Effect of drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Effect of drugs - Essay Example This paper seeks to discuss the causes and effects of drug use. Overwhelming evidence suggest that most of drug users get into drugs at their teen age. Therefore, it can be safely assumed that their fellow friends lure most of them into drugs. Peer influence causes individuals to experiment with the drugs in the hope that they will fit perfectly in their peer groups. With the fear of rejecting the offer of their friends, they begin by taking small amounts of various drugs such as marijuana, crack cocaine among others. With time, this becomes the lifestyle and a way of life. When addiction sets in, it becomes difficult to quit using drugs. As an effect, users become dependent on drugs and therefore have to engage in criminal activities such as robbery to raise money for drugs. The peer groups gradually graduate from just peer groups to criminal gangs (Hanson et al 138-143). Human beings are characterized by curiosity to experiment new things in life. drug use is sometimes associated with exaggerated good feeling and a sense of command. This can be seen in beer and cigarette advertisement. Curious individuals who are unaware of potential drug addiction seek to experiment with the drugs. Their aim is usually to have a little experience with the drugs, at least for a short while. However, not all the individuals who experiment the drug experience are disciplined enough to quit after the experience. More often than not, they end up using more of the drugs and within no time, they become addicted. What began as an experiment ends up as a drug addiction. With little will to quit, drug users become aggressive, violent, withdrawn, and less responsible. It becomes difficult to meet personal obligations and life becomes a waste (Wilson and Kolande 80-83). Whereas freewill plays an important role in decision making in life, the social environment in which people grow determines the

Denver International Airport Baggage-Handling System Essay Example for Free

Denver International Airport Baggage-Handling System Essay Critical Factors *A change in the project specifications after the freeze date was agreed up on in the contract. These changes created a domino effect of problems. This was in violation of the contract with BAE which stated there would be a number of freeze dates for mechanical design, software design, and permanent power. *A lack of efficient and effective communication between the city, project management team, and consultants. This manifests itself in basic issues like vendors blocking roadways for other vendors, the city canceling orders for electrical filtering components that were critical path, and too many unilateral decision made because no one was in charge. *A late start with respect to deciding the type of technology to be used for the baggage handling system. BAE didnt even bid on the project because the scope and the timeline were not feasible. The city, under the guidance of Chief Airport Engineer Slinger arranged the deal that included penalty and time clauses for both the city and the vendor. *The City of Denver did not listen to the requested and needed amount of time to actually construct the baggage handling system. The City had a deadline to meet and did not want to hear about any more delays. In spite of this, the vendors wrote contracts that attempted to cover their bases to ensure these deadlines would be met. In the end, extenuating circumstances conspired to prevent these dates from being met. *BAE lost control of their project to the PMT that had no experience in airport construction, baggage handling system technologies, and the introduction of the new technologies. PMT forced BAE to modify their management structure and project approach to fit the PMT needs. BAE had a track record of success using their own management structures. This modification created confusion, inefficiency, and ultimately failure. *2 major changes in personnel. The resignation of the head of the DIA project  in May 1992 and the death of Chief Airport Engineer Slinger in October 1992. Slingers replacement was not able to make decisions without going thru a lengthy process for approval. Slinger managed through the force of his charisma and willingness to take risks and make decisions. His replacement understood the principals but didnt have the bulldozer personality that was necessary for the heroics to get the project completed. Her superiors knew this and retraced the autonomy that was prevalent with Slinger. Without this autonomy and personality, missing deadlines was rampant. *The Citys lack of help for BAE to continue to have their unrestricted access and were unable to makeup from the delays. The City just did not give BAE what they were told they would have in general. The city was in violation of their agreements. *Poor relationship with management. This was evident throughout the project. The initiative started as a political position, gained momentum, and ended in another political dilemma. At the time of this case study, relations between the city, the vendor, and the federal government were rapidly moving towards litigation. There are few instances of attorneys successfully delivering on complex engineering-oriented projects. *Human Capital Restrictions The project needs the best experts to get this thing completed. The restriction of using Denver based contractors in situations should be eliminated. *Finance These guys expected to being servicing the bond debt based on a specific timeline. Since the airport is not open, there is not a revenue stream to support the payment requirements. Re-financing might help take some of the pressure away. *The lackluster economy of the late 80s, the gulf war impact on the airlines, and Continentals chapter 11 collaborated to create additional concerns for the city that distracted them from their mission to manage and deliver the airport. *They city decided long after construction began to implement an airport-wide baggage handling system. Their only smart decision was to contract with BAE to revise the scale of the project they already started with United. Their major mistakes were waiting too long to reach this decision, then tying the hands of BAE once they agreed. The types of technology required for a system this large should have been made much earlier in the facility design process. Delaying this decision resulted in several instances of rebuilding facilities to support more weight, provide more ventilation, and larger payload handling. *This was a build/design project. The idea of making design decisions after construction was underway is an recipe for catastrophe in a project of this magnitude. The citys insistence that this be held to a tight schedule yet allowing multiple design changes was unfortunate. There were too many players, lots of pressure, and the whole project was run by committee with differing agendas. The project administrators had to balance administrative, political, and social imperatives. *the Citys requirements that a percentage of the project be done by local and minority talent hamstrung BAE to deliver. They were forced to hire subcontractors resulting in longer times and higher costs. *The change tracking system took over three years to implement due to the need to make differing technologies play well together and the low priority placed on this by the vendors. *The city invited reporters to preview the first test of the baggage handling system without notifying the vendor. This became a public relations nightmare and added public resentment to the list of problems facing the delivery team. Alternative Solutions Human Resources Because the project has reached a critical state, the project team must recognize the need to bring in the best human capital to be able to complete the project. Thus, it is crucial that the associate director, program manager, city leaders, contract compliance personnel, and DIA coordinator review the current mandate of using local providers. At this point, it would appear that successful completion of the baggage handling system is not only reliant on the specific component itself but several other DIA projects and disciplines such as electrical service. The director and program manager must consider using the necessary experts regardless of the base of origin. Ultimately, the lead decision makers must recognize that completing this project will require the best talent available and eliminate any restrictions on using such resources. Communication and Operational Process The overall communication and operational process requires an improved set of rules by which each party will operate. Each discipline is apparently working within a vacuum environment and do not value the project as a whole. The project leaders must establish an operational charter dictating the rules and enforce such. It appears that the management of the project has occurred from the aspect of individual contractors. Communicating the status of each aspect of this project to a central coordinating team would allow the organization to manage resources from an enterprise project level rather than looking at each contractor as an individual project. City council also needs to let the PMs do their jobs. They need to have the same confidence in Gail Edmond as they did in Slinger before he passed away. Their lack of confidence in Gail Edmond is evident and needs to be resolved in one of two ways. The first is that they give Gail Edmond the same respect as they did for Slinger. City council will not hold extra meetings to give Gail Edmond approval for every decision she makes. The second resolution is that a new PM is brought is that city council has confidence in. This  resolution can put the project way behind schedule. Organization Structure Any shared leadership must be eliminated immediately and the direction of the project must be provided by a specific leader. Furthermore, as part of a communication and operational change, the organization hierarchy should be reviewed. This may involve the creation of a new position such as a relationship coordinator. This individual would be charged with resolving disputes between resources involved in various aspects of the overall project with the specific mission on insuring that resources and disciplines do not compromise the timeline of peer activities within the project. The baggage system team must have complete access to complete their job. Thus, any interruption caused by another discipline should be reported and immediately resolved by the relationship coordinator. In addition to implementing a relationship coordinator, a task force charged with facilitating the successful completion of the project may create some synergies throughout the project as a whole. It is unclear as to whether or not each discipline is aware of the complete picture. A task force could provide a mechanism for eliminating redundant activity, scheduling conflicts, and resolve certain deficiencies that are present and delaying advancement and smooth progression. Finally, at this stage, the project cannot absorb further setbacks as a result of organizational structure or leadership. Thus, implementing personnel redundancies could prove to be a prudent consideration. Key personnel should have a redundant mechanism in place to support any further turnover prior to the completion of the project. Project Specifications It is reasonable to assume that all of the specifications for this project should be frozen. However, it appears that certain parties may not be completely aware of these specifications leading to change requests as  issues are realized. These project specifications must be immediately reviewed. If further changes are going to be requested, these requests must be received immediately. By scheduling a specification meeting, which will likely last for several consecutive days, the director and program manager will be able to confidently freeze the specifications. Finance Situation On a parallel, but separate path, the director and city officials may need to consider re-financing the bond package. The current financing package was established based on a specific timeline. The fact that there is a lack of anticipated cash flow may be causing certain decision makers to engage in activities to get things done quickly rather than done right. Essentially, it appears that moving forward with the right plan will actually lead to completion quicker than moving forward with a fast plan. If indeed decisions are made because of pressure to get things operational therefore leading to a revenue stream to support the debt service, refinancing could relieve this pressure. Relationships All parties must meet immediately. Because the vendor and city are not talking, involving an impartial party to facilitate this meeting would be beneficial. In general, it is crucial for everyone involved to recognize that this situation did not develop overnight, but rather, numerous problems and process issues have lead to the current status. The mission to complete this project and open the airport remains. Thus, the parties must recognize that there are options to moving forward toward completion, address differences, implement process changes, and move forward. Alternative Baggage Handling System The state of the art baggage handling system created by BAE has many issues that need to be worked out. Building the backup baggage handling system and using it while the issues are being worked out from the state of the art  baggage handling system can allow the airport to open sooner and allow the necessary revenues to begin to pay back the bonds. This alternative will allow BAE to properly diagnose and fix all of the issues that the system is currently experiencing. BAE originally told the City of Denver that a project this size should be completed in about 2.5 years.

Environmental Ethics Essay -- Ethics Philosophy Global Warming Climate

"At the current rate, we're headed for and environmental disaster," many say, but how much truth does that statement hold. Have humans really destroyed, pillaged, and polluted enough to cause a serious, wide scale, disaster? If not, then can we continue on without changing, and not learn from our mistakes? If so, then can we do anything today that will bring about a tomorrow available to us? All of these questions hold great pertinence for our current situation. Humans don't exactly hold the best track record for environmental protection and preservation. Throughout time we have exploited nature and its creatures for our own benefit. We have made technological advances that threaten and disrupt the environment with total disregard for that fact. We took slipshod short cuts that are now catching up to us today, and we can think of no available alternatives that will remedy the problem quickly and usefully. We have developed a huge and thriving society; and in the process we deforest huge sections of land for living and livestock grazing. This decreases oxygen and increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; possibly adding to global warming though the greenhouse effect. This mass population produces mass amounts of waste, so to deal with that we just throw it into the ground, which in turn contaminates our water supply and contributes to further deforestation. We develop motorized transportation; and then burn non-renewable fossil fuels that put lead, carbon monoxide, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, ozone, excess carbon dioxide, and other harmful particulates into the atmosphere (Skjel & Whorton 95-108). This produces dangers like smog and cancer and contributes to global warming. In the production of fuel we exhaust o... ...the environment, but how badly we?ve endangered ourselves. The environment is not possibly headed towards disaster, we are. Works Cited * American Chemical Society. Chemistry in Context. New York: Primis Custom Publishing, 2000. * Crichton, Michael. Jurassic Park. New York: Baltine Books, 1990. * ---. The Lost World. New York: Alfred A. Knoff, Inc., 1995. * Curran, Roger and Lawrence Haw. Environmental Issues in the 21st Century. 2001: http://www.library.thinkquest.org/C0127068.html. * Michaels, Patricia A. Environmental Philosophy: Good for the wallet, Good for the Soul, Good for Nothing. http://environment.about.com/library/weekly/aa031697.htm. * Singer, Peter. Practical Ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. * Skjei, Eric and M. Donald Whorton. Of Mice & Molecules. New York: The Dial Press, 1983.

The Miller Inside and Out Essay -- Character Analysis, Miller, Alison

The relationship between the Miller and the Miller’s Tale is close, for the tale is a reflection of the teller. The Miller’s tale is a fabliau, a genre best described as a short story full of ribald and humor. The Miller’s tale consists of events of â€Å"cuckoldry† (Chaucer 1720), â€Å"foolishness† (1718), and â€Å"secrets† (1719). Telling such a story, the Miller can immediately be classified as a man of low social status with a vulgar sense of humor full of shrewdness. However, as the tale continues, it reveals the unexpected soft side of the Miller as he sympathizes with the distressed woman trapped in the norms of society. Thus, the Miller’s characteristics of obscenity, deception, and sympathy drive the plot of his tale. In his attempt to surpass the Knight, the Miller sacrifices decorum for the sake of entertainment, reflecting his bawdy nature. When first traveling with the Miller, Chaucer listened to the Miller bellow â€Å"his ballads and jokes of harlotries† (1712). Scandalous topics appear throughout the Miller’s tale of a young girl â€Å"so graceful and so slim† named Alison who cheats on her husband, John, with his student, Nicholas (1720). When â€Å"handy Nicholas† first encounters Alison, he â€Å"[catches] her between the legs† and woos her, and they devise a plan to sleep with each other secretly (1721). This lecherous scheme fuels the entire plot of the tale. However, the parish clerk Absolom with his â€Å"gray eyes† and â€Å"nightingale† nature, typical attributes of lusty men, attempts to win Alison’s heart (1722, 1723). Although Absolom utilizes every method to win Alison’s heart even chewing â€Å"licorice and carda mom,† he ends up kissing her â€Å"bare bum† whereas Nicholas sleeps with her (1729, 1730). Chaucer’s initial encounter with the drunken Mi... ...nsequences (1732). By justifying Alison’s actions and letting her remain unharmed, the Miller sympathizes with the helpless Alison, revealing his unexpected sensitive quality. The drunken Miller tells his tale of obscenity, deception, and sympathy in his attempt to surpass the Knight. Although his physical traits and actions characterize the Miller as bawdy and dishonest, his hidden sympathy for Alison reveals he is somewhat gentle. Each character resembles the Miller’s attributes. Nicholas is both deceitful and lusty while Absolom is just lusty. Alison’s helplessness may exist since the Miller is helpless in his own life, causing him to steal in order to survive in the medieval society since it was harder for poorer men to make a living. Thus, the manifestations of the Miller’s characteristics and their outcomes bring light to the Miller’s true humane nature.

Drinking Age Should Be At Age 21 Essay

Many American adults assume that drinking age must be age 21, because starting to drink alcohol early would have a lot of negative consequences such as having more car accidents, risks of lungs cancers, and so on. On the other hand, some American teenagers also believe if the law allowed the underage drinking, we would have several car accidents, which happens every day. In the article â€Å"Heavy Drinking on College Campuses: No Reason to Change Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21,† Drew K. Saylor shows what bad if you drink alcohol underage is, and Saylor says, â€Å"There was also evidence of a â€Å"trickle-down† effect on alcohol-related crashes among drivers, with the ratio of the alcohol-related crash rate before and after the policy change 14% larger for 15- to 17-year-old males and 24% larger for females in the same age range† (332). But I do not deny drinking alcohol helps some people to cope with stress, and helps people to become more open in contrast to when they are sober and proper; alcohol can bring people together to share stories as well. At the same time I believe that the drinking age should not lower than 21, because I believe most of car accidents often occur by drunk drivers. I agree with Drew K. Saylor that the law must not change about the drinking age, and those teenagers should stop using alcohol underage rather than arguing and debating about lowering the drinking age. Drinking alcohol immature is the common the importance issue in the United States, and it is often said that drinking alcohol affects the moral behaviors, especially when you are drunk. At the underage, it will be terrible because at that age, these teenagers have more influences from the outside environment such as learning those terrible things from friends. In one hand, I agree with Marisa M. Silveri that those teenagers drink alcohol because they might be influenced by the history of the alcohol dipsomania family, who always use alcohol like use water, because either they want to relax or they have mental disturbance. On the other hand, I still insist that drinking alcohol is not healthy, especially when more damages happen  for those underage people. In addition, you always see most of the alcohol drinkers who are often violent to other people because those drinkers cannot control their behaviors and their actions when they are drunk. Therefore, in the article â€Å"Alcohol-Related Brain Damage In Humans,† Amaia M. Erdozain and other authors believe that using alcohol damages the cells, the tissues, the organs, and other systems in the brains, and they explain, â€Å"H & E staining and light microscopy of prefrontal cortex tissue revealed a reduction in the levels of cytoskeleton surrounding the nuclei of cortical and subcortical neurons, and a disruption of subcortical neuron patterning in alcoholic subjects.† In short, I will briefly note, drinking alcohol will not be great like those American teenagers think, because alcohol will damage their brains’ tissues and will influence to their moral behaviors. To today, people still forget that drinking alcohol would have several benefits and several harms. Some American people believe that drinking alcohol decreases the risk of the cardiovascular disease, prevents us to get sick from the cold, increases our memories, and prevents us from the galls tones and the diabetes. However, people should know how to drink alcohol moderately instead of unlimitedly consuming it. What I am trying to say here is that drinking alcohol not only brings some disadvantages but also brings some advantages, and people may not blame any awful things to alcohol because the evidence shows that drinking booze moderately will help you prevent from several diseases, which you may not know before. Although not all Americans think alike, some of them will probably dispute my claims that some American people cannot moderate their behaviors when they are drunk or not drunk. In fact, all of those evidences I say do not mean that the law should allow the underage to drink alcohol. In the article â€Å"Will Increasing Alcohol Availability By Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking and Related Consequences Among Youths?†, Henry Wechsler and Nelson F. Toben compare and describe to prove that the law has no reasons to change the drinking age to 21 like they says, â€Å"Evidence supporting the minimum legal drinking age of 21 years is strong and growing. A wide range of empirically supported interventions is available to reduce underage drinking.† At first glance, teenagers might say that alcohol is still a natural medicine to help them prevents from several diseases. But on closer inspection, drinking alcohol can destroy the lungs and the livers, can damage the brain which  lead us to not have any control of our behaviors when we are drunk. According to these evidences, I would like to repeat again that teenagers have to moderate when they use alcohol. You would think that the advertisements cannot affect the underage drinking alcohol to American teenagers, but you are completely wrong because those advertisements are very interested in. I believe that teenagers are still young, and they also want to explore about their lives. In the article â€Å"Do Time Restrictions On Alcohol Advertising Reduce Youth Exposure?,† Craig S. Ross, Avalon Bruijn, and David Jernigan show people know how to buy and drink alcohol because of the influencing advertisements from the television and the radio. In the other words, Ross, Bruijn, and David believe that people are too easy to be fooled, so those advertisement can abuse the weakness to convince people to buy their products, alcohol as the authors say, â€Å"This study uses simulation analysis and comprehensive database of television alcohol advertising to demonstrate that time restrictions are likely to reduce advertising exposure to the youngest viewers while increasing exposure for the high-risk teenage population.† Yet, is it necessarily true that American teenagers will not use alcohol if those advertisements did not appear? Is making those advertisements disappear would be possible? Ultimately, what is at stake here is that teenagers must be aware of alcohol advertisements from the radio and the television. However, I’ve always believed that American teenagers can buy every kind of alcohol at every where easily; some of them might go to ask for help from friends and parents. In the article â€Å"Assessing the Predictive Ability of The Transtheoretical Model’s Heavy Episodic Drinking Constructs Among a Population of Underage Students,† Rose Marie Ward and Hugo Josef Schielke says that some teenagers can buy alcohol at any stores because some sellers are not careful enough about asking to show the teenagers’ ID cards. For instance, Paul Willner and Gavin Rowe emphasize, â€Å"However, a comparison of the present data with earlier data on actual alcohol sales . . . photographs were used in the present study, suggests that only around half of underage alcohol sales can be accounted for by misperceptions of age.† I encourage that th e law should be more restricted for buying alcohol underage .Of course, many American teenagers will disagree on the grounds of drinking underage. After all, I recommend that the law must be more restricted in selling alcohol for teenagers. Although I  grant that drinking alcohol is horrible, I still maintain that drinking alcohol below than age 21 has many negatives effects, and it is the only way to lead those teenagers to the social issues such as using drugs, and risky sexual practices. Michael T. McKay, C. Cole Jon, and Harry Sumnall believes that most of American teenagers would like to negotiate about drinking alcohol with their parents, but in fact the percentage of those most teenagers, who negotiate with their parents, is really small. Michael T. McKay, C. Cole Jon, and Harry Sumnall say that those teenagers would have taught by their parents instead of forcing or saying bad things about drinking alcohol even though the benefits of drinking alcohol are still having in today’s world. In the article â€Å"Teenage thinking on teenage drinking: 15- to 16-year olds’ experiences of alcohol in Northern Ireland,† Michael T. McKay, C. Cole Jon, and Harry Sumnall says, â€Å"First, they believed that asking questions or being open about their behavior would result in negative consequences† (328). At the same time, I believe that those teenagers will receive several negative consequences from their parents if those teenagers ask for drinking alcohol underage. My view, however, contrary to what Michael T. McKay, C. Cole Jon, and Harry Sumnall have argued, is that the minimum of alcohol drinking age must be at age 21. These findings have important implications for the broader domain of the next generation’s future because those next generations might learn what they see from the old generation do. But is my proposal evidence enough to prove? Christopher A. Swann, Sheran Michelle, and Phelps Diana apparently observe the students from Harvard College, New York, and they prove that the proportion of underage drinking of having parents is less than not having parents. The evidence show how important the parents will affect to their children in their lifetime. In the article â€Å"Underage alcohol policies across 50 California cities: an assessment of best practices,† Sue Thomas talks about the underage drinking at every state in the United State. Therefore, Thomas did a study about drinking age. In this study, Thomas sees that the improvement of controlling limitation for the underage is better, but it still is not great enough. In the other hand, Thomas and I believe that the law has to be more restricted in the underage drinking. In the article â€Å"Factors associated with reductions in alcohol use between high school and college: an analysis of data from the College Alcohol Study,† Christopher A.  Swann, Sheran Michelle, and Phelps Diana say, â€Å"A number of characteristics were related to reductions in drinking. Students whose fathers did not attend college were more likely to reduce alcohol consumption (odds ratio [OR] =1.28; 95% . . . .† To sum up, what is at stake here is the history of the family and the social outside environment are the most common which caused in increasing the underage drinking. So far we have been talking about the disadvantages and advantages of the underage drinking. But isn’t it the real issue here for the solution of the underage drinking? At the same time I believe families play a big role in preventing the underage drinking, simply because they’re the closest and the most influential factor, I also believe that parents can talk with their children about drinking alcohol regarding their expectations, limits and its dangerous effect. In the article â€Å"Talking with Kids Deters Underage Drinking,† USA Today Magazine states, â€Å"There are also many things that parents can do in their communities to help reduce underage drinking. . . . Parents can also help eliminate alcohol advertising in their neighborhoods, and make sure that adult siblings don’t provide alcohol for their younger brothers and sisters.† In addition, Jessica Malanjum and Robert Di Nicolantonio explain that parents can have a better understanding in c onversations with their children to know more about whom their children spend time with during their free time; the pressure the peers are putting on their children are very important. Hence, what you talk does not have as many impacts as what you do. The families themselves have to be the role model for their children. They have to pledge not to give alcohol to the underage teenagers. As a result, the drinking age should not be lower than age 18 because underage drinking has several negative consequences such as having more car accidents and risks of lungs cancers. Drew K. Saylor says that these teenagers should stop using alcohol underage instead of arguing and debating to lower the drinking age. At first glance, teenagers might say that alcohol is still a natural medicine to help them prevents from several diseases. But on closer inspection that drinking alcohol can destroy the lungs and liver, damage the brain, and has no control the behavior when you are drunk. Moreover, Amaia M. Erdozain and other authors believe that drinking alcohol will damages the brain tissues and influences to the moral behaviors. At the  same time I believe families play a big role in preventing the underage drinking, simply because they’re the closest and the most influential factor, I also believe that parents can talk with their children about drinking alcohol regarding you r expectation, limits and its dangerous effect. Works cited Erdozain, Amaia M., et al. â€Å"Alcohol-Related Brain Damage In Humans.† Plos ONE 9.4 (2014): 1-12. Web. 8 May 2014. Jones, Sandra C., Lance Barrie, and Nina Berry. â€Å"Why (Not) Alcohol Energy Drinks? A Qualitative Study with Australian University Students.† Drug & Alcohol Review 31.3 (2012): 281-287. Web. 8 May 2014. Malanjum, Jessica, and Robert Di Nicolantonio. â€Å"Absence Of Correlation Between The Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat’s Exaggerated Preference For Sweet And Alcohol Drinking Solutions.† Clinical & Experimental Hypertension 31.4 (2009): 287-297. Web. 9 May 2014. McKay, Michael T., Jon C. Cole, and Harry Sumnall. â€Å"Teenage Thinking On Teenage Drinking: 15- To 16-Year Olds’ Experiences Of Alcohol In Northern Ireland.† Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy 18.5 (2011): 323-332.Web. 8 May 2014. Ross, Craig S., Avalon Bruijn, and David Jernigan. â€Å"Do Time Restrictions On Alcohol Advertising Reduce Youth Exposure?†. Journal of Public Affairs (14723891) 13.1 (2013): 123-129. Web. 8 May 2014. Saylor, Drew K. â€Å"Heavy Drinking On College Campuses: No Reason to Change Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21.† Journal of American College Health 59.4 (2011): 330-333. Web. 8 May 2014. Siciliano, Valeria, et al. â€Å"Evaluation of Drinking Patterns and Their Impact on Alcohol-Related Aggression: A National Survey of Adolescent Behaviours.† BMC Public Health 13.1 (2013): 13-30. Web. 8 May 2014. Silveri, Marisa M. â€Å"Adolescent Brain Development and Underage Drinking In the United States: Identifying Risks of Alcohol Use in College Populations.† Harvard Review Of Psychiatry (Taylor & Francis Ltd) 20.4 (2012): 189-200. Web. 8 May 2014. Swann, Christopher A., Michelle Sheran, and Diana Phelps. â€Å"Factors Associated With Reductions In Alcohol Use Between High School And College: An Analysis Of Data From The College Alcohol Study.† Substance Abuse & Rehabilitation 5. (2014): 13-23. Web. 8 May 2014. â€Å"Talking with Kids Deters Underage Drinking.† USA Today Magazine 129, no. 2667 (December 2000): 5, EBSCOhost (accessed May 9, 2014). Thomas, Sue, et al. â€Å"Underage Alcohol Policies across 50 California Cities: An Assessment Of Best Practices.† Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention & Policy 7.(2012): 26-39. Web. 8 May 2014. Ward, Rose Marie, and Hugo Josef Schielke. â€Å"Assessing the Predictive Ability Of The Transtheoretical Model’s Heavy Episodic Drinking Constructs Among a Population Of Underage Students.† Substance Use & Misuse 46.9 (2011): 1179-1189. Web. 8 May 2014. Wechsler, Henry, and Toben F. Nelson. â€Å"Will Increasing Alcohol Availability by Lowering The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking and Related Consequences amongWillner, Paul, and Gavin Rowe. â€Å"Alcohol Servers’ Estimates of Young People’s Ages.† Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy 8.4 (2001): 375-383. Web. 8 May 2014.

An Overview of the Controversy of Evolution

An Overview of the Controversy of Evolution The Theory of Evolution has been the topic of many debates between the scientific and religious communities. The two sides seemingly cant come to an agreement on what scientific evidence has been found and faith-based beliefs. Why is this subject so controversial? Most religions do not argue that species change over time. The overwhelming scientific evidence cant be ignored. However, the controversy stems from the idea that humans evolved from monkeys or primates and the origins of life on Earth. Even Charles Darwin knew his ideas would be controversial in religious communities when his wife often debated with him. In fact, he tried not to talk about evolution, but rather focused on adaptations in different environments. The biggest point of controversy between science and religion is what should be taught in schools. Most famously, this controversy came to a head in Tennessee in 1925 during the Scopes Monkey Trial when a substitute teacher was found guilty of teaching evolution. More recently, legislative bodies in several states are trying to reinstate the teaching of Intelligent Design and Creationism in science classes. This war between science and religion has been perpetuated by the media. In fact, science does not deal with religion at all and is not out to discredit any religion. Science is based upon evidence and knowledge of the natural world. All hypotheses in science must be falsifiable. Religion, or faith, deals with the supernatural world and is a feeling that cannot be falsified. Therefore, religion and science should not be pitted against each other as they are in completely different fields.​

Catcher in the Rye, Holden essays

Catcher in the Rye, Holden essays School, family, girls, alcohol, money, and sex. These are all very normal but serious problems among teens. The book A Catcher in the Rye emphasizes these problems with the main character, Holden Caulfield. I think these problems and the diversity of the story are the two main reasons this book is so popular among schools. Many teens can probably relate to the problems Holden has in the story. Holden, like many teens, is failing out of school. The major pressure among many teens is to exceed in school. We are introduced to Holdens school problems near the beginning of the story, and we learn that he has already failed out of four schools. By witnessing what trouble Holden goes through from failing out of school many teens will look upon this as an incentive to try harder in school. Right as Holden was leaving school he says, I was sort of crying, I dont know why (52). This shows he felt terrible for being kicked out, and he did not want to leave. Another common problem among teens that Holden experiences is with his family. Holden has a distant relationship with his parents. The most obvious example of this is his fear to tell them about his expulsion from yet another school. When Phoebe infers that Holden was expelled she constantly says, Daddyll kill you(165). Holden commonly digresses at the subject of his parents. The next common problem is with the opposite sex. Holden has an exceedingly large problem with girls. He feels in love with all the girls he encounters in these four or five days. In addition, he has strong feelings for an old friend, Jane Gallagher. When Holden meets up with Sally he says, I didnt even like her much, and yet all of a sudden I felt like I was in love with her and wanted to marry her(124). Many teens feel this way about the opposite sex but in many cases, it is a result of raging hormones. The last things that Holden is confronted ...

10 Easy Steps to Getting a New Job in 2017

10 Easy Steps to Getting a New Job in 2017 Desperate for a new job? Experts suggest it takes roughly one month per $10,000 of income to find a new job. But if you’re currently jobless or just plain miserable in your current situation, you might want to accelerate the process. Luckily, there are ways to fast track your job search process, provided you prepare yourself to launch your search with all your ducks in row. That means assembling the strongest application possible, as quickly as possible.Here are 10 steps to getting a new job and get where you want to be.1. Compile Your ReferencesStart by reviewing what resources are available to you- in particular, collecting reference letters from previous employers, showing how valuable you proved yourself to be. That sort of thing can be incredibly useful once you make it to the interview stage.2. Personalize Your ResumeNow is not the time to send out your standard, generic resume. Target your resume specifically to the job you want. Make sure to include your biggest accomp lishments, and show them in quantifiable terms. How much money did you raise in that campaign? How many employees did you supervise? And you can be sure to skip the outdated â€Å"Objective† statement at the top. Replace that with a succinct and surgically worded summary.3. Spread the WordDon’t hesitate to tell people you’re looking. Now is the time to expand your network and call upon your contacts if there is anything concrete they could do for you in the company or industry you’re applying for. Remember that most open positions are never shared online- and certainly won’t make it to the big job search engines. So get yourself in the game.4.  Optimize Your TimingIf you can afford to wait for the peak hiring times of the year, that might put you in a better position. The biggest months for new hires are January, February, October, and late September. Try to make your contact at the start of either of these two cycles, and spend the off times str eamlining your profiles and getting ready to charge in at the right moment.5. Build your BrandDouble and triple check any information about you that is available in public. Google yourself. Then take a serious look at your LinkedIn and other social media profiles. Make sure you’re presenting the best and most polished version of yourself- and also the most coherent narrative across the multiple platforms. Remember, in the job search, you are a salesperson selling yourself as the product. Put yourself in the best possible light for best results.6. Keep LookingEven if your dream application is in, don’t stop applying. Worst case scenario, you’ll end up juggling offers, which is never a bad position to be in. This doesn’t mean you should apply to every job you come across that might fit your qualifications; make a more targeted search of companies you’d like to work for and jobs that you could really do well.7. Dress Like a ManagerIf you’re luc ky enough to get an interview, remember that first impressions do matter- a lot. Put some time and research into figuring out how people tend to dress when they’re successful in your field. Then aim to replicate that look. When in doubt, clean, classy, and professional can’t go wrong.8. Bone Up on Your Interview SkillsThis is crucially important. Think of the interview as the exam at the end of a long semester. You’ve already made it this far; you just need to keep the right information in your head to ace the test. Do your homework. Prepare to answer questions that are most likely to come up. And prepare a few good ones of your own- you will definitely be asked whether you have questions.9. Be YourselfSo often people forget to be themselves in an interview, to their detriment. Prepare, but not to the point of coming off as rehearsed or fake. Go in there and be as authentic as possible. Use storytelling to convince them of your candidacy. The more you showcase o f yourself, the better idea a recruiter or hiring manager will have of your capabilities in the context of the job.10. Be GraciousSo many people forget or ignore this important step. After your interview, be sure to send a handwritten thank you note- immediately. This reiterates your interest, displays your decorum, and is a nice way to get your name back in the mind of your interviewer. If you have to do it by email, that’s always better than nothing.

I will upload the specific question later on the file Essay - 2

I will upload the specific question later on the file - Essay Example Sociological studies have shown that from the last 40-50 years, America has faced one big issue and that is Racism. Obviously, the intensity and mode in the practice of racism has changed but it has not been eliminated from the society. These changes can be explained with the help of an easy social test or a general survey such as: How many Black head of States have been elected in America compared to White Head of States. When someone gives extra privileges to an African American and treats him different from the others ones that is where racism comes in. The mode of racism has changed from ‘treat them like hell’ to ‘treat them different from others, and be in a good sense so they can feel that they are not one of us and lower than us’. In fact, it cannot be denied that there have been made certain efforts by general public as a whole, including the state, in which this element has been tried to be eliminated by organizing workshops in which people of all races sat together and worked together, by providing black children with equal opportunities to study at schools and by giving races other than whites to progress and flourish in America. For instance let us take the example of the Boston busing desegregation, although, it was a very hard time for the administration and people as a whole when the people of southern Boston turned on the Blacks, but it was an unprecedented effort by the government, not seen before. It was not only the busing desegregation; however, Boston has been the pioneer in making very significant intentions, clear in the riots and protests against the racial unbalanced actions. The children that were brought to southern Boston suffered deep emotional stresses, but they have laid some of the co rner stones in development of the elimination of racial discrimination. The president Ronald Regan, however, had some policies, which may be said to be

Identification, Collection and Preservation of Trace Evidences Research Paper

Identification, Collection and Preservation of Trace Evidences - Research Paper Example Most fiber piece contains similar physical nature with majority of such pieces found in crime scene are either made from polyester or nylon. The class characteristics includes weave pattern, dyes present, cordages, fabric impressions and tears (Brown, 2001). Thus, fiber in a crime scene is hard to identify without using microscopic and a combination of chemical and instrumental tests. Fibers are normally found in fabric abrasions with some trapped within torn material. In scenes involving hit-and-run motor vehicles fibers occur on scratched sections, and in burglary incidences they are normally found in tattered screens, clothing and broken glass (Brown, 2001). Collection is based on length of the fibers, such that if the fibers are undersized or few in numbers, the investigator is required to wrap the region or the entire product comprising the fibers in a paper (DuPre, 2013). However, if the fibers are large or in greater numbers, the investigator should place them in a bindle that is then placed in a sealed and marked coin envelope (Dutelle, 2011). The fibers should be picked up on tape if the lab in that jurisdiction permits it but with defined requirements. All clothing of belonging to an individual from which the fibers are found to have come from should also be picked for comparison purposes. Every garment should be placed on uncontaminated sheet of paper before separately rolling it up after marking the exhibit. Loose fibers should not be positioned directly into mailing wrapper since they can be lost (Buckles, 2010). Firearms Class characteristics found in firearms largely arises from the impact of bullets fired from the firearm, s uch as number and width of grooves, course of twist, or bullet diameter, in addition to the caliber and rifling patterns inside the barrel (DuPre, 2013). The cartridges and casings also have class characteristics like breech marks, impressions created by firing pin, in addition to extractor and ejector marks (Buckles, 2010). Firearms are easy to identify when there is transfer of the individual distinctiveness, chiefly striated marks left from the firearm to bullet and cartridge ammunition component (Brown, 2001). In terms of collection, the firearm should not be picked up through placing any other object in the barrel terminal. Unfired cartridges should not be left inside the magazine if the magazine is separated from the gun even as the rifles and shotguns must not be dismantled (Buckles, 2010). The investigator should not clean the firearm bore, chamber, or cylinder until they are submitted or even try to fire the firearm before it is evaluated in the Lab. Moreover, firearm havin g a cartridge inside the chamber must never be transported by any method since the firearm is not cocked or on-safety (Brown, 2001). The investigator should also record serial number, model, the firearm make, in addition to the weapon caliber (Hess & Orthmann, 2009). Marking should be done using an inconspicuous method that does not detract from its value, since copy serial numbers are sometimes on different firearms of a similar make and general-type. Nonetheless, model numbers and the firearm patent numbers should

Housing Development Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Housing Development Process - Essay Example However, emphasis on the architectural requirements of the houses has not been significant in the conventional practice of house development, although it is as important as the structural engineering concerns of the development. Importance of an architect is further exaggerated by a social change that has increased peoples’ interest in fashion, looks and aesthetics. An architect ensures their achievement in the finished look of the house. The housing development process requires careful consideration of various factors other than the design and aesthetics of the house. The development scheme originates from the need in a particular area, and the expenses available to the developers prior to development. Once the process of development of houses is felt beneficial for the community in a certain area, the developers look for the most appropriate site. A site that is near to the market and can offer many facilities at shortest distance from the house is considered the best for development. Once the site is selected, the developers accumulate funds either from banks, or by investments from the public. Then the site layout is prepared. Labor accommodation, site offices, and other facilities required for the development are clearly demarcated in the site layout. The project commences with the formulation of preliminary design by the architects that is matured by the structural engineers. Cost estimates are prepared simulta neously. Once the final design and cost estimates are identified, the construction begins. The houses are constructed as per the design and schedule prepared in the start of the project. It is ensured that the construction complies with the specifications devised by the architect in the start of the project. What is equally important is to ensure that the project completes exactly upon or before the time expected by the customer. Exceeding the finishing time can incur huge monetary

The problems associated with the Blockbuster company Essay

The problems associated with the Blockbuster company - Essay Example The firm that is analyzed in the paper is Blockbuster. It was started in the year 1985 in Dallas as a single movie-renting store. With its aggressive growth strategy, the company managed to grow to nearly 7,265 stores in 24 nations around the world. Though the company remained as the world leader in movie rental during 1990s, problems emerged as new technologies developed in the area of entertainment distribution. New technologies that allowed online booking and online delivery of content developed as time passed, but the company management was adamant to give up its basic brick and mortar movie renting stores. As a result, while its competitors like Netflix effectively shifted to, and excelled in, methods like online booking, mail delivery and VOD, Blockbuster went on struggling with the already declining in-store movie renting systems and fell into debts. This resulted in a lot of issues in customer service that again made many existing customers leave the company. Firstly, the num ber of titles on offer declined dramatically, and secondly, popular items often went out-of-stock. Also, the delivery system was too slow as compared to that of its rivals. Thus, the company closed its year 2007 with a net loss of $ 85.1 million. This work looks into the various reasons behind the existing issues and tries to suggest ways for improvement in the future. A look into the performance of Blockbuster proves that once glamorous Blockbuster where everyone stopped to pick up a few movies has become a shadow of its past. There are a number of issues ranging from stiff competition, indifferent and doubtful management, lack of clear objectives, and finally, the continuously changing industry dynamics. Until the end of 1990s, Blockbuster was at the top of the rental business, and it never considered Netflix or any such other companies as consequential competitors. So the company paid little attention towards the emerging technologies and the changing customer preferences. Soon, the company found that its profits were going dramatically down. Thus, the stock price of the company fell from $29 to $2 per share. This was mainly the result of the emergence of other forms of entertainment delivery like rental by mail and video on demand. As these technologies emerged, a significant proportion of customers found them more convenient than in-store renting. It was at that juncture that the company made the most terrible mistake in its history. Instead of adapting itself to the emerging trend, the company decided to strengthen its in-store business. However, as the in-store business was destined to fail as technology allowed more convenient renting options, the effort proved futile. On the other hand, its rivals like Netflix who successfully adopted rental by mail and video on demand technologies found significant improvement in business and profit. As the company found itself in trouble, it started new strategies like kiosks, rental by mail and video on demand. How ever, each of the new strategies had its own defect too. For example, the rental by mail offered by Blockbuster was not as effective as that of Netflix. While Netflix managed to deliver the order in a single day, Blockbuster took one to three days. Also, while Netflix ensured successful delivery in more than 95% of the cases, many of the Blockbuster visitors found their favorite titles out-of-stock. Admittedly, the company has taken beneficial steps that will improve the position of the company in future. First of all, it has widened the product array in its brick and mortar stores by adding electronic appliances and video games. Secondly, it has started VOD though it has not been seriously explored. In fact, most of the problems faced by the company are associated with the lack of a specific objective. The management goes on changing its strategies in very short intervals, and hence, the customers get too puzzled to take a decision. Also, even the company representatives find it

Biological differences between different populations. What kinds of Essay

Biological differences between different populations. What kinds of biological differences exist between contemporary humans - Essay Example Following a discussion about origins of biological differences, an account of the various differences observed among different populations is given. The work concludes by highlighting the importance of further research that is required to explore the mechanisms of biological differences further. Key words: differences, populations, biological Introduction If we take a closer look at the anatomical, psychological, behavioral and other aspects of the lives of people around the globe, it becomes clear that there are quite obvious differences that exist among populations. The blacks are well known for their stronger physique while the Asians are considered to have a comparatively higher IQ than other populations in general. Similarly, there are a number of diseases which are more prevalent among certain populations and totally non-existent in others. In terms of social behavior, people from certain populations are known for the aggressiveness while other are noted for being cool minded. These visibly apparent differences raise a number of questions regarding their true origins. Although, a simple approach would be to look for the causes in the political, social and religious spheres of life; yet a truly scientific approach would not miss the option of looking into the biological basis of such manifestations. Such queries may be directed towards delineating macroscopic differences in some cases; while in others the orientation of this quest should be towards exploring the microscopic explanations. Whether microscopic or macroscopic, the biological basis provides a rather novel explanation of the differences observed among various populations of the world as we shall see in the following lines. Discussion The origin of biological differences Human beings as a species have a history which is very rich in events of migration. Whether this migration was for the purpose of survival or for improvement of life standards, the ultimate result was a better adaptation of this species to the various environmental conditions of the planet. Exposure to new lands not only opened doors of opportunity to the migrated, but also provided them a means of intermingling with other population groups, thereby ensuring mating. Although various social and cultural hindrances limited such reproductive encounters; yet the biological aspect has always been favorable for them. In recent times, the promotion of concepts like 'globalization' and 'global village' have removed the remaining barriers to an extent where intermingling of genetic pools of different populations have become easier (Hagen). The basis of biological variation is genetic variation that not only exists among different species but is also observable within species. The basic code that determines the genotype and ultimately the phenotype of an organism is present in the cells of organisms in the form of DNA. The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) possesses specialized sequences of genetic information which are te rmed genes; the genes code for specialized proteins which are formed within cells and later perform dedicated functions. The transmission of genetic information from a generation to the next is by means of a specialized method of cell reproduction that is termed meiosis. Crossing-over that occurs between chromosomes during meiotic process ensures shuffling of genetic material; the shuffled genetic code is presented for genetic coding purposes to the next generation. Other methods of alteration in genetic code may include processes like mutations due to radiation or mediation etc. It is obvious from this discussion that transmission of genetic information is a random process, and the genetic pool of a given population is vibrant enough to bring about detectable

The problems associated with the Blockbuster company Essay

The problems associated with the Blockbuster company - Essay Example The firm that is analyzed in the paper is Blockbuster. It was started in the year 1985 in Dallas as a single movie-renting store. With its aggressive growth strategy, the company managed to grow to nearly 7,265 stores in 24 nations around the world. Though the company remained as the world leader in movie rental during 1990s, problems emerged as new technologies developed in the area of entertainment distribution. New technologies that allowed online booking and online delivery of content developed as time passed, but the company management was adamant to give up its basic brick and mortar movie renting stores. As a result, while its competitors like Netflix effectively shifted to, and excelled in, methods like online booking, mail delivery and VOD, Blockbuster went on struggling with the already declining in-store movie renting systems and fell into debts. This resulted in a lot of issues in customer service that again made many existing customers leave the company. Firstly, the num ber of titles on offer declined dramatically, and secondly, popular items often went out-of-stock. Also, the delivery system was too slow as compared to that of its rivals. Thus, the company closed its year 2007 with a net loss of $ 85.1 million. This work looks into the various reasons behind the existing issues and tries to suggest ways for improvement in the future. A look into the performance of Blockbuster proves that once glamorous Blockbuster where everyone stopped to pick up a few movies has become a shadow of its past. There are a number of issues ranging from stiff competition, indifferent and doubtful management, lack of clear objectives, and finally, the continuously changing industry dynamics. Until the end of 1990s, Blockbuster was at the top of the rental business, and it never considered Netflix or any such other companies as consequential competitors. So the company paid little attention towards the emerging technologies and the changing customer preferences. Soon, the company found that its profits were going dramatically down. Thus, the stock price of the company fell from $29 to $2 per share. This was mainly the result of the emergence of other forms of entertainment delivery like rental by mail and video on demand. As these technologies emerged, a significant proportion of customers found them more convenient than in-store renting. It was at that juncture that the company made the most terrible mistake in its history. Instead of adapting itself to the emerging trend, the company decided to strengthen its in-store business. However, as the in-store business was destined to fail as technology allowed more convenient renting options, the effort proved futile. On the other hand, its rivals like Netflix who successfully adopted rental by mail and video on demand technologies found significant improvement in business and profit. As the company found itself in trouble, it started new strategies like kiosks, rental by mail and video on demand. How ever, each of the new strategies had its own defect too. For example, the rental by mail offered by Blockbuster was not as effective as that of Netflix. While Netflix managed to deliver the order in a single day, Blockbuster took one to three days. Also, while Netflix ensured successful delivery in more than 95% of the cases, many of the Blockbuster visitors found their favorite titles out-of-stock. Admittedly, the company has taken beneficial steps that will improve the position of the company in future. First of all, it has widened the product array in its brick and mortar stores by adding electronic appliances and video games. Secondly, it has started VOD though it has not been seriously explored. In fact, most of the problems faced by the company are associated with the lack of a specific objective. The management goes on changing its strategies in very short intervals, and hence, the customers get too puzzled to take a decision. Also, even the company representatives find it

Analysis The lady with the petdog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis The lady with the petdog - Essay Example Their love is under the test of rationality and the lens of morality. Chekhov’s â€Å"The Lady with the Pet Dog† uses ambiguity, setting, characterization, and realism to suggest that love has no logic, explanation, and morality, but people continue to fight for it because it is the only thing that makes them truly happy. Love has no logic. Chekhov uses ambiguity in language to show that love does not make any sense. Gurov does not find his affairs satisfying in the long run. He just knows that he attracts women enough for them to â€Å"favor† him, including sexually favoring him (Chekhov par.5). These sexual favors are short and sweet, until his heart chooses to favor someone forever. Favor is an ambiguous word, whose final interests are unclear. In the story, favor motivates two married people to prioritize their self-interests, to the risk of breaking the laws of God and man. One more example shows ambiguity. After making love, Anna feels sorry for the affair. Chekhov describes her as a â€Å"Magdalene†¦by an old master† (par.39), perhaps even worse because she is not a prostitute, but she has given her married body to another married person. Her monologue, however, bores Gurov: â€Å"†¦he was irritated by her naive tone, by her repentance, so unexpected and out of place†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chekhov par.36). ... Aside from language, characterization enables Chekhov to demonstrate that people may be opposite in many ways, but love can still bind them. Gurov is old and a self-confessed womanizer, while Anna is young and inexperienced with affairs. They seem an unlikely pair, especially when they have some sense of â€Å"fear† for their spouses (Chekhov par.4). They fear them because they are with them, despite the absence of love. Furthermore, Gurov thinks that there is nothing special about him, while Anna finds him as the best kind of man. For Gurov, he is only an old man â€Å"almost twice her age,† but Anna sees him as â€Å"kind, exceptional, high-minded† (Chekhov par.58). Evidently, love has skewed their assessment of true identities. Their love blinded them of the ability to see each other’s worst faults. One of the greatest sources of the irrationality of their love is its depravity. Their affair is wrong but they want to continue anyway, even when at first, they are unsure of what they have. Anna becomes restless and cannot sleep (Chekhov par.52). These are signs of guilt. They are both married, but they are in love with each other, not their spouses. In addition, they are hesitant of what they have, until Anna leaves Gurov. When Anna sees â€Å"dew on the grass† (Chekhov par.49), it represents something new, the dawn of love. The dew is fresh and refreshing. Their love awakens their old grass. But the dew will evaporate at the light of day. The sun is their morality. Their dew is against this morality, and it is illogical to continue it. They are struggling to hide their love, when they can always end it to conclude their miseries (Chekhov par.52). They feel â€Å"dread† (Chekhov par.52) of being caught, being judged. Why suffer these complications? They

Action Potential Essay Example for Free

Action Potential Essay What opens first in response to a threshold stimulus? Voltage Gated (activation gates) Na+ channels open and Na+ diffuses in the cytoplasm What characterizes depolarization, 1st phase of action potential? Membrane changes from a negative value to a positive value What characterizes repolarization, 2nd phase of action potential? Once the membrane depolarizes to a peak value of 30+, it repolarizes to to its negative resting value of -70 What event triggers the generation of an action potential? The membrane potential must depolarize from the resting voltage of -70 mV to a threshold value of -55 mV. ( This is the minimum value required to open enough voltage-gated Na+ channels so that depolarization is irreversible.) What is the first change to occur in response to a threshold stimulus? Voltage-gated Na+ channels change shape, and their activation gates open Resting State All gated Na+ and K+ channels are closed Step 2 Depolarization; Na+ Channels Open During the depolarization phase of the action potential, open Na+ channels allow Na+ ions to diffuse into the cell. This inward movement of positive charge makes the membrane potential more positive (less negative). The depolarization phase is a positive feedback cycle where open Na+ channels cause depolarization, which in turn causes more voltage-gated Na+ channels to open. Step 3 Repolarization; Na+ channels are inactivating and K+ Channels Open Step 4 Hyperpolarization; Some K+ channels remain open and Na+ channels reset How many gates/states do voltage gated Na+ channels have? two gates and three states Closed Na+ at the resting state, no Na+ enters the cell through them Opened Na+ opened by depolariztion, allowing Na+ to enter the cell Inactivated channels automatically blocked by inactivation gates soon after they open How many gates/states do voltage gated K+ channels have? one gate, two states Closed K+ at the resting state, no K+ leaves Opened K+ at depolarization, after delay, allowing K+ to leave Why is an action potential self-generating? depolarizing currents established by the influx of Na+ flow down the axon and trigger an action potential at the next segment The Na+ diffusing into the axon during the first phase of the action potential creates a depolarizing current that brings the next segment, or node, of the axon to threshold. Why does regeneration of the action potential occur in one direction, rather than in two directions? The inactivation gates of voltage-gated Na+ channels close in the node, or segment, that has just fired an action potential At the peak of the depolarization phase of the action potential, the inactivation gates close. Thus, the voltage-gated Na+ channels become absolutely refractory to another depolarizing stimulus. What changes occur to voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channels at the peak of depolarization? Inactivation gates of voltage-gated Na+ channels close, while activation gates of voltage-gated K+ channels open Closing of voltage-gated channels is time dependent. Typically, the inactivation gates of voltage-gated Na+ channels close about a millisecond after the activation gates open. At the same time, the activation gates of voltage-gated K+ channels open. What marks the end of the depolarization phase? As voltage-gated Na+ channels begin to inactivate, the membrane potential stops becoming more positive This marks the end of the depolarization phase of the action potential. Then, as voltage-gated K+ channels open, K+ ions rush out of the neuron, following their electrochemical gradient. This exit of positively-charged ions causes the interior of the cell to become more negative, repolarizing the membrane. The repolarization phase of the action potential, where voltage becomes more negative after the +30mV peak, is caused primarily by __________. The opening of voltage-gated K+ channels allows K+ ions to exit the cell, repolarizing the membrane. In other words, the exit of K+ ions makes the membrane potential more negative. K+ also exits through leakage channels during this phase because leakage channels are always active. However, most of the membrane permeability to K+ during this phase is due to voltage-gated channels. Voltage-gated K+ channels make the action potential more brief than it would otherwise be if only leakage channels were available to repolarize the membrane. During an action potential, hyperpolarization beyond (more negative to) the resting membrane potential is primarily due to __________. The large number of voltage-gated K+ channels opening during the repolarization phase quickly makes the membrane potential more negative as positively-charged K+ ions leave the cell. K+ ions continue to leave through open channels as the membrane potential passes (becomes more negative than) the resting potential. This hyperpolarization phase of the action potential is therefore due to K+ ions diffusing through voltage-gated K+ channels. The membrane potential remains more negative than the resting potential until voltage-gated K+ channels close. This period of hyperpolarization is important in relieving voltage-gated Na+ channels from inactivation, readying them for another action potential. During the hyperpolarization phase of the action potential, when the membrane potential is more negative than the resting membrane potential, what happens to voltage-gated ion channels? Voltage-gated K+ channels are opened by depolarization. This means that as the membrane potential repolarizes and then hyperpolarizes, these K+ channels close. With the closing of voltage-gated K+ channels, the membrane potential returns to the resting membrane potential via leakage channel activity. Resetting voltage-gated Na+ channels to the closed (but not inactivated) state prepares them for the next action potential. During the hyperpolarization phase of the action potential, voltage eventually returns to the resting membrane potential. What processes are primarily responsible for this return to the resting membrane potential? Voltage-gated K+ channels close. K+ and Na+ diffuse through leakage channels.

Effect of hydration on blood pressure

Effect of hydration on blood pressure Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Water is the key to all life; without it, life as we know it would not exist. So it is natural to believe that hydration should have an effect on blood pressure and heart rate, considering our heart is also one of the keys to our life as humans. So we will be testing what affect hydration has on blood pressure and heart rate, if any. Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within our arteries. The measurement is recorded as the systolic pressure (pressure when heart contracts) over the diastolic pressure (pressure when the heart is relaxed). (Weedman, Sokoloski 2009)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A study was done at Franz-Volhard Clinical research center that examined how water drinking affected blood pressure in the body. The results showed that drinking 500mL of water increased patients blood pressure and also increased heart rate (Schroeder 2002). Although it was only a slight increase, it still had an affect on the pressure and heart rate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jens Jordan also did a study on how water affects blood pressure and found that the older the patient was the more of an effect drinking water had on blood pressure. In fact, in some of the younger patients drinking water had no effect at all. However, when the water did have an effect it increased blood pressure every single time. Some of the reasons for this increase, Jordan describes, are because water and plasma have different osmolarities (concentration of solute vs. solution), the pressure in the blood increases. Also, water may cause different plasma concentrations in the blood which would also cause an increase in blood pressure (Jordan 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rats and humans are very alike organisms. Our bodies both function and are made similarly. So when David Belanger and Samuel M. Feldman did a study on the effects of water deprivation on rats, we can predict that something similar may happen in humans. The rats heart rates decreased the longer they were dehydrated (Belanger and Feldman 1962). The study did not test what hydrating the rats would do, but since the heart rates decreased without water, it is possible that they would increase with water.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One reasonable explanation of why dehydration affects blood pressure is due to the tightening of blood vessels. The volume of blood in the blood vessels and veins of the body will begin to lessen when water is drawn from them. As a result, the vessels and veins will contract in order to stay full of blood (otherwise there is extra space, leaving room for gas to build up). This contracting results in high tension, or high blood pressure (Healthy-water-best-filters).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I hypothesize that hydration will affect blood pressure and heart rate. I predict that the blood pressure and heart rate will increase. The significance of this experiment is determining how hydration affects blood pressure and heart rate. It is important to know this because high blood pressure is a dangerous condition, and many people suffer from it. If hydration can affect blood pressure (and heart rate) in a good way, it may produce many ways to help keep blood pressure and heart rate at a healthy state. Materials and Methods   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, the variable to be tested (hydration) was decided by the class and a question to test was determined. The dependent variable was blood pressure and heart rate (beats per min). The independent variable was hydration (and time). Basal readings (resting blood pressure and heart rate) for each student were used from the last experiment. Each student did not drink any water over the duration of the class (about 2.5 hours), and at the end of class, each student drank roughly 16oz of water. Each person recorded their blood pressure and heart rate at time zero by using their basal BP and HR from the past experiments. Immediately after drinking the water, a partner began timing the other partner. Every three minutes each partner measured their partners blood pressure (systolic/diastolic pressure) and heart rate (beats per min) using a digital sphygmomanometer (which expressed both heart rate and blood pressure). A measurement was taken every three minutes for 12 min utes. There were 13 groups who gathered data, so 26 total students data was obtained and put into excel. Averages, T-Tests, and ranges were then attained and analyzed. (Weedman, Sokoloski 2009) Results   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After all 26 students in the class drank about 16oz of water, each found a partner and started to record the blood pressure and heart rate of each other every 3 minutes for 12 minutes. The data for each student was obtained and analyzed in an excel spreadsheet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The basal readings (resting rate) for blood pressure (systolic/diastolic pressure) for all 26 students ranged from 83/57 to 158/105. After every student took three basal readings, the averages for each basal reading were taken, and all three averages were averaged at 108/69. The blood pressures at time zero ranged from 91/58 to 175/134. After the outliers were removed, the average for time zero was 117/74. At 3 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 86/63 to 157/117 and the average was 111/69 after outliers were removed. At 6 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 85/52 to 150/75 and the average was 109/70 after outliers were removed. At 9 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 91/53 to 140/80 and the average was 116/75 after outliers were removed. At 12 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 91/59 to 137/69 and the average was 113/70 after outliers were removed. After performing a T-Test, we can determine that the data is significant (the result of the te st was 0.33). (Table 2)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Graph 2 illustrates how the systolic and diastolic pressures didnt change over time. After drinking 16oz of water, the blood pressure was not affected at all. The slope of the trendline for average systolic pressure is -0.1. We can determine that this is extremely close to zero. Its not enough of a slope to say that the systolic pressure decreased at all. The slope of the trendline for average diastolic pressure is -0.07. Again, this is close enough to zero to determine that there was no change in diastolic pressure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The heart rate basal readings for all 26 students ranged from 53 beats per minute (bpm) to 122 bpm. The overall average basal reading for heart rate was 76.57 bpm. At time zero, the heart rates ranged from 44 bpm to 116 bpm and the average was 69.5 bpm after outliers were removed. At 3 min, the heart rates ranged from 52 bpm to 106 bpm and the average was 67.25 bpm once outliers were removed. At 6 min, the heart rates ranged from 51 bpm to 108 bpm and the average was 66.3 bpm once the outliers were removed. At 9 min, the heart rates ranged from 55 bpm to 116 bpm and the average was 68.67 bpm once outliers were removed. At 12 min, the heart rates ranged from 42 bpm to 100 bpm and the average was 69.33 bpm once outliers were removed. (Table 1)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Graph 1 illustrates the changes in the heart rate over the 12 minutes. From 0 to 6 minutes, the heart rate decreases by 3.2 bpm, but from 6 to 12 minutes, the heart rate increases by 3.03 bpm. However, since the average basal reading was 76.57 bpm, we can see that after drinking water, the heart rate immediately decreased by 7.07 bpm, and didnt recover after the 12 minutes. Since we didnt measure recovery rate, we dont know how long it took the body to recover. Discussion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I hypothesized that hydration would affect blood pressure and heart rate. I predicted that hydration would cause the blood pressure and heart rate to increase. The data did not completely support my hypothesis and prediction. Hydration did not affect blood pressure, but it did affect heart rate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Graph 2 illustrates that once students drank 16oz of water their blood pressure was not affected. The slopes of both of the trendlines for systolic and diastolic pressures were extremely close to zero, showing that the blood pressures did not change due to hydration. Although the pressures increased a bit from the basal readings, it still follows the trend of the graph, and would not affect the trendlines. So we determine that hydration did not affect blood pressure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Graph 1 illustrates that heart rate was affected by hydration. From time zero to 6 minutes, the average heart rate decreased by 3.2 bpm. From 6 to 12 minutes, the heart rate increased by 3.03 bpm. These increases and decreases of the heart rate are very close to each other. If we measured heart rate longer, we would be able to determine if this was a pattern or not. With the amount of data we have, its hard to determine if this is a significant increase and decrease. However, from the average basal reading of 76.57 bpm (Table 1) to the reading at time zero, there was an average decrease of 7.07 bpm. Compared to the other decrease in the graph, this is a much larger one. So we can conclude that hydration does affect heart rate, but only for a brief period of time. It decreases heart rate immediately, but after about 6 minutes, the heart rate begins to increase again. We cant determine if the heart rate is recovering because we didnt measure until the rate completel y recovered. So we can only conclude from our data that hydration decreases heart rate for about 6 minutes, and then it begins to recover.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An alternative hypothesis for the effect of hydration on blood pressure and heart rate would be that it would not affect blood pressure, and it would affect heart rate. The results of the study conducted at Franz-Volhard Clinical research center do not match the results we got in our experiment. They discovered that hydration increased both blood pressure and heart rate (Schroeder 2002). Our study showed that hydration does not affect blood pressure, but it does increase heart rate (for a certain period of time). Jens Jordans study, however, supports our results. In some of the younger patients in his study, hydration had no effect on blood pressure. But in the older patients, blood pressure increased (Jordan 2002). Since the patients of our experiment are all young, our results match Jordans. The study done my David Belanger and Samuel M. Feldman was conducted with rats, not humans and was the effect that dehydration has on heart rate. Their results showed that t he longer the rats were dehydrated, the more the heart rates decreased (Belanger and Feldman 1962). I predicted that since the heart rates decreased without water, they would increase with water. Since the experiments and variables were a little different, its hard to compare the results of our experiment with theirs. But, my prediction that was based on their experiment was not supported by our data.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have identified several weaknesses in our experimental setup. If the amount of time allowed to measure the blood pressure and heart rate were extended, we could have determined when the blood pressure and heart rate recovered, and that would have helped with the analysis of our data immensely-especially the heart rate. We may have been able to determine if the heart rate actually did decrease, or if it was just a pattern that the body and heart have naturally. So recovery time would have helped with the significance of our data, as well as the analysis. Also, our data might have been more accurate with a larger group of people. More people would have solidified our data as more accurate. Works Cited Belanger, David, and Samuel M. Felman. 1962. â€Å"Effects of water deprivation upon heart rate and instrumental activity in the rat.† Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology 55. â€Å"Dehydration And Blood Pressure Are Linked. Treat HBP with Water!† Dehydration symptoms= Sickness. Chronic Dehydration,Treatment, Hydration. 31 Jan. 2010. . Jordan, Jens. 2002. â€Å"Acute effect of water on blood pressure.† Mini-Symposium: Review Article. Schroeder, Christoph, Victoria E. Bush, Lucy J. Norcliffe, Friedrick C. Luft, Jens Tank, Jens Jordan, and Roger Hainsworth. 2002. â€Å"Water Drinking Acutely Improves Orthostatic Tolerance In Healthy Subjects.† Clinical Investigation and Reports. Weedman, Donna, and Erica Smith Sokoloski. Biology of Organisms: A Laboratory Manual for LIFE103. Vol. 5E. Mason: Cengage Learning, 2009.

Winter Oak :: essays research papers

1.a) Our gut reaction to Winter Oak is that it had a lot of meaning, but was dull and tedious. Some words and phrases we used to relate our thoughts on the story are as follows: - Boring. - Monotonous. - No real conflict. - No feeling. - No real plot. - Didn’t invoke a strong reaction. - There was a definite lesson to be learned. 1.b) Yuri Nagibin used different devices to evoke various reactions in us, some of these were: The dialogue; it was concise yet boring but realistic for example, when Anna Vasilyevna was trying to teach the children their nouns. "A noun is a part of speech that denotes an object. In grammar an†¦" (Nagibin 59). Much of this dialogue is unnecessary; we the reader understands what goes on in the classroom, and two pages are not needed to establish nouns. Also, through dialogue Anna proved to be a snob. "’Good morning Anna Vasilyevna!’ Frolov raised his fur hat above his solid, close-cropped head. ‘what are you doing! Put it back on it’s freezing!’ Frolov probably wanted to pull his fur over his eyes himself†¦" (Nagibin 58). Anna feels as though she is high and mighty, and will not even acknowledge Frolov’s attempt of respect towards her. There were very powerful images present in the forest, such as the gigantic winter oak. The image of Savushkin standing in front of the Winter Oak, in utter awe of its splendo r and Anna Vasilyevna realizing the beauty of the winter oak appeals to the sight, because it is easy to picture in our minds. stood an oak as enormous and magnificent as a cathedral. The trees seemed to part respectfully to allow their older companion to spread out in full force. Its lower branches stretched out in a tent over the clearing. The snow had filled the deep crevices of the bark, and the trunk, which was so wide that it would have taken three men to get their arms around it, looked as if it were shot through with silver thread. It had hardly shed any of its foliage which had dried up during the fall; the oak was covered with snow-capped leaves to the very top. (Nagibin 65) We experienced an unexpected plot twist when the stern Anna Vasilyevna went into the forest, and understood Savushkin’s point of view about the winter oak, and why he was late everyday. "’My God!’ Anna Vasilyevna thought painfully.

Cause and Effect of Games Addiction

Topic: Cause and Effect of online game addiction There are many reasons people play games: for their entertainment, relaxation, studying and burning free time. Game is a part of human creativity, it keeps people entertained, creative, figure out what to do or better at problem solving. The game can include friends so people will play together or against each other and become competitive. Other than the benefits from playing online games, there are also problems from online games. Two main causes of this addiction is the design and service of the games and the effect is that people have less time.Online game addiction is a problem. The first cause of game online addiction is the design of game. Game designers make characters’ look and act like humans. Thus player is easily manipulated and they can play it by themself without anyone else. Characters have clothes, hairs, body like humans for example. When player click left-mouse they stand and another mouse they go at moment. Som ething people feel this action like they are going and doing. It is really real to see and they are interested with drag their mouse . The pictures are beautiful, natural, and it looks real making the game more fun.The background pictures are many colors, flowers, water, gardens, trees, 3D of style for example. There are many tools and support players which makes the game exciting. This is like that there is a map load when people want to finish their task. Pop-up windows show up when people use their character to trade items with others and act everything with one option. Another cause is the service of the game. Player can exchange items easily and view all traditional items in the screen. Therefore they can save it in the store or take it out of the game.Players keep characters in their account for the next time they will play. Thus game services attract people to upgrade level of character. There more exercise, the better the character will be compared to others. For example if people saw their character less level than their friends they feel shy and spend more time to play online games for winning in the future. Players can get virtual money in the virtual world. They can buy something in game by this money or put real money into game system. So game provider sells account cards for player check and save money or use it in the virtual world.Many players spend a lot of time to playing online game and have too little time to exercise and study. As a result Children get bad grades, fail their exam and don’t help anything about housework for their mother. In addition, players are bad at communicating in real life because it is they can easily talk in the game and they not only act in the play but also send message for others. Player can get sick because they play too much, which means they do not get enough rest and see the computer screen a lot. Some people play action games or violent game that have a lot of strategy to kill so they act the same way in real life.Online game addiction is a serious problem for everyone. There are benefits, but there are also problems. When players play every day, they will get addicted to online games. The design and services of the games are the reasons people get addicted, and there are negative impacts to people. I think people need to talk about children playing too many games. It is acceptable to play games, however people have to limit the time. Players should spend enough time for both games and their real lives. Thus the life is balanced, healthy and useful.

Is Eddie Carbone a Tragic Hero?

Is Eddie Carbone a tragic hero? Firstly, before the decision is made on whether Eddie Carbone is classed as a tragic hero, I would like to outline what a tragic hero really means. ‘Tragic'- a tragedy is a type of drama, therefore in the context of tragedy, the word ‘hero' means the protagonist, someone who we may admire or respect in a way, but who is imperfect, and has a main flaw, which seems to contribute on his own downfall. A hero doesn't necesserily have to be perfect.It is important that a tragic hero acquires self-knowledge and faces up to his own predicament, with honesty and openness. At the beginning of the play, a tragic hero is always a good person; for example Eddie was a loving and caring man, he said to Catherine â€Å"I want you to be in a nice office. † This shows that he cares for Catherine's future. Eddie Carbone doesn't really fit as a tragic hero considering he is a normal longshoreman, which is ordinary in Red Hook. Just like all men, Eddie à ¢â‚¬Å"worked on the piers where there was work, he brought home his pay, and he lived. Eddie doesn't have a high status, but on the other hand Eddie may still be categorized as a tragic hero due to his bold imperfection which results in his downfall, Eddie is also respected at the beginning of the play, just like a tragic hero. Eddie's tragic flaw, seems to be his over powering love for his niece Catherine, which makes Eddie's fate unavoidable. His unnatural love for Catherine causes the jealousy betweem him and Rodolfo, Beatrice's Italian cousin, who is also falling for Catherine.

“A Helping Hand” Story Essay

In the story, â€Å"A Helping Hand† I am creating a Gothic tale which takes place in the mid-eighteenth century in London, England where the madman of this story takes his hostage, a young dancer by the name of Mary, who is an eighteenth century prostitute, who has something on hand, in which this Gothic creature, longs for.   I intend to create a desperate and scary situation, that will leave my reading audience paralyzed with fear but unable to pull themselves away from this story. It will be a winning Gothic tale; hands down! The hallowing winds hurled Mary’s hair into air, as she crossed the rocky road that led her to her tiny stone villa, on Fourth Street.   She had danced easily for the gentlemen callers who had paid their dues, in order to watch her move across the floor with incredible grace and little clothing. She had performed this dance ritual for several months, now, and she had saved up enough money to pay her rent plus buy food, which was a rarity she had earlier missed. She searched her bag for the golden key that would allow her to enter, and she panicked when she discovered it wasn’t in its proper place. The wind had picked up even more strength and she could barely hold her feet on the ground as she continued to look for the key. There was a humming in the distance, and she convinced herself that it was just another voice that the storm was offering, and as it grew louder and clearer, she froze where she stood. She could feel him standing behind her, but she couldn’t allow herself to look. She could barely catch her breath and as she felt his hand rest on her shoulder, she closed her eyes and pretended she was back on the dance floor. He smelled of cedar and whiskey and as he brushed his hand across the back of her neck, she spoke words that she had no idea where they emerged from. â€Å"Can I help you?† I was all she could say and she wondered if he had been a male caller who had watched her dance, earlier. She could feel the sharp object protruding from his arm and when she was finally able to turn around; she saw that he was equipped with the prosthetic hand that he had used to touch her. Had he any feelings in his hands? He must have, since she could feel the warmth that radiated from the object. She looked him in his face as he dangled the golden key before her. He had somehow managed to steal his way into her existence and now she had no other choice but to follow him inside the home that had earlier provided her a safe haven. He didn’t speak but his eyes said all that she needed to know. He was there for one reason and she could feel his eyes piercing her soul as he placed the artificial hand to her chest. â€Å"Mary, be kind!† Were the first words he spoke as she wiped a single tear from her cheeks, and removed her sweater. â€Å"No!† His voice was strong and he had not wanted this from her, but something much more personal. There was no way she could give this to him, and as she thought about it, she would have rather that he had been a crude pervert who only wanted her body, but he was asking for more than that! Her body tightened and she stood immobilized as he seemed to say thank you with his eyes and she suddenly wished that she hadn’t moved away from her family. They had warned her about the dangers that existed in London, England and had advised her to reconsider her move so far away from those who cared about her. But, she had been strong-willed and their words of advice hadn’t been able to convince her. He was growing impatient and she wished that his breathing could have been gentler and as she realized there was no way of escaping, she at last reached offered her hand to him. He had stroked it with affection. It was something that he had desired for so long and when he saw how gracefully they moved while she danced, he couldn’t bare not to have one of them, as his own. He removed a long razor that was attached to a wooden handle and he placed his arm around her arms and chest to secure them, so they wouldn’t flop or flinch, as he removed the precious gift. The scream was shrilling and the terror he saw in her eyes didn’t faze him. He wanted it so badly that her pain, he felt, was a small price to pay for the happiness it would bring to him. It was a gift that would enable him to give back so much more than she could ever offer with the long fingered hand. It was after midnight when she finally awoke. The medicine he had given her had caused her to sleep as he ceased the blood flow and sutured the wound that he had given her. It would have proven more beneficial if it had caused her to sleep through the blunt trauma but that kind of pain could not be stopped by anything, including the strong tranquilizer he had shoved down her throat before the surgery. Her eyes fluttered and he seemed to move in a cloud over her, as she whispered that she needed water. He held the vial of fluid to her lips as she took the first sip and she searched his eyes once more, trying to remember the events of the night and as she saw her hand moving toward her face, she realized it was her own. â€Å"My unselfish love, you have given to me of yourself. You have freely offered the gracefulness of your touch that I will forever feel against my flesh. I will carry this part of your body with me forever, and I will always be thankful to you!† He had seemed appreciative as she tried to lift her limb that was wrapped in blood-stained wrapping that was lifted above her head. She thought about her family as she wondered if she would ever see them again as she felt a shot of blood pulsate through the bandage. She had never felt pain of this severity and as she tried to raise herself to a standing position, this stranger pulled her back to the bed and stroked her face with his feminine fingers. It was two days before she could gather the energy to walk to her small kitchen and when she did, she searched for him and in a whimpering voice she called out to him. There was no reply as she drank a full glass of the water that she had so thirsted for. She searched each dark room and he was nowhere to be found. She let out a tiny sigh of relief as she walked toward the front door. She would find someone who could help her; someone who could call a family member or take her to get some medical help. Her wrist felt like fire moving through the end and she held it tightly as she ran toward safety. The coldness of the day and the bitter rain exaggerated the pain she felt but she knew she couldn’t delay. She had to find someone who could cause this horrible pain to go away. As she picked up speed, heading in the direction of the ancient saloon, she heard him breathing but continued on her important journey. The saloon was full of familiar faces and as she walked across the floor she saw him gazing at her, once again. He held his graceful hand across the table as she watched him and suddenly moved in his direction. â€Å"Mary, you won’t tell anyone! A gift is something you don’t take back or fret over but something you offer in return for the comfort of knowing that you have helped another. Haven’t you ever heard that it is better to give than to receive?† She was lost for words as she witness the boldness of his speech that flowed from his lips, so easily. â€Å"Mary, I didn’t ask you for an arm or leg; just a gift for someone who was in need. All I asked for was a helping hand!†