Melissa Younan Twelfth Night

However, Olivia does not return this sentiment an d has sworn off marriage while mourning the death of her dear brother. Under the orders of the Duke, Viola goes to Lady Olivia in pursuit to convince her to marry Rosin, though she herself has grown to love him. After the visit, Olivia sends her serve ant after Corsair, otherwise known as Viola in disguise, in order to return a ring that he had supposedly left at her manor. In her soliloquy, Viola is trying to come to a con occlusion as to why Olivia had sent the ring, knowing for a fact that she had not worn one.Fate r processing the events that occurred in their discussion and the ring predicament .NET, Viola realizes that the Lady has fallen in love with who she believes to be Corsair, a ND that he ring is a sign of her affections towards him. Completely unaware that Ices aria is not really a man, but a woman impersonating one, this adds more complication a ND conflict to the Story. By the end Of the soliloquy, Viola is left overwh elmed and unable to find a solution to the unfortunate love triangle she currently finds herself in.In the soliloquy, Viola uses logos to attempt to understand their hopeless situation and pathos to express her pity for Olivia. Viola uses logos when she begins to make connections as to how Olivia acted during their meeting. Viola uses logo s when she says, â€Å"She made good view of me; indeed, so much, / That sure method her eyes had lost her tongue, / For she did speak in starts distractedly'(Act II, scene ii, 676678). The quote shows how Olivia had repeatedly gazed at her and seem d distracted, which can only mean that she is in love with Viola/ Corsair.This appeal proves to be effective because it leads her to finish off the speech by discuss Eng Olive's misplaced love. As for pathos, in lines such as, â€Å"Poor lady, she were better love dream†(683), and, â€Å"What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe†(696), Viola implies Olivia is chasing a fantasy and that since the man that she thinks she loves do s not exist, the only outcome will be her sorrow and misery. This can be seen as pat hose because it compels not only Viola, but the reader as well to feel compassion t awards Olivia.Also, when Viola begins to rant about how frail the hearts of women AR e and â€Å"how easy is it for the propellers / In women's waxen hearts to set their forms! â€Å"(686687), she begins to understand Olivia and how she is not to blame for her misguided love for Corsair. This is both pathos and logos because not only is she feeling pity for women, such as Olivia and herself, but she is also using false 10 gig by eying that misguided love is caused by women having weak hearts.By the en d of the speech, Viola understands Olive's love for who she believes is Corsair and empathetic with Olive's feelings. Viola uses many rhetorical and literary devices throughout her speech as well in order emphasize and/ or make a point. She used examples of apostrophes s uch as â€Å"Disguise, I see, thou art a wickedness†(Act II ii 684) and â€Å"O time! Thou must UN tangle this, not l; / It is too hard a knot for me to untie! â€Å"(697698). When she states â€Å"Disguise, I see, thou art a wickedness†(684), she blames her disguise for making Olivia fallI in love with her. As for â€Å"O time! Thou must untangle this, not l; / It is too hard a knot for me to it is used to show how complex their situation is and how she can't fix it alone. The apostrophes show how Viola eagerly wants to avoid the conflict a ND have it resolved. This is shown through how she pins the blame on a simple disguise and wishes that time will resolve the matter on its own. There is also alliteration in the speech such as â€Å"Fortune forbid† and â€Å"she did speak in starts†. The alliteration I s used to emphasize and show importance.For instance, in the sentence, â€Å"Fortune for id my outside have not charm's her! â€Å"(675), the alli teration is used to show the reader r that Viola is worried about Olivia falling in love with her disguise, as well as to amp hassle Viola's wishes to prevent more conflict and heartbreak to the reader. The sent once, â€Å"For she did speak in starts distractedly†(678), also shows the reader that Viola ha s come to the conclusion that Olivia is in love with Corsair, and catches the readers Tate notion to this fact.In my opinion, I think it is important to read and utilize rhetorical strategies in order to make conclusions about Shakespearean writing. I believe this is crucial I because in order for the reader to comprehend the speech itself, they must get a sense e of what is occurring prior to the speech. Because of this, the reader must analyze the re theoretical situation in the speech in order to understand the main problem, purpose, an d who the speech is really targeted for.Without knowing the situation, the reader would be lost and unable to fully comprehend why the s peech is of importance. Therefore, it is one of the key points in understanding the speech. Also, if you're unable to come to conclusion as to why Shakespeare included devices such as logos, pathos and ‘or ethos n the speech, you would not know whether he was trying make a logical point t, show the credibility of a character, or make the reader feel pity or emotion.

Mosquito Killer Essay

The study is entitled Combined solution of Garlic (Allium sativum) and Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus). Specifically, it sought to find out how these two solutions (lemongrass and garlic) can effectively kill mosquitoes. It aimed at looking for an organic and safe measure in treating the abundance of mosquito. Ideally, the researcher’s study promotes a tandem between science and creation’s conservation. The materials composing the solution were 40 mL of the combined solution of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) and Garlic (Allium sativum). The set up was composed of experimental and control group. The experimental group was being sprayed using a specific commercial pesticide. On the other hand, the control group was being sprayed using the organic mosquito killer. Data were collected to gather relevant information. In the light of the findings of the study, it was found out that the solution composing of 40 mL solution of Garlic (Allium sativum) and Lemongrass (Cymbopog on citratus) extract can kill mosquitoes in a short span of time compared with the commercial one. It took only _________before the mosquitoes died. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Mosquitoes are vector agents that carry disease causing viruses and parasites that lead to life-threatening diseases from one person to person without catching the disease themselves. It prefers people over others. The preferential victim’s sweat simply smells better than others because of the proportions of the carbon dioxide and other compounds that make up the body odor. A large part of the mosquito’s sense of smell is devoted to sniffing out human targets. Mosquitoes are estimated to transmit disease to more than 700 million people annually in Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico, and much of Asia with millions of resulting deaths. At least 2 million people annually die of these diseases. Today, not just our whole country, Philippines, but also the entire world is facing huge problems in relation to the abundance of mosquitoes in the community. In fact, many alternatives and methods such as different kinds of drugs, vaccines, insecticides, nets and repellants are now discovered and created in order to eradicate mosquitoes, prevent diseases, and protect individuals. We opted to make this study to pursue an alternative organic agent of mosquito eradication. The result of this study is to propose an alternative but organic and safe solution in treating the abundance of mosquito in our locality. Moreover, this aimed to significantly help the residents who are greatly affected by these mosquitoes in a way that this study will provide them a new avenue in treating the great number of mosquitoes. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This study entitled Garlic (Allium sativum) and Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) as Mosquito Killer is aimed to know the insecticidal effect of Allium sativum and Cymbopogon citratus on mosquitoes in terms of: a. How effective is the Garlic (Alium sativum) and Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)? b. What is the compared time duration of the commercial product and experimental product? HYPOTHESIS The study hypothesized that the combined solution of Garlic (Allium sativum) and Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus) is more likely effective than commercial product on mosquitoes in terms of the number of mosquitoes that will die. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The conduct of this study is significant in lessening the number of mosquitoes all over the country. This would extend an alternative solution for everybody spend less amount of money in treating the abundance of mosquitoes here in our locality and therefore cooperation and resourcefulness will primarily be observed by the people. Specifically, this will bring benefits to the following: Government. This would provide the government a new avenue in lessening the number of mosquitoes. The materials that will be used are recycled and organic in which their availability is easily utilized and therefore they will spend less amount of money in treatment for the abundance of mosquitoes in the society. Residents. This study raises the awareness level of residents in our country. They would be able to foresee the importance of being resourceful of the things in our surroundings. SCOPE AND LIMITATION This study focused on the insecticidal effect of Garlic (Allium sativum) and Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) on mosquitoes. The materials used were just gathered around the researchers’ household. The investigation utilized 6 mosquitoes that were placed in a transparent container. DEFINTION OF TERMS Mosquito. From the Spanish or Portuguese meaning little fly is a common insect in the family Culicidate (from the Latin culex meaning midge or gnat). Mosquitoes resemble crane flies (family Tupilidae) and chironomid flies (family Chironomidae), with which they are sometimes confused by the casual observer. Organic. Any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. Geraniol. A monoterpenoid and an alco0hol. It is the primary part of rose oil, palmarosa oil, and citronella oil (Java type). It also occurs in small quantities in geranium, lemon, and many other essential oils. Solution. A homogenous mixture composed of two substances. Erradicate. Get rid of something completely. Insecticide. A chemical substance used to kill insects. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Allium sativum yields allicin, an antibiotic and antifungal compound (phytoncide). It has been claimed that it can be used as a home remedy to help speed recovery from throat or other minor ailments because of its antibiotic properties. It also contains the sulfur-contaning compounds alliin, ajoene, diallylsulfide, dithiin, S-allylcysteine, and enzymes, vitamin B, proteins, minerals, saponins, flavonoids, and maillard reaction products which are non-sulfur containing compounds. Furthermore a phytoalexin called allixin was found, inhibiting skin tumor formation. Herein, allixin and/or its analogs may be expected useful compounds for cancer prevention or chemotherapy agents for other diseases. The composition of the bulbs is approximately 84.09% water, 13.38% organic matter, and 1.53% inorganic matter, while the leaves are 87.14% water, 11.27% organic matter, and 1.59% inorganic matter. Fresh C. citratus grass contains approximately 0.4% volatile oil. The oil contains 65% to 85% citral, a mixture of 2 geometric isomers, geraniol and neral. Related compounds geraniol, geranic acid, and nerolic acid have also been identified. More than a dozen of other minor fragrant components were also found. Research has shown geraniol to be an effective plant-based mosquito repellant. Another popular theory is that ingesting garlic can provide protection against mosquitoes. A University of Connecticut study examined this claim with a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study. The data didn’t provide evidence of significant mosquito repellence. However, subject only consumed garlic once, and the researchers say that more prolonged ingestion may be needed. There are also other natural mosquito repellants that are being researched like the Fennel, Thyme, Clove oil, Celery extract, Neem oil, Vitamin B1. Biopesticide insect repellants (sometimes called â€Å"natural†, â€Å"botanical† or â€Å"plant-based†) has been proven to be as effective as those containing synthetic chemical compounds like DEET. Remember, however, that â€Å"natural† doesn’t always mean safe, so you should use plant-based insect repellants as carefully as any other. With the literature presented above, it can be seen that the study has some bearing capabilities and properties to other work in the sense that it tackles the capacity of some organic materials such garlic juice and lemongrass oil as effective mosquito repellant.

Influence of Role Models on Children

A role model is someone looked up to and held in high esteem. They are often emulated and referred to for guidance. Children being very influential can be heavily affected by their role models. A role model for a child is someone seen as big and great in their eyes. Whoever the role model may be, children will pick up actions, words and mannerisms from them. It affects them in every way, how they deal with people, their dress, and vocabulary and how they aspire to be.Role models can have positive or negative effect on children depending upon the role model and others' definition of what is good and what isn't. * Where do children get their role models from? Depending upon the environment, personality of and upbringing of the child, their role models can differ greatly. Some children's role models are pop singers and actors, they are often ones that are popular in media culture and invariably the children's friends would have had an additional effect in affirming the role models.Some role models are noble, in that they are healthy to be role models for the child; uch noble role models include parents, family members, people who do a lot of charity work or work with animals and people who help communities. These role models are formed from knowledge about them, from the child's environment or from hearing stories about them from others. Children learn from their environment and are well-known to be like sponges that soak up all what they see and hear. How role models affect children Vocabulary Some negative role models that often swear or use derogatory words can affect the children who take them as role models by influencing them to start swearing and use ad language or curse words. Alternatively positive role models can help in teaching children to be polite in speech. Dress Children can seek to copy the fashion of their role models; this is usually the case for role models obtained from the media, cartoons, TV presenters, movies or pop singers.These role model s are also affirmed by other children at school, often making it fashionable and cool to be like a certain singer. This can cause children to dress inappropriately for their age and cause temper tantrums. Again it does depend who he role model is, therefore it could be a positive change or modest way of dress which does not seek to harm the child in anyway.Behaviour Popular role models popularized by the media today such as various pop singers do not always have the best of ethics or values that parents wish their children to have. A child can start to emulate the behaviour and attitude of the role model influencing what the child does and if they get into trouble or not. On the other hand, if the role model is one which parents consider positive, this can have positive effects on raising he child with good mannerisms and encouraging them to do well.Role models can greatly affect children from their dress, way of thinking, speech and behavior. A role model can have a positive or neg ative effect upon the child. Popular role models taken by many children today are often those publicized by the media such as various pop singers, sports stars or actors. Children can be deeply influenced by role models, so it is important that parents try to otter positive role models which will benefit their children in all ways possible.

Case study 4-4 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

4-4 - Case Study Example Whoever provided the wrong test results (A+) should be held responsible for carrying out lousy work, furthermore, the hospital management, in general, should be held responsible to curb future lousiness (Welcome to Advances in Medical Ethics). On the other hand, the ROI (Release of Information) coordinator could have ordered a medical officer to carry out a re-do of Martha’s blood type to obtain a valid blood type and request for a correct re-entry of her medical record rather than maintaining that the legal document could not be changed. The Health Information Management director (HIM) could have been following protocol as stipulated by management yet I support a professional approach to taking the tests again and request for a re-entry of her medical data (Welcome to Advances in Medical Ethics). The directive to obtain a court order via an attorney to make amendments to patient’s records should be done away with because it takes the patient through a whole lot longer process rather than just re-doing the tests and correcting their mistakes in the first place. Martha’s actions, however, were absolutely logical and

Night by Elie Wiesel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Night by Elie Wiesel - Essay Example Why human beings whose inner world is divine, act like demons while dealing with fellow human beings and yet he transcends his bitter feelings and remains an optimist. The grave question of Elie Wiesel is how can the Nazis throw the babies into gas chambers and spray bullets to kill them in the most heinous options? The horrid conditions in the concentration camps baffle any sane individual. He and his father are often shifted to different camps and each time they think that it is the last journey and they are not sure of reaching another destination. With each shifting, the count of internees decline. They are killed like animals in a slaughterhouse. Animal slaughter has an economic perspective. Killings human beings with whom the killers have no previous personal enmity are heinous acts. Wiesel is just a boy of fifteen when he is separated from the rest of the family, but his father is with him. He finds an inner strength to absorb the effect of such tragic events that engulf one after another only because his father is with him during the most critical phase of his life. Finally, they are liberated by the Allied Forces. Wiesel is a writer by compulsion, not by choice. He candidly says that it is not his intention to describe the nature of brutalities and the main purpose of the book are committed to a hearty prayer that such gory incidents shall never be repeated by humanity. The commitment to world peace is possible, not through political philosophies, but the change of heart of each individual. Religious tenets as they are practiced today by the followers will not herald the changing process. Not the blind following but practice of true spirituality can bring about the desired change. Spirituality is something that transcends the mind. At that level, all differences cease; conflicts are no more there.

Summary 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Summary 1 - Essay Example Theologians reflect upon this new truth, which is full of promise. Liberation sets free the children of God from the slavery. Slavery comes in different kinds of form, which include sin, economic, socio-political, and cultural. Liberation serves all those who respond to it, as it is not limited to those only with the evangelical spirit. It serves all those Christians who have clarity in faith and are prepared to be involved in struggles for humanity and freedom for the poor in the society. Liberation inspires people particularly those who have misery burdens carried in their hearts. It is a human need to express this aspiration. There is need to guide and clarify the yearning for the aspiration. Liberation theology was born from this strong aspiration. It expresses concern for the victimized and poor in the society. Theologies of liberation expresses different and diverse positions that seek to explain the contradictions involved in finding the meaning poverty and commitment to justice as defined by Christianity. Recently, Pope Francis has stressed the importance of fast tracking of a former Salvadoran Archbishop’s beatification. Oscar Romero’s beatification is a legitimate to sainthood for a man who is considered the unofficial saint of the controversial Catholic movement, liberation theology. The movement whose origin is in Latin America embraces the perspective and plight of the poor to interpret scripture and fight both economic and political injustices. The beatification statement made by Pope Francis is viewed as an attempt to reconciliation between the mainstream Catholic Church and the liberation theology movement. Other occurrences that inform about the possibility of the reconciliation include the reinstatement of suspended Nicaraguan priest Miguel D’Escoto, a policy reversal in Chiapas allowing the ordainment of indigenous deacons, and the appointment of Gerhard MÃ ¼ller, a former

Strategic Corporate Finance( case study) Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Corporate Finance( ) - Case Study Example The company prices have experienced a steep fall in prices. The assets might be highly overvalued in the markets. However, to give some relief, the shareholders equity is twice that of the number of shares that have been floated in the market. The fall in profits has also contributed to a fall in the NAV per share figures. The WACC is a reflection of company’s cost of taking funds from equity and debt sources. Each source of finance has been provided with the respective weights and in the present situation; the equity weighs more than the debts in the WACC formula. This means that the company is operating with high levels of equity finance and can undertake expansionary opportunities based on the scope for developing debt finance. The WACC represents the investor’s risk of taking in the particular investment. The company’s WACC is 3.63% and it very low representing opportunities for investors to invest into the company. The average price earnings ratio of the retail industry is prevailing at 15 while for Morrison’s, the P/E ratios remains around 2. This implies that the company is operating at very low profit scales. The industry is performing greater and Morrison’s profits earnings are far below industry average. However, this is relative to the number of shares floated by the company. In relation to the equity base, the company is operating with very low profit margins and needs to scale up its revenues in order to remain competitive within the industry. The value of Morrison’s share derived by way of the dividend growth model can be estimated by dividing the dividend declared for next year by the cost of equity. In this case, the share price stands at This price is much lower than the prevailing market price of Morrison’s share in the markets. The present market price for company’s share is operating at GBP 196 per stock. The company has seen a huge fall in share prices from GBP 357 to GBP 196 in the 52 week scenario. The

Presentation about your role as an Accountant Speech or

About your role as an Accountant - Speech or Presentation Example Controversial, because I am sure one way or another you have heard the recent news of financial scandals and crisis which was also brought by this profession. To give you a brief synopsis of the objective or what an Accountant does, it â€Å"is to record, classify, summarize, and interpret the transactions of an [business] entityâ€Å"(Brewer, 2009, pg. 96). While this function may sound simple in text, the implication of it however is quite complex because ultimately,†the objective of financial accounting was to provide information useful in economic decision making† (Brewer et al, 2004, pg. 15). Through accounting, an entity is able to determine its financial position by recording all the transactions incurred in a given period, classify and summarize it to be used in making a rationale economic decision. The tool that is usually used for making that rationale economic decision is called Financial Statements. This is basically a written report that describes the econo mic well being of a business entity which comes in the form of Income Statement, Balance Sheets and Cash Flow. Income Statement simply tells whether a business entity is earning or not. In a smaller scale, the income statement shows how much you spend compared to what you earned and if there is anything left for profit or savings. Balance sheet on the other hand summarizes the business entity’s assets, liabilities and capital for a given period. Simply, it’s a summary of what you have and what you owe and how much you and your investors have invested in the business entity while Cash Flow shows how much money was used and generated by business entity in a given period. Common terms used that may sound complex but really meant simply are words like assets which simply means what the business entity owns, liability which means what the company owes. While this may sound simple, the entire process of recording, classifying, summarizing and interpreting can get complicated especially if the organization is big for it involves a lot of transactions to consider for accounting reporting. In a small business, this can also be taxing especially if this entire accounting process is done by a single person compared to an entire department of a corporation. Such, technology can get handy in aiding a small business in its various Accounting Operation such as having a software that helps track employee’s wages, outgoing expenses with vendors and tracking the day-to-day operation of the business whether it is earning or not. This gives the business owner a hindsight about his business’ financial progress and is able to make necessary adjustments to enhance his profitability i.e. streamlining expenses and reduce unnecessary expenditures. By having this accounting facility within the small business, the owner may not have to retain an Accountant, except on the occasion of filing of taxes which could save him cost. If you noticed, the profession of A ccounting involves money. Not only that the Accountant is responsible for handling the resources of a business entity, he is also responsible for the factual and accurate reporting of it. This is important because the public relies on this information whether they will put in their money for investment in that company or not. Such, the Accounting profession demands the highest ethical standard because when this function is

A critical review of the contemporary Art Exhibition 'The light Show' Essay

A critical review of the contemporary Art Exhibition 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery - Essay Example The paper "A critical review of the contemporary Art Exhibition 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery" gives a review of 'The light Show', Art Exhibition in Hayward Gallery. The ability of the art to transform space and to influence and alter perceptions through the application of modern materials that had not been polluted by the traditional art, forms the basis of the 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery. Thus, the application of fluorescent tubes and Neon tubes struck the world in the early 1960s as the means through which the materials that had not been used before became the basis of creating an optical environment that has enabled making of the intangible materials into more tangible substance achievable. The combination of Dan Flavin’s ‘electric light art’ that applies the fluorescent tubes, with the Franà §ois Morellet’s Neon tubes and the Carlos Cruz-Diez concept of Chromosaturation installations, as well as the Bill Culbert time-based installations of light bulbs are aspects of the 'light Show' in Hayward Gallery that has made the psychological response to illumination and colour a more conceptual and sensual experience for the art audience. The Contemporary Art Exhibition Art Exhibition, 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery forms atmospheric light installations and intangible art sculptures that the audience can go through. The light installations and the combination of the light bulbs, the Neon tubes and the fluorescent tubes enables the visitors to experience the mystery of light as a tool for art.

Health Care Communication Methods Essay Example for Free

Health Care Communication Methods Essay This notice is part of an information package I, as the administrator of the Shady Pines Nursing Home, will be sending out to both the staff here at the center and to the administrative staff of the Rolling Hills Corporation. This information will help facilitate the transfer of those residents here at Shady Pines that no longer fall under the prevue of the new corporate guidelines. As some of the residents have communication issues or have no local family support, we as their caregivers need to ensure that all methods of communication are utilized to ensure a smooth relocation situation. Some of these methods will include the more traditional types, such as letters or phone calls to the guardians of those affected by the relocation (Du Prà ©, 2005). Other methods available for our use will be electronic in nature. One type of electronic communication is email (Du Prà ©, 2005). Social media communication types, such as texts to the guardians, will be used when all other types of communication has failed. Each of these types of communication will also be used within the Shady Pines facility, to keep all staff updated on any changes that indubitably occur and to help ease the transition as well. Communication between the staff at Shady Pines and Rolling Hills is vital also, so that any conflicts can be handled efficiently. As I mentioned before, one of the different types of communication we have available to us is what many consider the traditional format. This type includes such methods as phone calls and letters to the guardians of the residents who are on the list to be moved (Du Prà ©, 2005). Please make sure to verify all contact information before releasing the minimal details in either the letters or phone calls. The team needs to make all conscious effort to follow all HIPAA regulations with these  communications. Contact your department manager if you have questions before sending out the written correspondences. We need to make the letters as easy to understand as possibl e. Letters are more secure than some other types of interaction in that the letter is addressed to the corresponding person. We will be using interdepartmental memos for the various correspondences within the Shady Pines facility. I see more phone conversations between our center and the Rolling Hills staff as this is a faster method of staying in touch with our new sister agency. Another method we will make use of will be emailed communication. Some of the residents’ guardians will have left their contact information, but there again, please be sure to follow all HIPAA regulations when including personal health information in said emails. This type of communication is sometimes quicker than letters, depending on the person’s access to a computer network. Email may not be the most secure method of communication. If a person uses a Smartphone as their access point and it is lost or stolen, then the emails and all personal health information (PHI) can be accessed by unauthor ized people. The last method I mentioned falls under the social media category. Methods such as texting, or posting any type of PHI on a social media site is strictly against all HIPAA policies, both state and federal. The best our contact staff can use the text messages for is to encourage the guardian to make contact with the center on an important matter. I have plans in the works to create a specific department to handle the details of contact between both the guardians, as well as the residents affected by the potential move. I plan to follow the same guidelines that the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have in place to manage the many different departments under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) umbrella. According to Draper (2014), â€Å"These communication mechanisms include the agency’s operational planning process; crosscutting workgroups and meetings; and regular communications among the Office of the Administrator, leaders in the bureaus and offices, and agency staff† (p. 18). Using these different processes will help keep everyone in the communication loop and give everyone the support needed during this merger of our two agencies. I have plans to continue this method of communication after the merger is complete to help insure the continuation of efficient interaction between both centers. As most of our residents are in the  older age category, we need to take particular interest in how we pass along the transfer information to those who require it. We should not discriminate on the resident’s ages and assume that all the affected residents will feel the same about the move to a new location (Du Prà ©, 2005). Every person is an individual and should be treated as such. Be considerate with those affected, as this will be a very traumatic experience for them. According to Du Prà ©, â€Å"patients interpret their health within the arena most familiar to them everyday life† (p. 116). That being said; it is important to be as empathic as possible, giving the resident as much information as he or she can handle to be able to understand the changing situation. Keep in mind that many of the residents have low health literacy and will not be able to understand some types of medical terminology in context. Be attentive to any stress indicators and be attentive to the feelings of those affected. I have mentioned the merger of our center with that of the Rolling Hills center. Good communication is needed to ensure that the transition from our center to the new one is a smooth one. We will be using such communication methods like phone calls, letters, email, and fax to keep all merger information up to date. Contact with the guardians of the affected residents will fall under all HIPAA regulations in the matter of the PHI given out. Keep in mind the medical literacy level of the residents involved in the move. Using the new department to keep all matters of contact organized and flowing will help increase our efficiency during this transitional period. Other information will follow listing the people who are in charge of in the transitional unit and what sections they cover. Again, if you have and questions or if any difficulties arise, please notify your department immediately. References: Draper, D. A. (2014). Review of Internal Communication Mechanisms, Staffing, and Use of Contracts. Washington DC, Maryland: GAO Reports. Retrieved from the University of Phoenix Library. Du Prà ©, A. (2005). Communicating about health: Current issues and perspectives (2nd ed). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Shipping Industry Analysis: A.P Mollar-Maersk

Shipping Industry Analysis: A.P Mollar-Maersk The global shipbuilding industry has changed in the last two decades, the demand and supply of goods in the international market, that many sectors in the market of shipbuilding in force. The transport of goods in bulk can only be transported by large commercial cargo ships. Shipping industry is a huge industry that requires a lot of skilled and cheap labour. Shipping industry requires expensive investments. In the 1960s in Europe were dominant in this industry. Globalization and free trade have opened up opportunities for new life to the shipping industry. There are many factors that directly or indirectly affects to the present day companies such as government policies, regulations, laws, competition, technology, international organizations, institutions of world trade, minimum wage, accidents, risk, violence, safety, labour, supplies, etc. So for any company to survive they have to plan the strategies accordingly to overcome those factors. But in practice it is virtually impossible to consider all these various factors. There are certain models like Michael Porter five forces that determine to the external factors to the environments of shipping industry. As a managing consultant of A P Mollar-Maersk shipping company I found that, in most of the countries the government is providing enormous support to promote foreign trade for the economic development, as well as my personal experience in shipping industry under A P Mollar-Maersk group gave me thrust to explore more about the shipping industry. Here I analysed the companys [A P Moll ar- Maersk] growth and present situation using Porters five force model. The five forces determine industry profitability because they influence the prices, costs, and required investment of firms in an industry the elements of return on investment. Buyer power influences the prices that firms can charge, for example, as does the threat of substitution. The power of buyers can also influence cost and investment, because powerful buyers demand costly service. The bargaining power of suppliers determines the costs of raw materials and other inputs. The intensity of rivalry influences prices as well as the costs of competing. The threat of entry, places a limit on prices, and shapes the investment required to determine entrants. INTRODUCTION Shipping is the primary means of international transportation of any essential raw material or finished goods. There are three main segments consisting of bulk carriers, specialised cargo shipping as well as container shipping. This industry is fundamental to trade, globalisation and economic growth of a country. Out of the shipping industry A.P Mollar-Maersk group became the worlds largest container ship operator. About the company The A P Moller Maersk group is the largest container ship operator and supply vessel operator in the world since 1996. Maersk Line offers a truly global network of containerization and services providing shipping solutions for cargo imports and exports. Maersk Line India is the leading Container Shipping Line in the region with footprints across 16 offices and close to 400 employees covering all major locations and cargo hubs. Maersks activities are organised in different business segments, they are container shipping and related activities, A P Mollar terminal, tankers, offshore and other shipping activities. Maersk established its foothold in India on August 6, 1990 and has since expanded its operations in the business across the supply chain. Maersk Line India carries cargo to and from all major Indian ports. Maersk Line India major exports include Garments and Apparel from Tirupur, Mumbai and New Delhi; Cotton from Mumbai, Tuticorin and Gujarat; Iron and Steel from Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi and auto products from Mumbai, Chennai and Ludhiana. Container shipping activities is the largest business area for Maersk groups, providing half of the groups revenue in 2008. Since 1996, Maersk is the largest container shipping company in the world. Maersk Line operates over 550 vessels and has a capacity of 2.2 million TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units). 2. Analysis of Porters Five Forces for Shipping Industry Porters five forces is a framework for analysis of industry and development of business strategy, it also determines the competitive intensity and attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness is referred to overall profitability of industry while unattractiveness drives down profitability. This model implies that profitability or return should be constant across firms and industries; however studies have affirmed that different industries can have different levels of profitability due to their varied structure. The model can be used by organizations to develop edge over rivals. Conventionally, this tool is used to identify whether new products, services or businesses have the potential to be profitable. 2.1 ATTRACTIVENESS FOR SHIPPING INDUSTRIES Government of most of the countries are liberal towards the licensing and development of shipping business. Major part of the countries economic profit will be evolved from the shipping business. So the threat of new entrance is high, but as the profit margin is high, the attractiveness is also high. Many competitors are available in the market and they provide perfect substitution in terms of services, freight rates etc, but the resources are also easily available. So the attractiveness is also high. Suppliers are more in this field and the available facility is very less so the cost is high, which makes suppliers in weak and buyers in strong position. So the industry attractiveness is low in this case. The bargaining power of buyer is high and potentiality of business is high then many buyers will be there in the market. This will increase the attractiveness. Existing players are many, but constant technological advancement and updated services and facilities will increase the attr activeness. 3. Threat of New Entry Every person would like to do business in shipping industry due to large profits involved in it. It may seem easy, but practically it is more difficult and virtually impossible to set up in container line business. The main problem involves in the large capital investments in the form of vessel, operating risk of a vessel and the container availability. In the case of Maersk, we can understand that it had taken more than 100 years to establish themselves to reach at the top level. Still there can be threat from existing companies like APL and MSC to expand into new sectors which will reduce the share of the company operating in that region. Maersk is generally operating in every part of the world. In certain regions it may be the only player operating, in such case its profit margins from those operations would be huge. But the profit can be severely affected, if APL or MSC introduce their service in those regions. If there are any new potential companies who would like to jump into this sector with huge capital then other factors like licensing, government rules, regulations, policies are all secondary. Capital requirement is high. Profit margin is high. Chance of expansion into new sector is less. Switching cost is less. Government restriction is less. Capital requirement of the shipping industry is very large, so the threat from the new entrants is less. As the capital is very large the profit is also too high in shipping industry. Because all exporters and importers know the best mode of transport their goods is the shipping line. Switching cost of the customer is high because of the lack of experience of the new entrants. Most of the countries main economy evolves from the shipping industry. So the government will give full support for the new entry. So overall threat for the new entry is high. 4. Threat of Substitution Substitution threat is also an important factor especially when something is going wrong in an organization. Competitors are waiting to catch that opportunity for their benefit. Substitution threat is the result of change in buyer behaviour towards competitor or against company. Substitution may also result because of change in quality of service, increase in freight rates and increase in transit time. From view point of switching costs, buyers are not affected at all due to higher number of suppliers and freight forwarders available in market. While it may affect the company to certain extent as they have to start new search of customer, establish strong relations and educate them on company policies and systems. Switching costs become even more at times of downturn due to decrease in supply of business from customers. Cost factor is primarily responsible for substitution while service specification comes secondary. In case due to the delay of service or quality become poor and at the same time the wagon rates are also similar, then the customers will switch on to the new substitutes [wagon]. If the oil price [crude oil/diesel oil] shoots up then the company is forced to increase their delivery charges. Due to the increased rates in shipping and delayed timing to reach the destination on time, customers will go for the substitutes like airline, wagon or even trucks [for certain limited destinations]. If the airline or wagon [goods train] can almost cost the same rates of the shipping companies but can reach on time then customers will think for such substitutes. Substitution threat will be major problem for a reputed company like Maersk. If any service or the goods are not delivered in a proper manner then the customer trust on company will go down. In this present world people wont compromise for any thing. If they are not satisfied by the service they will jump to other substitutes who can give better rates and services. Availability of the substitutes is high. Price of substitutes is high. Quality and performance of the substitutes is high. Switching cost is high. Cost factor is less. More number of market players is available, but they all are dealing in different prices, performance and quality will increase the attractiveness of shipping sector. As the switching cost is high, customer stick to their present seller will increase attractiveness. Cost factor is less important because all players will play a role of defender in market will moderate the attractiveness. So overall threat of substitutes is high. 5. Bargaining Power of Supplier Suppliers barely make any difference to companies involved in shipping line business, especially who are leading players like Maersk in this business. While it may affect to certain extent to small players like Five star shipping company, Varun Shipping company etc. who are struggling to establish within the industry. Many suppliers are such which are borne directly by customers but arranged by shipping lines like pesticide, wooden pallets, container repairs and truck transportation due to corporate contract or link ups of companies with service providers. While there are cases when these same services are borne by shipping lines but then these charges are included in freight rate which would be higher if the suppliers were not arranged by company. Maersk supply service expects a lower result than in 2010 due to lower contract coverage and weaker spot market rates than at the beginning of 2010. Another supply which is related to loading of containers on third party vessels is very important here because this is the only supply where shipping lines have to face the bargaining of suppliers. Not all shipping lines own the vessel and therefore they hire the service of other companies, to load their containers for different destinations. Maersk is the largest container operator in Kandla port. But its own vessels are not operating from Kandla due to drift problem and therefore they hire the services of third party feeder vessels to load its containers till JNPT [Jawaharlal Nehru] port in Mumbai, from where Maersk mother vessels are operating across continents. In this case Maersk may have to pay extra money if demanded by ship operators. While this is not the case with MSC [Mediterranean Shipping Company] which has its own small vessels operating from Kandla to different gulf locations. But if we move to location like JNPT port in Mumbai, the situation is totally different. Maer sk vessels are the biggest here operating among other carriers and those small carriers are using slot on Maersk vessels for transporting their cargo. There are other supplies like loading/ unloading of containers from vessel ie, movement of containers to CFS (container freight station) and vessel towing which are provided by port authorized suppliers and companies. Port authority charges fixed amount towards these handling from shipping lines and shipping company charges the same from customers after adding their profit margin. Number of the suppliers is high. Price factor of the suppliers is high. Profit of the supplier is less. Switching cost of the supplier is high. Operating cost is high. So overall power of suppliers are low. 6. Bargaining Power of Buyer Buyer is one of the strongest factors in shipping line business. Buyers may be in form of importer or exporter, clearing agent, freight forwarder or manufacturer of goods. Sometimes manufacturer himself acts as an exporter or importer if not, then trader acts on behalf of manufacturer of goods. Container line business is based on two main core factors price and quality of service. Price refers to freight rate at which one container is decided by shipping company to transport from one place to another. Due to much competition in this sector and limited number of operators, bargaining power of buyer has increased in relation to freight price. Almost all shipping lines have service to Jebel Ali (an important transit hub in Dubai) from India, and customer is sure to get very competitive rate for this location from market. For such locations customer are virtually like king but when it comes to transporting cargo to far Europe or America, then this power is transferred to companies operating in those regions. Therefore Maersk has strategized the businesses in such a way to get maximum profits from service to odd or far reaching areas and make normal profits from operation to common areas like Jebel Ali. Another factor Service refers to fast processing of documents, bill of lading and prompt loading and movement of containers etc. It is rather difficult for customers to get better quality of service than getting competitive freight rates. In this world of technology every company is trying to adapt to new technology in their day to day businesses like e-processing of documents and fastest data entry to name a few. Maersk is so technologically advanced in this field, that all its data processing is being done electronically by back office and customers are able to access all information relevant to shipment though dedicated space available on company website. Electronic processes are shipping bills, vessel certificates, freight invoices and bill of lading in encrypted format, once the payment is done by customer either electronically or at Maersk local office. Companies like APL and MSC do have electronic processing systems but are not fully fledged and as a result much of the work is still being done manually. Other sections of buyers which may affect container line business are freight forwarders or clearing agents, with rapid expansion of shipping industry and import/export businesses. Many agents acting as freight forwarders have came up in market to share the profit in form of commission. These agents earn commission by way of collecting excess freight from exporter than charged by shipping lines. It is relatively easy for shipping lines to entertain these agents, so there is no difficulty of approaching different small exporters. Numbers of the customers are high. Switching cost is low. Customers information and awareness is less. Customers ability to demand is high. Freight forwarders and clearing agents are high. Number of customers is high in this field due to the export and import of goods from different parts of the world. But the similar price and quality will lessen the attractiveness. Customers ability for demand during purchasing will be high, because suppliers are in threat of loosing customer. Switching cost of customers is low because of more number of suppliers. Due to easy availability of containers through agents instead of searching by the shipping companies in different places the bargaining power of freight forwarders and agents will be more. So overall bargaining power of buyer is high. 7. Competitive Rivalry Rivalry exists in every field be it business, science, space, technology, education etc; actually speaking it is a part of the day to day businesses. It is sometimes bad because companies have to share hard earned profits with competitors and sometimes goods because it gives opportunities to one company to stand in line with another in terms of quality of service, business strategy, job satisfaction etc. Considering the rivalry in shipping industry, it will be held valid due to enormous margins of available profits combined with continuous growth of around 14% since last couple of years. If we consider the rivalry between our top of the table players (Maersk, MSC and APL) we will find that all these players are good in some and bad in some and therefore stiff competition exists between them. Maersk dominates the market due to its wide area coverage, better connectivity, best business practices, and cost controlling measures. But on other side, its strict and non flexible policies and highly technological advancement at very base levels which is not digested by people working in lower educated market. MSC on other hand has balance of advantages and disadvantages. It has done well in recent times in attracting business due to its competitive pricing model and better connectivity of services. In contrast it has failed to control administrative, operational and higher output costs. It has been seen practically at Kandla port location where Maersk is having higher outputs compared to MSC but staff recruited to control that output and time for completing the tasks was almost double compared to Maersk. APL on other hand has much controlled costs measures and highly technological advanced processes as in Maersk but it doesnt have far reaching connectivity like Maersk and therefore relies on third party services in certain regions. Also it has lagged behind in attracting customers due to non availability of killing marketing strategies. Number of competitors is high. Cost leadership is high. Switching cost is low. Industry growth is high. Competitors move to new customer is low. More number of competitors is high in shipping industry, because of the thought that the profit margin very high in this industry. Cost leadership is high for the market leader (MAERSK), because the new entrants and the minor players in this industry cant sustain with very low cost of the market leader. Industry growth is high, so the chance of exit from the industry is less. Competitors move to new customers is very low because of the non-awareness of their profile. Switching cost is low, because of the less familiarisation of the new suppliers may lead to argument or disagreement. So overall competitors of the industry is high. 8. Conclusion Container line business is a flamboyant industry in the whole world. Due to rapid economic development since recent past, trade between developed and developing countries has increased significantly. Maersk Supply Service expects a lower result than in 2010 due to lower contract coverage and weaker spot market rates than at the beginning of 2010. In 2010, A P Mollar entered into a joint venture agreement to establish a new terminal in Santos, Brazil. So that company dont want to keep their cargos in any of the external port. Thus by paying money to the other ports for keeping the cargos can be avoided and then the profit can be increased. The terminal is expected to open in 2012 and when completed have capacity to handle 2.2 million containers in a year. In the wake of the worst year ever for container activities in 2008 2009, the Group continued its focus on strengthening Maersk Lines competitiveness. In 2010, the Groups container shipping companies shipped practically the same number of containers with the same average rate as in 2008, but nevertheless generated a profit that was USD 2.2 billion higher than in 2008, primarily due to streamlining and cost savings. Maersk Line should set a new industry standard for on-time delivery, and customer satisfaction will reach the highest level ever measured by Maersk Line. It is also essential that Ministry of Shipping of each country in particular should take more proactive steps like, regulations in free movement of foreign exchange and international trade to be more liberal, easing export/ import duties to make this industry work more freely and contribute even more to the economic development of country. Companies at same time should adapt more technology to make easy and efficient work environment for the customers and employees.

Strength Based Model Case Management Social Work Essay

Strength Based Model Case Management Social Work Essay A theory of service delivery that focuses on the individual strengths instead of weaknesses. This model is based on the understanding of the individuals deep internal resources and ability. The purpose of this model is to help survivors identify this strength and build life upon them. During the treatment, the clients must participate in the process of their recovery which controls the direction and pace of healing efforts. Each client helps his or her own plan for personal wellness. The plan is based on the clients psychological, medical, or legal needs. Together, the client and case manager regularly review the progress, discuss achievements and changes, and modify goals based on the clients evolving situation and needs. When a client is granted asylum, the case manager continues to provide assistance to satisfy the clients needs. This may include helping the client find information on educational or employment opportunities. Assessment: The strength based model focus mainly on developing and finding the clients strengths and abilities and makes a plan based on this. As this model considers the wellbeing of the clients, so the participation of the client in the treatment is very important. The client must figure out their needs of any aspects and give feedbacks of the current treatment. According to this point, the model is very adaptable to individuals as the diversity of their different situations. But this kind of model just encourage the client to live life as what they want and they can so the disability part has been left over which is very important in making progress. Planning: The strength based model needs a very detail and flexible service plan at the beginning which carried out mainly depends on the clients own abilities and needs because the client will live a life based on the plan. And the plan will be change over time because during the treatment the client and the case manager have to review the changes and progress that the client has met so the goals will be modified based on the reality and the process of achievement. Coordinating: The strength based models require a high standard of the coordinating between the client and the case manager. The case manager will give the client professional suggestions and make plans according to the clients condition which maybe not very consistent with the clients imagination and needs. But the client should be considerate since the accessibility and the efficiency. And the case manager should also have a regular contact with the client and be ready to make any changes to make sure the plan is always suitable and updated. Strengths and weaknesses of the strength based model: The strength of the strength based model is that it is easy to be carried out because it is based on the clients needs and ability so the client will be very cooperative during the treatment. And the psychological needs of the client are easily to be met so the confidence will be built to the client. It is very good to the clients mental health. Besides, the clients strengths are well maintained and developed. But the weaknesses of this kind of model are also obvious. It is because this kind of model only concerns about the strength so the weakness of the client has been ignored. But at many times the weakness plays the main role of whether the treatment is successful or not so the weaknesses cant be improved. Perspectives of the disability people: The strength based model is very practical for the disabled. Client empowerment is a central theme to this approach. To empower a client, the evaluation must be made to the disabled person and thus the achievable goals will be made along with the evaluation so a well-organized plan will be carried out to achieve the goals and the possibility of the success will hopefully be very high. Critics of the strength perspective suggest this is simply reframing problems in a better light. No one will succeed while being convinced that they will fail. Summary of the expected outcomes for the disabled: For the strength based model, the expected outcomes is that the mental health of the client is strengthened and many the disabled can joint well to the society like the normal people without much mental barriers. In addition, the client may develop certain advantages to a high level and gain some achievement better than normal person. But the disabled part cant be improved. Case management Model A collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation and advocacy for options and services which is aim to meet an individuals holistic needs through communication and available resources to promote quality cost-effective outcomes.Case Management has been used to a wide range of issues including community care for the aged, and people with disability and mental health issues; acute health settings; injury management and insurance related areas; correctional services; court systems; in the management of chronic health conditions; child and youth welfare; at risk populations in schools; managed care and employment programs. The case management model requires the organization deliver a range of services based on the comprehensive assessment that is used to develop a case or service plan. The plan is developed in collaboration with the client and reflects their choices and preferences. Case Managers provide the coordinating and specialist activities that flow from the particular setting, program and client population. However it is usual to identify the following process as core to Case Management: screening, assessment/risk management, care planning, implementing service arrangement, monitoring/evaluation and advocacy. Assessment: However the case management model is a bit similar to the strength based models as they both respect the needs of the clients. But the case management model focus on the hobbies of the client and encourage them to attend relative activities so that the purpose of treatment is achieved during the community time. So that this model is also based on the clients abilities in some degrees and can maintain the clients past lifestyle and an active mind and body as much as they can. But there will be many potential barriers hidden behind like the decrease of the clients health condition or the bad weather. So there will be many uncertain situations so the achieving of certain goals will require a long time and patience. Planning: Comparing with the strength based model, the case management model plan is relatively fixed because the clients hobbies and preference are stable. Based on this a long term plan is worked out and the plan will be seldom changed. But the plan is not very detail because its just an optional orientation. Coordinating: The case management requires coordination between the activity coordinator and the client as well as the relationships among different clients who participate in the activities. And the coordinator also has to consider the clients physical ability and other element like the economy and the climate and so on make sure the arrangement is made in advance. Strengths and weaknesses of the case management model: Like the strength based model, the case management model is also very easy to be executed since it is based on the priority of the clients to the activities according to their interests. This model is good for both the mental and physical development of the clients. But the weakness is that it is easy to be influenced by the uncertainty elements like the natural disasters and the clients health conditions and any personal issues of each part. Also this model cant be updated with the time going on along with the aging and the decrease of the clients health. So at the end, the client does maybe have no ability to participate or the quality of the participation is going down. Perspectives of the disability people: The strength based model is very practical for the disabled. Client empowerment is a central theme to this approach. To empower a client, the evaluation must be made to the disabled person and thus the achievable goals will be made along with the evaluation so a well-organized plan will be carried out to achieve the goals and the possibility of the success will hopefully be very high. Critics of the strength perspective suggest this is simply reframing problems in a better light. No one will succeed while being convinced that they will fail. Perspectives of the disability people: The case management model is widely used in our lives and its easy to be carried out. The perspective is that this model will be continuingly development and improved during the practice in reality. It will play a main role in the recovery or dealing with the disability problems. The potential ability and interests will be found during the process of the treatment so there will be a bright future of this model. Summary of the expected outcomes for the disabled: For the case management model, the clients life is fulfilled and interesting than before. Also this is very good for the psychological development like the strength based model. And it will be a big contribution to the arrangement of the arrangements of the physical therapy. But this model is not good for finding an occupation for the client and it is easy to make the client depend on others. Comparisons of the two models The strength based model focus mainly on developing and finding the clients strengths and abilities and makes a plan based on this. However the case management model is a bit similar to the strength based models as they both respect the needs of the clients. But the case management model focus on the hobbies of the client and encourage them to attend relative activities so that the purpose of treatment is achieved during the community time. Comparing with the strength based model, the case management model plan is relatively fixed because the clients hobbies and preference are stable but the strength based model is very flexible and keep changing with the clients condition. The two models also have difference with the coordinating part. The strength based models need a high level of coordinating between the client and the case management however the case management model requires a good relationship between the activity coordinator and the client as well as the relationship among cli ents. If the clients have mental goals we suggest that they choose the strength based model but if the client has the needs of physically requirement then wed better use the case management model for her.

The Impact of the Internet on Schools :: Teaching Education Essays

The Impact of the Internet on Schools For this essay, I read an Article called: The Netgeneration: Internet as a classroom and community. After reading the article I came up with some very good points on how the internet has effected the way school are ran compared to the pre-computer and internet age. My conclusions are that the Internet has changed school classroom for the good by making information widely available and useable to even the poorest of schools. The internet has made it possible for teachers to communicate and learn what other teachers are doing in other countries by talking to colleagues in other countries and reading reports and research studies findings before they read the teaching methods books. The Internet also, gives teachers the ability to teach a class online so that their students will be able to stay on task when they are not able to come to class. The online class idea has also made it possible for the average person to get his or her degree with out having to go to a college campus physicall y. In total the Internet has not only increased the amount of learning possibilities in the classroom but it has created infinite amounts of learning opportunities for students and teachers. CLASSROOM Because of the Internet it is possible for schools to have access to books with out having them on the shelves of school libraries. New books and research studies are posted on the Internet daily for the world to read. In the past if you where from a poor school or a shelterd community that banded books from school libraries you may not be able to read some important infromantion. Making the student that had the oportunity to read and learn this new infromation better educated than a person whom did not have the same books in there school library shelves. The author of the article The internet as a classroom explains this fact when she says, "We have arrived at a new moment in history: a moment in which such terms as class, race, gender, sexuality, nationality and ideology are no longer useful" (Hendricks). This statement applies to education because information can be found on any subject on the web. If a school has a ban on reading a book a student can still find and read it online if he or she wants to. Censorship is not possible because of the technology called Internet.

Nonverbal Communication and Cultural Differences Essay -- Cultural Dif

Nonverbal communication has always played an important role in the entire communication process. It may include gestures, kinesics, haptics and other means, which a person incorporates into the communication process. These acts make the communication process more effective and meaningful. However, nonverbal communication is highly influenced by cultural differences as the context of the culture defines how the message is interpreted. This essay will analyse several types of nonverbal communication such as proxemics, haptics, kinesics, semiotics and paralinguistic. It will also analyse the messages conveyed by these nonverbal communication types in different cultures and their impact on the non-verbal communication process in relative cultural contexts. Culture has always been a driving force in understanding nonverbal communication as nonverbal communication is highly influenced by the cultural differences as the context of the culture defines how the communication/message is interpreted in certain cultures. â€Å"Communication occurs within a context but the context is particularly important in relation to non-verbal communication† (Tyler, Kossen & Ryan, 2005, p.185). Culture defines the messages perceived by the non-verbal communication. For instance, proxemics. â€Å"Proxemics refers to the spatial relationship or how we use space.† (Tyler, Kossen & Ryan, 2005, p.190) Culture plays an important role in defining the use of one’s personal space in the nonverbal communication process. For example, in North America people usually remain at a distance from one another when talking while Latin American people stay very close when talking. (Wood, 2009). This defines the use of the privacy or personal space in t wo different cultures. H... ... Body Politics, power, sex, and nonverbal communication, Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Julia T. Wood. (2009). Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters, 6th Edition, Wadsworth Publishing. Knapp, M.L. & Hall, J.A. (2001). Nonverbal communication in human action, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Marshall, C, Rossman, Gretchen B, (2006). Designing qualitative research, 4th edition, Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications. Morris, Desmond. 1994. Bodytalk: The Meaning of Human Gestures. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks. Patterson. M.L. (1983). Nonverbal behaviour: A functional prospective, 1st Edition, Springer Peter Hartley, (1993). Interpersonal Communication, 2nd Edition, Routledge. "Cultural  Differences  in  Non ­verbal  Communication" Web. http://healthvermont.gov/family/toolkit/tools%5CF-6%20Cultural%20Differences%20in%20Nonverbal%20Communic.pdf

Discuss the roles of development learning Essay

The nervous system is responsible for the initiation, propagation and co-ordination of animal behaviour. How it is constructed and what factors are involved encompasses many fields of biology, from ethology and neurophysics to evolution. In this essay I will describe the roles of development learning and evolution in the construction of the nervous system and give experimental evidence that backs up these theories. Evolution Evolution deals with the origins of the nervous system, where it comes from determines how it will be constructed. This will have direct consequences on the relative fitness of an individual as the layout of the nervous system relates to how the animal behaves. Phylogeny is very important therefore to analyse how changes in the nervous system relate to the evolution of behaviour. The only realistic way of studying the evolution of nervous systems, particularly the events, which lead to, their current day form, is through comparative biology. By comparing closely related species in similar niches, the difference in their behaviour must have a genetic/nervous system origin. A good example of how behaviour can be genetic in origin and show that nervous systems can evolve to create different behavioural responses is found in deer. The white tailed deer odocoileus virginianus and the mule deer O. hemionus use different gaits when alarmed. The white deer gallop and the mule deer stott. This alone doesn’t confer that the difference is due to their nervous systems but the genetic origin for the behaviour is inferred when a cross between the two species results in a hybrid that bounds when alarmed. In order to attain quantitative data the use of complex nervous systems, such as mammals, is unfeasible. A simpler nervous system is better suited and comparisons can then be extrapolated for the more complex animals. Within the invertebrates the model organism is, as ever, Drosophila. Since its genome has been sequenced and the relatively short generation time it plays a key role in the study of all type of nervous system construction. Zebra fish have been termed â€Å"flies with backbones† and are perfect for the study of nervous system development in vertebrates. However these relatively simple organisms are still too complex to study fully and so scientists tend to use a part of a nervous system for detailed analysis. The Crustacean Stomatogastric Ganglion STG, which comprises of only 30 ganglions, is most popular for several reasons, mainly because it has been preserved for about 350 million years and is seen across many taxa. This allows for comparison on a smaller scale and although the overall synaptic circuitry is similar there are differences in the relative strength of connections and the amount of electrical coupling across the taxa. The reason why the STG is seen across so many taxa is because on the whole the nervous system is a very evolutionary conserved organ. This reflects its importance to an animal. As it is so conserved certain inferences can be made regarding the evolution of the nervous system. The first is that the neural networks must be pretty similar across species meaning that the nervous system is more of a generalist than a specialist. Therefore only small changes to the nervous system are needed in order to produce markedly different behaviours. It is these behaviours that are then subsequently acted upon by natural selection and contribute to the nervous system layout in the next generation. Development Once the genetic instructions that determine the constitution of the nervous system have been selected the next step in the construction of the nervous system is the subsequent application of that code, the development. The nervous system develops during embryogenesis and continues in some form or another throughout the animals’ life, but that latter stages of this development I shall relate to the learning part of this essay. From before we have learnt that the basic mechanisms for constructing a nervous system are highly conserved during evolution. There is a set of general tools that are used by all species and perhaps only a few specialist tools are needed in order to make an individual nervous system. The nervous systems building blokes are neurones, and since all cells derive from the fusion of the male and female gametes there must be factors telling cells to become neurones. The process of creating neurones is called neurogenesis and the mechanism is neural induction, the committal of cells to a neural fate. It appears that this process is a permissive one, one where the local inactivation of inhibitors in the ectoderm, creates neurones. The factors that drive neural induction are basic helix loop helix type proteins and homologues have been found in both vertebrates and invertebrates, thus stressing their importance. Also the helix loop helix is a very evolutionary old mechanism for gene regulation and the fact that neural cells can be coerced The next step is the creation of asymmetry in the ectoderm. This allows a more complex, coordinated nervous system to develop. The formation of layers, maps and modules is an essential feature of neural development in â€Å"higher† animals. The process of creating asymmetry, and so the nervous system as a whole, can be divided into three parts. 1. Pathway Selection The growing tips of the neurones travel great distances in order to reach their target. When confronted with a series of choice points they manage to travel in the right direction. 2. Target Selection Once the neurone has arrived in the correct neighbourhood the contact and recognise their correct target, usually a localised set of neurones. 3. Address Selection Refinement occurs as axonal terminals retract and expand to select a specific subset of cells from within the overall target. Capable of transforming a coarse, grained and overlapping projection into a refined and highly tuned pattern of connections. The mechanisms of these processes are still being elucidated although some basic principles have begun to crystallise. The development of connectivity most probably involves general â€Å"algorithmic† principles. The experiments performed in the last ten years have proved to provide strong evidence for many of the previous hypothesis. Pathway and Target Selection Mechanisms Axonal growth needs to be controlled in order for a functioning nervous system to develop, however this does not necessarily mean that the neurons have to be firing in order to be set up. The pathway and target selection mechanisms are believed to be autonomous, activity independent. This has been demonstrated by work done on Ambystomid Urodeles (Twitty and Johnson 1934). The embryos were paralysed with TTX for a period of days until the larvae would normally move and feed for themselves. At that point the TTX induced paralysis wore off and surprisingly the animals soon began to swim and eat in a remarkably normal fashion. In the 1970’s a theory developed that the innervation of muscles is largely at random, with patterns emerging later by the elimination of connections and cell death. This appears to be a very costly mechanism as neurones are being created only to soon be destroyed. This theory was abandoned when studies were performed on chicks (Landmesser 1978, 1980) and zebra fish (Eisen et al, 1986) that showed specific motor neurones innervate their target muscle with relatively few error from the outset. They possess unique identities that allow them to differentially respond to the choice point region, follow particular pathways and innervate specific muscle. Sperry first postulated the mechanism for the directionality of growth cone movement in 1963 when he suggested the chemoaffinity hypothesis. Neuronal growth cones were specifically guided toward their correct targets by specific chemotactic cues and proposed gradients of chemical labels. The neurones enhance and transduce the signals from the extracellular matrix to remodel cytoskeletal elements. This form of gradient-mediated chemotaxis is essential in the formation of more complex structures such as layers and maps. However the directional sensing of neurones in a 2D field such as the tectum is strong evidence for guidance by gradients despite any molecular evidence. Theoretical analysis show that requirements for map formation are simple for target tissue; there must be at least one gradient for each of the tangential dimensions. For co-ordinated simultaneous development of the nervous system there must be a series of different gradients to ensure that neurones do not switch tracks or get confused when the tissue becomes saturated with the same molecule. This has been seen when the preferred neurone’s pathway has been ablated and they have chosen not to move down other axons. There is also compelling evidence for chemorepressor molecules which serve to deter axonal growth. Studies by Kampfhammer and Raper in the past 15 years have shown the mutual avoidance of the CNS axons and the PNS axons. Evidence is also accumulating that the developing midline of the CNS of both vertebrates and invertebrates provides both attractive and repulsive guidance cues. Many CAMs, integrins and extracellular matrix molecules have been implicated in growth cone guidance, owing to their expression in vivo. The experimental evidence for these molecules being directly responsible through the use of immunoassays and mutation is scare. One series of molecules has been identified though, small GTP proteins of the rho family that regulate the focal adhesion, membrane ruffling and filopodial protrusion of neurones. However assessing the accuracy of targeting is difficult. The mapping efficiency, although higher than simple dorsal-ventral distinctions is still far below the accuracy of some sections in the nervous system, namely vision. Other theories have had to be formulated in order to explain the increase in resolution. Selective cell death has been postulated but the one with the most evidence is activity dependent self-organisation. Address Targeting Activity dependent plasticity seems uniquely suited to refine local axonal projections beyond the accuracy achieved by genetic instruction alone. Schmidt and Edwards (1983) demonstrated the effects of activity dependent on creating a fine-grained map in the visual cortex of a fish. The fishes’ eye was crushed, if left to heal it eventually regenerated and regained the retinotectal map. If the regeneration was interrupted by the addition of TTX the fine-grained map failed to form although the coarse topographic map still formed. This suggests the relationship between refinement and neuronal activity. Further studies revealed that retinal ganglion cells fired synchronously, both during embryogenesis (intrinsic origin) and after (extrinsic origin), suggesting that it was not the neural activity per se but the temporal and spatial firing that refines axonal connections. So called â€Å"cells that fire together wire together†. But the converse is also true, that for any kind of axonal remodelling not only must appropriate connections be strengthened but inappropriate ones must be weakened. The evidence for the synchronous firing of neurones continuing into later life means that the environment is constantly altering the neural networks. Learning As we have learnt the constantly changing neural networks are directly related to the extrinsic information they receive. The definition of learning is the acquisition of new information and memory is the retention of that information over time. It is clear now how the two are related in terms of the nervous system, the process of learning effects the construction of the nervous system by the storage of the information gained. The acquisition of information may come in different forms, associative between two stimuli or non-associative such as habitualisation. However they do not directly alter the nervous system, the nervous system is altered by the way in which it decides to store this data. The first insight was made by Ebbinghaus (1913) where he determined different phases of memory storage. It was Milner who first made the distinction between short term and long-term memory, the two different types of data storage, which are separated on a temporal basis. Short-term storage involves functional changes in the strength of pre-existing synaptic connections. This was demonstrated by experiments on Alpysia. Conditioning was performed and it was reflected in the neural circuitry as a greatly enhanced strengthening of the input connections of the sensory neurones to their target cells. Murphy and Glanzman (1997) provide compelling evidence for the changes in synapse being causally involved in the learning of new information through their work on the receptors of glutamate in the synapses. Long-term memory storage involves the synthesis of new protein and the growth of new connections (Flexner et al 19650. Given this information how is short-term memory converted into long-term memory? The answer is not yet fully understood, but experiments have given some clues as t how it occurs. Serotonin is thought to be important (Kandel 1976) as it increases the intracellular concentration of the secondary messenger cAMP. Martin et al (1997) suggests that new genes are being activated in the nucleus have their products distributed widely, but that the products only persistently strengthen those synapses that have somehow been marked by short term facilitation. It also appears that the protein CREB is required for functional plasticity but it is not sufficient for morphological plasticity. The changes to the gross structure of the nervous system in response to learning can be seen in an experiment performed on monkeys that were trained to preferentially use only some fingers. The cortical representation of those fingers expanded (Merzenich and colleagues). This has also been demonstrated with violinists who show a disproportionate representation of their left hand (fingering hand) when compared to their right hand (bow movement). Conclusions The roles played by each factor described here each have their own specific effect on the construction of the nervous system. The evolutionary aspect controls the â€Å"blueprints† of the nervous systems that are hard coded into the DNA of the animal. However it is not specifically the genetic makeup of the nervous system that natural selection acts against, rather the phenotype of the nervous system, which is the combination of the developmental and the learning factors. The evolutionary factors alter the genotype, the only source of variation that can be passed down to their offspring. The development can only attempt to recreate the layout as specified by the different alleles; it cannot exceed them in terms of functionality. The true source of variation depends on the extrinsic information obtained and stored in memory, but that us not able to cross generations (with the exception of tradition) and so could be an explanation for the high evolutionary conservation of the nervous system. Bibliography Gierer, A & Muller, C. M 1995 development of layers maps and modules. Current Opinion o Neurobiology 5 91-97 Goodman, C. S & Shatz, C.J. 1993 Developmental mechanisms that generate precise patterns of neuronal connectivity Neuron 10 (Suppl. ). 77-98 Lumsden, A. & Jan, Y-N. 1997 Development. Editorial overview: the end of the beginning? Current Opinion in Neurobiology 7 3-6 Kandel, E. R. & Pittenger, C. 1999 The past, the future and the biology of memory storage Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society London B 354 2027-2052 Katz, P. S & Harris-Warwick R. M. 1999 The evolution of neuronal circuits underlying species-specific behaviour Current Opinion in Neurobiology 9 628-633.

Murder Most Foul

Hi, my name is Nick Kingson. I live in the suburb of London city. I live in an institute for homeless people. I have been here for the last past nine years. I am now 17 years old. During my nine years in the institution, my best friend has been David Bryant. He is like me but his past has a tragedy storey. His mother was black and his father was white. During a shopping trip, his parents were stepped in the parking area by white youths. David was only three then and couldn't do anything. When I heard his storey, I couldn't stop my tears. The tears were like a riverbank waiting to burst. Unlike him, my parents were with me until I was six. After that my father left my mum and went with another woman. As if that wasn't enough my mother died in a car accident. Later I found out that the accident occurred because she was drinking alcohol. I warned here about here addiction to alcohol and how it could get her into trouble, but she never listened. And know look where I am, a homeless teenager. The institute follows a strict rule like no television after ten, no smoking or drugs, etc. David and I didn't really fit in and we had plans. We didn't want to live here for the rest of our lives. The administrator of the institute had a close eye on David. After what happened to his parents, David didn't like white people. For some reason, David came very friendly with me and told me most of his secrets, even though I was white. I guess he trusted me and the things we had in common bought us closer together. On April 7th 2003, we made a plan to get out of the institute and find a place for ourselves, where there were no rules. During that night we got out of the institute and went into the city. What a site it was! The city had so many shops that I lost count of it after three minutes, imagine that. At the time we didn't have any money and we were starving. We decided to go to the local restaurants and ask them if they needed any help, and in return we get food. All of them refused our offer. It was probably because we didn't have any reference of previous employment and we could give them our address or telephone number. We didn't have one. It was mid-day now and we very getting really hungry. I felt like a balloon without air inside. I never felt like this because when we were in the institute, we got out food on time. We came across a shop that had food on display. Looking at it made our mouth watery. We had no choice; we took some of the food and ran as fast as we can. After running for half a mile, the shop owner stopped chasing us. We ate the food. At the moment I thought how we are going to survive. I lived most of my life in an institute and didn't know much about the outside world. It was getting dark and as we were walking around the street, we found an old abandoned house. It looked empty. So we decided to take the night there. We thought the back door will be open but it wasn't. We decided to break the glass a bit just enough to open the door. As we entered, we found the kitchen. It looked like if some one was there because there were bread and butter on the dinning table, and the fridge was full of allsorts of things, like milk, fruit juice etc. I told David to check downstairs while I go upstairs and check there. As I was checking the rooms, I heard a loud noise from downstairs. It looked like if an old lady screamed. I quickly ran down stairs and there I found an old lady lying near the fridge bleeding. The blood was all over the floor. I guess she lost about one liter of blood. I asked David what happened and he did speak. It was like if he went in to coma or something. I tried to wake the lady up but she kept lying on the floor. I smacked David and he finally woke up. I asked him what happened again and he kept on saying, â€Å"I didn't meaning it†. I asked to explain what happened and he said, â€Å"The lady walked in and saw me and then came up with her walking stick. I tried to stop her but she fell backwards on the metal fridge. † I told him it wasn't his fault. I didn't want to waste anymore time. We phoned the ambulance and told them about our location and what happened. After twenty minutes, the ambulance arrived, with them came the police. At that time I wanted to ran and leave the scene of the accident and then I thought if I did that I would look like a criminal. The doctor came firing though the front door. We stepped back. Just after that everything seemed like it was ok, but them the policeman walked thought the door. He asked us what happened and we told the whole truth. He took us into custody. We stayed in the prison cell over the night. The next morning the policeman walked through the door and he face projected a sad news. He told us that the old lady died in the hospital during the night. David placed his hand over his face and cried. I didn't feel it was his fault, but it was our fault for breaking in an entry and because of that an old lady died. The policeman told us from the evidence they gathered that we told the true story. I felt a bit relaxed but I wouldn't forget what happened. I will always have the cogence that I was responsible for a death. David took the death harder on himself. He felt that it was his fault. We had to do community sentence for 1 year. As time went on I got a bit better and came back to my self. On the other hand, David was still thinking about it. I told him about hundred of times but still he feels it's his fault. Our sentence passed quickly and we were back at the institute. The life went normal there. But to this date David is still thinking about what happened.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Meanwhile, back at the hotel room, Raziel has given up his hopes to be a professional wrestler and has resumed his ambition to be Spider-Man. He made the decision after I pointed out that in Genesis, Jacob wrestles an angel and wins. In short, a human defeated an angel. Raziel kept insisting that he didn't remember that happening and I was tempted to bring the Gideon Bible in out of the bathroom and show him the reference, but I've just started reading the Gospel of Mark and I'd lose the book if the angel found out about it. I thought Matthew was bad, skipping right from Joshua's birth to his baptism, but Mark doesn't even bother with the birth. It's as if Joshua springs forth full grown from the head of Zeus. (Okay, bad metaphor, but you know what I mean.) Mark begins with the baptism, at thirty! Where did these guys get these stories? â€Å"I once met a guy in a bar who knew a guy who's sister's best friend was at the baptism of Joshua bar Joseph of Nazareth, and here's the story as best as he could remember it.† Well, at least Mark mentions me, once. And then it's totally out of context, as if I was just sitting around doing nothing and Joshua happened by and asked me to tag along. And Mark tells of the demon named Legion. Yeah, I remember Legion. Compared to what Balthasar called up, Legion was a wuss. I asked Balthasar if he was smitten with me,† Joshua said over supper. â€Å"Oh no,† said Joy. We were eating in the girls' quarters. It smelled really good and the girls would rub our shoulders while we ate. Just what we needed after a tough day of studying. â€Å"You weren't supposed to let him know we were on to him. What did he say?† â€Å"He said that he'd just come off of a hard breakup and he wasn't ready for a relationship because he just needed to spend a little time getting to know himself, but that he'd love it if we could just be friends.† â€Å"He lies,† said Joy. â€Å"He hasn't had a breakup in a hundred years.† I said, â€Å"Josh, you are so gullible. Guys always lie about stuff like that. That's the problem with your not being allowed to know women, it means you don't understand the most fundamental nature of men.† â€Å"Which is?† â€Å"We're lying pigs. We'll say anything to get what we want.† â€Å"That's true,† said Joy. The other girls nodded in agreement. â€Å"But,† said Josh, â€Å"the superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue, according to Confucius.† â€Å"Of course,† said I, â€Å"but the superior man can get laid without lying. I'm talking about the rest of us.† â€Å"So should I be worried about this trip he wants me to take with him?† Joy nodded gravely and the other girls nodded with her. â€Å"I don't see why,† I said. â€Å"What trip?† â€Å"He says we'll only be gone a couple of weeks. He wants to go to a temple at a city in the mountains. He believes that the temple was built by Solomon, it's called the Temple of the Seal.† â€Å"And why do you have to go along?† â€Å"He wants to show me something.† â€Å"Uh-oh,† I said. â€Å"Uh-oh,† echoed the girls, not unlike a Greek chorus, except of course they were speaking Chinese. In the week leading up to Joshua and Balthasar's departure, I managed to talk Pea Pods into taking on a huge risk during her shift in Balthasar's bed. I picked Pea Pods not because she was the most athletic and nimble of the girls, which she was; nor because she was the lightest of foot and most stealthy, which she was also; but because she was the one who had taught me to make bronze castings of the Chinese characters that were the mark of my name (my chop), and she could be trusted to get the most accurate impression of the key that Balthasar wore on the chain around his neck. (Oh yes, there was a key to the ironclad door. Joy had let it slip where Balthasar kept it, but I was sure that she was too loyal to him to steal it. Pea Pods, on the other hand, was more fickle in her loyalties, and lately I had been spending a lot of time with her on and off.) â€Å"By the time you return, I'll know what's going on here,† I whispered to Joshua as he climbed onto his camel. â€Å"Find out what you can from Balthasar.† â€Å"I will. But be careful. Don't do anything while I'm gone. I think this trip, whatever it is that we are going to see, has something to do with the house of doom.† â€Å"I'm just going to look around. You be careful.† The girls and I stood at the top of the plateau and waved until Joshua and the magus, leading the extra camel loaded with supplies, rode out of sight, then, one by one, we made our way down the rope ladder to the passageway in the cliff's face. The entrance to the passageway, and the tunnel for perhaps thirty cubits, were just wide enough for one man to pass through if he stooped, and I always managed to bruise an elbow or a shoulder along the way, which allowed me to show off my ability to curse in four languages. By the time I got to the chamber of the elements, where we practiced the art of the Nine Elixirs, Pea Pods had the small furnace stoked to a red heat and was adding ingots of brass to a small stone crucible. From the wax impression we had made a wax duplicate of the key, from that we'd made a plaster mold, which we'd fired to melt out the wax. Now we'd have one chance to cast the key, because once the metal cooled in the plaster mold, the only way to release it was to break off the plaster. When we broke off the mold Pea Pods held the end of what looked like a brass dragon on a stick. â€Å"That's some key,† I said. The only locks I'd ever seen were big bulky iron boys, nothing elegant enough for a key like this. â€Å"When are you going to use it?† asked Pea Pods. Her eyes went wide like those of an excited child. Times like that I almost fell in love with her, but fortunately I was always distracted by Joy's sophistication, Pillow's maternal fussing, Number Six's dexterity, or any one of the other charms that were heaped upon me daily. I understood completely Balthasar's strategy to keep from falling in love with any one of them. Joshua's situation, on the other hand, was harder to figure, because he enjoyed spending time with the girls, trading stories from the Torah for legends of the storm dragons and the monkey king. He said that there was an innate kindness born in women that he'd never seen in a man, and he liked being around them. His strength in resisting their physical charms astounded me perhaps even more than the other miraculous things I'd seen him do over the years. I couldn't relate to the act of raising someone from the dead, but turning down a beautiful woman, that to ok courage beyond my understanding. â€Å"I'll take it from here,† I said to Pea Pods. I didn't want her to be involved any further in case things didn't turn out well. â€Å"When?† asked Pea Pods, meaning when would I attempt to open the door. â€Å"Tonight, when you have all gone to live in the world of pleasant dreams.† I tweaked her nose affectionately and she giggled. It was the last time I ever saw her in one piece. At night the halls of the fortress were lit by the ambient light from the moon and the stars that filtered in from the windows. Everywhere we went we carried a clay oil lamp which made the serpentine curves of the passageways seem even more like the inside of a huge creature as they swallowed up the dim orange light. After several years with Balthasar, I could find my way through the main living quarters of the fortress without any light at all, so I carried an unlit lamp with me until I had passed the girls' quarters, stopping at the beaded doorway to listen for their gentle snores. Once I was well away from the girls' door, I lit my lamp using one of the fire sticks that I'd invented using some of the same chemicals we used to make the explosive black powder. The fire stick made a soft pop as I struck it on the stone wall and I could swear I heard it echo from the hall up ahead. As I made my way to the ironclad door I could smell burning brimstone and I thought it strange that the smell of the fire stick had stayed with me. Then I saw Joy standing by the door holding an oil lamp and the charred remains of the fire stick she'd used to light it. â€Å"Let me see the key,† she said. â€Å"What key?† â€Å"Don't be foolish. I saw what was left of the mold in the room of the elements.† I took the key from where I'd tucked it in my belt and handed it to Joy. She examined it by lamplight, turning it this way and that. â€Å"Pea Pods cast this,† she said matter-of-factly. â€Å"Did she take the impression as well?† I nodded. Joy didn't seem angry, and Pea Pods was the only one of the girls skilled enough in metallurgy to have done the casting, so why deny it? â€Å"Getting the impression must have been the hard part,† Joy said. â€Å"Balthasar is fierce about guarding this key. I'll have to ask her what she did to distract him. Could be a good thing to know, huh? For both of us.† She smiled seductively, then turned toward the door and pushed aside the brass plate that covered the keyhole. In that second I felt as if a frozen dagger had been dragged over my spine. â€Å"No!† I grabbed her hand. â€Å"Don't.† I was overcome with a feeling of revulsion that wrenched my insides. â€Å"We can't.† Joy smiled again and pushed my hand away. â€Å"I have seen many wondrous things since I came here, but there has never been anything that was harmful. You planned this, you must want to know what is in here as much as I do.† I wanted to stop her, I even tried to take the key away from her, but she grabbed my arm and pushed into a pressure point that made my whole left side go numb. She raised an eyebrow as if to ask, â€Å"Do you really want to try that, knowing what I can do to you?† And I stepped back. She put the dragon key into the lock and turned it three times. There was a clicking of machinery finer than anything I had ever heard, then she withdrew the key and shot the three heavy iron bolts. As she pulled the door open there was a rush of air, as if something had moved by us very quickly, and my lamp went out. Joshua told me what had happened later and I put the timing together myself. As Joy and I were opening the room they called the house of doom, Joshua and Balthasar were camped in the arid mountains of what is now Afghanistan. The night was crisp and the stars shone with a cold blue light like loneliness or infinity. They had eaten some bread and cheese, then settled in close to the fire to share the last of a flask of fortified wine, Balthasar's second that evening. â€Å"Have I told you of the prophecy that sent me in search of you when you were born, Joshua?† â€Å"You spoke of the star. My mother told me of the star.† â€Å"Yes, the three of us followed that star, and by chance we met up in the mountains east of Kabul and finished the journey together, but the star wasn't the reason we went, it was only our means of navigation. We made the journey because each of us was looking for something at the end.† â€Å"Me?† Joshua said. â€Å"Yes, but not just you, but what it is said was brought with you. In the temple where we travel now, there lies a set of clay tablets – very old – the priests say that they date back to the time of Solomon, and they foretell the coming of a child who will have power over evil and victory over death. They say he will carry the key to immortality.† â€Å"Me? Immortality? Nope.† â€Å"I think you do, you just don't know it yet.† â€Å"Nope, I'm sure,† said Joshua. â€Å"It's true that I have brought people back from the dead, but never for very long. I've gotten better at healing over the years, but my back-from-the-dead stuff still needs work. I need to learn more.† â€Å"Which is why I have taught you, and why I am taking you to the temple now, so you may read the tablets yourself, but you must have the power of immortality within you.† â€Å"No, really, I haven't a clue.† â€Å"I am two hundred and sixty years old, Joshua.† â€Å"I've heard that, but I still can't help you. You look good though, I mean for two hundred and sixty.† At this point Balthasar started to sound desperate. â€Å"Joshua, I know that you have power over evil. Biff has told me of you banishing demons in Antioch.† â€Å"Little ones,† Joshua said modestly. â€Å"You must have power over death as well or it does me no good.† â€Å"What I am able to do comes through my father, I didn't bargain for it.† â€Å"Joshua, I am preserved by a pact with a demon. If you do not have the powers foretold in the prophecy I will never be free, I will never have peace, I will never have love. Every minute of my life I must have my will focused on controlling the demon. Should my will fail, the destruction would be unlike anything the world has ever seen.† â€Å"I know how it is. I'm not allowed to know a woman,† Joshua said. â€Å"Although it was an angel that told me, not a demon. But still, you know, it's hard sometimes. I really like your concubines. The other night Pillows was giving me a back rub after a long day of studying, and I started getting this massive – â€Å" â€Å"By the Golden Tenderloin of the Calf!† Balthasar exclaimed, leaping to his feet, his eyes wide with terror. The old man began loading his camel, thrashing around in the darkness like a madman. Joshua was following him, trying to calm him down, fearing he might have a fit any second. â€Å"What? What?† â€Å"It is out!† the magus said. â€Å"Help me pack up. We must go back. The demon is out.† I stood cringing in the dark, waiting for disaster to fall, for mayhem to reign, for pain and pestilence and no good to manifest, then Joy struck a fire stick and lit our lamps. We were alone. The iron door hung open into a very small room, it too lined with iron. The entire room was just big enough to contain a small bed and a chair. Every span of the black iron walls was inlaid with golden symbols: pentagrams and hex symbols and a dozen others I had never seen before. Joy held her lamp close to the wall. â€Å"These are symbols of containment,† Joy said. â€Å"I used to hear voices coming from in here.† â€Å"There was nothing in here when I opened the door. I could see in the second before the lamp blew out.† â€Å"Then what blew it out?† â€Å"The wind?† â€Å"I don't think so. I felt something brush me as it passed.† Just then someone in the girls' quarters screamed, then a chorus of screams joined in, primal screams of absolute terror and pain. Instantly Joy's eyes filled with tears. â€Å"What have I done?† I took her sleeve and dragged her down the passage toward the girls' quarters, snatching up two heavy lances that were supporting a tapestry as we passed and handing one to her. As we rounded the curves I could see an orange light ahead and soon I could see that it was fire blazing on the stone walls from broken oil lamps. The screaming was reaching a higher pitch, but every few seconds a voice was removed from the chorus, until there was only one. As we approached the beaded doorway into the concubines' chamber the screaming stopped and a severed human head rolled in front of us. The creature stepped through the curtain, oblivious to the flames that licked the walls around it, its massive body filling the passageway, the reptilian skin on its shoulders and its tall pointed ears grating against the walls and ceiling. In its talonlike hand it held the bloody torso of one of the girls. â€Å"Hey, kid,† it said, its voice like a sword point dragged across stone, a yellow light coming from behind its dinner-plate-sized cat's eyes, â€Å"it took you long enough.† As they rode back to the fortress, Balthasar explained to Joshua about the demon: â€Å"His name is Catch, and he is a demon of the twenty-seventh order, a destroyer angel before the fall. As far as I could tell, he was first called up to assist Solomon in building the great temple, but something got out of hand and with the help of a djinn, Solomon was able to send the demon back to hell. I found the seal of Solomon and the incantation for raising the demon almost two hundred years ago in the Temple of the Seal.† â€Å"Oh,† Joshua said, â€Å"so that's why they call it that. I thought it had something to do with one of the barky sea animals.† â€Å"I had to become an acolyte and study with the priests there for years before I was allowed access to the seal, but what is a few years against immortality. I was given immortality, but only so long as the demon walks the earth. And as long as he is on earth he must be fed, Joshua. That's the curse that goes with being this destroyer's master. He must be fed.† â€Å"I don't understand, he feeds on your will?† â€Å"No, he feeds on human beings. It is only my will that keeps him in check, or it was until I was able to build the iron room and put golden symbols on the wall that would hold the demon. I've been able to keep him in the fortress I made him build for twenty years now, and it has been some respite. Until then he was with me every minute, everywhere I went.† â€Å"Didn't that attract enemies to you?† â€Å"No. Unless he is in his eating form, I am the only one who can see Catch. In his noneating form he's small, the size of a child, and he can do little harm (except for being incredibly irritating). When he feeds, however, he's fully ten cubits tall, and he can tear a man in half with the swipe of his claw. No, enemies are not a problem, Joshua. Why do you think there are no guards at the fortress? In those years before the girls came to live there, some bandits attacked. What happened to them is legend now in Kabul, and no one has tried since. The problem is that if my will were to fail, he would be set loose again on the world as he was in the time of Solomon. I don't know what could stop him.† â€Å"And you can't send him back to hell?† Joshua asked. â€Å"I can with the seal and the right incantation, which is why I was going to the Temple of the Seal. Which is why you are here. If you are the Messiah predicted in Isaiah, and on the clay tablets in the temple, then you are the direct descendant of David, and therefore Solomon. I believe that you can send the demon back and keep me from suffering the fate of his return.† â€Å"Why, what happens to you if he is sent back to hell?† â€Å"I will assume the aspect of my true age. Which I would guess, by this time, would be dust. But you have the gift of immortality. You can stop that from happening.† â€Å"So this demon from hell is loose, and we are returning to the fortress without the Seal of Solomon or this incantation to do exactly what?† â€Å"I hope to bring him back under control of my will. The room has always held him before. I didn't know, I truly didn't know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Know what?† â€Å"That my will had been broken by my feelings for you.† â€Å"You love me?† â€Å"How was I to know?† The magus sighed. And Joshua laughed here, despite the dire circumstances. â€Å"Of course you do, but it is not me, it's what I represent. I am not sure yet what I am to do, but I know that I am here in the name of my father. You love life so much that you would brave hell to hold on to it, it's only natural that you would love the one who gave you that life.† â€Å"Then you can banish the demon and preserve my life?† â€Å"Of course not, I'm just saying that I understand how you feel.† I don't know where she found the strength, but the diminutive Joy came from behind me and hurled the heavy lance with as much power as any soldier. (I felt my own knees starting to buckle in the face of the demon.) The bronze tip of the lance seemed to find its way between two of the monster's armored chest scales and drove itself a span deep under the weight of the heavy shaft. The demon gasped, and roared, opening his massive maw to show rows of saw-edged teeth. He grabbed the shaft of the lance and attempted to pull it out, his huge biceps quivering with the strain. He looked sadly down at the spear, then at Joy, and said, â€Å"Oh, foul woe upon you, you have kilt me most dead,† then he fell back and the floor shook with the impact of his huge body. â€Å"What'd he say, what'd he say?† Joy asked, digging her nails into my shoulder. The demon had spoken in Hebrew. â€Å"He said that you killed him.† â€Å"Well, duh,† said the concubine. (Strangely enough, â€Å"duh† sounds exactly the same in all languages.) I had started to inch forward to see if anyone was still alive in the girls' quarters when the demon sat up. â€Å"Just kidding,† he said. â€Å"I'm not kilt.† And he plucked the spear from his chest with less effort than it might take to brush away a fly. I threw my own lance, but didn't wait to see where it hit. I grabbed Joy and ran. â€Å"Where?† she said. â€Å"Far,† I said. â€Å"No,† she said, grabbing my tunic and jerking me around a corner, causing me to nearly coldcock myself on the wall. â€Å"To the cliff passage.† We were in total darkness now, neither one of us having thought to grab a lamp, and I was trusting my life to Joy's memory of these stone halls. As we ran we could hear the demon's scales scraping the walls and the occasional curse in Hebrew as he found a low ceiling. Perhaps he could see in the dark somewhat, but not a lot better than we could. â€Å"Duck,† Joy said, pushing my head down as we entered the narrow passage that led to the cliff above. I crouched in this passage the way the monster had to crouch to move in the normal-sized halls and I suddenly realized the brilliance of Joy's choice in taking this route. We were just seeing the moonlight breaking in through the opening in the cliff's face when I heard the monster hit the bottleneck of the passage. â€Å"Fuck! Ouch! You weasels! I'm going to crunch your little heads between my teeth like candied dates.† â€Å"What'd he say?† asked Joy. â€Å"He says that you are a sweet of uncommon delicacy.† â€Å"He did not say that.† â€Å"Believe me, my translation is as close as you want to the truth.† I heard a horrible scraping noise from inside the passage as we climbed out on the ledge and up the rope ladder to the top of the plateau. Joy helped me up, then pulled the ladder up behind us. We ran to the stable where the camel saddles and other supplies were normally kept. There were only the three camels that Joshua and Balthasar had taken, and no horses, so I couldn't figure out why we were taking the time to stop until I saw Joy filling two water skins at the cistern behind the stable. â€Å"We'll never make it to Kabul without water,† Joy said. â€Å"And what happens when we make it to Kabul? Can anyone there help? What in the hell is that thing?† â€Å"If I knew, would I have opened that door?† She was remarkably calm for someone who had just lost her friends to a hideous beast. â€Å"I guess not. But I didn't see it come out of there. I felt something, but nothing that size.† â€Å"Act, Biff, don't think. Act.† She handed me a water skin and I held it in the cistern, trying to listen for the sound of the monster over the bubbles as it filled. All I could hear was the occasional bleating of the goats and the sound of my own pulse in my ears. Joy corked her water skin, then went about opening the pig and goat pens, shooing the animals out onto the plateau. â€Å"Let's go!† she shouted to me. She took off down the path toward the hidden road. I pulled the water skin from the cistern and followed as quickly as I could. There was enough moonlight to make traveling fairly easy, but since I hadn't even seen the road in daylight, I didn't want to try to negotiate its deadly cutbacks at night without a guide. We had almost made the first leg of the road when we heard a hideous wailing and something heavy landed in the dust in front of us. When I could get my breath again I stepped up to find the bloodied carcass of a goat. â€Å"There,† Joy said, pointing down the mountainside to something moving among the rocks. Then it looked up at us and there was no mistaking the glowing yellow eyes. â€Å"Back,† Joy said, pulling me back from the road. â€Å"Is that the only way down?† â€Å"That or diving off the edge. It's a fortress, remember – it's not supposed to be easy to get in and out of.† We made our way back to the rope ladder, tossed it over the side, and started down. As Joy made it to the ledge and ducked into the cave something heavy hit me on the right shoulder. My arm went numb with the impact and I let go of the ladder. Mercifully, my feet had tangled in the rungs as I fell, and I found myself hanging upside down looking into the cave entrance where Joy stood. I could hear the terrified goat that had hit me screaming as it fell into the abyss, then there was a distant thump and the screaming stopped. â€Å"Hey, kid, you're a Jew, aren't you?† said the monster from above. â€Å"None of your business,† I said. Joy grabbed the ladder and pulled me inside the cave, ladder and all, just as another goat came screaming past. I fell on my face in the dust and sputtered, trying to breathe and spit at the same time. â€Å"It's been a long time since I've eaten a Jew. A good Jew sticks to your ribs. That's the problem with Chinese, you eat six or seven of them and in a half hour you're hungry again. No offense, miss.† â€Å"What'd he say?† Joy asked. â€Å"He says he likes kosher food. Will that ladder hold him?† â€Å"I made it myself.† â€Å"Swell,† I said. We heard the ropes creak with the strain as the monster climbed onto the ladder.