Regret by Kate Chopin Essay

In the short story â€Å"Regret† by Kate Chopin, a woman named Mamzelle Aurelie has to watch a neighbor’s four children for two weeks. Mamzelle is an old and lonely woman who never believed in love or marriage. She has never had a man, nor been married, and lives alone on her farm with some animals. She also has African Americans, or â€Å"negroes†, who work around her house for maintenance. Because of a dangerous illness that her mother acquired, the younger neighbor had to leave, and could no longer watch after her children. This is where Mamzelle comes in, who has never had children before. In the beginning, she has great problems managing the children. However, after a short period of time, she begins realizing that humans need more than just food and a place to sleep. This is when she really starts to develop a relationship with the children. Once the children return to their mother, Mamzelle cries very heavily in remorse. In the beginning, Mamzelle is described as â€Å"a good strong figure, ruddy cheeks† and â€Å"a determined eye†. She wears â€Å"a man’s hat† and â€Å"a blue army overcoat†. and even sometimes â€Å"top-boots†. From her brief description, it is clear that there is no femininity, nor does there appear to be any desire to become more feminine. Before meeting the children, there was no desire to become more feminine, until realizing what she had been missing out on. She is forced to play a feminine role, by cooking, sewing, and telling the children bedtime stories to fall asleep. She softens to the point in which she cries, and carries a regret in her heart from never having her own children. The main theme of the story, which is the title of the poem, is regret. The woman in the story has lived a lonely life, and she thought that she was happy with the life she had. It wasn’t until taking care of her neighbor’s children did she realize what she was missing out on by being alone. For the first time, while caring for those children, she began to realize all the joys and sadness that life brings. She has regret that she didn’t live life to its fullest, regret that she didn’t want that priceless joy in her life,  and regret that she was too old to try and acquire it.

Earth Structures

Lesson Goal: Recognize how bedrock responds to tectonic forces originating deep within Earth. 1. Compare and contrast stress and strain. In material science, strain is express by deformation caused through the action of stress on a physical body. It is calculated by a change in two body states; beginning and final states. The difference in two states expresses the (numerical) value of strain. Strain is equal to a change in size and shape of a physical body. Strain can be categorized in to two types; homogenous and non-homogenous.Homogenous strain is referred if the strain is equal the entire portion of the body while non-homogenous strain; the strain is equal to a portion of a body. Stress is equivalent to force per unit area. It is calculated by the intensity of internal forces performing within a body across imaginary internal surfaces. This results to externally applied and body forces. Stress is related to force while strain is related to deformation. In stress-associated propert ies, all materials have temperature dependent differences.Static fluids support the hydrostatic pressure; it will flow under shear stress. Moving viscous fluids supports the dynamic pressure (Samaniego â€Å"Stress, strain and fault patterns†). 2. Distinguish between joints and faults. What makes a fault active? In geology, joint is a fracture in a rock mass, which has no offset. It refers to non-lateral movement of one side relative to the other while a fault refers to a fracture in rock mass where one side slides laterally past to the other. The structure of a joint forms a solid and hard rock that stretches past its elastic modules.In any case, the rock fractures in a plane perpendicular to the extensional stress is paralled with compressive stress. Joints naturally exist when erosion removes overlying rocks. This reduces the compressive load and allowing the rock to expand laterally. In addition, cooling of hot rock masses and cooling joints forms joint (Joint 2007). Ther e are three major classifications of faults. These include normal, reverse and strike slip faults. The (tectonic) stresses due to plate motions were developed over time and breaks in the crust of the Earth. The rocks at uneven periods break up.This results to earthquakes. Normal faulting originated at the divergent boundaries while reverse faulting originated at convergent boundaries. Normal faulting is associated with crustal extension while reverse faulting is associated with crustal shortening. Lastly, strike-slip faulting originated at transformed boundaries (Reches â€Å"Faulting of rocks in three-dimensional strain fields II. Theoretical analysis†). 3. Explain what each type of unconformity implies about the sequence of geologic events. Four types of unconformity include; disconformity, nonconformity, angular unconformity and paraconformity.Disconformity refers to an unconformity between parallel layers of sedimentary rocks representing a period of erosion. Nonconformit y exists between sedimentary rocks and igneous rocks. The sedimentary rock lies above and deposited on the pre-existing and eroded igneous rock. Unconformity refers to a break in the continuity of sedimentary rocks caused by erosion. Paraconformity appears when the beds above and below are parallel; no erosion-al surface is present. In any case, the unconformity results to a separation and/or deposition of two rock masses causing the sequence of geologic events (Unconformity 2007).Works Cited â€Å"Joint. † 2007. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. , Columbia University Press. 9 December 2007 < http://www. infoplease. com/ce6/sci/A0826522. html>. Reches, Z. â€Å"Faulting of rocks in three-dimensional strain fields II. Theoretical analysis. † 31 March 2003. Technophysics. 9 December 2007 < http://www. sciencedirect. com/science? _ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V72-48894N0-2S&_user=10&_origUdi=B6V9D-3X2HYRH-S&_fmt=high&_coverDate=05%2F20%2F1983&_rdoc=1&_orig=article&_ac ct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=ca2e0b329475a6f5a70a37b5eda89e86>.Samaniego, A. â€Å"Stress, strain and fault patterns. † 30 July 1999. Journal of Structural Geology. 9 December 2007 < http://www. sciencedirect. com/science? _ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V9D-3X2HYRH-S&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=715c8aab57dd7baa2d89a90c55869bbd>. â€Å"Unconformity. † Sci-Tech Encyclopedia. 9 December 2007 http://www. answers. com/topic/unconformity? cat=technology.

The change in marriage and divorce figures over a 20 year period

In this essay I will look at the change in marriage and divorce figures over a 20 year period. I will look mainly at the area of divorce and how this may have affected the relationships within marriage, within my chosen time scale, to explore how a changing society may have resulted in the breakdown (or choice to not undertake) marriage. I have looked at data from 1978 and then at 1998 from the official statistics for these two areas. I will look at data from two separate years, only twenty years apart to show what changes if any can be seen in such a small time scale. The data I will use is taken from the ‘Office of Population Censuses Surveys'. Marriage and divorce Statistics (1980 &1998). I have converted them to percentages, to make them easer to understand and rounded them to the nearest 0. 01%. I have not included the widowed figures in this essay! As this is not a choice like divorce or marriage. Looking back over the divorce rates and how they have changed, showed that from as far back as 1901 to the late 1960's with only a small increase from the 60's to the late 1970's. Divorce rates were quite consistent from 1. 4% to 2%. Then between the late 1970's to today a huge leap. Between 1978 and 1980, there was a vast amount of movement in the rights of women in respect of work and benefits rights. As well as social changes in respect of how divorce and signal mothers were viewed. Was there a shift from a patriarchy society? Women became able to function in society without a man or marriage. So what do the stats show? In 1978 Looking across all (adult) age groups, 50. 5% were marred, 40. % were single. With those divorced showing only 2. 1%, the figures for 1998 show that 43. 7% were single, with only 42. 8% marred. This shows one area of change, less people getting marred, although the figures do not indicate those living together unmarried (which raises the question of value placed on the position or marriage in today's society). When we look at the figures for divorce in 1978 then at 1998, the change is easy to see. In 1978 only 2. 1% of adults were divorced, only 20 years later it was 6. % an increase of 4. 7% more. The years after the war up to 1978 showed only a small difference form the 1945 to 1978, only 0. 5%. Yet in this 20 year section there is a rapid increase, the figures also shows an increase of remarriages. If we take away those remarried, the divorce rate is 10%. The age people marry today has also changed, 26. 8 % in 1978 were marred by 25 years old. By 1998 this had dropped to only 10. 3%. And later in life, age 65 to 70 years of age. Over 51% marred in 1998 as apposed to 29. 3% in 1978. The figures show in 1978 marriage lasted longer with less ending in divorce, by 1998 marriage was ‘later in life', with more chance of divorce, and this also raised the amount of 2nd marriages. NOTE:[Divorce rates did jump between 1972 and 1972 but this is could be argued was a result of the Divorce Reform Act of 1969] The way we record ‘what is' a family unit has been forced to change with less people marrying; a family in the 70's was; â€Å"a social unit consisting of a wife, husband and dependent children† (Huges & Fergusson 2000, P49) Whereas today; â€Å"a family is defined as a marred or cohabiting couple, with or with out their never married children (who have no children of their own), or a loan parent with such children. People living alone are not considered to form a family† (social trends, 1999, P43) In 1997 there were only 310,000 marriages altogether, this was the lowest recorded figures of the 20th century, and more divorces were brought by women on the grounds of ‘unreasonable behavior' some 70% (ONS, 2000, p. 9) This is could be argued marks a change with women now making sociality move away from a patriarchal ideology, some commentators in the 70's talked of marriage moving towards one of symmetry; Michael Young and peter Willmott argued that women no longer needed the ‘male bread winner', and with more legal support and better rights in/access to employment, the relationships within marriage hade to change, Young and Willmott said; this symmetry could be seen in division of labor in the home, with the old distinction between men's and women's jobs becoming increasingly blurred, a shift to joint decision making, and increasing sheared social life† Young and Willmott 1973 p. 343) So not only the way the family unit is seen in society has changed, it could be argued, but the relationships within marriage undergone change. In this small gap of 20 years, women it could be argued have more control, no longer has the man got more power then the woman in the home relationship. Of course this is not true of the ‘older generation', although with social change each generation brings its own values to the front. We can see today with marriage declining, more ending in divorce, modern society places less value on marriage than there parents did. Old moral values are been eroded away, for a faster consumer orientated society. Things are for today and out of fashion next week. It would seam that if current trends continue as they have from 1978 to 1998; will anybody both to get married in 30 years time. Will relationships become more of a casual affair? Will women gain more control than men with in relationships. Women with the emergence of things such as ‘the pill', sperm banks for single [potential mothers] women. The position of men within society us under more pressure and question the more we move into the ‘new' modern equal society.

Strategic Marketing Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic Marketing Management - Assignment Example The market segment of OBC is undergraduate courses, post graduate courses, executive MBA programs and other career based courses. OBC can penetrate more into this segment by adding the number of seats for each of their courses. Through this, they will be able to increase the headcount of their students. Product Development: Product development is another option for OBC. This consists of introducing new products in the existing markets. OBC currently offers postgraduate courses in Strategic Management, Leadership, Business English Language and General Business Management. Additionally OBC can introduce Post Graduate course in Finance Specialization. Though finance is offered as a specialization option in the general management course, a specialized course like the strategic management and leadership will help OBC to attract new category of students. Market Development: The third option available for OBC is market development. In the market development stage, OBC has the option to sell its existing courses to the new markets. One way to do this is to attract students from overseas either through direct admissions or through overseas study centres. Diversification: Diversification is the next option for the company as per the Ansoff Matrix. This involves venturing entirely into a new product offering. As far as OBC is concerned, the primary offering is management education. Diversification does not seem to be a viable option for OBC as it is specialized only in educational sector. Based on the above analysis it can be said that the possible growth opportunity for OBC are market development and product development. These are the two strategies that can add value to the organization. The best option for market development for OBC is developing countries. Developing countries like India, China, Brazil, etc. are spending more for overseas education in the recent days. This is one opportunity that OBC can utilize. OBC

Job titles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Job titles - Essay Example In 2007, demand for Information Security jobs started growing. [1] Today getting a job in the information security field can be tricky. However, titles in the field range from security administrators, network security analysts, information security analysts, security architects, information security engineer, Web application security analysts, security auditors, and compliance auditors. But beware—these titles can entail very different responsibilities within different companies, so it’s important when looking for a job in this field to focus on what people are looking for in terms of skills. This assignment is to search for job advertisements related to Information Security through the Internet. The finding information will be summarized in a table including the advertised job title, and a summary of the responsibilities, Jobs requirements and company profile. Reflection summary will highlight potential overlap in responsibilities among different job titles and responsibility. There are looking for a candidate with good experience in Information Security in core banking project with experience in designing, implementing and monitoring a secure IT infrastructure in terms of Information / IT security products, processes, procedures, guidelines and standards. Plans and manages the activities of suppliers engineers and contracted staff involved in the installation, commissioning, and maintenance of computer systems for company network and other hardware related peripherals. Degree (BSc or Diploma) in Engineering, Business Information or any other relevant field. 7+ years of experience in the IT Security Industry is a must. 3+ years of experience as Technical Sales Specialist in IT Security Industry. Strong background in Risk & Compliance/Security is a plus. Certifications in one or more of the following are a plus - CISSP, CISM, CISA, CIA, CRISC. Local market knowledge is a plus Assist the Software Group and Intelligent

Required Changes for a Company with Organizational Problems Coursework

Required Changes for a Company with Organizational Problems - Coursework Example Pensions became an important issue for European workers, who were becoming some of the biggest losers in the three-year stock-market downturn. Falling share prices combined with longer retirements left many company pension plans far short of the amounts expected to be necessary, over the long term. The result was: wholesale shifts in the retirement plans companies were offering their employees, and in the way, workers must plan for old age. The poverty of many pensioners today was a real crisis, of an unprecedented nature.The issue was most pressing in the U.K., where company-funded pension plans, often tied to salaries, made up a bigger portion of retirement income than elsewhere in Europe and where companies had traditionally put about three-quarters of their pension funds in the stock market.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The schemes guaranteed members a pension income based on the number of years of service and the salary when the worker left the company. Companies said these plans had now become too expensive to maintain. Faced in many cases with huge deficits, they had a stark choice: either shore up the fund with hefty payments that could cut into profits - and hurt their share price - or cut back on pension benefits. Hence, these pension schemes were replaced with less-costly plans in which companies contributed money but did not guarantee a level of benefit. Actuaries said that many companies that closed their pension plans to newcomers, ended up closing them to existing members also, a few years later. From the companies’ perspective: many schemes have seen their funds shrink as a result of the stock market falls. In such cases, firms faced the possibility of having to make up any shortfall between the assets of the final salary scheme and the benefits promised to members. Companies were unwilling to contribute further funds into pension schemes.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH QUESTION Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH QUESTION - Article Example Findings: African American women had blurred ideas on their understanding of their condition and strategies to employ in managing it. There were also considerable factors that promoted or hindered their commitment to treatment. Implications: The study supports need for education on what hypertension is, managing hypertension and medication side effects, early screening for depression in hypertensive African Americans, developing cultural sensitive education material and formation of support groups. This paper is aimed to determine the ways through which African American women with high blood pressure understand their condition. This paper also finds out the strategies used by the women in managing hypertension through qualitative analysis. Hypertension is the leading cause of coronary heart disease and stroke in African American women. Compared to other groups, African American women have an earlier onset, a higher prevalence, more rapid progression of hypertensive end organ disease as well as mortality related to hypertension. Qualitative analysis should be intensive and non-biased. Qualitative research gives an in depth understanding of how African American women deal with their condition. Collection of qualitative data was done by interviews on a focus group of hypertensive African American women who were undergoing treatment for the disease from an ambulatory inner city free clinic in West Los Angeles. Twenty hypertensive women, aged 35 years and older, participated in the five focus group interviews. Attendance ranged from one to eight from the ten to twelve people that were invited. The study was approved by the University of California, Los Angeles Institutional Review Board. A flyer posted in appropriate areas of the clinic and neighboring areas was used to advertise the study. After sampling, participants were selected for the focus group. The sample collection procedures were clearly defined since the participants

Critically analyse the challenges faced when developing and Essay

Critically analyse the challenges faced when developing and inplementing an information system - Essay Example 123-127). The essay will start from the definition of the IS which will lay down the foundation stone for the forthcoming analysis. It will also discuss the current situation in the implementation of IS. Some of the other discussions will revolve around the factors which play a part in the implementation of IS as well as various challenges that exist in developing and implementation process. Some of the previous research papers on this topic will also be the discussion grounds. Information system is the complete studies of networks of software and hardware that are used by people in an organisation to collect, filter, create and distribute the data that is obtained. The main aim of the information system is to support the operations, help the management in making decisions. In a company the IS has become an integral, interactive online tool which is present in every operation performed in the organisation (Lucey, 2005, pp. 144-147). The IS has been able to alter the economic conditions of the organisation because of its importance and presence in every step. It can help the organisation in the following ways. IS also affects the cost and the quality of the information that is transferred. It helps the company to shrink in size as it helps in reducing the transaction costs which in turn also reduces the production cost of the company (Grant et al., 2010, pp. 123-127). This essay looks towards various theories and concepts to analyse the factors which influence the implementation of IS and to identify the challenges faced when developing and implementing an information system. This particular study will enhance in better understanding of the concept of IS where the information regarding the evolution and also the importance of the IT in any organisation is studied from various articles, books and so on. This essay is

International Contract jurisdiction hypothetical Essay

International Contract jurisdiction hypothetical - Essay Example breach of contract committed in Queensland, regardless of where the contract was made and whether or not the breach was preceded of accompanied by a breach...rendering impossible the performance of a part of the contract that ought to be performed in Queensland† (Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (124)(1)(i)). In this case, the rules probably will not give the court jurisdiction. The contract was not made in Queensland – the contract was executed in England. It also states that service is permitted if the contract is governed by the law of Queensland. The contract did not state which law governed, so this clause does not have effect. So, now the other two clauses must be examined – that service would be permitted if the breach of contract was committed in Queensland. Was the breach of contract committed in Queensland? Probably not. The breach occurred in England, as the consignment was packed in England, and the packing of the consignment was the cause of the damage. The other clause is that service is permitted when the contract is made by one or more parties carrying on business or residing in Queensland. The contract was executed by Global Freighting in England, and they do not reside in Queensland. However, they are carrying on business in Queensland, so this might be a basis for service. However, the term â€Å"carrying on business† is kind of vague – is it enough that Global Freighting made a contract with a Queensland company – would this be considered to be â€Å"carrying on business?† If this is not a basis for jurisdiction, then we need to look at other connecting factors. They are residence, domicile or presence of defendant in the courts jurisdiction (Akbarali v. Brent LBC). In this case, none of these connecting factors are present – defendant does not reside in Queensland, is not domiciled and has never been to Queensland. Therefore, connecting factors would not give Queensland jurisdiction either. Plus, the doctrine of

Law case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Law case study - Essay Example For a claim of negligence to succeed, the claimant must establish that the defendant owed him a duty of care, and that the defendant was in breach of that duty. If a breach occurred or not is more a question of actual fact which is to be established on the basis of the evidence. However, the standard of care (expected) is a matter of law. In English law, the prevailing principle is that the standard of care is absolutely objective. The defendant’s actions or lack of actions are measured against the standard established by society for the task performed. In practice, the objectivity of the standard of care means, if a person purports to have a certain skill, or initiates endeavors which imply his possession of a specific skill, then he must display a level of competence associated with that skill. When we view the case of Wells v. Cooper 1958 DIY home repairs must meet the standard of a reasonably competent tradesman. On a whole the law of negligence is focused on who will pay the cost for the loss or damage. Generally, the motive of the defendant is irrelevant to the determination whether he breached the duty of care. We will first look at the Housing Act, 1966 s 39 which empowers the council to make loans for the acquisition of houses. To satisfy the necessary requirements in qualifying the borrower as a bone fide recipient and all the property as fit, the council must perform (via its agent or representative), an inspection of the dwelling on the basis of two pertinent criteria; (1) establishing the actual value and (2) that the dwelling will provide sufficient security for the loan.... as a result of the report by the Council's valuer, as to the actual value of an existing houseand thatis so situated as to be readily saleable, in the event of a sale by the Council becoming necessary, due to default by the borrower" (Ward). In an accompanying opinion in this case, Castell J., [1985] I.R. 29 at p 52 held that, "In light of the facts to which I have referred it seems to me that there was a sufficient relationship of proximity or neighborhood between the plaintiff and the council such as that in reasonable contemplation of the council carelessness on their part in carrying out of the valuation of the bungalow the plaintiff (in view of his knowledge that they were going to value the premises and his very limited means), would himself employ a professional person to examine it and so they should have known that if the valuation was carelessly done it might not disclose defects in the premises and as a result the plaintiff might suffer loss or damage. So it seems to me that a prima facie duty of care existed and there is nothing in the dealing between the two parties which should restrict or limit that duty on any way. In particular no warning against reliance on the proposed valuation was given" (Costello 1985) Also in Siney v. Corporation of Dublin [1980] IR400, O'Higgins, CJ states at p.414, "In this case it is sufficient to say that many of these recent decisions recognize a possible liability where the exercise of statutory powers in a negligent manner results in3 injury to

Inflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Inflation - Essay Example The general price level remains low or affordable to the average consumer and stays that way for a long period of time. Thus, stability of prices within an economy is more of a concept than anything else. Moving on to the demand for and supply of goods in the market, there might be a number of fluctuations with regard to the customer’s needs and wants as well as the producer’s. This makes it a little difficult for the overall price values within the market or economy to be comprehended with ease by both parties. And therefore, for this purpose, a general price level or the concept of price stability is adopted in order to reflect the entire impact that the market has had on each of the different and individual units. Thus in order to understand better, price stability is simply a term or concept used to realize the stability or balance that the general price level or market forces have rather than the actually fixed prices on goods and services in the market. Price stability may also be understood as a period in the economy when it does not face inflation or deflation. In order to understand this, the term inflation has been emphasized upon in this paper. Inflation takes place in an economy when the actual aggregate demand within the economy is greater than the required level of aggregate demand for full employment equilibrium. Full employment equilibrium on the other hand is a situation when all the resources within an economy have been utilised in a full and efficient manner, and the demand curve cuts the 45 degree line or supply curve at this point. However, if the demand curve exceeds the point of full employment equilibrium, it leads to an inflationary gap in the economy. This has been better explained with the help of a diagram; Here the C+I (Total consumption plus investment expenditure) is the aggregate demand (point B) which should have been the situation for an ideal level of equilibrium in the

Questionnaire results Essay Example for Free

Questionnaire results Essay The questionnaire is an essential part of our research it gives us an insight to what people think. The questionnaire was randomly given out to males and females. More females had answered our questionnaire which does not matter as long as we have the views of the males as well. It can be seen that a variety of ages were asked to do the questionnaire. This shows us we will get a variety of results. We asked Do you eat Ice cream? 85% of the people said Yes. This question was vital for us because we are selling Ice Cream. The outcome of the results is good because we had more than 50% saying Yes. The question How often do you eat Ice Cream? was asked so we can see if Ice Cream is popular within people. Most people said they eat Ice Cream once a month. This is not good as we would like people to come to our Ice Cream parlour. We would have to promote our business to get customers to come to our Ice Bar. We had asked a variety of flavours. The most popular flavour was chocolate this shows us which flavours we can order and how many litres we would need to buy. We had also asked people if there were any other flavours they like; we did get a few people with more flavours. These flavours do not seem popular but we can try them. We asked Do you visit Ice Cream parlour? majority of the results were No. This is not good for our business, but it can be understood that there are not a lot of Ice Cream parlours. In the area we are to open Ice Bar there are none at all. So this is good for us but then there is a lot of competition due to a lot of food businesses. We will need to advertise our business to let people know we are open and we sell Ice Cream. We got more promising results when we asked Would you visit your local Ice Cream parlour. A majority people of people said Yes. So this is good for our business. At least we can see from the results that people would visit an Ice Cream parlour if available to them. Every business needs a name. We came up with a few ideas for our business but could not decide which one to have because four of the ones we chose we liked. As we are partners we could not agree on the same name so we decided to let the public decide which name is better suited. It can be seen Ice Bar was the popular name. So we had decided to go with this name for our business. By researching which areas are better to locate our business with the help of the above criteria, we decided to locate on Ecclesall Road as this is close to the city centre with a high density of both residential and business premises. Ecclesall Road is a predominantly student area. This will start of with a good client base from which we can build from. It is vital that the Ice Bar has both a shop front facing on the main street, and a visible separate entrance. The premises we have found is located on Ecclesall Road as intended to. The property details are as follows on the next page. The property is easily accessible, public transportation is available as it is on a main road Plan of Ice Bar The layout of the area of the Ice Bar must be made easy for customers and waiters/waitresses to move freely. The kitchen must comply with all the Health Safety requirements, but at the same time all implements should be set out within easy reach of preparations areas. Food prepared in advance must be stored in the freezer, which should also be in easy reach of the preparation area. In the plan you can see this is done. To enter the parlour there are double doors which will make easier access for people and more space for people to get in and out. This will be most necessary when Ice Bar is going to be busy. We have a main bar in the parlour which designed to for a modern and different look. As there was more space we decided to place another bar which faces the window. So it will also show the parlour is big and welcomes a lot of customers. As we are in a student area we decided to have a corner in the room where people of any ages to come and relax with a table could do some work if wanted to? Behind the main bar is a worktop where we are to make the ice creams. We cannot make the ice creams on the main bar as this would make the customers feel we were intruding into their privacy. There is more space on the worktop and jus in case of any spills this could be helpful. On the worktop there are to be placed a few of the glasses to show the customers the size of them. It would be quicker an all. There is an entrance to the store room where all the ingredients to make Ice Cream Sundaes are. The shelving is used for storing the toppings and sauces and spare Ice Cream glasses. The large freezer is to be placed in the store room. The reason for this is that there is not enough space to keep it on the shop floor. The freezer is an industrial freezer so the appearance of it will be unattractive. Quality Assurance Quality assurance is a planned and well-organised pattern of all actions necessary to provide sufficient confidence that the product or service meets the customers expectations. Training Our quality assurance will consist of a course of training for all our staff. Each staff member will be taken aside and informed of all the information they will need to learn. They will then be tested on this and their score will be recorded on a training record card. All staff will also be trained in how to create the sundaes and present them to a high standard. Staff must complete a basic food hygiene course before they can participate in making the desserts.

Terror Management Account of Conspicuous Consumption

Terror Management Account of Conspicuous Consumption Abstract The motivation behind this part is to clarify the mental underpinnings of the obvious utilization from the viewpoint of dread administration hypothesis. Our fundamental proposal is that prominent utilization is an immediate consequence of the extraordinary human consciousness of mortality and the quest for self-esteem and passing amazing quality that this mindfulness causes. In spite of the fact that it is anything but difficult to study contemporary American cases of avarice and indulgence, given the long and broad mankinds history of unwarranted utilization, we cant credit it to the impact of present-day private enterprise or corporate culture; rather, it is a result of essential all inclusive needs. Without a doubt, we contend that if contemporary people are all the more extremely inefficient, it is fundamentally as a result of present day innovation instead of due to any new social or mental improvements. We exhibit authentic and observational confirmation in support of our dread administration clarification of consumerism. At last, we consider what may be done to encourage life-maintaining utilization, stripped of the harmful, psychopathological craving for endless measures of pointless stuff that undermines human bliss and debilitates the very presence of the human species by contaminating and exhausting the regular assets whereupon our survival, at last, depends on. A TERROR MANAGEMENT ACCOUNT OF CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION Modern man is drinking and drugging himself out of awareness, or he spends his time shopping, which is the same thing †¢ Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death Authors main claim? The Authors main claim is that the human awareness of death and the potentially overwhelming existential anxiety, it engenders motivates people to imbue life with meaning and derive self-esteem from cultural beliefs about the nature of reality. That concern about mortality play a pervasive role in human affairs, and suggests that people construct cultural worldviews in order to manage the terror engendered by the human awareness of death. What are the reasons the author gives for his/her main claim? 1. The virtues of materialistic consumption are deeply woven into the very fabric of human culture. 2. The human desire for money and materials indicates that rationality is not the sole factor that drives consumption behavior. What evidence does the author give for each claim you identified above? Evidence might include examples, statistical data, interview responses, or theoretical application. Evidence 1 : Business communities worried, because of the magnitude and impact of the terror attack on sep 11, that the incident would initiate a recession in the United States.Americans bought homes and cars in record quantities. They also snapped up appliances, furniture, and electronic gadgets. From October through December, consumption soared at 6% annual rate.Although exercising ones credit cards in the wake of these catastrophic reminders of vulnerability and mortality may in some ways seem surprising, such behavior follows predictably from the perspective of terror management theory. Evidence 2 : Spending eternity in a heavenly afterlife is a quaint and attractive prospect (e.g., Islamic Jihads Sheik Abdulla Shamnis 1995 [reported by Abu-Nasr, 1995, p. 1A] descrip ­tion of heaven as a world of castles, flowing rivers, and lush fields where the blessed can eat the most delicious food, the most luscious fruits and the tenderest cuts of meat), but ultimately intangible and empirically uncertain, whereas large piles of gold, enormous mounds of possessions, and lavish con ­sumption is ineluctably real and symbolically indicative of immortal power. The notion that the urge to splurge is fundamentally a defensive death denial above and beyond the quite legitimate pursuit of material comfort and aes ­thetic pleasure is supported by both the historical record and contemporary empirical research. Evidence 3: Roheim (1934) found that the primary motive for acquiring money and possessions in virtually all known tribal cultures is ulti ¬mately symbolic and ceremonial, in the service of gaining and maintaining prestige, and has little to do with money as a rational medium of exchange of goods and services. Do you agree with the author? Why or why not? Explain in 4-6 sentences. Yes, I agree with the author because in this world human behavior is directly or indirectly related to consumption ,yet our consumption behavior is not based solely on our physical survival needs despite it takes lot of time and effort to make money to be extravagant and lavish and you hardly find any time to think of death and practice measures to deny it. References Solomon, S., Greenberg, J. Pyszczynski, T.A. (2003). Lethal consumption: Death-denying materialism http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042811019999 https://www.scribd.com/document/197728014/LETHAL-CONSUMPTION-DEATH-DENYING-MATERIALISM https://bradleyallsop2.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/death-denying-our-defining-feature/

Bimatoprost Monotherapy in CACG Patients with Extensive PAS

Bimatoprost Monotherapy in CACG Patients with Extensive PAS Intraocular Pressure-Lowering Efficacy of Bimatoprost in Chronic Angle-Closure Glaucoma Patients with Extensive Peripheral Anterior Synechiae: A Preliminary Study Introduction Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, affecting an estimated 64.3 million people aged 40–80 years, and this figure is expected to increase to 70 million in 2020.1 Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is the more common form of glaucoma, but because angle-closure glaucoma (ACG) is more prevalent in Asia, the continent that accounts for 60% of the world population, ACG causes a disproportionate burden of morbidity.1,2 ACG is also more critical due to its greater likelihood to cause blindness than OAG.3 ACG is defined by a partially occludable angle and elevated intra-ocular pressure (IOP) of more than 21 mmHg, with no or mild symptoms until very late in the disease and vision loss becomes evident. Detection by gonioscopy reveals very narrow angle with appositional contact between the iris and trabecular meshwork.4,5 This area of contact increases gradually and asymptomatically, with peripheral anterior synechiae (PAS) forming and spreading circumferentially, usually involving at least 180 degree-angle, which then increases IOP.3,6,7 The exact mechanism of PAS formation is not clearly understood, but it is known that the formation of PAS starts as the peripheral part of the iris adheres to the Schwalbe’s line and extends towards the angle recess. PAS is considered to be present when the adhesion of the iris reaches the mid-trabecular meshwork and its extent exceeds one clock hour on indentation gonioscopy. (Yoo et al. 2007) The level of IOP is directly related to the extent of the angle closure.4,7 The goal of treatment therefore is directed towards reopening of the angle and preventing and/or stopping nerve damage, and reduction of IOP.3 High IOP is a clinically important risk factor associated with progressive optic-disc changes and visual field loss.10 Aside from obstruction of the trabecular meshwork, Bodh et al. reported that the elevation of IOP may be caused by prostaglandin E1 and prostaglandin E2-mediated increase in secretion or the breakdown of blood aqueous barrier and corticosteroid-induced elevation. (Bodh SA, Kumar V, Raina UK, Ghosh B, Thakar M. Inflammatory glaucoma. Oman Journal of Ophthalmology. 2011;4(1):3-9. doi:10.4103/0974-620X.77655.) The Early Manifest Glaucoma Progression Trial, which evaluated the impact of reducing IOP in patients with OAG with normal or elevated IOP, showed the benefit of treatment (using laser trabeculoplasty plus topical betaxolol hydrochloride) on delaying the glaucoma progression in terms of visual field loss and optic disc changes by an average of 18 months longer than patients who did not receive treatment. An average reduction of IOP by about 5.1 mmHg resulted in less frequent progression and occurred significantly later in treated patients. (Heijl A, et al. 2002) Laser iridotomy is the standard initial approach to ACG.9,10 Treatment of acute ACG (AACG) can be satisfactorily treated with laser iridotomy alone, which is associated with good prognosis.8 However, chronic cases, after iridotomy with significant amount of PAS and suboptimal IOP control, require the use ÃŽ ²-adrenoreceptor antagonists (ÃŽ ²-blockers), topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, or selective ÃŽ ±2-adrenoreceptor agonists.10 A review of randomised controlled trials showed evidence that prostaglandin analogs and ÃŽ ²-blockers are recommended as monotherapy for the treatment of CACG when iridotomy has failed.9 Prostaglandin analogs have proven efficiency in lowering IOP in OAG with less side effects than ÃŽ ²-blockers.11 In addition, several trials have shown prostanoids to be more effective in reducing IOP than ÃŽ ²-blockers, topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, or selective ÃŽ ±2-adrenoreceptor agonists also patients with OAG.12However, recent studies have demonstrated that prostaglandin analogs such as latanoprost, bimatoprost and travopost to be effective in lowering IOP in chronic ACG (CACG), even in the presence of 360-degree PAS.10A meta-analysis on the efficacy of anti-glaucoma drugs in patients with open-angle glaucoma, tension glaucoma or ocular hypertension showed bimatoprost to provide the greatest reduction in IOP.13 Bimatoprost monotherapy has been demonstrated to decrease IOP in CACG patients with at least 9 clock hours of PAS on gonioscopy. However, the IOP-lowering efficacy of bimatoprost in eyes with extensive PAS is not fully understood. It has been suggested that that bimatoprost increases the aqueous outflow through the uveoscleral or the trabecular pathways being blocked by PAS in CACG.14 This prospective, interventional case series was conducted to determine the efficacy of bimatoprost monotherapy in CACG patients with extensive PAS. References: 1. Tham YC, Li X, Wong TY, Quigley H a., Aung T, Cheng CY. Global Prevalence of Glaucoma and Projections of Glaucoma Burden through 2040. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Ophthalmology. 2014;121(11):2081-2090. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2014.05.013. 2. Quigley H a, Broman a T. The number of people with glaucoma worldwide in 2010 and 2020. Br J Ophthalmol. 2006;90:262-267. doi:10.1136/bjo.2005.081224. 3. Rafael CastanÃÅ'Æ’eda-DiÃÅ' ez, Mariana MayorquiÃÅ' n-Ruiz CE-L and OA-D. Current Diagnosis and Management of Angle-closure glaucoma. In: Dr. Pinakin Gunvant, ed. Glaucoma Current Clinical and Research Aspects. InTech; 2011. doi:10.5772/18123. 4. Yuji Kondo TY. Epidemiology of angle closure glaucoma. In: Chul Hong, Yamamoto T, eds. Angle Closure Glaucoma. Kugler Publications; 2007:278. https://books.google.com/books?id=PV6ehhSdis0Cpgis=1. Accessed February 22, 2015. 5. Harmohina Bagga G Chandra Sekhar. Chapter 9. Primary Angle-Closure Glaucoma. In: Saxena S, ed. Clinical Ophthalmology: Medical and Surgical Approach. Jaypee Brothers Publishers; 2011:877. https://books.google.com/books?id=5jynsUAXg-ECpgis=1. Accessed February 22, 2015. 6. Mittal S. Classification of glaucomas. In: Garg A, ed. Mastering the Tech. of Glaucoma Diag. Management. Jaypee Brothers Publishers; 2006:556. https://books.google.com/books?id=CA6kwpx9A9YCpgis=1. 7. Lee JY, Kim YY, Jung HR. Distribution and characteristics of peripheral anterior synechiae in primary angle-closure glaucoma. Korean J Ophthalmol. 2006;20(2):104-108. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2908823tool=pmcentrezrendertype=abstract. Accessed February 22, 2015. 8. Salmon J. Chapter 13: Gonioscopy. Section 3: Diagnosis of Glaucoma. In: Sharaway T, ed. Glaucoma: Medical Diagnosis and Therapy. Elsevier Health Sciences; 2009:668. https://books.google.com/books?id=-1wtvjCY6dcCpgis=1. 9. Saw SM, Gazzard G, Friedman DS. Interventions for angle-closure glaucoma CRD summary Authors ’ objectives. Database Abstr Rev Eff Qual Rev. 2003:2-5. 10. See JLS, Aquino MCD, Aduan J, Chew PTK. Management of angle closure glaucoma. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2011;59 Suppl:S82-S87. doi:10.4103/0301-4738.73690. 11. Yu A W-LU. [Mechanisms , clinical profile and role of prostaglandin and prostamide analogues in antiglaucomatous therapy ] Article in German. Kin Monbl Augenheilkd. 2013;230(2):127-132. doi:10.1055/s-0032-1327946. 12. Ishida N, Odani-Kawabata N, Shimazaki A, Hara H. Prostanoids in the therapy of glaucoma. Cardiovasc Drug Rev. 2006;24(1):1-10. doi:10.1111/j.1527-3466.2006.00001.x. 13. Valk R Van Der, Webers CA, Schouten JS, Zeegers MP, Hendrikse F, Prins MH. Intraocular pressure-lowering effects of all commonly used glaucoma drugs: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Database Abstr Rev Eff Qual Rev. 2005. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2005.01.042. 14. Gupta V, Srinivasan G, Sharma A, Kapoor KS, Sihota R. Comparative evaluation of bimatoprost monotherapy in primary chronic angle closure and primary open angle glaucoma eyes: a three-year study. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther Off J Assoc Ocul Pharmacol Ther. 2007;23(4):351-358. doi:10.1089/jop.2006.0107.

energy for 1999 :: essays research papers

Total world carbon dioxide emissions from the consumption of petroleum, natural gas, and coal, and the flaring of natural gas increased from 5.873 billion metric tons of carbon equivalent in 1990 to 6.144 billion metric tons in 1999, or by 4.6%. (Carbon dioxide emissions are measured in metric tons of carbon equivalent. Tons of carbon equivalent can be converted to tons of carbon dioxide gas by multiplying by 3.667. One ton of carbon equivalent equals 3.667 tons of carbon dioxide gas.) The United States, China, Russia, Japan, and India produced 51% of the world's total carbon dioxide emissions from the consumption and flaring of fossil fuels in 1999. Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, and France—ogether produced 12%. Petroleum accounted for 44% of the carbon dioxide emissions; coal, 35%; and natural gas, 21%. Between 1990 and 1999, energy production and consumption increased in every region of the world except in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet bloc. East Asia a nd Oceania saw a production increase of 13.6 quadrillion Btu, and a consumption increase of 24.9 quadrillion Btu. Energy production in the Middle East increased by 12.1 quadrillion Btu, the second-largest increase for any region, while consumption increased 5.3 quadrillion Btu. Energy production in Central and South America increased by 8.2 quadrillion Btu, while consumption rose by 6.2 quadrillion Btu. In North America, energy production rose by 7.1 quadrillion Btu, and consumption increased 15.6 quadrillion Btu. Energy production in Western Europe rose by 5.8 quadrillion Btu, and consumption increased by 6.6 quadrillion Btu. Energy production in Africa increased by 5.2 quadrillion Btu, while consumption rose 2.4 quadrillion Btu. In Eastern Europe and the former USSR production declined 22.9 quadrillion Btu and consumption dropped 25.3 quadrillion Btu.In 1999, the United States, Russia, and China were the leading producers and consumers of energy, producing 38%, and consuming 41%, of the world's energy. The United States, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Canada were the five largest producers of energy in 1999, supplying 47.9% of the world's total. The United States supplied 72.3 quadrillion Btu of primary energy; Russia, 41.5 quadrillion Btu; and China, 30.9 quadrillion Btu. The next leading producers—the United Kingdom, Iran, Norway, India, and Mexico—together supplied 13.1% of the world's energy. The United States, China, Russia, Japan, and Germany were the largest consumers in 1999, using 49.9% of world energy. Canada, India, France, the United Kingdom, and Brazil together used an additional 14%.

Confucius in the Analects Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Confucius’s counsel and guidance recorded in The Analects instilled wisdom when they were first recorded and continue to provide a thought provoking analysis of life and the checkpoints that guide it. The Master’s commentary on restraint, diligence, decency, and citizenship are well intended and relevant. Politics and the role of government also come under scrutiny as Confucius offers his insights in bettering the organization of power. His proverb-like admonitions use clear examples of everyday life allowing them to be understood and easily digested. Confucius’s own eagerness and willingness to share goodness he experienced makes it easier to apply and practice in one’s own life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the author’s book dealing with virtue he makes an astute observation regarding the need for restraint in speech equally joined with a lack of restraint in action. Confucius relates his good judgment in the following statement: â€Å"The men of old were reserved in speech out of shame lest they should come short in deed.† (Confucius p. 20) Confucius’s declaration seems to stem from possible past experiences with too much talk and too little action. His declarations lead one to believe that the more traditional and conservative ways tend to pilot one to the ideal standard of life. He reemphasized his point when he said, â€Å"The wise man desires to be slow to speak but quick to act.† (Confucius, p. 20)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Along with rest...

Bhuvana Essay Essay

â€Å"Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.† –Mark Twain â€Å"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.† –Winston Churchill â€Å"Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.† –Steve Jobs â€Å"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.† –Alexander Graham Bell â€Å"Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.† –H. Jackson Brown Jr. â€Å"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.† –Thomas A. Edison â€Å"If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.† –Nora Robertsâ€Å"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.† –Christian D. Larson â€Å"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.† –C.S. Lewis Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal a commitment to excellence that will enable you to attain the success you seek.† – Mario Andretti â€Å"Enter every activity without giving mental recognition to the possibility of defeat. Concentrate on your strengths, instead of your weaknesses†¦ on your powers, instead of your problems.† – Paul J. Meyer â€Å"Excellent firms don’t believe in excellence only in constant improvement and constant change.† – Tom Peters â€Å"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.† – Theodore Roosevelt â€Å"I will demand a commitment to excellence and to victory, and that is what life is all about.† – Vince Lombardi â€Å"Management is nothing more than motivating other people.† – Lee Iacocca â€Å"Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game.† – Donald Trump â€Å"Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.† – Stephen R. Covey â€Å"Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.† – Dwight D. Eisenhower â€Å"People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing that’s why we recommend it daily.† -Zig Ziglar â€Å"Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning.† – Dennis Waitley â€Å"The heights by great men reached and kept Were not attained by sudden flight, But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night.† – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow â€Å"The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail.† – Napoleon Hill â€Å"The only lifelong, reliable motivations are those that come from within, and one of the strongest of those is the joy and pride that grow from knowing that you’ve just done something as well as you can do it.† – Lloyd Dobens and Clare Crawford-Mason â€Å"The only way to get people to like working hard is to motivate them. Today,  people must understand why they’re working hard. Every individual in an organization is motivated by something different.† – Rick Pitino â€Å"The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.† – Vince Lombardi â€Å"The rewards for those who persevere far exceed the pain that must precede the victory.† – Ted W. Engstrom â€Å"The secret of joy in work is contained in one word – excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.† – Pearl Buck â€Å"The test of the artist does not lie in the will with which he goes to work, but in the excellence of the work he produces.† – Thomas Aquinas â€Å"The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.† – John Maxwell â€Å"There’s always the motivation of wanting to win. Everybody has that. But a champion needs, in his attitude, a motivation above and beyond winning.† – Pat Riley â€Å"Whatever your discipline, become a student of excellence in all things. Take every opportunity to observe people who manifest the qualities of mastery. These models of excellence will inspire you and guide you toward the fulfillment of your highest potential.† – Michael Gelb and Tony Buzan â€Å"An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men.† – Thomas Fuller

Shadow Kiss Chapter 19

Nineteen LISSA HAD BEEN MY best friend ever since elementary school, which was why keeping so many secrets from her lately had hurt so much. She was always open with me, always willing to share what was on her mind – but then, maybe that was because she had no choice. I used to be that way with her, yet at some point, I'd started locking my secrets in, unable to tell her about Dimitri or the real reason I'd messed up with Stan. I hated it being that way. It ate me up inside and made me feel guilty around her. Today, however, there was absolutely no way I could wiggle out of explaining what had happened at the airport. Even if I made up something, the fact that I was on half-time with Christian would be a huge tip-off that something was going on. No excuses this time. So, as much as it hurt, I gave her and Christian – as well as Eddie and Adrian, who were hanging around – the short version of what had happened. â€Å"You think you saw ghosts?† Christian exclaimed. â€Å"Seriously?† The look on his face showed me that he was already building a list of snide comments to make. â€Å"Look,† I snapped, â€Å"I told you what was going on, but I don't want to elaborate on it. It's getting worked out, so just let it drop.† †Rose †¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Lissa uneasily. A hurricane of emotions was beating through to me from her. Fear. Concern. Shock. Her compassion made me feel that much worse. I shook my head. â€Å"No, Liss. Please. You guys can think whatever you want about me or make up your own theories, but we're not going to talk about it. Not now. Just leave me alone about it.† I expected Lissa to badger me because of her normal persistence. I expected Adrian and Christian to because of their irritating natures. But even though my words had been simple, I realized I'd delivered them with a harshness both in voice and manner. It was Lissa's surprised mental reaction that alerted me to that, and then I needed only to look at the guys' faces to realize I must have sounded incredibly bitchy. â€Å"Sorry,† I mumbled. â€Å"I appreciate the concern, but I'm just not in the mood.† Lissa eyed me. Later, she said in my mind. I gave her a brief nod, secretly wondering how I could avoid that conversation. She and Adrian had met to practice magic again. I still liked being able to be close to her, but I was only able to do so because Christian was hanging around too. And honestly, I couldn't figure out why he stayed. I guess he was still a little jealous, despite everything that had happened. Of course, if he'd known about the queen's matchmaking schemes, he might have had good reason. Nonetheless, it was clear these magic lessons were starting to bore him. We were in Ms. Meissner's classroom today, and he pulled two desks together and stretched out across them, tossing an arm over his eyes. â€Å"Wake me when it gets interesting,† he said. Eddie and I stood in a central position that let us watch the door and windows while also staying near the Moroi. â€Å"You really saw Mason?† Eddie whispered to me. He turned sheepish. â€Å"Sorry†¦you said you didn't want to talk about it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I started to say yes, that was exactly what I'd said†¦but then I saw the look on Eddie's face. He wasn't asking me about this out of perverse curiosity. He asked because of Mason, because of their closeness, and because Eddie wasn't over his best friend's death any more than I was. I think he found the idea of Mason communicating from beyond the grave reassuring, but then, he hadn't been the one to actually see Mason's ghost. â€Å"I think it was him,† I murmured back. â€Å"I don't know. Everyone thinks I imagined it.† â€Å"How did he look? Was he upset?† â€Å"He looked †¦ sad. Really sad.† â€Å"If it was really him †¦ I mean, I don't know.† Eddie looked at the ground, momentarily forgetting to watch the room. â€Å"I've always wondered if he was upset that we didn't save him.† â€Å"There was nothing we could have done,† I told him, reiterating exactly what everyone had told me. â€Å"But I wondered that too, because Father Andrew had mentioned that ghosts sometimes come back for revenge. But Mason didn't look that way. He just seemed like he wanted to tell me something.† Eddie looked back up suddenly, realizing he was still on guard duty. He didn't say anything else after that, but I knew where his thoughts were. Meanwhile, Adrian and Lissa were making progress. Or rather, Adrian was. The two of them had dug up a bunch of scraggly plants that had died or gone dormant for the winter and put them in little pots. The pots were now lined up in a row on a long table. Lissa touched one, and I felt the euphoria of magic burn within her. A moment later, the scrappy little plant turned green and sprouted leaves. Adrian stared hard at it, as though it held all the secrets of the universe, and then exhaled deeply. â€Å"Okay. Here goes nothing.† He lightly placed his fingers on a different plant. Here goes nothing might have been an accurate statement, because nothing actually happened. Then, a few moments later, the plant shuddered a little. A hint of green started to grow in it and then it stopped. â€Å"You did it,† said Lissa, impressed. I could also feel that she was a little jealous. Adrian had learned one of her tricks, but she still hadn't learned any of his. â€Å"Hardly,† he said, glaring at the plant. He was completely sober, with none of his vices to mellow him. Spirit had nothing to stop it from making him feel irritable. With our moods, we actually had something in common tonight. â€Å"Damn it.† â€Å"Are you kidding?† she asked. â€Å"It was great. You made a plant grow – with your mind. That's amazing.† â€Å"Not as good as you, though,† he said, still sounding like he was ten years old. I couldn't help but pipe in. â€Å"Then stop bitching and try again.† He glanced over at me, a smile twisting his lips. â€Å"Hey, no advice, Ghost Girl. Guardians should be seen and not heard.† I flipped him off for the â€Å"Ghost Girl† comment, but he didn't notice because Lissa was talking to him again. â€Å"She's right. Try it again.† â€Å"You do it one more time,† he said. â€Å"I want to watch you†¦. I can kind of feel what you do to it.† She performed her trick on another plant. I again felt the magic flare up, as well as the joy that came with it – and then she faltered. A flash of fear and instability tinged the magic, smacking a little of when her mental state had deteriorated so badly. No, no, I begged silently. It's happening. I knew it would if she kept using the magic. Please don't let it happen again. And like that, the dark spot within her magic went away. All of her thoughts and feelings returned to normal. I noticed then that she'd also made the plant grow. I'd missed it because I'd been distracted by her lapse. Adrian had missed the magic too because his eyes were on me. His expression was troubled and very, very confused. â€Å"Okay,† said Lissa happily. She didn't realize he hadn't paid attention. â€Å"Try again.† Adrian focused his attention back on their work. Sighing, he moved to a new plant, but she gestured him back. â€Å"No, keep working on the one you started. Maybe you can only do it in small bursts.† Nodding, he turned his attention to his original plant. For a few minutes, he just did nothing but stare. Silence reigned in the room. I'd never seen him so focused on anything, and sweat was actually forming on his forehead. Finally, at long last, the plant twitched again. It grew even greener, and tiny buds appeared on it. Glancing up at him, I saw him narrow his eyes and grit his teeth, no doubt concentrating for all he was worth. The buds burst. Leaves and tiny white flowers appeared. Lissa made what could only be called a whoop of joy. â€Å"You did it!† She hugged him, and feelings of delight washed over me from her. She was sincerely happy that he'd been able to do it. And while she was still disappointed at her lack of progress, it inspired hope in her that he'd replicated her abilities. That meant they truly could learn from each other. â€Å"I can't wait until I'm able to do something new,† she said, still a tiny bit jealous. Adrian tapped a notebook. â€Å"Well, there are plenty of other tricks in the world of spirit. You've got to be able to learn at least one of them.† â€Å"What's that?† I asked. â€Å"Remember that research I did on people who'd shown weird behaviors?† she asked. â€Å"We made a list of all the different things that showed up.† I did remember. In her search to find others with spirit, she'd uncovered claims about Moroi demonstrating abilities no one had ever seen. Few people believed the reports were true, but Lissa was convinced they were spirit users. â€Å"Along with healing, auras, and dream walking, we seem to also have some super compulsion going on.† â€Å"You already knew that,† I said. â€Å"No, this is even more hard-core. It's not just telling people what to do. It's also making them see and feel things that aren't even there.† â€Å"What, like hallucinations?† I asked. â€Å"Kind of,† he said. â€Å"There are stories of people using compulsion to make others live through their worst nightmares, thinking they're being attacked or whatever.† I shivered. â€Å"That's actually kind of scary.† â€Å"And awesome,† said Adrian. Lissa agreed with me. â€Å"I don't know. Regular compulsion is one thing, but that just seems wrong.† Christian yawned. â€Å"Now that victory has been achieved, can we call it a night with the magic?† Glancing behind me, I saw that Christian was sitting up and alert. His eyes were on Lissa and Adrian, and he did not look happy about the victory hug. Lissa and Christian had broken apart, though not because they'd noticed his reaction. They were both too distracted by their own excitement to notice his glare. â€Å"Can you do it again?† asked Lissa eagerly. â€Å"Make it grow?† Adrian shook his head. â€Å"Not right away. That took a lot out of me. I think I need a cigarette.† He gestured in Christian's direction. â€Å"Go do something with your guy. He's been terribly patient through all of this.† Lissa walked over to Christian, her face alight with joy. She looked beautiful and radiant, and I could tell it was hard for him to stay too mad at her. The harsh expression on his face softened, and I saw the rare gentleness that only she could bring out in him. â€Å"Let's go back to the dorm,† she said, grabbing his hand. We set off. Eddie walked near guard with Lissa and Christian, which left me with far guard. It also left me with Adrian, who had chosen to lag behind and talk to me. He was smoking, so I got to be the one to deal with the toxic cloud that generated. Honestly, I couldn't figure out why no one in charge had busted him for this. I wrinkled my nose at the smell. â€Å"You know, you can always be our far-far guard and stay behind with that thing,† I told him. â€Å"Mm, I've had enough.† He dropped the cigarette and stamped it out, leaving it behind. I hated that almost as much as him smoking in the first place. â€Å"What do you think, little dhampir?† he asked. â€Å"I was pretty badass with that plant, wasn't I? Of course, it would have been more badass if I'd, I dunno, helped an amputee grow a limb back. Or maybe separated Siamese twins. But that'll come with more practice.† â€Å"If you want some advice – which I'm sure you don't – you guys should lay off on the magic. Christian still thinks you're moving in on Lissa.† â€Å"What?† he asked in mock astonishment. â€Å"Doesn't he know my heart belongs to you?† â€Å"It does not. And no, he's still worried about it, despite what I've told him.† â€Å"You know, I bet if we started making out right now, it would make him feel better.† â€Å"If you touch me,† I said pleasantly, â€Å"I'll provide you with the opportunity to see if you can heal yourself. Then we'd see how badass you really are.† â€Å"I'd get Lissa to heal me,† he said smugly. â€Å"It'd be easy for her. Although†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The sardonic smirk faded. â€Å"Something weird happened when she used her magic.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said. â€Å"I know. Could you sense it too?† â€Å"No. But I saw it.† He frowned. â€Å"Rose †¦ remember when you asked about being crazy and I said you weren't?† â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I think I might have been wrong. I think you are crazy.† I nearly stopped walking. â€Å"What the hell does that mean?† â€Å"Well†¦you see, the thing is, when Lissa did the second plant†¦ her aura dimmed a little.† â€Å"That would go along with what I felt,† I said. â€Å"It was kind of like she †¦ I don't know, grew mentally fragile for a moment, kind of like she used to. But it went away.† He nodded. â€Å"Yeah, that's the thing†¦the darkness in her aura went away and into yours. Like, I've noticed before that you guys have a big difference in auras, but this time, I saw it happening. It was like that spot of darkness jumped out of hers and into yours.† Something about that made me shiver. â€Å"What does it mean?† â€Å"Well, this is why I think you're crazy. Lissa isn't having any side effects from the magic anymore, right? And you, well†¦ you've been feeling kind of short-tempered lately and you're, like, seeing ghosts.† He said the words casually, like seeing ghosts was just something that happened from time to time. â€Å"I think whatever harmful thing there is in spirit that screws with the mind is leaking out of her and into you. It's making her stay stable, and you, well†¦ as I said, you're seeing ghosts.† It was like being smacked in the face. A new theory. Not trauma. Not real ghosts. Me â€Å"catching† Lissa's madness. I remembered how she'd been at her worst, depressed and self-destructive. I remembered our former teacher, Ms. Karp, who'd also been a spirit user – and completely out of her mind enough to become Strigoi. â€Å"No,† I said in a strained voice. â€Å"That's not happening to me.† â€Å"What about your bond? You have that connection. Her thoughts and feelings creep into you †¦ why not the madness too?† Adrian's manner was typically light and curious. He didn't realize just how much this was starting to freak me out. â€Å"Because it doesn't make any – â€Å" And then, it hit me. The answer we'd been searching for this whole time. St. Vladimir had struggled his whole life with spirit's side effects. He'd had dreams and delusions, experiences he wrote off to â€Å"demons.† But he hadn't gone completely crazy or tried to kill himself. Lissa and I had felt certain that it was because he had a shadow-kissed guardian, Anna, and that sharing that bond with her had helped him. We'd assumed it was simply the act of having such a close friend around, someone who could support him and talk him through the bad times since they hadn't had antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs back then. But what if†¦ what if†¦ I couldn't breathe. I couldn't go another single moment without knowing the answer. What time was it anyway? An hour or so before curfew? I had to find out. I came to an abrupt halt, nearly slipping on the slick ground. â€Å"Christian!† The group in front of us stopped and looked back at me and Adrian. â€Å"Yeah?† Christian asked. â€Å"I need to take a detour – or rather, we do since I can't go anywhere without you. We need to go to the church.† His eyebrows rose in surprise. â€Å"What, you need to confess something?† â€Å"Don't ask questions. Please. It'll only take a few minutes.† Concern crossed Lissa's face. â€Å"Well, we can all go – â€Å" â€Å"No, we'll be fast.† I didn't want her there. I didn't want her to hear the answer I was certain I'd get. â€Å"Go to the dorm. We'll catch up. Please, Christian?† He studied me, expression oscillating between wanting to mock me and wanting to help. He wasn't a complete jerk, after all. The latter emotion won out. â€Å"Okay, but if you try to get me to pray with you, I walk.† He and I split off toward the chapel. I moved so fast that he had to scurry to keep up. â€Å"I don't suppose you want to tell me what this is about?† he asked. â€Å"Nope. I appreciate your cooperation, though.† â€Å"Always glad to help,† he said. I was certain he was rolling his eyes, but I was more focused on the path ahead. We reached the chapel, and the door was locked, unsurprisingly. I knocked on it, staring anxiously around to see if any lights shone through the windows. It didn't look like it. â€Å"You know, I've broken in here before,† said Christian. â€Å"If you need inside – â€Å" â€Å"No, more than that. I need to see the priest. Damn it, he's not here.† â€Å"He's probably in bed.† â€Å"Damn it,† I repeated, feeling only a little bad about swearing on a church's doorstep. If the priest was in bed, he'd be off in Moroi staff housing and inaccessible. â€Å"I need to – â€Å" The door opened, and Father Andrew peered out at us. He looked surprised but not upset. â€Å"Rose? Christian? Is something wrong?† â€Å"I have to ask you a question,† I told him. â€Å"It won't take long.† His surprise grew, but he stepped aside so we could enter. We all stopped and stood in the chapel's lobby, just outside the main sanctuary. â€Å"I was just about to go home for the night,† Father Andrew told us. â€Å"I was shutting everything down.† â€Å"You told me that St. Vladimir lived a long life and died of old age. Is that true?† â€Å"Yes,† he said slowly. â€Å"To the best of my knowledge. All the books I've read – including these latest ones – say as much.† â€Å"But what about Anna?† I demanded. I sounded like I was on the verge of hysteria. Which I kind of was. â€Å"What about her?† â€Å"What happened to her? How did she die?† All this time. All this time, Lissa and I had worried about Vlad's outcome. We'd never considered Anna's. â€Å"Ah, well.† Father Andrew sighed. â€Å"Her end wasn't as good, I'm afraid. She spent her whole life protecting him, though there are hints that in her old age, she started growing a little unstable too. And then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"And then?† I asked. Christian was looking between the priest and me, completely lost. â€Å"And then, well, a couple months after St. Vladimir passed on, she committed suicide.† I squeezed my eyes shut for half a second and then opened them. This was what I'd been afraid of. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Father Andrew said. â€Å"I know how closely you've followed their story. I didn't even learn this about her until reading it recently. Taking one's life is a sin, of course†¦but, well, considering how close they were, it's not hard to imagine how she may have felt when he was gone.† â€Å"And you also said that she was starting to go a little crazy.† He nodded and spread his hands out. â€Å"It's hard to say what that poor woman was thinking. Many factors were probably involved. Why was this so pressing?† I shook my head. â€Å"It's a long story. Thanks for helping me.† Christian and I were halfway to the dorm before he finally asked, â€Å"What was that all about? I remember when you guys were looking into this. Vladimir and Anna were like Lissa and you, right?† â€Å"Yeah,† I said glumly. â€Å"Look, I don't want to get between you guys, but please don't tell Lissa about this. Not until I find out more. Just tell her †¦ I don't know. I'll tell her that I suddenly panicked because I thought I had more community service scheduled.† â€Å"Both of us lying to her, huh?† â€Å"I hate it, believe me. But it's also best for her at the moment.† Because if Lissa knew that she might potentially make me insane †¦ yeah, she'd take that hard. She'd want to stop working her magic. Of course, that was what I'd always wanted †¦ and yet, I'd felt that joy in her when she used it. Could I take that away from her? Could I sacrifice myself? There was no easy answer, and I couldn't start jumping to conclusions. Not until I knew more. Christian agreed to keep it secret, and by the time we joined the others, it was almost time for curfew anyway. We had only about a half hour together, and then we all split off for bed – including me, since the part-time field experience agreement said I couldn't do nighttime duty. The Strigoi risk was low in general anyway, and my instructors were more concerned about me getting a full night's sleep. So when curfew came, I walked back to the dhampir dorm alone. And then, when I was almost there, he appeared again. Mason. I came to an abrupt halt and glanced around me, wishing someone else was there to witness this and settle the crazy-or-not thing once and for all. His pearly form stood there, hands in the pockets of his coat in an almost casual way that somehow made the experience that much weirder. â€Å"Well,† I said, feeling surprisingly calm, despite the sorrow that washed over me whenever I saw him. â€Å"Glad to see you're alone again. I didn't really like the extras on the plane.† He stared, expression blank and eyes sad. It made me feel worse, guilt twisting my stomach into knots. I broke. â€Å"What are you?† I cried. â€Å"Are you real? Am I going crazy?† To my surprise, he nodded. â€Å"Which?† I squeaked. â€Å"Yes, you're real?† He nodded. â€Å"Yes, I'm crazy?† He shook his head. â€Å"Well,† I said, forcing a joke through my hurricane of emotions. â€Å"That's a relief, but honestly, what else would you say if you're a hallucination?† Mason just stared. I glanced around again, wishing someone would come by. â€Å"Why are you here? Are you mad at us and looking for revenge?† He shook his head, and something in me relaxed. Until that moment, I hadn't realized how worried I'd been about that. The guilt and grief had been wound up so tightly in me. Him blaming me – just as Ryan had – had seemed inevitable. â€Å"Are you †¦ are you having trouble finding peace?† Mason nodded and seemed to grow sadder. I thought back to his final moments and swallowed back tears. I'd probably have a hard time finding peace too, taken from my life before it began. â€Å"Is there more than that, though? Another reason you keep coming to me?† He nodded. â€Å"What?† I asked. There were too many questions lately. I needed answers. â€Å"What is it? What do I need to do?† But anything other than a yes or no question was beyond us, apparently. He opened up his mouth as though he would say something. He looked like he was trying hard, like Adrian had with the plant. But no sound came out. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I whispered. â€Å"I'm sorry I don't understand †¦ and†¦I'm sorry for everything else.† Mason gave me one last wistful look and then vanished.

Maid Abuse in Malaysia

Maid abuse is no longer a new issue in Malaysia. What is maid abuse? It is known as an assault and coercive behaviour, which mainly includes physical, psychological and at times sexual too, by employer or household members of employer against a person hired as a domestic help. Malaysia is one of wealthiest countries in South East Asia and therefore acts as magnet for migrants fleeing here to work. In Malaysia, majority of the domestic workers are full time workers and most of them come from neighbouring poor countries. There are various factors that lead to maid abuse in Malaysia. The unfortunate thing is that maid abuse does not only cause both mental and physical injuries to the maids, but it also jeopardize our international friendship with countries involved. Hence, there is an urgent need to solve this social issue. One of the major causes of maid abuse over here in Malaysia is the lack of comprehensive national policies for maid protection by our Malaysian Government. As pointed out by D’Cruz (2009), foreign domestic workers here are vulnerable as they lack of legal protection, which subjects them to any kind of working condition an employer sees fit. There is also no specific law in Malaysia on violence against domestic workers (wao. com. my). As stated by Lourdes (2008), maids are stuck in a Catch -22 situation because the second they seek for help from the authorities, their employers or agents will lodge reports against them. The Employment Act provides them the right to redress but the Immigration Acts removes it by making them illegals living here. According to Dass (2008) in Lourdes (2008), the employers will be informed by the agents that maids who misbehave would be given counselling but this counselling turns up to be filled with punishing and abusing. Maids are being told that if they repeat their mistakes, they will be sold into prostitution. Other than that, they are slapped and beaten in beaten in front of others so that the rest will feel threatened. In addition, the maids’ very own attitude too, contributed to the many cases of maid abuse. They are not serious in their work and as an example, according to Ho, his maid washed one bucket of the family’s clothes and hid the other behind the house under a shed below the mango tree. There are maids who also tend to take advantage of their employers by stealing things and using stuff without permission. Based on Ho’s statement, many of his family’s belonging including his underwear have been stolen by his maid before. This is just a real life example of what may lead to why employers lash out all their temper by abusing the maids. The abusive mindsets and attitudes towards maids too, contribute to maid abuse. Many Malaysians have negative perceptions of migrant domestic workers which contributes to the frequency and severity of abuse. They are often viewed as culturally inferior, sometimes â€Å"less than human†, and not considered as deserving of the same respect and consideration given to other human beings (wao. com. my). Adiwara stated that Malaysians have the tendency to look down on Indonesians because of the economic gap between the two neighbouring countries. Employers misjudge the performance of the maids and scold them unnecessarily and this may be due to some shortcomings in the employers themselves. There are certain employers who are concerned that there might be a rift between the child and parent when the children are culturally influenced by the maids (wao. com. my). Another party that should be put to blame for is the involvement of non-professional maid recruitment services, or more generally known as the maid agencies. According to Wong (2008) in Azizan (2009), a lot of money will be charged by the maid agencies and in order to meet the market demand, a few of the agencies will hunt for girls from the village, get them cleaned up and will send them right away to their respective clients without any training. This issue of untrained maids is supported by the Malaysian Association of Foreign Mai Agencies (PAPA) president Alwi Bavutty as he admits that PAPA is hold responsible for the maids. Throughout so many years, there are quite a number of negative effects that are being identified which are caused from maid abuse and many people are reatly affected by all these consequences. One of the major negative effects and is usually published in local newspapers are that the victims suffer both mentally and physically from maid abuse. As stated by D’Cruz (2009), the types of physical abuse are they are beaten, raped or tortured with hot boiling water. To make matters worse, there are several maid abuse cases where babies are born from the result of rape. Besides that, nearly all maid abuse victims have been treated like slaves. According to D’Cruz (2009), they are given only plain rice, several occasions with non-halal food even for those who are Muslims. Lourdes (2008) too, states that permanent working hour, termination benefits, sick leave, rest days, public holidays, overtime and every other benefit that a normal employee is entitled to are not provided to them. To further add on, as mentioned by D’Cruz (2009), the victims are not paid wages for months or even years of tiring work. All of the above clearly violates basic human rights and the employers need to be taken into action legally. Negative effect is also present during the legal process to claim their rights as it is mentally damaging for the victims as stated by D’Cruz (2009). It is hard for them to avoid depression as they are forced to put their lives on hold while reliving the trauma of the abusive days. Referring to Earth Times (2009), the economy and lifestyle of the community will be disturbed due to maid abuse. For example, Malaysia maid agencies are predicted to suffer massive losses due to Indonesian’s indefinite ban on sending maids over. This will somehow affect the productivity of Malaysia’s economy since because a large amount of domestic help comes from Indonesia. Apart from that, lifestyle of the community will be disturbed as tens of thousands of household would face difficulties due to the delay in the arrival of their maids and this would lead to a larger obstacle in the long run as families will have a hard time coping with work and family without any extra hands. Subsequently, relationship between countries involved will be jeopardized. As emphasized by The Star (2009), In Malaysia, when maid abuse became a hot topic among both Indonesians and Malaysians, it resulted in causing Indonesia taking a serious action of threatening to temporarily stop sending heir people to work in Malaysia. This has caused the political relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia to become awkward and it took a lot of effort to restore the friendship between the two countries. The maid abuse cases which were made known internationally have indirectly portray Malaysia as a cruel country. Every problem has its’ own solution and this goes to maid abuse too. This problem can be curbed through the roles of government and community. Both have to perform their roles in order to overcome this issue. The government can tackle issues related to the interest and welfare of maids. For instance, the government may to resort into measures like conducting random checks on homes. Through this, the early signs of mistreatment can be detected which will prevent this issue from getting worse. Referring to Boo (2010), there are no simple solutions in solving the issue of maid abuse. The solutions in the end lead to the importance of education and enforcement. An agency responsible in managing the welfare of maids should be set up as a channel for the maids to know who to contact and how to report against their bosses who abuse their rights. However, education on their rights needs to be supplied to the maids first. Cooperation between Malaysian government and related countries such as Indonesia government is important in curbing this problem. As stated by Malaysian Digest (2010), there are several cases involving the abuse of Indonesian maids had been solved through the close cooperation between Malaysian and Indonesian officer It shows that this issue can be solves peacefully as long as both countries are willing to cooperate. Based on Malaysian Digest, (2010), our government and Indonesian government has taken a smart action by signed a Letter of Intent on the sending of Indonesian maids to Malaysia. This letter requires Malaysian employers to give one day off in a week to their Indonesian workers and their passports be kept by the workers themselves unless agreed upon by both sides that the passport be kept by the employers which occurs in certain cases. This had prevented misunderstanding between the maids and the employers regarding the maids’ day off and passport matters. As suggested by Hariani Azizan (2009), another solution to this problem is through the roles of community. There are quite a number of ways on how the community can help the government to overcome this issue. For example, authorities can organize a weekly meeting among its community and invite the officers who are experts in the field of the maid’s rights to speak to the maids as well as provide check-ups and counselling for the maids without invading people’s privacy. Another alternative solution is to actually build shelter homes for the maid abuse victims. According to Malaysian Digest (2010), â€Å"Rumah Kita†, a shelter home that was launched to provide temporary accommodation and food for Indonesian female migrant workers who are faced with difficulties such as being cheated by employment agencies or abused by their employers. It is more effective when everyone in their respective neighbourhood take on the role of looking out for any abuse in their community and report them to the authorities. To conclude, there is an urgent need for maid abuse to be curbed as it brings negative impacts to many parties, especially to Malaysia as a whole. Therefore, everyone including the maid themselves must come together as a unit and cooperate to demolish this issue.

Fixation and Fixatives

ALCIAN BLUE RATIONALE FOR USE Alcian blue is a water soluble, amphoteric copper phthalocyanine, which is most often used as a basic dye. In general, alcian blue has an affinity for sulfated and carboxylated groups of acid mucopolysaccharides, but the specific group demonstrated is dependent on the dye solution pH. RECOMMENDED FIXATIVES 10% neutral buffered formalin and Bouin’s fixative. AVOID Chromate Fixatives MODE OF ACTION (1, 2, 3) Alcian blue binds electrostatically with the acidic groups in the mucopolysaccharide molecule.The components to be demonstrated are intensely stained if the dyer solution is used at the specific pH at which the reactive groups are fully ionized. To achieve full ionization of the reactive groups, some alcian blue methods begin with a rinsing of sections in the appropriate pH solution prior to staining with the dye solution. In general, strongly sulfated mucins react more consistently at low pH levels. Above a pH of 1. 0 their reactions are variab le. At a pH of 0. 2 only strongly sulfated mucosubstances will be demonstrated, while weak sulfated mucins stain well between a pH of 1. 0 – 2. 5, and often below 1. . Carboxylated mucins react with alcian blue at pH 2. 5. Alcian blue produces an intense greenish-blue or teal coloration. To ensure this colour is not lost during subsequent chemical and dye treatments, such as those found in the Alcian Blue-Verhoeff’s van Gieson procedure and Movat’s Pentachrome, alcian blue is converted to an insoluble pigment. By exposing alcian blue stained sections to a pre-heated 80Â °C alkaline alcohol solution, alcian blue is converted to the insoluble pigment, monastral fast blue. Further exposure of the sections to various decolorizers and dyes, fails to change the alcian blue intensity.QUALITY CONTROL AND CONTROL MATERIALS 1. Appropriate control tissues include colon and small intestine. If lung sections contain bronchi with mucous glands, are used as a control, the tec h should be aware that cartilage matrix will also stain at approximately pH 2. 5. 2. To avoid coloration of hyaluronic acid found in connective tissue matrix or amorphous ground substance, the tissue section can first be treated with a solution of testicular streptococcal hyaluronidase before staining with alcian blue. Testicular hyaluronidase requires only 2 hours of incubation versus 24 hours with streptococcal hyaluronidase. . Alcian blue powder solubility may decrease after storage of more than three years, but good staining results have been reported with dye lots older than three years (4). 4. The dye solution pH is critical to ensure demonstration of specific chemical groups. pH 0. 2 -only strongly sulfated mucins demonstrated pH1. 0 -strongly and weakly sulfated mucins pH 2. 5 -carboxylated and weakly sulfated mucins 5. To ensure the quality of staining at the appropriate pH, the section may be rinsed in the solvent solution prior to staining in the dye, i. e. , rinsing in p H 2. , 3% aqueous acetic acid solution prior to placing the sections in the pH 2. 5 alcian blue solution, which is prepared by combining alcian blue dye powder in a 3% aqueous acetic acid solution. 6. Some procedures indicate it is important to avoid rinsing the stained slides in water after treatment in alcian blue dye. Blotting the slides dry after staining is recommended. 7. It is important to avoid celloidinization of tissue sections because alcian blue has a strong affinity for celloidin. 8. A white haze may appear on the back of the glass slide after staining with nuclear fast red and contact with the air.Moistening a kimwipe or facial tissue with saliva and rubbing the back of the glass will remove the haze. Follow this with cleaning of the glass using a kimwipe moistened with 100% ethanol to remove the saliva. 9. Cut paraffin sections at 4-6 microns. REFERENCES 1. Bancroft J. D. and Stevens A. : Theory and Practice of Histological Techniques, 2nd edition. Churchhill Livingst one, 1982. 2. Kiernan J. A. : Histological and Histochemical Methods: Theory and Practice, Pergamon Press, 1981. 3. Sheehan D. C. and Hrapchak B. B. : Theory and Practice of Histotechnology, 2nd edition, C.V. Mosby Co. , 1980. 4. Shrenk E. : Note from the Biological Stain Commission-a newly certified dye-Alcian blue 8GX. Stain. Tech. 56(3), 129, 1981. ALCIAN BLUE pH 2. 5 SOLUTIONS a. 1% Alcian Blue Solution – pH 2. 5 Alcian Blue 8GX (C. I. 74240)1gm 3% Glacial acetic acid100ml (3 ml. glacial acetic acid to 97 ml. distilled water) Add a crystal of thymol to prevent mold growth. The solution can be filtered and reused. b. Nuclear Fast Red (Kernechtrot) Solution (pg. 19) PROCEDURES (1, 2) 1. Deparaffinize and hydrate slides to distilled water. (See Note 1) 2.Stain in alcian blue solution for 30 minutes. Filter solution back for reuse. (See Note 2) 3. Wash for 2 minutes in running tap water. 4. Rinse in distilled water. 5. Counterstain in nuclear fast red for 3 to 5 minutes. Quic kly transfer slides to distilled water. Filter solution back for reuse. 6. Rinse slides in distilled water. 7. Dehydrate, clear, and mount. If a cloudy haze appears on the side refer to quality control information, #8. COLOR RESULTS Carboxylated and weakly sulfated acid mucins – light blue to medium greenish blue Nuclei-reddish pink.NOTE 1. After step 1, the slides may be placed in a pH 2. 5, 3% aqueous acetic solution for 1 minute, then proceed to step 2. 2. After step 2, the slides can be blotted dry, instead of rinsing in running tap water and distilled water. Continue the procedure with step 5. REFERENCES 1. Lev R. and Spicer S. S. : Specific staining of sulphate groups, with Alcian blue at low pH. J. Histochem. Cytochem. , 12:309, 1964. 2. Sheenhan D. C. and Hrapchak B. B. : Theory and Practice of Histotechnology, 2nd edition. C. V. Mosby Co. , 1980

Difference Between Two Population Means

Here, we describe estimation and hypothesis-testing procedures for the difference between two population means when the samples are dependent. In a case of two dependent samples, two data values—one for each sample—are collected from the same source (or element) and, hence, these are also called paired or matched samples. For example, we may want to make inferences about the mean weight loss for members of a health club after they have gone through an exercise program for a certain period of time.To do so, suppose we select a sample of 15 members of this health club and record their weights before and after the program. In this example, both sets of data are collected from the same 15 persons, once before and once after the program. Thus, although there are two samples, they contain the same 15 persons. This is an example of paired (or dependent or matched) samples. The procedures to make confidence intervals and test hypotheses in the case of paired samples are differe nt from the ones for independent samples.Two samples are said to be paired or matched samples when for each data value collected from one sample there is a corresponding data value collected from the second sample, and both these data values are collected from the same source. As another example of paired samples, suppose an agronomist wants to measure the effect of a new brand of fertilizer on the yield of potatoes. To do so, he selects 10 pieces of land and divides each piece into two portions. Then he randomly assigns one of the two portions from each piece of land to grow potatoes without using fertilizer (or using some other brand of fertilizer).The second portion from each piece of land is used to grow potatoes with the new brand of fertilizer. Thus, he will have 10 pairs of data values. Then, using the procedure to be discussed in this article, he will make inferences about the difference in the mean yields of potatoes with and without the new fertilizer. The question arises, why does the agronomist not choose 10 pieces of land on which to grow potatoes without using the new brand of fertilizer and another 10 pieces of land to grow potatoes by using the new brand of fertilizer?If he does so, the effect of the fertilizer might be confused with the effects due to soil differences at different locations. Thus, he will not be able to isolate the effect of the new brand of fertilizer on the yield of potatoes. Consequently, the results will not be reliable. By choosing 10 pieces of land and then dividing each of them into two portions, the researcher decreases the possibility that the difference in the productivities of different pieces of land affects the results.