6 Most Incredible Female Book Characters

6 Most Incredible Female Book Characters Worldwide Womens Day is practically around the bend, so weve chose to respect the ladies that a considerable lot of us have appreciated for quite a while female book characters that have affected and roused us somehow. Magnificently ground-breaking and unimaginably splendid, here they are in the infographic underneath from Jo March of Little Women to Dagny Taggart of Atlas Shrugged. Weve picked the characters that impact us most, so marry love to hear which ones overwhelm you! Highlighted picture credit: Photo by Jaap Buitendijk  © 2010 WARNER BROS. Amusement INC. HARRY POTTER PUBLISHING RIGHTS (C) J.K.R. HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS, NAMES AND RELATED

Monopolies Good or Bad free essay sample

An imposing business model is a solitary organization that possesses all or about the entirety of the business sectors for a sort of item or administration. An imposing business model is at the furthest edge of the market structure. It is the place there is no opposition for products or administrations and an organization can openly charge a cost or forestall showcase rivalry. Syndications have three worked in suppositions, one vender, no substitutes or rivalry, and very high boundaries to passage. Instances of imposing business models are open utilities and US Postal Service. So what are the social attributes of restraining infrastructures? They go about as the single provider. The association can oversee the market by turning into the sole supplier of a decent or administration. The absence of rivalry leaves an organization with more noteworthy power over the nature of creation. It likewise enables the organization to siphon up costs without the dread of being challenge by different organizations. We will compose a custom exposition test on Imposing business models Good or Bad or then again any comparative point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page This powers the client to either purchase from the restraining infrastructure or do without. A restraining infrastructure approaches specific data. By doing this, the organization keeps up unlimited oversight over the market. This data may give the organization the advantage of extraordinary creation rehearses. The specific data may likewise come as lawful tips with respect to trademarks, copyrights and licenses. Assuming responsibility for this extraordinary data gives the organization an edge while leaving the entirety of its rivals off guard. An imposing business model has a novel item. The association oversees the market by offering an item or administration that is not normal for some other. The item or administration doesn't have a replacement. The organization may utilize particular data, for example, lawful licenses, copyrights and trademarks so as to build up lawful authority over the creation of specific merchandise and ventures. So over all are syndications useful for the economy? Since imposing business models are the main supplier, they can set basically any value they pick. They can doâ this, paying little mind to the interest, since they realize the customer must choose between limited options. Not exclusively would monopolies be able to raise costs, they can likewise flexibly second rate items. Restraining infrastructures are additionally terrible for an economy on the grounds that the producer has no impetus to advance, and give as good as ever items. Another explanation imposing business models are awful is that they can make expansion. Since they can set any value they need, they will raise expenses to purchasers.

Linux Hardening How Its Done

Linux Hardening How Its Done When it comes to System Administration, nothing could be easier than installing a fresh new Operating System for yourself or your clients.After you’ve done it a couple of times it becomes pretty straightforward.What’s hard is the maintenance and securing involved for those very same systems.Or at least doing it in a good and comprehensive way.Although this topic extends to all sorts of Operating Systems in general, here we will be focusing mainly on Linux.As the OS of choice for many commercial grade operational servers, we believe that it is a worthy endeavor. Especially when the hardening process of such systems has taken a back seat as of late, as Penetration Testers will attest.In general, hardening your Operating System does not have to be an act performed on commercial grade products only. It can be a very practical procedure for everyday users as well.Privacy Security should be an applied concept for everyone.WHAT IS LINUX HARDENING WHY DO IT?Linux Hardening, or any Oper ating System Hardening for that matter is the act of enhancing the security of the system by introducing proactive measures.Linux Systems are made of a large number of components carefully assembled together. This results in the possibility of many loose ends. The more complex a machine gets the more security threats it introduces.We call this the Surface. The bigger the surface the more places to attack.These components, usually have their own way of functioning, their own settings and more importantly their own security “allowance” of sorts.So basically, if one of them is compromised, depending on their security “allowance” on the system, the attacker can go as deep as it allows.That is why we need Linux Hardening, to prevent malicious activities to be run on our system through its components, thus making sure Data Security is on top of its game.In order to get a good understanding why this process is needed, let’s see what we get with our average default installation of such an Operating System, especially in custom commercial purposed instances:Default CredentialsDefault ConfigurationsNot Updated/Upgraded (Depends on Download Date)Not OptimizedNo Proactive SecurityDefault Configurations would mean that the system is not using best practice settings.Let’s take a few examples:All Ciphers AllowedThis could mean that a piece of software which you use to communicate with your best friend is potentially unsafe, since “All Ciphers” involve dangerously outdated Ciphers as well.If someone were to intercept your communication, they might be able to decrypt whatever was being sent.Generic Port ServingSome ports on your system simply need to stay closed or at least not serve publicly. The reasoning behind this is that, ports sometimes give out more information than they should.This could fall under dangerous information disclosure, giving attackers on the network extra details on what your OS is using and how they can try to find ways to attack it.Unau thenticated ServicesSome services on your OS simply do not auto configure credentials. So if you don’t configure it manually, that same service could potentially be left open for anyone to connect. The implications of this are numerous.From the above examples, we can see how simply not paying attention to our default configurations could leave us potentially vulnerable.Some of these such as “Not Optimized” could use with a bit more explaining. Normally you would think, how can something not being Optimized for example to run faster can result in a Security Breach?Imagine this scenario.An attacker finds out that your server is not well optimized and the service that it gives out can not go above any specific limit.Basically it was not optimized well enough to notice that if a user wants to go beyond some limits, it should queue that user or reduce bandwidth for example. But instead, this service restarts when getting there.Thus, the attacker can make an ingenious attempt to con tinuously make your service go above limit, thus restarting it, not only for themselves, but for the entire user base as well. Rendering this service out of service.With this, we can see that even not optimizing your service well enough could lead to potential threats.If Linux Servers like these, were previously well optimized/configured, all of the previous situation would have been impossible and the server would be a lot more Secure.So Linux Hardening, is basically that. Making sure that each component on your system is tweaked in order to be ready for many setbacks and potential threats.Nothing more, nothing less.The big misconception when someone mentions OS Hardening is that they believe some super secret security software is set in place and from now on that piece of machinery is 100% hack-proof.Speaking of super secret security software, this is not to say that there aren’t pieces of software that help in proactively monitoring and acting on security threats, but purely to stress that it’s not the only or even the main reason for secure Linux Servers.As an example, some of this proactive software can be pieces of code which could alert you for any suspicious changes on your system.This kind of information is invaluable in most situations.Knowing that something is amiss in a timely manner could be the difference between a successful breach or a timely response.And of course, this list wouldn’t be full without No Updates Default Credentials in place, or well, not in place.Having outdated software is a good recipe for disaster. Usually older software has been around a lot longer. Long enough for attackers to have analyzed it and found holes in its design.As for Default Credentials, the greatest success stories for Penetration Testers (Ethical Hackers) come from accessing their clients servers via simple authentication.Default credentials are usually well known and coupled with a port that gives out a bit of extra information such as what version of software is running is a full proof way of someone to get access without even trying.Combine solutions for all of the above and you get a good idea of how Linux Hardening works.WHO SHOULD CONDUCT LINUX HARDENING?Linux Hardening is usually performed by experienced industry professionals, which have usually undergone a good Recruitment Process.Basically, the minimum bar for such a task is pretty high, because in order to do it you need to have a thorough understanding of how each components works and what you can do to make it better.Since all components are pretty much a story of their own, professionals need to practice on all of them, well, individually.For example, Web Site Software will usually differ from E-Mail software.The security concepts may be the same, but the configurations are very much different and whoever is going to perform the task needs to know this well.The titles that these professionals posses range a lot, but the most commonly seen are:Linux AdministratorsSec urity EngineersIncident RespondentsSince their jobs usually revolve around OS Administration and Security, they are ideal for this type of task.Although, even when having this type of title, still, there should be a good period of training for the OS that they will be hardening. Linux System vary a lot as well. Not all of them are the same. Each type of Linux System will have their own way of hardening.A Debian based System will usually not use the same type of procedure as a RedHat based System.Recently, more and more courses have appeared in specialization for this type of task.Usually when starting out, professionals read documentations on their own in order to find out how it’s done, but having a well laid out course in order to educate one self is very welcome as well.WHAT PARTS OF LINUX SHOULD BE HARDENED?Linux Operating Systems can be quite big and daunting.There are tons of places to look at, but here we will discuss the most common ones.Usually when doing this, it’s goo d to have a checklist in order to follow through a machine a bit more thoroughly and stay consistent for all of ones projects.The following is a small sample of such a Checklist:Kernel HardeningNetwork HardeningSoftware Secure Configuration (Best Practice)Disk EncryptionCustom PartitioningBoot LockingUpdate/UpgradeBlock Unneeded Services / Open PortsPassword PoliciesEnsure PermissionsPro-Active Security SoftwareSome components may seem more important than others, but the thing is, Linux Hardening works best in Layers.What that means is, the more protective measures you have in place that work together, the better.Let’s discuss some of the above Linux Components.Disk Encryption and Boot Locking for example are much needed.The Boot Partition holds very vital information for the system overall so it is best practice to make it read-only for all users except the admin.Opposed to this, anyone could modify things in order to either break or initiate malicious intent.Disk Encryption on i ts own is usually one of the more general security practices.Doing this helps you avoid anyone from extracting data from your Disk.If it is encrypted it will be under a heavy algorithm and ask for a pass phrase before it will release any information.Opposed from this, anyone with proper access, can extract information from the disk no matter what security privileges they possess.Software Secure Configuration is meant for any type of program/service running on Linux which has a configuration file or any other way of optimization.A good example would be SSH.As a default service, it allows many unfavourable preferences such as, allowing direct login with a Root account, various types of ciphers which may be outdated instead of using only the ones that are secure for sure, etc.By manually modifying these service configuration files, we make sure that we take security in our very own hands and allow what we believe is right. Depending on default configurations is a folly, most of the tim es.Pro-Active Security measures usually means installing third party software to monitor your Linux Server and alert for any type of inconsistency found.For example, the system itself can have an everyday state and if something deviates too much from what is expected, alerts go off to the System Administrator and tons of problems could be caught way before anything more drastic happens.Updating/Upgrading your Linux Operating System of course goes without saying, is very much needed.Having the latest equipment sort to say will provide you with the best experience, for security as well as everything else.Usually, attackers use vulnerabilities associated with well known older and more established attack vectors. So the older your software, the bigger the chance that there are official vulnerabilities explained for it.Blocking unneeded ports is making sure that only the doors that you need are open and nothing else.There is no need for something that nobody uses to be open and spread in formation which could prove valuable for an attacker to develop an attack vector.By sort of explaining some of the Check Points from above, we get the idea of which parts are more gravely in danger and which are not, but as previously mentioned, good hardening improves on all points that could be improved on and not pick favorites.Also there are plenty of online resources for different types of official Checklists, it is up to the System Administrators usually to pick the best one for their case.WHAT IS BAD LINUX HARDENING WHY IS COMPLIANCE GOOD?As with any job, there are ways to botch this one up as well.As this is a very specific field, specialized knowledge is required in order to make it work. Applying “solutions” from random blogs on your proprietary commercial products is not the way to go.Common pitfalls are:Too PreventiveWrong SolutionsPlacebo SecurityYes, too much of anything can be bad for you as well.If you don’t talk to your clients and don’t really know what th ey will be using the system for, you could eventually lock out services which were the main purpose for the Linux Server itself.For example, a client simply tells you to harden their machine without telling you that its main focus is serving a Web Page and return you end up blocking their serving ports.A good communication needs to be set up before doing OS Hardening.While performing, some professionals from lack of knowledge mostly, apply solutions from various unconfirmed sources on the internet.This can not only botch up the system, but it could also introduce vulnerabilities on its own if its not examined correctly.Always making sure that we know exactly what we are applying is the best way to do it. If not sure, the best course of action is to not apply it and talk to someone with more experience in that specific field.And the worst of all, the Placebo Security Effect. Believing you have a top notch configured Server, but it ends up that something from the above examples has be en done and the client does not know.To avoid such mistakes, there are a couple of rules to follow.As mentioned above, always do what you know and do it the way your client wants.This needs to be assured, especially if you are about to apply for Compliance Audits.Today it seems the only reason systems are hardened is for compliance.Compliance for those that don’t know is the act of following a strict set of rules for your environment in order to prove that you have some sort of standard in place.There are various types of Compliance. Depending on what sector your Linux Server operates in, the Compliance will differ.If you are working in the Health Industry you will need to be HIPAA compliant, while working in the financial industry you will need to be PCI-DSS Compliant.These acronyms all have their meaning, but in order to clarify, we will be talking about the financial sector PCI-DSS.PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a set of rules as we previously mentio ned specific for the Financial Sector.Some of the rules for Linux Systems in this area include, improving your firewall rules, making sure that roles are segregated and that vulnerability assessments are held in order to make sure that all of this works.The reason for mentioning Compliance types is the following:Following these guidelines resemble everyday Linux Hardening tasks. Whatever they want you to do from their guidelines are very similar to what you would usually do if your system is well protected.Since getting compliant is one of the industries ways of proving that you are up to standard, it is very common and almost everyone is trying to obtain it, which in turn makes Linux Hardening even more relevant than it already is.WHAT ARE THE BEST GUIDELINES FOR HARDENING AND HOW TO DETERMINE ITS VALIDITY?Although there are many official and very respected guides in order to perform hardening there are some that stand out.The CIS Benchmarking style of Linux Hardening is very good for example.CIS (Center For Internet Security) has hardening documents for a huge variety of Operating Systems, including Linux.These documents contain 300+ pages of content, of course depending on the type of system you are hardening this can vary.What you get, is an incredibly comprehensive standard of a document that explains everything in detail. It goes from point to point and offers a view on Security that you might have missed if you would do it alone.It becomes a good standard to follow since it can make you consistent on all of your projects.The question here is, after you’ve performed the audit, how can you make sure that you’ve done a good job? Well, there are a few pretty good Open Source tools out there.Tools such as Lynis for example. You can download and start it on your system to do regular audit. It will go through all of your configurations and see if you have implemented them correctly. In the end it will provide a score % which can gauge you on your work.This way, you not only depend on your own intuition, but insert a more methodical and automated approach as well.The big benefit is that, since these tools are well known, you can use your final report to show to auditors for example in order to prove that you are up to standard when it comes to Security.The other method for validating everything is called Penetration Testing.The act of letting someone simulate a real attack on your systems can be the most effective way to prove that you are as secure as you think.Enter, Ethical Hackers.These people are employed to think like, well, Hackers.By using this mindset and their acquired skill set, they can probe your Linux System to see if everything is configured properly. Upon any findings, they try to exploit whatever they can in order to get in.Either way, in the end, you get a full comprehensive report on what they succeeded to do, what you need to fix and how you should fix it.Their services are invaluable in order to make sure that you are protected.Of course there is no silver bullet for all, and this does not mean that you are 100% secure, but what it does mean is that a good part of your system is well established protected and you can rest assure that you are safe from most attacks.CONCLUSIONLinux Hardening is a great way to ensure that your Security does not remain mediocre.Holding on to default installations has proven time and time again to be ineffective and in some cases extremely dangerous.For whatever reason you can come up with, Personal, Commercial or Compliant, Linux Hardening is the way forward for you and your company.AbbreviationAbbreviation:  Description:OSOperating SystemHIPAAHealth Insurance Portability Accountability ActPCI DSSPayment Card Industry Data Security StandardCISCenter For Internet Security

Essay Topic Suggestions

The Problem Of Mental Illness - 1605 Words

Eight years old was the age when Elyn Saks experienced the first symptoms of an illness that would later threaten to tear apart her entire future. To complicate the situation, she was not dealing with an entirely physical illness. Although she did not know at the time, Saks was suffering from the beginnings of the notorious mental illness called Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is widely known for the way in which it inhibits a person’s sense of reality, causing hallucinations and delusions among those who suffer from it. This disease is often the first idea that comes to mind when anyone says the phrase â€Å"mental illness.† The world society still fears and romanticizes the concept of much mental illness, illness that often devastates lives. Media portrayal of the topic has caused many to regard it as a taboo subject, but this issue is one that needs to be addressed. I became interested in the topic of mental illness when I was in the eighth grade, due to struggles that I began to notice within myself. Now, three years later, I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and major depression. There are misconceptions surrounding and engulfing mental disorders and I felt that it was important that I fight not only for my own benefit but for others battling these illnesses as well. The views in modern day of mental illness are varying from accepting to a complete denial of a problem. It hurts those suffering from mental illness when the uneducated public majority beatsShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Mental Illness858 Words   |  4 Pages Forget all the stereotypes of mental illness. It has no face. It has no particular victim. Mental illness can affect an individual from any background and the black community is no exception. African Americans sometimes experience even more severe forms of mental health conditions because of unmet needs and barriers to treatment. According to the Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population. That’sRead MoreThe Problem Of Mental Illness1412 Words   |  6 Pagescan be no gainsaying as to the fact that the problem of providing adequate mental care for mentally ill citizens is not new (Turnquist, n.d). As a matter of fact, according to the Center for Social Studies Associate Laboratory (2010), mental illness has always necessitated a challenge with regard to the society’s capacity to not only integrate such individuals, but also provide care to them. One key impediment sur rounding the matter of mental illness, according to Unite for Sight.org (2013), is cultureRead MoreThe Problem Of Mental Illness2557 Words   |  11 PagesThis paper will analyze the problem of mental illness in American society. Firstly, this paper will discuss why mental illness is such a large problem. Access to equal treatment is not available for all. Therefore, when not addressed or treated, mental illness can lead to further social issues such as gun violence, suicide, homelessness, and incarceration. This paper will also address three government policy solutions that help treat the severely mentally ill, ease their transitions back into theirRead MoreThe Problem Of Mental Illness912 Words   |  4 PagesMental illness affects many people throughout the United States each year. Some people classify it as any psychiatric disorder that is the cause of untypical behavior. Many years ago, doctors locked up mentally ill patients in mental institutions and basically forgot about them. Medical professionals housed the mentally ill in different corridors of the hospital. Sometimes, they stayed in isolation and were in some type of restraints. Once government officials realized that neglect was getting outRead MoreThe Problem Of Mental Illness1952 Words   |  8 Pages2014, we are almost up to 15 per 100,000. It may not seem like much, but it really adds up. Especially when people choose to ignore the problem. Mental illness is a very serious thing, it just needs to be accepted and should not be ignored. About 57.7 million people have a diagnosable mental disorder, and that is just ages 18 and older. One in five teens have a mental disorder that impacts their day to day life, and people wonder why the suicide rate is so high in teens. It is not anyone s fault forRead MoreThe Problem Of Mental Illness1683 Words   |  7 Pagescancer or the flu, both of which would provide you with stomach pains. However, the treatment of course, would look very different. The following is true of mental illness; many different diagnoses possess similar symptoms. This is why it is so important to perform meticulous examinations to arbitrate if the child is actually suffering from a mental issue and if so, which one. It is vital to understand what is really causing certain behaviors in your child, because just as medicine, the diagnosis thatRead MoreMental Illness : A Mental Health Problem778 Words   |  4 PagesPeople with a mental illness are still people. When I say this, you probably think to yourself, â€Å"Well, isn’t that obvious?† But yet, when someone tells us they are feeling depressed, most people will say â€Å"It’s just a phase, get over it.† or â€Å"You’re feeling sad, just be happy.† They brush it off and ignore it, thinking that this person will be okay. When in reality, 1 in 4 people in England are dealing with a mental health issue, and only 1 in 8 are actually getting treatment for their illness. This meansRead MoreMental Illness Is A Social Problem1501 Words   |  7 PagesMental illness is a health condition that affects an individual’s moods and thinking in a way that changes how that person relates to other people in society. The functioning of the affected person is also altered and usually results in the person failing to perform some of the daily activities that the person has previously engaged in. Mental illness can be considered a combination of both social and health complications, affecting the social life of the people who fall victim in many ways (ElliottRead MoreMental Illness : A Social Problem1290 Words   |  6 PagesIntroducing Mental Illness The social problem I have chosen to write about is mental illness. This problem is important to talk about â€Å"because of the number of people it affects, the difficulty of defining and identifying mental disorders, and the ways in which mental illness is treated† (Kendall, 2013, p. 227). â€Å"About 57.7 million people, or one in four adults, in the United States suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder† (Kendall, 2013, p. 229). â€Å"Many of these illnesses begin in childhood orRead MoreMental Illness As A Social Problem982 Words   |  4 PagesMental Illness as a Social Problem Introduction Mental illness is a turmoil that is portrayed by unsettling influences in a man s idea, feelings, or conduct. Emotional instability alludes to a wide assortment of scatters, running from those that bring about gentle misery to those that impede a man s capacity to work in day by day life. Numerous have attempted to make sense of the purposes behind emotional instabilities. These reasons have been taken a gander at and considered for a great many

Save Our Children Free Essays

Saving our children On average at least five children die everyday as a result of child abuse and neglect. Approximately 80% of children that die from abuse are under the age of four. A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. We will write a custom essay sample on Save Our Children or any similar topic only for you Order Now The children of America are suffering from a hidden epidemic of child abuse and neglect. What is child abuse? Federal legislation states that child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment of children. Neglect, or not providing for a child’s needs, is also a form of abuse. The different types of child abuse are neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological maltreatment, and medical neglect. The story of Bethany Loerke is one haunted by memories of her early abuse as a child. Bethany was 2 when Child Protective Services removed her and her infant sister from a trailer of deplorable conditions. She was partially blinded because of pink eye and shingles, which were not improving because of neglect and a home full of filth. Loerke had two older brothers who had been previously removed and returned three times. Police once found them during a mistaken drug bust, unsupervised and living with dogs, no electricity and no running water. The parents eventually lost their parental rights. The girls however were kept together through most of Loerke’s 10 foster placements in the following year. When Bethany was 5 she was adopted by James and Beth Loerke and life seemed better, at least on the surface. Bethany began getting molested by James Loerke almost immediately. However she stayed silent believing in the threats that no one would believe her and she would be cast out a home again. Eventually on her 11th birthday Bethany came forward and told her mother of the abuse. James Loerke has been in jail or prison since September 2002. More than 90% of sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator is some way. That is just one case of abuse where justice was served most cases aren’t so lucky. Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education. Read also: How Different Types of Transitions Can Affect Children How to cite Save Our Children, Essay examples

Lab report blood glucose regulation Essay Example

Lab report: blood glucose regulation Paper When was plasma glucose concentration highest? If values are similar for several time points (within a few points of each other), then give range of times when plasma glucose concentration was highest. Immediately post meal and one hour post meal 2. When was plasma glucose concentration lowest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma glucose concentration was lowest. 3 hour post meal Type in the following AVERAGE plasma ketene values: Pasting: I hour post meal: Stones (porno/l) sub 1 Sub 2 sub 3 Fast i Eng Immediately Post Meal I Hour Post Meal . When was plasma ketene concentration highest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma ketene concentration was highest. During fasting 4. When was plasma ketene concentration lowest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range Of times when plasma ketene concentration Type in the following AVERAGE plasma insulin values: Insulin (mol/l) Sub I I _ When was plasma insulin concentration highest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma insulin concentration I hour post meal 2. When was plasma insulin concentration lowest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range Of times When plasma insulin concentration was lowest. Type in the following AVERAGE plasma clangor values: Clangor (mol/l) 3 Hours post Meal 3. When was plasma clangor concentration highest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range Of times when plasma clangor concentration was highest. ! Hour post meal 4. When was plasma clangor concentration lowest? We will write a custom essay sample on Lab report: blood glucose regulation specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lab report: blood glucose regulation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lab report: blood glucose regulation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma clangor incineration was lowest. 1 hour post meal Type in the following AVERAGE value for the insulin/clangor ratio: Fasting: Insulin/Clangor 2 Hours post Meal 5. When was plasma insulin/clangor concentration highest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma insulin, clangor concentration was highest. Insulin was highest 1 hour post meal and clangor was highest 3 hrs post meal 6. When was plasma insulin/clangor concentration lowest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma insulin/clangor incineration was lowest Insulin was lowest during fasting sniff clangor avgas lowest 1 hour post meal DISCUSSION 1. Explain how insulin changed plasma glucose concentration over the course Of the experiment. The insulin changed the plasma glucose levels by raising dramatically from fasting to the one hour mark, but by hour 3 it dropped again to almost the same levels as fasting. The clangor remained almost the same on throughout the levels except that it lowered a bit 1 hour after the meal. 2. Explain how clangor changed plasma glucose concentration over the course f the experiment. Clangor acts on liver cells to promote breakdown of glycogen into glucose and formation of glucose from lactic acid and certain amino acids, 3. Explain what caused the change in plasma ketene concentration over the course to the experiment. Stones changed from high during fasting to lower after eating and even after hour three because it first they were needed to generate AT p but dropped because they were not needed as much for fuel. 4. Explain how negative feedback caused the changes in plasma insulin concentration observed during the experiment he level of blood glucose controls secretion of both clangor and insulin via negative feedback. 5. Explain how negative feedback caused the changes in plasma clangor concentration observed during the experiment. . The insulin/clangor ratio changed over the course of the experiment indicating changes in glucose storage and changes in ability to increase blood glucose concentration via selenologists and glutinousness. State when glucose storage capability was highest and why. 7. State when selenologists and glutinousness were highest and why. Hour post meal because thats when there was the highest amount of sugar in the blood, 8. Explain how a high blood ketene level helps the b ody conserve blood glucose. When the concentration of ketene bodies in the blood rises above normal the ketene bodies, most Of Which are acids, must buffered. 9. Restate your predictions that were correct and give the data from your experiment that supports them. Restate your predictions that were not correct and correct them, giving the data from your experiment that supports the correction. APPLICATION 1. During exercise, epinephrine and morphogenesis are released from the adrenal medulla. Epinephrine and morphogenesis have the same effect on plasma glucose levels as clangor. Explain how epinephrine and morphogenesis affect plasma glucose and why this is important during exercise. Epinephrine and morphogenesis will be released by the adrenal medulla in response to stress. During exercise the brain will release epinephrine and morphogenesis because it has been told that the body needs to adjust to the new demand that must be met. Which means that the heart rate needs to increase in order to support itself and work efficiently.

Indian persecutions essays

Indian persecutions essays The text we have studied relates to the integration problem between teh white and Indian population of United States : Indians are called Native-Americans because they have lived there for centuries. White Europeans arrived in the 17th century on their land during the conquest of the new territories. The confrontation of two cultures led to many problems we will discuss later but, basically, we had the Indian culture related to nature, natural living in direct confrontation with the white industrial and urban culture. By 1950, unemployment was high among native-Americans and the Bureau of Indian Affairs believed the solution was to relocate these populations in urban areas. Indians could see brochures pushing them to leave the country for better conditions in the cities. Many left but half of them came back to their reservation ! Hydroelectric power needs (les besoins en ...) led ( ont conduit) to many conflicts, especially for the building of dams (barrages) as it would flood reservations. Using legal protest and open protest, the Indians succeeded in some cases but other projects flooded most of Dakota s arable land for example. Another sensitive issue is about Fishing rights. Indians have always fished for a living (pour vivre) and thus they have been granted special tribal fishing rights. These rights are now challenged by environmental groups. A movie to illustrate the story of Indians : , starring Dustin Hoffman is a 1971 Hollywood movie which broke all stereotypes people had about Indians : westerns : cow boys, indians.... Indians have often been treated unequally and many protests were held during the 1960s and 1970s. The most surprising protest was certainly the Indian occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1972. All Indian tribes were marching on Wasington with written demands. When they found that the accomodation they had reserved were taken, they took over the ...

Slash and Burn Agriculture Explanation

Slash and Burn Agriculture Explanation Slash and burn agriculture is the process of cutting down the vegetation in a particular plot of land, setting fire to the remaining foliage, and using the ashes to provide nutrients to the soil for the  use of planting food crops. The cleared area following slash and burn, also known as swidden, is used for a relatively short period of time, and then left alone for a longer period of time so that vegetation can grow again. For this reason, this type of agriculture is also known as shifting cultivation. Steps to Slash and Burn Generally, the following steps are taken in slash and burn agriculture: Prepare the field by cutting down vegetation; plants that provide food or timber may be left standing.The downed vegetation is allowed to dry until just before the rainiest part of the year to ensure an effective burn.The plot of land is burned to remove vegetation, drive away pests, and provide a burst of nutrients for planting.Planting is done directly in the ashes left after the burn. Cultivation (the preparation of land for planting crops) on the plot is done for a few years  until the fertility of the formerly burned land is reduced. The plot is left alone for longer than it was cultivated, sometimes up to 10 or more years, to allow wild vegetation to grow on the plot of land. When vegetation has grown again, the slash and burn process may be repeated. Geography of Slash and Burn Agriculture Slash and burn agriculture is most often practiced in places where open land for farming is not readily available because of dense vegetation. These regions include central Africa, northern South America, and Southeast Asia. Such farming is typically done within grasslands and rainforests. Slash and burn is a method of agriculture primarily used by tribal communities for subsistence farming (farming to survive). Humans have practiced this method for about 12,000 years, ever since the transition known as the Neolithic Revolution- the time when humans stopped hunting and gathering and started to stay put and grow crops. Today, between 200 and 500 million people use slash and burn agriculture, roughly 7% of the world’s population. When done properly, slash and burn agriculture provides communities with a source of food and income. Slash and burn allows people to farm in places where it usually is not possible because of dense vegetation, soil infertility, low soil nutrient content, uncontrollable pests, or other reasons. Negative Aspects of Slash and Burn Many critics claim that slash and burn agriculture contributes to a number of persistent environmental problems. They include: Deforestation: When practiced by large populations, or when fields are not given sufficient time for vegetation to grow back, there is a temporary or permanent loss of forest cover.Erosion: When fields are slashed, burned, and cultivated next to each other in rapid succession, roots and temporary water storages are lost and unable to prevent nutrients from leaving the area permanently.Nutrient Loss: For the same reasons, fields may gradually lose the fertility they once had. The result may be desertification, a situation in which land becomes infertile and unable to support the growth of any kind.Biodiversity Loss: When plots of land area are cleared, the various plants and animals that lived there are swept away. If a particular area is the only one that holds a particular species, slashing and burning could result in extinction for that species. Because slash and burn agriculture is often practiced in tropical regions where biodiversity is extremely high, endangerment and extinctio n may be magnified. The negative aspects above are interconnected, and when one happens, typically another happens also. These issues may come about because of irresponsible practices of slash and burn agriculture by large numbers of people. Knowledge of the ecosystem of the area and agricultural skills may provide ways to practice slash and burn agriculture in restorative, sustainable ways.

Respect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Respect - Essay Example However, this is counterproductive since when they work in fear, employees will spend more time worrying about their job security and produce mediocre results. Americans feel pressured by their employers and hardly have time to spend with their families and friends, long working hours as well as stressful conditions are hazardous to their health (Waldman). Ironically, it has been scientifically proven that workers who take time off and whose bosses treat them in a friendly and respectful manner are likely to be highly motivated therefore more productive than insecure employees who expend too much time trying to keeping avoiding trouble. A vacation is the ideal time for employees develop innovative ideas by temporarily escaping monotony of the office routine and in the long-term, an employer can reap substantial benefits form letting their staff relaxes every now and then. Waldman explains the situation further by examining the issue of drug testing; he claims that employers who teste d their staff for drugs were often less productive than those who did not (Waldman). While drug tests may sometimes be necessary, they are often seen as a violation of one’s privacy and even when one has not used drugs being tested evidenced that their employer does not trust them. Consequently, the more poorly treated workers are, the less productive they become, primarily because they lose their intrinsic motivation and only work as a means of avoiding trouble or getting fired (Martins). Conversely, employees who are treated with respect are intrinsically motivated and they are driven by results since they do not feel threatened or insecure so they can give the job their full attention, in addition since they get enough time to relax they will be more innovative and productive. Personally, I agree that the respect showed to employees by their employers is directly proportional to their productivity and vice versa. After high school, I worked for a while as a cashier in a fa st food restaurant in my town, it did not take me long to realize that the floor supervisor was a brutal inconsiderate individual to whom the employees were only as good as the last satisfied customer. On my second day, I observed him yell at a busboy who had dropped a glass and he told him if he broke another one, he should not bother to clean it up because he would be fired, this was in full sight and view of the lunchtime crowd. For the rest of the day, the young man was jumpy and irritable and he missed several orders and I heard him speak rudely to a customer, fortunately, the supervisor did not hear about it since he would have probably fired him on the spot. I had assumed it was an isolated case but I later came to realize that harassing employees was the norm at the restaurant; the turnover rate was very high as someone quite almost every week. As the cashier, I soon discovered that one of the reasons productivity was low was that we were training a new employee every other week and as such, we had an inexperienced waiter on the floor that would naturally be slow on their feet. However, as soon as they had become skilled enough to take multiple orders and speed things up, someone would quit and once again, we would have a deficiency and another slot to fill. If the workers had

Business correspondence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Business correspondence - Essay Example Some of the issues include stress management and communication between the workers. The reduction of pressure on the employees is also suitable in the reduction of the probability of the harmful aspects happening within the business environment. The Mediatization process refers to the process of research especially in the media mediums with the aspect of being up to date with the dealings in the real world. The procedure is crucial in the construction industry in an instance of revolutionizing the industry. The management of any construction firm is thus in a need to study on a new architecture that the new world is demanding in an attempting of attaining an additional benefit in the construction market. The perspective is also the source of all innovations in the construction industry since there is a possible fusion of the various designs that are prevalent. On the other hand, the research of the media industry gives the management of the construction the most recent changes in the prices and thus planning becomes easy. The budgeting of every activity is made easy through the process of Mediatization. The other issue is the linking of the construction business with the commercial world. The aspect involves the marketing of the services that entail the construction sector. The perspective will enable the construction management to notify the world of the gap that exists in the market and the role the construction business has in solving the problem. The instance is thus the primary procedure that determines the sales of the construction industry. The construction management should, therefore, take into consideration the need to link with other commercial institutions such as advertising agents. Furthermore, the auxiliary services such as the banking industry and the insurance are essential to the construction company since they provide finance that makes the activities of the construction firm through investment. The safety education in

Importance of Organizational Behaviour on Teamwork

Importance of Organizational Behaviour on Teamwork According to Keith Davis organizational behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people act within organizations. It is human tool for the human benefit. It applies broadly to behavior of people in all type of organization such as business, government, schools, etc. it helps people, structure, technology, and the external environment blend together in to an effective operative system. Fred Luthans defines organizational behavior as understanding, predicting and controlling human behavior at work. [http://www.mbatown.com] Stephen Robins defines organizational behavior as a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have an organization for the purpose of applying such knowledge improving an organizations effectiveness. According to Stephen Robbins, four elements make up the Organizational Behavior life cycle. They are Leadership, Employees of the Company, Organization Behavior Guidelines and time frame, Organizational Framework. Organizational Behavior is an important aspect to maintain interaction levels amongst employees in the company and also to enhance healthy relationships between them. Other attributes like leadership qualities of the employees, openness to discuss problems between the top level and ground level employees, challenge-initiative are all embedded in to this basic concept of Organizational Behavior to help the business in achieving its strategic and sometimes its business objectives. What Case Study Says The General Electric(GE), the conglomeratecorporation incorporated in the State of New York, USA, is famous for its organizational culture. In GE, the management philosophy followed by the management is to Encourage employees to share their views in a collaborative culture, Vest greater responsibility, power, and accountability with front-line employees, Eliminate wasteful, irrational, and repetitive steps in the work process (which would come to light through employee feedback), Dismantle the boundaries that prevent thecross-pollination of ideasand efforts and they consider customers and community as the emperor. They gave former importance to team job and gave respect to each other. All these optimistic aspects helped the company to get strong faithfulness of millions of employees during the long 120 years since the Company was founded by Thomas Edison. Jeffrey Immelt managed the whole company in a well-known style that has been very legendary till now. In 2000 to till now, when GE passed away correspondingly, along with the obituary wordings it was noted by writers, that the founders legacy was not the reason for the huge growth of GE-but it was the one and only GE Way. But after the merger of GE with ITT Corporation,Ling-Temco-Vought,Tenneco, the things misrepresented upside down. Former GE people like former dissection heads, managers, engineers, and all the employees says about the GE Way as something special. General Electric usually visited the corporation halls, interrelate with community and staff about their projects, their troubles etc. They keep in mind that at time everybody valued everybody else. The actual issues started when John Francis Welch Jr, was hired from outside as GEs Chairman and CEO. He stuck hard to the productivity of the company. A background of fear started among the staffs which never be real before. The main complaints against him were valuing money more than people, maltreatment lay-offs and creating a culture which is inequitable to the staffs. His intentions didnt match with GEs visions. They saw revenue only as a bludgeon to achieve other objectives which are given equal value. The other objectives include welfare of the employees, customers etc. The above case was all about GE Way. It is a across the world held opinion that GE Way played a critical role in Companys achievement. Critics may say that to support an excellent corporate civilization, the company should be at its superior times. But people of GE who have experienced GE Way will never agree this because GEs most struggling times were also the times when GE Way was established at its best. [http://www.paloaltoonline.com] 1) The contribution, motivation, rewards and roles of individuals within these groups and teams According to Stephen P. Robbins, motivation is the willingness to exert high levels of effort toward organizational goals, conditioned by the efforts ability to satisfy some individual need. Fred Luthans views motivation as a process that starts with a physiological or psychological deficiency or need that activates behavior or a drive that is aimed at a goal or incentive. Each and every function of life is accompanied with one or other type of motivation. There are two main kinds of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Internal motivation is known as intrinsic motivation. When external factors compel the person to do something, then it is extrinsic motivation. [http://www.elmotivator.com/] [http://www.mbatown.com] Elton Mayo has the opinion that a employee having societal links at the place of work will be motivated more. Mayo believed that employees can also be motivated by acknowledging their social needs and making them feel important among others. This is what is done by General Electric in the case of GE Way. The employees who have skilled the actual GE Way says that everyone is valued by everybody else which means all the employees are given significance and also the opportunity to articulate their thoughts and views. Employees were given liberty to make decisions on the work and superior concentration was paid to relaxed work groups. This model is named as Hawthorne effect by Elton Mayo. [http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles] [http://ezinearticles.com/] In the case study, General Electric were very victorious in inspiring their employees by simply being down to earth. They never forget to visit their employees, to interact with them and to know their troubles and also to find answers. From all these illustration we can say motivation is what propels life. In everything we do motivation plays a major role. To care about output, learning, means, employment, achievement, victory, breakdown, etc motivation should be there An example for motivation, in management and organizational behavior: Example: Under-performing of employees which resulted in performance outcome A unexpected collapse in the profits was experienced by Company A. The companys management executive found out that this returns fall is as a result of under-performing of their employees. The performance of the employees was extremely much under the expectations of the management. This resulted in a rapid action from the companys part by firing about 6 employees and a new batch of people was hired. The company unsuccessful to understand in an earlier stage that the managers incapability was the basis cause of under-performance of the employees. The manager unsuccessful to provide them safer working conditions and this de-motivated the employees which resulted in decrease of productivity. This incident really opened their eyes which made them to execute strategies which help the company as well as employees to come from Under performance era. [http://www.org-behavior.com] The motivation process is demonstrated through several theories. They are as follows: Need-based theories: Need based theories include Maslows need hierarchy, McGregors Theory X and Theory, Herzbergs two-factor theory, Alderfers ERG theory and McClellands need theory Process based theories include Expectancy theory, Goal-setting theory, Reinforcement theory, Attribution theory Individual-organizational goal-congruence theories consists of Exchange, Accommodation, Socialization, Identification Maslows Need Hierarchy is all about a hierarchy of five basic needs which includes Physiological needs: hunger, thirst, shelter etc. Safety needs: security and protection from physical and emotional harm, Social needs: affection, belongingness, love, acceptance, and friendship, Esteem needs: internal esteem and external esteem, Needs for self-actualization: the drive to best realize ones potential. Alderfers ERG theory talks about three types of needs-Existence needs consisting of physiological and safety needs, Relatedness needs including the desire for maintaining important interpersonal relationships: social needs, and the external components of the esteem needs and Growth needs: an intrinsic desire for personal development: the intrinsic component of esteem, and self-actualization. McGregors theory X and theory Y Theory X has the assumption that employees dont like work, and they are lazy, not willing to take responsibility, and not motivated. Theory Y has the assumptions that employees like work, are creative, responsibilities seekers, and are self motivated. Herbergs two-factor theory talks about two contrasting views of satisfaction and dissatisfaction and it also talks about two factors-motivational factors and hygiene factors. McClellands Need Theory deals with the need for achievement. In other words it talks about a drive to excel, to set a higher goal, to seek higher responsibility, and to strive to succeed. All these theories more or less deals with what all factors create motivation in people and also the influence of motivation in an business. In the case of GENERAL ELECTRIC (GE), earlier the company was very good in mounting employee morale and thereby improving the efficiency of the operations of the company. But after the merger, the things totally fell upside down. The new top level authorities intense only on the profitability and not on the employee morale. This paved the way for dissatisfaction in employees which negatively affected the productivity of the company. Reward system consists of financial rewards and employee benefits, which is collectively known as total remuneration. They also include non-monetary rewards such as appreciation, promotion, praise, achievement, responsibility and personal growth. Recent studies and researches on reward system shows that reward criteria of the organizations, both monetary and non-monetary rewards have great influence on the employees and performance and the performance of the employees. As an answer to the question, why reward system is required, we can find out a number of reasons like it can improve organizational effectiveness, it is capable of achieving integration, motivate the employees, compete in the labor market, increased commitment towards work, it can attract employees having fair and improved skills, improved quality, develop team working. Singh et.al. (1977) in a study of organizational culture and its impact onmanagerial remuneration concluded that the demands for money was significantly influenced by the quality of organizational culture and that it can substantially be reduced by improving the quality of organizational culture. Findings such as those suggest that satisfaction, task involvement, demand for money and commitment are largely determined by organizational culture. Steve Williams and Fred Luthans (1992) stated that, the choice of reward interacting with feedback had a positive impact on task performance. According to Theodore R. Buyniski (1995),Despite the tendency in recent years to down grade the importance of money as an organizational reward, there is ample evidence that money can be positively reinforcing for most people. Teams are also important in an organizational context because it bring together people with different skills and experiences that enable the organization to quickly respond to innovation, changes in the business environment, and changes in the customers need faster and more effectively. Teams also solve problems quicker because of increased communication (Katzenbach Smith, 1999). The positions that are defined by a set of expectations about behavior of any job incumbent are termed as Roles. A set of tasks and responsibilities that may or may not be spelled out is accompanied with each and every role. Since money is being paid for the performance of the roles, there is prestige attached to a role, and a sense of accomplishment or challenge, roles have a powerful effect on behavior. In the context of the case of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE), even though reward plays a vital role, the morale of the employees was more affected by changes in the psychological environment of the organization and also sudden change in the culture of the organization. As they were practicing a different culture of informality, they find it difficult to a survive the new environment which is so formal and which gave no importance to their opinions. When an organization gives importance to the views and opinions of employees, they feel it better to work in such conditions because it is human nature to wish to be recognized. Better performance will be the result if the individuals are given some roles to perform. [http://www.indianmba.com] [Steve Williams Fred Luthans (1992), The Impact of Choice of Rewards and Feed Back on Task Performance, Journal Of organizational Behavior. Vol. 13, P: 653-666] [Katzenbach, J.R. Smith, D.K. (1999). The Wisdom Of Teams. New York: HarperBusinees] [http://www.nwlink.com] (b) Management and leadership relating to both groups and teams Alan Keith stated that, Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen. Tom DeMarco says that leadership needs to be distinguished from posturing. Northouse says that leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Mary Parker Follett defined management as the art of getting things done through people. Setting a new direction or vision for a group to accomplish the objectives of that group is known as leadership. But management is the controlling body or directing body of people and resources available in a group according to already established values. Even the terms management and leadership are often confused, they are actually different, but interrelated. The GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) Way dealt with the legendary management style of two leaders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard who through their leadership skills and qualities, developed the organization as a single f amily giving respect to each other. It is evident from the growth of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) that they were very successful in managing the people. Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus (1997) said leadership is like the Abominable Snowman, whose footprints are everywhere but who is nowhere to be seen. Leadership is everywhere but no one seems to be able to determine or figure out what makes up good leadership. It has been discussed by Bass in his book a study by H.L. Smith and Krueger (1933) in which they researched various primitive cultures around the world and finally reached a conclusion that leadership exists among all people, regardless of their culture, race or beliefs. Even though if societies do not have established or elected leaders, chiefs, or rulers, someone always exists who initiates a process and plays a critical role in the decision making process of a group (Bass, 1990). Hewlett and Packard found out that leadership qualities are lying hidden in each and every individual and thus they developed a culture of respecting each other developing a sense of integrity in the organization. According to Hollander, leadership is a process that involves three main components. One is the leader, the second is the employees, and the third is the culture of the organization. If the relationship between these three components is not compatible then in a long term perspective leadership will fail and so will the team. The first component of leadership is the leader. A leader must possess certain beliefs, perceptions, characteristics, and skills for good leadership to occur in teams. A leader must hold the Wallenda factor closely. The Wallenda factor is the ability to only think about succeeding, and concentrating on the task at hand and not even thinking about failing. The Wallenda factor was named after a famous tightrope walker Karl Wallenda who fell to his death. Karl Wallenda was preparing for his most challenging stunt of his life. But what he could think for 3 months before stunt was about failing, instead of working hard for the stunt. Checking and supervising the const ruction of his rope, he has never done it before and due to the thoughts of failing he checked it for the first time. (Bennis Nanus, 1997). The willingness to share power and control with the team should be a quality of the leader. Acting like a traditional boss is not good for a leader; he should be like a player or coach to the team. As already seen in the case of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE), leaders must be there for support and encourage employees to solve problems on their own. Hewlett and Packard were typical leaders in the sense that they regularly visited company halls to interact with people and to solve their problems. GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) Way, as the employees feel was a life and the leaders were like colleagues not bosses. They treat employees like equals and there were nothing that could be communicated only to managers and not to employees. [http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk] [Bass, M.B. (1990). Bass Stogdills Handbook of Leadership. New York, NY: The Free Press] [Bennis, W. Nanus, B. (1997).Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge. New York, NY: HarperCollins] [www.sagepub.com] [Hollander, E.P. (1978). Leadership Dynamics. New York: The Free Press] RESOURCES QUANTITY GOALS OBJECTIVES SCHEDULE QUALITY Boundary Management Chart Harvey Robbins created a chart that helps leaders and the team members to know their boundaries specifically. This chart is having goals and objectives in the middle box, resources in the box above it and quality in the box below it. The quantity box is to the left of goals and objectives and to the right is the schedule box. When a team member becomes more skilled the leader will put his or her name in one of the boxes and then that team member will be responsible for that job. The other boxes deal with being in charge of the quality of the product produced, the quantity of the product produced, and in charge of the resources used to produce the product. Other responsibilities assigned to other employees could be added to the chart if needed. The only box, according to Harvey Robbins, that is not negotiable is the center box: goals and objectives. Leaders are not ready to completely give up control of goals and objectives because they must make sure the team members goals and objectives are matching with the organizations goals and objectives. But the team members will be given the opportunity to involve in decision-making (H. Robbins, personal communication, September 15, 1999) An important element of good leadership is trust. Trust can be earned through many ways. In case of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE), one way of creating trust was sharing of information and access to upward communication. A second was allowing team members to take risks without fear of punishment. Instead of firing or giving punishments the culture in GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) was to give reassignments of jobs from which they can learn their mistakes. c) Group structures, goals and objectives. The group structures are important since it plays a vital role in determining the productivity of a group. A group can do better than the collective effect of employees working independently. A successful group leader can lead a group to success. Different organizations structure their groups differently based on their goals and objectives. Groups should not be over crowded with skilled people, at the same time should not lack skills and talents. A group lacking skilled personnel may fail to achieve the said objectives. Goals and objectives provide the team members with the means of doing an act, and the end result will be their successful accomplishment. The groups goals, work plans, procedures, resources etc should be successfully arranged to get good results. When the work is carried out in well managed groups, the groups will enjoy operational and managerial freedom, which can increase their satisfaction towards work. The members of the group should be aware of his/her contribution towards the group and it is being valued, each individual starts viewing the group as an attractive entity. Well managed group structures enable the employees to work in co-operation. The statements that describe about the vision to be accomplished, or the results of any action that will be achieved in the future are known as goals and objectives. Goals provide a wide context of what the vision is and what is it trying to achieve. Objectives are more statements that describe in a narrow context i.e. specific, tangible products, deliverables and fruits that will be delivered as a result of the action. Compared to objectives goals are high level statements. Goals may include more than one objective to achieve since it is at a higher level. To be more precise, achievement of many objectives may result in the accomplishment of a goal. Generally goals cannot be measured. Goals are defined as long-term aims, in which validation is possible in the future while objective accomplishment is a step by step process and can lead to the successful accomplishment of a goal. What the action is trying to achieve is what that matters in objectives. The objectives are concrete statements which should be written at a lower level. Then only it will be possible to evaluate at the conclusion of a goal to check whether it was achieved or not. Compared to goal statements, objectives should not be vague. An excellent objective will be specific, measurable, attainable/achievable, realistic and time-bound. Even though goals and objectives are often used interchangeably, there is a main difference in their level of concreteness. Goals are less structured compared to objectives which are more concrete. In the case study Hewlett and Packard were having clear cut objectives and goals which never hampered the satisfaction of the employees and customers. They considered profitability as a tool to enable other objectives which are equally important to them. But the problems started when the management failed to align the objectives of the organization and the objectives of the employees together. [http://books.google.co.in/books] [www.askscs.com] [www.articlesnatch.com] CONCLUSION Organizational behavior is so important because it studies or investigates about the impact of individuals and groups on behavior within organizations and it is used for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving the effectiveness of the organization. Organizational behavior provides the managers and leaders of the organization, the way through which they should travel and also make their employees travel to achieve organizational goals and objectives. For managers to build up a better work related understanding of themselves and their followers it is important to learn about organizational behavior in todays business environment. As the definition says, a manager has to get his things done through others; the organizational skills become a valuable talent or asset for him. The role of the managers has become more sensitive due to the changing nature of todays business environment. It is now essential to be familiar with handling new work forces, dealing with the complication of new environment and so on. For this, business people have to develop their information about attitude and behavior of individuals, and groups in organizations. In any organization or company, motivation and communication are two important elements in determining the success of the company. Based on motivation itself many theories have been developed to study behavior and characteristics of employees. The internal theory focuses on the differences within the individual that give rise to motivation and behavior. There are also theories about relation between personal needs or desires and organizational needs. The process theory focuses on the relationship of the employees with the company. The external theories focus on the various components in the environment making it a basis explanation of the behavior of the employees at work. Communication is the so important since it is the basis of all activities and it is used by all the employees regardless of their position whether upper or lower for informing about what is going on in the organization or company. An important motivating factor for employees is harmonious relationship in Maslows th eory, which is a type of affiliation. The prior position in determining the satisfaction of the employees is occupied by working environment of the company. The employees when given roles to perform and rewards for their performance can perform better. This is the reason for many companies setting up teams to work and develops a healthy competition among the teams. Management and leadership also play an important role in the ultimate success of the company. Both these terms are essential because one without the other will make the operations of the business incomplete. Leaders can make sure that the team possesses clearly defined goals that match with the overall vision, goals and objectives of the company. Leaders and managers are concerned with effectiveness which will be reflected in the companys operations. Conclusively, OB can create an environment having happy moments of bonding together that can make each employee more intact that can help to maintain teamwork.

The Twilight Saga 5: Midnight Sun 27. Deadlock

Warm, sweeping, glorious, relief, the most powerful emotion that had hit me in days, more forceful than my anger, my agony†¦my pain, rushed over me. This emotion was so full of an alleviation and ease that all of the anguish and distress was leaving my body as I saw the emotions in Bella's eyes again. At the sight, I realized that I never truly appreciated her beauty. My eyes looked up as I silently prayed to whatever entity that kept her alive, letting them know how devoutly thankful I truly am. Looking back at her, the deep depths, the windows to her soul, continued to move in quick irregular motions as she reached up to pull the oxygen tube from her nose. â€Å"No, you don't.† I reached over to stop her hand. My chin was resting only inches from her face when her eyes finally met mine. She was disorientated. â€Å"Edward?† Her voice was hoarse, drained, like she was fatally wounded. A tiny pucker formed between her brows. She tried to focus on my face. â€Å"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry!† She was sorry? What did she need to be sorry for? â€Å"Shhhh.† I attempted to stop her insanity. â€Å"Everything's all right now.† I tried to speak bracing words of comfort. She needn't be so anxious with her frail body being in such a broken state. â€Å"What happened?† Her words were slurred slightly, almost like she was drunk. Memories of the events that happened that fateful morning, which brought her to this place, rushed across my mind. My stomach bubbled with a sickening acid. â€Å"I was almost too late. I could have been too late,† I whispered, torment lacing each syllable. â€Å"I was so stupid, Edward. I thought he had my mom.† Of course, she would try to put the blame on herself. â€Å"He tricked us all,† I said, trying to ease her mind. She really should be resting. â€Å"I need to call Charlie and my mom,† worry was present in her eyes†¦always worried about someone else, anyone else, but herself. â€Å"Alice called them. Rene is here — well, here in the hospital. She's getting something to eat right now.† â€Å"She's here?† She tried to sit up, her body swaying slightly. I couldn't let her hurt herself anymore so I lightly pushed her back down onto the pillows. â€Å"She'll be back soon,† I promised. â€Å"And you need to stay still.† â€Å"But what did you tell her?† Her voice was panicked. â€Å"Why did you tell her I'm here?† Even in her drugged stupor, she was still trying to protect our secret. Without effort, my love radiated out of me along with the agony that rippled through me at the thought of what actually happened just those two days ago. â€Å"You fell down two flights of stairs and through a window.† You were tortured by a vicious vampire and I was nearly too late. â€Å"You have to admit, it could happen.† I tried to lighten the mood with this small joke. She sighed at my bad humor and I could see her wince slightly at the pain it caused. Her eyes finally left mine to roam over her broken and mangled body. â€Å"How bad am I?† She asked, curious. This time I sighed. The damage was extensive. â€Å"You have a broken leg, four broken ribs, some cracks in your skull, bruises covering every inch of your skin, and you've lost a lot of blood. They gave you a few transfusions. I didn't like it — it made you smell all wrong for a while.† I took in a deep breath at the luxurious scent that now filled the small room, letting it sting my throat with the pleasurable burning sensation. â€Å"That must have been a nice change for you,† she half smiled. She had it all wrong though. To imagine her without the palatable scent was almost unbearable, like I had drank all the goodness from her body and it was being replaced by some cheap imitation. â€Å"No, I like how you smell.† â€Å"How did you do it?† Her voice was strained. I knew what she was asking. Many memories stirred from that horrible morning. Blood was coming out of her in torrents, flooding the floor. The blood†¦how did I stop? I remembered the pleasure and the pain that consumed my body at just the mere thought of her warm blood in my mouth, my burning throat with the accompanied obsessive longing finally being quenched. The thought tore at every nerve in my body. The disgust I felt didn't stop me though; I still brought her wrist to my mouth and drank from her. Even when she yanked around in my grasp, thrusting against my hold, screaming, I didn't let go. I didn't even know how I did it. â€Å"I'm not sure,† there was the tiniest quiver in my voice. Gently, I lifted her hand which was wrapped in white gauze, examining it carefully. Along with the ache that seared deep inside me, there was this new indication of what I was. A monster. A creature that should have no part in this angel's life. Lightly caressing her hand I shivered at this sick souvenir that would always be on her wrist which made my dead heart shatter. The wires that connected her to all the monitors were just another vivid reminder on top of everything else at how fragile and breakable she was. Each passing second felt like borrowed time. I sighed. â€Å"It was impossible†¦ to stop,† my voice was low, a whisper. But I did stop; I was able to keep her alive. â€Å"Impossible. But I did.† My eyes met hers, a smile creeping up my face; a great rush of affection washing over me. â€Å"I must love you.† â€Å"Don't I taste as good as I smell?† She returned my smile. The satisfaction†¦the gratifyingly warm blood in my mouth ?C it was beyond delicious. It coursed through my body, sweeter than life. â€Å"Even better — better than I'd imagined.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† she apologized. She was†¦sorry? Again, what was with the apologies? If it wasn't for my stupidity in the first place she wouldn't have even been in the situation to have her blood sucked by me, of all creatures. I looked up to the ceiling in exasperation before returning my gaze to her. â€Å"Of all the things to apologize for.† â€Å"What should I apologize for?† For a moment I was lost in desperate speculation, thoughts consuming my mind momentarily. Only one thing came to mind. â€Å"For very nearly taking yourself away from me forever.† If her life had ended that day†¦I shuddered†¦I too, would have died. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she apologized again. â€Å"I know why you did it. It was still irrational, of course. You should have waited for me, you should have told me.† At this, I realized maybe she didn't trust me as much as I thought. She shouldn't trust me. Because of me, she was here in this hospital bed, for several days, fighting to regain consciousness. â€Å"You wouldn't have let me go,† she explained, like I should have known this. â€Å"No,† I replied in a stern tone. â€Å"I wouldn't.† She shuddered and then slightly winced. My eyes roamed over her to find the culprit of her obvious pain, my nerves being pulled tighter at her discomfort. â€Å"Bella, what's wrong?† I pleaded She ignored me, wanting more answers. â€Å"What happened to James?† James, I growled internally; the enemy being brought to the forefront of my mind. â€Å"After I pulled him off you, Emmett and Jasper took care of him,† I said with clenched teeth. Bella needed me, I knew that, but regardless, jealousy still rippled through me at the thought that it wasn't me who got to pull him apart – it wasn't me who burned him. Her eyebrow furrowed. â€Å"I didn't see Emmett and Jasper there.† â€Å"They had to leave the room†¦ there was a lot of blood.† Everyone's actions that night caught me off guard; all of them behaving like there was not a single drop of blood spilled in the building. Luckily, we all have no need for oxygen. â€Å"But you stayed,† she stated with a deep fervor, her face smoothing. â€Å"Yes, I stayed.† Obviously, I stayed. She needed me†¦she would have died. Preventing that was most important. â€Å"And Alice, and Carlisle †¦Ã¢â‚¬  she said in conjecture. Of course they stayed, too. They consider her part of our family. â€Å"They love you, too, you know.† â€Å"Did Alice see the tape?† She asked anxiously. â€Å"Yes,† I gritted my teeth. I remembered watching the tape through Alice's mind, the things he did to Bella ?C the way he taunted me on the video. â€Å"She was always in the dark, that's why she didn't remember,† Bella explained, distracting me. I nodded. â€Å"I know. She understands now,† I said darkly. That was all James did; hurt people and their families, only leaving reminders of his presence. Bella's hand came up to reach for my face, but the IV stopped her from moving far. â€Å"Ugh.† She winced. My head came up from her pillow, concerned. â€Å"What is it?† I asked anxiously, the image of James still in my view ?C anger still coursing through me. â€Å"Needles,† she explained, looking up like she was going to be sick. She took several deep breaths. Instantly, the anger left my body as humor replaced it. The absurdity of it all ?C she was beaten by a vampire, yet this†¦needle, of all things, makes her sick. â€Å"Afraid of a needle,† I muttered under my breath, shaking my head. â€Å"Oh, a sadistic vampire, intent on torturing her to death, sure, no problem, she runs off to meet him. An IV, on the other hand†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She rolled her eyes. â€Å"Why are you here?† She asked. Instantly, I felt a chill in my stomach. I just stared at her, surveying her face, confusion sweeping over me. Then, it hit me. Maybe she didn't want me here, which is understandable, but it still made my heart ache, my body shriveled in pain. My eyebrows pulled together as a frown replaced my previous amusement. â€Å"Do you want me to leave?† An obvious grimace appearing on my face. â€Å"No!† She protested as loudly as she could. â€Å"No, I meant, why does my mother think you're here? I need to have my story straight before she gets back.† â€Å"Oh,† I breathed, once again, relief burst through me; understanding replacing confusion. She still wants me here! Happiness swelled inside me like a balloon. â€Å"I came to Phoenix to talk some sense into you, to convince you to come back to Forks.† I fixed my face, like I was trying to convince her myself, proving this lie was convincing. â€Å"You agreed to see me, and you drove out to the hotel where I was staying with Carlisle and Alice — of course I was here with parental supervision,† I infused innocently, â€Å"but you tripped on the stairs on the way to my room and†¦ well, you know the rest. You don't need to remember any details, though; you have a good excuse to be a little muddled about the finer points.† Looking into her eyes I could see her mental processes whirling around before she spoke. â€Å"There are a few flaws with that story. Like no broken windows,† she said matter-of-factly. â€Å"Not really,† I chuckled lightly under my breath. â€Å"Alice had a little bit too much fun fabricating evidence. It's all been taken care of very convincingly — you could probably sue the hotel if you wanted to. You have nothing to worry about,† I assured her, caressing her cheek with the lightest of touches, letting her warmth envelope me. â€Å"Your only job now is to heal,† I ordered. I continued to trace my fingers around her magnificent face. Her heart began to jump around wildly, the monitor echoing the erratic palpitations. â€Å"That's going to be embarrassing,† she muttered. This could be more amusing than I realized. Now her heart was beating loudly enough for both of us to hear with all of this equipment magnifying it. I chuckled. â€Å"Hmm, I wonder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I leaned in, deliberately trying to hear her reaction; the beeping noise hammered quickly along with her heart before my cold lips even reached her warm ones. Her heart continued to beat a little faster as I slowly moved in for the kiss. Gently, I reminded myself; placing my lips upon hers, sending a spine tingling sensation through me as she lightly moaned in pleasure. Her heart was racing before it gave a huge bound and then it stopped altogether. Panic hit. I pulled back instantly as the light beeping noise started again. Relief, a feeling that seemed to be recurring over and over today, swept over me. â€Å"It seems that I'm going to have to be even more careful with you than usual,† I grimaced. â€Å"I was not finished kissing you,† she grumbled. â€Å"Don't make me come over there.† Affection gushed up inside me and against my careful stature; a smile crept up my face at her obvious love for me. It was amazing that she still yearned to be with me like I craved to be with her. After everything I had done to her she still wished for a proximity that I was still reluctant to give her; I was filled with a trepidation that I would hurt her, break her, kill her somehow. Despite my thoughts, I still bent down to press my lips lightly to hers. The heat crept up my face and down my veins as it brought warmth to my cold heart. In the hallway, I could hear a discussion being whispered. â€Å"How long will it take before she wakes up?† Rene asked the nurse. Soon, please tell me soon! â€Å"It's up to her, Mrs. Dwyer.† â€Å"Well, thanks anyways,† she sounded defeated. Edward is still in there I bet ?C they have had enough time alone. Who knows what those crazy kids were up to before this accident happened. I pulled out of our kiss. â€Å"I think I hear your mother,† I smiled. â€Å"Don't leave me,† she cried irrationally. Terror was obvious in her deep brown eyes. â€Å"I won't,† I promised solemnly, and then I smiled serenely. â€Å"I'll take a nap.† I jumped from the stiff plastic chair by her side to the turquoise artificial-leather recliner at the foot of her bed, leaning it all the way back, and closing my eyes. I became a statue. â€Å"Don't forget to breathe,† she whispered mockingly. Going along with her humor I took a deep breath, my eyes remained closed. Rene's light echoing footsteps moved towards the door before she lightly pressed against it, causing the door to crack open. She's awake! Rene thought excitedly. Her eyes peeked through the space, hoping to sneak a peek at a possible conversation, eavesdropping before she opened the door all the way to rush towards Bella's open eyes. â€Å"Mom!† Bella croaked out, her voice relieved. Oh, my baby girl, Rene's mind was easing slightly. Through her eyes I could see my still form feigning sleep. Ah, he's asleep†¦but still here. Her annoyed thoughts became verbal. â€Å"He never leaves, does he?† she muttered. â€Å"Mom, I'm so glad to see you!† Bella ignored her mom's spoken thought. Rene's expression cleared, her eyes returning to her daughter. Forget Edward†¦my baby. My beautiful baby girl. She's awake. Tears flowed down Rene's cheeks as she bent down to hug Bella awkwardly. â€Å"Bella, I was so upset!† Rene spluttered through her tears and other inarticulate sounds. I should have never, ever let her go to Forks. What was I thinking? I'm such a fool. â€Å"I'm sorry, Mom. But everything's fine now, it's okay,† Bella tried to reassure her. She's sorry? I'm sorry! Everything's not okay. Look at her†¦all the bruises. At Rene's thoughts, my stomach tightened sickeningly with pain. I felt a pang of unease. The bruises†¦the broken bones†¦they were my fault, no one else's. Sick images swam in my head and continued to come at me relentlessly. Every part of me ached with my idiocy ?C my ignorance ?C at what my clandestine existence ultimately brought to Bella. Thoughts of leaving her echoed through my head, but my love continued to pulse in my heart, my inability to leave her growing stronger. The ongoing battle continued to ensue inside me. â€Å"I'm just glad to finally see your eyes open.† Rene sat down at the end of Bella's bed. Her eyes are so sparkly. To think that there was a possibility that they could never open again†¦she grew sick at the thought, letting it trail off to images of coffins and people dressed in black. Struggling, I tried to push her images from my mind fiercely. My lurking doubts started resurfacing in my mind. I should leave Bella to her life, stop destroying her future. â€Å"How long have they been closed?† Bella gasped, her mouth forming a little O of horror. â€Å"It's Friday, hon, you've been out for a while.† â€Å"Friday?† Her voice was full of stunned disbelief. The two worst days of my life. I had to agree with Rene's thoughts, except they were the worst two days of my entire existence. â€Å"They had to keep you sedated for a while, honey — you've got a lot of injuries.† â€Å"I know,† Bella winced. â€Å"You're lucky Dr. Cullen was there. He's such a nice man†¦ very young, though. And he looks more like a model than a doctor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  If I wasn't married†¦ â€Å"You met Carlisle?† Bella interrupted her fantasy. â€Å"And Edward's sister Alice. She's a lovely girl.† The whole family is breath taking. What kind of food are they feeing them? Only if she knew of the consequences of having our beauty and the blood we drink to continue our deplorable existence. â€Å"She is,† Bella agreed sincerely, unstinting devotion, love emitting from Bella's eyes in rays of emotion. Suddenly I was in Rene's vision. Wow, she really does feel strongly for this family. But, what about this boy? He seems to be around much more than the rest. â€Å"You didn't tell me you had such good friends in Forks,† Rene said suspiciously, turning back to Bella but continuing to steal glances of me over her shoulder. I wonder what their deal is†¦ Rene was busy stealing another glance over her shoulder when Bella moaned in pain. The lamentation of grief reached Rene's ears, her eyes quickly found Bella's. So did mine, flashing open as soon as her mom's attention was no longer on me, panic coursing through me. â€Å"What hurts?† she demanded anxiously, voicing my same concerns. Her thoughts were full of a deep motherly concern, one full of love. â€Å"It's fine,† she tried to relieve our tension. â€Å"I just have to remember not to move.† Her words eased some of my panic. Closing my eyes again, I focused on her through Rene's thoughts. Never again. She's not going back to Forks. Thank god for Phil's contract. She'll be so excited. â€Å"Where's Phil?† Bella blurted out, almost as if she were reading her mother's mind too. â€Å"Florida– oh, Bella! You'll never guess! Just when we were about to leave, the best news!† â€Å"Phil got signed?† Bella interjected. â€Å"Yes! How did you guess! The Suns, can you believe it?† She can finally move back home! Deep down I could feel the hollowing of my insides along with the burning of my heart at the thought of Bella moving away, but it was the best thing she could do. She should leave, graduate high school, college†¦get married and have kids. Not stay with a vampire who could offer her no future. â€Å"That's great, Mom,† she replied in a questioning enthusiasm. I knew what was going to come next. The borrowed time was lessening. Instantly, I became increasingly nervous. â€Å"And you'll like Jacksonville so much,† she jabbered while Bella stared at her vacantly. â€Å"I was a little bit worried when Phil started talking about Akron, what with the snow and everything, because you know how I hate the cold, but now Jacksonville! It's always sunny, and the humidity really isn't that bad. We found the cutest house, yellow, with white trim, and a porch just like in an old movie, and this huge oak tree, and it's just a few minutes from the ocean, and you'll have your own bathroom –â€Å" â€Å"Wait, Mom!† Bella interrupted. â€Å"What are you talking about? I'm not going to Florida. I live in Forks.† My heart, my cold, dead, unbeating heart†¦I swear, it just started beating again. She wanted to stay in a place she hated, and I knew it was because of me. What? Maybe she doesn't understand. Rene smiled. â€Å"But you don't have to anymore, silly,† she laughed. â€Å"Phil will be able to be around so much more now†¦ we've talked about it a lot, and what I'm going to do is trade off on the away games, half the time with you, half the time with him.† â€Å"Mom.† Bella hesitated for a second. Automatically I tried to hear her mind, the space between us silent as ever before she spoke. â€Å"I want to live in Forks. I'm already settled in at school, and I have a couple of girlfriends† — suddenly I was in Rene's vision. It's because of him, I know it. — â€Å"and Charlie needs me. He's just all alone up there, and he can't cook at all.† I wasn't sure why, but it was clear that she didn't want to go to Florida with Rene, and I was all for that plan. Even though it wasn't a good plan. Forks†¦Rene's thoughts were babbling inarticulately. â€Å"You want to stay in Forks?† She spluttered. Again, I was in her vision, my face tense with the conversation. This boy†¦Does she love him, too? Still†¦Forks. Insane. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I told you — school, Charlie — † she shrugged â€Å"ouch!† Bella ?C how do I comfort her? Her hand fluttered uselessly over Bella's body. Her eyes narrowed in on an un-bandaged spot and patted lightly. Seriously, though ?C school? Charlie? I don't believe it. â€Å"Bella, honey, you hate Forks,† she stated firmly. â€Å"It's not so bad.† Well, that wasn't the response I was hoping for. Oh, come on. Rene scoffed. Again, I saw my face flash in front of her eyes before she turned back to Bella. â€Å"Is it this boy?† she whispered. Bella opened her mouth and then closed it. What was she thinking? â€Å"He's part of it,† Bella finally spoke nonchalantly. â€Å"So, have you had a chance to talk with Edward?† â€Å"Yes.† He's quite mysterious†¦ â€Å"And I want to talk to you about that.† How stupid to even consider someone approving of me for their daughter. â€Å"What about?† Her lips pressed together tightly. â€Å"I think that boy is in love with you,† Rene alleged, keeping her voice low. â€Å"I think so, too.† Despite the situation we were under, I grinned at the memory of our time in the meadow, the first time I confessed my love for her. â€Å"And how do you feel about him?† She was pushing for details, which means Bella will have to lie. I cringed internally at that thought. She was a horrible liar. A small gush of air swept in and out of Bella's lungs before she spoke. â€Å"I'm pretty crazy about him.† This made me happy. I nearly took her life, yet, she was still ‘crazy about' me. â€Å"Well, he seems very nice, and, my goodness, he's incredibly good-looking, but you're so young, Bella†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was hoping that I wouldn't have to have ‘the talk' with her until she was older. She sighed. What was I expecting? She is seventeen after all. â€Å"I know that, Mom. Don't worry about it. It's just a crush.† Crush? Just a crush? Her words burned more than my thirst. Deep down I knew she was perpetrating a farce, but still, just like at her house before we left for Phoenix, the words caught me off guard. Crush†¦I can handle that. Then it's not too serious after all. â€Å"That's right,† she agreed. Then she sighed and glanced guiltily over her shoulder at the big, round clock on the wall above my head. I need to get home†¦Phil. He'll be worried if I don't answer the phone. Seeing the time for myself I was disheartened that my time with her was slowly passing by. Sooner than I'd like, I would have to leave her forever. Was I brave enough? Did I have enough will power†¦enough strength? â€Å"Do you need to go?† Bella interrupted my reverie. â€Å"Phil's supposed to call in a little while†¦ I didn't know you were going to wake up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No problem, Mom.† Bella said indifferently. â€Å"I won't be alone.† That's right. I'll be here. She was just so soft and vulnerable. It seemed foolhardy to let her out of my sight, where anything could happen to her. And yet, the worst things that could happen to her would result from being with me. Deep down, I wished that she wasn't better off being away from me. I bet you won't†¦not with Edward keeping an eye on you. â€Å"I'll be back soon. I've been sleeping here, you know.† â€Å"Oh, Mom, you don't have to do that! You can sleep at home — I'll never notice.† The words were slurred slightly, the drugged stupor still not completely worn off. â€Å"I was too nervous,† she admitted sheepishly. â€Å"There's been some crime in the neighborhood, and I don't like being there alone.† Her eyes darted to the newspaper next to the bed. â€Å"Crime?† Bella asked, thunderstruck. It was awful. The building was in ruins. Rene was picturing the remains of the ballet studio. â€Å"Someone broke into that dance studio around the corner from the house and burned it to the ground — there's nothing left at all! And they left a stolen car right out front. Do you remember when you used to dance there, honey?† â€Å"I remember,† her voice quivered slightly under – what I would expect to be ?C bad memories. She looks scared. Maybe I should stay here†¦ â€Å"I can stay, baby, if you need me.† â€Å"No, Mom, I'll be fine. Edward will be with me.† Edward, again. That could also be a good reason to stay. â€Å"I'll be back tonight.† I hope he heard that. She glanced at me again as she thought it. â€Å"I love you, Mom.† â€Å"I love you, too, Bella. Try to be more careful when you walk, honey, I don't want to lose you.† I never realized her clumsiness would come to this though. Seriously ?C a coma in the hospital. I remembered Carlisle looking over Bella's X-ray at the hospital after the van nearly crushed her to death. She had many healed fractures. Trying to suppress laughter, I could stop the grin that spread across my face. I wonder if that hot boy will be in the room. I heard the nurse's thoughts that checked on Bella yesterday. She came bustling in then to check all of the tubes and wires. Rene watched the nurse for a minute. I better get going. I don't want to miss Phil's phone call. He'll be elated to hear that she is awake finally. She kissed Bella's forehead, patted her gauze-wrapped hand, and left. The nurse was checking the paper readout on the heart monitor. Hum†¦I wonder if this is because of him. The nurse pictured my face. He makes my heart do funny things, too. Maybe she is just worried or nervous. I would be if I woke up from a coma, too. â€Å"Are you feeling anxious, honey? Your heart rate got a little high there.† After Rene left I opened my eyes, watching the nurse interact with Bella, pushing her thoughts from my mind. â€Å"I'm fine,† Bella assured the nurse. I'm sure you are. I'd be fine too if he was at my bed side. â€Å"I'll tell your RN that you're awake. She'll be in to see you in a minute.† The nurse turned on her heals and strode quickly out of the room. It took me less than a second to move to her side, so quickly that she didn't see me move from point A to point B. Instead of her being surprised, her tiny eyebrows rose in humor. â€Å"You stole a car?† Duh, I wanted to say. Instead I just smiled. â€Å"It was a good car, very fast,† I refused to apologize; she didn't seem to mind. It had to be fast, my only purpose was to get to her as quickly as I could†¦to save her life before James had the opportunity to take her away from me forever. I was too late, but just in time to barely reverse the effects of the venom that had rushed down her veins. â€Å"How was your nap?† She smirked. â€Å"Interesting.† My mind was wondering, remembering her plea to stay in Forks and her word crush. My eyes narrowed slightly and she noticed the change in my facial features. â€Å"What?† Honestly, I was happy with her response to stay in Forks, but disappointed all the same because now I had to find the courage to tell her to go, that she would be better off without me in her life. Was I brave enough? Was I that self sacrificing? By the look on her face she had already read too much into my face so I looked down. â€Å"I'm surprised. I thought Florida †¦ and your mother†¦well; I thought that's what you would want.† The many nights I watched her sleep, as her worries and thoughts were spoken freely, let me know how much she truly cared for her mother. Also, when she talked about Rene it was if a parent were talking about a child. Was she just tired of the responsibility of her mother? That was uncharacteristic of her, so probably not the culprit to her reasoning to stay in Forks. The word crush rang through my mind again and so I couldn't be the reason, either. When I finally looked up she was staring at me uncomprehendingly. â€Å"But you'd be stuck inside all day in Florida. You'd only be able to come out at night, just like a real vampire.† A real vampire? What am I, chopped liver? The humor quickly passed. It was time to convince her to go back home†¦to Florida. â€Å"I would stay in Forks, Bella. Or somewhere like it,† I explained.† Someplace where I couldn't hurt you anymore.† She stared at me with a blank expression, like she was having trouble processing my words. Was it the drugs? Maybe this conversation should wait until she was more aware and alert. I was just making excuses. Her lips turned down into an unfathomable expression as the monitor magnified her heart beats which were quickly increasing. The beeping nose and the pounding in her chest were reaching a dangerous point, going so fast I was nervous. Her breathing picked up along with her heart. Soon, she was gasping, hyperventilating. Her eyes began to water as her face contorted into a horrible grimace of pain. The soft lines of her face were suddenly sharp and defined. I didn't know what to do, what to say. That beeping doesn't sound good. I better go check it out. A different nurse came marching into the room. Maybe she had a remedy that I didn't. She looked over the monitors to see that her regular heart beat, and the insane palpitations that were pulsing wildly through her, were not the same. Wow, she looks like she is in a lot of pain. Jeesh, what a tortured face. . â€Å"Time for more pain meds, sweetheart?† she asked sweetly, tapping the IV feed. â€Å"No, no,† Bella choked out, the pain still clearly in her tone. â€Å"I don't need anything.† Of course, she didn't want to seem weak. â€Å"No need to be brave, honey. It's better if you don't get too stressed out; you need to rest.† The nurse waited, but she just shook her head. â€Å"Okay,† she sighed. â€Å"Hit the call button when you're ready.† This better not be his fault or I'm going to kick him out of the room so she can get some rest. The nurse's stare bore into me, like she was trying to burn a hole through my skull before she glanced at the machinery like she was warning me she could hear it. She left the room. I'll be listening. Ignoring the overly observant nurse I placed my hands on Bella's face to bring her attention back to our conversation. Her eyes were full of moisture, the look in them wild with unease and anxiety. Her heart was still bounding wildly ahead. â€Å"Shhh, Bella, calm down.† I tried to soothe her. â€Å"Don't leave me,† she begged me, her voice cracking with the pain. Her pupils dilated in terror as her lips trembled uncontrollably. When she begged like this, how could I deny her anything? All my plans, all my thoughts†¦every second of deciding to leave her crumbled into little pieces. â€Å"I won't,† I promised. â€Å"Now relax before I call the nurse back to sedate you.† Still, her heart continued to thunder along, not relaxing one bit to my words. Great, I was going to give her a heart attack. All my efforts to keep her alive and just the mere thought of my absence would send her over the edge. A second was all it took to change everything: the atmosphere in the room, my mission here, the reason I leaned toward the glorious soul in front of me†¦ What had been for one purpose before was now for another. To stay. To keep her alive. To prevent her heart from exploding with the pain that I was feeling too. â€Å"Bella.† I lightly brushed her face apprehensively. â€Å"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here as long as you need me,† I promised. â€Å"Do you swear you won't leave me?† She whispered a small splutter of terror. She was gasping for air as her heart continued to beat out of control, her pulse continuing to reach a danger point. Her reactions robbed me temporarily of breath. It was oddly disembodying trying to understand her fear, because it was me who couldn't live without her. It shouldn't be the other way around. Before the nurse decides to kick me out of the room I had to calm her down. I took her face between my hands. Her warmth crept up my body slowly as I brought my face only inches from hers before whispering to her, â€Å"I swear.† Her breath was filling the air between us. It was very appealing, but in this moment I was too worried about her heart and her breathing. Each second the rhythmic motion of her breath and her heart slowed. I refused to let go of her until she had calmed down. When the monitors had quieted I sighed in relief. â€Å"Better?† I asked, surveying her face. â€Å"Yes,† she answered, her voice sounded guarded. Under my breath I began muttering so low she wouldn't hear me. â€Å"Beautiful, insane, overly sensitive girl. What an overreaction.† I shook my head. â€Å"Why did you say that?† She whispered. At first, I didn't know if she actually heard what I had muttered. â€Å"Are you tired of having to save me all the time? Do you want me to go away?† Again, insane. With increasing desperation I tried to explain to her that I did want her, that it would literally kill me if she went away. â€Å"No, I don't want to be without you, Bella, of course not. Be rational,† I added sensibly. â€Å"And I have no problem with saving you, either — if it weren't for the fact that I was the one putting you in danger†¦ that I'm the reason that you're here.† â€Å"Yes, you are the reason,† she interjected with a frown. â€Å"The reason I'm here –alive.† I had less resolution than ever. â€Å"Barely.† I choked out. â€Å"Covered in gauze and plaster and hardly able to move.† I stared down at her like it would force her to mend. â€Å"I wasn't referring to my most recent near-death experience,† her voice was slightly irritated. Staring at her, I tried to read her eyes. Yes, I saved her in the past, but that had nothing to do with the present. She was still in this hospital bed because of me. The silence tautened and strained. She finally spoke. â€Å"I was thinking of the others — you can take your pick. If it weren't for you, I would be rotting away in the Forks cemetery.† Her voice was like an angry drunken titter from all the drugs in her system. The memories made me wince several times. The van, Port Angeles†¦my thoughts trailed off, not wanting to think of where she would be if I wasn't there to intercede on her behalf. Then I realized I had already made my decision. I wasn't going to let her leave. If she did I would follow her, even if she was unaware of it. No matter what, I would watch over her, keep her from harm, for as long as I could justify it. Luckily, I don't see how she would ever not need me to keep her safe. I suddenly found myself wishing that her clumsiness would never go away. I looked at her gauze covered wrist, my original thoughts surfacing. â€Å"That's not the worst part, though,† I continued, ignoring her previous words of comfort.†Not seeing you there on the floor†¦ crumpled and broken.† The words caught in my throat. â€Å"Not thinking I was too late. Not even hearing you scream in pain — all those unbearable memories that I'll carry with me for the rest of eternity. No, the very worst was feeling†¦ knowing that I couldn't stop. Believing that I was going to kill you myself,† my voice tailed away feebly as the memory of her blood in my mouth, swirling sweetly down my throat, surfaced. â€Å"But you didn't,† she pointed out. â€Å"I could have. So easily.† Her breath came a little quicker again. Panic was obvious in her eyes. Did she finally understand that she should fear me? â€Å"Promise me,† she whispered. â€Å"What?† â€Å"You know what.† She gave me an insolent stare. I was wrong; she didn't fear me, just the opposite. How can I promise to never leave when I know one day I will have to? Not now, though. I can't leave her now when she needs me. Still, I gazed uncertainly towards her, my eyes automatically tightening. A lurking doubt resurfaced in my mind. She's here because of me. This is my fault. If I stay ?C this might happen again. I couldn't have that. I could feel the warmth of her pulse in the air and on my skin. Trying to master myself I realized that my time with her was ticking away. Hearing her voice – an extraordinary tonic, I might add – after the two days of complete and utter silence, settled my thoughts. â€Å"I don't seem to be strong enough to stay away from you, so I suppose that you'll get your way†¦ whether it kills you or not,† my tone growing more forlorn with each word. â€Å"Good.† She stated firmly. â€Å"You told me how you stopped†¦ now I want to know why,† she demanded. â€Å"Why?† I repeated warily, I hadn't recovered from the shock of the question. â€Å"Why you did it. Why didn't you just let the venom spread? By now I would be just like you.† Her words fell oddly upon my ears and were an unpleasant surprise. Words I didn't expect to hear come out of her mouth. Where did she learn this? In that precise moment it hit me like a bolt of lightning. Alice. A scathing noise escaped my lips as I thought about this. She was a bit sneakier than I realized. But telling Bella about vampire transformations was crossing the line. I couldn't suppress a shiver of loathing. I could feel my nostrils flaring as my lips grew tighter together. I didn't respond, not knowing if Alice really told her, or if it was another one of those legends she read about and was merely guessing how the conversion worked. Bella broke the silence. â€Å"I'll be the first to admit that I have no experience with relationships, but it just seems logical†¦ a man and woman have to be somewhat equal†¦ as in, one of them can't always be swooping in and saving the other one. They have to save each other equally.† It seems her knowledge is not as extensive as I first thought. Of course, in movies and books vampires had to bite their victims to turn them. It was easy for her to deduct these things. Instead of getting angry, I folded my arms on the side of her bed and rested my chin on my arms. Still, I will have to have a†¦talk†¦with Alice. I thought about what Bella said though, about saving each other equally. She doesn't realize how much she has saved me, how she pulled me out of the deepest depression that even Jasper has ever seen. My whole family has fallen in love with Bella merely for what her presence has done for me. â€Å"You have saved me,† I said quietly, letting her in on my revelation. â€Å"I can't always be Lois Lane,† she insisted, ignoring me. â€Å"I want to be Superman, too.† Her statements still had me utterly bewildered. She wanted to be a vampire. Of all things in the world that she could ask for, she asks for the one thing I refuse to give. I was unsure of the best way to approach the subject. Bella, I might kill you in the process and you will burn for three days and beg for death before you finally turn into a vampire who never sleeps and is always aching to quench ones thirst. No, that is too much information. â€Å"You don't know what you're asking.† I stared at the edge of her pillowcase, afraid she might see my thoughts displayed across my face. â€Å"I think I do.† â€Å"Bella, you don't know. I've had almost ninety years to think about this, and I'm still not sure,† I tried not to succumb to the rage I felt bubbling under my skin. Why was she pushing this subject? â€Å"Do you wish that Carlisle hadn't saved you?† â€Å"No, I don't wish that.† I used to, but now I realize my fate included Bella, and I would have never met her without Carlisle's rash decision to turn me. â€Å"But my life was over. I wasn't giving anything up.† â€Å"You are my life. You're the only thing it would hurt me to lose,† she admitted, not the least bit embarrassed. No matter how much she pleaded with me, I would never take her soul. It wasn't up for debate. â€Å"I can't do it, Bella. I won't do that to you.† â€Å"Why not?† She croaked. â€Å"Don't tell me it's too hard! After today, or I guess it was a few days ago†¦ anyway, after that, it should be nothing.† I glared at her. A positively dangerous look crept across my face. â€Å"And the pain?† I asked, curious. She flinched, obviously remembering the fire that burned through her veins. â€Å"That's my problem,† she said coolly. â€Å"I can handle it.† Insane. â€Å"It's possible to take bravery to the point where it becomes insanity.† â€Å"It's not an issue. Three days. Big deal.† Shock so huge it rooted me to the spot and roughly burst through me. Three days. This was something that could have only been told by another vampire. It wasn't Jasper, he respects other's wishes. Alice, on the other hand†¦the very nosy, annoying, short vampire that receives visions, has been pressing the ‘turn Bella into a vampire' campaign for a while now. I wonder what vision she is seeing now. It must be flickering, I haven't decided how I am going to get even with her for telling Bella about this. Venom was thundering through my veins. Enough was enough. I didn't want to flat out tell her no. I wanted her to want to be human. Maybe she needed reminders of why she should stay human. â€Å"Charlie?† I asked curtly. â€Å"Rene?† A blank silence greeted my words. She was opening and closing her mouth like words wouldn't form. I waited for her response, but obviously, she didn't have one. Did she finally reach her senses? â€Å"Look, that's not an issue either,† she finally muttered an obvious lie. Apparently she hasn't reached her senses. â€Å"Rene has always made the choices that work for her — she'd want me to do the same. And Charlie's resilient; he's used to being on his own. I can't take care of them forever. I have my own life to live.† Was she missing the key words here? If she were to stay human she would have a life to live. If she were a vampire, on the other hand, her life would just become this limitless existence that I refused to make her be a part of. â€Å"Exactly,† I snapped. â€Å"And I won't end it for you.† My careful composure was slipping. â€Å"If you're waiting for me to be on my deathbed, I've got news for you! I was just there!† Lame justification. â€Å"You're going to recover,† I reminded her. She took a deep breath at my words, returning my stare. There was no compromise in her face, and I wasn't budging either. â€Å"No,† Bella said slowly. â€Å"I'm not.† Anger vanished, fear replaced it. Was something else wrong with her†¦like cancer? Was she not telling me something? No, her life couldn't be like one of those sad stories you read about. My forehead automatically creased with worry. â€Å"Of course you are. You may have a scar or two†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You're wrong,† she insisted. â€Å"I'm going to die.† No! She was not going to die, she was going to live. I would fight for her, keep her alive. A sense of hopelessness engulfed me. My mind was lost in a desperate speculation. Panic flared within me. â€Å"Really, Bella.† Anxiety broke through my voice. â€Å"You'll be out of here in a few days. Two weeks at most.† She glared at me like I was an idiot. â€Å"I may not die now†¦ but I'm going to die sometime. Every minute of the day, I get closer. And I'm going to get old.† Relief, glorious relief. I frowned at her as her words finally released the tension that built so suddenly. My fingers found my temples as I began to rub them, trying to soothe my troubled mind, closing my eyes. â€Å"That's how it's supposed to happen. How it should happen. How it would have happened if I didn't exist — and I shouldn't exist.† She snorted. I opened my eyes in surprise. â€Å"That's stupid. That's like going to someone who's just won the lottery, taking their money, and saying, ‘Look, let's just go back to how things should be. It's better that way.' And I'm not buying it.† She might have made a point if she used something besides the lottery as an example. â€Å"I'm hardly a lottery prize,† I growled, anger returning. â€Å"That's right. You're much better,† she pointed out. I rolled my eyes and my lips grew tight. It doesn't matter what else she says, she's wasting her breath. To take her soul would be the last thing on earth I would do. She will stay human. Even if Alice tries to take a bite I will tackle and kill if I must. â€Å"Bella, we're not having this discussion anymore. I refuse to damn you to an eternity of night and that's the end of it.† Now stop, I added internally. â€Å"If you think that's the end, then you don't know me very well,† she warned me. â€Å"You're not the only vampire I know.† I will stop her by any means. â€Å"Alice wouldn't dare,† I growled aloud. â€Å"Alice already saw it, didn't she?† She guessed. â€Å"That's why the things she says upset you. She knows I'm going to be like you†¦ someday.† Dammit! I slipped up. Bella is just too perceptive. I'm going to have to be doubly careful what I say around her, choosing my words more carefully. It's just so hard in a heated argument. â€Å"She's wrong,† I barked angrily. â€Å"She also saw you dead, but that didn't happen, either.† â€Å"You'll never catch me betting against Alice,† she retorted. We glared at each other for several long minutes. The regular intervals of the machines continued into our silence. Bella's heart was weirdly steady considering the heated discussion we just had. She was lying down but her chin till jutted out, her forehead was creased with thought and her lips pursed. My angry expression cleared at her beauty. It was heard to stay upset with such a glorious creature. â€Å"So where does that leave us?† She wondered. I chuckled darkly. â€Å"I believe it's called an impasse.† She sighed. â€Å"Ouch,† she muttered. â€Å"How are you feeling?† I asked. My eyes found the button for the nurse. I wanted to bring my original threat back into play if she didn't behave ?C sedation. â€Å"I'm fine,† she lied, her pain was breaking through the pretense. â€Å"I don't believe you,† I said gently. â€Å"I'm not going back to sleep,† she argued, refusing to let anyone think she was weak. â€Å"You need rest. All this arguing isn't good for you.† â€Å"So give in,† she suggested. â€Å"Nice try.† She wasn't behaving. Time for impulsive action. I reached for the button. â€Å"No!† Her eyes saw my hand reach out. I ignored her. â€Å"Yes?† the speaker on the wall squawked. â€Å"I think we're ready for more pain medication,† I said calmly, ignoring her furious expression. â€Å"I'll send in the nurse.† â€Å"I won't take it,† she said vehemently. Pills? Doubtful. I looked toward the sack of fluids hanging beside her bed. â€Å"I don't think they're going to ask you to swallow anything,† I smiled ruefully. The thundering of her heart jumped up into a faster face. Looking into her deep eyes I read the irrational fear. She needs rest, and medication will make the pain go away so she can do just that. It isn't like there are going to be sticking her with needles. I sighed in frustration. â€Å"Bella, you're in pain. You need to relax so you can heal. Why are you being so difficult? They're not going to put any more needles in you now.† â€Å"I'm not afraid of the needles,† she cried out. â€Å"I'm afraid to close my eyes.† It was hard to be frustrated at her when she said those words. Jubilation doused my previous anger. I smiled. She was just worried that I wouldn't be here. Hadn't I made it clear that I wasn't going anywhere? Her thoughts were completely irrational. I took her face in between my hands so she had to look at me. â€Å"I told you I'm not going anywhere. Don't be afraid. As long as it makes you happy, I'll be here.† She smiled back. â€Å"You're talking about forever, you know.† Then, I remembered her words to Rene. â€Å"Oh, you'll get over it — it's just a crush.† She shook her head in disbelief. â€Å"I was shocked when Rene swallowed that one. I know you know better.† One day she will outgrow me, though. My worst fear, yet I prayed she was right, that she would want me forever. â€Å"That's the beautiful thing about being human,† I whispered. â€Å"Things change.† Her eyes narrowed. â€Å"Don't hold your breath,† she retorted. I laughed. I could hold my breath forever if I had too, though I would never do it for something as stupid as wanting Bella to leave me. The nurse came into the room brandishing a syringe. Get out of my way. â€Å"Excuse me,† she said harshly to me. I got up and crossed to the end of the small room, leaning against the wall. I folded My arms and waited. Bella kept her eyes on me, still apprehensive. I met her gaze calmly. â€Å"Here you go, honey.† The nurse smiled as she injected the medicine into Bella's IV. â€Å"You'll feel better now.† â€Å"Thanks,† Bella mumbled, unenthusiastic. It didn't take long. Bella's head already began to lull from side to side. â€Å"That ought to do it,† the nurse muttered as Bella's eyelids drooped. The nurse promptly left the room, eyeing me suspiciously. Even though she was obviously losing consciousness I rushed over to Bella to place my hands on her face, to hold her head still. â€Å"Stay.† Bella slurred. â€Å"I will,† I promised. â€Å"Like I said, as long as it makes you happy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated, not long enough for Bella to notice. â€Å"As long as it's what's best for you,† I added to my statement. â€Å"‘S not the same thing,† she mumbled more inarticulate words. Watching her trying to beat off the medication was kind of†¦hilarious. I laughed. â€Å"Don't worry about that now, Bella. You can argue with me when you wake up.† A cheesy grin spread across her face as her eyes became small slits. ‘†Kay.† I continued to try and suppress laughter. I was very glad Emmett wasn't here, the jokes would never end. Looking down at my now drunken beauty, I brought my lips to her ear. â€Å"I love you,† I whispered. â€Å"Me, too.† â€Å"I know,† I laughed quietly at my joke, remembering her saying that when I finally sucked the venom out of her wrist and told her I loved her. Again, I tried to suppress laughter as her head lulled sideways, her lips puckering at a funny angle, facing the opposite direction of my face. I shook my head and brought my lips to hers. â€Å"Thanks,† she sighed. â€Å"Anytime,† I chuckled. She went limp in the bed, but was still struggling to reach reality. â€Å"Ed..war?† she tried to say my name, but it came out all wrong. â€Å"Yes?† I smiled down at her â€Å"I'm betting on Alice,† she mumbled, her words clearer this time. My humor vanished, a frown replaced my smile. This argument was far from over, but no matter what, our deadlock would remain. I kissed her forehead and sat down next to her to hold her hand until she wakes again.