Last Sacrifice Chapter Nineteen

THE VANS PARKED IN A semi-remote part of Court, so seeing the area packed with eager Moroi was quite a shock to Lissa. Guardians moved through the people like ghosts, just as they had at the nomination session, keeping as much order as possible. The crowd kept getting in the way as the vans attempted to reach the garages, and faces looked in the windows, trying to get a glimpse of the royal candidates. Lissa stared at the masses in shock, almost afraid to get out. Ariana gave her a comforting smile. â€Å"This is normal. They all want to know who made it and who didn't. They especially want to know.' She inclined her head toward the front of the van. Peering through the windshield, Lissa spied the other six candidates. Because the forest course could only accommodate so many people, the group had been split in half. The rest of the candidates would take the same test tomorrow and were no doubt curious who among their competitors had passed today. Lissa was used to order and decorum around royals, so she was astonished to see such eagerness and frenzy among them now. And of course, the â€Å"common' Moroi who'd been arriving at Court were mixed into the crowd too. Everyone was pushing, peering over the heads of others to find out what had happened. People were shouting some of the candidates' names, and I was half-surprised they hadn't come up with songs and banners. Lissa and her companions exited the van and were met with a wave of cheers that rippled through the crowd. It became obvious pretty quickly who had passed and who hadn't. This sent the crowd abuzz even more. Lissa stood rooted to the spot, staring around and feeling lost. It was one thing to rationally discuss the pros of her running for queen with her friends. It was an entirely different matter to suddenly be thrust into what the elections truly meant. Her focus had been limited to a few things: my safety, finding the murderer, and surviving the tests. Now, as she took in the crowd, she realized the election was bigger than her, bigger than anything she could have imagined. For these people, it wasn't a joke. It wasn't a scam to twist the law and stall for time. Their lives were figuratively on the line. Moroi and dhampirs lived inside various countries and obeyed those laws, but they also obeyed this government, the one that operated out of the Court. It reached around the world and affected every dhampir and Moroi who chose to stay in our society. We had some voting, yes, but the king or queen shaped our futures. The guardians in charge of the crowds finally gave the okay for family members to push through the masses and collect their nominees. Lissa had no one. Both Janine and Eddie–despite earlier claims–were occasionally given temporary tasks that prevented them from being with Lissa 24/7, and she certainly had no family to come for her. Adrift, she felt dizzy in the chaos, still stunned by her moment of clarity. Conflicting emotions warred within her. Deceiving everyone made her feel unworthy, like she should resign her candidacy right now. At the same time, she suddenly wanted to be worthy of the elections. She wanted to hold her head high and walk into the tests proudly, even if she was taking them for ulterior motives. A strong hand at last caught hold of her arm. Christian. â€Å"Come on. Let's get out of here.' He pulled her away, shouldering through the onlookers. â€Å"Hey,' he called to a couple guardians on the crowd's periphery. â€Å"A little help here for the princess?' It was the first time I had ever seen him act like a royal, throwing around the authority of his bloodline. To me, he was snarky, cynical Christian. In Moroi society, at eighteen, he could now technically be addressed as Lord Ozera. I'd forgotten that. The two guardians hadn't. They rushed to Lissa's side, helping Christian part the crowd. The faces around her were a blur, the noise a dull roar. Yet, every once in a while, something would come through to her. The chanting of her name. Declarations about the return of the dragon, which was the symbol of the Dragomir family. This is real, she kept thinking. This is real. The guardians efficiently led her out of it all and back across the Court's grounds to her building. They released her once they considered her safe, and she graciously thanked them for their help. When she and Christian were in her room, she sank onto the bed, stunned. â€Å"Oh my God,' she said. â€Å"That was insane.' Christian smiled. â€Å"Which part? Your welcome home party? Or the test itself? You look like you just †¦ well, I'm not really sure what you just did.' Lissa took a quick survey of herself. They'd given her dry towels on the ride home, but her clothing was still damp and was wrinkling as it dried. Her shoes and jeans had mud all over them, and she didn't even want to think about what her hair looked like. â€Å"Yeah, we–‘ The words stuck on her tongue–and not because she suddenly decided not to tell him. â€Å"I can't say,' she murmured. â€Å"It really worked. The spell won't let me.' â€Å"What spell?' he asked. Lissa rolled up her sleeve and lifted the bandage to show him the tiny tattooed dot on her arm. â€Å"It's a compulsion spell so I won't talk about the test. Like the Alchemists have.' â€Å"Wow,' he said, truly impressed. â€Å"I never actually thought those worked.' â€Å"I guess so. It's really weird. I want to talk about it, but I just †¦ cant.' â€Å"Its okay,' he said, brushing some of her damp hair aside. â€Å"You passed. That's what matters. Just focus on that.' â€Å"The only thing I want to focus on right now is a shower–which is kind of ironic, considering how soaked I am.' She didn't move, though, and instead stared off at the far wall. â€Å"Hey,' said Christian gently. â€Å"What's wrong? Did the crowd scare you?' She turned back to him. â€Å"No, that's the thing. I mean, they were intimidating, yeah. But I just realized †¦ I don't know. I realized I'm part of a major process, one that's gone on since–‘ â€Å"The beginning of time?' teased Christian, quoting Nathan's nonsensical statement. â€Å"Nearly,' she answered, with a small smile that soon faded. â€Å"This goes beyond tradition, Christian. The elections are a core part of our society. Ingrained. We can talk about changing age laws or fighting or whatever, but this is ancient. And far-reaching. Those people out there? They're not all Americans. They've come from other countries. I forget sometimes that even though the Court is here, it rules Moroi everywhere. What happens here affects the whole world.' â€Å"Where are you going with this?' he asked. She was lost in her own thoughts and couldn't see Christian as objectively as I could. He knew Lissa. He understood her and loved her. The two of them had a synchronicity similar to what Dimitri and I shared. Sometimes, however, Lissa's thoughts spun in directions he couldn't guess. He'd never admit it, but I knew part of why he loved her was that–unlike me, who everyone knew was impetuous–Lissa always seemed the picture of calmness and rationality. Then, she'd do something totally unexpected. Those moments delighted him–but sometimes scared him because he never knew just how much a role spirit was playing in her actions. Now was one of those times. He knew the elections were stressing her, and like me, he knew that could bring out the worst. â€Å"I'm going to take these tests seriously,' she said. â€Å"It's–it's shameful not to. An insult to our society. My ultimate goal is to find out who framed Rose, but in the meantime? I'm going to go through the trials like someone who intends to be queen.' Christian hesitated before speaking, a rarity for him. â€Å"Do you want to be queen?' That snapped Lissa from her dreamy philosophizing about tradition and honor. â€Å"No! Of course not. I'm eighteen. I can't even drink yet.' â€Å"That's never stopped you from doing it,' he pointed out, becoming more like his usual self. â€Å"I'm serious! I want to go to college. I want Rose back. I don't want to rule the Moroi nation.' A sly look lit Christian's blue eyes. â€Å"You know, Aunt Tasha makes jokes about how you'd actually be a better queen than the others, except sometimes †¦ I don't think she's joking.' Lissa groaned and stretched back on the bed. â€Å"I love her, but we've got to keep her in check. If anyone could actually get that law changed, it would be her and her activist friends.' â€Å"Well, don't worry. The thing about her â€Å"activist friends' is that they have so much to protest, they don't usually get behind one thing at the same time.' Christian stretched out beside her and pulled her close. â€Å"But for what it's worth, I think you'd be a great queen too, Princess Dragomir.' â€Å"You're going to get dirty,' she warned. â€Å"Already am. Oh, you mean from your clothes?' He wrapped his arms around her, heedless of her damp and muddy state. â€Å"I spent most of my childhood hiding in a dusty attic and own exactly one dress shirt. You really think I care about this T-shirt?' She laughed and then kissed him, letting her mind free itself of worry for a moment and just savor the feel of his lips. Considering they were on a bed, I wondered if it was time for me to go. After several seconds, she pulled back and sighed contentedly. â€Å"You know, sometimes I think I love you.' â€Å"Sometimes?' he asked in mock outrage. She ruffled his hair. â€Å"All the time. But I've got to keep you on your toes.' â€Å"Consider me kept.' He brought his lips toward hers again but stopped when a knock sounded at the door. Lissa pulled back from the near-kiss, but neither of them broke from the embrace. â€Å"Don't answer,' said Christian. Lissa frowned, peering toward the living room. She slipped out of his arms, stood up, and walked toward the door. When she was several feet from it, she nodded knowingly. â€Å"It's Adrian.' â€Å"More reason not to answer,' said Christian. Lissa ignored him and opened the door, and sure enough, my devil-may-care boyfriend stood there. From behind Lissa, I heard Christian say, â€Å"Worst. Timing. Ever.' Adrian studied Lissa and then looked at Christian sprawling on the bed on the far side of the suite. â€Å"Huh,' Adrian said, letting himself in. â€Å"So that's how you're going to fix the family problem. Little Dragomirs. Good idea.' Christian sat up and strolled toward them. â€Å"Yeah, that's exactly it. You're interrupting official Council business.' Adrian was dressed casually for him, jeans and a black T-shirt, though he made it look like designer clothing. Actually, it probably was. God, I missed him. I missed them all. â€Å"What's going on?' asked Lissa. While Christian seemed to consider Adrian's arrival a personal offense, Lissa knew that Adrian wouldn't be here without a good reason– especially this early in the Moroi day. Although he had on his normal lazy smile, there was an excited and eager glitter in his aura. He had news. â€Å"I've got him,' said Adrian. â€Å"Got him trapped.' â€Å"Who?' asked Lissa, startled. â€Å"That idiot Blake Lazar.' â€Å"What do you mean trapped?' asked Christian, as perplexed as Lissa. â€Å"Did you set out a bear trap on the tennis courts or something?' â€Å"I wish. He's over at the Burning Arrow. I just bought another round, so he should still be there if we hurry. He thinks I went out for a cigarette.' Judging from the scent wreathing Adrian, Lissa had a feeling he actually had been out for a cigarette. And likely shared in the round. â€Å"You've been at a bar this early?' Adrian shrugged. â€Å"It's not early for humans.' â€Å"But you're not–‘ â€Å"Come on, cousin.' Adrian's aura didn't have the muted colors of someone who was completely drunk, but yes, he'd definitely had a few drinks. â€Å"If pretty boy Ambrose was right about Aunt Tatiana, then this guy can tell us the names of other jealous women.' â€Å"Why didn't you ask him yourself?' asked Christian. â€Å"Because me asking about my aunt's sex life would be sick and wrong,' said Adrian. â€Å"Whereas Blake will be more than happy to talk to our charming princess here.' Lissa really wanted her bed, but finding out anything to help me sparked a new rush of energy within her. â€Å"Okay, let me at least get some different clothes and brush my hair.' While she was changing in the bathroom, she heard Adrian say to Christian, â€Å"You know, your shirt's kind of grungy-looking. Seems like you could put in a little more effort since you're dating a princess.' Fifteen minutes or so later, the threesome were on their way across Court to a tucked away bar inside an administrative building. I'd been there before and had originally thought it was a weird place to house a bar. But, after a recent stint of filing, I'd decided that if I were doing office work for living, I'd probably want a quick source of alcohol on hand, too. The bar was dimly lit, both for mood and Moroi comfort. Adrian's joking aside, it really was early for Moroi, and only a couple patrons were there. Adrian made a small gesture to the bartender, which I presumed was some kind of ordering signal because the woman immediately turned and began pouring a drink. â€Å"Hey, Ivashkov! Where'd you go?' A voice called over to Lissa and the others, and after a few moments, she spotted a lone guy sitting at a corner table. As Adrian led them closer, Lissa saw that the guy was young–about Adrian's age, with curly black hair and brilliant teal eyes, kind of like Abe's recent tie. It was as though someone had taken the stunning color of both Adrian and Christian's eyes and mixed them together. He had a leanly muscled body–about as buff as any Moroi could manage–and, even with a boyfriend, Lissa could admire how hot he was. â€Å"To get better-looking company,' replied Adrian, pulling out a chair. The Moroi then noticed Adrian's companions and jumped up. He caught hold of Lissa's hand, leaned over, and kissed it. â€Å"Princess Dragomir. It's an honor to meet you at last. Seeing you from a distance was beautiful. Up close? Divine.' â€Å"This,' said Adrian grandly, â€Å"is Blake Lazar.' â€Å"It's nice to meet you,' she said. Blake smiled radiantly. â€Å"May I call you Vasilisa?' â€Å"You can call me Lissa.' â€Å"You can also,' added Christian, â€Å"let go of her hand now.' Blake looked over at Christian, taking a few more moments to release Lissa's hand– seeming very proud about those extra seconds. â€Å"I've seen you too. Ozera. Crispin, right?' â€Å"Christian,' corrected Lissa. â€Å"Right.' Blake pulled out a chair, still playing the over-the-top gentleman. â€Å"Please. Join us.' He made no such offer to Christian, who went out of his way to sit close to Lissa. â€Å"What would you like to drink? It's on me.' â€Å"Nothing,' said Lissa. The bartender appeared just then, bringing Adrian's drink and another for Blake. â€Å"Never too early. Ask Ivashkov. You drink as soon as you roll out of bed, right?' â€Å"There's a bottle of scotch right on my nightstand,' said Adrian, still keeping his tone light. Lissa opened her eyes to his aura. It bore the bright gold all spirit users had, still muddled slightly from alcohol. It also had the faintest tinge of red–not true anger, but definite annoyance. Lissa recalled that neither Adrian nor Ambrose had had a good opinion of this Blake guy. â€Å"So what brings you and Christopher here?' asked Blake. He finished a glass of something amber colored and set it down beside the new drink. â€Å"Christian,' said Christian. â€Å"We were talking about my aunt earlier,' said Adrian. Again, he managed to sound very conversational, but no matter how much he might want to clear my name, delving into the details of Tatiana's murder obviously bothered him. Blake's smile diminished a little. â€Å"How depressing. For both of you.' That was directed to Adrian and Lissa. Christian might as well have not existed. â€Å"Sorry about Hathaway too,' he added to Lissa alone. â€Å"I've heard how upset you've been. Who'd have seen that coming?' Lissa realized he was referring to how she'd been pretending to be angry and hurt by me. â€Å"Well,' she said bitterly. â€Å"I guess you just don't know people. There were a million clues beforehand. I just didn't pay attention.' â€Å"You must be upset too,' said Christian. â€Å"We heard you and the queen were kind of close.' Blake's grin returned. â€Å"Yeah †¦ we knew each other pretty well. I'm going to miss her. She might have seemed cold to some people, but believe me, she knew how to have a good time.' Blake glanced at Adrian. â€Å"You must have known that.' â€Å"Not in the way you did.' Adrian paused to take a sip of his own drink. I think he needed it to restrain any snippy remarks, and honestly, I didn't begrudge him it. I actually admired his self-control. If I'd been in his place, I would have long since punched Blake. â€Å"Or Ambrose.' Blake's pretty smile transformed into a full-fledged scowl. â€Å"Him? That blood whore? He didn't deserve to be in her presence. I can't even believe they let him stay at Court.' â€Å"He actually thinks you killed the queen.' Lissa then added hastily, â€Å"Which is ridiculous when all the evidence proves Rose did it.' Those hadn't been Ambrose's exact words, but she wanted to see if she could elicit a reaction. She did. â€Å"He thinks what?' Yes. Definitely no smile now. Without it, Blake suddenly didn't seem as good-looking as earlier. â€Å"That lying bastard! I have an alibi, and he knows it. He's just pissed off because she liked me better.' â€Å"Then why'd she keep him around?' asked Christian, face almost angelic. â€Å"Weren't you enough?' Blake fixed him with a glare while finishing the new drink in nearly one gulp. Almost by magic, the bartender appeared with another. Blake nodded his thanks before continuing. â€Å"Oh, I was more than enough. More than enough for a dozen women, but I didn't fool around on the side like he did.' Adrian's expression was growing increasingly pained at each mention of Tatiana's sex life. Still, he played his role. â€Å"I suppose you're talking about Ambrose's other girl- friends? † â€Å"Yup. But â€Å"girl' is kind of extreme. They were all older, and honestly, I think they paid him. Not that your mom needed to pay anyone,' added Blake. â€Å"I mean, she's actually pretty hot. But you know, she couldn't really be with him in any real way.' It seemed to take all of them a moment to follow what Blake was alluding to. Adrian caught on first. â€Å"What did you just say?' â€Å"Oh.' Blake looked legitimately surprised, but it was hard to say if it was an act. â€Å"I thought you knew. Your mom and Ambrose †¦ well, who could blame her? With your dad? Though just between you and me, I think she could have done better.' Blake's tone implied exactly whom he thought Daniella could have done better with. In Lissa's vision, Adrian's aura flared red. â€Å"You son of a bitch!' Adrian was not the fighting type, but there was a first time for everything–and Blake had just crossed a serious line. â€Å"My mom was not cheating on my dad. And even if she was †¦ she sure as hell wouldn't have to pay for it.' Blake didn't seem fazed, but maybe things would have been different if Adrian actually had hit him. Lissa rested her hand on Adrian's arm and squeezed it gently. â€Å"Easy,' she murmured. I felt the smallest tingle of calming compulsion move from her into him. Adrian recognized it immediately and pulled his arm back, giving her a look that said he didn't appreciate her â€Å"help.' â€Å"I thought you didn't like your dad,' said Blake, utterly clueless that his news might be upsetting. â€Å"And besides, don't get all pissy at me. I wasn't sleeping with her. I'm just telling you what I heard. Like I said, if you want to start accusing random people, go after someone like Ambrose.' Lissa jumped in to keep Adrian from saying anything. â€Å"How many women? Do you know who else he was involved with?' â€Å"Three others.' Blake ticked off names on his hand. â€Å"Marta Drozdov and Mirabel Conta. Wait. That's two. I was thinking with Daniella; that's three. But then, that's four with the queen. Yeah, four.' Lissa didn't concern herself with Blake's faulty math skills, though it did support Adrian's previous â€Å"idiot' claims. Marta Drozdov was a semi-notorious royal who had taken to traveling the world in her old age. By Lissa's estimation, Marta was hardly in the U.S. most of the year, let alone Court. She didn't seem invested enough to murder Tatiana. As for Mirabel Conta †¦ she was notorious in a different way. She was known for sleeping with half the guys at Court, married or otherwise. Lissa didn't know her well, but Mirabel had never seemed overly interested in any one guy. â€Å"Sleeping with other women wouldn't really give him a motive for killing the queen,' pointed out Lissa. â€Å"No,' agreed Blake. â€Å"Like I said, it's obvious that Hathaway girl did it.' He paused. â€Å"Damned shame too. She's pretty hot. God, that body. Anyway, if Ambrose had killed her, he'd have done it because he was jealous of me, because Tatiana liked me better. Not because of all those other women he was doing.' â€Å"Why wouldn't Ambrose just kill you?' asked Christian. â€Å"Makes more sense.' Blake didn't have a chance to respond because Adrian was still back on the earlier topic, his eyes flashing with anger. â€Å"My mother wasn't sleeping with anybody. She doesn't even sleep with my father.' Blake continued in his oblivious way. â€Å"Hey, I saw them. They were all over each other. Did I mention how hot your–‘ â€Å"Stop it,' warned Lissa. â€Å"It's not helping.' Adrian clenched his glass. â€Å"None of this is helping!' Clearly, things weren't going the way he'd hoped when he'd first summoned Lissa and Christian from her room. â€Å"And I'm not going to sit and listen to this bullshit.' Adrian downed the drink and shot up from his chair, turning abruptly for the exit. He tossed some cash on the bar before walking out the door. â€Å"Poor guy,' said Blake. He was back to his calm, arrogant self. â€Å"He's been through a lot between his aunt, mom, and murdering girlfriend. That's why really, at the end of the day, you just can't trust women.' He winked at Lissa. â€Å"Present company excluded, of course.' Lissa felt as disgusted as Adrian, and a quick glance at Christian's stormy face showed he felt the same. It was time to go before someone really did punch Blake. â€Å"Well, it's been great talking to you, but we need to go.' Blake gave her puppy-dog eyes. â€Å"But you just got here! I was hoping we could get to know each other.' It went without saying what he meant by that. â€Å"Oh. And Kreskin too.' Christian didn't even bother with a correction this time. He simply took hold of Lissa's hand. â€Å"We have to go.' â€Å"Yeah,' agreed Lissa. Blake shrugged and waved for another drink. â€Å"Well, any time you want to really experience the world, come find me.' Christian and Lissa headed for the door, with Christian muttering, â€Å"I really hope that last part was meant for you, not me.' â€Å"That's no world I want to experience,' said Lissa with a grimace. They stepped outside, and she glanced around, in case Adrian had lingered. Nope. He was gone, and she didn't blame him. â€Å"I can see now why Ambrose and Adrian don't like him. He's such a †¦' â€Å"Asshole?' supplied Christian. They turned toward her building. â€Å"I suppose so.' â€Å"Enough to commit murder?' â€Å"Honestly? No.' Lissa sighed. â€Å"I kind of agree with Ambrose †¦ I don't think Blake's smart enough for murder. Or that the motive's really there. I can't tell if people are lying or not from their auras, but his didn't reveal anything overly dishonest. You joked, but if anyone was going to commit a jealous murder, why wouldn't the guys want to kill each other? A lot easier.' â€Å"They did both have easy access to Tatiana,' Christian reminded her. â€Å"I know. But if there is love and sex involved here †¦ it seems like it'd be someone jealous of the queen. A woman.' A long, meaningful pause hung between them, neither of them wanting to say what they were both likely thinking. Finally, Christian broke the silence. â€Å"Say, like, Daniella Ivashkov?' Lissa shook her head. â€Å"I can't believe that. She doesn't seem like the type.' â€Å"Murderers never seem like the type. That's why they get away with it.' â€Å"Have you been studying up on your criminology or something? † â€Å"No.' They reached her building's front door, and he opened it for Lissa. â€Å"Just laying out some facts. We know Adrian's mom never liked Tatiana for personality reasons. Now we find out that they were sharing the same guy.' â€Å"She has an alibi,' said Lissa stonily. â€Å"Everyone has an alibi,' he reminded her. â€Å"And as we've learned, those can be paid for. In fact, Daniella's already paid for one.' â€Å"I still can't believe it. Not without more proof. Ambrose swore this was more political than personal.' â€Å"Ambrose isn't off the list either.' They came to Lissa's room. â€Å"This is harder than I thought it would be.' They went inside, and Christian wrapped his arms around her. â€Å"I know. But we'll do it together. We'll figure it out. But †¦ we might want to keep some of this to ourselves. Maybe I'm overreacting here, but I think it'd be best if we don't ever, ever tell Adrian his mom has an excellent motive for having killed his aunt.' â€Å"Oh, you think?' She rested her head against his chest and yawned. â€Å"Naptime,' said Christian, leading her toward the bed. â€Å"I still need a shower.' â€Å"Sleep first. Shower later.' He pulled back the covers. â€Å"I'll sleep with you.' â€Å"Sleep or sleep?' she asked dryly, sliding gratefully into bed. â€Å"Real sleep. You need it.' He crawled in beside her, spooning against her and resting his face on her shoulder. â€Å"Of course, afterward, if you want to conduct any official Council business †¦' â€Å"I swear, if you say â€Å"Little Dragomirs,' you can sleep in the hall.' I'm sure there was a patented Christian retort coming, but another knock cut him off. He looked up in exasperation. â€Å"Don't answer it. For real this time.' But Lissa couldn't help herself. She broke from his embrace and climbed out of bed. â€Å"Its not Adrian †¦' â€Å"Then it's probably not important,' said Christian. â€Å"We don't know that.'She got up and opened the door, revealing–my mother. Janine Hathaway swept into the room as casually as Adrian had, her eyes sharp as she studied every detail around her for a threat. â€Å"Sorry I was away,' she told Lissa. â€Å"Eddie and I wanted to set up an alternating system, but we both got pulled for duty earlier.' She glanced over at the rumpled bed, with Christian in it, but being who she was, she came to a pragmatic conclusion, not a romantic one. â€Å"Just in time. I figured you'd want to sleep after the test. Don't worry–I'll keep watch and make sure nothing happens.' Christian and Lissa exchanged rueful looks. â€Å"Thanks,' said Lissa.

Factors Influencing Comprehension

Factors influencing Comprehension The article under the sub- heading Understanding Comprehension stated that â€Å"comprehension is complex†. It is my belief that teachers whether in the primary or secondary system should see it as such and not just a situation where a passage is just read and the questions answered at the end of it. It has been brought to my attention that comprehension is affected by a variety of factors some of which may be considered internal as well as external. Some of the internal factors may include stressful situations and the external factors would include the reading text assigned and the pages with dense text with few paragraph breaks or illustrations. It is then my belief that if the pre-service and inservice teachers saw this as a critical issue then for those of us who have not been taking it as seriously then we need to. The students who we teach may have been affected by these factors but because of teachers ignorance comprehension lessons where not adequately prepared. Secondly, the fact that background knowledge was so important on the side of the pupil just did not occur to me. I thought that what I gave initially at the beginning of the lesson if they had no experience it would be enough. Students being taught the comprehension lesson should have some experiential background to the text being used or the teacher could run into problems. â€Å"Schema theory tells us that readers must have adequate back-ground knowledge to understand what they read; it also tells us that readers must activate their prior knowledge† (Langer, 1984). Preparations for students doing comprehension lessons must therefore be more in-depth not only on the teachers part but in light of the students as well as one needs to investigate if the students has any prior knowledge. Thirdly and quite interestingly the Transactional theory brought home the fact that different students read for different reasons, the efferent stance or the aesthetic stance. The fact is a student’s stance can influence his or her comprehension. In teaching we need to know just how important the material is to our students or rather how important we make it for them. The fact that they may be quizzed at the end of a reading may generate more interest. The students who read just for sheer experience may just not comprehend as well as the one who does it for a purpose that could be considered more important. Fourthly, comprehension as a process is very stimulating to a student or students for that matter. The fact that this process begins before actual reading and end long after the reading is finished emphasises the activities that are used to grab and keep the students involved in the whole teaching and learning experience. Dividing instruction into prereading, during reading and post reading helps teachers design activities for each stage that will improve students’ comprehension (Carlton, 1982) and provides opportunities for teachers to demonstrate strategies that readers can use at this stage†. The actual process of comprehension and the strategies used has truly been an experience and will be a welcomed difference in my approach to the teaching of comprehension.

Critiquing nursing research Essay

Through the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code of professional conduct (NMC, 2004) nurses supply high standards of care to patients and clients. One code nurses adhere to is clause 6 which pronounces nurses must maintain professional knowledge and competence, have a responsibility to deliver care based on current evidence, best practice and validated research (NMC, 2004). Validated research involves critiquing and acquiring the skills of synthesis and critical analysis, this enables nurses to distinguish the relationship between theory and practice in nursing (Hendry & Farley 1998). This assignment will critique the research paper â€Å"Patients’ case – notes: look but don’t touch† written by Bebbington, Parkin, James, Chichester and Kubiak (2003) (Appendix 1) using Benton and Comack’s (2000) framework (Appendix 2). This was selected because of the publicity that surrounds hospital acquired infection (Barrett, 2005). TitleThe framework suggests the title should be concise, informative, clearly specify the content and indicate the research approach. The title of the paper is concise; however it gives no information of content or research subject. Moreover the research approach is unidentified consequently the reader is unsure what kind of research has been performed, perhaps an alternate title could have been â€Å"Case notes, do they pass infection: A quantitative study†. This may indicate that the authors have not used a standard format which Benton (2000) states reports should follow; nevertheless the title captured the imagination of the reader and warrants further reading. AuthorsAccording to the framework, the author(s) should possess appropriate academic and professional qualifications and experience; this according to Carter & Porter (2000) establishes integrity. The qualifications and experiences of the authors are not documented. This could indicate the authors have no relevant qualifications or experiences in this field. However further reading identifies where the authors work which could be relevant to their subject, although there is no indication of their occupation. However the reader performed an online search and found the authors have had previous papers published suggesting research experience,  which gives confidence in their abilities. AbstractThe framework states an abstract should be included, should identify the research problem, state the hypotheses, outline the methodology, give details of the sample subjects and report major findings. The abstract is included and is outlined which makes it distinctive and captures the attention. Burns and Grove (2003) states this helps to influence the reader to read the remainder of the report. Additionally a distinctive abstract is beneficial for a rapid summary (Parahoo, 1997). The search question is included and is noticed immediately on the first line. Also incorporated are the methodology, sample subjects and major findings. Yet they do not state the hypothesis. The abstract is clear and precise which gives the reader belief in the capability of the researches. IntroductionThe framework indicates the introduction should clearly identify the problem, include a rationale and state any limitations. The problem is identifiable and the rational is included, nevertheless the reader would have liked to see these presented earlier in the introduction. Dempsey & Dempsey (2000) concur and states the research problem should be identified early and Polit & Beck (2004) add that readers profit from learning the problem immediately. The authors did not indicate any limitations which could suggest inexperience or could question their professional responsibility (Polit & Beck, 2004), however the reader perceives a limitation as being only one study of hospital inpatients notes have been reported thus only one study to compare findings. Literature reviewThe, framework indicates the literature review should be current, identify the underlying theoretical framework, produce a balanced evaluation of material and to look for absent references. The authors’ literature reviews produce twelve references which range from 1967 to 2002, four were classed as outdated (Burns & Grove, 2003) and nine were classed current. Although the reference from 1967 is outdated it is reasonable the authors included it since it is the only research paper found on their particular subject. However this causes the reader to speculate the reason this subject was studied. Because the authors and the reader did not  discover any other literature concerned with the subject this, could indicate that the authors’ literature search was comprehensive which could prove validity of the study. However it is wondered if other researches believed case notes were irrelevant compared to other objects in the hospital or if this is ground breaki ng research. Improvement could have been made by the authors including the search engines they had used as this would allow replication and evaluation of the paper. The literature the authors cited used a quantitative approach as did the authors themselves thus identifying and employing the underlying theoretical framework and giving credibility to the paper. Cutlcliff & Ward (2003) suggests the literature review guides the researcher in discussing the results of the study in terms of agreement or non agreement with other studies, however there is no evidence of evaluation of material that supports or challenges the position being proposed .This suggests the researches appear to have only reported the finding of other studies and not examined the material, which, Peat (2001) states is essential for making decisions about whether or not to change practice on the basis of published report. The outcome is a research paper without critical analysis which Beyea & Nicoll (1998) states is central to the delivery of evidence based patient care. Following duplication of the researches literature search using their keywords the reader could find no important references omitted which leads to the belief that they performed the search methodically. However it was discovered that one important reference in the text (Semmelweis) had been omitted in the reference list. This leads the reader to question if other things may also have been omitted resulting in an unsound paper. The hypothesisThe framework asks if the hypothesis is capable of testing and if the hypothesis is unambiguous. There is no hypothesis in the paper only a research question. Cormack (2000) states that hypothesis can only be stated for studies which predict a relationship between two variables. Polic & Becks (2004) concur and believe hypotheses are predictions of expected outcomes. Since the authors do not state an expectation of the outcome they did not need to incorporate a hypothesis. This could suggest an understanding of research giving the reader faith in their capabilities. Operational definitionsThe framework suggests the terms used in the research problem should be clearly defined. The terms that the author’s employ are clearly defined and can be found effortlessly. Nevertheless they are very limited in respect of the paper and the reader speculated how they found eleven of the twelve references using the keywords since they related to other objects. This could indicate that they decided upon key words prior to performing the literature research, thus limiting their search (Tarling & Crofts, 2002) which questions the validity of the paper. The reader searched Blackwell Synergy using own keywords such as hospital equipment, contamination and bacteria. Many more articles were discovered indicating the authors did not perform an adequate literature search. MethodologyThe framework indicates that the methodology should clearly state the research approach, appropriate to the research problem and if strengths and weaknesses are noted. Although the authors do not identify the study as quantitative the reader understands that it is since it uses findings that can be measured and deals with quantity of results as opposed to interpretation (Munhall, 2001). Additionally the reader believed it is a deductive study since the authors looked at cross infection and objects in the hospital setting and narrowed it down to cross infection and case notes. No strengths or weaknesses were acknowledged, which, Byrne (1998) states is needed so the reader can ascertain if the research is valid. Furthermore the authors state they sampled the spine of the case notes because this is where most hand contact occurs while reading them, however perhaps it could have been suggested sampling the inside since in, my experience, this is where most hand contact occurs. The researches also stated they did not wash their hands until the last set of notes had been tested because it simulates the typical daily handling of notes by HCW’s. However the Department of health (2000) state before and after patient contact hands should be washed, consequently the validity of their approach is questionable. Finally the reader would have liked the researches to explain why the notes were incubated at 37 degrees since an assumption could be made that they are simulating a hospital environment. SubjectsThe framework suggests the subjects should be clearly identified in  the title abstract and methodology. In this paper there are no subjects only case notes. However the reader would have liked there to be a rationale why the authors chose case notes as this according Polit & Beck (2004) gives the reader an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the sampling plan. Sample selectionThe framework suggests the selection approach is congruent to the methodology, clearly stated and if sample size is clearly stated. It appears that convenience sampling was utilised though this is not clear; Burns & Grove (2003) suggest this approach should be avoided however as it provides the opportunity for bias. Since the sample selection method is unclear, it may have been inappropriate, denoting further flaws which affect the remainder of the paper. The sample size is clearly stated however but should have been included in the methodology giving the reader a reference when reading it. Data collectionThe framework asks if the data collection procedures are adequately described. The authors describe the data collection procedure as recorded and analysed. This gives the reader no understanding of how the data was collected, who document it, who interpreted it and where it was stored. This could have implications on the results since there may have been weaknesses in these areas such as the reliability of the collection tools, if the people who recorded and analysis it had training and if there could there be any contamination to the notes. Ethical considerationsThe framework asks if the study involves humans has the study received ethics committee approval, if informed consent was sought, if confidentiality was assured and anonymity guaranteed. Although the study does not directly involve human subject’s research involving personal information relating to human subjects requires the approval of the local ethics committee. (Cormack, 2000)(Royal college of physicians, 1998) The authors make no reference these three ethical codes so it is unknown if the patients agreed to their case notes being tested. This implies no consideration of ethical issues from the authors and questions what other considerations they have overlooked. ResultsAccording to the framework the results should be clearly presented, internally consistent, have sufficient detail to enable the reader to judge, and asks how much confidence can be placed in the finding. The results that the authors present are unclear and misleading since the first two lines state 227/228 case notes contained bacteria; however it continues to inform that most were â€Å"environmental†. The authors use a table to portray their results which Crooks & Davis (1998) suggests is all that is needed to convey information. However the table appears complex, confusing and impossible to understand; therefore the reader would question the internal consistency. In addition since the results are difficult to interpret the reader can not judge the reliability of the findings. Data analysisThe framework states the approach should be appropriate to the type of data collected, statistical analysis should be correctly performed, should be sufficient analysis to decide whether significant differences are not caused by differences in other relevant variables and if the complete information is reported. The authors approach was appropriate to the type of data collected since no other approach would be suitable. Nevertheless the researches do not state how they analysed the statistics so the reader can not judge any limitations. DiscussionThe framework states the discussion should be balanced, drawn on previous research, weaknesses of the study acknowledged and clinical implications discussed. The discussion is not balanced since it focus upon the findings of pathogenic bacteria on case notes and subsequently formulates assumptions about MRSA surviving on case notes without research to back this up. It vaguely draws upon the only previous research and mentions the result, which contradicts their own findings. No failings or limitations of the study or literature review are recognized implying no review or evaluation of the literature, which, according to Benton & Cormack (2000) is central to the research process. One clinical implication is discussed briefly however the reader should remember that the authors have not proved the transmission of bacteria on case notes to HCW’s hands only the potential. ConclusionThe framework asks if the conclusions are supported by the results obtained. The conclusion the authors established was the possibility of transferring bacteria, however since the results are indecipherable it is impossible to determine if the conclusions are supported by the results. RecommendationThe framework states the recommendations should suggest further areas for research, and identify how any weaknesses in the study design could be avoided in future research. There is no suggestion for further research; no weaknesses in the study design mentioned and no recommendations on how issues can be avoided. Therefore the reader believes this paper does not establish contamination from case notes, so is unreliable and lacks validity. Application to practiceThe Department of Health (2005) states Clinical governance is the system through which National Health Service organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care. Elcoat (2000) adds evidence-based practice and evidence-based nursing have very strong positions in the Clinical Governance agenda of quality improvement. Evidence-based practice can be defined as using contemporaneous best evidence ensuring actions are clinically appropriate cost effective and result in positive outcomes for patients (Trinder & Reynolds, 2000). Therefore every healthcare team member has to critique evidence, assess its reliability and application before combining it with their own clinical expertise (DePoy & Gitlin, 1998). Before knowing how to critique I did not understand why nurses had to review articles and I would have taken them on face value, however since critiquing this article I have realized it is a very important part of my practice and taking articles on face value is unsafe practice. The authors discussed some important issues concerning cross infection and as a consequence I have reflected more on cross infection in my clinical area. This leads me to believe that every research paper is of value and has something to give to the reader. However the article will have little impact on my practice since the recommendation of hand washing before and after patient contact is already integrated in my nursing practice. References Barrett , S. P. (2005). What’s new in infection control? Medicine Publishing Company,33(3), i-iii. Retrieved July 5, 2006, from http://www.atyponlink.com/MPC/doi/abs/10.1383/medc.2005.33.3.iBebbington, A., Parkin, P.A., Chichester, L. J., & Kubiak, E. M. (2003). Patients’case notes: look but don’t touch. Journal of Hospital Infection. 55, (4). Benton, D., & Cormack, D. (2000). Reviewing and evaluating the literature. In D. Cormack (Ed.). The research process in nursing (4th ed.). Oxford, UK:Blackwell Science. Beyea. S, Nicoll, L. (1998). Writing an integrative review. Association ofpreoperative Registered Nurses Journal. 67, 4, 877-880. Burns, N., & Grove, S. (2003). Understanding nursing research (3rd ed.). Philadelphia:SaundersByrne, D. W. (1998). Publishing medical research. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams &Wilkins. Carter, D. & Porter, S. (2000). Validity and reliability. In D. Cormack (Ed.), Theresearch process in nursing (4th ed.). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Science. Cormack , D. (Ed.). (2000). The research process in nursing (4th ed.). Oxford: BlackwellPublishing. Crookes, P. A., & Davies, S. (Eds.). (2004). Research into practice: essential skills forreading and applying research in nursing and health care. Edinburgh: Baillià ¨reTindall. Cutcliffe, J. R., & Ward, M. (Eds.). (2003). Critiquing nursing research. Wiltshire: M A Healthcare Limited. Dempsey, P., & Dempsey, A. (2000). Understanding nursing research; process, critical appraisal & utilization (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Department of health. (2001). The Epic project: developing national evidence-basedguidelines for preventing healthcare associated infections, phase 1: guidelines forpreventing hospital-acquired infections .Journal of Hospital Infections 47 (suppl): S1-82Department of Health. (2005). Clinical Governance. Retrieved July 12, 2006,fromhttp://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCareTopics/ClinicalGovernance/fs/enDePoy, E., & Gitlin, L. N. (1998). Introduction to research: understanding and applying multiple strategies. Philadelphia: MosbyElcoat, D. (2000). Clinical Governance in action: key issues in clinical effectiveness. Professional Nurse.18 (10). Hendry, C., & Farley, A. (1998). Reviewing the literature: a guide for students. Nursing Standard. 12(44). Munhall, P. L. (2001). Nursing research: a qualitative perspective (3rd ed.). Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Nursing & Midwifery council. (2004). Code of professional conduct. London: Nursing & Midwifery council. Peat, J. (2001). Health science research; a handbook of quantitative methods. London: Sage. Parahoo, K. (1997). Nursing research: principles, process and issues. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Trinder, L., & Reynolds, S. (2000). Evidence-based Practice. A Critical Appraisal.

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Black Supremacy Essay Example for Free

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Absolutely no physical damage has occurred in my lifetime. As for as cultural damage, cultures evolve, they do not get damaged. Clearly all liberation of the black man has already occurred, therefore, there is know further need for reimbursement. The white race is evil! Further, the Afrocentric cause attempts to use religion to denounce the white race as heathens; according the Yakub myth, the colour black is the primal colour; other colours, consequently, are merely shades of black, except for white, which is the absence of black, hence the absence of perfection(Davies 151). The statement declares the white race to be inferior; why should any one race be inferior? Oh yeah, its to get back at the white race for all the years of hardship. The black race was called infidels for many years, and the black supremists just believe what goes around comes around. However, the truth to the matter is that all races are equally imperfect as the next statement will show. The Afrocentric religion goes on to state how the white race was formed, apparently, a black scientist named Yakub rebelled against Allah by producing a new creature with an excess of bad(white) genes These evil creatures were alloted six thousand years of rule (i. e. , until almost the present day), after which the oppressed blacks will be liberated from their bondage(Davies 51). Note the use of words in this passage: new creature, bad(white) genes, evil creature, and once again the reoccurring oppressed blacks will be liberated. All the words directs ones attention to the idea that the white race is nothing more than devils roaming the earth in search of its next prey. The black supremists are making the same arguments that the early whites made and are being reprimanded for. It seems this is a bit of a contradiction. Down with the white race! Feelings towards the white race are made apparent when Elijah [Muhammad] felt that evil was inherent in the white race, and preached that the whites could not help themselves, Molifi Asante adds we know now, of course, that the condition of evil in whites is not inherent, but inherited through history and environment(15). The quote is quite harsh; directly saying that the white race is evil no, not acting evil, is evil and will continue to stay this way. These words imply the need for eradication because evil is just the devil spelled without a d. One must stand against the devil before anything drastic occurs beyond what has already happened, for instance; an outburst of homosexuality among black men, fed by the prison breeding system, threatens to distort the relationship between friends these gays live in the make-believe world of white gays(Asante 57). The white race has already begun to corrupt the black race, according to black supremists, with the introduction of homosexuality, which is clearly a bad white habit. The word, threatens, leads one to the idea of defense against these evil, plotting, gay, devils. Paraphrasing what was earlier said, the white race will cease to rule after six thousand years of rule, setting all blacks free from the oppression of the devils(Davies 51). That time is now and the black supremists want another holocaust, with the white race suffering. The black supremists feel it is their turn to rule. Violence is the only way to stop the white race! During a speech Malcolm X declared, Twenty million ex-slaves must be permanently separated from our former slavemaster and placed on some land we can call our own. Then we can create our own jobs. Control our own economy. Solve our own problems instead of waiting on the American white man to solve our problems for us(Perry 68-69). Clearly, in 1963, Malcolm X feels full segregation is in the best interest of the black race. The quote appears fairly peaceful, however, two years later, Malcolm X changes his mind about peaceful action: Were for peace. But the people that were up against are for violence. You cant be peaceful youre dealing with them(Perry 159). A non-peaceful approach to further the black cause is being proposed by Malcolm Little (his more appropriate birth name, seeing how a little man resorts to violence). Eldridge Cleaver, leader of the Black Panthers, too felt violence is the best approach; I became a rapist It delighted me that I was defying and trampling upon the white mans law, that I was defiling his women I was getting revenge(14). This about says it, he was putting a notch in the head board, winning one for the boys. Eldridge Cleaver has, in my opinion, ignorant, uncivilized revolutionary ideas. He only wants revenge for the fact he was in jail. Cleaver reveals that Rather than owing and paying a debt to society, Negro prisoners feel that they are being abused, that their imprisonment is simply another form of the oppression which they have know all their lives(58). The Black Supremists want revenge. Black supremists want nothing less than for the black race to rule the world. They shall use ideas of religion to back up their claims upon the world and call it the liberation of their people. But the truth of the matter is the tides are turning. How can it be called liberation? The white race had these ideas 100s of years ago and the black supremists called it evil. Now they have the same evil ideas and are calling it liberation. No, the human race will never learn from history; we will just repeat it. The main question is will their ever be racial harmony in the world? I just dont know. We shall have our manhood. We shall have it or the earth will be leveled by our attempts to gain it. Eldridge Cleaver Works Cited Asante, Molefi. Afrocentricity. Trenton: Africa WP, 1992. Cleaver, Eldridge. Soul on Ice. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968. Davies, Alan. Infected Christianity: A Study of Modern Racism. Montreal: Mcgill-Queens UP, 1988. Perry, Bruce, ed. Malcolm X: The Last Speeches. New York: Pathfinder, 1989. X, Malcolm. Learning to Read. rpt. in Rereading America. ed. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Boston: Bedford Books, 1992.

Understanding The Definition Of Holy Books Religion Essay

Understanding The Definition Of Holy Books Religion Essay Where do they come from? What role do they have in our lives? How do they work? Do they have any benefit? Most people think of the holy books as a set of heartless rules, laws and ancient story empty of clear meanings, which are difficult for our mind to comprehend fully. Their languages are strange to our modern languages, we do not know their true meanings and their purposes, and we do not have any clue how they can help us in life. Prove 30:5-6, Romans 7 :12-14 Every word of God is pure he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Gods law is holy just good and spiritual. All of these concepts are justifiable because we do not know any thing about them as much as we should do, just to reach them for some religious events. No wonder we are not able to experience God because we do not know his words, the more we learn about Gods word the more we become that close to God. The Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, the Gospel of Jesus and the Koran of Mohammad, they are magnificent holy books, pure truth, with matchless value, which come from the one and the same source. These heavenly books have been the most influential books in history all of them are miracle with no equal, beyond the capacity of human. Divine religions help people to save and develop their faith , their original holy books are best references which are exclusive from any personal preference, if the people do not add or take away from them for better translation or some times for personal advantage. Koran 32:2 This is scripture free from all doubt has been sent down from the lord of the worlds. They provide us with all the information we need to get enlightened and advanced. Through considering and appreciation our holy books, we could become conscious and to realize the universal realities, secrets, messages and cods. These heavenly books are, slightly cross bridge between visible and invisible worlds, connection between the creator and creature we have been honored with this amazing set of connections. These luminous books tell us how to purify our soul from the impurities for perfection in order to prepare ourselves for our journey toward God, we are people of love who want to observe and experience his love and truth. Their messages have addressed directly to all people regardless to their class, gender and age, they have instruction and information in different styles and ways for all classes of human beings in favor of their happiness. They are the source of truth and true knowledge, which teach us all rational, moral, spiritual matters and principle of happiness, make us aware of our creator through his magnificent creation, and explain our divine purpose for his creation. Romans 10:17 So then faith comes from hearing the words of God. These revelations are the life-maps for us to find our right path and any one could find his own share, they are Gods timeless speeches for whole universe regardless of era, sex, ethnic group and location. They reveal the tremendous meanings and purposes of life and are inspired by God for eternal life and salvation they are heavenly divine truth, religious beliefs, laws and mortality. These practical books contain different subjects; philosophy, sociology, history, psychology, physics, biology, law, tradition, spirituality, mortality, and religion, every body with different level of understanding can obtain benefit from them. Through them, we are able to see how God acts and rules in universe, their insignificant historical events have verity meanings we could draw universal conclusion from those ordinary events. They hold the vast store of divine purposes, facts, and bear hidden universal principle and general law even the rules of personal, social conduct and principal of happy life. Koran 3:164In deed God conferred a great favor on the believers when he sent among them a messenger from among themselves reciting to them his holy book and purifying them. These divines words are a gift of mercy beyond our expectations which enable us to attach ourselves to the spirit of God to see the source of truth, understand the way to the eternal life, find out about the secrecy of life and our magnificent destiny. They are healing for any kind of spiritual sickness that treats any patient in a certain way since human beings are different in the condition of their heart. They invite us to the unlimited peace and delight, the most important thing is to train our heart and our mind to unite with God. To have all answers to all our needs (physically and spiritually) according to our moral purity and our intellectual capacity, we would achieve perfection, and to elevate and revive our soul through learning and understanding these scriptures. God shows his true signs to people through his divinely revelation in order that they find out about the reality of creation. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works All revelations have specific purposes, to know and believe our creator through his creation, to open the door of more love and blessings, to achieve lasting happiness, to give inner power for faith testing trail. We should take Gods words prayerfully with all our heart because their truth protects our spirit and our body. God has blessed us with extensive knowledge and guidance we should learn and internalize the true meaning of his word through understanding, experiencing, following our heart and our conscience. The most important matter is, to apply Gods principles into our ordinary lives and avoid regretting from making wrong decisions in additional, to build our lives upon the solid rock of divines word in order to achieve eternal happiness. We should recite them over and over to fix them in our scattered heart firmly it means to recite them with the tongue of our heart. KORAN 5:15-16 In deed there has come to you from God a light and a clear book with which God guides him who seeks his pleasure to the ways of safety and brings them out of darkness into light by his permission and guides them to a straight path Every time we read them, our mind and our soul recognize the new truth and meaning from them. When we read them with holiness and sincerity, we discover new meaning and understanding. There is no point in reciting them with out understanding and contemplation. We believe in heavenly books because we follow our heart and our conscious, they are supported by light of faith and signs of Gods wisdom and power and mercy we glorify our God through thankfulness, obedience and specially loving attitude. James 2:21-24 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed GOD, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the evidence

Effect of Brexit on the UK Economy

Effect of Brexit on the UK Economy Many academic and non-academic writings tackled the issue of Brexit from different angles. The focus will be one important aspect of Brexit; that is the economic part; i.e. the effect of Brexit on the economy of UK after being outside the EU. The UK, government’s White Paper (Department for Exiting the European Union) suggests headlines of taking the UK out of the EU. In this White Paper, the aspect of the economy is covered on different headings such as protecting the rights of the worker and securing free trade with European markets (The White Paper, Policy paper The United Kingdom’s exit from, and new partnership with, the European Union, 2017). It reflects how important this issue is for the UK government, as well as for all UK people. What is clear that there will be many positive and negative economic implications for both parties EU and UK after Brexit! This essay sheds light on two main issues related to the UK economy after Brexit. First, the signal market, the definition, the status of UK in the signal market after leaving EU, the expected scenarios. Second, the economic relationships between the UK and other countries of EU. The expected options mentioned here are based on the current relationships between the EU and some countries that are not full members of the EU. To start with, what is the meaning of the Single Market? According to European Commission website, Single Market indicates the EU as one territory that has no internal borders or any other controlling complications that lead to the free movement of booth services and goods (The European Single Market European Commission, 2017). According to the same source, single market has great benefits. It encourages competition and trade, increases efficiency, promotes quality, as well as helps in cutting the prices. In addition, the same source considers the European Single Market as one of the EU’s ultimate accomplishments that powered the economic growth and made the everyday life of European businesses and consumers easier (The European Single Market European Commission, 2017). On the other hand, UK is playing a major role in the single market. Thus, by leaving this market, UK can direct this budget to a new direction that suits its economy better. The UK is ranked in the top five economies in the world, after United States, China, Japan and Germany (Bajpai, 2017). After Brexit, Bajpai expects the raking of the UK to decline and that UK will be ranked the 7th, taking the place of France (Bajpai, 2017). Dhingra and Sampson in their article Brexit and the UK Economy, claim that after leaving the EU, the UK will no longer be constrained by the EU’s external tariff. On the other hand, the UK can set its own MFN[1] tariffs on imports. The UK could adopt to reduce its import tariffs below the levels of EU in order to lower import costs for UK consumers and companies. This will result on increasing the competition played by businesses run in the UK (Sampson, Dhingra and Sampson, 2017). In addition, the same article, states that there is a limited scope for further tariff decreases. According to the World Bank, the tariff rate of the EU (applied and weighted mean for all products) is 1.5% (Word Bank, 2017). Also, if UK goes for this it will require more harmonising polices, regulations or product standards across countries. Achieving this level of business requires international agreements with different countries. The overall effect of Brexit is still estimated to be negative (Dhingra and Sampson, 2017 4-5). These circumstances make it very difficult for the UK to reduce tariff rates, yet possible.    The second essential issue in the UK economy after Brexit is the economic relationships between the UK and other EU countries. Clarke, Goodwin and Whiteley in their book Brexit Why Britain Voted to Leave the European Union, suggested three scenarios regarding the relationship between the UK and other EU countries. They based their expected scenarios on existing relationships between the EU and non- member states. First scenario, ‘Norwegian’ option, where Norway is not an EU member state but has full access to the single market, which is called European Economic Area (EEA), where Norway has to pay for this privilege by contributing to the EU budget as well as accepting free movement of labour. In other words, UK can leave EU and pay to access EEA. The second option is based on a mutual agreement with EU, like Switzerland and Canada. A Comprehensive Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada made it possible to lowers tariff barriers, coordinates trade arrangements and encourages cooperation, yet does not include free movement of labour. The third and last option is, World Trade Organization (WTO) that is arising from trade agreements negotiated by the World Trade Organization over many years between a massive number of countries that are aiming to shrink tariffs and other obstacles to trade (Clarke, Matthew and Paul, 2017: 176). The report UK trade options beyond 2019, published by House of Commons, International Trade Committee suggests some of the above-mentioned scenarios. The report mentioned some options that the UK might have after Brexit. First, â€Å"No deal†-trading under WTO rules alone. Second, â€Å"No deal†-Trading under WTO rules alone. Third, UK Free Trade Agreements with non-EU countries. For each option, there are details about the expected sequences (Committee, 2017). The international ranking of UK economy might go backward at the first couples of years after Brexit until the government makes new trade agreements with different counties and organisations around the world. Afterwards, the UK economy might go better or worse than before. All the above-mentioned ideas are uncertain. It is very clear that the government is working hard to leave the EU will minimum loss possible. No one can tell the exact actions taken by both EU and UK until the negotiation is over and both the UK and the EU sign the final leaving agreement. Bibliography: Bajpai, P. (2017) The World’s Top 10 Economies | Investopedia, 07-07-2017. Available at: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/022415/worlds-top-10-economies.asp (Accessed: 15 October 2017). Clarke, H., Matthew, D. and Paul, C. (2017) Brexit Why Britain Voted to Leave the European Union. Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781316584408.009. Committee, I. T. (2017) UK trade options beyond 2019. Available at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmintrade/817/817.pdf (Accessed: 15 October 2017). Dhingra, S. and Sampson, T. (2017) ‘Brexit and the UK Economy’, A series of background briefings on the policy   issues in the June 2017 UK General Election, p. 13. Available at: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/ea040.pdf (Accessed: 9 October 2017). Sampson, T., Dhingra, S. and Sampson, T. (2017) ‘Brexit and the UK Economy Swati Dhingra and Brexit and the UK Economy’, (June), p. 14. The European Single Market European Commission (2017). Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market_en (Accessed: 10 October 2017). The White Paper, Policy paper The United Kingdom’s exit from, and new partnership with, the European Union (2017). Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-united-kingdoms-exit-from-and-new-partnership-with-the-european-union-white-paper/the-united-kingdoms-exit-from-and-new-partnership-with-the-european-union2#strengthening-the-union (Accessed: 11 October 2017). Word Bank, T. (2017) EU Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products (%). Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/TM.TAX.MRCH.WM.AR.ZS?end=2015locations=EUname_desc=truestart=2010 (Accessed: 13 October 2017). [1] MFN: most favoured nation

Revolutionary Opinion :: essays papers

Revolutionary Opinion They all say, ?Taxation without representation is tyranny.? Those revolutionary fools! Surely they jest! I am well aware that many of my fellow townspeople believe in this notion. It is rather sensible, after all. Who really likes to pay taxes? Not I! However, all those that subscribe to this train of thought are living in a dream world. In reality, it is the other way around. ?Representation without taxation is tyranny.? Revolution is futile and will only result in more taxes for the whiners to gripe and moan about. Frankly, I?ve had enough. A few days ago, I saw some protesters walking down the road chanting and marching with signs that read "Taxation Without Representation Is Tyranny.? I seem to remember that other Americans also once expressed similar views. Most people would now regard that point as a fair one. I am no great fan of democracy, as I prefer liberty, but even I can agree that people who are taxed but not allowed to vote are likely to be more than averagely oppressed by those who can vote. This then prompted me to consider the converse proposition: Representation Without Taxation Is Tyranny. It would, of course, be a fallacy to think that this is entailed by the first proposition, but surely it is just as reasonable. If we must have state services, it should at least be for those who pay for them to vote for which services they want and how much they wish to pay. To allow those providing, or living off, the services to vote is like allowing a shopkeeper to vote on what you must buy from him, or a beggar to vote on what you must give him. Naturally, I hear them say, ?but doesn't everyone pay tax, at least on goods and services?? Furthermore, is it not trivially true, insofar as morals can be ?true?? No, they do not and it is not. Not by a long shot. Lord Grenville, everyone?s favorite exchequer, has recently been parading around town saying how he realizes that the recent practices of taxation have been unfair and how he relates to the feelings of the townspeople. He even went so far as to state, or shall I say lie, about how much he strongly dislikes his job because he, like everyone else, has to pay taxes.

Comparing Culture in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pride and Prejudic

Culture in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pride and Prejudice, and Neuromancer America was formed on the basis of culture. Many different cultural backgrounds flocked to this one area and in the process many existing cultures were destroyed, while the new influx of humanity meshed to create an American culture. This constant flow of cultures from all over the world has kept the American culture in a state of flux. Each historical period has presented its classical viewpoint of American culture through the eyes of its most accomplished authors. There are narratives about clashes of cultures, presentations of cultures and even some focused on teaching a culture. The narratives provide a glimpse into an era that may no longer exist. To understand the effect of narrating one must comprehend its make-up. Essentially there is a three-layer distinction in a narrative-- the text, story and fabula. The simplest component of a narrative is the fabula. A fabula can clearly be exemplified by a comic strip in which each box represents a new event in a chronological sequence. Many times a narrative is presented with no obvious order of events. An excellent example of this is Leslie Silko's novel, Ceremony. The main character, or as Mieke Bal describes it in her book Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative, the actor, narrates his life by jumping from his childhood to the present, back to the past and finally ending in the present. In addition to this, Bal, defines the text of a narrative as "a finite structure . . . composed of language signs" (5). Using this definition, one could again feel free to use a comic strip as an example of a narrative, but in reality a narrative is much more complicated. Using the d istinct stru... ...ader with an opportunity to experience a culture that no longer exists, or is yet to come. A look at the layout of classical narratives from the beginning of America to the present describes and relives the lives of so many individuals. In providing this glimpse into the past or the future, narratives shape the readers perspective of that time period, leaving the reader with a specific viewpoint on the history of American culture. Works Cited Austin, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Washington Square Press Book, 1960. Bal, Mieke. Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985. Gibson, William. Neuromancer. New York: Ace Books, 1984. Sawyer, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Airmont Books, 1962. Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony. New York: Penguin Books, 1977.

Essay --

â€Å"The world’s information is doubling every two years. Inter- national Data corporation believes that the Digital Universe will grow by 44 times that of 2009 by 2020. IBM estimates that data is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 64% a year or more.†[2] In such a scenario handling data in an effective manner is really important. There is a huge in- crease in data from experimental sciences. Data today comes in all types of formats. It may be structured or unstructured. Unstructured data is everywhere, some of the examples are satellite images, photographs and videos, social media data, scientific data, financial transactions and the list goes on.[3] Different types of information will have different properties. Managing and governing all these different variety of data is not easy. Beyond that managing the data without affecting the performance of the system is crucial. In this paper we will be going through four research papers from the Session Databases of CIKM 2012: Maui, HI, USA which discusses about the Information storage and retrieval. We will dis- cuss techniques that provide a better solution to manage data. The research papers present a storage system for Big spatio-temporal data, a model for positional access of rela- tional data, and approaches for querying DBpedia data and optimization of Data migration. 1. OVERVIEW In this paper, four research papers are discussed which focus on the storage and retrieval of different varieties of data. In the further sections we discuss how the papers we selected have given different models and techniques for effi- cient data management operations like storage and retrieval of different varieties of data. The organization of the paper will be as follows, section 2 will discuss... ... and how the approach gives better performance results. The other two papers Lushan et al [7] and Xiulei et al [8] provide good insights about quering DBpedia and optimizing data migration respectively. Lastly, there are no generalized methods for loading, re- trieving or as a whole handling and managing variety of data. Different approaches have to be used depending upon the kinds of data. There are numerous tools for capturing data and so the data is growing everyday bigger and bigger. Consequently, there is going to be increase in the number of tools to analyse the data because of its diversity. Each tool or technique is precise to a particular kind of data. At the user’s end, one has to learn various approaches to han- dle variety of data. To summarize, a generalized method of handling data would make life smooth. However, it’s not easy to design such a system.

Hedonics Presentation: Disgust

Disgust is an intriguing emotion. Psychologists have long been puzzled by its nature: how it develops in an individual and how it affects the society. According to Rozin et al (Rozin, Haidt, McCauley, 2000), there are nine domains of disgust elicitors in North Americans, namely: food, animals, body products, sexual behaviors, violations of the dermal layer, poor hygiene, physical contact with dead or corpses, interpersonal contamination and certain moral offenses. These elicitors are the key to the development as well as maintenance of disgust in humans.Food is considered the most fundamental factor in the development of such emotion. Disgust serves as a mechanism that helps protect the body from ingesting harmful objects or poisonous foods. It is a response towards bad tastes which are acquired through the mouth. As an emotion, disgust is manifested through behavioral, physiological, expressive, and qualia components. Thus, it can be analyzed by examining these components. Understan ding how disgust affects moral judgment, conflict and ethno-political violence lies in these categories.The purpose of this paper is to explain what disgust is, identify the different factors associated with its development, understand how it is expressed by an individual, and finally, explain how it affects the society. Expression of Disgust: How Disgust is expressed Personally and Culturally and the Role of Sympathetic Magic Disgust is a basic emotion that is listed in almost all lists of emotions with at least four types in it. It satisfies any criterion in characterizing emotions, may it be facial, semantic, or eclectic (Rozin et al, 2000).Expression of disgust in individuals as well as cultural entities is subdivided into four components: behavioral, physiological, expressive, and qualia (Rozin et al, 2000). Laws of sympathetic magic also affect the display of disgust in an individual and how disgust is expressed in every cultural entity. Individual Expression Manifestation of disgust as an emotion in humans is subdivided into four components: behavioral, physiological, expressive, and qualia (Rozin et al, 2000). In behavioral component, disgust is being expressed as keeping away from objects, events, or situations which are also characteristics of rejection.In the physiological component, disgust is manifested by two types of physiological changes: one is nausea and the other is salivation. Nausea is correlated with disgust, though it is not a requirement for someone to experience it. Salivation was introduced by Angyal as being correlated with the expression of disgust. It is also associated with nausea, though it can occur without resulting to or beginning from nausea. In the expressive component, disgust is manifested through facial expressions (Rozin, Lowery, & Ebert, 1994).A â€Å"disgust face† is an expression which is analogous to every human being. Such facial expressions include raised cheeks, narrowed eyebrows, curled upper lips, protrud ed tongue and wrinkled nose. Motions of the heads, such as jerking backwards and shaking from side-to-side, are also correlated with disgust. Sometimes, the person may utter sounds like â€Å"ach† or â€Å"ugh†. These expressions depend upon the nature of elicitors which are commonly used to discourage entry of something, most probably food, or as a response to something that causes the disgust, such as rotten flesh.The qualia component of disgust is the mental or feeling component which is considered to be the most difficult to study. As compared with other emotions, disgust is usually experienced in shorter time durations and some disgust-eliciting situations might invoke humor. Laws of Sympathetic Magic Two laws of sympathetic magic, contagion and similarity, which were vital in the formation of belief systems of ancient and traditional cultures, were found to have had great application in the study of various human behaviors (Rozin, Millman, & Nemeroff, 1986).Rozin et al (1986) were able to establish direct link between these laws and disgust. Contagion. The first law of sympathetic magic states that â€Å"once in contact, always in contact†. Contagion, as it is more popularly known, invokes varied response from people. One of which is disgust. As its definition suggests, contagion is the transfer of properties through physical contact of one object into another. Rozin et al (1986) studied how drinks became undesirable after a sterilized, dead cockroach was dipped into it.Cockroaches are usually associated with dirt and diseases and any contact with it invokes disgust. The role of contagion is to transfer these properties into other objects, in this case, the drinks. As a result, a person who sees the cockroach in the drink will experience revulsion of it. Similarities. The second law, commonly called similarities, states that â€Å"the image equals the object† (Rozin et al, 1986). Under this law, objects, especially food, repre sent other undesirable objects.An acceptable food, for example, fudge shaped into dog feces, might invoke revulsion from people because of its looks or what it represents. The role of the second law of sympathetic magic in the acquisition of disgust in an individual is the representation of disgust elicitors by acceptable objects, such as food. Development and Maintenance of Disgust Disgust is often viewed as a food-related emotion. Most studies in the evolution of disgust pointed it as a response of distaste. Bad tastes elicit disgust in varying degrees or relevance.For example, bitter foods are less accepted by people’s mouth, whereas poisonous foods are totally avoided. Disgust serves as a protective mechanism of people against any harm, especially ingestion of foods. However, disgust can also be elicited by other factors. According to Rozin et al (2000), there are nine elicitors of disgust in the Americans, namely: food, animals, body products, sexual behaviors, violation s of the dermal layer, poor hygiene, physical contact with dead or corpses, interpersonal contamination and certain moral offenses. Food RejectionThe most basic elicitor of disgust in humans is food. This arises from the fundamental fact that living organisms, especially humans, need to eat. The need for food is more frequent than any other things. Food shaped cultures more than anything because people are more inclined to eat together. Anything that seems delicious for us today is the result of the thousands of years of cultural transformations. On the other hand, anything disgusting today is also the result of these transformations. Using food as the variable in experimental studies, disgust can be classified under food rejection.The laws of sympathetic magic are concerned on the differentiation between acceptable foods or foods that are thought to be offensive and contaminating (Rozin & Fallon, 94) in different cultures. The mouth plays a very important role since it is the main entry point into the human body. It is therefore important to determine which food must be eaten. Offensive and contaminating foods are rendered inedible thus preserving the health of populations or religious entities. Food rejection is the avoidance of offensive and contaminating foods.Several factors affect people’s perception of likes and dislikes. Rozin (1986) noted that many people dislike certain foods and render it contaminating and inedible. Distaste is the most frequent elicitor of disgust which is also characterized as food rejection. Issues Related with One-Trial Learning Studies on one-trial learning of disgust have been used in exploring the nature of disgust. In this context, a number of individuals are being asked to fill-up questionnaires or survey forms which ask for event(s) that changed their perception of likes to dislikes or dislikes to likes.Initial results showed that it is harder for people to provide preferences rather than creating aversions. This is supported by data gathered from the one-trial learning study done by Rozin (1986). Table 1 shows the number of incidence of reported one-trial learning. However, there are certain issues on the accuracy of the results of one-trial learning. These issues are subjects of debates on the reliability of one-trial learning in the study of disgust. Issues include errors in the statistical method used, bias as results of world events, and biases about learning of new negative events (Rozin, 1986).Relationship of Hedonic Processes to other Cognitive Processes Hedonic shifts in relation to disgust are more on aversions rather than preferences. This was proved using the one-trial learning study on human perceptions of likes and dislikes. The results of the one-trial learning studies showed that there is greater tendency for people to shift from like to dislike and lesser tendency to do otherwise. Thus, negative hedonic shift is more common in disgust. Conclusion Psychologists and socio-analys ts have long been fascinated with the study of disgust as an emotion.A number of articles have been produced in attempts of explaining the emotion. The expression of disgust is divided into four components: behavioral, physiological, expressive, and qualia components. Among these components, the most easily identified is the expressive component which is seen through facial expressions. The facial expressions include crossed eyebrows, raised or curled lips, and wrinkled nose. The two laws of sympathetic magic played important roles in the development and maintenance of disgust.Studies showed that people tend to dislike someone or something that is related to an object (animate or not) in either contagion or similarities. These two laws are vital to the development of cultural entities. Finally, the use of one-trial learning in exploring the hedonic shifts of people in relation to disgust raised many issues that are subjects of debates. The issues include errors in the statistical me thod used, bias as results of world events, and biases about learning of new negative events. References: Baeyens, F., G. Crombez, Van den Bergh & Eelen, P. (1988). Once in contact always in contact: Evaluative conditioning is resistant to extinction. 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