The Golden Lily Chapter 2

I DIDN'T SLEEP THAT NIGHT. Part of it was simply the time change. My flight back to Palm Springs was scheduled for six in the morning – which was three in the morning in the time zone my body still thought it was in. Sleeping seemed pointless. And, of course, there was the teeny-tiny fact that it was kind of hard to relax after everything I'd witnessed over at the Alchemist bunker. If I wasn't envisioning Liam's freaky eyes, then I was replaying the constant warnings I'd heard about those who got too close to vampires. It didn't help the situation that I had an inbox full of messages from the gang in Palm Springs. Normally, I checked my e-mail automatically on my phone when I was out and about. Now, in my hotel room, staring at the various messages, I found myself filled with doubt. Were these truly professional? Were they too friendly? Did they blur the lines of Alchemist protocol? After seeing what had happened to Keith, it was more obvious than ever that it didn't take much to get in trouble with my organization. One message was from Jill, with a subject line reading: Angeline†¦ sigh. This wasn't a surprise to me, and I didn't bother reading it yet. Angeline Dawes, a dhampir recruited to be Jill's roommate and provide an extra layer of security, had had a little trouble fitting into Amberwood. She was always in trouble for something, and I knew whatever it was this time, there was nothing I could do about it right now. Another message was from Angeline herself. I also didn't read it. The subject was: READ THIS! SO FUNNY! Angeline had only recently discovered e-mail. She had not, so it seemed, discovered how to turn off the caps-lock key. She also had no discrimination when it came to forwarding jokes, financial scams, or virus warnings. And speaking of that last one†¦ we'd had to finally install child protection software on her laptop, in order to block her from certain websites and ads. That had come after she'd accidentally downloaded four viruses. It was the last e-mail in my inbox that gave me pause. It was from Adrian Ivashkov, the only person in our group who wasn't posing as a student at Amberwood Preparatory School. Adrian was a twenty-one-year-old Moroi, so it would have been kind of a stretch passing him off in high school. Adrian was along because he and Jill had a psychic bond that had been inadvertently created when he'd used his magic to save her life. All Moroi wielded some type of elemental magic, and his was spirit – a mysterious element tied to the mind and healing. The bond allowed Jill to see Adrian's thoughts and emotions, which was troubling to both of them. His staying near her helped them work out some of the bond's kinks. Also, Adrian had nothing better to do. His message's subject was: SEND HELP IMMEDIATELY. Unlike Angeline, Adrian knew the rules of capitalization and was simply going for dramatic effect. I also knew that if I had any doubts about which of my messages related to my job, this was hands-down the most nonprofessional one in the set. Adrian wasn't my responsibility. Yet, I clicked the message anyway. Day 24. Situation is growing worse. My captors continue to find new and horrific ways to torture me. When not working, Agent Scarlet spends her days examining fabric swatches for bridesmaid dresses and going on about how in love she is. This usually causes Agent Boring Borscht to regale us with stories of Russian weddings that are even more boring than his usual ones. My attempts at escape have been thwarted thus far. Also, I am out of cigarettes. Any assistance or tobacco products you can send will be greatly appreciated. – Prisoner 24601 I began smiling in spite of myself. Adrian sent me some kind of message like this nearly every day. This summer, we had learned that those who were forcibly turned Strigoi could be turned back with the use of spirit. It was still a tricky, complicated process†¦ made more so by the fact that there were so few spirit users. Even more recent events had suggested that those restored from being Strigoi could never be turned again. That had electrified Alchemists and Moroi alike. If there was some magical way to prevent Strigoi conversion, freaks like Liam would no longer be a problem. That was where Sonya Karp and Dimitri Belikov came in – or, as Adrian called them in his angst-filled letters, â€Å"Agent Scarlet† and â€Å"Agent Boring Borscht.† Sonya was a Moroi; Dimitri was a dhampir. Both had once been Strigoi and had been saved by spirit magic. The two of them had come to Palm Springs last month to work with Adrian in a sort of think tank to figure out what might protect against Strigoi turning. It was an extremely important task, one that could have huge ramifications if successful. Sonya and Dimitri were some of the hardest working people I knew – which didn't always mesh with Adrian's style. A lot of their work involved slow, painstaking experiments – many involving Eddie Castile, a dhampir who was also undercover at Amberwood. He was serving as the control subject since, unlike Dimitri, Eddie was a dhampir untouched by spirit or a Strigoi history. There wasn't much I could do to help Adrian with his frustration over his research group – and he knew it. He just liked playing up the drama and venting to me. Mindful of what was essential and nonessential in the Alchemist world, I was on the verge of deleting the message, but†¦ One thing made me hesitate. Adrian had signed his e-mail with a reference to Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. It was a book about the French Revolution that was so thick, it could easily double as a weapon. I had read it in both French and English. Considering Adrian had once gotten bored while reading a particularly long menu, I had a hard time imagining he'd read the Hugo book in any language. So how did he know the reference? It doesn't matter, Sydney, a stern Alchemist voice said inside my head. Delete it. It's irrelevant. Adrian's literary knowledge (or lack thereof) is no concern of yours. But I couldn't do it. I had to know. This was the kind of detail that would drive me crazy. I wrote back with a quick message: How do you know about 24601? I refuse to believe you read the book. You saw the musical, right? I hit send and received a response back from him almost immediately: SparkNotes. Typical. I laughed out loud and immediately felt guilty. I shouldn't have responded. This was my personal e-mail account, but if the Alchemists ever felt the need to investigate me, they'd have no qualms about accessing it. This kind of thing was damning, and I deleted the e-mail exchange – not that it mattered. No data was ever truly lost. By the time I landed in Palm Springs at seven the next morning, it was painfully obvious that I had surpassed my body's limits to subsist on caffeine. I was too exhausted. No amount of coffee would help anymore. I nearly fell asleep at the airport's curb, waiting for my ride. When it arrived, I didn't notice until I heard my name called. Dimitri Belikov jumped out of a blue rental car and strode toward me, grabbing hold of my suitcase before I could utter a word. A few nearby women stopped talking to stare at him admiringly. I got to my feet. â€Å"You don't have to do that,† I said, even though he was already loading my suitcase into the trunk. â€Å"Of course I do,† he said, his words lightly touched with a Russian accent. He gave me a small smile. â€Å"You looked like you were asleep.† â€Å"I should be so lucky,† I said, getting into the passenger side. Even if I'd been wide awake, I knew Dimitri would've taken my suitcase anyway. That's how he was, a lost remnant of chivalry in the modern world, ever-ready to help others. That was only one of the many striking things about Dimitri. His looks alone were certainly enough to make many halt in their tracks. He had dark brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail, with matching brown eyes that seemed mysterious and alluring. He was tall, too – about 67 – rivaling some Moroi. Dhampirs were indistinguishable from humans to me, so even I could admit that he scored pretty high on the attractiveness scale. There was also an energy around him that you couldn't help but be affected by. He was always on alert, always ready for the unexpected. I'd never seen his guard down. He was constantly ready to strike. He was dangerous, no question, and I was comforted that he was on our side. I always felt safe around him – and a little wary. â€Å"Thanks for the ride,† I added. â€Å"I could've called a taxi.† Even as I spoke, I knew my words were as useless as when I'd told him he didn't need to help me with my bag. â€Å"It's no problem,† he assured me, driving toward suburban Palm Springs. He wiped sweat off his brow and somehow made that look attractive. Even this early in the morning, the heat was beginning to build. â€Å"Sonya insisted. Besides, no experiments today.† I frowned at that. Those experiments and the amazing potential they represented to prevent the creation of more Strigoi were vastly important. Dimitri and Sonya knew that and were dedicated to the cause – especially on weekends, when Adrian and Eddie didn't have classes – which made this news so puzzling. My own work ethic had a hard time understanding why there'd be no research happening on a Sunday. â€Å"Adrian?† I guessed. Maybe he wasn't â€Å"in the mood† for research today. â€Å"Partially,† said Dimitri. â€Å"We're also missing our control subject. Eddie said he had some conflict and couldn't make it.† My frown deepened. â€Å"What conflict could Eddie have?† Eddie was intensely dedicated too. Adrian sometimes called him mini-Dimitri. Although Eddie was going to high school and completing assignments just like me, I knew he'd drop any homework in an instant to help out with the greater good. I could think of only one thing that would take precedence over helping find a â€Å"cure† for being Strigoi. My heart suddenly raced. â€Å"Is Jill okay?† She had to be. Someone would have told me, right? Eddie's main purpose in Palm Springs – and mine – was to keep her safe. If she was in danger, it would trump everything else. â€Å"She's fine,† said Dimitri. â€Å"I talked to her this morning. I'm not sure what's going on, but Eddie wouldn't be away without good reason.† â€Å"I suppose not,† I murmured, still concerned. â€Å"You worry as much as me,† teased Dimitri. â€Å"I didn't think that was possible.† â€Å"It's my job to worry. I always have to make sure everyone's okay.† â€Å"Sometimes it's not a bad thing to make sure you're okay too. You might find it actually helps others.† I scoffed. â€Å"Rose always joked about your ‘Zen Master Wisdom.' Am I getting a taste of it? If so, I can see why she was helpless against your charms.† This earned me one of Dimitri's rare, genuine laughs. â€Å"I think so. If you ask her, she'll claim it was the staking and decapitation. But I'm sure it was the Zen wisdom that won her in the end.† My answering smile immediately melted into a yawn. It was amazing that I could joke with a dhampir. I used to have panic attacks being in the same room with them or Moroi. Slowly, over the last six months, my anxiety had begun to ease up. I'd never shake the feeling of â€Å"otherness† I got from all of them, but I'd come a long way. Part of me knew it was a good thing that I still drew that line between them and humans, but it was also good to be flexible in order to make my job smoother. Not too flexible, that inner Alchemist voice warned. â€Å"Here we are,† said Dimitri, pulling up in front of my dorm at Amberwood Prep. If he'd noticed my shift in mood, he didn't say so. â€Å"You should get some rest.† â€Å"I'll try,† I said. â€Å"But I need to find out what's going on with Eddie first.† Dimitri's face turned all-business. â€Å"If you can find him, you should bring him over tonight, and we can see about getting a little work done. Sonya would love it. She has some new ideas.† I nodded, reminding myself that that was the kind of standard we needed to adhere to. Work, work, work. We had to remember our higher goals. â€Å"I'll see what I can do.† I thanked him again and then headed inside, filled with resolve to carry out my mission. So, it was a bit disappointing when my lofty goals were shattered so quickly. â€Å"Miss Melrose?† I turned immediately at the sound of the last name I'd assumed here at Amberwood. Mrs. Weathers, our plump, elderly dorm matron, was hurrying over to me. Her face was lined with worry, which couldn't bode well. â€Å"I'm so glad you're back,† she said. â€Å"I trust you had a good family visit?† â€Å"Yes, ma'am.† If by â€Å"good,† she meant â€Å"terrifying and unsettling.† Mrs. Weathers beckoned me over to her desk. â€Å"I need to talk to you about your cousin.† I held back a grimace as I recalled Jill's e-mail. Cousin Angeline. All of us attending Amberwood were doing so under fake family connections. Jill and Eddie were my siblings. Angeline was our cousin. It helped explain why we were always together and getting involved with each other's business. I sat down with Mrs. Weathers and thought longingly of my bed. â€Å"What's happened?† I asked. Mrs. Weathers sighed. â€Å"Your cousin is having trouble with our dress code.† That was a surprise. â€Å"But we have uniforms, ma'am.† â€Å"Of course,† she said. â€Å"But not outside of classes.† That was true. I was in khaki dress pants and a green short-sleeved blouse, along with a small gold cross I always wore. I did a mental rundown of Angeline's wardrobe, trying to recall if I'd ever seen anything concerning about it. Probably the most appalling part was its quality. Angeline had come from the Keepers, a mixed community of humans, Moroi, and dhampirs who lived in the Appalachian Mountains. Along with a lack of electricity and plumbing, the Keepers chose to make a lot of their clothing or at least wear it into threads. â€Å"Friday night, I saw her wearing the most appallingly short jean shorts,† continued Mrs. Weathers with a shudder. â€Å"I immediately chastised her, and she told me they were the only way she could be comfortable in the heat outside. I gave her a warning and advised she find more appropriate attire. Saturday, she appeared in the same shorts and a tank top that was totally indecent. That was when I suspended her to the dorm for the rest of the weekend.† â€Å"I'm sorry, ma'am,† I said. Really, I had no idea what else to say. I'd spent the weekend caught up in the epic battle to save humanity, and now†¦ jean shorts? Mrs. Weathers grew hesitant. â€Å"I know†¦ well, I know this isn't really anything you should be involved in. It's a parental matter. But, seeing as how you're so responsible and look out for the rest of your family†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I sighed. â€Å"Yes, ma'am. I'll take care of it. Thank you for not taking more severe action against her.† I went upstairs, my small suitcase growing heavier with each step. When I reached the second floor, I stopped, unsure what to do. One more floor would take me to my room. This floor would take me to â€Å"Cousin Angeline.† Reluctantly, I turned into the second floor hall, knowing the sooner this was dealt with, the better. â€Å"Sydney!† Jill Mastrano opened the dorm room's door, her light green eyes shining with joy. â€Å"You're back.† â€Å"So it seems,† I said, following her inside. Angeline was there as well, lounging on her bed with a textbook. I was pretty sure that was the first time I'd ever seen her study, but the house arrest probably limited her recreational options. â€Å"What did the Alchemists want?† asked Jill. She sat cross-legged on her own bed and began absentmindedly playing with the strands of her curly, light brown hair. I shrugged. â€Å"Paperwork. Boring stuff. Sounds like things were a little more exciting here.† That was delivered with a pointed look at Angeline. The dhampir girl jumped off her bed, face furious and blue eyes flashing. â€Å"It wasn't my fault! That Weathers woman was completely out of line!† she exclaimed, a slight southern drawl in her words. A quick scan of Angeline showed nothing too concerning. Her jeans were threadbare but decent, as was her T-shirt. Even her mop of strawberry blonde hair was tame for a change, tied back in a ponytail. â€Å"What on earth did you wear that got her so upset then?† I asked. Scowling, Angeline went to her dresser and produced a pair of jean shorts with the most ragged hem I'd ever seen. I thought they'd unravel before my eyes. They were also so short that I wouldn't have been surprised if they showed underwear when she wore them. â€Å"Where did you get those?† Angeline almost looked proud. â€Å"I made them.† â€Å"With what, a hacksaw?† â€Å"I had two pairs of jeans,† she said pragmatically. â€Å"It was so hot out, I figured I might as well turn one into shorts.† â€Å"She used a knife from the cafeteria,† said Jill helpfully. â€Å"Couldn't find the scissors,† explained Angeline. My bed. Where was my bed? â€Å"Mrs. Weathers mentioned something about an indecent shirt too,† I said. â€Å"Oh,† said Jill. â€Å"That was mine.† I felt my eyebrows rise. â€Å"What? I know you don't own anything ‘indecent.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Before Angeline had come along a month ago, Jill and I had been roommates. â€Å"It's not,† agreed Jill. â€Å"Except, it's not really Angeline's size.† I glanced between the two girls and understood. Jill was tall and slim, like most Moroi, with a figure much coveted among human fashion designers, a figure I would've killed to have. Jill had even done some modeling. With that figure came a modest chest. Angeline's chest†¦ was not so modest. If she wore a tank top in Jill's size, I imagined the shirt's structural integrity would indeed be stretched to indecent limits. â€Å"Jill wears that tank top all the time and doesn't get in trouble,† said Angeline defensively. â€Å"I figured there wouldn't be a problem if I borrowed it.† My head was starting to hurt. Still, I supposed this was better than the time Angeline had been caught making out with a guy in the boys' bathroom. â€Å"Well. This is easily fixed. We can go – well, I can go since you're stuck here – and get you some clothes in your size tonight.† â€Å"Oh,† Angeline said, suddenly turning more upbeat, â€Å"you don't have to. Eddie's handling it.† If not for Jill nodding along, I would've thought it was a joke. â€Å"Eddie? Eddie's buying you clothes?† Angeline sighed happily. â€Å"Isn't that nice of him?† Nice? No, but I understood why Eddie would do it. Getting decent clothes for Angeline was the last thing he probably wanted to do, but he would do it. Like me, he understood duty. And now I could guess why Eddie had canceled the experiments – and been vague about his reasons for doing so. I immediately took out my cell phone and called him. He answered right away, like always. I was certain he was never more than three feet from his phone at all times. â€Å"Hello, Sydney. Glad you're back.† He paused. â€Å"You are back, right?† â€Å"Yeah, I'm with Jill and Angeline. I understand you've been doing some shopping.† He groaned. â€Å"Don't get me started. I just walked into my room.† â€Å"You want to swing by with your purchases? I need the car back anyway.† There was a moment's hesitation. â€Å"Would you mind coming over here? As long as Jill's okay. She is okay, right? She doesn't need me? Because if she does – â€Å" â€Å"She's fine.† His dorm wasn't far, but I'd been hoping for a quick nap. Nonetheless, I found myself agreeing, just like I always did. â€Å"Okay. I'll meet you in the lobby in about fifteen minutes?† â€Å"Sounds good. Thanks, Sydney.† As soon as I disconnected, Angeline asked excitedly, â€Å"Is Eddie coming over?† â€Å"I'm going to him,† I said. Her face fell. â€Å"Oh. Well, I guess it doesn't matter since I have to stay here anyway. I can't wait until I'm free to train again. I'd like to get some more one-on-one time with him.† I hadn't realized how focused Angeline was on her training. In fact, she seemed really excited about the prospect of it. I left their room and was surprised to find Jill right behind me once the door shut. Her eyes were wide and anxious. â€Å"Sydney†¦ I'm sorry.† I regarded her curiously, wondering now if she'd done something. â€Å"For what?† She gestured toward the door. â€Å"For Angeline. I should have done better at keeping her out of trouble.† I almost smiled. â€Å"That's not your job.† â€Å"Yeah, I know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She glanced down, letting some of her long hair fall forward. â€Å"But still. I know I should be more like you. Instead, I've just been†¦ you know. Having fun.† â€Å"You're entitled to it,† I said, trying to ignore the subtle commentary on me. â€Å"I should still be more responsible,† she argued. â€Å"You are responsible,† I assured her. â€Å"Especially compared to Angeline.† My family had a cat back in Utah that I was pretty sure was more responsible than Angeline. Jill's face brightened, and I left her so that I could return the suitcase to my room. Angeline's arrival and my work in busting Keith had earned me my own private room in the dorm, something I treasured. Inside it, everything was quiet and orderly. My perfect world. The one place that the chaos of my life couldn't touch. The neatly made bed was asking to be slept in. Begging, really. Soon, I promised it. I hope. Amberwood Prep was divided into three campuses, East (where the girls were housed), West (where the boys were), and Central (containing all the academic buildings). A shuttle bus ran between them on a regular schedule, or brave souls could walk between them in the heat. I usually didn't mind the temperatures, but walking seemed like a lot of work today. So, I took the shuttle to West Campus and tried to stay awake. The lobby of the boys' dorm was a lot like my own, people coming and going to either catch up on academic work or simply enjoy the Sunday off. I glanced around, but Eddie wasn't here yet. â€Å"Hey, Melbourne.† I turned and found Trey Juarez approaching, a grin on his tanned face. He was a senior like me and had picked up the Melbourne nickname after one of our teachers proved incapable of remembering Melrose. Honestly, with all these names, it was a wonder I knew who I was anymore. â€Å"Hey, Trey,† I said. Trey was a bona fide high school football star – but also pretty brainy, no matter how much he tried to hide it. We got along well as a result, and my help in restoring his athletic status last month had gone a long way to raise my stock in his eyes. A backpack hung on one of his shoulders. â€Å"Are you finally going to finish that chem lab write-up?† â€Å"Yup,† he said. â€Å"Me and half the cheerleading squad. You want to join us?† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Somehow I doubt there'll be much work going on. Besides, I'm meeting Eddie.† Trey gave an easy shrug and brushed some unruly black hair out of his eyes. â€Å"Your loss. See you tomorrow.† He took a couple of steps and then glanced back at me. â€Å"Hey, are you dating anyone?† I immediately started to say no, and then a panicked thought occurred to me. I had a tendency to take things very literally. Friends of mine here, Kristin and Julia, had been trying to train me up in the subtleties of high school social life. One of their chief lessons was that what people said wasn't always what they meant – particularly in romantic matters. â€Å"Are you†¦ are you asking me out?† I asked, taken aback. This was the last thing I needed right now. How should I respond? Should I say yes? Should I say no? I'd had no idea helping him with chemistry homework would be so alluring. I should've made him do it on his own. Trey looked as startled by the thought as I was. â€Å"What? No. Of course not.† â€Å"Thank God,† I said. I liked Trey, but I had no interest in dating him – or figuring out what the appropriate way to say â€Å"no† would be. He shot me a wry look. â€Å"You don't have to look that relieved.† â€Å"Sorry,† I said, trying to mask my embarrassment. â€Å"Why'd you ask?† â€Å"Because I know the perfect guy for you. I'm pretty sure he's your soul mate.† We were back in familiar territory now: logic vs. lack of logic. â€Å"I don't believe in soul mates,† I said. â€Å"It's statistically unreasonable that there's only one ideal person for everyone in the world.† And yet, for half a moment, I wished it was kind of possible. It'd be nice to have someone who understood some of the things that went on in my head. Trey rolled his eyes. â€Å"Okay. Not a soul mate. How about just someone you could maybe go out with once in a while and have a nice time with?† I shook my head. â€Å"I don't have time for anything like that.† And I didn't. Keeping everything in order with the group, and pretending to be a student, was a full time job as it was. â€Å"I'm telling you, you'd like him. He goes to a public school and just started at Spencer's.† Spencer's was a coffee shop Trey worked at, an arrangement that yielded me discounts. â€Å"The other day, he was going off on unaerobic vs. aerobic respiration, and I was thinking, ‘You know who this sounds like? Melbourne.'† â€Å"It's anaerobic respiration,† I corrected. â€Å"And it still doesn't mean I have the time. Sorry.† I had to admit, I was immensely curious about how that topic would have come up between baristas, but figured it was best not to encourage Trey. â€Å"Okay,† he said. â€Å"Don't say I never tried to help you.† â€Å"Wouldn't dream of it,† I assured him. â€Å"Hey, there's Eddie.† â€Å"My cue to go then. See you guys.† Trey gave a mock salute to Eddie and me. â€Å"Don't forget my offer if you want a hot date, Melbourne.† Trey left, and Eddie shot me an astonished look. â€Å"Did Trey just ask you out?† â€Å"No. He's just got some co-worker he wants to set me up with.† â€Å"Maybe that's not a bad idea.† â€Å"It's a terrible idea. Let's go outside.† The desert heat didn't seem to care that it was October, and I led us to a bench right by the dorm's stucco walls. Partial shade from some nearby palm trees offered mild relief. People swore the temperature would taper soon, but I'd seen no sign of change. Eddie handed me my car keys and a shopping bag from a local superstore. â€Å"I had to guess at size,† he told me. â€Å"When in doubt, I went big. Figured it was safer that way.† â€Å"Probably.† I sat down on a bench and rifled through his purchases. Jeans, khakis, a few solid colored T-shirts. They were very practical, very much something a no-nonsense guy like Eddie would pick out. I approved. â€Å"The size actually looks right. Good eye. We'll have to send you out shopping more often.† â€Å"If that's what I have to do,† he said, face serious. I couldn't help but laugh in surprise. â€Å"I was joking.† I put the shirts back in the bag. â€Å"I know that couldn't have been fun.† Eddie's face gave nothing away. â€Å"Oh, come on. It's okay. You don't have to play stoic with me. I know you didn't enjoy it.† â€Å"I'm here to do a job. Doesn't matter if I enjoy it or not.† I started to protest but then thought better of it. After all, wasn't that my philosophy too? Sacrificing my own wants for higher goals? Eddie was intensely dedicated to this mission. He never backed down. I expected nothing less from him than single-minded focus. â€Å"So, does that mean you're up for some experiments tonight?† I asked. â€Å"Of cours – † He stopped and reconsidered. â€Å"Are Jill and Angeline coming?† â€Å"No. Angeline's still under house arrest.† â€Å"Thank God,† he said with visible relief. His reaction was probably the most surprising thing to happen today. I couldn't imagine why Eddie would look so relieved. Aside from his guardian loyalty to Jill, he was also crazy about her. He would've done anything for her, even if it wasn't his job, but refused to share his feelings with her. He thought he was unworthy of a princess. An uneasy thought occurred to me. â€Å"Are you†¦ are you avoiding Jill because of her and Micah?† Micah was Eddie's roommate, a nice guy who caused Eddie all sorts of therapy-worthy trauma because he bore so much similarity to Eddie's dead best friend, Mason. Micah also had a weird pseudo-dating relationship with Jill. None of us were happy about it, since (aside from the Keepers) humans dating Moroi or dhampirs was strictly taboo. We'd finally decided it would be impossible to keep Jill from a social life, and she swore nothing serious or physical was going on between her and Micah. They just spent a lot of time together. And flirted incessantly. He didn't know the truth about her, but I wondered at what point he'd want more from their relationship. Eddie kept insisting it was better for Jill to have a casual relationship with a human than one with an â€Å"unworthy† dhampir like him, but I knew it had to be torturous. â€Å"Of course not,† said Eddie sharply. â€Å"It's not Jill I want to avoid. It's Angeline.† â€Å"Angeline? What's she done now?† Eddie ran a hand through his hair in frustration. His was a sandy blond, not far from my own, which was a dark gold. The similarity made it easy to pass ourselves off as twins. â€Å"She won't leave me alone! She's always dropping these suggestive comments when I'm around†¦ and she won't stop staring at me. Like, you wouldn't think that'd be creepy, but it is. She's always watching. And I can't avoid her because she's with Jill a lot of the time, and I have to keep Jill safe.† I thought back on recent interactions. â€Å"Are you sure you're reading this right? I've never noticed anything.† â€Å"That's because you don't notice that kind of thing,† he said. â€Å"You cannot imagine how many excuses she finds to rub up against me.† After seeing her homemade jean shorts, I actually could imagine it. â€Å"Huh. Well, maybe I can talk to her.† Like that, Eddie snapped back to all-business. â€Å"No. It's my problem, my personal life. I'll deal with it.† â€Å"Are you sure? Because I can – â€Å" â€Å"Sydney,† he said gently. â€Å"You're the most responsible person I know, but this isn't what you're here to do. You don't have to take care of everything and everyone.† â€Å"I don't mind,† I said automatically. â€Å"It is what I'm here for.† But even as I said it, I wondered if that was true. A bit of the anxiety from the bunker returned, making me question if what I did was truly Alchemist responsibility or the desire to help those who – against protocol – had become my friends. â€Å"See? Now you sound just like I did earlier.† He stood up and flashed me a grin. â€Å"You want to come with me to Adrian's? Be responsible together?† His words were meant as a compliment, but they echoed too close to what the Alchemists had told me. And Mrs. Weathers. And Jill. Everyone thought I was so amazing, so responsible and controlled. But if I was so amazing, then why was I always so unsure if I was doing the right thing?

Food and Agricultue Essay

Provide at least two modern examples of how the United States has increased its food production. Genetically modifying foods is one way the United States has grown its food increase. The use of genetically engineered crops has grown rapidly in countries such as the United States, especially for soybeans, corn, and cotton where GM crops make up between 70 and 90 percent of total production (Turk, 2014). Ways the United States has increased food production farmers have utilized numerous process, some of which include irrigation and crop otation which can increase the long term sustainability and has been standard practice for many years. A step taken nearly 50 years ago to increase food production was the green revolution, which focused on â€Å"monocultures of single crops and required significant inputs of energy, water fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides† (Turk, Bensel, 2014). â€Å"Advocates say that they have increased agricultural production by more than US$98 billion and saved an estimated 473 million kilograms of pesticidesfrom being sprayed. † (Turk & Bensel, 2014, Ch. 3. 3). Tools such as herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides reduce crop losses both before and after harvest, and increase crop yields. A plentiful supply of fresh produce is vital for a healthy population. Numerous scientific studies demonstrate the health benefits of regularly eating a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables and consumers are increasingly aware of these benefits. Agricultural productivity is key to ensuring that this demand can be met at an affordable price; and crop protection products help increase productivity and usable crop yields (Turk, 2014). Discuss how these changes have affected the environment, and what impact they have on food safety? The use of genetically modified foods have be studied for years some improvements have been made. But the biggest issue is what has it done to the soil the water and the air let alone the food itself. Allergic reaction occur when the immune system interprets something as foreign, different and offensive and reacts accordingly. All GM foods, by definition have something foreign and different. And several studies show that they provoke reactions (The Open Nutraceuticals Journal, 2011, 4, 3-11). Changes is agriculture have affected our environment with soil erosion, water pollution, air pollution, and habitat destruction (Turk, 2014). I believe that this will always be an issue and will continue to have pros and cons but with proper testing they can be better. http://www. academia. edu/542384/A_Review_on_Impacts_of_Genetically_Modified_Food_on_ Human_Health http://www. croplifeamerica. org/crop-protection/benefits/increase-food-production Turk, J. , & Bensel, T. (2014). Contemporary environmental issues (2nd ed. ). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

British legal system Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

British legal system - Case Study Example This reflective report will provide an analysis of some of the most famous historical cases within the Old Bailey Courthouse, and choose a key issue based upon what I have witnessed and provide an analysis of discrimination and diversity in the criminal court as it pertains to my visit. London's Central Criminal Court is responsible for handling the most important criminal cases from the Greater London area as well as sensational legal matters which warrant special attention from other parts of Britain. The Old Bailey presently occupies the site of the Main Roman West Gate in the ancient city of London. Dating back to the 12th century, the present location initially housed both a court and a prison and was destroyed in the 1666 Great London Fire. The present structure was largely built at the end of the Victorian era and replayed the unpopular Newgate prison during the reign of his majesty King Edward VII. In 2007, London's Central Criminal Court celebrated its 100 year anniversary. The immense Old Bailey has 18 courtrooms and tries approximately 1,500 cases per year making it one of the most active and prolific courthouses in the country. Trying serious murderers, accused terrorists and a plethora of high-profile defendants, the Old Bailey's Senior Judge, His Hono ur Judge Peter Beaumont QC is the Recorder of London ands highest authority at the Court (City of London, 2007; Murphy, 1999). What are the roles and functions of the court Old Bailey within the UK system' The Old Bailey Courthouse is an iconic structure which plays an important role in the British system. Accordingly, most prominent cases in the London area make their way to the Old Bailey and this is the place in which UK justice is meted out. Criminals, violent offenders, embezzlers and a whole host of other presumed offenders have faced justice at the Old Bailey and this building remains an important and often publicized institution of the British justice system. Accordingly, in media and tabloid reports, when a case is in front of the judges at the Old Bailey there is increased media attention and publicity since the trial is likely of a great magnitude and importance. Historically speaking, a variety of high-profile cases have been judged at the Old Bailey including the case against Oscar Wilde in which he made his famous 'Love that dare not speak its name" speech while in the dock at the Old Bailey; t he Lord Haw Haw treason case after World War II; the trial of the Kray Brothers were tried at the Old Bailey as well as that of the Yorkshire Ripper. Recent prominent cases include the case of Fatima Miah, who was acquitted of violently shaking her newborn causing death and the shocking case of Baby P in which a two-year old boy was raped and killed. These are just some of the most sensational cases to land in the dock at the Old Bailey. The Old Bailey is the personification of the strength and importance of Her Majesty's Courts Services (HMCS), the judiciary, the police forces and the City of London. It is the representation of the British Justice System and an important building for the people of the United Kingdom. We now turn to an exploration of an important issue in our analysis, discrimination and racism within the UK Justice System (Murphy, 1999. Issue Analysis The promotion of equality and inclusion as well as the value of diversity in practice are at the helm of

Is Ham correct that connection between science and naturalism is Thesis - 1

Is Ham correct that connection between science and naturalism is arbitrary - Thesis Example These clearly distinguish it from the philosophy of super natural which is of course purely based on belief and theories that can not be tested, argued or experimented. In science, there is need for carrying out observations because it plays a very significant role in providing information that can be verified. Through observation, scientists can be able to gather information after personally making an attempt of seeing for themselves exactly what happens. In my opinion, may be it is for this reason that H’m it is for this reason that science does not encompass the elements of the supernatural because the criterion of observation does not apply in the super natural in which people do not need to make observations. The other important component of science is experimentation. In the process of acquisition of scientific knowledge, experimentation can be conducted. This is done by carrying out scientific studies in the laboratory based on the theories and hypotheses for that particular research. Whenever doing this, a scientist should be ready to be impartial and committed to the studies. If properly done, a more profound and verifiable results will be produced. These can be relied upon by the scientist as a source of information. However, as already highlighted, science still remain a subject that requires consent. This may be applicable in the natural law, but contradicts the law of super natural that dictates that everything is owed to a supernatural creature whose existence and performance can not be subjected to any form of experimentation since it is not necessarily needed. Nonetheless, scientific knowledge is defined by prediction. It is the act of prediction that compels scientists to carry out studies to ascertain exact values and figures so as to arrive at accurate and conclusive findings. So, because of this, there needs to be a formulation of hypotheses that are used to

The Muslim brotherhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Muslim brotherhood - Essay Example The brotherhood was initially formed essentially as a small charitable society with religious goals. During the authoritarian regime in Egypt, the brotherhood became the most prominent and effective opposition sector. The brotherhood’s ambitions were shaped by the existing political and social scenario. It was during mid 1980s, that the brotherhood spread its activities and asserted its presence in different facets of public life. Starting from this period, the brotherhood designed its objectives towards global democracy and human rights (Wickham, 20,46). It is an organization whose ultimate goal is to establish a full Muslim state where there will be no extreme disparity of wealth distribution with the rich and poor holding equal status (Oliver & Atmore, 194). Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers or the Muslim Brotherhood was founded by Hasan al-Banna in the year 1928. Hasan was a scholar and schoolteacher born in Egypt. He was born to a local sheikh in Cairo , and his father instilled in him â€Å"classical and traditional religious learning and piety† (Wickham, 21). ... He made this his mission, and the way he chose was to preach and teach the Islamic ideals and concepts both to the young people and their parents. In the following years, he established himself as a powerful and intensely effective orator with the skill to spread his message. He began to give his sermons in local mosques and coffee houses. His mission of bringing to the forefront the Islamic way of life, and his dedication to look after the welfare of the Muslims influenced six labourers from a British military camp. These laborers approached him, and requested him to become their leader. The name of the group as Muslim Brotherhood was selected by Hasan since all the member of the brotherhood was primarily dedicated towards the service of Islam (Wickham, 21). The Muslim Brotherhood is a religious and social movement that is composed of Sunni Muslims, and is one of the biggest, oldest and the most significant Islamist organizations in the world. Initially, Egypt was the only country w here the Brotherhood concentrated its activities and movements. However, currently it is estimated that the group has spread its wings in more than 70 countries, while according to other estimates the group is establishing itself in more than 100 countries. When Hasan formed this Brotherhood, his main assertion was that Islam be granted the supreme authority over all matters of life. With this ultimate goal, the Muslim Brotherhood strives to establish an Islam kingdom or monarchy extending over not only the current day Muslim population across the world, but over all communities around the globe. Another purpose of the Brotherhood is to establish the Islam law or the Shari’a as the sole law of court in all countries across the globe. This is the principle philosophy

A critical study of human resource management in a particular country Essay

A critical study of human resource management in a particular country - Essay Example These differences can be clearly noted and visualized in the fields pertaining to the management of any organization. This paper explores the reasons as to how human resource (HR) and employment practices reflect a distinct demarcation in the policies and the values adopted by organizations across geographical boundaries. India presents a diversified market and business economy and the country has proved to be a lucrative market to the entrepreneurs for investment in business. The human resource management (HRM) practices in the country assume interesting dimensions owing to its diversities and complexities existing in the business environment. The study presents an in-depth assessment of the HRM practices in this country. India is considered to be one of the robust and emerging economics in the world. Many companies overseas are considering India as an epicenter for outsourcing jobs. Indian firms are continuously expanding by adopting the corporate strategy, other financial and mana gement aspects in order to buy sell or merge two companies to form an entirely new entity. This is quite evident from the fact that in the year 1997, Indian companies as a whole had bought 34 foreign companies for about $11 billion dollars. This has been possible primarily because of the rise in capital investment and labor force. It is speculated that by the year 2020, India will add 18 million labors which is more than the entire labor population of Germany (Chatterjee, 2007). This huge labor population has called for an entirely new, reformed and an advanced version of HR concepts and practices in India. Institutional context in human resource management – an overview of theories According to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary (2002), an institution is defined as â€Å"an official organization with an important role in a country† or â€Å"an organization founded for a religious, educational, or social purpose† (Hollinshead, 2009, p24). Globalization has tr iggered widespread changes in existing institutional structures within economies. The changes in institutional frameworks and governance practices on account of globalization have fuelled debates and controversies regarding the efficacy and viability of such changes. A number of economic theories and concepts have shaped the economic and social order of countries that provide an idealized platform for economic growth and development (Rodrik, 2007). Adam Smith in his works The Wealth of Nations outlined the doctrine of Neo-liberalism in the year 1776. According to this doctrine the market forces have an inherent capacity of allocating and utilizing the resources according to its own desired way which can restrict and endanger the distribution and usage of wealth. The capital and the labor forces should have a freedom of movement; they should have the flexibility to work anywhere (Hollinshead, 2009). Every individual should pursue their self –interest only in rightful way and i s accountable for his or her own action. Thus according to Adam Smith, the state should not interfere with the movement or the behavior of the labor or capital. There should be no restrictions on the trade and the economic transactions should be allowed to act freely without any resistance by the government (Abbott, 2008). Neo –corporatist ideology, whose ideas and views are quite contrary to the neo-liberalism focuses on the usage and the importance of the state with regards to meeting the interest of the major and influential social groups who are dealing with the human resources and the capital intensive products and services. According to the theory the uncontrolled and non restricted market forces may generate uneven and unpredictable results. This may give

Pros and Cons of Situational Leadership Theory Essay

Pros and Cons of Situational Leadership Theory - Essay Example The strengths of situational leadership theory are its current use in many organizations, practicality, and prescriptive approach. Situational leadership theory is appealing to many leadership/management practitioners because it is seen as common sense for leaders to be flexible and adaptable to different situational variables, especially the conditions and characteristics of their subordinates and workplaces (Schedlitzki & Edwards, 2014, p.53). In addition, this theory is practical because it can be easily explained and understood, it is intuitive, and it can be applied across diverse settings (Northouse, 2013, p.105). Moreover, this theory is also prescriptive, where it is clear on what leaders and subordinates should do and should not do (Northouse, 2013, p.105). Its guidelines are valuable in guiding situational leadership. Besides strengths, situational leadership theory has its weaknesses, namely its over-simplified description of the relationship between leader behaviors and situational variables and lack of empirical research that can support assumptions and propositions. Scholars criticize the vagueness of the relationship between leader behaviors and situational variables, specifically the lack of explanation of variations for each leadership behavior category and how they can impact situational factors (Northouse, 2013, p.107; Schedlitzki & Edwards, 2014, p.54). Furthermore, this theory lacks empirical support for its assumptions and prescriptions. There is lack of empirical testing on the theoretical basis of the theory and how it can affect performance variables and outcomes (Northouse, 2013, p.107; Schedlitzki & Edwards, 2014, p.54). Situational leadership theory is a practical, simple, and prescriptive theory that appeals to practitioners and trainers alike. However, it lacks further explanation of the

Central Bank for GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Research Paper

Central Bank for GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) - Research Paper Example The General Cooperation Council formed in May 25, 1981, according to NugeÃŒ e and subacchi (2008). It is a union concerned more of political and economic objectives. It is composed of six Arab states situated along the Persian Gulf. These states include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar. This union was formed with the mind of achieving a myriad of objectives among them the establishment of a common currency. This meant that the states of the union had to decide on the currency to use, which had to be the only currency in circulation in the states. Hence, that objective of having a common currency resulted in a suggestion of the formation of the Central Bank of Gulf Cooperation Council (NugeÃŒ e & subacchi, 2008). The central bank of GCC was to be formed by the six states but unfortunately two states, in particular, Oman and United Arab Emirates, did not join in the central bank formation. Those two states had reasons for not joining in the council. Therefore, the central bank of GCC is a composition of Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The four states formed the common monetary union and a precursor to a Gulf Central Bank, in the march of 2010 (NugeÃŒ e & subacchi, 2008).... In short, it was up to achieving equality. The common currency adopted by the union was called Khaleeji. The currency was turned down by the sates that then resorted to one called Dinar (Muslemani, 1996). Qualification criterion However, for the states to qualify as member of the union, it was paramount that certain qualifications were met by the countries. The qualifications were six, and failure by any state to meet even one qualification rendered it not qualified as member of the union. The first one was that the inflation rate of any of the countries was not to exceed 2%. Banks (2006) argues that the 2% was the weighted average of inflation in Gulf Cooperation Council. According to Banks (2006) it was agreed that the inflation rate was not to exceed 8.91% for countries willing to participate in the union. Unfortunately, countries like Qatar and UAE exceeded the limit. Secondly, it was a requirement that the average short run rates of interest were to be maintained at an average o f at least three rates of interest added to 2% in every member of the union (Banks, 2006). The third element was that preserves of across border exchange were to account for goods to be imported for a time of not less than four months. This qualification was met by all the countries of the unification. This could be attributed to the large oil preserves present in the member countries. The fourth requirement was that it was compulsory for the countries to meet the public debt criterion. According to Filho and Filho, (2003) it was evident that all the member countries qualified, where no country’s ratios were above 60% of the Gross Domestic Product for the common state and 70% of gross domestic

The Pan American Road Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Pan American Road - Research Paper Example By this time, after the industrial revolution, it had become clear that the two American continents not only needed to be connected but that they also needed to be have a good network of roads which would connect economically strategic points all over the two continents. The idea was however for development of a single route rather than a network of roads. It was however only until On 29 July 1937 that the United States and eleven countries from South American country managed to sign a convention that would help in each of the countries doing their part in the completion of the highway. By 1950, Mexico finished its portion of the highway and became the first state from the South American continent to finish its portion of the Pan American Road. The rest of he states also cleared their portions later and the highway was completely. However, the highway lacks uniformity because there were no clear standards to help in making sure that the road will have the same standards. Roads Previo usly In Place along the Current Pan Am Route While the Pan American Highway was an idea on its own, most of the roads which today constitute the Pan American Highway were already there and existed way before the countries agreed to build the Pan American Highway. ... As the Pan American Highway joins Canada, it becomes highway 97 which again becomes US highway 97 as it joins the main continental USA. The Pan American Highway can therefore be seen as having come to replace already existing states. The idea of the Pan American Highway therefore only came to reinforce an already existing idea as some of these roads were already in existence. However, the ideas were supposed to help in standardizing roads across two the continents. Whether this was an achievement that has been a source of discussion with some arguing that the idea of a Pan American Highway has failed drastically. How it was developed (construction efforts throughout the different countries, costs, workers) Each state was required to finance its construction of its portion of the Pan American Road. However, some states got partial financing from other states within the Pan American association. For instance, Panama got partial financing of the construction of the Pan American Road fro m United States of America. In Panama, for instance the cost of construction amounted to twenty million, five of which was provided by the United States of America. However, the cost of construction for the highway cannot be clearly established due to the fact that some of these roads already existed even before the official Pan American Road. In every country, the construction was done mainly by the local population from which labour resources were gained. However, those countries which did not have the right technology had to depend on those which had more advanced technology in order to gain this technology needed for the same. What It Was Made Of As already discussed, there were no specific standards which were supposed to be looked at in order to make sure that

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

Five Guys - Case Study Example The restaurant did not need to spend heavily for advertising the restaurant in order to gain more customers as the marketing of the restaurant was done through word of mouth. The satisfied customers were quite impressed by the way the food quality was maintained and the food itself made them market the product amongst their relatives which helped in increasing the number of customers. During 2002, the company decided to franchise their business with a plan of expanding at a very high rate of opening more than one thousand franchises towards the late 2011. The business even made a plan of making over one billion US dollars in sales. The plan was made along with the idea of maintaining the same quality of food and service in all the outlets they planned to start. Five Guys started operating as a restaurant and developed into chain of food business and the specialty of the business included French fries, hotdogs and hamburgers. The business is recognized as a fast casual dining business because of the quality service, food and rates they offer in their outlets. Casual fast dining is referred to those restaurants that offer high quality service and food but they do not offer full table service as regular restaurants. The ingredients used to produce food are of very high quality and their clean and tidy kitchen area is easily visible to the customers. The restaurant is renowned to offer an essence of the diners of the period of 50s along with the taste of homemade food of the same era. They have a restricted menu which allows them to focus on the quality of their specialty offering rather than diversifying their offerings and compromising the quality of their specialty items. The atmosphere and the food they are offering is such that they get the customer gets the comfort of sitting in an atmosphere of a dinning along with food that falls in the category of fast food, this technique of Five Guys is highly appreciated and attracts customers who are living in an

She ran up the wooden staircase Essay Example for Free

She ran up the wooden staircase Essay It is an odd case this. Peterson had a motive I understand his mother was rich, perhaps he wanted his inheritance quickly so he could marry the girl as is good and proper. The girl has a motive Lady Peterson had a rather low opinion of her. I am rather inclined to think of Miss Smith she had opportunity, and motive. Is it a pure coincidence she came down on the same day as the lady was discovered dead? I somehow think not. It must be her that letter proves it! That is an odd occurrence. Of course, there is the possibility she forged it herself to gain sympathy, but I somehow I think not, he paused. I saw the familiar pipe slip out from underneath his cloak and into his mouth. However, supposing she did the deed, and the purpose was to marry Edward Peterson, staging a quarrel with said man seems rather pointless. It was two mornings later when I received an early morning phone call from Holmes that brought me out of my slumber. Hello? I said tentatively. Watson, we are going to visit Miss Smith, my friend said matter-of-factly, without introducing himself or apologising for waking me up what must have been five am, if not earlier. So it was that I found myself on the train to visit the woman I suspected of murder. I was sitting by the window, doing the crossword in The Times, all the while aware of Holmes watching me as a child watches the ants that scurry across the garden path. Tell me, Watson, what would you say if I told you who the murderer was, right here, right now? he asked, an amused expression on his face. You know? I cried. Then why are we visiting the young lady at this hour? No no, my dear Watson, I was merely speculating, Holmes finished, and neither of us said a word until the train reached the station that was to be our destination. Come Watson, my friend said in his usual brisk manner. We will get a horse and carriage from here to the ladys house. She is staying with a friend or so she says in her letter. A letter? I cried incredulously. She sent you a letter! Why hadnt he mentioned this before? The girl believes her life is in danger. She is frightened, understandably so. It is my job to help her, he stated matter-of-factly. Yes but- I stopped. The horse and carriage had arrived, and I followed Holmes clambering in to it. Of course, she may be mistaken, he continued, but it may prove a valuable clue. Rose Smith was staying in a small house with her friend, who was introduced to us as Helena. It was a pretty, country cottage, not the sort I would expect Miss Smith to be staying in. Im going for a walk, Helena announced shortly, as she picked up a raincoat and closed the door behind her. Good luck Rosie! So, Miss Smith, Holmes said, You wrote to me because you believe your life to be in danger. Why? Gosh, you do get to the point quickly, dont you? Miss Smith laughed nervously. Ill start from the beginning. I met Ed Mr Peterson, that is at a dance. He was there with a friend who happened to be a friend of a friend of a cousin of mine. So we were both at this party, and I must admit, it wasnt what lady Victoria would approve of. Shes dreadfully serious, you know! Very traditional. Oh shes a dear, but so interfering. Ed and I got talking and well, we fell in love. His mother threatened to disinherit him if we kept seeing each other, but then, quite out of the blue, she gives us another chance, and invites me to stay for a little while. He came to collect me from the station, and on the way back to the house, he proposed to me! Oh I was so happy, it was a dream comes true. But now it look like there wont be a wedding after all, she said, as she broke down in tears. I noticed on her forearm lay a large purple bruise as I reached my hand out to comfort her. Whats that? I asked suddenly. Oh nothing, she muttered. Let me tell you what happened when you received the letter from Edward Holmes began. So it was from him, she cried. Even as I wrote to you I hoped it was someone else. There are many names beginning with E Egbert, Emily, Ellie. Why him? I saw a sudden look come into Holmes eyes he knew whom the murderer was. I could tell by the excited glint the dark black pupils had taken on. One more thing, Miss Smith, Holmes said as he showed her the picture we had seen in the ladys room. Its Ed! she cried. Excellent! he said, as he left the room. Excellent. NOT FROM WATSONS NARRATIVE Tell me, Mr Peterson, did your mother spill her tea the day she died? Holmes asked. Why, yes, yes she did. And Rose gave her hers, I think. She doesnt like tea anyway. AFTERWARDS BY WATSON So how did you find out? I asked. I must admit, it had me fooled. Id never have guessed. Well, it was quite simple really Watson. The entire crime rotated around the stain. That one spill held the key to the entire murder. Once I knew who had spilt the cup, the whole mystery came together like a well-knitted scarf. But how? I know I must be terribly ignorant not to see, but how? You see, I know that Lady Peterson spilt the tea. Miss Smith then gave the Lady her mug, which she drank. Lady Peterson later died, and I think I can safely assume it was that mug that was poisoned. We therefore have two options. Either Miss Smith poisoned the tea or the tea was already poisoned when Miss Smith took it! You mean, Miss Smith was the intended victim! I do indeed, Holmes smiled. You see, one of the housemaids had entertained a liking for Edward Peterson for many years. She steals photos of him; she spends extra time tidying his quarters, and she is in fact, quite infatuated. So when Miss Smith appears, our admirer is jealous. Later, she hears her love proposing to this girl, and decides something must be done before her love marries this stranger. In the tea, she slips a strychnine tablet into one of the mugs. But then her plan fails. Instead of her hated rival taking the tea, her employer, the kindly woman who has the power to stop this marriage, dies. I sat in stunned silence for a few seconds, unable to speak. But why then, the flower, the letter? I asked. Our murderer has a somewhat romantic mind jealous women often do. She thinks miss smith is the perfect suspect. Miss smith, who happens to be named Rose. Hence the flower. A silly, girlish touch really. The clue does not point to Rose, but to someone who would be willing to spring the crime on her. Of course! I exclaimed. And the letter? Well that was simple, although I must admit I was nearly fooled. Who was the maid girl who served us our tea, Watson? Why, err, of course Ellie, I believe! Ellie Pierce, in fact! the genius pointed out. Our mystery EP! Brilliant, I really dont know how you do it, Holmes. Brilliant! Elementary, my dear Watson. Elementary! Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle section.

A Survey on Mobile Users Data Privacy Threats

A Survey on Mobile Users Data Privacy Threats ABC EFG1 , ABC EFG2* and ABC EFG3 4. Security Challenges for Mobile Devices Mobile device applications offer a level of convenience that the world has never think before it. Everywhere (home. Office, hotel, playground, road, parking, picture palace, travelling in different countries or each place of world) any mobile user can use applications to fulfil their daily needs like communicate, buy, search, payment, sell, entertainment, find general information of their use. This extreme level of comfort has brought with it an extreme number of security risks. Below describing some mobile device challenges, how the vulnerabilities and attackers reducing mobile applications freedom. 4.1 Insecure Data Storage It can result in data loss for a user, after losing mobile devices an application is improperly secured and all user at risk. Some common piece of data store at high risk like personal information (Name, Address, Date of Birth, Banking information, Family information, Family picture, Social networking address, email address) ,working information (company name, working position, related some application, company contact numbers and official documents if any available). 4.2Physical Security Physical security of any mobile devices is too difficult, but when mobile users are constantly using mobile devices, which is in always for 24x7x365 and user lose his mobile device then the task becomes seemingly impossible. Intentionally physical security is most concern for risk free mobile devices. If a person lost and misplaced or theft their mobile devices so it may be misuse users sensitive data, personnel information, email correspondence , any unsecured documents, address books, business data and files by the thief . 4.3 Mobile Browsing Mobile browsing is the best feature for any mobile devices for providing best use of internet application but mostly in mobile devices user cannot see the whole URL or web address, least verify whether the web address or URL safe or not and user reach (browse) their way into a phishing related attack. 4.4 Multiple User Logging Due to progressive growth of social media Single sign-on (SSO) in the mobile application ecosystem it is estimated 60% of mobile application insecure by using same login to multiple social networking application. Hackers who got login credentials for website or apps twitter , Facebook can possibly gain access to users profile page. Outmost use of social media single sign-on (SSO) is actually to facilitate social interaction at same time the developer also gain access to some of social information related to sign in user. 4.5Client Side Injection The execution of malicious programs on the mobile devices over the internet medium by application or web browsing client side injection occurs. Html injection ,SQL injection or other newer attack(abusing phone dialer, SMS ) comes in the client side injection. Hackers could load text based attack and exploit targeted examiner. In this way any source of data can be injected including resource targeted files or application 4.6 Application Isolation Mobile application is just about everything from transaction, business ,personnel and social networking. Before installing any application in your mobile devices clearly see the permission agreement, privacy and how to access your device with that application. It might be any application theft user sensitive data ,financial data, business data ,personnel data and other valuable file. 4.7 Mobile Device Coding Issues In an application development it always happen some honest mistakes, unintentionally creating security vulnerabilities with poor coding efforts. It also happen for bad implementation of encrypted channels for data transmission or improper password protection. In this way every development process can have some vulnerability in the coding of mobile application or other application. Every developer cannot ignore this but needs to maintain proper coding so mobile application reach high security aspect. 4.8  System Updates In a mobile device everybody wants latest version of application for using efficiently so venders always keen to provide latest update and patches designing to fix security issues for better use of application. But in this process other threats (hackers) mixed bad code with real application and provide to install application. It may affect mobile device but user doesnt know why its happening. It is big drawback and commercial attack to application and venders. 4.9 Serious Threats in New Features For mobile devices, newly added features and updates application are serious risk too. Every venders are making their own application related to their mobile operating system and giving new look, new features. Its comparison among that venders to defeat in the market so making related application and releasing some vulnerabilities for chasing market. So user should enquire first then use newly features so security remain consist in the mobile devices. 4.10 Sensitive Information Disclosure Its trend that mobile user use their mobile in brad area like login credentials, shared secret keys, sensitive business logic , access token, application code etc. it is also possible these information being disclosed to an attacker by different technology. It should be remain consist security in sensitive information disclosure in mobile devices. 4.11 Improper Session Handling For mobile devices, session handling is identified security concern for web application. Improper session handling indications to vulnerabilities that are pretty common in using internet applications over any platform like mobile devices or PCs. Session with long expiry time invite vulnerabilities in any case of using financial work. Poor session management can clues to unauthorized access through session hijacking in mobile devices. 4.12 Security Decisions from untrusted responses For mobile devices, Some operating system like Android and iOS platform, some applications like as Skype may not continuously appeal consent from outside parties, it gives privilege for attackers that may occur in malicious application avoiding security. For this way, applications are vulnerable to data leakages and client-side injection. Always need for supplementary authorization or provide supplementary ladders to launch sensitive applications when supplementary authorization is not promising. 4.13 Weak Authentication and Brute force attack Its often seen many applications today rely on password based authentication, single factor. The owners of application do not enforce for strong password and securing valuable credentials. In that case user expose themselves to host of threats, stolen credentials and automated Brute force attacks (Brute force attack means systematically checking all possible password or keys until find exact one). 5. Mobile Threats and Vulnerabilities This section provides a comprehensive overview of mobile threats and vulnerabilities, cyber criminals have focused their consideration to mobile devices nowadays [1]. Mobile devices are using many useful applications in the internet medium so it’s a prime target for the attackers or hackers to destroy security mechanism and spread threats vulnerabilities. The distance between hacker capabilities and an organizations protection is widening day by day. These tendency underline the need for additional mobile device security awareness, as well as more stringent, better integrated mobile security solutions and policies. 5.1 Mobile Threats Threats and attacks that proved magnificently on personnel computer are now being tested on unsuspecting mobile device user to see what works and with the number of mobile devices with protection increasing, there are adequately of easy targets. Attackers are definitely penetrating after the weakest point in chain and then improving in on the most successful scams. Mobile attacks are basically divided into four categories and listed below- Physical threats Application based threats Network based threats Web based threats Physical Threats Mobile devices are designed (portable) to proper use in the daily lives, and its physical security is an important deliberation [4]. Below describing some physical threats Bluetooth Lost or Stolen Mobile Devices Computing Resources Internet Access Application Based Threats Spyware Malware Vulnerable Application Privacy Threats Network Based Threats Denial of service Attack (DoS) Network Exploits Mobile Network Services Wi-Fi Sniffing Web Based Threats Drive by Downloads Browser Exploits Phishing Scams 5.2 Mobile Vulnerabilities Rootkit Worm Trojan Horse Botnet 6. Solutions and Precautions For Mobile Devices 7. Conclusions and Future Work Acknowledgements The authors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for its funding of this research through the Research Group Project no. ABCDEFGH. References A Survey on Security for Mobile Devices, La Polla, M. ; Martinelli, F. ; Sgandurra, D. Communications Surveys Tutorials, IEEE ,Volume: 15, Issue: 1,Publication Year: 2013 , Page(s): 446 471 M. Hypponen, â€Å"Malware Goes Mobile,† Scientific American, vol. 295,no. 5, pp. 46–53, 2006. Reviews on Cybercrime Affecting Portable Devices, Seyedmostafa Safavi, Zarina Shukur, Rozilawati Razali, The 4th International Conference on Electrical Engineering and Informatics(ICEEI 2013) Mobile Devices Security: A Survey on Mobile Device Threats, Vulnerabilities and their Defensive Mechanism, Shujithra. M, Pasdmavati. G, International Journal of Computer Applications (0975-8887) Volume 56-No.14, October 2012

Role of E6AP in Malignancies and Tumorigenesis

Role of E6AP in Malignancies and Tumorigenesis INTRODUCTION Leukemia is a malignant hematological disorder characterized by proliferation of abnormal white cells that infiltrate the bone marrow, peripheral blood and other important organs. Leukemia arising from myeloid cells is known as Myeloid Leukemia which may either be chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and/or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is a complex disease caused by mutations, deregulated gene expression and epigenetic modifications leading to increased proliferation and decreased differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells. Several important molecular markers have been discovered in AML to better characterize patients. C/EBPÃŽ ± is an important regulator of Granulopoiesis. Several groups have reported mutations in the C/EBPÃŽ ± gene in a subset of patients with AML presenting with normal karyotypes. A significant percentage of AML patients without chromosomal translocations have demonstrated abnormalities in C/EBPÃŽ ± protein or function, suggesting that loss of transcriptional control is a common mechanism of leukemogenesis. Even in the setting of other proleukemogenic genetic abnormalities, such as the (8; 21) translocation, C/EBPÃŽ ± has been demonstrated to be aberrantly regulated, in this case by down regulation of expression. Functional alterations of C/EBPÃŽ ± in AML include mutations of the C/EBPÃŽ ± gene and deregulated expression of C/EBPÃŽ ± by chromosomal translocations. Further, post-transcriptional or post-translational suppression of C/EBPÃŽ ± has been demonstrated to be involved in hematopoietic malignancies. AML is also characterized as, a malignant disease of hematopoietic system in which cells accumulate in an undifferentiated state due to mutations that prevent their normal differentiation and allow undifferentiated cells to survive and proliferate. The molecular changes that occur in AML usually lead to either abnormal cell proliferation (FLT3 and Ras mutations) or block in differentiation (AML1/ETO, PML/RAR alpha, C/EBPalpha mutation s) or suppression of apoptosis (bcl2 overexpression). Despite of block in differentiation, native AML cells often show some morphological signs of differentiation that allow a classification into different subsets, and further differentiation may be induced by exposure to various soluble mediators, e.g., all trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and several cytokines in t(15;17). All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is a derivative of vitamin A and it affects cellular development including haematopoiesis, in particular granulocytic differentiation. ATRA could induce a dose-dependent differentiation of HL-60 promyeloblasts to mature, functioning neutrophils. ATRA induces growth inhibition, differentiation, and apoptosis in cancer cells, including acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). In APL, expression of promyelocytic leukemia protein retinoic acid receptor (PMLRARÃŽ ±) fusion protein, owing to the t (15; 17) reciprocal translocation, leads to a block in the promyelocytic stage of differentiation. E3 Ubiquitin ligases are a large family of proteins engaged in the regulation of protein turnover and activity through a multistep proteolytic cascade, called ubiquitination. Ubiquitination of a target protein involves 2 distinct steps: covalent attachment of multiple ubiquitin molecules to the protein substrates and degradation of the polyubiquitylated proteins by the 26S proteasome system. The first step is mediated by a cascade of 3 enzymes: ubiquitin activating enzyme (E1), ubiquitin conjugating enzyme (E2), and ubiquitin ligase (E3) [1, 2]. Ubiquitin is a 76-amino acid polypeptide that is highly conserved among eukaryotic organisms. It is first activated in an ATP-dependent manner via binding to E1 through a thioester bond between a cysteine residue at the active site of E1 and the C-terminal glycine (G76) of ubiquitin. Activated ubiquitin in an E1-ubiquitin complex is then transferred to E2, which also participates in the formation of a thioester bond between its active site cy steine residue and the G76 of ubiquitin. Finally, ubiquitin is covalently attached to the target protein through an is opeptide bond between the G76 of ubiquitin and the ÃŽ µ-amino group of an internal lysine residue of the target protein, in a reaction catalyzed by E3 ligase. Subsequent to the linkage of ubiquitin to the target protein, a polyubiquitin chain is formed in which the C-terminus of each ubiquitin moiety is linked to a specific lysine residue (most commonly Lys48) of the previous ubiquitin to form K48-linked polyubiquitylated conjugates which are rapidly recognized by the 19S regulatory subunit of the 26S proteasome and degraded by the 20S core particle [1-3]. There are approximately 600 E3 ligases in the human genome that can be classified into 3 major types the N-end rule ubiquitin ligases; HECT-type; and the RING-type, on the basis of domain structure and substrate recognition[1]. The N-end rule ubiquitin E3 ligases target protein substrates bearing specific destabilizing N-terminal residues, including Arg, Lys, His (type I) and Phe, Trp, Leu, Tyr, Ile (type II)[1]. The second type HECT (homology to E6AP C-Terminus) E3-ubiquitin protein ligases, found from yeast to humans range in size from 80kDa to more than 500kDa. They are characterised by the HECT domain, a C-terminal region of approximately 350 amino acids in length with significant similarity to C-terminus of E6AP. Unlike RING E3s which act as scaffolds facilitating interaction between E2s and substrates, HECT E3 ligases form an intermediate thioester bond with the ubiquitin C-terminus through an evolutionarily conserved cysteine residue before catalyzing substrate ubiquitination. Hence, HECT E3s play a direct catalytic role in the final attachment of ubiquitin moieties to target proteins. The N-terminus is highly variable and may be involved in substrate recognition. On the basis of distinct amino acid sequence motifs within the N-terminus, human HECT E3s can be classified into 3 sub-families: HECT E3s with RLDs (RCC1-like domains, termed as HERC (HECT and RCC-1like domain E3s), HECT E3s with WW domains (called Nedd4/Nedd4- like E3s), and HECT E3s that neither contain RLDs nor WW domains (called SI(ngle)- HECT E3s). E6AP, the prototype of HECT E3 family belongs to the third sub-family of HECT E3 ligases [3-5]. The third and the largest type of E3 ligase is the RING (Really Interesting New Gene) family. RING-based E3 ligases are specified by over 600 human genes surpassing 518 protein kinase genes. These are characterised by a classic C3H2C3 or C3HC4 RING finger domain with a characteristic linear sequence Cys-X2-Cys-X9-39-Cys-X1-3-His-X2-3-Cys/His-X2-Cys-X4-48-Cys-X2-Cys, where X can be any amino acid. The RING domain provides a docking site for the E2 enzyme, which mediate transfer of ubiquitin to the substrate, facilitating assembly of mono- or polyubiquitylated conjugates via different lysine residues of ubiquitin. The resulting modifications have a diverse range of biological functions, from proteasome-dependent proteolysis (Lys48- and Lys 11-linked polyubiquitin) to post-translational regulation of protein function, structure, assembly, and/or localization (Lys 63 and other linkages)[1, 6]. E3 ligases can also be classified into single subunit E3s (e.g. Mdm2, Cbl) and multi-subunit complexes (APC, SCF). E3 enzymes bind their target substrates through various protein-protein interaction domains (e.g. WD 40 repeats). However, for substrate recognition post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation or proteolytic cleavage are required[7]. The modified motif in the substrate is called degron. There are many different types of degrons (e.g. phosphodegron, PEST). Once modified, a degron in a substrate might be recognized by a specific E3 ligase, which forms the basis for its subsequent ubiquitination[8]. Through ubiquitin-mediated covalent modification of diverse range of cellular proteins, E3 ubiquitin ligases regulate several cellular functions or biological processes such as cell cycle progression, Oncogenesis, signal transduction, transcription regulation, DNA repair, endocytois, transport and development via proteolytic or non-proteolytic mechanisms [2, 9]. A direct molecular link between cell-cycle control, Oncogenesis and E3 ubiquitin ligase activity was supported by several clinical findings and wealth of experimental data on E6AP, SKP2 and FBW7, Nedd 4-1, Pirh2, CDC20, CDH1 and also on other E3 ligases [3, 10, 11]. Understanding the physiological role of E6-AP, the founding member of the HECT E3 family, is of interest because inactivation of UBE3A gene encoding E6AP has been associated with Angelman Syndrome, a hereditary neurological disorder. Moreover, in the case of cervical cancer, the E6/E6-AP complex not only targets p53 for ubiquitin-mediated degradation, but also targets other proteins, which is necessary for HPV-induced cervical carcinogenesis[12]. E6-AP forms a stable complex with the adaptor protein E6. The dimeric complex binds to and targets p53 for ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, thus eventually interfering with the negative growth regulating activities of this tumor suppressor protein [13-15]. In addition, the expression of E6-AP protein is decreased in human invasive breast and prostate cancers compared with their adjacent normal tissues. This down-regulation of E6-AP is accompanied by the elevation of ER in breast and AR in prostate carcinomas[16]. Furthermore, in vivo data fro m E6-AP-knockout animals indicated that the expression levels of ER and AR are increased in E6-AP-null mammary and prostate glands, respectively, when compared with that of normal control animals, suggesting that E6-AP modulates the protein levels of ER in breast and AR in prostate glands [17]. E6AP, a 100-kDa cellular protein is a member of functionally related E3-ubiquitin-protein ligases defined by the domain homologous to the carboxy terminus hect domain.20 E3 ligases ubiquitinate and degrade several regulatory proteins including p53, p27, promyelocytic leukemia retinoic acid receptor ÃŽ ± and others, which serve as tumor suppressors and cell-cycle inhibitors. E6AP promotes C/EBPÃŽ ± ubiquitination leading to its proteasome-mediated degradation and thus functional inactivation. E6AP negatively regulate Granulopoiesis by targeting C/EBPÃŽ ± for degradation via ubiquitin proteasome pathway. Promyelocytic leukemia tumor suppressor (PML) has been recently identified as a target of catalytically active form of E6AP. PML tumor suppressor is essential for the formation of PML nuclear bodies. Recent studies have implicated role of PML and PML nuclear bodies in the regulation of growth inhibition, senescence and apoptosis. PML is down regulated in multiple human cancers and experimental data has correlated reduced PML activity and expression to E3 ubiquitin ligase activity of E6AP, regulating protein turnover and activity[18]. Recently, Annexin I involved in the inhibition of cell proliferation, regulation of cell differentiation, anti-inflammatory effects, cell death signalling, carcinogenesis has been identified as a novel target of E6AP in addition to classical substrates, including p53 tumor suppressor, PDZ domain-containing protein scribble, a transcriptional repressor of the gene encoding hTERT[19]. In addition, studies have also implicated the role of E6AP ubiquitin ligase activity in ubiquitin-dependent degradation of Peroxiredoxin1 and presumably open avenues to investigate the functional link between lack of E6AP expression and stability of Peroxiredoxin 1with regard to the pathogenesis of Angelman syndrome[20]. p53 is targeted for proteasomal degradation by mdm2 which is a p53 target gene containing E3 ubiquitin ligase activity[21]. While mdm2 targets p53 for degradation, mdm2 is self -ubiquitinated and degraded. Cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p21waf/cip, another p53 target gene, is degraded by proteasome and GSK3 (glycogen synthase kinase 3) mediated phosphorylation [22]. Rb (Retinoblastoma) protein is a tumor suppressor and negatively regulates G1/S transition by interacting with E2F transcription factor. Rb protein is degraded in an ubiquitin dependent manner [23]. In addition, free E2F is also degraded in ubiquitin dependent manner by the 26S proteasome. Thus, collectively HECT domain containing E3 ligases are important for homeostasis of protein levels and defects in their function may lead to various diseases including cancer. Thus, wealth of experimental data and clinical findings identifying many substrates targeted by E3 ubiquitin ligases, indicate that the deregulation of Ubiquitin proteasome system in cell cycle control is tightly linked to malignancies and tumorigenesis. Due to the above relevance and role of E6AP in malignancies and tumorigenesis The project is based on the expression, purification and validation of GST tagged protein that is GST- E6AP. The current study includes Cell culture: HL-60 cells, a human promyelocytic leukemia cell line. HL-60 cells treated with 1uM ATRA for 0,24 and 48 hours. GST- E6AP Protein expression and purification: GST-E6AP Pull down: Objectives: 1) Expression of GST and GST-E6AP plasmids in BL21 strain of E.Coli 2) Purification of GST and GST-E6AP proteins from BL21 strain of E.Coli 3) Validation of expression through western blotting 4) To detect GST-E6AP protein interaction with whole cell lysates of HL-60 cells treated with 1ÃŽ ¼M ATRA for 0, 24 and 48 hrs GOMTI NAGAR EXTENSION, LUCKNOW

“As We May Think” Essay -- Article Analysis

It is obvious that Bush viewed and approached the dissemination of information as just as much a science as physics or engineering, and that he was a scientist first and foremost. (He also resembled Max von Sydow, but that is beside the point.) Throughout â€Å"As We May Think,† the comparisons are there, and he speaks very highly of the sciences and the benefits they have brought our world. He recognized that the sciences and their results are only as good as the ability scientists have to record their findings and share them with the rest of the world, and that at the time the article was written, the methods for the recording, storage, and retrieval of that information were severely insufficient. The way information storage and retrieval could benefit libraries just for the sake of librarianship seemed almost an afterthought to him, however, and he mentions libraries just a few times in the entire document. The real purpose of his work seemed to be bringing to light how the scientific community desperately needed better ways of handling its vast amounts of current and future information so that future scientists could most greatly benefit. His answer to this shortcoming was the memex. Bush thought of everything in terms of how it could be improved using not only the methods that were in existence at the time, but also all the possibilities that could be developed in the future. In this article, he amazingly predicted the invention of the Polaroid camera, which was introduced by the founder of the Polaroid Corporation just two years after the publishing of this article. (â€Å"Instant Camera,† 2010) He used the system by which the telephone system worked at the time to explain how future information retrieval systems might work. In Bush’... ...inking include XML (Extensible Markup Language) and RDF (Resource Description Framework). Bush was indeed a pioneer in his time. Though development of his envisioned memex was never achieved during his lifetime, many of the ideas behind it have played a huge role in our technological advances. Thus Vannevar Bush has forever earned a place in technological history. Works Cited Bush, Vannevar. (1994, April). As We May Think. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from http://web.mit.edu/STS.035/www/PDFs/think.pdf Instant Camera. (2010, January14). Retrieved January 14, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_camera Memex. (2009, December 12). January 16, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex Vannevar Bush. (2005, November 6). Retrieved January 14, 2010, from Internet Pioneers website: http://www.ibiblio.org/pioneers/bush.html

Julius Caesar Tragic Hero (Brutus) :: Julius Caesar Essays

Tragic Hero Essay In the play the Life and Death of Julius Caesar (just as in all of Shakespeare’s tragedies) there is much death, much tragedy, and of course, a tragic hero. However unlike most of Shakespeare’s plays this time the tragic hero is not particularly obvious. Throughout the play a few main characters present themselves as possibilities for being the tragic hero. But as being a tragic hero is not only having a tragic flaw but also entails much more, there really is only one person to fit the mold. The character Brutus is born into power and is higher/better then we are. He has a tragic flaw that causes his downfall and at the end he realizes his mistake (a trait none of the other characters can really claim). Throughout most of the play Brutus is constantly internally conflicted. Does he do what he believes is best for Rome or stay loyal to his friend and leader? Should he assist in the murder of one person to benefit many? Although killing Caesar was in the end a bad choice, Brutus always tries to do what is best for Rome and for the people. However even though all of Brutus’ motives are good he still has the tragic flaw of pride, which ultimately leads to his downfall. The reason that Brutus gets caught up in the conspiracy is because Cassias appeals to his pride and flatters him with forged letters from the Roman people saying he is a greater leader then Caesar. This flaw eventually leads to his downfall because of all the bad decisions it causes him to make. The first mistake pride causes him to make is to kill Caesar and the next mistake follows right after. â€Å" Mark Antony, here, take you Caesar’s body. You shall not in your funeral speech blame us, but speak all good you can devise of Caesar, and say you do’t by our permission; Else shall you not have any hang at all about his funeral; and you shall speak in the same pulpit wherto I am going, after my speech is done.† (24) This was said by Brutus to Antony right after Caesar’s death. Brutus not only allows Antony to live but then allows him to speak at Caesar’s funeral after Brutus speaks, completely unsupervised. This choice of Brutus’ is brought about by his pride (and maybe a little bit of shortsighted stupidity).

Finding Enlightenment (and we wernt really looking for it) :: Essays Papers

Finding Enlightenment (and we wern't really looking for it) I knew it was coming. I just didn’t know what it would look like, how close we would be, or if it would trap us like the siege of St. Petersburg. It is hard to explain why I didn’t ask these kinds of questions before the twenty-three miles we’d gone that day, but it is easy to see why I couldn’t picture such things. Being in new places and seeing new things everyday and you just end up succumbing and rolling with the punches. The magnitude of what we were in for could not be documented on a chart or a map, which was the extent of our resources. For whatever incredible inventions humans have created, numerically speaking, the earth in all its vastness and beauty easily outnumbers human technology. There are trillions of enormous and miniscule creatures, spectacular mountain ranges that reach so high they touch the limit of mortal tolerance. There are evolved and intricately worked canyons and caves, wide fields and forests that never seem like they change but in all actuality have never stopped moving or changing since the beginning of time. We as humans look mighty ignorant to believe that we are the most special things ever to enter this world, especially when we are more destructive to our symbiosis with the natural world than preservers of our relationship with it. But on this particular day when I was confronted with something I’d never seen before, not even on television or in a text book , there it was so enormous that from 2 miles away I felt like I could reach out and touch it. Realistically, had I been close enough to scrape my frail human skin across its front side there is no doubt in my mind that I would not be around to tell the story today. That morning started so early, I felt as though the night before never came. During the summer in Alaska, the sun never sets and thus the day never ends, and if the day never ends then the next day never actually begins. I constantly tangled with this very confusing theory and lasted long into the night writing in my journal, fishing while my two-week permit lasted, or basking in the beauty that was and is Alaska. It was Day 20 of my 30-day excursion to Prince William Sound in Southern Alaska.

Deepest Fear

My deepest fear is fear within itself. In life there is no failure but only feedback. Being presented with different obstacles and making sufficient decisions in my life's path, has made me who i am today. As a child, my family always taught me that I must perform to the best of my abilities as a person in order to succeed in whatever I  pursue in life. As a child growing up in Clinton Public School Districts wasn’t such a walk in the park because success was the only option and the key to your future.It took me a while to understand everything I was brought up against as a student there but it made me learn a great deal about the diversity of cultures and how others may perceive the world differently than I would. It made me understand the concept when it came to things I can manage, with others that I cannot. Being a student at Clinton High made me realize that I could do anything to my fullest potential if I put forth effort.I had also overcame the feeling of being unlove d, abused and mistreated by someone I thought cared tremendously about me. I received many awards and recognitions throughout my school years such as hardworking, dedication, good Spirit, track Awards and many more. I participated in the choir, track, basketball, the Spanish club, pure guidance club, FCA (fellowship with Christians Association), help serve at the stewpot and many more.On May 25, 2012 not only did I overcome my fear of failure and doubt but I proved everyone one whoever went up against me wrong. This was the day that I rejoiced because I graduated from Clinton High School with a clean record, no baby and an acceptance letter to one of the top African American Schools in the state of Mississippi, Jackson State University.I believe majoring in Computer Science will be a great experience because I love computers and technology is my greatest strength. It will better me when it comes to dealing with things hands-on and challenge my thinking process even more. I believe a lso, that majoring in Computer Science will also build me up as a person because setbacks in one's life better prepare one  for the greater challenges that will lie ahead.

A Business Proposal to Improve Production

A Business Proposal to Improve Productivity, Guest Experience, and Revenue Through Innovative Use of Technology Prepared for Freddie Johnson Vice President, Research and Marketing Boardman Management Group Prepared by Darren Jackson Manager of Marketing Baderman Island ResortMarch 7, 2012 Proposal Number: RM07-01 Baderman Island Resort: A Business Proposal Baderman Island Resort A Business Proposal to Improve Productivity, Guest Experience, and Revenue Executive Summary Background The Baderman Island Resort has 3 hotels, a convention center, 4 restaurants, 2 gift shops, a pro shop and a spa. While all of the business entities are owned by the Baderman Island Resort and executively managed by the Boardman Management Group, each business entity is operated independently.Each business entity was opened at different times and, while each entity started out with up-to-date computer hardware and software, upgrades of equipment and software have not been uniform. The word processing softw are in use at the Resort is a case in point. Currently, we have: * 26 computers running Windows XP and Word XP * 38 computers running Windows 2000 and Word 2000 * 6 computers running Windows 98 and Word 97 While there is backward compatibility between the various versions of the software, the older versions do not have all of the â€Å"bells and whistles† of the newer versions.We are wondering what would be entailed to upgrade to a standard version of Microsoft Word or, alternatively, to switch to a word processing software application from another vendor. Currently, Baderman Island Resort is in need of addressing business risk with effective technology. Old and out dated Systems have the tenices to go offline when aging components fail and key networking connection don’t work. Security issues can emerge and threaten the integrity of business data. All work or portions of the business could see systems go offline, while other systems continue to operate normally.The cu rrent IT or Windows system in place is not up to date or easy to manage, and this is a situation that could possible set the stage for potential problems down the road. Objective Maintain productive smooth running business operations that are mission critical. To maintain business momentum and employee productivity by being trained for challenges that are associated with acquiring and maintaining the most effective IT environments to support ongoing operations. The technology must be both affordable and easy to operate on a day-in, day-out basis to effectively support the business.Goals Baderman Island Resort: A Business Proposal To ensure the company has the capability of facing the growing demands of today’s market, supply data, and services to customers on a level that will exceed the expectation of the customers. Provide each employee with the knowledge training to successfully run and give value service information to the customer concerning the wireless service. For Win dows XP to provide huge amounts of useful software on their platform, provide more RAM to increase memory, and provide widespread availability of hardware driver support.Improved storage capacity will allow us to be better positioned to serve our customers and meet increasing demand for security and wireless connectivity. Improve corporate network security by not allowing personal information about customers or intellectual property on phones, be sure that access to the corporate network using a smartphone be based not only on the user’s role in the business, but also on his or her location and the connection used, such as inside or outside the corporate network, or through a VPN.For example, a connection via an unsecured Wi-Fi network that is not going through the corporate VPN should be blocked. And also wireless networking benefits that will provide reliability, security and robustness service for our customers. Cost The following table presents an initial estimate of cost s. Table of Estimated Cost Initial Monitoring and Units Rate Total Cost ($)Information Gathering 384 hrs. 50 hr. (avg. ) $19,200| Evaluation of up Grades Units Rate Total Cost ($)| and Instillation 288 hrs. $70 hr. (avg. ) $43,200 Implementation of Windows Units Rate Total Cost ($) | IT System 96 $50 hr. (avg. $4,800 Employee Training Units Rate Total Cost ($)| 48 $50 hr. (avg. ) $2,400 | Total Project Costs $52,320 | Note: This estimate is comprised of information based on the gathering by Boardman Management Group and the initial research by Baderman Island Resort. These calculations are expected to remain consistent throughout the process.Baderman Island Resort: A Business Proposal Administrative Information These are the desired qualifications for technicians, requirements for formatting and submitting feedback, confidentiality notice of proposal submissions, employer reference requirements, contact information for clarification, deadline for proposal submission, timeframe for v endor selection and selection criteria. Technicians need to have top-notch software and hardware skills including the ability to troubleshoot, resolve problems, diagnose hardware problems and replace malfunctioning components.The requirements for formatting and submitting proposals is letter of transmittal with proper identification, a brief description of your organization’s experience as it relates to the services specified in this RFP, include organizations points of contact, and attach the Signature Affidavit and Reference Form to the narrative portion. The cost proposal should be submitted in a separate sealed envelope with the written proposal that clearly identifies all fees to be charged for the requested services. Confidentiality notice that gives us the right to accept or reject any or all proposals submitted.Present a signed employee reference requirement. Employer reference requirement is needed to ensure contractual expectations and requirements. The deadline dat e for proposal submission is 30 days form the proposal date at 12 midnight. Selection criteria for vendors to adhere to are the ability to maintain confidentiality, to work as a team, to work independently, to work under pressure, attention to detail, flexible and adaptable approach to work, initiative, organizational/planning skills, problem-solving ability, verbal communication/interpersonal skills and written communication skills.Closing With this new technology onboard at Baderman Island Resort, it will enable the hotel to do more than provide guests with enhanced technology. Baderman Island Resort will have more ways than ever to interact with it guests in their rooms, to the mutual benefit of the hotel and the guests. Customer interaction will move to the next level with the new version of eRoomsuite is deployed. These new technology will allow Boardman Management Group enhancements that will take advantage of the new Microsoft technology, including Window Server 2010 Hyper-V virtualization technology.Server virtualization, which enables multiple virtual servers to run on a single physical machine, will enable Baderman Island Resort to install fewer servers at a hotel property, thereby saving space, utility costs, and maintenance overhead as well as help ensure business continuity and more effective disaster recovery. Sincerely, Lon Ratcliff Manager of Marketing Baderman Island Resort Baderman Island Resort: A Business Proposal Accepted for Baderman Island Resort By Name: | | | Signture: Date: