Monday, August 24, 2020

Unit 8 Study Guide

Unit 8 Study Guide 1. What number of liters of blood does the normal grown-up have? 5 Liters 2. What are the parts of blood? Red platelets, white platelets, platelets, and plasma. 3. What does the hematocrit measure? The quantity of cells or volume. 4. What level of blood is cells? 45% 5. What level of blood is made of plasma? 55% 6. What do erythrocytes resemble and what is their capacity? Erythrocytes are biconcave plates that are 7. 5 micrometers. They have no core, considerably after they have developed and they are made out of 33% hemoglobin. They work as a transportation framework for gas. . How adult erythrocytes vary from youthful ones? They come up short on a core when they develop 8. What is an ordinary RBC Count? 4,600,000/cubic centimeter 9. What makes dark red? Hemoglobin 10. To what extent does the normal RBC live? 120 days 11. What hormone controls the pace of rbc blend? Erythropoietin 12. What component is a piece of a red platelet? Iron 13. What is sickle-cell sickli ness and what is its motivation? Sickle-cell iron deficiency is a turmoil in the red platelets which decreases the oxygen in the blood and results in the RBC’s being bow molded. 14. What are the reasons for AnemiaThe reasons for Anemia incorporate an absence of enough RBC’s, including iron inadequacy, B complex lack, erythropoietin insufficiency, or an excessive number of RBC’s devastated, which incorporates sickle cell paleness, sickle train, thallasemias (Alpha hemoglobin chain, beta hemoglobin chain, little RBC’s. ) 15. What is the contrast between sickle cell sickliness and sickle attribute? It is feasible for an individual to have a blend of typical and awful hemoglobin in red platelets without having sickle cell malady. This condition is â€Å"sickle cell train† in which individuals have enough of the typical hemoglobin in their red platelets to keep them from turning out to be sickle haped, causing sickle cell frailty. 16. What level of whit e platelets are eosinophils? 1-3% 17. What is a Lymphocyte? A Lymphocyte is a little, round extensive agranulocyte that is made out of 25-33% of white platelets. Its capacity is to assault antigens. 18. What is a compound that invigorates cells to create antibodies? Antigen 19. What percent of blood is lymphocytes 25-33% of the blood 20. What is a typical white Blood Cell Count? 5,000-10,000 White platelets 21. What does an ascent in WBCS demonstrate? A decrease?A rise demonstrates a contamination, for example, leukocytosis and a diminishing, or leucopenia, might be an indication of viral diseases. 22. What is an ordinary WBC differential? 4,500-10,000 23. What is discharge? It is comprised of leukocytes, microbes, and harmed body cells. 24. What do raised monocytes demonstrate? They could show a disease 25. What is Diapedesis? It permits WBC’s to leave dissemination 26. What is leukemia? It is a sort of malignant growth that starts in the tissue that structures blood. Leukem ia patients drain on account of platelet inadequacy. 27. What is the capacity of fibrinogen?It helps quit seeping by helping blood clumps to shape. It is changed over into fibrin during blood coagulation. 28. What are 3 Lipoprotein particles? VLDL †triglycerides LDL †cholesterol HDL †high protein 29. What is agglutination? Agglutination is an amassing together of microscopic organisms or red cells when held together by antibodies, or agglutinins. 30. What shields blood from coagulating? Anticoagulants are what forestall the thickening of blood. 31. What is fibrinogen? Fibrinogen is a protein that the liver produces which helps quit seeping by assisting with framing blood clumps. 32. What is a globulin?A globulin is a plasma protein which transports lipids and fat-dissolvable nutrients in the blood and assists with creating antibodies. 33. What are the significant ABO gatherings? A, B, AB, and O blood classifications 34. What are antigens and antibodies related with ea ch blood gathering? Type A blood contains the antigen An and Anti B antibodies, type B blood contains antigen B and Anti An antibodies, type AB has antigens An and B and no antibodies, and type O has no antigens and Anti An and B antibodies. 35. What blood classification is widespread contributor? All inclusive beneficiary? Type O is the widespread blood giver and type AB is the all inclusive beneficiary. 6. What is the Rh factor and for what reason is it noteworthy? The Rh factor is an antigen that can be found in the red platelets of the vast majority. Individuals with Rh factor are viewed as Rh positive and the individuals who don't are viewed as Rh negative. Rh adverse individuals can't be transfused with positive blood once they are presented to it. A Rh negative mother can create antibodies to give to her Rh positive youngster. Blood which is utilized in transfusions must match benefactors for Rh status and ABO blood gathering. Rh-patients will create frailty in the event that they are given Rh+ blood.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Bladerunner: Humanity Of Deckard & Roy Batty Essays -- essays research

Roy Batty and Deckard are both ready to demonstrate us being human. Whatever degree do you concur? Through Blade Runner, we see an epic journey loaded up with importance and imagery pertinent to the human condition. Replicants are essentially individuals, aside from the way that they come up short on a history. As a result of this, maybe, they likewise need appropriate passionate resources particularly sympathy. Compassion is simply the capacity to put in the situation of another living being and comprehend that person’s sentiments. Cutting edge sprinter advances that compassion is the characterizing attributes for mankind. The replicants, structured not to show any feeling, grow profoundly and genuinely all through the film. The characters in the film, even the ones that were not human, had numerous humanistic and convincing characteristics. A significant number of them had the option to feel love just as detest. In spite of the fact that Deckard is as far as anyone knows human he now and again shows less feeling than Roy. He appears to be relentless and uncompassionate making himself look unhuman. We see that Deckard is potentially not "human" also, however a replicant. He shows no sympathy when he tells Rachel of her being a replicant with inserts. In tears, Rachel escapes Deckard’s condo and into the lanes. The main time wherein Deckard truly shows feeling is cultivated when Roy, producing Deckard through the flames of a nerve racking fight, looks frightened realizing that he is going to kick the bucket. Through this, Roy attempts to convey his life experi...

Monday, July 20, 2020

Lessons Learned in the First 12 Months of Being a Startup CEO

Lessons Learned in the First 12 Months of Being a Startup CEO “It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” â€" Bill Gates © Shutterstock.com | lenetstanIn this article, we will look at 1) personal lessons, 2) product and marketing lessons, 3) operational lessons, and 4) hiring lessons.PERSONAL LESSONS LEARNED WHEN BEING A STARTUP CEOMike Evans, co-founder of the internet-based food ordering website Grubhub.com highlights his main misconceptions as a first-time entrepreneur. One of which is:1. Your Time Is Not Free.At the beginning of any new venture, the entrepreneur usually spends a lot of time doing most of the work herself. This often means product development and design, market analysis, selling, marketing and all the financials. Whatever needs to be done is done and this translates into long work hours. All this is done for no cost at all. More than money, the cost here is opportunity. When there is an attempt to complete everything with little or no prioritization, then there is the ever present danger of letting important, value-adding tasks slip through the cracks. Evans suggests looking at you r time a bit differently.“Because it is so hard to get a comprehensive prioritization of tasks in a startup company, I usually ask a few short cut questions. If my time cost me $500 per hour, would I be doing this task? Can I get that hour back in profit?”, says Evans.These questions can help a startup CEO spend her time where it matters most.Martina Iring, a small business marketing consultant also shares her top lessons from her first year as an entrepreneur. She says:   2. Be Prepared for Ups and Downs.Many first-time CEOS who are entrepreneurs look forward to the freedom that comes with being their own boss. This is not as easy a situation as it appears to be. There are many days full of downs when it is hard to stay motivated and where it becomes difficult to live with instability and insecurity. The fun and excitement of entrepreneurship takes a backseat and there can be a sense of being overwhelmed. This feeling is part of the package, however. Iring remains positive,“T here will be ups and downs in all things in life. It doesn’t mean you should give up or that you made the wrong decision. You probably just need  a little extra TLC. The upswing is right around the corner.”3. It Will Take Longer Than You Plan For.Another common mistake made by entrepreneurs is the assumption that once the business is set up, things will move quickly and the company will be ready to go. Often, the time assumption is downright naïve because setting up a business requires a lot of work, and a lot of unforeseen issues and problems can crop up unexpectedly. Something new always needs to be addressed and handled. There is no timeframe that can be applied generically, but every entrepreneur needs to make a realistic time estimation based on their industry and its peculiarities.4. Be Prepared to Spend More Money.As with the incorrect assumption of time, there is a tendency to overestimate when the cash will start flowing in. Even if the business is up and running and p roduct sales start picking up steam, there are expenses that will crop up and need to be managed. Most often however, it takes time for the product to become known and for sales to grow. Therefore, it is important for the entrepreneur to have contingency plans in place to manage finances in difficult times.5. It Will Require More Smarts Than You Anticipate.A new CEO is required to perform many different roles and wear as many different hats. There will be a need to think on your feet, learn on the go and acquire new skills every day. All sorts of new abilities will be picked up and more boundaries will be pushed than were ever thought possible. This learning process needs to be anticipated and embraced right off so all the necessary information is absorbed and used effectively.Another entrepreneur, Larry Kim, is the CTO and founder of WordStream. He shares his five reality checks as a founder. 6. You Are Not Really Your Own Boss.Kim says that if you take on investors, you will not r eally be as in control of your company as you want to be. Without investors, your customers are your ultimate boss. These customers may be a whole lot more demanding than a traditional boss ever can be. Ultimately, there may end up being less freedom and a lot more responsibility in a startup business as compared to traditional employment.7. You May Not Get to Do More of What You Are Good At.An entrepreneur may get into a business because of her passion and interest. But with the launch of the business, there is an influx of other activities that need to be done and there may be a need to find other people to do tasks better than she can. The most enjoyed hobby can become tedious when it becomes full-time work and a livelihood. Eventually, the entrepreneur needs to make herself redundant by building a strong team and helping them grow and develop.8. You Always Have Something to Lose.When an entrepreneur sets out to create a business, there is always the threat of failure, as somethi ng like 80 percent of all businesses fail in the first year. To reach success, the business has to make a splash and become known. This means that a possible failure will also be immensely public and can often bruise the entrepreneur’s pride. To avoid this feeling of shattered ego, it is important to stay as positive as possible and ignore those who are discouraging and looking for you to fail.9. Turning the Dream to Reality Is Indescribable.One positive lesson cited by Larry Kim is the feeling of watching your dream become a reality. He says,“I greatly underestimated just how awesome it really is to show up at work and watch your company grow over time, and to watch the dream become a reality.”The overwhelming experiences of a first office, the first team celebration for an achievement, an industry award or happy customers are difficult to anticipate.PRODUCT AND MARKETING LESSONS LEARNED WHEN BEING A STARTUP CEOMike Evans also has lessons for the product and marketing aspects of a startup. Some of these are:1. All Ideas Do Not Need to Be Kept Secret.Often, entrepreneurs are excessively paranoid about a new, seemingly unique idea being stolen by competitors while it is being developed. This paranoid mindset can continue well into a mature growth stage. However, if the concept is sound and the management team competent, it is better to focus on achieving success through competitive differentiation than a lot of secrecy. A product idea is only made better when it is closely scrutinized and studied, especially by those that make up the target market. So at the design stage, it is necessary to have the product go through a period of trial and error which cannot be done when secrecy is the foremost concern.2. Not everything is about Speed.With a new idea, entrepreneurs are often tempted to run with it to ensure that their customer base is secured before everyone else. This problem crops up every time a new opportunity is explored. The idea behind the urgency is that once the customer is in hand, they will be kept in hand. However, this is not always the case. True customer loyalty, the kind that is long-term, comes from the quality being offered rather than how fast a product was offered. It is the best that wins, not the first. So take the time to develop the right product tailored to directly serve a customer need, and you will be in a better position for long-term and sustainable success.Entrepreneur Nathan Beckord shares his experience as a first-time startup CEO. 3. Identifying Customer Needs Is Just the Beginning.Though the process of identifying customer needs and creating things that people want is imperative to a successful product, this element is just one part of the entire picture. The other big chunk is to eliminate the many possible barriers to adoption that may exist. As the product goes through the trial and error process as well as different iterations, these barriers are better identified and addressed, helping to crea te a product with the potential for long-term and sustainable success. This is not a one-time activity, but an ongoing process.4. No One Will Care in the Beginning.Beckord believes that an entire generation of entrepreneurs has the mistaken belief that a great product will market itself. This is not true in most cases, and is definitely not the norm. Even the best startups need to make the effort to create an interest and noise in the market to get the right attention. There may be an initial spike of interest, but this is often short lived and needs sustained effort to continue.5. Everyone Needs Early Evangelists.Brian Chesky of AirBnB says, “It is better to build something that 100 people love than 1 million kind of like.” This is why all startups benefit greatly from spending time and effort to create an initial group of super users or champions. These early adopters tend to be passionate about the product or service and are more likely to tell others and give necessary and v ital feedback on the product’s performance. An additional benefit is that their enthusiasm can act as a motivator for an entrepreneur who has been facing issues and negativity from other channels.6. Not Everyone Will Like What You Are Offering.There is every possibility that some people will never like what you are selling. These can often be those people that you really want on board but just will not see eye to eye. This rejection can take some time to accept. The need to win these people over can consume an entrepreneur and turn into an obsession. According to Beckord,“Ive now come to realize that although persistence is indeed a critical trait for entrepreneurs, at some point it’s time to recognize when a deals not going to happen. In short, don’t let ‘Deal OCD’ become a detriment to your overall business.”7. Sell More Than the Product; Sell What Users Can Do with It.A philosophy espoused by Steve Jobs is that it is important to highlight the benefits that can be p rovided by the product rather than the features that it has. People may not be able to relate to a list of features, and may not be able to recognize how these apply to their lives. But with benefits, everything offered can become relatable when pitched to the right segment of the market.8. Building Products Is Fun.Product development can be an extremely exciting and rewarding area, much more so than is often expected by those entrepreneurs who don’t usually work on the product exclusively. The entire process from the idea, prototype, feedback, design, build, launch, feedback to the final iteration is extremely rewarding and very gratifying. OPERATIONAL LESSONS LEARNED WHEN BEING A STARTUP CEO1. You Always Have Competition.Evans believes that it is a difficult practical task to identify individual companies that are in competition with your business. Direct competitors often seem less threatening because the customer base appears to be big enough for everyone to be able to functio n successfully. This is a narrow view of the competitive arena and can land the company into trouble. Instead, a more realistic competitor analysis will look at all companies and products in competition for the customer’s money.2. You Are Not Smarter Than Others.Often, an entrepreneur may have the mistaken notion that she is better than all the others out in the market. The customer however, will not automatically rank one company over the other based on assumed smartness. Instead, it is vision, organization, patience, passion, discipline and humility that are drivers of success.3. Online Knowledge Can Be Invaluable.It is never a good idea to assume that you have all the knowledge needed to become successful. Constant research and knowledge gathering can be an invaluable asset for the company and the CEO. The first source of this information can be the internet, where there is a variety of diverse resources available, both free and for a fee. A busy day and a crammed schedule can make this seem like a useless activity, but it is extremely important to fit this into the plan.4. Use Professional Help Where Possible.A small business startup is often cash strapped and the startup team or entrepreneur is usually trying to handle all aspects of the business themselves. This do-it-yourself attitude can also come at a price. In the long run, the additional costs of hiring an accountant or a marketing professional will be balanced by the time, effort and energy you save to be diverted into other key tasks. HIRING LESSONS LEARNED WHEN BEING A STARTUP CEOJenn Steele is the Head of Growth at RecruitLoop, an online recruitment marketplace. She shares her insight into hiring lessons for startups. 1. Co-Founders Often Disagree on Who and What Is Needed.The only way to achieve unanimous decisions is to operate in a situation where there is one founder. Any more than one and there is bound to be a difference of opinion. This is to be expected and the entrepreneurs should be prepared to take the time to work out differences and reach an agreement.2. The Perfect Person Is a Myth.Since there is no perfect employee that will fulfill all criteria set by all those who are involved in hiring, it is necessary to be prepared to compromise on some aspects. Requirements can be broken down into good-to-haves and must-haves. Priorities may also shift once interviews begin and actual people are across the table.3. The Right Person Will Work for What You Can Pay.If you find a person that you really want to work for you, it is worthwhile to spend some time negotiating with them and hoping that they are also flexible. This can help reach an agreeable set of terms where both parties are satisfied and eager to work together. But it is also important to know when to let the candidate walk if their expected salary is just not making business sense.4. You May Not Need Management at the Beginning.Depending on the nature of the business, the first hires may be developers rath er than managers, or support staff rather than specialists. Middle managers and people focused solely on their own careers have no place in a startup environment. High-level strategists that can get stuff done or people who are great at contributing individually are actually needed most.5. Nothing Is Forever.Though you may think you have hired just the right people, you may have to rethink your decisions at a later stage. Perhaps the most qualified candidate is unable to fit into the culture you want to foster. The first people you hire may need to be let go as early as the first month or two. Despite this uncertainty, you can work with the right person for as long as possible to build the company.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Arguments about the critical period hypothesis Free Essay Example, 1750 words

Bley-Vroman, R. (1988). The fundamental character of foreign language learning. In W. Rutherford &M. Sharwood Smith (Eds. ), Grammar and second language teaching: A book of readings (pp. 19-30). In this article the author talks about ten different characteristics of adults who try to learn a second language. One of these characteristics is age and its correlation with the proficiency with which they learn a second language. In this section the author states that it is generally presumed that the proficiency with which an individual can learn a second language is higher during early ages of life. This article will be used in the research to provide an introduction to the argument of critical point hypothesis. Colombo, J. (1982). The critical period concept: Research, methodology, and theoretical concerns. Psychological Bulletin, 91, 260-275. This article is a discussion of the concept of critical period which is marked by the age of an individual starting from his/her birth till he/she reaches adulthood. The article even discusses various researches regarding the concept of critical period along with issues in theorizing the concept and the methodologies used to perform research regarding the topic. We will write a custom essay sample on Arguments about the critical period hypothesis or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now This article will be used in the argument to define the concept of critical period and to criticize its use in determining the proficiency that individuals attain while learning a second language. Curtiss, S. (1977). Genie: A psycholinguistic study of a modern day â€Å"wildchild†. New York: Academic Press. This research focuses on a child who lived in captivation and when she was discovered she lack the ability that the children of her age enjoyed. The research even focuses on the critical period hypothesis and the researchers were able to support the critical period hypothesis with the case of Genie. This study will be used to provide example in support of for the case of existence of a critical period which is necessary for the development of children. Flege, J. E., Frieda, A. M., & Nozawa, T. (1997). Amount of native-language (L1) use affects the pronunciation of an L2. Journal of Phonetics, 25, 169-186. The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of use of native language on an individual’s ability to learn a second language. The researchers were able to identify that second language learners are unable to develop nativelike proficiency even after being exposed to a second language for more than 34 years. The study even identified that if an individual is exposed to higher degree of native language, he/she fails in developing the accent of a foreign language.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Essay The Mists Of Avalon - 1035 Words

Devotion, Love, Despair and Betrayal nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Mists of Avalon throws the throbbing pulse of femininity into the reader’s face. It expels a truth which can be felt through every sentence, paragraph and chapter. It is a grouping of heartwarming characters, horrifying plot twists and several tragedies surrounding many different themes. The Mists of Avalon becomes a legend seen through new eyes, with details, majestic language, and haunting foreshadowing that hold the reader through its more than 800 pages. It is a story of another time and place. Its the legendary saga of King Arthur and his companions at Camelot. Their battles, love, and devotion are told this time from the†¦show more content†¦It is that power which inevitably drives all those who love Viviane away from her. She must use her power to do the work of the Goddess, which is not always understood. Morgaine, who is raised by Viviane feels the power being used on her and leaves, as well as Viviane’s son, Lancelet, who is to afraid of his mother to see her. Viviane is a strong character who’s spirituality is thought provoking. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Gwenhwyfar, Arthurs Queen, is an overly pious, fearful woman who successfully sways her husband, Arthur, into betraying his allegiance to Avalon. Arthur’s incredible love for Gwenyfar is confusing at times because there is no real development of their relationship. Arthur just seems to have fallen deeply in love with a woman who’s stupidity is infuriating. However, Arthur is not the only one who is madly in love with Gwenyfar; Arthur’s best friend Lancelet is as well. Igraine see’s this in the beginning and tries to undo the arrangement of her marriage to Arthur, but it could not be stopped. Gwenyfar returns the love to Lancelet and the reader somehow manages to feel compassion for the poor woman locked in a triangle of despair. The reader grows to hate Gwenyfar as she is the ultimate rock in the bottom of Morgaine’s shoe. The Mists of Avalon depicts Gwenhwyfar as a blind cultist, rather than the wise and loving queen. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Set against Gwenyfar is Morgaine of the Fairies, Arthurs sister, love,Show MoreRelatedThe Mists Of Avalon : A Feminist Perspective1072 Words   |  5 Pages A Feminist Perspective The film The Mists of Avalon is an Arthurian work that relates the legend from the perspective of the female characters that manipulated the reigns of the power. This film, follows the journey of the priestess, Morgaine, in her fight to preserve her Celtic culture in a kingdom where those who embrace Christianity threaten to end their pagan way of life. This legend also focuses on the ladies, Viviane, Igrane, Morgause, and Guinevere as well as other significant female charactersRead MoreMist of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley525 Words   |  2 PagesMist of Avalon breaks through many stereotypes but also strengthens some in some ways. One stereotype that was torn down was that women are not as strong as men. This is proved to be wrong when they have Morgaine fighting men and actually being victorious. This movie also breaks the stereotype that women can’t be in power. Most women in this movie hold very high positions. For example, Viviane is the high goddess of Avalon. Also Morgaine is her second in command. Although this movie breaksRead MoreMovie Review : The Mists Of Avalon Essay1631 Words   |  7 PagesThe Mists of Avalon Most people have heard the story of King Arthur and Camelot, most have probably heard several stories that focus on different views, different events, but for the most part the story remains the similar. Ask those same people how many Arthurian movies have you seen again many have been made and most stay along the same path, save for one, The Mists of Avalon takes us on a whole new version of the story coming from the often portrayed villainess Morgaine La Faye. With Mists of AvalonRead More The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley Essay1310 Words   |  6 PagesThe Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley, is not only an example of a Medieval Romance, but also tells the story of the women who stood behind King Arthur during his infamous reign in the Middle Ages. The term â€Å"Medieval Romance† does not necessarily mean that the piece using it contains any sort of romance. There are three criteria that must be meet to form a Medieval Romance. (1) The plot must divide into sharply separate episodes that often doRead MoreThe Mists of Avalon: the Women Behind King Arthur1690 Words   |  7 PagesThe Mists of Avalon: The Women Behind King Arthur Kate Wrigley period 3 The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley, is not only an example of a Medieval Romance, but also tells the story of the women who stood behind King Arthur during his infamous reign in the Middle Ages. This novel explains the reasoning and decisions that Arthur made in the womens perspective. The Mists of Avalon is a twist on the Arthurian tales as told by the four women instrumental to the story: Gwenhwyfar, hisRead More The Mists Of Avalon: The Women Behind King Arthur Essay1656 Words   |  7 Pages The Mists of Avalon: The Women Behind King Arthur nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley, is not only an example of a Medieval Romance, but also tells the story of the women who stood behind King Arthur during his infamous reign in the Middle Ages. This novel explains the reasoning and decisions that Arthur made in the womens perspective. The Mists of Avalon is a twist on the Arthurian tales as told by the four women instrumental to the story: GwenhwyfarRead MoreThe Robert De Boron s Prose Merlin1368 Words   |  6 Pagesacross different eras. The ideas of war, loyalty, and religion are common themes that run through the stories of Robert de Boron’s Prose Merlin, Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Mort d’Arthur, T.H. White’s The Once and Future king, as well the the The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The legacy of the Arthurian legend captivates many audiences and has been told numerous times. In The Once and Future King by T.H White, Arthur experiences being different animals which teach him lessons about warRead MoreA Short Story : Chapter 1787 Words   |  4 Pagesher skin dimpled. She felt a slight chill in the air. â€Å"Good. You’re awake.† Mithian sat up to find Freya standing there. â€Å"Freya? Sorry I didn’t see or feel you there just now.† â€Å"I’ve been keeping watch on you from Avalon,† Freya replied. With a wave of her hand, she dissipated the mist portal behind herself. â€Å"After the delivery, we wanted you to rest and regain your strength.† â€Å"Merlin’s idea?† Mithian supposed. â€Å"All of our ideas actually. Merlin’s such a worrier. His mind’s never stopped thinkingRead MoreKing Arthur Literary Analysis3547 Words   |  15 Pagesempire to Norway, Denmark and Gaul, and defeats Roman armies in order to do this. In the end, Arthur returns to Britain to defeat his nephew Modredus (Mordred) who was left in charge of Britain but betrayed Arthur. Arthur is mortally wounded, taken to Avalon and it is implied he passed away. Arthurian legend, however, is not only about Arthur. There are many huge characters in the stories. One widely known knight is Sir Lancelot du Lac. Lancelot is a tragic figure in Arthurian Romance. He was a KnightRead MoreThe Depiction of Morgan Le Fay in Various Accounts of The Arthurian Legend2196 Words   |  9 PagesdArthur, a French version of the Arthurian legend, Mort Artu, written by an unknown 13th century author and T. H. Whites 20th century classic The Once and Future King, along with Marion Zimmer Bradleys New York Times best-selling novel The Mists Of Avalon show vastly different versions of the character of Morgan and her importance in the legend. In most versions of the legend, Morgan is Arthurs half sister, the daughter of Queen Igraine and her first husband, the Duke of Cornwall. After her

Taoism Free Essays

When first deciding to write my term paper on Taoism I thought it would be just another religion. In my research I found so many different translations that my head started spinning. There are really no known facts about the founder of Taoism, Lao Tsu, except that he was possibly a contemporary of Confucius. We will write a custom essay sample on Taoism or any similar topic only for you Order Now He was searching for a way that would avoid the constant feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted society during his lifetime. Religious Tolerance, 2007) Since there are many aspects to Taoism in this paper I will do my best to explain what Taoism is and also explain some of its main concepts. Taoism is described as a Chinese religious and philosophical system aimed at assisting its followers to achieve harmony within themselves and with the energy of the universe. (Von Dehsen, 1999, p. 113) As I have found in all my research Tao, translated to English, means â€Å"the way. † Individuals that follow Taoism don’t concern themselves with society and with how much wealth or power they posses.They value their own life above everything else. Taoist become one with nature and the universe. As I understand it, they live their life not concerned with what others think of them, they do not want praise for good deeds they may have done. When an individual is able to accomplish this mind set they are said to have reached Tao. Reaching the Tao and becoming one with nature requires the individual to clear their mind of all the things they have been taught. This takes a deep commitment and is very hard to do. Taoist believe in keeping their bodies healthy in order to stay in balance with the Tai Chi.Chi is a physical exercise that focuses the mind while conditioning the body. The chi isn’t the only way Taoist keep their bodies healthy, they also meditate and rely on herbal remedies. Taoist have spent thousands of years studying and experimenting with herbs and they have developed hundreds of formulas to cure or prevent illnesses. The herbal experimenting started because some Taoist believed that certain herbal formulas could guarantee immortality. I am not sure if there are any documented cases of immortality but being a believer of holistic medicine and acupuncture I can see the benefits herbs in my life today.Yin and Yang is the most universally recognizable symbol for Taoism. The symbol is a circle with one half black and the other half white. Both halves have a spot with the opposite color which represents being part of the other. Yin and Yang are two complementary, interdependent principles or phases alternating in space and time; they are emblems envoking the harmonious interplay of all pairs of opposites in the universe. (Taoism, 2007) Taoist believe yin and yang exist in all aspects of life. Some believe the white represents good and the black represents evil.If there is good there is bad, if there is wealth there is poverty and if there is woman there is man. In other words there is an opposite to everything. The universe flows in harmony without ever stopping. In chapter 42 of the Tao-Te-Ching there is a reference about yin and yang. The Tao is one, from the one come yin and yang, from these two creative energy (chi), from energy, ten thousand things, the forms of all creations, all life embodies yin and embraces yang, through their union achieving harmony. Tao-Te-Ching, Ch. 51) This brings us to our next concept, the five elements. The five elements are earth, metal, fire, wood and water. This theory is as important as the yin and yang. It is believed that these elements are part of a constantly moving cycle. An example of this cycle would be the way these elements can create or destroy each other; water puts out fire, earth absorbs water, from metal we get water when heated by fire. These elements are also used when determining medical illnesses in Chinese medicine.Each element listed above represent an organ in our body. For example, fire represents the heart and small intestine; earth represents the stomach and muscle; metal represents the lungs and large intestine; water represents the bladder and bones; and wood represents the liver and gallbladder. If the energy within an organ is not balance and because all of these elements work in a cycle it will affect other organs in your body. To give you a better example, in raditional Chinese medicine, a person may complain of trouble with the lungs and weeping or grief, and as these are classified as metal characteristics earthly herbs with a metal boosting nature may be employed and foods classified as fire would be restricted, as fire destroys or hinders metal. In this way the balance of energy in the body will be regained. (Taoist and Taoist Arts, 2007, p. 2) The concepts I have listed in this report are only a small picture of what this religion is about. In this world of conflict and unrest, a world that is nevertheless interdependent, Taoists sill search to provide natural ways of solving problems.They gain the strength to transform their own lives and thereby to fulfill their mission. They try to help individuals as well as societies to transform from a way of life based on conflict to a harmonious way of life. (Chung, 2007) In today’s world followers of Taoism would be environmentalist, naturalists and natural food advocates to name a few. There are many people in today’s world that may not even be aware that they are actually practicing Taoism or its beliefs. I have learned a lot researching Taoism and I plan to educate myself more especially the practices of the Tai Chi. References History of Taoism (2007). Retrieved December 2, 2007, from www. religioustolerance. org/taoism. htm. Christian D. Von Dehsen (1999). Philosophers and Religious Leaders, p. 113. Taoism. (2007). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved December 5, 2007, from Encyclopedia Britannica online: http://search. eb. com/eb/article-59728 Taoism and the Taoist Arts-Main Concepts (2007). Retrieved December 5, 2007, from http://www. geocities. com/Athens/Delphi/2883/main. html? 20075 Dr. Douglas K. Chung (2007). Taoism: A Portrait, p. 3. Retrieved December 2, 2007 from http://www. origin. org/ucs/sbcr/taoism. cfm How to cite Taoism, Papers

Sunday, April 26, 2020

The Worlds Most Ethical Companies a Case of PepsiCo

Introduction Corporate concern about ethics has grown in prominence in recent times as business entities strive to incorporate moral values and principles into their operations. Companies no longer focus singly on profit maximisation and expansion of their businesses, but they also explore ways of treating the consumers, employees, and the environment in a morally praiseworthy manner (Shaw, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The World’s Most Ethical Companies: a Case of PepsiCo specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is a common practise in the contemporary organisations to find special departments that are exclusively established to cater for the ethical needs of the organisations. As a matter of fact, various independent bodies evaluate the extent to which organisations employ ethical management and practise with the view of recognising their efforts and influencing improved services. Companies are also realising the connection between their ethical practices and management, on the one hand, and the profit margins they register each financial period, on the other hand (Shaw, 2011). This paper seeks to discuss the ethics concept in business by specifically analysing PepsiCo’s practise in the same area. Pepsi’s Morally Responsible Actions Environmental management PepsiCo has an established elaborate policy on the environment, health, as well as safety management. The policy seeks to ensure that the company caters for its immediate business environment effectively. The policy comprises of eight critical points that include ownership culture, business integration, regulation compliance, as well as resource allocation (PEPSICO, n.d.). It additionally entails the aspects of performance measurement, continual improvement, together with stakeholder collaboration and annual review. In terms of ownership culture, for instance, the company’s policy identifies the need to build and sustain a proactive culture through driving environmental ownership, individuals’ health and safety, and managing the overall environmental aspect at the organisational level. The company engages, consults, as well as trains its people to influence active participation to enable these plans achieve realistic goals. Another important aspect of the environmental management programme is the issue of stakeholder collaboration. PepsiCo works in collaboration with its business partners, such as the contractors, suppliers, licensed bottlers, along with the local communities and customers to limit the health, environmental, and safety outcome related to its daily operations (PEPSICO, n.d.).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More PepsiCo also works with a different group of stakeholders that comprises of governments, academia, other interested stakeholders , in addition to business associations and non-governmental organisations for purposes of striving to widen effective and sustainable resolutions with regard to health, environmental, and safety confrontations or challenges, all of which face the company’s operations. Ethical Consumer Treatment PepsiCo also strives to ensure that it treats its customers in morally acceptable ways without allowing inhumane practices to penetrate through its corporate human resource practises. The beverage and food company definitely deals with a large number of consumers that may prove too tricky to handle or manage effectively because it is a large multinational firm with a presence in almost all the continents in the world. The firm has established a global code of conduct that generally identifies the main objective of conducting business in the right way as a part of its corporate mechanism aimed at ensuring that customers of the firm are treated in a moral way (PEPSICO, n.d.). Employees a re expected to adhere to these codes of conduct and embrace the underlying principles as a way of ensuring that the company achieves and sustains its objectives for long (PEPSICO, n.d.). The code includes a requirement to show total respect at the workplace, an obligation to always act with integrity within the marketplace, as well as the expectation that all workers ensure ethics in the business activities that they undertake. Additionally, and more importantly, workers are required to perform their respective tasks in more responsible ways for the purpose of fulfilling the shareholders’ expectations effectively (PEPSICO, n.d.). The company revises its acceptable practises more often to incorporate changing laws that may, in one way or the other, affect on its corporate operations as a way of making the corporate code of conduct more effective. Moral Action towards Employees PepsiCo fully supports and expresses a commitment to its entire workforce. The company encourages a d iverse corporate culture where any qualified individual from whatever race, tribe, nationality, or gender can apply for job positions in the firm and be considered for employment without any discrimination.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The World’s Most Ethical Companies: a Case of PepsiCo specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company looks at this goal as an important one that encourages creativity amongst the workers, while also offering a chance for benefitting from new and unique perspectives (PEPSICO, n.d.). Pepsi realises the key role that its employees play towards ensuring that the company attains its objective towards the customers. In particular, its corporate philosophy identifies the importance of the firm maintaining mutual respect, workplace safety, and integrity. Pepsi’s inspiration of a collaborative culture focuses on recruiting, as well as retaining world-class talent by ensuring that its workers achieve employment satisfaction or what the company refers to as â€Å"Talent Sustainability† (PEPSICO, n.d.). A perfect example of actions employed by the firm in encouraging employees to speak out entails the provision of an Organisational Health Survey that is conducted every two years with a view of obtaining opinions concerning the organisation and the general workplace. Effects of the Morally Conscious Decisions on the Company’s Bottom line Customers.  Trust The morally acceptable practices and decisions of the company are likely to enhance customer trust and confidence towards the company. Because the employees are showing greater dedication in serving the customers, the latter feel comfortable to conduct business with the firm than would be the case had the workers not been considering ethical and moral practises. As this trust is developed and maintained by many potential customers, the company eventually succeeds in enlarging its profit margins because of high sales that translate into higher revenues.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Employees Motivation The moral actions directed towards the workers by the firm enhance the level of their motivation. The workers feel they are highly valued and consider themselves as owners of the firm. They are willing to increase their output because they are aware that their collective hard work will, in turn, mean that they will receive more benefits from the employer. As the employees’ motivation increases and they express their willingness to work even harder for the firm, they enhance the chances of profitability because more consumers get served satisfactorily. This increases their trust towards PepsiCo. Satisfaction PepsiCo is likely to achieve a workforce that is highly satisfied with its mandate due to its continued employee moral programmes. Workers who are fully aware that their needs, both material and emotional, are well taken care of are less likely to consider changing employers. Instead, a huge percentage of them would prefer working with the same satisfy ing employer until they attain their retirement ages. This is critical for PepsiCo because it will no longer face the need for undertaking employee recruitments after every short while. As a matter of fact, high employee turnover rates disrupt the overall planning and operation of the firm because the management has to keep training new employees who only last for a short while before quitting in search for better employers. Community Collaboration The firm is likely to receive greater support and positive collaboration from the societies because PepsiCo is expressing a willingness to support the local communities through numerous environmental management programmes. For instance, foreign governments will be willing to issue the firm with operation licences in their respective territories because they realise the benefits that the society will achieve in the long run. This kind of goodwill from the communities allows the company to expand its market and improve its revenue capabilit ies. Critical Review of PepsiCo’s Ethical Policies PepsiCo identifies six critical guiding principles that form the basis of its ethical policies and management. They include care for customers, the sale of products that attract pride, speaking the truth, and balancing the short-term plans with the long-term ones (PEPSICO, n.d.). Additionally, the firm emphasizes diversity and inclusion, while highlighting the need to respect others as a way of achieving success as a whole. The company has divided these six critical guiding principles to address all its significant areas of business. In particular, the principles address issues about customers, products, verbal communication with the shareholders, and overall future ethical plan of the organisation (PEPSICO, n.d.). It also addresses the issue of employment with regard to a diverse workforce and the employee conduct and behaviour not only towards the customers, but also towards the employees (PEPSICO, n.d.). Ethical Areas Need ing Improvement Environmental Management Given its wide array of products, PepsiCo also uses a lot of packaging materials that end up impacting negatively on the general environment (Wilburn Wilburn, 2013). The company should consider addressing this area by devising alternative packaging materials that will not pose environmental hazards to the communities at large. Customers A great portion of food products manufactured and marketed by PepsiCo are junks. These foods are responsible for the increasing dangerous health conditions, such as obesity and high blood pressure. The company should not only regard the high profits that it rakes from the sale of these foods, but it should also consider introducing healthier foods (Hall, 2007). Employees There are instances of deserving workers being omitted from planned promotions and other employee benefits because of a large workforce that is evident at PepsiCo. The company’s human resource management must ensure that it utilises ef fective computerised systems to eliminate these unfortunate incidences. Conclusion PepsiCo, which is a leading global manufacturer of assorted products like foods and beverages, has incorporated numerous ethical practices in its business strategy as a means of achieving greater acceptability. Its ethical practises benefit the local communities, employees, as well as its customers. A code of conduct has been established to direct the actions and activities of its employees. This code of conduct has been designed in a way that ensures workers serve customers in the most morally acceptable ways. On the other hand, the firm also observes an elaborate plan that ensures its workforce is handled in the most morally satisfying ways. This enhances their motivation and has the potential of influencing the attainment of more profits and revenues. However, the company ought to consider the environmental impact that its packaging causes. A large percentage of its food products are also mainly ju nks, putting the health conditions of many of its consumers at risk. References Hall, J. (2007). The ethical opportunity. Journal of Brand Management, 14(5), 365-367. PEPSICO (n.d.). Global code of conduct. Retrieved from https://www.pepsico.com/About/Global-Code-Of-Conduct Shaw, W. H. (2011). Business ethics: A textbook with cases. Boston, MA: Wadsworth. Wilburn, K., Wilburn, R. (2013). Using Global Reporting Initiative indicators for CSR programs. Journal of Global Responsibility, 4(1), 31-60 This research paper on The World’s Most Ethical Companies: a Case of PepsiCo was written and submitted by user Matilda Flores to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Virtual Reality essays

Virtual Reality essays Virtual Reality is yet another advancement in New Communication Technologies. Will it cause people, and society as a whole, to lose their grip on the real world? Or is it purely a continuation of technological advancement that allows humans to explore imaginary places? Like any other technology created by man, Virtual Reality has both negative and positive effects (Oravec, 1996). Virtual Reality (VR) is a system that enables single or multiple users to move and react in a computer simulated environment. It contains various types of devices, which allow users to sense and manipulate virtual objects the same way as they would real objects. VRs natural style of interaction allows participants the feeling of being immersed in the simulated world. The virtual worlds in which participants are immersed are created by mathematical models and computer programs (Zeltzer, 2000). Virtual Reality, when effective, creates an environment with benefits pertaining to education and safety (Osberg, 1992). VR invites user participation in problem solving, concept development, and creative expression, in an environment that is safer than the real world (Osberg, 1992). VR can also, and in some case has already, been very successful in areas such as military, training/education, surgery, entertainment, advertising, and tourism (NCT Course Content, 2001). Apart from physiological issues, VR has several psychological issues such as addiction, brainwashing, effects of interactive pornography or violence, and desensitisation or devaluing of the real world (NCT Course Content, 2001). The major concern of some critics is that Virtual Reality will use us in the future by becoming too large for us to control (Kalli, Chritine, 2000, p.1). It may be used so frequently, that humans will use the virtual world as a means of escape. People will create a perfect VR environment to live in so they ...

Monday, March 2, 2020

Scientifically Proven Ways to Start Thinking Creatively

Scientifically Proven Ways to Start Thinking Creatively There are lots of articles out there with advice on how to improve creativity. But how much of it is actually backed by scientific research? The following methods for boosting the imagination are all supported by published studies: Stop Organizing Your Workspace Apparently, keeping a messy desk serves as greater creative inspiration than keeping an organized one, according to a study published in Psychological Science. It kind of goes with the image of the mad genius who doesn’t know what color socks he’s wearing because he’s too busy inventing the internet. So, stop tidying up, sit down in your mess, and create. Paint Your Walls Blue The color blue has the ability to stimulate the brain’s creative synapses by reminding it of â€Å"the sky, the ocean and water, most people associate blue with openness, peace and tranquility† according to Juliet Zhu, a psychologist who conducted a study on color association and brain activity. This sense of peacefulness also allows people to feel supported enough to risk creative exploration. Turn Your Lights Down Low Dim lighting also helps stimulate creativity. It makes people feel â€Å"freedom, self-determination and reduced inhibition.† A study that asked students to solve creative problems found that those in the dimly lit rooms (150 lux) performed much better than those in a brightly lit room (1,500 lux). Buy low-wattage light bulbs for your room to help activate your imagination. Cultivate a Diverse Social Circle A study of Stanford Business School alumni revealed that the graduates with the highest level of creative thinking were those who networked extensively with groups of people outside their business colleagues. This exposed them to new ideas and allowed them to take more risks in thinking than if they were restricted to their normal social group. Hang Out in a Coffee Shop This has nothing to do with the intellectual tradition that coffee shops have or with the drink itself. It turns out that most coffee shops have a level of noise that supports creative thinking, as stated by The Journal of Consumer Research. Many coffee shops tend to have about 70 decibels of background noise. Extremely quiet environments like that of a library are good places to work if you need to concentrate and focus. But they don’t stimulate creativity. Travel According to the article in the Scientific American heading into the unknown can also spark the creative fires. A different setting where anything could happen and your routine hasn’t worn a groove into your brain can help create new pathways in the brain and inspire the imagination. It also creates â€Å"psychological distance† from the rest of your life, which allows you to be more open to new thoughts and solutions. Learn a New Language Along with travel comes multilingualism the ability to communicate in more than two languages. Whether you learn a new language in a foreign setting or at home, it doesn’t matter. The skill itself challenges the brain to refine its cognitive and problem-solving skills, leading to enhanced creative thinking. Meditate Adopting a meditative practice into your daily routine could help you improve creatively. A study from Cornell University observed the creative skills of a group of new meditators over the course of five months. The results were heightened mental flexibility and enhanced figurative skills. Exercise A little aerobic exercise is an incredibly useful habit to adopt. It not only ensures general overall health, but it improves mood and supplies the brain with fresh oxygen, thus enhancing your brain’s cognitive function and imaginative prowess. Next time you want to amp up your creativity, go for a short jog or bike ride, play tennis or go for a swim. Engage in the exercise of your choice to enhance your innovative abilities. Who wouldn’t want to be more creative if they could? Here’s your chance to make use any or all of these methods to improve your creative abilities and see a difference in your imaginative skills. Enjoy!

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Social constructivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social constructivism - Essay Example The new theoretical approach of social constructivism was introduced to the study of International Relations at an appropriate time in history. Theorists in International Relations began to gradually include the implications of a social constructivist approach to the study of the discipline, nearly two decades ago. International theory had been developed during the time of the Cold War. The persistent tension between the United States and the Soviet Union had an immense influence on the discipline of International Relations. It underscored conflict as a defining feature of the discipline, and the improbability of the emergence of a peaceful world. The view of international relations as a function involving anarchy and social disorder continued to be maintained by both realists and neoliberal institutionalists â€Å"who provided the dominant theoretical approaches to the study of international relations†. The fall of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War could not be expl ained by International Relations theorists who conceptualized anarchy as an essential part of the discipline and failed to predict these developments. Against this background, constructivism had a revolutionary impact on the formulation of International Relations. â€Å"Social constructivism provides a new way of looking at and conceptualizing the world that, potentially has significant consequences for all ongoing theories in international relations†. Social constructivism is based on a more dynamic, less static approach.

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Linguist studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Linguist studies - Essay Example The external and internal conjunctive relations of both texts were analyzed by means of a conjunctive reticulum (See Appendix). The analysis of conjunctive relations shows a combination of two kinds of logical relations. The positive review is mainly held together by extending relations of addition (in general, by the conjunction and). The enhancing relations play an important role as well, since there are many time and causal conjunctions. For example: According to Eggins (1994), the enhancing relations represent the typical narrative pattern, where the narrator concerns on when things happened and why. It is important to note that a movie review has a narrative and expositive character as well. It is narrative when the plot is introduced, and expositive, when the reviewer expresses his opinion on the film and describes the positive and negative aspects of a movie. Similarly, the negative review alternates between extension and enhancement, with more focus on the last one. The plot of the movie has less space in the review, since the reviewer remarks the movie features that he did not find appropriate, by comparing with other films and The Simpsons TV show. Therefore, causal and comparative conjunctions are often used. The logical relations derive basically from an external organization of the text in both reviews. The events beyond the text (i.e. movie, actors, writers, directors) are linked by external conjunctions. At the same time, most of the relations are stamped explicitly, rather than left for the reader to decode. It is important to note that most of the internal relations are implicit, that is, the reader must interpret the internal organization of the text. Implicit elaborating relations (expressed by that is, or in fact), typical of the internal organization, could be identified in the analyzed texts. In a broad sense, both texts represent the same field: a present-day movie. The specific topic of each one is the movie concerned by the

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Macbeth - Charting His Downfall :: essays research papers

This is my account of Macbeth’s downfall from a popular, successful soldier, quote â€Å"What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won†, who has received great honours for his loyalty, his courage, his bravery and his nobility. At the end of the play the only respect he has is because of the fear that his subjects have of him. â€Å"Great Dunsinane he strongly fortifies // some say he’s mad, others that lesser hate him.† I will go through Macbeth’s soliloquies and chart his character as it changes. A soliloquy is a speech made only to oneself, or even only thought. Macbeth’s first soliloquy is in Act I, Scene III. Two of the things that the witches predicted have come true and Macbeth is contemplating how the third will come true. He thinks about killing Duncan, but he knows that these are only thoughts and he dismisses it and decides to leave it to chance and time. â€Å"Present Fears // Are less than horrible imagining.† â€Å"Whose (Duncan) murder is yet but fantastical.† We can see that his mind is confused and distorted, because of what has happened and what may happen, and here we see the first signs of ambition, even though it is dismissed. â€Å"My thought †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. // Shakes so my single state of man.† The second soliloquy is in Act I, Scene IV, when the Thane of Cawdor has been killed. Duncan describes him as ‘a man on whom I built an absolute trust’. This parallels Macbeth, who he trusts, when he betrays him. Duncan pronounces his son as the prince of Cumberland and the heir to the throne. This throws Macbeth’s mind into even more confusion, as this is a ‘step which (he) must o’er-leap. He also, in the soliloquy, knows that his thoughts are evil, and he does not want good to see them. â€Å"Stars, hide your fires, // Let not light see my black and deep desires.† In the third soliloquy Macbeth is still contemplating how he obtains the throne, but now he knows that murder is the only way, yet he fears ‘judgement’ and damnation. We see here that Macbeth has a conscience, and his mind cannot take the simple fact. He begins bringing up lots of excuses as to why he should not do it, but inevitably his ambition gets the better of him. â€Å"He’s here in double trust: // †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ his kinsman and his subject, // †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ then as his host, // who should against his murder shut the door, // Not bear the knife myself.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

The Blue Sword CHAPTER THREE

Corlath stared at his horses black-tipped ears. The Hillfolk passed through the gate of the Residency and Corlath lifted his gaze to rake angrily across the dusty station street, the little dun-colored houses and shops, the small straggly trees. At a slight shift in his rider's weight the red horse turned off the road. The harsh clatter of hooves on the packed-dirt road changed to the duller sound of struck sand. He could hear his men turning off the road behind him; he shook his head in a futile attempt to clear a little space for thought amid the anger, and leaned back in his saddle, and the horse's pace slowed. There was no sense in charging across the desert at midday; it was hard on the horses. The six riders closed up behind him; the two who came forward to ride at his side stole quick looks at him as they came near, and looked away again as quickly. Outlanders! Involuntarily his hands, resting lightly on his thighs, curled into fists. He should have known better than even to try to talk to them. His father had warned him, years ago. But that was before the Northerners had come so near. Corlath blinked. The heat of his own anger was hard to contain when there wasn't some use he could put it to; anger was splendidly useful on the battlefield, but he was not facing any regiments just now that could be tangled in their own feet and knocked over in companies. Much as he would like, for example, to set fire to the big stupid house – an absurd building for the desert: it must be the sort of thing they lived in in their own country – and watch it crash down around the ears of the big soft creature who called himself commissioner †¦ but spite was for children, and he had been king for thirteen years, and he bit down on his anger and held it. He remembered when he was young and before the full flowering of his kelar, of the terrible strength known ironically as the â€Å"Gift,† his father had told him that it would often be like this: â€Å"We aren't really much good, except as battle machines, and even there our usefulness is limited. You'll curse it, often enough, far more often than you'll be glad of it, but there you are.† He sighed, and looked wryly at his son. â€Å"They say that back in the Great Days it was different, that men were made big enough to hold it – and had wit enough to understand it. It was Lady Aerin, the story goes, that first knew her Gift and broke it to her will, but that was long ago, and we're smaller now.† Corlath had said, hesitantly: â€Å"They say also that the Gift was once good for other things: healing and calming and taming.† His father nodded sadly. â€Å"Yes; perhaps it once was; but no more. Luthe knows, if he will tell you, for he has the old kelar, and who his parents are even he has forgotten; but Luthe is himself. You and I are of duller blood. â€Å"And it is duller blood that has brought us to what we are, what we remain – what remains to us. Avoid the Outlanders, if you can. They can't, or won't, understand us; they don't recognize horses from oxen, and will try to put the yoke on you that they have hung on the rest of our land. But their strength is the strength of numbers and of stubbornness and persistence; do not underestimate it.† He could see his father standing in one of the inner courtyards of the City in the mountains, staring at one of the fountains, water running shining over the colored stones of the Hills, talking half to himself. Then the picture faded, blotted out in another swift sweep of anger; and he found himself looking at the girl again, the girl he had seen standing in front of the Outlander house. What had she to do with anything? He frowned, and his horse's ears and black mane reappeared before him. He looked up; it was still a long ride to their camp. He had not, somehow, wished to sleep too near the Outlanders; it was not that he suspected deliberate treachery, but that the air that hung over an Outlander station sent bad dreams to Hillfolk. His anger kicked him again like a spurred heel; he flinched. It had a life of its own, the Gift, damn it. What indecipherable object did it desire of him this time? He knew by now that the idiosyncrasies of kings, and others whose blood carried much kelar, were viewed with more alarm by the victims themselves than by their friends and subjects. Not that the alarm did any good. If one was king, one could not explain away one's more impenetrable actions by saying that one just couldn't help it. Woven into his anger there was a pattern. Occasionally he understood it. He waited, gritting his teeth; and he saw the girl again. This time, as long as she was there, he looked at her. When he had seen her first, at the foot of the steps, just a few minutes ago, he had been surprised into looking at her. He knew what his glance could do when he was angry, and tried to be careful about whom it rested on, and for how long. But this girl had, unfortunately for her, somehow caught his attention, and he had looked longer than he meant. She was tall, as tall as most men, tall even by Outlander standards. Her hair was yellow, the color of sun on sand, and almost as bright. His people, the Hillfolk, were usually smaller than the Outlanders, and dark of skin and hair. But it wasn't her size or her coloring that held him beyond the first startled flick of notice; nor was it her beauty. There was too much strength in that face and in the long bones of the body for beauty. Something about the quietness of her, perhaps? Or her self-contained straightness; something about the way her eyes met his, with more thought behind them than the usual half-hypnotized, half-fearful look he had learned to expect if he held anyone's gaze too long – even when his kelar was quiet. Something, he thought suddenly, like the controlled straightness he himself had learned, knowing well what could happen if he relaxed. But that was nonsense. She was an Outlander. While there were still wild sports among his own people, where a few drops of royal blood from many generations past would suddenly burst into full kelar in the veins of some quiet family's child, there had never yet been an Outlander with any Gift to contain. This train of thought took him far enough from the center of anger that he had begun to relax a little; his hands uncurled, and the black mane swept against his fingers. He looked ahead; he knew, although he could not yet see it, that his camp lay just beyond this next bit of what looked like flat bare impartial desert and was in fact a little rise in the land, enough of a buffer from sand and storm to allow a small well of sweet water, with a little grass and low scrub, to live behind a protecting shoulder. As he looked out across his desert, almost calm again, or at least finding the beginnings of calm, the kelar suddenly produced a picture of Sir Charles' foolish white face anxiously saying, â€Å"My dear sir – hmm – Your Majesty† and explaining why he could not help him. The picture was thrust before his eyes, and he took his breath in sharply between his teeth. Having caught his attention, the single-minded kelar snatched Sir Charles away and presented him with the girl again. What about her? he shouted silently, but there was no answer. It was rare that the Gift ever made it easy for him by explaining what it wanted. Sometimes he never did find out, and was left to muddle through like any other mortal – with the added disadvantage of inscrutable messages banging inside his skull. His patience gave way; he leaned forward in the saddle, and the big stallion leaped into a gallop. The six riders, who knew their king's moods, and hadn't been very happy at their reception at the Outlanders' hands themselves, let him go. He swerved away from the line that would take him directly to the camp. The man on the golden dun, who had been riding on the king's right, soothed his mount with one hand. â€Å"Nay, we do not follow him this time.† The man at his left glanced across at him and nodded briefly. â€Å"May the Just and Glorious be with him.† The youngest of the riders snorted with laughter, although it was not pleasant laughter. â€Å"May the Just and Glorious be with all of us. Damn the Outlanders!† The man on the dun frowned and said, â€Å"Innath, watch your tongue.† â€Å"I am watching it, my friend,† replied Innath. â€Å"You may be glad you cannot hear what I am thinking.† The king had disappeared in the heat glaze rising from the sand by the time the little group topped the rise and saw the pale tents of their camp before them, and resigned themselves to telling those who awaited them what had occurred during the meeting with the Outlanders. Harry blinked and recognized the boy at her elbow. â€Å"Thank you,† she said absently, and he led the pony away, looking anxiously over his shoulder at the way the desert men had gone, and evidently grateful to be leaving himself. She shaded her eyes with her hand a moment, which only served to throw the fire of her headache into greater relief. She looked up at the men on the verandah and saw them moving uncertainly, as if they were waking up, still half under the influence of unpleasant dreams. She felt the same way. Her shoulder creaked when she dropped her arm again. At least it will be a little cooler inside, she thought, and made her way up the steps. Cassie and Beth, their mounts led away after Harry's, followed her. Luncheon was a quiet meal. All those who had played a part in the morning's performance were there. Rather, Harry thought, as if we can't quite bring ourselves to separate yet, not because we have any particular reason to cling to one another's company. As if we'd just been through †¦ something †¦ together, and are afraid of the dark. Her headache began to subside with the second glass of lemonade and she thought suddenly: I don't even remember what the man looks like. I stared at him the entire time, and I can't remember – except the height of him, and the scarlet sash, and those yellow eyes. The yellow eyes reminded her of her headache, and she focused her thoughts on the food on her plate, and her gaze on the glacial paleness of the lemonade pitcher. It was after the meal had been cleared away – and still no one made any move to go – that Jack Dedham cleared his throat in a businesslike manner and said: â€Å"We didn't know what to expect, but by the way we're all sitting around and avoiding one another's eyes – † Harry raised hers, and Jack smiled at her briefly – â€Å"we don't have any idea what to do with what we've got.† Sir Charles, still without looking up, said, as if speaking his thoughts aloud: â€Å"What was it, Jack, that you said to him – just at the end?† Harry still had her eyes on Dedham, and while his voice as he answered carried just the right inflection, his face did not match it: â€Å"It's an old catch-phrase of sorts, on the let-us-be-friends-and-not-part-in-anger-even-though-we-feel-like-it order. It dates from the days of the civil war, I think – before we arrived, anyway.† â€Å"It's in the Old Tongue,† said Sir Charles. â€Å"I didn't realize you knew it.† Again Dedham's eyes suggested something other than what he said: â€Å"I don't. As I said, it's a catch-phrase. A lot of ritual greetings are in the Old Tongue, although almost nobody knows what they mean any more.† Peterson said: â€Å"Good for you, Jack. My brain wasn't functioning at all after the morning we'd spent. Perhaps you just deflected him from writing off the Outlanders altogether.† Harry, watching, saw the same something in Peterson's face that she had wondered at in Dedham's. Sir Charles shrugged and the tension was broken. â€Å"I hope so. I will clutch at any straw.† He paused. â€Å"It did not go well at all.† The slow headshakes Dedham and Peterson gave this comment said much louder than words could how great an understatement this was. â€Å"He won't be back,† continued Sir Charles. There was the grim silence of agreement, and then Peterson added: â€Å"But I don't think he is going to run to the Northerners to make an alliance, either.† Sir Charles looked up at last. â€Å"You think not?† Peterson shook his head: a quick decided jerk. â€Å"No. He would not have listened to Jack at the end, then, if he had meant to go to our enemies.† Jack said, with what Harry recognized as well-controlled impatience, â€Å"The Hillfolk will never ally with the Northerners. They consider them inimical by blood, by heritage – by everything they believe in. They would be declaring themselves not of the Hills if they went to the North.† Sir Charles ran his hand through his white hair, sighed, and said: â€Å"You know these people better than I, and I will take your word for it, since I can do nothing else.† He paused. â€Å"I will have to write a report of this meeting, of course; and I do not at all know what I will say.† Beth and Cassie and Harry were all biting their tongues to keep from asking any questions that might call attention to their interested presence and cause the conversation to be adjourned till the men retired to some official inner sanctum where the fascinating subject could be pursued in private. Therefore they were both delighted and alarmed when Lady Amelia asked: â€Å"But, Charles, what happened?† Sir Charles seemed to focus his gaze with some difficulty on the apprehensive face of his wife; then his eyes moved over the table and the girls knew that they had been noticed again. They held their breaths. â€Å"Mmm,† said Sir Charles, and there was a silence while the tips of Beth's ears turned pink with not breathing. â€Å"It hurts nothing but our pride to tell you,† Dedham said at last. â€Å"He was here less than two hours; rode up out of nowhere, as far as we could tell – we thought we were keeping watch so we'd have some warning of his arrival.† The girls' eyes were riveted on Dedham's face, or they might have exchanged glances. â€Å"He strode up to the front door as if he were walking through his own courtyard; fortunately, we had seen them when they entered the gates in front here and were more or less collected to greet him; and your man, Charles, had the sense to throw open the door before we found out whether or not he would have walked right through it. â€Å"I suppose the first calamity was that we understood each other's languages so poorly. Corlath spoke no Homelander at all – although, frankly, I don't guarantee that that means he couldn't.† Peterson grunted. â€Å"You noticed it too, did you? One of the men he had with him did the translating, such as it was; and Peterson and I tried to talk Darian – â€Å" â€Å"We did talk Darian,† Peterson put in. â€Å"I know Darian almost as well as I know Homelander – as do you, Jack, you're just more modest about it – and I've managed to make myself understood to Darians from all sorts of odd corners of this oversized administration – including a few Free Hillfolk.† Harry thought: And the Hill-king stopped dead, as angry as he was, when Dedham addressed him in the Old Tongue? â€Å"In all events,† Dedham went on, â€Å"we didn't seem able to make ourselves understood too readily to Corlath.† â€Å"And his translator translated no faster than he had to, I thought,† Peterson put in. Dedham smiled a little. â€Å"Ah, your pride's been bent out of shape. Be fair.† Peterson answered his smile, but said obstinately, â€Å"I'm sure of it.† â€Å"You may be right.† Dedham paused. â€Å"It wouldn't surprise me; it gave them time to look at us a little without seeming to.† â€Å"A little!† Sir Charles broke out. â€Å"Man, they were here less than two hours! How can they – he – conclude anything about us in so little time? He gave us no chance.† The tension returned. Dedham said cautiously: â€Å"I daresay he thought he was giving us a chance.† â€Å"I am not happy with any man so hasty,† said Sir Charles sadly; and the pompous ridiculousness of his words was belied by his tired and worried face. His wife touched his hand where she sat on his right, and he turned to her and smiled. He looked around the table; both Peterson and Dedham avoided his gaze. He said, lightly, almost gaily, â€Å"It's simple enough. He wants arms, men, companies, regiments – help to close the mountain passes. He, it would appear, does not like the idea of the Northerners pouring through his country.† â€Å"Which is reasonable,† said Dedham carefully. â€Å"His country would be turned into a battlefield, between the Northerners and †¦ us. There aren't enough Hillfolk to engage the Northerners for any length of time. His country would be overrun, perhaps destroyed, in the process. Or at least annexed by the victor,† he added under his breath. â€Å"We couldn't possibly do as he asked,† Sir Charles said, lapsing back to speaking his thoughts aloud. â€Å"We aren't even sure what the Northerners mean toward us at present.† Peterson said shortly: â€Å"The Hillfolk's attitude toward the North being what it is, I feel certain that Corlath's spy system is a good one.† â€Å"We offered cooperation,† Sir Charles said. â€Å"Capitulation, you mean,† Peterson replied in his blunt way. â€Å"His.† Sir Charles frowned. â€Å"If he would agree to put himself and his people entirely under our administration – â€Å" â€Å"Now, Bob,† Dedham said. â€Å"That's what it amounts to,† Peterson said. â€Å"He should give up his country's freedom – that they've hung on to, despite us, all these years – â€Å" â€Å"It is not unusual that a smaller country should put itself under the protection of a larger, when the situation demands it,† Sir Charles said stiffly. Before Peterson had a chance to reply, Dedham put in hastily: â€Å"What it comes down to is that he is too proud to hear our terms, and we are – er – we cannot risk giving – lending – him troops on his terms.† â€Å"The Queen and Council would be most displeased with us if we precipitated an unnecessary war,† said Sir Charles in his best commissioner's voice, and Peterson grunted. â€Å"We know nothing about the man,† Sir Charles continued plaintively. â€Å"We know that he wants to keep the Northerners out of Daria,† Peterson muttered; but Dedham moved in his chair in a gesture Harry correctly translated as bestowing a swift kick on Peterson's ankle; and Peterson subsided. â€Å"And he would not stay to parley,† Dedham finished. â€Å"And here we are, feeling as if we'd all been hit in the head.† Corlath paced up and down the length of his tent as his Riders gathered. He paused at one end of the tent and stared at the close-woven horsehair. The wall moved, for the desert wind was never still. There were so few of the Hillfolk left; in spite of the small hidden tribes who had come out of their fastnesses to pledge to Damar's black-and-white banner after generations of isolation. Corlath had worked hard to reunite the Free that remained – but for what, when one thought of the thousands of Northerners, and eventually the thousands of Outlanders who would meet them? – for the Outlanders would learn soon enough about the Northerners' plans for southern conquest. Between them they would tear his country to shreds. His people would fight; he knew with a sad sore pride that they would hold on till the last of them was killed, if it came to that. At best they would be able to continue to live in the Hills: in small secret pockets of their Hills, hiding in caves and gathe ring food in the darkness, slipping away like mice in the shadows, avoiding those who held their land, claimed it and ruled it. The old Damar, before the civil wars, before the Outlanders, was only a wistful legend to his people now; how much less it would be when there were only a few handfuls of the Free living like beggars or robbers in their own Hills. But he could not submit them to the Outlanders' †¦ practical benevolence, he called it after a moment's struggle with himself. For his army to be commanded by Outlander generals †¦ The corners of his mouth turned up. There was some bitter humor in the idea of the pragmatic Outlanders caught in a storm of kelar from both their allies and their opponents. He sighed. Even if by some miracle the Outlanders had agreed to help him, they would have refused to accept the kelar protection necessary – they didn't believe kelar existed. It was a pity there was no non-fatal way to prove to them otherwise. He thought of the man who had spoken to him last, the grey-haired man. There had almost been a belief in him – belief in the ways of the Hills, that Corlath had read in his face; they might have been able to speak together. That man spoke the Hill tongue understandably at least – although he may not have known quite what he was offering in his few words of the Old Tongue. Poor Forloy: the only one of his Riders who knew even as much of the Outlander tongue as Corlath did. As an unwelcome envoy in a state far more powerful than his own, he had felt the need of even the few minutes a translator might buy him, to watch the faces of those he wished to convince. Why wasn't there some other way? For a moment the heavy cloth before him took on a tint of gold; the gold framed what might have been a face, and pale eyes looked at him – She's nothing to do with this. He turned away abruptly and found his Riders all seated, watching him, waiting. â€Å"You already know – it is no good.† They bowed their heads once in acknowledgment, but there was no surprise on their faces. â€Å"There never was much chance – † He broke off as one of his audience dropped his head a little farther than the seriousness of the occasion demanded, and added, â€Å"Very well, Faran, there wasn't any chance.† Faran looked up, and saw the dawn of a smile on his king's face, the nearest thing to a smile anyone had seen on the king's face for days past. â€Å"No chance,† Corlath repeated. â€Å"But I felt, um, obliged to try.† He looked up at the ceiling for a minute. â€Å"At least it's all over now,† he said. Now that any chance of outside assistance had been eliminated, it was time to turn to how best to guard their mountains alone. The Northerners had tried to break through the mountains before, for they had always been greedy and fond of war; but while they were cunning, they were also treacherous, and trusted nobody because they knew they themselves were not to be trusted. For many years this had been a safeguard to the Hillfolk, because the Northerners could not band together long enough or in great enough numbers to be a major threat to their neighbors. But in the last quarter-century a strong man had arisen from the ranks of the petty generals: a strong man with a little non-human blood in him, which granted him a ruthlessness beyond even the common grain of Northern malice; and from whatever source he drew his power, he was also a great magician, with skills enough to bring all the bands that prowled the Northlands, human and non-human alike, under his command. His name was Thurra. Corlath knew, dispassionately, that Thurra's empire would not last; his son, or at most his son's son, would fail, and the Northerners break up and return to their smaller, nastier internecine quarrels. Corlath's father, and then Corlath, had watched Thurra's rise through their spies, and Corlath knew or could guess something of the cost of the power he chose to wield, and so knew that Thurra would not himself live much longer than an ordinary man. Since the Hill-kings lived long, it might be within Corlath's own lifetime that, even if the Northerners won the coming war, he would be able to lead his people in a successful rebellion; but by then there might not be enough of the country left to rebel, or to live off of after the rebellion was finished. Not much more than five hundred years ago – in Aerin's day – the desert his tent was pitched on had been meadow and forest. The last level arable land his people had left to them was the plain before the great gap in the mo untains where the Northern army would come. Sir Charles might beg off now while the Northerners had not yet attacked any Outlander-held lands. But once they had cut through the Hillfolk they would certainly try to seize what more they could. The entire Darian continent might fall into the mad eager hands of Thurra and his mob, many of them less human than he; and then the Outlanders would know more than they wished of wizardry. And if the Outlanders won? Corlath did not know how many troops the Outlanders had to throw into the battle, once the battle was engaged; they would learn, terribly, of kelar at Thurra's hands. But even kelar was limited at last; and the Outlanders were stubborn, and, in their stubbornness, courageous; often they were stupid, oftener ineffectual, and they believed nothing they could not see with their eyes. But they did try hard, by their lights, and they were often kind. If the Outlanders won, they would send doctors and farmers and seeds and plows and bricklayers, and within a generation his people would be as faceless as the rest of the Outlander Darians. And the Outlanders were very able administrators, by sheer brute persistence. What they once got their hands on, they held. There would be no rebellion that Corlath would ever see. It was not pleasant to hope for a Northern victory. His Riders knew most of this, even if they did not see it with the dire clarity Corlath was forced to; and it provided a background to Corlath's orders now. King's Riders were not given to arguing with their king; but Corlath was an informal man, except occasionally when he was in the grip of his Gift and couldn't listen very well to anything else, and usually encouraged conversation. But this afternoon the Riders were a silent group, and Corlath, when he came to the end of what he had to say, simply stopped speaking. Corlath's surprise was no less than that of his men as he heard himself say: â€Å"One last thing. I'm going back to the Outlander town. The girl – the girl with the yellow hair. She comes with us.†

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

What a Java Package Is In Programming

Programmers are an organized bunch when it comes to writing code. They like to arrange their programs so that they flow in a logical way, calling separate blocks of code that each has a particular job. Organizing the classes they write is done by creating packages. What Packages Are A package allows a developer to group classes (and interfaces) together. These classes will all be related in some way – they might all be to do with a specific application or perform a specific set of tasks. For example, the Java API is full of packages. One of them is the javax.xml package. It and its sub packages contain all the classes in the Java API to do with handling XML. Defining a Package To group classes into a package, each class must have a package statement defined at the top of its .java file. It lets the compiler know which package the class belongs to and must be the first line of code. For example, imagine youre making a simple Battleships game. It makes sense to put all the classes needed in a package called battleships: package battleships class GameBoard{ } Every class with the above package statement at the top will now be part of the Battleships package. Typically packages are stored in a corresponding directory on the filesystem but it is possible to store them in a database. The directory on the filesystem must have the same name as the package. Its where all the classes belonging to that package are stored. For example, if the battleships package contains the classes GameBoard, Ship, ClientGUI then there will be files called GameBoard.java, Ship.java and ClientGUI.java stored in a directory call battleships. Creating a Hierarchy Organizing classes doesnt have to be at just one level. Every package can have as many sub packages as needed. To distinguish the package and subpackage a . is placed in-between the package names. For example, the name of the javax.xml package shows that XML is a sub package of the javax package. It doesnt stop there, under XML there are 11 sub packages: bind, crypto, datatype, namespace, parsers, soap, stream, transform, validation, ws, and XPath. The directories on the file system must match the package hierarchy. For example, the classes in the javax.xml.crypto package will live in a directory structure of ..\javax\xml\crypto. It should be noted that the hierarchy created is not recognized by the compiler. The names of the packages and sub-packages show the relationship that the classes they contain have with each other. But, as far as the compiler is concerned each package is a distinct set of classes. It does not view a class in a subpackage as being part of its parent package. This distinction becomes more apparent when it comes to using packages. Naming Packages There is a standard naming convention for packages. Names should be in lowercase. With small projects that only have a few packages the names are typically simple (but meaningful!) names: package pokeranalyzer package mycalculator In software companies and large projects, where the packages might be imported into other classes, the names need to be distinctive. If two different packages contain a class with the same name its important that there can be no naming conflict. This is done by ensuring the package names are different by starting the package name with the company domain, before being split into layers or features: package com.mycompany.utilities package org.bobscompany.application.userinterface