Tuesday, August 25, 2020

A Collection of Classic and New Poems for Winter

A Collection of Classic and New Poems for Winter At the point when the virus twists start to blow and the evenings arrive at their longest stretch at the solstice, winter has shown up. Artists through the ages have loaned their plumes and pens to compose refrains about the season. Cuddle up around the fireside with a snifter of cognac or a cup of hot cocoa or go out to welcome the late morning dawn and examine these sonnets. This compilation of winter sonnets starts with a couple of works of art before proposing some new sonnets for the season. Winter Poems from the sixteenth and seventeenth Century The Bard of Avon had a few sonnets about winter. No big surprise, since the Little Ice Age kept things chilled back then. William Shakespeare,â€Å"Winter† from Loves Labors Lost (1593)William Shakespeare,â€Å"Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind† from As You Like It (1600)William Shakespeare,Sonnet 97 - â€Å"How like a winter hath my nonattendance been† (1609)Thomas Campion,â€Å"Now Winter Nights Enlarge† (1617) Winter Poems from the eighteenth Century The pioneers of the Romantic Movement wrote their sonnets end of the eighteenth Century. It was a period upset and huge changes the British Isles, the provinces, and Europe. Robert Burns,â€Å"Winter: A Dirge† (1781)William Blake,â€Å"To Winter† (1783)Samuel Taylor Coleridge,â€Å"Frost at Midnight† (1798) Winter Poems from the nineteenth Century Verse bloomed in the New World and female artists likewise positively shaped the nineteenth century. Other than the intensity of nature in winter, writers, for example, Walt Whitman likewise observed the mechanical and synthetic condition. John Keats,â€Å"In drear-nighted December† (1829)Charlotte Brontà «,â€Å"Winter Stores† (1846)Walt Whitman,â€Å"To a Locomotive in Winter† (1882)Robert Louis Stevenson,â€Å"Winter-Time† (1885)George Meredith,â€Å"Winter Heavens† (1888)Emily Dickinson,â€Å"There’s a specific Slant of light† (#258)Emily Dickinson,â€Å"It filters from Leaden Sieves† (#311)Robert Bridges,â€Å"London Snow† (1890) Great Winter Poems from the Early twentieth Century The mid twentieth century saw tremendous changes in innovation and furthermore the slaughter of World War I. Be that as it may, the difference in season to winter was a consistent. Regardless of how much humanity tries to control the earth, nothing keeps down the beginning of winter. Thomas Hardy,â€Å"Winter in Durnover Field† (1901)William Butler Yeats,â€Å"The Cold Heaven† (1916)Gerard Manley Hopkins,â€Å"The Times Are Nightfall† (1918)Robert Frost,â€Å"An Old Man’s Winter Night† (1920)Wallace Stevens,â€Å"The Snowman† (1921)Robert Frost,â€Å"Dust of Snow† and â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† (1923) Contemporary Winter Poems Winter keeps on motivating advanced writers. Some may accomplish the title of works of art in the decades to come. Perusing them can illuminate you with respect to how verse is changing and individuals are communicating their specialty. You can discover the vast majority of these sonnets on the web. Appreciate this determination of sonnets on winter subjects from contemporary writers: Salvatore Buttaci, â€Å"From Cold Unblinking Eyes†Denis Dunn, â€Å"Winter in Maine on Rte 113† and â€Å"Silent Solstice (Winter Becomes Maine)†Jim Finnegan, â€Å"Flightless Bird†Jesse Glass, â€Å"The Giant in the Dirty Coat†Dorothea Grossman, Untitled winter poemRuth Hill, â€Å"Land of Long Shadows†Joel Lewis, â€Å"Making a Meal Out of It†Charles Mariano, â€Å"This Winter†Whitman McGowan, â€Å"It Was So Cold†Justine Nicholas, â€Å"Palais d’Hiver†Barbara Novack, â€Å"Winter: 10 degrees†Debbie Ouellet, â€Å"North Wind†Joseph Pacheco, â€Å"Cold Winter Morn in Florida†Jack Peachum, â€Å"The Migrant†Barbara Reiher-Meyers, â€Å"Blizzard† and â€Å"Sweet and Bitter†Todd-Earl Rhodes, Untitled poemRobert Savino, â€Å"Shortcut Through the Storm†Jackie Sheeler, â€Å"Underground Xmas†Lisa Shields, â€Å"Reaching for White† and â€Å"Climate Change†Aldo Tambellini, â€Å"October 19, 1990†Joyce Wakefield, â€Å"Winter Conversation†

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Cuba :: essays research papers

End In spite of the fact that it's prompt impact is generally representative, U.S./Cuba strategy in 1998 mirrors a positive move in perspectives among the pioneers of Cuba and the U.S. Many would contend that lone the lifting of the ban totally would fill in as recovery for a misdirect American international strategy. And afterward once more, numerous others would contend that conditioning the provisions of the ban just further reinforces the Castro system. The discussion is a long way from being done and the arrangement is exceptionally muddled, however there unquestionably are conspicuous pointers that we can insinuate and fabricate presumptions. One, is the developing worldwide commercial center. This driver goes about as a facilitator of change by moving the people and pioneers of Cuba and the U.S. to look for connections outside of their prompt fringes. The U.S. remains as the solitary holdout in the developing number of nations connected to Cuba through exchange connections. We are constrained by the WTO, GATT, OAS, Mercursor, FTA, and a developing number of territorial and universal exchange associations to permit some type of exchange relationship with Cuba. Not that the U.S. is against one-sided activities, yet contradicted to organized commerce - not likely. There is a developing people of organizations inside the U.S. that are campaigning for exchange with Cuba. They wish to investigate Cuba for oil, use it's talented workforce, and open inns. Lamentably, as a result of household issues, the present U.S. organization stands frail to additionally change our approach in Cuba. As Presidents have progressively connected international strategy with exchange on the bi-facti onal level, we can hope to see a continuation of this pattern. Second, Time. The Cold War is finished and gradually the injuries are vanishing. No longer does Cuba speak to an ideological or military danger to the U.S.. Embargoes are actualized and kept up in nations that dread military assault. With Castro's decreasing assets and progressively more modest number of officers, any reasonable person would agree that Cuba speaks to no danger to the U.S.. Another capacity of time can be seen in the number of inhabitants in Miami, were most of Cubans are currently American conceived. These American conceived Cubans have never lived in Cuba, nor have they encountered any feature of the upset direct. They have incorporated into American culture and have no malevolence towards Fidel Castro. Third, Communication and Travel. A year ago, the travel industry put $1 billion dollars in the hands of Cuban entrepreneurs. Visitors, even American, have been running to the pleasant island in record numbers. Cuba :: expositions look into papers End Despite the fact that it's quick impact is generally emblematic, U.S./Cuba arrangement in 1998 mirrors a positive move in perspectives among the pioneers of Cuba and the U.S. Many would contend that lone the lifting of the ban totally would fill in as reclamation for a misdirect American international strategy. And afterward once more, numerous others would contend that conditioning the particulars of the ban just further fortifies the Castro system. The discussion is a long way from being done and the arrangement is muddled, however there unquestionably are conspicuous pointers that we can suggest and manufacture presumptions. One, is the developing worldwide commercial center. This driver goes about as a facilitator of change by rousing the people and pioneers of Cuba and the U.S. to look for connections outside of their quick outskirts. The U.S. remains as the solitary holdout in the developing number of nations connected to Cuba through exchange connections. We are forced by the WTO, GATT, OAS, Mercursor, FTA, and a developing number of territorial and universal exchange associations to permit some type of exchange relationship with Cuba. Not that the U.S. is against one-sided activities, however contradicted to facilitated commerce - not likely. There is a developing people of organizations inside the U.S. that are campaigning for exchange with Cuba. They wish to investigate Cuba for oil, use it's gifted workforce, and open lodgings. Lamentably, on account of household issues, the present U.S. organization stands feeble to additionally change our strategy in Cuba. As Presidents have progressively connected international strategy with exchange on the bi- divided level, we can hope to see a continuation of this pattern. Second, Time. The Cold War is finished and gradually the injuries are vanishing. No longer does Cuba speak to an ideological or military danger to the U.S.. Embargoes are executed and kept up in nations that dread military assault. With Castro's lessening assets and progressively more modest number of officers, most would agree that Cuba speaks to no danger to the U.S.. Another capacity of time can be seen in the number of inhabitants in Miami, were most of Cubans are currently American conceived. These American conceived Cubans have never lived in Cuba, nor have they encountered any aspect of the unrest direct. They have incorporated into American culture and have no malevolence towards Fidel Castro. Third, Communication and Travel. A year ago, the travel industry put $1 billion dollars in the hands of Cuban entrepreneurs. Vacationers, even American, have been running to the beautiful island in record numbers.

Monday, August 10, 2020

Sunday night is the deadline for Early Action (EA)

Sunday night is the deadline for Early Action (EA) About the Early Action Deadline and Application Components Early Action applications should be submitted by 11:59pm Eastern Time on November 1. (There is a small amount of grace period for students having trouble submitting their Parts 1 and 2.) Your school/teachers may submit their materials after the deadline. We are much more flexible and understanding with teachers and schools. Your recommendations do not need to be in our office by November 1. They can arrive and be processed well after this date and you will still be fine. Please note that materials only need to be sent to MIT, not processed, by the Nov. 1 deadline. Please allow five days for the processing of all submitted materials. Items are not posted directly to your MyMIT account from Naviance or the ApplyWithUs site. Materials requested through ApplyWithUs but sent to MIT through Naviance, fax or mail will not appear as submitted on the ApplyWithUs site. Check your MyMIT account to follow the progress of your application. Again, please allow five business days for processing of all materials at this busy time. About Standardized Testing For early action, we accept October and November test results. We will wait for the results; please do not rush reports. When filling out the self-reporting testing in Part 2 of the application, know that we are aware that scores from the new ACT (beginning with the October administration) no longer include an English+Writing (E+W) score. You do not need to list an E+W score. When listing your writing score, do so in the Writing field. If youve taken both the old and new ACT, simply list the writing score that youre most proud of; we are well aware that these are marked on different point scales. Remember, this is only self-reported scoring, we will use official scores in review. We are also aware of the delay in the official reporting of ACT scores from the September tests. If you are applying EA and have not yet submitted your Part 2, you should report your ACT scores (without the writing) in the self-reported test scores section. We expect that the official scores from ACT will reach us in a few weeks, in plenty of time for EA consideration, so you should not worry. (If you have already submitted Part 2, please just be patient and do not send us any self-reported scores yet. If ACT hasnt resolved this issue in a few weeks, we will put out a call for the unofficial scores.) For QuestBridge Be sure to complete all of these necessary steps for your QuestBridge application for MIT. Most importantly, be sure to register for a MyMIT account and submit Part 1 of the MIT Application. Select EA and do not pay the application fee, just check off the box for a fee waiver. You will have to submit official test scores to MIT through the testing agency. If you need to submit ACT Plus Writing scores from the September ACT, please email us with a copy of your scores from the sections that have been released. Do not worry if the Student Financial Services fax machine is busy. Keep trying, and late receipt of financial aid materials will not have any effect at all on your QuestBridge application. And Everything Else If you need to switch from Early Action to Regular Action, write to [emailprotected] from the email address on your MyMIT account. Dont forget to provide your name and MIT ID, stating clearly that you wish to change from EA to RA. We do not accept email docs items must be faxed, mailed, or submitted through Naviance or ApplyWithUs. Most of all, try not to get too stressed out! Go out with your friends. Give out candy to cute trick-or-treaters at your front door. Watch a scary movie. We wont be answering the phone over the weekend, but a few of us will check this blog post, and well try to help answer questions if we havent answered them already. Please hold off on asking RA questions right now, theres plenty of time for that still.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

A Study On Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - 1664 Words

Background Information: The study took place in north Europe Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The local paediatrician from Norway and Sweden and the forensic institution of Denmark invited parents of sudden infant death syndromes (SIDS) to take part in the study. Sudden infant death syndrome is the sudden, unexpected and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby. There were several aims behind the study. The main aim of the study was to overlook whether smoking was a cause of risk for sudden infant death syndrome and whether the consequence is owed to maternal smoking during the pregnancy or to inhaling smoke from other people’s cigarettes also called passive smoking. Likewise, they wanted to observe if the influence of smoking cessation played a big role in SIDS. They also wanted to research whether the risk before and after the birth on SIDS in children are different of smoking and non-smoking mothers. And lastly, the results of different smoking habits in the Scandinavian countries were investigated and analysed. The principal objective in this case-control study is to provide a valid and reasonably good estimate answer to the unexplained deaths. In practice, this objective is usually supplemented by several others. A typical objective would be to link the disadvantages of smoking and health risks to the unborn baby and any other dangers smoking could provoke. The study design: The study type they used is a case –control study. AShow MoreRelatedHow Scientific Discoveries Communicated In Popular Media Essay866 Words   |  4 Pagesmedia article The blood samples taken from infants who died as a result of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) contained a high concentration of serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical that transmits signals between and along the nerves (ScienceDaily, par. 2). The article reported that the finding of this research provided the probability a test could be conducted to differentiate cases of SIDS from other sleep-related causes that lead to unpredicted infant death. Questions This article is important becauseRead MoreEssay Sudden Infant Death Syndrome1594 Words   |  7 PagesSudden Infant Death Syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a mysterious phenomena that has managed to confound science so far. SIDS is defined as the sudden death of any infant or young child that is unexpected by history and in which a thorough post mortem examination fails to demonstrate an adequate cause (Hunt Brouillette, 1987). It is the leading cause of death in infants in developed countries occurring at a rate of almost 2 per 1000 births. It most often occurs in infants betweenRead More Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Essay1654 Words   |  7 PagesSudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or crib death is an abrupt and inexplicable death of an apparently healthy infant. Most of the cases involve infants from ages 1-12 months, and the event occurs during the night. Various theories have been postulated from research results but without consistency of the etiology. Since the death is sudden, prior diagnostic criteria or patterns are not available for correlation, although some near-miss infants have beenRead More Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Essay810 Words   |  4 Pagesnbsp;SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, a leading cause of death in infants under the age of one, has left medical experts unable to clearly define sudden infant death syndrome. After thirty years of research, the medical field has not discovered definite causes for SIDS. Medical experts have suggested many theories that have been studied and debated. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In the Western world, SIDS is the most common cause of death for infants between twoRead MoreEssay Sudden Infant Death Syndrome1401 Words   |  6 PagesSudden Infant Death Syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the most frequent cause of death between 1 month and 1 year of age (Naeye). SIDS is defined as the sudden death of any infant or young child that is unexpected by it’s history, and in which a thorough postmortem examination fails to determine an adequate cause (Hunt 1987). It is important to consider both aspects of this definition in order not to ‘overdiagnose’ SIDS. A mistake of this nature would occur with failure to reportRead MoreSIDS Essay1338 Words   |  6 PagesParents and Caregivers on the Prevention of SIDS Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained death of an infant less than one year of age after having done a complete postmortem examination and investigation of the scene of death. There are no causes that have been found that make it clear as to why SIDS is so common. The rate of SIDS decreased dramatically when the Back to Sleep campaign was started to encourage parents and caregivers that infants were placed on their back while sleeping (HockenberryRead MoreA Brief Note On The Act Of Cosleeping1303 Words   |  6 Pagesdefined as an infant sharing the same sleeping quarters as his or her parents because of the parent’s personal preferences or cultural practices (SIDS, 2011; Mao, Burnham, Goodlin-Jones, Gaylor, Anders, 2004; Hayes, Fukumizu, Troese, Sallinen, Gilles, 2007). There is no universally accepted uniform definition for cosleeping so the act can be further broken down into subcategories depending on where the infant sleeps in relation to his or her p arents: bed sharing means the infant sleeps in theRead MoreSudden Infant Death Syndrome - Research Paper1872 Words   |  8 PagesAbstract Sudden Infant Death Syndrome remains the leading cause of post-neonatal mortality (under the age of one) in developed countries. The causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome have been puzzling and research is being conducted to solve this catastrophic problem. Having a child under the age of one makes me very concerned, along with any other parent(s), that the possibility of SIDS could affect any infant at anytime, SIDS does not discriminate. I am seeking to find the possible causesRead MoreEssay on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome1856 Words   |  8 Pages Abstract Sudden Infant Death Syndrome remains the leading cause of post-neonatal mortality (under the age of one) in developed countries. The causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome have been puzzling and research is being conducted to solve this catastrophic problem. Having a child under the age of one makes me very concerned, along with any other parent(s), that the possibility of SIDS could affect any infant at anytime, SIDS does not discriminate. I am seeking to find the possible causes toRead MoreSudden Infant Death Syndrome and Highest Death Rate1784 Words   |  8 PagesAbstract Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as SIDS, is the leading cause of death in children under the age of one (Kaneshiro Zieve, 2009). There is no underlying cause that an infant is at risk of SIDS, but there are many theories being tested to help determine if a child may be at risk. â€Å"Many doctors and researchers now believe that SIDS is not a single condition that is always caused by the same medical problems, but infant death caused by several different factors (Kaneshiro

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

The Article Literacy Behind Bars By Malcolm X - 974 Words

In the article â€Å"Literacy Behind Bars†, author Malcolm X tells the story about how he taught himself to read and to write while being in prison. Malcolm X began his essay by saying people would have thought he â€Å"went to school far beyond the eighth grade.† Anytime X tried to read a book he had very little understanding of what he read because he couldn t read most of the words. He realized one of the only ways to learn was to get himself a dictionary to study. He began copying down words into his tablet.â€Å"Then, aloud, I read back, to myself, everything I had written on my tablet. Over and over, aloud, to myself, I read my own handwriting.† He soon could pick up any book and understand what the book was saying. Malcolm X would read most of the hours in a day. He also mentions that he’d often forget he was imprisoned. â€Å"I never had been so truly free in my life.† â€Å"I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life.† He explains that if his life went differently, he’d probably ended up at some college, somewhere. He feels that being in prison is what made him become so knowledgable because he had no distractions. â€Å" Where else but in prison could I have attacked my ignorance by being able to study intensely sometimes as much as 15 hours a day.† Literacy. The Google dictionary definition will say â€Å"The ability to read and write.† Or â€Å"Competence or knowledge in a specified area.† But what does the word literacy mean to you? What literacy means toShow MoreRelatedStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 Pagesof marketing feedback Information adequacy Cost problems Marketing orientation Planning orientation 536 536 539 549 551 551 553 555 565 576 585 587 589 589 593 610 624 625 627 627 627 642 648 652 664 667 677 679 679 680 684 688 690 697 703 711 x CONTENTS 16.10 Organizational issues 16.11 17 Summary 713 721 723 725 725 726 728 734 747 757 762 765 767 767 767 798 809 811 813 853 Management control – 1 17.1 Learning objectives 17.2 Introduction to control 17.3 Control defined 17.4 BasicRead MoreArticle: Performance Appraisal and Performance Management35812 Words   |  144 Pageswere adopted in industrial units and each worker was used to be rated in comparison to others for determining wage rates. In the 1940s behavioural methods were developed using a motivational approach. These included behavioural anchored rating scales (BARS), behavioural observation scales (BOS), behavioural evaluation scales (BES), critical incident, and job simulation. All these judgments were used to determine the specific levels of performance criteria to specific issues such as customer service andRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesEmotions from Faces? 124 S A L S A L 5 Personality and Values 131 Personality 133 What Is Personality? 133 †¢ The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator 135 †¢ The Big Five Personality Model 136 †¢ Other Personality Traits Relevant to OB 139 x CONTENTS Values 144 The Importance of Values 144 †¢ Terminal versus Instrumental Values 144 †¢ Generational Values 145 Linking an Individual’s Personality and Values to the Workplace 148 Person–Job Fit 148 †¢ Person–Organization Fit 150 InternationalRead MoreStrategic Human Resource Management View.Pdf Uploaded Successfully133347 Words   |  534 Pages.................................... 622 SORTING THROUGH THE EVIDENCE....................... 627 SUMMARY............................................................. 631 NOTES.................................................................. 639 x STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Table of Contents SECTION SIX ..............................................................654 Human Resource Evaluation ...................................655 OVERVIEW OF EVALUATION ......................Read MoreMarketing Management130471 Words   |  522 PagesTo satisfy those needs, the marketing team makes decisions about the controllable parameters of the marketing mix. 3.4 THE MARKETING MIX (THE 4 P S OF MARKETING) The term marketing mix became popularized after Neil H. Borden published his 1964 article, The Concept of the Marketing Mix. Borden began using the term in his teaching in the late 1940 s after James Culliton had described the marketing manager as a mixer of ingredients. The ingredients in Borden s marketing mix included product planning

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Pre-Eclampsia Free Essays

Nicole McLean RN Understanding Preeclampsia Drexel University Understanding Preeclampsia Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. â€Å"Preeclampsia complicates 3-5% of all pregnancies and continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality for both mother and infant† (Pettit Brown, 2012, p. 6). We will write a custom essay sample on Pre-Eclampsia or any similar topic only for you Order Now The exact cause of preeclampsia is unknown. It is usually diagnosed after 20 weeks gestation. A diagnosis is made by elevated blood pressures and with or without proteinuria. The treatment of this disorder is geared towards management of symptoms, preventing seizures and controlling hypertension. I chose this topic because I am a labor and delivery nurse and find this to be a popular disorder of pregnancy. This disorder is very common among the nulliparity (first pregnancy) population. â€Å"Although the exact cause of preeclampsia remains unknown, much research effort has been exerted on the study of pathophysiological mechanisms† (Townsend Drummond, 2011, p. 245). Pettit Brown (2012) found that the placenta and the re-modeling of the uterine arteries is a factor in preeclamptic disease. Preeclampsia is usually diagnosed on a routine pre-natal visit during blood pressure checks and urine dips. Urine dips show the presence of protein in the urine. According to ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) the criteria for diagnosing preeclampsia is a systolic blood pressure 140mmHg or diastolic blood pressure 90mmHg that occurs after 20 weeks gestation in a woman with previously normal blood pressure. Also, the presence of proteinuria, which is the urinary excretion of 0. g of protein or higher in a 24 – hour urine specimen (ACOG bulletin 33, 2002, p. 160). The goal of treatment is aimed towards preventing seizures and blood pressure management. â€Å"The long held principle that delivery is the only cure for preeclampsia prevails† (Townsend Drummond, 2011, p. 299). â€Å"Thus, interventions are currently designed to either deliver the fetus or make sure the mother and fetus are safe to continue the pregnancy while allowing time for feta l lung maturity to occur† (Townsend Drummond, 2011,p. 299). In my institution, Magnesium sulfate is the gold standard of care for preeclamptic patients. We use this drug to prevent seizures and anti-hypertensives to control blood pressure. Close monitoring of these patients is crucial. Our hospital protocol involves monitoring maternal well being, which includes blood pressure checks hourly, monitoring of liver and kidney function, and obtaining daily weights at the same time each day for evaluation of tissue fluid retention. We also monitor fetal well-being by continuously monitoring the fetal heart rate with an external fetal monitor. It is important to encourage these patients to maintain a nutritious diet with moderate protein intake to compensate for the protein that may be lost in the urine. In conclusion, the most common medical complication of pregnancy is hypertension. The main goal is to keep the mother pregnant for as long as possible. Both the mother and baby will be closely monitored, and if the mother is term or if the baby is in distress the doctor may decide to induce labor or perform a cesarean – section. The most important thing is maternal and fetal well being. References American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Obstetric Practice. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 33: Diagnosis and Management of Preeclampsia and Eclampsia. 99(1): 159 -167, January 2002. Pettit, F. , Brown, M. A. (2012). The management of pre-eclampsia: What we think we know. European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, 160(1), 6. doi:10. 1016/j. ejogrb. 2011. 09. 049 Townsend, N. S. , Drummond, S. B. (2011). Preeclampsia: Pathophysiology and implications for care. The Journal of Perinatal Neonatal Nursing, 25(3), 245. Intellectual Honesty Certification I certify that this assignment is presented as entirely my own intellectual work. Any words and/or ideas from other sources (e. g. printed publications, Internet sites, electronic media, other individuals, groups, or organizations) have been  properly indicated using the appropriate scholarly citation style required by the department or College. I have not submitted this assignment in its entirety to satisfy the requirements of any other course. Any parts of this assignment from other courses have been discussed thoroughly with the faculty member before this submission so that there is an understanding that I have used some of this work in a prior assignment. Student’s Signature_Nicole McLean Course Submitted_Nursing 324: Online Tools for Success Term Fall 2012 Date   November 25, 2012 How to cite Pre-Eclampsia, Papers

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Environment Strategy Structure Operations †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Environment Strategy Structure Operations. Answer: Introduction Engineering management is an important aspect of company operations that help manage various engineering and construction services. As Chesbrough and Rosenbloom (2002) indicate, business models contribute to the success of the business or failure of the business. One example of a business that largely depends on a diverse business model is Element Engineering Australia. The company has been a key player in mechanical engineering and industrial management services. The following paper explores business model as applied in engineering management of Element Engineering Australia. Element Engineering Australia is a company that designs, analyses and certification of a current design, mechanical and production of a prototypes for customers in Australia and internationally. Element Engineering Australia operates in the industrial sector, particularly mechanical engineering and management services. The market where Element Engineering Australia is a key player formally includes Australian and New Zealand industrial or engineering market but currently Asia-Pacific region and South America (Element Engineering Australia, 2018). The market for Element Engineering Australia has been of both industrial and mechanical engineering management services sector. Through its mechanical services, Element Engineering Australia provides mechanical design services that also comprise of designing, building and maintaining these assets. Some of the products and services include mechanical designing services, wheel chock, marketing of designs, tyre inspection stand, mechanical analysis, rim component stand, tyre assembly stand and certification of a current design (Element Engineering Australia, 2018). Business model canvas of Element Engineering Australia Element Engineering Australia has an interesting business model that basically consists of servitization of products business model. The business model mainly consist of converting products into services that is evidence by wheel chock that is product yet offered as service. It is important to understand the business model based on the nine building blocks as indicated by business model canvas. In order to understand more about the business model and its building blocks each aspect of business are analyzed critically. Firstly, Element Engineering Australia key partners include local or indigenous communities, industrial key players, government agencies, and suppliers. The desire for partnership and collaborations is the key drive that glues together the company with its partners. For instance, the desire diligently serve local community is creating job opportunities for local communities. Secondly, the company has variety of key activities that forms its value proportion and some of these key activities include designing of structures, civil constructions, provision of structural maintenance, and delivery of certification of a current design services, provides outsourced facility services, and provision of mechanical services (Osterwalder, 2004). Element Engineering Australia value most of its activities as nearly all the activities contribute to the business revenue stream. Thirdly, the value proportion of the company is based on inclusivity and support for indigenous communities living in Austra lia through development and sustainability. The company creates employment opportunities for local community and procurement of local goods and services. Moreover, through projects within the local communities, the company stresses on the need to incorporate local community in the companys business model. Fourthly, the company business model offers a unique audience relationship that is fostered by their philosophy for customer satisfaction (Element Engineering Australia, 2018). Integration of audience expectation into the business model is key for success of the business especially those indigenous communities which is key goal of the business. Finally, the audient segment for the Element Engineering Australia includes construction sector, industrial sector, transport sector, and the general public. The most important audience for the company is majorly the community since the community plays an important role in provision of market and labor (Gordijn, 2002). Resource and channel of distribution Element Engineering Australia has many different key resources that range from human resources, raw materials, assets and revenues. Human resources mostly focus on managing employees and staffs that include management and casual laborers within local projects. Raw materials help the company in construction sites and manufacture of various products (Osterwalder, Yves Alan, 2010). Assets include motor vehicles and equipments that facilitate service delivery for many company projects and business. Finally, revenues include money received from projects management services and mechanical design services the company offered with certification of a current design. Secondly, the distribution channel for the business consists of wide network that interconnect key players in the business value chain. The business has both distribution channel for its products and services directly managed by marketing and distribution department. In some cases the project manager directly connects to local pr ojects and sometimes human resource manager play role in connecting with customers for the purpose of providing employment. Purchase department leads the supply channel while accounts section monitor revenue stream and these channels are interconnected (Magretta, 2002). The cost structure for the business model cut across various revenue sources ranging from multimillion-dollar projects to certification of a current design services. One of the most important cost include employees payment given the huge number of employees that the company has. Employees payment is important since the company has good reputation mostly focus on creating employment for locals and equally payment for such staffs. Secondly, Revenue stream for the company is obtained and mainly consist of revenue from sale of products, direct services and indirect services. For the products, Element Engineering Australia has a wide variety of products that are sold through various branches such as revenue from structural analysis, mechanical design services and certification of a current design services (George Bock, 2011). The relationship between nine blocks Nearly all nine building blocks are interrelated with one another and this relationship enables the business to operate and achieve its goals. Key partners are connected to key activities since various partners offers business services through business activities. The value proposition is also connected to key activities since those activities help the business offer value to customers (De, Bouwman Timber, 2013). Value proposition plays role in the audience relationship since core value is linked to the audience through the cost of services. Audience segment, on the other hand, is related to value proposition through the relation the business has with customers. In the next level of the business model key partners is linked with business resources since key partners such as suppliers provide resources such as raw materials that are used for key activities of the business. These key resources also form the basis for the creation of value proposition which is engineering services. Var ious engineering service is offered to customers through distribution channel which as per the model used by Element Engineering Australia is division based. Distribution channel forms the connection for offering mechanical engineering services to audience segment. The overall business model aims to generate revenue without high cost (Burkhart et al, 2011). There are some factors that have to lead to the success of Element Engineering Australia in industrial and mechanical engineering sectors in Australia. Some of these factors include product diversification, good business niche, industrial position and good reputation. Firstly, Element Engineering Australias product diversification has been achieved through venture in many different industrial product design and mechanical engineering sector (Robin, 2008). For instance, Element Engineering Australia has upper hand in structural analysis, mechanical engineering, mechanical design and certification of a current design. Secondly, the industrial position is another success factor that helps the company to sail higher in the mechanical engineering sector of Australia. Element Engineering Australia is a leading industrial company in the engineering, mechanical design and certification sector of Australia and this is evidenced by the ability of the company to grow faster and overall net wort h of the company. Thirdly, the business strategy venture into new business niche has made the business to offer diversified products. For instance, the company offers unique services that has attracted few key players and is promising. The reputation of the company rests on the various unique service lines the company has and its ability to diversify more (Element Engineering Australia, 2018). The downside risk that is most likely to rock the company includes a management structure due to fast growth, over delayed projects and limited investment in mechanical design engineering. Firstly, the management structure is one factor that is most likely contributes to downside risk. Fast growth of the company contributes to organization management challenge and is most likely to contribute to the downside of the organization. Moreover, changes in the management and organizational culture due to incorporation from different services that were not previously part of company services. Collaboration with other companies specifically has very many organization changes that can highly contribute to the downside of Element Engineering Australia (Robin, 2008). Secondly, over delay on project completion leading to high maintenance cost for various structural analysis in construction sites. Tough economic times in Australia and New Zealand have resulted in a delay for many projects. Delays are projecting to contribute to the companys downside in the near future. New Zealand particularly faces an economic challenge since the earthquake that rocks the whole country. Thirdly, low government investment in the infrastructure development that is currently witnessed in Australia is also posing risk to major industrial players. The company faces the risk of limited growth due to a low number of mechanical projects expected in future (Element Engineering Australia, 2018). Changes I would make to the business model There are many different changes that could to be made to the business if it was my business. Firstly, I would introduce the modern and current technology into the business model to assist in the monitoring of various divisions (Peterovic Kittl et al, 2001). There is need to incorporate the information technology into the business to facilitate communication between staffs and customers. Secondly, I would introduce a strong engineering consultancy services as another service to the already available portfolios (Lim, 2010). The importance of consultancy services that the business can offer to customers help deal with the tough economic conditions that are currently rocking the industry. In addition, consultancy services will increase customer relationship hence increasing service delivery to the local community. Finally, focusing on sustainable management practice will also help the business to tackle the current global sustainable calls that affect most of the industries. Sustainabl e business practices also have a role in the society which is currently the primary focus of the company. Business models with sustainable management strive and attract the attention of investors that form part of the normal business environment (Linder Cantrell, 2000). Conclusion In conclusion, Element Engineering Australia remains a key player in industrial, construction and mining sector. The company uses the business model that focuses on local communities through more need to be done to incorporate current modern technologies. There are also some factors that have contributed to the success of the company and other factors are most likely to contribute to its downside risk. In understanding the business model canvas the nine building blocks clearly show interrelationship. Reference Burkhart, T. et al, (2011), Analyzing the Business Model Concept A Comprehensive Classification of Literature, Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2011). Paper 12. Chesbrough H. Rosenbloom, R. S. (2002), The Role of the Business Model in capturing value from Innovation: Evidence from XEROX Corporation's Technology Spinoff Companies., Boston, Massachusetts, Harvard Business School. De, R., Bouwman, M.H. Timber H. (2013), Business model roadmapping: A practical approach to come from an existing to the desired business model. International Journal of Innovation Management 17.01 Element Engineering Australia, (2018), About Us, accessible at https://www.elementengineering.com.au/about-us.html Robin, K. (2008), Engineers for the Future. Available at: https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/content-files/ACED/engineers_for_the_future.pdf George, G. Bock A.J. (2011), The business model in practice and its implications for entrepreneurship research. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 35(1): 83-111 Gordijn, J. (2002), Value-based Requirements Engineering - Exploring Innovative e-Commerce Ideas, Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit. Lim, M. (2010), Environment-Strategy-Structure-Operations (ESSO) Business Model. Knowledge Management Module at Bangor University, Wales. Linder, J. Cantrell, S. (2000), Changing Business Models: Surveying the Landscape, Accenture Institute for Strategic Change. Magretta, J. (2002), Why Business Models Matter, Harvard Business Review, May: 86-92. Osterwalder, A. Yves P. Alan S. (2010), Business Model Generation, and 470 practitioners from 45 countries, Wiley published. Osterwalder, A. (2004). The Business Model Ontology - A Proposition In A Design Science Approach. The Ph.D. thesis University of Lausanne. Peterovic, O. Kittl, C. et al., (2001), Developing Business Models for eBusiness., International Conference on Electronic Commerce 2001.

Monday, March 23, 2020

Sculpins Essays - Cottus, Scorpaeniformes, Sculpin, Cottidae

Sculpins Reproduction and early life history of the Sculpin Have you ever personally thought that fish were an interesting subject? Most people dont. The majority of individuals consider fish ordinary, routine and insignificant. However with a closer look, you may discover that fish can be extraordinary and extremely significant in more ways than one. With proper education and better understanding, people will not only realize the importance of the fish, but also the relevance of issues such as the spawning, life history and life span of fish such as Jordania zonope (sculpins). Prior to the spawning season (December-January), the males move into the spawning zone in fresh water or brackish water and are later joined by the females (Krejsa 1967; McAllister and Lindsey 1960), [On-line]. Krejsa (1967) has reported that spawning migration is limited to the coastal population and does not occur in the inland population. Judging from the location of sculpin larvae taken in this study, both migratory and nonmigratory populations exist. Spawning takes place February through June (Krejsa 1967), [On-line]; mainly in March and April (Moyle 1976), [On-line]; February through May (Millikan 1968), [On-line]; January through September; January through May in Central Valley floor waters; and May through September in the foothill creeks. The average temperature for spawning is 8-13 C (Krejsa 1967). The saltinity is 12 ppt (Millikan 1968); freshwater to intertidal (Moyle 1976); freshwater to oligohaline. Some substrates are large cobbles or flat rocks (Krejsa 1967); under surface of rocks, in beer cans, rusting automobile bodies (Millikan1968), [On-line]; trash (Moyle 1976), [On-line]; under-surfaces or crevices of rocky bottoms and banks, jetties; concrete blocks and other artificial substrates. For both fresh and salt water sculpins mating activity occurs mostly at night or during darkened conditions. Freshwater male sculpins cleans and prepares a nest cavity for the female to lay her eggs; when the female lays her eggs she deposits them in clusters on the underside of the nest that the male has prepared for her. The saltwater female sculpin chases a male until she traps him in a crevice. She keeps him there until she lays her eggs. A mature male then fertilizes the eggs. A mature scalyhead sculpin has a well-developed, penis-like appendage that it uses to fertilize the female internally. Sculpin eggs are often brightly colored-green, blue, yellow, orange, pink, red perhaps to warn off predators. This is a form of protective coloration among many species, which use bright colors to warn predators of danger. The number of eggs that are found in the ovary are 336-5,652 and 700-4,000 per cluster (Krejsa 1967); 584-10,980 eggs in ovary (Bond 1963), [On-line]; 280-7,410 eggs in ovary (Patten 1971), [On-line]; 1,094-5,656 (Millikan 1968), [On-line]. Several females may lay their eggs in one males nest. The female may also lay eggs in more that one males nest. After the eggs are laid the male goes into the nest and fertilizes the eggs immediately . The male fish guards the nest three to four weeks or until the fry leave. He aerates the eggs by fanning them with his large pectoral fins until hatching occurs (Krejsa 1967), [On-line]. The reason the male fans the eggs is to keeps the eggs clean from bacteria and to keep oxygen flowing to eggs. The male also removes debris and dead eggs with his mouth from his nest. The father is so attentive, he may net even feed until the eggs hatch. Eggs adhere strongly to one another, but less to other substrates. Incubation is relatively long: 15-16 days at 12 C (Krejsa 1967), 19-20 days at 10-12 C (Mason and Machidori 1976), [On-line] and 14-15 days at nine to 13 C under laboratory conditions. Millikan (1968) noted that hatching rate of prickly sculpin eggs is higher at a salinity of 12 ppt than in fresh water. A Newly fertilized egg is one point four millimeters in diameter. When the egg is in the stage of morula, it is one point four millimeters in diameter. The egg is one point five millimeters in diameter when it is at the early stage of being an embryo. During the late stages of being an embryo the egg is one point five millimeters in diameter. Most of the sculpins eggs

Friday, March 6, 2020

Free Essays on Odysseus

The power of Odysseus: Achieved or Received? Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus’ gained authority due to the aid and power of others, which resulted in three phases of understanding: self-determination, courage, and having a greater vision in life. In order to understand these three phases, one must be able to conquer predominance from those who are less useful than others. While being physically strong, he lacked mental strength without the guidance of the gods. Odysseus was a loner, but once meeting up with others he became popular. Once he makes these friends he learns more about the subjects of daily life. They are the ones who have more predominance than others because they know more people and are more intriguing. Odysseus needed and used the help of others to gain more knowledge throughout the story. Once Odysseus has served enough time in a place against his will, he would be determined to leave that place. Odysseus’ journey towards home was now going to have the chance to come to and end. For seven years, Calypso held him prisoner on the island of Ogygia where he wanted to leave to seek the completion of his journey. Calypso agrees to let him go but first offers Odysseus some advice and guidance saying, "Only I will not aid [you] on [your] way, for I have no ships fitted with oars, nor crews to bear [you] over the broad ocean ridges; but I will freely give [you] counsel and not hide how [you] may come unharmed to [your] own native land"(Bloom, 47). Calypso realizes the greatness of Odysseus and gives him some advice. Odysseus though will have to prove his greatness by making his own ship and understand how he will make it home. Even though Odysseus was physically strong, at other points his weaknesses were evident. When the Phaeacians returned Odysseus home, he couldn’t figure out where he was. For some reason, he decided to recount his jewels and gifts. While doing so the Phaeacians were turned to stone by Poseido... Free Essays on Odysseus Free Essays on Odysseus Odysseus An individual’s characteristics are the key to their behavior. Homer’s The Odyssey takes place about 700BC in the Mediterranean, near Greece. The epic tells of a man who left his home twenty years earlier to fight in the Trojan War. His mission now is to make his way home to Ithaca. Odysseus shows good and bad traits throughout the epic that influence his way home. The courage and wisdom of Odysseus help him survive through the whole epic. For example, Odysseus kills the Cyclops while the giant is asleep, even though the monster ate two men minutes before. Odysseus has courage to stand up for his beliefs and never lets the opinion of others keep him from doing what is right. Some think Odysseus shows his courage throughout the epic because he is proud and does not want to leave any job unfinished. Furthermore, Odysseus by plugs the sailors’ ears with wax when going through the Sirens, whose sweet singing lures sailors to their doom. Odysseus often hesitates before acting, because he uses reason to evaluate the situation, which saves him and his men many times. Odysseus knows that there is no progress without the wisdom to back it up. Using courage and wisdom throughout life allows a person to see greatness in life. As great as he was, Odysseus still had some weaknesses, most importantly that of his pride and sensual ness, that prolongs his voyage back to Ithaca. This is clearly evident in the episode on the Cyclopes’ Island when Odysseus and his men are safely away from the island when Odysseus brags about his exploits making Polythemus hurl giant boulders almost sinking the ship. This incident hurt Odysseus more than just losing a few men, because Poseidon makes his travel home very long and arduous. This proud characteristic shows Odysseus has a lack of respect for others and that he is selfish. Furthermore, Odysseus stays with Circe for one year before his men remind him of home. This characteristic of sensual... Free Essays on Odysseus The power of Odysseus: Achieved or Received? Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus’ gained authority due to the aid and power of others, which resulted in three phases of understanding: self-determination, courage, and having a greater vision in life. In order to understand these three phases, one must be able to conquer predominance from those who are less useful than others. While being physically strong, he lacked mental strength without the guidance of the gods. Odysseus was a loner, but once meeting up with others he became popular. Once he makes these friends he learns more about the subjects of daily life. They are the ones who have more predominance than others because they know more people and are more intriguing. Odysseus needed and used the help of others to gain more knowledge throughout the story. Once Odysseus has served enough time in a place against his will, he would be determined to leave that place. Odysseus’ journey towards home was now going to have the chance to come to and end. For seven years, Calypso held him prisoner on the island of Ogygia where he wanted to leave to seek the completion of his journey. Calypso agrees to let him go but first offers Odysseus some advice and guidance saying, "Only I will not aid [you] on [your] way, for I have no ships fitted with oars, nor crews to bear [you] over the broad ocean ridges; but I will freely give [you] counsel and not hide how [you] may come unharmed to [your] own native land"(Bloom, 47). Calypso realizes the greatness of Odysseus and gives him some advice. Odysseus though will have to prove his greatness by making his own ship and understand how he will make it home. Even though Odysseus was physically strong, at other points his weaknesses were evident. When the Phaeacians returned Odysseus home, he couldn’t figure out where he was. For some reason, he decided to recount his jewels and gifts. While doing so the Phaeacians were turned to stone by Poseido...

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

To study the feasibility and profitability of establishing an Essay

To study the feasibility and profitability of establishing an international school in Mainland China - Essay Example Reed (l988) in her study of Education in the People's Republic of China and U.S underscored the importance of having international schools in China to cater for educational requirements of children of expatriate parents working in the country. Similarly, Fuldien (as cited in Hammond, 2007) demonstrated how the presence of English Schools Foundation (ESF) in Hong Kong has contributed to the education sector by providing high quality and cost-effective education through the use of English as the medium of instruction. This chapter presents review of the literature of studies done on the feasibility and profitability of establishing an international school in the emerging cities in Mainland China. The chapter is divided into various headings for easier presentation of the literature review. The Chinese education system is lauded as one having the longest history in the world. Available documented evidence indicates that the Chinese practice of education developed from the imperial civil examination system introduced in the early 7th century (as cited in Feagles, 1999). This type of examination system was devised exclusively as a mechanism for choosing and enlisting aspirants for the official system of government of the time and was found to identify only worthiness, competition and valor. Paver and Wang (1992) explain that this instrument was considered a powerful tool built upon social ambitions rather than individual concerns and therefore made examinations the only gauge for future success and achievement. This system has been found to strongly influence the education systems of Chinese communities to date, while still emphasizing the educational values highly esteemed by both parents and students (Paver and Wang, 1992). Reed (l988) in her study reported that the Chinese education system is found to be a mixture of two cultures namely the Chinese culture and the British culture. She maintains that the British culture is responsible for the establishment of elite schools. These elite schools are accordingly sponsored and managed by the major religious bodies such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Church of Christ in China and the Methodist Church (all cited in Reed, l988). Moreover, the regal social examination system laid down in the 7th century has inculcated certain values in the Chinese people which are seen to strongly influence the nature almost all the local schools and the elite schools in Hong Kong. Available studies further argue that this culture inculcated by the system have been responsible to produce all round students and graduates in the world (Kennedy, l977). The consequence of this argument is demonstrated in global comparisons of student achievements. Aanenson ( 1979) illustrates that Chinese students mainly from Hong Kong are always positioned amongst the top. Apart from fostering the spirit of hard-work and competitiveness, the Chinese tradition also underscores the importance of moral education which very much differs from the concept of morality as perceived in the Western countries (Reed, l988). The concept of moral education as recognized by the Chinese puts into account virtually all characteristics of education including but not exhaustively ethics,

Monday, February 3, 2020

Chinese Popular Culture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Chinese Popular Culture - Term Paper Example Chinese great political icons like Mao have changed the social, political and cultural outlook of the country. Today China has surpassed major nations in economic development, education and technological advancement. Once a poor nation, China now has a population indulge in modern cars, technological gadgets, meat – based diet and luxury clothing. Moreover, the Chinese media has evolved in to dynamism that has transformed the day to day life of people of the nation. â€Å"The embrace of a market economy, with all its attendant risks, has forced the development of new governmental and social policies to stabilize China’s social structure through the conceptual category of the ‘middle class†. Today, China has become a world competitor and the super powers of world are looking up to China to understand their excellence in hard work, political strategy and social reform. Chinese Popular Culture The Chinese popular culture had been anchored due to the open door policy implement by the country in the 21st century. As per (Latham 20)â€Å" Since the open door policy and economic reform in mainland China in the 1980s tension between the two Chinese territories have gradually esed†.Westernization is the key aspect behind Chinese popular culture as new generation is imitating West in their daily life. China has a lasting cultural heritage and the emerging China is more on a conflict on adopting whether to adopt western or Chinese culture. According to (Wu 2)â€Å" With their different positions and experiences in the world, China and the west cannot establish the same culture tradition†. The Chinese popular culture has transformed its population into diverse and intensely sophisticated class. Chinese people are influenced more by popular culture rather than politics of their country. They have shifted their interest to fashion, luxury, comfort and globalization. For example, one of the examples of Chinese popular culture is hero w orship where in sports icon and other celebrities are admired overly. They worship domestic celebrities, whether it is sports, movie, music or art related. As per (Ren) â€Å"In the business realm, Chinese heroes have also arisen to carry the torch of China’s aspirations. People like Li Yan Hong and Robin Li, founders of Baidu.com, or famed entrepreneur Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba group, which owns the most popular e-commerce sites, or Pan Shiyi and wife Zhang Xin, the Donald Trumps of China†. Another example of it is the upsurge of fast food outlets in big cities of China. People have started to adapt to international fast food chains like KFC , Mc Donalds and Pizza hut in their attempt to align with western culture. Chinese Media and Popular Culture In Chinese media legacy, the Chinese writing, paper money, printing process and lithography has a prominent role to play. Preceding mass media, hand writing and printing were the main source of communication in China and as technology progressed, electrical, technical and mechanical devices replaced it. As far as Chinese history is considered, two forms of media that has shaped Chinese people’s lives are radio and computer. Radio has been the media which has influenced Socialist China greatly. In socialist China, wired radio, loud speakers and radio

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Main Factors That Attract Tourists To The Caribbean Tourism Essay

Main Factors That Attract Tourists To The Caribbean Tourism Essay Tourism has long been the primary industry on the majority of the Caribbean islands due to the largely incredible natural beauty and wildlife which attracts hoards of vacation hungry visitors all year long. (Sophia Southern, n.d.). Tourism accounts for a large amount of the Caribbeans economy and work force. The most important tourist centre in the Caribbean are Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Island, Jamaica, The Bahamas and Barbados. Tourists are attracted to the Caribbean for many reasons some of the main factors are: Geography The Caribbean which extends from the southern tip of Florida, pass the Gulf of Mexico and down to the north-eastern tip of South America, attracts a lot of visitors each year. The Caribbean has numerous landforms such as islands, mountains, waterfalls etc. Weather -The Caribbean has a tropical marine climate which gives it an all year round sunshine and this makes it perfect for the winter visitors. The equator gives the Caribbean temperatures `between 27-32Â °C. It is called marine because of the influence of the sea. During the day the sea is usually cooler than land. Winds blowing from the sea. This is one of the biggest reason why tourists are attracted to the Caribbean, The climate attract tourist to the Caribbean during the winter period their country Tourism activities in the Caribbean have traditionally centre around the promoting of coastal attractions: beaches, coral reefs, coastal water. Beyond the beauty of the beaches, its sparkling blue water and attractive coral reefs, there are lush tropical rainforest, volcanic, a rich cultural heritage Culture and Sandy Beaches The Caribbean culture is The white sandy beaches of the Caribbean islands are a magnificent sight to see and parallel to none. The Caribbean is well known for its fine grained, soft white sand The opportunities of water sports When tourist come to the Caribbean they want to try water activities such as swimming, sailing, and snorkelling Community-based Tourism Community tourism is not a recent phenomenon, it dates back to the early days of travel when travellers were accommodated in monasteries, inns, homes and hostels. Community tourism is dependent on the community itself its attitude towards tourist is recognition of the value of tourist business and the steps it takes to stimulate and promote it. It requires the involvement of the community as a whole and a strong working relationship with the tourism sector. Community-Based tourism exists and can only be successful when there is a participation of the community in which the product is located. There can be full participation meaning that the community controls tourism in their local or limited participation of the community personnel. (Teaching Tourism in the Caribbean, December 2000) Why Community Based tourism Jamaicans sometimes feel left out from the tourism industry and do not believe that they benefit from the tourism therefore it is important for individuals to become stakeholder as they will now have a reason to protect and sustain the industry. Community tourism is identify as an avenue to sustain growth, environmental sustain-ability enhanced visitor experience and community development. This would result in it being an inclusive industry where the benefits from tourism are spread more widely. (Team Jamaica, 2000) Benefits of Caribbean based tourism Increased employment both directly and indirectly. Increased opportunity for social and cultural intercourse. Increased income the improvement of infrastructure and enhancement of the community Improve quality of life Principles of Community Tourism Community Tourism is a new appearance. It is a spirit that spread throughout all sectors of the tourism industry. Community Tourism is about levels of relationships between the host country and the visitor. What is appealing to the visitor is found among the varied natural attractions, local resources and talents, and indigenous attributes of a community or area. Through visitor-community interaction, respective cultures are explored, ideas and information are exchanged, and new friends are made. (http://www.communitybasedtourism.info/en/community-based-tourism/community-based-tourism.asp, n.d.) Community Tourism fosters opportunities at the community level for local people wishing to participate more fully in the tourism industry. This may range from organising bed breakfast accommodation in a rural home to creating income-generating tourism opportunities for an entire village. Community Tourism is managed tourism in its profoundest sense, taking into account evolving travel trends in such areas as the environment, study and research, seniors travel and other special interests. Community Tourism products and services are geared to address these trends and to satisfy the interests of emerging travel markets. Key clientele includes: The mature market Study and Research groups, including schools, universities, colleges and research based organizations Church groups Environmentalists, botanist, ornithologists and nature lovers The independent traveller Afro-Americans Caribbean Nationals at home and abroad The vision of Community Tourism is to expose the local resources and talents, and make the concept a reality for local people. Community Tourism embraces eco-tourism, cultural tourism, adventure tourism, recreational tourism, geo-tourism, heritage tourism, health tourism, farm tourism and all the popular special interest tourism. Community-based tourism, therefore, is a combination of tourism products offered at a community-level to domestic or international visitors. In the Jamaican context, community-based tourism usually refers to visitor interaction with local people in the rural areas outside of the traditional resort areas. Community-based tourism does not mean that the rules that apply to traditional tourism sub-sectors do not apply them. The principles of health and safety for visitors drive tourism regardless of the setting in which the product is offered. Community-based tourism, however, offers a unique opportunity for Jamaica. The process of community-based tourism development if managed effectively has the potential to alleviate poverty and illiteracy. Community-based tourism also has the potential to develop the natural creative energy of Jamaicans by transforming average citizens into entrepreneurs. It can be used to develop strong partnerships by twinning existing traditional tourism entrepreneurs with aspiring non-traditional tourism entrepreneurs. It can be combined with the existing tourism product offerings to create a uniquely Jamaica experience. Community-based tourism can be a stand-alone venture or a partnership of the traditional and the non-traditional products blended with Jamaican charm, culture and heritage to create a community tourism spirit that culminates in a truly Jamaican experience. Community-based tourism can bring out the best in the Jamaican people In developing community-based tourism products it is essential to understand that: Local conditions, culture and knowledge will influence the outcome. Each community has its own identify and values. Tourism works within a system. The tourism system defines the rules for local tourism. Developing a business is a process. International standards play a significant role in product development and marketing. Each agency on the team has a specific role to play in the development of the community-based tourism product. Failure to learn the rules and to manage effectively and efficiently the process results in failure at the local and national levels. External Challenges Global competition for tourism business The forces of globalization advocate the free movement of goods/services, capital and labour by opening up the world markets for trade. Globalization has expanded global corporate reach and control. The challenge is that the region now has to invest in meeting international standards. Worldwide the hospitality industry is having difficulty attracting motivated and dynamic employees because of its image as primarily offering low pay, low status jobs, with long, demanding working hours and difficult working conditions. Modern technology is rapidly changing the way business is conducted in travel and tourism. With the increasing use of computers by businesses to gain competitive advantage and the dramatic increase in the use of the Internet by travellers, tourism businesses have to invest in the new technologies and train their people in the use of these technologies to remain competitive. The use of distance learning is revolutionizing campuses worldwide as, through the use of multiple technologies. Special attention needs to be paid to addressing the human resources needs of small, medium and micro tourism businesses in the region which make up the bulk of the sector, and which are locally owned and managed for the most part.. (Morgan, CTO, 2001)

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Education on health promotion Essay

The statement of the problem of this research looks into the relationship that exists between education and the promotion of health. The researcher intends to identify how education can be used to promote health in communities and also how the health of the people can be affected by education. Furthermore, the researcher intends to fill the gaps left by other researchers on how the people relates directly with the education they get in other words what good or poor health does to the education sector. It also aims at looking at the various avenues put forward to solve the problem of health and education. Through this research, data that is important for the promotion of health will be unearthed to be used during policy making. The first sub-problem is to determine the extent of the influence that education has on the health of people. The researcher intends to analyze the changes that people make once they are educated on better health promoting habits. There is also an analysis of which are the best areas for this education to be provided. There is need to see whether schools are the most accessible places to the whole community and if the people value the information they get from there. Furthermore, there is need to look at the impact of health policies in schools which encourage healthy eating and physical exercise among the students. The second sub-problem is to come up with the most efficient strategy that will benefit the whole community. Since the community consists of all manner of people who exhibit different lifestyles and backgrounds, how will the health of all these people be promoted? The research will entail posing questions to the direct beneficiaries of health promotion and compare their suggestions with the policies that have already been advanced and get to establish the impact of those comments. This will then aid the policy makers’ once it comes to making policies that can be implemented and accepted by the people who the policy intends to benefit. How are the people to be educated? It has already been advocated that education is important, but how are the people to be educated and how will the education be implemented? Will the people change their lifestyles and who will make them use the knowledge gained? The research project to be tackled is valid in the sense that it will provide knowledge that other researchers have left. It is important to note that after the researcher conducted the literature review, some gaps were identified that needed to be addressed. Much as these previous researchers touched on all aspects of the topic, they failed to adequately show how the research problem could be solved. They failed to identify the avenues that can be used by the policy makers and the implementers that ensure that they benefit the people. The researcher has consulted with the course instructor who is a research expert and has actually gone further to involve the friends to get peer review of the topics relevance. The project aims at improving ways in which the health of the communities can be enhanced. In doing this they inadvertently aid in the national economy. It will aim at establishing the people’s views on the policies put in place and their feelings towards the information they get regarding their health status. Since the researcher has reviewed the literature available in this field and also done a reconnaissance visit to the areas targeted, there is ample knowledge of what has already been researched and there is little possibility of the research being a repeat of another one. Despite all these, there is need to acknowledge that there might be some problems encountered in the filed especially when dealing with people during data collection not everyone will provide the correct information and the researcher has to be careful to avoid recording inconsistent data that is not useful. After choosing the topic and identifying the problem statement, the researcher will go ahead to look for any literature that is related to the research topic. Once this has been done, the articles will be reviewed and understood getting the data already provided and identifying areas that can be improved on. After the literature review, the researcher needs to identify the data collection methods that will be used. The data collected will be both primary and secondary where the secondary has been found from the literature. The primary data will be gotten through observing using questionnaires both open and close ended, having structured and unstructured interviews and also the use of the Likert scale (http:// jan. ucc. nau. edu/~mezza/nur390/Mod4/collection/lesson. html). All these are useful data collection methods. In conducting such a research, it would be important to use both qualitative and quantitative research tools. The quantitative tools include questionnaires; measurements and statistics while the quantitative tools will include observation (http://www. dobney. com/Research/qualitative_research. htm). This is actually an ethnographic approach. By combining both tools of research, the researcher will get the best of data. The questionnaires will be scrutinized to reject the obviously unreliable ones and correct the answers that are obvious. Inconsistency will also lead to rejection of questionnaires. The taped interviews will be listened to again and also the written statements will be analyzed. After the analysis, there will be the coding of the data. This is the interpretation part of the data. The researcher has realized that regardless of the discipline that one is affiliated with, it is important to use both qualitative and quantitative data for the sake of getting useful information (http:// hej. sagepub. com/cgi/content/abstract/54/3/347). One has to look into how to use the methods available in each method of data collection and choose the most appropriate depending on the research topic and the use of research. The importance of peer review has been revealed to the researcher. An independent party is required in the development of a research project because they provide a fresh view into the research (http://ww. jmir. org/2004/3/e37). They provide opinions regarding the methods proposed to be used and also help the researcher improve on the research topic and the problem statement. By asking questions regarding time frame and the availability of tools to be used they help the researcher become realistic in the writing of the dissertation.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Six

IT TOOK DAYS for me to finally get the whole story, both about Lee and about how Eddie and Jill had come to the rescue that night. Once I had Lee as the missing piece, it was easy to connect the murders of Tamara, Kelly, Melody, and Dina, the human girl he'd mentioned. All of them had been killed within the last five years, in either Los Angeles or Palm Springs, and many had documented evidence of knowing him. They weren't random victims. What little we could find out about Lee's history came from Clarence, though even that was muddled. By our best guesses, Lee had been turned forcibly into a Strigoi about fifteen years ago. He'd spent ten years that way until a spirit user restored him, much to Lee's dismay. Clarence hadn't had all his wits about him even then and hadn't questioned how his son had returned home after ten years without aging. He evaded answering our questions about Lee being a Strigoi, and we didn't know if Clarence simply hadn't known or was in denial. Likewise, it was unclear if Clarence knew his own son was behind Tamara's death. The far-fetched vampire hunter theory was probably easier for h im to stomach than the murderous truth about his son. Investigations into Lee's college in Los Angeles showed he hadn't actually been enrolled there since before he became Strigoi. When he'd become Moroi again, he'd used college as an excuse to stay in Los Angeles, where he could more easily pursue victims – and we suspected there were more of them than we had records for. From what we'd observed, he'd apparently tried to drink from a few of each race, in the hopes that one of them would be â€Å"the one† to make him a Strigoi again. Further research into Kelly Hayes had uncovered something I should have thought of right away. She was a dhampir. She'd looked human, but that stellar sports record was the tip-off. Lee had stumbled onto her when visiting his father five years ago. Getting the drop on a dhampir wasn't easy, which was why Lee seemed to have gone to the effort of dating her and luring her in. None of us knew anything about the â€Å"bastard spirit user† who'd converted him, though that was of interest to both the Alchemists and the Moroi. There were very few spirit users on record, and with there still being so much unknown about their powers, everyone wanted to learn more. Clarence was adamant that he knew nothing about this mystery spirit user, and I believed him. Alchemists were in and out of Palm Springs all week, cleaning up the mess and interviewing everyone who'd been involved. I met with a number of them, telling my story over and over, and finally had my last debriefing with Stanton over lunch one Saturday. I'd kind of had a perverse interest in knowing what had happened to Keith but decided not to bring it up in light of everything else going on. He wasn't here, which was all I cared about. â€Å"Lee's autopsy revealed nothing that wasn't ordinary Moroi, according to their doctors,† Stanton told me between bites of linguine carbonara. Eating and discussing dead bodies weren't mutually exclusive, apparently. â€Å"But then, something†¦ magical likely wouldn't show up anyway.† â€Å"But there must be something special about him,† I said. I was simply moving my own food around the plate. â€Å"The fact that his aging slowed was proof enough – but the rest? I mean, he drank from so many victims. And then I saw what Jacqueline did to him. That should have worked. All the correct procedures were followed.† It amazed me that I could speak so clinically about this, that I could sound so detached. Really, though, it was just that second-nature Alchemist mode taking over. Inside me, the events of that night had left a permanent mark. When I closed my eyes at bedtime, I kept seeing Lee's death and Jacqueline feeding him the blood. Lee, who'd brought Jill flowers and taken us all mini-golfing. Stanton nodded thoughtfully. â€Å"Which suggests that those who are restored from being Strigoi are immune to ever being turned again.† We sat in silence for a moment, letting the weight of those words settle over us. â€Å"That's huge,† I said at last. Talk about an understatement. Lee presented a number of mysteries. He had begun aging once he became a Moroi again, but at a much slower rate. Why? We weren't sure, but that alone was a monumental discovery, as was my suspicion that he could no longer use Moroi magic. I'd been too freaked out to notice anything strange about Lee's behavior when Jill had asked him to create fog while we were golfing, but looking back, it occurred to me he'd actually looked nervous about her requests. And the rest†¦ the fact that something had changed in him, protected him, however unwillingly, from becoming Strigoi? Yeah. â€Å"Huge† was an understatement. â€Å"Very,† Stanton agreed. â€Å"Half our mission is to stop humans from choosing to sacrifice their souls for immortality. If there was a way to harness this magic, figure out what protected Lee†¦ well. The effects would be far-reaching.† â€Å"To the Moroi as well,† I pointed out. I knew that among them and the dhampirs, being forcefully turned Strigoi was often considered a fate worse than death. If there was some magical way to protect themselves, it would mean a lot since they encountered Strigoi far more than we did. We could be talking about some kind of magical vaccine. â€Å"Of course,† said Stanton, though her tone implied she wasn't nearly as concerned about that race's benefits. â€Å"It might even be possible to prevent the future creation of all Strigoi. There's also the mystery of your blood. You said the Strigoi didn't like it. That could be a type of protection too.† I shivered at the memory. â€Å"Maybe. It all happened so fast†¦ it's hard to say. And it was certainly no protection from the Strigoi wanting to snap my neck.† Stanton nodded. â€Å"It's certainly something to look into eventually. But first we have to figure out what exactly happened to Lee.† â€Å"Well,† I said, â€Å"spirit has to be a key player, right? Lee was restored by a spirit user.† A waiter came by, and Stanton waved her plate away. â€Å"Exactly. Unfortunately, we have a very limited quantity of spirit users to work with. Vasilisa Dragomir hardly has the time to experiment with her powers. Sonya Karp has volunteered to help, which is excellent news, especially since she's a former Strigoi herself. At the very least, we can observe the slowed aging firsthand. She's only available for a short while, and the Moroi haven't answered my request yet for some other useful individuals. But if we had another spirit user on hand, one with no other obligations to distract him from helping us fulltime†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked at me meaningfully. â€Å"Adrian?† I asked. â€Å"Do you think he'd help research this? Some magical way to protect against Strigoi conversion? Like I said, between Sonya and the others, he'd have help,† she added quickly. â€Å"I've spoken to the Moroi, and they're putting together a small group with expertise on Strigoi. They plan on sending them out soon. We just need Adrian to help.† â€Å"Wow. You guys move fast,† I murmured. At the words â€Å"Adrian† and â€Å"research,† my mind had put together images of him in a lab, wearing a white coat, bent over test tubes and beakers. I knew that the actual research wouldn't look anything like that, but it was a hard picture to shake. It was also hard to imagine Adrian seriously focused on anything. Except, I kept having that nagging thought that Adrian would focus if he only had something worth caring about. Was this important enough? I really wasn't sure. It was too hard to guess what purpose might be noble enough to get Adrian's attention. But I was pretty sure I knew some less-thannoble perks that might get him on board. â€Å"If you can get him his own place, I bet he'd do it,† I said finally. â€Å"He wants out of Clarence Donahue's pretty badly.† Stanton's eyebrows rose. She hadn't expected this. â€Å"Well. That's not a huge request, I suppose. And actually, we're already paying the bill for Keith's old apartment since he took out a year-long lease. Mr. Ivashkov could simply move into there, except†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Except what?† Stanton gave a small shrug. â€Å"I was going to offer it to you. After much discussion, we've decided to simply make you the Alchemist on point here, in light of Keith's†¦ unfortunate departure. You could leave Amberwood, move into his apartment, and simply oversee activities from there.† I frowned. â€Å"But I thought you wanted someone with Jill all the time.† â€Å"We do. And we've actually found a better choice – no offense. The Moroi were able to locate a dhampir girl Jill's age, who could not only serve as Jill's roommate but also as a bodyguard. She'll be joining the researchers who are coming out. You don't have to pose as a student anymore.† The world reeled. Alchemist schemes and plans, always in motion. A lot had been decided in this week, it seemed. I considered what this meant. No more homework, no more high school politics. Freedom to come and go when I wanted. But it also meant removing myself from the friends I'd made – Trey, Kristin, Julia. I'd still see Eddie and Jill, but not to the same extent. And if I was on my own, would the Alchemists – or my father – help fund college classes? Unlikely. â€Å"Do I have to leave?† I asked Stanton. â€Å"Can I give the apartment to Adrian and stay on at Amberwood for a while? At least until we figure out if we can get another place for me?† Stanton didn't bother hiding her surprise. â€Å"I didn't expect you'd want to stay on. I figured you'd especially be happy to no longer room with a vampire.† And like that, all the fears and pressure I'd faced before coming to Palm Springs descended on me. Vamp lover. I was an idiot. I should've been jumping at the chance to get away from Jill. Any other Alchemist would. In offering to stay, I was likely putting myself under suspicion again. How could I explain that there was so much more to my choice than just a change of roommate? â€Å"Oh,† I said, keeping a neutral face. â€Å"When you said you were getting Jill a dhampir her own age, I figured she'd be the roommate and I wouldn't have to room with Jill anymore. I thought I'd have my own in the dorm.† â€Å"That can probably be arranged†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"And honestly, after some of the things that have happened, I'd feel better still keeping an eye on Jill. It'll be easier if I'm at the school. Besides, if it takes an apartment to make Adrian happy and work on this Strigoi mystery, then that's what we need to do. I can wait.† Stanton studied me for several long seconds, breaking the silence only when the waiter dropped the bill off. â€Å"That's very professional of you. I'll look into the arrangements.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said. A happy feeling welled up in me, and I almost smiled, picturing Adrian's face when he heard about his new place. â€Å"There's just one more thing I don't understand,† remarked Stanton. â€Å"When we investigated the apartment, we saw some fire damage. But none of you who were there reported any.† I put on a contrived frown. â€Å"Honestly†¦ so much of it's a blur with the blood loss and the biting†¦ I'm not really sure. Keith had some candles. I don't know if one got lit†¦ or I don't know. All I keep thinking about is those teeth and how terrible it was when I was bit – â€Å" â€Å"Yes, yes,† said Stanton. My excuse was flimsy, but even she wasn't entirely impervious to the thought of being fed on by a vampire. It was pretty much an Alchemist's worse nightmare, and I was entitled to my trauma. â€Å"Well, don't worry about it. That fire is the least of our worries.† It wasn't the least of my worries. And when I got back to campus later that day, I finally dealt with it and hunted Ms. Terwilliger down where she was working in one of the library offices. â€Å"You knew,† I said, shutting the door. All thoughts of student-teacher protocol vanished from my head. I'd been sitting on my anger for a week and could now finally let it out. I'd spent my life being taught to respect sources of authority, but now one of those had just betrayed me. â€Å"Everything you made me do†¦ copying those spell books, making that amulet ‘just to see what it was like'!† I shook my head. â€Å"It was all a lie. You knew†¦ you knew it was†¦ real.† Ms. Terwilliger took off her glasses and peered at me carefully. â€Å"Ah, so I take it you tried it?† â€Å"How could you do that to me?† I exclaimed. â€Å"You have no idea how I feel about magic and the supernatural!† â€Å"Oh,† she said dryly. â€Å"I do actually. I know all about your organization.† She tapped her cheek, mirroring the one my tattoo was on. â€Å"I know why your ‘sister' is excused from outdoor activities and why your ‘brother' excels in sports. I'm very informed about the various forces at work in our world, those hidden from most human eyes. Don't worry, my dear. I'm certainly not going to tell anyone. Vampires aren't my concern.† â€Å"Why?† I asked, deciding not to acknowledge her outing everything I strove to keep secret. â€Å"Why me? Why did you make me do that – especially if you claim you know how I feel?† â€Å"Mmm†¦ a couple of reasons. Vampires, as you know, wield a sort of internal magic. They connect with the elements on a very basic, almost effortless level. Humans, however, have no such connection.† â€Å"Humans aren't supposed to use magic,† I said coldly. â€Å"You made me do something that violated my beliefs.† â€Å"For humans to do magic,† she continued, as though I hadn't spoken, â€Å"we must wrest it from the world. It doesn't come so easily. Sure, vampires use spells and ingredients occasionally, but nothing like what we must do. Their magic goes from the inside out. Ours comes from the outside in. It takes so much effort, so much concentration and exact calculation†¦ well, most humans don't have the patience or skill. But someone like you? You've been grilled in those painstaking techniques since the time you could talk.† â€Å"So that's all it takes to use magic? An ability to organize and measure?† I didn't bother hiding my scorn. â€Å"Of course not.† She laughed. â€Å"There is a certain natural talent needed as well. An instinct that combines with discipline. I sensed it in you. You see, I have some proficiency myself. It gives me coven status but is still relatively small. You? I can feel a wellspring of power in you, and my little experiment proved as much.† I felt cold all over. â€Å"That's a lie,† I said. â€Å"Vampires use magic. Not humans. Not me.† â€Å"That amulet didn't light itself on fire,† she said. â€Å"Don't deny what you are. And now that we've determined as much, we can move on. Your innate power might be greater than mine, but I can get you started in basic magical training.† I couldn't believe I was hearing this. It wasn't real. It was like something from a movie because no way was this my life. â€Å"No,† I exclaimed. â€Å"You're†¦ you're crazy! Magic's not real, and I don't have any! It's unnatural and wrong. I won't endanger my soul.† â€Å"So much denial for such a good scientist,† she mused. â€Å"I'm serious,† I said, barely recognizing my own voice. â€Å"I want nothing to do with your occult studies. I'm happy to go on taking notes and buying you coffee, but if you keep making these kinds of crazy statement and demands†¦ I'll go to the office and demand to be switched to another teacher. Believe me, when it comes to working bureaucracy and administrative staff, that is something I have innate power in.† She almost smiled, but then it faded. â€Å"You mean that. You'd really reject this amazing potential – this discovery – that you have?† I didn't answer. â€Å"So be it.† She sighed. â€Å"It's a loss. And a waste. But you have my word that I won't bring it up again unless you do.† â€Å"That,† I said vehemently, â€Å"is not going to happen.† Ms. Terwilliger merely shrugged by way of answer. â€Å"Well, then. Since you're here, you might as well go get me some coffee.† I moved toward the door and then thought of something. â€Å"Were you the one calling Nevermore and asking about vampires?† â€Å"Why in the world would I do that?† she asked. â€Å"I already know where to find them.† Great, I thought. Another mystery. I made it to the cafeteria later that day just as Eddie, Jill, and Micah were finishing dinner. Jill was understandably having a difficult time adjusting to Lee's death and all the revelations we'd uncovered – including his desire to make her his undead queen. Both Eddie and I had talked to her as much as we could, but Micah seemed to have the greatest soothing effect on her. I think it was because he never openly addressed the topic. He knew Lee had died but thought it was an accident and naturally knew none of the vampiric connections. While Eddie and I constantly tried our hand at being amateur psychologists, Micah simply tried to distract her and make her happy. â€Å"We have to go,† he said apologetically when I sat down. â€Å"Rachel Walker is going to give us a lesson on one of the sewing machines.† Eddie shook his head at him. â€Å"I still don't know why you signed up for sewing club.† That wasn't true, of course. We both knew exactly why Micah had joined. Jill's face wore the grave look it had had since Lee's death – a look she would carry for a while, I suspected – but the ghost of a smile flickered over her lips. â€Å"I think Micah has the makings of a real fashion designer. Maybe I'll walk in his show one day.† I shook my head, hiding my own smile. â€Å"No modeling of any kind, not for a while.† After the show, Lia and other designers had gotten in touch, all wanting to work with Jill again. We'd had to refuse in order to protect her identity here, but it had made Jill sad to have to do it. Jill nodded. â€Å"I know, I know.† She stood up with Micah. â€Å"I'll see you back in our room later, Sydney. I'd like to talk some more.† I nodded. â€Å"Absolutely.† Eddie and I watched them hurry off. I sighed. â€Å"That's going to be a problem,† I told him. â€Å"Maybe,† he agreed. â€Å"But she knows what she can and can't do with him. She's smart. She'll be responsible.† â€Å"But he doesn't know,† I said. â€Å"I feel like Micah's fallen for her too much already.† I eyed Eddie carefully. â€Å"Among other people.† Eddie was still watching Micah and Jill, so it took him a moment to pick up on my meaning. He jerked his gaze back to me. â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"Eddie, I'm not going to claim to be any expert in romance, but even I can tell that you're crazy about Jill.† He promptly looked away, though his flush betrayed him. â€Å"That's not true.† â€Å"I've seen it all along, but it wasn't until that night at Keith's that I really understood what I was seeing. I saw how you looked at her. I know how you feel about her. So, what I want to know is: how come we have to keep worrying about Micah at all? Why aren't you just asking her out and saving us all a lot of trouble?† â€Å"Because she's my sister,† he said wryly. â€Å"Eddie! I'm serious.† He made a face, took a deep breath, and then turned back toward me. â€Å"Because she can do better than me. You want to talk about social rules? Well, where we come from, Moroi and dhampirs don't have serious relationships.† â€Å"Yeah, but that's like a class thing,† I said. â€Å"It's not quite the same as humans and vampires.† â€Å"Maybe not, but with her, it might as well be. She's not just any Moroi. She's royal. A princess. And you've seen how she is! Smart and strong and beautiful. She's destined for great things, and one of them isn't being involved with a controversial guardian like me. Her bloodline's regal. Hell, I don't even know who my dad is. Dating her is not even possible. My job is to protect her. To keep her safe. That's where all my attention needs to be.† â€Å"And so you think she deserves being with a human instead?† I asked incredulously. â€Å"Dancing the line of a taboo upheld by both our races?† â€Å"It's not ideal,† he admitted. â€Å"But she can still have a fun social life and – â€Å" â€Å"What if it was another guy?† I interrupted. â€Å"What if some other human asked her out, and they simply went on a casual date? Would you be okay with that?† He didn't answer, and I knew my hunch was correct. â€Å"This is about more than you not feeling worthy of Jill,† I said. â€Å"This is about Micah too, isn't it? About how he reminds you of Mason.† Eddie blanched. â€Å"How do you know about that?† â€Å"Adrian told me.† â€Å"Damn him,† said Eddie. â€Å"Why can't he be as oblivious as he pretends?† I smiled at that. â€Å"You don't owe Micah anything. You certainly don't owe him Jill. He's not Mason, no matter how much they look alike.† â€Å"It's more than looks,† said Eddie, growing pensive. â€Å"It's the way they act too. Micah's the same – outgoing, optimistic, excited. That's how Mason was. There are too few people like that in the world: people who are genuinely good. Mason was taken away from the world too soon. I won't let that happen to Micah.† â€Å"Micah's not in danger,† I said gently. â€Å"But he deserves good things. And even if he's human, he's still one of the best matches I know of for Jill. They deserve each other. They both deserve good things.† â€Å"And so, you're going to let yourself suffer as a result? Because you're so in love with Jill and convinced that she deserves some prince that you aren't? And because you feel it's your duty to support all the Masons in the world?† I shook my head. â€Å"Eddie, that's crazy. Even you have to see that.† â€Å"Maybe,† he admitted. â€Å"But I feel like it's the right thing to do.† â€Å"Right? It's the masochistic thing to do! You're encouraging the girl you want to be with one of your best friends.† â€Å"I want her to be happy. It's worth sacrificing myself.† â€Å"It makes no sense.† Eddie gave me a small smile and a gentle pat on the arm before turning toward an approaching shuttle bus. â€Å"Remember when you said you were no expert in romance? Well, you were right.†