Rom and Strengthening Exercises as a Treatment Option

ROM and Strengthening Exercises as a Treatment Option There are multiple kinds of exercise that could be beneficial in treating acute whiplash. Literature shows exercises such as a McKenzie treatment, postural training exercise, endurance strengthening and motor control, eye fixation, isometric exercises, and resistive exercises. In reviewing the literature, these exercises were combined with other treatment strategies such as modalities or mobilization to get the most effective outcome. Also, at this point although there is a large amount of research done on treatment of whiplash injury, the conclusions that are made from this literature conflict each other. However, there is a consensus that excessive treatment of whiplash associated†¦show more content†¦Postural exercises may help patients to be more aware of their posture and make self-corrections to avoid future injury throughout the workday. In the systematic review by Drescher (Reference 22), the study compared a group receiving postural exercises to a control group who were not receiving postural exercises. It was found that the group that completed postural exercises demonstrated decreased pain and increased cervical ROM. Another high quality study (references 17-19) within this review compared an intervention group receiving postural exercises to the control group. The postural exercise group showed significant reduction in pain at both the 6 month and 3 year follow up, as well as a lower amount of sick days taken from work at the 3 year study. There was no significant different in cervical ROM improvement in these two groups. Initially the cost of this postural training was higher, however ended up being lower when taking into account the cost of sick-leave days, loss of productivity and other interventions.(Drescher) In a study by Schnabel et al, it was determined that active therapy including postural advice and exercise was superior to passive modalities such as massage and ultrasound. (Schnabel) There is limited evidence on specific postur al exercises which would best benefit this population, however there has been some proof thatShow MoreRelatedEpidemiology : A Painful And Debilitating Condition1628 Words   |  7 Pagesidentified an increased risk of developing both primary and secondary AC with the presence of diabetes (Cadogan and Mohammed, 2016). The reported AC incidents of people with diabetes is 10% to 36% and observational data revealed a lower response to treatment by diabetic patients in comparison to nondiabetics (Dias, Cutts, and Massoud, 2005). AC is deemed clinically relevant to all shoulder and chest surgery, occurring secondarily after surgeries, with a reported incidence of 11% (Rinco, Koorevaar, RietRead MoreWhat Is Using Multiplanar Reconstruction Technique Used For The Conventional Radiographs?1549 Words   |  7 Pageswith thoracic kyphosis has increased risk of falling while walking. ( Balzini L, Vannucchi L, Benvenuti F, et al.( J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003) Palpation: Evaluating spinal deformities by feel.often paraspinal muscles are tender to touch, muscle spasm. ROM: Measures the degree to which a subject can perform movements of flexion,extension, rotation and side bending. Pain. Assessment of pain using VAS(visual analogue scale)and assessment of disability using Mac Gill quality of life questionnaire. NeurologicalRead MoreDiagnosis Of The Radial Nerve2697 Words   |  11 PagesPeripheral Nerve Injury. The preferred practice pattern for lesion of the radial nerve is 5F, impaired peripheral nerve integrity and muscle performance associated with peripheral nerve injury. Lesion of the radial nerve as described in Therapeutic Exercise Foundations and Techniques is the impairment of the radial nerve due to entrapment.⠁ ´ Clinical features include weakness of elbow extension, elbow flexion, supination of the forearm, wrist and finger extension, and thumb abduction. Sensation may beRead MoreThe Effects Of Acupuncture With Conventional Physiotherapy On The Treatment Of Chronic Upper Back Pain With Fibromyalgia2891 Words   |  12 Pagesacupuncture is frequently administered with conventional physiotherapy as a mode of treatment in patients with several different conditions MSDs such as chronic upper mid back pain and fibromyalgia. 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Therefore, surgical treatment should be performed, preferentially by internal fixation of the fragment [2, 6-8] To date, a limited number of case series haveRead MoreOverview of Osteoarthritis Essay2526 Words   |  11 PagesThe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have ability to decrease pain and inflammation, decrease elevated body temperature (fever), decreases blood clotting by inhibiting platelet aggregation (Ciccone, 2007). NSAIDs are mainly used in treatment of acute and chronic musculoskeletal disorder, arthritis, vascular disorders etc. because of its effects on pain and inflammation (Ciccone, 2007). Because of NSAIDs effects on pain and inflammation, it is very frequently used for physical therapyRead MoreVenture Capital in China: Past, Present, and Future8156 Words   |  33 Pagesend and a new republic was emerging. In order to better understand venture capital in China today, it would be beneficial to first examine and compare the historical context to the current one for entrepreneurs and those who invest in them. This exercise will help shed light on the current st ate of the venture capital industry in China. The modern entrepreneur, for the purpose of this paper, is defined as one who utilizes new technologies and ideas (typically Western in origin) to found businessRead MoreCorporate Finance174197 Words   |  697 Pagesis not necessarily correct; it’s the way accountants have chosen to do it. The bottom line number shows the change in the cash balance on the balance sheet. As such, it is not a useful number for analyzing a company. The major difference is the treatment of interest expense. The accounting statement of cash flows treats interest as an operating cash flow, while the financial cash flows treat interest as a financing cash flow. The logic of the accounting statement of cash flows is that since interestRead MoreNursing Essay41677 Words   |  167 Pages Equally important is the timely implementation of those solutions in a way that improves health. The United States is at an important crossroads as health care reforms a re being carried out and the system begins to change. The possibility of strengthening the largest component of the health care workforce—nurses—to become partners and leaders in improving the delivery of care and the health care system as a whole inspired the IOM to partner with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in creatingRead MoreSda Manual Essay101191 Words   |  405 Pagesin doctrine and practice. It was to â€Å"test the spirits to see whether they are of God† (1 John 4:1) or, in Paul’s terms, to â€Å"test everything† and â€Å"to hold fast what is good† (1 Thess. 5:21). The same was true regarding the exercise of church discipline (Matt. 18:15-17). The exercise of discipline ranged all the way from private and caring admonition (cf. Matt. 18:16; Gal. 6:1) to removal from church membership (Matt. 18:18; 1 Cor. 5:11, 13; 2 Cor. 2:5-11). The church had authority to settle the conditions

Exploring the use of digital gaming in teaching Free Essays

string(28) " for the educational scene\." It is the general intent of the research that is presently being undertaken to research the usage of digital gambling in instruction and acquisition of mathematics in order to run into up educational ends. The survey is specifically being conducted in the scene of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the purpose of looking at the consequence of digital gambling to learning mathematics, that is, either heightening learning or larning or looking at the possibility of digital gambling non holding any positive consequence at all in accomplishing educational ends. There is voluminous information in the literature about digital gambling being used in the educational scene, more often in scientific discipline and mathematics-related topics. We will write a custom essay sample on Exploring the use of digital gaming in teaching or any similar topic only for you Order Now Eck ( 2006 ) asserts that digital game-based acquisition has been unpopular for old ages until 2006 but get downing 2003 the involvement in the use of digital games to back up larning in assorted Fieldss have already started ( Wolz et al, 2005 ) . Habgood et Al ( 2005 ) , on the other manus reference that since the 1980s, there has been significant literature demoing how digital games are really related to instruction and acquisition. Since 2006, there has been a turning involvement in the usage of digital games for acquisition and harmonizing to the writer, advocates of this type of learning have been rather taken aback by the alterations that have been go oning. Harmonizing to Eck ( 2006 ) , this can be mostly attributed to three of import factors. The first of these factors is that advocates of digital game-based acquisition have unfailingly continued research on this new larning aspect and printing them through books, essays and articles with writers such as Marc Prensky, James Paul Gee and Clark Aldrich, to call a few. In the web, one would happen a volume of information that discusses about digital games as tools for acquisition, some showing the theoretical concepts underlying the tool while other readings provide empirical researches that aimed to accomplish specific ends in digital game-based acquisition. Second, the current coevals which is fundamentally the Internet coevals and instead, Eck ( 2006 ) calls the â€Å" digital indigens † play a big function in the broad credence of digital games as acquisition tools. Persons who were fundamentally borne and have practically lived the Net coevals adapt good to a fast-paced life welcoming and synthesising assorted sorts of information at any one clip. The â€Å" digital indigens † as Eck ( 2006 ) relates, someway became disentangled with the conventional ways of acquisition and normally enjoys speedy interactions. Besides, first-class ocular accomplishments used for larning are what embody the current coevals and this accomplishment is something that would tremendously prefer digital game-based acquisition. Hoyles and Noss ( 2006 ) even reference that kids, with the emerging involvement in games as tools for acquisition, even heighten their abilities to plan their ain games and drama with them after, utilizing certain tools , one of which is the Playground, where in general, kids are able to pull strings alive characters. The increased celebrity that games have fundamentally acquired through the old ages is the 3rd factor that says why digital game-based acquisition is widely accepted as of recent. Digital games are merely everyplace and come in assorted media, therefore doing it more accessible to the general populace and therefore more apprehended. As if to farther set up how games have been used to heighten larning today, Prensky ( 2001 ) describes the many chances connected with digital games-based acquisition. The writer asserts nevertheless that digital games are merely options used by educational establishments to farther pupil acquisition. Harmonizing to him, a new paradigm of acquisition has emerged and this is larning through playing. He cites some of the activities which are chiefly digital games incorporated in assorted degrees of instruction. Some of these are typing games, pre-school acquisition of the alphabet through computing machines and computing machine cheat being used by K-12 pupils. For grownup scholars, like in the instance of those preparation in the armed forces, the existent conflict in the battleground has been re-created through digital games and military trainees have to play these games that resemble a realistic conflict as simulations of the true conflict that has to go on when they serve the state . Indeed, the computing machines and the package for digital games that have been created and made more realistic by package experts have provided manners of larning for immature and big scholars. Digital Games in Education Sandford and Williamson ( 2005 ) describe computing machine games and picture games as digital applications which individual or groups of participants control utilizing a personal computing machine or some other media such as a PlayStation. The writers suggest that by playing digital games, participants are able to hone accomplishments in confronting challenges that are more complex than what they encounter in school. The environment that digital games provide to participants is a learning environment. While playing, gamers are confronted with ambitious state of affairss that they need to decide to win in the game. This provides participants the accomplishment to confront realistic jobs of the same sort in the hereafter. While playing, gamers are besides provided options which mean they have to prosecute themselves in some decision-making exercising and be able to see the effects of their determinations or actions. Identifying with the characters of the game is besides another facet that participants deal with when playing computing machine or picture games. Particularly in role-playing games, participants are besides able to heighten their vocabulary, familiarising themselves with the footings used in the game that normally come because of the devices that the character in the game has to utilize. In this manner, participants will larn to understand the whole character being portrayed in the game. Socialization is besides enhanced by digital games as participants would usually be affiliated with certain groups which have common ends while playing. Squire ( 2003 ) relates some of the features of digital games which make it utile for the educational scene. You read "Exploring the use of digital gaming in teaching" in category "Essay examples" A digital game provides participants with drill and pattern. Presently, this map of computing machine games makes it of import for pedagogues because of its incorporation into the traditional course of study as exercisings that will enrich the acquisition of the pupils as they immerse through it during single survey times. The other property of digital games that makes it utile for the educational scene is the being of simulation and scheme games. Simulation games provide the participants a image of the world, within the walls of the house, the schoolroom or a computing machine store. Squire ( 2003 ) portions two types of simulations used and these are low-fidelity and hi-fidelity simulations. Hi-fidelity simulations try every bit near as possible to mime the interactions and state of affai rss that may be experienced if it were to go on in existent life. Low-fidelity simulations, on the other manus, are meant to supply system simplification so that some of import constituents of the system may be highlighted. Video games that are both educational and entertaining let the pupil participants to pull strings some variables which in existent life, an ordinary pupil can non change merely yet. Players can besides larn about different topics of involvement when they engage in educational games that will do them presume a certain function or personality. In this manner, the pupil is besides given the opportunity to see state of affairss in assorted positions. Digital games besides make it possible for the participants to visualise a peculiar in three-dimensional infinite hence increasing apprehension of the affair. Gros ( 2007 ) asserts that digital games can be used by scholars to get cognition and larn certain schemes. The writer cites the survey conducted by Nussbaum and co-workers in 1999 with 300 4th twelvemonth pupils as topics. A series of games in linguistic communication and mathematics was developed utilizing Gameboy and that the games have characters that the pupils can place with. In mathematics specifically, the end of holding the pupils play the game is to familiarise themselves with the cardinal construction of accomplishments and mathematical thought every bit good as larning arithmetic and geometry. The instructors were able to besides larn utilizing the instrument used in the experiment in 2 to 3 months and feedbacks from the pedagogues themselves reveal that videogame is an instrument that is easy learned and used and can function as extra learning stuff that they can utilize as back-up for the conventional instruction stuffs that they are already utilizing. Games have besides found its utility in Science and Engineering topics, in general. In the instruction system of the United States Science and Engineering, Mayo ( 2007 ) asserts that picture games have played of import functions in turn toing lacks in the system because of five primary grounds. One of these grounds is monolithic range. The Internet has provided a manner for persons, pupils and even those who are already in the on the job category, to acquire entree to digital games. Some of these games can be downloaded for free, while others have to be purchased. Besides, the games need non be violent as there are games that educate users about assorted subjects. As the writer relates, these games are non really portion of the educational system as pupils did non entree these games through the four walls of the schoolroom but merely the same, pupils learn. The 2nd ground is effectual larning paradigms. The act of playing video games is associated with enhanced larning results because the undermentioned accomplishments are being honed while playing: experiential and inquiry-based acquisition, self-efficacy, end scene, cooperation or squad playing and uninterrupted feedback ( Mayo, 2007 ) . Enhanced encephalon chemical science is the 3rd ground behind the potency of video games in turn toing jobs in instruction. Mayo ( 2007 ) asserts that a survey in 1998 established the relationship between the sum of dopamine nowadays in the encephalon of the participant and his/her public presentation in the game. Dopamine serves to excite acquisition of the participant. It must be taken into consideration, nevertheless, that the game tested in the 1998 survey is non educational in nature and hence subsequent surveies are still necessary. Time on bet oning undertaking is the 4th ground as participants normally take more than a twosome of hours to play digital games. If lessons in school have to be incorporated in these games, efficaciously, so it is uniting amusement with acquisition and pupils now take more clip larning than they did before with conventional acquisition. The last of these five grounds is larning results informations which suggest that have already been surveies conducted which compared the larning results of pupils subjected to games while larning and those under the traditional acquisition. It must be considered nevertheless that the games used in the ratings are non the popular commercial games that can be seen played today, but so the â€Å" not-so-big-time † games are still digital games and hence portion of the concern of looking how these games can better acquisition ( Mayo, 2007 ) . Squire et Al ( 2004 ) elaborate on an empirical survey conducted among 96 pupils, of which 61 were assigned to the experimental group and 35 to the control group. The experimental group played Supercharged! In their Physicss category apart from the synergistic talks on electrostatics and other addendum stuffs provided to them by the instructor. The same instructor provided electrostatics lessons to the control group through synergistic lessons, observations and experiments. Supercharged! Is an electromagnetism simulation game developed through the aid of John Belcher, an MIT physicist? The game itself is chiefly be aftering and playing as participants have to travel through electromagnetic labyrinths and playing with charges to command a ship. Consequences of the survey showed that pupils belonging to the experimental group had better public presentation than those in the control group in footings of construct comprehension. Merely to add to the treatment on the inventions done for acquisition, in universities, where higher instruction can be acquired, engineering has besides been embraced. Together with this are the developments effected in order to supply larning to college pupils. Brown ( 2001 ) asserts that in this digital age, the universities have besides done their portion in bettering instruction. One of the inventions that have been taken is the integrating of studio classs as replacing for lecture-based introductory classs. In the studio classs, the pupils have the opportunity to see talk, recitation and research lab, all in one incorporate class. The module is besides being given a better environment to learn synergistic lessons. The studio courses accommodate big categories but can manage an array of activities, digital and non-digital within the category. The MIT Media Lab is another invention that has been brought to the universities. In this lab, theory and application are brought together in one category. The lab provides the category a collaborative environment where pupils can work out solutions to existent life jobs despite being confined in the lab. Brown ( 2001 ) besides adds that computing machine games, specifically, role-playing games ( RPG ) with multiple participants online have besides transformed the ways of larning. In RPGs, participants do non merely vie but they are besides able to make and set up groups. The higher instruction sees this as a theoretical account for constructing a networked acquisition environment. Players, by prosecuting in RPGs experience interaction with other participants as they swap their cogwheels and techniques among members of their group. The pupils ‘ originative and strategic accomplishments are besides being honed as they try to spread out their functions within the game. The literature discoursing the usage of digital games in mathematics instruction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ( KSA ) seems to be scarce. Al-Wakeel ( 2001 ) asserted that in the yesteryear, universities in KSA deficiency adequate computing machine instruction plans which are besides of high-quality. There have been attempts to beef up computing machine instruction in KSA but have failed non because the purposes were non good but because design of the plans was non planned good. Furthermore, there is a noteworthy scarceness in professionals who are subjects who could learn computing machine instruction. This is apparent in the past plans preparation of computing machine professionals who came from outside KSA. There is besides concern in research of computing machine applications that can be used to better instruction. To turn to this, KSA revamped its educational system with the constitution of Comprehensive Education Programs in the College of Computer and Information Sciences ( C CIS ) . With such move, although there are besides obstructions hurdled, research in computing machine instruction may be done including the geographic expedition of the usage of digital games in learning mathematics to KSA pupils. Because of sensed scarceness of researches done in this country in KSA, this research will be chiefly done to research the usage of digital games in acquisition and learning mathematics to profit and ease educational ends, with peculiar scene in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This research will be conducted in order to look into the consequence of digital game-based acquisition to pupils ‘ motive and academic public presentation, peculiarly among pupils in the secondary degree of instruction. The Future of Digital Games-Based Learning Digital games provide agencies of accomplishing a figure of ends. Prensky ( 2001 ) relates that through digital games-based acquisition, motive for larning topics that are hard to learn can now be achieved. This motive works in both ways. If the pupil finds topics to be deadening, so integrating digital games into the topic will do it interesting. On the other manus, if the pupil finds the lesson excessively complex, so digital games can be used to supply an alternate manner of showing the topics to the category in a manner that will direct the feeling of being hard to something that they will larn and bask at the same clip. The usage of digital games in larning besides provides an chance for a conjunct attempt among people in different Fieldss such as instructors, content experts and digital game developers. In footings of the being of the Internet, the usage of digital games in instruction and acquisition will ensue to holding the Internet non merely as a medium of instruction but will be a lively locale of forum for users and manufacturers of games to get at new constructs everyday for larning that will do its manner through the scholars via digital games. There will besides be a uninterrupted thought of how digital games can be improved and innovated to outdo function the intent of conveying instruction to the pupils at its fullest potency, thereby bring forthing alumnuss will all-around personalities who can do determinations non merely in conjectural state of affairss but in realistic conditions as good. Squire ( 2003 ) believes that since the 1980s, there has been a important betterment in the gambling engineering but so integrating these betterments into larning environments is one missing measure in order for digital game-based acquisition to boom. The writer comes up with his ideas on the hereafter of picture gambling in instruction. First away, the writer suggests that pedagogues have been keen on buying educational and entertaining digital games that are commercially available presents. Harmonizing to the writer, there is increased frequence in the usage of ‘edutainment ‘ but so there is non much evidence-based research which has been conducted to demo how these games really work. Design experiments must be incorporated into the work of games research so as to do educational games be more utile for instructional engineers and therefore set up research from at that place. Second, instructional engineers who design the synergistic acquisition environments of larning games can besides acquire lessons from the present inventions in gambling. The writer cites two facets of gambling that harmonizing to him hold non been to the full studied and these are synergistic fiction and online gambling. Synergistic fiction will supply instructional engineers information on how characters can germinate and develop in an synergistic environment. Online gambling, on the other manus, can supply instructional engineers valuable information on the design of on-line environments. Finally, by simply taking a close expression at all the digital games that have abound presents in whatever medium such as those streaming in the cyberspace or games installed in personal computing machines, one would really happen himself amazed at how the design, sounds and artworks have evolved through the old ages. The many games found online every bit good as those played in picture houses and in the comfort of the places have all passed through betterments. The artworks about resemble that of real-life persons every bit good as the motions of the objects in the digital game. Aesthetics has continuously improved to the pleasance of consumers. Possibly, for educational games, this can besides be done. The creativeness in coming up with new designs and new games is one of the aspects of digital game-based acquisition that can be improved in the hereafter. How to cite Exploring the use of digital gaming in teaching, Essay examples

Employability Competencies free essay sample

Evidence for Employer Satisfaction and Employer Expectations of Open University Malaysia’s (OUM) Graduates Abstract It cannot be denied that human capital development is a vital element in any country’s economic development. In this respect, higher education, which equips future employees with the necessary knowledge and skills, is often deemed an important tool for economic growth. As emphasized by the Minister of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia, â€Å"Today’s challenging economic situation means that it is no longer sufficient for a new graduate to have knowledge of an academic subject; increasingly it is necessary for students to gain those skills which will enhance their prospects of employment. Hence, Higher Education Institutions must be responsive to these changes†. (Nordin, 2009, p. 2). Meanwhile according to Quek (2008), the extent to which graduates possess relevant competencies (i. e. nowledge, skills and attributes) which meet new job demands in a changing work environment affects one’s employability. We will write a custom essay sample on Employability Competencies or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This study aimed to: (1) Find out the level of importance attributed by employers to the various employability competencies; (2) Find out the extent to which the employers are satisfied with OUM graduates competencies; (3) Examine the extent to which the level of employer satisfaction differs from the level of importance attributed to the competencies; and (4) Examine the strengths and opportunities for improvement of OUM graduates with regard to employability competencies. Role of Open Distance Learning in Advancing Lifelong Learning: †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Lifelong learning is also about providing second chances to update basic skills and to offer learning opportunities at more advanced levels. †¢All this means that formal systems of provision need to become much more open and flexible, so that such opportunities can truly be tailored to the needs of the learner, or indeed the potential learner. Likert-type scale for Importance Satisfaction †¢Sample: 290 / 1088 employers (Response rate = 27. 41%) †¢3 dimensions examined: Knowledge Understanding, General Attributes, and Generic Skills Conclusions OUM’s ODL Bachelor degree programmes have been successful in producing graduates who meet the expectations of their employers with regard to employability competencies In order to adequately equip a workforce which meets the challenges and demands of the new age labour market, â€Å"the nexus between output of graduates and industry needs, the university and the workplace, and the higher education system and the lifelong learning system needs to be further strengthened†.

The Jesuits Essay Example For Students

The Jesuits Essay Word Count: 1334 missionaries in America faced many problems, one in particular dealt with relations between the missionaries and the Natives. The letter deals with the treatment of prisoners after a brief military engagement and in addition, attempts by the Jesuits to convert the captured Iroquois. The treatment of the prisoners seems benevolent, compared to the past modus operandi used by the Church to hasten conversion. Furthermore, the letter exemplifies the hypocrisy of the missionaries after the prisoners, willingly, convert. This letter is a perfect of the Counter Reformation, and Churchs attempt to expend its areas of influence as well as to save more souls from the Devil. Furthermore, the content of the letter can be easily proven to be bias towards the Iroquois in order to promote Catholicism. This letter, being one of many, is a part of the Counter-Reformation and serves as propaganda for the Catholic Church. We will write a custom essay on The Jesuits specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The author of the Relations letters, Jerome Lalemant, tells of a victory over the Iroquois. The first paragraph describes how the Algonquins, allies of the French, easily defeat the Iroquois without a single loss of their own. Immediately, the letter seems to embellish the victory of the Algonquins. The Iroquois were one of the most powerful tribes in the French America, possessing a large army of veteran, gun armed, warriors. In fact by 1675, the Iroquois had wiped out or absorbed four tribes, and destroyed most of the Huron country (Eccles, 138). Do to the strength of the Iroquois, it seems unlikely that the Algonquins would have been able to defeat the Iroquois, without inquiring a single loss of their own. In the second paragraph, the Jesuit priest describes the treatment of the captured foe. The author acknowledges that the first action that the Algonquins take, however, is to .return thanks to Heaven. The meaning of that can be interpreted in two ways. The first, is that the Algonquins are going to thank their native Gods. However, since this letter is being written to the Vicar General in France and the Papacy in the Vatican, however, it seems unlikely that Jerome would discuss native offerings. The second interpretation can be that the Algonquins have infact converted to Catholicism.Jerome continues with his observation of the treatment of the captives, by noting that they are not tortured. .instead of the shower of blows wherewith prisoners are usually received, instead of the cutting off of fingers, the pulling out of tendons, and other caresses, for so they call the prisoners first torments, which form the prelude to those that he is made to suffer by fire.(Thwaites, 107). Infact, the Iroquois are taken to the local Chapel, were they urge the captives to receive Baptism, and intone Canticles of devotion in their presence. It seems, that Jerome wishes to establish an image of, savages, as the Europeans called them, becoming pious Catholics. It is doubtful, yet not unrealistic, that the natives have become such dedicated Christians. Furthermore, the natives usually did not turn to Christianity due to the teaching, but rather of the advantages, it gave them. For example, .many Huron turned to Christianity as protection against sickness. In their zeal, priests (Jesuits) were not above using their influence to secure special privileges (firearms) for those who accepted baptism (Parkman, 264). The Iroquois finally agree to be Baptized before they are killed. The priest notes this act as; .the most heroic acts possible on the part of Savages. (Thwaites, 107). The Father considers the offering a chance to become Christian before death, a heroic act. This seems a bit hypocritical, due to the teaching of Ben Joseph (a.k.a. Jesus Christ), which stressed none violence. Jerome Lalemant, points out the animosity between the Huron, Algonquin, and Iroquois tribes, that even those Algonquins and Hurons who believed in Christianity, could not accept the believe that all Christian souls go to the same location. What, my brothers, would you have those people go with us to Paradise? How could we live there in peace? Do you imagine you can make the soul of a Huron agree with that of an Iroquois (Thwaites, 108)? However, it also seems that Jerome views the natives as less than human, even though it was natural to view the native with less regard, however, again it seems hypercritic to rega rd them as less human, even after the show of such pious Christianity. .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a , .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a .postImageUrl , .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a , .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a:hover , .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a:visited , .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a:active { border:0!important; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a:active , .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3cb32729c91ac3258047a9f424c9610a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Roosevelts Conservation and Consumer Protection EssayIn the fourth paragraph, the Jesuit priest claims that the Iroquois accept the teachings of Christianity with open hearts and souls.In addition, he adds that they exclaimed, How fortunate for us, that he who made Heaven and Earth, and who has no need of us, saved our lives. (Thwaites, 109). However, in the fifth paragraph, Jerome acknowledges that, these poor prisoners knew not what to think of such marvels; they were bewildered, and their last songs, which they call death-songs, were only upon the life Everlasting (Thwaites, 109). It seems ironic, that the people who only a short time before that accepted Christianity w ith open hearts, were now bewildered and confused. Furthermore, the Iroquois obviously believed that their lives were being spared, however, the Iroquois were tricked. Instead of being burned at the stakes like gentiles, however, the prisoners were dispatched with muskets. It seems obvious that the Iroquois believed that by converting to Christianity, however, their lives would be spared. However, not all the prisoners were executed, one of the Iroquois had Huron lineage, and was spared, this seems due to the fact that the French and Huron had an alliance. The Catholic Encyclopedia states that, force, violence, or fraud may not be employed to bring about the conversion of an unbeliever. Such means would be sinful (Vatican, 479). However, the Counter-Reformation was in full affect, and the use of torture, force, or fraud seemed a perfectly acceptable means of conversion as is exemplified in this letter. In paragraph seven, Jerome Lalemant claims that those take prisoners by the Iroqu ois are not treated this graciously. However, Jerome states that the Christians have the last laugh, since the infidels will spend eternity in either Purgatory or suffering in Hell. Furthermore, Jerome supports his believe by the brave actions of three Hurons who, a short time before the letter was written, were burned by the Agniee. Father Jerome claims that the three Hurons saved their souls, by uttering amid the flames, I am going to Heaven, which he claims they chanted with such ardor as to charm even their executioners. Furthermore, Jerome believes that their martyrdom served as an example to the executioners of how powerful Christianity is. It seems ironic that before the death of these three Hurons, prior to their death, were encouraged by Father Helene to meet their death with firmness in the possession of the Faith. This letter seems to be more of propaganda than a report. Infact, the mission reports, Relations Letters, were sent to the Propaganda, the Roman Congregation overseeing all missionary activity. It seems ironic the name of the Congregation, that received letters from around the world from their missionaries would be called Propaganda. Furthermore, the letter was published, and in the interest of spreading Catholic sentiments during the Counter-Reformation, however, for that reason the letters were reviewed in Paris and were edited. In conclusion, it seems that Father Jerome Lalemant seems to present ironic situations, most likely in order to please the Vicar General as well as the Propaganda Council. Some of the actions and relations seem embellished and exaggerated. Although the letter contains certain uncertainties, however, the letter does provide a case study of the relations between the European and native governments, relations between native tribes, attempt at pro-Catholic prop aganda, and the affects the Counter-Reformation had on religious policies towards the New World.

Psychoactive Drug Testing on Animals

Psychoactive Drug Testing on Animals Theories have been suggested towards the psychotic like traits in animals that have been subjected to psychoactive drugs. The proposed theories were accompanied by research experiments to evaluate the effects of psychoactive drug testing in animals. Psycho active drugs refers to drugs that have a significant effect on the behavioral characteristics of animals; both human and non human organisms.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Psychoactive Drug Testing on Animals specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The alterations in behavioral traits of animals due to psychoactive drugs are primarily attributed to the changes in the brain functions or inhibition of certain brain components in animals which ultimately translates to changes in moods, behavior, and consciousness of the animals. Psychoactive drugs are known to bring subjective changes with regard to consciousness, for instance alertness that is observed in animals that hav e been subjected to psychoactive drugs such as caffeine and cocaine. Apart from psychoactive medications, there are many other substances that are responsible for psychotropic behaviors in animals. Such drug substances include alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, opium, caffeine, heroine and nicotine that are well known to have profound effects on animals such as cats, spiders, rats and other animals (Stahl 159). Psychoactive drugs can be classified primarily into four categories: antipsychotics which are used for treatment of states of agitation; antidepressants which are used for depression treatment; mood stabilizers; anxiolytics which are used to treat anxiety states; physiostimulants which are used to increase the physical performance of the animal’s body; Nootropics which assists in the cognitive functions of the human brain (Spiegel Hossein 135). This research paper attempts to explain the theories, hypotheses and effects of psychoactive drugs on animal drug testing. Theory o riented issues on psychoactive drugs Research in the field of psychopharmacology have inferred the probability of utilizing psychoactive drugs using experimental approach for theory oriented objectives: a central research strategy for the physiological psychology is through the administration of psychotic drugs to human and non human organisms (Stahl 145). Theoretical approach is different from the other classical approaches to psychopharmacology such as lesions which attempt to evaluate the effects of different doses (in terms of quantifiability and reversibility) to evaluate the effects of psychoactive drugs on animals. The only feasible method to study the effect of psychoactive substances in animals, for example rats and mice is through experimental administration of the psychoactive drugs into the animals and monitoring behavioral and performance traits (Spiegel Hossein 202).Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Questions concerning the relationship between behavioral characteristics and the animal brain may be evaluated through establishing the relationship between the dopaminergic functions, and specific aspects that are vital in determining attention and motivation. Theory oriented approach towards pharmacology emphasized on the relationship between changes in animal behavioral traits and drug actions. It was shown that test subjects with high levels agitation had responded differently to psychoactive drugs compared to those with less anxiety. This difference in response is asserted by the theory of activation; due to the different levels of arousals which is subjective to the levels of and agitation in the animals under test (Spiegel Hossein 205). Hypotheses in psychopharmacology The hypothetical approach towards psychopharmacology was due to the need to have analytical explanations of the physiological and psychological concepts that are related to the effects of psychoactive drugs on animals. Early speculations suggested disturbance on the in the brain in terms of biological perspectives, but analytical approaches that were required to approve or disapprove the suggestions were not obtainable; therefore, the rise of hypothetical approaches towards psychopharmacology. Some of the suggested hypotheses are outlined below (Spiegel Hossein 150). The serotonin hypothesis of Schizophrenia This hypothesis was first postulated by Woolley and Shaw; two American biochemists, during 1954. The hypothesis stated that Schizophrenia like traits that are exhibited in animals is primarily due to disturbances during the setoninenergic neurotransmission in the animal brain (Stahl Lerer 160). Schizophrenic traits in animals include rapid changes in the animal personality and moods of the animal test subject. The hypothesis has a number of supporting facts which include: the psychotropic actions of the LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) , which has the capability to trigger alterations in perceptions, thoughts and also feelings in the animal’s brain. The LSD also has the capabilities to block the activity of serotonin which was proved later in various tests (Stahl Lerer 162). Woolley and Shaw were of the view that serotonin is present in the animal brain and functions as a neurotransmitter, it was therefore speculated the psychotropic effects in animals associated with LSD’s ability to resist the effects of the serotonin on the animal brain; therefore it was reached that disturbances in the serotoninergic neurotransmission is primarily responsible for psychotropic disorders in the animal test subjects (Stahl Lerer 162).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Psychoactive Drug Testing on Animals specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite of the enough scientific evidence and appeal, the serotonin hypothesis of Schizophrenia was soon refuted d ue to its conflict psychopathological and pharmacology research finding that revealed that the psychotic symptoms in animal test subjects that associated with LSD differ from the typical symptoms that are associated schizophrenia. Although this hypothesis was refuted fast, it was important in two aspects: it facilitated the proposition of serotonin assay methods and provided proof that serotonin is not present in the brain, it also served as a prototype for the other forthcoming hypotheses (Stahl Lerer 163). The dopamine Hypotheses of Schizophrenia The drawback of the serotonin hypothesis of schizophrenia was that it lacked direct correlation with the properties associated with psychoactive drugs. The context of dopamine hypothesis is different because all known psychoactive substances have an inhibitory effect in the dopaminergic neurons in the animal brain, although they differ with respect to pharmacological side effects on humans. The hypothesis assumes that the antipsychotic n ature of chlorpromazine and other similar neuropletics is significantly determined by their cataleptic potential; their capability to induce catalepsy in animals. This hypothesis lost its credibility during the discovery that thiorodazine, which is a similar neuropletic to chlorpromazine had little effects (Stahl Lerer 155). Despite the critic that followed the hypothesis, there were a number of adjustments to the dopamine hypothesis on schizophrenia. The argument of the hypothesis that neuropletics act through blocking of the post synaptic dopamine receptors is still consistent with majority of pharmacological research observations (Stahl Lerer 155). The catecholamine hypothesis of Depression The hypothesis was first suggested during 1965 by J. Schildkraut. The hypothesis states that majority of depression like behavior in animals are due to part or total deficiency of catecholamine, which functions at the receptor sites in the animal brain. The hypothesis was consistent with the clinical and pharmacological research findings (Schatzberg Nemerof 199). The catecholamine hypothesis can be attributed for the bringing together of several pharmacological research findings but contradicted many clinical observations, especially the delay on the onset of action of the anti depressant drugs on animal test subjects. The same applies to the serotonin hypothesis (Stahl Lerer 124).Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The serotonin hypothesis of depression The serotonin hypothesis of depression states that majority of depression traits in animals are due to absolute deficiency of serotonin in some of the parts of the brain. A number of arguments have been suggested to support the hypothesis (Schatzberg Nemerof 200). There is also a number of pharmacological finding that support the serotonin and catecholamine hypothesis of depression. Depressions like traits in animals are not a single disorder; there are depressions that related to the serotonin deficiency and on a similar account catecholamine deficiency (Schatzberg Nemerof 205). Effects of psychoactive drugs The effects of psychoactive drugs on animals can be viewed from the following perspectives: drug oriented, which is primarily defined by the compound composition of the psychoactive drug; methodology oriented, which is defined by the sensitivity of the animal under the drug test to the psychoactive drugs; theory oriented, which described by analysis of the brain behavior of the animal under test due to the psychoactive drug use; practical oriented which describes the effects of psychoactive drugs on everyday activities (Schatzberg Nemerof 205). There are a number of effects associated with psychoactive drug uses which are outlined below according the results of psychoactive drug testing on animals. Psychoactive drugs usually have strong effects on animals. Some of the psychoactive drugs that significantly affect animals in different ways include: caffeine, LSD, marijuana and many more. Majority of Pharmacological research concerning the effects of psychoactive drugs reported that at small concentrations, psychoactive drugs have an effect on the feeding behaviors of insects and molluscs. At high concentration, it is reported that psychoactive drugs could cause death on the test subjects (Schatzberg Nemerof 206). Psychotic drugs usually have notable effects on the animal test subjects; these effects can be describe d principally as being subjective effects. In addition, there are effects that may be noticed by the observer, such as performance deterioration. Such effects are generally termed behavioral effects. A study on spiders revealed that spiders constructed more disordered webs after being subjected to psychoactive drugs than when they have not been subjected to psychoactive drugs (Schatzberg Nemerof 208). A research by a German pharmacologist, P. N Witt on the effects of psychotic drugs on spiders revealed that the shape and size of the webs constructed by the spiders varied significantly when the spiders were subjected to the psychotic drugs. At smaller amounts of caffeine, the webs were a little regular with uniform radii. At higher doses of about 100 microgram per spider, the webs were much more disoriented and irregular (Schatzberg Nemerof 205). This implies that psychoactive drugs are responsible performance deterioration in animals such as spiders. It is widely believed that oth er plants developed psychoactive substances in their leaves in order to serve as a protection mechanism against the harmful animals such as spiders. Another category of psychoactive drug use effect is the neurophysiological effects which primarily affect the functionality of the animal brain. This is primarily responsible for observations of hyperactivity and tremor in animal test subjects. Various parameters are used to measure the extent of the effects of the psychotic drugs on animal test subjects (Schatzberg Nemerof 197). During 1984, a pharmacologist named Nathanson carried our research on the effects of psycho stimulants on arthropods and molluscs. Cats that were subjected to higher doses of caffeine revealed higher levels of hyperactivity; as evidenced through licking of their cheeks, rolling over the ground and to some extent sexual arousal (Stahl 156). Another effect that is associated with the testing of psychoactive drugs on animals is the alterations in the behavioral t raits of the animal test subject. Psychotic drugs have reported increased effects on the alterations of animals’ behavior. This is due to the effects of the drugs on the way the brain functions. Any change in the dopamine levels in the animal test subject’s brain is sufficient enough to induce behavioral change in the test subjects (Stahl 198). Behavioral pharmacology research studies have indicated that rats and mice that have been subjected to small doses of cocaine have higher response rates than ordinary rats and mice. Conclusion Psychoactive drugs use is bound to cause harmful effects on the animal test subjects. These psychological effects are primarily attributed due to alterations in the brain functionality as the above theories and hypotheses suggests; this explicitly explains the hyperactivity and tremor behavior in animals that have been subjected to psychoactive drugs. Some of the common physiological effects that are associated with the use of psychoactive drugs include mood alterations, consciousness and drowsiness, which are primarily due to impairing the functionality of the brain. All the hypotheses are drawn from one perspective; a given substance is antagonistic towards the brain activity and that is the underlying principle that explains the nature of psychoactive drugs (Spiegel Hossein 205). Schatzberg, Alan F. and Nemeroff B. Charles. Essentials of clinical psychopharmacology. Washington, D.C: American Psychiatric Pub, 2006. Print. Spiegel, Renà © and Hossein Fatemi. Psychopharmacology: an introduction. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons, 2003. Print. Stahl, Stephen. Stahls essential psychopharmacology: neuroscientific basis and practical applications. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008. Print. Stahl, Stephen and Lerer ,Bernard. Evidence-based psychopharmacology. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008. Print.

Enthalpy of Atomization Definition (Chemistry)

Enthalpy of Atomization Definition (Chemistry) Enthalpy of atomization is the amount of enthalpy change when a compounds bonds are broken and the component elements are reduced to individual atoms. Enthalpy of atomization is always a positive value and never a negative number.Enthalpy of atomization is denoted by the symbol ΔHa. How Enthalpy of Atomization Is Calculated If pressure is held constant, enthalpy change equals the change in the internal energy of a system. So, enthalpy of atomization equals the sum of the enthalpies of fusion and vaporization. For example, for the diatomic molecule chlorine gas (Cl2), the enthalpy of atomization under standard conditions is simply the bond energy of Cl2. All that is needed to atomize the substance is to break the bonds between gaseous molecules. For sodium (Na) metal at standard conditions, atomization requires separating atoms joined by metallic bonds. The enthalpy of atomization is the sum of the enthalpy of fusion and the enthalpy of vaporization of sodium. For any elemental solid, the enthalpy of atomization is the same as the enthalpy of sublimation. Related Term Standard enthalpy of atomization is the enthalpy change that occurs when one mole of a sample is dissociated into its atoms under standard conditions of 298.15 K temperature and 1 bar of pressure.

Corporate Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Corporate Accounting - Essay Example In this paper we look at impairment of assets from the view point of Transfield Services. The report starts with an introduction about Transfield Services and the business they are in. then it goes on to analyze the impairments done in 2009 wand 2007 and provides a brief explanation of the differences in the same. A detail analysis about the impairments done in the year ending 2009 has alson been provided alongwith the reasons for the sudden increase in the amount of impairment loss, a comment on the methods of impairment followed by Transfield Services and its sync with the AASB 136 standards. The report ends with a view on Impairment of Assets as a whole. Transfield Services Limited provides various services to key industries in the Resources and Industrial, Infrastructure Services and Property and Facilities Management sectors. (Transfield Services (Australia) Pty Limited, 2008) It provides maintenance, and asset and project management services globally. (Transfield Services (Australia) Pty Limited, 2008) Providing a range of structured business processes together with skilled management to help clients achieve maximum value from their existing assets. (Transfield Services (Australia) Pty Limited, 2008) Undertaking of significant maintenance, shutdown, turnaround and engineering projects to optimize clients capital expenditure and achieve goals efficiently within budget. (Transfield Services (Australia) Pty Limited, 2008) Providing information to clients regarding the best practices followed in the industry as well as outside it to instill a culture of continuous improvements in the client. (Transfield Services (Australia) Pty Limited, 2008) Providing Operations Systems Manual (OSM) to monitor issues relating to health, safety, environment, quality and risk to effectively manage and control HSE risks within the workplace. (Transfield Services (Australia) Pty Limited, 2008) Yes, Transfield Services did undertake

Indiana Geology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Indiana Geology - Essay Example ich are lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous and anthracite that greatly differ in hardness and the harder the coal, the less the wetness and the more useful it is for fuel. However, bituminous coal, which has very little moisture but high heat value and is widely used in electricity generation coke making in the steel industry is the type discovered in Indiana. The discovery of Bituminous coal along river Wabash was one of the greatest findings in Indiana due to its priceless nature and this Indiana ranks number 15 in the nation’s energy affordability sixth and third in coal production and coal use nationwide respectively. Its mining began in 1830 and by 1918, it had significantly surpassed 30 million short tons that worth approximately $817 million dollars, which ranked it 8th in the nation in coal production and later reduced due to World War I. The chief mining method used in Indiana was deep mining until around 1940s when the introduction sophisticated excavation machines enabled the use of surface mining that was very cost effective. Surface mining has been very successful method contributing almost 70% of Indiana’s recent production (Indiana Business Research Centre Web). The Indiana coal is of a very great quality and has substantial distinction in chemical and physical properties. The infrastructure system especially transport system favored the mining process where there were single line and two line rail service that helped to export the coal. The rise of interest and opportunities in coal facilitated the building of infrastructure particularly in Ohio River and Lake Michigan, watercourse transfer points and equipment of main lines to help high-speed unit-trains that had big waits. There are sufficient road networks within the state to help trucking coal to their production points thus improving the economy of the state. Indiana coal has a very wide market both domestically and overseas using inland watercourse system and private terminals along

Landslide and Debris Flow Essay Example for Free

Landslide and Debris Flow Essay A. A landslide is when a mass of soil, rocks and other debris moves down a slope, powered by the force of gravity. Sometimes, this movement is so sudden and rapid that it causes devastating loss of life and structural damage. (http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-1461-2097,34702.asp) B. A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments. Although the action of gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur, there are other contributing factors affecting the original slope stability. Typically, pre-conditional factors build up specific sub-surface conditions that make the area/slope prone to failure, whereas the actual landslide often requires a trigger before being released. (http://www.americansnetworkingtosurvive.org/Landslide.html) C. Landslides occur in all U.S. states and territories. In a landslide, masses of rock, earth, or debris move down a slope. Landslides may be small or large, slow or rapid. They are activated by storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, fires, and human modification of land. Landslide problems can be caused by land mismanagement, particularly in mountain, canyon, and coastal regions. Land-use zoning, professional inspections, and proper design can minimize many landslide, mudflow, and debris flow problems. (http://www.wilderness-survival.net/natural-hazards/landslides-mudslides/) D. Landslides are a serious geologic hazard that occurs in almost all 50 states. Every year in the United States, they cause significant damages and 25 to 50 deaths. Globally, landslides cause billions of dollars in damages and thousands of deaths and injuries each year. The term â€Å"landslide† describes many types of downhill earth movements ranging from rapidly moving catastrophic rock avalanches and debris flows in mountainous regions to more slowly moving earth slides. Some landslides move slowly and cause damage gradually, whereas others move so rapidly that they can destroy property and take lives suddenly and unexpectedly. Gravity is generally the force driving landslide movement. Landslides cause property damage, injury, and death and adversely affect a variety of resources. For example, water supplies, fisheries, sewage disposal systems, forests, dams, and roadways can be affected for years after a slide event. Landslides generally happen where they have occurred in the past, and in identifiable hazard locations. Areas that are prone to landslides include existing old landslides, the bases of steep slopes, the bases of drainage channels, and developed hillsides where leach-field septic systems are used. (http://www.survivalkitsonline.com/landslidepreparedness.html) E. Landslides occur when masses of rock, earth, or debris move down a slope. (http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/landslides.asp) Risks or Dangers from landslides A. The immediate risk to human life from a landslide or mudslide is being caught in its path: sand, and thick mud especially, can cause suffocation, and people can be trapped or crushed by boulders or other debris, or by buildings collapsing under the weight of the flow. (http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-1461-2097,34702.asp) B. Landslides can also disrupt power lines and water and sewerage pipes, potentially leading to electric shock and contaminated drinking-water. Roads and other transportation arteries may be blocked by debris, raising the risk for accidents and hampering access by rescue and medical services. (http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-1461-2097,34702.asp) C. Landslides, mudflows and debris avalanches frequently accompany other natural hazards such as floods and earthquakes. The October 17, 1989 earthquake resulted in many areas of unstable land throughout the County which will be further impacted by winter storm conditions . (http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/oes/landslide%20and%20mudflow.htm) D. Areas are at Risk: 1. Areas where wildfires or human modification of the land have destroyed vegetation; 2. Areas where landslides have occurred before; 3. Steep slopes and areas at the bottom of slopes or canyons; 4. Slopes that have been altered for construction of buildings and roads; 5. Channels along a stream or river; and 6. Areas where surface runoff is directed. (http://www.americansnetworkingtosurvive.org/Landslide.html) Tips on Surviving landslides A. How to avoid them:1. Be in tune with your surroundings. If you’re travelling to a new area, swot up on it and find out about the potential risks (landslides or otherwise). Check out the topography: are there dodgy-looking slopes (steep or eroded) in the area? And especially: what is the weather doing? Intense rainstorms can be dangerous, especially if there’s been a preceding period of wet weather. 2. If you decide not to leave the area, then at least stay awake if you think there’s a chance of a landslide: many such disasters have occurred while their victims were asleep. Keep a portable, battery-powered radio with you to stay in touch with any safety announcements. Move up to a second story if possible, which might help to keep you above the level of the debris. 3. Listen for unusual sounds that might indicate moving debris, such as tree branches breaking, boulders knocking, or a faint rumbling that increases in volume. 4. A trickle of mud or soil may precede the main landslide. If you are near a stream or channel, beware of a sudden increase or decrease in water flow, or a change from clear to muddy water: this could mean landslide activity upstream. If you’re driving, remember that road embankments are prone to landslides. Also watch out for fallen rocks and mud. 5. Any of the above signs mean you may have only a few minutes (or even seconds) to get out of the path of the landslide. 6. Also, beware if the following occur for the first time: a. Cracks in walls or the ground. b. Doors or windows stick. c. Outside walls or stairs lean away from the main building. d. Underground utility lines break. e. The ground bulges at the base of a slope. f. Water breaks through the ground surface. g. Fences, walls, utility poles or trees tilt. (http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-1461-2097,34702.asp) B. Preparedness 1. Reinforce the foundation and walls of your home. Identify vulnerable areas of your home and add temporary shoring, bracing or shear wall supports where necessary. 2. Install flexible rather than stiff pipe fitting to avoid gas or water leaks in the event of a landslide or mudflow. 3. Mudflow is covered by flood insurance policies from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). You can buy flood insurance even if you do not live in the flood plain. Keep your insurance coverage up to date. 4. Stockpile emergency building supplies such as ropes, buckets, large plastic bags, plywood, sandbags, plastic sheeting and lumber. 5. Maintain emergency supplies such as water, foods that require little cooking, a first aid kit, portable radio and flashlights. 6. In high risk areas, construct channels to direct the mudflows around your home or buildings. 7. If you are inside during a landslide and the building is not in peril of sliding down a hill, stay inside and get under a desk, table or other sturdy furniture. 8. If you are outside and cannot get into a sturdy building while rocks and debris tumble toward you, curl into a tight ball and protect your head. 9. Usually, you can survive a mudflow or debris avalanche only by avoiding it. If you are in a valley, get out as soon as possible once you hear rumbling from upstream or feel the ground tremble. These are signs that a mudflow may be coming your way. 10. If caught in a mudflow, try grabbing onto a large rock, tree or anything being carried along. (http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/oes/landslide%20and%20mudflow.htm) What you should do? A. Before the landslide 1. Contact your local fire, police, or public works department. Local officials are the people best able to assess the potential danger. 2. Inform affected neighbors. Your neighbors may not be aware of the potential hazard. Advising them of a threat may help save lives. Help neighbors who may need assistance to evacuate. 3. Leave. Getting out of the path of a landslide or debris flow is your best protection. Take your pets with you when you leave, provided you can do so without endangering yourself. (http://www.survivalkitsonline.com/landslidepreparedness.html) 4. Assume that steep slopes and areas burned by wildfires are vulnerable to landslides and debris flows. 5. Learn whether landslides or debris flows have occurred previously in your area by contacting local authorities, a county geologist or the county planning department, state geological surveys or departments of natural resources, or university departments of geology. 6. Contact local authorities about emergency and evacuation plans. 7. Develop emergency and evacuation plans for your family and business. 8. Develop an emergency communication plan in case family members are separated. 9. If you live in an area vulnerable to landslides, consider leaving it. (http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/landslides.asp) 10. Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter for information on local landslide and debris flow hazards. 11. Get a ground assessment of your property. 12. County or state geological experts, local planning department or departments of natural resources may have specific information on areas vulnerable to landslides. Consult an appropriate professional expert for advice on corrective measures you can take. 13. Minimize home hazards. 14. Plant ground cover on slopes and build retaining walls. 15. In mudflow areas, build channels or deflection walls to direct the flow around buildings. 16. Remember: If you build walls to divert debris flows and the flow lands on a neighbors property, you may be liable for damages. Explore a neighborhood or special district project. 17. Install flexible pipe fittings to avoid gas or water leaks. Flexible fittings are more resistant to breakage. 18. Familiarize yourself with your surrounding area. 19. Small changes in your local landscape could alert you to the potential of greater future threat. 20. Observe the patterns of storm-water drainage on slopes and especially the places where runoff water converge 21. Watch for any sign of land movement, such as small slides, flows, or progressively leaning trees, on the hillsides near your home. 22. Be particularly observant of your surrounding area before and during intense storms that could heighten the possibility of landslide or debris flow from heavy rains. Many debris flow fatalities occur when people are sleeping. 23. Talk to your insurance agent. Debris flow may be covered by flood insurance policies from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). 24. Learn to recognize landslide warning signs.

Macbeth :: essays research papers

Two characters that have flaws that are the causes of their downfall is Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Lady Macbeth's flaw is that she makes her husband kill king Duncan; she feels guilty after she does this, so she commits sucide. Macbeth's flaw is what leads him to kill; his ambtion and selfishness leads to his death. Lady Macbeth's flaw is that she convinces Macbeth that he isn't a man unless he goes through with the murder of Duncan. She threatens his manhood by saying "when you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more that what you were, you would be so much more the man" (act 1, scene VII, l 49-51). After Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill Duncan, she feels guilty and says "here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand" (act 5, scene 1, l 35-36). Lady Macbeth becomes mentally ill; she kills herself because she feels so guilt. Macbeth's flaw is that he feels the need to prove his manhood, which eventually leads to his downfall. Macbeth was not secure in his manhood. So he feels the need to prove hinself to Lady Macbeth. After he proves he is a man by killing Duncan, he thinks he has alot of power to do whatever he wants. After Macbeth commits the crime, he feels that his soul can never be cleansed, no matter what he does. He said "They pluck out mine own eyes, will all great neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red" (act II, scene III, l 58-62). This shows that he really doesn't want to kill Duncan, but he does it in order to prove himself to Lady Macbeth, and to become the king. By the end he has ne fear, and has not only killed Duncan but also many other people such as Siward, Banquo and Macduff's family. Macbeth proves that he can be a man by killing, but in the end he can not believe that he we nt through with all that. All that he did eventually leads to the death of his love, Lady Macbeth, which is the original reason he feels the need to prove himself.

Chapter 19 The Hungarian Horntail

The prospect of talking face-to-face with Sirius was all that sustained Harry over the next fortnight, the only bright spot on a horizon that had never looked darker. The shock of finding himself school champion had worn off slightly now, and the fear of what was facing him had started to sink in. The first task was drawing steadily nearer; he felt as though it were crouching ahead of him hike some horrific monster, barring his path. He had never suffered nerves like these; they were way beyond anything he had experienced before a Quidditch match, not even his last one against Slytherin, which had decided who would win the Quidditch Cup. Harry was finding it hard to think about the future at all; he felt as though his whole life had been heading up to, and would finish with, the first task†¦. Admittedly, he didn't see how Sirius was going to make him feel any better about having to perform an unknown piece of difficult and dangerous magic in front of hundreds of people, but the mere sight of a friendly face would be something at the moment. Harry wrote back to Sirius saying that he would be beside the common room fire at the time Sirius had suggested; and he and Hermione spent a long time going over plans for forcing any stragglers out of the common room on the night in question. If the worst came to the worst, they were going to drop a bag of Dungbombs, but they hoped they wouldn't have to resort to that – Filch would skin them alive. In the meantime, life became even worse for Harry within the confines of the castle, for Rita Skeeter had published her piece about the Triwizard Tournament, and it had turned out to be not so much a report on the tournament as a highly colored life story of Harry. Much of the front page had been given over to a picture of Harry; the article (continuing on pages two, six, and seven) had been all about Harry, the names of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions (misspelled) had been squashed into the last line of the article, and Cedric hadn't been mentioned at all. The article had appeared ten days ago, and Harry still got a sick, burning feeling of shame in his stomach every time he thought about it. Rita Skeeter had reported him saying an awful lot of things that he couldn't remember ever saying in his life, let alone in that broom cupboard. I suppose I get my strength from my parents. I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now†¦.Yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it†¦.I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament, because they're watching over me†¦ But Rita Skeeter had gone even further than transforming his â€Å"er's† into long, sickly sentences: She had interviewed other people about him too. Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one Hermione Granger, a stunningly pretty Muggle-born girl who, like Harry, is one of the top students in the school. From the moment the article had appeared, Harry had had to endure people -Slytherins, mainly – quoting it at him as he passed and making sneering comments. â€Å"Want a hanky, Potter, in case you start crying in Transfiguration?† â€Å"Since when have you been one of the top students in the school, Potter? Or is this a school you and Longbottom have set up together?† â€Å"Hey – Harry!† â€Å"Yeah, that's right!† Harry found himself shouting as he wheeled around in the corridor, having had just about enough. â€Å"I've just been crying my eyes out over my dead mum, and I'm just off to do a bit more†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No – it was just – you dropped your quill.† It was Cho. Harry felt the color rising in his face. â€Å"Oh – right – sorry,† he muttered, taking the quill back. â€Å"Er†¦good luck on Tuesday,† she said. â€Å"I really hope you do well.† Which left Harry feeling extremely stupid. Hermione had come in for her fair share of unpleasantness too, but she hadn't yet started yelling at innocent bystanders; in fact, Harry was full of admiration for the way she was handling the situation. â€Å"Stunningly pretty? Her?† Pansy Parkinson had shrieked the first time she had come face-to-face with Hermione after Rita's article had appeared. â€Å"What was she judging against – a chipmunk?† â€Å"Ignore it,† Hermione said in a dignified voice, holding her head in the air and stalking past the sniggering Slytherin girls as though she couldn't hear them. â€Å"Just ignore it, Harry.† But Harry couldn't ignore it. Ron hadn't spoken to him at all since he had told him about Snape's detentions. Harry had half hoped they would make things up during the two hours they were forced to pickle rats' brains in Snape's dungeon, but that had been the day Rita's article had appeared, which seemed to have confirmed Ron's belief that Harry was really enjoying all the attention. Hermione was furious with the pair of them; she went from one to the other, trying to force them to talk to each other, but Harry was adamant: He would talk to Ron again only if Ron admitted that Harry hadn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire and apologized for calling him a liar. â€Å"I didn't start this,† Harry said stubbornly. â€Å"It's his problem.† â€Å"You miss him!† Hermione said impatiently. â€Å"And I know he misses you -â€Å" â€Å"Miss him?† said Harry. â€Å"I don't miss him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But this was a downright lie. Harry liked Hermione very much, but she just wasn't the same as Ron. There was much hess laughter and a lot more hanging around in the library when Hermione was your best friend. Harry still hadn't mastered Summoning Charms, he seemed to have developed something of a block about them, and Hermione insisted that learning the theory would help. They consequently spent a lot of time poring over books during their lunchtimes. Viktor Krum was in the library an awful lot too, and Harry wondered what he was up to. Was he studying, or was he looking for things to help him through the first task? Hermione often complained about Krum being there – not that he ever bothered them – but because groups of giggling girls often turned up to spy on him from behind bookshelves, and Hermione found the noise distracting. â€Å"He's not even good-looking!† she muttered angrily, glaring at Krum's sharp profile. â€Å"They only like him because he's famous! They wouldn't look twice at him if he couldn't do that Wonky-Faint thing -â€Å" â€Å"Wronski Feint,† said Harry, through gritted teeth. Quite apart from liking to get Quidditch terms correct, it caused him another pang to imagine Ron's expression if he could have heard Hermione talking about Wonky-Faints. It is a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up. The days until the first task seemed to slip by as though someone had fixed the clocks to work at double speed. Harry's feeling of barely controlled panic was with him wherever he went, as everpresent as the snide comments about the Daily Prophet article. On the Saturday before the first task, all students in the third year and above were permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade. Hermione told Harry that it would do him good to get away from the castle for a bit, and Harry didn't need much persuasion. â€Å"What about Ron, though?† he said. â€Å"Don't you want to go with him?† â€Å"Oh†¦well†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Hermione went slightly pink. â€Å"I thought we might meet up with him in the Three Broomsticks†¦.† â€Å"No,† said Harry flatly. â€Å"Oh Harry, this is so stupid -â€Å" â€Å"I'll come, but I'm not meeting Ron, and I'm wearing my Invisibility Cloak.† â€Å"Oh all right then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hermione snapped, â€Å"but I hate talking to you in that cloak, I never know if I'm looking at you or not.† So Harry put on his Invisibility Cloak in the dormitory, went back downstairs, and together he and Hermione set off for Hogsmeade. Harry felt wonderfully free under the cloak; he watched other students walking past them as they entered the village, most of them sporting Support Cedric Diggory! badges, but no horrible remarks came his way for a change, and nobody was quoting that stupid article. â€Å"People keep looking at me now,† said Hermione grumpily as they came out of Honeydukes Sweetshop later, eating large cream-filled chocolates. â€Å"They think I'm talking to myself.† â€Å"Don't move your lips so much then.† â€Å"Come on, please just take off your cloak for a bit, no one's going to bother you here.† â€Å"Oh yeah?† said Harry. â€Å"Look behind you.† Rita Skeeter and her photographer friend had just emerged from the Three Broomsticks pub. Talking in low voices, they passed right by Hermione without hooking at her. Harry backed into the wall of Honeydukes to stop Rita Skeeter from hitting him with her crocodile-skin handbag. When they were gone, Harry said, â€Å"She's staying in the village. I bet she's coming to watch the first task.† As he said it, his stomach flooded with a wave of molten panic. He didn't mention this; he and Hermione hadn't discussed what was coming in the first task much; he had the feeling she didn't want to think about it. â€Å"She's gone,† said Hermione, looking right through Harry toward the end of the street. â€Å"Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, it's a bit cold, isn't it? You don't have to talk to Ron!† she added irritably, correctly interpreting his silence. The Three Broomsticks was packed, mainly with Hogwarts students enjoying their free afternoon, but also with a variety of magical people Harry rarely saw anywhere else. Harry supposed that as Hogsmeade was the only all-wizard village in Britain, it was a bit of a haven for creatures like hags, who were not as adept as wizards at disguising themselves. It was very hard to move through crowds in the Invisibility Cloak, in case you accidentally trod on someone, which tended to lead to awkward questions. Harry edged slowly toward a spare table in the corner while Hermione went to buy drinks. On his way through the pub, Harry spotted Ron, who was sitting with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. Resisting the urge to give Ron a good hard poke in the back of the head, he finally reached the table and sat down at it. Hermione joined him a moment later and slipped him a butterbeer under his cloak. â€Å"I look like such an idiot, sitting here on my own,† she muttered. â€Å"Lucky I brought something to do.† And she pulled out a notebook in which she had been keeping a record of S.P.E.W. members. Harry saw his and Ron's names at the top of the very short list. It seemed a long time ago that they had sat making up those predictions together, and Hermione had turned up and appointed them secretary and treasurer. â€Å"You know, maybe I should try and get some of the villagers involved in S.P.E.W.,† Hermione said thoughtfully, looking around the pub. â€Å"Yeah, right,† said Harry. He took a swig of butterbeer under his cloak. â€Å"Hermione, when are you going to give up on this spew stuff?† â€Å"When house-elves have decent wages and working conditions!† she hissed back. â€Å"You know, I'm starting to think it's time for more direct action. I wonder how you get into the school kitchens?† â€Å"No idea, ask Fred and George,† said Harry. Hermione lapsed into thoughtful silence, while Harry drank his butterbeer, watching the people in the pub. All of them looked cheerful and relaxed. Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot were swapping Chocolate Frog cards at a nearby table; both of them sporting Support Cedric Diggory! badges on their cloaks. Right over by the door he saw Cho and a large group of her Ravenclaw friends. She wasn't wearing a Cedric badge though†¦.This cheered up Harry very slightly†¦. What wouldn't he have given to be one of these people, sitting around laughing and talking, with nothing to worry about but homework? He imagined how it would have felt to be here if his name hadn't come out of the Goblet of Fire. He wouldn't be wearing the Invisibility Cloak, for one thing. Ron would be sitting with him. The three of them would probably be happily imagining what deadly dangerous task the school champions would be facing on Tuesday. He'd have been really hooking forward to it, watching them do whatever it was†¦cheering on Cedric with everyone else, safe in a seat at the back of the stands†¦ He wondered how the other champions were feeling. Every time he had seen Cedric lately, he had been surrounded by admirers and looking nervous but excited. Harry glimpsed Fleur Delacour from time to time in the corridors; she looked exactly as she always did, haughty and unruffled. And Krum just sat in the library, poring over books. Harry thought of Sirius, and the tight, tense knot in his chest seemed to ease slightly. He would be speaking to him in just over twelve hours, for tonight was the night they were meeting at the common room fire – assuming nothing went wrong, as everything else had done lately†¦ â€Å"Look, it's Hagrid!† said Hermione. The back of Hagrid's enormous shaggy head – he had mercifully abandoned his bunches – emerged over the crowd. Harry wondered why he hadn't spotted him at once, as Hagrid was so large, but standing up carefully, he saw that Hagrid had been leaning low, talking to Professor Moody. Hagrid had his usual enormous tankard in front of him, but Moody was drinking from his hip flask. Madam Rosmerta, the pretty landlady, didn't seem to think much of this; she was looking askance at Moody as she collected glasses from tables around them. Perhaps she thought it was an insult to her mulled mead, but Harry knew better. Moody had told them all during their last Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson that he preferred to prepare his own food and drink at all times, as it was so easy for Dark wizards to poison an unattended cup. As Harry watched, he saw Hagrid and Moody get up to leave. He waved, then remembered that Hagrid couldn't see him. Moody, however, paused, his magical eye on the corner where Harry was standing. He tapped Hagrid in the small of the back (being unable to reach his shoulder), muttered something to him, and then the pair of them made their way back across the pub toward Harry and Hermione's table. â€Å"All right, Hermione?† said Hagrid loudly. â€Å"Hello,† said Hermione, smiling back. Moody limped around the table and bent down; Harry thought he was reading the S.P.E.W. notebook, until he muttered, â€Å"Nice cloak, Potter.† Harry stared at him in amazement. The large chunk missing from Moody's nose was particularly obvious at a few inches' distance. Moody grinned. â€Å"Can your eye – I mean, can you -?† â€Å"Yeah, it can see through Invisibility Cloaks,† Moody said quietly. â€Å"And it's come in useful at times, I can tell you.† Hagrid was beaming down at Harry too. Harry knew Hagrid couldn't see him, but Moody had obviously told Hagrid he was there. Hagrid now bent down on the pretext of reading the S.P.E.W. notebook as well, and said in a whisper so low that only Harry could hear it, â€Å"Harry, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin. Wear that cloak.† Straightening up, Hagrid said loudly, â€Å"Nice ter see yeh, Hermione,† winked, and departed. Moody followed him. â€Å"Why does Hagrid want me to meet him at midnight?† Harry said, very surprised. â€Å"Does he?† said Hermione, looking startled. â€Å"I wonder what he's up to? I don't know whether you should go, Harry†¦.† She looked nervously around and hissed, â€Å"It might make you late for Sirius.† It was true that going down to Hagrid's at midnight would mean cutting his meeting with Sirius very fine indeed; Hermione suggested sending Hedwig down to Hagrid's to tell him he couldn't go – always assuming she would consent to take the note, of course – Harry, however, thought it better just to be quick at whatever Hagrid wanted him for. He was very curious to know what this might be; Hagrid had never asked Harry to visit him so late at night. At half past eleven that evening, Harry, who had pretended to go up to bed early, pulled the Invisibility Cloak back over himself and crept back downstairs through the common room. Quite a few people were still in there. The Creevey brothers had managed to get hold of a stack of Support Cedric Diggory! badges and were trying to bewitch them to make them say Support Harry Potter! instead. So far, however, all they had managed to do was get the badges stuck on POTTER STINKS. Harry crept past them to the portrait hole and waited for a minute or so, keeping an eye on his watch. Then Hermione opened the Fat Lady for him from outside as they had planned. He slipped past her with a whispered â€Å"Thanks!† and set off through the castle. The grounds were very dark. Harry walked down the lawn toward the lights shining in Hagrid's cabin. The inside of the enormous Beauxbatons carriage was also lit up; Harry could hear Madame Maxime talking inside it as he knocked on Hagrid's front door. â€Å"You there, Harry?† Hagrid whispered, opening the door and looking around. â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, slipping inside the cabin and pulling the cloak down off his head. â€Å"What's up?† â€Å"Got summat ter show yeh,† said Hagrid. There was an air of enormous excitement about Hagrid. He was wearing a flower that resembled an oversized artichoke in his buttonhole. It looked as though he had abandoned the use of axle grease, but he had certainly attempted to comb his hair – Harry could see the comb's broken teeth tangled in it. â€Å"What're you showing me?† Harry said warily, wondering if the skrewts had laid eggs, or Hagrid had managed to buy another giant three-headed dog off a stranger in a pub. â€Å"Come with me, keep quiet, an' keep yerself covered with that cloak,† said Hagrid. â€Å"We won' take Fang, he won' like it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Listen, Hagrid, I can't stay long†¦.I've got to be back up at the castle by one o'clock -â€Å" But Hagrid wasn't listening; he was opening the cabin door and striding off into the night. Harry hurried to follow and found, to his great surprise, that Hagrid was leading him to the Beauxbatons carriage. â€Å"Hagrid, what -?† â€Å"Shhh!† said Hagrid, and he knocked three times on the door bearing the crossed golden wands. Madame Maxime opened it. She was wearing a silk shawl wrapped around her massive shoulders. She smiled when she saw Hagrid. â€Å"Ah, ‘Agrid†¦it is time?† â€Å"Bong-sewer,† said Hagrid, beaming at her, and holding out a hand to help her down the golden steps. Madame Maxime closed the door behind her, Hagrid offered her his arm, and they set off around the edge of the paddock containing Madame Maxime's giant winged horses, with Harry, totally bewildered, running to keep up with them. Had Hagrid wanted to show him Madame Maxime? He could see her any old time he wanted†¦she wasn't exactly hard to miss†¦. But it seemed that Madame Maxime was in for the same treat as Harry, because after a while she said playfully, â€Å"Wair is it you are taking me, ‘Agrid?† â€Å"Yeh'll enjoy this,† said Hagrid gruffly, â€Å"worth seein', trust me. On'y – don' go tellin' anyone I showed yeh, right? Yeh're not s'posed ter know.† â€Å"Of course not,† said Madame Maxime, fluttering her long black eyelashes. And still they walked, Harry getting more and more irritated as he jogged along in their wake, checking his watch every now and then. Hagrid had some harebrained scheme in hand, which might make him miss Sirius. If they didn't get there soon, he was going to turn around, go straight back to the castle, and leave Hagrid to enjoy his moonlit stroll with Madame Maxime†¦. But then – when they had walked so far around the perimeter of the forest that the castle and the lake were out of sight – Harry heard something. Men were shouting up ahead†¦then came a deafening, earsplitting roar†¦ Hagrid led Madame Maxime around a clump of trees and came to a halt. Harry hurried up alongside them – for a split second, he thought he was seeing bonfires, and men darting around them – and then his mouth fell open. Dragons. Four fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing onto their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting – torrents of fire were shooting into the dark sky from their open, fanged mouths, fifty feet above the ground on their outstretched necks. There was a silvery-blue one with long, pointed horns, snapping and snarling at the wizards on the ground; a smooth-scaled green one, which was writhing and stamping with all its might; a red one with an odd fringe of fine gold spikes around its face, which was shooting mushroom-shaped fire clouds into the air; and a gigantic black one, more lizard-hike than the others, which was nearest to them. At least thirty wizards, seven or eight to each dragon, were attempting to control them, pulling on the chains connected to heavy leather straps around their necks and legs. Mesmerized, Harry looked up, high above him, and saw the eyes of the black dragon, with vertical pupils like a cat's, bulging with either fear or rage, he couldn't tell which†¦.It was making a horrible noise, a yowling, screeching scream†¦. â€Å"Keep back there, Hagrid!† yelled a wizard near the fence, straining on the chain he was holding. â€Å"They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!† â€Å"Is'n' it beautiful?† said Hagrid softly. â€Å"It's no good!† yelled another wizard. â€Å"Stunning Spells, on the count of three!† Harry saw each of the dragon keepers pull out his wand. â€Å"Stupefy!† they shouted in unison, and the Stunning Spells shot into the darkness like fiery rockets, bursting in showers of stars on the dragons' scaly hides – Harry watched the dragon nearest to them teeter dangerously on its back legs; its jaws stretched wide in a silent howl; its nostrils were suddenly devoid of flame, though still smoking – then, very slowly, it fell. Several tons of sinewy, scaly-black dragon hit the ground with a thud that Harry could have sworn made the trees behind him quake. The dragon keepers lowered their wands and walked forward to their fallen charges, each of which was the size of a small hill. They hurried to tighten the chains and fasten them securely to iron pegs, which they forced deep into the ground with their wands. â€Å"Wan' a closer look?† Hagrid asked Madame Maxime excitedly. The pair of them moved right up to the fence, and Harry followed. The wizard who had warned Hagrid not to come any closer turned, and Harry realized who it was: Charlie Weasley. â€Å"All right, Hagrid?† he panted, coming over to talk. â€Å"They should be okay now – we put them out with a Sleeping Draft on the way here, thought it might be better for them to wake up in the dark and the quiet – but, like you saw, they weren't happy, not happy at all -â€Å" â€Å"What breeds you got here, Charlie?† said Hagrid, gazing at the closest dragon, the black one, with something chose to reverence. Its eyes were still just open. Harry could see a strip of gleaming yellow beneath its wrinkled black eyelid. â€Å"This is a Hungarian Horntail,† said Charlie. â€Å"There's a Common Welsh Green over there, the smaller one – a Swedish Short-Snout, that blue-gray – and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red.† Charlie looked around; Madame Maxime was strolling away around the edge of the enclosure, gazing at the stunned dragons. â€Å"I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid,† Charlie said, frowning. â€Å"The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming – she's bound to tell her student, isn't she?† â€Å"Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em,† shrugged Hagrid, still gazing, enraptured, at the dragons. â€Å"Really romantic date, Hagrid,† said Charlie, shaking his head. â€Å"Four†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Hagrid, â€Å"so it's one fer each o' the champions, is it? What've they gotta do – fight 'em?† â€Å"Just get past them, I think,† said Charlie. â€Å"We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, Extinguishing Spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why†¦but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its back end's as dangerous as its front, look.† Charlie pointed toward the Horntail's tail, and Harry saw long, bronze-colored spikes protruding along it every few inches. Five of Charlie's fellow keepers staggered up to the Horntail at that moment, carrying a clutch of huge granite-gray eggs between them in a blanket. They placed them carefully at the Horntail's side. Hagrid let out a moan of longing. â€Å"I've got them counted, Hagrid,† said Charlie sternly. Then he said, â€Å"How's Harry?† â€Å"Fine,† said Hagrid. He was still gazing at the eggs. â€Å"Just hope he's still fine after he's faced this lot,† said Charlie grimly, looking out over the dragons' enclosure. â€Å"I didn't dare tell Mum what he's got to do for the first task; she's already having kittens about him†¦.† Charlie imitated his mother's anxious voice. â€Å"‘How could they let him enter that tournament, he's much too young! I thought they were all safe, I thought there was going to be an age limit!' She was in floods after that Daily Prophet article about him. ‘He still cries about his parents! Oh bless him, I never knew!'† Harry had had enough. Trusting to the fact that Hagrid wouldn't miss him, with the attractions of four dragons and Madame Maxime to occupy him, he turned silently and began to walk away, back to the castle. He didn't know whether he was glad he'd seen what was coming or not. Perhaps this way was better. The first shock was over now. Maybe if he'd seen the dragons for the first time on Tuesday, he would have passed out cold in front of the whole school†¦but maybe he would anyway†¦.He was going to be armed with his wand – which, just now, felt like nothing more than a narrow strip of wood – against a fifty-foot-high, scaly, spike-ridden, fire-breathing dragon. And he had to get past it. With everyone watching. How? Harry sped up, skirting the edge of the forest; he had just under fifteen minutes to get back to the fireside and talk to Sirius, and he couldn't remember, ever, wanting to talk to someone more than he did right now – when, without warning, he ran into something very solid. Harry fell backward, his glasses askew, clutching the cloak around him. A voice nearby said, â€Å"Ouch! Who's there?† Harry hastily checked that the cloak was covering him and hay very still, staring up at the dark outline of the wizard he had hit. He recognized the goatee†¦it was Karkaroff. â€Å"Who's there?† said Karkaroff again, very suspiciously, looking around in the darkness. Harry remained still and silent. After a minute or so, Karkaroff seemed to decide that he had hit some sort of animal; he was looking around at waist height, as though expecting to see a dog. Then he crept back under the cover of the trees and started to edge forward toward the place where the dragons were. Very slowly and very carefully, Harry got to his feet and set off again as fast as he could without making too much noise, hurrying through the darkness back toward Hogwarts. He had no doubt whatsoever what Karkaroff was up to. He had sneaked off his ship to try and find out what the first task was going to be. He might even have spotted Hagrid and Madame Maxime heading off around the forest together – they were hardly difficult to spot at a distance†¦and now all Karkaroff had to do was follow the sound of voices, and he, like Madame Maxime, would know what was in store for the champions. By the looks of it, the only champion who would be facing the unknown on Tuesday was Cedric. Harry reached the castle, slipped in through the front doors, and began to climb the marble stairs; he was very out of breath, but he didn't dare slow down†¦.He had less than five minutes to get up to the fire†¦. â€Å"Balderdash!† he gasped at the Fat Lady, who was snoozing in her frame in front of the portrait hole. â€Å"If you say so,† she muttered sleepily, without opening her eyes, and the picture swung forward to admit him. Harry climbed inside. The common room was deserted, and, judging by the fact that it smelled quite normal, Hermione had not needed to set off any Dungbombs to ensure that he and Sirius got privacy. Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and threw himself into an armchair in front of the fire. The room was in semidarkness; the flames were the only source of light. Nearby, on a table, the Support Cedric Diggory! badges the Creeveys had been trying to improve were glinting in the firelight. They now read POTTER REALLY STINKS. Harry looked back into the flames, and jumped. Sirius's head was sitting in the fire. If Harry hadn't seen Mr. Diggory do exactly this back in the Weasleys' kitchen, it would have scared him out of his wits. Instead, his face breaking into the first smile he had worn for days, he scrambled out of his chair, crouched down by the hearth, and said, â€Å"Sirius – how're you doing?† Sirius looked different from Harry's memory of him. When they had said good-bye, Sirius's face had been gaunt and sunken, surrounded by a quantity of long, black, matted hair – but the hair was short and clean now, Sirius's face was fuller, and he looked younger, much more like the only photograph Harry had of him, which had been taken at the Potters' wedding. â€Å"Never mind me, how are you?† said Sirius seriously. â€Å"I'm -† For a second, Harry tried to say â€Å"fine† – but he couldn't do it. Before he could stop himself, he was talking more than he'd talked in days – about how no one believed he hadn't entered the tournament of his own free will, how Rita Skeeter had lied about him in the Daily Prophet, how he couldn't walk down a corridor without being sneered at – and about Ron, Ron not believing him, Ron's jealousy†¦ â€Å"†¦and now Hagrid's just shown me what's coming in the first task, and it's dragons, Sirius, and I'm a goner,† he finished desperately. Sirius looked at him, eyes full of concern, eyes that had not yet lost the look that Azkaban had given them – that deadened, haunted look He had let Harry talk himself into silence without interruption, but now he said, â€Å"Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we'll get to that in a minute – I haven't got long here†¦I've broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time. There are things I need to warn you about.† â€Å"What?† said Harry, feeling his spirits slip a further few notches†¦.Surely there could be nothing worse than dragons coming? â€Å"Karkaroff,† said Sirius. â€Å"Harry, he was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don't you?† â€Å"Yes – he – what?† â€Å"He was caught, he was in Azkaban with me, but he got released. I'd bet everything that's why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year – to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. Put him into Azkaban in the first place.† â€Å"Karkaroff got released?† Harry said slowly – his brain seemed to be struggling to absorb yet another piece of shocking information. â€Å"Why did they release him?† â€Å"He did a deal with the Ministry of Magic,† said Sirius bitterly. â€Å"He said he'd seen the error of his ways, and then he named names†¦he put a load of other people into Azkaban in his place†¦.He's not very popular in there, I can tell you. And since he got out, from what I can tell, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well.† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry slowly. â€Å"But†¦are you saying Karkaroff put my name in the goblet? Because if he did, he's a really good actor. He seemed furious about it. He wanted to stop me from competing.† â€Å"We know he's a good actor,† said Sirius, â€Å"because he convinced the Ministry of Magic to set him free, didn't he? Now, I've been keeping an eye on the Daily Prophet, Harry -â€Å" â€Å"- you and the rest of the world,† said Harry bitterly. â€Å"- and reading between the lines of that Skeeter woman's article last month, Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. Yes, I know she says it was another false alarm,† Sirius said hastily, seeing Harry about to speak, â€Å"but I don't think so, somehow. I think someone tried to stop him from getting to Hogwarts. I think someone knew their job would be a lot more difficult with him around. And no one's going to look into it too closely; Mad-Eye's heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn't mean he can't still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had.† â€Å"So†¦what are you saying?† said Harry slowly. â€Å"Karkaroff's trying to kill me? But – why?† Sirius hesitated. â€Å"I've been nearing some very strange things,† he said slowly. â€Å"The Death Eaters seem to be a bit more active than usual lately. They showed themselves at the Quidditch World Cup, didn't they? Someone set off the Dark Mark†¦and then – did you hear about that Ministry of Magic witch who's gone missing?† â€Å"Bertha Jorkins?† said Harry. â€Å"Exactly†¦she disappeared in Albania, and that's definitely where Voldemort was rumored to be last†¦and she would have known the Triwizard Tournament was coming up, wouldn't she?† â€Å"Yeah, but†¦it's not very likely she'd have walked straight into Voldemort, is it?† said Harry. â€Å"Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins,† said Sirius grimly. â€Å"She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years above your dad and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all. It's not a good combination, Harry. I'd say she'd be very easy to lure into a trap.† â€Å"So†¦so Voldemort could have found out about the tournament?† said Harry. â€Å"Is that what you mean? You think Karkaroff might be here on his orders?† â€Å"I don't know,† said Sirius slowly, â€Å"I just don't know†¦Karkaroff doesn't strike me as the type who'd go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him. But whoever put your name in that goblet did it for a reason, and I can't help thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it hook like an accident.† â€Å"Looks hike a really good plan from where I'm standing,† said Harry grinning bleaky. â€Å"They'll just have to stand back and let the dragons do their stuff.† â€Å"Right – these dragons,† said Sirius, speaking very quickly now. â€Å"There's a way, Harry. Don't be tempted to try a Stunning Spell – dragons are strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by a single Stunner, you need about half a dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon -â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, I know, I just saw,† said Harry. â€Å"But you can do it alone,† said Sirius. â€Å"There is away, and a simple spell's all you need. Just -â€Å" But Harry held up a hand to silence him, his heart suddenly pounding as though it would burst. He could hear footsteps coming down the spiral staircase behind him. â€Å"Go!† he hissed at Sirius. † Go! There's someone coming!† Harry scrambled to his feet, hiding the fire – if someone saw Sirius's face within the walls of Hogwarts, they would raise an almighty uproar – the Ministry would get dragged in – he, Harry, would be questioned about Sirius's whereabouts – Harry heard a tiny pop! in the fire behind him and knew Sirius had gone. He watched the bottom of the spiral staircase. Who had decided to go for a stroll at one o'clock in the morning, and stopped Sirius from telling him how to get past a dragon? It was Ron. Dressed in his maroon paisley pajamas, Ron stopped dead facing Harry across the room, and looked around. â€Å"Who were you talking to?† he said. â€Å"What's that got to do with you?† Harry snarled. â€Å"What are you doing down here at this time of night?† â€Å"I just wondered where you -† Ron broke off, shrugging. â€Å"Nothing. I'm going back to bed.† â€Å"Just thought you'd come nosing around, did you?† Harry shouted. He knew that Ron had no idea what he'd walked in on, knew he hadn't done it on purpose, but he didn't care – at this moment he hated everything about Ron, right down to the several inches of bare ankle showing beneath his pajama trousers. â€Å"Sorry about that,† said Ron, his face reddening with anger. â€Å"Should've realized you didn't want to be disturbed. I'll let you get on with practicing for your next interview in peace.† Harry seized one of the POTTER REALLY STINKS badges off the table and chucked it, as hard as he could, across the room. It hit Ron on the forehead and bounced off. â€Å"There you go,† Harry said. â€Å"Something for you to wear on Tuesday. You might even have a scar now, if yon're lucky†¦.That's what you want, isn't it?† He strode across the room toward the stairs; he half expected Ron to stop him, he would even have liked Ron to throw a punch at him, but Ron just stood there in his too-small pajamas, and Harry, having stormed upstairs, lay awake in bed fuming for a long time afterward and didn't hear him come up to bed.