FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE SUBJECT TO CYCLE LOADING Research Proposal

FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE SUBJECT TO CYCLE LOADING - Research Proposal Example Increasing the number of cycles beneath this stage ensures that the failure occurs and consequently, the crack of the material ought to come in next (Liu, 2009, 65). Other metals like aluminium do not have any distinctive limits and even a small oscillation may have the material reach its fatigue limit. Such cases have made scientists set a number of cycles, usually 10, as the average fatigue life of the material (Kennedy, 2008, 44). When the cycles go beyond the set threshold of the material, cracks start forming on the material and an attempt to stop the cycles does not yield any benefits as a microscopic crack may have the entire product destroyed beyond any point of repair. Shape of a structure definitely has a large impact on the fatigue life of the given material. This is from the fact that a product with a triangular shape has weak lines of force and a minute change in the oscillation pattern or rather an increase in the number of cycles may have it reach its end point rather fast (Comit, 2011, 46). Understanding the composition of concrete in order to reach the crack of the material comes in very imperative. In this case, the material may not have the stated metal necessary for the fatigue life to reach a certain age. Most of the times, the material stated is a metal such as aluminium and has the shape of a triangle. This has it that only a number of cycles lead to the concrete composition level that eventually breaks down the material (Harman, 2010, 53). For alloys, it is difficult to establish the exact amount of concrete required to break the material. One consequently has to work with an average figure depending on the most common point. This however is not preferred by many people due to accumulative values that may place the commodity in a tight place when it comes to marketing of the end material (Jerina, 2010, 78). One

How Much Co2 Lab Essay Example for Free

How Much Co2 Lab Essay Experimental: An Alka-Seltzer tablet was accurately weighed and recorded using a weighing boat and analytical balance. A fragmented piece between 0. 2100g and 0. 2800g was also weighed and recorded. 500mL of water was placed in a 600mL beaker. 80mL of water was then mixed with 20mL of 6M HCl in a 150mL beaker to create 1. 2M HCl. A 1. 5g piece of Alka-Seltzer tablet was then added to the HCl solution. After complete evolution of CO2, gravity filtration was used to catch all of the starch produced from the reaction. The buret was filled with the filtrated solution and the glass tube end of a rubber tube was inserted about 2 inches into the mouth of the buret. While keeping a finger over the buret mouth, the entire buret was quickly inverted and the tubing and mouth completely submerged into the water in the 600mL beaker. The buret was then clamped into place while double checking the buret mouth was under the water level and the rubber tubing was not pinched. The stopcock was then opened extremely slowly until the water level in the buret dropped close to the 50. 00mL mark. This level was then recorded. 25mL of the prepared HCl solution was added to a 125mL Erlenmeyer flask, along with a 0. 5-1. 0g piece of Alka-Seltzer tablet. After complete evolution of CO2, the neck of the flask and rubber stopper were completely dried. The tablet fragment earlier weighed (between 0. 21-0. 28g) was then added to the flask followed by immediate insertion of the stopper to ensure a tight seal. 5 minutes after the CO2 has been generated, the new water level of the buret was recorded, along with the distance in inches between the buret and beaker’s water levels. Lastly, the prevailing atmospheric pressure, temperature of the water, and approximate volume of the room was recorded. Results and Calculations Table 1 Experimental Values Experimental Values| Measurements| Current pressure of the room| 29. 3 in. Hg| Mass of entire tablet| 3. 2545 g| Mass of fragment| 0. 2524 g| Buret water level (start)| 45. 62 mL| Buret water level (end)| 7. 50 mL| Distance between buret and beaker water level| 3. 625 inches| Temperature of the water/room| 21. 8Â °C| Pressure of water at 21. 8Â °C| 19. 587 torr| Length, width, height of the room| 1463cm, 792cm, 366cm | Conversions: Temperature of the Room: 21. 8Â °C + 273. 15 = 294. 95K Volume of the room: (l? w? h) = (1463cm)(792cm)(366cm) = 424 x 108 cm3 = 424073L Pressure of room: 29. 3 in. Hg x 760 mmHg x 760 torr = 744. 3 torr 29. 92 in. Hg 760 mmHg 29. 3 in. Hg x 1 atm = 0. 97927 atm 29. 92 in. Hg Calculations: PÂ °atm = Patm – ( in. of H2O )( 1. 87 torr/in. of H2O ) = (744. 3 torr) – (3. 625 in. )(1. 87 torr/in. ) = 737. 521 torr PCO2 = PÂ °atm – PH2O = (737. 521 torr) – (19. 87 torr) = 717. 934 torr x 1 atm = 0. 94465 atm 760 torr VCO2 = 45. 62mL – 7. 50mL = 38. 12mL = 38. 12mL x (1L/1000mL) = 0. 03812 L NCO2 = PCO2VCO2/RT = ( 0. 94465atm )( 0. 03812L ) = 0. 0014873 mol CO2 ( 0. 08206 L? atm/mol? K )(294. 95 K) Moles of CO2 one tablet produces: (moles CO2) x (mass tablet/mass fragment) = (0. 0014873 mol CO2) x (3. 2545g / 0. 2524g) = 0. 019178 moles CO2 in tablet Moles of the room: Nroom = ProomV room/RT = (0. 9727atm)(424073L)/(0. 08206 L? atm/mol? K )(294. 95 K) = 17,042. 7 moles in room of tablets required to fill room: (moles of room) / (moles of CO2 per tablet) = (17,042. 7 moles) / (0. 019178 mol CO2) = 8. 887 x 105 tablets Mass of NaHCO3 needed to fill room with CO2: = 8. 887 x 105 tablets x 0. 019178 moles CO2 x 1 mol NaHCO3 x 84. 01g NaHCO3 1 tablet 1 mol CO2 1 mol NaHCO3 = 1. 432 x 106 g NaHCO3 Discussion In order to find the number of tablets needed to produce enough CO2 to fill the room, the ideal gas law was required first to solve for the number of moles of CO2 in one tablet and second the number of moles of the room. To use the ideal gas law, the atmospheric pressure was adjusted for due to the lower pressure in the buret when compared to the outer atmospheric pressure. This unequalization of pressures, although corrected, may still be slightly off, thus potentially causing later calculation error when using the ideal gas law to solve for the moles of CO2. Difficulties in the experiment arose when inverting the buret and completely submerging it into the beaker of water. This is a likely place for error because keeping a finger over the mouth of the buret and sealing the mouth tightly enough during the inverting process was very difficult. If too much of the solution inside the buret leaked out, one would not have enough volume to start with (before the CO2 evolution) and thus would have to remake the solution and repeat the process. Another potential source of error would be the measurement of the size of the room. With so many objects (lab tables, carts, ceiling structures) that also occupy the space, it was very difficult to determine an accurate volume of the room. Thus, the actual number of tablets required to fill the room might be a little bit less when the objects taking up space in the room are considered. Additionally, if the gravity filtration failed to filtrate all of the starch from the HCl solution, the leftover starch could potentially cause a problem in the reaction when the tablet fragment is added to the solution, thus providing more possible sources of error. Another minor source is the sensitive nature of the analytical balance, possibly leading to incorrect weight measurements of the tablet fragments. Another is general human error, such as reading the volume on the buret when determining the amount of CO2 evolved from the fragment. Conclusion In conclusion, the overall experiment proved to be successful; depending on the calculated size of the room, the number of Alka-Seltzer tablets required to produce enough CO2 gas to fill it was able to be determined. The mass of NaHCO3 needed to produce enough CO2 was also able to be calculated due to the fact that one mole of NaHCO3 is equal to one mole of CO2. Using the ideal gas law, Dalton’s law of partial pressure, stoichiometry, and conversions, a result was calculated, thus proving that future experiments dealing with the calculation of CO2 evolved from Alka-Seltzer by using an inverted buret can be done successfully.

English Language Education Is Critical For Hong Kong

English Language Education Is Critical For Hong Kong Hong Kong is a former British crown colony ,and is currently a Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. Hong Kong had been a British crown colony for more than 100 years (Hong Kong). Hong Kongs legal system, financial system, educational system, and culture have been influenced by the British, and Hong Kong is now one of the important financial centres in Asia (Meyer 219). Hong Kongs official language is mandated as Chinese and English according to the Basic Law (Hong Kong). After the return of sovereignty to China, Hong Kongs secondary education system shifted twice, in 1997 nearly eighty percent of the schools were forced to use Chinese as a medium of instruction (MoI) known as the mother-tongue education policy (Choi 673-674). In 2008, the secondary schools were assigned their MoI with the reference to the admission grades of grade 6 students known as the fine-tuning policy (Suen 1). Medium of Instruction is defined as a language variety which is used in edu cational settings for purposes of teaching and learning (Medium of Instruction).There have been repercussions among the stakeholders of the educational system including parents, university professors, corporations, etc., as students English competency has been declined due to the education policy change (Flowerdew Li and Miller). Thus, should English should be used as a MoI in hong Kong secondary and tertiart education? English should be used rather than Chinese in secondary and post-secondary education because it can foster economic development (Ng 1), it is beneficial for student career paths (Flowerdew, Li and Miller 206), and it is an international language (Shen 112). Hong Kong language education policy has long been a political issue rather than an educational issue (Tsui et al. 200). Under the rule of the Great Britain, colonial educational policy has been adopted (Flowerdew, Li, and Miller 204). This is used for educating a small group of local elites who act as the middleperson between the British officials and the local Hong Kong citizens (Flowerdew, Li, and Miller 205). For elementary education, schools are under the laissez-faire policy, which the schools can pick and choose their own MoI (Lai and Byram 316). From secondary to post-secondary level, English is mostly used as the MoI. Flowerdew, Li ,and Miller has indicated that during the 1980s, 90% of the secondary schools are used in English. At the same time, the colonial Hong Kong government had disagreed with the mixed-mode approach on teaching, which is described as using Cantonese to explain terms and definitions, and using English on teaching and testing materials (Flowerdew, Li, and Miller 205). In the early 1990s, the colonial government had increased the number of universities in order to meet the demand of the needs of the professionals in the flourishing economy (Flowerdew, Li, and Miller 206). The number of universities had increased from two to eight, and six out of eight are used English as MoI for lectures and tutorials. On 1997, Hong Kong became a part of the Chinese territory. On September, 1997, the mother-tongue education policy had been enforced (Lee 13). Only 114 secondary schools are allowed to use English as MoI, and more than 300 secondary schools had to use Chinese as MoI (Lee 13). On 2008, fine-tuning policy had been enforced, as the Hong Kong government tried to eliminate the negative labelling effect of the English and the Chinese schools (Suen 6). Even though currently Hong Kong is a part of the Chinese territory, English should be used as the MoI in the secondary and post-secondary education system. First, English as MoI can boost the economic growth of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is one of the Asias international financial centres, and English is commonly used as the medium of communication in Business, the local workforce has to be fluent in English to communicate with investors and clients (Lee 98). The future generation are exposed more to the English language environment because MoI is English. Because of this, the prospective international companies may consider Hong Kong as the regional headquarters which can strengthen economic development, and create more jobs . Besides, as Chinas economy is growing rapidly, many international corporations see Hong Kong as a gateway to China (Lee 98). China opens its door to the world in the mid-1980s, Hong Kong has firstly became as an entrepot, and now becomes the middleperson between Chi na and the world. Entrepot is defined as a centre at which goods are received for subsequent distribution (Entrepot). In order to keep the current position as the middleperson and the gateway of China, English is more important than ever. Moreover, using English as MoI can train students to think in the language and use as a lingua franca, so that they can easily adapt the western cultures and beliefs (Ng 5). Lingua franca is any form of language serving as a means of communication between speakers of different languages (Lingua franca). That can make international corporations to enter Hong Kong at ease because citizens are already exposed to the western cultures and thoughts. Second, English as MoI is critical to student career prospective. In the competitive city like Hong Kong, higher foreign language ability, for example, English can ensure a secured employment and financial future for the students (Lee 25). As mentioned above, Hong Kong is an international city, and English is used as MoI in university, it is crucial for students to use English as MoI. When the mother-tongue education policy is compulsorily implemented, some parents broke into tears that their children cannot go to those English schools (Lee 26). Apart from that, university lecturers from the City University of Hong Kong also complained that students English ability is weak, sometimes the situation makes lecturers difficult to communicate with their fellow students and explore new ideas with their students (Flowerdew, Li ,and Miller 213). As a whole, this can dampen the knowledge that students receive, and affect the creditability of the Hong Kong university graduates. Flowerdew, Li, and Miller quoted from different surveys that secondary school students, university students, and teaching professionals are prone to English as MoI (qtd. in Pennington and Yue; Hylan; Lin et al.; Richard, Tung, and Ng). Lau, a secondary school English department chair also indicated English is important for students future in the long-run. Therefore, Hong Kong government should use English as MoI in secondary and post-secondary education. Third, English is an international language. International language is described as a language that can achieve a genuinely global status, when it develops a special role that is recognized in every country (Nunan 590). English is a lingua franca because it is widely used in world politics, telecommunications, business, mass media, technology, and education (Shen 113). For international relations, there are 85 percent of the world organizations using English. For popular music, 99 percent of the work is in English (Shen 113). In order to broaden students horizons, education in Hong Kong should be used in English as MoI. By broadening their horizons, students learning can be enhanced. On the contrary, there are challenges on using English as MoI. Although English as MoI benefits students, first language teaching is the most effective way to learn (Suen). First language is defined as the first language that an individual learns, also known as L1 (First language). On the other hand, using English as MoI will create the rising of elitism which refers to a description of attitudes that are ascribed to a higher social class, or to anyone in a superordinate position (elitism; Flowerdew, Li, and Miller). Hong Kong is well-known for its social strata gap. According to the Gini index, which is an index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country, Hong Kong has ranked in 17 among 135 countries, and Hong Kong has the highest rank among developed nations (Distribution of family income- Gini index). If English again has been enforced as the MoI, the gap between the rich and the poor will be widened, and the situation will create social u nrest. Despite the fact that English as MoI has its disadvantages, its benefits still outweigh the disadvantages. Hong Kong educational system should be used English as the Medium of Instruction not only in secondary and post-secondary schools, but also in elementary schools or even pre-schools. Hong Kong government should examine ways to develop English as the L1 for their citizens, and they should learn the experience from Singapore (Ng). Hong Kong government should also maintain a consistent and sustainable education system. As I have said, Hong Kong has shifted its educational system at least twice over the past 10 years. In order to produce a knowledgeable workforce, a stable system should be used. Before making any changes to the educational system, Hong Kong government should examine the pros and cons of the changes to the educational system thoroughly and publish the policy in a more transparent way. Format: MLA/ Word Count: 1484 Work Cited Ash, Robert. Hong Kong in Transition: One Country, Two Systems. Taylor Francis, 2002. My Library. Web.20 Nov. 2010 Choi, Po King. The best students will learn English: ultra-utilitarianism and linguistic imperialism in education in post-1997 Hong Kong. Journal of Education Policy 18.6 (2003): 673-694. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. Distribution of family income Gini index. CIA World Factbook. Washington: CIA, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. elitism. The Blackwell Dictionary of Political Science. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1999. Credo Reference. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. entrepot. The Penguin Dictionary of Economics. London: Penguin, 2003. Credo Reference. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. first language. A Dictionary of Sociolinguistics. Edinburg: Edinburgh University Press, 2004. Credo Reference. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. Flowerdew, John, David Li, and Lindsay Miller. Attitudes Towards English and Cantonese Among Hong Kong Chinese University Lecturers. TESOL Quarterly 32.2 (1998): 201-31. ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. Distribution of family income Gini index. CIA World Factbook. Washington: CIA, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 12 December 2010. Gow, Lyn, and Others And. The Effects of English Language Ability on Approaches to Learning. RELC Journal: A Journal of Language Teaching and Research in Southeast Asia 22.1 (1991): 49-68. ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. Hong Kong. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Reference Suite.   Chicago:  Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009. Ingham, Michael. Hong Kong: A Cultural History. Oxford University Press USA, 2007. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. Language (Hong Kong). Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English. London: Routledge, 2005. Credo Reference. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. Lau, Tony.   My philosophy and reflections regarding English Language education KLA.   Hong Kong: Tak Sun Secondary School, 2003. Web. Lee, Tony Tung Kiu.   The debate on change of medium of instruction in Hong Kong secondary schools.   Diss. University of Toronto (Canada), 2003. Dissertations Theses: Full Text, ProQuest. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. lingua franca. A Dictionary of Sociolinguistics. Edinburg: Edinburgh University Press, 2004. Credo Reference. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. medium of instruction (MoI). A Dictionary of Sociolinguistics. Edinburg: Edinburgh University Press, 2004. Credo Reference. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. Meyer, David R.. Hong Kong as a Global Metropolis. Cambridge Studies in Historical Geography. Cambridge University Press, 2000. My library. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. Ng, Eng Hen. Ministry of Education, Singapore: Speeches. Singapore Government, 17 August 2008. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. Nunan, David. The Impact of English as a Global Language on Educational Policies and Practices in the Asia-Pacific Region. TESOL Quarterly: A Journal for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and of Standard English as a Second Dialect 37.4 (2003): 589-613. ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 9 Dec. 2010. Shen, Qi. Globalization of English and English Language Policies in East Asia: a Comparative perspective. Canadian Social Science 5.3 (2009): 111-120. Canadian Reference Centre. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. Suen, Michael. EDB- Speeches and Articles by Security for Education. The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region , 16 Feb. 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. Tsang, Steve. A Modern History of Hong Kong. London ; New York : I.B. Tauris, 2003. Net Library. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. Tsui, Amy B. M., et al. Which Agenda? Medium of Instruction Policy in Post-1997 Hong Kong. Language, Culture, and Curriculum 12.3 (1999): 196-214. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. Yau, Elaine. HKIEd tunes in to the fine-tuning of English language presentation. South China Morning Post 17 Jan. 2009. General OneFile. Web. 21 Nov.2010.

The Manhattan Project Essay -- American History

The Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was the code name of the America’s attempt to construct an atomic bomb during World War II. It was named after the Manhattan Engineer District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, because a lot of it’s earlier research was done in New York City. An atomic bomb is a weapon that uses the energy from a nuclear reaction called Fission for its destruction. The idea that mass could be changed into energy was predicted by Albert Einstein in the earlier part of the 1900’s. John D. Cockcroft and Ernest Walton confirmed this by experiments in 1932. Then in 1938, nuclear fission was discovered by German scientists, and it was feared by many of the U.S. scientists, that Hitler would try to build a fission bomb. Three Hungarian-born physicists, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, and Edward Teller asked Albert Einstein to send a letter to Franklin Roosevelt. Compelled by the letter in late 1939, Roosevelt ordered an effort to obtain an atomic weapon before Germany. At first, this program was led by Vannevar Bush, head of the National Defense Research committee and the Office of Scientific Research and Development. Then it came under control of Leslie Groves of the Army Corps of Engineers. Groves quickly bought a site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as a place for processing the Uranium-235 from the more common Uranium-238. Uranium-235 is used because it is fissionable, it releases many neutrons, and does not capture many. However, 99.3% of uranium in nature is the U-238 isotope, and only .7% is the lighter, more â€Å"fissionable† isotope U-235. Next, he gathered and combined research from many East Coast universities under direction of Arthur Compton, at the University of Chicago. He appointed theoretical physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer as the director of the weapons laboratory, which was built on an isolated mesa located at Los Alamos, New Mexico. After much work, a porous barrier that could separate the isotopes of uranium was made, and it was installed in the Oak ridge gaseous diffusion plant. In 1945, uranium-235, pure enough for use in a bomb was produce and sent to Los Alamos, where it was made into a gun-type weapon. One small piece of Uranium-235, which was not big enough to hold a chain reaction itself, was fired at another small piece. This was done by means of a explosive charge, inside a cylinder shaped tube, which for... ...he U.S. built thousands of atomic bombs, and different types of smaller of fission weapons. A much more powerful bomb, the Hydrogen Bomb, became the leader of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. In general, the Hydrogen Bomb was like an atomic bomb with a Hydrogen fuel. The fuel would fusion (opposite of fission) from the bomb’s fission explosion, which would further strengthen the original fission, causing a much larger chain reaction. The United States was the only nation that had atomic weapons in 1945. Then in 1949, the USSR learned how to make them. Great Britain followed in 1952, France in 1960, the People’s Republic of China in 1964, and India (it was claimed that they were for peaceful purposes only) in 1974. In 1968, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which was signed by the U.S., the USSR, and Britain. It set up precise requirements for any â€Å"non-nuclear† nations that want to build nuclear energy industries. However, several other countries are believed to have some nuclear weapons, like Israel and South Africa. North Korea, Iran , and Pakistan may be on the verge of nuclear discovery. When the Soviet Union broke up it added to risks of the spreading of nuclear power.

IFRS vs GAAP †Equity Accounts Essay

In discussing Equity Accounting standards of GAAP and IFRS we specifically look at Stockholders’ equity in regard to corporations. Of course there are many differences in language; however, we will review some major differences in accounting standards with respect to Equity accounts. There is a glaring difference in the two methods with regards to Distributions to Owners. Under US GAAP, disregarding dividends paid on unallocated shares (Employee Stock Ownership Plans), tax benefits can be received. It follows that the tax expense is reduced and no allocation is made in stockholders equity. The IFRS impose rules where entities must reduce equity accounts for the amount of any distribution, net of tax benefits. To elaborate, a company under GAAP pays 1 million dollars into pensions and 200 thousand would be the taxable amount. It would reduce the stock holder’s equity by 1 million; the 200 thousand would credit the tax expense. A company under IFRS would report 800 thousand as a debit to the equity account, with no tax liability. A broader topic is the issuance of equity instruments which includes stock. Minor differences related to stock are observable in linguistics, or account titles. GAAP accounts are labeled Common Stock and IFRS accounts are labeled Share Capital. One significant difference in accounting methods occurs in the presentation of increasing equity, specifically in regard to issuing stock. An IFRS entity may report Par value and nominal value separately in its equity account. There are some other differences in the accounting practices of IFRS and GAAP to make note of in regard to equity accounts. One difference is the recording of changes in equity. The IFRS implements a financial statement for this specific known as the, â€Å"Statement of changes in Equity.† The statement shows more than just changes. First, the statement reports profits or loss; what follows are incomes or expense titled â€Å"other comprehensive income.† Lastly, the statement shows changes in accounting policies and the financial effects incurred as a result. It’s used for compliance with IFRS accounting policies, estimates and error rules. US GAAP does not require a separate financial statement and can record changes simply in the notes of financial statements.

KENNYATTA UNIVERSITY Essays (1828 words) - Biology, Biodiversity

KENNYATTA UNIVERSITY Essays (1828 words) - Biology, Biodiversity KENNYATTA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION UNIT: UNIT NAME: Question 1 Discuss the Causes and Effects of Biodiversity Loss in Kenya Biodiversity is the changeability among living life forms from all sources, including earthbound, marine, and other oceanic biological communities and the environmental buildings of which they are part; this incorporates decent variety inside species, amongst species, and of biological systems (Myers, Mittermeier, Mittermeier, Da Fonseca, Kent, 2000) . Biodiversity incorporates all biological systems oversaw or unmanaged. Now and again biodiversity is attempted to be a significant component of just unmanaged biological communities, for example, wildlands, nature jelly, or national parks. This is wrong. Overseen frameworks are they plantations, ranches, croplands, aquaculture locales, rangelands, or even urban parks and urban environments have their own particular biodiversity. Given that developed frameworks alone now represent over 24% of Earth's earthbound surface, it is important that any choice concerning biodiversity or biological community administrations address the support of biodiversity in these to a great extent anthropogenic frameworks. Biodiversity is neither uniform nor similarly conveyed on Earth. Be that as it may, it is frequently utilized as a measure of the strength of biological communities. It is wealthier in the tropical nations for example, Kenya, as conditions are helpful for additional species to prosper and to shape important biological connections (Isbell et al. 2009) . It is bring down in polar, to a great degree frosty, dry furthermore, hot locales where conditions bolster less biomass furthermore, less living things. Since the rise of people furthermore, human developments, biodiversity has been declining around the globe. This decrease is caused basically by human effects, especially the decimation of plant what's more, creature natural surroundings. What's more, human practices are in charge of the loss of hereditary decent variety inside and among these species. Biodiversity resources and the associated processes support sectors such as energy, food, fibers , drinks, Medicines , industry, fishery and agriculture on which human lives depend are from biodiversity . Biodiversity also ensures air and water purification, pollination, seed dispersal, climate modification, soil stabilization, drought and flood control, recycling of nutrients and habitats. Biodiversity also forms the basis for national and regional tourism. A source of genetic resources, it supports the biotechnology sector. Scientists and environmentalists agree that biodiversity conservation particularly in primary forests is ne cessary to stem further loss of species and to avert econo mic downturns in tropical countries. The cons ervation and sustainable use of biodiversity is important to the survival of both humans and the environment. The green revoluti on, that continues to happen in agriculture thr ough biotechnology, is directly supp orted by biodiversity. Imp rovements in crop cultivars and varieties are made possibl e by harnessing genes from wild species and known varie ties. By re-combining genes for different traits, plant and animal breeders develop new varieties for specific condit ions. Indeed, interbreeding crops strains with different beneficial traits has resulted in more than doub ling crop production around the world in the last 50 y ears (Cardinale et al. 2002) . Maintaining some level of crop diversity is i mportant in wading off emerging diseases and crop pests and is instrumental in adapting to climate change. There fore, biodiversity, the natural reservoir of genetic trai ts in cultivars and traditional landraces is important in improving agricultural crops and animal breeds. Kenya mainly exploits h er biodiversity thro ugh primary industry includ ing food, tourism and ecosystem services. It supports many l ivelihoods and lifestyles as it provides genetic reserv es and sustains ecosystems upon which the said livelihoods and lifestyl es depend. There is still great potential f or further application of local biodiversity through indu strial processes led by further research in bio prospecting. Therefore, in addition to current applications for the use of biodiversity, Kenya has wide latitude to exploit it profitably in future. There is impressive confirmation that contemporary biodiversity decays will prompt consequent decreases in biological system working and environment solidness (Naeem et al. 2009). Biodiversity tests have tried whether biodiversity decays will impact biological community working or strength by controlling some segment of biodiversity, for example, the quantity of species, and measuring different sorts of environment working or security. These examinations have

How to Improve Editorial Strategy with Tara Clapper [PODCAST]

How to Improve Editorial Strategy with Tara Clapper [PODCAST] Creating an editorial calendar can be a challenge. How can you decide how often to post to your blog without wasting time and energy- or leaving your readers wanting for either more content or more quality? That’s the topic of today’s show: maintaining consistency and a high level of quality while publishing at the right intervals for maximum reader engagement. Our guest is Tara Clapper, who previously managed the blog at SEMrush and now  works for Express Writers. She has honed the blog publication process and has a lot of insight to share with our listeners on when to blog and how to create an effective editorial calendar. Some of the topics that we’ll discuss today include: Tara’s background with SEMrush, including how she learned to balance quality with quantity when it came to posting on the blog. How far out to plan content, and how helps Tara’s whole team stay updated and focused on what’s coming up next. Why working about one month ahead works well for Tara, and how having that â€Å"cushion of days† helps when something urgent comes up that needs to be squeezed in. Why insisting on good pitches from guest authors saves time in the long run. Tips on organizing when you have a lot of different projects happening at once.

Research Essay Topics Brand-New Perspectives for a Great Essay

Research Essay Topics Brand-New Perspectives for a Great Essay Once you are given a task to write a research paper wide range of topics are opened before you. The type of the essay topic speaks for itself. The research essay topics are based mostly on analyzing the informational resources. The main tip for writing the research essays is that the main idea or question must be covered as deeply as possible. It means that the topic of your research paper might have a lot of aspects to be cleared. If you choose one concrete aspect to write about, than your research essay will be successful. Otherwise, your research paper will be either too large, or too general. You have to understand and remember that the purpose of the research essay is not writing the review on the articles and analyzed information, but expressing your own vision and thoughts of the question. Also, you can use comparison of the original ideas with your own. Just quoting and rewriting might and will be considered as plagiarism. The research paper has to be well-structured and organized. All the arguments in the essay must be supported and have some vivid background. You have to clear up the topic of the research paper in the introduction. The body of the research paper includes the main questions and arguments. You have to predict the questions which might arise while your reader is analyzing the research paper and try to give at least simple answers. The conclusion has to give a vivid and general point of view, clear for understanding. The research essay has to show the knowledge you have earned while writing it. Also these might be some new perspectives and questions to ask for the future. The thesis of the research paper has to be close to the subject you study. But still you have to remember about the narrowing of the thesis Here are some examples of the topics to choose from: The influence of the world economical crisis on the peoples psychology Why are the crowds aggressive and dangerous? The harmful impact of medicine The popularity of management among the new generation Most important political PR companies Technology, or no job opportunities.

Oceanography Discussion Short Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Oceanography Discussion Short - Essay Example The phyla colonizing the terrestrial environments diversified more due to widely ranging environmental conditions. b) The benthic environment has more species diversity than the pelagic environment (Berger & Shor 304; WÃ ¼rtz 28). This is because the pelagic environment is more homogenous unlike the benthic environment. Benthic habitats are more diverse and the supply of sediment, exposure to waves, light and currents, etc vary over short distances. Moreover, it provides a greater number of choices of habitat, for instance, organisms may live on the sea floor, as epifauna, or in it, as infauna (Berger & Shor 304). Thus, the varying habitat of the benthic environment offers greater opportunities for speciation. Whales possess a number of physiological adaptations that enable them to dive to great depths and stay submerged for very long time periods. This is possible because of a number of factors listed below: Whales and most other marine mammals have streamlined bodies, which reduce drag during swimming, thereby increasing the swimming efficiency apart from reducing oxygen consumption required during diving at greater depths. They have high concentrations of myoglobin when compared to terrestrial animals. Myoglobin binds oxygen in the muscle tissue and higher concentrations of it enable deep sea diving in anoxygenic conditions. (Sverdrup, Duxbury & Duxbury 363) Differences in fin structure: - Cruisers’ fins are designed for high speed while lungers’ fins are designed for increased maneuverability. Cruisers usually have lunate caudal fins while lungers usually have rounded fins. Differences in muscle fiber: - Cruisers mostly have red muscle fiber while lungers have white muscle fiber. Red muscle fiber has high myoglobin concentrations and so, has a higher affinity for oxygen. Therefore, cruisers’ muscles have more endurance and lower fatigue, and are adapted for speed. On the other hand, the white muscle fiber of lungers makes them less enduring because

Software Engineering - 56D Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Software Engineering - 56D - Research Paper Example The architecture may have to be designed before specifications are written to provide a means of structuring the specification and developing different sub-system specifications concurrently, to allow manufacture of hardware by sub-contractors and to provide a model for system costing. Object-oriented development helps to reduce these problems as it supports the grouping of entities (in object classes) so therefore simplifies program understanding. It also provides protection for entities declared within objects so that access from outside the object is controlled (the entity may not be accessible, its name may be accessible but not its representation or it may be fully accessible). This reduces that probability that chances to one part of the system will have undesirable effects on some other part. A consistent user interface may be impossible to produce for complex systems with a large number of interface options. In such systems, there is a wide imbalance between the extent of usage of different commands so for frequently used commands, it is desirable to have short cuts. Unless all commands have short cuts, then consistency is impossible. An example of such a system is an operating system interface. ... It may also be the case in complex systems that the entities manipulated are of quite different types and it is inappropriate to have consistent operations on each of these types. An example of such a system is an operating system interface. Even MacOS which has attempted to be as consistent as possible has inconsistent operations that are liked by users. For example, to delete a file it is dragged to the trash but dragging a disk image to the trash does not delete it but unmounts that disk. Section 22.2: A program need not be completely free of defects before delivery if: Remaining defects are minor defects that do not cause system corruption and which are transient i.e. which can be cleared when new data is input. Remaining defects are such that they are recoverable and a recovery function that causes minimum user disruption is available. The benefits to the customer's business from the system exceed the problems that might be caused by the remaining system defects. Testing cannot completely validate that a system is fit for its intended purpose as this requires a detailed knowledge of what that purpose will be and exactly how the system will be used. As these details inevitably change between deciding to procure a system and deploying that system, the testing will be necessarily incomplete. In addition, it is practically impossible for all except trivial system to have a complete test set that covers all possible ways that the system is likely to be used. Section 22.4: Program inspections are effective for the following reasons: They can find several faults in one pass without being concerned about interference between program faults. They bring a number of people with different experience of different types of

The idea of core identity through paintings and photography Research Proposal

The idea of core identity through paintings and photography - Research Proposal Example The essay "The idea of ‘core identity’ through paintings and photography" analyzes the concept of "core identity" in the context of art and photography. Sociological imagination is the way in which we stratify ourselves within our society and plays a large role in how we create our own identity. By linking our own personal experience with the collective understanding of what that represents, we classify not only ourselves but others within specific social groups. An example of how this process works is found in the writings of Edward Said. Said makes three observations. The first one centers on the idea that the term ‘Orient’ refers not to the truth of the geographical region, but rather to an idea that has been developed in the minds of Europeans. This idea tends to group all individuals of the Middle East and East as belonging to a single cultural and religious sector. Although not based on actual truth, this concept is naturally present in the European cu lture in the form of academic and other social institutions, the established vocabulary, the imagery utilized and the colonial styles. Secondly, ‘the Orient’ has been established as the Other, allowing the Europeans to define themselves as a colonizing country against the inferior culture they had themselves defined. Finally, building off of the ideas proposed by Michel Foucault, these distinctions made between Orient and Occident as well as the vocabulary, imagery and other sanctioned discussion regarding it, has confined the Orient.

Total Quality Management xxxxx Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Total Quality Management xxxxx Company - Essay Example oblems the company faced having atrophied somewhat due to its own success, a victim of its own success in a way, and also by the onset of competition chiefly from Apple with the iPhone and the Android army led by Samsung. Indeed, by the time the sale had been completed, Apple and Samsung had completely taken over the market for smart phones, generating the bulk of all profits for the entire industry, even as Nokia continued to tank in terms of both sales and profits. While the top top performers prospered, Nokia continued to bleed money from its unsuccessful attempts to hawk Microsoft Windows Phones and to revive its fortunes after the collapse of its Symbian handset business. What remains of the company afterwards, on the other hand, remains formidable, with the networks infrastructure business providing the bulk of all revenues. The two other groups, essentially patents and research and development on the one hand and the mapping business on the other, are deemed as forming the int ellectual heart of the Nokia business, and is expected to generate new businesses in terms of new product innovations, new mapping products, and new ways to monetize the large cachet of patents that Nokia owns. The idea is that having sold its handset business to Microsoft, which had been bleeding money and causing Nokia’s finances to collapse, Nokia can reboot itself and change course, with a new strategy that is able to leverage its intellectual property assets, its good name, and its very vital relationships within the industry (Cheng, 2014; Rockman, 2014; Thomas, 2014; Scott, 2014). The partnership with Microsoft began as a software deal, with Microsoft providing incentives for Nokia’s using Windows Phone software that amounted to some on-going cash infusions to support the use of the software for Nokia’s phones. The problem with that partnership is that Windows Phone was not ready to compete with iOS and with Android at the time of the sealing of the deal, and so even as

Health Policy in Florida Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Policy in Florida - Assignment Example According to the research, it can, therefore, be said that  a few reasons when combined produce the effect of the unusually high price of healthcare in the state of Florida. For example, the state has passed many statutes and regulations since 1985 that require transparency disclosures from physicians and hospitals but this disclosure does not include insurance companies. Ultimately, they exploit this opportunity. For example, a website administered by the state authorities called www.floridahealthfinder.gov provides consumers average and medical services charged by the hospitals but it does not mention reimbursement rates. Keeping this prices as secrets prevent lawmakers and healthcare policymakers from making better policies. Florida healthcare Coalition has put out many reports pointing out flaws in the system over the past years but they did not sit well with the hospitals. According to Becky Cherney, FHCC President and CEO, they blame the committee for coming up with biased da ta. There are also some genuine hurdles in making the process transparent. For instance, providing healthcare pricing to consumers in a form that they can readily understand is complicated because every patient has unique needs. One cannot just put a standard for disclosing to the public to which every healthcare facility would adhere to. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 supports the notion that healthcare is a right and not a privilege. The intent of the law is to secure the maximum number of US citizens with healthcare. Making health care available to every individual at an affordable price is the motive of such an act. The affordable care act tends to create new incentives for changing clinical practices. The change in such practices as needed to provide better coordination and quality. Such coordination also gives physicians more information so they can practice their medical skills better than before. However, wasting funds and abusing health care programs cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

Measuring Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Measuring Performance - Essay Example This report is fundamentally structured in two parts such that first part of the report highlights financial analysis of FDP with the help of ratio analysis. Last part of the report evaluates the non-financial indicators through Balanced Scorecard. Conclusion is provided at the end of this report which summarizes the performance of FDP. Background Information Cut throat competition, shrinkage in profits and increasing redundancies turned out to be the prime factors that lead FDP to change its business strategy. The company’s streamline business used to have both non-urgent and urgent delivery system of the parcel from both mail order companies as well as from internet retailers. The normal non-urgent parcel delivery system used to take around 5 to 7 working days but due to excessively increasing and tightening situation of competition especially with the entrance of international players, it has become extremely difficult for FDP now to survive in such closed competitive envir onment of the non-urgent parcel delivery system. The board of directors of the company has realized all the situations and considered different options in order to boost the revenues of FDP. The final strategy that has been selected by the board is the discontinuance of the non-urgent parcel delivery system by replacing a fast urgent delivery system which would ensure that every parcel is delivered to its recipient within 2 hours of the order booking. Such adoption of the strategy requires significant amount of investment in the existing operations of the business as the company requires more infrastructure and advancements in its communication and information technology based machines. It is intended to provide the parcel delivery personnel a notebook computer along with a parcel scanner such that they are linked with the central database system of FDP. Through all this communication devices, the tracking, collection and delivery of parcels would be delivered with much more conveni ence as well as ensuring their delivery less than 2 hours. The board has also decided to charge the premium price in respect of the urgent delivery system from the customers. Impact of Implementation of New Strategy upon the Financial Performance of FDP This strategy would be implemented from 1 December, 2011. Therefore, the impact of the change in strategy would definitely change company’s financial performance for the upcoming year. The performance of the company in respect of its profitability, leverage, efficiency, liquidity and financing has been discussed as under: Profitability Profitability is the most highly concerned area of financial performance as it is the basis upon which every business decision is taken whether it is small as per company’s perspective or large. Whatever the decision the company takes, everyone is interested to know as what would be the impact of that decision upon the profitability position of the company. Generally there are few profita bility ratios that actually highlight the profitability in terms of various different perspectives. Some of those ratios are discussed as under: Net Profit Margin The company was struggling to maintain a steady growth rate in terms of its Net profit Margin in the past two years but with the implementation of the new strategy, the company can stabilize the growth rate of net profit margin

Total Quality Management xxxxx Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Total Quality Management xxxxx Company - Essay Example oblems the company faced having atrophied somewhat due to its own success, a victim of its own success in a way, and also by the onset of competition chiefly from Apple with the iPhone and the Android army led by Samsung. Indeed, by the time the sale had been completed, Apple and Samsung had completely taken over the market for smart phones, generating the bulk of all profits for the entire industry, even as Nokia continued to tank in terms of both sales and profits. While the top top performers prospered, Nokia continued to bleed money from its unsuccessful attempts to hawk Microsoft Windows Phones and to revive its fortunes after the collapse of its Symbian handset business. What remains of the company afterwards, on the other hand, remains formidable, with the networks infrastructure business providing the bulk of all revenues. The two other groups, essentially patents and research and development on the one hand and the mapping business on the other, are deemed as forming the int ellectual heart of the Nokia business, and is expected to generate new businesses in terms of new product innovations, new mapping products, and new ways to monetize the large cachet of patents that Nokia owns. The idea is that having sold its handset business to Microsoft, which had been bleeding money and causing Nokia’s finances to collapse, Nokia can reboot itself and change course, with a new strategy that is able to leverage its intellectual property assets, its good name, and its very vital relationships within the industry (Cheng, 2014; Rockman, 2014; Thomas, 2014; Scott, 2014). The partnership with Microsoft began as a software deal, with Microsoft providing incentives for Nokia’s using Windows Phone software that amounted to some on-going cash infusions to support the use of the software for Nokia’s phones. The problem with that partnership is that Windows Phone was not ready to compete with iOS and with Android at the time of the sealing of the deal, and so even as

Measuring Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Measuring Performance - Essay Example This report is fundamentally structured in two parts such that first part of the report highlights financial analysis of FDP with the help of ratio analysis. Last part of the report evaluates the non-financial indicators through Balanced Scorecard. Conclusion is provided at the end of this report which summarizes the performance of FDP. Background Information Cut throat competition, shrinkage in profits and increasing redundancies turned out to be the prime factors that lead FDP to change its business strategy. The company’s streamline business used to have both non-urgent and urgent delivery system of the parcel from both mail order companies as well as from internet retailers. The normal non-urgent parcel delivery system used to take around 5 to 7 working days but due to excessively increasing and tightening situation of competition especially with the entrance of international players, it has become extremely difficult for FDP now to survive in such closed competitive envir onment of the non-urgent parcel delivery system. The board of directors of the company has realized all the situations and considered different options in order to boost the revenues of FDP. The final strategy that has been selected by the board is the discontinuance of the non-urgent parcel delivery system by replacing a fast urgent delivery system which would ensure that every parcel is delivered to its recipient within 2 hours of the order booking. Such adoption of the strategy requires significant amount of investment in the existing operations of the business as the company requires more infrastructure and advancements in its communication and information technology based machines. It is intended to provide the parcel delivery personnel a notebook computer along with a parcel scanner such that they are linked with the central database system of FDP. Through all this communication devices, the tracking, collection and delivery of parcels would be delivered with much more conveni ence as well as ensuring their delivery less than 2 hours. The board has also decided to charge the premium price in respect of the urgent delivery system from the customers. Impact of Implementation of New Strategy upon the Financial Performance of FDP This strategy would be implemented from 1 December, 2011. Therefore, the impact of the change in strategy would definitely change company’s financial performance for the upcoming year. The performance of the company in respect of its profitability, leverage, efficiency, liquidity and financing has been discussed as under: Profitability Profitability is the most highly concerned area of financial performance as it is the basis upon which every business decision is taken whether it is small as per company’s perspective or large. Whatever the decision the company takes, everyone is interested to know as what would be the impact of that decision upon the profitability position of the company. Generally there are few profita bility ratios that actually highlight the profitability in terms of various different perspectives. Some of those ratios are discussed as under: Net Profit Margin The company was struggling to maintain a steady growth rate in terms of its Net profit Margin in the past two years but with the implementation of the new strategy, the company can stabilize the growth rate of net profit margin

Understanding Food Labels Essay Example for Free

Understanding Food Labels Essay When discussing nutrition, there are a few topics that should be discussed when learning about how to follow proper daily nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle. First, we will start with the 5/20 Rule. The 5/20 Rule: When reading the nutrition label on any food item, you can see what is a good source of a particular nutrient and what is not. If a food has 5% or less of the daily nutrient, it is not a good source of that nutrient. If the food product has 20% or more of a nutrient, it is a good source of that nutrient. Nutrients that you may not want much of still use the 5/20 Rule. You would want to stay away from foods that contain 20% or more saturated fat or sodium and it is healthier to stay around 5% for those types of nutrients. If you want less of a nutrient, aim for 5% and if you are aiming for more of a nutrient, aim for closer to 20%. According to the video, â€Å"The 5/20 Rule: 5% DV or less – not a good source. 20% DV or more – a good source.† When you are more active, you will probably want a higher caloric intake and more carbohydrates since your active body is burning off those carbohydrates as energy. There are six key food label facts listed on each label on a product. The first fact is your serving size. According to the percent daily value, which are â€Å"based on a 2,000-calorie diet for healthy adults† (Katherine Zeratsky, 2012), the serving size is a basis for determining how much you should eat. This includes the amount of calories, percentage of each nutrient, and how much of the daily value that particular food contains within that serving. The second fact, is the amount of calories within that serving. If you are looking to lose or maintain weight, and keep track of how many calories you consume, this is an important part of the label. The third fact is the nutrients that you should try to limit, or stay close to that 5% of the 5/20 Rule. These nutrients include Total Fat (which includes the saturated and trans fat), Cholesterol, and Sodium. Too much of these nutrients can increase your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and even cancer. The fourth fact contains information on the nutrients you should get enough of. These nutrients include Dietary Fiber, and vitamins (which often include vitamin a, vitamin c, calcium, and iron). The fifth fact is the % of Daily Value. The percentages listed here will tell you how much of those nutrients within that serving apply to your total daily diet. So, if you have 20% of Vitamin C in that serving, that serving fulfilled 20 percent of the daily limit for that nutrient. The sixth and final fact is the footnote with the daily values. It tells the consumer that the DV is based off a 2,000-calorie diet and lists the maximum amounts of some of the nutrients.

Effect Of Dispossession On Aboriginal Spiritualities Religion Essay

Effect Of Dispossession On Aboriginal Spiritualities Religion Essay The dispossession on Aboriginal spiritualities in relation to the stolen generation is a continuing effect. Dispossession means taking away what was there, in this case when the white settlers came to Australia they took everything from the Aboriginals including their home and families. The stolen generation began at the beginning of the European Colonisation. Colonisation was soon established and it removed all Aboriginal people from their own land and destroyed their sacred sites. Aboriginal girls were forced to serve as domestics and they were even sometimes forced to double up as sexual partners. Aboriginal boys were forced to work as stockmen. Soon came another policy that forced all aboriginal people to reject their own religion and accept and follow Christianity, this policy was known as missionisation. Young aboriginal children were taken away from their parents and their aboriginal families and they were separated from their siblings, every person was sent somewhere else. An example of this is the first video which is about the rabbit proof fence, as seen in the video when the white person came he tore up Aboriginal families, you are able to see how the mothers reacted which gives us the meaning that the parents especially the mothers were badly affected by this. This was known as the stolen generation, it destroyed aboriginal family and cultural life. Aboriginal people and especially the children were moved to stay in missions which were run by some churches and to reserves that were run by the government. Segregation destroyed the spirituality of the aboriginal people and it destroyed their religious links. The aboriginal children of the stolen generation that stayed in the missions and reserves were forced to forget everything from their community and their family and they were forced to dress, talk and act like white people. As seen in the second video, it shows us how the scene of the children being taken away from their family really affects ever yone; the children that were acting that scene were crying and so were the directors, these shows us that till today people are being affected by this and are very emotional about it. The parents of the stolen generation were badly affected and this led to depression, mental illnesses, addiction to drinking and drugs and some parents died a lonely sad death. An example of this is in the third video the interview with Helen Moran, she said she had the idea that her father died a sad lonely death searching for his children, and Helen is still upset about what she experienced and especially how her parents were affected especially her dad. The European contact till today towards the Aboriginal spiritualities is a continuing effect of dispossession in relation to the stolen generation. Part B: Using the source above, examine the relationship between Aboriginal spiritualities and religious traditions in the process of Reconciliation. The process of reconciliation is the relationship of aboriginal spiritualities and religious traditions. Reconciliation is the process where Aboriginal people and non-indigenous people in Australia make a move into the future based on a new relationship that involves important things like understanding, respect and common acknowledgment. This means that the injustice in the past including the dispossession of land and the stolen generation, must be dealt with in order for the Australians to live in peace. Reconciliation was created in order to help and repair the Aboriginal spirituality. The Aboriginal thinking has been negatively impacted by the western Christian missions. Many Aboriginals became nominal Christians because there was nothing they could do. In aboriginal theology there is a liberal tradition, it involves dependence, and social structure of the western church. When Pope Paul II came to Australia and visited Alice Springs, the Roman Catholic Church showed great support for reconciliation, and it was able to make lots of positive movements towards the Reconciliation process. Also in 1998 the Anglican Church of Australia showed its support towards reconciliation and they were also able to encourage many enterprises to help in the process to achieve the reconciliation. The Aboriginal story-telling theology accepted the important links between stories and biblical scriptures and it also kept the traditional and cultural theology. This theology has been used by many theologians; they use this theology because they are able to make it relevant to their everyday life. An example of this is as seen in the artwork from the Lutheran Church of Australia, it shows that the Aboriginals were forced to become Christian but it also shows us the meaning of the cross being white which represents the white religion and the use of bush tucker and the darker drawings around the cross represent the aboriginal traditions and by both being combined together it creates wh oleness that the aboriginal accept because one of their tradition is being put with one of the white traditions. On behalf of the Jews the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies have also shown their support to the aboriginal reconciliation, because they know exactly how the Aboriginal people feel. The Jews and the Aboriginals have both experienced the same injustice and suffering in the past generations and they are working forward together towards reconciliation. The attempts towards reconciliation by all the different religious traditions have helped to bring agreement towards the Christian and aboriginal religious ideas and most importantly the religious traditions in the process of reconciliation. Part C: Using examples, evaluate the importance of ecumenical developments and interfaith dialogue in Australia. Ecumenical development and interfaith dialogue is very important in Australia. Ecumenism is concerned with the common values and teachings that are the same across many different churches in making up the Christian world. Ecumenism focuses on many things, three important ones include: uniting all Christians from all different communities, cooperation across the different communities and it focuses on things that are common across all the communities. Ecumenism was found in the early 1900s, but it didnt come into effect until the 1960s after the World Council of Churches was formed in 1984. The World Council of Churches is an important example that was used for the importance of ecumenical developments. The ecumenical development was a big movement in the Christian church which caught everyones attention across all communities. In 1948 the world council of churches had its first conference which brought together the Protestants, Eastern Orthodox and Old Catholic bodies. The world coun cil of churches had its fourth meeting in 1968 and it was seen in that conference that the Protestants, Orthodox and the Catholics were working together. The calling of the ecumenical movement is to transform the earth into a living house of God. The Catholic Church referred to the ecumenical movement as activities planned and undertaken to show Christian unity. An example of a church that has been a participate of the ecumenism is The Orthodox Churches. They refer to it as a discovery of the shared history of all Christians. In the third meeting of the world council of churches which was in 1961, the Orthodox Church said that the ecumenical movement is a search to reintegrate the Christian mind and recover the Apostolic Tradition. Two examples of a modern day ecumenical movement are the great formation of the Uniting Church in Australia and the week of prayer for Christian agreement. The National Council of Churches in Australia is an example of one common state-based ecumenical co uncil that tries and aims to speak common concerns to the government about important issues that strongly affect Christian life. There is a network in Australia that has 16 Christian churches as participates, this network is the NSW Ecumenical Council. The aims of the network are to promote the idea of Christian churches working together. The core force for the NSW Ecumenical Council is the unity and the important truths of God in Jesus Christ. In the National Council of Churches Australia there have been many churches that have joined but have failed because they werent able to accept the ecumenical dialogue that churches have put forward doctrines and there have been disagreements. Some of these churches include: Baptists and Pentecostals. Interfaith dialogue is the movement between different religious traditions and groups to a achieve peace between the different beliefs. It is important for the interfaith dialogue to be a positive relationship, and there needs to be a good relat ionship with the religious traditions themselves for it to work well. When conflicts arise through the interfaith dialogue, the way it is resolved is by the leaders from the different traditions meet together and talk about their faith and they try to work things out and sort out the misunderstanding. The most important things about interfaith dialogue include: its important that the dialogue starts when people meet, dialogue depends mostly on trust and common knowledge between everyone, dialogue makes it easy to share in the community and finally dialogue becomes the standard reliable witness. Interfaith dialogue has its boundaries of its significance and value. It was said by Dr Gerard Hall SM, who is a catholic theologian, that we all live in a democracy which means everyone has a right to both follow and defend their beliefs and practices, even though they may be considered wrong by other people. Dialogue among people who have different traditions in Australia is a very importan t social structure requirement because Australia is a multicultural and multi-religious society. Dialogue between religious traditions makes a perfect dialogue between Christian groups. An example of this is the catholic churchs commitment to maintain an open dialogue with other faiths, this occurred in 1992, it was brought up by the Bishops committee for Ecumenical and interfaith relations of the Australia Catholic Bishops conference. An important achievement by the council is the set of guidelines for the Christian teachers and preachers; it was created to help them deal more with many passages that are in the new testament that have been used wrongly towards the Jews. These guidelines were developed with the help of the heads of many different churches, some including: the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Uniting Churches and the Lutheran church. An example of a major independent interfaith association that is in Australia is the World Council on Religion and Peace, this interfaith asso ciation is made up of legislative bodies from many major religious traditions. Interfaith dialogue had led to the formation of an annual Australian Multifaith Advisory Forum, that has been represented by 17 faith communities and it has been suggested that in parliament in the beginning of everyday there should be a rotate in interfaith prayers regularly. The best and most important religious improvement in Australia is the growth of ecumenism, and a growth in love, and cooperation between the Christian churches and most importantly dialogue and the cooperation between the many different Christian communities.

Aphrodite Essay -- essays research papers

HEPHAESTUS AND APHRODITE APHRODITE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aphrodite is one of the most famous figures of Greek mythology. Because Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexual rapture,1 she was desired by nearly all of the Greek gods. Aphrodite was one of the twelve main gods on Mt. Olympus,2 and she was the most powerful goddess when it came to members of the opposite sex. THE BIRTH OF APHRODITE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many origins to Aphrodite's birth. Some of them are: 1) She arose full-grown out of the foam of the sea, 2) She is the daughter of Zeus and Dionne, 3) She is the daughter of Uranus and Gaia, which would make her a Titaness, or 4) She is the daughter of Titans Oceanus and Tethys, making her an Oceanid.3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most common origin of her birth is her being foam-born, which is what her name means. This origin says that Aphrodite arose nude and full-grown out of the foam of the sea and riding into the shore of Cythera on a scallop shell. She found Cythera to be too small of an island, so she went to live in Paphos, in Cyprus, which is still the principal seat of her worship.4 THE MYTH OF APHRODITE AND HEPHAESTUS AND ARES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, she had a magic girdle that she wore that made everyone fall in love with her. She could hardly ever be persuaded to lend it to anyone. Since Aphrodite had the magic girdle and was so beautiful, all of the gods fell in love with her.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of the goddesses were jealous of Aphrodite because all of the gods loved her instead of the other goddesses. Because of this, Zeus arranged a marriage for her with Hephaestus, the lame smith-god.5 Aphrodite didn't really mind this marriage arrangement, though, because she thought Hephaestus would never notice her having marital affairs.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hephaestus knew nothing of deception until, one night, he caught his wife and Ares, the god of war, making love at Ares' home. Hephaestus went back to his home very angry.7 Hephaestus was so angry that he decided to get revenge on Aphrodite by literally catching the while they were making love. He got out a bronze hunting-net and attached to the posts and sides of the bed. He told Aphrodite ... ...ympus. His plan backfired on him though, actually revealing himself as someone who was attempting to retain the love and devotion from his wife.25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now that Hephaestus had embarrassed himself in front of all of the gods, Hephaestus became unhappy in his marriage to Aphrodite. He lost all interest in her and turned his attention to Athena who, like Aphrodite, was not in love with him. Hephaestus fell in love with Athena when she came to him for a spear. When he tried to initiate intercourse, she rejected him.26 HEPHAESTUS AND APHRODITE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Hephaestus and Aphrodite are powerful and popular figures of Greek mythology. They did many great, and maybe not so great, things during their lifetimes that are still remembered today. They were both main gods on Mt. Olympus. They may have not had many great times with each other according to myth, but they were still significant gods who had great lives. Many people use both of these gods to relate to things today, and they will be remembered for years and years to come. Their characters in Greek mythology are very significant and they will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Childhood Contradictions :: Free Essays Online

Childhood Contradictions 1. Memories from my childhood are scarce and cloudy at best. Everything is distorted and it always seems like everyone is bigger than you, in more ways than one. From what I do remember, a major player in my development as a child was the overwhelming feeling of confusion. More times than not, I was confused by at least one of many things (authority, my own identity, physical, mental and emotional changes, etc). A child's confusion is due to the massive series of contradictions that is childhood itself. In Lewis Carroll's novels Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass , the meaning of childhood and what it is to be a child and literally live in a child's world takes on an entirely different meaning than ever before. Similarly, the computer game based on the novels, American McGee's Alice , gives an interesting perspective on the concept of childhood and the struggle to maturity. 2. The slew of contradictions in both of Lewis' novels is something that cannot be ignored, even by the most rudimentary of readers. The entire concept of the novels themselves is providing text which, in all honesty, seems to be complete nonsense and providing that nonsense with sense . This theory of sense from nonsense is clearly developed in Chapter 2 of Through the Looking Glass . In this chapter, titled â€Å"The Garden of Live Flowers,† Alice remarks to the flowers, â€Å"Aren't you sometimes frightened at being planted out here, with nobody to take care of you?† (Gray 121). In response to this remark, the Rose points out that â€Å"there's the tree in the middle† (Gray 122) as if that is supposed to give any sort of rational explanation for their feeling of security. When Alice asks what sort of protection a tree could provide, the Rose tells her that if any danger comes along the tree can bark. Now, this is an entirely ridiculous concept to begin with. The idea of inanimate objects having the ability to produce sound is complete nonsense to any rational person. However, the flowers give the tree's ability to bark and their ability to talk seemingly rational explanations. According to the Daisy, the tree â€Å"says ‘Bough-Wough!' That's why branches are called boughs!† (Gray 122). In response to the question about the flowers' proficiency at language, the Rose tells Alice that â€Å"in most gardens, they make the beds too soft - so that the flowers are always asleep† (Gray 122) and their flower bed is noticeably hard by comparison.

Factors to Take Into Account When Planning Healthy and Safe Indoor and Outdoor Environments and Services Essay

There are a number of important principles to think about when you are planning for healthy and safe environments or activities with children and young people. Most of these are common sense – just remember: everyone is an individual and may have particular needs. If you are clear about the following points it will become second nature to include safety in your planning. †¢Every child is an individual – with different needs depending on their age and abilities. You must think about this when planning activities, for example when they involve physical play, or if more consideration must be given to the needs of a child who has just become mobile than to an older child, when planning room layouts. †¢Some children have specific needs such as sensory impairments; for example think about the challenges to a child with limited hearing understanding explanations about safety. †¢The different needs of families and carers must be considered. †¢Always be clear about why you are using the environment in question, the activities a child encounters and what sorts of services are offered. †¢The duty of care of a setting to children, parents and carers is a legal obligation. You should always have the child’s safety and welfare uppermost in your mind when planning. †¢The desired outcomes for the child and young people are the starting point. Most activities with children and young people should have clear aims and objectives that are based around the required outcomes linked to their age; for example the EYFS for children under 5 years of age. †¢Lines of responsibility and accountability: everyone employed in a setting has a responsibility for the health and safety of children and staff, but there should be clear reporting responsibilities (Tassoni et al, 2010). All children should be given equal opportunities and this should be remembered in the learning environment. All pupils, including those with special needs, should be considered when planning and setting out materials and resources. The environment may often need to be adapted for the needs of particular children within the class. Factors to be considered include the following: †¢Light – This may need to be adjusted or teaching areas changed if a visually impaired pupil’s eyes are light sensitive. †¢Accessibility – A pupil in a wheelchair needs to have as much access to classroom facilities as others. Furniture and resources may need to be moved to allow for this. †¢Sound – Some pupils may be sensitive to sounds, for example a child on the autistic spectrum who is disturbed by loud or unusual noises. It is not always possible for such noises to be avoided, but teaching assistants need to be aware of the effect that they can have on pupils (Burnham, 2007). The Learning Environment The emotional environment †¢The emotional environment is created by all the people in the setting, but adults have to ensure that it is warm and accepting of everyone. †¢Adults need to empathise with children and support their emotions. †¢When children feel confident in the environment they are willing to try things out, knowing that effort is valued. †¢When children know that their feelings are accepted they learn to express them, confident that adults will help them with how they are feeling. The outdoor environment †¢Being outdoors has a positive impact on children’s sense of well-being and helps all aspects of children’s development. †¢Being outdoors offers opportunities for doing things in different ways and on different scales than when indoors. †¢It gives children first-hand contact with weather, seasons and the naturalworld. †¢Outdoor environments offer children freedom to explore, use their senses, and be physically active and exuberant. The indoor environment †¢The indoor environment provides a safe, secure yet challenging space for children. †¢For some children, the indoor environment is like a second ‘home’, providing a place for activity, rest, eating and sleeping. †¢The indoor environment contains resources which are appropriate, well maintained and accessible for all children. †¢Indoor spaces are planned so that they can be used flexibly and an appropriate range of activities is provided. Effective practice †¢Understand that some children may need extra support to express their feelings and come to terms with them. †¢Encourage children to help to plan the layout of the environment and to contribute to keeping it tidy. †¢Ensure that children have opportunities to be outside on a daily basis all year round. †¢Help children to understand how to behave outdoors and inside by talking about personal safety, risks and the safety of others. †¢Create an indoor environment that is reassuring and comforting for all children, while providing interest through novelty from time to time. †¢Where possible link the indoor and outdoor environments so that children can move freely between them. Challenges and dilemmas †¢Finding ways to promote the importance and value of the outdoor environment to all those involved in the setting, for example, the senior management team, other professionals, staff and parents. †¢Meeting the needs of children of different ages in a shared outdoor space. †¢Overcoming problems in accessing and using the outdoor environment because of the design or organisation of the building. †¢Ensuring the indoor environment is ‘homely’ enough to feel comfortable while providing an environment suitable for learning (Child Development Guide, 2007).

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 4~7

4 Pinnacle of the Pink Pyramid A low buzz of anticipation ran through the halls of the hospital. Reporters checked the batteries in their microrecorders and cell phones. Orderlies and nurses lingered in the hallways in hope of getting a glimpse of the celebrity. The FAA men straightened their ties and shot their cuffs. One receptionist in administration, who was only two distributorships away from earning her own pink Oldsmobile, ducked into an examining room and sucked lungfuls of oxygen to chase the dizziness that comes from meeting one's Messiah. Mary Jean was coming. Mary Jean Dobbins did not travel with an entourage, bodyguards, or any other of the decorative leeches commonly attached to the power-wielding rich. â€Å"God is my bodyguard,† Mary Jean would say. She carried a .38-caliber gold-plated Lady Smith automatic in her bag: the Clara Barton Commemorative Model, presented to her by the Daughters of the Confederacy at their annual â€Å"Let's Lynch Leroy† pecan pie bake-off, held every Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (She didn't agree with their politics, but the belles could sure sell some makeup. If the South did not rise again, it wouldn't be for lack of foundation.) Today, as Mary Jean came through the doors of the main lobby, she was flanked by a tall predatory woman in a black business suit – a severe con-trast to Mary Jean's soft pastel blue ensemble with matching bag and pumps. â€Å"Strength and femininity are not exclusive, ladies.† She was sixty-five; matronly but elegant. Her makeup was perfect, but not overdone. She wore a sapphire-and-diamond pin whose value approximated the gross national product of Zaire. She greeted every orderly and nurse with a smile, asked after their families, thanked them for their compassionate work, flirted when appropriate, and tossed compliments over her shoulder as she passed, without ever missing a step. She left a wake of acutely charmed fans, even among the cynical and stubborn. Outside Tucker's room the predatory woman – a lawyer – broke formation and confronted the maggotry of reporters, allowing Mary Jean to slip past. She poked her head inside. â€Å"You awake, slugger?† Tuck was startled by her voice, yanked out of his redundant reverie of unemployment, imprisonment, and impotence. He wanted to pull the sheets over his head and quietly die. â€Å"Mary Jean.† The makeup magnate moved to his bedside and took his hand, all compassion and caring. â€Å"How are you feeling?† Tucker looked away from her. â€Å"I'm okay.† â€Å"Do you need anything? I'll have it here in a Texas jiffy.† â€Å"I'm fine,† Tucker said. She always made him feel like he'd just struck out in his first Little League game and she was consoling him with milk and cookies. The fact that he'd once tried to seduce her doubled the humi-liation. â€Å"Jake told me that you're having me moved to Houston. Thank you.† â€Å"I have to keep an eye on you, don't I?† She patted his hand. â€Å"You sure you're feeling well enough for a talk?† Tucker nodded. He wasn't buying the outpouring of warm fuzzies she was selling. He'd seen her doing business on the plane. â€Å"That's good, honey,† Mary Jean said, rising and looking around the room for the first time. â€Å"I'll have some flowers sent up. A touch of color will brighten things up, won't it? Something fragrant too. The constant smell of disinfectant must be disturbing.† â€Å"A little,† Tuck said. She wheeled on her heel and looked at him. Her smile went hard. Tuck saw wrinkles around her mouth for the first time. â€Å"Probably reminds you of what a total fuckup you are, doesn't it?† Tucker gulped. She'd faked him out of his shoes. â€Å"I'm sorry, Mary Jean. I'm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She raised a hand and he shut up. â€Å"You know I don't like to use profanity or firearms, so please don't push me, Tucker. A lady controls her anger.† â€Å"Firearms?† Mary Jean pulled the Lady Smith automatic out of her purse and leveled it at Tucker's bandaged crotch. Strangely, he noticed that Mary Jean had chipped a nail drawing the gun and for that, he realized, she really might kill him. â€Å"You didn't listen to me when I told you to stop drinking. You didn't listen when I told you to stay away from my representatives. You didn't listen when I told you that if you were going to amount to anything, you had to give your life to God. You'd better damn well listen now.† She racked the slide on the automatic. â€Å"Are you listening?† Tuck nodded. He didn't breathe, but he nodded. â€Å"Good. I have run this company for forty years without a hint of scandal until now. I woke up yesterday to see my face next to yours on all the morning news shows. Today it's on the cover of every newspaper and tabloid in the country. A bad picture, Tucker. My suit was out of season. And every article uses the words ‘penis' and ‘prostitute' over and over. I can't have that. I've worked too hard for that.† She reached out and tugged on his catheter. Pain shot though his body and he reached for the ringer for the nurse. â€Å"Don't even think about it, pretty boy. I just wanted to make sure I had your attention.† â€Å"The gun pretty much did it, Mary Jean,† Tucker groaned. Fuck it, he was a dead man anyway. â€Å"Don't you speak to me. Just listen. This is going to disappear. You are going to disappear. You're getting out of here tomorrow and then you're going to a cabin I have up in the Rockies. You won't go home, you won't speak to any reporters, you won't say doodly squat. My lawyers will handle the legal aspects and keep you out of jail, but you will never surface again. When this blows over, you can go on with your pathetic life. But with a new name. And if you ever set foot in the state of Texas or come within a hundred yards of anyone involved in my company, I will personally shoot you dead. Do you understand?† â€Å"Can I still fly?† Mary Jean laughed and lowered the gun. â€Å"Sweetie, to a Texas way a thinkin' the only way you coulda screwed up worse is if you'd throwed a kid down a well after fessing up to being on the grassy knoll stompin' yellow roses in between shootin' the President. You ain't gonna fly, drive, walk, crawl, or spit if I have anything to say about it.† She put the gun in her purse and went into the tiny bathroom to check her makeup. A quick primping and she headed for the door. â€Å"I'll send up some flowers. Y'all heal up now, honey.† She wasn't going to kill him after all. Maybe he could win her back. â€Å"Mary Jean, I think I had a spiritual experience.† â€Å"I don't want to hear about any of your degenerate activities.† â€Å"No, a real spiritual experience. Like a – what do you call it? – an epiphany?† â€Å"Son, you don't know it, but you're as close to seeing the Lord as you've ever been in your life. Now you hush before I send you to perdition.† She put on her best beatific smile and left the room radiating the power of positive thinking. Tucker pulled the covers over his head and reached for the flask Jake had left. Perdition, huh? She made it sound bad. Must be in Oklahoma. 5 Our Lady of the Fishnet Stockings The High Priestess of the Shark People ate Chee-tos and watched afternoon talk shows over the satellite feed. She sat in a wicker emperor's chair. A red patent leather pump dangled from one toe. Red lipstick, red nails, a big red bow in her hair. But for a pair of silk seamed stockings, she was naked. On the screen: Meadow Malackovitch, in a neck brace, sobbed on her lawyer's shoulder – a snapshot of the pilot who had traumatized her was inset in the upper-right-hand corner. The host, a failed weatherman who now made seven figures mining trailer parks for atrocities, was reading the dubious rsum of Tucker Case. Shots of the pink jet, before and after. Stock footage of Mary Jean on an airfield tarmac, followed by Case in a leather jacket. The High Priestess touched herself lightly, leaving a faint orange stripe of Chee-to spoor on her pubes (she was a natural blonde), then keyed the intercom that connected her to the Sorcerer. â€Å"What?† came the man's voice, weary but awake. It was 2:00 A.M. The Sorcerer had been working all night. â€Å"I think we've found our pilot,† she said. 6 Who's Flying This Life? At the last minute Mary Jean changed her mind about sending Tucker Case to her cabin in the mountains. â€Å"Put him in a motel room outside of town and don't let him out until I say so.† In two weeks Tucker had seen only the nurse who came in to change his bandages and the guard. Actually, the guard was a tackle, second-string defense from SMU, six-foot-six, two hundred and seventy pounds of earnest Christian na;vet named Dusty Lemon. Tucker was lying on the bed watching television. Dusty sat hunched over the wood-grain Formica table reading Scripture. Tucker said, â€Å"Dusty, why don't you go get us a six-pack and a pizza?† Dusty didn't look up. Tuck could see the shine of his scalp through his crew cut. A thick Texas drawl: â€Å"No, sir. I don't drink and Mrs. Jean said that you wasn't to have no alcohol.† â€Å"It's not Mrs. Jean, you doofus. It's Mrs. Dobbins.† After two weeks, Dusty was beginning to get on Tuck's nerves. â€Å"Just the same,† Dusty said. â€Å"I can call for a pizza for you, but no beer.† Tuck detected a blush though the crew cut. â€Å"Dusty?† â€Å"Yes sir.† The tackle looked up from his Bible, waited. â€Å"Get a real name.† â€Å"Yes, sir,† Dusty said, a giant grin bisecting his moon face, â€Å"Tuck.† Tucker wanted to leap off the bed and cuff Dusty with his Bible, but he was a long way from being able to leap anywhere. Instead, he looked at the ceiling for a second (it was highway safety orange, like the walls, the doors, the tile in the bathroom), then propped himself up on one elbow and considered Dusty's Bible. â€Å"The red type. That the hot parts?† â€Å"The words of Jesus,† Dusty said, not looking up. â€Å"Really?† Dusty nodded, looked up. â€Å"Would you like me to read to you? When my grandma was in the hospital, she liked me to read Scriptures to her.† Tucker fell back with an exasperated sigh. He didn't understand religion. It was like heroin or golf: He knew a lot of people did it, but he didn't un-derstand why. His father watched sports every Sunday, and his mother had worked in real estate. He grew up thinking that church was something that simply interfered with games and weekend open houses. His first ex-posure to religion, other than the skin mag layouts of the women who had brought down television evangelists, had been his job with Mary Jean. For her it just seemed like good business. Sometimes he would stand in the back of the auditorium and listen to her talk to a thousand women about having God on their sales team, and they would cheer and â€Å"Hallelujah!† and he would feel as if he'd been left out of something – something beyond the apparent goofiness of it all. Maybe Dusty had something on him besides a hundred pounds. â€Å"Dusty, why don't you go out tonight? You haven't been out in two weeks. I have to be here, but you – you must have a whole line of babes crying to get you back, huh? Big football player like you, huh?† Dusty blushed again, going deep red from the collar of his practice jersey to the top of his head. He folded his hands and looked at them in his lap. â€Å"Well, I'm sorta waitin' for the right girl to come along. A lot of the girls that go after us football players, you know, they're kinda loose.† Tuck raised an eyebrow. â€Å"And?† Dusty squirmed, his chair creaked under the strain. â€Å"Well, you know, it's kinda†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And suddenly, amid the stammering, Tucker got it. The kid was a virgin. He raised his hand to quiet the boy. â€Å"Never mind, Dusty.† The big tackle slumped in his chair, exhausted and embarrassed. Tuck considered it. He, who understood so much the importance of a healthy sex life, who knew what women needed and how to give it to them, might never be able to do it again, and Dusty Lemon, who probably could produce a woody that women could chin themselves on, wasn't using it at all. He pondered it. He worked it over from several angles and came very close to having a religious experience, for who but a vicious and vengeful God would allow such injustice in the world? He thought about it. Poor Tucker. Poor Dusty. Poor, poor Tucker. He felt a lump forming in his throat. He wanted to say something that would make the kid feel better. â€Å"How old are you, Dusty?† â€Å"I'll be twenty-two next March, sir?† â€Å"Well, that's not so bad. I mean, you might be a late bloomer, you know. Or gay maybe,† Tuck said cheerfully. Dusty started to contract into the fetal position. â€Å"Sir, I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind,† he whimpered. There was a knock on the door and he uncurled, alert and ready to move. He looked to Tucker for instructions. â€Å"Well, answer it.† Dusty lumbered to the door and pulled it open a crack. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"I'm here to see Tucker Case. It's okay, I work for Mary Jean.† Tuck recognized Jake Skye's voice. â€Å"Just a second.† Dusty turned and looked to Tucker, confused. â€Å"Who knows we're here, Dusty?† â€Å"Just us and Mrs. Jean.† â€Å"Then why don't you let him in?† â€Å"Yes, sir.† He opened the door and Jake Skye strode through carrying a grocery bag and a pizza box. â€Å"Greetings.† He threw the pizza on the bed. â€Å"Pepperoni and mushroom.† He glanced at Dusty and paused, taking a moment to look the tackle up and down. â€Å"How'd you get this job? Eat your family?† â€Å"No, sir,† Dusty said. Jake patted the tackle's mammoth shoulder. â€Å"Good to be careful, I guess. Momma always said, ‘Beware of geeks bearing gifts.' Who are you?† â€Å"Jake Skye,† Tuck said, â€Å"meet Dusty Lemon. Dusty, Jake Skye, Mary Jean's jet mechanic. Be nice to Dusty, Jake, He's a virgin.† Dusty shot a vicious glare at Tuck and extended a boxing glove size mitt. Jake shook his hand. â€Å"Virgin, huh?† Jake dropped his hand. â€Å"Not including farm animals, though, right?† Dusty winced and moved to close the door. â€Å"You-all can't stay long. Mr. Case isn't supposed to see no one.† Jake put the grocery bag down on the table, pulled out a fourinch-thick bundle of mail, and tossed it on the bed next to Tucker. â€Å"Your fan mail.† Tucker picked it up. â€Å"It's all been opened.† â€Å"I was bored,† Jake said, opening the pizza box and extracting a slice. â€Å"A lot of death threats, a few marriage proposals, a couple really interesting ones had both. Oh, and an airline ticket to someplace I've never heard of with a check for expenses.† â€Å"From Mary Jean?† â€Å"Nope. Some missionary doctor in the Pacific. He wants you to fly for him. Medical supplies or something. Came FedEx yesterday. Almost took the job myself, seeing as I still have my pilot's license and you don't, but then, I can get a job here.† Tucker shuffled through the stack of mail until he found the check and the airline ticket. He unfolded the attached letter. Jake held the pizza box out to the bodyguard. â€Å"Dopey, you want some pizza?† â€Å"Dusty,† Dusty corrected. â€Å"Whatever.† To Tuck: â€Å"He wants you to leave ASAP.† â€Å"He can't go anywhere,† said Dusty. Jake retracted the box. â€Å"I can see that, Dingy. He's still wired for sound.† Jake gestured toward the catheter that snaked out of Tucker's pajama bottoms. â€Å"How long before you can travel?† Tucker was studying the letter. It certainly seemed legitimate. The doctor was on a remote island north of New Guinea, and he needed someone to fly jet loads of medical supplies to the natives. He specifically mentioned that â€Å"he was not concerned† about Tucker's lack of a pilot's license. The â€Å"need was dire† and the need was for an experienced jet pilot who could fly a Lear 45. â€Å"Well,† Jake said, â€Å"when can you roll?† â€Å"Doctor says not for a week or so,† Tucker said. â€Å"I don't get it. This guy is offering more money than I make for Mary Jean. Why me?† Jake pulled a Lone Star from the grocery bag and twisted off the cap. Tuck zeroed in on the beer. Dusty snatched it out of Jake's hand. â€Å"The question is,† Jake said, glaring at Dusty, â€Å"what the fuck is a missionary doctor in Bongo Bongo land doing with a Lear 45?† â€Å"God's work?† Dusty said innocently. Jake snatched back his beer. â€Å"Oh blow me, Huey.† â€Å"Dusty,† Dusty corrected. Tucker said, â€Å"I'm not sure this is a good idea. Maybe I should stay here and see how things pan out with the FAA. This guy wants me right away. I need more time.† â€Å"Like more time will make a difference. Damn, Tucker, you don't have to sink eyeball deep in shit to know it's a good idea to pull yourself out. Sometimes you have to make a decision.† Tucker looked at the letter again. â€Å"But I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Before Tucker could finish his protest, Jake brought the Lone Star in a screaming arc across Dusty Lemon's temple. The bodyguard fell like a dead tree and did a dead-cat bounce on the orange carpet. â€Å"Jesus!† Tucker said. â€Å"What the fuck was that?† â€Å"A decision,† Jake said. He looked up from the fallen tackle and took a pull on the foaming Lone Star. â€Å"Sometimes this high-tech world calls for low-tech solutions. Let's go.† 7 Travel Tips â€Å"I can't believe you hit him,† Tucker said. He was in the passenger seat of Jake Skye's camouflaged Land Rover. It was much more car than was re-quired for the Houston expressway, but Jake was into equipment overkill. Everything he owned was Kevlar, GorTex, Polarfleece, titanium alloy, graphite-polymer composite, or of â€Å"expedition quality.† He liked machines, understood how they worked, and could fix them if they didn't. Sometimes he spoke in an incomprehensible alphabet soup of SRAM, DRAM, FOR-TRAN, LORAN, SIMMS, SAMS, and ROM. Tuck, on the other hand, knew most of the words to â€Å"Mommas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys† and could restore burned toast to new by scraping off the black stuff. Of the two, Jake was the cool one. Tucker had always found being cool a little elusive. As Jake put it, â€Å"You've got the look, but you can't walk the walk or talk the talk. Tucker, you are a hopeless geek trapped in a cool guy's body, but out of the goodness of my heart, I will take you on as my student.† They'd been friends for four years. Jake had taught Tuck to fly. â€Å"He'll be fine. He's a jock,† Jake shouted over the buffeting wind. He hadn't bought a top for the Land Rover, opting instead for the Outback package with the â€Å"patented rhinoceros poking platform.† â€Å"He was just a kid. He was reading the Bible.† â€Å"He would have ripped my arms off if I'd let him.† Tuck nodded. That was probably true. â€Å"Where are we going?† â€Å"The airport. Everything you need is in that pack in the back.† Tucker looked into the back of the Rover. There was a large backpack. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because if I don't get you out of the country right now, you're going to jail.† â€Å"Mary Jean said she had that handled. Said her lawyers were on it.† â€Å"Right, and I go around smacking kids with beer bottles for recreation. The hooker filed a civil suit this morning. Twenty million. Mary Jean has to throw you to the wolves to save her own ass. She has to let the court prove that you fucked up all on your own. I grabbed your passport and some clothes when I got your mail.† â€Å"Jake, I can't just take off like this. I'm supposed to see a doctor tomorrow.† â€Å"For what?† Tuck pointed to the lump of bandages in his lap. â€Å"What do you think? He's supposed to take this damn tube out of me.† â€Å"We'll do it in the bathroom at the airport. There's some antibiotics in the first-aid kit in the pack. I confirmed you for a flight to Honolulu that leaves in an hour. From there you go to Guam, then to someplace called Truk. That's where this doctor is supposed to meet you. I've got it all written down. There was an e-mail address at the bottom of the letter. I sent him a message to expect you tomorrow.† â€Å"But my car, my apartment, my stuff.† â€Å"Your apartment is a pit and I put your stuff worth keeping in a ministorage. I've got the pink slip for your Camaro. Sign it over to me. I'll sell it and send you the money.† â€Å"You were pretty fucking sure I'd want to do this.† â€Å"What choice do you have?† Jake parked the Land Rover in short-term parking, shouldered the pack, and led Tucker into the international terminal. They checked the pack and found a rest room near Tucker's departure gate. â€Å"I can do this myself,† Tucker said. Jake Skye was peering over the door into the stall where Tucker was preparing to remove his bandages and, finally, the catheter. A line of businessmen washed their hands at a line of lavatories while trying not to notice what was going on behind them in the stall. â€Å"Just yank it,† Jake Skye said. â€Å"Give me a minute. I think they tied a knot inside it.† â€Å"Don't be a wuss, Tucker. Yank it.† The businessmen at the sinks exchanged raised eyebrows and one by one broke for the rest room door. Jake said, â€Å"I'm going to give you to five, then I'm coming over the stall and yanking it for you. One, two†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A rodeo cowboy at the urinals hitched up his Wranglers, pulled his hat down, and made a bowlegged beeline for the door to get on a plane to someplace where this sort of thing didn't happen. â€Å"Five!† Security guards rushed through the terminal toward the screaming. Someone was being murdered in the men's room and they were responsible. They burst into the rest room with guns drawn. Jake Skye was coiling up some tubing by the sinks. There was whimpering coming from one of the stalls. â€Å"Everything's fine, officers,† Jake said. â€Å"My friend's a little upset. He just found out that his mother died.† â€Å"My mother's not dead!† Tucker said from the stall. â€Å"He's in denial,† Jake whispered to the guards. â€Å"Here, you better takes this.† He handed the tubing to one of the guards. â€Å"We don't want him hanging himself in grief.† Ten minutes later, after condolences from the security staff, they sat in the departure lounge drinking gin and tonics, waiting for Tuck's boarding call. Around them, a score of men and women in suits fired out phone calls on cell phones while twenty more performed an impromptu dog pile at the bar, trying to occupy the minuscule smoking area. Jake Skye was cataloging the contents of the pack he'd given to Tuck. Tucker wasn't listening. He was overwhelmed with the speed with which his life had gone to shit, and he was desperately trying to sort it out. Jake's voice was lost like kazoo sounds in a wind tunnel. Jake droned, â€Å"The stove will run on anything: diesel, jet fuel, gasoline, even vodka. There's a mask, fins, and snorkel, and a couple of waterproof flashlights.† The job with Mary Jean had been perfect. A different city every few days, nice hotels, an expense account, and literally thousands of earnest Mary Jean ladies to indulge him. And they did, one or two at each convention. Inspired by Mary Jean's speeches on self-determination, motivation, and how they too could be a winner, they sought Tucker out to have their one adventurous affair with a jet pilot. And because no matter how many times it happened, he was always somewhat surprised by their advances, Tucker played a part. He behaved like a man torn from the cover of some steamy romance novel: the charming rogue, the passionate pirate who would, come morning, take his ship to sea for God, Queen, and Country. Of course, usually, sometime before morning, the women would realize that under the smooth, gin-painted exterior was a guy who sniffed his shorts to check their wearability. But for a moment, for them and for him, he had been cool. Sleazy, but cool. When the sleaze got to him, he needed only to suck a few hits of oxygen from the cabin cylinder to chase the hangover, then pull the pink jet into the sky to convince himself he was a professional, competent and in control. At altitude he turned it all over to the autopilot. But now he couldn't seduce anyone or allow himself to be seduced, and he wasn't sure he could fly. The crash had juiced him of his confidence. It wasn't the impact or even the injuries. It was that last moment, when the guy, or the angel, or whatever it was appeared in the copilot's seat. â€Å"You ever think about God?† Tucker asked Jake. Jake Skye's face went dead with incomprehension. â€Å"You're going to need to know about this stuff if you get into trouble. Kinda like checking the fuel gauges – if you know what I mean.† Tucker winced. â€Å"Look, I heard every word you said. This seemed important all of a sudden, you know?† â€Å"Well, in that case, Tuck, yes, I do think about God sometimes. When I'm with a really hot babe, and we're going at it like sweaty monkeys, I think about it then. I think about a big old pissed-off Sistine Chapel finger-pointin' motherfucker. And you know what? It works. You don't come when you're thinking about shit like that. You should try it sometime. Oh, sorry.† â€Å"Never mind,† Tucker said. â€Å"You can't let that kid with the Bible get to you. He's too young to have given up on religion†¦doesn't have enough sin under his belt. Guys like us, best bet is that it's all bullshit and we go directly to worm food. Try not to think about it.† â€Å"Right,† Tucker said, totally unsatisfied. If you had a question about any piece of gadgetry on the planet, Jake Skye was your man. But spiritually, he was a hamster. Which, actually, was one of the things Tucker used to like about him. He tried not to think about it and changed the subject. â€Å"So what do I need to know about flying a Lear 45?† Jake seemed relieved to be back into the realm of technology. â€Å"I haven't seen one yet, but they say it flies just like Mary Jean's old Lear 25, only faster and a longer range. Better avionics. Read the manuals when you get there.† â€Å"What about navigation equipment?† Tucker's navigation was weak. Since he'd gotten his jet license, he'd depended completely on automatic systems.† â€Å"You'll be fine. You don't buy a four-million-dollar plane and cheap out on the navigation and radios. This doctor's got an e-mail address, which means he's got a computer. You'll be able to access charts and weather, and file flight plans with that. Check the facilities at your destinations, so you'll know what to expect. Some of these Third World airstrips just have a native with a candle for night landings. And check your fuel availability. They'll sell you sewer water instead of jet fuel if you don't check. You ever deal with Third World airport cops?† Tucker shrugged. Jake knew damn well he hadn't. He'd gotten his hours flying copilot in the Mary Jean jet, and they'd never taken that outside of the continental United States except for one trip to Hawaii. â€Å"Well,† Jake continued, â€Å"the catchword is ‘bribe, bribe, and bribe.' Offer the highest amount you can at the lowest level of authority. Always have a thick roll of American dollars with you, and don't bring it to the table if you're not willing to lose it. Keep something stashed in your shoe if they tap you out.† â€Å"You think this doctor is going to have me hauling drugs?† â€Å"Good chance of it, don't you think? Besides, it doesn't matter. These people are brutal. Half the time the government guys have the same last name, so if you move up the ladder, you're just talking to the uncle of the last one that hit you. He has to charge you more out of pride.† Tucker cradled his head in his hands and stared into his gin and tonic. â€Å"I'm fucked.† Jake patted him on the arm, then drew back at the intimacy of the act. â€Å"They're calling your flight. You'll be fine.† They rose and Jake threw some cash on the table. At the gate Tucker turned to his friend. â€Å"Man, I don't know what to say.† Jake extended his hand. â€Å"No sweat, man. You'd have done it for me.† â€Å"I really hate flying in the back. Check on that kid from the motel, okay.† â€Å"I'm on it. Look, everything you need is in the pack. Don't leave it behind.† â€Å"Right,† Tucker said. â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He turned and walked down the ramp to the plane. Jake Skye watched him go, then turned, walked to a pay phone, dialed some numbers, and waited. â€Å"Yeah, it's Jake. He's on his way. Yeah, gone for good. When can I pick up my check?†