Deception Point Page 35

The tourists laughed. Gabrielle followed past the stairway through a series of ropes and barricades into a more private section of the building. Here they entered a room Gabrielle had only seen in books and on television. Her breath grew short. My God, this is the Map Room! No tour ever came in here. The room's paneled walls could swing outward to reveal layer upon layer of world maps. This was the place where Roosevelt had charted the course of World War II. Unsettlingly, it was also the room from which Clinton had admitted his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Gabrielle pushed that particular thought from her mind. Most important, the Map Room was a passageway into the West Wing-the area inside the White House where the true powerbrokers worked. This was the last place Gabrielle Ashe had expected to be going. She had imagined her e-mail was coming from some enterprising young intern or secretary working in one of the complex's more mundane offices. Apparently not. I'm going into the West Wing†¦ The Secret Serviceman marched her to the very end of a carpeted hallway and stopped at an unmarked door. He knocked. Gabrielle's heart was pounding. â€Å"It's open,† someone called from inside. The man opened the door and motioned for Gabrielle to enter. Gabrielle stepped in. The shades were down, and the room was dim. She could see the faint outline of a person sitting at a desk in the darkness. â€Å"Ms. Ashe?† The voice came from behind a cloud of cigarette smoke. â€Å"Welcome.† As Gabrielle's eyes accustomed to the dark, she began to make out an unsettlingly familiar face, and her muscles went taut with surprise. THIS is who has been sending me e-mail? â€Å"Thank you for coming,† Marjorie Tench said, her voice cold. â€Å"Ms†¦. Tench?† Gabrielle stammered, suddenly unable to breathe. â€Å"Call me Marjorie.† The hideous woman stood up, blowing smoke out of her nose like a dragon. â€Å"You and I are about to become best friends.† 41 Norah Mangor stood at the extraction shaft beside Tolland, Rachel, and Corky and stared into the pitch-black meteorite hole. â€Å"Mike,† she said, â€Å"you're cute, but you're insane. There's no bioluminescence here.† Tolland now wished he'd thought to take some video; while Corky had gone to find Norah and Ming, the bioluminescence had begun fading rapidly. Within a couple of minutes, all the twinkling had simply stopped. Tolland threw another piece of ice into the water, but nothing happened. No green splash. â€Å"Where did they go?† Corky asked. Tolland had a fairly good idea. Bioluminescence-one of nature's most ingenious defense mechanisms-was a natural response for plankton in distress. A plankton sensing it was about to be consumed by larger organisms would begin flashing in hopes of attracting much larger predators that would scare off the original attackers. In this case, the plankton, having entered the shaft through a crack, suddenly found themselves in a primarily freshwater environment and bioluminesced in panic as the freshwater slowly killed them. â€Å"I think they died.† â€Å"They were murdered,† Norah scoffed. â€Å"The Easter Bunny swam in and ate them.† Corky glared at her. â€Å"I saw the luminescence too, Norah.† â€Å"Was it before or after you took LSD?† â€Å"Why would we lie about this?† Corky demanded. â€Å"Men lie.† â€Å"Yeah, about sleeping with other women, but never about bioluminescent plankton.† Tolland sighed. â€Å"Norah, certainly you're aware that plankton do live in the oceans beneath the ice.† â€Å"Mike,† she replied with a glare, â€Å"please don't tell me my business. For the record, there are over two hundred species of diatoms that thrive under Arctic ice shelves. Fourteen species of autotrophic nannoflagellates, twenty heterotrophic flagellates, forty heterotrophic dinoflagellates, and several metazoans, including polychaetes, amphipods, copepods, euphausids, and fish. Any questions?† Tolland frowned. â€Å"Clearly you know more about Arctic fauna than I do, and you agree there's plenty of life underneath us. So why are you so skeptical that we saw bioluminescent plankton?† â€Å"Because, Mike, this shaft is sealed. It's a closed, freshwater environment. No ocean plankton could possibly get in here!† â€Å"I tasted salt in the water,† Tolland insisted. â€Å"Very faint, but present. Saltwater is getting in here somehow.† â€Å"Right,† Norah said skeptically. â€Å"You tasted salt. You licked the sleeve of an old sweaty parka, and now you've decided that the PODS density scans and fifteen separate core samples are inaccurate.† Tolland held out the wet sleeve of his parka as proof. â€Å"Mike, I'm not licking your damn jacket.† She looked into the hole. â€Å"Might I ask why droves of alleged plankton decided to swim into this alleged crack?† â€Å"Heat?† Tolland ventured. â€Å"A lot of sea creatures are attracted by heat. When we extracted the meteorite, we heated it. The plankton may have been drawn instinctively toward the temporarily warmer environment in the shaft.† Corky nodded. â€Å"Sounds logical.† â€Å"Logical?† Norah rolled her eyes. â€Å"You know, for a prize-winning physicist and a world-famous oceanographer, you're a couple of pretty dense specimens. Has it occurred to you that even if there is a crack-which I can assure you there is not-it is physically impossible for any sea-water to be flowing into this shaft.† She stared at both of them with pathetic disdain. â€Å"But, Norah†¦,† Corky began. â€Å"Gentlemen! We're standing above sea level here.† She stamped her foot on the ice. â€Å"Hello? This ice sheet rises a hundred feet above the sea. You might recall the big cliff at the end of this shelf? We're higher than the ocean. If there were a fissure into this shaft, the water would be flowing out of this shaft, not into it. It's called gravity.† Tolland and Corky looked at each other. â€Å"Shit,† Corky said. â€Å"I didn't think of that.† Norah pointed into the water-filled shaft. â€Å"You may also have noticed that the water level isn't changing?† Tolland felt like an idiot. Norah was absolutely right. If there had been a crack, the water would be flowing out, not in. Tolland stood in silence a long moment, wondering what to do next. â€Å"Okay.† Tolland sighed. â€Å"Apparently, the fissure theory makes no sense. But we saw bioluminescence in the water. The only conclusion is that this is not a closed environment after all. I realize much of your icedating data is built on the premise that the glacier is a solid block, but-â€Å" â€Å"Premise?† Norah was obviously getting agitated. â€Å"Remember, this was not just my data, Mike. NASA made the same findings. We all confirmed this glacier is solid. No cracks.† Tolland glanced across the dome toward the crowd gathered around the press conference area. â€Å"Whatever is going on, I think, in good faith, we need to inform the administrator and-â€Å" â€Å"This is bullshit!† Norah hissed. â€Å"I'm telling you this glacial matrix is pristine. I'm not about to have my core data questioned by a salt lick and some absurd hallucinations.† She stormed over to a nearby supply area and began collecting some tools. â€Å"I'll take a proper water sample, and show you this water contains no saltwater plankton-living or dead!† Rachel and the others looked on as Norah used a sterile pipette on a string to harvest a water sample from the melt pool. Norah placed several drops in a tiny device that resembled a miniature telescope. Then she peered through the oculus, pointing the device toward the light emanating from the other side of the dome. Within seconds she was cursing.

What Is the History of Easter

If Easter is a holiday that was created because of Jesus, then where did all the eggs and bunnies come from? Well, as I have said many, many times before, Christianity is based on much older religious texts. (Many of which were destroyed to keep the origins of Christianity a secret. Hence why they've burned so many libraries throughout history) If you want to know the long, drawn out history of Easter, then I shall share it below. Easter History : Christian and Pagan Traditions Interwoven The history of Easter reveals rich associations between the Christian faith and the seemingly unrelated practices of the early pagan religions.Easter history and traditions that we practice today evolved from pagan symbols, from the ancient goddess Ishtar to Easter eggs and the Easter bunny. Easter, perhaps the most important of the Christian holidays, celebrates the Christ's resurrection from the dead following his death on Good Friday. . . a rebirth that is commemorated around the vernal equinox, historically a time of pagan celebration that coincides with the arrival of spring and symbolizes the arrival of light and the awakening of life around us. Ostara, Goddess of Spring and the Dawn (Oestre / Eastre)Easter is named for a Saxon goddess who was known by the names of Oestre or Eastre, and in Germany by the name of Ostara. She is a goddess of the dawn and the spring, and her name derives from words for dawn, the shining light arising from the east. Our words for the â€Å"female hormone† estrogen derives from her name. Ostara was, of course, a fertility goddess. Bringing in the end of winter, with the days brighter and growing longer after the vernal equinox, Ostara had a passion for new life. Her presence was felt in the flowering of plants and the birth of babies, both animal and human.The rabbit (well known for its propensity for rapid reproduction) was her sacred animal. Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny both featured in the spring festivals of Ostara, which were initially held during the feasts of the goddess Ishtar | Inanna. Eggs are an obvious symbol of fertility, and the newborn chicks an adorable representation of new growth. Brightly colored eggs, chicks, and bunnies were all used at festival time to express appreciation for Ostara's gift of abundance. History of Easter Eggs and Easter Candy The history of Easter Eggs as a symbol of new life should come as no surprise.The notion that the Earth itself was hatched from an egg was once widespread and appears in creation stories ranging from Asian to Ireland. Eggs, in ancient times in Northern Europe, were a potent symbol of fertility and often used in rituals to guarantee a woman's ability to bear children. To this day rural â€Å"grannywomen† (lay midwives/healers in the Appalachian mountains) still use eggs to predict, with uncanny accuracy, the sex of an unborn child by watching the rotation of an egg as it is suspended by a string over the abdomen of a pregnant woman.Dyed eggs are given as gifts in many cultures. Decorated eggs bring with them a wish for the prosperity of the abundance during the coming year. Folklore suggests that Easter egg hunts arose in Europe during â€Å"the Burning Times†, when the rise of Christianity led to the shunning (and persecution) of the followers of the â€Å"Old Religion†. Instead of giving the eggs as gifts the adults made a game of hiding them, gathering the children together and encouraging them to find the eggs.Some believe that the authorities seeking to find the â€Å"heathens† would follow or bribe the children to reveal where they found the eggs so that the property owner could be brought to justice. Green Eggs . . . . . . and Ham The meat that is traditionally associated with Easter is ham. Though some might argue that ham is served at Easter since it is a â€Å"Christian† meat, (prohibited for others by the religious laws of Judaism and Islam) the origin probably lies in the early pr actices of the pagans of Northern Europe.Having slaughtered and preserved the meat of their agricultural animals during the Blood Moon celebrations the previous autumn so they would have food throughout the winter months, they would celebrate the occasion by using up the last of the remaining cured meats. In anticipation that the arrival of spring with its emerging plants and wildlife would provide them with fresh food in abundance, it was customary for many pagans to begin fasting at the time of the vernal equinox, clearing the â€Å"poisons† (and excess weight) produced by the heavier winter meals that had been stored in their bodies over the winter.Some have suggested that the purpose of this fasting may have been to create a sought-after state of â€Å"altered consciousness† in time for the spring festivals. One cannot but wonder if this practice of fasting might have been a forerunner of â€Å"giving up† foods during the Lenten season. Chocolate Easter bunn ies and eggs, marshmallow chicks in pastel colors, and candy of all sorts, most of which are given out as personalized gifts during Easter . . . these have pagan origins as well! To understand their association with religion we need to examine the meaning of food as a symbol.The ancient belief that, by eating something we take on its characteristics formed the basis for the earliest â€Å"blessings† before meals (a way to honor the life that had been sacrificed so that we as humans could enjoy life) and, presumably, for the more recent Christian sacrament of communion as well. Shaping candy Easter eggs and bunnies to celebrate the spring festival was, simply put, a way to celebrate the symbols of the goddess and the season, while laying claim to their strengths (vitality, growth, and fertility) for ourselves.The Goddess Ostara and the Easter Bunny Feeling guilty about arriving late one spring, the Goddess Ostara saved the life of a poor bird whose wings had been frozen by the snow. She made him her pet or, as some versions have it, her lover. Filled with compassion for him since he could no longer fly (in some versions, it was because she wished to amuse a group of young children), Ostara turned him into a snow hare and gave him the gift of being able to run with incredible speed so he could protect himself from hunters.In remembrance of his earlier form as a bird, she also gave him the ability to lay eggs (in all the colors of the rainbow, no less), but only on one day out of each year. Eventually the hare managed to anger the goddess Ostara, and she cast him into the skies where he would remain as the constellation Lepus (The Hare) forever positioned under the feet of the constellation Orion (the Hunter). He was allowed to return to earth once each year, but only to give away his eggs to the children attending the Ostara festivals that were held each spring. The tradition of the Easter Bunny had begun.The Hare was sacred in many ancient traditions and was associated with the moon goddesses and the various deities of the hunt. In ancient times eating the Hare was prohibited except at Beltane (Celts) and the festival of Ostara (Anglo-Saxons), when a ritual hare-hunt would take place. In many cultures rabbits, like eggs, were considered to be potent remedies for fertility problems. The ancient philosopher-physician Pliny the Elder prescribed rabbit meat as a cure for female sterility, and in some cultures the genitals of a hare were carried to avert barrenness.Medieval Christians considered the hare to bring bad fortune, saying witches changed into rabbits in order to suck the cows dry. It was claimed that a witch could only be killed by a silver crucifix or a bullet when she appeared as a hare. Given their â€Å"mad† leaping and boxing displays during mating season as well as their ability to produce up to 42 offspring each spring, it is understandable that they came to represent lust, sexuality, and excess in general.Medie val Christians considered the hare to be an evil omen, believing that witches changed into rabbits in order to suck the cows dry. It was claimed that a witch could only be killed by a silver crucifix or a bullet when she appeared as a hare. In later Christian tradition the white Hare, when depicted at the Virgin Mary's feet, represents triumph over lust or the flesh. The rabbit's vigilance and speed came to represent the need to flee from sin and temptation and a reminder of the swift passage of life.And, finally, there is a sweet Christian legend about a young rabbit who, for three days, waited anxiously for his friend, Jesus, to return to the Garden of Gethsemane, not knowing what had become of him. Early on Easter morning, Jesus returned to His favorite garden and was welcomed the little rabbit. That evening when the disciples came into the garden to pray, still unaware of the resurrection, they found a clump of beautiful larkspurs, each blossom bearing the image of a rabbit in i ts center as a remembrance of the little creature's hope and faith.Ishtar, Goddess of Love, and the First Resurrection (also known as Inanna) Ishtar, goddess of romance, procreation, and war in ancient Babylon, was also worshipped as the Sumerian goddess Inanna. One of the great goddesses, or â€Å"mother goddesses†, the stories of her descent to the Underworld and the resurrection that follows are contained in the oldest writings that have ever been discovered. . . the Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish and the story of Gilgamesh. Scholars believed that they were based on the oral mythology of the region and were recorded about 2,100 B.C. E. The most famous of the myths of Ishtar tell of her descent into the realm of the dead to rescue her young lover, Tammuz, a Vegetation god forced to live half the year in the Underworld. Ishtar approached the gates of the Underworld, which was ruled by her twin sister Eresh-kigel, the goddess of death and infertility. She was refused ad mission. Similar to the Greek myths of Demeter and Persephone that came later, during Ishtar's absence the earth grew barren since all acts of procreation ceased while she was away.Ishtar screamed and ranted that she would break down the gates and release all of the dead to overwhelm the world and compete with the living for the remaining food unless she was allowed to enter and plead her case with her twin. Needless to say, she won admission. But the guard, following standard protocol, refused to let her pass through the first gate unless she removed her crown. At the next gate, she had to remove her earrings, then her necklace at the next, removing her garments and proud finery until she stood humbled and naked after passing through the seventh (and last) gate.In one version, she was held captive and died but was brought back to life when her servant sprinkled her with the â€Å"water of life†. In the more widely known version of the myth, Ishtar's request was granted and s he regained all of her attire and possessions as she slowly re-emerged through the gates of darkness. Upon her return, Tammuz and the earth returned to life. Annual celebrations of this â€Å"Day of Joy†, were held each year around the time of the vernal equinox.These celebrations became the forerunners of the Ostara festivals that welcomed Oestre and the arrival of spring. A section on the Goddess Inanna (the Sumerian version of the Goddess Ishtar), her myths and symbols, is included with the myths of the goddesses at this website. Easter eggs, the Easter Bunny, the dawn that arrives with resurrection of life, and the celebration of spring all serve to remind us of the cycle of rebirth and the need for renewal in our lives. In the history of Easter, Christian and pagan traditions are gracefully interwoven.

A person career choice should be determined by his or her interest

Career choice is an important choice in our life. It may lead you success if you choose a right career, and it also may make you failure if you choose a wrong career. Even though most people think that career choice should not be determined by his or her interest, but I strongly agree that career choice must be determined by his or her interest because interest can lead his or her got a great motivation, and can develop strong sense of dedication. However, it is undeniable that a person choosing their career based on their interest is unrealistic. Interest can lead person got a high motivation. This is true because his or her got interest in their career, they will do whatever they can on their job without abandon. They will not complain or criticize their job when facing the problem, they only will try their best to find out the problem and solve it. Compare with whose do not have any interest in their career, they only will lazy, shirk responsibility and maybe will quit their job when facing problem. Having a high motivation can lead success in a person career. They may receive a merit from their employers or get promote to a higher level if employers realize they pay high commitment for the company. Another reason why a person career choice should be determined by his or her interest is because they can develop strong sense of dedication. If you are chose a job you’re interesting, you’re willing to dedicate yourself into the work. You’re willing to spend more time and energy to achieve the best result and outcome. For a person no interesting on their current work, they will loaf on the job and not willing to dedicate for the company. It may bring about they cannot get promote and having a block on their career. Some people think that a person choosing their career based on their interest is unrealistic. This is because majority of this type of job need to pay high commitment but having less in return. In this reality life, we must work for our life but not interest. However, I strongly disagree with all these views. If you are pay high commitment and fully dedicate into the work. You will be got high return in last. This maybe need wait for long time but the effort will never be wasted. It depends on how we are look upon the career choice. Having a job you’re interesting will be a wonderful thing on our life. In conclusion, career choice must be determined by his or her interest because interest can lead his or her get a high motivation, and can develop strong  sense of dedication. Therefore, we should have all positive views towards choose career based on their interest is a thing that may change our life to be more wonderful. What is more important, people must need to know what is their interest before his or her choosing their career. Having presented my arguments, I once again strongly agree on that ‘career choice must be determined by his or her interest’.

Financial markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial markets - Essay Example Financial markets form one of the financial systems that perform an important economic function by providing a channel of funds from the savers to the spenders or the borrowers that contribute to the economic efficiency. Savers use less money than the incomes while the borrowers wish to sped use more money than their income, which ensures that borrower who want to investor is able to undertake out an investment despite less income by selling bonds to the savers (Mishkin, 2012). The financial market is closely regulated promoting safety in the fund channeling from the savers to the borrowers encouraging a large number of institutions to the markets because they feel secure increasing efficiency in the financial markets. Consequently, increased security in the financial markets translates to the overall economic efficiency. Additionally, financial markets improve consumers’ well-being because it allows them to schedule and time purchases better, which contribute towards the overall economy efficiency in a country and from a global perspective. i. Capital markets trade long term securities in which the institutions as well as the individuals trade financial securities (Bacha & Mirakhor, 2013). The capital markets ensure that financial resources are equally distributed across Qatar. They include A number of securities are traded in the Qatar’s financial markets including Sukuk or Islamic bonds, shares/common stock, commodities, derivatives, and currencies. Islamic bonds are bonds that are not meant to for conventional interests, but help in the development of innovative assets that comply with Islamic law. Oil and gas are the main commodities in the Qatar’s commodity market. b) Diversified and broad platform of investment: Financial markets such as stock exchange offer a wider investment opportunity that lead to the economic development in Qatar. Various companies offer diversified types of securities; hence,

Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Accounting - Assignment Example Moreover, they defraud the bank by inflating that they had purchased a real estate property on behalf of the bank at a value of three point two billion instead of sixty-three point five million dollars (International Financial Reporting. (2013). Stanford Company failed to carry out background check to investigate the history of the two officials prior hiring them. Secondly, the company did not setup anti-fraud policy that indicates how to detect report and curb fraud. Thirdly, the company did not have an anti-fraud training to educate employees on the risk of fraud. Additionally Stanford Company was unable to conduct job rotation which could have helped to prevent the occurrence of fraud (Iyer & Samociuk, 2006). I would recommend the company to establish internal and external control. For example, the company should carry out regular internal and external audits. Further, background check may help to identify personal character to hold sensitive financial positions. Moreover, ant-fraud policies and training should be put forth to address the issues of fraud (Iyer & Samociuk,

Transition services in special education Coursework

Transition services in special education - Coursework Example Transition services normally coordinated and designed within an outcome-oriented process that aims at promoting movement from school towards post-school life activities. These activities are usually based on the needs, preferences and interests of the students. They include the activities needed in the following areas: related services of disabilities, instructions, experiences in the community, daily living skills acquisition when appropriate, functional vocational evaluation and the development of employment and other living objectives of adult post-school life. The transition services are important in offering students with disabilities hope for their future. The community resources and agencies provide students with disability with adequate knowledge, and education can be tailored to the goals and strength of the students to providing the options and plans for the future life. It is not just enough to simply be aware that students with disabilities are in need of guidance to successfully transition themselves from high school life to the next stage of young adulthood life. Bold steps need to be taken to offer guidance and prepare the teenagers for college life and their future careers, as well as independent lives. Without such guidance in place, students with disabilities, more so learning disabilities, often fail during their high school life and beyond. All special education students regardless of the disability severity between the ages of sixteen (16) to twenty-one (21) years qualifies for transition services and must have transition components in their Individualized Education Plan (Pennsylvania Department of Education, Education Law Center, 2007). Planning in most cases begins from the age of sixteen (16) years, or when appropriate, as early as fourteen years of age. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires the first Individualized Education Plan to be implemented once the student reaches sixteen (16) years of

Kingston Charcoal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Kingston Charcoal - Research Paper Example However, there is a concern in production regarding the adequacy of Kingsford's existing capacity. Grilling has been described as a passion and a way to party of common Americans during celebrations and occasions, the Clorox Company, founded in 1913, decided to acquire Kingsford Charcoal as one of its products in 1973. Kingsford Charcoal is the one of the 50 products and the largest product group that Clorox Company markets around the world to consumers. It represented around 9 percent of Clorox's revenues in the year 2000. In addition to this, in the charcoal grilling business, Kingsford is the leading in sales, constantly getting more than 50 percent of the market share from 1997 to 2000. This is as opposed to Royal Oak's 14.2 percent share in 1997, which then gradually declined to 6.4 in the year 2000, and the constant range of 33 to 34 percent of market share of private label. Charcoal briquettes are manufactured from wood, minerals, limestone, starch, borax, sodium nitrate, and sawdust in a two-part procedure. These charcoal briquettes were packaged in its present condition in blue bags and sold as Kingsford Charcoal as either "regular" or "blue bag." In addition, other briquettes are treated with Kingsford lighter fluid and sold as Kingsford Match Light in red bags, packaged as either "instant" or "red bag." Both types of briquettes were available in three sizes: 10 lbs., 20, lbs., and 48 lbs. for the regular or blue bags; and 8 lbs., 15 lbs., and 30 lbs. for the instant or red bags. Kingsford Charcoal briquettes Size and Pricing Regular or Blue Bags Instant or Red Bags 10 lbs. $4.25 8 lbs. $5.20 20 lbs. $6.78 15 lbs. $8.07 48 lbs. (2 x 24 lb. bags) Not available 30 lbs. (2 x 15 lb. bags) Not available Table 1. Various packaging sizes with prices of both types of Kingsford Charcoal briquettes. The largest sizes were usually just available in club stores like Costco amd Sam's Club. However, food stores and supermarkets, merchandisers, and drug stores, and Wal-mart, carried a variety of the other smaller sizes. The prices given varied by type and size, and it has been found that the main competitors of Kingsford, Royal Oak and private label brands, were cheaper than Kingsford by 25 to 30 percent. Key Success Drivers The business of Kingsford Charcoal was seasonal, with its peak of 60 percent between the period of May 1 and September 1, which covers the holidays Memorial Day and 4th of July. These two holidays represent about 35 percent of Kingsford's annual sales. Aside from the holidays, another factor that Kingsford sales are dependent on is the weather. When the weather is good, the tendency for sonsumers is to think that it would be a great time to barbecue. In this essence, a big part of the sales are from impulsive purchases. Factors to Consider Pricing The team of Smith Boyle and Warren found that there was a narrowing price gap because of

English Essay Formal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

English Formal - Essay Example A utopian fiction describes Herland as a strange land that is hidden very high in the mountain, and which only has women as its inhabitants. According to the inhabitants, Herland has existed with no men now for 2,000 years following a series of wars, internal strife and natural disasters, which together combined to leave just a small population which was exclusively made up of women (Gilman 2). Left with the burden of fending for themselves under severe conditions, the women did organize their society along the most possible coherent lines, coming to note that their survival would never be possible without collaboration. After some time, there was a miraculous occurrence where a young girl became pregnant (Gilman 2). All her descendants were female and came to inherit her exceptional ability of solo reproduction, thereby helping to maintain the society making up the present residents of Herland. With time, the women of Herland embraced a peaceful, organized, hugely efficient society such that such factors like competition, crime, and disruptive behavior are nonexistent (Gilman 2). As would be expected in a mothers’ society, childbearing is the utmost tribute of the women’s lives, and also their most important duty. In essence, Herland is a large family, and an organic society practicing a common good (Gilman 2). For that reason, property is communally owned, the system of authority is not that strict and is solely based on knowledge and insight, and the welfare and education of the children are given the first preference. Theodore Isaac Rubin notes that our culture today is of the view that competition is helpful in bringing the best out of people, but then he disputes this notion (Rubin 1). According to him, competition is intimately connected to jealousy, envy, and mistrust, and hinders self-evolution and progress (Rubin 1). It

Reducing No Show rate in a tertiary care Hospitals Research Paper

Reducing No Show rate in a tertiary care Hospitals - Research Paper Example The research was undertaken by the use of a telephone interview, and found the reasons for no-shows among patients in different hospitals namely specialized women and children’s’ hospitals and the main hospitals The purpose of this research work is to come up with ways of reducing the rates at which patients fail to show up at hospitals for booked appointments with physicians. This paper shall look into the reasons why no-show rates are high. In addition to that, this paper shall investigate the methods of managing and reducing the no-show figures, so that the rate at which patients fail to show up for appointments can be kept low. This will be done with the aim of improving the quality of medical services provided and increasing the satisfaction of patients. The method preferred for the research work is the Six Sigma method. This method seeks to achieve an improvement in process output quality by pinpointing and getting rid of the factors that cause defects. In addition to that, the Six Sigma helps minimize viability in the processes of business. The no-show rate was calculated using the following formula: The statistics collected over the month of December 2012 indicated that the average percentage of outpatients who did not show up for consultation in hospitals was at 31%. When segmented, the rate of no-shows stood at 19.58% in the women- specialized hospital, 35.71% for the rehabilitation hospital, 30.7 % for the children-specialized hospital and 37.15 for the outpatients at the main hospital. The rates of no-shows in hospitals are very high, especially in the main and rehabilitation hospitals. The effects of no-shows on a hospital will continue to be felt for as long as there are no measures put in place to curb the rate at which patients fail to present themselves at the hospitals for their pre-booked appointments (Johnson, Mold &

The Death of a Salesman Essay Example for Free

The Death of a Salesman Essay The Death of a Salesman is one of Arthur Millers earlier plays and was written in 1949. The play is based in Yonkers, New York in 1940. Millers Father was in a substantial financial crisis as there was a recession which led the family business to be put in jeopardy. Due to the recession and the Miller financial crisis, Arthur had to pay for his own tuition to study journalism and play writing in the University of Michigan. All of Arthurs plays were based on his life and all of the experiences he had encountered. Miller wrote his plays this way as he would have a first hand account of the events. The Death of a Salesman is a disguise of Arthur Millers past time of his family businesss bankruptcy and financial crisis. In The Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is in a crisis. Hes about to lose his job, he cant pay his bills, and his sons Biff and Happy dont respect him and cant seem to live up to their potential. He wonders what went wrong and how he can make things up to his family. Willy Loman is a small, old man who believes he is of no significance. He just hopes for his children to do the best and be happy with what they achieve in life. Willy elaborates with images from the past and convinces himself that all is ok. It isnt. His role idolises a great salesman of his time, now to be just of an old age that sells his personality and doesnt publicly display his withering mind and aggression. Linda Loman is Willys loyal wife and a loving heart to his hopes and ideas. She suffers as his mind deteriorates because she knows his mind is beyond help. She has always had faith in Willy and in all his respects. All she wants is to be happy with what she has but the family feuds are preventing her from doing so. Biff Loman is a 34 year old son of Willy who has been searching for himself while working on farms in the west to the dismay of his father. Happy Loman is the younger brother of Biff who tries in all he can to please his father and attempts to continue his fathers dream after the climax in the book. In the duration of this investigation, I am trying to find out To what extent does Miller uses relationships in Death of a Salesman to expose Willys weakening grasp on reality in act one? Linda and Willy have a very insecure relationship. They never discuss their thoughts and opinions in a one to one conversation and bottle up all of their emotions. Linda trys to help Willy as she knows he is under a lot of emotional troubles. The relationship is very one sided because Linda never finds the courage to stand up to him and lets him boss her around, loosing all senses of free will. Linda is a reserved individual and doesnt like to share her thoughts and opinions because she is intimidated by Willy as he will find bad ways of dealing with the anger and stress this may cause upon his relationship with Linda. Willy and Lindas relationship shows Willys weakening grasp on reality as he isnt able to admit defeat on anything and is unable to tell Linda of his incapabilities and weaknesses. As he is losing the plot and his mental capability, he thinks it is time to go. He decides for the extreme option of suicide, he isnt aware that he is leaving obvious clues and evidence of this mind turning attitude. Linda says during a conversation with her husband Willy dear youre the handsomest man in the world. This quote tells me that Linda is an admirer of Willy and doesnt want to put him down. She is trying many psychological techniques to stop him from losing himself, one of which is reassurance which would make him feel loved and cared for, to make him feel his purpose. Lindas reassurance seems to fail to please Willy as she just finds more evidence of attempts of suicide. All of Millers language corresponds with the characters predicted attitude as this is a generalisation speech of a person of this kind of attitude, for example; Willy being a socially insecure individual, the comments of the people around him reassure his thoughts and have made him become arrogant. Miller continuously puts a negative concept on the American Dream bring references to the negative factors. Another relationship which shows Willys weakening grasp on reality is the one shared by Ben and Willy, they both participate in an awkward relationship as Willy is jealous of Ben. Ben is a very self absorbed individual but despite he is idolised over, he is successful but an idiotic character. The man knew what he wanted then he went out and got it! This phrase tells us the he is an arrogant character who has achieved his own concept of the American Dream but is the gluttonous approach. Willy believes that Ben is some kind of hero but to everybody else, he is a bit short of a hero. As Willy is jealous of Ben, he feels he needs to live up to his brothers influences and he then lies to Linda about his achievements. Eventually, Linda discovers what Willy is doing and he then contradicts himself. These factors show that he is losing his grasp on reality because he isnt able to admit defeat and failure. This relationship is unstable because they are constantly trying to out-do each other and be better that the other. However this usually ends in family feuds or leading the lower person to become depressed. This causes tension between the two as well, making several situations awkward. Ben thinks that he is better that Willy and he thinks that Willy is of a lower social class to him. Willy knows Bens opinions and thoughts of these situations se he tries to do the opposite to Bens thoughts. Willy says to Ben, Oh sure theres snakes and rabbits out here and thats why I moved out here, why, Biff can fool any of these trees in no time! Willy says this to Ben because Ben doesnt understand why Willy moved to the City. Willy furthermore tries to make out that he likes living in the city and isnt just there for a job. Willy wants to try and make Ben see the real Willy Loman and not all the pain and disappointment beyond his smug grin. This contributes to Willys loosing grip on reality, as he always feels like he has to be better and sometimes he feels as though he has failed as a businessman. The reader can see this as Willy says to Linda, The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle and comes out, the age of twenty one, and hes rich. He is talking about Ben, and Willy is implying that all his life he has worked as a businessman and never achieved; whereas Ben had achieved greatly and at such a young age also. He feels as though he isnt good enough and that he has to lie to Linda as he doesnt want her to think that he is useless, incompetent and that Ben in much better than him. The final relationship which Miller uses to show Willys weakening grip on reality is with Willys eldest son, Biff. When Biff and Happy were boys, they respected Willy as if he was a man of high importance. Linda told the boys, Few men are idolised by their boys the way you are. This quotation shows that Willy and the boys were close at one point but now Biff and Willy are constantly arguing with each other and Willy does this because biff isnt being the best he can be and fulfilling his true potential. Biff isnt successful in Willys eyes and I know this because Willy quoted Biff is a lazy bum. This quote shows that Willy thinks that Biff is worthless but then, when Willy contradicts himself by saying, If theres one thing about Biff, he is not lazy, this show a loss of grip on reality because he is constantly changing his mind. Arthur Miller uses several forms of dramatic techniques in the duration on the play, many of which reveal Willy Lomans weakening grasp on reality in unexpected forms. In the set, the walls are all just frames; therefore you can walk through them as if they werent actually there. This effect gives the viewer the feeling that Willy has lost his mind and isnt able to see the obvious and therefore dismays peoples perspectives on him, that he is a fool, idiotic and worthless. The laugh in the background is the laugh of a woman from Willys past, a woman Willy had an affair with. The woman is laughing at the deceitful lies Willy is telling Linda about his days earnings because he is keeping money aside for her and is leaving less money to support the family. Willy is under a financial crisis as he is putting his money towards the welfare of two women. The laugh symbolises society laughing at his because he is a fool and everybody knows it. Society mock Willy because he has to borrow money from his son in able to make his wife believe that he has more earnings than he does after he splits them two ways, also that his tricks are obvious and manipulative upon Linda.. All of the dramatic devices are effective because they show societys opinion of Willy Loman, just a depressed elderly man in marriage and financial troubles. To conclude, the relationships in this family are all messed up and have come undone. The relationships are a straight jacket on the familys communication and chains are weighing Willy and Linda down, to the point, suicide is an option. The boys, Biff and Happy are being unsociable towards Willy and he isnt able to cope with all of the dilemmas that he is putting up with at that point. (I dont know what else to write in the conclusion, I have followed the guidelines but I dont know how to conclude about the relationships.)

Factors that Increase Sensitivity to Nicotine Dependence

Factors that Increase Sensitivity to Nicotine Dependence Age of tobacco use initiation, concomitant tobacco use and nicotine dependence Ziyue Wu Abstract Introduction The growing use of tobacco products have strong negative effects on public health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and lung disease (MacKenzie, Bartecchi, Schrier, 1994). As the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., tobacco use has been linked to the death of approximately 5 million people annually (Jha, Chaloupka, Moore, Gajalakshmi, Gupta, Peck, Asma Zatonski, 2006). Given the addictive nature of nicotine, many tobacco users are likely to become chronic smokers and to have difficulty achieving successful cessation. Most research on tobacco use has focused on cigarette smoking. Ethnicity and gender have been found to be associated with cigarette smoking behavior (Hu et al., 2006[LD1]). Further, psychiatric disorders have been shown to contribute to the transition from daily smoking to nicotine dependence (Dierker Donny, 2007; Breslau et al., 1998). Despite the large number of studies examining cigarette smoking and nicotine dependence, risk for dependence based on other types of tobacco use have received far less research attention. Different types of tobacco use (cigarette, cigar, pipe smoking, snuff, tobacco chewing) may predict nicotine dependence differently. Such difference may be more significant between smokeless tobacco users and smokers. Moreover, little is known about combined effects of tobacco use on risk for nicotine dependence. ways of tobacco use. Different types of tobacco use (cigarette, cigar, pipe smoking, snuff, tobacco chewing) may predict nicotine dependence differently. Such difference may be more significant between smokeless tobacco users and smokers. Concomitant smokers may follow a unique pattern. Also, age of the initiation of tobacco use may be correlated with current usage amount and number of ways of tobacco use. It remains uncertain that whether individuals with earlier onsets of tobacco use have greater risk of becoming nicotine dependent and using tobacco concomitantly. [LD2] By examining the data from The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), this study sought to (a) understand whether different ways of consuming tobacco might lead to different levels of sensitivity to nicotine dependence; (b) discover whether age of initiation of tobacco using behavior contributes to different levels of sensitivity to nicotine dependence; (c) find out whether age of initiation is associated with concomitant tobacco use, especially combined use of smokeless tobacco and smoking; (d) discover that which ways of tobacco did most concomitant users used first.[LD3] Method Sample The sample was taken from the first wave of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). NESARC, described by Grant et al. (2006publication year?)., has an unprecedented large sample size (n=43,093) to achieve stable estimates of even rare conditions. It represents the civilian, noninstitutionalized adult population of the United States, including residents of the District of Columbia, Alaska, and Hawaii. People that lived in households, military personnel that lived off base, and people that lived group quarters: boarding or rooming houses, nontransient hotels and motels, shelters, facilities for housing workers, college quarters, and group homes (Grant et al, publication year), were interviewed in a computer-assisted personal basis after consenting to participate. The present analyses were based on all the respondents. This sample was chosen to assess both current tobacco users and tobacco abstainers. Measures Use of Tobacco products use was measured by asking respondents whether they had used cigarettes/ cigars/ pipes/ snuffs/ chewing tobacco these products in past twelve month (â€Å"Had you used cigarettes/ cigars/ pipes/ snuffs/ chewing tobacco in past twelve months?†). Frequency of Ccurrent tobacco use was measured with the question ing behavior was evaluated by the frequency (â€Å"How often did you use cigarettes/ cigars/ pipes/ snuffs/ chewing tobacco in past twelve months?†) and quantity was measured with the question (â€Å"What was the usual quantity when you used them?†). Usage quantities of certain kinds of tobacco per month were estimated by multiplying midpoint of the range of each reported frequency per month and reported usual usage quantity. Age related measures selected as third variables and control variables included age, age at the onset of certain kinds of smoking behavior (â€Å"How old were you when you first used cigarettes/ cigars/ pipes/ snuffs/ chewing tobacco?†), age at the onset of using them daily use (â€Å"How old were you when you started using them daily?†), age at the onset of tobacco using behavior (â€Å"How old were you when using tobacco at the first time?†) and age at the onset of everyday tobacco useing behavior (â€Å"How old were you when starting to use tobacco daily?†). A variable reflecting number of kinds of tobacco used was created to separate concomitant tobacco users from single way users. For concomitant tobacco users, I created variables to show the current combination of ways in tobacco use and the combination of ways when the respondents started using tobacco[LD4][EW5]. A variable reflecting the number of years since the respondents started using tobacco w as also created by subtracting the age at the onset of tobacco using initiation from age at the interview. A categorical variable was also created to describe which combinations of tobacco use the respondents fell into, single way smoking, single way smokeless tobacco, concomitant use of smoking, concomitant use of smokeless tobacco, or concomitant use of smoking and smokeless tobacco. NICE!! Nicotine dependence related variable was â€Å"Nicotine dependence in past twelve month†. Data Analyses In the first question asked, Logistic regression was estimated to determinesee whether different ways of tobacco usieng predicted nicotine dependence independently. For the secondA second set of question, another logistic regression analyses were was conducted within each type of tobacco using behavior, with controlvariables for amount used usage amount, age, ethnicity and gender controlled, to verify the correlation between the age of initiation and probability in getting nicotine dependent. A two way interaction tested by Pearson Correlation Test was conducted to examinefind out association between age of initiation of tobacco using and current number of tobacco use ways. [LD6] Results Different tobacco uses and nicotine dependence More than one fourth (25.80%) of the respondents reported some forms of tobacco use in past 12 months. Among those who used tobacco in past 12 months, 89.216% (n=9,913) smoked cigarettes, 10.106% (n=1,119) smoked cigars, 1.93% (n=215) used pipes, 6.548% (n=720) used snuffs and 4.52% (N=502) chewed tobacco. Further, the number of average cigarettes smoked per month climbed towas 186.26 (SD=332.32), whereas the numbers of monthly uses of cigars, pipe smoking, snuffs and chewing tobacco are onlywere 2.108 (SD=27.61), 2.879 (SD=28.70), 4.108 (SD=38.38) and 1.94 (SD=24.71), respectively.. [EW7] Logistic regression was used to examine the association between different kinds of tobacco use and nicotine dependence, with covariatescontrolling for of age of tobacco use initiation, years using tobacco, ethnicity and gender. Cigarettes, snuffs and chewing tobacco were positively associated with nicotine dependence, while cigars and pipe smoking failed to independently predict nicotine dependence. [EW8] Age of onset, tobacco usage amount, and nicotine dependence The average age of onset of tobacco use was 16.548 (SD=5.21) years old, and the average number of years using tobacco was 32.108 (SD=17.37) years old. Of 18,943 subjects who reported ever using tobacco, 77.656% (n=14,693) started before adulthood. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between age of initiation and nicotine dependence. Covariates included years using tobacco, ethnicity, gender and tobacco use. Age of onset of tobacco use was found to be negatively related to nicotine dependence, with earlier onsets associated with higher risks for nicotine dependence. Moreover, multiple regression was used to estimate the correlation between age of initiation and current tobacco useage amount, also with variables forcontrolling for years using tobacco, ethnicity and gender controlled. For users of most popular type of tobacco use, cigarette smokingers showed strong positive relationship between age of onset of cigarette smoking and amount of current smoking amount. Earlier onsets actually elevated was associated with a higher current cigarette smoking amount. NAnd number of cigarettes consumed was found directly linkedto be positively associated with likelihood of experiencing to nicotine dependence[LD9]. This result might serve as another clue for earlier onsets probably promoted risks for nicotine dependence. [EW10] Concomitant tobacco users and single way users Among theose 11,118 respondents who reported tobacco use in past 12 months, 10.3% (n=1,149) of them were concomitant users. Also, among 1144 concomitant tobacco users (total 1149) with available data, 54.655% (n=624) hadof them started smoking cigarettes as the first way to of usinge tobacco. In total, 71.3% (n=816) of respondents started using tobacco in smoking forms (cigarettes, cigars, pipes or combined smoking). Only 20.72% (n=237) of respondents first started using tobacco in smokeless form (snuffs, tobacco chewing or combined smokeless tobacco). The rest, only 8.39% (n=96) of respondents, first used tobacco in both smoking and smokeless tobacco. Also, among 1034 daily concomitant tobacco users, 70.50% (n=729) started smoking cigarettes first. REALLY NICE!! Outcome of the Pearson correlation tests for age of tobacco use initiation and current numbers of ways used showed a small, significant negative correlation (r= -0.11, pwas associated with a larger number of ways of using tobacco. elevated the probability in becoming tobacco co-users. Moreover, tobacco users were separated into different categories, single way smoking, single way smokeless tobacco, concomitant use of smoking, concomitant use of smokeless tobacco, or concomitant use of smoking and smokeless tobacco. Chi-square test was conducted to examine each of two different categories and nicotine dependence. Single way smokeless tobacco users were found to have lower probabilities of becoming nicotine dependence than all the other groups of users, except of the concomitant use of smokeless tobacco users. Also, the group of concomitant use of smokeless tobacco users were also found to have lower probabilities of nicotine dependence than co-users of smoking and smokeless tobacco[LD11]. [EW12] Discussion The present study sought to examine whether age of onset of tobacco use was associated with nicotine dependence and numbers of kinds of tobacco used. The study also aimed to examine whether different kinds of tobacco use were differently related to nicotine dependence. Further, itToabccoTobacco use was also examined amongthe tobacco use of concomitant users. Four major findings appeared. First, different ways of tobacco use were actually associated with nicotine dependence differently. Whereas cigars and pipe smoking failed to independently predict nicotine dependence, the other three kinds of tobacco, cigarettes, pipe smoking, snuffs and chewing tobacco were independently positively related to nicotine dependence. Second, age of onset of tobacco use was associated with nicotine dependence. An earlier initiation of tobacco use enhanced the probability of getting nicotine dependence. Third, age of onset of tobacco use also had correlation with number of kinds of tobacco use. An earlie r onset also elevated the probability of becoming concomitant users. Lastly, most of the co-users of tobacco started with smoking cigarettes. The finding of different directions of association with nicotine dependence in various kinds of tobacco may be explained by discrete habits and intentions of tobacco use. Of the five kinds of tobacco, cigars and pipe smoking failed to independently predict nicotine dependence (p=0.40). Two facts may be the causes of this may explain this explainationsexplanations phenomenon. First,First, most of the cigar smokers and pipe smokers were concomitant smokers. AIt is possible that among all cigar smokers (n=1,119) and pipe smokers (n=215), 62.02% (n=694) of cigar smokers and 74.88% (n=161) of pipe smokers were concomitant tobacco users. Second, most cigar smokers and pipe smokers did not consume large amount of cigar products. 80.07% (n= 896) of cigar users smoked less than or equal to 14 cigars per month. 60.93% (n=[LD13]131) [EW14]of pipe smokers used pipe smoking 18 times or less. Such small dose of intake may not result in enough variety of nicotine dependence. To sum up, cigar users and pipe users probably consumed these products not for satisfying the desire for nicotine but simply for a hobby. The correlation between age of tobacco use initiation and nicotine dependence showed that early initiation enhanced increased the probability of nicotine dependence. In the case of a special substance, the cigarette smoking, early initiation also elevated the current useage amount. of tobacco product[LD15]. This outcome is consistent with previous literature that stated early age of onset was associated with heavy smoking in later life (Chen Millar, 1998). Although early age of onset has been evaluated with its potential to enhance tobacco use amount, difficulty in tobacco cessation (Chen Millar, 1998; Khuder et al., 1999) and tobacco use frequency (Taioli Wynder, 1991), result of the present study has initiated strong implication that age of onset may also directly influence the possibility of becoming nicotine dependent. Moreover, the relationship between age of tobacco initiation and current kinds of tobacco use indicated that early onset also promoted the probability of becoming a current polytobacco users. Previous researchers have discovered that evidence that gender, ethnicity, education and income are related to concomitant tobacco use (Bombard, Pederson, Nelson Malarcher, 2007). However, the present study has shown evidence for the association between age of tobacco use onset and concomitant tobacco users. Further, the present study showed that a significantly large proportion of concomitant users started using tobacco by smoking cigarettes, and then stepped initiated into other kinds of tobacco. The direction of shifting among different tobacco products has been studied by others, and several various results have emerged. While some have suggested that smokeless tobacco products may act as gateway substances to cigarette smoking (Hatsukami, Nelson Jensen, 1991; Haddock et al., 2001), others have also proposed that cigarette smoking initiates smokeless tobacco use (Riley et al., 1996). There are also some researchers that have claimed none of them initiates the other (Wetter et al., 2002). The outcome of the present study suggests that cigarette smoking is likely to precede smokeless tobacco use. In the pair comparisons of different combinations of tobacco use, the group that only used one kind of smokeless tobacco showed a significantly lower probability ofin becoming nicotine dependent than groups of single way smokers, concomitant smokers and co-users of smoking and smokeless tobacco. The only group that was not significantly different did not show significantce variation in sensitivity to nicotine dependence from the group of single way smokeless tobacco users was the group of concomitant smokeless [LD16]tobacco users. One of the reasonable explanation of such phenomenon is that smokeless tobacco may be less addictive than smoking (Henningfield, Fant Tomar, 1997). Another explanation is that smokeless tobacco users might use less amount of tobacco products per month. The ANOVA of the combined amount of tobacco products used per month was conducted to test whether smokeless tobacco users had smaller amount of tobacco use. The result showed that the average usage amount of single way smokeless tobacco users was 97.94, which was significantly lower than those of single way smokers, concomitant smokers and concomitant users of smoking and smokeless tobacco, which were 408.22, 460.77 and 584.38. Strengths and limitations There are several limitations in the present study. First, only frequency of use and usual use quantity were available for estimating the amount of the tobacco products used per month. Such calculation was incomplete for reflecting the actual amount of use. Moreover, there was no measure for Conclusions and implications OUTLINE Briefly summarizing what you found (Summary) Take the main sentences of the results, don’t keep changing the words Finding 1, 2, 3: linking them to previous literature When talk about literature, don’t keep writing about the results Strengths and limitations Conclusions and implications: what should future research look at References Breslau, N., Peterson, E. L., Schultz, L. R., Chilcoat, H. D., Andreski, P. (1998). Major depression and stages of smoking: a longitudinal investigation.Archives of general Psychiatry,55(2), 161-166. Chen, J., Millar, W. J. (1998). Age of smoking initiation: implications for quitting.HEALTH REPORTS-STATISTICS CANADA,9, 39-48. Dierker, L., Donny, E. (2008). The role of psychiatric disorders in the relationship between cigarette smoking and DSM-IV nicotine dependence among young adults.Nicotine Tobacco Research,10(3), 439-446. Grant, B. F., Dawson, D. A. (2006). Introduction to the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions.Alcohol Health Research World,29(2), 74. Haddock, C. K., Weg, M. V., DeBon, M., Klesges, R. C., Talcott, G. W., Lando, H., Peterson, A. (2001). Evidence that smokeless tobacco use is a gateway for smoking initiation in young adult males.Preventive medicine,32(3), 262-267. Hatsukami, D., Nelson, R., Jensen, J. (1991). Smokeless tobacco: Current status and future directions.British Journal of Addiction,86(5), 559-563. Hatsukami, D. K., Lemmonds, C., Tomar, S. L. (2004). Smokeless tobacco use: harm reduction or induction approach?.Preventive medicine,38(3), 309-317. Henningfield, J. E., Fant, R. V., Tomar, S. L. (1997). Smokeless tobacco: an addicting drug.Advances in dental research,11(3), 330-335. Hu, M. C., Davies, M., Kandel, D. B. (2006). Epidemiology and correlates of daily smoking and nicotine dependence among young adults in the United States.American Journal of Public Health,96(2), 299-308. Jha, P., Chaloupka, F. J., Moore, J., Gajalakshmi, V., Gupta, P. C., Peck, R., Zatonski, W. (2006). Tobacco addiction. Khuder, S. A., Dayal, H. H., Mutgi, A. B. (1999). Age at smoking onset and its effect on smoking cessation.Addictive behaviors,24(5), 673-677. MacKenzie, T. D., Bartecchi, C. E., Schrier, R. W. (1994). The human costs of tobacco use. New England Journal of Medicine, 330(14), 975-980. Riley, W. T., Kaugars, G. E., Grisius, T. M., Page, D. G., Burns, J. C., Svirsky, J. A. (1996). Adult smokeless tobacco use and age of onset.Addictive behaviors,21(1), 135-138. Taioli, E., Wynder, E. L. (1991). Effect of the age at which smoking begins on frequency of smoking in adulthood.N Engl J Med,325(13), 968-969. Wetter, D. W., McClure, J. B., de Moor, C., Cofta-Gunn, L., Cummings, S., Cinciripini, P. M., Gritz, E. R. (2002). Concomitant use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco: prevalence, correlates, and predictors of tobacco cessation.Preventive medicine,34(6), 638-648. [LD1]You need to say what ethnic groups or which gender are more likely to use tobacco. It is not enough to say ethnicity and gender are associated with tobacco use. [LD2]This needs to be preceded by what the literature has shown on age of onset. In its current form, the paragraph comes a bit from left field for the reader. [LD3]You can include this in your results, but I don’t think it is on par with your other questions, so it does not need to be included here. [LD4]Not sure how to edit this, but a little less clear than earlier descriptions. [EW5]Describe the categories [LD6] We can discuss. [EW7]One decimal place for percentage and number Two decimal places for SD and SE [EW8]Add the sentence stating the likelihood, odd ratios and confidence intervals [LD9]Logistic regression? [EW10]Maybe I can delete it [LD11]Add the actual rates to this sentence. [EW12]Should I add some more details? [LD13] [EW14]Decide whether to delete it or put it in the result part [LD15] [LD16]

Codependency in Samuel Becketts Endgame Essay example -- Beckett Endg

Codependency in Samuel Beckett's Endgame "Clov asks, "What is there to keep us here?" Hamm answers, "The dialogue."" In the play Endgame, Samuel Beckett demonstrates dramatically the idea of codependency between the two focal characters who rely on each other to fulfill their own physical and psychological needs. Beckett accomplishes this through Hamm, who assumes the identity of a kingly figure, and his relationship with Clov, who acts as his subject. In Endgame, this idea is established by tone and humor in the dialogue amid Hamm and Clov. Samuel Beckett was an Irish-born poet, novelist, and foremost dramatist of the theater of the absurd. His surreal writings mixed humor into a world paralyzed and grief stricken with pain and anguish. Beckett's characters grasp for a meaningful existence amongst an unrelenting and disorderly world, finally finding release only within the confines of their own minds. The play Endgame is the story of a few survivors after some unknown apocalypse on Earth. Hamm, a blind man who lives in a small bare room with two windows, shutoff from the rest of the dead outside world, is accompanied by two legless parents, Nagg and Nell, who live in two dustbins. The remaining character is Clov, who acts as an enslaved son of Ham[HAC1]m, who answers to his beckon call and grants his requests. At the end of the play his parents have apparently died, and he has given up the struggle or reason to live on. It is now that Clov is on the verge of escape to leave his life of submission to Hamm, but to where? For there is nothing but a vast void of emptiness. Samuel Beckett was born on April 13, 1906, in Foxrock, near Dublin. As a child he was raised in a religiously oriented, Protestant, mid... ...down the lids of Hamm's parent's dustbins as well, Hamm being prone to exercising his direct power over him: "Bottle him!" he cries out (10). Finally, the relationship between Hamm and Clov can be aggregated in the theme of this codependent nature that each fulfills for one another. This is relevant to today's society in that it examines the basic underlying structural dependence of a monarchical or dictatorship type form of government, of the needs and duties of a King or leader with his subjects. In this way, the King would provide protection and leadership for his subjects, while they would owe homage in the form of taxes and loyalty in allegiance to him. Similarly in the play, Hamm provides the protection from the starvation and desolation of the outside world beyond his store, and Clov repays this buy waiting on Hamm's requests, however reluctantly.

Essay --

There is a beautiful marriage between technique and meaning in poetry. If one can fully probe the configuration of poetry; one will see this marriage. Their mind will be seduced by the words, their heart ensnares by its gist, and finally by way of the poem literary devices can be captured involuntarily. A great model of the essence of this relationship is the classic poem â€Å"Harlem† by Langston Hughes. In this poem, the author approaches the universal despair of dreams being deferred and underlines the fallouts of it. His precise techniques that influence this poem help it emerge into a metaphorical warning statement about dreams becoming disregarded in life. The author’s specific uses of similes and metaphors allows for interpretation by his readers regarding the main idea behind his poem, and in this essay I will examine how these literary techniques help to ameliorate the author’s meaning. The use of similes in â€Å"Harlem† creates a serious mood and emphasizes the theme. In the beginning of the poem the author asks a question about what will happen to a dream when deferred. The simile...

Exploring different types of comedy :: Drama

Exploring different types of comedy I am part of a group working on a devised piece based on the theme of comedy. We have explored different types of comedy and are devising ways of using these in a piece of drama. We were given some stimulus material about commedia dell'arte, this literally means artistic comedy. It started in the later half of the 16th century and this was a period where plays were stylish, classic and cold. So, commedia dell'arte was the complete opposite and soon loud, colourful representations cropped up all over Italy. The rules of theatre were subverted in this new style. Commedia dell'arte is mainly based on free improvisation on stage. Actors starting performing on simple stages set outdoors with a simple yet essential background. These improvised performances were never subtle and the humour was very often bawdy and coarse. There are a number of traditional characters that are related to commedia dell'arte. Harlequin is probably the best known out of all of the characters. He is comic servant who is lazy but energetic and both stupid and clever. He adds to the comedy that is being created on stage by the pure stupidity of the things that he does. He is often seen leaping into the air, dancing and walking on stilts. Another well known character is Pantaloon. He is a comic old merchant from Venice. He loves to give advice although he often receives blows from his servants, which creates comedy on stage. Even though commedia dell'arte didn't generate specific ideas for characters as such it did provide us with ideas for basic plot, as this genre achieves most of its humour on stage from the ridiculous situations that the characters are faced with. Our group was given a second stimulus of pantomime, and we were given 'Dick Whittington', written by Derek Dwyer and Merlin Price. In British theatre pantomime is a Christmas or New Year entertainment, but its origins can be traced back to the 16th century improvised comic drama, commedia dell'arte. This can be seen as pantomime retained a number of elements of commedia dell'arte, including the actress playing the part of the principle boy, and the actor playing the dame. Some new elements were also added into pantomime as it developed throughout the ages such as popular songs, topical humour, audience participation and a number of guest appearances from popular entertainers of the day. Many of these characteristics of typical pantomime can be seen in the extract that we have been given of 'Dick Whittington'. For example, before anyone even speaks there is a song to begin the show. This is

Childrens Day Essay

In India, Children’s day is celebrated on the 14th November every year. As a tribute Children’s Day is celebrated on the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday. Lovingly called ‘Chacha Nehru’ which means Uncle Nehru by the kids, Jawaharlal Nehru gave emphasis to the significance of giving love and affection to children, who are the bright future of India. The main purpose of this day is to encourage the welfare of children all over the country. The first ever Children’s day was celebrated in 1954. The idea of a universal Children’s Day was suggested by Mr. V.K. Krishna Menon and it adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. At first it was celebrated universally in the month of October. After 1959, November 20th was chosen as Children’s day as it marked the anniversary day when the Declaration of the Child Rights was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly. In 1989 the Convention on the Rights of the Child w as also signed on the same date. However, in India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday was declared as Children’s Day and is celebrated annually to cherish his love and attachment for children. Children are like precious gems. Understand the significance of children’s day which is celebrated on 14th November in India. Children are adorable. They are like divine gifts that parents get from the almighty. Their eyes are full of innocence. They smile when they receive love and admiration, they cry when it is their first day at school away from their parents, they giggle when they mingle with their buddies, and they signify nothing but the pure and faithful love. They truly symbolise god. 14th November is celebrated as children’s day in all over India. 14th November is also the birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India. Childhood memories are sweetest of all. They can be savored for a lifetime. Children’s day celebration is fun for the little ones but it is important for the parents too. Every parent must understand the importance of the children’s day. Parents should be well aware about the little desires of t heir angels. Chacha Nehru’s love for children Do you know why Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday is celebrated as the children’s day? Pandit Nehru was a great leader. He worked passionately for the welfare of children and youngsters soon after independence. He was keen about welfare, education, and development of children in India. He was fond of  children and thus became popular as Chacha Nehru (Uncle Nehru) among his little admirers. Nehru was very particular about the progress of the Indian youth. He wanted to create responsible citizens out of young boys and girls. Under his regime he established several educational institutions including All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Indian Institutes of Technology, and Indian Institutes of Management. He included and highlighted the point in his five years plan that every child in India would get free and compulsory primary education. Over thousands of schools were built through out the villages of India when Nehru was in power. He also brought the scheme to distribute free meals and milk to school children in India to prevent malnutrition. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru himself was destiny’s child. He struggled a lot for the welfare of India. It is believed that he admired two things a lot, red roses and children. His love and passion towards children is the reason why we celebrate Children’s Day on his birthday. Why do we celebrate Children’s Day? Children’s Day celebration is the tribute to childhood. John Kennedy, 35th US president has quoted it rightly, ‘Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.’ We cannot hide the fact that many children in India are not getting basic privileges like education. Many children are earning money instead of playing with toys. The true essence of children’s day is to understand the significance of childhood in our lives. The values and disciplines learned as a child are responsible for the kind of adulthood one has. Thus childhood is special and should be celebrated. Children’s Day is to remind all young and adults about children’s right to enjoy their childhood without any boundaries and to be educated adult in the future. Children’s Day is to revise the right methods of raising children. Children’s Day Celebration 20th November is Universal Children’s Day. In India lots fun activities and programs are organized on the children’s day. Childr en’s Day is called as ‘Bal Divas’ in Hindi. On this particular day government, NGOs (non government organisations), schools, and some private bodies conduct competitions and events for children. Various cultural programs are organized through out the schools. Special television programs for children are broadcasted on 14th November. Parents too are eager about children’s day. Some parents buy gifts for their sons and daughters. Some parents give greeting cards to their children to express their wishes on this special  day. As parents we should not let this day pass as other ordinary day. It is our duty to make children’s day special for our child. You may take your child to visit some NGO or children’s home on this day. You can imbibe some precious values in him though generous acts. Your child can give away some of his belongings to other poor children. In such a way he will get to know the real significance of this day. Make every 14th November special for your child. After all, ‘Children will no t remember you for the material things you provide them but for the feeling that you cherished them.’

Chemistry IA

Research question: Does the concentration (mol DMS) of sulfur dioxide in wine rise or fall when exposed to alarm for different time periods (O, 75,150,225, 300 minutes)? Purpose: Many adults enjoy the consumption of wine but are not aware of the different preservatives and chemicals that are added to the drink. Sulfur Dioxide, which is added to many food products including wine because it acts as a redundant, is Well known as a poisonous and allergenic substance (Echo-consult, n. D), making it a somewhat harmful ingredient.The purpose of this experiment Is to determine how the amount of sulfur dioxide In white wine Is affected by the exposure to the alarm over different time periods and whether this will negatively or positively affect the human body. The boiling point of sulfur dioxide is -ICC, therefore when it is above this temperature it is expected to evaporate. According to Rutledge Estates, an Australian wine companyÃ'Ÿtriangle Estates, 2011), the concentration of sulfur diox ide In wine reduces when subjected to aeration, this loss of sulfur dioxide increases over time.This reduction in sulfur dioxide can be beneficial for people with allergies but can be harmful for the wine as oxidation causes a loss of the fruity flavor, browning, and the development of allowedly or nutty flavors (Threadlike, 2013). Hypothesis: As the wine Is left out for longer the sulfur dioxide content falls. Variables: Variable Dependent The amount of Sulfur doodle Independent Amount of time Controlled The equipment used The rinsing techniques The measurements of each Sodium hydroxide (ml) White wine (ml) Sulfuric acid (1 Mol) Starch indicator (2 ml) Set Up: mall flask Stopwatch PipetteThese results did not conform to the hypothesis; this difference could be a result of the percentage error in the equipment, and the systematic error. The results for each trial only varied slightly therefore the narrow time limit could have affected the results, there may have been larger differen ce of SIS if the experiment was conducted over a larger period of time. If this was the problem then it can be seen that over short periods of time the concentration of SIS does not change very much.This means that wine will take longer to oxides and will have antibacterial properties for a longer time, making it retain its flavor and quality for a longer time. Percentage errors in instruments: Percentage error for Pipette- Percentage error com of pipettes wine) X 100 x 100 ?0. 2% Percentage error for Burette titration 1- Percentage error =(Uncertainty com of average titration) X 100 =(0. 049. 60) XIII Table of percentage errors in instruments Instrument Titration Uncertainty Percentage error (%) Ð’Â ±o. Ml 0. % Ð’Â ±o. Ml 0. 4% 5 Evaluation: Weakness Reason Improvement The timing of each interval. The laboratory was lock at certain times, this was not accounted for in the planning stage and made the timing very inaccurate. Plan the experiment at the beginning of the day acc ounting for all breaks and laboratory trading hours. The number of trials There was not enough time to do enough trials to get three concordant results for each test Repeat experiment until there are at least three concordant results Seeing the end pointIt was hard to tell what color the endpoint should be as the previous titration would change color after a period of time Have a color chart that is permanent which the color of the titer can be compared to Contamination of wine The beakers holding the wine were exposed to the air and there may have been gases in the air which contaminated the wine. Place the wine in a place which is not exposed to things which could contaminate it. Rinsing technique The equipment was rinsed multiple times but foreign chemicals could still have been present Repeat all of the rising steps twice to ensure they are not contaminatedMeasuring inaccuracies Seeing how much iodine was still in the burette was difficult because the lines were very close toget her. Spend more time with maximum concentration on viewing the measurements on the burette. Bibliography: Threadlike, M 2013 Wine Aeration and Its Adverse Effects, Iowa State University, accessed 25 November 2013, . Shannon, C 2011 Is aerating wine Just hot air? , Rutledge Estates, accessed November 2013, . The use of Sulfur Dioxide in Must and Wine n. D. , Echo-consult, Pdf, accessed Xavier, L n. D. Titration, CICADAS, accessed 25 November 2013, .

On Ethics and Economics Book Review

On Ethics and Economics Amartya Sen Blackwell Publishers, 1987, pp. 148, Rs. 271 ‘On Ethics and Economics’ by Amartya Sen centres on a particular phenomenon that the author considers unfortunate to the discipline. In this book, Amartya Sen talks about the continued and ever increasing distancing of economics from ethics. This book has three chapters and under each chapter, there are sub topics. That makes the book more structured and easy to understand even for a person who is not so competent in the study of Economics.Though the book was written in 1987, most of the arguments still apply in todays’ world. Amartya Sen starts off with an Edward Clerihaw Bentley verse about a major practitioner of political economics and this sets the tone for the rest of the book. The author basically tries to argue that ethics-related tradition of Economics dates back to the days of Aristotle and that Economics ultimately goes hand in hand with the study of Ethics and Politics. Am artya Sen certainly and in a very obvious manner, questions the disassociation of the study of Economics from that of ethics and political philosophy.Hence, this book is undoubtedly a very important reading for those who are interested in connecting the dots between economics and business ethics. Professor Sen, while agreeing that the ‘engineering’ approach to Economics has been often fruitful, criticises the same ‘engineering approach’ by saying that it has substantially impoverished the modern economics because it has created a distance between economics and ethics. He also goes on to explain that the ‘Positive Economics’ has led to ignoring complex ethical consideration which effect human behaviour.Professor Sen believes that the growing distances between Ethics and Economics has affected the former more. The author is extremely persuasive when he suggests enlarging the role of welfare economics in understanding the basis for policy decision s involving social achievements. Professor Sen truly believes that Economic advancement is going on at full steam without any moderation from the discipline of ‘ethics’ and that the role of ethics has been ignored by all the policy makers and modern economists. Hence, it is not surprising that ‘Business Ethics’ is regarded as an oxymoron in the business world.The author tries to relate between economic behaviour and rationality. He agrees with the assumption that ‘Humans think rationally. ’ Though the author says that the rational behaviour might not be the actual behaviour all the time, he also says that this particular assumption is better than assuming the humans think irrationally, which will lead to more mistakes than the assumption currently in use. The amount of space and importance given to the assumption by the author makes the reader think about how rationally an individual or the policy makers think today.It plays a huge role in the study of economics. Professor Sen then goes on to talk about the self -interest and rational behaviour. In the second chapter, Economic Judgement and Moral Philosophy, to bring more sanity into the discussion, Professor Sen has brought in the areas that have been neglected by scholars when dealing with the issues of social achievement. They consist of values, rights and freedom, welfare, self-interest and all those that cannot be reduced to a single denomination called utility.According to welfare’s notion of rationality, it is not unreasonable for a person to put his self-interest ahead and to choose the state which maximises his welfare regardless of the goals of others in the society. Professor Sen introduces something called as ‘Agency Role’ when he talks about the dual nature of a person. I completely agree with Professor Sen when he says that a person thinks like an agency when he recognises and acknowledges goals of other people in the society and that a p erson thinks in terms of a well-being, which too calls for his/her own attention.This can be applied to the Game Theory and the example of Prisoners Dilemma. The arguments put forth by Sen by promoting ethics to economics are very useful to current economic scenarios faced by the global community. For instance, the problem of pollution cannot be solved by providing incentives, but by developing a mind-set that is largely away from self-centredness. If one is unfamiliar with the problem of ethics other than utilitarian standard of analysis, then reading and comprehending this book could be a struggle or might find it difficult to read this book.Perhaps the terms ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ ought to be differentiated so that the choice of individuals will be dictated by ‘needs’ rather than ‘wants’. If this perspective can be used to moderate on the usefulness of utilitarianism or welfarism, and is incorporated within the matrix of the discip line, then there is hope that ethics and economics can contribute to a balanced approach to solving problems of human existence, which is very much the need of the hour right now. -Book review by K Ravi Teja Reddy

Vampire Academy Chapter 5

FIVE OR RATHER, THEY HAD BEEN Strigoi. A regiment of guardians had hunted them down and killed them. If rumors were true, Christian had witnessed it all when he was very young. And although he wasn't Strigoi himself, some people thought he wasn't far off, with the way he always wore black and kept to himself. Strigoi or not, I didn't trust him. He was a jerk, and I silently screamed at Lissa to get out of there – not that my screaming did much good. Stupid one-way bond. â€Å"What are you doing here?† she asked. â€Å"Taking in the sights, of course. That chair with the tarp on it is particularly lovely this time of year. Over there, we have an old box full of the writings of the blessed and crazy St. Vladimir. And let's not forget that beautiful table with no legs in the corner.† â€Å"Whatever.† She rolled her eyes and moved toward the door, wanting to leave, but he blocked her way. â€Å"Well, what about you?† he taunted. â€Å"Why are you up here? Don't you have parties to go to or lives to destroy?† Some of Lissa's old spark returned. â€Å"Wow, that's hilarious. Am I like a rite of passage now? Go and see if you can piss off Lissa to prove how cool you are? Some girl I don't even know yelled at me today, and now I've got to deal with you? What does it take to be left alone?† â€Å"Oh. So that's why you're up here. For a pity party.† â€Å"This isn't a joke. I'm serious.† I could tell Lissa was getting angry. It was trumping her earlier distress. He shrugged and leaned casually against the sloping wall. â€Å"So am I. I love pity parties. I wish I'd brought the hats. What do you want to mope about first? How it's going to take you a whole day to be popular and loved again? How you'll have to wait a couple weeks before Hollister can ship out some new clothes? If you spring for rush shipping, it might not be so long.† â€Å"Let me leave,† she said angrily, this time pushing him aside. â€Å"Wait,† he said, as she reached the door. The sarcasm disappeared from his voice. â€Å"What? ­um, what was it like?† â€Å"What was what like?† she snapped. â€Å"Being out there. Away from the Academy.† She hesitated for a moment before answering, caught off guard by what seemed like a genuine attempt at conversation. â€Å"It was great. No one knew who I was. I was just another face. Not Moroi. Not royal. Not anything.† She looked down at the floor. â€Å"Everyone here thinks they know who I am.† â€Å"Yeah. It's kind of hard to outlive your past,† he said bitterly. It occurred to Lissa at that moment – and me to by default – just how hard it might be to be Christian. Most of the time, people treated him like he didn't exist. Like he was a ghost. They didn't talk to or about him. They just didn't notice him. The stigma of his parents' crime was too strong, casting its shadow onto the entire Ozera family. Still, he'd pissed her off, and she wasn't about to feel sorry for him. â€Å"Wait – is this your pity party now?† He laughed, almost approvingly. â€Å"This room has been my pity party for a year now.† â€Å"Sorry,† said Lissa snarkily. â€Å"I was coming here before I left. I've got a longer claim.† â€Å"Squatters' rights. Besides, I have to make sure I stay near the chapel as much as possible so people know I haven't gone Strigoi? ­yet.† Again, the bitter tone rang out. â€Å"I used to always see you at mass. Is that the only reason you go? To look good?† Strigoi couldn't enter holy ground. More of that sinning-against-the-world thing. â€Å"Sure,† he said. â€Å"Why else go? For the good of your soul?† â€Å"Whatever,† said Lissa, who clearly had a different opinion. â€Å"I'll leave you alone then.† â€Å"Wait,† he said again. He didn't seem to want her to go. â€Å"I'll make you a deal. You can hang out here too if you tell me one thing.† â€Å"What?† She glanced back at him. He leaned forward. â€Å"Of all the rumors I heard about you today – and believe me, I heard plenty, even if no one actually told them to me – there was one that didn't come up very much. They dissected everything else: why you left, what you did out there, why you came back, the specialization, what Rose said to Mia, blah, blah, blah. And in all of that, no one, no one ever questioned that stupid story that Rose told about there being all sorts of fringe humans who let you take blood.† She looked away, and I could feel her cheeks starting to burn. â€Å"It's not stupid. Or a story.† He laughed softly. â€Å"I've lived with humans. My aunt and I stayed away after my parents? ­died. It's not that easy to find blood.† When she didn't answer, he laughed again. â€Å"It was Rose, wasn't it? She fed you.† A renewed fear shot through both her and me. No one at school could know about that. Kirova and the guardians on the scene knew, but they'd kept that knowledge to themselves. â€Å"Well. If that's not friendship, I don't know what it is,† he said. â€Å"You can't tell anyone,† she blurted out. This was all we needed. As I'd just been reminded, feeders were vampire-bite addicts. We accepted that as part of life but still looked down on them for it. For anyone else – especially a dhampir – letting a Moroi take blood from you was almost, well, dirty. In fact, one of the kinkiest, practically pornographic things a dhampir could do was let a Moroi drink blood during sex. Lissa and I hadn't had sex, of course, but we'd both known what others would think of me feeding her. â€Å"Don't tell anyone,† Lissa repeated. He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and sat down on one of the crates. â€Å"Who am I going to tell? Look, go grab the window seat. You can have it today and hang out for a while. If you're not still afraid of me.† She hesitated, studying him. He looked dark and surly, lips curled in a sort of I'm-such-a-rebel smirk. But he didn't look too dangerous. He didn't look Strigoi. Gingerly, she sat back down in the window seat, unconsciously rubbing her arms against the cold. Christian watched her, and a moment later, the air warmed up considerably. Lissa met Christian's eyes and smiled, surprised she'd never noticed how icy blue they were before. â€Å"You specialized in fire?† He nodded and pulled up a broken chair. â€Å"Now we have luxury accommodations.† I snapped out of the vision. â€Å"Rose? Rose?† Blinking, I focused on Dimitri's face. He was leaning toward me, his hands gripping my shoulders. I'd stopped walking; we stood in the middle of the quad separating the upper school buildings. â€Å"Are you all right?† â€Å"I? ­yeah. I was? ­I was with Lissa? ­Ã¢â‚¬  I put a hand to my forehead. I'd never had such a long or clear experience like that. â€Å"I was in her head.† â€Å"Her? ­head?† â€Å"Yeah. It's part of the bond.† I didn't really feel like elaborating. â€Å"Is she all right?† â€Å"Yeah, she's? ­Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. Was she all right? Christian Ozera had just invited her to hang out with him. Not good. There was â€Å"coasting through the middle,† and then there was turning to the dark side. But the feelings humming through our bond were no longer scared or upset. She was almost content, though still a little nervous. â€Å"She's not in danger,† I finally said. I hoped. â€Å"Can you keep going?† The hard, stoic warrior I'd met earlier was gone – just for a moment – and he actually looked concerned. Truly concerned. Feeling his eyes on me like that made something flutter inside of me – which was stupid, of course. I had no reason to get all goofy, just because the man was too good-looking for his own good. After all, he was an antisocial god, according to Mason. One who was supposedly going to leave me in all sorts of pain. â€Å"Yeah. I'm fine.† I went into the gym's dressing room and changed into the workout clothes someone had finally thought to give me after a day of practicing in jeans and a T-shirt. Gross. Lissa hanging out with Christian troubled me, but I shoved that thought away for later as my muscles informed me they did not want to go through any more exercise today. So I suggested to Dimitri that maybe he should let me off this time. He laughed, and I was pretty sure it was at me and not with me. â€Å"Why is that funny?† â€Å"Oh,† he said, his smile dropping. â€Å"You were serious.† â€Å"Of course I was! Look, I've technically been awake for two days. Why do we have to start this training now? Let me go to bed,† I whined. â€Å"It's just one hour.† He crossed his arms and looked down at me. His earlier concern was gone. He was all business now. Tough love. â€Å"How do you feel right now? After the training you've done so far?† â€Å"I hurt like hell.† â€Å"You'll feel worse tomorrow.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So, better to jump in now while you still feel? ­not as bad.† â€Å"What kind of logic is that?† I retorted. But I didn't argue anymore as he led me into the weight room. He showed me the weights and reps he wanted me to do, then sprawled in a corner with a battered Western novel. Some god. When I finished, he stood beside me and demonstrated a few cool-down stretches. â€Å"How'd you end up as Lissa's guardian?† I asked. â€Å"You weren't here a few years ago. Were you even trained at this school?† He didn't answer right away. I got the feeling he didn't talk about himself very often. â€Å"No. I attended the one in Siberia.† â€Å"Whoa. That's got to be the only place worse than Montana.† A glint of something – maybe amusement – sparked in his eyes, but he didn't acknowledge the joke. â€Å"After I graduated, I was a guardian for a Zeklos lord. He was killed recently.† His smile dropped, his face grew dark. â€Å"They sent me here because they needed extras on campus. When the princess turned up, they assigned me to her, since I'd already be around. Not that it matters until she leaves campus.† I thought about what he'd said before. Some Strigoi killed the guy he was supposed to have been guarding? â€Å"Did this lord die on your watch?† â€Å"No. He was with his other guardian. I was away.† He fell silent, his mind obviously somewhere else. The Moroi expected a lot from us, but they did recognize that the guardians were – more or less – only human. So, guardians got pay and time off like you'd get in any other job. Some hard-core guardians – like my mom – refused vacations, vowing never to leave their Moroi's sides. Looking at Dimitri now, I had a feeling he might very well turn into one of those. If he'd been away on legitimate leave, he could hardly blame himself for what happened to that guy. Still, he probably did anyway. I'd blame myself too if something happened to Lissa. â€Å"Hey,† I said, suddenly wanting to cheer him up, â€Å"did you help come up with the plan to get us back? Because it was pretty good. Brute force and all that.† He arched an eyebrow curiously. Cool. I'd always wished I could do that. â€Å"You're complimenting me on that?† â€Å"Well, it was a hell of a lot better than the last one they tried.† â€Å"Last one?† â€Å"Yeah. In Chicago. With the pack of psi-hounds.† â€Å"This was the first time we found you. In Portland.† I sat up from my stretches and crossed my legs. â€Å"Um, I don't think I imagined psi-hounds. Who else could have sent them? They only answer to Moroi. Maybe no one told you about it.† â€Å"Maybe,† he said dismissively. I could tell by his face he didn't believe that. I returned to the novices' dorm after that. The Moroi students lived on the other side of the quad, closer to the commons. The living arrangements were partly based on convenience. Being here kept us novices closer to the gym and training grounds. But we also lived separately to accommodate the differences in Moroi and dhampir lifestyles. Their dorm had almost no windows, aside from tinted ones that dimmed sunlight. They also had a special section where feeders always stayed on hand. The novices' dorm was built in a more open way, allowing for more light. I had my own room because there were so few novices, let alone girls. The room they'd given me was small and plain, with a twin bed and a desk with a computer. My few belongings had been spirited out of Portland and now sat in boxes around the room. I rummaged through them, pulling out a T-shirt to sleep in. I found a couple of pictures as I did, one of Lissa and me at a football game in Portland and another taken when I'd gone on vacation with her family, a year before the accident. I set them on my desk and booted up the computer. Someone from tech support had helpfully given me a sheet with instructions for renewing my e-mail account and setting up a password. I did both, happy to discover no one had realized that this would serve as a way for me to communicate with Lissa. Too tired to write to her now, I was about to turn everything off when I noticed I already had a message. From Janine Hathaway. It was short: I'm glad you're back. What you did was inexcusable. â€Å"Love you too, Mom,† I muttered, shutting it all down. When I went to bed afterward, I passed out before even hitting the pillow, and just as Dimitri had predicted, I felt ten times worse when I woke up the next morning. Lying there in bed, I reconsidered the perks of running away. Then I remembered getting my ass kicked and figured the only way to prevent that from happening again was to go endure some more of it this morning. My soreness made it all that much worse, but I survived the before-school practice with Dimitri and my subsequent classes without passing out or fainting. At lunch, I dragged Lissa away from Natalie's table early and gave her a Kirova-worthy lecture about Christian – particularly chastising her for letting him know about our blood arrangement. If that got out, it'd kill both of us socially and I didn't trust him not to tell. Lissa had other concerns. â€Å"You were in my head again?† she exclaimed. â€Å"For that long?† â€Å"I didn't do it on purpose,† I argued. â€Å"It just happened. And that's not the point. How long did you hang out with him afterward?† â€Å"Not that long. It was kind of? ­fun.† â€Å"Well, you can't do it again. If people find out you're hanging out with him, they'll crucify you.† I eyed her warily. â€Å"You aren't, like, into him, are you?† She scoffed. â€Å"No. Of course not. â€Å"Good. Because if you're going to go after a guy, steal Aaron back.† He was boring, yes, but safe. Just like Natalie. How come all the harmless people were so lame? Maybe that was the definition of safe. She laughed. â€Å"Mia would claw my eyes out.† â€Å"We can take her. Besides, he deserves someone who doesn't shop at Gap Kids.† â€Å"Rose, you've got to stop saying things like that.† â€Å"I'm just saying what you won't.† â€Å"She's only a year younger,† said Lissa. She laughed. â€Å"I can't believe you think I'm the one who's going to get us in trouble.† Smiling as we strolled toward class, I gave her a sidelong glance. â€Å"Aaron does look pretty good though, huh?† She smiled back and avoided my eyes. â€Å"Yeah. Pretty good.† â€Å"Ooh. You see? You should go after him.† â€Å"Whatever. I'm fine being friends now.† â€Å"Friends who used to stick their tongues down each other's throats.† She rolled her eyes. â€Å"Fine.† I let my teasing go. â€Å"Let Aaron stay in the nursery school. Just so long as you stay away from Christian. He's dangerous.† â€Å"You're overreacting. He's not going Strigoi.† â€Å"He's a bad influence.† She laughed. â€Å"You think I'm in danger of going Strigoi?† She didn't wait for my answer, instead pushing ahead to open the door to our science class. Standing there, I uneasily replayed her words and then followed a moment later. When I did, I got to see royal power in action. A few guys – with giggling, watching girls – were messing with a gangly-looking Moroi. I didn't know him very well, but I knew he was poor and certainly not royal. A couple of his tormentors were air-magic users, and they'd blown the papers off his desk and were pushing them around the room on currents of air while the guy tried to catch them. My instincts urged me to do something, maybe go smack one of the air users. But I couldn't pick a fight with everyone who annoyed me, and certainly not a group of royals – especially when Lissa needed to stay off their radar. So I could only give them a look of disgust as I walked to my desk. As I did, a hand caught my arm. Jesse. â€Å"Hey,† I said jokingly. Fortunately, he didn't appear to be participating in the torture session. â€Å"Hands off the merchandise.† He flashed me a smile but kept his hand on me. â€Å"Rose, tell Paul about the time you started the fight in Ms. Karp's class.† I cocked my head toward him, giving him a playful smile. â€Å"I started a lot of fights in her class.† â€Å"The one with the hermit crab. And the gerbil.† I laughed, recalling it. â€Å"Oh yeah. It was a hamster, I think. I just dropped it into the crab's tank, and they were both worked up from being so close to me, so they went at it.† Paul, a guy sitting nearby whom I didn't really know, chuckled too. He'd transferred last year, apparently, and hadn't heard of this. â€Å"Who won?† I looked at Jesse quizzically. â€Å"I don't remember. Do you?† â€Å"No. I just remember Karp freaking out.† He turned toward Paul. â€Å"Man, you should have seen this messed-up teacher we used to have. Used to think people were after her and would go off on stuff that didn't make any sense. She was nuts. Used to wander campus while everyone was asleep.† I smiled tightly, like I thought it was funny. Instead, I thought back to Ms. Karp again, surprised to be thinking about her for the second time in two days. Jesse was right – she had wandered campus a lot when she still worked here. It was pretty creepy. I'd run into her once – unexpectedly. I'd been climbing out of my dorm window to go hang out with some people. It was after hours, and we were all supposed to be in our rooms, fast asleep. Such escape tactics were a regular practice for me. I was good at them. But I fell that time. I had a second-floor room, and I lost my grip about halfway down. Sensing the ground rush up toward me, I tried desperately to grab hold of something and slow my fall. The building's rough stone tore into my skin, causing cuts I was too preoccupied to feel. I slammed into the grassy earth, back first, getting the wind knocked out of me. â€Å"Bad form, Rosemarie. You should be more careful. Your instructors would be disappointed.† Peering through the tangle of my hair, I saw Ms. Karp looking down at me, a bemused look on her face. Pain, in the meantime, shot through every part of my body. Ignoring it as best I could, I clambered to my feet. Being in class with Crazy Karp while surrounded by other students was one thing. Standing outside alone with her was an entirely different matter. She always had an eerie, distracted gleam in her eye that made my skin break out in goose bumps. There was also now a high likelihood she'd drag me off to Kirova for a detention. Scarier still. Instead, she just smiled and reached for my hands. I flinched but let her take them. She tsked when she saw the scrapes. Tightening her grip on them, she frowned slightly. A tingle burned my skin, laced with a sort of pleasant buzz, and then the wounds closed up. I had a brief sense of dizziness. My temperature spiked. The blood disappeared, as did the pain in my hip and leg. Gasping, I jerked my hands away. I'd seen a lot of Moroi magic, but never anything like that. â€Å"What? ­what did you do?† She gave me that weird smile again. â€Å"Go back to your dorm, Rose. There are bad things out here. You never know what's following you.† I was still staring at my hands. â€Å"But? ­Ã¢â‚¬  I looked back up at her and for the first time noticed scars on the sides of her forehead. Like nails had dug into them. She winked. â€Å"I won't tell on you if you don't tell on me.† I jumped back to the present, unsettled by the memory of that bizarre night. Jesse, in the meantime, was telling me about a party. â€Å"You've got to slip your leash tonight. We're going up to that spot in the woods around eight thirty. Mark got some weed.† I sighed wistfully, regret replacing the chill I'd felt over the memory of Ms. Karp. â€Å"Can't slip that leash. I'm with my Russian jailer.† He let go of my arm, looking disappointed, and ran a hand through his bronze-colored hair. Yeah. Not being able to hang out with him was a damned shame. I really would have to fix that someday. â€Å"Can't you ever get off for good behavior?† he joked. I gave him what I hoped was a seductive smile as I found my seat. â€Å"Sure,† I called over my shoulder. â€Å"If I was ever good.†