore an accreditation audit is especially needed for the h ospital accreditation program and the priority focus area is patient safety. 1. Develop a corrective action plan that would ensure compliance with the Joint Commission standards for the identified area. The priority focus identified area is patient safety. Accreditation audit is done to measure the quality and practices followed by a company to achieve its result. The national patient safety goal is a corrective action plan that ensures compliance with the joint commission standards. It is important to conduct an accreditation audit on patient safety because the prime motive of hospitals and health care organizations is patient safety. The National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG), University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers (UMHHC) are some of the integrated programs focused on patient safety initiatives. This should be in compliance with the joint commission standards for patient safety. â€Å"The purpose of the National Patient Safety Goals is to improve patient safety. The goals focus on problems in health care safety and how to solve them† (Hospital National Patient Safety Goals, 2011). The national patient safety goals motive is to improve patient safety. The main pu rpose of the National patient safety is to focus on patient safety and find ways to resolve their problems. Efficient patient safety implies identification of all the risks that affect the safety of the patients. Efficient patient safety is a systematic process which involves examining of different activities that is needed to ensure the safety of patients. The patient safety program is to reduce medical hazards and errors so that patient safety can be increased. The accreditation audit for patient safety needs careful planning and analysis such as reviewing and modifying the organizational processes so that there is compliance with the joint commission standards on national patient safety initiative. Patient safety reports should be prepared bi weekly and monthly to ensure proper review of the existing patient safety initiatives and the required improvement needed in patient safety. It is necessary to effectively communicate with the hospital staff on proper compliance with the acc reditation auditing standards on patient safety so that they are fully versant with accreditation audit standards. It is also necessary to communicate effectively the patient safety standards to the patients, the family members of the

Risk managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Risk managment - Essay Example This experience is of immense help to the management studies and the hospitality industry, particularly in these days of great emphasis on globalization and expanding service industry. From the days of human existence as food gatherers to the present day global enterprises, mankind faced risks. It is appropriate to say that risk and enterprise go hand in hand. Fortunately, the science of risk management has also been expanding based on the experiences on one hand, and the compelling laws that define an enterprise’s responsibility in the event of a disaster. Industrial revolution and expanding markets gave rise to increased use of machinery as well as laborers in the production processes, thus multiplying risks. The character and expanse of risks are changing from individuals to communities, from human beings to natural environment, from local areas to global spread and much more. From the relatively simple industrial accidents to the massive disasters such as the nuclear power plants at The Three Mile Islands and the Chernobyl plant, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the Exxon-Valdez/BP-Gulf of Mexico oil spills we have witnessed the changing face of enterprise risks. Significant developments in the form of globalization is leading to another kind of risk viz., the financial risk that spreads across the globe in quick time as was witnessed during the Asian crisis of the late 90s and the global meltdown in the past two years. With the emergence of the Internet and information technology, newer kind of risks includes systemic problems, fraud, and privacy issues. The term risk could mean deviating from the normal course of a particular structure, activity or establishment, as the case maybe, which means it is probable that something could happen and this is within a range, which is from 0 to 100 percent probability. In other words, it

Increasing investment attractivness of CIS countries (ex-USSR Coursework

Increasing investment attractivness of CIS countries (ex-USSR countries) - Coursework Example De novo firms are very instrumental in the development of the transitioning countries. But, the development of the de novo corporations has been relatively lower, illustrating entry barriers. FDI of the energy sector is determined by long term aspects. They are also determined by the general investment climate, like corporate management, rule of law and transparency. Slovakia has significantly attracted FDI, because of the adequate volumes of oil and gas reserves. Inward FDI flows are approximately $790 million annually. Estonia has adequate net FDI inflows in Eastern Europe. This is due to the valuable oil and gas sector (Kudina 2014). Major FDI value originates from Western Europe, United States and Canada. Turkmenistan had an average inward FDI of $227 million. This was achieved through the production sharing arrangements between the oil sector and the non-oil sector joint ventures. Lithuania experienced a huge proportion of inward FDI, originating from the oil pipeline expansion projects, and the energy sector privatization. Latvia has inward FDI that greatly depends on huge mineral resources reserves. Inward FDI of Estonia is more diversified, illustrating the diverse industrial structure (Jakubial & Pacyzynski 2010). The major Latvia sectors getting major inflow FDI food, telecommunication and energy. The main source countries for the FDI are France, Russia and United States. Gazprom, a Russian company, has majority shares in Latgas, a Latvia gas company. The East European governments also make arrangements to cancel foreign debt, in exchange for equity; for example, the 100% equity of Hrazdan thermal plant, in exchange for cancelling debt (Khasson 2012). Some of the CIS countries have not adequately adopted the basic market reforms. This is the explanation for the low levels of FDI inflows, with a clear exception to the Yamal pipeline. The pipeline is owned and operated by Gazprom, but its

Stalking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stalking - Research Paper Example Any violence the victim relates, past or present, should be taken seriously. Stalkers will only become more violent if violence is already present. Damaged property should be taken seriously only after violence. The pattern of stalking can be very important in predicting future attacks. Any stalker information can help create a profile. This profile can put the stalkers in one of five categories. Davis (2005) reports the five categories as: 5. The predator. This is about sex gratification, control, and violence. The stalker doesnt necessarily know the victim. The victim may not know she is being stalked. But a predator plans their attack, rehearses it, has lots of sexual fantasies about it. The intake form above creates an evaluation as unique as the assessment. This type of form will need to be assessed and evaluated based on the answers. Since the answers are going to vary, the evaluations will also vary. If the assessment above finds violence, property destruction, and the characteristics of the predator or intimacy-seeking stalker, these should be given priority. These stalkers will not go away or stop. If there is no violence, property destruction, and the characteristics of a resentful stalker, these should be given less priority. However, every stalker has the potential to be violent. Each case should be studied individually. In conclusion, it should be noted that not every stalker will be stopped. Some cases will end up in fatalities, casualties, and other harm done. Some cases will be solved and the behavior stopped. There is no assessment and evaluation miracle. Not all behavior can be predicted. The above intake, assessment, and evaluation should be used as tool. It should never be used to convict a stalker. It should only predict

Hypertension Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hypertension - Research Paper Example Alternatively, there are anti-hypertensive’s drugs to normalize blood pressure levels. It’s very important for individuals to go for a regular medical check up to avoid damage of blood vessels by hypertension. Hypertension Introduction Hypertension, also referred to as high blood pressure has affected a majority of individuals across the globe. It is the principal cause of kidney and cardiovascular diseases and in combination with diabetes; it has been associated with more than half of all deaths in the world (Hypertension often ignored, 1997). Despite its severity and prevalence, if left untreated, high blood pressure is a disease that is extremely unpredictable. Of those suffering hypertension, it is only seventy percent (70%) who are aware of their condition. Accordingly, 59% seeks treatment and 34% have been perceived to have the condition under some control. The major problem being experienced is that, hypertension’s specific linking factors to heart and kid ney diseases are not fully discovered. Hypertension has no clearly defined symptoms, which makes many people to continue leading risky lifestyles even after developing the condition. It can only be detected when it has damaged the blood vessels to the extent of producing devastating symptoms. For this reason, individuals are advised to check their blood pressure regularly. Life style changes with interventional approaches such as exercise, salt restriction, relaxation and the utilization of pharmaceutical products will help in increasing life expectancy of those individuals affected with the condition (Hansson, 1996). These interventions are significant as they help in dilating the artery to decrease blood pressure. The purpose of this paper is to document current statistics of individuals affected with the condition, document how different body systems are affected by the condition and illustrate any treatment/ medications available for dealing with the condition. Statistics of Ind ividuals Affected With Hypertension According to the world Health Statistic (2012), there is a growing concern across the globe on the spread of communicable diseases. This report notes that one in three grownups in the world views hypertension as the principle cause of deaths resulting from heart failure or stroke. Widespread treatment and diagnosis with low cost medication in high-income countries have resulted to the reduction of mean high blood pressure across populations. Furthermore, this has significantly reduced the number of deaths as a result of heart diseases. However, in Africa, more than forty percent (40%) of adults in numerous countries are approximated to have been diagnosed with high blood pressure. A majority of these individuals remain undiagnosed even though the condition can be treated with low-cost medications. Given the fact that the average prevalence of hypertension in the world is approximately 10%, about one third of pacific Island countries population has been diagnosed with this condition. Left untreated, hypertension can damage the body severely and result in certain death. In the United States, about 76.4 million people aged twenty and above suffer from hypertension. According to the High Blood Pressure 2012 Statistical Fact Sheet, high blood pressure is the principal cause of death among the American populace. For instance, in 2008, 61,005 Americans died from the disease. As from 1998-2008, individuals

Stalking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stalking - Research Paper Example Any violence the victim relates, past or present, should be taken seriously. Stalkers will only become more violent if violence is already present. Damaged property should be taken seriously only after violence. The pattern of stalking can be very important in predicting future attacks. Any stalker information can help create a profile. This profile can put the stalkers in one of five categories. Davis (2005) reports the five categories as: 5. The predator. This is about sex gratification, control, and violence. The stalker doesnt necessarily know the victim. The victim may not know she is being stalked. But a predator plans their attack, rehearses it, has lots of sexual fantasies about it. The intake form above creates an evaluation as unique as the assessment. This type of form will need to be assessed and evaluated based on the answers. Since the answers are going to vary, the evaluations will also vary. If the assessment above finds violence, property destruction, and the characteristics of the predator or intimacy-seeking stalker, these should be given priority. These stalkers will not go away or stop. If there is no violence, property destruction, and the characteristics of a resentful stalker, these should be given less priority. However, every stalker has the potential to be violent. Each case should be studied individually. In conclusion, it should be noted that not every stalker will be stopped. Some cases will end up in fatalities, casualties, and other harm done. Some cases will be solved and the behavior stopped. There is no assessment and evaluation miracle. Not all behavior can be predicted. The above intake, assessment, and evaluation should be used as tool. It should never be used to convict a stalker. It should only predict

Characteristic of management Essay Example for Free

Characteristic of management Essay With the progress of history, the definition, content, method and characteristic of management is in constant development. The history of management theory and idea is evolving. Between the twentieth century and twenty first century, the environment of management has been changed from stable and predictable to unending changeable. According to Kiechel’s (2012) theory, with the definite law, principle and regulation, management belong to a real science system. In this essay, two topics will be discussed. The first one is management theories and ideas have changed over time with two factors which are the transformation of labor were treated from machine to human and the connection between organization and external environment. The second one is the three most important differences between now and then. The three differences are increasingly fierce competition, personalized customer demand and how to improve competitiveness. The development of management theory and practice are closely related. Management theory is based on the understanding of management system and frame after summarized the experience from the accumulation management. However, this understanding also leads to the management practice. First of all, the transformation of labor were treated from machine to human is one factor. After the mid nineteen twenties the human relations theory and behavior management theory began to pay attention to human has many special factors different from the objects. On the human factor, first of all should be attributed to Mayo and his in the test of Hawthorne factory. Hawthorne test is a management test of Mayo by Hawthorne telephone factory which belong to Western Electric Company in the United States. Testing began in 1924 and Mayo conducted a series of surveys, tests and interviews. After that, the summary from Mayo (1933) of human psychological factors and social factors has great impact on the production efficiency. The staff is social person; they need social psychology rather than simply the pursuit of income and material. Therefore, the managers of the enterprise should not only focus on the technical and economic factors of management, but also improve labor  productivity from the social and psychological aspects to encourage workers. Volberda (2012) has said that expect formal organization, there are some informal ones. Informal organization is spontaneous formation by nature from the people contact. However, people’s behavior from the informal organization is always following the emotional logic character decides relationship. The external environment become connects to organization. Some of manager’s work on employees by coerces punishment and fire to increase the stress of them. The strict supervision and control mode to staff actually reflected in Taylors scientific management service and the traditional management mode. The others the others has concept of management that will be advocated management method which is people oriented by human, tolerant, democratic in management behavior. The objectives of the organization are combined individual objectives well and create favorable conditions for employees to develop the wisdom and potential. Then, there are three most important differences between now and then which increasingly fierce competitions, personalized customer demand and how to improve competitiveness. Firstly, with the liberalization policy, business globalization and capital operation mode, the regional and industry boundaries were abolished which makes the competition more intense. That leads to the difference by increasingly fierce competitions. With the opinion of Parker (2005), a long time ago, the research which based on strategic alliances and joined ventures was found. Cooperation and competition were founded to be a virtue and he analysis that competition is good to become to cooperation which is a good idea from the growing global economic. Secondly, Customers become the dominant force in the market by the expansion of product pile up in excessive requirement and income gap which leads to customer demand for personalized. Abrahamson (1966) suggested that, change is a global effect; the customer is more sensitive on the quality of the product or service. Managers should seek a new technology to help them handle new conditions which is the performance gap caused by environmental changes. Finally, with the widely used of the development of science and technology and information technology, lots of things could be done which may not be done easily. So the traditional management mode faces the enormous challenge. Moreover, by Rodrigues(2001)’ theory, the development of effective management skills to deal with specific problems and challenges of each organization in the global competitive environment is to make a frame work. The urgent need of many enterprises and organizations are rapid changes in technology and the environment. Today, the new trend of training and development organizations around the world are dealt within their own organization. In order to achieve networked, flat, flexible, effective development skills, specific challenges different new organizations of their mission and objectives of the organizations all over the word. Effective management skills help people and organizations to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. The rapid development of globalization and technology shows that we are in fierce competition. Proper management is crucial to the complex environment. The quality manager and effective management style can determine the organizational culture with productive employees and ultimately, success or failure. Managers should encourage, guide, supervise, motivate employee and coordination capacity to promote action and guide change his leadership and other training manager. Management and utilization planning, organization and communication skills are important leadership, more in quality such as integrity, honesty, courage, commitment, sincerity, enthusiasm, determination, compassion and sensitivity. In conclusion, management theories and ideas have changed over time with two factors which are the transformation of labor were treated from machine to human and the connection between organization and external environment. At the same time, there are three most important differences between now and then. The three differences are increasingly fierce competition, personalized customer demand and how to improve competitiveness. Twenty first Century for humans is a new age, we need according to the new rules to face and the formation of new rules depends on innovation which is the foundation of learning. Finally, Learning and innovation is the key in twenty first Century to deal with the environmental change. Reference 1.Abrahamson, E. (1996). Management fashion. Academy of Management Review, 21, 1, 245-285. 2. Parker, L. D., Ritson, P. (2005). Fads, stereotypes and management gurus: Fayol and Follett today. Management Decision, 43, 10, 1335-57. 3. Kiechel, W. (2012). The management century. Harvard Business Review, 90, 11, 62-75. 4. Rodrigues, C. A. (2001). Fayols 14 principles of management then and now: A framework for managing todays organizations effectively. Management Decision, 39, 10, 880-889. 5. Mayo,G.E. (1933). The Human Problems of an Industrialized Civilization, 25,3, 33-45. 6. Volberda, H. (2012). Contingency Fit, Institutional Fit, and Firm Performance: A Metafit Approach to Organization-Environment Relationships. Organization science, 23, 4, 1040 -1055.

Education For Media Literacy Media Essay

Education For Media Literacy Media Essay Media literacy is an approach to education which provides a framework to analyze, evaluate and access messages in various forms and thereby building an understanding of the role of media in the society as well as self-expressions required for citizens of a democracy. Media literacy is the ability to know and understand how the mass media works. This includes how they are organized, how they produce their meanings and how they use them wisely. A person who is media literate can clearly describe the role of media in their lives. He or she understands the basics of various media and enjoys using them deliberately in a conscious way. He or she has full recognition that protects them from being unnecessarily frightened and therefore has a full control of his or her media experiences. Often, the media is lumped together as a single entity but in reality it is actually many forms of communication like the newspapers, billboards, television, radio, magazines, video games, computer games and videocassettes. Education for media literacy uses the inquiry-based pedagogic, model which encourages the people to ask questions in relation to what they read, hear and watch. Media literacy provides tools which help people analyze messages and offer them opportunities to broaden their experience of media. It assists them develop creative skills in coming up with their own media messages. Critical analysis includes identifying the author, his purpose and point of view, examining the construction techniques and genres, patterns of media presentation and detecting any bias, censorship and propaganda available in the news and public programming. Media literacy explores how structural features like the media ownership and funding model affects the information presented. Media literate people are skillful in creating and producing media messages to facilitate understanding of specific qualities of each medium and at the same time create independent media and participate as active citizens. Media literacy has contributed to an expanded conceptualization of literacy which treats mass media, popular culture and digital media as types of texts that require critical evaluation and analysis. Due to the transformation process of media consumption into an active and a critical process, people have gained a bigger awareness of the potential for manipulation and misrepresentation through public relations techniques and get to know the role of mass media in constructing the views of reality. Sometimes, media literacy is viewed as a channel to address the negative side of mass media, digital media and popular culture which includes gender, media violence and racial stereotypes, concerns about loss of privacy, internet predators, the sexualization of children and cyber bullying. Media literacy provides a type of protection for children and helps them make good decisions in their consumption habits and the patterns of their use. Learning abilities linked to media literacy can be used to create learning and teaching methods for example through mobile phones, internet based learning and interactive whitboard. Media interprets the past and shows us what has made us into being the way we are. Like geography, it defines for us our place in the world. Media literacy also helps us understand the workings of our immediate world and also our places individually in it. The media is also a major source of modern culture and entertainment and also requires us to learn and use the critical thinking skills. Media literacy helps us define how we communicate with others and also helps us to adopt the edge of modern technological innovations. Media literacy also helps us determine much of the cultural diet and weave part of the fabric part of our lives. Media literacy also helps us to understand ourselves as well as misunderstand ourselves and others. It helps us interpret our world, its ideas to us and its values. Media literacy helps us understand how things work, because it has carefully planned constructed and designed products. By helping kids and teens to become media literate, we can help them protecting them against pressures from advertising and several others media forms to drink, use drugs, eat unhealthy foods and have sex. We also help them build good communication skills , put portrayals of others as well as themselves, encourage them to look into multiple interpretations of media messages and also improve their media usage habits like changing the ritualistic viewing behaviors. The goal of media literacy is not bashing or to ridicule the media because it is a dominant force in our culture and therefore should be evaluated fairly and not denigrated. Media literacy is also not a magic wand or a silver bullet to solve all our problems but rather our best defense to resist manipulation and to keep a perspective of the images and messages that are a part of the youth culture and the media. Media literacy is therefore about helping students to become competent and critical in the various media forms so that they are well equipped to control the interpretation of what they observe and hear instead of letting the interpretation to control them. To be media literate is not about memorizing or taking statistics about the media but rather learning to raise the appropriate questions about what is seen, heard or read, in other words it is the ability to think for oneself. Without this ability, an individual cannot have the full dignity to exercise citizenship in a society which is democratic.

The Subject of Relationships in Robert Frosts Poem The Mending Wall :: Mending Wall Essays

The Subject of Relationships in Robert Frost's Poem The Mending Wall Robert Frost's poem "The Mending Wall" may not seem to be a poem with a lot of meaning but if readers take time to listen to what the author has to say they will discover that it is talking about the basic relationships between people. The author is focusing on an inanimate object that separated two individuals even though it is nothing more than a little stone wall in the middle of a field. Something there is that doesn't love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun; And makes gaps even two can pass abreast The above selection of the poem shows how impersonal the wall is. There is no humanity associated with this object, nor is there any emotion attached to it. Even thought the object has no emotion itself, there is emotion directed toward it as we see in line 1 of the poem. There is something out in the world that doesn't like this wall. Not only does this relate the author's feelings about how it keeps objects separated, This feeling of animosity has gone so far that something has gone as far as to destroy sections of the wall. I have come after them and made repair Where they have left not one stone on a stone, But they would have the rabbit out of hiding, To please the yelping dogs, The gaps I mean, The author goes even further in his description of the emotions directed at the wall, and explains that other dislike the wall as well. Although they dislike it because it is helping to hide the quarry they are after. The hunters express this dislike of the wall but physically destroying the wall, they tear it down even though it is not their wall. This goes a long way at letting the reader understand that this poem is also about relationships between people. Often times others will attack a person to get something they want with little to no regard for the person that is being attacked. But at spring mending-time we find them there. I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;

George Balanchine Essay -- Choreographer Art Ballet Essays

George Balanchine If composers are the masters of time, then the choreographer George Balanchine is the master of visual realization of that time in human terms. A master in both the kinesthetic and musical frames of creativity, he did not devote his energies to music visualization by assigning a certain number of dancers to represent strings, others the brass, and still others woodwinds or percussion but by creating a visual analogy in space that restates the musical structure with the trained dancer's body. He claimed that "Ballet... should not be an illustrator of even...the most substantive of literary sources. It will speak for itself. The ballet is flowers, beauty, poetry...I am, if you please, an advocate of pure art." Balanchine's most intense desire was "to make audiences see music and hear dancing." Georgi Melitonovitch Balanchivadze was born the second of three children to Meliton Balanchivadze and his wife Marie on January 22,1904 in the village of Banodzha in western Georgia. His older sister was named Tamara and his younger brother, Andrei. Georgi was a very reserved child and never showed his emotions. When he was punished he would hide, afraid someone would see him crying. When translated, balanchivadze means "jester's son", which always amused Balanchine because his father was a singer and composer, and his mother was a pianist who encouraged the musical development of her children. When Meliton was home from his many tours and study trips he would teach the children to sing, and all three of them took piano lessons. At parties Andrei and Tamara would often dance for the guests but Georgi refused because he hated anything to do with dance and performance. When she reached the official age for admitt... ... companies perform at least one Balanchine work. Upon his death, it was written in the New York Review of Books that "George Balanchine liked to say, quoting Mayakovsky, 'I am not a man, but a cloud in trousers.' And now that luminous cloud has floated off, leaving us with a loss far deeper than the grave." Works Cited: A Ballet Society Book. Portraits of Mr. B: Photographs of George Balanchine. New York: The Viking Press, 1984. Buckle, Richard. George Balanchine: Ballet Master. New York: Random House, 1988. Flatow, Sheryl. "The Balanchine Trust: Guardian of the Legacy". Dance Magazine. December 1990, p 58-61. McDonagh, Don. George Balanchine. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1983. Reynolds, Nancy. "Balanchine in the USSR: Cultural Revelation". Dance Magazine. January 1994, p 88-90. Taper, Bernard. Balanchine: A Biography. New York: Times Books, 1984.

The Pentium Flaw

Back in June, 1994 the Pentium Flaw was noticed by Intel testers, who had discovered a division error on the Pentium chip. Intel managers didn’t see this as a major problem so they kept this from anyone outside their corporation. The nature of this issue was a mathematical problem in their Floating Point Unit (FPU), or the math coprocessor. The Pentium chip was having glitches in calculating large divisions. It wasn’t until October 19th, when Dr. Thomas R.  Nicely had revealed the malfunction of the (FPU) trying to do certain calculations. Dr. Nicely was a mathematics teacher at Lynchburg College in Virginia.After running several test on the 486 and Pentium he had pin pointed the error to the Pentium chip. Dr. Nicely contacted Intel and they had confirmed the error, but said they had no reports till then. Intel handled the situation very poorly; they would not return contact to Dr. Nicely, forcing him to write a letter on the internet about the flaw.Even then Intel co ntinued to consider the problem as minor. The internet was getting loads of articles on the flaw and people were making a joke out of Intel. By not letting the industry know about the Pentium glitch, Intel showed their selves to be untrustworthy to the costumer. There are so many different ways Intel could have handled their mistake. They chose to rather send a measly email of apology from the President of Intel with the wrong address. This infuriated costumers saying it was a fake.In the Pentium problem (Janeba, 1995) wrote: Intel's policy, when it first publicly admitted the problem around November 28 of 1994, was to replace Pentium chips only for those who could explain their need of high accuracy in complex calculations. Intel tried to fix the problem still as a minor error and kept delaying the proper fix. By Intel postponing the fix on the (FPU) cost them even more money than what it would have, if they’d answer back right away with an honorable fix. This goes to show y ou learn from your mistakes.Eventually in late December Intel declared they would replace all flawed chips upon request. Now Intel has employees who keep up on newsgroups on the internet to see what people are saying about Intel; and they now conduct a better follow up with unsatisfied costumers. I believe Intel did handle this publicity very incorrectly. For being a well-known corporation they didn’t act like it. When they first got word of Dr. Nicely and his discovery on the flaw, Intel should’ve immediately contacted the professor with any apology and offered to replace the bad one.If this procedure would have been done the professor would have been happy, and never have written what he did. Then customers possibly wouldn’t have known of the flaw. In my opinion of the question, what would happen today if this same problem occurred? I don’t think Intel would take the same route they did back then. Intel is a well-established corporation and I believe th ey would act faithfully with great hast, to solve the problem. I think they have a greater appreciation of their customers now, since this whole Pentium Flaw hit the fan. The Pentium Flaw Back in June, 1994 the Pentium Flaw was noticed by Intel testers, who had discovered a division error on the Pentium chip. Intel managers didn’t see this as a major problem so they kept this from anyone outside their corporation. The nature of this issue was a mathematical problem in their Floating Point Unit (FPU), or the math coprocessor. The Pentium chip was having glitches in calculating large divisions. It wasn’t until October 19th, when Dr. Thomas R.Nicely had revealed the malfunction of the (FPU) trying to do certain calculations. Dr. Nicely was a mathematics teacher at Lynchburg College in Virginia. After running several test on the 486 and Pentium he had pin pointed the error to the Pentium chip. Dr. Nicely contacted Intel and they had confirmed the error, but said they had no reports till then. Intel handled the situation very poorly; they would not return contact to Dr. Nicely, forcing him to write a letter on the internet about the flaw.Even then Intel conti nued to consider the problem as minor. The internet was getting loads of articles on the flaw and people were making a joke out of Intel. By not letting the industry know about the Pentium glitch, Intel showed their selves to be untrustworthy to the costumer. There are so many different ways Intel could have handled their mistake. They chose to rather send a measly email of apology from the President of Intel with the wrong address. This infuriated costumers saying it was a fake.In the Pentium problem (Janeba, 1995) wrote: Intel's policy, when it first publicly admitted the problem around November 28 of 1994, was to replace Pentium chips only for those who could explain their need of high accuracy in complex calculations. Intel tried to fix the problem still as a minor error and kept delaying the proper fix. By Intel postponing the fix on the (FPU) cost them even more money than what it would have, if they’d answer back right away with an honorable fix. This goes to show you learn from your mistakes.Eventually in late December Intel declared they would replace all flawed chips upon request. Now Intel has employees who keep up on newsgroups on the internet to see what people are saying about Intel; and they now conduct a better follow up with unsatisfied costumers. I believe Intel did handle this publicity very incorrectly. For being a well-known corporation they didn’t act like it. When they first got word of Dr. Nicely and his discovery on the flaw, Intel should’ve immediately contacted the professor with any apology and offered to replace the bad one.If this procedure would have been done the professor would have been happy, and never have written what he did. Then customers possibly wouldn’t have known of the flaw. In my opinion of the question, what would happen today if this same problem occurred? I don’t think Intel would take the same route they did back then. Intel is a well-established corporation and I believe they would act faithfully with great hast, to solve the problem. I think they have a greater appreciation of their customers now, since this whole Pentium Flaw hit the fan.

The Host Chapter 51: Prepared

I found Jared and Jamie in our room, waiting for me, worry on both their faces. Jared must have talked to Jeb. â€Å"Are you all right?† Jared asked me, while Jamie jumped up and threw his arms around my waist. I wasn't sure how to answer his question. I didn't know the answer. â€Å"Jared, I need your help.† Jared was on his feet as soon as I was done speaking. Jamie leaned back to look at my face. I didn't meet Jamie's gaze. I wasn't sure how much I could bear right now. â€Å"What do you need me to do?† Jared asked. â€Å"I'm making a raid. I could use some†¦ extra muscle.† â€Å"What are we after?† He was intense, already shifting into his mission mode. â€Å"I'll explain on the way. We don't have a lot of time.† â€Å"Can I come?† Jamie said. â€Å"No!† Jared and I said together. Jamie frowned and let me go, sinking down onto the mattress and crossing his legs. He put his face in his hands and sulked. I couldn't look directly at him before I ducked out of the room. I was already yearning to sit beside him, to hold him tight and forget this whole mess. Jared followed as I retraced my path through the south tunnel. â€Å"Why this way?† he asked. â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He would know if I tried to lie or evade. â€Å"I don't want to run into anyone. Jeb, Aaron, or Brandt, particularly.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I don't want to have to explain myself to them. Not yet.† He was quiet, trying to make sense of my answer. I changed the subject. â€Å"Do you know where Lily is? I don't think she should be alone. She seems†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Ian's with her.† â€Å"That's good. He's the kindest.† Ian would help Lily-he was exactly what she needed now. Who would help Ian when†¦? I shook my head, shaking the thought away. â€Å"What are we in such a hurry to get?† Jared asked me. I took a deep breath before I answered him. â€Å"Cryotanks.† The south tunnel was black. I could not see his face. His footsteps did not falter beside me, and he didn't say anything for several minutes. When he spoke again, I could hear that he was focusing on the raid-single-minded, setting aside whatever curiosity he felt until after the mission was planned to his satisfaction. â€Å"Where do we get them?† â€Å"Empty cryotanks are stored outside Healing facilities until they're needed. With more souls coming in than leaving, there will be a surplus. No one will guard them; no one will notice if some go missing.† â€Å"Are you sure? Where did you get this information?† â€Å"I saw them in Chicago, piles and piles of them. Even the little facility we went to in Tucson had a small store of them, crated outside the delivery bay.† â€Å"If they were crated, then how can you be sure -â€Å" â€Å"Haven't you noticed our fondness for labels?† â€Å"I'm not doubting you,† he said. â€Å"I just want to make sure that you've thought this through.† I heard the double meaning in his words. â€Å"I have.† â€Å"Let's get it done, then.† Doc was already gone-already with Jeb, as we hadn't passed him on the way. He must have left right behind me. I wondered how his news was being taken. I hoped they weren't stupid enough to discuss it in front of the Seeker. Would she shred her human host's brain if she guessed what I was doing? Would she assume I'd turned traitor entirely? That I would give the humans what they needed with no restrictions? Wasn't that what I was about to do, though? When I was gone, would Doc bother to keep his word? Yes, he would try. I believed that. I had to believe that. But he couldn't do it alone. And who would help him? We scrambled up the tight black vent that opened onto the southern face of the rocky hill, about halfway up the low peak. The eastern edge of the horizon was turning gray, with just a hint of pink bleeding into the line between sky and rock. My eyes were locked on my feet as I climbed down. It was necessary; there was no path, and the loose rocks made for treacherous footing. But even if the way had been paved and smooth, I doubted I would have been able to lift my eyes. My shoulders, too, seemed trapped in a slump. Traitor. Not a misfit, not a wanderer. Just a traitor. I was putting my gentle brothers' and sisters' lives into the angry and motivated hands of my adopted human family. My humans had every right to hate the souls. This was a war, and I was giving them a weapon. A way to kill with impunity. I considered this as we ran through the desert in the growing light of dawn-ran because, with the Seekers looking, we shouldn't be out in the daylight. Focusing on this angle-viewing my choice not as a sacrifice but rather as arming the humans in exchange for the Seeker's life-I knew that it was wrong. And if I was trying to save only the Seeker, this would be the moment when I would change my mind and turn around. She wasn't worth selling out the others. Even she would agree with that. Or would she? I suddenly wondered. The Seeker didn't seem to be as†¦ what was the word Jared had used? Altruistic. As altruistic as the rest of us. Maybe she would count her own life dearer than the lives of many. But it was too late to change my mind. I'd already thought far beyond just saving the Seeker. For one thing, this would happen again. The humans would kill any souls they came across unless I gave them another option. More than that, I was going to save Melanie, and that was worth the sacrifice. I was going to save Jared and Jamie, too. Might as well save the repugnant Seeker while I was at it. The souls were wrong to be here. My humans deserved their world. I could not give it back to them, but I could give them this. If only I could be sure that they would not be cruel. I would just have to trust Doc, and hope. And maybe wring the promise from a few more of my friends, just in case. I wondered how many human lives I would save. How many souls' lives I might save. The only one I couldn't save now was myself. I sighed heavily. Even over the sound of our exerted breathing, Jared heard that. In my peripheral vision, I saw his face turn, felt his eyes boring into me, but I did not look over to meet his gaze. I stared at the ground. We got to the jeep's hiding place before the sun had climbed over the eastern peaks, though the sky was already light blue. We ducked into the shallow cave just as the first rays painted the desert sand gold. Jared grabbed two bottles of water out of the backseat, tossed one to me, and then lounged against the wall. He gulped down half a bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he spoke. â€Å"I could tell you were in a hurry to get out of there, but we need to wait until dark if you're planning a smash and grab.† I swallowed my mouthful of water. â€Å"That's fine. I'm sure they'll wait for us now.† His eyes searched my face. â€Å"I saw your Seeker,† he told me, watching my reaction. â€Å"She's†¦ energetic.† I nodded. â€Å"And vocal.† He smiled and rolled his eyes. â€Å"She doesn't seem to enjoy the accommodations we provided.† My gaze dropped to the floor. â€Å"Could be worse,† I mumbled. The strangely jealous hurt I'd been feeling leaked, uninvited, into my voice. â€Å"That's true,† he agreed, his voice subdued. â€Å"Why are they so kind to her?† I whispered. â€Å"She killed Wes.† â€Å"Well, that's your fault.† I stared up at him, surprised to see the slight curve of his mouth; he was teasing me. â€Å"Mine?† His small smile wavered. â€Å"They didn't want to feel like monsters. Not again. They're trying to make up for before, only a little too late-and with the wrong soul. I didn't realize that would†¦ hurt your feelings. I would have thought you'd like it better that way.† â€Å"I do.† I didn't want them to hurt anyone. â€Å"It's always better to be kind. I just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I took a deep breath. â€Å"I'm glad I know why.† Their kindess was for me, not for her. My shoulders felt lighter. â€Å"It's not a good feeling-knowing that you profoundly deserve the title of monster. It's better to be kind than to feel guilty.† He smiled again and then yawned. That made me yawn. â€Å"Long night,† he commented. â€Å"And we've got another one coming. We should sleep.† I was glad for his suggestion. I knew he had many questions about exactly what this raid meant. I also knew he would have already put several things together. And I didn't want to discuss any of it. I stretched out on the smooth patch of sand beside the jeep. To my shock, Jared came to lie beside me, right beside me. He curled around the curve of my back. â€Å"Here,† he said, and he reached around to slide his fingers under my face. He pulled my head up from the ground and then moved his arm under it, making a pillow for me. He let his other arm drape over my waist. It took a few seconds before I was able to respond. â€Å"Thanks.† He yawned. I felt his breath warm the back of my neck. â€Å"Get some rest, Wanda.† Holding me in what could only be considered an embrace, Jared fell asleep quickly, as he had always been able to do. I tried to relax with his arm warm around me, but it took a long time. This embrace made me wonder how much he had already guessed. My weary thoughts tangled and twisted. Jared was right-it had been a very long night. Though not half long enough. The rest of my days and nights were going to fly by as if they were only minutes. The next thing I knew, Jared was shaking me awake. The light in the little cavern was dim and orangey. Sunset. Jared pulled me to my feet and handed me a hiker's meal bar-this was the kind of rations they kept with the jeep. We ate, and drank the rest of our water, in silence. Jared's face was serious and focused. â€Å"Still in a hurry?† he asked as we climbed into the jeep. No. I wanted the time to stretch out forever. â€Å"Yes.† What was the point in putting it off? The Seeker and her body would die if we waited too long, and I would still have to make the same choice. â€Å"We'll hit Phoenix, then. It's logical that they wouldn't notice this kind of raid. It doesn't make sense for humans to take your cold-storage tanks. What possible use could we have for them?† The question didn't sound at all rhetorical, and I could feel him looking at me again. But I stared ahead at the rocks and said nothing. It had been dark for a while by the time we traded vehicles and got to the freeway. Jared waited a few careful minutes with the inconspicuous sedan's lights off. I counted ten cars passing by. Then there was a long darkness between the headlights, and Jared pulled onto the road. The trip to Phoenix was very short, though Jared kept the speed scrupulously below the limit. Time was speeding up, as if the Earth were spinning faster. We settled into the steady-moving traffic, flowing with it along the highway that circled the flat, sprawling city. I saw the hospital from the road. We followed another car up the exit ramp, moving evenly, without hurry. Jared turned into the main parking lot. â€Å"Where now?† he asked, tense. â€Å"See if this road continues around the back. The tanks will be by a loading area.† Jared drove slowly. There were many souls here, going in and out of the facility, some of them in scrubs. Healers. No one paid us any particular attention. The road hugged the sidewalk, then curved around the north side of the building complex. â€Å"Look. Shipping trucks. Head that way.† We passed between a wing of low buildings and a parking garage. Several trucks, delivering medical supplies no doubt, were backed into receiving ports. I scanned the crates on the dock, all labeled. â€Å"Keep going†¦ though we might want to grab some of those on the way back. See-Heal†¦ Cool†¦ Still? I wonder what that one is.† I liked that these supplies were labeled and left unguarded. My family wouldn't go without the things they needed when I was gone. When I was gone; it seemed that phrase was tacked on to all of my thoughts now. We rounded the back of another building. Jared drove a little faster and kept his eyes forward-there were people here, four of them, unloading a truck onto a dock. It was the exactness of their movements that caught my attention. They didn't handle the smallish boxes roughly; quite the contrary, they placed them with infinite care onto the waist-high lip of concrete. I didn't really need the label for confirmation, but just then, one of the unloaders turned his box so the black letters faced me directly. â€Å"This is the place we want. They're unloading occupied tanks right now. The empty ones won't be far†¦ Ah! There, on the other side. That shed is half full of them. I'll bet the closed sheds are all the way full.† Jared kept driving at the same careful speed, turning the corner to the side of the building. He snorted quietly. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Figures. See?† He jerked his chin toward the sign on the building. This was the maternity wing. â€Å"Ah,† I said. â€Å"Well, you'll always know where to look, won't you?† His eyes flashed to my face when I said that, and then back to the road. â€Å"We'll have to wait for a bit. Looked like they were almost finished.† Jared circled the hospital again, then parked at the back of the biggest lot, away from the lights. He killed the engine and slumped against the seat. He reached over and took my hand. I knew that he was about to ask, and I tried to prepare myself. â€Å"Wanda?† â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"You're going to save the Seeker, aren't you?† â€Å"Yes, I am.† â€Å"Because it's the right thing to do?† he guessed. â€Å"That's one reason.† He was silent for a moment. â€Å"You know how to get the soul out without hurting the body?† My heart thumped hard once, and I had to swallow before I could answer. â€Å"Yes. I've done it before. In an emergency. Not here.† â€Å"Where?† he asked. â€Å"What was the emergency?† It was a story I'd never told them before, for obvious reasons. It was one of my best. Lots of action. Jamie would have loved it. I sighed and began in a low voice. â€Å"On the Mists Planet. I was with my friend Harness Light and a guide. I don't remember the guide's name. They called me Lives in the Stars there. I already had a bit of a reputation.† Jared chuckled. â€Å"We were making a pilgrimage across the fourth great ice field to see one of the more celebrated crystal cities. It was supposed to be a safe route-that's why there were only three of us. â€Å"Claw beasts like to dig pits and bury themselves in the snow. Camouflage, you know. A trap. â€Å"One moment, there was nothing but the flat, endless snow. Then, the next moment, it seemed like the entire field of white was exploding into the sky. â€Å"An average adult Bear has about the mass of a buffalo. A full-grown claw beast is closer to the mass of a blue whale. This one was bigger than most. â€Å"I couldn't see the guide. The claw beast had sprung up between us, facing where Harness Light and I stood. Bears are faster than claw beasts, but this one had the advantage of the ambush. Its huge stone-like pincers swooped down and sheared Harness Light in half before I'd really processed what was happening.† A car drove slowly down the side of the parking lot. We sat silent until it had passed. â€Å"I hesitated. I should have started running, but†¦ my friend was dying there on the ice. Because of that hesitation, I would have died, too, if the claw beast hadn't been distracted. I found out later that our guide-I wish I could remember his name!-had attacked the claw beast's tail, hoping to give us a chance to run. The claw beast's attack had stirred up enough snow that it was like a blizzard. The lack of visibility would help us escape. He didn't know it was already too late for Harness Light to run. â€Å"The claw beast turned on the guide, and his second left leg kicked us, sending me flying. Harness Light's upper body landed beside me. His blood melted the snow.† I paused to shudder. â€Å"My next action made no sense, because I had no body for Harness Light. We were midway between cities, much too far to run to either. It was probably cruel, too, to take him out with no painkillers. But I couldn't stand to let him die inside the broken half of his Bear host. â€Å"I used the back of my hand-the ice-cutting side. It was too wide a blade†¦ It caused a lot of damage. I could only hope that Harness Light was far gone enough that he wouldn't feel the extra pain. â€Å"Using my soft inside fingers, I coaxed Harness Light from the Bear's brain. â€Å"He was still alive. I barely paused to ascertain this. I shoved him into the egg pocket in the center of my body, between the two hottest hearts. This would keep him from dying of cold, but he would only last a few short minutes without a body. And where would I find a host body in this empty waste? â€Å"I thought of trying to share my host, but I doubted I could stay conscious through the procedure to insert him into my own head. And then, having no healing medicine, I would die quickly. With all those hearts, Bears bled very fast. â€Å"The claw beast roared, and I felt the ground shake as its huge paws thudded down. I didn't know where our guide was, or if he lived. I didn't know how long it would take the claw beast to find us half-buried in the snow. I was right beside the severed Bear. The bright blood would draw the monster's eyes. â€Å"And then I got this crazy idea.† I paused to laugh quietly to myself. â€Å"I didn't have a Bear host for Harness Light. I couldn't use my body. The guide was dead or had fled. But there was one other body on the ice field. â€Å"It was insanity, but all I could think of was Harness Light. We weren't even close friends, but I knew he was slowly dying, right between my hearts. I couldn't endure that. â€Å"I heard the angry claw beast roaring, and I ran toward the sound. Soon I could see its thick white fur. I ran straight to its third left leg and launched myself as high up the leg as I could. I was a good jumper. I used all six of my hands, the knife sides, to yank myself up the side of the beast. It roared and spun, but that didn't help. Picture a dog chasing its tail. Claw beasts have very small brains-a limited intelligence. â€Å"I made it to the beast's back and ran up the double spine, digging in with my knives so that it couldn't shake me off. â€Å"It only took seconds to get up to the beast's head. But that was where the greatest difficulty waited. My ice cutters were only†¦ about as long as your forearm, maybe. The claw beast's hide was twice as thick. I swung my arm down as hard as I could, slashing through the first layer of fur and membrane. The claw beast screamed and reared back on its hindmost legs. I almost fell. â€Å"I lodged four of my hands into its hide-it screamed and thrashed. With the other two, I took turns cutting at the gash I'd made. The skin was so thick and tough, I didn't know if I would be able to saw through. â€Å"The claw beast went berserk. It shook so hard that it was all I could do to hold on for a moment. But time was running out for Harness Light. I shoved my hands into the hole and tried to rip it open. â€Å"Then the claw beast threw itself backward onto the ice. â€Å"If we hadn't been over its lair, the pit it had dug to hide in, that would have crushed me. As it was, though it knocked me silly, the fall actually helped. My knives were already in the beast's neck. When I hit the ground, the weight of the beast drove my cutters deep through its skin. Deeper than I needed. â€Å"We were both stunned; I was half smothered. I knew I had to do something right away, but I couldn't remember what it was. The beast started to roll, dazed. The fresh air cleared my head, and I remembered Harness Light. â€Å"Protecting him from the cold as well as I could in the soft side of my hands, I moved him from my egg pocket into the claw beast's neck. â€Å"The beast got to its feet and bucked again. This time I flew off. I'd let go of my hold to insert Harness Light, you see. The claw beast was infuriated. The wound on its head wasn't nearly enough to kill it-just annoy it. â€Å"The snow had settled enough that I was in plain sight, especially as I was painted with the beast's blood. It's a very bright color, a color you don't have here. It raised its pincers, and they swung toward me. I thought that was it, and I was comforted a little that at least I would die trying. â€Å"And then the pincers hit the snow beside me. I couldn't believe it had missed! I stared up at the huge, hideous face, and I almost had to†¦ well, not laugh. Bears don't laugh. But that was the feeling. Because that ugly face was torn with confusion and surprise and chagrin. No claw beast had ever worn such an expression before. â€Å"It had taken Harness Light a few minutes to bind himself to the claw beast-it was such a big area, he really had to extend himself. But then he was in control. He was confused and slow-he didn't have much of a brain to work with, but it was enough that he knew I was his friend. â€Å"I had to ride him to the crystal city-to hold the wound closed on his neck until we could reach a Healer. That caused quite a stir. For a while they called me Rides the Beast. I didn't like it. I made them go back to my other name.† I'd been staring ahead, toward the lights of the hospital and the figures of the souls crossing in front of those lights, as I told the story. Now I looked at Jared for the first time. He was gaping at me, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. It really was one of my best stories. I'd have to get Mel to promise that she'd tell it to Jamie when I was†¦ â€Å"They're probably finished unloading, don't you think?† I said quickly. â€Å"Let's finish this and get back home.† He stared at me for one more moment, and then shook his head slowly. â€Å"Yes, let's finish this, Wanderer, Lives in the Stars, Rides the Beast. Stealing a few unguarded crates won't present much of a challenge for you, will it?†