Last Sacrifice Chapter Eleven

I BRACED MYSELF, EXPECTING TO see the Dashkov brothers appear again with some last minute â€Å"advice.' Instead I saw– â€Å"Adrian!' I ran across the garden I'd appeared in and threw my arms around him. He hugged me back just as tightly and lifted me off the ground. â€Å"Little dhampir,' he said, once he put me down again. His arms stayed around my waist. â€Å"I've missed you.' â€Å"I've missed you too.' And I meant it. The last couple days and their bizarre events had completely unhinged my life, and being with him–even in a dream–was comforting. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, enjoying a small moment of warmth and peace as our lips met. â€Å"Are you okay?' he asked when I broke away. â€Å"No one'll tell me much about you. Your old man says you're safe and that the Alchemist would let him know if anything went wrong.' I didn't bother telling Adrian that that probably wasn't true, seeing as Abe didn't know we'd gone freelancing with some backwoods vampires. â€Å"I'm fine,' I assured Adrian. â€Å"Mostly bored. We're holed up in this dive of a town. I don't think anyone will come looking for us. I don't think they'd want to.' A look of relief spread over his handsome face, and it occurred to me just how worried he was. â€Å"I'm glad. Rose, you can't imagine what it's like. They aren't just questioning people who might have been involved. The guardians are making all sorts of plans to hunt you down. There's all this talk about â€Å"deadly force.† â€Å"Well, they won't find me. I'm somewhere pretty remote.' Very remote. â€Å"I wish I could have gone with you.' He still looked concerned, and I pressed a finger to his lips. â€Å"No. Don't say that. You're better off where you are–and better not to be associated with me any more than you already are. Have you been questioned?' â€Å"Yeah, they didn't get anything useful out of me. Too tight an alibi. They brought me in when I went to find Mikhail because we talked to–‘ â€Å"I know. Joe.' Adrian's surprise was brief. â€Å"Little dhampir, you've been spying.' â€Å"It's hard not to.' â€Å"You know, as much as I like the idea of having someone always know when you're in trouble, I'm still kind of glad I don't have anyone bound to me. Not sure I'd want them looking in my head.' â€Å"I don't think anyone would want to look in your head either. One person living Adrian Ivashkov's life is hard enough.' Amusement flickered in his eyes, but it faded when I switched back to business. â€Å"Anyway, yeah. I overheard Lissa's †¦ um, interrogation of Joe. That's serious stuff. What did Mikhail say? If Joe lied, that clears half the evidence against me.' It also theoretically killed Adrian's alibi. â€Å"Well, not quite half. It would have been better if Joe said you were in your room during the murder instead of admitting he's a flake who doesn't remember anything. It also would have been better if he hadn't said all this under Lissa's compulsion. Mikhail can't report that.' I sighed. Hanging out with spirit users, I'd started to take compulsion for granted. It was easy to forget that among Moroi, it was taboo, the kind of thing you'd get in serious trouble for. In fact, Lissa wouldn't just get in trouble for illicitly using it. She could also be accused of simply making Joe say whatever she wanted. Anything he said in my favor would be suspect. No one would believe it. â€Å"Also,' added Adrian, looking dismayed, â€Å"if what Joe said gets out, the world would learn about my mother's misguided acts of love.' â€Å"Im sorry,' I said, putting my arms around him. He complained about his parents all the time but really did care about his mother. Finding out about her bribery had to be tough for him, and I knew Tatiana's death still pained him. It seemed I was around a lot of men in anguish lately. â€Å"Although, I really am glad she cleared you of any connection.' â€Å"It was stupid of her. If anyone finds out, she'll be in serious trouble.' â€Å"What's Mikhail's advice then?' â€Å"He's going to find Joe and question him privately. Go from there. For now, there's not much more we can do with the info. It's useful for us †¦ but not for the legal system.' â€Å"Yeah,' I said, trying not to feel disheartened. â€Å"I guess it's better than nothing.' Adrian nodded and then brushed away his dark mood in that easy way of his. Still keeping his arms around me, he pulled back slightly, smiling as he looked down at me. â€Å"Nice dress, by the way.' The topic change caught me by surprise, though I should have been used to it with him by now. Following his gaze, I noticed I was wearing an old dress of mine, the sexy black dress I'd had on when Victor had unleashed a lust charm on Dimitri and me. Since Adrian hadn't dressed me for the dream, my subconscious had dictated my appearance. I was kind of astonished it had chosen this. â€Å"Oh †¦' I suddenly felt embarrassed but didn't know why. â€Å"My own clothes are kind of beat up. I guess I wanted something to counteract that.' â€Å"Well, it looks good on you.' Adrian's fingers slid along the strap. â€Å"Really good.' Even in a dream, the touch of his finger made my skin tingle. â€Å"Watch it, Ivashkov. We've got no time for this.' â€Å"We're asleep. What else are we going to do?' My protests were muffled in a kiss. I sank into it. One of his hands slid down the side of my thigh, near the dress's edge, and it took a lot of mental energy to convince myself that him pulling the dress up was probably not going to clear my name. I reluctantly moved back. â€Å"We're going to figure out who killed Tatiana,' I said, trying to catch my breath. â€Å"There's no â€Å"we,† he said, echoing the line I'd just used on Victor. â€Å"There's me. And Lissa. And Christian. And the rest of our misfit friends.' He stroked my hair and then drew me close again, brushing a kiss against my cheek. â€Å"Don't worry, little dhampir. You take care of yourself. Just stay where you are.' â€Å"I can't,' I said. â€Å"Don't you get it? I can't just do nothing.' The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. It was one thing to protest my inactivity with Dimitri, but with Adrian, I needed to make him and everyone else at Court think I was doing the â€Å"right thing.' â€Å"You have to. We'll take care of you.' He didn't get it, I realized. He didn't understand how badly I needed to do something to help. To his credit, his intentions were good. He thought taking care of me was a big deal. He wanted to keep me safe. But he didn't truly get how agonizing inaction was for me. â€Å"We'll find this person and stop them from doing whatever it is †¦ they want to do. It might take a long time, but we'll fix it.' â€Å"Time †¦' I murmured against his chest, letting the argument go. I'd get nowhere convincing him I needed to help my friends, and anyway, I had my own quest now. So much to do, so little time. I stared off into the landscape he'd created. I'd noticed trees and flowers earlier but only now realized we were in the Church's courtyard–the way it had been before Abe's assault. The statue of Queen Alexandra stood intact, her long hair and kind eyes immortalized in stone. The murder investigation really was in my friends' hands for now, but Adrian had been right: it might take a while. I sighed. â€Å"Time. We need more time.' Adrian pulled away slightly. â€Å"Hmm? What'd you say?' I stared up at him, biting my lower lip as a million thoughts spun through my mind. I looked again at Alexandra and made my decision, wondering if I was about to set new records in foolishness. I turned back to Adrian and squeezed his hand. â€Å"I said we need more time. And I know how we can get it †¦ but †¦ well, there's something you have to do for me. And you, uh, probably shouldn't mention it to Lissa yet †¦' I had just enough time to deliver my instructions to Adrian–who was as shocked as I'd expected–before Dimitri woke me up for my shift. We switched off with little conversation. He had his usual tough face on, but I could see the lines of fatigue etched upon his features. I didn't want to bother him–yet–with my Victor and Robert encounter. Not to mention what I'd just told Adrian to do. There'd be plenty of time for a recap later. Dimitri fell asleep in that easy way of his, and Sydney never stirred the entire time. I envied her for a full night's sleep but couldn't help a smile as the room grew lighter and lighter. She'd been inadvertently put on a vampire schedule after our all-night adventures. Of course, Lissa was on the same schedule, which meant I couldn't visit her during my watch. Just as well. I needed to keep an eye on this creepy collective we'd stumbled into. These Keepers might not want to turn us in, but that didn't make them harmless either. I also hadn't forgotten Sydney's fears about surprise Alchemist visits. When late afternoon came for the rest of the world, I heard stirring inside the house. I gently touched Dimitri's shoulder, and he jerked awake instantly. â€Å"Easy,' I said, unable to hide a smile. â€Å"Just a wakeup call. Sounds like our redneck friends are getting up.' This time, our voices woke Sydney. She rolled over toward us, her eyes squinting at the light coming through the badly screened window. â€Å"What time is it?' she asked, stretching her limbs. â€Å"Not sure.' I had no watch. â€Å"Probably past midday. Three? Four?' She sat up almost as quickly as Dimitri had. â€Å"In the afternoon? † The sunlight gave her the answer. â€Å"Damn you guys and your unholy schedule.' â€Å"Did you just say â€Å"damn'? Isn't that against Alchemist rules?' I teased. â€Å"Sometimes it's necessary.' She rubbed her eyes and glanced toward the door. The faint noises I'd heard in the rest of the house were louder now, audible even to her ears. â€Å"I guess we need a plan.' â€Å"We have one,' I said. â€Å"Find Lissa's sibling.' â€Å"I never entirely agreed to that,' she reminded me. â€Å"And you guys keep thinking I can just magically type away like some movie hacker to find all your answers.' â€Å"Well, at least it's a place to–‘ A thought occurred to me, one that could seriously mess things up. â€Å"Crap. Your laptop won't even work out here.' â€Å"It's got a satellite modem, but it's the battery we have to worry about.' Sydney sighed and stood up, smoothing her rumpled clothes with dismay. â€Å"I need a coffee shop or something.' â€Å"I think I saw one in a cave down the road,' I said. That almost got a smile from her. â€Å"There's got to be some town close by where I could use my laptop.' â€Å"But it's probably not a good idea to take the car out anywhere in this state,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Just in case someone at the motel got your license plate number.' â€Å"I know,' she said grimly. â€Å"I was thinking about that too.' Our brilliant scheming was interrupted by a knock at the door. Without waiting for an answer, Sarah stuck her head inside and smiled. â€Å"Oh, good. You're all awake. We're getting breakfast ready if you want to join us.' Through the doorway, scents of what seemed like a normal breakfast drifted in: bacon, eggs †¦ The bread had gotten me through the night, but I was ready for real food and willing to roll the dice on whatever Raymond's family had to offer. In the house's main section, we found a flurry of domestic activity. Raymond appeared to be cooking something over the fireplace while Paulette set the long table. It already had a platter of perfectly ordinary scrambled eggs and more slices of yesterday's bread. Raymond rose from the fireplace, holding a large metal sheet covered in crisp bacon. A smile split his bearded face when he spotted us. The more of these Keepers I saw, the more I kept noticing something. They made no attempts to hide their fangs. From childhood, my Moroi were taught to smile and speak in a way that minimized fang exposure, in case they were out in human cities. There was nothing like that here. â€Å"Good morning,' said Raymond, carefully pushing the bacon onto another platter on the table. â€Å"I hope you're all hungry.' â€Å"Do you think that's, like, real bacon?' I whispered to Sydney and Dimitri. â€Å"And not like squirrel or something?' â€Å"Looks real to me,' said Dimitri. â€Å"I'd say so too,' said Sydney. â€Å"Though, I guarantee it's from their own pigs and not a grocery store.' Dimitri laughed at whatever expression crossed my face. â€Å"I always love seeing what worries you. Strigoi? No. Questionable food? Yes.' â€Å"What about Strigoi?' Joshua and Angeline entered the house. He had a bowl of blackberries, and she was pushing the little kids along. From their squirming and dirty faces, they clearly wanted to go back outside. It was Angeline who had asked the question. Dimitri covered for my squeamishness. â€Å"Just talking about some of Rose's Strigoi kills.' Joshua came to a standstill and stared at me, those pretty blue eyes wide with amazement. â€Å"You've killed the Lost? Er–Strigoi?' I admired his attempt to use â€Å"our' term. â€Å"How many?' I shrugged. â€Å"I don't really know anymore.' â€Å"Don't you use the marks?' Raymond scolded. â€Å"I didn't think the Tainted had abandoned those.' â€Å"The marks–oh. Yeah. Our tattoos? We do.' I turned around and lifted up my hair. I heard a scuffling of feet and then felt a finger touching my skin. I flinched and whipped back around, just in time to see Joshua lowering his hand sheepishly. â€Å"Sorry,' he said. â€Å"I've just never seen some of these. Only the molnija marks. That's how we count our Strigoi kills. You've got †¦ a lot.' â€Å"The S-shaped mark is unique to them,' said Raymond disapprovingly. That look was quickly replaced by admiration. â€Å"The other's the zvezda.' This earned gasps from Joshua and Angeline and a â€Å"What?' from me. â€Å"The battle mark,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Not many people call it zvezda anymore. It means â€Å"star.† â€Å"Huh. Makes sense,' I said. The tattoo was, in fact, kind of shaped like a star and was given when someone had fought in a big enough battle to lose count of Strigoi kills. After all, there were only so many molnija marks you could cram on your neck. Joshua smiled at me in a way that made my stomach flutter just a little. Maybe he was part of a pseudo-Amish cult, but that didn't change the fact that he was still good- looking. â€Å"Now I understand how you could have killed the Tainted queen.' â€Å"It's probably fake,' said Angeline. I'd been about to protest the queen-killing part, but her comment derailed me. â€Å"It is not! I earned it when Strigoi attacked our school. And then there were plenty more I took down after that.' â€Å"The mark can't be that uncommon,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Your people must have big Strigoi fights every once in a while.' â€Å"Not really,' said Joshua, his eyes still on me. â€Å"Most of us have never fought or even seen the Lost. They don't really bother us.' That was surprising. If ever there was a Strigoi target, a group of Moroi, dhampirs, and humans out in the middle of nowhere would be it. â€Å"Why not?' I asked. Raymond winked at me. â€Å"Because we fight back.' I pondered his enigmatic statement as the family sat down to eat. Again, I thought about the entire community's willingness to fight when we'd first arrived. Was it really enough to scare off Strigoi? Not much scared them, but maybe certain things were too much of an inconvenience to deal with. I wondered what Dimitri's opinion would be on that. His own family had come from a community that separated itself somewhat from mainstream Moroi life, but it was nothing like this. All of this spun in my mind while we ate and talked. The Keepers still had a lot more questions about us and Tatiana. The only one not participating was Angeline. She ate as little as Sydney and kept watching me with a scowl. â€Å"We need some supplies,' said Sydney abruptly, interrupting me in the middle of a gruesome story. I didn't mind, but the others looked disappointed. â€Å"Where's the nearest town that would have a coffee shop †¦ or any restaurant?' â€Å"Well,' said Paulette. â€Å"Rubysville is a little over an hour north. But we have plenty of food here for you.' â€Å"Its not about food,' I said quickly. â€Å"Yours has been great.' I glanced at Sydney. â€Å"An hour's not so bad, right?' She nodded and then glanced hesitantly at Raymond. â€Å"Is there any way †¦ is there any way we could borrow a car? Ill †¦' The next words clearly caused her pain. â€Å"I'll leave the keys to mine until we get back.' He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"You've got a nice car.' Sydney shrugged. â€Å"The less we drive it around here, the better.' He told us we could take his truck and that he â€Å"probably' wouldn't even need to use the CR-V. Sydney gave him a tight smile of thanks, but I knew images of vampires joyriding in her car were dancing through her head. We set out soon after that, wanting to be back before the sun went down. People were out and about in the commune, doing chores or whatever else it was they did with their lives. A group of children sat around a dhampir reading a book to them, making me wonder what sort of education process they had here. All of the Keepers stopped whatever they were doing as we passed, giving us either curious looks or outright smiles. I smiled back occasionally but mostly kept my eyes ahead. Joshua was escorting us back to the â€Å"parking lot' and managed to walk beside me when we reached the narrow path. â€Å"I hope you won't be gone long,' he said. â€Å"I'd wanted us to talk more.' â€Å"Sure,' I said. â€Å"That'd be fun.' He brightened and chivalrously pushed aside a low-hanging branch. â€Å"Maybe I can show you my cave.' â€Å"Your–wait. What? Don't you live with your dad?' â€Å"For now. But I'm getting my own place.' There was pride in his voice. â€Å"It's not as big as his, of course, but it's a good start. It's almost cleaned out.' â€Å"That's really, um, great. Definitely show me when we're back.' The words came easily to my lips, but my mind was pondering the fact that Raymond's house was apparently â€Å"big.' Joshua parted ways from us when we reached Raymond's truck, a big red pickup with a seat that could just barely hold the three of us. Considering the Keepers didn't leave the woods much, the truck seemed like it had seen a lot of miles. Or maybe just a lot of years of disuse. â€Å"You shouldn't lead him on like that,' Dimitri said, when we'd been on the road for about ten minutes. Surprisingly, Sydney had let him drive. I guessed she figured a manly truck deserved a manly driver. Now that we were moving, my mind had focused back on the task at hand: finding the other Dragomir. â€Å"Huh?' â€Å"Joshua. You were flirting with him.' â€Å"I was not! We were just talking.' â€Å"Aren't you with Adrian?' â€Å"Yes!' I exclaimed, glaring at Dimitri. His eyes were fixed on the road. â€Å"And that's why I wasn't flirting. How can you read so much into that? Joshua doesn't even like me that way.' â€Å"Actually,' said Sydney, sitting between us, â€Å"he does.' I turned my incredulity on her. â€Å"How do you know? Did he pass you a note in class or something?' She rolled her eyes. â€Å"No. But you and Dimitri are like gods back at camp.' â€Å"We're outsiders,' I reminded her. â€Å"Tainted.' â€Å"No. You're renegade Strigoi – and queen-killers. It might have all been southern charm and hospitality back there, but those people can be savage. They put a big premium on being able to beat people up. And, considering how scruffy most of them are, you guys are †¦ well †¦ let's just say you two are the hottest things to walk through there in a while.' â€Å"You're not hot?' I asked. â€Å"It's irrelevant,' she said, flustered by the comment. â€Å"Alchemists aren't even on their radar. We don't fight. They think we're weak.' I thought back to the enraptured faces and had to admit that a lot of the people there did have a weathered, worn-out look. Almost. â€Å"Raymond's family was pretty good- looking,' I pointed out. I heard a grunt from Dimitri who no doubt read this as evidence of me flirting with Joshua. â€Å"Yeah,' she said. â€Å"Because they're probably the most important family in town. They eat better, probably don't have to work in the sun as much. That kind of stuff makes a difference.' There was no more talk of flirting as we continued the drive. We made good time to Rubysville, which looked eerily similar to the first town we'd stayed in. When we stopped at what appeared to be the Rubysville's only gas station, Sydney ran inside to ask a few questions. She came back, reporting that there was indeed a cafe of sorts where she could plug in her laptop and try to look up what we needed. She ordered coffee, and we sat there with her, too full from breakfast to order anything substantial. After a couple dirty looks from a waitress who seemed to regard us as loiterers, Dimitri and I decided to take a walk around town. Sydney looked almost as pleased as the waitress about this. I don't think she liked having us hover around. I'd given Sydney a hard time about West Virginia, but I had to admit the scenery was beautiful. Soaring trees, full of summer leaves, surrounded the town like an embrace. Beyond them, mountains loomed, very different from the ones I'd grown up with near St. Vladimir's. These were rolling and green, covered in more trees. Most of the mountains surrounding St. Vladimir's had been stony and jagged, often with snowy peaks. A strange sense of nostalgia came over me, thinking back to Montana. There was a good possibility I'd never see it again. If I spent the rest of my life on the run, St. Vladimir's was the last place I could go. If I was caught, well †¦ then I'd definitely never get to see Montana again. â€Å"Or any place,'I murmured, speaking out loud before I could catch myself. â€Å"Hmm?' asked Dimitri. â€Å"I was just thinking about if the guardians find us. I never realized how much there was I wanted to do and see. Suddenly, that's all at stake, you know?' We moved off to the side of the road as an orange pickup came driving by. Children out of school for the summer screeched and laughed in the back of it. â€Å"Okay, suppose my name isn't cleared and we never find the real murderer. What's the next-best-case scenario? Me: always running, always hiding. That'll be my life. For all I know, I will have to go live with the Keepers.' â€Å"I don't think it'll come to that,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Abe and Sydney would help you find some place safe.' â€Å"Is there a safe place? For real? Adrian said the guardians are increasing their efforts to find us. They've got the Alchemists and probably human authorities looking for us too. No matter where we go, we'll run the risk of being spotted. Then we'll have to move on. It'll be like that forever.' â€Å"You'll be alive,' he pointed out. â€Å"That's what matters. Enjoy what you have, every little detail of wherever you are. Don't focus on where you aren't.' â€Å"Yeah,' I admitted, trying to follow his advice. The sky seemed a little bluer, the birds a little louder. â€Å"I suppose I shouldn't whine over the dream places I won't get to see. I should be grateful I get to see anything at all. And that I'm not living in a cave.' He glanced over at me and smiled, something unreadable in his eyes. â€Å"Where do you want to go?' â€Å"What, right now?' I glanced around, sizing up our options. There was a bait and tackle store, a drugstore, and an ice cream parlor. I had a feeling that last one would be a necessary trip before leaving town. â€Å"No, in the world.' I eyed him warily. â€Å"Sydney's going to be pissed if we take off for Istanbul or something.' This got me full-fledged laughter. â€Å"Not what I had in mind. Come on.' I followed him toward what looked like the bait and tackle store and then noticed a small building tucked behind it. Naturally, his sharp eyes had seen what I missed– probably because I'd been fixated on the ice cream. RUBYSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY. â€Å"Whoa, hey,' I said. â€Å"One of the few perks of graduating was avoiding places like this.' â€Å"Its probably air conditioned,' he pointed out. I looked down at my sweat-soaked tank top and noticed a faint pink tinge to my skin. With my tanned complexion, I rarely burned, but this was some serious sun–even so late in the day. â€Å"Lead on,' I told him. The library was mercifully cool, though even smaller than the one at St. Vladimir's. With some uncanny sense (or maybe just a knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System), Dimitri led us over to the travel section–which consisted of about ten books, three of which were about West Virginia. He frowned. â€Å"Not quite what I expected.' He scanned the shelf twice and then pulled out a large, bright-colored one entitled 100 Best Places to Visit in the World. We sat down cross-legged on the floor, and he handed me the book. â€Å"No way, comrade,' I said. â€Å"I know books are a journey of the imagination, but I don't think I'm up for that today.' â€Å"Just take it,' he said. â€Å"Close your eyes, and flip randomly to a page.' It seemed silly, considering everything else going on in our life, but his face said he was serious. Indulging him, I closed my eyes and selected a page in the middle. I opened to it. â€Å"Mitchell, South Dakota?' I exclaimed. Remembering I was in a library, I lowered my voice. â€Å"Out of all the places in the world, that makes the top hundred?' He was smiling again, and I'd forgotten how much I'd missed that. â€Å"Read it.' â€Å"†Located ninety minutes outside of Sioux Falls, Mitchell is home to the Corn Palace.† I looked up at him in disbelief. â€Å"Corn Palace?' He scooted over next to me, leaning close to look at the pictures. â€Å"I figured it'd be made of corn husks,' he noted. The pictures actually showed what looked like a Middle Eastern–or even Russian–style building, with turrets and onion domes. â€Å"Me too.' Reluctantly, I added, â€Å"I'd visit it. I bet they have great T-shirts.' â€Å"And,' he said, a sly look in his eyes, â€Å"I bet no guardians would look for us there.' I made no attempts to conceal my laughter, imagining us living as fugitives in the Corn Palace for the rest of our lives. My amusement brought us a scolding from a librarian, and we quieted as Dimitri took his turn. Sao Paolo, Brazil. Then my turn: Honolulu, Hawaii. Back and forth we passed the book, and before long, we were both lying on the floor, side by side, sharing mixed reactions as we continued our â€Å"global tour of the imagination.' Our arms and legs just barely touched. If anyone had told me forty-eight hours ago that I'd be lying in a library with Dimitri, reading a travel book, I would have said they were crazy. Almost as crazy was the realization that I was doing something perfectly ordinary and casual with him. Since the moment we'd met, our lives had been about secrecy and danger. And really, those were still the dominant themes in our lives. But in those quiet couple of hours, time seemed to stand still. We were at peace. We were friends. â€Å"Florence, Italy,' I read. Pictures of elaborate churches and galleries filled the page. â€Å"Sydney wants to go there. She wanted to study there, actually. If Abe could have managed that, I think she would have served him for life.' â€Å"She's still pretty obedient,' Dimitri remarked. â€Å"I don't know her well, but I'm pretty sure Abe's got something on her.' â€Å"He got her out of Russia, back to the U.S.' He shook his head. â€Å"It's got to be more than that. Alchemists are loyal to their order. They don't like us. She hides it–they're trained to–but every minute with the Keepers is agony. For her to help us and betray her superiors, she owes him for some serious reason.' We both paused a moment, wondering what mysterious arrangement my father had with her. â€Å"Its irrelevant, though. She's helping us, which is what matters †¦ and we should probably get back to her.' I knew he was right but hated to go. I wanted to stay here, in this illusion of tranquility and safety, letting myself believe I might really make it to the Parthenon or even the Corn Palace someday. I handed the book back to him. â€Å"One more.' He picked his random page and opened the book. His smile fell. â€Å"Saint Petersburg.' A weird mix of feelings entangled themselves in my chest. Nostalgia–because the city was beautiful. Sorrow–because my visit had been tainted by the awful task I'd gone there to do. Dimitri stared at the page for a long time, wistfulness on his face. It occurred to me then that, despite his earlier pep talk, he had to be experiencing what I did for Montana: our old, favorite places were lost to us now. I nudged him gently. â€Å"Hey, enjoy where you're at, remember? Not where you can't go.' He reluctantly shut the book and dragged his eyes away from it. â€Å"How'd you get so wise?' he teased. â€Å"I had a good teacher.' We smiled at each other. Something occurred to me. All this time, I'd figured he'd helped break me out because of Lissa's orders. Maybe there was more to it. â€Å"Is that why you escaped with me?' I asked. â€Å"To see what parts of the world you could?' His surprise was brief. â€Å"You don't need me to be wise, Rose. You're doing fine on your own. Yes, that was part of it. Maybe I would have been welcomed back eventually, but there was the risk I wouldn't. After †¦ after being Strigoi †¦' He stumbled over the words a little. â€Å"I gained a new appreciation for life. It took a while. I'm still not there. We're talking about focusing on the present, not the future–but it's my past that haunts me. Faces. Nightmares. But the farther I get from that world of death, the more I want to embrace life. The smell of these books and the perfume you wear. The way the light bends through that window. Even the taste of breakfast with the Keepers.' â€Å"You're a poet now.' â€Å"No, just starting to realize the truth. I respect the law and the way our society runs, but there was no way I could risk losing life in some cell after only just finding it again. I wanted to run too. That's why I helped you. That and–‘ â€Å"What?' I studied him, desperately wishing he wasn't so good at keeping emotions off his face. I knew him well; I understood him. But he could still hide things from me. He sat up, not meeting my eyes. â€Å"It doesn't matter. Let's go back to Sydney and see if she found out anything †¦ although, as much as I hate to say it, I think it's unlikely.' â€Å"I know.' I stood with him, still wondering what else he would have said. â€Å"She probably gave up and started playing Minesweeper.' We headed back toward the cafe, stopping briefly for ice cream. Eating it while we walked proved quite the challenge. The sun was nearing the horizon, painting everything orange and red, but the heat lingered. Enjoy it, Rose, I told myself. The colors. The taste of chocolate. Of course, I'd always loved chocolate. My life didn't need to be on the line for me to enjoy dessert. We reached the cafe and found Sydney bent over her laptop, with a barely eaten Danish and what was probably her fourth cup of coffee. We slid into seats beside her. â€Å"Hows it–hey! You are playing Minesweeper!' I tried to peer closer at her screen, but she turned it from me. â€Å"You're supposed to be finding a connection to Eric's mistress.' â€Å"I already did,' she said simply. Dimitri and I exchanged astonished looks. â€Å"But I don't know how useful it'll be.' â€Å"Anything'll be useful,' I proclaimed. â€Å"What did you find?' â€Å"After trying to track down all those bank records and transactions–and let me tell you, that is not fun at all–I finally found a small piece of info. The bank account we have now is a newer one. It was moved from another bank about five years ago. The old account was still a Jane Doe, but it did have a next-of-kin reference in the event something happened to the account holder.' I could hardly breathe. Financial transactions were lost on me, but we were about to get something solid. â€Å"A real name?' Sydney nodded. â€Å"Sonya Karp.'

What Is Commercial Organization?

Any type of organization who did business or commercial activity, like production and trading the goods or services. We can also name it as business organization, business enterprise or business firm as well.Difficulties Faced by Women Workers (Sapphire Textile)Ladies laborers confront distinctive difficulties in the work environment like sexual orientation based separation, provocation, residential limitation, work and family issues and unequal pay In the previous couple of decades, the part of ladies in our general public has been definitely changed. Ladies can be viewed as warrior stream pilots, educationists, client administrations head, and organization administrators, administrator heads, saving money, HR and telecom area. Ladies are making a huge commitment in every segment. Men are never again considered as the main bread worker of the house. Ladies of the family are currently additionally fiscally supporting their family. Despite the fact that the quantity of working ladies is expanding step by step yet at the same time there are sure boundaries that they need to cross to substantiate themselves helpful for the activity advertise. Sexual harassment based separation: Working men are generally given out of line advantage in contrast with the working ladies. In this male ruling society, men are viewed as all the more dedicated, keen and preferable representatives over ladies. This sexual orientation separation result in expanded level of pressure and employment disappointment. It likewise diminishes inspiration to work and duty towards the activity. Essentially ladies are given lesser open doors for quality training which thus brings about absence of information with respect to innovative progression. Local Restrictions: Prior ladies were limited to their home and their essential part was to deal with family unit tasks. With time, because of increment in financial weights on families this limitation has been discharged. Presently in the vast majority of the families ladies are likewise permitted to get advanced education and do paid employments yet under specific limitations. The greatest level of working ladies can be viewed as wellbeing laborers, educationist, assistants or whatever other low paid occupation that are very little favored by men in light of the absence of development openings and low pay-scale. Ladies are permitted to do such occupations in light of the female prevailing condition. This thing has confined the lady's introduction to other accessible openings and restricted their development in the formative area. After throughout the day of work at office, regardless of how tired they will be, they additionally need to take care of local errands. Provocation at work put: Provocation is another fundamental issue looked by working ladies, as they are viewed as a simple focus by the male partners. The greater part of the ladies in Pakistan left their home to procure cash just at the season of extraordinary need, they are much powerless and associates and higher administration hassle them by passing improper comments or ridiculing them or in outrageous cases they disturb them sexually. Typically ladies stay noiseless on such acts or overlook them or endure it in dread of losing their activity. They are hesitant to make claims against the guilty parties. Some of them leave to dispose of this since they realize that it is of no utilization to make a grievance against them. Degenerate officers and higher specialists don't bolster them. Strict laws are there to help working ladies however just if this gets revealed. This is one of the real reasons why families don't enable ladies to work. Lower Pay-scale: The business ought to guarantee that uniform wages ought to be paid to the two people on an equivalent measure of work done. In numerous work environments, representatives are not permitted to examine their pay rates in view of which nobody ever comes to know whether they are paid less or not. Tormenting, provocation and mishandling are striking acts however bring down wages is a quiet offense, nobody makes any dissension and the issue proceeds. Ladies are paid less in light of the fact that business has this preset idea that she will leave the place of employment after marriage or in the wake of having youngsters. Ladies gain low likewise on the grounds that they need to pick a less difficult activity for themselves so they can invest more energy at home. Parenthood influences the lady's vocation antagonistically as opposed to men. The association should offer some family-friendlier approach and furthermore ensure break even with wages ought to be given to the workers without sexual orientation segregation. Staying noiseless on such act implies that we are quietly supporting this wrongdoing. Hitched Working Women: The majority of the wedded ladies are not permitted to carry out a vocation and furthermore, it winds up troublesome for them to keep up work and family tasks harmony as a result of expanded duty. Customarily, men are the bread workers of the house and it isn't considerable if ladies bolster the family fiscally or if ladies gain more than men. Hitched working ladies additionally confront issues at work. It isn't feasible for them to work in late hours. The vast majority of the work environments don't have nurseries or childcare where moms can keep their youngsters. Negative demeanors of male colleagues: Demeanor of male colleagues is now and again extremely mortifying and one-sided. It is viewed as that ladies are enlisted just to add shading to the workplace condition. Absence of working environment social help, from partners and chiefs prompts non-attendance, low turnover and occupation disappointment. Higher experts should endeavor to build up a strong and favorable workplace. Transport: The vehicle framework in our nation is extremely poor. This is a major obstruction for the ladies who need to go out for an occupation. People both need to confront this issue. In spite of the deficient accessibility of the general population transport, ladies likewise need to confront provocation. They will undoubtedly go on transports and vans since taxis are costly.

Parkinsons term paper Essay

Parkinson’s disease is characterized as a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system which is understood to persist and continually worsen over time. It is the second most common neurological disorder. Parkinson’s disease affects approximately one million people within the United States. This disorder progresses slowly and is unique in the sense that Parkinson’s disease can be caused by genetics among other things. Parkinson’s disease is well known for its characteristic tremors, stiffness, and difficulty with speech in the patients it affects. Parkinson’s disease is caused by diminishment of the substantia nigra in the tegmentum which controls motor functions within the body. This disease is classified as a basil ganglionic disorder which causes a breakdown of dopamineric neurons in the substancia nigra, located in the midbrain. The substancia nigra is composed of neuromelanin which pigments the substancia nigra and gives it its darker cha racteristic. The neuromelanin also connects to the motor cortex which is responsible for one’s motor control and balance. The chemical dopamine is created in the substantia nigra. The basil ganglia receives inputs from the motor cortex, the association cortex, and the substancia nigra. The basil ganglia then sends messages to the motor cortex by way of the thalamus. With Parkinson’s disease, the nigral neurons are damaged, which causes the neuromelanin to be free to move into the adjacent tissue where it is phagocytosed and moved away by macrophages. This degenerative process not only destroys the process of creating dopamine, but it also causes the pigmentation of the substancia nigra to change and become lighter in appearance. The lack of dopamine-related input from the substantia nigra negatively changes the equilibrium of the output from the basil ganglia to the motor cortex. This alteration in the equilibrium then causes the symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease. The d irect cause of Parkinson’s disease remains a medical mystery, but many factors can participate in determining whether one is susceptible to developing Parkinson’s disease in  the future. The exposure to specific toxins in the environment and various environmental factors has the possibility of playing a role in those who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Another possible cause of Parkinson’s disease is the role of one’s genetics. It is found that certain mutations can give rise to Parkinson’s disease, although this is uncommon. The brains of patients with Parkinson’s disease change as the disease progresses. Lewy bodies are microscopic markers that characterize the presence of Parkinson’s disease within a patient. They are abnormal microscopic protein deposits that form in the brain and play a role in disrupting the brain’s normal functions. This disruption causes deterioration. Lewy bodies contain A-synuclein which is a protein that cells cannot break down. Early indicators of Parkinson’s disease include tremors or shaking which can reside in one’s finger, thumb, hand, lip, or chin, though shaking is normal after extensive physical activity, injury, or may be due to medications. If one’s handwriting begins to appear smaller over a short period of time, it could be a warning sign of Parkinson’s although one should not base their self-diagnosis upon handwriting, for handwriting can change as one advances in age, but this happens over time and not suddenly. A loss of smell in specific foods can be an indicator, but a loss of smell can also be related to the possession of the common cold or the flu. Another early sign may be sudden movements while sleeping such as falling out of the bed or kicking and punching. It is important to understand that people on occasion may experience difficulty sleeping. Chronic stiffness can be a sign, but this symptom can also be caused by an injury or arthritis. If one is experiencing constipation on a daily basis, this can be considered a sign of Parkinson’s disease, although a lack of fiber in one’s diet or medications can determine the moving of one’s bowels. Having recently possessed a soft o r low voice is an indicator unless one has a chest cold or other virus. If one has the appearance of a masked face, a blank stare that persists, or undergoes a long duration of time without the action of blinking, these may be precursors to having Parkinson’s disease. Feeling dizzy or fainting can be signs of low blood pressure and may be connected to Parkinson’s disease along with the inability to stand up straight. There are many Parkinson’s-related symptoms that are known today. The most obvious of symptoms is a resting tremor. A shaking, or tremor, normally starts in one’s  limb, and it is often located on a hand or fingers. This resting tremor usually stops when the patient is voluntarily moving the limb affected by the tremor. A â€Å"pill-rolling† tremor is common and is characterized by one rolling one’s thumb and forefinger. These tremors can be noticed when the limb is even at a relaxed state. Due to the tremors and inability to control certain motor functions, writing can become difficult for patient s with Parkinson’s disease. It is noted that when writing, those effected with Parkinson’s disease posses handwriting that is characteristically small. Bradykinesia, or a slowing of movement, can be present. Parkinson’s disease has the ability to cause one to move slower which can make simple every-day tasks a challenge. With bradykinesia, one’s steps may become smaller in distance when being mobile, and one’s feet may begin to drag when walking. Excessive muscle tone or hypertonia may be prevalent in patients with Parkinson’s disease and will manifest itself as stiffness or rigidness which causes pain and a loss in one’s range of motion. Parkinson’s disease patients may experience posture impairment and balance, for a patient’s posture can become stooped, and balance can be lost. Patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease may experience a loss in their autonomic functions which include and are not limited to smiling, swinging one’s arms while walking, and blinking. This loss in autonomic function caused a select number of patients to stop using their hands while speaki ng in normal conversations. Speech changes can affect those living with Parkinson’s disease. One may speak out of rhythm in such a way that it may sound soft, quick, hesitant, monotone or slurred. Diagnosing Parkinson’s disease is not a simple process, for a test for Parkinson’s disease does not yet exist. In order to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a neurologist must first obtain a detailed medical history of the patient being diagnosed, a review of the patient’s signs and symptoms, a physical examination, and a neurological examination. Tests to exclude other conditions may be ordered to ensure proper diagnosis of the disorder. Once a patient has undergone sufficient testing and examining, the doctor may prescribe the patient the medication carbidopa-levodopa, which is a Parkinson’s disease medicine. If the patient improves considerably while on the medication, this often confirms a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.  There exists a wide-range of treatments for patients that suffer from Parkinson’s disease from drug treatments to surgical treatments. The pharmacologic approach for those with Parkinson’s disease aims to increase the lack of dopamine in the patient’s basil ganglia. L-dopa or Levodopa is a drug that can cross the blood-brain barrier. The brain can convert this drug to dopamine. Carbidopa can also be prescribed to patients afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. Carbidopa is a decarboxylase inhibitor and, when taken with levodopa, can aid levodopa from converting to dopamine outside of the brain. The combination of medications allows for more levodopa to reach the brain which ultimately increases the brain’s supply of dopamine. These two medications decrease the side effects which are caused by an increased amount of dopamine outside of the brain. They reduce the supply of â€Å"free† dopamine from residing outside of the brain. An excess of dopamine outside of the brain could result in low blood pressure, vomiting, and nausea. Other medications include dopamine agonists which directly stimulate nerve receptors inside of the brain which are usually stimulated by dopamine. In contrast to the medication levodopa, dopamine agonists do not convert into dopamine but rather behave like dopamine. Dopamine agonists are utilized in patients that are in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease and may be added to a treatment plan along with levodopa in the later stages of Parkinson’s disease. It may also be added when levodopa alone cannot sufficiently manage the patient’s symptoms or when the patient has severe motor fluctuations. Side effects associated with levodopa-carbidopa include dizziness upon rising, confusion, nausea, movement disorders, and hallucinations. Side effects commonly associated with dopamine agonists are vomiting, nausea, and orthostatic hypotension. Surgical treatment options are available for those who suffer from Parkinson’s. These surgical treatments are intended to control symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease patients who do not positively respond to medications. One of the surgical treatments crea tes a lesion in specific portions of the thalamus within the midbrain which become overactive in Parkinson’s disease. A reversible procedure that can be used on patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease is deep brain stimulation, or DBS. With this procedure, electrodes are implanted into exact locations. These locations are treated then with pulses of electrical currents. Why deep brain stimulation works is unknown. Medical  experts believe that the current could be activating, affecting, or inhibiting synaptic transmission onto neurons in the vicinity of the electrodes. The future prospects for a cure for Parkinson’s disease are promising, for the medical community has begun to identify the genetic causes linked to Parkinson’s disease. This allows the medical community to expand animal models of Parkinson’s disease. These will be highly useful in the process of understanding the pathogenesis of the disease and will be useful in further testing the neuroprotective therapies which can potentially aid in the fight against the progression of Parkinson’s disease. A different potential approach in the future would be to engage in the replacement of lost neurons via transplantation, which would be highly difficult and tedious. Overall, Parkinson’s disease is well on the way to being better understood and through this und erstanding scientists will be able to directly identify the source of this disease and eventually find a method that directly cures this disease. References Etiology. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved March 13,2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/etiology Welcome to the Purdue OWL. (n.d.). Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01 Parkinson’s: Symptoms & Types. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/guide/parkinsons-symptons-types Parkinson’s disease. (n.d.). Complications. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/basics/complications/con-20028488 Parkinson’s Disease. (n.d.). Parkinson’s Disease. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http:// courses.washington.edu/conj/bess/parkinsons.html Nisipeanu, P. (n.d.). Parkinson’s Disease: Diagnosis and Clinical Management. Adverse Effects of Dopamine Agonists. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nih.gov/books/NBK27800/ Levodopa Medicines for Parkinsonâ€⠄¢s Disease. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http:// www.wbmd.com/parkinsons-disease/levodopa-medications-for-parkinsons-disease Dopamine Agonists for Parkinson’s Disease. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from

The secret life of bees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The secret life of bees - Essay Example olding of occurrences at the household of the Boatwright sisters and the community of worshippers of Our Lady of Chains, the Black Madonna, accorded opportunities for Lily to find what she was looking for. The primary character and narrator of the story is Lily, who was searching for answers regarding her mother’s past, prior to the event of her death. The struggles she was subjected to h encompasses theories of psychosocial framework delving into concepts of trust (in oneself and in T-Ray), guilt (due to the death of her mother), isolation (feeling alone and lonely), role confusion (her perception of being a girl and not acting like one) and feelings of despair (due to the loss of Lily’s mother). The story evolved in finding solutions to her dilemma through the assistance of a group (the Boatwright sisters and the community of worshippers) who were instrumental in giving her the much needed support and love, as well as the answers she was looking for. Her experiences of living and working with bees gave her the strength to accept the things that she could not change (being abandoned by her mother, the way her father treats her, racial inequalities, among others) and the resilience to accept what she has (her talents in writing, taking care of bees, being in love with Zach despite racial differences). The lesson of learning to accept the need to reveal the truth, despite its painful memory, as she revealed everything to August set her free and provided the impetus for understanding the facts about her mother’s abandoning her and T-Ray. This enabled her to move on and to actually forgive his father and to open herself to the love that Boatwright sisters and the community of worshippers give her. The Secret Life of Bees presented an analogy between Lily, as a bee, in search of her mother (the Queen). The secret she kept from the Boatwright sisters, though not immediately revealed, has caused her fear, anxiety and insecurities with regard to her relationships

What is the good life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is the good life - Essay Example Money is the means to purchase; it is true that the availability of money makes life better and a lot more comfortable. However, the availability of money is not tantamount to the attainment of a good life. A good life is characterized by happiness, money guarantees the availability of resources but it does not guarantee happiness in a home and satisfaction. Money enslaves people, turns friend into enemies, compels people to steal and engage in dishonest act. Money is therefore more related to evil than happiness and satisfaction. In the non-fictional story, Zeitoun, a character, Abdulrahman Zeitoun is introduced; he is a Muslim who moves from Syria to settle in the United States of America (Dave 12). While in America, he meets a Muslim convert, one Kathy who he later marries and together they have two children and a family business. Life for the young family is good enough. They have a family business which is capable of catering for their financial needs, they have children they are generally comfortable. Things change with time as hurricane Katrina strikes, the family is forced to separate as zeitoun chooses to remain and cater for the family business, he uses a second hand canoe to rescue the stranded tenants and provides shelter to abandoned dogs. He happily does this and shows affection to very strange people, he gains satisfaction from the smiles he receives from those he helps. Things change suddenly for him after he is arrested and the society within which he had lived and made a life for himself suddenly turns against him. The 9/11 incident takes place and situation worsen for Zeitoun who is of Arabic descent (Dave 22). The society is overly discriminated and Zeitoun is treated worse than a human is, he is denied basic needs that other American citizens in the same cells are granted. Good life is therefore a satisfactory life, satisfaction comes from setting personal goals and achieving them. Money is overly

Ocular Centrism and the Other Senses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ocular Centrism and the Other Senses - Essay Example The author traces such an ocular centric culture from the renaissance era during which individualism took shape and found more application during the industrial era of the 19th and 20th century that have led to the present technological dependence of mankind, however, he also cites a few examples of ocular centric architecture as early as the age of the Greeks. In addition, the author feels that significance given to the power of sight has been witnessed in the architectural structures and the culture of the respective periods. For example, a person with blindness is considered severely disabled when compared to one who is deaf. The ocular centric nature of succeeding cultures has not only led to an increasing dominance of sight and its influence of culture, it has led to ignorance of the other senses which has also influenced architecture by making it one – dimensional. In order to prove this point, the author examines various structures of the past that have qualities absent in contemporary architecture. For example, the author explains the use of light and shadows in some famous structures and how a lack or limited amount of light contributes to the aesthetic beauty of a structure. He also goes to propose that light in the use of today's structures invades privacy and has other effects such as limiting the creativity of the human mind. With respect to sound, he says that although it has been taken into account in today's buildings, they do not aid the effects of hearing such as its interactive ability which was incorporated in structures of the past. Similarly, the power of smell and touch have not only shown to be important factors in architecture, they are shown to have an influence on the human mind itself. Therefore, by ignoring these senses in creating architecture, western culture has also experienced a significant reduction in the qualities that is attached to these senses such as intimacy which is associated with touch, warmth associated with smell and interactivity associated with hearing, etc. Therefore, the resulting structures are one-dimensional in nature and do not engage the individual as intensely as with structures of the past. Hence, architecture needs to encompass the variety of senses and emotions experienced by an artist rather than the dominating sense alone. The author also establishes that art is as much an interaction between the viewer and the structure as it is with the quality of the structure alone. Ocular centrism has not only led to a one-dimensionality of the structures but also a corresponding quality in today's artists that significantly decreases the quality of contemporary art. Today's structures are built with the idea of optimality and rationality than through the experiences of the artist. The author also cites simple buildings such as hospitals and houses for this purpose (Pallasmaa, 285-296). Human Rootedness The author's remarks are significant because of the importance of architecture i n human life. Architecture is a reflection of the characteristics of the culture of the particular period. It is the same reason architecture is studied in such detail while endeavoring to know about the nature of past civilizations. Architecture and other forms of art deal with questions that have been at the centre of man's imagination ever since civilization took shape. This is evidenced in the ancient cave paintings around the world to the relatively

Francis Fukuyama' s idea of human dignity Essay

Francis Fukuyama' s idea of human dignity - Essay Example Francis Fukuyama pronounced that man has not yet reached the end of history for man has not yet reached the end of science. The discussion of the consequences of biotechnology does comprise the strongest part of Fukuyama's latest book. Francis Fukuyama is able to stress out the ways in which man is benefiting from the surfacing of biotechnology as he stated in his emergent theory with this idea it is possible to reconcile his idea with Surowiecki with regard to maintaining human dignity amidst man's continuous use of biotechnology.The author is popular for his statements on biotechnology and human dignity more than a decade ago that, because the other possibilities to liberal egalitarianism had pushed themselves, history as we knew it was at a conclusion.Fukuyama's objective is not simply to describe the consequences of biotechnology, but to insist that biotechnology suggests unwelcome consequences both the designation of man and the existing communal structure. Fukuyama promotes tha t government institutions should be recognized to assess and standardize biotechnological innovations.The revolution of biotechnology as an emergence of progress and development is very evident with the rise into power of the breakthroughs in the pharmaceutical industry wherein medicines are now aimed not only to cure diseases but also to improve the existing normal conditions. For example, Prozac is used by people who are not depressed to increase confidence and reduce shyness; Ritalin is used by adults who do not have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder to increase their capacity to focus attention for sustained periods; and the antinarcoleptic Modafil is used by long-distance truck drivers who do not have narcolepsy to reduce their need for sleep. Nanotechnology is responsible for genetic modifications giving man the power to create their ideal man by selection of traits that affects the genetic makeup of future offspring. In vitro fertilization together with preimplantation genetic diagnosis now makes it possible to avoid the implantation of embryos with genes for serious disease or to select for sex. Human cloning has been a long-term debatable topic when it comes to biotechnology. There has been a widespread opposition to it. Many commentators have expressed a wide variety of concerns about these advances, such as their very worrisome potential to increase inequalities between those who can afford genetic enhancements for their children and those who cannot. It is unquestionable that our equal moral status, or worth, rests on certain properties we share, or as Fukuyama puts it, on our common human nature. Few argue that it is morally wrong to kill bacteria; presumably this is because the bacteria lack these properties. Fukuyama defines human nature as "the sum of the behavior and characteristics that are typical of the human species, arising from genetic rather than environmental factors." (Fukuyama, 217) It's worth noting that by this definition, human nature is an empty concept, because no human behavior or characteristic arises only from genetic rather than environmental factors-all are the result of complex interplay of those factors. But setting this difficulty aside, what is the common nature that could ground our human dignity and rights Fukuyama argues that it is the way language, reason, moral choice and emotions combine in humans that gives us human dignity. Our dignity rests on what he calls Factor X, "some essential human quality underneath [contingent and accidental characteristics] that is worthy of a certain minimal level of respect." (Fukuyama, 136) This "human essence" is a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts: If what gives us dignity and a moral status higher than that of other living creatures is related to the fact that we are complex wholes rather than the sum of simple parts, then it is clear that there is no simple answer to the question, What is Factor X That is, Factor X cannot be reduced to the possession of moral choice, or reason, or language,

Studying Human Mobility through Photograph Geo-Tagging Research Paper

Studying Human Mobility through Photograph Geo-Tagging - Research Paper Example With 24 satellites and aided with two carrier signals, it can transmit signals accurately. However, to operate within buildings, it requires at least 4 of its satellites to have clear access to that specified area (Djuknic, & Richton, 2001). To overcome such a difficulty, assisted-GPS technology has come into limelight. It provides more accurate detail even from within buildings and also associated with it is a superior quality (Djuknic, & Richton, 2001). Georeferencing is one of the developing technologies, especially geotagging. An analysis on the research related to this field focuses on four major points: 1. Organization of georeferenced media sources 2. Data mining of organized knowledge 3. Identifying the world’s landmarks and 4. Identification of the photo location, geographically(Zheng et. al, 2011) The organized knowledge used for online data mining has two parts. 1. The knowledge stored in database is actually a collection of data provided by the society itself, obta ined from several social websites. 2. The stored knowledge and corresponding mining provides multi-modal information about the stored data. (Zheng et. al, 2011) There are several methods that are used as sources for collecting information that is geotagged. Collective geotagging is one of the important methods where publicly available information uploaded by the users are geotagged and collected. Here the term, â€Å"geotagged† means that some kind of location metadata is added to the object, say a photo. Some of the important information stored in the metadata includes latitude information and place names. This process can be done either by hardware method or software method. Hardware geotagging is done through the installed cameras in mobile phones which on clicking of a photo add that information to the picture. In terms of software, which is the most prevalent method of geotagging, several photo sharing sites like Flickr and Picasso add such information through map tools. Although they are less in accuracy, the provide results with maximum relevance. (Zheng et. al, 2011) Sharing of images in online communities is an upward trend. Especially for people who post their travelogues in blogs and communities with lots of pictures of their trip. Hao. Et. al (2009) created a process which picks up the keywords from the description, identifies the pictures associated with those words and prepared a document with the results of those pictures to create an automated travelogue. Georeferencing has improved on the above process by one step and provides a more coherent result. With many people uploading photos in public and social sites, travel and tracking human mobility has been given a fresh look. Human mobility Georeferencing is considered to be the best thing to have happened for people involved in human mobility studies and for tourists. (Girardian & Blat, 2008) conducted a research to indicate that the pictures and other such information presented by the p eople voluntarily can be used to identify human mobility, especially that of tourists. The first step in understanding the mobility of humans by the authors was to make use of the large amount of data available in the online community. After conducting detailed studies in several tourist parts like Rome, Barcelona and Italy, they were able to collect detailed information about urban tourism. (Girardian & Blat, 2008) The figure shown below shows heat maps which indicate the presence of tourists in Italy along with their

Civil Engineering material Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Civil Engineering material - Essay Example To make a reliable and stable structure for living and working are one of the basic necessities every human feels greatly. Civil engineers are people which make this necessity to reality. Earth quakes are one of the greatest natural disaster humans face since the formation of planet. Causalities caused by the occurrence of earth quakes look very ugly on seeing them for the first time to naked eye. It is a blessing of nature that most of the quakes happen in the ocean. Many developed cities fall to this might force of nature; industries crashed down and also many of the civilizations vanished from the face of earth. During the present century the building that is not demolished from earth quake was one of the greatest challenges faced by engineers and scientists all over the world. It is a known fact that the conventional ways of construction used by humans for centuries are helpless whenever earth quakes occur. Concepts like seismic analysis of land and earth quake resistant structur es are known in great extent by the engineers. It is unfortunate to see that after all of these researches and principals developed as a result of it; engineers and building experts lack in correct designing and manufacturing of buildings. In this paper; different techniques used by civil engineers to design an earth quake resistant building are discussed (Dhakal). ... Demand is commonly expressed as intended load a building can handle. In designing of any building this demand of structure is also taken into account. This technique is called allowable stress design. Another parameter discussed greatly by the engineers and scientists all over the world during 20th century to present day is working stress. In this technique service or working loads of the buildings should not exceed the allowable load. Linear analysis and elastic range are well defined to get an idea of working stress the structure is going to face in the future. Approximate strength of the structure is measured by dividing material strengths by appropriate material factors. This technique is called ultimate strength design. Ultimate strength design has advantage over working stress structure; as it uses separate factors to deal any uncertainty in capacity and demand during the design of the building. Variation in concrete strengths is much greater than steel based structures; so sma ller factors are used for the designing of concrete designs as it is done while designing steel or iron based structures. Third technique that is used by civil engineers is known as limit state design structure; this can be regarded as extension of ultimate strength design, only difference is that more parameters of designs are required to be fulfilled by engineers. Commonly two states are used by the engineers called service ability limit state (SLS) and Ultimate limit state (ULS). SLS is used by engineers to make sure that structure is proper functional and there is no discomfort caused by normal loading procedures related to building structure. SLS criteria are satisfied by deflection, vibration and cracks are

Reaction Outcome Evaluation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Reaction Outcome Evaluation - Assignment Example As per Kirkpatrick’s Reaction Outcome Evaluation, the first level of evaluation would be to identify how the participants responded to the training program. One can say that this is the most important part of the evaluation as to pin-point at which area the program is needed to be modified. This is despite the fact that a number of reviewers are not agreeing at this level and acknowledging individuality as the reason. As the latter statements being declared, the evaluation system by Kirkpatrick would need tedious observation and an equal amount of understanding before one could conclude if the training conducted was successful or not (Rae, 2002). In evaluating the training program conducted, there seems to be a lack of interest within the employees themselves. One reason for this could be the fact that there are fewer interactions between participants in the program as the training was computer-based. Another factor, which could have affected the attitude of the employees, would be the fact that the training was to be done during an available time for an employee. Instead of enjoying a well-deserve break, two hours of it would be spent doing the computer-based training program. Also, if a module is not that much understood by the employee, only a limited number of resource person can be approached with an immediate response. This fact does affect the comprehension of an employee as the concern was not answered in a timely manner. Another reason is that, a person can just scan through the module without fully understanding it just to say that the employee has finished the training. The reason for the failure of the program wa s it was not properly supervised (Toney, 2002). Though paper-less training could be more practical, it should be properly executed and supervised. As per the recently concluded training, the execution was not on the basis of training

Even though getting news from Facebook is quick and easy, newspapers Research Paper

Even though getting news from Facebook is quick and easy, newspapers are more accurate - Research Paper Example Sensationalism in newsprint and on television is often blamed for the actions of, not only individuals, but entire nations and governments.† (joseph p.33) The most invaluable indicator used to evaluate the quality of news information is imbibed in its aptitude to actuate and appreciate the genuine motives bolstering events, occurrences and news items. With the current information backlog, dispensing of quality information involves understanding rather than exposing, giving explanations rather than mere reporting about facts, of which are already in the public domain through social media. It is with this that newspaper articles reign supreme in not only relaying accurate information but which is well researched. They therefore come in as a necessity in modern life. Reading newspapers comes with a myriad of advantages over utilizing Facebook and social media. Firstly newspapers ensure that we are up to speed with the current world affairs. They provide news which extends from our door step to the village, town, country and the globe with unchallenged professionalism. It stretches our knowledge base beyond the limit guaranteeing a feeling of owning the world. Through liaising with various news agencies newspapers remain in touch with different parts of the world. On the other hand information on Facebook in basically based on the administrators discretion. The administrator of a certain group chooses steamy topics to boost the group’s following based on their desires which pre-disposes those who rely on such information to erroneous info. â€Å"Why has elegance found so little following? That is the reality of it. Elegance has the disadvantage, if thats what it is, that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it†Ã‚  (Hargitai p.4) A lot of information is passed across through newspapers. This extends to courtroom decisions. News on commerce is published for capitalist, Cinema, Radio and television lovers can look up in them for the

The Bet Essay Example for Free

The Bet Essay In the story â€Å"The Bet† by Anton Chekhov, the lawyer and the banker make a bet, which is better solution capital punishment or life imprisonment. The banker then bet two million dollars that the lawyer would not stand five years in a room alone with no means of communication except through a small hole, but the lawyer said he would stay in the room for fifteen years and with that, they closed the bet. For fifteen years, the lawyer stayed in the room reading and learning new things and on the last night before the day he retakes his freedom and his two million dollars, the banker tries to sabotage the lawyer by trying to kill him. However, after reading the letter that the lawyer wrote he stopped and cried. The next morning, five minutes before the bet was over the lawyer ran away and lost the bet and the banker kept the letter that the lawyer wrote and locked it in his safe. The author Anton Chekhov talked about the moral value of human life and the consequences it bears, such as capital punishment and life imprisonment. When the banker and the lawyer argued about what punishment is better, it showed how they do not take the value of human life seriously. This led them to make the bet. The author then presents a form of foreshadowing. When he wrote life imprisonment, it showed what happens to one of them and it did. The bet was that the lawyer should stay confined in room for fifteen years and it similar to life imprisonment because the lawyer would feel the same way a prisoner would feel living his life in prison. The story gives you unexpected ending because of what the lawyer decided to do in the end. The banker who can be described as an over-excited, arrogant man started to put up the bet against the lawyer. The author shows that the banker is conceited that he was sure that he could get the better of the lawyer, however the story does not end that way. Anton Chekhov showed the weak side of the banker, which is that he, would not be able to accept if the lawyer won the bet. This quote, The only escape from bankruptcy and disgrace is that the man should die, clearly shows the cowardly trait of the banker because with his desperation of winning, he would go in so much trouble to kill the lawyer just so he would not lose his money. In addition, this concludes that his self-value of the moral value of human life have reached their all time low.

Same-Sex Marriage in the U.S.

Same-Sex Marriage in the U.S. Li Luo Same-Sex Marriage in the U.S.:  The Fight for Equal Rights and Equal Citizenship Intro and Thesis â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.† Declaration of Independence, 1776 When we look back at American history, this well-known statement that was written in the Declaration of Independence has been constantly brought up by different groups of people to defend their equal rights and freedom in the society: America’s founding fathers used it to light up American’s spirit to fight for their freedom and rights from the oppression of Britain; African-Americans borrowed it to fight against their same rights as white people that has been denied by the laws for a long time. And right now, in our generation, we are witnessing a new battle for equality Same-sex marriage. The fight for same-sex marriage has a deep historical origin. Ever since the beginning of human civilization, marital and family relations have always been the foundation of human society. Marriage creates intimacy and family among individuals, it also provides order, stability and consistency which are essential to the survival and prosperity of human society. Based on those principles, people build up traditional family values, provide legal recognition and all sorts of privileges/rights through public institutions to reinforce this social norm. However, as the traditional marital relations and social order are rooted in heterosexuality, many people consider the legalization of same-sex marriage as a threat to this social norm, and refuse to give LGBT people the full rights and citizenship. In this paper, I will analyze the battle of same-sex marriage from three different perspective: rights and obligations; separation of powers and federalism; factions and democratic consensus. In the last section, I will conclude that as LGBT people constantly fighting for their equal right of marriage, and the fact that more and more American people are willing to accept gay people, the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage looks promising and the boundary of citizenship in American society is being refined. Rights and obligations: the unequal citizenship in terms of LGBT groups’ right of marriage. Citizenship has different meaning in different perspective. Citizenship can be used to describe someone’s legal identity, it also can mean people’s engagement in politics and community. In the article â€Å"The Meaning of Citizenship†, Kerber offered a different way to think about the definition of citizenship – a formal legal status with the possession of guaranteed rights as well as obligations. She believes that rights and obligations should be equal: If a person wants to enjoy the privileges and freedom his or her state provides, he or she must fulfill their obligations as a citizen. However, in some cases, certain groups of people are not being offered equal rights even though they meet their responsibilities. Specifically speaking, in some states, LGBT people are refused to be given the same rights as heterosexual people to marry the ones they love even the same amount of obligations are fulfilled. Besides, since marital and family relations are the foundation of human society, without legal marriage status, same-sex couples usually face many more economic and legal disadvantages compared to opposite-sex married couples, including medical care, inheritance, income tax, etc. Should government provides equal right of marriage to LGBT people? The debates over this topic have lasted for more than four decades. In 1970, two students from University of Minnesota, Richard Baker and James Michael McConnell became the first gay couple to apply for a marriage license (Rimmerman, 101). Unsurprisingly, their application was denied by the local county, and in their appeal case Baker v. Nelson, the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld a state law that limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples (Rimmerman, 101). In the following two decades, many other states successively received similar suits, however, they all ended up in the same fate as the first one being rejected to give the right of marriage for gay couples. It wasn’t until early 1990s that the debates over same-sex marriage emerge to the national level. In 1991, in the case of Baehr v. Lewin, Hawaii Supreme Court rules that denial of same marriage right for same-sex couple violate the state constitution (Rimmerman, 103). This judgment raised a lot of concerns of people who oppose same-sex marriage. They fear that this result might lead to final approval of same-sex marriage in Hawaii and the U.S. nationwide (Rimmerman, 103). Therefore, with the purpose of preventing legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Hawaii, in 1996, conservatives introduced and pushed the pass of The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Under the provisions of the DOMA, the word â€Å"marriage† is strictly define as the legal union between a man and a woman. Furthermore, DOMA permits states to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states. I will consider the debates over this federal law in terms of Equal Protection Clause and Full Faith and Credit Clause. The LGBT people have long been tried to fight for their equal rights of marriage, even though they have faced many impediments from conservatives. There are a series of struggles in court, including Lawrence v. Texas, United States v. Windsor, etc that can proves LGBT people’s struggles. I will analyze some of the most important cases in detail to examine how LGBT groups use their judicial power to challenge DOMA and secure their rights. How separation of powers within government and federalism apply to the same-sex marriage issue. Madison argues that creating â€Å"checks and balances† within government can prevent abuse of power. This idea can be applied to the same-sex marriage issue. In United States v. Windsor, the Federal Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of DOMA that defined â€Å"marriage† and â€Å"spouse† to apply only to heterosexual people. This is an example that Judicial branch checking the Legislative branch. I will also describe other cases including Baker v. Vermont, Hollingsworth v. Perry. In Federalist No. 51, Madison’s argument that a separation of powers can create a balance of interests can be extended to the idea of federalism. Federalism gives states the freedom to make their own policy that suits local circumstances. When different states make different laws and take different attitudes towards the same-sex marriage issue, this is the practice of federalism. To break this inequality across states and local areas, LGBT groups are now working hard to promote the legalization of same-sex marriage on the federal level. The Supremacy Clause and 10th Amendment will also be mentioned to illustrate its principle. Competing factions in the same-sex marriage issue. Federalist No. 10 discussed about how to break and control factions to avoid tyranny of the majority. In terms of the same-sex marriage issue, American society was divided by different groups that either support it or are against it or take neutral stance. I will list some major political and social groups and illustrate their attitudes towards the same-sex marriage issue, including Democratic and Republican Parties, Churches/Religious institutions, and human rights Organizations. Since LGBT group are pushing national legalization of same-sex marriage, is this a tyranny of the majority? I will discuss about this question in detail and give my answer that it’s a majority rule rather than tyranny of the majority. Conclusion Summarize key arguments. Add current data: Marriage between same-sex couples has been recognized on the federal level. As the Supreme Court decided to let stand rulings that allow same-sex marriage in late 2014, now 37 states have legalized same-sex marriage with more states to join them. The road of marriage equality looks more promising than before, and we can see that citizenship is being redefined to provide equal rights to LGBT people. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY COURSE TEXTS Kerber, Linda K. The Meanings of Citizenship. The Journal of American History 84.3 (1997): 833. Print. In this article, Kerber offers several ways to interpret citizenship, including formal legal status, possession of guaranteed rights and bearing of obligations. She believes that the meaning of citizenship is constantly changing and proposes a new way to look at citizenship: â€Å"A braided citizenship†. Different groups of people from different genders, races, classes and nations of origin have been fighting for their equal citizenship in the U.S. Kerber analyzes each group of people’s struggle in detail to illustrate how the boundaries of citizenship have been changing overtime to support her statement. I will use Kerber’s idea of citizenship in terms of the relations of rights and obligations to help me analyze the legitimacy of gay rights, more specifically, same-sex marriage. And by using all kinds of evidence of LGBT people’s fight for equal rights as part of the braided citizenship to justify how same-sex marriage redefines the boundaries of citizenship. Madison, James. Federalist No. 10: The Same Subject Continued: The Union as a Safeguard against Domestic Faction and Insurrection.New York Daily Advertiser, November 22, 1787. Print. In this work, Madison states that people are diverse by nature and self-interested, so that factions are formed inside every society. He argues about the need to break and control factions which he identifies as a threat to popular governments that may lead to tyranny of the majority. He believes that in a large republic government is run by representatives chosen by its people. With so many different interests and groups, it would be more difficult to form a majority faction, thus it can better guard against the dangers of tyranny of the majority and protect the rights of all its people. I will use this resource to illustrate different groups/factions’ stances in terms of same-sex marriage, and to argue about the question: Is legalization of same-sex marriage a tyranny of the majority? Madison, James. Federalist No. 51: The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments. New York Packet, February 8, 1788. Print. In Federalist No. 51, James Madison addresses how the separation of powers within the government can be created under the new constitution. He believes that people are not â€Å"angels†, which means that if there isn’t any form of control over government, leaders will abuse their power. However, â€Å"Ambition must be made to counteract ambition†. By creating a system of â€Å"checks and balances†, in which the government is divided into different branches, the overlapping power between those three branches would put restrictions on government, thus preventing the misuse of powers, and protect the rights of the people. I will draw on Madison’s idea of checks and balances inside government to argue about how different branches work to protect LGBT people’s rights. I will further consider separation of powers in terms of federalism to examine same-sex marriage court cases. ADDITIONAL AND SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCES Rimmerman, Craig A. The Lesbian and Gay Movements: Assimilation or Liberation? Boulder, CO: Westview, 2008. Print. This book gives people an historical perspective to understand lesbian and gay movements. Rimmerman tackles the challenging issue of what constitutes movement effectiveness and how effective the assimilationist and liberationist strategies have been in three contentious policy arenas: the military ban, same-sex marriage, and AIDS. I will focus on the same-sex marriage policy part of this book, using those detailed analyses of important courts cases in history to examine LGBT groups’ efforts to fight for their equal right of marriage. â€Å"So Far, so Fast.†The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 11 Oct. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. This article gives a brief introduction of the progress in terms of the same-sex marriage agenda since the early 2000s, and it gives some explanations of why this agenda has changed so fast in such a short time, including the change in moral judgment and transformation of LGBT people, too. I will use this resource in the conclusion to show why the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage is promising.

A sociological explanation of suicidal behaviour

A sociological explanation of suicidal behaviour The social facts surround us everywhere and affect our lives. To begin with, the social fact is a single, socially significant event or a set of homogeneous events that are typical for some areas of social life, or specific to certain social processes. The main attributes of the social facts are their independence, objective existence, and their coercive nature, i.e. an ability to exert the external pressure on the individual. It is a collective representation of the facts or a collective consciousness. The social facts are a course of actions, ways of thinking and feeling that exist outside the individual (i.e. objectively). These factors possess the normative coercive power in relation to him/her. Into the acknowledgement of the above stated information about social facts it is necessary to add that according to Faraganis (2000), by a social fact, Durkheim (as a person who defined the social fact in sociology) is referring to facts, concepts, expectations that come not from individ ual responses and preferences, but that come from the social community which socializes each of its members. Although we might embrace the normative community behavior and share its values, we are constrained by its very existence. The main purpose of this work is to reveal a sociological explanation about a social fact. Among different social facts, it is possible to emphasize the pathological social fact associated with the social problems, which is called suicide. The term suicide is related to the social fact because it is a single public event, typically for one or another sphere of real life. The suicide rate is one of the most important sociological exponents of the societys well-being. Global science has been already established that the act of suicide accumulated a number of the factors: social, economic, political, philosophical, psychological, and religious. The rate of suicide in Canada is historically similar to or slightly higher than in the USA. Around 3800 suicides occur in Canada each year. Suicide is a deliberate act of removal from life under the influence of acute traumatic situations in which life itself loses its meaning for humans. Suicidal can be called any external or internal activity, sent by a desire to take his/her own life. People who commit suicide usually suffer from a severe mental pain or are under stress and a sense of inability to cope with their problems. They often suffer from mental illness, especially major depression, and look ahead without any hope. Suicidal behavior is the suicidal activitys manifestation that includes the suicide attacks, attempts and manifestations. Thus, a situation when death is caused by people who may not be aware of their actions or control them, and as a result of a persons negligence are not related to suicide, but to the accidents. There are three main types of suicidal behavior: true suicide, demonstrative suicide and hidden suicide. The true suicide is never spontaneous, though sometimes it looks quite unexpected. Such a suicide is always preceded by depressed mood, depression, or just thinking about leaving this life. Sometimes, even the closest people do not notice this persons condition (especially if you frankly do not want it). It is obvious that in many cases true suicide is a result of prolonged depression. And any depression is characterized by a focus on past, not the future. The man on the verge of true suicide somehow appeals to the past, clinging to it, but cannot find the picture of own future. Therefore, the risk group for suicides includes teenagers and old people. The main part of the suicides is nothing but an attempt to engage in dialogue: only, of course, thats so unique and totally unsuitable for this method. Most suicides usually do not want to die, but they kill themselves only in order to reach out to someone, pay attention to their problems, to call for help. The psychiatrists often call this phenomenon demonstrative suicide. Researchers stated that propensity to demonstrative suicide sometimes seen as a specific way of manipulation. The hidden suicide is the destiny of those who understand that suicide is not the most dignified way to solve the problem, but nevertheless other way again cannot be found. These people do not choose an open withdrawal from life on their own, but they choose so-called due to suicidal behavior. For example, this is risky driving behaviors, exercises in extreme sports or dangerous business, and volunteer trips to hot spots, and even drug addiction. Among the major problems of modern Suicidology, the most relevant problems are the features of suicidal behavior associated with alcohol and drugs, the role of family and loneliness factors in the genesis of suicidal behavior and the problem of mental disease and suicide. In any suicide situation, there are usually two operating entities: the person who is thinking about suicide and his/her surroundings, or a specific person with whom he or she somehow tries to establish a dialogue. The increased suicide risk factors can be divided into extra-and intrapersonal. Extra personal suicide risk factors include: psychosis and borderline mental disorders; suicidal statements, repeated suicidal acts; post suicide; adolescence; extreme, especially so-called marginal living conditions; loss of prestige; conflict traumatic situation; drunkenness, drug use. Intrapersonal suicide risk factors can be identified: idiosyncrasies; reduced tolerance to emotional stress and frustrating factors; inadequa cy of communication systems; inadequate (overstated, understated or unstable) self-esteem; lack or loss of targets or values underlying the basis of life, etc. There are the features of suicide, which include: the desire to be alone is natural and normal for every person. But beware, when closed, the isolation become deep and long, when a person withdraws into himself, eschews the former friends and allies. Each of us is naughty from time to time. This condition can be caused by weather, well-being, fatigue, office or family problems, etc. But when a persons mood almost every day varies between the excitation and decay, there is cause for alarm. There are strong evidences that these emotional fluctuations are the harbingers of death. Depression is a deep emotional decline, which is showed in everyone differently. Some people become isolated, but at the same time, they disguise their feelings so well that it is impossible to notice the changes in their behavior. The only way in such cases is a direct and open conversation with a man. This is a proven fact that a lot of acts of suicide are caused by anger, rage, and cruelty to others. An abse nce or, conversely, abnormally increased appetite are closely linked to self-destruction thoughts and should always be considered to be a criterion for the potential hazards. In addition to the above-mentioned information, it is necessary to add that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ alcohol and drug use disorders have been found to be strongly related to suicide risk (Ilgen, et. al, 2011). People, who plan their suicide, hand out their own things to family, friends, or relatives. As experience shows, this sinister campaign is a direct forerunner of a coming disaster. In each case, it is recommended to have a serious and frank conversation with that person in order to clarify the intentions of potential suicides. The reasons for suicide are complex and numerous. The reasons can be sought in biological, genetic, psychological and social spheres of a person. Despite the fact that people usually commit suicide in extreme situations, such as divorce, loss of work or study, most experts suggest that it is rather a reason to commit suicide than its cause. Most people who kill themselves suffer from depression, which often goes undiagnosed and untreated. Since depression often underlies suicide, the study of the causes of depression can help scientists to understand the causes of suicide. About 90% of suicides occur in persons with a clinically diagnosable psychiatric disorder (Tondo, et. al., 2011). Despite the fact that some studies suggest that suicides of famous people can play an exemplary role model, especially among teenagers, this point of view is not fully proven. However, there is some evidence that the famous peoples suicides can be a powerful incentive to others suicides, especially among those in the range of 13 to 19 years. In addition, the causes of teen suicides are poverty, family relationships and with their peers, alcohol and drugs, unrequited love, experienced in childhood abuse, social isolation, mental disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, and so on. The number of suicides among young people has increased over the last decade. It is not superfluous to mention that early marriages do not save young people (aged 15-19) from the risk of suicide. This is primarily due to the fact that young marriages are more likely an attempt, not always successful, to solve some other, unrelated to marriage problems, for example, get rid of the unbearable situation i n family. Taking everything into account, it is possible to conclude that suicide is the result of the personalitys social psychological disadaptation in modern society. Psychological crises arise as a result of the intimate, family and personal, social and creative conflicts. In order to avoid the manifestation of suicidal behavior, it is necessary to provide people, especially teenagers with social support by including family, school, friends, etc. It is useful to carry out socio-psychological training issues, provide individual and group lessons to raise self-esteem, development of an adequate relationship to self, empathy, to increase self-control, replacement of significant others, to develop the motivation in order to achieve success. It can be based on the behavioral skills trainings.

The Disney World Adventure Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout my childhood I can recall many memories that caused emotional delight as well as emotional devastation. My memories go back as early as conquering my fears of sleeping in the dark to acknowledging I was never going to learn how to skate. Those few examples don't compare to the one childhood experience that still haunts me today. I couldn't wait for my family and I to take our annual vacation. It was during those times that I enjoyed myself most. I had anticipated this vacation to be the best. After all, I was going to the greatest place in the world. Little did I know I was about to embark on a journey that would leave a scare in my memory, permanently. The incident took place more than twelve years ago, yet I can recall the date and time as if it were yesterday. The date, Saturday, June 13, 1987; the time, 2:00 in the afternoon. The sun was at its peak and it felt as if it was hot enough to fry an egg in the middle of the street. As the large doughy hand reached down to grab mine, I began to panic. My palms began to sweat and I could feel my heart pumping wildly. This giant monstrosity before me was huge. I'd never been so frightened. The closer the hand got to mine the more intense my heart beat. The faster my heart beat the more frightened I became. I could hear my mother's sweet, faint voice from beside me saying, "Go ahead, honey, shake his hand." I remember looking at her and looking at the hand getting closer to me and immediately taking off...