Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Why is so much expected of soft power these days Essay

For what reason is such a great amount of expected of delicate force nowadays - Essay Example Hard force, which is portrayed as coercive in nature, is typically estimated by uprightness of a state’s military strength.3 Hard force was at one time the main framework by which a state’s power was estimated. These days, changes especially with association among the worldwide network, data advancements and the ascent of non-state and non-military entertainers, for example, enterprises and non-administrative associations have offered articulation to a progressively critical wellspring of intensity: delicate power.4 This exploration study investigates the ascent of delicate force today and examines why so much is anticipated from delicate force nowadays. This paper is along these lines isolated into two principle parts. The initial segment of this paper investigates the hypothesis of delicate force and the second piece of this paper, dissects the ascent of delicate force and recognizes why so much is anticipated from delicate force nowadays. The Theory of Soft Power Jos eph Nye, a negotiator and researcher of the 1980s, presented the hypothesis of delicate power.5 Nye (2003) depicted delicate force as: ..the capacity to get what you need by drawing in and convincing others to embrace your objectives. It contrasts from hard force, the capacity to utilize the carrots and sticks of monetary and military may to cause other to follow your will.6 Soft force is progressively about utilizing â€Å"credible claims† and less about â€Å"propaganda†.7 Nye clarifies how sound cases add up to delicate force. It originates from the state’s social, political and policies’ claim. At the point when a state’s approaches are seen as â€Å"legitimate† the state’s delicate force is exemplified.8 Although the US has utilized and keeps on utilizing the military in its war against fear based oppression, it has additionally utilized and keeps on utilizing delicate power.9 Soft force in the US counterterrorism techniques inco rporate improved assortment and sharing of insight, collaboration with different states and strategies for cutting off financing for psychological oppressors exercises. The US has additionally depicted its war against universal fear mongering as a war that utilizes the US’s impact, cooperating with its partners trying to sustain the possibility that psychological oppression is unlawful and is the sort of lead that no real state would endure or aid.10 The US has likewise promise to loan help and backing to â€Å"moderate and current government† especially in Muslim states as a methods for guaranteeing that â€Å"the conditions and belief systems that advance psychological oppression don't discover fruitful ground in any nation.†11 The US’s counterterrorism procedure additionally includes decreasing or expelling the underlying drivers of psychological oppression by affecting different states to focus on those territories powerless against terrorists’ impacts. The US’s explicitly expresses its expectation to utilize delicate force in the war against fear mongering by expressing that it means to utilize: Effective open discretion to advance the free progression of data and thoughts to generous the expectations and desires of opportunity of those in social orders governed by the backers of worldwide terrorism.12 Thus the US counterterrorism approaches are not designed for driving change and collaboration. The US Counterterrorism strategies are planned for impacting and convincing an adjustment in conduct and thinking as a methods for helping the US accomplish its objective of killing the danger of fear based oppression. Beside the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US counterterrorism procedures can be recognized from hard force as it isn't coercive in nature. Hard force would have been exhibited by the cognizant utilization of financial and military force as a methods for affecting the choices and alternatives of the foe. H ard force is recognized from delicate force in critical manners. Hard force mulls over coercive methods that can either be real or representative. Delicate force cultivates understanding by means of strategies and different types of lead that make

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Social performance of Unilever an Example of the Topic Business Essays by

Social execution of Unilever Presentation: Need paper test on Social execution of Unilever subject? We will compose a custom paper test explicitly for you Continue Each business house, regardless of how enormous or little it is, has some social obligations which are should have been met basically. The prime objective of a corporate house isn't just to maintain a productive business and use network assets for its own benefit, yet additionally to give sufficient come back to the general public by taking dynamic part in the advancement of the general public inside which it works. A corporate house should regard and secure human rights and take effective measures to guarantee that they are not occupied with any thoughtful episode identifying with maltreatment of human rights. Not just that, a business house ought to likewise work in a domain agreeable manner. It ought to guarantee that condition doesn't get decayed by its activity; rather it should take some successful measures so as to improve natural conditions. The United Nation has likewise perceived social support of corporate houses. It has made an enormous stride in propelling the universes biggest activity for making corporate resident socially mindful by presenting worldwide conservative in 2000 which sanctioned some all inclusive rules that corporate houses ought to follow so as to work in the worldwide market in a progressively steady path and to assemble increasingly prosperous and thriving social orders. This worldwide minimized propelled by the United Nations really connects with players in the private segments to recognize and spread great corporate practices in the territories of human rights, work rights, assurance of nature, and hostile to debasement. (Rasche 2009, 513) The worldwide conservative remembers ten standards for the regions of human rights, work eight, condition, and anticorruption that a corporate house ought to follows. In the territories of human rights, a business house ought to broaden backing and regard the insurance of human rights inside the zone of its impact, and guarantee that they are not occupied with human rights infringement. If there should arise an occurrence of security of work rights, a corporate house should offer appreciation to one side of aggregate bartering and the opportunity of work affiliation, ought to dispose of a wide range of mandatory or constrained work, should take part in viable cancelation of kid work, and ought to keep away from any kind of segregation as for business and occupation. Most definitely, every business house ought to attempt preparatory way to deal with address ecological difficulties, should take activities for advancing more noteworthy duty towards condition, and ought to empower the turn of events and execution of condition cordial advancements. Lastly, in the regions of hostile to debasement, every business should take dynamic measures against a wide range of defilement including pay off and coercion. (Joined Nations 2010) This paper will attempt to dissect how far one of the universes most prestigious corporate houses, Unilever, has performed towards meeting its social obligations, as such to state, this paper tries to inspect to what degree Unilever has been fruitful in following the standards of the worldwide minimized. Social execution of Unilever: Unilever is world popular worldwide organization that claims a number prestigious brands in the market of food, home and individual consideration, refreshments and so on. It works on a worldwide stage with a well persified item portfolio including celebrated brand like Persil, Dove, Flora, Knorr and so forth it basically makes food items alongside home and individual consideration items. Its market has become so immense that its market has reached out to upwards of 150 nations. It has a tremendous representative base including 227,000 individuals around the world. It is completely worldwide organization as in each mainland, aside from Antarctica, it has its processing plants and operational organizations. Throughout the years so as to broaden its market power it has been following the strategy for acquisitions and take overs. Through various enormous acquisitions it presently claims upwards of 400 brands. (Brands forever (Unilever 2010, 1)) Being such an enormous corporate house, the corporate social duty of Unilever is likewise expected to be gigantic and it has properly perceived its obligation towards the general public other than satisfying its benefit making objective. Be that as it may, acknowledgment of obligation isn't sufficient, rather it is important to concentrate more on those exercises which can help distinguishing the organization as a socially mindful corporate house. In this manner let us take a gander at the presentation of Unilever towards satisfying its social duties. To the extent the companys obligations towards securing the earth is concerned, the organization has made some successful strides towards delivering its items in condition benevolent ways. For instance, it has made some successful strides towards satisfying its dedication of purchasing required palm oil from practical sources which are ecologically confirmed so as to meet the necessity for its organizations in whole Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In 2010, the organization has had the option to make sure about adequate GreenPalm endorsements for purchasing maintainable palm oil. GreenPalm is really an authentication program for exchanging palm oil which has been intended to handle a wide range of natural and social issues that are related with he creation of palm oil. In any case, regardless of social occasion enough of GreenPalm declarations, the organization has been scrutinized by Greenpeace fro causing deforestation. In 2008, Greenpeace UK Accused Unilever for making sure about palm oil from those providers who delivered palm oil so that the rainforest of Indonesia got harmed. One of the palm oil providers of Unilever was likewise blamed for deforestation for the manors of palm trees which undermined a types of monkey. (Natural supportability ((Unilever 2010, 1)) In spite of the fact that there are a few reactions and allegations against Unilever in the regions of ecological issues, one imperative point ought not be overlooked that in every one of these cases Unilever reacted in a positive manners via looking through powerful strategies which ought to follow natural standards. Truth be told, the endeavor of making sure about enough of GrenPalm authentications is a case of such an exertion. Aside from purchasing palm oil from ecologically guaranteed sources, the organization has additionally made an essential stride towards getting upset the tea business by making the dedication of purchasing all its tea from moral and supportable sources. Being the proprietor of the universes smash hit tea brand, Lipton, the organization targets getting all its tea packs ecologically guaranteed in the worldwide market by 2015. This move denotes the initial step by any tea organization in acquire new economically ensured tea the market for a huge scope. The organization has set up Lipton as a potential brand which can console its shopper about the tea sources. It generally participates in improving the nature of the tea in a domain benevolent way. Notwithstanding, one thing ought not be overlooked that while the organization has attempting to make sure about its crude materials from supportable sources so as to ensure condition, a few times it gets blamed for dumping of concoction squander. For instance, Hindustan Lever, its Indian auxiliary, habitually has condemned for dumping compound waste even in those spots which are secured nature holds. (Natural maintainability ((Unilever 2010, 1)) Regardless of having a few charges in the territories of securing condition, the organization has had the option to build up itself as the principal organization which has set due consideration towards utilizing condition cordial crude materials for its items. This would basically build markets for its items and make the organization increasingly beneficial and along these lines partner would now be able to get higher pidends. (Brammer, et al. 2005, p. 13) Unilever is likewise extremely dynamic towards stretching out assistance to the network inside the circle of its impact at the period of scarcity. For instance, on January 15, 2010, Unilever had made a money related gift of $500,000 in association with the United Nations World Food Program to the staggering earth tremor survivors of Haiti. The organization is, in any case, now and then scrutinized for boosting prejudice through its commercials. For instance, in an ongoing promotion of its skin helping item, reasonable and Lovely it demonstrates how a darker looking woman who used to be disregarded by her managers and other men out of nowhere gets alluring to all men and get spectacular vocation, this notice is by all accounts discouraging for darker looking ladies. Not just that, the organization has additionally presented another frozen yogurt in Austrailia with the name Mohr im Hemd which was before utilized for a chocolate strength so as to allude exposed wild Africans. The organization be that as it may, disproves such charges and claims that it has utilized the name after leading an expansive market concentrate without having any basic criticism. (Regarding Rights (Unilever 2010, 1)) To the extent its duty towards securing work rights is concerned, some significant charges has been made against the organization, especially against its auxiliaries in India and Pakistan. These charges concerned the issues of utilization of kid work, site terminations, opportunity of work affiliations, and aggregate bartering. Where everybody is soughting for prohibiting youngster work, being one of the universes most eminent MNC, Unilever is blamed for utilizing kid work in its assembling units. This sort of occurrence may take the organization to the court which would not be generally excellent for its notoriety and partner may sell their stakes in the organization in the dread of awful results. In any case, the organization has had the option to determine most the protests. ((Regarding Rights (Unilever 2010, 1)) To the extent the regions of ensuring human rights are concerned, the organization has made some compelling strides. An exceptionally intriguing point to be noted here is

Friday, August 14, 2020

8 Common Signs of Verbal Abuse (and How to Stay Healthy and Sane)

8 Common Signs of Verbal Abuse (and How to Stay Healthy and Sane) There are different forms of abuse that you may experience. Some are easily evident like in the case of physical abuse while others are not.One of the hardest to recognize is verbal abuse. You may suffer for a long time before realizing that something is wrong. Due to this, you may end up staying in an abusive environment despite the dangers involved.It is important to realize that abuse can happen to both genders. Although it is more common for women to be victims, men also suffer abuse.Verbal abuse is like a calculated evil. Although physical abuse may harm your body, verbal abuse goes after your mind. Ultimately, if not stopped, it may cause anxiety.In targeting your mind, verbal abuse erodes your self-image. This makes you lose faith in your own natural abilities and sense of self-worth. As a result, your self-esteem and self-confidence get damaged.Without self-worth, you easily believe what the abuser says about you. This makes you more vulnerable as he now controls your thought s and consequently, your life.The overall goal of every abuser is to have control. Generally, people who are obsessed with controlling others have insecurities which they seek to cover up.The reasoning behind their actions? As long as they are in control of the situation, everything would be just fine.WORDS AND PHRASES ASSOCIATED WITH VERBAL ABUSESince verbal abuse involves the use of words, it will be good to look at some of the words used by abusers.“You’re behaving like a child.” This is one of the most common. It can also come in the form of “You’re so childish,” or “You’re so immature,” or anything similar. The intention is to stop you from expressing your opinion. This way, you won’t have any influence over the decision about to be made.“That’s a stupid idea.” A common way of putting you down is by simply disapproving your opinions. Whenever your opinions don’t count, you have little input in whatever happens. This gives the abuser the upper hand. It also enables him make the decisions which are right for him.“I never said that.” When an abuser says something and you later confront him, he is very likely to deny it. This is a very natural response for him and you may even wonder why he never admits any wrong. What is happening is that he is playing mind games with you. He is seeking to confuse you. If successful, he will later propose to you that you do not have a stable mind.“I was just joking.” This comes when you show that what he said hurt you. This will most likely come if you confront him immediately he says something hurtful. Since he cannot deny this because it is fresh in the memory, he will quickly turn it around and claim it was just a joke. Another way he may respond to you is by claiming that you don’t have a sense of humor.“You’re too sensitive.” If you make it known often enough that your abuser’s words or actions are hurting you, this is the response you may get. He is indirectly acknowle dging hurting you but doesn’t commit to changing his behavior. He is not even remorseful.At this point, he is becoming impatient with you as he notices that you are picking on his wrong habits too much. In a desperate effort to silence you, he tells you that you are too sensitive. In other words, he is telling you that you are worrying too much over nothing.Remember that throughout this time, you are slowly losing your sense of self-worth. Because of that, you are trying to earn it by pleasing him. For you to do so, your abuser is telling you that you should reduce your sensitivity and stop pointing out his wrongs.Verbal abuse is always growing and the ultimate goal is complete control. Since it is not physically forceful, it works through manipulation. It often hides under the guise of correcting you so as to make you better.It is necessary to note that victims of verbal abuse are usually those whose self-esteem and self-confidence are low. As such, they tend to look for approval from others.So, if you want to understand how you became a victim of verbal abuse, check on your confidence levels.Whenever you’re seeking approval, you have to abide by the rules set by the one to approve of you. Since the abuser knows you’re willing to make changes, he pushes you until he has complete control over you.COMMON SIGNS OF VERBAL ABUSEThere are some common signs you can look out for. Below are eight which you can use to recognize an abuser. This will help you avoid becoming a victim if you’re not one.If you’re not sure whether what you are experiencing is abuse, then these will help you confirm. If you are being verbally abused, you will identify with all or most of the below signs. We will later look at how to stay safe if experiencing abuse.Yelling and name callingAbusers will frequently yell at you when they get upset. They will blow things out of proportion to justify the yelling. If they don’t have a solid reason, they will justify it by claiming that yo u did something stupid.Anytime yelling is used on you, you will naturally be silenced. This is what the abuser wants to see happen. When he adds his justification, you see the reason for the yelling and you are likely to accept it.Abusers will also call you names as a means of reinforcing what they are saying about you. They may for example call you stupid, unworthy, good-for-nothing, slow, lazy etc. In some cases, they may also attack you on the basis of your body or character. For example, an abuser may call you fat or skinny, in order to draw attention to your physical looks. The whole idea is to make you feel not attractive enough.Whenever there is an opportunity, they will tell you that your body is not as it should be. If it happens that you have previously tried to have a “better-looking body,” such comments will quickly destroy your self-esteem.With your self-esteem gradually getting destroyed, you will become more unsure about what should be done and the abuser will pic k on these. The situation will therefore only get worse.Blaming and playing victimAbusers are very good at blame-shifting. It’s as though they’ve been gifted in it.Whenever you raise an issue that shows they did something wrong, they will quickly shift the blame to you. They will show how their actions were necessitated by your own actions or words.He does this to ensure he remains on top of things, otherwise he would not be in control.Blaming you for his actions also helps the abuser look perfect. He strives to be seen as always being right. If he is right, then he can justify whatever actions he takes.To go with this habit of blaming, an abuser will never show abusive tendencies to outsiders. He will always be known as someone who is good. Because he has many allies, it becomes difficult to win any argument you may raise against him.Depending on the kind of conflict you may be having, he may even play victim so as to further show his innocence. Lies are also common during blam ing and playing victim.Shaming and criticizingVerbal abuse always includes shaming and criticizing you. This is because your abuser does not really care much about you as he does about himself. If you have been keen, you may have noticed high levels of selfishness.At the same time, shaming is used by the abuser to silence you and take you further down.If the abuser is a narcissist or sociopath, then this can be worse. Such people can even enjoy hurting you.To make things worse, the shaming and criticizing can also happen in public. Since you cannot normally expect the abuser to do this, he will do it and watch you struggle to counter him.As someone who is looking to have control over you and your life, it is a joy for him to see you experience pain. He knows that once you experience pain, you will want to avoid it next time. And the only way to avoid it is by agreeing with him on everything.He will make harsh criticisms to further get you to recognize his perceived abilities. He wil l be looking for ways of using these abilities so that he controls everything.For example, he may want to control your finances. To achieve this, he will criticize your spending habits and even insult you in the process. He will tell you that your priorities are wrong and you do not know how to budget.Soon enough, you will not be sure of what to buy and what not to. Not because you don’t know what is best, but because you don’t want the abuser to become angry. You may as well start asking him for permission to buy what you need.When you are criticized enough times, the psychological effects will start becoming evident. One clear effect is that you will become very fearful. With fear taking root, you become easy to control.Use of abusive jokesAbusers are usually insensitive towards their victims and demean them any time they have the opportunity. Although this happens throughout the duration of the relationship, the intensity increases when they think you are attempting to break free from their grip.From his bag of tricks, he will use a tactic which will easily cover his abuse with what he knows can be taken as normal. One of the ways he does that is through telling hurtful jokes.He will say something that hurts you but act as though it was nothing. If you showed him that his words hurt you, he would quickly respond by claiming it was a joke.Of course you know it wasn’t, at least going by the pattern of insensitivity you have experienced from him. This is just a way of him covering a wrong without acknowledging it. It is also at this point that he might make a remark about your lack of a sense of humor.These jokes are designed to make you feel less valuable. Although you may assume they don’t have a big impact, they really do. Whatever is said gets registered in your mind and you start processing it.Your mind works on the information trying to compare it with known facts to find out whether there is any truth in it. As this goes on unchecked, your mind slowly starts seeing the possibility of truth in what has been said. Even pure lies, repeated often enough, get believed to be truth.The abuser’s comment on your apparent lack of a sense of humor also has another effect.Since “normal” people have a sense of humor, the abuser is actually implying that you are not normal. This is part of the psychological abuse intended to weigh you down for him to gain control over you.Dismissing or trivializing your feelingsIf any time you voice your feelings they get dismissed or trivialized, then you can be sure that you’re dealing with an abuser. Someone who is abusing you doesn’t care about your feelings.This happens because the abuser does not want to consider your feelings. He knows if he does, he will be opening a door for you to have influence. According to him, he is the one to have all the influence.When it comes to dismissing your feelings, the abuser will start small then progress gradually. For example, if you tell him that he did something which hurt you, he may respond with “How can you feel hurt by such a small comment?”In some instances, he may not really focus on your feelings but respond with the focus being on his own feelings. For example, in responding to your feeling hurt, he may say “I was just expressing what I feel.” This is in complete disregard of the feelings you have expressed.Doing this is a way of him telling you that he expects you to understand and respechis feelings. However, your own feelings are not much of a consideration because they don’t have much weight.No control and manipulation tactic will be used in isolation. At the same time, your abuser will be progressing from “light” comments to harsh ones. From bad to worse.As a result, by the time he is dismissing your feelings, he has probably shamed and criticized you in public. Together with blaming and name calling, you will very likely be starting to believe that you are raising trivial matters.Use of threats to intimidateThreats are just one of the arrows in the quiver of every abuser. These will especially be used by the abuser when he starts noticing or sensing rebellion from you. When using threats, the abuser will not go for the biggest. He will start by using the fears he knows you have. A common threat is to make public some of the things he knows about your personal life.Abusers are normally good at digging for information. And although they also give you information about themselves, it is usually to get you hooked. Just to cause you to believe that everything is normal.The abuser will be very keen on capturing details of your personal life. They know there will come a time to use it and so they get as much information as possible.When they mention that they will expose what you did, you will first of all be shocked. You may express the shock and maybe even ask them why they would do that. On their side, they may only give a response that implies you are not treating them well.What he will be telling you is that you have wronged him and because he is defenseless, that is what he will use against you. Remember that abusers are good at playing victim. Having fallen for many of his tricks, you probably have been silenced using this one too.The result is that you will unwillingly agree to do what he wants. And just to prove that he is not a bad person, he may show you a kind gesture and tell you something like “You are the one who makes me get angry yet I never want to,” or “If only you can stop doing what you do.”As with all other tactics, manipulation lies behind every word and action that comes from an abuser.Another threat he may use is that of breaking the relationship or ending the marriage. Since your self-esteem is badly wounded and you know that you will be the one to be blamed, you will want to avoid such a situation.Avoiding discussion on how he treats youAs much as he may deny any knowledge of hurting you and blame you for what he does, deep w ithin, the abuser knows that he is not treating you well. The problem is that he can never admit it.One way however which he covers for this is by justifying it with your conduct. He is convinced, or convinces himself, that you deserve to be treated that way.This is the mindset of an abuser: He should be treated exceptionally well, then he can decide how well to treat you. He will show you that he is capable of treating you well but will only do it after you treat him as he deserves.Since he knows there is a possibility of being discovered, one way he saves his skin is by avoiding any discussion about how he’s treating you.You may have noticed that having a rational discussion with an abuser is very difficult. Actually impossible. Well, it may help you to know that it’s not because he is not good with communication. Or lacks the capacity to reason.Partly to blame is their use of warped logic to understand and explain things. Underlying this however, and also the bigger reason, i s the abuser’s fear of being exposed.Since the abuser needs to be perfect, he will do all things possible to maintain the necessary facade. Since he knows a discussion about his conduct is a potential danger, he will avoid it.In case he can’t, then he will utilize warped logic so as to confuse you. In fact, if you engaged a third party who is not experienced with abusers, he will also fall for this trick. This will be used together with other tactics to prove that you are the one on the wrong.You doubt your judgmentThis is one of the worst things that can happen and comes in at the intermediate or advanced level of abuse.All the words the abuser speaks to you are intended to show you how they are the right person to offer you guidance and direction in life. They will show you how beneficial they will be to you. This however naturally happens in insidious ways because the real intentions are not for good.Starting with the name calling, shaming and blaming, the process flows towar ds proving to you that you need their help. And this is the help they are giving you yet you are not cooperating with them.It is not uncommon for the abuser to tell you that he is doing you a favor by being in a relationship with you. Having “proven” to you severally that you don’t make good decisions, you now get to doubt your own abilities to make the right choices.This can be as bad as making you doubt your own reality. Since they never admit any wrong, they may have denied saying something you know they said. But the gradual assault can make you start believing that they never said it. This is what is referred to as gaslighting.This happens because their manipulative ways have worked on your mind and emotions and now you’ve been left confused. You may start thinking that you’re crazy. And considering that the abuser knows exactly what is going on, he may even tell you that indeed you are.Your mind will not be able to even remember things very well. This is because it h as been consistently attacked and doubts have been cast upon it’s ability to function well.This literally renders you completely unproductive and if you’re working or running a business, this is the time you will likely lose the job or close down the business.STAYING HEALTHY AND SANELike any other form of abuse, verbal abuse can have very negative effects on you as a victim. Primarily, you will be affected in three main ways:1. Psychologically â€" this is the main target of the abuse. Your sense of worth as a person is what enables you to live confidently. You know that you are valuable, not necessarily because of any material wealth but who you are as a person.When the psychological attack starts, your own identity is targeted for destruction. With an identity crisis, you seek to have approval from the abuser. But since he does not have your interests at heart, he instead sends you down a path of destruction.Although everyone desires a good life, an abuser’s definition of a g ood life is whereby he is in control of everything. Since controlling you eventually destroys you, he will never have much to gain from you. This means he will never get satisfaction from being with you.2. Emotionally â€" emotions are a normal part of all humans. In a relationship setup, emotions need to be handled well so that both parties feel valued.When dealing with an abuser however, your emotions get trampled upon. They are never valued and when you express them, you get disapproving responses. According to the abuser, you should simply have no emotions or feelings which contradict what he feels.When you don’t express your emotions, they pile inside you and become a ticking time bomb. Since a relationship with an abuser ends up separating you from people, you will have no way of relieving the emotional pressure.3. Bodily â€" effects on your body will mainly come as a result of stress. Your health will suffer and diseases will become more common. Unfortunately, you might expe rience neglect at the hand of an abuser at this point as they accuse you of not taking care of yourself.With a decline in health, you may soon become unattractive and experience more negative treatment from him.So, what can you do to stay healthy and safe? If you are a victim of verbal abuse, follow the below steps and you will have a better life.Remember that your life is worth more than anything else.And when you are attached to someone who does not value you as you are, then you should consider what it could lead to.Below are the steps you can take to maintain your health and sanity.Let the abuser know you’re hurtingThis is very important, especially because abusers seek to silence you. An abuser will want to control you without you opposing his moves. He wants to turn you into a puppet.When you start speaking up, the abuser will try to silence you through various means. It is common for an abuser to deny you the opportunity to raise your concerns. He will do this by interjecti ng when you are speaking to him about his behavior.Despite this, you need to speak. As the below video shows, bottling up your emotions is not advisable. He may also use blame-shifting so as to avoid taking any responsibility. If not that, he can also attempt yelling and name calling so as to stop you from talking. The sole intention is to silence you. As long as he is the one talking, he has control and so he’ll find a way of talking while you do the listening.When talking to an abuser, ensure you stay on point and be direct. Have very clear examples of wrong behavior and tell him that his actions or words are unacceptable. Also, do not use accusing words like “You always” Instead, say “Whenever you do this, I feel”This shows him that you are not accusing him of wrong doing and therefore avoids extreme arguments.Be firm with your words but remember to speak respectfully to avoid giving him grounds for counter-accusations.This will usually be helpful at the early stages of the relationship before things have gone very far. Before any long-term commitments, there should be free discussions on anything that affects either party.If already committed, maybe in a marriage and with kids, speaking up is still an option. More than that, it is the first step that you should take in addressing the issue.If you are unable to resolve issues after several attempts, then you can proceed to the next step.Seek counselingSeeking external help is an important part of solving conflicts if the involved parties are unable to do it themselves. Counseling also helps you with recovery from abuse. As an outsider, the counselor will be able to have an objective view of the whole situation and help in pointing out issues.He may also assist in implementing solutions.All the same, when it comes to seeking counseling services as an abuse victim, be wary of some tricks the abuser may try to play. Remember that he does not take responsibility and seeks to be seen as the one who is right.To achieve that, the abuser may try to influence the counselor to see. Though counselors are professionals, the abuser may prefer talking with one who knows him to be a good person. This is just an attempt to influence the counseling outcome.If the counselor however takes an independent approach and is honest, he will be able to detect the wrongs in the relationship and assist accordingly. The amount of experience the counselor has with abuse cases should also play a role in determining his suitability.The best thing to do is ensure that you see an experienced counselor who is unknown to both of you. The counseling session should also be attended by both of you at the same time.This will ensure that you are both on the same page. Another trick abusers employ when appealing to the public is rushing to give information before you get the opportunity to speak. They do this so as to influence those who will be listening and prevent them from believing you.Since you may have suffer ed much emotional and psychological effects due to the verbal abuse, you may also not be able to really prove his wrongdoing. Only experienced counselors may be able to know the signs to look out for.Surround yourself with a support systemOne of the effects of persistent abuse is separation from friends. This happens naturally though for the abuser, it is just part of the plan. Being in a relationship with an abusive partner makes you unable to go out with friends or even socialize.He may have used any method to keep you from friends. Maybe just saying that he doesn’t like your friends for several reasons. Maybe accusing you of cheating. All this is designed to keep you indoors and cut you off from the public.You need to get in touch with some of your trusted friends. Talk to them about your situation and ask them for help. You can plan a visit to their place and just have them encourage you to become stronger.While seeking to re-connect with your friends, keep in mind that the ab user will fight those attempts. You need to prepare for any drama he may cause as he tries to stop you from visiting or talking to anyone.Depending on your exact situation, you will have to exercise some wisdom to get this done relatively smoothly. Since he may deny you the opportunity to visit, you may need to keep it from him at first.This is to prevent him from using tricks like becoming sick the day before your visit, something that could force you to stay.WHAT IF THINGS GET WORSE?It is not rare for a verbally abusive relationship to degenerate into a physically abusive one. Actually, verbal abuse is usually a sign of potential physical danger that may occur later.It is important to consider your stand and beliefs as far as relationships are concerned. But at the end of the day, your safety matters most. You should always prioritize your life over everything else, including property.Any kind of abuse is unacceptable and you deserve to be treated well. Your life is invaluable. If someone does not recognize that and instead works on devaluing and controlling you, then you are better off leaving the relationship.As hard a decision as that may be, you need to look at the long term-effects of staying in the relationship. Look at the time you have been together and reflect on the damage you have suffered. Then think of what could happen if you continued staying.If you have children, you will also have to put that into consideration. You definitely understand the threat they face in the hands and presence of the abuser. Leaving can therefore be the best option for the sake of you and your kids.Here is a list of agencies you can contact for help.CONCLUSIONVerbal abuse is dangerous. Just because it is not physically evident does not mean it should be tolerated. If anything, its effects might prove to be worse than those of some form of physical abuse.Get the help that you need and live a free and productive life.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Summary Of Cathedral By Raymond Carver Essay - 1057 Words

First Person Narration Description in Cathedral. Timilehin Odunuga Northeastern University Author Note This paper was prepared for ENG 1105, taught by Professor Burt Raymond Carver the author of â€Å"Cathedral† which narrate about inviting her old friend who is blind to their house. Robert is blind and his wife had died not long ago. The story beginning to show how the author is troubled by approaching visit for things he can t exactly clarify, but he ascribes it to Robert s blindness. The author does not understand how much the blind man used to be to his wife and he doesn t suspect his arrival, yet before the end of the story the author has an epiphany and sees. From this story, the Reader gets the feeling this is no conventional story. The author is amazingly easygoing in recounting his story, and this account style is purposely utilized by the writer to draw in the reader. Consider the different routes in which the narration of Cathedral can be viewed as a casual narration and a well detailed description. First person narrator is utilized by the writer to recount the story to accentuate the baffling parts of the extraordinary moments that he relates in the story. The narrator is egotistical, concerned just with how the visit from Robert will influence him and he is desirous of how might be the connection of Robert and his wife before. The author using the first person narration is a big key of description and showing is personal experience to knowing theShow MoreRelatedCathedral By Raymond Carver Summary1773 Words   |  8 PagesSummary â€Å"Cathedral†, a short story by Raymond Carver, centers around a blind man’s visit to a couple’s home. In the beginning, Carver elaborates a bit on who the blind is and how he stumbled into the lives of the two characters. Early in the women’s life, she was married to an Air Force officer. While he was away at his school or training, she became quite lonely and sought employment. She began working as a blind man named Robert’s companion in which she read books, journals, and articles to himRead MoreCritical Summary Of Cathedral By Raymond Carver1223 Words   |  5 PagesCritical Summaries 1-4 1. â€Å"Cathedral† – Raymond Carver This story is told in the first person, depicting the narrator’s experience meeting his wife’s friend Robert. The characters in the story are Bub, the narrator, his wife, and the blind man, Robert. Bub’s wife is caring, empathetic, and affectionate; Robert is kindhearted, appreciative, and open to new experiences. In contrast, Bub is closed to new experiences, selfish, and judgmental. The story takes place in Bub’s home, primarily in his livingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Story Cathedral 1734 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Cathedral is a famous short story by American writer and poet Raymond Carver. The story was first published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1981 and appeared in The Americas Best Short Stories in 1982. In the short story cathedral, the unnamed narrator’s wife’s blind friend is coming to visit. The narrator isn’t thrilled about his wife’s blind friend coming to visit nor is he happy that the man is blind. Later in the evening the narrator experiences a life changing realization of the trueRead MoreAnalysis Of Raymond Carver s Cathedral1696 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction: Everyone has ghosts in their closets; something they are running from, or trying to bury alive. Cathedral, written by Raymond Carver, takes place in the early 1980’s. Originally published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1981. Carver slightly revised the story and re-released it in 1983. At a time when the blue collar working class lived paycheck to paycheck, working hard for newfound luxuries such as color television, this short story is humorous and eye-opening for the reader. For adultsRead MoreThe Two Sides Essay1379 Words   |  6 PagesOther times we are limited in what we can understand. We are given the choice of seeking out more of said idea or choosing to remain as is. Cathedral by Raymond Carver is a story that gives us a look into what it is like to have our views challenged through experiencing them first hand. We are introduced to the story by narration and we are given a brief summary of how his wife and the blind man had met from the narrrator. We learn that the bl ind man is named Robert, he is the only character thatRead MoreWhat We Are Who We Should Be: Literary Realism1132 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"True realism consists in revealing the surprising things which habit keeps covered and prevents us from seeing.† This quote by Jean Cocteau provides an accurate summary of realism in American literature. Authors such as Raymond Carver and William Faulkner strived to expose their readers to defects, either internal or external. Their literature puts humanity under the microscope, and allows the reader to examine their daily life from a safe distance. Under examination, many shortcomings can be uncoveredRead MoreAnalysis Of Raymond Carver s Cathedral 1648 Words   |  7 Pages Cathedral is a capitivating story based on the lives of the narrator, his wife and a blind man. Raymond Carver is the author of this story, and he does an excellent job allowing the reader to delve into the lives of these characters. Through using the thoughts of the narrator, the reader is able to grab our attention because the story is made more realistic. The views expressed by the narrator in many senses exemplify the views of many in society and therefore the reader is able to make an emotionalRead MoreLove in Literature2486 Words   |  10 Pagesmentions agape love, defining it, stating that â€Å"This love is compassionate and giving: the love of neighbor shown by the Good Samaritan† (May pg.177). The use of agape love as a catalyst for positive character development is evident in Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral†. The narrator of the story, who is ignorant and closed–minded, encounters a blind man whose name is Robert. Robert recognizes the na rrators closed-mindedness, but is not repelled by it, in fact he seems drawn to the narrator. Robert helpsRead MoreA Short Story : Cathedral By Raymond Carver1896 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"Cathedral† – Raymond Carver This story is told in the first person, depicting the narrator’s experience meeting his wife’s friend Robert. The characters in the story are Bub, the narrator, his wife, and the blind man, Robert. Bub’s wife is caring, empathetic, and affectionate; Robert is kindhearted, appreciative, and open to new experiences. In contrast, Bub is closed to new experiences, selfish, and judgmental. The story takes place in Bub’s home, primarily in his living room, where the three talkRead MoreEssay on The History Of Arts And Crafts5478 Words   |  22 Pageswithout great detail. Child with a Cat, by William Zorach, is an example of sculpture carved directly in stone. Wood permits more complex carving. Wood can also be shaped and bent, if it is given the right type of treatment first. With planning, the carver can make grain an effective part of the design and add to the surface beauty of the work. Clay is soft and lends itself to more delicate designs. Metal can be melted and cast in molds to reproduce sculptures designed in clay. Metal can also be worked

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Summary Of Eveline And A Painful Case - 1017 Words

AuthorLastName2 Paralysis of the Main Characters in â€Å"Eveline† and â€Å"A Painful Case† The two characters in Dubliners short stories; Mr. Duffy and Eveline present strong feeling of paralysis throughout the excerpts. Mr. Duffy lives in Chapelzoid suburbs of Dublin, and he considers life of the city unpleasant and pretentious. He lives in dull old house which he ordinarily sits near the window where he can view the city from the distance. Walls of his home spring high and has uncarpeted floor with no picture hanged on the wall. His house is small and quite well arrange. The narrator pictures his house in details; he has arranged books on the shelves and furniture are well ordered in the house. Eveline is yet another tale; the narrator gives background of her family who are close-knit and resides in City. Around the neighborhood, there was a field near their house where she used to play with their childhood friends, but times have improved. That field is filled up with red houses being built. Mr. Duffy s life runs on a schedule that is routine. He works in the bank as a cashier in Baggot street where he arrive at his workplace in the morning, leave to Dan Burke s for lunch and takes his dinner in a quiet place at George s Street. He does not have friends nor does he have a religious belief. The story tells audience that Mr. Duffy lived life without any religious conviction, and he did not share any communion with anyone. He performed these two social duties for showing respect

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

A Light to My Path Free Essays

A Light to My Path by Lynn Austin parallels the stories of two people, beginning with their realization of slavery. Anna only has vague memories of her parents, of a dream that fades into a nightmare that she can’t remember the end. When she pretends to be a kitten for Missy Claire, the plantation owner’s daughter, Anna is taken into the big house and dubbed Kitty. We will write a custom essay sample on A Light to My Path or any similar topic only for you Order Now Grady has only known life with his mama and playing with Missy Caroline (from A Candle in the Darkness) when he’s sold away from the Fletcher plantation. He serves a slave trader for many years before managing to be gambled away to a kinder owner, Massa Fuller. When Massa Fuller begins calling on Miss Claire, Grady and Kitty’s paths cross. The pretty, naive artist intrigues Grady, but his hatred for anyone white clashes with her subservient attitude. Though Missy Claire treats her like an animal, Kitty is wholly devoted to the only person who’s shown her even the barest scrap of affection. The Civil War begins shortly after their owners marry. Grady sees this as the perfect opportunity for escape, but Kitty is terrified of the idea. Which will win, her love for Grady or her fear? And Grady must choose between his hatred and the Jesus he believed in as a child. Blending breathtaking historical detail with intriguing characters, Lynn Austin crafts a deep tale with important spiritual truths. The Refiner’s Fire series, which can be read in any order, will have the most appeal to women, even for those who don’t prefer books set during the Civil War. Pick up A Light to My Path and prepare for a soulful escape to the past. — Katie Hart, Christian Book Previews. com Book Jacket: This powerful conclusion to Lynn Austin’s REFINER’S FIRE series brings to a close one of the most acclaimed sagas in Christian fiction ever. Each of the first two novels won Christy Awards for Historical Fiction. Now Austin completes her trilogy with a dramatic examination of the Civil War through a slave’s perspective. Riveting, eloquent, and gripping as all of her previous works, it’s the conclusion for which you’ve been waiting. How to cite A Light to My Path, Essay examples

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Strategic Management - Meaning and Important

Question: How will accomplishing these objectives support your success in management? What risks or challenges might a manager encounter if he or she has not mastered these objectives? Explain. Answer: Identifying and describing various strategies that managers perform for better performance of an organization comes under Strategic Management. (MSG, 2014) For every project there is an absolute necessity to set goals and objectives. By accomplishing these objectives one can even ensure the success of the management. This means analyzing what initiatives a business must opt for transforming efforts into workable objectives. Objectives to be mastered by managers are of two types- short term and long term. Short term goals are those which need to be achieved within 6 months to 1 year and long term are those falling beyond a year. (Esmaeli, 2015) A manager who has not mastered these objectives will fall badly. For example - Projects if not completed within time will lead to extra expenditures and resource planning will have to be re sorted. All these may lead to loss on the part of the company delivering the project as well as the client outsourcing the work. Another example of inefficient management is the usual schedules of the company will get disturbed. Suppose, a product is to be launched in a particular festival. Due to poor goal setting the product does not get launched on the date it was supposed to. This signifies the product has lost the expected visibility it was supposed to be fetching if it was launched on the planned date and time. Hence, it is not just a present financial loss, but also a huge potential financial loss as well. Moreover, in competitive markets other products will fill the gap with better objective planning set by efficient managers. ( Anonymous ,2011) References MSG (2014), Strategic Management - Meaning and Important Concepts,Managementstudyguide.com Esmaeilie. N (2015 p.5), Strategic management and its application in modern organizations. Anonymous (2011), The Importance and Value of Organizational Goal Setting

Thursday, March 26, 2020

How Effective Were the Guerrilla Tactics of the Viet Cong free essay sample

How effective were the guerrilla tactics of the Viet Cong – History Plan * What tactics the Viet Cong used against US/ARVN troops. * How the Viet Cong dealt with the decisions made by the US troops. * How guerrilla tactics were better than those used by the US troops. * How the environment in Vietnam suited the Viet Cong and how it was a disadvantage for the US troops. * How the surroundings in Vietnam were an advantage to the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong had many tactics which they used against the US and ARVN troops in the Vietnam War, however these tactics were not those that you would expect to be used in a war. The Viet Cong were a Guerrilla army, meaning that the people fighting for them are not proper soldiers. As guerrilla armies don’t have any rules that meant that they could do anything in the war, these tactics were often hit and miss. We will write a custom essay sample on How Effective Were the Guerrilla Tactics of the Viet Cong or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Whereas the US troops had to follow rules which prevented them from shooting first against the Viet Cong. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Guerrilla_warfare) The US troops were always used to fighting enemies face to face but the Viet Cong knew that if they did this then they would be beaten, so they dug a series of tunnels, a tactic and a strategy that had never been used before. The tunnels either connected from countryside to key cities or they were used to lead down to hidden bases. These tunnels allowed the Viet Cong to get to the places they wanted without the enemy detecting them. They also allowed them to fight the enemy without them seeing them, leading to the US troops calling them ‘The Invisible Enemy’. This tactic was very successful as many US troops lost their lives without ever seeing the Viet Cong. It was also successful as the Viet Cong could also get to the places they wanted quickly and without having to fight. On the other hand the US troops were searching through the forests in Vietnam and this allowed the Vietcong to use their tactics of ambushing US patrols, setting booby-traps and landmines. The US troops were easy to spot for the Viet Cong as they looked different from the Vietnamese. They also wore a uniform which made them stand out to the Viet Cong. However it wasn’t the same for the US troops trying to spot the Vietcong as the Viet Cong all looked the same as the rest of the Vietnamese people and so the US troops never knew whom they were shooting, leading to many shootings of innocent people dying like the My Lai massacre, where even children were killed. These actions were caused by the frustration of the US troops who were frustrated at losing their comrades; they retaliated by feeling anxious when they went into villages where they knew that they could be killed. These methods were very effective as the booby-traps couldn’t be seen by the opposition and was a quick way of killing the enemy without fighting with them face to face. The tunnels were also effective for the Viet Cong as they could retreat to them when they had just ambushed the US troops. They could also use some of the tunnels to put trap doors and lead them to terrible ways of dying like snakes or poison spikes. A massive advantage for the Viet Cong was that the area in which they were fighting in was mainly in a forest. This helped the Viet Cong as the US could not use their air support to full affect as they could not see the combatants below. The Viet Cong also used the US’ Napalm as an advantage, as when the US alerted their commanders of a sighting of the Viet Cong forces, the Viet Cong would draw the enemies in to the sighting area leading to the US sometimes accidently killing their own forces. One of the main tactics for the Viet Cong was to ambush the troops when they were the most exhausted, like after a long march through the forest. The weather played a huge part in this tactic as the temperatures were very hot, the sort of weather the US troops weren’t used to, unlike the Viet Cong who were used to this weather every day. The heat would’ve made the US Soldiers tired, therefore allowing the Viet Cong to ambush them and the US soldiers would have hardly any energy to fight back. The Viet Cong also thought of backup tactics. These included secure sanctuaries for times when the war might go badly. These were very effective as when the US troops outnumbered the Viet Cong they could retreat to a hiding spot to then launch an ambush. (http://www. pbs. org/battlefieldvietnam/guerrilla/index. html) Also the Viet Cong were made up of people from all around South Vietnam. This made it easier for the Viet Cong to gain trust from people as many of the South Vietnamese people knew at least one person fighting for the Viet Cong. (Edexcel GCSE, History Controlled Assessment, CA5 Vietnam 1960-75). They were also nice to the South Vietnamese people unlike the US troops. With this advantage the Viet Cong used the South Vietnamese people as intelligence spies, to gather information about the enemy US troops without them suspecting a thing. This worked well for the Viet Cong as the US troops wouldn’t be able to recognise any Vietnamese people who were working for the Viet Cong, which meant that the Viet Cong could keep on finding out crucial information about the enemy without needing to capture any opposition fighters. In conclusion, I believe that the guerrilla tactics of the Viet Cong were much superior to those of the US troops as they were more adapted to the Vietnamese environment whereas the US tactics could not be put fully into action, and the fact that the Viet Cong knew their environment more compared to the US was a dominant factor in using tactics and methods to getting to where they wanted to be and how to get there. Bibliography 1) Ambushing US patrols, setting booby traps and landmines, and planting bombs in towns. They mingled in with the peasants, wearing ordinary clothes. The Americans couldnt identify who the enemy was. ) Their tactic was  hanging onto the belts  of the Americans staying so close to the Americans so they could not use air or artillery backup without killing their own men. Source: http://www. bbc. co. uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/vietnam/thewarinvietnam rev2. shtml 3) The Vietcong would avoid pitched battles with the Americans unless the odds were clea rly in their favour. There would be more hit and run attacks and ambushes. 4) The Vietcong, following the example of Chinese guerrillas before them, had always given the highest priority to creating safe base areas. They were training grounds, logistics centres and headquarters. They also offered secure sanctuaries for times when the war might go badly. Source: http://www. pbs. org/battlefieldvietnam/guerrilla/index. html 5) Build bases of support among the local population. Avoid open battles with the enemy. Use the local population to gather intelligence about troop movements. Use ambushes, attack at night. Withdraw from fights when outnumbered. (Page 15) 6) Attacked their opponents when they were at their weakest, for example after a long march. Attacked their enemy when they were resting or when they were in camp. They were supplied with weapons and rockets by China and Russia (Page 21) 7) The Vietcong dug themselves tunnels to provide Shelter from bombing and search and destroy missions. (Page 22) Source: Edexcel GCSE, History Controlled Assessment, CA5 Vietnam 1960-75 8) The land is full of marshes, trees, swamps, damp grass, and traps. The Vietcong could be anyone. The Vietcong were camouflaged. Concrete trapdoors, stake traps (poisoned spikes), firing posts, storage for food, weapons and explosives and wells. Sometimes the Vietcong attacked/assaulted the Americans from buildings causing them to fight back. Source: Used my own information 9) Guerrilla warfare is in which a small group of  combatants  including, but not limited to, armed civilians using  military tactics, such as  ambushes,  sabotage,  raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary  mobility  to dominate a larger and less-mobile traditional  army, or strike a vulnerable target, and withdraw almost immediately. Source: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Guerrilla_warfare http://www. thefinertimes. com/Vietnam-War/15-facts-about-the-vietnam-war. html

Friday, March 6, 2020

Thats Like Me Essays - Cannabis, Herbalism, Medicinal Plants

That's Like Me Essays - Cannabis, Herbalism, Medicinal Plants That's Like Me Throughout history marijuana has been used to serve various purposes in many different cultures. The purposes have changed over time to fit in with the current lifestyles. This pattern is also true in American history. The use of marijuana has adapted to the social climate of the time. Marijuana, whose scientific name is cannibis sativa, was mentioned in historical manuscripts as early as 2700 B. C. in China. (Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia, 1995). The cultivation of the marijuana plant began as far back as the Jamestown settlers, around 1611, who used hemp produced from the marijuana plant's fibers to make rope and canvas. It was also used in making clothing because of it's durability. These uses fit in with the social climate of the time, because the main focus was on survival rather than for psychoactive purposes. During the prohibition, marijuana was widely used because of the scarcity of alcohol. Prohibition was repealed after just thirteen years while the prohibition against marijuana lasted for more than seventy five years. This double standard may have resulted from the wishes of those in power. Alcohol prohibition struck directly at tens of millions of Americans of all ages, including many of societies most powerful members. Marijuana prohibition threatened far fewer Americans, and they had relatively little influence in the districts of power. Only the prohibition of marijuana, which some sixty million Americans have violated since 1965 has come close to approximating the prohibition experience, but marijuana smokers consist mostly of young and relatively powerless Americans (American Heritage, pg 47). Alcohol prohibition was repealed and marijuana prohibition was retained, not because scientists had proved that alcohol was the less dangerous of the various psychoactive drugs, but because of the prejudices and preferences of most Americans (American Heritage, pg 47). In 1937 the government issued the Marijuana Tax Act, which levied a dollar an ounce tax on marijuana, coupled with fines of $2,000 for drug posession and jail sentences for evasion of the tax. For this reason marijuana use in the United States appears to have gone into decline in the late 30's (Grolier Wellness Encyclopedia, pg 54). Then marijuana was outlawed in 1937 as a repressive measure against Mexican workers who crossed the border seekingjobs during the Depression. The specific reason given for the outlawing of the hemp plant was it's supposed violent effect on the degenerate races (Schaffer, pg. 86). Beginning in the 60's marijuana use saw a resurgence which may be attributed to many causes. One of the main causes was the rebellion of youth against the Vietnam War. They used marijuana as an escape from war to peace. It was easy at this time to depict marijuana as a beneficial and completely harmless substance whose effects were far less harmful than those of legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine because there was not enough scientific research done during the 60's (Grolier Wellness Encyclopedia, pg 54). Another cause may have been the discovery of the psychoactive component of marijuana- tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC. Users found the relation between the doses and the effects (Grolier Electronic Publishing, 1995). The current atmosphere provides for doctors to suggest synthetic marijuana (THC) in a pure and standardized form by perscription (called Marinol) for the treatment of nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy. Also, although there is no scientific evidence that shows marijuana is beneficial in the treatment of glaucoma, it may prevent the progression of visual loss. Marijuana, along with alcohol and a host of other substances, can actually lower intraocular eye pressure. The mediction however, must be carefully tailored to the individual to prevent further eye damage. The evidence has clearly shown that marijuana has been around for a great deal of time and has served multiple purposes throughout history.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

BHE 415 - Community and Domestic Violence (Module 4-CBT) Essay

BHE 415 - Community and Domestic Violence (Module 4-CBT) - Essay Example So abuse is more serious than the neglect even though neglect is also termed as an abuse. Mr. Jones is an 80 year old male who has recently experienced a decline in health status. His daughter Jane, who abuses alcohol, has recently moved in with him, as she lacks the monetary resources to live alone. She has assumed a care-giving role. Mr. Jones senses that she resents caring for him, and has become somewhat fearful of her. He seeks information concerning his fears. It is extremely important to let Mr.Jones know what is termed as abuse and what are the typical characteristics of the abusers. This information will not only help him to know his rights but also will help him to call for help immediately if he finds the signs of abuse hence preventing major injury. Physical abuse is the type of abuse where the caregiver or any other person uses physical force with the intention of causing harm to the person who is old. Not only slapping, beating and striking but also physical restraint, tying with rope, force feeding and inappropriate use of drugs is also considered physical abuse. This kind of physical violence can result in bruises, scars, injuries and also death (Quinn & Tomita 1997 p49). Sexual abuse is defined as a sexual contact with the elderly person which is not consensual. This includes rape, forced nudity, sexually explicit photography, touching the genitals or breast etc. This is one of the most traumatic kind of abuse as it is not evident from physical examination. It can cause depression and sadness and can make elderly person to lose hope about life. The emotional abuse are of

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Tirstrup BioMechanics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tirstrup BioMechanics - Assignment Example Therefore procuring assets in a developed market like USA will certainly give an edge to the company. While considering the Private placement debt option the company must not be unduly bothered about gaining explicit visibility in the public markets, because that is not going to have a big impact on the fortunes of the company as its products are not for the common consumer, which can be bought off the shelf for daily use. For the business clients what matters the most is the quality and creditability. Business clients like to be dealt with directly and not through the public media. As for inviting proposals and ideas form financial institutions and giving them a vague promise if 'future business' doesn't make much of a sense if it is not form a well established company with strong credentials in the target market. It appears that the company has a ready cash of US$ 30 million, while another US$ 163 million is within easy reach provided Julie can present a formidable and convincing proposal before the Tirstrup's Board. Issuing commercial paper has some amount of uncertainty around it and sounds to be a costly proposition. The company will have to work hard for A1/P1 rating with a payment for back-up line and there are also the risks like re-pricing and re-funding.

Monday, January 27, 2020

GFP Practical Report

GFP Practical Report GFP is very useful as a reporter protein. After its discovery in 1962 its practical applications were put into use 30 years later by adding the coding DNA of GFP before the stop codon of other proteins. This allows for an easily detectable marker of the proteins presence without needing additional cofactors or causing any harm to the organism. The spectral characteristics of GFP can be changed by making mutations to the protein. In this investigation a Y66W mutation was made to wildtype GFP in order to produce a shorter excitation and emission wavelength. The mutation was made using QuikChange site directed mutagenesis. The protein was then cloned into BL21(DE3) pLysS for expression. The cells were then lysed and applied to a Ni-NTA column. This fractionated the lysate in order to analyse these fractions using SDS-PAGE, fluorescence and Bradford assays. It was found that the Y66W mutation was successfully added but due to another mutation in the stop codon additional amino acids were added to the C terminus of the protein. It was also found that purification was partially successful as GFP was eluted in the correct fraction. This is supported by the Bradford and fluorescence assays. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a 238 amino acid protein with a molecular mass of 26,870 Da. It was first isolated from the jellyfish species Aequorea Victoria by Osamu Shimomura in 1962 (1). GFP is expressed in small photoorgans that are situated in the umbrella of the jellyfish. Douglas Prasher first realised the potential of GFP as a reporter protein (2). As proteins are smaller than the resolving power of electron microscopes, Prasher thought the GFP gene could be added into the gene for haemoglobin before the stop codon. This would allow the protein of interest to maintain all of its functions but would have the GFP protein at its C terminal end. This means that detection of GFP fluorescence would also indicate the presence of haemoglobin. Furthermore, GFP does not require additional cofactors or substrates to fluoresce. This means that it works extremely well as a non-invasive method of detection of protein expression. GFP is also non-toxic so it is able to be used in vi vo without causing damage or harm to the organism. Crystallisation studies (3) have shown that GFP has a barrel structure with the chromophore buried in the centre. This chromophore is comprised of 3 amino acids (Ser 65-Tyr 66-Gly 67) that undergo a series of spontaneous cyclisation reactions to create the active chromophore. Wild type GFP has a major excitation peak at 395 nm and a minor one at 475 nm with an emission peak at 509 nm. In vivo GFP is coupled to the protein aequorin which induces a blue glow when it interacts with Ca2+ ions and breaks down luciferin. This light is able to excite GFP and cause fluorescence. In vitro this is not the case, however GFP fluorescence can be easily induced by irradiating GFP with UV light. As with all proteins, GFP can be mutated. By mutating key residues, such as residues in the chromophore, it is possible to change the characteristics of GFPs fluorescence. The first of many mutations was the S65T mutation (4). This mutation improved the characteristics of the protein including increased photostability, fluorescence and a shift of the major excitation peak. This investigation is based on the engineering of GFP to create a mutant of GFP with a shorter excitation and emission wavelength by inducing the Y66W mutation. The aims of this investigation were as follows. To carry out site directed mutagenesis of GFPuv to clone into pET28c and transform the products into XL-1 super competent cells. Extraction of the plasmid after incubation overnight to check the purity and concentration of DNA. Preparation and transformation of BL21(DE3) cells. Lyse these cells and fractionate the lysate to purify his tagged GFP using a Ni-NTA column. Finally, detection of purified GFP by SDS- PAGE, Bradford assay and fluorescence. The workflow of the investigation can be found in figure 1 in appendix 1. A more detailed protocol can be found in the BIOC2302 semester 2 practical manual on pages 6-15 with rationale for all experiments. In site directed mutagenesis I 31 ÃŽ ¼l of water was added to the PCR reaction to give a total reaction volume of 50 ÃŽ ¼l. In site directed mutagenesis II a supplied culture of cells was used in the experiment rather than cells from the transformation colonies in site directed mutagenesis I. His tagged GFP was used instead of the mutant in the protein purification experiment in order for easier administration as the process is the same. Site directed mutagenesis I Before the wet lab work began it was first necessary to design primers for QuikChange to induce the Y66W mutation into the wild type GFP. These can be seen as figure 2 in appendix 2. These were created using the QuikChange primer design tool on the Agilent website. The site directed mutagenesis was carried out using the primers supplied to induce the correct mutation. The products of this were cloned into the pET28c plasmid and the XL-1 super competent cells. The cells were plated as per the BIOC2302 practical manual and left to incubate overnight. Site directed mutagenesis II Upon checking the plates in the next session it was found that no transformed colonies had grown so a new culture was supplied. The undigested plasmid control grew approximately 50 colonies The culture of BL21(DE3)pLysS cells was set up and the OD600 were recorded. They can be seen in table 1 in appendix 3. Within 50 minutes the culture had reached an OD600 of 0.483 meaning the cells were at the correct density for lysis. The cells were prepared as per the BIOC2302 practical manual and the recombinant plasmid was extracted. The concentration measured was 121.7 ng/ÃŽ ¼l and the A260/A280 was 1.86 using nanodrop. Therefore, the ethanol precipitation was not carried out. To prepare for sequencing 4.11 ÃŽ ¼l of this solution was diluted, with 5.98 ÃŽ ¼l EB buffer, to the correct concentration. This was then sent to be sequenced, the results of which can be seen in appendix 4. The primer has been highlighted in green and is surrounded by a box with the mutated codon in red. A deletion also occurred in the stop codon of the mutant as highlighted by the second box with deleted bases highlighted in blue. Protein purification The plates were inspected in the next session. It was found that the 200 ÃŽ ¼l transformation plate grew 3 colonies and the 50 ÃŽ ¼l transformation plate grew none. Transformation efficiency can be calculated for the 200 ÃŽ ¼l plate as 37 transformants/ÃŽ ¼g of DNA. The cells were weighed and found to be 0.539 g so 2 ml BugbusterTM used. After lysis and fractionation the SDS-PAGE samples of each fraction were prepared and loaded onto the gel. The Bradford assay was carried out while the gel ran.   The BSA standards were calculated and the contents of each standard well can be seen in table 2 in appendix 3. The fractions were then diluted into their wells and the contents can be seen in table 3 in appendix 3. The plate was filled according to the map in figure 2 in appendix 5. The plate was ran and the absorbances for the BSA standards were taken from the plate readout and inputted into table 4 in appendix 5. From here a calibration graph was set up using GraphPad Prism and can be seen as graph 1 in appendix 6. This graph shows that the data points for the standards do not fall near the line of best fit. The absorbance results from the plate readout for all of the fractions were imputed into table 5 in appendix 7. The equation of the line from graph 1 was then used to calculate the concentration of protein in each of the fractions. All of these values were also inputted into table 5. With the Bradford assay complete the SDS-PAGE gel was disassembled, stained and a picture was taken. A map of the gel can be seen as figure 3 in appendix 7 and the picture of the gel can be seen as figure 4 in appendix 8. By looking at the picture it can be seen that in lanes 2, 3, 4 and 9 there are dark bands spanning the entire lane. In 5, 6 and 8 there is faint banding across the well. In well 7 there is a distinct small band in between the 25 kDa and 37 kDa molecular markers. Lane 8 shows no bands at all. Finally the fluorescence assay was carried out as per the map of the microtiter plate in figure 5 in appendix 7. The results from the plate readout were inputted into table 5. From here a graph comparing the log of protein concentration compared to fluorescence of each fraction was plotted and can be found as graph 2 in appendix 6. This shows elution 1 with the highest fluorescence and the unbound x10 had the lowest. However, when comparing protein concentration the unbound fraction had the highest and wash 2 had none. Percentage fluorescence was also calculated and inputted into table 6 in appendix 9. The first aim of this experiment was to transform the site directed mutagenesis products into XL-1 super competent cells. The correct primers were used in order to induce the Y66W mutation into the parental DNA. However, no colonies that were meant to take up the mutated plasmid grew but the undigested control grew around 50 colonies. This means the cells did not take up the plasmid because otherwise they would have grown on the plate. This could be due to a mistake made in making the PCR reaction mixture or the DNA may have become damaged at some point in the experiment. Additionally, the suppliers of the XL-1 super competent cells advice to avoid large changes in temperature. This was unavoidable in this experiment and may have contributed to the cells not taking up the plasmid. In the future more care should be taken while plating and preparing the cells. Also preparation of any reaction mixtures should be checked very closely in order to ensure the correct reactants are added in the correct amounts. In site directed mutagenesis II the cell culture was lysed when the OD600 was 0.483. That is because E.coli cells are most likely to be made competent when they enter early log phase. This corresponds with an OD600 of 0.4-0.5. The DNA concentration extracted in this experiment was found to be 121.7 ng/ÃŽ ¼l and an A260/A280 of 1.86. This means that the DNA is good quality as the desirable range for A260/A280 is 1.7-2.0 and the concentration was much higher that what was required. However, in future experiments to test for reliability multiple results should be taken. Furthermore, the data could have been confirmed by using the spectrophotometric method alongside using nanodrop. The sequencing results in appendix 4 confirmed the successful incorporation of the Y66W mutation into GFP, creating the CFP mutant. However, the second mutation at the stop codon deleted 2 bases including the first base of the stop codon. This means that when the protein is expressed the ribosome will not stop and instead will continue to add amino acids onto the C terminus of the mutant until it reaches a new stop codon. There 144 bases between the original stop codon and the next in frame stop codon meaning 48 additional amino acids will be added to the C terminus. This codon can be seen highlighted in purple below the original stop codon. These additional amino acids could affect the folding or could increase the likelihood of aggregation of the mutant protein. In the protein purification experiment the 200 ÃŽ ¼l transformation plate grew 3 colonies and the 50 ÃŽ ¼l transformation plate grew none. The transformation efficiency on the 200 ÃŽ ¼l plate was 37 transformants/ÃŽ ¼g of DNA. The reason why this is so low could be due to a number of factors such as the plating technique or the cells may not have been left to chill on ice for the optimum amount of time. However, the negative control did not grow any colonies, confirming that all of the bacteria on the transformation plate were transformed. Again, more steps should be taken if this was to be carried out again to ensure that proper plating and prepping protocol is followed. The Bradford assay shows that in wash 2 there was no protein in the well. This means that any protein found in elutions 1 and 2 should all be His tagged GFP that bound the Ni-NTA column. This can be confirmed by the fluorescence results as the elution 1 fraction contained the majority of the total fluorescence with 44.13% of the total. However, all other fractions also produce some fluorescence. This could be due to GFP contamination in the other fractions. This could have occurred due to the resin being saturated, preventing further binding to the column. It could also be due to aggregation of the protein obscuring the His tag and preventing binding. Furthermore, the plots on the calibration graph do not fall on the line of best fit. This means that the equation of the line is not accurate and protein concentrations calculated using it are also inaccurate. Therefore, there could be more protein in each fraction than was calculated. This could account for the fluorescence in the wash and unbound fractions. The Bradford assay is quite limiting. This is due to the fact the assay only measures protein concentration rather than GFP concentration. This means that it is unsure whether the protein concentration measured in elution 1 and 2 is all GFP or it is contaminant protein. The same can be said for the other fractions, its unsure whether the protein concentration measured has been contaminated by GFP. In the future this assay should be carried out again to try and reduce contamination. The calibration graph should also be repeated until all of the data points fall on the line of best fit. Otherwise none of the calculated protein concentrations are accurate. Finally, the SDS-PAGE results shows banding in wash 1, 2 and elution 1 and 2. This suggests that there is contaminating protein in all of these fractions. Elution 1 shows a clear band at approximately the 26-27 kDa mark as it is present just above the 25 kDa marker and is well below the 37 kDa marker. This suggest the band in elution 1 is GFP as it is the appropriate size and is in the expected fraction. Another source of error could be due to the amount of pressure applied to the pipette. This will vary from person to person and will affect the volume of the solution being pipetted. As such small volumes were being used and there was a lot of solutions to be pipetted it is very possible a mistake was made. This mistake would have a big effect on the concentration and therefore could have a big effect on the absorbance values. These errors can be avoided in future by using the appropriate pipette for the volumes being used. Further reduction in errors can come from correct technique and by doing replicates and averaging values. There could be some error in the microtiter itself. There may have been markings or scratches on the plate that werent seen at the time. This could affect how the light passed through the reader and therefore affect the absorbance values. In conclusion, the aims of this investigation were to induce the Y66W mutation into wild type GFP using QuikChange site directed mutagenesis. Furthermore, the protein was to be expressed in competent BL21(DE3) pLysS cells. Finally wildtype GFP was to be purified using a Ni-NTA column and the fractions analysed with SDS-PAGE, fluorescence and Bradford assays. The investigation successfully introduced the Y66W mutation into wildtype GFP. However, the stop codon was also mutated adding an extra 48 amino acids on the C terminal of the protein.   A band indicating the presence of GFP was found at the 26.9 kDa mark in elution 1, indicating it was bound to the column and was eluted. However, all factions were contaminated with other protein. References      Ã‚   1. Shimomura, O., Johnson, F., and Saiga, Y. Extraction, purification and properties of aequorin, a bioluminescent protein from the luminous. s.l. : J. Cell. Comp. Physiol. 59:223-39, 1962. 2. Prasher, D., Eckenrode, V., Ward, W., Prendergast, F., and Cormier, M. Primary structure of the Aequorea Victoria green-fluorescent protein. s.l. : Gene 111 (2)229-33, 1992. 3. Ormo, M., Cubitt, A., Kallio, K., Gross, L., Tsien, R., and Remington. S. Crystal structure of the Aequorea Victoria green fluorescent protein. s.l. : Science 273:1392-5, 1996. 4. Heim R, Cubitt AB, Tsien RY. Improved green fluroescence. s.l. : Nature. 373 (6516): 663-4., 1995.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Vampire Academy Chapter 12

TWELVE SLEEP CAME RELUCTANTLY THAT NIGHT and I tossed and turned for a long time before finally going under. An hour or so later, I sat up in bed, trying to relax and sort out the emotions coming to me. Lissa. Scared and upset. Unstable. The night's events suddenly came rushing back to me as I went through what could be bothering her. The queen humiliating her. Mia. Maybe even Christian – he could have found her for all I knew. Yet†¦none of those was the problem right now. Buried within her, there was something else. Something terribly wrong. I climbed out of bed, dressed hastily, and considered my options. I had a third-floor room now – way too high to climb down from, particularly since I had no Ms. Karp to patch me up this time. I would never be able to sneak out of the main hall. That only left going through the â€Å"appropriate† channels. â€Å"Where do you think you're going?† One of the matrons who supervised my hall looked up from her chair. She sat stationed at the end of the hall, near the stairs going down. During the day, that stairwell had loose supervision. At night, we might as well have been in jail. I crossed my arms. â€Å"I need to see Dim – Guardian Belikov.† â€Å"It's late.† â€Å"It's an emergency.† She looked me up and down. â€Å"You seem okay to me.† â€Å"You're going to be in so much trouble tomorrow when everyone finds out you stopped me from reporting what I know.† â€Å"Tell me.† â€Å"It's private guardian stuff.† I gave her as hard a stare as I could manage. It must have worked, because she finally stood up and pulled out a cell phone. She called someone – Dimitri, I hoped – but murmured too low for me to hear. We waited several minutes, and then the door leading to the stairs opened. Dimitri appeared, fully dressed and alert, though I felt pretty sure we'd pulled him out of bed. He took one look at me. â€Å"Lissa.† I nodded. Without another word, he turned around and started back down the stairs. I followed. We walked across the quad in silence, toward the imposing Moroi dorm. It was â€Å"night† for the vampires, which meant it was daytime for the rest of the world. Mid-afternoon sun shone with a cold, golden light on us. The human genes in me welcomed it and always sort of regretted how Moroi light sensitivity forced us to live in darkness most of the time. Lissa's hall matron gaped when we appeared, but Dimitri was too intimidating to oppose. â€Å"She's in the bathroom,† I told them. When the matron started to follow me inside, I wouldn't let her. â€Å"She's too upset. Let me talk to her alone first.† Dimitri considered. â€Å"Yes. Give them a minute.† I pushed the door open. â€Å"Liss?† A soft sound, like a sob, came from within. I walked down five stalls and found the only one closed. I knocked softly. â€Å"Let me in,† I said, hoping I sounded calm and strong. I heard a sniffle, and a few moments later, the door unlatched. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Lissa stood before me†¦ †¦covered in blood. Horrified, I squelched a scream and almost called for help. Looking more closely, I saw that a lot of the blood wasn't actually coming from her. It was smeared on her, like it had been on her hands and she'd rubbed her face. She sank to the floor, and I followed, kneeling before her. â€Å"Are you okay?† I whispered. â€Å"What happened?† She only shook her head, but I saw her face crumple as more tears spilled from her eyes. I took her hands. â€Å"Come on. Let's get you cleaned – â€Å" I stopped. She was bleeding after all. Perfect lines crossed her wrists, not near any crucial veins, but enough to leave wet, red tracks across her skin. She hadn't hit her veins when she did this; death hadn't been her goal. She met my eyes. â€Å"I'm sorry†¦I didn't mean†¦Please don't let them know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she sobbed. â€Å"When I saw it, I freaked out.† She nodded toward her wrists. â€Å"This just happened before I could stop. I was upset†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's okay,† I said automatically, wondering what â€Å"it† was. â€Å"Come on.† I heard a knock on the door. â€Å"Rose?† â€Å"Just a sec,† I called back. I took her to the sink and rinsed the blood off her wrists. Grabbing the first-aid kit, I hastily put some Band-Aids on the cuts. The bleeding had already slowed. â€Å"We're coming in,† the matron called. I jerked off my hoodie sweatshirt and quickly handed it to Lissa. She had just pulled it on when Dimitri and the matron entered. He raced to our sides in an instant, and I realized that in hiding Lissa's wrists, I'd forgotten the blood on her face. â€Å"It's not mine,† she said quickly, seeing his expression. â€Å"It†¦it's the rabbit†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Dimitri assessed her, and I hoped he wouldn't look at her wrists. When he seemed satisfied she had no gaping wounds, he asked, â€Å"What rabbit?† I was wondering the same thing. With shaking hands, she pointed at the trash can. â€Å"I cleaned it up. So Natalie wouldn't see.† Dimitri and I both walked over and peered into the can. I pulled myself away immediately, swallowing back my stomach's need to throw up. I don't know how Lissa knew it was a rabbit. All I could see was blood. Blood and blood-soaked paper towels. Globs of gore I couldn't identify. The smell was horrible. Dimitri shifted closer to Lissa, bending down until they were at eye level. â€Å"Tell me what happened.† He handed her several tissues. â€Å"I came back about an hour ago. And it was there. Right there in the middle of the floor. Torn apart. It was like it had†¦exploded.† She sniffed. â€Å"I didn't want Natalie to find it, didn't want to scare her†¦so I-I cleaned it up. Then I just couldn't†¦I couldn't go back†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She began to cry, and her shoulders shook. I could figure out the rest, the part she didn't tell Dimitri. She'd found the rabbit, cleaned up, and freaked out. Then she'd cut herself, but it was the weird way she coped with things that upset her. â€Å"No one should be able to get into those rooms!† exclaimed the matron. â€Å"How is this happening?† â€Å"Do you know who did it?† Dimitri's voice was gentle. Lissa reached into her pajama pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. It had so much blood soaked into it, I could barely read it as he held it and smoothed it out. I know what you are. You won't survive being here. I'll make sure of it. Leave now. It's the only way you might live through this. The matron's shock transformed into something more determined, and she headed for the door. â€Å"I'm getting Ellen.† It took me a second to remember that was Kirova's first name. â€Å"Tell her we'll be at the clinic,† said Dimitri. When she left, he turned to Lissa. â€Å"You should lie down.† When she didn't move, I linked my arm through hers. â€Å"Come on, Liss. Let's get you out of here.† Slowly, she put one foot in front of the other and let us lead her to the Academy's medical clinic. It was normally staffed by a couple of doctors, but at this time of night, only a nurse stayed on duty. She offered to wake one of the doctors, but Dimitri declined. â€Å"She just needs to rest.† Lissa had no sooner stretched out on a narrow bed than Kirova and a few others showed up and started questioning her. I thrust myself in front of them, blocking her. â€Å"Leave her alone! Can't you see she doesn't want to talk about it? Let her get some sleep first!† â€Å"Miss Hathaway,† declared Kirova, â€Å"you're out of line as usual. I don't even know what you're doing here.† Dimitri asked if he could speak with her privately and led her into the hall. I heard angry whispers from her, calm and firm ones from him. When they returned, she said stiffly, â€Å"You may stay with her for a little while. We'll have janitors do further cleaning and investigation in the bathroom and your room, Miss Dragomir, and then discuss the situation in detail in the morning.† â€Å"Don't wake Natalie,† whispered Lissa. â€Å"I don't want to scare her. I cleaned up everything in the room anyway.† Kirova looked doubtful. The group retreated but not before the nurse asked if Lissa wanted anything to eat or drink. She declined. Once we were alone, I lay down beside her and put my arm around her. â€Å"I won't let them find out,† I told her, sensing her worry about her wrists. â€Å"But I wish you'd told me before I left the reception. You'd said you'd always come to me first.† â€Å"I wasn't going to do it then,† she said, her eyes staring blankly off. â€Å"I swear, I wasn't going to. I mean, I was upset†¦but I thought†¦I thought I could handle it. I was trying so hard†¦really, Rose. I was. But then I got back to my room, and I saw it, and I†¦just lost it. It was like the last straw, you know? And I knew I had to clean it up. Had to clean it up before they saw, before they found out, but there was so much blood†¦and afterward, after it was done, it was too much, and I felt like I was going to†¦I don't know†¦explode, and it was just too much, I had to let it out, you know? I had to – â€Å" I interrupted her hysteria. â€Å"It's okay, I understand.† That was a lie. I didn't get her cutting at all. She'd done it sporadically, ever since the accident, and it scared me each time. She'd try to explain it to me, how she didn't want to die – she just needed to get it out somehow. She felt so much emotionally, she would say that a physical outlet – physical pain – was the only way to make the internal pain go away. It was the only way she could control it. â€Å"Why is this happening?† she cried into her pillow. â€Å"Why am I a freak?† â€Å"You aren't a freak.† â€Å"No one else has this happen to them. No one else does magic like I can.† â€Å"Did you try to do magic?† No answer. â€Å"Liss? Did you try to heal the rabbit?† â€Å"I reached out, just to see if I could maybe fix it, but there was just too much blood†¦I couldn't.† The more she uses it, the worse it'll get. Stop her, Rose. Lissa was right. Moroi magic could conjure fire and water, move rocks and other pieces of earth. But no one could heal or bring animals back from the dead. No one except Ms. Karp. Stop her before they notice, before they notice and take her away too. Get her out of here. I hated carrying this secret, mostly because I didn't know what to do about it. I didn't like feeling powerless. I needed to protect her from this – and from herself. And yet, at the same time, I needed to protect her from them, too. â€Å"We should go,† I said abruptly. â€Å"We're going to leave.† â€Å"Rose – â€Å" â€Å"It's happening again. And it's worse. Worse than last time.† â€Å"You're afraid of the note.† â€Å"I'm not afraid of any note. But this place isn't safe.† I suddenly longed for Portland again. It might be dirtier and more crowded than the rugged Montana landscape, but at least you knew what to expect – not like here. Here at the Academy, past and present warred with each other. It might have its beautiful old walls and gardens, but inside, modern things were creeping in. People didn't know how to handle that. It was just like the Moroi themselves. Their archaic royal families still held the power on the surface, but people were growing discontent. Dhampirs who wanted more to their lives. Moroi like Christian who wanted to fight the Strigoi. The royals still clung to their traditions, still touted their power over everyone else, just as the Academy's elaborate iron gates put on a show of tradition and invincibility. And, oh, the lies and secrets. They ran through the halls and hid in the corners. Someone here hated Lissa, someone who was probably smiling right to her face and pretending to be her friend. I couldn't let them destroy her. â€Å"You need to get some sleep,† I told her. â€Å"I can't sleep.† â€Å"Yes, you can. I'm right here. You won't be alone.† Anxiety and fear and other troubled emotions coursed through her. But in the end, her body's needs won out. After a while, I saw her eyes close. Her breathing became even, and the bond grew quiet. I watched her sleep, too keyed up with adrenaline to allow myself any rest. I think maybe an hour had passed when the nurse returned and told me I had to leave. â€Å"I can't go,† I said. â€Å"I promised her she wouldn't be alone.† The nurse was tall, even for a Moroi, with kind brown eyes. â€Å"She won't be. I'll stay with her.† I regarded her skeptically. â€Å"I promise.† Back in my room, I had my own crash. The fear and excitement had worn me out too, and for an instant, I wished I could have a normal life and a normal best friend. Immediately, I cast that thought out. No one was normal, not really. And I'd never have a better friend than Lissa†¦but man, it was so hard sometimes. I slept heavily until morning. I went to my first class tentatively, nervous that word about last night had gotten around. As it turned out, people were talking about last night, but their attention was still focused on the queen and the reception. They knew nothing about the rabbit. As hard as it was to believe, I'd nearly forgotten about that other stuff. Still, it suddenly seemed like a small thing compared to someone causing a bloody explosion in Lissa's room. Yet, as the day went on, I noticed something weird. People stopped looking at Lissa so much. The started looking at me. Whatever. Ignoring them, I hunted around and found Lissa finishing up with a feeder. That funny feeling I always got came over me as I watched her mouth work against the feeder's neck, drinking his blood. A trickle of it ran down his throat, standing out against his pale skin. Feeders, though human, were nearly as pale as Moroi from all the blood loss. He didn't seem to notice; he was long gone on the high of the bite. Drowning in jealousy, I decided I needed therapy. â€Å"You okay?† I asked her later, on our way to class. She wore long sleeves, purposefully obscuring her wrists. â€Å"Yeah†¦I still can't stop thinking about that rabbit†¦It was so horrible. I keep seeing it in my head. And then what I did.† She squeezed her eyes shut, just for a moment, and then opened them again. â€Å"People are talking about us.† â€Å"I know. Ignore them.† â€Å"I hate it,† she said angrily. A surge of darkness shot up into her and through the bond. It made me cringe. My best friend was lighthearted and kind. She didn't have feelings like that. â€Å"I hate all the gossip. It's so stupid. How can they all be so shallow?† â€Å"Ignore them,† I repeated soothingly. â€Å"You were smart not to hang out with them anymore.† Ignoring them grew harder and harder, though. The whispers and looks increased. In animal behavior, it became so bad, I couldn't even concentrate on my now-favorite subject. Ms. Meissner had started talking about evolution and survival of the fittest and how animals sought mates with good genes. It fascinated me, but even she had a hard time staying on task, since she had to keep yelling at people to quiet down and pay attention. â€Å"Something's going on,† I told Lissa between classes. â€Å"I don't know what, but they're all over something new.† â€Å"Something else? Other than the queen hating me? What more could there be?† â€Å"Wish I knew.† Things finally came to a head in our last class of the day, Slavic art. It started when a guy I barely knew made a very explicit and nearly obscene suggestion to me while we all worked on individual projects. I replied in kind, letting him know exactly what he could do with his request. He only laughed. â€Å"Come on, Rose. I bleed for you.† Loud giggles ensued, and Mia cut us a taunting look. â€Å"Wait, it's Rose who does the bleeding, right?† More laughter. Understanding slapped me in the face. I jerked Lissa away. â€Å"They know.† â€Å"Know what?† â€Å"About us. About how you†¦you know, how I fed you while we were gone.† She gaped. â€Å"How?† â€Å"How do you think? Your ? ®friend' Christian.† â€Å"No,† she said adamantly. â€Å"He wouldn't have.† â€Å"Who else knew?† Faith in Christian flashed in her eyes and in our bond. But she didn't know what I knew. She didn't know how I'd bitched him out last night, how I'd made him think she hated him. The guy was unstable. Spreading our biggest secret – well, one of them – would be an adequate revenge. Maybe he'd killed the rabbit, too. After all, it had died only a couple hours after I'd told him off. Not waiting around to hear her protests, I stalked off to the other side of the room where Christian was working by himself, as usual. Lissa followed in my wake. Not caring if people saw us, I leaned across the table toward him, putting my face inches from his. â€Å"I'm going to kill you.† His eyes darted to Lissa, the faintest glimmer of longing in them, and then a scowl spread over his face. â€Å"Why? Is it like guardian extra credit?† â€Å"Stop with the attitude,† I warned, pitching my voice low. â€Å"You told. You told how Lissa had to feed off me.† â€Å"Tell her,† said Lissa desperately. â€Å"Tell her she's wrong.† Christian dragged his eyes from me to her, and as they regarded each other, I felt such a powerful wave of attraction, it was a wonder it didn't knock me over. Her heart was in her eyes. It was obvious to me he felt the same way about her, but she couldn't see it, particularly since he was still glaring at her. â€Å"You can stop it, you know,† he said. â€Å"You don't have to pretend anymore.† Lissa's giddy attraction vanished, replaced by hurt and shock over his tone. â€Å"I†¦what? Pretend what?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You know what. Just stop. Stop with the act.† Lissa stared at him, her eyes wide and wounded. She had no clue I'd gone off on him last night. She had no clue that he believed she hated him. â€Å"Get over feeling sorry for yourself, and tell us what's going on,† I snapped at him. â€Å"Did you or didn't you tell them?† He fixed me with a defiant look. â€Å"No. I didn't.† â€Å"I don't believe you.† â€Å"I do,† said Lissa. â€Å"I know it's impossible to believe a freak like me could keep his mouth shut – especially since neither of you can – but I have better things to do than spread stupid rumors. You want someone to blame? Blame your golden boy over there.† I followed his gaze to where Jesse was laughing about something with that idiot Ralf. â€Å"Jesse doesn't know,† said Lissa defiantly. Christian's eyes were glued to me. â€Å"He does, though. Doesn't he, Rose? He knows.† My stomach sank out of me. Yes. Jesse did know. He'd figured it out that night in the lounge. â€Å"I didn't think†¦I didn't think he'd tell. He was too afraid of Dimitri.† â€Å"You told him?† exclaimed Lissa. â€Å"No, he guessed.† I was starting to feel sick. â€Å"He apparently did more than guess,† muttered Christian. I turned on him. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† â€Å"Oh. You don't know.† â€Å"I swear to God, Christian, I'm going to break your neck after class.† â€Å"Man, you really are unstable.† He said it almost happily, but his next words were more serious. He still wore that sneer, still glowed with anger, but when he spoke, I could hear the faintest uneasiness in his voice. â€Å"He sort of elaborated on what was in your note. Got into a little more detail.† â€Å"Oh, I get it. He said we had sex.† I didn't need to mince words. Christian nodded. So. Jesse was trying to boost his own reputation. Okay. That I could deal with. Not like my reputation was that stellar to begin with. Everyone already believed I had sex all the time. â€Å"And uh, Ralf too. That you and he – â€Å" Ralf? No amount of alcohol or any illegal substance would make me touch him. â€Å"I – what? That I had sex with Ralf too?† Christian nodded. â€Å"That asshole! I'm going to – â€Å" â€Å"There's more.† â€Å"How? Did I sleep with the basketball team?† â€Å"He said – they both said – you let them†¦well, you let them drink your blood.† That stopped even me. Drinking blood during sex. The dirtiest of the dirty. Sleazy. Beyond being easy or a slut. A gazillion times worse than Lissa drinking from me for survival. Blood-whore territory. â€Å"That's crazy!† Lissa cried. â€Å"Rose would never – Rose?† But I wasn't listening anymore. I was in my own world, a world that took me across the classroom to where Jesse and Ralf sat. They both looked up, faces half smug and half†¦nervous, if I had to guess. Not unexpected, since they were both lying through their teeth. The entire class came to a standstill. Apparently they'd been expecting some type of showdown. My unstable reputation in action. â€Å"What the hell do you think you're doing?† I asked in a low, dangerous voice. Jesse's nervous look turned to one of terror. He might have been taller than me, but we both knew who would win if I turned violent. Ralf, however, gave me a cocky smile. â€Å"We didn't do anything you didn't want us to do.† His smiled turned cruel. â€Å"And don't even think about laying a hand on us. You start a fight, and Kirova'll kick you out to go live with the other blood whores.† The rest of the students were holding their breaths, waiting to see what we'd do. I don't know how Mr. Nagy could have been oblivious to the drama occurring in his class. I wanted to punch both of them, hit them so hard that it'd make Dimitri's brawl with Jesse look like a pat on the back. I wanted to wipe that smirk off Ralf's face. But asshole or not, he was right. If I touched them, Kirova would expel me in the blink of an eye. And if I got kicked out, Lissa would be alone. Taking a deep breath, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. I walked away. The rest of the day was miserable. In backing down from the fight, I opened myself up to mockery from everyone else. The rumors and whispers grew louder. People stared at me openly. People laughed. Lissa kept trying to talk to me, to console me, but I ignored even her. I went through the rest of my classes like a zombie, and then I headed off to practice with Dimitri as fast I could. He gave me a puzzled look but didn't ask any questions. Alone in my room later on, I cried for the first time in years. Once I got that out of my system, I was about to put on my pajamas when I heard a knock at my door. Dimitri. He studied my face and then glanced away, obviously aware I'd been crying. I could tell, too, that the rumors had finally reached him. He knew. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"It doesn't matter if I am, remember?† I looked up at him. â€Å"Is Lissa okay? This'll be hard on her.† A funny look crossed his face. I think it astonished him that I'd still be worried about her at a time like this. He beckoned me to follow and led me out to a back stairwell, one that usually stayed locked to students. But it was open tonight, and he gestured me outside. â€Å"Five minutes,† he warned. More curious than ever, I stepped outside. Lissa stood there. I should have sensed she was close, but my own out-of-control feelings had obscured hers. Without a word, she put her arms around me and held me for several moments. I had to hold back more tears. When we broke apart, she looked at me with calm, level eyes. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said. â€Å"Not your fault. It'll pass.† She clearly doubted that. So did I. â€Å"It is my fault,† she said. â€Å"She did it to get back at me.† â€Å"She?† â€Å"Mia. Jesse and Ralf aren't smart enough to think of something like that on their own. You said it yourself: Jesse was too scared of Dimitri to talk much about what happened. And why wait until now? It happened a while ago. If he'd wanted to spread stuff around, he would have done it back then. Mia's doing this as retaliation for you talking about her parents. I don't know how she managed it, but she's the one who got them to say those things.† In my gut, I realized Lissa was right. Jesse and Ralf were the tools; Mia had been the mastermind. â€Å"Nothing to be done now,† I sighed. â€Å"Rose – â€Å" â€Å"Forget it, Liss. It's done, okay?† She studied me quietly for a few seconds. â€Å"I haven't seen you cry in a long time.† â€Å"I wasn't crying.† A feeling of heartache and sympathy beat through to me from the bond. â€Å"She can't do this to you,† she argued. I laughed bitterly, half surprised at my own hopelessness. â€Å"She already did. She said she'd get back at me, that I wouldn't be able to protect you. She did it. When I go back to classes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A sickening feeling settled in my stomach. I thought about the friends and respect I'd managed to eke out, despite our low profile. That would be gone. You couldn't come back from something like this. Not among the Moroi. Once a blood whore, always a blood whore. What made it worse was that some dark, secret part of me did like being bitten. â€Å"You shouldn't have to keep protecting me,† she said. I laughed. â€Å"That's my job. I'm going to be your guardian.† â€Å"I know, but I meant like this. You shouldn't suffer because of me. You shouldn't always have to look after me. And yet you always do. You got me out of here. You took care of everything when we were on our own. Even since coming back†¦you've always been the one who does all the work. Every time I break down – like last night – you're always there. Me, I'm weak. I'm not like you.† I shook my head. â€Å"That doesn't matter. It's what I do. I don't mind.† â€Å"Yeah, but look what happened. I'm the one she really has a grudge against – even though I still don't know why. Whatever. It's going to stop. I'm going to protect you from now on.† There was a determination in her expression, a wonderful confidence radiating off of her that reminded me of the Lissa I'd known before the accident. At the same time, I could feel something else in her – something darker, a sense of deeply buried anger. I'd seen this side of her before too, and I didn't like it. I didn't want her tapping into it. I just wanted her to be safe. â€Å"Lissa, you can't protect me.† â€Å"I can,† she said fiercely. â€Å"There's one thing Mia wants more than to destroy you and me. She wants to be accepted. She wants to hang out with the royals and feel like she's one of them. I can take that away from her.† She smiled. â€Å"I can turn them against her.† â€Å"How?† â€Å"By telling them.† Her eyes flashed. My mind was moving too slowly tonight. It took me a while to catch on. â€Å"Liss – no. You can't use compulsion. Not around here.† â€Å"I might as well get some use out of these stupid powers.† The more she uses it, the worse it'll get. Stop her, Rose. Stop her before they notice, before they notice and take her away too. Get her out of here. â€Å"Liss, if you get caught – â€Å" Dimitri stuck his head out. â€Å"You've got to get back inside, Rose, before someone finds you.† I shot a panicked look at Lissa, but she was already retreating. â€Å"I'll take care of everything this time, Rose. Everything.†