Software Systems Fundamental Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Programming Systems Fundamental - Essay Example This report will talk about some product advancement issues which can cause by and large programming improvement disappointment. Reason for SOFTWARE FAILURE According to May (2000), the lion's share programming ventures flop halfway or absolutely because of programming unfit to meet every single set up necessity, cost and time invade or less successful task the board. These prerequisites could incorporate calendar, cost, destinations or quality related (May, 2000). This segment traces the causes and factors of programming advancement disappointment: Poor User Requirements The procedure of programming improvement disappointment begins when a client expresses the framework advancement necessities in a less compelling manner. Along these lines the framework created based on such broken framework necessities become a debacle. In this situation, the failure to express the client prerequisites can be because of absence of programming working information, poor comprehension of programming w orking or less compelling business process data. Be that as it may, mismarks in prerequisites recording should be possible on the two sides at customer side or at engineer side (May, 2000) and (Kaur and Sengupta, 2011). ... Additionally, the absence of successful task quality administration plan can cause less powerful venture quality that lead to extend disappointment (May, 2000) and (Kaur and Sengupta, 2011). Disappointment of Cost and Schedule Estimation Another significant explanation of programming improvement disappointment is the less viable expense and time estimation. What's more, viable expense and time estimations are significant for the fruitful programming advancement. In any case, it relies upon the task administrator and group pioneer to gauge and make sense of significant undertaking components to all the more likely evaluate the venture time and cost perspectives. Additionally, if the time and cost of programming improvement venture invades, it will irritable lead to by and large disappointment of task (May, 2000) and (Kaur and Sengupta, 2011). Group Size Estimation of group size is essential in programming advancement venture. On a very basic level there are 3 primary sorts of group li ttle, medium and huge. In any case, group choice is totally founded on the undertaking size on the off chance that the task size is little, at that point chiefs clearly take the little group and if there should arise an occurrence of enormous venture they can choose the huge or medium group. In addition, the choice of group size relies upon venture pioneers or chiefs how effectively they can see the extend and build up an even task group. Moreover, a great deal of programming improvement ventures flop because of less compelling group size that can prompt some of broad issues with respect to powerful extend the board. This can likewise prompt enhancing the task cost and harming venture execution (Kaur and Sengupta, 2011). Human Resource Skills Effective and efficient group for a product improvement is extremely basic. Seeing that in programming improvement a viable group for

European Security and Defence Policy: An Analysis

European Security and Defense Policy: An Analysis Presentation Confronted with the difficulties and dangers emerging during the time spent financial globalization and world request, Europe is attempting to react satisfactorily to it, to be specific, making a general political solidarity, and shaping an European character. Inside the EU there is ramified instrument of monetary, political and lawful organs and organizations, did the cooperation of the part conditions of joining affiliations for all intents and purposes every which way. The political development of the EU has increased another incredible force after its incorporation of legitimate and institutional system in the establishing record of the EU in the Maastricht Treaty, the supposed second mainstay of the European Union, entitled Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). At the current phase of EU improvement the issue about adequacy of the CFSP and ESDP specifically is remaining intense, that is the subject of the viability of the general methodology and aggregate activity in tending to international strategy issues. This inquiry is critical considering occasions identifying with the settlement of a contention in the Balkans after the breakdown of the Yugoslav state at the outset and end of the 90s., with the battle against psychological oppression after September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington, Madrid in 2004, and London in 2005 and the recreation of Afghanistan just as the circumstance around Iraq. Ongoing Russias attack of Georgia on Aug. 7 o f 2008 indicated that the danger of conventional military encounter has not vanished. In this manner, Europe must rebuild their military so as to do military tasks in both security settings, figuring out what dangers it will face and how best to counter them. It has been a long time since the development of ESDP. During this time the EU has confronted numerous difficulties related with the usage of this approach, going from absence of assets, institutional shortcoming, finishing with the impact of the world players. Despite the fact that, it is still right on time to reached a positive determinations in regards to the adequacy of ESDP. Be that as it may, we can discuss some fittingness of the procedure that has been built up in this pattern. Hence the point of this individual research paper is an endeavor to break down the fundamental issues looked by the EU towards the powerful execution of ESDP, and what the conceivable outcomes opened up for Europe inside the system of ESDP after the marking of the Treaty of Lisbon. This work is an investigation of the exercises learned so as to incorporate them into future improvement of this establishment or some other associations. As per the reason for this work, it is organized into 3 sections. First part will give a chance to elucidate how inner and outside components have pushed the EU to set up ESDP, just as the pretended by EU 3 (France, Germany and Great Britain) in the production of this approach. Besides, it will investigate worry about disposition of the US towards the creation and improvement of this strategy. Second part examined a presence of ESDP and feature the fundamental difficulties which has been recognized by the expert for as far back as 10 years as respects to common, military and money related assets. I have picked the whole time of ESDP presence, as this approach is still extremely youthful for the absolutely evaluate its definitive viability and plausibility. At the end of the day, this is investigation of exercises learned. Third section will concentrate on the conceivable outcomes of ESDP. It will inspect what changes can be normal sooner rather than later corresponding to this strategy, with respect to the upgrades towards expanding of military and non military personnel limits. Moreover it will underline the primary changes and openings which brings recently affirmed Lisbon Treaty. The work is completed by factious paper strategy. This investigation paper won't break down totally directed and continuous missions of ESDP, likewise it won't address history of ESDP advancement, as this paper will concentrate just on issues that meddle with this strategy to exist autonomously and adequacy, and the shrouded potential outcomes of this approach are not yet completely valued. Likewise, the inquiry concerning connection between the Greece, Turkey and Cyprus that acquires a few challenges participation among NATO and ESDP are absent in this article. Political setting as a hindrance for the improvement of powerful ESDP on the contemporary stage Preconditions for the making of ESDP So as to comprehend the marrow of ESDP it bodes well to consider the inward and outer preconditions that prompted the making of this approach. Among the outside preconditions are commanded before the finish of the Cold War and the occasions of 9/11 in the U.S. At one time the encounter with Warsaw Pact had obstructing the formation of a really European arrangement of security, moving the equalization of impact for NATO and the United States. Be that as it may, in late 1980 the circumstance started to change quickly. The premise and reason for the transoceanic relationship had changed. Change of the geostrategic circumstance in the mainland, related with the breakdown of the Soviet Union, and, as needs be, the bipolar arrangement of global relations has opened up to Western European nations, chances to turn out to be progressively appealing focus of intensity in the circle of security. Thus, expanding monetary job of the EU offered ascend to the craving of European pioneers to supplement its general political and military instruments, without which the impact of the EU in worldwide issues would stay negligible. All through the 1990s the EU was searching for such devices. Nonetheless, early outcomes have been fair a typical international strategy and security approach has not gotten an extremely normal and was inadequate to stay away from a disaster in the Balkans.[1] Therefore, the developing conviction that all is good vacuum in Europe made nearer places of the Member States (EU MS), which prompted the appearance of ESDP. Ordinary military powers, which are utilized to work in Europe, didn't address the difficulties and dangers natural in post-bipolar world, it was the need to develop powers with adaptable structure fit for performing non-customary military capacities. To keep up the security structure at the current level were required costly frameworks. What's more, the goals of emergency circumstances required the nearness of exceptionally versatile units, outfitted with the most recent weapons and correspondence frameworks. The military financial plans of the most country states have been not able to meet the necessities of the military division advancements. Subsequently, Europe has left two alternatives: to keep on depending on the United States or endeavor to coordinate into the military circle and make own powers. Sooner or later another improvement for the advancement of a free ESDP had showed up, for example, conflict with U.S. unilateralism and U.S. control of NATO. The distinctions in the places of the U.S. what's more, Europe developed during the contentions in the Balkans and, most unmistakably during the Iraqi emergency. European sharpness has been incited by the real change of NATO in the conductor of the American worldwide technique. Along these lines, the European states felt that they can not depend completely on the U.S. as an underwriter of security in the district, and questioned that Washingtons arrangement towards Europe would be steady with their inclinations and needs. Thus, it turned out to be certain that if the EU looks to impact worldwide arrangement motivation, as opposed to follow in the wake of the United States, it will at last require the status and capacity to utilize brutal intends to guarantee security. Accordingly, the production of ESDP was the most suitable com ponent through which earnest issues would be tackled. The EU 3 (Britain, France and Germany) and their job being developed of ESDP The genuine forward leap in the European participation in security circle were the understandings reached at the Franco-British culmination in Saint-Malo (December 1998). In the highest point presentation had been referenced about the need to give chances to EU independent military tasks, with the goal that the EU would have the option to make choices and lead military move in situations where the [Atlantic] Alliance isn't included [in the goals of the crisis].[2] The exchanges, started by the British side, were not constrained by the affirmations and the European Council in 1999 and 2000s had been taken various choices so as to reinforce the CFSP and make ESDP. At the Cologne culmination institutional structure of ESDP has been fixed, and subsequently at the Helsinki highest point expressed the principle objective, later changed into inventory of powers. This objective was about creation continuously of 2003 such abilities that would permit operational sending of powers with the qua lities of 50-60 a large number of troops (snappy response power) that could support themselves at any rate one year, the last guidelines were at long last found in the Treaty of Nice, marked in February 2001. Up till now, there is a contradiction among the EU 3, about how the EU can turn into a progressively compelling and powerful entertainer on the planet and what relations it must form with the US. These distinctions are related with various ways to deal with the European incorporation when all is said in done. It will be thought of, the job have been playing by Britain, France and Germany in ESDP, and what the significant contrasts of their dreams towards the execution and quintessence of this arrangement. The main point which is vital to bring up is the issue What ESDP is for? furthermore, we could discover unmistakably various methodologies from the Three, where the British trust in a transoceanic Europe, the French uphold the idea of Europe as a force, while the Germans are profoundly dedicated to the possibility of Europe as a specialist for peace.[3] Further it will uncover these methodologies all the more profoundly. For quite a while, Britain stayed a resolute partner of the US, and didn't felt the need to

The Color Psychology of Blue

The Color Psychology of Blue Theories Cognitive Psychology Print The Color Psychology of Blue By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Reviewed by Reviewed by Amy Morin, LCSW on February 22, 2020 facebook twitter instagram Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, author of the bestselling book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Dont Do, and a highly sought-after speaker. Learn about our Wellness Board Amy Morin, LCSW on February 22, 2020 More in Theories Cognitive Psychology Behavioral Psychology Developmental Psychology Personality Psychology Social Psychology Biological Psychology Psychosocial Psychology How does the color blue make you feel? People have long believed that certain colors can evoke different moods and feelings, and some research has supported the idea that colors can have psychological effects.?? Blue is a color often found in nature such as the pale blue of a daytime sky or the rich dark blue of a deep pool of water. It is for this reason perhaps that people often describe the color blue as calm and serene. Yet as a cool color, blue can sometimes seem icy, distant, or even cold. Learn more about some of the feelings and moods created by the color blue. Illustration by Cindy Chung, Verywell The Psychology of the Color Blue According to color psychology: Blue is described as a favorite color by many people and is the color most preferred by men.Because blue is favored by so many people, it is often viewed as a non-threatening color that can seem conservative and traditional.Blue calls to mind feelings of calmness or serenity. It is often described as peaceful, tranquil, secure, and orderly.Blue is often seen as a sign of stability and reliability. Businesses that want to project an image of security often utilize blue in their advertising and marketing efforts.Blue can also create feelings of sadness or aloofness. Consider how a painting that heavily features blue, such as those produced by Picasso during his blue period, can seem so lonely, sad, or forlorn.Blue is often used to decorate offices because research has shown that people are more productive in blue rooms.Blue is one of the most popular colors, but it is one of the least appetizing. Some weight loss plans even recommend eating your food off of a blue plate. Blue rarely oc curs naturally in food aside from blueberries and some plums. Also, humans are geared to avoid foods that are poisonous and blue coloring in food is often a sign of spoilage or poison.Blue can also lower the pulse rate and body temperature.Consider how blue is used in language: blue moon, blue Monday, blue blood, the blues, and blue ribbon. How Does Blue Make You Feel? Look at the use of blue in the image that accompanies this article. How does blue make you feel? Do you associate blue with certain qualities or situations? One important thing to remember is that the feelings evoked by certain colors are not necessarily universal. Cultural differences sometimes play a role in how people perceive color. Individual experiences also have an important effect on the moods that colors can create. If you associate the color blue with a vivacious and lively friend, then you might see it as a high energy color that evokes a sense of excitement. Reader Responses to the Color Blue While blue has different symbolic meanings, individual reactions to the color blue can vary widely. The following are some of the reactions to the color blue that readers have shared over the years. Blue Is Sincere Blue is the colour of sky, ocean, sleep, and twilight. It is a color that makes me feel so good. When I see it, I almost feel like I am in heaven. For me, blue is the colour of sincerity, inspiration, and spirituality. It makes me feel like I am good enough. â€"  pradnya Blue Is Calming I love the sight of blue...especially shades of turquoise like teal and aquamarine. I tend to be naturally drawn to this color; I believe because it is the color of my aura. I am already a very calm, serene, emotionally balanced person but when Im around the color blue, I am less nervous and more comfortable and communicative in the presence of others. â€"  Latia Blue Can Also Be Intense Many people think of blue as being peaceful and serene, like a clear summer sky or calming waters. However, when blues are deep and intense this internal reflection changes. Skies become stormy and waters will rage. Blue now arouses a feeling of emotional energy, strength and spirit. â€" sunset707 Blue Brings Both Inspiration and Sadness I love blue, because its the colour of the ocean and the sky. The colour blue makes me feel calm, quiet, reflective and strong. When I look at the blue waters of the ocean, I feel calm and very strong, I feel free like the moving waves and yet there is a sadness to it which at times fill my eyes with tears -I dont understand why. No colour like great blue! â€" Guest Sharon A Word From Verywell While exploring the psychology of color can be interesting, it is also important to remember that reactions to color can also be highly personal. Past experiences can play a role in shaping how people feel about and respond to different colors. While some people find blue to be a sad or somber color, others may interpret it as peaceful or inspiring. Pay attention to how the color blue makes you feel and consider some of the different influences that may have influenced your feelings. The Psychology of Colors

A New List of Anti-Suffragist Reasons

Alice Duer Miller, a writer and poet, wrote a column in the early 20th century for the  New York Tribune  called Are Women People? In this column, she satirized the ideas of the anti-suffrage movement, as a way of promoting womens suffrage. These were published in 1915 in a book by the same name. In this column, she sums up reasons given by the anti-suffrage forces arguing against the womens vote. Millers dry humor comes through as she pairs reasons that contradict each other. Through this simple pairing of mutually contradictory arguments of the anti-suffrage movement, she hopes to show that that their positions are self-defeating. Below these excerpts, youll find additional information about the arguments made. Our Own Twelve Anti-Suffragist Reasons Because no woman will leave her domestic duties to vote.Because no woman who may vote will attend to her domestic duties.Because it will make dissension between husband and wife.Because every woman will vote as her husband tells her to.Because bad women will corrupt politics.Because bad politics will corrupt women.Because women have no power of organization.Because women will form a solid party and outvote men.Because men and women are so different that they must stick to different duties.Because men and women are so much alike that men, with one vote each, can represent their own views and ours too.Because women cannot use force.Because the militants did use force. Reasons #1 and #2 Arguments #1 and #2 are both based on the assumption that a woman has domestic duties, and is based on the separate spheres ideology  that women belong in the domestic sphere, taking care of the home and the children, while men belong in the public sphere. In this ideology, women ruled the domestic sphere and men the public sphere—women had domestic duties and men had public duties. In this division, voting is part of public duties, and thus not a womans proper place. Both arguments assume that women have domestic duties, and both assume that domestic duties and public duties cannot both be attended to by women. In argument #1, its assumed that all women (all being an obvious exaggeration) will chose to stick with their domestic duties, and thus wont vote even if they win the vote. In argument #2, its assumed that if women are permitted to vote, that they will all then abandon completely their domestic duties. Cartoons of the time often emphasized the latter point, showing m en forced into domestic duties. Reasons #3 and #4 In  arguments #3 and #4, the common topic is the effect of a womans vote on marriage, and both assume that husband and wife will discuss their votes. The first of these arguments assumes that if the husband and wife differ on how theyll vote, the fact that she is able to actually cast a vote will make for dissension in the marriage—assuming either that he wont care about her disagreement with his vote if he is the only one to cast a vote, or that she wont mention her disagreement unless shes permitted to vote. In the second, its assumed that all husbands have the power to tell their wives how to vote, and that the wives will obey. A third related argument, not documented in Millers list, was that women already had undue influence on voting because they could influence their husbands and then vote themselves, assuming apparently that women had more influence than men than vice versa. The arguments assume different outcomes when a husband and wife disagree about their vote: th at the dissension will be a problem only if the woman can vote, that the woman will obey her husband, and in the third argument which Miller doesnt include, that the woman is more likely to shape her husbands vote than vice versa. Not all can be true of all couples who disagree, nor is it a given that husbands will know what their wives votes will be. Or, for that matter, that all women who will vote are married. Reasons #5 and #6 In this time period, machine politics and their corrupting influence was a common theme already. A few argued for the educated vote, assuming that many who were uneducated voted merely as the political machine wanted them to. In the words of one speaker in 1909, documented in the  New York Times,  The great majority of the Republicans and Democrats follow their leader to the polls as the children followed the Pied Piper. The domestic sphere ideology that assigns women to the home and men to public life (business, politics) is also assumed here. Part of this ideology assumes that women are more pure than men, less corrupt, in part because they are not in the public realm.  Women who are not properly in their place are bad women, and thus #5 argues that they will corrupt politics (as if its not corrupt already). Argument #6 assumes that women, protected by not having the vote from the corrupting influence of politics, will become corrupted by participating actively. This ignores that if politics is corrupt, the influence on women is already a negative influence. One key argument of the pro-suffrage activists is that in corrupt politics, the pure motives of women entering the political realm will clean it up. This argument may be criticized as similarly exaggerated and based on assumptions about womens proper place. Reasons #7 and #8 Pro-suffrage arguments included that womens vote would be good for the country because it would lead to needed reforms. Because there was no national experience with what would happen if women could vote, two contradictory predictions were possible by those who opposed womens vote. In reason #7, the assumption was that women were not organized politically, ignoring their organization to win the vote, work for temperance laws, work for social reforms. If women werent organized politically, then their votes wouldnt be very different from those of men, and there would be no effect of women voting. In reason #8, the pro-suffrage argument about the influence of women in voting was seen as something to fear, that what was already in place, supported by the men who voted, could be overturned if women voted. So these two arguments were mutually incompatible: either women would have an effect on the outcome of voting, or they would not. Reasons #9 and #10 In #9, the anti-suffrage argument is back to the separate spheres ideology, that mens sphere and womens spheres are justified because men and women are so different, and thus women are necessarily excluded by their nature from the political realm including voting. In #10, an opposite argument is mustered, that wives will vote the same as their husband anyway, to justify that women voting is unnecessary because men can vote what was sometimes called at the time a family vote. Reason #10 is also in tension with arguments #3 and #4 which assume that wife and husband will often have disagreement about how to vote. Part of the separate spheres argument was that women were by nature more peaceful, less aggressive, and thus unsuited to the public sphere. Or, in contrast, the argument was that women were by nature more emotional, potentially more aggressive and violent, and that women were to be relegated to the private sphere so that their emotions would be held in check. Reasons #11 and #12 Reason #11 assumes that voting sometimes is related to the use of force—voting for candidates who might be pro-war or pro-policing, for instance. Or that politics itself is about force. And then assuming that women are by nature unable to be aggressive or support aggression. Argument #12 justifies being against women voting, pointing to the force used by British and later American suffrage movements. The argument calls up images of Emmeline Pankhurst, women smashing windows in London, and plays into the idea that women are to be controlled by keeping them in the private, domestic sphere. Reductio ad absurdum Alice Duer Millers popular columns on the anti-suffrage arguments often played on similar  reductio ad absurdum  logical argument, attempting to show that if one followed all the anti-suffrage arguments, an absurd and untenable result followed, as the arguments contradicted each other. The assumptions behind some arguments, or the conclusions predicted, were impossible to both be true. Were some of these strawman arguments—that is, a refutation of an argument that wasnt really being made, an inaccurate view of the other sides argument? When Miller characterizes the opposing arguments as implying that  all  women or  all  couples would do one thing, she may move into strawman territory. While sometimes exaggerating, and perhaps weakening her argument if she were in a merely logical discussion, her purpose was satire—to highlight through her dry humor the contradictions inherent in the arguments against women getting the vote.

The Definition of Ethnicity in Sociology

In sociology, ethnicity is a concept referring to a shared culture and a way of life. This can be reflected in language, religion, material culture such as clothing and cuisine, and cultural products such as music and art. Ethnicity is often a major source of social cohesion as well as social conflict. The world is home to thousands of ethnic groups, from the Han Chinese—the largest ethnic group in the world—to the smallest indigenous groups, some of which include only a few dozen people. Almost all of these groups possess a shared history, language, religion, and culture, which provide group members with a common identity. Learned Behavior Ethnicity, unlike race, is not based on biological traits, except in the case of ethnic groups that recognize certain traits as requirements for membership. In other words, the cultural elements that define a particular ethnic group are taught, not inherited. This means that the boundaries between ethnic groups are, to some degree, fluid, allowing for individuals to move between groups. This can happen, for example, when a child from one ethnic group is adopted into another, or when an individual undergoes a religious conversion. It can also happen through the process of acculturation, whereby members of a native group are forced to adopt the culture and manners of a dominating host group. Ethnicity should not be confused with nationality, which refers to citizenship. While some countries are largely composed of a single ethnic group (Egypt, Finland, Germany, China), others are composed of many different groups (United States, Australia, Philippines, Panama). The rise of nation-states in Europe in the 1600s led to the creation of many countries that are still ethnically homogenous today. The population of Germany, for example, is 91.5 percent German. Countries that were founded as colonies, on the other hand, are more likely to be home to multiple ethnicities. Examples Different ethnic groups do not use the same criteria to define group membership. While one group may emphasize the importance of a shared language, another may emphasize the importance of a shared religious identity. French Canadians are an ethnic group for whom language is paramount. It is what connects them to the French colonists who first settled Canada in the 1600s and what distinguishes them from English Canadians, Scottish Canadians, and Irish Canadians. Other aspects of culture, such as religion, are less significant when it comes to defining who is and is not French Canadian. Most French Canadians are Christians, but some are Catholic and others are Protestant. In contrast, religion is an essential part of ethnic identity for groups such as the Jews. Unlike French Canadians, Jews do not define themselves based on a single shared language. In fact, Jewish communities throughout the world have developed a variety of different languages, including Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), Judeo-Arabic, and Judeo-Aramaic (not to mention the many Jews who speak English, French, German, or any other of the worlds many languages). Because ethnic groups are self-defined, it is important to remember that no single aspect of group identity (language, religion, etc.) can be used to sort people into one group or another. Flashpop / Getty Images Race vs. Ethnicity Unlike ethnicity, race is based on physical traits that are inherited, such as skin color and facial features. Racial categories are broader than ethnic categories. Today, for example, the U.S. Census divides people into five racial categories: white, black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native,  Asian, and  Native Hawaiian  or Other Pacific Islander. Modern scientists regard race as a social construct, and racial categories, like ethnic categories, have changed over time. What Is My Ethnicity? Because ethnicity is more of a cultural practice than a science, you probably grew up understanding your own ethnicity in a way that tests will never be able to measure. The food you ate, the traditions you practiced, and the language(s) you spoke are all essential aspects of your ethnic identity. If you are interested in learning more about your exact ancestry, you can do so using a variety of DNA testing services. DNA Testing for Ethnicity DNA testing—available through services such as 23andMe, MyHeritage, and LivingDNA—allows people to explore their genealogy using their genetic information. Examining DNA can reveal information about a persons ancestry and ethnic background. While the principles of DNA testing are sound, the private companies that offer this service through home-testing kits have been criticized for their methodologies. Sheldon Krimsky, a scientist at Tufts University, says that these companies don’t share their data, and their methods are not validated by an independent group of scientists. Since each company uses a different database of genetic information, Krimsky says the tests can only give an indication of probabilities: The results are in no way definitive; instead each company uses common genetic variations as the basis for saying the  probability  is that 50 percent of your DNA is, for example, from North Europe and 30 percent is from Asia, based on how it compares to the information in its database. However, if you send DNA to a second company, you might get different results, because it has a different database. The popularity of DNA testing for ancestry has also generated concerns about data privacy.

Prisoner †Creative Writing Free Essays

At least the sun’s shining on this old decrepit prison. I can’t understand why they’ve put me in this remote room, alone. I’ve just arrived. We will write a custom essay sample on Prisoner – Creative Writing or any similar topic only for you Order Now From the 1st of December until my last breath, you would expect to be greeted with open arms, wouldn’t you? It’s not like she didn’t deserve it†¦ Meeting our new friends will be as amusing as reading – I can’t think of anything worse. I’d rather listen to her baby wail, scream and shriek again. I sometimes wonder what happened to that baby, watching its mum suffer. Time is valuable, so I won’t waste it with those ‘freaks’, they’re all the same – worthless vermin. Well they’ll see, I have got it all planned out. Dear Jason, It’s hell here. I feel like Satan’s minion, sweeping, scrubbing, and sweating in this ‘hell-hole’. An insignificant ant challenging the irrefutable Mount Everest – each step is an anxious challenge; as for every single stride I make, I end up stumbling back. Pointless. There is a burden of anxiety and mental suffering depicted in the face of every man, as we are all pampered like peasants; especially Little Bill, he can’t defend himself so everyone takes advantage. I’ve just been placed with Derrick my new cellmate, the old fool’s fifty, twice my age; his senseless stories of driving his own crane in ‘the good old days’ shuttles you towards insanity – without mentioning his nauseating scar which runs the length of his face; my stomach convulses when I gaze upon it. Sneering when he answers ‘How did that happen?’- He fell down flight of stairs; he must think I’m mad to believe him. That’s the other problem, I can’t trust anyone – I will need to eventually though. ‘Bro’, when you next visit Mum’s grave can you leave a bunch of roses from me; she always cherished the aroma they produced: even though I still hate them. Do you know she’s the only thing that’s keeping me going? If only she hadn’t taken that job as ‘her’ assistant none of this would have happened. Mum didn’t deserve so much pressure, she was only the ‘messenger’ doing as she were told, without a wink of sleep in over two weeks a car accident was inevitable. But I have no remorse for what I did to ‘June’, revenge is sweet. Jake I am gazing through the confined window; the icy steel bars obstruct my route from death. The frenzied frost tearing at my tender hands. I’ll be out there soon, we will be free, I can smell it. Old, dilapidated and weathered; these bricks can’t withhold us. From slavering away in the kitchen at a Kings pace a few helpful utensils have been gathered; a carving knife, spoon and fork. These can be stored inside the T.V; no one would bother looking there. ‘Derrick? Where are you, idiot, get here. You’ve worked in the demolishing business for long enough; tell me, can we burst through now?’ ‘Too right son, too right.’ ‘Luckily this fork and spoon has lasted from wear, but it looks the knife won’t be needed ‘aye Del’.’ ‘It’s getting late my boy, move your rock of a bed back to its normal spot. The incessant stomping of the pigs will soon pass our cell. We must wait until dusk.’ The moon’s beams of lurid light echoed through the prison. A steely smell of anxiety overhauled the sound of the snoring from the convicts. This was nearly it. Weeks of planning boiled down to this. Thankfully, I’m fearless, this time I will get away, we will be free ‘Jimmy.’ We could go, now? Just leave Derrick; he’s someone we can’t trust anyway. We should desert him; he would soak up all the blame. Droplets of blood were dripping on the floor; my hands sore and weeping from pounding powerful punches like a boxer at the gapping hole in the corner of the cell – I only had to make it half a foot wider whilst being quiet as possible. A seed of adrenaline sprouted inside me, the round circle in the wall had subsided. It was time. Psyching myself was easy, I knew what had to be done. ‘ESCAPEE, AN ESCAPEY!’ I turn around horrified, standing still paralyzed. Derrick? ‘No it can’t be, y-you set me up?!’ Glaring him straight in the face – I had no choice†¦ How to cite Prisoner – Creative Writing, Papers

New Submarines for Royal Australian Navy-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Why the Australian Government Chose France to Build the New Submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. Answer: Introduction In 2016, the Australian government announced its decision to select France to construct new submarines for the countrys royal navy. As expected, the decision was a major blow to competing bidders such as Japan and Germany who offered cheaper and timely deals for the project.[1] The French company is expected to design and build a 4500-tonne conventionally powered version of its 4500-tonne nuclear powered barracuda. It is also expected that the submarine will be designed for high stealth operations and will be ideal for long range missions to deep waters..[2] However, while submitting its bid, the French company warned that it would deliver the submarines at much slower pace and higher overall cost as compared to its competitors. By and large, the decision to choose France over Germany and Japan is controversial and many believe that the decision was guided by political influences. However, the Australian government insists that the Japanese bid was a better offer and design that met Australias unique navy needs. Discussion and Analysis Firstly, the Australian government argues that the French design and offer was the best option as it would involve building the boats within the country, in Adelaide. In turn, this would result in great opportunities for hundreds of construction workers and companies within the country.[3] The government estimates that the project would create approximately 2800 job opportunities for the Australian workforce as the construction of the new vessels begin. In turn, this is expected to boost the financial and economic position of local Australians in the country. Thus, the government chose the French proposal due to the fact that in the long run, the project would bring about an improvement in the economy of the country. In addition, the Australian government chose the French design as a means to secure their political positions in the South Australia region. Specifically, the Liberals under Tony Abbott were concerned that they would lose three federal seats in the region; Boothby (7.1 percent), Hindmash (1.9 percent) and Sturt (10.1) percent. At the time, Sturt was held by Christopher Pyne, the industry minister and he feared that it would fall to labor. Notably, Pyne was prominent during the submarine announcement and needed to maintain his position after the awarding of the contract. In turn, this led to the decision that would maintain his popularity among the south Australian people, forcing him and other liberals to opt for the French design. Therefore, the willingness by the French company to perform construction work within Australia made the decision more appealing, as it would cement the political position of the government while creating significant opportunities for the local Australian s uppliers. One may also argue that the contract awarding was influenced by the fact that the Japanese company, DCNS possessed great experience in the designing and building of submarines.[4] Particularly, in its submission, DCNS claimed that its experience and propulsion technology from its nuclear and conventional submarines rendered it as the best and most preferred candidate to construct the new submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. Additionally, the DCNS technology incorporates the most sensitive passive sonar ever utilized in traditional submarines. The design also meets the high endurance and long range requirements specified by the Australian Navy. Furthermore, the French designed equipment will offer operational capability beyond the Royal Australian Navys requirements[5]. In turn, the use of these technologies made the French offer more attractive than the German and Japanese designs. According to the countrys minister of defense, the design and building capabilities offered by the DCNS was the best possible match to the countrys unique requirements for its royal navy submarine. The minister refuted reports claiming that the contract with France will cost the country a lot money for a vessel that will do way too little for the country. In his argument, Mr. Payne insists that through consistent advice from specialists in the field, there are no military-off-the-shelf submarine options that meet the countrys unique requirements[6]. He argues that a modified off-the-shelf submarine is an oxymoron. In retrospect, the French design and rapid advancements in the companys underwater military technology is the best alternative as it sufficiently matches the unique requirements of the RANS[7]. It is, therefore, for this reason that the Australian government awarded the winning bid to the French company. Irrespective of the various justifications made by the government for selecting the French company to undertake the project, the fact remains that the completion of the project by France is way too costly and time consuming than if the project was awarded to either Germany or Japan. At the onset, the project is expected to cost $50 billion[8]. The building of the submarine fleet will cost about $20 billion whereas the approximately $30 billion will be spent to sustain them after they come into operation in the middle of the next decade[9]. In addition, the French company will take a significantly longer time to complete the project as compared to the Japanese and German proposals. Conclusion All in all, all factors taken into consideration, the Australian government made the decision to award the contract to France to build the New Submarines for the Royal Australian Navy for various reasons. Firstly, the decision was made based on the fact that the French design, according to the government, would offer was the best option as it would involve building the boats within the country, in Adelaide. Consequently, it would result in promotion of local industries, local suppliers as well as create employment opportunities for the Australian people. Furthermore, the government selected the French proposal with the hope of securing its political position in the South Australia region. Likewise, the decision was informed by the fact that DCNS possessed great experience in the designing and building of submarines. Regardless, awarding of this project to France is way too costly and time consuming for Australia than if the project was awarded to either Japan or Germany. Recommendations It is recommended that before awarding any contract to a bidder, it is important for the management of a company to consider all factors such as the cost and time to be undertaken by the bidders to complete the project. Afterwards, the least costly and time efficient bidder that guarantee the highest quality should be awarded the contract. Reference List Australia, France officially sign Australias Future Submarine deal. (2016). [online] Naval Today. Available at: https://navaltoday.com/2016/12/20/australia-france-officially-sign-australias-future-submarine-deal/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Australian Government selects DCNS for the SEA 1000 Future Submarine Program. (2016). [online] Naval Group. Available at: https://www.naval-group.com/en/news/australian-government-selects-dcns-for-the-sea-1000-future-submarine-program/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Gady, F. S. (2017). Australias Government Under Attack Over Submarine Deal. [online] The Diplomat. Available at: https://thediplomat.com/2017/10/australias-government-under-attack-over-submarine-deal/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Henderson, A. (2017). Australian submarines to be built in Adelaide after French company DCNS wins $50b contract. [online] ABC. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-26/pm-announces-france-has-won-submarine-contract/7357462 [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Karp, P. (2016). France to build Australias new submarine fleet as $50bn contract awarded. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/26/france-to-build-australias-new-submarine-fleet-as-50bn-contract-awarded [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Laird, R. (2016). Building a New Class of Conventional Submarines: The Australian Case. [online] Second Line of Defense. Available at: https://sldinfo.com/2016/09/building-a-new-class-of-conventional-submarines-the-australian-case/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Ohff, H. (2016). Why the French submarine won the bid to replace the Collins-class. [online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/why-the-french-submarine-won-the-bid-to-replace-the-collins-class-58223 [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Stewart, C. and Nicholson, B. (2016). Submarine contract: Turnbull takes expensive long road to new subs. [online] The Australian. Available at: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/defence/submarine-contract-turnbull-takes-expensive-long-road-to-new-subs/news-story/32ee7d50f2c5338973b47d160f746e9f [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Stewart, C. and Nicholson, B. (2016). Submarine contract: Turnbull takes expensive long road to new subs. Karp, P. (2016). France to build Australias new submarine fleet as $50bn contract awarded. Stewart, C. and Nicholson, B. (2016). Submarine contract: Turnbull takes expensive long road to new subs. Ohff, H. (2016). Why the French submarine won the bid to replace the Collins-class. Laird, R. (2016). Building a New Class of Conventional Submarines: The Australian Case. Gady, F. S. (2017). Australias Government Under Attack Over Submarine Deal. Australian Government selects DCNS for the SEA 1000 Future Submarine Program. (2016). Henderson, A. (2017). Australian submarines to be built in Adelaide after French company DCNS wins $50b contract. Australia, France officially sign Australias Future Submarine deal. (2016).

AustinS Aff. Side On Sanctions Essays - International Sanctions

Austin'S Aff. Side On Sanctions AUSTINS AFF. SIDE ON SANCTIONS Silence, who is a man who stands silent? Who is a man who doesnt stand up for what is right? That man is condoning the present activity. He is allowing the status quo to proceed. So what is the alternative? WAR, mass destruction, children lie dead in streets, mothers are killed, babies are left fir dead, home are burned, generations are wiped out. Millions are dead. Countries require decades to reconstruct, heal emotions and whatever good might arise out of all of these only follows years latter after emotions and hostilities are lifted. However being silent is just as deadly as going to war. But there is infect the middle ground to both of these. This middle ground to both of these terrible issues. A middle ground that doesnt require the lives, the money, and the sacrifices that a war might impose on this country or the rest of the world. This middle ground is ECONMIC SANCTIONS. This is why I affirm the resolution The value I hold for todays debate is very clear SAFTEY. At this tim e I do not feel it is nessary to define any terms at this moment, however if does become nessary I will do so at apporite time. I will defend the aff side with the following conts. SANCTIONS ARE THE BRIDIGE THAT ALLOWS NATIONS TO CROSS OVER WAR WITH OUT GOING. 2 WITH OUT SANCTIONS THE WORLD WOULD BE A WAR ZONE. 3 SANCTIONS ARE EFFECTIVE 1. Going into my first cont. I would like to set the goal of economies sanctions: from the journal of commerce in 1998 THE GOAL OF IS STRAIGHT FOWDARD TO HALT ROGUE BEHAVIOR BY HITTING THE TARGET COUNTRY WHERE IT HURTS THE MOST IN THE POCKETBOOK. Now lets go back to the days of the colonist in early America they embossed embargos on England after receiving the TOWNSEND ACTS and they worked, England was only able to comply with the Americans because they were holding their pocket book in their hand so they were helpless. Following this Madison AND Jefferson debated over forgein policy. Jefferson and Madison happened to come to almost the same conc. about forgien policy about sanctions MADISION 1embargo 2 war 3 submission and tribute. However Jefferson had a different idea. 1 diplomacy sanction and war. In Jeffersons words how can America deal with terrorists, proliferarors, and genocidal dictators? Our options would be empty talk and send in the marines. What Jefferson is trying to say is America needs away to be able to threaten terrorists, dictators etc. before they try to harm human life, the US needs away to to tell the worlds most deadly people that if they try things such as genoside or other wrong doings America will intervine to protect the welfare of life. Ex. nazi, Germany, Iraq, Kosho. All of these are prime examples that the US will intervene if such affiances occur. 2 WITHOUT SANCTIONS THE WORLD WOULD BE CONSTANTLY AT WAR. Now lets consider a world with out sanctions a world in which goes from diplomacy to war skipping the sanctions. How could America prevent dictators such a Saddam in Iraq from making VX gas and other biological and chemical weapons of warfare? Could we stop a man in Kosovo form killing many innocent people because they werent the right color or religion? The answer in no we would be in constant war or we would just sit by and allow the present activity to proceed as human life was taken innocently. And lets think, If we didnt intervene in Iraq where would the weapons be pointing this very day. Our allies Israel, Kuat, or in the worst scenario the United States of America. I dont know about you but that just doesnt settle good with dinner to think one day I could be out in the yard fit playing Frisbee and the next watching my naborhors house be blown up followed by mine form a ballistic missile driven by a man that hates everything to do with America. So I cant figure out how anyone t hinks that this could be immoral? 3 SANCTIONS ARE EFFECTIVE From the forgein affairs committee in Washington DC.

The Packinghouse Daughter essays

The Packinghouse Daughter essays This novel tells the story of a small-town, working-class life in the mid 1900s. The daughter of a meatpacking company millwright, Cheri Register tells about the event, which divides her small town of Albert Lea during time of depression. Albert Lea, Minnesota was an industrial town of only 13,545 people. Surrounding the area was cornfields, lakes, cattail marshes, knolls, and oak groves. Albert Lea still was in the 1950s when this story began. Cheri was an elementary student. Her school plans many field trips, which tend to be excursions in industrial technology. Cheri and her classmates visit places, which serve an entertainment and educational purpose. They have visited placed such as printing press, Coca-Cola, and egg hatching victories. Their next trip was different. Cheri and her class were to visit the Wilson s father had worked since 1943. Not speaking much of his job Cheri didnt know much about her fathers work. This trip consisted of a parents signature because of the scene it may bring to the youngsters. Each kid had the option not to participate in the activity that morning since once they entered there was no turning back. They describe the trip as very scenic and educational. For the rest of the day the kids talked to each other about the incredible views, which they encountered. Such as the hundreds of people who worked there and how the as sembly lines for the animals just never ended, one after another after another. Wilson s dad at this time was in a verbatim pattern of a workday, dinner, and falling aslee...

To What Extent Does Corporate Social Responsibility Increase Research Paper

To What Extent Does Corporate Social Responsibility Increase Profitability - Research Paper Example As the research topic suggests the primary aim and objective of this research study would be to find out various means through which CSR activities followed by business organizations can help to increase its revenue generation and thereby increasing its profits as well. The main objective of any organization is to maximize the wealth of its stakeholders. However, it has been observed that most of the firms are mostly concerned about their shareholders and undertakes different activities which lead to the increasing value of its shareholders. CSR has had a renewed attention in recent times mainly because of the facts that apart from shareholders different other stakeholders of the company like its creditors, customers and the external environment of the firm as a whole are having a significant impact caused by the various activities carried on by the business firms. CSR has become a means of sustainability for most of the organizations which can lead to its growth and development in f uture. Hence this research study would try to find out the relationship between CSR and profitability of a company and how CSR activities can lead to the increase in its profitability.2. Literature ReviewThe literature review section of this research study would try to find out the existing literature in the field of corporate social responsibility. Moreover, it would also try to find out what the researchers have to say regarding the relationship of CSR and profitability of a company.

The argument for the institution of a world currency Assignment

The argument for the institution of a world currency - Assignment Example What this will essentially do is to make sure that any impediments that remain within the midst of currency discussions are resolved in an amicable way. It will also touch upon the essential aspects related with the dealing of financial litigations that take place every now and then. What is even more interesting is the ideology that a single world currency would do away with the exchange mechanism which is present in different countries of the world. There would be fewer financial lapses and the world will become a much better and economically safer place. However, for now what is really required is a vision to have a world currency that can resurrect the structures of these markets. It would mean that this world currency takes into perspective the ideology that no currency is bigger than the other and all individuals within this world have uniform status. When this happens, the people will understand the dictum of change that is coming about within their ranks and that too for all the right reasons. Hence what remains now to be seen is the fact that the institution of a single currency would bring benefits for the sake of the people, and if the same happens, what are the negative repercussions in the aftermath of the adoption of one such currency. The first and foremost problem that could come about in the wake of having a single currency would be to properly demarcate the basis of the wealthy and poor economies in this day and age (Semmler, 2011). This would mean that the dominant superpower nations of the world which have renowned currencies of their own would have to let go their respective ones. This world currency would have the power to turn heads and have a singular belief that all types of people are catered to, without any discriminations whatsoever. It would also make sure that any predicaments that do arise within the wake of adoption of this world currency are taken care of at the earliest because apprehensions regarding the same cannot be deemed as affordable at all. This is so said because the world currency would present a singular vision of the world and keep the rich and the poor on the same platform. It would tell them how they have to conduct their own selves for the global good, which is of a collective nature nonetheless. This is important because in the current times, there is a great deal of anarchy that one can see when it comes to the financial regimes. The adoption of a world currency would mean that there are fewer issues that surround the currency domains and more collective harmony for the people at large. However, some people might have different views altogether because they think distinctively and thus have a viewpoint which is not in line with the same. But then again, there are some people who would believe in the dictum of having a world currency for the wellness of the human beings on this planet earth. The institution of a world economy would guarantee that the divide between the rich and the poor is resolved in an amicable way. This would mean that the currencies that are rampant in the world are given a relief because much has been credited upon their shoulders, and not entirely for all the right reasons. There are immense negatives that have come about in the wake of understanding the dictum of too many currencies spoiling the world image (LeRoy, 2011). The people have realized these anomalies as well and are doing their utmost to resolve the ambiguities which are widespread in the lengths and breadths of the different nations of the world. Now is the time to bring about a change and this change can only happen when there are more good points than bad. The adoption of a world currency is one such positive that can be cashed upon. It will make this world a better economic

Sickle Cell Anemia And Hemophilia Biology Essay

Sickle Cell Anemia And Hemophilia Biology Essay Abstract In the following paper, sickle cell anemia and hemophilia disorders were studied extensively. Sickle cell anemia was found to be the disorder where the red blood cells develop into sickle shaped cells due to a mutation of the hemoglobin protein. When the cell becomes sickle shaped, they also become sticky and will clump with other cells in the blood vessel. This can lead to decrease blood flow in that blood vessel which will lead to various effects. Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary disease in that it is passed down generations genetically. The main effect of sickle cell anemia is the decrease in number of red blood cells in the blood and lack of oxygen transport to certain areas of the body. Though are many drugs to help with the pain caused by sickle cell anemia, there is no definitive cure to the disorder. However, the main type of treatment is bone marrow transplant. However this procedure is very risky and not advised unless the symptoms of sickle cell anemia are severe. There is much research being done on sickle cell anemia, but no definitive cure has been found. The life expectancy of patients with sickle cell anemia is from 40 -60 years old and majority of the patients are African descent. Hemophilia is the disorder that prevents the body to stop bleeding. If a person is cut, the body will not form clots to stop the bleeding because people with hemophilia lack a clotting factor. This is also a genetic disorder and is found only on the X chromosome. Hemophilia can be divided into two categories: hemophilia A (lacks clotting factor 8) and hemophilia B (lacks clotting factor 9). About 9 out of 10 people who have hemophilia have type A. Rarely, hemophilia can be acquired. This means that you can develop it during your lifetime. About 18,000 people in the United States have hemophilia. Each year, about 400 babies are born with the disorder. Hemophilia usually occurs only in males (with very rare exceptions). The major signs and symptoms of hemophilia are excessive bleeding and easy bruising. The main treatment for hemophilia is called replacement therapy. Concentrates of clotting factor 8 or clotting factor 9 are slowly dripped in or injected into a vein. These infusions he lp replace the clotting factor thats missing or low. Hemophilia treatment centers are located in many areas of the United States. These centers can provide treatment, education, and support to hemophilia patients, their families, and their health care providers. Sickle Cell Anemia What is Sickle Cell Anemia? Sickle Cell Anemia or sickle cell disease is a blood disorder that is genetic. This disorder affects the red blood cells of the human body and can cause much damage to the body. It causes the red blood cells of the body to become an abnormal shape, usually in the shape of a sickle or crescent. Red blood cells are cells that carry nutrients and oxygen to different organs in the body and carry carbon dioxide back to the lungs. However, Sickle Cell Anemia basically does not allow for the red blood cells to act normally. The way a red blood cell is able to carry the oxygen molecules to the organs is by a protein molecule located on the cell called hemoglobin. This molecule is able to carry oxygen from the lungs to the bodys tissues and return carbon dioxide to the lungs. A defect of this molecule can affect every part of the body that is supplied oxygen by red blood cells which is everything. In Sickle Cell Anemia, the regular hemoglobin is mutated and changes from the normal hemoglobin A to hemoglobin S. the ability for a protein to be mutated that is located on the red blood cells means that this mutation can will be passed down to the persons child, making this disease hereditary. The mutated hemoglobin causes the entire normal red blood cell to become sickle shaped and stickier. The abnormal cells begin to clump together and have a difficult time being transported throughout the body through the blood vessels. When the blood vessels become obstructed by the sickle cells, blood flow decreases in that part of the body. This will cause a lack of oxygen in those areas which, ultimately, leads to those cells death. Another characteristic of Sickle Cell Anemia is that the abnormal red blood cells have a shorter life expectancy. Normal red blood cells usually live up to 120 days and through a process called phagocytosis they are removed from circulation. However, the red blood cells infected with the sickle cell disease live only about 10 to 20 days. This means that the body needs to produce ten times as many red blood cells if the person has Sickle Cell Anemia than a normal person. However, the body cannot produce that many red blood cells that fast. Red blood cells are produced in bone marrow, located in the inner hollow interior portion of bones, by a process called erythropoiesis. The bone marrow cannot produce red blood cells fast enough to replace the dying ones. This will lead to decreased number of red blood cells which can lead to many side effects. Causes of Sickle Cell Anemia Sickle Cell Anemia is a type of disease that someone cannot get unless if they were born with it. This disease is an inherited blood disorder that one is born with. A person is born with genes that give him/her distinctive appearance and personality. They get these genes from their parents, half from each. In Sickle Cell Anemia, there is a specific gene that can be passed down generation which will cause the disorder. This gene, sickle cell gene (HbAS), is a recessive type of gene which means that unless there is another one of it, it will not be expressed. However, that gene will be part of them forever and there will be a 50% chance that their child will have that gene. However, if two people with the sickle cell gene have a child, then there will be a 25 % chance that there child will have the disorder, 50% chance that their child will have only sickle cell gene, and 25% their child will have zero copies of the sickle cell gene. This gene which represents a specific trait will cause the Sickle Cell Anemia. Once the person has the trait, then it will begin to cause the body to make abnormal proteins on the red blood cells called hemoglobin. As discussed earlier, the mutated form of hemoglobin causes the cell to become sickle shaped and cause all sorts of havoc in the body. In addition, a distinctive trait about Sickle Cell Anemia is that once someone gets it, there is no way to get rid of it. Also since this is a genetic disease, there can be different variations of the disease. If a person inherits one sickle cell trait and if the person has the abnormal hemoglobin C (not hemoglobin S which is present in Sickle Cell Anemia), then the person will develop a milder form of the Sickle Cell Anemia disease called HbSC. If a person inherits one sickle cell gene and one gene for beta thalassemia (another type of anemia) which can be 0 or + then the person will either severe case of Sickle Cell Anemia (if HbS Beta 0- thalassemia) or a milder case of it (if HbS beta +-thalassemia). Symptoms of Sickle Cell Anemia Even though that people are born with Sickle Cell Anemia, the symptoms do not appear until after 4 months of age. The symptoms of Sickle Cell Anemia can be divided into three categories: symptoms related to anemia, symptoms related to pain, and symptoms that arise due to disorder. The first category deals with how the lack of red blood cells can affect the body. The most common symptom is fatigue because in order for the body to function and stay alert, it needs oxygen which is what anemia decreases. In addition, anemia causes dizziness, headaches, pale skin, chest pain, coldness in the hands and feet, and shortness of breath. These are all caused by the lack of oxygen reaching certain areas of the body. The second category deals with symptoms that are related to pain. A person with Sickle Cell Anemia is likely to express pain throughout their body which is called sickle cell crisis. This occurs when there is a mass of sickle cells in the blood vessels. With decreased blood flow to organs and limbs, there is usually sharp pain and organ damage. This crisis also has a range on how painful the pain is. If it is an acute pain, then the pain will be mild to severe and may last from hours to days. On the other hand, chronic pain will last for a lot longer period of time and will be hard to bear and mentally draining. This pain may severely limit your daily activities. The final category deals with the complications of Sickle Cell Anemia. This category examines certain complications that arise in certain areas of the body due to the Sickle Cell Anemia. The first complication is called Hand-Foot Syndrome. This occurs when the mass of sickle cells block a blood vessel in the limbs of the body. This will cause there to be pain, swelling, and/or fever. This is syndrome is one of the first signs an infant may have Sickle Cell Anemia. The next complication arises in the spleen. The spleen filters out abnormal red blood cells and helps fight infections. If a person has Sickle Cell Anemia, the spleen may become enlarged due to all of the sickle cells getting stuck in the spleen. If the spleen becomes enlarged, then the person will feel weak, have pale lips, higher respiration rate, extreme thirst, and abdominal pain. To treat the enlarged spleen, the patient should get a blood transfusion. Another complication that can occur is infections. Since Sickle Cell Anemia affects the immune fighting organ, the spleen, both young and old patients will have a hard time fighting infections. Young children who have a damaged spleen will most likely die in a few days due to the infections. Some common infections a child may get are pneumonia, meningitis, influenza, and hepatitis. Another life threatening complication due to Sickle Cell Anemia is acute chest syndrome. This occurs when there is sickle cells trapped in the lungs which may lead to the patient developing pulmonary arterial hypertension. This is when the lungs are damaged which make it hard for the heart to pump blood through the lungs. This will lead to elevated heart rate and pressure. A complication that is common with children is their delayed growth and puberty. This is caused by the shortage of red blood cells in the body. Young children will grow slower and reach puberty later than normal children. Adults will be thinner and smaller than normal adults. A more serious complication that can arise in adults however, is a stroke. Sickle Cell Anemia can cause both types of strokes in adults: a blood vessel in the brain is blocked or a blood vessel bursts. Both types of strokes lead to learning disabilities, brain damage, paralysis, or even death. Sickle Cell Anemia can also lead to priapism. This is when a male Sickle Cell Anemia patient will have painful unwelcomed erections. This will occur because the sickle cells block the blood flow out of an erect penis. Since sickle cells have a shorted life span, they break down too fast for the body to remove them from the body. When a red blood cell dies, it will release the hemoglobin protein in the form of bilirubin. The bilirubin will form stones in the gallbladder called gallstones. This will cause the patient to feel pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, sweating, chills, clay-colored stools, or jaundice. Jaundice is when the skin color of a patient turns to a yellowish color because of elevated bilirubin level in the blood. A more severe symptom of Sickle Cell Anemia are ulcers or sores that begin as small, raised, crusted sores on the lower third of the leg. Leg sores occur more often in males than in females. These sores usually appear between the ages of 10 and 50. The cause of sickle cell ulcers isnt clear. The number of ulcers can vary from one to many. Some heal quickly, but others persist for years or come back after healing. The last major complication of Sickle Cell Anemia is multiple organ failures. This may be one of the more rare complications but is one of the most dangerous. If too many of your organs fail, then there is a high probability that you will die. Though only a few of the symptoms of Sickle Cell Anemia have been presented, there are many more which can lead to serious damage to the body if gone unattended. Demographics Though Sickle Cell Anemia is a worldwide disease, it is most common in people who come from Africa, South America, Central America, specifically panama, the Caribbean islands, Turkey, Greece, Italy, other Mediterranean countries, India, and Saudi Arabia. Statistically, 1 in every 500 African American births has the sickle cell disease and about 1 in every 1,000 Hispanic Americans have the disease. About 2 million people carry the sickle cell trait in America and about 1 in 12 African Americans carry the trait in America. There have been close to 72,000 cases of Sickle Cell Anemia in America and the prevalence rate in America is 0.10% or 272,000 people. The deaths from Sickle Cell Anemia are close to 500 deaths per year. Diagnosis One way someone can find out if they have Sickle Cell Anemia is by a simple blood test. When a baby is born, he/she will go through a series of newborn screening exams which test for diseases or disorders the baby may have. A blood test will show if the baby has the disease or if he/she has only the trait. Once the tests are conformed by a second test, the baby will be sent to a hematologist who is a specialist in blood diseases and disorders for further guidance. There is also a way for a parent to know if their child will have sickle cell anemia before he/she is born. Doctors do this by taking a sample of amniotic fluid or tissue from the placenta and testing it for sickle cell anemia gene instead of the hemoglobin the gene makes. Treatment Treatment for sickle cell anemia can be divided in to the three categories that were created for the different types of symptoms. The first category was the pain category. To treat the pain caused by sickle cell anemia, pain killers and fluids are used. To treat the pain, fluids and pain killers are used because the fluids will prevent dehydration which is caused by the disease. The pain killers that doctors prescribe can include acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and narcotics which include meperidine, morphine, oxycodone and others. Another drug that doctors use for sickle cell anemia is hydroxyurea. This drug will reduce the number of pain crises the patient experiences. This drug does not treat the pain crises when they occur but prevents them from occurring at all. Also research has found that this drug will reduce organ damage and improve growth of children. The treatment discussed in the next category, symptoms that deal with Anemia, can help treat anemia. The treatment is called blood transfusion and is used to treat severe cases of anemia. Blood transfusion is a procedure where blood is given to the patient by an intravenous line. This is done to replace the dead red blood cells that were a result of the disease. The last category dealt with complications that arise due to sickle cell anemia. One complication that can be treated is an infection. Due to the reduced number of red blood cells, the human immune system is weakened and children will be at risk for harmful infections. One infection that usually kills children is pneumonia. To treat pneumonia, children should take vaccines regularly. Also to treat other infections, antibiotic medicines and blood transfusion may be used. To treat the acute chest syndrome that arises from sickle cell anemia, the patient must get treated with oxygen, blood transfusions, and antibiotics. The main medication for this complication is the same one that reduces the number of pain crises, hydroxyurea. To prevent and treat patients with sickle cell anemia that experience strokes, the patient should get ultrasound scans of their heads. This will allow the doctor measure the blood flow to the brain see if there are any complications due to the sickle cell disease. The ulcers in the leg can be treated with pain killers, cleansing solutions, creams or ointments, and skin grafts (for severe ulcers). And lastly, to treat the gallstones, surgery may be needed to remove them from the gallbladder. Surgery can also be used to help patients that have priapism. Since the discovery of sickle cell anemia, doctors have been working hard to find new treatments for the disease. In recent years, there have been new and experimental treatments that help patients with the disease. One of these treatments is bone marrow transplant. Since the sickle cell anemia affects the red blood cell production, it was thought that replacing the material the produces the cells may help people with the disease. After numerous trials, it has been shown that bone marrow transplant is somewhat of a cure. However, the procedure is very dangerous and lead to serious side effects or even death. Due to this risk, only young patients and people with significant symptoms or problems get the treatment. The procedure is still being researched. Another experimental treatment is gene therapy. Gene therapy is when researchers insert the normal gene for hemoglobin creation into the bone marrow of infected patients. Researchers hope that the normal genes will begin to produce the correct hemoglobin or if they can cancel the sickle cell gene by turning it off in babies. In addition, researchers are producing new drugs that may help patients. On drug has butyric acid in it which can increase the amount of normal hemoglobin in the blood. Another drug has nitric oxide in it which makes the actual sickle cells less sticky which will lead to less blocked blood vessels. The final drug contains decitadine. This will increase the amount of certain hemoglobin protein that carries more oxygen. Though there are many drugs that seem that they will work, there still more research to be done. Research Due to the severity of sickle cell anemia, there are many doctors working hard to find a definitive cure. One research that may help with finding a cure dealt with the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in adults with sickle cell disease. The research group studied the mechanism of its development, and its prospective prognostic significances. They performed Doppler echocardiographic assessments of pulmonary-artery systolic pressure in 195 consecutive patients (82 men and 113 women with the average age of 36). The pulmonary hypertension was prospectively defined as a tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity of at least 2.5 m per second. Patients were followed for a mean of 18 months, and data were censored at the time of death or loss to follow-up. The group reached the following results. They determined that the Doppler-defined pulmonary hypertension occurred in 32 percent of patients. Multiple logistic-regression analysis, with the use of the dichotomous variable of a tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity of less than 2.5 m per second or 2.5 m per second or more, identified a self-reported history of cardiovascular or renal complications, increased systolic blood pressure, high lactate dehydrogenase levels (a marker of hemolysis), high levels of alkaline phosphatase, and low transferrin levels as significant independent correlates of pulmonary hypertension. The fetal hemoglobin level, white-cell count, and platelet count and the use of hydroxyurea therapy were unrelated to pulmonary hypertension. A tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity of at least 2.5 m per second, as compared with a velocity of less than 2.5 m per second, was strongly associated with an increased risk of death and remained so after adjustment for other possible ri sk factors in a proportional-hazards regression model. They came to the following conclusions. They believed that the pulmonary hypertension, diagnosed by Doppler echocardiography, is common in adults with sickle cell disease. It appears to be a complication of chronic hemolysis, is resistant to hydroxyurea therapy, and confers a high risk of death. Social Impact Though many believe that living with sickle cell anemia is impossible, that is not true. The infected people can live like any other person with just a few deviations. The only negative thing about living with sickle cell anemia is that the life expectancy is between 40 and 60 years old. However a person can live longer if they maintain a healthy lifestyle, control the complications that arise from the disease, and if they learn the correct ways to cope with the pain. A healthy life style means you eat healthy foods or foods that contain certain vitamins that may help your body cope with the disease. An example of a vitamin would be folic acid. Also doctors advise patients to drink plenty of water so he/she wont become dehydrated. To help prevent and control the complications of sickle cell anemia, the patient needs to follow certain instructions and warnings. Some of these instructions and warnings include avoiding decongestants and drugs that tighten blood vessels. Also the patient should avoid living in extreme hot and cold areas or in low oxygen level areas (well above sea level cities). Also doctors recommend that the patient avoid or reduce stress in their life and to avoid jobs that require a lot of physical labor. In addition, the patient should get all of the vaccines and flu shots that are available. Though following doctors recommendations will help a patient, learning and studying different treatments and lifestyle choices on their own can help them a lot. If a patient reads about sickle cell anemia, they will be better equipped to deal with symptoms and complications that may arise. If you or someone in your family has sickle cell anemia, you may want help with the stresses of this lifelong disease. Sickle cell centers and clinics can provide information and counseling. Ask your doctor or the staff at a sickle cell center if there are support groups for families in your area. Talking with others who are facing the same challenges you are can be helpful. Its especially important to find ways to control and cope with pain. Different techniques work for different people, but it might be worth trying heating pads, hot baths, massages or physical therapy. Prayer, family and friends also can be sources of support. If you have a child with sickle cell anemia, learn as much as you c an about the disease and make sure your child gets the best health care possible. A child with sickle cell disease has special needs and requires regular medical care. Your doctor can explain how often to bring your child for medical care and what you can do if he or she becomes ill. Conclusion Sickle cell anemia is a significant disease that must be addressed immediately. The number of people that know about sickle cell anemia is alarmingly low and that must change. People must become aware of the dangers of this disease and must do everything in their power to help prevent it from spreading. This disease can lead to death in infants, children, teens, and adults. It is also a worldwide disorder that needs more attention. This disease, which is genetically passed down to people, needs more people researching it and trying to find cures to. Though there are many doctors hard at work to find a cure, there can be so much more that can be done. Though there is a group of people unaware of this disease, it does not mean the work already done should be neglect. Through the hard work of doctors, we have been able to find almost every symptom of sickle cell anemia and how to treat most of the symptoms. To find a cure for sickle cell anemia, everyone must do their part and help in some way. Hemophilia What is Hemophilia? Hemophilia is a blood disorder that prevents your blood to clot normally. When the body experiences an injury where the person begins to bleed, the body reacts in a very unique manner. Blood is a liquid membrane that is composed red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The purpose of the blood is to transport nutrients and oxygen from the lungs to different areas of the body and to transport carbon dioxide and waste from those areas back to the lungs. Blood also serves as a transport system for white blood cells which are part of the immune system and fighters of the immune system. However, blood also serves as a clotting mechanism. In order for the body to clot an injury, platelets must be able to stick together at the injury site. This stickiness is called the blood clotting factor. Hemophilia is a disorder that causes people to have little to none clotting factor. Hemophilia is usually an inherited disease which does not allow your blood to clot externally or internally. People with hemophilia will have a gene that will cause the clotting factor, a protein, to not work properly which will cause the patient to keep bleeding. The clotting factor is needed to form clots with platelets. Hemophilia can be divided into two major types: hemophilia A or hemophilia B. about 9 out of 10 people who have hemophilia will have type A hemophilia which means the body is missing or has low levels of clotting factor 8. If the person has type B, then they are missing or have low levels of clotting factor 9. In addition, hemophilia is usually genetically acquired but some can develop hemophilia during their lifetime. This can happen if your body forms antibodies (proteins) to the clotting factors in your bloodstream. The antibodies can prevent the clotting factors from working. Causes of Hemophilia A person usually inherits hemophilia but as discussed earlier, they can develop hemophilia during their lifetime. If a disease is inherited, then that means the parents of the patient will also have the gene for the disease. In the case of hemophilia, the gene for hemophilia is located on the X chromosome. Females have two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y chromosome. Only the X chromosome carries the genes related to clotting factors. A male who has the abnormal gene on his X chromosome will have hemophilia. A female must have the abnormal gene on both of her X chromosomes to have hemophilia; this is very rare. A female is a carrier of hemophilia if she has the abnormal gene on one of her X chromosomes. Even though she doesnt have the condition, she can pass the gene on to her children. If a father does not have the hemophilia trait but the mother does have only one copy of the gene and they have 2 daughters and 2 sons, then each daughter has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the abnormal gene from her mother and being a carrier. Each son has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the abnormal gene from his mother and having hemophilia. However if the father has hemophilia and the mother has neither hemophilia or the hemophilia trait and they have 2 daughters and 2 sons, then each daughter will inherit the abnormal gene from her father and be a carrier. None of the sons will inherit the abnormal gene from their father, and, therefore, none will have hemophilia. Very rarely, a girl is born with hemophilia. This can happen if her father has hemophilia and her mother is a carrier. In addition to the genes that cause hemophilia, there are other factors that may cause it. One factor is the type of clotting factor that the person is missing. If the person has hemophilia A, then the person lacks clotting factor 8. If the person has hemophilia B, then the person lacks the clotting factor 9. Finally, if the person has Hemophilia C which is rare in the United States, then person has a different inheritance pattern and lacks clotting factor 9. Symptoms of Hemophilia The main symptom of hemophilia is excessive bleeding externally and internally. The extent of bleeding depends on the type and severity of the hemophilia. Children who have mild hemophilia may not have symptoms unless they have excessive bleeding from a dental procedure, an accident, or surgery. In addition, the symptoms of hemophilia vary depending on how deficient your clotting factors are. If levels of your deficient clotting factor are very low, you may experience spontaneous bleeding. If levels of your deficient clotting factor are slightly to moderately low, you may bleed only after surgery or trauma. If you bleed spontaneously then you have the following symptoms: many large or deep bruises, joint pain and swelling caused by internal bleeding, unexplained bleeding or bruising, blood in your urine or stool, and prolonged bleeding from cuts or injuries, or after surgery or tooth extraction. Bleeding in the knees, elbows, or other joints is another common form of internal bleeding in people who have hemophilia. This bleeding can occur without obvious injury. At first, the bleeding causes tightness in the joint with no real pain or any visible signs of bleeding. The joint then becomes swollen, hot to touch, and painful to bend. Swelling continues as bleeding continues. Eventually, movement in the joint is temporarily lost. Pain can be severe. Joint bleeding that isnt quickly treated can permanently damage the joint. Internal bleeding in the brain is a very serious complication of hemophilia that can happen after a simple bump on the head or a more serious injury. The signs and symptoms of bleeding in the brain include long-lasting, painful headaches or neck pain or stiffness or convulsions or seizures. Demographics Hemophilia affects 1 in 5,000 male births. About 400 babies are born with hemophilia each year. The exact number of people living with hemophilia in the United States is not known. Currently, the number of people with hemophilia in the United States is estimated to be about 20,000. In the United States, most people with hemophilia are diagnosed at a very young age. Based on CDC data, the median age at diagnosis is 36 months for people with mild hemophilia, 8 months for those with moderate hemophilia, and 1 month for those with severe hemophilia. In about two thirds of cases, there is a family history of hemophilia. The diagnosis of hemophilia is made using a special blood test and most babies can be tested soon after birth. Sometimes prenatal genetic testing is done to diagnose hemophilia before birth. Treatment Though, like sickle cell anemia, there is no definitive cure for hemophilia, there are many treatments that help people cope with the disease. However, the treatments people get is based on the severity of the disease. However there is main treatment for hemophilia; it is called replacement therapy. In this therapy, the missing clotting factor is injected into the body intravenously to replace the clotting factor. Though this treatment sounds good, there is a drawback, the patient has to continuously take injections of the therapy to prevent bleeding. Antifibrinolytic medicines (including tranexamic acid and aminocaproic acid) may be used with replacement therapy. Theyre usually given as a pill, and they help keep blood clots from breaking down. Another complication to this treatment is that the body may develop antibodies that act against the new clotting factor or there might be damage to joints, muscles, or other parts of the body resulting from delays in treatment. Antibodies can destroy the clotting factor before it has a chance to work. This is a very serious problem. It prevents the main treatment for hemophilia (replacement therapy) from working. Antibodies to clotting factor, also called inhibitors, develop in about 20 percent of people who have severe hemophilia A and 1 percent of people who have hemophilia B. When antibodies develop, doctors may use larger doses of clotting factor or try different clotting factor sources. Sometimes, the antibodies go away. Desmopressin (DDAVP) is a man-made hormone used to treat people who have mild to moderate hemophilia A. DDAVP isn

The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle Chapter Six

Stefan sat in the Gilbert living room, agreeing politely with whatever it was Aunt Judith was saying. The older woman was uncomfortable having him here; you didn't need to be a mind reader to know that. But she was trying, and so Stefan was trying, too. He wanted Elena to be happy. Elena. Even when he wasn't looking at her, he was aware of her more than of anything else in the room. Her living presence beat against his skin like sunlight against closed eyelids. When he actually let himself turn to face her, it was a sweet shock to all his senses. He loved her so much. He never saw her as Katherine any more; he had almost forgotten how much she looked like the dead girl. In any case, there were so many differences. Elena had the same pale gold hair and creamy skin, the same delicate features as Katherine, but there the resemblance ended. Her eyes, looking violet in the firelight just now but normally a blue as dark as lapis lazuli, were neither timid nor childlike as Katherine's had been. On the contrary, they were windows to her soul, which shone like an eager flame behind them. Elena was Elena, and her image had replaced Katherine's gentle ghost in his heart. But her very strength made their love dangerous. He hadn't been able to resist her last week when she'd offered him her blood. Granted, he might have died without it, but it had been far too soon for Elena's own safety. For the hundredth time, his eyes moved over Elena's face, searching for the telltale signs of change. Was that creamy skin a little paler? Was her expression slightly more remote? They would have to be careful from now on. He would have to be more careful. Make sure to feed often, satisfy himself with animals, so he wouldn't be tempted. Never let the need get too strong. Now that he thought of it, he was hungry right now. The dry ache, the burning, was spreading along his upper jaw, whispering through his veins and capillaries. He should be out in the woods – senses alert to catch the slightest crackle of dry twigs, muscles ready for the chase – not here by a fire watching the tracery of pale blue veins in Elena's throat. That slim throat turned as Elena looked at him. â€Å"Do you want to go to that party tonight? We can take Aunt Judith's car,† she said. â€Å"But you ought to stay for dinner first,† said Aunt Judith quickly. â€Å"We can pick up something on the way.† Elena meant they could pick up something for her, Stefan thought. He himself could chew and swallow ordinary food if he had to, though it did him no good, and he had long since lost any taste for it. No, his†¦ appetites†¦ were more particular now, he thought. And if they went to this party, it would mean hours more before he could feed. But he nodded agreement to Elena. â€Å"If you want to,† he said. She did want to; she was set on it. He'd seen that from the beginning. â€Å"All right then, I'd better change.† She glanced through the doorway, to the empty living room, and said, â€Å"It's all right. They're almost healed already. See?† She tugged her lacy collar down, twisting her head to one side. Stefan stared, mesmerized, at the two round marks on the fine-grained skin. They were a very light, translucent burgundy color, like much-watered wine. He set his teeth and forced his eyes away. Looking much longer at that would drive him crazy. â€Å"That wasn't what I meant,† he said brusquely. The shining veil of her hair fell over the marks again, hiding them. â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"Come in!† As they did, walking into the room, conversations stopped. Elena looked at the faces turned toward them, at the curious, furtive eyes and the wary expressions. Not the kind of looks she was used to getting when she made an entrance. It was another student who'd opened the door for them; Alaric Saltzman was nowhere in sight. But Caroline was, seated on a bar stool, which showed off her legs to their best advantage. She gave Elena a mocking look and then made some remark to a boy on her right. He laughed. Elena could feel her smile start to go painful, while a flush crept up toward her face. Then a familiar voice came to her. â€Å"Elena, Stefan! Over here.† Gratefully, she spotted Bonnie sitting with Meredith and Ed Goff on a loveseat in the corner. She and Stefan settled on a large ottoman opposite them, and she heard conversations start to pick up again around the room. By tacit agreement, no one mentioned the awkwardness of Elena and Stefan's arrival. Elena was determined to pretend that everything was as usual. And Bonnie and Meredith were backing her. â€Å"You look great,† said Bonnie warmly. â€Å"I just love that red sweater.† â€Å"She does look nice. Doesn't she, Ed?† said Meredith, and Ed, looking vaguely startled, agreed. â€Å"So your class was invited to this, too,† Elena said to Meredith. â€Å"I thought maybe it was just seventh period.† â€Å"I don't know ifinvited is the word.† replied Meredith dryly. â€Å"Considering that participation is half our grade.† â€Å"Do you think he was serious about that? He couldn't be serious,† put in Ed. â€Å"Ray? Oh, Ray. I don't know, around somewhere, I suppose. There's a lot of people here.† That was true. The Ramsey living room was packed, and from what Elena could see the crowd flowed into the dining room, the front parlor, and probably the kitchen as well. Elbows kept brushing Elena's hair as people circulated behind her. â€Å"What did Saltzman want with you after class?† Stefan was saying. â€Å"Alaric,† Bonnie corrected primly. â€Å"He wants us to call him Alaric. Oh, he was just being nice. He felt awful for making me relive such an agonizing experience. He didn't know exactly how Mr. Tanner died, and he hadn't realized I was so sensitive. Of course, he's incredibly sensitive himself, so he understands what it's like. He's an Aquarius.† â€Å"With a moon rising in pickup lines,† said Meredith under her breath. â€Å"Bonnie you don't believe that garbage, do you? He's a teacher; he shouldn't be trying that out on students.† â€Å"He wasn't trying anything out! He said exactly the same thing to Tyler and Sue Carson. He said we should form a support group for each other or write an essay about that night to get our feelings out. He said teenagers are all very impressionable and he didn't want the tragedy to have a lasting impact on our lives.† â€Å"Oh, brother,† said Ed, and Stefan turned a laugh into a cough. He wasn't amused, though, and his question to Bonnie hadn't been just idle curiosity. Elena could tell; she could feel it radiating from him. Stefan felt about Alaric Saltzman the way that most of the people in this room felt about Stefan. Wary and mistrustful. â€Å"Itwas strange, him acting as if the party was a spontaneous idea in our class,† she said, responding unconsciously to Stefan's unspoken words, â€Å"when obviously it had been planned.† â€Å"What's even stranger is the idea that the school would hire a teacher without telling him how the previous teacher died,† said Stefan. â€Å"Everyone was talking about it; it must have been in the papers.† â€Å"But not all the details,† said Bonnie firmly. â€Å"In fact, there are things the police still haven't let out, because they think it might help them catch the killer. For instance,† she dropped her voice, â€Å"do you know what Mary said? Dr. Feinberg was talking to the guy who did the autopsy, the medical examiner. And he said that there was no blood left in the body at all. Not a drop.† Elena felt an icy wind blow through her, as if she stood once again in the graveyard. She couldn't speak. But Ed said, â€Å"Where'd it go?† â€Å"Well, all over the floor, I suppose,† said Bonnie calmly. â€Å"All over the altar and everything. That's what the police are investigating now. But it's unusual for a corpse not to haveany blood left; usually there's some that settles down on the underside of the body. Postmortem lividity, it's called. It looks like big purple bruises. What's wrong?† â€Å"Your incredible sensitivity has me ready to throw up,† said Meredith in a strangled voice. â€Å"Could we possibly talk about something else?† â€Å"You weren't the one with blood all over you,† Bonnie began, but Stefan interrupted her. â€Å"I don't know,† said Bonnie, and then she brightened. â€Å"That's right, Elena, you said you knew – â€Å" â€Å"Shut up, Bonnie,† said Elena desperately. If there ever were a placenot to discuss this, it was in a crowded room surrounded by people who hated Stefan. Bonnie's eyes widened, and then she nodded, subsiding. Elena could not relax, though. Stefan hadn't killed Mr. Tanner, and yet the same evidence that would lead to Damon could as easily lead to him. Andwould lead to him, because no one but she and Stefan knew of Damon's existence. He was out there, somewhere, in the shadows. Waiting for his next victim. Maybe waiting for Stefan – or for her. â€Å"I'm hot,† she said abruptly. â€Å"I think I'll go see what kinds of refreshmentsAlaric has provided.† Stefan started to rise, but Elena waved him back down. He wouldn't have any use for potato chips and punch. And she wanted to be alone for a few minutes, to be moving instead of sitting, to calm herself. Being with Meredith and Bonnie had given her a false sense of security. Leaving them, she was once again confronted by sidelong glances and suddenly turned backs. This time it made her angry. She moved through the crowd with deliberate insolence, holding any eye she accidentally caught. I'm already notorious, she thought. I might as well be brazen, too. She was hungry. In the Ramsey dining room someone had set up an assortment of finger foods that looked surprisingly good. Elena took a paper plate and dropped a few carrot sticks on it, ignoring the people around the bleached oak table. She wasn't going to speak to them unless they spoke first. She gave her full attention to the refreshments, leaning past people to select cheese wedges and Ritz crackers, reaching in front of them to pluck grapes, ostentatiously looking up and down the whole array to see if there was anything she'd missed. She'd succeeded in riveting everyone's attention, something she knew without raising her eyes. She bit delicately down on a bread stick, holding it between her teeth like a pencil, and turned from the table. â€Å"Mind if I have a bite?† Shock snapped her eyes wide open and froze her breath. Her mind jammed, refusing to acknowledge what was going on, and leaving her helpless, vulnerable, in the face of it. But though rational thought had disappeared, her senses went right on recording mercilessly: dark eyes dominating her field of vision, a whiff of some kind of cologne in her nostrils, two long fingers tilting her chin up. Damon leaned in, and, neatly and precisely, bit off the other end of the bread stick. In that moment, their lips were only inches apart. He was leaning in for a second bite before Elena's wits revived enough to throw her backward, her hand grabbing the bit of crisp bread and tossing it away. He caught it in midair, a virtuoso display of reflex. His eyes were still on hers. Elena got in a breath at last and opened her mouth; she wasn't sure what for. To scream, probably. To warn all these people to run out into the night. Her heart was pounding like a triphammer, her vision blurred. What are you doing here? she thought. The scene around her seemed eerily bright and unnatural. It was like one of those nightmares when everything is ordinary, just like waking life, and then suddenly something grotesque happens. He was going to kill them all. â€Å"Elena? Are you okay?† Sue Carson was talking to her, gripping her shoulder. â€Å"I think she choked on something,† Damon said, releasing Elena's wrist. â€Å"But she's all right now. Why don't you introduce us?† He was going to kill them all†¦ â€Å"Elena, this is Damon, um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sue spread an apologetic hand, and Damon finished for her. â€Å"Smith.† He lifted a paper cup toward Elena. â€Å"La vita.† â€Å"What are you doing here?† she whispered. â€Å"He's a college student,† Sue volunteered, when it became apparent that Damon wasn't going to answer. â€Å"From – University of Virginia, was it? William and Mary?† â€Å"Among other places,† Damon said, still looking at Elena. He hadn't glanced at Sue once. â€Å"I like to travel.† The world had snapped into place again around Elena, but it was a chilling world. There were people on every side, watching this exchange with fascination, keeping her from speaking freely. But they were also keeping her safe. For whatever reason, Damon was playing a game, pretending to be one of them. And while the masquerade went on, he wouldn't do anything to her in front of a crowd†¦ she hoped. A game. But he was making up the rules. He was standing here in the Ramseys' dining room playing with her. â€Å"He's just down for a few days,† Sue was continuing helpfully. â€Å"Visiting – friends, did you say? Or relatives?† â€Å"Yes,† said Damon. â€Å"You're lucky to be able to take off whenever you want,† Elena said. She didn't know what was possessing her, to make her try and unmask him. â€Å"Luck has very little to do with it,† said Damon. â€Å"Do you like dancing?† â€Å"What's your major?† He smiled at her. â€Å"American folklore. Did you know, for instance, that a mole on the neck means you'll be wealthy? Do you mind if I check?† â€Å"I mind.† The voice came from behind Elena. It was clear and cold and quiet. Elena had heard Stefan â€Å"But do you matter?† he said. The two of them faced each other under the faintly flickering yellow light of the brass chandelier. Elena was aware of layers of her own thoughts, like a parfait. Everyone's staring; this must be better than the movies†¦ I didn't realize Stefan was taller†¦ There's Bonnie and Meredith wondering what's going on†¦ Stefan's angry but he's still weak, still hurting†¦ If he goes for Damon now, he'll lose†¦ And in front of all these people. Her thoughts came to a clattering halt as everything fell into place. That was what Damon was here for, to make Stefan attack him, apparently unprovoked. No matter what happened after that, he won. If Stefan drove him away, it would just be more proof of Stefan's â€Å"tendency toward violence.† More evidence for Stefan's accusers. And if Stefan lost the fight†¦ It would mean his life, thought Elena. Oh, Stefan, he's so much stronger right now; please don't do it. Don't play into his hands. Hewants to kill you; he's just looking for a chance. She made her limbs move, though they were stiff and awkward as a marionette's. â€Å"Stefan,† she said, taking his cold hand in hers, â€Å"let's go home.† She could feel the tension in his body, like an electric current running underneath his skin. At this moment, he was completely focused on Damon, and the light in his eyes was like fire reflecting off a dagger blade. She didn't recognize him in this mood, didn't know him. He frightened her. â€Å"Stefan,† she said, calling to him as if she were lost in fog and couldn't find him. â€Å"Stefan,please. â€Å" And slowly, slowly, she felt him respond. She heard him breathe and felt his body go off alert, clicking down to some lower energy level. The deadly concentration of his mind was diverted and he looked at her, and saw her. â€Å"All right,† he said softly, looking into her eyes. â€Å"Let's go.† She kept her hands on him as they turned away, one clasping his hand, the other tucked inside his arm. By sheer force of will, she managed not to look over her shoulder as they walked away, but the skin on her back tingled and crawled as if expecting the stab of a knife. Instead, she heard Damon's low ironical voice: â€Å"And have you heard that kissing a red-haired girl cures fever blisters?† And then Bonnie's outrageous, flattered laughter. On the way out, they finally ran into their host. â€Å"Leaving so soon?† Alaric said. â€Å"But I haven't even had a chance to talk to you yet.† He looked both eager and reproachful, like a dog that knows perfectly well it's not going to be taken on a walk but wags anyway. Elena felt worry blossom in her stomach for him and everyone else in the house. She and Stefan were leaving them to Damon. Right now she had enough to do getting Stefan out of here before he changed his mind. â€Å"I'm not feeling very well,† she said as she picked up her purse where it lay by the ottoman. â€Å"Sorry.† She increased the pressure on Stefan's arm. It would take very little to get him to turn back and head for the dining room right now. â€Å"I'm sorry,† said Alaric. â€Å"Good-bye.† They were on the threshold before she saw the little slip of violet paper stuck into the side pocket of her purse. She pulled it out and unfolded it almost by reflex, her mind on other things. There was writing on it, plain and bold and unfamiliar. Just three lines. She read them and felt the world rock. This was too much; she couldn't deal with anything more. â€Å"What is it?† said Stefan. â€Å"Nothing.† She thrust the bit of paper back into the side pocket, pushing it down with her fingers. â€Å"It's nothing, Stefan. Let's get outside.† They stepped out into driving needles of rain.