My Native Town

My native town is Mandalay it’s also well-known as a culture city of Myanmar. Mandalay is Upper Myanmar's main commercial, educational, health centre and considered the centre of Burmese culture. Mandalay is Located in the central dry zone of Myanmar and on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River. Its also surrounded by Sagaing Hill, Shan Yoma Hill, Kyut Sae Hill and Mandalay Hill. My native town is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Myanmar. King Mindon founded Mandalay and the royal palace, Mya Nan San Kyaw as a new capital at the foot of Mandalay Hill in 1857. When it was founded in 1857, the royal city was officially named Yadanabon which means â€Å"The City of Gems†. King Mindon also founded the Kuthodaw Pagoda, the Thudhamma Zayats and the library for the Buddhist scriptures. I'm always proud the glory of Mya Nan San Kyaw Palace and Mandalay Kyone. That's a trademark of my native town. Mandalay is famous with the places such as Maha Muni Pagoda, Kyauktawgyi Pagoda, Kuthodaw Pagoda, Shwenandaw Monastery and Atumashi Monastery. Mandalay is Myanmar's cultural and religious centre of Buddhism, having numerous monasteries and more than 700 pagodas. That show my native town is very devout in Buddhist religious. Moreover, Mandalay is well-known in the world by The World's Biggest Book, located in Kuthodaw Pagoda and U Paing Bridge. Most of the famous authors and artists in Myanmar were emerged from Mandalay and they served our traditional culture not to disappear and created new cultural tradition to our generations. Therefore, no matter how much the globalization wave is influenced in Mandalay, Mandalay always has a sense of our Myanmar people's culture and overwhelmed the religious beliefs.

Analysis of “Uphill” by Christina Rossetti Essay

â€Å"Uphill† by Christina Rossetti is an allegory about life and death. Rossetti is considered one of the finest religious poets of her time and her many spiritual beliefs are conveyed in her poem â€Å"Uphill†. H.B. de Groot said, â€Å"Undeniably, her strong lyric gifts are often held in check by her moral and theological scruples† (Groot). The dialogue style Rossetti uses mimics the parables told by Jesus in The Bible. In â€Å"Overview of Christina (Georgina) Rossetti† one author stated that during her adult life, Rossetti turned down two marriage proposals, due to her strong religious convictions. Instead of marrying, she used her convictions to script eloquent poetry that reaffirms faith for the faithful and provides faith for the hopeless. Rossetti’s use of metaphors, symbols, and biblical allusions in â€Å"Uphill† conveys the idea of life and death and represents the difficult journey to salvation and the promise of eternal life in heaven. In â€Å"Uphill,† Rossetti uses metaphors to invite the reader to draw comparisons between one’s journey through life, death, and eternal rest. The first question and answer the speaker mentions is a metaphor to depict the road being traveled, conveying that it is difficult and long, much like life: â€Å"Does the road wind up-hill all the way?/Yes, to the very end† (Rossetti 1-2). In lines five and seven the speaker develops the metaphor of night and darkness to mean death: â€Å"But is there for the night a resting-place?/May not the darkness hide it from my face† (5/7)? The speaker seems doubtful and unsure about the process of death and provokes the speaker to ask questions about the after-life. Assurance of such a place is found in line eight when the inn is used as a metaphor to describe heave, a place that: â€Å"You cannot miss†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (8). The author uses symbols to assist the reader by evoking a deeper subconscious meaning of one’s uphill trek towards heaven. The title of the poem â€Å"Uphill† serves as a symbol for the difficulties encountered along the speaker’s journey. In lines six and eight the words _roof_ and _inn_ are symbols for the security felt, â€Å"†¦when the slow dark hours begin./You cannot miss that inn† (6/8). Rossetti uses the word _bed_ in lines fifteen and sixteen to  represent the final resting place for those seeking eternal life in heaven: â€Å"Will there be beds for me and all who seek?/Yea, beds for all who come (15-16). Beds invoke feelings of comfort and warmth and peace. The speaker hopes to find the same comfort and peace in heaven with an eternal place to sleep. The Biblical allusions Rossetti uses in the poem help the reader understand what happens after death. Matthew 7:14 explains that the path to salvation will be difficult and long and is referenced in line three when the speaker asks how long the day’s journey will take: â€Å"But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it† (_New International Version_, Matthew. 7.14). In the Bible, Christ teaches that there are two ways; right and wrong, good and evil. The road to the narrow gate is not only constricted, but also uphill. It is a struggle and often not the easy way, which is why only few endure it. But it is the only path that will lead you to eternal life. All other ways may be easier, but lead to destruction. In lines eleven and twelve, the speaker receives assurance that by knocking, the doors will be open at the end of the journey, a Biblical allusion to Matthew 7:7. This verse states that if one asks, seeks, and knocks that the door will be open: â€Å"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened† (Matthew 7.7). In John 14:2 Jesus comforts his twelve disciples by saying: â€Å"There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come get you, so that you will always be with me where I am† (John 14.2). This verse serves as a point of reference to lines fifteen and sixteen in the poem: â€Å"Will there be beds for me and all who seek?/Yea, beds for all who come† (15-16). Christians believe that there is a dwelling-place in which devout believing souls would abide forever. Believers gain comfort in knowing that He has already prepared such a special p lace that is vast and sufficient in room for all his people. Rossetti’s poem is a beautiful illustration of ones journey through life as illustrated by the questions the speaker asks throughout the poem. In the  beginning the speaker is anxious about the journey that lies ahead and asks: â€Å"Does the road wind up-hill all the way† (1), but by the end of the poem the speaker is peaceful and assured about the final resting place: â€Å"Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak† (13)? Rossetti links one’s journey to life, death, and eternity by using metaphors throughout the text. Symbols are layered throughout the text to assist the reader with identifying heaven. Rossetti’s use of Biblical allusions allow the reader to grasps what eternity will be like for those that believe and stay the course of the _uphill_ journey. The difficult life and death decisions made along the journey towards salvation and eternity in heaven are made evident throughout the poem with the use of metaphors, symbols, and Biblical allusions. Works Cited â€Å"Christina Rossetti.† _Contemporary Authors Online_. Detroit: Gale, 2006. _Literature Resource_ _Center_. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. _English Standard Version_. Bible Gateway. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. Rossetti, Christina. â€Å"Uphill.† _Literature; An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing_. Seventh Edition. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013.

Online Sociology Class

Ch 5 dba Us our text, as needed! 1)   In the opening vignette to Chapter 5, the Crips provided Monster Cody a sense of brotherhood, belonging, and superiority while the Bloods were described as being the enemies of the Crips and unworthy of their respect. In this scenario, what sociological concepts apply to each group for Cody? For instance,   what is/are Cody's ingroups, outgroups, reference groups, primary groups, secondary groups? 2. What essentials elements are missing from aggregates and categories that are found in â€Å"groups.   Why are groups more important to humans than either categories or aggregates? 3. Why do you think secondary groups frequently break down into primary groups? 4. Which of the following  do you think this online sociology class is and why:  Ã‚   an aggregate; a category; a primary group; or a secondary group. 5. How do reference groups work? Do you have to be an actual member of  your reference group? What are some of your reference groups ? 6. Why did many of the subjects in Solomon Asch's experiment give answers that they knew to be incorrect? Have you ever been a â€Å"victim† of group conformity?Share the details of your answer DQ5 Sociology is the study of life in groups–chapter 5  | DQ5A YOUR groups†¦ 0 messages – 0 unreadWho are your primary groups, your secondary groups? Your reference groups? Your ingroups, your outgroups? * Unlocked: Feb 9, 2013 4:51 PM – Mar 4, 2013 11:55 PM| DQ5B Social networking 0 messages – 0 unreadSocial networks are important in the study of sociology. Understand what they are. Have you ever benefited from your social network. For instance, have you gotten a job or met someone nice through a friend of a friend?Another way to look at it, how many degrees are you away from from contacting former President George Bush? It never fails that I have a student who knows someone who knows  Bush personally! * Unlocked: Feb 9, 2013 4:53 PM – Mar 4, 2013 11:55 PM| DQ5C Facebook and Suicidal Content Link 0 messages – 0 unreadIs anyone familiar with this link on Facebook? It's the first I've ever heard of it. It could be really useful. http://www. latimes. com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-facebook-military-suicide-20120508,0,1357844. story * Unlocked: Feb 9, 2013 4:53 PM – Mar 4, 2013 11:55 PM|

Effectiveness of the Transmission of Monetary Policies and Lessons Essay

Effectiveness of the Transmission of Monetary Policies and Lessons Learned in 2007 and 2008 Global Financial Crisis - Essay Example It has also resulted in a number of debates as regards the effectiveness of the transmission mechanism of monetary policies. In the past, monetary policy has been associated with a financial stability of an economy. The problem that a majority of countries face is concerned with the effectual transmission mechanism of an effective monetary-policy. A number of lessons can be learned regarding the effectiveness of the transmission mechanism of monetary policy by central banks in the year 2007 and 2008. The lessons would be based on interest rate, inflation, exchange rates, balance sheet, expectations, as well as moral hazards that characterized the market prior, during and after the 2008 global economic-crisis. A Brief State of the 2007 Financial Crisis and Failure of the Monetary Policy Transmission Mechanism Although financial crisis is not a unique occurrence, the financial crisis of 2007 was more global than other economic crises experienced in the past (Mankoff, 2010). It is also regarded as the most impactful relative to other proceeding financial crises. Due to its high level of degree in terms of impact and globalization, a large number of monetary policymakers were compelled to utilize both conventional and unconventional financial policies. A majority of economic analysts as well as financial institutions in the world were surprised by the fast pace at which the subprime crisis in the US led to a world financial crisis (Cecchetti, 2009, p. 53). The global financial crisis led speedily to a world economic crisis. This fast pace left a considerable number of individuals in the business and financial circles with unanswered questions regarding the effectiveness of the transmission mechanism of monetary policy. In particular, the 2007 and 2008 financial crisis questioned the effectiveness of various institutional frameworks (Mankoff, 2010). It also questioned the national and internal monetary instruments in ensuring financial stability at the global level. In relation to Shiller’s (2008) argument, attention has been paid to the role and operation of financial markets, as well as financial institutions. Specifically, questions regarding the effectiveness of financial institutions and markets to price and administer risk have been raised. Analysts observe that there have been inability of private sector to manage risk effectively, and failure of public sector’s supervision of the financial markets (Mankoff, 2010). Interest rate While the financial world changed in the year 2007, the monetary instruments were not updated to handle the change (Swagel, 2009, p.43). The instruments were not transmitted effectively to realize positive impact. Initially, interest rates were traditionally treated as the main financial instrument that would protect an economy against financial difficulties, as well as enhance economic growth. A large number of emerging economies, including India, lowered their interest rates in an anticipation th at both prices and output would respond effectively. However, both output and prices did not respond in respect to the anticipation. An interest rate is majorly used in managing the supply of money in an economy. Interest rate has been observed by many individuals as a key monetary instrument in controlling lending and borrowing between financial institutions and consumers. The borrowing and lending is also executed amongst financial institutions. In the event that there is a high supply of money in an economy, a central bank would opt to raise the level of an interest rate. In this regard, credit availability is likely

Juvenile Probation Programs, Institutions, and Aftercare Programs Assignment

Juvenile Probation Programs, Institutions, and Aftercare Programs - Assignment Example Over the past few years, numerous juvenile programs have been implemented in many parts of the country with the major aim of coming up with programs that reduce recidivism, impart useful crime-avoidance knowledge and ensure that youthful offenders make a turn for the better after their initial interaction with the system. Introduction This paper looks at a couple of these juvenile programs in depth. Specifically aimed at providing teen offenders with an opportunity to not only change their lives after the completion of their initial custodial or other sentence but also equips them with the ability to ensure that they do not again end up in correctional facilities as adults. These programs have been set up in different ways depending on the types and frequency of crimes that the youths in the particular location are prone to but have applicability in wider settings and can be adapted for use in other areas with minimal changes to ensure successful implementation. The suitability of th ese programs in new locations and whether or not they are going to fail or succeed depends a great deal in utilizing the lessons learned in the initial implementations and using these to adequately tailor responses that more immediately suit local requirements. 1. The first program is the Community Restitution and Apprenticeship Focused Training (Project CRAFT). Since 1994, Project CRAFT has served more than 2,000 high-risk youth at 15 sites in ten states (Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas). Project CRAFT currently operates at nine sites in four states, including Florida, Tennessee, New Jersey, and Mississippi. The program is designed to offer treatment, prerelease and aftercare services for juvenile offenders between the ages of 16 and 21. The project can be implemented as either a residential Juvenile correctional program or as a community based one for post-correctional facility aftercare or for youth un der daycare treatment supervision. CRAFT involves ten different components including outreach and recruitment which orients program partners – parents, participants and offender advocates as well as community meetings. Assessment and screening also include prospective employers of youth who then pursue the youth progress through training programs and trade-related academics. Youth that require substance abuse treatment are also enrolled in these programs as required. Finally the program has a community transition and follow-up component which includes job placement, job development as well as other aftercare services (NCWD/Youth, 2013). The other program is the Tampa, Florida headquartered AMIkids program which operates 50 sites across several states – Florida, New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Louisiana. This day attendance and residential program comprises academics, treatment, experiential education and behavior modification. T he AMIKids program has eight components: education grade improvements challenge and team building experiences, cognitive-behavioral therapy, a strong strength-based case management, positive behavior modification, home and family partnership, individual and group problem-solving and social skills development, and community service. The AMIKids program approach is based on evidence-based theoretical perspectives and treatment interventions found in empirical

In What Ways Might the Ownership and Control of the Media be said to Research Paper

In What Ways Might the Ownership and Control of the Media be said to Influence its Political Stance - Research Paper Example Political parties seek media support for creating a positive image for themselves. Corporate house and business groups look forward to this medium to create a positive brand image among their stakeholders. Mass media also depends on various sources for information needs, revenue and profit generation and operational ease. The first section of the paper discusses the role of media in general. This section is followed by ownership and control issues in the media. The next section discusses the influence of media in the political stance which is followed by a conclusion. The role of media is very important for any society. Media is one of the modes of information exchange. In the last few years, the overall industry has rapidly developed in many senses in the level of reach, frequency, mode of presentation and approach. The UK has the second largest publishing industry in Europe with a turnover of at least  £18.4 billion. More than 8000 plus companies have employed around 164,000 people. Media is an important source of various kind of information for all of us. It has been developed with the development in technologies and availability of new medium of information flows. Traditionally the source of information has been newspapers. Newspapers are still one of the most important types of media available in our society. Various kinds of media available in the present society are as follows: The print media is the traditional form of media. It includes leading newspapers, magazines. These can be categorized on the basis of target readers like their age group, gender, and other demographic profiles, on the basis of its content and subject matters and on the basis of the way it is being published like daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Daily newspapers provide daily news in details and try to cover almost all topics.

Zaras Retailer Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Zaras Retailer Company - Essay Example This paper looks at various operational and expansion strategies that Zara uses in its quest to boost its economic status as well as expand to other parts of the world. These strategies include advertising and marketing, cost of production and strategic partnerships among others. It also looks at the operational management challenges, effects of manufacturing in China on the company’s sustainability and corporate social responsibility and effect of opening a major warehouse outside Spain on its distribution model and local manufacturers. How should Zara’s operation strategy support its expansion strategy? Zara make use of a business model that is vertically integrated retailer in apparel industry, linking customer demand to manufacturing, and linking manufacturing to distribution and to retailing business. It aims at responding to market demands in a quick manner since they are always changing. It can be broken down into three components that include concept, value drivers and capabilities. Its fundamental concept is to maintain design, production, and distribution processes that help it to respond to shifts in consumer demands in a quick manner. Similarly, this company has necessary resources or capabilities to exploit any opportunity that arise. It has tight control over its production processes while at the same time keeping manufacturing and design in-house or sometimes with some strategic partnerships that are located near its headquarters. In addition, it as strategic agreements with various local manufactures; this ensures timely service and delivery. Zara maintains the expansi on and flexibility required to design and produce more than twelve new items each year, thanks to the strategic partnerships and benefits brought forward by the proximity of operational and manufacturing processes (Slack, 2012, p.12). This capability help Zara achieve its expansion strategies as well as its expedited response to consumer demand. Value drivers ensure huge returns of benefits to all stakeholders. Zara has outstanding financial performance, which is a clear indication of its success. For instance, it tripled its corporate profit between 1996 and 2000. Likewise, the company has high level of brad recognition and customer loyalty; hence, increasing the number of customer that buys its products in an enormous manner (Mihm, 2010, p.15). This has further boosted its expansion strategy in most parts of the world. Operational strategies Speed It quickly responds to the demands of its target customers, who are mostly the young city dwellers who are always conscious of fashion. According to Cunningham & Harney (2012, p.67), this strategy helps Zara to time fashion trends and strike whenever a trend is hot; hence, it is never stuck with inventory when it dies off. Its ability to market in product is far is better than that of its competitors; hence, it is able to expand to other locations at a high rate. Its speed provides additional value to customers, stores, and stakeholders in the process of producing affordable fashions at affordable prices (Cunningham et al., 2012, p.89). Decentralized decision making and product development Zara is centralized by a group of commercials that are chiefly

Sir Richard Bramson and the Virgin Group of Companies Essay

Sir Richard Bramson and the Virgin Group of Companies - Essay Example The success of his prestigious group of companies is a confirmation of his ability to apply the necessary management skills and strategies required for successful businesses. Sir Richard Branson had no initial intentions of becoming an entrepreneur although this did not prevent him from building his status as one of the most successful entrepreneurs globally. Having launched a student magazine at the age of sixteen and managed a student advisory centre, Branson had a background in business establishment and management i.e. habitual entrepreneur (Branson, 2011; Shavinina, 2008: 9-15). However, the success and expansion of the Virgin Group led to incorporation of other business ventures making him a portfolio entrepreneur. Some of the personal entrepreneurial characteristics that have enabled Branson to emerge as an exemplary entrepreneur include his high level of motivation, high levels of self confidence, abundant energy levels and the ability to sustain the entrepreneurial approache s in long term (Branson, 2011). Additionally, he has exhibited his worth as a risk-taker, the ability to set achievable goals, innovation and a problem solver (Bolton and Thompson, 2000). He variably contributed to the entrepreneurial sector through the establishment of a brand image and identity of the Virgin Company in the global markets. The company’s marketing strategies prioritises on the customers; improving loyalty. His management skills have led to the growth of the company to international standards. The employee commitment that the company exhibits indicates that Sir Richard Branson possesses effective employee management skills that keep employees always motivated. The dedicated and united employee team has utilised the business and marketing strategies associated with the business to constantly enable the business improve performance. Application of these strategies in all marketing segments has enhanced the application of innovation in all marketing segments. Ana lysis of the Virgin Group of companies exemplifies the entrepreneurial characteristics of Branson. Entrepreneurship can be defined as a process whereby individuals or group of individuals apply organised efforts in the pursuance of opportunities (Kuratko and Hodgetts, 2004). An entrepreneur should target to create value and growth through innovation and maintenance of uniqueness. This has been the main factors that have enabled Virgin Group of companies to be successful since its establishment. According to Shavinina (2008), the formation and management of the affiliate companies of the Virgin Group exhibits adherence to the entrepreneurial process. The initial stage of the process involves the exploration of the entrepreneurial context. For instance, the establishment of Virgin Airlines was Branson’s attempt to offer reasonable freight charges for transatlantic flights. The second stage involves identification of the possible opportunities that guarantees competitive advanta ge. The venture is then established once the opportunities are identified paving way to management once all its structures are in place. According to Carmichael (2006), Branson’s skills portrays him as a transformational entrepreneur due to his insistence on maintaining Virgin Group of companies as an organisation characterised by informality and

Find solution and essay(Easy work) Research Paper

Find solution and essay(Easy work) - Research Paper Example From the lists of tables provided by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Table 2.1 shows the Personal Income and its Disposition (www.bea.gov, 1). Nominal personal income for the first quarter of 2011 is $12,980 billion while nominal disposable income is $11,711.6 billion after deducting nominal or current personal taxes of $1,268.4 billion. Nominal personal consumption or personal consumption expenditures comprise the largest part of the personal outlays as it amounted to $10, 683.8 billion. The nominal personal savings or the amount left from the disposable income after deduction of the personal outlays is $663.6 billion. Marginal propensity to save or MPS is the increase in savings per unit increase in income. It is computed by dividing the change in savings by the change in income. From the same table, Table 2.1, savings increased from $640 billion in the last quarter of 2010 to $663.6 billion in the first quarter in 2011. This means that savings increased by $23.6 billion. On the other hand, personal income also increased from $12,724 billion in the last quarter of 2010 to $12,980 billion in the first quarter of 2011. After subtracting the two amounts, there was a $256 billion increase in the personal income. From the formula, MPS = change in savings / change in income, MPS is equal to 0.09. Marginal propensity to consume or MPC is the increase in consumption spending per unit increase in income. It is computed by dividing the change in consumption expenditures by the change in income. And based from Table 2.1, personal consumption expenditure in the last quarter of 2010 was $10,513.6 and $10,683.8 in the first quarter of 2011. So, a $170.2 billion increase in personal consumption expenditure was computed. Following the formula, MPC = change in consumption/ change in income, MPC is equal to 0 .66. However, if MPS and MPC will be computed using income after deduction of

Unit VI Assessment#2 Particulate Matter Monitors Essay

Unit VI Assessment#2 Particulate Matter Monitors - Essay Example Working Principle: This monitor is an example of a high speed counter with a resolution of 1 count/liter. The monitor collects aerosols on a removable 47 mm Teflon filter allowing for future analysis. The particulate monitor can also analyze aerosols using 1.177 GRIMM Software program on a computer screen. The monitor has a random sampling head for collecting particles and leading them directly into an optical chamber that has a laser. The chamber counts each particle and classifies them by size. The concentration of the particles relates to the duration of collection. The monitor can also give results continuously up to one minute intervals (Peters, Ott, & Patrick, 2006).  Ã‚   Key Features:   The Model 1.108 can conduct real-time monitoring and the same times analyze the particles later. The monitor can measure particle size ranges from 0.30  µm to 20  µm and can auto zeros and self-diagnose itself. The monitor has software that is fully compatible with most Windows operating systems Peters, M., Ott, D., & Patrick, T. (2006). Comparison of the Grimm 1.108 and 1.109 Portable Aerosol Spectrometer to the TSI 3321 Aerodynamic Particle Sizer for Dry Partciles. Annals of Occupational Hygiene Advance Access ,

Cyberbullying among teens and adolescents Essay Example for Free

Cyberbullying among teens and adolescents Essay Cyberbullying among Teens and Adolescences Cyberbullying is one of the major problems over the internet. This type of bullying involves technology and communication, such as the internet, social media, text, calls, and blogs. Cyberbullying happens when there is an imbalance among people over the internet, where someone purposefully says hurtful words to a next individual. People from the different race, age, class, and culture suffer from different types of cyberbullying through technology. According to Prince Edward, â€Å"Cyberbullying is being cruel to another person by sending or posting hurtful materials using the Internet or cell phone† (Prince Edward). Cyberbullying affects humans socially, emotionally, mentally and physically. Over the years cyberbullying have become more popular among teen and adolescence because their mental thinking is not fully developed and they act without thinking. The internet has become more available to the younger generation in different parts of the world. Trisha Prabhu mentions that â€Å"adolescents brain is like a car without brakes no stopping, no thinking, and no considering. She further mentions that adolescent brains develop from the back, which means that the front part of their brain is not fully developing until age 25† (Trisha Prabhu). The cortex is an important aspect of thinking and decision making, which is not fully developed in adolescence. This is the main reason some adolescence act without thinking because they are not mature to make decisions on their own. Cyberbullying is a big problem among adolescent and teens. They have become victims of social media violence, which causes depression and suicidal thinking among their peers. Bullying has been around for a very long time, even before the internet. I remember when I was in high school some returning students used to bully some of the freshman students by writing on their uniforms. Some of the statements were, â€Å"You are such a dick, worthless and you deserve to die.† This happened before I had internet access in my school. Robin Kowalski states that â€Å"As more people turn to the Internet for school, work, and social use, so too do more people turn to the Internet to take out their frustration and aggression† (Robin Kowalski). I think Robin Kowalski statement is too general because I believe that it is mostly teens and adolescents who â€Å"take out their frustration and aggression† on the internet, which leads to cyberbullying that push child to commit suici dal. According to Prince Edwards, â€Å"Increasing numbers of teens and pre-teens are becoming victims of this new form of violence. Although many different terms such as â€Å"cyberbullying†, â€Å"internet harassment†, and â€Å"internet bullying† has been used to describe this type of violence, â€Å"electronic aggression† is the term that most accurately captures all types of violence that occur electronically. Like traditional forms of youth violence, electronic aggression is associated with emotional distress and conduct problems at school. In fact, recent research by CDC suggests that youth who are victimized electronically are also very likely to also be victimized off-line† (Prince Edwards). Some teen and adolescence take part in cyberbullying because they believe it is a type of entertainment that gives them pleasure and satisfaction. Trisha Prabhu states, that Rebecca Sedwick an eleven years old girl from Florida received some mean words on social media, such as go kill yourself, you are so ugly, why are you still alive?† (Trisha Prabhu).   This shows how adolescents are evil and wicked to their own kind. These words could lead Rebecca to go kill herself because of what her peer think about her. Social media is just an addition extension towards bullying among adolescents, this is a new device that they can use locally and internationally to bully more persons in their social space. I totally agreed with Prince Edwards that technology should bring people together; instead, it is used to abuse each other; pushing peers out of their social network and pushing them into loneliness, embarrassment, fear or shame. (Prince Edwards). Social media have taken a different toll on teens and adolescents life in society. Sometimes people face bullying because they do not fit in the norm of their peer’s social space and their peers use that against them to push them out. As Alix Lambert mentions in her video, â€Å"it either you fit in or get out†, therefore it is a â€Å"culture of deformity† (Alix Lambert). It is great that Schobel created an app that allows students to anonymously report bullying, but how many children are brave enough to report the matter? Some of the students that face bullying, sometimes upload or share a goodbye video to the world or close friends. Works Cited An App That Let Kids Report Cyberbullies Anonymously. n.d. Don’t blame the bully, blame the system . Perf. Alix Lambert. 2014. Edward, Prince. Taking Stock of CYBERBULLYING Taking Stock of CYBERBULLYING (n.d.). Lattanner, Robin M. KowalskiGary W. GiumettiAmber N. SchroederMicah R. Bullying in the Digital Age: A Critical Review and Meta-Analysis of Cyberbullying Research Among Youth . (2014). Rethinking before you type. Perf. Trisha Prabhu. 2014.

Investment Banking Interview Essay Example for Free

Investment Banking Interview Essay Standard Questions: 1. Walk me through the highlights of your resume. What is your story, walk through the decisions you have made, and how that relates to your current interest in Investment Banking.. 2. Why investment banking? Why our bank? 3. How do you value a company? 4. To what extent have you created and used financial models before? Discuss your excel modeling skills. 5. Why did you choose McCombs? 6. What other firms are you interviewing with and why? Are you interviewing with consulting firms also? What career opportunities are you exploring other than I-Banking? 7. What were your grades in college? What were your grades for the first semester at McCombs? What was your GMAT score? 8. What qualities would you consider most important for a career in I-Banking? What are your greatest strengths? What are your weaknesses? 9. What do you understand the responsibilities of an associate/summer associate to be? 10. Describe a current event in the market (i.e., LTCM at the end of 1998)? 11. What questions do you have for me? Always have at least two questions prepared per bank. Resume-and personality questions: †¢ Why should I take you instead of someone from Wharton? †¢ Why should I pick you over the other qualified candidates at McCombs? †¢ What made you choose your undergraduate institution? Why did you pursue a major in _____? †¢ What was your favorite class at McCombs so far? Why? †¢ What classes are you currently taking to get ready for the summer? †¢ What are your 5-10 year long term career plans? †¢ What are your proudest accomplishments? What is your most challenging professional experience? †¢ Are you a leader or a follower? Give me an example where you were successful in both roles? †¢ What do you do to relax? †¢ Tell me a joke. †¢ Who has influenced you the most, besides family members? †¢ Say you are at a meeting with a client and your MD is giving a presentation. You suddenly notice a mistake in some of the calculations, which you have prepared. Do you mention it? When? What do you say? †¢ What is one skill that you think is most relevant to Banking? †¢ You seem to like marketing, why are you interested in finance? †¢ What is one word that describes you best? †¢ How would your groupmates describe you? How would you characterize yourself in the group dynamic? If I spoke with your groupmates, what would they say you needed to improve? †¢ Highlight your quantitative accomplishments. †¢ Describe an ethical decision you had to make? †¢ What do you read? Whats your favorite book? †¢ As an associate, what tasks would you like to spend most of your time doing? What percent of each day do you see yourself spending on those tasks? †¢ What is in a pitch book? †¢ What’s been your greatest challenge since beginning McCombs? Greatest accomplishment? †¢ Describe a time you failed, why did you fail, what did you learn? †¢ Describe a time you had to work with someone you didn’t like, or with a difficult person. Finance questions: †¢ What is a LBO? Why lever up a firm? †¢ What makes an attractive LBO? †¢ From a Private Equity firm’s perspective and from a modeling perspective: What are the 3 inputs that matter for an LBO Model? o Answer: Leverage Ratio, Equity Contribution, Estimated Returns, †¢ Why might a company choose to issue debt vs. equity? †¢ What could a company do with excess cash on the balance sheet? †¢ How would you calculate a firms WACC? What would you use it for? †¢ What does Beta mean? Where would you find a firms Beta? How and why would you unlever a Beta? †¢ What is the CAPM? †¢ How do you calculate the firm value for the following firm? †¢ What would greater impact a firms valuation, a 10% reduction in revenues or 1% reduction in discount rate? †¢ What major factors affect the yield on a corporate bond? †¢ How would you evaluate the creditworthiness of manufacturer with three factories in different locations throughout the US? †¢ Company A trades at a P/E of 20. Company B trades at a P/E of 10. Both are considering acquiring Company C, which trades at a P/E of 15. For which of the two acquiring companies would the deal be dilutive. For which would it be accretive? Explain why for each. †¢ Suppose you are buying a new fixed asset part cash and part debt. Talk through how it affects all the financial statements. Financial market questions: †¢ Where is the market going? Bond, equity and foreign exchange? Where do you think interest rates will be in the next 12 months? †¢ What happened in the markets in the past three months? †¢ Do you read the Wall Street Journal everyday? Whats on the front page today? †¢ What industry do you follow and what numbers do you look at to determine if a firm is doing well in the industry. Accounting questions: †¢ What are deferred taxes? How do they arise? †¢ What is working capital? How would you calculate it? †¢ What is EBITDA? Why is it so widely used as a proxy for Operating CF in the financial sector? †¢ Say you knew a companys net income. How would you figure out its cash flows? †¢ Walk me through the 3 major financial statements o What are the major line items of a Cash Flow Statement. o What is the difference between the balance sheet and the income statement? †¢ What is goodwill? How does it affect net income? †¢ A firm is using LIFO, and the COGS start decreasing. What are effects on I/S, BS and CFS? †¢ What is the difference between Purchase and Pooling accounting? Under what circumstances would you use one or the other? Questions on Investment Banks: †¢ Do you understand the lifestyle issues associated with this proffesion? Why dont you have an problem with these issues? †¢ What is your greatest concern about investment banking? †¢ Why I-Banking vs. Consulting? Sales Trading? Research? Finance in Industry? †¢ How does your past career qualify you for a position in investment banking? Why are you not going back to prior career? †¢ What do you hope to accomplish over the summer? †¢ What department do you want to work for inside I-banking and why? †¢ Who is in the bulge bracket? †¢ Rank firms on Wall Street and where do we fit? Who is our competition (in the major categories)? What differentiates our firm? What are our firms strengths? Weaknesses? †¢ If you were the CEO of our firm, what major changes would you implement? †¢ Describe a typical day of an investment banking associate? Technical Questions: †¢ What makes a proposed acquisition accretive? †¢ Suppose a proposed acquisition is accretive, how would you make it less accretive? †¢ What are the main factors in determining if a deal will be accretive or dilutive? †¢ Walk me through how the purchase of equipment effects the 3 statements. †¢ Walk me through the effects on the 3 statements given that a firm has to retroactively change the method of depreciation for last year’s financial statements. Previously, the firm’s fixed assets carrying value was $100M, with no salvage value, an estimated useful life of 10 years, and straight line depreciation. The salvage value has been determined to be $50M, but the useful life of the asset and method of depreciation has not changed. o Effect on Cash? Cash Flow Statement? †¢ What is the different factors to consider when choosing between Enterprise Value and Equity Value Comps? †¢ When you are trying to scale down the number of firms in your selected Comp universe, what would you look at to decide which Comps to include and which to pull out of the Comp universe? †¢ What types of discounts/premiums would you apply after determining valuation based on a Comp valuation? Why?

Cutaneous Tuberculosis Disease: Challenges of Treatment

Cutaneous Tuberculosis Disease: Challenges of Treatment CHAPTER -1 CUTANEOUS TUBERCULOSIS INTRODUCTION: In this innovative world while progress in medicine has helped up to deal with many diseases Tuberculosis and Cutaneous Tuberculosis is still a challenge for doctors. A resurgence of Cutaneous Tuberculosis in areas of high HIV incidence, drug resistant present in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and in immunosupressed patients are the main challenges for clinicians. (6) Cutaneous TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccinations and the Tuberculids whose pathogenesis is poorly understood. Cutaneous TB is very variable in its clinical presentation, significance prognosis. Factors which effect on variability are: The pathogenesity of the organism involved. The Previous treatment given. The Immune status of the patients which can be related to the presence of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or Immunosuppressive therapy. The Port of infection. Any Local factors like, the recent Trauma, the lymphatic drainage, the vascularity of area and the proximity to lymph nodes). PREVALANCE: Thirty years ago it was assumed world wide that tuberculosis would be eradicated in the developed countries, as its incidence increased only on by average 6 % in the United States and 10% in Europe between the years 1953 and 1985. However, in 1983 tuberculosis was declared a global emergency by the world Health Organization because of a sharp increase in incidence. (9) Among infectious diseases, Tuberculosis is an important cause of death. Tuberculosis was responsible for 6% of deaths worldwide. Global prevalence of TB currently is greater than 32%. More than 50% of new patient occurrences were in 5 Asian countries, i.e. India (largest worldwide patient load), China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan(ref ?) The current global burden of Tuberculosis is mind boggling. In 1997, the incidence of new Tuberculosis patients approached 8 million in addition to more than 16 million patients already diagnosed. Around 2 million people died of Tuberculosis in 1997 with a global fatality rate of 23%, fatality rates exceed 50% in some African countries in which there is a high HIV incidence. Approximately 8% of tuberculosis patients are HIV infected. (2) Prevalence of tuberculosis infection in 1985, 1995 and 2005 (10) Prevalence of tuberculosis has increased between 1985 and 2005.According to the World Health Organization case reports statistics, in 1985 there were around 3 million patients of tuberculosis of all types with the highest no of cases in Asia and Africa. In Asia the highest numbers of cases were in India, Pakistan, China, Philippines, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Vietnam. In Africa the highest number of case were in Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, Congo, Morocco and Tanzania. (10) During the last two decades the number of cases increased all over the world. In 1995 the total number of cases increased to 4.6 million and in 2005 to 7.5 million worldwide. In Asia in 2005 the highest numbers of cases were in India, China Pakistan. In Africa in 2005 the highest numbers of cases were in South Africa, Ethiopia Congo. (10) There is an increasing rate of tuberculosis in the developing countries is approximately 500/100,000/y. Great alarm has been the progressive increase in numbers of strains of tuberculosis that are resistant to antibiotics. Since 1984, that incidence of extra pulmonary tuberculosis has increased at even faster rate than that of pulmonary tuberculosis and is considered to be a diagnostic criterion in the case definition for AIDS. Because immunocompromised individual are at increased risk of extra pulmonary tuberculosis, so dermatologist are renewing their historic role in the diagnosis of cutaneous lesions of tuberculosis. (11) EPIDEMIOLOGY: Epidemiological analysis is used to detect the changing trends in the incidence and prevalence of mycobacterial disease in the community. The main objectives of these methods are to determine the natural behavior of disease and factors which affect his behavior and to calculate future trend if possible to help in the design of any control measures and to assess the usefulness of these measure.(8) Even though 1 of 3 individuals on this planet is infected with tubercle bacillus, the incidence of Cutaneous TB appears low. In areas such as India or China where TB prevalence is high, cutaneous manifestations of TB (overt infection or Tuberculids) are found in less than 0.1% of persons seen in dermatology clinics. The frequency of patients with Cutaneous Tuberculosis seen between 1980 and 1993 in a hospital dermatology clinic in Madrid was 16 per 10,304 which was 0.14%. In a ten year retrospective survey of patients seen in governmental dermatology clinics in Hong Kong between 1983 and 1992, the detected incidence of Cutaneous Tuberculosis among patients was 179 per 267,089 which was 0.07%. Among patients with Cutaneous Tuberculosis only15% had classic Cutaneous Tuberculosis and 85% had tuberculids. In that classical cutaneous tuberculosis approximately 5% had lupus vulgaris, 5% had Tuberculosis Verrucosa cutis and 5% had scrofuloderma. (2) In a tertiary-care hospital in northern India, 0.1% of dermatology patients seen between 1975 and 1995 had Cutaneous Tuberculosis. Lupus vulgaris was the most common manifestation around 55%, followed by scrofuloderma 27%, TB Verrucosa cutis 6%, tuberculous gumma 5%, and tuberculids occurred in 7%. (2) FREQUENCY: USA: In the United States, tuberculosis cases decreased from 84,304 cases in 1953, when national reporting was first began, to 22,201 in 1985.   This represented fairly steady decline of about 5.8% per year. However, the turn down in tuberculosis cases stopped in between 1985 and 1992. In 1992 the annual number of cases increased by 20% to 26,673 cases. (12) The increases were concentrated geographically in several states, with over 90% of the 14,871 cases in California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Texas and demographically tuberculosis occurred in racial and ethnic minorities, in people aged 25 to 44, males and in those born abroad. Especially troubling, and indicative of increasing transmission of new infections, was a 36% increase in tuberculosis among children 4 years old or younger. Tuberculosis appears to be on the decline again in the United States as numbers with only 14,871 cases in 2003. (12) Reported tuberculosis cases in United States, 1982-2002 (12) The percentage of Tuberculosis patients who were born abroad individuals was 42%. People born in Mexico, the Philippines, and Vietnam account for one half of born abroad Tuberculosis patients in the United States. The Tuberculosis rate among born abroad people was 4 to 6 times higher than for US-born peoples. Minimum estimates of the proportion of TB patients with coincident HIV infection were approximately 10-15%. Among people aged 25-44 years, this proportion increased to 20-30%. (12) The fundamental origin of this new Tuberculosis epidemic in troubled states reflects a minimum of four major factors including (1) the involvement of Tuberculosis with the HIV epidemic, (2) the increased migration from countries where Tuberculosis is common, (3) the spread of Tuberculosis in congested settings (health-care facilities, prisons, homeless shelters), and (4) the worsening of the basic health-care infrastructure. (2) Molecular typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in the United States in a restriction fragment-length polymorphism study suggests more than one third of new patient incidence results from people-to-people transmission, and the remainder result from reactivation of latent infection. Approximately 1 of 13 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates currently shows a form of drug resistance. (2) The modern introduction of biological agents that block tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and several other autoimmune disorders has additional raised about the necessity of the identification of patients with latent Tuberculosis. At present, several hundred cases of Tuberculosis have been reported in patients who receive these tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists. (2) HISTORY: Tuberculosis has an ancestry which can be traced to the earliest history of mankind. It was recognized as a contagious disease by the time of Hippocrates and Aristotle in 350 BC. Signs of skeletal Tuberculosis were identified in Europe since Neolithic times and in ancient Egypt around 3700 BC in mummified bodies. Evidence of TB appears in Biblical scripture, in Chinese literature dating back to around 4000 BC, and in religious books in India around 2000 BC. (5) During1600s and 1800s tuberculosis was known ass the Great White Plague in Europe.   Other names for Tuberculosis were Phthisis which was from Greek term phthinein, meaning to waste away, scrofula which were used for swellings of the lymph nodes of the neck and consumption which were used as progressive wasting away of the body.(2) In 1826 Laennec first reported cutaneous tuberculosis which he called PROSECTOR WART. Following Laennec, Rokitansky and Virchow described the histological features in detail comparing them to those of visceral tuberculosis. (6) The Incidence of TB increased with population density and urban development so that by the Industrial Revolution in Europe in 1750, it was responsible for more than 25% of adult deaths. Indeed, in the early 20th century, TB was the leading cause of death in the United States. In 1882, a German biologist ROBERT KOCH presented his discovery of the organism that caused TB. NEIL FINSEN won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1903 for introducing UV light into the treatment of skin TB. (2) With the help of better living conditions and the introduction of the antibiotic streptomycin on 20th November 1944, the number of reported TB patients in the United States steadily declined around 126,000 TB patients in 1944, 84,000 in 1953, 22,000 in 1984, and 14,000 in 2004.(2) MODE OF TRANSMISSION: Tuberculosis is an airborne contagious disease that occurs after inhalation of infectious droplets expelled from patients with laryngeal or pulmonary Tuberculosis during coughing, sneezing, or speaking. Each cough can generate more than 3000 infectious droplets. Droplets are so small around 1 to 5 micro meter, that they remain airborne for hours. (2) The likelihood that disease transmission will occur depends upon the infectiousness of the tuberculous patient, the environment in which exposure takes place, and the duration of exposure. Roughly 20% of people in the infected household contact develop infection. Micro epidemics have occurred in closed environments such as transcontinental flights and submarines. Tuberculin sensitivity develops 2 to 10 weeks after infection and usually is lifetime. (2) Because Tuberculosis induces a powerful immune response, individuals with positive tuberculin reactions are at a considerably lower risk of acquiring new tuberculous infection. In HIV-infected individuals, active Tuberculosis is more likely to occur from reactivation of existing disease than from superinfection with a new mycobacterial strain. (2) Without treatment, an estimated 10% lifetimes possibility exists of developing active disease after tuberculous infection, 5% occurs within the first 2 years and 5% thereafter. An Increased risk of acquiring active disease occurs during HIV infection, Intravenous drug abuse, diabetes mellitus, silicosis, immunosuppressive therapy, cancer of the head and neck, hematological malignancies, end-stage renal disease, intestinal bypass surgery or gastrectomy, chronic malabsorption syndromes and low body weight. Infants younger than two years are associated with increased risk. (2) 1) DIRECT INHALATION: The most common mode of entry via portal in to the lungs usually resulting from the Inhalation of airborne droplets containing a few bacilli, expectorated by individuals with â€Å"open† pulmonary disease.(8) 2) INDIRECT INHALATION: A) Ingestion: Less often bacilli may be swallowed and lodge in to the tonsil or in the wall of the intestine. These infections are chiefly related to the consumption of contaminated milk products. (8) 3) INOCULATION: Cutaneous tuberculosis manifestations depend upon the method of cutaneous inoculations, which may be exogenous that is from an out side source, may occur by autoinoculation, or may be by endogenous .Direct exogenous inoculation in an individual not previously infected with tuberculosis causes primary tuberculosis infection, will led to the tuberculous ‘chancre or to tuberculosis Verrucosa cutis depending upon the immune status of the patient. Another example of exogenous transmission is lupus vulgaris at the site of BCG vaccination. (9) Endogenous transmission can occur by continuous extension of tuberculous process underlying the skin as in scrofuloderma, by the way of lymphatic as in lupus vulgaris and by hematogenous spread as in acute miliary tuberculosis or lupus vulgaris. (9) Infrequent mode of transmission is direct implantation in to the skin through cuts and abrasions. These troubles usually in persons, working with infected material or cultures of tubercle bacilli. These skin lesions were called as â€Å"Prosector warts† (8) CLASSIFFICATION OF CUTANEOUS TUBERCUCLOSIS: Cutaneous tuberculosis clinical manifestations comprise a considerable number of skin changes, usually sub classified in to more or less distinct disease forms. Classification depends on morphology more recently mode of transmission or the immunological state of host, but none of them satisfies completely. 1)INOCCULATION TUBERCUCLOSIS (Exogenous Source) Tuberculosis chancre Warty tuberculosis(Verruca cutis) Lupus vulgaris(some) 2) SECONDARY TUBERCULOSIS (Endogenous source) A) Contiguous spread Scrofuloderma B) Auto-inoculation Orifical tuberculosis 3)HAEMATOGENOUS TUBERCULOSIS Acute miliary tuberculosis Lupus vulgaris(some) Tuberculous gumma 4)ERUPTIVE TUBERCUCLOSIS (Tuberculids) A) Micropapular Lichen scrofulosorum B) Papular Papular/Papulonecrrotic TB C) Nodular Erythema induratum(Bazin) Nodular Tuberculids (CLASSIFICATION OF TUBERCULOSIS, MODIFIED FROM beyt et al) (4) CHAPTER-2 CLASSIFICATION OF MYCOBACTERIA: Tuberculosis is an infectious disease which is caused by the Mycobacterium species. Mycobacteria are acid fast, non-sporulating, non-motile weakly gram positive organisms. TEM micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Table 3: Kingdom Bacteria Phylum Actinobacteria Order Actinomycetales Suborder Corynebacterineae Family Mycobacteriaceae Genus Mycobacterium Scientific classification by Lehmann Neumann. (3) In 1950s Runyon classified the atypical mycobacteria according to their ability to form pigment, their rate of growth colony characteristics. This classification also includes obligate human pathogens and facultative human pathogens. (1) Today more then 60 species of mycobacteria are identified. Around 41 of these were included in the approved lists of bacterial names in 1980. (9) 30 species of mycobacterium are known that can cause disease in humans. The most common causative organism includes: Mycobacterium tuberculosis Mycobacterium Leprae. Atypical mycobacteria. The species which produce disease in tuberculosis primary complex include: Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mycobacterium Bovis. Mycobacterium Africanum. Sometimes Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) may also cause disease. (1) MEDICAL CLASSIFICATION: For the purpose of diagnosis treatment mycobacteria can be classified in several major groups. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, which can cause tuberculosis by the pathogens Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M Bovis, M Africanum M microti. Mycobacterium Leprae, which causes Hansens disease. Nontuberculous mycobacteria are the mycobacteria which can cause pulmonary disease, lymphadenitis, and skin disease disseminated disease. SLOW GROWING MYCOBACTERIA RUNYON GROUP 1)Obligate human pathogens M. tuberculosis-bovis group including bacillus Calmette-Guerin(BCG) M Africanum (not included in runyon classification 2)Facultative Human pathogens M. kansasii I M. marinum I M. simiae I M. scrofulaceum II M. szulgai II M. gordanae II M. avium-intracellualr complex III M. haemophilum III M. Ulcerans III M. xenopi III 3) Nonpathogens M. flavescen II M. terrae complex III M. trivale III M. gastri III RAPIDLY GROWING MYCOBACTERIA 1))Facultative Human pathogens M. fortuitum I V M. chelonae I V M. abscessus I V 2) Nonpathogens M. smegmatis I V M. phlei I V M. vaccae I V others STAINING CHARACTERISTICS OF MYCOBACTERIA: Mycobacteria are aerobic, facultative, intracellular non-spore forming and non-motile curved rods measuring 0.2- 0.5 by 2-4 um. Mycolic acid rich long chain glycol lipids and phospholipoglycans, a mycocides present in the cell wall of mycobacteria protect them. (2) Mycobacteria do not gram stain readily but their most valuable staining characteristic is Acid Fastness. This ability retains carbol fuchin dye after washing with acid or alcohol occurs because of the high content of cell wall mycolic acids, fatty acids other lipids. Other staining methods used include Dietrele, auramine-Rhodamine and phenolic acridine orange stains. Nocardia rhodococcus, legionella dadei, isospora cryptosporidium also share acid fastness. (1) The Ziehl-Neelson acid-fast stain, while highly specific for mycobacteria, is relatively insensitive, and recognition requires at least 10,000 bacilli per mL; most clinical laboratories currently use a more sensitive auramine-rhodamine fluorescent stain (auramine O). Routine culture uses a nonselective egg medium called Lowenstein-Jensen or Middlebrook 7H10 and often requires more than 3-4 weeks to grow because of the 22-hour doubling time of mycobacterium tuberculosis. Radiometric broth culture, BACTEC radiometric system of clinical specimens significantly reduces time 10 to 14 d for mycobacterial recovery. DNA probes specific for mycobacterial ribosomal RNA categorize species of clinically significant isolates after recovery. In tissue, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification techniques can be used to detect Mycobactereria tuberculosis-specific DNA sequences and thus, small numbers of mycobacteria in clinical specimens. (2) The cell wall of mycobacteria consist of: (3) Outer lipids Mycolic acid Polysaccharides(arabinoglactan) Peptideglycan Plasma membrane. Lipoarrabinomannan(LAM) Phosphatidylinositol mannoside. Cell wall skeleton. PATHOGENESIS: The most common site for Tuberculosis disease is lungs and 85% of TB patients present with pulmonary symptoms. The most common sites of extrapulmonary disease are mediastinal, retroperitoneal, and cervical lymph nodes, vertebral bodes, adrenals, meninges, and the GI tract. Pathology of these lesions is similar to those in the lung. Extrapulmonary TB can occur as part of a primary or late generalized infection or as a reactivation site that may, coexist with pulmonary reactivation. (2) Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an obligate pathogen. It is a slender aerobic rod, characterized by high lipid content. This lipid is responsible for resistance to phagocytosis. Identification of organism is easy in tuberculous chancre, scrofuloderma, orificial lesions and the miliary variant. This may be difficult to find or absent in lupus vulgaris, gummata and warty tuberculosis. The organism is highly resistant to drying to drying and therefore can retain infectivity by inoculation or contamination of minor wounds. (19) The reaction of the bacterium depends on: the size of inoculum. the virulence of organism. <

The Restoration Under Charles II Essay -- Essays Papers

The Restoration Under Charles II Generally, the English people had a great celebration when Charles II returned to the throne in May of 1660.1 Many believed that restoring the monarchy was the only way to secure constitutional rights. In fact, there was an expectation that bringing back the king would return life to the way it was before 1642 and the rule of Cromwell. Charles II was responsible for improving the government for the people. However, despite some achievements, the king was not very successful in creating a stronger and more effective monarchy. He was dependent on his advisors and other parts of the government from the very beginning of his reign. There were constant conflicts between the king and Parliament over religious issues. When Charles II finally did gain some independence, he still did not accomplish much to improve the monarchy. Overall, the government was very inconsistent during the 1660s and 1670s, and the people became disillusioned with the monarchy. The king did not hold all of the responsibility for what happened to the government, though. The people should have taken charge and worked for a change in the system. The rule of Charles II helped show the English citizens that they could not rely on the government so much, but they needed to take more of the power into their own hands and become more autonomous. Edward Hyde Clarendon From the very beginning, Charles was determined to establish himself as a constitutional leader. Also, his advisors wanted to make sure that the new monarchy followed the law, so the people could begin to trust the government again.2 The most influential of these advisors was Edward Hyde Clarendon. For the most part, Charles foll... ...688 (Totowa: Rowman and Littlefield, 1979), 8-10. 3. Jones, Restored Monarchy, 12. 4. Jones, Restored Monarchy, 21. 5. Jones, Restored Monarchy, 13. 6. J. R. Jones, ed., Liberty Secured? Britain Before and After 1688 (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1992), 138-140. 7. Jones, Liberty Secured, 130. 8. Jones, Restored Monarchy, 15. 9. J. R. Jones, Charles II: Royal Politician (London: Allen and Unwin, 1987), 60-62. 10. Jones, Restored Monarchy, 10. 11. Jones, Royal Politician, 74-75. 12. Jones, Royal Politician, 79. 13. Jones, Restored Monarchy, 15. 14. Jones, Restored Monarchy, 19-20. 15. Jones, Restored Monarchy, 10-11. 16. Jones, Royal Politician, 162-163. 17. Jones, Restored Monarchy, 21. 18. Jones, Royal Politician, 187. 19. Jones, Restored Monarchy, 23. 20. Harris, 37.

Gender Identity Essay -- Sociology, Gender Scheme Theory

The development of gender awareness is fundamental for our sense of self and is also predominant in any assessment made of another person as from birth on people respond differently to males and females. Gender identity can be seen as one of the earliest social categories that children learn to apply to both themselves and other people. This is suggested in Schaffer’s (1996) definition where gender identity is the correct labelling of self and others as male or female. There are three main theories that have been explored which all suggest multiple ways in which gender awareness is developed: Bandura, Kohlburg and the Gender Scheme Theory. Firstly, Bandura (1977) notes that the idea that social influences clearly plays a very significant role in the development of gender identity. Socialization makes children aware that there are differences between male and female, and that these sex differences matter. These social pressures also suggest there are specific gender stereotypes that they are expected to conform to. Nevertheless, it can also be seen that biological and cultural changes interact with these social factors, thus defining how an individual eventually develops the gender identity of a man or a woman. An alternative theory, expressed by Kohlburg (1966), suggests that children are not the recipients of any physical information from social experiences and therefore they search for specific regulations which will explain the way in which males and females are expected to behave. In addition, gender tends to be the first thing a parent wishes to find about their child. It can be suggested that from then on the child will be treated depending on the fact that they are male or female. This is shown in research attempting to cla... ... both masculine and feminine toys. Generally, parents gave positive responses to their pre-school children when they chose same-sex toys but negatively to cross-sex toys, thereby reinforcing their children’s sex role differentiation. On the other hand, according to Fagot (1985), sex-differentiation like that viewed in the previous study was not found in the teachers in charge of a group of 2 year olds. In this study, it was the children themselves who gave their peers engaging in sex-appropriate behaviour positive feedback of one kind or another. Again, boys were more likely to be disapproved of for ‘girly’ behaviour and were thus quickly given the chance of learning what is not male and so encouraging them to drop those behaviours or activities in their repertoire. Nevertheless, there are criticisms of these ‘social influence theories’ on sex role development.

The Electoral College Versus a Direct Election System Essay -- Politic

The Electoral College Versus a Direct Election System â€Å"The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President†¦they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President† (Findlaw.com). The Twelfth Amendment set forth the rules and regulations for which the Office of President shall be determined. The founding fathers, in the second constitutional convention, laid the grounds on which setup what would be the Electoral College. Adoption of the Electoral College plan came late in the Convention, which had previously adopted on four occasions provisions for election of the executive by the Congress and had twice defeated proposals for election by the people directly. So why not conduct a direct election, by the people? After all, the President was to serve the people. There were four main reasons why the delegates of the Second Constitutional Convention wanted an electoral system. For one, a census as a prelude to the first election could not be taken. The first election served more as an appointment. There was not time for delegates to go back home, while under this newly formed Constitution, and search for delegates. Who would serve to defend the Constitution while this happened? The delegates knew this before hand. The states had a wide variety of suffrage requirements. If electors were to be chosen on the basis of population, should slaves count as a property, or under population? Even though they held large populations, the larger states rejected the idea of a popular vote. Virginia, one of the largest states of the time, had a population of 748,000. Of those, 306,000 were slaves, whic... ...cedure, until a 3/5ths of the states decide against it. Even the Founders themselves once supported a direct election process, but as they researched the outcome of such a system, the repercussions and consequences outweighed the chance to be a true democracy. Even so in 2000, the Electoral College has seen action for 200 years, and it will continue standing in lieu of public scrutiny, and even dimpled chads. Works Cited Census.gov. Visited Dec 5. http://www.census.gov/. Ferrand, Max, ed., Records of the Federal Convention. New Haven, 1911. 2:584 Findlaw.com. Visited Dec 6. http://www.findlaw.com/ James Madison to Henry Lee. 14 Jan. 1825, Records, ed. by Max Ferrand, 3:464. Kuroda, Tadahisa. The Origins of the Twelfth Amendment. Greenwood. 1994. Wood, Gordon. Creation of the American Republic 1776-1787. Chapel Hill 1969.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Two

MS. TERWILLIGER REFUSED to say much more after that. She drove us back to Amberwood and hardly seemed to know I was there. She just kept muttering things to herself like, â€Å"Not enough time† and â€Å"Need more proof.† When she finally dropped me off, I tried pressing her for more information. â€Å"What was all that about protecting myself?† I asked. â€Å"Protection from what?† We were parked in the fire lane again, and she still wore that distracted look. â€Å"I'll explain later, in our session tomorrow.† â€Å"I can't,† I reminded her. â€Å"I'm leaving right after my regular classes. Remember? I have a flight to catch. I told you about it last week. And yesterday. And earlier today.† That brought her back to attention. â€Å"Did you? Well, then. I suppose we'll make do with what we must. I'll see what I can have for you in the morning.† I left her for my bed after that, not that I could get much sleep. And when I showed up to her history class the next morning, she was true to her word. Before the bell rang, she walked up to my desk and handed me an old book with a cracked red leather cover. The title was in Latin and translated to Elements of Battle, which sent a chill down my spine. Spells to create light and invisibility were one thing. There was a practicality to them that I could almost rationalize. But battle spells? Something told me I might have a little trouble with those. â€Å"Reading material for the plane,† she said. She spoke in her usual, addled scholar voice, but I could see a glint of that anxiety from last night in her eyes. â€Å"Focus only on the first section. I trust you'll do your usual thorough job – and then some.† None of the other arriving students paid any attention to us. My last class of the day was an independent study session on late-antique history, which she served as my mentor for. More often than not, she used the session as a passive-aggressive way to teach me magic. So, her giving me books like this was nothing out of the ordinary. â€Å"And,† she added, â€Å"if you could find out where that neighborhood is, it would be extremely useful.† I was speechless for a few moments. Locate one neighborhood in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area? â€Å"That's . . . a very large area to cover,† I said at last, choosing my words carefully with witnesses around. She nodded and pushed her glasses up her nose. â€Å"I know. Most people probably couldn't do it.† And on that semi-complimentary note, she returned to her desk at the front of the classroom. â€Å"What neighborhood?† asked a new voice. Eddie Castile had just arrived and slid into a neighboring desk. Eddie was a dhampir – possessing a mix of human and vampire DNA that had been passed down from days when the two races mixed. For all intents and purposes, though, he was indistinguishable from an ordinary human. With his sandy-colored hair and brown eyes, he also bore enough resemblance to me to support our cover story that we were twins. In reality, Eddie was here at Amberwood as a bodyguard for Jill. Dissidents among her own kind, the Moroi, were hunting her, and even though we'd seen no sign of them since coming to Palm Springs, Eddie was always vigilant and ready to pounce. I slipped the red leather book into my messenger bag. â€Å"Don't ask. Another of her wacky assignments.† None of my friends – save Adrian – knew about my involvement with Ms. Terwilliger's magic use. Well, and Jill by default. All Moroi possessed some sort of elemental magic. Adrian's was a rare and powerful one called spirit, which could work miracles of healing. He'd used that magic to bring Jill back from the dead when assassins had killed her. Doing so had made Jill â€Å"shadow-kissed† – that is, it created a psychic bond between them, one that allowed Jill to feel his emotions and sometimes see through his eyes. As a result, Jill knew more about what went on between Adrian and me than I liked. I took my car keys out of my bag and reluctantly handed them over to Eddie. He was the only one I trusted to drive my car, and I always let him borrow it when I left town, in case he needed to run errands for our group. â€Å"Here you go. I better get it back in one piece. Do not let Angeline near the driver's seat.† He grinned. â€Å"Do I look suicidal? I probably won't even use it. Are you sure you don't want me to drive you to the airport later?† â€Å"You'd miss class,† I said. The only reason I was able to cut school early was because of the unusual nature of my independent study. â€Å"I wouldn't mind, believe me. I've got a science test.† He grimaced and lowered his voice. â€Å"I hated physics the first time, you know.† I couldn't help a smile. Both Eddie and I were eighteen and had graduated high school, me through homeschooling and him through an elite Moroi and dhampir academy. We couldn't pose as students without going through the motions of class, however. While I didn't mind the extra work, Eddie wasn't as taken with a love of learning as I was. â€Å"No thanks,† I told him. â€Å"A cab will be fine.† The bell rang, and Eddie straightened up in his desk. As Ms. Terwilliger called the class to order, he whispered to me, â€Å"Jill's really bummed she can't go.† â€Å"I know,† I murmured back. â€Å"But we all know why she can't.† â€Å"Yeah,† he agreed. â€Å"What I don't know is why she's mad at you.† I turned toward the front of the classroom and pointedly ignored him. Jill was the only one who knew about Adrian's declaration of love, thanks to that bond. It was another one of those things I wished hadn't been shared, but Adrian couldn't help it. Although Jill knew vampire-human romances were wrong, she couldn't forgive me for hurting Adrian so badly. To make things worse, she was probably personally experiencing some of his pain. Even if our other friends didn't know what had occurred, it was obvious that something wasn't right with Jill and me. Eddie had picked up on it right away and immediately interrogated me. I'd given him a vague excuse about Jill not liking some rules I'd instated for her here at school. Eddie hadn't bought that, but Jill had been just as close-mouthed on the matter, leaving him clueless and frustrated. The school day zipped by, and before long, I was in a taxi and on my way to the airport. I'd packed light and only had one small suitcase and my messenger bag, both of which could be carried on. For what seemed like the hundredth time, I took out a small silver and white gift bag and examined its contents. Inside was an expensive crystal sun catcher, the kind meant to be hung on a porch or in a window. It depicted two doves in flight, facing each other. Wrapping it back in its tissue paper, I returned it to its gift bag and then my own bag. I hoped it would be an acceptable gift for the upcoming event. I was going to a vampire wedding. I'd never been to one before. Probably no Alchemist had. Although we worked with the Moroi to protect their existence, the Alchemists made it clear they wanted no involvement that went beyond business contact. After recent events, however, both groups had decided it would be good to improve our professional relations. Since this wedding was a big deal, a few other Alchemists and I had been invited. I knew the couple, and in theory, I was excited to see them married. It was the rest of the event that made me nervous: a huge social gathering of Moroi and dhampirs. Even with other Alchemists there, we'd be hopelessly outnumbered. Being in Palm Springs with Eddie, Jill, and the others had gone a long way in improving my feelings toward their kind. I got along with that little group well and now considered them friends. But even as liberal as I was in such matters, I still possessed a lot of the anxiety other Alchemists had inside the vampiric world. Maybe Moroi and dhampirs weren't creatures of evil, like I'd once believed, but they certainly weren't human. I kind of wished my Palm Springs friends were coming with me, but that had been out of the question. The whole point of Jill and the rest of us being in Palm Springs was to hide her away and keep her safe from those trying to kill her. Both Moroi and Strigoi tended to avoid sunny, desert regions. If she suddenly showed up at a major Moroi function, it would defeat the whole purpose. Eddie and Angeline, another dhampir protecting her at Amberwood, had to stay behind as well. Only Adrian and I had been invited to the wedding, and we were thankfully on separate flights. If anyone had noticed that he and I were traveling together, it could attract attention back in Palm Springs, which could then expose Jill. Adrian's flight wasn't even leaving from Palm Springs. He was flying out by way of Los Angeles, two hours west, just to make sure we weren't linked together. I had to connect through a different flight in Los Angeles, which reminded me of Ms. Terwilliger's task. Find one neighborhood in all of Los Angeles's greater metropolitan area. Sure, no problem. The only thing I had going for me was that the Victorian houses were so distinct. If I could find some historical society, there was a good chance they could direct me toward areas matching that description. It would narrow my search considerably. I reached my gate at LAX an hour before the scheduled flight. I'd just gotten cozy with Ms. Terwilliger's book when an overhead announcement declared, â€Å"Paging passenger Melrose. Please come see a customer service agent.† I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Gathering up my things, I approached the desk and was greeted by a cheery airline representative. â€Å"I'm sad to tell you this flight has been overbooked,† she said. From her peppy voice and big smile, she didn't seem sad at all. â€Å"What's that mean for me, exactly?† I asked, my dread growing. â€Å"I have a confirmed seat.† I dealt with bureaucracy and red tape all the time, but overbooking flights was something I'd never understood. How did that even happen? It wasn't like the number of seats was a surprise to them. â€Å"It means that you're no longer on the flight,† she explained. â€Å"You and a couple other volunteers gave up your seats to accommodate that family. Otherwise, they would've had to be split up.† â€Å"Volunteers?† I repeated, following her gesture. Off to the side of the seating area, a family with seven children smiled back at me. The children were tiny and adorable, with big eyes and the kind of cuteness you saw in musicals about orphans finding new homes. Outraged, I turned back toward the agent. â€Å"How can you do that? I checked in way ahead of time! I have a wedding to get to. I can't miss it.† The woman produced a boarding pass. â€Å"We've more than made up for it. We've booked you on another flight, to Philadelphia – one that's leaving sooner. And you've even been upgraded to first class for your inconvenience.† â€Å"That's something,† I said. I was still annoyed at this, simply out of principle. I liked order and procedure. Altering those threw off my world. I looked down at the boarding pass and then did a double take. â€Å"It's leaving now!† She nodded. â€Å"Like I said, sooner. I'd hurry up if I were you.† Then, on cue, I heard a last-call announcement for my new flight, saying all passengers need to be on board now, as they were about to shut the cabin doors. I wasn't the swearing type, but I almost was then – especially when I saw that my new gate was on the opposite side of the terminal. Without another word, I grabbed my things and sprinted toward the gate as quickly as I could, making a mental note to write a letter of complaint to the airline. Through some miracle, I made it just before my new flight was closed to passengers, though the agent working that gate sternly told me that next time, I should plan ahead and allow more time. I ignored her and headed into the airplane, where I was greeted by a much nicer flight attendant – especially when she saw my first class ticket. â€Å"You're right here, Miss Melrose,† she said, pointing to the third row of the cabin. â€Å"We're so glad you could join us.† She helped me put my suitcase in the overhead bin, which proved to be pretty difficult since other, earlier passengers had taken up most of the space. It required some creative knowledge of spatial relations, and when we finally managed it, I practically passed out into my seat, exhausted from this unexpected flurry of excitement. So much for a relaxing trip. I had just enough time to fasten my seat belt before the plane began backing up. Feeling a little steadier, I plucked the safety card from its pocket so that I could follow along with the attendant's presentation. No matter how many times I flew, I always thought it was important to be up to speed on procedures. I was watching the attendant fasten an oxygen mask when a familiar and intoxicating scent washed over me. In all of the chaos of making this flight, I hadn't even bothered to pay attention to my seatmate. Adrian. I stared in disbelief. He was watching me with amusement and had no doubt been waiting to see how long it would take me to notice him. I didn't even bother asking what he was doing here. I'd known he was flying out of LAX, and through some wacky twist of happenstance, I'd been bumped to his flight. â€Å"This is impossible,† I exclaimed. The scientist in me was too amazed to fully realize the uncomfortable nature of the situation I now found myself in. â€Å"It's one thing for me to get moved to a new flight. But to end up next to you? Do you know what the odds of that are? It's incredible.† â€Å"Some might call it fate,† he said. â€Å"Or maybe there just aren't that many flights to Philadelphia.† He raised a glass of clear liquid to me in a toast. Since I'd never seen Adrian drink water, I had to assume it was vodka. â€Å"Nice to see you, by the way.† â€Å"Um, you too.† The engines roared to life around us, momentarily sparing me from conversation. Reality began sinking in. I was trapped on a five-hour flight with Adrian Ivashkov. Five hours. Five hours sitting only a few inches from him, smelling his overpriced cologne and looking into those knowing eyes. What was I going to do? Nothing, of course. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to escape since even first-class passengers weren't allowed parachutes. My heart began to race as I frantically groped for something to say. He was watching me in silence, still with that small smirk, waiting for me to lead the conversation. â€Å"So,† I said at last, staring at my hands. â€Å"How's, uh, your car?† â€Å"I left it out on the street. Figured it'll be fine there while I'm gone.† I jerked my head up, jaw dropping. â€Å"You did what? They'll tow it if it's left there overnight!† Adrian was laughing before I even finished. â€Å"So that's what it takes to get a passionate reaction, huh?† He shook his head. â€Å"Don't worry, Sage. I was just kidding. It's tucked away safely in my building's parking lot.† I felt my cheeks burn. I hated that I'd fallen into his joke and was even a little embarrassed that I'd just flipped out over a car. Admittedly, it wasn't just any car. It was a beautiful, classic Mustang that Adrian had recently purchased. In fact, he'd bought it to impress me, pretending he couldn't drive manual transmission in order to spend more time with me while I taught him. I thought the car was amazing, but it still astonished me that he would have gone to that much trouble for us to be together. We reached our cruising altitude, and the flight attendant returned to get Adrian another drink. â€Å"Anything for you, miss?† she asked. â€Å"Diet Coke,† I said automatically. Adrian tsked once she was gone. â€Å"You could've gotten that for free back in coach.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Do I have to spend the next five hours being harassed? If so, I'll go back in coach and let some lucky person ‘upgrade' to my seat.† Adrian held up his hands in a placating gesture. â€Å"No, no. Carry on. I'll entertain myself.† Entertaining himself turned out to be doing a crossword puzzle in one of the in-flight magazines. I took out Ms. Terwilliger's book and tried to read, but it was hard to focus with him beside me. I kept sneaking glances out of the corner of my eye, partly to see if he was looking at me and partly just to study his features. He was the same Adrian as ever, annoyingly good looking with his tousled brown hair and sculpted face. I vowed I wouldn't speak to him, but when I noticed he hadn't written anything in a while and was tapping his pen loudly on the tray, I couldn't help myself. â€Å"What is it?† I asked. â€Å"Seven-letter word for ‘cotton gin pioneer.'† â€Å"Whitney,† I replied. He leaned over and wrote in the letters. â€Å"‘Dominates the Mohs' scale.' Also seven letters.† â€Å"Diamond.† Five words later, I realized what was happening. â€Å"Hey,† I told him. â€Å"I am not doing this.† He looked up at me with angelic eyes. â€Å"Doing what?† â€Å"You know what. You're luring me in. You know I can't resist – â€Å" â€Å"Me?† he suggested. I pointed at the magazine. â€Å"Random trivia.† I angled my body away from him and made a big show of opening my book. â€Å"I have work to do.† I felt Adrian look over my shoulder, and I tried to ignore how aware of his proximity I was. â€Å"Looks like Jackie's still got you working hard in her class.† Adrian had met Ms. Terwilliger recently and had somehow charmed his way into a first-name basis. â€Å"This one's more like an extracurricular activity,† I explained. â€Å"Really? I thought you were pretty against doing any more with this stuff than you had to.† I shut the book in frustration. â€Å"I am! But then she said – † I bit off the words, reminding myself that I shouldn't engage with Adrian any more than I had to. It was just too easy to slip back into old, friendly behaviors with him. It felt right when, obviously, it was wrong. â€Å"Then what?† he prompted, voice gentle. I looked up at him and saw no smugness or mockery. I didn't even see any of the burning hurt that had plagued me these last few weeks. He actually looked concerned, which momentarily distracted me from Ms. Terwilliger's task. Seeing him this way contrasted drastically with what had followed in the wake of our kiss. I'd been so nervous at the thought of sitting with him on this flight, and yet, here he was, ready to support me. Why the change? I hesitated, unsure what to do. Since last night, I'd been turning her words and the vision over and over in my head, trying to figure out what they meant. Adrian was the only person who knew about my involvement with her and magic (aside from Jill), and until this moment, I hadn't realized how badly I was dying to discuss this with someone. So, I cracked and told him the whole story of my desert adventure. When I finished, I was surprised to see how dark his expression had become. â€Å"It's one thing for her to try to get you to learn spells here and there. But it's a totally different thing for her to drag you into something dangerous.† His ardent concern surprised me a little – but maybe it shouldn't have. â€Å"From the way she talked, though, it wasn't like it was her doing. She seemed pretty upset about . . . well, whatever all this means.† Adrian pointed at the book. â€Å"And that'll help somehow?† â€Å"I guess.† I ran my fingers over the cover and embossed Latin words. â€Å"It has protection and attack spells – things that are a bit more hard core than what I've ever done. I don't like it, and these aren't even the really advanced ones. She told me to skip those.† â€Å"You don't like magic, period,† he reminded me. â€Å"But if these can keep you safe, then maybe you shouldn't ignore them.† I hated admitting when he was right. It only encouraged him. â€Å"Yeah, but I just wish I knew what I was trying to stay safe from – no. No. We can't do this.† Without even realizing it, I'd slipped into the way things used to be, talking to Adrian in that easy, comfortable way we had. In fact, I'd even been confiding in him. He looked startled. â€Å"Do what? I stopped asking you for crossword help, didn't I?† I took a deep breath, bracing myself. I'd known this moment was coming, no matter how much I wanted to put it off. I just hadn't expected it to come while on a plane ride. â€Å"Adrian, we have to talk about what happened. Between you and me,† I declared. He took a moment to consider my words. â€Å"Well . . . last I knew, nothing was happening between you and me.† I dared a look at him. â€Å"Exactly. I'm sorry for what happened . . . what I said, but it was all true. We have to move past this and go on with our lives in a normal way. It's for the good of our group in Palm Springs.† â€Å"Funny, I have moved past it,† he said. â€Å"You're the one bringing it up.† I blushed again. â€Å"But it's because of you! You've spent the last few weeks all moody and sulking, hardly ever talking to me. And when you do, there's usually some nasty barb in it.† While recently having dinner at Clarence Donahue's, I'd seen one of the most terrifying spiders ever come crawling into the living room. Mustering all my courage, I'd caught the creepy little beast and set him free. Adrian's comment on my brave act had been, â€Å"Wow, I didn't know you actually faced down things that scared you. I thought your normal response was to run kicking and screaming from them and pretend they don't exist.† â€Å"You're right about the attitude,† he said now, nodding along with my words. Once again, he looked remarkably serious. â€Å"And I'm sorry.† â€Å"You . . . are?† I could only stare. â€Å"So . . . you're done with all of that . . . stuff? Done with, uh, feeling that way?† I couldn't bring myself to elaborate. Done with being in love with me. â€Å"Oh, no,† he said cheerfully. â€Å"Not at all.† â€Å"But you just said – â€Å" â€Å"I'm done with the pouting,† he said. â€Å"Done with being moody – well, I mean, I'm always a little moody. That's what Adrian Ivashkov's all about. But I'm done with the excessive stuff. That didn't get me anywhere with Rose. It won't get me anywhere with you.† â€Å"Nothing will get you anywhere with me,† I exclaimed. â€Å"I don't know about that.† He put on an introspective look that was both unexpected and intriguing. â€Å"You're not as much of a lost cause as she was. I mean, with her, I had to overcome her deep, epic love with a Russian warlord. You and I just have to overcome hundreds of years' worth of deeply ingrained prejudice and taboo between our two races. Easy.† â€Å"Adrian!† I felt my temper beginning to flare. â€Å"This isn't a joke.† â€Å"I know. It's certainly not to me. And that's why I'm not going to give you a hard time.† He paused dramatically. â€Å"I'll just love you whether you want me to or not.† The attendant came by with hot towels, putting our conversation on hold and allowing his slightly disturbing words to hang in the air between us. I was dumbfounded and couldn't muster a response until after she came back to collect the cloths. â€Å"Whether I want you to or not? What on earth does that mean?† Adrian grimaced. â€Å"Sorry. That came off creepier than I intended. I just mean, I don't care if you say we can't be together. I don't care if you think I'm the most evil, unnatural creature walking the earth.† For the briefest of moments, his choice of words threw me back in time, to when he'd told me I was the most beautiful creature walking the earth. Those words haunted me now, just as they had then. We'd been sitting in a dark, candlelit room, and he'd looked at me in a way that no one ever had – Stop it, Sydney. Focus. â€Å"You can think whatever you want, do whatever you want,† Adrian continued, unaware of my traitorous thoughts. There was a remarkable calm about him. â€Å"I'm going to just go on loving you, even if it's hopeless.† I don't know why that shocked me as much as it did. I glanced around to make sure no one was listening. â€Å"I . . . what? No. You can't!† He tilted his head to the side as he regarded me carefully. â€Å"Why? It doesn't hurt you or anything. I told you I won't bother you if you don't want me to. And if you do, well, I'm all about that. So what's it matter if I just love you from afar?† I didn't entirely know. â€Å"Because . . . because you can't!† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"You . . . you need to move on,† I managed. Yes, that was a sound reason. â€Å"You need to find someone else. You know I don't – that I can't. Well, you know. You're wasting your time with me.† He remained firm. â€Å"It's my time to waste.† â€Å"But it's crazy! Why would you do that?† â€Å"Because I can't help doing it,† he said with a shrug. â€Å"And hey, if I keep loving you, maybe you'll eventually crack and love me too. Hell, I'm pretty sure you're already half in love with me.† â€Å"I am not! And everything you just said is ridiculous. That's terrible logic.† Adrian returned to his crossword puzzle. â€Å"Well, you can think what you want, so long as you remember – no matter how ordinary things seem between us – I'm still here, still in love with you, and care about you more than any other guy, evil or otherwise, ever will.† â€Å"I don't think you're evil.† â€Å"See? Things are already looking promising.† He tapped the magazine with his pen again. â€Å"‘Romantic Victorian poetess.' Eight letters.† I didn't answer. I had been rendered speechless. Adrian never mentioned that dangerous topic again for the rest of the flight. Most of the time, he kept to himself, and when he did speak, it was about perfectly safe topics, like our dinner and the upcoming wedding. Anyone sitting with us would never have known there was anything weird between us. But I knew. That knowledge ate me up. It was all-consuming. And as the flight progressed, and eventually landed, I could no longer look at Adrian the same way. Each time we made eye contact, I just kept thinking of his words: I'm still here, still in love with you, and care about you more than any other guy ever will. Part of me felt offended. How dare he? How dare he love me whether I wanted him to or not? I had told him not to! He had no right to. And the rest of me? The rest of me was scared. If I keep loving you, maybe you'll eventually crack and love me too. It was ludicrous. You couldn't make someone love you just by loving them. It didn't matter how charming he was, how good looking, or how funny. An Alchemist and a Moroi could never be together. It was impossible. I'm pretty sure you're already half in love with me. Very impossible.

Nature and Function of Literary Criticism Essay

The word criticism is derived from the Greek word meaning † judgment†. Hence, criticism was known to be the exercise of judgment on works of literature, or it can be said that criticism is the play of mind to observe the merits and defects on the work of literature. A critic , therefore, is a person who expresses judgment on works of literature or poetry or the art of an artist or a painter. The critic is also defined as a person who is possessed of the knowledge necessary to enable him to pronounce right judgments upon the merits or worth of such works as come within its province. However, the question that is always asked, does the critic has the right to judge or not ? Indeed, no one has the right to judge the people because of two reasons. Firstly, to judge the people is something subjective ; in other words, when a critic evaluate a literary work he is judge based on or influenced by his personal feelings, tastes, or opinions. Second, when a critic judge and evaluate a literary work , he eliminates the reader’s mind and deactivate his faculty of thinking and analysis. It’s known that the target group of the critics is the public reader, so what do they want from the reader and what is the ultimate objective of criticism?. Actually, the modern understanding of criticism is regarded as having two different functions which helps to achieve the main purposes of criticism. The Modern Understanding of Criticism Criticism is the process of analysis and description and interpretation of literary works for the purpose of increasing understanding and raising appreciation.   This means that the critic should penetrate to the heart of the literary work to analyze and formulate its meaning , to disengage and describe its qualities of power and beauty , and to elucidate by direct examination the artistic and moral principles which, whether the writer himself was conscious of them or not , have actually guided and controlled his labors, and then to pronounce a right evaluation of a literary work. It’s worth to realize that criticism does not depend on a critic’s views or his opinions , but it depends on scientific basis which is † Critical  Theories†. As a result, criticisms are completely different depending on the theory that the critic uses. Thus, the objective of literary criticism is to determine the artistic values, poetic beauty, or the features being regarded as inadequate existing in the works of literature in order to 1-Helping the reader to gain a better understanding of nature and value of literature, and a better appreciation of the pleasure proper to literature, then to form an evaluation of his own. 2- Helping the writer to improve his skills and facilitate to achieve the merits while allowing him to overcome the flaws if any. At this stage, it would be appropriate to say that criticism is not just † fault- finding† , but helping the writer or poets or artists in achieving the excellence in their works and leading the reader to a better understanding and appreciation. At this point , the saying of T.S Eilot is worth mentioning, † The end of criticism is the elucidation of works of art and to correction of taste†.