Monday, September 30, 2019

How to flunk college

Procrastination is a perfect way to flunk out of college. We all have those friends who like to brag about great they are in college. Those people really bother me. And it is because I can never get anything done. It takes me a long time to accomplish the simplest tasks. I pride myself in being a grade A procrastinator. Because of a room being messy, daydreaming, and interacting with people through social media will help anyone perfect the art of wasting time and procrastination. I am not a very messy person, but I do not usually keep my room clean 100 percent of the time either. Many times I have opted to put away my clothes, clean out my binder, make my lunch for the next day, and take a shower after school before I get to my homework. Doing all these activities takes a while, and I usually end up doing all of them on nights when I have a lot of homework, or if I have a test the next day. Any type of cleaning or household chore would work though, such as scrubbing the shower, vacuuming, or dusting. Thus, lesson number one: placing all other activities in front of school work will kill your chances of work being completed. Another excellent way to waste time is to daydream. I can sit for an hour or more before I realize that I should be doing something else. I usually think about something that happened that day, and then imagine another positive ending. Or I will think about another football game, and think about what will happen when the game starts. Sometimes I look out the window and look at all the leaves, plants, or even the grass in my backyard. This is a great procrastination method when especially when all you can think about is something else. Lesson number two: pondering on other things will not get my work done. The best way to procrastinate is interacting with other people through social media. Everyone does it, and there is no denying that Facebook and Twitter have caused more than there fair share of failures. I am no exception. I will get on my phone all day knowing I have work to do, yet in the morning I will ask myself why. Here I am rite now, a casualty of social media, typing up this essay for you at the very last minute. Finally, lesson number three: social media is the prime way to ensure that I will flunk college. There is no denying a messy room, daydreaming, and social media can ruin a college career. If we continue to do these things, then it will almost ensue that we will not be coming back for another semester of education.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

How foragers and horticulturalists allocate land and labor Essay

Let’s start with a basic question whose answer may come as a surprise. What is culture and when did it begin? Culture is the multi-generational hard-drive of memory, change, and innovation. Culture transforms a record of the past into a prediction of the future; it transforms memory into tradition—into rules of how to proceed. And culture is profoundly social. It exists not just in one mind, but binds together mobs of minds in a common enterprise. When did culture first appear in this 13.7 billion-year-old universe? The answers are surprising. Most evolutionary experts say that human culture kicked off 45,000 to 35,000 years ago. Paleontologists studying pre-historic Europe call this period The Cultural Explosion. 45,000 to 35,000 years ago, men and women began to perforate, grind, polish, and drill bone, ivory, antler, shell and stone into harpoons, fish hooks, buttons, ornaments, sewing needles, and awls. Frosting the cake, humans invented musical instruments, calendars marked on pieces of antler, and paintings on the walls of caves. Then there’s the un-standard answer about culture’s beginnings, a rebel timeline of human culture that a relatively new pale anthropological school is fighting for. This new scientific movement has made its digs in Africa, not Europe, and has come up with radically different dates. Culture, says this upstart school, started approximately 280,000 years ago when humans invented the makeup industry, then followed that up with the invention of jewelry, beads, and trade. Culture is transmitted from one generation to generation and is learned mainly in childhood and during maturation. We learn not only our behavior but also our attitudes and values. The ability to acquire culture in this way makes humans highly adaptable to different cultural environments. We has humans are born with potential to learn whatever knowledge and skills are practices in are communities. When did another ingredient of culture— social memory, a memory that gives a foundation of knowledge, perception, and direction to an entire society—first arise? A firm answer is more elusive than you might think. Why? For the first 300,000 years after the Big Bang, the cosmos was host to a massive social dance. Particle gangs moved at super speed, colliding with each other like bullets smashing head to head, then bouncing away with ferocious velocity. Astonishingly, the particles involved—particularly the protons—came out of each crash with all their mass and form intact. Was this act of identity-retention a primitive form of memory? Was it tradition arisen before its time? The study examines decision of middle class of U.S. and highland Mayan parents regarding sleeping arrangements during the first two years the infants sleep with their mother up until there a toddler. But in the U.S. infants only sleep in the bed with their mother every now and then. This is how Mayan explains the closeness of their infants. When we put infant in a room by themselves then this making them impendent to be able to sleep on there on. Mayan families use there bedtimes as a routines and objects to facilitate transition to sleep. Rites of passage are a category of rituals that mark the passage of a person through the life cycle, from one stage to another over time, from one role or social position to another, integrating the human and cultural experiences with biological destiny: birth, reproduction, and death. These ceremonies make the basic distinctions, observed in all groups, between young and old, male and female, living and dead. The interplay of biology and culture is at the heart of all rites of passage, and the struggle between these two spheres asserts the essential paradox of our mortal heritage. As humans, we dwell in an equivocal world, for we belong to both nature and Reference page Cultural Anthropology (Bonvillain) Cultural Variation in Infants’ sleeping Arrangements Development Psychology 1992 Vol 4 604-613

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Case Study of Personality Theories Essay Example for Free

Case Study of Personality Theories Essay Abdul Hnnan a 12 year old boy, who has been presented with language, academic and behavior difficulties. Hnnan had a traumatic delivery and suffered from hypoxia. Hnnan’s early motor and language milestones were grossly delayed. He sat and crawled at 2.6 years of age and walked after 3 years. His language was delayed and he spoke his first words at 4.6 years to 5 years and in sentences after 5 years. His speech was unclear and could be understood by his parents at age 6 years. However, even now outsiders understood 75% of what he said. His gross motor skills and fine motor skills were poor. He started climbing stairs at 4 to 5 years and started pedaling at 5 years. He still could not pedal a bicycle, tie his shoelaces and button his shirt. Hnnan was a placid baby who did not respond, had no eye contact and had a squint. He slept for long hours and had to be force-fed. He was hyperactive, destructive and aggressive after 3 years. He banged his head. He disliked visitors and could get very distressed. He hated any object in the house being displaced and insisted on having everything in order. He was very difficult to manage. He liked to spin around and jump. At the age of 4 to 5 years, he started noticing other children and started taking interest in them. He became less hyperactive, less aggressive and was more amenable to instructions. However, presently he was still restless and jumped a lot. He could still spin around for hours. He liked being on his own but also could be talkative, over friendly and odd. He repeatedly asked the same questions and was naive. For example, during the interview he repeatedly asked â€Å"Can a cow hurt or not? What if I play with it, will it hurt me or not?† He had writing problems because of his hand tremors. He was always restless and distractible and could not sit for more than a few minutes. His memory was very good but his understanding was weak. His mother has to sit with him for hours to teach him language and concepts. He has difficulty with understanding complex or abstract concepts. He did not have problems in social interaction but had difficulties in social communication and imaginative and flexible thinking. Difficulties with self control is presenting as restlessness, inability to follow adult agenda and paying attention to other people, to what they might be saying, thinking or feeling. Abdul Hnnan was born in Lahore, Pakistan by Pakistani parents. He was the first child in the family. His mother, Wajiha, had a positive family history. One of her cousins was mentally retarded. Hnnan was born at term. His mother had high blood pressure. The labour was prolonged, 11 hours and a caesarean was suggested but refused. He was born limp and blue. He had hypoxia. He was in NICU for 5 days. His birth weight was 2.54 kilos. He cried well after 15 days of life. Hnnan’s early motor and language milestones were grossly delayed. He started noticing children at 4 or 5 years and started taking interest in them. Hnnan’s younger sister, Amen, 3 years of age was very sociable and talkative. Hnnan’s father was more patient and his mother more irritable. Hnnan was very difficult till age 6 years and was aggressive, non-compliant and unreasonably demanding. As he grew older he became more co-operative and could be rationalized with. Whenever his mother asked him to do something he ignored 5 to 6 times. After that he started to argue. His mother used reprimands, bribes, threats and force to make him do things. Hnnan did not go to school. The family moved to Saudi Arabia when he was 7 years old. His parents took him to a Neuro-Developmental Pediatrician when he was 9 years old. His mother reported that he did not like to play with toys. All he did was jump on a bed or spin around. He was very restless and distracted and had a short attention span. He could be very stubborn and insisted on doing things his way. He was generally cheerful and friendly. He repeatedly asked the same questions and insisted that his parents answer them in the same way or he answered them himself. He watched the same cartoons repeatedly. He constantly jumped or spun around. He used to grab things from strangers. He ignored a child crying till age 5 years but after that he gradually became more empathetic. Hnnan avoided staying in crowds as he knew that he was different from others and that’s why people were laughing at him. After that his condition got better. Following difficulties may become apparent in early childhood: Problems performing subtle movements, such as tying shoelaces, doing up buttons and zip, using cutlery, handwriting. Many will have difficulties getting dressed. They have problems carrying out playground movements, such as jumping, playing hopscotch, catching a ball, kicking a ball, hopping and skipping. They have a higher tendency to bump into things, to fall over and to drop things. Some find it hard to go up and down stairs. Some have problems with using scissors, coloring, drawing, playing jigsaw games. Case Study of Personality Theories. (2016, Dec 07). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Friday, September 27, 2019

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

Strategic Warehouse Management - Assignment Example It can assist in an entity monitor and keep track of the quantity of finished goods, raw materials and work in process the company the firm holds at hand. To make a decision on stock purchase, production schedule and allocation for warehousing needs the management would require information in the inventory control system. For small business, inventory control system through warehousing can be an efficient channel to keep cost low and efficiently deliver products that meet customer demand. For business involved export and importation warehousing helps in keeping track of the finished goods, which the shipping department uses to control and store products. It is through warehousing and inventory control system that a firm can ship products to its clients efficiently and in a timely way. Business incurs cost in delivery of goods associated with inputs and output. Every business will always aim to cut cost. Warehousing system, therefore, help control cost by controlling the amount of materials the business must keep on hand. Specific requirement are mandatory in designing the warehouse. Considering the fact that it’s a multipurpose store, the designer should be keen on ensuring warehouse space functionality and efficiency and at the same time ensuring safety and comfort-ability of the environment for the employees. Warehouse enhances productivity and control, reduce operating costs, and enhance customer service. The design should also be one that maintain a corporate image and provide for worker satisfaction. The physical aspect in terms of image and esthetics, landscaping and worker safety and comfort, are also very important consideration. First and foremost the design for the warehouse the design be based on the current and future needs of the firm. The design should be able to facilitate changes in business or agency growth, and size of staff of officers required to

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Israel and the Teva Company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Israel and the Teva Company - Assignment Example Israel played a supportive role in Teva development. The government of Israel invested heavily in the education system. Therefore, over the years, I think that the country was able to equip its population with high technical skills which enabled them to work in different manufacturing companies. As a result, the company had qualified personnel at its disposal. These were people who had the necessary skills to steer growth and development of the company. In addition, the employees were well versed in different aspects that they need to consider in order for the business to penetrate the global market. Therefore, through little training by the US professors especially on the American culture, they were able to use the business models that were taught in school in order to penetrate the US market. Israel played a comforting role towards the growth of Teva Company. Although the expansion of any company in the overseas market is important in order to reduce the risks and uncertainties ass ociated with concentrating on a single market, every company must dominate a specific market before trying to capture other markets. Personally, I believe that Teva was able to gain comfort after segmenting the local market. The country gave support to the company’s products through ensuring that many of the prescribed drugs came from the company. The company received numerous contracts with government hospitals. This gave the firm confidence to explore the external market as it was assured of local support.

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

International Business - Essay Example Pepsi-Co manufactures and sells a large variety of grain -based snacks, sweets, beverages, convenient food items. Pepsi-Co is trying to reduce the negative environmental impacts by taking optimal decisions in the scientific packaging, water, energy initiatives. From the fourth quadrants of 2007, Pepsi-Co announced a new organizational structure which is implemented in 2008. The three businesses have been added in the changed organization structure. 1. PAF- Pepsi-Co American Food including FLNA, LATIN AMERICAN SNACK BUSINSS called LAF, QFNA and also including their Gamesa business in Mexico. 2. Pepsi Co American Beverages (PAB) includes PBNA and also the others Latin American beverages. 3. Pepsi Co international which also includes the other PepsiCo business in Middle East and Africa, UK and Asia. In the first quarter of 2008, six segments were followed for 3 businesses. FLNA LAF QFNA PAB Middle East, Asia, Africa. UK & Europe. The scope of the study depends on the success and fulfilm ent of the objectives. The objective of the report is to analyse the strategic issues undertaken from 2008 including the organizational development issues and integration of the functional strategies of the business, the analysis of corporate culture and a sustainable competitive situation analysis. Methodology The methodology used here is qualitative research. The analysis is based on qualitative analysis and not quantitative analysis. The analysis is not based on the computations of mathematics; it is the judgmental analysis of the environment. The report does not include any mathematical calculation and it requires the delivery of the report in the same way. The qualitative research analysis is sourced from primary and secondary data analysis. The primary data comprises of first hand data which is collected directly from the field. For example, sample survey, population survey. But secondary research is the second hand research. Books, Magazines, Journals, Reports are the example s of the sources of secondary research. The research report in this case comprises of secondary research because primary data collection is time consuming and costly. Main Findings Strategic Management Pepsi Co. applied the diversification strategy as a part of the movement of organizational structural change. The strategic diagnosis can be done with the analysis of external and internal environment. In the changed scenario, the Market trend is as follows: Popularity of diet food items is on the rise where the calories used is low and market for non-carbonated beverages. Second dimension is on great –tasting, various flavours and styles. The consumer perception in this dimension has changed a lot. Consumer prefers the ready to drink and ready to eat products than other traditional food products and for this reason Pepsi also introduced some products under this product line. Consumer does not only limit themselves between the local brands but they want to have the flavour of g lobal branding. PESTEL stands for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, ecological and Legal Environment (Randall, 2001, p.78). Political Environment: After the shocking recession of 2008, the market protections increased by different governments. So the entry barrier was tough for the international market. The government tried to follow the protectionist policies even in the emerging markets. Economic Environment: During the period of recession

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Case Study 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Case Study 1 - Essay Example The Nissan Motors Co., Ltd, operates in the retail automotive industry. Its core business is the manufacturing, sales and distribution of automotive products and marine related equipment and parts. The company is also involved in provision of financial and other support services in the motor industry. According to the 2012 financial report, the company had an annual sales turnover of  ¥9,409.0 billion (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd, 2012: P6). The Nissan Company Ltd has played a significant role in the general Indonesian economy. The company employs approximately 157,365 full-time employees annually in its global market with 10% coming from Indonesia. The company has also contributed significantly to the automotive industry, which accounts for 48% of the national GDP of Indonesian economy (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd, 2012: p13). Planning is very important for the lantern success of the company. According to the 2012 financial report, Nissan Company has identified various issues that call for strategic interventions. The company is operating under a mid-term plan termed as â€Å"NISSAN POWER 88† in the financial year 2011 to 2016. Under this plan, the company hopes to improve customer-driving experience, improve the power of the Nissan Brand and ultimately raise the quality of the Nissan car. With this plan, the company hopes to increase its share in the global market and also raise its operating income (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd, 2012: p17). In order to achieve this short-term plan, the Nissan Company has identified a number of strategies and tactics identified below: The company has established strategic alliances and partnership with other companies. The most successful alliance has been with Renault Company; this alliance was established in the year 1999. The other key strategic alliance was with Daimler AG Company that was established with the intension of sharing production technology (Interbrand, 2013:

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Reckoning essay on Wechlers Vermeer in Bosnia Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Reckoning on Wechlers Vermeer in Bosnia - Essay Example I did not know the people who died in the Moscow subway, yet my friend quite rationally assumed that it would touch me more, considering it happened in my home town. His rationality was built on the assumption that because I lived there, I was somehow closer to the mental concept of the tragedy. Perhaps I was, but I do not think I felt anything more exceptional than my friend did for those people. It seemed like something you ought to feel sad about, yet in the end we both went to get our afternoon coffee. I think about why we, as people, think that just because we belong to a certain geographical place, the events unfolding there should matter to us more. Perhaps the event would have mattered to me more if I had been in Moscow still. Just like Vermeer who was visibly affected by the war; the war resulted in the â€Å"devastation of the Dutch economy and Vermeer’s own †¦ bankruptcy† (Weschler 15), which eventually may have even caused him to die at the young age of 42. Yet, in his paintings, one finds a sense of calm and peacefulness. This sense of calm is so apparent that Antonio Cassese, an Italian judge presiding over the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal, confides to Weschler that his way of keeping his sanity in front of all the madness and chaos of the Yugoslav war, and listening to the vivid stories of the inhumanity of humans, is to go â€Å"to the Mauritshuis museum, in the center of town, so as to spend a little time with the Vermeers† (Weschler 14). The paintings of Vermeer in the Mauritshuis museum offer something akin to that to Weschler as well. He is sure, as are others who have had the chance to gaze upon the paintings and try to find a deeper meaning to them, that something like peace and tranquility is transmitted through these paintings. Albeit there are those (like Snow) who find a very different, and sexual, meaning to the paintings, however, Weschler feels that, surrounded by chaos, Vermeer was trying to

Monday, September 23, 2019

Describe a political actors role in international public law Research Paper

Describe a political actors role in international public law - Research Paper Example At the same time, another best case scenario is approaching proper channels to punish as well as restraint the aggressors. So, if a nation or its leader or group of people indulges in violent activities, it has to be countered not through another cycle of violence, but through a sound legal approach. If a leader or certain individuals of a country initiate and indulge in violence or other criminal activities, they will have to be punished by the legal system, practiced in their country. However, some times, if that leader or individuals manipulate and negatively influence the domestic legal system in their favor, its purpose will be defeated. In that scenario only, the international legal system comes into the picture to rein that specific nation or leader or individuals. This positive avenue could also be blockaded, if they refuse to cooperate or being trialed under the international legal system. So, this paper will analyze the international legal systems, its effect on human right s and importantly on a country’s sovereignty with specific focus on United States of America (USA). Vestiges of multilateralism There are only few institutions which can be considered as the last vestiges of multilateralism in this unilateral leaning world. ... This legal order equates all the nations and disciplines the nations in all aspects especially human rights. Even while focusing on this multilateral perspective, there is also the other side of the coin, as certain countries are skeptical about this international legal order particularly United States of America. These countries abhor the participation of international institutions in their domestic affairs, and instead state that their local legal system is apt enough to handle those affairs. â€Å"†¦they hold that States remain the leading source of all international rules—the limiting factor that ensures that international relations are shaped, and remain anchored to, the politics of the sovereign state† (Held, 2002). Most countries of the world would not want or allow outside interference in the internal affairs of their country. Moreover, if it is a military form of intervention they will oppose it or even fight against it. â€Å"Few countries of the world, large or small, would agree to entrust their security or other vital national interests entirely to a multilateral institution† (Jayakumar, 2003). They will not trust the international institutions and would not allow them to mediate or put their citizens under trial or even prosecute them. Based on the leverage, nations give to these international institutions regarding their ‘internal affairs’, Held had formulated three models, classic sovereignty, liberal international sovereignty and cosmopolitan sovereignty. The model ‘classic sovereignty’ gives the countries a free reign regarding their internal affairs without outside interference, and so it is also the law of

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Salmonella in USA Essay Example for Free

Salmonella in USA Essay I want to educate the public, farmers and individuals that are at risk of contracting this deadly disease called Salmonella. At risk individuals such as the elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more prone to getting a severe illness such as salmonella. Objective and Goal The objective is to educate the general public, farmers, and consumers of grocery stores, owners of grocery stores, consumers of restaurants, owners of the restaurants, cooks, chefs, food handlers, and educational institutions about the health risks of the bacteria disease Salmonella. My goal for this public educational plan is that the public take the information and learn from it and take the precautions to avoid salmonella. Salmonella disease it’s transmitted to humans by contaminated food of animal origin or water. Salmonella disease affects the entire human population but the people at more risk are children because their immune systems are immature and the elder’s because their immune system are declining also people with immunocompromised diseases. People who leave in poor conditions are also in risk of contracting salmonella. After 12 to 72 hours of infection common symptoms of salmonella are fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea; usually the illness lasts 4 to 7 days. However in some cases the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized if the person it’s not hospitalized it can lead to death. (CDC) Historical Outbreaks Spanish- American war (1898) in all, 20,738 recruits contracted the disease  82% of all sick soldiers, 1590 died. A significant number of these deaths actually occurred at training area in the southeastern United States. (History of typhoid fever (salmonella)) South African war (1899-1902) outbreak in British camps- British troops lost 13,000 men to salmonella the outbreak was due to unsanitary towns and farms throughout Africa. (History of typhoid fever (salmonella)). In the early 1900’s in New York Mary Mallon was the first famous carrier of typhoid fever in the U.S. Mary Mallon was a chronic carrier of salmonella; she was hired as a cook at several private homes, she work for 7 different families 22 cases of salmonella where reported and one death. (History of typhoid fever (salmonella)) These early outbreaks can be attributed to unsanitary living conditions and the bacterial tainting of food and water supplies. 1985 Chicago United a Chicago dairy was involved in a salmonellosis outbreak involving 6 states with 16,000 confirmed cases.(CDC) More recently reported outbreaks in the U.S. involve different kinds of salmonella strains, predominantly S. Enteritidis and S. Typimurium. The center for disease control and prevention has a page with reports of selected salmonella outbreaks for this year it has at least 9 reports. Salmonella infections has increase by 10% in U.S. in the last 15 years it’s estimated that 2 to 4 million cases of salmonellosis occur in the U.S. annually reported and unreported. (CDC) On January 2011 a FDA Food safety modernization act was sing in to law; this act establish standards for safe produce, regulates food facilities, oversee imported foods and recalls of contaminated foods. (FDA) Also salmonella can be controlled by proper preparation of poultry and eggs and avoidance of contamination of other food with uncooked poultry products. Investigation and research studies by the government to mitigate the impact of salmonella Research 1- Inactivation of salmonella on tomato stem scars by acidic sanitizing solutions. Investigating stem scar sanitation may represent a worst case scenario model for inactivating salmonella from externally contaminated tomatoes. This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of antimicrobial coating for inactivation of salmonella on the surface of tomato stem scars. (Agricultural Researc services) 2- Biofilm formation by salmonella SPP on cantaloupe surfaces The research demonstrates that cells of Salmonella do not exist as single, solitary organisms, but instead  organize together into biofilms. These biofilms form quickly on melon surfaces and are difficult to inactivate or remove. The formation of biofilms by cells of Salmonella is likely responsible for the limited efficacy of sanitizers. (Agricultural Researc services) 3- Microbial quality and safety of X-ray irradiation. The research shows that irradiation destroys at least 99% of common foodborne pathogen within approved dosage. These pathogens such as salmonella are associated with poultry, meat and fresh produce contamination. (Agricultural Researc services) The governments of many countries are playing their roles to mitigate the impact of salmonella. In United States the USDA (US Department of agriculture) and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has done coordinated efforts to address salmonella problems. They have given some recommendation for the safety of the consumers from salmonella. 1- Wash surface and hands often; 2- no cross contaminate; 3- cook to safe temperature 4- refrigerate immediately. President Obama signs the FSMA (Food safety modernization act) into law on January 2011. This act gives FDA new and improves authorities and mandates to protect consumers and promote public health. Responsibility for food safety is managed by a complex network of federal, state, local and territo rial agencies (Food safety) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) †¢ Oversees the country Salmonella infections frequency †¢ Supports the state and local health departments in outbreaks investigation and elaborates control measures. (Salmonella) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) †¢ All foods imported are inspected †¢ Monitors inspections of all plants dedicated to milk pasteurization †¢ Recommends new techniques for better preparation of foods in food processing plants and restaurants †¢ Controls turtle’s sales. (Food safety) The US Department of Agriculture †¢ Overseas animal health issues †¢ Inspect all plant dedicated to pasteurization of eggs †¢ Is responsible for the quality of processed and slaughtered meat. (Foodborne Illness and disease) The US Environmental Protection Agency †¢ Monitors and regulates drinking water supplies safety. Data Collection Template Name of the disease: __Salmonella____ Etiological agent: __Salmonella_ Symptoms Mode of transmission Causes Contributing factors Age/gender/behaviors that may put individuals at risk Recent cases of outbreak Factors leading to recent outbreak Treatment Preventive measures *fever *abdominal cramps *diarrhea *chills *nausea *vomiting *muscle ache Water and food (animal food, vegetables, fruits) Uncooked chicken or unwashed fruits or vegetables Poor or unsanitary conditions Own a bird or reptile Entire human population more risk children and elders and people with immunocom promised diseases 10 reports during 2012 See below (2012 salmonella outbreak) Animal feces Growing conditions Antibiotics Good diet a lot of fluids and antimotilitydrugs Good hygiene practice Washing vegetable and fruits Adequate cooking of meats and eggs Salmonella enteric bacteria it’s a bacteria that causes diseases in the intestinal tract; the bacteria attacks the intestinal wall and inflammation occurs. The symptoms include nausea, chills, abdominal pain, vomiting, muscle aches and fever. Salmonella affects the body by three clinical forms of salmonellosis 1) gastroenteritis (S Typimurium) 2) septicemia (S. choleraesius) and enteric fevers. Clinical identification of salmonella it’s done by laboratory test such as biochemical and serological test a stool or blood specimens are planted on an agar media to determine the presence of salmonella also a phenol red test it’s used. Salmonella treatments are Antimotility drugs to stop the diarrhea and in case that it’s suspected that salmonella bacteria it’s in the blood antibiotics are prescribe to kill the bacteria. Also drinking a lot of fluids to prevent dehydration and eating a healthy diet. During this year (2012) the centers for diseases control and prevention has 10 reports of selected salmonella outbreak investigations a total of 1307 individuals are reported infected 264 are hospitalized and 5 deaths. Each of these cases had or still been investigated by CDC to find the origin cause of the salmonella outbreak I only going to mention the last 5 of the reports. Salmonella outbreaks 2012 1- Reported on August 29, 2012 Mangoes- salmonella braenderup In 16 states 105 persons infected 25 hospitalized 0 deaths Investigation: state public health officials are conducting interviews with ill persons; 70% of the ill persons reported eating mango during a week before getting ill. 2- Reported August 17, 2012 Cantaloupe-salmonella Typimurium In 21 states (Georgia state included) 178 persons infected 78 hospitalized 2 deaths (Kentucky) Investigations indicated the chamberlain farms produce, Inc. from Indiana it’s the source of this outbreak 3- Reported July 23, 2012 Ground Beef- salmonella Enteritidis In 8 states, 40 persons infected 11 hospitalized 0 deaths Investigations indicate that ground beef produced by Cargill meat solutions it’s responsible for this outbreak 4- Reported July,23, 2012 Live poultry salmonella hadar In 11 states 37 persons infected 8 hospitalized 0 deaths Investigation: results from laboratory test and trace back findings link a company from Idaho. 5- Reported June 21,2012 Live poultry-salmonella Montevideo In 22 states (Georgia state included) 76 persons infected 17 hospitalized 1 death Investigation: Estes Hatchery in Springfield, Missouri it’s responsible for this outbreak TyphoidalandNontyphoidalSalmonellaStages of SymptomsCauses to lead to outbreaksSymptoms of diseases Cause and EffectSalmonellaFeverChillsPet animals such as reptilesFood contaminated by animal fecesUnsanitaryleaving1-Fever, headache and cough2-High Fever 104 degrees, red spot on the chest diarrhea4-Symptoms start subsiding during this stageNauseaAbdominal painVomitingMuscle pain3-Symptoms become prominent (most dangerous stage) Causes of emergence and reemergence of salmonella 1- Globalization of food supply: (2000- 2002) Cantaloupe from Mexico was associated with a multistate outbreaks of S Ponna infection. 2- New geographic areas: unavoidable introduction of pathogens 3- Travelers, refugees and immigrants expose to unfamiliar foodborne hazards 4- Changes in microorganisms: evolution of new pathogens, development of antibiotic resistance, the capacity to survive in different environmental conditions. 5- Human population changes: population of highly susceptible people is expanding, more likely to succumb to bacterial infections. 6- Lifestyle: great amount of people eat prepared meals. In some countries, the food service establishments don’t follow the food safety and control regulations. (CDC) Recent outbreaks of salmonella infections suggest that the bacteria are not exclusive to poultry and have infiltrated other areas of the food industry. The most commonly reported serotypes, in history and present of salmonella are: S. typhi, S. enteritides an d S. typhimurium. Outbreaks in the past are largely due to unsanitary water and food supplies and unsanitary way of leaving. Since improvements in food handling, piped and filtered water supplies as was as water/sewage treatment have been made, enteric fever has become relatively rare in developed countries such as United States. Historically, chickens and their eggs are been associated with salmonella; in the mid to late 20th century, eggs where the main sources of salmonella enteritidis this is less common now because of the  high hygiene measures in production of eggs and laying hens are been vaccinated to prevent salmonella colonization. (CDC) The similarities between the past and present outbreaks of salmonella are from animal food sources such as meat, poultry and seafood also the unsanitary ways of preparing them. The symptoms are the same showing a step ladder pattern it begins with sudden onset of high grade fever, dry cough and headache and it keeps going to a second, third and fourth stage the most dangerous stage it’s the third stage where the symptoms become more prominent. A big difference now it’s that we have more effective treatments to control salmonella. Today three types of typhoid vaccines are available 1- inactivated whole-cell vaccine 2- ty21a 3- vi polysaccharide vaccine these vaccines have been shown be 70- 90% effective. (Salmonella symptoms) Salmonella are a group of bacteria that normally live in the intestinal tracts of animals and birds. The bacteria are usually transmitted to people when they eat foods contaminated with animal feces. Contaminated foods are often of animal origin, such as poultry, beef, eggs or milk. But all foods, including vegetables and fruits, can become contaminated. In order to reduce salmonellosis a food safety approach it’s necessary staring from the farms to the consumers table. Industry, farmers, retailers, food inspectors, food workers and consumers are critical links in the food safety chain. The center for disease control and prevention reported 11 cases of salmonella outbreak during this year 2012. 3 of those cases are from live poultry. ( Salmonella) Diseases control plan for poultry Farmer food safety plan (prevention, control and hygiene) 1- Salmonella control has to start at the farms. 2- Pest control sanitation, properly chlorinated water and biosecurity are crucial for controlling salmonella. A. Restricting access †¢ Vehicles †¢ People †¢ Animals B. Biosecurity †¢ Dedicated clothing and boots †¢ Disinfectant boot dip 3- Vaccination of hens used in breeding 4- Eggs should be collected and placed in clean or new disinfected trays. 5- Testing A. Dust sampling- collecting dust from dust on equipment in the poultry building B. Faecal sampling from poultry animals C. Sampling of boots that walk around the poultry building D. Frequency of testing before and after laying eggs its extremely important 6- Use good sanitation practice A. Enforce employee hygiene Salmonella continues to be an issue in poultry processing plants and farms. Each plant /farm is unique and must determine the best way to control salmonella in their operation. Salmonella testing should be done on a regular basis to validate control measures are working. (Controlling salmonella in poultry plants ) Preventions for consumers 1- Clean- wash hands and surface before handling any food 2- Avoid cross-contamination- separate raw poultry, meat and seafood from other foods 3- Poultry and eggs should be refrigerator 4- Cook- do not eat raw or undercooked meat, eggs or poultry (Salmonella questions and answers) The plan explains the measurements need to be taken by farms or plants by outlining procedures on how to avoid salmonella also prevention and control are monitored by Good agricultural practices and hazard analysis critical control point. By following the guidelines mention the farm and plants owners will reduce health risk to the consumers and prevent future outbreaks of salmonella. Consumers need to be aware of Salmonella reports and practice the prevention tips to avoid been contaminated with the diseases. Also this plan shows the public/consumer the precautions taken by the farms and plants to keep the poultry salmonella free. Feasibility report Salmonella it’s a diseases that can be prevented just by practicing good hygiene; the educational plan makes emphasis on the following subjects: all the historical outbreaks where due of unsanitary way of preparing food and way of leaving. The emergence and reemergence of salmonella it’s due to several factors including the growing of population and population lifestyle but today improvements of food handling and good sanitation makes harder for  the food to be contaminated with salmonella. (Salmonella) The government has done many different research to diminish the impact of salmonella in the country; food safety it’s managed by different agencies such as The center for disease control and prevention (CDC), The food and drug administration (FDA), the US department of agriculture, and the US environmental protection agency each of this agencies has a specific job to do. (Salmonella) The educational plan highlights the symptoms, how the disease it’s trans mitted, who its more at risk of contracting the disease; also the precautions that consumers need to take and also the treatments used by the health care department again this diseases. Consumer are inform of the different stages of the diseases and which stage it’s the more dangerous; the health care department has specific laboratory test to determine the presence of salmonella treatments are also mention such as antibiotics, a lot of fluids and antimotility drugs and now there are 3 types of vaccines for typhoid salmonella available for the consumer. (Salmonella symptoms) The disease control plan discusses strategies which are not economically expensive and easy to follow by the farm and consumers. The farm will benefit by following each strategy which will help to prevent salmonella and by having salmonella free poultry the farm will not suffer any economic loss; the consumer will gain social growth by reading the educational plan and practicing the preventions listed to avoid salmonella also by reading the many strategies used to prevent and control salmonella in poultry farms. The plan encourage consumers to practice safe preparation and cooking of food specially raw food such as poultry and eggs; by practicing the preventions the salmonella bacteria can be kill and stop from spreading. The farms are encouraged to maintain and practice good sanitation in all areas of the plant staring with their employees. In the farms the early interventions are done by following different testing methods and vaccination of hens. The plan presents prevention and control; if each farm follows and practices all the strategies this will reduce future salmonella outbreaks from poultry. (Controlling salmonella in poultry plants) Overall the plan presents a good detail safety plan for farmers to prevent salmonella by following this plan salmonella outbreaks will be avoid in the future. The consumers need to educated themselves in this type of diseases and practice the preventions to avoid been contaminated with this diseases call salmonella. Annotated  bibliography Davis, C. P. (n.d.). What is salmonella. Retrieved from medicinenet: www.medicinenet.com/salmonella/article.htm This article discuss everything about salmonella: what is salmonella? How is transmitted to humans, what are the symptoms, how its diagnose and what are the treatments and preventions. Multistate outbreak of salmonella braenderup infection associated with mangos. (2012, August 29). Retrieved from CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/braenderup-08-12/index.html CDC investigation of multistate outbreak of human salmonella braenderup infection linked to mangos Multistate outbreak of salmonella typhimurium infection linked to cantaloupe. (2012, August 17). Retrieved from CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/typhimurium-cantaloupe-08-12/index.html CDC investigation of multistate outbreak of typhimurium salmonella associated with cantaloupe Multistate outbreak of salmonella enteritidis infection linked to ground beef. (2012, July 23). Retrieved from center for disease control and pre vention: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/enteritidis-07-12/index.html Investigation of multistate outbreak of human salmonella enteritidis associated to ground beef Multistate outbreak of salmonella hadar infection linked to live poultry. (2012, July 23). Retrieved from center for disease control and prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/hadar-live-poultry-07-12/index.html Investigation of multistate outbreak on hadar infection associated with live poultry. Multistate outbreak of salmonella montevideo infection linked to live poultry. (2012, June 21). Retrieved from center for disease control and prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/montevideo-06-12/index.html Investigation of multistate outbreak on montevideo infection associated with live poultry. Report of selected salmonella outbreak investigations. (2012, August). Retrieved from center for disease control and prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/outbreaks.html Investigation reports of specific outbreaks of salmonell a during this year. References: Agricultural Researc services. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.USDA.gov. CDC. (n.d.). Salmonella. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov. Controlling salmonella in poultry plants. (n.d.). Retrieved from USDA: www.fsis.usda.gov Davis, C. P. (n.d.). What is salmonella. Retrieved from medicinenet: www.medicinenet.com/salmonella/article.htm Food safety. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.FDA.gov. Foodborne Illness and disease. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.USDA.gov. FDA. (n.d.). The new FDA food safety modernization act. Retrieved from www.fda.gov. History of typhoid fever (salmonella). (n.d.). Retrieved from www.globalsecurity.org. Salmonella symptoms. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.salmonellatreatment.org. Salmonella questions and answers. (n.d.). Retrieved from USDA: www.fsis.usda.gov Salmonella. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Spa And Wellness Tourism Tourism Essay

Spa And Wellness Tourism Tourism Essay Austria is ranked as the ninth largest tourism market in the world and the sixth largest in Europe . 22.2 billion Euros was generated from international tourism in the year 2007 in Austria. Only few countries can boast of the per capital income from tourist in the same league as Austria. Although Austria is not a big country in central Europe with a population of 8.3 million people, it is one of the top tourist destination in Europe with 20.8 million arrivals in the year 2007 because of it fantastic and extensive cultural history in addition to its interesting customs , artistic tradition and natural environment (Austrian National office, Austrian Tourism Monitor 2006/2007). International tourism expenditure in Austria has increased from $7.6 billion in year 1995 to $14.2 in year 2007. Vienna the capital of Austria attracts major part of tourists that visit Austria. However, this report is aimed to develop a tourism marketing plan for Austria to attract spa and wellness tourist from United Kingdom and North America particularly Canada and the United States of America . This aim will be achieved through the analysis of the Austria tourism industry environment ,using the available secondary date, identifying and applying theories where it is relevant. Spa and wellness tourism has developed as a small but important market segment in developed countries such as Scotland, Switzerland, Greece ,New Zealand, Israel ,United States and Canada as well as developing counties such as Cuba, Cameron mailman, Croatia, Caribbean, India, Singapore and Thailand which result in growth in competitiveness. For any business to succeed, planning is a very important step .The tourism industry in any country including Austria need to have an effective plan to be successful because tourism industry has specific characteristics that will not be found in other industry.(Morrison,2002) The World tourism Organization projects that tourist to European counties will double by the year 2020, Conferences, business travel, beauty and wellness leading in the growth . The growth in wellness tourism is increasing worldwide with 18 percent per year and over ten percent annually estimated new demand. Ringer (2007) note that according to a research by Hawail Wellness Tourism Association in 2006, the number of travel agencies that specialized in wellness travel as increased from 300 estimated in the last two year to over 500.Consequently,Austria can become the primary tourist destination in Europe for health and wellness travel if well-positioned should these global travel trends persist .Austria can take advantage of its central location in Europe and ease access from other European counties (in less than 3 hours people can get to Austria form any part of Europe). Austria has the potential to attract Spa and wellness tourism from other EU countries who do not want to travel fa r from home . According to UNWTO world Tourism Barometer 2008, tourism demand could be hurt by the doubt over the global economic situation that is affecting consumer confidence. The present economic imbalance, particularly the rising cost of transportation and energy are likely to influence what people spend on tourism .However specific demand shift because of factor such as travel budget, disposable income and confidence which are different from country to country and region to region, depending on the labour market and local economies . Travel Oregon (2005) note that sustainable tourism development and environmental quality is now another critical issue in international tourism. More Pressure is now been put on countries to preserve their natural resources as well balance growth with the possible impacts of tourism development. Consequently, any effort in Austria aim to expand tourism industry into other areas will need to consider environmental, social and cultural impacts and the image it will have on the Austria as a tourist destination . The tourism market is also faced with the problem of international terrorism, war and H1N1 which make it more complex to attract tourists from a wider market (Videira et al 2006). This has increased the demands for product differentiation as well quality management and also significant market diversification. Austria government can capitalise on the high quality of tourist faculties and amenities in addition to fantastic and extensive cultural history as well as its interesting customs , artistic tradition and natural environment to increase the number of spa and wellness tourist visiting Austria . 3.0 RATIONALE FOR THE SELCTION OF THE MARKET CHOSEN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION . Soukiazis and Pronca (2008) argue that tourism should only be employ has a stimulate to the growth of the economy if the supply characteristics can be enhanced to bring in more affluent tourists. Any move to attract tourists to a destination should focus on major markets, where the population is adequately affluent to increase number of tourist visiting the destination. Consequently, United Kingdom and Canada and the United States of America are the choice naturally because of the high level of per capita income enjoyed in United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of America. Also this countries have a long list of people waiting for spa and wellness product. In addition the cost of spa and wellness this countries are high. Also Americans may begin to look for alternative medical services in other countries because American will likely have the same problem as in England and Canada. The North America tourist coming to Austria will have to fly a fairly expensive transatlantic flight which will possibly make them stay longer and spend more in Austria to maximise experience. This will make Canada and the United States of America tourist more important than European tourists that will fly low cost airlines and lodge in cheap hotels for a short stay. Vienna the capital of Austria has transatlantic connections flights with major US cities. 4.0 SOME PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OFFERED BY AUSTRIA AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO UNITED KINGDOM AND NORTH AMERICA PARTICULARLY CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. According to Austrian National office, Austrian Tourism Monitor 2006/2007 Austria has fantastic and extensive cultural history in addition to its interesting customs , artistic tradition and natural environment which will make Austria appeal to tourist from United Kingdom and North America particularly Canada and the United States of America who are keen to see more of traditional European culture and the natural environment .In words of Erich Falkensteiner ,Co-owner Falkensteiner Michaeler Tourism Group Austria is a small country with an extensive and fantastic cultural history and artistic tradition, interesting customs and a natural environment which can hardly be matched anywhere in central Europe.This makes a visit to Austria so rewarding. Every destination claims to have a unique heritage, culture and landscape, in addition describing itself as having the highest standards of customers service, friendliest people and best facilities. As a result, the need for destinations to create a unique identity that will differentiate it from their competitors is more critical now than ever (Ana 2008). Austria has some of the best tourism offerings. Examples of tourism offerings in some part of Austria are. Vienna is refers to as the world capital of music .It has 3 opera house ,over 50 theatres and 100 museums. Vienna is describe as a model environmental city with its extraordinarily low rate of population where people can drink mountain spring water from the tap. Tourist can also enjoy a mild climate and diverse landscapes in Burgenland which is refer to has the land of the sun. In addition to some of the best festival and different offering of thermal bathes as well as fantastic wines (Austrian National office, Austrian Tourism Monitor 2006/2007). Lower Austria house some world cultural heritage site designated by UNESCO and it is also recognized as a splendid location for physical and spiritual regeneration offers a well developed network of biking trails which make it one of the top tourist destination. Carinthia is also a major tourist destination in Austria to Visit because of the 1,200 lakes and ponds,8 golf courses and natural medicinal spring and radon healing galleries among other offerings. Consequently, all this offerings make Austria suitable destination for health purposes, relaxing, holidays and adventures(Austrian National office, Austrian Tourism Monitor 2006/2007). 5.0 AUSTRIA COMPETENCIES AND SOURCES OF COMPETITVE ADVANTAGE. Austria has most of the element required to meet the demands of a tourist destination such as well-preserved environment with scenic beauty, natural resources, a well-managed cultural landscape, green meadows and mountain pastures, crystal-clear waters, fresh air and much more. These natural treasures, in addition to the most diverse possible cultural offering, the highest quality of life and the greatest security as well as the best environmental situation give Austria a future as one of the top potential tourism sectors of the world (Austrian National office, Austrian Tourism Monitor 2006/2007). Falkensteiner 2007 indicate that Austria is not only a beautiful and interesting country but also have good infrastructure for tourism, an exceptional workforce, and attractive business opportunities. 6.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PLAN AND THE SETTING OF FUTURE OBJECTIVES . For any business to succeed, planning is a very important step .The tourism industry in any country need to have an effective plan to be successful because tourism industry has specific characteristics that will not be found in other industry (Morrison,2002) . Thus, Austrian need to understands the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States tourism market and its major tourism segments after which different offerings must be develop to appeal to each segments and attract tourists form the market to Austria. As a result, more tourist from those market will develop interest in Austria, which is important in consumer decision making process. Schultz 2005 argue that AIDA model is more appropriate than the other theories for consumer decision making process in tourism because tourist are likely to only consider destination which they fine interesting and have attracted their attention . Blumberg 2000 supported this view when he said many tourism destination use marketing advert that will focus on putting the destination on people mind, rather than attempting to get them make a decision to visit the destination. This plan aim to increase the interest of tourist from United Kingdom and North America particularly Canada and the United States of America in Austria. When more tourist from United Kingdom and North America particularly Canada and the United States of America are interested in Austria, one of the future objective will be to increase the numbers of tourist coming to Austria for spa and wellness products. 7.0 RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION International tourism are important pillar of many destinations creating much needed employment in the destination and opportunities for the general economy development. Tourism is ranked fourth worldwide in export category after oil, chemicals and automotive products in many developed nations while in some developing counties tourism is ranked number one in export category . Austria has the potential to attract tourism from other countries but a lot of research have showed that many country possess a significant tourist attraction but they fail to utilize the tourism potential. Inadequate promotional and positioning strategy has been identified by research has part of the reason for this, especially on the part of the government of the country concerned. In 2003 Kotler ,Dubois and Manceau noted that promotion is a extremely important tool in the positioning of a tourist attraction mainly because of its immobile and intangible nature. According to Awaritefe 2003 Promotion has an important role to play in the positioning of a countrys tourism potential especially bearing in mind that tourism unlike manufactured products is an experience which cannot be tested before purchase. Government and private bodies should put together more strategies to promote it spa and wellness markets. For example developing trade relationship with travel agents and airlines based UK,US and Canada . According to Ana (2008) tourism is like a crowded marketplace where building and maintaining a brand value is the key to business success and as a result, brand management is moving fast from a peripheral marketing concern to the core strategy in business . Government and private hospitals can partner with the major hotels to enhance the standards of medical facilities and also provide discount deals for tourist . Marketing research should also be engaged from time to time to find out what tourist need and how to meet the needs.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Jay-Z Bio :: essays research papers

Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter on December 4, 1969. He grew up in the infamous Marcy projects in Brooklyn with a sister and a brother. You would think that just growing up on the Marcy projects would be hard enough on a kid, but at the age of twelve, Shawn’s parents got a divorce. Shawn then attended the Brooklyn High school with two of today’s better known rappers, Biggie Smalls and Busta Rhymes. Shawn Carter was an intelligent and promising student, but he had behavior problems. He was introduced to the life of drugs and crime at the age of 16, where he stayed and didn’t look back until, in 1992, he decided to leave the world of drugs and crime. Soon after doing this he began looking for a record deal as a solo artist. But Shawn just wasn’t getting lucky. It wasn't until a friend, Roc-A-Fella CEO Damon Dash, convinced him to form a record company with him that Jay-Z's career finally got off the ground. Jay-Z released his first single through Roc-A-Fella in 1995, "In My Lifetime." It was a hit in New York, and helped Dash secure a distribution deal for Jay-Z’s first album, â€Å"Reasonable Doubt.† Although â€Å"Reasonable Doubt† wasn’t a huge success, it showed that the young man from Brooklyn had skills and was not to be taken lightly. More importantly, it earned the admirations from stars as varied from Notorious B.I.G. to Ice Cube. One of his songs even made its way onto the nutty professor soundtrack. Shawn’s career only went up from there. In 1997, Jay-Z's follow-up, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, peaked at #3 on the Billboard album charts, and helped establish his career and mainstream success. He continued releasing top selling records until 2003, when he announced the release of the Black Album as his last record.

The Impact of the Communist Manifesto During the Late 1800s and Early 1900s :: History Historical Karl Marx Communism Essays

The Impact of the Communist Manifesto During the Late 1800s and Early 1900s There is no doubt that the Communist Manifesto was a shocking and radical document for its time, but it did much more than shock the public. The Communist Manifesto made the oppressed conscious of their status and influenced the unity of the working class. It also influenced the revolutions of 1848, it formed the basis of the reorganization of the Communist League and the demands of the Communist party, it influenced other radicals to take action, and it significantly influenced all subsequent Communist literature. The Communist Manifesto made the oppressed people aware of their status and called them to unite. It did this by outlining the history of classes and class struggle. The Communist Manifesto stated that society and history are shaped by class struggles and that two classes were present in 1848, the bourgeois and the proletariat. The document goes on to state that the bourgeois had created capitalism and were oppressing the proletariat.[1] Marx defines the proletariat as â€Å"an appendage of the machine†. [2] He recognized how the proletariats were being exploited and he brought it to the attention of the public. Not only does the Communist Manifesto point out that the proletariats were being exploited, it went a step further and called the proletariats to action. He called the working class the revolutionary class and told them that they had the power to fight the bourgeois.[3] The Communist Manifesto forced the Proletariats to recognize their exploitation. As a result the attitude of the proletariat was changed. Proof that the proletariats attitudes were changed comes from the widespread uprising of revolutions in Europe that followed the publication of the Communist Manifesto. The widespread uprising of the revolutions after the publication of the Communist Manifesto are know as the Revolutions of 1848. They started in France and mainly spread to Germany, Italy, and the Austrian Empire, but were documented in other empires as well, but on a lesser degree.[4] Although the Communist Manifesto is not said to be the driving force behind these revolutions it can definitely be noted as a factor. The revolution in France happened because the working class desired universal suffrage. King Louis Philippe was overthrown and the Second Republic of France was established. The revolution in Germany, partially inspired by the French revolution that preceded it, unified the country with the national parliament.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Worst Vacation Of My Life Essay -- Summer Vacation Essays

I used to spend the last part of my summer vacation with my uncle and aunt. As a continuation of a long-ago-established tradition we decided going to York - a small, picturesque tourist town at the seaside, located in the southeastern part of Maine. On the 27th of August, early in the morning we went to my uncle’s car with the entire luggage, prepared to leave and spend a nice, relaxing vacation, far away from the problems of the city. Unfortunately the unpleasant surprises started from the first second of our vacation. To our great disbelief the two front tires of the car were missing, and as later became clear, stolen during the night so at this moment the car was lying on the pavement, like a big wounded animal. I remember that my aunt said that this ought to be an omen of bad luck, warning not to go against your destiny and luck. After several hours repairing the car we, eventually, headed on, ready, for what turns to be the worst vacation in my entire life. However, our lack of luck was not over yet. On our way to the seaside we had a flat tire and after one more wasted hour searching for auto-service and proper repairment we were ready again. Unfortunately, our complete misfortune was still with us. Near Veliko Tirnovo the headway was closed, due to repair works, so we had to turn back a few kilometers and find another, this time not so good way. By this time the day was quickly turning into night. From the car windows I was seeing only the lights coming from the distant villages and the workers hurrying to get home. I thought for a moment, observing those people, that humans are very fragile. They were searching shelter from the coming night in those tiny lights, as they can save them from the perilous dark. ... ...one hospital I understood that she was lucky, because she had no other damages except 3 broken ribs and many bruises all over her body. That accident changed my prospective of seeing things. Long after the vacation I was feeling guilty because I had the chance of helping my aunt, but I failed. I was thinking that if I had not accepted her idea I might have prevented this. For the first time of my life I felt responsible for something. I discovered the meaning of the word â€Å"vulnerable†, and that made me even sicker. I was self-blaming for my inactivity and my helplessness. As the years pass I think that those memories are already left far in the past, that, slowly, I am surpassing them. But the changes are still visible- I am more cautious, knowing that every single moment is bringing certain risk and if I fail to notice it I may easily â€Å"fall from the cliff†.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Gaming Addiction study Essay

According to Daria J Kuss in the 2000s, online games became popular, while studies of Internet gaming addiction emerged, outlining the negative consequences of excessive gaming, its prevalence, and associated risk factors. Internet gaming is a booming market. In 2012, more than one billion individuals played computer games, which fuelled the 8% growth of the computer gaming industry in the same year. A recent report by the market research company Niko Partners has estimated the People’s Republic of China’s online gaming market at $12 billion in 2013. In her research she stated that Internet gaming addiction has increased both in quantity as well as in quality. Research on gaming addiction dates back to 1983, when the first report emerged suggesting that video gaming addiction is a problem for students. Shortly thereafter, the first empirical study on gaming addiction was published by Shotton, based on self-reports of young male players who claimed they were â€Å"hooke d† on their games. The early studies suffered from a lack of standardized psychometric instruments used for assessing gaming addiction. Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), on the other hand, appear of particular interest to players because they offer a variety of incentives for play relative to other game genres. Of all online gamers, 46% play MMORPGs,3 confirming their position as the most popular online games. MMORPGs are game universes inhabited by thousands of players at the same time (massively multiplayer) with no spatial or temporal boundaries because they are played online, and they allow players to adopt various virtual personas in their avatars (role playing). In South-East Asian countries, the negative impacts of Internet gaming  addiction have led governments and health care providers to take the problem seriously and to develop a series of initiatives to curb and alleviate the problem. In South Korea, Internet gaming addiction is viewed as a significant concern for public health, and up to 24% of children who have been diagnosed with Internet addiction are hospitalized. In Japan, the government has recognized the problem following a study by the Ministry of Education, which has led to the development of â€Å"fasting camps† where individuals suffering from Internet and gaming addiction are helped by being cut off from technology completely. It has been stated that the higher the Internet penetration and social acceptance of gaming, the higher the prevalence of gaming problems, partially explaining the higher prevalence rates reported in South-East Asian countries. In addition to this, there is good reason to think that the lower acceptance of excessive gaming in a culture, the more distress (not less) gamers experience in engaging in the activity, potentially fuelling problem perception. Therefore, a lack of acceptance of excessive gaming and thus stigmatization of the behavior might contribute to higher rates of addiction and problematic play in some way. Following growing concern, specialized treatment centers and programs have been established in Europe (including the outpatient clinic for behavioral addictions in Mainz, Germany, and the Capio Nightingale Hospital in London, UK) and the US (including the inpatient centers RESTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program in Seattle and the recently opened digital detoxification and recovery center in Pennsylvania), reflecting the growing need for professional help. Internet gaming addiction is a behavioral problem that has been classified and explained in numerous ways. According to Griffiths,13 biopsychosocial processes lead to the development of addictions, such as Internet gaming addiction, which include the following components. First, the behavior is salient (the individual is preoccupied with gaming). Second, the individual uses the behavior in order to modify their mood (ie, gaming is used to escape reality or create the feeling of euphoria). Third, tolerance develops (the individual needs increasingly more time to feel the same effect). Fourth, withdrawal symptoms occur upon discontinuation of the behavior (the individual feels anxious, depressed, and irritable if they are prevented  from playing). Fifth, interpersonal and intra-personal conflict develops as a consequence of the behavior (the individual has problems with their relationship, job, and hobbies, and lack of success in abstinence). Finally, upon discontinuation of the beha vior, the individual experiences relapse (they reinitiate gaming). Although the core criteria appear to be established, the etiology of Internet gaming addiction has yet to be studied in detail. Research15 indicates that a number of risk factors are associated with Internet gaming addiction. These risk factors include certain personality traits, gaming motivations, and structural game characteristics. The personality traits most commonly associated with Internet addiction include neuroticism,37,50 aggression and hostility,43,50–52 and sensation-seeking.43,50 Factors that appear to protect frequent online gamers from developing problems with their gaming were found to be conscientiousness and extraversion,53 suggesting that for different individuals the same behavior can have different psychological repercussions. In addition to this, the following gaming motivations were found to be most commonly associated with gaming addiction: coping with daily stressors and escapism, online relationships, and mastery, control, recognition, completion, excitement, and challenge. This indicates that the reasons for game play may be an important indicator of potential risk for Internet gaming addiction. Specifically, in comparison with non-MMORPG players, MMORPG players preferred their online friends over their real-life friends. Similarly, significantly more dependent gamers were found to prefer spending time with their online friends than their offline friends relative to nondependent gamers and felt their social needs were met better online than offline. Moreover, while online games provide nonaddicted players with satisfaction, addicted players play to avoid dissatisfaction, which can be an indication of withdrawal symptoms they want to overcome by engaging in gaming compulsively. The motivational differences to play games between dependent and nondependent as well as MMORPG and other gamers appear to be useful clinical information because these motivations can be specifically targeted in treatment sessions. For instance, elements of exposure therapy  may be used for the socially fearful in order to decrease discomfort and reintroduce clients to real-life social environments. Also, alternative pastime activities that are perceived as satisfying can be encouraged specifically in group therapy sessions. Encouraging engagement in group sports might satisfy both the need to engage in competitive and satisfying activities and the need to interact with peers in real life. Moreover, a number of structural game characteristics have been found to increase the risk for developing Internet gaming addiction, namely online relative to offline gaming,61 positive reinforcement,62 the enjoyment of particular game features, such as adult content, finding rare in-game items, and watching game cut scenes,63 and viewing one’s virtual persona as better than oneself.64 These characteristics indicate that particular games can be more addictive than others,15 which appears important for game developers and public prevention campaigns that focus on decreasing risk and raising awareness of potential problems. Prevention campaigns could target school-aged children, teachers, and parents in education settings. They could be based on the principles of providing information and a discussion platform concerning Internet and gaming use and possible negative consequences via psychoeducation, with the ultimate goal of encouraging healthy media use. Success could be determ ined over the long term using triangulation of data and reports obtained from the targeted populations.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Visual Communication

Long before, for us to be able to communicate with our relatives from afar, we still need to write a letter and Walt a couple of days for It to be received ND a couple more of days to wait for the reply but with the emergence of these sites, communication was made easier and was taken to a different level. One of the most Influential and popular social networking site of today Is Faceable.From its birth back In Harvard university on February 4, 2004, Faceable has expanded and became the world's largest social networking site with a whopping total of 1,000,000,000 ( 1 Billion ) users as of today. What made the masses like the said site Is because of It's all in one feature. You can chat, play games, upload photos or videos and even send files, all at the same mime. It frees the users from the hassle of opening up multiple tabs and typing in websites that have one of the many features that Faceable has.But Like any other sites around the cyber world, the question for privacy arises and It had caused a great deal of problem over the time. It may look sophisticated yet it is still vulnerable to infiltration of hackers, which causes ruckus whenever the domain is hacked or temporarily closed down. Those type of issues caused Faceable to be also viewed as unsafe and more advertisements are made for the people to be aware how e should not place in private information and such in our profiles.Since Faceable had been around for ten years already and it had helped bridge long gaps between families and friends, at some point It also helped others to find the right person for them, the one they would want to spend their lifetime with. Faceable being used as well for dating online, it is essential not only for a Mass Communication major to study it but also for every individual that are still baffled as to how people are able to establish a close or intimate relationship with someone they barely knew other than hat Is stated on his/her Faceable profile.But then again, why is It that those people who are members of groups that were specially made for those who are willing to try online dating, all of the stuff written on their profile will impress you so much and the pictures are just too good to be true. It's as if people whom are currently dating through Faceable only seem to post good things on their walls, which again, makes me have this doubt over the reliability of the people we talk with online, moreover those who are a total stranger to us. 1 OFF Visual Communication In maintaining effective communication, utilizing visual communication is an important part of advertising and/or expressing ideas without actually saying them. Visual Communication can be best utilized in a classroom. Shapes and colors, charts and graphs, and cartoons and illustrations are examples of the approaches to visual communication. Visuals of business progress or digress should be clearly communicated through any visual communication that relates to the operation of the business. Visual communication can be learned and is used at an early age. For example, in a seventh grade math class, the students are taught the concept of order of operations. There is a message (acronym) that the students learn for each letter of the main math operations (parentheses, exponents, multiply, divide, add, and subtract). The message is Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally is given along with a visual (picture) of an aunt. When the students see the picture of the aunt, the students automatically remember the steps to order of operations to solve the math problem. Including colors in this message also helps the students to remember the first letters of the math words. Shapes and Colors Shapes and colors are used to accent and show contrasts in the message. According to Armar and JoAnna Almasude, web design, â€Å"Color considerations may also include the meanings of the colors and the moods that they could evoke. Viewers may have emotional, esthetic, biological responses to the colors of design. † (Web Design, 2002). Using colors effectively will convey a clear and concise message that is meaningful. In Appendix A, the acronym Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally uses shapes and colors to convey the message and show the process in using order of operations. Charts and Graphs Charts and graphs are examples of approaches to visual communication. Using charts and graphs in visual communication will convey the idea without having to include a lot of numbers. Including color in the charts and graphs will show the differences and result in the understanding of what the message the chart or graph is trying to convey. Appendix A also falls in the category of charts and graphs. The figure shows the process of order of operations by using shapes, colors, and, arrows to give the reader the direction on how to solve the problem using order of operations. Cartoons and Illustrations Cartoons and Illustrations are examples of approaches to visual communication. Using cartoons and illustrations will give the reader a picture of the idea that is being expressed. In using Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, Appendix B uses a cartoon illustration of an aunt to help the students remember the process of order of operations. According to Professor Paul Lester, he stated, â€Å"Images are remembered by thinking about them in words. Whether pictures are not a language because there is no easily definable and reproducible alphabet or because the elements that make up a picture do not follow a discursive, linear flow, most experts agree that images are a collection of signs and as such, become a language when read in the mind† (Syntactic Theory, 2006). In other words, cartoons and illustrations are best used when related to words. This is reason why the students should be able to remember the process through vision and memory. In conclusion, visual communication plays an important role in visual and cognitive understanding. It can be used for almost every aspect of representation especially in the classroom. Shapes and colors, charts and graphs, and cartoons and illustrations are examples of the approaches to visual communication. I feel that cartoons and illustrations are the most effective for of visual communication. In using cartoons and illustrations to express ideas or thoughts, they can be conveyed without the use of words. However, including words will help show the correlation that what is seen is believed.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Law Enforcement Agencies Essay

Identify three federal law enforcement agencies. Roles and responsibilities and comparison of local and state law enforcement duties, functions, and their two main differences. The duties, functions, and responsibilities of Local Law Enforcement agencies are as follows: They are required to arrest law violators, perform routine patrol, investigates crimes, enforce traffic laws (including parking violations), provide crowd and traffic control for example parades and other huge public events. Today they also have duties such as: Performing the duties of coroners, tax assessors, tax collectors, keepers of county jails, court attendants, and executors of criminal and civil processes, as well as law enforcement officers. The duties, functions, and responsibilities of State Police Agencies are as follows: patrol small towns and state highways, regulate traffic, and have the primary responsibility to enforce some state laws. They also carry out many duties for local police agencies, such as the managing of state training academies, criminal identification systems, and crime laboratories. Some of the differences between the state and the local police are as follows: State police cooperates with an assortment of law enforcement agencies such as local police, the highway patrol, and park or forest rangers. Really the differences between a sheriff and a police officer vary slightly from state to state, which sometimes lead to confusion. Three federal law enforcement agencies are: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Administration or Agency (DEA), and the Alcohol Tobacco Firearms (ATF). â€Å"The FBI is a threat-based, intelligence driven national security organization, their principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Justice and a full member of the U.S. Intelligence Community,†(FBI 2010). These agents are â€Å"dedicated men and women of the DEA are working hard to investigate and arrest the traffickers of the dangerous drugs.† These agents also help keep our schools and neighborhoods safe and secure. The â€Å"Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) seeks to reduce alcohol smuggling and contraband cigarette trafficking activity, divest criminal and terrorist organizations of monies derived from this illicit activity and significantly reduce tax revenue losses to the States,† (ATF 2010). These agents are also reducing violent crime, and enforcing the Federal explosives laws and regulations. These agents are working to enforce Federal firearms laws and regulations.  All these agents whether local, state or federal work together to protect the United Sates residents from all criminals activities.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Stefan’s Diaries: Bloodlust Chapter 23

October 9, 1864 Iam not supposed to have a heart. A bullet went through it nearly three weeks ago, and no blood of my own will ever pump through it again. The only blood that now courses through my veins is that of whomever I happen to attack. And yet something about Callie causes my dead heart to flutter and the stolen blood to quicken in my body. Is it real? Or is it a mere memory of something that used to be? Damon once told me that on the battlefield, boys who'd undergone amputations still woke up to agonizing pain in their legs or cried for the hand that ached, though those limbs were no longer part of them. But while those boys had phantom limbs, it seems I have a phantom heart. In my short time in New Orleans, I've learned about my Power. It's what has driven me, what I've thrived on, what makes me a vampire. But that's not the only power I possess. The other kind isn't exciting, or thrilling, or dangerous. It's mundane and tedious–the exercising of control over my Power. I've had to learn to suppress my urges to fit in and to remain with Lexi. Yet when I was with Callie at the show, it was as though my two powers were at cross-purposes, each threatening to destroy the other in a private battle in my brain. Now she enters my thoughts constantly. The constellation of freckles on her skin. Her long eyelashes. Her vibrant smile. I can't help but admire the way she wields her own power. How she commands the attention and respect of her father's employees, but also how she grows soft around me, cuddling close when she thinks no one is looking. I think of my hand interlaced with hers. And every time an image of Callie floats to my consciousness, I curse myself. I should be stronger than this. I shouldn't think of her. I should put her out of my mind, write her off as a silly little girl who is lucky I'm letting her live. But deep down, despite my Power, I know Callie has control over me–and my phantom heart. The next morning, I returned to the freak show, with only one thing on my mind: freeing Damon. â€Å"Hello, friend!† the strong man, Arnold, greeted me as I walked through the gateway to the fairgrounds. â€Å"Hello,† I muttered. The tattooed woman came up behind him and gazed at me quizzically. Without her India-inked designs, she was actually quite pretty, with high cheekbones and wide, inquisitive eyes. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I grunted in response. â€Å"Youll want to apologize to Callie.† She pointed at the side of the tent. So Callie had already told her friends about our disastrous evening. Just as I had feared. I walked around the grounds until I saw Callie kneeling over a piece of birch wood at her feet. Paint splattered her overalls, and her red hair was twisted on top of her head and held in place by a single, slender, long-handled paintbrush. The sign said: A PENNY A PEEK: A REAL, LIVE, HUNGRY VAMPIRE. ENTER IF YOU DARE! Underneath was a crude drawing of a vampire: fangs elongated, eyes squinting, blood trickling down both sides of his mouth. The features were Damons, but it was clear Callie had drawn significant artistic inspiration from the burlesque show last night. Callie looked up, catching me staring. Her mouth made a round O, and she dropped her brush onto the canvas. A large black spot suddenly appeared on Damons face. â€Å"Look what you made me do,† she said angrily. I stuck my hands in my pockets, subtly sniffing the air for traces of Damon. â€Å"Im sorry.† Callie sighed in annoyance. â€Å"I dont need your apologies. I just need you to stop distracting me so I can get some work done.† â€Å"Do you want me to help you fix the painting?† The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. They hung between us for a long moment, both of us seemingly surprised by my offer. â€Å"Fix the painting?† Callie echoed, putting her hands on her hips. â€Å"Am I hearing you correctly? Fix thepainting?† â€Å"Yes?† I fumbled. â€Å"Are you aware that you left me last night to get home alone, with no explanation?† Her chin was jutted out, and her stance was aggressive, but her lower lip wobbled, and I could tell she was hurt. â€Å"Callie,† I began. Excuses flew through my head.I work for your father. We should not sneak around. You're just a girl, and I'm a vampire Even though part of me was furious at her for allowing her father to parade Damon around like livestock, to let him fight perhaps until death, the other part knew that she had as little sway over her father as Id had with mine. And now all I could think about was making her lip stop wobbling. â€Å"Its better this way,† I said, twisting my ring around my finger. She shook her head and stabbed the sharp wooden end of the paintbrush into the dirt. It remained there, as if it were a tiny surrender flag after a battle. â€Å"No explanation necessary. Weve known each other a week. You dont owe me an explanation. Thats the best thing about strangers: You dont owe them anything,† she said crisply. I rocked back on my heels. A silence hung between us. The image of Damon glared up at me, seemingly mocking my ineffectiveness. â€Å"Well, arent you going to get to work?† she asked. â€Å"Or are we just paying you to stand around?† Before I could turn to leave, Jasper burst out of a small black tent at the edge of the property. â€Å"We need some extra hands!† A lanky man trailed behind him, cradling his forearm close to his chest. Callie leaped to her feet. â€Å"What happened?† As the man held out his hand, blood flowed down his arm onto the ground. I averted my eyes. Even so, pain rippled along my jaw as I felt my fangs grow. â€Å"The vampires fighting today. We need more men.† Jasper gasped breathlessly, his eyes falling on me. â€Å"Stefan,† Callie said in a tone that wasnt a question. Jasper and the stocky man stared at me. â€Å"Well then, come on, new guy. Show us youre Gallagher material,† Jasper said, jerking his chin in the direction of the tent. â€Å"Of course,† I said slowly, a plan forming in my mind. I could pick out four separate heartbeats in the tent. There would be copious amounts of vervain, of course, but Id been feeding regularly enough that I might be able to overcome the men. Four I could handle, but five I turned to Jasper. â€Å"Why dont you and Callie take care of your man here and Ill join the others in the tent?† â€Å"I'm coming, brother,† I added under my breath. Callie squinted at me. â€Å"Did you say something?† â€Å"No,† I said quickly. Jasper shifted from foot to foot, sizing me up with his eyes. â€Å"Callie will take care of Charley here, and Ill take care of you. Teach you the tricks of monster wrangling,† he said, clapping me on the back, pushing me toward the tent. With each step the scent of vervain grew stronger, curdling the blood in my veins. Together, we entered the tent. The interior was hot and dark, the stench of vervain nearly suffocating me. It took every ounce of my strength not to bend at the waist and scream in agony. I forced my eyes open and looked at my brother, who was chained in the corner. Four men yanked on his restraints, trying desperately to keep him in place. The second Damons eyes landed on me, his face lit up. â€Å"Welcome to hell, brother,† Damon whispered, his lips barely moving as he locked eyes with me. Then he turned to Jasper. â€Å"So, Jasp,† he said, in a conversational tone, as if they were just two men engaged in a friendly talk at a tavern, â€Å"you found a new sap to do your dirty work. Well, come on, brother. Lets see if you can stake me.† â€Å"His bark is worse than his bite,† Jasper said, holding out a stake to me. From its stench I could tell it had been soaked in vervain. â€Å"Give me your gloves,† I said with an air of authority. Touching the wood would give me away instantly. â€Å"Wont give you much protection. Those fangs can go through anything,† Jasper protested. â€Å"Just give them to me,† I said through clenched teeth. Damon watched the exchange intently, clearly enjoying my predicament. â€Å"Okay, if theyll make you more comfortable. † Jasper shrugged and handed me his leather gloves. I pulled them over my hands and took the stake from Jasper, my hands trembling slightly. How could something so light be so deadly? Damon let out a low chuckle. â€Å"Is this the best you could rustle up? He looks about ready to keel over.† I glared at my brother. â€Å"I'm trying to save you,† I whispered. Damon just snorted derisively. â€Å"Please,† I added. â€Å"Please what?† he said, wrapping the chains around his hands. â€Å"Please let me save you.† â€Å"Sorry. Can't help you there,† he said, before yanking on the chains. Two of the guards fell to the ground in surprise. â€Å"Do something!† Jasper said gruffly. â€Å"Youve got to stick him, let him know his place.† â€Å"Listen to your boss,† Damon sneered.†Be a man and stab me. A real man isn't afraid of blood, isn't that right?† Jasper bent down and grabbed a stake from the ground. â€Å"Cmon, boy. Earn your keep,† he said, using the side of the stake to nudge me forward. I gasped. Pain shot up and down my skin, as if Id been touched by a hot poker. Damon laughed again. The flap opened, and Callie poked her head through the tent. I looked wildly over at her. â€Å"Callie, you shouldnt be here!† Both she and Damon looked at me quizzically. A sickening feeling spread through my limbs. The vervain, the heat, the stakes Just then, with a simple twist from his chains, Damon broke free and lunged toward Callie. Callie shrieked, and Jasper dove to shield her. Time seemed to stop, and without thinking, I hurled my stake through Damons belly. He fell backward, gasping, blood spurting from the wound. â€Å"I said, please!† I hissed wildly, in a voice only Damon could hear. Callie cowered near the flap, her eyes wide as she glanced between me and Damon. Damon looked up, wheezing as he pulled the stake from his stomach. Then I heard the faintest, hoarse whisper over the shouts of Jasper and the trainers as they moved to re-chain Damon. â€Å"Then please know that your hell hasn't even yet begun, brother.† Stefan’s Diaries: Bloodlust Chapter 2~3 Chapter 2 Damon and I crouched in the cemeterys hemlock grove behind the mausoleums that housed the bones of Mystic Falls founders. Despite the early hour, already the townspeople stood stoop-shouldered around a gaping hole in the ground. Puffs of air curled into the cerulean blue sky with the crowds every exhalation, as if the entire congregation were smoking celebratory cigars rather than trying to calm their chattering teeth. My heightened senses took in the scene before us. The cloying smell of vervain–an herb that rendered vampires powerless–hung heavy in the air. The grass was laden with dew, each drop of water falling to the earth with a silvery ping, and far off in the distance church bells chimed. Even from this distance, I could see a tear lodged in the corner of Honoria Fellss eye. Down at the pulpit, Mayor Lockwood shuffled from foot to foot, clearly eager to get the crowds attention. I could just make out the winged figure above him, the angel statue that marked my mothers final resting place. Two empty plots lay just beyond, where Damon and I should have been buried. The mayors voice sliced through the cold air, his voice as loud to my sensitive ears as if he were standing right next to me. â€Å"We come together today to say farewell to one of Mystic Falls greatest sons, Giuseppe Salvatore, a man for whom town and family always came before self.† Damon kicked the ground. â€Å"The family he killed. The love he destroyed, the lives he shattered,† he muttered. â€Å"Shhh,† I whispered as I pressed my palm against his forearm. â€Å"If I were to paint a portrait of this great mans life,† Lockwood continued over the sniffles and sighs of the crowd, â€Å"Giuseppe Salvatore would be flanked by his two fallen sons, Damon and Stefan, heroes of the battle of Willow Creek. May we learn from Giuseppe, emulate him, and be inspired to rid our town of evil, either seen or unseen.† Damon let out a low, rattling scoff. â€Å"The portrait he paints,† he said, â€Å"should contain the muzzle flash of Fathers rifle.† He rubbed the place where Fathers bullet had ripped through his chest only a week earlier. There was no physical wound–our transformation healed all injuries–but the betrayal would be etched in our minds forever. â€Å"Shhh,† I said again as Jonathan Gilbert strode up to stand beside Mayor Lockwood, holding a large veiled frame. Jonathan looked to have aged ten years in seven short days: lines creased his tanned forehead, and streaks of white were visible in his brown hair. I wondered if his transformation had something to do with Pearl, the vampire he loved but had condemned to death after finding out what she really was. I spotted Clementines parents in the crowd, arms clasped, not yet aware that their daughter was not among the somber-faced girls in the back of the crowd. Theyd find out soon enough. My thoughts were interrupted by an insistent clicking, like a watch counting or a fingernail tapping against a hard surface. I scanned the crowd, trying to trace the ticking to its point of origin. The sound was slow and steady and mechanical, steadier than a heartbeat, slower than a metronome. And it seemed to be coming directly from Jonathans hand. Clementines blood rushed to my head. The compass. Back when Father first became suspicious of vampires, hed created a committee of men to rid the town of the demonic scourge. Id attended the meetings, which had taken place in Jonathan Gilberts attic. Hed had plans for a contraption to identify vampires, and Id witnessed him using it in action the week before. It was how hed discovered Pearls true nature. I elbowed Damon. â€Å"We have to go,† I said, barely moving my jaw. Just then Jonathan looked up, and his eyes locked directly onto mine. He let out an unholy shriek and pointed to our mausoleum. â€Å"Demon!† The crowd turned toward us as one, their stares cutting through the fog like bayonets. Then something rushed past me, and the wall behind me exploded. A cloud of powder billowed around us, and chips of marble slashed across my cheek. I bared my fangs and roared. The sound was loud, primal, terrifying. Half the crowd knocked over chairs in their haste to flee the cemetery, but the other half remained. â€Å"Kill the demons!† Jonathan cried, brandishing a crossbow. â€Å"I think they mean us, brother,† Damon said with a short, humorless laugh. And so I grabbed Damon and ran. Chapter 3 With Damon behind me, I raced through the forest, jumping over felled branches and skipping over stones. I leaped over the waist-high iron gate of the cemetery, turning briefly to make sure Damon was still following. We zigzagged deep into the woods, the gunshots sounding like fireworks in my ear, the shrieks of the townspeople like breaking glass, their heavy breathing like low-rolling thunder. I could even hear the footfalls of the crowd pursuing me, each step sending vibrations through the ground. I silently cursed Damon for being so stubborn. If hed been willing to drink before today, hed be at full strength, and our newfound speed and agility would have already taken us far away from this mess. As we cut through the thicket, squirrels and voles scattered from the underbrush, their blood quickening in the presence of predators. A whinny and a snort sounded from the far edge of the cemetery. â€Å"Comeon.† I grabbed Damon by the waist and hoisted him to his feet again. â€Å"We have to keep moving.† I could hear the blood pumping, smell the iron, feel the ground shaking. I knew the mob was more afraid of me than I of them; but still, the sound of gunshots caused my mind to whirl, my body to lurch forward. Damon was weak and I could only carry him so far. Another gunshot cracked, closer this time. Damon stiffened. â€Å"Demons!† Jonathan Gilberts voice sliced through the woods. Another bullet whizzed past me, grazing my shoulder. Damon flopped forward in my arms. â€Å"Damon!† The word echoed in my ears, sounding so much like the worddemonthat it startled me. â€Å"Brother!† I shook him, then began awkwardly dragging him behind me again toward the sounds of the horses. But despite having just fed, my strength wouldnt last forever, and the footsteps were coming closer and closer. Finally we reached the edge of the cemetery, where several horses were tied to the iron hitching posts. They pawed at the ground, pulling on the ropes that tethered them so hard that their necks bulged. One coal-black mare was none other than my old horse, Mezzanotte. I stared at her, mesmerized at how desperate she appeared to be to get away from me. Just a few days earlier, I was the only rider shed trusted. Footfalls sounded again. I tore my gaze away, shaking my head at being so sentimental. I pulled Fathers old hunting knife from the top of my boot. It had been the one thing Id taken when Id walked through Veritas, our family estate, one last time. Hed always had it with him, although Id never seen him use it. Father had never been one to work with his hands. Still, in my minds eye, the knife conveyed the power and authority that everyone had associated with my father. I put the blade to the rope that tied Mezzanotte, but it didnt make even the smallest cut. Looking down, I saw the knife for what it was: a dull blade that could barely cut through twine, polished to look important. It was well suited to Father, I thought in disgust, throwing the knife to the ground and yanking at the ropes with my bare hands. The footsteps came closer and I looked wildly behind me. I had wanted to free all the horses so Jonathan and his men couldnt ride them, but there simply wasnt time. â€Å"Hey, girl,† I murmured, stroking Mezzanottes elegant neck. She pawed the ground nervously, her heart pounding. â€Å"Its me,† I whispered as I swung myself onto her back. She reared up, and out of surprise, I kicked her so hard in the flanks that I heard the snap of a rib breaking. Instantly, she yielded in submission, and I trotted her to Damon. â€Å"Come on,† I yelled. A flicker of doubt passed across Damons eyes, but then he reached over Mezzanottes broad back and hoisted himself up. Whether it was fear or instinct, his willingness to flee gave me hope that he was not resolved to die, after all. â€Å"Kill them!† a voice yelled, and someone threw a burning torch toward us that arced and landed on the grass at Mezzanottes feet. Instantly, the grass began to burn, and Mezzanotte bolted in the opposite direction of the quarry. Hoofs thudded behind us–the men had leaped on the other horses and were now fast on our tail. Another gunshot rang out behind us, followed by the twang of a bow. Mezzanotte reared up, letting out a high whinny. Damon slipped, grappling to hold on to the underside of Mezzanottes neck, while I tugged at the leather straps, trying to keep us upright. Only after a few steps backward did all four of Mezzanottes hooves get back on the dirt. As Damon righted himself, I saw a slim wooden arrow jutting out from the horses haunches. It was a clever tactic. At a distance, the mob had a far better chance of slowing down our horse than of striking one of us straight through the heart. Hunched low over Mezzanotte, we galloped under branches and pressed on. She was a strong horse, but she favored her left side, where the arrow had gone in. A wet streak of my own blood was streaming down my temple and onto my shirt, and Damons grip on my waist was dangerously loose. Still, I urged Mezzanotte forward. I was relying on instinct, on something beyond thinking and planning. It was as if I could smell freedom and possibility, and just had to trust that Id lead us to it. I pulled the reins and steered out of the woods and into the field behind Veritas Estate. On any other rainy morning there would have been lights in the window of our old home, the lamps giving the bubbled glass an orange-yellow look of sunset. Our maid, Cordelia, would have been singing in the kitchen, and Fathers driver, Alfred, would be sitting sentry by the entrance. Father and I would be sitting in companionable silence in the breakfast room. Now the estate was a cold shell of its former self: the windows dark, the grounds completely silent. It had only been empty for a week, yet Veritas looked as though it had been abandoned for ages. We leaped over the fence and landed unsteadily. I just barely managed to right us with a hard tug on the reins, the metal of the clacking against Mezzanottes teeth. Then we thundered around the side of the house, my skin clammy as we passed Cordelias plot of vervain, the tiny stalks ankle-high. â€Å"Where are you taking us, brother?† Damon asked. I heard three sets of splashing hooves as Jonathan Gilbert, Mayor Lockwood, and Sheriff Forbes cut along the pond at the back of our property. Mezzanotte wheezed, a peach froth lining her mouth, and I knew that outriding them wouldnt be a possibility. Suddenly, the throaty wail of a train whistled through the morning, blocking out the hooves, the wind, and the metallic rasp of a gun reloading. â€Å"Were getting on that train,† I said, kicking Mezzanotte in the flanks. Bearing down, she picked up speed and sailed over the stone wall that separated Veritas from the main road. â€Å"Cmon, girl,† I whispered. Her eyes were wild and terrified, but she ran faster down the road and onto Main Street. The charred church came into sight, blackened bricks rising up like teeth from the ashen earth. The apothecary had also been burned to the ground. Crucifixes were affixed to every single doorframe in town; vervain sprigs were hung in garlands over most. I barely recognized the place Id lived all my seventeen years. Mystic Falls wasnt my home. Not anymore. Behind us, Jonathan Gilbert and Mayor Lockwoods horses were approaching faster and faster. Ahead of us, I could hear the train drawing nearer, grinding against the rails. The froth at Mezzanottes mouth was turning pink with blood. My fangs were dry, and I licked my parched lips, wondering if this constant desire for blood came with being a new vampire, or if I would always feel this way. â€Å"Ready to go, brother?† I asked, yanking Mezzanottes reins. She halted, giving me just enough time to jump off before she collapsed onto the ground, blood rushing from her mouth. A shot rang out, and blood spurted from Mezzanottes flank. I yanked Damon by the wrists and hurled us onto the caboose just before the train roared out of the station, leaving Jonathan Gilbert and Mayor Lockwoods angry cries far behind.