Continuum of Care University of Phoenix Essay

Long-term Care is only one piece of continuum care. Most Americans try to stay home as long as they can. People love to try and keep their independence as long as they can. Many elderly Americans are able to stay home as long as they can due to family members help and home health care aide. Most elderly people can no longer take care of themselves mentally and physically. This is when Long-term care continuum benefits the patient. The long-term care continuum consists of nursing home care and assisted living care. The first step in the continuum of care is Independent living. Elderly patients are placed in supportive housing or home based healthcare. If the patient is unsuccessful with supportive housing, we must move to the next step. The next step is providing in home care. In home care is less expensive than long term care. The cost of care for this service depends on the level of care and the hours of service the patient needs. The patient’s last choice should be long term care. Most elderly patients use Medicare or Medicaid for long term care payment. Medicare only applies to the patient’s long-term care if the patient is immediately following a hospital stay. Medicare only cover short term provider prescribed home health care for speech therapy, skilled nursing, occupational and medical social services. Medicare also covers up to 100 days of nursing home care. We are fighting today for a longer duration for long term care. The federal government should allow elderly patients more time in long term care facilities. I believe this would cut the cost of emergency room visits and hospital admittance in seniors.

Child Study Report Essay

Introduction Early childhood educators play an important role in observing, recognizing, and supporting children’s development (Charlesworth, 2014). In this report, child E has been chose to be observed with different observing methods including running record, anecdotal record and learning story. Child E is a 3 years old boy. His father is a New Zealander, and his mother is from China. He is the only child in his family. Child E dose not speak Chinese but only English, this is due to the reason that both his parents speak English at home and his mother does not want him to learn Chinese. Child E was born in New Zealand and he dose not know much about Chinese cultural. He attends at the center five days per week. His mother often drops him in the morning around 10am and the father picks him up around 6pm. Moreover, child E has just been transferred from the toddler room to the pre-school room two weeks ago. Child E and I know each other in the toddler room. In my report, I will focus on physical and socio-emotional developments and link them with development theories and concepts. I will also discuss how these two domains inter-related to the children’s holistic development. Read more: Factors that influence child development essay Physical Development Physical development is an essential domain that is extremely important for children’s development. The physical development of child E can be seen in all the observations. G. Stanley Hall and Arnold Gesell developed Maturation theory. According to the theory, maturation and growth occur together and they are interrelated. In another word, while a child is physically growing up, the nature and quality are changing as well. â€Å"Growth is what happens; maturation is how it happens† (Gordon and Browne, 2014). Furthermore, Gessell transferred his ideas of maturational process into the developmental milestones. The milestones indicate a child’s ability achievement at a certain age (Petty, 2010). The developmental milestone is a useful tool for early childhood teachers due to the reason that teachers can know what a child should achieve at specific ages. This can help teachers to plan and implement learning experiences for children. Also, the physical growth and deve lopment are closely related to children’s essential health and wellbeing  (New Zealand Tertiary College [NZTC], 2014). The physical experience supports children’s motor skills development. Using touching as an example, in observation one, child E patted the teacher and other children to get their attention. Instead of hitting or grabbing hardly, he patted gently. Child E experienced and developed the skill of controlling his motor when touching other people. Moreover, it is stressed in Te WhÄ riki (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1996), although there is a pattern of learning and development, teacher should see each child as an individual and every child follows their own rate of development. Thus, the physical development is not always predictable. To further explain this, in observation one, the action of poking shows the skill of using fine and gross motor. Child E and children J both can poke with the brush well, but their ages are different. In observation three, all the children joined the activity (musical statues) are 3 or 4 years old. They have different levels of balancing skills. In addition, Freud’s psychosexual stages also indicate deferent stages’ main development. He stressed the daily events and experience help children’s physical development in every stage (Berger, 2001). Child E is learning and developing his physical skills in every day life. Besides the theories discussed above, there are also some other factors that influence children’s physical development. Genetic make-up is the internal factors, and there are external factors include nutrition, exercise, social-cultural context, family care and health care services (NZTC, 2014). Genetic factors have impacts on many areas of development. In observation two, child E asked for more food is an example of his body’s natural needs. Social-cultural factor plays a significant role in the physical development. A child’s family vale and believe will influence the child. For instance, in observation two, child E left all the vegetables and only ate the rice and meat. Teachers already talked to his mother about this, and his mother believes the child know what to eat or not. She dose not want to encourage him to eat more vegetables. Instead, she asked teachers to give child E more meat. I also found that in the morning, when child E’s mother drops him at the center, E often has a chocolate muffin or other food high in sugar and fat as his breakfast. A current New Zealand research (Theodore, Thompson, Wall, Becroft, Robinson, Clark, Pryor, Wild & Mitchell, 2006) found that an  unhealthy diet would lead problems like diabetes, obesity, asthma and heart disease in young children, which will influence them a life-long time. Also, an unhealthy and unbalanced diet would cause undernourished problem of children. It has a huge impact on children’s physical development (Berk, 2013). The physical development is closely associated with other development domains. In terms of cognitive development, while children develop their fine and gross motor skills, the brain is stimulated and developed as well (Gordon & Browne, 2014). Take observation three as an example, while child E was finding his balancing with the motor skills, he also used his brain to control his gross and fine motor. Moreover, in the activity, he also used words like ‘move’ and ‘stop’ with his physical movements. His language learning was encouraged as well. Also, physical development inter-relate in relation to children’s social and emotional development, which will be discussed later. Social and emotional development Through all the four observations, child E showed his strong social skills and he was eager to communicate with others. A child’s social and emotional development is affected by both biological nature and the environment surrounds him or her. The different genetic factors and the other external factors influence children behave differently (NZTC, 2014). Building a positive relationship with children is essential for supporting emotions in young children. Supporting children’s emotions in a caring and social context can help the early childhood children to build a secure attachment relationship (Berk, 2013). It is stated in Te WhÄ riki (MoE, 1996), children will show their confidence only when they have built up the sense of belonging and secure at an environment. In observation one, child E chose to take a chair and set right next me. He is new to the pre-school environment, so he felt a little bit of insecure. He knows me from the toddler room a long time ago, so he feels emotionally safe and comfort around me. According to John Bowlby’s young children feels more comfortable around the person they attached to (Berger, 2001). Turning to Sigmund Freud’s theory, he considered personality as a key part of every child’s development. He  believes a newborn baby is governed by the id, which is the source of desire and motives that we born with (Berger, 2001). Erik Erikson further developed and modified Freud’s psychoanalytic perspective of development. Erikson sees the surrounding society as an important factor for every child. He believes that children develop from the interaction with surrounding environment, and a child and his/her environment have influence on each other (Berk, 2013). Most importantly, he added the parent-child relationship as a new interactive aspect. As we talked above, in the physical development part, child E’s mother’s believe obvious has an impact on child E’s eating habits. In the second observation, child E left all the vegetables in the bowl. This might be due to the reason that his parent’s allow him to choose what to eat at home. Different from both Freud’s and Erikson’s view, learning theorists emphasize the role of external forces in children’s social and emotional development. Behaviourism and social learning theory are the two most well-know learning theories. Behaviourism theory focuses on children’s behaviour and it sees culture as a key element of children’s learning. Behaviourism believes that environment can stimulate and elicit children’s responses (MacNaughton, 2003). From the four observations, child E was responding to his surrounding environment a lot. He was developing through interacting with his teachers, peers and toys in the environment. In the first observation, the teacher in pre-school room set up the painting activity to provide opportunities and encourage children to explore. Child E then chose to join the activity. E saw child J’s action and copied it. This is how child E learned from his surrounding environment. Social learning theory is closely linked with Behaviourism. It is because that socialization involves learning about how to behave in a social group. In social learning theory, children are active learners. They develop an understanding of self-awareness and social roles. Modeling, imitation, observation and self-efficacy are the main concepts of this theory. Children will then find out their abilities of doing a task. When they believe that they are good at the task, it is more likely they can overcome the difficulties. Otherwise, they could give up easily (Crain, 2000). In observation 2, child E was trying to keep balance. When he found out that balancing is little bit hard and his peers said he was out, he  stopped trying and felt emotionally uncomfortable. In the contrast, observation 3 shows that he was confident at building the station. Thus, when he needs to rebuild it, he did not give up. Same as physical development, Social and emotional development is also inter-related to children’s holistic development. It is emphasized in Te WhÄ riki (MoE, 1996) that a holistic curriculum is the development of a whole child in both individual and socio-cultural aspects. All the observations show how socio-emotional development and physical development happened in child E’s daily experience together. If E is emotional unwell, his physical development could be effect. Communication is an irreplaceable part of socio-emotional development, either verbal or non-verbal. Language skills are practiced through social experience. Cognitive domain is also influenced by socio-emotional development. Children’s brain is stimulated through interacting with others (Berger, 2001). Spiritual development is also a core part of holistic development. Children build up their sense of wondering and wisdom through social communication. Conclusion To sum up, I have discussed two developmental domains through analysing four observations. Child E has achieved a big improvement in both physical and socio-emotional developments. Moreover, all the developmental areas inter-related with each other, together, create a holistic curriculum for early childhood children. Reference list Berger, K. S. (2001). The developing person through the life span (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Berk, L. (2013). Child development (9th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Charlesworth, R. (2014). Understanding child development. (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Crain, W. (2000). Theories of development: Concepts and applications (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Gordon, A., & Browne, K. (2014). Beginnings and beyond: Foundations in early childhood education (9th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. MacNaughton, G. (2003). Shaping early childhood: Learners, curriculum and contexts. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press. Ministry of Education. (1996). Te WhÄ riki: He whÄ riki mÄ tauranga mÃ…  ngÄ  mokopuna o Aotearoa/Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media. Petty, K. (2010). Developmental milestones of young children (1st ed.). St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. NewZealand Tertiary College,(2014).Life Span Studies 2 study guide. Auckland, New Zealand: New Zealand Tertiary College.

Molecular Biology Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Molecular Biology - Lab Report Example Dpn I and Fse I together: fragments of 0.5 kb, 1.1 kb, 1.6 kb and 2.3 kb Dpn I, Eag I and Fse I together: fragments of 0.3 kb, 0.5 kb, 0.6 kb, 1.0 kb, 1.1 kb and 2.0 kb a) How many restriction sites are there for each enzyme What, if any, are the unique restriction sites on this plasmid Ans. Dpn I = 3, Eag I = 2, Fse I = No RS. There are unique restriction sites for Fse I, this restriction enzyme works in conjunction with the Dpn I and Eag I. b) Construct a restriction map of the plasmid and draw it below. Cloning Strategies Question 4 (28%) Describe outline cloning strategies, including vector types (individual vectors need not be specified) and methods used at each stage, for the following scenarios: Worked example You wish to isolate the coding sequence of a human liver enzyme. You have purified the corresponding bovine enzyme and have raised a polyclonal antibody against it. - Make a cDNA library from human liver tissue - this will be enriched for the genes for liver enzymes. - Create the library in an expression vector with a strong promoter so the genes are expressed in the host. - Screen the induced expression library for the presence of the desired liver enzyme using the bovine polyclonal antibody. The antibody will bind to the colonies which produce the protein they recognise. Although the match may not be exact there should be enough conserved homology to ensure recognition. - Positive colonies will be identified by visualising the label on the bound antibody/secondary antibody in the colony hybridisation. a) You have a cDNA clone containing the 900 bp coding sequence of a cell surface protein from pygmy goat monocytes. How can you use this to find the homologous cDNA from the merino sheep b) Having...The results are as follows: step. f1 IG SEQUENCE: to make single stranded DNA for sequencing UNIVERSAL PRIMER SEQUENCE: for primer to anneal to, to initiate sequencing SELECTABLE MARKER (eg lacZ'): to allow selection of clones containing the insert MCS POLYLINKER: insert fragment of DNA here 3.0 kb You must describe the function of the essential features of each plasmid and give some indication of the plasmid size. For expression vectors you must bear in mind the host cells in which the coding sequence will be expressed. a) Nonsense: The nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathway degrades mRNAs transcribed from genes in which an amino-acid codon has changed to a nonsense codon; this prevents the translation of such mRNAs into truncated, and potentially harmful, proteins. c) Splicing: A stage in the processing of mRNA, occurring only in eukaryotic cells, in which intervening sequences (introns) are removed from the primary RNA transcript (hnRNA) and the codig exons are joined together to form the mature mRNA molecule. url:www.geneontology.org . d) Promoter: A nucleotide sequence of DNA to which RNA polymerase binds and initiates transcription. It usually lies upstream of (5' to) a coding sequence. A promoter sequence aligns the RNA polymerase so that transcription will initiate at a specific site. e) Reading Frame: A series of triple

The Impact of Environmental Management System on the Competitive Essay

The Impact of Environmental Management System on the Competitive Advantage of Organizations - Essay Example Several papers have been written over the years discussing the competitive advantages of the environmental model. Unfortunately, most of these papers are either too simplistic or cover only a single aspect of the environmental model. Thus, in-depth studies on EMS are of great value to the future developments of it being in the corporate world. While there is no dearth of literature on why and how adopting Environmental Management System (EMS) can be advantageous, no one has as yet analyzed the variously available kinds of literature to present a comprehensive view of what makes EMS competitive. This paper attempts to fill this knowledge gap by analyzing available literature. This analysis should give a comprehensive view of the various advantages of adopting EMS. Though attempts have been made to include as many journals as possible, including every available literature was beyond the scope of this paper. The analysis in this paper is limited to the most important literature on the i mpact of EMS on the competitive advantage of organizations. The remaining part of the report is divided into various sections, as follows: In section 2, a comprehensive literature review is undertaken in order to establish a theoretical background for studying Environmental Management System and determine key features of EMS with special reference to EMS as a competitive advantage for organizations. The research hypothesis is formulated accordingly. Section 3 deals with research methods and section 4 presents the findings revolving the research hypothesis, based on the qualitative research of the available literature. Then, in section 5, the research is concluded along with the limitations of the research. As mentioned, there is no dearth of literature on EMS and its competitive advantages. This is in part due to the ISO 14001 standard, a voluntary system which is an effective means of continuous environmental improvement for the organization.

Ontological argument - Rene Descartes Research Paper

Ontological argument - Rene Descartes - Research Paper Example The researcher is determined to critically analyze Descartes’ Ontological Argument in the light of the doctrines articulated by Avicenna, St. Anselm and Nietzsche by the authors including Roger Ariew, John Hawthorne, John M. DePoe and Oppenheimer & Zalta. Since it is a basic research in nature and scope, the researcher will seek support from the material discussing the philosophy of the Medieval and Classical Eras, where the paper will examine the existence of Ontological Argument in ancient times and influence of the Descartes’ doctrine on the future philosophers. One of the most astonishing points raised by Descartes, which invited anger and displeasure of his contemporary religious circles, is his determination to reject believing in such God, existence of Whom could not be proved through intellect, evidence and observation. The notion not only brought opposition of the religious dogmatism of his time, but also the philosophy kept on enjoying the status of a highly c ontroversial treatise for the future centuries to come. Consequently, Descartes was aptly declared as rebel, pervert and rejecter of true Christian faith. However, he stuck to the validity of his argument, and laid stress upon the significance of empiricism for having faith in various spiritual, natural, physical and social phenomena. The present study will look into the influence of Descartes’ notion on the future scientific developments too, which vehemently emphasize upon the presence of sound proofs in order to examine the validity of a hypothesis. Descartes, in his works, argues that religious sets of faith should not be taken as mere imitation of the ideas which have blindly been adopted by a large number of one’ community members without applying one’s intellect. Rather, human brain contains the powers to prove the legality of God’s existence. He refutes the very idea of accepting some presumptions and propositions without analyzing their validity through intellectual capabilities and sound examinations. It is therefore, he lays stress upon the significance of

Ethan frome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethan frome - Essay Example This problem is evident in the character of Ethan in the movie. He is vocal about his feelings in the movie as compared to the book. He rarely interacts with Mattie in the novel, but in the movie, their style of conversation is active and noticeable. The kitchen scene is the key to understand this difference. In the movie, from the beginning Ethan is quite vocal and expressive about his feelings to Mattie but in the book there exists a studied silence between the two. The other incidental difference in the kitchen scene is, in the movie the cat breaks Zeena’s dish; in the book Mattie breaks it. In the movie the character of Ethan is not as pivotal as it is in the book. In the book, the beginning and end are constructed from the point of view of the narrator, and Ethan’s actions figure prominently and his view on life pervades through the story. In the first scene in the movie the narrator arrives at Starkfield as a Minister and sees Ethan in the train station; in the book the story begins in a post office and Ethan picks up a package; there is no Minister in the book. Ethan is an entirely different personality in the movie. His communication with Mattie is shown in a different wavelength as compared to the book. His disposition with the people of Starkfield is also different. About the interaction of the people with Ethan Edith Wharton writes, â€Å"Everyone in Starkfield knew him and gave him a greeting tempered to his own grave mien; but his taciturnity was respected and it was only on rare occasions that one of the older men of the place detained him for a word.†(5)He prefers silence with them as per the depiction of his personality in the book, and in the movie he is quite vocal expressing his opinions with the bystanders who look upon him with curiosity kindled. The support to Ethan comes from different point of views in the novel

Financial Institutions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Institutions - Research Paper Example After reviewing the trend in banking branches, it is determined that there is a huge increase in bank branches then in 1934. Bank branches were very almost nonexistent in the 1930’s and increased as time went on. The increase in branches has shown a steady decrease in institutions. These increases and decreases show an overall increase in facilities. It seems that the public has more access to banking facilities then in 1934. There were 14,146 offices available in 1934 and in 2009 there are over 90,159. The trend shown for banking statistics shows that consolidating is a growing and continuing trend. This can be proven true since, almost every street in modern day America is home to a branch location. Some financial institutions house as many as 50 different financial institutions. This is good in a way that individuals can choose which financial institution to bank with. Despite the regulations that protect banks from failure, some do fail. Go to www2.fdic.gov/hsob/. Select t he tab labeled â€Å"Bank and Thrift Failures†. How many bank failures occurred in the USA during the most recent calendar year? What were the total assets held by the banks that failed? How many banks failed in 1937? In 2010 name the top three states where bank failures occurred. 2. ... The difference in bank loss assets differ by millions of dollars. This is proof that there is more money available and out in the American economy compared to the 1930’s. In 2010 there were also many bank failures. The top three states that produced bank failures were Florida, Georgia and Illinois. This was determined by totaling the number of failures in each state. Of the states listed, the most failures were in the given states. Whilst looking at the bank failure data choose one bank in Washington State and provide a two page synopsis of the bank condition (asset size, equity, derivatives book etc) at the time of failure. Also, conduct a media (newspaper/trade journal search) of any news regarding the failed bank you are researching. Did the board of directors consent to the closing? Name the date when Order for Taking Possession took place. Provide the name of the bidder that assumed the deposits of the bank. Was it necessary for the FDIC to create an interim bank to handl e deposits for customers? 3. After reviewing bank failures, it is important to examine which banks failed and why the banks failed. The FDIC helps regulate certain banking aspects to try and prevent failure but sometimes it is out of the FDIC’s hands and nothing can be done. There could be many reasons as to why a bank would fail. Banks fail for many different reasons like a poor economy and improper management. Sometimes it has nothing to do with the bank and its employees but rather the amount of loans out. When a bank has many loans out and the borrowers are unable to pay, the banks take a loss. A bank that has failed in 2010 is the North County Bank. The bank is located in Arlington, in the state of Washington. This

A critical Literature Review of academic support through tutorials for Assignment

A critical Literature Review of academic support through tutorials for student nurses - Assignment Example For one thing, the ratio between the teachers and the taught may be overwhelming and secondly, infra-structural and settings may not favour a one to one interfacing between the teachers and the taught. Besides, online tutorials, although convenient may not be readily available and under graduate students may not be conversant with the modalities of online learning, unless trained and guided by seniors, till such time, required degree of proficiency is attained. Therefore, effective academic support from tutors is an integral part of the study in order to achieve a positive result. â€Å"Tutorial, a term often used in the computer related training, refers to an instructional lesson that leads the user through key features and functions of things such as software applications, hardware devices, processes, system designs, and programming languages. The tutorial typically is set up as a series of steps that progress through levels of difficulty and understanding.† (Computer programming software terms, glossary and dictionary-T, 2010). Changes within the educational system cause many students to move out without proceeding for higher education. The components of changing educational systems bring limitations to the students and they find it to be very difficult to meet the requirements during the study. In the area of nursing, it has been found that many of the nursing students are not interested in proceeding with their study because of the current changing educational systems. They are being dropped out of the program after a few years of the diploma level of nursing. One of the solutions that have been established for those who are interested in nursing is to seek help of tutors. â€Å"Students require a higher level of personal and emotional support and â€Å"increasingly both academic and personal tutoring roles are being merged, and academic problems are often a front for an underlying personal issue.† (BMAF annual conference

The Odyssey by Homer Essay Example for Free

The Odyssey by Homer Essay In the morning, Nausicaa, daughter of King Alcinous and Queen Arete, goes with her friends to the river with the laundry and begins to wash and play games. Odysseus wakes up by their noise and, covered in salt and covering up his private parts with a leaf, travels to them. Nausicaas friends run away screaming but Nausicaa stays to listen to what the stranger has to say. Fearing that he may scare her if her were to grab her knees in supplication, Odysseus pleads with her at a distance. Nausicaa respects Odysseus and his fine words and thought and gets her friends to bathe him in the river and to clothe him. In the process, Athene divinely enhances his appearance so that he looks quite like a god. The fact that Nausicaa, without her maidservants and veil the two things that protect her person and reputation in public stays to talk to Odysseus shows her spirit and sturdiness of character. Fearing gossip, Nausicaa tells Odysseus, after inviting him to the palace to meet her parents, to wait in the grove. While there, Odysseus prays to Athene to aid him in his supplication to the king and queen. Book 6 contains an element, which although not scarce in the Odyssey, is certainly very rare in most epic poem: comedy. The comic element is unmistakeable in these scenes. Odysseus embarrassment when making his approach to the girls and right before bathing, as well as the girls terrified reactions to his nakedness, cannot help but elicit a lighter mood in the poems action, which until now had centered solely on the horrible problems faced by Odysseus and his family. Homer uses a simile to describe Odysseus as a lion (used in war situation in the Iliad which demonstrates, in this non-warfare situation that the girls viewed Odysseus as a dangerous and wild beast) and Nausicaa and the other girls as sheep. Here, the ravenous lion, buffeted by the elements but striving onward to state his all-consuming hunger on helpless sheep, is compared to the salt-covered Odysseus, ragged from days at sea, and filled with a hunger of an entirely different nature. The relation of the sheep to the girls can be seen clearly in retrospect when the girls flee before this ominous figure of male sexuality as sheep would flee before a hungry lion. This simile does not serve merely to make us once again pity the poor, travel-beaten Odysseus; it is rather an attempt to lighten the tension filling much of the first five books. BOOK 7 W HEN NAUSICAA AND HER FRIENDS HAD REACHED THE PALACE, Athene, disguised as a young girl, offers to lead Odysseus to the palace and places a magical mist around him rendering him invisible in order to evade rude questioning. Athene tell him that in order to speak to King Alcinous, he must first win favour with Queen Arete. When they reach the palace, Athene leaves and buggers off to Athens. Odysseus admires the fine palace then enters, sees Arete and grabs her knees in supplication. She allows him to see the king, who after removing one of his sons off of a chair so that Odysseus doesnt have to sit in the ash, feats with them and tells them the story of how he came to Phaeacia. The queen notices his Phaeacian clothes and Odysseus tells them about their daughters generosity. As they admire Odysseus and Nausicaa ha refused all other suitors, Alcinous hints at marriage but Odysseus stresses that he wants to go home. He is therefore promised their magic ships to sail home by. The ships can reach any destination and return in a day. Arete and the servants then prepare a bed for Odysseus and sleeps. In Book 7, we see the epitome of a motif that runs throughout the Odyssey: the relationship of host to guest. We saw the kind treatment Telemachus bestowed on Athene when was disguised as Mentes as well as the great hospitality extended to Telemachus by both Nestor and Menelaus. Now it is Odysseus himself who comes as a stranger to a foreign court and must act accordingly. Indeed, the role of a foreign visitor is one that Odysseus knows well, for he has wandered long and far and knows the customary courtesies expected by guests. Contrasted with his seasoned guest, Alcinous, although kind and benevolent as a host, is unused to receiving guests, and is initially unsure of how to react to Odysseus suit. After Odysseus has humbled himself by sitting in a heap of ashes, no one, including Alcinous, knows quite how to act. Finally, an elder named Echeneus, the oldest man of Phaeacia speaks. Echeneus tactfully reminds Alcinous of his duties as a host to a stranger. Once again, it is not Alcinous social grace and magnanimity that is lacking; it is his inexperience with situations of this sort that temporarily holds him back from action. We are also given insight into another motif of the poem: the nature of divine disguise. Alcinous suggests that Odysseus might be a god who has come to test the Phaeacians benevolence towards guests. We have already been told of the gods special love for the Phaeacians, and how the people of Phaeacia themselves are nearly divine. Now we lean that the gods manifest that love by appearing to them not disguised, but in their actual form. This gives us an indication of just how strongly Athene loves Odysseus, for she often converses with him in her pure, undistinguished form. But it is not until Odysseus once again reaches Ithaca that she will be able to do so without fear of Poseidons wrath. Homer, by mixing in some elements of magic (the forever ripe fruit and semi-divine Phaeacians) prepares the reader for the fantasy books. BOOK 17 T ELEMACHUS LEAVES EUMAEUS HUT AND GOES HOME AND IS WARMLY greeted by Eurycleia, maidservants and his mother, Penelope. He tells her to go and pray to the gods while he meets Theclymenus the seer and Peiraeus in the place of assembly. There he tells Peiraeus to hold onto his Spartan treasure until after the conflict with the suitors. Theoclymenus and Telemachus then return to the palace where Theoclymenus reveals a prophecy of Odysseus already being in the city to Penelope over dinner. Odysseus and Eumaeus then head off into the city and meet the traitorous Melanthius who both physically and verbally abuses Odysseus who manages who his peace while Eumaeus tells him off. Unshaken, the goatherd goes off into the palace. Then, as they approach the palace themselves, they see Odysseus old dog Argus is dying on top of dung. The dog wags his tail as he recognises his master after twenty years of separation and then dies. In the palace, Telemachus gives Odysseus a meal and then Athene commands Telemachus disguised father to beg from the suitors. Antinous, who was slightly provoked by Odysseus beggar, throws a footstool at him and Odysseus walks off bitterly and silently. The fact that Antinous did this, and was corrected and doomed by the other suitors, shows that he has no respect for Xenia. Penelope then decides that she wishes to speak to Odysseus as the beggar. Eumaeus, however, tries to dissuade her from this as she has heard so many false tales from men who have falsely claimed to have met Odysseus. Still, she wants to see him. But Odysseus only wants to see her after the suitors have left. She agrees and Eumaeus goes home but is asked by Telemachus to come back to the palace in the morning. Now that Odysseus has appeared before the larger Ithacan community in disguise, there is more room for the dramatic irony that fills many of the verses of The Odyssey. We see this notably during the Melanthius episode. Although Odysseus holds his peace after Melanthius attack, Eumaeus calls upon the gods to return Odysseus to his home so that he can punish the scornful goatherd. Melanthius, a loyal follower of the suitors, knows the power that will be his when Telemachus is eliminated. His own vow, of course, recoils back upon him. Melanthius wishes that Telemachus may suffer death as surely as Odysseus himself has already done so. The irony lies in the fact that Melanthius vow is fulfilled, only not in the way he had intended. Odysseus himself has not died, and is in fact standing right there. Therefore, as surely as Odysseus has not died, so too will Telemachus not die. Melanthius has unwittingly stated the truth. We see a similar use of irony later, after Antinous strikes Odysseus with the footstool. Only this time, no one specifically mentions the long-lost Odysseus. Instead the suitors remark that Antinous did badly to strike the beggar as he could have been a god testing the suitors kindness. Of course, we know Odysseus is not a god. But the gods have indeed disguised him fir the very reason that the suitors suggest: to test them and to see which are righteous and which are malevolent. It is also appropriate that Odysseus disguise makes others liken him once more to a god. Yet this time the situation is reversed. Before, Telemachus thought Odysseus a god for removing his disguise. Now, the suitors consider the possibility due to the lowly appearance of the disguise itself, not because of the majesty with which the gods envelop him when he stands revealed in his true form.

Altruistic Surrogacy Arrangements Essay Example for Free

Altruistic Surrogacy Arrangements Essay Couples around the world find out that they’re unable to conceive children. This is a very heart breaking and detrimental situation in anyones life who is trying to have a child. Infertility affects more than 7 million people in the United States, and about 12 percent of women of childbearing age are considered infertile. Most infertility cases are treated with drug or hormone therapies or surgery. However, about 3 percent of cases require more advanced techniques, such as surrogacy. A surrogate is a woman who carries a child for an individual or a couple. Stories of surrogacy reach back to the Bible with the story of Abraham, his wife, Sarah, and her handmaiden, Hagar. In this story, Sarah finds she is unable to conceive and arranges for Abraham to impregnate Hagar, who goes on to conceive Ishmael. There are two types of surrogacy options, one is traditional surrogacy and the other is gestational surrogacy. A traditional surrogate is a woman who donates her own egg and then carries the pregnancy. The surrogates egg is fertilized through artificial insemination with the sperm of the father or a sperm donor. Traditional surrogates are genetically related to the child because their own eggs are used in the process. A gestational surrogate or also known as a gestational carrier, are not biologically or genetically related to the child she carries. Gestational carriers become pregnant through the process of in vitro fertilization, where an embryo or embryos created from the eggs and sperm of the intended parents. Donor eggs and donor sperm are selected by the intended parents are implanted in the uterus for the gestational period of 40 weeks. Intended parents and surrogates have to consider what type of surrogacy arrangement they feel like they are comfortable with. There are two common types of arrangements pertaining to surrogacy, which are commercial and altruistic. In commercial surrogacy the surrogate is paid for her time and effort, any travel involved and related medical expenses not covered by insurance. The chosen surrogate and the intended parents usually dont know each other before the arrangement. In altruistic surrogacy arrangements, the carrier sees no financial gain, and the arrangements are commonly made with relatives or friends of the intended parents. Surrogacy is against the Church’s teaching, they teach that techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the childs right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses right to become a father and a mother only through each other (Catechism). The use of a surrogate mother is a process that is thousands of years old. This is proven in the writings of the Bible in the story of Abraham and his wife Sarah, she was infertile. At this time in the earths history, a woman who was childless was often at times shamed by her family and friends. These women would offer their servants to act as a surrogate. The Bible does not specifically forbid the process of surrogacy. The question that you must ask is, whether it is considered to be moral or ethical with keeping children conceived out of love, born from a married couple. The Bible has also been interpreted as stating that children are a gift, not a right. Therefore, God will bless some people with children and others not. Personally I believe surrogacy is an â€Å"okay† practice. Surrogacy ultimately brings joy to the couple and why would god not want us to seek happiness. Surrogacy may seem to be defying God’s will but I think it’s a way of making a precious life out of a bad situation. Being told you will not be able to have your own children is a heart breaking situation. You would never know how it felt until you experience yourself. What gives us the right to judge someone else for wanting a child from their own DNA. If Surrogacy can use one embryo and not kill of the others I think it should be allowed in the church.

Types of nonverbal Communication

Types of nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication The definition of nonverbal communication can be as short or as elaborate and specific as one wants to make it. In general the nonverbal communication describes any and all communication that occurs outside the realm of written or spoken words and is expressed by generation of either intentional or subconscious cues and their recognition. Commonly, nonverbal communication is divided into subcategories describing individual areas that transmit communication cues. These areas, among others, include kinesics, paralanguage, proxemics, haptics, oculesics, and physical appearance. Understanding and effective application of nonverbal communication skills is becoming increasingly important in the modern world. Also, do these nonverbal cues have the same meaning all over the world? Are these nonverbal cues just modified to fit cultural ideals? I will be explaining the different types of nonverbal communication, the importance of them, and how its used throughout different parts of the world. There are different types of nonverbal communication. The first is kinesics which is the study of body language, facial expression, and gestures. Movement is strongly connected to communication style. For example, Knapp Hall notice that movement is related to interaction synchrony, the matching and meshing behaviors that accompany conversations and discussions between two or more people. Matching and meshing usually connote a sense of pleasure with the conversation and can indicate feelings of rapport. Matching can occur through postural congruence and mirroring the persons body language. Also, motor mimicry is a form of matching, such as when a person places her hand on her heart to connote sympathy during another persons sad story. Knapp Hall state that emotional contagion usually occurs in conjunction with mimicry in conversations, meaning that the conversation partners are sharing their feelings and interacting in empathetic ways. Knapp Hall describe two fundamental types of p hysical gestures, those that accompany speech and those that do not. Gestures in general are movements made by the body or some part of it. Speech-independent gestures can include anything from a shake of the head to the finger to wrinkling the nose. These non-verbal gestures often mean different things in different contexts or in different cultures. No gesture is absolutely universal although many are commonly recognized, at least throughout the same cultural context. Some personal examples of speech-independent gestures include the thumbs-up that means everything is good†. For example, in Brazil and in Denmark the American Ok hand sign is a gesture of vulgarity, and in France the same sign signifies zero and in Japan that sign means money. Cultural differences in kinesic behaviors are as significant and complex as cultural differences in verbal language. Factors like attractiveness, appearance, gesture, movement, face, eye, and vocal behaviors differ from place to place. An understanding of cultural differences and basic awareness of those differences when communicating with persons from other cultures can enormously improve cross-cultural relationships and eliminate misunderstandings. Another among these is paralanguage. This is the study of the nonverbal cues of the voice. Various acoustic properties such as tone, pitch, and accent, collectively known as prosody, can all give off nonverbal cues. George L. Trager developed different classifications in paralanguage. The first is voice set, which is the context in which the speaker is speaking. This can include the situation, mood, age and persons culture. Another is voice qualities. These are the volumes of your tone, pitch, tempo, rhythm, and accent. This is very important in getting certain points across in conversation. Vocalization consists of three subsections: characterizers, qualifiers and segregates. Characterizers are emotions expressed while speaking, such as laughing, crying, and yawning. A voice qualifier is the style of delivering a message for example, yelling Hey stop that!, as opposed to whispering Hey stop that. Vocal segregates such as uh-huh notify the speaker that the listener is listening. The se cues define in general the point you are trying to get across in conversations. Study of space as a part of nonverbal communication referred to as proxemics further analyses physical and psychological space between individuals in the interaction. Proxemics could be divided into the elements of territory and personal space. Territory refers to the general area in which the interaction occurs, while personal space is just that a space immediately around a person. One of the most important elements of proxemics is the study of haptics or in more conventional terms, touch. According to various researches, touch â€Å"enhances ones interpersonal involvement, positive affect, social attachment, intimacy, and overall liking†. The persuasive power of touch is further evident in the findings of Patterson et al, stating that people tend to associate positive characteristics with the individual who touched them. That is either speaking in terms of being friendly or intimate. For example, friendliness would be more described with handshakes. A more intimate example w ould be a kiss. But in some cultures, greeting with touch can be disrespectful in some ways. For example, in parts of Africa, trying to shake ones hand with your left is considered disrespectful. For the most part, touch of one another shows comfort and respect in America. Sign language is another aspect of nonverbal communication. The written history of sign language began in the 17th century in Spain. In 1620, Juan Pablo Bonet published Reduccià ³n de las letras y arte para enseà ±ar a hablar a los mudos ‘Reduction of letters and art for teaching mute people to speak in Madrid. It is considered the first modern treatise of Phonetics and Logopedia, setting out a method of oral education for the deaf people by means of the use of manual signs, in form of a manual alphabet to improve the communication of the mute or deaf people. Sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns such as manual communication, body language and lip patterns to convey meaning, simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speakers thoughts. The last aspect of nonverbal communication discussed in this research is physical appearance. Although, in the greater sense, attractiveness describes characteristics that go beyond the physical appearance alone, physically attractive people are perceived as â€Å"more persuasive, successful in changing attitudes, and are perceived to be warmer, more poised, and more socially skilled than less attractive people. According to Peterson and argyle, the way one dresses is also an important element of physical appearance as a source of nonverbal cues, in big part because a person has much more control over his or her clothes, as opposed to the features of the face or the body size. An example of this is the casual business clothing. It is considered distinguishing and positive status. But if you see someone in rags on the streets, you can presume that one is of lower and poorer status. Even though you cant always judge a book by its cover, physical appearance can sometimes depict who som eone is. In addition to the benefits of nonverbal communication, some problems exist as well. As the research suggests, little correlation exists between ones self-rated accuracy of decoding of the nonverbal cues and the actual performance. Some individuals also tend to concentrate more on their strongest areas of nonverbal communication while neglecting the other aspects. As in the example presented by Diane Arthur, the kinesic cues, contradictory to other verbal and nonverbal behavior, significantly undermined the credibility and effectiveness of the presenter. Another problem area within the realm of nonverbal communication is the ambiguity of generated and transmitted cues. Since the appropriate meaning and interpretation of nonverbal cues are highly contextual in nature, the same gestures, facial expressions or posture can and do mean different things in different interaction environment and settings. Often, perceivers tend to venture farther than available context allows and interpret t he signals according to their mental map, or to put it in other word their previous knowledge, experience, stereotypes and others perceptual filters. Problem is further escalated due to the natural tendency of humans to be overly confident of the purely subjective judgments reached according personally-relevant information. This idea develops into yet another obstacle in the interpretation of body language. Differences in cultural backgrounds of those involved in the interaction may interfere with correct decoding the encoded message. Most common cultural differences would probably be in kinesics. For example, a nod in the United States, as well as in many other cultures, signifies understanding or agreement. However, in the Middle East, a single nod represents disagreement or rejection. Similarly, other commonly used gestures or other aspects of nonverbal communication may have completely different meanings in various cultures. With this said, one must realize that the term cultur e does not refer to the various ethnic and geographical groups exclusively. Culture can describe anything from sex to interorganizational culture. Therefore, in order to correctly decode the nonverbal cues one must not only analyze the ones that are relative to the context of what is being communicated, but also to attempt to interpret them in light of the decoders cultural background. The task of understanding nonverbal cues clearly is extremely complex and misunderstandings are common. In conclusion, nonverbal communication is very important in depicting the message you are trying to deliver. The different kinds of communication are effective in so many ways. Some gestures are universal in meaning and some are not. But they do give a message. Without this, verbal language would show no meaning and be dull. Ones gestures and movements do bring life to conversation. Types Of Nonverbal Communication Types Of Nonverbal Communication Non-verbal communication or most commonly known as body language is the unspoken language of the body which is shown through our bodies to show our true intentions and hints of our feelings to the people whom we are conversing with. When we are conversing with others verbally our bodies simultaneously give out and receive signals which are transmitted by our bodies. This signals consists of the gestures we make, how we sit, the intonation and speed of how we talk, the distance we stand when talking and the amount of eye-contact we make while conversing. All this transmits vital non-verbal messages of oneself to another. These non-verbal messages still get across to the people around even when we are silent. The verbal message and body language very frequently contradicts which leaves the listener to choose which one to believe. Usually they will choose the body language. This is the reason why our body language should send a message which is congruent to what we are saying verbally. It is one of the biggest misconceptions to think that what is being said is more important than how it is being said. In reality only 7% of information is sent through words, the remaining 93% of communication is non-verbal. If you fail to read and de-code non-verbal messages, you set yourself up for constant misunderstandings and various communication problems. (Arina Nikitina, 2009) Sometimes the amount of attention we give towards the person who is talking can also be portrayed by our body language. The listener will increase their trust when our body language matches what we are saying but if it doesnt, the listeners will begin to develop tension, mistrust and be confused. In order to enhance what we are saying verbally, we have to be conscious of our body language to prevent sending out a wrong non-verbal message which might misinterpret what we are saying. For example, I had a classmate in secondary school which had problems catching up with his lessons in class. This was because he was suffering from some sort of mental retardation which affects his academic performance. When teacher questions him, he would apologize but the teacher would get even more furious with him and will not accept his apology. At first I thought the teacher was insensitive but then I realized that my classmate was at fault too. This is because he did not apologize in the proper mann er. His arms will be folded and while looking somewhere else he would apologize. In this case, the boy was apologizing but because of his improper body language the message he wanted to send across to the teacher was misinterpreted and the teacher thought that my classmate was being arrogant. In this scenario, the most appropriate way for my classmate to express his apology to the teacher is by looking into the teachers eyes with his arms down and saying sorry with a tone full of remorse. This real life example which happened in front of my eyes clearly demonstrates the importance of body language. This also clearly demonstrates the importance of nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication can play five roles in speech: -Repetition -Contradiction -Substitution -Complementing -Accenting Source: The Importance of Effective Communication, Edward G. Wertheim, Ph.D. The Seven Known Types of Nonverbal Communication Facial expressions Although people come from different parts of the world with different cultures, they all still have the same facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and disgust. These expressions are almost universal. For instance, if one was to attend a wedding ceremony with a sulky face, this clearly shows that he or she is unhappy with the ceremony or simply just had a bad day. Body movements and posture The perceptions of us from others are affected by how we sit, talk, stand or even by shaking or holding their hand. For example, when a person is in an interview with the human resource executive and starts fidgeting with his or her fingers or an object, this clearly sends a body language to the human resource executive showing that the candidate is feeling restless and in secured with his or her given credentials. This will make the human resource executive think twice before hiring this candidate. Gestures Gestures are practically incorporated into our daily lives. Some gestures occur during our subconscious state of thought. However gestures vary from each culture to another. We must heed to the listeners cultural norms to avoid misinterpretation. In some cultures, the gesture of pointing the finger at a person is disrespectful but to another culture is perfectly fine. Eye contact The human eyes can portray someones interest, affection, hostility or attraction towards the opposite sex. Eye contact is also another tool to show clarity of the speaker. Touch An example of touch as a form of nonverbal communication is a handshake. A handshake is used to convey a mutual agreement or when someone meets a new person. Besides that a warm hug is used to convey affection toward the particular person is being hugged. A pat on the back or shoulder is used for encouragement or to acknowledge someones presence. Space The distance the speaker is standing or seating towards the listener can be used to indicate the type of relationship they are having. According to Wikipedia there are four different levels of distance: intimate distance, personal distance, social distance and public distance. Intimate distance is the space for embracing each other, touching and whispering. Whereas, personal distance is the space for interactions among friends and family. On the other hand, social distance is the space for acquaintances or people whom you meet randomly or even mutual friends. The public distance is for public speakers who deliver their message to the masses to convey their thoughts and ideology. For example, politicians and professor who is giving a lecture in front of a huge number of students in an auditorium. Voice Saying something doesnt really make a great impact but instead the way you say something really has the potential to captivate your audiences. For example pauses can be used to show power and superiority. On the other hand, the intonation n rate of speech and enhance the understanding of the listener. For example, if one was to speak really fast I am sure that the listener would only manage to understand the gist of what the speaker was saying. This is the reason one should say what he intends to say by saying it with the proper intonation, pauses and tone to deliver his message clearly to the listener in order for him or her to understand what the speaker is saying. The Common Misconception Some people feel assume that they can fake body language to hide their feelings. This is a total failure; this is because the more a person tries to fake their body language the more obvious it will look completely unnatural. This will definitely portray a sense of insecurity towards the person whom he or she is conversing with. The truth, body language is the bodily reaction towards a feeling felt by the body of a person and its completely natural. This is why one cannot successfully fake his or her body language. What is said by the person runs congruently with the body language of the person. This is another well-known reason behind why nonverbal communication is just as equally important as verbal communication. The Basic Importance of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal communication can be used to gain trust from the people whom you converse with. This is because, through the body language projected, one can simply read it and if you are lying or saying the truth. Instead, if you manage to portray a confident body language, this will automatically tell the person whom you are conversing with that you are a trustworthy and honest person telling the truth. When you have gained their trust, the message which you would like to send across would be successful. Businessmen who are well of this are very successful in their courier simply because they have gained the trust of the buyer. Relationships sometimes fail because the partner is able to read the body language of his or her other half. When a person cheats on his or her partner they tend to lack eye contact frequently and appear tense and agitated as in always fidgeting with their hands. But if one wasnt cheating but its simply his or her character to act in such a way then it will send a wrong message across to the partner. This is another importance of the knowledge of nonverbal communication in daily live. Conclusion Nonverbal communication is clearly as important as verbal communication. Basically, if everyone had more knowledge about the importance or simply just the context of nonverbal communication I am sure that the world we live in would be a more understanding and peaceful place to live in. This is the reason why institutions should promote the importance of nonverbal communication to their student to create some sort of awareness among the students and to understand the importance of nonverbal communication.

Alan Turning: A Sad Mystery Essay -- Alan Turning Enigma Biography Pap

Alan Turning: A Sad Mystery â€Å"The original question, ‘Can machines think?’ I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion. Nevertheless I believe that at the end of the century the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without expecting to be contradicted†¦. The popular view that scientists proceed inexorably from well-established fact to well-established fact, never being influenced by any improved conjecture, is quite mistaken. Provided it is made clear which are proved facts and which are conjectures, no harm can result. Conjectures are of great importance since they suggest useful lines of research† (Turing, â€Å"Computing Machinery and Intelligence†) In his thorough biography of Alan Turing, Alan Turing:The Enigma, Andrew Hodges described the self-destruction of HAL in 2001 A Space Odyssey in the following way:â€Å"He was only aware of the conflict that was slowly destroying his integrity – the conflict between truth, and concealment of truth† (Hodges, 533). Apparently the authors of 2001, Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick had based their picture of HAL on ideas developed by Alan Turing, the brilliant British mathematician, scientist, cryptographer and philosopher who committed suicide on June 7, 1954. (Hodges, 533). Mr. Turing had a remarkable career from the 1930’s into the early 1950’s. He studied math initially at Cambridge, worked for a time at Princeton and spent most of World War II at Bletchley Park where he and his colleagues eventually solved the Enigma cipher used by the Germans to secure their U-boat strikes against Allied shipping lanes during the height of the European war. After the war, he returned to academic life ... ...or of much of the early thought that has evolved into today’s computer science will continue to affect us. It is rather daunting to envision what more he could have given us when considering the legacy of his work. Perhaps Clark and Kubrick also had Turing the man in mind when they devised what it would take to cause HAL to self-destruct Works Cited Hodges, Andrew. â€Å"The Alan Turing Home Page.† last updated 24 October 1998. http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/Turing.html(February, 1999). Hodges, Andrew. Alan Turing:The Enigma. New York:Simon and Schuster, 1983. Hodges, Andrew. â€Å"Alan Turing:a natural philosopher.† 1997. http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/philo/ ex6.html (February, 1999). Turing, Alan. â€Å"Computing Machinery and Intelligence† 1950. http://www.sscf.ucsb.edu/~sung/ comm115/writing-define-computing/Computing-machinery.html (February, 1999). Alan Turning: A Sad Mystery Essay -- Alan Turning Enigma Biography Pap Alan Turning: A Sad Mystery â€Å"The original question, ‘Can machines think?’ I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion. Nevertheless I believe that at the end of the century the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without expecting to be contradicted†¦. The popular view that scientists proceed inexorably from well-established fact to well-established fact, never being influenced by any improved conjecture, is quite mistaken. Provided it is made clear which are proved facts and which are conjectures, no harm can result. Conjectures are of great importance since they suggest useful lines of research† (Turing, â€Å"Computing Machinery and Intelligence†) In his thorough biography of Alan Turing, Alan Turing:The Enigma, Andrew Hodges described the self-destruction of HAL in 2001 A Space Odyssey in the following way:â€Å"He was only aware of the conflict that was slowly destroying his integrity – the conflict between truth, and concealment of truth† (Hodges, 533). Apparently the authors of 2001, Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick had based their picture of HAL on ideas developed by Alan Turing, the brilliant British mathematician, scientist, cryptographer and philosopher who committed suicide on June 7, 1954. (Hodges, 533). Mr. Turing had a remarkable career from the 1930’s into the early 1950’s. He studied math initially at Cambridge, worked for a time at Princeton and spent most of World War II at Bletchley Park where he and his colleagues eventually solved the Enigma cipher used by the Germans to secure their U-boat strikes against Allied shipping lanes during the height of the European war. After the war, he returned to academic life ... ...or of much of the early thought that has evolved into today’s computer science will continue to affect us. It is rather daunting to envision what more he could have given us when considering the legacy of his work. Perhaps Clark and Kubrick also had Turing the man in mind when they devised what it would take to cause HAL to self-destruct Works Cited Hodges, Andrew. â€Å"The Alan Turing Home Page.† last updated 24 October 1998. http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/Turing.html(February, 1999). Hodges, Andrew. Alan Turing:The Enigma. New York:Simon and Schuster, 1983. Hodges, Andrew. â€Å"Alan Turing:a natural philosopher.† 1997. http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/philo/ ex6.html (February, 1999). Turing, Alan. â€Å"Computing Machinery and Intelligence† 1950. http://www.sscf.ucsb.edu/~sung/ comm115/writing-define-computing/Computing-machinery.html (February, 1999). Alan Turning: A Sad Mystery Essay -- Alan Turning Enigma Biography Pap Alan Turning: A Sad Mystery â€Å"The original question, ‘Can machines think?’ I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion. Nevertheless I believe that at the end of the century the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without expecting to be contradicted†¦. The popular view that scientists proceed inexorably from well-established fact to well-established fact, never being influenced by any improved conjecture, is quite mistaken. Provided it is made clear which are proved facts and which are conjectures, no harm can result. Conjectures are of great importance since they suggest useful lines of research† (Turing, â€Å"Computing Machinery and Intelligence†) In his thorough biography of Alan Turing, Alan Turing:The Enigma, Andrew Hodges described the self-destruction of HAL in 2001 A Space Odyssey in the following way:â€Å"He was only aware of the conflict that was slowly destroying his integrity – the conflict between truth, and concealment of truth† (Hodges, 533). Apparently the authors of 2001, Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick had based their picture of HAL on ideas developed by Alan Turing, the brilliant British mathematician, scientist, cryptographer and philosopher who committed suicide on June 7, 1954. (Hodges, 533). Mr. Turing had a remarkable career from the 1930’s into the early 1950’s. He studied math initially at Cambridge, worked for a time at Princeton and spent most of World War II at Bletchley Park where he and his colleagues eventually solved the Enigma cipher used by the Germans to secure their U-boat strikes against Allied shipping lanes during the height of the European war. After the war, he returned to academic life ... ...or of much of the early thought that has evolved into today’s computer science will continue to affect us. It is rather daunting to envision what more he could have given us when considering the legacy of his work. Perhaps Clark and Kubrick also had Turing the man in mind when they devised what it would take to cause HAL to self-destruct Works Cited Hodges, Andrew. â€Å"The Alan Turing Home Page.† last updated 24 October 1998. http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/Turing.html(February, 1999). Hodges, Andrew. Alan Turing:The Enigma. New York:Simon and Schuster, 1983. Hodges, Andrew. â€Å"Alan Turing:a natural philosopher.† 1997. http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/philo/ ex6.html (February, 1999). Turing, Alan. â€Å"Computing Machinery and Intelligence† 1950. http://www.sscf.ucsb.edu/~sung/ comm115/writing-define-computing/Computing-machinery.html (February, 1999).

Breast Cancer Essay -- essays research papers

In the United States in 1999 alone, an estimated 43,700 people will die from breast cancer. It is the number two cancer killer among females ages 15 to 54. On average if a woman gets this disease, their life expectancy drops drastically. This cancer is within the top three cancers of all women above the age of 15, and comprises a great amount of all health care costs in the U.S. totaling an astounding 37 billion dollars a year in direct medical costs. An average woman is said to have a one in nine chance of getting the cancer, but if that person had family history of the disease, his or her chances have been measured up to a one in six chance. Sixty-nine percent of African-American women survive from it, and there are predicted to be nearly two million new cases reported this year in the U.S. (Breast Cancer Key Statistics). Breast cancer is a group of rapidly reproducing, undifferentiated cells in the area of the breast in men and women. The earliest changes occur in the epithelial cells of the terminal end buds (TEB) of the breast milk ductal system. While the progressive steps of breast cancer are unknown, the cells in the breast trigger a reaction of cell reproduction. These new cancer cells form tumors. If cancer cells are active or are considered malign, the tumor grows at tremendous speeds, and may end up in metastasis. Metastasis is a complex process in which cells break away from their primary tumors, and via the blood supply or through the lymph system relocate into other organs, thus spreading cancer throughout the body. Generally, if a lump is smaller than one centimeter, it is considered benign, although every woman should consult her doctor about any unusual bumps or feeling in the chest. One sign of breast cancer results from ductal cancer in the breast. A once hollow open tube could be completely clogged up with cancerous cells leaving an awkward feeling in the chest area. Other complications that result from this cancer and others are the clogg ing and cramming of the system (American Cancer Society, 1999: 10). Recently genes have been named as a great cause of cancer. It now is thought in the medical community that while there are definite environmental contributors to cancer, even those people who are exposed to few carcinogens may suffer from disease that runs in their families. Among the genes that are being heavily researched is the gene... ...99. "Case Studies." http://www.cancergenetics.org/bc.htm. April 12, 1999. "Detection." http://www3.cancer.org/cancerinfo/main_cont.asp?st=ds&ct=5#early. September 20, 1999. "Exercise Reduces Breast Cancer." http://www.oncolink.com/cancer_news/1994/exercise_bc.html. August 26, 1999. Fitzgerald et al. The New England Journal of Medicine. Vol. 334, No. 3. January 18, 1996. "Guidelines for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer." The American Breast Cancer Guide (1999): 6. "Newly Synthesized Compound Can Inhibit Development of Precancerous Cells." http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~ffh/vitamind.htm. "Perceptions of Breast Cancer Risk and Screening Effectiveness in Women Younger Than 50 Years of Age." http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/jnci/issue10/87-720.html. "Risk Factors for Breast Cancer." http://www3.cancer.org/cancerinfo/main_cont.asp?st=pr&ct=5#risk. September 20, 1999. "Tamoxifen." http://www.infomed.org/100drugs/tamofram.html. 1996. "Treatment. http://www3.cancer.org/cancerinfo/main_cont.asp?st=tr&ct=5. September 20, 1999. "Types of Breast Cancer", " Breast Cancer Stages." Breast Cancer Treatment Guidelines for Patients, Version II (June 1999): 7, 10.

Blood Promise Chapter Thirteen

The next day was Easter. Everyone was up and around, getting ready to go to church. The whole house smelled delicious, filled with the scents of Olena's baking. My stomach rumbled, and I wondered if I could wait until this afternoon for the huge dinner she'd prepared. Even though I wasn't always sure about God, I'd gone to church a lot in my life. Mostly, it was a courtesy to others, a way of being polite and social. Dimitri had gone because he found peace there, and I wondered if going today might offer me some insight on what I should do. I felt a little shabby accompanying the others. They'd dressed up, but I didn't have anything other than jeans and casual shirts. Viktoria, noticing my dismay, lent me a lacy white blouse that was a little tight but still looked good. Once I was settled with the family into a pew, I looked around, wondering how Dimitri could have taken solace in the Academy's tiny chapel when he'd grown up with this place. It was huge. It could have held four chapels. The ceilings were higher and more elaborate, and gold decorations and icons of saints seemed to cover every surface. It was overwhelming, dazzling to the eye. Sweet incense hung heavy in the air, so much so that I could actually see the smoke. There were a lot of people there, human and dhampir, and I was surprised to even spot some Moroi. Apparently, the Moroi visiting town were pious enough to come to church, despite whatever sordid activities they might be engaging in. And speaking of Moroi†¦ â€Å"Abe isn't here,† I said to Viktoria, glancing around. She was on my left; Olena sat on my right. While he hadn't struck me as the religious type, I'd kind of expected him to follow me here. I hoped that maybe his absence meant he'd left Baia. I was still unnerved by our last encounter. â€Å"Did he leave town?† â€Å"I think he's Muslim,† Viktoria explained. â€Å"But last I knew, he's still around. Karolina saw him this morning.† Damn Zmey. He hadn't left. What was it he'd said? A good friend or a bad enemy. When I said nothing, Viktoria gave me a concerned look. â€Å"He's never really done anything bad when he's around. He usually has meetings and then disappears. I meant it before when I said I didn't think he'd hurt you, but now you're worrying me. Are you in some kind of trouble?† Excellent question. â€Å"I don't know. He just seems interested in me, that's all. I can't figure out why.† Her frown deepened. â€Å"We won't let anything happen to you,† she said fiercely. I smiled, both at her concern and because of her resemblance to Dimitri in that moment. â€Å"Thanks. There are some people back home who might be looking for me, and I think that Abe is just†¦ checking up on me.† That was a nice way of describing someone who was either going to drag me back to the U.S. kicking and screaming-or just make me vanish for good. Viktoria seemed to sense I was softening the truth. â€Å"Well, I mean it. I won't let him hurt you.† The service started, cutting off our conversation. While the priest's chanting was beautiful, it meant even less to me than church services usually did. It was all in Russian, like at the funeral, and no one was going to bother translating it for me today. It didn't matter. Still taking in the beauty of my surroundings, I found my mind wandering. To the left of the altar, a golden-haired angel looked at me from a four-foot-tall icon. An unexpected memory came to me. Dimitri had once gotten permission for me to accompany him on a quick weekend trip to Idaho to meet with some other guardians. Idaho wasn't any place I was keen on going, but I welcomed the time with him, and he'd convinced school officials that it was a â€Å"learning experience.† That had been shortly after Mason's death, and after the shock wave that tragedy had sent through the school, I think they would have allowed me anything, to be honest. Unfortunately, there was little that was leisurely or romantic about the trip. Dimitri had a job to do, and he had to do it quickly. So we made the best time we could, stopping only when absolutely necessary. Considering our last road trip had involved us stumbling onto a Moroi massacre, this one being uneventful was probably for the best. As usual, he wouldn't let me drive, despite my claims that I could get us there in half the time. Or maybe that was why he wouldn't let me drive. We stopped at one point to get gas and scrounge some food from the station's store. We were up in the mountains somewhere, in a tiny town that rivaled St. Vladimir's for remote location. I could see mountains on clear days at school, but it was a totally different experience being in them. They surrounded us and were so close it seemed like you could just jump over and land on one. Dimitri was finishing up with the car. Holding my sub sandwich, I walked around to the back of the gas station to get a better view. Whatever civilization the gas station offered disappeared as soon as I cleared it. Endless snowy pines stretched out before me, and all was still and quiet, save for the distant sound of the highway behind me. My heart ached over what had happened to Mason, and I was still having nightmares about the Strigoi who'd held us captive. That pain was a long way from disappearing, but something about this peaceful setting soothed me for a moment. Looking down at the unbroken, foot-high snow, a crazy thought suddenly came to me. I let myself go, falling back-first to the ground. The thick snow embraced me, and I rested there a moment, taking comfort in lying down. Then I moved my legs and arms back and forth, carving out new hollows in the snow. When I finished, I didn't get up right away. I simply continued lounging, staring up at the blue, blue sky. â€Å"What,† asked Dimitri, â€Å"are you doing? Aside from getting your sandwich cold.† His shadow fell over me, and I looked up at his tall form. In spite of the cold, the sun was out, and its rays backlit his hair. He could have been an angel himself, I thought. â€Å"I'm making a snow angel,† I replied. â€Å"Don't you know what that is?† â€Å"Yes, I know. But why? You must be freezing.† I had on a heavy winter coat, hat, gloves, and all the other requisite cold-weather accessories. He was right about the sandwich. â€Å"Not so much, actually. My face is a little, I guess.† He shook his head and gave me a wry smile. â€Å"You'll be cold when you're in the car and all that snow starts melting.† â€Å"I think you're more worried about the car than about me.† He laughed. â€Å"I'm more worried about you getting hypothermia.† â€Å"In this? This is nothing.† I patted the ground beside me. â€Å"Come on. You make one too, and then we can go.† He continued looking down at me. â€Å"So I can freeze too?† â€Å"So you can have fun. So you can leave your mark on Idaho. Besides, it shouldn't bother you at all, right? Don't you have some sort of super cold resistance from Siberia?† He sighed, a smile still on his lips. It was enough to warm me even in this weather. â€Å"There you go again, convinced Siberia is like Antarctica. I'm from the southern part. The weather's almost the same as here.† â€Å"You're making excuses,† I told him. â€Å"Unless you want to drag me back to the car, you're going to have to make an angel too.† Dimitri studied me for several heavy moments, and I thought he might actually haul me away. His face was still light and open, though, and his expression was filled with a fondness that made my heart race. Then, without warning, he flopped into the snow beside me, lying there quietly. â€Å"Okay,† I said when he did nothing more. â€Å"Now you have to move your arms and legs.† â€Å"I know how to make a snow angel.† â€Å"Then do it! Otherwise, you're more like a chalk outline at a police crime scene.† He laughed again, and the sound was rich and warm in the still air. Finally, after a little more coaxing on my part, he moved his arms and legs too, making an angel of his own. When he finished, I expected him to jump up and demand we get back on the road, but instead, he stayed there too, watching the sky and the mountains. â€Å"Pretty, huh?† I asked. My breath made frosty clouds in the air. â€Å"I guess in some ways, it's not that different from the ski resort's view†¦ but I don't know. I feel different about it all today.† â€Å"Life's like that,† he said. â€Å"As we grow and change, sometimes things we've experienced before take on new meaning. It'll happen for the rest of your life.† I started to tease him about his tendency to always deliver these profound life lessons, but it occurred to me then that he was right. When I'd first begun falling for Dimitri, the feelings had been all-consuming. I'd never felt anything like it before. I'd been convinced there was no possible way I could love him more. But now, after what I'd witnessed with Mason and the Strigoi, things were different. I did love Dimitri more intensely. I loved him in a different way, in a deeper way. Something about seeing how fragile life was made me appreciate him more. It had made me realize how much he meant to me and how sad I'd be if I ever lost him. â€Å"You think it'd be nice to have a cabin up there?† I asked, pointing to a nearby peak. â€Å"Out in the woods where no one could find you?† â€Å"I would think it was nice. I think you'd be bored.† I tried to imagine being stuck in the wilderness with him. Small room, fireplace, bed†¦ I didn't think it'd be that boring. â€Å"It wouldn't be so bad if we had cable. And Internet.† And body heat. â€Å"Oh, Rose.† He didn't laugh, but I could tell he was smiling again. â€Å"I don't think you'd ever be happy someplace quiet. You always need something to do.† â€Å"Are you saying I have a short attention span?† â€Å"Not at all. I'm saying there's a fire in you that drives everything you do, that makes you need to better the world and those you love. To stand up for those you can't. It's one of the wonderful things about you.† â€Å"Only one, huh?† I spoke lightly, but his words had thrilled me. He'd meant what he said about thinking those were wonderful traits, and feeling his pride in me meant more than anything just then. â€Å"One of many,† he said. He sat up and looked down at me. â€Å"So, no peaceful cabin for you. Not until you're an old, old woman.† â€Å"What, like forty?† He shook his head in exasperation and stood up, not gracing my joke with a response. Still, he regarded me with the same affection I'd heard in his voice. There was admiration too, and I thought I could never be unhappy as long as Dimitri thought I was wonderful and beautiful. Leaning down, he extended his hand. â€Å"Time to go.† I took it, letting him help pull me up. Once standing, we held hands for a heartbeat longer than necessary. Then we let go and surveyed our work. Two perfect snow angels-one much, much taller than the other. Careful to step inside each outline, I leaned down and hacked out a horizontal line above each head. â€Å"What's that?† he asked, when I stood beside him again. â€Å"Halos,† I said with a grin. â€Å"For heavenly creatures like us.† â€Å"That might be a stretch.† We studied our angels for a few moments more, looking at where we had lain side by side in that sweet, quiet moment. I wished what I'd said was true, that we had truly left our mark on the mountain. But I knew that after the next snowfall, our angels would disappear into the whiteness and be nothing more than a memory. Dimitri touched my arm gently, and without another word, we turned around and headed back to the car. Compared to that memory of him and the way he'd looked at me out there on the mountain, I thought the angel looking back at me in church seemed pale and boring in comparison. No offense to her. The congregation was filing back to their seats after taking bread and wine. I'd stayed seated for that, but I did understand a few of the priest's words. Life. Death. Destroy. Eternal. I knew enough about all this to string together the meaning. I would have bet good money â€Å"resurrection† was in there too. I sighed, wishing it were truly that easy to vanquish death and bring back those we loved. Church ended, and I left with the Belikovs, feeling melancholy. As people passed each other near the entrance, I saw some eggs being exchanged. Viktoria had explained that it was a big tradition around here. A few people I didn't know gave some to me, and I felt a little bad that I had nothing to give in return. I also wondered how I was going to eat them all. They were decorated in various ways. Some were simply colored; others were elaborately designed. Everyone seemed chatty after church, and we all stood around outside it. Friends and family hugged and caught up on gossip. I stood near Viktoria, smiling and trying to follow the conversation that often took place in both English and Russian. â€Å"Viktoria!† We turned and saw Nikolai striding toward us. He gave us-by which I mean, he gave her-a brilliant smile. He'd dressed up for the holiday and looked amazing in a sage shirt and dark green tie. I eyed Viktoria, wondering if it had any effect on her. Nope. Her smile was polite, genuinely happy to see him, but there was nothing romantic there. Again, I wondered about her mystery â€Å"friend.† He had a couple of guys with him whom I'd met before. They greeted me too. Like the Belikovs, they seemed to think I was a permanent fixture around here. â€Å"Are you still going to Marina's party?† asked Nikolai. I'd nearly forgotten. That was the party he'd invited us to the first day I'd met him. Viktoria had accepted then, but to my surprise, she now shook her head. â€Å"We can't. We have family plans.† That was news to me. There was a possibility something had come up that I didn't know about yet, but I doubted it. I had a feeling she was lying, and being a loyal friend, I said nothing to contradict her. It was hard watching Nikolai's face fall, though. â€Å"Really? We're going to miss you.† She shrugged. â€Å"We'll all see each other at school.† He didn't seem pacified by that. â€Å"Yeah, but-â€Å" Nikolai's eyes suddenly lifted from her face and focused on something behind us. He frowned. Viktoria and I both glanced back, and I felt her mood shift too. Three guys were strolling toward my group. They were dhampirs as well. I didn't notice anything unusual about them-smirks aside-but other dhampirs and Moroi gathered outside the church took on expressions similar to those of my companions. Troubled. Worried. Uncomfortable. The three guys came to a stop by us, pushing their way into our circle. â€Å"I thought you might be here, Kolya,† said one. He spoke in perfect English, and it took me a moment to realize he was talking to Nikolai. I would never understand Russian nicknames. â€Å"I didn't know you were back,† replied Nikolai stiffly. Studying the two of them, I could see a distinct resemblance. They had the same bronze hair and lean build. Brothers, apparently. Nikolai's brother's gaze fell on me. He brightened. â€Å"And you must be the unpromised American girl.† It didn't surprise me that he knew who I was. After the memorial, most of the local dhampirs had left telling tales about the American girl who had fought battles against Strigoi but carried neither a promise mark nor a graduation mark. â€Å"I'm Rose,† I said. I didn't know what was up with these guys, but I certainly wasn't going to show any fear in front of them. The guy seemed to appreciate my confidence and shook my hand. â€Å"I'm Denis.† He gestured to his friends. â€Å"Artur and Lev.† â€Å"When did you come to town?† asked Nikolai, still not looking happy about this reunion. â€Å"Just this morning.† Denis turned to Viktoria. â€Å"I heard about your brother. I'm sorry.† Viktoria's expression was hard, but she nodded politely. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"Is it true he fell defending Moroi?† I didn't like the sneer in Denis's voice, but it was Karolina who voiced my angry thoughts. I hadn't noticed her approaching our group. She didn't look happy to see Denis at all. â€Å"He fell fighting Strigoi. He died a hero.† Denis shrugged, unaffected by the angry tone of her voice. â€Å"Still makes him dead. I'm sure the Moroi will sing his name for years to come.† â€Å"They will,† I replied. â€Å"He saved a whole group of them. And dhampirs too.† Denis's gaze fell back on me, his eyes thoughtful as he studied my face for a few seconds. â€Å"I heard you were there too. That both of you were sent into an impossible battle.† â€Å"It wasn't impossible. We won.† â€Å"Would Dimitri say that if he were alive?† Karolina crossed her arms over her chest. â€Å"If you're only here to start something, then you should leave. This is a church.† It was funny. Upon meeting her, I'd thought she seemed so gentle and kind, just an ordinary young mother working to support her family. But in this moment, she seemed more like Dimitri than ever. I could see that same strength within her, that fierceness that drove her to protect loved ones and stand up to her enemies. Not that these guys were her enemies, exactly. I honestly didn't yet understand who they were. â€Å"We're just talking,† said Denis. â€Å"I just want to understand what happened to your brother. Believe me, I think his death was a tragedy.† â€Å"He wouldn't have regretted it,† I told them. â€Å"He died fighting for what he believed in.† â€Å"Defending others who took him for granted.† â€Å"That's not true.† â€Å"Oh?† Denis gave me a lopsided smile. â€Å"Then why don't you work for the guardians? You've killed Strigoi but have no promise mark. Not even a graduation mark, I heard. Why aren't you out there throwing yourself in front of Moroi?† â€Å"Denis,† said Nikolai uneasily, â€Å"please just leave.† â€Å"I'm not talking to you, Kolya.† Denis's eyes were still on me. â€Å"I'm just trying to figure Rose out. She kills Strigoi but doesn't work for the guardians. She's clearly not like the rest of you soft people in this town. Maybe she's more like us.† â€Å"She's nothing like you,† Viktoria snapped back. I got it then, and a chill ran down my spine. These were the kind of dhampirs that Mark had been talking about. The true unpromised ones. The vigilantes who sought out Strigoi on their own, the ones who neither settled down nor answered to any guardians. They shouldn't have unnerved me, not really. In some ways, Denis was right. In the simplest terms, I really was like them. And yet†¦ there was an air about these guys that just rubbed me the wrong way. â€Å"Then why are you in Russia?† asked one of Denis's friends. I already couldn't remember his name. â€Å"This is a long trip for you. You wouldn't have come here without a good reason.† Viktoria was picking up her sister's anger. â€Å"She came to tell us about Dimka.† Denis eyed me. â€Å"I think she's here to hunt Strigoi. There are more in Russia to choose from than there are in the States.† â€Å"She wouldn't be in Baia if she was hunting Strigoi, you idiot,† returned Viktoria evenly. â€Å"She'd be in Vladivostok or Novosibirsk or somewhere like that.† Novosibirsk. The name was familiar. But where had I heard it? A moment later, the answer came to me. Sydney had mentioned it. Novosibirsk was the largest city in Siberia. Denis continued. â€Å"Maybe she's just passing through. Maybe she'll want to join us when we go to Novosibirsk tomorrow.† â€Å"For God's sake,† I exclaimed. â€Å"I'm right here. Stop talking about me like I'm not. And why would I want to go with you?† Denis's eyes gleamed with an intense, feverish light. â€Å"Good hunting there. Lots of Strigoi. Come with us, and you can help us go after them.† â€Å"And how many of you will come back from this?† Karolina asked in a hard voice. â€Å"Where's Timosha? Where's Vasiliy? Your hunting party keeps getting smaller each time you return here. Which one of you will be next? Whose family will be the next to mourn?† â€Å"Easy for you to talk,† retorted the friend. Lev, I think his name was. â€Å"You stay here and do nothing while we go out and keep you safe.† Karolina gave him a disgusted look, and I recalled how she was dating a guardian. â€Å"You go out and rush into situations without thinking. If you want to keep us safe, then stay here and defend your families when they need it. If you want to go after Strigoi, go join the guardians and work with those who have some sense.† â€Å"The guardians don't hunt Strigoi!† cried Denis. â€Å"They sit and wait and cower before the Moroi.† The unfortunate part was, he had a point. But not entirely. â€Å"That's changing,† I said. â€Å"There's a movement to start taking the offensive against the Strigoi. There's also talk of the Moroi learning to fight with us. You could help be a part of that.† â€Å"Like you are?† he laughed. â€Å"You still haven't told us why you're here and not with them. You can say what you want to the rest of this group, but I know why you're here. I can see it in you.† The crazy, eerie look he gave me almost made me think that he could. â€Å"You know the only way to rid the world of evil is to do it on our own. To seek out the Strigoi ourselves and kill them, one by one.† â€Å"Without a plan,† finished Karolina. â€Å"Without any thought of the consequences.† â€Å"We're strong and we know how to fight. That's all we need to know when it comes to killing Strigoi.† And that was when I understood. I finally got what Mark had been trying to tell me. Denis was saying exactly what I had been thinking since I left St. Vladimir's. I'd run off without a plan, wanting to throw myself into danger because I felt I had a mission that only I could carry out. Only I could kill Dimitri. Only I could destroy the evil within him. I'd been giving no thought to how I'd pull it off-seeing as Dimitri had beat me more often than not in fights when he was still a dhampir. With a Strigoi's strength and speed now? The odds were definitely against me. Still, I hadn't cared. I'd been obsessed, convinced I had to do this. In my own head, what I had to do made sense, but now†¦ hearing those sentiments from Denis, it sounded crazy. Just as reckless as Mark had warned. Their motives might be good-just as mine were-but they were also suicidal. Without Dimitri, I honestly hadn't cared much about my own life. I'd never been afraid to risk it before, but now I realized there was a big difference between dying uselessly and dying for a reason. If I died trying to kill Dimitri because I had no strategy, then my life would have meant nothing. Just then, the priest walked over and said something to us in Russian. From his tone and expression, I think he was asking if everything was okay. He'd mingled with the rest of the congregation after the service. Being human, he probably didn't know all the dhampir politics afoot, but he could undoubtedly sense trouble. Denis offered him a simpering smile and gave what sounded like a polite explanation. The priest smiled in return, nodded, and wandered off when someone else called to him. â€Å"Enough,† said Karolina harshly, once the priest was out of earshot. â€Å"You need to go. Now.† Denis's body tensed, and mine responded, ready for a fight. I thought he might start something then and there. A few seconds later, he relaxed and turned to me. â€Å"Show them to me first.† â€Å"Show you what?† I asked. â€Å"The marks. Show me how many Strigoi you've killed.† I didn't respond right away, wondering if this was a trick. Everyone's eyes were on me. Turning slightly, I lifted the hair off the back of my neck and showed my tattoos. Little lightning-shaped molnija marks were there, along with the mark I'd gotten for the battle. From the sound of Denis's gasp, I was guessing he'd never seen that many kills before. I let my hair go and met his gaze levelly. â€Å"Anything else?† I asked. â€Å"You're wasting your time,† he said at last, gesturing to the people behind me. â€Å"With them. With this place. You should come with us to Novosibirsk. We'll help make your life worthwhile.† â€Å"I'm the only one who can make anything of my life.† I pointed down the street. â€Å"You were asked to leave. Now go.† I held my breath, still bracing for a fight. After several tense moments, the group retreated. Before turning around, Denis gave me one last piercing look. â€Å"This isn't what you want and you know it. When you change your mind, come find us at 83 Kasakova. We leave at sunrise tomorrow.† â€Å"You'll be leaving without me,† I said. Denis' smile sent another chill down my spine. â€Å"We'll see.†

Mbuti Culture

Mbuti Culture Micheal Smith ANT 101 Prof. Tracy Samperio September 24, 2012 Mbuti Culture Mbuti primary mode of subsistence is Foraging. A forager lives as hunter and gatherer. The Mbuti hunt and gather food from the forest, and they trade as well for survival. They are referred as hunter-gatherer. They are a small band of kinship groups that are mobile. All foraging communities value their lifestyle. The Mbuti show how their kinships, beliefs and values, and economic organization are the key for their forager culture. In the forager societies kinship is one of the key importance of the lifestyle.Mbuti are called the people of the forest, who believe they are the children of the forest. Their beliefs and values are very important to their culture also. The forager beliefs are that every living thing has a spirit (Nowak and Laird, 2010). The Mbuti beliefs are that the forest is for helping and giving thanks through their ritual ceremonies ( Mosko, pg. 897). Forager see working togethe r and sharing is the way to economic organization. The Mbuti has the same way to keep their economic organization working right. The Mbuti way of living shows team work instead of individual wealth.The foraging societies believe family, marriage and kinship, gender, and age are the key principle of social organization (Nowak and Laird, 2010). The Mbuti are forest people. Their kinship is small and have different one throughout their band. They look to choose a partner, than start a family. The most common type of family in foraging societies is nuclear family (Nowak and Laird, 2010), which the Mbuti have also. In choosing a partner, there are some rules and understanding they have to meet. With the foraging societies, choosing a partner, they have to understand; they cannot have sexual intercourse until married and cannot arry within certain kin. That means intermediate family. Once the Mbuti culture has chosen a partner and got marry; sexual intercourse can occur also. Ideally, mar ital love-making should take place in the forest, but it may also occur in the couple own hut (Mosko, pg. 899). The women that is married should have intercourse during menstruate cycle. This is how they conceive and start a family. The Mbuti common type of family is the nuclear family, just like most foraging societies. A nuclear family is composed of a mother and father and their children (Nowak and Laird, 2010).The forager societies feel nuclear family adaptive to various situations that is why it is common (Nowak and Laird, 2010). The Mbuti are composed of bands which are multifamily groups. The bands are small groups of nuclear family, which changes every time they move. Sometime the bands are composed of a few extended families, each consisting of a nuclear family with married children, their spouses, and offspring (Nowak and Laird, 2010). Such a band composition works best in terms of cooperation and sharing (Nowak and Laird, 2010). The Mbuti bands establish a camp in the for est.The nuclear families of the bands arrange their separate huts roughly in a circle around a central hearth (Mosko, pg. 903). The bands are what make up the Mbuti kinship. The forager society’s beliefs and values may be different but have the same meaning. Like stated before, they believe that every living thing has a spirit (Nowak and Laird, 2010). The Mbuti main beliefs and values are the forest, avoiding violence, and their leisure time. The Mbuti see the forest as a symbol of their beliefs and values. The forest is a thing that has a spirit which helps them. They give thanks to the forest by ritual ceremonies.The forest also plays an important part in the Mbuti pregnancy. â€Å"Forest† itself, for virtually everything in Mbuti culture is related to the one idea (Mosko, pg. 897). The Mbuti do not believe the forest is a simple idea; they describe it as â€Å"lover†, â€Å"God of the Hunt†, and â€Å"God of the Forest†, for some examples (Mosko , pg. 897). The forest is what the Mbuti base their lifestyles on. Foraging Societies try to avoid violence by working hard and dealing with other cultures like them. They work hard to feed their families. They value the idea of a family and working together. That is why their leisure time is so important.Leisure time is used to spend time with the kin and friends, the foraging societies believe (Nowak and Laird, 2010). They work hard to find food and hunt for a couple of days and rest of the time is for leisure activities. The Mbuti have ritual that they do during their leisure time. They have a ceremony called molimo. It is performed by the men and is associated with singing and the use of a trumpet called the molimo (Nowak and Laird, 2010). The molimo ceremony used the molimo, a strictly forest institution, which young men are initiated after they have become successful hunters (Lee, pg. 44). This is how most of the leisure time goes to, the family. The forager culture has high v alue for working together and sharing (Nowak and Laird, 2010). Those values show how their economic organization works wells. They see economic importance as cultural tradition. This is how they survive also. It is easy for forager to move place to place because they don’t have many material items. That is what makes the exchange process so easy also. The reciprocal economic systems are a form of exchange of goods and services that occurs between members of a kinship group (Nowak and Laird, 2010).Foraging societies has a similar way of using this system. The amount of food and other resources occur immediately because they are mobile (Nowak and Laird, 2010). The exchange process is what keeps them going. Even though they are mobile, they can use the environment to storage material. The Mbuti are forager and show most of the forager society’s way of living. The Mbuti has showed how their kinships, beliefs and values, and economic organization is the key for their forage r culture. Reference Nowak, B. & Laird, P. (2010). Cultural Anthropology. Bridgepoint education, Inc. Retrieved from: http://content. ashford. eduThe Symbols of â€Å"Forest†: A Structural Analysis of Mbuti Culture and Social Organization Mark S. Mosko American Anthropologist , New Series, Vol. 89, No. 4 (Dec. , 1987), pp. 896-913 Published by: Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Anthropological Association Article Stable URL: http://www. jstor. org/stable/677863 The Mbuti Pygmies: An Ethnographic Survey by Colin M. Turnbull Review by: Richard B. Lee American Anthropologist , New Series, Vol. 69, No. 2 (Apr. , 1967), pp. 243-244 Published by: Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Anthropological Association Article Stable URL: http://www. jstor. org/stable/669466