Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Questions and Answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Questions and Answers - Essay Example This is influenced after he suspects that Cassio was given the post, by reasons of Desdemona’s friendship, and because he interfered with the relationship between Cassio and Desdemona (Shakespeare, 2001). He wishes to stop the wedding of the two, with the help of Rodirego if it is not to late to do so. This marks the end of a warm freindship between Othello and Lago. This leaves Lagos name tarshished, from being an honest man, to the mortal enemy of Moor. His former friend Moor who is regarded noble and attains the highest military position. Roderigo serves as a secondary antagonist in the play. He is a Venetian desperately lusting but a declined Desdemona. In a dramatic persona, Roderigo is described as a dupe, a gull or an easy target. To pave way to Desdemona’s bed, Roderigo opens his handbag to Lago in the wrong belief that lago will help him (Shakespeare, 2001). At the very beginning, he alerts Brabantio that Desdemona has run away with Moor. Raderigo is hurt badly by lago, after the killing of Michael runs amiss. He is injured in the attempt of failing to kill Cassio. He is then stabbed and left to die, by Lago however later it is known that he had left letters telling the truth about Lagos plans. Moor is a term used to refer to someone or anyone who is either Arab or African. It is a Muslims region, which is half-Christian and half Muslim. Varied on the theme of racism, Moor as referred in the story, Shakespeare, is dark skin, and is discriminated in a big way by Montano. He seeks to revenge with the help of Lago, who he asks to give services to Montano, to get a grip to revenge. In a net of lies, Lago manipulates other characters in the name revenge (Shakespeare, 2001). The sense that they think Lago is honest; he achieves a chance to manipulate them all. The play fits tragedy in that; Shakespeare is searching for a particular tragedy to cover for the many tragedies. Shakespeare is influence, by the fact

Monday, October 28, 2019

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay Example for Free

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay This chapter looks at Young Goodman Brown from the perspective of the female characters. Baym notes that the protagonists, usually male, reject any sexual relationship with a woman, ordinarily the wife or fiancee (136). Usually, the rejection has a fatal effect on the scorned woman. Baym notes that stories written before 1842 have a female character who is destroyed only by accident not by intention. She notes that Browns departure from Faith was not an intentional act since Brown actually planned on returning to her after the forest trip. But Baym believes that the very act of the man leaving the woman shows the males indifference to the security of their female counterparts. Baym sees the women as being sexual beings and men as sexually frozen (138). She advises that mans lack of sexual desire is what truly kills the woman and allows the man to continue living in a hollow life. Baym quickly assures her readers that her comments do not reflect the real nature of women but about the way in which men imagine them (138). She suggests that Hawthornes men are obsessed with females but the only way they can make any connection with women is through fantasy. Coleman, Arthur. Hawthornes Pragmatic Fantasies. This article looks at the role of fantasy in many of Hawthornes works. There is a very small section devoted to Young Goodman Brown. In general, Coleman focuses on Hawthornes use of fantastic, eerie settings. Young Goodman Brown works as both reality and fantasy because of the distressed mind of Brown which could lead him to imagine bizarre events. Hawthornes question at the end of the story keeps the wondrous events within a sensible realm (362). Easterly, Joan Elizabeth. Lachrymal Imagery in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown. Joan Easterly claims in her article that Goodman Brown is a changed man after his experience in the woods. She notes that Hawthorne demonstrates how Brown, a Puritan, fails the test of his moral and spiritual being. Easterly points out that Brown does not cry after realizing what he has witnessed at the witches commune. By not crying or realizing his inner emotions, Brown cannot progress morally or spiritually. This explains the symbolism that Hawthorne uses throughout the work. For example, the cold drops from the hanging twig as Brown awakes are not a Christian baptism since the water does not sprinkle on his head like in most Christian baptisms (340). The dewdrops represent, according to Easterly, the reproval of Brown and his own wickedness. Browns lack of tears shows that he has no pity or compassion for the witches and therefore he cannot be a true Christian himself. Easterly concludes that Young Goodman Brown is emotionally sterile compared with the emotionally charged witches meeting. Hardt, John S. Doubts in the American Garden: Three Cases of Paradisal Skepticism Three works are discussed in this article: Rip Van Winkle, Young Goodman Brown, and The Fall of the House of Usher. In all of the works, the main characters enter natural or edenic settings only to meet with evil forces. Hardt terms this paradisal skepticism or a retreat from the paradisal ideal with a recognition of limits in human knowledge (249). Most critics characterize these works as portraits of the American experience but instead of man moving from ignorance to knowledge, man accepts that he is not capable of knowing everything. In the section on Young Goodman Brown, Hardt writes that the woods were once the Garden of Eden but have since been contaminated by the serpent (the old man) who is now in control of the wilderness. Browns departure from faith, both literally and figuratively, is a trip towards uncertainty where his knowledge will be tested. Hawthorne allows gaps between what Brown actually sees with his eyes and what he perceives like the serpent-like form of the old mans staff. Hardt advises that both Brown and the narrator have limited knowledge in that neither can decipher whether the witches communion was real or imagined. He concludes by noting that the only true knowledge that Goodman Brown gains after his experience is that he cannot know everything and he does not know everything. Browns lack of certainties affect him as he leaves the forest and begins to question the motives of all of the familiar townspeople. Shear, Walter. Cultural Fate and Social Freedom in Three American Short Stories. Young Goodman Brown, like James The Jolly Corner and Irvings Rip Van Winkle, has a triptych structure. In the first portion, the main character is seen in a detached state from his normal environment. The second section takes the character to an unfamiliar surrounding with bizarre happenings. The last section returns the character to his normal surroundings but in an altered state where the protagonist returns to a different relationship between himself and society. Shear notes two effects produced by this arrangement which are a fast flow into past and present that accents the great space between public and private histories and that history is good for the individual (543). As Goodman Brown leaves Faith, he becomes an individual psychologically. His departure from his wife is not only a symbolic loss of faith, but it is also his leaving behind conventional belief (545). In the woods, Browns religion is absent; therefore the familiar woods are nightmarish. He must struggle with the people in the woods in order to hold on to his morals and values. It is him against society and he is betrayed by that very society. At the end, Goodman Brown leaves the fantasy and returns to normal society. He is more aware of himself and of his relationship with other members of society. Shear says that Brown represents the unstable Puritanism as it decreases in its religious conviction and becomes somewhat hypocritical (547). Browns revulsion of his wife and community represents his own need to psychologically repress his reasons for taking the first step into the forest. Waggoner compares Poes Roderick Usher with Goodman Brown. He says that the difference between the two centers on real morbidity and real health (25). Browns secret guilt leads him into isolation since he becomes bitter because he had been given over to the evil in the world by actively participating in it (92). There is very little overt action and the plot usually consist of some type of journey. Also Waggoner advises that Browns fall from grace is less fortunate than the falls of other Hawthornes protagonists. Browns fall begins when he loses faith in the Puritan principles. From being an Innocent, he became a Cynic and so was lost because he could not accept the world as it really is (210). Williamson, James L. Young Goodman Brown: Hawthornes Devil in Manuscript. Studies in Short Fiction 18 (1981): 155-162. Williamson begins the article by commenting on Hawthornes definition of a good author. He advises that Hawthorne deemed the best writers as those with a little devil in them. Williamson comments on Hawthornes critique of women writers where Hawthorne says, Generally women write like emasculated men; but when they throw off the restraints of decency, and come before the public stark naked, as it were,- then their books are sure to possess character and value (155). Hawthorne means that writers should shed old conventions/traditions in order to write a good story. Williamson compares a main character, Oberon, in The Devil in Manuscript, who gives himself to the devil with Goodman Brown who does not give himself to the devil. Williamson suggests that in Young Goodman Brown there is a connection between the writer and the devil and the writer/speaker is actually a member of the devils party. He writes also that Brown actually meets with three devils: the old man, Goody Cloyse, and the speaker. The speaker is the devil in the manuscript in that he has the ability to make Brown and the reader perceive devilish qualities of the other characters. The often satiric tone of the speaker also hints at his devil-like qualities. This article focuses on works by Sarah Orne Jewett, A White Heron, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown. Zanger discusses the centrality of both stories on New England life. Both stories work well together as Jewetts story carries on the theme of Young Goodman Brown .The structural elements, as well, of both stories are similar. Zanger notes that both protagonists leave at sunset, quickly meet mysterious strangers and then accept the evil givings of the tempter or villian. Both characters revert from their intentions. In Hawthornes story, Brown cries to Faith to resist the evil and in Jewetts story, Sylvy refuses to tell the hunter where the heron nests. Zanger notes that each story ends in deliberate ambiguity (349). In Browns case, Hawthorne leaves the reader questionning whether Browns experience was real or fantasy. He also questions whether Browns cry to refuse the evil was of any value since his life after the woods remains desolate. There are some differences also between the two works that Zanger notes. For example, Jewetts wilderness is real' (350). Hawthorne does not go into detail about the animals in the forest unlike Jewett who specifically describes each one. Also, Jewetts forest is not clouded with evil undertones like the one that Goodman Brown enters. In relation to the individual characters, Brown begins his journey by choice as opposed to Sylvy who feels compelled to find the home of the heron. Zanger refers to Brown as one of the straw men who never questions the devils provocations. He also notes that Brown finally resists the devil based on fear, not faith (354). Zanger accepts the existing conclusion that, in light of the numerous similarities and differences, Jewett wrote A White Heron as a response to Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Essay example --

There are others who researched on the effects of obesity on the labour market and concluded that obesity is seen as an issue of discrimination based on individual’s appearances. Hamermesh and Biddle (1994) researched on the impact of physical appearances to earnings. The purpose of this experiment is to study the labour market favoritism due to more attractive appearances. Looks were measured by using the ratings of the responders by the interviewer on their physical appearance and by using stand-earning equations. Their analysis found that the wages of below average looking workers was less than for wages that are above the average looking workers. They also concluded that women who were obese earned 12% less than an average weight. A study that was used to examine this analysis in the past was the national longitudinal survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79). This study was a sample of 12,686 young men and women who were from ages of 14 to 22 years old when they were first surveyed in 1979. They surveyed the same people except a few exceptions for the next 14 years until 1998. The purpose of the national longitudinal survey of youth in 1979 was to explore the effect of obesity on the labour market outcomes in the long term. The age distribution in this research will help study the extensive margin and the intensive margins of the labour market due to obesity. The extensive margin that this study examines are the labour market participation choice and occupation choices. The intensive margins can be the change in wages overtime throughout their work and employment changes. The conclusion they reached was that obese women earn about 12% less than normal weight women and no major effect in males earning even when they are obese. In 2004 ... ... research concluded were women overall who’s wages are significantly being affect due to being overweight and obese while this analysis finds that women’s wages are not directly due to excess weight. Another interesting result was that overweight and obese variables with different industries and occupations. This analysis showed how excess weight had negative effect on a women’s income, but only in the sales and entertainment industry for obese women only. Although it is difficult to this hypothesis but since 60% of the American population is considered overweight at least which does support the analysis we obtained plausible since that majority of the population cannot be discriminated. Even though obesity is a disease and causes many health conditions there seems to be no negative effect on income and this can be due to the improvements in health care overtime.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Parenting the Father

What are the qualities that show a good parent? To be a good parent you must be loving, considerate, and responsible, you have to pay attention to your child’s need. Unfortunately John Purcell from â€Å"The Father† by Hugh Garner shows none of these qualities. Mr. Purcell is neglective, shameless and proud. One trait that clearly shows John is an unsatisfactory father is that he is neglective. This trait describes Mr. Purcell very accurately. An example of how John is neglective is when he had a meeting with the principal at Johnny’s school, regarding his grades. John had agreed to keep Johnny back a grade just so the meeting would end sooner â€Å"When the teacher had suggested keeping the boy in the same grade for a second year, he had acquiesced willingly, wanting only to get away from the place. † page 43. Another example of Johns neglect is how he does not even know what position his own son played or which team he played for â€Å"He realized that he didn’t even know what position his own son played, or even the name of the team. † page 46. Lastly when Johnny was talking about his friends and their fathers, John had no clue who he was talking about because he pays no attention to his children what so ever, nor does he play a role in either of his children’s lives â€Å"He didn’t know on boy or girl who came to the house from another. † page 48. These are three of many examples that show Mr. Purcell is a neglective father. In addition to be neglective John Purcell is also shameless. In almost every event throughout Johnny’s life that involved both father and son, John would always bring shame upon Johnny and himself. In the story on page 1 it says â€Å"†¦ a strange shame and embarrassment coloured every event that brought them into contact. † A second example that shows how John is shameless is when he was talking to the curate and scout master about the entry fee for the Boy Scout Meeting â€Å"Three Dollars! Why I could’ve taken Jonny to a burlesque show for less than that. † He felt no shame at all after making the remark. The final example I have that shows Mr. Purcell is shameless is when he was outside the church drinking with a man he had just known for less than an hour or so. They had three good drinks apiece before Murdoch said, ‘Maybe we’d better go back inside. If we don’t get in there soon that kid of mine will tell his mother for sure. ’† This shows John felt no shame because even though he was with his son at a very important meeting, with the Johnny’s friends and their parents there, he was outside drinking paying no regard towards the circumstances. Also if it wasn’t for Charley Murdoch suggesting that they should go back inside, John would’ve just sat outside drinking the whole night. If you don’t call a man like that shameless then I wouldn’t know what you’d call him.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 10 Book

HAND-ON-THIGH STORY-†¦ An occasion cited by Hari Seldon as the first turning point in his search for a method to develop psychohistory. Unfortunately, his published writings give no indication as to what that â€Å"story† was and speculations concerning it (there have been many) are futile. It remains one of the many intriguing mysteries concerning Seldon's career. Encyclopedia Galactica 45. Raindrop Forty-Three stared at Seldon, wild-eyed and breathing heavily. â€Å"I can't stay here,† she said. Seldon looked about. â€Å"No one is bothering us. Even the Brother from whom we got the dainties said nothing about us. He seemed to take us as a perfectly normal pair.† â€Å"That's because there is nothing unusual about us-when the light is dim, when you keep your voice low so the tribesman accent is less noticeable, and when I seem calm. But now-† Her voice was growing hoarse. â€Å"What of now?† â€Å"I am nervous and tense. I am†¦ in a perspiration.† â€Å"Who is to notice? Relax. Calm down.† â€Å"I can't relax here. I can't calm down while I may be noticed.† â€Å"Where are we to go, then?† â€Å"There are little sheds for resting. I have worked here. I know about them.† She was walking rapidly now and Seldon followed. Up a small ramp, which he would not have noticed in the twilight without her, there was a line of doors, well spread apart. â€Å"The one at the end,† she muttered. â€Å"If it's free.† It was unoccupied. A small glowing rectangle said NOT IN USE and the door was ajar. Raindrop Forty-Three looked about rapidly, motioned Seldon in, then stepped inside herself. She closed the door and, as she did so, a small ceiling light brightened the interior. Seldon said, â€Å"Is there any way the sign on the door can indicate this shed is in use?† â€Å"That happened automatically when the door closed and the light went on,† said the Sister. Seldon could feel air softly circulating with a small sighing sound, but where on Trantor was that ever-present sound and feel not apparent? The room was not large, but it had a cot with a firm, efficient mattress, and what were obviously clean sheets. There was a chair and table, a small refrigerator, and something that looked like an enclosed hot plate, probably a tiny food-heater. Raindrop Forty-Three sat down on the chair, sitting stiffly upright, visibly attempting to force herself into relaxation. Seldon, uncertain as to what he ought to do, remained standing till she gestured-a bit impatiently-for him to sit on the cot. He did so. Raindrop Forty-Three said softly, as though talking to herself, â€Å"If it is ever known that I have been here with a man-even if only a tribesman-I shall indeed be an outcast.† Seldon rose quickly. â€Å"Then let's not stay here.† â€Å"Sit down. I can't go out when I'm in this mood. You've been asking about religion. What are you after?† It seemed to Seldon that she had changed completely. Gone was the passivity, the subservience. There was none of the shyness, the backwardness in the presence of a male. She was glaring at him through narrowed eyes. â€Å"I told you. Knowledge. I'm a scholar. It is my profession and my desire to know, I want to understand people in particular, so I want to learn history. For many worlds, the ancient historical records-the truly ancient historical records-have decayed into myths and legends, often becoming part of a set of religious beliefs or of supernaturalism. But if Mycogen does not have a religion, then-â€Å" â€Å"I said we have history.† Seldon said, â€Å"Twice you've said you have history. How old?† â€Å"It goes back twenty thousand years.† â€Å"Truly? Let us speak frankly. Is it real history or is it something that has degenerated into legend?† â€Å"It is real history, of course.† Seldon was on the point of asking how she could tell, but thought better of it. Was there really a chance that history might reach back twenty thousand years and be authentic? He was not a historian himself, so he would have to check with Dors. But it seemed so likely to him that on every world the earliest histories were medleys of self-serving heroisms and minidramas that were meant as morality plays and were not to be taken literally. It was surely true of Helicon, yet you would find scarcely a Heliconian who would not swear by all the tales told and insist it was all true history. They would support, as such, even that perfectly ridiculous tale of the first exploration of Helicon and the encounters with large and dangerous flying reptiles-even though nothing like flying reptiles had been found to be native to any world explored and settled by human beings. He said instead, â€Å"How does this history begin?† There was a faraway look in the Sister's eyes, a look that did not focus on Seldon or on anything in the room. She said, â€Å"It begins with a world-our world. One world.† â€Å"One world?† (Seldon remembered that Hummin had spoken of legends of a single, original world of humanity.) â€Å"One world. There were others later, but ours was the first. One world, with space, with open air, with room for everyone, with fertile fields, with friendly homes, with warm people. For thousands of years we lived there and then we had to leave and skulk in one place or another until some of us found a corner of Trantor where we learned to grow food that brought us a little freedom. And here in Mycogen, we now have our own ways-and our own dreams.† â€Å"And your histories give the full details concerning the original world? The one world?† â€Å"Oh yes, it is all in a book and we all have it. Every one of us. We carry it at all times so that there is never a moment when any one of us cannot open it and read it and remember who we are and who we were and resolve that someday we will have our world back.† â€Å"Do you know where this world is and who lives on it now?† Raindrop Forty-Three hesitated, then shook her head fiercely. â€Å"We do not, but someday we will find it.† â€Å"And you have this book in your possession now?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"May I see that book?† Now a slow smile crossed the face of the Sister. She said, â€Å"So that's what you want. I knew you wanted something when you asked to be guided through the microfarms by me alone.† She seemed a little embarrassed. â€Å"I didn't think it was the Book.† â€Å"It is all I want,† said Seldon earnestly. â€Å"I really did not have my mind on anything else. If you brought me here because you thought-â€Å" She did not allow him to finish. â€Å"But here we are. Do you or don't you want the Book?† â€Å"Are you offering to let me see it?† â€Å"On one condition.† Seldon paused, weighing the possibility of serious trouble if he had overcome the Sister's inhibitions to a greater extent than he had ever intended. â€Å"What condition?† he said. Raindrop Forty-Three's tongue emerged lightly and licked quickly at her lips. Then she said with a distinct tremor in her voice, â€Å"That you remove your skincap.† 46. Hari Seldon stared blankly at Raindrop Forty-Three. There was a perceptible moment in which he did not know what she was talking about. He had forgotten he was wearing a skincap. Then he put his hand to his head and, for the first time, consciously felt the skincap he was wearing. It was smooth, but he felt the tiny resilience of the hair beneath. Not much. His hair, after all, was fine and without much body. He said, still feeling it, â€Å"Why?† She said, â€Å"Because I want you to. Because that's the condition if you want to see the Book.† He said, â€Å"Well, if you really want me to.† His hand probed for the edge, so that he could peel it off. But she said, â€Å"No, let me do it. I'll do it.† She was looking at him hungrily. Seldon dropped his hands to his lap. â€Å"Go ahead, then.† The Sister rose quickly and sat down next to him on the cot. Slowly, carefully, she detached the skincap from his head just in front of his ear. Again she licked her lips and she was panting as she loosened the skincap about his forehead and turned it up. Then it came away and was gone and Seldon's hair, released, seemed to stir a bit in glad freedom. He said, troubled, â€Å"Keeping my hair under the skincap has probably made my scalp sweat. If so, my hair will be rather damp.† He raised his hand, as though to check the matter, but she caught it and held it back. â€Å"I want to do that,† she said. â€Å"Its part of the condition.† Her fingers, slowly and hesitantly, touched his hair and then withdrew. She touched it again and, very gently, stroked it. â€Å"It's dry,† she said. â€Å"It feels†¦ good.† â€Å"Have you ever felt cephalic hair before?† â€Å"Only on children sometimes. This†¦ is different.† She was stroking again. â€Å"In what way?† Seldon, even amid his embarrassment, found it possible to be curious. â€Å"I can't say. Its just†¦ different.† After a while he said, â€Å"Have you had enough?† â€Å"No. Don't rush me. Can you make it lie anyway you want it to?† â€Å"Not really. It has a natural way of falling, but I need a comb for that and I don't have one with me.† â€Å"A comb?† â€Å"An object with prongs†¦ uh, like a fork†¦ but the prongs are more numerous and somewhat softer.† â€Å"Can you use your fingers?† She was running hers through his hair. He said, â€Å"After a fashion. It doesn't work very well.† â€Å"Its bristly behind.† â€Å"The hair is shorter there.† Raindrop Forty-Three seemed to recall something. â€Å"The eyebrows,† she said. â€Å"Isn't that what they're called?† She stripped off the shields, then ran her fingers through the gentle arc of hair, against the grain. â€Å"That's nice,† she said, then laughed in a high-pitched way that was almost like her younger sister's giggle. â€Å"They're cute.† Seldon said a little impatiently, â€Å"Is there anything else that's part of the condition?† In the rather dim light, Raindrop Forty-Three looked as though she might be considering an affirmative, but said nothing. Instead, she suddenly withdrew her hands and lifted them to her nose. Seldon wondered what she might be smelling. â€Å"How odd,† she said. â€Å"May I†¦ may I do it again another time?† Seldon said uneasily, â€Å"If you will let me have the Book long enough to study it, then perhaps.† Raindrop Forty-Three reached into her kirtle through a slit that Seldon had not noticed before and, from some hidden inner pocket, removed a book bound in some tough, flexible material. He took it, trying to control his excitement. While Seldon readjusted his skincap to cover his hair, Raindrop Forty-Three raised her hands to her nose again and then, gently and quickly, licked one finger. 47. â€Å"Felt your hair?† said Dors Venabili. She looked at Seldon's hair as though she was of a mind to feel it herself. Seldon moved away slightly. â€Å"Please don't. The woman made it seem like a perversion.† â€Å"I suppose it was-from her standpoint. Did you derive no pleasure from it yourself?† â€Å"Pleasure? It gave me gooseflesh. When she finally stopped, I was able to breathe again. I kept thinking: What other conditions will she make?† Dors laughed. â€Å"Were you afraid that she would force sex upon you? Or hopeful?† â€Å"I assure you I didn't dare think. I just wanted the Book.† They were in their room now and Dors turned on her field distorter to make sure they would not be overheard. The Mycogenian night was about to begin. Seldon had removed his skincap and kirtle and had bathed, paying particular attention to his hair, which he had foamed and rinsed twice. He was now sitting on his cot, wearing a light nightgown that had been hanging in the closet. Dors said, eyes dancing, â€Å"Did she know you have hair on your chest?† â€Å"I was hoping earnestly she wouldn't think of that.† â€Å"Poor Hari. It was all perfectly natural, you know. I would probably have had similar trouble if I was alone with a Brother. Worse, I'm sure, since he would believe-Mycogenian society being what it is-that as a woman I would be bound to obey his orders without delay or demur.† â€Å"No, Dors. You may think it was perfectly natural, but you didn't experience it. The poor woman was in a high state of sexual excitement. She engaged all her senses†¦ smelled her fingers, licked them. If she could have heard hair grow, she would have listened avidly.† â€Å"But that's what I mean by ‘natural.' Anything you make forbidden gains sexual attractiveness. Would you be particularly interested in women's breasts if you lived in a society in which they were displayed at all times?† â€Å"I think I might.† â€Å"Wouldn't you be more interested if they were always hidden, as in most societies they are?- Listen, let me tell you something that happened to me. I was at a lake resort back home on Cinna†¦ I presume you have resorts on Helicon, beaches, that sort of thing?† â€Å"Of course,† said Seldon, slightly annoyed. â€Å"What do you think Helicon is, a world of rocks and mountains, with only well water to drink?† â€Å"No offense, Hari. I just want to make sure you'll get the point of the story. On our beaches at Cinna, we're pretty lighthearted about what we wear†¦ or don't wear.† â€Å"Nude beaches?† â€Å"Not actually, though I suppose if someone removed all of his or her clothing it wouldn't be much remarked on. The custom is to wear a decent minimum, but I must admit that what we consider decent leaves very little to the imagination.† Seldon said, â€Å"We have somewhat higher standards of decency on Helicon.† â€Å"Yes, I could tell that by your careful treatment of me, but to each its own. In any case, I was sitting at the small beach by the lake and a young man approached to whom I had spoken earlier in the day. He was a decent fellow I found nothing particularly wrong with. He sat on the arm of my chair and placed his right hand on my left thigh, which was bare, of course, in order to steady himself. â€Å"After we had spoken for a minute and a half or so, he said, impishly. ‘Here I am. You know me hardly at all and yet it seems perfectly natural to me that I place my hand on your thigh. What's more, it seems perfectly natural to you, since you don't seem to mind that it remains there.' â€Å"It was only then that I actually noticed that his hand was on my thigh. Bare skin in public somehow loses some of its sexual quality. As I said, its the hiding from view that is crucial. â€Å"And the young man felt this too, for he went on to say, ‘Yet if I were to meet you under more formal conditions and you were wearing a gown, you wouldn't dream of letting me lift your gown and place my hand on your thigh on the precise spot it now occupies.' â€Å"I laughed and we continued to talk of this and that. Of course, the young man, now that my attention had been called to the position of his hand, felt it no longer appropriate to keep it there and removed it. â€Å"That night I dressed for dinner with more than usual care and appeared in clothing that was considerably more formal than was required or than other women in the dining room were wearing. I found the young man in question. He was sitting at one of the tables. I approached, greeted him, and said, ‘Here I am in a gown, but under it my left thigh is bare. I give you permission. Just lift the gown and place your hand on my left thigh where you had it earlier.' â€Å"He tried. I'll give him credit for that, but everyone was staring. I wouldn't have stopped him and I'm sure no one else would have stopped him either, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was no more public then than it had been earlier and the same people were present in both cases. It was clear that I had taken the initiative and that I had no objections, but he could not bring himself to violate the proprieties. The conditions, which had been hand-on-thigh in the afternoon, were not hand-on-thigh in the evening and that meant more than anything logic could say.† Seldon said, â€Å"I would have put my hand on your thigh.† â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Positive.† â€Å"Even though your standards of decency on the beach are higher than ours are?† â€Å"Yes.† Dors sat down on her own cot, then lay down with her hands behind her head. â€Å"So that you're not particularly disturbed that I'm wearing a nightgown with very little underneath it.† â€Å"I'm not particularly shocked. As for being disturbed, that depends on the definition of the word. I'm certainly aware of how you're dressed.† â€Å"Well, if we're going to be cooped up here for a period of time, we'll have to learn to ignore such things.† â€Å"Or take advantage of them,† said Seldon, grinning. â€Å"And I like your hair. After seeing you bald all day, I like your hair.† â€Å"Well, don't touch it. I haven't washed it yet.† She half-closed her eyes. â€Å"It's interesting. You've detached the informal and formal level of respectability. What you're saying is that Helicon is more respectable at the informal level than Cinna is and less respectable at the formal level. Is that right?† â€Å"Actually, I'm just talking about the young man who placed his hand on your thigh and myself. How representative we are as Cinnians and Heliconians, respectively, I can't say. I can easily imagine some perfectly proper individuals on both worlds-and some madcaps too.† â€Å"We're talking about social pressures. I'm not exactly a Galactic traveler, but I've had to involve myself in a great deal of social history. On the planet of Derowd, there was a time when premarital sex was absolutely free. Multiple sex was allowed for the unmarried and public sex was frowned upon only when traffic was blocked: And yet, after marriage, monogamy was absolute and unbroken. The theory was that by working off all one's fantasies first, one could settle down to the serious business of life.† â€Å"Did it work?† â€Å"About three hundred years ago that stopped, but some of my colleagues say it stopped through external pressure from other worlds who were losing too much tourist business to Derowd. There is such a thing as overall Galactic social pressure too.† â€Å"Or perhaps economic pressure, in this case.† â€Å"Perhaps. And being at the University, by the way, I get a chance to study social pressures, even without being a Galactic traveler. I meet people from scores of places inside and outside of Trantor and one of the pet amusements in the social science departments is the comparison of social pressures. â€Å"Here in Mycogen, for instance, I have the impression that sex is strictly controlled and is permitted under only the most stringent rules, all the more tightly enforced because it is never discussed. In the Streeling Sector, sex is never discussed either, but it isn't condemned. In the Jennat Sector, where I spent a week once doing research, sex is discussed endlessly, but only for the purpose of condemning it. I don't suppose there are any two sectors in Trantor-or any two worlds outside Trantor-in which attitudes toward sex are completely duplicated.† Seldon said, â€Å"You know what you make it sound like? It would appear-â€Å" Dors said, â€Å"I'll tell you how it appears. All this talk of sex makes one thing clear to me. I'm simply not going to let you out of my sight anymore.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Twice I let you go, the first time through my own misjudgment and the second because you bullied me into it. Both times it was clearly a mistake. You know what happened to you the first time.† Seldon said indignantly, â€Å"Yes, but nothing happened to me the second time.† â€Å"You nearly got into a lot of trouble. Suppose you had been caught indulging in sexual escapades with a Sister?† â€Å"It wasn't a sexual-â€Å" â€Å"You yourself said she was in a high state of sexual excitement.† â€Å"But-â€Å" â€Å"It was wrong. Please get it through your head, Hari. From now on, you go nowhere without me.† â€Å"Look,† said Seldon freezingly, â€Å"my object was to find out about Mycogenian history and as a result of the so-called sexual escapade with a Sister, I have a book-the Book.† â€Å"The Book! True, there's the Book. Let's see it.† Seldon produced it and Dors thoughtfully hefted it. She said, â€Å"It might not do us any good, Hari. This doesn't look as though it will fit any projector I've ever encountered. That means you'll have to get a Mycogenian projector and they'll want to know why you want it. They'll then find out you have this Book and they'll take it away from you.† Seldon smiled. â€Å"If your assumptions were correct, Dors, your conclusions would be inescapable, but it happens that this is not the kind of book you think it is. It's not meant to be projected. The material is printed on various pages and the pages are turned. Raindrop Forty-Three explained that much to me.† â€Å"A print-book!† It was hard to tell whether Dors was shocked or amused. â€Å"That's from the Stone Age.† â€Å"It's certainly pre-Empire,† said Seldon, â€Å"but not entirely so. Have you ever seen a print-book?† â€Å"Considering that I'm a historian? Of course, Hari.† â€Å"Ah, but like this one?† He handed over the Book and Dors, smiling, opened it-then turned to another page-then flipped the pages. â€Å"Its blank,† she said. â€Å"It appears to be blank. The Mycogenians are stubbornly primitivistic, but not entirely so. They will keep to the essence of the primitive, but have no objection to using modern technology to modify it for convenience's sake. Who knows?† â€Å"Maybe so, Hari, but I don't understand what you're saying.† â€Å"The pages aren't blank, they're covered with microprint. Here, give it back. If I press this little nubbin on the inner edge of the cover- Look!† The page to which the book lay open was suddenly covered with lines of print that rolled slowly upward. Seldon said, â€Å"You can adjust the rate of upward movement to match your reading speed by slightly twisting the nubbin one way or the other. When the lines of print reach their upward limit when you reach the bottom line, that is-they snap downward and turn off. You turn to the next page and continue.† â€Å"Where does the energy come from that does all this?† â€Å"It has an enclosed microfusion battery that lasts the life of the book.† â€Å"Then when it runs down-â€Å" â€Å"You discard the book, which you may be required to do even before it runs down, given wear and tear, and get another copy. You never replace the battery.† Dors took the Book a second time and looked at it from all sides. She said, â€Å"I must admit I never heard of a book like this.† â€Å"Nor I. The Galaxy, generally, has moved into visual technology so rapidly, it skipped over this possibility.† â€Å"This is visual.† â€Å"Yes, but not with the orthodox effects. This type of book has its advantages. It holds far more than an ordinary visual book does.† Dors said, â€Å"Where's the turn-on?-Ah, let me see if I can work it.† She had opened to a page at random and set the lines of print marching upward. Then she said, â€Å"I'm afraid this won't do you any good, Hari. It's pre-Galactic. I don't mean the book. I mean the print†¦ the language.† â€Å"Can you read it, Dors? As a historian-â€Å" â€Å"As a historian, I'm used to dealing with archaic language-but within limits. This is far too ancient for me. I can make out a few words here and there, but not enough to be useful.† â€Å"Good,† said Seldon. â€Å"If it's really ancient, it will be useful.† â€Å"Not if you can't read it.† â€Å"I can read it,† said Seldon. â€Å"It's bilingual. You don't suppose that Raindrop Forty-Three can read the ancient script, do you?† â€Å"If she's educated properly, why not?† â€Å"Because I suspect that women in Mycogen are not educated past household duties. Some of the more learned men can read this, but everyone else would need a translation to Galactic.† He pushed another nubbin. â€Å"And this supplies it.† The lines of print changed to Galactic Standard. â€Å"Delightful,† said Dors in admiration. â€Å"We could learn from these Mycogenians, but we don't.† â€Å"We haven't known about it.† â€Å"I can't believe that. I know about it now. And you know about it. There must be outsiders coming into Mycogen now and then, for commercial or political reasons, or there wouldn't be skincaps so ready for use. So every once in a while someone must have caught a glimpse of this sort of print-book and seen how it works, but it's probably dismissed as something curious but not worth further study, simply because it's Mycogenian.† â€Å"But is it worth study?† â€Å"Of course. Everything is. Or should be. Hummin would probably point to this lack of concern about these books as a sign of degeneration in the Empire.† He lifted the Book and said with a gush of excitement, â€Å"But I am curious and I will read this and it may push me in the direction of psychohistory.† â€Å"I hope so,† said Dors, â€Å"but if you take my advice, you'll sleep first and approach it fresh in the morning. You won't learn much if you nod over it.† Seldon hesitated, then said, â€Å"How maternal you are!† â€Å"I'm watching over you.† â€Å"But I have a mother alive on Helicon. I would rather you were my friend.† â€Å"As for that, I have been your friend since first I met you.† She smiled at him and Seldon hesitated as though he were not certain as to the appropriate rejoinder. Finally he said, â€Å"Then I'll take your advice-as a friend-and sleep before reading.† He made as though to put the Book on a small table between the two cots, hesitated, turned, and put it under his pillow. Dors Venabili laughed softly. â€Å"I think you're afraid I will wake during the night and read parts of the Book before you have a chance to. Is that it?† â€Å"Well,† said Seldon, trying not to look ashamed, â€Å"that may be it. Even friendship only goes so far and this is my book and it's my psychohistory.† â€Å"I agree,† said Dors, â€Å"and I promise you that we won't quarrel over that. By the way, you were about to say something earlier when I interrupted you. Remember?† Seldon thought briefly. â€Å"No.† In the dark, he thought only of the Book. He gave no thought to the hand-on-thigh story. In fact, he had already quite forgotten it, consciously at least. 48. Venabili woke up and could tell by her timeband that the night period was only half over. Not hearing Hari's snore, she could tell that his cot was empty. If he had not left the apartment, then he was in the bathroom. She tapped lightly on the door and said softly, â€Å"Hari?† He said, â€Å"Come in,† in an abstracted way and she did. The toilet lid was down and Seldon, seated upon it, held the Book open on his lap. He said, quite unnecessarily, â€Å"I'm reading.† â€Å"Yes, I see that. But why?† â€Å"I couldn't sleep. I'm sorry.† â€Å"But why read in here?† â€Å"If I had turned on the room light, I would have woken you up.† â€Å"Are you sure the Book can't be illuminated?† â€Å"Pretty sure. When Raindrop Forty-Three described its workings, she never mentioned illumination. Besides, I suppose that would use up so much energy that the battery wouldn't last the life of the Book.† He sounded dissatisfied. Dors said, â€Å"You can step out, then. I want to use this place, as long as I'm here.† When she emerged, she found him sitting cross-legged on his cot, still reading, with the room well lighted. She said, â€Å"You don't look happy. Does the Book disappoint you?† He looked up at her, blinking. â€Å"Yes, it does. I've sampled it here and there. It's all I've had time to do. The thing is a virtual encyclopedia and the index is almost entirely a listing of people and places that are of little use for my purposes. It has nothing to do with the Galactic Empire or the pre-Imperial Kingdoms either. It deals almost entirely with a single world and, as nearly as I can make out from what I have read, it is an endless dissertation on internal politics.† â€Å"Perhaps you underestimate its age. It may deal with a period when there was indeed only one world†¦ one inhabited world.† â€Å"Yes, I know,† said Seldon a little impatiently. â€Å"That's actually what I want-provided I can be sure its history, not legend. I wonder. I don't want to believe it just because I want to believe it.† Dors said, â€Å"Well, this matter of a single-world origin is much in the air these days. Human beings are a single species spread all over the Galaxy, so they must have originated somewhere. At least that's the popular view at present. You can't have independent origins producing the same species on different worlds.† â€Å"But I've never seen the inevitability of that argument,† said Seldon. â€Å"If human beings arose on a number of worlds as a number of different species, why couldn't they have interbred into some single intermediate species?† â€Å"Because species can't interbreed. That's what makes them species.† Seldon thought about it a moment, then dismissed it with a shrug. â€Å"Well, I'll leave it to the biologists.† â€Å"They're precisely the ones who are keenest on the Earth hypothesis.† â€Å"Earth? Is that what they call the supposed world of origin?† â€Å"That's a popular name for it, though there's no way of telling what it was called, assuming there was one. And no one has any clue to what its location might be.† â€Å"Earth!† said Seldon, curling his lips. â€Å"It sounds like a belch to me. In any case, if the book deals with the original world, I didn't come across it. How do you spell the word?† She told him and he checked the Book quickly. â€Å"There you are. The name is not listed in the index, either by that spelling or any reasonable alternative.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"And they do mention other worlds in passing. Names aren't given and there seems no interest in those other worlds except insofar as they directly impinge on the local world they speak of†¦ at least as far as I can see from what I've read. In one place, they talked about ‘The Fifty.' I don't know what they meant. Fifty leaders? Fifty cities? It seemed to me to be fifty worlds.† â€Å"Did they give a name to their own world, this world that seems to preoccupy them entirely?† asked Dors. â€Å"If they don't call it Earth, what do they call it?† â€Å"As you'd expect, they call it ‘the world' or ‘the planet.' Sometimes they call it ‘the Oldest' or ‘the World of the Dawn,' which has a poetic significance, I presume, that isn't clear to me. I suppose one ought to read the Book entirely through and some matters will then grow to make more sense.† He looked down at the Book in his hand with some distaste. â€Å"It would take a very long time, though, and I'm not sure that I'd end up any the wiser.† Dors sighed. â€Å"I'm sorry, Hari. You sound so disappointed.† â€Å"That's because I am disappointed. It's my fault, though. I should not have allowed myself to expect too much.-At one point, come to think of it, they referred to their world as ‘Aurora.' â€Å" â€Å"Aurora?† said Dors, lifting her eyebrows. â€Å"It sounds like a proper name. It doesn't make any sense otherwise, as far as I can see. Does it mean anything to you, Dors?† â€Å"Aurora.† Dors thought about it with a slight frown on her face. â€Å"I can't say I've ever heard of a planet with that name in the course of the history of the Galactic Empire or during the period of its growth, for that matter, but I won't pretend to know the name of every one of the twenty-five million worlds. We could look it up in the University library-if we ever get back to Streeling. There's no use trying to find a library here in Mycogen. Somehow I have a feeling that all their knowledge is in the Book. If anything isn't there, they aren't interested.† Seldon yawned and said, â€Å"I think you're right. In any case, there's no use reading any more and I doubt that I can keep my eyes open any longer. Is it all right if I put out the light?† â€Å"I would welcome it, Hari. And let's sleep a little later in the morning.† Then, in the dark, Seldon said softly, â€Å"Of course, some of what they say is ridiculous. For instance, they refer to a life expectancy on their world of between three and four centuries.† â€Å"Centuries?† â€Å"Yes, they count their ages by decades rather than by years. It gives you a queer feeling, because so much of what they say is perfectly matter-of-fact that when they come out with something that odd, you almost find yourself trapped into believing it.† â€Å"If you feel yourself beginning to believe that, then you should realize that many legends of primitive origins assume extended life spans for early leaders. If they're pictured as unbelievably heroic, you see, it seems natural that they have life spans to suit.† â€Å"Is that so?† said Seldon, yawning again. â€Å"It is. And the cure for advanced gullibility is to go to sleep and consider matters again the next day.† And Seldon, pausing only long enough to think that an extended life span might well be a simple necessity for anyone trying to understand a Galaxy of people, slept. 49. The next morning, feeling relaxed and refreshed and eager to begin his study of the Book again, Hari asked Dors, â€Å"How old would you say the Raindrop sisters are?† â€Å"I don't know. Twenty†¦ twenty-two?† â€Å"Well, suppose they do live three or four centuries.† â€Å"Hari. That's ridiculous.† â€Å"I'm saying suppose. In mathematics, we say ‘suppose' all the time and see if we can end up with something patently untrue or self-contradictory. An extended life span would almost surely mean an extended period of development. They might seem in their early twenties and actually be in their sixties.† â€Å"You can try asking them how old they are.† â€Å"We can assume they'd lie.† â€Å"Look up their birth certificates.† Seldon smiled wryly. â€Å"I'll bet you anything you like-a roll in the hay, if you're willing-that they'll claim they don't keep records or that, if they do, they will insist those records are closed to tribespeople.† â€Å"No bet,† said Dors. â€Å"And if that's true, then it's useless trying to suppose anything about their age.† â€Å"Oh no. Think of it this way. If the Mycogenians are living extended life spans that are four or five times that of ordinary human beings, they can't very well give birth to very many children without expanding their population tremendously. You remember that Sunmaster said something about not having the population expand and bit off his remarks angrily at that time.† Dors said, â€Å"What are you getting at?† â€Å"When I was with Raindrop Forty-Three, I saw no children.† â€Å"On the microfarms?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Did you expect children there? I was with Raindrop Forty-Five in the shops and on the residential levels and I assure you I saw a number of children of all ages, including infants. Quite a few of them.† â€Å"Ah.† Seldon looked chagrined. â€Å"Then that would mean they can't be enjoying extended life spans.† Dors said, â€Å"By your line of argument, I should say definitely not. Did you really think they did?† â€Å"No, not really. But then you can't close your mind either and make assumptions without testing them one way or another.† â€Å"You can waste a lot of time that way too, if you stop to chew away at things that are ridiculous on the face of it.† â€Å"Some things that seem ridiculous on the face of it aren't. That's all. Which reminds me. You're the historian. In your work, have you ever come across objects or phenomena called ‘robots'?† â€Å"Ah! Now you're switching to another legend and a very popular one. There are any number of worlds that imagine the existence of machines in human form in prehistoric times. These are called ‘robots.' â€Å"The tales of robots probably originate from one master legend, for the general theme is the same. Robots were devised, then grew in numbers and abilities to the status of the almost superhuman. They threatened humanity and were destroyed. In every case, the destruction took place before the actual reliable historic records available to us today existed. The usual feeling is that the story is a symbolic picture of the risks and dangers of exploring the Galaxy, when human beings expanded outward from the world or worlds that were their original homes. There must always have been the fear of encountering other-and superior-intelligences.† â€Å"Perhaps they did at least once and that gave rise to the legend.† â€Å"Except that on no human-occupied world has there been any record or trace of any prehuman or nonhuman intelligence.† â€Å"But why ‘robots'? Does the word have meaning?† â€Å"Not that I know of, but it's the equivalent of the familiar ‘automata.' â€Å" â€Å"Automata! Well, why don't they say so?† â€Å"Because people do use archaic terms for flavor when they tell an ancient legend. Why do you ask all this, by the way?† â€Å"Because in this ancient Mycogenian book, they talk of robots. And very favorably, by the way.-Listen, Dors, aren't you going out with Raindrop Forty-Five again this afternoon?† â€Å"Supposedly-if she shows up.† â€Å"Would you ask her some questions and try to get the answers out of her?† â€Å"I can try. What are the questions?† â€Å"I would like to find out, as tactfully as possible, if there is some structure in Mycogen that is particularly significant, that is tied in with the past, that has a sort of mythic value, that can-â€Å" Dors interrupted, trying not to smile. â€Å"I think that what you are trying to ask is whether Mycogen has a temple.† And, inevitably, Seldon looked blank and said, â€Å"What's a temple?† â€Å"Another archaic term of uncertain origin. It means all the things you asked about-significance, past, myth. Very well, I'll ask. It's the sort of thing, however, that they might find difficult to speak of. To tribespeople, certainly.† â€Å"Nevertheless, do try.†

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Homosexual Parenting essays

Homosexual Parenting essays Adoption has always been a challenge for the same-sex couples. Despite the huge number of children in need of adoptive parents, and many researches which show that homosexuality is neither biological nor genetic matter, the consideration of homosexual parenting is still at a big question: What kind of effects will the couples sex orientation have on their childs life? This question addresses the issue faced both by the adoption services and by gays and lesbians that had ever considered adoption. Homosexual couples should have a right for adoption because they can make responsible and loving parents as well as heterosexuals. But since the most of the researches on homosexual parenting are politically contaminated, it leaves a smaller chance for understanding homosexual way of life and winning the adoption case. A religious perception on homosexual life style has always been very negative. The notion that homosexuality is a sin is widely spread among Christians. Because homosexuals have different perspectives in their lives from the heterosexuals, according to religious beliefs they should not have a right to create families. Such conviction makes the adoption even more complicated for homosexual couples. At the same time, gay marriage is banned by law, which obviously means that the public sentiment is against legal recognition of homosexual commitments. It is hardly ever possible to adopt a child without having a stable family, but it is even more difficult to create a family when it is against the law. One after another, different cases based on homosexual parenting come from all over the country, most of the time denying the adoption rights to the gay and lesbian couples. As reported by Maya Bell in the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper, a Miami federal judge upheld Floridas law, barring homos exuals from adopting children, declaring the state may decide that youngsters belong with traditional married cou...

Monday, October 21, 2019

An Alternative Source of Energ essays

An Alternative Source of Energ essays Alternative Solution for Hawaii=s Future Source of Energy What would life in Hawaii be like without energy? We would have no lights, no refrigerators, no TVs, no VCRs, no gas. We would have to do without automobiles, airplanes, banks, movies or mail. Imagine Hawaii with no cooking, no air conditioning, no computers, no traffic lights, and basically no jobs. We would have very little left of what we take for granted. Imported oil is used to supply about 90 percent of Hawaii's energy needs. No place else in the United States is so critically dependent on imported oil. Unlike the Mainland, Hawaii can't turn to neighboring states to make up for any temporary or permanent energy shortages. Unlike any other state, imported oil is the single thread that can completely unravel Hawaii's future. But Hawaii is blessed with a variety of other energy sources lots of sunshine, strong winds, fastgrowing crops, flowing streams, geothermal heat, and both warm and cold ocean waters. All these resources have the potential to help produce energy and reduc e our dependency on imported petroleum. Hawaii is determined to explore the best ways to take advantage of its renewable energy resources. Each of the renewable energy resources will defiantly help slow the process of global warming by reducing air pollution. Every barrel of oil or ton of coal replaced with these renewable resources will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is considered by many as one of the major contributors to global warming. The State of Hawaii is actively supporting the development of a mix of renewable energy resources including solar power, biomass, hydro power, wind power, geothermal energy, and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). But just how actively is the State of Hawaii supporting these alternative renewable natural energy=s? In this paper I will briefly summarize the operations of OTEC and the...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Set Up an Amazon Author Central Page in 3 Simple Steps

How to Set Up an Amazon Author Central Page in 3 Simple Steps How to Set Up Your Amazon Author Central Page Indie authors know the pressure of having to set up profiles on every new platform that pops up, promising to help you market and sell your books: Goodreads, Facebook, BookBub, oh my! It definitely adds up. But there’s one major tool that - if you haven’t already signed up for - you absolutely shouldn’t overlook: Amazon Author Central.What is Amazon Author Central?Amazon Author Central is a free tool that authors who have published a book through Amazon can sign up for   - whether they’ve published in print or ebook through Kindle Direct Publishing, or an audiobook through ACX. You can think of an Author Central account as your own private headquarters at today’s largest book retailer.Two of the significant updates that have been announced so far include:The ability for authors to manage their books and profile on all the different Amazon marketplaces from their one account - so they won’t need to log in and out to all of the internatio nal sites.It will also give users access to Amazon Author Insights: a hub of articles with tips on writing, publishing, and marketing.Have you tested out the beta program? Have you already used Author Central to optimize your Author Page? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Solution Proposal Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Solution Proposal Argument - Essay Example It all seems very promising. But it comes with some very serious potential consequences and side effects. The most severe of which is the way that genetic engineering could contribute drastically to a decrease in biodiversity. This is a serious problem. Background In order to understand the issue better, it is necessary to understand a little more about biodiversity, its importance, and what genetic engineering actually is and how it could negatively impact nature. Biodiversity represents the uniqueness of every living thing. It is part of nature’s formula for allowing development of some traits and characteristics that are beneficial to a species survival, and weeding out those that are less desirable.(Cho) Biodiversity is essential to satisfy all of our basic needs, like food, water, fuel, shelter and medicines. The primary sources of most medicines are plants and animals. In fact, in the United States, of the 150 most commonly prescribed drugs, they all find their origin in the biodiversity of nature. Properly functioning ecosystems rely on pollination, climate regulation, nutrient cycling, water purification, seed dispersal, and control of agricultural pests. If biodiversity was compromised then these ecosystems would change drastically or fail all together.("American Museum of Natural History") Genetic engineering would allow scientists to act in the place of nature. They can decide what traits are most desirable according to their design. Genetic engineering is a broad label for a number of different applications, from altering seeds to cloning, all fall under the label of genetic engineering. However, there are presently laws that heavily regulate certain types of genetic engineering research that can be performed relating to human beings, but plants and animals are being regularly researched. The likely loss of biodiversity and how to prevent it is a very relevant concern when considering how to balance the issue. Solutions Currently many food cr ops are being genetically altered to resist attack from parasites and pesticides. These resistant crops could flourish in areas where other crops previously had not. In the article, Mourning the Increasing Loss of Biodiversity, Mahjula V. Guru and James E. Horne, explain that the cultivation of sustainable crops has been through the hard work of our farming ancestors, which relied on the diversity of the plants to develop their place in the given environment. Genetically altered plants eliminate that adaption to the environment. Also, they warn against â€Å"genetic pollution† which is the unknown effects of these altered plants upon the existing crops and wild plant life. A process called â€Å"Tilling† has been suggested as a viable alternative to genetically engineered plant life. â€Å"Tilling,† which stands for Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes, where plants are exposed to radiation and chemicals that, ultimately, caused the targeted genes to deact ivate.("GMO Safety") The Bioplant company used this process to create amylose-free potatoes. This process had been in use for a long while and has been successful. However, because â€Å"Tilling† is not as finite and cannot offer the specificity that genetic engineering can; its efficiency, in the long term, is questioned. Then again, it may not be as efficient, but it has no

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

Media - Essay Example Table of Contents Thesis Statement 2 Introduction 4 Astonishing Effects of Newspapers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 Conclusion 5 References 7 Introduction A newspaper is a type of publication, which offers varied types of valuable news and information regarding varied aspects to its customers. It mainly attempts to offer real news to the viewers, so as to make them well aware about the facts and facets of the entire nation and world. On the basis of which, varied types of decisions are taken by the viewers, so as to improve their well-being, resulting in improvement of the country as well. Other than this, the segment of trade and commerce is resting over the economic conditions of the country. Along with this, the decisions of the buyers and shareholders are also entirely dependent over the daily news, advertised in printed hard copies or online website s. Moreover, all types of trade related decisions are always based upon information - that is accurate, substantial, and appropriate. It proves quite beneficial for those individuals, desiring to invest in varied shares and debentures of different companies (Price Water Cooper, â€Å"Moving into multiple business models†). This helps in fulfillment of the inner desires of the heart of most of the entrepreneurs, i.e. to become rich in a very short period of time. It can be possible only if, an individual or an entrepreneur remains aware and conscious about the facts and information, occurring in everyday life, so as to take the accurate planning’s and decisions. It acts as a mirror for all the viewers, providing a fair image of the entire world. Along with this, it also provides a facility to analyse the opinions of varied popular individuals, acting as an intermediary to exchange different ideas and thoughts. Astonishing Effects of Newspapers Just as the proverb, †˜Time and tide wait for none’, similarly good news also never waits for anyone. So, to remain updated with every sort of information or data, it is extremely essential to keep an eye on the online newspaper sites as well. Moreover, its craze increased with a remarkable speed due to the introduction of information technology. It gave an up-thirst to the online websites of newspaper, by enhancing the passion of the viewers over internet. This affected in an optimistic way, augmenting the internal spirits of the enthusiastic and energetic personnel’s to select journalism as their career in future times. Moreover, according to Cole &Harcup, â€Å"newspapers conquer a critical place in human world, acting as a realm of social life† (Cole, P & Harcup, T. â€Å"Newspaper Journalism†). This is because; it offers detail reports about the various places of the world, business opportunities, environment, sports, political scenario and various types of holiday sport s and the economy among others. With the help of this, an individual can attain a complete picture of the entire country, residing in far-away places. Therefore, it might facilitate a country to improve the economic condition of the country as compared to other players of the market. Other only this, it might also facilitate by increasing the number of customers, thereby improving their lifestyle. It is extremely essential for any developed country, to retain and enhance its portfolio day by day, among other countries. Moreover, as most of the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Sustainable Practices in FM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Sustainable Practices in FM - Assignment Example The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1997 encourages countries to make an effort to reduce carbon emissions. Corporate social responsibility requirements for all businesses has now expanded to include a duty to reduce and control carbon emissions (Lee, 2008). In other words, as a business organization, this organization is bound by legal and corporate social responsibility requriements to reduce and control carbon emissions. This report will identify the ways in which a business’s carbon footprint is made up, why there is a need for this organization to manage and control its carbon footprint, options for appropriate renewable energy solutions, recommendations in light of the building’s condition, type and location. ... 5840). Teir 2 businesses are those that create emissions from the use of electricity and gas. Teir 3 businesses include the entire supply chain and could include both tier 1 and tier 2 businesses for which the tier 3 business is indirectly responsible for (Matthews, et al., 2008). In other words, a business can be both directly and indirectly responsible for carbon emissions. This business is a retail organization and although it does not directly consume carbon at the production gate, it does contribute indirectly by purchsing goods for retail from production gates that do. In the meantime, this business also directly emits carbon in the use of energy such as electricity from fossil fuels. All goods and services including food and household products as well as transport, business products such as ink, paper, computers and so on are produced with the emission of carbon (Hertwich & Peters, 2009). This organization provides household products and this is significant because a study con ducted by Hertwich and Peters (2009) found that worldwide, household consumption accounts for 72% of all carbon emissions. Therefore as a provider of household goods, this business indirectly contributes to the largest source of carbon emissions. In addition, this business as a retail business, retailers contribute to a carbon emission in a number of ways. There is the direct emision of carboms from using fuels to indirectly contributing through employee travel or via the supply chain (Minahan & Sands, 2012). The Need for Reducing the Business’ Carbon Footprint There are two significant changes occurring in the market. First, there are countries such as the EU and the US that have

CRITICALLY DISCUSS ANY THREE THEORIES OF INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE, AND Essay

CRITICALLY DISCUSS ANY THREE THEORIES OF INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE, AND WHAT ARE THEIR IMPLICATIONS IN THE LIFE OF CHRISTIANS - Essay Example The main reason as to why Christians value the Bible so much, to the extent that is the foundation of their faith is found in 2nd Timothy Chapter 3 verses 16-17. This verse of the Bible denotes that all scriptures are under the inspiration of God, for purposes of correcting, teaching, reproofing and training Christians to live in a righteous life (Hogue, 2010). This will help mankind to be equipped for performing every good work. There are five main theories of inspiration; The intuition theory denies the role of a super natural authority in the creation of the scriptures. According to this theory, the scriptures were written by religious men who had a unique spiritual insight. On this basis, there writings on spiritual and moral matters were far much ahead of their contemporaries. On this basis, they wrote the bible, in a similar manner in which other books are written. The religious ideas that these writers present are their own. This theory only lays emphasis on the role of human beings in the writing of scriptures. This view is wrong, and unacceptable amongst Christians. This is because most Christians believe in the human and the supernatural efforts in the writing of scriptures (Anderson, 2010, p. 44). This is because God used man to reveal His truths, and thoughts. The Bible is not just any book, but it is a Supreme book, that identifies the character of God, and his will. This can only be revealed through inspiration, and not religious insight, nor human genius. This view also directly contradicts the scriptures, found in 1st Thessalonians Chapter 2 verse 13. According to this scripture, the Bible is a word of God, and it is not brought forth according to the understanding of humans. The implication of this theory is that it advocates for the notion that God does not exist. This therefore helps to propagate the theories of evolution, which denotes that the world existed through the evolution process, and not through

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Company Law liability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Company Law liability - Essay Example He manages the business individually. By passage of time the business expands and the business activities will expand. When such business expansion takes place it will become difficult for the Sole Trader to manage with the business. At this time the sole trader needs some more people to help him and share both investment and also returns of his business. This necessitates the conversion of Sole Trade to Partnership form of business where two or more people come together and enter into a deed of partnership agreeing to carry on the business jointly by investing. They share both the profits and loss of the partnership according their share of investment or as mutually agreed by them. The partnership firm need not be a conversion of sole trader. It can be formed directly by two or more persons join together with a common objective and mutual agreement. In the partnership firm the liability of the partners is unlimited, their personal property is also liable for discharge of firm's debt s. The further expansion of partnership firm inviting more capital to cop up the expansion of the business necessitates formation of a limited company. In a limited company funds are pooled from the public in the form of shares. The amount so pooled is known as share capital. Again this limited company need not be a conversion of partnership firm. It can be directly formed. As it is seen that... 1. Limited liability: In a Public limited company the liability of the share holders is limited to the extent of share capital of the individual share holders, where as in a partnership firm the liability of the partners is extended to their personal property. Eg: If a shareholder holding one share whose face value is 10. His liability is limited to 10. 1. Decision Making: In a company major business policy decisions are taken in the meeting of the board of directors in a democratic way. This will give good productive and efficient decisions which leads to business prosperity. When compared to the partnership firm where the partners take the decisions either individually or jointly. 2. Borrowing powers: A limited company will have more borrowing powers than the partnership firm. The company can borrow the funds from shareholders, financial institutions and any other sources as per the decisions taken in the board's meeting. 3. Investment: The shareholders come forward easily to invest in a public limited company in the form of shares or debentures since the liability is limited. 4. Perpetual existence: Public Limited Company is having a unique feature of perpetual existence. Though the shareholders join and leave the company remains existence. The shareholder's either leaving or causing death do not effect the existence of the company. This is called as perpetual existence. 5. Transferability of shares: Another unique advantage of Public Limited Company is the free transferability of shares. This feature attracts the Public in investing in the company. With this feature the shareholders can transfer their shares freely as and when they wish. Disadvantages: Every business setup has its own disadvantages too. The Public Limited

Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Entrepreneurship - Essay Example People decide to become an entrepreneur when they have sufficient capital in hand, the required resources and expertise available to them, as well as when they are ready to take risks because entrepreneurship can lead to both profits and losses depending upon the strategies adopted by the entrepreneur. Step 2: Developing successful business ideas Developing successful business ideas is the second step of the entrepreneurial process. There are numerous business ideas in the contemporary dynamic and technology driven market. In addition to the traditional variety of ideas that was always available to the entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs today can also choose between brick and mortar business and online business. It is advisable for the entrepreneurs to conduct a detailed market study before finalizing their business ideas. Step 3: Moving from an idea to an entrepreneurial firm Once the idea has been identified, the next step is to move it to an entrepreneurial firm. This is precisely the s tage when the entrepreneurs decide whether they have to establish a brick and mortar business, an online business, or a combination of both. ... in this step include identifying the target market consumers, studying their decision making processes, their motives and aspirations, designing of the product, identifying the suitable ways to develop it, and marketing the product. All of these factors are strongly related to management. Rank of the Four Steps of Entrepreneurship as per their Importance Each of the four steps discussed above are equally important in the entrepreneurial process since the process is incomplete and cannot lead to favorable results as long as any of the steps is missing. The decision to become an entrepreneur is the simplest step as all it takes is motivation and determination to make this decision, yet this step is no less important than any of the subsequent steps since it lays the foundation of the entrepreneurial process. Developing successful business ideas is just as important as the first step but is more complicated than it because it calls for the need of research and team work to arrive at the successful business ideas. Managing and growing the entrepreneurial firm is also equally important as the first two steps but is obviously more complicated than the preceding steps because establishing a firm takes the accumulation of many resources. Many people go through the first and the second step but stop at the second step and abandon their plans to continue because of the level of effort and practical work required in the third step. Likewise, managing and growing the entrepreneurial firm is very important and poses many challenges in front of the management. This is the most complicated step in comparison to all of the preceding steps because the real art is to survive in the business and sustain and grow it for a long time after the initial step of establishing the business has

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Company Law liability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Company Law liability - Essay Example He manages the business individually. By passage of time the business expands and the business activities will expand. When such business expansion takes place it will become difficult for the Sole Trader to manage with the business. At this time the sole trader needs some more people to help him and share both investment and also returns of his business. This necessitates the conversion of Sole Trade to Partnership form of business where two or more people come together and enter into a deed of partnership agreeing to carry on the business jointly by investing. They share both the profits and loss of the partnership according their share of investment or as mutually agreed by them. The partnership firm need not be a conversion of sole trader. It can be formed directly by two or more persons join together with a common objective and mutual agreement. In the partnership firm the liability of the partners is unlimited, their personal property is also liable for discharge of firm's debt s. The further expansion of partnership firm inviting more capital to cop up the expansion of the business necessitates formation of a limited company. In a limited company funds are pooled from the public in the form of shares. The amount so pooled is known as share capital. Again this limited company need not be a conversion of partnership firm. It can be directly formed. As it is seen that... 1. Limited liability: In a Public limited company the liability of the share holders is limited to the extent of share capital of the individual share holders, where as in a partnership firm the liability of the partners is extended to their personal property. Eg: If a shareholder holding one share whose face value is 10. His liability is limited to 10. 1. Decision Making: In a company major business policy decisions are taken in the meeting of the board of directors in a democratic way. This will give good productive and efficient decisions which leads to business prosperity. When compared to the partnership firm where the partners take the decisions either individually or jointly. 2. Borrowing powers: A limited company will have more borrowing powers than the partnership firm. The company can borrow the funds from shareholders, financial institutions and any other sources as per the decisions taken in the board's meeting. 3. Investment: The shareholders come forward easily to invest in a public limited company in the form of shares or debentures since the liability is limited. 4. Perpetual existence: Public Limited Company is having a unique feature of perpetual existence. Though the shareholders join and leave the company remains existence. The shareholder's either leaving or causing death do not effect the existence of the company. This is called as perpetual existence. 5. Transferability of shares: Another unique advantage of Public Limited Company is the free transferability of shares. This feature attracts the Public in investing in the company. With this feature the shareholders can transfer their shares freely as and when they wish. Disadvantages: Every business setup has its own disadvantages too. The Public Limited

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The underground world of commercial sex (Real Stories of Prostitution Essay

The underground world of commercial sex (Real Stories of Prostitution in America) - Essay Example Prostitution comes into different forms. It can be in a form of escort service, massage parlours onto the internet, or clubs like the Bunny Ranch. One thing deeply interrelated with prostitution is drug addiction. Most women sex workers depend on drug to be able to work as a prostitute or a hooker. When we talk about this topic, I must say that it is very important to pay consideration to the women and their sides of story. Sometimes we judge them directly for what they are or their profession, but not for who they really are. Some of these women, like those interviewed by Diane Sawyer, are victims of society. A lot of these girls are young who were systematically abused, who ran away from home, who need money, and are very vulnerable to promises that this so called profession can offer. But they stick to the job to live. This means that it is not in their free will that they wanted to have a job like this. They resort to drugs to forget who they are and just do the job to support th em. When they are on duty, they have to forget who they are and fulfil their customers’ fantasies, even if that means pretending to be their pretty nice little girlfriends and whatever they desire. It is just so sad that these women are more likely to get arrested than the johns who pay them.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay Example for Free

Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay Compare and Contrast the characters of Ralph and Jack and comment on their roles in the novel? Lord of the Flies is an allegory, a simple adventure story that also has deeper meaning. Golding uses the characters of Ralph and Jack to illustrate the battle between right and wrong within society. Both have dominant characters but use methods that contrast in many ways. They have different expectations of others and of the island itself, and have opposing priorities and objectives. It is necessary to examine their different character traits in detail, in order to understand how these influence the development of life on the island. At Jacks first appearance in the novel, we recognise him as a natural leader. Jack is the head of the choir and a strict disciplinarian. Choir! Stand still! However, throughout this encounter, he maintains control and dignity. Jack has complete confidence in his decisions. He cannot be accused of worrying people by being indecisive as he always has clear and definite opinions. I ought to be chief I can sing C sharp. However, his black cloak and red hair are hints of a dark and fiery side to his character. These were the main colours of the Nazi Party flag. Gradually we see Jack changing from an authoritarian leader into something much more ruthless, casting him as a type of Hitler. In contrast, Ralph first appears fun-loving and carefree, sounding like a typical public school boy, wacco wizard golly. He is excited at the prospect of an adventure at the beginning, not considering the implications of being alone and coping on the island, standing on his head when he does not know what to do. Forced at last to believe in the reality of the island, laughed delightedly again and stood on his head. Ralph is an instinctive person who has a tendency to rush into things before considering the consequences. This shows his immaturity. Ralph is therefore quite childish and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve at times. Later in the novel Ralph looks back with regret at that first enthusiastic exploration as though it were part of a brighter childhood. Despite this, Ralph shows himself to be a strong character who often displays clear authority during the novel. He desires order, calling assemblies and using the conch, the symbol of democracy and civilisation, Ralph felt a kind of reverence for the conch. This shows Ralphs belief in democracy. He tries to treat people as equals, including characters like Piggy. He cares for others and is compassionate, especially to the littluns. Ralph also shows his assertiveness when dealing with Piggy, Better Piggy than Fatty, he said at last, with the directness of genuine leadership. He is also courageous confronting the tribe when they steal Piggys glasses calling Jack a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief. Ralphs physical appearance also favours him. He is tall, agile, a good swimmer with a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaim no devil. This is a clear indication of Ralphs character. However, he does not convey as much confidence as Jack. Ralph can appear the weaker of the two by depending on Piggy for advice. This is probably because he has had no experience of leadership and therefore lacks confidence. Simon suggests Ralph needs to be firmer youre chief, you tell em off However Ralph could also be seen as open-minded. He is always prepared to listen to both sides of an argument without forcing his own opinions. Ralph has an optimistic character, never questioning that rescue will come. Ralph earns the respect of the boys and gains their trust. Jack rules through fear. It is a sign of Ralphs good judgement that he delegates responsibility and trusts Piggy, having respect for his advice. Although like everyone else he becomes more savage in order to survive, unlike Jack he does not take this to extremes. Ralph becomes aware of his filthy appearance with a little fall of his heart. After Simons death he says, Im frightened of us. In contrast, Jack becomes a good keen hunter and relishes this role. Increasingly he begins to adopt animal-like methods down like a sprinter as if he is ready to sniff out the scent. Jack can be very determined, and will persevere. At first, Jack is unable to kill the pig, but he shows promise of completing the task in hand I shall! Next time! Soon his obsession with killing the pig takes over and he can no longer keep his basic instincts under control. There are hints that Jack finds it harder to keep a clear head. Jack frowned in an effort to attain clarity, showing that he was beginning to lose concentration and control. Jack forgets about home and has no wish to get off the island. Soon, he has no priorities, other than to hunt and kill. Jack becomes increasingly tyrannical towards everyone. The longer the boys are on the island the worse he becomes. At first Jack targets most of his aggression at Piggy. This seems to be a coping mechanism when things are going wrong. Jack uses Piggy to vent his frustration physically. He seems to feel his only way of control is through violence. Jack shows himself to be a bully, and respect is not given to Jack voluntarily, he demands it. The reason why people obey him is through terror. His followers become known as the Tribe symbolising their loss of individual identity. As Jacks dictatorial style develops he shows himself to be very narrow-minded and expects people never to question him. He will not listen to anyones opinion. Bollocks to the rules! the phrase Jack uses to dismiss democracy. From the beginning, Jack is consistently rude to Piggy. He is a very judgmental person, and he takes Piggy at face value. Jack does not look for the best or show any sign of accepting people for who they are. He has no consideration for peoples feelings. Eventually any suggestions given to Jack are taken as a threat. Jack shows no remorse. A good example of this is the incident concerning the fire. The fire is the symbol of safety and of destruction of power and of hope. The Hunters whom Jack leads can be viewed in the same way. A symbol of safety when obtaining food, but of destruction when blindly killing. By neglecting the fire, Jack shows himself to be unreliable, forsaking the group in favour of his own interests and priorities. He does not admit to being at fault or apologise, but retaliates with aggression. It is easy to understand why Jack is viewed as the obvious leader. He came to the island with experience of holding a responsible position. Ralph, however, has a more spontaneous approach. He is less rigid and seems able to adapt to the changing circumstances. Throughout their time on the island we see Jack and Ralph changing due to their environment and the pressures which they face. Often Ralph rises to the challenge with fairness and clear thinking, but the weight of responsibility causes extreme stress. A strange thing happened in his head. Something flittered there in front of his mind like a bats wing, obscuring his idea. Jack however becomes increasingly violent and degenerates into an overpowering dictator. Lord of the Flies was written by Golding to highlight some of the relevant issues of the day. Published in 1954, there was a strong worldwide movement against dictators and fascism following the Second World War. The division between Ralph and Jack highlights the gulf between good and evil, two continents of experience and feeling, unable to communicate. Jacks role symbolises fallen mankind, degenerating as the novel progresses into ultimate sin and savagery. Ralph also becomes aware of the darkness of mans heart. Ralphs failure to maintain democracy symbolises mankinds failure to deal with our own sinful natures. Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of mans heart and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Prevalence of ESBL in Surgical Wound Infections and Burns

Prevalence of ESBL in Surgical Wound Infections and Burns PREVELANCE OF EXTENDED SPECTRUM BETA LACTAMASES PRODUCERS AMONG SURGICAL WOUND INFECTIONS AND BURNS PATIENTS AT DR. SHANKARRAO CHAVAN GOVERNMENT MEDICAL COLLEGE, NANDED. *Vivek M Gujar1, Sharmila S Raut2, Sanjaykumar R More3 1. Assistant Professor, Dept. of Microbiology, Dr. S.C. Government Medical College, Nanded. 2. Professor, Dept. of Microbiology, Dr. S.C. Government Medical College, Nanded. 3. Associate Professor, Dept. of Microbiology, Dr. S.C. Government Medical College, Nanded. ABSTRACT Purpose:- The purpose of this study was to know the prevalence of Extended Spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) among surgical wound infection and burn patients. Methods:- A total of 100 patients admitted to the surgical wards with post operative wound infections and burns from January 2014 to May 2014 were studied. A total of 137 isolates were obtained from these patients. Of these, 87 organisms (63.5% of the total isolates) were found to be Extended Spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) producers. The commonest were Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia . They were studied for ESBL production by screening test, CLSI disc diffusion method phenotypic confirmation by disc potentiation test. Result:- Out of 100 strains, 87 (63.5%) were confirmed as ESBL producers. Among the ESBL producer all the isolates were sensitive to Imipenem. Resistance against Ampicillin (10ug) is 100%, Gentamicin (10ug) is 80.46%, Ciprofloxacin (5ug) is 74.72%, Tetracycline(30ug) is 63.22% and Amikacin (30ug) is 16.1 0.% Conclusion:- Our study shows presence of ESBL producer among surgical wound infections and burn patients and their prevalence is 63.5%. The routine antimicrobial sensitivity test may fail to detect ESBL. Detection of ESBL production should be carried out as a routine in diagnostic laboratories by disc potentiation test as it is a simple and cost effective test. Antibiotics resistance is significantly more prevalent in ESBL positive isolates as compared to ESBL negative. Key words:- Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamases, ESBL, INTRODUCTION The beta lactam antibiotics are amongst the most widely prescribed antibiotics and are an important component of empirical therapy in intensive care unit and high risk ward.1,2,3 Resistance to beta lactam antibiotics is an increasing problem worldwide.4 Increase in the prevalence of penicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae, Methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus, Vancomycin resistance in Enterococci, Extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) production in Enteric Gram negative bacilli and Fluroquinolone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoea are just a few examples of the rising problem of resistance documented by both national and international surveillance system in the past few years.5 The ESBL are plasmid mediated enzymes that hydrolyze the oxyimino beta lactam (3rd generation cephalosporine) and monobactam (aztreonam), but have no effect on cephamycins (cefoxitin and cefotatan). It is situated in periplasmic space.6 Although TEM type beta lactamases are most often found in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, they are also found in Enterobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Morganella morganii, Proteus mirabilis, Serratia marcescens, Pseudomanas aeruginosa, Shigella dysenteriae, Capnocytophaga ochracea and Citrobacter 7,8,9,10. However, the frequency of ESBL production in these organisms is low.11 Over 150 different ESBLs have been described as of today.12 ESBL pose a major problem for clinical therapeutic. It is necessary to identify the prevalence of these strain in hospitals and to characterise their epidemiology, control spread of these strains and to determine suitable preventive measures and treatment policies. MATERIALS AND METHODS A present study was conducted at Dr. Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College, Nanded between January 2014 – May 2014. A total number of 100 post operative wound infections and burns patients wound swabs were processed during the study. A total of 137 isolates were obtained from these patients. COLLECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF THE ISOLATES Using aseptic precautions, wound swabs were collected from the patients using sterile tipped swabs. The organism(s) isolated were identified based on colony morphology on blood agar, MacConkey agar and by standard biochemical tests.13,14 Strains:- Escherichia coli ATCC 25922( ESBL negative) and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 700603 (ESBL positive)were used as control organism throughout the study. Antimicrobial Susceptibility testing:- The antibiotic sensitivity test was performed by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion technique with commercial available discs (HiMedia, Mumbai, India) on Muller Hinton agar plates. The discs used were Ampicillin (10ug), Amikacin (30ug), Gentamicin (10ug), Ciprofloxacin (5ug), Imipenem (10ug) and Tetracycline (30ug). The diameter of the zone of inhibition of each antibiotic was measured and interpreted as sensitive, intermediate sensitive or resistance according to CLSI criteria.15 Detection of ESBL15:- In the present study 137 isolates were tested for ESBL production by the following methods- SCREENING TESTS15:- CLSI disc diffusion method PHENOTYPIC CONFIRMATION TEST15:- Disc potentiation test CLSI ESBL Screening test:- 15 According to NCCLS 2002 for screening test to be positive or to consider an organism as probable ESBL producer the zone diameter should be- Antibiotic Zone diameter In mm or less Ceftazidime(30ug) 22 Cefotaxime (30ug) 27 Ceftriaxone (30ug) 25 Cefpodoxime(10ug) 17 Aztreonam (30ug) 27 The use of more than one antimicrobial agent suggested for screening will improve the sensitivity of ESBL detection15. Ideally the most sensitive ESBL screening agent is Cefpodoxime for Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.9 In the present study, ceftazidime (30ug), cefotaxime (30ug), ceftriaxone(30ug), cefpodoxime (10ug) and aztreonam (30ug) were used. These were stored in refrigerator. Before use they were taken out of refrigerator and brought to room temperature. Then they were applied on Muller Hinton agar for Antibiotic sensitivity testing. DISC POTENTIATION METHOD 15 As per CLSI guidelines disc potentiation method was used as phenotypic confirmatory test. For confirmation of ESBL production ceftazidime (30ug), ceftazidime + clavulanic acid combination disc (30/10ug) manufactured by HiMedia and cefotaxime (30ug) + cefotaxime clavulanic acid (30/10ug) prepared in laboratory were used. PREPARATION OF CLAVULANIC ACID STOCK SOLUTION For preparation of clavulanic acid stock solution Augmentin powder (gsk company) was used- 1.2gm vial of (Augmentin) contains 200mg clavulanic acid 1200 mg contains 200mg clavulanic acid Therefore, 6 mg Augmentin contains 1 mg clavulanic acid. 6 mg Augmentin is dissolved in 1 ml sterile distilled water to make a solution i.e 1ml solution contain 1 mg clavulanic acid. i.e 1000ul solution contains 1000ug clavulanic acid. PREPARATION OF CEFOTAXIME-CLAVULANIC ACID DISC15,16 Cefotaxime (30ug) discs were kept separately in a sterile petridish. 10ul of stock solution of clavulanic acid was added to each disc with a micropipette. 30 minutes were allowed for clavulanic acid to absorb and also for the disc to dry. The discs were used immediately after preparation. STORAGE OF CEFTAZIDIME+CLAVULANIC ACID DISC Clavulanic acid being labile, discs were placed in separate screw capped glass vials and stored at -200C. When antibiotics discs were required for test, they were removed from the freezer and allowed to come to room temperature before application. 17 APPLICATION OF DISCS:- After preparing the inoculum, Muller Hinton agar plates were inoculated. With the help of sterile forcep antibiotic discs containing ceftazidime and ceftazidime+clavulanic acid and cefotaxime and cefotaxime+clavulanic acid were placed on inoculated Muller Hinton agar plate at a distance of 24 mm from center to center. Plates were inverted and incubated at 370C for 16-18 hours. INTERPRETATION More than or equal to 5mm increase in a zone diameter for ceftazidime and cefotaxime tested in combination with clavulanic acid versus its zone when tested alone indicate ESBL production. ESBL POSITIVE:- If an isolate is confirmed as ESBL producer, the isolate reported as resistant to all Penicillin, Cephalosporins and Monobactam (Aztreonam). ESBL NEGATIVE:- If an isolate is not confirmed as ESBL producer, the sensitivity of the isolate was reported as per sensitivity test report. RESULT The total number of patients screened were 100 of which 64 were males and 36 females (M : F = 1.78:1). The average age was 44.72 years (Range 12-80 years). The types of wounds were post operative wounds (65.7%) and burns (34.3%). Duration of hospital stay ranged from 15 days to 3 months. Out of 137 strains, 87 (63.50%) were confirmed as ESBL producers (Table 1). Susceptibility pattern of the ESBL producers were studied. All the isolates were sensitive to Imipenem. Resistance against Ampicillin (10ug) is 100%, Gentamicin (10ug) is 80.46%, Ciprofloxacin (5ug) is 74.72%, Tetracycline(30ug) is 63.22% and Amikacin (30ug) is 16.10.% (Table 3). TABLE 1 Distribution of ESBL strains among the different organisms isolated Sr. no Organism No. of organisms Isolated No. of ESBL strains % ESBL strains 1 Escherichia coli 71 45 63.38% 2 Klebsiella pneumonia 57 36 63.15% 3 Enterobacter spp. 07 04 57.14% 4 Morganella morganii 01 01 100% 5 Providentia rettgeri 01 01 100% TOTAL 137 87 63.50% Table 2 Distribution of ESBL strains based on clinical diagnosis Sr. no Clinical diagnosis No. of organisms Isolated No. of ESBL strains % ESBL strains 1 Post operative wounds Infections 90 55 61.11% 2 Burns 47 32 68.08% Table 3 Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of ESBL positive strains Sr. no Organism Susceptibility Category A Ak G Cf T I 1 Escherichia coli (45) S 00 37 07 10 18 45 IS 00 05 02 01 02 00 R 45 03 36 34 25 00 2 Klebsiella pneumonia (36) S 00 30 05 07 10 36 IS 00 02 02 02 01 00 R 36 04 29 27 25 00 3 Other. (06) S 04 06 05 05 04 06 IS 00 00 00 01 01 00 R 02 00 01 00 01 00 A=Ampicillin, Ak = Amikacin, Cf = Ciprofloxacin, G = Gentamicin, T = Tetracycline, I = Imepenem, R= Resistance, S = sensitive, IS = Intermediate sensitive DISCUSSION The prevalence of ESBL among clinical isolates very greatly worldwide, indifferent geographic areas and are rapidly changing overtime.18 In, 1983, Knothe et.al describe for the first time transferable resistance to the broad spectrum cephalosporins in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae.19 The routine susceptibility test done by clinical laboratories fail to detect ESBL positive strains. The incidence of ESBL producing organisms in various studies has varied from 0-84%. In our study prevalence of ESBL producing strains is found to be 63.5%. All ESBL producers were sensitive to Imipenem. The result is in accordance with observation reported by other investigators.3,12,18,20 The new inhibitor based confirmatory test approach has been recommended by the CLSI for detection of ESBL. In the present study we found disc potentiation method to be reproducible, sensitive, easy and cost effective for use in a busy diagnostic laboratory.3,11 The use of both cefotaxime and ceftazidime with and without clavulanic acid increases the sensitivity of detection of ESBL compared to the use of only one of them. Inclusion of Cefpodoxime has been reported to further increase the sensitivity of this tests. 3,11 Among the Enterobacteriaceae, ESBL are most prevalent in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. isolates. CONCLUSION The prevalence of ESBL producing strains is 63.5%. Multidrug resistance was found to be significantly higher in ESBL positive isolates as compared to ESBL negative. All the ESBL producers are sensitive to Imipenem. 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