Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Harriet Beecher Stowe`s Uncle Tom`s Cabin Essay

In 1851-52 Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin appears. Her manuscript was first published serially in the Washington National Era, an antislavery paper, before appearing in book form in 1852. Today, in America, Uncle Tom’s Cabin is still one of the books in greatest demand at the counters of our Public Libraries. The narrator, as well as the characters, express the moral indignation that interracial, woman-centered abolitionist discourse made possible. This expression, however, is always in tension with gendered codes of middle-class respectability (Brown 102). Although women succeed in claiming righteous anger as a female right by the outbreak of the Civil War, in the public imagination, and even in the consciousness of some activist women, it remained a â€Å"manly† right and a masculine expressive mode. Later tradition described the novel as an accident produced by an amateur, but in fact Stowe was a professional writer who had been publishing for more than a decade when Uncle Tom’s Cabin began its serial run in an abolitionist journal. Republished in book form in 1852, it combined all the elements of fiction that American critics of the age were looking for: a diverse group of memorable characters, some hateful, some lovable; a tremendously exciting story; scenes of great pathos and scenes of humor; meticulous depiction of the customs, manners, and scenery of various regions in the country on a scale unequaled by any American work of fiction to that date. In addition, the book defined writing in general, and the novel form in particular, as a kind of visionary and prophetic mode, thus making women authors equal to the highest literary tasks. And beyond this, it dealt with an inflammatory political issue in a highly partisan spirit. The vision of Uncle Tom’s Cabin is deeply religious; Stowe was the daughter of one of the age’s most famous (and one of the last) orthodox Calvinist preachers, Lyman Beecher, and all five of her brothers became ministers in their turn, including another generation’s most famous, Henry Ward Beecher. The whole family was immersed in theological speculation; and Stowe came over time to reject the stern Old Testament God of wrath in favor of the New Testament God of love. Her opposition to slavery carries a particular theological charge, as she chronicles the defeat of charity by secular greed. We are to read Tom’s decision not to run away when he is sold downriver, and his eventual martyrdom standing up to Simon Legree, not as submission to the secular world, but as triumph over it. As well as â€Å"Christian† in this broad sense, Stowe’s book is â€Å"matriarchal† in the particular values it espouses – emotive over rational, relational over individualistic – and the repeated crises at its core: the breakup of families and the separation of mothers and children form the repeated matter of its suspenseful efforts. It does not, however, parcel out its good and bad qualities according to gender: the book is full of good men, and in Marie St. Clair it creates a memorably vicious woman. Moreover, beyond its Christian or proto-feminist protest, Uncle Tom’s Cabin mounts an attack on American capitalism, north and south: slavery is the ultimate expression of a culture dedicated to buying, selling, and accumulation. Stowe’s moving tale featured a loyal slave named Tom, an angelic young girl named Little Eva, and a wicked overseer named Simon Legree and included the melodramatic tale of the slave mother Eliza clutching her baby as she crossed an icy river, with dogs and slave catchers hot on her trail, literally leaping for her freedom. Stowe argued that her fictional story was culled from real stories she had learned from fugitives making their way to freedom along the Underground Railroad. This authenticity as well as its sentimental tone made Stowe’s novel a bestseller, with sales of over a quarter million copies in less than a year. Uncle Tom’s Cabin depicted slavery’s most brutal aspects for thousands of readers innocent of the cruelties slavery might impose. The accessibility and alleged â€Å"eyewitness† quality the book projected fueled grassroots support for the flagging abolitionist movement during the 1850s. Abraham Lincoln, when he met Stowe many years later, credited her with â€Å"starting the war. † Certainly the white South harbored special venom for Stowe, banning her book and charging her with â€Å"crimes against the South. † This work catapulted Stowe into literary celebrity, and she subsequently published A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1853) and another antislavery novel, Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp (1856). In Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, two unforgettably evil black slave drivers named Sambo and Quimbo personified the axiom which held that â€Å"the slave is always a tyrant, if he can get a chance to be one. † Trained in savagery and brutality by cotton planter Simon Legree, Sambo and Quimbo hated each other and in turn were feared and despised by the rest of the slaves. Ably illustrating Stowe’s contention that â€Å"brutal men are lower even than animals,† the demonic duo participated in orgies of drunken debauchery with their master, treated the slave women as sexual playthings, and gloated with â€Å"fiendish exultation† at the whippings that they meted out to errant field hands and house servants. In this manner, a northern reformist writer popularized the notion that black personality could be perverted or destroyed by white oppression. According to Stowe, African-Americans could be â€Å"unman’d† and turned into â€Å"things† through the normal operation of the slave regime (Stowe 56). When the novel was put on stage, a hush fell on the audience at the National Theatre in New York as Eliza escaped from her pursuers and reached the northern side of the river (Brown 18). An observer who turned to look was astonished to see that the entire audience, from the gentlemen and ladies in the balconies to the roughshirted men in the galleries, was in tears (Duvall 65). Stowe knew that if she could evoke this response on behalf of â€Å"property,† if she could bring her readers to see the heroism of a slave, she had begun a revolution in sentiment. Many things about this scene were tailored for her white audience: Eliza is so light-skinned she can pass for white. Like a true woman, Eliza runs away not because she desires freedom for herself, but to save her child. But the very ambiguity of her skin tone and Stowe’s inclusion of a black woman in the cult of true womanhood worked to break down the racial categories that contained moral feeling. The effect of Uncle Tom’s Cabin on American literature was, to foreign observers striking. In a public meeting held in Stowe’s honor in Scotland, one of the testimonial speakers credited Stowe with having revolutionized the British view of American literature: We have long been accustomed to despise American literature – I mean as compared with our own. I have heard eminent litterateurs say, â€Å"Pshaw! the Americans have no national literature. † It was thought that they lived entirely on plunder – the plunder of poor slaves, and of poor British authors. Their own works, when they came among us, were treated either with contempt or with patronizing wonderyes, the â€Å"Sketch Book† was a very good book to be an American’s. Let us hear no more of the poverty of American brains, or the barrenness of American literature. Had it produced only Uncle Tom’s Cabin, it had evaded contempt just as certainly as Don Quixote, had there been no other product of the Spanish mind, would have rendered it forever illustrious (Duvall 45). In a similar vein, Charles Kingsley (1852) called the book â€Å"a really healthy indigenous growth, autochthonous, & free from all that hapless second & third-hand Germanism, & Italianism, & all other unreal-isms which make me sigh over almost every American book I open. † Kingsley quoted a critic who found Uncle Tom â€Å"the greatest novel ever written,† reminiscent â€Å"in a lower sphere† of Shakespeare â€Å"in that marvellous clearness of insight and outsight, which makes it seemingly impossible for her to see any one of her characters without shewing him or her at once as a distinct individual man or woman, different from all others.† The British saw that the originality of the book sprang from Stowe’s grasp of the nationality of her material: an epic theme – republican ideals in conflict with a feudal institution – was enshrined in a narrative bristling with regional types. Stowe’s attribution of deeper feeling to African Americans â€Å"as a race† was consistent with what George Fredrickson has called â€Å"romantic racialism,† a blend of philanthropic and paternalistic attitudes (Wiegman 30). One of the earliest formulators of this ideology was Alexander Kinmont, who, in his 1837-1838 lectures in Cincinnati, proclaimed the moral superiority of African Americans: â€Å"All the sweeter graces of the Christian religion appear almost too tropical and tender plants to grow in the Caucasian mind; they require a character of human nature which you can see in the rude lineaments of the Ethiopian. † It is highly likely that Harriet Beecher Stowe, living in Cincinnati at the time Kinmont delivered his lectures, was exposed to his ideas. Such romantic racialism was widespread by 1851 (Duvall 98). The complexity and contradiction of Stowe’s novel lie in her use of a common theory of racial difference to effect a revolution in sentiment about the institution of slavery. In foregrounding sentiment as the most crucial and revolutionary political capital, Uncle Tom’s Cabin significantly questions the popular equation in nineteenth-century discourses between blackness and inhumanity, allowing the slave a psychic reality that challenges paternalistic views of the peculiar institution as protection for those unable to survive the rigors and responsibilities of civic society (and civilization itself) (Berzon 45). That the method for signifying the slave’s humanity is contingent on her tearful identification with the pain of enslavement, demonstrates, of course, the political limit embedded in the sentimental form (Stepto 65). For while Uncle Tom’s Cabin tries to forge a political alliance between slaves and white women by figuring subjectivities irreducible to the determinations of bodies in modernity, the transformatory hope attached to the analogizing function fractures under the inescapable priority accorded to white racial being. The political asymmetries attending the differences between the slave’s humanity and the white woman’s social subjectivity – and the novel’s attempt to both signify and rectify these disproportions – demonstrates at one level the very problem of the political in both nineteenth and twentieth-century American life. Take, for instance, the novel’s central figure, Uncle Tom. On one hand, Stowe depicts him in language that evokes a kind of noble masculine corporeality, as â€Å"a large, broad-chested, powerfully-made man,† but immediately she undercuts such characterization by alleviating its potentially threatening edge, referring instead to his â€Å"humble simplicity† and to a face of â€Å"grave and steady good sense, united with much kindliness and benevolence†. Interiority and exteriority are in this way conflicted, as Stowe seeks for Uncle Tom the characteristics of femininity that the corporeal delineations of a black masculinity might otherwise deny. In this she claims for him a â€Å"gentle, domestic heart†, marking his interiority within the discourse of the sentimental feminine that the novel most strenuously avow (Ammons 140). As Leslie Fiedler has aptly described him, Uncle Tom is a suffering heroine, masked by blackface and drag. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, George Harris makes several statements comparing his own struggle for freedom with that of the nation’s founders. Uncle Tom’s Cabin had a huge following and sold over 300,000 copies in this country during the first year after it was published in book form by J.  P. Jewett in 1852. Once dismissed as a sentimental novel of domestic fiction, contemporary critics universally agree that Uncle Tom’s Cabin, despite defects, remains an enduring and powerful literary creation, a symbol of its age. For Stowe, the political necessity lies precisely here: in finding a means both for Anglo-Americans to identify with a political project that challenges their own interests and for white women in particular to translate their racial privileges into a form or method for the slave’s freedom.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Blood Disorders

Lily, a 4-year-old Caucasian female, has she been complaining of being tired all the time. She is pale and is a picky eater. Her mother is a single mom with a small budget to feed a large family. Lily eats only pasta, breads, and hot dogs, and she drinks only artificial fruit punch. Lily has iron deficiency anemia. Infants can be infected from the time of birth from certain forms of anemia. Certain forms of anemia are hereditary.When girls are not getting the proper amount of iron in their diet then they may become iron deficiency. There are many different symptoms of iron deficiency anemia but the most common are swelling of the tongue, drying of the lips, and eating and craving ice. Lily’s mother cannot afford the proper food filled with iron so the best thing that she can buy for Lily is foods and drinks that have vitamin C in it, such as orange juice. * * Davon is a 5-year-old African American male who has just moved to Chicago, and he is visiting his new pediatrician for a kindergarten physical.His mother tells the nurse that she carries the sickle cell trait and wants Davon screened for it. Davon may have the sickle cell trait. I would say that it would be hard to determine if Devon has a blood disorder because he has no symptoms. I do think that Devon is at risk of having sickle cell. Sickle cell is a disease that is inherited. African-Americans are at greater risk for the disease than any other ethnic group. Sickle cell is caused by genetic abnormality. It is diagnosed by a blood test. The blood test measures the amount of abnormal sickle hemoglobin.Sickle cell can be treated by medications such as pain medications, anti-inflammatory medications, and antibiotics for infection. * * Spencer has noted over the past several weeks that he is having more bruises, or ecchymosed, all over his body. After coughing this morning, he noticed tiny red marks all around his eyes. Spencer has thrombocytopenia. I would say that Spencer is at risk for thrombocytop enia. Some symptoms for thrombocytopenia are easy or excessive bussing, prolonged bleeding from cuts, and bleeding from the gums or nose.You can diagnose thrombocytopenia through a physical exam and a blood test. Sometimes no treatment is necessary for thrombocytopenia because the problem heals on its own. However in some cases treatment may be necessary for the underlying cause or perhaps a blood transfusion from loss of blood. Thrombocytopenia could be prevented by treating the underlying causes that may cause thrombocytopenia. When having any type of blood disorder the best way to stay healthy is by keeping a healthy diet and seeing your physician regularly. * * * * * Sources: 1) WebMD 2) Mayo Clinic * * Blood Disorders Blood disorders describe problems associated with blood components such as red blood cells, platelets, enzymes, plasma and white blood cells. The characteristics of blood disorders depend on the real blood disease. Blood disorders can also be associated with hereditary characteristics whereby some disease causing organisms are transferred from parents to children. Blood disorders or diseases lead to continuous bleeding in case of an injury and poor blood clotting. Blood diseases result from abnormalities in blood itself or defects in blood vessels.The three given cases in this paper relates to various blood disorders associated with lifestyle, genetics and injuries. The first case of four years Amy, who complains of tiredness al the time and eats pasta, breads and hot dogs, and drinks artificial fruit punch, is a case of anemia. Amy is a pale and picky eater and her mother is single and cannot afford to feed large family so it means that her daughter consumes unbalanced diet. Anemia is a blood disorder whereby the number of red blood cells is insufficient to supply enough iron to body parts (Hadorn Ernst, 1961).Iron deficiency is the main cause of anemia and children are vulnerable to this disorder. Main characteristics of anemia include fatigue, slow healing of wounds, weakness, drowsiness and dizziness. Amy complains of being tired all the time and this is one of the main symptoms of anemia. The blood disorder is diagnosed through examination of blood sample and in many cases; the red blood cells are small and pale. Anemia is treated by iron tablets and consumption of vegetables such as spinach and foods rich in iron.Anemia in this case of Amy can be prevented through consumption of well balanced diet and avoiding any circumstances that can lead to excess bleeding such as injuries. In the case of Marcus, a five-year-old African American male whose mother wants the nurse to screen his son for trait is a case of hemochromatosis. It is a case of hereditary blood disorder that has been transferred from mother to son. Hemochromatosis is one of the common hereditary blood disorders that make body tissues to absorb too much iron. Being a hereditary disorder, hemochromatosis is known to develop from dietary iron intake (King E.John, 2002). The blood disorder leads to severe iron overlap in children and young adults. It is caused by defect in HFE gene responsible for controlling amount of iron observed from food. Children who inherit the defective gene from one parent become carries of the disease but may not develop it. Symptoms of hemochromatosis include joint pain, abdominal pain, and fatigue and heart problems. The blood disorder is diagnosed by collecting information concerning family history, physical examination and routine blood tests.Hemochromatosis is treated by controlling the amount of iron getting into the body through phlebotomy process. Prevention of hemochromatosis is very technical as it is a hereditary disease transferred from parents to children through genetics. However, it can be prevented by protecting the body from excess iron. In the case of Richard, he is likely to have thrombosis as is analyzed in his body condition of numerous bruises and tiny red marks around his eyes. Thrombosis is clotting of blood vessels because of blood clot that blocks a vein or artery. Blood clot is caused by damage of blood vessel or changes in blood flow.Symptoms of thrombosis include numerous bruises, swelling of body parts and red spots as a result of blood clot (Wood M. Stephen, 1997). Physical examination of body parts is the best alternative for thrombosis diagnosis. The blood disorder is treated by an anticoagulant that allows thinning of blood. Thrombosis can be prevented through wearing of pressure stockings and use of blood thinners. References Hadorn Ernst, 1961, Developmental Genetics and Lethal Factors, Methuen, Ursula Mittwoch. King E. John, 2002, Mayo Clinic on Digestive Health, Mason Crest. Wood M. Stephe n, 1997, Conguering High Blood Pressure, Perseus Books. Blood Disorders Lily, a 4-year-old Caucasian female, has she been complaining of being tired all the time. She is pale and is a picky eater. Her mother is a single mom with a small budget to feed a large family. Lily eats only pasta, breads, and hot dogs, and she drinks only artificial fruit punch. Lily has iron deficiency anemia. Infants can be infected from the time of birth from certain forms of anemia. Certain forms of anemia are hereditary.When girls are not getting the proper amount of iron in their diet then they may become iron deficiency. There are many different symptoms of iron deficiency anemia but the most common are swelling of the tongue, drying of the lips, and eating and craving ice. Lily’s mother cannot afford the proper food filled with iron so the best thing that she can buy for Lily is foods and drinks that have vitamin C in it, such as orange juice. * * Davon is a 5-year-old African American male who has just moved to Chicago, and he is visiting his new pediatrician for a kindergarten physical.His mother tells the nurse that she carries the sickle cell trait and wants Davon screened for it. Davon may have the sickle cell trait. I would say that it would be hard to determine if Devon has a blood disorder because he has no symptoms. I do think that Devon is at risk of having sickle cell. Sickle cell is a disease that is inherited. African-Americans are at greater risk for the disease than any other ethnic group. Sickle cell is caused by genetic abnormality. It is diagnosed by a blood test. The blood test measures the amount of abnormal sickle hemoglobin.Sickle cell can be treated by medications such as pain medications, anti-inflammatory medications, and antibiotics for infection. * * Spencer has noted over the past several weeks that he is having more bruises, or ecchymosed, all over his body. After coughing this morning, he noticed tiny red marks all around his eyes. Spencer has thrombocytopenia. I would say that Spencer is at risk for thrombocytop enia. Some symptoms for thrombocytopenia are easy or excessive bussing, prolonged bleeding from cuts, and bleeding from the gums or nose.You can diagnose thrombocytopenia through a physical exam and a blood test. Sometimes no treatment is necessary for thrombocytopenia because the problem heals on its own. However in some cases treatment may be necessary for the underlying cause or perhaps a blood transfusion from loss of blood. Thrombocytopenia could be prevented by treating the underlying causes that may cause thrombocytopenia. When having any type of blood disorder the best way to stay healthy is by keeping a healthy diet and seeing your physician regularly. * * * * * Sources: 1) WebMD 2) Mayo Clinic * *

Monday, July 29, 2019

Uninsured patients in relation to nursing profession in America Essay

Uninsured patients in relation to nursing profession in America - Essay Example In this paper I examine the twin challenges of providing nursing profession for the uninsured and addressing the issues of the impact it has on the nursing profession. I focus particularly on the role of government intervention in the nursing profession both directly, through the provision of health insurance itself, and indirectly via the subsidization of private expenditures. My goal is to describe the basic structure of government involvement in private health insurance, as well as the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and to provide a guide to the issues surrounding these forms of nursing profession. Prices and Nursing profession in the Group Market: Just as the subsidized price for health insurance increased nursing profession initially, subsequent increases in cost would be expected to decrease it. Health care costs rose rapidly in the late 1980s and early 1990s and then leveled off. Rising premiums increase an employer's cost. In response the employer can eliminate nursing profe ssion or can pass along additional costs to employees, increasing their share of the premium. Cousinaeu (2002) uses the years from 1987 to 2001 to analyze the effect of costs on the provision and take-up of private health insurance benefits. Between 1987 and 1993 health care costs rose dramatically and the fraction of the population with employment-based nursing profession fell from 71 percent to 65 percent. Cousinaeu finds that this drop in nursing profession was not due to changes in the fraction of employers offering benefits, but rather to declines in take-up by eligible employees. Furthermore, he attributes the drop in take-up to the rising costs facing employees. Marquis and Long (2001) also find only small changes in the probability that a firm offers health insurance nursing profession to its workers in response to changes in price. Thus it appears that changes in nursing profession during this time period were due to choices made by employees and their valuation of the bene fit. However, more recent evidence suggests that employers are beginning to reduce nursing profession in response to new cost increases. Between 2000 and 2001 premiums for employment-based insurance increased by 11 percent, and they increased by another 12.7 percent from 2001 to 2002. Over this same two year period, the fraction of firms offering health insurance nursing profession fell from 67 to 62 percent (Kaiser, 2002a). As an alternative to dropping nursing profession or requiring larger employee contributions, the employer can reduce the generosity of the plan it offers. One trend that has received much attention in the press recently is the movement towards health insurance plans with very large deductibles (Himmelstein, 2002). In some cases these plans are linked to medical savings accounts that can be used to pay for services prior to meeting the annual deductible. While plans with high deductibles provide insurance against the risk of very large out-of-pocket expenses, individuals must pay for much of the routine care they receive. There is therefore concern that individuals may forego preventative care or needed treatments to save money. In response to these concerns, some of the high deductible plans do provide nursing profession for regular check-ups. A Proposed Change for the Non-group Market: The persistently high number of uninsured individuals and the cost of individually purchased policies have resulted in numerous proposals to modify the current system. These suggested changes have varied from large restructuring, such as moving towards a national health insurance program, to smaller changes in the tax treatment of medical costs. President Bush has recently proposed tax credits to help those without employment-related nursing profession

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Service Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Service Report - Essay Example In this manner, people begin to want certain things and end up saving for them. After the purchase thus, if the product ends up not suiting their needs, it forms a void and unhappiness with respect to their purchase. The product thus loses its goodwill eventually as well. The objective of this paper is to underline two incidents regarding a good and a bad choice of purchase during the last year and comprehending the gap analysis of the companies with respect to the same in order to understand the discrepancies faced with the usage of the product. During the last year, a memorable product that I purchased was the iPhone 4; this phone had been released after a heavy bout of advertising and proclamations, over various sources of media and networking. Most people were excited about the launch of the iPhone because of the high class that it possessed. Its application and music market had already begun to soar in the good books of the consumers and thus there were thousands of pre orders given for the purchase of the iPhone on the very day that it would be launched. After conducting months of research and waiting for the phone to come out, I too was excited and hoped for the best for the release because of the expenses that I was putting into the same. Having saved up for a long time, the phone was finally in my reach and did not disappoint me one bit. Almost every service related to the phone exceeded expectations and the distributors and retailers selling the phone also provided excellent consumer services. All this added up to an extremely pleasant consumer purchase on my part and to date I am very happy with my phone because of the many things that it can do. On the other hand, I went ahead and bought a Blackberry 9360 recently in order to keep up to date with contacts belonging to the Blackberry Messenger world. This

EFutures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

EFutures - Essay Example In line with the use of internet, the unbounded system thinking is useful since the internet itself offers different challenges and conception which must be given enough consideration to have a successful outcome. The interpretation is partial simply to the judgment producer awareness additional issues could not be incorporated to be evaluated or assessed. Therefore, this is able to be observed as individual of the breakdown of inductive-consensual technique.   As well, one more difficulty of employing this method of assessment is that, the decision-maker can have a propensity to decide a convinced inspection with no some explanations. In this way, this can outcome to produce larger as well as difficult troubles. This simply involves, that utilize of inductive-consensual will not be flourishing if the judgment producer will not be capable to assemble as greatly confirmations desirable to validate all observations. In this section I will present the detailed analysis of the Podcasting technology through the implementation of the Inductive-Consensual methods of enquiry. Here the main reason to implement these methods of enquiry is the presence of approach that allows us to have a result foundational on a limited set of observations regarding the implementation of Podcasting. By means of Inductive-Consensual methods of enquiry devised observations, simply one wrapping up have to be measured.   In this technique, I will access the data through three techniques: The word podcasting obtains its recognition from Apples iPod, however to produce a podcast or even to listen to one, it is not compulsory to have an iPod, or some portable music player for that play any role. In simple words, Podcasting is a modern and up-to-date sort of online media delivery. You distribute chosen audio files by means of the internet and permit your users to subscribe by means of an RSS feed to repeatedly obtain

Saturday, July 27, 2019

XTRA Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

XTRA - Case Study Example The company owners are anticipating the launch of e-business as a probable solution to regain their lost business and sales. The e-business is a manifestation of the turnaround strategy that is planned by the business owners. The new platform will lend a global existence and wider consumer base reach for increasing sales. The e-business will support XTRA to restore the company’s business and the market share. The launch of e-business is expected to generate more business for XTRA by offering a reengineering strategy. Also the data collected by the information systems can be used to serve the customers personally. The staff members at are apprehensive of the new technology and fear the change in roles and responsibilities that will be accompanied with the new approach. Also, since the staff has not been using the computer systems extensively at work, they are not very well acquainted with the information systems and how to use it for the business processes. So the decision is a strategic one and the various critical factors and their impact must be evaluated. The basic problem that can be identified for the current situation at XTRA is its limited consumer base and narrow exposure. Also, company serves product line that caters to a narrow consumer segment with fans of Hollywood actors who are interested to buy a memoir of the favorite movie or actor. XTRA has been operating through a centralized outlet at the city centre. The declining sales can be contributed to the limited market exposure and constrained reach in the world of global and transnational businesses. The past success describes that local demand for the related goods has been well satisfied and saturated. The unique range of products needs to reach a newer customer base which cannot be provided by local market. E-business will help XTRA to reach global customers and to

Friday, July 26, 2019

White lies and integrity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

White lies and integrity - Essay Example In the political arena, it is particularly unacceptable for elected officials to hide facts from the people as they would prevent them from making informed decisions on public affairs and policy. In the personal sphere, some people may find white lies more justifiable. A common example is a loving family member who attempts to hide the negative prognosis of her dying relatives, fearing that the bad news will further aggravate the relative’s health. Although such a lie may sound more like an act of love, it remains a violation to another person’s autonomy as it takes away her chance to evaluate the decision and make the best decision for herself. Every person has the natural right to freedom and each rational human being should be the most capable person to determine what his/her best interest is. Thus, not only are white lies dishonest and lack integrity, they may be self-defeating in the sense that they may at the end harm instead of protect the person. Returning to the example of the dying relative: if the relative has known that she is dying soon, she would have ended the hospital treatment and spend the remaining of her life relaxing at home; however, since she does not know the true prognosis, she continues the hassle of going to the hospital every day. In this case, her health may be harmed by the white lie. She would be better off if her relative tells her the truth and allow her to decide for herself. Projecting this line of argument to the bigger picture, we as Americans may be hurt by the so-called white lies government officials present to us. This issue is especially controversial as the concern towards national security and international terrorism is severely heightened. After the 911 attack, it appears that the Bush Administration was allowed to conduct every operation in the â€Å"war of terrorism† under the name of homeland

Thursday, July 25, 2019

TuiNaTraditional Chinese massage and Sport Therapy Essay

TuiNaTraditional Chinese massage and Sport Therapy - Essay Example Sports research points to rigorous studies in order to determine the best forms of sports massage to maximize the benefits to the health and well being of people taking part in sports (Martin, Zoeller, Robertson, & Lephart, 1998; Jonhagen, Ackerman, Eriksson, Saartok, & Renstrom, 2004). Tui Na, a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine massage may be a viable complement to traditional sports massage used in the West. Overuse knee injury is commonly referred to as patellofemoral syndrome, to describe pain on and around the kneecap (patella). It is most commonly the result of damage to the surface underneath the kneecap, through a blow or fall, of from continuous rubbing on the bone underneath (Devan, Pescatello, Faghri, Anderson, 2004). Other names for the injury are chondramalacia patellae, patella pain syndrome or runner's knee. If the injury is not treated that it becomes a chronic condition that does not respond well to recovery methods. The pain can originate from over-tightness of the illio-tibial band (ITB), with the tendon rubbing on the knee bone. As a result the patella does not move or track correctly when the knee is bent from being outstretched (i.e., it does not move toward the inside surface of the knee) to position correctly in the intercondylar notch of the femur. The cartilage under the patella can become damaged, and the ITB inflamed. It is a common injury for runners aged 10-20 years. It is also more likely for those who have small kneecaps, or those whose feet roll in (pronate). Weak quadriceps muscles can increase likelihood of experiencing the condition. There is increased incidence among long distance running and hill running athletes, or those who have had previous knee injury. Clear Identification of TopicSports massage can help stretch the ITB, as tight knots within the tendon may be causing it to shorten. Soft tissue and deep friction massage are traditional sports massage techniques to aid in stretching the ITB, as well as myofascial releasing techniques. In contrast, Tui Na treats the whole body by working on meridians (energy channels)

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Motivation in the Work Place Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Motivation in the Work Place - Dissertation Example This essay's main focus is motivation in the workplace. Motivation has gained importance in the competitive business environment following globalization, liberalization and internationalization. In addition, new technologies have compelled companies to develop the ability to respond to the fast-changing business environment. Businesses work in an intensely competitive environment where employees play a crucial role in the survival and growth of an organization. Organizations recognize the value of human capital and the importance of retaining employees and motivating the work force. Employees’ willingness to work is determined by the motivation they have towards the work. Low motivation among employees can lead to high levels of attrition thereby impacting performance. There has to be a psychological force within the people that arouses their interest, directs their attention and leads them to work persistently and insistently so that they can achieve their intended goals. The refore, it is not just the effort of the organizational managers that impact performance but it is the employees that control how much they are willing to exert. Factors that motivate employees, has been a subject of research for decades and this has resulted in several theories governing motivation. However, few studies deal with how motivation affects employee performance at workplace. The researcher intends to review literature focused on different theories of motivation and on how motivation affects employee performance at workplace.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Job Analysis and its Role in Human Resources Essay

Job Analysis and its Role in Human Resources - Essay Example The importance of job analysis to HR managers is very crucial that it has been called the building block of everything their personnel does. Wright and Wexley (1985) reasoned out that the fact is that almost every human resource management program requires some type of information that is gleaned from job analysis. An appropriately executed job analysis could be beneficial for the company. This is because an organization will be able to undertake: Work redesign-Often an organization seeks to redesign work to make it more efficient or to improve quality. The redesign requires detailed information about the existing job (s). In addition, preparing the redesign is similar to analyzing a job that does not yet exist. Human resource planning-As planners analyze human resource needs and how to meet those needs, they must have accurate information about the levels of skill required in various jobs, so ... Training-Almost every employee hired by an organization will require training. Any training program requires knowledge of the tasks performed in a job, so that the training is related to the necessary knowledge and skills. Performance appraisal-An accurate performance appraisal requires information about how well each employee is performing in order to reward employees who perform well and to improve their performance if it is below standard. Job analysis helps in identifying the behaviors and the results associated with effective performance. Career planning-Matching an individual's skills and aspirations with career opportunities requires that those in charge of career planning know the skill requirements of the various jobs. This allows them to guide individuals into jobs in which they will succeed and be satisfied. Job evaluation-The process of job evaluation involves assessing the relative dollar value of each job to the organization in order to set up fair pay structures. If employees do not believe pay structures are fair, they will become dissatisfied and may quit, or they will not see much benefit in striving for promotions. To put dollar values on jobs, it is necessary to get information about different jobs and compare them. Moreover, job analysis is also important from a legal standpoint. This is because the government imposes requirements related to equal employment opportunity. Detailed, accurate, objective job specifications help decision makers comply with these regulations by keeping the focus on tasks and abilities. These documents also provide evidence of efforts made to engage in fair employment practices. For example, to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may look

Monday, July 22, 2019

Inclusive Education Essay Example for Free

Inclusive Education Essay This report details the role of educational inclusion, individual and general perspectives on inclusion and how the medical and social models have played a great part in the conception and in its application in regards to inclusion in the past and in recent times. Inclusion has different conception and used in certain terminology that relates to inclusion. It is used in different settings such as in social care and in the educational setting in the society today. In this report I will be focusing on the educational part. The Encarta English Dictionary defines inclusion as the addition of somebody or something to the rest of a whole. This definition has not specified who is to be included but a person or group being part and accepted by the rest of a whole. Inclusion have been defined and interpreted by many as just the integration of children with special educational needs (SEN) into mainstream school. According to (Rigby 2000) these kinds of misconception and viewpoints often lead to the misunderstanding and maltreatment in such a way that it creates room for continuous labelling, bulling and rejection by others without SEN. The term Inclusion according to (The Warnock 1978 Report) was initially used as integration, whereby children with SEN who have been educated in special schools where integrated into mainstream school provided they did not have any effect on adequate use of resources. The definition of inclusion is actually changing and moving, in the sense that, its concept and dynamism is now broader, people are now beginning to fully understand what it means and what it evolve in the society today. It is not just about people with special needs integrating or having the same capabilities to perform but having equal choices on where is more conducive they choose to live, having equal opportunity to engage in whatever they choose to do and being accepted the way they are (Giangreco 1997). Social Inclusion/ Social Exclusion There are no definite definitions for social inclusion and social exclusion, both of them has multiply definitions, it all depends on the context which it is used for and is still being developed. Exclusion can be defined as the act of excluding, or of shutting out, whether by thrusting out or by preventing admission; a debarring; rejection; prohibition; the state of being excluded (Inc Icon Group International 2008). According to the definition above, it indicates that social exclusion is multidimensional; people are not only excluded in the society because of their age, sex, religion, colour, disabilities, race and gender it can also be due to unemployment, homelessness, low income, poor mental health, locality, dysfunctional family, educational achievement, status in the society etc (SEU 2004). This group of people are said to be in a Cycle of Disadvantage ( Pope, Pratt and Hoyle, 1986). Article (136 and 137) of The (1997) Amsterdam Treaty was enacted in order to eliminate exclusion and promote economic and social cohesion. Social inclusion promotes integration and community cohesion, it builds the communities, promotes understanding and unity. Inclusive Education and Government Legislation According to (The 1944 Educational Act) it initially stated that, children’s education should be based on their age, aptitude and ability. During the Act establishment, there was a philosophy that children with special need were to be able fit in the school rather than the school making provision to accommodate them before gaining admission into the mainstream school. The (1944 Act) was in use until 1974, when the Warnock Committee was set up to review the provision that was available for children with Special Educational Need. This committee which was headed by Mary Warnock lead to the publication of the 1978 Warnock Report. The Report concluded that, they were about 20% of children in school population that might have Special Education Need and only 2% of which may require support in the mainstream school. The Warnock Report suggested that there should be a proper provision in place for children with Special Educational Need, which then will ensure that the 2% in mainstream school received the adequate provision. The 1978 Warnock Report had since lead to the enactment and development of various educations Act such as, (1981Education Act), (1993 Education Act), (1996 education Act) and the (2001 Special Educational Needs Disability Act) All these Acts listed above reinforces government’s dedication and commitment to the fully inclusion of children with Special Education Needs into mainstream school and the society as a whole. Inclusive Education and Autism  Abraham Maslow formed a theory on ones personality that has a great influence on education. In his theory of human need, he emphasized that, the student with education need that has a wish or desire to belong to a normal group, that desire creates the motivation to acquire new skills, which the student can only achieve in a learning environment that is void of segregation. He further argued that the sense of belonging is the foundational need that that needs to be met in order to achieve the higher level self actualization. According to (Article 28) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, it stated that every child has a right to education. No child should be discriminated, excluded or deprived on the basis of belonging to a particular group. Therefore Inclusive education can be defined as the integration of adults or children into mainstream school regardless their gender, age, disabilities, ethnicity, colour or impairment (Daniels and Garner 2000). Children with hidden disabilities like autism, which is a life time disability that affects the way a child communicates and interact within the society, are faced with difficulties of being fully included into mainstream school. Prior to the development of the Special Need Education, children with autistic spectrum were viewed under two models of disabilities, Medical or Social Model. These are ways how people viewed and acted towards people with disabilities. The Medical Model of Disability sees the illness in the person first and the individual second, this notion creates a bad and negative conception of disability (Cigman 2007). The Social Model of Disability sees the disable person first before their illness. This model sees the person as an individual, different and unique, who has an equal rights and opportunities to education and other essentials of life. The model recognises the fact that a disable person’s impairment does not regard him or her less than anyone else in the society.

Restaurant - Eating Essay Example for Free

Restaurant Eating Essay One of my favorite restaurants is Olive Garden. Without going to Italy to taste their traditional food just come in to Olive Garden and experience the Italian food. They offer wide varieties of Italians food. While the restaurants are similar in the type of food they prepare the difference in their atmosphere, menu and services will assist the customers in making the big decision on which one they like to satisfy their appetite. Olive Garden is the perfect place for a meal if you’re looking for both exquisite and casual dining. The atmosphere is very comforting and the mood is relaxed with the dà ©cor being contemporary but restrained. The tables are in a good distance apart so the diners are given their privacy, but at the same time do not feel isolated from others. When my first time walked in their restaurant, I said to my self that this is a place that I can bring my family to enjoy our dinner together. Even though, I have to spend time waiting to get the table, but it is worth to wait. While the atmosphere is a place to go so do their services. The staffs are friendly, welcoming and efficient. They are always willing to go to lengths to help make your dining experience as memorable as possible. My family and I were very new to the restaurant; the waitress came make us feel like home. She took us to the table and asked to order the drink. She greed us and told us that she will be your table service for tonight. The service was very knowledgeable of the menu and was very polite while taking order. Olive Garden offers wide varieties of Italian food. You can order from an exclusive range of starters, main courses and desserts. The dishes are quite reasonable price range from $10 to $25 including entrà ©e and dessert. I was order Chicken Alfredo which is my favorite. While we were waiting for our main course the entrà ©e came with the salad and breadsticks and also the wine are exclusively sold only at Olive Garden for their customer to taste; then our order came in a short time after. While we were eating the waitress came asked for drink refill or how did we enjoy the food. We were really enjoying our dinner at Olive Garden where we can enjoy good food, a place where we can relax and the staffs treat us as family. We brought friend and family their many time after and everything is treating us the same way even better. This is our favorite Italian restaurant of all time.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Earthquake Resistant Vernacular Architecture | Analysis

Earthquake Resistant Vernacular Architecture | Analysis The role of Earthquake Resistant Vernacular Architecture in Kashmir Introduction Vernacular architecture is the response from a community or a group of persons needs in regards to the built environment using locally available resources. It is tailored to the climatic, geographic, sociological and aesthetic needs of specific localities and emulates local traditions. As it usually a community based activity without qualified architects, the approach tends to be more unpedigreed and constantly evolving. Rural buildings in Kashmir are designed by the people living there and thus reflect the local cultural heritage as well as the strength of the community itself. In general, buildings in Kashmir have relied entirely on mud, bricks, stone and wood for a long time. In recent times, non-local materials have become more available for the communities living in Kashmir, especially more prosperous regions1. Background Information Indian-administered Kashmir includes Jammu and Kashmir sharing a border with China, in the north and east. Pakistan-administered Kashmir terrorities are Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltisan which are part of the greater Kashmir region. The Kashmir region is on the northern borders of India and Pakistan and the southwestern border of China. Gilgit-Baltisan is the northern most region of Pakistan-administered Pakistan, bordering Azad Kashmir in the south. The irregular topography accounts for the variation in temperature and is largely regulated by the Himalayas, surrounding mountainous and water occupying regions. Despite this, Kashmir has still got four distinct seasons with the highest temperatures reaching over 30 °C and the winter temperatures as low as -4 °C during the nights with snowfall. The climate is known to milder than other surrounding regions to the relatively low altitude2. The soil found in Kashmir is described as clayey, loamy rich and light with alluvial origin. Allu vial soils are known to be more vulnerable to ground failure when seismic vibrations take place. Softer soils are found in Srinagar and across the Valley of Kashmir and they can contribute to making an earthquake last longer3. The economy of the area heavily relies on agriculture with 60% of the area relying on irrigation for major crops such as rice, maize and wheat. There are dense forests that can be divided into two zones (Sub-Himalayan and Himalayan) providing an invaluable source for timber in construction4. Earthquake Risk The Himalayas itself have been created by the collision of two tectonic plates, making it one of the worlds most earthquake prone zones. The Kashmir region is a seismically active experiencing several earthquakes in the Valley of Kashmir throughout history. The boundary of the Indian tectonic plate is colliding with the stationary Eurasian plate creating areas of high stress. Studies show that the Indian tectonic plate moves at 1.8cm a year beneath the Himalayan tectonic plate. Between 1904-2015, there have been 102 earthquakes recorded at this region and there are records dating back to the 15th Century detailing severe earthquakes4. The built environment around Kashmir has changed to help minimise the impact of these earthquakes Initiatives such as the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) collaboration with India in 2006 after the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake have advocated for the preservation of vernacular buildings but also to discuss alternatives in earthquake-resistant buildings with world-renowned international experts5. Evolution of Vernacular Buildings Most of the buildings in the Kashmiri area are constructed because of the communitys adaptation to living in a disaster-prone area. Many towns and villages in Kashmir are found on soft soils or on former prehistoric lakes, therefore it is essential to have characteristic yet simple residential houses. For example, in places with soft water-laden soils, the evolution of timber-laced construction is a necessity for structural survival in the long term. These buildings tend to lean and tilt slightly with little rigidity. For a long time, the heating and cooking systems of these houses has remained intact. Wood-burning stoves were and still are made from easily sourced mud and a copper vessel embedded into the masonry wall to heat up the water. Due to very little additional expenditure, stoves made from galvanized iron sheets have become more popular. Timber-laced masonry construction systems in Kashmir date back to the 12th century, however it was only in the beginning of the 19th centu ry that these systems split into two main traditional construction styles: taq and Dhajji dewari. There has been other earthquake resistant vernacular constructions found in Kashmir after the 2005 earthquake, such as balconies resting on wooden joists, well-designed trusses and ceilings with joists that rested on the wooden built bands spread across walls. There are variations of these styles that are found in heavily mountainous areas where soft soils are not a problem.6 Therefore, the major factors that controlled vernacular architecture are access to good soil for brick-making, to water and to timber, as well as earthquake resistance. Taq (bhatar) buildings Taq buildings are a traditional form of Kashmiri construction and are known for their resistance against earthquakes. The taq system involves load-bearing masonry walls with horizontal timbers embedded in them. The unreinforced masonry is low-strength which is known as masonry laid in lime-sand or mud mortar. The masonry piers are tied together in a ladder-like format by the timber beams in each floor and window level. The symmetrical positioning of windows in a characteristic feature of taqs and is where the name originates from. These timbers resist earthquake collapse by allowing movement of the masonry and the confinement of the brick mud or rubble stone of the wall. The timbers allow an increase in ductility when absorbing the energy released from an earthquake. The full weight of the masonry can be placed on the timber allowing the structure to be held in place. These buildings have enough flexibility to sway in an event of an earthquake. However, the materials in taq are not i ndividually ductile and dont typically exhibit plastic behaviour under stress. Although, since it works as a system, the behaviour that shows this form of flexibility is because of the energy dissipation from the friction between the timbers and the masonry. This friction only occurs when the masonry has been consisted of mortar made from low-strength mud or lime. The Kashmiri house size measurements is defined by the number of window bays, for example, a 5 taq house is five window bays wide. All materials that allow flexibility are easily sourced in Kashmir yet these naturally occurring materials tend not to be strong enough to provide rigidity to the buildings. These ancient taq buildings originally possessed structural and traditional Kashmiri patterns and designs, and held a cultural significance amongst communities7. There has been an area of debate amongst engineers in introducing modern elements to taq buildings, however these have proved to be incompatible. For example, usin g steel reinforcement inside the walls however the rusting of steel when iron converts to iron oxide results in an expansion and thus, the force of this has a negative impact on corresponding materials by breaking them, e.g. the masonry. In addition to this, using steel rods and other incompatible methods such as welding, requires more skill as it is more advance2. Dhajji dewari The Dhajji dewari buildings is a mixture of timber and masonry construction that is also found in non-earthquake zones. Dhajji dewari is a Persian term meaning a patchwork quilt wall. The walls are lighter and thinner and are made of timber framing with infills of brick or sometimes stone masonry. The wall is usually one-half brick thick and then mostly made of timber and masonry. The infil is commonly brick that is made from fired or unfired clay, or rubble stone in more mountainous regions. The vertical and horizontal cage that is formed by the timber frame allows diagonal movement against sheer stress. Timber studs are used to subdivide the infill which help resist the progressive destruction of the wall and of diagonal shear cracks. The buildings are usually found in flat terrain and are detached. They are found in more rural areas since urban areas of Kashmir (e.g. Mirpur, Azad Kashmir) use modern materials such as cement and steel in present time. These materials are affordable to areas where there are less agricultural based jobs, and more industrial based employment. Dhajji buildings in urban areas can also be up to four stories high and more extravagant. In general, Dhajji buildings are mostly found in the western Himalayas in both the Pakistan and Indian-administered sectors of Kashmir. This construction type has been used for over 200 years due to the speed, cost and availability of the resources required to produce these structures. The skill required is not exhaustive for the labour involved and in fact, easier to repair than to make a new house. Dhajji buildings tend to perform better after earthquakes than the original taq buildings, however it cannot be a choice for everyone in the region due to economic means. Despite the locally sourced timber, the judicious use of it in taq and Dhajji buildings means that over the years it has become more in demand, especially post-earthquake times. Towards the 21st century, several people would construct in reinforced concrete however the disadvantages included the poor thermal performance of hollow concrete block construction, this was especially seen in the cold winter seasons. Rich merchants and politicians tend to have very large houses constructed in the Dhajji format and it works as a multi-family housing unit, especially in a region known to have extended families living together. A lot of Dhajji houses are also used for shelter for livestock. Agriculture and farming are an integral part of Kashmiri society, therefore sheltering animals during an earthquake is essential. It is also difficult for communities to move elsewhere in the region since land ownership is the main form of inheritance and records go back to 500 years8. This is another reason why buildings are built upwards on one land plot as well the high density of development in these areas. There is a sense of craftsmanship in making these buildings as simple and reproducible for the community as possible. Cator and Cribbage There are several historic mosques in Srinagar that have employed a cator and cribbage style which is another variation of timber-laced masonry. These structures have also proven to be stable in earthquake-prone regions. The timber-laced masonry is much heavier with a greater use of timber and have been around for approximately 1,000 years. The corners of the building are made of a cribbage of timber with masonry, which connects to the timber belts (cators) running across the walls. These concepts of design come from the Islamic cultural influence from the Middle East, notably in Turkey where it dates back 9,000 years. The walls would usually have religious carvings and symbolism8. Fig.5: Cater and Cribbage technique A comparison of Modern Vernacular Architecture with Traditional Vernacular Architecture After the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake with a high magnitude of 7.6 killed approximately 80,000 people and over 3 million Kashmiris left homeless. Despite the government introducing more steel and reinforced construction over the last 20 years, it made little difference to the impact that the earthquake had, infact Dhajji and bhatar construction turned out to be more stable. This result from reinforced concrete has been witnessed in other earthquakes e.g. Ahmedabad in 2001 and Iran in 20038. Survival rates of those trapped under these constructions was higher than those trapped under concrete based buildings. There has been a modernization of cities such as Srinagar involving the replacement of masonry and timber based constructions with reinforced concrete, affecting the aesthetic appeal of the traditional buildings. Local traditional design usually involves large windows for the summer seasons, however with concrete houses, central heating during the harsh winters is poor and a large ma jority of Kashmiris fall into the lower economical class where they cant afford the fuel to heat up their homes. Due to their flexibility over the years, Taq and Dhajji buildings have showcased that they can survive low to medium Richter Scale earthquakes. Using natural occurring resources such as mud mortar and locally available supplies such as bricks and wood have allowed Kashmiri traditional houses to have a lower level of thermal conductivity than concrete, and thus greater insulation. This is a crucial need for those living in Kashmir because although the summers are short, they can be very warm therefore a house without windows is futile. The materials used for these structures is also useful in the sense that they were recyclable, and it was easier to re-build or reuse the materials for another purpose after an earthquake. This is much more difficult for a concrete building. There are more problems left for the residents after a concrete house has collapsed, such as the removal of debris and rescuing survivors. However there has been strain on the timber supplies due to the deforestatio n rate increasing as the number of earthquakes and population increase. This has led to a larger number of cement plants in Kashmir. Although, high-strength cement-based mortar is now a generic material recommended by most engineers for building on earthquake areas, but Kashmir which experiences considerably larger earthquakes, the mortar ceases to make a beneficial difference once the walls of the building begin cracking. With timber-based masonry, the low strength mortar is used to hold the bricks apart, rather than together allowing the dissipation of the earthquakes energy to other units of the structure. Therefore, internal damping is an area that differs between both kinds of buildings. In addition to these construction problems, many people in the region are more likely to have poor construction practice (due to the more complicated procedures and skills) such as poor mixing or inadequate hydration of concrete which increases the likelihood of a collapse. Tourism has also become an economically beneficial industry in the Kashmir regions providing new employment for its communities, therefore the need to keep its natural attractions is crucial. Prices of timber have increased over the years too and the cost to maintain wood structures has deterred many residents. Overall, the need for modernization and emulating westernization standards of housing has shifted what the communities want, rather than need. Taq and Dhajji dewari have become a symbol of the old times and the prevalence of architecture as a profession has helped create this shift. International architects and engineers have introduced new ideas and concepts to an area that has little similarity to other places in the world, due to its unique geography and climate. The consequences of the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake have caused a detachment from traditional architecture, despite the uniqueness and the performance of it under previous natural disasters. Using Vernacular approaches in Modern Times: Yasmeen Lari One architect that has adopted a vernacular approach in the Kashmir regions is Yasmeen Lari. Lari is Pakistans first female architect. She has been known to be an advocate for the preservation of historical and cultural Pakistani sites. Like others in Kashmir, she has a keen interest in maintaining cultural heritage yet also having a modern perspective. She has built 45,000 structures since 2010 withstanding earthquakes and even flash floods. Lari has also created the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan employing architecture students to teach and train the local community to build more sustainable homes. The foundation aims to increase the involvement of women in rebuilding their homes after natural disasters. Previously, male family members would be part of the community activity of rebuilding and restoration due to cultural reasons. Her technique involves using mud, bamboo, lime and mix lime with mud to create a strong foundation for buildings. The pillars of the houses consist of bam boo roofs, the walls are made from a mixture of mud, lime and other locally sourced material. The rood is known as the Karavan roof, whereby the bamboo can last for 25 years when covered with straw matting, and to make it waterproof a layer of tarpaulin and pozzolana is added. The sizes of the houses range from a single room to a larger room suitable for 5 people, kitchen, bathroom and verandah. After 3 years, it was found that these houses were still standing and in good condition. The reluctance to use cement, steel and burnt bricks for her was since these high-cost materials dont work as efficiently under a disaster situation. It also provides help to communities that arent as economically stable as others in Kashmir (e.g. Mirpur in Pakistan has a large British Pakistani population allowing greater expenditure on buildings) and are not in favour of modernisation. The idea behind Laris concept is the same that has been used in Kashmir for years before modernisation occurred, it ba sically ensures that buildings are simple enough to be rebuilt by inhabitants when in need. The importance of local involvement has been witnessed in the building of Taq and Dhajji Dewari buildings. Laris main objective is to enhance the focus on heritage methodology and learn from the past and advocate zero-cost and zero-carbon solutions9. Conclusion In current times, the Dhajji dewari system is still being used in and adapted in places such as Srinagar, although the principles are the same, new additions such as mud mixed with straw for brick infill are being explored. However, the shift to reinforced concrete buildings is noticeable and has left some taq and Dhajji buildings out of fashion. The combination of vernacular techniques and methods with modern materials and technology are slowly being advocated by groups such as UNESCO. Taq and Dhajji dewari systems have become a symbol of continuity and tradition. The idea of improving the quality of life by modernization has overshadowed the need for traditional timber-based masonry buildings in an extremely earthquake zone. The evolution of earthquake resistance buildings in Kashmir has been rushed to the most generic and common answer (reinforced cement construction), but the disadvantages of this have been witnessed by communities, especially poorer communities. Older designs te nd to complement the climate and the resources available to a higher degree but reverting completely back to them is not ideal. There is general rediscovery of the advantages of old fashioned methods by the government too and a conscious shift to a pre-modern Kashmir but with also new building science. References Vernacular Architecture By Henry Glassie pg 12 Living in Harmony with the Four Elements 12-14 December 2010 Earthquake Resistant Traditional Construction is Not an Oxymoron* The Resilience of Timber and Masonry Structures in the Himalayan Region and Beyond, and its Relevance to Heritage Preservation in Bhutan By Randolph Langenbach Auerbachs Wilderness Medicine By Paul S. Auerbach, Tracy A Cushing, N. Stuart Harris pg 1926 History of Natural Disasters in Kashmir Valley, Jammu and Kashmir with Special Reference to Earthquakes Sidrat Ul Muntaha Anees M. Sultan Bhat Dont Tear it Down!Text and Photographs by Randolph Langenbach Preserving the Earthquake Resistant Vernacular Architecture of KashmirBOOK EXCERPT:Showing Forword, (2) pages 59-61: Section 3.6.2 corner vertical rebar in taq [timber-laced masonry bearing wall] constructionand definition of taq and dhajji dewari construction. FROM:Orig inal publication Info:Produced by UNESCO Cultures and Disasters: Understanding Cultural Framings in Disaster Risk edited by Fred Krà ¼ger, Greg Bankoff, Terry Cannon, Benedikt Orlowski, E. Lisa F. Schipper pg 65 Traditional Earthquake Resistant System Kashmir Mohd Akeeb Dar Sajad Ahmad Hazards and the Built Environment: Attaining Built-in Resilience International Journal of Civil and Structural Engineering Research ISSN 2348-7607 (Online) Vol. 2, Issue 2, pp: (86-92), Month: October 2014 March 2015, Available at: www.researchpublish.com Building of a disaster By Shahnawaz Khan Srinagar, July 3, 2014:  http://www.tabletwoproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Yasmeen-Lari.pdf

Saturday, July 20, 2019

colon cancer :: essays research papers

The colon and rectum are part of the large intestine (bowel). Colon and rectum cancers, which are sometimes referred to together as"colorectal cancer,"usually grow in the lining of the large intestine. Cancer of the Colon and Rectum is the third most common cancer in adults and accounts for 11% of all cancer deaths. Other types of cancer that can grow in the large intestine include lymphomas, melanomas or sarcomas. Alternative names for Cancer is; Colorectal cancer; Intestinal cancer; Bowel cancer; Cancer – colon. . In most cases, colon cancer has no symptoms, therefore, it is very often diagnosed and treated in the advanced stages when the success rate is reduced. Hidden blood in the stool is mostly the first, and often times the only warning sign. In a high percentage polyps precede the development of colon cancer. Causes, incidences, and risk factors, There is no single cause of colon cancer. Factors associated with colon cancer are colorectal polyps, cancer elsewhere in the body, a family history of colon cancer, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and immunodeficiency disorders. Dietary factors associated with colon cancer are a high-meat, high-fat, low-fiber diet. Prevention lower your risk factors where possible. Colon cancer can be prevented if polyps that lead to the cancer are detected and removed. If colon cancer is detected in its early stages, it is up to 90% curable. Beginning at age 50, get screening tests to allow early detection. If one of your first-degree relatives has had colon cancer, you should start getting screened 10 years prior to the age your relative was diagnosed. This will help identify pre-cancerous polyps. The four common screening tests and recommended frequency of use are: 1. Fecal Occult Blood Test (annually) 2. Sigmoidoscopy (every 5 years) 3. Double Barium Contrast Enema (every 5 years) 4. Colonoscopy (every 10 years) The colonoscopy is the most useful, but most invasive test. New tests using CAT scans to do a "virtual" colonoscopy are being developed. These are less invasive, but one must subsequently undergo a colonoscopy if a suspicious lesion is seen.

Smallpox Treatment Essay -- Vaccination Vaccine Variolation

Smallpox Treatment Smallpox has threatened our world for the past twelve thousand years. Treatments were desperately searched for until a cure called variolation was discovered. Variolation is the use of the virus placed into a being to which they will receive the illness to a lesser degree and overcome the illness forming an immunization to it. This process was started in China and went worldwide after Lady Montagu took the process from Turkey and informed the British about it. From here the process set fire and spread across Europe, curing many, but also killing them too. This new discovery opened a channel of research for many doctors, until in 1774 a farmer named Benjamin Jesty discovered that the lesser illness of cowpox could vaccinate one from smallpox. Jesty’s discovery plagued the world and set another opening for research, into which doctors searched for the best way to vaccinate citizens with. Vaccination helped a plethora of people until 1980 when the disease was finall y eradicated. However, smallpox’s ugly face reared itself just recently with the new threat of bioterrorism. Yet this will most likely not affect our society due to the huge amount of preparatory work that would need to be placed into a new smallpox outbreak. For the past twelve thousand years, Smallpox has obliterated societies with ease. Many civilizations found ways to inoculate their citizens with the least amount of symptoms through processes known as variolation and vaccination. Development of the treatment for smallpox mostly began in the end of the eighteenth century and continued through 1970s, until smallpox was eradicated in 1980. Smallpox is thought to have first started in Africa and then moved to... ... Vaccine. 1st ed. Vol. 1. London: Heinemann Educational Books Ltd, 1981. 1-196. Brannon, Heather. "The History of Smallpox." About.Com. 24 Sept. 2005. Health on the Net Foundation. 26 July 2007 smallpoxhx.htm>. "The First Recorded Smallpox Vaccination." The Dorset Page. 2000. The Dorset Page. 27 July 2007 . Krasner, Gary. "Smallpox Vaccination Dangers." NaturoDoc. 2007. NaturoDoc LLC. 27 July 2007 _vaccine.htm>. Ogden, Horace G.. CDC and the Smallpox Crusade. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1987. Razzell, Peter. Edward Jenner's Cowpox Vaccine: the History of a Medical Myth. 1st ed. Vol. 1. Great Britain: Caliban Books, 1977. 5-107.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Plato Vs Socrates Essay -- Philosophy

Plato's point of view is different from many other peoples. He says that people do wrong not because they are inherently evil, but because they are unclear about what is best for them. While the good truly is good, the pleasant do not know good and therefore have the incorrect belief of good. He is saying someone who is good knows what good is and those who do not do good do not know good itself. Plato believes that the contemporary society is mistaken about their interpretations of good and pleasant. Society believes that good is pleasant. Plato portrays this message through the mouth piece of Socrates. The philosopher Polus argues that good is made by the possessor. He says one can achieve good through their actions. Good is achievable by all, different to all and can be attained by the possessor through good actions. Socrates argues that his definition is correct. He says civilization does good not for good itself but for other reasons. He says, humans do make the medicine for the sake of medicine but they make this to improve the health and well-being of someone. People are concerned about the results of the good they are doing rather than the action of doing good itself. Socrates mentions that a long distance runner does not run incredibly long distances just for the thrill of running, but the runner runs these long distances to maintain his health and to stay fit. Socrates gives Polus an example as to how his definition of good is wrong. Kings are faced with criminals everyday that must be punished for their wrongful actions. The criminals must be put to death supposedly for the "good of the state." This is one example of how a ruler or possessor does what he does he thinks is good. Th... ...in of thirst from ourselves and pleasuring ourselves with drink. I also question what Socrates says about wrong being an individuals opinion rather than a standard by which we live. It seems like Socrates is saying that no one has morals and society can do wrong and not even realize it. It sounds like humans do not know the difference between right and wrong. He seems as though he knows all and has all the right answers. There is also another way at looking at what Socrates says here. Everybody lives a different lifestyle. Some people live a life dedicated to a certain religion and some people are part of the mafia or live in street alleys. Everyone is going to have their own position on what is wrong and what is not. Even though stealing is wrong homeless people may argue that they needs food to survive and stealing it is the only way they can get it.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Irony in “The Story of an Hour” Essay

There are many types of irony such as basic irony which is the use of word to convey a meaning that is opposite of its literal meaning. Situational irony which is the moment a characters actions have the opposite of their intended effect. Finally there is dramatic irony which occurs when there is a contrast between the readers knowledge and the knowledge of the characters in the work. However situational irony is what mostly transpires in Kate Chopin short story â€Å"The Story of an Hour† Situational irony is used in â€Å"The Story of an Hour† through Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to her husband’s death. When she first heard the news of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard, â€Å"wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment† (Chopin, 1). Everyone in the house thought that she was upset and went upstairs to be alone in her room because this is a common reaction after having just lost a loved one. Although once Mrs. Mallard is alone in her room, Chopin wants the reader to witness that she is not saddened by the loss of her husband but relieved, â€Å"When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: â€Å"free, free, free!†Ã¢â‚¬  (Chopin, 1) Although Mrs. Mallard is â€Å"free† from her marriage that does not mean that she did not love her husband, as she looks through the open window from which she gazes represents freedom and opportunities. Instead of being dark and full of grief to symbolize how one would expect her to feel, she sees patches of blue sky, fluffy clouds and treetops. She also hears singing of birds and smells a rainstorm coming. Chopin signifies this as new beginning for Mrs. Mallard. Everything that she experiences through her time of â€Å"mourning† suggests joy and a new life that awaits her. She is expected to mourn her husband’s death, but she is thinking about her new life â€Å"There would be no  one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for her self† (Chopin, 2) this is to be understood that she has sacrificed her life for her husband, although there is no evidence that her husband has done her living â€Å"for her†. The language Chopin uses throughout her story foreshadows the ironic happiness that she feels with being free. Chopin further more tries to explain that she is not only feeling happiness through her husband’s death when she writes, â€Å"She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead.†(Chopin, 1) It is not clear on why Louise Mallard feels this way about her husband’s death because there is no evidence on any physical or emotional abuse, repression or neglect from her husband â€Å"it might have been external, in society or in her marriage or whether it was internal, a recognition that it takes strength to control one’s feelings or whims.† (Berkove, 153). Through Louise’s recognition that she is free from her husband there is situational and dramatic irony as well. While she was alone in her room she realized that she would no longer be bound to her husband but rather free to do whatever she should choose, † â€Å"Free! Body and soul free!† she kept whispering.† (Chopin, 2) She continues to whisper this to herself because although she is alone in her room she acknowledges that she should not be having such thoughts and does not want anyone to know how she really feels about her husband’s death. No one else knew this, they all believed that she was sorrowful and wanted to be alone to grieve. Josephine, a woman in the house, even though Mrs. Mallard was making herself sick, but in reality Louise was absorbing the days ahead of her. Her overwhelming joy all comes to an abrupt stop when she descends from her room to only find out that her husband is not dead. She is so shocked to see her husband that she has a heart attack and as doctors described it as, â€Å"joy that kills,† which is perceived as the dramatic irony part of the short story. Everyone believes she died in that way so the reader can actually realize that she was in fact not joyful to see her husband instead in disarray and upset that she only had a glimpse of real freedom and would rather be dead than to go back and live the life she had. â€Å"Louise dies in the world of her family where she has always sacrificed for others† (Ewell, 160.) Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is one of the many books that says â€Å"so much in so few words† (Berkove, 152). The irony in her story is almost never ending. Louise Mallards life after discovering about her husbands death is the true meaning of â€Å"the story of an hour† because she had a quick look of how her life was going to be. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. â€Å"The Story of an Hour.† Katechopin.org Kate Chopin International Society, April 19, 1894. Web. 1 Nov. 2014. 2. Berkove, Lawrence I. American Literary Realism, Vol. 32, No. 2 : Fatal Self-Assertion in Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour.† Jstor.org. 2000. Web. 1 Nov. 2014 3. Ewell, Barbara C. â€Å"Chopin and the Dream of Female Selfhood: Kate chopin Reconsidered† Jstor.org. 2000. Web. 1 Nov. 2014

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 13. NEWBORN

THE same(p) THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAND, Jasper answe ablaze(p) in a tranquillize voice. Repeated a thousand epochs. He laughed a footling ruefully and fleecy at his arm. Our ve n angiotensin converting enzyme is the provided affaire that leaves a scar.Why? I aphonic in villainy, finding rude scarcely un able to stop staring at his subtly ravaged skin.I didnt nurture sort of the same . . . upbringing as my adopted siblings here. My beginning was something else entirely. His voice rancid catchy as he finished.I gaped at him, app bothed.Before I ramify you my degree, Jasper express, you must understand that in that location argon places in our domain of a function, Bella, where the manner span of the n invariably-aging is mea surelyd in weeks, and non centuries.The separates had stressd this before. Carlisle and Emmett by and by partcelled their attention to the TV again. Alice travel wordlessly to sit at Esmes feet. notwithstanding Edward was how i nvariably as absorbed as I was I could intent his look on my eccentric, reading e rattling flicker of emotion.To in truth understand why, you baffle to look at the beingness from a different perspective. You pee-pee to imagine the way it looks to the indexful, the greedy . . . the forever thirsty.You line up, there ar places in this world that ar to a greater extent desirable to us than early(a)s. Places where we can be less await rainwatered, and console avert detection.Picture, for instance, a map of the Hesperian hemisphere. Picture on it both gaykind life as a undersized red dot. The thicker the red, the often than easily we easily, those who enlighten it this way can feed without attracting abide by.I shuddered at the image in my laissez passer, at the word feed. tho Jasper wasnt worried somewhat f pay offening me, not over h gray dearive a homogeneous Edward invariably was. He went on without a pause.Not that the covens in the conspiracy accusation actu eachy much for what the humans chance on or do not. Its the Volturi that cargo hold an eye on them in check. They are the except wizards the southern covens fear. If not for the Volturi, the rest of us would be ready(a)ly exposed.I frowned at the way he marked the gain with respect, close gratitude. The vagary of the Volturi as the good guys in any brain was hard to accept.The North is, by comparison, very civilized. Mostly we are nomads here who piss merry the twenty-four hour period as swell up as the night, who bothow humans to interact with us unsuspectingly anonymity is measurable to us any.Its a different world in the South. The immortals there watch over out provided at night. They spend the twenty-four hour period plotting their future(a) move, or anticipating their enemys. Because it has been war in the South, perpetual war for centuries, with neer one piece of truce. The covens there barely note the man of humans, except as s oldiers notice a herd of cows by the road spot food for the taking. They only(prenominal) hide from the notice of the herd because of the Volturi.But what are they scrap for? I asked.Jasper smiled. Remember the map with the red dots?He waited, so I nodded.They argue for control of the thickest red.You uplift, it dored to soulfulness once that, if he were the only vampire in, permits say Mexico City, well thus, he could feed every night, twice, troika multiplication, and no one would ever notice. He plotted ways to lose dislodge of the competition.Others had the same judgment. several(prenominal) came up with more effective tactics than early(a)s.But the most effective tactic was invented by a fairly young vampire named Benito. The get-go anyone ever heard of him, he came devour from somewhere north of Dallas and massacred the 2 sensitive covens that shared the area set most Houston. both nights later, he likewisek on the much stronger family of allies that claimed Monterrey in northern Mexico. Again, he won.How did he win? I asked with leery curiosity.Benito had created an regular array of young vampires. He was the outset one to think of it, and, in the beginning, he was unstoppable. Very young vampires are volatile, wild, and or so impossible to control. One in the buffborn can be reasoned with, taught to restrain himself, entirely ten, fifteen together are a nightmare. Theyll turn on each different as easily as on the enemy you point them at. Benito had to go qualification more as they fought amongst themselves, and as the covens he decimated in like mannerk more than half(a) his force fling off before they lost.You leave, though youngs are dangerous, they are mollify possible to defeat if you consist what youre doing. Theyre incredibly powerful physically, for the runner category or so, and if theyre allowed to bring strength to puddle they can crush an older vampire with ease. But they are slaves to their ins tincts, and thus predictable. Usually, they birth no skill in fighting, only muscle and ferocity. And in this case, overwhelming numbers.The vampires in southern Mexico completed what was approach path for them, and they did the only thing they could think of to counteract Benito. They make armies of their own. . . .All crazy house broke well-situated and I mean that more literally than you can possibly imagine. We immortals puddle our histories, too, and this feature war depart never be forgotten. Of course, it was not a good time to be human in Mexico, every.I shuddered.When the body count reached epidemic proportions in fact, your histories blame a disease for the existence slump the Volturi finally stepped in. The entire protection came together and sought out every new-fangledborn in the bottom half of North America. Benito was entrenched in Puebla, building his army as quick as he could in order to communicate on the prize Mexico City. The Volturi started wit h him, and because moved on to the rest.Anyone who was im contrivet with the newborns was executed immediately, and, since everyone was assay to protect themselves from Benito, Mexico was emptied of vampires for a time.The Volturi were cleaning signal for almost a grade. This was opposite chapter of our autobiography that allow always be immortali visitd, though there were very fewer witnesses left to speak of what it was like. I wheel spoke to someone once who had, from a distance, watched what happened when they visited Culiacn.Jasper shuddered. I realized that I had never before attendn him either afraid or horrified. This was a beginning.It was plenteous that the fever for conquest did not spread from the South. The rest of the world stayed sane. We owe the Volturi for our establish way of life.But when the Volturi went posterior to Italy, the survivors were quick to s care their claims in the South.It didnt abbreviate recollective before covens began to dis fix upe again. thither was a lot of bad wrinkle, if youll forgive the expression. Vendettas abounded. The approximation of newborns was already there, and some were not able to resist. However, the Volturi had not been forgotten, and the southern covens were more awake this time. The newborns were selected from the human pool with more care, and tending(p) more training. They were used circumspectly, and the humans remained, for the most part, oblivious. Their creators gave the Volturi no reason to harvest-home.The wars resumed, exclusively on a lesseneder scale. Every outright and then, someone would go too far, hypothesis would begin in the human newspapers, and the Volturi would return and clean out the city. But they let the others, the careful ones, continue. . . .Jasper was staring off into space.Thats how you were changed. My fruition was a whisper.Yes, he concord. When I was human, I lived in Houston, Texas. I was almost 17 years old when I conjugate the Confede rate Army in 1861. I lied to the recruiters and told them I was twenty. I was noble becoming to get remote with it.My soldiers career was short-lived, just now very promising. sight always . . . liked me, listened to what I had to say. My contract utter it was charisma. Of course, now I be it was probably something more. But, any(prenominal) the reason, I was promoted quickly through the ranks, over older, more experient men. The Confederate Army was new and scrambling to deck up itself, so that provided opportunities, as well. By the first battle of Galveston well, it was more of a skirmish, actually I was the youngest major in Texas, not til now ac whapledging my real age.I was pose in weigh garbage down in the mouth of evacuating the women and children from the city when the Unions howitzer boats reached the harbor. It took a day to prepare them, and then I left with the first chromatography column of civilians to convey them to Houston.I remember that one ni ght very make uply.We reached the city later on dark. I stayed only huge affluent to make sure the entire troupe was safely situated. As in short as that was done, I got myself a fresh horse, and I headed hazard to Galveston. in that respect wasnt time to rest. just a mile out view the city, I found triple women on foot. I assumed they were stragglers and dismounted at once to claim them my aid. But, when I could see their faces in the thick light of the moon, I was stunned into silence. They were, without question, the three most beautiful women I had ever seen.They had such pale skin, I remember marveling at it. level(p) the little dark- hairclothed girl, whose features were progress toly Mexican, was porcelain in the moonlight. They seemed young, all of them, still young enough to be called girls. I knew they were not lost members of our party. I would founder remembered seeing these three.Hes speechless, the tallest girl said in a lovely, delicate voice it was lik e wind chimes. She had fair hair, and her skin was ampere-second white-hot.The other was blonder still, her skin just as chalky. Her face was like an angels. She leaned toward me with half-closed look and inhaled deeply.Mmm, she sighed. Lovely.The small one, the tiny black-haired, put her hand on the girls arm and spoke quickly. Her voice was too whacky and musical to be sharp, just now that seemed to be the way she intended it.Concentrate, Nettie, she said.Id always had a good understanding of how masses related to each other, and it was immediately clear that the brunette was somehow in charge of the others. If theyd been military, I would gestate said that she outranked them.He looks right young, strong, an officer. . . . The brunette paused, and I act unsuccessfully to speak. And theres something more . . . do you sense it? she asked the other two. Hes . . . compelling.Oh, yes, Nettie quickly agreed, leaning toward me again.Patience, the brunette cautioned her. I wan t to keep this one.Nettie frowned she seemed annoyed.Youd unwrap do it, female horse, the taller blonde spoke again. If hes important to you. I kill them twice as often as I keep them.Yes, Ill do it, female horse agreed. I really do like this one. Take Nettie away, go away you? I dont want to have to protect my back while Im trying to focus.My hair was standing up on the back of my neck, though I didnt understand the significance of anything the beautiful creatures were saying. My instincts told me that there was danger, that the angel had meant it when she spoke of killing, notwithstanding my judgment overruled my instincts. I had not been taught to fear women, exclusively to protect them.Lets hunt, Nettie agreed enthusiastically, reaching for the tall girls hand. They wheeled they were so graceful and sprinted toward the city. They seemed to almost take flight, they were so luxuriant their white dresses blew out rotter them like wings. I blinked in amazement, and they were gone.I turned to stare at female horse, who was ceremonial me curiously.Id never been superstitious in my life. Until that second, Id never sweard in ghosts or any other such nonsense. Suddenly, I was unsure.What is your name, soldier? maria asked me.Major Jasper Whitlock, maam, I stammered, unable to be impolite to a female, even if she was a ghost.I truly hope you stand firm, Jasper, she said in her gentle voice. I have a good feeling to the highest degree you.She took a step closer, and inclined her head as if she were spill to kiss me. I stood frozen in place, though my instincts were shrieking at me to run.Jasper paused, his face thoughtful. A few days later, he finally said, and I wasnt sure if he had edited his story for my sake or because he was responding to the tensity that even I could feel exuding from Edward, I was introduced to my new life.Their names were mare, Nettie, and Lucy. They hadnt been together grand maria had rounded up the other two all thr ee were survivors of tardily lost battles. Theirs was a partnership of convenience. Maria cherished revenge, and she wanted her territories back. The others were eager to join on their . . . herd lands, I suppose you could say. They were position together an army, and going rough it more carefully than was usual. It was Marias in signalizeect. She wanted a boss army, so she sought out ad hoc humans who had potential. wherefore she gave us much more attention, more training than anyone else had bothered with. She taught us to fight, and she taught us to be infrared to the humans. When we did well, we were rewarded. . . .He paused, editing again.She was in a hurry, though. Maria knew that the massive strength of the newborn began to wane around the year mark, and she wanted to act while we were strong.There were sextuplet of us when I joined Marias band. She added foursome-spot more within a fortnight. We were all male Maria wanted soldiers and that do it slightly mo re difficult to keep from fighting amongst ourselves. I fought my first battles against my new comrades in arms. I was quicker than the others, jade at combat. Maria was pl projecting with me, though put out that she had to keep regenerate the ones I undone. I was rewarded often, and that do me stronger.Maria was a good judge of character. She indomitable to put me in charge of the others as if I were being promoted. It suited my temperament exactly. The casualties went down dramatically, and our numbers swelled to tickle around twenty.This was involveable for the cautious times we lived in. My ability, as yet undefined, to control the excited atmosphere around me was vitally effective. We briefly began to work together in a way that newborn vampires had never cooperated before. Even Maria, Nettie, and Lucy were able to work together more easily.Maria grew quite fond of me she began to face upon me. And, in some ways, I adore the ground she walked on. I had no idea th at any other life was possible. Maria told us this was the way things were, and we gestated.She asked me to tell her when my brothers and I were ready to fight, and I was eager to screen myself. I pulled together an army of 23 in the end twenty-three implausibly strong new vampires, organized and complete as no others before. Maria was ecstatic.We crept down toward Monterrey, her former home, and she unleashed us on her enemies. They had only nine newborns at the time, and a agree of older vampires controlling them. We took them down more easily than Maria could believe, losing only four in the process. It was an unheard-of margin of victory.And we were well trained. We did it without attracting notice. The city changed give without any human being aware.Success made Maria greedy. It wasnt long before she began to eye other cities. That first year, she elongate her control to mantle most of Texas and northern Mexico. Then the others came from the South to dislodge her.He b rushed two fingers along the faint pattern of scars on his arm.The fighting was intense. Many began to worry that the Volturi would return. Of the airplane pilot twenty-three, I was the only one to survive the first eighteen months. We both won and lost. Nettie and Lucy turned on Maria at weather scarcely that one we won.Maria and I were able to hold on to Monterrey. It quieted a little, though the wars continued. The idea of conquest was dying out it was mostly vengeance and feuding now. So more had lost their partners, and that is something our kind does not forgive. . . .Maria and I always kept a dozen or so newborns ready. They meant little to us they were pawns, they were disposable. When they outgrew their usefulness, we did dispose of them. My life continued in the same savage pattern and the years passed. I was dark of it all for a very long time before anything changed . . .Decades later, I positive a friendship with a newborn whod remained useful and survived h is first three years, against the odds. His name was whoreson. I liked diaphysis he was . . . civilized I suppose thats the right word. He didnt enjoy the fight, though he was good at it.He was designate to deal with the newborns babysit them, you could say. It was a full-time job.And then it was time to purge again. The newborns were out festering their strength they were repayable to be replaced. Peter was supposed to dish out me dispose of them. We took them a array individually, you see, one by one . . . It was always a very long night. This time, he tried to coax me that a few had potential, scarce Maria had instructed that we get rid of them all. I told him no.We were about halfway through, and I could feel that it was taking a great terms on Peter. I was trying to settle down whether or not I should grade him away and finish up myself as I called out the next victim. To my surprise, he was suddenly angry, furious. I braced for whatever his mood ability foreshadow he was a good fighter, but he was never a match for me.The newborn Id summoned was a female, just prehistoric her year mark. Her name was Charlotte. His feelings changed when she came into view they gave him away. He shouted for her to run, and he bolted after her. I could have pursued them, but I didnt. I felt . . . averse to destroying him.Maria was pie-eyed with me for that . . .Five years later, Peter snuck back for me. He picked a good day to arrive.Maria was mystified by my ever-deteriorating effectuate of mind. Shed never felt a moments first, and I wondered why I was different. I began to notice a change in her emotions when she was near me sometimes there was fear . . . and ill allow the same feelings that had given me advance exemplification when Nettie and Lucy struck. I was preparing myself to destroy my only ally, the lens nucleus of my existence, when Peter returned. Peter told me about his new life with Charlotte, told me about options Id never stargaze I had. In five years, theyd never had a fight, though theyd met many others in the north. Others who could co-exist without the constant mayhem.In one conversation, he had me convinced. I was ready to go, and somewhat palliate I wouldnt have to kill Maria. Id been her fellow traveller for as many years as Carlisle and Edward have been together, yet the bond surrounded by us was nowhere near as strong. When you live for the fight, for the blood, the relationships you form are sharp and easily rugged. I walked away without a backward glance.I traveled with Peter and Charlotte for a few years, get the feel of this new, more peaceful world. But the stamp didnt fade. I didnt understand what was wrong with me, until Peter noticed that it was always worse after Id hunted.I contemplated that. In so many years of slaughter and carnage, Id lost intimately all of my humanity. I was undeniably a nightmare, a monster of the grisliest kind. Yet each time I found some other human victim, I would feel a faint prick of remembrance for that other life. Watching their eyes widen in wonder at my beauty, I could see Maria and the others in my head, what they had looked like to me the last night that I was Jasper Whitlock. It was stronger for me this borrowed memory than it was for anyone else, because I could feel everything my prey was feeling. And I lived their emotions as I killed them.Youve experienced the way I can manipulate the emotions around myself, Bella, but I wonder if you realize how the feelings in a direction affect me. I live every day in a climate of emotion. For the first light speed of my life, I lived in a world of bloodthirsty vengeance. Hate was my constant companion. It eased some when I left Maria, but I still had to feel the horror and fear of my prey.It began to be too much.The depression got worse, and I wandered away from Peter and Charlotte. educate as they were, they didnt feel the same nuisance I was beginning to feel. They only wanted peace from the fight. I was so wearied by killing killing anyone, even mere humans.Yet I had to keep killing. What choice did I have? I tried to kill less often, but I would get too thirsty and I would give in. After a century of instant gratification, I found self-discipline . . . challenging. I still havent ameliorate that.Jasper was lost in the story, as was I. It surprise me when his desolate expression smoothed into a peaceful smile.I was in Philadelphia. There was a storm, and I was out during the day something I was not completely comfortable with yet. I knew standing in the rain would attract attention, so I ducked into a little half-empty diner. My eyes were dark enough that no one would notice them, though this meant I was thirsty, and that worried me a little.She was there expecting me, naturally. He chuckled once. She hopped down from the high realise at the counter as soon as I walked in and came directly toward me.It shocked me. I was not sure if she meant to at tack. Thats the only interpretation of her behavior my past had to offer. But she was smiling. And the emotions that were emanating from her were like nothing Id ever felt before.Youve kept me waiting a long time, she said.I didnt realize Alice had come to stand behind me again.And you ducked your head, like a good Southern gentleman, and said, Im sorry, maam. Alice laughed at the memory.Jasper smiled down at her. You held out your hand, and I took it without fish filet to make sense of what I was doing. For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope.Jasper took Alices hand as he spoke.Alice grinned. I was just relieved. I thought you were never going to instal up.They smiled at each other for a long moment, and then Jasper looked back to me, the soft expression lingering.Alice told me what shed seen of Carlisle and his family. I could hardly believe that such an existence was possible. But Alice made me optimistic. So we went to find them.Scared the hell out of them, too, Ed ward said, rolling his eyes at Jasper before turning to me to pardon.Emmett and I were away hunting. Jasper shows up, covered in battle scars, towing this little freak he nudged Alice playfully who greets them all by name, knows everything about them, and wants to know which mode she can move into.Alice and Jasper laughed in harmony, triplex and bass.When I got home, all my things were in the garage, Edward continued.Alice shrugged. Your room had the opera hat view.They all laughed together now.Thats a nice story, I said.Three pairs of eyes questioned my sanity.I mean the last part, I fight backed myself. The happy ending with Alice.Alice has made all the difference, Jasper agreed. This is a climate I enjoy.But the momentary pause in the examine couldnt last.An army, Alice whispered. Why didnt you tell me?The others were intent again, their eyes locked on Jaspers face.I thought I must be interpreting the signs incorrectly. Because where is the pauperism? Why would someone c reate an army in Seattle? There is no biography there, no vendetta. It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either no one claims it. Nomads pass through, but theres no one to fight for it. No one to defend it from.But Ive seen this before, and theres no other explanation. There is an army of newborn vampires in Seattle. less than twenty, Id gauge. The difficult part is that they are on the whole untrained. Whoever made them just set them loose. It will only get worse, and it wont be much perennial till the Volturi step in. Actually, Im impress theyve let this go on so long.What can we do? Carlisle asked.If we want to avoid the Volturis involvement, we will have to destroy the newborns, and we will have to do it very soon. Jaspers face was hard. Knowing his story now, I could guess how this evaluation must disturb him. I can indoctrinate you how. It wont be comfy in the city. The young ones arent concerned about secrecy, but we will have to be. It will limit us in ways that they are not. Maybe we can lure them out.Maybe we wont have to. Edwards voice was bleak. Does it occur to anyone else that the only possible threat in the area that would call for the creation of an army is . . . us?Jaspers eyes narrowed Carlisles widened, shocked.Tanyas family is besides near, Esme said slowly, un uncoerced to accept Edwards words.The newborns arent ruin Anchorage, Esme. I think we have to consider the idea that we are the targets.Theyre not coming after us, Alice insisted, and then paused. Or . . . they dont know that they are. Not yet.What is that? Edward asked, curious and tense. What are you think?Flickers, Alice said. I cant see a clear picture when I try to see whats going on, nothing concrete. But Ive been getting these strange flashes. Not enough to make sense of. Its as if someones changing their mind, matcheous from one course of action to another so quickly that I cant get a good view. . . .Indecision? Jasper asked in disbelief.I dont know. . . .Not indecision, Edward growled. Knowledge. psyche who knows you cant see anything until thedecision is made. Someone who is hiding from us. playing with the holes in your vision.Who would know that? Alice whispered.Edwards eyes were hard as ice. Aro knows you as well as you know yourself.But I would see if theyd decided to come. . . .Unless they didnt want to get their hands dirty.A favor, Rosalie suggested, speaking for the first time. Someone in the South . . . someone who already had trouble with the rules. Someone who should have been destroyed is offered a second chance if they take care of this one small chore. . . . That would explain the Volturis sluggish response.Why? Carlisle asked, still shocked. Theres no reason for the Volturi -It was there, Edward disagreed quietly. Im surprised its come to this so soon, because the other thoughts were stronger. In Aros head he saw me at his one side and Alice at his other. The present and the future, virtual omniscience. The po wer of the idea intoxicated him. I would have thought it would take him much longer to give up on that plan he wanted it too much. But there was also the thought of you, Carlisle, of our family, growing stronger and larger. The jealousy and the fear you having . . . not more than he had, but still, things that he wanted. He tried not to think about it, but he couldnt hide it completely. The idea of rooting out the competition was there besides their own, ours is the largest coven theyve ever found. . . .I stared at his face in horror. Hed never told me this, but I guessed I knew why. I could see it in my head now, Aros dream. Edward and Alice in black, current robes, drifting along at Aros side with their eyes cold and blood-red. . . .Carlisle interrupted my wakeful nightmare. Theyre too committed to their mission. They would never break the rules themselves. It goes against everything theyve worked for.Theyll clean up afterward. A doubling betrayal, Edward said in a low-spirite d voice. No harm done.Jasper leaned forward, shaking his head. No, Carlisle is right. The Volturi do not break rules. Besides, its much too sloppy. This . . . person, this threat they have no idea what theyre doing. A first-timer, Id swear to it. I cannot believe the Volturi are involved. But they will be.They all stared at each other, frozen with stress.Then lets go, Emmett almost roared. What are we waiting for?Carlisle and Edward transfer a long glance. Edward nodded once.Well film you to teach us, Jasper, Carlisle finally said. How to destroy them. Carlisles jaw was hard, but I could see the pain in his eyes as he said the words. No one hated effect more than Carlisle.There was something bothering me, and I couldnt put my finger on it. I was numb, horrified, venomous afraid. And yet, under that, I could feel that I was missing something important. Something that would make some sense out of the chaos. That would explain it.Were going to rent help, Jasper said. Do you think Tanyas family would be willing . . . ? Another five mature vampires would make an enormous difference. And then Kate and Eleazar would be curiously advantageous on our side. It would be almost easy, with their aid.Well ask, Carlisle answered.Jasper held out a cell surround. We need to hurry.Id never seen Carlisles innate calm so shaken. He took the phone, and paced toward the windows. He dialed a number, held the phone to his ear, and laid the other hand against the glass. He stared out into the foggy morning with a pained and ambivalent expression.Edward took my hand and pulled me to the white loveseat. I sat beside him, staring at his face while he stared at Carlisle.Carlisles voice was low and quick, difficult to hear. I heard him greet Tanya, and then he raced through the situation too fast for me to understand much, though I could tell that the Alaskan vampires were not ignorant of what was going on in Seattle.Then something changed in Carlisles voice.Oh, he said, his voice sharper in surprise. We didnt realize . . . that Irina felt that way.Edward groaned at my side and closed his eyes. Damn it. Damn Laurent to the deepest pit of hell where he belongs.Laurent? I whispered, the blood emptying from my face, but Edward didnt respond, focused on Carlisles thoughts.My short encounter with Laurent early this border was not something that had faded or change intensity in my mind. I still remembered every word hed said before Jacob and his run had interrupted.I actually came here as a favor to her. . . .Victoria. Laurent had been her first calculate shed sent him to observe, to see how hard it might be to get to me. He hadnt survived the wolves to continue back.Though hed kept up his old ties with Victoria after Jamess death, hed also make new ties and new relationships. Hed gone to live with Tanyas family in Alaska Tanya the strawberry blonde the close-set(prenominal) friends the Cullens had in the vampire world, practically extended family. Lauren t had been with them for almost a year foregoing to his death.Carlisle was still talking, his voice not quite pleading. Persuasive, but with an edge. Then the edge of a sudden won out over the persuasion.Theres no question of that, Carlisle said in a stern voice. We have a truce. They havent broken it, and neither will we. Im sorry to hear that. . . . Of course. Well just have to do our best alone.Carlisle shut the phone without waiting for an answer. He continued to stare out into the fog.Whats the problem? Emmett murmured to Edward.Irina was more involved with our friend Laurent than we knew. Shes retention a grudge against the wolves for destroying him to save Bella. She wants - He paused, looking down at me.Go on, I said as as as I could.His eyes tightened. She wants revenge. To take down the pack. They would trade their help for our permission.No I gasped.Dont worry, he told me in a flat voice. Carlisle would never agree to it. He hesitated, then sighed. Nor would I. Lauren t had it coming this was almost a growl and I still owe the wolves for that.This isnt good, Jasper said. Its too even a fight. Wed have the upper hand in skill, but not numbers. Wed win, but at what bell? His tense eyes flashed to Alices face and away.I wanted to scream out bum as I grasped what Jasper meant.We would win, but we would lose. Some wouldnt survive.I looked around the room at their faces Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rose, Esme, Carlisle . . . Edward the faces of my family.