Monday, September 30, 2019

Money and its supply

Increasing money in supply can lead to inflation where the general prices of goods and services rise dramatically. This erodes the purchasing power of a currency and the value of other monetary items. Moreover, this may create uncertainty among investors concerning future inflation and this reduces saving and investment. Lastly, inflation makes lending institutions to stop lending or charge high interest rates because of its declining value. Reducing money in circulation so as to curb inflation may lead to price decline of goods and services and consumers would horde out their money hoping that it will increase in value in the future.When consumers stop spending, movement of goods declines making businesses to make losses leading to unemployment. Borrowing becomes prohibitive since businesses are forced to spend more when servicing the debt. Government and stability of its currency The government can maintain a stable currency by ensuring that the monetary policy is effective and eff icient. The exchange rate system should not be controlled and the movement of currency in and out f the country should not be restricted by the government. Both monetary and fiscal policies should be stable so as to ensure that the rate of inflation does fluctuate unnecessarily.This will insulate the legal tender from global economic shocks. The government can use fiscal policies by regulating spending and taxation to increase economic growth during low inflation and high unemployment, and lower it during low unemployment and high inflation (Hanke, 2003). Factors that would undermine a stable currency include regulation of the exchange rate of a currency or the movement of the currency in and out of the country. In addition, increasing money in circulation when economic growth is stagnant would lower the value of the currency and create inflation. Emerging economy and a wealthy countryThe law of comparative advantage argues that, nations can benefit from trade by engaging in trade e ven when one country lacks absolute advantage in producing goods being traded. For example, Mundania and Lalaland are two nations each producing both jackets and sandals. Mundania is efficient and produces 100 jackets and 140 sandal every hour compared to Lalaland who make 80 jackets and 60 sandals per hour. Mundania enjoys absolute advantage in production of both goods. Working 40hrs per week, both countries produce 180 x 40hrs = 7200 units of jackets and 200 x 40 = 8000 unit of sandals.However, if factor cost in production of jackets in mundania is more efficient compared to Lalaland, Mundania would concentrate solely in jacket production. The 40 hours spent in sandals production would enable production of 8000 jackets in Mundania per week. Moreover, Lalaland would concentrate on sandals production and increase production to 8000 per week. Jacket production not only remains stable but increases considerably because of specialization. Country ranking Kenya’s competitiveness has stagnated over the past year and several policies ought to be enacted to improve its performance.It has improved in its capacity to innovate through research and development and collaborating well the institutions of scientific research to those in business field. To enhance competitiveness, I would improve both the education sector and job training skills so as to increase the number of skilled workers. The country’s economy has reformed considerably with a considerable portion being sustained by the financial market due to increased access to loans and development of the stock market. This is in line with the findings of world Economic Forum (2009-2010)This sector needs more support through reduction of bureaucracies and enhancing transparency. Moreover, public institutions have been known to be inefficient as a result of corruption and this need to be addressed urgently. Anti-corruption agency should be established and given power to prosecute corrupt officials. I woul d also uplift the living standard of people by ensuring the health facilities are accessible to all and increase housing sector by seeking international aid to construct affordable houses especially in urban areas to avoid growth of shanties and overcrowding.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 14

â€Å"All right,† Damon said as he and Elena reached Bonnie and Meredith. â€Å"Now comes the hard part.† Meredith looked up at him. â€Å"Now comes†¦?† â€Å"Yes. The really hard part.† Damon had finally unzipped his mysterious black leather bag. â€Å"Look,† he said in a bare murmur, â€Å"this is the actual Gate that we have to get through. And while we're doing it, you can have all the hysterics you want because you're supposed to be captives.† He pulled out a number of pieces of rope. Elena, Meredith, and Bonnie had drawn together in an automatic show of velociraptor sisterhood. â€Å"What,† Meredith said slowly, as if to give Damon the final benefit of some lingering doubt, â€Å"are those ropes for?† Damon put his head to one side in an oh-come-on gesture. â€Å"They're for tying your hands.† â€Å"For what?† Elena was amazed. She had never seen Meredith so obviously angry. She herself couldn't even get a word in. Meredith had walked up and was looking at Damon from a distance of about four inches. And her eyes are gray! some distant part of Elena's mind exclaimed in astonishment. Deep, deep, deep, clear gray gray. All this time I've thought they were brown, but they're not. Meanwhile Damon was looking faintly alarmed at Meredith's expression. A T. rex would have looked alarmed at Meredith's expression, Elena thought. â€Å"And you expect us to walk around with our hands tied up? While you do what?† â€Å"While I act as your master,† Damon said, suddenly rallying with a glorious smile that was gone almost before it was there. â€Å"The three of you are my slaves.† There was a long, long silence. Elena waved the entire pile of objects away with a gesture. â€Å"We won't do that,† she said simply. â€Å"We won't. There has to be some other way – â€Å" â€Å"Do you want to rescue Stefan or not?† Damon demanded suddenly. There was a searing heat in the dark eyes he had fixed on Elena. â€Å"Of course I do!† Elena flashed back, feeling heat in her cheeks. â€Å"But not as a slave, dragged along behind you!† â€Å"That's the only way humans get into the Dark Dimension,† Damon said flatly. â€Å"Tied or chained, as a vampire's or kitsune's or demon's property.† Meredith was shaking her head. â€Å"You never told us – â€Å" â€Å"I told you that you wouldn't like the way in!† Even while answering Meredith, Damon's eyes never left Elena. Underneath his outward coldness, he seemed to be pleading with her to understand, she thought. In the old days, she thought, he'd have just lounged against a wall and raised his eyebrows and said, â€Å"Fine; I didn't want to go anyway. Who's for a picnic?† But Damon did want them to go, Elena realized. He was desperate for them to go. He just didn't know any honest way of conveying that. The only way he knew was to – â€Å"You have to make us a promise, Damon,† she said, looking him directly in the eyes. â€Å"And it has to be before we make the decision to go or not.† She could see the relief in his eyes, even if to the other girls it might seem as if his face was perfectly cold and impassive. She knew he was glad she wasn't saying that her previous decision was final, and that was that. â€Å"What promise?† Damon asked. â€Å"You have to swear – to give your word – that no matter what we decide now or in the Dark Dimension, you won't try to Influence us. You won't put us to sleep by mind control, or nudge us to do what you want. You won't use any vampire tricks on our minds.† Damon wouldn't be Damon if he didn't argue. â€Å"But, look, suppose the time comes when you want me to do that? There are some things there that it might be better for you to sleep through – â€Å" â€Å"Then we'll tell you we've changed our minds, and we'll release you from the promise. You see? There's no downside. You just have to swear.† â€Å"All right,† Damon said, still holding her gaze. â€Å"I swear I won't use any kind of Power on your minds; I won't Influence you in any way, until you ask me to. I give my word.† â€Å"Right.† At last Elena broke the stare down with the tiniest of smiles and nods. And Damon gave her an almost imperceptible nod in return. She turned away to find herself looking into Bonnie's searching brown gaze. â€Å"Elena,† Bonnie whispered, tugging on her arm. â€Å"Come here for a sec, okay?† Elena could hardly help it. Bonnie was strong as a small Welsh pony. Elena went, casting a powerless look over her shoulder at Damon as she did. â€Å"What?† she whispered when Bonnie finally stopped dragging her. Meredith had come along as well, figuring it might be sisterhood business. â€Å"Well?† â€Å"Elena,† Bonnie burst out, as if unable to hold the words back any longer, â€Å"the way you and Damon act – it's different than it used to be. You didn't used to†¦I mean, what really happened between you two when you were alone together?† â€Å"This is hardly the time for that,† Elena hissed. â€Å"We're having a big problem here, in case you hadn't noticed.† â€Å"But – what if – â€Å" Meredith took up the unfinished sentence, pushing a dark lock of hair out of her eyes. â€Å"What if it's something Stefan doesn't like? Like ‘what happened with Damon when you were alone in the motel that night'?† she finished, quoting Bonnie's words. Bonnie's mouth fell open. â€Å"What motel? What night? What happened?† she almost shrieked, causing Meredith to try to quiet her and get bitten for her pains. Elena looked at first one and then the other of her two friends – the two friends who had come to die with her if necessary. She could feel her breath come short. It was so unfair, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Can we just discuss this later?† she suggested, trying to convey with her eyes and eyebrows Damon can hear us! Bonnie merely whispered, â€Å"What motel? What night? What – â€Å" Elena gave up. â€Å"Nothing happened,† she said flatly. â€Å"Meredith is only quoting you, Bonnie. You said those words last night while you were asleep. And maybe sometime in the future you'll tell us what you're talking about, because I don't know.† She finished by looking at Meredith, who just raised one perfect eyebrow. â€Å"You're right,† Meredith said, completely undeceived. â€Å"The English language could use a word like ‘sa.' It would make these conversations so much shorter, for one thing.† Bonnie sighed. â€Å"Well, then, I'll find out for myself,† she said. â€Å"You may not think I can, but I will.† â€Å"Okay, okay, but meanwhile does anyone have anything helpful to say about Damon's rope stuff?† â€Å"Such as, do we tell him where to stuff it?† Meredith suggested under her breath. Bonnie was holding a length of rope. She ran a small, fair-skinned hand over it. â€Å"I don't think this was bought in anger,† she said, her brown eyes unfocusing and her voice taking on the slightly eerie tone it always did when she was in trance. â€Å"I see a boy and a girl, over a counter at a hardware store – and she's laughing, and the boy says, ‘I'll bet you anything that you're going to school next year to be an architect,' and the girl gets all misty-eyed, and says, yes, and – † â€Å"And that's all the psychic spying I care to hear today.† Damon had come right up to them without making a sound. Bonnie jumped violently, and almost dropped the rope. â€Å"Listen,† Damon continued harshly, â€Å"just a hundred meters away is the final crossing. Either you wear these and you act like slaves or you don't get in to help Stefan. Ever. That's it.† Silently, the girls conferred with their eyes. Elena knew that her own expression said clearly that she wasn't asking either Bonnie or Meredith to go with her, but that she herself was going if it required crawling behind Damon on her hands and knees. Meredith, looking directly into Elena's eyes, slowly shut her own and nodded, letting out her breath. Bonnie was nodding her head already, resigned. In silence, Bonnie and Meredith let Elena tie their wrists in front of them. Elena then let Damon tie her wrists and thread a long rope between the three of them, as if they were a chain gang of prisoners. Elena could feel a flush coming up from below her chest to burn in her cheeks. She couldn't meet Damon's eyes, not this way, but she knew without asking that Damon was thinking about the time that Stefan had dismissed him from his apartment like a dog, in front of just this audience, plus Matt. Vengeful cad, Elena thought as hard as she could in Damon's direction. She knew the last word would hurt the most. Damon prided himself on being a gentleman†¦ But â€Å"gentlemen† don't go into the Dark Dimension, Damon's voice in her head said mockingly. â€Å"All right,† Damon added aloud, and took the lead rope in one hand. He started walking briskly into the darkness of the cave, the three girls crowding and stumbling behind him. Elena would never forget that brief journey, and she knew neither Bonnie nor Meredith would either. They walked across the shallow opening of the cave and into the small opening in the back, which gaped like a mouth. It took some maneuvering to get the three of them into it. On the other side the cavern flared out again, and they were in a large cavern. At least that was what Elena's enhanced senses told her. The everlasting fog had returned and Elena had no idea which way they were going. Only a few minutes later a building reared up out of the thick fog. Elena didn't know what she had been expecting from the Demon Gate. Possibly huge ebony doors, carved with serpents and encrusted with jewels. Maybe a rough-hewn, weathered colossus of stone, like the Egyptian pyramids. Perhaps even some sort of futuristic energy field that flickered and flashed with blue-violet lasers. What she saw instead looked like a ramshackle depot of some kind, a place for holding and shipping goods. There was an empty pen, heavily fenced, topped with barbed wire. It stank, and Elena was glad that she and Damon had not channeled power to her nose. Then there were people, men and women in fine clothes, each with a key in one hand, murmuring something before opening a door in one side of the building. The same door – but Elena would bet anything that they weren't all going to the same place, if the keys were like the one she had briefly â€Å"borrowed† from Shinichi's house a week or so ago. One of the ladies looked as if she were dressed for a fancy masquerade, with fox ears that blended into her long auburn hair. It was only when Elena saw under her ankle-length dress the swishing of a fox tail that she realized that the woman was a kitsune making use of the Demon Gate. Damon hastily – and none too gently – led them to the other side of the building, where a broken-hinged door opened into a dilapidated room that, strangely, seemed larger on the inside than on the outside. All sorts of things were being bartered or sold here: many looked as if they had to do with the management of slaves. Elena, Meredith, and Bonnie looked at one another, round-eyed. Obviously, people bringing wild slaves in from the outside considered torture and terror all in a day's work. â€Å"Passage for four,† Damon said briefly to the slump-shouldered but heavyset man behind the counter. â€Å"Three savages all at once?† The man, eyes devouring what he could see of the three girls, turned to look at Damon suspiciously. â€Å"What can I say? My job is also my hobby.† Damon stared him straight in the eyes. â€Å"Yeh, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The man laughed. â€Å"Lately we bin gettin' maybe one or two a month.† â€Å"They're legally mine. No kidnappings. Kneel,† Damon added casually to the three girls. It was Meredith who got it first and sank to the ground like a ballet dancer. Her dark, dark gray eyes were focused on something no one but she could see. Then Elena somehow untangled the single syllable from the others. She focused her mind on Stefan and pretended she was kneeling to kiss him on his prison pallet. It seemed to work; she was down. But Bonnie was up. The most dependent, the softest, the most innocent member of the triumvirate found that her knees had gone solid. â€Å"Redheads, eh?† the man said, eyeing Damon sharply even as he smirked. â€Å"Maybe you'd better buy a little tingler for that one.† â€Å"Maybe,† Damon said tightly. Bonnie just looked at him blankly, looked at the girls on the ground and then threw herself into a prostrate position. Elena could hear her sobbing softly. â€Å"But I've found that a firm voice and a disapproving look actually work better.† The man gave up and slumped again. â€Å"Passage for four,† he grunted and reached up and pulled on a dirty bell rope. By this time Bonnie was weeping in fear and humiliation, but no one seemed to notice, except the other girls. Elena didn't dare to try to comfort her telepathically; that wouldn't fit in with the aura of a â€Å"normal human girl† at all, and who knew what traps or devices might be hidden here in addition to the man who kept undressing them over and over with his eyes? She just wished she could call up one of her Wings attacks, right here in this room. That would wipe the smug look off the man's face. A moment later, something else wiped it off as completely as she could have desired. Damon leaned across the counter and whispered something to him that turned the slumped man's leering face a sickly color of green. Did you hear what he said? Elena communicated this to Meredith using her eyes and eyebrows. Meredith, her own eyes crinkling, positioned her hand in front of Elena's abdomen, then made a twisting, ripping motion. Even Bonnie smiled. Then Damon led them to wait outside the depot. They had only been standing a few minutes when Elena's new vision spotted a boat gliding silently through the mist. She realized that the building must be on the very bank of a river, but even with Power directed solely to her eyes she could barely make out where the nonreflective land gave way to shining water, and even with Power directed solely to her ears she could barely hear the sound of swift deep water running. The boat stopped – somehow. Elena couldn't see any anchor dropped or anything to fasten it to. But the fact was that it did stop, and the slumped man put down a plank, which stayed in place as they boarded: first Damon, and then his bevy of â€Å"slaves.† On board, Elena watched Damon wordlessly offer six pieces of gold to the ferryman – two for each human who presumably wouldn't be coming back, she thought. For a moment she was lost in the memory of being very young – only three or so, she must have been – and sitting on her father's lap while he read to her from a wonderfully illustrated book about the Greek myths. It told about the ferryman, Charon, who took spirits of the deceased over the river Styx to the land of the dead. And her father telling her that the Greeks put coins on the eyes of those who died so they could pay the ferryman†¦. There's no coming back from this journey! she thought suddenly and violently. No escape! They might as well be truly dead†¦. Strangely, it was horror that saved her from this morass of terror. Just as she lifted her head, perhaps to scream, the dim figure of the ferryman turned from his duties briefly as if to look back over the passengers. Elena heard Bonnie's shriek. Meredith, shaking, was frantically and illogically reaching for the bag in which her gun was stowed. Even Damon didn't seem to be able to move. The tall specter in the boat had no face. He had deep depressions where his eyes should be, a shallow hollow for a mouth, and a triangular hole where his nose should have protruded. The uncanny horror of it, on top of the stink from the depot pens, was simply too much for Bonnie, and she slumped sideways, limp against Meredith, in a faint. Elena, in the midst of her terror, had a moment of revelation. In the dim, moist, dripping twilight, she had forgotten to stop trying to use all her senses to their fullest. She was undoubtedly better able to see the inhuman face of the ferryman than, say, Meredith. She could also hear things, like the sounds of long-dead miners tapping at the rock above them, and the scurrying of enormous bats or cockroaches or something, inside the stone walls all around them. But now, Elena suddenly felt warm tears on her icy cheeks as she realized that she had completely underestimated Bonnie for as long as she'd known about her friend's psychic powers. If Bonnie's senses were permanently open to the kinds of horrors Elena was experiencing now, it was no wonder that Bonnie lived in fear. Elena found herself promising to be a hell of a lot more tolerant the next time Bonnie faltered or started screaming. In fact, Bonnie deserved some kind of an award for keeping a grip on sanity this far, Elena decided. But Elena didn't dare do any more than gaze at her friend, who was completely unconscious, and swear to herself that from now on Bonnie would find a champion in Elena Gilbert. That promise and the warmth of it burned like a candle in Elena's mind, a candle she pictured held by Stefan, the light of it dancing in his green eyes and playing over the planes of his face. It was just enough to keep her from losing her own sanity on the rest of the journey. By the time the boat docked – at a place just slightly more traveled than the one where they had embarked – all three of the girls were in a state of exhaustion brought on by prolonged terror and wrenching suspense. But they hadn't really used the time to think over the words â€Å"Dark Dimension† or to imagine the number of ways its darkness might be manifested. â€Å"Our new home,† Damon said grimly. Watching him instead of the landscape, Elena realized from the tension in his neck and shoulders that Damon was not enjoying himself. She'd thought he'd be heading into his own particular paradise, this world of human slaves, and torture for entertainment, whose only rule was self-preservation of the individual ego. Now she realized that she had been wrong. For Damon this was a world of beings with Powers as great or greater than his own. He was going to have to claw out a foothold here among them, just like any urchin on the street – except that he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. They needed to find a way not just to live, but to live in luxury and mingle with high society, if they were to have any chance to rescue Stefan. Stefan – no, she couldn't allow herself the luxury of thinking about him at that time. Once she started she would become undone, begin to demand ridiculous things, like that they go round to the prison, just to stare at it, like a junior high kid with a crush on an older boy, who just wanted to be driven â€Å"by his house† to worship it. And then what would that do to their plans for a jailbreak later? Plan A was: don't make mistakes, and Elena would stick to that until she found a better one. That was how Damon and his â€Å"slaves† came to the Dark Dimension, through the Demon Gate. The smallest one needed to be revived with water in the face before she could get up and walk.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Melanoma

Breakthroughs in medicine are occurring at a more predictable rate in the 21st century. This is due to technology and also the glut of information that is due to decades of research in the area of biology and medicine. Still, there are some medical conditions and illnesses that still puzzle the medical community and the public. One of these is melanoma a type of cancer.This study will look into the basic definition of this sickness. This paper will also address the current status and future standing of the illness and provide information as to what will be the next possible steps in curing the disease and the future of melanoma treatment.MelanomaThis disease is a type of skin cancer but it is not just an ordinary kind of cancerous growth but it is actually, â€Å"†¦the most serious type of skin cancer† (Melanoma.com, 2007). The main cause of melanoma is too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation such as in the case of sun bathers and those who just crave to have that bron ze look and then go lie under intense UV rays courtesy of tanning booths.This type of disease is prevalent because this is a nation of sun worshippers, meaning people in this country just love to bask under the ultraviolet glow of sunlight just to get that much sought after tan. Now, melanoma is on the rise and the faster growing cancer in the United States of America.It is a serious problem not just because of its frequency but also because it is very aggressive. In fact, â€Å"The median survival of patients is generally limited to 6 t 10 months, and it has not been significantly improved since the 1970s† (University of Michigan Health System, 2007).But according to the National Cancer Institute (â€Å"NCI†) this type of cancer can also occur in the eye and is called intraocular or ocular melanoma (NCI, 2007). But the organ of choice – so to speak – for the disease is the human skin which is the largest organ of the human body. It is not only because of the large surface area but more on the fact that melanoma develops first in the skin cell called melanocytes.Melanocytes are skin cells found in the skin that is in charge in the production of melanin. Melanin’s main purpose is to give skin its color and explains why those who live in different environs e.g. too much sun, have a different skin color than those who only receive minimal amounts of sunlight throughout the year.Another major purpose of melanin is to protect deeper layers of the skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet or UV rays. Due to prevalence of the disease in those who love to get deep tan lying motionless in beaches or those frequenting tanning booths there is a consensus that too much exposure to UV light is the major cause of melanoma.When a person spends a considerable amount of time under the sun, melanocytes are worked into a frenzy – they work extra hard to produce melanin. This increased activity when done frequently causes this partic ular cell to suddenly behave abnormally. When this happens, Stage 1 cancer has already occurred. Yet, no one has been able to pinpoint the exact mechanism or the exact chemical process that cause this abnormality. The dermatology research team in the University of Michigan asserts remarked that, â€Å"The identification of the molecular basis of melanoma progression [†¦] are largely unknown† (Soengas, 2007).Current StatusIn the early stages of melanoma, it is highly treatable but there are limited options for those who are already in the advanced stages (Medical News Today, 2007). There are bigger problems when it concerns this illness. Reacting to the aforementioned poor prognosis of those who are in the later stages of the disease, the University of Michigan research team gave the following findings, â€Å"A main contributor to this poor prognosis is an extreme resistance to standard modalities of anticancer treatment, ranging fro immuno, to radiao or chemotherapyâ₠¬  (Soengas, 2007).Future StandingThere are exciting developments though and one could be found in the laboratories of The Wistar Institute, an independent nonprofit biomedical research institution dedicated to discovering the causes and curse for major diseases including cancer. One of their researchers discovered that a substance called peptide exists in approximately 70 percent of melanomas but not in normal cells. Dorothee Herlyn the main proponent of this novel vaccine approach used the peptide to stimulate T cells in the body to attack the melanoma cells. Herlyn found out that a substantial proportion of melanoma patients, about 50 percent have killer T cells responding to the peptide and is very optimistic that in due time this new approach will be able to treat at least one third of all melanoma patients (Medical News Today, 2007).DiscussionAs mentioned earlier there are is still no hard evidence that will point to the exact cause of the disease on the molecular level. So f ar what is ascertain is the fact that too much exposure to UV rays are causing the melanocytes in the skin to grow abnormally and then becomes cancer causing.Prevention of course is better than seeking more expensive and emotionally draining cure especially when it comes to cancer. So experts suggest decreasing the amount of time under the harsh elements of the sun’s rays. Also, there is a serious need to be conscious of protecting one self from ultraviolet rays and this includes sun screen lotions, hats, working under the shade etc.But when cancer has already set in medical professionals are needed on the scene. There are at least four (4) major types of treatment (National Cancer Institute, 2007):Surgery – This includes removing the melanoma or removing cancer cells and some of the normal tissue around it. Lymphadenectomy is also an option wherein the lymph nodes are removed. Skin grafting is also part of this type of treatment.Chemotherapy – Cancer drugs are taken orally or injected into a vein so that it can enter the bloodstream and kill cancer cells. But due to the fact that melanoma is in the skin, basically outside the internal organs of the body this common cancer treatment has to be modified. The technique is called â€Å"hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion† where the flow of blood from the limb is inhibited through the use of tourniquet and thus anticancer drug can be put directly into the blood of the limb.Radiation Therapy – There are two types of radiation therapy – internal and external radiation therapy where the former uses high-energy x-rays while the latter uses radioactive substances sealed in catheters and then placed near the affected areas of the body.Biologic Therapy – This type of therapy finds ways to boos the body’s immune system so that it can fight the disease.There are also new types of treatment being tested in clinical trials. One is the aforementioned radical technique de veloped by Dorothee Herlyn of The Wistar Institute where she was able to coax T killer cells to attack melanoma and what a novel approach indeed.Works CitedMedical News Today. â€Å"Melanoma Research Progress Suggests Optimism for Future Cures.†Available from < http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=45539&nfid=rssfeeds> Accessed [20 April 2007].Melanoma.com. â€Å"What is Melanoma?† Available from Accessed [19 April 2007].Soengas, Maria. â€Å"Molecular Basis of Melanoma Progression and Drug Resistance.† University

Friday, September 27, 2019

Speaking annhiliation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Speaking annhiliation - Assignment Example The writer tests his hypothesis by informing the user about the wars between World War 1 and 1962.He shows that countries moved from contained warfare towards â€Å"total warfare† during this time. It was also the time when chemicals were sprayed on a large scale to kill mosquitoes and lice. The books explain how the US chemical industry and the US military have grown with each other. One example given by the author is of 2 institutes – Chemical Warfare Services and Bureau of Entomology. These two institutes operated in such a way that military helped in the growth of the chemical industry and vice-versa. United States gradually accepted the practice of using chemical toxins such as DDT to control insect populations and along with this as military warfare and chemical industry started sharing common ideology – humans – enemy soldiers were also treated as insects to be completely eliminated without any mercy. With this book the author tries to highlight the environmental consequences of both war as well as chemical used against insects. The very chemicals which were supposed to help humans fight diseases have now become toxic elements which are accumulating inside the food chain and threatening to bring more deadly diseases than the earlier ones. Russell’s books come out with historical reasons as to why mankind was not able to stop the advent of these chemicals in

Thursday, September 26, 2019

CORPORATE LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CORPORATE LAW - Essay Example The total value (including premium) of the new issue will be  £ 6500. The relevant legal position in this regard is as under: The directors of a limited company are able to settle terms of redemptions of shares only when they are empowered by the Articles of association of the company to do so. Otherwise the terms prescribed in the articles are to be followed. Accordingly the process of redemption to be followed by Mirza Plc will depend upon the terms either provided in its Articles of association or settled by the resolution of the board only when articles expressly empower directors to do so. The terms of redemption of shares must be laid down before the issuance of such redeemable shares. In other words Mirza Plc can redeem shares only at a premium when such term existed before issuance of its redeemable shares. Under no circumstances Mirza Plc can settle fresh terms of redemption of shares after issuance of such shares. That is why the law provides that the terms, conditions, and manners of redemption must be stated in the statement of capital required to be filed with registrar. As per provision of the Companies Act, 2006, Mirza Plc may redeem the shares out of undistributed profit. However,it may finance the redemption out of a fresh issue. It appears that Mirza Plc has decided to use both the options. As the required redemption amount is  £ 15000 (including premium) and new issue will fetch only  £ 6500 (including premium), it is clear that Mirza Plc will also be using accumulated profits to pay part of redemption liability. One of the conditions prescribed by the Companies Act, 2006 is that premium on redemption can be paid only when shares were originally issued at premium. Mirza Plc fulfils this condition as redeemable shares were issued at a premium of  £ 2500. The law requires that redemption must be made out of undistributed profits, but proceeds of fresh issue made for redemption can be

Unschooling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unschooling - Essay Example They study at home and learn from their own life experience. Unschooling is rather controversial: from one point of view it can give young people more opportunities to learn from the natural experience, from the other point of view, it can prevent children from receiving normal education. Here I would like to emphasize that home schooling is possible and good but everything depends on parents and their efforts. In the article the author presents the case of the 6-year-old boy who is unschooled. He does not go to school but plays games and goes shopping instead. His mother does not care if he reads textbooks or learn vocabulary. He learned to read from Pokemon cards and to count in the supermarket when choosing what is cheaper and what to buy. The opponents of unschooling are sure that such children may miss important points given in school. But boy’s mother does not think so. She says that her son will get standard education but with the help of soft and unobtrusive approach. For example, when she wants her son to read a textbook, she does not order him to do that. She just leaves the book in the room and one day he starts reading it himself. I consider unschooling to be a very interesting new approach. However much depends on parents. They should assess their efforts and opportunities before making a serious decision to let their child remain

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Vegetarian Diet Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Vegetarian Diet - Term Paper Example Lacto-Ovo vegetarian, on the other hand, is a diet that excludes poultry, meat, and fish, but includes eggs and all dairy products such as milk, butter, yogurt, and cheese. Thirdly, there is Ovo-vegetarian diet, which excludes poultry, meat, fish, and dairy products, and allows poultry products such as eggs. The last type of vegetarian diet is vegan. Vegan diets exclude foods such as eggs, meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy substances as well as all other foods. Most people use the flexitarian type of vegetarian diet, which is also referred to as semi-vegetarian diet. This type of vegetarian diet primarily composes of plant products, although it can contain dairy products, meat, poultry products such as eggs, and seafood such as fish occasionally or sometimes in limited quantities. A healthy vegetarian diet involves serious planning, and of helpful tools to ensure, a healthy diet is food pyramid. A pyramid of vegetarian diet highlights the choices of foods and groups of foods to determine whether certain foods if eaten in the right quantities can be effective. According to most scientific researchers, vegetarian diets seem to contain lower effects of obesity, heart diseases, cancer diseases, and other killer diseases, which are caused by the foods we take (89). This is evidence that vegetarian diets are more healthful than other types of diets. However, for one to ensure that the type of vegetarian diet he or she takes are healthful as well as being nutritionally sound, it is good to plan carefully.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Individual Dreamweaver Lessons Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual Dreamweaver Lessons - Coursework Example Below is the structure of a web page saved as htm or htlm file. We also covered CSS designer. The lecture touches on Live view and Live code that help in giving the exact review of the web page designed and how visually changing the web page developed will affect the code behind the scene. The first lesson also gives an overview how you can create a hyperlink on a web page. The tag â€Å"† was used to create a hyperlink. Use bar to link section of the documents to other pages. For example, In this lesson, creating of a new site took the center stage by defining site setting using Site Setup dialog box. The Servers, Versions as well as advanced setting options used in defining your site. This lecture also declared the DOCTYPE used in HTML5 which is . The lesson also looked at the format of saving the new site created. The file created should have â€Å"html† file format and only special characters such as underscores (_) is used to separate the words. You should save it on one major folder. CSS helps in defining appearance of a web page. You can set background color or link color whichever applicable using CSS. It was important to note that Document Type set to HTML5 is set as Unicode (UTF-8) and that Adobe Photoshop is being used in a tracing image such as JPEG and GIF. We looked at local root folder on how one can copy, select, view or open files from it. It also addresses graphic file types being displayed by web browsers. The graphic files discussed include GIF that condenses color images and used mostly in areas with flat colors like logos. JPEG format is used in inline images. When inserting a logo/image, use the format. You can then set logo/image width and length. Inserting of Photoshop smart objects in an html form was also tackled. Use in group-block elements. When using HTML tables use attributes such as dl, dt, and

Monday, September 23, 2019

An analysis and commentary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

An analysis and commentary - Essay Example The main cause for Scotland splitting ways with Britain is the unfair treatment they have regularly received from the queen, bankruptcy of the nation, and isolation. The number of Scottish people wanting independence in the last 40 years has sharply increased. 40 years ago, the number who proposed was only 25%. This number has risen lately according to recent polls conducted around Scotland to nearly half the electorate. These numbers can only predict that the Scottish people are craving to regain their identity, at least politically. If Scotland votes â€Å"yes,† this would affirm the need and the power of political identities. Scots will have a country of their own. In my opinion, Scotland separating from England will help to realize the identity of Scotland as a nation and seclude itself from the unfair treatment from England. This article is particularly relevant to political identity since the concerns of Scotland are primarily based on political identity. Macintyre, James. â€Å"From Devolution to Independence.† The New York Times, 2012. Web 9 March 2012.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Persuasive Speech Essay Example for Free

Persuasive Speech Essay Persuasive Speech Attention Getter: I would like to start my presentation off by telling you all to ask yourselves a series of fairly straight forward questions. I want you to take a look at you’re, any hand and ask your selves â€Å"Who’s hand is this? † Do the same with your other hand, and now both legs and your arms if you would like. If I am not mistaking the answer to all your questions are mine right. They are your hands, legs, and arms. What I am trying to get through to you all today is that your body is your body and that a person should be able to profit of his or her own body if done in a safe and controlled way. Audience Motivation: By attending this presentation today you will come to realize that some of the laws and effects of prostitution are scoured and misunderstood. You will see that prostitution is not all bad like it is portrayed to be. Speaker Credibility: I have researched and been intrigued of this topic for several years now. While reading numerous books, articles and also speaking with two former prostitutes whom they would like their name to stay anonymous. I feel as though I have gained the knowledge to successfully debate the controversial issue of legalizing prostitution here in America. Thesis Statement: While supporting the legalization of prostitution I will provide you all with accurate and up to date statistical information concerning prostitution and how the anti-prostitution laws are clearly not working. I will give you some benefits on is to why prostitution should be legal, and why we can make prostitution a safe job for males and females. Main Body A. According to an article titled â€Å"The Oldest Profession† Published in 2009 by Prostitute’s Education Network in New York, Arrest figures in 2009 range over 500,000 and over 2 million people in the US have worked as prostitutes. Anti-prostitution laws are not working the frequency of prostitution is not been affected by anti-prostitution laws. For instance over the past decade prostitution has steadily increased by 9%. What anti-prostitution laws have done is merely drive prostitution underground, creating a much more dangerous situation for prostitutes, their customers, and society. Currently most everywhere in the United States, our legal system penalizes prostitutes and their customers for what they do as consenting adults. Money is still spent on law enforcement efforts to catch prostitutes and their customers. Once caught, justice departments have to process these people through very expensive systems. What are the end results? Police personnel and courtrooms are overburdened with these cases, having little or no impact on prostitution. The prostitutes and their customers pay their fines and are back to the streets in no time in a revolving door process. Catch and release may work for recreational fishing but it has no deterring effect on prostitution. Verbal Citation: (Journal Article): â€Å"The Oldest Profession† by James Rupert Published by Prostitute’s Education Network in 2009 B. When reading an article titled â€Å"Legalized Prostitution† published in 2010, by The Liberator in New Jersey, it gave me some great facts on the benefits that would come out of the legalizing of prostitution. If you would think about it making prostitution legal will allow the act to be managed instead of ignored. Pimps and organized crime figures, which regularly treat their workers on subhuman levels, would no longer control women. In some countries, prostitute rings buy and sell women on the black market, force their women to comply through violence and create unhealthy working conditions. When prostitutes operate independently and in secret, many times they become abused by their own customers. Also It is estimated that 100,000 to 3 million teens are nearly invisibly prostituted per year in the United States. If we allow prostitution to remain hidden from view and basically invisible to the law as it is today, we allow a number of teens to be swept up into prostitution every year. When adult women decide to exchange money for sex, it is a personal choice open to them under a free democratic society. When troubled minors who do not yet have the social survival skills decide to prostitute, they are often manipulated by opportunists who exploit these teens, typically leading to horrific ends. Regulated prostitution has many benefits encounters can happen within controlled environments that bring about safety for both the customers and the prostitutes. Prostitutes would no longer be strong-armed by pimps or organized crime rings. Underage prostitution would be significantly cut. Another benefit on the government side is that making prostitution legal would mean that it is a business and as such is subject to taxation and government regulation. During recent stories a girl who called herself a hofessional and said that she made half a million dollars last year doing something that she enjoyed. She said that she plans to retire at age 30 as a millionaire and then get married and have a family. Taxes on several girls with that kind of income would make quite a bit of revenue plus from all the pimps and other related businesses not to be forgotten and this money can easily go to helping the economy. Verbal Citation: (journal Article) by Patrick Hatcher published, by The Liberator in 2010 C. Lastly after speaking with the two former prostitutes who shall remain unnamed they brought to my attention that legalizing prostitution it would provide a healthier living place. This is why; the health of the girls would be monitored weekly if it was legalized. There are about 30 legal brothels operating in Nevada at the moment, and the girls and guys in them are all checked for Sexually Transmitted Diseases and many other things such as cervical cancer, uterine cancer, and breast cancer several times a month. If the girls are healthy and disease free then that means the customers wont be passing around any problems to other partners. With all the disease and other medical problems being brought in by all these illegal immigrants, legalizing and monitoring the prostitutes would help eliminate at least one source of disease. Conclusion: While advocating for the legalization of prostitution, I have brought forth to you strong statistical facts showing that anti-prostitution laws are not cutting it, benefits that prostitution will provide, and how we can make prostitution a safe occupation. Thank you.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Industrialised Building System for Malaysia Public Housing

Industrialised Building System for Malaysia Public Housing The Malaysia construction industry plays an important role in generating wealth to the country and development of social and economic infrastructures and building. The industry provides job opportunities for 800,000 people which represented 8% of total workforce (CIMP, 2006). The construction industry is one of the productive sectors that constantly contribute to the economy. According to CIDB (2003), the IBS is a construction technique in which components are manufactured in a controlled environment (on or off site), transported, positioned and assembled into a structure with minimal additional site works. IBS is not new to the construction industry in Malaysia. Only it has now remerged worldwide into the 21st century as a reasonable solution to improve overall construction image and performance. The Malaysia government has spared no effort to bring IBS to the drawing tables of all professionals involved in the built environment. Based on the IBS Roadmap (2003), the IBS Roadmap 2003-2010 has been endorsed by the Cabinet of Ministers to be the blueprint document for the industrialisation of the Malaysia construction sector. This is because under the Seventh Malaysia Plan (1996-2000) the Government of Malaysia for the first time to introduced the Low Medium Cost Housing category (the previously it was classified together with medium cost housing category) due to the always increasing demand for housing in this category. In additional, it is to ensure that the middle low income group with salary ranging from RM1,501.00 to RM2,500.00 per month and able to own a house. However, the pricing of low medium cost housing are around RM42,001.00 to RM60,000.00 per unit only. Using IBS in this types of housing project are more suitable because high volume and stability of demand for buildings is the advantages of using IBS. Besides that, it will also reduce the selling price of low medium cost housing. The IBS is a manufactured the building components at factories (off site manufacture), will enable cost saving; safety and health; productivity and quality improvement through the reduction of labour intensity and construction standardisation. Apart from this method, it also offers minimal site wastage, less site materials, cleaner and neater environment, controlled quality, and lower total construction costs. Using higher percentage of IBS in the construction of public housing and other building projects will provide better productivity, quality, and safety, especially for the total construction time saving and cost saving. IBS will contribute towards a better construction industry, as well as improve the global competitiveness of Malaysian builders. Nowadays, IBS in Malaysia become more popularity in the construction industry especially for the Government project. An early effort by the Government of Malaysia to promote usage of IBS and develop an Open Building system (OBS) concept as an alternative to conventional and labour intensive construction method has yet to make headway. According to Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed, the prefabricated parts will be used in all Government projects in a proposal to reduce the dependence on foreign workers. Besides that, it wills also reducing inherent social problems involving these foreign workers. The use of prefabricated parts was part of the IBS which would be adopted for all Government projects. The Government of Malaysia has ordered all government agencies carrying out development and peoples housing projects to use at least 70% IBS content in those projects. Aim A study into using IBS in the public housing in Malaysia and the popularity apply in the construction. Objectives To study the history of IBS in public housing. To study the classification of various types of IBS and apply to public housing. To identify the benefits and barriers of the IBS in public housing. To identify as a potential method to improve overall construction performance. To identify as a popularity for public housing. Hypothesis Apply IBS into public housing will be one of the better construction methods to construct the building. For the future, the IBS will become more and more popularity for construction industry in Malaysia. For the construction cost, time and quality, IBS will be the better one to control all the construction cost, to speed up the construction times and to provide high quality of components. Background Since early 1960s, IBS has been introduced in Malaysia by the use of precast concrete beam-column element and panelized system (Thanoon, 2003). Nearly, 22.7 acres of land along Jalan Pekeliling was dedicated to the project comprising seven blocks of 17-storey flats (about 3,000 units of low-cost flat and 40 shop lots). These first pilot projects are using the Danish System of large panels in a prefabricated system. The second pilot project is a six block of 17-storey flats and three blocks of 18-storey flats at Jalan Rifle Range and using French Estoit System. Apply the IBS in the construction industry will improve overall construction performance such as standardization, total quality improvement, reduce defect, waste reduction, cost saving and etc. But nothing in this world is perfect, so some barriers of using IBS in the construction industry will be the poor knowledge of install IBS, lack of guidance, lack of professional trained in IBS and etc. Based on IBS Roadmap (2003), IBS Roadmap 2003-2010 was developed and published to steer the direction of IBS implementation and promotion activities and guide the practitioners and policy makers on IBS related issues. Scope and limitation of study This paper shall identify the common types of IBS in the construction industry and apply into public housing in order to determine their impact on construction projects and popularity for the public housing. This study is part of the ongoing research appraising and analyzing how we use the IBS in construction and how many percentage of IBS are using in the construction project. Therefore, this study will include the following areas: Definition of IBS in public housing. The history of the IBS for public housing in Malaysia. Classification of IBS in Malaysia. Various types of IBS in construction industry and which one is more useful for public housing. The advantages and disadvantages of using IBS for public housing. The selling price and the popularity using IBS for public housing to the contractor. Research Methodology Literature Review In the beginning, literature review was conducted to determine an overall idea regarding IBS for public housing. This refers to collecting the latest secondary data and information from different sources which including books, journals, magazines, dissertations, conference papers, and information from the internet. These materials were used for background reading to obtain full understanding and information needed for discussion and analysis in the research. Questionnaires A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. The questions will centre on the KL areas mentioned in the above objectives. A multi-option format will be designed and limited to about 30 questions, in order to obtain a high level of response. Project Plan and Schedule Chapter 1 : Introduction This chapter will include the project title, rationale of the study, scope and limitation of study, research goals and methodology. In addition, aims, objective and hypothesis of the study are included under the research goals. Chapter 2: Literature Review This chapter will display the definition of IBS, history of IBS for public housing, classification of IBS in Malaysia, and benefits and barriers of using IBS in construction project for public housing and this literature review will base on the dissertation objectives. Chapter 3: Research Methodology This chapter will discuss on the technique for data collection to achieve the dissertations aim and objective. Besides, it also includes the research sample and method of analysis for the feedback obtained from the respondents. Chapter 4: Data Analysis This chapter wills surveys and analysisÂÂ  the data collectionÂÂ  from the contractor, consultant and developer of people about their opinions, behaviour or knowledge. Chapter 5: Conclusion The conclusion will include summary on the dissertation from chapter 1 to chapter 4 together all the research result to present the overall findings and make appropriate recommendations. References CIDB, 2003. IBS Roadmap 2003-2010. Malaysia: CIDB. CIDB, 2003. National IBS Survey, 2003. Malaysia: CIDB. Kamar, K.A.M.,Alshawi,M. And Hamid,Z.,(2009). Barriers to Industrialised Building System (IBS): The Case of Malaysia. [pdf] United Kingdom: IPGRC. Available at: http://www.cream.com.my/publications/whitepapers/Abstract111.pdf. [Accessed 15 May2010] Mohd Rofdzi Abdullah, Kamarul Anuar Mohd Kamar, Mohd Nasrun Mohd Nawi, Ahmad Tarmizi Haron, Mohammed Arif, (2009). Industrialised Building System: A Definition and Concept. [pdf] United Kingdom: ARCOM. Available at: http://www.cream.com.my/publications/whitepapers/Arcom.pdf. [Accessed 05 May 2010] CHAPTER 2:Â  LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction This chapter will explain in details and provide the literature review of Industrialised Building System (IBS). Besides that, it will also cover the literature review of building system. Usually, the contents of this chapter are including definitions of IBS, history of IBS in public housing, classification of IBS, types of IBS, characteristic of IBS, benefits and barriers of using IBS in public housing, IBS Roadmap 2003-2010 and IBS scoring system. 2.1 Definitions of IBS Until the present time there has been no single commonly-approved definition of IBS. IBS can be different industry players to define different things. However, there are difference resources to define the several definitions that reflected the concept of IBS and which widely accepted by the construction industry. According to CIDB Malaysia (2001) defines IBS as a construction technique in which components are manufactured in a controlled environment (on or off site), transported, positioned and assembled into a structure with minimal additional site works. As such, components that are being prefabricated in a controlled environment on site are also considered as IBS. While there are numerous descriptions of the IBS concept by local researchers, all of the definitions stressed on prefabrication and mass production. In other definition by Warswaski (1999), the IBS can be defined in which all building are mass produced such as walls, slabs, beams, columns and staircases either in factory or at site factory under strict quality control and minimal wet site activities. Industrialisation process is an investment in equipment, facilities and technology with the purpose of maximising production output, minimizing labour requirement and improving total quality while a building system is defined as a set of interconnected element that joint together to enable the designated performance of a building. Based on Lessing et al (2005) explained IBS as an integrated manufacturing and construction process with well planned organization for efficient management, preparation and control over resources used, activities and results supported by the used of highly developed components. Rahman Omar (2006) defined IBS as a construction system that is built using prefabricated components. The manufacturing of the components is systematically done using machine, formworks and other forms of mechanical equipment. The components are manufactured offsite and once completed will be delivered to construction sites for assembly and erection. Chung Kadir (2007) defined IBS as a mass production of building components either in factory or at site according to the specification with standard shape and dimensions and transport to the construction site to be re-arranged with certain standard to form a building. 2.2 History of IBS in Public Housing IBS in Malaysia has began in early 1960s, according to Thanoon et al (2003) when Ministry of Housing and Local Government of Malaysia visited several European countries, at the same time evaluates their housing development program. In the year 1964 and after their successful visit, the Government had launched pilot project on using IBS to increase the delivery time and to construct better quality and affordable houses. The first pilot project was constructed at Jalan Pekeliling in Kuala Lumpur and about 22.7 acres of land was dedicated to the project comprising four blocks of 4-storey flats and seven blocks of 17-storey flats and comprising total about 3,000 units of low cost flats for the low and median income group and 40 units of shop lots. This housing project was undertaken by Gammon/ Larsen Nielsen and this project are using the Danish System of large panels in a industrialised prefabricated system. According to Thanoon et al (2003), the construction for housing project was complete from 1966 until 1968 (around total 27 months) speed up the time taken in the construction of the around RM 2.5 million casting yard at Jalan Damansara. In 1965, the Government of Malaysia launched a second project, is a three blocks of 18-storey flats and six blocks of 17-storey flats and comprising total about 3,699 units and 66 units of shop lots along at Jalan Rifle Range in Penang. The housing project was honoured by Hochtief/ Chee Seng and this project are using French Estoit System (Din, 1984). This housing project was complete within 27 months. If we are mention to the two pilot projects, a performance comparison between the IBS and the conventional system has been carried in terms of cost, productivity, quality, and time. According to the research, the first pilot project incurred 8.1% higher costs than a similar building such as using conventional construction method, while the second pilot project was lower. In term of total construction speed, both of the housing project required total 27 months to complete the whole project, inclusive of time required to set up the recasting factories. The total quality of building finishes was also found to be better than the using conventional construction method. Another earliest using IBS in public housing project was at Taman Tun Sardon in Penang. These using IBS in public housing project total all about 1,000 units of 5-storey walk up flat and this project are using IBS precast component and system. The IBS precast component and system in the housing project was designed to the low cost housing by British Research Establishment and especially for the low and median income group. According to the research of Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) 2006, almost at the same time at Edmonton in North London, there are using similar system was constructed and total amount about 20,000 BRECAST dwellings were constructed throughout UK from 1964 until 1974. Based on Rahman and Omar (2006), the total all building design was very basic and quite simple and not considering the feature of serviceability such as the local or user needs to have wet toilet and bathroom. According to the CIDB (2006), many constructions in the following years using precast wall panel system. Low cost high rise residential building is one of the processes to survey that IBS was connect at first place in the construction to overcome the increasing demand for housing needs. For all that, in the earlier stage was never sustained for the industrialisation of construction. Failure of early closed fabricated system made the industry afraid of changing their construction method. The information was based on the CIDB (2005), using IBS in construction were also found not be so suitable with Malaysia climate and social practices especially for the foreign systems that were introduced during the late 60s and 70s. Introduced than in the construction market were constantly being newer and better technologies. Based on CIDB (2005), identified to be suitable to be used in our tropical climate is the wet joint systems and it was also better to using in the bathroom types which were comparatively wetter than those in the Europe. Another about 1200 units of housing using prefabrication technology were is launched by the Penang State Government in 1978. After two years later, the Ministry of Defense to be build around 2800 units of living quarters and adopted large prefabricated panel construction system in Lumut Naval Base (Trikha and Ali, 2004). Enhance the using of precast concrete system in high rise residential building during the 90s; this is because total demand for the new township has seen to increase. According to the research, Perbadaan Kemajuan Negari Selangor (PKNS) as a state Government development agency acquired precast concrete technology from Praton Haus International based on Germany to build low cost housing and high cost bungalows between 1981 and 1993 for the new townships in Selangor (Hassim et al, 2009 and National IBS Survey, 2003). It was recorded then; total around 52,000 housing units was constructed and using Praton Haus system. In Malaysian construction industry, using IBS as a method of construction is evolving. Nowadays, more local manufacturers have established themselves in the market. Many had acquired enough knowledge through technology transfer to build up own capacity in IBS technologies and this research are base on PKNS Engineering, and Setia Precast and Global Globe. The current stage of IBS used in Malaysia housing projects can be classified into four categories. It was reported that at least 21 manufactures and suppliers of IBS are actively promoting their systems in Malaysia. IBS move to the next step of the development through the establishment of IBS Centre at Jalan Chan Sow Lin, Cheras in Kuala Lumpur. Using IBS in the construction will improve the total performance and quality of construction, as well as to minimize the unskilled foreign labour in the construction industry. 2.3 Classification of Building System There are four types of building system currently available in Malaysias building system classification and this are according to Badir Razali (1998). The building system can be namely as a Conventional Column-beam- slab frame system with timber and plywood; Cast in-situ system with steel or aluminium as formwork; the Composite building system and Prefabricated system and this four types of building system is shown as below. Each building system is represented by its respective construction method which is further characterised by its construction technology, functional and geometrical configuration. There from the four systems, are identified as IBS excluding conventional building system. Building System Conventional Column-beam- slab frame system with timber and plywood. Cast in-situ system with steel or aluminium as formwork. Composite building system Prefabricated system Table Form Tunnel Form Panel system Frame system Box system Flow Chart 1: Type of building system in Malaysia. 2.3.1 Conventional Construction Method Conventional construction method is defined as components of the building that are prefabricated on site through the processes of timber or plywood formwork installation, steel reinforcement, and cast in-situ. This construction method is mostly built of reinforced concrete frames for conventional building. Using the wooden formwork mainly is for the traditional construction method and need take some time to construct the formwork before concreting. This construction method is much more costly for construction which is need includes total labour requirement, raw material, transportation and very importance once is low speed of construction. 2.3.2 Cast In-Situ Construction Method This cast in-situ construction method is more suitable for a country where the unskilled labour is limited. There construction method is not a using heavy machinery or high technology involved. The system is technically and applicable to almost all types of building design. The formwork is used as a mould where wet concrete is poured into a temporary system and the temporary system also acts as a temporary support for the structures. The main objective of a cast in-situ construction method is to weed out and reduce the using traditional timber formwork, brickwork, and plastering. A carefully planned in-situ work can maximise the productivity, speed and accuracy of prefabricated construction. Cast in-situ method uses lightweight prefabricated formwork made of steel or fibreglass or aluminium that is easily erected and dismantled. The steel reinforcement is placed within the formwork after finishes construct the formwork. After placing the reinforcement they are being erected and concrete is poured into the mould. When the concrete is set and according to the required strength, the moulds are dismantled. The workers can be easily trained to erect the moulds and set the steel reinforcement. These construction methods are required limited labour and it will reduce the total labour need. Its advantages over the conventional construction method include, low skill workers requirement, speedy construction, low building m aintenance, durable structure and less construction cost. 2.3.3 Composite Construction Method The main objectives of composite construction method or call partially prefabricated are to improve quality of components, reduce construction cost, and shorten total all construction time. It is used to describe a manufacturing or production strategy that selectively uses some industrialising aspects, while avoiding or postponing the use of others. The concept of composite construction method is derived from the composite nature of full industrialisation. The prefabricated construction method is combined in such a manner that the features applied could be prominently demonstrated, especially composing various works such as temporary facilities, building frames, building finishes, and equipments. 2.3.4 Prefabricated Construction Method In this prefabricated construction method, all structural elements can be standardised are prefabricated in the factory. Usually, this construction method would absorb the assembly of precast elements such as floor slabs, in-filled walls, bathrooms, and staircases into place for incorporation into the main units, columns and beams. This construction method will increase the productivity of the industry and it will reduce the amount of site labour involved in building operations. Precast building systems can reduce the time of a project if certain conditions are met. The last three construction methods (from the flow chart 1) are considered as a non conventional construction methods. These three types of construction method are specifically aimed at increasing performance of construction. Through using the better construction machinery, equipment, technology and materials and it will increase the productivity and total quality of work. 2.4 Classification of IBS According to Badir et al. (1998), IBS can be classified according to several aspects:- Classification according to structural system. Classification according to material. Classification according to relative weight of components. 2.4.1 Classification According to Structural System According to Abraham Warszawski (1999), IBS can be classified according structural systematic aspects. The IBS can be classifies into three categories such as:- Frame System. Panel system. Boxes system. Figure 1, 2, and 3 below as shows the concept of the system as classified above. 2.4.1.1 Frame System According to Badir (1998), linear and frame system is system that use main structure such as column and beam where columns and beams support all the building weight. The walls need to be light and easy to install and concrete panels are introduces as flooring element. 2.4.1.2 Panel System According to Badir (1998), in the panel system, loads are distributed through large floor and wall panels where walls support the building weight. This system is applicable to buildings which functionally require a large number of walls such as apartment house, hotel and hospital. This system is not applicable to buildings with large spans or many stories. So, this panel system is more suitable to build the public housing in the certain high storey. 2.4.1.3 Box System According to Badir (1998), the rectangular or three dimensional systems or boxes system include those systems that employ three dimensional modules or boxes for fabrication of habitable units that is capable of withstanding load from various directions due to their internal stability. 2.4.2 Classification According to Material 2.4.2.1 Timber The timber have a two types of prefabrication which is ready-cut plus shop fabrication of joints this mostly for the columns and beams and another is structural panels where there are only for walls and floors without columns and beams. 2.4.2.2 Brick and Block work Laying of brick or block work are carried out in a mass at factory and transported to site or on site construction. Besides the, building are under construction in the form of panel and then erected. 2.4.2.3 Steel Steel construction essentially contains factors of prefabrication which is one of the criteria of IBS. Elements are jointed by welding, riveting or bolting on site. The large proportion of the strength to the weight allows a long-span or high-rise building. 2.4.2.4 Reinforced Concrete There are two basic directions in development of reinforced concrete IBS component which is panelised components such as walls and floors and precast frame members such as columns and beams. The characteristic of reinforced concrete has high degree of availability, low material cost, durability, and fire resistance. Jointing at site is the key issue of this system. 2.4.3 Classification According to Relative Weight of Component The IBS components can be classified according to their relative weight as show in Table 1 below. Relative to weight of components should be used as a basic for building classification due to the factor of weight has significant impact on the transportability of components and has influence on the production method of the components and their erection method on site. No General System System Production Material 1 Frame System Light weight frame Wood, light gage metals Medium light weight frame Metal, reinforced plastics, laminated wood Heavy weight frame Heavy steel, concrete 2 Panel system Light and medium weight panel Wood frame, metal frame and composite material Heavy weight panel (factory produced) Concrete Heavy weight panel (tilt up-produced on site) Concrete 3 Box system (modules) Medium weight box (mobile) Wood frame, light gage metal, composite Medium weight box (sectional) Wood frame, light gage metal, composite Heavy weight box (factory produced) Concrete Heavy box (tunnel produced on site) Concrete Table 1: Building system classification according to relative weight of component. (Majzub, 1977) 2.5 Types of IBS and Apply to Public Housing According to CIDB (2003), the IBS is a construction process that using techniques, products, components, or building system which involve prefabricated components and on-site installation. Base on the structure aspects of the system, IBS can be identified into five major groups such as:- Precast Concrete Framing, Panel and Box Systems Precast concrete elements are the most common type in this area. There are precast concrete for columns, beams, slabs, walls, lightweight precast concrete, and permanent concrete formwork. This all item are consider using precast method. Besides that, it is also consist of 3D components such as balconies, staircases, toilets, lift chamber, refuse chambers and etc. This precast method is more famous for the construction industry, especially for the public housing when construct using the IBS. Using this method can saving the total construction time if compare to the conventional method. Steel Formwork Systems This is the system formwork which designed by manufacturer to replace a conventional timber formwork. It can be described as a mould which the wet concrete can be poured into the mould and form the required shape. These steel formworks systems are subjected to structural quality control and generally involve site casting. So, this type of IBS method is considered as the low level or least prefabrication in the construction industry. However, this steel formwork systems does offer fast construction and construction time saving and at the same time will provide high quality of finishes with less site labour and material requirement. These steel formwork systems will include table forms, tunnel forms, tilt-up systems, beam and columns moulding forms and permanent steel formworks like metal decks and etc. This steel formwork system also one of the famous system used by the contractor during the construction. Steel Framing Systems These steel framing systems have always been the popular choice and used extensively in the fast track construction projects and this system commonly used with precast concrete slabs, steel columns and beams. Current stage of development in this type of IBS includes the increased usage of light steel trusses. It is consisting of cost-effective profiled cold-formed channels and steel portal frame systems as alternatives to the heavier traditional hot-rolled sections. Nowadays, this method is more useful for the housing project, especially for the steel roof trusses (show as below figure 6). This is because the timber roof trusses need the labour to take some time to construct it and lastly need the anti-termite for the timber roof trusses. Prefabricated Timber Framing Systems These prefabricated timber framing systems is using the timber in the construction industry for construct the building. Usually the timber framing system are consists of timber building frames and timber roof trusses (show as below figure 7). While the steel framing systems have been the more popular choice on construction industry, but the timber roof truss system also have its own market where it is offering interesting designs from simple dwelling units to buildings requiring high aesthetical values such as chalets for resorts. This prefabricated timber framing system we can see in the traditional building. Block Work Systems By using this effective alternative system, the tedious and time-consuming traditional brick laying tasks are greatly simplified. The construction method of using conventional bricks has been revolutionize

Friday, September 20, 2019

the boy :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"You all tried your best,† Coach Stevenson said to the group of boys. I was sitting in the back not even listening to him. I was staring at the thick stack of envelopes in his hand. â€Å"Do not open the envelope until you get in your car!† Finally he passed them back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Gobel, Giles, Hepp, Hegg, Hicks†. I snatched it out of his hand. I could feel that it was still warm. I started to walk towards the door, witch seemed like a mile away. I could barley walk the anticipation was so bad. I rounded the corner thinking how hard I had tried in practice. Then I turned another corner thinking how bad I wanted that place on the team.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I was just about to the skills for living room when my hand acted without asking my brain first. I thrust my finger into the envelope, shedding the paper like a six year-old boy on Christmas mourning. You could hear the paper tare apart. Still walking like a mad man I wiped out the envelope, it read†¦.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Cha-ching,† the sound effects played in my head. Congratulations! From the first word on I knew the results. I made the team.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I walked out the door and saw my mom sitting in her car. She had that look on her face. She did not want to have to tell me, â€Å"its ok maybe next year.† She didn’t have to. I smiled wider than my ears. My mom knew what the paper said before I got in the car.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I pulled out the sheet and looked at the schedule. â€Å" Practice 5 days a week!† Maybe I wouldn’t have been so bad to be cut.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"You all tried your best,† Coach Stevenson said to the group of boys. I was sitting in the back not even listening to him. I was staring at the thick stack of envelopes in his hand. â€Å"Do not open the envelope until you get in your car!† Finally he passed them back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Gobel, Giles, Hepp, Hegg, Hicks†. I snatched it out of his hand. I could feel that it was still warm. I started to walk towards the door, witch seemed like a mile away. I could barley walk the anticipation was so bad. I rounded the corner thinking how hard I had tried in practice. Then I turned another corner thinking how bad I wanted that place on the team.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I was just about to the skills for living room when my hand acted without asking my brain first.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Intellectual Property and the Future of the Music Industry Essay

Corruption, Conscience, and Copyright: The Current State of Intellectual Property and the Future of the Music Industry â€Å"Today’s pirates operate not on the high seas but on the Internet, in illegal CD factories, distribution centers, and on the street. The pirate’s credo is still the same--why pay for it when it’s so easy to steal? The credo is as wrong as it ever was. Stealing is still illegal, unethical, and all too frequent in today’s digital age. That is why RIAA [Recording Industry Association of America] continues to fight music piracy.† – RIAA.com The human conscience is a powerful tool. And if you are like most Americans, you probably consider yourself to be a rather moral person, at least based upon your own morality, your own conscience. Chances are, however, that you have engaged in some form of illegal activity during your life: speeding down a familiar road, jaywalking across an empty street, driving with a broken blinker. Assuming you consider yourself to be of high moral stature, how does your conscience reconcile this? The answer: the unlawful does not always imply the unethical, and that which is illegal is not necessarily immoral. Since the digital revolution in the 1990’s, the downloading of copyrighted music has skyrocketed. The Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA, has denounced music piracy, claiming that it is both illegal and immoral. And they drive a hard bargain, arguing the following: 1. Downloading music is against the law. 2. Downloading music betrays the songwriters and recording artists who create it. 3. Downloading music stifles the careers of new artists and up-and-coming bands. 4. Downloading music threatens the livelihood of the thousands of working people who are em... ...ec_39_00000201----000-.html Blackburn, David. On-line Piracy and Recorded Music Sales. Dec. 2004. http://www.katallaxi.se/grejer/blackburn/blackburn_fs.pdf CD Baby. Who/What are we? http://cdbaby.com/about Holahan, Catherine. Downloading Music’s New Deal. Business Week Online. Oct. 31, 2006. p8-8, 1p. Leach, Eric and Henslee, Bill. Follow the Money: Who's Really Making the Dough? Nov. 1, 2001. http://emusician.com/mag/emusic_follow_money_whos/index.html Lessig, Lawrence. The Limits of Copyright. June 19, 2000. http://www.lessig.org/content/standard/0,1902,16071,00.html McCourt, Tom, and Burkart, Patrick. When Creators, Corporations and Consumers Collide: Napster and the Development of On-line Music Distribution. 2003. Sage Publications. Music United. Why You Shouldn't Do It. http://www.musicunited.org/4_shouldntdoit.html

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Truth About Platonic Friendships :: Platonic Love and Friendship

The researcher's qualitative research consisted of speaking with platonic friends of the opposite sex in casual random settings. The qualitative research was completely random using friends by chance that had no idea of the experiment. In doing so the researcher realizes that it is unethical, but figured it was the only way to find the real answers to his problem. During the conversation the researcher at one point or another came to ask the same four questions to all of the subjects involved in the experiment. The four questions were as follows: 1) we are strictly platonic friends, right? 2) Why are you my friend? 3) Have you ever wanted to be more than friends? 4) Is it a possibility for us to be more than friends? The "so called" platonic friends names will all remain confidential in order to keep their business private. To this point there have been ten random friends that have partaken in the qualitative study. In most of the studies the answers stayed consistent. To question number one all ten subjects agreed that "Yes we are platonic friends." For question number two, all sorts of answers were recorded. Most stayed along the line of conventional reasons for being a friend. Some mentioned reasons such as cute, funny, easy to talk to and popular. Three of the ten did however mention that they in fact didn't want to be friends when we first met. They stated they were looking for ore from the beginning it just didn't happen. Question number three an astonishing seven out of ten platonic friends noted they at one point of another did want to be ore than friends. One individual went as far as to say that they quit being my friend due to the fact that she found out that I was involved with another girl. In question four again another seven out of ten friends agreed that something more could become of our friendship. Two mentioned that they had hoped that it would have already happened. Most that replied yes to question number four either looked puzzled of asked if I was still involved with my girlfriend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In one example for the researcher was left stunned. For privacy sake we will call the subject by the fake name of molly. In the platonic informal interview with Molly the researchers exact problem was proven just the way predicted.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Thorn Queen Chapter Ten

I set out to Dorian with a sense of foreboding, made worse by the fact that I wore a skirt with a slit all the way up to my hip. Both Shaya and Nia had wanted me to go see him in a dress, arguing it befitted my station and would endear me to Dorian. I'd argued that I wouldn't be able to ride in a dress, and this slit thing had been their solution. And like always, I had a handful of guards in tow. Their constant presence still continued to make me feel like a child. In this case, a kind of slutty child. In keeping with the Otherworld's bizarre geography, we passed through another village. My visit was brief, just long enough to see how they were doing. Their situation wasn't too different from Westoria's, though they had a woman who was pretty adept at finding water sources. Her technique, the way she wove magic, was more skilled than mine, though she didn't possess my strength. After observing her, I mimicked what she did and managed to find a spot ripe for well-digging. The dress kept me from getting out there and shoveling along with them, but it didn't matter. I left regarded as a savior yet again. Reaching Dorian's took less time than it had taken to get to Maiwenn's. Unlike that journey, much of our trip today passed primarily through my own land, with no respite in one of the more temperate kingdoms. The heat beat down on us, and I sweated profusely into the violet silk of my dress. I would have given anything for a breeze, anything to stir that stagnant air. My own Tucson was often windy; I didn't get why the Otherworldly version wasn't. My father had been able to control all things connected with storms: water, air, charged particles, temperature, et cetera. So far, I only had a hold of water, but every once in a while I could feel the air with the same senses that could touch and control water. Reaching out now, I had that same experience: I could sense the air. It hummed to me. It called. But when I called back, nothing happened. Over and over I tried, attempting the same technique I used with water, urging it to bend and stir and cool me off. Nothing. I finally gave up when Dorian's castle came into sight. It was stone like mine and somehow managed to be both imposing and graceful. Where once I had been greeted with hostility and suspicion, I was now welcomed with respect and a fair amount of groveling. And, yeah, some wariness too. My guards were led away, and Dorian's servants fell all over me, offering me any refreshment I wanted. I declined. I simply wanted to get these negotiations done with. A servant led me to an opulently decorated chamber and announced me, titles and all. Dorian sat there, casual in a long-sleeved, cream-colored shirt, leaning over a chess board. An old man with a beard that went all the way to the floor sat opposite him. Dorian's green-gold eyes lifted at my name, and he broke out into a dazzling smile. Honestly. The man was too good-looking sometimes, and he knew it. A moment later, Dorian turned a disapproving glance toward his chess partner. â€Å"By the gods, Kasper. Have you no manners at all? The Thorn Queen is here. Show some respect before I have you flogged.† I started to protest as the old man rose. The hunched-over posture he'd held in the chair appeared to be permanent, and it took him forever to actually get up. He managed something that passed for a bow-really, it was hard to tell the difference between that and his normal stance-and gave me a grave â€Å"Your majesty.† And as the old man's back was to the board, Dorian leaned over and moved some of the pieces around. I opened my mouth, more in shock than to make any sort of protest. Dorian raised one finger to his lips in a shushing motion. I swallowed my comments and smiled at Kasper. â€Å"Thank you. Please sit down again.† â€Å"And you, my dear,† said Dorian. â€Å"Come join us.† The servant who'd led me in hastily pulled a velvet-cushioned chair over to the chess table. I thanked him and sat down, crossing my legs out of habit. When I saw half the skirt spill over and reveal nearly the whole length of my leg, I hastily uncrossed them. Dorian saw the leg, of course. He always saw everything. Kasper's eyes, underneath his bushy gray brows, were fixed on the board. He made a play, capturing one of Dorian's pieces. Dorian frowned briefly, then put his smile back on as he turned to me. â€Å"You are radiant as always,† he said. â€Å"That dress is particularly lovely. Kasper, look at her. Do you see the way that shade matches her eyes?† Kasper looked like he wanted to study the board, but he turned to me obediently and gave a quick bob of the head. â€Å"Yes, your majesty. Most becoming.† Dorian quickly swapped a few more pieces and then put on a look of deep pondering when Kasper turned back around. With a sigh, Dorian moved his bishop. â€Å"Not my greatest play, but it'll have to do.† He seized one of Kasper's pieces. The move clearly took Kasper by surprise, not all that astonishing considering the pieces weren't where they'd been the last time he looked. He studied the board for almost a minute and then moved a knight, though it didn't yield a capture. â€Å"Eugenie, you look as though you've been stranded in a desert,† mused Dorian. â€Å"But then, I suppose that's the case, isn't it? Such a shame, all those towns suffering and starving, towns like Songwood.† The old man looked up sharply, eyes wide as he stared at me. â€Å"Songwood?† â€Å"Songwood?† I asked in equal confusion. Dorian covertly moved more pieces. â€Å"I was born in Songwood,† said Kasper. â€Å"People are starving there?† â€Å"Oh, wait,† said Dorian. â€Å"Songwood's in the Willow Land, isn't it? Sorry for the scare. I was thinking it had been part of Aeson's kingdom. I'm sure Songwood's perfectly fine.† He studied the board for a moment and then deftly moved his queen. â€Å"Checkmate.† Kasper gaped. â€Å"That's not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His eyes roved over the board, no doubt looking for any possible way to counter Dorian's move. â€Å"You can't fight against the queen,† said Dorian glibly. â€Å"Once she's decided to take the king, you might as well give in and enjoy it.† I rolled my eyes. Kasper sighed. â€Å"Excellent game, your majesty.† Dorian gave him a comforting pat as the old man stood up. â€Å"Don't take it so hard. You played pretty decently yourself. Sloppy here and there, but who knows? There's always next time.† Kasper gave another wizened bow and then left us alone. I gave Dorian a censuring look. â€Å"You're a bad man. You should be ashamed of yourself.† â€Å"Hardly,† he said. â€Å"That man's the grand chess champion of seven kingdoms. A little humbling will do him good. And speaking of humbling, shall we get on to our business?† He stood up and extended a hand to me. I didn't take it and simply followed as he walked over to the far side of the room. He sank down onto an ivory satin couch while I chose a velvet loveseat the same color as my dress. I felt adrift in a sea of purple. Dorian produced a stack of parchment from a nearby table. â€Å"There you are. Just sign, and we can get this out of the way.† I flipped through the papers, astonished. I didn't understand most of it. It detailed amounts and shipments of assorted goods, listed interest rates, and laid out some sort of schedule. I gave Dorian an incredulous look. â€Å"What happened to negotiating?† He poured two glasses of white wine from a carafe that sat on the table to his other side. â€Å"Oh, come now. You don't want to actually do that. I don't want to do that. So why waste our time? I assure you, the terms are very, very generous. Probably more generous than you deserve, considering the way you toy with my affections. Your people will be getting a lot of goods on faith for copper that has yet to materialize.† â€Å"Then why did you make me come here?† â€Å"Do you have to ask?† â€Å"No,† I grumbled, signing my name with a quill. A quill. Honestly. â€Å"You're a bad man.† â€Å"I try. Wine?† He gestured to the glass he'd poured for me. I shook my head. â€Å"Wouldn't want you to run out. So, I guess me sitting here is part of the price I pay for my kingdom's food. What do you want to do now?† His eyes held mine over the top of his wineglass. â€Å"I could make up a list of things to do longer than that contract.† Yeah. I'd set myself up for that one. â€Å"Okay, then. What would you like to talk about?† â€Å"You,† he said. â€Å"And why you never come see me.† â€Å"You know why. Because you used me and stuck me with that kingdom.† â€Å"You sure do hold a grudge. Is that a human trait?† â€Å"It's a Eugenie trait.† He smiled. â€Å"Of course. You know, Rurik tried to rape you, yet now you welcome him with open arms.† â€Å"That's not exactly how I'd put it.† â€Å"You know what I mean. How can you forgive him and not me?† I looked down at my lap and played with the dress's fabric. I didn't have a good answer for that. Rurik had really been a total asshole when we'd met, yet now I took him as a normal fixture around my household. Why did I hold such animosity for Dorian? Because things hadn't started as hostile between us, I realized. Sure, I hadn't trusted him initially, but he'd never done me any true harm. I had grown to like him-care about him, even-which made what he'd done hurt that much more. Dorian was the one who'd guided me through claiming the Thorn Land after we'd killed Aeson in a pretty horrific battle. I'd simply followed Dorian's direction, having no clue what I was doing until it was too late. Once I realized what I'd been stuck with, I'd felt like every interaction with Dorian had been one big setup. It had seemed like his endgame the whole time had been to oust Aeson and give me that land so that Dorian could eventually control it. That was why I resented him. Are you sure that's it? a sneaky voice inside me wanted to know. No, there might be more. Even I could admit that to myself. The truth was I'd developed physical and emotional attachments to Dorian, and I didn't want them. I didn't want to be bound to someone like him, someone who was full-blooded gentry-and had the annoying tendency to make me lose control. Slamming up walls of animosity between us was a way to protect myself. â€Å"What are you thinking?† Dorian asked, sparing me from his other question. â€Å"I was wondering if I just blindly signed my name to sexual favors in that contract.† â€Å"Damn,† he said. â€Å"I wish I'd considered that.† From the tone of his voice, I think he meant it. â€Å"Oh, well. Perhaps next time since I'm sure this will be the first of many dealings between our kingdoms.† â€Å"I hope not.† For a moment, he almost looked hurt. â€Å"Is it that painful coming here?† I felt bad. â€Å"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I mean†¦I hope I don't need any more help. I hope things will just work themselves out in the Thorn Land.† His easy smile returned as he finished off his wine. He reached for my untouched glass. â€Å"Well, according to rumor, things are on the mend, thanks to the omnibenevolent Thorn Queen. Why, I heard the other day that you were out digging ditches and feeding orphans. It's a wonder you have the time for that, what with your hypocritical job of battling your own subjects in the human world.† â€Å"My subjects don't cross into the human world,† I said loftily. Of course, the irony was that might not be true, not if the evidence surrounding those girls was any indication. â€Å"And I never did any of that other stuff. I just found water.† He tsked, eyes sparkling with delight. â€Å"Yes, which is a hundred times more than most monarchs do. You're out with your people, maybe not working beside them exactly, but it's close enough. They think you're some kind of messiah. I guess that sets a good precedent for your son, hmm?† I made a face. â€Å"Don't even go down that road. And anyway, I'm not trying to be a messiah. I'm just trying to help.† â€Å"Good gods,† he said, downing the glass in one gulp. â€Å"The frightening thing is that you're actually serious. Were you helping them before you arrived here today?† â€Å"Er, well, a little. We stopped in a village and helped find some water.† â€Å"I can tell. When you use your magic, it wreaths you like some sort of afterglow. It's very†¦becoming.† Something about the way he spoke and looked at me made me want to cross my arms and legs protectively-until I remembered crossing my legs wouldn't do me any favors. Fucking dress. â€Å"I daresay your control of water is becoming very useful,† he added. â€Å"Too bad you didn't continue your lessons with it.† â€Å"I don't need your help anymore. I've practiced on my own-I've gotten a lot stronger.† â€Å"Hmm. I see. And what about the rest of your inherited powers? Have you been practicing with, say, air?† For half a second, I thought he'd been spying on me. No, that wasn't his style. He'd guessed I would attempt air magic because†¦well, he knew me. And because he was Dorian and canny about such things. â€Å"As a matter of fact, I have,† I said loftily. There. Take that. His lips twitched. â€Å"I see. And have you been successful?† I wasn't fast enough with my answer. He laughed and moved to sit beside me. I tried to scoot over, but there wasn't much room. â€Å"Eugenie, Eugenie. When are you going to stop fighting this-stop fighting me? You're only going to create more trouble down the road if you don't learn to fully harness your abilities.† â€Å"Right,† I said, trying not to notice the apple and cinnamon scent that always surrounded him. Why couldn't I shake this attraction when I found him so annoying half the time? â€Å"It's for my benefit, right? Not because of your desire to rule the Otherworld and see the prophecy fulfilled?† â€Å"Of course it's for those reasons,† he scoffed. One thing you had to love about Dorian was his unflinching honesty. â€Å"But that doesn't mean you can't benefit too. You don't think it'd be useful to control air? You don't think that would aid you in helping those poor suffering souls under your control?† â€Å"Damn it. Don't involve them.† â€Å"They're already involved. Learn to control storms, and there'll never be a drought again.† His voice was low, filled with promise and temptation. I thought about the things I'd seen, the fields gone barren and hungry faces. I shook my head. â€Å"I'm not going to let you teach me again.† â€Å"What if I got you another teacher?† â€Å"What?† I shifted so that we could look at each other eye to eye. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Exactly what I sound like. As hard as it is to believe, I'm not the only one who knows how to use magic around here. True, I'm the most stunningly attractive and dazzlingly intelligent, but if you're dead set against my help, there are others whom you could benefit from.† I turned away and stared off across the room. The water finder I'd worked with today had certainly been useful. She was actually the first gentry I'd met who had any sort of magic compatible enough to mine to teach me anything. Dorian's magic was actually completely different from my own, but he was skilled enough to still transfer the basic principles. But what if I had someone else to tutor me? Someone more in sync with my powers-who wasn't always trying to get me into bed? No. Self-chastisement instantly arose. Magic was dangerous. It made you crave more of it, and the more I used, the more I embraced my gentry side and lost some of my humanity. Kiyo had advised against it over and over, and I didn't even want to think about what Roland would say. And yet†¦ â€Å"You've actually got someone in mind?† I asked, turning back to Dorian. He nodded. â€Å"She's not an exact fit for your powers-honestly, no one is-but she's close and is an excellent instructor.† She. That was promising. No one who'd want to father a child on me. He seized on my hesitation. â€Å"Eugenie, why resist this? It's obvious you want to learn more, no matter how haughty you pretend to be about dirtying your hands in the affairs of the shining ones. Stop your pandering and accept this as a gift.† â€Å"What do I have to do in return for this gift?† I asked warily. â€Å"Nothing except learn. If you take my tutor back with you to the Thorn Land, I just want you to promise me you'll give her a fair chance.† â€Å"That's it?† â€Å"Yes. You already know all my other motivations for doing this, so there's no trick there. The rest is on you.† True. He had been up-front about his larger designs on me and his megalomania. â€Å"Okay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Kiyo was going to freak out. â€Å"I'll give her a chance.† â€Å"You promise?† â€Å"I promise.† Somehow, every time I agreed to something with Dorian, I always felt like I was signing my soul away. â€Å"Excellent,† he said. â€Å"We'll make an all-powerful queen out of you yet.† He reached his hand over and smoothed out where some of my dress's fabric had wrinkled up near the slit. His motion actually covered up more of my leg with the skirt, though it did involve his fingers brushing against my skin. For a brief, dangerous instant, I kind of wished he'd move his fingers underneath the dress. Instead, he simply left his hand on my thigh. â€Å"Dorian,† I said warningly. â€Å"Hmm?† I looked pointedly down. He followed my gaze. â€Å"Oh, look at that. It seemed so natural, I hardly noticed,† he said cheerfully, removing the guilty hand. I almost felt†¦disappointed. â€Å"Let me fetch your new teacher since I'm guessing you won't be lured into staying for dinner.† â€Å"You guessed right. You really are dazzlingly intelligent,† I said wryly. He stood up and flashed me a grin. â€Å"And stunningly attractive?† â€Å"Just go get her.† He left the room, and I watched the way his long, lean build moved and how the sunlight streaming through a window turned his hair every shade of red, orange, and gold. Dorian was trouble. Yes, I suspected I really had made a deal with the devil. Particularly when I saw who his instructor was. â€Å"Her?† I exclaimed. I shot up from my chair. Dorian had just entered the room, and standing beside him was Ysabel-the Eugenie-clone strumpet from the party. Her blue eyes widened when she saw me. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had been caught by surprise. â€Å"What is this?† she demanded. â€Å"You said you wanted me to instruct someone.† â€Å"I do,† he said calmly. â€Å"You're going to pack your things and return with the Thorn Queen. You will teach her to use her magic to the best of her ability.† â€Å"No,† she said icily. â€Å"I will not.† His pleasant demeanor dropped. â€Å"Yes, you will. This isn't a request. You're my subject, ergo you follow my commands. And I am commanding you to go with her. Unless you're openly defying me?† I couldn't help a shiver. I'd occasionally seen this hard side of Dorian, and it always unnerved me. It was such an abrupt change from his usual laconic self, the self who bantered and tried to feel me up†¦and I found the change kind of terrifying. â€Å"Dorian,† I said uneasily. â€Å"Don't make her do anything she doesn't want to do.† She glared at me. â€Å"I don't need your assistance here.† â€Å"What she wants is irrelevant,† said Dorian. I was a bit surprised at how casually he was able to order her about and objectify her. I'd assumed whomever he was sleeping with at any given time would be someone he had feelings for. Who knew? Maybe he cared about her a lot but was still able to treat her as a subject. Or maybe he just cared about me more. â€Å"Yeah, well, I don't want her,† I retorted. â€Å"Also irrelevant,† he replied, eyes still fixed on Ysabel. â€Å"You made a promise to give your teacher a fair chance-unless you're going to be human and go back on your word?† â€Å"This isn't quite what I expected!† â€Å"It doesn't matter. You're either going to keep your promise or you won't. And you,† he said to Ysabel, â€Å"are either going to obey or not.† Ysabel's eyes were ablaze with rage, and her breathing was heavy. I had the feeling she wanted to burst forth with a million expletives, but she bit her lip as though physically forcing them back. At last, she swallowed and took a deep breath. When she spoke, her words were to Dorian, but her gaze was on me. I hadn't seen malevolence like that in quite some time-no, wait. That wasn't entirely true. Her look was a lot like the one Volusian often gave me. â€Å"Of course, I will obey, your majesty. With great pleasure.†