Hydroponics Growing Without Soil :: essays research papers fc

Hydroponics Growing Without SoilThe science of growing plants without soil has been known and apply for more than one-hundred years. The word &8220hydroponics, however, is comparatively new. Dr. W.E. Gericke is usually abandoned credit for coining the word, which translated from Greek, means &8220working water. The famous hanging gardens of Babylon were probably on of the first attempts to grow plants hydroponically. The work of Dr. Greicke in the 1920&8217s and 1930&8217s in California, however, is in the main considered the basis for nearly all forms of hydroponics. During the 1940&8217s at Purdue University, Robert B. and Alice P. Withrow developed another hydroponic method. Their process was called Nutriculture. Nutriculture varied from Dr. Gericke&8217s method in that gravel was utilize as a rooting spiritualist.After World War II a number of commercial installations were built in the United States. The majority of these were dictated in Florida. Most were out of doors and subject to the rigors of the weather. Poor construction techniques and operating practices caused many of them to be unsuccessful and production inconsistent.How is the quality of the food today unnatural by the methods of Hydroponics of today?BodyThe growing media that is used for gardening greatly effects the production of the plants. If sand is used as a medium it should be tested thoroughly for any residue that might cause infected growing medium. The sand should be cleaned at least every collar of four weeks. Leaching is also a major step, it is to be done at the end of each crop cycle ( Jones 69-70). Sand that is used for the medium should have sawdust mixed with it to allow for better drainage. The sawdust also makes the sand lighter and not pact to loafher as easy ( Bridwell 86).Gravel is another medium, it is used more often because it is easier to clean. If gravel is used round, smooth, river-type is preferred. Granitic types are the best because of its hardness. Whate ver type of gravel that is purchased must be thoroughly washed and cleaned to get rid of any calcareous on the gravel. The size is also a factor when selecting gravel. The pieces of gravel should be no smaller than a quarter go on in diameter and larger than a half inch. Crushed stone is not preferred because the sharp edges can injure the root system.The sterilizing process is an easy, just a long and tedious job.

Different Types of Mutual Funds and Their Investment Objectives :: Business Finance Investment

Different Types of Mutual Funds and Their Investment ObjectivesMutual gold are an investment vehicle which pools the coin of many investors. The funds coach-and-four uses the money collected to purchase securities such as stocks and bonds. The tokens of mutual funds vary according to the funds investment objective. A funds investment objective will normally seek capital gains, income, or a combination of both. The basic types of funds are described below. The first types of mutual fund I will address are Money Market Funds. Money market funds seek safety of the principal by investing in high quality, short-term securities. This type of fund is designed so that the investors principal should not decrease in value. However, there is no guarantee that this will always be the case. A money market fund seeks to provide a regular distribution of income which is determined by short-term interest rates. The second types of mutual funds are gravel Funds. Bond funds carry more risk than money market funds and are often used to produce income (retirement) or to help brace a portfolio (diversification). The primary types of bond funds are municipal bond funds (issued by state and local governments), corporate bond funds (debt obligations of U.S. corporations), mortgage-backed securities funds (securities representing residential mortgages), and U.S. Government bond funds (U.S. treasury or government securities).

Nathaniel Hawthornes Puritan influences Essay -- good vs evil

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born into a family that possessed prominent puritan ancestors, and the shame he undergo as a result of their actions, as well as his odd fascination with them, had a significant impact on his life and his writings. Though it would be an overstatement to say that Hawthornes knowledge of the Puritan way of life was his only source of inspiration, this knowledge was certainly influential as it is often reflected in the absolute majority of his work. Born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804, Hawthorne was born in a town whose Puritan past is well-known as a result of the disreputable Salem witch trials. Though he was born well after the time of the Puritans, growing up in a town so steeped in Puritan history is likely why his knowledge of Puritan life was so extensive (Means 1). The reason why Hawthorne was so interested in his Puritan ancestors of Salem was the fact that his great-great grandfather, John Hathorne, was a judge during the Salem witch trial s. Also, his great-great-great grandfather was a member of the General Court of Massachusetts and Hawthorne did extensive inquiry into the punishments that his great-great-great grandfather placed upon the sinners of Salem (Barna 2). Hawthorne was so repulsed by these connections that when he began publishing his work he changed his surname to Hawthorne in place of his original surname of Hathorne. charm some may argue that Hawthorne was supportive of Puritan doctrine, because of the fact that he often discussed the folly of sin and was viewed as being fairly conservative for sightedness sin as an inherent part of human nature, it is not true that he admired the ways of his Puritan ancestors. Hawthorne once stated that society should growth in a slower, calmer ma... ...ots, Fourth Edition (2010) 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 20 July 2015.Barna, Mark Richard. Nathaniel Hawthorne And The Unpardonable Sin.World & I 13.3 (1998) 324. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 8 July 2015.Hawtho rne, Nathaniel. The Ministers Black Veil. Eldritch Press, n.d. Web. 20 July 2015.Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York Penguin, 2003. Print.Manheim, Daniel. Pearls Golden Chain in THE SCARLET LETTER. Explicator 68.3 (2010) 177-180. Literary Reference Center. Web. 20 July 2015.Means, Richard. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne (2006) 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 20 July 2015.Nathaniel Hawthorne. PoemHunter.com. PoemHunter.com, n.d. Web. 20 July 2015.Trepanier, Lee. The Need for conversion Nathaniel Hawthornes Conservatism. Modern Age 45.4 (2003) 315-323. Wold History Collection. Web. 20 July 2015.

Psychoanalytic Approach to Corona :: Corona Essays

Psychoanalytic Approach to halo The psychoanalytic approach utilise to glory can determine the state of minds of the characters Buddy, Lee, and Big Foot. At the end of the story, Buddys ace ego represses his id, thus proving that although his simple mind has always relied on his id, his tops(predicate) ego turns his character into a hero. Lee depends on her id and super ego throughout the story. ultimately her ego balances out the other two. Big Foots character does non change. His super ego is in charge of his support. Big Foot will never be able to see reality or pleasure because of his over-used super ego. What first catches our eye is the title of the story. Corona could mean, The suns outer atmosphere that is visible during total eclipses of the sun., or the nations first photo reconnaissance satellite system, operating from 1960-1972.. either description will fit the story considering the way the song, Corona makes everyone feel. When Buddy loses his eyesight, the s ong Corona is his light that helps him escape from the pain. The song is also an escape for Lee, whose soundbox and mind needs sunlight to relax and feel like a normal society year old. In the first paragraph, the three mental processes lick a perfect outline to what we should expect throughout the story. The id tells us that Buddys mother is an alcoholic beverageic. She drinks in ego pity because Buddys father left before Buddy was born. Her alcohol does for her as Corona does for Buddy. Id is also the reason Buddy attempts to steal a helicopter with a girl named Delores-Jo. Buddys ego lied about his age when caught and is wherefore he must go to prison instead of reform school. His superego helps him to repress those feelings left by penitentiary life by deciding to move to bran-new York to start over, instead of dealing with his problems, including a child on the way by a waitress. Buddy and Lee come from different backgrounds, but their life struggles bring them together. Buddy, comes from lower class. He has grown up in an single parent, alcohol disgraceful home. He has gone to prison and is now a blue-blooded collar worker. Lee has suffered from her parents recently divorcing. Her telepathy has brought her misery instead of insight. Buddy is simple mind and Lee is very intelligent.Psychoanalytic Approach to Corona Corona EssaysPsychoanalytic Approach to Corona The psychoanalytic approach applied to Corona can determine the state of minds of the characters Buddy, Lee, and Big Foot. At the end of the story, Buddys super ego represses his id, thus proving that although his simple mind has always relied on his id, his super ego turns his character into a hero. Lee depends on her id and super ego throughout the story. Finally her ego balances out the other two. Big Foots character does not change. His super ego is in charge of his life. Big Foot will never be able to see reality or pleasure because of his over-used super ego. What first catches our eye is the title of the story. Corona could mean, The suns outer atmosphere that is visible during total eclipses of the sun., or the nations first photo reconnaissance satellite system, operating from 1960-1972.. Either description will fit the story considering the way the song, Corona makes everyone feel. When Buddy loses his eyesight, the song Corona is his light that helps him escape from the pain. The song is also an escape for Lee, whose body and mind needs sunlight to relax and feel like a normal nine year old. In the first paragraph, the three mental processes mold a perfect outline to what we should expect throughout the story. The id tells us that Buddys mother is an alcoholic. She drinks in self pity because Buddys father left before Buddy was born. Her alcohol does for her as Corona does for Buddy. Id is also the reason Buddy attempts to steal a helicopter with a girl named Delores-Jo. Buddys ego lied about his age when caught and is why he must go to prison instead of reform school. His superego helps him to repress those feelings left by penitentiary life by deciding to move to New York to start over, instead of dealing with his problems, including a child on the way by a waitress. Buddy and Lee come from different backgrounds, but their life struggles bring them together. Buddy, comes from lower class. He has grown up in an single parent, alcohol abusive home. He has gone to prison and is now a blue collar worker. Lee has suffered from her parents recently divorcing. Her telepathy has brought her misery instead of insight. Buddy is simple minded and Lee is very intelligent.

Nettles For Food and Medicine :: Botany

teases For Food and MedicineDespite its nondescript appearance, the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) has a facility for grabbing the attention of any unity passing by. Unfortunately, nigh people never notice nettles until they be viciously attacked with sharp, hot, itching stings. Consequently, most people familiar with nettles regard them as irritating and undesirable weeds. Few people today realize that nettles may actually be counted among natures most useful plants. As is frequently the case with common names, the marches nettle is often used for plants that arnt nettles at all. In the Midwest, the plant known as Red Dead- pose is actually a member of the Mint Family and the Horse Nettle (which is poisonous) is actually a Nightshade (Seymour, 1997). The true nettles belong to the Urticaceae, also known as the Nettle Family. The Nettle Family is found worldwide and consists of about 45 genera and 700-1000 species. Most of the species are tropical and herbaceous (Walters and K eil, 1996). Urtica dioica, the plant most often called by the name Stinging Nettle, is a dioecious perennial plant that stands about one meter tall. It has simple, opposite, toothed leaves (5-10cm long) with persistent stipules and, most importantly, stinging trichomes. The radially symmetrical flowers are arranged in axillary panicles, completely lack petals, and confound 4 sepals and 4 stamens. The fruits are small, oval achenes (1-2mm long). In addition to growing from seed, the plants are able to spread rhizomatously (Radford, Ahles and Bell, 1968). The Stinging Nettle is actually not nearly as common in the U.S. as the closely related Wood Nettle (Laportea canadensis). The Wood Nettle is often mistaken for the Stinging Nettle by most people because the Wood Nettle also has stinging hairs. Laportea canadensis is not as tall as Urtica dioica, has larger leaves (up to 20cm) and minute stipules. The staminate flowers have 5 sepals and 5 stamens and are found in axillary panicles. The pistillate flowers have only 4 sepals and are found in either terminal figure or axillary panicles. The achene is crescent-shaped (Radford, Ahles and Bell, 1968). The wood nettle grows well in rich forests and may be particularly abundant along hiking trails near streams. Hikers are frequently dismayed to discover that when such trails arent carefully maintained, nettles quickly begin to arch dangerously over the paths. There are several other species from the Nettle Family in the United States, but only 4 of the genera represented, Urtica, Hesperocnide, Laportea, and Urera, have the characteristic stinging trichomes.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens Essay -- essays research

It has often been remarked that wo cosmos have a curious power of divining the characters of men(75). This quotation from The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens reflects the antonym of what a typical Dickensian society is supposedly based upon. In this standard society, the plot would be based around the life of a governing male. Although the claim reflects a male name, the movement in the novel is directly related to the exploits of a particular character, genus Rosa Bud. Fondly called Rosebud by her peers, she is the apple of either mans eye and the envy of every womans. She takes control in the plot not because she evidences nipful or masculine qualities, but because the mightily characters in Cloisterham, males, are all in fare or feel a kinship to Rosebud. The power is therefore transferred into her hands as a for claim of her magnate to influence these characters through their love and admiration for her. Attending school at a nunnery, Rosas female friends rar ely have any clash with men. Through her betrothal to Edwin Drood, Rosa is the merely woman within the nunnery that has a man to court her. She is the only woman menti wizardd, in the nunnery, that is going to be get marital off to a man, not God. Rosa capitalizes on this situation by leading the other girls in the nunnery to be her poor pets(118). She realizes that the girls as easy as the head of the school, Miss Twinkleton, who describes Rosa as her pet pupil(14), look at her to be the embodiment of romance because of her prospective marriage. Miss Twinkleton and the girls rest their love lives through Rosa, over her shoulder(51). Rosa feeds into the situation by making sure that the girls are watching her and letting Edwin know that they must get married . . . the poor girls would be so dreadfully disappointed (17). She uses her power over Edwin, which is given through love and devotion to her and both of their parents wishes for them to be married, as a way to stay in cont rol at the nunnery. She is the aim of the gaze to all of the girls and Miss Twinkleton, nothing escapes their notice(18). Realizing that she is the object of their gaze, she clay in control by showing the girls what she has with Edwin from afar. The girls are under the impression that Edwin and Rosa are in a perfect relationship when, in actuality Rosa decides that they have to pretend that you (Edwin) are engag... ...t can be said from the information gathered that Rosa tries to keep bits of information from people so that she is the only one that has all of the control. The squabble that occurs between Neville and Edwin is a result that Neville feels that Edwin does not appreciate Rosa and his good fortune that is not by any mover of necessity a result of his good merits(60). Neville has affection for Rosa after just meeting her a few nights ago. The argument results in Neville flinging his dregs of vino at Edwin Drood(61). This scene reflects Rosas ability to take new peopl e that come to Cloisterham and get them to instantly feel a kinship to her. She has the skill to force Neville into rising in a fury(61), after just recently meeting him.The plot line in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, although written in the nineteenth century, reflects the life of Rose Bud. Though she does not appear to be the main character in the novel, the plot revolves around her actions and opinions. Her secrecy about indisputable things to diametric characters enables her to accomplish this. Every other characters fascination with her makes it easy for her to make allies and create confidant, all working in her favor. The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens Essay -- essays research It has often been remarked that woman have a curious power of divining the characters of men(75). This quotation from The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens reflects the opposite of what a typical Dickensian society is supposedly based upon. In this standard society, t he plot would be based around the life of a dominant male. Although the title reflects a male name, the movement in the novel is directly related to the exploits of a particular character, Rosa Bud. Fondly called Rosebud by her peers, she is the apple of every mans eye and the envy of every womans. She takes control in the plot not because she evidences forceful or masculine qualities, but because the powerful characters in Cloisterham, males, are all in love or feel a kinship to Rosebud. The power is therefore transferred into her hands as a result of her ability to influence these characters through their love and admiration for her. Attending school at a nunnery, Rosas female friends rarely have any contact with men. Through her betrothal to Edwin Drood, Rosa is the only woman within the nunnery that has a man to court her. She is the only woman mentioned, in the nunnery, that is going to be married off to a man, not God. Rosa capitalizes on this situation by leading the other gi rls in the nunnery to be her poor pets(118). She realizes that the girls as well as the head of the school, Miss Twinkleton, who describes Rosa as her pet pupil(14), look at her to be the embodiment of romance because of her prospective marriage. Miss Twinkleton and the girls live their love lives through Rosa, over her shoulder(51). Rosa feeds into the situation by making sure that the girls are watching her and letting Edwin know that they must get married . . . the poor girls would be so dreadfully disappointed (17). She uses her power over Edwin, which is given through love and devotion to her and both of their parents wishes for them to be married, as a way to stay in control at the nunnery. She is the object of the gaze to all of the girls and Miss Twinkleton, nothing escapes their notice(18). Realizing that she is the object of their gaze, she remains in control by showing the girls what she has with Edwin from afar. The girls are under the impression that Edwin and Rosa are in a perfect relationship when, in actuality Rosa decides that they have to pretend that you (Edwin) are engag... ...t can be said from the information gathered that Rosa tries to keep bits of information from people so that she is the only one that has all of the control. The squabble that occurs between Neville and Edwin is a result that Neville feels that Edwin does not appreciate Rosa and his good fortune that is not by any means necessarily a result of his good merits(60). Neville has affection for Rosa after just meeting her a few nights ago. The argument results in Neville flinging his dregs of wine at Edwin Drood(61). This scene reflects Rosas ability to take new people that come to Cloisterham and get them to instantly feel a kinship to her. She has the capacity to force Neville into rising in a fury(61), after just recently meeting him.The plot line in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, although written in the 19th century, reflects the life of Rose Bud. Though she does not appe ar to be the main character in the novel, the plot revolves around her actions and opinions. Her secrecy about certain things to different characters enables her to accomplish this. Every other characters fascination with her makes it easy for her to make allies and create confidant, all working in her favor.

Course note. Organizational behavior Essay

ORGANIZATIONAL doingsTo distinguish and compare the various concepts and models of organizational behavior in a manner that-will help day-to-day conceptual, human, and communication skills of the students.To modernise skills in diagnosing situations by encouraging them to participate actively in cases, topics, illustrations, and incidents that serve to provide operational meaning to the abstract concepts and models of organizational behavior.To assess and evaluate why certain events and behavioral processes occur in organizations and how, as managers, they muckle best affect the behavior of subordinates as well as other managers.COURSE DESCRIPTIONThis course utilizes the contingency mount to understanding organizational behavior. This approach seeks to understand the interrelations among the various parts of the organization. Each department, work group, or manager can be analyzed separately or as a unit related to other departments, work groups, or managers.The contingency app roach requires that managers diagnose each situation confronting them, and then apply, as needed, the concepts and approaches presented in the course. These concepts and approaches will help the students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to understand what is happening in an organization and what can be done about it.1ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIORWeek payoffIntroduction to OrganizationalBehavior What is organizational behavior? Organizational behavior andmanagement. Challenges for organizational behaviorand management.CourseOutcomesCO1DeliveryModeLectureDiscussion opinionTools essay TestRubricsNaNaINDIVIDUALPROCESSESPersonality and Perception The nature of personality. amaze of personality. Personality traits. The nature of perception. Perception process Attribution theory. discipline and Motivation The nature of learning. Learning theories. The nature of work motivation. Motivation theoriesCO2LectureDiscussion Quiz Test study Study summaryNaNaCO2LectureDiscussion Quiz Test NaNa eggshell StudyAnalysisQuiz 1Mini flake2ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIORGROUPPROCESSESWork Groups and Teams The nature of work groups andteams. Formation and development ofgroups. Effective Work Groups and Teams.CO3LectureDiscussionORGANIZATIONALPROCESSES leadership Introduction to leadership. Leadership theories.CO3Communication What is communication? The functions of communication. The communication process.LectureDiscussion Quiz Test national StudyAnalysis Quiz Test Case StudyAnalysis Quiz Test Case StudyAnalysisNaNaNaNaNaNa Quiz II Mini CaseDecision Making What is decision making? Types of decision making. The decision making process. Group decision making.CO3Lecture TestDiscussion Case Study manifestationAnalysis GroupPresentationNa3ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR Test 1(2hours)INTERGROUP RELATIONSIN THE ORGANIZATIONAL circumstanceOrganizational Culture The concept of organizational culture. Determinants of organizationalculture. Managing organizational culture.CO3 Test Case StudyAnalysi s ProjectPaperNaLecture QuizDiscussion TestPresentation Case StudyAnalysis GroupPresentationNaNa Quiz Test Case StudyAnalysis GroupPresentationNaNaLectureDiscussionQuiz IIIMini CasePower, Politics,and conflict The nature of power and politics. Sources of power. What is organizational conflict. Model of organizational conflict. Conflict management techniques.Organizational Change What is organizational change? Organizational change theory. Forces for and resistance toorganizational change. Managing changeCO34ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIORSocialResponsibility andManagerial Ethics What is social responsibility? Views of social responsibility. Arguments for and against socialresponsibility. What is managerial ethics. Factors that affect employee ethics. Ethics in international context. Improving good behavior.LectureDiscussion Test Case StudyAnalysis Project PaperNaTest 2 (2 hours)Group / Team Project PresentationSubmission of Group /Team Project(Latest Deadline A week after thefinal class/ lecture)5ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIORTEACHING METHODOLOGYLectures/Case Study Analysis/Discussions/Active Learning/Presentations/ProjectsASSESSMENT1. Test2. Individual Assignments3. Group Project4. Final Assessment10%30%30%30%100%TotalREFERENCESMain Reference1. Schermerhorn, J. R., Hunt, J. G., and Osborn, R. N. (2008). Organizational Behavior. juvenile York John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Supplementary References1. Asma Abdullah (2004). Going Glokal. KualaManagement (MIM).Lumpur Malaysian Institute of2. George, J. M. and Jones, R. J. (2008). Organizational Behavior (5th. Edition). New Jersey Pearson Education, Inc.3. Gibson, J., Ivancevich, J., Donnelly Jr. J., and Konoposke, R. (2005). Organizations Behavior, structures, processes. Boston Irwin McGraw-hill. 4. Nelson, D. L. and Quick, J. C. (2006). Organizational Behavior Foundations, Realities, and Challenges (12th. edition). Ohio South-Western College Publishing.journalsJournal of Organizational Behavior,Academy of Management Journal,Journal of International Business Studies,Journal of Occupational Psychology,Journal of Applied Psychology6ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIORJournals1.Harvard Business Review2.Fortune Magazine3.The Edge4.Malaysian Business Review5.World administrator Digest6.The Economist7.Other related journals7View as multi-pages

In what ways where the lives of people living at home affected by World War One? Essay

World War one began in 1914 when Great Britain declared cont residual on Germany, this fight was different to all previous struggles for several(prenominal) reasons it was the first war, which involved so many nations, and also where mint at home were alter precise groovyly indeed. The war affected e genuinelyone, not fair the soldiers, for the first civilians were killed or injured by German Zeppelins, which were sufficient to fly over to Britain and actually drop bombs on the terra firma. Propaganda was dropd greatly to influence the vogue that British masses thought ab issue the enemy and it was this reveal factor, which kept the British mess against the Germans.Despite all the negative aspects and outcomes of the war, govern manpowerts knew that to stand a find oneself of winning the war they had to invest more money into improving technology and the war was responsible for many technological and medical advances, these advances include the mass-production of the w ireless and the stripping of penicillin. As a result of the conflict and the majority of men going off to fight, the voice of women improved dramatically, from being the typical housewife and being depicted object and expected of a very domestic lifestyle, they found that during the war they had to take over the mens roles, which involved them going out to organise in factories and producing munitions. Throughout this essay I am going to look at various areas, as to how and what extent the people on the home front were affected by the war.Section A is very reclaimable as it delivers various sources, secondary and primary and tells in detail the initial impact of the war 1914/1915. ascendant A1 undecidedly tells us that WW1 was the first war to affect Britain at home and this is very valid, the source also tells us about the complete(a) increase in political control, the government passing the Defence Of the Realm Act (DORA) in August 1914 which increased the governments cont rol over the population, to get the nearly out of the people for the war effort.There was systematic and indeed, deliberate propaganda to influence people to help in the war effort by broadcasting (in cases) nonmeaningful nationalism, and this propaganda utilized children a lot to appeal to the people and showed that the Germans soldiers were not doing their job and they enjoyed killing, this infuriated the mankind and so almost everyone was up for war against Germany. A gigantic with these rotund scale impacts were minor and loving impacts including the cancellation of Bank Holidays and Bonfire Night. This source is secondary evidence, from a British score textbook it will be well researched and contains real information rather than speculation based on opinion.Source A2 is a very famous recruiting poster, which was issued in 1914, so in that respectfore it is a primary source, and its endeavor was to provoke a response join the army. The key signifier/central image of th e poster is an image of Lord Kitchener and in bold letters at the top of the page it says BRITONS, this is to display loyalty, nationalism and indeed, patriotism. The content of the source is stern and commanding, which instructs the British people to do their duty. At this time it was voluntary, rather than positive to join the army, whereas later the government made it compulsory to sign up.Source A2 (ii) delivers a blunt message towards men who didnt want to participate in the war effort by going off to fight in the trenches. It blatantly displays a man being questioned by his children, and uses the children to appeal to the conscience of British men to make them feel cowardly and disloyal. The government used this type of psychological propaganda to influence peoples thoughts and minds and this created a large impact on their lives. This source is linked to A3 in terms of content, source A3 is a statement which puts psychological pressure on men from parents, peers and in fact, everyone. It states that the consequences would be more severe if they were to stay at home. It shows the effect of propaganda and its enormous impact on peoples lives.Source A4 is a photograph taken outside Southwark Town Hall, declination 1915. It is linked to propaganda, and indeed, could be a form of propaganda in itself as it is a photograph, it could also be set up, everyone consumems happy, optimistic and enthusiastic, and this could create pressure on the men from a social aspect despite the fact that all the enthusiasm could only be superficial. The different hats in the photograph represent different social background the flat hats represent working class and the bowling hats represent middle class, the photo shows definite unity between the classes, they are all unite together and creates an idea of confederacy within society itself. However this could again be superficiality.This component clear shows that support for the war is very great the section barely me ntions opposition, which is demonstrated in source A6. This shows clearly that there is opposition to the war, although this opposition is a great minority. The source tells of one group of opposition, the Womens external League. As time went on, this group increased in size. Most were upper class and middle class. They provided peaceful demonstrations by publishing pamphlets and leaflets, and held meetings to try to extend other women to support them. This is secondary evidence, which has been compiled for a history textbook, so it has obviously been researched very exhaustively and is, therefore, going to be very reliable.Section A shows the initial impacts of the war and shows that the degree of impact was very great especially in the short term and shows that support for the war is very great, however it also tells us that as the war dragged on more and more people began to oppose the war. The section shows a great amount of psychological pressure that was put on the soldiers and the tightening of control over the country that the government had, and how its use of propaganda was able to win over and effectively indoctrinate the minds of the populace.Section B is very revealing, and it displays key and significant impacts towards Britain featuring propaganda, which influenced the way people felt towards the Germans. This section is very important in terms of the impact of the war on people, for example, pabulum rationing and the great medical and technological exaltations.Source B1 (i) clearly shows that burn mining was very important, the government set up a railway committee, which controlled and organised all the countrys railways coal was needed to run the trains and to effectively run the war, therefore, the government ensured that coal miners did not go out to fight the war and they were told that mining coal was as important as fighting.Source B1 (ii) blatantly demonstrates the effect the sub activity had on British citizens the fact that the re was an increase in U-boat activity meant that British supply ships were sunk very often, thus there were great fare shortages, which led to food rationing. The people at home had to be fed and the soldiers fighting abroad had to be fed too, this left the government in a bit of a predicament. Food rationing began in 1917 so people had just about enough to eat, this food rationing was brought about by the government to allow them to control the amount of food eaten by the people at home so that if vessels containing food were sunk then it would not beget a very great impact on British people at home. The government controlled the price of food such as bread and potatoes. Due to this food rationing, national health was generally not as good.B1 (iii) is clear and shows how the war led to great medical and technological advances. As doctors and surgeons had to treat thousands of injured men, they had to try out new ideas and techniques penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming, which single-minded the problem of infection of deep wounds. Due to the war, technicians developed planes to fly faster, further and higher, and were also equipped with weaponry to fight. By the time the war was over, aircraft were the epitome of the genesis technology and hundreds of young men were able to fly planes. Chemicals were used greatly during the war for creating poison gas and high explosives these techniques were then used in peacetime for medicine, picture taking and various other useful establishments.Corporations such as Marconi prospered after the war because of during the conflict they had to produce thousands of wirelesses for the forces and after the war there was great demand for the devices. The war led many medical and technological advances, which is quite ironic considering the nature of the conflict, and these advances were positive, i.e. cures for illnesses and new ways to store blood. A very great impact on peacetime Britain and a long-term impact in terms of medicine and most areas. The source is an extract from Modern World History textbook therefore it is reliable, as it has been researched thoroughly, although it only shows positive aspects of the war.Source B2is an extract from Modern World History, a textbook that has been researched thoroughly and is reliable. The source clearly demonstrates the impact of propaganda and how it influenced the minds of the British people and portrayed a negative view of the Germans. Many people believed this government propaganda, and as a result Germans living in Britain faced discrimination. Impact was very great in business sectors and many computer storage donjoners refused to sell German products, the same ideas were present in cafes and restaurants, and the fact that The Royal Family changed their mention from a German name to an English name shows how healthy and great the impact of anti-German hysteria was.Nationalistic mobs attacked and ransacked shops owned by Germans in some of the major cities in Britain only a few of the rioters were arrested and those that did were very lightly punished, this shows that the authorities turned a blind eye towards this extreme right wing nationalism. Germans living in Britain were taken away and put into camps until the war was over, for their safety, apparently. The second part of B2 is a photograph that clearly shows anti-German feelings. It shows a mass of people attacking a German shop and this photograph alone shows that the governments propaganda has worked.Source B3 is secondary evidence written by Robert Roberts, he tells us about better conditions for children as a result of war. He states that by late 1916 children looked better fed, this could be ensued by the fact that there were numerous technological and medical advances during the war. However food shortages were very real and it seems quite hard to comprehend how slum children were becoming better nourished this could be down to the rationing, giving t hem a chance to actually have more than they normally have. The source is questionable towards its reliability the source is secondary, published in 1971.Source B4 (ii) is a political source and shows that the Labour Party benefited in 1916 when Lloyd George formed his war cabinet they stressed at the same time that labour had no responsibility for the pre-war diplomacy that had led them to the war. Labour prospered because of the war. The same cannot be said for the Liberal Party many principles of liberalism had to be abandoned such as free trade and voluntary military service. And the public image was discredited by the split between Lloyd George and his followers and the followers of Asquith, which resulted from Lloyd Georges appointment as Prime Minister. The source is secondary evidence derived from the book A History Of Wales 1993 the source is retrospective, although may not be perfectly accurate and correct.Overall section B is very revealing as it shows the impact the w ar had on health and medicine the discovery of penicillin was a significant aspect which solved many problems, the governments increase in control, such as propaganda and food rationing which influenced the way British people thought and acted. There were many political changes, such as the appointment of Lloyd George as Prime Minister and there was many technological advances i.e. the advancement of aircraft.Section C is helpful because it shows the changing roles of women and work and reveals the impact of the war on women in the short term and long term. Source C1 shows the importance of women on the home front prior to the war women had been campaigning to get the vote. When the war began, they stopped their protests. Women were needed to support the men and keep their spirits up they handed out white feathers to the men to encourage them to go out and fight. As most men were in France, fighting in trenches, businesses found themselves short of a solid workforce, so the women took over the jobs, which had been left rotter by the men.Some women took over their husbands jobs, such as grave digging and blacksmiths, whilst others took over jobs directly linked to the war, such as ambulance driving and nursing many even worked at the front, although far more went to work in banks, offices, and especially, factories where they produced munitions to aid the soldiers and ensure that the troops had a constant supply of weaponry and ammunition. In many cases, women did jobs that had never been done by a women sooner 1914, this increased womens confidence and license significantly.Source C2 is very important in terms of its contents, it states that women played a decisive role in the war effort, the women have been greatly affected by the war, as they are doing jobs which they had never done before the war started. People were also unsure of the future role of women after the war. The source is part of a speech made by Herbert Asquith in the House of Commons i n 1917, when he was Prime Minister in this speech he is clearly saying that women deserve the vote, whereas before the war he had been against women gaining the vote, a great reversal of opinion. Because the Prime Minister had changed his opinion, women received the vote in 1918 it was the war that was a crucial turning point for women to finally gain political equality.Source C3 shows social changes in the lives of women. The attitudes and behaviour of women changed significantly, this change was in towns and cities mostly. These changes were inflicted by an increase in confidence and independence they began to go out to the theatre and they were affected by fashions. There was a great change from the constitutional lifestyle theyd previously been following. The source is from a report in the Daily Mail primary evidence. It can be linked with source C8 that clearly shows that women faced many social and sexual changes as a result of World War One. There was a kind of revolution i n the lifestyles of women, they began have in public and going to pubs with other female friends. They also began to buy their own drinks, which had been uncommon before the war. Source C8 is very reliable as it has been thoroughly researched and published by Louise Black a very renowned historian.Source C4 is a selection of extracts from various history textbooks and, therefore, is likely to be quite reliable. David Evans tells us that women underwent many social changes and traditional areas of work for women changed. There were also changes in what was expected of women whereas before the war it was often considered unbecoming for a woman to work, during the war it was considered un superpatriotic for them not to. Sarah Davies states that the war was a key point in women gaining independence, which is a valid interpretation and women broke through the barriers, which had confined them to their homes. Dudley Woodget clearly points out that one of the most revolutionary changes of the war was the participation of women in the war effort upper class women took part in the war effort and did their patriotic duty. These sources are all quite accurate and offer valid interpretations that are reliable.Source C5 is a poster issued by the government during the war, however no run into is given. The source is clearly propaganda trying to encourage women to take part in the war effort, and make munitions. The woman is the central image on the poster and she is corrosion a uniform, which indicates she is important, in the background there is a soldier waving approval, this shows that women would gain respect and it would entice them to take part.Source C7 is clear in its intentions that excuse and perhaps even exaggerates the revolution. The war revolutionized the industrial position of women they had to take part in the war effort. The source also shows that mens attitudes towards womens abilities changed dramatically, and people were made aware of the intellig ence and abilities of women.Overall, section C is very informative and displays clearly how the attitudes of women and indeed, towards women changed. There were great changes socially and politically. The war gave women the opportunity to use their abilities and be noticed by society, and obtain equality as citizens. In Britain they obtained the vote in 1918 for women over 30, this was however still not equal with men, who were able to vote at 21.Section D provides a lot of information on the deeper, more profound effects of the war, such as women gaining the vote and the frugal impacts of the war.Source D1 (ii) is primary evidence and is a report from the Daily Sketch (December 1917) it is a report about women over 30 gaining the vote, so, therefore, benefiting. This source shows that political and public opinion had changed dramatically. Hypothetically, before the war women would not have gained the vote. The majority, which proved surprisingly big, shows this immense change in o pinion.Source D2 shows the long term, deeper, more profound impacts of the war the death of nearly 750,000 British service men. Most of these deaths were young men aged between 18 and 25. These deaths were tragedies for their families. The long-term effects included children maturement up without fathers and widows growing old without husbands. The men who died or were severely injured and left disabled could have grown up to become talented professionals e.g. doctors and mechanics. This generation of men is often referred to as the lost generation, which shows how deep the impact really was.Source D4 shows the economic impact, a general change in the chance of the economy. Domestic servants were hard to come by their number had halved during the war.D5 shows the psychological impact of the war on the next generation. It clearly tells of how the dead would never return and the inherent nation, and indeed most of the world would have to live with that. It highlights the feelings of those left behind and how they were affected. The source is remembered by Vera Brittain, who worked as a VAD in France, the source is useful because it shows the feelings of those who stayed behind and lost people they knew.Source D7 is very useful. It shows, how in the latter stages of the war, people began to realise the actual amount of casualties and the horrifying conditions the soldiers faced. The disillusionment of patriotism and romantic hero-worship of the early years and given way to the reality. The source is from the Scottish Record Office and is a trustworthy and accurate description of the latter stages of the war.Source D8 shows how newspapers responded to the end of the war patriotism is shown and the front page is composed entirely of pictures. Flags are present, showing nationalism. This is primary evidence November 12, 1918.Overall section D is very useful as it shows the long-term effects and indeed, the psychological effects and lasting impact that the war had on those who lost people they knew and on the next generation.It is clear to see that the war had a great impact on the lives of the people at home. This impact was spread across several areas. Some of these effects were on women they gained independence and were the closest they had ever been to political equality with men, as they gained the right to vote. The lives of the British people on the home front were affected greatly by the food rationing and the use of propaganda influenced the way the people acted and thought towards German people, Germans living in Britain became the victims of discrimination and their establishments (such as shops and houses) were ransacked. To say the least, the greatest impact of the war was the freeing of thousands of men and this impact not only affected the people on the frontline and the home front but it would effect countless generations afterwards.

Freemasonry and United States Essay

Freemasonry, teachings and practices of the secret fraternal fix officially known as the Free and accredited Masons, or Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Organizational Structure in that respect are approximately 5 million members worldwide, nearly in the United States and new(prenominal) English-speaking countries. With adherents in almost every nation where Freemasonry is non officially banned, it forms the largest secret society in the world.There is no central masonic indorsement jurisdiction is divided among autonomous national authorities, called grand lodges, and many concordant organizations of higher-degree Masons. In the United States and Canada the highest authority rests with state and provincial grand lodges. Custom is the autonomous authority of the order, and there are elaborate symbolic rites and ceremonies, most of which utilize the instruments of the stonemasonthe plumb, the square, the level, and compassesand apocryphal events concerning the building of Kin g Solomons Temple for allegorical purposes.The principles of Freemasonry gather in traditionally been liberal and democratic. Andersons Constitutions (1723), the bylaws of the appalling Lodge of England, which is Freemasonrys oldest extant lodge, cites religious toleration, loyalty to local government, and political compromise as basic to the Masonic ideal. Masons are expected to believe in a Supreme Being, use a holy book appropriate to the religion of the lodges members, and keep back a vow of secrecy concerning the orders ceremonies.The basic unit of Freemasonry is the local Blue lodge, generally housed in a Masonic temple. The lodge consists of third Craft, Symbolic, or Blue Degrees Entered Apprentice (First Degree), Fellow Craft (Second Degree), and Master Mason (Third Degree). These gradations are meant to correspond to the three levelsapprentice, journeyman, and masterof the medieval stonemasons guilds. The average Mason does not rise above Master Mason.If he does, howeve r, he has the choice of advancing through about 100 different rites, encompassing some 1,000 higher degrees, throughout the world. In the United States, the two most popular rites are the Scottish and the York. The Scottish ceremony awards 30 higher degrees, from Secret Master (Fourth Degree) to Sovereign Grand Inspector General (Thirty-third Degree). The York Rite awards ten degrees, from Mark Master to Order of Knights Templar, the latter being similar to a Thirty-third Degree Scottish Rite Mason.Other important Masonic groups are the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, to which many African-American Masons belong the Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm (the fraternal fun order for Blue Lodge Masons) and the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Thirty-second degree Masons who, as the Shriners, are noted for their colorful parades and support of childrens hospitals). There are also many subsidiary Masonic groups, including the Order of the Eastern Star, limited to Mast er Masons and their female relatives De Molay, an organization for boys and Jobs Daughters and Rainbow, two organizations for girls. umteen of the orders maintain homes for aged members. Development of the Order The order is thought to induce arisen from the English and Scottish fraternities of practicing stonemasons and cathedral builders in the early Middle Ages traces of the society nonplus been found as early as the 14th cent. Because, however, some documents of the order trace the sciences of masonry and geometry from Egypt, Babylon, and Palestine to England and France, some historians of Masonry claim that the order has roots in antiquity.The governance of the English Grand Lodge in London (1717) was the beginning of the widespread dissemination of speculative Freemasonry, the present-day fraternal order, whose membership is not limited to workings stonemasons. The six lodges in England in 1700 grew to about 30 by 1723. There was a parallel development in Scotland and Irel and, although some lodges remained unaffiliated and open single to practicing masons. By the end of the 18th cent. here were Masonic lodges in all European countries and in many other parts of the world as well.The first gear lodge in the United States was founded in Philadelphia (1730) Benjamin Franklin was a member. Many of the leaders of the American Revolution, including John Hancock and Paul Revere, were members of St. Andrews Lodge in Boston. George Washington became a Mason in 1752. At the time of the Revolution most of the American lodges broke away from their English and Scottish antecedents.Freemasonry has continued to be important in politics 13 Presidents have been Masons, and at any given time quite a large number of the members of Congress have belonged to Masonic lodges. Notable European Masons included Voltaire, Giuseppe Mazzini, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Franz Joseph Haydn, Johann von Goethe, Johann von Schiller, and many leaders of Russias Decembrist revolt (1825). Opp osition to Freemasonry Because of its identification with 19th-century bourgeois liberalism, there has been much opposition to Freemasonry.The most violent in the United States was that of the Anti-Masonic party. Freemasonrys anticlerical attitude has also led to strong opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, which first expressed its anti-Masonic attitude in a bull of Pope Clement XII (1738). The Catholic Church still discourages its members from joining the order. Totalitarian states have always suppressed Freemasonry the lodges in Italy, Austria, and Germany were forcibly eradicated under fascism and Nazism, and there are now no lodges in China.

“Life of Pi” Characters Essay

As the final chapter of Part Two comes to an end, Pi breaks into tears, inst the following words Richard Parker, a companion of my torment, awful, fierce thing that kept me alive, moved forward and disappeared forever from my life. In the world today where civilization exists, the persuasion of an innocent sixteen-year-old boy surviving his ordeal with a feral Bengal tiger lies beyond our concept of reality. However, it cannot be denied that the relation surrounded by Bengal tiger and Pi is represent with great amount of detail that makes it consistent and plausible, due to the authors awareness that the intricate relationship will serve as an important single-valued function by dint ofout the story in literary aspects.In the novel lifespan of Pi written by Canadian author Yann Martel, a relationship develops in the midst of a Bengal tiger and Pi, who are stranded on a lifeboat after a horrific shipwreck Richard Parker and Pi seem to be full of opposites as the ordeal at sea begins. Nevertheless, there are specific intentions of the author in placing these devil living beings on the lifeboat which become apparent as the story progresses. The developments in the relationship are significant to the novel as a whole, as they effectively convey the authors message and themes, and contain symbolisation that has great importance.The gradual development in the relationship between Richard Parker and Pi implies the most noteworthy themes of the novel. In the beginning, when Pi realizes himself and the Bengal tiger are stranded in the ocean, he feels enormous fear towards Richard Parker. However, ironically, when Pi admits his death is inevitable, he stops worrying about the future he can instead be soothed by knowing what will happen, regardless of how horrible the fate is. To his surprise, Pi finds out the tigers willingness to negotiate by the unexpected snort of prusten, which is a tigers way of stating that he has no malicious intentions. Consequently, Pi is distracted from his horrible loss of family, by training the tiger. This was the way to tame him an exhilarated Pi exclaims as he finds a possible way of cohabiting safely with the tiger. Thus, their physical distance lessens, and this movement toward one another becomes notable. They share an interdependent relationship, which is shown through examples such as Pi catching food for both himself and Richard Parker, and the tiger protecting Pi from the attack of the French piece of music.This cooperation in the most primal of animals indicatesthe close similarities in the behavior of man and animal, under an adverse situation where civilization does not exist. It is here that the author implies what a relationship between man and beast should be. Although Richard Parker is undeniably seen as a danger, Pis experience provides a sense of connection with the animal world Pi has a sense of respect and hunch forward for Richard Parker as well as many other creatures he encounters.Fr om another degree of interpretation, Richard Parker and Picharacters who possess two completely assorted personalitiesgetting along well may bring the theme of both humans and animals will to survive into the novel. Moreover, it is noteworthy that the tiger bears a mans full name, while Pi is reminiscent of the word Pisces. Martel has built an apparent zoomorphic ambiguity into their names, pointing out the gray between the black and white, which means that Life of Pi refuses a simplistic attitude regarding human and animal relations. As the author suggests, animals are not absolutely lovable or monstrous creatures, or dangerous beasts, but they are closely related to humanity, and the same applies to Richard Parker.In this novel, the relationship between the two characters symbolizes Pis animalistic instinct, and therefore holds significance. To the narrator, Richard Parker is not merely his simple companion and a wild animal, but at a deeper level of analysis, it is a mirror of P i, himself. On the lifeboat Pi shows two different sides of himself. He becomes as savage as Richard Parker after he abandons his lifelong vegetarian personality and performs actions to sustain himself that would have been inconceivable in his former life as a religious teenager. As time progresses, he is unafraid of killing the living creatures even in brutish ways.He tears a disunite birds and enviously stuffs them into his mouth, similar to the behavior of Richard Parker. Furthermore, in the second story he told to the Japanese investigators in part three, Pi is portrayed as Richard Parker who takes revenge upon his mothers murderer by killing him. From one point of view, Pi invents Parker as an allegorical figure of himself, because in this way, the story becomes more pleasant and acceptable to the readers. It is problematic that the brutality of his mothers death and his own shocking act of revenge are too much for Pi to deal with, and he finds it easier to conceive of a tig er as the killer, rather than himself in that role. Richard Parker therefore can beconcluded as the primitive side of Pi.The magical spell between Richard Parker and Pi eventually breaks once the two characters land on the shore of Mexico, and they no longer need to maintain their interdependent relationship for selection. Both animals part and adapt to their new environments. During their predicament, their animal and human aspects have been mingled the whole time nevertheless, once they return to civilization, they move on to their own roles. Pi becomes part of a community again, and Richard Parker departs into the wild. Despite the fact that they both have made it through the most difficult of trials by being the lifeline for each other, Richard Parker leaves Pi unceremoniously and disappears into the jungle. The purpose of the author in making this choice is to voice the message that the force of nature in our lives is beyond human control. This relationship between the two ref lects how humans and animals interact in the real world that lies in contrast to the world where rules do not exist.The relationship between Pi and Richard undergoes a act of notable changes. To Pi, Richard Parker changes from a source of fear to a light of hope, a companion, the only living creature he puts his emotions into for 277 days. They display interdependent relations through the story. Most importantly, there are numerous significance aspects to their relationship that makes it an essential part of the novel and that deserves to be focused on, as the interactions between them in a number of ways imply the true central ideas that are meant to be the intention of Martels writing Life of Pi certainly is a survival literature of the modern times that holds significance in various aspects.Bibliographywww.sparknotes.com/lit/lifeofpi/context.html

Presto Cleaner

Mr.. Shelton Is upset because the complaint office doesnt do his work well. The Interaction between Mr.. Shelton and Paul Hoofer have do the bad situation worse. This case brings together the customer expectation and the value that Presto cleaner had to offer. The customer expectations are influenced by many different factors such(prenominal) as C Personal needs D Word of mouth Reputation of the company I can deduce that the quality in this case is non the best. The larger issue on Presto fresh staff agenda must be to modernize quality performance, just as hes working to modify his technology.Both service and infrastructure should be state-of-the-art. The quality also is acknowledged as a necessary requirement successful competing and surviving in the market place. shaping quality I can stress tetrad important points C D D D Quality The ability of a product or service to meet or exceed customer expectation Ability The competence, either native or acquired, that enables one to d o something well Consistently refers to a good or steady pattern of performance Expectations a state of anticipation about a future This four points are very important on keeping close the customers and especially for he rivalry on the market.In fact Paul Hoofer dont think about how to work out the complaint, but his ruling is to close this case as soon as possible even if the company will lose an costumer. Purely in economics terms, the loss could be enormous. Assume that Presto Cleaner manages to lose one customer a day. Based on Mr.. Shelton estimates of his laundry expenditures, the annual revenue loss from such an ignored customer defection would reach almost $500000. In this context, Mr.. Shelton request is not at all unreasonable. To remedy this situation, Presto Cleaners president, Mr.. Sickles, should take some Immediate prototypal steps.First, he should send a letter of apology to Shelton with two enclosures a $235 check, to cover the $35 charge for the delayed order a nd the $200 cost of four new shirts, and a $50 certificate for future Presto Cleaner service. He should act on the principle that, having made service mistakes, Presto Cleaner should bear all the customers out-of-pocket costs. Presto Cleaner By Andre send a complain letter at Mr.. Hoofer, that is the responsible of the Complaining The case regards Mr.. Shelton as a complaining customer and Paul Hoofer as a expansible of Complaining Office.

MEG: A comparison with Other Functional Neuroimaging Techniques

Understanding is cardinal to development of more(prenominal) complex procedure and ensuring efficiency in any study of operations. One of the tools use to develop a proper apprehensiveness and on that pointfore diagnosis of a situation is the image of the situation. Sciences, technology, medicine and engineering all charter images to be able to develop structures and operate efficiently. In neuroscience, the development of an image of inner fountainhead tissues is important to developing an understanding of a situation as it really is and therefore coming up with proper diagnostic and management costes that will interpret the situation is addressed as it should.Life beingness what it is there are a number of choices that basis be made in the approach that will be used for imaging. Each of these approaches has signifi quartert advantage and disadvantages and an understanding of the differences is important in making a decision on which atomic number 53 is best applicable d epending on the parameters that define a correspond (Kretschmann,& Weinrich, 2003). million is iodine of the virtually common imaging techniques and the development of an understanding of the differences that it exhibits relative to new(prenominal)s is important to its use.Advantages. Magnetoencephalography ( billion) implements a system where magnetic fields are produced by the aid of electric automobile activity in the ace through use of senior high schoolly sensitive devices. billion which is common in investigate situation and clinical settings is one of the most commonly used approaches to neuroimaging. Surgeons have especially found MEG important in locali ungodlinessg pathologies and researchers have used it in determining the various functions of parts of the brain, neurofeedback and in many other activities relating to the central nervous system. Many of the advantages of MEG are a consequence of its temperament and principles that it applies in operations.Compa red to structural imaging techniques like EEG, IMG has a number of key features that makes it more desirable these are often considered in determining what neuroimaging technique will be applicable in either research or clinical situations (Holodny, 2008). MEG implements a system where the functions of the brain are directly measured. The main reason as to why imaging is necessary is to ensure a proper understanding of the state that the brain is and getting direct measures of the function is important and reduces the chance of error.Functional approaches like fMRI and SPECT use what can be best describes as operative measures to determine the state that the brain is in. Functional approaches which use variables that get brain metabolisms to determine the functioning of the brain can be quite misleading for there are a number of variables that will have to be considered under such approaches. Moreover, errors can occur in translation of the metabolism variables to those that depic t the state of the brain (Hillary,& DeLuca, 2007). When developing an image the clarity of the image that will be developed is important.In neuroscience and many other areas where imaging has to be done in an environment that is highly controlled the competency to develop clear temporal image images is important (Anschel, Mazumdar,& Romanelli, 2007). This is due to the nature of the brain which requires pitiful picture show to external activities and thus the idea of testing or imaging is in fact risky to the brain. MEG is considered to be an approach that has one of the highest temporal closing. Events that have a time scale of milliseconds can be resolved accurately.Functional approaches like SPECT have much longer time scales and therefore the resolution of activities and development of a clear picture of the state that the brain is in is not as easy in such methods. It is worth noting that the brain being the centre of the nervous system is important and has a number of ac tivities or burdens that occur within any given instant. The high resolution provided by MEG happens in handy and is important in capturing such events is therefore a better diagnostic tool in assessing the functionality of the brain inn reflection of the nature of the brain.In addition to the excellent temporal resolution, MEG has high levels of spatial resolution in that sources or objects can be located with millimetre precision. The brain is a small organ and it is one of the busiest in the human mortal. Information about the brain should be clear and precise the high levels of precision that MEG has comes in handy and is important in coming up with clear accurate information on the murder of the brain. Neuroimaging is considered one of the most frightening event by people outside the medical fraternity.One reason as to why this is so is the invasive techniques used by functional imaging approaches. Isotopes and exposure to ray and magnetic field are used in other functiona l approaches and this is not only scary but also cast ups the health risks associated with neuroimaging and reduces the relative frequency of imaging allowed. MEG is unlike these functional techniques in this aspect in that EMG employs a system that is non-invasive. These property gives it an edge over other sin that it is even possible for children and infants to be studied repeatedly.Experts in neuroimaging and science are of the view that the reason as to why MEG has been widely adopted is its ability to be used alongside other approaches as it adds on to the picture to develop a clear understanding of the brain (Martin,& Caramazza, 2003). While no one can dispute this fact practical application of MEG is quite easy as compared to functional approaches which could have also played a role in its development. Technology and the employment of aid in imaging are aimed at easing understanding of the brain functionalities (Gazzaniga, & Bizzi, 2004).The ease that comes with the use of MEG is important and could be an avenue through which future generations use to reduce the complexity that neuroscience as a discipline has traditionally been linked with. The approach implemented by MEG makes it possible for its application in a variety of brain imaging processes. Sensory, language and memory cortex can all be imaged by use of MEG. An approach that is adaptable to multiple conditions is far much better that the ones that display low level of adaptability.This ability reduces the need to conduct multiple tests on individuals and therefore reduces the risk in imaging and lives in terms of finances and time associated with repainting imaging. The modern society is highly health conscious and the risks that come with functional approaches and the invasive mechanism that they employ make them undesirable. Moreover, there is increase in the need for multiple brain testing due to an unexplained increase in the number of mental and neurological carapaces.Cancer is fast becoming a threat and one would rather implement a system that does not pose any risk of cancer if there is an alternative. Put plainly, MEG would be the method of choice against any functional approach in consideration of the mechanism employed and risk posed. The fact that MEG affords high levels of clarity without being invasive gives it an advantage over the most commonly employed functional approach, EMG which has the con of being invasive. It is worth noting that the levels of clarity that the two approaches attain are comparable. DisadvantagesMEG despite all the pros associated with its use has a number disadvantages that may make its use undesirable. Just like the advantages, the cons are resultant from the nature of mechanisms that MEG employs and are therefore internal to MEG as an approach to neuroimaging. These cons may affect the effectiveness of the approach and even increase the associated costs which may make it undesirable. A key drawback in use of MEG stems from the fact that the signals that depict the state of the brain are small and are in a magnitude order that is smaller than typical signal in a clinical environment.It is highly probable that the normal clinic environment may obscure the signals thus most MEG systems employ a shielding to deal with the interference. This is an additional cost that comes on top of installation costs. The cost of shielding and installation makes MEG one of the costly approach to imaging. Anyone who has ever been involved with a medical matter that involved the brain will always remember the ordeal due to its nature and cost. The cost of neurological care is high and the employment of costly approaches in spades has a bearing on this cost.In addition, the fact that there is risk of interference by outside forces calls for proper judgement of the environment and continued assessment to ensure accuracy of findings by monitoring interference. Such costs are undesirable in the modern context of healthcare w here cost of provision is high due to the high costs of operations. The brain being the centre of the nervous system engages in nearly all kinds of activities. Being a living organ, the brain metabolism is a variable that must be considered in any approach that seeks to determine the state that a brain is in.No full compendium or imaging of the brain can be done without considering its metabolic activity for it has a bearing on the state that brain is in. MEG employs a system that ensures direct measures of the brain activity and disregards any metabolic activity. This reduces the robustness of information that can be obtained by employment of this approach. Diagnosis of any clinical case and ones that involve the physiology of organs often take on an approach where direct measures and rate of metabolism are all determined and analysed (Barkovich, 2005).This is not the case in the implementation of MEG. MEG is more technical than functional approaches, there is therefore need for n euroscientists and technicians to master the internal workings of the machine that provide them with MEG functionalities. In addition to the cost that maintenance of the system has, it puts pressure on the technicians to learn more on the system and this could temporarily infringe on their performance as professionals. This also puts the assessment and imaging at risk of wrong results due to errors arising from hardware or technological failure.In its common application, MEG is used in association with other functional approaches. This is because of its failure to put into consideration the metabolic aspect on physiological assessment. Direct readings are a result of underlying metabolic activities and an understanding of both leads to development of robust analysis. When implemented with other functional approaches, MEG is employed as a secondary approach that brushes on findings from the functional approaches. Despite all its advantages, MEG cannot be used as a standalone approach to neuroimaging where a complete analysis of a condition is required.This is a disadvantage that reduces its effectiveness in application to medical conditions where there is no need for direct readings. Conclusion MEG has clear advantages and disadvantages. Its advantages provide it with high levels of adaptability, accuracy, precision and reduction of risk. All these are important if it is considered that any blunder in analysing the brain could lead to loss of life. The sensitiveness of the brain calls for approaches that are less(prenominal) risky and accurate.On the contrary, the disadvantages which include high cost of implementation the fact that it cannot be implemented alone and its disregarding brain metabolism have a direct bearing on its advantages. The advantages are realisable but they have to be achieved at a cost which may be high for the ordinary person though a full analysis must often involve functional approaches. Despite this clear reduction in the impact of th e advantages, the inclusion of functional approaches results in a robust analysis and a more serious approach to provision of healthcare services which is worth far much more than the cost involved.

Four Approaches to Information Technology Infrastructure Investment

FOUR APPROACHES TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY bag enthronisation Presented by Kemeasoudei Fanama (u0856287) WHAT IS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY? Information technology is defined as the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer- based information systems, oddly softw atomic number 18 system applications and computer hardw ar. IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer softw ar to convert, store, transmit, process, protect and securely retrieve information. APPROACHES TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY base of operations INVESTMENT 1.Fundamental cash advance The basic tenets of the implicit in(p) climax, which is perhaps most commonly advocated by investment professionals, are as follows There is an inseparable regard as of a security and this depends upon underlying economic (fundamental) factors. The intrinsic value can be established by a penetrating analysis of the fundamental factors relating to the company, industry, and economy. At an y given point of time, in that location are some securities for which the prevailing market price would differ from the intrinsic value.Sooner or later, of course, the market price would downslope in line with the intrinsic value. ? ? ? Superior progenys can be earned by buying under-valued securities (securities whose intrinsic value exceeds the market price) and selling over-valued securities (securities whose intrinsic value is less than the market price). APPROACHES TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT (continued) 2. Psychological Approach The psychological come along is based on the bring in that stock prices are guided by emotion, rather than reason.Stock prices are believed to be influenced by the psychological mood of the investors. When greed and euphory sweep the market, prices rise to dizzy heights. On the other hand, when fear and despair envelop the market, prices fall to awful low levels. Since psychic values appear to be more important than intrin sic values, the psychological approach suggests that it is more profitable to analyse how investors tend to behave as the market is swept by waves of optimism and pessimism which reckon to alternate. The psychological approach has been described vividly as the castles-in-air theory by Burton G.Malkiel. Those who subscribe to the psychological approach or the castles-in-the-air theory generally use some form of technical analysis which is concerned with a study of internal market data, with a view to developing trading rules aimed at profit-making. The basic premise of technical analysis is that there are certain persistent and recurring patterns of price movements, which can be discerned by analysing market data. Technical analysts use a variety of tools like bar chart, point and pick up chart, moving average analysis, breadth of market analysis, etc.APPROACHES TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT (continued) 3. Academic Approach Over the last five decades or so, th e academic community has studied various aspects of the capital market, particularly in the advanced countries, with the help of jolly sophisticated methods of investigation. While there are many heart-to-heart issues and controversies stemming from studies pointing in different directions, there appears to be substantial support for the following tenets. Stock markets are jolly efficient in reacting quickly and rationally to the flow of information.Hence, stock prices reflect intrinsic value fairly well. Put differently Market price = Intrinsic value Stock price conduct corresponds to a random walk. This means that successive price changes are independent. As a result, past price behaviour cannot be used to predict future price behaviour. In the capital market, there is a affirmatory relationship between risk and return. More specifically, the expected return from a security is linearly colligate to its systematic risk. Stock price behaviour corresponds to a random walk. This me ans that successive price changes are independent.As a result, past price behaviour cannot be used to predict future price behaviour. In the capital market, there is a positive relationship between risk and return. More specifically, the expected return from a security is linearly related to its systematic risk APPROACHES TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT (continued) 4. ? Eclectic Approach The eclectic approach draws on all the three different approaches discussed above. The basic expound of the eclectic approach are as follows Fundamental analysis is helpful in establishing basic standards and benchmarks.However, since there are uncertainties associated with fundamental analysis, exclusive reliance on fundamental analysis should be avoided. Equally important, immoderate refinement and complexity in fundamental analysis must be viewed with caution. ? Technical analysis is serviceable in broadly gauging the prevailing mood of investors and the relative strengths of supply and demand forces. However, since the mood of investors can part unpredictably excessive reliance on technical indicators can be hazardous.More important, complicated technical systems should normally be regarded as suspect because they often represent figments of imagination rather than tools of proven usefulness. The market is neither as well ordered as the academic approach suggests, nor as speculative as the psychological approach indicates. While it is characterised by some inefficiencies and imperfections, it seems to react reasonably efficiently and rationally to the flow of information. Likewise, contempt many instances of mispriced securities, there appears to be a fairly strong correlation between risk and return. ? thank YOU

Madame Bovary (Roy’s Analysis)

Genroy Hylton It is in human disposition to indulge in acts that gratify our emotion. Psychologists and evolutionary theologist teach that the heart can convince the brain, provided the inverse is non true for the brain. That means people w consumptive most resemblingly do what makes them encounter good and non what is the best for them. Throughout the novel Madame Bovary the author Gustave Flaubert uses literary devices such as symbolism to pull the idea that pleasure inhibits the progress of human aspiration. The firstly instance of pleasure inhibiting progress is in chapter one.Charles Bovary the main character is doing some intense studying for his medical practice exams. The author states, on page ten, that Monsieur Bovary breaks all good resolutions and starts to go to cafes to play dominoes. The Arthur states that Monsieur Bovary starts to lose his mind over the game. Monsieur Bovary quickly loses his sensible self value, prove by the fact that he starts spending h eretoforeing in a dirty public room. The Arthur further goes to express his low self esteem for Monsieur Bovary at this betoken by metaphorically comparing the game of dominoes to a simple clicking of dotted sheep bones on a marble table.The specific form of pleasure, Monsieur Bovary is acquire from his irresponsible actions, is the same of freedom. Throughout Monsieur Bovarys life he has been subjected to fall out under the authority of his parents. His further always tried to push him to be aggressive, assertive, and strong willed. This can be deduced from the belief the further has, which is with enough nerve a man could always get a head in the world. which can be found on page seven. The farther also attempts to harden his childs constitution, with strict-discipline.This in reality works to further put young Monsieur Bovary into a submissive role. When a child is forced to follow a strict set of rules and is non allowed to challenge the principle but quite obey them wi thout an movework forcet of why he should obey them, the child will make it routine to submit himself to the authority of differents and even repress his get desires. The mother further encourages young Monsieurs to be submissive by forcing her personalized interests on him, such as, rendering and to get wind to her on poor frustrated ambitions.Young Monsieur Bovary does not want to listen to his mothers past sorrows, which he can not help cure, but he is forced to suppress his desires to her high authority. The result of this is that young Monsieur Bovary will not create his avow aspirations and follow the lead of who always is impulsive to lead him, and in this case its his mother. She decides the path that young Bovary should take in medical school, and he obeys without a murmur because of the depression that has manifested between him and that has manifested between him and his mother over quantify.Being deprived of the opportunity to develop his own sense of self for such a long period makes it understandable that Monsieur Charles Bovary would get witchd to the point of ecstasy by his newly found freedom. The experience was so intense for him, the experience of making his own choices, that the author states, Monsieur Bovary would feel a pleasure that was almost sensual just by touching the door knob to a cafe. It is at the cafe that Monsieur Bovary opens himself up to the desires of his heart. He indulges in the freedom that he could not experience in the past because of his parents authority.With his freedom, he ventures to learn a few verses of songs to sing at social events with friends and how to make punch. The simplistic nature of what he can only be appreciated by noting that his true pleasure comes from the fact that he chooses to engage in those activities. No one told him to. It was a choice that he made and he could only blame himself for the consequence of the actions that he has committed. He gained trustfulness in his skill to make choices, good or bad. Just the fact that he has the power to encounter some element of his life gives him a new sense of life.But sadly, energy is neither created nor destroyed it is only transferred from one party to the next. This statement relates Monsieur Bovarys new sense of life in the sense that it does not come without sacrifice and that in shape for him to be able to enjoy it in this life, death must(prenominal) occur in the other. Monsieur Bovary had a very important test that he had to take in order to be able to practice medicine. With the time he should have been using to prepare himself for the test, Monsieur Bovary spent that time enjoying himself at the cafe, doing what was described in the previous paragraph.Instead of using his mind and preparing himself for his exam, he was enslaved by the desires of his heart and enjoyed the pleasures of freedom. When he came to take the test, he found that he completely failed it and could not practice medicine. Not unt il Monsieur Bovary realized the import of the consequence of his indulgence in pleasure, is he able to begin thinking with his mind. Not until he has to await the authority of his life, his parents, does he humble his desires for freedom.After he faces his mother with the news that he failed the medical exam, he begins to reason with himself and studied ceaselessly. He retook the test and past. The second example is Monsieur Bovary getting pleasure from Madame Bovary and it inhibits his ability to book of facts the disrespect she shows toward him. Monsieur Bovary grew up with profound respect for his parents, especially his mother. He obeyed his mother when she told him to marry women much sr. then he was and who was very unattractive, but when he gets in a kindred with Emma Bovary, he starts to cut off his mothers decisions.When the mother came to visit the newly wed couple, young Madame Bovary and she would get into arguments, described in chapter seven page forty. Monsieur Bovary would just watch his wife blatantly disrespect his mother by not humbling herself. He does not even try intercede and correct his wifes behavior, because, as the Arthur states, his pleasure from his wife is boundless. If it still unclear that pleasure is a blinding force, the author states that Emma seemed to his perfect, even idea his perfect Emma dishonors him by not stinting herself when in the presence of his mother.The pleasure that he gets from young Madame Bovary distorts his legitimate to the extent that he begins to disregard the words of his mother because they are contrary to the words of wife instead of the inverse. Entering part then of the book, Madame Bovary becomes attached to the presence of a young man Leon. It is clear that she wanted to have an affair with him. When he leaves Madame Bovary is struck with despair and increases in her hostilities. Madame Bovary is clueless to why she has progressed to such an ill state, and when he tries to console her and find out whats wrong she shrugs and disrespectfully states what of it? He is so enrapture by pleasure that he gets just from having Madame Bovary as his wife that he fears to do anything that might expose their relationship he it slave to his desired, and, because had not conquered his desires, as all adults must, he regresses to child like behavior, evidenced in the text when it states that offer Madame Bovary brushes his sentient behavior away, he shut himself in his consulting room . frame up his elbows on the table and wept. He weeps like a child who does not know what to do and like a child writes a note to his mother.Monsieur Bovary still had problems heeding to any advice his mother would give to him because it all back up the idea that Madame Bovary lays a loaner and monsieur Bovary could not agree to anything that would conflict with the image he has of his wife as perfect. This is farm pleasure is the pleasure of outside acceptance. The term outside acceptance some one ability to be accepted by someone who is not biologically related, and therefore, has to accept them. This form of pleasure is farther enhance by Madame Bovarys beauty. When a man falls to this kind of pleasure his development as a man is inhibited.The third example of pleasure inhibiting progress is Madame Bovary constantly seeks pleasure fro men other the husband. This inhibits her ability to from a health relationship between her husband and her child. Madame Bovary has become foolish because of her pleasures. She married to a husband who is deeply in love with her and is considered to be one of the top physicians. She is willing to risk her relationship by going out with strange men when she knows zip about and can do nothing for her, but see so willingly buy them expensive gifts.Rudolph, one her mistresses, states that most of the gift she gives he does not accept simply because he had no heed. Madame Bovary would continue to push and give gifts to these strange men even t hough they risk driving her and her husbands businesses into dept. Gustave Flaubert is a French novelist. His works consists of psychological analysis, the individual and the society, and realism. Flaubert was natural in December 12, 1821 at a hospital his farther was a physician at. Flaubert has an older associate and a younger sister. They anticipated in a house connected to the hospital.As Flaubert begins his artistic career, he is heavily influenced by a French writer named Honore de Balzec. They both practice aesthetic to bring beauty to their stories. It was also the first book he got published and brought him the attention of the literary world. Flauberts works include A Sentimental rearing (1869), a novel dealing again with the theme of the frustrations of middle-class life and human aspirations and The Temptation of St. Anthony (1874), a series of religious tableaux. In 1877, he published Three Tales, which contains short stories, A Simple Heart, The invention of St.Ju lian the Hospitalier, and Herodias. Flauberts play, The Candidate, failed after a few performances in 1874, and his last novel, Bouvard and Pechuhet, which was unfinished on his death, was published in 1881. Gustaves sister died during childbirth when Flaubert was twenty-four. She left behind her daughter Caroline Hamard, who was raised by Gustave and his mother. His mother would live with him until his fiftieth year. As an adolescent of fifteen, Flaubert fell in love with an older married woman, Elisa Schlesinger, and remembered her ever after as a pure and innocent love.The young man was sent to Paris, France, to study law. He had easy access to prostitutes, and this led to venereal disease from which he never recovered. In 1845 Flaubert had his first blow of temporal-lobe epilepsy. He was crippled by his seizures, which were terrifying for him and reappeared at intervals throughout his life. In 1846 he had to face the deaths of his bewilder and his beloved sister. Flaubert dec ided to quit his legal studies, since any emotional excitement brought on an attack of his epilepsy. He felt he must become an observer of life and not a participant in it, so he devoted himself only to his writing.Gustave Flaubert was crippled by syphilis and his rapidly declining health. Two weeks in the lead his death, he told his niece Caroline, Sometimes I think Im liquefying like an old Camembert. On 8 May, 1880, Flaubert died from brain hemorrhage. full treatment Cited Flaubert, Epilepsy. Famous People Who Suffered from Epilepsy Gustave Flaubert. Flaubert, Epilepsy. Famous People Who Suffered from Epilepsy Gustave Flaubert. N. p. , n. d. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. Flaubert, Gustave, and Claudine Gothot-Mersch. Madame Bovary. Paris Garnier, 1971. Print. World Biography. Gustave Flaubert Biography. N. p. , n. d. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 12~14

Chapter 12THE STUPIDEST ANGELS CHRISTMAS MIRACLESun rarify, Christmas Eve. The pelting was coming down so hard that there didnt appear to be any shoes postween the drops just a w al matchless(prenominal) of weewee, moving almost horizont savey on wind that was gusting to s nonwithstandingty miles per hour. In the forest washstand the Santa Rosa Chapel, the holy man chewed his Snickers and ran a wet choke e actually(prenominal)place the labour tracks at the back of his neck, thinking, I re alto apprehendhery should concur got disco biscuit more particularized directions.He was tempted to go hazard the child again and ask him exactly where Santa Claus was buried. He realized now that somewhere in the woodland behind the church wasnt telling him much. To go back to soak up directions, however, would dilute somewhat the whole miraculousness of the miracle.This was Raziels number 1 Christmas miracle. Hed been passed over for the task for two thousand years, tha t fin anyy his knocked turn bring let on(p)law had set about up. Well, actually, the Arch paragon Michaels turn had come up, and Raziel ended up setting the job by losing in a autod game. Michael had bet the planet Venus against his assigned task of do the Christmas miracle this year. Venus Although he wasnt really sure what he would behave d wiz with Venus had he won it, Raziel knew he needed the number planet, if for no former(a) reason than that it was large and shiny.He didnt the ilks of the whole abstract quality of the Christmas miracle mission. Go to Earth, find a child who has make a Christmas wish that plunder only be granted by ecclesiastic intervention, accordingly(prenominal) you exit be granted powers to grant that wish. There were three parts. Shouldnt the job be minded(p) to three angels? Shouldnt there be a supervisor? Raziel wished he could trade this in for the destruction of a city. That was so simple. You found the city, you killed all the mess , you leveled all the buildings, even if you totally screwed it up you could track down the survivors in the hills and kill them with a s rule book, which, in truth, Raziel kind of enjoyed. Unless, of course, you destroyed the wrong city, and hed only d wholeness that what? Twice? Cities in those days werent that salient, anyway. Enough people to fill a couple of good-size Wal-Marts, tops. Now theres a mission, thought the angel Raziel Go ahead into the land and lay waste unto two good-size Wal-Marts, slay until blood doth flow from all bargains and all the buildings are but rubble and pick up a fewerer Snickers bars for yourself.A tree waving in the wind nearby snapped with the report of a cannon, and the angel came out of his fantasy. He needed to get this miracle done and be gone. Through the precipitate he could notice that people were starting line to arrive at the teentsy church, fighting their way by means of the wind and the rain, the lights in the windows flicke ring even as the party was starting. There was no going back, the angel thought. He would just have to portion out flight it (which, con positioningring he was an angel, he really should have been give way at).He raised his arms to his sides and his black sur aspect streamed out behind him on the wind, revealing the tips of his wings folded underneath. In his best pronouncement voice, he called out the spell.Let he who lies here dead arise He sort of did a overtake exercise to cover pretty much the general area. Let he who does non live, live again. Arise from your heavy(a) this Christmas and live Raziel opineed at the half-ea ex Snickers he was holding and realized that maybe he should be more specific intimately what was supposed to happen. Come forth from the grave Celebrate FeastNo amour. Nothing whatsoever happened.There, utter the angel to himself. He popped the last of the Snickers bar into his mouth and wiped his hands on his coat. The rain had subsided for a cat ch and he could see a ways into the woods. Nothing was happening.I mean it he verbalise in his big scary angel voice.Not a damn thing. Wet pine needles, some wind, trees spruce back and forth, rain. No miracle.Behold verbalize the angel. For I am really not kidding.A groovy gust of wind came up at that second and another nearby pine snapped and fell, missing the angel by only a few feet.There. Its just going to take a modest while.He walked out of the woods and down Worchester Street into town.Wow, Im famished all of a sudden, express Marty in the Morning, all dead, all the time.I have a go at it, said Bess Leander, poisoned yet perky. I feel really strange. Hungry, and something else. Ive never felt this before.Oh, my dear, said Esther, the schoolteacher, I can suddenly think of nothing but brains.How bout you, kid? asked Marty in the Morning. You thinking about brains?Yeah, said Jimmy Antalvo. I could eat.For Luck, There Is No Chapter 13.JUST THIS CHRISTMAS PHOTO ALBUMSome times, if you look tight at family snapshots, you can see in the darings of the children, portents of the adults they lead become. In the adults, you can sometimes see the face behind the face. Not always, but sometimesTucker teddy In this shot we see a well-to-do California family posed in front of their lakeshore estate in Elsinore, California. (Its an eight-by-ten color glossy, impress with the trademark of a professional photographers studio.)They are all tanned and healthy- tone. Tucker Case is perhaps ten years old, dressed in a little genetic mutation coat with a yachting ensign on the breast pocket and little tasseled loafers. He is standing in front of his mother, who has the corresponding blond hair and b office blue eyeball, the same smile that looks not as if she is presenting her dental work, but as if she is just seconds from bursting out laughing. Three generations of Cases brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and cousins look perfectly coiffed, pressed, w ashed, and shined. All are smiling, except for one little girl down front, who has an expression of abject horror on her face.A closer look reveals the back of her cherry Christmas dress is tossed up to one side, and snaking in from the side, from under his little blue sport coat, is the hand of young Tuck, who has just stolen an incestuous squeeze of his cousin Janeys eleven-year-old bottom.What is telling about this picture is not the surreptitious booty grope, but the motive, because here Tucker Case is at an age where he is much more interested in blowing stuff up than he is in sex, yet he is precociously cognizant of just how much his advances volition freak his cousin out. This is his raison dtre. It should be noted that Janey Case-Robbins will go on to distinguish herself as a successful litigator and advocate for womens rights, while Tucker Case will go on to be a serially heartbroken horn get over with a fruit bat.Lena Marquez The shot is taken in someones backyard on a sunny day. There are children all roughly and its obvious that a big party is going on.Shes six, wearing a fluffy criticise dress and patent-leather shoes. She couldnt be any cuter, with her long black hair tied up into ponytails with red ribbons and flight of steps out behind her similar silk comet tails as she pursues the piata. Shes blindfolded, and her mouth is wide open, letting forth a burst of that high, little-girl laugh that sounds like joy itself, because shes just make solid contact with the drum and shes sure that she has released candy, and toys, and noisemakers for all the children. What she has, in fact, done, has solidly smacked her uncle Octavio in the cojones.Uncle Octavio is caught in a magic moment of transition, his face changing from joy to surprise to pain, all at once. Lena is silence adorable and sweet and unsullied by the disaster she has wrought. Feliz NavidadMolly Michon Its Christmas morning, post-present-opening storm. Tissue paper and ribbon are s trewn well-nigh the floor, and off to one side you can see a coffee table, and on it an ashtray the size of a hubcap overflowing with butts, and an empty bottle of Jim Beam. Front and center is six-year-old Molly Achevski (she would change her last name to Michon at nineteen on the advice of an element because it sounds copulate French, people love that). Molly is wearing a red sequined ballerina outfit, red galoshes that hit her bare legs about midcalf, and a giant, cheeky grin with a hole in the bosom where her front teeth used to be. She has one foot propped up on a large Tonka decorate truck as if she has just conquered it in a grudge match, and her younger brother Mike, four, is trying to prod the truck out from under her. Tears are streaming down his cheeks. Mollys other brother, Tony, five, is looking up to his sister like she is the princess of all things good. She has already poured him a bowl of Lucky Charms this morning, as she does for some(prenominal) her brother s any morning.In the background, we see a woman in a bathrobe lying on the couch, one hand hanging to the floor holding a cigarette that has burned itself out hours before. The sil very(prenominal) ash has leftfield(p) a streak on the carpet.No one has any idea who similarlyk this picture.Dale Pearson This one was taken only a few years ago, when Dale was still married to Lena. Its the Caribou Lodge Christmas party, and Dale is, once again, dressed as Santa, sitting on a makeshift throne. He is surrounded by drunken revelers, all laughing, all holding the various joke gifts that Dale has passed out to them earlier that night. Dale is brandishing his own present, a fourteen-inch-long rubber penis, as big around as a soup can. Hes waving it at Lena with a leer, and she, dressed in a black cocktail dress and a single string of pearls, looks quite horrified at what hes reflection, which is Well contrive this varlet to good use later tonight, huh, baby?The irony of it is that late r that night, he will don one of his vintage German SS uniforms everything but the jodhpurs, anyway and what he asks Lena to do with his new present is exactly what she told him he could do with it at the party. She will never know if it was she who gave him the idea, but it will be a milepost in her move toward divorce proceedings.Theophilus Crowe At thirteen, Theo Crowe is already six feet four inches tall, and weighs a little over a hundred pounds. It is a classic scene of the three kings following the star. The seventh-grade music class is performing Amahl and the Night Visitors. Originally cast as one of the three kings, Theo is now dressed as a camel. His ears are the only parts of his body that are in proportion, and he looks very much like a camel fashioned out of wire by Salvador Dal. His chance to play Balthazar, the Ethiopian king, was lost when he announced that the Magi had arrived bearing gold, Frankenstein, and myrrh. Later, he, the two other camels, and a sheep will be suspended for smoking the myrrh. (They would have never been caught had the sheep not suggested that they play a quick game of Kill the Man with the Baby messiah out behind the theater. Evidently the myrrh was prime smokage.)Gabe Fenton This one was taken just last year, at the lighthouse where Gabe has his cabin. You can see the lighthouse in the background, and wind winded whitecaps out to sea. You can tell its a windy day because the Santa hat that Gabe is wearing is streaming out to the side, and hes holding the reindeer antlers on Skinners head. Crouched contiguous to them, in a thousand-dollar St. John knit, red and cut in the style of a Napoleonic soldier, with brass instrument buttons and gold braid on the shoulders, is Dr. Valerie Riordan. Her auburn hair is styled to curl behind her ears and accentuate her diamond halo earrings. Shes done up in Headline News Prompter Puppet makeup, as if her face has been whole sanded off, and then painted back on by a crack team of special-effects people brighter, better, alacritous than a real human face. Shes trying, really trying, to smile for the camera. She is holding her hair in one hand, and appears to be petting Skinner, but is, upon closer examination, holding him at bay. A racing stripe across the human knee of her nylons betrays an earlier attempt by Skinner to share a holiday leg come with the Food Guys female.Gabe is scruffy in khakis and hiking boots. Theres a fine coating of sand on his pants and boots from where he was sitting astride elephant seals that morning, gluing satellite-tracking devices on their backs. He has a great, hopeful smile, and not a clue that anything cleverness be wrong with this picture.Roberto T. Fruitbat This picture was taken on the island of Guam, Robertos birthplace. There are wield trees in the foreground. You can tell hes just a young fellow, because he has not yet acquired a pair of Ray-Bans, nor a master to bring him mangoes on demand. Hes curled u p in a Christmas wreath made from palm fronds and decorated with little papayas and red palm nuts. He is licking papaya pulp from his little pooch face. The children who found him in the wreath that Christmas morning are posed on either side of the inlet where the wreath hangs. They are both girls, and have the long curly brown hair of their Chamorro mother, the green eyes of their Irish-Catholic father, who is an American airman. Father is taking the picture. The girls are in bright, floral mission dresses with puffy sleeves.Later, after church, they will try to coax Roberto into a box so they can later cook him and serve him with saimen noodles. Although he escapes, the incident traumatizes the young bat and he does not speak for years.Chapter 14THE CAMARADERIE OF THE LONESOME CHRISTMASTheo wore his atomic number 29 shirt to the Lonesome Christmas party. Not because he didnt have anything else to wear, because there were still two clean flannels and a Phish sweatshirt in the Vo lvo that hed snagged from the cabin, but because with the storm pounding the stuffing out of Pine Cove, he felt as if he should be doing cop stuff. His cop shirt had epaulets on the shoulders (that are used for, uh, holding your paulets no for keeping your hat under for your parrot to stand on no) that looked cool and military, plus it had a little slot in the pocket where he could pin his badge and another one where he could produce a pen, which could be really handy in a storm in case you treasured to take notes or something, like 7 p.m, Still Really Fucking WindyWow, its really fucking windy, Theo said. It was 7 p.m.Theo stood in the corner of the main room of the Santa Rosa Chapel attached to Gabe Fenton, who was wearing one of his science shirts a khaki canvas utility shirt with many pockets, slots, buttons, pouches, epaulets, zippers, Velcro loops, snaps, and vents, so you could hopelessly lose everything you owned in it and essentially sand your nipples off wh ile patting the pockets and saying, I know I had it here somewhere.Yep, Gabe said. It was gusting to a hundred and twenty when I left the lighthouseYoure kidding A hundred and twenty miles per hour? Were all going to die, Theo said, feeling suddenly better.Kilometers per hour, Gabe said. Stand in front of me. Shes looking. He snagged Theo by the epaulet (aha) and clouted him around to block the view from the other side of the room. Across the open hardwood floor, Valerie Riordan, in wood coal Armani over red Ferragamos, was sipping a cranberry and soda from a plastic cup.Whys she here? Gabe whispered. Didnt she get a better offer from some country club or some business guy or something? Gabe said the word business like it was a putrid taste that he needed to spit out before it sickened him, which was exactly how he meant it. Although Gabe did not live in an ivory tower, he did live next to one, and it gave him a skewed perspective on commerce.Your eye is twingeing really badly, Gabe Are you okay?I think its conditioning from the electrodes. She looks so great, dont you think?Theo looked over at Gabes ex-girlfriend, considered the heels, the stockings, the makeup, the hair, the lines of her suit, her nose, her hips, and felt like he was looking at a sports car that he could not afford, would not know how to drive, and he could only anticipate himself entangled in the wreckage of, wrapped around a telephone pole.Her lipstick matches her shoes, Theo said, by way of not really answering his friend. That sort of thing didnt happen in Pine Cove. Well, Molly did have some black lipstick that matched a pair of black boots she had, which she wore with nothing else, but he really didnt indispensability to think about that. In fact, this moment would only have any meaning at all when he shared it with Molly, which he realized he wasnt going to be doing, which made him jealous of Gabes twitch for a second.The double doors to the chapel opened, and wind whipped throu gh the room, rattling the few strands of crepe paper that still clung to the wall to this point and knocking a couple of ornaments off the giant Christmas tree. Tucker Case came in, his gun jacket dripping, a little furry face sticking out through the V in the zipper in the front.No dogs, said Mavis Sand, who was fighting to get the doors shut. Weve just let kids come the last couple of years, and Im not happy about it.Tuck grabbed the other door and pulled it shut, then reached over Mavis and caught the door she was battling. Hes not a dog.Mavis turned around and looked right into the face of Roberto, who made a little barking sound. Thats a dog. Not much of a goddamn dog, Ill give you that, but a dog. And hes wearing sunglasses.So?Its dark, moron. Get rid of the dog.Hes not a dog, Tuck said, and to illustrate his point, he unzipped his jacket, took Roberto by the feet, and flung him at the ceiling. The bat yelped, opened his leathery wings, and flew to the top of the Christmas tr ee, where he caught the star, swung halfway around, and settled, upside down, hanging there above the room, looking, despite his cheery nature and hot pick apart sunglasses, a little creepy.Everyone in the place, cardinal or so people, stopped whatever they were doing and looked. Lena Marquez, who had been cutting lasagna into squares over at the buffet table, looked up, made brief eye contact with Tuck, then looked away. Except for the boom box playing reggae Christmas carols and the wind and rain thrashing outside, there was not a sound.What? Tuck said to everyone and no one in particular. You people act like youve never seen a bat before.Looked like a dog, Mavis said from behind him.You dont have a no-bat policy, then? Tuck said, not turning around.Dont think so. You got a great ass, flyboy, you know that?Yeah, its a curse, Tuck said. He eyed the ceiling for any mistletoe he might get trapped under, spotted Theo and Gabe, then made a beeline for the corner where they were hidin g.Oh my God, said Tuck as he was approaching. Did you guys see Lena? Shes so hot. Dont you think shes hot? I miss her.Oh God, not you, too, Theo said.That Santa hat, it does something to me.That a Pteropus tokudae? asked Gabe, peeking out quickly from behind Theo and nodding toward the Christmas tree with the bat.No, thats Roberto. Why are you hiding behind the police constable?My ex is here.Tuck looked over. The redhead in the suit?Gabe nodded.Tuck looked at him, back at Val Riordan, who was now chatting with Lena Marquez, then again at Gabe. Whoa, you were really crawling out of your gene pool, huh? Let me shake your hand. He reached around Theo, offering his hand to the biologist.We dont like you, you know? Theo said.Really? Tuck took his hand back. He looked around Theo at Gabe. Really?Youre okay, said Gabe. Hes just cranky.I am not cranky, Theo said, but, in fact, he was a little cranky. A little sad. A little stoned. A little out of sorts that this storm hadnt just blown over like hed hoped, and a little excited that it might actually turn into a disaster. Secretly, Theophilus Crowe love a disaster.Understandable, Tuck said, squeezing Theos shoulder. Your wife was a biscuit.Is a biscuit, corrected Theo, but then, HeyNo, its okay, Tuck said. You were a lucky man.Gabe Fenton reached up and squeezed Theos other shoulder. Its true, Gabe said. When Molly isnt completely off her rocker, she is a biscuit. Actually, even when she is Would you guys quit barter my wife a biscuit I dont even know what that means.Something we say in the islands, Tuck said. What Im saying is, youve got nothing to be ashamed of. You guys had a good run. You cant expect her to lose her sense of judgment forever. You know, Theo, every now and then Eraserhead will hook up with Tinker Bell, or Sling Blade Carl will marry Lara Croft that sort of thing gives us hope but you cant count on it. You cant bet that way. Why, guys like us would always be alone if some women didnt have a d eep- bathroomed streak of self-destruction, isnt that right, professor?Truth, said Gabe. He made a sort of swear-on-the-Bible gesture. Theo glared at him.Eventually a woman will wise up, Tuck continued.Shes just gone off her meds.Whatever, Tuck said. Im just saying that its Christmas and you should be welcome that you were ever able to fool someone into loving you in the first place.Im calling her, Theo said. He pulled his kiosk phone from the pocket of his cop shirt and keyed the button for his home number.Is Val wearing the pearl earrings? Gabe asked. I bought her those.Diamonds studs, said Tuck, checking over his shoulder.Dammit.Look at Lena in that Santa hat. That woman has a talent with tinsel, if you know what I mean?No idea, said Gabe.Me either. It just sounded kinky, said Tuck.Theo snapped the cell phone shut. I hate both you guys.Do not, said Tuck.No service? asked Gabe.Im going to see if the law of nature radio in my car is working.Rain was pooling in the graveyard beh ind the chapel as the dead pulled one another from the muck.This looked easier in the movies, said Jimmy Antalvo, who was waist-deep in a puddle and existence pulled out by Marty in the Morning and the new guy in the red suit. Jimmys words were a little slurred and slurpy, mingled with the grind to a halt and a facial structure that was mostly morticians wax and wire. I thought Id never get out of that coffin.Kid, youre better off than a couple weve pulled out, said Marty in the Morning. He nodded to a very feeble and mostly decomposed pile of animated meat that had at one time been an electrician. The mushy thing made a moaning sound.Whos that? asked Jimmy. The torrential rain had washed the mud out of his eyes.Thats Alvin, said Marty. All we can understand from him.I used to talk to him all the time, said Jimmy.Its different now, said the guy in the red suit. Now youre really talking, not just thinking it. His talking equipment is past warranty.Marty, who had been portly in lif e but had slimmed down significantly since his death, bent down and got a good grip on Jimmys arm, bending the elbow around his own, then made a great straining lift to pull the kid out. There was a earsplitting pop and Marty went over backward into the mud. Jimmy Antalvo was waving around an empty leather jacket sleeve and yelling, My arm My armJeez, they should have sewn that on better, said Marty, holding the arm in the air, even as the hand appeared to be doing a very jerky version of a parade wave.This whole undead rigmarole is disgusting, said Esther, the schoolteacher, who was standing to the side with a few others who had already been dug up. Water was pouring off the shreds of her best church dress, which had been reduced by time to calico tatters. Ill not have anything to do with it.So youre not hungry? said the new guy, unsporting rainwater streaming out of his Santa beard. Hed been the first one out, since he hadnt had to escape a coffin.Fine, once we get the kid out well just push you back down your hole.Im not saying that, said Esther. I would enjoy a snack. Something light. Mavis Sand, maybe. That woman cant have enough brains to spread on a cracker. so shut up and help us get everyone out.Nearby, Malcolm Cowley was staring disapprovingly at one of the less articulate members of the undead who had been pulled from his grave and was showing lots of bare bone between the meat. The dead book monger was wringing out his tweed jacket and shaking his head at every comment. Suddenly we are all gluttons, are we? Well, I have always enjoyed Danish Modern furniture for its functional yet elegant design, so once we have consumed the brains of these revelers, I feel compelled to seek out one of these furniture boutiques I have heard so much about from newlyweds in the chapel. number 1 we feast, then IKEA.IKEA, chanted the dead. First we feast, then IKEA. First we feast, then IKEA.Can I eat the constables wifes brain? asked Arthur Tannbeau. She sounds like shell be down(p) Get everyone out of the ground, then we eat, said the new guy, who was used to telling people what to do.Who died and made you gaffer? asked Bess Leander.All of you, answered Dale Pearson.The man has a point, said Marty in the Morning.I think while you boys finish up here, Ill have a stroll around the parking lot. Oh my, I dont seem to be walking very well, said Esther, dragging one foot behind her and plowing a furrow in the mud as she moved. But IKEA does sound like a delightful after-supper adventure.No one knows why, but second only to eating the brains of the living, the dead love affordable prefab furniture.Across the parking lot, Theophilus Crowe was busy having the water in his ears replaced with dog spit.Get down, Skinner. Theo pushed the big dog away and keyed the mike on the police radio. He had been adjusting the squelch and the gain, and getting little more than distant disembodied voices, just a word here or there in the static. The rain on th e car was so loud that Theo put his head down by the dash to better hear the little speaker, and Skinner, of course, took this as an invitation to lick more rain out of Theos ears.Ack Skinner. Theo grabbed the dog muzzle and steered it between the seats. It wasnt the dampness, or even the dog breath, which was considerable, it was the noise. It was just too loud. Theo dug into the console between the seats and found half a Slim Jim in a folded over wrapper. Skinner inhaled the tiny meat stick and savored the greasy goodness by smacking his chops right next to Theos ear.Theo snapped the radio off. One of the problems with living in Pine Cove, with the ubiquitous Monterey pines, was that after a few years the Christmas trees stopped looking like Christmas trees and started looking like giant upturned dust mops, a great sail of needles and cones at the top of a long, slender trunk and a pancake sink system a tree especially adapted to fall over in high wind. So when El Nio cruised up the coast and storms like this came in, first cell and cable TV repeater stations lost power, soon the town lost its main power, and finally, phone lines would go down, in effect cutting all communications. Theo had seen it before, and he didnt like what it portended. Cypress Street would be underwater before while away and people would be kayaking through the real-estate offices and art galleries by noon.Something hit the car. Theo turned on the headlights, but the rain was coming down so hard and the windows were so fogged with dog breath that he could see nothing. He assumed it was a small tree branch. Skinner barked, deafeningly loud in the enclosed space.He could go patrolling downtown, but with Mavis having closed the Slug for Christmas Eve, he couldnt imagine why anyone would be down there. Go home? Check on Molly? Actually, she was better equipped with her little four-wheel-drive Honda to drive in this mess, and she was smart enough to stay home in the first place. He wa s trying not to take it personally that she hadnt come to the party. Trying not to take to heart the pilots words about not being worthy of a woman like her.He looked down, and there, cradled in bubble wrap in the console, was the art-glass bong. Theo picked it up, looked it over, then pulled a film can of sticky green buds from his cop-shirt pocket and began loading the pipe.Theo was briefly blinded by the spark of the disposable lighter, at the same time as something scraped against the car. Skinner jumped over into the front seat and barked at the window, his hefty tail beating against Theos face.Down, boy. Down, Theo said, but the big dog was now digging at the vinyl panel on the door. Knowing that it meant that hed have to deal with a lot of wet dog later, but feeling that he really needed to get a buzz on in peace, Theo reached over and threw open the passenger door. Skinner bounded out the door. The wind slammed it behind him.There was a commotion outside, but Theo could see nothing, and he figured that Skinner was just frisking in the mud. The constable lit the bong and lost himself in the scuba bubbles of sweet comforting smoke.Outside the car, not ten feet away, Skinner was gleefully tearing the head off an undead schoolteacher. Her arms and legs were flailing and her mouth was moving, but the retriever had already bitten through the better part of her decayed throat and was shaking her head back and forth in his jaws. A skilled lip-reader would have been able to tell you that Esther was saying I was only going to eat a little of his brain. This is entirely uncalled for, young man.I am so going to get bad-dogged for this, Skinner thought.Theo stepped out of the car into an ankle-deep puddle. Despite the cold, the wind, the rain, and the mud that had squished over the edge of his hiking boots, Theo sighed, for he was sorely, wistfully stoned, and slipping into that halcyon place where everything, including the rain, was his fault and hed just have to live with it. Not a maudlin self-pity that might have come from Irish whiskey, nor an angry tequila blame, nor a jittery speed paranoia, just a little distress self-loathing and the realization of what a total loser he was. Skinner. Get over here. Come on,boy, back in the car.Theo could barely see Skinner, but the big dog was on his back rolling in something that looked like a pile of wet, muddy laundry sort of snaking back and forth with his mouth open and his pink tongue whipping around in ecstatic dogasm.Probably a dead raccoon, Theo thought, trying to instant some rain out of his eyes. Ive never been that happy. I will never be that happy.He left the dog to his joy and slogged back into the Lonesome Christmas. He thought he felt a hand across his neck as he wrestled his way through the double doors, then a loud moan when the doors slammed shut, but it was probably just the wind. It didnt feel like the wind. Had to be the wind.