The Moral Rationalist An Analysis Of Self Control

PLATO THE MORAL RATIONALIST: AN ANALYSIS OF SELF-CONTROL IN THE REPUBLIC Plato in his Republic thoughtfully examines how an individual’s soul can attain self-control, as well as implications it carries with it —such as its correspondence with the structure of the city, unity in having ‘stronger’ rule, and social reputations — all reasons that become riddled with fallacies as Plato comes to contradict himself such as in the liability of error and social perceptions being just. Plato, through his mouthpiece Socrates, remarks on the â€Å"ridiculous† nature of self-control (430e-431a) and is only subdued in his application of the term in the context of the soul and its ability to create amity. The various components of the soul, according to Plato’s Socrates in Book IV, consists of ‘Reason’, ‘Spirit’, and ‘Appetite’ (436a). These divisions of the soul are used to correspond to three distinctive classes in Kallipolis —‘rulers’, ‘guardians’, and ‘craftsmen’ —all which Plato’s text argues equates to specific fractions of the soul. By associating parts of the soul with classes Plato consciously sets up the discussion for which part of the soul is naturally suited to rule. Reverting back to Book I to Thrasymachus’ earlier argument, the definition of justice as â€Å"nothing other than the advantage of the stronger† (338c), the ‘stronger’ in the Kallipolis is undoubtedly claimed to be the rulers. In its association with the ‘rational’ component of the soul, with the rulers being theShow MoreRelatedLeadership Analysis : The Everest Simulation Essay1906 Words   |  8 Pagesteams in high-pressure situations. 2.2 Management Research Evidence Mitchell, et al (1970) provide a critical analysis of the contingency model, and suggests alternative ways in which to assess situational favourability. Mitchell, et al (1970) begin by reviewing the underlying concepts of the contingency model. They confirm the suggestion that effective leadership relies on the style and control that a leader exerts over a situation, as well confirming the three dimensions Fielder uses to evaluate aRead More Dada Surrealism Essay1237 Words   |  5 Pageswork. They also felt that,? everything obscure in the mind, buried deep, unrevealed?, (Fiero 41) as one French playwright revealed. Each artist of the Dada era had a new way of expressing Freud?s ideas. They also felt that art was a powerful means of self-revelation, and that the images came from ones subconscious mind had a truth of its own. As Marcel Duchamp mocked the Mona Lisa by drawing a Padilla 3 mustache on her, stated that the painting was a lewd message set by the conventional way of think ingRead MoreThe Legal System And Ethics2299 Words   |  10 Pagesthrough time are the principles of Empiricism and Rationalism. Empiricism, or the concept of Empiricism, refers to sense perception or the belief that things are probability based instead of having a certain set of results or predicted outcomes. Rationalist on the other hand have a firm belief in the certainty of human knowledge. Under these two traditions enlightened thinkers such as Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu and Hobbes, under two philosophical theories of their time, under the philosophical theoriesRead MoreEthics Is The Study Of Right And Wrong Things Are Done By Thomas Nagel Essay2079 Words   |  9 Pageswrong and can be thought of as almost identical to moral law. The word Ethics comes from the Latin word mos and the Greek word ethos, meaning ‘the way things are done’. Thomas Nagel, a professor of philosophy and Fiorello LaGuardia Professor of Law at New York University is a well-known writer o f Ethics who provides an insightful perspective to ethical reasoning. Nagel believes there are objective moral truths; he claims one can perform a moral act that is defensible from an external point of viewRead MoreEssay on Should Polluters Pay For Polluting? 1998 Words   |  8 PagesThesis: If polluters are harming the environment, the pollution is a moral danger to the ecosystem and should be resolved. If polluters can pay economic compensation for their disruption of the environment, this will not necessarily resolve the problems of the environment. Three authors in this essay offer different perspectives on the issue of making polluters pay, their explicit views of this subject are not observably mentioned in their work, just different positions for and against the ideaRead MoreDreams And Their Implications Of Dreams Essay2024 Words   |  9 PagesThere are numerous certainties that are obscure about dreams and their implications. For a considerable length of time, rationali sts and researchers have attempted to comprehend the significance of dreams. They have all been entranced by the way that the substance of dreams may have implications identifying with one s life. Are dreams only considerations in individuals brains, or are dreams in truth representations of various territories in individuals lives? Dreams speak to a wide range ofRead More5- Islamic Civilization (fall; a force; world peace).6212 Words   |  25 Pagesmacro-economic imbalances. It is far behind major industrial, and even some developing countries, in almost all fields of life, including the economic, political, educational, technological and military. The author also proceeds to point out the moral failure of Muslim majority countries with deep-rooted inequalities of income and wealth, conflict and disunity. The masses live in poverty alongside small elites who live in luxury. The author considers that an explanatory model is needed for theRead MoreEssay on Romanticism4035 Words   |  17 Pagesmany different forms of the movement, is a concern with the divided self. As the empirical Rationalism of the eighteenth century was partially subverted by the subjective metaphysical reflection in the nineteenth artists tended to examine wider issues from an introspective starting point. The idea of the divided self became a motif from Blakes Albion to Byrons Manfred to Keats musings on the disassociated nature of the Poetic Self. Some writers personified this division in distinct physical manifestationsRead MoreThe Evil of Politics and the Ethics of Evil10364 Words   |  42 Pagesposterity. The historyof political thought is the history of the moral evaluation of political power. Even when mankind seems to be preoccupiedwith the science of mans political nature and considers ethics either as an empirical science or not at all, the moral issues raise their voices and demand an answer. The answers, like the questions, are mumbled, ambiguous, and distorted when the scientific prejudicesdo not allow the moral problems to be seen in their true light and the answersto be givenRead MoreHuman Resource Essay example3782 Words   |  16 Pagesthe centrality of the human subject, of the Self, as the essential determination (locus) of the modern sense of work, production, and consumption (Costea, Crump, Amiridis – reading for seminar 1). Put much more simply, the context of which HRM is part is the Century of the Self – the century of the ‘Me, Me, Me’ generations always in search of Maslowian self-actualisation. The underlying mechanism of HRM lies in what Tipton called the ‘ethics of self-work’ (discussed by Heelas), or what we term

Why Does The Author State That There Is No Better Time...

PSYCH 412 – Article Reflection 1 Dr. Love 1 September 2016 Part I: 1. Why does the author state that there is no better time than right now to significantly review how we’re raising teenagers? Provide and explain three reasons. The author of the article states that there is no better time than now to review how we are raising teenagers for many reasons. First and foremost there have been many strides taken recently to understand how the adolescent brain develops, strengthening ones understanding, and in turn, shedding light on errors made in the way adolescents are being raised in relation to their neuro-development. This means that because scientists have learned substantial information about the brain recently, it is important to reevaluate how parents are raising teenagers now more than ever. Second, according to the article it is a good time to review how we are raising teenagers because children are becoming adolescents earlier based on their physical maturation increasing faster each year, therefore it is important to examine why this is occurring. Finally, the author states that there is no better time to review how we are raising teenagers because of the recent discovery that the brain is malleable during adolescence due to neuroplasticity, meaning that the brain is able to be transformed during this time period solely based on the environment in which these individuals are exposed to, as per the article (Steinberg, 2014). 2. Why does the author feel it is bothShow MoreRelatedThe Death Of The Author1194 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Death of the Author,† he explores that reading is done through a lens of the authors life. According the Dictionary.com, to read is to â€Å"comprehend the meaning of (written or printed matter) by mentally interpreting the characters or symbols of which it is composed.† Barthes argues that the reader spends to much time allowing the author’s identity to get in the way of comprehending the meaning of the ‘written or printed matter.’ He then goes on to say that reading is way more than just a means toRead MoreWhy Should Not Be A Degree? Essay1204 Words   |  5 Pagescollege degree no longer guarantees success, many people are now questioning the value of a post-secondary education. With all the risks involved with getting a degree, it has become very important to evaluate your reasons for going to school. Statistics show that obtaining a degree raises the chances of becoming wealthy, but for most graduates that has become relative to their major. For some, obtaining a college degree could result in a better quality job. While for others, it could end in studentRead More Comparing William Bennetts Leave Marriage Alone and Andrew Sullivans Let Gays Marry1537 Words   |  7 Pagesthe argument between two authors: William J. Bennett and Andrew Sullivan. The two authors come from different countries and have different opinion about same sex marriage. Sullivan agrees with the gay marriage because of human right, on the other hand, Bennett contradicts his idea because he believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Even though their theories are totally different, their opinions are very well established. In Bennett’s essay, he does not want to support gay-marriageRead MoreHomeschooling : The Common Myths About Homeschooling894 Words   |  4 Pagesregulations that may apply in their state or country. Today, homeschooling is a broadly acknowledge educational alternative to traditional public or private schools, yet some people are not aware of what homeschools are like or the effects it may have on students. In his article, â€Å"Revisiting the Common Myths about Homeschooling,† Michael Romanowski, a professor of education in the Middle East, writes about four common myths about homeschooling and explains why the they are not true. On the contraryRead MoreReconciling Edna s Suicide And The Criticism Surrounding861 Words   |  4 Pagesthe reason she acts the way she does. Bird says â€Å"Edna is still a child emotionally and continually looks for a motherly influence.† Bird makes a point that throughout the story Edna regresses back to a child all the way to the womb, or water. She is saying that this is a form of insanity and that is why she died. Bird also makes a point that Edna knows exactly what she is doing. Bird says â€Å"Edna now makes decisions (such as moving out of the house) based on what is right for her, choices that will drasticallyRead MoreSex Ed By Anna Quindelen Essay840 Words   |  4 PagesIn her essay â€Å"Sex Ed†, Anna Quindelen, a New York Times Columnist, journalist, and novelist, describes why teens should be taught sexual education by family members and loved ones rather than by teachers (Quindelen 183). In the essay, the author states that girls know the anatomy of a female’s reproductive system, and can tell the beginning and end of the ovarian cycles but can still end up pregnant. Knowledge isn’t always the right way to getting a point across. Desensitizing teens to importantRead MoreThe Border Fence Essay1339 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Brian Wagner Eng-1102-115 Essay #1- The Border Fence 9/16/13 In the essay â€Å"The Fence of Lies† the author Mario Vargas Llosa’s thesis is that the border fence between Mexico and the United States is a bad idea and a waste of taxpayer’s money. Some of the main points he uses to strengthen his argument are that it is purely a political ploy to get officials re-elected, that the fence is far too costly and the construction will never happen, and the money should be spent elsewhere. In additionRead MoreChild Abuse And Protection By Tommy Mackay Liz Malcolm Psychological Journal909 Words   |  4 Pagesever looked at a child in the eyes and sensed something, just something, was not right? Have you ever been that child that has something to share but you do not know who to talk to or what to say? This goes on all the time with children of today’s day and age. I call it the new parent age. The new parent believes that it is ok to punish the child in very demining ways. This is what is known as child abuse to the sta te. In Tommy MacKay Liz Malcolm psychological journal entitled â€Å"Guest Editorial:Read MoreThe Expansion Of The Oil Sands1459 Words   |  6 Pagesleader in the oil sands industry. Over the past few years there has been controversy in Canada over oil production. Some say we should continue to expand the production of oil and others say we should try to reduce our production. The first article â€Å"Why Canada needs to develop the oil sands† by Konrad Yakabuski argues that Canada should continue to expand the oil sands. Contradictory to the first article, the second article â€Å"Stop oilsands expansion, Canadian and U.S. researchers say† argues that CanadaRead MoreIn The Political World There Are Two Major Standpoints,1329 Words   |  6 PagesIn the political world there are two major standpoints, either right or left. Either side has its own views about everything from job creation to how rich or poor Americans are at the current time. The right tends to ar gue that the American people are gaining momentum when it comes to climbing the rungs of the ladder to more wealth while the left sees the opposite view and the American people are slipping further down hill becoming poorer and poorer. Two men from opposite sides of the isle stand

Anatomy and Physiology of the Breast Free Essays

Anatomy Physiology Information Flowchart/Display The Incredible Human Body Flip Charts 03. 03. 001 Your body is one of the most amazing machines you’ll find anywhere! Find out what’s inside of you, and learn about how your different organs work. We will write a custom essay sample on Anatomy and Physiology of the Breast or any similar topic only for you Order Now Look at the clear plastic overlay charts to see how the different body structures fit together. And when think you’ve learned everything, try out the Mix ; Match Human Body Sticker Quiz! The is flowchart includes: 12 body charts, 5 guesthouse layer posters and 18 reusable peel-off stickers. Copyright 2008, Hastings ; Rather Health Promotion Resources Centre Page 1 Anatomy ; Physiology Game The Body Game 03. 04. 001 Jane Bunting and Jane Coney All children are fascinated by the human body and how it works. The Body Game is a fun way for children to find out about different parts of the human body and discover what these parts of the body can do. Designed for children aged 3 to 6. Page 2 Anatomy ; Physiology Model/Teaching Aid Cross Section Heart Model 03. 07. 020 Female Reproductive Display 03. 07. 017 This soft foamed model separates to create a cross-section view of the heart for hands-on classroom demonstrations. https://donemyessay.com/anatomy-and-physiology/ The areas of the heart are labeled on the inside. Model measures CACM in diameter. Ages 7+ The Female Reproductive Display effectively shows the parts of the female each part has and process of fertilization. Complete with 7 removable parts, 8 labels, teachers’ notes and work sheet. Size 42 x CACM. Eye In Orbit 03. 07. 010 Flexible Spine 03. 07. 012 This model shows the eye with optic nerve in its position in the bone orbit (floor and medical wall). The eyeball is dismissible into both halves of the sclera with cornea and eye muscles, both halves of choroids with iris and retina, lens and vitreous humor. Times fulfills, with 7 parts. Dimensions: 18 x 26 x LLC. Flexible Spine with Pelvis: showing indications of spinal cord, nerve roots, vertebral arteries and prolapsed disc. Complete with stand. Giant Three-part Ear 03. 07. 01 1 Female Pelvis 03. 07. 002 A detailed representation of the female pelvis (median section) with sexual organs is given in this two-part, life- size mode l. Its internal sexual organs, urinary bladder, and rectum are removable. Dwarfing ordinary ear models, this unbreakable polymer reproduction depicts the human organ of hearing and balance scaled to 5 times life size. Thirty-six hand- numbered features are identified in the accompanying key. Overall dimensions of Giantess: 16 x 11 x 7 inches (41 x 26 x CACM) Page 3 with a stand, and has movable arms and legs. Head Neck: Median Section 03. 07. 004 Organ Tunic This model (median section of head neck) is life-size and shows important This highly tactile resource, includes 11 velour-on D organs and it is embroidered with a pelvis, spine and D ribcage. The intestine may be unraveled to show its length. Includes a set of 11 detailed labels and a reference sheet. Size 700 XML Heart: Model 03. 07. 006 This heart model is enlarged to about twice natural size and can be separated into four parts, mounted on a base. Pelvic Model 03. 07. 014 Male Reproductive Display 03. 07. 021 A convenient, portable model providing a dimensional visual aid, can be used to demonstrate the insertion and location of a diaphragm or intra-uterine device to patients. Lunches an information Brochure Pupils need to understand the process of reproduction; using this interactive display the main components of the reproductive organs are clearly demonstrated. Includes 9 removable parts, 9 labels, teachers’ notes and worksheets. Size 42 x CACM. Section Of Skin 03. 07. 005 Relief model of the skin showing two hair follicles (fully exposed and in section) and two sweat-glands. On a base and approximately 70 times enlarged. Mini-skeleton 03. 07. 008 Approximately 26†³ high, this mint-skeleton is a first-class model of a human skeleton. Suitable for teaching basic anatomy, it comes Copyright 2008, Hastings Rather Health Promotion Resources Centre Page 4 Unhealthy Organ Pack 03. 07. 009 The Anatomical Chart Series This Anatomical Chart Series features 48 titles in full color. Charts sorted into 3 sections:- Systems of the Body, Structures/Organs and Disease/Disorders. Pop open the hidden easel, flip charts for individual viewing. Ideal for studying human anatomy, patient consultation or quick reference. Using differing textures, colors lumps these organs show the harmful effects of smoking and alcohol. The pack includes 8 organs, 7 labels, 10 blank labels and detailed teacher’s notes. This pack of organs is highly effective when used in conjunction with the organ tunic [03. 07. 003]. The Human Body: Bag Of Bones 03. 07. 015 This realistic embroidered skeleton has a full set of bones which velour to the aground. The background can be folded into a carry case for storage. Includes 20 fabric bones, 2 sets of labels and reference sheet. Size: 50 x 140 CM (unfolded) Torso 03. 07. 001 This mint-torso shows anatomical details and consists of seven removable parts. ? Right and left lung? Heart? Liver? Stomach? Small and large undomesticated on a stand. Page 5 Anatomy Physiology CD-Room body, and learn about everlastingly part where it is found, what it does, and how it works. My Amazing Human Body 03. 09. 003 My Amazing Human Body CD-Room is packed with interactive games, hilarious animation, and stunning D graphics. Not only will it give children a unique insight into the workings of the human body, it will also stimulate them to investigate for themselves. They will love taking the body apart, extracting teeth, taking x-rays and measuring organs. Promotes active learning and makes â€Å"finding-out† fun. Simple navigation makes this CD-Room ideal for school or at home. The Ultimate d Skeleton The Ultimate D Skeleton CD-Room enables you to explore the entire human skeleton in D. Not only can you identify and learn the function of every bone in your body, oh can also play film sequences that allow you to look at bones from unusual angles. The index is specially designed to give the user access to information on any part of the human skeleton and the exciting quiz feature tests what you have learnt. The Ultimate Human Body 03. 09. 001 This CD-ROOM takes the most fascinating Journey of all – an exploratory trip into the secret world of the human body it-self! You can look beneath your skin, take a guided tour of the structure, systems, and organs of your Copyright 2008, Hastings Rather Health Promotion Resources Centre Page 6 Anatomy Physiology Video Bones Movement 03. 1 1. 001 accompanies the series. Aimed at 9-11 year olds. Heart Circulation This video incorporates live-action, animation and x-rays illustrating how bones are held together by ligaments, how different kinds of Joints function, and how bones are cushioned from shock. The process of the body’s healing of a broken bone and the positive effect of gravity on bone strength are also demonstrated. 03. 11. 002 Food Growth 03. 1 1. 003 This video explains that for the human body to remain alive and active, its cells have o be supplied with nutrients and oxygen and waste products must be carried away. This process is accomplished by your blood and heart, which keep blood traveling through two complete circuits. This video explains how we grow and the importance of food to the human body. Explaining in detail how the digestive system works. The Human Body 03. 1 1. 004 Health E: Series 1 03. 11 . 005 woman called Blood. How to cite Anatomy and Physiology of the Breast, Papers

International Of Electronics Engineering †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The International Of Electronics Engineering? Answer: Introducation The report will discuss in detail about the concept of cloud computing and various issues surrounding it. The concept of cloud computing has completely changed the way IT is managed as well as consumed in the organizations. It promises improved level of cost effectiveness, elevated level of innovation, quicker time to market the product and the capacity to be able to scale applications based on demand. The concept got popular in 2008 and further continued making a major impact through various models and the advantages seemed to be substantia (Chen Zhao, 2012). But with the emergence of cloud computing and development which was rapid in conceptual terms and, as well, there were number of legal, service quality, economic, security and privacy based challenges in the market needed to address. Summary of two peers research paper on cloud computing The important security and privacy issues in cloud computing are discussed in detail below: Network and data: there are number of phases in security network as well as data security discussed in detail below: - Data confidentiality: the concept of data confidentiality is a prominent issue which is required to be considered especially when highly confidential data is outsourced to the cloud. It can be accomplished via encrypting the data but there are number of critical issues in the process because of distribution as well as management of keys (Sen, 2013). Data integrity: the process of integrity is based on verifying the data and it further ensures the overall quality of data. In this model, integrity of data storage is a crucial and significant need since it proves in consistency, validity and regularity. With cloud based service needs and rise in it, the CSP requires to scale up the overall storage systems and this further may lead to high possibility of loss in data, corruption of data, failure of disk and many more. Data availability: the services are developed for the users and must be made available to them whenever required. At the same time, there are number of situation that are present in which data availability is not properly guaranteed. For instance, in unavoidable case like natural disasters, it is important to gain knowledge about the way data is used, verified as well as recovered by the owner of the data (Sen, 2013). Governance, compliances and legal issues: the physical place of the server based farm and cloud based infrastructure must be confidential by nature since the physical security of the infrastructure is also very crucial. The concept of CSP should have a process to save the customer data if there is any kind of suspected threat. In addition, this should be shared with the customers on request. Moreover, the purifying of the stored data in the cloud is a critical challenge which is needed to be discussed (Sen, 2013). The users of cloud must be assured that data will always be safe even when the cloud based service providers will collapse or gained by another organization. The cloud based users should also understand on how they can get the data back. Communication interface and virtual security: the users of cloud have an integral part to play in making sure that cloud services are secure. This is primarily because of the nature of connections as well as devices utilised by the users of cloud to connect to the cloud and has its own set of implications in security (Sen, 2013). Security and Security and Privacy Issues in Cloud Computing The report addressed the various security and privacy based issues in cloud computing. There are number of issues in security for cloud computing since it passes many level of technologies consisting network, operating system, databases, resource based scheduling, balancing of loads, concurrency control and management of memory. Thus, security issues for many such systems as well as technologies can be applied to cloud computing as well. For instance, the network that can interconnect with the system in cloud must be safe. In addition, the virtualization based paradigm in cloud computing further leads to many security issues. For instance, cases like mapping the current virtual machinery for the physical level machines must be carried out in safe manner (Awodele et al, 2017). The process of data security consists of encryption the data along with making sure that right policies are applied for data sharing. Moreover, resource allocation and management of memory related to algorithms must be secured as well. In the end, the process data mining methods must also be applied for the detection of malware in the system based on the approach which is adopted normally in IDSs also called intrusion detection system. There are six principal areas in cloud computing issues where tools and software are needed for substantial level of security attention. These six areas are securing data at rest, securing it at transit, authentication procedure, robust separation based on data belong to different consumers, regulatory issues and incident based response (Awodele et al, 2017). Issues not addressed in the discussion There is no are in ICT which is not touched by Cloud computing. Two important issues in security as well as privacy issue are: Losing control over data Dependency on the provider of cloud computing The above-mentioned issues can result in number of legal as well as security based concerns associated with infrastructure, management of identity, access based control, management of risk, regulatory based legal compliance, logging and auditing, control in integrity along with cloud computing concepts based on risks (Jansen, 2011). Following is the overall impact of above-mentioned issues: - There are number of consumers that are aware of the danger of helping the data control out of the hand as well as storing data with an external cloud based computing provider. Data must be compromised by the system provider or other organization in competition where customers with similar cloud computing provider will help. The transparency is also lacking for the number of customers on how, why, when and where the current data processing can happen (Takabi et al, 2010). This is in complete opposite of the data protection needs that customers must know about the happening with the data. There are number of cloud computing providers that can work on data mining tools to evaluate user based data. This is a very sensitive activity and since the users are normally storing as well as processing data which is sensitive by nature while usage of cloud based services. This is specifically right for various social media application that motivate the user to share a lot of their personal lives (Walia, 2017). Mobile device, specifically with the restricted storages as well as computing capacities are the main drivers for holding services as provided by the cloud computing despite the usage of software on single computers. In fact, the data that can be transferred from one mobile machine to another, are usually transferred through the cloud and when cloud based application on mobile device are integral part. Therefore, users usually put everything at risks without noticing the changes since they automatically assume that the data can be transferred (Abbas et al, 2017). Cloud computing is presented in a form of service, it must be accessed in remote areas. The overall connection that exist between the provider of cloud computing and customers is not always rightly saved. There are number of security risks that also threatens the transfers that consist of eavesdropping or spoofing of DNS and many other kinds of attacks. The overall shift in cloud computing ensures the usage of traditional management of risk approaches that are hard sometimes. Even though can control the data transfer to the cloud providers, along with risk management and compliance with issues can split between the cloud based provider (Tatwani Tyagi, 2015) Important lesson from the discussion It is important to consider following points in case of cloud computing issues: - Risk management and legal based issues should be defined rightly in the contract between the provider and the customers. There must be transparency about the process and storing of the data. This way, the overall trust between the provider and consumer will be gain some strength (Saha et al, 2014). The service provider must complaint in regulatory and legislative cell, when the consumers require to follow and consumers must have the power to complaint with respective system. The issues as well as the risks associated with it can impact data protection guidelines in Europe and must be considered rightly when cloud computing platforms are rightly located on servers. The line of communication that exist between the provider as well as the consumer must be rightly saved to make sure the process of confidentiality, authentication, integrity and moreover to reduce the risk of denial of service based attacks. An open platform with clear instructions related to measurements that ensure the security of interaction line that is obligatory by nature for any provider and must be based on open as well as transparent standards with technologies (Subashini Kavitha, 2011). The concept of cloud computing provider must also be obliged to make sure that there is data confidentiality. There are number of important deletion of data that must be inculcated into potential regulation of various cloud computing services and it must not depend on too much. The reason that there is no full proof guarantee with complete deletion of data must be considered when data is collected as well as stored. Reference Abbas, H., Maennel, O., Assar, S. (2017). Security and privacy issues in cloud computing. Awodele, O., Adebayo, A. O., Tayo, O. O. (2017). Security and Privacy Issues in Cloud Computing.Communications,7, 14-17. Chen, D., Zhao, H. (2012, March). Data security and privacy protection issues in cloud computing. InComputer Science and Electronics Engineering (ICCSEE), 2012 International Conference on(Vol. 1, pp. 647-651). IEEE. Jansen, W. A. (2011, January). Cloud hooks: Security and privacy issues in cloud computing. InSystem Sciences (HICSS), 2011 44th Hawaii International Conference on(pp. 1-10). IEEE. Saha, T., Sen, P., Datta, A. (2014). Security and Privacy Issues In Cloud Computing.Communication, Cloud and Big Data: Proceedings of CCB 2014. Sen, J. (2013). Security and privacy issues in cloud computing.Architectures and Protocols for Secure Information Technology Infrastructures, 1-45. Subashini, S., Kavitha, V. (2011). A survey on security issues in service delivery models of cloud computing.Journal of network and computer applications,34(1), 1-11. Takabi, H., Joshi, J. B., Ahn, G. J. (2010). Security and privacy challenges in cloud computing environments.IEEE Security Privacy,8(6), 24-31. Tatwani, L. N., Tyagi, K. R. (2015). Security and Privacy issues in Cloud Computing.International Research Journal of Computer and Electronics Engineering (IRJCEE, USA), ISSN. Walia, S (2017). Security and Privacy issues in Cloud Computing.

Huck Finn Essays (890 words) - Picaresque Novels,

Huck Finn Tim Lively Critical Analysis: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Setting: Late 1800 along the Mississippi River Plot: When the book begins, the main character, Huck Finn possesses a large sum of money. This causes his delinquent lifestyle to change drastically. Huck gets an education, and a home to live in with a caring elderly woman (the widow). One would think that Huck would be satisfied. Well, he wasn. He wanted his own lifestyle back. Huck drunkard father (pap), who had previously left him, was also not pleased with Huck lifestyle. He didn feel that his son should have it better than he. Pap tries to get a hold of the money for his own uses, but he fails. He proceeds to lock Huck up in his cabin on the outskirts of town. Huck then stages his kidnapping and subsequent killing, and takes a canoe across to Jackson Island in the Mississippi River. There he comes across a runaway slave, Jim, and the two decide to leave the area. Huck leaves to avoid his father, and Jim leaves to esca pe a false charge of murder. The rest of the story follows all of their exciting and action packed adventures down the Mississippi River. Themes Slavery is a big theme in this story. Mark Twain was obviously against slavery because it is hypocritical. Throughout the book we see Huck interacting with Jim as human to human, while everyone else treats him like a piece of property. He was especially against the Christians who promoted slavery, since it is obviously wrong and against Christian ideals. Twain also shows the hypocrisy in another theme, religion. In one scene, the Shepardsons and the Gangerfords are listening to a sermon about brotherly love, and in the next scene they are shooting and killing each other. This is exactly the kind of behavior that twain didn like. However, the main theme in this book is breaking free. He urges his readers to do the right thing, not necessarily what everyone else is doing. He illustrates this ideal with Huck. Most everyone else thought of Jim, along with blacks in general, as something less than human. Huck knew this was wrong, and his actions followed this when he rescued Jim. Main characters Huckleberry Finn Huck is the narrator of the story and for the most part is honest to us, the readers. He dreads the rules and conformities of society such as religion, school, and everything else that will eventually make him civilized. A big debate surrounds Huck on whether he changes or not throughout the story. Huck, in the beginning, seems very set in the south anti-black ways, however, Huck states that he will go to hell to keep Jim out of slavery. At this point it seems like he does change, but at the end of the book, Huck plays yet another joke on Jim and seems as though any change was temporary. Huck has little sense of humor, which is ironical, considering the book is satirical. Twain has also been criticized about Huck character, in that it seems as though Huck knows too much for his age. In one of the movies Huck was ab out seventeen, in another he was about eight. I figure from the book that Huck is probably around the age of twelve or thirteen. Other traits of Huck show that he is sensible, trustworthy, tricky, deceiving, realist, yet imaginative. Jim Jim starts off the book as the Widow Watson slave, however, because she is going to sell Jim off he decides to run away. In an ironic twist, Jim meets Huck Finn, who Jim is charged with murdering. Twain has been criticized for making Jim too stereotypical in the sense that he is easily tricked by Tom and Huck. Jim is extremely superstitious, dependable, very trusting of Huck, strong and hopeful. My Analysis In my opinion this is probably one of the best books ever written. The way that Mark Twain uses almost all of the literary elements in this novel make it one of the most fun to read. His use of satire makes this a very comical look of the south. His use of surprise contributes to the action

Joseph Gonzales Essays

Joseph Gonzales Essays Joseph Gonzales Essay Joseph Gonzales Essay Using the article you discussed in your first reading response, document the following:1) Introduce a direct quote from the text, and provide the authors name in parentheses or in a signal phrase. Place the page number in parentheses.On the issue of the two similar photographs with different captions taken after Hurricane Katrina that has ignited protests from the Black community, Chris Graythen, the man who took one of the snapshots and a photographer for Getty Images said that â€Å"Now is no time to pass judgment on those trying to stay alive. Now is no time to argue semantics about finding versus looting. Now is no time to argue if this is a white versus black issue† (Ralli).2) Paraphrase a sentence or two from the text, and provide the authors name in parentheses or in a signal phrase. Place the page number in parentheses.The two similar photographs with two opposite text captions were perceived by the public as a double standard for racial orienta tion wherein it produced fury against media practitioners as well as website administrators (Ralli).3) Summarize a paragraph from the text, and provide the authors name in parentheses or in a signal phrase. Place the page number(s) in parentheses.The image captured by Dave Martin of the Associated Press in New Orleans displays a black man traversing flood water in New Orleans holding tightly a soda pack and big plastic bag. Under this image is a controversial caption stating â€Å"looting a grocery store† (Ralli).4) Make a works cited entry for the articleRalli, Tania. â€Å"Whos a Looter? In Storms Aftermath, Pictures Kick Up a Different Kind of Tempest.† The New York Times. 5 September 2005. 2 March 2009.

What is the role of the supernatural epilogue to Gogol's Shinel ( the Essay

What is the role of the supernatural epilogue to Gogol's Shinel ( the Overcoat) Does it force you as a reader to reinterpret the meaning of the story, or doest it remove any meaning the story may have had - Essay Example e works of great Russian artists of short story writing, such as Turgenev and Dostoyevsky, he automatically understands to what extent ‘The Overcoat’ has wrapped them up with its structural as well as aesthetic influence. The storyline of The Overcoat is very simple and it revolves around the daily struggle of the protagonist Akakii Akakievich for his survival. Application of the supernatural epilogue in the short story gives it a unique feature and it gradually takes the reader from mundane existence to a world of supernatural existence. As we finish reading the short story, we feel that Gogol’s implementation of supernatural material in the story serves certain purpose. It not only gives the story a novel dimension but at the same time, he also uses the supernatural element as an instrument to reveal true character of the society and its inhabitants. To understand the importance of the supernatural epilogue in ‘The Overcoat,’ it is important to focus over flow of incidents in the story. The reader, as stats reading the story, finds that Gogol has provided excellent description of the protagonist and his daily life. In the course of reading the story the reader feels that he can almost visualize the whole thing and this quality of Gogol has recognized him among modern critics as ‘a pioneer of a new â€Å"naturalist† aesthetics’. The protagonist of the story, Akakii Akakievich, is a typical member of the middle class society of Gogol’s time and earns his livelihood by working in a government office. The author has given detailed description of the protagonist’s apparent features only with the purpose to let the reader know that he does not posses any such external features that would differentiate him from the rest. He is just a common man, who has â€Å"†¦short of stature, somewhat pockmarked, rather red-haired, rather blind, judging from appearances, with a small bald spot on his forehead, with wrinkles on his cheeks, with a complexion of the

Accounting Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Accounting Scholarship - Essay Example Next, to this, it is further stated that my aims and objectives are crystal clear. My personal interests, understanding, and abilities in the field of Accounting drive me towards the achievement of professionalism in this field. I also feel that the field of Accounting offers prestigious career options for students like Finance Specialists, Accounting Associates, Financial Accountant, Budget and Management Analysts, Accounting Assistants and Accountants. So, I greatly wish to have some association with any of such jobs as my future career to achieve best possible excellence. Furthermore, I also want to mention that it is my utmost desire to serve in any of a big firm of Accounting in the US like Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young, KPMG etc after completion of my higher studies. The progress and success of these companies really inspired me a lot and motivated to perform even better in life.Next to academics, I also wish to mention here my community involvement. I worked at community level voluntarily several times. I have the great impression as far as my teachers are concerned as I have always participated in class activities, presentations and discussions. I have also created good impression amongst my peers and teachers. So, right now I judge myself as a successful student who is enthusiastic in chasing his goals- a person who wants to consume his tendencies in the accomplishment of his goals. Please give me a chance for this scholarship. I am sure that you will find me a very successful and distinct person.

Battle of art and science Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Battle of art and science - Research Proposal Example Richard Dawkins, a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and an accepted science writer was also a professor at New College, Oxford. In 1982, his prominence was further accepted due to his contribution to the field with the theory described in his book The Extended Phenotype, that the phenotypic impact of a gene isn’t restricted to just the body of the organism, but was capable of spreading out into the environment, influencing other organisms as well. Dawkins, an atheist, cynic, methodical rationalist, and an advocator of the Darwin’s theory of natural selection was a loud critic of religion. Dawkins argued that a paranormal creator was non-existent and that belief meets the criteria of a delusion, a permanent misbelieve. Dawkins has established the foundation theory which was presented in the volume Adaptation and Natural Selection authored by George C. Williams's. He presented the term selfish gene as a means of articulating the gene-centric theory of evolution, which give out the idea that evolution, was best observed as acting on genes and that selection at the organism level almost never dominates selection based on genes. Dawkins was of the opinion that organism tries to evolve to capitalize on its inclusive fitness i.e., the numerous replicas of its genes passed on globally rather than by a certain individual. This led to populations being headed towards an evolutionarily stable approach.

An Analysis Of The Asean Regional Forum Politics Essay

An Analysis Of The Asean Regional Forum Politics Essay The end of the Cold War brought a fundamental change of security environment in Asia. As the East-West confrontation ended, US security policies became unclear. A power vacuum had been created in the region after the Soviet armed forces withdrew from Far East and Indochina, and the Chinese political influence was rapidly increasing. A multilateral forum for regional security was therefore ASEANs solution to the challenges that arose. In spite of the end of the Cold War, Asia still had problems such as tension on the Korean Peninsula, territorial disputes over the Spratly Islands, civil war in Cambodia and tension across the Taiwan Straits. These were problems that posed the threat of becoming severely destabilizing factors in the region. Although the United States had become the worlds only military superpower, in terms to burden sharing, its domestic economic problems as well as the global nature of all its affairs placed more demand on Asian countries. Therefore, Asian nations were preoccupied with this new set of circumstances in terms of security and how to get through the post-Cold War transitional period, while maintaining stability in Asia and ensuring its further development. The fundamental views of that emerged in the context of the above security threat were: In an uncertain post-Cold War era, promotion of confidence-building measures among Asian countries will be increasingly necessary. The Asia Pacific region will soon be facing new global issues such as the environment, terrorism, and drug trafficking. In order to address such issues, a regional cooperative framework is crucial and should be enhanced. The late 1980s and early 1990s marked a period of strategic shifts and uncertainty for Southeast Asia. Incorporating China and Japan into the web of interdependence with the rest of the region became imperative. It was recognised that United States engagement in the Asia Pacific region is indispensable for the stability and prosperity of the region. Thus, the ARF emerged. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is the principal forum for security dialogue in Asia, complementing the various bilateral alliances and dialogues. It provides a setting in which members can discuss current regional security issues and develop cooperative measures to enhance peace and security in the region. It draws together 27 countries which that include the 10 ASEAN member states (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam). To begin with, it is not hard to miss that the ARFs scope in terms of its member states goes far beyond South East Asia such that it includes a large number the developed and emerging powers of the world. In my view, this is an important characteristic of the ARF, which makes it unique compared to other security forums around the world. The reason behind this could be the idea of collective security. Most conflicts tend to involve national interests of major powers of the world. Therefore, their inclusion in the forum in a way ensures their consent or commitment towards peace and stability in the region. Formation of the ARF The ASEAN Regional Forum was primarily the outcome of states response to regional security problems that emerged post Cold War. The reasons for its formation can be looked via the two contrasting lenses of Realism and Idealism in order to grasp a wider interpretation. According to Realism, state action is a result of it national interests and a constant security dilemma that it faces. The concern for security motivates states to behave in a certain way, which in this case, was to come together and form a multilateral institution. Post-Cold War, there was a concern about changing strategic situation of South East Asia, wherein there was the fear that the attention and aid that the United States had showered during and before the Cold War would wane away. Moreover, the rapidly rising power of China was extremely worrisome and there was still a trust deficit that existed among the ASEAN countries and Japan- a hangover of Second World War ASEAN saw the ARF as a way to keep the US in, and China and Japan down. Moreover, the ARF could be seen as ASEANs way to maintain a balance of Power among the South East Asian Nations themselves. However, the realist interpretation of ARFs formation has a serious limitation. While it explains why the ARF was formed, it fails to explain why the forum was formed in spite of different interests that persisted among the ASEAN nations. What motivates countries to come together and trust each other, in spite of having varying goals and the constant security dilemma that was mentioned above. This limitation in explaining ARFs formation can be overcome by the explanation provided by the Idealist School of Thought. Idealists hold the view that shared norms and principals, as well as shared security concerns is what brought the ASEAN countries together to conjure up the idea of this forum. In an uncertain post-Cold War era, promotion of confidence-building measures among Asian countries became increasingly necessary. A serious threat was perceived to be posed by new global issues such as the environment, terrorism, and drug trafficking. In order to address such issues, a regional coope rative framework is crucial and should be enhanced. However, it is important to note that these nations didnt come together based on the above realization by themselves. Important track 2 level actors were involved to bring about this realisation about these shared norms, mutual benefits of forming ARF such as ASEAN-ISIS (Institutes of Strategic International Studies). Even so, besides the above reasons behind ARFs formation, what was it that motivated the major powers to join this forum? The consensus of the US is believed to be a result of US strategic reorientation post Cold War. The United States viewed ARF as a useful device to rein in China. Also, it saw the forum as an alternative way to deal with Asia-Pacific regional security without invoking bilateral ties which may have provoked China. Chinas joining is attributed to the fact that Beijing no longer saw multilateralism as a noose around its neck, but as an opportunity to make itself heard and understood by its neighbors on security and economic matters. This was a major change from Chinas view in the early 1990s. It is important to look deeply into the intricacies involved in the formation of the ARF because it gives us a deeper insight in the organizations role in Conflict Prevention and Confidence Building, which are important elements of Peacebuilding. The idea of forming a policy-oriented, security related dialogue with ASEAN at the centre- first proposed at ASEAN-Post Minstrel Conference (PMC) in Kuala Lumpur in July 1991. In January, 1992, an agreement was reached to strengthen political and security dialogue with non-ASEAN countries. In July, 1993, an agreement was reached to establish ARF, to include China and Russia. Finally, in July, 1994, 1st ASEAN Regional Forum was held in Bangkok. The Deepening of the ARF- Guiding Principles At the inaugural ARF in 1994, eighteen foreign ministers conducted a free discussion, without a prepared agenda or speech text. It served well to increase mutual understanding among the participants. Russia was unexpectedly active, while the Chinese attitude was cautious. China negatively reacted to the idea of using ARF to deal with specific security issues such as North Korean nuclear capability. After the discussion, though, all involved shared the view that the time was ripe to have security talks at the government level. They agreed to adopt the following as guiding principles for future dialogue. The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia: It was signed in Bali Summit of 1976, responsible for changing ASEANs vision and future course. The United Nations Charter The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which are as follows: Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national identity of all participating nations;  · The right of every state to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion;  · Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;  · Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful means;  · Renunciation of the threat or use of force. The Zone Of Peace, Freedom And Neutrality (ZOPFAN) in Southeast Asia: This Declaration committed all ASEAN members to exert efforts to secure the recognition of and respect for South East Asia as a Zone of Peace, free from any manner of interference by outside powers. The Declaration called upon all members to broaden the areas of cooperation which would contribute to their strength, solidarity and closer relationships. The concept of the South East Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ): At the Bangkok Summit (1994), the ASEAN leaders signed the Treaty on the South East Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, stressing its determination to contribute towards general and complete disarmament and the promotion of international peace and security. The Treaty also aimed at protecting the region from environmental pollution and the hazards caused by radioactive waste and other toxic materials. In its first sixteen years, the ARF has focused on confidence building measures and has made modest gains in building a sense of strategic community. But efforts to develop tools of preventive diplomacy and conflict management are still at an early stage. At the ARF Ministerial Meeting in July 2009, a Vision Statement was endorsed providing a roadmap to guide the direction of the ARF to 2020.   The Statement includes an undertaking to develop an ARF preventive diplomacy capacity.   In order to achieve this, ARF Ministers agreed that a Work Plan for Preventive Diplomacy be developed in the 2009-10 ARF cycle. ARF meetings and processes The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has responsibility for ARF policy, in consultation with the Department of Defence. ARF meetings are held at Foreign Minister level, annually in July/August in conjunction with the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC). The chair of ASEAN, which rotates on annual basis, is also the chair of the ARF. The principal formal ARF document is the ARF chairs statement issued after every ARF Ministerial meeting. The ARF is supported by the ARF Senior Officials Meeting which meets annually in May or June. Two ARF Intersessional Support Group (ISG) meetings on Confidence Building Measures and Preventive Diplomacy are also held at officials level each year, co-chaired by one ASEAN and one non-ASEAN member. Recommendations and outcomes of these ISG meetings feed into the ARF Senior Officials Meeting. The ARF conducts four Inter-Sessional Meetings (ISM) annually that represent focus areas of the forum. These are ISMs on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime, Disaster Relief, Maritime Security, and Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. Second-track (non-official) institutions, such as the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) and the ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN ISIS), have been instrumental in generating ideas and inputs for ARF (first track) consideration. The second-track institutions and networks conduct a number of seminars and working groups on regional security issues, involving academics, security specialists and officials participating in a personal capacity. Through its discretionary grants program, the Department supports the activities of AUS-CSCAP (the Australian Member Committee of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific). The merit of track two level institutions is that they manage to deal with sensitive issues without creating tensions among states. This leads to fresh approaches, early warning mechanisms, etc. The inclusion of Track 2 level diplomacy is a unique feature of the ARF as a security forum. No other major security forum in the world employs this approach. ARFs Role in Conflict Resolution In ARFs 1995 concept paper it was recognized that the forum is relatively new and would take a gradual evolutionary approach towards building a conflict resolution capacity, rather than trying to tackle security challenges without having the appropriate capability to engage itself in the same. A consensus was reached on how this evolution can take place in three stages: Stage I : Promotion of Confidence-Building Measures Stage II: Development of Preventive Diplomacy Mechanisms Stage III: Development of Conflict-Resolution Mechanisms In the first 16 years since its inception, the ARFs activities have mainly revolved around building trust and confidence in the region, a practice whose basis lies in ASEANs well established practices of consultation and consensus (musyawarah and mufakat) The participants of the first ARF Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok in July 1994 agreed on the need to develop a more predictable and constructive pattern of relations for the Asia-Pacific region. In its initial phase, the ARF committed itself to therefore concentrate on enhancing, the trust and confidence amongst participants and thereby foster a regional environment conducive to maintaining the peace and prosperity of the region. In promoting confidence-building measures, the ARF adopted two complementary approaches. The first approach derives from ASEANs experience, which provides a valuable and proven guide for the ARF. ASEAN has succeeded in reducing, tensions among, its member states, promoting region cooperation and creating a regional climate conducive to peace and prosperity without the implementation of explicit confidence-building measures. ASEANs well established practices of consultation and consensus (musyawarah and mufakat) have been significantly enhanced by the regular exchanges of high-level visits among ASEAN countries. This pattern of regular visits has effectively developed into a preventive diplomacy channel. The second approach was the implementation of concrete confidence-building measures. The first ARF meeting, in Bangkok entrusted the next Chairman of the ARF, Brunei Darussalam, to study all the ideas presented by ARF participants and to also study other relevant internationally recognised norms, principles and practices. After extensive consultations, the ASEAN countries have prepared two lists of confidence-building measures. The first list spells out measures which can be explored and implemented by ARF participants in the immediate future. The second list is an indicative list of other proposals which can be explored over the medium and long-term by ARF participants and also considered in the immediate future by the Track Two process. These lists include possible preventive diplomacy and other measures. It was decided that given the delicate nature of many of the subjects being considered by the ARF, there was merit in moving the ARF process along two tracks. Track One activities will be carried out by governments. Track Two activities will be carried out by strategic institutes and non-government organisations in the region, such as ASEAN-ISIS and CSCAP. To be meaningful and relevant, the Track Two activities focus, as much as possible, on the current concerns of the ARF. The synergy between the two tracks would contribute greatly to confidence-building measures in the region. Over time, these Track Two activities should result in the creation of a sense of community among participants of those activities. This is another unique strategy adopted by the security forum in addition to its controversial strategy of non-interference. There remains a residue of unresolved territorial and other disputes that could be sources of tension or conflict. If the ARF is to become, over time, a meaningful vehicle to enhance the peace and prosperity of the region, it will have to demonstrate that it is a relevant instrument to be used in the event that a crisis or problem emerges. The ARF meeting in Bangkok demonstrated this by taking a stand on the Korean issue at the very first meeting. This was a signal that the ARF is ready to address any challenge to the peace and security of the region. Over time, the ARF must develop its own mechanisms to carry preventive diplomacy and conflict-resolution. In doing so, the ARF will face unique challenges. There are no established roads or procedures for it to follow. Without a high degree of confidence among ARF participants, it is unlikely that they will agree to the establishment of mechanisms which are perceived to be intrusive and/or autonomous. This is a political reality the ARF recognises. Conclusion It is clear from the above analysis that the ARF must be accepted as a sui generis Organisation. It has had no established precedents to follow and has carved out a unique path for itself as a security organisation. A great deal of innovation and ingenuity will be required to keep the ARF moving forward while at the same time ensure that it enjoys the support of its diverse participants. This is a major challenge both for the ASEAN countries and other ARF participants. The UN Secretary-Generals Agenda for Peace has recognised that just as no two regions or situations are the same, so the design of cooperative work and its division of labour must adjust to the realities of each case with flexibility and creativity. It has been 16 years in the formation of the ARF and in its first fifteen years, the ARF has focused on confidence building measures and has made modest gains in building a sense of strategic community and having achieved the status of being one of the most peaceful regions of the world. But efforts to develop tools of preventive diplomacy and conflict management are still at an early stage. And one can only wait and watch how the vision 2020 moves towards the 3rd stage of Conflict Resolution. ARFs approach has of course earned a lot of flak, especially for its policy of non interference. It is often argued and wondered as to how a security organization can ensure security in a region if it does not make efforts to stop internal conflicts. After all, in the present age of globalisation, even conflicts no longer restrict themselves to boundaries and are bound to become transnational sooner or later. The ARF has even earned the nick name of a talk shop in certain critiques. However, it is imperative to recognize that the ARF by running on the basis of ASEAN values has played a much more important role with regard to creating a basis of trust and confidence in order to achieve mutual benefits in the region. In the words of Winston Churchill, To jaw-jaw is better than to war-war. And this is where the ARF has scored. The fact remains that today, the region of South East Asia remains one of the most peaceful and stable regions in the world, and it has managed to do so, on the basis of shared norms and values rather than realpolitik. And the world can learn a lesson from that.

Adpatogens and the PrimeQuest Program :: Science Botany Scientific Essays

Adpatogens and the PrimeQuest Program Adaptogens are naturally occurring substances found in rare plants and herbs. Adaptogens were discovered by Israel I. Brekhman, M.D., a renowned Russian research pharmacologist and physiologist. Brekhman coined the term "adaptogen" as a plant type with certain characteristics: (1) it is absolutely safe and non-toxic, (2) it increases the body's nonspecific resistance to internal and external stimuli, and (3) it brings any disfunctioning body system back into balance (http://www.best.com/-mcintyre/primequest/product/adapt.shtml). Adaptogens began being used by Russian cosmonauts and elite Russian athletes in the early 1970s when the Soviet Union stepped out into the international arena as a dominant force. The breakthrough by Brekhman was kept secret from the rest of the world until a former Soviet Olympic coach, Dr. Ben Tabachnik, began introducing the Russian adaptogen formula when he emigrated to the United States in 1990. The unique formula of adaptogens discovered by Brekhman is now marketed under the PrimeQuest High Performance Program. Scientific evidence has shown that this unique combination of adaptogens can successfully combat the negative effects of stress, improve health and well-being, and enhance athletic performance (Avery, 1995). The PrimeQuest High Performance Program is comprised of two products that work in synergy: Prime 1 and Prime Plus. Prime 1 is a liquid herbal food supplement that contains a number of adaptogenic ingredients: Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Maral root (Rhaponticum carthamoides), Ural licorice root (Glycyrrhiza uralensis), Golden root (Rhodiola rosea), Chinese magnolia vine (Schizandra chinensis), Cinnamon rose (Rosa majalis), and Manchurian thorn tree (Aralia mandshurica). These adaptogens provide the body with elements necessary to protect, balance and normalize its systems. Prime Plus is a food supplement in capsule form that contains Maral root (Rhaponticum carthamoides), Tribulus terrestis, and adaptogenic golden molasses. It is designed to aid the body in developing strength and tone through the enhancement of exercise. It stimulates the biosynthesis of proteins and nucleic acids and enhances metabolism. It helps to protect the body against muscle breakdown, promo ting faster recovery (http://www.best.com/-mcintyre/primequest/pqform.shtml). These compounds, working together, are touted by Dr. Brekhman for accomplishing a number of physiological changes in humans and animals: increase protein biosynthesis, raise antibody titre at immunization, elevate the body's enzyme synthesis by means of endocrine stimulation, enhance mental work capacity, uplift physical work capacity along with endurance and performance, alleviate free radicals to prevent oxidizing pathology, improve eyesight, color perception, hearing, and vestibular functions, benefit cardiovascular and respiratory functions, promote longevity, and increase the body's nonspecific resistance to various stressors (http://www.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Eleven

I BRACED MYSELF, EXPECTING TO see the Dashkov brothers appear again with some last minute â€Å"advice.' Instead I saw– â€Å"Adrian!' I ran across the garden I'd appeared in and threw my arms around him. He hugged me back just as tightly and lifted me off the ground. â€Å"Little dhampir,' he said, once he put me down again. His arms stayed around my waist. â€Å"I've missed you.' â€Å"I've missed you too.' And I meant it. The last couple days and their bizarre events had completely unhinged my life, and being with him–even in a dream–was comforting. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, enjoying a small moment of warmth and peace as our lips met. â€Å"Are you okay?' he asked when I broke away. â€Å"No one'll tell me much about you. Your old man says you're safe and that the Alchemist would let him know if anything went wrong.' I didn't bother telling Adrian that that probably wasn't true, seeing as Abe didn't know we'd gone freelancing with some backwoods vampires. â€Å"I'm fine,' I assured Adrian. â€Å"Mostly bored. We're holed up in this dive of a town. I don't think anyone will come looking for us. I don't think they'd want to.' A look of relief spread over his handsome face, and it occurred to me just how worried he was. â€Å"I'm glad. Rose, you can't imagine what it's like. They aren't just questioning people who might have been involved. The guardians are making all sorts of plans to hunt you down. There's all this talk about â€Å"deadly force.† â€Å"Well, they won't find me. I'm somewhere pretty remote.' Very remote. â€Å"I wish I could have gone with you.' He still looked concerned, and I pressed a finger to his lips. â€Å"No. Don't say that. You're better off where you are–and better not to be associated with me any more than you already are. Have you been questioned?' â€Å"Yeah, they didn't get anything useful out of me. Too tight an alibi. They brought me in when I went to find Mikhail because we talked to–‘ â€Å"I know. Joe.' Adrian's surprise was brief. â€Å"Little dhampir, you've been spying.' â€Å"It's hard not to.' â€Å"You know, as much as I like the idea of having someone always know when you're in trouble, I'm still kind of glad I don't have anyone bound to me. Not sure I'd want them looking in my head.' â€Å"I don't think anyone would want to look in your head either. One person living Adrian Ivashkov's life is hard enough.' Amusement flickered in his eyes, but it faded when I switched back to business. â€Å"Anyway, yeah. I overheard Lissa's †¦ um, interrogation of Joe. That's serious stuff. What did Mikhail say? If Joe lied, that clears half the evidence against me.' It also theoretically killed Adrian's alibi. â€Å"Well, not quite half. It would have been better if Joe said you were in your room during the murder instead of admitting he's a flake who doesn't remember anything. It also would have been better if he hadn't said all this under Lissa's compulsion. Mikhail can't report that.' I sighed. Hanging out with spirit users, I'd started to take compulsion for granted. It was easy to forget that among Moroi, it was taboo, the kind of thing you'd get in serious trouble for. In fact, Lissa wouldn't just get in trouble for illicitly using it. She could also be accused of simply making Joe say whatever she wanted. Anything he said in my favor would be suspect. No one would believe it. â€Å"Also,' added Adrian, looking dismayed, â€Å"if what Joe said gets out, the world would learn about my mother's misguided acts of love.' â€Å"Im sorry,' I said, putting my arms around him. He complained about his parents all the time but really did care about his mother. Finding out about her bribery had to be tough for him, and I knew Tatiana's death still pained him. It seemed I was around a lot of men in anguish lately. â€Å"Although, I really am glad she cleared you of any connection.' â€Å"It was stupid of her. If anyone finds out, she'll be in serious trouble.' â€Å"What's Mikhail's advice then?' â€Å"He's going to find Joe and question him privately. Go from there. For now, there's not much more we can do with the info. It's useful for us †¦ but not for the legal system.' â€Å"Yeah,' I said, trying not to feel disheartened. â€Å"I guess it's better than nothing.' Adrian nodded and then brushed away his dark mood in that easy way of his. Still keeping his arms around me, he pulled back slightly, smiling as he looked down at me. â€Å"Nice dress, by the way.' The topic change caught me by surprise, though I should have been used to it with him by now. Following his gaze, I noticed I was wearing an old dress of mine, the sexy black dress I'd had on when Victor had unleashed a lust charm on Dimitri and me. Since Adrian hadn't dressed me for the dream, my subconscious had dictated my appearance. I was kind of astonished it had chosen this. â€Å"Oh †¦' I suddenly felt embarrassed but didn't know why. â€Å"My own clothes are kind of beat up. I guess I wanted something to counteract that.' â€Å"Well, it looks good on you.' Adrian's fingers slid along the strap. â€Å"Really good.' Even in a dream, the touch of his finger made my skin tingle. â€Å"Watch it, Ivashkov. We've got no time for this.' â€Å"We're asleep. What else are we going to do?' My protests were muffled in a kiss. I sank into it. One of his hands slid down the side of my thigh, near the dress's edge, and it took a lot of mental energy to convince myself that him pulling the dress up was probably not going to clear my name. I reluctantly moved back. â€Å"We're going to figure out who killed Tatiana,' I said, trying to catch my breath. â€Å"There's no â€Å"we,† he said, echoing the line I'd just used on Victor. â€Å"There's me. And Lissa. And Christian. And the rest of our misfit friends.' He stroked my hair and then drew me close again, brushing a kiss against my cheek. â€Å"Don't worry, little dhampir. You take care of yourself. Just stay where you are.' â€Å"I can't,' I said. â€Å"Don't you get it? I can't just do nothing.' The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. It was one thing to protest my inactivity with Dimitri, but with Adrian, I needed to make him and everyone else at Court think I was doing the â€Å"right thing.' â€Å"You have to. We'll take care of you.' He didn't get it, I realized. He didn't understand how badly I needed to do something to help. To his credit, his intentions were good. He thought taking care of me was a big deal. He wanted to keep me safe. But he didn't truly get how agonizing inaction was for me. â€Å"We'll find this person and stop them from doing whatever it is †¦ they want to do. It might take a long time, but we'll fix it.' â€Å"Time †¦' I murmured against his chest, letting the argument go. I'd get nowhere convincing him I needed to help my friends, and anyway, I had my own quest now. So much to do, so little time. I stared off into the landscape he'd created. I'd noticed trees and flowers earlier but only now realized we were in the Church's courtyard–the way it had been before Abe's assault. The statue of Queen Alexandra stood intact, her long hair and kind eyes immortalized in stone. The murder investigation really was in my friends' hands for now, but Adrian had been right: it might take a while. I sighed. â€Å"Time. We need more time.' Adrian pulled away slightly. â€Å"Hmm? What'd you say?' I stared up at him, biting my lower lip as a million thoughts spun through my mind. I looked again at Alexandra and made my decision, wondering if I was about to set new records in foolishness. I turned back to Adrian and squeezed his hand. â€Å"I said we need more time. And I know how we can get it †¦ but †¦ well, there's something you have to do for me. And you, uh, probably shouldn't mention it to Lissa yet †¦' I had just enough time to deliver my instructions to Adrian–who was as shocked as I'd expected–before Dimitri woke me up for my shift. We switched off with little conversation. He had his usual tough face on, but I could see the lines of fatigue etched upon his features. I didn't want to bother him–yet–with my Victor and Robert encounter. Not to mention what I'd just told Adrian to do. There'd be plenty of time for a recap later. Dimitri fell asleep in that easy way of his, and Sydney never stirred the entire time. I envied her for a full night's sleep but couldn't help a smile as the room grew lighter and lighter. She'd been inadvertently put on a vampire schedule after our all-night adventures. Of course, Lissa was on the same schedule, which meant I couldn't visit her during my watch. Just as well. I needed to keep an eye on this creepy collective we'd stumbled into. These Keepers might not want to turn us in, but that didn't make them harmless either. I also hadn't forgotten Sydney's fears about surprise Alchemist visits. When late afternoon came for the rest of the world, I heard stirring inside the house. I gently touched Dimitri's shoulder, and he jerked awake instantly. â€Å"Easy,' I said, unable to hide a smile. â€Å"Just a wakeup call. Sounds like our redneck friends are getting up.' This time, our voices woke Sydney. She rolled over toward us, her eyes squinting at the light coming through the badly screened window. â€Å"What time is it?' she asked, stretching her limbs. â€Å"Not sure.' I had no watch. â€Å"Probably past midday. Three? Four?' She sat up almost as quickly as Dimitri had. â€Å"In the afternoon? † The sunlight gave her the answer. â€Å"Damn you guys and your unholy schedule.' â€Å"Did you just say â€Å"damn'? Isn't that against Alchemist rules?' I teased. â€Å"Sometimes it's necessary.' She rubbed her eyes and glanced toward the door. The faint noises I'd heard in the rest of the house were louder now, audible even to her ears. â€Å"I guess we need a plan.' â€Å"We have one,' I said. â€Å"Find Lissa's sibling.' â€Å"I never entirely agreed to that,' she reminded me. â€Å"And you guys keep thinking I can just magically type away like some movie hacker to find all your answers.' â€Å"Well, at least it's a place to–‘ A thought occurred to me, one that could seriously mess things up. â€Å"Crap. Your laptop won't even work out here.' â€Å"It's got a satellite modem, but it's the battery we have to worry about.' Sydney sighed and stood up, smoothing her rumpled clothes with dismay. â€Å"I need a coffee shop or something.' â€Å"I think I saw one in a cave down the road,' I said. That almost got a smile from her. â€Å"There's got to be some town close by where I could use my laptop.' â€Å"But it's probably not a good idea to take the car out anywhere in this state,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Just in case someone at the motel got your license plate number.' â€Å"I know,' she said grimly. â€Å"I was thinking about that too.' Our brilliant scheming was interrupted by a knock at the door. Without waiting for an answer, Sarah stuck her head inside and smiled. â€Å"Oh, good. You're all awake. We're getting breakfast ready if you want to join us.' Through the doorway, scents of what seemed like a normal breakfast drifted in: bacon, eggs †¦ The bread had gotten me through the night, but I was ready for real food and willing to roll the dice on whatever Raymond's family had to offer. In the house's main section, we found a flurry of domestic activity. Raymond appeared to be cooking something over the fireplace while Paulette set the long table. It already had a platter of perfectly ordinary scrambled eggs and more slices of yesterday's bread. Raymond rose from the fireplace, holding a large metal sheet covered in crisp bacon. A smile split his bearded face when he spotted us. The more of these Keepers I saw, the more I kept noticing something. They made no attempts to hide their fangs. From childhood, my Moroi were taught to smile and speak in a way that minimized fang exposure, in case they were out in human cities. There was nothing like that here. â€Å"Good morning,' said Raymond, carefully pushing the bacon onto another platter on the table. â€Å"I hope you're all hungry.' â€Å"Do you think that's, like, real bacon?' I whispered to Sydney and Dimitri. â€Å"And not like squirrel or something?' â€Å"Looks real to me,' said Dimitri. â€Å"I'd say so too,' said Sydney. â€Å"Though, I guarantee it's from their own pigs and not a grocery store.' Dimitri laughed at whatever expression crossed my face. â€Å"I always love seeing what worries you. Strigoi? No. Questionable food? Yes.' â€Å"What about Strigoi?' Joshua and Angeline entered the house. He had a bowl of blackberries, and she was pushing the little kids along. From their squirming and dirty faces, they clearly wanted to go back outside. It was Angeline who had asked the question. Dimitri covered for my squeamishness. â€Å"Just talking about some of Rose's Strigoi kills.' Joshua came to a standstill and stared at me, those pretty blue eyes wide with amazement. â€Å"You've killed the Lost? Er–Strigoi?' I admired his attempt to use â€Å"our' term. â€Å"How many?' I shrugged. â€Å"I don't really know anymore.' â€Å"Don't you use the marks?' Raymond scolded. â€Å"I didn't think the Tainted had abandoned those.' â€Å"The marks–oh. Yeah. Our tattoos? We do.' I turned around and lifted up my hair. I heard a scuffling of feet and then felt a finger touching my skin. I flinched and whipped back around, just in time to see Joshua lowering his hand sheepishly. â€Å"Sorry,' he said. â€Å"I've just never seen some of these. Only the molnija marks. That's how we count our Strigoi kills. You've got †¦ a lot.' â€Å"The S-shaped mark is unique to them,' said Raymond disapprovingly. That look was quickly replaced by admiration. â€Å"The other's the zvezda.' This earned gasps from Joshua and Angeline and a â€Å"What?' from me. â€Å"The battle mark,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Not many people call it zvezda anymore. It means â€Å"star.† â€Å"Huh. Makes sense,' I said. The tattoo was, in fact, kind of shaped like a star and was given when someone had fought in a big enough battle to lose count of Strigoi kills. After all, there were only so many molnija marks you could cram on your neck. Joshua smiled at me in a way that made my stomach flutter just a little. Maybe he was part of a pseudo-Amish cult, but that didn't change the fact that he was still good- looking. â€Å"Now I understand how you could have killed the Tainted queen.' â€Å"It's probably fake,' said Angeline. I'd been about to protest the queen-killing part, but her comment derailed me. â€Å"It is not! I earned it when Strigoi attacked our school. And then there were plenty more I took down after that.' â€Å"The mark can't be that uncommon,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Your people must have big Strigoi fights every once in a while.' â€Å"Not really,' said Joshua, his eyes still on me. â€Å"Most of us have never fought or even seen the Lost. They don't really bother us.' That was surprising. If ever there was a Strigoi target, a group of Moroi, dhampirs, and humans out in the middle of nowhere would be it. â€Å"Why not?' I asked. Raymond winked at me. â€Å"Because we fight back.' I pondered his enigmatic statement as the family sat down to eat. Again, I thought about the entire community's willingness to fight when we'd first arrived. Was it really enough to scare off Strigoi? Not much scared them, but maybe certain things were too much of an inconvenience to deal with. I wondered what Dimitri's opinion would be on that. His own family had come from a community that separated itself somewhat from mainstream Moroi life, but it was nothing like this. All of this spun in my mind while we ate and talked. The Keepers still had a lot more questions about us and Tatiana. The only one not participating was Angeline. She ate as little as Sydney and kept watching me with a scowl. â€Å"We need some supplies,' said Sydney abruptly, interrupting me in the middle of a gruesome story. I didn't mind, but the others looked disappointed. â€Å"Where's the nearest town that would have a coffee shop †¦ or any restaurant?' â€Å"Well,' said Paulette. â€Å"Rubysville is a little over an hour north. But we have plenty of food here for you.' â€Å"Its not about food,' I said quickly. â€Å"Yours has been great.' I glanced at Sydney. â€Å"An hour's not so bad, right?' She nodded and then glanced hesitantly at Raymond. â€Å"Is there any way †¦ is there any way we could borrow a car? Ill †¦' The next words clearly caused her pain. â€Å"I'll leave the keys to mine until we get back.' He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"You've got a nice car.' Sydney shrugged. â€Å"The less we drive it around here, the better.' He told us we could take his truck and that he â€Å"probably' wouldn't even need to use the CR-V. Sydney gave him a tight smile of thanks, but I knew images of vampires joyriding in her car were dancing through her head. We set out soon after that, wanting to be back before the sun went down. People were out and about in the commune, doing chores or whatever else it was they did with their lives. A group of children sat around a dhampir reading a book to them, making me wonder what sort of education process they had here. All of the Keepers stopped whatever they were doing as we passed, giving us either curious looks or outright smiles. I smiled back occasionally but mostly kept my eyes ahead. Joshua was escorting us back to the â€Å"parking lot' and managed to walk beside me when we reached the narrow path. â€Å"I hope you won't be gone long,' he said. â€Å"I'd wanted us to talk more.' â€Å"Sure,' I said. â€Å"That'd be fun.' He brightened and chivalrously pushed aside a low-hanging branch. â€Å"Maybe I can show you my cave.' â€Å"Your–wait. What? Don't you live with your dad?' â€Å"For now. But I'm getting my own place.' There was pride in his voice. â€Å"It's not as big as his, of course, but it's a good start. It's almost cleaned out.' â€Å"That's really, um, great. Definitely show me when we're back.' The words came easily to my lips, but my mind was pondering the fact that Raymond's house was apparently â€Å"big.' Joshua parted ways from us when we reached Raymond's truck, a big red pickup with a seat that could just barely hold the three of us. Considering the Keepers didn't leave the woods much, the truck seemed like it had seen a lot of miles. Or maybe just a lot of years of disuse. â€Å"You shouldn't lead him on like that,' Dimitri said, when we'd been on the road for about ten minutes. Surprisingly, Sydney had let him drive. I guessed she figured a manly truck deserved a manly driver. Now that we were moving, my mind had focused back on the task at hand: finding the other Dragomir. â€Å"Huh?' â€Å"Joshua. You were flirting with him.' â€Å"I was not! We were just talking.' â€Å"Aren't you with Adrian?' â€Å"Yes!' I exclaimed, glaring at Dimitri. His eyes were fixed on the road. â€Å"And that's why I wasn't flirting. How can you read so much into that? Joshua doesn't even like me that way.' â€Å"Actually,' said Sydney, sitting between us, â€Å"he does.' I turned my incredulity on her. â€Å"How do you know? Did he pass you a note in class or something?' She rolled her eyes. â€Å"No. But you and Dimitri are like gods back at camp.' â€Å"We're outsiders,' I reminded her. â€Å"Tainted.' â€Å"No. You're renegade Strigoi – and queen-killers. It might have all been southern charm and hospitality back there, but those people can be savage. They put a big premium on being able to beat people up. And, considering how scruffy most of them are, you guys are †¦ well †¦ let's just say you two are the hottest things to walk through there in a while.' â€Å"You're not hot?' I asked. â€Å"It's irrelevant,' she said, flustered by the comment. â€Å"Alchemists aren't even on their radar. We don't fight. They think we're weak.' I thought back to the enraptured faces and had to admit that a lot of the people there did have a weathered, worn-out look. Almost. â€Å"Raymond's family was pretty good- looking,' I pointed out. I heard a grunt from Dimitri who no doubt read this as evidence of me flirting with Joshua. â€Å"Yeah,' she said. â€Å"Because they're probably the most important family in town. They eat better, probably don't have to work in the sun as much. That kind of stuff makes a difference.' There was no more talk of flirting as we continued the drive. We made good time to Rubysville, which looked eerily similar to the first town we'd stayed in. When we stopped at what appeared to be the Rubysville's only gas station, Sydney ran inside to ask a few questions. She came back, reporting that there was indeed a cafe of sorts where she could plug in her laptop and try to look up what we needed. She ordered coffee, and we sat there with her, too full from breakfast to order anything substantial. After a couple dirty looks from a waitress who seemed to regard us as loiterers, Dimitri and I decided to take a walk around town. Sydney looked almost as pleased as the waitress about this. I don't think she liked having us hover around. I'd given Sydney a hard time about West Virginia, but I had to admit the scenery was beautiful. Soaring trees, full of summer leaves, surrounded the town like an embrace. Beyond them, mountains loomed, very different from the ones I'd grown up with near St. Vladimir's. These were rolling and green, covered in more trees. Most of the mountains surrounding St. Vladimir's had been stony and jagged, often with snowy peaks. A strange sense of nostalgia came over me, thinking back to Montana. There was a good possibility I'd never see it again. If I spent the rest of my life on the run, St. Vladimir's was the last place I could go. If I was caught, well †¦ then I'd definitely never get to see Montana again. â€Å"Or any place,'I murmured, speaking out loud before I could catch myself. â€Å"Hmm?' asked Dimitri. â€Å"I was just thinking about if the guardians find us. I never realized how much there was I wanted to do and see. Suddenly, that's all at stake, you know?' We moved off to the side of the road as an orange pickup came driving by. Children out of school for the summer screeched and laughed in the back of it. â€Å"Okay, suppose my name isn't cleared and we never find the real murderer. What's the next-best-case scenario? Me: always running, always hiding. That'll be my life. For all I know, I will have to go live with the Keepers.' â€Å"I don't think it'll come to that,' said Dimitri. â€Å"Abe and Sydney would help you find some place safe.' â€Å"Is there a safe place? For real? Adrian said the guardians are increasing their efforts to find us. They've got the Alchemists and probably human authorities looking for us too. No matter where we go, we'll run the risk of being spotted. Then we'll have to move on. It'll be like that forever.' â€Å"You'll be alive,' he pointed out. â€Å"That's what matters. Enjoy what you have, every little detail of wherever you are. Don't focus on where you aren't.' â€Å"Yeah,' I admitted, trying to follow his advice. The sky seemed a little bluer, the birds a little louder. â€Å"I suppose I shouldn't whine over the dream places I won't get to see. I should be grateful I get to see anything at all. And that I'm not living in a cave.' He glanced over at me and smiled, something unreadable in his eyes. â€Å"Where do you want to go?' â€Å"What, right now?' I glanced around, sizing up our options. There was a bait and tackle store, a drugstore, and an ice cream parlor. I had a feeling that last one would be a necessary trip before leaving town. â€Å"No, in the world.' I eyed him warily. â€Å"Sydney's going to be pissed if we take off for Istanbul or something.' This got me full-fledged laughter. â€Å"Not what I had in mind. Come on.' I followed him toward what looked like the bait and tackle store and then noticed a small building tucked behind it. Naturally, his sharp eyes had seen what I missed– probably because I'd been fixated on the ice cream. RUBYSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY. â€Å"Whoa, hey,' I said. â€Å"One of the few perks of graduating was avoiding places like this.' â€Å"Its probably air conditioned,' he pointed out. I looked down at my sweat-soaked tank top and noticed a faint pink tinge to my skin. With my tanned complexion, I rarely burned, but this was some serious sun–even so late in the day. â€Å"Lead on,' I told him. The library was mercifully cool, though even smaller than the one at St. Vladimir's. With some uncanny sense (or maybe just a knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System), Dimitri led us over to the travel section–which consisted of about ten books, three of which were about West Virginia. He frowned. â€Å"Not quite what I expected.' He scanned the shelf twice and then pulled out a large, bright-colored one entitled 100 Best Places to Visit in the World. We sat down cross-legged on the floor, and he handed me the book. â€Å"No way, comrade,' I said. â€Å"I know books are a journey of the imagination, but I don't think I'm up for that today.' â€Å"Just take it,' he said. â€Å"Close your eyes, and flip randomly to a page.' It seemed silly, considering everything else going on in our life, but his face said he was serious. Indulging him, I closed my eyes and selected a page in the middle. I opened to it. â€Å"Mitchell, South Dakota?' I exclaimed. Remembering I was in a library, I lowered my voice. â€Å"Out of all the places in the world, that makes the top hundred?' He was smiling again, and I'd forgotten how much I'd missed that. â€Å"Read it.' â€Å"†Located ninety minutes outside of Sioux Falls, Mitchell is home to the Corn Palace.† I looked up at him in disbelief. â€Å"Corn Palace?' He scooted over next to me, leaning close to look at the pictures. â€Å"I figured it'd be made of corn husks,' he noted. The pictures actually showed what looked like a Middle Eastern–or even Russian–style building, with turrets and onion domes. â€Å"Me too.' Reluctantly, I added, â€Å"I'd visit it. I bet they have great T-shirts.' â€Å"And,' he said, a sly look in his eyes, â€Å"I bet no guardians would look for us there.' I made no attempts to conceal my laughter, imagining us living as fugitives in the Corn Palace for the rest of our lives. My amusement brought us a scolding from a librarian, and we quieted as Dimitri took his turn. Sao Paolo, Brazil. Then my turn: Honolulu, Hawaii. Back and forth we passed the book, and before long, we were both lying on the floor, side by side, sharing mixed reactions as we continued our â€Å"global tour of the imagination.' Our arms and legs just barely touched. If anyone had told me forty-eight hours ago that I'd be lying in a library with Dimitri, reading a travel book, I would have said they were crazy. Almost as crazy was the realization that I was doing something perfectly ordinary and casual with him. Since the moment we'd met, our lives had been about secrecy and danger. And really, those were still the dominant themes in our lives. But in those quiet couple of hours, time seemed to stand still. We were at peace. We were friends. â€Å"Florence, Italy,' I read. Pictures of elaborate churches and galleries filled the page. â€Å"Sydney wants to go there. She wanted to study there, actually. If Abe could have managed that, I think she would have served him for life.' â€Å"She's still pretty obedient,' Dimitri remarked. â€Å"I don't know her well, but I'm pretty sure Abe's got something on her.' â€Å"He got her out of Russia, back to the U.S.' He shook his head. â€Å"It's got to be more than that. Alchemists are loyal to their order. They don't like us. She hides it–they're trained to–but every minute with the Keepers is agony. For her to help us and betray her superiors, she owes him for some serious reason.' We both paused a moment, wondering what mysterious arrangement my father had with her. â€Å"Its irrelevant, though. She's helping us, which is what matters †¦ and we should probably get back to her.' I knew he was right but hated to go. I wanted to stay here, in this illusion of tranquility and safety, letting myself believe I might really make it to the Parthenon or even the Corn Palace someday. I handed the book back to him. â€Å"One more.' He picked his random page and opened the book. His smile fell. â€Å"Saint Petersburg.' A weird mix of feelings entangled themselves in my chest. Nostalgia–because the city was beautiful. Sorrow–because my visit had been tainted by the awful task I'd gone there to do. Dimitri stared at the page for a long time, wistfulness on his face. It occurred to me then that, despite his earlier pep talk, he had to be experiencing what I did for Montana: our old, favorite places were lost to us now. I nudged him gently. â€Å"Hey, enjoy where you're at, remember? Not where you can't go.' He reluctantly shut the book and dragged his eyes away from it. â€Å"How'd you get so wise?' he teased. â€Å"I had a good teacher.' We smiled at each other. Something occurred to me. All this time, I'd figured he'd helped break me out because of Lissa's orders. Maybe there was more to it. â€Å"Is that why you escaped with me?' I asked. â€Å"To see what parts of the world you could?' His surprise was brief. â€Å"You don't need me to be wise, Rose. You're doing fine on your own. Yes, that was part of it. Maybe I would have been welcomed back eventually, but there was the risk I wouldn't. After †¦ after being Strigoi †¦' He stumbled over the words a little. â€Å"I gained a new appreciation for life. It took a while. I'm still not there. We're talking about focusing on the present, not the future–but it's my past that haunts me. Faces. Nightmares. But the farther I get from that world of death, the more I want to embrace life. The smell of these books and the perfume you wear. The way the light bends through that window. Even the taste of breakfast with the Keepers.' â€Å"You're a poet now.' â€Å"No, just starting to realize the truth. I respect the law and the way our society runs, but there was no way I could risk losing life in some cell after only just finding it again. I wanted to run too. That's why I helped you. That and–‘ â€Å"What?' I studied him, desperately wishing he wasn't so good at keeping emotions off his face. I knew him well; I understood him. But he could still hide things from me. He sat up, not meeting my eyes. â€Å"It doesn't matter. Let's go back to Sydney and see if she found out anything †¦ although, as much as I hate to say it, I think it's unlikely.' â€Å"I know.' I stood with him, still wondering what else he would have said. â€Å"She probably gave up and started playing Minesweeper.' We headed back toward the cafe, stopping briefly for ice cream. Eating it while we walked proved quite the challenge. The sun was nearing the horizon, painting everything orange and red, but the heat lingered. Enjoy it, Rose, I told myself. The colors. The taste of chocolate. Of course, I'd always loved chocolate. My life didn't need to be on the line for me to enjoy dessert. We reached the cafe and found Sydney bent over her laptop, with a barely eaten Danish and what was probably her fourth cup of coffee. We slid into seats beside her. â€Å"Hows it–hey! You are playing Minesweeper!' I tried to peer closer at her screen, but she turned it from me. â€Å"You're supposed to be finding a connection to Eric's mistress.' â€Å"I already did,' she said simply. Dimitri and I exchanged astonished looks. â€Å"But I don't know how useful it'll be.' â€Å"Anything'll be useful,' I proclaimed. â€Å"What did you find?' â€Å"After trying to track down all those bank records and transactions–and let me tell you, that is not fun at all–I finally found a small piece of info. The bank account we have now is a newer one. It was moved from another bank about five years ago. The old account was still a Jane Doe, but it did have a next-of-kin reference in the event something happened to the account holder.' I could hardly breathe. Financial transactions were lost on me, but we were about to get something solid. â€Å"A real name?' Sydney nodded. â€Å"Sonya Karp.'