Protein Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Protein - Research Paper Example Results indicated antibacterial activity to be present in pepsin-digested lactoferrin and F2 sample. Thus, purification of lactoferricin obtained through peptic digestion of bovine lactoferrin was accomplished by fractionation of the hydrolysate using cation exchange chromatography. Lactoferrin (Lf) is an iron-binding glycoprotein and, as the name suggests, is a constituent of milk. It is also found, to a lesser extent, in various mucosal (exocrine) secretions of mammals that are commonly exposed to normal flora such as tears, nasal exudate, saliva, bronchial mucus, gastrointestinal fluids, cervicovaginal mucus and seminal fluid (Weinberg, 2003). Also, Lf is produced by secondary granules of polymorphonuclear neutrophils for deposition at septic sites. The granular contents of neutrophils can be released into inflammatory fluids after neutrophil death, by what is known as "holocrine secretion". The protein is closely related to transferrin, the iron-transport protein present in the plasma. Lactoferrin is a multifunctional innate-defense protein, known to exert a broad-spectrum primary defense activity against microbes including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses (Orsi, 2004), and even some antibiotic-resistant pathogens (Wakabayashi et al., 2003). Lf is foun d in high concentrations in breast milk (~3–7 mg/ml) and tear fluid (1–4 mg/ml) (Rogan et al., 2006). Among the many constituents of milk which have revealed antimicrobial activity, lactoferrin exhibits both bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity against a wide array of microorganisms, including those causing gastroenteric infections, food poisoning, listeriosis and mastitis (Dionysius et al., 1993). Recently, clinical trials have demonstrated that bovine lactoferrin (bLF) administration can reduce the risk of colon carcinogenesis in humans (Tsuda et al., 2010). A key role of Lf is to scavenge non-protein-bound iron in body

Dancing at lughnasa play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dancing at lughnasa play - Essay Example Andrea Corr is a character who has left me confused despite the fact that this play is part of my daily activity. I am in dispute with my conscience whether Corr is a pop or folk singer. I also wonder whether I can rate her as a good actor or not because he only tries to transmit enraptured virtuousness characters. While the characters are on the stage, there is mood swing. In one split I find myself laughing rumbustiously, the next time my eyes are full with reeking tears. I realised that at all epochs no matter what the mood happens to be at every minute the play feels amazingly true. â€Å"Marcon† is another character I believe is depicted as wireless owned by the sister. Through personification it amuses as the character seem to be almost magical and know how to control and to adjust to sisters. Marconi’s role is very interesting and indeed has the command of a character in exploring and enhancing the other characters. Contrary to many who go to the theatre exactly knowing what they are going to see and here, Last Friday I left home with my sister to go to the theatre as a play which I have heard many talk of â€Å"Dancing at Lughnasa† was to be presented. I can say I was anxious to see the characters and the real thing my sister has always talked of. When the stage was opened one of the characters called Michael came forward and introduced the play, His way of introduction was impressing as the audience cheered. It was difficult for me to find out the relationship between Michael and other characters and identifying the themes in the play. I was so much pleased with the way Andrea Corr introduced the song in the play even though I did not understand the role of a song in the play, in fact I was not aware the type of song Corr was singing. This confused me further. Marcon was the character who puzzled me as could play different roles like changing to be sisters. The characters ability to swing the moods of the audience was another part that

Studying The Social Problems Of Racism Philosophy Essay

Studying The Social Problems Of Racism Philosophy Essay This essay discusses about an important social problem of nowadays society, about the roots, beginnings of racism. During this essay you will found that racism is taught, not genetic, and all this beginning from childs early ages, you could find some statement which influence in a bad way youre your childs life or why white parents avoid black children adoptions and in final youll find also an important solution, for me, the most important in solving this problem. So, you could find some interesting things about Romanian racism in general and some other facts you should avoid, in order to offer youre child a better life without discrimination. Even now after all the racial disasters (like Auschwitz), race remains a big moral, social and political problem of our world used by political system, in order to make distinctions between whites and people of color. And this problem has a very bad influence in our childrens life, as Gerald Pine and Asa Hilliard stats: Racism, prejudice, and discrimination are shamefully sabotaging our nations efforts to provide a high-quality education for all children (1990:1) First, we should talk about racism in general, in order to have a good view on what we are going to talk forward. Racism is a bad combination between prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice consists of unjustifiable negative feelings and beliefs about a racial or ethnic group and its members. It is characterized by preconceived opinions, judgments or feelings that lack any foundation or substance. Discrimination consists of unjustifiable negative behavior toward a racial or ethnic group and its members. It expresses itself in distinctions and decisions made on the basis of prejudice. (Pine Asa 1990:2) Racism is a psycho-social problem which exists for centuries and people, even if they know is not good, they continue to be racist, and their biggest problem is that they deny being so. There are many definitions of racism, but here are two important ones. Laszloffy and Hardy in Uncommon Strategies for a Common Problem: Addressing Racism in Family Therapy states that Racism is an act that denies a person or humane group treatment or a fair opportunity because of racial bias. While it may occur on different levels (individual level or institutional level) and in different ways (overtly or covertly, intentionally or unintentionally), all expressions of racism are rooted in an ideology of racial superiority/inferiority that assumes some racial groups are superior to others, and therefore deserve preferential treatment. (35). Another definition would be: Racism, also called racialism, represents any action, practice, or belief that reflects the racial worldview- the ideology that humans are divided into separate and exclusive biological entities called races, that there is a causal link between inherited physical traits of personality, intellect, morality, and other cultural behavioral features, and that some races are innately superior to others (Audrey 2010). So, from all this, we can realize that racism is an act of cowardly, which is adopted by people with bad intentions and who dont really have arguments for being racist. Racism has its original roots in history, and this because of wars, another example could be the New World, conquered by Europeans, when they forced black people from Africa to go to America where they became slaves, or other example, more recently, the Jewish from Auschwitz which were killed because of their religion, and the examples could go on, but we are not going to talk about this anymore. But, even knowing all that, people arent aware of the negative aspects of racism and continue being racist and denying it, with words like: Im not racist, but Chinese people are the ugliest faces Ive ever seen, or something like that. We have to admit that whatever the reason, we are racist, but things can change. We can improve our lifestyle if we have wish, and we should have in order to offer our children another vision of life. On the other hand, we must admit that racist people are those with lack of education, but this is the education we use too, in order to teach our children what is good or bad. We hear every day on television anti-racist slogans but we pretend we didnt hear it as we pretend when we hear bad accidents having place, in schools, because of racial problems. Our society has became very indifferent on taking into consideration others problems, and they weak up only when they are in trouble and blame the others for not advising them before. This is a message for everyone who wants to take it into account, and this would be: Racism in not genetic, it is learned from childhood until forever. So, parents should take into account the life they want for their children. Nowadays, childrens life is full of racism; this thing is learned by different ways and by different people from their life. We should start with the babys first steps, when he is taught the basics, and here we can found many racist things. For example, many parents use different statements in order to reflect the bad influence of gypsies in whites world. Statements like: Do not spit like gypsies!, Those moneys were touched by gypsies and you stick them into your mouth! What disgusting! or even worse If youre not good Ill sell you to gypsies are used in everyday life in order to break children of a bad habit and with or without intention, parents also promote and approve racism, by teaching those that gypsies are bad. By this, the bases of racism are well constructed by parents and since children are taught racism before getting to school, parents should be more careful on what they say and what they do and ask themselves if racism is the best solution in learning their children basi cs and behavior. If we go forward in childrens life, at the time when they go outside to play with other children, we see that they are taught another racist rule very known in everydays life of whites in Romania and this rule says something like that: Do not play with gipsy children!. This is a very popular rule of moms and also an unbreakable one. This statement was once even mentioned in a television and radio campaign named: The discrimination of gypsies is taught at home! Know them before you judge them!(Banescu 2009). The spot of the campaign is about a Romanian kid who goes outside to play with his friend (a gypsy kid) and after he comes home is asked by his white racist mother about what he has done outside, and he answers that he had played out alone. So, we should thing a little about the gypsys life, because today all children have the right to be equal, but gypsy children still have to try hard in order to find themselves a place in societyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.their hopes would be the same as the hopes of white children when Romanian moms wont threaten their sons that if they arent good, they would be thrown up at gypsies, and when gypsy moms wont tell their sons that it has no point in dreaming to follow a university because they dont have how to face Romanians. (Banescu 2009). Another imposed thing in childrens life is related this time with the teachers. After giving their sons at school, moms become hysterically on hearing that their son is placed in the same seat with a gypsy child. And because of this type of people, racism grows faster and has many other negative aspects for non-white people like the elimination of colored children from sport clubs, and other extra-school activities. And very often you find examples of children saying to gypsy children that they are not allowed to talk to him because he was a brown kid. (Wallace 2008 b) Those are only a few of the basic racism things learned by white children at home, which are rotten in childhood and are never forgotten, because they only grow faster and faster. And this happens because almost all white children are taught at home how to be racist in a conscious or unconscious way and after they go to school they put in practice everything they learned at home, and because of this children make groups and make jokes of different children, like colored children or they would even say hurtful thing about the others, in order to be funny. But what is also interesting is that even if exist one white child that was not taught to be racist at home, he will soon be learned by his other colleagues how to be so. And some of the parents would blame teachers for the racism which exists in schools, but once the children are taught to be racist, the teachers cant do anything to break them from this habit if parents do not cared about this when they taught them. Another interesting issue about children racism would be the adoptions of a colored child by white parents. This is a big problem of nowadays society, because the cases of gypsy, blacks, yellow or other racial adoption are just a few. This happens because of some ideologies or preconceptions of adoptive parents which put some conditions when they adopt a child, and those conditions would be: first the child have to be healthy and the second, the child must be white, there are few cases in which the adoptive parents ask for a gypsy child. Those type of parents which avoid the adoption of a gypsy child are afraid of the others reactions in doing it, thinking that their friends or their relatives would criticized them or would not accept their son in their group, or other reaction would be that they are afraid for little child to not inherit their parents bad character. Gypsy children deserve a chance, but they have to deal with mass-media, which is often condemning. We hope people woul d become more sensitive and tolerant in understanding that they have the same rights as the others.(Stoler, 2008 a) From all this we should remain with the fact that racism is learned and not genetic and as we can learn to be racist we can learn how not to be racist, and we should improve our behavior not just for us, but for our childrens education and for their and our future too. And all this comes because some people just abuse of their rights in an almost free world, were they start bravely discriminating someone elses human rights, and this breaking of rule has no direct or legal punishment on those who are consciously racist. Some solutions for this problem, in which before school children become racist, exist, but they stay in parents hands, by this they should understand that depends of them if they want a racist child or a good and well educated one. In what follows it will be presented only one of the solutions, the most important one. This solution would be communication, a very important issues in the relation child-parents, because of whom, other, even worse, problems appear in childs life. Communication means everything when you try to educate you child, and it must be made the distinction between good communication and order, or command, which is the worst communication, because is not the same to tell you child: Do not be racist! and when he asks you why, you respond to him: because I said so as to communicate to him and tell him which are the positive and negative aspects of racism and make him understand and also let him choose what he thinks is right or wrong. Children always have the intention and want to be brave by breaking the rule, so, if you give him orders, you wont get any results. Parents should communicate with their sons in order to improve their education, and they should tell their sons that different isnt necessarily wrong and people just need variety, but no matter how different we are outsi de or what color our skin has, our souls do not have to be bad. What is also important is that not only white children must be taught not to be racist, colored children must also be informed to not listen to others jokes or hurtful word, in order to not become a victim. They should be learned how to protect themselves and how to they turn respect the other children, which are not the same color as them. Communication about those problems we can find anywhere: in mass-media, school, social meetings, but neither one has a big influence in childrens life as communication in family. Communication about racial problems means also that parents of colored children should get involved in their child problems and lifestyle. Parents need to discuss early on with their child about race and should even be aware that their son would found out from his classmates or other strangers what is racism, and is better to prevent this before is too late. They are a lot of other solutions, but this is the most important, because you can do all the rest, but if you, as parent, do not communicate with your child, nobody would do it for you, and most important, the problem would never disappear and your children would have to face this problem alone. In defense of colored discriminations come those people which say that they do not have anything with other races, but they hate gypsies because of their attitude, behavior and because of those who beg on streets. Maybe some would even agree this statement, but we have to put a question: Do we choose our family, race or nation before we get birth? Well the answer is negative, which means that gypsy children have no fault, and we must judge them for their behavior and for what they are, not by race or religion. Racial problems are very popular in our country and this because of mass-media, which presents a lot of facts and anti-racial campaigns, in order to stop those people, which do not care about the others. In order to stop this, we all should think twice before saying something that could offend the others. So, racism in childrens life should be stopped, in order to attend for a better world, for a world and a country where all could live in peace and harmony.

A Clean Well-Lighted Place :: A Clean Well-Lighted Place Essays

A Clean Well-Lighted Place Today in class we talked about plot in relation to "A & P" by John Updike. I had always thought of plot as just being the sequence of events, but after our reading assignment I realize that there is much more to it. I’d never thought of looking for plot in things like patterns. My reaction to "A & P" is mixed because I disagree with the main character being a hero (as Updike intended). While reading the story I thought that the girls who came into the store were merely looking for attention. I feel this way because the girls were prancing around in their bathing suits, which was probably a big deal in 1961, and the fact that ‘Queenie’ kept her money between her breasts shows that she was obviously trying to provoke a reaction. Other than the fact that one of the girls blushed when asked to leave I don’t think they were embarrassed and I don’t think the main character was trying to be particularly heroic. I gathered from all the sexual description tha t he was only interested in the girls physically. I also think that he just hated his job at the A & P because it was boring, since he always refers to the customers as a type of farm animal, and was just looking for an excuse to quit. What better excuse to quit than one that might make him look good to some cute girls? He would be through with his boring job and might score a date. We also talked about point of new in relation to "Why I Live at the P.O." by Eudora Welty today. I’ve never read anything where I really didn’t trust the narrator like in this story. I though the story was confusing because I could never figure out who was telling the truth. Sister seemed to have a very slanted view on things and thought that everyone was ‘out to get her’. Since the story was told from her (an unreliable narrator) point of view it gave me a feeling of turmoil like I have when I experience an argument in my own home. In that way Welty achieved her goal of making the reader feel involved in the story. I guess that Welty explained why Sister lives at the P.O., but I don’t understand why she thought anyone would care. A Clean Well-Lighted Place :: A Clean Well-Lighted Place Essays A Clean Well-Lighted Place Today in class we talked about plot in relation to "A & P" by John Updike. I had always thought of plot as just being the sequence of events, but after our reading assignment I realize that there is much more to it. I’d never thought of looking for plot in things like patterns. My reaction to "A & P" is mixed because I disagree with the main character being a hero (as Updike intended). While reading the story I thought that the girls who came into the store were merely looking for attention. I feel this way because the girls were prancing around in their bathing suits, which was probably a big deal in 1961, and the fact that ‘Queenie’ kept her money between her breasts shows that she was obviously trying to provoke a reaction. Other than the fact that one of the girls blushed when asked to leave I don’t think they were embarrassed and I don’t think the main character was trying to be particularly heroic. I gathered from all the sexual description tha t he was only interested in the girls physically. I also think that he just hated his job at the A & P because it was boring, since he always refers to the customers as a type of farm animal, and was just looking for an excuse to quit. What better excuse to quit than one that might make him look good to some cute girls? He would be through with his boring job and might score a date. We also talked about point of new in relation to "Why I Live at the P.O." by Eudora Welty today. I’ve never read anything where I really didn’t trust the narrator like in this story. I though the story was confusing because I could never figure out who was telling the truth. Sister seemed to have a very slanted view on things and thought that everyone was ‘out to get her’. Since the story was told from her (an unreliable narrator) point of view it gave me a feeling of turmoil like I have when I experience an argument in my own home. In that way Welty achieved her goal of making the reader feel involved in the story. I guess that Welty explained why Sister lives at the P.O., but I don’t understand why she thought anyone would care.

Storm Born Chapter Sixteen

I slept the rest of the day and most of the following one as well. Only the essentials got me out of bed – food, the bathroom, one phone call, and a meeting with Volusian after Kiyo had to leave for Phoenix. I was dozing around dinnertime that second day when Tim's angry voice in the living room woke me up. â€Å"No! I don't care. She needs to sleep, okay? I'll give her the message, but stop calling.† I'd heard Tim use that tone only on a few people, so I had a good idea whom he spoke to. For whatever reason, despite having never met, he and Lara hated each other. Throwing on my robe, I shuffled out to the living room and saw him talking on my cell phone. The only progress we'd made in cleanup thus far was to sort of clear a walking path through the debris. He pulled the receiver from his face. â€Å"It's that bitch secretary of yours. I wouldn't have answered except that she keeps calling and calling. I told her you can't take – â€Å" I reached for the phone. â€Å"It's fine. I need to talk to her.† Glaring, he handed it over. â€Å"Did your asshole roommate just call me a bitch?† demanded Lara. â€Å"He has no right – â€Å" â€Å"Let it go,† I ordered. â€Å"Tell me what's up.† â€Å"Well, I got your message. Did the shoes show up?† â€Å"Yeah, they're great. What about the witch?† â€Å"I set it up. He's going to come ward the place tonight. He'll need you to let him in.† â€Å"No prob. I won't be here, but Tim will.† â€Å"Okay, and about the other thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yeah?† A long pause. â€Å"Well, I don't think I heard that part of the message right. It sounded like you said you needed a dress too.† â€Å"I do need a dress.† Silence. â€Å"What's the matter? Didn't I leave you my size?† â€Å"Yeah, you did, it's just that†¦a dress? I mean, you've asked me to get you some pretty crazy stuff before – and I'm still kind of uneasy about that one time with the nitroglycerin – but this is really out there, even for you.† â€Å"Oh, stop it. Just take care of this.† I wasn't keen on the dress either, but Volusian had insisted during our earlier bedside strategy session. If things fell into place with Dorian, I'd be attending an Otherworldly party on Beltane rather than waiting for an attack back here. Volusian had insisted I start making arrangements. What an age we lived in when spirit minions advised on fashion. â€Å"Any special requirements?† I considered. â€Å"Nothing bridesmaid or prom-ish. Think cocktail party. Simple. But elegant.† â€Å"Sexy?† â€Å"Moderately.† â€Å"Color?† â€Å"As long as it looks good.† â€Å"All right. Got it. I'll have it by next week. Oh, yeah, Wil Delaney called again.† â€Å"You don't have to let me know anymore. I sort of take it as a given by now.† â€Å"So you don't want to return it?† â€Å"No.† We disconnected, and I hit the shower. Beltane eve, the big night, was fast approaching. Tonight was the warm-up. The night I made my deal with the devil. After digging out my dusty blow-dryer, I dried and brushed my hair until it gleamed. I didn't usually go for makeup – not having the patience – but a little foundation went a long way to hide the small bruises on my face from yesterday's blowout. I considered mascara superfluous with already dark eyelashes, but when combined with some smoky eye shadow, it did make my eyes look bigger. More lipstick, and I barely recognized myself. I didn't look slutty or anything, but it had certainly been a long time since I'd looked so polished. I considered a skirt but couldn't go that far. Instead, I opted for tight jeans and the new half-heeled sandals. The tank top I selected was olive green, the same color as my moleskin coat, with thin straps meant to rest slightly off the shoulder. Each strap had a tiny ruffle along its edge, as did the low, cleavage-showing scoop neckline. Examining my reflection, I couldn't help a wistful sigh. I looked better tonight than I had when I met Kiyo. If only he could see me now. I spritzed on some Violetta di Parma, grabbed my coat and weapons, and headed for the door. Tim nearly fell out of his chair when he saw me. â€Å"What are you doing? Are you going out? You can't do that! Not after what happened yesterday.† â€Å"I'm feeling better,† I lied. Actually, it was only partially a lie. Did I feel good? No. Did I feel better than yesterday? Yes. â€Å"You're crazy.† â€Å"Sorry. Got business that can't wait.† â€Å"Dressed like that?† he asked skeptically. Ignoring him, I drove out to the gateway in the desert. The transition to the Otherworld was a little rough in light of my weakened physical state, but I managed. Volusian and Nandi waited for me at the crossroads when I arrived. Finn hadn't felt like showing. It was one of the downsides of not having him bound to me. We set out along the road. Shortly into the walk, I realized wearing heels was the Worst Idea Ever. I took them off and carried them the rest of the way. If I was going to keep seeing Dorian, I would need to leave an anchor at his place to facilitate crossings. â€Å"Don't cross his threshold without asking hospitality first,† warned Volusian. â€Å"They'll disarm you before you can enter. You don't want to do that without protection.† I agreed, though I didn't like the idea of disarming in the first place. No one ambushed us this time, and I practically walked up to the gates without incident. The guards recognized me and locked into a defensive stance, weapons drawn. â€Å"Our mistress comes in peace,† said Nandi mournfully. â€Å"She would speak with the Oak King and ask his hospitality.† â€Å"Do you think we're stupid?† asked one of the guards, eyeing me watchfully. â€Å"Not exactly,† I said. â€Å"But I do think you were here last time and saw that I didn't cause any trouble. Maybe you also noticed I spent a lot of time in your king's bedroom. Trust me, he'll want to see me.† They conferred briefly and finally sent one of their number away. He returned minutes later, granting me admittance and hospitality – once they had indeed disarmed me. They walked me through the same hallway as before but not up to the throne room door. Instead, we wound deeper into the keep until we stood at a set of glass doors leading out to some sort of garden or atrium. â€Å"Our lord is outside,† explained one of the guards, about to open the doors. Volusian blocked his way. â€Å"Get a herald to announce her. She's not a prisoner anymore. And use her titles.† The man hesitated, glanced at me, and then called for a herald. Moments later, a stout man dressed head to foot in teal velvet hurried in. He looked at me and swallowed nervously before opening the doors. A handful of elegantly dressed gentry stood out in the gardens, glancing up at our entrance. â€Å"Your majesty, I present Eugenie Markham, called Odile Dark Swan, daughter of Tirigan the Storm King.† I winced. Yikes. I'd had no idea I'd had that much appended to my name now. The soft conversation dropped. Apparently I should get used to having this effect while attending social events in the Otherworld. From inside, I had expected a small courtyard type of garden, but this looked like it stretched out indefinitely. The grass was still green, but many of the trees had leaves in orange, yellow, and red. None were the dying brown of late autumn. These showed the perfect, beautiful hues one saw at autumn's finest. Heavy apple trees laden with fruit clustered in corners, and in the air, I could just faintly smell a bonfire and mulling spices. It was earlier in the day here than when I'd left Tucson. The end of the afternoon was giving way to twilight, the sky painted in shades of gold and pink that rivaled the leaves' splendor. Torches on long poles were set up to offer light. The group parted, and Dorian strode forward. His red hair streamed behind him, and over a simple shirt and pants, he wore a robe-type garment made of wine-colored satin and gold brocade. I approached him, and we met in the middle. My spirits waited near the doorway. â€Å"My, my. What a lovely surprise. I didn't think I'd see you again so soon.† Dorian reached for my hand, and this time I let him take it. A flicker of mischievous amusement glinted in his eyes at this small concession, and I knew I had already piqued his curiosity. â€Å"I hope you don't mind me dropping in like this.† He kissed my hand, just as Kiyo had yesterday. Only Dorian's kiss was less of a hope you get better kiss and more of an imagine my lips in other places kind of kiss. â€Å"Not at all.† He drew his lips back and laced his fingers with mine. â€Å"Come. Join us.† I recognized a couple of the gentry standing there from dinner. The other two people hanging around looked like servants, waiting anxiously with long mallet-type things in their hands. I peered at them, then at the wickets spread out in the grass. â€Å"Croquet? You're playing croquet?† Dorian's face broke into a grin. â€Å"Yes. Do you play?† â€Å"Not in years.† The gentry played croquet? Who knew? I supposed it was technologically simple as far as games went. It made more sense for them to play that than video games. â€Å"Would you like to now?† I shook my head. â€Å"You're already in the middle of something. I'll just watch.† â€Å"As you like.† He took a proffered stick from one of the servants. Watching him line up a shot, I could see he intended to hit his ball and knock out an opponent's near a wicket. A faint breeze ruffled his hair and the folds of his robe, and he had to take a moment to brush the fabric out of his way. When he finally hit his ball, it went wide, considerably away from his opponent's ball. â€Å"Ah, well. It was close. I nearly had it, don't you think so, Muran?† Muran, a lanky guy dressed in lavender, jumped at being addressed. â€Å"Er, uh, y-y-yes, your majesty. Very close. You were almost there.† Dorian rolled his eyes. â€Å"No, I wasn't. It was an abominable shot, you wretched man. Let Lady Markham have your turn. Give her your mallet.† Now I jumped. Lady Markham? But the aforementioned Muran practically shoved the thing at me. Hesitantly, I approached his ball. I was pretty sure I'd been ten the last time I'd played, off visiting one of my mom's aunts in Virginia. Remembering Dorian's hang-ups on his robe, I paused to slip off my coat. A servant immediately raced over to take it from me, folding it neatly over his arms. I turned back to the ball and mallet, sizing up the shot. I tossed my hair back over one shoulder and hit. The ball half-skittered, half-rolled through the grass and went through one of the wickets. â€Å"Exquisite,† I heard Dorian say. I glanced back at him but saw he wasn't watching the ball at all. His eyes were all over me. I tried to return the mallet to poor Muran, but Dorian wouldn't hear of it. He made me finish the game in Muran's stead. As we played, I immediately picked up on something peculiar. Dorian was a terrible player – too terrible to be real. He was obviously faking it, but his subjects could not bring themselves to do better than their king. So they too faked their own sort of appalling game play. Watching it was comical. I felt like I was in a scene from Alice in Wonderland. Having no such qualms about winning, I played normally, and even with aching muscles and no practice, I won pretty handily. Dorian couldn't have been happier. He clasped his hands together, laughing. â€Å"Oh, outstanding. This is the best game I've played in years. These sheep won't know what to do now.† He glanced at his fellow players and beckoned them toward the building. â€Å"Go, go, your shepherd is tired of you all.† I watched them go. â€Å"You don't really treat them†¦respectfully.† â€Å"Because they deserve none. Did you see the preposterous way they acted in that game? Now imagine that happening every second, every day of your life. That's what it's like to be royalty, to live at court among courtiers. Be happy you have no true throne yet. It's all simpering and groupthink.† I almost heard a touch of bitterness in his light voice. Almost. A servant handed my coat back, and Dorian addressed her and a couple of guards. â€Å"Lady Markham and I are going to take a walk now through the eastern orchard. Seeing as she's dressed for business, I imagine she wants to speak alone. Follow, but keep your distance.† Turning, he offered me his arm again and led me off into one of the garden's winding turns, into a dense apple orchard. Like the other trees I'd seen, these were filled with fruit. Still more apples lay on the ground, round and red and waiting to be eaten. When we were sufficiently alone, I said, â€Å"I'm not dressed for business, not in these shoes. I was dressed for business the last time I was here.† He gave me a sidelong look. â€Å"Women who show up looking as lovely as you do after barely stomaching my presence last time do not come on pleasure. They come for business.† â€Å"You're a cynic.† â€Å"A pragmatist. But, business or pleasure, it becomes you.† He sighed happily. â€Å"I do so wish more of our women would wear pants like those. The warriors often do but not nearly so tight.† â€Å"Thanks†¦I think.† We walked on at a leisurely pace while the sky turned orange and scarlet. â€Å"So I imagine you've changed in other ways since our last encounter. The very fact that you've come here so congenially indicates as much.† â€Å"Yes.† I narrowed my eyes. â€Å"You know, I don't appreciate you telling me that Storm King bedtime story when all the time you knew I didn't know what was going on.† â€Å"Mean, perhaps. But also amusing – were you in my place. Besides, I did you a service of sorts. I provided necessary background information, Lady Markham.† â€Å"Don't say ‘Lady Markham.' It sounds weird.† â€Å"I've got to call you something. Our normal rules of etiquette don't exactly outline anything for your situation. You are the daughter of a king without a kingdom. You are royalty but not quite royal. So you are addressed like a noble.† â€Å"Well, then, only use it in public. Or stick to ‘Odile.'† â€Å"What about ‘Eugenie'?† â€Å"Fine.† Silence fell between us. The orchard seemed to go on forever. â€Å"Do you want to tell me why you're here yet? Or should I think up some other pleasantries to discuss?† I repressed a laugh. Dorian played flamboyant and scattered, but he wasn't a fool. â€Å"I need a favor.† â€Å"Ah, so it is business after all.† I stopped walking, and he stopped with me. Looking down at me, he waited patiently, his face pleasantly neutral. I shivered as another breeze stole through, and he took my coat from me, helping me slip it on. I wrapped my arms around myself, grateful for the coat's warmth. Sexy was cold. â€Å"I conjured a storm yesterday.† â€Å"Did you now?† His voice held less levity and more calculation. â€Å"What happened?† I told him the story, just as I had for Maiwenn and Kiyo. â€Å"What were you thinking when it happened?† At first, I thought he was chastising me. Sort of like when you do something stupid and your mom asks, Are you insane? What were you thinking? â€Å"Like how I felt? What was going through my head?† He nodded. â€Å"I don't know. I guess I went through a lot of moods. When it all started†¦I mean, I felt the same as for any other attack. Planned out what I would do, focused for a banishing. But once my mom got involved†¦I started to lose it.† â€Å"And when Corwyn had you trapped?† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"The elemental. He was one of Aeson's men. The spirits you banished came back telling tales, though admittedly, no one's heard this part, seeing as you didn't leave any witnesses.† â€Å"I felt†¦scared. Weak. Defenseless.† â€Å"You don't strike me as someone who's scared a lot.† â€Å"No, actually. I'm scared all the time. Stupid not to be. What's that saying? Only the dead are without fear? Or is that hope? Dunno. At that point, I sure as hell didn't have any hope either. I felt like I was out of options.† â€Å"And so you chose the only option left to you.† â€Å"I didn't choose it exactly. Not consciously.† â€Å"No. But sometimes our souls and the secret parts of our minds know what we need.† He walked over to a large, sheltering maple tree. Presumably it too had those wonderful colors, but the near-darkness made such things impossible to see. Taking off his robe, he spread it on the ground and sat down, leaving space beside him. A moment later, I sat down as well. â€Å"So what have you come to ask me, Eugenie Markham?† â€Å"You already know. I can hear it in your voice.† â€Å"Hmm. So much for crafty subterfuge.† â€Å"I need you to teach me how to use the magic. So it doesn't take over again. I don't want to kill someone the next time I freak out.† â€Å"Or,† he added, â€Å"you just might want to kill someone with it. On purpose, that is.† â€Å"Maybe.† I shivered. â€Å"I don't know.† He didn't speak right away. The darkness around us grew deeper. â€Å"What you did to Corwyn was akin to using a brick to swat a fly when much finer, much simpler methods would suffice. The storms you can conjure are great and powerful things, absolutely. The gods know your father made effective use of them. But I think you'll find your real power is in controlling the storm's finer elements. A child can throw paint on a canvas; a master works with fine brushstrokes. You learn the small things, and then the storms will be second nature.† I took a deep breath. â€Å"So can you teach me? Will you teach me?† Even in the dark, I knew he had that laconic smile on his face. â€Å"If someone had told me during our last meeting that we'd have this conversation, I would have flogged him for insolence.† â€Å"I don't have anyone else to go to. Maiwenn offered, but she doesn't have – â€Å" â€Å"Maiwenn?† he interrupted. His tone startled me. â€Å"When did you talk to her?† â€Å"After the attack.† I explained the circumstances of our meeting. When he didn't respond, I grew defensive. â€Å"There's nothing wrong with that. If anything, it's kind of nice to have someone on my side who doesn't want to see me get pregnant and take over the world.† â€Å"And for that very reason, you shouldn't trust her. I want to see Storm King's heir born. Therefore, I have good reason to make sure you stay alive. She does not.† I remembered thinking how Maiwenn would have had a lot less to worry about had I died in the attack. â€Å"She didn't seem so sinister,† I replied haltingly, suddenly struck by a thought. If Maiwenn's noble philosophy involved killing me, then would Kiyo follow her in that? â€Å"The sinister ones never do.† â€Å"You're just trying to sway me to your side.† â€Å"Well, of course. I'd be trying to do that regardless of her involvement.† I sighed. It was all plots and posturing after all. Above all else, Dorian was still one of the gentry. â€Å"Maybe coming here was a mistake.† â€Å"Coming here was the smartest thing you've done so far. So tell me, what will you give me for teaching you to control your power?† â€Å"You can't get something for nothing, huh?† â€Å"Oh, please. Don't sound so superior. I helped you last time without asking anything in return, and now here you are again asking more of me. You demand a lot of the gentry you consider so greedy.† â€Å"Fair enough.† I leaned against the tree a little. â€Å"If you'll help me†¦I'll let†¦I'll let people think we're, you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There was a pause, and then his warm laughter filled the orchard. â€Å"Sleeping together? Oh, you really have made my night. That's not fair. Not fair at all.† I blushed furiously in the dark. â€Å"You'll one-up Aeson. He'll think I'm willingly giving you what he tried to take by force.† â€Å"And all the while, I'll actually be getting nothing except tantalizing glimpses of you in outfits like this.† â€Å"I'll cover up more if it makes a difference.† â€Å"What would make a difference is if you were sleeping with me for real.† â€Å"That's not fair either. Not for a few magic lessons.† â€Å"‘A few'?† He laughed again, his voice carrying the kind of incredulity that seemed to amuse rather than upset him. Jesus. Did nothing bother this guy? â€Å"My dear, it's going to take more than ‘a few' lessons to quell that storm in you, pun intended. Especially with your temper. It's going to make focus hard.† I felt indignant. â€Å"Hey, I've been focusing since I was a kid. I can clear my mind in the middle of a fight to banish spirits. I go to trance in seconds.† â€Å"Perhaps,† he conceded grudgingly. â€Å"But I'm still not sure this is fair. You'll be getting more than lessons. Assuming you are my ‘lover,' people will be hesitant to assault you. You'll find your status soaring.† â€Å"Christ. Nothing gets past you, does it? Apparently Volusian and I have a lot more to learn about subterfuge too.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"My servant.† â€Å"Ah. The sullen one with red eyes?† â€Å"Yes.† He made a disapproving click with his tongue. â€Å"He's both dangerous and powerful. You're brave to keep him.† â€Å"I know. I couldn't send him to the Underworld, so I bound him to me.† â€Å"If I helped you, we could probably send him on.† The thought astonished me. With Volusian securely in the world of death, I'd probably be a lot safer. As though reading my mind, Dorian added, â€Å"Things will get nasty if he ever breaks loose on you.† â€Å"I know. He tells me on a regular basis – in graphic detail. Still†¦he's been useful. I think I'll keep him around for a while.† We sat quietly in the darkness again. I realized it must be getting past the castle's dinner hour. Part of the reason for showing up at this time had been to get invited to dinner. With gentry pride in hospitality, Volusian had thought it would please Dorian to show off his resources, especially since being half-gentry meant I could safely eat in this world now. Finally, a legitimate perk to all this insanity. I half-smiled imagining a hall full of hungry gentry, pounding their silverware on the table. With the way everyone danced around Dorian's moods, however, I had no doubt they'd wait hours if need be. â€Å"If you're going to pretend to be my lover, it will involve more than just say-so. You've seen how free we are with our affections in public. If you keep ten feet away from me, no one's going to believe it.† I froze, suddenly remembering that other dinner. I hadn't entirely considered the implications. He chuckled softly, a low and dangerous sound beside me. â€Å"Oh, yes, you didn't think about that, did you?† He was right. I'd figured Dorian and me disappearing into his bedroom for lessons would be convincing enough. But now I had to picture sitting on his lap, letting him touch me and kiss me. I had trouble with the image. He was one of the gentry, the beings I'd hitherto kept a wary eye on and tracked down my whole life. Discovering Kiyo's true nature had been a shock to my system, one I was slowly starting to reconcile. How could I handle someone who was completely of the Otherworld? Yet†¦the more I hung around Dorian, the easier it became to think of him as just a person. Weird or not, there was something comfortable about being with him. So, yeah. I could handle this. Maybe. It was just a little making out, right? It wasn't sex. And wasn't it a small thing to ensure I didn't tear anyone else apart inadvertently? â€Å"I'm not going down on you or anything,† I warned, using flippancy to cover my discomfort. He laughed again. â€Å"As saddening as that is, it might actually be too much. You're human enough that they'll expect some modesty.† Small blessings. â€Å"All right. I'll hold up my half if you hold up your half.† â€Å"Well, in distribution, I think I'm actually doing three-quarters of the work here. But yes, I'll do the same. Shall we shake on it? Isn't that how you humans seal a deal?† I extended my hand in the darkness, and he took it. Suddenly, he pulled me to him and kissed me. I immediately pulled back, aghast. â€Å"Hey!† â€Å"What? You don't expect to have our first kiss in public, do you? We want to be convincing, remember?† â€Å"You're a sleazy bastard, you know that?† â€Å"If you truly believe that, then maybe you'll feel better finding another teacher.† I thought about that. Then I leaned forward and tried to find his lips in the darkness. I didn't realize I was shaking until his hands gripped my arms. â€Å"Relax, Eugenie. This won't hurt.† I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Our lips found each other. His reminded me of flower petals, soft and velvety. Whereas Kiyo was all about animal passion and aggression, Dorian seemed more about†¦precision. I suddenly remembered his metaphor about the difference between slapping paint on a canvas and fine brushstrokes. Don't get me wrong, Dorian wasn't exactly sweet and chaste. There was heat in those soft lips. He seemed to want to draw out the experience, almost in a taunting way, so much so that I found myself impatient and eager when his tongue finally darted in between my lips. He pushed it farther into my mouth, the rest of the kiss intensifying. He smelled like cinnamon and cider, like all the good things in an autumn night. Finally, he pulled away. â€Å"You're still afraid of me,† he noted, amused by that fact just like everything else. â€Å"Your body still won't relax.† â€Å"Yes.† I swallowed. It had felt good, the kind of good that sends heat down your body and makes your toes – and other parts – curl. But my fear had underscored it all, that fear of gentry and otherness that I still couldn't quite shake. It was a weird combination, physical pleasure mingling with fear. Very different from the way it was with Kiyo – physical pleasure mixed with a larger, all-encompassing sense of chemistry and mutual affection, despite my unease over his half-kitsune heritage. â€Å"I can't help it. This is all still strange for me. Part of me says it's wrong. It's hard to change what I've always believed overnight, you know.† â€Å"Do you want to go back on the deal?† I shook my head. â€Å"I don't go back on my deals.† I could feel him smiling in the darkness. He leaned over and kissed me again.

Pornography and the Sexualization of Society

Pornography and the Sexualization of Society SOC101 11/27/12 The topic I chose is â€Å"Pornography and the Sexualization of Society†. I chose this article because I’ve noticed a drastic changes in the media, in advertising, and marketing that influences society in desensitizing us and our beliefs on what is normal and morally acceptable in terms of exposure to sexual content as well as the mass marketing of items that were once rarely seen in your corner drugstore or advertised in major publications.I can recall growing up as a teenager in the 1990’s and how big of a deal it was when a prime time television show featured it’s main characters having sex for the first time, or even making reference to explicit sexual acts. In contrast, in the last 20 years, it’s common place for teens or very young adults on television and in movies to have sex lives dramatized for entertainment. Additionally, television and print advertisements not only use explicit innuendo for contraception like condoms for example, but they also feature specialty enhancements for these products to make sex â€Å"better† for both partners.A visit to a local drugstore and there are sex toys advertised as â€Å"personal massagers† , lubricants for â€Å"his and her† pleasure and other items that would once have only been found in an adult bookstore. Pornography, not only in print and privately packaged covers can be found at most book stores as well as online websites with almost no age restriction. Soft porn is also readily available on cable television, and not just on premium channels designated adults only.HBO, Cinemax and Starz all have late night content that I would not want my teenage relatives to watch. Movies in theaters do have mandated content warnings, but it seems that even non â€Å"R† rated movies show a lot more today than they did 20 years ago. This contributes to what I would consider the Sexualization of our curr ent Society. The question for me is whether or not added exposure to sex, especially to teens and young adults contributes to deviant behavior.When applying Functionalist Theory, and the idea that society relies upon its members to have order, stability and an agreement on what values are and how they should be achieved, I can’t help but wonder to what extent does the overt sexualization of our culture have an impact on that stability. While our text does not indicate an increase in sex amongst youth in recent years, there is still a notable difference generationally speaking.This difference isn’t necessarily in the act of sex itself, but it our pop culture, in our mass communication online, in text messages and face to face conversations. If our society is to continue with overt sexualization as it has been†¦what will be the outcome? Will more teens have sex, will deviant sexual behavior become more and more prevalent? What mechanism should be employed to prevent the latter from happening? (Anderson/ Taylor 2011). References: Andersen, M. L. , and H. F. Taylor. Sociology, the Essentials. 6. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co, 2010. Print

Pelycosaurs, Archosaurs, and Therapsids

Pelycosaurs, Archosaurs, and Therapsids Like archeologists discovering the ruins of a previously unknown civilization buried deep beneath an ancient city, dinosaur enthusiasts are sometimes astonished to learn that entirely different kinds of reptiles once ruled the earth, tens of millions of years before famous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor, and Stegosaurus. For approximately 120 million years- from the Carboniferous to the middle Triassic periods- terrestrial life was dominated by the pelycosaurs, archosaurs, and therapsids (the so-called mammal-like reptiles) that preceded the dinosaurs. Of course, before there could be archosaurs (much less full-blown dinosaurs), nature had to evolve the first true reptile. At the start of the Carboniferous periodthe swampy, wet, vegetation-choked era during which the first peat bogs formed- the most common land creatures were prehistoric amphibians, themselves descended (by way of the earliest tetrapods) from the proverbial  prehistoric fish that flipped, flopped, and slithered their way out of oceans and lakes millions of years before. Because of their reliance on water, though, these amphibians couldnt stray far from the rivers, lakes, and oceans that kept them moist, and that provided a convenient place to lay their eggs. Based on the current evidence, the best candidate we know of for the first true reptile is Hylonomus, fossils of which have been found in sediments dating back 315 million years. Hylonomus- the name is Greek for forest dweller- may well have been the first tetrapod (four-footed animal) to lay eggs and have scaly skin, features that would have allowed it to venture farther from the bodies of water to which its amphibian ancestors were tethered. Theres no doubt that Hylonomus evolved from an amphibian species; in fact, scientists believe that the elevated oxygen levels of the Carboniferous period may have helped fuel the development of complex animals in general. The Rise of the Pelycosaurs Now came one of those catastrophic global events that cause some animal populations to prosper, and others to shrivel up and disappear. Toward the start of the  Permian period, about 300 million years ago, the earths climate gradually became hotter and drier. These conditions favored small reptiles like Hylonomus  and were detrimental to the amphibians that had previously dominated the planet. Because they were better at regulating their own body temperature, laid their eggs on land, and didnt need to stay close to bodies of water, the reptiles radiated- that is, evolved and differentiated to occupy various ecological niches. (The amphibians didnt go away- they’re still with us today, in dwindling numbers- but their time in the limelight was over.) One of the most important groups of evolved reptiles was the pelycosaurs (Greek for bowl lizards). These creatures appeared toward the end of the Carboniferous period, and persisted well into the Permian, dominating the continents for about 40 million years. By far the most famous pelycosaur (and one thats often mistaken for a dinosaur) was Dimetrodon, a large reptile with a prominent sail on its back (the main function of which may have been to soak up sunlight and maintain its owners internal temperature). The pelycosaurs made their livings in different ways: for example, Dimetrodon was a carnivore, while its similar-looking cousin Edaphosaurus was a plant-eater (and its entirely possible that one fed on the other). Its impossible to list all the genera of pelycosaurs here; suffice it to say that a lot of different varieties evolved over 40 million years. These reptiles are classified as synapsids, which are characterized by the presence of one hole in the skull behind each eye (technically speaking, all mammals are also synapsids). During the Permian period, synapsids coexisted with anapsids (reptiles lacking those all-important skull holes). Prehistoric anapsids also attained a striking degree of complexity, as exemplified by such large, ungainly creatures as Scutosaurus. (The only anapsid reptiles alive today are the Testudines- turtles, tortoises, and terrapins.) Meet the Therapsids- The Mammal-Like Reptiles The timing and sequence cant be pinned down precisely, but paleontologists believe that sometime during the early  Permian  period, a branch of pelycosaurs evolved into reptiles called therapsids (otherwise known as mammal-like reptiles). Therapsids were characterized by their more powerful jaws bearing sharper (and better differentiated) teeth, as well as their upright stances (that is, their legs were situated vertically beneath their bodies, compared to the sprawling, lizard-like posture of earlier synapsids). Once again, it took a catastrophic global event to separate the boys from the men (or, in this case, the pelycosaurs from the therapsids). By the end of the Permian period,  250 million years ago, over two-thirds of all land-dwelling animals went extinct, possibly because of a meteorite impact (of the same type that killed the dinosaurs 185 million years later). Among the survivors were various species of therapsids, which were free to radiate into the depopulated landscape of the early  Triassic  period. A good example is  Lystrosaurus, which evolutionary writer Richard Dawkins has called the Noah of the Permian/Triassic boundary: fossils of this 200-pound therapsid have been found all over the world. Here’s where things get weird. During the Permian period, the cynodonts (dog-toothed reptiles) that descended from the earliest therapsids developed some distinctly mammalian characteristics. Theres solid evidence that reptiles like  Cynognathus  and  Thrinaxodon  had fur, and they may also have had  warm-blooded metabolisms  and black, wet, dog-like noses. Cynognathus (Greek for dog jaw) may even have given birth to live young, which by almost any measure would make it much closer to a mammal than to a reptile! Sadly, the therapsids were doomed by the end of the Triassic period, muscled out of the scene by the archosaurs (of which more below), and then by the archosaurs immediate descendants, the  earliest dinosaurs. However, not all therapsids went extinct: a few small genera survived for tens of millions of years, scurrying unnoticed under the feet of lumbering dinosaurs and evolving into the first  prehistoric mammals  (of which the immediate predecessor may have been the small, quivering therapsid Tritylodon.) Enter the Archosaurs Another family of prehistoric reptile, called the  archosaurs, coexisted with the therapsids (as well as the other land reptiles that survived the Permian/Triassic extinction). These early diapsids- so-called because of the two, rather than one, holes in their skulls behind each eye socket- managed to out-compete the therapsids, for reasons that are still obscure. We do know that the teeth of archosaurs were more firmly set in their jaw sockets, which would have been an evolutionary advantage, and its possible that they were quicker to evolve upright, bipedal postures (Euparkeria, for example, may have been one of the first archosaurs capable of rearing up on its hind legs.) Toward the end of the Triassic period, the first archosaurs split off into the first primitive dinosaurs: small, quick, bipedal carnivores like  Eoraptor,  Herrerasaurus,  and  Staurikosaurus. The identity of the immediate progenitor of the dinosaurs is still a matter of debate, but one likely candidate is  Lagosuchus  (Greek for rabbit crocodile), a tiny, bipedal archosaur that possessed a number of distinctly dinosaur-like characteristics, and that sometimes goes by the name  Marasuchus. (Recently, paleontologists identified what may well be the earliest dinosaur descended from archosaurs, the 243-million-year-old  Nyasasaurus.) It would, however, be a very dinosaur-centric way of looking at things to write archosaurs out of the picture as soon as they evolved into the first theropods. The fact is that archosaurs went on to spawn two other mighty races of animals: the  prehistoric crocodiles  and the  pterosaurs, or flying reptiles. In fact, by all rights, we should be giving crocodiles precedence over dinosaurs, since these fierce reptiles are still with us today, whereas  Tyrannosaurus Rex,  Brachiosaurus,  and all the rest arent!

Free Essays on Gender And Sexuality

It shouldn’t matter what gender you are. You should have the same rights if you are a man or a woman. Homosexuals and Heterosexuals should be treated the same. Men don’t have to be tough to be men. One shouldn’t be looked down on because it’s not â€Å"right.† That’s how it is in America, right? Wrong, women are not treated as equals in society today, and homosexuals are looked down on. These articles inform us of how women’s inequality came about, how heterosexual’s came to be, and why men are so masculine. The first article, â€Å"In a Male-Centered world, Female Differences are Transformed into Female Disadvantages,† talks about how women are not less capable to do what men do, they are just different. They are different from men in a â€Å"male-centered world.† Everything revolves around males, therefore all policies and practices fit men’s criteria and not women. Women have to struggle in this world because it is male based. Pregnancy was taking off the disability-insurance package because it is â€Å"unique to woman,† but prostate cancer, which only men can get, is included in the package. This article made me mad. I guess me being a girl, I am a little biased. I never really thought of the reason why women struggle is because we live in such a man’s world. I think that is very true. I believe women were forced into this lifestyle because everything is based on men and there structure. How can we compete over something that is made for a man? It’s almost impossible because men are already better equipped for the job. It is true that because of all this, women’s differences are changed into disadvantages. It is not right. The next article, â€Å"The Social Construction of Gender,† talks about how sports, technology, and bathrooms are based around males. Ninety-two percent of sports coverage on television is male. When women started doing more and more athletic competitions, supposedly ... Free Essays on Gender And Sexuality Free Essays on Gender And Sexuality It shouldn’t matter what gender you are. You should have the same rights if you are a man or a woman. Homosexuals and Heterosexuals should be treated the same. Men don’t have to be tough to be men. One shouldn’t be looked down on because it’s not â€Å"right.† That’s how it is in America, right? Wrong, women are not treated as equals in society today, and homosexuals are looked down on. These articles inform us of how women’s inequality came about, how heterosexual’s came to be, and why men are so masculine. The first article, â€Å"In a Male-Centered world, Female Differences are Transformed into Female Disadvantages,† talks about how women are not less capable to do what men do, they are just different. They are different from men in a â€Å"male-centered world.† Everything revolves around males, therefore all policies and practices fit men’s criteria and not women. Women have to struggle in this world because it is male based. Pregnancy was taking off the disability-insurance package because it is â€Å"unique to woman,† but prostate cancer, which only men can get, is included in the package. This article made me mad. I guess me being a girl, I am a little biased. I never really thought of the reason why women struggle is because we live in such a man’s world. I think that is very true. I believe women were forced into this lifestyle because everything is based on men and there structure. How can we compete over something that is made for a man? It’s almost impossible because men are already better equipped for the job. It is true that because of all this, women’s differences are changed into disadvantages. It is not right. The next article, â€Å"The Social Construction of Gender,† talks about how sports, technology, and bathrooms are based around males. Ninety-two percent of sports coverage on television is male. When women started doing more and more athletic competitions, supposedly ...

Pharaoh Hatshepsut of Egypt Biography

Pharaoh Hatshepsut of Egypt Biography Hatshepsut (Hatshepsowe), one of the rare women pharaohs of Egypt, had a long and successful reign marked by remarkable building projects and lucrative trading expeditions. She campaigned in Nubia (perhaps not in person), sent a fleet of ships to the land of Punt, and had an impressive temple and mortuary complex built in the Valley of the Kings. Hatshepsut was the half-sister and wife of Thutmose II (who died after only a few years on the throne). Hatshepsuts nephew and stepson, Thutmose III, was in line for the throne of Egypt, but he was still young, and so Hatshepsut took over. Being a woman was an obstacle, although a Middle Kingdom female pharaoh, Sobekneferu/Neferusobek, had ruled before her, in the 12th dynasty, so Hatshepsut had precedent. After her death, but not immediately. her name was erased and her tomb destroyed. The reasons continue to be debated. Occupation Ruler Dates and Titles Hatshepsut lived in the 15th century B.C. and ruled in the early part of the 18th Dynasty in Egypt the period known as the New Kingdom. The dates of her rule are variously given as 1504-1482, 1490/88-1468, 1479-1457, and 1473-1458 B.C. (according to Joyce Tyldesleys Hatchepsut). Her reign dates from the start of Thutmose III, her stepson, and nephew, with whom she was co-regent. Hatshepsut was pharaoh or king of Egypt for about 15-20 years. The dating is uncertain. Josephus, quoting Manetho (the father of Egyptian history), says her reign lasted about 22 years. Before becoming pharaoh, Hatshepsut had been Thutmose IIs main or Great Royal Wife. She had not produced a male heir, but he did have sons by other wives, including Thutmoses III. Family Hatshepsut was the oldest daughter of Tuthmose I and Aahmes. She married her half-brother Thutmose II when their father died. She was the mother of Princess Neferure. Other Names WosretkauMaat-ka-reKhnemetamun Hatshepsut Feminine or Masculine Appearance of Hatshepsut A fascinating New Kingdom ruler, Hatshepsut is depicted in a short kilt, a crown or head cloth, a collar and a false beard (Tyldesley, p.130 Hatchepsut). One limestone statue shows her without a beard and with breasts, but usually, her body is masculine. Tyldesley says a childhood depiction presents her with male genitalia. The pharaoh seems to have appeared female or male as need dictated. The pharaoh was expected to be a male in order to maintain the right order of the world Maat. A female upset this order. Besides being male, a pharaoh was expected to intervene with the gods on behalf of the people and be fit. Hatshepsuts Athletic Skill Wolfgang Decker, an expert on sport among the ancient Egyptians, says that at the Sed festival, pharaohs, including Hatshepsut, made a circuit of the pyramid complex of Djoser. The pharaohs run had 3 functions: to demonstrate the pharaohs fitness after 30 years in power, to make a symbolic circuit of his territory, and to symbolically rejuvenate him.[Source: Donald G. Kyle. Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World] It is worth noting that the mummified body, thought to be that of the female pharaoh, was middle-aged and obese. Deir El-bahri (Deir El Bahari) Hatshepsut had a mortuary temple known and without hyperbole as Djeser-Djeseru Sublime of the Sublimes. It was built of limestone at Deir el-Bahri, near where she had her tombs built, in the Valley of the Kings. The temple was primarily dedicated to Amun (as a garden to her so-called [divine] father Amun), but also to the gods Hathor and Anubis. Its architect was Senenmut (Senmut) who may have been her consort and seems to have predeceased his queen. Hatshepsut also restored Amuns temples elsewhere in Egypt. Sometime after Hatshepsuts death, all temple references to her were chiseled off. For more information on this temple, see Archaeology Guide Kris Hirsts The Cache at Deir el-Bahri - Hatshepsuts Palace in Egypt. Hatshepsuts Mummy In the Valley of the Kings is a tomb, called KV60, that Howard Carter found in 1903. It contained 2 badly damaged mummies of women. One was of Hatshepsuts nurse, Sitre. The other was an obese middle-aged woman about 51 tall with her left arm across her chest in a royal position. Evisceration had been performed through her pelvic floor instead of the normal side cut because of her obesity. Sitres mummy was removed in 1906, but the obese mummy was left. American Egyptologist Donald P. Ryan rediscovered the tomb in 1989. It has been suggested that this mummy is that of Hatshepsut and that it was removed to this tomb from KV20 either following a robbery or to protect her from the attempted obliteration of her memory. Egypts Minister of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, believes a tooth in a box and other DNA evidence proves this is the body of the female pharaoh. Death The cause of Hatshepsuts death, according to a New York Times article from June 27, 2007, citing Zahi Hawass, is thought to be bone cancer. She also appears to have been diabetic, obese, with bad teeth, and about 50-years-old. The body of the pharaoh was identified by a tooth. Sources Chronicle of the Pharaohs, by Peter A. Clayton; Thames Hudson: 1994.Silent Images: Women in Pharaonic Egypt, by Zahi HawassHatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh,  by Joyce A. Tyldesley

Green Pastures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Green Pastures - Essay Example Currently, Green Pastures houses six children full time on location in Mountain View. The children housed there range from the ages of six to eighteen and they all have developmental disabilities. Using a four bed-room house Green Pastures is able to provide services for these six children, as well as a short-term service for parents who may need a well-deserved break. They also provide training for people who are interested in caring for children with disabilities. Green Pastures uses a unique system to help fully meet every child’s needs. Using a three-pronged individualized system, Green Pastures is able to fully customize their programs to each and every single child. Green Pastures makes a specialized schooling plan, home program, and tutoring program for each child. Parents are also asked to be as involved as possible, and are invited to spend time on center with their child, encouraged to attend any major conferences about their child, updated on any developments in their child’s goals or needs, and they also allow children to go home on weekends and holidays as often as possible. Green Pastures also has a very active community interaction program. Regular outings include picnics, trips to the zoo, horseback riding, swimming lessons, and other fun community activities. This crucial part allows the children to interact with the community, and also allows the community to see that the Green Pastures family can participate in regular everyday activities just like everybody else. In conclusion, Green Pastures is a great community with a religious background that allows children a deep connection to caring, loving people.

I am the One who has been Taught how to Dream Essay

I am the One who has been Taught how to Dream - Essay Example However, there is also an image in the poem that shows the father’s love for his son. My own dad is a tough father but he also loves me too. The father in "My Father Teaches Me to Dream'' is a tough father, and this displayed in a variety of images. For example, the rhythm of the poem has an ordering rhythm. The father tells his son what to do and what not to do. In addition, n lines such as "You get up. You get on the bus," "You don't look from side to side," and "You keep your eyes straight ahead'' show that the father didn't allow his son any space to think or to be creative. Also, in the line en he said "You get off the bus. You work all day," the father shows his son how tough the world is he doesn’t allowgive any time for leisure time. Furthermore, the father broke his son’s heart when he said "All other stuff you're looking for—it ain't there." This line deprived the son of the last drop of hope that he was hanging on. Also, the father told his son to be very precise and not to do any more than what he is told to do. This kills creativity in the son; it will not make him creative and he will likely grow up to becomes him an average man. The last line of the poem, â€Å"Work is work,† is quite simply yet it shows something of the father’s personality or background. ... This might not actually be the personality that the father has, but this is what is portrayed in the poem. However, despite the toughness that the father displays towards his son, he also shows his son some love in this poem. For example, the line "That way nobody will bothers you—see?" shows how the father does care about his son because he does not want anybody to bother him or make him feel uncomfortable. This is the true value of a father because any father should show so much concern for their son that they would want them to live a life free of trouble. Also, the line "There's no handouts in this life" could be explained as the father caring about his son; he is just trying to teach him that he has to work for everything that he wants in this life because no one will give him any freebies. While this could be perceived as mean, this is just a harsh reality of life and the sooner that we get used to it the quicker we can do something with our lives. Furthermore, when the father said "You do the same thing again," it could mean that if you are trying to work hard to accomplish a dream and it does not happen right away, it does not mean that you should stop; you should keep trying until you finally reach your dream. This could be seen as the father wanting a boring life for his son, but all he wants is for his son to find a successful formula in life and stick to it. This way, the son will always be pleased with his life and he should hopefully pass this important piece of advice onto his son. This line shows how the father wants his son to reach his dream and also that he did not envy him. The father wants his son to still have an opportunity to reach his

Sensitivity to climate change for two reptiles at the Mojave Assignment

Sensitivity to climate change for two reptiles at the Mojave - Assignment Example In order to realize a more predictable niche space he holds terrain and soil variables constant as he varies the climatic variables in a contrast of increasing temperature and decreasing level of precipitation. Recent research has underlined the need to do thorough climatic change predictions. These predictions will help in knowing and anticipating for the undesirable impact on the biodiversity. C. W Barrows uses this model and in an endeavour brings out some comparison and contrasts between these two species of reptiles. Though they inhabit the same niche, Gopherus agassizii and the common lizard Sauromalus ater present some differences in their elevations and their food dietary. For instance, Sauromalus ater thrive well between an elevation of o to 1830m and a diet which cuts across perennial plants. Their counterparts, Gopherus agassizii thrive well in elevations between o and 1120m. Despite these differences in elevations, there are similarities in their capabilities to live long, their ectothermal definitions and their perennial vegetarian diet. In a conclusive approach, the survival of these two species largely depends on their abilities to adapt to the changing climatic conditions. Under the guidance of the formulated objective to examine the eminent shifts in habitat for the two species of reptiles, Barrow tries to identify the behavioral and psychological changes adopted by this species as a result of the climate stress. Through these responses and some other mechanisms the reptiles manage to exhibit some differential survival within a certain refugium. C.W. Barrows adopts the following methods and materials in an endeavour to unveil the above mentioned mechanisms and responses. The study area is identified and confined to a 679,585 ha area that includes Joshua Tree National Park and a 10 km buffer that surrounds the Park’s boundary. He also successfully did the niche modeling using the Mahalanobis D2 statistical tool.

Medieval lit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Medieval lit - Essay Example 21-23). Plainly, he is upset that the queen is carrying on an affair that everyone knows about, but no one is doing anything about. Obviously, he doesn’t think it is fair to Arthur. In fact, what Guinevere is doing is against the law in more that one way. First, cheating on her husband is committing treason against the king. Second, some of her acts call for Lancelot to lie to the king, which is also unlawful. Setting aside for a moment that adultery is morally wrong, the fact that she displays a lack of ethics, and a disregard for the law is a good insight into the person Guinevere actually is. Instead of the epitome of honor and grace that queen’s of the time usually displayed, Guinevere was a liar, a cheater, and a disgrace to the throne. Guinevere’s actions cause the knights to feel the need to explain to Arthur that his favored knight is a â€Å"traytoure to youre person† (647, l. 32). Hence, they set a trap for Lancelot so that the king would have proof that the two were traitors. The initial problem with the whole set up is that the king, and the knights, have plenty to worry about from outside threats. They shouldn’t have to spend their time setting traps for people who are supposed to be on their side. Another problem is that once caught, the king is forced to do something. In order to save face, and protect his kingdom from people who would think he was weak for excusing traitors, the king would have to take drastic measures against his wife, or his favorite knight. Again, none of this is healthy for a kingdom. Without question, Camelot is worse for hosting Queen Guinevere. After the affair is discovered, Arthur sentences her to die. Technically, this, too, is probably a denegration of the king, since Guinevere’s position (even prior to marrying the Arthur) probably meant that she should have had a trial. Arthur

Navigating to Life's Distant Shores Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Navigating to Life's Distant Shores - Essay Example We either make it or we don't. We know of our success by the fact that we have arrived. We have fulfilled our goal and have set foot upon the next stepping-stone of our voyage. Our footing must be certain and secure, as a small error can cause us to lose our footing and cast us out among the grave uncertainties that lie just outside our plotted path. Planning our passage through the developmental stages of life has all the euphoric possibilities and rewards of celestial navigation; it requires skill, tools and planning, and a certain sense of where we currently are. Nothing can bring us greater elation than reaching a carefully planned goal that we have struggled to achieve, while challenging the obstacles and roadblocks that impeded our path. Getting from high school to college is very much like sailing the open seas without the security of the sight of land. It requires the skill that we have gained over our too few years, as we have no way to know what the destination will be like until we arrive. Yet, by being prepared we can remove much of the uncertainty and take much of the destination that we expect to find with us. Our task is to simply find the destination within ourselves. Gerrard states that, "Hardly anything on earth is as exhilarating as sailing into a new harbor at sunrise after a nighttime passage offshore across open water" (248). As we prepare our journey into our future, we must carefully navigate our culture, society, peer pressure, and traditions, often alone and in the dark of night. The exhilaration of reaching our destin ation will be ours alone, and only we have the skill to successfully find our unique path to the dawning of a new opportunity. Putting this skill to work will require the careful management of the tools that will we need to be able to formulate a workable plan, as we move across the uncharted waters of growth. For the high school student making their journey to college, this planning began years earlier as they begin to collect the tools of academics. While the ocean navigator has the hardware of a compass, sextant, and chronometer the student will carry tools that are more abstract in nature, but no less concrete. The student will need the skill of critical thinking. Have they learned to question, analyze, and criticize, without emotion or malice Have they been properly tempered in the cauldron of education to accept that knowledge may be "contingent, ambiguous, and tentative" (Bean 18) Has their imagination learned to make a leap and connect two seemingly unconnected dots Gerard speaks of these tools as possessing "a magical quality and were treated with the reverent care usually reserved for sacred relics " (258). The navigator cares for his tools by maintaining them in "elaborately carved and inlaid wooden boxes", as a way to highlight their status and importance. The academician cares for their tools by constant use, as if oiling and cleaning them daily to keep them ready for use on a moments notice. Just as the navigator hears the sound of the waves and the smell of the seas to alert them if they have gone off course, the academic will hear the conversations, the media, and the world around them to sense if they are still on solid ground and in line with their destination. Plotting a course to our next destination along life's journey requires that we have a secure sense of where we are starting from, and where we

Health Ethic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Health Ethic - Essay Example 1). In this principle, it takes into account the standardized benchmarks that must be maintained in order to secure the health welfare of patients seeking medical attention. The code basically establishes the kind of relationship shared by patients and their health providers, where the former group is considered inferior compared to superiority exhibited by medically-educated practitioners. Hence, there is a one-sided dependence in such type of association. In current times, there is a shift in the focus of health care from solely treatment provisions to health care promotion and education--there is an integrated transfer of power from health providers to consumers. Where once the medical practitioners hold the sole control on the direction of their clients’ overall care, recent developments account for a more shared responsibility between the two parties involved in health care. Bearing the illustrated changes in mind, there is a general assumption that concepts in medical et hical conduct is not absolute in every situation, including the core ethical principles that govern the medical practice. The paper conducts a case evaluation related to the requested act of withholding the full disclosure medical information by a patient towards biologic relatives, and ethical principles regulating the practitioners’ actions in the performance of such duty. Specifically, this seeks to clarify contradictions in professional limitations of practitioners and extent to which patients can exercise their ethical rights against the moral code of conduct maintained by health providers. Ethical Dilemma: A Case Point Case 1 Mrs M has been having some strange symptoms which have been diagnosed as early symptoms of multiple sclerosis. She realizes she could be unaffected by the disease for some time and so has asked her GP not to tell anyone, even her family. Mr M and their three children are also the GP's patients. The GP is torn by Mrs M's decision because she feels i t would be better if the family knew now rather than finding out later. Mrs M wants to keep this secret because "I don't want them to start treating me differently. I want to look after my family for as long as I can before they start looking after me." Ethics is a complex concept that encompasses more than the networking tenets of what is morally right and wrong. Medical ethics, as identified by Flight (2004), is a definitive set of values that guide the practice of medical practitioners, incorporating a variety of ethical theories to provide basis for conflict resolutions and updates on practical health issues in clinical and community health settings. Basic in almost all types of professional ethics is the presentation of the four core approaches in ethical performance: â€Å"autonomy (freedom to choose), nonmaleficence (do no harm), beneficence (do what is good), justice† (Ashcroft, et al., 2007, p. 4). In one way or another, these principles interact with one another to influence the procedures by which the medical practitioners perform their duties in work environment. In account with the case presented above, a couple of values seemed to be in conflict during the adherence of professional code in ethics. As listed above, autonomy is the exercise of the liberty to choose. In clinical settings, patients are given options to choose among the treatment alternatives available to them. In application, Mrs. M had reserved her right to

Navigating to Life's Distant Shores Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Navigating to Life's Distant Shores - Essay Example We either make it or we don't. We know of our success by the fact that we have arrived. We have fulfilled our goal and have set foot upon the next stepping-stone of our voyage. Our footing must be certain and secure, as a small error can cause us to lose our footing and cast us out among the grave uncertainties that lie just outside our plotted path. Planning our passage through the developmental stages of life has all the euphoric possibilities and rewards of celestial navigation; it requires skill, tools and planning, and a certain sense of where we currently are. Nothing can bring us greater elation than reaching a carefully planned goal that we have struggled to achieve, while challenging the obstacles and roadblocks that impeded our path. Getting from high school to college is very much like sailing the open seas without the security of the sight of land. It requires the skill that we have gained over our too few years, as we have no way to know what the destination will be like until we arrive. Yet, by being prepared we can remove much of the uncertainty and take much of the destination that we expect to find with us. Our task is to simply find the destination within ourselves. Gerrard states that, "Hardly anything on earth is as exhilarating as sailing into a new harbor at sunrise after a nighttime passage offshore across open water" (248). As we prepare our journey into our future, we must carefully navigate our culture, society, peer pressure, and traditions, often alone and in the dark of night. The exhilaration of reaching our destin ation will be ours alone, and only we have the skill to successfully find our unique path to the dawning of a new opportunity. Putting this skill to work will require the careful management of the tools that will we need to be able to formulate a workable plan, as we move across the uncharted waters of growth. For the high school student making their journey to college, this planning began years earlier as they begin to collect the tools of academics. While the ocean navigator has the hardware of a compass, sextant, and chronometer the student will carry tools that are more abstract in nature, but no less concrete. The student will need the skill of critical thinking. Have they learned to question, analyze, and criticize, without emotion or malice Have they been properly tempered in the cauldron of education to accept that knowledge may be "contingent, ambiguous, and tentative" (Bean 18) Has their imagination learned to make a leap and connect two seemingly unconnected dots Gerard speaks of these tools as possessing "a magical quality and were treated with the reverent care usually reserved for sacred relics " (258). The navigator cares for his tools by maintaining them in "elaborately carved and inlaid wooden boxes", as a way to highlight their status and importance. The academician cares for their tools by constant use, as if oiling and cleaning them daily to keep them ready for use on a moments notice. Just as the navigator hears the sound of the waves and the smell of the seas to alert them if they have gone off course, the academic will hear the conversations, the media, and the world around them to sense if they are still on solid ground and in line with their destination. Plotting a course to our next destination along life's journey requires that we have a secure sense of where we are starting from, and where we

Castrol and Its Distributors Essay Example for Free

Castrol and Its Distributors Essay We had to undergo summer training in the corporate sector for hands on experience, where we get an opportunity to put into practice the knowledge gained during the entire first year. Hence, the organizational study was conducted at Shekar Agencies, Bangalore, for a period of 5 weeks. The organization was studied on an overall basis. The objective of our study was to: * Understand the structure of Shekar Agencies and how it functions. * Understand the different facets of the environment in which the organization operates. * Understand the culture of Shekar Agencies. Know about the decision-making processes in Shekar Agencies. It may also have the function of transporting foreign particles. The property of reducing friction is known as  lubricity. 1. 2. 2 Manufacturing Process of Lubricating Oil Lube oil is extracted from crude oil, which undergoes a preliminary purification process (sedimentation) before it is pumped into fractionating towers. A typical high-efficiency fractionating tower, 25 to 35 feet (7. 6 to 10. 6 meters) in diameter and up to 400 feet (122 meters) tall, is constructed of high grade steels to resist the corrosive compounds present in crude oils; inside, it is fitted with an ascending series of condensate collecting trays. Within a tower, the thousands of hydrocarbons in crude oil are separated from each other by a process called  fractional distillation. As the vapours rise up through the tower, the various fractions cool, condense, and return to liquid form at different rates determined by their respective boiling points (the lower the boiling point of the fraction, the higher it rises before condensing). Natural gas reaches Crude oil distillation process A good lubricant possesses the following characteristics: * High boiling point. If one thinks of lubricants today, the first type to come to mind are mineral oil based. Mineral oil components continue to form the quantitatively most important foundation of lubricants. Petrochemical components and increasingly derivatives of natural, harvestable raw materials from the oleo-chemical industry are finding increasing acceptance because of their environmental compatibility and some technical advantages. On average, lubricating oils, which quantitatively account for about 90 % of lubricant consumption, consist of about 93 % base oils and 7 % chemical additives and other components (between 0. and 40 %). Worldwide, there are 1380 lubricant manufacturers ranging from large to small. On one hand there are vertically-integrated petroleum companies whose main business objective is the discovery, extraction and refining of crude oil. Lubricants account for only a very small part of their oil business. At present, there are about 180 such national and multinational oil compan ies engaged in manufacturing lubricants. The 1200 independent lubricant companies mainly concentrate on the manufacturing and marketing of lubricants and view lubricants as their core business.

Electronic Surveillance in Intelligence Services

Electronic Surveillance in Intelligence Services Overview It will be argued that the increased use of electronic surveillance is unlikely to lead to the demise of human intelligence sources, this assignment will show that the two will work together and that regulation will ensure that that they will both enhance each other. It will be suggested that these two types of surveillance will continue to work alongside each other, which each being more useful in differing circumstances and therefore electronic surveillance will not replace the need for human intelligence. Main Body In recent years a combination of developing technology, concern about confession evidence and the changing nature of, especially, financial and drug-related crime has led the police and other law enforcement agencies to adopt increasingly sophisticated and intrusive, methods of investigation. Much of this has been largely hidden from public view and unregulated. Incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights by the Human Rights Act 1998 will mean that privacy can only lawfully be interfered with if it is necessary to do so, and if it is carried out in accordance with law. The common law approach that the police can do what they want as long it is not prohibited by law is no longer acceptable. The Government introduced legislation or risk exclusion of evidence and challenge in both domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The result is the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill, covering the interception of communications, the power to demand communica tions data and decryption of unintelligible material, the use of covert operations and surveillance, and establishing a tribunal to deal with complaints. The scope of the warrant procedure is significantly expanded by the Bill since it will now include interceptions of private telecommunications systems, and will clearly cover the interception of mobile telephones, e-mails, and other computer communications. Under s. 26(3) of the RIPA intrusive surveillance occurs when a surveillance device is used or an individual is actually present on residential premises, or in a private vehicle, or it is carried out by such a device in relation to such premises or vehicle without being present on the premises or vehicle. Residential is defined in s. 48(1) of the RIPA as premises used as living accommodation, while premises includes movable structures and land. The definition excludes common areas of residential premises and clearly does not cover office premises (s. 48(7)(b)). Thus, covert surveillance of office premises falls within the term directed, rather than intrusive, surveillance. Section 26(3), read with s. 48(7), offers only a partial definition since it would cover all forms of covert surveillance taking place in relation to residential premises. Some forms of such surveillance can be treated as directed surveillance, as indicated below, and it is in relation to residential premises that an area of uncertainty is created as to the category into which surveillance falls. Under s. 32(3) of the RIPA authorisation of intrusive surveillance is on the grounds of the interests of national security, for the purpose of preventing or detecting serious crime or of preventing disorder, in the interests of the economic well-being of the UK. Proportionality requirements are introduced under s. 32(2): the authorising person must be satisfied that the action to be taken is proportionate to what is hoped to be achieved by carrying it out. Authorisations for such surveillance are granted by the Home Secretary under s. 41 or, for police or customs officers, by senior authorising officers, who are the highest ranking police officers. There is provision for the grant of authorisations in a case of urgency by persons of equally high rank, other than the senior authorising officer. (Christie v United Kingdom 78-A DRE Com HR 119) Under s. 36, the authorisation will not take effect until it has been approved, except where it is urgent and the grounds for urgency are set out in the notice, in which case the authorisation will take effect from the time of its grant. Under s. 38 senior authorising officers can appeal to the Chief Surveillance Commissioner against decisions of ordinary Surveillance Commissioners. The Commissioners have responsibility for the destruction of material obtained by surveillance, under s. 37, but there is no requirement that material no longer needed for proceedings and no longer subject to an authorisation must be destroyed. The provisions for authorisations under ss 33, 34, 35 and 36 mirror those under the Police Act 1997, Part III in that, under s. 35, notice must be given to a Surveillance Commissioner and, under s. 36, the authorisation will not take effect until it has been approved, except where it is urgent and the grounds for urgency are set out in the notice, in which case the authorisation will take effect from the time of its grant. Under s. 38 senior authorising officers can appeal to the Chief Surveillance Commissioner against decisions of ordinary Surveillance Commissioners. The Commissioners have responsibility for the destruction of material obtained by surveillance, under s. 37, but there is no requirement that material no longer needed for proceedings and no longer subject to an authorisation must be destroyed. Under s. 43 authorisations can be granted or renewed urgently orally by senior authorising officers or in writing by persons authorised to act on their behalf in urgent cases. If , under s. 43(3)(a), an authorisation is granted or renewed by a person entitled to act only in urgent cases, or was renewed by such a person or orally, it ceases to take effect after 72 hours. Section 42 provides special rules for the intelligence services which overlap with those of s. 5 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994. Under s. 42 the security and intelligence services can undertake intrusive surveillance on grant of a warrant. The grounds are under s. 32(3). As far as intrusive surveillance is concerned, the function of the services in support of the prevention or detection of serious crime is excluded where the application is by a member of GCHQ or the SIS. Under s. 44(3) a warrant authorising intrusive surveillance issued by a senior official, and not renewed under the hand of the Secretary of State, shall cease to have effect at the end of the second working day after its issue. In the case of other warrants that point will be at the end of a period of six months from t he day of issue or renewal. As is obvious from the most cursory examination of RIPA, the distinction between intrusive and directed procedures will be significant in all cases of covert activity because the level of authorisation required and the triggering conditions differ substantially. In the case of the police cell it is crucial, yet RIPA fails to provide an explicit classification of the cell in these terms. It is particularly disappointing that Parliament failed to pre-empt challenges to such an apparently widespread police practice by providing a definitive answer to this problem. It seems bizarre that in interpreting such a recent statute expressly designed to regulate covert activity the matter turns on peripheral matters of definition. The confusion on this point in RIPA cannot be underestimated: the Court of Appeal in Mason called for urgent clarification of whether the police cell is now governed by intrusive or directed surveillance under RIPA. Although the new Code of Practice issued under s. 71 of RIPA now suggests that cell bugging is intrusive surveillance, this is such an important issue for the suspect and apparently such a commonplace police technique that it is submitted that it ought to be dealt with on the face of the statute. The use of human beings to provide information is a valuable resource for the protection of the public and the maintenance of law and order. In order that local authorities and law enforcement agencies are able to discharge their responsibilities, use is made of ‘undercover’ officers and informants. These are referred to as ‘covert human intelligence sources’ or ‘sources’ and the area of work of undercover officers and informants to whom this procedure applies will be referred to as ‘source work.’ In 1999 the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and HM Customs and Excise published a set of Codes of Practice on Standards in Covert Law Enforcement Techniques. The Codes have no legal basis but are recognised by the police, HM Customs and Excise and the Government as providing authoritative guidelines, and these replace previous guidance issued by the Home Office. (See (www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ripa/ripact.htm).) As the accompanying Declaration on ethical standards and covert investigative techniques states, the working practices set out in the Codes seek to achieve a balance between the requirement to work within a defined framework for the safeguarding of civil liberties and the maintenance of a robust approach to the tackling of crime and criminality. In its reduced form the substance of this statement is a desire to ensure that covert techniques are fair and effective. (Murfield: 2001) Section 3 of this Code, Surveillance in or into Public Places, is of relevance to the type of operation considered here. This section is applicable to the planned deployment of covert surveillance resources against the public at large, in order to meet a particular law enforcement need, or against specified individuals in public places where no interference with property is intended. The Code goes on to provide that: Before giving authorisations for surveillance into public places where no unlawful interference with property is proposed, the authorising officer must be satisfied that the proposed surveillance is a reasonable means of achieving the desired result. Manna from heaven operations provide an opportunity to manipulate a combination of circumstances which may lead to an offence being committed. According to the widely accepted routine activity theory, offending is determined by the convergence in space and time of three factors: (i) a likely offender, (ii) a suitable target and (iii) the absence of a capable guardian. In the light of this obvious concerns arise over the planning of this type of operation as the police have varying degrees of control over all three factors. By choosing the location of the operation they have some influence over who may be exposed to the temptation offered, also over the presence of a capable guardian, and they have absolute control over the target, i.e. the type and value of the property used. The 1997 and 2000 Acts require the Chief Surveillance Commissioner to keep under review (with the assistance of the Surveillance Commissioners and Assistant Surveillance Commissioners) the performance of functions under Part III of the 1997 Act and Part II of the 2000 Act by the police (including the Royal Navy Regulating Branch, the Royal Military Police and the Royal Air Force Police and the Ministry of Defence Police and the British Transport Police), NCIS, the NCS, HMCE and of the 2000 Act the other public authorities listed in Schedule 1 and in Northern Ireland officials of the Ministry of Defence and HM Forces. The Intelligence Services Commissioners remit is to provide independent oversight of the use of the powers contained within Part II of the 2000 Act and the 1994 Act by the Security Service, Secret Intelligence Service, GCHQ and the Ministry of Defence and HM Forces (excluding the Royal Navy Regulating Branch, the Royal Military Police and the Royal Air Force Police, and in Northern Ireland officials of the Ministry of Defence. It is important to consider the effect that the human rights has on both electronic surveillance and human surveillance and its conflict with the RIPA. The substantive rights of Schedule 1 to the HRA may be said to fall into two groups. The first, which includes Article 6, covers a number of fundamental rights; they include the right to liberty under Article 5, the right to a fair hearing under Article 6(1); the presumption of innocence under Article 6(2); minimum rights applicable to everyone charged with a criminal offence under Article 6(3), including the rights to legal assistance of his own choosing and to examine or have examined witnesses against him and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his behalf under the same conditions as witnesses against him. Articles 8-11 and Protocols 1 and 6 may be said to cover a more developed conception of human rights; the rights provided include the right to respect for privacy under Article 8, and rights to the freedoms o f expression, association and assembly under Articles 10 and 11. Articles 8-11 indicate a structured approach to state interference with the guarantees. To be justified, such interference must be prescribed by law, have a legitimate aim, be necessary in a democratic society and be applied in a non-discriminatory fashion (Article 14). (Uglow: 1995) The European Court of Human Rights main concern has been with the necessary in a democratic society requirement; the notion of prescribed by law has been focused upon to some extent but usually with the result that it has been found to be satisfied. (See Malone v UK (1985) 7 EHRR 14) The legitimate aim requirement will normally be readily satisfied; as Harris, OBoyle and Warbrick point out, the grounds for interference (under paragraph 2 of Articles 8-11) are so wide that the state can usually make a plausible case that it did have a good reason for interfering with the right. (Harris et al, 1995 at p290) As has been demonstrated the use of electronic surveillance is complicated and heavily regulated. However it is useful and can work alongside covert human intelligent. It is worthy of considering some of the technicalities of the two forms of surveillance. There are some difficulties with electronics such as that it may not work and it can fail. However this can also be a problem with human covert surveillance in so far as the operations can fail, and the potential defendant can fail to be present, therefore there are equal difficulties with both of these methods of surveillance. Covert Human Surveillance will still require corroboration and can prove to be unreliable. The other difficulty that is raised in relation to covert human surveillance is its interaction with the human rights act. In the case of R v Lawrence, Hope, Stapleton, Stapleton, Bravard and May (3 August 2002, CA) this was considered. This was a case of VAT fraud, involving a loss of  £ 11 million. Evidence had been obtained by a covert surveillance device or probe which had been authorised under Pt III of the Police Act 1997. The appellants submitted before the Court of Appeal that the probe was a breach of Art 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and that the provisions in the Police Act concerning intrusive surveillance were incompatible with the Convention. Dismissing the appeal, the court held that the probe did not breach Art 8. Covert surveillance was compatible with the Convention where it was authorised by law; such authority was provided by the Police Act. The surveillance was necessary in a democratic society for the prevention of disorder or crime. It was also proportionate. Article 8(2) was therefore complied with. The Police Act 1997 has been overtaken by Pt II of RIPA, which introduces regulatory procedures for various forms of surveillance which, until now, have had no basis in statute. RIPA provides for more stringent scrutiny than the Police Act. However, as with the Police Act and Art 8, Pt II of RIPA provides for no restriction on the use of evidence so obtained. Rather, RIPA is concerned with the various forms of surveillance described in s 26. Once authorised under s 27, the s 26 surveillance will be lawful in relation to that authorisation. Sections 28, 29 and 32 require that the covert surveillance be necessary and proportionate. Therefore in conclusion it is argued that the increased use of electronic surveillance is unlikely to lead to the demise of human intelligence sources, this assignment that the two work well together and that they are both heavily regulated. Regulation will ensure that the two will work together and that they will both enhance each other. It is suggested that these two types of surveillance will continue to work alongside each other, which each being more useful in differing circumstances Bibliography Cases Christie v United Kingdom 78-A DRE Com HR 119 Malone v UK (1985) 7 EHRR 14 R v Lawrence, Hope, Stapleton, Stapleton, Bravard and May (3 August 2002, CA) Legislation Intelligence Services Act 1994 Police Act 1997 Regulation of Investigatory Powers 2000 Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Covert Surveillance: Code Of Practice) Order 2002 (SI 2002 NO. 1933) Journal Articles S. Uglow, Covert Surveillance And The Echr [1999] Crim Lr 287. D. J. Harris, M. Oboyle and C. Warbrick, Law Of The European Convention On Human Rights (1995) At 290 P. Mirfield, Regulation Of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (2): The Evidence Provisions [2001] Crim Lr 91 Books Feldman, Civil Liberties and Human Rights in England and Wales (2nd edn, 2002); S H Bailey, D J Harris D C Ormerod, Civil Liberties, Cases and Materials (5th edn, 2001); N Whitty, T Murphy S Livingstone, Civil Liberties Law: The Human Rights Act Era;