Wednesday, October 30, 2019

What Thucydides says about this war. political science Essay

What Thucydides says about this war. political science - Essay Example This poses a very difficult situation for city-states with inadequate forces. Throughout the Peloponnesian War, considerably weaker city states go ally with those of greater military capabilities. Back then there were two coalitions that equally hold significant forces to be reckoned with, the Athenians with their naval supremacy, and the Peloponnesian who are highly adept in fighting using ground forces with Sparta at its helm. City-states and colonies with disputes align themselves to the either league to gain advantage over impending hostilities and win agreeable settlements (Blanco). In my opinion this war is ideally represented by the bargaining model of war presented by Retier which states that â€Å"war as a continuation of the bargaining process, rather than a breakdown. Fighting breaks out when two sides cannot reach a bargain that both prefer to war and each side fights to improve its chances of getting a desirable settlement† (27). This model is further supported by the rational causes of war presented by Fearon. Two out of three reasons he presented satisfies the emergence of the Peloponnesian war, namely: â€Å"War due to private information and incentives to misrepresent† (390) and that â€Å"War as a consequence of commitment problems†

Monday, October 28, 2019

The Cola Wars Essay Example for Free

The Cola Wars Essay There are a few reasons why the soft drink industry has been historically profitable for so long. One such reason is that soft drinks have been seen as a great and delicious alternative to drinking just water. Though water is essential to life and its even a main ingredient in soft drinks, its naturally very bland in taste and unexciting to the consumer. Soft drinks however are funs, flavorful, and delicious to drink so they give the consumer something else to desire and are bought to break up the monotony of drinking just plain water. A second reason that the soft drink industry has been historically profitable would be because of the fact that soft drinks have been a cheap buy for the consumer in comparison to anything else on the market. Soft drinks have been sold for as little as a nickel per a drink for varying sizes and quantities of the beverage, while other non soft drink beverages have gone for rate that are much higher than this. Even in todays market a consumer can go out to a store and buy any kind of soft drink product off the shelf and it would cost the a great deal less than it would for a bottle of juice or even a case of the healthy option, water. With a low purchase cost they have been able to entice consumer to continue to buy their products. A third reason that soft drink industry has been has a strong history of being profitable would be that they have always had strong marketing campaigns that appeal to their consumer base and audience. With campaigns such as the Pepsi Generation which lasted for more than a decade to help them set target those who were young, or at least young at heart, and even had the catch phrase â€Å"For those who think young† at one point helped them capture and steal away from Cokes large market share, and even brought them to within a 2-1 sales gap, while Coca-Cola used it’s a Coca-Cola lifestyle to market its soft drinks, even going as far as being a sponsor of the U.S. armed services and offering soldiers a flat rate for their products during WWI. Marketing campaigns such as these help boost sales of soft drinks over several decades and gained them loyal customers who have stuck by and continued to purchase the product that they like to drink. This way of marketing has help create a type of lifestyle for the consumer, which can have a strong benefit for them in the next generation, because if the parent of children have a certain kind of drink that they get their children on , then they are helping create the next generation of consumers for a product.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Hound Of The Baskervilles Essay -- English Literature:

The Hound Of The Baskervilles Introduction The Hound of the Baskervilles is a traumatic and adventurous story about a legend that comes with the birth right of the Baskerville family. The story both begins and ends with tragedy. The story firstly begins with the death of Sir Charles Baskerville and a cunning and eccentric detective. Sherlock Holmes is thought of as a highly mannered but stubborn man whom is willing to get to the bottom of any case. â€Å"Watson examines a mysterious cane left in the office by an unknown visitor, and Holmes sits with his facing his friend. Holmes asks Watson what he makes of it, and Watson declares that his friend must â€Å"have eyes in the back of [his] head,† since he saw what he was doing. Holmes then admits that he saw Watson’s reflection in the coffee service, providing to Watson and us that he is an astute observer.† This shows that Mr Holmes is an honest man. As the story continues the reader finds that there is believed to be a curse within the Baskerville family. In this essay I am going to be looking into this story and pointing out ten key areas: Baskerville legend Death of sir Charles Arrivals at the Hall Views of the Locals Barrymore of the window Discovery of Sherlock Death of the convict Waiting for Sir Henry Attack on Sir Henry Death of Stapleton Sir Hugo, is described in the legend as â€Å"a wild propane and godless man.† This suggests that his inhumanity and â€Å"evil† make him potentially a viable enemy who will stop at nothing. It is Sir Hugo that sets the scene for the setting. Sir Hugo uses his power and Baskerville hall as a prison for the young girl. She manages to escape by, â€Å"the aid of the growth of ivy which covered the south walk.† The ivy indicated the age and wildness of the hall a... ...askerville† follows the traditional structure of a Victorian tale, with all the stereotypical characters, and all is resolved at the end of the novel. However, we do not know what happens to Stapleton in the end. We presume that he gets lost in the Grimpen mire and dies, but the author does not tell us what actually happens to him, to end the novel in suspense. This would be a change from the usual, so would entertain the Victorian audience. â€Å"Stapleton never reached that island refuge†¦sucked him in, this cold and cruel-hearted man is forever buried.† It is as if the countryside is a character in its own right, the moor gave birth to Stapleton’s scheme but it also took it away. The land is unsafe, walking alone is ainsane idea. â€Å"Holmes sank to his waist as he stepped from the path†¦had we not been there to drag him out he could never have set foot upon firm land again.†

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Democratic Leadership Essay

Explain what is meant by democratic leadership. Evaluate the effectiveness of employing a democratic leadership style on the success of Harrods. Use E-library sources to find another example that had also been successful using a democratic leadership style. Democratic leadership style is an open and collegial style where ideas between the leaders and the subordinates flow freely as the discussions are held in an open manner and where all members opinions are respected. It’s often participative and involves employees in the decision making process. It involves the redistribution of power and authority between employees and managers to provide employee involvement in decision-making. The following features characterize democratic leadership: †¢Distribution of responsibility: A manager that leads democratically will distribute responsibility among his group to facilitate participation in decision-making. †¢Empowering group members: Leaders must empower their members so that the members can accomplish their responsibilities. Empowerment includes providing training and education necessary for delegated task completion. †¢Aiding group decision-making process: A major role of a democratic leader is to ensure democratic deliberation in making group decisions. This means that a leader should act as a facilitator and mediator between group members and ensure that a psychologically healthy and respectful environment is maintained. Advantages of Democratic leadership: †¢Democratic leadership techniques generally will do a better job creating job satisfaction because it fosters a sense of participation, control and autonomy. †¢Greater employee participation in decision-making may also lead to greater innovation and creative solutions to problems that will better serve an organization. Disadvantages of Democratic leadership: †¢It may not be as efficient as a more traditional centralized and authoritarian form of direction. †¢It may be more costly to the organization in time and resources. †¢Accountability may sometimes present a problem. Employing democratic leadership at Harrods has the following advantages: †¢Employees felt that they are more important to doing the job as they have been given more responsibilities and methods to share their opinions. †¢The pressure has been reduced from mangers as they delegated more responsibilities to employees and were left out with more strategic decisions to be made. †¢Performance at Harrods have increased because the employees felt that they are more important and have more self-confidence. †¢The workflow of departments became more fluent as the department heads and employees have a degree of freedom to make decisions. The only disadvantage was that top management has lost some of its powers over the employees, but the overall benefits exceeds the cost which acts in favor of Harrods management. Another example of Democratic leadership company is Apple as it gives its employees the freedom to make decisions and to be creative in the workplace.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Achilles as the Anti-Hero in Homer’s “Iliad” Essay

From beginning to end of Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles is portrayed as a man stagnant in his ways. He is arrogant, impatient, unforgiving, vengeful, and extremely stubborn, and these awful attributes never cease. Achilles’ lack of compassion perplexes the present situation involving the Achaens and the Trojans by making it difficult to figure out which side is truly good and evil–both sides have good reason to fight. Even though Achilles is set in his ignorant ways, he does manage to do some good at the end of the story. However, even though he displays this act of unselfishness, the fury within Achilles causes him to remain the unchanging, selfish man that he truly is. Agamemnon has just insulted Achilles in front of all the Achaeans, and, because of this incident, Achilles decides to return home rather than stay and fight with his own people. Returning to his tent, Achilles calls upon his mother, Thetis, a goddess, to beg Zeus for one favor: ‘Persuade him, somehow, to help the Trojan cause, / to pin the Achaeans back against their ships, / trap them round the bay and mow them down. / So all can reap the benefits of their king– / so even mighty Atrides can see how mad he was / to disgrace Achilles, the best of the Achaeans!’ (1.485-490). Rather than put his anger aside and continue to help in the battle, Achilles, being the best warrior, not only stops fighting, he summons his mother to ask Zeus to make his people suffer. His pride and arrogance overrun his rational thinking, and his attempt to make his own people suffer as he watches makes his disgusting behavior incomprehensible. Zeus complies with Thetis’ request, and the Trojans eventually force the Achaeans back to their ships. After many great losses, Agamemnon sends messengers to Achilles to ask the great warrior to rejoin the battle. Reviewing the gifts of Agamemnon, Achilles replies, â€Å"‘I say no wealth is worth my life!'† (9.488). Although this is a noble statement, Achilles answers more out of anger and haste. His inability to listen to reason and understand the full scope of the Achaean’s dreadful situation allows a transparent look inside the workings of a mind consumed with revenge. Achilles begins The Iliad with anger, and that anger within him never ceases. After hearing Achilles’ pitiful excuses for not returning to battle, Ajax retorts, â€Å"‘Achilles– / he’s made his own proud spirit so wild in his chest, / so savage, not a thought for his comrades’ love– / we honored him past all others by the ships. / Hard ruthless man'† (9.768-71). Ajax’s words represent the solidity of Achilles’ ways. Due to his stubbornness, Achilles has now lost the respect of the men that once worshipped him like a god. Ajax concludes his speech to Achilles: ‘You–the gods have planted / a cruel, relentless fury in your chest! All for a girl, / just one, and here we offer you seven–outstanding beauties– / that, and a treasure trove besides. Achilles, / put some human kindness in your heart’ (9.778-81). This statement by Ajax is extremely important because he draws upon the fact that Achilles is the offspring of the immortal goddess, Thetis. Although Achilles is mortal he exudes god-like qualities that are envied and worshipped by his friends and enemies. The fact that Ajax has to remind Achilles to act human focuses the attention to the irrational behavior of the gods themselves. Achilles’ actions are no more irrational than those of the gods, and he continues to emulate their vengeful behavior until his demise. The most important turning point in The Iliad is the loss of Achilles friend, Patroclus. After plunging his spear into Patroclus, Hector mocks the orders of Achilles: ‘Now don’t come back to the hollow ships, you hear?– / Patrolclus, master horseman– / not till you’ve slashed the shirt around his chest / and soaked it red in the blood of man-killing Hector!’ / So he must have commanded–you maniac, you obeyed (16.482-86). Although Hector believes that Achilles sent Patroclus to drive the Trojans back to their city walls, some truth lies within his statement. Achilles  realizes that the Achaens need his presence and fighting ability in order to win the war over the Trojans, but once again he stubbornly refuses to assist in what he views as Agamemnon’s war. He agrees to lend his armor to Patroclus instead, and by not parting with his vengeful feelings against Agamemnon and joining the fight, he becomes responsible for the death of his friend at the hands of Hector. The death of Patroclus forces Achilles to put his differences with Agamemnon aside and fight once more. The acts of Achilles after the death of Hector offer a glimpse inside his horrible nature: So he triumphed / and now he was bent on outrage, on shaming noble Hector. / Piercing the tendons, ankle to heel behind both feet, / he knotted straps of rawhide through them both, / lashed them to his chariot, left the head to drag / and mounting the car, hoisting the famous arms aboard, / he whipped his team to a run and breakneck on they flew, / holding nothing back (22.465-72). Realizing he was about to die, Hector begs Achilles to allow his body to remain with his people for proper burial. Achilles shockingly mocks and scorns Hector, then, after brutally killing him, drags his naked body at the walls of Troy for all Trojans to witness. Although it is common for armies to take their dead enemies and display them as a sign of victory, the fact that Hector takes a moment to ask Achilles to be respectful of his dead body reveals much about the two warriors. Achilles is now being compared to Hector, whose deep feelings for family and love greatly contrast the shallow concerns of Achilles. Even after he agrees to give Hector’s body back Troy, for a price of course, Achilles remains as he did in the beginning of the story–uncompassionate to the human condition. The Iliad is the story of Achilles’ fury, but Homer’s attempts to show character development and maturity fail, and what is left is a broken shell of a man who chooses to die on the battlefield rather than marry, settle down, and be content with himself. Achilles’ feeble attempt to show compassion for Hector’s father, Priam, is an act that is spawned only by the  threats and commands of the gods. If Achilles had made the decision by his own free will to do an act of decency, perhaps then some sympathy for him would be in order. The Iliad offers insight into the mentality of men who are driven by greed, lust, anger, and revenge–themes that will run throughout the course of history until this very day.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Persecute, Prosecute

Persecute, Prosecute Persecute, Prosecute Persecute, Prosecute By Sharon Persecute and prosecute are occasionally mixed up. Persecute means to torment or cause suffering, usually because of some perceived difference. School bullies persecute those whom they perceive to be weaker than they are. In the adult world, people may be persecuted because of their religious beliefs, political beliefs, ethnicity, sexual orientation or social grouping. Prosecution, on the other hand, involves bringing legal charges against someone. In some US states jaywalkers are prosecuted. That means that they face court charges because they crossed the road at the wrong time. And these days, if you have been persecuted for your beliefs, you are often able to prosecute your persecutor. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Yiddish Handbook: 40 Words You Should KnowItalicizing Foreign WordsWhat the Heck are "Peeps"?

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on “Bauhaus“

The Bauhaus (full name staatliches Bauhaus, "state building house") was themost famous school of architecture and design of the 20th century. Foundedby Walter GROPIUS at Weimar, Germany, in 1919, the Bauhaus was originally acombined school of fine art and school of arts and crafts. In his openingmanifesto, Gropius issued a call for the unification of all the creativearts under the leadership of architecture. He declared that a mastery ofmaterials and techniques was essential for all creative design. Studentswere to have two teachers in every course, one an expert craftsman, theother a master artist. The preliminary course, organized by JohannesItten, introduced students to rudiments of design, freed from historicassociations: size, shape, line, color, pattern, texture, rhythm, anddensity. This course has become the foundation for design education inmany countries. It was followed in the curriculum by advanced work withform and materials, including workshops in stone, wood, metal, pot tery,glass, painting, and textiles. Industrial design became a major focus atthe Bauhaus, which hoped to improve radically the quality of allmanufactured goods. Teachers appointed in the early years included Lyonel FEININGER, GerhardMarcks, Johannes Itten, and Adolf Meyer (1919); Georg Muche (1920); PaulKLEE and Oskar SCHLEMMER (1921); Wassily KANDINSKY (1922); and LaszloMOHOLY-NAGY (1923). From the beginning, the striking newness of theconcepts developed at the Bauhaus and the liberal beliefs of many of thepeople associated with it aroused strong opposition. In 1925 political pressures forced the removal of the school from Weimar toDessau, where Gropius designed a new complex of buildings for it, includingclassrooms, shops, offices, and dwellings for faculty and students. Thisgroup of buildings in Dessau came to symbolize the Bauhaus to the rest ofthe world. Although Gropius repeatedly insisted that it was never hisintention to codify a Bauhaus style or... Free Essays on â€Å"Bauhausâ€Å" Free Essays on â€Å"Bauhausâ€Å" The Bauhaus (full name staatliches Bauhaus, "state building house") was themost famous school of architecture and design of the 20th century. Foundedby Walter GROPIUS at Weimar, Germany, in 1919, the Bauhaus was originally acombined school of fine art and school of arts and crafts. In his openingmanifesto, Gropius issued a call for the unification of all the creativearts under the leadership of architecture. He declared that a mastery ofmaterials and techniques was essential for all creative design. Studentswere to have two teachers in every course, one an expert craftsman, theother a master artist. The preliminary course, organized by JohannesItten, introduced students to rudiments of design, freed from historicassociations: size, shape, line, color, pattern, texture, rhythm, anddensity. This course has become the foundation for design education inmany countries. It was followed in the curriculum by advanced work withform and materials, including workshops in stone, wood, metal, pot tery,glass, painting, and textiles. Industrial design became a major focus atthe Bauhaus, which hoped to improve radically the quality of allmanufactured goods. Teachers appointed in the early years included Lyonel FEININGER, GerhardMarcks, Johannes Itten, and Adolf Meyer (1919); Georg Muche (1920); PaulKLEE and Oskar SCHLEMMER (1921); Wassily KANDINSKY (1922); and LaszloMOHOLY-NAGY (1923). From the beginning, the striking newness of theconcepts developed at the Bauhaus and the liberal beliefs of many of thepeople associated with it aroused strong opposition. In 1925 political pressures forced the removal of the school from Weimar toDessau, where Gropius designed a new complex of buildings for it, includingclassrooms, shops, offices, and dwellings for faculty and students. Thisgroup of buildings in Dessau came to symbolize the Bauhaus to the rest ofthe world. Although Gropius repeatedly insisted that it was never hisintention to codify a Bauhaus style or...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Attribute Tags and Their Alternatives

Attribute Tags and Their Alternatives Attribute Tags and Their Alternatives Attribute Tags and Their Alternatives By Mark Nichol While reviewing an article or a story you or someone else has written, you notice a preponderance of iterations of what are often referred to as attribute tags phrases that identify a speaker, such as â€Å"he said† and â€Å"she said.† What do you do about this repetition? Several possibilities exist. The most obvious solution is to vary your attributions by using synonyms for said, and you can easily find such word sets online. But first, a couple of unconventional suggestions: First, consider leaving them as is. If you’re writing a news article or a similar piece of content in which you are quoting one or more people, you’re doing so to identify your sources and clarify who made each comment. That’s a basic journalistic principle, and even if your content is not strictly journalistic in nature, it’s not necessary to employ a wide array of variations of said. Note that reporters do not shy from repetition of functional attribute tags such as â€Å"Smith said† and â€Å"he said.† Skim a handful of news article, and you’ll see it’s true. That’s because journalists know that readers virtually ignore the repetitive verb in favor of keeping track of the shifting nouns or pronouns. Also, said is preferable to many of its synonyms in straightforward nonfiction because it doesn’t have the subjective bias that more colorful synonyms such as groaned or yammered do. Of course, feature articles and more extensive interviews are another matter. In those cases, judicious replacement of said from a small store of synonyms is reasonable, but know the difference between acknowledge and admit, for example, and understand that crowed or gasped or proclaimed are outsized alternatives that must fit the context. Often, you’ll find that it’s just as effective to delete attribution as it is to vary it or, at least, to reconstruct sentences so that you indirectly introduce a quotation rather than directly attribute it. This approach is applicable for narrative nonfiction or for fiction. Here is a range of alternatives for attributing a statement: â€Å"You’ll be hearing from me again,† he said. â€Å"You’ll be hearing from me again,† he hissed. â€Å"You’ll be hearing from me again,† he whispered menacingly. He turned to me and said, â€Å"You’ll be hearing from me again.† His reply was emphatic: â€Å"You’ll be hearing from me again.† He looked at me coldly, and his parting words haunted me: â€Å"You’ll be hearing from me again.† What about attribution in extended dialogue in fiction? Refer to the works of your favorite novelists to assure yourself that few attribute tags employing some variety from the choices displayed above are necessary, as in this hypothetical excerpt: â€Å"This is Bert’s initial statement,† Bert said. Ernie stared at him in disbelief. â€Å"This is Ernie’s response to the first statement.† â€Å"This is Bert’s reply to that response.† â€Å"Ernie uses Bert’s name in this question.† â€Å"Bert answers the question,† Bert replied as he lit a cigarette. â€Å"Then he elaborates on his reply.† â€Å"By now, it’s obvious that the two characters are trading brief comments, each in its own paragraph, so no attribution is necessary here.† â€Å"However, if the conversation becomes more complex to the point of multiparagraph speeches, a simple, single attribution within each paragraph will suffice to clarify who is speaking,† Bert insisted. â€Å"Or the writer can mention, for example, that Ernie shifts uncomfortably as Bert explains himself, or that Bert pauses deliberately for effect, or something like that.† As Ernie strode out of the room, Bert heard him say, â€Å"Just don’t ravage Roget in a strenuous effort to lace conversations with vivid but distracting alternatives to said.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Possessive of Proper Names Ending in S"Confused With" and "Confused About"12 Misunderstood and Misquoted Shakespearean Expressions

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Creative Problem Solving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Creative Problem Solving - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the identification of new and existing opportunities is what enables a business establishment and sustainment. To identify these opportunities, it really calls for creativity. According to Frigard, creativity is a kind of imagination that fosters originality. For creativity to be achieved, ingenuity has to be incorporated. Ingenuity is the incorporation of bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical capacity and spatial capacity in the creative process. The ingenuity model for creative problem solving is what is used to incorporate ingenuity in the process of creativity. This technique is identified as the most appropriate problem-solving technique when there is a need to achieve new solutions to business problems. New opportunities identified in entrepreneurship enable a business to increase its productivity. They also enable the business to have a competitive advantage over other businesses in the industry. However, the identification and exploitation of th ese opportunities cannot happen without innovation. Therefore, entrepreneurship is directly related to innovation. Moreover, economic development results in the emergence of new opportunities that require both identification and exploitation. The identification and exploitation are done by entrepreneurship and thus entrepreneurship and economic development are related. Generation and implementation of new ideas and solutions require creative problem-solving. The ingenuity model for problem-solving enables an entrepreneur to achieve solutions and ideas that are different from those of others. This is what makes a particular firm different from the rest of the industry thus making it more competitive. Therefore, we can say that creative problem solving is a key aspect of entrepreneurship.  Ã‚  

Strategic Corporate Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategic Corporate Finance - Essay Example An investor must be paid some price for this sacrifice (Brigham & Weston, 2009). So the future value of the dollar-assuming a positive rate of interest-will always be higher than its present value. Another reason for interest being charged on capital is that capital is one of the factors of production that can give access to men, materials and machinery, help automate and speed up processes and productivity in a short time and this is why the demand for capital attracts a price called the interest rate (Rao, 2011). Why is it Important for Financial Managers to Understand the Concept of Time Value of Money? Finance is the lifeblood of business and industry. Everything from running the day to day operations of an enterprise to meeting financial needs for future plans requires money. In fact investing surplus funds to get the best possible returns as well as keeping sufficient liquidity in the asset and liability mix is a key function of financial managers. They look at both present and future plans of the business and consider how to achieve these in the light of financial requirements (Crosson & Needles, 2008). This is why an understanding of the time value of money is of key importance to financial managers. They can match the funding and investment portfolios of the enterprise to get the best returns (Mathur, 1979). Calculations of the Future Value: a. $54,298 if invested for five years at a 7% interest rate FV= PV (1 + r)t FV= 52948(1 + 0.07)5 FV= 52948(1.07)5 FV= 52948 x 1.225 FV = $ 64,861. b. $99,112 if invested for three years at a 4% interest rate FV= PV (1 + r)t FV= 99112(1 + 0.04)3 FV= 99112(1.04)3 FV= 99112 x 1.125 FV = $ 111,501. c. $121,124 if invested for seven years at an 2% interest rate FV= PV (1 + r)t FV= 121124(1 + 0.02)7 FV= 112124(1.02)7 FV= 112124 x 1.149 FV = $128,830. d. $929,129 if invested for ten years with a 0.9% interest rate FV= PV (1 + r)t FV= 929129(1 + 0.009)10 FV= 929129(1.009)10 FV= 929129 x 1.09373 FV = $1,016,216. Calculation s of the Present Value: a. $455,126 to be received three years from now with a 4% Interest rate PV= FV/(1 + r)t PV= 455126/(1 + 0.04)3 PV= 455126/(1.04)3 PV= 455126 x 0.889 PV = $404,607. b. $289,231 to be received five years from now with a 5% interest rate PV= FV/(1 + r)t PV= 289231/(1 + 0.05)5 PV= 289231/(1.05)5 PV= 289231 x 0.864 PV = $249,896. c. $921,000 to received two years from now with a 12% interest rate PV= FV/(1 + r)t PV= 921000/(1 + 0.12)2 PV= 921000/(1.12)2 PV= 921000 x 0.797 PV = $734,037. d. $278,111 to be received eight years from now with a 1% interest rate. PV= FV/(1 + r)t PV= 278111/(1 + 0.01)8 PV= 278111/(1.01)8 PV= 278111 x 0.923 PV = $256,696. Suppose you are to receive a stream of annual payments (also called an "annuity") of $309,723 every year for three years starting this year. The interest rate is 4%. What is the present value of these three payments? PV of Annuity= PVA= A(PVFA)i,n PVA=309723(PVFA).04,3 PVA=309723 x 2.775 PVA=$859,481.32 Suppose you are to receive a payment of $239,201 every year for three years. You are depositing these payments in a bank account that pays 2% interest. Given these three payments and this interest rate, how much will be in your bank account in three years? FV of Annuity= FVAn=A(FVFA)i,n FVA=239201(FVFA).02,3 FVA=239201 x 3.060 FVA=$731,955. Evaluation of Module 2 Case Assignment The Module 2 case assignment gave me an opportunity to learn about the time value of

Friday, October 18, 2019

Personal Narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Personal Narrative - Essay Example I was happy and determined to bring in new energy and give my team a winning goal. In the last minute, I intercepted the ball and dribbled down the court, face to face with the goal keeper. As cheers grew wilder, I send a strong shot past the goalkeeper to the back of the net. The loud cheers made me very confident but only the opposing team shared my excitement. After noticing the disappointment on my teammates, it hit me hard that I had scored in our post to give our opponents a late goal (Heim, 2013). When I got home, my brother noticed the disappointment in my voice and gloomy face and I had to give out the details of my mistake and what it meant to the team. He explained to me that he scored for the opposing team to give it a win in the championship when he was in college and, thus, I should take it easy because there were worse situations. When I went to school the next day, I felt silly to face my mates but my brothers story gave me confidence because I realized that I am not the only one who has scored for the

Project Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project Management - Assignment Example Additionally, such technologies prove data management and visibility. It should be noted that companies and organizations that have above average performers in their warehouses usually performed with maximum quality and quantity along their production lines. Most of such organizations have been classified as world-class companies that have since lowered their warehousing costs annually. Therefore, in adopting a new warehouse for the Joshua Ltd management must consider adopting and implementing the technological systems within the warehouse. Warehouse Technology Investment Plan Most of the warehouse machineries must be in the automated equipment and visible data management that is provided for by the use of the internet monitoring technology. Even though the use of technology shall require adequate training of the employees, the system may be expensive for the very instance; however, the use of automated warehouse will be less expensive at the long run (Roberts, 2011). Additionally, t he installations and purchase of such equipment will be expensive for the company including the space that some of these automated equipments may require. ... Initiation of reporting capabilities and management planning Planning to adopt and use recommended warehouse layout and slotting tools. These tools will increase goods and services handling within and outside the warehouse. Moreover, in this category, the company may adopt highly experienced integrator systems to increase the productivity within the warehouse footprints (Mckinney, 2003; pg. 78). Finally, the new warehouse management must focus on analytics towards improving gross margin and productivity management. Background Information The current business demands especially business that are involved in supply chain can no longer ignore warehouse management system. Such companies and organizations usually expect more from warehouses especially to support them distribution operations (Site selection & industrial development, 1988; pg. 72). The warehouses provide great visibility in order, stacks statuses, and inventory especially inside the warehouse. Additionally, well-structured and organized warehouse will allow channel expansion and support sales growth as well as increase the tailored customer service fulfillment. Regardless of facility square footage or revenue of the company, different analyses have indicated warehouse management systems especially the automation are fundamental in facilitating effective and efficient warehousing technology towards best class productivity (Csapo? and Balogh, 2012; pg. 187). The contemporary warehouse management systems or technologies offer elaborate and expanded capabilities as well as improved visibility. Therefore, all companies regardless of the size should embark on effective warehouse systems and or technologies to fast track operation and service delivery within such organizations

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research Project - Essay Example These sources of energy, particularly oil, have also been associated with water pollution as well as destruction of marine life and diversity through oil spills in oceans, seas, rivers and lakes among others. Even most of the existing renewable sources energies such as geothermal, wind and hydroelectric have been extremely expensive to install. In addition, these sources of energies are normally extremely affected by changes in weather conditions. Also, their abundance as compared to that of the solar energy is limited. Due to the problems associated with the available sources energies such as fossil fuels, nuclear, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal, the use of solar energy is becoming popular in most parts of the world, particularly in China and Africa (House-Soremekun & Falola 2011). The solar energy seems to the source of energy that is more sustainable as compared to other sources of energy (Richards 2010). This paper, therefore, aims at discussing the use of solar energy in Afr ica and basics of this source of energy. Africa receives more solar radiation than any other continent in the world, thereby making it the continent with the greatest potential than any other continent in the world. Sun shine in Arica is virtually uninterrupted, and one of the most abundant energy resources in the continent. However, this precious source of power has not been fully exploited in the continent for number years. Despite the abundance of this energy resource, it is estimated that about 2 billion individuals (people) in world (most of them from Africa) either struggle or fail to meet their daily energy requirements due to scarcity of supply of energy (Richards 2010). Even though there has been reluctance in the harvesting of solar energy in Africa, the situation seemed to have change to day since a number of organizations in Africa as well as African governments have been turning their attention towards renewable and sustainable sources of energy. Amongst the renewable s ources of energy that have been greatly focused by the African countries is solar energy. Africa as continent has made number of milestone towards harvesting solar energy. For example, the headquarters of United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) based in Nairobi (Kenya) is fully powered by solar energy (House-Soremekun & Falola 2011). Further according to House-Soremekun & Falola (2011), South Africa and Ghana are also planning to build amongst the biggest solar power plants in the world. Solar energy is also known as the radiant light, and it is referred to as heat energy from the sun (Richards 2010). This energy can be converted by different transducers to produce different sources of energy. For example, solar energy can be converted directly to electric energy by use of solar cells (also known as Photovoltaic). This particularly important for small scale energy requirements such as for watches and calculators. The solar energy can also be directly used to heat water for both domestic and industrial use. In addition, solar energy can be used to produce large amounts of solar energy through the use of solar radiation concentrators such as parabolic troughs. We have discussed how solar energy is converted into electric energy or used as heat energy to heat water among others (Hantula 2010). The question that might probably be lingering in the mind of the reader is how this precious energy is formed

An Examination of Marketing Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

An Examination of Marketing Ethics - Essay Example The teleological, or consequences driven ethics, involve the utilitarian principle. Essentially, this means the ends justify the means. It also means someone must determine what is best for the most people, and what hurt tolerance is acceptable for the remainder. The individual perspective drives these utility decisions and perspectives more than a central decision maker can determine.  So, how do researchers use these various rules and theories to study ethics? The first controversy regards whether the ethical application is a framework or a theory. (Laczniak, 1983) There is no real consensus among marketers, so Laczniak opts to deal with these issues as framework: â€Å"a skeletal structure designed to support a perspective.† (1983) Supportive of this framework structure is a lack of empirical evidence to theorize about ethical behavior. The framework discussed will not derive ethical rules or laws, but will help marketing managers deal with decisions that have ethical imp lications. (ibid)   The consequences based ethic framework, that is, teleological, concerns four data points: perceived consequences for considered actions; probability that consequences will affect the stakeholder group; the good or bad of each consequence; and the relative importance of each group. (Hunt, 2006)  The subjective nature of these data is striking. The perceived consequences of any action are likely to be an incomplete list at best and in polar opposition to reality at worst.   Intent.  ... The Ten Commandments are largely codified in modern society. A review of ethics requires a review of certain principles and rules. The following list from Laczniak (1983): 1. The Golden Rule states ethical behavior treatment is based on how the actor would want to be treated. 2. The utilitarian principle implies ethical behavior is a result of the greatest good for the greatest number of people, and by extension, the least amount of bad. 3. Kant’s categorical imperative demands to act so that the action, under the circumstances, could be a universal ethical law or standard of behavior. 4. The professional ethic requires action that would be viewed as proper by a peer review process. 5. The TV test relies on management reflecting on a TV interview and asking â€Å"Would I be comfortable explaining to a national TV audience why I took this action?†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The utilitarian principle implies the end is more important than the means in ethical behavior. The other rules or th eories consider behavior to be moral or immoral, and results to be less controllable by the actor. Behavior based ethics are referred to as deontological while the results or consequence theories are teleological. (Hunt & Vitell, 1986) The teleological, or consequences driven ethics, involve the utilitarian principle. Essentially, this means the ends justify the means. It also means someone must determine what is best for the most people, and what hurt tolerance is acceptable for the remainder. The individual perspective drives these utility decisions and perspectives more than a central decision maker can determine. So, how do researchers use these various rules and theories to study ethics? The first controversy regards whether the ethical application is a framework or a

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research Project - Essay Example These sources of energy, particularly oil, have also been associated with water pollution as well as destruction of marine life and diversity through oil spills in oceans, seas, rivers and lakes among others. Even most of the existing renewable sources energies such as geothermal, wind and hydroelectric have been extremely expensive to install. In addition, these sources of energies are normally extremely affected by changes in weather conditions. Also, their abundance as compared to that of the solar energy is limited. Due to the problems associated with the available sources energies such as fossil fuels, nuclear, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal, the use of solar energy is becoming popular in most parts of the world, particularly in China and Africa (House-Soremekun & Falola 2011). The solar energy seems to the source of energy that is more sustainable as compared to other sources of energy (Richards 2010). This paper, therefore, aims at discussing the use of solar energy in Afr ica and basics of this source of energy. Africa receives more solar radiation than any other continent in the world, thereby making it the continent with the greatest potential than any other continent in the world. Sun shine in Arica is virtually uninterrupted, and one of the most abundant energy resources in the continent. However, this precious source of power has not been fully exploited in the continent for number years. Despite the abundance of this energy resource, it is estimated that about 2 billion individuals (people) in world (most of them from Africa) either struggle or fail to meet their daily energy requirements due to scarcity of supply of energy (Richards 2010). Even though there has been reluctance in the harvesting of solar energy in Africa, the situation seemed to have change to day since a number of organizations in Africa as well as African governments have been turning their attention towards renewable and sustainable sources of energy. Amongst the renewable s ources of energy that have been greatly focused by the African countries is solar energy. Africa as continent has made number of milestone towards harvesting solar energy. For example, the headquarters of United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) based in Nairobi (Kenya) is fully powered by solar energy (House-Soremekun & Falola 2011). Further according to House-Soremekun & Falola (2011), South Africa and Ghana are also planning to build amongst the biggest solar power plants in the world. Solar energy is also known as the radiant light, and it is referred to as heat energy from the sun (Richards 2010). This energy can be converted by different transducers to produce different sources of energy. For example, solar energy can be converted directly to electric energy by use of solar cells (also known as Photovoltaic). This particularly important for small scale energy requirements such as for watches and calculators. The solar energy can also be directly used to heat water for both domestic and industrial use. In addition, solar energy can be used to produce large amounts of solar energy through the use of solar radiation concentrators such as parabolic troughs. We have discussed how solar energy is converted into electric energy or used as heat energy to heat water among others (Hantula 2010). The question that might probably be lingering in the mind of the reader is how this precious energy is formed

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Costco retail store-santa clarita Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Costco retail store-santa clarita - Essay Example The company’s typical warehouses measure and average 143,000 squire feet and the outlets operate approximately seven days a week. The core outlets comprise about 3300-3800 dynamic stock. The company’s reported total revenue for year ending August 2012 were $ 99 billion while the income was $ 2.8 billion. The company’s assets many fold surpass their liabilities indicating a stable company (Costco wholesale 1). Costco store layout, visual merchandising, customer service Store Layout There is a constant movement of items and sometimes confuse the price tags and disorient regular customers. This may mislead customers and they may be embarrassed when they are making payments at the teller. The store is fairly clean and the items are generally well organized and tidy. Similar items are located in close proximity hence this makes things easier for the customer. The stores have a specious layout for ample air circulation. There are fire equipments located strategically f or ease of access. The high number of shoppers especially children accompanied by their children make the place especially the alleys very crowded. The concept of having food courts, gas stations, chemists, optical section, salon among others is well designed and located strategically within the outlets. Staff attendees are strategically located within the lane to help assist customers in need. The image below represents a spacious food court and a raised ceiling for ample air circulation.... Their return and exchange policies are great and the staff are helpful. On one occasion, I experienced poor packaging for items purchased since some of them were in poor shape when I received them. I once experienced discrimination and have seen these happen to others in different occasions. The checking out process is supposed to be same for all but some in these occasions some undergo thorough check while a few are allowed with minimal checks. The waiting experience is sometime terrible with customers having to wait for up to 30 minutes after having paid just to be checked out. Despite commendable job by a majority of the staff, a few are still rude and unfriendly to customers. Once I enquired about location of some items from one staff member only to be told to keep looking. My brother once narrated how the management favored a staff in a disputed case and the same supervisor who intervened at the floor in favor of the staff was the same who was assigned to resolve the case. Costc o feedback mechanism is excellent because the outlets allows patrons to air suggestions and reviews through the suggestion boxes, online platforms and user generated networks. The outlet has many affiliate links online where one can leave comments for further actions. Some of the shopping carts have trash inside any occasionally used by children for play. Although most staff show genuine willingness to help shoppers, some probably the new employees often are either not confident or lack the knowledge on what to do. Some of them definitely need more training and motivation. The store offers sampling from time-to-time enabling shoppers to test and experience varieties and consequently make better purchase

Monday, October 14, 2019

Distance Education Essay Example for Free

Distance Education Essay Similarities and Differences Between Richard Henry Lee and Abraham Lincoln A reserved man, Abraham Lincoln rarely talked about his childhood. He was â€Å"also embarrassed by his crude family background. † (Gienapp, 1) He also knew little about his ancestry, save for what his father Thomas repeatedly narrated about his grandfather being killed by Indians â€Å"while laboring to open a farm. † (Gienapp, 1) He was born in a one-room log cabin, built by his own father. He grew up on a farm, which was at first rented, but eventually was paid for by his father from his painstaking labor as carpenter and cabinetmaker. Although he was barely literate, he performed several official duties and appeared several times in the local records of his community, having a scrupulously honest and moral reputation. On the other hand, Richard Henry Lee was the scion of one of the colony’s first families. The first Richard Lee came from Worcester, England where their family was into the manufacture and trade of cloth. Upon the deaths of his parents, their mother’s brother was awarded guardianship of him and his three brothers. Richard was sent to America to help expand the family business. Twenty-five years since his arrival in Jamestown, Richard Lee had amassed 10,000 acreas, three plantations in Jamestown and established an impressive commercial empire that spanned both sides of the Atlantic. The civil war in England and the Cromwellian interregnum had little affected the Lee businesses. By the restoration, Richard had decided to move his family to England, grooming the eldest, John, for eventually assuming control of the family business in England and America. Upon Richard’s death at forty-five, he had successfully ensured that his three sons would continue the family’s flourishing transatlantic commercial empire. John and Richard II returned to the colony and divided management of the business. The third son, Francis, stayed in London as their father wished, to be the family’s London commercial agent. This second generation of Lees shifted the family business from fur trading to tobacco, showing an adaptability to challenges within the economy and Virginia’s provincial government. When Richard II became the family’s patriarch, he learned the advantage of fostering cordial relations with the provincial government as the surest way of retaining royal patronage. This practice was continued by the third generation of Lees. Thus, despite the disarray in their transatlantic interests following the death of their London sibling, Thomas, the third patriarch tended to political matters in Virginia and shied away from their London affairs. Thomas entered the political arena; with a short-lived first attempt, the second was not only successful in the House of Burgess but advanced further to the Council of State. His marriage produced six children, one of whom was Richard Henry. Richard Henry Lee was ten when the family moved into the comfortable Stratford Hall. His boyhood was spent running â€Å"around the plantation grounds, making friends with the children of the slaves living on the plantation, unfettered by parental supervision†. (McGaughy, 17) In stark contrast, Abraham Lincoln’s life was that of a typical pioneer farm boy: doing chores, such as hauling water and chopping wood, and helping in the fields. The area was heavily wooded, and since he was remarkably strong for his age, the tall youngster was soon set to work clearing land with an axe. He later recalled that from then â€Å"till within his twentythird year, he as almost constantly handling that most useful instrument – less, of course, in plowing and harvesting seasons. † (Gienapp, 3) Thomas Lee devoted a â€Å"tremendous amount of time and energy making sure his sons were prepared to assume their legacy when the time came. (McGaughy, 18) He understood the value of providing his children with formal education. Three different tutors catered to the children’s needs in reading, writing, mathematics, Greek, Latin and religion. In addition the children were introduced to dance, music appreciation and performance lessons seriously. They were later sent to England to continue their studies. This, perhaps, more than anything, else fostered a close bond between him and his children. The sudden deaths of both parents when Richard Henry was in his teens was strongly felt. He isolated himself from the rest of the family and articulated his feelings in a poem that was later inscribed on Thomas’ gravestone. The last verse was concluded with â€Å"what limit can there be to our regret at the loss of so dear a friend† (McGaughy, 32). The other Thomas, Thomas Lincoln, on the other hand, was barely literate and did not put much value on education. Abraham and his sister Sarah attended local schools for short periods only and by the time he was seven, Abraham still could not write. Yet, even as a child, Abraham exhibited a burning desire for knowledge and self improvement. He was described to have no energy for anything except reading. He read and re-read the limited books that his stepmother, though illiterate herself, valued knowledge, brought to their house. His father did not approve of his constant reading. â€Å"Thos Lincoln never showed by his actions that he thought much of his son Abraham when a boy,† one Hanks family member noted, adding, â€Å"He treated him rather unkind than otherwise. † Dennis Hanks admitted that Abraham’s father sometimes â€Å"slash[ed] him for neglecting his work by reading. †(Gienapp,7) This would explain Abraham’s closeness to his stepmother as his friend, rather than his father, unlike the Lees. â€Å"He later said that she had been his best Friend in this world and that no Son could love a Mother more than he loved her. † (Gienapp, 5) He supported himself by manual labor until he reached twenty one and he had moved to New Salem, Illinois where he continued his self-education while working as storekeeper, militia captain and postmaster. He lost in his first bid for the state legislature but won a seat as a Whig 2 years later. He served four terms and gained state-wide popularity for his homespun wit and integrity. This time, Lincoln began his private study of the law, borrowing books from a local attorney, and earned his license to practice in 1836. He settled in Springfield, the new capital, after his marriage to Mary Todd of Kentucky and became one of Illinois’ ablest lawyers. He was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1847 for a single term, during which he gained attention for his opposition to the Mexican War and the institution of Slavery. He switched to the new Republican Party in the next election and ran for the U. S. Senate against Stephen A. Douglas, to whom he lost. The race attracted national attention because of the widely reported debates over the issue of slavery in the territories. Ironically, his winning opponent had unknowingly granted him the break not only to resume his political career, but set him on his path to the White House. This was the Kansas-Nebraska Act which repealed the original prohibition of slavery in the region of the Louisiana Purchase and replaced it with popular sovereignty to decide on the status of slavery. The ensuing â€Å" hell of a storm† (Gienapp, 49) correctly predicted by the proponent, Senator Stephen Douglas, brought together Whigs, Democrats, Free Soilers in indignant protest. Pondering Douglas’ motivations and the significance of this legislation, Lincoln seemed more withdrawn than usual on the circuit. Back home in Springfield he began reading the congressional debates on slavery, taking notes at the State Library for future use. (Gienapp, 49) On February 27, 1869, he delivered his famous Cooper Union speech, where he lambasted the federal government on the slavery issue, to an influential audience. In July, he won the nomination for presidency on the third ballot at the Republican convention. The following November, Lincoln won over 3 other candidates with only 40% of the popular vote. This was unacceptable to Southern politicians; South Carolina, quickly followed by 10 other states conveniently used this pretext to secede from the Union. When he arrived in Washington for his inauguration as the country’s sixteenth president, the Confederate States of America had been formed. In 1747 Thomas Lee had been appointed president of Virginia’s Council of State. Two years later, he assumed the governorship. As a tobacco planter, he was concerned with having access to western lands, target for England’s and France’s rivalry for dominance in North America. With other planters, they directed their efforts toward trade and cultivation of new lands for tobacco production. Thomas established the Ohio Company of Virginia, which had been likened to the Virginia Company established in 1606, from which the Jamestown settlement sprung. His will gave one of his two full shares to his eldest son, Philip. The second full share he divided equally among the younger sons led by Richard Henry. The two oldest sons realized the significance of active association in the Ohio Company and in Virginia politics. In their father’s absence, they could only achieve any gains if they put family above personal interests. Richard Henry decided to fulfil his father’s aspirations. Richard Henry and his cousin Richard â€Å"Squire† won a seat each in the House of Burgesses. They were shortly followed by Thomas Ludwell and Francis, both Richard Henry’s brothers, and another cousin Henry. Within one election cycle, the Lee family once again emerged as a powerful voting bloc in the House of Burgesses, especially when combined with their many friends and allies, (McGaughy 42) Richard Henry became the spokesman of his family and the Northern Neck proprietors in the capital. He served on several important committees that soon put him in a position that challenged Speaker-Treasurer John Robinson’s role as leader in provincial politics since 1738. While the governor and the Speaker-treasurer disputed over provincial leadership, Richard Henry worked actively to continue the war against the French. Among his duties was monitoring the British and colonial forces by regular correspondence with the highest ranking officers in Virginia’s colonial militia. By the time the Board of Trade had authorized the immediate separation of the offices of speaker and treasurer, the governor had announced vacation of his post and returning to England. Richard Henry’s role in the effort to separate the offices of speaker-treasurer helped establish his leadership position in the House. His former tutor Alexander White wrote to congratulate him, though surprised, â€Å"at how quickly Lee had challenged the established leadership in the House so soon after winning his first election. † (McGaughy, 44). Abraham Lincoln entered the presidential office conscious of his lack of administrative experience. But as president and commander in chief, he learned from his mistakes. In his Inaugural address he tried to woo the Secessionists back to the Union, which responded with bombarding Fort Sumter. Lincoln reacted with a firm hand; he declared a blockade of Southern ports, authorized the suspension of Habeas Corpus in areas threatened by pro-secessionists. Lincoln’s conservatism made him accept the fact that only a vigorous war would restore the Union, which was his primary aim. This strengthened his will to win, despite enormous battle casualties and strong political opposition, from his own cabinet members and radical fellow Republicans. He was careful not to alienate his basic constituency, the citizenry of Northern and Western states, while advancing the progress of the war. He carefully worded his Emancipation Proclamation to avoid offending loyal but slave owning states in the Union. Like Lincoln, Richard Henry Lee had a similar affinity for books, which was revealed most when he became a family man and had his own home, Chantilly, away from Stratford Hall. He built an impressive library with almost 100 titles, covering historical topics and biographies, not to mention scientific, theological and philosophical studies, plus various literary works of Shakespeare, Milton, Jonathan Swift and Laurence Sterne. He had conservative views about slavery, himself. like many of his contemporaries, (Lee) expressed contradictory views toward slavery, expressing their hatred of the institution yet refusing to abolish it because he and other planters needed slave labor to run profitable tobacco plantations. (McGaughy, 63) Richard Henry’s defiance of convention is best exemplified by his reaction to the enactment of the Stamp Act. He launched his own protest separate from his peers; he led a procession to the county courthouse parading effigies of Mercer, the Crown-appointed stamp distributor for Virginia and George Grenville, Britain’s lord of the treasury. Ultimately, Richard Henry’s concerns for his and fellow planters interests overtook the interests of the Crown in Virginia and the colonies. A series of legislations made for the evolution of Richard Henry from loyal British subject with the interests of the Crown at heart (in the footsteps of his father and grandfather) to American revolutionary. Their distinct childhoods and family backgrounds in no way prevented the occurrence of similarities in their personalities, ambitions, careers, and family lives, not to mention their fathers with the same first names. The antislavery borne out of Abraham Lincoln’s parents’ Baptist faith had been internalized in him that he could not not fight for it. His gentle nature was overcome by his fierce resolve to win the war. But, as mentioned above, he also exercised prudence in words to avoid rocking the boat of his constituents who may have been loyal but were still slaveowners. As a revolutionary, Richard Henry Lee evolved. It could be described as almost like a natural evolution, if one traces a person’s loyalty and interests originate from the self, radiating to the family, to the immediate community and the larger community. When it came to a conflict of interests between his own as a planter, a family man, and Representative of his community as opposed to the interests of the Crown, it is easy to deduce whose side he would take. More so, when the interests of the Crown were to the detriment, loss and eventual harm to his family and community. The goals of both Abraham Lincoln and Richard Henry Lee reveal their deep patriotism and mature adherence to what their country (province, as in Lee’s case) had evolved into. Their political careers were run within a framework of what can be now termed â€Å"public service† in their hearts.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Role of Cytokines in Schizophrenia

Role of Cytokines in Schizophrenia Introduction: Schizophrenia is a mental disorder. Over 1% of the world population is affected by this mental disorder (Bakhshi Chance, 2015). A cytokine hypothesis has been proposed, which elucidates the role of cytokines in this disease. Cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-ÃŽÂ ±, sIL-2R, and IL-1RA were found to be over-expressed by the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (Potvin et al., 2008; Goldsmith et al., 2016), in which interleukin-6 is considered to be the key player in schizophrenia. IL-6 has glycoprotein gp130 as a common membrane receptor and as a signal transducer, which can have both anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory effects (Scheller et al., 2011). The anti-inflammatory effects of interleukins present in the blood serum of patients with schizophrenia must be understood. Upcoming therapeutic research focuses on astrocytes due to their expression of class II MHC antigens and the production of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The hypothesized outcome is that IL-6 also induces anti- inflammatory effects which help the astrocytes to maintain the homeostasis. This will enable the researchers to explore further the pathophysiology of schizophrenia based on the cytokine hypothesis. The effects of IL-6 on astrocytes will open the door to a new area of research and will help in exploring the effects. The impact of the research on Healthcare: According to the data and statistics from the community studies of the European Union (EU), 27% of the adult population experienced at least one mental disorder in the past year (World Health, 1992). In Ireland, both private healthcare sector and public healthcare sector exists to assist the people of Republic of Ireland during an illness (Book, 2007). The Irish legislations Health Act 2004 governs the public health care system which is responsible for the people living in Ireland (Pearson et al., 2012). In the year 2010, à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2,862 Euros was spent on the health of a single individual residing in Ireland of which 79% was provided by the Irish government (Pearson et al., 2012). Looking the statistics, it is summarized that nearly seven people out of 100 spend the money for treating schizophrenia that would be approximately à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬20,900 Euros. Biomarkers are biological markers such as viral proteins, cytokine, hormones, etc. which can be used as a measurable indicato r of the biological state or condition (OConnell et al., 2014).   The main challenges in the biomarkers identification of schizophrenia are the unknown pathophysiology. However, biomarkers such as cytokines are considered due to the development of new hypotheses such as the cytokine hypothesis (Mansur et al., 2012). Understanding the roles of IL-6 in schizophrenia, can be used as a biomarker for the initial clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia patients, and to help create individualized treatment plans. The timescale for a product launch: If the research is proven successful, IL-6 based biomarker assays and treatments will be developed as a product from pharmaceutical companies. The developed products such as biomarker assays for IL-6 over or under expression detection and anti-IL-6 drugs will undergo the process of ethical approval and clinical trials which include four major stages. They are pre-clinical trials, clinical trials (Phase I, II and III), ethical approval and marketing (Phase IV) which would take a period of 20 to 30 years (DiMasi et al., 2003). There are anti-IL-6 drugs already in the market for the treatment of diseases which are related to Auto-immunity and other immune-based diseases which can cross the blood-brain barrier. These drugs may take a period of 8 -15 years to is the anticipated timescale for the proposed benefits to come into the market for the utilization of the schizophrenia patients. The importance of the product: The anti-inflammatory effects of IL-6 occur due to classical signaling pathway in which IL-6 binds to the membrane-bound cell surface receptor (IL-6R). Trans-signaling pathway provides the pro-inflammatory implications of the IL-6 (Scheller et al., 2011). Blocking the Trans-signaling pathway of the IL-6 is the target for the anti-IL-6 drugs. This might hold the capabilities for the treatment of Schizophrenia. The biomarker assays for IL-6 detection may help a person to identify whether the person is susceptive to schizophrenia shortly. This can help the doctor to give personalized treatment for the person based on the medical technologies available. The importance of the IL-6 product can be understood from the article Young people have the highest rate of psychiatric admissions which was published in Irish Times on 21 July 2016. The article discussed the young people (20 to 24) who are getting admitted to psychiatric hospitals for the 2015 (Edwards, 2016). The major diseases diagnosed for the admission are schizophrenia, depression, alcoholic disorders and mania which increases day by day (Edwards, 2016). Correlation with public, governmental and business sectors Public awareness campaigns and outreach to the doctors is the primary step in spreading the importance of the IL-6 as a biomarker for schizophrenia research. The second phase would be to use the primary media tools such as newspaper and radios so that the people does not expect from the research or get panic or distressed by the research. If the product is ethically permitted and the research becomes a success a contract between a pharmaceutical company or a medical diagnostic device company for establishing the result in the society. The completed biomarker assays for IL-6 detection product would be straightforward and easy to use similar to us such as a blood sugar and cholesterol test which can be utilized by the public without the doctors supervision. Biomarker assay kinds of products are advertised in the media such as television, newspaper, the internet, etc. for the maximum dissemination of the product. In the case of anti-IL-6 drugs, a patent is claimed by the pharma company which owns the contract, and a certain amount of percentage is given as royalty to the researcher. The patent is registered in a common government body, and the prize is sometimes fixed by the government of the country which accepts the drug. Conclusion: Schizophrenia is perhaps the most daunting psychiatric disorder, characterized by its life-altering symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions. There is currently no precise explanation of its pathophysiology. Schizophrenia is explained as the biochemical imbalance in the brain which may exist due to many factors. Upcoming therapeutic research focuses on astrocytes due to its expression of class II MHC antigens and the production of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. By combining the Cytokine hypothesis and Neurodevelopmental hypothesis, it is possible to understand the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the role of astrocytes in maintaining the homeostasis and cytoarchitecture of the brain. The cytokine IL-6 has been regarded as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, but it also has many anti-inflammatory and regenerative activities. Understanding the roles of IL-6 in schizophrenia can be used for the initial clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia patients, and to help create individuali zed treatment plans. Products such as biomarker assays for IL-6 and anti-IL-6 drugs can be developed for the treatment of schizophrenia from the research. The anticipated timescale for these drugs or assays to come into the market can take a period of 8 -15 years. A decade is not a big issue for the young people who are getting admitted to psychiatric hospitals diagnosed a schizophrenic patient. This can help the doctor to give personalized treatment for the person based on the medical technologies available. References: Bakhshi, K. Chance, S.A. (2015) The neuropathology of schizophrenia: A selective review of past studies and emerging themes in brain structure and cytoarchitecture. Neuroscience, 303, 82-102. Book, I.S. (2007) Irish Statute Book. DiMasi, J.A., Hansen, R.W. Grabowski, H.G. (2003) The price of innovation: new estimates of drug development costs. Journal of health economics, 22, 151-185. Edwards, E. (2016) Young people have highest rate of psychiatric admissions. In Secondary Edwards, E. (ed) Secondary Young people have highest rate of psychiatric admissions, pp. Pages, http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/young-people-have-highest-rate-of-psychiatric-admissions-1.2729673 (February 24, 2017). Goldsmith, D.R., Rapaport, M.H. Miller, B.J. (2016) A meta-analysis of blood cytokine network alterations in psychiatric patients: comparisons between schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. Mol Psychiatry, 21, 1696-1709. Mansur, R.B., Zugman, A., Asevedo, E.M., da Cunha, G.R., Bressan, R.A. Brietzke, E. (2012) Cytokines in schizophrenia: possible role of anti-inflammatory medications in clinical and preclinical stages. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 66, 247-260. OConnell, K.E., Thakore, J. Dev, K.K. (2014) Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels are raised in female schizophrenia patients treated with clozapine. Schizophr Res, 156, 1-8. Pearson, M., Lafortune, G. Vincent, F. (2012) Health spending in Europe falls for the first time in decades. In Secondary Pearson, M., Lafortune, G. Vincent, F. (eds) Secondary Health spending in Europe falls for the first time in decades, pp. Pages, http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/healthspendingineuropefallsforthefirsttimeindecades.htm (February 24, 2017). Potvin, S., Stip, E., Sepehry, A.A., Gendron, A., Bah, R. Kouassi, E. (2008) Inflammatory cytokine alterations in schizophrenia: a systematic quantitative review. Biol Psychiatry, 63, 801-808. Scheller, J., Chalaris, A., Schmidt-Arras, D. Rose-John, S. (2011) The pro- and anti-inflammatory properties of the cytokine interleukin-6. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1813, 878-888. World Health, O. (1992) The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders : clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. World Health Organization, Geneva.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Depression And Self-Loathing Essays -- essays research papers

Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Depression strikes a large number of people around the world. It can be brought on by many things, such as childhood trauma, social issues, and drug use. The one thing that sets depression apart from many other mental afflictions is that everyone who has it may have it for different reasons and are taking different steps to remedy it. Some seek psychoanalysis while some rely on a pill to make them feel better. Others turn to self-medication, in the case of depression known as self-loathing, self-mutilation, and suicide. There are endless studies regarding depression being performed worldwide which become very specific in nature. An interesting aspect of depression that sets it apart from other psychological difficulties is that depression can be brought on a person by themselves. If people allow themselves to be victims of self-loathing, depression and its symptoms are sure to be close behind. A Literature Review on Depression and Self-Loathing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Research over years past indicates that depression is a more common affliction amongst the American people than most are led to believe. Depression is a multi-faceted adversity, as there are many things that are able to spawn it, and many things are able to come from it as well. Depression can be medically defined as a disease, and there are a number of treatments that medical professionals believe can remedy or abate the symptoms of it, although there have been numerous complaints about medical treatments designed to aid in a person’s struggles with depression. While self-loathing is a common precursor to depression, it rarely stops there. Next comes the full-fledged depression which in some cases is followed by self-mutilation or suicide attempts. Anti-depressant medication and psychoanalysis commonly follow. It has been found that there are some outside sources that may influence depression in a person that would not seem to have any link whatsoever to t he condition. Regardless, depression is an affliction that has been around for ages, and unless revolutionary findings are made, it can be inferred that it will be an infirmity that will plague people for time to come as well. Problem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A major culprit behind the concept of self-loathing is today’s media influence on the American populace. Today’s information techno... ...d has high hopes for the future, they are not likely to sink into a depression deep enough to merit psychoanalysis or anti-depressant medication prescriptions. Past events are crucial in determining whether or not a person may be diagnosed with depression in the future, for it is very rare that a fortunate person who has not had to cope with loss will find themselves suffering from symptoms of depression. One can also not expect to feel like they did before the affliction once they start taking medication to help. It is extremely rare that a person is one hundred percent satisfied with how they feel during the courses of medication to alleviate depression. It is also more likely a person will attempt suicide or self-mutilation if they are diagnosed with depression and are prescribed anti-depressants. This is one warning sign compiled with many others in what may cause youth to want to end their life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Depression is a rather simple infirmity when it is broken down. It is not always brought about by inborn psychological problems like other mental diseases are. As simple as it may be, it is a problem that plagues a very large number of people worldwide.

Friday, October 11, 2019

The USPS Problem

It has come as no surprise that the United States Postal Service lost money in the first two quarters of 2010. $8. 5 billion to be exact. Next year they, plan to lose even more. Somewhere in between $9 billion to $10 billion dollars. The problem will not be as simple to fix, but it is a problem that can be resolved with a few simple implementations and cost cutting options. Overspending and undercharging has led to needing to cut cost and raise prices. The USPS is trying to do both, but it requires Congressional approval and some simple economics. Here is what should be done in solving this problem. 1. Raise prices.  Allow modest price changes without Congressional approval. If the prices change within the cost of living change or close the USPS should be able to implement them without wasting time and taxpayer money on a Congressional approval. The United States Postal Service does not charge enough for the service they provide. It does not cost 44 cents to move a letter from San Antonio, Texas to Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico. It does not cost 44 cents to move a letter to the next town let alone cross country with today’s raising fuel cost. Even with today’s new Postal pick up service the cost of fuel outweighs the cost of flat rate packaging. 2.  Service. Service is part of the United States Postal Service name. End the Casual implantation of temporary workers. To many times customers complain to me that they saw a worker delivering mail without a uniform, and do not trust them in picking up the mail or package. Mail carriers should promote the business and make every interaction with its customers a positive one. I do many routes at my station and time and time again customers complain of the grumpy old letter carrier acting rude when approached, this has to come to a halt and management should be more involved in implementing ways to improve customer interaction and promote it. If a station manager gets complaints on a mail carrier, the station manager should make a note of it and speak to the mail carrier at the end of day or first thing in the morning. Allow private business to run kiosk machines. Co-location works, and it is what the customers want, pay flat rate prices and do so fast and quickly, not waiting 20 to 30 minutes in line at the local Post Office. 3. Either end the retirement and health care pre-funding or make all government agencies abide by the same rule the United States Postal Service does. Although this has little impact on mail delivery, it has a huge impact on postal profitability. The United States Postal Service officials think if given the same approach as other government agencies, they would save $5. 6 billion a year in revenue. If it weren’t for the cost of pre-funding future retiree’s health care benefits the service would have seen a profit of more than a quarter billion dollars. In other words, from an operational standpoint, the United States Postal Service made money. Understanding that the United States Postal Service is to break even, and any profits gain are to be made into the retirement and health care fund. Pre-funding is a Congressional candy jar anyway. 4. Cut money wasting ideas. Management time and time again has cost the United States Postal Service revenue. Looking at some ideas management came just make no sense, like the idea to emplace a GPS system in every United States Postal Service vehicle. This idea was implemented to track and follow where the letter carrier goes during his delivery route. Along with that comes the idea to emplace 12 barcode scan points along the delivery route which the carrier must scan in increments of 45 minutes. Rather than spend that kind of money and ways to spy on the letter carrier, someone in upper management should have suggested the idea that most of the United States Postal Service competitors have, which is continuous visibility of parcels. A idea that can make the United States Postal Service prove to their customers and competitors, that the United States Postal Service can provide the same service if not better than the other agencies. Currently the United States Postal Service cannot show the time of delivery of any package until the letter carrier returns to the office and downloads the information into the system. Also batteries on the scanners fail and data is lost as well as the cost of a scanner brought to the letter carrier to be replaced. Instead of a GPS in every truck it would wise to spend revenue on something the United States Postal Service can improve its operational needs and improve visibility for every parcel scanned. After all it is what the business side of customers wants to see. The United States Postal Service is established so that every citizen could have an affordable means to move packages, and letters and to ensure timely delivery of mail to each home is delivered. The Postal Service has tremendous business potential in the future, but Congress has to allow the United States Postal Service to use its own money in a businesslike fashion to get over the short term challenges,† NALC President Fredric Rolando said. With the ever-changing market the United States Postal Service must focus on the parcel side of business mailing, and ensure every interaction with its customers is a positive one. After all it is the United States Postal Service customers that can fix the revenue problem the service is having.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Bad Effects Of Transhumanism Essay

Humans (and transhumans) are marked by a persistent desire to understand and control their environment and experience. Before the development of the scientific method, deductive and inductive logic, game theory, sophisticated epistemic principles and so on, humans resorted to superficial causal explanations based on observation for common phenomena, and theistic explanation for unusual events. Deities were invoked to explain unusual or destructive phenomena, and to try to provide a comforting model of the uncertainties and uncontrollable events in life. Storms, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, epidemics and madness could not be tolerated without some belief about their cause. In the absence of scientific explanation a religious or theistic explanation was almost inevitable. Along with pre-scientific attempts at understanding came a crude attempt at a technology. A tension is evident here: On the one hand religions have frequently declared events to be determined by a divine plan and s o have held attempts at changing things to be futile (this is common in Eastern religions, as well as other religions involving predestination). On the other hand, religions have offered certain limited and carefully circumscribed means of changing and controlling events, such as through prayer, ritual, and magic. The overall result has been entropic and anti-progressive since religious technology is ineffective (with the occasional exception of psychosomatic effects). The role of religion in providing explanations, however poor, of human life and its environment has given way over time to the superior resources of empirical science. Science has been able to explain an enormous variety of phenomena, both commonplace and unusual. Protestations by theists that science has not and cannot explain the origin of life, the origin of the universe, or the nature of consciousness are increasingly ridiculous as we continue to learn and discover. An objection to this view of the origin and strength of religion is that it is unclear why religion is persisting and even growing as scientific triumphs abound. This objection makes two mistakes however. First, as I am showing, there are other sustaining causes of religion that do not entirely or closely depend on the development of science. Second, the apparent strength and resurgence of religion is, I believe, an illusion  generated from a limited perspective. Certainly religion is not declining rapidly, and is continually taking new forms (such as New Age mysticism), but seen over a span of decades and centuries the trend is clear enough. Late twentieth century religion is very much less powerful than religion in the Middle Ages. In the past religion dominated all aspects of life and the idea of a separation of Church and state would have been considered incomprehensible and wicked. DEALING WITH DEATH AND UNCERTAINTY: One of the great tasks before us, as transhumanists, is the reengineering of our consciousness to do away with the powerful desire for certainty of a dogmatic kind. Most humans feel that they cannot bear to be wrong. They fear an unknown future. They readily give up intellectual and emotion independence in favor of faith in another person, whether human or supernatural myth. Humans are also driven to the comforts of religious dogma by the terrible fact of death. Some transhumanists expect religion to automatically decline as technological progress accelerates. Unfortunately, the faster technology and society changes, the greater the uncertainty in people’s lives, so the greater the appeal of religion in all its forms. (Hence the takeover by National Socialism and communism at times of great upheaval.) Scientific and technological progress alone will not abolish religious thinking. Transhumanist philosophies, especially immortalist philosophies such as Extropianism, will be vital to intellectual and emotional progress.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 10

Damon was making his way up the beautiful rose-covered trel is below the window of the bedchamber of M. le Princess Jessalyn D'Aubigne, a very wealthy, beautiful, and much-admired girl who had the bluest blood of any vampire in the Dark Dimension, according to the books he'd bought. In fact, he'd listened to the locals and it was rumored that Sage himself had changed her two years ago, and had given her this bijoux castle to live in. Delicate gem that it appeared, though, the little castle had already presented Damon with several problems. There had been that razor-wire fence, on which he ripped his leather jacket; an unusual y dexterous and stubborn guard whom it had real y been a pity to strangle; an inner moat that had almost taken him unawares; and a few dogs that he had treated with the Saber-tranquilizer routine – using Mrs. Flowers's sleeping powder, which he'd brought with him from Earth. It would have been easier to poison them, but Jessalyn was reputed to have a very soft heart for animals and he needed her for at least three days. That should be long enough to make him a vampire – if they did nothing else during those days. Now, as he pul ed himself silently up the trel is, he mental y added long rose thorns to the list of inconveniences. He also rehearsed his first speech to Jessalyn. She had been – was – would forever be – eighteen. But it was a young eighteen, since she had only two years'experience at being a vampire. He comforted himself with this as he climbed silently into a window. Still silently, moving slowly in case the princess had guardian animals in her bedchamber, Damon parted layer after layer of filmy, translucent black curtains that kept the blood-red light of the sun from shining into the chamber. His boots sank into the thick pile of a black rug. Making it out of the enfolding curtains, Damon saw that the entire chamber was decorated in a simple theme by a master of contrast. Jet-black and off-black. black. He liked it a lot. There was an enormous bed with more bil owing filmy black curtains almost encasing it. The only way to approach it was from the foot, where the diaphanous curtains were thinner. Standing there in the cathedral-like silence of the great chamber, Damon looked at the slight figure under the black silk sheets, among dozens of smal throw pil ows. She was a jewel like the castle. Delicate bones. A look of utter innocence as she slept. An ethereal river of fine, scarlet hair spil ing about her. He could see individual hairs straying on the black sheets. She looked a little like Bonnie. Damon was pleased. He pul ed out the same knife he had put to Elena's throat, and just for a moment hesitated – but no, this was no time to be thinking of Elena's golden warmth. Everything depended on this fragile-shouldered child in front of him. He put the point of the knife to his chest, deliberately placing it wide of his heart in case some blood had to be spil ed†¦and coughed. Nothing happened. The princess, who was wearing a black negligee that showed frail-looking arms as fine and pale as porcelain, went on sleeping. Damon noticed that the nails on her smal fingers were lacquered the exact scarlet of her hair. The two large pil ar candles set in tal black stands were giving off an enticing perfume, as wel as being clocks – the farther down they burned, the easier to tel time. The lighting was perfect – everything was perfect – except that Jessalyn was stil asleep. Damon coughed again, loudly – and bumped the bed. The princess woke, starting up and simultaneously bringing two sheathed blades out of her hair. â€Å"Who is it? Is someone there?†She was looking in every direction but the right one. â€Å"It's only me, your highness.†Damon pitched his voice low, but fraught with unrequited need. â€Å"You don't have to be afraid,†he added, now that she'd at last gotten the right direction and seen him. He knelt by the foot of her bed. He'd miscalculated a bit. The bed was so large and high that his chest and the knife were far below Jessalyn's line of sight. â€Å"Here I wil take my life,†he announced, very loudly to make sure that Jessalyn was keeping up with the program. After a moment or two the princess's head popped up over the foot of the bed. She balanced herself with hands spread wide and narrow shoulders hunched close to her. At this distance he could see that her eyes were green – a complicated green consisting of many different rings and speckles. At first she just hissed at him and lifted her knives held in hands whose fingers were tipped with nails of scarlet. Damon bore with her. She would learn in time that al this wasn't real y necessary; that in fact it had gone out of fashion in the real world decades ago and was only kept alive by pulp fiction and old movies. â€Å"Here at your feet I slay myself,†he said again, to make sure she didn't miss a syl able, or the entire point, for that matter. â€Å"You – yourself?†She was suspicious. â€Å"Who are you? How did you get here? Why would you do such a thing?† â€Å"I got here through the road of my madness. I did it out of what I know is madness I can no longer live with.† â€Å"What madness? And are you going to do it now?†the princess asked with interest. â€Å"Because if you're not, I'l have to cal my guards and – wait a minute,†she interrupted herself. She grabbed his knife before he could stop her and licked it. â€Å"This is a metal blade,†she told him, tossing it back. â€Å"I know.†Damon let his head fal so that hair curtained his eyes and said painful y: â€Å"I am†¦a human, your highness.† He was covertly watching through his lashes and he saw that Jessalyn brightened up. â€Å"I thought you were just some weak, useless vampire,†she said absently. â€Å"But now that I look at you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ A rose petal of a pink tongue came out and licked her lips. â€Å"There's no point in wasting the good stuff, is there?† She was like Bonnie. She said exactly what she thought, when she thought it. Something inside Damon wanted to laugh. He stood again, looking at the girl on the bed with al the fire and passion of which he was capable – and felt that it wasn't enough. Thinking about the real Bonnie, alone and unhappy, was†¦wel , passion-quenching. But what else could he do? Suddenly he knew what he could do. Before, when he'd stopped himself from thinking of Elena, he had cut off any genuine passion or desire. But he was doing this for Elena, as much as for himself. Elena couldn't be his Princess of Darkness if he couldn't be her Prince. This time, when he looked down at M. le Princess, it was differently. He could feel the atmosphere change. â€Å"Highness, I have no right even to speak to you,†he said, deliberately putting one booted foot on the metal scrol work that formed the frame of the bed. â€Å"You know as wel as I that you can kil me with a single blow†¦say, here† – pointing to a spot on his jaw – â€Å"but you have already slain me – â€Å" Jessalyn looked confused, but waited. † – with love. I fel in love with you the moment I saw you. You could break my neck, or – as I would say if I were permitted to touch your perfumed white hand – you could curl those fingers around my throat and strangle me. I beg you to do it.† Jessalyn was beginning to look puzzled but excited. Blushing, she held out one smal hand to Damon, but clearly without any intention of strangling him. â€Å"Please, you must,†Damon said earnestly, never taking his eyes off hers. â€Å"That is the only thing I ask of you: that you kil me yourself instead of cal ing your guards so that the last sight I see wil be your beautiful face.† â€Å"You're il ,†Jessalyn decided, stil looking flustered. â€Å"There have been other unbalanced minds who have made their way past the first wal of my castle – although never to my chambers. I'l give you to the doctors so that they can make you wel .† â€Å"Please,†said Damon, who had forged his way through the last of the filmy black hangings and was now looming over the sitting princess. â€Å"Grant me instant death, rather than leaving me to die a little each day. You don't know what I've done. I can't stop dreaming of you. I've fol owed you from shop to shop when you went out. I am already dying now as you ravish me with your nobility and radiance, knowing that I am no more than the paving stones you walk on. No doctor can change that.† Jessalyn was clearly considering. Obviously, no one had ever talked to her like this. Her green eyes fixed on his lips, the lower of which was stil bleeding. Damon gave an indifferent little laugh and said, â€Å"One of your guards caught me and very properly tried to kil me before I could reach you and disturb your sleep. I'm afraid I had to kil him to get here,†he said, standing between one pil ar candle and the girl on the bed so that his shadow was thrown over her. Jessalyn's eyes widened in approval even as the rest of her seemed more fragile than ever. â€Å"It's stil bleeding,†she whispered. â€Å"I could – â€Å" â€Å"You can do anything you want,†Damon encouraged her with a wry quirk of a smile on his lips. It was true. She could. â€Å"Then come here.†She thumped a place by the nearest pil ow on the bed. â€Å"What are you cal ed?† â€Å"Damon,†he said as he stripped off his jacket and lay down, chin propped on one elbow, with the air of one not unused to such things. â€Å"Just that? Damon?† â€Å"You can cut it stil shorter. I am nothing but Shame now,†he replied, taking another minute to think of Elena and to hold Jessalyn's eyes hypnotical y. â€Å"I was a vampire – a powerful and proud one – on Earth – but I was tricked by a kitsune†¦Ã¢â‚¬ He told her a garbled version of Stefan's story, omitting Elena or any nonsense about wanting to be human. He said that when he managed to escape the prison that had taken his vampire self, he decided to end his own human life. But at that moment, he had seen Princess Jessalyn and thought that, serving her, he would be happy with his sorry lot. Alas, he said, it only fed his disgraceful feelings for her highness. â€Å"Now my madness has driven me to actual y accost you in your own chambers. Make an example of me, your highness, that wil cause other evildoers to tremble. Burn me, have me flogged and quartered, put my head on a pike to cause those who might do you il to cast themselves into a fire first.†He was now in bed with her, leaning back a little to expose his bare throat. â€Å"Don't be sil y,†Jessalyn said, with a little catch in her voice. â€Å"Even the meanest of my servants wants to live.† â€Å"Perhaps the ones that never see you do. Scul ions, stable boys – but I cannot live, knowing that I can never have you.† The princess looked Damon over, blushed, gazed for a moment into his eyes†¦and then she bit him. â€Å"I'l get Stefan to go down to the root cel ar,†Elena said to Meredith, who was angrily thumbing tears out of her eyes. â€Å"You know we can't do that. With the police right here in the house – â€Å" â€Å"Then I'll do it – â€Å" â€Å"You can't! You know you can't, Elena, or you wouldn't have come to me!† Elena looked at her friend closely. â€Å"Meredith, you've been donating blood al along,†she whispered. â€Å"You never seemed even slightly bothered†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He only took a tiny bit – always less from me than anyone. And always from my arm. I just pretended I was having blood drawn at the doctor's. No problem. It wasn't even bad with Damon back in the Dark Dimension.† â€Å"But now†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Elena blinked. â€Å"Now – what?† â€Å"Now,†Meredith said with a faraway expression, â€Å"Stefan knows that I'm a hunter-slayer. That I even have a fighting stave. And now I have to†¦to submit to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena had gooseflesh. She felt as if the distance from her to Meredith in the room was getting larger. â€Å"A hunter-slayer?†she said, bewildered. â€Å"And what's a fighting stave?† â€Å"There's no time to explain now! Oh, Elena†¦Ã¢â‚¬  If Plan A was Meredith and Plan B was Matt, there was real y no choice. Plan C had to be Elena herself. Her blood was much stronger than anyone else's anyway, so ful of Power that Stefan would only need a – â€Å"No!†Meredith whispered right in Elena's ear, somehow managing to hiss a word without a single sibilant. â€Å"They're coming down the stairs. We have to find Stefan now! Can you tel him to meet me in the little bedroom behind the parlor?† â€Å"Yes, but – â€Å" â€Å"Do it!† And I stil don't know what a fighting stave is, Elena thought, al owing Meredith to take her arms and propel her toward the bedroom. But I know what a â€Å"hunter-slayer†sounds like, and I definitely don't like it. And that weapon – it makes a stake look like a plastic picnic knife. Stil , she sent to Stefan, who was fol owing the sheriffs downstairs: Meredith is going to donate as much blood as you need to Influence them. There's no time to argue. Come here fast and for God's sake look cheerful and reassuring. Stefan didn't sound cooperative. I can't take enough from her for our minds to touch. It might – Elena lost her temper. She was frightened; she was suspicious of one of her two best friends – a horrible feeling – and she was desperate. She needed Stefan to do just as she said. Get here fast! was al she projected, but she had the feeling that she'd hit him with al of the feelings ful force, because he suddenly turned concerned and gentle. I will, love, he said simply. While the female police officer was searching the kitchen and the male the living room, Stefan stepped into the smal first-floor guest room, with its single rumpled bed. The lamps were turned off but with his night vision he could see Elena and Meredith perfectly wel by the curtains. Meredith was holding herself as stiffly as an acrophobic bungee jumper. Take all you need without permanently harming her – and try to put her to sleep, too. And don't invade her mind too deeply – I'll take care of it. You'd better get out in the hallway, let them see at least one of us, love, Stefan replied soundlessly. Elena was obviously simultaneously frightened for and defensive about her friend and had sped right into micromanagement mode. While this was usual y a good thing, if there was one thing Stefan knew about – even if it was the only thing he knew – it was taking blood. â€Å"I want to ask for peace between our families,†he said, reaching one hand toward Meredith. She hesitated and Stefan, even trying his hardest, could not help but hearing her thoughts, like smal , scuttling creatures at the base of her mind. What was she committing herself to? In what sense did he mean family? It's really just a formality, he told her, trying to gain ground on another front: her acceptance of the touch of his thoughts to hers. Never mind it. â€Å"No,†Meredith said. â€Å"It's important. I want to trust you, Stefan. Only you, but†¦I didn't get the stave until after Klaus was dead.† He thought swiftly. â€Å"Then you didn't know what you were – â€Å" â€Å"No. I knew. But my parents were never active. It was Grandpa who told me about the stave.† Stefan felt a surge of unexpected pleasure. â€Å"So your grandfather's better now?† â€Å"No†¦sort of.†Meredith's thoughts were confusing. His voice changed, she was thinking. Stefan was truly happy that Grandpa's better. Even most humans wouldn't care – not really. â€Å"Of course I care,†Stefan said. â€Å"For one thing, he helped save al our lives – and the town. For another, he's a very brave man – he must have been – to survive an attack by an Old One.† Suddenly, Meredith's cold hand was around his wrist and words were tumbling from her lips in a rush that Stefan could barely understand. But her thoughts stood bright and clear under those words, and through them he got the meaning. â€Å"Al I can know about what happened when I was very young is what I've been told. My parents told me things. My parents changed my birthday – they actual y changed the day we celebrate my birthday on – because a vampire attacked my grandpa, and then my grandpa tried to kil me. They've always said that. But how do they know? They weren't there – that's part of what they say. And what's more likely, that my grandpa attacked me or that the vampire did?†She stopped, panting, trembling al over like a white-tailed doe caught in the forest. Caught, and thinking she was doomed, and unable to run. Stefan put out a hand that he deliberately made warm around Meredith's cold one. â€Å"I won't attack you,†he said simply. â€Å"And I won't disturb any old memories. Good enough?† Meredith nodded. After her cathartic story Stefan knew she wanted as few words as possible. â€Å"Don't be afraid,†he murmured, just as he had thought the soothing phrase into the mind of many an animal he'd chased through the Old Wood. It's all right. There's no reason to fear me. She couldn't help being afraid, but Stefan soothed her as he soothed the forest animals, drawing her into the darkest shadow of the room, calming her with soft words even as his canines screamed at him to bite. He had to fold down the side of her blouse to expose her long, olive-skinned column of neck, and as he did the calming words turned into soft endearments and the kind of reassuring noises he would use to comfort a baby. And at last, when Meredith's breathing had slowed and evened and her eyes had drifted shut, he used the greatest of care to slide his aching fangs into her artery. Meredith barely quivered. Everything was softness as he easily skimmed over the surface of her mind, too, seeing only what he already knew about her: her life with Elena and Bonnie and Caroline. Parties and school, plans and ambitions. Picnics. A swimming hole. Laughter. Tranquility that spread out like a great pool. The need for calm, for control. Al this stretching back as far as she could remember†¦ The farthest depths that she could remember were here at the center†¦where there was a sudden plunging dip. Stefan had promised himself he would not go deeply into her mind, but he was being pul ed, helpless, being dragged down by the whirlpool. The waters closed over his head and he was drawn at tremendous speed to the very depths of a second pool, this one not composed of tranquility, but of rage and fear. And then he saw what had happened, what was happening, what would forever be happening – there at Meredith's stil center.