Medieval Era And Gawain And Green Knight English Literature Essay

One of the most honest and glorious epochs of all clip was the mediaeval period. The narrative of ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ‘ portrays this facet of life throughout the full narrative. Although there were a batch of great narratives written during this point in clip, this one stood out the most amongst all the others. The mediaeval period, while really structured and proper, had a batch of really disgraceful things that went on in mundane lives. The narrative ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ‘ was written in a verse type of manner like many of the other narratives thought up during this epoch. Because the narrative was written in such a splendorous and elaborate manner, nevertheless, it is known as a arresting success. Again, like many of the other narratives written from 500-1500, these narratives were composed as many states were going shaped into the states they are today. Many of the narratives written during this clip were besides written with many literacy traditions that the people of that epoch would understand ; better than the people reading the narrative today. Peoples in the Middle Ages were considered â€Å" homogenous. † Basically, all of the people, work forces and adult females, operated in the same mode, but were really of many diverse civilizations. Therefore, because ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ‘ was written in the metropolis of Birmingham, a European state, it portrays the life that the people lived during that clip in that part. In the medieval epoch, the construction of their society was really dainty and proper. They had a male monarch and a queen, princesses and knights, and etc. The male monarch was in charge of everything and everyone in the land had to reply to him. Now in the instance of ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ‘ they use a similar construction. The Sir Gawain is evidently beneath King Arthur for multiple grounds. First off, the manner they communicate with each other tells the reader rather a spot about where each individual stood. For case, the fact that King Arthur stairss down when â€Å" Sir Gawain † asks to take on the undertakings of the Green Knight shows rather a spot on how things were done back so. Sir Gawain asks to turn out himself, merely as King Arthur did before he merely about took off the Green Knight ‘s caput, to be courageous and honored by others. By making so, Sir Gawain will derive the regard he deserves from everyone, every bit good as maybe kn ock some of the fright of decease out of him every bit good. Although, Sir Gawain is beneath King Arthur, he is one of the most extremely apprehended knights that are among King Arthur ‘s tribunal. We know this because of the trust that King Arthur puts into him. When Sir Gawain says that he is traveling to take on the undertakings of the Green Knight, King Arthur allows him to make this with without vacillation. Even though Sir Gawain makes some â€Å" humanly † errors, throughout the narrative, he is still considered a really charming character in the narrative. Besides, when Sir Gawain does take on the duties of the Green Knight he does so entirely without aid from his fellow knights. Obviously, King Arthur thinks that he is â€Å" worthy † plenty to take the Green Knight on by himself. During his travel to the Green Knight ‘s palace, Sir Gawain is asked to remain at a different palace where the Godhead greets him with great cordial reception. The host asks Sir Gawain to remain a piece with them at his topographic point, and promises to allow Sir Gawain leave on New Year ‘s Day to contend the Green Knight. While Sir Gawain is remaining at the host ‘s palace the host asks him to rest while he goes out to run each twenty-four hours. The gimmick of the affair is that Sir Gawain would give back, to the host, what he had been given that twenty-four hours and the host would give him what he had caught that twenty-four hours. We start to see that Sir Gawain ends up snoging the lady of the palace on each twenty-four hours while the host Hunts game each twenty-four hours. The host gave a banquet and Sir Gawain kissed the host each dark ; to give back what he had been given each twenty-four hours. On the last twenty-four hours at the palace Sir Gawain is giv en a sash and Sir Gawain does non state the host. When he goes to the Green Knight the following twenty-four hours he laughs in Sir Gawain ‘s face for have oning the sash, evidently non giving it to the host. It was a trial for Sir Gawain. Thus, the Green Knight takes his â€Å" blows † and ends up merely cutting Sir Gawain ‘s cervix. Sir Gawain apologizes for non giving the sash to the host and the Green Knight takes the apology. Sir Gawain says he will have on the sash for the remainder of his life to remind him of his mistakes. When Sir Gawain returns to his place everyone greets him gleefully. Sir Gawain tells the whole tribunal of the escapade he had while he was gone. Everyone got a good laugh out of it and yet felt sorry for him every bit good. They all decided to have on green sashes every bit good in award of Sir Gawain ‘s courage and embarrassment. Basically, they ended up honouring him to the highest extent by making so for him. King Arthur did non even complain about anyone making so, which shows that King Arthur had somewhat regard for this one knight of his. He did non even get covetous of Sir Gawain for this either, which shows that he trust Sir Gawain plenty to non acquire a â€Å" large caput † about what he did. As in lasting the â€Å" undertakings † of the Green Knight and being honored by all â€Å" King Arthurs † people. Honestly, the sad portion of this full narrative is that the writer is unknown. We truly can non appreciate his work to the fullest extent ; as in it reflected the Middle Ages really good. I believe that this narrative will go on to be successful for many old ages to come. It portrays how life one time was long ago ; along with an interesting narrative.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty

â€Å"YOU SHOULD SLEEP.' Sydney's soft voice nearly made me leap out of my skin, proving that even while in Lissa's mind, I could still stay alert. I tuned back to Sonya's dark living room. Aside from Sydney, everything was quiet and at peace. â€Å"You look like the walking dead,' she continued. â€Å"And I don't say that lightly.' â€Å"I've got to stay on watch,' I said. â€Å"I'll watch. You sleep.' â€Å"You're not trained like me,' I pointed out. â€Å"You might miss something.' â€Å"Even I wouldn't miss Strigoi beating down the door,' she replied. â€Å"Look, I know you guys are tough. You don't have to convince me. But I have a feeling things are going to get harder, and I don't want you passing out at some crucial moment. If you sleep now, you can relieve Dimitri later.' Only the mention of Dimitri made me give in. We would need to relieve each other eventually. So, reluctantly, I crawled into Sydney's bed on the floor, giving her all sorts of instructions that I think she rolled her eyes at. I fell asleep almost instantly and then woke up just as quickly when I heard the sound of a door closing. I immediately sat upright, expecting to see Strigoi busting down the door. Instead, I found sunlight creeping in through the windows and Sydney watching me with amusement. In the living room, Robert was sitting up on the couch, rubbing his eyes. Victor was gone. I turned to Sydney in alarm. â€Å"He's in the bathroom,' she said, anticipating my question. That was the sound I'd heard. I exhaled in relief and stood up, surprised at how even a few hours of sleep had energized me. If I only had food, I'd be ready for anything. Sonya didn't have any, of course, but I settled for a glass of water in the kitchen. As I stood there drinking, I noticed that the Dashkov brothers had made themselves at home: coats hanging on hooks, car keys on the counter. I quietly grabbed hold of the keys and called for Sydney. She came in, and I slipped her the keys, trying not to let them rattle. â€Å"Do you still know about cars?' I murmured. In one exquisite look, she told me that was a ridiculous and insulting question. â€Å"Okay. Can you go do a grocery run? We're going to need food. And maybe on your way out, you can, um, make sure their car has engine trouble or something? Anything that keeps it here. But not something obvious, like slashed tires.' She put the keys in her pocket. â€Å"Easy. Got any food requests?' I thought about it. â€Å"Something with sugar. And coffee for Dimitri.' â€Å"Coffee's a given,' she said. Victor stepped into the kitchen, his typically unconcerned expression making me think he hadn't heard me instructing Sydney to sabotage his car. â€Å"Sydney's getting groceries,' I said, hoping to distract him before he might notice the missing keys. â€Å"Need anything?' â€Å"A feeder would be nice, but barring that, Robert has an especial liking for Cheerios. The apple cinnamon kind.' He smiled at Sydney. â€Å"I never thought I'd see the day an Alchemist would be an errand girl. It's charming.' Sydney opened her mouth, no doubt to make some biting comment, and I quickly shook my head. â€Å"Just go,' I said. She went, and Victor soon returned to Robert's side. Convinced the brothers wouldn't be going anywhere in full daylight without a car, I decided it was time to check on Dimitri. To my surprise, Sonya was awake. She sat cross-legged on the bed with him, and the two spoke in hushed tones. Her hair was disheveled from both sleep and fighting, but otherwise, she showed no cuts or bruises from the battle. Dimitri had been the same after his transformation, escaping terrible burns. The power of a Strigoi restoration healed all injuries. Between my skinned legs and pseudo-concussion, I kind of wished someone had transformed me from a Strigoi. Sonya turned from Dimitri as I entered. A sequence of emotions passed across her face. Fear. Astonishment. Recognition. â€Å"Rose?' There was hesitancy in the word, like she wondered if I was a hallucination. I forced a smile. â€Å"It's good to see you again.' I chose not to add, â€Å"Now that you're not trying to suck the life out of me.' She averted her eyes down to her hands, studying her fingers like they were magical and wonderful. Of course, after being a monster, maybe having her â€Å"old hands' back really was wondrous. The day after his change, Dimitri hadn't seemed quite so fragile, but he'd certainly been in shock. That was also when he'd grown depressed. Was she? Or did she want to turn again, as Victor had suggested? I didn't know what to say. It was all so strange and awkward. â€Å"Sydney went for groceries,' I told Dimitri lamely. â€Å"She also stayed up so that I could sleep last night.' â€Å"I know,' he said with a small smile. â€Å"I got up once to check on you.' I felt myself flushing, somehow embarrassed that I'd been caught in weakness. â€Å"You can rest too,' I told him. â€Å"Get some breakfast, and then I'll keep an eye on everything. I have it on good authority that Victor's going to have car trouble. Also that Robert really likes Cheerios, so if you want some, you're out of luck. He doesn't seem like the sharing type.' Dimitri's smile grew. Sonya suddenly lifted her head. â€Å"There's another spirit user here,' she said, voice frantic. â€Å"I can feel it. I remember him.' She looked between Dimitri and me. â€Å"It's not safe. We're not safe. You shouldn't have us around.' â€Å"Everything's fine,' said Dimitri, voice so, so gentle. That tone was rare for him, but I'd heard it before. He'd used it on me in some of my most desperate moments. â€Å"Don't worry.' Sonya shook her head. â€Å"No. You don't understand. We †¦ we're capable of terrible things. To ourselves, to others. It's why I changed, to stop the madness. And it did, except †¦ it was worse. In its way. The things I did †¦' There it was, the same remorse Dimitri had felt. Half-afraid he'd start telling her there was no redemption for her either, I said, â€Å"It wasn't you. You were controlled by something else.' She buried her face in her hands. â€Å"But I chose it. Me. I made it happen.' â€Å"That was spirit,' I said. â€Å"It's hard to fight. Like you said, it can make you do terrible things. You weren't thinking clearly. Lissa battles with the same thing all the time.' â€Å"Vasilisa?' Sonya lifted her eyes and stared off into space. I think she was digging through memories. In fact, despite her ramblings now, I didn't believe she was quite as unstable as she'd been just before becoming Strigoi. We'd heard healings could lessen spirit's madness, and I think Robert's transformation had lightened some of the darkness within her for now. â€Å"Yes, of course. Vasilisa has it too.' She turned to me in a panic. â€Å"Did you help her? Did you get her out of there?' â€Å"I did,' I said, trying to emulate Dimitri's gentleness. Lissa and I fled St. Vladimir's for a while, partly because of warnings from Sonya. â€Å"We left and then came back and, uh, were able to stop what was hunting her.' I didn't think it was a good idea for Sonya to know that the thing–or rather, person–hunting Lissa was now sitting out in the living room. I took a step forward. â€Å"And you can help Lissa too. We need to know if–‘ â€Å"No,' said Dimitri. No gentleness now in the warning look he gave me. â€Å"Not yet.' â€Å"But–‘ â€Å"Not yet.' I shot him a glare in return but said no more. I was all for giving Sonya her recuperation time, but we didn't have forever. The clock was ticking, and we had to find out what Sonya knew. I felt like Dimitri would have been able to give us this information immediately after he'd been changed back. Of course, he hadn't been unstable beforehand, so he'd kind of had an edge. Still. We couldn't play house in Kentucky forever. â€Å"Can I see my flowers?' asked Sonya. â€Å"Can I go outside and see my flowers?' Dimitri and I exchanged glances. â€Å"Of course,' he said. We all moved toward the door, and that's when I had to ask. â€Å"Why did you grow flowers when you were †¦ like you were?' She paused. â€Å"I've always grown flowers.' â€Å"I know. I remember. They were gorgeous. The ones here are gorgeous too. Is that why †¦ I mean, did you just want a pretty garden, even as a Strigoi?' The question was unexpected and seemed to throw her off. I was about to give up on an answer when she finally said, â€Å"No. I never thought about pretty. They were †¦ I don't know. Something to do. I'd always grown flowers. I had to see if I still could. It was like †¦ a test of my skills, I guess.' I met Dimitri's eyes again. So. Beauty hadn't been part of her world. It was just like I'd told him. Strigoi were notoriously arrogant, and it seemed the flowers had simply been a show of prowess. Growing them had also been a familiar habit for her, and I recalled how Dimitri had read Western novels while Strigoi. Being Strigoi might cost someone their sense of goodness and morality, but old behaviors and hobbies remained. We took her out to the living room, interrupting a conversation between Victor and Robert. Sonya and Robert both froze, sizing each other up. Victor gave us one of his knowing smiles. â€Å"Up and around. Have we found out what we need yet?' Dimitri shot him a look similar to what I'd received when asking about interrogation. â€Å"Not yet.' Sonya dragged her gaze from Robert and moved quickly toward the patio door, pausing when she saw our shoddy patch job. â€Å"You broke my door,' she said. â€Å"Collateral damage,' I said. In my periphery, I think Dimitri rolled his eyes. Needing no guidance from us, Sonya opened the door and stepped outside. With a gasp, she came to a halt and stared upward. The sky was a perfect, cloudless blue, and the sun had crossed the horizon now, illuminating everything in gold. I went outside too, feeling the warmth of that light on my skin. Some of the night's coldness lingered, but we were in store for a hot day. Everyone else came out too, but Sonya was oblivious. She lifted her hands upward, as though maybe she could grab hold of the sun and wrap it in her arms. â€Å"It's so beautiful.' She finally looked away and met my eyes. â€Å"Isn't it? Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?' â€Å"Beautiful,' I reiterated. For some reason, I felt both happy and sad. She walked around her yard, examining every plant and flower. She touched the petals and inhaled their fragrance. â€Å"So different †¦' she kept saying to herself. â€Å"So different in the sun †¦' Several especially caught her attention. â€Å"These don't open at night! Do you see it? Do you see the colors? Can you smell that?' The questions didn't seem to be for anyone in particular. We watched, all of us kind of hypnotized. At last, she settled into the patio chair, happily gazing around, lost in sensory overload–in that beauty that had been denied to her as a Strigoi. When it became obvious she wasn't leaving for a while, I turned to Dimitri and repeated Sydney's advice about him taking a turn at sleeping while we waited for Sonya to recover. To my surprise, he actually agreed. â€Å"That's smart. Once Sonya's able to talk, we'll need to move.' He smiled. â€Å"Sydney's turning into a battle mastermind.' â€Å"Hey, she's not in charge here,' I teased. â€Å"She's just a soldier.' â€Å"Right.' He lightly brushed his fingers against my cheek. â€Å"Sorry, Captain.' â€Å"General,' I corrected, catching my breath at that brief touch. He gave Sonya a kind goodbye before disappearing into the house. She nodded, but I don't know if she really heard. Victor and Robert brought out two wooden kitchen chairs and set them in the shade. I chose a spot on the ground. Nobody spoke. It wasn't the weirdest thing I'd ever experienced, but it was certainly strange. Sydney returned later with the groceries, and I briefly abandoned the group to check in with her. Victor's keys were lying back on the counter, which I took as a good sign. Sydney unloaded an assortment of food and handed me a box of a dozen donuts. â€Å"Hope that's enough for you,' she remarked. I made a face at her presumption but took the donuts anyway. â€Å"Come on outside when you're done,' I told her. â€Å"It's like the barbecue of the damned. Except †¦ there's no grill.' She looked puzzled, but when she joined us later, she seemed to get what I'd been saying. Robert brought out a bowl of Cheerios, but neither Sydney nor Victor ate. I gave Sonya a donut, the first thing that took her attention from her yard. She held it in her hands, turning it over and over. â€Å"I don't know if I can. I don't know if I can eat it.' â€Å"Of course you can.' I recalled how Dimitri had regarded food uncertainly too. â€Å"It's chocolate-glazed. Good stuff.' She took a tentative, rabbit-sized bite. She chewed it a billion times and finally swallowed. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. â€Å"Such sweetness.' Slowly, she continued taking more tiny bites. It took forever for her to get halfway through the donut, and at that point, she finally stopped. I'd polished off three donuts by then, and my impatience to accomplish something was growing. Part of it was still the irritability from spirit, and part of it was just my continual restlessness to help Lissa. â€Å"Sonya,' I said pleasantly, fully aware of how pissed off Dimitri was going to be at me defying his instructions. â€Å"We wanted to talk to you about something.' â€Å"Mm-hmm,' she said, gazing at bees hovering around some honeysuckle. â€Å"Is there a relative of yours †¦ someone who, uh, had a baby a while ago †¦ ?' â€Å"Sure,' she said. One of the bees flew from the honeysuckle to a rose, and she never looked away. â€Å"Lots.' â€Å"Articulate, Rosemarie,' remarked Victor. â€Å"Very articulate.' I bit my lip, knowing an outburst would upset Sonya. And probably Robert too. â€Å"This would be a secret baby,' I told her. â€Å"And you were the beneficiary on a bank account that took care of the baby †¦ an account paid for by Eric Dragomir.' Sonya's head whipped toward me, and there was no dreamy absentmindedness in her blue eyes now. A few seconds passed before she spoke. Her voice was cold and hard–not a Strigoi voice, but definitely a back off voice. â€Å"No. I don't know anything about that.' â€Å"She's lying,' said Robert. â€Å"I didn't need any powers to figure that out,' scoffed Sydney. I ignored both of them. â€Å"Sonya, we know you know, and it's really important we find this baby †¦ er, child. Person.' We'd made guesses on the age but weren't 100 percent sure. â€Å"You said you were worried about Lissa earlier. This will help her. She needs to know. She needs to know she has another family member.' Sonya turned her attention back to the bees, but I knew she was no longer watching them. â€Å"I don't know anything.' There was a trembling in her voice, and something told me that maybe I shouldn't push this after all. I couldn't tell if she was afraid or on the verge of rage. â€Å"Then why were you on the account?' This came from Victor. â€Å"I don't know anything,' she repeated. Her voice could have made icicles form on the ornamental trees. â€Å"Nothing.' â€Å"Stop lying,' snapped Victor. â€Å"You know something, and you're going to tell us.' â€Å"Hey!' I exclaimed. â€Å"Be quiet. You don't have interrogation rights here.' â€Å"You didn't seem to be doing a very good job.' â€Å"Just shut up, okay?' I looked back at Sonya, replacing my glare with a smile. â€Å"Please,' I begged. â€Å"Lissa's in trouble. This will help her. I thought you said before that you wanted to help her?' â€Å"I promised †¦' said Sonya. Her voice was so low, I could barely hear it. â€Å"Promised what?' I asked. Patience, patience. I had to remain calm. I couldn't risk a breakdown. She squeezed her eyes shut and raked her hands through her hair violently, almost like a child about to have a tantrum. â€Å"Promised not to tell. Promised not to tell anyone †¦' I had the urge to run over and shake her. Patience, patience, I repeated to myself. Don't upset her. â€Å"We wouldn't ask you to break your promise if it wasn't important. Maybe †¦ maybe you can get in touch with this person †¦' Who had she promised? Eric's mistress? â€Å"And see if it's okay to tell us?' â€Å"Oh for God's sake,' said Victor irritably. â€Å"This is ridiculous and getting us nowhere.' He glanced at his brother. â€Å"Robert?' Robert hadn't done much so far today, but at Victor's command, Robert leaned forward. â€Å"Sonya?' Still obviously distraught, she turned to look at him †¦ and her face went still. â€Å"Tell us what we need to know,' said Robert. His voice wasn't kind so much as smooth and lulling, with a faintly sinister touch. â€Å"Tell us who and where this child is. Tell us who the mother is.' This time, I did jump to my feet. Robert was using compulsion on her to get the answers. Sonya's eyes stayed locked on him, but her body began to shake. Her lips parted, though no sound came out. A tangle of thoughts swirled in my mind. Compulsion would get us what we needed to know, but something told me, it wasn't right– Sonya stopped me from any more pondering. She shot up almost as quickly as I had. She was still staring at Robert, but no longer in that transfixed, hypnotized way. She'd broken the compulsion, and now †¦ now she was pissed. The features that had been scared and fragile earlier were filled with fury. I had no magical senses, but after being with Lissa, I knew raging spirit when I saw it. Sonya was a bomb, about to explode. â€Å"How dare you †¦' she hissed. â€Å"How dare you try to compel me?' Plants and vines near Robert suddenly sprang to life, growing to impossible heights. They reached out, tangled themselves around his chair's legs, and pulled. The chair toppled over, Robert along with it. Victor moved to help his brother, but Robert was already taking matters into his own hands. Recovering remarkably fast, he narrowed his eyes at Sonya, and she went flying backward, slamming against the wooden fence. Air users could do that trick sometimes, but this wasn't air blowing her back. This was spirit's telekinetic abilities. He apparently possessed them outside of dreams too. Lovely. I'd seen spirit users battle it out before, when Avery Lazar and Lissa had gone one on one. That hadn't been pretty, particularly since more than this exterior psychic phenomena had occurred. Avery had actually dug into Lissa's mind–and mine. I didn't know Robert or Sonya's full skill set, but this couldn't end well. â€Å"Dimitri!' I yelled, springing toward Sonya. I didn't exactly know what I was going to do, but tackling her seemed like a sound plan. From what I'd observed, a lot of spirit involved eye contact with the target. And sure enough, when I managed to wrestle her to the ground, she struggled half- heartedly but mostly fought to keep her gaze on Robert. He screamed in sudden alarm, looking down at his own body in terror. Sonya was planting visions into his head. His expression hardened. He had to know it was an illusion, and a few moments later, he looked up, having broken her spell like she'd broken his earlier compulsion. Dimitri came tearing out the door at that point, just as Robert used his mind to fling one of the chairs toward Sonya. Of course, I was on top of her, so the chair hit me in the back. Dimitri picked up pretty quickly what was going on and ran toward Robert, attempting the same tactic as me. Victor, possibly thinking his brother was in physical danger, tried to pry Dimitri away, which was futile. More vines began to reach toward Robert, and I realized constraining Sonya wasn't all that useful. â€Å"Get him inside!' I yelled to Dimitri. â€Å"Get him away from her!' Dimitri had already guessed that and began dragging Robert toward the door. Even with Victor interfering, Dimitri's strength was enough to get Robert out of there and back into the house. As soon as her target was gone, all the energy seemed to fade out of Sonya. She made no more efforts to fight me and collapsed to the ground. I was relieved, having feared she'd turn on me once Robert was gone. Tentatively, still on guard, I helped Sonya sit up. She leaned against me, weak as a rag doll, and cried into my shoulder. Another breakdown. After that, it was a matter of damage control. In order to keep the spirit users apart, Dimitri had taken Robert to the bedroom and left Victor with him. Robert seemed as worn out as Sonya, and Dimitri deemed the brothers safe enough to leave alone. Sonya collapsed on the couch, and after both Dimitri and I had tried to calm her down, we stepped away while Sydney held the Moroi woman's hand. I briefly recapped what had happened. Dimitri's face grew more and more incredulous as I did. â€Å"I told you it wasn't time!' he exclaimed. â€Å"What were you thinking? She's too weak!' â€Å"You call that weak? And hey, I was doing fine! It wasn't until Victor and Robert got involved that things went to hell.' Dimitri took a step toward me, anger radiating off him. â€Å"They should never have gotten involved. This is you, acting irrational again, jumping in foolishly with no thought of the consequences.' Outrage shot through me in return. â€Å"Hey, I was trying to make progress here. If being rational is sitting around and doing therapy, then I'm happy to jump over the edge. I'm not afraid to get in the game.' â€Å"You have no idea what you're saying,' he growled. We were standing closer now, hardly any space left between us as we engaged in our battle of wills. â€Å"This may have set us back.' â€Å"This set us forward. We found out she knows about Eric Dragomir. The problem is she promised not to tell anyone about this baby.' â€Å"Yes, I promised,' piped up Sonya. Dimitri and I turned as one, realizing our argument was fully visible and audible to Sonya and Sydney. â€Å"I promised.' Her voice was very small and weak, pleading with us. Sydney squeezed her hand. â€Å"We know. It's okay. It's okay to keep promises. I understand.' Sonya looked at her gratefully. â€Å"Thank you. Thank you.' â€Å"But,' said Sydney carefully, â€Å"I heard that you care about Lissa Dragomir.' â€Å"I can't,' interrupted Sonya, turning fearful again. â€Å"I know, I know. But what if there was a way to help her without breaking your promise?' Sonya stared at Sydney. Dimitri glanced at me questioningly. I shrugged and then stared at Sydney too. If someone had asked who could stage the best intervention with a crazy woman who'd formerly been an undead monster, Sydney Sage would have been my last guess. Sonya frowned, all attention on Sydney. â€Å"W-what do you mean?' â€Å"Well †¦ what did you promise exactly? Not to tell anyone that Eric Dragomir had a mistress and baby?' Sonya nodded. â€Å"And not to tell who they were?' Sonya nodded again. Sydney gave Sonya the warmest, friendliest smile I'd ever seen on the Alchemist. â€Å"Did you promise not to tell anyone where they are?' Sonya nodded, and Sydney's smile faltered a little. Then, her eyes lit up. â€Å"Did you promise not to lead anyone to where they are?' Sonya hesitated, no doubt turning every word over in her mind. Slowly, she shook her head. â€Å"No.' â€Å"So †¦ you could lead us to them. But not tell us where they actually are. You wouldn't be breaking the promise that way.' It was the most convoluted, ridiculous piece of logic I'd heard in a while. It was something I would have come up with. â€Å"Maybe †¦' said Sonya, still uncertain. â€Å"You wouldn't break the promise,' Sydney repeated. â€Å"And it would really, really help Lissa.' I stepped forward. â€Å"It would help Mikhail too.' Sonya's mouth dropped open at the mention of her former lover. â€Å"Mikhail? You know him?' â€Å"He's my friend. He's Lissa's friend too.' I almost said that if we found the missing Dragomir, we could then take Sonya to Mikhail. Recalling Dimitri's feelings of unworthiness, I decided to avoid that tactic just now. I didn't know how Sonya would react to a reunion with her beloved. â€Å"And he wants to help Lissa. But he can't. None of us can. We don't have enough information.' â€Å"Mikhail †¦' Sonya looked down at her hands again, small tears running down her cheeks. â€Å"You won't break your promise.' Sydney was so compelling she could have been a spirit user. â€Å"Just lead us. It's what Mikhail and Lissa would want. It's the right thing to do.' I don't know which argument convinced Sonya the most. It could have been the part about Mikhail. Or it could have been the idea of doing â€Å"the right thing.' Maybe, like Dimitri, Sonya wanted redemption for her Strigoi crimes and saw this as a chance. Looking up, she swallowed and met my eyes. â€Å"I'll lead you there,' she whispered. â€Å"We're going on another road trip,' Sydney declared. â€Å"Get ready.' Dimitri and I were still standing right next to each other, the anger between us beginning to diffuse. Sydney looked proud and continued trying her best to soothe Sonya. Dimitri looked down at me with a small smile that shifted slightly when he seemed to become aware of just how close we were. I couldn't say for sure, though. His face gave little away. As for me, I was very aware of our proximity and felt intoxicated by his body and scent. Damn. Why did fighting with him always increase my attraction to him? His smile returned as he tilted his head toward Sydney. â€Å"You were wrong. She really is the new general in town.' I smiled back, hoping he wasn't aware of my body's reaction to us standing so close. â€Å"Maybe. But, it's okay. You can still be colonel.' He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Oh? Did you demote yourself? Colonel's right below general. What's that make you?' I reached into my pocket and triumphantly flashed the CR-V keys I'd swiped when we'd come back inside. â€Å"The driver,' I said.

Adolf Hitler and Japanese Canadians War

WWII ESSAY TOPICS Please Note: You need to form an historical research question for your topic. The answer to your question is your thesis statement 1. How and why was Germany allowed to annex Austria and the Sudetenland? Was there any justification for Britain and France’s policy of appeasement? 2. Discuss the role that Italy played in World War II. How did the nation become involved in the conflict? How did its participation affect the direction of the war and Germany’s fortunes? 3. Discuss the issues surrounding the United States’ decision to use atomic bombs against Japan.What motives were behind this action, and what arguments have been made against it? 4. Explain how the situation in Europe immediately following the fall of Germany led directly to the Cold War. In your opinion, should the Western Allies have acted to oppose Soviet domination of Eastern Europe? 5. Consider the role of technology during World War II. Did it fundamentally affect the outcome of the war? If so, how? If not, why not? 6. Compare the roles of Germany and Japan during World War II. Generally speaking, were their aggressions fundamentally similar or fundamentally different? . Explain Germany’s mistakes in Russia and the ways in which they affected the outcome of the war. 8. Why did the British government give in to German demands regarding Czechoslovakia in 1938, but took a relatively firmer stand over Poland in 1939? 9. Compare Soviet and British policies toward Poland between 1943 and 1945, focusing on both aims and outcomes. 10. Did the nature of German rearmament between 1935 and 1939 support the view that Hitler was planning for a Blitzkrieg war? 11. Asses and explain whether the internment of Japanese Canadians justified during World War Two? 2. Discuss the major differences between how the allies treated Germany after World War Two with World War One and how it may have been better. 13. Compare the strategic significance of the Battle of Stalingra d and the Battle of Britain. 14. Discuss Blittzkrieg and the importance of this tactic during World War Two. 15. Assess and explain the role of women during WWII and compare them to WWI. 16. The Second World War had consequences for European society and the world at large that were every bit as profound as the changes wrought by World War I.Assess these consequences as they became evident in 1945 as the war ended as well as for the years following from the standpoint of physical losses (casualties, refugees, infrastructure, etc. ) as well as the political and territorial settlements in Europe and the world at large. 17. To what extent were the German’s people responsible for Hitler/ Holocaust. 18. Compare WWI to WWII, identifying similarities in the causes, development, and outcomes of the wars. Other topics to consider Appeasement (WLM King) IsolationismThe Treaty of Versailles The League of Nations (failure of) Dieppe D-Day (Juno Beach) Liberation of Holland Dunkirk (evacua tion of) Battle of Britain Battle of the Atlantic Role of Technology / Canadian war production Anti-Semitism in Canada Internment of Japanese Canadians War on the homefront – War production / Changing role of women TOPIC LIST Blitzkreig The Battle of the Atlantic Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (Wrens) Lebensraum The Brtsh Commonwealth Air Training Plan Canadian Women’s Auxiliary AirforceOccupation of the Rhineland Camp X The Munich Pact Cdn Women’s Army Corps D-Day The Nazi-Soviet Non Aggression Pact The Battle for Normandy Canadian War Brides Dunkirk Treaty of Versailles The Royal Cdn Air Force Wm. L. Mackenzie King War on the Homefront War Propaganda The Home Front General Guy Simonds Canada and the Italian Campaign Conscription The Scheldt Estuary The Internment of Japanese Canadians Liberation of the Netherlands Canada and Hong Kong Juno Beach The Battle of the Atlantic VE Day Dieppe Verrieres Ridge

Music History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Music History - Research Paper Example It was usually a part of mourning also, except in cases, such as, when Admetus while mourning his wife, ordered that â€Å"neither lyre nor pipe is to be heard in the town for twelve months." (West 14). Often religious festivals or ceremonies would begin with a procession with music, such as chorale accompanied by the pipes and/or the lyre. The people might be dancing or have dancers with them. Processionals are thought to be the oldest form of Greek music. It is believed that the earliest recorded occasion was a procession from Messina to sacrifice on Delos (West 15). Every part of Greek life had some kind of music that was traditionally used. Following is a description of the most well known types: Hymns were sung by a chorus to the gods, except Apollo and Dionysus, which had their own special songs, the paean, a song of joy, and the dithyramb, a choral song of prayer or supplication. The Dithyramb eventually became secularized and metamorphosed into the drama form tragedy. The Hy porcheme was a song and a dance. The Prosodion was used for processionals to altars and temples at the beginning and ending of festivals. Enkomion was a song of praise for men, as was the Epinikion used to honor the winner of athletic competition. A Skolion was sung by guests at a banquet. An Erotikon was an erotic song or poem for gods and goddesses and also men and women. The Hymenaios was used for weddings during the processional, at the banquet and in front of the bridal suite. The Threnos was a funeral dirge, sung by a chorus solemnly in either very low or very high pitch. Maidens would sing a Partheneion . Many of these have echoes in current church and classical music ("Lyric Genres."). 2. Describe the evolution of notation from the concept of neumes to the development of the staff and the idea of nota. Music likely dates back to the earliest civilizations, even hunter gatherer populations , but it was not until the Greeks created a form of musical notation that we have any records of written musical notation. There is a piece of music carved on a tombstone called the Seikilos Epitaph, found in Turkey, and may be from the 1st century AD. This is evidence that ancient Greeks used music notation since the 3rd or 4th centuries BC. Boethius (c.AD 470–AD 525) applied the first 15 letters of the alphabet to the notes in use at the end of the Roman period in the five textbooks he wrote on ancient music while in prison. A system called neumes, using Greek language symbols, was used in about the 6th century AD to record the Gregorian chants. This system only reminded a singer or musician of the â€Å"shape â€Å" of a memorized song. It was not until the tenth cent ury that Heightened Neumes were arranged above and below a line to indicate rising and falling pitch. In the twelfth century, Guido D’Arezzo placed letters on lines to indicate pitch. The staves developed over the next four centuries with different numbers of lines, but in the sixteenth century the five line staff became standard. Early music was all written down by the church and aristocracy, as paper and quills were expensive and most people could not read words either ("History of Music Notation - evolution, printing, specialisation and computers."). There was no system for tempo and measure until about the seventeenth century. It was not until the legitimization of polyphonic music, forbidden at first by Pope John XXII in 1322 (See Appendix A for his writings.), that other parts of our modern notation developed to fulfil its needs ("Polyphony Is

Database Architecture for GEMLCA Resource Availability Research Paper

Database Architecture for GEMLCA Resource Availability - Research Paper Example GEMLCA or Grid Execution Management for Legacy Code Architecture is a language independent solution used to deploy existing legacy code applications as a Grid service. Any application written in any language can be deployed as a grid service without the need of even legacy code i.e. binary codes and source code. It is a computing system consisting of PC clusters. Legacy applications are deployed on these servers as grid services. Compute servers are then accessed by various grid clients for required resources. Grid host environment is used to implement service-oriented grid layer which is based on Open Grid Services Architecture (OGSA) specifications e.g. GT3, GT4, g-Lite or the OMII middleware. This layer is required to connect computer server to OSGA built grid. The selected grid should allow the grid clients to access legacy applications available in computer servers like a grid or web services. Administrators should be able to deploy new legacy applications on computer server using different job managers like Condor, Fork, PBS, etc. GEMLCA resources are consists of legacy codes which are deployed as grid services. These resources are installed on the computer server. GEMLCA Resource layer manages the interaction between Grid services and Grid Host Environment. Resource Layer is used for the following purposes: Deploying legacy applications as Grid services Querying the GEMLCA resources and get the list of available legacy applications getting the list of legacy parameters with default values and allow the user to modify these submitting legacy jobs to a job manager querying the status of previously submitted legacy jobs retrieving results from legacy applications GEMLCA Resource layer has the following three services: GLCAdmin It deploys a legacy application as a Grid service. GLCList It searches for legacy applications available over a grid. GLC Process It manages the workflow processes over Grid such as submitting a legacy application using GEMLCA and getting job status and results back.

A Positive Concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Positive Concept - Essay Example It should be known that truth is immortal and man without truth is nothing but life less. Life is not meant to be lived just for the sake of pleasure of senses, but for the purpose of realizing truth and living by it in all means. One of the greatest philosophers who strived for truth and righteousness was Socrates, the famous Greek thinker. â€Å"Socrates' main focus throughout his public teaching life was the acquiring by the individual of self-knowledge. He believes that goodness and truth, positive essences and pure ethical and moral† (Burgess,2011) . This indeed explains us the value of truthful living and the way in which it helps a person to attain bliss and immortality. However, living a truth life is not simple and comfortable as one has to come across many difficulties and hurdles in the process. Only a person who has attained the knowledge about self has the motivation and passion to walk the journey of life with truth. A person has the freedom to live life at his o wn will, but wisdom and knowledge prompt him to discard immoral life and return to virtuous and happy life. â€Å"We all tend to intellectualize the road of a virtuous life , when all we need to do is believe in a few simple natural laws , formulated thousand of years ago by interacted with God† (Joubert,2009,pg.1).It is not very difficult to follow the path of truth if you realize the law of nature. Nature being the mother of all beings, has bestowed us with all bounties to achieve happiness and bliss. Fortunately, every human being knows that happiness is the element that he is seeking and desiring in every phase of his life. As Per ( Babuta, 2010)â€Å"Some people may be created happier than others, with enjoyment of life programmed into their hardwiring. For others, getting to happiness isn't always that simple. You weren't programmed that way†. It may be a surprising fact, that the truth and happiness are the two things that go hand – in – hand and o ne who is leading an immoral life can never be happy in true sense. To be moral and truthful to oneself is the biggest achievement of life and every person should work and strive to achieve this purpose. â€Å"A moral skeptic might be the sort of person who says â€Å"All this talk of morality is tripe† who will reject morality and take no notice of it all. Such a person in a way is rejecting all moral judgments and truth wholly†(Mc cord,1988,pg.96) Most people think that morality and truthfulness can be attained solely from religion. However, religion is a basis and foundation for finding truth but only self realization and truth of divine can persuade someone to persuade a truthful living. â€Å"Once the ultimate metaphysical or religious position is takes as truth, morality or truthful living becomes impossible without religion, and religion become impossible without reality† (Chacko, 1986,pg.9).The truth is the reality and one has to go on a long quest to un derstand and establish truth in one’s life. By truth it is meant that, a person will achieve bliss and happiness eternally and not only in his present life. However, to achieve blissful life the most important think is to understand divine and love all the creations of the Almighty with true heart. The most important aspect of truth is love, this feeling and emotion is what makes the foundation of universe. The Almighty has

The Significance of Credible Evidence to the Administration of Justice Essay

The Significance of Credible Evidence to the Administration of Justice - Essay Example There are several arguments that support evidence law; such as the amelioration of insidious suspicion of juries; to promote legal or social issues associated with litigation; to enhance substantive policies disparate to the trial; to establish conditions to obtain the most credible facts in court; and to organize the extent and period of trials. This paper explores the different types and the significance of credible evidence for the administration of justice. Admissibility of evidence Evidence manifests in four main forms: demonstrated evidence; documented evidence; real evidence and testimonial evidence. Whereas some policies regulating evidence are applicable to all four categories, others pertain to less than three or less. It is notable that all of these categories of proof must be permissible, though, prior to being considered as investigative of a matter in a court case. Essentially, if proof is to be considered admissible in court, it has to be pertinent, material, and knowl edgeable. To be seen relevant, evidence must have a number of reasonable inclinations to assist prove, or refute some reality. It should not build certainty to the fact, but to some extent, it must be inclined toward the increment or lower the possibility of a number of facts. Once evidence meets the standard measures, the judge or jury, charged with the duty of establishing facts will decide the suitable weight to offer a given piece of proof. An appropriate piece of proof is considered credible if it is tabled to verify a reality that is being argued in a legal proceeding. Credible proof is that fact that accords with particular conventional notions of consistency. Courts are slowly reducing the competency policies guiding evidence by enabling to be looked upon depending on the burden of proof (Gazzaniga [2011] 304 SA 54). Significance of real evidence Real evidence is imperative. Its subsistence or features are believed to be pertinent and subject to a matter before the court. It is normally an issue that was expressly involved in an occurrence in the trial, such as an exhibit of murder, the individual property of an aggrieved party, or an item like a hat or bangle belonging to a criminal suspect. The relevance of the material must be observed in trial before it can be admissible, by a judge. The procedure, in which a lawyer establishes these fundamentals and any extra structures that may be useful, is referred to as laying a foundation for a case (Wang [2008] 5 US-China Law Review 50). Generally, the weight and content of real evidence must be guaranteed. An attorney sets up the evidence's credibility by demonstrating that it actually is what it should look like, failure to which it may be deemed by the court. Corroborating evidence is referred to as authentication. Demonstrative Evidence Although, evidence is believed to be demonstrative if it carries the testimony of a live witness, it is deemed permissible when it comparatively and precisely mirrors the witness's account and is otherwise admissible. Demonstrative evidence includes items such as maps, images of a scene where crime is committed, diagrams and graphs that show incriminating or exonerating particulars (Kennedy, & Wlnn, [2011] 16 DLR 209; Timothy [2008] 72 FB 87; Pardo [2006] 33 AJCL 301). Documentary Evidence Evidence captured in or recorded on retrievable mediums can be an aspect of real proof. For instance, an

Human Resources Question Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Resources Question Paper - Essay Example Therefore, acquiring and training the personnel is the most important aspect in being able to balance the company’s goals and compete with others. This is so, because when you appoint someone to a given position you require from him to posses particular education and work background, so that he can contribute for the developing for the company. So selecting the appropriate candidates is essential for company’s growth and competitiveness. Cohen (1991) states that by raising the corporate training employees are more predisposed to seek self-initiative and demand from their managers broader possibilities in their work liberties. Consequently, employees who have greater freedom to maneuver in their work can bring brighter ideas within the company and aid to its competitiveness. The preparation or training will provide the employees with specific internal competences about the position they hold and the work specificities. So combining the initial training with the already proven previous work experiences, the employee will be able to exceed in his work and instigate towards excellence. The training equips workers to carry out their duties and engage in personal development as well as company’s growth. Therefore, when one strives to grow in his positions, he will come up with clear and innovative ideas to guarantee the higher position. In my opinion, compensating human resources will contribute the least, because when individuals are looking for a career to grow, the amount of salary received is not the moving element. They know that they will be remunerated each month, so unless they are sales representatives and have a target to meet, they will not contribute to the competitive aspirations of the managers. Bonuses and other monetary stimulations are effective to a degree, they can stimulate the employees to come up with new ideas and to engage in the work processes more actively. However, if they do not hold personal

Australian Taxation Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Australian Taxation Law - Assignment Example b) Eddie buys a house in January 2003 and sells it in Jan 2007. Therefore, this is a capital asset, and capital gains tax are applicable in this case (Global Property Guide, 2015). Since the transaction occurs after 21 September 1999, the capital gains taxable amount will be discounted at 50% since Eddie has owned the asset for at least 12 months. Capital gains tax is calculated on the net gain on the capital sale. c) The capital gains tax I this case will be net of $800,000 less the amount that John had paid to purchase the farm. Since John is an individual, the calculations will be done on individual graduated scales of taxation. If it was a company, the tax rate is 30% flat (Global Property Guide, 2015). d) The total capital gains in Quantas shares is (1.56- 0.45) $1.11 per share and that in Westco is (2.10-5.20) a loss of $3.1 per share. The net gain in Quantas in added to the loss in westco and added to other revenues for calculation of tax for the individual. According to income tax assessment act 1997, the tax exempt entities include Community Service organizations, educational services, and charitable organizations (Australian Government, 2012). These entities must be registered under the Australian Charities and not for profit commission act 2012. The capital gains discount where 50% discounting rate is used for assets held for at least 12 months and 33.33% for complying super funds, indexation for assets acquired before 21september 1999 and the third where cost base is deducted from capital proceeds (Austrilian Government, 2012). Jerry is conducting the business of fishing as much as it seems he is doing it as a hobby. Jerry compensates his sons for their efforts thereby creating a monetary value for their work and thus there is income earned by the sons. Jerry also sells extra fish to the available market at prices he wishes and,

Writing the Target Audience Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Writing the Target Audience Analysis - Essay Example The photo is larger than the interior second picture and thus the large appeal. The first photograph contains more Aristotelian appeal than the second paragraph. The magazine focuses on adults that are above the age of 18 but below 25. This group is commonly known as the young adults group. The reason for stating that this is the most preferred age group for the magazine is because of the explicit content contained in the magazine. When reading the column on the right of the left page one gets to view issues revolving around sex and it is such issues that should not be accessed by young people. In the contemporary environment, there have been different issues that involve young people getting into explicit behavior at a young age and the reason for this is the access to such magazines. It is from this that one understands that adults are the targets of this magazine. Young adults value information regarding new experience in the intimate sector. Many people around this age have little experience in intimacy and from the magazine, the audience value information regarding the subject of the column who discusses her experience when breaking her virginity. From this information one gets to understand the reason why the young adults relate to the magazine The second advertisement is that of acclaimed clothing line, Gucci. Gucci is an international store that has had the ability to capture the attention of many people from the classy products it has introduced into the market. When looking at the advertisement, one thing to note is the elegant bottle of perfumed displayed on the box. Prior to identifying the bottle, the first thing noticed is the color of the background in the advertisement. Color brown is internationally recognized as to having a certain appeal on people and the fact that it is the one used in the advertisement, it is very easy to capture potential buyers’ attention. Looking at one side of the

Statistics on Violent Crime Among UK Youth (2013) Project

On Violent Crime Among UK Youth (2013) - Statistics Project Example The police and Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) have different descriptions of what constitutes a violent crime: for example, the CSEW categorises robbery as a violent crime provided it was committed by a series of activities involving actual or threatened injury to the body of the victim. The police, however, leave out the crime from a list of violent crimes, mainly because in some cases manifest violence is not present. In addition, law enforcement agencies have also excluded murder and sexual violence from violent crimes for purposes of dealing the perpetrators commensurate punishments. Owing to the fact that 25% of all offences are executed by juveniles, it is estimated that more half of the violent crimes in the United Kingdom in 2013 were committed by individuals who are between the ages of 16 and 25. Statistics indicate that members of the group engaged in more than a million cases of violent crimes in 2013 alone. The children and young adults, mostly in high school and colleges respectively were behind more than 50% of all homicides, robberies and burglaries (United Kingdom Defence & Security, 2014). The Home Office findings indicate that the youth aged between 16 and 25 engaged in the highest incidences of violent crime. Generally, the Home Office established that the young criminals were to blame for more than 50% of violent crimes as demonstrated in figure and table 1. Their overall of one in two violent cases of crimes is greater than previous figures, which put the percentage at less one in four cases. Government statistics show that almost 20% of all juvenile youth first apprehended in 2004 continued their delinquent behaviour through 2013, with 16-year-olds being most likely to engage in repeat offences (Flatley, 2013). As such, the report indicates the youth crime estimates underscore the need of tackling deviance among juveniles in order to reduce violent crime. Reform of youth justice programs since 2003 have seen drastic decline in the prevalence of violent crime, especially for individuals who were subjected to detention, but a 2014 report published by the National Audit Office indicated reoffending rates had soared, especially among the youths subjected to community service as punishment for their violent criminal behaviour in the past (Government of the United Kingdom, 2013).  Ã‚  

Euthanasia Essay Example for Free

Euthanasia Essay Euthanasia is challenging moral, ethic, and religious values. There are some groups of people who favor the right to die; even the state of Oregon has statutes such as the right-to-die or death-with-dignity. The purpose of these groups is to achieve nationwide recognition of the right to die with dignity. Other groups, such as the Hemlock Society, believe that in justified cases (terminally ill) there is an obligation to help, if asked, a dying person to end his of her life. At the present this is against the law nd the Hemlock Society wants to see this rule modified so that a doctor may help without fear of prosecution (Berger and Berger 162). On the other hand, religious groups are horrified by this idea. For example, the Catholic tradition sees death as a negativity and not as something one has a right to. In this tradition, spiritual death in which human being rejects the offer of Gods self-disclosure and cuts himself or herself off from the source of supernatural life, is worse than physical death. Thus, to directly take the life of a person is not only wrong because of the harm done to the other party, but, for Catholics, it is also rong because it is an act of appropriating to oneself an activity reserved to God alone (Berger and Berger 14). There is no need for euthanasia. God gave life and only God should resolve when life ends. In the article Active and Passive Euthanasia, Rachels describes the situation of a patient who is dying of incurable cancer of the throat. He was certain to die within a few days, but he did not wanted to go on living for those days, since the pain was unbearable. So, he asked the doctor to put an end to it (Rachels 485). Life is sacred, and this illustration provides a clear denial for the physical pain and not for the ife itself. Therefore, if there were methods to alleviate the pain caused by any disease, fewer patients would opt for euthanasia. Indeed, no one (doctor, patient, family) would have to attribute to him of herself a decision reserved only for God. Life is a gift from God, and euthanasia represents a crime against God. Another objection to euthanasia is the fact that physicians may not be completely assured that a patient is dying. There are practitioners who contend that no one really knows when death is inevitable(Frank J. Ayd, Jr. qtd in Larue 9). Sidney Hook is n example of this fact. He was a stricken patient who suffered from congestive heart failure. While in the hospital, Hook experienced violent and painful hiccups for several days. His left side and one of his vocal cords became paralyzed. The physician who was assisting Hook did not know if Hooks case was incurable. For this reason, at Hooks request he refused to discontinue all life supporting services. Miraculously enough, a month later Sidney Hook was discharged form the hospital (Hook 483). He survived what many people believe to be an irreversible coma. Euthanasia is unnecessary. In addition, doctors are, as well as patients, human beings with feelings and emotions. The purpose of their professional career is to assist and cure the ill. They have been prepared to save not to kill. Adopting euthanasia as part of their medical practice would contradict with the purpose of their existence, as doctors. Medical practitioners are not prepared to deal with some of the psychosocial dimensions of dying and death. Their training has prepared them as rescuers form illness and pain, and physicians may see themselves as archrivals of death (Larue 11). Legalizing euthanasia could lead to involuntary euthanasia. And, because this practice can be performed without the patients knowledge, newborn infants with defects, comatose people, and senile aged, to mention some, could eventually be killed as the terminally ill. As Marcia Angell explain in her essay, The Supreme Court and Physician- Assisted Suicide-The Ultimate Right, although it is possible that we may someday decide to legalize voluntary euthanasia under certain circumstances or assisted suicide for patients who are terminally ill, legalizing assisted suicide for the dying does not in itself make these other decisions nevitable (Angell 504). Thus, euthanasia should not be legalized in this country. More over, depressed patients would have the option to request euthanasia. And, they will since depression is a state of mind that renders people unable to think rationally. As Marcia Angell states, depressed patients would seek physician-assisted suicide rather than help for their depression (The Supreme Court and Physician-Assisted Suicide-The Ultimate Right 505). Depression is a treatable problem and does not count as an irreversible suffering. People in such conditions usually feel nwanted. They do not see a reason why they should continue on with their lives. However, these people are in great need of love. They do not need euthanasia as an option. Contemporary advances in medical technology have made possible the prolongation of life. Indeed, it has contributed to the inability for Americans to accept death. Americans have developed a paradoxical relationship with death-we know more about the causes and conditions surrounding death, but we have not equipped ourselves emotionally to cope with dying and death (Dickinson and Leming13). Nevertheless, illness and disability at advanced age have created the possibility for the act of painlessly ending the life of a person. Groups of people who support euthanasia believe that it is the quality of life that should influence the decision and that death may be preferable to a severely impaired life (Rottenberg 481). However, life is sacred, and no matter how severely disable the patient may be, no human being can arrogate to him- or herself a decision reserved for God (Rottenberg 481). Doctors are not totally convinced of when a patient is dying. They may misdiagnose the ailment such as Sidney Hook who survived from a presumed to be irreversible coma. Depressed patients would have the option to request physician-assisted suicide instead of help for their depression. Even in the terminally ill, a request for assisted suicide might signify treatable depression, not irreversible suffering (Angell 505). More over, euthanasia would create a moral slippery slope. It is impossible to avoid slippery slopes in medicine (or in any aspect of life) (Angell 504). For these reasons euthanasia should not be legalized in this country.

Russia Legal System

Russia Legal System Legal System and how it works: Russian legal system follows statutory laws which are based on legislation unlike case laws which is based on judicial precedent. The main legal body of comprises of Constitution, Federal constitutional laws, federal laws, presidential decrees, governmental regulations, and laws of regional constituents of the Russian Federation. Peter Gerendasi 2009, Doing business and investing in Russian Federation [online], Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Russia, p.7, Available According to Legal system of Russia, the judiciary is divided into three branches; the regular court system which has the Supreme Court on top, the arbitration court system which has High Court of Arbitration on top, and the Constitutional Court as a single body without any courts under it. In case of disputes between any business entities, the case is usually taken to arbitration court for trial. Vladimir Davydov Legal system of Russia [online], Available from: http://www.uoregon.edu/~jbonine/review.html [Accessed: 25.3.2010]. According to the Russian laws, a Russian court cannot nullify a statute holding it unconstitutional. Vladimir Davydov further states that â€Å"upon motion of an interested governmental organization, it can hold a statute or an executive enactment unconstitutional, or give its interpretation of the Constitution.† When an issue of constitutionality of an act is raised during proceedings before a court, there is a rule that such a case is automatically referred to the Constitutional court. Further, the Supreme Court of Russia has the right of legislative initiative and can submit its conclusions conceding the interpretation of laws. Its views are considered highly authoritative and always taken into account by lawmakers. The Supreme Court issues guiding instructions for lower courts on specific matters of law which are a binding upon all the courts, state agencies and officials who use such laws and hence it is treated as a source of law in Russia. Vladimir Davydov Legal system of Russia [online], Available from: http://www.uoregon.edu/~jbonine/review.html [Accessed: 25.3.2010]. Government rules and regulations establishing business The company needs to complete the following to be fully operable: production and registration of a corporate seal; register with the State Statistics Committee; register as a taxpayer; register with the Medical Insurance Fund, Social Insurance Fund and Pension Fund; and open bank accounts. Approximately it takes six weeks to fulfil such actions. All records of a company must be made, expressed and maintained in Russian, according to Russian bookkeeping standards. No matter Russian or foreign each company which runs business in the Russian Federation, has an obligation to register with tax authorities. Taxpayers must file tax returns monthly regularly and submit balance sheet quarterly to tax authority. The founders when establishing a company enter into an agreement and take an obligation. The charter and the foundation agreement are the documents that are required to be filed with the registration authorities. The content and structure of these documents are determined by the Russian law. Establishing a company in Russia [online], Available from: http://www.ruscham.com/en/rossinfo/db/13.html [Accessed: 25.3.2010]. Ownership of Business, Land and Office Most land (unlike buildings and premises) is not privately owned, but held by federal, regional and local authorities. Owners of property built on state land may purchase the land, but many property owners prefer to lease land from the state instead. Rights to real estate have to be registered with the State Register. In addition to registration with the State Register, the main technical and legal information on land plots (their measurements, boundaries, buildings standing thereon, etc.) must be recorded in the state land cadastre. Although the Land Code provides that if a building and the underlying land are owned by the same person, it is impossible to sell them separately, the land and the facilities located on it are treated as separate legal interests and may be owned by different persons. In general, Russian law neither imposes major restrictions on foreigners nor makes distinctions between foreigners, Russian legal entities with foreign interest and Russian legal entities/citizens in relation to ownership of land. Apart from land legislation requirements, a prospective developer has to comply with planning regulations that are rather complex and may differ depending on where the project is implemented. Peter Gerendasi 2009, Doing business and investing in Russian Federation [online], Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Russia, p.16, Available Labour/Employment Law The Russian Labor Code outlines the right of employees. If a conflict arises, an employee can demand his right against the protective provisions of the Labor Code in court.The normal working hours in Russia are 8 hours/day and 40 hours/ week. Foreigners entering the Russian Federation must have an identification document recognized by the Russian Federation. The enterprise which invites a foreign national must have obtained a permission to hire foreign employees and thereafter the employer must apply for the individual work permits with respect to each of the employees he is inviting.

Inherited and Environmental Influences on Development

Inherited and Environmental Influences on Development The environmental and inherited influences on development, also known as, nature and nurture both play key roles in the shaping of developmental processes. Nature refers to inherited or biological traits such as, abilities and capacities that are genetically passed down by ones parents. On the other hand, nurture refers to environmental influences that play a role in shaping our behaviors, such as methods of childrearing and other products of society. Differences in lateralization of the brain between males and females may be ascribed to both genetic differences in the corpus callosum, which is larger in women, and environmental factors; girls usually receive more extensive verbal encouragement than boys do. Both nature and nurture are theorized to be attributing factors that influence and shape development. Developmental Psychologists place strong emphasis on the belief that both nature and nurture are leading causes that influence and shape human behavior and development by either biological factors: nature, or environmental factors: nurture. 1. What are some inherited influences on development? 2. What are some environmental influences on development? 3. What role does socialization play as an environmental influence on development? Psychologists and developmental experts have been able to attribute the behaviors of an individual to particular influences on development that can be separated into two categories: inherited and environmental influences on development. What are some inherited influences on development? It is widely speculated that factors of inherited influence are more important than the environmental factors that affect a childs growth and development. Obviously we know that inherited biological factors do play a great role in shaping human development, this is a widely acknowledged fact. While this is true, one must still not disregard the significance of environmental influences in the early stages of growth and development. Many studies emphasizing the significance of inherited influences are, however, impossible to disregard or ignore. For example, it is almost universally accepted that a child faces biological risks in their mental and physical development when the mother smokes cigarettes during pregnancy. However, many would argue that you cannot directly attribute negative social behaviors to the mother smoking tobacco during pregnancy. According to research presented at the Behavior Genetics Association, there is uncertainty about why there are links between maternal smo king during pregnancy and offspring antisocial behavior. This uncertainty creates room for the argument that environmental influences can be attributed as the factor responsible for these negative behavioral developments. However, many scholars still argue that recent research and data indicates that findings differ for offspring antisocial behavior where the association with prenatal smoking appears to be entirely explained by inherited pathways that are not attributable to maternal antisocial behavior. This argument is strengthened by data presented at the Behavior Genetics Association in 2007, below is a graph of the findings. The research showed an increased rate of antisocial behaviors amongst the offspring of parents who smoked during pregnancy. (Rice, 2007) (PNAS, 2007) What are some environmental influences on development? The environmental impacts on ones behavior can often determine factors that will shape future behaviors. During critical and sensitive periods development can be greatly affected. Critical periods occur when the existence of certain types of environmental stimuli become necessary for development to continue conventionally. It is theorized that development during the critical period is easily influenced, specifically in the area of personality and social development. On the other hand, during sensitive periods the organism becomes particularly vulnerable to certain types of stimuli in their environment. Unlike critical periods, the absence of stimuli in a sensitive period does not always result in immutable consequences. What role does socialization play as an environmental influence on development? Societal influences are believed to play a large role on the environmental impacts of development. The way we have been socialized or conditioned is a response to environmental stimuli. For instance, gender is something socially constructed and society places expectations on individuals according to their gender, which will determine the roles they will later fulfill in society. A publication from U.C. Santa Cruz states the following of gender acquisition and the societal influences that are perpetuated around them. Gender stereotypes in infants are perpetuated by societys expectations and perceptions. Societal influences, preconceived notions and expectations enforce already existing gender stereotypesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In the study of forty-eight children, their mothers, and 16 college students, gender based stereotypes influenced interaction with infants which in turn socialized the infants to conform to their respective gender role. Ratings of the female infants centered on their small size and beauty. Male infants are judged usually according to their ability and intelligence. While evidence of gender stereotyping in infant ratings are becoming less dominant after adolescence, sex stereotyping in adults behavior towards infants has changed little. Obviously, society shapes the gender stereotypes that both children and adults hold. (Rivera, 1996) Research by psychologists over the last several decades has increasingly pointed to hereditary factors being more important, especially for basic personality traits such as emotional tone.   However, the acquisition of values, beliefs, and expectations seem to be due more to socialization and unique experiences, especially during childhood. (Oneil, 2006) Most psychologists and developmental specialists agree upon the fact that influences from both inherited and environmental elements are equally important to the construction of growth and development. However, certain behaviors and growth patterns are believed to result from greater attributes of environmental and inherited influences. Theoretical Perspectives Examining the Development of Children With (ADHD) Trends have shown that the amount of children in the United States diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, additionally known as (ADHD) over time has steadily increased among young children and adolescent youth. The exponential surge in diagnosis of ADHD has increased the amount of prescription drugs used to treat individuals. Issues surrounding these developments pose a multitude of questions that include: 1. How are applications of the theoretical perspectives of development examined to help understand disorders such as ADHD? 2. What are the associated risk factors of medications used to treat ADHD in children? The increasingly steady number of children being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the U.S has resulted in an array of developmental obstacles; the actual number of children diagnosed with ADHD remains unknown, as does the amount of those children that are being treated with prescription medications. How are Applications of the theoretical perspectives of development examined to help understand disorders such as ADHD? Theoretical perspectives that lifespan Developmentalists examine as they identify the different patterns of growth, change, and behavioral stability that take place in the duration of the entire lifespan help bring further understanding to behaviors and the possibly of treating undesired behaviors. Among these theoretical perspectives include, learning, language, cognitive, social, moral, and personality development. All of these perspectives can be applied to assist the understanding of behaviors including the behaviors of children with ADHD. A commonly used behavioral method for the treatment of ADHD is the approach of cognitive behavioral therapy. A definition for cognitive behavioral therapy has been provided by, the Mayo Clinic. With cognitive behavioral therapy, you work with a mental health counselor (psychotherapist) in a structured way, attending a limited number of sessions. By helping you become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking, cognitive behavioral therapy allows you to view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way (Mayo Clinic Staff). What are the associated risk factors of medications used to treat ADHD in children? An in depth analysis addressing the associated risks of prescription medications used to treat ADHD in children must be taken into strong consideration before any decisions are made to place that child on such medications. The most commonly prescribed drugs to both children and adults for the treatment of ADHD are stimulants. A publication from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded the following of children undergoing treatment for ADHD: NSCH does not assess use of ADHD treatments other than medicationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦thus, the number of children with reported ADHD diagnoses who received other types of treatments is not known. Studies indicate that the use of stimulants, prescribed to treat ADHD can lead to harmful side-affects. Not to mention the risk of becoming reliant upon, or even addicted to prescription stimulants. (Kennedy, 2005) Distinctions Separating Self-Concept and Self-Esteem The image that an individual perceives him or herself as is believed to greatly influence the social and cognitive development of that individual. The establishment of self-concept and self-esteem are two greatly influential aspects of a childs development. Environmental and inherited influences are theorized to have affect on the development of self-concept. Promotion of social development by parents or caregivers may substantially increase the likelihood of a child developing a positive self-esteem depending on variables such as nature and nurture of the situation. 1. What differences separate self-concept from self-esteem? 2. What are the theoretical perspectives on self-concept and self-esteem? 3. How can caregivers facilitate childrens development in these areas? The development of the self in early and middle childhood encompasses the growth of independent ideas and goals, which veer from expectations of the primary role models, the process where developments of social comparisons are made reflects ones self-concept, however, self-esteem refers to the way an individual perceives themselves through self evaluation; both are vital to social development and can be positively or negatively influenced by caregivers. What differences separate self-concept from self-esteem? The term self-concept refers to the perception regarding what one is like as an individual, and that individuals identity. The self-concept allows individuals to identify with specific characteristics of the self that allow them to differ from other individuals. For instance, a response to a question exemplifying ones individual strengths reflects ones self-concept, or identity. The development of self-concept is primarily used to reflect strengths perceived by an individual about his or her self that are used to provide meaning to their actions and purpose in life. In children, self-concepts may not be accurate; an individuals self-concept changes throughout life, this is dependant upon changes in a cultures views regarding others outside of their own, changes involving state institutions, and products of other societal and environmental influences. According to research found by William W. Purkry, author of: An Overview of Self-Concept Theory for Counselors. Highlights: An ERIC/CAP S Digest: Self-concept is learned. As far as we know, no one is born with a self-concept. It gradually emerges in the early months of life and is shaped and reshaped through repeated perceived experiences, particularly with significant others. (Purkey, 1988) The term self-esteem refers to an individuals overall and distinct positive and negative self-evaluation. Many important developments on an individuals self-esteem transpire during middle childhood. Throughout this phase, children experience the maturation of Internal standards. Which is often times the reason that children progressively compare themselves to others. For the majority of children, self-esteem increases as the transition from early childhood to middle childhood takes place. Feelings of inadequacy that relate to an individuals capacity to do most things takes place when that individuals self-esteem is negative. What are the theoretical perspectives on self-concept and self-esteem? There are a multitude of theoretical perspectives that give possible explanation to functions of self-concept and self-esteem. The Educational Resources Information center (ERIC) provides a publication of An Overview of Self-Concept Theory for Counselors, which identifies some of the influential theorists that have contributed to theories of self-concept. By far the most influential and eloquent voice in self-concept theory was that of Carl Rogers (1947) who introduced an entire system of helping built around the importance of the self. In Rogers view, the self is the central ingredient in human personality and personal adjustment. Rogers described the self as a social product, developing out of interpersonal relationships and striving for consistency. He maintained that there is a basic human need for positive regard both from others and from oneself. He also believed that in every person there is a tendency towards self-actualization and development so long as this is permitted and encouraged by an inviting environment. (p. 2) Some of the other theoretical perspectives of self-concept and self-esteem in development include: Piagets stages of cognitive development, Erik Eriksons psychosocial development, Carl Rogers conception of self, Vygotskys approach to cognitive development, Lawrence Kohlbergs development of social learning and moral reasoning, and Abraham Maslows theories on personality. Humanistic psychologist, Carl Rogers theorized that the self was divided into two parts, the real self and the ideal self. An article written by Herb Stevenson for Natural Passages, states the flowing of the ideal self vs. the real self. The ideal self is some fantasy that we carry around as a measure of what we might be if the fairy god mother ever shows up. Often, this is a picture of life, our life, that we have changed very little since childhood. By taking the time to really examine the depth of the ideal self, we see indirectly how we have judged or dismissed whom we are. The real self is a comparison to that ideal self. It is a description of who am I, really, right now. By comparing the ideal with the real, we begin to see the gaps in perception we have created, the judgments we have made about ourselves, and the gaps that could be preventing us from fully living our lives in the moment as the person that we truly are. (para. 3) The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill defines the concept of representational mapping as the following: Representational mapping can be described as the self-descriptions that are logical connections among components that can be made primarily concrete, overly positive, and all or nothing. They contain concrete and abstract components, more realistic (but still always positive: above average effect) shades of grey (Steps in self development). How can caregivers facilitate childrens development in these areas? The importance of promoting the development of a healthy self-esteem in children is an environmental influence on behavior that is greatly affected by parenting techniques. Parents and caregivers can facilitate childrens development in the areas of self-concept and self-esteem through childrearing styles. The most effective way to do so is through the implementation of authoritative childrearing techniques. Authoritative parents have the perfect balance of emotional support, warm and loving qualities; yet, they set clear boundaries for behavior. Certain techniques of parenting have proven to result in negative effects on a childs self-esteem. For instance, Authoritarian parents are extremely controlling and there word is the law, there is no toleration for expression of disagreement. Authoritarian parents enforce strict methods of discipline and punishment that negatively reinforce behaviors of that child, which is likely to result in an increase of the unwanted behaviors occurring a gain under the same circumstances. The use of positive and negative reinforcers when applied properly has been a proven method of modifying behaviors. The U.K. site Kids Behaviour provides useful information on how to properly apply positive and negative reinforcement to promote desired behavioral responses (Morrisey, 2008). Applying the childrearing approaches of reinforcement to daily activities can facilitate the development of both a positive self-esteem and self-concept. In the 2009 publication, Anderson, Hughes, and Fuemmeler addressed some of the specific issues that surround parental attitudes and child activity. The objective of this study examined the parental attitudes on children based on the particular types and levels of intensity in physical activity that children engaged in, which could give explanation to the gender differences associated with these activities, in addition to the evaluation of physical engagement serving as a mechanism to shorten time spent engaged in sedentary behaviors. A design of a community sample with participants, which included, 681 parents and 433 children of the mean age of 9.9 years conveyed the importance of activities such as moderate to vigorous intensity levels in the areas of team an individual activities including, sports, physical activity and household chores. (p. 428) As Anderson et al. (2009) conducted their evaluations separate structural models were used to determine factors that differed between boys and girls in relation to parental attitudes and physical activity. Separate structural models (LISREL 8.7) for girls and boys tested whether parental attitudes were related to child TV and computer via child attitudes, sport team participation, and physical activity, controlling for demographic factors. Main Outcome Measures: Child 7-day physical activity, sport teams, weekly TV, computer. Results: Parent- child attitude congruence was more prevalent among boys, and attitudes varied by ethnicity, parent education, and number of children. Positive parent- child attitudes for vigorous team sports were related to increased team participation and physical activity, as well as reduced TV and computer in boys and girls. Value of moderate intensity household chores, such as cleaning house and doing laundry, was related to decreased team participation and increased TV in boys. Only organized team sports, not general physical activity, was related to reduced TV and computer. Conclusion: Results support parents role in socializing childrens achievement task v alues, affecting child activity by transferring specific attitudes. Value of vigorous intensity sports provided the most benefits to activity and reduction of sedentary behavior, while valuing household chores had unexpected negative effects. (p. 428) Sexual Behaviors of Adolescents and the Associated Risks The adolescent years are characterized by the development of ones personal sense of identity. During this phase a transition from middle childhood to early adulthood takes place. In these years, young adults entering puberty explore an array of sexual behaviors that will play a role in shaping their sexual identities. With the exploration of such sexual behaviors follows the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancy. 1. What associated risks are involved with sexual behaviors in adolescents? 2. What are the statistics of sexually transmitted diseases among teens? 3. What are the statistics of pregnancies among teens? As middle-childhood transitions into the adolescent years an array of physical, cognitive and social changes take place, these are main contributors to the sexual behaviors explored individuals in their adolescent years, however, there are associated risks with connected with these sexual behaviors that include, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy. What associated risks are involved with sexual behaviors in adolescents? The exploration of newly discovered sexual desires among adolescents come with repercussions. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), also known as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common among teens. Another primary concern that surrounds the engagement of sexual activity in teens is the possibility of becoming pregnant. Precautionary measures to ensure safety when acting upon sexual urges and needs must be taken into consideration before any sexual contact is to occur. The enforcement of sex-ed in many public schools throughout the U.S decreases the chances of individuals acting upon sexual desires without first examining the risks, and increases likeliness of the use of condoms and other contraceptives. What are the statistics of sexually transmitted diseases among U.S. teens? One of the largest concerns surrounding the sexual voyages of adolescents is the threat of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Prepared by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, The Executive Summary, part of the Workshop Summary: Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention states that: Recently, a number of Federal agencies sponsored a workshop to answer the following question: What is the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of latex male condom-use to prevent STD transmission during vaginal intercourse? This workshop was attended by 180 persons, and the data from numerous peer-reviewed published studies were discussed. Following the workshop, a panel of 28 experts worked to develop this report. (p. 1) In the United States, more than 65 million individuals are living with an STD, the majority of which are incurable viral infections. Approximately 15 million new sexually transmitted infections occur annually in the U.S. In the United States, approximately 493,000 individuals have died from AIDS, and 800,000-900,000 peopleare living with HIV disease. (p. 1) AIDS (ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME) is one of the primary causes of death among youth. AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease that is induced by the HIV virus. There is no known cure for the disease. A basic list of facts regarding the contraction of the HIV virus was provided by, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. HIV can be passed from person to person if someone with HIV infection has sex with or shares drug injection needles with another person. It also can be passed from a mother to her baby when she is pregnant, when she delivers the baby, or if she breast-feeds her baby. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is found in blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. HIV is spread most often by having sex without using a condom, or by sharing needles. People can be infected with HIV without knowing it. An HIV test is the only way to know for sure. There are treatments that help people with HIV stay healthier, but there is still no cure. Choosing not to have sex and never sharing needles are good ways to protect yourself. Practicing safer sex means always using a new condom with a water-based lubricant. You cannot get HIV from shaking hands, water fountains, bathrooms or eating utensils. (Alto, 2010) In 2009, 46% of high school students had ever had sexual intercourse, and 14% of high school students had had four or more sex partners during their life.1 In 2009, 34% of currently sexually active high school students did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse.1 In 2002, 11% of males and females aged 15-19 had engaged in anal sex with someone of the opposite sex; 3% of males aged 15-19 had had anal sex with a male.2 In 2002, 55% of males and 54% of females aged 15-19 had engaged in oral sex with someone of the opposite sex.2 In 2006, an estimated 5,259 young people aged 13-24 in the 33 states reporting to CDC were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, representing about 14% of the persons diagnosed that year.3 Each year, there are approximately 19 million new STD infections, and almost half of them are among youth aged 15 to 24.4 In 2002, 12% of all pregnancies, or 757,000, occurred among adolescents aged 15-19.5 (Rowe, 2010) What are the pregnancies statistics among U.S. teens? An epidemic surrounding teenage pregnancy has emerged in America; every day in the U.S. a high volume of adolescents give birth. The statistics of teen pregnancy seem to appear much lower in other industrialized nations. Teens in the U.S. are likely to use birth control. The narrow-mindedness that surrounds the practice of premarital sex in the U.S. can be rooted to a lack of sex education. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, teen pregnancy among girls between the ages of 15-19 have shown trends that have decreased by 37 percent between 1988 and 2005. However, the teen pregnancy rate between 2005 and 2006 increased 3 percent. Proper sex education has proven to be one of the most effective measures of reducing the risks among youth of contracting STDs and teenage pregnancy. Promoting proper awareness through sex education provides individuals with the information needed to practice the measures of safe sex (Henshaw, 2010). Life Expectancy Calculations According to the calculations provided by MSNs life expectancy calculator, my approximate life expectancy is 86 years of age. The positive and negative factors of my lifestyle were examined. (Msn, 2011) 1. What lifestyle modifications can be made to increase my longevity? 2. Who are the youngest and oldest people you have known, and what lifestyle choices attributed to their longevity? A variety of important developmental components of physical and mental health are main attributers to the longevity of ones lifespan, some of these factors depend on levels of stress, personality type, engagement in physical activity, in addition to, a variety of behavioral and genetic predispositions that are theorized to influence the human lifespan. What lifestyle modifications can be made to increase my longevity? Stress has a large impact on health factors that include, personality type. Type A personalities are believed to be more prone to the disposition of heart disease. Listed below are some of the personality traits of type A and type B personalities, provided by the website changingminds.org, which provides further information in regard to these associated health issues. The Type A personality generally lives at a higher stress level. This is driven by They enjoy achievement of goals, with greater enjoyment in achieving of more difficult goals. They are thus constantly working hard to achieve these. They find it difficult to stop, even when they have achieved goals. They feel the pressure of time, constantly working flat out. They are highly competitive and will, if necessary create competition. They hate failure and will work hard to avoid it. They are generally pretty fit and often well-educated (a result of their anxiety). The Type B personality generally lives at a lower stress level and are typically: They work steadily, enjoying achievements but not becoming stressed when they are not achieved. When faced with competition, they do not mind losing and either enjoy the game or back down. They may be creative and enjoy exploring ideas and concepts. They are often reflective, thinking about the outer and inner worlds (Type A and type B). Unfortunately I carry more characteristics of the type A personality, which predisposes me to such health complications later in life that are associated with type A personalities. Although, I cannot change my entire personality, there are, however, certain behavioral modification techniques I can apply to everyday life to reduce specific stressors. I carry certain tendencies that border obsessive-compulsive behaviors, which is a common characteristic of type A personalities. These obsessive behaviors are stressors that can be controlled through behavior modification techniques, such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Who are the youngest and oldest people you have known, and what lifestyle choices attributed to their longevity? The longest living individual I have known personally would have to be my great-grandmother on my fathers side who lived to the age of 87, which is close to the approximation of my life according to the lifespan calculator. She was always a physically active individual that enjoyed the simplicities in life. Her laidback attitude leads me to say that she had a type B personality. The youngest person in my life that has died was caused by something that could have been prevented. I was a small child at the time, but twenty-eight year old Mark, my fathers closest friend suffered from an addiction to heroin that engulfed his entire existence. His addiction caused him to contract the HIV virus, which soon after turned into full-blown AIDS that facilitated the slow deterioration leading to his death less than two years after contracting the virus. It is unknown whether he contracted the virus through sharing of needles, or having unprotected sex. Thee use of hard narcotics such as heroin would have eventually lead to death if measures were not taken to control the addiction. However, the lifestyles often associated with drug addicts follow a set of lifestyle influences put forth by peers. Addicts often associated with addicts and share things like needles and engage in unprotected sex, which is an unfortunate cause of death affecting many individuals that suffer f rom such disorders as drug addiction.

Embryo Transfer :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Embryo transfer is the process of taking fertilized embryos from one animal and inserting them into another. This is very useful today in cattle, because now it is economically feasible and it allows the producer a greater number of offspring from one cow with desirable traits. The process starts normally by artificially inseminating the cow. Exactly seven days later, the uterus is flushed, and the embryos and ova. Next, the embryos will be isolated. The embryos are then inserted into the recipient cow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Artificially inseminating the cow is the preferred way to fertilize the eggs in the donor cow. The cow should be inseminated at least three times at intervals of twelve hours, to insure fertilization. In preparation for AI, a shot of FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) should be given to the cow to super-ovulate her. This causes more eggs to drop from the ovaries, allowing more embryos. Seven days after the cow is inseminated the third time, her uterus should be flushed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before flushing the cow, her posterior should be cleaned up as much as possible. After this is complete, an instrument known as the â€Å"introducer† is inserted into the vagina. The instrument is much like a long syringe with a plunger going through the center. The vet then will push his hand through the anus and guide the introducer along the cervix. The instrument is pushed through the cervix and into the uterus. Once it reaches the uterus, the plunger is pulled out and a catheter is inserted into the uterus, against the uterine horn, through the center of the introducer. The â€Å"cuff,† a small balloon type object, is inflated in the cow’s uterus, and a sodium based phosphate is released for lubrication. It is then pumped back through the introducer, and filtered by an embryo filter. The liquid caught by the filter is then examined to determine the number of good embryos. At this stage, the sex can even be determined. They are graded, the n placed in straws or frozen for later use.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Implanting the embryos into the cow is done just like artificial insemination. The straw is inserted in the vagina, while the vet’s hand guides the straw through the cervix, and then released into the uterus. Success of the process can be determined one to three months later through palpation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The embryos can be stored safely at 37 degrees Fahrenheit for six-eight hours, however implanting as soon as possible is recommended for the best results.