Language and memory Essay

Limitations with the study included the sample range being too small. This means that it is difficult to make generalisations because 20 undergraduate students cannot possibly be representative of the sample population. In order to improve the experiment, a wider sample range could be used, including people from different age groups and ethnic backgrounds. Another limitation was gender bias. The driver in the vignette was male which could have meant that male participants may have been more sympathetic to him when giving an estimation. If a female character had been used, the results may have been different. This could be improved by using two sample groups, both with female characters, but again with either the ‘smashed into’ condition or ‘bumped into’ condition. The results of this and previous studies have a number of implications in today’s society. Loftus and Palmer’s work (1974), showed how changing a verb in a sentence, can alter eyewitness recall of a car accident. These findings have major implications for the Legal Justice Systems. In a study by Rattner (1988), a review of 205 cases of wrongful arrest showed that 52% of the cases were associated with mistaken eyewitness testimonies. These results highlighted the unreliability of eyewitness testimony. Other studies have demonstrated that witnesses sometimes cannot attribute memory to its appropriate sources, or that they make source attribution errors. When witnesses get information from other witnesses and from the police, then their own recollection is likely to be contaminated (Fisher, 1995). This is yet further evidence suggesting that there should be less dependence on eyewitness testimony, and with the arrival of advanced gene technology, it is now possible to use alternative sources of evidence. References Carlson, N. R., Buskist, W., Martin, G. N. (2000). Psychology The Science of Behaviour, 266-267 Loftus, E. F. and Palmer, J. E. (1974). Reconstruction of automobile destruction: an example of the interaction between language and memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 13, 585-589. Fisher, R. P., (1995). Interviewing victims and witnesses of crime. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 1(4), 732-764.  Nisha Ghei Eyewitness Practical

Course Project, Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements Note 1 Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Principles (10 items) Description of Business The Open-Road Motorcycle Company is the largest online retailer of salvage title motorcycles. We are focused on bringing the customer the best value on entry level motorcycles by providing lower prices than our competitors. Our motorcycles are sold all over the United States, and we currently have 30 stores all across the country. Property, Plant and Equipment All property, plant and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated over their useful lives.All depreciation expense incurred is derived using the straight line method. We do not depreciate our land. We estimate our useful life for our assets accordingly; buildings have a 40 year life, computer equipment has a 5 year life and the repair equipment a 15 year life. The estimated lives of our assets are reviewed periodically to determine if any impairment is present so the useful lives and depreciation can be adjusted for accuracy. Short-term Investments All of our investments are comprised of trading securities comprised of debt instruments in different industries.The securities are reported at fair value with any unrealized gains and losses stated on net income. Securities that are still held at the end of the fiscal year are evaluated and are adjusted if necessary. Inventory Valuation All of our merchandise on our website is recorded at cost or fair value, whichever is lower. The salvage motorcycle inventory is recorded at cost. We value our inventory using the average method. If the motorcycle is considered â€Å"unsellable†, it becomes disassembled and sold for parts.All parts received from motorcycles that have been disassembled are not recorded because the cost has already been recorded from the original purchase. The motorcycle would be written off as a loss on net income and all sales from the parts are considered gains and are stated on net income. Re fer to Note 2. Costs of Goods Sold Our Costs of goods sold is the cost of the motorcycles purchased, direct labor and depreciation expense. It includes all shipping and handling costs, air freight, train, and truck costs in received the merchandise and or motorcycles. Revenue RecognitionAll revenue generated from sales of inventory are realized when it has been earned. Generally when the item purchased arrives and the ownership transfers. All shipping and handling costs are included in the sales price. Revenues earned from sales are stated net of tax. Sales from disassembled motorcycles are listed as gains or losses on net income. Advertising Costs All costs associated with the marketing our website, which include television and internet ads, are expensed when incurred. Typically our advertising costs stay the same every year at $4 million, since our beginning in 2006. Accounts ReceivablesWe record accounts receivables at net realizable value. This value is the remainder of the amou nt due on sales on credit less estimated uncollectable amounts. We calculate our estimated amount based on past write-offs. Our company credit policy extends a 30 day period in which the full payment is due upon completion of sale. The item must have a prepayment of at-least 50% of the motorcycle sales price before it is shipped. We believe that because of this policy the amount of uncollectable revenue is reduces and sales have increased. Contingencies Our company is currently involved in a lawsuit pending a settlement agreement.A former employee was injured in an accident involving improper handling of the shipment. The settlement is considered probable and the estimated cost is $2 million. This amount is stated in current liabilities. Refer to Note 4. Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Our company contributes to pension and other postretirement health care plans for all of our employees. We contribute 3% of gross wages into a retirement fund specified by each employee . Refer to note 11. Note 2 Inventories Our inventory is comprised of salvaged motorcycles and fully repaired motorcycles.Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market. We base our cost on the average cost method. Repaired motorcycles have title and labor costs included in the basis of valuation. Inventories consisted of the following (in millions): December 31, 2011 2010 Salvage motorcycle inventory $ 300 $310 Repaired motorcycle inventory $250 $200Total inventories $550 $510 Note 3 Property, Plant and Equipment The following table illustrates our property, plant and equipment (in millions): December 31, 2011 2010 Land $ 600 $ 550 Buildings and garages 900 700 Machinery, repair and computers 00 350 1,900 1,600 Less: accumulated depreciation 350 300 Property, plant and equipment – net $ 1,550 $ 1,300 Note 4 Contingencies and LiabilitiesOur company is currently involved in a lawsuit that is pending a settlement. The approximate amount of the settlement is $2 million. We have determined that the contingency is probable and the amount of the settlement is accurate. This amount is stated on the consolidated balance sheet for the current period. Note 5 Changes in Accounting Principles or Estimates We are currently using the average cost method for inventory valuation in place of LIFO.We have determined this method is more accurate for valuation because prices tend to fluctuate and may skew net income unfavorably. Note 6 Post Balance Sheet Events Our company continually evaluates its motorcycle inventory to determine cost and its ability to sell. If a significant amount of inventory is deemed obsolete or â€Å"unsellable,† it is adjusted in the next period. The amount is deducted from inventory and written off as a loss.The motorcycles then become disassembled and all revenue generate from the parts are considered a gain. Note 7 Mergers and Acquisitions We recently acquired Pristine Paint Jobs Company during the year for $50 million. We acqui red all buildings, land, equipment and certain patents on paint jobs. We have decided to expand our operations by completely restoring salvage motorcycles for a lower price. The following table illustrates the assets and liabilities received from the purchase (in millions):Cash $ 3 Inventory 10 Equipment 35 Property, plant and Equipment 45 Total assets acquired 93 Accounts payable 40 Long-term debt 40 Total liabilities acquired 80 Total net assets acquired $13 Note 8 Lease Obligations We currently lease a special modification machine that restores the engine and parts to 95%. The lease agreement is based on a 5 year term for $500,000 a year. The following table illustrates our payments for the term of the lease.Years ending December 31, Lease Payments 2011 $500,000 2012 $500,000 2013 $500,000 2014 $500,000 2015 $500,000 Total cost of the lease $2,500,000 Note 9 EPS Our company has 200,000 shares authorized with 100,000 outstanding. We have no preferred stock or treasury stock. The following table will illustrate the current and previous earnings per share. 2011 2010Net Income (in millions) $ 5 $ 4 Number of shares outstanding 100,000 100,000 EPS $50 $40 Note 10 Long-Term Debt With the acquisition of Pristine Paint Jobs, we acquired $40 million in long-term debt. Our long term debt prior to the acquisition was $25 million. Our long term debt consists of a $25 million note payable at a fixed interest rate of 1. 5 percent due December 31, 2040.The following illustrates the long term debts acquired from the purchase of Pristine Paint Jobs. * $20 million total principal amount of notes due November 20, 2035, at a fixed rate of 1 percent; and * $20 million total principal amount of notes due November 20, 2035, at a fixed rate of 1. 5 percent. Note 11 Employee Pension Obligations We continue to contribute to employee retirement plans for all of our employees. These pension plans are funded and are based on salaries and years of service. The total contri bution for the year is $10 million. In 2010 our total contribution was $9 million. We contribute 3% of employee wages into the plan. The increase in contribution is due to the increase of our workforce.

Vapor Pressure and Heat Evaporation Lab Report

Vapor Pressure and Heat of Vaporization Introduction: ?Evaporation is the process of a liquid becoming vaporized. When a liquid is placed into a confined space some of the liquids will evaporate. Evaporation of the liquid depends on the strength of the intermolecular forces that are between liquid molecules. During the evaporation process of the liquid, new gas molecules exerts pressure in the sealed container, while some of the gas condenses back to the liquid state. ?If the temperature inside the container is kept constant, then the equilibrium at some point will be reached.When the equilibrium is reached, the rate of condensation is equal to the rate of evaporation and the rate of vapor pressure will remain constant as long as the temperature in the sealed container does not change. ?The relationship between the vapor pressure of a liquid and temperature is described in the Clausius-Clayperon equation: lnP= ? Hvap / R (1/T)+C. where 1nP is the natural logarithm of the vapor pressu re, ? Hvap is the change in heat vaporization, R is the universal gas constant, which is (8. 31 J/mol†¢K), T is the absolute, or Kelvin, temperature, and C is the constant that is not related to heat capacity.Therefore, Clausius-Clayperon equation does not only describes how vapor pressure is affected by the temperature, but relates to the factors of heat vaporization of a liquid. ?The purpose of this experiment is to determine the relationship between the pressure and temperature of the volatile liquids. The pressure will be measured in a sealed vessel that contains different types of liquids such as methanol, ethanol and propanol. It will be measured several times at different temperatures. At the conclusion of this experiment, the heat of vaporization will be able to be calculated.Materials: ?To be able to complete this lab procedure, the materials that are needed is a Vernier computer interface, a Vernier Gas Pressure Sensor, temperature probe, rubber stopper assembly, plas tic tubing with two connectors, hot plate, ice, one twenty milliliter syringe, one 400 milliliter beaker, two 125 milliliter Erlenmeyer flasks, one 1 liter beaker, ethanol, methanol, and 1-propanol. Methods: ?The first step in performing this experiment is to obtain and wear goggles. The alcohols used in this experiment are flammable and poisonous.The second step is to obtain the materials that are needed and set them up as accordingly. The third step is to use a hot plate to heat 200 milliliters of water in a 400 milliliter beaker. The fourth step is to prepare a room temperature water bath in a 1 liter beaker. The fifth step is to connect the Gas Pressure Sensor to channel one of the Vernier computer interface, then connect the Temperature Probe to channel two of the interface and then connect it to a computer. The sixth step is to use the clear tubing to connect the white stopper to the Gas Pressure Sensor.The white stopper must be twisted snugly into the neck of the Erlenmeyer f lask, to avoid losing any of the gas that will be produced when the liquid starts evaporating. The most important thing to do is to remember to close the valve on the white stopper. ?The seventh step is to draw in 3 milliliters of methanol into the 20 milliliter syringe that is part of the Gas Pressure Sensor accessories. Place the syringe onto the valve of the white stopper. The eighth step is to start the Logger Pro program and open the file â€Å"34 Vapor† from the Advanced Chemistry with Vernier folder. The ninth step is to click â€Å"collect† to begin collecting data.The first measurement will be the pressure of the air in the flask and the room temperature. Place the Temperature Probe near the flask. When the pressure and temperature readings are stabilized, click â€Å"keep† to record the readings. The tenth step is to add methanol to the flask by opening the valve below the syringe, push down on the syringe to inject the 1-propanol and quickly close the valve. Afterwards, remove the syringe from the stopper and monitor the pressure and temperature readings. ?The eleventh step is to place the stoppered flask into the 1 liter beaker of room temperature water.Place the Temperature Probe in the water bath and monitor the pressure and temperature readings. The twelfth step is to add a small amount of hot water to warm the water bath by only a few degrees. Stir the water with the temperature probe and monitor the pressure and temperature readings. For the thirteenth step, repeat step twelve until five trials are completed. Add hot water for each trial so the temperature of the water bath increases. After the fifth trail is recorded, open the valve to release the pressure in the flask and dispose of the alcohol as directed.The fifteenth step is to end the data collection and record the pressure and temperature readings in the data table. When recording the data, record the pressure valve of the first data point as Pair for trials one and two and record the temperature for trial one. Record the pressure value of the second data point as Ptotal for trial two as well as the temperature. The remaining values are recorded as Ptotal for trial two as well as the appropriate temperature. The last and final step is to clean the work area. Data Table: Methanol Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trail 4 Trail 5 Ptotal (mmHg) 103. 1 04. 5 105. 8 101. 9 Pair (mmHg) 101. 3 102. 4 103. 3 104. 4 105. 2 Pvap (mmHg) 0. 7 1. 2 1. 4 2. 7 Temperature (Celsius) 22. 6 25. 8 28. 3 31. 2 34. 0 Ethanol Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trail 4 Trail 5 Ptotal (mmHg) 106. 3 94. 7 98. 9 112. 9 Pair (mmHg) 100. 8 100. 8 92. 78 96. 0 103. 4 Pvap (mmHg) 5. 4 1. 92 2. 9 9. 5 Temperature (Celsius) 23. 9 24. 0 0. 3 9. 9 31. 7 Propanol Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trail 4 Trail 5 Ptotal (mmHg) 101. 7 104. 9 106. 1 108. 3 Pair (mmHg) 100. 4 101. 1 102. 2 103. 1 104. 0 Pvap (mmHg) 0. 6 2. 7 3. 0 4. 3 Temperature (Celsius) 23. 8 23. 7 0. 2 6. 5 29. 1 Discussion At the end of thi s experiment, the results we obtained varied because of the different temperatures and pressures that we observed. During the evaporation process of the liquid, gas molecules exerts pressure in the sealed container, while some of the gas condenses back to the liquid state. If the temperature inside the container is kept constant, then the equilibrium was reached. When the equilibrium is reached, the rate of condensation is equal to the rate of evaporation and the rate of vapor pressure will remain constant as long as the temperature in the sealed container does not change.

How does God heal today Compare and contrast Christian approaches to Essay

How does God heal today Compare and contrast Christian approaches to wholeness and healing - Essay Example Coming in wholeness, with God Himself, was one way of bringing good health to your life. The Lord sent some Prophets to bring healing to the people. Miracles from God were rampant and obeying the Lord would bring healing. Reading the story of Jesus, it is notable that the most outstanding course of action he took, apart from teaching about the kingdom of the lord, greatly involved into the act of healing. He healed many people from the lame, blind to other members of the society who had leprosy. He healed people suffering from physical illness to those suffering from mental and spiritual illnesses, as well. He responded to people’s needs by offering healing and restoring wholeness to people’s lives. The Lord himself, Jesus Christ, performed a lot of healing through miracles. In the 2nd century BC, St Ignatius became the first priest who described the Eucharist as the medicine of immortality. A 4th century Christian apologist and poet, Prudentius, celebrated St Cyprian’s tongue’s healing power. The 15th century legendary, Bokenham, reported St Agatha’s healing power that came from the milk of her breasts (Wilkinson, 1998, p42). In the 19th century Natal, Zulu’s prophets petitioned Jesus to cured diseases that were caused by restless spirits. Mary Baker Eddy came up with the Science of Divine Mind as a weapon against harmful animal magnetism. Healing has played a vital role in the development of Christianity as a religion. The history of healing, in Christianity, can be mapped through transformation in the ancient, medieval and modern times. Initially, healing of sickness and disease had its origin from the Judean belief that the latter came from or li nked to evil and sin. They believed that the cure lied on prayer and repentance to earn Gods favor and divine forgiveness (Wilkinson, 1998, p68). Jesus’ activities that portrayed Jesus as an exorcist and a healer included his disciples carrying his combat against evil and sin and the manner in which

Academic Strategic Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Academic Strategic Paper - Essay Example I also take practical concepts of theory learnt in class seriously so that I am able to demonstrate central issues and their real life application. This is a significant aspect of my academic goal that would help me during transition into the real world outside the theoretical framework of class presentations. Besides, I believe in exercising high level of communication skills as a core aspect of expressing ideas such that I may be able to reconcile the scores in the paper with what I am able to say in front of the people. It is important to note that achievement of the highlighted academic goals is very dependent on contribution of various stakeholders. I must enlist the support of various individuals in my daily academic life to ensure that my dreams are achieved. The key players in this regard would include; school administration, teaching staff and parents. It is indisputable that school administration is responsible for providing a conducive learning environment. This includes drafting and implementing rules and regulations that help learners manage intra-personal and interpersonal interaction with other members of school community. Besides, provision of necessary learning resources is the work of school administration hence its critical stake in the learning system. In that respect, I seek to adhere to school rules and regulations so that I may have the peace and strength to learn uninterrupted. My focus on better grades will highly be boosted by good conduct in the light of laid down school rul es and general ethical standards that include academic honesty. The teaching staff is a key stakeholder that would help me through daily interaction in class to achieve my set goals. They offer tuition, tests and advice on how to tackle questions, master concepts and set goals. In that regard, I would make efforts to ensure I am in good terms with the teaching staff and engage in consistent enquiry on various topics I fail to understand. Such continuous

Interest Rate Changes in Construction Activity Essay

Interest Rate Changes in Construction Activity - Essay Example Generally the construction activity is sensitive to changes in the interest rates and business cycles in the short term and to population growth and economic advancement in the long-term. This paper intends to present a short report on the short term effects interest rate changes on the construction industry. The behaviour of any economy can be greatly influenced by the monetary policy. It is observed that decisions about official interest rates by the central banks affect economic activity and inflation through several channels which are collectively known as the Transmission Mechanism of the Monetary Policy. According to the Bank of England Paper on the Transmission mechanisms of monetary policy; Changes in exchange rates have a direct impact on the prices of imported goods and services and an indirect impact on the prices and the competitive ability of the products which compete with the imported products/services. The change in exchange rate is likely to affect the prices of those products in the domestic market which uses imported inputs. Thus through the transmission mechanism of the monetary policy, any changes in the official interest rates affect the savings and investment behaviour of the individuals and firms and also thereby affect domestic demand and supply of production and other manufacturing sectors of the economy. Normally following a monetary contraction in the economy, as a result of the changes in the interest rates, the construction sector reaches the trough of the cycle first, while the manufacturing sector reacts little slowly. However the manufacturing sector reacts very strongly than the construction sector. 3.0 Money Supply and Construction Activity: In general construction activity is very sensitive to credit conditions. According to Goh (1998) the amount of mortgage loans has an influence on the demand for residential construction, since house purchases are financed mainly by mortgage loans from banks. The monetary theorists are of the view that changes in money supply cause fluctuations in national outputs and because of the interdependency the disturbances in one sector will be transmitted to other sectors and markets. A review of the different channels of mechanisms reveals that credit is the primary source of money supply to the construction activity. "A restrictive credit supply leads to decreases in demand for real estate, bonds, stocks, and other assets. Since real-estate prices are sticky, ultimately the supply of credit will affect the construction industry." (Raymond Y.C. TSE and John Rafetry 1999) Similarly a contraction in money supply reduces bank lending to all sectors in the economy including property developers and thereby causes a decline in the industry. Any change in money supply will have its impact on the demand for

Nokia HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Nokia HR - Essay Example Change in fact, is one of the mostly viewed elements for corporate success (Manfred and Vries 7). Apple for instance initiated social and economic change, which has become prior to its actual leadership in its industry and its actual redefinition of the digital age by its visionary leader, Steven P. Jobs (Markoff). With this move, the company is consistently alert to find out what their competitors are doing in order to protect its competitive advantage (McQuillen). Change remains constant in this world. Believe it or not, we need to change, either for the best or the other way around. The person in front of you today is convinced and is compelled to choose the former. We need to change for good! Look around you, and you will be able to see major changes in our industry. Where do you find us now? Are we heading towards the advancements or are we much left behind by our competitors? Where do we hold our competitive advantage? Ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant day to all! Nokia is one of the dream companies your new CEO hoped to work for before. And it is now a dream come true, but there are still many things left unfulfilled in that dream, for there is a need to involve you in it. Yes, you heard it. Your new CEO would not be able to completely achieve that dream without you. So starting today, let us dream together, and be part of what we must envision as the dream company in the future. It is not impossible to make Nokia that way. With all of you whom your CEO believes to be elemental in the achievement of that dream, together we can make things possible and once again, we could prove to this industry that we have something competitive enough within us that could remarkably spark for change. Technological advancement is imminent. We cannot completely hold our competitors to stop them from investing in technological advancements and changes. They are innovating possibilities, as they try to create needs for their actual product and

Privatization of Juvenile Facilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Privatization of Juvenile Facilities - Essay Example This represented over 30,000 juvenile offenders (Bayer, & Pozen, 2003). In 1974, Congress passed the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act which encouraged the community to develop reasonable alternatives to incarceration. This request saw the adoption of privatization as an appropriate mechanism that could be used for deinstitutionalization. As a result, by 1990, nearly 90 % of states had a minimum of one contract with a private corporation that was non profit. On the other hand, 60% of states had a minimum of one contract with a private corporation for profit to operate a facility for juveniles. Due to the overcrowding experienced in prisons, high costs of operating prisons, and the high cost of building new prisons, many states find privatization a viable option. The issue of privatization of juvenile facilities raises certain important issues. If a state were to privatize its juvenile facilities, which component of the facilities will be most effectively privatized? Suc h that the negative impact of privatization is minimized. Armstrong (2001) notes that the government or the state must retain and continue funding the costs that are associated with incarceration of the delinquents. The private corporation on the other hand, should take care of the programmatic and custodial managerial services. This is an effective approach as it allows the private sector to handle issues that are less sensitive. The state continues to meet the direct costs of incarcerated delinquents. This way the incarcerated juveniles will be able to access critical services like educational programming and quality nutrition. Many of the private corporations are out to make profits. Privatization of the costs of incarceration of the delinquents will see incarcerated delinquents being deprived of essential services as observed in the Oklahoma example. The Office of Juvenile Affairs contracted a for- profit private corporation. This contract was terminated in the year 2002 after c oncerns were raised about the operations of the juvenile facility. The contract was also terminated in an effort to cut down the budget of the Office of Juvenile Affairs. The OCCY (Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth) raised concerns about the absence of educational programs and proper nutrition for the juveniles (Office of Juvenile Affairs, 2010). The state stands a better chance to effectively manage juvenile facilities. This is because the state is a non profit organization that will emphasize on delivering the essential services to the incarcerated juveniles as opposed to maintaining the bottom line and cutting costs at the detriment of the incarcerated juveniles. Today, it is a fact that many states consider privatization of juvenile facilities a viable option. Despite the negative aspects closely associated with privatization of these facilities, states continue to privatize the facilities in an effort to reduce overcrowding and minimize operation costs. What can then be done to ensure that the interests of the public are preserved by the privatized juvenile facilities? One good and effective approach is the setting up of a state agency mandated with the constant evaluation and monitoring of state juvenile facilities and the juvenile programs. These agencies will have the ability to conduct random visits to the privatized juvenile facilities and assess conditions of the facilities and state of juveniles and staff. In this way,

Planning in the Health-Care Setting Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Planning in the Health-Care Setting - Case Study Example Health Information Management was formed by Jackie and Sandra as a partnership firm and consists of 6 other specialists (Elements of a Business Plan). As this market niche has not been identified so there are no competitors at all as yet. Therefore, considerable profits can be reaped but competitors will penetrate in future so the firm should provide cost-effective and premium quality services to retain its market share even in future. Presently, there exists an untapped market niche for home health care personnel and resources. Hence, the firm has an excellent opportunity to cater to the entire industry and establish its monopoly before competitors enter the market .Customers’ expectations and industry standards are based around providing prompt and quality home health care benefits. Market trend seems to suggest growth in future years. Prompt and premium home health care services shall be provided. Price skimming shall be used to reap the maximum profits, as demand for these services is unfulfilled so customers will pay the high prices. The services should be promoted through hospitals and clinics and shall be provided at homes of patients (Crow & Goldstein, 2003). In addition to Jackie and Sandra, the management team is composed of 2 RRAs and 4 ARTs. The principal partners as well as the specialist staff are highly motivated and committed to business growth and betterment. Bryan and others have willingly taken the challenge of providing home health care

Sample exam answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sample exam answers - Essay Example If firm 1 decides to produce q111 then the prices will be set at P (q111 + q2). That is, for each quantity produced by firm 1, the price is given by the curve d1 (q2). This is (d1 (q2)) firm 1’s residual demand which gives all possible combinations of firm 1’s quantity and price for a given value of q2. MC=MR. the assumption that MC is constant is made. The MR curve is given as r1(q2) with twice the slope of d1(q2) and with the same vertical intercept. The point at MC and MR meets corresponds to quantity q1ii(q2) which is the optimum quantity for firm 1. If firm 2 favors a quantity corresponding to perfect competition, q2=qc whereby P (qc), then the quantity produced by firm 1 would be 0: q1ii(qc)=0. This is where MC=MR corresponding to d1 (qc) as shown in diagram below: Given the fact that demand is linear and the marginal cost is constant, the function q1ii (q2) is also clear. q1ii (q2) is firm 1’s reaction function. Firm 1’s reaction function is the choice taken by firm 1 given an action taken by firm 2. Cournot equilibrium is the point at which firm 1’s and firm 2’s reaction functions meet given that they have the same cost function. This is shown below: First degree price discrimination is a situation where the firm is charging a price that the consumer is willing to pay. With first degree price discrimination, the producer is able to extract the entire surplus from the consumer. With the 1st degree price discrimination, the profit is equal the sum of consumer surplus and producer surplus The monopoly firm will sell quantity Q* up to the point where the price of the last unit sold just covers the MC of production. The profit of the firm is given by the difference between the price it is charging on each unit and the average cost of producing Q* units of output. The profit is given by area PAMC. 1st degree price discrimination is most practiced by single seller offering different prices to different individuals. In this

Consumer Behavior Essay Example for Free

Consumer Behavior Essay Consumer behavior is an attempt to understand predict human actions in the buying role. It has assumed growing importance under market-oriented or customer oriented marketing planning management. Consumer behavior is defined as â€Å"all psychological, social physical behavior of potential customers as they become aware of, evaluate, purchase, consume, tell others about product services†. * Each element in this definition is important. * Consumer behavior involves both individual (psychological) processes group (social processes). * Consumer behavior is reflected from awareness right through post-purchase evaluation indicating satisfaction or non-satisfaction, from purchases * Consumer behavior includes communication, purchasing consumption behavior * Consumer behavior is basically social in nature. Hence social environment plays an important role in shaping buyer behavior. * Consumer behavior includes both consumer business buyer behavior In consumer behavior we consider not only why, how, what people buy but other factors such as where , how often, and under what conditions the purchase is made. An understanding of the buyer behavior is essential in marketing planning programmes. In the final analysis buyer behavior is one of the most important keys to successful marketing. MAJOR FACTORS INFLUENCING BUYER BEHAVIOUR CULTURAL FACTORS Cultural factors exert the broadest and deepest influence on consumer behavior. The roles played by the buyers culture, sub culture and social class are particularly important. * CULTURE- Culture is the most fundamental determinant of a person’s wants and behavior. The growing child acquires a set of values, perceptions, preferences, and behavior through his or her family or other key institutions. * SUB-CULTURE- Sub-culture includes nationalities, religions, racial groups, and geographical regions. Many sub-cultures make up important market segments, and marketers often design marketing programs tailored to their needs. * SOCIAL CLASS- Social classes are relatively homogenous and enduring divisions in a society, which are hierarchically ordered and whose members share similar values, interests, and behavior. Social classes do not reflect income alone but also other indicators such as occupation, education, and area of residence. SOCIAL FACTORS * REFERNCE GROUPS- A Person’s reference groups consist of all the groups that have a direct or indirect influence on the person’s attitudes or behavior. Groups having direct influence on a person are called membership groups. * FAMILY- The family is the most important consumer buying organization in society, and has been researched extensively. Family members constitute the most influential primary reference group. * ROLE AND STATUSES- A person’s position in each group that he participates throughout his life –family, clubs, and organizations can be defined in terms of role and status. A role consist of activities that a person is expected to perform. Each role carries a status. Marketers are aware of the status symbol potential of products and brands. PERSONAL FACTORS A buyer’s decisions are also influenced by personal characteristics. These include the buyer’s age stage in the life cycle, occupation, economic circumstances, lifestyle, personality self concept. * AGE STAGE IN THE LIFE CYCLE- People buy different goods services over their lifetime. They eat baby food in the early years, most foods in the growing mature years special diets in the later years. People’s taste in clothes, furniture recreation is also age related. * OCCUPATION- A person’s occupation also influences his or her consumption pattern. Marketers try to identify the occupational groups that have above – average interest in their products and services. A company can even specialize its products for certain occupational groups. * ECONOMIC CIRCUMCTANCES- Product choices are greatly affected by one’s economic circumstances. Economic stability consist of their spend able income (its level, stability and time pattern), saving and asse ts (including the percentage that is liquid), debts, borrowing power, attitude toward spending versus saving. * LIFESTYLE- People coming from the same subculture, social class occupation may lead quite different lifestyles. A person’s lifestyles the person’s pattern of living in the world as expressed in the persons activities, interests opinions. * PERSONALITY AND SELF-CONCEPT- Each person has a distinct personality that influences his or her buying behavior. By personality, we mean a person’s distinguishing psychological characteristics that lead to relatively consistent and enduring responses to his or her environment. Personality can be a useful variable in analyzing consumer behavior, provided that personality type can be classified accurately and that strong correlations exist between certain personality types and product or brand choices. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS A person’s buying choices are influenced by four major psychological factors-motivations, perception, learning, beliefs and attitudes. * MOTIVATION- A person has many needs at any given time. A need becomes motive when it is aroused to a sufficient level of intensity. Motivational researchers hold that each product is capable of arousing a unique set of motive in consumers. * LEARNING- When people act they learn. Learning involves changes in an individual’s behavior arising from experience. Learning theory teaches marketers that they can build up demand for a product by associating it with strong drives, using motivating cues and providing positive reinforcement. * PERCEPTION- Perception is the process by which an individual selects, organizes, interprets information inputs to create a meaningful picture of the world. A motivated person is ready to act. How the motivated person actually acts is influenced by his or her perception of the situation. * BELIEFS ATTITUDES- A belief is a descriptive thought that a person holds about something. Through doing learning, people acquire beliefs attitudes. These in turn influence their buying behavior. Particularly important to global marketers is the fact that buyers often hold distinct disbeliefs about brands or products based on their country of origin. An attitude is person’s enduring favorable or unfavorable evaluations, emotional feelings, and action tendencies towards some object or idea. People have attitude toward almost everything: religion, politics, clothes, music, food, and so on. Attitude put them into a frame of mind of liking or disliking an object, moving toward or away from it.

Carol Ann Duffys poetry Essay Example for Free

Carol Ann Duffys poetry Essay Delilah by Carol Ann Duffy has an undeniably sexual element running throughout an element which is highlighted by its suggestive language and presentation of gender roles between the characters Samson and Delilah. Many of Duffys poems have a similar element running through them such as in Salome, Little Red Riding Cap and Pygmalions Bride therefore it can be said that her poetry is mainly concerned with the politics of sex. However, Carol Ann Duffy states in an interview in 2005 that Delilah is not about sex but is a love poem exploring the nature of Samsons wish to become gentle, loving and tender. This would therefore suggest that the main concern of the poem is more to do with love, power and gender. There are several references to sex throughout the poem, however the most direct reference comes in the fourth stanza where Samson fucks Delilah. This is in stark contrast to his request in the third stanza only three lines above of wanting to learn how to care, or be gentle or loving or tender. Despite wanting to become gentle, Samson fucks Delilah rather than makes love to her, implying that his wish was only a half-hearted one i.e. a wish he only makes but not something he would act upon. He fuck(s her) again further shows this is not the first time Delilah has been fucked suggesting a repetitive nature of this act. Furthermore, Delilah allows herself to be fucked through Delilahs submission, Duffy could be making a statement that women can not break free from this subordinate role in sex. Samsons language is also sexually suggestive, possibly implying that a man can not have his libido driven out of him regardless of the situation. For example, in the second stanza Samson is boasting about his achievements which demonstrate his strength and fearlessness, however he is distracted by a sexually suggestive note, telling Delilah to put your hand here -. This continues in the third stanza; he asks for a cure for his inability to be gentle and in the following line proceeds to fuck her as though he believes the cure is in fucking her. The situation Samson opening up to Delilah about something personal- would usually be assumed to be free from anything conjuring violence however Samson fucks her anyway suggesting that regardless of the time or place, sex is something which remains rampant in a mans mind. On the other hand, it could be said that rather than sex, the main concern of the poem is with power distribution in this relationship. Whilst many would argue that Delilah was dominated by Samson in the poem due to the sex, in the end Delilah cut Samsons hair which biblically represented the demise of his strength. Cutting his hair in the poem may be symbolic of her dominating Samson as she has successfully seduced him and at his most vulnerable (during slumber) she has taken away his strength. This is also in sync with the biblical story in which Delilah disarms Samson and gives him up to the Philistines, ultimately dominating him. Sex is only a way by which Samson is pacified after which he goes to sleep and becomes soft, thus vulnerable. Furthermore, Delilah cuts Samsons hair with deliberate, passionate hands suggesting she enjoyed disarming him and stealing his power away from him. This is a reversal of the typical gender roles in literature and Delilahs passionate hands may be showing that Delilah enjoyed this. Furthermore, the idea that Delilah had to pacify Samson through sex suggests an element of power on Delilahs side as sex was a method through which she satisfied Samson and put him to sleep, leaving him vulnerable. Duffy may be making a statement through this that women can use their sexuality as a weapon to weaken men and thus overpower them. This interpretation is concerned with both sexual politics and power distribution demonstrating that Duffys poetry is not only concerned with the politics of sex.

Securing MANET From Routing Attacks

Securing MANET From Routing Attacks CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 RESEARCH PROBLEM The increasing demand and utilization of wireless technology is making the need for more secure wireless networks. From the security viewpoint MANET is one of the most interesting research fields. A MANET is generally exposed to vulnerabilities due to its open medium, rapidly varying network topology, lack of centralized control and lack of clear line protection and it suffers from a wide range of security threats and attacks. Attacks can be introduced into all the layers of protocol stack however the attacks on the routing layer are most detrimental. The attacks on the routing layer can be either from the outside the network or can take place within the network. The attacks from outside of the network contain no authentication information and can be avoided by employing authentication techniques and cryptographic schemes. The most common insider attacks include blackhole, wormhole, selective forwarding, RREQ and hello flooding, Sybil, sink hole and so on. Insider attackers are more critical compared to the outsider attack as the insider knows the valuable information and holds the access rights. To solve this issue, security solutions have to be proposed in order to secure MANET. The goal of this thesis is to analyse the impact of blackhole, wormhole and flooding attack under on-demand routing protocols such as AODV and DSR and to propose possible countermeasures to thwart these attacks. 3.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this research work is to secure the MANET from various routing attacks in order to improve the performance of the network. To achieve this aim, the following objectives are formulated: To analyse the impact of blackhole, wormhole and flooding attack under AODV and DSR routing protocol To analyse packet delivery ratio and end-to-end delay in case of black hole, wormhole and flooding attack using AODV and DSR protocol and the results of AODV and DSR are compared to evaluate which of these protocols are more susceptible to these kind of attacks. To develop defence mechanisms against blackhole, worm hole and flooding attack under AODV and DSR protocol. 3.3 SCOPE OF THE THESIS There exists various routing attacks in MANET such as blackhole, wormhole, Sybil, selective forwarding and flooding attack and so on. This research work considers only blackhole, wormhole and flooding attack and its impact on on-demand routing protocols such as AODV and DSR is analysed. Efficient detection techniques have been developed to mitigate the effect of these attacks against AODV and DSR routing protocol. The performance of these routing protocols using the detection techniques are evaluated in terms of packet delivery ratio and end-to-end delay. 3.4 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE This research focuses on blackhole, wormhole and flooding attacks on AODV and DSR protocol. The architecture of the proposed system is given in Figure 3.1. Efficient techniques such as MSBD and ABM, MCHOP and CDCF, MCLUT and TSPS has been developed to detect blackhole, wormhole and flooding attacks under AODV protocol and techniques such as ABM, CDCF and TSPS have been developed to mitigate against blackhole, wormhole and flooding attacks under DSR protocol. The proposed techniques detect these attacks effectively and provide a secure path. Figure 3.1 An Overview Of Attacks On MANET Routing Protocol And Their Detection Techniques 3.5 DETECTION TECHNIQUES AGAINST BLACKHOLE, WORMHOLE AND FLOODING ATTACKS 3.5.1 MultiShared Bandwidth Approach for Blackhole Attack Detection The AODV protocol is vulnerable to the well-known black hole attack. In this thesis, the multishared approach is designed to prevent any alterations in the default operation of either the intermediate nodes or the destination nodes. Here, watchdog mechanism is incorporated with MultiShared Bandwidth (MSBD) approach to detect misbehaviour or abnormal activity of a node, once an abnormal activity is observed MSBD is initiated. The MSBD converts the data into 16 bit and further splits the 16 bit data into multiple shares. When multishared data is received by a node it checks the bandwidth of neighbouring nodes to transmit the data. Then it chooses the nodes with highest bandwidth along the path and sends the data through these selected paths. 3.5.2 MCHOP-A Cluster based Approach for Wormhole Attack Detection In AODV routing protocol, the intruder will attack the network using the attack like wormhole during the route discovery stage. A cluster based algorithm has been proposed to detect a wormhole attack on AODV routing protocol. In this approach, the network is partitioned into several clusters based on density based clustering algorithm. Here, AODV protocol is modified in such manner that it detects the wormhole attack based on the hop count comparison and time taken to receive RREP packets. The cluster head is responsible for adding certain fields such as hop count, destination address to the RREQ packet and it broadcasts it to the other cluster head in the network. Whenever the intermediate node receives the RREQ packets, it sends an ACK to the source node with hop count information and broadcasts it to the destination node. The destination node then unicasts the RREP to the source node utilizing the reverse path. The RREP is then validated by source node using the hop count informat ion and time taken for receiving the packet. 3.5.3 MCLUT- Clustering Approach for Flooding Attack Detection The proposed MCLUT approach is used to detect the flooding attack node by enabling the clustering approach and calculating the threshold value of each node in the cluster. Here dynamic threshold value is used. The threshold value is estimated based on the queue length of a node and its neighbour in the cluster. If a node does not satisfy the threshold value then it is considered as an intruder. Once the cluster head confirms that the node is intruder it then broadcast the message to other nodes to isolate the node from the cluster and the suspicious node is kept in observation. 3.5.4 Anomaly based Behaviour Monitoring Algorithm for Black hole Attack Detection under AODV and DSR protocol The proposed Anomaly based Behaviour Monitoring (ABM) algorithm detects blackhole attack on AODV and DSR protocol. This technique periodically checks and verifies whether the number of packets disseminated between source and destination are equal. Through this comparison, the source node could detect the presence of black hole node. 3.5.5 Channel Detection and Cut Defalconin algorithm for Wormhole Attack Detection on AODV and DSR Channel Detection and Cut Defalconin (CDCF) algorithm is proposed to detect wormhole attack on DSR and AODV protocol. This method detects a wormhole attack in the network based on the threshold limit and then provides a new route to forward the packet from source to destination. The threshold value is determined based on Round Trip Time (RTT) and a delay per hop (DPH) is calculated based on the RTT, while forwarding packet from source to destination with the malicious nodes, its take less Round Trip Time (RTT) to forward the packets to the destination, when forwarding packet from source to the destination without any malicious node attack, it takes more RRT to forward the packets to the destination. If the DPH of a node is smaller than all other nodes, then it indicates the wormhole attack presence. 3.5.6Transmission Sequence Based Packet Scanner Algorithm for Flooding Attack Detection on DSR and AODV. Flooding is a Denial of Service (Dos) that is designed to bring down the service of the network by flooding it with huge volume of traffic. Transmission Sequence based Packet Scanner (TSPS) technique has been proposed to detect flooding attack on DSR and AODV. The TSPS identifies the presence of flooding attack based on source id, empty packet, number of hops and transmission sequence number.

Analysis Of The Bridge Of San :: essays research papers

People who thinks of Thornton Wilder primarily in terms of his classic novella â€Å"Our Town,† The Bridge of San Luis Rey will seem like quite a switch. For one thing, he has switched countries; instead of middle America, he deals here with Peru. He has switched eras, moving from the twentieth century back to the eighteenth. He has also dealt with a much broader society than he did in â€Å"Our Town,† representing the lower classes and the aristocracy with equal ease. But despite these differences, his theme is much the same; life is short, our expectations can be snuffed out with the snap of a finger, and in the end all that remains of us is those we have loved. The novella begins by describing the quest of a Franciscan monk, Brother Juniper, to figure out why some people’s lives are cut short while others, apparently less deserving of life, live well into their eighties and nineties. He has happened to witness a terrible accident (the sudden collapse of a national landmark, the Bridge of San Luis Rey) which five people were crossing at the time of the disaster. All five were killed instantly: a little boy, a young girl, a wealthy old woman, an old man, and a youth. Brother Juniper is shocked into a metaphysical thought: â€Å"If there were any pattern in the universe at all, any plan in a human life, surely it could be discovered mysteriously latent in those lives so suddenly cut off. Either we live by accident and die by accident, or we live by plan and die by plan. And in that instant Brother Juniper made the resolve to inquire into the secret lives of those five persons, that moment falling through the air, and to surprise the reason of their taking off† (Wilder, 5). This is the wonderful premise behind Wilder’s examination of the connected lives of these five people. Several of them never actually meet, any more than we â€Å"meet† people with whom we happen to ride an elevator but, each of them knows someone who knows one of the other victims. Wilder goes on to clear up the stories of their lives, devoting a chapter to each of the major characters: The old woman, The Marquesa; The young man, Esteban; and the old man, Uncle Pio. (The other two victims, the young maid Pepita and the child Jaime, are not really explored, because they are seen primarily in relationship to the adults they accompany.

Alcohol :: essays research papers

After maneuvering through a herd of people, the ultimate goal of the night is found, the keg. The party is full of people just looking to have a good time on a Friday night and alcohol just waiting to be consumed by the partygoers. As the night progresses, the keg empties, and the minds and motor skills of the partygoers have deteriorated. Some can no longer control their actions or sense what is happening in their surroundings. Though according to them, their current state is well worth the trouble because they had a good time at the party. Alcohol and its effects are far too accepted in today’s society. In life, the biggest role models for children are their own parents. Too often is the case where minors are allowed a small sip from Dad’s beer just to obtain a taste. From there, these children see that if their own parent allowed them to drink, then it must be perfectly normal to consume alcohol as a minor. The legal drinking age is a law that seems to go unnoticed by teenagers who want to get an early start on consumption. High school students are beginning to drink at an earlier age as more underclassmen are experimenting with the party scene. They are naturally curious of what drinking is like, and without parents standing in the way at parties, there is nobody to stop them from drinking. One thing that seems to allure the younger drinkers is the highly publicized state of being drunk. Not being in control over one’s body would seemingly be a state that most would want to avoid. However, they see it as an excuse for actions that they would most likely not have done if it were not for the alcohol. Too often is the case where others will not hold a person liable for the things they do while drunk. In Dorothy Parker’s You Were Perfectly Fine, Peter had become ridiculously drunk the night before and awakes in the apartment of a woman. How often is the case where people will find themselves waking up in a strange place with no recollection of what took place the night before? This scenario definitely sounds familiar because of the portrayal on television of this being a natural occurrence following a night of heavy drinking. In most cases, both parties would be absolutely embarrassed when they realize what took place. Alcohol :: essays research papers After maneuvering through a herd of people, the ultimate goal of the night is found, the keg. The party is full of people just looking to have a good time on a Friday night and alcohol just waiting to be consumed by the partygoers. As the night progresses, the keg empties, and the minds and motor skills of the partygoers have deteriorated. Some can no longer control their actions or sense what is happening in their surroundings. Though according to them, their current state is well worth the trouble because they had a good time at the party. Alcohol and its effects are far too accepted in today’s society. In life, the biggest role models for children are their own parents. Too often is the case where minors are allowed a small sip from Dad’s beer just to obtain a taste. From there, these children see that if their own parent allowed them to drink, then it must be perfectly normal to consume alcohol as a minor. The legal drinking age is a law that seems to go unnoticed by teenagers who want to get an early start on consumption. High school students are beginning to drink at an earlier age as more underclassmen are experimenting with the party scene. They are naturally curious of what drinking is like, and without parents standing in the way at parties, there is nobody to stop them from drinking. One thing that seems to allure the younger drinkers is the highly publicized state of being drunk. Not being in control over one’s body would seemingly be a state that most would want to avoid. However, they see it as an excuse for actions that they would most likely not have done if it were not for the alcohol. Too often is the case where others will not hold a person liable for the things they do while drunk. In Dorothy Parker’s You Were Perfectly Fine, Peter had become ridiculously drunk the night before and awakes in the apartment of a woman. How often is the case where people will find themselves waking up in a strange place with no recollection of what took place the night before? This scenario definitely sounds familiar because of the portrayal on television of this being a natural occurrence following a night of heavy drinking. In most cases, both parties would be absolutely embarrassed when they realize what took place.

The Sociological Impacts of Wireless and Modern Computer Technology :: Essays Papers

The Sociological Impacts of Wireless and Modern Computer Technology Introduction of the significance of Wireless Technology on Society Today’s society is one filled with physical interaction, being replaced by wireless communication with known parties instead of communication between casual strangers, creating a deterioration of casual interaction and the influx of the wireless dependency with family, businesses and friends. From the invention of the landline telephone, wireless technology has been a dream to people who like to stay in touch and communicate with the ones they love without having to be tied down to one location; yet the various types of influences, impacts and dependencies that wireless communication has upon the world wide daily life is something that sociologist have been studying closely in order to monitor the underlying effects of this sort of technology. The ways in which people view wireless technology is one of the most important researching tools that determines the future effect of the products, and to what extreme people will allow wireless technology to monitor their lives. Definition of Wireless Technology Wireless technology is a form of technology that uses a certain wavelength of radio wave space to transfer information that was previously transferred via landline wires. The important difference of wireless communication is that it has the ability to monitor, record and connect people from anywhere, at anytime, to anyone. Different Sentiments Towards Wireless Technology There are certain indicators that show how society feels towards new inventions and technologies being integrated into our social patterns, and one of them is the rate of adoption by consumers. There are certain stages of innovation adoption within the consumer realm that identifies the products importance and strength within society; first are the innovators, they are usually the high income, high education, low age, male sector of society who like to have new gadgets to show off to their friends. This innovation crowd is important to the second stage of innovation, the early adopters who see the innovator enjoying his/her product and receiving productivity or enjoyment from it and therefore adopting it themselves. Innovators look at products that have a relative advantage over products that they already own; compatibility and complexity of the product are two main factors.

Political Aspects of Wireless Electricity Essay

It is no secret that politics plays a big role when it comes to the introduction of the wireless electricity. Some parties are for it, as it can allow for slightly greener ways of powering devices, new jobs, and easier access. But others are against it, seeing the change as a threat to old ways of doing things, as well as a way for people to access electricity for free. Though wireless transmissions and the idea of wireless electricity have existed for quite some time, the actual possibility of creating usable, accessible wireless electricity is just now starting to become a reality. With wireless electricity looming on the horizon, more and more politicians, civilians, and companies are beginning to stand behind the idea; but that has not always been the case. Politics first began working their way into wireless electricity in 1905, when J. P. Morgan pulled all of his funding from Nikola Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower project when he erroneously began to believe that it could lead to free electricity for all (Haliburton, 2006). It is that same type of thinking that has helped to keep wireless electricity out of the mainstream for so long. However, information and general knowledge about wireless electricity has come far, and that type of thinking is quickly disappearing. With the recent surge of environmental and financial awareness, people are quickly beginning to gravitate towards the idea of wireless electricity. Even power companies are getting behind the idea, seeing a way to expand their business. Though the idea of wireless electricity has just begun to reemerge, it will quickly become a hot political topic, just as other forms of alternative energy have. The question is this: Will the general public and politicians continue to gravitate towards this new concept? And if they do, how long will it be until wireless electricity becomes the norm?

History: Politics of the Renaissance

In the sixteenth century, Italy had many centers of power. In each you could find ambitious rulers, such as the Medic in Florence, the Pope in Rome, or the doge in Venice. 2. Each ruler knew that his success greatly depended on the people who advised him. So rulers surrounded themselves with brilliant courtiers. What was a courtier and what did a courtier do? A courtier was a well-educated person who served in the ruler's court.Courtiers' Jobs included giving advice on how to build a new palace, repair a cathedral, fix a canal, build defensive walls, deliver messages, negotiate a ready with a neighboring cities, lead troops into war, translate an ancient Greek manuscript,discuss philosophy, astronomy, and mathematics, tell an amusing story, and sings ballad. 3. Who was Balderdash Castigation and why is he famous? Balderdash Castigation was a courtier to Francesco Kananga, the prince of Mantra and the duke of Robin.He wrote The Book of the Courtier, which was a how-to guide that desc ribed how a courtier should act while serving at court and how he could best serve his ruler. 4. Castigation based some of his book on the writings of the ancient Roman testament Cicero and on the medieval code of chivalry. 5. Why did the education and intelligence of advisors matter in Renaissance times in ways they had not earlier? War fare had changed and needed intellectual strength now. Renaissance princes wanted advisers, good strategists, engineers. 6. Describe Castigation's views of the ideal Renaissance courtier.Castigation thought that a good Renaissance courtier still needed some qualities of the chivalrous knight, like courage, horsemanship, and good swordsmanship for battle. He also thought courtiers should know how to swim, run, and Jump. They should be able to read and write in both Latin and Greek. He should be able to discuss art and philosophy with his ruler, as well as draw, paint, dance, and play some musical instruments. He should be a man of good character and very modest about his talents and skills. 7. What does it mean to be a â€Å"Renaissance man†? To be a person of knowledge and skill. 8.Who was Isabella detest and what were some of her accomplishments? Isabella detest was the wife of Francesco Kananga. She was also an artist, poet, and writer. She advised her husband on many diplomatic matters. When her husband was locked away in prison, she ruled Mantra. She managed to secure her husband's release when the Venetians imprisoned him. She was a dedicated patron of the arts. She made Mantra a center of learning and art. 9. The two issues always on the minds of princes in Renaissance Italy were politics and war. 10. Who was Niccole Machiavelli and what did he believe Italy's princes needed to be able to do?He was a Florentine diplomat who wrote The Prince, a book which analyzed the politics of Renaissance Italy. He is considered the father of modern lattice science. Machiavelli thought a good ruler should do whatever was necessa ry to secure and unite his state. 11. What is the main subject of The Prince? The main subject is how to create and maintain a secure state and how to acquire and hold power. 12. What were the main sources of information that Machiavelli used for his book? He drew on lessons learned in his study of classical history, and the lessons he learned by studying the triumphs and failures of Cesar Barrio and others. 3. How did Machiavellian idea of a good ruler differ from that of medieval helicopters? Medieval philosophers had stated that a ruler should exercise power virtuously for the common good of his people, and that he should base his actions on Christian principles. Machiavelli argued that a good ruler should do whatever it takes to secure and unite his state. 14. Machiavelli declared that to hold on to power, a prince must act as circumstances required. A famous saying that expresses his idea is the ends Justifies the meaner. 15.What was Machiavellian answer to the question â€Å" Is it better to be loved or to be eared? † His reply was that one ought to be both but, as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than to be loved. 16. Describe the influence The Prince had on European rulers. The book gave European rulers new ideas some good, some bad about how to govern. The Prince made rulers and their counselors think less about abstract ideals and more about actual human conduct and likely results. 17. Why is Machiavelli considered the â€Å"father of modern political science†? His book the way normal people act.

Discuss how Shakespeare creates a sense of suspense and dramatic tension in Macbeth Essay

Shakespeare wrote Macbeth 400 years ago. The themes of, upset, false appearance and illusion, the riddles are caught up and reflected in the wording of the play to heighten and improve the total impression that Shakespeare gives off. He used dramatic tension in this play to make it more frightening and realistic. He used poetic language and rhyme to create this. It would stay in the audience heads, when it was in rhyme, and stand out as he could not use special effects in the fifteen hundreds, like we can today, so he had to do it through his writing. Shakespeare’s uses appearance verses reality a lot through The Play Macbeth, to portray Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as being nice and courteous on top, but really be wicked underneath this is brought up a good deal throughout the play. He would use the super natural and violence instead of special effects. He used the super natural like witches in his plays because people then were very superstitious and believed that witches had great powers. When the actors would chant on stage for a spell, the audience might believe something could actually happen which would create tension. If something bad or evil was about to happen it would go dark which is scary and if it suddenly went light the audience would no someone good was coming e.g. Banquo. He would use very short and course language to shock the audience in the right places. King James was interested in witches, so he wrote something that would appeal to the king. Also it was about the murder of the king which James the 1st would of enjoyed, because it shows the consequences of what happen if you dare betray a king and in Shakespearean times it was known as killing someone who was appointed by god. If the king were going to see it then other people would think that it must be good and then go and see it themselves. The queen before James was Elizabeth the 1st. People felt safe with a strong king or queen. So in Macbeth he shows the importance of kings and queen keeping order and if they were out of order they were punished i.e. death and torture. In act one scene one, the start of this scene there is thunder and lightning straight away that grabs the audience’s attention. This creates a spooky atmosphere, it will all go dark and they will think something evil is about to happen. Such stirs in the heavens were thought to indicate war in kingdoms and so cause bad weather. The witches then appear which will scare the audience as in Shakespearean times witches were thought to be very powerful and evil. People thought they could communicate with the devil, that they could predict the future, make people ill, kill people from a distance or cause bad weather. They start chanting on stage like in a spell. `Fair is foul and foul is fair`, this means a calling upon evil to overturn ideas off good and bad too confuse the false appearance with the reality. The witches bring up his inner most desires to the surface and offer them to him on a plate. Each word in the quote begins with an F, which Shakespeare does to make it stick in your head so if it ever comes up again you would remember it because it is a rhyming couplet. In act one scene two, the beginning of this scene a very bloody war had just occurred. There is an injured captain who is being helped to safety by Duncan’s bodyguard. The surrounding would be dead bodies and blood everywhere, which will immediately shock people. The sounds of battle will be in the background that is exciting. They hear about Macbeth before he arrives which adds suspense. `Till he unseamed him from the nave to th`chops and fixed his head upon our battlements`. Macbeth wins the battle. The Thane of Cawdor betrayed Duncan and Macbeth gets his title as a lord, it shows if anyone chooses to betray the king they will get killed. Macbeth is then shown as a very strong person as he had just killed a lot of men. Macbeth does not know he is the Thane of Cawdor yet in this scene. In Act one scene three, the three witches are talking, again there is thunder as soon as the witches arrive. They ask each other what they have accomplished the first witch says she’s been killing wine the others talk about how nasty they have been and all there conquests. The audience would be appalled by this and that they could be so evil. Macbeth and Banquo arrive and says `so foul and fair a day I have not seen` which uses the same words that the witches had used just before, this then links him to the witches and that he could be evil like them and be capable of killing someone. The witches look inhuman and disgusting then make three predictions. One that he is the Thane of Glamis, Two that he is going to be the Thane of Cawdor, and Three that he will be King and that Banquo’s children’s children will be future kings. The king has already said that he is the Thane of Cawdor, so now the audience know that the witches can predict the future, this will scare them, and they now think maybe that he will be King. The witches then disappear so the audience thinks that they must be very powerful because they can vanish, that is something very supernatural and strange. He then later gets honoured Thane of Cawdor. Aside Macbeth says `What can the devil speak true? ` Meaning can the witches really predict the future. Aside means what he is thinking and the only way to do this is if he says it out loud. He cannot believe it came true. The audience then knows Macbeth is thinking evil thoughts, here is some of Shakespeare’s usage of appearance Vs reality. Banquo is represented in Macbeth as goodness and kindness. Sort of a voice of reason. He then talks to Macbeth about the danger that there could be getting involved with witches and evil. Banquo is also represented by light in the play. If evil is about to happen, when Banquo arrives it will go light as light is thought of as good and darkness as evil. In Act one scene four Macbeth gets the title if Thane of Cawdor and Duncan is very pleased. The old Thane of Cawdor was a traitor to the king and it was important that the king had someone he trusted like Macbeth who he doesn’t know is very untrustworthy. This is also to show you what would happen if you betrayed the king. `Stars hide your fires! Let not light see my dark and deep desires`, this means he is hoping the dark night will hide his evil thoughts to kill the king. As I said light represents good and dark represents bad. So if the stars were out they would be making light and show his thoughts In Act One scene, straight from the beginning Lady Macbeth is reading a letter out loud, this is called a soliloquy, and she does this so the audience can hear her. As soon as she has read the letter from Macbeth which told her about what had happened with the witches, and how he was the Thane of Cawdor, she started to think about how herself and Macbeth could kill the king. In those days it was thought as unbelievably evil for a women to have such vile thoughts as they were supposed to be innocent. She is then concerned that Macbeth is not brave enough to kill the king, the audience are then in suspense over whether he will do it or not. So she then has to make sure that she could make him do it, and that she must make herself have no feelings for other human beings except Macbeth. `Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direct cruelty`, means she is calling down evil spirits and make her evil. `Come to my women’s breast and take my milk for gall` means breast feeding is supposed to be a lovely natural thing for a women to do and is saying instead that she wants to feed evil. `Come thick night and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark to cry hold, hold`, this is saying she wants the dark to cover up hell and doesn’t want heaven to show her dark thoughts he personifies heaven as a person in this quote. In this play Lady Macbeth is a horrible person, she uses very harsh words that would effect the audience and cause tension. They will think when lady Macbeth is calling upon evil spirits that she must be a truly evil person, as the supernatural was considered to be very dangerous and people took it really seriously. Shakespeare uses very sharp wording in this scene, that would shock an audience of that time. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are going to act nice and kind in front of other people so that no one suspects their evil thoughts. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will appear nice, but in reality be plotting to kill Duncan. At the end of this scene Lady Macbeth says `To alter favour ever is to fear leave the rest to me`. This adds excitement and suspense as the audience wonders what she is going to do. In Act One scene Six Lady Macbeth is putting the plan of appearance verses reality into action. King Duncan arrives at the castle where Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are kind and hospitable so not to show any hint of their plan. In Act One scene Seven half of this scene is a soliloquy, often when performing this in a theatre, the stage would be all around the audience, so the actor wouldn’t have to speak so loudly and the audience can see his expressions. Macbeth is feeling guilty about his plans to kill the king. Shakespeare uses this method to show the audience what Macbeth is thinking and to show what Macbeths doubts are about murdering Duncan. The audience will now be wondering if he is going to go through with it, or if he is going to back out, this causes great excitement within the audience. Shakespeare uses this technique every so often in the play to show the audience what is going on inside the characters heads. Lady Macbeth, after Macbeth has finished his speech, asked why he has left Duncan and the rest of the party. Macbeth goes on to tell her about his doubts, and that he is Duncan’s kinsman and he is supposed to be his host and is supposed to trust him. The audience are now waiting to see what Lady Macbeth will say and if she will back out, there is a lot of suspense in the air. She tells him that if he wants to be king he will have to do any thing to get there `cat I` th` adage`. She then tries a different tactic and says that he is less of a man and a coward if he cannot do this `when you durst do it, then you were a man`. Lady Macbeth then says she would rather kill her own child and smear its brains on the floor than go back on her word `I have given suck, and know how tender `tis to love the babe that milks me I would while it smiling at my face have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this`. Shakespeare uses very strong wording to get through to the audience about how violent she is and evil, that a woman could kill her own child in such a way is horrifying. The Audience is then left in suspense till the next scene, wondering whether Macbeth will go through with it, Shakespeare does this as it keeps the audience hooked. At the end of this scene he uses the rhyming couplet to make the end to that dramatic scene stay in the audiences heads. In Act two scene, from the start there is a lot of tension. Macbeth is very nervous and on edge, he is waiting from the sign from Lady Macbeth to go and kill Duncan. The audience will be on the edge of their seats as they are wondering if they are going to get caught or will they get away with it. Amongst all this, Banquo and Fleance turn up, which is has a big relevance, as Banquo knows what the witches said to Macbeth about being king. Also that Banquo is good and kind, and enters the scene with a torch like he bringing goodness to an evil place by lighting it up `There is husbandry in heaven their, candles are all out`. Banquo means the heaven have not lit up the sky with stars and that there is evil about. The audience now think that Macbeth could get caught by Banquo and there is amazing tension rising. They then bump into each other. Banquo asks Macbeth why he is still up as the king has gone to bed. Macbeth is now very worried he is terrified he will be caught and is trying to get rid of Banquo as quickly as possible. Banquo then mentions the weird sisters and that he has been having nightmares about them, Macbeth quickly tells him that he will talk about it tomorrow and that he hasn’t really thought about it. In Shakespearean times dreams were thought of as prophesy, the audience then think Macbeth is probably going to get caught. Relief sweeps over Macbeth and the audience who are left wondering whether Macbeth is still going to go through with it, as Banquo leaves and all goes dark. Macbeth then sees a dagger hovering in the air before him, the audience will not be able to see this, so Shakespeare uses brilliant sentence structure and wording so they can imagine it is there `Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee` Macbeth sees this dagger in front of him and he wonders whether it is a sign as the sharp end of the dagger is pointing toward Duncans room. `Proceeding from the heat oppressed mind` He thinks it could be a sign to do it now, or it may be a trick and if he went in now he would get caught, he wonders if it is something in his imagination because he is stressed. The audience is then scared as a ghostly figure was known as a work of the devil and evil, so they think that Macbeth is in trouble. The theatre will go dark when this happens to show that evil is happening. Shakespeare leaves the audience on the edge of their seats as in the end Macbeth says `The bell invites me. Hear it not Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell` Which is also a rhyming couplet In Act two scene two, Macbeth returns covered in blood, which straight away tells the audience that Macbeth has done it, and this creates excitement and tension. The Conversation between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth is very quick and sharp, through most of Macbeth, Shakespeare has used ten syllables where as this particular conversation has very few syllables which shows they are nervous. Shakespeare does this to show the audience, as they may not be able to see their facial expressions. Macbeth had kept hold of the bloody daggers instead of leaving them, this creates suspense as they start to think they will be caught. Also every little sound Macbeth jumps at and is jittery. The visual effects in this will be Macbeth and Lady Macbeth covered in blood with daggers in there hands, the audience would think it was atrocious that they could be covered in a dead mans blood and not really care. Macbeth stars to get very paranoid, that he was seen, or will get caught and is feeling implausibly guilty, `Still it cried sleep no more to all the house` Macbeth is hearing voices and is terrified. Lady Macbeth is quite calm about what they have just done, this brings up again how foul she could be not to even feel a little guilty about what she’s done and must be a vicious human being to think like this `you do unbend your noble strength to think such brain sickly things`. The audience might reckon he is going to turn himself in and get excited. Next there is a knocking at the front door to the castle. This causes outstanding tension the audiences now thinks they are definitely caught and are on the edge of their seats with anticipation. The knocking continues `whence is that knocking? How is’t with me, when every noise appals me? ` The suspense rises, as they are still in their clothes that are covered in blood `My hands are of your colour; but I shame to wear a heart so white. I hear knocking at the south entry. Retire we to our chamber. A little water will clear us of this deed` they quickly go to their chamber to change into their night-clothes. This causes dramatic tension, as they are so close to getting caught. In the end of this scene Macbeth says `Wake Duncan with thy knocking. I would though couldst`, this just adds to the last of Macbeths lie and the audience are left in suspense till the next scene to see whether they get caught. Conclusion I conclude that out of all the evidence I have put forward, that Shakespeare’s main dramatic techniques are his language, sentence and word structure that he uses very well throughout the play. This makes it more exciting for the audience, as they did not have special effects then, thus he has to do it through his writing, so the audience can understand and imagine, which he does very effectively in the Acts and scenes that we studied. Him using the supernatural was a really good idea, as that is what appealed to King James and the audience at that period of time. It also scared them and kept them on the edge of their seats. The witches and supernatural in this play make it what it is and is a very important part because most of the suspense and tension is based on that.

History Part B

Controlled assessment part b i. Representation 1 is from the The English Police Force; A Political and Social History written by Clive Emsley, published in 1991. It suggests that the police were ineffective at stopping/preventing major crimes such as robbery. However, they were effective at stopping minor crimes in the local community. Representation 2 is A Plaint by a P’liceman, a poem published in Punch magazine in the late nineteenth century.It also suggests that the police were ineffective at stopping/preventing major crimes and that limited the effectiveness of the Police. However, the representation also suggests that the police were effective at stopping/preventing minor crimes but that was seen as ‘stop[ing] little boys from playing ball’. Representations 1 and 2 have a number of similarities. First of all Rep 1 and 2 portray the negative attitude towards the Police. This is shown by ‘belief among many of the working class that there was a law for th e rich and another, harsher law, for the poor.In some areas, they allowed fights and other law breaking activities, which they would’ve acted against elsewhere’. From representation 2, i can spot that it agrees with representation 1 as it says ‘’The street’s re quite unsafe’ they say, You’re robbed and mobbed in broad noonday But little boys they mustn’t play’’. Representation 1 also gives the impression that the Police were capable of preventing petty crimes but they differ in tone. This is shown by ‘what the police were especially good at, was apprehending those who committed petty street offences . Representation 2 is similar and i know this from ‘Stop little boys from playing ball, or move away an apple stall’. Finally, Representation 1 suggests that the police themselves were not to blame for their ineffectiveness. I know this from ‘The police never had sufficient manpower to suppress disorder entirely’. Representation 2 is similar as it suggests ‘ Well, if from growls you can refrain, it ain’t of us you should complain You’ve got thank SIR RICHARD MAYNE’. Representation 1 and 2 have a number of differences.First of all Rep 1 gives a negative view towards the police but it differs in attitude compared to Representation 2. This shown by the fact that Representation 1 gives negative view towards the police but it gives some positives of the Police, therefore giving balanced argument. However, Representation 2 gives a generally one sided view of the police, which is negative. The representation doesn’t seem to take into account the other side of Policing, creating a one-sided and biased view. Both representations differ in tone.I know this as Representation 1 gives an academic style, due to the language used. You must also take into account that it’s from a textbook. Meaning that it will have to be fair when creating a judgement of the Police. Representation 1 tends to use words such as ‘however’ and ‘although’. Representation 2 is wholly one sided being exaggerated. Emotional language is used, in order to build a negative view image of the police. I know this from the exaggeration and comparison of petty street offenders to boys ‘They bids me chivvy little boys’In conclusion the two representations are mostly different as the first representation gives a balanced view making a conclusion at the end after evaluating all points. Whereas, the 2nd Representation gives a negative focus and tone towards the Police without even considering the usefulness of the police. The main reason for this is Representation 1 concludes that ‘Although they[working class] may not have liked the Police, they realised that the police force were there to protect and serve the community’.By concluding in this manner, it shows that there is an understanding as to why the police are judged in a certain way but gave a reason as to why the Police were existent and that was to put order in society. Whereas, Representation 2 portrays the Police as useless when considering all the crimes that the Police should prevent. Representation 2 consider’s the Police as people who only put a plaster on the wound rather than healing the wound, in a sense. The downside for Representation 2 is that it is completely one sided which allows a lot of criticism to be made.The most important areas of difference is the tone and focus. I say this because, there is a clear difference because of the tone and focus. Representation 1 is a formal and factual piece focusing on all aspects of policing, thus, allowing the reader to understand the Police properly and leave the reader to make his own judgement. However, when it comes to Representation 2, the piece is informal and focuses only on the negative aspects of the Police. The piece doesn’t allow the reader to ma ke his own judgement fairly.

Night World : Secret Vampire Chapter 2

â€Å"Poppy!† Poppy could hear her mother's voice, but she couldn't see anything. The kitchen floor was obscured by dancing black dots. â€Å"Poppy, are you all right?† Now Poppy felt hermother's hands grasping her upper arms, holding her anxiously. The pain was easing and her vision was coming back. As she straightened up, she saw James in front ofher. His face was almost expressionless, but Poppy knew him well enough to recognize the worry in hiseyes. He was holding the milk carton, she realized. He must have caught it on the fly as she droppedit–amazing reflexes, Poppy thought vaguely. Really amazing. Phillip was on his feet. â€Å"Are you okay? Whathappened?† â€Å"I-don't know.† Poppy looked around, thenshrugged, embarrassed. Now that she felt better shewished they weren't all staring at her so hard. Theway to deal with the pain was to ignore it, to notthink about it. â€Å"It's just this stupid pain-I think it's gastrowhatchmacallit. You know, something I ate.† Poppy's mother gave her daughter the barest fraction of a shake. â€Å"Poppy, this is not gastroenteritis.You were having some pain before-nearly a monthago, wasn't it? Is this the same kind of pain?† Poppy squirmed uncomfortably. As a matter offact, the pain had never really gone away. Somehow,in the excitement of end-of-the-year activities, she'dmanaged to disregard it, and by now she was used to working around it. â€Å"Sort of,† she temporized. â€Å"But That was enough for Poppy's mother. She gavePoppy a little squeeze and headed for the kitchen telephone. â€Å"I know you don't like doctors, but I'mcalling Dr. Franklin. I want him to take a look at you. This isn't something we can ignore.† â€Å"Oh, Mom, it's vacation†¦.† Her mother covered the mouthpiece of the phone.†Poppy, this is nonnegotiable. Go get dressed.† Poppy groaned, but she could see it was no use.She beckoned to James, who was looking thoughtfully into a middle distance. â€Å"Let's at least listen to the CD before I have to go.† He glanced at the CD as if he'd forgotten it, and put down the milk carton. Phillip followed them into the hallway. â€Å"Hey, buddy, you wait out here while she gets dressed.† James barely turned. â€Å"Get a life, Phil,† he said almost absently. â€Å"Just keep your hands off my sister, you deve.† Poppy just shook her head as she went into her room. As if James cared about seeing her undressed. If only,she thought grimly, pulling a pair of shortsout of a drawer. She stepped into them, still shaking her head. James was her best friend, her very bestfriend, and she was his. But he'd never shown even the slightest desire to get his hands on her. Sometimes she wondered if he realized she was a girl. Someday I'm going to makehim see, she thought,and shouted out the door for him. James came in and smiled at her. It was a smile other people rarely saw, not a taunting or ironic grin, but a nice little smile, slightly crooked. â€Å"Sorry about the doctor thing,† Poppy said. â€Å"No. You should go.† James gave her a keenglance. â€Å"Your mom's right, you know. This has been going on way too long. You've lost weight; it's keeping you up at night-â€Å" Poppy looked at him, startled. She hadn't told anybody about how the pain was worse at night, not even James. But sometimes James just knewthings. As if he could read her mind. â€Å"I just know you, that's all,† he said, and then gaveher a mischievous sideways glance as she stared at him. He unwrapped the CD. Poppy shrugged and flopped on her bed, staring atthe ceiling. â€Å"Anyway, I wish Mom would let me have oneday of vacation,† she said. She craned her neckto look at James speculatively. â€Å"I wish I had a mom like yours. Mine's always worrying and trying to fix me.† â€Å"And mine doesn't really care if I come or go. Sowhich is worse?† James said wryly. â€Å"Your parents let you have your own apartment. â€Å" â€Å"In a building they own. Because it's cheaper thanhiring a manager.† James shook his head, his eyeson the CD he was putting in the player. â€Å"Don't knockyour parents, kid. You're luckier than you know.† Poppy thought about that as the CD started. Sheand James both liked trance-the underground electronic sound that had come from Europe. James likedthe techno beat. Poppy loved it because it was real music, raw and unpasteurized, made by people who believed in it. People who had the passion, not people who had the money. Besides, world music made her feel a part of otherplaces. She loved the differentness of it, the alienness. Come to think of it, maybe that was what she likedabout James, too. His differentness. She tilted her head to look at him as the strange rhythms of Burundi drumming filled the air. She knew James better than anyone, but there wasalways something, something about him that was closed off to her. Something about him that nobody could reach. Other people took it for arrogance, or coldness, oraloofness, but it wasn't really any of those things. It was just differentness. He was more different thanany of the exchangestudents at school. Time after time, Poppy felt she had almost put her finger on thedifference, but it always slipped away. And more than once, especially late at night when they were listening to music or watching the ocean, she'd felthe was about to tell her. And she'd always felt that if he didtell her, itwould be something important, something as shocking and lovely as having a stray cat speak to her. Just now she looked at James, at his dean, carvenprofile and at the brown waves of hair on his forehead, and thought, He looks sad. â€Å"Jamie, nothing's wrong, is it? I mean, at home, oranything?† She was the only person on the planet allowed to call him Jamie. Not even Jacklyn or Michaela had ever tried that. â€Å"What could be wrong at home?† he said, with asmile that didn't reach his eyes. Then he shook his head dismissively. â€Å"Don't worry about it, Poppy. It'snothing important-just a relative threatening to visit. An unwanted relative.† Then the smile didreach his eyes, glinting there. â€Å"Or maybe I'm justworried about you,† he said. Poppy started to say, â€Å"Oh, as if, â€Å"but instead she found herself saying, oddly, â€Å"Are you really?† Her seriousness seemed to strike some chord. Hissmile disappeared, and Poppy found that they were simply looking at each other without any insulating humor between them. Just gazing into each other's eyes. James looked uncertain, almost vulnerable. â€Å"Poppy Poppy swallowed. â€Å"Yes?† He opened his mouth-and then he got upabruptly and went to adjust her 170-watt Tall-boy speakers. When he turned back, his gray eyes were dark and fathomless. â€Å"Sure, if you were really sick, I'd be worried,† hesaid lightly. â€Å"That's what friends are for, right?† Poppy deflated. â€Å"Right,† she said wistfully, andthen gave him a determined smile. â€Å"But you're not sick,† he said. â€Å"It's just somethingyou need to get taken care of. The doctor'll probably give you some antibiotics or something-with a bigneedle,† he added wickedly. â€Å"Oh, shut up,† Poppy said. He knew she was terrified of injections. Just the thought of a needle entering her skin †¦ â€Å"Here comes your mom,† James said, glancing atthe door, which was ajar. Poppy didn't see how he could hear anybody coming-the music was loud andthe hallway was carpeted. But an instant later her mother pushed the door open. â€Å"All right, sweetheart,† she said briskly. â€Å"Dr.Franklin says come right in. I'm sorry, James, but I'm going to have to take Poppy away.† â€Å"That's okay. I can come back this afternoon.† Poppy knew when she was defeated. She allowedher mother to tow her to the garage, ignoring James's miming of someone receiving a large injection. An hour later she was lying on Dr. Franklin's examining table, eyes politely averted as his gentle fingers probed her abdomen. Dr. Franklin was tall, lean,and graying, with the air of a country doctor. Some body you could trust absolutely. â€Å"The pain is here?† he said. â€Å"Yeah-but it sort of goes into my back. Or maybe I just pulled a muscle back there or something The gentle, probing fingers moved, then stopped. Dr. Franklin's face changed. And somehow, in that moment, Poppy knew it wasn't a pulled muscle. Itwasn't an upset stomach; it wasn't anything simple; and things were about to change forever. All Dr. Franklin said was, â€Å"You know, I'd like toarrange for a test on this.† His voice was dry and thoughtful, but panic curled through Poppy anyway. She couldn't explain what was happening inside her-some sort of dreadful premonition, like a black pit opening in the ground in front of her. â€Å"Why?† her mother was asking the doctor. â€Å"Well.† Dr. Franklin smiled and pushed his glassesup. He tapped two fingers on the examining table.†Just as part of a process of elimination, really. Poppysays she's been having pain in the upper abdomen, pain that radiates to her back, pain that's worse atnight. She's lost her appetite recently, and she's lost weight. And her gallbladder is palpable-that meansI can feel that it's enlarged. Now, those are symptomsof a lot of things, and a sonogram will help rule out some of them.† Poppy calmed down. She couldn't remember whata gallbladder did but she was pretty sure she didn't need it.Anything involving an organ with such a silly name couldn't be serious. Dr. Franklin was goingon, talking about the pancreas and pancreatitis andpalpable livers, and Poppy's mother was nodding as if she understood. Poppy didn't understand, but thepanic was gone. It was as if a cover had been whisked neatly over the black pit, leaving no sign that it had ever been there. â€Å"You can get the sonogram done at Children's Hospital across the street,† Dr. Franklin wassaying. â€Å"Come back here after it's finished.† Poppy's mother was nodding, calm, serious, andefficient. Like Phil. Or Cliff. Okay, we'll get this taken care of. Poppy felt just slightly important.Nobody sheknew had been to a hospital for tests. Her mother ruffled her hair as they walked out ofDr. Franklin's office. â€Å"Well, Poppet. What have you done to yourself now?† Poppy smiled impishly. She was fully recoveredfrom her earlier worry. â€Å"Maybe I'll have to have an operation and I'll have an interesting scar,† she said,to amuse her mother. â€Å"Let's hope not,† her mother said, unamused. The Suzanne G. Monteforte Children's Hospitalwas a handsome gray building with sinuous curve sand giant picture windows. Poppy looked thoughtfully into the gift shop as they passed. It was clearly akid's gift shop, full of rainbow Slinkys and stuffed animals that a visiting adult could buy as a last-minute present. A girl came out of the shop. She was a little olderthan Poppy, maybe seventeen or eighteen. She was pretty, with an expertly made-up face-and a cutebandanna which didn't quite conceal the fact that she had no hair. She looked happy, round-cheeked,with earrings dangling jauntily beneath the band anna-but Poppy felt a stab of sympathy. Sympathy†¦and fear. That girl was reallysick. Which was what hospitals were for, of course-for really sick people. Suddenly Poppy wanted to get herown tests over with and get out of here. The sonogram wasn't painful, but it was vaguelydisturbing. A technician smeared some kind of jelly over Poppy's middle, then ran a cold scanner over it,shooting sound waves into her, taking pictures of her insides. Poppy found her mind returning to the prettygirl with no hair. To distract herself, she thought about James. And for some reason what came to mind was the first time she'd seen James, the day he came to kindergarten. He'd been a pale, slight boy with big gray eyes and something subtly weirdabout him that made thebigger boys start picking on him immediately. On the playground they ganged up on him like houndsaround a fox-until Poppy saw what was happening. Even at five she'd had a great right hook. She'dburst into the group, slapping faces and kicking shins until the big boys went running. Then she'd turned to James. â€Å"Wanna be friends?† After a brief hesitation he'd nodded shyly. Therehad been something oddly sweet in his smile. But Poppy had soon found that her new friend wasstrange in small ways. When the class lizard died, he'd picked up the corpse without revulsion andasked Poppy if she wanted to hold it. The teacher had been horrified. He knew where to find dead animals, too-he'dshown her a vacant lot where several rabbit carcasseslay in the tall brown grass. He was matter-of-factabout it. When he got older, the big kids stopped pickingon him. He grew up to be as tall as any of them, and surprisingly strong and quick-and he developed areputation for being tough and dangerous. When he got angry, something almost frightening shone in hisgray eyes. He never got angry with Poppy, though. They'dremained best friends all these years. When they'd reached junior high, he'd started having girlfriends all the girls at school wanted himbut he never kept any of them long. And he never confided in them;to them he was a mysterious, secretive bad boy. Only Poppy saw the other side of him, the vulnerable, caring side. â€Å"Okay,† the technician said, bringing Poppy backto the present with a jerk. â€Å"You're done; let's wipe this jelly off you.† â€Å"So what did it show?† Poppy asked, glancing upat the monitor. â€Å"Oh, your own doctor will tell you that. The radiologist will read the results and call them over to your doctor's office.† The technician's voice was absolutely neutral-so neutral that Poppy looked ather sharply. Back in Dr. Franklin's office, Poppy fidgeted whileher mother paged through out-of-date magazines. When the nurse said â€Å"Mrs. Hilgard,† they bothstood up. â€Å"Uh-no,† the nurse said, looking flustered. â€Å"Mrs.Hilgard, the doctor just wants toseeyou for a minute-alone.† Poppy and her mother looked at each other. Then,slowly, Poppy's mother put down her People magazine and followed the nurse. Poppy stared after her. Now, what on earth . . . Dr. Franklin had neverdone that before. Poppy realized that her heart was beating hard. Notfast, just hard. Bang†¦bang†¦ bang, in the middle of her chest, shaking her insides. Making her feelunreal and giddy. Don't think about it. It's probably nothing. Reada magazine. But her fingers didn't seem to work properly. When she finally got the magazine open, her eyes ran over the words without delivering them to herbrain. What are they talking about in there? What's going on?It's been so long†¦. It kept getting longer. As Poppy waited, she foundherself vacillating between two modes of thought. 1) Nothing serious was wrong with her and her motherwas going to come out and laugh at her for even imagining there was, and 2) Something awful waswrong with her and she was going to have to go through some dreadful treatment to get well. The covered pit and the open pit. When the pit was covered, it seemed laughable, and she felt embarrassed for having such melodramatic thoughts. But when it was open, she felt as if all her life before this had been adream, and now she was hitting hard reality at last. I wish I could call James, she thought. At last the nurse said, â€Å"Poppy? Come on in.† Dr. Franklin's office was wood-paneled, with certificates and diplomas hanging on the walls. Poppy sat down in a leather chair and tried not to be tooobvious about scanning her mother's face. Her mother looked†¦too calm. Calm with strainunderneath. She was smiling, but it was an odd,slightly unsteady smile. Oh, God, Poppy thought. Something isgoing on. â€Å"Now, there's no cause for alarm,† the doctor said,and immediately Poppy became more alarmed. Her palms stuck to the leather of the chair arms. â€Å"Something showed up in your sonogram that's alittle unusual, and I'd like to do a couple of othertests,† Dr. Franklin said, his voice slow and measured, soothing. â€Å"One of the tests requires that you fast from midnight the day before you take it. But your mom says you didn't eat breakfast today.† Poppy said mechanically, â€Å"I ate one Frosted Flake.† â€Å"OneFrosted Flake? Well, I think we can countthat as fasting. We'll do the tests today, and I think it's best to admit you to the hospital for them. Now, the tests are called a CAT scan and an ERCP-that's short for something even I can't pronounce.† Hesmiled. Poppy just stared at him. â€Å"There's nothing frightening about either of thesetests,† he said gently. â€Å"The CAT scan is like an X ray. The ERCP involves passing a tube down the throat, through the stomach, and into the pancreas. Then we inject into the tube a liquid that will show up onX rays .† His mouth kept moving, but Poppy had stoppedhearing the words. She was more frightened than she could remember being in a long time. I was just joking about the interesting scar, shethought. I don't want a real disease. I don't want to go to the hospital, and I don't want any tubes down my throat. She looked at her mother in mute appeal. Her mother took her hand. â€Å"It's no big deal, sweetheart. We'll just go home andpack a few things for you; then we'll come back.† â€Å"I have to go into the hospital today?† â€Å"I think that would be best,† Dr. Franklin said. Poppy's hand tightened on her mother's. Her mind was a humming blank. When they left the office, her mother said, â€Å"Thankyou, Owen.† Poppy had never heard her call Dr. Franklin by his first name before. Poppy didn't ask why. She didn't say anything asthey walked out of the building and got in the car. As they drove home, her mother began to chat aboutordinary things in a light, calm voice, and Poppy made herself answer. Pretending that everything wasnormal, while all the time the terrible sick feeling raged inside her. It was only when they were in her bedroom, packing mystery books and cotton pajamas into a small suitcase, that she asked almost casually, â€Å"So whatexactly does he think is wrong with me?† Her mother didn't answer immediately. She waslooking down at the suitcase. Finally she said, â€Å"Well, he's not sure anything is wrong.† â€Å"But what does he think?He must think something. And he was talking about my pancreas-Imean, it sounds like he thinks there's somethingwrong with my pancreas. I thought he was looking at my gallbladderor whatever. I didn't even know that my pancreas was involvedin this†¦.† â€Å"Sweetheart.† Her mother took her by the shoulders, and Poppy realized she was getting a little over wrought. She took a deep breath. â€Å"I just want to know the truth, okay? I just wantto have some idea of what's going on. It's my body, and I've got a right to know what they're lookingfor-don't I?† It was a brave speech, and she didn't mean any of it. What she really wanted was reassurance, a prom ise that Dr. Franklin was looking for something trivial. That the worst that could happen wouldn't be so bad. She didn't get it. â€Å"Yes, you do have a right to know.† Her motherlet a long breath out, then spoke slowly. â€Å"Poppy, Dr. Franklin was concerned about your pancreas allalong. Apparently things can happen in the pancreas that cause changes in other organs, like the gallblad der and liver. When Dr. Franklin felt those changes, he decided to check things out with a sonogram.† Poppy swallowed. â€Å"And he said the sonogramwas-unusual. How unusual?† â€Å"Poppy, this is all preliminary†¦.† Her mothersaw her face and sighed. She went on reluctantly.† The sonogram showed that there might be something in your pancreas. Something that shouldn't bethere. That's why Dr. Franklin wants the other tests;they'll tell us for sure. But-â€Å" â€Å"Something that shouldn't be there? You mean †¦ like a tumor? Like †¦cancer?† Strange, it was hard to say the words. Her mother nodded once. â€Å"Yes. Like cancer.†