Monday, September 30, 2019

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 8 ADRENALINE

â€Å"OKAY, WHERE'S YOUR CLUTCH?† I pointed to the lever on my left handlebar. Letting go of the grip was a mistake. The heavy bike wobbled underneath me, threatening to knock me sidewise. I grabbed the handle again, trying to hold it straight. â€Å"Jacob, it won't stay up,† I complained. â€Å"It will when you're moving,† he promised. â€Å"Now where's your brake?† â€Å"Behind my right foot.† â€Å"Wrong.† He grabbed my right hand and curled my fingers around the lever over the throttle. â€Å"But you said† â€Å"This is the brake you want. Don't use the back brake now, that's for later, when you know what you're doing.† â€Å"That doesn't sound right,† I said suspiciously. â€Å"Aren't both brakes kind of important?† â€Å"Forget the back brake, okay? Here† He wrapped his hand around mine and made me squeeze the lever down. â€Å"That is how you brake. Don't forget.† He squeezed my hand another time. â€Å"Fine,† I agreed. â€Å"Throttle?† I twisted the right grip. â€Å"Gearshift?† I nudged it with my left calf. â€Å"Very good. I think you've got all the parts down. Now you just have to get itmoving.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† I muttered, afraid to say more. My stomach was contorting strangely and I thought my voice might crack. I was terrified. I tried to tell myself that the fear was pointless. I'd already lived through the worst thing possible. In comparison with that, why should anything frighten me now? I should be able to look death in the face and laugh. My stomach wasn't buying it. I stared down the long stretch of dirt road, bordered by thick misty green on every side. The road was sandy and damp. Better than mud. â€Å"I want you to hold down the clutch,† Jacob instructed. I wrapped my fingers around the clutch. â€Å"Now this is crucial, Bella,† Jacob stressed. â€Å"Don't let go of that, okay? I want you to pretend that I've handed you a live grenade. The pin is out and you are holding down the spoon.† I squeezed tighter. â€Å"Good. Do you think you can kick-start it?† â€Å"If I move my foot, I will fall over,† I told him through gritted teeth, my fingers tight around my live grenade. â€Å"Okay, I'll do it. Don't let go of the clutch.† He took a step back, and then suddenly slammed his foot down on the pedal. There was a short ripping noise, and the force of his thrust rocked the bike. I started to fall sideways, but Jake caught the bike before it knocked me to the ground. â€Å"Steady there,† he encouraged. â€Å"Do you still have the clutch?† â€Å"Yes,† I gasped. â€Å"Plant your feetI'm going to try again.† But he put his hand on the back of the seat, too, just to be safe. It took four more kicks before the ignition caught. I could feel the bike rumbling beneath me like an angry animal. I gripped the clutch until my fingers ached. â€Å"Try out the throttle,† he suggested. â€Å"Very lightly. And don't let go of the clutch.† Hesitantly, I twisted the right handle. Though the movement was tiny, the bike snarled beneath me. It sounded angry and hungry now. Jacob smiled in deep satisfaction. â€Å"Do you remember how to put it into first gear?† he asked. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Well, go ahead and do it.† â€Å"Okay.† He waited for a few seconds. â€Å"Left foot,† he prompted. â€Å"I know,† I said, taking a deep breath. â€Å"Are you sure you want to do this?† Jacob asked. â€Å"You look scared.† â€Å"I'm fine,† I snapped. I kicked the gearshift down one notch. â€Å"Very good,† he praised me. â€Å"Now, very gently, ease up on the clutch.† He took a step away from the bike. â€Å"You want me to let go of the grenade?† I asked in disbelief. No wonder he was moving back. â€Å"That's how you move, Bella. Just do it little by little.† As I began to loosen my grip, I was shocked to be interrupted by a voice that did not belong to the boy standing next to me. â€Å"This is reckless and childish and idiotic, Bella,† the velvet voice fumed. â€Å"Oh!† I gasped, and my hand fell off the clutch. The bike bucked under me, yanking me forward and then collapsing to the ground half on top of me. The growling engine choked to a stop. â€Å"Bella?† Jacob jerked the heavy bike off me with ease. â€Å"Are you hurt?† But I wasn't listening. â€Å"I told you so,† the perfect voice murmured, crystal clear. â€Å"Bella?† Jacob shook my shoulder. â€Å"I'm fine,† I mumbled, dazed. More than fine. The voice in my head was back. It still rang in my earssoft, velvety echoes. My mind ran swiftly through the possibilities. There was no familiarity hereon a road I'd never seen, doing something I'd never done beforeno deja vu So the hallucinations must be triggered by something else I felt the adrenaline coursing through my veins again, and I thought I had the answer. Some combination of adrenaline and danger, or maybe just stupidity. Jacob was pulling me to my feet. â€Å"Did you hit your head?† he asked. â€Å"I don't think so.† I shook it back and forth, checking. â€Å"I didn't hurt the bike, did I?† This thought worried me. I was anxious to try again, right away. Being reckless was paying off better than I'd thought. Forget cheating. Maybe I'd found a way to generate the hallucinationsthat was much more important. â€Å"No. You just stalled the engine,† Jacob said, interrupting my quick speculations. â€Å"You let go of the clutch too fast.† I nodded. â€Å"Let's try again.† â€Å"Are you sure?† Jacob asked. â€Å"Positive.† This time I tried to get the kick-start myself. It was complicated; I had to jump a little to slam down on the pedal with enough force, and every time I did that, the bike tried to knock me over. Jacob's hand hovered over the handlebars, ready to catch me if I needed him. It took several good tries, and even more poor tries, before the engine caught and roared to life under me. Remembering to hold on to the grenade, I revved the throttle experimentally. It snarled at the slightest touch. My smile mirrored Jacob's now. â€Å"Easy on the clutch,† he reminded me. â€Å"Do you want to kill yourself, then? Is that what this is about?† the other voice spoke again, his tone severe. I smiled tightlyit was still workingand ignored the questions. Jacob wasn't going to let anything serious happen to me. â€Å"Go home to Charlie,† the voice ordered. The sheer beauty of it amazed me. I couldn't allow my memory to lose it, no matter the price. â€Å"Ease off slowly,† Jacob encouraged me. â€Å"I will,† I said. It bothered me a bit when I realized I was answering both of them. The voice in my head growled against the roar of the motorcycle. Trying to focus this time, to not let the voice startle me again, I relaxed my hand by tiny degrees. Suddenly, the gear caught and wrenched me forward. And I was flying. There was wind that wasn't there before, blowing my skin against my skull and flinging my hair back behind me with enough force that it felt like someone was tugging on it. I'd left my stomach back at the starting point; the adrenaline coursed through my body, tingling in my veins. The trees raced past me, blurring into a wall of green. But this was only first gear. My foot itched toward the gearshift as I twisted for more gas. â€Å"No, Bella!† the angry, honey-sweet voice ordered in my ear. â€Å"Watch what you're doing!† It distracted me enough from the speed to realize that the road was starting a slow curve to the left, and I was still going straight. Jacob hadn't told me how to turn. â€Å"Brakes, brakes,† I muttered to myself, and I instinctively slammed down with my right foot, like I would in my truck. The bike was suddenly unstable underneath me, shivering first to one side and then the other. It was dragging me toward the green wall, and I was going too fast. I tried to turn the handlebar the other direction, and the sudden shift of my weight pushed the bike toward the ground, still spinning toward the trees. The motorcycle landed on top of me again, roaring loudly, pulling me across the wet sand until it hit something stationary. I couldn't see. My face was mashed into the moss. I tried to lift my head, but there was something in the way. I was dizzy and confused. It sounded like there were three things snarlingthe bike over me, the voice in my head, and something else â€Å"Bella!† Jacob yelled, and I heard the roar of the other bike cut off. The motorcycle no longer pinned me to the ground, and I rolled over to breathe. All the growling went silent. â€Å"Wow,† I murmured. I was thrilled. This had to be it, the recipe for a hallucinationadrenaline plus clanger plus stupidity. Something close to that, anyway. â€Å"Bella!† Jacob was crouching over me anxiously. â€Å"Bella, are you alive?† â€Å"I'm great!† I enthused. I flexed my arms and legs. Everything seemed to be working correctly. â€Å"Let's do itagain.† â€Å"I don't think so.† Jacob still sounded worried. â€Å"I think I'd better drive you to the hospital first.† â€Å"I'mfine.† â€Å"Um, Bella? You've got a huge cut on your forehead, and it's gushing blood,† he informed me. I clapped my hand over my head. Sure enough, it was wet and sticky. I could smell nothing but the damp moss on my face, and that held off the nausea. â€Å"Oh, I'm so sorry, Jacob.† I pushed hard against the gash, as if I could force the blood back inside my head. â€Å"Why are you apologizing for bleeding?† he wondered as he wrapped a long arm around my waist and pulled me to my feet. â€Å"Let's go. I'll drive.† He held out his hand for the keys. â€Å"What about the bikes?† I asked, handing them over. He thought for a second. â€Å"Wait here. And take this.† He pulled off his T-shirt, already spotted with blood, and threw it to me. I wadded it up and held it tightly to my forehead. I was starting to smell the blood; I breathed deeply through my mouth and tried to concentrate on something else. Jacob jumped on the black motorcycle, kicked it to a start in one try, and raced back down the road, spraying sand and pebbles behind him. He looked athletic and professional as he leaned over the handlebars, head low, face forward, his shiny hair whipping against the russet skin of his back. My eyes narrowed enviously. I was sure I hadn't looked like that on my motorcycle. I was surprised at how far I'd gone. I could barely see Jacob in the distance when he finally got to the truck. He threw the bike into the bed and sprinted to the driver's side. I really didn't feel bad at all as he coaxed my truck to a deafening roar in his hurry to get back to me. My head stung a little, and my stomach was uneasy, but the cut wasn't serious. Head wounds just bled more than most. His urgency wasn't necessary. Jacob left the truck running as he raced back to me, wrapping his arm around my waist again. â€Å"Okay, let's get you in the truck.† â€Å"I'm honestly fine,† I assured him as he helped me in. â€Å"Don't get worked up. It's just a little blood.† â€Å"Just a lot of blood,† I heard him mutter as he went back for my bike. â€Å"Now, let's think about this for a second,† I began when he got back in. â€Å"If you take me to the ER like this, Charlie is sure to hear about it.† I glanced down at the sand and dirt caked into my jeans. â€Å"Bella, I think you need stitches. I'm not going to let you bleed to death.† â€Å"I won't,† I promised. â€Å"Let's just take the bikes back first, and then we'll make a stop at my house so I can dispose of the evidence before we go to the hospital.† â€Å"What about Charlie?† â€Å"He said he had to work today.† â€Å"Are you really sure?† â€Å"Trust me. I'm an easy bleeder. It's not nearly as dire as it looks.† Jacob wasn't happyhis full mouth turned down in an uncharacteristic frownbut he didn't want to get me in trouble. I stared out the window, holding his ruined shirt to my head, while he drove me to Forks. The motorcycle was better than I'd dreamed. It had served its original purpose. I'd cheatedbroken my promise. I'd been needlessly reckless. I felt a little less pathetic now that the promises had been broken on both sides. And then to discover the key to the hallucinations! At least, I hoped I had. I was going to test the theory as soon as possible. Maybe they'd get through with me quickly in the ER, and I could try again tonight. Racing down the road like that had been amazing. The feel of the wind in my face, the speed and the freedom it reminded me of a past life, flying through the thick forest without a road, piggyback while he ranI stopped thinking right there, letting the memory break off in the sudden agony. I flinched. â€Å"You still okay?† Jacob checked. â€Å"Yeah.† I tried to sound as convincing as before. â€Å"By the way,† he added. â€Å"I'm going to disconnect your foot brake tonight.† At home, I went to look at myself in the mirror first thing; it was pretty gruesome. Blood was drying in thick streaks across my cheek and neck, matting in my muddy hair. I examined myself clinically, pretending the blood was paint so it wouldn't upset my stomach. I breathed through my mouth, and was fine. I washed up as well as I could. Then I hid my dirty, bloody clothes in the bottom of my laundry basket, putting on new jeans and a button-up shirt (that I didn't have to pull over my head) as carefully as I could. I managed to do this one-handed and keep both garments blood-free. â€Å"Hurry up,† Jacob called. â€Å"Okay, okay,† I shouted back. After making sure I left nothing incriminating behind me, I headed downstairs. â€Å"How do I look?† I asked him. â€Å"Better,† he admitted. â€Å"But do I look like I tripped in your garage and hit my head on a hammer?† â€Å"Sure, I guess so.† â€Å"Let's go then.† Jacob hurried me out the door, and insisted on driving again. We were halfway to the hospital when I realized he was still shirtless. I frowned guiltily. â€Å"We should have grabbed you a jacket.† â€Å"That would have given us away,† he teased. â€Å"Besides, it's not cold.† â€Å"Are you kidding?† I shivered and reached out to turn the heat on. I watched Jacob to see if he was just playing tough so I wouldn't worry, but he looked comfortable enough. He had one arm over the back of my seat, though I was huddled up to keep warm. Jacob really did look older than sixteennot quite forty, but maybe older than me. Quil didn't have too much on him in the muscle department, for all that Jacob claimed to be a skeleton. The muscles were the long wiry kind, but they were definitely there under the smooth skin. His skin was such a pretty color, it made me jealous. Jacob noticed my scrutiny. â€Å"What?† he asked, suddenly self-conscious. â€Å"Nothing. I just hadn't realized before. Did you know, you're sort of beautiful?† Once the words slipped out, I worried that he might take my impulsive observation the wrong way. But Jacob just rolled his eyes. â€Å"You hit your head pretty hard, didn't you?† â€Å"I'm serious.† â€Å"Well, then, thanks. Sort of.† I grinned. â€Å"You're sort of welcome.† I had to have seven stitches to c lose the cut on my forehead. After the sting of the local anesthetic, there was no pain in the procedure. Jacob held my hand while Dr. Snow was sewing, and I tried not to think about why that was ironic. We were at the hospital forever. By the time I was done, I had to drop Jacob off at his home and hurry back to cook dinner for Charlie. Charlie seemed to buy my story about falling in Jacob's garage. After all, it wasn't like I hadn't been able to land myself in the ER before with no more help than my own feet. This night was not as bad as that first night, after I'd heard the perfect voice in Port Angeles. The hole came back, the way it always did when I was away from Jacob, but it didn't throb so badly around the edges. I was already planning ahead, looking forward to more delusions, and that was a distraction. Also, I knew I would feel better tomorrow when I was with Jacob again. That made the empty hole and the familiar pain easier to bear; relief was in sight. The nightmare, too, had lost a little of its potency. I was horrified by the nothingness, as always, but I was also strangely impatient as I waited for the moment that would send me screaming into consciousness. I knew the nightmare had to end. The next Wednesday, before I could get home from the ER, Dr. Gerandy called to warn my father that I might possibly have a concussion and advised him to wake me up every two hours through the night to make sure it wasn't serious. Charlie's eyes narrowed suspiciously at my weak explanation about tripping again. â€Å"Maybe you should just stay out of the garage altogether, Bella,† he suggested that night during dinner. I panicked, worried that Charlie was about to lay down some kind of edict that would prohibit La Push, and consequently my motorcycle. And I wasn't giving it upI'd had the most amazing hallucination today. My velvet-voiced delusion had yelled at me for almost five minutes before I'd hit the brake too abruptly and launched myself into the tree. I'd take whatever pain that would cause me tonight without complaint. â€Å"This didn't happen in the garage,† I protested quickly. â€Å"We were hiking, and I tripped over a rock.† â€Å"Since when do you hike?† Charlie asked skeptically. â€Å"Working at Newton's was bound to rub off sometime,† I pointed out. â€Å"Spend every day selling all the virtues of the outdoors, eventually you get curious.† Charlie glared at me, unconvinced. â€Å"I'll be more careful,† I promised, surreptitiously crossing my fingers under the table. â€Å"I don't mind you hiking right there around La Push, but keep close to town, okay?† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Well, we've been getting a lot of wildlife complaints lately. The forestry department is going to check into it, but for the time being† â€Å"Oh, the big bear,† I said with sudden comprehension. â€Å"Yeah, some of the hikers coming through Newton's have seen it. Do you think there's really some giant mutated grizzly out there?† His forehead creased. â€Å"There's something. Keep it close to town, okay?† â€Å"Sure, sure,† I said quickly. He didn't look completely appeased. â€Å"Charlie's getting nosy,† I complained to Jacob when I picked him up after school Friday. â€Å"Maybe we should cool it with the bikes.† He saw my objecting expression and added, â€Å"At least for a week or so. You could stay out of the hospital for a week, right?† â€Å"What are we going to do?† I griped. He smiled cheerfully. â€Å"What ever you want.† I thought about that for a minuteabout what I wanted. I hated the idea of losing even my brief seconds of closeness with the memories that didn't hurtthe ones that came on their own, without me thinking of them consciously. If I couldn't have the bikes, I was going to have to find some other avenue to the danger and the adrenaline, and that was going to take serious thought and creativity. Doing nothing in the meantime was not appealing. Suppose I got depressed again, even with Jake? I had to keep occupied. Maybe there was some other way, some other recipe some other place. The house had been a mistake, certainly. But his presence must be stamped somewhere, somewhere other than inside me. There had to be a place where he seemed more real than among all the familiar landmarks that were crowded with other human memories. I could think of one place where that might hold true. One place that would always belong to him and no one else. A magic place, full of light. The beautiful meadow I'd seen only once in my life, lit by sunshine and the sparkle of his skin. This idea had a huge potential for backfiringit might be dangerously painful. My chest ached with emptiness even to think of it. It was hard to hold myself upright, to not give myself away. But surely, there of all places, I could hear his voice. And I'd already told Charlie I was hiking â€Å"What are you thinking about so hard?† Jacob asked. â€Å"Well† I began slowly. â€Å"I found this place in the forest onceI came across it when I was, um, hiking. A little meadow, the most beautiful place. I don't know if I could track it down again on my own. It would definitely take a few tries† â€Å"We could use a compass and a grid pattern,† Jacob said with confident helpfulness. â€Å"Do you know where you started from?† â€Å"Yes, just below the trailhead where the one-ten ends. I was going mostly south, I think.† â€Å"Cool. We'll find it.† As always, Jacob was game for anything I wanted. No matter how strange it was. So, Saturday afternoon, I tied on my new hiking bootspurchased that morning using my twenty-per-cent-off employee discount for the first timegrabbed my new topographical map of the Olympic Peninsula, and drove to La Push. We didn't get started immediately; first, Jacob sprawled across the living room floortaking up the whole roomand, for a full twenty minutes, drew a complicated web across the key section of the map while I perched on a kitchen chair and talked to Billy. Billy didn't seem at all concerned about our proposed hiking trip. I was surprised that Jacob had told him where we were going, given the fuss people were making about the bear sightings. I wanted to ask Billy not to say anything about this to Charlie, but I was afraid that making the request would cause the opposite result. â€Å"Maybe we'll see the super bear,† Jacob joked, eyes on his design. I glanced at Billy swiftly, fearing a Charlie-style reaction. But Billy just laughed at his son. â€Å"Maybe you should take a jar of honey, just in case.† Jake chuckled. â€Å"Hope your new boots are fast, Bella. One little jar isn't going to keep a hungry bear occupied for long.† â€Å"I only have to be faster than you.† â€Å"Good luck with that!† Jacob said, rolling his eyes as he refolded the map. â€Å"Let's go.† â€Å"Have fun,† Billy rumbled, wheeling himself toward the refrigerator. Charlie was not a hard person to live with, but it looked to me like Jacob had it even easier than I did. I drove to the very end of the dirt road, stopping near the sign that marked the beginning of the trailhead. It had been a long time since I'd been here, and my stomach reacted nervously. This might be a very bad thing. But it would be worth it, if I got to hear him. I got out and looked at the dense wall of green. â€Å"I went this way,† I murmured, pointing straight ahead. â€Å"Hmm,† Jake muttered. â€Å"What?† He looked at the direction I'd pointed, then at the clearly marked trail, and back. â€Å"I would have figured you for a trail kind of girl.† â€Å"Not me.† I smiled bleakly. â€Å"I'm a rebel.† He laughed, and then pulled out our map. â€Å"Give me a second.† He held the compass in a skilled way, twisting the map around till it angled the way he wanted. â€Å"Okayfirst line on the grid. Let's do it.† I could tell that I was slowing Jacob up, but he didn't complain. I tried not to dwell on my last trip through this part of the forest, with a very different companion. Normal memories were still cangerous. If I let myself slip up, I'd end up with my arms clutching my chest to hold it together, gasping for air, and how would I explain that to Jacob? It wasn't as hard as I would have thought to keep focused on the present. The forest looked a lot like any other part of the peninsula, and Jacob set a vastly different mood. He whistled cheerfully, an unfamiliar tune, swinging his arms and moving easily through the rough undergrowth. The shadows didn't seem as dark as usual. Not with my personal sun along. Jacob checked the compass every few minutes, keeping us in a straight line with one of the radiating spokes of his grid. He really looked like he knew what he was doing. I was going to compliment him, but I caught myself. No doubt he'd add another few years to his inflated age. My mind wandered as I walked, and I grew curious. I hadn't forgotten the conversation we'd had by the sea cliffsI'd been waiting for him to bring it up again, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. â€Å"Hey Jake?† I asked hesitantly. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"How are things with Embry? Is he back to normal yet?† Jacob was silent for a minute, still moving forward with long paces. When he was about ten feet ahead, he stopped to wait for me. â€Å"No. He's not back to normal,† Jacob said when I reached him, his mouth pulling down at the corners. He didn't start walking again. I immediately regretted bringing it up. â€Å"StillwithSam.† â€Å"Yup.† He put his arm around my shoulder, and he looked so troubled that I didn't playfully shake it off, as I might have otherwise. â€Å"Are they still looking at you funny?† I half-whispered. Jacob stared through the trees. â€Å"Sometimes.† â€Å"AndBilly?† â€Å"As helpful as ever,† he said in a sour, angry voice that disturbed me. â€Å"Our couch is always open,† I offered. He laughed, breaking out of the unnatural gloom. â€Å"But think of the position that would put Charlie inwhen Billy calls the police to report my kidnapping.† I laughed too, glad to have Jacob back to normal. We stopped when Jacob said we'd gone six miles, cut west for a short time, and headed back along another line of his grid. Everything looked exactly the same as the way in, and I had a feeling that my silly quest was pretty much doomed. I admitted as much when it started to get darker, the sunless day fading toward a starless night, but Jacob was more confident. â€Å"As long as you're sure we're starting from the right place† He glanced down at me. â€Å"Yes, I'm sure.† â€Å"Then we'll find it,† he promised, grabbing my hand and pulling me through a mass of ferns. On the other side was the truck. He gestured toward it proudly. â€Å"Trust me.† â€Å"You're good,† I admitted. â€Å"Next time we bring flashlights, though.† â€Å"We'll save hiking for Sundays from now on. I didn't know you were that slow.† I yanked my hand back and stomped around to the driver's side while he chuckled at my reaction. â€Å"So you up for another try tomorrow.'† he asked, sliding into the passenger seat. â€Å"Sure. Unless you want to go without me so I don't tie you down to my gimpy pace.† â€Å"I'll survive,† he assured me. â€Å"If we're hiking again, though, you might want to pick up some moleskin. I bet you can feel those new boots right now.† â€Å"A little,† I confessed. It felt like I had more blisters than I had space to fit them. â€Å"I hope we see the bear tomorrow. I'm sort of disappointed about that.† â€Å"Yes, me, too,† I agreed sarcastically. â€Å"Maybe we'll get lucky tomorrow and something will eat us!† â€Å"Bears don't want to eat people. We don't taste that good.† He grinned at me in the dark cab. â€Å"Of course, you might be an exception. I bet you'd taste good.† â€Å"Thanks so much,† I said, looking away. He wasn't the first person to tell me that.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Active Transport – Essay

Active transport: requires that a cell expend energy to move molecules across a membrane against the solute’s concentration gradient (the side where it is more concentrated) Feedback inhibition: Metabolic reaction is blocked by its products. A product acts as an inhibitor of one of the enzymes in the pathway to regulate metabolism. Centriole: a structure in an animal cell composed of microtubule triplets arranged in a 9+0 pattern. An animal usually has a pair of centrioles within each of its centrosomes. Chloroplasts: photosynthesizing organelles of all photosynthetic eukaryotes. Competitive inhibition: resembles the enzyme’s normal substrate and competes with the substrate for the active site on the enzyme. Countercurrent exchange: the transfer of a substance from a fluid or volume of air moving in one direction to another fluid or volume of air moving in the opposite direction Cytochrome system: The cytochrome system is found in the many cristae of mitochondria, which are tiny stalked particles found on its outer layer. Degradative: The reduction of a chemical Compound to one less complex, as by splitting off one or more groups. Degeneration Elucidate: to make clear Entropy: amount of disorder in a system Enzyme: protein that serves as a biological catalyst changing the rate of a chemical reaction without itself being changed into a different molecule in the process Enzyme Catalysis: lowers activation energy Exergonic reaction: reactions that yield products that are rich in potential energy. Energy is absorbed form the surroundings as the reaction. Energy is stored in the covalent bonds of the product molecules. Facilitated diffusion: Use of specific transport proteins to move substances down the concentration gradient. Type of passive transport, does not require energy. Rate depends on number of transport proteins. 1st law of Thermodynamics: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted. Glycocalyx: extracellular polymeric material (glycoprotein)[1] produced by some bacteria, epithelia and other cells. The slime on the outside of a fish is considered a glycocalyx Golgi apparatus: an organelle in eukaryotic cells consisting of stacks of membranous sacs that modify store and ship products of the endoplasmic reticulum. Spontaneous reactions: no input of net energy, release of energy. Hypertonic: a solution with a higher solute concentration than the cell Hypotonic: a solution with a solute concentration lower than that of the cell. Inhibitor: stop the binding of a substrate, competitively or noncompetitively, or through feedback-products. Isotonic: The solute concentration of a cell and the isotonic environment are equal. Light microscope: passes visible light through a specimen. Glass bends light to magnify image, living organism. 1000 times Lipid bilayer: fat molecules, hydrophilic heads face outward, exposed to water on both sides of the membrane. Hydrophilic heads point in, shielded from water. Selectively permeable polar or not. Lysosomes: contain digestive( hydrolytic) enzymes enclosed in a sack, break down things, recycling centers, damaged cells, destroys cells. Micrometer: 10-6 of a meter Microtubules: straight hollow tubes composed of globular proteins =called tubulins. Elongate by adding subunits consisting of tubulin pairs. Readily disassembled, provide rigidity and shape. Anchorage for organelles and as tracks for organelle movement within a cytoplasm. Mitochondria: Organelles that carry out cellular respiration in nearly al eukaryotic cells, convert the chemical energy of foods to chemical energy ATP: Mitochondrial density: The increase in mitochondrial density is associated with an increase in the duration one can perform endurance exercise and the ability to spare total body glycogen stores (Fittz et al. , 1975). Generally, more lipids are used to generate ATP as a result of the increased mitochondrial density in response to exercise Nucleolus (nucleoli): Building blocks of ribosomes and RBA messenger ribosomes to amino acid sequences in proteins. Oxidation (catalase): oxygen and other molecules, hydrogen peroxide is broken down with a catalase to create water and oxygen. Passive transport: the diffusion of a substance across a biological membrane. Oxygen, co2 in lungs. No energy needed. Peroxisomes: These are tiny circular membrane bound organelles containing a crystal core of enzymes (such as urate oxidase, peroxidase, D- amino oxidase and catalase, example- liver cells and kidney cells). These enzymes are required by peroxisomes in detoxification activity, i. . , in the metabolism or production of mitochondrial or cytosolic reactions. Peroxisomes are also related with beta- oxidation of fatty acids and thermogenesis like the mitochondria and also in degradation of the amino acids. Phagocytosis: â€Å"cellular eating: pinocytosis â€Å"cell drinking† Plasma membrane: individual proteins and phospholipid molecules can drift fluid. Tails in phospholipid, double bonds in unsaturated fatty acid tales-temperature. Surface has carbohydrates bonded to proteins and lipids in membrane. Cell identification, distinguish cells. Plasmodesmata: channels between adjacent plant cells, circulatory and communication system connecting the cell sin plant tissues. Receptor mediated endocytosis: highly specific, plasma membrane indents to form put lined with receptors that puck up particular molecule from surroundings, pinch to form vesicle. Ribosomes: cell organelle consisting of RNA and protein organized into two subunits and functioning as the site of protein synthesis in the cytoplasm. Scanning electron microscope: study detailed architecture of cell surfaces; surface hit with electrons deflects into device to video screen-three dimensional. Sugar vs pasta 8 micrometers Smoother er: network of interconnected tubules-synthesis of lipid, process drugs, detox enzymes-build resistance, stores calcium ions for contraction. Sodium potassium pump: sodium binds to pump, becomes phosphorylated cost of ATp conforms, translocate sodium ions across membrane, low affinity for sodium ions, diffuse. New conforms high affinity for potassium- bound dissociated and reforms to original formation. Transmission electron microscope: used to study the details of internal cell structure-laced with gold, electron beam electromagnets as lenses, bends beam magnify and focus. In the mitochondrial matrix in the mitochondria, cristae increase surface area- better atp production compartmentalization. Light, sun All in eukaryotic cells Ribosomes and centrioles

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Post Freudian theorists and their theories Essay

As indicated earlier, key personality developmental theories that were developed after Freud’s psychoanalytic theory were either directly derived of it or aimed at criticizing some of its major components. a) Erik Erickson i) Stages of development Barbara (2008) and Lieberman (2007) agree that the work of Eric Erickson was a direct derivative of Freudian considerations in human development. Eric Erickson theory of psychosocial development concurred with Freudian view that life, development and challenges develop in stages. Psychosocial theory further builds the notion of the ‘ego’ which was largely brought out by Freud as external reality inculcation to one’s mind. Particularly, the stages of Erickson psychosocial development strongly cohere with Sigmund’s work. Clara et al (2008) explain that stage one of Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development is reflected through ‘trust versus mistrust’ largely because the child is entirely dependent on the caregivers. Like Freud mentioned the pleasure a child derives from oral stimulation, Erickson emphasized on the resulting intimacy as a platform in propelling the child to the next stages. Therefore, Erickson’s first stage borrows the concept of external environment in creating enough force for the next stage. In the second stage of psychosocial development, Erickson equally borrows from Freud’s ‘anal stage’ which is a critical training factor. Nelson-Jones (2005) explains that from a higher consideration, Erickson argued that learning to go to the toilet gave a strong sense of control and therefore great independence. As Freud clearly brought out the notion of the ego, Erickson’s third stage of initiative versus guilt emphasizes the assertion of power and control which plays an important role in the later stages development. Erickson indicated that many children seek to assert their superiority among others but with careful considerations of the existing repercussions (Marrie and Janneke-van, 2007). Notably, Erickson agrees with Freud that parents and caretakers must step in to facilitate the needed reassurance and therefore avoid guilt to their young ones. It is however worth noting that Erickson strongly differed with Freud on how long development persists in an individual’s life. While Freud postulated that personality development only lasted to the genital stage when an individual starts getting interested in sexual relationship with those of the opposite sex, Erickson postulated that developed progressed to the old age (Busch, 2009). However, scholars appear to be strongly divided with one group considering the latter Erickson’s work to be based on criticism of the Freud’s work and therefore its advancement (Barbara, 2008). ii) The notion of fixation One resilient notion of Freud’s work is the notion of succession between different stages. Though they do not necessary cohere on time and expected repercussions, both theorists agree that people at different stages must go through them successfully or get fixated (Hayes, 2004). Fixation as Henry (2009) point out denotes the inability to progress since latter stages are entirely dependent on the previous stages success. Erickson argued that all stages present an individual with two negating outcomes; positive and negative. For example between year five to eleven, Erickson indicated that a successful individual will become industrious while the unsuccessful ones will suffer inferiority (Laura and Pam, 2007). b) Lacanian theory In his work, largely referred to as the return of Freud, Emile Lacan’s concepts appear to be fully defined by the former (Adam, 2008). Though Lacan strongly criticized the Freud’s separation of the conscious (ego) and unconscious (id), he largely employed the same concepts in his work. Lacan argued that the conscious and unconscious considerations of the mind were not different, but operated from a highly sophisticated and complex outline compared to Freud’s consideration. Locan mirror as Brickman (2009) and Gottdiener (2008) conclusions suggest is formative and a derivative of the experience an individual gets during development. Therefore, the paradigm of the imagery to be effective during the younger years as opposed to the old age which is more subjective fits the Freudian connotation of development persisting only to the genital stage.

Friday, September 27, 2019

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven Covey Essay

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven Covey - Essay Example Unlike the former ethics, character ethics guarantees long term success that is able to withstand further pressure from the world. Essentially, this chapter presents that life-long success begins by first working on the â€Å"inside† part of self which include one’s paradigms, character and motives. The inside-out approach submits that private victories come before public victories, and that making and accomplishing promises to oneself precedes making and accomplishing promises to others. Also, the chapter asserts that perception of the world is based on how one conditions themselves to see it. In order to illustrate this, Covey uses a popular optical illusion that can be interpreted as either a beautiful young lady or an old and ugly woman. Using the case of Harvard Business School where half of the participants were set to see the young lady and the other half were set to see the old woman, Covey insists that people act basing on how they see the world rather than how the world actually is. This illustration simply adds weight to inside out approach to life where change begins by changing oneself rather than the world or

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Spanish Expulsion in 1942 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Spanish Expulsion in 1942 - Research Paper Example This paper will discuss the steps taken how the Spanish Kingdom became a Catholic State and how the Jews were formally eradicated from the territory. To conclude the report will show that knowledge is needed to integrate a country. By 1492, Spain was a catholic despot monarchy. Muslim control had been eradicated. Jews and Muslims were being more and more persecuted. Though Catholicism was the only religion, there was a sense of old school and new school or the newly converted Catholics. The "conversos" were no longer believed and put into the same category as the Jews. (The Inquisition) It was a political move on behalf of the Queen to eliminate the "conversos" rather than work to assimilate them as they represented a new wave of political and scientific thinking. (The Inquisition) In 1481, Queen Isabella had requested from the Roman Catholic Church, the authority to start a Spanish Inquisition where the monarchy would have total control over the Spanish Church. Other Inquisitions ha d been directly controlled by the Roman Church. Her motivation was both political, religious and power hungry. The Jews and those "Conversos" were influencing Catholics.(The Inquisition) It wouldn't be until 1483, when General Inquisitor Tomas de Torquemada was appointed. (Thomsett 149) There were still Muslim centres all over the Kingdom. When the Edict of Alhambra was read, the Muslims no longer had the same protection as they did under the Treaty of Grenada. Grenada was the last stronghold of Moorish control of the Iberian Peninsula. The Ottoman Empire had sent soldiers to fight but the Christian soldiers after 700 years of fighting won. At the end of 1491, a Treaty was drawn and Muslims and other refugees were taken to North Africa. The "Reconquista" was declared finished the 2nd of January 1492. (Thormett 127) The Treaty of 1492 was signed. The Muslims and the Jews had always lived in Spanish territory in relative harmony. The terms stated that Jews and Muslims would have certa in protections. Spain had been known for centuries as a State country where religions could exist side by side. Map of the Iberian Peninsula, 1270–1492, showing the kingdoms of Portugal, Castile, Navarre, Granada, Aragon, and Majorca. March 31rst 1492 the Edict of Expulsion or the Edict of Alhambra was signed The six decrees can be resumed into the following (The Edict n.d.) i) to all Jews ii) to those Christians who practiced Judaism and went into Jewish ghettos in 1488; to those who have been drawn into Judaism or communicated with Jews as told by the people of the Inquisition; to those who have been circumcised and who have continued studying and praying†¦. iii) punishment is to forbid them to live within the kingdom iv) all Jews of all ages must leave the kingdom by the end of July 1492 under the penalty of death v) they must sell or get rid of all their worldly possessions under the protection of the government until the end of July.. They will not take any gold or silver or anything of value. vi) any Jew who disagrees will be brought before the courts. the edict will be in all public areas to be read

Case blue nile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case blue nile - Essay Example SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis deals with examining the internal and external factors impacting the actions and performance of the organization. While strengths and weaknesses can be identified by scrutinizing the internal factors, opportunities and threats are revealed by investigating the various macro environmental aspects like political, social, economic, legal and environmental forces. The biggest strength of Blue Nile is its ability to keep its costs under control. The company has a vast array of products in its repertoire and thus provides its customers a wide choice. It has an economical supply chain, a lean hierarchy and does not give any mark up to the wholesalers and retailers. All these aspects help Blue Nile to keep its operating costs low. The online retailer boasts of exceptional customer service. Blue Nile provides grading reports on its website that enables customers to purchase just the ‘right kind’ of jewelry. Every diamond marketed by Blue Nile is graded either by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or by the American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL). Blue Nile also maintains favorable relations with its suppliers. The company has managed to ink pacts with numerous suppliers and therefore is not dependent on one particular supplier for the purchase of diamonds. Blue Nile offers its customers more than 60, 000 diamonds and hundreds of settings. However, the company derives majority of its revenue from the sale of engagement rings. The company has not been able to chalk out a strategy to increase the percentage of consumers to buy jewelry items online. Another weakness is that the company’s net profit margin at 4.2 percent is very low especially when compared to the net profit margin of 9.8 percent at Tiffany. Blue Nile provides ‘trust, guidance and value’ to its customers. These features are now being provided by its competitors as well. If

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Memory Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Memory Management - Essay Example The partitioning that is done in memory for its allocation can be fixed. There are two possible methods whereby which queues may be used to bring processes into the memory for execution. The first method is by using a single queue and the second method I by using multiple queues as shown in the fig. 1. Figure 1 Fixed memory Partitioning. Using multiple queues Using Single Queue Mechanism The first available memory location that is large enough to hold the process is allocated All processes get lined up into a single queue. The partition closest to the process that can hold it is assigned to that process. Advantages Load is balanced. Arrived processes are transferred evenly into all memory partitions. As soon as a memory partition gets free it is assigned to a waiting process. The allocation process is very quick. The allocation process does not waste memory space. Disadvantages Any memory size that may be more than the size of the process gets lost. Moreover the queues of small parti tions are often lined up with several processes while those with larger partitions are often left untouched. The drawback is that even though large sizes of memory are free small processes are not allocated that memory and they stay lined up in the queues of smaller memory sized partitions waiting for their turn to come. A large partition may be wasted on a small job resulting in loss of large amounts of memory. Unbalanced load. Some queues may be empty while others are fully loaded. 2. What is the swapping technique? Why is it needed for multiprogramming environment? Swapping generally means interchanging the contents of two different spaces using a third temporary empty content space. Swapping is used as a memory management technique for multiprogramming environment. For a program to execute it is mandatory to acquire physical memory or main/primary memory. In a uni-processor environment multiple programs can simultaneously be executed by overlapping an I/O of a program with the e xecution of another program. Due to the limited size of physical memory it is very difficult to accommodate all of the required programs in main memory. To accommodate new programs currently running programs are swapped out on the basis of their activity status. For example when a program asks for data from secondary storage, it has to wait for complete input. Meanwhile due to Direct Memory Access the CPU remains available for other programs. The operating system thus swaps out the waiting program with the one that needs to be executed with the CPU. Upon completion of data transfer the earlier program is invoked and swapped into the memory again. This is how swapping works for multiprogramming environment. 3. Discuss the main function(s) of each of the following operating system parts: a) Memory management Unit The Memory Management Unit is said to serve as a buffering agent between the Central Processing Unit and the memory of the system. The functions that are performed by this un it may roughly be categorized into three categories. These are: 1. Operating System Memory Management, 2. Hardware Memory Management and 3. Application Memory Management. Specifically speaking, it translates address from their virtual address format into their physical address format. b) Linker â€Å"Performs the function of linking the libraries to the object code in order to transform the object code into an executable machine.† (cool interview, 2012).

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Extemporaanous Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Extemporaanous Writing - Essay Example Should you approach it from all these angles, you will be effectively undermining the very notion of competitive advantage, that is, the unique advantage which each market/economy, has over others. Therefore, in order to guide you towards your decision, I will begin by highlighting China’s competitive advantages Just as I strongly recommend your entering the Chinese market as a manufacturer and exporter, I would similarly urge you not to consider importing to the Chinese market. At the present moment that would be a losing venture for the following reasons: The current state of the Chinese market is such that it is receptive to export but not to import. Added to that, the competitive advantages of the Chinese market lie in manufacturing and export but not in import and consumerism. In our meeting I was given to understand that you have been working in marble for the past three decades and that it is your family business. As you said, however, your quarries are rapidly depleting and the cost of production is continually escalating. Therefore, while the demand for marble remains high, the cost of production is cutting into your profit margins at an ever increasing rate. The solution to your problem lies in China. The country has a wealth of productive, high quality marble and rock quarries. Given that they are scattered across the vast geographical expanse which is China, this means that there is a wide variety of different types and designs. As you know, the design and color of marble derives from the nature of the quarries, the land, itself. When quarries are spread over a vast expanse, this means that the terrain itself, therefore, the type and design of the marble itself, differs. The implication here is, as you must have deduced by now, is that the country is not just a rich source of fine grain, high quality marble but, of different

Monday, September 23, 2019

Satan and Dr. Faustus, overreachers in their own different ways Term Paper

Satan and Dr. Faustus, overreachers in their own different ways - Term Paper Example In Paradise Lost, it is seen that Satan had to exercise his own will, and this was in contrary to the will of God, â€Å"thou against his thy will/ chose freely† (Eliot, 8). All creatures of God who fall in Paradise Lost are â€Å"sufficient to have stood, though free to fall (Fluchereand Henri, 32). Festus  a man, who is brilliant, tends to have reached the natural knowledge limits. He is an early sixteenth century scholar in Wittenburg, the German city (Gregg, 5). He is fiery, arrogant and has a thirst for knowledge. Faustus as an intellectual, who is familiar with issues such as demon astrology and summoning that is usually not taken to be an academic subjects by the current universities. It is seen that Faustus makes a decision of selling his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and earthly power as well as 24 years as an additional life (Sachs and Ariel, 31). He goes on to waste his time on low tricks and self-indulgence. Faustus is seen to be the key character in the play, which consists of few characters that are seen to be truly developed. From the Hebrew, destroyer, mephitz and liar, tophel, Cunning and Craft devil. He is the devil who appears at the summoning of Faustus', as well as the devil that has the role of serving Faustus for a period of 24 years. In Mephostophilis, also referred to as Miphostophiles or Mephistopheles, as well as Mephisto, tends to be a latecomer in the recognized demons’ hierarchy. He was created possibly for the legend, Faustus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the play of Marlowe, Mephostophilis is seen to have layers to his own personality. He broadly admits that ‘‘separation from God is anguish,’’ and is capable of pain and fear. But he is known to be a gleefully evil, who participates at every level in the destruction Faustus. Not only does Mephostophilis influence Faustus to go on to sell his soul; but he as well encourages him to waste his 24 years of power. It is also seen that the Servant to Faustus steals the books of Faustus and learns how he can summon demons. He tends to be concerned about the fate of his master at the end of the play. Inner turmoil of Faustus suggests contradicting advice to him at major points. Their characters as well reflect the belief of Christian that humans have been assigned guardian angels, and in this context, the devil has the capacity of influencing the human thoughts. Satan. "Lucifer" original known as Venus, refers to the brilliance of the planet. In Christian context, Lucifer is sometimes believed to be another name of Satan. Some traditions believe that Lucifer was the name of Satan before the fall, while the Catholic Church Fathers held that Lucifer was not the proper name of Satan but instead a word indicating a the beauty and brilliance of his station before the fall. He appears at a few choice moments in Doctor Faustus, and Marlowe uses "Lucifer" as Satan's proper name (Weil, Judith and Marlowe, 14). Satan broadly admi ts that God created him, and he was seen denying this at other occasions, and he never rebelled due to God was unjust, but because his ambition caused him to desire to overreach his place. More so, he is seen to admit that he was at will in choosing that his pride forbids him to repent. Furthermore, if he might repent, later his ambition might again result to a rebellion as well as

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Compare Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The poor relation Essay Example for Free

Compare Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The poor relation Essay In this assignment I am going to write about the differences and similarities of two shot stories. The first story I am writing about is called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty it was written in the late1930s by the author James Thurber. The second story is called The Poor Relations Story it was written around 1850 by Charles Dickens. The connections between the two stories are that they are both short but also they have the same topic. They are both about escapists, people who dream. The first story called The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is about a man called Mitty, and it follows him through a normal day. I get the impression that he is in his mid-fifties because his wife has to tell him to get a check up and that he is no longer a young man. He does not work and as no real skills, actually he is quite a pathetic man that spends his days running around after his dominant wife. Mitty has a special difficulty in mechanical maintenance and in most of his dreams he fantasises about being an expert in complicated machinery i.e. operating theatre machinery and jet planes. Even when his wife asked him to put snow chains on the car he got it wrong and she now makes him take it to the garage. I think Mitty is a very light headed man and never really got anywhere in life because other people just pushed him aside. For example when his wife tells him to put his gloves on he does not argue or answer back but puts them straight on although he does not want to. In the space of a couple of hours in which the story is set Mitty slips in and out of reality and fantasy and the dreams always seem to have a connection with something he passes in the street or remembers. Like when he passes the hospital he goes into a dream about being a specialists doctor that saves the life of an important millionaire banker. That shows how easily he can just forget where he is or what he is doing. Walter Mittys wife is a very domineering person and seems to have a lot of control over Mitty I have been looking all over this hotel for you, why do you have to hide in this old chair, how do you expect me to find you. I think Mitty is a very privet person, as he does not talk much, only a few lines to his wife are said. His wife treats him like a little child that is totally dependant on other people, she has to tell him to put on his gloves, buy overshoes and get a check up. She doesnt trust him anymore to do the simplest procedure as to put snow chains on the tyres that she tells him to go to the garage. This is a humiliating experience for Mitty because when he drops the car off the other men at the garage laugh at him, he says that Ill wear my right arm in a sling next time; they wont grin at me then. He obviously knows that people are laughing and mocking him but cant do much about it. Just walking down the street can be ill fated for Mitty as he slips in to a daydream and starts talking to him self. Puppy biscuits That man said Puppy biscuits. I think you could call Mitty unlucky and accident-prone by all the minor incidents that take place in this short story. They are mainly to do with his day dreaming which keep him very interested and away from reality. They seem to make up for the lack of excitement or human attention that he gets. In all of his fantasise he is the hero of the situation and praise is all around him. The first dream is about him being a pilot of a naval hydroplane, he is in control and he seems to save the day some how. That is the opening of the story and we do not know it is a dream until he is interrupted by his wife telling him to slow down. The second dream is about him being an expert doctor and d saving the day by fixing the operating machine simply with his fountain pen and then saving the life of some important millionaire. The third dream is in a courtroom and Mitty is on trial for shooting somebody, apparently he can shoot any gun from a distance with both hands and still be on target. The forth dream is set in the heart of a vigorous war and Mitty offers to fly a two-manned plane alone, people are trying to stop him but his wants to save the day. The fifth dream is at the end of the story and its Mitty getting executed by a firing squad. He takes a long pull of his cigar and dies with honour. I Everything in Mittys dreams seem to be what he wants to be like but never will. In four of the dreams it describes how he is good at machines which in real life is far from the truth. He comes across as being healthy and macho but in real life he needs a doctors check up and cant even put on snow chains. As a hero he is obviously respected and looked up to by fellow companions but also women. In one fantasy a lovely dark haired girl comes running into his arms which of course in the real world would never happen. The only woman that would look at Mitty in such a way is his wife, and she is restricting, bossy and annoying. In Mittys dreams though he can do what he wants and there is no one to restricted him. Sometimes when Mitty dreams he starts believing in them and acts them out in real life. Like at the beginning of the story when he dreams of being a naval pilot he starts speeding in his car and his wife has to tell him to slow down. And at the end of the story when he waiting for his wife to come out of the drug store he believes that he is standing in front of the firing squad. He stood up against the wall of the drugstore, smoking Mitty acts like a little child playing make believe games and a I think that is what other people treat him. Especially with the name Mitty you cant take him too seriously. Write more about how much he believes in them The second short story called The Poor Relation it is similar to the Walter Mitty story in such a way that they are both about escapists but it is still very different story. The Poor Relation is set at a Family Christmas Party where the poor relation (Michael) tells the other guest two very different stories about his way of living. The first story that Michael portrays to the family members is a description of what he thinks the rest of the family thinks of him. Perhaps before I go any further, I had better glance at what I am supposed to be. This first story is very negative about Michaels way of life and he tells the other guests at how pathetic and useless he is. That I failed in in business because I was unbusiness likeThat I failed in love, because. He goes on to relate a normal day for him and describes where he lives, both of which have not much happiness in them. The only shred of contentment or worth while belonging for Michael is his little second cousin Frank. Little Frank and I go and look at the outside of the monument -he is very fond of the monument- and the bridges. When he dies, he says that the only item worth anything to him is a picture of him as a small boy. This he wants given to Frank along with a small message of which he tells how sorry he is for leaving him. He finishes that description of his life on a sour note by saying I failed to find a place in this great assembly, I am better of out of it. Quickly after finishing that story he clears his throat and starts to speak louder. Such is the general impression about me. Now, it is a remarkable circumstance which forms aim and purpose to my story, that this is all wrong. He starts to tell the probably slightly shocked guests, of how this first explanation of his life was a fad, totally unreal. This second story has much more life to it and tells how he once lived with his cold mean but rich uncle in a castle. He used to come down each morning in the freezing cold to be greeted with the same breakfast in the long stone room. When his uncle Chill died Michael automatically inherited his wealth and castle, but Michael fell in love with someone who his uncle disagreed of. His uncle tells him that no longer is he initialled to his money if he marries Christina, so Michael leaves his uncle with his new wife and they start a happy life together. He describes of how where he lives now he does not know what loneliness is, as all his children or grand children are always about, and Little Frank regularly visits. As it turns out this second story is a total lie and the first story that we were told is the truth. Michael is the kind of person that could be lead in the wrong direction easily because all his misfortunes are the result of other people letting him down, so he is easily taken advantage of. That I failed in love, because I was ridiculously trustful- in thinking it impossible that Christina could deceive me. What makes Michael a loser or inadequate in some ways is the loss in his life. At the moment he is fifty-nine years old and is living in a small room that he must evacuate during the day. He survives on a small allowance that John the party host generously gives him. The three main things that turned his life was the loss of his inheritance from his uncle, which was due to him falling in love with Christina who only wanted him for his money. And the loss of his business. That shows how most people treat him, no one seems to have much time for him Sometimes one of my relations or acquaintance is so obliging as t ask me to dinner. Those are on holiday occasions. Out of the whole year he is only invited to dinner about twice or three times. His family know that he is poor, and at holiday time they probably feel that they have to ask him, it is not about wanting him to come. Unlike Mitty I think that Michaels misfortune is mainly his own fault, he cant see deeper than appearance and doesnt know what people think of him, thats how Christina took advantage of him and he cannot see that his relations dont really want him about. Michael dream life is a description of how he would like his real life to be because everything that has gone wrong for him is perfect in his dream. . I think he now realises why so many things went wrong for him but realises that it is a bit late in is life for much to go write in the way that he talks about dying.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Borrelia Burgdorferi and Lyme Disease

Borrelia Burgdorferi and Lyme Disease Megan Eifert   Background The helical shaped pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi is a member of spirochete bacterium that is best known as the causative agent of Lyme disease. Belonging to the phylum Spirochaetes, these bacteria are characterized by a lipid bilayer known as the outer membrane sheath, as well as an inner space between a long cylindrical protoplasm and outer membrane sheath referred to as the periplasm (Metapathogen, 2012). Genus Borrelia comes from the French bacteriologist Amedee Borrel who identified a set of organisms that caused tick-borne and louse-borne relapsing fever in humans and animals (Metapathogen, 2012). Specific to the group Borrelia burgdorferi typically only 1 ÃŽÂ ¼m wide but up to 25 ÃŽÂ ¼m long, a unique characteristic of wavelike bodies and flagella are bound between the inner and other cell membranes, proving to be vital in the success of these bacteria. This feature is especially important to defining the highly invasive classification of these bacteria by allowing the pa thogen to travel effectively through tissue of its infected host (Burke, 2005). Similarly an important feature of B. burgdorferi are their outer surface proteins that have been researched to play a large role in the transmission of the pathogen as well as been the focus of those working on producing an effective vaccine against it (Burke, 2005). Metabolic capabilities are limited in these bacteria and therefore gaining energy is a task relied upon the hosts in which B. burgdorferi infect. With an optimal growth condition at 32 ° C in a low oxygen environment, even the best conditions demonstrate a slow generation time of between 12 to 24 hours (Tilly, 2008). Using glucose and carbohydrates as their main energy source, their genome has been identified to encode transport proteins such as ABC transporters and enzymes that are utilized in the phosphotransferase system and others similar that have the ability to gather compounds from both host or environment (Burke, 2005). Without the capability to produce energy from the TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation or an electron transport train, B. burgdorferi utilizes substrate-level phosphorylation to produce ATP within the cell necessary for these bacteria to remain successful (Rosa, 2005). There are three species of B. burgdorferi that have been identified in causing most cases of human disease. With a natural reservoir found to be a variety of small mammals, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii, and B. afzelii are the typical strains identified in almost all cases of clinical disease. Specific to the United States, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto is the only species clinically associated with human disease whereas all three species have been found in Europe, and B. garinii and B. afzelii have both been identified in Asia (Metapathogen, 2012). Clinical Significance Although infection within natural hosts does not regularly cause disease, Borrelia burgdorferi is a tick-borne obligate pathogen that when infection occurs in humans can elicit the human immune-patholgical response and cause Lyme disease (Borrelia, 2007). Dr. Alan Steere and his team first clinically identified Lyme disease in 1977 as an infectious illness that continues to be the leading vector-borne disease in the United States (Borrelia, 2007). Through research of geographic regions with a surge of patients exhibiting seasonal occurrence of similar symptoms, Dr. Steere hypothesized the epidemiology of Lyme disease suggested transmission of the pathogen was occurring through an arthropod vector. Following the lead of Dr. Steere, a Dr. Willy Burgdorfer began to study a group of spirochetes found and collected from midgut tissues of ticks native to areas relative to the Lyme disease outbreaks. The bacteria isolated continuously produced a skin rash similar to erythema migrans when te sted on rabbits within a laboratory setting and samples from Lyme disease patients reacted with the bacteria when used in indirect immunofluorescence assays (WI, 2011). As a consequence of these observations, this set of organisms was first given their now recognizable name, Borrelia burgdorferi. Clinical manifestations of Lyme disease vary upon the species identified as the causative agent however; many common symptoms and features are shared across all cases of disease. According to reports from Mayo Clinic, most often the first symptoms described include an erythema migrans rash often in the shape of a bulls-eye at the site of the bite, accompanied by symptoms that most resemble an influenza-like infection (Lyme, 2015). Once patients exhibit these skin lesions, non-specific symptoms such as headaches, generalized lymphadenopathy, generalized lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly, migratory musculoskeletal pain, hepatitis, sore throat, non-productive cough, conjunctivitis or periorbital edema may arise, causing in most cases the discomfort associated with a diagnosis of Lyme disease (Lyme, 2015). Specific to most cases identified in the United States by the B. burgdorferi, arthritis is one of the main associated symptoms that patients struggle with. When infection persists to stage 2 after a few weeks, Mayo Clinic sources indicate about 15% of patients develop neurological deficits and abnormalities such as meningitis, encephalitis, cranial neuritis (including bilateral facial palsy), motor or sensory radiculoneuritis, mononeuritis multiplex, or myelitis (Lyme, 2015). Once neurological problems begin, patients can develop cardiac complications as well while continuing to experience a high amount of musculoskeletal pains throughout the body. When symptoms of Lyme disease persist beyond the typical treatment time, chronic Lyme disease can set in and patients experience post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome resulting from weakened immunity, systemic bacterial infection and inhibited cellular function and protection (Transmission, 2015). Over two-thirds of patients diagnosed with Lyme disease by infection of B. burgdorferi will develop chronic neurologic or skin involvement and non-specific arthritis. Symptoms characteristic of chron ic fatigue syndrome have been described as lasting for years following infection, proving infection with this bacterium can live in harmony within its human host making it a successful pathogen. According to the CDC, Lyme disease affects approximately 60,000 people worldwide per year however; mortality caused by the pathogen remains low at only 114 deaths reported from the disease in the United States between 1999-2003 (Transmission, 2015). Lyme disease can be accompanied by a wide variety of systemic involvement with varying clinical manifestations dependent on the stage of disease identified making both the course of illness and treatment inconsistent between patients. Borrelia burgdorferi elicits a variety of strategies in order to penetrate the immune systems of its hosts in hopes to successfully remain a viable bacterium. Inducing both the innate and adaptive immune responses, the bacteria have adapted to their reservoir hosts causing ineffectiveness of immunity to clear the bacteria out of the system entirely. Prior to activation, cleaved complement molecules form on the surface of the bacteria to help promote bacteriolysis while negatively regulating the complement system through various regulators to avoid host tissue damage (Tilly, 2008). With the goal of inhibiting the complement system, B. burgdorferi utilize outer surface proteins hosted on their outer membranes to bind complement regulators in order to successfully inhibit the complement system and its killing response. With the complement system inhibited, the bacteria are able to better survive within the blood stream and thus promoting further disease manifestations (Tilly, 2008). Vaccination for Lyme disease is a concept of both the publics past and future but not present. Administered in three doses, the first and only of its kind a vaccine against Lyme disease was licensed in 1998 by SmithKline Beecham (Poland, 2011). The vaccine in theory was to stimulate antibodies that would attack B. burgdorferi within the vectors gut as it fed on its human host, thus preventing the bacteria to enter the body and showed to be 78% effective following all doses completion (Poland, 2011). In 2002 the company producing the vaccine had removed it from the market and ever since a similar vaccine to protect humans against Lyme disease has not been re-introduced to the public. Diagnostic and Treatment Diagnosis of Lyme disease can be difficult due to the various nonspecific signs and symptoms associated with not only infection by Borrelia burgdorferi, but characteristic of many similar diseases. Typically the rash characteristic of Lyme disease in an area known to host ticks that transmit the disease does not warrant further testing for a diagnosis. Most often used to provide a more definitive Lyme disease diagnosis is the use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test. ELISA detects Lyme disease by identifying antibodies to its causative pathogen, although this test may provide false-positives or negatives even when the bacteria is present due to the stage the disease is in (Borrelia, 2007). If an ELISA test proves positive, Western blot tests are used to confirm infection of B. burgdorferi, which identify antibodies against multiple proteins characteristic of the pathogen (Lyme, 2015). Several therapeutics are used to treat patients infected with Lyme disease and as with most disease treatments the sooner treatment is able to begin, the better and sooner recovery is achievable. Oral antibiotics are used as the first line of standard treatment with an early-stage diagnosis of Lyme disease. With a 14 to 21 day regimen, antibiotics prescribed according to Mayo Clinic typically include doxycycline for adults and children older than 8, or amoxicillin or cefuroxime for adults, younger children, and pregnant or breast-feeding women (Lyme, 2015). Oral antibiotics are used most often to treat skin rashes and influenza-like symptoms associated with the first stages of Lyme disease. Intravenous antibiotics may be employed for treatment if the disease has involved the central nervous system and this method of treatment has been shown to be effective in eliminating the infection but not without lingering symptoms according to the CDC. When chronic Lyme disease or post treatment Lyme disease syndrome is suspected, antibiotics are not effective in treating symptoms or the disease, and effective treatments remain unknown once the disease has progressed on. Although much research is unavailable, many living with chronic Lyme disease explain turning to natural remedies as treatment such as dietary suggestions to help increase immune function or adding supplements to help improve cell structure and function to help alleviate symptoms (Borrelia, 2007). References Borrelia burgdorferi. (2007). Retrieved March 25, 2017, from http://www.lymeneteurope.org/info/borrelia-burgdorferi Burke G, Wikel SK, Spielman A, Telford SR, McKay K, Krause PJ, et al. Hypersensitivity to Ticks and Lyme Disease Risk. Emerging Infectious Disease. 2005 Jan. Volume 11(1), p. 36-41. Lyme disease. (2015). Retrieved March 25, 2017, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme- disease/basics/definition/CON-20019701 MetaPathogen.com/Borrelia burgdorferi. (2012). Retrieved March 25, 2017, from http://www.metapathogen.com/borrelia/ Poland GA. Vaccines against Lyme Disease: what happened and what lessons can we learn? Clin Infect Dis. (2011) 52 (suppl 3): s253-s258. Retrieved March 25,2017. Rosa, PA., Tilly, K., and Steward, PE. The Burgeoning Molecular Genetics of the Lyme Disease Spirochaete. Nature Reviews Microbiology. 2005. Volume 3(2), p. 129- 143. Tilly, K., Rosa, P. A., Stewart, P. E. (2008, June). Biology of Infection with Borrelia burgdorferi. Retrieved March 25, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440571/ Transmission. (2015, March 04). Retrieved March 25, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/ WI, K. T. (2011, May). Lyme Disease. Retrieved March 25, 2017, from http://textbookofbacteriology.net/Lyme.html

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Concept Of Internal Audit Accounting Essay

The Concept Of Internal Audit Accounting Essay Internal auditing, it is not a new term for the world of organization. The concept of internal audit is old like 5000 years, at that time people of civilized communities which were economically and politically stable used this approach to check effectiveness of their taxes and businesses so they can check errors and safe the state property from dishonest taxpayers. In modern world especially in the United States this approach rise after the Second World War and steadily growing. Internal audit has much similarity with financial auditing and a number of theories are derived from management consulting and public accounting. Definition: Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organizations operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes. Internal audit is a preventive action of a company and it is done by the professionals or experts of that company. These professionals called internal auditor and they evaluate internal control system of the company. This study or audit report is submitted to management and from this report they can take steps for improvements. In requirement part of ISO 9001:2000 it is found in the monitoring and measurement section which gives idea that it is an activity that measures implementation of quality management system. Scopes and objectives of internal auditing: Objectives: The main objective of an internal audit in the company is to improve quality and reduce risk by evaluating the effectiveness of process. Other than this internal audit is done for checking financial and operating informations reliability, to safe assets from loss, resource management, established process or program me is following its objective and compliance with policies, laws and regulations, identification which area needed improvement, verification of cGMP compliance. Scopes: Internal audits main scope is assuring quality in respected area which is under the audit procedure. Design, approval and evaluation of product should comply with GMP. Ensure quality in GMP implementation, performance of staff, feedbacks. Include documents, instruction and records and covering all parts of GMP. Principles and Requirements of internal audit: As per ISO 9000 standards require maintenance of document evidence for internal audit process. Document evidence must include: who is executing the internal audit, which department is under the audit, describing whole process, supervision after internal audit plan and where the results are documented. These are the some common principles that applied at the time of internal audit implementation. Internal audit is independent and evidence based approach. All activities of internal audit should be reviewed by independent party, have a sampling and tracking line and they are open and constructive. Insure all resources are available before starting audit. Auditor: Auditor is a employee of the company with sufficient experience and background who conduct the internal audit. Though he is an employee of the firm he has to audit his colleagues and their performance and for this he has some abilities that audit results are not affected by his personal relation. For this he has to be ethical, open minded, diplomatic, observer, versatile, persistence, decisive and independent. Patience is needed in auditing and so the auditor must be cool and need to see what the actual situation in the organization. Generally people dont like to be audited and for this he makes lot of effort psychologically to get the real answer and avoid the conflict. In the audit period he has main one objective put the real status of the organization to top management. Internal Audit process: For successful audit it is required effective communication between management and auditor. To obtain effectiveness and in time audit it is necessary that auditor do not go depth in every item and take a quick overview and focus on the parts which do not comply with the company policies. Every audit is unique; the audit process is containing these four stages which are commonly found in every audit: Planning of audit ( review and preliminary phase) Performing an audit ( field work phase) Audit report ( documentation phase) Change implementation ( follow-up phase) 1. Planning of an audit (review and preliminary phase) In the stating of an audit management do a meeting to plan about auditor that who will handle the audit, objectives and scopes of an audit, which area should be cover under the audit, which criteria should be considered, gather information about important processes, prepare paper work and distribution of audit plan. 2. Performing an audit (field work phase) After planning now it is time to implement audit procedure but there is no common way that auditor perform the audit. An auditor should looking what is requirement, which way the process can be improved, gathering and analyzing information and making best conclusion on his effort. Keep in mind that internal audit is not always done for the improvement or find out defects, it also recognize individuals who are putting their outstanding efforts. The following procedure is generally followed in each audit: In starting of audit process the auditor first make a meeting with the head of area which is going to be audited, explaining him scope and objective of this effort and making him relax for the audit. Auditor will study all processes carefully and their outcome, here auditor checking that processes is operating in conformance of companys quality management system. He gathers information by asking open-ended question about process and personal competence. Auditor make notes about data he got during the various point of audit process. Auditor analyzes all the data he found and ask himself that is process running in compliance with companys policy? Or process needs improvement. Before reaching the conclusion he take all the aspects of audit in consideration, is there any failure event appeared, any area needs to be considered improvement? Are there any individuals or departments displayed uncommon behavior? In the end of his fieldwork the auditor, hold the closing meeting with head of the area in presence of plant manager. Explain him positive and negative outcome of his study and corrective actions for that. He tries to resolve any disagreement on his conclusion in this meeting. 3. Audit report (documentation phase) It is most difficult part of the process. An auditor should write brief and clear summery of his finding, which includes both positive and negative outcomes of his study. These positive outcomes may help company for improvement. The data or findings must be truthful, scope and objective oriented, and written in manner that management can easily understand that and can take corrective action from that. Audit report is a official record that should contain: scope, criteria and objective of an audit, Auditors information, time and area where auditing done, outcomes of audit (positive and negative), a closing statement. 4. Change implementation (follow-up phase) During this phase the non compliance is submitted to quality committee. The quality committee studies the report submitted by an Auditor and checking all the non compliances are in fact differ from the companys quality management system. Upon agreement that process or item is none conforming, the quality committee takes action to correct it and gives responsibility for this correction to suitable person with time limit. During correction quality committee observe the process of correction and after change is implemented and process or item working in compliance with companys policy, committee ask the same person for follow up inspection. The Auditor check in same manner as he done before and check the difference in outcome, if it is compliance with quality management system of company than he give the satisfactory report to the management. The whole process is documented that it could be useful for future study. Audit activities Evaluation of an auditor Monitoring and reviewing Identifying correction Preventive action Opportunities for improvement Implementation Scheduling Evaluating Selecting auditor Monitoring audit Planning Scope Objectives Resources Guidelines Start the Audit programme PLAN Improvement actions Act DO CHECK Fig. 1. Process flow diagram of internal auditing Internal controls: Internal control is a major part of an internal auditing and evaluation of internal controls is one of the primaries objectives of internal auditing. In auditing internal controls can be defined as process affected by organizations structure, employee and management information system, authority and work flow, designed to fulfill organizations scope and objectives. These are common objectives for internal control: effective and efficient operations, reliable financial reports, compliance with laws and policies, protecting assets of organization. Internal controls are divided in main two categories preventive controls (designated to prevent errors and irregularities from occurring) and detective controls (designed to find out errors and irregularities after they have occurred). The examples of internal control activities are separation of duties, authorization, proper documentation, control over assets, variance analysis, monitoring operations. A question arise that who take the responsibility for internal controls, its not only a job of internal auditor. Every employee of the organization is responsible for maintenance of internal controls. Internal audit assist management to evaluate and promote internal control system. Risk management: Internal audit play an important role in risk assessment and evaluation of processes which have significant risks. Risk management is process that in which way organizations sets its objectives and then evaluates and analyzes the risks which can produce impact to realize its objective. In regular basis organization applied strategic, marketing or capital planning, budgeting, and hedging to evaluate the risk. Internal audit evaluate all this activities and processes applied by the management to report and monitor potential risk identified. These are some core roles of internal audit in risk management: assuring risk management process, assuring evaluation of risks and evaluation of risk management process, key risks evaluation and reviewing them to the management, assisting management in responding of risks, developing risk management framework and coordinating all activities. Internal audit vs. External audit: External audit: In External audit organization contact person (auditor) outside of the firm who audits organizations financial statement and submit a report to the management. External auditor differs from internal auditor mainly in two ways: (1) internal auditor mainly focuses on risk management and internal control framework, (2) internal auditor do not form an opinion on organizations financial statements. Some similarities also there between internal and external auditor: Both internal and external auditor examines and evaluates many transactions. Both report if the procedures are poor and ignorance in adhering them. They both deeply involved in information system and based on discipline and work with profession standards. Both are concerned for occurrence of errors and they are tied with internal control system of organization. Both give formal report of their activities. factor Internal audit External audit objective

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Blade Running to Cyberpunk Essay -- Cyberpunk Fiction Literature Genre

Blade Running to Cyberpunk Labels are a product of too many ideas that describes a field. Cyberpunk fiction is a genre that has only recently received its due respect as an art form. This label is the cause of great controversy when it comes to actually defining cyberpunk. To any definition, there are arguments to its validity and consistency, but there are some generally accepted traits of Cyberpunk (CP). CP is a reflection of the pop-culture of the eighties, an extension of Science Fiction that entangles hard and soft technology, and its stories contain realism. The eighties began the era of the CP movement. CP's early works reflected raw, young ideas of people who "refused the limits offered them by mere custom and habit (Sterling p 3--"Cyberpunk in the Nineties)." Across the world, technology was interfacing with the general population. The underground of New York, Tokyo, and London (Sterling p xii--"Preface to Mirrorshades) was writhing with desire for release. CP was an answer to that. It integrated the rock videos, synthesized music, and new technology of the decade, put it in context with the current social scene and then fast-forwarded it. The writers tended to have disregard and even disrespect for traditional publishing. In the nineties, the edge of the movement has worn off with the acquisition of maturity and success. "Good" CP retains most of those qualities today, with minor adjustments in style, such as having finer narrative, superior character development, and more insightful futurism (Sterling)." The integration of technolog y and narration has always been present. Uneducated readers may see CP as the same thing as Science Fiction. Any Cyberpunk would beg to differ. Though CP is derived from Science Fic... ...berpunk was not visible to most of the literary public. Some of those fantastic components in Bladerunner are realistic in modern day. So many opinions exist about what is and isn't Cyberpunk Fiction. Three elements have been (generally) agreed upon to be traits of the genre. They include reflections of the pop-culture of the eighties, combining of hard and soft technology, and an element of realism. Cyberpunk is more than an extension of Science Fiction, it is a literary movement that is growing and maturing. Though it has lost some of its young rawness, Cyberpunk remains a saucy defiance to the mainstream. Sources and Bibliograpy Bruce Sterling. "Peface to Mirrorshades". New York: Ace Books, 1986 Tonya Browning. "Writing about Cyberpunk Packet" Fall 1995 Bruce Sterling "Cyberpunk in the Nineties" Larry McCaffery's Interview with William Gibson

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Compare & Contrast 3 Essays -- essays research papers

The three essays, "Thank God For The Atom Bomb" by Paul Fussel, "Democracy" by Carl Becker, and "Chief Seattle: Letter to President Pierce, 1855" are three different rhetorical modes of writing that exposits theoretical, personal reasoning on the realities of certain controversial historical topics. The main focus of the essays are in proving a steadfast view of an ambiguous subject through sarcastic criticism of opposing ideas and by applying clever use of irony; the authors’ sentiments vary from imperialistic to anti-imperialistic, and from attesting to detesting a past event."Thank God For The Atom Bomb" is a straightforward imperialistic literature which analyzes cause and effect to justify the use of the Atomic bomb during World War 2. The author continuously criticizes the evil of the Japanese in an attempt to convince the reader why the "Japs" deserved what they got. He sites a Japanese pilot saying, "All Japanese must become soldiers and die for the Emperor" to prove his point that the general mentality of the enemy was just that –"implacable, treacherous, barbaric"(p460), and savage. He consistently acknowledges his up-close experience with the war to inform the reader that he has sufficient basis for his analysis. But to reinforce his authenticity that his view is not just possessed by himself, he borrows many statements and examples used by others who share his ideas. The U.S. war committee already drew out plans for a full-scale coastal assault and that was about to take action anytime; if the bomb was not to be dropped, an armed invasion on the mainland would call for a hellish massacre of unpredictable proportions on both the American and Japanese side. He noted a British observer saying "But for the atomic bombs, ... they would have annihilated the lot of us"(p457). Just preventing an anticipated one million American casualties was sufficient cause for the Nagasaki bomb that "led to peace"(p459).The effect of the bomb should be obvious that "the killing was all going to be over, and peace was actually going to be the state of things"(p462). Though not a very compassionate statement, it is true to the fact that the war was over and the killing has come to an end; the reason being that the Japanese has already been killed. "We were going... ...an’s dreams are hidden from us"(p409) concludes the sarcasm in referring to the white man’s destructive motives as his endeavorous dream, something obscured from his inferior red counterpart.These three pieces of literature are exclusively fanatical essays preaching the oblivious existence of ethical errors in people and in the general society through different expository styles. All three rationalizes on ego superiority, the foundation of imperialism. Yet their philosophies are not exactly conforming with one another. It can be derived from "Democracy" that the author dislikes people for labeling any fascist government as democratic - thus a superior state - to justify for unrelated wars or revolutions (i.e. the Nazi imperialism); while "Thank God For The Atom Bomb" attests American righteous-superiority during the Pacific Wars and criticizes people who thinks his ideas imperialistic. Chief Seattle who detested against imperialism, can no d oubt be seen as also possessing self superiority for it can be judged that he believes the red man to be superior, at least from a moral point of view. Therefore concludes the similarities and differences of the essays.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Music as Social Commnetary

The end of the Reagan Administration is not generally known for political activism and yet during the highly conservative Reagan years, some of the biggest efforts of music to combat the problems of the world began. John Cougar Mellankamp wrote the album, â€Å"Rain on the Scarecrow† and began the Farm Aid concerts to draw attention to the disappearing American family far. Michael Jackson and the musical elite of the day wrote and performed, â€Å"We Are the World† and Sir Bob Geldof drew attention to the African famines with his multi-star performance and recording of â€Å"Do They Know It’s Christmas?† Into that political climate, singer/songwriter Jackson Browne wrote and released the song, â€Å"How Long? † on his â€Å"World in Motion† album released in 1989 (â€Å"Ontario Coalition Against Poverty† 1). Speculation runs high that Browne may have been directly addressing the issues of international poverty or may have been discussi ng the issue of Apartheid in South Africa, avery popular cause of the late 1980s. Browne, the German-born son of an American military photographer, had become well-known for his political activism.After writing for some of the biggest names in the music industry including The Byrds and The Eagles (Paris 1), Browne recorded his own music beginning in the mid-1970s and culminating with his hits â€Å"Running on Empty† and â€Å"The Load Out (Stay)†. Then, his formerly easy-going music turned into political statement after political statement. He organized a coalition of musicians against nuclear energy after the Three Mile Island accident and often wrote about politics, saying,† nothing is more personal than your political beliefs.† (Paris 1) But America of the late 1980s was in feel-good mode. The wall was coming down in Berlin, the Cold War at an end and the Soviet Union was crumbling. The album which featured â€Å"How Long† was the worst performanc e of Browne’s career, other than his debut album when nobody knew his name (Wade 1). The famine in Ethiopia and other parts of the world were big news, though largely ignored except for during feel-good relief efforts and homelessness in America was a huge issue as the Reagan era drove the divide between the haves and have nots even farther apart.Browne, who was critical of liberals and conservatives alike (Ward 1), wrote the song to call everyone out for their blithe acceptance of the arms race and huge military budgets. Others speculate that the song relates to the Anti-Apartheid efforts. The South African crisis was big news during the Reasgan administration with Congress enacting strict restriction on South African trade, beginning in 1986, and popular culture canonizing Nelson and Winnie Mandela.And that anti-Apartheid movement was important in popular culture. Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) highlighted the problems involving the race-based discrimination in South Africa the sam e year the song was released and the colonial system instituted by the Dutch did not end until years later. Sadly, however, the song seems largely misplaced in time, coming out in the first year of the presidency of George H. W. Bush when the world accepted that the arms race was over and social consciousness was beginning to take hold.It almost appears as though Browne missed the boat with â€Å"How Long† as he was critical of the military industrial complex which was already in the process of dismantling after the reunification of Germany and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Furthermore, the song deals specifically with the issue of children and starvation, but did not serve to draw particular attention to the problem worldwide, possible due to the vagaries of the song. The vagaries of the song make it difficult to identify what social injustice in particular Browne hoped to address and that may have been his point.While asking in general â€Å"How Long? † peo ple were willing to tolerate social injustice around the world, Browne may have helped to draw attention to both the need for nuclear disarmament and the need to end Apartheid. We do know that it asks the listener to consider the children and their future. â€Å"How Long† begins with a verse describing the possibilities evident in a child’s face and asks the listener, presumably Americans and other citizens of the world, how long the child would survive if it were up to them (â€Å"How Long† Lines 1-8).The problem is that the children of the 1980s were not the flower-power generation of the 1960s and the subtly was lost. Asking â€Å"How long — would the child survive/How long — if it was up to you† was not the call to action needed in the late 1980s. The self-absorbed generation could easily just answer the question and ignore the call to action underneath the words. Indeed, there is no evidence that the song had any impact other than as a subtle reminder of what they saw daily on the news. In the second verse, Browne gets a little more direct with his indictment of the listener but still fails to call them to action.â€Å"When you think about the money spent On defense by a government And the weapons of destruction we've built We're so sure that we need And you think of the millions and millions That money could feed How long — can you hear someone crying How long — can you hear someone dying Before you ask yourself why? † (Browne, â€Å"How Long† Lines 9-16) Ultimately, Browne does a good job of pointing out the political and social issues of the time, but fails to take a stance on what should be done about it.There is a vague notion that the government should stop spending money on missile defense systems and nuclear weapons in favor of spending on social issues, but he never implores his audience to take action. Instead, the audience can simply agree that yes, it is a problem and then g o back to their own lives without interruption or any change in action. Perhaps the one place where Browne’s work might be considered effective is in his final verse, when he discusses the need to think of the globe differently than the blue and white and green image seen from space (Browne, â€Å"How Long†).Finally, he asks how long until we â€Å"have something to offer where the planet’s concerned? † (â€Å"Browne, â€Å"How Long† Lines 38-39) Though the song is generally accepted as an anti-military, pro-social reform ballad, these last lines may have been influenced by his relationship with environmental activist and actress Darryl Hannah and may allude to the idea that people need to take action with regard to the world’s environmental situation. In that way, it may have had some limited effect on public awareness about environmental issues.Realistically though, it appears that the only real effect of Browne’s work may have bee n on his career. Reviewer David Marsh, well-known for his commentary on rock music, put it this way. â€Å"This is one time Jackson Browne did his words profound justice as a singer — it's simply a great piece of singing, stark, angry, pained and yet aching more than anything else with a love that's proven yet again to be insufficient to hold a life together.The question while this music and the story unfold is not how the singer will survive — he's already told us that — but how the listener will keep his composure long enough to hear it through. † (Ward 1) The song may well have been a sign of the times and completely appropriate for the long view of history, but in the culture of the times, it was too passe, with not enough call for direct action.Still, just a few years later, Browne got his wish during the Clinton administration when the military industrial complex was largely dismantled, America’s standing army minimized and world concerns bro ught to the forefront of American consciousness. Apartheid also fell in the intervening years, coming to an end in 1994. By the time the song had its desired impact on spending priorities, the drought had shifted and the starving was in Rwanda and Darfur and Americans had moved on to another music form and again forgot the starving children.Just as Browne’s cry for justice came very late in the era of Apartheid, it came very early in the call for environmental activism and people missed its call to do the right thing and care for the children of the world. Works Cited Browne, Clyde Jackson. â€Å"How Long? † World in Motion, Elektra Records, 1989. Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, â€Å"Activism and protest song lyrics page† < http://www. ocap. ca/songs/howlong. html> December 5, 2007. Paris, Russ. â€Å"Jackson Browne: Biography†. , December 5, 2007. Ward, Michael.â€Å"Jackson Browne: the Artist behind the Words† http://media. www. versusmag. or g/media/storage/paper584/news/2003/10/22/Music/Jackson. Browne-547215. shtml>, December 5, 2007. How Long by Jackson Browne When you look into a child's face And you're seeing the human race And the endless possibilities there Where so much can come true And you think of the beautiful things A child can do How long — would the child survive How long — if it was up to you When you think about the money spent On defense by a government And the weapons of destruction we've built