Instructional Materials in english

At the end of this module, you are expected to write a reflective essay which ill be graded based on criteria presented at the latter part of the module. As you do the following tasks, you will be guided by the essential question. â€Å"How are preferences, feelings, and insights communicated in a reflective essay? Welcome to Module 2! Johanna Mae Y. Arena Activity 1: What lies beneath the Ink? Below are questions you have to answer. Each question represents a concept or idea which is about to be discussed in this module. Don't leave any item unanswered! From â€Å"Once More Eremite† by Vaccination De la Tore 1 .Before the International Monetary' Fund (MIFF) conference, which â€Å"sprouted† there live-star hotels. Manila Hilton was the place to be seen at. 2. Noted journalist Carmen Guerdon Nanking, who is a native of Eremite, points out that Eremite was then a Toga Village peopled by free, energetic and handsome Malay who drank whine, wore gold bangles and treated ea ch other and the Spanish newcomers with exquisite courtesy. 3. Those, whose beliefs in religion, in life, in just anything are unorthodox, air their views in Eremite's Coffee Shops. 1-9 For items 1-9, do the following: 1. Underline the antecedent used in the statement. . Circle the relative pronoun; and Underline the relative clause twice. 3. 1-3 Before the International Monetary Fund (MIFF) conference, which â€Å"sprouted† other five-star hotels, Manila Hilton was the place to be seen at. Noted journalist Carmen Guerdon Nanking, who is a native of Eremite, points out that Eremite was then a Toga Village peopled by free, energetic and 7-9 Those, whose beliefs in religion, in life, in just anything are unorthodox, air 10. A type of essay which aims to reflect on a personal event or experienced of the author called a a. Persuasive essay b. Reflective essay c. Narrative essay d. Harasser sketch Johanna Mae Y. Erne 2 Processing points This activity will not be recorded, however your score is important to diagnose whether you have background knowledge of the topic. Activity 2: Reflective Circles What is a reflective essay? Try to dissect the idea using the Venn diagram below: Reflection Essay 3 Activity 3: Photo Reflection Below are interesting pictures that have to do with activities (both academic and leisure) in school. Fill out the table below. Write whatnot remember the most about the pictures. Fill out the table below: What is the picture all about? What does the picture remind you of?Activity 4: Transport Below are comments about transportation vehicles. Write the transport talked about. (motor vehicle, plane, boat, train, tricycle, etc. ) Put a plus mark (+), if the remark made positive one or put a minus sign G) if it is a negative one or a statement of disapproval. a. My goodness! The noise it makes before it takes off is deafening because it has to gather speed so it can get off the ground. B. I'll take this ride anytime. It is big. It does not r ock with the waves. Besides that, it is very comfortable just like a floating hotel. C. Those smoke belching vehicles should be banned from the streets.They pollute the air. Moreover they endanger our health. D. That power steering device makes driving very comfortable because the driver does not have to shift gears anymore. The machine helps him do it. 4 e. This is the fastest and cheapest way to travel. It's fast for it has its own tracks to run on, hence it does not get caught up in traffic. F. They tie up traffic; not only that, they are also very noisy. They should be allowed only on the side streets. Isn't it dangerous to go out to sea in that craft since it has only one outrigger? Won't it capsize in rough seas because it is not balanced?Activity 5: COHO -COHO train! Read the following questions. Copy your answers in your notebook. 1. What is the modern-day train model? 2. How does it differ from the other means of land travel? 3. What advantages does a train have over other land transports? 4. What are some of the disadvantages? 5. What comes into your mind when you hear the word train? Write your answers in the graphic organizer below. 5 Activity 6: The Question is Fill out the chart below. Important question about reflective essay Next important question Third important Least important Processing point C] Why is it your most important question? Activity 7: Check My Question! You have selected the most important question in Activity 6, now it is time to make an evaluation of your chosen question using the checklist below: Write your question here: Start evaluating your chosen question here: Characteristics of Essential Question Expressed Not Expressed . It has no simple â€Å"right† answer. It could be argued. 2. 3. It provokes critical thinking. 4. It raises other important questions. It is related to life. 5. Are all the characteristics expressed in your chosen question? If so, then your question is an essential question!If not, try selecting another question and repeat the process enumerated in this activity. The correct answer is â€Å"How are preferences, feelings, and insights communicated in a reflective essay? 7 Reflective essay is a type of essay aimed to reflect personal event or experience Of the author. The main condition is that it has to be a certain personal experience on which the author expresses his very own perception about life. This experience or event is revealed in the essay in order to demonstrate its importance for understanding social relations and the essence of people.Structure of a Reflective Essay Here is a probable scheme of a reflective essay: ; The aim of the opening paragraph is to get the reader involved in the authors expression of ideas including interesting details and personal experiences. The style must be very vivid and must appeal to the reader. ; The middle part reveals a good variety Of the author's ideas on the topic. ; The concluding sentences summarize the main ideas and exp eriences highlighted in the essay. The author makes a reflection of his general perception of the given topic.The introductory paragraph is used for describing the background of your topic, your role in it, and the reasons for choosing it. It is also important to mention your aim and goals for developing the reflective essay writing. In the u porting paragraphs you will explain the process of working on the reflective essay from its initial research to the final stages. Be sure to pay attention to both the weak and strong points; positive and negative experiences and any associated feelings. 8 To conclude your reflective essay efficiently, answer these questions: ; Did you achieve your goals? What would you like to change if you had another chance? ; What useful expertise have you obtained from the task? ; How could it be improved? Activity 8: Vocabulary in a Flash Below are phrases you will encounter while reading the essay ‘ ‘The World in a Train † by Francisco C asino. What do you mean by a. Small world b. Abstraction called humanity c. Without regard to hygiene d. Hard- fought battle e. Fashion so distasteful complete indifference 9 One Sunday I entrained for Baling, a town in Vulcan which can well afford to hold two fiestas a year without a qualm. Kook the train partly because am prejudiced in favor of the government owned railroad, partly because I am allowed comparative comfort in a coach, and finally because trains sometimes leave and arrive according to schedule. In the coach I found a little world, a section of the abstraction called humanity homo we are supposed to love and live for. Had previously arranged to divide the idle hour or so between cultivating my neglected Christianity and smoothing out the rough edges of my nature with the aid of grateful sights without -? the rolling wheels, the flying huts and trees and light-green play seedlings and carbons along the way.Inertia, I suppose, and the sort of reality we moderns know ma ke falling in love with my immediate neighbors often a matter of severe strain and effort to me. Let me give a sketchy picture of the little world whose company Mans Koki shared in moments which soon passed away affecting most of us. First, there came to my notice three husky individuals who dusted their seats furiously with their handkerchiefs without regard to hygiene or the brotherhood of men. It gave me no little annoyance that on such a quiet morning the unpleasant aspects in other people's ways should claim my attention.Then there was a harmless-looking middle-aged man in green camas De chino with rolled sleeves who must have entered asleep. When I noticed him he was already snuggly entrenched in a corner seat, with his slipped feet comfortably planted on the opposite seat, all the while his head danced and dangled with the motion of the train. I could not, for the love of me, imagine how he would look if he were awake. A child of six in the next seat must have shared with me in speculating about the dreams of this sleeping man in green.Was he dreaming of the Second World War or the price of eggs? Had he any worries about the permanent dominion status or the final outcome of the struggles of the masses, or was it merely the arrangement of the scales on a fighting roaster's legs that brought that frown on his face? But the party that most engaged my attention was a family of eight composed of a short but efficient father, four very young children, mother, grandmother, and another woman who must have been the efficient father's sister.They distributed themselves on four benches – you know the kind of seats facing each other so that half the passengers travel backward. The more I looked at the short but young and efficient father the shorter his parts looked to me. His movements were fast and short, too. He removed his coat, folded it carefully and slung it on the back of his seat. Then he pulled out his wallet from the hip pocket and counted his mon ey while his wife and the rest of his group watched the ritual without a word.Then the short, young, and efficient father stood up and pulled out two nana leaf bundles from a bamboo basket and spread out both bundles on one bench and log luncheon was ready at ten o'clock. With the efficient father leading the charge, the children (except the baby in his grandmother's arms) began to dig away with little encouragement and aid from the elders. In a short while the skirmish was over, the enemy – shrimps, omelet, rice and tomato sauce – were routed out, save for a few shrimps and some rice left for the grandmother to handle in her own style later.Then came the water- fetching ritual. The father, with a glass in hand, led the march to the train acute, followed by three children whose faces still showed the marks of a hard-fought-battle. In passing between me and a person, then engaged in a casual conversation with me, the short but efficient father made a courteous gesture w hich is still good to see in these democratic days; he bent from the hips and, dropping both hands, made an opening in the air between my collector and me – a gesture which in unspoiled places means â€Å"Excuse Me. 10 In one of the stations where the train stopped, a bent old woman in black boarded the train. As it moved away, the old woman went about the coach, egging holding every prospective Samaritan by the arm, and stretching forth her gnarled hand in the familiar fashion So distasteful to me at that time. There is something in begging which destroys some fiber in most men. â€Å"Every time you drop a penny into a beggar's palm you help degrade a man and make it more difficult for him to rise with dignity..There was something in his beggar's eye which seemed to demand. â€Å"Now do your duty. † And did. Wily-nil I dropped a coin and thereby filled my life with repulsion. Is this Christianity? â€Å"Blessed are the poor But with what speed did that bent old Oma n cross the platform into the next coach! While thus engaged in unwholesome thought, felt myself jerked as the train made a curve to the right. The toddler of the family of eight lost his balance and caught the short but efficient father off-guard.In an instant all his efficiency was employed in collecting the shrieking toddler from under his seat. The child had, in no time, developed two elongated bumps on the head, upon which was applied a moist piece of cloth. There were no reproaches, no words spoken. The discipline in the family was remarkable, or was it because they considered the head as a minor anatomical appendage and was Hereford nor worth the fuss?Occasionally, when the child's crying rose above the din of the locomotive and the clinkers-clank of the wheels on the rails, the father would jog about a bit without blushing, look at the bumps on his child's head, shake his own, and move his lips saying, â€Å"Task, Task†. And nothing more. Fairly tired of assuming the minor responsibilities of my neighbors in this little world in motion, I looked into the distant horizon where the blue Cordilleras merged into the blue of the sky. There rested my thoughts upon the billowing silver and grey of the clouds, lightly remarking upon their being a Arial to us, although they may not know it.We each would mind our own business and suffer in silence for the littlest mistakes of others; laughing at their ways if we happened to be in a position to suspend our emotion and view the whole scene as a god would; or, we could weep for other men if we are the mood to shed copious tears over the whole tragic aspect of a world thrown out of joint. It is strange how human sympathy operates. We assume an attitude of complete indifference to utter strangers whom we have seen but not met. We claim that they are the hardest to fall in love with in the normal exercise of Christian charity.

Major Schools of Thought in Psychology Essay

When psychology was first established as a science separate from biology and philosophy, the debate over how to describe and explain the human mind and behavior began. The first school of thought, structuralism, was advocated by the founder of the first psychology lab, Wilhelm Wundt. Almost immediately, other theories began to emerge and vie for dominance in psychology. The following are some of the major schools of thought that have influenced our knowledge and understanding of psychology: Structuralism vs. Functionalism: 1) Structuralism was the first school of psychology, and focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components. Major structuralist thinkers include Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchner. 2) Functionalism formed as a reaction to the theories of the structuralist school of thought and was heavily influenced by the work of William James. This school focused on the functions of human behaviors and not their structure. Major functionalist thinkers included John Dewey and Harvey Carr. Evolutionary psychology is founded on the view that the function of all psychological phenomena in human evolution is a necessary perspective to their understanding. Gestalt Psychology: 3) Gestalt psychology is based upon the idea that we experience things as unified wholes. This approach to psychology began in Germany and Austria during the late 19th century in response to the molecular approach of structuralism. Rather that breaking down thoughts and behavior to their smallest element, the gestalt psychologists believed that you must look at the whole of experience. According to the gestalt thinkers, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Max Wertheimer is often credited as the founder of this movement. Psychoanalysis: Sigmund Freud was the found of 4) Psychodynamic approach. This school of thought emphasizes the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior. Freud believed that the human mind was composed of three elements: the id, the ego, and the superego. Other major psychodynamic thinkers include Anna Freud, Carl Jung, and Erik Erikson. Behaviorism: 5) Behaviorism became the dominant school of thought during the 1950s. Based upon the work of thinkers such as John Watson, Ivan Pavlov, and B. F. Skinner, behaviorism holds that all behavior can be explained by environmental causes, rather than by internal forces. Behaviorism is focused on observable behavior. Theories of learning including classical conditioning and operant conditioning were the focus of a great deal of research. Humanistic Psychology: 6) Humanistic psychology developed as a response to psychoanalysis and behaviorism. Humanistic psychology instead focused on individual free will, personal growth, and self-actualization. Major humanist thinkers included Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. Cognitive Psychology: 7) Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes including how people think, perceive, problem solve, remember, and learn. As part of the larger field of cognitive science, this branch of psychology is related to other disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy, and linguistics. One of the most influential theories from this school of thought was the stages of cognitive development theory proposed by Jean Piaget. Later work in this field was pioneered by names like Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck.

Principles of Safeguarding and Protection in Health and Social Care Essay

Principles of safeguarding and protection in health and social. Ai; Physical Abuse is when somebody causes feelings of physical pain, injury other suffering or bodily harm, such as hitting, kicking, scratching, pinching, shaking. Sexual Abuse is where you are forced to do, say and watch sexual things. Eg; being undressed or having sexual contact when you do not want to or even touching another person, being made to say sexual things and being made to watch porn is also sexual abuse. Emotional Abuse is a form of power that someone has over you to cause depression, anxiety, stress. It is bullying someone by calling them names that hurts their feeling or to scare them and even threaten them. Financial Abuse is when another person steals or takes something that belongs to you. Eg; stealing your money, making you buy things you are not willing to, refusing to allow individuals to manage their finances and tricking individuals to hand over their property. Institutional Abuse is not only confined to large scale physical or sexual abuse, individuals can also be abused in many other ways in settngs where they could exoect to be cared for and protected. Eg; Individuals not given choice over decisions (meals, outings, clothing.) Mistreated to their medication. Privacy and dignity also not respected. Self-neglect is when an individual neglects to attend to their basic needs. Eg; personal hygiene, appearance, feeding not bothering to obtain medical help or an unwillingness to see people or go out. Neglect by others is when the victim is being looked after by somebody else but fails to provide adequate care. For example failure to provide sufficient supervision, food or medical care, or the failure to fulfil other needs that the victim is unable to provide for herself or himself. see more:explain the importance of an accessible complaints procedure for reducing the likelihood of abuse. Signs and symptoms of abuse. Physical abuse Aii; Bruising Fractures Burns Fear Depression Weight loss Assault Cowering Flinching Welch marks Malnutrition Untreated medical problems Bed sores Confusion Over sedation Emotional abuse:. Fear Depression Confusion Loss of sleep Change in behaviour Onset of phobias No communication Sexual Abuse: Loss of sleep Diseases Repeated urinary infections Bruising Soreness around the genitals Torn, stained bloody underwear or bed sheets Preoccupation with anything sexual Excessive washing Reluctance to be alone with an unknown individual Financial Abuse: Unexplained loss of fundsor withdrawels from bank accounts Inability to pay bills Change in lifestyle/standard of living Basic needs not being met Loss of property Unnecessary building work or repairs to property Not trusting anyone around them Self-neglect: Poor hygiene (smell of urine faeces) Dehydration Weight loss Abnormal body temp Inappropriate clothing Not taking medication Infections Illnesses Institutional abuse: No flexibility at bed time Waking up to a routine Dirty beds and clothing Missing clothing, possessions, documents and letters Excessive or lack of medication Lack of consideration of dietary requirement’s Aiii; If you was to suspect an individual was being abused you should report your concerns to the manager. Also ask to write a private account for your records, making sure it doesn’t go in the care plan in case the abuser comes across it. Aiv; If a client was to tell you they are being abused, you should stop what you’re doing and listen carefully to them. All conversations should be treated with confidence and information only passed on to those who need to know. Even if the person speaks in the strictest of confidence, line managers must still be informed and the discussion must be written down. Never agree with the client that you wont tell anyone else. Say that you’ll only tell someone who can do something about it. Av; Make a written record of messages (e.g answer phones) to ensure they are not lost. Include the date and time and sign them. Ensure written records  (notes, letters, bank statements,medication records etc) are kept in a safe place. Do not tidy up, wash clothes, bedding or any other items. Do not try to clear or tidy things up Try not to touch anything un;ess you have to for the immediate wellbeing of the victim- if you have to try make a record of what you have done. If any sexual offence is suspected try to discourage the vicim from washing, drinking, cleaning their teeth or going to the toulet until the police are present. Preserve anything used to warm or comfort the victim (E.g: a blanket). If you can try to ensure that the alleged perpetrator does not have any contact with the victim. Record any physical signs or injuries using a body & map or hand drawing write a description of any physical signs or injuries including size, shape colour etc. Always remember to sign and date your notes and any other records you have made. Avi, Avii: No secrets- set out a code of practice of how commissioners and providers of care services should protect vulnerable adults. Criminal records bureau- DBS will filter certain old and minor cautions and convictions, reprimands and warnings from criminal records certificates. DBS- Disclosure and barring service. In safe hands(wales only)- sets out roles and responsibilities of CCIW in relation to other statutory bodies including local authorities who have the lead role in coordinating the development of local policies and procedures in adult protection. Office of the public guardian -agency with responsibilities then extend across England and wales. If supports the public quardian in the registration of enduring powers of attorney and lasting powers of attorney and the supervision of debuties appointed by the court of protection. The code of practice- sets out the criteria against which a registered providers compliance with the requirements relating to cleanliness and infection control will be assessed by the care quality commission. It also provides guidance on how the provider can interpret and meet the registration requirement and comply with the law. Local Partnership boards- committed to preventing the abuse of adults and responding promptly when abuse is suspected. Safeguarding adults means that local authorities, police and NHS agencies involved with adults who might be at risk of abuse have a duty of care to ensure that procedures  are in place, that encourage reporting of suspected abuse, and take action to stop the abuse. Care Quality Organisations (CQC)- registered over 18,000 care homes and publish all inspection reports, which check on the essential standards of quality and safety. Aviii: Social worker- Protect and support vulnerable people, and place them in a safe environment away from risk of danger. A risk assessment is used to decide what help is needed and the correct actions to take. They also investigate any reports. Police- Protect the community, investigate allegations of abuse, prepare court cases and make case reports. Informal agencies or third sector agencies- Research and raise awareness, campains, charities. Offer support (counselling services) Health care practitioners- Perform examinations and report finding relevant authorities . Serious case review chair person- Review serious investigations and/or failures that have previously been investigated and look at what changed need to be made. Aix: Many local Authorities run free, multi-agency, safeguarding courses for anyone who works with vulnerable children and adults, and so should any decent employer in this field. Ask your workplace training department about this. You can also find more information through their local safeguarding team in the Social Services Department or the Independent Safeguarding Authority. Direct.gov Cqc.org.uk Lancashire county council.

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

Tibet - Research Paper Example (Bawden, 1989, p 45) Not the entire minorities declare to be 'stateless', yet if they claim a separate identity. States identify minority nationalities and ethnic groups to diverse degrees: recognizing definite cultural and linguistic rights, as well as allowing definite political independence. History In 1720, the Chinese army entered Tibet and broke settling down in Lhasa, the massacre of the Mongols, and the result was the accession to the throne of the seventh Dalai Lama Keltsanga Gyatso. As a reward for his help, Chinese annexed the Tibetan region of Amdo. China had continued to compulsively meddle in the internal affairs of Tibet, gradually pushing the Dalai Lama from the direct control of the state and in the case of willingly helping Tibet with troops. These kinds of political symbiosis Chinese historians use to prove that Tibet is historically part of China. At the same time, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama wrote: "The relationship between Tibet and China are similar to the relati onship between the priest and his patron and was not based on subordination of one another." (Bawden, 1989, p 45) Sort of a key point in the development (and complications) Sino-Tibetan relations was recognition of Great Britain and Russia in 1907, Tibet area of exceptional interest of China. The result was the invasion of 1910 and the expulsion of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, who fled to India. Languages Tibetan languages are a bunch of jointly incoherent Tibeto-Burman dialects voiced mainly by Tibetan peoples who reside over a broad locality of to the east Central Asia neighboring South Asia, encompassing the Tibetan Plateau and the to the north Indian subcontinent in Nepal, Ladakh, Baltistan, Bhutan and Sikkim. The academic in writing pattern is a foremost local scholarly dialect, especially for its use in Buddhist literature. For political causes, the dialects of cantered Tibet (as well as Lhasa), Amdo, and Khams in China are advised dialects of a lone Tibetan dialect, while Sherp a, Dzongkha, Ladakhi, and Sikkimese are usually advised to be distinct dialects, whereas their speakers may address themselves to be ethnically Tibetan. However, this does not contemplate linguistic reality: Dzongkha and Sherpa, for demonstration, are nearer to Lhasa Tibetan than Amdo or Khams are. Tibetan is as well voiced by bunch of ethnic minorities in the country who have dwelled in slam proximity to Tibetans for decades, but regardless keep their own cultures and dialects. Although the People’s Republic of China categorizes a few of the Qiangic peoples of Kham as cultural Tibetans, Qiangic dialects are not Tibetan, although rather pattern their own agency of the Tibeto-Burman dialect family. (Kvaerne, 1981, p 250 - 251) Traditional Tibetan was not a tonal dialect, but some diversity for example Khams and Central Tibetan have evolved tone. (Ladakhi/Balti and Amdo without tone) Tibetan morphology can usually be recounted as agglutinative, whereas traditional Tibetan was m ostly analytic. Tibet religion Lamaism or Tibetan Buddhism is the corpse of Buddhist devout doctrine and organizations attribute of certain districts of the Himalayas and Tibet, encompassing to the north Nepal, India and Bhutan (particularly in Lahaul, Ladakh, Dharamsala, Arunachal Pradesh, and Spiti in Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh). It is the religion of Bhutan country, It is

The Spanish Enconter the Native Americans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Spanish Enconter the Native Americans - Essay Example d developed, Native Americans encountered by Cortes in Meso-America exemplified the next, more advanced stage of evolution, compared to their counterparts living in the Caribbean. The issue is worth-discussing as these differences among Native American peoples imply the need to study their development and evolution in more detail. What Columbus saw upon his arrival at the Caribbean was rather simple and unsophisticated. Friendly people who, as Columbus and the Admiral perceived, could be easily converted into Christianity, met them on the island (Columbus). They had nothing against adopting new values and religion. They were completely naked and looked very poor (Columbus). They had no weapons and did not seem to be aware of their existence (Columbus). Without iron, their javelins were merely sticks, with a few wearing fish-bones at the ends (Columbus). Obviously, architecture and buildings they had none. Later, when Columbus sailed to explore other islands, he discovered remarkable villages, with houses made like tents with high chimneys (Columbus). All villages were small, comprising not more than fifteen tents (Columbus). Columbus’s diaries do not provide any information regarding their religion; most probably, they had none. However, throughout his writing, Columbus mentions the need and importance of converting the Natives into Christian faith. By contrast, the Native Americans encountered by Cortes in Meso-America exemplified a more civilized, advanced stage of human evolution. More sophisticated and technically developed, Native Americans in Meso-America had a complex social hierarchy (Cortes). Cortes described the place where Native Americans lived as â€Å"great city†. Cities were built following complex architectural patterns and traditions (Cortes). For example, the great city had four entrances formed by artificial causeways (Cortes). Streets were straight and wide (Cortes). Unlike Native Americans living in the Caribbean, the Native Americans in

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 264

Assignment Example ones used to solve daily problems in the real world such as calculate the probability of a risk happening or calculating interest rates or premiums for insurance. This is why I chose pharmacology as a career path because studying the drugs involves also doing a lot of mathematical calculation, thus my love for math would make it easier for me to carry out these complex calculations. What I plan to achieve in my pharmacology career is ensure that every drug that passes by me is safe for the population and persuade my senior to carry out research in drugs that leave side effects on people, which end up affecting their general health instead of treating them. The three measures and there conversion factors that might assist me in converting the US system to SI in medical practice include (1) Alkaline phosphatase (U/L-SI Unit) (IU/L- Conventional (USA) Units) with as conversion factor of 1.0, (2) Bilirubin (mg/dL-Conventional (USA) Units) (ÃŽ ¼mol/L-SI Unit) with as conversion factor of 17.10 and (3) Cholesterol (mg/dL-Conventional (USA) Units) (mmol/L-SI Unit) with as conversion factor of 0.026 (Thompson

Business Models for High Tech Products Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Models for High Tech Products - Essay Example This limitation applies equally well to Apple’s other technological ventures such as the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad and others where it is obvious that Apple’s products target the upper segments of the market alone. This is more often done by Apple through differentiating their products with larger price tags for example the i-series of products from Apple is generally 30% or more priced from other market competitors. Whereas companies like Nokia have been ruling the market through domination of the underdog customer, Apple has chosen not to do so. Recently as other competitors have jumped into Nokia’s market share, the company has held steady because the lower end of the market is still firmly in its hand. In Apple’s case this is very different. Time and again Apple has found itself in troubled waters because Apple’s market segment (more appropriately targeted customer segment) has come under attack from other product makers. This has meant the bleeding of revenue to other competitors while Apple scrambles to innovate their products in the market segment under attack in order to keep relevant. The case of Windows 7 is very relevant in this regard. The introduction of Windows 7 hit the iOS market for computing solutions rather hard and Apple’s domestic computing solutions user drifted out of hand while Apple scrambled to recapture their interest. Had Apple been more diversified such as in the government and the corporate sectors, the threat would not have been that dangerous. Currently Apple derives most of its revenue from the mobile computing lineup consisting of the iPod, the iPad and the iPhone. The segment of mobile computing is expected to rise all the more in coming years as people would be looking for simple, lightweight mobile devices instead of grounded desktops and bulky laptops. The question now is how Apple plans to survive in an already crowded environment. Historically Apple has been providing its core and peripheral consumers with something new every other quarter or so but this run at innovation seems like dying down now. Future Course of Action Strangely enough Apple has always had the â€Å"Steve Jobs† stigma. As long as Mr. Jobs was online, Apple’s â€Å"applecart† seemed to move in the right direction. In this sense, Apple has always been a Jobs-centric company. The death of Steve Jobs in recent days might spell disaster for Apple as a company because previous runs with Jobs provide ground for such belief. Apple can already be seen entangled in a losing battle as the company’s most recent release the iPhone 4S was a complete disaster. The primary reason that the iPhone 2G succeeded was because it gave something to the market that was never there already even with the large variety on hand. Apple fanatics and others were all expecting Apple to come out with some new and innovative device that would once again revolutionize the world of smart phone s but Apple has failed to live up to these expectations. This serves as a beacon for Apple’s future course of action – the company should refrain from delivering half baked pizzas one after the other. The company needs to bring in something big and well planned and executed like Steve Jobs delivered the iPod lineage. For another thing, Apple needs to lower the price tags on its devices

Online Education Market Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Online Education Market Research - Essay Example The researcher has formulated research questions and objectives that will be achieved through primary and secondary data analysis. The research methodology is based on antipositivist research philosophy, inductive research approach and primary and secondary data analysis that assist each other in a great manner. Questionnaires will be designed to seek views and opinions of respondents on the research topic along with in-depth interviews based on snow ball sampling to understand and analyze the beliefs and opinions of respondents on online courses and overall usefulness and feasibility. At the same time, few hypotheses have been formulated that will be tested against the views and opinions of respondents in a critical manner. Based on the overall analysis, certain recommendations and conclusions will be formed that will help in understanding whether the proposed aim and objectives of the research have been achieved or not. Overall, the research has been designed in a logical and descriptive manner that will help in understanding the impact and influence of online courses in a significant manner. Life often offers a number of opportunities that are often accepted or rejected on the basis of priorities. Education can be considered as one of the most important priorities that is affected by lack of time and few other priorities like jobs, family look out and lack of sources and resources. In this regard, online courses have emerged as a savior for a number of students willing to learn along with adding value to their life in a desired manner ... f the most important priorities that is affected by lack of time and few other priorities like jobs, family look out and lack of sources and resources. In this regard, online courses have emerged as a savior for a number of students willing to learn along with adding value to their life in a desired manner (Nagy, 2005). When having a busy schedule; sometimes, it becomes hard to attend college and with little flexibility being offered by colleges, students tend to miss their important lectures along with missing valuable learning. However, with the advent of the online courses and learning, things have been changing at a rapid pace with a number of students willing to opt for such courses offering them a flexibility of striking a right balance between their education, personal and professional lives. The research aims at identifying the importance and worth of online courses in changing the conventional trend in the university education industry along with identifying ways to improve the quality of online courses and learning. In order to achieve the research aim, these objectives have been formulated: To identify the role of online courses in the conventional university education industry To analyze the acceptance and benefits of online courses along with identifying ways for improving them The research questions formulated for this purpose are; will the online course become the new trend in the university education industry and how to provide better online courses to university students along with finding ways to manage and meeting the expectations of students in a desired manner. Organization Background The organization chosen for the research purpose if DeVry University that is the parent organization for Keller Graduate School of Management and many other colleges.

Small Business Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Small Business Management - Case Study Example During their initial stages, the economic conditions were not very supportive for a start up, as the economy was going through a recessionary period; thus, they could only manage to start off with $25,000 but within first six months, they were able to launch their first anti-virus program. This was a major success and also due to this, they could get funding from 'Korea Technology Credit Guarantee Fund' for the amount of $33,500 and this had become their seed money. The anti virus market in Korea grew from 4 billion in 1998, to 26 billion in 2002, and the firm grew with it. Of late, the firm has broaden its product line by adding in data recovery with announcement of 'DataMedic Solution'. Problems and challenges are a part of routine business activities but analyzing them is the only source that leads to an appropriate solution with long term viability. This section utilizes some tools and techniques for analyzing the problems, so that appropriate solutions can be proposed: SWOT is one of the widely used tools for analyzing the internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external (opportunities and threats) factors prevailing in the industry under consideration. Thus, SWOT is very helpful in determining the environmental situation, matching the internal and external variables. Following is the SWOT analysis of the firm based on the learning from various sources: 1. Strengths The firm has great potential in terms of the research and development skills The initiators and the owners are five professional programmers Since the owners are directly involved in the work, it gives the firm a cutting edge over the competitors The learning curve is a quicker one since the ownership belongs to professionals rather than the businessmen Most of the anti-viruses developed are primarily windows based, and windows being a widely used operating system is definitely an advantage Financial stability is another important strength for the firm 2. Weaknesses One of the major weaknesses of the firm is its weak brand image; since it lacks professional marketers, it hasn't been able to develop its image as such The firm has a fairly narrow and focused product line, and customers prefer one window solution for all problems The recently done diversification was also unrelated (data recovery solutions) It can be seen that there is lack of vision about where the firm wants to be in the next five or ten years 3. Opportunities The growing market of anti viruses is a big time opportunity for the firm Reduced customer loyalty is also an opportunity because with customers switching all the time, the firm can easily hunt for the share of the pie of other anti virus software makers 4. Threats Reduced customer loyalty is a threat in itself as well as customers are not loyal to any single firm Increasing competition is another major influence particularly with competition coming from foreign products The life cycle of these products has reduced drastically and needs regular updates and newer versions The market is rapidly moving towards maturity which means that firms need to be innovative and proactive in terms of launching the latest

A midsummer night's dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A midsummer night's dream - Essay Example The action swings back and forth between these characters and with typical dexterity Shakespeare interweaves these separate threads into a colorful tapestry. The action commences in Athens, and then repairs to the woods outside Athens before climaxing again in Athens. The setting of the action in the woods is an essential aspect of the play. It is the realm of fairies and there is magic in the air, literally! It is a world far- removed from reality and where imagination is given free rein. In this surreal, setting the lovers find an escape from the restrictions of polite society and can shed their inhibitions. The woods are beautiful, dreamy, and mysterious but it can turn menacing and the characters find themselves confronting their dark sides before completing the transformation which holds the key to their collective happiness. And it is in this theme of transformation that permeates the play that the woods have particular significance. Northrop Frye speaks of the â€Å"green world† in Shakespeare’s comedies as a place offering brief solace from the mundane difficulties that pervade human existence (qtd. in Sullivan Jr. 184). In the words of Laroque, â€Å"The green world was regarded as a place of escape from the constraints of the law and of everyday life, a place of change and deep interior transformation† (29). The woods in A Midsummer Night’s Dream perform this function admirably. Athens has become an inhospitable place for the lovers Hermia and Lysander as Egeus wishes his daughter to marry Demetrius and he would rather have her executed as per the laws of the land than allow her to follow the dictates of her heart. When Theseus is asked to preside over this conundrum he finds that his hands are tied and he says: These lines reflect the harshness and rigid cruelty of the hub of civilization that is Athens.

Women at point zero and Dolls House Essay Example for Free

Women at point zero and Dolls House Essay She declares that as a prostitute [she] [is] not [herself], [her] feelings did not rise from within [her] (85). She [makes] no effort, [expends] no energy, [gives] no affection and [provides] no thought (86) when she sleeps with men. The parallelism displays the stealth and disgust Firdaus feels when she is making love with them. This reminds the reader that she shared no intimacy with the men, and she only sleeps with them in order to earn her daily bread. The diction shows that her life is void of feelings and emotions; she appears to be robotic. In contrast, Nora in A Dolls House hides her true feelings and pretends to be desperately in need for help because she wants to stop her husband from reading the letter that could damage their relationship. She needs to act like a docile wife who [couldnt] get anywhere without [his] help (85). she knows that hes so proud of being a man (36). She also lies to Torvald and conceals the truth about her loan because she knows that the truth will hurt his ego. This portrays how well she understands the standing of men in society. She finally has the courage to say No! (98) and this transforms her into a confident woman. The aggressive tone displays the anger and rage in Firdauss heart. After she thrusts aside her anger by killing the pimp she could walk with her head high with the pride of having destroyed all masks to reveal what is hidden behind (96). The real Firdaus is seen after she finds the strength to fight back. The word choice and mood reveals the feelings of happiness Firdaus experiences after she puts aside all the disguises and masks. Firdaus is still vulnerable to men because she has something to lose. When she kills the pimp and later tears up the princes money, Firdaus finally proves that she has control over herself. Moreover, in A Dolls House, Nora also [takes] off [her] fancy dress (96) when she realizes that [she has] been [Helmers] doll-wife (98) and had never had any personal opinions. She realizes that [she] must educate [herself] (99) and try to find out [her] own answers (100). Throughout the play Nora uses exclamatory and childish language. The use of direct language in her dialogues in the climax of the play shows the emergence of a strong and independent woman. Throughout her life she had avoided to face the hardship and realities of life by putting on a disguise but she now realizes that she has been living a lie. She casts aside her fai ade and becomes a changed person. Both Firdaus and Nora execute controversial acts in order acquire freedom. While Firdaus does the unthinkable when she murders a pimp, Nora also breaks the image of the typecast nineteenth century European wife when she leaves her family in order to discover truths about herself and live life on her own terms. Firdaus realized from the beginning that she was a blind creature that could neither see [herself] nor anyone else (41), nevertheless she didnt break free till the end. On the other hand, Nora realization is an on-going process throughout the play. The letter just acts as a catalyst to instigate her to make the divisive decision in the end. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

The lost Boy by Dave Pelzer Essay Example for Free

The lost Boy by Dave Pelzer Essay Dave Peltzer the author of The Lost Boy tells his story from the time he left his abusive mother and alcoholic father, through his experiences in five foster homes and juvenile detention, and how he eventually made it into the Air Force. He was a defiant, rebellious boy who, despite his background and personality, managed to endear himself to many guardians, social workers, and teachers. Pelzer writes in an honest, sometimes rambling, style; he is never bitter, and his story will find many sympathetic readers. The main purpose for Dave to write this book is to show at what lengths children and adolescents have gone to over come the unmentionable hardships of and abusive family. The three most valuable things I have learned from this book are very hard to choose. The book was full of many things to help me in my everyday life. Ranging from how to deal with kids who have be through abusive situations to how kids of abuse act in general. The first one has to be, Dave was very tactful in how he handled his thoughts and feelings. Many children his age are running around chasing girls and hanging with the guys. Not him he was studying hard and trying to be better than his parents were. He would always squander away what he had, so no one could take what was rightfully his and that includes his life. The second thing that was useful was how Dave was never angry with his situation he would just look at it as another challenge. Many times through out the book Dave would have to change foster homes after being fairly settled in the way of living there. Most teens his age cant handle a great deal of change but Dave would just go with the flow and never bat an eye lash. The third most valuable thing has to be his willingness to help. I would think that since no one would help him he would not help anyone else. On the contrary, Dave was always helping with chores, making dinner, and doing little extra things he didnt have to do. I later found out through reading the book that Daves willingness to help stems from his need to feel loved and wanted. I can honestly say that I could never have gone through the painstaking trials and tribulations Dave went though while he was in his teen yes. It take a special person to do that and Dave is that special person. PARENTING TECHNIQUES Daves mother was a very troubled woman who for some unknown reason liked to target Dave and blame him for any and all bad things that happened. His mother was and Authoritative and neglectful at the same time. Some may say how can one parent be on both extremes of things but there are  a few instance with in the book which shows both. For example Daves mother would make him do all the chores and never was aloud to play. For some reason even if Dave finished what he was told to do in the time he was told to do it he would not be fed or worse he would be part of his mother Games and Test. His mothers Games and Tests range from putting him in freezing cold water for 5 hours at a time to making him sit on the garage steps with his hands under his bottom head strait a head for up to 36 hours at a time no food, bathroom, shower or other needs to live. Dave was saved from this horror when he was 15 but he was in foster care and the parenting techniques ranged from authoritarian to indulgent, but anything was better than what he had endured at his mothers house. DELINQUENCY Dave in his teen years was for the most part a very well behaved boy. He was working hard in school and kept to himself for the most part. Although Dave did have a small problem he like to take things with out asking or stealing. Daves stealing habits stem from his basic survival needs that he instinctively put up when his mother would make him go with out food, water, and basic sanitation. Dave at times would also lash out at his foster families so that they would not get to close to him. In some cases when Dave would lash out he would be put into another foster home and have to readjust to things again. Dave usually liked to lash out he thought he didnt need anyone just himself. He could handle himself since he could handle his mother Games and Tests. Daves delinquent actions are fairly normal of abused and neglected teens.  Dave was also just being a normal teen trying find himself in a world that had not found him for almost 12 years. DEPRESSION Dave did have a great deal of depression in his life. He would think why does my mother treat me like I am a piece of *censored*? Daves depression stemmed from he long ours of being with himself. He had many hours, day, months, and years to think about what he had done. His mother made him out to be an evil unwanted child who was worthless. Dave thought the main reason his mother didnt like him and his father wouldnt talk to him any more that he had failed as a son. Not till Dave was in foster care and his foster parents brought him to a therapist did Dave realize what had happened to him was to his fault and Dave was a normal boy. His mother was suffering from alcoholism and manic depression and her outlasted were targeted at him cause he was his fathers pride and joy. His father ignored him to please his wife (Daves mother). His father  also started drinking to drowned his sorrows. SUICIDE You would think that since Dave was so brutally abused and his own mother stabbed him almos t to death with out even drinking him to the hospital he would have wanted even once to kill himself. I know that if anyone did anything like Daves mother did to me and I had to change homes 7 different times and had kids picking on me cause I smelled or I didnt have a real mom or dad I would want to kill myself. Not Dave, he only worked harder to live and please anyone including his mother so that in hopes she would stop this unlawful actions against him. Not once did Dave even want to end his life instead of thinking negatively he would say When I get older and out of here, I will be a better man I will be the man my father once was. Dave during his time at his mothers house always held his dad on a pedestal. No mater what happened Daves dad was Superman to him. Dave would think of flying away with his dad to a better place where he would be a person not just a Child called It (Peltzers first book). Dave also vowed that if her were to kill himself that he would only be surrendering to him mothers wishes and even though he tired to please his mother that is the one thing he would no t let her have was his well deserved life. ANOREXIA-BULIMIA NERVOSA The way Daves mother treated him is shocking. There was one way that Daves mother had complete control over him and that was what he could and couldnt eat. Most of the time Dave was not permitted to eat. When Dave went to school he would steal other kids lunches so that he could eat food that was not spoiled. Dave did get in trouble for this sever times. After the third time Daves mother made him run home faster than all the other children and vomit in to the toilet to see if he had stolen. Daves mother would some make him eat rotten pork and chicken one every 3 weeks that is the only food he would get and if Dave purged he would have another Game and Test to do for his mother. Dave had become so good at hiding what he had ate that he would vomit before he left school so that he could at least enjoy his home or at least what home he had. Dave at times would try to steal food that his brothers didnt eat but if he was caught he would have to go in the tub of ice water or deal with the pneumonia and bleach combination in the bathroom with no ventilation. When Dave made is way out of his mother house into foster care. Dave would try to salvage food so that if by chance the foster family would not let him eat he would be able to have food. If Dave was caught with the food he had  taken and his foster family went to talk to him he would go to the bathroom and vomit so that he would please them. I feel Dave Peltzer has been through an unimaginable childhood and adolescent li fe. I think the book is a heart felt story of a boys struggle for acceptance and aiming to please those around him. I feel if anyone can over come what Dave has over come that what he tells is accurate in the most scary way possible. Scary in a sense that anyone could handle such hard ships and still be alive to tell about it. Dave was stabbed, poisoned, neglected, beaten, uprooted from him home at age 15, bounced from foster home to foster home without having a real place to call home. I think that this book addressed the real things that happen to a child of abuse. For there initial home life to the bounce from foster care home to home. The real issue in the book that child abuse is everywhere in every degree. Some are hidden ways such as verbal and some are so extreme that a child has no where to turn but to the abuse itself. This book more than anyone could imagine my anticipations and expectations were met 120%. The book was very descriptive and helpful on how to deal with teens in crisis. I would recommend this book and Dave Peltzers other two books. The main reason is that the book describes Daves journey to find acceptance and a place to call home really touched my soul. The tears I cry for all the kids out there that need a voice to be heard. Mrs. Gold is God send She was Daves social worker she took the time to understand Daves story and be his voice for him. We need more people in the Human Services field like the ones who have helped Dave in his journey. This book is a good book for people who work in any type of Human Service job such as a YMCA or a foster family just to show at what lengths kids will go to be safe and saved.

Methods Of Electricity Production Engineering Essay

Methods Of Electricity Production Engineering Essay Electricity plays a major part in our society today. It is used in our hospitals, in our banks, in our homes, and in our cars. No matter what we do, we couldnt live without it. But all this electricity doesnt just appear at when we need it, we must create it. All over the world, there is millions of electricity generating stations. Some of these are small, others huge. Some of the stations run on the power of fire and steam, while others run on the power of the wind or falling water. Some even use the power of the sun alone to generate electricity. But with so many different ways to produce electricity, how do we know which ways are the most efficient and the most environmentally effective? Task 2 Electromagnetic induction is a phenomenon that occurs when a magnetic field intersects a piece of metal, most commonly a piece of wire, which can be affected by magnets. The most common method to induce is to create a magnetic field in such a way that the field intersects a coil of wire. This can be done in multiple ways, although the main two ways are to either pass a magnet through the center of a coil of wire, or to move a coil of wire in a magnetic field. However, if both the coil of wire and the magnet are both stationary, no electric current will be produced. The circuit must also be closed for a current to flow. The most efficient way to produce a current is to rotate a coil in a magnetic field. There is three ways that the amount of power generated by electromagnetic magnetic induction can be increased: Increasing the strength of the magnetic field. Increasing the amount of turns in the coil that is being affected by the magnetic field. Increasing the speed at which the magnetic field intersects the coil. In most power stations however, the generators used spin the magnets, or in most cases, electromagnets, around the wire. This enables a greater amount of coils to be used without the need to rotate a greater mass. The stations use turbines to rotate the magnets or coils. To rotate the turbines, a power source is needed. There are four main power sources that are used: Coal Burning Coal burning power stations use coal that has been mined out of the earth. This coal is burnt to create heat. The heat makes water evaporate into steam. As the steam rises, it hits rotors which spin the turbines. Nuclear Reactions Nuclear reactors work in somewhat the same way as a coal burning power station. These power stations use the power of a nuclear reaction to create the heat needed to boil the water that then turns to steam, which then turns the turbines. When the water is heated however, it becomes radioactive. This means that the water must be kept in a separate chamber to the water that will turn to steam. The radioactive water heats the clean water by means of conduction. Wind Wind farms, as they are commonly called, use the power of the wind to rotate massive rotor blades. These rotor blades turn a shaft that is connected to a generator, thus producing electricity. Gravity The most common of power stations that utilize gravity are called hydro power stations. These use falling water to turn the turbines at the base of a mountain. As the water comes down the mountain, it is pulled by the force of gravity, making it travel at high speeds, which turns the turbines faster, which makes more electricity. Another power source that is used to create electricity is the energy produced from the Sun. Solar panels collect solar radiation from the sun and actively converts that energy to electricity. Solar panels are comprised of several individual solar cells. These solar cells function similarly to large semiconductors and utilize a large-area junction diode. When the solar cells are exposed to sunlight, the junction diodes convert the energy from sunlight into usable electrical energy. The energy generated from photons striking the surface of the solar panel allows electrons to be knocked out of their orbits and released, and electric fields in the solar cells pull these free electrons in a directional current, from which metal contacts in the solar cell can generate electricity. The conversion of sunlight to usable electrical energy is called the Photovoltaic Effect. After the electricity has been generated, it needs to be transmitted around the country. When electricity passes through a wire, some of the energy is lost as heat energy. In small devices, this is generally ignored because the wires are short enough for the energy that is lost as heat to be quite minimal. When the length of the wire increases, the amount of energy that is lost as heat also increases. This can be a problem when the wires are spanning thousands of kilometers. The reason for the lost of energy as heat is because of the current. This means that current is proportional to heat lost. Since this is the case, if the current is dropped to almost zero, then the energy lost as heat will also drop to almost zero. This can be done with the use of transformers. Transformers work on the law of magnetic induction. This is done by passing a magnetic field through a primary coil of wire. The magnetic field produced by the current can be used to create a current in a secondary coil. If there is twice the amount of coils in the secondary coil as there is in the primary coil. The current will be halved and vice versa. When the current is lowered, the process is transformed is referred to as a step-up transformer, and when the current is doubled, it is a step-down transformer. When the current is changed, the voltage is also changed. This is because current is inversely proportion to the voltage. This means if the current is halved, the voltage is doubled. This means when a step-up transformer halves the current, it doubles the voltage. To get the current as low as possible, the current must be brought up to around two hundred and twenty thousand volts. Task 3 Aim: To research the amount of energy three different types of power plants produce and compare their environmental impacts. Method: Three main power plants from within the state of Queensland were chosen to be examined. The plants chosen were; Tarong coal burning power plant, Wivenhoe hydroelectric power station, and the Hillcrest Christian College solar panel power plant. Research on these specific power plants was completed by using in-class and as homework. When all the needed research was acquired, the data was examined and a conclusion was drawn on which plant provided the most power, which plant was the most environmentally friendly, and which plant had the least intensity+. Results: Three sets of data have been collected: Tarong Power Station*# Date Tons CO2 MWh Energy Intensity 2000 9,196,047 7,913,802 2,324 2010 9,841,752 8,523,634 2,309 2020 9,956,845 8,633,139 2,307 Wivenhoe Power Station*#^ Date Tons CO2 MWh Energy Intensity 2000 0 1,052,437 0 2010 0 973,419 0 2020 603,438 2,109,812 572 Hillcrest Power Plant Date Tons CO2 MWh Energy Intensity 1-Jul-09 0 0.5353 0 1-Aug-09 0 0.7521 0 1-Sep-09 0 0.8029 0 1-Oct-09 0 0.7752 0 1-Nov-09 0 0.7237 0 1-Dec-09 0 0.6808 0 1-Jan-10 0 0.7036 0 1-Feb-10 0 0.5804 0 2009/2010 (Average) 0 0.69425 0 +: Pounds of CO2 emitted per megawatt-hour of electricity produced. *: The data collected also was coupled with a projected output for the next decade ^: The power station plans on a future upgrade that will produce carbon pollution #: Average decade output This data was put in the corresponding tables for comparison. Discussion: By looking at the data above it two main points can be made: Energy Output When the Tarong and Wivenhoe power stations are compared, it can be observed that the Tarong coal burning station produces a far larger amount of energy. It must be kept in mind that the Tarong station is a far larger station when compared to either of the other to stations examined, with the Tarong station having a maximum power output of over 1400MW, where as the Wivenhoe station has a maximum power output of only 500MW, and the Hillcrest plants power output depends on the intensity of the sunlight it receives. Even if the maximum output for the Wivenhoe station was over three times the size, putting the maximum output to 1500MW, theoretically, it would still be producing less energy than the Tarong station. It would also be highly unfeasible to achieve the same energy output with the Hillcrest plant as the maximum power output would have to be increased by at least sixteen million times. This puts the Tarong coal burning station as the most economically effective power station out of the three. CO2 Emissions At the current date, both the Wivenhoe station and the Hillcrest plant are producing no carbon emissions at all, where as the Tarong station is producing a very high amount of CO2. This puts the Wivenhoe station and the Hillcrest plant on equal ground in this aspect. In the future however, the Wivenhoe station is planning on installing upgrades to their station which, presumably, will force the plant to start giving off CO2 emissions. Up until these upgrades are made, the two stations are on the same level with CO2 emissions, but as soon as the upgrades are made, the Hillcrest solar power plant will be the most environmentally effective out of the three stations researched. Even though all the power stations that were examined are the few main ways that energy is generated in our current society, there are many other ways that the energy that we use gets generated. These consist of power stations that use means of; Biomass energy, wind energy, nuclear energy, tidal energy, combustion energy. These ways are examined in more depth below: Biomass Energy Biomass energy uses the biodegradable waste products of our everyday lives, such as plant waste or animal matter, to create either a thermal or chemical conversion. During these conversions, the matter undergoes chemical reactions that produce either heat or other chemicals that can be used in other items. This method of green energy is very environmentally friendly as it takes the form of what typically happens in our natural world, decomposition for example. Wind Energy The use of giant propellers to catch the force of the wind and use that force to turn a generator is the way wind turbines work. In theory the idea of using the power of something as ambient and as reliable as the wind is one of the most environmentally friendly methods to create electricity that is around. This is because there is no byproducts of any sort and the wind that is used can never be depleted. The major problem with using this as an energy source is the strength of wind needed to spin the propellers. This is because although there is wind everywhere in our world, the strength of this wind, on the most part, is not always strong enough to rotate the propellers due to their immense weight. Nuclear Energy Nuclear energy is one of the most dangerous forms of generating energy that we have in our current society. When it is harnessed properly and efficiently, it is also one of our most effective ways of producing energy. The basic concept of a nuclear reactor is similar to that of a coal burning station, to create heat to make steam to turn turbines. One major downfall with these power stations is the waste the produce. This waste is not CO2, but is radioactive waste that, if dispersed of correctly, would provide our society with a clean and efficient way to generate power, although this is not the case in the present time. Until there is a way to dispose of the nuclear waste efficiently, nuclear power will not become our primary source of power. Tidal Energy Tidal energy is a form of hydro power that converts the energy of the tides into a useable form of energy. Although this method is not widely used, it has great potential for the future of power generation. This is because the tides are far more predictable than the wind and solar energy. Tides are so predictable in fact; that we can tell exactly what they will be doing in two hundred years. The principle behind tidal power is the same as that of wind power. Underwater propellers are used to capture the energy of the flowing water, which is then converted to power by large turbines. This form of energy is just as clean as wind energy, but also has the additional benefit of not creating a poor spectacle as most of the generator is hidden underwater, instead of out in the open. Combustion Energy Also called mechanical energy, this is the act of using natural gasses or conventional fuels to power a combustion engine which then is used to rotate a turbine. This method is most commonly seen in small or backup generators that are made for private or commercial use. Two side effects of this type of energy is the noise that is made during combustion, and the byproduct of CO2. On the most part, these generators are used mainly in the form of small, portable types. This is because the forces that would need to be dealt with on a large scale generator are quite large and can be potentially hazardous. Task 4 Conclusion: When all the data is examined, hydroelectric power stations proved to be not only the most environmentally safe, equal with solar power, producing zero CO2 emissions, but it also was able to decent a fair amount of power. Even though the coal burning power station produced a lot more power, almost an eightfold on what hydro station produced, the hydro station produced zero percent of the emissions that the coal burning station did. In this respect, if the hydro station was to be increased to eight times its current size, theoretically, our society would be provided with more energy than the coal burning station produced, along with no emissions or byproducts. In contrast, the solar power plant also gave off no emissions, although the amount power produced was quite unsubstantial in comparison. As discussed earlier, the solar power plant would have to create eighteen times the amount of energy that it currently is producing to be a contender in power generation, but doing this would m ean that the size of area needed would be on the same scale of increase. This is feasible in terms of installing solar panels on every roof in our major cities for example, although the costs of doing such a thing would be far greater than that of upgrading the hydro power plant. It is recommended that the use of hydroelectric power stations is continued and their usage is increased. This is not only a one of the more environmentally friendly types of renewable energy, but it is also one of the more reliable according to the research completed. This method does not produce byproducts of any kind and does not make waste of any of the resources used in the production of power that is generated.

Aristotles View of Slavery Essay -- Slave Slavery Aristotle Paper Ess

Born in the year of 384 B.C. Aristotle was seen as conventional for his time, for he regarded slavery as a natural course of nature and believed that certain people were born to be slaves due to the fact that their soul lacked the rational part that should rule in a human being; However in certain circumstances it is evident that Aristotle did not believe that all men who were slaves were meant to be slaves. In his book Politics, Aristotle begins with the Theory of The Household, and it is here that the majority of his views upon slavery are found. With the beginning of Chapter IV, Aristotle's idea of slavery is clearly defined. "The instruments of the household form its stock of property : they are animate and inanimate : the slave is an animate instrument, intended (like all the instruments of the household) for action, and not for productions." This distinction between action and production, is based upon the understanding that 'production' is a course in which a result is desired beyond the immediate act of doing. Where as, the simple act of completing a task is identified as 'action'. Aristotle, who believed that life was action and not production theorized that slaves were instruments of life and were therefore needed to form a complete household. In fact Aristotle went as far as to say that a slave was comparable to a tame animal, with their only divergence in the fact that a slave could apprehend reason. For he concluded that a slave and animals only use was to supply their owners with bodily help. At the end of the Theories of the Household, Aristotle explains how slaves are different from andy other types of people, in the sence that they are the only class who are born into their occupation and become property of their masters. In examining this relationship we find that he thought that while masters were the masters of the slaves, they still held a life other than that of being master; However, Aristotle believed that not only was the slave a slave to his master, but the slave had no other life or purpose than belonging. From this consideration we begin to understand Aristotle's views on the relationship between Master and Slave. At the beginning of Chapter V of the Theory of the Household, the distinct role of master and slave is defined. There is a principle of rule and subordin- ... ... Aristotle we find that he was a man of great curiosity, wisdom and ideas. Although his views on slavery seemed to hold true to the times, he had many variations on the conservative norms and beliefs. He had believed that slavery was a just system where both master and slave were beneficial from this relationship. And with this he thought that by nature, certain people were born to be slaves, yet with these beliefs we find many exceptions, where Aristotle allocates areas to describe those who by chance became slaves but in his opinion were born to be free. And in such incidence where men born free were not fit to be masters Aristotle explained how it would be easier for the master to obtain a steward who was more adept at giving instructions to run the household and leave the master of the house to more prudent issues. We can only guess as to what made Aristotle believe that by the human soul one could delineate whether or not a man was meant to be a slave or a freeman. And with his arguments we find that it was just as difficult for him to make that distinction as well. "Though it is not as easy to see the beauty of the soul as it is to see that of the body."

Environmental Pollution Essay -- essays research papers fc

Environmental Pollution ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION Automobiles like these are around the world everyday, and their exhaust destroys our air everyday. Our environment is a major aspect of our life today. Many of us don't take our Earth seriously and think that as long as pollution doesn't hurt them they can go ahead and throw garbage on the ground or spill oil down the drain. Well to many people have that theory and they are killing off our Earth and also physically harming themselves from the air they breath and the water they swim in. Our Earth is fragile like a human and people don't know. There are many different types of environmental pollution (e.g. Water, air, atmospheric.) Scientists believe that all cities with populations exceeding 50,000 have some degree of air pollution. Burning garbage in open dumps causes air pollution, and also it smells pretty bad. Air pollution comes from many different sources. One of the major sources is carbon monoxide which manly comes from automobiles, but also burning of fossil fuels, CFCs etc. Air pollution does not leave the Earth it all gets trapped up in the atmosphere. This doesn't bother most people, and they think that it will not harm them. People burn down forests and people burn fossil fuels, and CFCs from aerosols. Every bit of this harms our atmosphere. Factories and transportation depend on huge amounts of fuel billions of tons of coal and oil are consumed around the world every year. When these fuels burn they introduce smoke and other, less visible, by-products into the atmosphere. Although wind and rain occasionally wash away the smoke given off by power plants and automobiles, the cumulative effect of air pollution poses a grave threat to humans and the environment. A big example of smog is LA you can see the smog just hovering above the city. I don't think any human alive should be subject to that kind of environment. Scientists believe that all cities with populations exceeding 50,000 have some degree of air pollution. Burning garbage in open dumps causes air pollution Scientist have discovered that over the South Pole the ozone has a high level of ozone depletion. A computer-enhanced map, taken from satellite observations of ozone levels in the atmosphere over the South Pole, shows the region of ozone depletion that has begun to appear each spring over Antarctica.  ... ...sp; I think that all kinds of environmental pollution can be stopped if we all use our heads and just think before we throw a piece of trash on the ground, throw it into a nearby garbage can. We should look at our Earth as a precious human being and treat it like it were a child of our own. We should not trash it and take advantage of it. If we abuse our Earth now who knows how it will get back at us in the future. Saving the Earth is such a simple task, and I think everyone should be involved in it rich or poor. If we don't save our Earth now someday it will be to late. There are programs out there that try to save the Earth, but not enough people corporate in these programs. If more people supported and joined into these programs maybe our world wouldn't be in such danger of dying. If our Earth dies it will surely take us all with it. BIBLIOGRAPHY Environmental Health, Carleson Lavonne Chelsea House Publishers, New York 1994 Acid Rain, Tyson Peter Chelsea House Publishers, New York 1992 Clean Water, Barass Karen Chelsea House Publishers, New York 1992 "Environmental Pollution" Comptons Interactive Encyclopedia 1996 "Smog" Encarta Encyclopedia 1996

The Dynamics of Power in South Africa and Palestine :: South Africa Palestine Power Essays

The Dynamics of Power in South Africa and Palestine For over a hundred years, whites consolidated their power in predominantly black South Africa. In the last fifty years, Israelis have played a major hand in dispersing and oppressing the Palestinian people. Edward Said believes that â€Å"The relationship between Occident and Orient is a relationship of power, of domination, of varying degrees of a complex hegemony† (Orientalism 133). Though the geographic reference of this quotation seems less applicable to South Africa, Said’s intuition into the complexity of race relations between oppressors and the oppressed still rings true. Nadine Gordimer’s two short stories, â€Å"Once Upon a Time† and â€Å"The Moment Before the Gun Went Off,† and Edward Said’s work â€Å"After the Last Sky: Palestinian Lives† describe the power structures in South Africa and Palestine, respectively. Both authors clearly depict situations in which one group wields disproportionate authority in its relationship with another group. This parallel confusedly meets the oblique disparities between black/white and Jew/non-Jew interaction. In the exclusive context of Gordimer’s two short stories and Said’s piece, the hegemonies in South Africa and in Palestine are maintained in similar fashion, but with greatly differing results. Both black South Africans and Palestinians are forced to live in segregated, poor communities and are subject to dehumanizing legislation. Gordimer’s story, â€Å"Once Upon a Time,† speaks of economic and racial segregation explicitly: â€Å"There were riots, but they were outside the city, where a people of another color were quartered† (Gordimer 25). The classism and condescension of the white residents is clear as they recall with contempt those black robbers who snagged stores of fine alcohol: â€Å"the thieves wouldn’t even have been able to appreciate what it was they were drinking† (27). Moreover, they speak disdainfully of the unemployed blacks who spoiled â€Å"a beautiful suburb† (27) â€Å"only by their presence† (27). As Said painfully depicts, Palestinians find themselves in a very similar position in a system of â€Å"virtual apartheid† (Said 142). He describes the process through which Palestinians are â€Å"herded into new camps† (19) and their â€Å"identity is confined to frightened little islands in an inhospitable environment of superior military force† (19). Said paints a sad picture of the poor and destitute nature of life in the Palestinian refugee camps. Physical and economic segregation leaves both black South Africans and Palestinians on the outside, looking in. A critical difference between the power hierarchies in these two countries lies in the level of integration and the nature of the interaction between oppressors and the oppressed.

Marketing as a Career

A career in marketing is spontaneous and an enjoyable one. Most people who work in the field of marketing will tell you it provides them with the challenge they have always wanted. Marketing is sporadic and always changing; there are always new and unique techniques to learn, cases to study, and strategies to research. Most companies have been successful with the help of great marketing people. Due to the fact that marketing involves coming up with an idea and realizing it, this is evident in every business. It will take determination and persistence, but it can be done. You will find that a start in marketing will normally put you in an entry position as a market research assistant, print buyer, general management trainee, or you can enter a program as a graduate trainee. A career in marketing will give you broad horizons to explore. This is the reason why marketing major is considered a jack-of-all-trades because of the reason that a marketing person is not limited by his academic performance but complemented by his innate creativity and innovative aspirations. Advertising, for most of its part, is the core of how marketing people do their jobs in a spontaneous yet creative manner. Unlike management which uses Management by Objectives (MBO) which is quite mandatory, marketing is very subjective in nature, which will give you the chance to speak your mind and materialize your ideas. A marketing person should be able to do the fundamental requisites of marketing which is to have an idea on how to build a SWOT analysis for a company. A SWOT analysis involves creating and scrutinizing ideas for the company’s progress. Each aspect of it is crucial for the growth of the company. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses opportunities, threats analysis. Here are some pointers for you to find out if you are a marketing person at heart: Are you able to recognize problems and devise an appropriate plan of action to resolve that problem? Can you organize and interpret complex data? Are you good at generating new ideas? Can you then take and organize those ideas and communicate them verbally? If you possess the qualities above then you could be a good candidate for entering and being successful in the career of marketing. Marketing offers various career opportunities, so it's easy to choose one that reflects your interest, values, and personal style. As a marketing major you can gain experience in your chosen career by participating in an internship or volunteering in service learning and community projects (Laura Lake, marketing.about.com/cs/marketingjobs). Â  Samples of potential experiences include: Conducting Market Research for a Fortune 500 Company. Promoting products through development of Point-of-Purchase displays. Spending time reviewing potential cost, price, and market research for service programs. Learning how to research customer base potential using available data. Designing an advertising or promotional campaign to promote new services. Developing a marketing plan for a global business. Reference: (Laura Lake, marketing.about.com/cs/marketing)

Evil Inside

Answer each question in a complete sentence. Include textual evidence to support 6 answers. 1. Summarize the plot of the opera, â€Å"Madame Butterfly,† in your own words. Why would Moore include an Depigraph that quotes this opera? In Madame Butterfly the plot of the opera is that a birth mother loses her a child an adoptive mother who later on loses the baby. The whole time Suzuki, the servant, witnesses everything, but can do nothing to help. Moore quoted this opera in the epigraph because much in Madame Butterfly where Suzuki is very relied by Madame Butterfly to do basically everything for her.This is Just like how Sarah relies on Tassie to do everything for her, such as raising Emmie. 2. What do the three epigraphs fit together? Or contrast with each other? The first two epigraphs fit together because they both relate to the subject of servants and both are related to Madame Butterfly. The first two contrast to the third because if you're a servant then you don't see the world from the same point of view as someone that you're a servant for. 3. In addition to her sense of humor and intelligence, what are Tassie's strengths as a narrator? How does Owhat she describes as â€Å"an unseemly collection of Jostling former elves† (p. 3) affect the narrative and Ocontribute to the appeal of her tale? In addition to Tassie's sense of humor and intelligence, her other strengths as a narrator are that she describes everything in great detail such as â€Å"Though the interior of the casket was quilted white, like a beautiful suitcase, what I could see of my brother looked like garbage tossed inside† (Moore 298-299). When Tassie describes herself as â€Å"an unseemly collection of Jostling former selves†, it affects the narrative because she was playing a different role and had a different personality in Troy and Dellacrosse.When she is in Troy she is playing the role of a servant for the Thornwood-Brink family. While in Dellacrosse she's p laying the role of an average college girl, not ready to grow up. She's basically living a double life. 4. How does the initial meeting between Tassie and Sarah create a real, if hesitant, connection Obetween them? What aspects of their personalities come out in their conversation? Tassie and Sarah's first meeting created a hesitant connection between them because they didn't know each other at all and because of this, they did not understand each other's sense of humor and couldn't talk to each other ithout it being awkward.Sarah seemed to bring up everything they could ever talk about except for why they were adopting a child and any other aspects of it. Many aspects of their personalities came through in their conversation. One of the aspects was that they were both extremely talkative, but they both werent using they talkativeness in an appropriate manor for the situation. They couldn't stay on topic at all during their conversation. Another aspect that came out was that Sarah w as overall very proud of her wealth and what she has done.She didn't seem too modest or humble. This showed especially when Sarah randomly said in a conversation â€Å"‘l ou n'† (Moore 1) wltnout even Delng asked. DescrlDe tne aaoptlon process through Tassie's eyes. What aspects of her personality come out during Othis process? Tassie describes the adoption process as â€Å"†¦ Adoption seemed like both a cruel Joke and a lovely day-dream – a nice way of avoiding the blood and pain of giving birth, or, from a child's perspective, a realized fantasy of your parents not really being your parents. † (Moore 16).At the beginning of the novel Tassie didn't really know what to think about the adoption, but at the end Tassie really starts to ecome attached to Emmie and she realizes that it doesn't matter where Emmie came from. 6. Describe the evolution of Tassie's relationship with her brother, Robert, from the beginning of the novel Ountil the end. Tassie's r elationship with her brother Robert changed from the beginning to the end of the book because at the beginning they were really close, compared to other brother and sister relationships. They were both very unguided, while growing up, so Robert would always look up to Tassie.When Tassie went to Troy for college, Robert had a hard time getting through his last ear of high school because he had no one to look up to. When Tassie said â€Å"Robert, it had often seemed to me, failed to apply himself-musically or academically' (Moore 41). They basically grew more and more apart until Tassie received an email from him one day saying that he wants to Join the military. When she shows up in Dellacrosse for his graduation, she finds out that Robert is actually Joining the military. What she doesn't know is that this will be the last time she will ever see him. When Robert dies, Tassie felt more distant from him than ever. . What do you make of Edward? Does Edward's behavior at dinner and the â€Å"small conspiracy' he and 0 Tassie establish (pp. 112-114) offer a more sympathetic (or at least more understandable) view of him? I think Edward was really uninterested in being a father again. He didn't seem very into Emmie at all, adopting her or playing with her after they adopted her. I feel like he Just didn't seem too fond of having a biracial baby. He didn't even come to any of the adoption meetings until the middle of the one with Bonnie. It seemed like he was always missing in action in some sort of way, throughout the adoption process and at home.He seemed to be a big flirt towards Tassie. He would always look at her with a certain look and then all my thoughts were confirmed at the end of the book when he asked her to go to coffee with him. I dont think the â€Å"small conspiracy' offered a more sympathetic view of him. It was kind of weird because from the start of the book basically Tassie and Edward had a secret that they wouldn't tell Sarah. I think Tassie re alized the kind of person Edward was during this conspiracy and how he probably keeps a lot of secrets from Tassie, Sarah, and probably other people.This came up especially when he said â€Å"‘Let's not tell Sarah,' said Edward. ‘She's got a slightly obsessive side'† (Moore 113). Also I think Edward didn't want to get to know the child because I think it brought back bad memories from the first child. 8. Does A Gate at the Stairs accurately reflect the persistence of racism in America? What do the comments Dand encounters sprinkled throughout in the novel (80, 1 12, 151, 167, 229) show about the various forms Oracism takes in our society?A Gate at the Stairs accurately reflects the persistence of racism in America because of how all of the events in the book took place after 9/1 1 . Once 9/1 1 occurred, racism grew in America, yet it was still there before it occurred. When Tassie would take Emmie out for errands, she would be looked down upon for Instance wnen la ssle sala â€Å"l nls was all sala In looks, so tne trutn could not De uttered, but I saw again and again what it was simply to walk into a store for a doughnut and have a wordless racial experience (Moore 167-168).She especially got looks from white people such as when she said â€Å"To the white woman I was a whoring girl messing around with anyone (Moore 167). The comments and encounters in the ovel showed that there are many forms of racism in our society. The first way that I stated was more of a looking down upon way while â€Å"Instead, he glared right at little Mary-Emma and shouted, ‘Nigger! † (Moore 1 51) was more of a verbal way. 9.What is the importance of Tassie's description of Mary-Emma's affection for Reynaldo: â€Å"the colorblindness of Osmall children is a myth; she noticed difference and sameness, with almost equal interest; there was no O'Dilemma of Difference' as my alliteration- loving professors occasionally put it† (p. 169)? The importa nce of Tassie's description f Mary-Emma's affection for Reynaldo is that she didn't care about the color of Reynaldo's skin color or what he looked like and she only cared about his personality. 10.On page 296, Tassie offers a thoughtful explanation of the purpose of religion in people's lives. Are there Oother lessons about the meaning of religion or faith to be found in the novel? Yes, there are other lessons on religion on faith and an example would be when Bonnie Amber wanted to have Mary-Emma raised Catholic. This shows that many people are Judgmental about religion, and even though shes giving p her baby to another family of a possible other religion, they still want their baby to be Catholic no matter if the new parents arent Catholic. 1. Does the novel prepare you for Sarah's dreadful confession (232-242)? What particular incidents or conversations foreshadow the revelations? I think the novel does prepare us for Sarah's dreadful confession because you can tell that somethin g is missing throughout the book. You can tell that they're not telling Tassie something about their past because they never even told her why they were adopting and why they idn't Just have a child on her own.I think the whole hiding something makes Tassie feel on edge throughout the whole book which was probably why Tassie wasn't even that surprised and didn't really have a reaction when Sarah told her the story. I especially saw when Sarah said † † (Moore ) that she was hiding something. Also, Edward always being missing seemed kind of suspicious and it might have been cause of his guilt towards the first child, which we didn't know about then. 12. Was their decision to move and start anew the best solution under the circumstances? It epends on how you look at it.If you look at it like they were Just two parents that made a horrible parenting mistake and it was Just an accident and they deserve a second chance, then yes you could argue that that was probably their onl y chance of getting another chance. If you look at it Just from the fact that they killed their child, then no. They shouldn't have changed their names and moved on Just like that to try and forget their horrible past which was obviously bound to come back and bite them eventually. ** Thank you, Oprah, for many of these awesome questions

The Host Chapter 16: Assigned

The ledge of the rock exit was worn down, but it scraped my palms and shins as I scrambled through it. It hurt, stiff as I was, to wrench myself erect, and my breath caught. My head swam as the blood flowed downward. I looked for only one thing-where Jared was, so that I could put myself between him and his attackers. They all stood frozen in place, staring at me. Jared had his back to the wall, his hands balled into fists and held low. In front of him, Kyle was hunched over, clutching his stomach. Ian and a stranger flanked him a few feet back, their mouths open with shock. I took advantage of their surprise. In two long, shaky strides, I moved between Kyle and Jared. Kyle was the first to react. I was less than a foot from him, and his primary instinct was to shove me away. His hand struck my shoulder and heaved me toward the floor. Before I could fall, something caught my wrist and yanked me back to my feet. As soon as he realized what he'd done, Jared dropped my wrist like my skin was oozing acid. â€Å"Get back in there,† he roared at me. He shoved my shoulder, too, but it wasn't as hard as Kyle's push. It sent me staggering two feet back toward the hole in the wall. The hole was a black circle in the narrow hallway. Outside the small prison, the bigger cave looked just the same, only longer and taller, a tube rather than a bubble. A small lamp-powered by what, I couldn't guess-lit the hallway dimly from the ground. It cast strange shadows on the features of the men, turning them into scowling monster faces. I took a step toward them again, turning my back to Jared. â€Å"I'm what you want,† I said directly to Kyle. â€Å"Leave him alone.† No one said anything for a long second. â€Å"Tricky bugger,† Ian finally muttered, eyes wide with horror. â€Å"I said get back in there,† Jared hissed behind me. I turned halfway, not wanting Kyle out of my sight. â€Å"It's not your duty to protect me at your own expense.† Jared grimaced, one hand rising to push me back toward the cell again. I skipped out of the way; the motion moved me toward the ones who wanted to kill me. Ian grabbed my arms and pinned them behind me. I struggled instinctively, but he was very strong. He bent my joints too far back and I gasped. â€Å"Get your hands off her!† Jared shouted, charging. Kyle caught him and spun him around into a wrestling hold, forcing his neck forward. The other man grabbed one of Jared's thrashing arms. â€Å"Don't hurt him!† I screeched. I strained against the hands that imprisoned me. Jared's free elbow rammed into Kyle's stomach. Kyle gasped and lost his grip. Jared twisted away from his attackers and then lunged back, his fist connecting with Kyle's nose. Dark red blood spattered the wall and the lamp. â€Å"Finish it, Ian!† Kyle yelled. He put his head down and hurtled into Jared, throwing him into the other man. â€Å"No!† Jared and I cried at the same moment. Ian dropped my arms, and his hands wrapped around my throat, choking off my air. I clawed at his hands with my useless, stubby nails. He gripped me tighter, dragging my feet off the floor. It hurt-the strangling hands, the sudden panic of my lungs. It was agony. I writhed, more trying to escape the pain than the murdering hands. Click, click. I'd only heard the sound once before, but I recognized it. So did everyone else. They all froze, Ian with his hands locked hard on my neck. â€Å"Kyle, Ian, Brandt-back off!† Jeb barked. No one moved-just my hands, still clawing, and my feet, twitching in the air. Jared suddenly darted under Kyle's motionless arm and sprang at me. I saw his fist flying toward my face, and closed my eyes. A loud thwack sounded inches behind my head. Ian howled, and I dropped to the floor. I crumpled there at his feet, gasping. Jared retreated after an angry glance in my direction and went to stand at Jeb's elbow. â€Å"You're guests here, boys, and don't forget it,† Jeb growled. â€Å"I told you not to go looking for the girl. She's my guest, too, for the moment, and I don't take kindly to any of my guests killing any of the others.† â€Å"Jeb,† Ian moaned above me, his voice muffled by the hand held to his mouth. â€Å"Jeb. This is insane.† â€Å"What's your plan?† Kyle demanded. His face was smeared with blood, a violent, macabre sight. But there was no evidence of pain in his voice, only controlled and simmering anger. â€Å"We have a right to know. We have to decide whether this place is safe or if it's time to move on. So†¦ how long will you keep this thing as your pet? What will you do with it when you're finished playing God? All of us deserve to know the answers to these questions.† Kyle's extraordinary words echoed behind the pulse thudding in my head. Keep me as a pet? Jeb had called me his guest†¦ Was that another word for prisoner? Was it possible that two humans existed that did not demand either my death or my torture-wrung confession? If so, it was nothing less than a miracle. â€Å"Don't have your answers, Kyle,† Jeb said. â€Å"It's not up to me.† I doubted any other response Jeb could have given would have confused them more. All four men, Kyle, Ian, the one I didn't know, and even Jared, stared at him with shock. I still crouched gasping at Ian's feet, wishing there was some way I could climb back into my hole unnoticed. â€Å"Not up to you?† Kyle finally echoed, still disbelieving. â€Å"Who, then? If you're thinking of putting it to a vote, that's already been done. Ian, Brandt, and I are the duly designated appointees of the result.† Jeb shook his head-a tight movement that never took his eyes off the man in front of him. â€Å"It's not up for a vote. This is still my house.† â€Å"Who, then?† Kyle shouted. Jeb's eyes finally flickered-to another face and then back to Kyle. â€Å"It's Jared's decision.† Everyone, me included, shifted their eyes to stare at Jared. He gaped at Jeb, just as astonished as the rest, and then his teeth ground together with an audible sound. He threw a glare of pure hate in my direction. â€Å"Jared?† Kyle asked, facing Jeb again. â€Å"That makes no sense!† He was not in control of himself now, almost spluttering in rage. â€Å"He's more biased than anyone else! Why? How can he be rational about this?† â€Å"Jeb, I don't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jared muttered. â€Å"She's your responsibility, Jared,† Jeb said in a firm voice. â€Å"I'll help you out, of course, if there's any more trouble like this, and with keeping track of her and all that. But when it comes to making decisions, that's all yours.† He raised one hand when Kyle tried to protest again. â€Å"Look at it this way, Kyle. If somebody found your Jodi on a raid and brought her back here, would you want me or Doc or a vote deciding what we did with her?† â€Å"Jodi is dead,† Kyle hissed, blood spraying off his lips. He glared at me with much the same expression Jared had just used. â€Å"Well, if her body wandered in here, it would still be up to you. Would you want it any other way?† â€Å"The majority -â€Å" â€Å"My house, my rules,† Jeb interrupted harshly. â€Å"No more discussion on this. No more votes. No more execution attempts. You three spread the word-this is how it works from now on. New rule.† â€Å"Another one?† Ian muttered under his breath. Jeb ignored him. â€Å"If, unlikely as it may be, somehow this ever happens again, whoever the body belongs to makes the call.† Jeb poked the barrel of the gun toward Kyle, then jerked it a few inches toward the hall behind him. â€Å"Get out of here. I don't want to see you anywhere around this place again. You let everyone know that this corridor is off-limits. No one's got any reason for being here except Jared, and if I catch someone skulking around, I'm asking questions second. You got that? Move. Now.† He jabbed the gun at Kyle again. I was amazed that the three assassins immediately stalked back up the hallway, not even pausing to give me or Jeb a parting grimace. I deeply wanted to believe that the gun in Jeb's hands was a bluff. From the first time I'd seen him, Jeb had shown every outward appearance of kindness. He had not touched me once in violence; he had not even looked at me with recognizable hostility. Now it seemed that he was one of only two people here who meant me no harm. Jared might have fought to keep me alive, but it was plain that he was intensely conflicted about that decision. I sensed that he could change his mind at any time. From his expression, it was clear that part of him wanted this over with-especially now that Jeb had put the decision on his shoulders. While I made this analysis, Jared glowered at me with disgust in every line of his expression. However, as much as I wanted to believe that Jeb was bluffing, while I watched the three men disappear into the darkness away from me, it was obvious there was no way he could be. Under the front he presented, Jeb must have been just as deadly and cruel as the rest of them. If he hadn't used that gun in the past-used it to kill, not just to threaten-no one would have obeyed him this way. Desperate times, Melanie whispered. We can't afford to be kind in the world you've created. We're fugitives, an endangered species. Every choice is life-or-death. Shh. I don't have time for a debate. I need to focus. Jared was facing Jeb now, one hand held out in front of him, palm up, fingers curled limply. Now that the others were gone, their bodies slumped into a looser stance. Jeb was even grinning under his thick beard, as though he'd enjoyed the standoff at gunpoint. Strange human. â€Å"Please don't put this on me, Jeb,† Jared said. â€Å"Kyle is right about one thing-I can't make a rational decision.† â€Å"No one said you had to decide this second. She's not going anywhere.† Jeb glanced down at me, still grinning. The eye closest to me-the one Jared couldn't see-closed quickly and opened again. A wink. â€Å"Not after all the trouble she took to get here. You've got plenty of time to think it through.† â€Å"There's nothing to think through. Melanie is dead. But I can't-I can't-Jeb, I can't just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jared couldn't seem to finish the sentence. Tell him. I'm not ready to die right this second. â€Å"Don't think about it, then,† Jeb told him. â€Å"Maybe you'll figure something out later. Give it some time.† â€Å"What are we going to do with it? We can't keep watch on it round the clock.† Jeb shook his head. â€Å"That's exactly what we're going to have to do for a while. Things will calm down. Even Kyle can't preserve a murderous rage for more than a few weeks.† â€Å"A few weeks? We can't afford to play guard down here for a few weeks. We have other things -â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know.† Jeb sighed. â€Å"I'll figure something out.† â€Å"And that's only half the problem.† Jared looked at me again; a vein in his forehead pulsed. â€Å"Where do we keep it? It's not like we have a cell block.† Jeb smiled down at me. â€Å"You're not going to give us any trouble, now, are you?† I stared at him mutely. â€Å"Jeb,† Jared muttered, upset. â€Å"Oh, don't worry about her. First of all, we'll keep an eye on her. Secondly, she'd never be able to find her way out of here-she'd wander around lost until she ran into somebody. Which leads us to number three: she's not that stupid.† He raised one thick white eyebrow at me. â€Å"You're not going to go looking for Kyle or the rest of them, are you? I don't think any of them are very fond of you.† I just stared, wary of his easy, chatty tone. â€Å"I wish you wouldn't talk to it like that,† Jared muttered. â€Å"I was raised in a politer time, kid. I can't help myself.† Jeb put one hand on Jared's arm, patting lightly. â€Å"Look, you've had a full night. Let me take the next watch here. Get some sleep.† Jared seemed about to object, but then he looked at me again and his expression hardened. â€Å"Whatever you want, Jeb. And†¦ I don't-I won't accept responsibility for this thing. Kill it if you think that's best.† I flinched. Jared scowled at my reaction, then turned his back abruptly and walked the same way the others had gone. Jeb watched him go. While he was distracted, I crept back into my hole. I heard Jeb settle slowly to the ground beside the opening. He sighed and stretched, popping a few joints. After a few minutes, he started whistling quietly. It was a cheery tune. I curled myself around my bent knees, pressing my back into the farthest recess of the little cell. Tremors started at the small of my back and ran up and down my spine. My hands shook, and my teeth chattered softly together, despite the soggy heat. â€Å"Might as well lie down and get some sleep,† Jeb said, whether to me or to himself, I wasn't sure. â€Å"Tomorrow's bound to be a tough one.† The shivers passed after a time-maybe half an hour. When they were gone, I felt exhausted. I decided to take Jeb's advice. Though the floor felt even more uncomfortable than before, I was unconscious in seconds. The smell of food woke me. This time I was groggy and disoriented when I opened my eyes. An instinctive sense of panic had my hands trembling again before I was fully conscious. The same tray sat on the ground beside me, identical offerings on it. I could both see and hear Jeb. He sat in front of the cave in profile, looking straight ahead down the long round corridor and whistling softly. Driven by my fierce thirst, I sat up and grabbed the open bottle of water. â€Å"Morning,† Jeb said, nodding in my direction. I froze, my hand on the bottle, until he turned his head and started whistling again. Only now, not quite so desperately thirsty as before, did I notice the odd, unpleasant aftertaste to the water. It matched the acrid taste of the air, but it was slightly stronger. The tang lingered in my mouth, inescapable. I ate quickly, this time saving the soup for last. My stomach reacted more happily today, accepting the food with better grace. It barely gurgled. My body had other needs, though, now that the loudest ones had been sated. I looked around my dark, cramped hole. There weren't a lot of options visible. But I could barely contain my fear at the thought of speaking up and making a request, even of the bizarre but friendly Jeb. I rocked back and forth, debating. My hips ached from curving to the bowled shape of the cave. â€Å"Ahem,† Jeb said. He was looking at me again, his face a deeper color under the white hair than usual. â€Å"You've been stuck in here for a while,† he said. â€Å"You need to†¦ get out?† I nodded. â€Å"Don't mind a walk myself.† His voice was cheerful. He sprang to his feet with surprising agility. I crawled to the edge of my hole, staring out at him cautiously. â€Å"I'll show you our little washroom,† he continued. â€Å"Now, you should know that we're going to have to go through†¦ kind of the main plaza, so to speak. Don't worry. I think everyone will have gotten the message by now.† Unconsciously, he stroked the length of his gun. I tried to swallow. My bladder was so full it was a constant pain, impossible to ignore. But to parade right through the middle of the hive of angry killers? Couldn't he just bring me a bucket? He measured the panic in my eyes-watched the way I automatically shrank back farther into the hole-and his lips pursed in speculation. Then he turned and started walking down the dark hall. â€Å"Follow me,† he called back, not looking to see if I obeyed. I had one vivid flash of Kyle finding me here alone, and was after Jeb before a second passed, scrambling awkwardly through the opening and then hobbling along on my stiff legs as fast as I could to catch up. It felt both horrible and wonderful to stand straight again-the pain was sharp, but the relief was greater. I was close behind him when we reached the end of the hall; darkness loomed through the tall broken oval of the exit. I hesitated, looking back at the small lamp he'd left on the floor. It was the only light in the dark cave. Was I supposed to bring it? He heard me stop and turned to peer at me over his shoulder. I nodded toward the light, then looked back at him. â€Å"Leave it. I know my way.† He held out his free hand to me. â€Å"I'll guide you.† I stared at the hand for a long moment, and then, feeling the urgency in my bladder, I slowly put my hand on his palm, barely touching it-the way I would have touched a snake if for some reason I was ever forced to. Jeb led me through the blackness with sure, quick steps. The long tunnel was followed by a series of bewildering twists in opposing directions. As we rounded yet another sharp V in the path, I knew I was hopelessly turned around. I was sure this was on purpose, and the reason Jeb had left the lamp behind. He wouldn't want me knowing too much about how to find my way out of this labyrinth. I was curious as to how this place had come to be, how Jeb had found it, and how the others had wound up here. But I forced my lips tightly together. It seemed to me that keeping silent was my best bet now. What I was hoping for, I wasn't sure. A few more days of life? Just a cessation of pain? Was there anything else left? All I knew was that I wasn't ready to die, as I'd told Melanie before; my survival instinct was every bit as developed as the average human's. We turned another corner, and the first light reached us. Ahead, a tall, narrow crevice glowed with light from another room. This light was not artificial like the little lamp by my cave. It was too white, too pure. We couldn't move through the narrow fracture in the rock side by side. Jeb went first, towing me close behind. Once through-and able to see again-I pulled my hand out of Jeb's light grip. He didn't react in any way except to put his newly freed hand back on the gun. We were in a short tunnel, and a brighter light shone through a rough arched doorway. The walls were the same holey purple rock. I could hear voices now. They were low, less urgent than the last time I'd heard the babble of a human crowd. No one was expecting us today. I could only imagine what the response would be to my appearance with Jeb. My palms were cold and wet; my breath came in shallow gasps. I leaned as close as I could to Jeb without actually touching him. â€Å"Easy,† he murmured, not turning. â€Å"They're more afraid of you than you are of them.† I doubted that. And even if there were any way that it could be true, fear turned into hatred and violence in the human heart. â€Å"I won't let anybody hurt you,† Jeb mumbled as he reached the archway. â€Å"Anyway, might as well get used to this.† I wanted to ask what that meant, but he stepped through into the next room. I crept in after him, half a step behind, keeping myself hidden by his body as much as possible. The only thing harder than moving myself forward into that room was the thought of falling behind Jeb and being caught alone here. Sudden silence greeted our entrance. We were in the gigantic, bright cavern again, the one they'd first brought me to. How long ago was that? I had no idea. The ceiling was still too bright for me to make out exactly how it was lit. I hadn't noticed before, but the walls were not unbroken-dozens of irregular gaps opened to adjoining tunnels. Some of the openings were huge, others barely large enough for a man to fit through stooped over; some were natural crevices, others were, if not man-made, at least enhanced by someone's hands. Several people stared at us from the recesses of those crevices, frozen in the act of coming or going. More people were out in the open, their bodies caught in the middle of whatever movement our entrance had interrupted. One woman was bent in half, reaching for her shoelaces. A man's motionless arms hung in the air, raised to illustrate some point he'd been making to his companions. Another man wobbled, caught off balance in a sudden stop. His foot came down hard as he struggled to keep steady; the thud of its fall was the only sound in the vast space. It echoed through the room. It was fundamentally wrong for me to feel grateful to that hideous weapon in Jeb's hands†¦ but I did. I knew that without it we would probably have been attacked. These humans would not stop themselves from hurting Jeb if it meant they could get to me. Though we might be attacked despite the gun. Jeb could only shoot one of them at a time. The picture in my head had turned so grisly that I couldn't bear it. I tried to focus on my immediate surroundings, which were bad enough. Jeb paused for a moment, the gun held at his waist, pointing outward. He stared all around the room, seeming to lock his gaze one by one with each person in it. There were fewer than twenty here; it did not take long. When he was satisfied with his study, he headed for the left wall of the cavern. Blood thudding in my ears, I followed in his shadow. He did not walk directly across the cavern, instead keeping close to the curve of the wall. I wondered at his path until I noticed a large square of darker ground that took up the center of the floor-a very large space. No one stood on this darker ground. I was too frightened to do more than notice the anomaly; I didn't even guess at a reason. There were small movements as we circled the silent room. The bending woman straightened, twisting at the waist to watch us go. The gesturing man folded his arms across his chest. All eyes narrowed, and all faces tightened into expressions of rage. However, no one moved toward us, and no one spoke. Whatever Kyle and the others had told these people about their confrontation with Jeb, it seemed to have had the effect Jeb was hoping for. As we passed through the grove of human statues, I recognized Sharon and Maggie eyeing us from the wide mouth of one opening. Their expressions were blank, their eyes cold. They did not look at me, only Jeb. He ignored them. It felt like years later when we finally reached the far side of the cavern. Jeb headed for a medium-sized exit, black against the brightness of this room. The eyes on my back made my scalp tingle, but I didn't dare to look behind me. The humans were still silent, but I worried that they might follow. It was a relief to slip into the darkness of the new passageway. Jeb's hand touched my elbow to guide me, and I did not shrink away from it. The babble of voices didn't pick up again behind us. â€Å"That went better than I expected,† Jeb muttered as he steered me through the cave. His words surprised me, and I was glad I didn't know what he'd thought would happen. The ground sloped downward under my feet. Ahead, a dim light kept me from total blindness. â€Å"Bet you've never seen anything like my place here.† Jeb's voice was louder now, back to the chatty tone he'd used before. â€Å"It's really something, isn't it?† He paused briefly in case I might respond, and then went on. â€Å"Found this place back in the seventies. Well, it found me. I fell through the roof of the big room-probably shoulda died from the fall, but I'm too tough for my own good. Took me a while to find a way out. I was hungry enough to eat rock by the time I managed it. â€Å"I was the only one left on the ranch by then, so I didn't have anyone to show it to. I explored every nook and cranny, and I could see the possibilities. I decided this might be a good card to keep up my sleeve, just in case. That's how we Stryders are-we like to be prepared.† We passed the dim light-it came from a fist-sized hole in the ceiling, making a small circle of brightness on the floor. When it was behind us, I could see another spot of illumination far ahead. â€Å"You're probably curious as to how this all got here.† Another pause, shorter than the last. â€Å"I know I was. I did a little research. These are lava tubes-can you beat that? This used to be a volcano. Well, still is a volcano, I expect. Not quite dead, as you'll see in a bit. All these caves and holes are bubbles of air that got caught in the cooling lava. I've put quite a bit of work into it over the last few decades. Some of it was easy-connecting the tubes just took a little elbow grease. Other parts took more imagination. Did you see the ceiling in the big room? That took me years to get right.† I wanted to ask him how, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. Silence was safest. The floor began to slant downward at a steeper angle. The terrain was broken into rough steps, but they seemed secure enough. Jeb led me down them confidently. As we dropped lower and lower into the ground, the heat and humidity increased. I stiffened when I heard a babble of voices again, this time from ahead. Jeb patted my hand kindly. â€Å"You'll like this part-it's always everyone's favorite,† he promised. A wide, open arch shimmered with moving light. It was the same color as the light in the big room, pure and white, but it flickered at a strange dancing pace. Like everything else that I couldn't understand in this cavern, the light frightened me. â€Å"Here we are,† Jeb said enthusiastically, pulling me through the archway. â€Å"What do you think?†