Textbook evaluation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Textbook evaluation - Assignment Example As a result, it can be concluded that the nature of learning/ teaching atmosphere may varies under different circumstances. Hence, it is important to keep in mind the requirements and significance of the specific learners in certain teaching conditions when selecting the criteria for the assessment of resources. There are many guidelines and checklists for evaluating the course material aimed to meet the needs of ELT situations as proposed by majority of different authors. In the next section, some of these criteria are discussed in detail. According to McDonough and Shaw (1993, p.66) the criteria needed to evaluate the course material is categorized into two stages, external and internal. investigate different criteria in two stages, namely external and internal stages. According to these researchers, the proposed criteria helps in thorough evaluation of the learning material which is considered comprehensive to meet the ELT needs of the learners and the teachers around the globe. I t has been pointed out by the researchers that the evaluation process is not concrete in nature; it changes with the learning/ teaching needs. The external evaluation revolves around meeting the needs of the intended audience, the ability of the learners/teachers, the framework of the material it is based on, the arrangement and presentation of the units/lessons, the author’s analysis on language and understanding. ... eaking and listening abilities involved in the resources, the association of tests and exercises to meet the needs of learners and the central focus of the course material, the suitability of the material to match the different learning styles, and how the teachers and the learners balance the use of course material in an appropriate manner. Explanation of the criteria to be used: Selection and organization of content: It is regarded as one of the most important standard to evaluate the material. Selection and organization of content is important. McDonough and Shaw (1993, p. ) describe that learners become more proficient in second language when they are speaking. This situation occurs when the language skills are taught in a collective manner rather separately. Level: The level to which the ELT learners can get advantage of a course book is established on the suitability of the course book to the point that it meets the needs of the concerned students. For example, the use of gramm atical features, the words and terms to be incorporated in reading texts and the standard of lessons should be beyond the ability of the students. General Appearance: Numerous researchers have underlined the significance of the exterior or the outer look of a course book. McDonough and Shaw (1993, p.61) have stressed the significance of external assessment because it â€Å"offers a brief overview of the outside of the book†. They emphasize the need for a significant and critical assessment of the claims made on the outer cover of the ELT books for teachers and the students. As Dougill (1987, p. ) have emphasized that course books should have interactive outlay to motivate and involve the students in learning. It has been observed that students judge the book by its outer look or the cover.

Fahrenheit 451 Analysis Essay Example for Free

Fahrenheit 451 Analysis Essay The theme of Ray Bradburys classic Fahrenheit 451 can be viewed from several different angles. First and foremost, the book gives an anti-censorship message. Bradbury understood censorship to be a natural outcropping of an overly tolerant society. Yet, the protagonist Guy Montag is one of the few that is courageous enough to find out the truth for himself. This unexpected discovery on the corruption of society challenged traditional values, knowledge and beliefs. The personal freedom to the right of an individual having the freedom of expression when he utilizes the issue of censorship in Fahrenheit 451. In Bradburys novel, society has evolved to such an extreme that all literature is illegal to possess. Because of the trouble books may cause, they were banned altogether. For example, one group might think they had a really great idea and wrote it in a book, however, the other group might object to something that has been written, that means the book will have to be modified and therefore censorship begins. Soon, another group objects to something else in the book, and it is again edited, eventually the original product will be lost. Because of this presented danger, no longer can books be read, not only because they might offend someone, but because books raise questions for the people that the government cannot answer. The intellectual thinking that comes from knowledge can often be dangerous, yet, who would want to do that when they can take the easy route? â€Å"Ignorance is bliss† applies perfectly here. The government would rather rule the people orderly than have them start a revolution with knowledge. This philosophy, according to the book, completely ignores the benefits of knowledge. True, knowledge can cause disharmony because it causes people to ask â€Å"why†, but in many ways, knowledge of the past, which is recorded in books, can prevent mankind from making similar mistakes in the present and future. The society envisioned in Fahrenheit 451 is corrupted. As Captain Beatty explains, government control of peoples lives there was not a conspiracy of dictators, but a consensus of everyday people instead. The citizens are so weak-minded that they dont want to think for themselves and solve the troubling problems of the world. They don’t have much emotion, because they prefer pleasure over hurt. The only way they can do this is to not care. The parlor women, for example, cannot see past the surface. They are more interested in looks than reality; they are so shallow that they cannot see one’s true qualities. It is far easier to live a life of seclusion and a life where technology will provide you with all necessities. Yet more importantly, Fahrenheit 451 described the people in that society as anti-social. Clarisse, the only â€Å"normal† girl mentioned that people in that society doesn’t talk much, at all. They are â€Å"either shouting or dancing around like wild† (30), but the key point is, â€Å"people don’t talk about anything† (31), â€Å"they name a lot of cars or clothes or swimming pools mostly and say how swell!† (31) They do not quite live in the reality, only using abstract things to entertain themselves. â€Å"They all say the same things and nobody says anything different† (31) because in their eyes, technology and the government is always correct. This is very similar to our world today, almost everyone some kind of technology: television, computer, hand held devices. When we have a choice between technology or nature. It is almost certain that technology wins. We are on the computer three to four hours a day, doing work, checking email, social media, or just simply surfing the web. Our everyday life is technology; we depe nd on it so much that it is almost impossible to live without it. People in the novel are afraid of themselves, of what their minds are capable of doing. They fear the thought of knowing, which leads them to depend on others, such as technology and the government to think for them. The best example would be the protagonist Guy Montag. His entire view on life shifted as the book progressed. He was originally a normal fireman, but when he met his neighbor Clarisse McClennen, who was considered a misfit in the society, he began to see things differently. Instead of burning books because it’s useless information to the public, he now wants to share its knowledge with the whole world. Montag is at war with the society, he’s battling against the â€Å"common knowledge† and laws, trying to shine some light on the people. Thus, the book successfully advocates the idea that men should think for themselves, not let technology or any outside sources decide for them. Technology may provide you with joy, but to live life to the fullest, you have to try everything, and there are no substitute for the treasure you can find in books. It’s like Montag said, â€Å"I went around doing one thing and feeling another.† (131) as he reflects on all the trouble that he has gotten into because he has not been true to himself. Although this path might not be easy, it is necessary for any society that doesnt wish to repeat the mistakes of the past to earn knowledge. Our society today needs to realize that before it is too late.

Modernism in Forsters A Passage to India Essay -- Forster Passage to

Modernism in Forster's A Passage to India      Ã‚  Ã‚   When considering the novels of E.M. Forster, it is natural to recall the reserved landscapes of the Merchant and Ivory cinematic versions. Gauzy images - green hills, languorous boat rides, tender embraces - these impressions, cousins, really, to Jane Austen's plots and settings, are remembered as period pieces seldom associated with the literary experimentation of Virginia Woolf or the winsome angst of the lost War poets. It seems - does it not? - the movies end happily with the appropriate pairing of couples. But Forster should not be lumped in with representative Edwardian literature or with cinematic bliss. In order to analyze the worth of Forster's literary contribution, our impressions of the films must be put aside so that the text's echo can rattle in our ears.    And once the mediums are pried apart and banished to separate corners, a novel like A Passage to India stands alone and can be admired for its complex study of people who interact in an unfamiliar landscape, a landscape that ignores humans entirely. This text is not about good breeding, dowries, or happy endings. With its multiple perspectives, fragile personal connections, and symbolic caves that house an echo of nothingness not every character can hear, A Passage to India is Forster's own quiet rendition of Modernism. He does not try, as do Woolf, Joyce, and Eliot, to break free from standard English fictive forms. Instead, Forster's text contains an innovative, urgent assertion that the core of things like love, friendship, and self-knowledge are perpetually capable of collapsing, yet are valuable in spite of their fragility. His work demonstrates the individual's need to connec... ...nd Joyce are not directly present in A Passage to India, and while Forster's fictive structure might not be as experimental as theirs, his novel stands shoulder to shoulder with other modernists who in a little flash of light detect hidden glimmers beneath the stacks of words that comprise the universal story, the self-deception, the quiet conversation with a friend in a moonlit mosque.    Works Cited    Forster, E.M. A Passage to India. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1924. ---. "What I Believe." Modern British Literature. Eds. John Hollander and Frank Kermode. New York: Oxford, 1973. 624.    Rutherford, Andrew. Introduction. Twentieth Century Interpretations of A Passage to India. Ed. Andrew Rutherford. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1970.    Scherer Herz, Judith. A Passage to India: Nation and Narration. New York: Twayne, 1993.   

Mythological Women Essay

Attitudes toward women in mythology reflect the attitudes that still exist today around the world. In mythology women always seem to mess up and make mistakes. Women are viewed as incapable in mythology. The attitudes toward women in both Judeo-Christian/Western and Greek mythology are negative. One of the three types of mythology that are going to be discussed about is humanity mythology. In Judeo-Christian/Western humanity mythology, there is the parable of â€Å"Adam and Eve†. In â€Å"Adam and Eve†, God tells them to not eat from the forbidden tree. Eve, the woman, is tempted and ends up disobeying God by eating an apple from the tree that was forbidden. On the other hand, in Greek humanity mythology there is the story of Pandora. Pandora was given a box and was told to never open the box. Curiosity got the best of Pandora and she ended up disobeying by opening the box. In humanity mythology women are portrayed as not being able to follow instructions and obey. The next type of mythology is the animal/plant mythology. In Judeo-Christian/Western animal/plant mythology, you have the parable of â€Å"Adam and Eve† again. In the parable, Adam the man, is given the responsibility to name the animals. While in Greek animal/plant mythology, you have the myth of how spiders came to be. There was a Goddess named Athena who challenged Arachne at weaving. Arachne was the best weaver there. After loosing, Athena turned Arachne into a spider so she would weave webs forever. In animal/plant mythology, women are viewed as incapable to complete tasks and also viewed as jealous. The last type of mythology is hero mythology. In Judeo-Christian/Western hero mythology, you have superhero and trickster schemes. Without a trickster there is no superhero to solve the problem. In the superhero community, almost every superhero is male. On the other hand, in Greek hero mythology you have The Odyssey. In The Odyssey, you have Odysseus who is away for twenty â€Å"long† years. Odysseus’s wife has been mourning for his arrival and has remained clean and faithful. In the meantime, Odysseus is sleeping with other women. Hero mythology portrays the dominance of men and their image of strength. Hero mythology also portrays the double standard of  what men expect for women. In conclusion, bad attitudes toward women that are seen in Judeo-Christian/Western and Greek mythology still exist today. In humanity mythology, women are portrayed as incapable of obeying and following instructions. In animal/plant mythology, women are viewed as incapable to complete tasks and also very jealous. In hero mythology, men are seen as the ones with dominance, strength, and superiority and you can see a double standard in the expectations of morality. The attitudes toward women in both Judeo-Christian/Western and Greek mythology are negative.

Journey to Success

Ryan N. Fischer ID 117 Art of Being Human Education Plan Reflection After completing and filling out my educational plan I have thoroughly organized the classes that I must take in order to receive my degree in Media Studies Bachelor of Arts. The educational plan helped me organize my schedule for future semesters, which makes selecting classes a whole lot easier. God forbid if I missed an appointment for creating my future schedule with my advisor, I can now have a general platform and idea of what requirements I need to take without getting extra assistance.Creating a schedule can be very stressful for me personally and knowing what I need to take makes my future a little bit more understanding and clear. Last, it showed exactly when I can receive my degree in the future, which is very helpful for formulating future goals for myself. I personally love to strive for goals and motivate myself to complete my future goals. Knowing when I can receive my degree just helps me plan better for the future and create long-term goals.The educational plan was a great way to organize my future classes and study requirements. I feel more understanding of what steps I need to take next in order to receive my degree. As well as feeling secure with my future requirements and goals, I feel very confident and excited to start my journey in order to receive the one thing that I want. The one thing that I want of course is my degree in Media Studies and I am motivated to start the next courses starting next semester in the fall of 2013.

Free Essays on Ludwig Van Beethoven

For many people, Ludwig Van Beethoven is considered the greatest composer who ever lived and is the highest level of musical geniuses. His compositions are the expression of one of the most powerful musical personalities of all time which he exceeded above average in both areas of Classical and Romantic labeling. Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, December 16, 1770, and was baptized on December 17. His father, Johann, was a singer employed by the Elector of Cologne in Bonn. Johann married Maria Magdalena Laym, a cook’s daughter. Together they had seven children of which three sons survived, Beethoven was the oldest (Collier’s Encyclopedia, Beethoven). When Johanns’ career was threatened by alcoholism, he saw his chance to get rich by exploiting his son Beethoven as a child prodigy. He claimed Beethoven was years younger than he actually was, neglected his formal education, and made him practice his music endlessly. His attempt to get rich was a disaster and pro bably encouraged the brusque and withdrawing personality Beethoven developed. Beethoven was a solo pianist and piano teacher when he was in his twenties. He was well known for his temperamental nature. He had to abandon his performing career of deafness. By this time, he was well known as a composer and was able to live by the profits of concerts and sale of his works to publishers. He was the most revered composer in all of Europe and regarded as the greatest living example of Romantic, artistic genius (McLeish, pg. 18-19). Sonate Pathetique, Opus 13 was written in 1798 and named by the composer Ludwig Van Beethoven. This Sonate was extremely romantic because of the charged first movement, while the Adagio Movement is sad, yet comforting. The third movement of the â€Å"Pathetique† was considered Rondo. The key of the Adagio Movement is A Flat, the submediant Key of the opening Grave section. The form is a cross between Rondo and Theme and Variations because the A or Main .. . Free Essays on Ludwig Van Beethoven Free Essays on Ludwig Van Beethoven For many people, Ludwig Van Beethoven is considered the greatest composer who ever lived and is the highest level of musical geniuses. His compositions are the expression of one of the most powerful musical personalities of all time which he exceeded above average in both areas of Classical and Romantic labeling. Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, December 16, 1770, and was baptized on December 17. His father, Johann, was a singer employed by the Elector of Cologne in Bonn. Johann married Maria Magdalena Laym, a cook’s daughter. Together they had seven children of which three sons survived, Beethoven was the oldest (Collier’s Encyclopedia, Beethoven). When Johanns’ career was threatened by alcoholism, he saw his chance to get rich by exploiting his son Beethoven as a child prodigy. He claimed Beethoven was years younger than he actually was, neglected his formal education, and made him practice his music endlessly. His attempt to get rich was a disaster and pro bably encouraged the brusque and withdrawing personality Beethoven developed. Beethoven was a solo pianist and piano teacher when he was in his twenties. He was well known for his temperamental nature. He had to abandon his performing career of deafness. By this time, he was well known as a composer and was able to live by the profits of concerts and sale of his works to publishers. He was the most revered composer in all of Europe and regarded as the greatest living example of Romantic, artistic genius (McLeish, pg. 18-19). Sonate Pathetique, Opus 13 was written in 1798 and named by the composer Ludwig Van Beethoven. This Sonate was extremely romantic because of the charged first movement, while the Adagio Movement is sad, yet comforting. The third movement of the â€Å"Pathetique† was considered Rondo. The key of the Adagio Movement is A Flat, the submediant Key of the opening Grave section. The form is a cross between Rondo and Theme and Variations because the A or Main .. .

Analysis and Design of Cable Stayed Bridge Essays

Analysis and Design of Cable Stayed Bridge Essays Analysis and Design of Cable Stayed Bridge Essay Analysis and Design of Cable Stayed Bridge Essay Of the newly-built Bridgess, cable-stayed Bridgess are today really common worldwide for spans runing between 200 and 900 metres. A overseas telegram stayed span has one or more towers ( Pylons ) from which the overseas telegrams support the deck. This paper provides modeling, analysis and design of a prestressed harp type individual pylon overseas telegram stayed span utilizing MIDAS Civil. Keywords: overseas telegram stayed, box girder, prestressing, MIDAS Civil Introduction Of the newly-built Bridgess, cable-stayed Bridgess are today really common worldwide for spans runing between 200 and 900 metres. A overseas telegram stayed span has one or more towers ( Pylons ) from which the overseas telegrams support the deck. There are two major categories of cable-stayed Bridgess: harp and fan.In the harp design, the overseas telegrams are about parallel so that the tallness of their fond regard to the tower is similar to the distance from the tower to their climb on the deck.In the fan design, the overseas telegrams all connect to or base on balls over the top of the towers. The cable-stayed span is optimum for spans longer than cantilever Bridgess, and shorter than suspension Bridgess. This is the scope where cantilever Bridgess would quickly turn heavier if the span was lengthened, and suspension span telegraphing would non be more economical if the span was shortened Cable-stayed Bridgess may look to be similar to suspension Bridgess, but in fact they are rather different in rule and in their building. In suspension Bridgess, big chief overseas telegrams ( usually 2 ) bent between the towers ( usually 2 ) , and are anchored at each terminal to the land whereas in the cable-stayed span, the towers are the primary supporting constructions which transmitt the span loads to the land. A cantilever attack is frequently used to back up the span deck near the towers, but lengths farther from them are supported by overseas telegrams running straight to the towers. General presentation of the construction The span is a individual pylon overseas telegram stayed span holding a harp-type agreement of the overseas telegrams. The entire length of the overseas telegram stayed span is 700m with a chief span of 350m. The span construction carries 6 route lanes divided into 2 carriageways. The deck consists of dramatis personae in topographic point prestressed box girders Entire breadth of the span is 29.8m. Construction strategy The chief 350 m span will be built utilizing the cantilever method, get downing from the wharfs P4 A ; P5 at the same time. The two cantilevers will be connected at mid span by the mean of a stitch section. The balanced cantilevers are cast by sections of 3.5 m long, utilizing a signifier traveler. The section ( n ) is connected to old section ( n-1 ) by sinews ( internal pre-stressing ) . This method is used for the first 10 sections from pylon. After 11th section, no cantilever sinew is needed as the sections will be supported by stay overseas telegrams tensioned increasingly with building of sections. Hence building rhythm of sections after 11th one includes installing and tensioning of stay overseas telegram before remotion and launching of signifier traveller. Material features: Concrete: M50 grade concrete will be used for deck and pylons. M50 grade concrete will be used for Piers. Concrete belongingss shall be based on AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. Young modulus as per IRC codification is given in the following tabular array ( IRC:21 Â § 303.1. ) : Shear modulus of concrete, G, is calculated utilizing the undermentioned equation: E= Ec/2 ( 1+? ) The coefficient of thermic enlargement and contraction for normal weight concrete is taken as 1.17?10-5 /Â °C. Density of the pre-stressed concrete is taken equal to 25 KN/m3. Steel support: Thermo-mechanically treated support bars of class 414 conforming to IS:1786 will be adopted. Yielding strength of inactive steel support is considered equal to 414 MPa and Young modulus equal to 200 000 Mpa. Modular ratio between concrete and steel will be taken equal to 10. Dead tonss: The self-weight is calculated presuming a denseness of 25 KN/m3 for reinforced and prestressed concrete. A denseness of 7.85 t/m3 is to be considered for steel. Live Tonss: Traffic live loads- The unrecorded tonss are in conformity with IRC:6-2000. The span has two carriageways of three lanes each and of 11 m breadth. Each carriageway will be loaded with three lanes of IRC category A burden. Pedestrian unrecorded burden ( PLL ) The pes way lading shall be as per clause 209 of IRC:6 with strength of lading equal to 500 kg/m? . Wind burden for overseas telegram stayed span: Harmonizing to IS:875 ( portion 3 ) -1987 Wind loads on unrecorded tonss ( WL ) The sidelong air current force against traveling unrecorded tonss shall be considered as moving at 1.5 m above the roadway and shall be assumed equal to 300 kg/m. Creep and Shrinkage ( C A ; S ) Creep and shrinking effects to be considered as per CEB-FIP codification for overseas telegram stayed span Earthquake tonss Rajasthan is located in seismal zone II. The horizontal seismal coefficient in longitudinal way will be calculated by IS 1893:2002 Construction tonss: Normal perpendicular loads- A building burden of 50 kg/m2 shall be considered during cantilever hard-on. Weight of the traveller signifier is assumed to be equal to 85 dozenss. An impact of 10 % shall be considered for the traveling building tonss. MIDAS MODEL of box: ( Half span ) AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications ( Third Edition, 2005 Interim Revisions ) ; AASHTO – Guide Specifications for Seismic Isolation Design ( 2nd edition – 2000 ) ; AASHTO – Guide Specifications for Design A ; Construction of Segmental Concrete Bridges ( 1999 ) ; IRC:6-2000 Standard Specifications A ; Code of Practice for Road Bridges, Section II, Loads A ; emphasiss ( 4th edition – 2000 ) ; for definition of the unrecorded tonss and temblor tonss merely ; IS:875 ( portion 3 ) -1987 Code of pattern for design tonss ( other than temblor ) for edifices and constructions ; for air current loads merely ; Necessities of Bridge technology by D.Johnson Victor Bridge Engineering Handbook Edited by Wai-Fah Chen, Lian Duan, CRC Press

Top 8 Most Underpaid Jobs That Deserve Much Higher Pay

Top 8 Most Underpaid Jobs That Deserve Much Higher Pay We all feel overworked and underpaid, as a rule. But  it’s no surprise that some of the  most valued and hard-working professionals you might know (or might be yourself!) don’t receive the pay that matches the sacrifices they make. Here are 8 of the most underpaid jobs in our society, all of which deserve to be paid much, much better. 1.  Public school teacherThis almost doesn’t require an explanation. Teachers make a median income of around $55k, but given the hours they put in and the importance of the work they do, this doesn’t seem nearly enough. If children are indeed our future, perhaps we should be investing more in the people who get them where they need to be?2. Registered nurseSure, nurses typically make around $60k per year, and that seems pretty high compared to a lot of jobs in our current economy. But then you have to factor in how many more hours and responsibilities that have been piled upon them. And they’re increasingly requi red to do more work formerly assigned to doctors because of their higher levels of education.3. Farm workerWe pay the people who are responsible for feeding us very very poorly. These are the worst of conditions, the hardest, most back-breaking physical labor, and less than $20k per year (if they’re lucky) for long hours and having to move all over the place to follow the harvest schedules. Some undocumented workers also face harassment and unfairly curtailed wages as well.4. Child care professionalChild care workers don’t make that much more than farm workers, but their work is also very intense. Imagine all those kids, all that energy, all that responsibility, plus their hyper-vigilant and often overbearing parents. The amount of impact these folks can have on kids in their most crucial stages of development is huge. Shouldn’t they at least make a living wage?5. ParamedicEmts deal with people in the worst of circumstances, and are usually responsible for wheth er or not they make it through. They’re constantly throwing themselves between us and danger (or death) and should really make more than their median salary of roughly $31k per year.6. Home health aideAgain, home health aides make only marginally more than farm workers. And they are the ones who make sure that our elderly loved ones get the care they need in the years they need it most- often at their frailest and most scared. If we value our loved ones, shouldn’t we value those who care for them so expertly?7. Social workerSocial workers are the people on the front lines who protect those in our society who need protecting most. Even if you’ve never had cause to run into one in your life and work, it’s clear that they perform a crucial function in making our world a safer place for all our citizens. They should make as much as CEOs, but they barely clear $45k per year.8. Food service workerIn this economy, the demand for inexpensive and convenient food i s extremely high and sometimes jobs in food service are the easiest to procure when times are hard. But the minimum wage, adjusted for inflation, hasn’t improved since 1968. Given the conditions food services workers suffer through each day to feed us, don’t you think they deserve to make enough to feed their own families?

Literary analysis on The turn of the screw by Henry James Essay

Literary analysis on The turn of the screw by Henry James - Essay Example It does not happen to be a ghost story that wrenches the readers’ interest by the inclusion of gross elements like blood curdling episodes and enervating shrieks and action on the part of the ghosts and apparitions. Rather the horror style of Henry James does differ from the other fiction writers in the sense that it happens to be sophisticated and subtle that inculcates the element of horror in the narrative with much finesse and craftsmanship, thereby allowing the readers to exercise their imagination while perusing a work of fiction that is disturbingly open and inconclusive in terms of climax. In The Turn of the Screw Henry James resorts to a combination of the usual elements of a ghost narrative and his unique ability to engage the imagination of the reader through subtle suggestions, to present his peculiar brand of horror. Even while attempting a cursory perusal of the text, the readers simply cannot help noticing the astute way in which Henry James subscribes to a rang e of narrative devices to facilitate a disturbing as well as fabulous rendition of the psychic elements within the story. As per Jeffery Williams, â€Å"The frame of the Turn of the Screw figures a different scene, the conditions not as fatally serious, but nonetheless as urgent, coding the story primarily in terms of entertainment and an overwhelming curiosity (Williams 112).† It goes without saying that the events and actions within the narrative are so arranged to cull out the desired emotive response on the part of the readers, without leaving any scope for the superfluous and the gross. For instance the governess’ narrative begins with the observation that, â€Å"I remember the whole beginning as a succession of flights and drops, a little seesaw of the right throbs and the wrong (James 12).† These lines bring in an element of expectation within the narrative without resorting to abject horror and intimidation on the part of the writer. Such astute comments on the part of the governess and other characters do command a weight in the sense that they present the way characters react and act, in the meantime bringing forth their moral and dispositional traits. As it gets very evident from the given line, the element of horror is introduced slowly but steadily in the narrative to titillate the senses of the readers, without resorting to any abject presentation of the blood curdling horror. The writers presents the governess’ first encounter with the absurd as, â€Å"That was exactly present to me- by which I mean the face was- when, on the first of these occasions, at the end of a long June day, I stopped short on emerging from one of the plantations and coming into view of the house (James 26).† With the direct encounter of the governess with the imminent horror as expressed in this line, the plot in the novella gets dense to arouse the expectations of the readers as to the future course of action within the story and the e ventual turn that the narrative will take. The way the characters in the story are presented, as in the case of Flora, â€Å"She expressed in her little way an extraordinary detachment from the disagreeable duties, looking to me, however, with a great childish light that seemed to offer it as a mere result of the affection she has conceived for my person... (James 20)†, make the readers readily strike a bond with the characters and they simply cannot help being concerned about as to what will eventually happen to them. This

How the Railway Labor Act Affected Bargaining in the Aviation Industry Essay

How the Railway Labor Act Affected Bargaining in the Aviation Industry - Essay Example ("United Airlines CEO," 2000) In the airline industry, bargaining is administered by the National Mediation Board (NMB) under the RLA. In the last half century the RLA, as applies to the airline industry, has resulted in strikes in less than 3 percent of all cases. In spite of this, most airline management views the process required by the RLA as antiquated and broken ("Ex-Gov. Goldschmidt," 2003) The railway labor act of 1926 was the first major labor legislation passed by the U.S. Congress. Instead of forming rules that applied to the whole of U.S. Industry, it targeted the railroad business, then the most important part of the transportation business in U.S. ("Bargaining Under the Railway Labor Act"). The act's purpose was essentially to replace strikes with bargaining, arbitration, and mediation as a way to resolve labor disputes. The act also disallowed employers from forcing workers to bargain through company-dominated unions. ("Collective Bargaining") There are two ways in which the RLA delays or eliminates strikes altogether: the act prolongs the process of collective bargaining; as the act requires that the parties have been released by the NMB 30 days before a strike can take place, where the date of release is the sole discretion of the NMB. ("Collective Bargaining") Second, the RLA requires mandatory arbi... ("Collective Bargaining") Both labor unions and employers benefited from the RLA. Workers, who wanted to have the opportunity to organize themselves and to obtain the proper attention from employers to negotiate new agreements and enforce existing ones, got what they wanted. So did the railroad companies. The Congress had decided that commerce had to be kept moving in the interest of the public, and thus mandated that workers, in spite of any disputes, must "work now" and "grieve later." Thus employers won the right to keep business going in spite of ongoing labor disputes. ("Railway Labor Act," 2005) There are some exceptions to the "work now, grieve later" rule, however. Workers are allowed to refuse to work when they have a reasonable belief that the work is unsafe, and when work being asked for is in clear violation of the contract. However, if the company can make a "reasonable" claim that the contract justifies the work being requested, then the employee is expected to work, and report any grievances later. ("Bargaining Under the Railway Labor Act") Under the RLA, the first step in contract negotiations are "direct negotiations," which are negotiations without the mediation of the NMB. Agreements also do not have inherent expiration dates under the RLA-expiration dates must be set within the agreement itself. Hence the agreement remains enforceable, and is the status quo, until any change is agreed upon by both parties. ("Bargaining Under the Railway Labor Act") The RLA allows strikes over major disputes (or disputes that concern the creation or modification of the collective bargaining agreement) only if all of the RLA's negotiation

Financial Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Financial Analysis - Essay Example It has a workforce of over 100,000 employees worldwide. Before Dell moved to Round rock it had its main offices in the Arboretum complex in northern Austin, Texas. In 1989 Dell occupied 127,000 square feet in the Arboretum complex. As at 1990 Dell had more than 1,200 employees in its headquarters (Gomez, 2009). In 1993 Dell submitted a document to Round Rock officials, titled "Dell Computer Corporate Headquarters, Round Rock, Texas, May 1993 Schematic Design." Despite the filing, during that year the company said that it was not going to move its headquarters. In 1994 Dell made a move of switching its employees out of the Arboretum to its new acquired offices though it still maintained that it was going to continue to occupy the top floor of the Arboretum and that the companys official headquarters address would continue to be the Arboretum. The upper floor still played a greater role of holding Dells board room meetings; also it was used as a center for its demonstrations and visitor meeting room. For less than one month prior to 29 August, 1994, Dell moved most of its customer support and telephone sales employees to Round Rock. It was later on in 1996 that Dell decided to move to Round Rock, this was due to its high rate of growth which created the need of finding a new place that could allow it to carry out its activities in the best manner possible and also be able to manage its first growing markets globally. Dell has notably has widened its customer base since its inauguration through acquisitions and going for mergers with other companies including Perot Systems and Alien ware. Dell main activities involve selling computers, network switches, servers, data storage devices, software, and computer peripherals. The company is also known for its innovations in delivery administration and electronic commerce. Some of the available outlets in the United States are located in North Carolina, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Miami,

New Test Development Project Risk Monitoring and Control Assignment

New Test Development Project Risk Monitoring and Control - Assignment Example Basically, the project monitoring and evaluation in this project management are meant to provide objective and reliable up to date information about the progress of the project and as such helps eliminate unnecessary risks. Four basic indicator systems will be used in the project monitoring and control which includes; Schedule Performance Monitoring, Program Metrics, Technical Performance Measurement (TPM) and Earned Value (EV) (Kerzner, 2006). An in-depth monitoring and control of scheduled risks will be conducted to gauge the extent of the damages caused by such risks if any will be undertaken during the project implementation. After 30days, the project management staff will conduct a scheduled performance monitoring indicator to establish whether the time allowed for a risk that may occur as a result of the delay caused by the NATA in granting accreditation of the assays was within the acceptable limits. This process will be done to ensure that the overall implementation period of the project is not compromised by risks caused by NATA. The project monitoring and control tool will also be used to check the effectiveness of the rejection of the risk to proceed to offer service without NATA accreditation. The process will find out if adopting the risk would have dented the image of a project as earlier been presumed. There are other risks such as technical risks that have been identified as possible causes of delays in the implementation of this project. However, program metrics and earned value (EV) are some of the indicator approaches that will be used to monitor and control the adopted response strategies. The project has adopted risks such as the failure of assay design, challenged validation report by NATA assessor and service redundancy. Likewise, during the implementation of the project risk monitoring will be done against the above-named risks to estimate the effectiveness of the decision of adopting them.  

Business International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business International Law - Essay Example However, this fund is just made accessible after the country requiring the loan has applied certain structural adjustment program (www.imf.org). Structural Adjustment Programs (also known as SAPs) are economic policies created by each country but having shared common principles. These common principles include the devaluation of currency against the dollar, export-led development, privatization, and improved free market practices. States following SAPs are usually obliged to balance their budgets, release import and export limitations, and lessen or stop state subsidies as well as price controls. While the IMF obliges states to make an effort to balance their budgets, they object to the plan of raising taxes. As an alternative, states practicing SAPs are generally required to cut expenses for education, healthcare and social services (Battikha, 2002). These SAPs are the chief cause of such a quarrel over the International Monetary Fund. However, using a liberal view it can be seen that in 'most' of the cases SAPs hurt the states more than they aid. The execution of SAPs has become the source of riots and disputes. Algeria can be taken as an example of it. In October 1988, riots were caused due to the high prices and increased unemployment caused by the implementation of SAPs. During the riots more than 200 people were killed. In order to support this point some more examples would be helpful. Like during the riots in Jordan, due to the increase in prices brought about by SAPs, five citizens were killed in April 1989. In Venezuela, from February 28th to March 2nd, 1989, approximately 600 inhabitants were killed and more than 1000 injured as riots broke out because of the increase in fuel and public transportation prices, caused by SAPs (www.Whirledbank.org). IMF worked in Thailand during 1980s when the state was facing a depression resulted due to a rise in the price of oil, decrease in the costs of agricultural exports, heavy burden of foreign debts and deficit in the external financial accounts. A stabilization program was designed for Thailand which was supported with a strategic structural adjustment program and was implemented with a joint effort of The World Bank and IMF. This helped Thailand to recover from the financial instability it was going through from. Furthermore it is established that the similar instruments which were used by the IMF in tackling

Benefits of Securing a Border Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Benefits of Securing a Border - Research Paper Example As the paper highlights border security has become one of the most contentious aspects in many countries across the globe. A good case study is that of the United States that has benefited tremendously in her Border Patrols. Border patrol in U.S traces its history way back as early as 1904, when mounted watchmen of the U.S. Immigration Service patrolled the border in effort to prevent illegal crossing; however, their efforts were irregular and undertaken only when resources permitted. In the early years of twentieth century, customs violations and intercepting communications to â€Å"the enemy† seemed to be of a greater concern than enforcing immigration regulations. Agencies charged with the responsibilities of inspecting people and goods entering and leaving noticed that their efforts were totally ineffective without border enforcement between inspection stations. A higher head tax and literacy requirement imposed in 1917 for entry prompted more people to try to enter illega lly. From this paper it is clear that a number of amendments were done to the constitution in line with securing the nation’s border, however, the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the importation, transport, manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages had greater effects. With the passage of this constitutional amendment and the numerical limits placed on immigration to the United States by the Immigration Acts of 1921adn 1924 respectively, the border enforcement was able to receive renewed attention.

Business International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business International Law - Essay Example However, this fund is just made accessible after the country requiring the loan has applied certain structural adjustment program (www.imf.org). Structural Adjustment Programs (also known as SAPs) are economic policies created by each country but having shared common principles. These common principles include the devaluation of currency against the dollar, export-led development, privatization, and improved free market practices. States following SAPs are usually obliged to balance their budgets, release import and export limitations, and lessen or stop state subsidies as well as price controls. While the IMF obliges states to make an effort to balance their budgets, they object to the plan of raising taxes. As an alternative, states practicing SAPs are generally required to cut expenses for education, healthcare and social services (Battikha, 2002). These SAPs are the chief cause of such a quarrel over the International Monetary Fund. However, using a liberal view it can be seen that in 'most' of the cases SAPs hurt the states more than they aid. The execution of SAPs has become the source of riots and disputes. Algeria can be taken as an example of it. In October 1988, riots were caused due to the high prices and increased unemployment caused by the implementation of SAPs. During the riots more than 200 people were killed. In order to support this point some more examples would be helpful. Like during the riots in Jordan, due to the increase in prices brought about by SAPs, five citizens were killed in April 1989. In Venezuela, from February 28th to March 2nd, 1989, approximately 600 inhabitants were killed and more than 1000 injured as riots broke out because of the increase in fuel and public transportation prices, caused by SAPs (www.Whirledbank.org). IMF worked in Thailand during 1980s when the state was facing a depression resulted due to a rise in the price of oil, decrease in the costs of agricultural exports, heavy burden of foreign debts and deficit in the external financial accounts. A stabilization program was designed for Thailand which was supported with a strategic structural adjustment program and was implemented with a joint effort of The World Bank and IMF. This helped Thailand to recover from the financial instability it was going through from. Furthermore it is established that the similar instruments which were used by the IMF in tackling

Prepare a two-page paper discussing Dr. Charans insights and how Essay

Prepare a two-page paper discussing Dr. Charans insights and how present-day executive leadership should plan and operate - Essay Example It is also important for the leaders to get full details of their operations so as to be better positioned to defend their core business in the event of economic crisis striking. Short term strategies are advocated so as to be able to deal with the situation. Essentially, there are six leadership traits for hard time which include the following In most cases, revenues for businesses are generated through sales hence the need for the sales people to be as realistic as much as possible. They should scan the current environment and see if they can get an opportunity through evaluating the customers’ potential to buy. These communicate the financial position of the business both internally and externally. Their main role is to communicate clearly and honestly so as to keep the investors and lenders abreast about the situation obtaining on the ground. Another role is to allocate resources according to the current state of economic affairs. There is need to identify the projects that matter as well as set new priorities. To those CEOs who presided over thriving organisations, there is a tendency to believe that they know everything. This over optimism is at time dangerous since they can engage in other risky activities such as debt which can sink the organisation into oblivion. Against this background, CEOs should remember that they are leaders and should inspire their workers even during trying times. They should remind the workers that there is light at the end of the tunnel hence should not despair. There is need to establish respectful relationships with the stakeholders in order to contribute to the firm’s credibility. Information about the situation obtaining on the ground is very important and it should always be truthful. Capable leaders will often have a vision and emerge stronger from a financial crisis.

Would Theodicy work Essay Example for Free

Would Theodicy work Essay A. J Ayer argues that human actions are so because of already preexisting factors in their lives but not as a result of their own free will. He maps these already existing factors such as feelings and past experiences which he calls casual laws as the one that makes people to be who they are. He defends his argument of on the basis that determinism and freewill co-exist in relation when a human behavior is being executed. His definition of free will is that it is the absence of any constraint and thus argues that although people usually are compelled to behave in a certain manner by these casual laws, they remain responsible for their actions since they are not constrained to the choices (Ayer). Theodicy How should evil be viewed in the presence on an omnipotent God who is all good? Could the evil-that which is not good- be from the same God that is all good? How could the all good God ‘create’ if not create then ‘allow’ evil? One could question if it is not him who has created evil, then do his creatures have the potential to create evil? If so, did He create this potential of creating evil in them? If He did why didn’t he create the absolute power in them not to do evil? People are considered to be doing evil based on the choices that they make. The argument is based on the presence of free will on human beings, that is one is absolutely free (without external compulsion) to act in a certain manner. But Ayer does not see it all in this light. He believes that determinism and free will are compatible. To him free will can only be regarded as free if ones actions could have been different and thus because of the chosen cause of action, one is held responsible for his/her actions. He also pointed out that the agent could have been bound to act otherwise if the action motivators were different. But the conditions being as they were for him or her, then the individual acted as he/she did. His argument is that if there happens to be any causal determinism, then it is not possible for the action to be driven by free will. He believes that ones free will is acknowledged, it remains no longer to be free will since to his view, free will should be in the unconscious. He gives an example such as, when one says â€Å"I’m acting on free will†, the person ceases to be acting on free will. He identifies this situation as one which has now already been determined. He views that people’s use of the term free will is on ordinary sense. He believes that the term freedom needs not to be linked to the meaning and term causality but to constraints. An example is when a man does take some actions at gun point not because they want but because they have been compelled to do it, (Ayer). Another example is that of Kleptomaniac who are not free agents. Unlike a regular thief would do, their minds do not let them decide to steal. Ayer yet gives another example of compulsion neurosis. He says if in such an instance he happens to wake up and walk around the room whether he wants it or not or he has been compelled by someone to do so, then he would not be acting freely. But Ayer argues that if he did it on his own, then it would be free action. For him he held that when it comes to constraints, some generalizations could be made on human behavior, (Hick). He holds that suffering as a child affects ones behavior as an adult. But if this behavior happens to be altered by something that happens in the course of life, then the person is not acting under constraint. An example he gives is a man who decides to forever avoid serious relationship because of having been cheated by a woman in a previous relationship. In this instance the man is conditioned by fear of being hurt and thus is not acting on free will. But the man in question would not agree that his decision is not on free will because he believes that the choice he made was not the only one. This is Ayer’s definition of free will, that is choosing to do something where there were other possibilities of choice even though there could have been a possibility of casual laws. A clear observation of Ayers argument on determinism and free will is that he has attempted to turn free will into that which is not. It should be noted that free will is not simply defined as lack of constraint. A choice that has been made by the virtual of causal necessity cannot be regarded to be more free than the one that is made under logical necessity. Out of this erroneous definition of freewill, Ayer could not be held right on his argument of moral responsibility. Peoples actions are products of numerous causal laws and are thus still being compelled to act in certain manner unlike his view of people being held responsible for their actions because they have acted on free will, (Hick). Conclusion Its common to ask if God is the author of sin and evil in our world. The view of a God who created moral beings and at the same time left them to this probationary economy with the absolute knowledge that they will absolutely fall may seam to be one that could justify theodicy. If the all good God cannot create evil, then the only way that the evil can be looked at it is that is a predestination of a greater glorious good. The attainment of the perceived good may not be because that God is lacking in power to have it without evil but it could be because the glorious end requires sin itself. If this is the case then, the argument that God is the author of sin cannot hold for this reason that if the evil does take place because of his permission, it is not because it the end of the process but rather a part of a process towards the real ‘end’ -omnipotent and ‘all goodness’- which in short is back to God. God cannot thus be the author of evil but rather evil can be regarded as the part of that process that is towards all good. If God permits it then, it is not to the denial of Himself, the all good, but an affirmation that He is all good since everything, even evil leads all back to Him.

Symptoms And Treatments In Cystic Fibrosis

Symptoms And Treatments In Cystic Fibrosis Abstract Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most common genetically inherited diseases which can cause premature death in western populations, with 1 in 2000-3000 new born babies being found to be affected by Cystic fibrosis in Europe [1]. The disease is caused by defective chloride ion channels along the epithelial membrane of the lungs, pancreas and other organs; although there are several hypotheses as to how this dysfunction specifically gives rise to the typical symptoms. The complications associated with the disease are varied, the most significant being the build up of abnormally thick excess mucus which can cause impaired function of the lungs and other major organs. Fortunately research into new treatments has significantly improved the life expectancy of people suffering from this disease. This essay discusses the causes Introduction The name cystic fibrosis refers to the generation of cysts in the pancreas and the formation of excess fibrous connective tissue in the lungs. The internal organs which suffer the most damage as a result of this disease are the lungs and the pancreas; although a variety of other organs are also affected. The first clinical recognition of cystic fibrosis didnt occur until the 1930s when its symptoms were observed and characterised by Dr. Dorothy Anderson. The recessive nature of the disease was confirmed in the mid-forties after an investigation involving over one hundred families; although the defective gene that causes the disease wasnt isolated for another forty years when it was discovered in 1989 by reverse genetics. After the breakthrough in the forties general understanding of the disease increased steadily over the next couple of decades with a major clinical advancements in diagnostics occurring in the fifties with the development of the sweat test. As cystic fibrosis is the result of an autosomal recessive disorder, the sufferer will have to of inherited two copies of the mutated gene (one from each parent) in order to be affected by the disease. The mutation takes place in a single gene on chromosome 7. This faulty gene leads to the development of a defective cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. In healthy people the CFTR proteins form ion channels to transport chlorine ions across the epithelial membrane of the lungs, pancreas, sweat glands and other organs. It is also thought to regulate the activity of other chlorine-selective channels and some cation-selective (sodium ion) channels. Ions can then pass through these channels thereby maintaining the water potential of the cells. When the fine balance of ion concentration is affected less water is able to pass across the epithelial membrane by osmosis causing excess and highly viscous mucus to build up in the affected organs, resulting in severe long-term respiratory and digestive problems. The human lungs are adapted for use in aerobic respiration by providing a thin, moist surface for gas exchange to take place between the pulmonary arteries and the external environment. For gas exchange to be effective the respiratory surface must comply with Ficks law which requires that the surface area is large, moist and thin to enhance permeability. The resulting fibrosis caused by the disease greatly affects the permeability of the lungs and hence reduces their capacity for gas exchange. Molecular mechanisms There are over 1500 types of mutation which can cause a defect in the CFTR protein, the most common of which is a deletion of phenylalanine at position 508 (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  F508) which Is the cause of approximately two-thirds of CF cases. The mutations are categorised into six classes determined by their impact on the resulting functionality of the CFTR channels, ranging from reduced to complete non-function. Class I, II and III mutations all result in the absence or substantial reduction of functional CFTR. Class I mutations cause a complete lack of protein production due to premature stop codons arising in the genetic code whereas class II mutations produce a protein that doesnt fold properly and so is consequently degraded by the cell. In a class III mutation the lack of effective binding with ATP molecules leads to the defective regulation of CFTR and so again is classified as being non-functional. Classes IV and V still permit the development of functional CFTR albeit with reduced capacity for chloride ion transport or with reduced production of functional CFTR in general due to promoter mutations that decrease transcription [2]. Class VI mutations also produce functional CFTR although its degradation is greatly accelerated. The F508 deletion results in a class II mutation. There are four main hypotheses as to how this defective gene causes disease although it is not known whether the disease is caused by one or a combination these hypotheses. Two of these, the low volume and high salt hypotheses, provide a detailed description of the complications that arise as a result of faulty CFTR by taking into account the composition of airway surface liquid (ASL). Low volume hypothesis In the case of the low volume hypothesis it was postulated that there is little to no difference in the salt concentration of ASL between healthy people and those suffering from cystic fibrosis. This hypothesis suggests that the symptoms of cystic fibrosis are caused by a dysfunction of the CFTR gene resulting in damaged or ineffective sodium ion channels. The damage caused is ergogenic and reduces the inhibition of the ion channels leading to the excessive movement of sodium ions from the ASL into the airways. The increased concentration of positively charged sodium ions in the airways then drives the absorption of chlorine ions and water, reducing the volume of ASL and dehydrating mucus. The dehydrated mucus becomes highly viscous and the cilia present on epithelial cells which are used to aid the clearance of mucus and to increase lung surface area become compressed by the mucosal build up. This compression of cilia inhibits the clearance of mucus which then continues to build up, further reducing the lung surface area. The excess mucus can also form hypoxic niches that can harbour colonies of pseudomonas aeruginosa. Build up of mucus physically reduces the lung surface area affecting the efficiency of gas exchange. The mucus build up also increases the compression of cilia on epithelial cells which inhibits clearance by cilia and coughing. High salt hypothesis The high salt hypothesis assumes that the airway surface liquid of healthy individuals has a relatively low salt concentration when compared to the ASL of cystic fibrosis sufferers. It suggests that the symptoms of the disease are caused by the disruption or complete absence of CFTR function which causes excess sodium and chloride ions to be retained in the ASL. This increased retention of chloride ions leads to the ASL having an abnormally negatively charged composition. This abnormality impairs the activity of the bodys natural bactericidal enzymes such as lysozyme which rely on electrostatic interactions to attach to the bacterial cell walls; thus allowing bacterial infection to persist in the hypoxic niches formed within the lungs. Abnormally high inflammation It has been speculated that the defective CFTR itself may be the cause of excessive inflammation in the airways. However there is limited evidence to suggest that the defective CFTR is a cause of excessive inflammation in itself but rather that it interferes with the regulation of autophagy. Autophagy is the process by which defective proteins are degraded in order to maintain the balance between the recycling and synthesis of cellular products, for example the degradation of defective CFTR by the cells own lysosomes. Research indicates that large amounts of defective CFTR inhibits autophagy, leading to an accumulation of aggresomes which can cause inflammation in the lungs [3]. The resulting inflammation is what gives rise to the characteristic scarring of lung tissue. CFTR bind with P. Aeruginosa Chronic bacterial infection is common amongst all cystic fibrosis sufferers, specifically the bacterial species pseudomonas aeruginosa which binds readily to the CFTR protein. In healthy people the body initiates an immune response in order to fight off the infection. In cystic fibrosis suffers there is enhanced binding between p. Aeruginosa and the CFTR protein, the bacterium is also able to bind without initiating an immune response. The compromised immune response combined with reduced ability to clear mucus due to compressed cilia further increases the risk of severe infection. Symptoms Visible characteristics typical amongst suffers include a slightly meagre appearance due to inefficient absorption of nutrients and the famously salty sweat used to confirm CF diagnosis. Low levels of oxygen in the tissues due to impaired gas exchange between the lungs and the bloodstream can cause clubbing of the fingers and toes Salty sweat The salty sweat associated with the disease like so many of its symptoms is again caused by faulty CFTR present on the sweat ducts. As sodium ions leave the sweat ducts through ion channels chloride ions follow through them through the CFTR protein channels. However, in cystic fibrosis patients dysfunctional CFTR channels prevent the outward flow of chloride ions from the sweat ducts. The resulting high chloride ion concentration in sweat ducts creates an electrochemical gradient which pulls more positively charged sodium ions into the ducts where the ions combine to form salt (NaCl). The salt is then secreted through pores in the skin resulting in very salty sweat as very little NaCl is reabsorbed. Salt sweat concentration of greater than 60mEq/L is generally considered significant enough to make a diagnosis, although further test may be required. Although poor growth can pose its own health risks the most severe symptoms are caused by the diseases capacity to cause damage to the internal organs. Endocrine CF is commonly referred to as an exocrine disorder meaning the resulting dysfunction affects glands which secrete their products through a duct to the surface of the body or of an organ, sweat glands and pancreatic ducts being an example of this. However some complications can arise in the bodys endocrine glands, glands which secrete their product directly into the bloodstream. Disorders of the endocrine glands tend to affect the secretion of hormones. Damage to the islets of langerhans within the pancreas can impair the secretion of insulin which can eventually lead to CF related diabetes. Pulmonary Lungs are the predominant source of infection, vulnerable to different species of bacteria although P. Aeruginosa becomes predominant; eventually these bacterial colonies form a biofilm which is difficult to remove with antibiotic treatments. The thickening of mucus creates environmental niches suitable for harbouring bacteria. High levels of infection result in an inflammatory response which often leads to extensive tissue damage and scarring regarded as the characteristic fibrosis of the lungs. The resulting fibrosis damages the epithelium of the lungs, making gas-exchange inefficient. Thick mucus also physically reduces the surface area Implications for other organs The lungs arent the only organs that suffer damage as a result of cystic fibrosis Diverse range of other organs affected, majority of these form a part of the alimentary system Lacking digestive enzymes in the intestines Absence of these digestive enzymes impair patients ability to breakdown and therefore digest their food. This generally results in poor growth but in extreme cases can cause severe malnutrition. Alimentary system all digestive systems The formation of cysts blocks ducts in the liver and pancreas preventing the secretion of essential digestive enzymes and hormones. Blocked ducts prevent secretion of enzymes/hormones? Mainly the pancreas which affects absorption of nutrients and can lead to poor growth in suffers Blockage of ducts in the liver New born babies can suffer from meconium ileus, an inability to pass their first faeces (meconium). The resulting ileus can cause blockages in the intestines that can cause rectal prolapse due to the strain involved in producing a bowel movement. Common associations between cases of meconium ileus and CF led to it being used as a postnatal diagnostic technique. Excess viscous mucus isnt only a problem in the lungs. Organs of the alimentary system can also be affected. Thick mucus can block pancreatic ducts preventing the secretion of vital digestive enzymes into the duodenum. The body is then unable to effectively extract nutrients from the ingested foods. Malabsorption is a common symptom of CF generally resulting in poor growth but in extreme cases can cause severe malnutrition. Fertility problems Fertility problems related to CF usually occur before birth whilst the foetus is still developing. Blocking of or complete absence of the connective tube (vas deferens) between the testes and ejaculatory ducts in males means that although they are not sterile they are unable to conceive children by traditional intercourse. In women thick mucus can cause blockages in the cervix or their ovulation cycle may be disrupted malnutrition as a result of CF related enzyme deficiencies. More than 95% of males with CF are infertile. Percentage of CF infertile source world health organisation Treatments Unfortunately there is currently no cure for CF however there are several treatments that can alleviate some of the symptoms associated with the disease, such as the use of hypertonic saline and enzyme replacement. Treatments such as gene therapy are more geared towards creating a permanent cure for CF, although at this moment in time the technology has not been perfected. Pharmacological treatments Fortunately the CFTRs are not the only chloride ion channels available on lung surface epithelium. Certain drugs can stimulate these other channels. Rcjournal. Stimulate the release of calcium or inhibit sodium channels to offset negative effects of whatever hypothesis. Hypertonic saline Major complications of CF stem from the imbalance in ion concentrations caused by the faulty CFTR gene. From this knowledge a line of treatments were developed in order to restore the ionic imbalance and hence improve the bodys ability to clear thick mucus from the lungs. The answer would need to be a sterile solution; high in salts that could be inhaled to replace the ions which werent being transported across the CFTR channels. The solution, hyper tonic saline, is a cheap and effective treatment for reducing the viscosity of mucus in the lungs. After it is inhaled the solution works by creating an osmotic gradient, drawing water into the airways, rehydrating the mucus causing blockages and reducing its viscosity hence making it easier to cleared and coughed up. Enzyme replacement Enzymes can be *injected* to restore the deficiency created by blockages of pancreatic ducts. Patients undergoing enzyme replacement therapy can expect to see improvements in growth, weight gain and general health as many illnesses arise from poor absorption of nutrients. Nutritional supplements can also be taken to replace those not being absorbed normally. Important short term treatments are giving nutritional supplements to sufferers to relieve malnourishment and promote healthy growth Nutritional plans generally involve high calorie diets rich in vitamins such as vitamin D to develop strong bones and prevent osteoporosis. Gene therapy Soon after the discovery of the defective gene in 1989 efforts were invested in finding a therapy that could target the disease at its genetic roots. Discovery of an effective method of gene therapy would open a virtual goldmine in treating not only cystic fibrosis but also other genetic diseases. One of the current gene therapy techniques for the treatment of CF involves the use of adenoviruses carrying vectors containing corrected copies of the CFTR gene. The adenoviruses carry double stranded DNA which is deposited in the nucleus of the host cell and then transcribed in the same way as the host cells own DNA. However, as this is an example of somatic gene therapy, the DNA of the adenovirus wont integrate with the host genome and the gene will not continue to be expressed after cellular division. This means the effects are not permanent and patients will require subsequent treatments to maintain the effect. There are of course risks associated with the use of viruses to incorporate functional DNA. Even though the viruses being used are non-pathogenic the presence of a foreign body can still initiate an immune response; the resulting inflammation can be dangerous for patients who are already at high risk of excessive inflammation due to immunocomprimisation. An alternative to adenoviruses are adeno-associated viruses (AAV). AAV vectors are non-pathogenic and have been shown to have a lower prevalence to neutralising antibodies when com pared to adenoviruses in vitro [4]. However they do have a relatively small genome of ~4.8 kilobases, with most gene treatments requiring the complete replacement of the viral genome. As a result of this, research is being targeted towards more effective means of gene therapy with tests being carried out with AAV and lipid-vectors. There is a trade off between the effectiveness of the method used to induce the vector. Viral vectors are more effective at integrating the vector into the host DNA compared to lipid vectors, but there is the increased risk of an immune response. Lung transplant In the most severe cases where patients are suffering from chronic infection lung transplants can be carried out where appropriate. In these cases both lungs need to be transplanted in order to prevent the new lung from being contaminated by existing bacterial populations currently present in the patient. Antibiotics Antibiotics tend to be used prophylacticaly as a pre-emptive measure for preventing infection. One common type of drugs used in treatments are macrolide antibiotics can suppress obstructive secretions in airways The macrolide antibiotics work by binding to the 50s subunit of the bacterial ribosome, thereby inhibiting protein synthesis. Conclusion The overall outlook for patients with CF has improved dramatically over the past eighty years since the first clinical recognition in the 1930s. A greater understanding of genetics has enhanced both the fields of clinical diagnostics and treatments. The future of treatments points towards gene therapy, we currently have the technology to do this but further research is needed to overcome the major obstacles such as more efficient transfer and getting the gene expression to last longer. [*http://www.who.int/genomics/public/geneticdiseases/en/index2.html#CF] http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/576200_2 http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/v12/n9/full/ncb2090.html http://www.nature.com/gt/journal/v6/n9/full/3300994a.html Figure 1. Sweat chloride concentrations related to cystic fibrosis (CF) diagnosis. Revised and reprinted by permission from Davis PB. Cystic fibrosis. Pediatr Rev 2001;22:257-264.Figure 1

Emotions Essay -- essays research papers

Emotions No matter how hard you try, you cannot control your emotions, only attempt to hide them. Emotions influence every aspect of our lives, what we do, what we say, and et cetera. All of our emotions, from anger to insecurity, are influenced by several factors, just as our lives are influenced by our emotions (Gelinas, Emotions 35). First of all, it causes problems when one does not trust himself, and it shows up in many ways. Some people brag to call attention to themselves, causing others to believe that the egoistic person has a lot of self-respect. Very often though, egotism can be an attempt to cover up insecurity in a person who does not feel they will be good enough without it (Gelinas, Emotions 36). Bragging about one’s achievements, material possessions, or achievements reveals a sense of inferiority. Even though one may brag their whole lives, they never reach a sense of well being. This is caused by fixation, which is when a person does not grow emotionally after a certain point (Gelinas, Emotions 64). A person that brags a great deal may also be considered a snob. A snob may not act as a braggart for the same reasons egoistic people do, for what snobs do is act so that they end up isolating themselves. They do this to avoid the trouble of friends, responsibilities, and emotional relationships by giving a snobbish attitude to the people who put up with these things (Gelinas, Emotions 45). Another sign of...

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 4. GESTURE

The wedding flowed into the reception party smoothly – proof of Alice's flawless planning. It was just twilight over the river; the ceremony had lasted exactly the right amount of time, allowing the sun to set behind the trees. The lights in the trees glimmered as Edward led me through the glass back doors, making the white flowers glow. There were another ten thousand flowers out here, serving as a fragrant, airy tent over the dance floor set up on the grass under two of the ancient cedars. Things slowed down, relaxed as the mellow August evening surrounded us. The little crowd spread out under the soft shine of the twinkle lights, and we were greeted again by the friends we'd just embraced. There was time to talk now, to laugh. â€Å"Congrats, guys,† Seth Clearwater told us, ducking his head under the edge of a flower garland. His mother, Sue, was tight by his side, eyeing the guests with wary intensity. Her face was thin and fierce, an expression that was accented by her short, severe hairstyle; it was as short as her daughter Leah's – I wondered if she'd cut it the same way in a show of solidarity. Billy Black, on Seth's other side, was not as tense as Sue. When I looked at Jacob's father, I always felt like I was seeing two people rather than just one. There was the old man in the wheelchair with the lined face and the white smile that everyone else saw. And then there was the direct descendant of a long line of powerful, magical chieftains, cloaked in the authority he'd been born with. Though the magic had – in the absence of a catalyst – skipped his generation, Billy was still a part of the power and the legend. It flowed straight through him. It flowed to his son, the heir to the magic, who had turned his back on it. That left Sam Uley to act as the chief of legends and magic now___ Billy seemed oddly at ease considering the company and the event – his black eyes sparkled like he'd just gotten some good news. I was impressed by his composure. This wedding must have seemed a very bad thing, the worst thing that could happen to his best friend's daughter, in Billy's eyes. I knew it wasn't easy for him to restrain his feelings, considering the challenge this event foreshadowed to the ancient treaty between the Cullens and the Quileutes – the treaty that prohibited the Cullens from ever creating another vampire. The wolves knew a breach was coming, but the Cullens had no idea how they would react. Before the alliance, it would have meant an immediate attack. A war. But now that they knew each other better, would there be forgiveness instead? As if in response to that thought, Seth leaned toward Edward, arms extended. Edward returned the hug with his free arm. I saw Sue shudder delicately. â€Å"It's good to see things work out for you, man,† Seth said. â€Å"I'm happy for you.† â€Å"Thank you, Seth. That means a lot to me.† Edward pulled away from Seth and looked at Sue and Billy. â€Å"Thank you, as well. For letting Seth come. For supporting Bella today.† â€Å"You're welcome,† Billy said in his deep, gravelly voice, and I was surprised at the optimism in his tone. Perhaps a stronger truce was on the horizon. A bit of a line was forming, so Seth waved goodbye and wheeled Billy toward the food. Sue kept one hand on each of them. Angela and Ben were the next to claim us, followed by Angela's parents and then Mike and Jessica – who were, to my surprise, holding hands. I hadn't heard that they were together again. That was nice. Behind my human friends were my new cousins-in-law, the Denali vampire clan. I realized I was holding my breath as the vampire in front – Tanya, I assumed from the strawberry tint in her blond curls – reached out to embrace Edward. Next to her, three other vampires with golden eyes stared at me with open curiosity. One woman had long, pale blond hair, straight as corn silk. The other woman and the man beside her were both black-haired, with a hint of an olive tone to their chalky complexions. And they were all four so beautiful that it made my stomach hurt. Tanya was still holding Edward. â€Å"Ah, Edward,† she said. â€Å"I've missed you.† Edward chuckled and deftly maneuvered out of the hug, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder and stepping back, as if to get a better look at her. â€Å"It's been too long, Tanya. You look well.† â€Å"So do you.† â€Å"Let me introduce you to my wife.† It was the first time Edward had said that word since it was officially true; he seemed like he would explode with satisfaction saying it now. The Denalis all laughed lightly in response. â€Å"Tanya, this is my Bella.† Tanya was every bit as lovely as my worst nightmares had predicted. She eyed me with a look that was much more speculative than it was resigned, and then reached out to take my hand. â€Å"Welcome to the family, Bella.† She smiled, a little rueful. â€Å"We consider ourselves Carlisle's extended family, and I am sorry about the, er, recent incident when we did not behave as such. We should have met you sooner. Can you forgive us?† â€Å"Of course,† I said breathlessly. â€Å"It's so nice to meet you.† â€Å"The Cullens are all evened up in numbers now. Perhaps it will be our turn next, eh, Kate?† She grinned at the blonde. â€Å"Keep the dream alive,† Kate said with a roll of her golden eyes. She took my hand from Tanya's and squeezed it gently. â€Å"Welcome, Bella.† The dark-haired woman put her hand on top of Kate's. â€Å"I'm Carmen, this is Eleazar. We're all so very pleased to finally meet you.† â€Å"M-me, too,† I stuttered. Tanya glanced at the people waiting behind her – Charlie's deputy, Mark, and his wife. Their eyes were huge as they took in the Denali clan. â€Å"We'll get to know each other later. We'll have eons of time for that!† Tanya laughed as she and her family moved on. All the standard traditions were kept. I was blinded by flashbulbs as we held the knife over a spectacular cake – too grand, I thought, for our relatively intimate group of friends and family. We took turns shoving cake in each other's faces; Edward manfully swallowed his portion as I watched in disbelief. I threw my bouquet with atypical skill, right into Angela's surprised hands. Emmett and Jasper howled with laughter at my blush while Edward removed my borrowed garter – which I'd shimmied down nearly to my ankle – verycarefully with his teeth. With a quick wink at me, he shot it straight into Mike Newton's face. And when the music started, Edward pulled me into his arms for the customary first dance; I went willingly, despite my fear of dancing – especially dancing in front of an audience – just happy to have him holding me. He did all the work, and I twirled effortlessly under the glow of a canopy of lights and the bright flashes from the cameras. â€Å"Enjoying the party, Mrs. Cullen?† he whispered in my ear. I laughed. â€Å"That will take a while to get used to.† â€Å"We have a while,† he reminded me, his voice exultant, and he leaned down to kiss me while we danced. Cameras clicked feverishly. The music changed, and Charlie tapped on Edward's shoulder. It wasn't nearly as easy to dance with Charlie. He was no better at it than I was, so we moved safely from side to side in a tiny square formation. Edward and Esme spun around us like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. â€Å"I'm going to miss you at home, Bella. I'm already lonely.† I spoke through a tight throat, trying to make a joke of it. â€Å"I feel just horrible, leaving you to cook for yourself – it's practically criminal negligence. You could arrest me.† He grinned. â€Å"I suppose I'll survive the food. Just call me whenever you can.† â€Å"I promise.† It seemed like I danced with everyone. It was good to see all my old friends, but I really wanted to be with Edward more than anything else. I was happy when he finally cut in, just half a minute after a new dance started. â€Å"Still not that fond of Mike, eh?† I commented as Edward whirled me away from him. â€Å"Not when I have to listen to his thoughts. He's lucky I didn't kick him out. Or worse.† â€Å"Yeah, right.† â€Å"Have you had a chance to look at yourself?† â€Å"Urn. No, I guess not. Why?† â€Å"Then I suppose you don't realize how utterly, heart-breakingly beautiful you are tonight. I'm not surprised Mike's having difficulty with improper thoughts about a married woman. I am disappointed that Alice didn't make sure you were forced to look in a mirror.† â€Å"You are very biased, you know.† He sighed and then paused and turned me around to face the house. The wall of glass reflected the party back like a long mirror. Edward pointed to the couple in the mirror directly across from us. â€Å"Biased, am I?† I caught just a glimpse of Edward's reflection – a perfect duplicate of his perfect face – with a dark-haired beauty at his side. Her skin was cream and roses, her eyes were huge with excitement and framed with thick lashes. The narrow sheath of the shimmering white dress flared out subtly at the train almost like an inverted calla lily, cut so skillfully that her body looked elegant and graceful – while it was motionless, at least. Before I could blink and make the beauty turn back into me, Edward suddenly stiffened and turned automatically in the other direction, as if someone had called his name. â€Å"Oh!† he said. His brow furrowed for an instant and then smoothed out just as quickly. Suddenly, he was smiling a brilliant smile. â€Å"What is it?† I asked. â€Å"A surprise wedding gift.† â€Å"Huh?† He didn't answer; he just started dancing again, spinning me the opposite way we'd been headed before, away from the lights and then into the deep swath of night that ringed the luminous dance floor. He didn't pause until we reached the dark side of one of the huge cedars. Then Edward looked straight into the blackest shadow. â€Å"Thank you,† Edward said to the darkness. â€Å"This is very†¦ kind of you.† â€Å"Kind is my middle name,† a husky familiar voice answered from the black night. â€Å"Can i cut in?† My hand flew up to my throat, and if Edward hadn't been holding me I would have collapsed. â€Å"Jacob!† I choked as soon as I could breathe. â€Å"Jacob!† â€Å"Hey there, Bells.† I stumbled toward the sound of his voice. Edward kept his grip under my elbow until another set of strong hands caught me in the darkness. The heat from Jacob's skin burned right through the thin satin dress as he pulled me close. He made no effort to dance; he just hugged me while I buried my face in his chest. He leaned down to press his cheek to the top of my head. â€Å"Rosalie won't forgive me if she doesn't get her official turn on the dance floor,† Edward murmured, and I knew he was leaving us, giving me a gift of his own – this moment with Jacob. â€Å"Oh, Jacob.† I was crying now; I couldn't get the words out clearly. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"Stop blubbering,Bella. You'll ruin your dress. It's just me.† â€Å"Just? Oh, Jake! Everything is perfect now.† Hesnorted. â€Å"Yeah – the party can start. The best man finally made it.† â€Å"Now everyone I love is here.† I felthis lips brush my hair. â€Å"SorryI'm late, honey.† â€Å"I'm just so happy you came!† â€Å"That was the idea.† I glanced toward the guests, but I couldn't see through the dancers to the spot where I'd last seen Jacob's father. I didn't know if he'd stayed. â€Å"DoesBilly know you're here?† As soon as I asked, I knew that he must have – it was the only way to explain his uplifted expression before. â€Å"I'm sure Sam's told him. I'll go see him when†¦ when the party's over.† â€Å"He'll beso glad you're home.† Jacob pulled back a little bit and straightened up.He left one hand on the small of my back and grabbed my right hand with the other. He cradled our hands to his chest; I could feel his heart beat under my palm, and I guessed that he hadn't placed my hand there accidentally. â€Å"I don't know if I get more than just this one dance,† he said, and he began pulling me around in a slow circle that didn't match the tempo of the music coming from behind us. â€Å"I'd better make the best of it.† We moved to the rhythm of his heart under my hand. â€Å"I'm glad Icame,† Jacob said quietly after a moment. â€Å"I didn't think I would be. But it's good to see you†¦ one more time. Not as sad as I'd thought it would be.† â€Å"I don't want you to feel sad.† â€Å"I know that. And I didn't come tonight to make you feel guilty.† â€Å"No – it makes me very happy that you came. It's the best gift you could have given me.† He laughed. â€Å"That's good, because I didn't have time to stop for a real present.† My eyes were adjusting, and I could see his face now, higher up than I expected. Was it possible that he was still growing? He had to be closer to seven feet than to six. It was a relief to see his familiar features again after all this time – his deep-set eyes shadowed under his shaggy black brows, his high cheekbones, his full lips stretched over his bright teeth in the sarcastic smile that matched his tone. His eyes were tight around the edges – careful; I could see that he was being very careful tonight. He was doing all he could to make me happy, to not slip and show how much this cost him. I'd never done anything good enough to deserve a friend like Jacob. â€Å"When did you decide to come back?† â€Å"Consciously or subconsciously?† He took a deep breath before he answered his own question. â€Å"I don't really know. I guess I've been wandering back this direction for a while, and maybe it's because I was headed here. But it wasn't until this morning that I really started running. I didn't know if I could make it.† He laughed. â€Å"You wouldn't believe how weird this feels – walking around on two legs again. And clothes! And then it's more bizarre because it feels weird. I didn't expect that. I'm out of practice with the whole human thing.† We revolved steadily. â€Å"It would have been a shame to miss seeing you like this, though. That's worth the trip right there. You look unbelievable, Bella. So beautiful.† â€Å"Alice invested a lot of time in me today. The dark helps, too.† â€Å"It's not so dark for me, you know.† â€Å"Right.† Werewolf senses. It was easy to forget all the things he could do, he seemed so human. Especially right now. â€Å"You cut your hair,† I noted. â€Å"Yeah. Easier, you know. Thought I'd better take advantage of the hands.† â€Å"It looks good,† I lied. He snorted. â€Å"Right. I did it myself, with rusty kitchen shears.† He grinned widely for a moment, and then his smile faded. His expression turned serious. â€Å"Are you happy, Bella?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Okay.† I felt his shoulders shrug. â€Å"That's the main thing, I guess.† â€Å"How are you, Jacob? Really?† â€Å"I'm fine, Bella, really. You don't need to worry about me anymore. You can stop bugging Seth.† â€Å"I'm not just bugging him because of you. I like Seth.† â€Å"He's a good kid. Better company than some. I tell you, if I could get rid of the voices in my head, being a wolf would be about perfect.† I laughed at the way it sounded. â€Å"Yeah, I can't get mine to shut up, either.† â€Å"In your case, that would mean you're insane. Of course, I already knew that you were insane,† he teased. â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Insanity is probably easier than sharing a pack mind. Crazy people's voices don't send babysitters to watch them.† â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"Sam's out there. And some of the others. Just in case, you know.† â€Å"In case of what?† â€Å"In case I can't keep it together, something like that. In case I decide to trash the party.† He flashed a quick smile at what was probably an appealing thought to him. â€Å"But I'm not here to ruin your wedding, Bella. I'm here to .. .† He trailed off. â€Å"To make it perfect.† â€Å"That's a tall order.† â€Å"Good thing you're so tall.† He groaned at my bad joke and then sighed. â€Å"I'm just here to be your friend. Your best friend, one last time.† â€Å"Sam should give you more credit.† â€Å"Well, maybe I'm being oversensitive. Maybe they'd be here anyway, to keep an eye on Seth. There are a lot of vampires here. Seth doesn't take that as seriously as he should.† â€Å"Seth knows that he's not in any danger. He understands the Cullens better than Sam does.† â€Å"Sure, sure,† Jacob said, making peace before it could turn into a fight. It was strange to have him being the diplomat. â€Å"Sorry about those voices,† I said. â€Å"Wish I could make it better.† In so many ways. â€Å"It's not that bad. I'm just whining a little.† â€Å"You're†¦ happy?† â€Å"Close enough. But enough about me. You're the star today.† He chuckled. â€Å"I bet you're just loving that. Center of attention.† â€Å"Yeah. Can't get enough attention.† He laughed and then stared over my head. With pursed lips, he studied the shimmering glow of the reception party, the graceful whirl of the dancers, the fluttering petals falling from the garlands; I looked with him. It all seemed very distant from this black, quiet space. Almost like watching the white flurries swirling inside a snow globe. â€Å"I'll give them this much,† he said. â€Å"They know how to throw a party.† â€Å"Alice is an unstoppable force of nature.† He sighed. â€Å"Song's over. Do you think 1 get another one? Or is that asking too much?† I tightened my hand around his. â€Å"You can have as many dances as you want.† He laughed. â€Å"That would be interesting. I think I'd better stick with two, though. Don't want to start talk.† We turned in another circle. â€Å"You'd think I'd be used to telling you goodbye by now,† he murmured. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but I couldn't force it down. Jacob looked at me and frowned. He wiped his fingers across my cheek, catching the tears there. â€Å"You're not supposed to be the one crying, Bella.† â€Å"Everyone cries at weddings,† I said thickly. â€Å"This is what you want, right?† â€Å"Right.† â€Å"Then smile.† I tried. He laughed at my grimace. Tm going to try to remember you like this. Pretend that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"That what?That I died?† He clenched his teeth. He was struggling with himself – with his decision to make his presence here a gift and not a judgment. I could guess what he wanted to say. â€Å"No,† he finally answered. â€Å"But I'll see you this way in my head. Pink cheeks. Heartbeat. Two left feet. All of that.† I deliberately stomped on his foot as hard as I could. He smiled. â€Å"That's my girl.† He started to say something else and then snapped his mouth closed. Struggling again, teeth gritted against the words he didn't want to say. My relationship with Jacob used to be so easy. Natural as breathing. But since Edward had come back into my life, it was a constant strain. Because – in Jacob's eyes – by choosing Edward, I was choosing a fate that was worse than death, or at least equivalent to it. â€Å"What is it, Jake? Just tell me. You can tell me anything.† â€Å"I – I†¦ I don't have anything to tell you.† â€Å"Oh please. Spit it out.† â€Å"It's true.It's not†¦ it's – it's a question. It's something I want you to tell me† â€Å"Ask me.† He struggled for another minute and then exhaled. â€Å"I shouldn't. It doesn't matter. I'm just morbidly curious.† Because I knew him so well, I understood. â€Å"It's not tonight, Jacob,† I whispered. Jacob was even more obsessed with my humanity than Edward. He treasured every one of my heartbeats, knowing that they were numbered. â€Å"Oh,† he said, trying to smother his relief. â€Å"Oh.† A new song started playing, but he didn't notice the change this time. â€Å"When?† he whispered. â€Å"I don't know for sure. A week or two, maybe.† His voice changed, took on a defensive, mocking edge. â€Å"What's the holdup?† â€Å"I just didn't want to spend my honeymoon writhing in pain.† â€Å"You'd rather spend it how? Playing checkers? Ha ha.† â€Å"Very funny.† â€Å"Kidding, Bells. But, honestly, I don't see the point. You can't have a real honeymoon with your vampire, so why go through the motions? Call a spade a spade. This isn't the first time you've put this off. That's a good thing, though,† he said, suddenly earnest. â€Å"Don't be embarrassed about it.† â€Å"I'm not putting anything off,† I snapped. â€Å"And yes I can have a real honeymoon! I can do anything I want! Butt out!† He stopped our slow circling abruptly. For a moment, I wondered if he'd finally noticed the music change, and I scrambled in my head for a way to patch up our little tiff before he said goodbye to me. We shouldn't part on this note. And then his eyes bulged wide with a strange kind of confused horror. â€Å"What?† he gasped. â€Å"What did you say?† â€Å"About what†¦ ? Jake? What's wrong?† â€Å"What do you mean? Have a real honeymoon? While you're still human? Are you kidding? That's a sick joke, Bella!† I glared at him. â€Å"I said butt out, Jake. This is so not your business. I shouldn't have†¦ we shouldn't even be talking about this. It's private – â€Å" His enormous hands gripped the tops of my arms, wrapping all the way around, fingers overlapping. â€Å"Ow, Jake! Let go!† He shook me. â€Å"Bella! Have you lost your mind? You can't be that stupid! Tell me you're joking!† He shook me again. His hands, tight as tourniquets, were quivering, sending vibrations deep into my bones. â€Å"Jake – stop!† The darkness was suddenly very crowded. â€Å"Take your hands off her!† Edward's voice was cold as ice, sharp as razors. Behind Jacob, there was a low snarl from the black night, and then another, overlapping the first. â€Å"Jake, bro, back away,† I heard Seth Clearwater urge. â€Å"You're losing it.† Jacob seemed frozen as he was, his horrified eyes wide and staring. â€Å"You'll hurt her,† Seth whispered. â€Å"Let her go.† â€Å"Now!† Edward snarled. Jacob's hands dropped to his sides, and the sudden gush of blood through my waiting veins was almost painful. Before I could register more than that, cold hands replaced the hot ones, and the air was suddenly whooshing past me. I blinked, and I was on my feet a half dozen feet away from where I'd been standing. Edward was tensed in front of me. There were two enormous wolves braced between him and Jacob, but they did not seem aggressive to me. More like they were trying to prevent the fight. And Seth – gangly, fifteen-year-old Seth – had his long arms around Jacob's shaking body, and he was tugging him away. If Jacob phased with Seth so close†¦ â€Å"C'mon, Jake. Let's go.† â€Å"I'll kill you,† Jacob said, his voice so choked with rage that it was low as a whisper. His eyes, focused on Edward, burned with fury. â€Å"I'll kill you myself! I'll do it now!† He shuddered convulsively. The biggest wolf, the black one, growled sharply. â€Å"Seth, get out of the way,† Edward hissed. Seth tugged on Jacob again. Jacob was so bewildered with rage that Seth was able to yank him a few feet farther back. â€Å"Don't do it, Jake. Walk away. C'mon.† Sam – the bigger wolf, the black one – joined Seth then. He put his massive head against Jacob's chest and shoved. The three of them – Seth towing, Jake trembling, Sam pushing – disappeared swiftly into the darkness. The other wolf stared after them. I wasn't sure, in the weak light, about the color of his fur – chocolate brown, maybe? Was it Quil, then? Tm sorry,† I whispered to the wolf. â€Å"It'sall right now,Bella,† Edward murmured. The wolf looked at Edward. His gaze was not friendly. Edward gave him one cold nod.The wolf huffed and then turned to follow the others, vanishing as they had. â€Å"All right,† Edward said to himself, and then he looked at me. â€Å"Let's get back.† â€Å"But Jake – â€Å" â€Å"Sam has him in hand. He's gone.† â€Å"Edward, I'm so sorry. Iwas stupid – â€Å" â€Å"You did nothing wrong – â€Å" â€Å"I have such a big mouth! Why would I†¦ I shouldn't have let him get to me like that. What was I thinking?† â€Å"Don't worry.† He touched my face. â€Å"We need to get back to the reception before someone notices our absence.† I shook my head, trying to reorient myself. Before someone noticed? Had anyone missed that? Then, as I thought about it, I realized the confrontation that had seemed so catastrophic to me had, in reality, been very quiet and short here in the shadows. â€Å"Give me two seconds,† I pleaded. My insides were chaotic with panic and grief, but that didn't matter – only the outside mattered right now. Putting on a good show was something I knew I had to master. â€Å"My dress?† â€Å"You look fine. Not a hair out of place.† I took two deep breaths. â€Å"Okay. Let's go.† He put his arms around me and led me back to the light. When we passed under the twinkle lights, he spun me gently onto the dance floor. We melted in with the other dancers as if our dance had never been interrupted. I glanced around at the guests, butno one seemed shocked or frightened. Only the very palest faces there showed any signs of stress, and they hid it well. Jasper and Emmett were on the edge of the floor, close together, and I guessed that they had been nearby during the confrontation. â€Å"Are you – â€Å" Tm fine,† I promised. â€Å"I can't believe I did that. What's wrong with me?† â€Å"Nothing is wrong with you† I'd been so glad to see Jacob here. I knew the sacrifice it had taken him. And then I'd ruined it, turned his gift into a disaster. I should be quarantined. But my idiocy would not ruin anything else tonight. I would put this away, shove it in a drawer and lock it up to deal with later. There would be plenty of time to flagellate myself for this, and nothing I could do now would help. â€Å"It's over,† I said. â€Å"Let's not think of it again tonight.† I expected a quick agreement from Edward, but he was silent. â€Å"Edward?† He closed his eyes and touched his forehead to mine. â€Å"Jacob is right,† he whispered. â€Å"What am I thinking?† â€Å"He is not.† I tried to keep my face smooth for the watching crowd of friends. â€Å"Jacob is way too prejudiced to see anything clearly.† He mumbled something low that sounded almost like â€Å"should let him kill me for even thinking †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Stop it,† I said fiercely. I grabbed his face in my hands and waited until he opened his eyes. â€Å"You and me. That's the only thing that matters. The only thing you're allowed to think about now. Do you hear me?† â€Å"Yes,† he sighed. â€Å"Forget Jacob came.† I could do that. I would 60 that. â€Å"For me. Promise that you'll let this go.† He stared into my eyes for a moment before answering. â€Å"I promise.† â€Å"Thank you. Edward, I'm not afraid.† â€Å"I am,† he whispered. â€Å"Don't be.† I took deep breath and smiled. â€Å"By the way, I love you.† He smiled just a little in return. â€Å"That's why we're here.† â€Å"You're monopolizing the bride,† Emmett said, coming up behind Edward's shoulder. â€Å"Let me dance with my little sister. This could be my last chance to make her blush.† He laughed loudly, as unaffected as he usually was by any serious atmosphere. It turned out there were actually lots of people I hadn't danced with yet, and that gave me a chance to truly compose and resolve myself. When Edward claimed me again, I found that the Jacob-drawer was shut nice and tight. As he wrapped his arms around me, I was able to unearth my earlier sense of joy, my certainty that everything in my life was in the right place tonight. I smiled and laid my head against his chest. His arms tightened. â€Å"I could get used to this,† I said. â€Å"Don't tell me you've gotten over your dancing issues?† â€Å"Dancing isn't so bad – with you. But I was thinking more of this,† – and I pressed myself to him even tighter – â€Å"of never having to let you go.† â€Å"Never,† he promised, and he leaned down to kiss me. It was a serious kind of kiss – intense, slow but building†¦. I'd pretty much forgotten where I was when I heard Alice call, â€Å"Bella! It's time!† I felt a brief flicker of irritation with my new sister for the interruption. Edward ignored her; his lips were hard against mine, more urgent than before. My heart broke into a sprint and my palms were slick against his marble neck. â€Å"Do you want to miss your plane?† Alice demanded, right next to me now. â€Å"I'm sure you'll have a lovely honeymoon camped out in the airport waiting for another flight.† Edward turned his face slightly to murmur, â€Å"Go away, Alice,† and then pressed his lips to mine again. â€Å"Bella, do you want to wear that dress on the airplane?† she demanded. I wasn't really paying much attention. At the moment, I simply didn't care. Alice growled quietly. â€Å"I'll tell her where you're taking her, Edward. So help me, I will.† He froze. Then he lifted his face from mine and glared at his favorite sister. â€Å"You're awfully small to be so hugelyirritating.† â€Å"I didn't pick out the perfect going-away dress to have it wasted,† she snapped back, taking my hand. â€Å"Come with me, Bella.† I tugged against her hold, stretching up on my toes to kiss him one more time. She jerked my arm impatiently, hauling me away from him. There were a few chuckles from the watching guests. I gave up then and let her lead me into the empty house. She looked annoyed. â€Å"Sorry, Alice,† I apologized. â€Å"I don't blame you, Bella.† She sighed. â€Å"You don't seem to be able help yourself.† I giggled at her martyred expression, and she scowled. â€Å"Thank you, Alice. It was the most beautiful wedding anyone ever had,† I told her earnestly. â€Å"Everything was exactly right. You're the best, smartest, most talented sister in the whole world.† That thawed her out; she smiled a huge smile. â€Å"I'm glad you liked it.† Renee and Esme were waiting upstairs. The three of them quickly had me out of my dress and into Alice's deep blue going-away ensemble. I was grateful when someone pulled the pins out of my hair and let it fall loose down my back, wavy from the braids, saving me from a hairpin headache later. My mother's tears streamed without a break the entire time. â€Å"I'll call you when I know where I'm going,† I promised as I hugged her goodbye. I knew the honeymoon secret was probably driving her crazy; my mother hated secrets, unless she was in on them. â€Å"I'll tell you as soon as she's safely away,† Alice outdid me, smirking at my wounded expression. How unfair, for me to be the last to know. â€Å"You have to visit me and Phil very, very soon. It's your turn to go south – see the sun for once,† Renee said. â€Å"It didn't rain today,† I reminded her, avoiding her request â€Å"A miracle.† â€Å"Everything's ready,† Alice said. â€Å"Your suitcases are in the car – Jasper's bringing it around.† She pulled me back toward the stairs with Renee following, still halfway embracing me. â€Å"I love you, Mom,† I whispered as we descended. Tm so glad you have Phil. Take care of each other.† â€Å"I love you, too, Bella, honey.† â€Å"Goodbye, Mom. I love you,† I said again, my throat thick. Edward was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. I took his outstretched hand but leaned away, scanning the little crowd that was waiting to see us off. â€Å"Dad?† I asked, my eyes searching. â€Å"Over here,† Edward murmured. He pulled me through the guests; they made a pathway for us. We found Charlie leaning awkwardly against the wall behind everyone else, looking a little like he was hiding. The red rims around his eyes explained why. â€Å"Oh, Dad!† I hugged him around the waist, tears streaming again – I was crying so much tonight. He patted my back. â€Å"There, now. You don't want to miss your plane.† It was hard to talk about love with Charlie – we were so much alike, always reverting to trivial things to avoid embarrassing emotional displays. But this was no time for being self-conscious. â€Å"I love you forever, Dad,† I told him. â€Å"Don't forget that.† â€Å"You, too, Bells. Always have, always will.† I kissed his cheek at the same time that he kissed mine. â€Å"Call me,† he said. â€Å"Soon,† I promised, knowing this was all I could promise. Just a phone call. My father and my mother could not be allowed to see me again; I would be too different, and much, much too dangerous. â€Å"Go on, then,† he said gruffly. â€Å"Don't want to be late.† The guests made another aisle for us. Edward pulled me close to his side as we made our escape. â€Å"Are you ready?† he asked. â€Å"I am,† I said, and I knew that it was true. Everyone applauded when Edward kissed me on the doorstep. Then he rushed me to the car as the rice storm began. Most of it went wide, but someone, probably Emmett, threw with uncanny precision, and I caught a lot of the ricochets off Edward's back. The car was decorated with more flowers that trailed in streamers along its length, and long gossamer ribbons that were tied to a dozen shoes – designer shoes that looked brand-new – dangling behind the bumper. Edward shielded me from the rice while I climbed in, and then he was in and we were speeding away as I waved out the window and called â€Å"I love you† to the porch, where my families waved back. The last image I registered was one of my parents. Phil had both arms wrapped tenderly around Renee. She had one arm tight around his waist but had her free hand reached out to hold Charlie's. So many different kinds of love, harmonious in this one moment. It seemed a very hopeful picture to me. Edward squeezed my hand. â€Å"I love you,† he said. I leaned my head against his arm. ‘That's why we're here,† I quoted him. He kissed my hair. As we turned onto the black highway and Edward really hit the accelerator, I heard a noise over the purr of the engine, coming from the forest behind us. If I could hear it, then he certainly could. But he said nothing as the sound slowly faded in the distance. I said nothing, either. The piercing, heartbroken howling grew fainter and then disappeared entirely.