Communications at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communications at work - Essay Example The managers are responsible for the performance of the entire staff of workers. It is essential for a manager to have excellent verbal and written communication skills. Corporations that achieve good internal and external communication are more likely to succeed in the business environment of the 21st century. The arrival of the broadband age changed the speed information travels around the world. Information travels in real time through the internet. The use of broadband internet has helped corporations maintain communication with employees and other stakeholders. The internet can be used to transmit real time video phone conversations. It can be used to replace traditional telephone lines with the use of VoIP technology. The employees of companies communicate with customer through the use of email communication. ... It is important for co-workers to maintain friendly relationship and to communicate with each other during work hours. A lack of communication hurts the synergy of a business enterprise. Synergy is achieved when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (Schermerhorn & Hunt & Osborn). A work atmosphere where the employees maintain open communication constantly is a place where worker feel comfort and trust. When employees are unable to talk about their work related problems small issues can turn into catastrophic events. When the lines of communication become locked, the workers may make wrong assumption which leads to mistakes in the workplace. A lack of communication hurts the corporate culture of an enterprise. Companies that are dynamic and adaptive have good communications in place at their companies. When there are communication problems in place the problem must be solved from top to the bottom. The executive management team has to implement measures to improve communicat ions. There are different ways that communication can be improved in the workplace. A solution to a communication problem among the workers is to implement an intranet network that allows the employees to communicate with each other via the computer. If the company does not have the resources to design and implement an intranet the employees can open up a free yahoo mail account that allows the users to chat with each other. The Yahoo chat messenger can serve as a way to allow the employees to contact each other. Five clues that communication problems are occurring in the workplace are: 1. Teams aren’t achieving goals 2. Employees won’t readily cooperate 3. There are morale problems 4. Messages are not return promptly 5.

The Devil Restaurant Essay Example for Free

The Devil Restaurant Essay 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Business Innovation Korean Bibimbap, a new restaurant that is featured by healthy Korean food aims to provide white-collar workers with convenient service and business leisure under the help of e-commerce and efficient management. The main characteristics of Korean Bibimbap is as follows. ââ€"  Korean Bibimbap is set up as a restaurant selling healthy Korean meal sets at an acceptable price. Nowadays white-collar workers are faced with a dilemma on where to have dinner. On the one hand, despite the cheapness of food in staff canteen, some white-collar workers have been fed up with its distastefulness. On the other hand, many white-collar workers also complain that they can’t afford the food in restaurant because of its high price. Combined with high stress and long time of work, such a dilemme now has contributed to many health problems in white-collar workers. Based on the analysis of this situation, Korean Bibimbap will provide healthy Korean food in varied prices and an agreeable environment for white-collar workers to enjoy. ââ€"  Following the trend of e-commerce, Korean Bibimbap will use a electronic system including website and integrated management system for prospect background. Customers can not only come to the real shop for dinner but also place order through the internet. It deserves to be mentioned that online order service is still at its primary stage of development in China. This system will bring as much convenience as possible to consumers and in return expand the business of Korean Bibimbap. 2. Mission and Vission Our first responsibility is to provide every customers healthy food at a fair price as well as the pleasure of eating. We will make sure that every consumer receives a warm welcome on walking in our restaurant. We value employee’s active efforts on bringing health as well as pleasure to customers, and on spreading healthy diet culture to the world. We would like to join hands to advance and retreat as one with the development of our restaurant. By working closely, we can pave the way for a better prospect of our restaurant. 1.3 Food Stucture As its name suggests, at the start-up stage the main food provided in my restaurant is Korean Bibimbap sets, varying in variety and price. Korean Bibimbap will use advanced equipments to prepare and store food material on large scale without affecting the flavor and nutrition of Korean Bibimbap. More over, some special snakes will also be offered as a complement to deversification of food. At the expansion phase, Korean Bibimbap will add more food lines to the menu list. 1.4 Market Analysis The restaurant market is a competitive market with low entry barriers, where new restaurants emerge rapidly and compete with the existing ones. Base on the SWOT analysis, a successful restaurant should have both distinctive food and high quality service at least. Besides, exposure to lage numbers of mobile population also accounts for the success of some famous restaurant. To take all these into consideration, Korean Bibimbap decides to target on white-collar workers in International Trade Center in Beijing. 5. Management The management team mainly comprises five parts: administrative department, marketing department, human resource department, financial department and purchasing department, each of which has its specific responsibilities. Periodically, Korean Bibimbap will have personnel training, especially for these senior managers and gradually establish a comprehensive training system. At the same time, Korean Bibimbap will strengthen and perfect information management system on different levels, so as to facilitate the smooth and efficient operation. 1.6 Financial Planning Total investment for the first year is one million, which comprises 0.7 million from partnerships and 0.3 million of bank loan. At the early stage, Korean Bibimbap has to pay regular interests to investors every month. At the second year, Korean Bibimbap will have paid off all the debts and continue to operate the business with acculmulated capital. 7. Risk Analysis Major problems may come from the potential pandemic outbreak, some irresistible natural factors, external large-scale maligant competition, management risk, financial risk and policy risk. In order to minimize the negative effects of potential problems and risks, Korean Bibimbap will have special training on relevent staff to improve their ability to predict and evade risks. 1.8 Conclusion In short, Korean Bibimbap is a restaurant combined with healthy food and advanced management, targeting on the white-collar workers. With the joint efforts of all staff, Korean Bibimbap will have a good market prospect and further development in the future. 2. Business Description 1. General Descriprion of the Business Korean Bibimbap is a new restaurant featured by health and convenience, aiming to provide white-collar workers with convenient service and business leisure under the help of e-commerce and efficient management. ââ€"  Target Consumers More often than not, white collar workers is more likely to eat out. For modern white-collar workers, they lay more emphasis on both convenience and nutrition. At the same time, they are also curious about exotic flavour and attach importance to deliciousness of food. They also don’t have too much economic problem, so medium priced Korean Bibimbap will not make them hesitate too much. ââ€"  Site Selection Because the target customers of Korean Bibimbap are white-collar workers, the location is finally decided as International Trade Center, which is known as one of the biggest office building areas. ââ€"  High Quality Services All the staff have to be energetic and enthusiastic young people, who will have united training course about providing good service and should be interested in, if not familiar with, Bibimbap culture. Various characteristic services will be offered from the customers entering Korean Bibimbap till their departure. Furthermore, Korean Bibimbap will provide convenient online reservation and take-away services. 2. Industry Background As a traditional industry, the restaurant industry has played important roles in the economic development. In the long term, the strong growth of restaurant industry will continue. There are two major reasons as follows: ââ€"  Although There are many restaurants in Beijing, the amount of people eating out is still a small proportion of the total population. With the further development of economy, there will be still great potential for new restaurant to win decent profits. ââ€"  From the perspective of demand, people will attach more importance to diversified, healthy and quality food. These demend will contribute to the further development of the restaurant industry. In coclusion, the restaurant market is a competitive market with low entry barriers, where new restaurants emerge rapidly and compete with the existing ones. However, there is still great space for new restaurants as long as operators make efforts to establish their own features and improve the quality of service. 3. Goals and Potential ââ€"  Vission To bring health and happiness to the world. ââ€"  Mission To bring health by providing delicious food; To bring happiness by providing better services. ââ€"  Core values Healthy Delicacy Our first responsibility is to provide every customers healthy food at a fair price as well as the pleasure of eating. Consumers First We will make sure that every consumer receives a warm welcome on walking in our restaurant. We measure our work against how much satisfaction our consumers get from our services. The satisfactory smile of customers will be our best encouragement forward. Enthusiasm and Dedication It is the enthusiasm and dedication of our employees that keeps our restaurant going and expanding. We value employee’s active efforts on bringing health as well as pleasure to customers, and on spreading healthy diet culture to the world. Teamwork We would like to join hands to advance and retreat as one with the development of our restaurant. By working closely, we can pave the way for a better prospect of our restaurant. 4. Uniqueness of Product The distinctive food of Korean Bibimbap is featured by its nutrition and convenience. On the one hand, Bibimbap is nutritious food with low calories, for the main ingredients of Bibimbap are various vegetables. Compared to KFC and other kind of cuisines, Bibimbap lays more emphasis on nutrition and health. According to latest study, Korean chilli paste can stimulate the palate of people and in some sense improve the immunity of people. On the other hand, Bibimbap is also a delicious and convenient food to be offered at a short time. While operating the business, we will prepare some ingredient in large numer beforehand and use special equipment to store them. As Korean Bibimbap becomes stronger, more food series will be added, like Korean barbecue, to the menu of restaurant.

Reconstruction :: essays research papers fc

The Civil War was the bloodiest war to be fought on American soil. Although both sides expected the conflict to be over in a matter of days, it lasted four tumultuous years, from 1861-1865. The war pitted brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor. The period of Reconstruction, the time when our nation attempted to mend its broken relations with the South and rebuild after the destructive war, lasted until 1877. What many people don’t know is that the original intent of the Civil War was to preserve the Union. Many factors went into Lincoln’s decision to also address slavery through this war. For one, the number of men enlisting in the war was dwindling, and it became apparent that black manpower would be absolutely necessary to win the war. Also, the increasingly upset Radical Republicans and abolitionists let their opinions be known and persuaded the citizens of the North that the war could not be won without attacking the issue of slavery. Finally, Lincoln believed that transforming the dispute from a conflict to preserve the Union to a crusade against slavery would dissuade the threatening British and French from supporting the Confederacy. With its new stated purpose, the Civil War would now have huge societal repercussions. The largest and most complex issue of Reconstruction was how to go about admitting the Confederate states back into the Union. President Lincoln’s plans were quite lenient, accepting the seceded states back into the Union even if by vote only a minority of a state’s white males took an oath of loyalty to the United States. However, John Wilkes Booth assassinated him before any of his plans could go into action. His replacement, vice president Andrew Johnson, a democrat, was left in a difficult predicament. Public opinion at the time favored that the South should face some sort of retribution for their past acts, and promise loyalty for the future before they were to be pardoned. At the time, many Northerners were Republicans; Southerners were largely democratic. The biggest supporters of an extreme Reconstruction process were the Radicals. Many of them argued that the confederate states had lost their constitutional identity; however the Republicans would only go so far as to say that by seceding the southerners had forfeited their rights. They were to be kept out of the Union until they had demonstrated a proper spirit of repentance. Radicals convinced enough moderate Republicans of this that Congress passed the Wade-Davis bill, which postponed Reconstruction until a majority of a state’s white males (not just 10%) took an oath of loyalty.

Political History and Corruption in Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth essays

Political History and Corruption in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To understand many of William Shakespeare's plays, one must understand the history of the time period. A.L. Rowse gives a history of William Shakespeare's time, the late sixteenth to the early seventeenth century and how the government of the time was authoritarian but popular. The person of the Monarch (derived from the Greek "monorchia", the rule of one), the Crown, was something even the lowest character could understand. The monarchs have many different titles, including king, queens, sultan, emperors, empresses, tsars, and kaisers, depending on the type of governments and the location of the state he or she rules.    Oftentimes, the monarch was based on the need for a strong ruler who could gather the countries best men to form and command a military that was used to defend the country. The monarch was absolute and only responsible to God and was considered to be God's representative in all worldly and royal matters. A strong central government was needed to maintain order and provided a stable atmosphere in which trade could flourish. Productive leadership qualities were very noticeable in Henry the VIII, and even more so in his daughter, Elizabeth (Rowse 226-263). Furthermore, "There is no doubt that she regarded herself as appointed by God to rule over her subjects" (Rowse 264). Henry the VIII inherited a kingdom from Henry the VII which lacked natural recourses yet it was surrounded on three sides by water. Even though Henry's kingdom was protected by water, the Scots lived to the north and were allied with France. The Scots were England's ancient and bitter enemy.    Henry's chief concerns had been to control the independence of the nobility and to ... ... "History of the Monarchy." Kings and Queens of England. 21 Mar. 2002. Online. Available. <http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page10.asp.26> Mar. 2002 Swisher, Clarice, ed. Readings on Macbeth. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rowse, A.L. The England of Elizabeth: The Structure of Society. New York: Macmillan Company, 1950. Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. The British Tradition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall 1999. Streatfeild, Noel. The First Book of England. New York: Franklin Watts, 1958. Wadsworth, Frank W. "Shakespeare, William." World Book Online American Edition. Online Edition. Online. Netzero. 26 Mar 2002. "William Shakespeare." BBC Homepage. Online. Available <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/culture/shakespeare.shtml>. 26 Mar. 2002.   

American History Essay

United States realized they could not fight both Japan and Germany at once. Thus it was decided to concentrate the bulk of their efforts on fighting Hitler in Europe, while maintaining a defensive position in the Pacific until Hitler was defeated. The American army’s first ground action was fighting alongside the British and Australian armies in North Africa, this was important ground as it gave access to the Suez Canal which was one of two crucial trade links that Britain relied on throughout the war, along with the Atlantic. By May 1943, the British 8th Army had expelled the Germans from North Africa and the Allies controlled this vital link until the end of the war. The American navy also played an active role in the Atlantic protecting the convoys bringing vital American war material to Britain. Americans lost 19,000 men during the Battle with the German, duing which. Over 70% of all bombs dropped on Germany occurred after this date. Germany was flattened, with the country physically and emotionally rumbled. On 30 April 1945, with Berlin completely overrun with Russian forces and his country in tatters, Adolf Hitler committed suicide. The war with Germany was over in 8 May 1945, following its unconditional surrender to the Allied forces. From a modest contribution in troops at the beginning of the campaign in Europe, by the end of the war approximately 66% of all allied divisions in Western Europe were American. The first years of the war against Japan was largely a defensive battle with the United States Navy attempting to prevent the Japanese Navy from asserting dominance of the Pacific region commitment to defeating Hitler in Europe. Initially, Japan won the majority of its battles . It defeated and created military bases in Guam, Thailand, Malaya, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Burma. This was important for Japan, as it had only 10% of the homeland industrial production capacity of the United States. In June 1942, the United States Navy had broken the Japanese communication codes which allowed it to strategically position its ships in order to deliver a comprehensive defeat to the Japanese Navy. They began fighting towards China where they build an airbase suitable to commence bombing of mainland Japan with its B-29 Superfortress fleet.. During this period, they triggered what would become their most comprehensive victory in the entire war. The American Navy emerged victorious after at one point being stretched to almost breaking point with almost complete destruction of the Japanese Navy. The decision to use nuclear weapons to end the conflict has been one of the most controversial decisions of the war with supporters of the use of the bombs argue that an invasion would have cost enormous numbers of lives. The American forces poised for an invasion of the Japanese mainland, to force the Japanese into unconditional surrender. The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, unexpected by the Japanese. The second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9. On August 15, 1945, the Japanese surrendered unconditionally and the war was over, avoiding a bloody invasion. The United States emerged as one of the two dominant superpowers after World War II and on December 4, 1945, the U. S. began its participation in the United Nations (UN), which marked a turn away from the traditional isolationism of the U. S. and toward more international involvement. The post-war era in the United States marked the beginning of the Cold War, in which the United States and the Soviet Union attempted to expand their influence at the expense of the other. The resulted to a series of conflicts during this period including the Korean War and the tense nuclear showdown of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Within the United States, the Cold War prompted concerns about Communist influence, and also resulted in government efforts to encourage math and science toward efforts like the space race. John F. Kennedy in 1960 was elected President, and brought a new life and vigor to the atmosphere of the White House. During his time, the Cold War reached its height with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. But was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. At the same time, racism across the United States was increasingly challenged by the growing Civil Rights movement and African American leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. In the 1960s, Jim Crow laws that legalized racial segregation between Whites and Blacks came to an end. United States entered the Vietnam War, under President Lyndon Johnson’s and in the early 1970s, Johnson’s successor, President Richard Nixon. The war had cost the lives of 58,000 American troops and millions of Vietnamese. When Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in Moscow, many conservative Republicans were dubious of the friendship between him and Reagan. He tried to save Communism in Russia first by ending the expensive arms race with America. Communism finally collapsed in Russia in 1991, ending the US-Soviet Cold War After the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States emerged as the world’s sole superpower and continued to involve itself in military action overseas, including the 1991 Gulf War. After his election in 1992, President Bill Clinton oversaw the longest economic expansion in American history, a side effect of the digital revolution and new business opportunities. In 1993, Ramzi Yousef an Islamic terrorist, planted explosives in the underground of One World Trade Center killing six people and injuring thousands, in what would become the beginning of an age of terrorism. This was followed, by a terrorist bombing of the years later in 1995 in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people and injured over 800. Islamic terrorism, of the September 11, 2001 attacks in which Islamic extremists hijacked four transcontinental airliners and intentionally crashed two of them into the twin towers at the World Trade Center and one into the Pentagon. The passengers on the fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, revolted causing the plane to crash into a field in Somerset County, PA. Evidence suggested that a terrorist group, al-Qaeda was responsible for the attacks. Other calamities have continued affecting like Hurricane Katrina that flooded parts of the city of New Orleans and heavily damaged other areas of the gulf coast. Rising oil prices in 2006 saw Americans become conscious of the nation’s extreme dependence on steady supplies of inexpensive petroleum for energy, with President Bush admitting a U. S. addiction to oil. This poses a serious economic disruption, should oil producing countries interrupt the flow, given the instability in the Middle East and other oil-producing regions of the world. Alternative energy sources, like ethanol to wind power and solar power, received more capital funding. Bibliography Bailey, Thomas A. , Cohen. Elizabeth and David M. Kennedy. 2006. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic (12th Ed). New York. John A. Garraty and Eric Foner. 1991. The Reader’s Companion to American History. Hodgson, Godfrey. United States History. London: Macmillan. Pauline Maier. 2003. Inventing America: A History of the States from 1865. Newyork.

Chekhov essays

Chekhov essays Chekhov wants us to see the conflict between authority and freedom, as portrayed by two characters, Nikolai Ivanich and Ivan Ivanich. They are siblings who have differences of values, desires, and personality. Nikolai is a representative of authority while Ivan is a representative of freedom. Nikolai is too obsessive with his definite desire of having his own estate. As we see, Nikolai keeps thinking all the time about obtaining country-dwelling; he always reads advertisements of the sale of so many acres of arable and meadowland, with residence attached, a river, an orchard, a mill, and ponds fed by springs and he also makes plans for his estate which show same features:(the main residence, the servants wing, the kitchen-garden, and gooseberry bushes.) Moreover, he is so ambitious that he can do everything like living thriftily, dressing like a beggar, and saving up all money in the bank, in order to succeed his dream. His marriage with an ugly widow only to gain her money and not considering himself guilty of her death caused from his regime show his selfishness. Nikolais purpose in yearning for the estate is to uplift his social status, wanting to be a gentry as we see that he likes to act in the most ministerial manner, he also repeats that we the gentry, or spe aking as a gentleman, and seems to have quite forgotten that his grandfather was a peasant, and his father a common soldier. These express that he has aristocratic values and doesnt want to return to the state of poverty, being the peasant as the time after his fathers death. Besides, his taking offence if the peasants dont call him Your Honour and his saying that I only have to lift my finger, and the people will do whatever I want show his authoritative figure. Ivan Ivanich is a romantic character; he likes to ...

Literature and the Unchanging Past Essays

Literature and the Unchanging Past Essays Literature and the Unchanging Past Essay Literature and the Unchanging Past Essay In â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† Jonathan Swift vents about the tyranny of the English, the ineffectiveness of Irelands politicians, the English anti-Catholic prejudice, and the tendency of the rich, powerful people to treat poor people very badly. In â€Å"The Lottery,† Shirley Jackson writes about a village that blindly tries to preserve a dangerous tradition, even though it culminates a violent murder each year. Even though these two pieces of literature were written centuries apart, they both share a common theme. Both â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"A Modest Proposal† address the theme of society and class. Shirley Jackson and Jonathan Swift reveal the devastating consequences of society’s disability to question and correct its hurtful traditions and beliefs. In â€Å"The Lottery,† individuals are persecuted at random by the villagers, and the victim is only guilty of having drawn the wrong slip of paper from a box. This elaborate ritual of the drawing the lottery is designed so that all of the villagers have equal chance of becoming the victim-even children are at risk. Each year, someone new draws the fateful slip of paper, and he or she is chosen and killed. With this ritual, no family member is safe. What makes â€Å"The Lottery† so scary and chilling is the swiftness with which the villagers turn against each victim. At first, the audience only gets a glimpse of how excited the villagers are to draw their slips and follow the tradition. But this merry tone soon becomes dark and serious after Tessie Hutchinson draws the marked slip of paper. She instantly loses her identity as a popular housewife. Her friends and family quickly turn against her. No one even hesitates to participate in the killing. In fact, they kill her with the same enthusiasm as everyone else. After Tessie drew the marked paper, she became invisible. Even though Tessie has done nothing wrong, her innocence isn’t of any value. The only twisted logic is that the one

The Secret Life of a Real Halloweener [Interview]

The Secret Life of a Real Halloweener [Interview] Something unbelievable happened right the week before Halloween! Searching the internet weve bumped into the real Halloween idolator. Yup, he does exist. His favourite holiday is Halloween and not without reason. Apart from being a Halloween fan, Jonathan Wojcik is an artist, a toy collector, an armchair biologist and owns a monstrous blog. So, this extraordinary person is our next interviewee and we are going to find out as much as we can about his unusual Halloween philosophy. And if you missed our previous interview about Halloween with Katy Gilroy, dont forget to read it right after you finish with this interview! What to start with? Lets start from the very beginning, actually! How did you happen to become the fan of Halloween? I was born on Halloween, and all my life took an interest in strange creatures, whether fantasy monsters or real-world insects and marine life. Its just been that way as long as I can remember! Now, its clear. Halloweener by birth! I guess, your attitude to the celebration is different from others. What do you think is the main idea of Halloween? People have always enjoyed things that scare them, especially children. Halloween is a celebration of horror and fear, which are as important to almost every aspect of human culture as anything else could be. Entire civilizations revolved around the mysteries of death and the supernatural, and ghost stories are one of the oldest narrative genres known to man. Have you noticed some evolution of Halloween celebration through the years? Did you like the old traditions better? Or do you find some new trends more interesting? Halloween has grown a lot in popularity since I was a kid. Its much more often celebrated by adults than it was just twenty some years ago, although many forms of celebration have strayed from what made it so fun in the first place. Adult costumes tend to be either sexy or an attempt at humor these days, or pop-culture references. Dressing up to look cool, creative and scary is a rarer art. What was the most memorable Halloween celebration for you so far? Probably, just trick or treating as a child. I had to be taken to other towns because we lived in the middle of nowhere, and I always had the most elaborate, creepy outfits most houses had seen. I always picked out the big, freaky monster masks and combined them with a lot of other things, like real bones and tattered cloth. I am sure you dressed up a lot, but can you remember your best and favourite Halloween costume? Only last year I made a full-body brain creature with giant eye stalksI just didnt really have anywhere to take it. Lets move from the costumes to the places. What do you think is the best city to celebrate Halloween? I love the haunted houses and hayrides in Maryland and Pennsylvania where I grew up. Otherwise, I havent often had the chance to attend any big, public celebrations. And the food do you have your favourite Halloween food? Reeses Peanut Butter Cups are my favorite year round, but the Peanut Butter Pumpkins are even better. Theyre plumper, with a higher peanut butter to chocolate ratio. Now, reveal us some of your personal Halloween traditions. You must have those, unique and different from common ones? Beside doing articles and artwork online, I have a tiny little coffin decoration that opens up to show a skeleton inside. I leave it closed until August 1st, which is the start of Halloween season for me, and close it back again in November. As youve already mentioned the artwork what kind of Halloween craft do you make? And what is your favourite kind of Halloween art? I have a method of making gooey monster sculptures out of insulation foam. They were even featured in an art show once! I may be sharing the process soon as a seasonal blog post. Sounds awesome! So, you make up a lot (like, thousands) of spooky characters. Do you have your favourite monster? Every iteration, reinterpretation, homage and parody to The Fly. Flies are possibly my favorite animal with their weird looks and habits, and theyre so unlike humans that mashing them together always results in something weird and fun. And the final question is simple what are your plans for the upcoming Halloween? This year I debuted a new comic online and will be sharing some special art and writing on Halloween itself. Otherwise I think I was invited to a party, but Im not a huge party person. Mostly, I like to stay in and watch horror cartoons! Thanks, Jonathan, for sharing your unique view on the Halloween phenomenon! Got interested in Jonathans Halloween artworks? You are welcome to leave comments, ask questions and suggest ideas below!

Local Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Local Practice - Essay Example Even as minority ethnic groups may deem equality of treatment in healthcare, it has to be acknowledged that differences in physiological makeup make it prudent to offer differentiated healthcare. Furthermore cultural practices also call for a differentiation of healthcare since, different local practices result into differentiated healthcare needs. Discussion Engagement in Risky Behavior Risky behavior is in many instances an important predictor of the health of a population. While human beings acknowledge that risky behavior is a cause for poor health it is also a fact that instances of obesity as a result of engaging in the risky behavior of eating of junk food still exists. There are other risky behaviors such as smoking and drinking which despite education on their effects still continue to unexplainably show high rates of prevalence among the American population. The same may also be said of cultural practices which though proven to be negative continue to be adhered by certain populations. While some cultural practices lead to negative and risky behavior, the cultural practices of some ethnic groups have the opposite effect. A good example of this is the prohibition of alcohol and tobacco among the Amish and the prohibition of alcohol among the Arabs. On the other hand the immigrants in America are led to alcohol consumption due to the stress of attaining the American dream.

Economic Crisis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Economic Crisis - Assignment Example However, in order to achieve a sustained level of increase in the aggregate output level, it is important that the government must take efforts which can stabilize the economy. Over the period of time, the overall quantum and level of public debt have increased to a greater length within the UK. Higher public debt levels along with extra reliance on credit by the private sector have resulted in significant economic problems for the UK as an economy. (BBC.co.uk , 2011) This economic situation of UK, therefore, required a rebalancing of an economy with the reconsideration of both the fiscal as well as monetary policies adopted by the current government of David Cameron. The changes in the fiscal policies of the government were aimed at improving the public finances in medium-term whereas changes brought in within monetary policy framework were aimed to disciplining the financial sector to play an active and positive role for the overall growth of the economy. The overall policy focus is on improving the health of the economy which has weakened in the wake of a current economic crisis. One of the key policy measures was the changes in the overall taxation system within the country wherein government attempted to further rationalize the tax system. The overall aim of this was to further increase the efficiency of the tax system while at the same time achieves the necessary growth in the economy by increasing government revenue and reducing the tax burden on the private sector of the country. The government announced a system reduction in the main tax rate while further tax concessions have been given to both large as well as small businesses. This reduction is tax rate may be aimed at improving the profitability of the firms while at the same time allowing them to expand and grow in order to increase the level of investment within the economy. Lower tax rates will result in a price reduction which can invariably reduce inflation.

Read the case first, and then answer the question Assignment

Read the case first, and then answer the question - Assignment Example Various factors facilitate the formation of a merger between two organizations. While it gives the organizations the strength to compete against other firms in the industry, it also brings in more expertise into the firm, increasing their productivity and output. There is increased quality of services and innovation in a merger. When the two financial giants merged, there was an increase in synergy, which is the reduction of duplicate departments, lowering operational costs and subsequently increasing their revenues. In a merger, there is increased market share, resulting from the absorption of the competitor, thus reducing the level of competition between them the companies. A merger reduces the level of taxes remitted to the authorities, as the merger remits tax as a single business entity. However, as the giants seek to merge; several issues require ironing out to avoid a crash of issues. Through the process of creating a merger, â€Å"management of software/processes for process ing of information for effectiveness of organization† is an important factor to put into consideration. There is more to the creation of a merger between two financial giants than the listed advantages. Although the financial culture consideration is one of the most important factors for these giants, considering their IT cultures is equally as important. Among the factors to put into consideration is the type of the IT approaches the firms maintain. One could have a decentralized policy, while another could have a centralized policy. IT plays a big role in information integration, which strategically differentiates them from the competitors. In order to deliver their brands, banks heavily rely upon their It structures. After a merger, one of the firms has to consider adopting IT policies of the other firm. Alternatively, the two firms could decide on the creation of new IT policies. Through IT integration, financial firms try to select and implement the best application exist ing in the market. The search is not confined to the bank that already used the application. The biggest concern is the applicability and the suitability of the system in the resultant business. As the team searches for this particular application, they should show more concern for the customer retention. During the merger process, systems have to change, as some become inferior and others less effective. However, during this important process, it is necessary to ensure that members keep on receiving their services. The transition process should not negatively influence the quality of services provided to the customers. Although a system could appear to be superior to the other due to its capacity, it could provide lower quality services to the customers. How best the transition team handles this effect determines the success of the merger process. It is important to note that as the financial organizations seek to create a merger; these processes pose the biggest danger to the succ ess of such a merger. Not only does the process affect customers, employees too are negatively affected. For instance, it could affect employee productivity and service delivery. Adapting a new application essentially translates to fewer skills in its operation. Training could solve such an issue, though with little certainty. How well the employees respond to organization change is the biggest determinant. Poor response leads to poor application

Research Methods in Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research Methods in Management - Assignment Example Next, methods of analysis of data will be highlighted. Finally a conclusion will synthesize the main points to demonstrate the importance of knowledge of research methods in management. In experimental research there is the explicit assumption that the universe functions according to causal laws (Creswell, 2003). The purpose of an experimental design is to establish the cause-effect relationship between sets of variables, by way of isolating assumed casual factors, and controlling suspected confounding or extraneous variables. It is hypothesized that an independent variable causes changes in a dependent variable, and that alternate hypotheses can be provided by other factors that are able to influence the results. The design uses random selection procedures to recruit a sample and randomly allocates participants to two or more groups (i.e., treatment group/s and a control group) (Neely, Gregory & Plats, 2005). Due to these random procedures, experimental methods allow for high external validity (generalization of results to a wider population), as the sample is more likely to be representative of that population. Alternatively, a quasi-experimental research design does not use random allocation of participants to groups, instead they are self-selecting (e.g., they have cancer or they do not have cancer) (Bryman, 2002). The quasi-experimental design is used in studies that are unable to control the independent variable, or when it is considered unethical or unfeasible to attempt to control the IV. The two main types of quasi-experimental designs are: 1) the non-equivalent control group; and 2) the pre-post design. Non-equivalent control group designs have both a treatment and a control group, whereas the pre-post design has no comparison group, as each participants serves as their own control in regards to their pre-test data. Due to the lack of random allocation the results of quasi-experiments cannot be generalized to a wider population with as much confidence as with an experimental design.There is also the non-experimental design in which no treatments (i.e., independent variable/s) are g iven to participants (Bryman, 2002). There is no random selection or random allocation of participants, and so the results of the study are unable to be generalized at all, as no causal relationships can be predicted. These designs tend to be used to investigate naturally occurring phenomenon in which the independent and dependent variables vary without researcher intervention.The advantages of experimental research methods are that the use of quantitative levels measurement (i.e., numerical data), random selection and allocation procedures, and a controlled environment, allow for higher confidence in the results, as well as greater generalizability of the results (Creswell, 2003). The results are more

Social Inequality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Inequality - Essay Example Of the three Weber's stratification theory appears to be the most accurate prediction while Marx's class theory could not prove itself in modern society. Durkheim's functionalist theory also had predicted somewhat similar characteristics and problems that exist in our society today. . Marx visualized that the historical change would be identical to the changes in relation to class conflicts. He overemphasized the fact that there will be no progress if there are no class conflicts. Due to the industrial revolution, all social order, i.e., master craftsmen, journeymen, and apprentices were abolished. Marx argues that class struggle between oppressing and oppressed classes is essential for a modern social change. Apparently he could not devote much time to analyze and describe the life of the middle class (the class between bourgeoisie and proletariat) and said that 'they are small part of the ruling class but later join proletariat, the revolutionary class.' That appears to be contrary to the existing social dimensions, where the middle class has become one of the dominant one. Over the years many of Marx's predictions were proved wrong, for example: class polarization, instead of conflicts between two main classes like what Marx argued, today our society doesn't appear to be a complex one with the emergence of middle class population in the absence of class conflicts. Another failed prediction of Marx's prediction was concentration of capital. Capital is not confined to capitalists only, but with growing numbers of ambitious smaller to medium sized entrepreneurs, the property ownership has spread to different segments of the society. Anyone having some starting money can invest it in their own business. Weber's stratification theory, on the other hand, presents multidimensional causes of social inequality in relation to several conflicting groups. He argues that there are various stratified social group in society based on class, status and party. And these different groups create a kind of social inequality. Class is determined by economic order whereas status is determined by styles of life. The party consisted of people have political power. Like Marx, Weber also recognizes the significance of class struggle that is related to market exchange. Therefore, class does not comprise of just one group but virtually consisted of various kinds of economic class. According to Weber, the economic classes tend to be confined to four different social classes in capitalist society. There are propertied classes, property-less non manual class, petty bourgeoisie and manual working class. As compared to Marx's class theory there are two middle classes in Weber's kind of society. The property-less non manual class and the petty bourgeoisie form the middle class in Weber's theory. Petty bourgeoisie are people who own their own production such as small manufacture, business, or farm. The non manual working class i.e, the so called white-collar worker, are people who had education and trained to become professional worker receiving wages in return of their work. The status groups consisted of people who have social honor or authority. They have a tendency to distinguish themselves from outside of their status groups. Lastly party is designed to achieve communal action. Weber's stratification theory represents today's social inequality by introducing various stratified

Research Methods in Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research Methods in Management - Assignment Example Next, methods of analysis of data will be highlighted. Finally a conclusion will synthesize the main points to demonstrate the importance of knowledge of research methods in management. In experimental research there is the explicit assumption that the universe functions according to causal laws (Creswell, 2003). The purpose of an experimental design is to establish the cause-effect relationship between sets of variables, by way of isolating assumed casual factors, and controlling suspected confounding or extraneous variables. It is hypothesized that an independent variable causes changes in a dependent variable, and that alternate hypotheses can be provided by other factors that are able to influence the results. The design uses random selection procedures to recruit a sample and randomly allocates participants to two or more groups (i.e., treatment group/s and a control group) (Neely, Gregory & Plats, 2005). Due to these random procedures, experimental methods allow for high external validity (generalization of results to a wider population), as the sample is more likely to be representative of that population. Alternatively, a quasi-experimental research design does not use random allocation of participants to groups, instead they are self-selecting (e.g., they have cancer or they do not have cancer) (Bryman, 2002). The quasi-experimental design is used in studies that are unable to control the independent variable, or when it is considered unethical or unfeasible to attempt to control the IV. The two main types of quasi-experimental designs are: 1) the non-equivalent control group; and 2) the pre-post design. Non-equivalent control group designs have both a treatment and a control group, whereas the pre-post design has no comparison group, as each participants serves as their own control in regards to their pre-test data. Due to the lack of random allocation the results of quasi-experiments cannot be generalized to a wider population with as much confidence as with an experimental design.There is also the non-experimental design in which no treatments (i.e., independent variable/s) are g iven to participants (Bryman, 2002). There is no random selection or random allocation of participants, and so the results of the study are unable to be generalized at all, as no causal relationships can be predicted. These designs tend to be used to investigate naturally occurring phenomenon in which the independent and dependent variables vary without researcher intervention.The advantages of experimental research methods are that the use of quantitative levels measurement (i.e., numerical data), random selection and allocation procedures, and a controlled environment, allow for higher confidence in the results, as well as greater generalizability of the results (Creswell, 2003). The results are more

Comparing elements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparing elements - Essay Example "To love him so deeply still; and yet I'm here,"-an excerpt from William Trevor’s â€Å"The Room†, were words uttered by Katherine as a vivid evidence of her will to be free from her smoldering curiosity about the notion of deceit. Her fervor-less affair with an unnamed lover satisfied her curiosity as she finally said, â€Å"So, this is what it felt like for Phair†. Her primary aims were completed, however, she resumed her sexual ventures with her lover and made it as an alibi for her to gain entrance to her lover’s room in which she found a haven that will shield her from her dynamic fears. On the contrary, the entities in â€Å"The Storm† authored by Kate Chopin seemed to take adultery as an archway to cherish freedom. Monsieur Alcee Laballiere  and his wife Clarisse decided to set apart for some time. They esteemed freedom brought about by their provisional separation in different manners. â€Å"Devoted as she was to her husband, their intima te conjugal life was something which she was more than willing to forego for a while† this quote taken from Chopin’s text refers to freedom that served as Clarisse’s respite as she is fervently yearning to have another feel of her lighthearted moments as an unmarried woman.

Handling information Essay Example for Free

Handling information Essay QUESTION- ( 1.1 ) Identify legislations and codes of practice that relate to handling information in health and social care ANSWER In order to answer the question above I am going to explain the meaning of Legislations: Definition of the word Legislations. Noun 1) An officially elected or otherwise selected body of people vested with the responsibility and power to make laws for a political unit, such as a state or nation 2) The process of making or enacting laws: it will require legislation to change this situation Code of practice. Noun A set of guidelines and regulations to be followed by members of some profession, trade, occupation, organization etc.; does not normally have the force or law As a senior care worker it is very important to know the right to confidentiality is guaranteed partly by the Facts safety Act 1998, partly by the Human Rights Act 1998, and partly by principles established by judges on a case by case basis (the common law). The purpose of this code of practice The Health and Social Care Act 2008 requires us to publish a code that sets out the practice we will follow in obtaining, handling, using and disclosing confidential personal information. DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998 This legal document sets out eight principles which are in essence a code of good practice for processing personal data. These are Make sure that things are processed fairly and lawfully. Processed only for one or more specified and lawful purpose. Adequate, relevant and not excessive for those purposes This Code of Practice fulfills that requirement. We intend to be used in two main ways: †¢ By our staff, to set out how we will work and to provide a point of reference against which our practice can be judged. The Code will help us to continually develop policies, processes and training. These will, in turn, generate detailed guidance to our staff on issues relating to confidential personal information. As a senior care worker what we should and allowed to do Our functions (the jobs we were set up to do) include the registration of health and social care providers to ensure that essential standards of quality and safety are being met; reviewing and investigating the quality of the services we provide; and protecting the interests of people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act 1983. Our main objective in performing our functions is to protect and promote the health, safety and welfare of people who use health and social care services. Schedule 9 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 allows us to help other public authorities to carry out their functions. This may include sharing confidential personal information with them where we think it is appropriate and in the public interest to do so. The Data protection Act 1998 sets out eight principles which are in essence a code of good practice for processing personal data. Our workplace policies and procedures will be based around those principles. The Human Rights Act 1998 details the right to a private life. There is also the GSCC code of practice for social care workers, which provides a clear guide for all those who work in social work, Failure to comply with conditions. A person who— (A) Is registered under this Chapter in respect of a regulated activity (whether as a service provider or manager), and. (B) Fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with any condition for the time being in force by virtue of this Chapter in relation to the registration. Is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding  £50,000. Now I am describing the purpose of the Code of Practice The Health and Social Care Act 2008 requires us to publish a code that sets  out the practice we will follow in obtaining, handling, using and disclosing confidential personal information. This Code of Practice fulfills that requirement. We intend it to be used in two main ways: By our staff, to set out how we will work and to provide a point of reference against which our practice can be judged. The Code will help us to continually develop policies, processes and training. These will, in turn, generate detailed guidance to our staff on issues relating to confidential personal information. By our stakeholders (people who use services, careers, the public, providers of health and social care, and other regulatory bodies), to find out about the principles that they can expect us to follow, and to be reassured about our use of confidential personal information. The Office of the Health Professions Judge. (1)There is to be a body corporate known as the Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator (referred to in this Part as â€Å"the OHPA†). . (2)The OHPA is to have functions in relation to the professions regulated by— . (a)the Medical Act 1983 (c. 54), and . (b)the Opticians Act 1989 (c. 44). . (3)Schedule 6 (which makes further provision about the OHPA) has effect. Now I am explain a my life history about health and social care I just didn’t realize how important reading and keeping good records was until I started to support my son. When his support workers follow the information in him records he has a good day and keeps healthy. Following his detailed support plan around morning and evening care means that he starts and finishes the day well. Each day we write down what we have done and how things went. Because of my son’s medical needs we also keep daily records of him medication and seizures? This helps my son, his mum, and the doctors notice any changes in his health. My son’s keeps her own health records in his room for when he goes to the doctor’s and also in case there is an emergency. We explain to him each day about the other records we fill in. my son can see all of the records about him when he wants to; he has given permission for his mum to see most of the records too. We keep the records in a locked cabinet in the sleep-over room. My suggestion as a senior care givers we  will be dealing day to day with service users confidential information so it is very important and one our job roles is to understand the legislation and bring into practice especially, when we are handling or passing others the confidential information of our service users so therefore, Continue on a separate page if necessary QUESTION- ( 1.2 ) Summarise the main points of legal requirements and codes of practice for handling information in health and social care ANSWER In this question of the question I am going to Summarised the main points of legal requirements and codes of practice for handling information in health and social care under the DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998. The data protection act sets out 8 principles governing the use of personal information; Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. Appropriate technical and organizational measures shall be taken against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area, unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data. GSCC Code of practice The code of practice states social worker should/not respecting confidential information and clearly explaining agency policies about confidentiality to service users and carers Abuse the trust of service users and careers or the access, we have to personal information about them or to their property,  home or workplace Maintaining clear and accurate records as required by procedures established for your work. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (2000) The Act provides a general right of access to information held by Public Authorities (PA). Anyone can request information from a PA and has the right to be told whether the PA holds the information, and if it does, to be provided with the information. Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA98) Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights establishes a right to ‘respect for private and family life’. This underscores the duty to protect individual privacy and preserve the confidentiality of health and social care records. Current understanding is that compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the common law of confidentiality should satisfy Human Rights requirements. For more information please visit or Google it The legislation and the codes of practice that relate to handling of information in social care settings include; Date protection Act 1998 This law protects privacy of personal data unless a criminal offence arises that requires disclosure of certain information Caldecott standard This governs the sharing of information based on data protection amended in 2006 and 2008 Freedom of information Act 200 The Health and Social Care Act 1998 Mental capacity Act 2005 The Access to medical Reports Act 1988 The Care quality Commission Act (CQC) Standards of Quality and Safety The General Social Care Council (GSCC) These act gives authority to the Secretary of State for Health; the power to regulations, to authorize or require health services to disclose patient information, including data which is patient identifiable to support NHS activity in the interest of improving patient care or wider public interest. In addition the data may be used; To monitor diseases including communicate diseases or; For occupational purposes on medical research o as to improve the quality  of care or treatment or; To improve /monitor diseases or medical research; Promote good practice in handling information in health and social care settings Continue on a separate page if necessary QUESTION- ( 2.1 ) Describe features of manual and electronic information storage systems that help ensure security ANSWER I am describing below the features of manual and electronic information storage systems that help ensure security. Manual data: When not in use, files containing personal data should be kept in locked stores or cabinets to which only authorized staffs have access. Procedures for booking files in and out of storage should be developed, so that file movements can be tracked. Files should be put away in secure storage at the end of the working day, and should not be left on desks overnight. Electrical and others data Log out of computer when not working at desk Any discs containing data are securely kept in office Filing cabinets are protected when not in use Ensure telephone calls remain private, in office, door shut Ensure files are stored in the right order e.g. numerical/alphabetical Never discuss service users in front of others and only on a need to know basis Care plans are stored in secure office areas Personal data keeping with the help of electric A database is another example of a storage system: it enables large amounts of information to be kept in a series of records. These records will sort the information according to a set of values. For example, a database which contains employee information will have individual records of each employee. This will show their name, age, sex, date of birth etc. The most common form of database is the ‘relational’ database: as the name suggest, this is where records are grouped together because they share the same attributes. In other words, they have a relationship with each other. Information is also stored on the Internet. There are over 80 million web sites on the Internet at present and the number is growing. This information is held on large servers and when information is requested by a user it is retrieved either from a database or a server and sent to the user. This is called a ‘client-server’ relationship. Data Protection Principles (1) Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully. SOAS will ensure that data are obtained fairly, and will make reasonable efforts to ensure that data subjects are told who the data controller is, what the data will be used for, for how long the data will be kept and any third parties to whom the data will be disclosed. In order for processing to be fair and lawful, data which is not sensitive personal data will only be processed by SOAS if at least one of the following conditions, set down in the Data Protection Act, has been met: The data subject has given his/her consent to the processing. The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with the data subject, or for taking steps with a view towards entering into a contract. The processing is required under a legal obligation other than a contract. The processing is necessary to pursue the legitimate interests of SOAS or of third parties, and does not prejudice the rights, freedoms or legitimate interests of the data subject. My suggestion to all, keep in mind all the time about the data protection which I have mention above in order to safeguard yourselves and as well as others failure to do so may result being prosecuted.

Cellular Fractionation | Lab Report

Cellular Fractionation | Lab Report Performer: Aylin NEBOL Partners name: Dila ERDEM INTRODUCTION Centrifuge is a laboratory device that spins objects which are put inside it in a fixed rotation with very high speeds and uses centrifugal force to move the objects outward. In centrifugation process two different measurement units are used: RPM and RCF. Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) is the measurement of how many revolutions the centrifuge completes in one minute. Simply, RPM value tells the rotors speed of spinning. The Relative Centrifugal Force (RCF) is the measurement of gravitational force that the rotation speed of the centrifuge applies on a sample an it is expressed in the unit of gravity (Difference Between RCF and RPM in Centrifugation n.d.). With the centrifugation process, denser particles accumulate away from the rotation centre and the lighter ones towards the centre. The denser ones are known as pellet and the remaining solution is supernatant (Journal of visualized experiments: JoVE. n.d.). Differential centrifugation is a procedure that is used to deeply analyse certain organelles by separating them from others considering their size and density. In this technique, particles with higher density travel toward the bottom of the centrifuge tube at a faster rate. (Centrifugation Biology-Online Dictionary 2005). During cellular fractionation, the temperature should be under control. To make centrifugation and fractionation effectively temperature must be kept around 4 degree Celsius to protect DNA and proteins from degradation. When centrifuge machine is started, the observer should not be leave there until maximum speed is reached in case of any possible problem like that machine may be stop. The other factor is choosing the most appropriate tissue. Tissues should be chosen based on their organelles which are wanted to be seen and examined at the end of the centrifugation and suspension processes. Homogenization is a process in that cells are opened in an isotonic buffer to isolate different organelles from cells. Various types of homogenization can be applied to substances. Sonication is a way that uses the high frequency sound waves to break open cells. Detergent lysis is to use chemicals, French press breaks open cells by applying high pressure and mechanical homogenization is the way that uses a high-speed blender to break open cell. There are two main types of centrifuge rotors: Fixed angled and swinging bucket. At fixed angled rotor pellet accumulates on the walls of the tube while it accumulates at the bottom when centrifugated with swinging bucket. Since the centrifuge works with centrifugal force change in speed, gravitational force and frictional resistance affects the content of the pellet. Since rotor radius has an effect on RPM and RCF values, it also effects the centrifugation (Katkov and Mazur 1999). AIM The aim on this experiment was to obtain mitochondrial pellet through gradually cellular fractionation process with centrifugation machine. Besides, the aim was to observe how to homogenize and centrifugate samples, also the difference between different rotor types and their function. MATERIALS Chemicals: Fresh rat liver Solutions: 0.25M sucrose Lab Equipment: 50 ml and 15 ml centrifuge tubes Ice bucket Homogenizer Table top and high speed centrifuges Vortex Scale Maxi-pipette/ Serological Pipette Bulb Pasteur pipette METHODS Preparation of sample and Homogenization: 10 ml of 0.25M Sucrose was poured onto 1 g rat liver that was taken from ice bucket. Prepared mixture was homogenized with blender, starting with low speed and increased. Sample was labelled. The First Centrifugation. The homogenate was taken to table-top centrifuge working with 800 g (2037 RPM) force and centrifugated for 5 minutes at 4 degree Celsius. This centrifugation was done with the swinging-bucket model rotors whose model name was SX 4250. After centrifugation, supernatant was separated from pellet clearly by pouring it to another 15-ml centrifuge tube then supernatant was kept and labelled, and pellet parts were thrown away. In the end of the procedure we got cell debris, cell membrane and cytoskeleton. The Second Centrifugation: The second centrifugation was made with a different centrifuge (J2 221) which was worked with 5000 g (5710 RPM) speed and fixed angle rotors whose model name was JA-14. Precision scale was used to balance the masses. The masses placed carefully and symmetrically. The samples were centrifugated for 15 minutes and again at 4oC. After centrifugation supernatant was kept and labelled. While separating supernatant from pellet it poured into a 15ml centrifuge tube from the opposite side of the pellet. In the end of the procedure nuclear pellet was seen. The Third Centrifugation: This centrifugation step was made with the same centrifuge with the 2. centrifugation: J2-21 model Beckmann and JA14 model fixed angle rotor. To balance the opposite weights, sucrose was added to some empty tubes on the adaptors. After balance was achieved, adaptors were put oppositely in the centrifuge. The inside cover was closed. Sample rotated with 24.000 g (12512 RPM), for 10 minutes and the temperature was set between 4 and 10 degree Celsius. After centrifugation supernatant was thrown away and the pellet was kept this time. Supernatant and pellet were separated with serological pipette and three-way bulb. The pipette was hold on the opposite side of the pellet in a way that it did not touch the pellet. In the remaining part without supernatant, existence of mitochondrial pellet was recorded. Resuspension of the mitochondrial pellet: 5 ml 0.25 M Sucrose was added onto the mitochondrial pellet. Maxi pipette was used to dissolve the pellet in the sucrose by pipetting up and down without touching the pellet and taking liquid part from the opposite wall of tube according to pellet. The mixture was stirred clearly with vortex. Mitochondrial suspension was obtained. RESULTS 1 gram rat liver was homogenized with 10ml of 0.25M sucrose in order to separate cell parts and organelles with centrifuge properly. In each step the sample was placed on ice rather than being waited at room temperature to inhibit protein degradation. Similarly, in centrifugation part of the experiment to prevent protein deformation temperature was kept around 4oC. Masses on the adaptors were balanced with some tubes with sucrose to prevent any error resulting from asymmetrically placed masses on the adaptors. Moreover, to prevent any centrifuge related problem the centrifuge was waited to reach its maximum speed that is desired for the experiment. The sample was homogenized successfully by changing its speed. After the first centrifugation with table top centrifuge working with 800g RCF and 2037 RPM values, where swinging bucket rotor was used, cell debris, cell membrane and cytoskeleton were seen in the pellet. The radius of the centrifuge was calculated as 17.2 cm. The second centrifugation was done by using a fixed angle rotor at 5000 g RCF value which corresponds to 5710 RPM value. After this step, pellet was gathered not on the bottom of the tube as the first one but seen on the wall. The colour was darker on the bottom and lighter on top. Nuclear pellet was observed. The third centrifugation was done by using fixed angle rotor at 24000g that corresponds to 12512 RPM value. After this step, supernatant and pellet were separated with serological pipette and three-way bulb. In the remaining part, mitochondrial pellet was observed. At the final step, the remaining pellet was suspended by adding sucrose and stirring the mixture gently until obtain a clear mitochondrial suspension. DISCUSSION The aim of this experiment was to observe not only homogenization and centrifugation processes but also how to take care of homogenizer and centrifuge. Centrifugation process was applied to the sample step by step till desired molecules were obtained. In this experiment, last step was to get mitochondrial pellet. Since the purpose of the experiment was to obtain mitochondrial pellet, a structure that is mitochondrially rich should have been chosen. Liver cells are responsible for many metabolic activity resulting in needing high amount of energy to continue the process and finally abundance of mitochondria. Which is why the liver cells were the best samples to examine for cellular fractionation. (Caprette 2012) Sucrose is a buffer that is isotonic at 0.25M and does not hinder enzymes activity in animal tissues also not react chemically with organelles so prevents the mitochondria lysis during the process. Those characteristics make Sucrose one of the most useful buffers, since isotonic buffers are used to homogenize tissues appropriately. Also, the density and size of sucrose molecules make it easy to suspend pellets, balance centrifugation and even pour off it as supernatant at the end of each centrifugation. (Clayton and Shadel 2014) All the centrifugation steps were carried out at low temperatures to adjust the heat revealed by friction force against the rotating speed of the centrifuge. Organelles were stored at -70 °C to inhibit the cellular damage and inactivate the enzymes that lysis the cells. In the second centrifugation, in the instruction manual the RPM value for JA-14 model fixed angle rotor was given as in between 5500-6000 values for 500g RCF and 13.7 cm radius. Yet, from the RCF = 1.119 X 10-5 (RPM)2 X r equation, the RPM value was calculated as 5710. In instruction manual, the RPM value, similarly, was given as 12500 since same rotor model was used. Yet according to our calculations the RPM value was 12512. Totally pure organelle fractions cannot be obtained with differential fractionation since this method separates organelles based on their size and density. Thus, it is necessary to use another method that separate samples considering their density. This method is density- gradient centrifugation. It should be centrifugate samples at high speeds and for hours to let each cellular component to migrate their equilibrium positions (Lodish et al. 2000). REFERENCES Caprette, R. David. 2012. Tissue Fractionation. http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/methods/fractionation/fractionation.html (March 14, 2017). Centrifugation Biology-Online Dictionary. 2005. http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Centrifugation (March 10, 2017). Clayton, D. A., and G. S. Shadel. 2014. Isolation of Mitochondria from Cells and Tissues. Cold Spring Harbor Protocols 2014(10): pdb.top074542-top074542. http://www.cshprotocols.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/pdb.top074542 (March 14, 2017). Difference Between RCF and RPM in Centrifugation. http://www.westlab.com.au/page/97/Difference_Between_RCF_and_RPM_in_Centrifugation.html (March 10, 2017). Journal of Visualized Experimentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: JoVE. https://www.jove.com/science-education/5019/an-introduction-to-the-centrifuge (March 10, 2017). Katkov, Igor I., and Peter Mazur. 1999. Factors Affecting Yield and Survival of Cells When Suspensions Are Subjected to Centrifugation. Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics 31(3): 231-45. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10736749 (March 15, 2017). Lodish, Harvey et al. 2000. Purification of Cells and Their Parts. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21492/ (March 15, 2017). APPENDICES Calculation of radius of the first centrifuge: RCF = 1.119 X 10-5 (RPM)2 X r 800 g = 1.119 X 10-5 (2037)2 X r r = 17.2 cm Calculation of RPM values: RCF = 1.119 X 10-5 (RPM)2 X r No.2 centrifuge: 5000 g = 1.119 X 10-5 (RPM)2 X 13.7 RPM = 5710 No.3 centrifuge: 24000 g = 1.119 X 10-5 (RPM)2 X 13.7 RPM = 12512      

Fact vs. Fiction in the Movie (Film), Jurassic Park :: Movie Film Essays

Fact vs. Fiction in the Movie (Film), Jurassic Park In Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, dinosaurs come to life on the big screen for audiences' worldwide.   Millions have watched this film, but what number of them have halted to wonder at the truth behind the story?   How many have stopped to think whether the dinosaurs are portrayed correctly within a scientific aspect?   Unbeknownst to many, there are a number of mistakes in Spielberg's film regarding the dinosaurs, from how they were recreated to their common names. One prominent flub that is witnessed throughout the duration of the film, besides the fact that most of the dinosaurs are from the cretaceous period, is the fact that it remains impossible to bring dinosaurs back to life.   Dinosaurs are extinct!   They have been extinct for 65 million years.   True, one would need dinosaur DNA to recreate dinosaurs, and it is indeed possible for mosquitoes with the DNA of dinosaurs to have been trapped in hardening amber, as seen in the film.   However, it is impossible for scientists today to find hardened amber with dinosaur DNA in it, simply because DNA does not last; it degrades over time (even in preserved amber).   Just the tiniest bit of degradation would ruin its value (UCMP 1995).   Therefore, you would not have the starting point for proceeding with such an endeavor as the scientists inaccurately accomplish in Spielberg's film: the breeding of dinosaurs. Continuing on with the amber, the film claims that it was discovered in a Dominican mine.   Dominican amber mines are scientifically aged at the Miocene and Oligocene epochs (French 1998).   These epochs take place later than 65 million years ago, roughly from 38 to 5 million years ago, which in turn means that dinosaurs were most likely not around when this specific amber was formed.   Remains of dinosaurs have only been found from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceuos periods, from 251 to 65 million years ago. Another fact of fiction in this film involves the truly terrifying velociraptors.   These specific dinosaurs are nicknamed "raptors", a name that now refers to the entire family of dinosaurs, not just the velociraptor as indicated in the film.   In science before the film, the name "raptor" identified birds of prey.

Working at McDonalds by Amitai Etzioni

In response to â€Å"Working at McDonald's† by Amitai Etzioni I think that Etzioni is way off on his evaluation of the lower skill, lower paying jobs in America. He makes it sound as if the employer must provide some sort of skill along with their jobs that will provide a learning experience. Why? Where in the Constitution does it state that employers must provide their employees with training while paying them to do work? It does not. And what of the people that choose jobs such as those provided by McDonalds simply because they wish to have less responsibility, as is shown in the recent movie â€Å"American Pie†. In this movie the main character quit his corporate, good paying job and applied for a regular burger flipping position at McDonalds because he was tired of the stress. And what about higher pay and benefits? The way the American economic system is set up, there must be some low paying jobs because there is always menial tasks that must be done and unskilled workers to do them. Say for instance, that everyone was guaranteed at least ten dollars an hour, no matter what the job was. There would therefore be no reason for some people to get an education because they knew they would have a decent job paying at least ten dollars an hour. This would also upset the people who had gotten an education only to find out they made little or no more than uneducated people now. Employers, now that they had to pay drastically higher wages, would have to charge much higher prices. Now the people earning the higher wages are right back to where they started, because the extra money they earn now just goes back to the employer. It†s just a vicious cycle, and higher wages or jobs that teach new skills to those who don†t need them are just not practical. As hard as you argue, the simple fact sticks is ugly head out, there are always low pay, low skill jobs for those who have no wish to better themselves in life.

Organizational structure paper

Tyson Foods, Inc. Organizational Structure Paper Gloria Sample MGT 230 1 1/07/2013 Dr. William Manduca This organizational structure paper for Tyson Foods, Inc. will show how Tyson Foods Company Is structures and organized. It will also show the comparison and contrast within its work place and company as a whole. It will focus somewhat on how marketing, finance, human resources, and operation department influence and determine the organizational structure for the company.Lastly, it will talk about how the organization design; such as products and customer base and services help etermine the company's needs across the globe and in other countries that are located In the world. Tyson Food Company challenges Its business, allowing It to have the advantage of becoming a multi business like none other. Tyson Food Company controls the market price for chicken and the overall integrated production. The production of chicken for Tyson Food accounts for 35% of all their production segments. Tyson Foods accounts for 20 % of all chicken production in the United States.Because chicken is the most efficient feed animal in conversion to meat protein, It Is dominating as the primary meat protein source. Tyson Food utilizes full, vertical integration through an entire seven stage of production, from inception to slaughter, and operates feed mills to produce the chicken ration. Tyson Food has an advantage of operating in vertically Integrated business, dominating the regional area of the united States. Having the opportunity of working with Tyson Foods for eighteen years, gave me the opportunity to see firsthand how the company operated on a daily bases from the corporate offce down.Tyson Foods had a way of doing thing by the book and at the same time showing love and respect in every aspect of he company whether it is management or floor employees. Tyson Foods had rules and regulation that everyone had to follow and abide by. The organizational structure there was followed th rough on a daily basis. If you had a problem with something, you did not go over someone's head and get the problem fixed, you followed chain of command. If you could not get the problem solved through chain of command, then you take the next step. I liked working at Tyson Foods because they were all about the business and getting the Job done.At the same time they cared about the employees as a whole. Everyone there worked with a spirit of excellent and enthusiasm. It was so well organized. People did not have a problem getting off work or taking leave if they had accumulated it. Going to the doctor was never a problem for the employees If It was legit. Vacation was never a problem either If you had the leave. We Just had to make sure that someone was covering our position facility. This was a plus for the many employees that the employed. Tyson Food is on the Fortune 500 as the second largest food manufacturing corporation.Tyson Foods Company produces and packages a large selectio n of beef, poultry, and pork roducts that provide convenience to their customers. These products are then sold to food retailers throughout the Unites States and 90 countries around the world. While Tyson Foods produce and package food that ties into making a profit, they also take large strides to insure nit customers of its quality of the products the sale. Tyson Foods has a program called the Food Wise Program that educates its customers on how to prepare their food properly, and establishes labeling and tracking systems.Tyson Foods extends itself through humanitarian efforts to help with hunger and disaster relief. I can remember when Hurricane Katrina came through; everyone was in a panic and uproar. The management teams of Tyson Foods quickly put their heads together and began to execute the disaster program design to help people in need. There was no electricity and no-one knew when the power was going to be restored. Tyson management team called different departments in to h elp with the disaster relief, whether it was giving out bags of ice or fixing plates for the hungry. Everyone worked together as a whole and the Job was a success.Tyson Foods wants to develop a more strategic overall approach to hunger relief that would engage takeholders and people that have stocks on a more meaningful level including the team members, community leaders and elected officials, retail and food service customers, and a large number of organizations and individuals involved in hunger reliefs nationwide. Together they created three primary goals focusing on approach, communication, and involvement towards hunger relief. Tyson Foods did a survey tracking and analyzing media coverage and exposure, assessing team member involvement, and by comparing actual results with initial goals.Tyson Foods has onated over 50 million pounds of products to help those in need around the world. Tyson promotes environmental stewardship by implementing an environmental system to all of its domestic processing plants, encouraging natural farming techniques. Tyson's customers are the lifeblood of their organization and their success. Customer satisfaction is its primary goal and profits are the secondary goal. Tyson Foods aim to deliver great value in their products and services to maintain a competitive position. Tyson Foods found this to be the most important factor contributing to their customers' overall satisfaction.Tyson Foods implementation of structure and organization is very important to the company's development and success. It takes a company that operates responsibly and operates according to core values and cultures to take the company to the next level. Tyson Foods dwells daily on their core values and morals. Tyson has a lot of resources to broaden a production footprint and continues to be on top at all times. One of the quickest ways Tyson was transformed into the mega company that it is that the managers simplified the strategy kept a simple organized structure. Tyson sticks by the old saying, â€Å"communication is the key.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty

â€Å"YOU SHOULD SLEEP.' Sydney's soft voice nearly made me leap out of my skin, proving that even while in Lissa's mind, I could still stay alert. I tuned back to Sonya's dark living room. Aside from Sydney, everything was quiet and at peace. â€Å"You look like the walking dead,' she continued. â€Å"And I don't say that lightly.' â€Å"I've got to stay on watch,' I said. â€Å"I'll watch. You sleep.' â€Å"You're not trained like me,' I pointed out. â€Å"You might miss something.' â€Å"Even I wouldn't miss Strigoi beating down the door,' she replied. â€Å"Look, I know you guys are tough. You don't have to convince me. But I have a feeling things are going to get harder, and I don't want you passing out at some crucial moment. If you sleep now, you can relieve Dimitri later.' Only the mention of Dimitri made me give in. We would need to relieve each other eventually. So, reluctantly, I crawled into Sydney's bed on the floor, giving her all sorts of instructions that I think she rolled her eyes at. I fell asleep almost instantly and then woke up just as quickly when I heard the sound of a door closing. I immediately sat upright, expecting to see Strigoi busting down the door. Instead, I found sunlight creeping in through the windows and Sydney watching me with amusement. In the living room, Robert was sitting up on the couch, rubbing his eyes. Victor was gone. I turned to Sydney in alarm. â€Å"He's in the bathroom,' she said, anticipating my question. That was the sound I'd heard. I exhaled in relief and stood up, surprised at how even a few hours of sleep had energized me. If I only had food, I'd be ready for anything. Sonya didn't have any, of course, but I settled for a glass of water in the kitchen. As I stood there drinking, I noticed that the Dashkov brothers had made themselves at home: coats hanging on hooks, car keys on the counter. I quietly grabbed hold of the keys and called for Sydney. She came in, and I slipped her the keys, trying not to let them rattle. â€Å"Do you still know about cars?' I murmured. In one exquisite look, she told me that was a ridiculous and insulting question. â€Å"Okay. Can you go do a grocery run? We're going to need food. And maybe on your way out, you can, um, make sure their car has engine trouble or something? Anything that keeps it here. But not something obvious, like slashed tires.' She put the keys in her pocket. â€Å"Easy. Got any food requests?' I thought about it. â€Å"Something with sugar. And coffee for Dimitri.' â€Å"Coffee's a given,' she said. Victor stepped into the kitchen, his typically unconcerned expression making me think he hadn't heard me instructing Sydney to sabotage his car. â€Å"Sydney's getting groceries,' I said, hoping to distract him before he might notice the missing keys. â€Å"Need anything?' â€Å"A feeder would be nice, but barring that, Robert has an especial liking for Cheerios. The apple cinnamon kind.' He smiled at Sydney. â€Å"I never thought I'd see the day an Alchemist would be an errand girl. It's charming.' Sydney opened her mouth, no doubt to make some biting comment, and I quickly shook my head. â€Å"Just go,' I said. She went, and Victor soon returned to Robert's side. Convinced the brothers wouldn't be going anywhere in full daylight without a car, I decided it was time to check on Dimitri. To my surprise, Sonya was awake. She sat cross-legged on the bed with him, and the two spoke in hushed tones. Her hair was disheveled from both sleep and fighting, but otherwise, she showed no cuts or bruises from the battle. Dimitri had been the same after his transformation, escaping terrible burns. The power of a Strigoi restoration healed all injuries. Between my skinned legs and pseudo-concussion, I kind of wished someone had transformed me from a Strigoi. Sonya turned from Dimitri as I entered. A sequence of emotions passed across her face. Fear. Astonishment. Recognition. â€Å"Rose?' There was hesitancy in the word, like she wondered if I was a hallucination. I forced a smile. â€Å"It's good to see you again.' I chose not to add, â€Å"Now that you're not trying to suck the life out of me.' She averted her eyes down to her hands, studying her fingers like they were magical and wonderful. Of course, after being a monster, maybe having her â€Å"old hands' back really was wondrous. The day after his change, Dimitri hadn't seemed quite so fragile, but he'd certainly been in shock. That was also when he'd grown depressed. Was she? Or did she want to turn again, as Victor had suggested? I didn't know what to say. It was all so strange and awkward. â€Å"Sydney went for groceries,' I told Dimitri lamely. â€Å"She also stayed up so that I could sleep last night.' â€Å"I know,' he said with a small smile. â€Å"I got up once to check on you.' I felt myself flushing, somehow embarrassed that I'd been caught in weakness. â€Å"You can rest too,' I told him. â€Å"Get some breakfast, and then I'll keep an eye on everything. I have it on good authority that Victor's going to have car trouble. Also that Robert really likes Cheerios, so if you want some, you're out of luck. He doesn't seem like the sharing type.' Dimitri's smile grew. Sonya suddenly lifted her head. â€Å"There's another spirit user here,' she said, voice frantic. â€Å"I can feel it. I remember him.' She looked between Dimitri and me. â€Å"It's not safe. We're not safe. You shouldn't have us around.' â€Å"Everything's fine,' said Dimitri, voice so, so gentle. That tone was rare for him, but I'd heard it before. He'd used it on me in some of my most desperate moments. â€Å"Don't worry.' Sonya shook her head. â€Å"No. You don't understand. We †¦ we're capable of terrible things. To ourselves, to others. It's why I changed, to stop the madness. And it did, except †¦ it was worse. In its way. The things I did †¦' There it was, the same remorse Dimitri had felt. Half-afraid he'd start telling her there was no redemption for her either, I said, â€Å"It wasn't you. You were controlled by something else.' She buried her face in her hands. â€Å"But I chose it. Me. I made it happen.' â€Å"That was spirit,' I said. â€Å"It's hard to fight. Like you said, it can make you do terrible things. You weren't thinking clearly. Lissa battles with the same thing all the time.' â€Å"Vasilisa?' Sonya lifted her eyes and stared off into space. I think she was digging through memories. In fact, despite her ramblings now, I didn't believe she was quite as unstable as she'd been just before becoming Strigoi. We'd heard healings could lessen spirit's madness, and I think Robert's transformation had lightened some of the darkness within her for now. â€Å"Yes, of course. Vasilisa has it too.' She turned to me in a panic. â€Å"Did you help her? Did you get her out of there?' â€Å"I did,' I said, trying to emulate Dimitri's gentleness. Lissa and I fled St. Vladimir's for a while, partly because of warnings from Sonya. â€Å"We left and then came back and, uh, were able to stop what was hunting her.' I didn't think it was a good idea for Sonya to know that the thing–or rather, person–hunting Lissa was now sitting out in the living room. I took a step forward. â€Å"And you can help Lissa too. We need to know if–‘ â€Å"No,' said Dimitri. No gentleness now in the warning look he gave me. â€Å"Not yet.' â€Å"But–‘ â€Å"Not yet.' I shot him a glare in return but said no more. I was all for giving Sonya her recuperation time, but we didn't have forever. The clock was ticking, and we had to find out what Sonya knew. I felt like Dimitri would have been able to give us this information immediately after he'd been changed back. Of course, he hadn't been unstable beforehand, so he'd kind of had an edge. Still. We couldn't play house in Kentucky forever. â€Å"Can I see my flowers?' asked Sonya. â€Å"Can I go outside and see my flowers?' Dimitri and I exchanged glances. â€Å"Of course,' he said. We all moved toward the door, and that's when I had to ask. â€Å"Why did you grow flowers when you were †¦ like you were?' She paused. â€Å"I've always grown flowers.' â€Å"I know. I remember. They were gorgeous. The ones here are gorgeous too. Is that why †¦ I mean, did you just want a pretty garden, even as a Strigoi?' The question was unexpected and seemed to throw her off. I was about to give up on an answer when she finally said, â€Å"No. I never thought about pretty. They were †¦ I don't know. Something to do. I'd always grown flowers. I had to see if I still could. It was like †¦ a test of my skills, I guess.' I met Dimitri's eyes again. So. Beauty hadn't been part of her world. It was just like I'd told him. Strigoi were notoriously arrogant, and it seemed the flowers had simply been a show of prowess. Growing them had also been a familiar habit for her, and I recalled how Dimitri had read Western novels while Strigoi. Being Strigoi might cost someone their sense of goodness and morality, but old behaviors and hobbies remained. We took her out to the living room, interrupting a conversation between Victor and Robert. Sonya and Robert both froze, sizing each other up. Victor gave us one of his knowing smiles. â€Å"Up and around. Have we found out what we need yet?' Dimitri shot him a look similar to what I'd received when asking about interrogation. â€Å"Not yet.' Sonya dragged her gaze from Robert and moved quickly toward the patio door, pausing when she saw our shoddy patch job. â€Å"You broke my door,' she said. â€Å"Collateral damage,' I said. In my periphery, I think Dimitri rolled his eyes. Needing no guidance from us, Sonya opened the door and stepped outside. With a gasp, she came to a halt and stared upward. The sky was a perfect, cloudless blue, and the sun had crossed the horizon now, illuminating everything in gold. I went outside too, feeling the warmth of that light on my skin. Some of the night's coldness lingered, but we were in store for a hot day. Everyone else came out too, but Sonya was oblivious. She lifted her hands upward, as though maybe she could grab hold of the sun and wrap it in her arms. â€Å"It's so beautiful.' She finally looked away and met my eyes. â€Å"Isn't it? Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?' â€Å"Beautiful,' I reiterated. For some reason, I felt both happy and sad. She walked around her yard, examining every plant and flower. She touched the petals and inhaled their fragrance. â€Å"So different †¦' she kept saying to herself. â€Å"So different in the sun †¦' Several especially caught her attention. â€Å"These don't open at night! Do you see it? Do you see the colors? Can you smell that?' The questions didn't seem to be for anyone in particular. We watched, all of us kind of hypnotized. At last, she settled into the patio chair, happily gazing around, lost in sensory overload–in that beauty that had been denied to her as a Strigoi. When it became obvious she wasn't leaving for a while, I turned to Dimitri and repeated Sydney's advice about him taking a turn at sleeping while we waited for Sonya to recover. To my surprise, he actually agreed. â€Å"That's smart. Once Sonya's able to talk, we'll need to move.' He smiled. â€Å"Sydney's turning into a battle mastermind.' â€Å"Hey, she's not in charge here,' I teased. â€Å"She's just a soldier.' â€Å"Right.' He lightly brushed his fingers against my cheek. â€Å"Sorry, Captain.' â€Å"General,' I corrected, catching my breath at that brief touch. He gave Sonya a kind goodbye before disappearing into the house. She nodded, but I don't know if she really heard. Victor and Robert brought out two wooden kitchen chairs and set them in the shade. I chose a spot on the ground. Nobody spoke. It wasn't the weirdest thing I'd ever experienced, but it was certainly strange. Sydney returned later with the groceries, and I briefly abandoned the group to check in with her. Victor's keys were lying back on the counter, which I took as a good sign. Sydney unloaded an assortment of food and handed me a box of a dozen donuts. â€Å"Hope that's enough for you,' she remarked. I made a face at her presumption but took the donuts anyway. â€Å"Come on outside when you're done,' I told her. â€Å"It's like the barbecue of the damned. Except †¦ there's no grill.' She looked puzzled, but when she joined us later, she seemed to get what I'd been saying. Robert brought out a bowl of Cheerios, but neither Sydney nor Victor ate. I gave Sonya a donut, the first thing that took her attention from her yard. She held it in her hands, turning it over and over. â€Å"I don't know if I can. I don't know if I can eat it.' â€Å"Of course you can.' I recalled how Dimitri had regarded food uncertainly too. â€Å"It's chocolate-glazed. Good stuff.' She took a tentative, rabbit-sized bite. She chewed it a billion times and finally swallowed. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. â€Å"Such sweetness.' Slowly, she continued taking more tiny bites. It took forever for her to get halfway through the donut, and at that point, she finally stopped. I'd polished off three donuts by then, and my impatience to accomplish something was growing. Part of it was still the irritability from spirit, and part of it was just my continual restlessness to help Lissa. â€Å"Sonya,' I said pleasantly, fully aware of how pissed off Dimitri was going to be at me defying his instructions. â€Å"We wanted to talk to you about something.' â€Å"Mm-hmm,' she said, gazing at bees hovering around some honeysuckle. â€Å"Is there a relative of yours †¦ someone who, uh, had a baby a while ago †¦ ?' â€Å"Sure,' she said. One of the bees flew from the honeysuckle to a rose, and she never looked away. â€Å"Lots.' â€Å"Articulate, Rosemarie,' remarked Victor. â€Å"Very articulate.' I bit my lip, knowing an outburst would upset Sonya. And probably Robert too. â€Å"This would be a secret baby,' I told her. â€Å"And you were the beneficiary on a bank account that took care of the baby †¦ an account paid for by Eric Dragomir.' Sonya's head whipped toward me, and there was no dreamy absentmindedness in her blue eyes now. A few seconds passed before she spoke. Her voice was cold and hard–not a Strigoi voice, but definitely a back off voice. â€Å"No. I don't know anything about that.' â€Å"She's lying,' said Robert. â€Å"I didn't need any powers to figure that out,' scoffed Sydney. I ignored both of them. â€Å"Sonya, we know you know, and it's really important we find this baby †¦ er, child. Person.' We'd made guesses on the age but weren't 100 percent sure. â€Å"You said you were worried about Lissa earlier. This will help her. She needs to know. She needs to know she has another family member.' Sonya turned her attention back to the bees, but I knew she was no longer watching them. â€Å"I don't know anything.' There was a trembling in her voice, and something told me that maybe I shouldn't push this after all. I couldn't tell if she was afraid or on the verge of rage. â€Å"Then why were you on the account?' This came from Victor. â€Å"I don't know anything,' she repeated. Her voice could have made icicles form on the ornamental trees. â€Å"Nothing.' â€Å"Stop lying,' snapped Victor. â€Å"You know something, and you're going to tell us.' â€Å"Hey!' I exclaimed. â€Å"Be quiet. You don't have interrogation rights here.' â€Å"You didn't seem to be doing a very good job.' â€Å"Just shut up, okay?' I looked back at Sonya, replacing my glare with a smile. â€Å"Please,' I begged. â€Å"Lissa's in trouble. This will help her. I thought you said before that you wanted to help her?' â€Å"I promised †¦' said Sonya. Her voice was so low, I could barely hear it. â€Å"Promised what?' I asked. Patience, patience. I had to remain calm. I couldn't risk a breakdown. She squeezed her eyes shut and raked her hands through her hair violently, almost like a child about to have a tantrum. â€Å"Promised not to tell. Promised not to tell anyone †¦' I had the urge to run over and shake her. Patience, patience, I repeated to myself. Don't upset her. â€Å"We wouldn't ask you to break your promise if it wasn't important. Maybe †¦ maybe you can get in touch with this person †¦' Who had she promised? Eric's mistress? â€Å"And see if it's okay to tell us?' â€Å"Oh for God's sake,' said Victor irritably. â€Å"This is ridiculous and getting us nowhere.' He glanced at his brother. â€Å"Robert?' Robert hadn't done much so far today, but at Victor's command, Robert leaned forward. â€Å"Sonya?' Still obviously distraught, she turned to look at him †¦ and her face went still. â€Å"Tell us what we need to know,' said Robert. His voice wasn't kind so much as smooth and lulling, with a faintly sinister touch. â€Å"Tell us who and where this child is. Tell us who the mother is.' This time, I did jump to my feet. Robert was using compulsion on her to get the answers. Sonya's eyes stayed locked on him, but her body began to shake. Her lips parted, though no sound came out. A tangle of thoughts swirled in my mind. Compulsion would get us what we needed to know, but something told me, it wasn't right– Sonya stopped me from any more pondering. She shot up almost as quickly as I had. She was still staring at Robert, but no longer in that transfixed, hypnotized way. She'd broken the compulsion, and now †¦ now she was pissed. The features that had been scared and fragile earlier were filled with fury. I had no magical senses, but after being with Lissa, I knew raging spirit when I saw it. Sonya was a bomb, about to explode. â€Å"How dare you †¦' she hissed. â€Å"How dare you try to compel me?' Plants and vines near Robert suddenly sprang to life, growing to impossible heights. They reached out, tangled themselves around his chair's legs, and pulled. The chair toppled over, Robert along with it. Victor moved to help his brother, but Robert was already taking matters into his own hands. Recovering remarkably fast, he narrowed his eyes at Sonya, and she went flying backward, slamming against the wooden fence. Air users could do that trick sometimes, but this wasn't air blowing her back. This was spirit's telekinetic abilities. He apparently possessed them outside of dreams too. Lovely. I'd seen spirit users battle it out before, when Avery Lazar and Lissa had gone one on one. That hadn't been pretty, particularly since more than this exterior psychic phenomena had occurred. Avery had actually dug into Lissa's mind–and mine. I didn't know Robert or Sonya's full skill set, but this couldn't end well. â€Å"Dimitri!' I yelled, springing toward Sonya. I didn't exactly know what I was going to do, but tackling her seemed like a sound plan. From what I'd observed, a lot of spirit involved eye contact with the target. And sure enough, when I managed to wrestle her to the ground, she struggled half- heartedly but mostly fought to keep her gaze on Robert. He screamed in sudden alarm, looking down at his own body in terror. Sonya was planting visions into his head. His expression hardened. He had to know it was an illusion, and a few moments later, he looked up, having broken her spell like she'd broken his earlier compulsion. Dimitri came tearing out the door at that point, just as Robert used his mind to fling one of the chairs toward Sonya. Of course, I was on top of her, so the chair hit me in the back. Dimitri picked up pretty quickly what was going on and ran toward Robert, attempting the same tactic as me. Victor, possibly thinking his brother was in physical danger, tried to pry Dimitri away, which was futile. More vines began to reach toward Robert, and I realized constraining Sonya wasn't all that useful. â€Å"Get him inside!' I yelled to Dimitri. â€Å"Get him away from her!' Dimitri had already guessed that and began dragging Robert toward the door. Even with Victor interfering, Dimitri's strength was enough to get Robert out of there and back into the house. As soon as her target was gone, all the energy seemed to fade out of Sonya. She made no more efforts to fight me and collapsed to the ground. I was relieved, having feared she'd turn on me once Robert was gone. Tentatively, still on guard, I helped Sonya sit up. She leaned against me, weak as a rag doll, and cried into my shoulder. Another breakdown. After that, it was a matter of damage control. In order to keep the spirit users apart, Dimitri had taken Robert to the bedroom and left Victor with him. Robert seemed as worn out as Sonya, and Dimitri deemed the brothers safe enough to leave alone. Sonya collapsed on the couch, and after both Dimitri and I had tried to calm her down, we stepped away while Sydney held the Moroi woman's hand. I briefly recapped what had happened. Dimitri's face grew more and more incredulous as I did. â€Å"I told you it wasn't time!' he exclaimed. â€Å"What were you thinking? She's too weak!' â€Å"You call that weak? And hey, I was doing fine! It wasn't until Victor and Robert got involved that things went to hell.' Dimitri took a step toward me, anger radiating off him. â€Å"They should never have gotten involved. This is you, acting irrational again, jumping in foolishly with no thought of the consequences.' Outrage shot through me in return. â€Å"Hey, I was trying to make progress here. If being rational is sitting around and doing therapy, then I'm happy to jump over the edge. I'm not afraid to get in the game.' â€Å"You have no idea what you're saying,' he growled. We were standing closer now, hardly any space left between us as we engaged in our battle of wills. â€Å"This may have set us back.' â€Å"This set us forward. We found out she knows about Eric Dragomir. The problem is she promised not to tell anyone about this baby.' â€Å"Yes, I promised,' piped up Sonya. Dimitri and I turned as one, realizing our argument was fully visible and audible to Sonya and Sydney. â€Å"I promised.' Her voice was very small and weak, pleading with us. Sydney squeezed her hand. â€Å"We know. It's okay. It's okay to keep promises. I understand.' Sonya looked at her gratefully. â€Å"Thank you. Thank you.' â€Å"But,' said Sydney carefully, â€Å"I heard that you care about Lissa Dragomir.' â€Å"I can't,' interrupted Sonya, turning fearful again. â€Å"I know, I know. But what if there was a way to help her without breaking your promise?' Sonya stared at Sydney. Dimitri glanced at me questioningly. I shrugged and then stared at Sydney too. If someone had asked who could stage the best intervention with a crazy woman who'd formerly been an undead monster, Sydney Sage would have been my last guess. Sonya frowned, all attention on Sydney. â€Å"W-what do you mean?' â€Å"Well †¦ what did you promise exactly? Not to tell anyone that Eric Dragomir had a mistress and baby?' Sonya nodded. â€Å"And not to tell who they were?' Sonya nodded again. Sydney gave Sonya the warmest, friendliest smile I'd ever seen on the Alchemist. â€Å"Did you promise not to tell anyone where they are?' Sonya nodded, and Sydney's smile faltered a little. Then, her eyes lit up. â€Å"Did you promise not to lead anyone to where they are?' Sonya hesitated, no doubt turning every word over in her mind. Slowly, she shook her head. â€Å"No.' â€Å"So †¦ you could lead us to them. But not tell us where they actually are. You wouldn't be breaking the promise that way.' It was the most convoluted, ridiculous piece of logic I'd heard in a while. It was something I would have come up with. â€Å"Maybe †¦' said Sonya, still uncertain. â€Å"You wouldn't break the promise,' Sydney repeated. â€Å"And it would really, really help Lissa.' I stepped forward. â€Å"It would help Mikhail too.' Sonya's mouth dropped open at the mention of her former lover. â€Å"Mikhail? You know him?' â€Å"He's my friend. He's Lissa's friend too.' I almost said that if we found the missing Dragomir, we could then take Sonya to Mikhail. Recalling Dimitri's feelings of unworthiness, I decided to avoid that tactic just now. I didn't know how Sonya would react to a reunion with her beloved. â€Å"And he wants to help Lissa. But he can't. None of us can. We don't have enough information.' â€Å"Mikhail †¦' Sonya looked down at her hands again, small tears running down her cheeks. â€Å"You won't break your promise.' Sydney was so compelling she could have been a spirit user. â€Å"Just lead us. It's what Mikhail and Lissa would want. It's the right thing to do.' I don't know which argument convinced Sonya the most. It could have been the part about Mikhail. Or it could have been the idea of doing â€Å"the right thing.' Maybe, like Dimitri, Sonya wanted redemption for her Strigoi crimes and saw this as a chance. Looking up, she swallowed and met my eyes. â€Å"I'll lead you there,' she whispered. â€Å"We're going on another road trip,' Sydney declared. â€Å"Get ready.' Dimitri and I were still standing right next to each other, the anger between us beginning to diffuse. Sydney looked proud and continued trying her best to soothe Sonya. Dimitri looked down at me with a small smile that shifted slightly when he seemed to become aware of just how close we were. I couldn't say for sure, though. His face gave little away. As for me, I was very aware of our proximity and felt intoxicated by his body and scent. Damn. Why did fighting with him always increase my attraction to him? His smile returned as he tilted his head toward Sydney. â€Å"You were wrong. She really is the new general in town.' I smiled back, hoping he wasn't aware of my body's reaction to us standing so close. â€Å"Maybe. But, it's okay. You can still be colonel.' He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Oh? Did you demote yourself? Colonel's right below general. What's that make you?' I reached into my pocket and triumphantly flashed the CR-V keys I'd swiped when we'd come back inside. â€Å"The driver,' I said.