Microtubules Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Microtubules - Lab Report Example This interaction, revealed by the structure, is branded the EB1-like motif and there is possibility that the binding interaction of CLIP family depends on this. Intuitively, considering that CLIP experiences binding at the acidic tail of tubulin, it is also possible that the acidic tail of EB1 also provides the same condition allowing for binding. 12 One of the important parts of the cell micro skeleton is the microtubules. The dynamics of microtubules is a very significant feature of cell control and cell morphogenesis. According to research carried out recently, microtubules are attributed with the role of maintaining intrinsic cell length control. Meanwhile, even after the development of a model that describes the MT dynamics that are associated with the control of cell length, elucidation of the spatial variability of MT nucleation is yet to occur. This presentation is a case of an investigation on the dynamics that are associated with nucleation of microtubules. This presentation particularly refers to a Hela cell that has no visible chromosome which was videoed after aligning itself along a track of micro patterned fibronectin. This presentation also wanted to find out the quantitative distribution of catastrophes and velocities inside the cell’s cortical and non-cortical regions. It also sought to investigate the spatial distribution of the microtubule nucleation that had resulted. According to the results obtained, concentration of microtubule nucleation could not be considered random as it was concentrated in particular regions of the cell. Also, the results showed that the cortical actin was instrumental in triggering the nucleation rate. The rate slowed down after the cortical actin layer was removed. After further examination of the microtubule lifetimes among the case and the control, it was found out that the slowing of nucleation rate could be attributed to the slowing down of the microtubule catastrophe rate, in the

Differences in Laminated Dough Essay Example for Free

Differences in Laminated Dough Essay Laminated dough is made by incasing fat in dough and taking it through a series of folds, rolling and turns. These things produce the layers of fat in between sheets of dough. The leavening in laminated dough comes most from the steam generated by the moisture from the fat. Three main types of laminated dough are danish, croissant, and puff pastry. So if all these doughs are laminated dough, what makes them different from one another? Croissant dough and danish dough are very similar, both containing yeast. Croissant dough is considered lean dough because the detrempe contains only flour, salt, water and yeast. Danish dough, however, is considered rich because it contains eggs, dairy, and sometimes sugar. Detrempe refers to strictly the dough part of the pastry before the RIF (roll in fat) is added. Puff pastry differs from croissant and danish dough because it contains no yeast and is risen only by the steam created from the moisture of the fat. Puff pastry containing more butter and no yeast results in a product that has a flaky and buttery texture that almost melts in your mouth. Danish and croissant dough containing yeast, results in a chewier texture that has slightly less flakiness to it. Some people go as far as substituting danish dough for puff pastry dough but when making classic pastry its best to stick to the dough that is originally used. After all, these doughs are made of different components resulting in slightly different flavors and textures. Works Cited: CakeSpy. Seeking Sweetness in Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. http://www.cakespy.com/blog-old/2008/6/29/dough-you-love-me-a-laminated-pastry-dough-faq-and-a-daring.html. Lamination. Baking Recipes. Learn to Bake. Baking Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. http://baking911.com/quick-guide/baking-terms/lamination.

Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling: A Solution to Kierkegaard’s Despair O

In Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, the concept of the Knight of Faith is an exalted one, a unique title awarded to those whose devotion to God goes far beyond what is even comprehensible or expected for the average man, who has an aesthetic or ethical life. We are told by Kierkegaard that this Knight of Faith, when in a situation where resignation appears to be the only solution to a problem, puts his faith in what appears to be the absurd, and believes that the solution that he desires lies in God. This fuels his faith, and makes him better than the aesthetic man, who simply abandons or ignores the problem, or the ethical man, the Knight of Infinite Resignation, who accepts the problem and resigns himself to a life of despair. The Knight of Faith exists as a shining beacon of devotion to the will of God, and, according to Kierkegaard, there exist only two known examples of the Knight of Faith: Abraham, and Mary. These exemplary figures in history put their faith in God, and believed that God would provide a solution to their problems. This unconditional faith in their creator is supposed to be inspirational, and in a sense, make the reader feel incredibly pitiful and resentful of their own wavering faith. In the following paragraphs, I aim to argue that a moment of absolute faithlessness can prove to be just as powerful as a moment of pure faith, and that Mary and Abraham serve as God-given examples of an absolute faith that is inaccessible to all but a few humans who serve very specific purposes in this world. Finally, I will propose a different mode of existence, one in which a man’s free will allows him to find joy in whatever God provides for him. In Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard uses the example of Abraham as ... ...e individual is able to engage in a deeper and more meaningful relationship with their Creator. The Knight of Faith, when engaging in this relationship, does so in the same manner that a small child would with their parent, however, the devotee attempts to create a mature adult relationship with their parent, one that is loving, but questioning, and while the love that exists between the two may be unconditional, the demands made are not. While Kierkegaard’s analysis of the superiority of the Knight of Faith in relation to those who follow the aesthetic life or ethical life is correct, he fails to acknowledge that faith can be rooted in joy and love, and can be far more spiritual and fulfilling than faith alone. This is the angst-ridden and unfortunate symptom of an existential despair, and does not truly reflect the complicated relationship between man and God.

Noise Pollution and Its Effects

Noise has a big impact on people all day everyday. But with people not noticing it, makes it hard for anyone to do anyhting about it. It is causing many different problems to people mentally, socially, and physically. There are many ways to help or prevent it, but these changes are not immediately visible, so they are left unattended to. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Exposure to very loud sounds that are enjoyable, and not technically noise to the listener, can lead to hearing impairment.A survey of hearing was tested among youngsters between the ages of 6 and 19. They found that 1 out of 8 of them suffered a noise-related hearing problem. Teens attend dances, equip vehicles with systems, and even work in loud fast food restaraunts. Noises are especially bothersome at night when one is trying to sleep, which is vital to good health. Noise from snowmobiles, jet skis, and supersonic jets has also intruded on the environment, affecting animals’ abilities to communicate, protect their young, and mate.MENTAL HEALTH: Noise pollution is not believed to be a cause of mental illness, but it is assumed to accelerate and intesify the development of latent mental disorders. Some of theses cases would be : anxiety, stress, nervousness, nausea, headache, emotionally instability, argumentatives, sexual impotence, changes in mood, and increase in social conflicts. The news media reguraly report violent behavior arising out of disputes over noise which in many cases these disputes ended in injury or death. SOCIAL HEALTH:Noise is a prominent feature of the environment including noise from transport, industry, and neighbors. Exposure to transport noise disturbs sleep I nthe laboratory, but not generally in field studies where adaptation occurs. Noise interferes in complex task performances, modifies social behavior and causes annoyance. Studies of occupational and environmental noise exposure suggest an association with hypertension, where as community studies show only weak relationships between noise and cardiovascular disease. PHYSICAL HEALTH:Noise health effects are the health consequences of elevated sound levels. Elevated workplace or other noise can cause hearing impairment, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, annoyance, premature ejaculation, bowell movements, sleep disturbance, death and decreased sexual performance. Changes in the immune system and birth defects have been attributed to noise exposure, but evidence is limited. Elevated noise levels can create stress, increase workplace accident rates, and stimulate aggression and other anti-social behavior.PERSONAL GROWTH: It takes a role in everyones life to help lower noise pollution. 1. Noise proof rooms for music or people playing music 2. Don’t slam doors. 3. Turn tv or music off when not listening to it 4. Train your dog to not bark as much. 5. Don’t rev up motorcycle or vehicle unless it is actually needed I nthe drive. 6. Don’t beep your horn â€Å"just cause† only when you need to. 7. Don’t yell. Have civil conversations.

Phase Transformations in Metals

It follows that some of the parent phase volume disappears. * Transformation reaches completion If growth Is allowed to proceed until the equilibrium fraction Is attained. Two types of Nucleation 1 . Homogeneous: nuclei of the new phase form uniformly throughout the parent phase. 2. Heterogeneous: nuclei form preferentially at structural inhomogeneous, such as container surfaces, grain boundaries, insolvable impurities, dislocations, etc. Homogeneous nucleation: solidification of a pure material, assume nuclei of solid phase form In the interior of the liquid phase.There are two contributions to the total free energy change AC that accompany a solidification transformation 1 . The volume free energy Agave – which is the difference in free energy between the solid and liquid phases. Agave will be negative if the temperature is below the equilibrium solidification temperature. The magnitude of its contribution is the product of Agave and the volume of the spherical nucleolus (4/ 3 aorta ) 2. Surface free energy y: energy comes from the formation of the solid-liquid phase boundary during the solidification transformation. Is postlude; the magnitude of this contribution Is the product of y ND the surface area of the nucleus (nor) * the total free energy change GAG Is equal to the sum of these two contributions: GAG=4/3 aorta GAG_v+rattrap y * In a physical sense, this means that as a solid particle begins to form as atoms in the liquid cluster together, its G first increases. If this cluster (embryo) reaches a size equal to the critical radius, r*, then growth will continue with the accompaniment of a decrease In LEG. An embryo with a radius greater than Is called a nucleus.A critical free energy occurs at the maximum of the curve, which corresponds to the activation energy needed for the formation of a stable nucleus. Critical radius of a stable solid particle nucleus: ) Activation free energy required for the formation of a stable nucleus: ) This volume fre e energy change is the driving force for the solidification transformation, its magnitude is a function of temperature. At the equilibrium solidification temperature (or melting temperature) Tm, Agave Is O, and with decreasing temp It becomes Increasingly more negative.Agave temperature decreases meaning, nucleation occurs more readily at temperature below Tm The number of stable nuclei n*(having r>r*) is a function of temperature as well: 1 ) changes in T have a greater effect on than on he denominator. As T is lowered below Tm the exponential term decreases such that the magnitude of n* increases *another important temperature dependent step in nucleation: the clustering of atoms during short range diffusion during the formation of nuclei. The influence of temp on the rate of diffusion: high temp increases diffusion.Diffusion is related to the frequency at which atoms from the liquid attach themselves to the solid nucleolus, VT. Thus, low temp results in a reduction in VT. The nuc leation rate N is the product of n* and VT Heterogeneous nucleation has a lower activation energy than homogeneous because he surface free energy is reduced when nuclei form on the surface of preexisting surfaces. Growth occurs by long range diffusion consequently, the growth rate G is determined by the rate of diffusion, and its temperature dependence is the same as the diffusion coefficient (recall chapter that diffusion increases as temperature increases).Most phase transformations require some finite time to go to completion, and the rate is important in the relationship between heat treatment and the development of macrostructure * for solid systems the rate is so slow that true equilibrium structures are rarely achieved, equilibrium is maintained only if heating and cooling are carried out at SLOW unpractical rates. *for other than equilibrium cooling Superimposing: cooling to below a phase transition temperature without the occurrence of the transformation Superannuating: hea ting to above a phase transition temperature without the occurrence of the transformation

The Queen Annes Revenge - Blackbeards Pirate Ship

The Queen Anne's Revenge - Blackbeard's Pirate Ship The Queen Annes Revenge was a massive pirate ship commanded by Edward Blackbeard Teach in 1717-18. Originally a French slaving vessel that Blackbeard captured and modified, it was one of the most formidable pirate ships ever, carrying 40 cannons and enough room for plenty of men and loot. The Queen Annes Revenge was capable of fighting off nearly any Navy warship afloat at the time. It sank in 1718, and many believe that Blackbeard scuttled it on purpose. The wreck has been found and has turned up a treasure trove of pirate artifacts. From Concorde to Queen Annes Revenge On November 17, 1717, Blackbeard captured La Concorde, a French slaving vessel. He realized that it would make a perfect pirate ship. It was large yet fast and big enough to mount 40 cannons on board. He renamed it Queen Annes Revenge: the name referred to Anne, Queen of England and Scotland (1665-1714). Many pirates, including Blackbeard, were Jacobites: this meant that they favored the return of the throne of Great Britain from the House of Hanover to the House of Stuart. It had changed hands after Annes death. The Ultimate Pirate Ship Blackbeard preferred to intimidate his victims into surrendering, as fights were costly. For several months in 1717-18, Blackbeard used the Queen Annes Revenge to effectively terrorize shipping in the Atlantic. Between the massive frigate and his own fearsome appearance and reputation, Blackbeards victims rarely put up a fight and handed over their cargoes peacefully.  He plundered the shipping lanes at will. He was even able to blockade the port of Charleston for a week in April of 1718, looting several ships. The town gave him a valuable chest full of medicines to make him go away. The Queen Annes Revenge Sinks In June of 1718, the Queen Annes Revenge hit a sandbar off of North Carolina and had to be abandoned. Blackbeard took the opportunity to make off with all of the loot and a select few of his favorite pirates, leaving the others (including hapless pirate Stede Bonnet) to fend for themselves. Because Blackbeard went legit (sort of) for a little while after that, many thought he scuttled his flagship on purpose. Within a few months, Blackbeard would return to piracy and on November 22, 1718, he was killed by pirate hunters in a pitched battle off of North Carolina. The Wreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge In 1996, a shipwreck believed to be that of the Queen Annes Revenge was discovered off of North Carolina. For 15 years it was excavated and studied, and in 2011 it was confirmed to be Blackbeards ship. The shipwreck has yielded many interesting artifacts, including weapons, cannons, medical gear and a massive anchor. Juha Flinkman, SubZone OY / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons Many of the artifacts are on display at North Carolinas Maritime museum and can be viewed by the public. The opening of the exhibit drew record crowds, a testament to Blackbeards lasting reputation and popularity. Sources Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1996Defoe, Daniel (Captain Charles Johnson). A General History of the Pyrates. Edited by Manuel Schonhorn. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1972/1999.Konstam, Angus. The World Atlas of Pirates. Guilford: the Lyons Press, 2009Konstam, Angus. The Pirate Ship 1660-1730. New York: Osprey, 2003.

West European Studies

West European Studies The three texts delve into the Anglo Saxon period in detail. Bede’s text is considered one of the most insightful texts during this period, with its focus on the religious issues of the day.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on West European Studies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The text gives an insight of the spread of Christianity in England, a factor that eliminated pagan practices in the region. (Bede, Eddius and Farmer 21). Bede was motivated by the desire of the English to understand their history and the achievements of their past heroes. Since England had been newly formed, Bede’s writings got a ready audience anxious to hear about the development of Christianity during the Anglo Saxon era. The audiences were also impressed by Bede’s demonstration of the harmony in England despite the Kingdoms that existed during the time of the penning of the text. His work juggled written text with relev ant oral tradition and other literacy elements such as anecdotes (Bede, Eddius and Farmer 16). King Harald’s text gives a compelling account of the triumphs of King Harald as he moved his army across Europe through Russia and eventually to England. The author wanted to give an insight into history, as contrasted to keeping a historical record. His main motivating factor is to give an insight into history and not necessarily to keep a historical timeline. King Harald’s saga’s original form follows that of other texts that fall within the Heimskringla which is a historical narrative of Norwegian rulers (Snorri, Magnusson and Hermann 54).Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Geoffrey Chauser in his book sought to discuss the history of the high middle ages and his motivation arose from a desire to narrate the decisive years that led to Britain’s modern hist ory. In achieving this, Chaucer was well aware of the interest that his work would generate (Chauser and Malcolmson, 45). There were major transformations in England between the period 1000 and 1300. These transformations centered on the social-political and economic spheres. Among the political changes that took place during this period was the gradual administrative movement that eventually resulted in the formation of the Great Council (Hakluyt and David 78). The Witan Council existed in England in the 9th century, during which period England was ruled by tribes under the Anglo-Saxon group. The Witan was the brainchild of King Alfred and its main role in governance was to advise the king. The king relied on this council of elders to make major decisions that bordered on issues such as the making of laws, war and distribution of land. So important was the Witan that the king could not make a major decision before seeking its counsel. The council also had the responsibility of appr oving a new king during succession. The Witan had no definite composition and the number of members present heavily depended on the gravity of the matters being discussed or the function being conducted by the king. For example, religious ceremonies experienced a high number of Witan members.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on West European Studies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The period between 1066-1154 witnessed the setting up of a central authority in England and the elimination of the feudal system that had been practiced before. This administrative change was a result of the conquest of England by the Normans. In the place of the feudal system, the Normans, under king William established a monarchial rule (Loyn 34). However, the role of the Witans continued being paramount in this new administrative dispensation with matters such as taxation and legislation requiring their input. It was also looked upon in ma tters dealing with the dispensation of justice. At this point, the Witan began being referred to as the ‘Great Council’. The rule of King William was the beginning of the reign of the Plantagenet (Lehmberg 67). King Williams sought to extend his powers to the church and he required the bishops to participate in military activities in defense of their territories. Although he allowed them to retain their courts, they could not lodge appeals with the pope without his consultation. The orders of the Pope could also not be implemented in England unless the king was consulted (Brooke 122). The rule of the Plantagenet continued over the period of king Henry 1 and king Henry 11. An era of chaos ensued in the course of this period, and with the chaos dominating the kingdom, the role of the nobles grew dramatically. The later oppressive rule of King John led to the signing of the Magna Carta, which was an agreement forced on him by the barons that he will observe all privileges accorded to the nobility.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One of the most important aspects of the Magna Carta was the supremacy of the law, and it would form an important basis for British history (Brooke 127). The rise of the British parliament would happen after the expansion of the great council. The Magna Carta was followed by the rise of the British parliament, with an expanded Great Council (Huscroft 12). Its role grew powerful between 1272-1307. King Henry III was the ruler at this time. Overtime, the role of parliament powers extended even further as it began playing a greater role in financial and legislative matters. In later years, its role would increase significantly and form the foundation of British democracy. Bede, J. F. Webb, Eddius Stephanus, David Hugh Farmer. The Age of Bede. Middlesex, England: Penguin.1983. Print. Brooke, Christopher Nugent Lawrence The Saxon Norman kings. London: Batsford. 1963. Print. Chauser, Geoffrey and Anne Malcolmson. A taste of Chaucer; selections from the Canterbury tales. New York: Harco urt, Brace World, 1964. Print. Hakluyt, Richard, Richard David. Hakluyts voyages. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin company. 1929. Print. Huscroft, Richard. Ruling England, 1042-1217. Harlow: Pearson, 2005. Print. Lehmberg, Stanford E. A history of the peoples of the British Isles. From Prehistoric times to 1688, New York: Routledge, 2002. Print. Loyn, Henry Royston The Norman Conquest. New York: Hutchinson, 1965. Print. Magnusson, Mangus and Hermann Palsson. King Haralds Saga: Harald Hardradi of Norway. From Snorri Sturlusons Heimskringla. Baltimore: Penguin Books. The Peoples of the British Isles: 1966. Print.

How to Use Linking Language in Written English

How to Use Linking Language in Written English Once you have mastered the basics of correct usage in written English, you will want to express yourself in increasingly complex ways. One of the best ways to improve your writing style is to use linking language. Linking language refers to sentence connectors used to express relationships between ideas and to combine sentences; the use of these connectors will add sophistication to your writing style. Each section below contains linking language using similar sentences to show how the same idea can be expressed in a variety of manners. Once you have understood the use of these sentence connectors, take an example sentence of your own and write a number of sentences based on the examples to practice your own writing skills. Some Examples of Sentence Connectors The best way to understand the functionality of sentence connectors is to see examples of their usage in everyday situations. Take, for instance, that you want to combine the following two sentences: Food and drink prices in New York are very high and Renting an apartment in New York is very expensive. One could use the sentence connectors semicolon and the word furthermore to combine the two to form one cohesive sentence: Food and drink prices in New York are very high; furthermore, renting an apartment is very expensive. Another example, this time keeping the meaning of both sentences but linking them together to form a cohesive idea related to both: Life in New York is very expensive.Life in New York can be extremely exciting. Example: Despite the fact that life in New York is very expensive, it can be extremely exciting   And in this example, one can form conclusions as part of a sentence connector to emphasize a cause and effect relationship between two sentences: Life in New York is very expensive.Many people would love to live in New York. Example: Many people would love to live in New York; consequently, life in New York is very expensive. In any of these cases, sentence connectors serve to shorten writing and make a writers point more concise and easy to understand. Sentence connectors additionally help the pace and flow of a piece of writing feel more natural and fluid. When Not to Use Sentence Connectors Its not always appropriate to use sentence connectors or to link sentences at all, especially if the rest of the writing is already weighty with complex sentence structures. Sometimes, simplicity is key to get a point across. Another instance of a time not to use sentence connectors is when combining sentences could force an assumption on the reader or render the new sentence inaccurate. Take for instance writing an essay on the cause-effect relationship between human energy consumption and global warming, while you may be able to say human have burned more fossil fuels in the last century than ever before; ​consequentially, the global temperature has risen, it may not be entirely accurate given the readers interpretation of that statement without context clues.

AIG turism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

AIG turism - Essay Example However, because the portions of the securities which AIG had guaranteed were judged to be almost risk free, there was not much thought that had been given to the scenario. At the end of the year 2007, through the different swaps, AIG had covered around $61 billion in securities with exposure to the different subprime mortgages. There are several prominent people that were involved in the fall of AIG, the most prominent was Martin J. Sullivan who at the time was the CEO of the company. Sullivan was blamed on taking on tens of millions of risk that was associated with the mortgages. Sullivan did not purchase any reinsurance on the risk as it was the norm Robert Willumstad, the chairperson of AIG Board of directors was also another prominent person involved in the fall of AIG. Joseph Cassano who was the AIG financial production division was accused of insuring to more than $441 billion value of securities that were in the first place rated AAA. Several companies were associated with the fall of 2008, they included the European Investment bank referred to as Goldman Sachs. Morgan Stanley and Merrill were also involved in the mess that came with the fall of AIG. AIG credit default swaps were insurance contracts that were unregulated, therefore, AIG did not put anything any capital as collateral and consequently it maintained what can be described as an AAA credit rating. Further, the company did not build any capital to back the insurance that they had sold and the profits it booked in any way never materialized. The default rates that were on mortgage securities were underwritten in the year 2006, and the year 2007. The underwritten securities increased in their worth and the by the last part of the year 2007, the securities that were in the banks which they claimed were AAA rated ended up being worth around $0.15 on the dollar. In the year 2008, there was the collapse of the credit default swap market which also meant that most investment

American Idolatry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American Idolatry - Essay Example These things tend to greatly influence the life many Americans lead. Fame is one of the things that are greatly yearned for in America. One group of people that enjoy this attention is celebrities. This paper will be a discussion of how Americans idolize some celebrities and the influence that these celebrities have on them. Idolizing entails loving something excessively and unquestioningly thus without criticizing it (Lipps, 1). This is the extent to which most Americans love various celebrities. There have been many cases where teenagers have escaped from their homes in a bid to attend shows that are staged by celebrities. During such shows, the people in attendance will be screaming at the top of their voices for the celebrities. This translates to dressing, immediately a celebrity shows up with a particular way of dressing. People will flock various shops to look for the same designs. With this pursuit, the people who get clothes that match those of a certain celebrity tend to be the envy of their peers and they are considered to be fashionable. Popular celebrities such as Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Paris Hilton and Madonna are considered to be small ‘gods’ by most Americans. This may be attributed to the richness, success, glory, high regard, respect and power that they possess. These are things that most people in the world would wish to have hence the idolizing that Americans have for celebrities. When most children are young, they tend to cherish their parents, believing that all that they do is right. However, immediately they get to their teenage years and begin socializing with people outside the family circle, the situation changes. At this point, they begin idolizing younger and hotter crowds which include celebrities. From generation to generation, celebrities such as Paris Hilton have influenced the brand of clothes that people wear, the hairstyles that they get and sometimes even the type of hobbies that people take (Lipps, 1). Despite the fact that people may be aware of the fact that some of the ways of life that some celebrities lead is not proper, they still adore this people to the latter. However, as many young people in America idolize celebrities, the big question is whether the moral influence that they ape from these personalities is proper. For instance, Paris Hilton is one celebrity greatly idolized and one thing that most teenagers try to copy from her is her petite frame. To ensure that they achieve such a frame, most teenagers get anorexic as they try to gain and maintain petite frames. Most of them tend to go for long periods without food just to get the desired celebrity look. This way, they tend to get unhealthy and may be susceptible diseases since extremely low weight lowers ones immunity. This is one of the negative influences that celebrities have on many people in America. The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), in America keeps statistics on the diet habits of women and th e results are a showcase of the craze that most Americans have, obviously motivated by celebrity looks. Data from NEDA shows that 42 percent of first to third grade girls want to be thinner, it is the same case with children as low as 10 years old who said that they did not want to get fat. With the same regard, most young people who are fat tend to be considered ugly by their peers and most of them end up getting depressed due to the stigma

Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Human Rights - Essay Example licies, restrictions on its rent and sale that protected the source of income of rural corn and coffee raising by the indigenous people of Chiapas in order to comply with the requirement of the said agreement. By imposing these policies, the indigenous community started questioning their human rights because they found it unjust which led to an armed combat with the Mexican army in 1994. Exploiting the growing conflict between the government and interests of the indigenous people, entered the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) a revolutionary group who sided with the indigenous people and who fought war with the Mexican army in 1994 as their means of showing resistance to the state law in Chiapas. After the ceasefire and negotiation for two years, the Mexican State and the EZLN signed the San Andres accord for indigenous rights and culture that allowed some freedom in their governance and construction of legality for the indigenous people of Chiapas. But this accord didnâ⠂¬â„¢t stop the conflict between the Mexican government and the EZLN because the Mexican government failed to fully complete its provisions. Instead, the Mexican government and the local mestizo economic and landowner elites known as the â€Å"Coletos† counteracted the human rights claimed by the indigenous people and EZLN, claiming that the collective rights of the indigenous people and ELZN interfered with their personal liberties and rights as property owners. These rights that were claimed by the Mexican government and the Coletos prevented the indigenous people and the ELZN to establish their political autonomy and agricultural landholding collectives. This is a form of cultural imperialism because the Mexican government used their authority over the indigenous people on changing the states law and policies still for the benefit of the regime and elites. The regime and the elites will profit so much on the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1992 because the policies that was amended

Micro-Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Micro-Economics - Essay Example He also traces the  confusion  to the non-availability of  attractive  homes at  many  parts of the country, a  case  that is making the  available  buyers  lack  the houses they could want for  purchase. This view  was  however challenged,  by chief Economist Paul Dales, arguing that, since 30 years  back, there has been an excess supply of one million homes, available to be traded. He  further  cites the poor economic situation, as the cause for the decreased level of home purchases in the past. The author cites another problem, which could be hampering the supply-demand stability of the home market, as the acutely decreasing  home  prices. From the different accounts, the debate ends with no clear definition of the problem facing the homes’ market in the U.S (Timiraos  1). However, the author integrates the different versions of the explanations, into the  causes for the confusion facing the US homes’  market. These include  the availability of many homes at the  wrong  places, where customers are not willing to buy, which is  the result of the housing boom; the overpricing of the many homes available for sale – an effect of the d eclining inventory; and the short sale cases, which make up the bigger part of the market. The economic concepts illustrated through the information include the concept of demand, where the shifts in  the demand  curve  are depicted  through the changing preferences of buyers, where the  case  is that, despite the availability of about a million homes for sale, the buyers cannot find the homes they want to  purchase. In the area of  buyer  expectations, the buyers are not willing to  buy  the homes, which  are located  at the far-flung locales. The concept of demand  is clearly depicted  through the case of the  inflated  home prices, of the homes that are available for sale, as a result of the declining inventory. This case is  thus, leading to decreasing demand, in response to the increased prices. The

Up dates on the mental disorder panic disorder with agoraphobie (PDA) Essay

Up dates on the mental disorder panic disorder with agoraphobie (PDA) - Essay Example HelpGuide (2006) identifies the general treatments as â€Å"cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, or a combination of the two†. Little is known on the recent developments on the study of these existing treatments. This paper then will attempt to evaluate some recent studies or new investigations that researchers have come up with to gain knowledge on the nature of PDA and its treatments. National Institute of Mental Health says that there are approximately 2.4 million of American adults having panic disorder within the age group of 18 to 54 years. Which is â€Å"about 1.7 percent of people in this age group† and about one third of this population have agoraphobia (as cited in Helpguide, 2006). Symptoms of this disorder feature physical symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, palpitations, nausea or abdominal distress that are brought on by incidents that bring intense fear of being alone, dying and losing control in a public place. People with this particular panic disorder try to avoid or endure circumstances which they know they are not at eased with. Another indication is that they tend to become bound to their houses for long periods of time. Like other mental disorders, it is associated with many possible factors but the accurate cause of this disorder is yet to be known. One reason could be that physical symptoms of the anxiety attack of a panic d isorder with agoraphobia coincide with symptoms of other medical conditions. Treatment of PDA usually comes with cognitive-behavior therapies like exposure therapy. It is a very effective way of treating the disorder because first and foremost it makes the patient understand and accept the nature of his situation. In a study done by Asbahr, De Araujo, De Barros-Neto, Ito, Marks, & Tess (2001), self exposure to interoceptive or internal phobia cues were studied in comparison to self exposure to external phobia cues. This study was conducted because exposure therapy to external

Internet Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Internet Marketing - Essay Example The internet is very effective in carrying out this exercise. One other advantage of this strategy is that it is captivating and it appeals to the interests of the targeted consumers. The marketer is also in a position to tailor the message in the desired way so that it can have a positive impact on the targeted consumers. Basically, the strategy of storytelling helps to increase a market share for the company. 2. In order to strike an emotional cord, there are different brand storytelling techniques that are effective. The technique of presenting the product as unique is very effective since it appeals to the emotions of the targeted people. People are compelled to think deep in a bid to establish the main reasons why the product is presented as unique compared to other similar market offerings. This marketing strategy is particularly designed to appeal to the emotions of the customers so that they can try the product. They tend to ask themselves this simple question: Why is the product better compared to other similar products found in the market? This is likely to compel customers to develop a positive perspective about the product. For instance, they will buy it on the basis of the emotional benefit they will gain from using it. In some cases, people are satisfied by the benefits they will derive from using a certain product. Therefore, the brand story should explain it all. 3. The other elements in the brand story that are effective in content strategies include things such as product feature and quality. In most cases, the consumers buy a product as a result of the information about that offering they have. Information about a product includes elements such as product features as well as quality. Customers are primarily interested in buying products that have value for their money. These products would satisfy the customers if they are comprised of quality features. This is the essence of marketing where the marketers seek to satisfy the

Up dates on the mental disorder panic disorder with agoraphobie (PDA) Essay

Up dates on the mental disorder panic disorder with agoraphobie (PDA) - Essay Example HelpGuide (2006) identifies the general treatments as â€Å"cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, or a combination of the two†. Little is known on the recent developments on the study of these existing treatments. This paper then will attempt to evaluate some recent studies or new investigations that researchers have come up with to gain knowledge on the nature of PDA and its treatments. National Institute of Mental Health says that there are approximately 2.4 million of American adults having panic disorder within the age group of 18 to 54 years. Which is â€Å"about 1.7 percent of people in this age group† and about one third of this population have agoraphobia (as cited in Helpguide, 2006). Symptoms of this disorder feature physical symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, palpitations, nausea or abdominal distress that are brought on by incidents that bring intense fear of being alone, dying and losing control in a public place. People with this particular panic disorder try to avoid or endure circumstances which they know they are not at eased with. Another indication is that they tend to become bound to their houses for long periods of time. Like other mental disorders, it is associated with many possible factors but the accurate cause of this disorder is yet to be known. One reason could be that physical symptoms of the anxiety attack of a panic d isorder with agoraphobia coincide with symptoms of other medical conditions. Treatment of PDA usually comes with cognitive-behavior therapies like exposure therapy. It is a very effective way of treating the disorder because first and foremost it makes the patient understand and accept the nature of his situation. In a study done by Asbahr, De Araujo, De Barros-Neto, Ito, Marks, & Tess (2001), self exposure to interoceptive or internal phobia cues were studied in comparison to self exposure to external phobia cues. This study was conducted because exposure therapy to external

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

Intersex - Research Paper Example While intersex conditions are not completely uncommon, they are also not a surprise to society. The two major conditions are called hermaphrodite and pseudohermaphrodite. True hermaphrodites have complete sexual characteristics of both genders. This term has been loosely described though as most people are actually psuedohermaphrodites. This typically means that a person has one type of genitalia but secondary sexual characteristics are those of the other gender (Finkler). Some people may undergo surgery to remove any type of external genitalia so that they may assume one true gender. This would allow a person to then be able to have their external genitalia and their thoughts and feelings of how they identify with either gender to correlate and would give them a sort of true gender identity and would also increase their self confidence. People may also undergo hormone therapies in order to help aid in any transition (Finkler). According to a study done over fifty years ago, eighty-f our cases of people who were considered hermaphrodites showed cases of heterosexual libido. This has less to do with the person's physical characteristics. Instead, it has to do more with their upbringing. It was at this time of the study believed by these researchers that hermaphrodites experienced either homosexuality or heterosexuality not by hormones but instead by their environmental surroundings. This is thought to be true of both true hermaphrodites and pseudo-hermaphrodites (Ellis). A similar type of birth defect is ambiguous genitalia that is similar to that of hermaphrodism. This is a case when the outer organs of a person are not similar to a male or a female's organs. What can happen with this condition is the fact that during conception, the X and Y chromosomes from the father determine the child's gender. A person is either genetically XX and identifies as a female or is XY and identifies as a male. If the process in the womb is disrupted in which a baby assumes identi ty, it can then result in ambiguous genitalia. When the person comes from the womb, it is difficult to determine if they are male or female based on the organs that are present. Some of the causes of this condition are pseudo-hermaphrodism, true hermaphrodism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, lack of certain hormones or other abnormalities in chromosomes. It could also result from a mother taking certain medications (Medline Plus). Depending on the person, a genetic female may also appear to look like a female. However, a genetic female could also have physical characteristics instead of a male. This is the same for a male. Genetic females with ambiguous genitalia would have physical characteristics of an enlarged clitoris that looks like a small penis; the labia may resemble a scrotum; the urethral opening may be anywhere near the clitoris; there may be a lump of tissue in the labia that appears to look like a scrotum with testicles. It is often thought that these infant genetic fem ales are at first males but with testicles that have not descended. On the contrary, a genetic male may have a small penis that is under 1.2 inches at birth. This may look like an enlarged clitoris. The scrotum may appear to look like a labia. The urethral hole may be anywhere along the peritoneum and the testicles are still undescended. This condition is not life threatening but can relate to psychological issues in the future where a person may struggle

The European Conquest of the Americas Essay Example for Free

The European Conquest of the Americas Essay One of the primary reasons for exploration was the search for the Northwest Passage, an imaginary path that could be used to reach Asia without having to go around Africa, or through the Middle East. The Panamanians proved that travel was possible around Africa with a new kind of boat that utilized wind better, but the Spaniards and other Europeans were more interested in a more direct approach to reaching Asia. So they began to head westward. The Queen of Spain commissioned Christopher Columbus to lead an expedition westward to reach Asia, and he instead stumbled upon the most successful failure in history, The Americas. He reached the islands of the Bahamas, and thinking that he was indeed in the Indies, he named the inhabitants Indians. Ironically, after making the greatest discovery of the past millennium, his tombstone marked him as a failure, due to the lack of the Northwest Passage. Once the queen of Spain realized the goldmine (quite literally), that was before her, she sent basically an entire army of conquistadors to seize the assets of the natives, and secure it for the Spanish empire. The three â€Å"G†s are what the Spanish conquistadors sought after. God, Gold, and Glory, all of which they could find in the native inhabitants possession. They â€Å"harvested† the souls of the natives by converting them (whether they liked it or not) to Catholicism, and at the same time, took all of their gold and silver, and for this cultural rape, they got their precious glory. Even though the natives were devastated by the diseases brought by the Europeans, and the loss of all natural resources, and the loss of culture, and the loss of their religion, language, land, and dignity, they submitted to the conquerors. Now let’s discuss for a little bit, the real discoverers of the new world, who aren’t credited for the discovery, but definitely should be. There are many different accounts of why Lief Ericson traveled to the new world, but the end result is always the same, no matter what version of the story you hear. He arrived in this beautiful land filled with plenty of grapes and lush forests and named the new land Vinland (after the amount of grapes). He made a small settlement that only lasted for 2 years, and then returned back to Greenland. It was recorded in sagas by the nords and in folklore, but still by most, Columbus is given credit for the discovery. After the nords and the Spaniards came the English. The English settled the new world for land. Some were looking for new land to farm and harvest crops with, some were searching for freedom from religious persecution, and others were just looking to start a new life in a new place. They didn’t arrive there planning on turning their backs on the crown, or disobeying the empire in any way, and up until the last few years that the 13 colonies were under British rule, there was no need to revolt. The new English settlers were still under the empire’s control, however, the colonies and settlements were for the most part self-governing, and relatively independent. The only problems arose when the crown decided to impose taxes on the colonists that were unfair and unjust and the colonists got sick of it and decided to lead a full-fledged revolt against the thrown, resulting in massive bloodshed and an entirely new nation with a unique constitution compiled from bits and pieces of other nations constitutions and blended with perfect harmony to create our United States of America. So, really there were many different reasons for the exploration, settlement , and conquest of the new world, and all of them came from different nations. All in all, the outcome was the creation of several new nations which would all eventually break away from the nations which brought them to be. Some would become super powers and others would become 3rd world countries, but without the voyages made by the Spaniards and Nords and English, we wouldn’t have any of this.

Mildred Pierce Summary, Character Analysis, and Opinion :: essays research papers

Summary: Mildred Pierce, by James M. Cain, begins in pre-Depression California, and ends during World War II times, also in California. The main character, Mildred Pierce, is a very attractive housewife of 29, raising two daughters, Ray and Veda. Although Mildred loves both her daughters, Veda is a particular obsession with Mildred. She constantly slaves away throughout the novel to do whatever she can to make Veda happy, despite the constant abuse and deception Veda inflicts upon Mildred. After a divorce from her first husband, Bert, in the opening pages of the novel, Mildred is forced to sacrifice her pride and become a waitress in order to support her family. If Veda were ever to find out, she would be appalled; a constantly recurring theme throughout this story is Veda’s pride and arrogance, and her condemnation of jobs she deems to be menial. Mildred’s main goal is to nurture Veda’s musical talents, and manages to pay for expensive music lessons from her meager salar ies as a waitress and pie baker. However, Mildred’s luck is soon to change, as she takes up with an attorney and former partner of Bert, Wally. Mildred is able to use Wally’s business and real estate savvy to build a restaurant out of a deserted model home, and from there create a thriving chain of three food businesses. After becoming bored with Wally, however, Mildred craves a relationship with another man, a prestigious local man named Monty. Veda highly approves of her mother’s choice, as this makes her feel as if she too were more prestigious and affluent, despite having misgivings about her mother still being so low as to have an average, pedestrian job. All seems to be going well; even through Veda’s constant demands and tantrums, she still gets everything she wants, and Mildred and Monty are happy. Monty, however, falls on hard times with the coming of the Great Depression, and he constantly mooches off of Mildred’s affluence, making it a s truggle for Mildred to cater to Veda’s every whim. Mildred soon dumps Monty to focus on making Veda a musical prodigy; this fails, however, when Veda is told that her piano is not up to par from a local famous music teacher. After Veda recovers from this shock, she explores the opportunities offered by an acting career, and begins to spin more webs of deception and selfishness. After Veda forces money out of a local rich family, lying and claiming their son got her pregnant, Mildred and Veda have a major argument, and Veda disowns her mother.

Heart Actions: Stroke Essay -- Disease, Disorders

Heart Actions: Stroke The cardiovascular system is mainly to pump blood around the body; it supplies fresh oxygenated blood from the lungs to organs around the body and returns it back again. Arteries supply fresh blood and veins return old blood. By one artery or blood vessel being blocked or damaged the flow of blood to the brain will suddenly stop and result of a stroke. Many consequences will come with a stroke but occupational therapy practitioners make stroke patients lives easier to live with purposeful and innovated interventions. Generally speaking, the force required to circulate blood is given by an engine which is housed almost in the middle of the chest: the heart, which is a pump that operates without stopping for a single second. The function of the heart is pumping blood to all parts of the body. The blood picks up oxygen as it passes through the lungs and travels to the heart to be driven to all parts of the body. After traveling through the body, blood runs out of oxygen and is sent back to the heart to pump it to the lungs to pick up more oxygen. This completes the cycle. To push blood through vessels around the body, the heart contracts and relaxes rhythmically. The contraction phase is called systole, which corresponds to the expulsion of blood outside the cavity. This phase is followed by a phase systolic muscle relaxation called diastole, in which there are two stages: a relaxation and a suction to draw the blood into the interior; and it keeps repeating the same course non-stopping. Following this further, there are countless cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular syndromes, conditions and diseases are one of the major causes of disability and death in the world believe it or not, but they... ...006; 19: 84-90. - Krug, G., & McCormack, G. (2009). Occupational therapy:evidence-based interventions for stroke. (106:2 ed., pp. 145-149). Missouri: University of Missouri. - Ma H & Trombly CA. A synthesis of the effects of occupational therapy for persons with stroke, part II: Remediation of impairments. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2002; 56(3): 260-274. - Mediaren Team. (2011, April 02). Media health issues. Retrieved from http://www.mediaren.net/the-stroke-or-brain-attack/index.html - Legg LA, Drummond AE, & Langhorne Occupational therapy for patients with problems in activities of daily living after stroke. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD003585. DOI:10.1002/14651858.CD003583.pub.2 - Texas Heart Institute. (2011, Septe). Texas heart information center. Retrieved from http://texasheart.org/HIC/Anatomy/

Transformational Leadership

A lot of research has gone into the subject of leadership skills as seen from a number of several different perspectives. As a matter of fact, from the early years of 1900 onwards, analysis on the types of leadership and their models have been going on, and initially the point of concentration was on the leader, and his followers. Researchers of the time, however, came to the conclusion that no single characteristic or trait could be taken as being fully explanatory of any particular leader's abilities and his capacity, and thereafter researchers began the process of analyzing and examining the situation and its influences on a leader and his abilities, and also made several attempts to try to distinguish effective from non-effective leaders. The purpose of such analysis was actually to determine which leadership behaviors were exactly exemplified by effective leaders, and which were not. (History of leadership Research) Therefore, in order to better understand why some people were effective leaders and some were not, researchers used the so-called ‘contingency model' in order to analyze and to conclude the various connections that must exist between personal traits, situational variables, and the effectiveness of a leader. In later years, especially during the 1970's and the 1980's, the point of concentration for studying effective leadership qualities in an individual shifted to the individual characteristics of a leader which served to make him a better leader, and which brought his company immense profits. The research more often than not concluded that leaders and leadership are important and in fact crucial and vital components of any organization. (History of leadership Research) In fact, the basic notion of leadership and its influence process has been a very important one through the years, especially when taken in the context of human relations and public relations within an organization. This is the framework, then, upon which much research on the various models of leadership have been carried out through the years and it is often considered to be the more useful one upon which to conduct analyses. This is because of the widely acknowledged fact that the very social process through which one individual tries to exert his own influence on others in his own way is actually demonstrated in a large number of inter personal relationships between a number of people anywhere in the world. (Tannenbaum; Weschler; Massarik, 1961) Some examples of these are the relationship between the ‘superior and his subordinate', the staff with the line, the salesman with his customer, the consultant with his client, a teacher with his student, the husband with his wife, a parent with his child, and so on and so forth. These are the normal relationships that always occur in the context of groups, and within organizations, and also within a set of cultures, and are in turn influenced by the organizations and cultures themselves. Therefore, it can be stated that when one desires to understand leadership better, then one would have to try to gain a deep insight into the very nature and character of a personality or of a group or of an organization. Thereafter, one must attempt to analyze the various cultural variables that would invariably be present in any one group of several different individuals, and then analyze the various interrelationships between them and the variables that are seen in a system of influence of this particular kind. The two most important elements in such a framework of leadership analyses are, primarily, the so called ‘social sensitivity' or what is also known as 'empathy', and ‘action flexibility', or what is also known as ‘behavioral flexibility'. Both these variables are of extreme importance when analyzing leadership, and its effectiveness and its causes. (Tannenbaum; Weschler; Massarik, 1961) It must be noted that the word ‘leadership' as such is a very widely used word indeed, and social workers, political activists, orators and scholars and of course numerous others all utilize it in their speech and in their writing. However, what must also be noted is the fact that not everyone agrees about its actual and true meaning; among the social scientists, leadership has come to represent something that will always constantly shift and change, and transform its primary focus first on one thing and then another. There is a lot more work to be carried out before it can be truly stated that there is indeed a systematic and a basic theory for leadership, and a full fledged framework developed upon which to accurately measure effective leadership. When taken through history, leadership studies have been effectively showing the shifting focus on theoretical orientation of leadership studies; whereas early studies concentrated on the study of the leader as a person, to the exclusion of various other variables, later studies laid emphasis on isolating the physical and the psychological characteristics of the leader, and these were considered to be traits which were in fact differentiating the leader from all the other members of the group. (Tannenbaum; Weschler; Massarik, 1961) Likewise, the concept of spirituality in leadership is a relatively newer idea, and one that researchers have started to analyze only recently, having been ignored as a concept for the past hundreds of years before today. However, one must not forget that throughout our social history, man has been able to identify his own inner moral as well as spiritual standards, and seen them for the influence they tend to cast upon human actions in general. In fact, it can even be stated that it is man's inner sense of spiritual wholeness that defines mankind as such, and also determines man's inner values, his sense of morality and justice, and therefore tends to direct man's actions and the various decisions that he makes in his daily life and also in his working life. (Fairholm, 1997) Therefore, it must be remembered that spirituality plays a very important role in a leader's various actions and in his process of decisions making, as well as in the followers' lives. Every single individual has an innate sense of who he is, what he is doing, and where he is going, and all these various concepts are guided by his inner spirituality. As a matter of fact, it can be stated that it is this true inner self that actually guides man in general and a leader as well. Spirit is therefore an inseparable part of the leadership of an individual, and it is this that guides him in his various actions. In today's fast paced world, the workplace in fact becomes a central part of one's life, and this means that one would have to relate one's own personal spiritual values with his workplace vales, and this in turn becomes the most important and central part of leadership. (Fairholm, 1997) There are, to date, numerous models of leadership, that have been found to be effective after intensive research conducted through many years, and the interest in what exactly makes a good and effective and efficient leader is still an extremely interesting topic. Some of the better leadership models are, according to research, the following: the participative styles of leadership, which, according to studies conducted by Hawthorne and Kurt Lewin and Likert, invariably lead to an enhanced job satisfaction, and also to a better performance. Another is the ‘contingency theory', which argues that the proper or the right or the most effective leadership style is something that constantly changing accord to the present context. One example of this model is that explained by Blake and Mouton's managerial Grid, according to which organization developmental practices can be easily analyzed. (Leadership Theories, 1) Another is the ‘instrumental theory', according to which a lot of stress is placed on the task, as well as on the person oriented behavioral patterns, like, for example, delegation, and participation on the part of the leader in order to gain better effectiveness from the others in his team. Inspirational leadership theories are based on the fact that a single individual, with his inspiring personality and way of life and method of thinking, be able to influence his team into better performances. These leaders are, more often than not, inspirational persons, and they are at times called transformational leaders too. This type of leader would appeal to the inherent value and visions of the team of followers around him, upon whom he would be able to cast a great influence. He would not only be able to inspire and instill confidence among them, but also be able to motivate them to change wherever and whenever necessary for the progress of the organization. (Leadership Theories, 1) The ‘informal leader' is the person who has not exactly been appointed to leadership, but would be able to, in general, assume leadership in manifold other ways. Another leadership theory is the so-called ‘path goal theory', according to which the expectancy theory of motivations comes to the fore, wherein a leader is responsible for motivating his team well, and into giving better performances in general. This theory draws on the following four different styles of leadership: supportive, directive, participative, and finally, direction oriented. The actual choice of style finally depends on the task to be performed, and the individual who is expected to perform the task. For example, a routine task would need a more supportive style of leadership, while a complex and tough task would need a directive type of leadership. (Leadership Theories, 1) Compare and Contrast Leadership Models: It is now quite evident that one of the predominant themes as far as management studies is concerned is the most important role that an effective and an efficient leader would play in the effective running of an organization, of any kind, and, as a matter of fact, the position of the leader has been elevated to someone of heroic proportions, and he is termed as someone who is the prime determinant of his organization's success or of its failure. The model leader is, therefore, an individual who is in possession of a set of known and researched set of behaviors and patterns, as acknowledged by researchers all over the world, and who would be able to effectively motivate his team of members in such a way that they would be able to give their optimum bets performances for the benefit of their organization. These are some of the better known and accepted leadership models, which some of the very bets leaders in the industry have been known to follow and emulate for the betterment of the firm. One model is the ‘Contingency Theory'. (Chapter 12, Leadership) It must be stated here that for as long as there have been research on leadership, there has been a widely acknowledged claim that for every different situation there is, a different leader and a different leadership style would be suitable. Weber, for example, in the year 1946, in his research on the bases of legitimate authority in the state as such, has managed to identify three entirely different types of leaders: one type is an individual who would base his authority on tradition, another who would base his authority on rationality, and a third who would base his authority on exerting his own charismatic influence onto others in his team. Each leader would achieve success in one type of situation, and not in others, thus showing that one type of leadership would not suffice for all kinds of diverse situations. (Chapter 12, Leadership) Fiedler, in the year 1996, has identified some of the more important aspects of the contingent view of a leader. First and foremost, the relevant literature does not offer any clue about the existence of certain universal traits, or behavioral patterns, or characteristics that can be associated with a good leader and effective leadership qualities. Secondly, it has been stated that the effectiveness of the leader depends on how well and how quickly he would be able to match the situation in which he is expected to operate. Thirdly, the most important mediating factor between a leaders traits and the situation in which he operates is the way in which the leader is able to cope with stress within the situation. Equally important is what exactly the leader thinks is a stressful situation, according to him, and how he is able to motivate and engage his team into coping and facing the stress in a positive manner so that the organization does not get affected in any manner whatsoever. Furthermore, it has often been noticed that most organizations generally tend to adapt and become more internally complex so that they may be better bale to respond to the external complexities, according to Lawrence and Lorsch in research conducted in the year 1967. According to Galbraith, in 1994, the best way in which an organization would be able to effectively deal with stress both outside and within the organization is to organize the entire effort around the team of members. This would also mean that the team would be responsible for conducting and carrying out the basic work of the organization, and since teams are more often than not staffed with differing levels of permanence, they are often responsible for bridging historic line organizations. The contingency theory also stresses on the fact that different periods of either planned or unintended organizational change would most definitely need effective leaders with particular attributes and characteristics, so that he may be able to help the organization to handle the difficult change process effectively. (Chapter 12, Leadership) Situational Leadership is another style of leadership which is a widely acknowledged and recognized leadership model. When taken in simple terms, a situational leader is an individual who would be able to quickly adapt his thinking and his methods of leadership to the present situation at hand, and can even change his style wherever and whenever necessary. Ken Blanchard, the well known ‘Management Guru', and the author of the ‘One Minute Manager Series', along with Paul Hersey, created a model for situational leadership during the 1960's. This model would allow the leader to analyze the needs of the situation that he is at present involved in, and then adopt what he thinks and knows would be the very best and effective management and leadership style to solve it. This is a leadership model put in a simple square grid, that has retained its basic popularity over the years, because of the fact that it is very simple to comprehend, and also because it can easily be used in the most difficult of situations. (Famous Models: Situational Leadership) According to the model, the ‘directing leaders' are the individuals who define the tasks and roles of their followers, and also supervise them very closely. All the major decisions to be taken would be declared by the leader, and this means that communication would generally be one-way. ‘Coaching leaders' on the other hand, would define roles and tasks, in the same way as the directing leaders would, but would look out for any suggestions or ideas form his followers, while a ‘supporting leader' would more often than not typically pass on the several day to day decisions within the organization, like for example, task allocation, and processes, to his followers. Here, although the leader does indeed take part in the decision making processes, most of the control remains with the followers. A ‘delegating leader' would remain involved in the major decisions and in the problem solving processes within the firm, but he would be involved only upon the discretion of the follower; it is the follower who decides when and how the leader would have to become involved. An effective leader would have to have the capacity and ability to be able to move around the simple grid easily, according to the needs of the situation, and thus become a situational leader. (Famous Models: Situational Leadership) Yet another leadership model is Bruce Tuckman's ‘Forming Storming Norming Performing leadership model'. According to this model, it is as the team within an organization begins to develop maturity and ability that they would be better able to establish relationships with each other, and because of this, a leader would be able to change his style as the team grows and matures. This type of leader would at the outset start with a directing style, after which he would move on to a coaching style, after which he would adopt the participating, and then the delegating and finishing styles, and finally on to the almost detached style. At this particular point, the team may be able to produce a successor leader, and the previous leader can move on to another team. Therefore, the progression of the leader from one stage to the next, according to Bruce Tuckman, would be from forming to storming, and then to norming, and finally, to performing. (Bruce Tuckman's 1965 Forming Storming Norming Performing team-development Model) The Effectiveness of Leadership Models: The effectiveness of any particular model depends on the leader himself, and on the various traits and the charisma that he is in possession of. A leader, in general, tends to be identified by position, as they belong to a virtual hierarchy. They are the people to whom the team in the organization looks to for help or for answers, and the leader, with his vision and his efficiency and his ability, would be able to provide the answers wherever necessary. They are also people who have certain special qualities and traits that tend to set them apart form others, and this is very useful because it defines the gap essential between a leader and his followers. This is a view of leadership that is generally taken as being the best explanation of a leader, and it is followed not only in businesses but also by the government and by the armed forces. A leader may be participative or directional or transformational, but he still would have his own style, and it must always be remembered that a leader is a man who would possess a great amount of power, and one must be careful that there is no misuse of this power. (Classical Leadership) Evaluate the supporting research contributing to development of leadership Models It is during the past few decades that a lot more attention has been given to the concept of analyzing various leadership styles and finding the bets one, which would be able to improve the leadership style of an individual within an organization, so that the leader would be able to lead his tem better, and goad them into giving better performances. Theories about transformational leadership, in particular, have become even more important today than they were yesterday, and more and more evidence of these theories have been amassed for all the different levels of the organization. (Bass, 1993) Transformational leadership, it can be stated, has today become almost an obsession with researchers on leadership styles, and why the model is so very appealing is because it is the actual antecedent of a true hero. He is an individual who seems to have circumvented all his weaknesses, and he is also a person who holds great promise of bringing about great organizational changes. Bernard Bass is a very active campaigner for the cause of a transformational leader, and he is of the opinion that research on the subject had literally boomed in the past few decades. In fact, a transformational leader is today, an individual who makes up the ‘New leadership' types of the modern world. Transformational leadership is so very popular because of the fact that it effectively overcomes every shortcoming that a hero of yesteryears may have possessed, and even though they do have their own flaws, they seem to be better leaders than any others. Typically, a transformational leader seems to tempt his followers with the ‘carrot and stick' approach, wherein he can control them with a positive approach. (Gronn, 1995) A transformational leader can also put a lot of passion and energy into everything that he does, and he is able to inspire others with his development of a vision and a view of the future that will inspire his numerous followers. He has to be able to create trust in his followers, and this then will inspire them to follow him. He is a leader who will seek to transform, and he can eventually become a person who would have been personally responsible for saving his organization form ruin. (Transformational Leadership: www.changingminds.org) He is a leader, who is able to recognize as well as exploit a certain need in his followers, analyze their various motives, and engage the complete person of the followers. Some examples of transformational leaders through the years are: Rousseau, Madison, reformers like Alexander and Grey, revolutionaries like Lenin, Castro, Luther, Mao, heroes like Kennedy, Joan of Arc, and Muhammad. (Boje, 2000) Evaluate the impact of environmental factors on transformational leadership: A transformational leader would through his charisma and his vision for the future can inspire his followers into transcending their own self-interests so that they may work for the betterment and for the profit of their organization. He is an individual who uses with regularity, contingent rewards to positively impact and influence his followers, and he at times takes the initiative himself only if he feels that there are problems, and things are not progressing as well as he thought they were. A transformational leader today is extremely important and relevant in today's workplace because of the traits that he possesses, which are that he is flexible, and he is original and innovative. In fact, a transformational leader is one individual who can be said to be the essence of creating, developing, and ultimately maintaining the so important competitive edge in his organization. (Leading: Management Modern BMGT 1301DCCCD) According to Jan Carlzon, in 1987, an individual who was a very effective transformational leader for SAS Airlines, a leader must be able to both encourage and also to facilitate the formulation of an organizational vision, wherein the numerous stakeholders of the organization may feel that they have participated in. He must also be able to create and maintain an environment in which the employees of the organization may feel able to accept and execute all their various duties and responsibilities with a certain ease and confidence. The leader must be able to communicate what he wants to these employees, and teach them the company's vision, and ask them for inputs about how to turn the vision into reality. He must be able to inspire his followers with his vision, and this is the essence of a transformational leader. (A Systemic View of Transformational Leadership) Visions may be either positive or negative, and when the vision is indeed positive, then it would also be an idealized design, which would in turn impact the environment. The operational viability of this positive design must be therefore designed in such a way that it would be able to survive if it came into existence in the present environment. Therefore, since a transformational leader is driven by visions and ideas, and not by others' expectations of him, he will be able to effectively beat the system and the environment, and not surrender to it in any way, and this in essence is what a transformational leader is all about. (A Systemic View of Transformational Leadership)

Cooking and Food Safety Measures Essay

Q1 – Identify potential food safety hazards when preparing, serving, clearing away and storing food and drink. People can get sick if the food they eat has harmful chemicals or microorganisms. This is called food-borne illness. The goal of food safety is to prevent the hazards that cause food-borne illness or injury. Most of the hazards in food are things you cannot see, smell, or taste. – Physical hazard: Hard or soft objects in food that can cause injury. For example, broken glass, jewellery, staples and fingernails. – Chemical hazard: Poisonous substances that occur naturally or are added during food handling. For example, cleaning products and pest control chemicals. – Biological hazard: Germs that cannot be seen without microscope. For example, parasites, viruses and bacteria. ( Preparing: – While preparing food, food workers must remove watches, rings, bracelets, and all other jewelry on the arms or hands. – Using the same cloth for cleaning surfaces used for both raw, i. e. meat and poultry, and ready to eat foods – Physical contamination e. g. flies, jewellery, broken glass and equipment in bad condition. ( Storing: – Store raw meats at the bottom of the fridge to prevent meat juice dropping on the other food – Eggs will be stored under refrigeration in order to reduce the growth of Salmonella – No cleaning materials should be stored where they may come into contact with open food. – Dried foods will be decanted into seal-able containers in order to protect from physical and chemical contamination ( Serving: – Serving Ready-to-eat food (e. g. sliced fruit, cooked pizza, bread) without additional washing or cooking to remove microorganisms. – Must use utensils such as tongs, scoops, deli papers, or single-use gloves to keep from touching ready-to-eat foods. – You place food and drink within easy reach of the individual – You serve food and drink with the appropriate utensils and in a hygienic manner ( Cleaning away: – Food-contact surfaces should be washed, rinsed, and sanitized after each use. – Scrape excess food into a rubbish bin – Leave dishes and cooking utensils to air-dry or wipe with clean dry cloth. – Rinse in clean hot water – Encourage individuals to wash their hands and clean themselves. Q2 – Explain the importance of implementing food safety measures when providing food and drink individuals. Every day people all over the world get sick from the food they eat. This sickness is called food-borne disease and is caused by dangerous microorganisms or chemicals. The importance of implementing food safety measures when handling food and drink is to keep children and young people safe from food-borne illnesses. Q3 – Explain why personal protective clothing should be used when handling food and drink. Personal protective clothing should be used to protect the wearer from specific hazards of a hazardous substance. – PPE includes gloves, respiratory protection, eye protection, and protective clothing. – You should always wear gloves to minimize the chance of bacteria entering the food from unclean hands. – Gloves must be changed each time you do a different task, e. g. preparing sandwiches then going into walk in cooler-touching different contaminated surfaces. – Aprons and chef jackets are a great way to prevent any of your clothing from contaminating the food. – Hairnets and hats are used to prevent hairs from entering food and drink. Q4 – Explain why surfaces, utensils and equipment must be cleaned before beginning a new task. Surfaces, utensils and equipment must be cleaned before beginning a new task to prevent cross-contamination. Cross-contamination is one of the most common causes of food poisoning. It happens when harmful bacteria are spread onto food from other food, surfaces, hands, utensils or equipment. Q5 – Explain the importance of clearing and disposing of food waste promptly and safely. Food waste must be disposed of on a regular basis. This helps to prevent cross contamination. Pests such as flies and insects love leftovers. There is also the added risk of attracting mice and rats. – Food waste and other refuse must not be allowed to left in food rooms, except so far as is unavoidable during the business operation. – It is good practice to remove all waste from the food room at the end of the day. – Food waste and other refuse must be deposited in closable containers. These containers must be of an appropriate construction, kept in sound condition, and where necessary be easy to clean and disinfect. – Adequate provision must be made for the removal and storage of food waste and other refuse. – Refuse stores must be designed and managed in such a way as to enable them to be kept clean, and to protect against access by pests, and against contamination of food, drinking water, equipment or premises. – Refuse should be removed frequently and, depending on the size and type of business more than one collection/removal per week may be required. – Storage facilities must be kept in a clean condition and the waste must be protected from rodents or birds. Q6 – Explain the importance of storing different types of food and drink safely. The importance of storing different types of food and drink safely is to avoid cross contamination and ensure a good rotation of stock. In the UK we end up throwing away 8. 3 million tonnes of food and drink every year and most of this could have been eaten. There are simple things you can do to reduce waste – to try to make sure you don’t buy or cook more food than you want to eat. Some food needs to be kept in the fridge to help stop bacteria from growing on it, such as food with a ‘use by’ date, cooked food and ready-to-eat food such as desserts and cooked meats. – Keep food covered to protect it from contamination from raw foods and physical objects – Always store â€Å"cooked† food above â€Å"raw† meat in the refrigerator this will eliminate the risk of contamination from bacteria and meat juice spillage to other foods. – Do not store food in open cans because when a can has been opened and the food is open to the air, the tin from the can might transfer more quickly to the can’s contents. – Do not overstock the refrigerator, as this will affect the airflow around the food. You can keep food safely in the freezer as long as it has stayed frozen the whole time; however, the taste and texture of food changes if it’s frozen for too long. It should be all right to freeze most raw or cooked foods. – Freeze it before the ‘use by’ date – Follow any freezing or thawing instructions on the label – Defrost it in the fridge so that it doesn’t get too warm. – Ensure food is thoroughly defrosted before cooking food Many types of food don’t need to be kept in the fridge to keep them safe to eat, for example dry foods such as rice, pasta and flour, many types of drinks, tinned foods, and unopened jars. But it’s still important to take care how you store them. – Try to keep food in sealed bags or containers. This helps to keep them fresh and stops anything falling into the food by accident. – Don’t store food or drinks near cleaning products or other chemicals. – Don’t store food on the floor, because this can encourage mice, ants and other pests. – Remember that some types of food might need to be kept in the fridge once you’ve opened them – follow any storage instructions on the label. Task 2 Q1 – Identify sources of information about food safety. – Food Safety Education – Food safety training – Research and development Q2 – Describe how to access and support about own role in maintaining food safety when providing food and drink for individuals. – Talking to teacher or leader of placement – Listen and take notes – Making posters. Bibliography ( Notes (http://www. who. int/foodsafety/publications/consumer/manual_keys. pdf ( http://web. princeton. edu/sites/ehs/hazardcommguide/3. htm (http://www. caerphilly. gov. uk/Pdf/Environment_Planning/HACCP-self-help-guidance-pack-for-caterers. pdf.

Spirit Bound Chapter Eighteen

THE THING THAT REALLY SUCKS about being psychically linked to someone is that you have a pretty good idea when they're lying–or, in this case, not lying. Still, my response was immediate and instinctive. â€Å"That's not true.† â€Å"Isn't it?† She gave me a pointed look. She too knew that I could feel the truth in her words. â€Å"But that†¦ it can't†¦ † I wasn't at a loss for words very often–and certainly not with Lissa. So frequently in our relationship, I'd been the one being assertive and explaining to her why things had to be the way they were. Somewhere along the way, with me not realizing it, Lissa had lost that fragility. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said, voice still kind but also firm. The bond betrayed how much she hated telling me unpleasant things. â€Å"He asked me†¦ told me specifically not to let you come. That he doesn't want to see you.† I stared at her pleadingly, my voice almost childlike. â€Å"But why? Why would he say that? Of course he wants to see me. He must be confused†¦.† â€Å"I don't know, Rose. All I know is what he told me. I'm so sorry.† She reached for me like she might hug me, but I stepped away. My head was still reeling. â€Å"I'll go with you anyway. I'll wait upstairs with the other guardians. Then, when you tell Dimitri I'm there, he'll change his mind.† â€Å"I don't think you should,† she said. â€Å"He seemed really serious about you not coming–almost frantic. I think knowing you're there would upset him.† â€Å"Upset him? Upset him? Liss, it's me! He loves me. He needs me.† She winced, and I realized I'd been shouting at her. â€Å"I'm just going on what he said. It's all so confusing†¦ please. Don't put me in this position. Just†¦ wait and see what happens. And if you want to know what's going on, you can always†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lissa didn't finish, but I knew what she was suggesting. She was offering to let me see her meeting with Dimitri through the bond. It was a big gesture on her part–not that she could have stopped me if I wanted to do it. Still, she didn't usually like the idea of being â€Å"spied† on. This was the best thing she could think of to make me feel better. Not that it really did. All of this was still crazy. Me being denied access to Dimitri. Dimitri allegedly not wanting to see me! What the hell? My gut reaction was to ignore everything she'd just said and go along with her, demanding access when she arrived. The feelings in the bond were begging me not to, though. She didn't want to create trouble. She might not understand Dimitri's wishes either, but she felt they should be honored until the situation could be better assessed. â€Å"Please,† she said. The plaintive word finally cracked me. â€Å"Okay.† It killed me to say it. It was like admitting defeat. Think of it as a tactical retreat. â€Å"Thank you.† This time she did hug me. â€Å"I swear I'll get more information and figure out what's going on, okay?† I nodded, still dejected, and we walked out of the building together. With grim reluctance, I parted with her when the time came, letting her go off to the guardians' building while I headed toward my room. As soon as she was out of my sight, I immediately slipped into her head, watching through her eyes as she walked through the perfectly manicured grass. The bond was still a little hazy but growing clearer by the minute. Her feelings were a jumble. She felt bad for me, guilty that she'd had to refuse me. At the same time, she was anxious to visit Dimitri. She needed to see him too–but not in the same way I did. She still had that feeling of responsibility for him, that burning urge to protect him. When she arrived at the building's main office, the guardian who'd stopped me gave her a nod of greeting and then made a quick phone call. A few moments later, three guardians entered and gestured for Lissa to follow them into the depths of the building. They all looked unusually grim, even for guardians. â€Å"You don't have to do this,† one of them told her. â€Å"Just because he keeps asking†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's fine,† she said with the cool, dignified air of any royal. â€Å"I don't mind.† â€Å"There'll be plenty of guards around just like last time. You don't need to worry about your safety.† She gave all of them a sharp look. â€Å"I was never worried about it to begin with.† Their descent into the building's lower levels brought back painful memories of when Dimitri and I had visited Victor. That had been the Dimitri I'd had a perfect union with, the Dimitri who understood me entirely. And after the visit, he'd been enraged at Victor's threats against me. Dimitri had loved me so much that he'd been willing to do anything to protect me. A key card-protected door finally allowed access to the holding level, which consisted mostly of a long hallway lined with cells. It didn't have the depressing feel that Tarasov had had, but this place's stark and steel-lined industrial air didn't exactly inspire warm and fuzzy feelings. Lissa could hardly walk down the hall because it was so crowded with guardians. All that security for one person. It wasn't impossible for a Strigoi to break through a cell's steel bars, but Dimitri was no Strigoi. Why couldn't they see that? Were they blind? Lissa and her escort made their way through the crowd and came to a stop in front of his cell. It was as cold looking as everything else in this prison area, with no more furnishings than were absolutely required. Dimitri sat on the narrow bed, his legs drawn up to him as he leaned into a corner of the wall and kept his back to the cell's entrance. It wasn't what I had expected. Why wasn't he beating at the bars? Why wasn't he demanding to be released and telling them he wasn't a Strigoi? Why was he taking this so quietly? â€Å"Dimitri.† Lissa's voice was soft and gentle, filled with a warmth that stood out against the harshness of the cell. It was the voice of an angel. And as Dimitri slowly turned around, it was obvious he thought so too. His expression transformed before our eyes, going from bleakness to wonder. He wasn't the only one filled with wonder. My mind might have been tied to Lissa's, but back across Court, my own body nearly stopped breathing. The glimpse I'd gotten of him last night had been amazing. But this†¦ this full-on view of him looking at Lissa–at me–was awe-inspiring. It was a wonder. A gift. A miracle. Seriously. How could anyone think he was a Strigoi? And how could I have possibly let myself believe the Dimitri I'd been with in Siberia was this one? He'd cleaned up from the battle and wore jeans and a simple black T-shirt. His brown hair was tied back into a short ponytail, and a faint shadow across his lower face showed that he needed to shave. Probably no one would let him get near a razor. Regardless, it almost made him look sexier–more real, more dhampir. More alive. His eyes were what really pulled it all together. His death white skin–now gone–had always been startling, but those red eyes had been the worst. Now they were perfect. Exactly as they used to be. Warm and brown and long-lashed. I could have gazed at them forever. â€Å"Vasilisa,† he breathed. The sound of his voice made my chest tighten. God, I'd missed hearing him speak. â€Å"You came back.† As soon as he began approaching the bars, the guardians around Lissa started closing rank, ready to stop him should he indeed bust through. â€Å"Back off!† she snapped in a queenly tone, glaring at everyone around her. â€Å"Give us some space.† No one reacted right away, and she put more power into her voice. â€Å"I mean it! Step back!† I felt the slightest trickle of magic through our link. It wasn't a huge amount, but she was backing her words with a little spirit-induced compulsion. She could hardly control such a large group, but the command had enough force to make them clear out a little and create space between her and Dimitri. She turned her attention back to him, demeanor instantly changing from fierce to kind. â€Å"Of course I came back. How are you? Are they†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She cast a dangerous look at the guardians in the hall. â€Å"Are they treating you okay?† He shrugged. â€Å"Fine. Nobody's hurting me.† If he was anything like his old self, he would have never admitted if anyone was hurting him. â€Å"Just a lot of questions. So many questions.† He sounded weary, again†¦ very unlike a Strigoi who never needed rest. â€Å"And my eyes. They keep wanting to examine my eyes.† â€Å"But how do you feel?† she asked. â€Å"In your mind? In your heart?† If the whole situation hadn't been so sobering, I would have been amused. It was very much a therapist's line of questioning–something both Lissa and I had experienced a lot of. I'd hated being asked those questions, but now I truly wanted to know how Dimitri felt. His gaze, which had so intently focused on her, now drifted away and grew unfocused. â€Å"It's†¦ it's hard to describe. It's like I've woken up from a dream. A nightmare. Like I've been watching someone else act through my body–like I was at a movie or a play. But it wasn't someone else. It was me. All of it was me, and now here I am, and the whole world has shifted. I feel like I'm relearning everything.† â€Å"It'll pass. You'll get more used to it, once you settle back into your old self.† That was a guess on her part, but one she felt confident of. He inclined his head toward the gathered guardians. â€Å"They don't think so.† â€Å"They will,† she said adamantly. â€Å"We just need more time.† A small silence fell, and Lissa hesitated before speaking her next words. â€Å"Rose†¦ wants to see you.† Dimitri's dreamy, morose attitude snapped in a heartbeat. His eyes focused back on Lissa, and I got my first glimpse of true, intense emotion from him. â€Å"No. Anyone but her. I can't see her. Don't let her come here. Please.† Lissa swallowed, unsure how to respond. The fact that she had an audience made it harder. The best she could do was lower her voice so the others wouldn't hear. â€Å"But†¦ she loves you. She's worried about you. What happened†¦ with us being able to save you? Well, a lot of it was because of her.† â€Å"You saved me.† â€Å"I only did the final piece. The rest†¦ well, Rose did, um, a lot.† Say, like, organizing a prison break and releasing fugitives. Dimitri turned from Lissa, and the fire that had briefly lit his features faded. He walked over to the side of the cell and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and then opened them. â€Å"Anyone but her,† he repeated. â€Å"Not after what I did to her. I did a lot of things†¦ horrible things.† He turned his hands palm-up and stared at them for a moment, like he could see blood. â€Å"What I did to her was worst of all–especially because it was her. She came to save me from that state, and I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shook his head. â€Å"I did terrible things to her. Terrible things to others. I can't face her after that. What I did was unforgivable.† â€Å"It's not,† said Lissa urgently. â€Å"It wasn't you. Not really. She'll forgive you.† â€Å"No. There's no forgiveness for me–not after what I did. I don't deserve her, don't deserve to even be around her. The only thing I can do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He walked back over to Lissa, and to the astonishment of both of us, he fell to his knees before her. â€Å"The only thing I can do–the only redemption I can try for–is to pay you back for saving me.† â€Å"Dimitri,† she began uneasily, â€Å"I told you–â€Å" â€Å"I felt that power. In that moment, I felt you bring my soul back. I felt you heal it. That's a debt I can't ever repay, but I swear I'll spend the rest of my life trying.† He was looking up at her, that enraptured look back on his face. â€Å"I don't want that. There's nothing to repay.† â€Å"There's everything to pay,† he argued. â€Å"I owe you my life–my soul. It's the only way I can come close to ever redeeming myself for all the things I did. It's still not enough†¦ but it's all I can do.† He clasped his hands. â€Å"I swear, whatever you need, anything–if it's in my power–I'll do it. I'll serve and protect you for the rest of my life. I'll do whatever you ask. You have my loyalty forever.† Again, Lissa started to say she didn't want that, but then a canny thought came to mind. â€Å"Will you see Rose?† He grimaced. â€Å"Anything but that.† â€Å"Dimitri–â€Å" â€Å"Please. I'll do anything else for you, but if I see her†¦ it'll hurt too much.† That was probably the only reason that could have made Lissa drop the subject. That and the desperate, dejected look on Dimitri's face. It was one she had never seen before, one I'd never seen before either. He'd always been so invincible in my eyes, and this sign of vulnerability didn't make him seem weaker to me. It simply made him more complex. It made me love him more–and want to help him. Lissa could only give him a small nod as answer before one of the guardians in charge said she had to leave. Dimitri was still on his knees as they escorted her out, staring after her with an expression that said she was the closest to any hope he had left in this world. My heart twisted with both sorrow and jealousy–and a bit of anger too. I was the one he should have looked at that way. How dare he? How dare he act like Lissa was the greatest thing in the world? She'd done a lot to save him, true, but I was the one who'd traveled around the globe for him. I was the one who had continually risked my life for him. Most importantly, I was the one who loved him. How could he turn his back on that? Both Lissa and I were confused and upset as she left the building. Both of us were distraught over Dimitri's state. Despite how angry I was over his refusal to see me, I still felt horrible at seeing him so low. It killed me. He'd never acted that way before. After the Academy's attack, he had certainly been sad and had grieved over that loss. This was a different kind of despair. It was a deep sense of depression and guilt that he didn't feel he could escape from. Both Lissa and I were shocked by that. Dimitri had always been a man of action, someone ready to get up after a tragedy and fight the next battle. But this? This was unlike anything we'd ever seen in him, and Lissa and I had wildly varying ideas on how to solve it. Her gentler, sympathetic approach was to keep talking to him while also calmly persuading Court officials that Dimitri was no longer a threat. My solution to this problem was to go to Dimitri, no matter what he claimed he wanted. I'd busted in and out of a prison. Getting into a jail cell should be cake. I was still certain that once he saw me, he'd have a change of heart about all this redemption stuff. How could he truly think I wouldn't forgive him? I loved him. I understood. And as far as convincing officials that he wasn't dangerous†¦ well, my method there was a little fuzzy still, but I had a feeling it would involve a lot of yelling and beating on doors. Lissa knew perfectly well that I had observed her encounter with Dimitri, so she didn't feel obligated to come see me, not when she knew they could still use her over at the medical center. She'd heard Adrian had nearly collapsed with all the magic he'd wielded to help others. It seemed so uncharacteristic of him, so unselfish†¦ he'd done amazing deeds, at great cost to himself. Adrian. There was a problem. I hadn't had a chance to see him since getting back after the warehouse fight. And aside from hearing about him healing others, I really hadn't thought about him at all. I'd said that if Dimitri really could be saved, it didn't mean the end of Adrian and me. Yet, Dimitri had barely been back twenty-four hours, and here I was, already obsessing ov– â€Å"Lissa?† Despite the fact that I'd pulled back to my own mind, part of me was still absentmindedly following along with Lissa. Christian was standing outside the medical center, leaning against its wall. From his posture, it appeared as though he'd been there for a while waiting for something–or rather, someone. She came to a halt, and inexplicably, all thoughts of Dimitri vanished from her mind. Oh, come on. I wanted those two to patch things up, but we had no time for this. Dimitri's fate was a lot more important than bantering with Christian. Christian didn't look like he was in a snarky mood, though. His expression was curious and concerned as he regarded her. â€Å"How are you feeling?† he asked. They hadn't talked to each other since the ride back, and she'd been largely incoherent during a lot of it. â€Å"Fine.† She touched her face absentmindedly. â€Å"Adrian healed me.† â€Å"I guess he is good for something.† Okay, maybe Christian was feeling a little snarky today. But only a little. â€Å"Adrian's good for lots of things,† she said, though she couldn't help a small smile. â€Å"He ran himself into the ground here all night.† â€Å"What about you? I know how you are. As soon as you were up and around, you were probably right there beside him.† She shook her head. â€Å"No. After he healed me, I went to see Dimitri.† All mirth disappeared from Christian's face. â€Å"You've talked to him?† â€Å"Twice now. But yeah. I have.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"And what?† â€Å"What's he like?† â€Å"He's like Dimitri.† She suddenly frowned, reconsidering her words. â€Å"Well†¦ not quite like Dimitri.† â€Å"What, does he still have some Strigoi in him?† Christian straightened up, blue eyes flashing. â€Å"If he's still dangerous, you have no business going near–â€Å" â€Å"No!† she exclaimed. â€Å"He's not dangerous. And†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She took a few steps forward, returning his glare. â€Å"Even if he was, you have no business telling me what I can or can't do!† Christian sighed dramatically. â€Å"And here I thought Rose was the only one who threw herself into stupid situations, regardless of whether they might kill her.† Lissa's anger flared up rapidly, likely because of all the spirit she'd been using. â€Å"Hey, you didn't have any issues helping me stake Dimitri! You trained me for it.† â€Å"That was different. We were in a bad situation already, and if things went wrong†¦ well, I could have incinerated him.† Christian regarded her from head to toe, and there was something in his gaze†¦ something that seemed like more than just objective assessment. â€Å"But I didn't have to. You were amazing. You made the hit. I didn't know if you could, but you did†¦ and the fire†¦ You didn't flinch at all, but it must have been awful†¦.† There was a catch in his voice as he spoke, like he was only now truly assessing the consequences of what might have happened to Lissa. His concern and admiration made her flush, and she tilted her head–an old trick–so that the pieces of hair that had escaped from her ponytail would fall forward and hide her face. There was no need for it. Christian was now staring pointedly at the ground. â€Å"I had to do it,† she said at last. â€Å"I had to see if it was possible.† He looked up. â€Å"And it was†¦ right? There really isn't any trace of Strigoi?† â€Å"None. I'm positive. But no one believes it.† â€Å"Can you blame them? I mean, I helped out with it and I wanted it to be true†¦ but I'm not sure I ever really, truly thought someone could come back from that.† He glanced away again, his gaze resting on a lilac bush. Lissa could smell its scent, but the distant and troubled look on his face told her that his thoughts weren't on nature. Neither were they on Dimitri, I realized. He was thinking about his parents. What if there'd been spirit users around when the Ozeras had turned Strigoi? What if there had been a way to save them? Lissa, not guessing what I had, remarked, â€Å"I don't even know that I believed either. But as soon as it happened, well†¦ I knew. I know. There's no Strigoi in him. I have to help him. I have to make others realize it. I can't let them lock him up forever–or worse.† Getting Dimitri out of the warehouse without the other guardians staking him had been no easy feat for her, and she shivered recalling those first few seconds after his change when everyone had been shouting to kill him. Christian turned back and met her eyes curiously. â€Å"What did you mean when you said he was like Dimitri but not like Dimitri?† Her voice trembled a little when she spoke. â€Å"He's†¦ sad.† â€Å"Sad? Seems like he should be happy he was saved.† â€Å"No†¦ you don't understand. He feels awful about everything he did as a Strigoi. Guilty, depressed. He's punishing himself for it because he doesn't think he can be forgiven.† â€Å"Holy shit,† said Christian, clearly caught off guard. A few Moroi girls had walked by just then and looked scandalized at his swearing. They hurried off, whispering among themselves. Christian ignored them. â€Å"But he couldn't help it–â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know. I already went over it with him.† â€Å"Can Rose help?† â€Å"No,† Lissa said bluntly. Christian waited, apparently hoping she'd elaborate. He grew annoyed when she didn't. â€Å"What do you mean she can't? She should be able to help us more than anyone!† â€Å"I don't want to get into it.† My situation with Dimitri bothered her a lot. That made two of us. Lissa turned toward the medical building. It looked regal and castle-like on the outside, but it housed a facility as sterile and modern as any hospital. â€Å"Look, I need to get inside. And don't look at me like that.† â€Å"Like what?† he demanded, taking a few steps toward her. â€Å"That disapproving, pissed-off look you get when you don't get your way.† â€Å"I don't have that look!† â€Å"You have it right now.† She backed away from him, moving toward the center's door. â€Å"If you want the whole story, we can talk later, but I don't have the time†¦ and honestly†¦ I don't really feel like telling it.† That pissed-off look–and she was right, he did have it–faded a little. Almost nervously, he said, â€Å"Okay. Later then. And Lissa†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hmm?† â€Å"I'm glad you're all right. What you did last night†¦ well, it really was amazing.† Lissa stared at him for several heavy seconds, her heart rate rising slightly as she watched a light breeze ruffle his black hair. â€Å"I couldn't have done it without your help,† she said at last. With that, she turned and went inside, and I returned completely to my own head. And like earlier, I was at a loss. Lissa would be busy the rest of the day, and standing and yelling in the guardians' office wouldn't really help me get to Dimitri. Well, I supposed there was the off chance I might annoy them so much that they'd throw me in jail too. Then Dimitri and I would be next to each other. I promptly dismissed that plan, fearing the only thing it would land me with was more filing. What could I do? Nothing. I needed to see him again but didn't know how. I hated not having a plan. Lissa's encounter with Dimitri hadn't been nearly long enough for me, and anyway, I felt it was important to take him in through my eyes, not hers. And oh, that sadness†¦ that utter look of hopelessness. I couldn't stand it. I wanted to hold him, to tell him everything would be okay. I wanted to tell him I forgave him and that we'd make everything like it used to be. We could be together, just the way we planned†¦ The thought brought tears to my eyes, and left alone with my frustration and inactivity, I returned to my room and flounced onto the bed. Alone, I could finally let loose the sobs I'd been holding in since last night. I didn't even entirely know what I was crying for. The trauma and blood of the last day. My own broken heart. Dimitri's sorrow. The cruel circumstances that had ruined our lives. Really, there were a lot of choices. I stayed in my room for a good part of the day, lost in my own grief and restlessness. Over and over, I replayed Lissa's meeting with Dimitri, what he'd said and how he looked. I lost track of time, and it took a knock at the door to snap me out of my own suffocating emotions. Hastily rubbing an arm over my eyes, I opened the door to find Adrian standing out there. â€Å"Hey,† I said, a little surprised by his presence–not to mention guilty, considering I'd been moping over another guy. I wasn't ready to face Adrian yet, but it appeared I had no choice now. â€Å"Do you†¦ do you want to come in?† â€Å"Wish I could, little dhampir.† He seemed to be in a hurry, not like he'd come to have a relationship talk. â€Å"But this is just a drop-by visit to issue an invitation.† â€Å"Invitation?† I asked. My mind was still on Dimitri. Dimitri, Dimitri, Dimitri. â€Å"An invitation to a party.†