Benefits of technology Essay

Grandmother Selina grew up in age where everything was made by hand. She went to school where teachers mostly used chalks and wooden boards. However, today, teachers no longer use chock boards, instead they use smart boards or overhead projector. Selina used to carry a dictionary for school every day for her English class. However, today, there are fewer students carrying dictionaries because they have an access to an Internet; which helps to find the meaning of a word in less than a minute. Technology has a tremendous impact on people’s lives. It has become part of our everyday life. People have used technology as a great source of time saver. As a society, we have witnessed how technology has affected society negatively, but the advantages the technology has given people outweigh the disadvantages. As the technology has evolved, people have noticed how technology has been a useful tool in terms of increasing employment. According to Burnstein, â€Å"U.S. technology and business innovators recognize that robots in factories have potential to save and create more jobs than they eliminate†. The majorities of factories in the United States use machineries and robotics to produce products instead of paying someone to do it. Many people have argued that the technology evolution has increased unemployment because companies have replaced people with robotics and machineries. Even though more companies replace people with machineries; however, the good news is that the more companies replace machineries with people, the more companies will hire people with higher paying skilled jobs. People will now have to learn how to use machineries and robotics to work in companies that needs specialist on certain machineries. For example, people might get a job as a computer technician or machine operator. Also, many robotics and machineries related companies will have to hire people that design, build, and progr am the equipment. Nowadays, technology is fast paced and it is becoming more advanced day by day. Today, the majority of people that work in a company with large information technology divisions need a computer to get their work done. According to Jerome, there has been a new technology invention of distant servers that can easily replace the computer hard drives. However, â€Å"the cloud is already putting Americans to work. Google’s team has more than 1,000 employees, Texas cloud company RackSpace eploys 3,700 people, and  California-based provider Saleforces.com has 235 open positions, according to The Wall Street Journal†(Jerome). Technology has made our jobs so much easier. As a society in a whole, we need to take an advantage of what technology is providing us. For example, farmers’ physical labors have disappeared because now they use machines to do the work. According to Nye, â€Å"As recently as 150 years ago, most people in Europe and the United States were farmers. T oday, less than 5 percent remain on farms, and industrial work occupies only about 25 percent of workers† (Nye, 7). Because of this, many people argue that technology has impacted the job creation negatively. It has not just made our lives easier, but it also has helped people to save time and to find a better job. Few decades ago, construction workers used to work with tool such as hammers, ladder, and ropes. However, today, people use machineries such as nail gun, paint sprayer, and cranes. As Nye mentioned, â€Å"Tedious and dangerous factory work has been replaced by robot or automatic machines, while millions of people hold jobs that did not exist 150 years ago in the industries created around new technologies, such as computing, musical recording, broadcasting, design, advertising, and research and development† (7).Technology is advancing so rapidly that we might stay behind if we don’t adapt to it. Because of this, people need to improve their technological skills. The more we familiarize with technology, the more opportunity we will have finding a job. As technology has incre ased in our lives, we have been able to characterize the importance of technology in our social life. Technology has made our lives so much easier. For example, we don’t have to go to a bank to deposit checks because people can do this by simply uploading a check in their bank’s mobile application. Also, technology has provided us with Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system to travel without getting lost or asking for help; even cars are being made with GPS systems which helps drivers to comfortably drive wherever they want to. There have been many pros and cons about social media. In addition, some people say it has affected the way we communicate negatively by diminishing our social skills. However, the benefits of technology in our social life have overthrown the disadvantages that technology supposedly causes. Today, most of the people are using social media such as twitter, Facebook, Skype etc†¦ The popularity of Facebook and twitter has increased tremendously during the past few years; it has been a  great tool to keep in touch with your friends and fami ly. According to the psychiatrist Marley, â€Å"People who follow a lot of Twitters from diverse backgrounds could quickly build up an understanding of lots of people, and this in turn would enable them with ‘people knowledge’ that would better equip them for social interactions with people†(Marley). There are thousands of twitter users that are from different country, who speaks another language, and who shares different customs than others. Even though people are not interacting face to face with others, people can easily feel comfortable and get better understanding which can help communication. â€Å"In an age when all aspects of life are becoming increasingly electronic, social networking sites are turning into a social scene that caters young and adults, and provides for their interactive needs while connecting peers and colleagues worldwide† (Wittaker). Social networks can be a great way to look for support. Most of the time, people find support on social network when they feel sad, lonely or bored. According to Torr: Several studies have specially countered some prior research linking Internet use with isolation or depression, showing experienced users may find a greater support online, become more satisfied with their interaction and communication, and generate new relationship through the ability to contact others more easily than they can offline (Torr, 26). Also, social media makes it easier to communicate for people who don’t feel comfortable talking in person. Today, technology has been used as new way of entertainment. The majority of teenagers carry a smartphone; some people see this as a bad thing because they only use it to play games. However, what people don’t realize is that it is becoming a game changer. The reason why cell phones are becoming a game changer is because â€Å"kids themselves are bringing the device to school, we adults brought laptops into sc hool, and they are a yawn, as are netbooks because the kids see cell phones as their generation’s technology†(Soloway). Today, kids are much more familiarized with technology than what we were as a kid. In addition, technology also has changed the way we entertain ourselves. For example, our parents experienced music very differently than today’s digital natives. Not so long ago, people used to buy cd’s to listen to music or take pictures in a roll of film that had to be taken to the pharmacy to be printed out. However, today people can easily take a picture, share songs, or music videos through social network sites  such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Teenagers today, â€Å"expresses themselves creatively in ways that are very different from the ways their parents did at their age† (Palfrey, 6). Technology also has influenced the way people get important informations. For example, Internet provides us with great medical information such as how to cure a virus, fever or any kind of illnesses. According to Haugen, â€Å"a survey made on March 2005, about 17 million said that Internet had played a crucial and important role in helping them with major illness or medical conations†. Sometime, people use the internet to find a recommendable doctor nearby. For all these reasons technology has positively impacted the way that people participate in a social life. Other than technology being beneficial in our social life, we have also seen how the technology has provided benefits in the field of education. The majority of school districts prohibit electronic devices in classroom because it distracts them from learning. What parents and teachers don’t realize is that mobile devices such as smartphones can help students to understand the material better. Parents, teachers, and administrators refuse to allow students to use smartphones in class because students spend their time on social networks. However, â€Å" ‘ significantly more students who use mobile devices in the class room express a stronger interest in subjects than students than students who do not use these devices in classroom’† (Armstrong, 39). Learning social skills through social network can be an important skill for students to thrive in the future as a professional. As Gerber mentioned, â€Å"Social networking sites offer teenagers the opportunity to navigate everyday technology, learn valuable computer and social skill, and polish their language efficiently† (Gerber).As students interact with their friends through social networking sites, they become friendlier. They have an opportunity to meet other people not only inside of school, but also outside of school. Today’s generation are more literate, creative, and more socially skilled than their parent’s generation because of their early familiarity with the Internet. Social networking does not only improves student’s communication skills, but it also allows students to â€Å"share information and creative original work such as poetry and film† (Wittaker).College students have experienced the benefits of technology in many ways. For example, if students don’t know the meaning of any work, the first thing that they do is look it up online. This does not only give an  understanding of a word, but it also gives time to look for a variety of information. Also, in many colleges, instructors provide students a website where they can submit their class works and check their current grades. Since everything is becoming electronic, we have noticed that people are no longer reading newspapers. The time when we see someone reading a newspaper, are usually elderly pe ople. Most of these elderly people think that digital natives are not learning effectively because they don’t read newspapers. However, this argument is completely wrong because technology allows students to access tons of information that they’re interested in. According Palfrey mentioned, â€Å"Digital natives pick up bits and pieces of news and information as they go about their day, not in a single sitting at the breakfast table or in the front of the television in the evening†. Since today’s students have an easy access to the internet, they just look up for any news that they feel interested in. Technology has not only made learning easy, but it also has trained students to improve technological skill for the future where everything is going to be electronic. Grandmother Selina would have been lucky if she was born in today’s age. She would not have had to carry heavy dictionary to her class. Technology has made our life less complicated by saving t ime and allowing more flexibility. Technology has changed in a blink of an eye. As a society, we have realized that without technology our lives would be slow-paced. It has helped to improve people’s knowledge, ability to work, and greater ability to improve people’s communication. People need to be up to date with the technology because that’s what the future holds for us. In few years from now, we well depend on technology to survive; since it is becoming a part of our lives. People need to stop worrying about the negative impact of technology, and focus on what technology has to provide us. Works Cited Armstrong, Alice. â€Å"Technology In The Classroom It’s Not A Matter Of ‘If,’ But ‘When’ And ‘How’.† Education Digest 79.5 (2014): 39. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. Burnstein, Jeff. â€Å"Technology and Automation Create Jobs.† Unemployment. Ed. David Haugen and Susan Musser. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from â€Å"Robots Can Create Jobs, Too.† Robotic Industries Association, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. Gerber, Lauren. â€Å"Social Networking Sites Help Students Gain Important Skills.† Are Social Networking Sites Harmful? Ed. Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Rpt. from â€Å"New Discovery: Teenagers Are Actually Benefiting From Spending Too Much Time Online.† PC1news.com. 2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May 2014. Haugen, David. Ed. Technology and Society. Detroit. Thomson Gale, 2007. Print. Jerome, Sara. â€Å"Cloud Technology Will Create Jobs.† Technology and the Cloud. Ed. David Haugen and Susan Musser. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from â€Å"Cloud Computing’s Silver Lining: Jobs.† National Journal 18 (29 Oct. 2011). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May 2014. Marley, Justin. â€Å"Twitter Is Transforming Social Relationships.† What Is the Impact of Twitter? Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from â€Å"Could Twitter Im pact on Social Relationships?† theamazingworldofpsychiatry.wordpress.com. 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May 2014. Nye, David E. Technology Matters: Question to Live With. Massachusetts. The MIT Press, 2006.Print Palfrey, John and Urs Gasser. Born Digital: Understand the First Generation of Digital Natives. New York. Basic Books, 2008. Print Soloway, Elliot. â€Å"Smartphones Will Benefit Classroom Learning.† Smartphones. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from â€Å"Will Smart Phones Eliminate the Digital Divide?† THE Journal (1 Feb. 2011). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May 2014. Torr, James D. ed. The Interet: Opposing Viewpoints. New York. Thomson Gale, 2005. Print. Whittaker, AnneWagner, Geraldine. â€Å"Point: Social Networking Websites Provide A Healthy Way To Improve Friendships.† Points Of View: Social Networking Sites (2013): 2. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 24 Apr. 2014

Perfect competition V. Monopolies Essay

In the American Economy, business is controlled by the government and the consumer. When a person is the owner of a business that is alone in its product that it provides for the consumer, it is said to be a monopoly. As a monopoly you have sole control over price. Monopolies are regulated by the government in order to prevent the misuse of power that a monopoly has. If a person can only get turkey, for example from one store. Then the store can charge a lot more for that turkey than it could if the store next door was selling it too because then there would be competition. Also, the store would not have to produce a better quality of turkey because there would be no reason for it to do so. In this situation the consumer is taken unfair advantage of by the business owner, in this case the store. Government regulates monopolies to promote a perfect competition economy and to get rid of the â€Å"turkey situation† discussed above. The benefits of a perfect competition economy benefit consumers. For example, if we go back to the store, in a perfect competition economy all of the stores have turkey. Now the stores want to make sure that the turkey that they sell is the best turkey and cost the least. In this situation they are competing for the consumer’s business. However, business owners of a monopoly situation disagree with the government. When there is a business that has the potential to become a monopoly the government watches it very closely and the business has to go through the government for mergers and such. The more the business becomes a monopoly, the more the government says no to the business’s requests. For example, there is Microsoft. The government has been working to keep Microsoft from being the big business that it is today. So, in conclusion, a perfect competition economy makes benefits for the consumer. Likewise, a monopolistic economy makes benefits for the business owner. On the flip side, a perfect competition shows drawbacks for the business owner and a monopolistic economy shows drawbacks for the consumer. The best way to run an economy is to have a balance between the two options. America’s economy does this.

The Illinois Supreme Courts Health Care Ruling Assignment

The Illinois Supreme Courts Health Care Ruling - Assignment Example Many retirees, especially those with many dependants cannot afford high-quality healthcare after retiring. The new reform in the constitution will be helpful to them. By implementing the changes, the government claims that it is fulfilling its obligation of protecting its citizens. It is the government’s obligation to protect the health and safety of its people. The state government officials also claim that the implementation of the new reforms may increase the government spending. However, it is a long-term solution to the problems facing the pension systems (Plume 1). Some people claim that the new reform will have more harm than benefits to the economy of the state (Job 1). They claim that the new pension system will increase the cost of living for citizens in Illinois. This is because the pension plan will increase pressure on the government budget. As result, the government will respond by increasing taxation that will, in turn, increase inflation rate. Others also claim that the new reforms do not effectively address the pension problems previously experienced by state workers. For instance, in the year 2012 retires complain of delayed pension. According to critics of the new ruling, including free healthcare in the pension system will only make the problem worse (Job 1). This is because the pension problem was caused by underfunding of the Illinois retirement system. They think that instead of including free healthcare in the system, the government should focus on improving the funds of the existing retirement system. In addition, they claim that the new system will lead to the increase in the monthly premiums of state workers in order to compensate for the free healthcare after retirement. Instead of protecting workers, the critics claim that the ruling will make their lives more difficult. This will worsen the premium issue that was facing the government the previous year (Olsen 1). The new court ruling is an effective way of protecting and improving the lives of retirees in the state.  Ã‚  

Managed care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managed care - Essay Example However, during World War II, the market for healthcare coverage started to gain its momentum. With the motive to attract and retain the good workers, the employers started integrating additional benefits for the employees that eventually enhanced quality of their services. This even led towards integrating new concepts of healthcare into the organizations and certainly enhanced the quality life of the employees. Furthermore, the employees even being newly accustomed to the healthcare services accepted the new method of compensation heartily. This phenomenon further developed the ability of the employers to trade in the labor market efficiently, making the concept to be well accepted (Schield, Murphy, & Bolnick, 2000). Correspondingly, with the increasing demand for the healthcare services and their acceptance amongst the employees, the labor unions started demanding for introducing such services as a compulsion for the employers. The loopholes persisted into managed care services were noted to be gaining importance amongst a few of the insurers or employers. Furthermore, these were more evident during the decade bewteen1950 and 1960 when the economy started expanding. The insurers paid off the hospital and the physician charges to the employees under the healthcare service compensation. Observably, the healthcare services cost were paid by the employers for their employees following a procedure of reimbursement. However, the service providers went for incurring extra costs and thus were not controlled by the financial rules and regulations of the market. The boom of economy in 1950 and 1960 were represented by the slack economic seasons of 1970. This change in the economic settings of the society compelled the employers to obtain a detailed view about their overall expenses. Specifically, the compensations and their benefits were crosschecked that evidenced

Two essay questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Two questions - Essay Example I have chosen to discuss the moral dilemmas surrounding public policy for euthanasia. Currently there is much proposed legislation concerning euthanasia and these include the Svend Robinson's amendment to 2. 241 - on 'aiding suicide"; and a proposed Aid in Dying Act suggested by Russ Ogden1. The dilemma is more profound than the halo of morality prohibiting what can crudely be termed as "mercy killing" or suicide or even assisted suicide. Validating euthanasia may not only change the existing criminal laws on killings but the question we should be asking is whether such a law would be mentally acceptable to the society. The legislator and the policy maker is therefore faced with the moral and procedural dilemma of "undoing" what has been done before. Both the Svend Robinson's amendment to 2.241 - on 'aiding suicide"; and a proposed Aid in Dying Act suggested by Russ Ogden try to pose one form of answer to euthanasia debate , while are also not within current law in Canada. The two proposals, however are great manifestations of the government to have performing it's the roles to achieve resolution in these policy matters. ... for which the resolution would just be a question of what perspective is adopted in a given jurisdiction Canada is a free country which adopts the principle of democracy as a guide where the people must be consulted on what policy do they really want. Thus Chapter 11 has cited the growing public consensus on the issue which may help legislators in the future. It gave as example a case in Oregon that after two votes and judicial review all the way to the US Supreme Court, the country's first physician assisted suicide law was put in effect. (Greenhouse, 1997) and that under the Oregon's Death and Dignity Act, there is just a requirement of two doctors to agree that the patient has less than six months to live, and that the patiently has competently made a voluntary decision. In addition two other witnesses must agree that the request is voluntary.Chapter 11 explained that after the formalities, the doctor may then prescribe, but not administer, the lethal dose .It has been reported th at the US Attorney General Janet Reno agrees that US federal agents would not prosecute doctors following the law in Oregon - or any other jurisdiction that might adopt such a law. However, President Bill Clinton appeared to have opposed to the practice, hence he sighed a law barring any federal assistance for assisted suicide (Sniffen, 1998) (Chapter 11: Right to Life/Right to Die Justice Policy Dilemmas) Thus, the situation is back again to the unresolved dilemma. 2. The Recent Royal commission on Aboriginal Peoples has offered a series of recommendations which the Commissioners feel would serve to address the grievances of the aboriginal community in Canada. Do you feel that justice will be served if these recommendations are implemented Use historical and current

Fraud, Errors and Illegal Acts Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fraud, Errors and Illegal Acts - Term Paper Example Internal control, proper reporting mechanism and the implementation of sound accounting policies and procedures shall rest with the management due to which, role of management has increased. A forensic accountant must have an in-depth study of the documents presented and should have the command to use computer software and so on. Forensic auditors must have excellent written and oral communication skill. Auditors must be aware of IT application and business processes to have a grip on IT related frauds. To nab the tax dodgers, Internal Revenue Service has number of trained people who gather information from different sources / channels to be used to detect tax frauds. IRS has the power to confiscate property of the tax defaulter / tax dodger in order to pressurize them to clear their tax liabilities. FRAUD, ERRORS AND ILLEGAL ACTS The Auditors’ Responsibilities to Detect Fraud, Errors and Illegal Acts The basic responsibility of an auditor is to detect fraud, errors and illega l acts that takes place in an organization and report it to the competent committee for audit to take appropriate measures to prevent fraud, errors and illegal acts (Alleyne & Howard 2005). ... controls, absence of controls, ineffective controls and overriding of controls by the management that culminates fraudulent expenses and skimmed of assets; to pinpoint the individual(s) that are involved in fraudulent transaction, their attitude and past history; identify the loopholes attracting fraud(s) and to suggest management / competent committee of the Board to plug in the identified loopholes (AICPA 2002). After the debacle of Enron and World Com, the American legislatures drafted and promulgated an act named as â€Å"Sarbanes Oxley Act-2002† just to restore the investor’s confidence. The act sets the new pattern of accountability and imposition of penalties for the wrongdoers (Alleyne & Howard 2005). According to laid down criteria, auditors have to take into account the mentioned criterion while auditing an enterprise. Auditors who have conducted audit of an organization shall keep audit reviews for a period of five years. Auditors are to certify the effective ness of internal controls of an entity wherein they conducted audit. They have to advise the management to form a team of experts from finance, audit, information technology, operation, risk management and legal to evolve comprehensive procedure for an effective control on financial transactions (Alleyne & Howard 2005). The team of experts should directly be reporting to the CEO/CFO of the company for necessary guidance and instructions in light of the audit reports. Management should bear the cost of compliance to improve / revamp existing system for an effective internal control. Auditors should not encroach upon the discretions of management for implementation of comprehensive procedure concerning effective internal controls or overcome the internal control deficiencies.  

The Use of Literary Elements in Shakespeare's Hamlet Essay

The Use of Literary Elements in Shakespeare's Hamlet - Essay Example The metaphors are used by the author of the play to reveal that despite the fact that Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, had killed his brother to attain the throne, they were extremely alike to each other. It shows Hamlet’s belief that both his uncle and father were men who valued their own power more than those people who were around them. It is because of this that eventually, both came to their downfall because had they valued their people, then the tragic events which took place in the play would not have happened. Another important metaphor that is used in the play is that related to the cannon fire, which accompanies the king’s toasts, and this helps to show that Claudius, the king, is united with the land that the rules. In reference to the cannon fire, Hamlet states, "†¦or that the Everlasting had not to fix'd his canon 'gainst self-slaughter!" (Act 1 scene 2). This is used to express Hamlet’s wish that his uncle Claudius would turn into a cloud (a pl ay with the name Claudius) so that when the cannons shot into that cloud, it would be able to kill him. This would, in essence, freed Hamlet from his promise to his father’s ghost that he would kill Claudius to avenge his death. Tone When one considers the tone of this play, one would say that it is extremely dark. This is especially because of the fact that almost all the characters within it either are thinking dark thoughts or are plotting to commit evil things. From the very beginning of the play, we see plenty of anxiety and uncertainty concerning the events that are taking place or are likely to take place. The mood in which Hamlet is put after talking to his father’s ghost is extremely dark, and those who know him come to believe that he is going mad. This dark mood is also transmitted to those who either are around him and their actions, directly or indirectly, reflect the darkness, which is in the play. The soliloquies, which Hamlet has concerning the dark asp ects of life such as betrayal and mortality, are some of the things that contribute to the tone of the play. However, from the first line of the play when the guard, Bernardo yells, â€Å"Who’s there!† (Act 1 scene 1) the dark tone of the play is set. It is later revealed that this may have been an expression of the anxiety, which the guards felt after seeing the ghost of their former king several times during the nights. Style One of the aspects of style that is revealed when one reads Hamlet is the use of verse among the main characters when they speak. These characters often use words, which have an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one. This creates a rhythmic pattern in their speech and it can be said that Shakespeare used this style of writing in order to keep the attention of the audience on the play and the characters within it. An example of the use of verse in the play is in Act 1 scene 2 when Hamlet states, â€Å"O, that this too too solid flesh w ould melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!† When one considers Hamlet’s soliloquies, one will find that he often speaks in a formal tone, and this is used to reveal that he comes from the nobility.  

Communicating With Confidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Communicating With Confidence - Essay Example A writer’s ability to quickly attract attention and create interest in the target audience gives them an edge towards communicating confidently. Generation of new ideas through creative and critical thinking leads to a better understanding of the topic and makes the writer to clearly understand the research problem. Communicating credible information obtained by the use of the proper research methodology creates confidence. Multiple measuring instruments such as interviews and questionnaires can be used to avoid biasness in the information. Writers should also be able to use relevant and intellectually stimulating examples with other supporting details to give evidence of deep thinking. In today’s world where there is an overload of information due to high technology, effective and clear communication is essential in order to create a good impression. For a person to communicate confidently, a combination of technical knowhow and appropriate formatting of information to fit the target audience is necessary. Effective communication skills are beneficial because they foster healthy relationships between individuals and organizations and enhance the chances of people building on a successful career. Therefore, a person with the ability to communicate confidently in a world where information is constantly changing and a great deal of time is spent on writing stands a better chance of being successful. According to Mati (2009), many business people lack the ability to communicate effectively in writing therefore businesses must be committed to rewarding the best writing practices. A number of factors have to be considered for a person to improve writing skills and communicate concisely. The initial step involves deciding on the audience or readers that the message is being conveyed to and the format of communication which defines whether the tone will be formal or otherwise. For example, a written letter

Human Karyotyping (Biology) Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Karyotyping (Biology) - Lab Report Example Any deviation in the normal pattern could be ruled out as a change that affects health and development of the individual. It is evident that human cells normally contain 23 pairs of chromosomes. Hypothesis: If there is an increase or decrease in the number of chromosomes, the process is called aneuploidy; it directly affects the development of the organism. These changes occur as a result of non disjunction of chromosomes during the process of meiosis. As a result one of the daughter cells receives either extra or insufficient chromosomes. Variables: The common form of aneuploidy is trisomy, which implies the presence of three copies of the chromosome in cells in place of normal two copies. In Klinefelter’s Syndrome where the sex chromosome is present in extra copy resulting in XXY, where as if the trisomy occurs in autosome like in the case of Down Syndrome trisomy of 21st chromosome occur and if this trisomy occur in 13th chromosome then it results in Trisomy 13 Syndrome resulting in cell with 47 chromosomes instead of usual 46. Methods: Cut the homologous chromosomes. Arrange then on construction paper in descending order of their size. Glue them when arranged as in the figure A. any additional chromosome is found match with its homologue to find out which chromosome is having additional copy. Arrange all the pairs of chromosomes with shorter end towards top and longer one towards the bottom. Mark them with the marker pen; rule out the genetic condition of the Karyotype. Raw data: chromosomes condense during the process of cell division and are therefore visible under light microscope. In Karyotype cells are stained with Giemsa dye. Dark and light band pattern is observed. Metacentric chromosomes have centromere in the center or near the central part of the chromosome. Acrocentric: the centromere is near the end of the chromosome. Telocentric: centromere is terminally located. Chromosomes

Owens Dulce et Decorum Est Essay Example for Free

Owens Dulce et Decorum Est Essay Writing in a similar style to Owens Dulce et Decorum Est, Siegfried Sassoon also decided to attack figures of authority and those with no direct experience of trench warfare via Base Details. Base Details is entirely speculative. The word base in the title has two distinct meanings. It could be used as a noun, to mean place, as in a centre of operation; or you could interpret the word as an adjective meaning morally low or unacceptable. Sassoon has used play on words in the title so that the reader may more adequately perceive the irony and sarcasm expressed in this poem. The adjectives used in the first two lines of Base Details reflect the authors perception of his superiors: If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath, Id live with Scarlet Majors at the Base, The first line indicates that Sassoon is contemptuous of these officers. He has classed the Majors as unpleasant stereotypes, to be criticised and jeered at. In the following line, the word scarlet has a double meaning. On face value, it could be taken to mean that the officers have bright red cheeks. However, Sassoon has used the word as a metaphor, meaning that the Majors have been metaphorically splattered with the blood of the young men they had sent to the front line to die. The stanza continues: And speed glum heroes up the line to death. Here, speed indicates haste. The Majors are unnecessarily rushing soldiers to their deaths. The soldiers are referred to as glum heroes because that is exactly what they are. Their country is expecting them to be noble, intrepid and courageous. Instead they are despondent because they know that as soon as they are out of the trenches their grisly demise could come about at any second. All the hope, joy and energy that is a part of youth has vanished from these men. Sassoon then regales us with further speculation thus: Youd see me with my puffy petulant face Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel, The first thing we notice about these two lines is that Sassoon has used alliteration in order to make more of an impact on the reader, and to vary his writing style. Also worth noting is the fact that Sassoon uses rhyme throughout Base Details to good and memorable effect. Saying that the Majors are puffy and petulant indicates incredulity on Sassoons part, similar to that conveyed in the first lines of the poem. The phrase guzzling and gulping indicates greed, and animal-like actions. The Majors are inhuman. Then, we are told that the Majors stay in the best hotel. This brings home the stark contrast between the lives of the soldiers in the vermin-infested trenches, and the sedentary lives of their superiors. Sassoon continues: Reading the Roll of Honour. Poor young chap, Id say. I used to know his father well: Yes, weve lost heavily in this last scrap. The Roll of Honour referred to here was an official list of those who died in the war. The Majors words regarding one of the deceased are not at all heartfelt. They are meaningless, detached and emotionally void. He is unconcerned and he has placed himself above feelings of pity for those lost and their families. Each new death is just another name on the register and another letter to be dispatched. In the last line of the stanza, the Major refers to trench warfare as a scrap or game, which is identical to Jessie Popes view of war. This is a direct reflection of how little the Major knows about the fighting going on outside his quarters; and similarly, how unequipped he is for his job of directing troops. Base Details closes with the following: And when the war is done and youth stone dead, Id toddle safely home and die in bed. By using the words stone dead to describe the deceased soldiers, Sassoon makes a brutal and graphic impression on the reader. It is a cold and unfeeling phrase, and seems to render those who died as useless and unimportant. The Major wishes to die peacefully, and in bed unlike those he sends out to the front. The Major considers himself superior in all aspects, even in death. Base Details attempted to show the ignorant public back in Britain the hypocritical attitudes of many of these Majors; and how soldiers in the trenches were being treated in comparison to those who had obtained top jobs merely on the basis of their public schooling. Whilst Base Details depicts the life of a typical Major serving during World War One, another of Sassoons poems, The Hero, depicts the sequence of events on the home front following the death of a soldier. The poem Base Details by Siegfried Sassoon is a sarcastic attack against the army generals who view the war as a game similar to checkers. It is therefore evidence of why Siegfried Sassoon is known as the voice of protest. The first noticeable thing about the text is the title. The word base is a pun for the fact that base means headquarters as well as dishonourable or cowardly, which implies that he will talk about the dishonourable activities at the Army headquarters. Secondly, Sassoon appeared to have blamed the officers for the purposeless deaths of his fellow men, while they were behind the front line and had no idea what it was like. Sassoon uses many adjectives to describe his generalisation of those at the top fat and bald and short of breath which shows the hatred that he has. In this poem, Sassoon writes poor young chapI used to know his father well. This statement alone is typical of an army general. To show the fact that army generals can not comprehend what war is like he uses the phrase we lost heavily in this last scrap. The army generals are calling this a scrap like its a fight between boys at school. Sassoon calls the army generals Finally, Sassoon rounds the poem of with a phrase by reinforcing that they are unfit and fat. He also shows that those at the front line could die any moment by saying When the war is done and youth stone dead, Id toddle safely home and die, in bed which is a good ending because it says that the generals will die in a nice warm peaceful place, while the soldiers will die among the rats. Sassoons feelings towards the officers are best described in the poem Base Details. In this poem, Sassoon shows his resentment towards the officers by describing them drinking in the best hotels, and reading the names of those who died, saying poor young chap I used to know his father well and saying yes, weve lost heavily in this last scrap. The poem is finished with the lines and when the war is done and youth stone dead, Id toddle safely home and die in bed This poem truly shows the bitterness and resentment Sassoon felt towards the officers. He felt that they didnt really care about those who died, because they were safe themselves and had no idea of what was going on at the front line calling the battle that was fought a scrap, like it was nothing more than a small fight. In the last two lines of the poem, Sassoons feelings are clearer than ever, the way he says that theyll toddle home and then die in bed shows that he thought that the officers were safe and living comfortably while the soldiers, who were actually fighting the war, were living in shocking conditions, where they would die at any moment. Sassoon uses many different ways to convey his feelings, and particularly his bitterness and resentment towards the war and the officers, but in all his poems, his true meanings are clear and he writes in such a way that shows us clearly what he thinks and feels about the war. BASE DETAILS ESSAY In the poem, Base Details, SiegFried Sassoon expresses his great disgust towards the majors in the military. He is horrified and appalled at the way the majors act while men are dying out in the battle field. Mr. Sassoon is so furious towards the majors that it takes more than just one word to describe how indignified Sassoon is. These great feelings of anger are derived from the fact that the majors are living a life of luxury while sending young men up the line out into the battle field. This is all suggested in the title of the poem with the word base suggesting a military base, and/or a base person. And the word details suggesting a command, an assignment, and something or someone lowly. Base Details is a poem which expresses the feelings of the author towards military majors using differentiable types of imagery. The poem begins by Sassoon describing the majors as demanding, mean, and belligerent men. Bald, out-of-shape and full of gluttony. Sassoon categorizes the majors under the word scarlet signifying childless, bright redness from excessive drinking and yelling of anger. Sassoon presents to us the fact of the majors sending up the young men as soon as they are drafted up the line to death. This attitude taken from the majors is what angers Sassoon to the point of hatred. To convince the reader of such horrific truth, Sassoon describes how disrespectful the majors are with their puffy petulant faces from eating and drinking excessively. Sassoon states how the majors are stuffing their faces and Reading the Roll of Honor in safe luxurious hotels while men are dying out on the field

The Crisis in Darfur

The Crisis in Darfur Maddie Palmer The War in Darfur, a region in Sudan, has been the reason for mass slaughter and rape of Darfur men, women, and children. The U.S. named it The Genocide.Powersearch The war in Darfur has been called the worst humanitarian crisis of the century and its effects are still seen today. The UN wanted to help so the UN Security Council visited the President to try to get approval. The Crisis in Darfur is a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan due to the Sudanese burning villages murdering, raping, and more. The UN Security Council visited the President wanting approval to end human rights violations taking place in Darfur. Muslim festivals are timed to local sightings of various phases of the moon. Revolution day in Sudan is a national holiday, that commemorates the bloodless coup of 1989. Revolution day is on June 30. The African nation in Sudan is a country with strong Islamic and Christian influences. Partially ruled by Islamic law, the type of clothes worn in Sudan is similar to those worn in the surrounding nations of Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia. The climate also usually affects how the dress. The UN has warned that violent attacks on international peacekeepers and civilians in Sudans conflict-torn Darfur region have been increasing, forcing tens of thousands of people out of their homes. Darfur has been turmoil since 2003, when ethnic Africans revolted accusing the Arab domination Sudanese government of discrimination. Hassan Hamid Hassan, Sudans deputy UN ambassador, told the Security Council that the violence and displacements were mainly due to tribal clashes and attacks by rebels, not government forces. In the past twenty years, Darfur has been in a disastrous famine. Darfur is affected by poor rainfall, resulting in sudden market fluctuation, livelihood changes and displacement. The May 2010, West Darfur Food Security Monitoring Survey reported that the cost of a minimum health food basket has increased 14% between February and May of 2011. In recent years, the percent of food insecure households has decreased but it was still a staggering 45% in 2008. Access to clean water in 2007 stood at 76%, while 3 million conflict-affected people had access to basic health services. The Bush administration invested heavily in negotiating an end to the north-south was, and the signing earlier this year to a formal peace agreement-however limited and flawed-must be recognized as a major foreign policy achievement. But precisely because of the administrations investment in a north-south agreement, including the appointment Senator John Danforth as a special envoy to Sudan, there was a widespread reluctant within the State Department to hold Khartoum accountable for the genocide that was clearly unfolding in early 2004, when north-south negotiations had entered their final phase. The thinking by U.S. officials involved in the negotiations, and their British and Norwegian counterparts, was that pressing the National Islamic Front regime too hard on Darfur would undermine the chances of consummating the north-south agreement. But this diplomatic strategy was of course transparent to Khartoum and thus perversely provided an incentive for the regime to extend negotiations as long as possible-always promising a light at the end of the diplomatic tunnel.(People Involved) The last issue of substance between Khartoum and the southern Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement was resolved in a protocol signed by all parties in late May 2004. Two weeks later, following months of terrifying reports from human rights groups, the State Department announced that it would begin an investigation to determine whether Khartoum was guilty of genocide in Darfur. The close sequence of dates was not a coincidence. But a tremendous amount of the violent destruction in Darfur had already been accomplished by June 2004; indeed, this marks the approximate point in the conflict at which deaths from malnutrition and disease began to exceed those from violence. Moreover, Khartoum continued to use the north-south peace agreement as a threat, declaring with brazen confidence that if it were pushed too hard on Darfur, the negotiated agreement might be endangered. The agreements final signing ceremony occurred in Nairobi on January 9, 2005; the inauguration of a new government took place six months later, on July 9, 2005; the killing in Darfur, of course, continues. The AU began to deploy a small number of monitors to Darfur following a ceasefire signed in April 2004 in NDjamena, Chad. A commitment in late summer 2004 to increase the monitoring force to approximately 3,500 went unfulfilled for over half a year, and during this time the AU was unable to secure from Khartoum a mandate for civilian protection-only a mandate to monitor the largely nonexistent ceasefire. Recently, the AU has said it will increase its force to 7,700 by September, and possibly 12,000 by spring 2006.(The AU deployed) As many have recognized, the AU is quite unable to deploy to this force-level with its own resources and NATO, as a consequence, has very recently agreed to provide logistics and transport capacity. The bigger problem, however, is that even with NATOs help, the nascent AU Peace and Security Commission is simply not up to this mission if the goal for Darfur is adequate protection for civilians and humanitarian operations.(NATOs help) Works Cited Darfur Crisis: Death Estimates Demonstrates Severity of Crisis, but Their Accuracy and Credibility Could Be Enhanced: GAO-07-24. GAO Reports (2006): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 7 Feb. 2017. Darfur. Britannica School, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, 15 Jun. 2015. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/28769. Accessed 6 Feb. 2017. Jumbert, Maria Gabrielsen. Third World Quarterly 35.2 (2014): 284-99. History Reference Center. Web. United Nations Childrens Fund. Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. N.p.: World Book, 2016. 1p. 1. Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 7 Feb. 2017. Van De Walle, Nicolas. Making and Unmaking Nations: War, Leadership, and Genocide in Modern Africa/From War to Genocide: Criminal Politics in Rwanda, 1990-1994. Foreign Affairs 95.3 (2016): 189. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 7 Feb. 2017.

John Okada’s No-No Boy Essay -- Japanese American Internment

The United States of America a nation known for allowing freedom, equality, justice, and most of all a chance for immigrants to attain the American dream. However, that â€Å"America† was hardly recognizable during the 1940’s when President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, ordering 120,000 Japanese Americans to be relocated to internment camps. As for the aftermath, little is known beyond the historical documents and stories from those affected. Through John Okada’s novel, No-No Boy, a closer picture of the aftermath of the internment is shown through the events of the protagonist, Ichiro. It provides a more human perspective that is filled with emotions and connections that are unattainable from an ordinary historical document. In the novel, Ichiro had a life full of possibilities until he was stripped of his entire identity and had to watch those opportunities diminish before him. The war between Japan and the United States manifested itself into an internal way between his Japanese and American identities. Ichiro’s self-deprecating nature that he developed from this identity clash clearly questions American values, such as freedom and equality which creates a bigger picture of this indistinguishable â€Å"America† that has been known for its freedom, equality, and helping the oppressed. Ichiro frequently faced hostility from Japanese-American veterans for being a No-No boy, which heightened self-hatred of his identity. From the moment he arrived back to Seattle, he was met with negativity from Eto Minato, a Japanese-American veteran who went from friendly to hateful after realizing Ichiro was a No-no boy. Ichiro came face-to-face with Eto’s harsh criticism as he told him, â€Å"Rotten bastard. Shit on you†¦ I’ll piss on you nex... ...her he is Japanese or an American. The obstacles Ichiro faced in searching for his lost identity reveal a discrepancy of American values, such as freedom and equality, which are deeply rooted in a segregated society. Through the negativity of many of the Japanese-American veterans and the differences among Ichiro’s entire family, he has literally gone from having a duel-heritage to no identity at all. Since he has no desire to be Japanese and feels unworthy to be American, he sees himself as nothing. His hatred of himself not only hinders the possibilities before him, but it also paints a whole new picture of America. Instead of a nation that is united and fights for freedom and equality, America is divided by racism and strips away the freedom of those they find inferior. Works Cited Okada, John. No-no Boy. Seattle: University of Washington, 1981. Print.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Summary Essay -- essays research papers

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A caterpillar crawls along a desolate branch. His many appendages grip the gray bark as he undulates his body along the path in the shade. Creeping steadily forward he is looking for the proper place suitable enough for him to change his identity. Upon finding a twig sprout where he can get bilateral support, he builds his cocoon. After his cocoon is finished the caterpillar crawls in for his metamorphosis. If one is to see a cocoon on a tree it does not resemble beauty, it is a bland piece of wound thread like material with a hole in the top. When one sees a butterfly they may look twice or stop what they are doing all together and chase it around following each of their sporadic movements as the hot sun illuminates and watches from above. Identity has changed. What once was a little ugly caterpillar that kids would go around squishing and people would flick from trees when given the chance, went on to be an ignored sack secured to branch. Nobody pays attention to the fact that beautiful butterflies are the results of these common eyesores. As the caterpillar grew older it matured and changed, from being stuck on land to airborne, from being ugly to beautiful, from being young to old. All living things mature, all things change, wherever time is a variable identities are changing. Janie is no different from these things, she too has a changing identity that can be traced throughout four...

More Then a Noble Perception :: Essays Papers

More Then a Noble Perception Perception is the insight or knowledge gained by perceiving. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth the tragic hero of the play is perceived differently by everyone. Macbeth is one of King Duncan's nobleman and soldiers, who as the play goes on murders his leader when hearing he will one day be King from a trio of witches. Through Macbeth's actions the perceptions of Macbeth by the other main characters are learned. As the play goes on it is seen that his best friend, Banquo, his leader King Duncan and his wife Lady Macbeth all have opposing perceptions of him. Comparing their perceptions and the way he is shows how Macbeth may have came to the decision to commit his crime. Banquo is Macbeth's best friend in the tragedy. Banquo is with Macbeth when Macbeth meets the witches and they tell him of his upcoming fortune. Banquo notices how Macbeth is too ambitious after he sees Macbeth's reaction to the witches predictions. He feels even though Macbeth is his best friend he feels Macbeth is capable of wrong doing in the future to get what he wants. This is shown in one aside after they leave the witches. "†¦And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray 's in deepest consequence. Cousins, a word, I pray you. (Act1, SceneIII,line123)" This quote is stating that Banquo thinks Macbeth may do anything to get what he wants no matter what the consequences are. Duncan is the King of Scotland and Macbeth's leader. Duncan's view of Macbeth is narrow-minded. He perceives him as a loyal, noble, trustworthy, soldier whom he is very fond of. Duncan also feels Macbeth is the reason for them winning the war. There is many times in the play where this is pointed out by the things Duncan says. For example, "Give me your hand. Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly, And shall continue our graces towards him...(Act1, SceneVI,line29)" This quote shows that Duncan seems to feel like he owes Macbeth something for his loyalties and bravery in the war. Duncan's perception of Macbeth will prove to be his downfall. Lady Macbeth only sees Macbeth the way she wants to see him. When he tells her there is a chance he will become King she right away thinks of his weaknesses.

Confucianism and Contemporary Issues

Confucianism and Contemporary IssuesThis essay will illustrate the history of Confucianism and the background of Master Kong (Confucius) in the early beginnings of the religion. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the common characteristic of Confucianism with other eastern religions, the contemporary issues it faces, and the interaction between the modern world and Confucianism. Also the paper list the nine most common text of literature used by the religion and it includes the role of women and the five bonds also known as the five great relationships.HistoryConfucius was born August27, 551 BC in a small state called Lu. His birth name is Kong Qui or K’ung Fu-tzu. â€Å"The modern name of Confucius is an early Western rendering of the sage’s Chinese honorific name â€Å"K’ung-fu-tsu†Ã¢â‚¬  (Confucius, 2013) It is noted that Confucius was born in answer to his parents prayers. Confucius surname Kong means an utterance of thankfulness when prayers hav e been answered. He stemmed from the Chang dynasty 500 years before the birth of Christ. According to the text, the exact details of his childhood vary. Some say that he grew up in a wealthy household. Other reports say that he stemmed from a poverty stricken background. Scholars do agree that Confucius existed during a time of crisis in China.The crisis stemmed from the challenge to the ruler posed by the â€Å"three Huan families†. By heredity they had the right to occupy the ministerial offices of the Lu government. It is recorded that he entertained himself during his youth by arranging rituals and staging ceremonies. This turmoil in society had an effect on Confucius. He thought that if the thinking of society would change it would change the way things were done. The notion of society must change. Individuals must strive to be noble as possible. (Confucius, 2013) During his early adult life, Confucius took on odd jobs to support him-self and assumedly his family. He was most often unemployed with very little money. He was said to be a very humble and sympathetic man that had a passion for government. He believed in sharing his knowledge with the world.What was most important to Confucius was not holding an official governmental  position but upholding his moral beliefs. Confucius held two moral values. Per the text, his two main ideals were to produce excellent individuals that would be great social leaders. And secondly, he wanted to create a harmonious society. (Molly, 2010) His concern for others is demonstrated through his regard for the principles communicated in the belief of â€Å"do unto others as you would have them do unto you†. That principle is more commonly known as the Golden Rule. Confucius also believed that everyone had a social responsibility; these social responsibilities were communicated into the five great relationships. Duties were identified by what social classification you were included in. With all five of the g reat relationships there is a high level of respect that is shown. Each party is held in the same regard as the other.He established a school with the intent to produce and develop supreme individuals. He wanted to teach his students to mentally and morally expand their social views and to practice self-discipline. Confucius teachings to his disciples were recorded in the book of Analects. His teachings were informal and primarily delivered in lectures. His teachings were not religious. The focus of his teachings revolved around the â€Å"Six Arts†: archery, calligraphy, music, computation, chariot driving and ritual. (Confucius, 2013)According to an article written by Valerie Sartor, she notes â€Å"He (Confucius) must have been a highly persuasive speaker, and a magnetic personality, for he convinced many men to become his disciples†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . (Sarator, V., 2009) He is said to have had 3,000 students and 72 disciples, with whom he traveled with throughout China. (China Today, 2005) Confucius’s principles and virtues still have a heavy influence on Chinese religion. At the time, his teachings provided guidelines for the Chinese educational system. Common characteristics the Confucianism religionConfucius put forth kindness to humanity and kind-heartedness and teaches people to do unto others what you would like for yourself, (1996–2013 A+E Television Networks, LLC). His social philosophy was based primarily on the principle of Ren, loving others (Moloy 2010). The people believed in him and his teachings. Confucius, said when people are educated the distinction between classes of people will disappear and this will bring harmony amongst people. Religions, such as Buddhism has a lot in common with  Confucianism, both believed in spiritual development, having good morals and harmony amongst ourselves.Confucianism and Buddhism also believed that people should act with good manners, and have good etiquette. In today’s world, Chin ese strongly push themselves in education, learning different languages, mathematics and arts. Confucius saw no difference between people with money and the ones without money. He believed that anyone can be superior and he teaches his student to be noble and with good character and with education you can achieve a lot and anything. Education will also make a better way of life. Confucianism also value males over females there for males have dominance over the women.The comparison between Confucianism and Hinduism teachings is that they are both similar, both religions meditate and having good ethics. Confucianism and Buddhism are also similar. They both do meditation and they both believe in end of suffering and the love for each other.Interactions between the modern world and ConfucianismIn today’s society it is easy to see that religion in the modern world would face multiple challenges and changes. Some of the advances today scientifically such as DNA genetics, reproducin g of children, and major organ transplant surgery are all questions that men and women in the earlier times didn’t have to worry about. They are many eastern cities that are the home base for certain religions. At one point these religions were thought of as foreign. We now live in a world where every place to visit and Remote Island in the world is may be featured on the travel channel. Television exposes all humans in the world the different cultures and diversity as well as the different religions.Every day this world we live in is constantly evolving. It makes you think of where this world would be in the future. The writer started to question in what ways would religion change. From the beginning when religion was first introduced just take a moment to think about how much it has changed. There is no way possible to predict that far into the future, but we can make an educated guess based on the things that are transpiring today in religion. There are many different infl uences that make up religions and how they continue to evolve throughout the years. It was not long ago, the majority of most human beings in the world lived as farmers, and in small villages, and monarchs ruled the majority of the  countries.As time passed we slowly begin to see less kings and queens and in some counties they just disappeared. Some governments were formed and a lot of people traded in rural life for a big city lifestyle. There was a period of time where people traveled sometimes out of the country in order to taste different food or experience firsthand the way of living for another culture. Now you can purchase a Whopper at a burger king located in Switzerland or have the pleasure of drinking a cup of Starbucks coffee in Hong Kong. With all these changes and our world as we know it today is steadily evolving it makes you take a moment to think about how the cultural unifications will change religion.In the past many religions preached the value of being less for tunate and living a simple but comfortable lifestyle. Things that were taught held value because it was a reflection of the lifestyle of the majority of people. Today in religion we see exhortation from the poor to get ahead and how money can be the center of the religion. In the new world contact is always attainable. There are many different items that we have that can be used to educate men and women on Confucianism and some of the religion interactions. It’s common to utilize television, radio, books, magazines and most important internet to close in the gap that once kept every culture and religion separate. More frequently are we seeing where religions adopt different beliefs and religious ways from other religions. Contemporary Issues in ConfucianismThe beliefs of Confucianism are written in the Sacred Narratives as Confucian thinking, believed that learning from the past is fundamental (Beversluis, 1995). Confucius did not eliminate the possibility of a reality beyond the human world. However he believed that a human did not have the capacity to understand such a world. He believed that human morals should be based on human relationships, without reference to some higher order (Beversluis, 1995). Most Confucian scholars believed that the human being existence is based upon reaching ones highest potential in life. And that by achieving the ultimate goal of a â€Å"perfect person† is a lifelong process of self-cultivation (Beversluis, 1995).We also see that the belief in suffering and evil by some Confucian scholars’ are inevitable in human life. These two problems can promote learning and growth. A mistake does not label one as a sinner, but one should take it as opportunity to learn and grow  from the mistake. Even though some humans are incapable of feeling empathy, the suffering of others for most should provide motivation for moral growth (Beversluis, 1995). Confucius believed that human beings should live and conduct their li ves with good moral statures so that they can exist in harmony with others, rather than hoping to be rewarded or punished in the afterlife (Beversluis, 1995). Woman’s role in ConfucianismNow let us take a look at the role of women in Confucianism. A woman’s role in this religion is that of subservience and obedience. Scholar Xiao Ma has said: â€Å"Women always have been fighting for a way out of the Confucian shadows.† According to â€Å"Women And Confucianism† (1996-2012)â€Å"the Confucian structure of society, women at every level were to occupy a position lower than men. Most Confucians accepted the subservience of women to men as natural and proper order of life. At the same time they accorded women's honor and power as mother and mother-in-law within their family† end quote.Some Neo-Confucian saying as it regards to women are, â€Å"Woman's greatest duty is to produce a son†, â€Å"Disorder is not sent down by Heaven, it is produced by women†, â€Å"Women are to be led and to follow others† and a favorite by male Confucians is, â€Å"A woman should look on her husband as if he were Heaven itself, and never weary of thinking how she may yield to him† (â€Å"Women And Confucianism†, 1996-2012). Sacred textsSacred texts associated with Confucianism are The Five Classics. These are the Book of Songs (ShÄ « JÄ «ng), The Classic of History (ShÃ… « JÄ «ng), The Classic of Rites (LÇ  Jà ¬), The Book of Changes (I Ching), and The Spring and Autumn Annals (ChÃ… «n QiÃ… «). The Four Books, which are The Analects of Confucius (Là ¹n YÇ”), The Mencius (Mà ¨ng ZÇ ), The Great Learning (Dà   Xuà ©) and The Doctrine of the Golden Mean (ZhÃ… ng Yà ³ng). The Thirteen Classics and the Three Commentaries (Hare, 2010).The Five Great RelationshipsThe Five Great Relationships were implemented by Confucius so that everyone would know the role they played in society and conduct themselves acc ordingly. These five bonds are those of ruler and subject: compassion in rulers, loyalty in ministers and subjects; father and son: kindness in the  father, filial piety in a son; husband and wife: righteous behavior in the husband, obedience in the wife; elder brother and younger brother: gentility in the oldest son, humility and respect in the younger siblings and friend and friend: humane consideration in elders, deference in juniors.Confucianism today, is mainly practiced in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. There are over six million devotees who practice Confucianism. In the past Confucianism was the state philosophy in China, but this has drastically decreased in today’s world due to communism in China (Beversluis, 1995). However as recently as 2011 we saw President Hu Jintao introducing the idea of a â€Å"Harmonious Socialist Society† in order to officially revive this fading religion in China. There has been several network of cultural Confucius institutes s et up globally by the Chinese government, as well as erecting a statue of Confucius in Tiananmen Square.ConclusionMaster Kong (Confucius) was a man of great moral standings and character. Even if many in the beginning of the religion disliked him, he has been immortalized by the Chinese Government because of the millions of followers he has to this day.

One girl one dream Essay

      This knew that this wasn’t the end of the man, he would be back, but next time I will hopefully be a bit more prepared. â€Å"Eleza is that you? † Cried a soft voice â€Å"Mum? Mum is that you? † I didn’t think it was possible â€Å"Eleza I knew you would come back† she replied â€Å"I have to go mum sorry, I can’t get close to you because it will rip you apart when I leave again, sorry† I shouted while running away down the street â€Å"No Eleza no! I can’t cope without you† screeched mum That was the last time I ever saw my mum. Gun shots were fired shortly after I had left, and I just assumed that the police heard her and found out where she was hiding. I knew that the police would be after me soon so I searched refuge on the out skirts of the village, fortunately a couple were also on the run from the police so I went into a home with them, it wasn’t an amazing home but at least it provided a roof over my head and food for my empty stomach. â€Å"Why are you running from the police? † I questioned the couple, â€Å"because of our religion, people here do not support our beliefs and say that we don’t belong in this community† they stopped, they were going to say more but they could see that I was too tired to listen and so they rested my head in the cloth and rug bed they had made up for me, I thanked them. I started to shiver as it got later into the night so I moved my bed closer to the raging fire to keep warm. I woke up the next morning still feeling incredibly tired because I didn’t sleep very well. The couple were very kind to me, for breakfast they gave me a cup of milk and also a piece of bread. Once I had finished eating my food I told the couple what my situation was and what my plans are, they took it as quite a surprise but understood completely and even offered to help out. Knowing that they were old enough to earn a living I stayed along side them for many days. Later on that evening we gathered around the beaming fire and chatted for hours and hours, that was until there was a knock at the door, â€Å"shh, Eleza hide quickly† said the couple silently. I tip toed towards the wooden toy chest and climbed in. â€Å"open up! † demanded a strong deep voice, The woman opened the door to the strange dark clothed man. â€Å"on the floor, now! † he shouted again The did as he said, I couldn’t see everything but I could see through a little hole in the side of the chest. Even before the couple could have a chance to speak, the man shot them both in the head. As that bullet pierced into their skull I cringed and couldn’t bare the sight, I wanted to cry but any noise could give me the same shot to the head. The strange dark man left, dragging the 2 bodies behind him. I broke out of the toy chest and went to the bathroom; I splashed water onto my face to revive my self, I knew it wasn’t worth getting worked up about as I already had a mission to complete. But this incident just made me more determined to get back at the mayor. What’s next? – Chapter 11 Screaming with silent rage I crept through the village of murderers. My mind was spinning and I had headaches slicing in and out my skull. I noticed the mayor walking down the street, I followed not too far behind, by the looks of it he was walking towards the forest, I wanted to go see if Oscar was ok but didn’t want to chance getting caught. I gave up on following the mayor because he walked into a building and then just disappeared out of sight. I then focused on getting into the forest to see the construction so far. It had been raining the night before so the way up the hill was wet and slippery, I fell many times, but easily managed to get back up again. When I finally reached the top of the hill I saw that the construction hadn’t progressed much at all. I went around back to see more, â€Å"Eleza.. PST.. Eleza over here† came a whisper from behind. â€Å"hey, how are you here, I saw you had a arrow in your back, you cant be alive! † I stepped back in shock, â€Å"that was a tranquiliser, the guard saw me and assumed I was trying to steal the blueprint, so shot me simple mistake, I’m sorry I scared you like that. † â€Å"are you still willing to help me then? † I wanted to get this over with so I wasn’t going to laze about. â€Å"don’t worry about the building Eleza, since you’ve been gone I have spoken to the mayor and many arguments were fought, but I have managed to convince them to make the building eco friendly. It will cost a lot more money to make but you are the reason why many animals in this forest will be preserved and protected well done! † â€Å"thank-you for doing this for me, how can I repay you for this? † I felt incredibly happy that someone was inspired by me. â€Å"come down to the mayors office with me tonight, I think he wants to talk to you† replied the boy. â€Å"are you mad! I will be killed! † I shouted â€Å"no seriously I can honestly say that you are safe with me, please trust me as I trusted you before† pleaded the boy I felt that if I didn’t go then it would be mean because he had helped me out a great deal and I should help him in return. â€Å"ok then, but if anything should go wrong then may your thoughts be guilty for ever† I accepted to see what the mayor wanted. I went off into the forest to get ready for tonight, I found Oscar beneath a big branch where we once stayed. He followed me down to the lake, I took a swim to clean off so not to get bad impressions with the mayor. The time passed and by the time I had dried off and got back to the construction site it was already time to go. â€Å"come on then we best get a move on† I said while already walking. We reached the mayors present house on time, we knocked on the door and waited for a response. Helping out- chapter 12 â€Å"Enter please† spoke a well mannered butler â€Å"Just stay calm and when the mayor wants to talk then let him† demanded the boy â€Å"Hello Eleza, I have heard many stories of you, I understand that you like to stand up for what you believe in, am I right? † said the mayor in a strong voice â€Å"Yes, you are correct† I answer in the simplest way possible â€Å"I want you to do a favour for me, I will pay for your food and sleeping place, you wonder why, but I really do think that you have the courage we need, do you think you can manage to stand up for what you believe in even if the opposition is bigger?. † I thought for a while before proclaiming my reply, â€Å"I would love to take hold of the responsibility of helping out, but do not understand why you would choose me to do this, I was being chased by your men the other day, how can I know that I can trust you? † I still wasn’t convinced but if what he was saying was true then I would be overwhelmed and hopefully do a good job. â€Å"Ok, I guess I should tell you now, I haven’t been completely straight with you, I will look after the forest here for you, but you must leave to southern Africa to do a job for me, flight is paid for, and you will be helping the green team to help decrease the amount of de forestation, and also in your free time you will be helping the smaller children in the schools but if you do not accept this then your precious forest will be burned to the ground for my house to be bigger! So the choice is yours. † It wasn’t much of a choice so I just did what I had to and agreed to go. â€Å"I will go but Oscar must be able to fly over with me! † â€Å"I’m sorry but it is illegal for wild animals like Oscar to fly over on the plane with you† I knew he was right so I just gave in, but made sure that he is promised to be looked after by the mayor. I looked back and went to talk to my friend, â€Å"I’ve never been to Africa, is this a nice place to be? † â€Å"I haven’t ever been either, but I do know that it is a third world country, with children that need your help† replied my friend. The mayor went out the room and talked to another man about the trip, I was shacking but not because I was scared, just because I was filled with many emotions, I was actually quite excited. Journey and arrival – chapter 13 I set off early the following morning and endured 12 long tiring hours on the flight to northern Africa, then another 9 hours on a train to my destination. When I got off the train my legs were numb and floppy. When I arrived I was directed into a small long building and was told what I should do. The mayor explained that he is only here today then will be flying home tomorrow, and then he introduced me to my mentor. â€Å"Eleza, I hope that your stay here will be pleasurable, my name is Mandisa please come meet our youngest residents in our village. † I was taken into a classroom where little children stared at the teacher, they gave her all their attention, there was no shouting, it was just calm nice place to learn. I didn’t want to disturb them so instead I went into the village centre and saw just how hard it was for them to survive. â€Å"Could I have a cup of water please? † I asked a local The man said nothing, he walked over to a well and scooped out a bucket of water, I went over to him, he handed me the bucket. â€Å"Is this what you drink everyday? † I wondered I looked into the bucket; the water was cloudy with dirt floating on the surface. This wasn’t what I was expecting, I was hoping that the people hadn’t been drinking this for too long, this water isn’t drinkable and could kill if the wrong bits are drank. â€Å"It is the end of the school day now, come with me to see the children† said Mandisa I followed her to the classroom again and met up with the kids, meeting them made me feel important, I felt like I was a vital part of their lives, and that I could make a difference to their lives. â€Å"Hello, my name is Keon, what’s your name? † questioned a young boy â€Å"Eleza, I am here to help you and your class friends out. â€Å"Yay, no-ones ever come to our village before, other than Aitan, your mayor† â€Å"Is your mum going to pick you up from school? † I just wanted to talk to him, I wanted to make friends. â€Å"My mum is gone† Keon fell silent and faced the ground â€Å"she is gone, but my dad is in the fields. I have to go; my older sister has a disease and needs all the support she can get. † Before I could get a chance to comfort him he was gone. I walked down the road and met up with Mandisa. â€Å"Come; come quick, its Keon’s sister! She is in desperate need of help. † I didn’t rely, I just ran with her to his home. There was a huge gathering of people out side of the house; me and Mandisa stepped into the sweltering house mounted of sad people, the mood was unbearable and cries came from the room that Keon’s sister lay. I ran into the room and looked into the eyes of the girl, I could see that she was in a cycle of eternal pain; I knew this was an incurable disease and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl, at such a young age, (2 years younger than me and 3 years older than Keon.) I left the house and went to the little mud cottage where I was staying, I sat on the bed and relaxed, I can’t stand emotional moments, it just brings back bad memories that I’d rather not think about. There was a knock at the door, â€Å"Hello, Eleza are you in there? † sobbed a voice from behind the door, I went over to the door to find Keon looking at me then grasped my waist and burst into tears I hugged him for over 10 minutes before he let go and sat next to me on the bed and told me the tragic news about his sister. His father kindly invited me to the funeral then took Keon back home to get some sleep. I was shattered and was shocked by how much happened to me in one day, and was glad when the day came to a close. But I was eager to see what tomorrow had in store for me. African life – chapter 14 â€Å"Eleza, Eleza time to get up† whispered a soft voice in my ear I couldn’t talk because my lips were so dry and crisp they remained sealed, I leapt out of bed. They gave me a towel and a bucket of water to wash my face with. The first job of the day was to cover a simple lesson of spelling; I walked to the classroom with the children and was introduced to them all. I then started off the lesson by asking each individual child what they think their abilities are, this helped me to know what their level of learning is currently. The teachers didn’t have books to teach from, just a teacher that goes by memory. I didn’t get an education so I wasn’t doing anything too complicated; I just went over what I already knew. The school day wasn’t very long because the children got too hot in the classroom, after the class Mandisa met me outside. She told me that I was here to make a difference to the people’s lives and that I should try to make some tasks up for myself to complete. I thought for just a few moments then decided what I was going to do next. Keon showed me around the village and pointed over to the forest, or what remained of it anyway. I told him that I will protest against the men but I couldn’t use force. â€Å"I think I have a plan, what is the cutest creature in your forest? † I questioned â€Å"The baby monkeys are cute, they live high in the trees† Keon replied â€Å"Let’s go then† I shouted to him while running through the forest. Keon knew that there was only a slim chance that my plan would work and so he didn’t get his hopes up. It took a while to spot any wildlife in the forest because the noise of the chainsaws had frightened them half to death, I crept up quietly to one of the babies, the mother was higher in the trees so she didn’t see me coming, Keon gently lifted down the monkey and handed it to me, then we walked for miles and miles to find the campsite of the tree murderers and once there Keon gave a good firm knock on the door and waited for a response. â€Å"Who’s there† came a voice behind them I turned around quickly and addressed them, â€Å"We are begging you please stop cutting down the trees, so many animals die because you have taken away their home and family, here is a monkey that is calling out for your help† I had to make up a sad story about the monkey or it wouldn’t take effect. â€Å"I am just against it as you but we must do this otherwise we are out of jobs and wont be able to afford to survive. † I could see that the man wasn’t the kind to give up easily and so I diverted to the second plan,†you know, we will always have a place for you in the village and even though you have had you arguments with them, I’m sure if you stop cutting the trees down they will be happy to take you in. † if this didn’t work then we were screwed. This is something I will consider, it wont be immediate but you idea will not be discarded, don’t come back, we will move I’m due course. † The turned and walked away into their house, we went back to the village and carefully put the baby monkey back exactly where we found it. I went back to my where I slept the night before and rested there. As I lay I thought about all the changes I could make to this village if I put my mind to it, I wasn’t an adult, but the village treated me as one and made me feel wanted. This was when I knew, my dream has become a reality, I wanted to make a difference to the world and help those in more need than me. For once in my life I feel that I have done my parents proud and just wish that they could be here beside me. Everyday for over a month I got up and helped around the village, and every evening I would visit Keon’s mother and comfort her because the loss of her daughter was still on her mind. I had gone through so many adventures in my life and only in 1 year I had gone half way across the world and have witnessed life and death pass me by, and yet am still at a young age of 14, but my birthday is next week and the village kindly offered to have a little bonfire to celebrate, Keon even offered to sing a traditional African song called Kpanlogo this song had a strong meaning behind it but he wanted to sing it because it had a great tune to it. Free life takes a change – chapter 15 Keon was now a big part of my life and was like a brother to me, his mum was a thoughtful woman and she welcomed me into her family. I took the job of permanently teaching his class and in the process I even taught myself new things and the children told me about the animals and wildlife that surrounds them. That night Mandisa walked up to me with tears building up in her eyes, she told me that the mayor said that I couldn’t stay any longer, he needed help back home. So unfortunately my time in Africa came to an end. I was heartbroken to leave my new family, I felt like someone when I was there and didn’t want to go.

Coping with Methuselah

In the reading selection â€Å"Coping with Methuselah†, the authors Aaron and Schwartz work well together to convey their ideas using all three principles of argument to their readers. Aaron and Schwartz literally begin with the principle of ethos in their passage titled â€Å"About the Authors† which states their professional accomplishments (articles they have written, major universities they are associated with) individually and together. Immediately this reader is convinced that their knowledge base is extensive and they are a reducible source.Eifel it was especially convincing for these two colleagues to voice the same arguments to its audience together. There is more authority when two professionals with such expertise are voicing the same concerns. They also use the principle of pathos (probably the most) throughout the reading selection. Some examples are the title alone. â€Å"Coping with Methuselah† immediately takes the reader straight to religion whic h can bring to the table a large array of emotions.Another example is Aaron and Schwartz asking the reader open ended questions such as â€Å"Is the age of Methuselah at hand? And if so What does this mean for public policy in the U. S. Or the world? † This allows the reader to feel in control of their own thoughts but these questions are rhetorical. They are followed by information that transform your thoughts. The biggest emotional play here was their questions to the audience about if a patient refuses the extension of their wan life (has a choice).Would this be considered a form of suicide? Wow! Lastly, the authors use the principle of logos throughout the reading selection also. Aside from emotions, a great deal of the audience wants logical justifications as well. They give many ideas to how this will change the costs of Social Security, Medicare, etc. They suggest to the reader that money, stability and global demographics will be negatively affected.

Succubus Revealed Chapter 15

It was easier said than done, and once Hugh and Roman gave me some space, the full impact of what had taken place really and truly hit me. Seth was Kyriakos. Kyriakos was Seth. Even after witnessing what I had with my own eyes, I don't think I would have believed it if something inside me . . . some gut instinct . . . hadn't told me it was all true. Not that I'd ever suspected it. Not that I'd ever dreamed it. The draw that I'd felt to Seth had been strong, no question, just as the draw to his other incarnations had been. I'd always felt there was something special about Seth in particular, though, and wondered now what might have set this life apart from the rest. Did some part of me – or some part of him? – recognize that this was the last chance for us to be together? Was that where the urgency was coming from? Or was it more about the passage of time and whom I had become? Recent years had made me more jaded about life as a succubus, and I wondered if perhaps that was what made him and our love so precious to me at this point in time. Our love, which had just blown up before my eyes. I called in sick to work the next day, something that didn't really go over all that well. It was Christmas Eve, one of the busiest days for Santa and his mall team, but I didn't care. There was no way I could face that chaos, not after what had happened with Seth. I was told curtly that if I didn't come into work, then I shouldn't expect to be rehired next year. I almost laughed and only barely managed to cling to some shred of professionalism, as I gravely informed my manager that I'd take that risk. Next Christmas, I'd most likely be in Las Vegas. Even if I wasn't, I was pretty sure I could manage to get by without minimum wage and my foil dress. Finding Seth proved trickier. He didn't answer my phone calls, and when I went to his condo, no one answered. Neither his nor Margaret's car was parked out front, leading me to believe they were either doing last-minute Christmas shopping or visiting Terry and Andrea. If it was the former, I had no way of locating Seth easily. If it was the latter, I certainly wasn't going to barge into Terry's house and demand Seth speak to me. The situation might be dire, but I still had my boundaries. It would've been so easy to use these obstacles as the means to dodge talking to Seth altogether. Despite my assurances to Hugh and Roman, I really didn't want to see Seth. Well, the part of me that was in love with him did. That part was in agony every moment we weren't together. But the rest of me didn't want to face that expression again, that terrible hurt on his face. I didn't want to confront the reality of what I was. Despite agreeing to see Seth, I really hadn't been able to truly convey to Roman and Hugh just how agonizing the thought of facing up to my sins was. I hadn't been able to handle the wrongness of what I'd done then; I could barely do it now. I'd sold my soul, blighted away the memories of all those I'd loved . . . all because I didn't want to accept the responsibility of what a terrible thing I'd done. You'd think after almost a millennium and a half, that fear and self-preservation would have changed. I guess it hadn't. Or maybe it had. The fact that I was trying to find Seth now was proof that I had changed a little, enough to attempt another conversation after his adamant rejection of me. â€Å"Kincaid?† I glanced behind me. I was standing in line at a coffee shop Seth occasionally patronized to sit and write. Coming here had been a long shot, and I hadn't been all that surprised to see he wasn't around. Last I knew, he hadn't been here in ages, especially with everything going on in his family. Apparently, this place had other patrons I hadn't known about. â€Å"Doug,† I said in surprise. I quickly placed my order for a white chocolate mocha and then waved as Doug strolled over to me. He'd just come in, and fine drops of water covered his black hair. â€Å"What are you having?† I gestured to the barista. Doug looked a little surprised but only hesitated a moment before ordering an inhumanly sized cup of drip. â€Å"Thanks,† he told me, when I handed it over to him. â€Å"You want to sit a minute?† I asked. My original intention had been to grab the mocha and go. I didn't know what Doug's plan was, but some perverse urge made me want to try to get a moment with him. â€Å"Sure,† he said, looking a little uncertain. â€Å"But just for a minute. I've got to be at work in an hour.† â€Å"We don't want you to be late for that,† I agreed, settling down at a small table that gave us a fine view of the sleet outside. Seattle wasn't really known for white Christmases. â€Å"All those last-minute shoppers trying to get their boxed sets.† The ghost of a smile crossed his face. â€Å"You know it. I'm surprised you aren't at work. Is it true? I heard you were, uh, working elf duty at a mall on the Eastside.† I grimaced. â€Å"Painfully true. But I quit today.† His eyebrows rose. â€Å"On Christmas Eve? That's cold, Kincaid. Think of the children.† â€Å"I know. But, well, something came up. . . .† I glanced away, unable to meet his eyes as all my troubled feelings threatened to surface. â€Å"Yeah, I can tell,† he said. I dared a look back. â€Å"What do you mean?† Doug shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. Just this vibe I always got off of you when you were feeling blue. You put on a good face for most of the world, but when something hurts you, your energy changes. Christ.† He took a big drink of coffee. â€Å"Now I'm sounding all New Agey and shit.† â€Å"Well, whatever it is, your instincts are right.† I reconsidered. â€Å"Though ‘blue' is kind of an understatement. More like navy. Or even black.† â€Å"Mortensen?† he guessed. I shook my head and glanced away again. â€Å"You don't want to hear about that.† Although, perhaps some part of him would be glad to know Seth and I were through. It'd be vindication after what we did to Maddie. â€Å"Try me,† said Doug. When I didn't answer, he sighed. â€Å"Kincaid, I don't hate you. I'm not happy about what went down, but in some weird, twisted way, I do still care about you. If something's wrong, you can tell me. Did Mortensen hurt you?† â€Å"No,† I said. Then: â€Å"Well, yes, but not without cause. I hurt him first.† â€Å"Ah.† I dragged my gaze back to Doug. His eyes were dark and serious, no trace of enjoyment in my suffering. â€Å"I've been trying to find him today . . . trying to get a hold of him. But I think he's avoiding me. No, I know he's avoiding me.† â€Å"You'll patch it up,† said Doug. â€Å"I don't know. I don't think we can this time.† † ‘This time,' † he scoffed. â€Å"Kincaid, the first moment I saw you and Mortensen together, there was something there. I don't know how to describe it. I was always surprised you guys never went out. I was surprised when he started going out with Maddie, though they seemed happy enough until . . . well, you know. Until he figured out he should be going out with you.† He paused, thinking. â€Å"Anyway, I talk a good talk about love in my songs but really don't know shit about it in real life. From what I do know, though, I feel like it's going to take more than whatever argument this is to keep you guys apart.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"That's nice of you . . . but you don't know. What I did was pretty terrible.† â€Å"What you guys did to Maddie was pretty terrible,† said Doug. â€Å"But I've forgiven you.† â€Å"You have?† I asked, startled. â€Å"Yeah.† He seemed a little surprised by the admission. â€Å"I mean, it helps that this neurosurgeon asked her out last week. I can forgive a lot if it means having a doctor brother-in-law. But in all seriousness? I know you guys didn't mean to hurt her, just like you didn't mean to hurt Mortensen here. What you did do is screw up majorly in the forthcomingness department.† â€Å"Forthcomingness?† I repeated. He waved me off. â€Å"Whatever. It's a word. If you guys had been honest with yourselves and with her, you could've saved everyone a world of hurt. Keep that in mind now.† â€Å"You're a regular relationship guru,† I said, earning me another scoff. Yet, as wise as his words sounded, I still didn't think there was any way to fix this thousand-year-old hurt. Before I could muster another comment, my phone rang. I looked down at the display in surprise. â€Å"It's Seth.† â€Å"You better answer it, then,† said Doug. With a gulp, I did. â€Å"Hello? Yeah. Uh-huh . . . sure. Okay . . . I understand. Okay. Bye.† I disconnected and Doug gave me a questioning look. â€Å"That didn't sound all that warm and fuzzy.† â€Å"Seth wants me to come to Christmas dinner tomorrow,† I said disbelievingly. â€Å"Well, that's a good sign,† said Doug. I shook my head. â€Å"I don't think it is. He said he doesn't want to create more upset in the girls' lives and just wants me there for appearances, to make them happy. He made it clear that nothing's changed, nor does he expect it to.† â€Å"I guess it's more of a lukewarm sign, then,† said Doug. I sighed, and Doug gently chucked my chin. â€Å"Cheer up, Kincaid. You wanted to talk to him. Here's your chance, no matter what he said. Don't waste it.† I mustered a smile. â€Å"How'd you get so wise, Doug?† He finished his coffee in a gulp. â€Å"Fuck if I know.† Doug's words were the kind that you hear in movies and books, the kind that power the against-all-odds comeback we love to see. It was my one chance, my chance to break through Seth's walls and surmount the insurmountable problems between us. But Seth made sure I never had the chance. I arrived on my own, laden with presents, and was immediately directed to entertain the girls. Seth made the request, since he and most of the other adults (except Ian, who only marginally counted as an adult anyway) were dug in inside the kitchen, and it seemed very reasonable. Normally, I wouldn't have minded either, except I had the gut feeling Seth was purposely keeping us far apart and constantly surrounded by people. So, I played with the girls, only half-listening as they excitedly told me about what they'd gotten for Christmas. The only time my brooding thoughts shifted from Seth was when Brandy remarked about how more presents had shown up under their tree this morning than could be accounted for. â€Å"No one will own up to having gotten some of the presents. Mom and Dad think Uncle Seth did it. He thinks Grandma did it,† Brandy said in a soft voice, so the littler ones wouldn't overhear her. â€Å"What kind of presents?† I asked. She shrugged. â€Å"Just toys . . . but lots of them. Like, Mom and Dad got Morgan some Princess Ponies. But this morning ? There were some Power Prism Ponies there too.† I vaguely remembered Carter and Morgan discussing those very ponies. â€Å"Maybe Santa came by,† I said. Brandy rolled her eyes, looking skeptical. â€Å"Maybe.† When dinner came, there was no avoiding being near Seth. Everyone expected us to sit together, and he could hardly ask to move somewhere else. But again, with so many people around, it didn't matter. I wasn't going to bring up any dangerous topics in the middle of Christmas dinner, and Seth knew that. Both of us were silent, simply listening as the others talked excitedly about the day and how happy they were that Andrea was feeling better. When dinner ended, Seth was the first one up and made a big deal about how all the guys should do dishes tonight while the ladies of the household retired to the living room. Everyone was pleased with this idea, except for Ian and me. â€Å"What is it with you guys and Christmas?† asked Andrea conspiratorially. I was sitting with her on the loveseat watching as Kendall directed Morgan's ponies into an epic battle to the death. â€Å"Huh?† I asked, glancing away from the battlefield. â€Å"You and Seth,† said Andrea. â€Å"I remember last Christmas, you guys were the same. Isn't this supposed to be the happiest day of the year?† I repressed a grimace. Last Christmas, I'd found out that Seth had slept with Maddie in an effort to â€Å"protect me† from a relationship with him. Yeah. That hadn't been a great holiday either. â€Å"We've got nothing against Christmas,† I said bleakly. â€Å"Just . . . some issues to sort out.† She frowned. â€Å"Is it about his tour? I figured you'd be for that.† â€Å"What tour?† â€Å"His publisher wants him to go traveling right after New Year's. Seth had originally refused because of . . . well, me. But I've felt so good lately, I told him he shouldn't waste the chance.† I hadn't known about that. I wondered if it was something that had just come up in the last day or if Seth simply hadn't told me beforehand. The tour would fall before my Las Vegas transfer, and I wouldn't have put it past Seth to decline it in order to maximize his time with me. Well, at least before things went bad. â€Å"That's not it,† I said after several seconds, when I realized she was expecting an answer from me. â€Å"It's . . . complicated.† â€Å"It always is,† she said wisely. I looked past her, toward the kitchen, where I could just barely see the Mortensen men moving around with the dishes. â€Å"For now, I'd just settle for a few moments alone.† She made no comment about that, but later, when the guys returned to the living room, she said very casually, â€Å"Seth, would you mind going upstairs to get my red cardigan? I left it on the foot of the bed.† Seth was about to sit down – far away from me, of course – but sprang up instantly at the request. As soon as he'd disappeared up the stairs, Andrea nudged me with her elbow. I turned to her, startled, and she jerked her head toward the stairs. Go, she mouthed. I glanced around, saw no one was paying much attention to me, and hurried after Seth. I found him in the bedroom, staring around curiously for the sweater that most likely didn't even exist. When he saw me in the doorway, he sighed heavily, realizing he'd been tricked. â€Å"I don't have time for this,† he said, attempting to move past me. I put out my arm to block the door. â€Å"Seth, please. Just listen to me. Just for a few minutes.† He stood there, only a few inches away, and then backed up. Since he apparently didn't want to push past and risk touching me, he must have decided distance was better, even at the risk of being trapped in the room. â€Å"Georgina, there is nothing you can say. Nothing that can change what happened between us.† â€Å"I know that,† I said. â€Å"I'm not going to try.† He eyed me suspiciously. â€Å"You aren't?† I swallowed, all words and thoughts fading from me as I stared into his eyes. There it was – that look. That same look of hurt and utter devastation that Kyriakos had worn so many centuries ago. It was looking out at me through Seth's eyes. I nodded. â€Å"We need to know about your contract. We just want to know some details.† â€Å"To help you?† he asked. â€Å"To help both of us. From what we've gathered, Hell violated my contract when it wrote yours. And that makes the conditions of yours contradictory. We might be able to get them both invalidated . . . but we need to understand yours better.† Seth leaned against the wall, eyes staring vacantly ahead as his thoughts turned inward. â€Å"I don't even understand the details of my contract. I barely remember it. . . . I mean, I do and don't. What went down . . . with the hypnosis . . . it's real and it's not.† I started to take a step forward, wanting badly to touch him and comfort him since he was clearly distraught. Caution held me back. â€Å"You have to try. Right now, if you don't, then you're going to go to Hell when you die. Doesn't matter if you become a saint before then. That contract brands your soul . . . unless, well . . . we're not sure if there was some condition that if you and I got back together, then you'd be free. That's what we need to know.† â€Å"Does it matter?† he asked. â€Å"Seeing as that doesn't look like it's going to happen – doesn't look like it was ever going to happen, if all those lives were any indication.† â€Å"Well, I mean, yeah . . . it matters in that the more information we have, the better our case.† â€Å"Can't you just have Hugh look it up?† I shook my head. â€Å"Not without raising attention. It'd be better if we can get the details from you.† â€Å"Well, sorry, then. I don't remember anything more than what I told you. And honestly? I don't care.† â€Å"How can you not care?† I asked incredulously. â€Å"It's your soul we're talking about!† â€Å"I'll take my chances,† he said. A spark of anger permeated the sorrow that had clung to me these last couple days. â€Å"There are no ‘chances.' It's a done deal. Your soul belongs to Hell. Nothing's going to change it.† â€Å"Does it really matter? You gave your soul to Hell.† â€Å"For you!† I cried. â€Å"I did it for you. To save you. I would do it a hundred times over if I had to.† Seth scoffed. â€Å"Why didn't you just not cheat on me one time?† â€Å"I was young, and I was stupid,† I said, amazed at how levelly I could acknowledge that. â€Å"I was scared, and I felt like you were so far away from me. Like I wasn't part of your priorities anymore. It was all about work and music for you.† â€Å"And you never thought about talking to me about any of that first? You know you can always bring anything up to me.† I sighed. â€Å"To you, maybe. Not to Kyriakos. He . . . you . . . may have meant well but wasn't always so easy to get through to.† â€Å"But I am him,† argued Seth, though he sound a little unsure. â€Å"Er, was.† â€Å"Yes and no,† I said. â€Å"Look, I'm no expert on reincarnation, but from what I know, even though the soul and some parts of the character are constant, there's still, like . . . evolving taking place. You grow and change. That's the point of reincarnation. You're the same person, but you aren't. You weren't perfect back then. Hell, you aren't now. Maybe you – Seth – can handle talking about this . . . maybe after ten lives, you've developed enough relationship maturity. Back then? I'm not so sure. I obviously didn't have it either.† â€Å"Obviously,† he repeated. His gaze held me for a long time, and this time, I couldn't tell what he was feeling. At least there was no overt hate or anything. Either that, or he'd simply learned to conceal it. Finally, he said, â€Å"I meant it. I don't remember the contract details. . . . Just that I would be allowed to keep finding you.† â€Å"That's it?† I said. â€Å"Nothing else? If there's anything more . . . I mean, the stakes here are huge, Seth. I know you said you'd take your chances, but remember when we're talking about your soul, we're looking beyond the scope of one human life. We're looking at eternity.† â€Å"There you go again,† he said, with a small, rueful smile. â€Å"Making an argument for the sanctity of the soul, a soul you threw away.† â€Å"And I told you before, I'd do it again.† â€Å"So you wouldn't have to face me and look me in the eye after what you'd done.† â€Å"In part,† I said. â€Å"But also to save your life. To give you a chance at happiness. Because at that moment . . . that was more important than my eternity.† Seth took a long time to answer, and I again wished I knew what was happening behind those brown eyes. Whose thoughts were stirring in there? His or Kyriakos's? Or any of the other men I'd had turbulent romances with? â€Å"You didn't want to face me then,† he said at last. â€Å"But here you are. Why? To save your own soul?† â€Å"To save both our souls,† I said. Seth straightened up from his slouch against the wall and moved toward the door. â€Å"I can't help you. I mean it – I don't remember anything else. Now. If you'd please make some polite excuse to the others and leave, I'd really appreciate it.† He came to stand in front of me in the doorway, and for a half a second, time stood still as we studied each other, only a few inches apart. A thousand feelings warred within me, powered by a thousand years' worth of lifetimes. With a slow nod, I yielded and let him walk past me. He didn't look back.