Case Study Module 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Module 3 - Case Study Example Dr. MacIntyre finds that the drug Valium in the Avery Clinic was unaccounted. Despite this, her outdated records management system is unable to affirm if the drugs were physically missing. The next problem is the increasing absenteeism of her associate Stephen Saltzman. With Mr. Saltzman not working full time, the sales figures at the Avery clinic are negatively impacted. He is also not available as often as he is expected to be thus disappointing many clients. Mr. Saltzman also seems to have a poor work ethic. Dr.MacIntyre by analyzing the amount spent on tests at the Avery clinic concludes that he may not be taking the time to diagnose properly. These issues point to a bigger problem which is the poor monitoring of the Avery clinic. It is evident from the case that Dr. MacIntyre is closely involved with the Johnsonville clinic where she puts up but not so with the Avery clinic. A new branch or venture always needs close attention to be paid. (Kishel & Kishel, 2005) Leaving the Avery clinic to its own devices seems to cause of all the problems the business is facing. A cause of immediate concern is the few hours been put in Avery and poor work ethic by Mr. Saltzman at Avery. This is because the two directly influence income and customer satisfaction. The hours Mr. Saltzman is not attending to clients are all hours not spent billing. Not taking enough time to diagnose animals is poor service delivery and leads to unhappy clients. Neglecting client’s needs ruins the reputation of the business. (Scott, 1991) As a result of the problems mentioned above, other areas of the business suffer. Profitability has gone down in the Avery clinic because as a direct result of the absenteeism of Stephen Saltzman. It has gone down in Johnsonville as Dr. MacIntyre had to reduce her hours of working to travel to and from Avery to assist with the workload there. Strategic direction for the company also suffers as the lack of sufficient

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Free Essay on Study Plan Essay 1. Do my best to finish all the three tasks in English course 2. Enlarge my vocabulary 3. Improve my writing and speaking skills Long-term goals Have TOEIC and OPlc test in next year’s winter vacation and get the level at least 900 Action plan For short-term goals 1. I need to spend enough time on doing the tasks and e-portfolio of the English course. And do my best to work with my partner or group member to complete the tasks. 2. I have some problem about vocabulary which influences other aspects of my English study. So I think it is really important to enlarge my vocabulary. The first way is making a study group in Academy. I have done one and a half of them and find it really helpful because there are some tasks we can do to use the words so that we can remember the words. Reading the English Articles and watching the English Movies are also good ways. Another thing I can do is using the word cards and reviewing them frequently. 3. To improve my writing skill, write the passage in English frequently and try to prevent the grammar mistakes. To improve my speaking skills, actually there are a lot of opportunities. I can speak English everyday by using telephone English to enhance my pronunciation. And I also need to speak more in class or just chat with exchange students and local students.

Computers in Drug Research and Development :: Essays Papers

Computers in Drug Research and Development As the computer becomes more and more powerful, its uses and abilities grow. Scientists have been able to harness this power in to assist them in their goals of researching and developing drugs for human use. Computers can be found in nearly every drug research laboratory and development center in the world. In the process of developing a drug, thousands upon thousands of chemical compounds are tested to be used in laboratory tests and animal tests. Generally, over 5000 compounds are chosen for such testing. Of 5000 chosen compounds, around five will be acceptable for use on humans in testing. Computers play a huge role in the testing and narrowing down of such chemical compounds used in drugs. Models of chemicals and reactions can be computer simulated to rule out compounds that would not be acceptable. Using computers in such a way greatly reduces the time spent on lengthy animal testing, and also ensures that the drugs that do pass will be safe for human testing. Home computers are now being used to aid scientists in drug research as well. One web site, www.FightAidsAtHome.org offers a downloadable program that uses your home computers idle processes to perform complex computations that aid in AIDS drug research. The results are automatically sent back to the researchers who use them in their developmental process. Such a program would have been insignificant ten years ago, when very few people owned computers powerful enough to perform the operations needed by researchers today. However, because the internet is so widespread and because home computers are becoming so powerful, such a program works and works well. One specific use of computers in drug development is a program developed by Art Olson called AutoDock. This program is used to simulate the interactions of proteins in molecules as they meet. Because of the extreme power of today’s computers, the program creates extremely accurate results, even though there are thousands of factors that determine the final result. Using these simulations, scientists are able to more easily understand how two different molecules will interact, which helps greatly in the drug development process. Many programs similar to AutoDock are used by scientists. Each of these programs are used to determine the outcomes of specific interactions between molecules, chemical compounds and other biological and chemical interactions.

Reading Autobiography Essay

Although I do not have many vivid memories of my childhood the few things I do recall from my early years mostly seem to focus around school and my academics and interactions with children my own age. It is nearly impossible to pinpoint when exactly it was that I began to read but it must have been somewhere around the end of kindergarten and the beginning of first grade. I didn’t attend preschool so up until kindergarten my primary interaction with others was in my first language, Spanish. I can recall learning the alphabet and the sounds of all letters and I started to make out certain words like ‘see’ and ‘my’. The most influential person in the process of acquiring the skills I needed to read must have been an instructional assistant, Mr. Torres who would help me and other bilingual students regularly in the classroom. Of course the instruction by my teacher set the basis for my learning but the one on one help that he provided helped me make connections to my learning in Spanish and that made me feel very comfortable. The first books I began to read must have been simple stories that I came to memorize. Stories like The Gingerbread Man or Brown Bear that had repetitive lines were probably how I started to make connections with words, sounds and pronunciation of those words and sounds. Learning to read made me feel empowered and I remember wanting to read â€Å"big kids† books once I felt I was capable. Among my favorite types of books were scary chapter books like the series of Goosebumps as well as biographies of famous athletes. Among my least favorite must have been nonfiction and folktale because they never really managed to pull me in and I was always very skeptical about such fantasy. Unfortunately, this thrive to read did not last very long because I started to drift away from the constant practice of reading around the fifth grade and started seeing it more as an obligation rather than a choice. As a whole the literacy environment in my household was actually a very positive one and ever since I can recall my mom has always been a big reader and has many books and magazines throughout the house. All of her reading though was done in Spanish when I was growing up because as I was learning how to read my mom was learning the English language. My dad on the other hand has never been a big reader. Actually I can’t recall a time when I have seen him sit down and read something simply for leisure. I also had an older sister who was just a grade ahead of me in school and she has always been a bit of a bookworm and was constantly going through different books as we grew up. Even with all these things I think the language barrier influenced my detachment from reading. In my household we rarely spoke English, maybe if my mom and dad knew the language or were more comfortable with it they might have pushed me to read more or took the time to sit down and read to me. Come to think of it my mom would read to me but she would do it in Spanish and it was a bit boring for me. She would read common stories that I had already heard like the three little pigs or something of that sort and all I would gain out of this was amusement because the way things translated to me was funny. My mom did take us to the city Library and I remember going to story time or to some sort of show based on books. I remember seeing a magician and also petting a snake. As for having materials to read and write, there was always plenty throughout my house. My mom kept a full stock of pencil and paper as well as of books it was just a matter of me doing the actual work. She constantly asked me to explain to her what I was reading or writing for school but I always seemed to find a way to not spend too much time with it because all I wanted to do was play with the neighborhood kids or run off to soccer practice. In school the literacy environment was very positive as well and I remember how much time and dedication the faculty would place on reading and the development of reading skills. I can’t remember who formally taught me how to read but it must have been either Mrs. Diamond or Miss Falgot my first and second grade teachers, because by third grade I remember being able to read fluently. They used several different types of methods but I remember being read to very often by Miss Falgot. I do recall being placed in groups and having partners whom you read to and vice versa. I believe both Mrs. Diamond and Miss Falgot were key role players in my acquisition of reading skills and although I don’t recall specifics they did their job because by third grade I was at the top of my class. I do remember a particular case that had a bit of a negative effect on me in terms of reading. I remember being in either fourth or fifth grade reading as a class and the teacher called on me to read a paragraph. I don’t remember what I was thinking but I was not listening and wasn’t even on the right page, once I located it I got nervous and couldn’t even read. Luckily the teacher called on someone else but I felt horrible. As a class throughout elementary I remember visiting the library and running to the sport books section. The Library was so calm and always cool and I remembering going in there on hot summer days to get away and read a good book. The librarian I remember was always very sweet and she was very patient with all the students. As for literacy events the only thing that is clear in my mind is the book fairs that occurred maybe twice or three times a year. They were very fun and I remember they made even the boring books seem interesting. They set up all kinds of posters and it was something that I always looked forward to. As an adult I began to pick up old habits especially after I came into college. I can’t say I read a lot but I do find time to fit in a book every once in a while. I am still a big fan of autobiographies and I have recently developed a liking for books in Spanish. I usually read on the weekends when I am well rested and have slept in. I also like to go to parks and sit in the shade and enjoy a good book or story or even an interesting article. I think reading is very important and not only to help us expand our vocabulary or help us academically but when you read a good book you get a chance to escape your everyday and it gives you an insight into a story or a character in the way a TV or radio cannot. It captivates you and manages to get all of your attention but at the same time relaxes you. I think reading is something that should be taught to students but not just in order to help them academically but educators should also focus on showing the importance of literature in our lives and the positive way it influences our lives down the road something the media of today cannot manage to do. Writing equally should be not only taught for the purpose of education but in a way those students value it and continue to practice it even without a teacher pushing them to do so.

Chapter 9 The Dark Mark

â€Å"Don't tell your mother you've been gambling,† Mr. Weasley implored Fred and George as they all made their way slowly down the purple-carpeted stairs. â€Å"Don't worry, Dad,† said Fred gleefully, â€Å"we've got big plans for this money. We don't want it confiscated.† Mr. Weasley looked for a moment as though he was going to ask what these big plans were, but seemed to decide, upon reflection, that he didn't want to know. They were soon caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to their campsites. Raucous singing was borne toward them on the night air as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit path, and leprechauns kept shooting over their heads, cackling and waving their lanterns. When they finally reached the tents, nobody felt like sleeping at all, and given the level of noise around them, Mr. Weasley agreed that they could all have one last cup of cocoa together before turning in. They were soon arguing enjoyably about the match; Mr. Weasley got drawn into a disagreement about cobbing with Charlie, and it was only when Ginny fell asleep right at the tiny table and spilled hot chocolate all over the floor that Mr. Weasley called a halt to the verbal replays and insisted that everyone go to bed. Hermione and Ginny went into the next tent, and Harry and the rest of the Weasleys changed into pajamas and clambered into their bunks. From the other side of the campsite they could still hear much singing and the odd echoing bang. â€Å"Oh I am glad I'm not on duty,† muttered Mr. Weasley sleepily. â€Å"I wouldn't fancy having to go and tell the Irish they've got to stop celebrating.† Harry, who was on a top bunk above Ron, lay staring up at the canvas ceiling of the tent, watching the glow of an occasional leprechaun lantern flying overhead, and picturing again some of Krum's more spectacular moves. He was itching to get back on his own Firebolt and try out the Wronski Feint†¦.Somehow Oliver Wood had never managed to convey with all his wriggling diagrams what that move was supposed to look like†¦.Harry saw himself in robes that had his name on the back, and imagined the sensation of hearing a hundred-thousand-strong crowd roar, as Ludo Bagman's voice echoed throughout the stadium, â€Å"I give you†¦.Potter!† Harry never knew whether or not he had actually dropped off to sleep – his fantasies of flying like Krum might well have slipped into actual dreams – all he knew was that, quite suddenly, Mr. Weasley was shouting. â€Å"Get up! Ron – Harry – come on now, get up, this is urgent!† Harry sat up quickly and the top of his head hit canvas. â€Å"‘S' matter?† he said. Dimly, he could tell that something was wrong. The noises in the campsite had changed. The singing had stopped. He could hear screams, and the sound of people running. He slipped down from the bunk and reached for his clothes, but Mr. Weasley, who had pulled on his jeans over his own pajamas, said, â€Å"No time, Harry – just grab a jacket and get outside – quickly!† Harry did as he was told and hurried out of the tent, Ron at his heels. By the light of the few fires that were still burning, he could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire. Loud jeering, roars of laughter, and drunken yells were drifting toward them; then came a burst of strong green light, which illuminated the scene. A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. Harry squinted at them†¦.They didn't seem to have faces†¦.Then he realized that their heads were hooded and their faces masked. High above them, floating along in midair, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air. Two of the figures were very small. More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice Harry saw one of the marchers blast a tent out of his way with his wand. Several caught fire. The screaming grew louder. The floating people were suddenly illuminated as they passed over a burning tent and Harry recognized one of them: Mr. Roberts, the campsite manager. The other three looked as though they might be his wife and children. One of the marchers below flipped Mrs. Roberts upside down with his wand; her nightdress fell down to reveal voluminous drawers and she struggled to cover herself up as the crowd below her screeched and hooted with glee. â€Å"That's sick,† Ron muttered, watching the smallest Muggle child, who had begun to spin like a top, sixty feet above the ground, his head flopping limply from side to side. â€Å"That is really sick†¦.† Hermione and Ginny came hurrying toward them, pulling coats over their nightdresses, with Mr. Weasley right behind them. At the same moment, Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerged from the boys' tent, fully dressed, with their sleeves rolled up and their wands out. â€Å"We're going to help the Ministry!† Mr. Weasley shouted over all the noise, rolling up his own sleeves. â€Å"You lot – get into the woods, and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!† Bill, Charlie, and Percy were already sprinting away toward the oncoming marchers; Mr. Weasley tore after them. Ministry wizards were dashing from every direction toward the source of the trouble. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was coming ever closer. â€Å"C'mon,† said Fred, grabbing Ginny's hand and starting to pull her toward the wood. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and George followed. They all looked back as they reached the trees. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was larger than ever; they could see the Ministry wizards trying to get through it to the hooded wizards in the center, but they were having great difficulty. It looked as though they were scared to perform any spell that might make the Roberts family fall. The colored lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Dark figures were blundering through the trees; children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air. Harry felt himself being pushed hither and thither by people whose faces he could not see. Then he heard Ron yell with pain. â€Å"What happened?† said Hermione anxiously, stopping so abruptly that Harry walked into her. â€Å"Ron, where are you? Oh this is stupid – lumos!† She illuminated her wand and directed its narrow beam across the path. Ron was lying sprawled on the ground. â€Å"Tripped over a tree root,† he said angrily, getting to his feet again. â€Å"Well, with feet that size, hard not to,† said a drawling voice from behind them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned sharply. Draco Malfoy was standing alone nearby, leaning against a tree, looking utterly relaxed. His arms folded, he seemed to have been watching the scene at the campsite through a gap in the trees. Ron told Malfoy to do something that Harry knew he would never have dared say in front of Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"Language, Weasley,† said Malfoy, his pale eyes glittering. â€Å"Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?† He nodded at Hermione, and at the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of green light momentarily lit the trees around them. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† said Hermione defiantly. â€Å"Granger, they're after Muggles, â€Å"said Malfoy. â€Å"D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around†¦.they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh.† â€Å"Hermione's a witch,† Harry snarled. â€Å"Have it your own way, Potter,† said Malfoy, grinning maliciously. â€Å"If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are.† â€Å"You watch your mouth!† shouted Ron. Everybody present knew that â€Å"Mudblood† was a very offensive term for a witch or wizard of Muggle parentage. â€Å"Never mind, Ron,† said Hermione quickly, seizing Ron's arm to restrain him as he took a step toward Malfoy. There came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than anything they had heard. Several people nearby screamed. Malfoy chuckled softly. â€Å"Scare easily, don't they?† he said lazily. â€Å"I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to – trying to rescue the Muggles?† â€Å"Where're your parents?† said Harry, his temper rising. â€Å"Out there wearing masks, are they?† Malfoy turned his face to Harry, still smiling. â€Å"Well†¦if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?† â€Å"Oh come on,† said Hermione, with a disgusted look at Malfoy, â€Å"let's go and find the others.† â€Å"Keep that big bushy head down, Granger,† sneered Malfoy. â€Å"Come on,† Hermione repeated, and she pulled Harry and Ron up the path again. â€Å"I'll bet you anything his dad is one of that masked lot!† said Ron hotly. â€Å"Well, with any luck, the Ministry will catch him!† said Hermione fervently. â€Å"Oh I can't believe this. Where have the others got to?† Fred, George, and Ginny were nowhere to be seen, though the path was packed with plenty of other people, all looking nervously over their shoulders toward the commotion back at the campsite. A huddle of teenagers in pajamas was arguing vociferously a little way along the path. When they saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione, a girl with thick curly hair turned and said quickly, â€Å"O est Madame Maxime? Nous l'avons perdue -â€Å" â€Å"Er – what?† said Ron. â€Å"Oh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The girl who had spoken turned her back on him, and as they walked on they distinctly heard her say, â€Å"‘Ogwarts.† â€Å"Beauxbatons,† muttered Hermione. â€Å"Sorry?† said Harry. â€Å"They must go to Beauxbatons,† said Hermione. â€Å"You know†¦Beauxbatons Academy of Magic†¦.I read about it in An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe.† â€Å"Oh†¦yeah†¦right,† said Harry. â€Å"Fred and George can't have gone that far,† said Ron, pulling out his wand, lighting it like Hermione's, and squinting up the path. Harry dug in the pockets of his jacket for his own wand – but it wasn't there. The only thing he could find was his Omnioculars. â€Å"Ah, no, I don't believe it†¦I've lost my wand!† â€Å"You're kidding!† Ron and Hermione raised their wands high enough to spread the narrow beams of light farther on the ground; Harry looked all around him, but his wand was nowhere to be seen. â€Å"Maybe it's back in the tent,† said Ron. â€Å"Maybe it fell out of your pocket when we were running?† Hermione suggested anxiously. â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, â€Å"maybe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He usually kept his wand with him at all times in the wizarding world, and finding himself without it in the midst of a scene like this made him feel very vulnerable. A rustling noise nearby made all three of them jump. Winky the house-elf was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes nearby. She was moving in a most peculiar fashion, apparently with great difficulty; it was as though someone invisible were trying to hold her back. â€Å"There is bad wizards about!† she squeaked distractedly as she leaned forward and labored to keep running. â€Å"People high – high in the air! Winky is getting out of the way!† And she disappeared into the trees on the other side of the path, panting and squeaking as she fought the force that was restraining her. â€Å"What's up with her?† said Ron, looking curiously after Winky. â€Å"Why can't she run properly?† â€Å"Bet she didn't ask permission to hide,† said Harry. He was thinking of Dobby: Every time he had tried to do something the Malfoys wouldn't like, the house-elf had been forced to start beating himself up. â€Å"You know, house-elves get a very raw deal!† said Hermione indignantly. â€Å"It's slavery, that's what it is! That Mr. Crouch made her go up to the top of the stadium, and she was terrified, and he's got her bewitched so she can't even run when they start trampling tents! Why doesn't anyone do something about it?† â€Å"Well, the elves are happy, aren't they?† Ron said. â€Å"You heard old Winky back at the match†¦'House-elves is not supposed to have fun'†¦that's what she likes, being bossed around†¦.† â€Å"It's people like you, Ron,† Hermione began hotly, â€Å"who prop up rotten and unjust systems, just because they're too lazy to -â€Å" Another loud bang echoed from the edge of the wood. â€Å"Let's just keep moving, shall we?† said Ron, and Harry saw him glance edgily at Hermione. Perhaps there was truth in what Malfoy had said; perhaps Hermione was in more danger than they were. They set off again, Harry still searching his pockets, even though he knew his wand wasn't there. They followed the dark path deeper into the wood, still keeping an eye out for Fred, George, and Ginny. They passed a group of goblins who were cackling over a sack of gold that they had undoubtedly won betting on the match, and who seemed quite unperturbed by the trouble at the campsite. Farther still along the path, they walked into a patch of silvery light, and when they looked through the trees, they saw three tall and beautiful veela standing in a clearing, surrounded by a gaggle of young wizards, all of whom were talking very loudly. â€Å"I pull down about a hundred sacks of Galleons a year!† one of them shouted. â€Å"I'm a dragon killer for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.† â€Å"No, you're not!† yelled his friend. â€Å"You're a dishwasher at the Leaky Cauldron†¦but I'm a vampire hunter, I've killed about ninety so far -â€Å" A third young wizard, whose pimples were visible even by the dim, silvery light of the veela, now cut in, â€Å"I'm about to become the youngest ever Minister of Magic, I am.† Harry snorted with laughter. He recognized the pimply wizard: His name was Stan Shunpike, and he was in fact a conductor on the triple-decker Knight Bus. He turned to tell Ron this, but Ron's face had gone oddly slack, and next second Ron was yelling, â€Å"Did I tell you I've invented a broomstick that'll reach Jupiter?† â€Å"Honestly!† said Hermione, and she and Harry grabbed Ron firmly by the arms, wheeled him around, and marched him away. By the time the sounds of the veela and their admirers had faded completely, they were in the very heart of the wood. They seemed to be alone now; everything was much quieter. Harry looked around. â€Å"I reckon we can just wait here, you know. We'll hear anyone coming a mile off.† The words were hardly out of his mouth, when Ludo Bagman emerged from behind a tree right ahead of them. Even by the feeble light of the two wands, Harry could see that a great change had come over Bagman. He no longer looked buoyant and rosy-faced; there was no more spring in his step. He looked very white and strained. â€Å"Who's that?† he said, blinking down at them, trying to make out their faces. â€Å"What are you doing in here, all alone?† They looked at one another, surprised. â€Å"Well – there's a sort of riot going on,† said Ron. Bagman stared at him. â€Å"What?† â€Å"At the campsite†¦some people have got hold of a family of Muggles†¦.† Bagman swore loudly. â€Å"Damn them!† he said, looking quite distracted, and without another word, he Disapparated with a small pop! â€Å"Not exactly on top of things, Mr. Bagman, is he?† said Hermione, frowning. â€Å"He was a great Beater, though,† said Ron, leading the way off the path into a small clearing, and sitting down on a patch of dry grass at the foot of a tree. â€Å"The Wimbourne Wasps won the league three times in a row while he was with them.† He took his small figure of Krum out of his pocket, set it down on the ground, and watched it walk around. Like the real Krum, the model was slightly duck-footed and round-shouldered, much less impressive on his splayed feet than on his broomstick. Harry was listening for noise from the campsite. Everything seemed much quieter; perhaps the riot was over. â€Å"I hope the others are okay,† said Hermione after a while. â€Å"They'll be fine,† said Ron. â€Å"Imagine if your dad catches Lucius Malfoy,† said Harry, sitting down next to Ron and watching the small figure of Krum slouching over the fallen leaves. â€Å"He's always said he'd like to get something on him.† â€Å"That'd wipe the smirk off old Draco's face, all right,† said Ron. â€Å"Those poor Muggles, though,† said Hermione nervously. â€Å"What if they can't get them down?† â€Å"They will,† said Ron reassuringly. â€Å"They'll find a way.† â€Å"Mad, though, to do something like that when the whole Ministry of Magic's out here tonight!† said Hermione. â€Å"I mean, how do they expect to get away with it? Do you think they've been drinking, or are they just -â€Å" But she broke off abruptly and looked over her shoulder. Harry and Ron looked quickly around too. It sounded as though someone was staggering toward their clearing. They waited, listening to the sounds of the uneven steps behind the dark trees. But the footsteps came to a sudden halt. â€Å"Hello?† called Harry. There was silence. Harry got to his feet and peered around the tree. It was too dark to see very far, but he could sense somebody standing just beyond the range of his vision. â€Å"Who's there?† he said. And then, without warning, the silence was rent by a voice unlike any they had heard in the wood; and it uttered, not a panicked shout, but what sounded like a spell. â€Å"MORSMORDRE!† And something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness Harry's eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky. â€Å"What the -?† gasped Ron as he sprang to his feet again, staring up at the thing that had appeared. For a split second, Harry thought it was another leprechaun formation. Then he realized that it was a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. Suddenly, the wood all around them erupted with screams. Harry didn't understand why, but the only possible cause was the sudden appearance of the skull, which had now risen high enough to illuminate the entire wood like some grisly neon sign. He scanned the darkness for the person who had conjured the skull, but he couldn't see anyone. â€Å"Who's there?† he called again. â€Å"Harry, come on, move!† Hermione had seized the collar of his jacket and was tugging him backward. â€Å"What's the matter?† Harry said, startled to see her face so white and terrified. â€Å"It's the Dark Mark, Harry!† Hermione moaned, pulling him as hard as she could. â€Å"You-Know-Who's sign!† â€Å"Voldemort's – ?† â€Å"Harry, come on!† Harry turned – Ron was hurriedly scooping up his miniature Krum – the three of them started across the clearing – but before they had taken a few hurried steps, a series of popping noises announced the arrival of twenty wizards, appearing from thin air, surrounding them. Harry whirled around, and in an instant, he registered one fact: Each of these wizards had his wand out, and every wand was pointing right at himself, Ron, and Hermione. Without pausing to think, he yelled, â€Å"DUCK!† He seized the other two and pulled them down onto the ground. â€Å"STUPEFY!† roared twenty voices – there was a blinding series of flashes and Harry felt the hair on his head ripple as though a powerful wind had swept the clearing. Raising his head a fraction of an inch he saw jets of fiery red light flying over them from the wizards' wands, crossing one another, bouncing off tree trunks, rebounding into the darkness – â€Å"Stop!† yelled a voice he recognized. â€Å"STOP! That's my son!† Harry's hair stopped blowing about. He raised his head a little higher. The wizard in front of him had lowered his wand. He rolled over and saw Mr. Weasley striding toward them, looking terrified. â€Å"Ron – Harry† – his voice sounded shaky – â€Å"Hermione – are you all right?† â€Å"Out of the way, Arthur,† said a cold, curt voice. It was Mr. Crouch. He and the other Ministry wizards were closing in on them. Harry got to his feet to face them. Mr. Crouch's face was taut with rage. â€Å"Which of you did it?† he snapped, his sharp eyes darting between them. â€Å"Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?† â€Å"We didn't do that!† said Harry, gesturing up at the skull. â€Å"We didn't do anything!† said Ron, who was rubbing his elbow and looking indignantly at his father. â€Å"What did you want to attack us for?† â€Å"Do not lie, sir!† shouted Mr. Crouch. His wand was still pointing directly at Ron, and his eyes were popping – he looked slightly mad. â€Å"You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!† â€Å"Barty,† whispered a witch in a long woolen dressing gown, â€Å"they're kids, Barty, they'd never have been able to -â€Å" â€Å"Where did the Mark come from, you three?† said Mr. Weasley quickly. â€Å"Over there,† said Hermione shakily, pointing at the place where they had heard the voice. â€Å"There was someone behind the trees†¦they shouted words – an incantation -â€Å" â€Å"Oh, stood over there, did they?† said Mr. Crouch, turning his popping eyes on Hermione now, disbelief etched all over his face. â€Å"Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned, missy -â€Å" But none of the Ministry wizards apart from Mr. Crouch seemed to think it remotely likely that Harry, Ron, or Hermione had conjured the skull; on the contrary, at Hermione's words, they had all raised their wands again and were pointing in the direction she had indicated, squinting through the dark trees. â€Å"We're too late,† said the witch in the woolen dressing gown, shaking her head. â€Å"They'll have Disapparated.† â€Å"I don't think so,† said a wizard with a scrubby brown beard. It was Amos Diggory, Cedric's father. â€Å"Our Stunners went right through those trees†¦.There's a good chance we got them†¦.† â€Å"Amos, be careful!† said a few of the wizards warningly as Mr. Diggory squared his shoulders, raised his wand, marched across the clearing, and disappeared into the darkness. Hermione watched him vanish with her hands over her mouth. A few seconds later, they heard Mr. Diggory shout. â€Å"Yes! We got them! There's someone here! Unconscious! It's – but – blimey†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You've got someone?† shouted Mr. Crouch, sounding highly disbelieving. â€Å"Who? Who is it?† They heard snapping twigs, the rustling of leaves, and then crunching footsteps as Mr. Diggory reemerged from behind the trees. He was carrying a tiny, limp figure in his arms. Harry recognized the tea towel at once. It was Winky. Mr. Crouch did not move or speak as Mr. Diggory deposited his elf on the ground at his feet. The other Ministry wizards were all staring at Mr. Crouch. For a few seconds Crouch remained transfixed, his eyes blazing in his white face as he stared down at Winky. Then he appeared to come to life again. â€Å"This – cannot – be,† he said jerkily. â€Å"No -â€Å" He moved quickly around Mr. Diggory and strode off toward the place where he had found Winky. â€Å"No point, Mr. Crouch,† Mr. Diggory called after him. â€Å"There's no one else there.† But Mr. Crouch did not seem prepared to take his word for it. They could hear him moving around and the rustling of leaves as he pushed the bushes aside, searching. â€Å"Bit embarrassing,† Mr. Diggory said grimly, looking down at Winky's unconscious form. â€Å"Barty Crouch's house-elf†¦.I mean to say†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Come off it, Amos,† said Mr. Weasley quietly, â€Å"you don't seriously think it was the elf? The Dark Mark's a wizard's sign. It requires a wand.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Mr. Diggory, â€Å"and she had a wand.† â€Å"What?† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Here, look.† Mr. Diggory held up a wand and showed it to Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Had it in her hand. So that's clause three of the Code of Wand Use broken, for a start. No non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand.† Just then there was another pop, and Ludo Bagman Apparated right next to Mr. Weasley. Looking breathless and disorientated, he spun on the spot, goggling upward at the emerald-green skull. â€Å"The Dark Mark!† he panted, almost trampling Winky as he turned inquiringly to his colleagues. â€Å"Who did it? Did you get them? Barry! What's going on?† Mr. Crouch had returned empty-handed. His face was still ghostly white, and his hands and his toothbrush mustache were both twitching. â€Å"Where have you been, Barty?† said Bagman. â€Å"Why weren't you at the match? Your elf was saving you a seat too – gulping gargoyles!† Bagman had just noticed Winky lying at his feet. â€Å"What happened to her?† â€Å"I have been busy, Ludo,† said Mr. Crouch, still talking in the same jerky fashion, barely moving his lips. â€Å"And my elf has been stunned.† â€Å"Stunned? By you lot, you mean? But why -?† Comprehension dawned suddenly on Bagman's round, shiny face; he looked up at the skull, down at Winky, and then at Mr. Crouch. â€Å"No!† he said. â€Å"Winky? Conjure the Dark Mark? She wouldn't know how! She'd need a wand, for a start!† â€Å"And she had one,† said Mr. Diggory. â€Å"I found her holding one, Ludo. If it's all right with you, Mr. Crouch, I think we should hear what she's got to say for herself.† Crouch gave no sign that he had heard Mr. Diggory, but Mr. Diggory seemed to take his silence for assent. He raised his own wand, pointed it at Winky, and said, â€Å"Ennervate!† Winky stirred feebly. Her great brown eyes opened and she blinked several times in a bemused sort of way. Watched by the silent wizards, she raised herself shakily into a sitting position. She caught sight of Mr. Diggory's feet, and slowly, tremulously, raised her eyes to stare up into his face; then, more slowly still, she looked up into the sky. Harry could see the floating skull reflected twice in her enormous, glassy eyes. She gave a gasp, looked wildly around the crowded clearing, and burst into terrified sobs. â€Å"Elf!† said Mr. Diggory sternly. â€Å"Do you know who I am? I'm a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures!† Winky began to rock backward and forward on the ground, her breath coming in sharp bursts. Harry was reminded forcibly of Dobby in his moments of terrified disobedience. â€Å"As you see, elf, the Dark Mark was conjured here a short while ago,† said Mr. Diggory. â€Å"And you were discovered moments later, right beneath it! An explanation, if you please!† â€Å"I – I – I is not doing it, sir!† Winky gasped. â€Å"I is not knowing how, sir!† â€Å"You were found with a wand in your hand!† barked Mr. Diggory, brandishing it in front of her. And as the wand caught the green light that was filling the clearing from the skull above, Harry recognized it â€Å"Hey – that's mine!† he said Everyone in the clearing looked at him. â€Å"Excuse me?† said Mr. Diggory, incredulously. â€Å"That's my wand!† said Harry. â€Å"I dropped it!† â€Å"You dropped it?† repeated Mr. Diggory in disbelief. â€Å"Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the Mark?† â€Å"Amos, think who you're talking to!† said Mr. Weasley, very angrily. â€Å"Is Harry Potter likely to conjure the Dark Mark?† â€Å"Er – of course not,† mumbled Mr. Diggory. â€Å"Sorry†¦carried away†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I didn't drop it there, anyway,† said Harry, jerking his thumb toward the trees beneath the skull. â€Å"I missed it right after we got into the wood.† â€Å"So,† said Mr. Diggory, his eyes hardening as he turned to look at Winky again, cowering at his feet. â€Å"You found this wand, eh, elf? And you picked it up and thought you'd have some fun with it, did you?† â€Å"I is not doing magic with it, sir!† squealed Winky, tears streaming down the sides of her squashed and bulbous nose. â€Å"I is†¦I is†¦I is just picking it up, sir! I is not making the Dark Mark, sir, I is not knowing how!† â€Å"It wasn't her!† said Hermione. She looked very nervous, speaking up in front of all these Ministry wizards, yet determined all the same. â€Å"Winky's got a squeaky little voice, and the voice we heard doing the incantation was much deeper!† She looked around at Harry and Ron, appealing for their support. â€Å"It didn't sound anything like Winky, did it?† â€Å"No,† said Harry, shaking his head. â€Å"It definitely didn't sound like an elf.† â€Å"Yeah, it was a human voice,† said Ron. â€Å"Well, we'll soon see,† growled Mr. Diggory, looking unimpressed. â€Å"There's a simple way of discovering the last spell a wand performed, elf, did you know that?† Winky trembled and shook her head frantically, her ears flapping, as Mr. Diggory raised his own wand again and placed it tip to tip with Harry's. â€Å"Prior Incantato!† roared Mr. Diggory. Harry heard Hermione gasp, horrified, as a gigantic serpent-tongued skull erupted from the point where the two wands met, but it was a mere shadow of the green skull high above them; it looked as though it were made of thick gray smoke: the ghost of a spell. â€Å"Deletrius!† Mr. Diggory shouted, and the smoky skull vanished in a wisp of smoke. â€Å"So,† said Mr. Diggory with a kind of savage triumph, looking down upon Winky, who was still shaking convulsively. â€Å"I is not doing it!† she squealed, her eyes rolling in terror. â€Å"I is not, I is not, I is not knowing how! I is a good elf, I isn't using wands, I isn't knowing how!† â€Å"You've been caught red-handed, elf!† Mr. Diggory roared. â€Å"Caught with the guilty wand in your hand!† â€Å"Amos,† said Mr. Weasley loudly, â€Å"think about it†¦precious few wizards know how to do that spell†¦.Where would she have learned it?† â€Å"Perhaps Amos is suggesting,† said Mr. Crouch, cold anger in every syllable, â€Å"that I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Dark Mark?† There was a deeply unpleasant silence. Amos Diggory looked horrified. â€Å"Mr. Crouch†¦not†¦not at all. â€Å"You have now come very close to accusing the two people in this clearing who are least likely to conjure that Mark!† barked Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Harry Potter – and myself. I suppose you are familiar with the boy's story, Amos?† â€Å"Of course – everyone knows -† muttered Mr. Diggory, looking highly discomforted. â€Å"And I trust you remember the many proofs I have given, over a long career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them?† Mr. Crouch shouted, his eyes bulging again. â€Å"Mr. Crouch, I – I never suggested you had anything to do with it!† Amos Diggory muttered again, now reddening behind his scrubby brown beard. â€Å"If you accuse my elf, you accuse me, Diggory!† shouted Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Where else would she have learned to conjure it?† â€Å"She – she might've picked it up anywhere -â€Å" â€Å"Precisely, Amos,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"She might have picked it up anywhere†¦.Winky?† he said kindly, turning to the elf, but she flinched as though he too was shouting at her. â€Å"Where exactly did you find Harry's wand?† Winky was twisting the hem of her tea towel so violently that it was fraying beneath her fingers. â€Å"I – I is finding it†¦finding it there, sir†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered, â€Å"there†¦in the trees, sir. â€Å"You see, Amos?† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Whoever conjured the Mark could have Disapparated right after they'd done it, leaving Harry's wand behind. A clever thing to do, not using their own wand, which could have betrayed them. And Winky here had the misfortune to come across the wand moments later and pick it up.† â€Å"But then, she'd have been only a few feet away from the real culprit!† said Mr. Diggory impatiently. â€Å"Elf? Did you see anyone?† Winky began to tremble worse than ever. Her giant eyes flickered from Mr. Diggory, to Ludo Bagman, and onto Mr. Crouch. Then she gulped and said, â€Å"I is seeing no one, sir†¦no one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Amos,† said Mr. Crouch curtly, â€Å"I am fully aware that, in the ordinary course of events, you would want to take Winky into your department for questioning. I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her.† Mr. Diggory looked as though he didn't think much of this suggestion at all, but it was clear to Harry that Mr. Crouch was such an important member of the Ministry that he did not dare refuse him. â€Å"You may rest assured that she will be punished,† Mr. Crouch added coldly. â€Å"M-m-master†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Winky stammered, looking up at Mr. Crouch, her eyes brimming with tears. â€Å"M-m-master, p-p-please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Crouch stared back, his face somehow sharpened, each line upon it more deeply etched. There was no pity in his gaze. â€Å"Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible,† he said slowly. â€Å"I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. This means clothes.† â€Å"No!† shrieked Winky, prostrating herself at Mr. Crouch's feet. â€Å"No, master! Not clothes, not clothes!† Harry knew that the only way to turn a house-elf free was to present it with proper garments. It was pitiful to see the way Winky clutched at her tea towel as she sobbed over Mr. Crouch's feet. â€Å"But she was frightened!† Hermione burst out angrily, glaring at Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Your elf's scared of heights, and those wizards in masks were levitating people! You can't blame her for wanting to get out of their way!† Mr. Crouch took a step backward, freeing himself from contact with the elf, whom he was surveying as though she were something filthy and rotten that was contaminating his over-shined shoes. â€Å"I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me,† he said coldly, looking over at Hermione. â€Å"I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master's reputation.† Winky was crying so hard that her sobs echoed around the clearing. There was a very nasty silence, which was ended by Mr. Weasley, who said quietly, â€Å"Well, I think I'll take my lot back to the tent, if nobody's got any objections. Amos, that wand's told us all it can – if Harry could have it back, please -â€Å" Mr. Diggory handed Harry his wand and Harry pocketed it. â€Å"Come on, you three,† Mr. Weasley said quietly. But Hermione didn't seem to want to move; her eyes were still upon the sobbing elf. â€Å"Hermione!† Mr. Weasley said, more urgently. She turned and followed Harry and Ron out of the clearing and off through the trees. â€Å"What's going to happen to Winky?† said Hermione, the moment they had left the clearing. â€Å"I don't know,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"The way they were treating her!† said Hermione furiously. â€Å"Mr. Diggory, calling her ‘elf' all the time†¦and Mr. Crouch! He knows she didn't do it and he's still going to sack her! He didn't care how frightened she'd been, or how upset she was – it was like she wasn't even human!† â€Å"Well, she's not,† said Ron. Hermione rounded on him. â€Å"That doesn't mean she hasn't got feelings, Ron. It's disgusting the way -â€Å" â€Å"Hermione, I agree with you,† said Mr. Weasley quickly, beckoning her on, â€Å"but now is not the time to discuss elf rights. I want to get back to the tent as fast as we can. What happened to the others?† â€Å"We lost them in the dark,† said Ron. â€Å"Dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?† â€Å"I'll explain everything back at the tent,† said Mr. Weasley tensely. But when they reached the edge of the wood, their progress was impeded. A large crowd of frightened-looking witches and wizards was congregated there, and when they saw Mr. Weasley coming toward them, many of them surged forward. â€Å"What's going on in there?† â€Å"Who conjured it?† â€Å"Arthur – it's not – Him?† â€Å"Of course it's not Him,† said Mr. Weasley impatiently. â€Å"We don't know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed.† He led Harry, Ron, and Hermione through the crowd and back into the campsite. All was quiet now; there was no sign of the masked wizards, though several ruined tents were still smoking. Charlie's head was poking out of the boys' tent. â€Å"Dad, what's going on?† he called through the dark. â€Å"Fred, George, and Ginny got back okay, but the others -â€Å" â€Å"I've got them here,† said Mr. Weasley, bending down and entering the tent. Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered after him. Bill was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a bedsheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely. Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy was sporting a bloody nose. Fred, George, and Ginny looked unhurt, though shaken. â€Å"Did you get them, Dad?† said Bill sharply. â€Å"The person who conjured the Mark?† â€Å"No,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"We found Barry Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conured the Mark.† â€Å"What?† said Bill, Charlie, and Percy together. â€Å"Harry's wand?† said Fred. â€Å"Mr. Crouch's elf?† said Percy, sounding thunderstruck. With some assistance from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Mr. Weasley explained what had happened in the woods. When they had finished their story, Percy swelled indignantly. â€Å"Well, Mr. Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!† he said. â€Å"Running away when he'd expressly told her not to†¦embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry†¦how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control -â€Å" â€Å"She didn't do anything – she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!† Hermione snapped at Percy, who looked very taken aback. Hermione had always got on fairly well with Percy – better, indeed, than any of the others. â€Å"Hermione, a wizard in Mr. Crouch's position can't afford a house-elf who's going to run amok with a wand!† said Percy pompously, recovering himself. â€Å"She didn't run amok!† shouted Hermione. â€Å"She just picked it up off the ground!† â€Å"Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was?† said Ron impatiently. â€Å"It wasn't hurting anyone†¦.Why's it such a big deal?† â€Å"I told you, it's You-Know-Who's symbol, Ron,† said Hermione, before anyone else could answer. â€Å"I read about it in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts.† â€Å"And it hasn't been seen for thirteen years,† said Mr. Weasley quietly. â€Å"Of course people panicked†¦it was almost like seeing You-Know-Who back again.† â€Å"I don't get it,† said Ron, frowning. â€Å"I mean†¦it's still only a shape in the sky†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Ron, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"The terror it inspired†¦you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside†¦.† Mr. Weasley winced. â€Å"Everyone's worst fear†¦the very worst†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There was silence for a moment. Then Bill, removing the sheet from his arm to check on his cut, said, â€Å"Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Robertses before they hit the ground, though. They're having their memories modified right now.† â€Å"Death Eaters?† said Harry. â€Å"What are Death Eaters?† â€Å"It's what You-Know-Who's supporters called themselves,† said Bill. â€Å"I think we saw what's left of them tonight – the ones who managed to keep themselves out of Azkaban, anyway.† â€Å"We can't prove it was them, Bill,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Though it probably was,† he added hopelessly. â€Å"Yeah, I bet it was!† said Ron suddenly . â€Å"Dad, we met Draco Malfoy in the woods, and he as good as told us his dad was one of those nutters in masks! And we all know the Malfoys were right in with You-Know-Who!† â€Å"But what were Voldemort's supporters -† Harry began. Everybody flinched – like most of the wizarding world, the Weasleys always avoided saying Voldemort's name. â€Å"Sorry,† said Harry quickly. â€Å"What were You-Know-Who's supporters up to, levitating Muggles? I mean, what was the point?† â€Å"The point?† said Mr. Weasley with a hollow laugh. â€Å"Harry, that's their idea of fun. Half the Muggle killings back when You-Know-Who was in power were done for fun. I suppose they had a few drinks tonight and couldn't resist reminding us all that lots of them are still at large. A nice little reunion for them,† he finished disgustedly. â€Å"But if they were the Death Eaters, why did they Disapparate when they saw the Dark Mark?† said Ron. â€Å"They'd have been pleased to see it, wouldn't they?† â€Å"Use your brains, Ron,† said Bill. â€Å"If they really were Death Eaters, they worked very hard to keep out of Azkaban when You-Know-Who lost power, and told all sorts of lies about him forcing them to kill and torture people. I bet they'd be even more frightened than the rest of us to see him come back. They denied they'd ever been involved with him when he lost his powers, and went back to their daily lives†¦.I don't reckon he'd be over-pleased with them, do you?† â€Å"So†¦whoever conjured the Dark Mark†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Hermione slowly, â€Å"were they doing it to show support for the Death Eaters, or to scare them away?† â€Å"Your guess is as good as ours, Hermione,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"But I'll tell you this†¦it was only the Death Eaters who ever knew how to conjure it. I'd be very surprised if the person who did it hadn't been a Death Eater once, even if they're not now†¦.Listen, it's very late, and if your mother hears what's happened she'll be worried sick. We'll get a few more hours sleep and then try and get an early Portkey out of here.† Harry got back into his bunk with his head buzzing. He knew he ought to feel exhausted: It was nearly three in the morning, but he felt wide-awake – wide-awake, and worried. Three days ago – it felt like much longer, but it had only been three days – he had awoken with his scar burning. And tonight, for the first time in thirteen years, Lord Voldemort's mark had appeared in the sky. What did these things mean? He thought of the letter he had written to Sirius before leaving Privet Drive. Would Sirius have gotten it yet? When would he reply? Harry lay looking up at the canvas, but no flying fantasies came to him now to ease him to sleep, and it was a long time after Charlie's snores filled the tent that Harry finally dozed off.

Iroj Shrestha Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers

Iroj Shrestha Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers Iroj Shrestha Miss Vines EN 100-19 3 February 2016 A Week with a Hundred Adventure It was 7 o'clock in the morning, and my cup was still warm with half filled coffee. A vibration with a beep; a message from my boss "See you in my office by 0800." This was how he had exactly texted me. His brand new office set up, the smell of fresh paint, and a chocolate-colored wooden floor was nice to enjoy with the sound of my footsteps. His frown wrinkled face with a handful of paper could easily express what I was assigned for. A new office, new boss and a new task. I got out of his office with the job specs, a brief description of a place we were heading for, shelter points, logistics management paper and a 4x4 map. Trucks were passing through the gate in a convoy and there was a jeep arranged for us to manage until the first rendezvous at Gorkha. "Have a good day, son" he patted on my shoulder, with a brief nod saying no single word, I jumped into the jeep. I shouldn't have address seniors that way, but I was already on the jeep. The only thing I could always hear was the sound of the engine disregarding the folk song in that audio system I switched myself to earbuds. The highway was dense with trees on both sides and some small huts selling hot tea. After a 6 hours drive we were at first rendezvous, it was almost dark at the bank of a river where we had set up for our first night before a week trek to Lamjung. "sir, supper is ready" a 6 feet tall muscular guy stood in front of me. "Okay, serve our boys first and get me a packet of cigarette" I said. "sir, there are no any stores around here, we are at the bank of a river" he responded. A chilly night without a cigarette I thought to myself and said "its okay, you can leave". A table with a folding mechanism was laid and two chairs and the supper was ready. I asked one of my boys "why is this extra chair here?" "sir" he responded, "Maj. Basnet will be here to join you for the dinner." "well, where is he?" I asked. "Sir, he is on the phone and said he would be back soon." It's freezing and I don't know why we are made to wait for seniors all the time. With a majestic voice Major Basnet said "hey, you could have started" "Its okay, sir" I replied. Basnet was tall, short haired and kind of mute all the time as I was not. After the supper Major Basnet stood up and expressed his appreciation for our hospitality. "Thank you for the dinner, Charlie Company and welcome to your very first adventure mr., "Iroj, Sir" I replied. "Okay, Iroj have a good night" he responded. "good night, sir." Strange and short conversation anyway the food was great. Melodies from the chirping birds and a harsh pull of boot lace woke me up. I slowly pulled the zipper down the sleeping bag and got out of my tent. "Good morning, sir" all my boys roared at one voice "Good morning guys". We were all set to march after reporting Maj. Basnet. I would really miss the chance viewing such magnificent scenic views if I was not listed to on the move. Anyway, I should thank Col. For his graciousness providing me this opportunity I thought to myself. Walking all day long with one heavy lunch and no dinner arrangements, sounds pretty much survival training. And for me, it was a real survival as I had no any cigarettes for the day until the next rendezvous which was village Maaling. Small creeks, dense wood, damp smelling soil, large rocky hills were all we had to come across and move on like we had no other clue to Maaling. Finally, we made the second rendezvous point, village Maaling. Well, If I have to define someday a paradise, it would be no other than village Maaling. Located at a peak of a hill, to lay a beautiful village with merely fifty houses was like god's creativity,

Reflective experience essay on a group relations conference The WritePass Journal

Reflective experience essay on a group relations conference Introduction Reflective experience essay on a group relations conference Introduction  ReferencesRelated Introduction Group work conference is a form of co-operative learning, targeted on personal variations, knowledge enhancement, generic skill development (communicative, collaborative and critical thinking) and approaches. During my professional career, I have carried out a group exercise on exploring the complexities in caring for the emotional and psychological well-being of children, young people and families within the multi-disciplinary and multi-agency context. My job role as a student in social work has involved making contacts with clients (children), advising clients and families on available resources, setting up appointments, supervising contacts at the home and child care centres, assessing client needs and creating the plan together, carrying out risk assessment, attending training and court sessions, safeguarding the well-being of children and supporting them for independent living. This work has allowed me to make the effective use of time for production, alongside offering control as well as responsibilities. The advantages of group work assisted me in overcoming my limitations of faster work, efficiency, understanding, communication skills, work accuracy and exposure. Throughout my practice, I have carried out different roles, particularly within the social service system. The meetings have included different professionals, predominantly from within the social care provider sectors and working with children such as psychotherapists, teachers, doctors, social workers and mental health nurses alongside a variety of social service departmental managers. This essay makes an effort in reflecting upon one of my personal experiences in a group work conference, where I planned, organised, facilitated and was actively involved in a group work. Within the first section, the essay discusses and explores experiences of working and talking with and the responsibility for the emotional and psychological well-being of children, young people and their families. My role in influencing and being influenced with the contribution of other group members will be discussed together with the group dynamics and inter-disciplinary teamwork. A wider view on the experience of the conference as a whole is made to explore issues of conflict and leadership together with theories and discussions of personal tendencies and self-behaviour within the process of group work on a shared task. A well-defined conclusion will be offered around the closure of the group together with the impact of conference on practice needs. Knowing that each of our group members possessed varied timetables and sessions, I have established a â€Å"common meeting point† for discussing the topic to be delivered in the conference. Among the three group meetings that I have organised in the library, I indicated my points on the subject, with special attention on the emotional and psychological well-being of child care. An in-depth discussion on the written facts, and selection of appropriate articles were explored in the subsequent second and third meetings. Easy and flexible ways to finish the completed work were discussed and a periodic ‘check on progress’ and the practice of developed work was explored in the final meeting. The advice and support gained from my colleagues helped me in collecting the best material needed for the conference. They provided me with confidence and an underlying ability, which cannot be possible to attain in real time. The effective accountability and adherence assisted me i n tackling the issues of competitiveness and non-satisfaction. My knowledge, subject exposure, skills, abilities and working tendencies improved and it minimised the complexities witnessed through variations in interest, emotional consequences and the political environment. My experience of group work conference influenced me to a considerable extent in improving my skills needed for presentations and group dynamics. Whilst working to deliver the group conference, I became inspired through the thoughts and ideas of others. In an eventual manner, this supported me in providing new thoughts and innovative ideas. This group conference work, aided in my consideration of issues through different sources, besides building my practical knowledge. As a consequence, I personally feel this group work conference has contributed as a method of attaining and developing skills with respect to my own connectivity and development. The whole of my group work conference was enjoyable, a method of lea rning and my best experience developed through the development of my assigned work with other group members. Through an examination of the different ways in managing ourselves, we de-escalated the complex situations in a highly successful and cost effective manner. The analytical skills, which I have learnt during my professional practice, aided me in enhancing my conceptual thinking and more significantly creativity and teamwork skills. Developing the presentation for this conference helped me in analysing the significance of schedules and time-effectiveness without any considerable compromise on quality. Throughout the group work, I have learnt how to tactically  negotiate  the most productive  conditions for myself, work closely with my friends, take charge,  introduce  useful concepts and develop effective  presentation. Besides, the co-operation amongst the group members enabled me to increase my learning experience with a successful achievement of desired outcomes. At each stage of the work, I became familiarised with the chosen subject,  content  and other conflicting issues. Though conflicts arose in our work, we had realised the minimal importance of such constraints, and moved ahead in a smoother and more effective man ner. Presence of small groups (like that which was present for this conference) allowed the  quieter members to gain involvement with  considerable importance  given to his or her ideas and opinions. Group work allowed me to understand the functioning ways pertaining to team settings. The open nature of group work assisted me in valuing and sharing  previous  experiences with others, discovering my true potential, technology restructuring and waste management (Burns and Sinfield, 2008). Apart from these formal skills, my previous experiences with group work have also offered me with valuable insights. The knowledge gained from most of my group discussion sessions has allowed me to work in a team setting with different roles. My role in this group work conference influenced my team members in planning, prioritising and managing time. The open nature of classes, values of my own personal experiences, and delegation of less critical responsibilities alongside the trading and sharing of notes with fellow colleagues enabled me to exhibit how much we all have to learn from one another. My contribution to the topic of emotional and psychological well-being deciphered me with some of the phraseology and undermined my limitations. Inter-disciplinary working practice is the discipline involving the working of individuals from two or more professions functioning as a team with a common purpose, commitment, mutual respect and goals. This practice enabled us in attaining effective team work, an ability to improve the working environment, enhance mutual respect and share knowledge between different fields. However, the numerous practice based issues linked to unrealistic expectations, lack of knowledge, perceived threat, professional jealousies, and impaired autonomy can result in a variety of serious consequences (Miller and Freeman, 2001). Effective leadership skills gained through the practice sessions helped me in minimising the incidence and prevalence of team conflicts. Writing down notes, trying to be silent and careful listening on the ideas provided by others, helped me in gaining enough information to deal with the issues. The knowledge gained through the group work and professional experience helped me i n liaising with other health care professionals, attending court sessions, multi-disciplinary meetings, one to one key work sessions and advocating of beliefs. Throughout the conference, I strictly confined myself to the guidelines indicated in the social worker’s care plan and this assisted me in supervising contacts of children and home care centres. Regardless of  numerous  constraints witnessed in carrying out the group work, I highly  value  the skills and lessons learnt and would  suggest  the experience to anyone, who desires to  expand  their abilities, especially within the field of child care (Bolton, 2010). Effective planning of activities and objectives, which need to be performed at each stage, enabled me to complete the work before the deadline. I ascertained the strengths and abilities of my team members, their roles and demands for the team environment (Bolton, 2010) in a step by step manner. This soothing and relaxing experience allowed me to reach the expectations of my higher officials with a  decision  to consider negative as well as positive consequences (Burns and Sinfield, 2008). I thought about alternate ways of handling the group work which enabled me to retain the understanding of the importance of communication, compassion, fundamental social work practice skills and group work abiliti es of interacting with children, when they are anxious and scared. Eventually, I became more aware of my communication skills and their effectiveness, together with the ways in which I could improve. I perceive that, my contribution to the  group  in suggesting ideas and examples may be needed in improving myself in a conceptual and critical  manner. I became more aware of my communication skills and their effectiveness, together with exploring a variety of ways for personal development. This reflection process enabled me to look within myself, gave an immense improvement of my own social work skills and patient observations as well as my delivery of care and support. In my own perspective, it can be considered as an effective exercise, which helped in understanding the ways of how to treat patients who need such care and support. For me, implementing these kinds of group work projects can  enable  students to increase their  learning  experience and  participation. I think making a successful presentation  necessitates  an enhanced  awareness  on technologies, subject as well as skills (Bolton, 2010). I perceive myself to be a stronger person developing c onfidence. I ensure that I confront my fears and anxious feelings against certain individuals, in the defence of team members and treated individuals. An open body language, eye contact, voice tone and other abilities, as aforementioned with this paper are of much importance (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2002). Developing such qualities has enabled me as a social care professional to enhance the feelings of care, identification, empathy and support. I feel that, genuineness when supported with an open and relaxed method of accepting client requests can enable us to work according to the best interests of patients (Cooley, 2000). Although, listening, clarification and empathy, improving the emotional and psychological well-being of patients are key counselling skills needed in delivering care, I feel that the presence of good communication skills are an invaluable asset as it minimizes the degrees of hopelessness and psychological distress (Fallowfield and Jenkins, 2009). I think i t is a highly rewarding and reflecting incident, which enabled me to identify my self-weaknesses and turning them in to strengths. Now, I perceive myself to be a stronger person developing confidence. I ensure that I am able to confront my own fears and anxious feelings against certain individuals, in the defence of a patient (Heming and Colmer, 2003). Different frameworks related to social work practice assisted me to create outlines on the issues, which are required due consideration for future use and reference. The use of this previous experience assisted me in exploring the situation, in a much deeper way. An effort to enhance my personal and professional development skills needs to be made in the future. Use of different illustrations concerned to the experience, helped me in realising the fact that, learning and knowledge development is something which I should be pro-active in. Reflective experience assisted in structuring my thoughts and feelings in an appropriate manner with level of knowledge concerning to evidence based practice and medicine (Alexander et al., 1999). I  believe  this is a crucial segment to allow the  group  in offering a well-structured analysis with a chance of gaining experience (Burns and Sinfield, 2008). Group work, an excellent illustration for any enhancing any  form  of  career,  may continuously help me in developing my future. From my point of view, group work enables one to utilise time effectively for student production, alongside offerin g control  as well as responsibility for learning  practice  (Carson, 2004). Furthermore, I have recognised reflection as a key tool of practice, necessary for gaining skills and abilities. The strategies and approaches developed by different scientists (such as Parkes, William, and Colmer) appeared to be highly useful in assessing the psychological impact of family member loss, even though each person reacts to the situation differently. I feel that, implementing the projects accomplished through group or  team  work at the university will  assist  everyone, in the future with an  allowance  of developing practical, conceptual and cognitive  knowledge  towards unseen horizons. It permitted me in promoting my trust and my listening and learning skills from the highly qualified staff and the review of literature. On the whole, this reflective and personal experience assisted me in enhancing my knowledge and understanding on leadership, conflict and other related issues (Alexander et al., 1999).   References Alexander, M., Fawcett, N., Runciman, P. 1994, Nursing Professionals-Hospital and Home-The Adult, London: Churchill Livingstone Publishers, pp. 123-190. Assenmacher, K. 2011, Reflective Writing: A Reflection upon a Team Work Experience, London: Auflage Publishers, pp. 12-30. Bolton, G. (2010) Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development, London: Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, pp. 43-78. Burns, T., Sinfield, S. 2008, Essential Study Skills: The Complete Guide to Success at University, London: McGraw Hill Publishers, pp. 34-90. Carson, C. 2004, Growth and Development through group work, 3rd Edition, London: Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, pp. 12-78. Miller, C., Freeman, K. 2001, Interprofessional Practice in Health and Social Care: Challenging contexts, London: Hoffmann Publishers, pp. 23-89.

The History and Archaeology of Vindija Cave

The History and Archaeology of Vindija Cave Vindija Cave is a stratified paleontological and archaeological site in Croatia, which has several occupations associated with both Neanderthals and Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH). Vindija includes a total of 13 levels dated between 150,000 years ago and the present, spanning the upper part of the Lower Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic, and Upper Paleolithic periods. Although several of the levels are sterile of hominin remains or have been disturbed primarily cryoturbations ice wedging, there are some stratigraphically separated hominin levels at Vindija Cave associated with humans and Neanderthals. Although the earliest recognized hominid occupations date to ca. 45,000 bp, deposits at Vindija include strata that comprise a huge number of animal bones, including tens of thousands of specimens, 90% of which are cave bears, over a period of more than 150,000 years. This record of animals in the region has been used to establish data about the climate and habitat of northwest Croatia during that period. The site was first excavated in the first half of the 20th century, and more extensively excavated between 1974 and 1986 by Mirko Malez of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. In addition to archaeological and faunal remains, numerous archaeological and faunal remains, with over 100 hominin discoveries have been found at Vindija Cave. Specimens in Level G3 (38,000-45,000 years bp), the lowest hominin-bearing level, are Neanderthals and are associated with exclusively Mousterian artifacts.Specimens in Level G1 (32,000-34,000 years bp) represent the most recent Neanderthals at the site and are associated with both Mousterian and Upper Paleolithic stone tools.Hominins in Level F (31,000-28,000 years bp) are associated with Aurignacian and according to researchers look a little like both AMH and Neanderthal.Hominins in Level D (less than 18,500 years bp, the uppermost hominid-bearing strata in the cave, are associated with Gravettian culture artifacts  and represent only anatomically modern humans. Vindija Cave and mtDNA In 2008, researchers reported that a complete mtDNA sequence had been retrieved from a thigh bone of one of the Neanderthals recovered from Vindija Cave. The bone (called Vi-80) comes from level G3, and it was direct-dated to 38,310  ± 2130 RCYBP. Their research suggests that the two hominins who occupied Vindija Cave at different timesearly modern Homo sapiens and Neanderthalswere clearly separate species. Even more interestingly, Lalueza-Fox and colleagues have discovered similar DNA sequencesfragments of sequences, that isin Neanderthals from Feldhofer Cave (Germany) and El Sidron (northern Spain), suggesting a common demographic history among groups in eastern Europe and the Iberian peninsula. In 2010, the Neanderthal Genome Project announced that it had finished a complete DNA sequence of Neanderthal genes, and discovered that between 1 and 4 percent of the genes that modern humans carry around with them come from Neanderthals, directly contradicting their own conclusions just two years ago. Read more about the latest findings about Neanderthal and Human Interbreeding The Last Glacial Maximum and Vindija Cave A recent study reported in Quaternary International (Miracle et al. listed below) describes the climate data recovered from Vindija Cave, and Veternica, Velika pecina, two other caves in Croatia. Interestingly, the fauna indicate that during the period between 60,000 and 16,000 years ago, the region had a moderate, broadly temperate climate with a range of environments. In particular, there seems to have been no significant evidence for what was thought to be a shift to cooler conditions at the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum, about 27,000 years bp. Sources Each of the links below leads to a free abstract, but payment is needed for the full article unless otherwise noted. Ahern, James C. M., et al. 2004 New discoveries and interpretations of hominid fossils and artifacts from Vindija Cave, Croatia. Journal of Human Evolution 4627-4667. Burbano HA, et al. 2010. Targeted Investigation of the Neandertal Genome by Array-Based Sequence Capture. Science 238:723-725. Free download Green RE, et al. 2010. A Draft Sequence of the Neandertal Genome. Science 328:710-722. Free download Green, Richard E., et al. 2008 A Complete Neandertal Mitochondrial Genome Sequence Determined by High-Throughput Sequencing. Cell 134(3):416-426. Green, Richard E., et al. 2006 Analysis of one million base pairs Neanderthal DNA. Nature 444:330-336. Higham, Tom, et al. 2006 Revised direct radiocarbon dating of the Vindija G1 Upper Paleolithic Neandertals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10(1073):553-557. Lalueza-Fox, Carles, et al. 2006 Mitochondrial DNA of an Iberian Neandertal suggests a population affinity with other European Neandertals. Current Biology 16(16):R629-R630. Miracle, Preston T., Jadranka Mauch Lenardic, and Dejana Brajkovic. in press Last glacial climates, Refugia, and faunal change in Southeastern Europe: Mammalian assemblages from Veternica, Velika pecina, and Vindija caves (Croatia). Quaternary International in press Lambert, David M. and Craig D. Millar 2006 Ancient genomics is born. Nature 444:275-276. Noonan, James P., et al. 2006 Sequencing and Analysis of Neanderthal Genomic DNA. Science 314:1113-1118. Smith, Fred. 2004. Flesh and Bone: Analyses of Neandertal Fossils Reveal Diet was High in Meat Content Free press release, Northern Illinois University. Serre, David, et al. 2004 No Evidence of Neandertal mtDNA Contribution to Early Modern Humans. PLoS Biology  2(3):313-317.

LS week7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LS week7 - Essay Example This includes individuals who are directly or indirectly connected to the company. The company is also responsible to the planet that we are living in. This approach views the shareholders in the company as being part of the stakeholder. In this paper, triple bottom line is to look at its integration in management. Background Organisations that are involved in community support, and they affect the community surroundings beyond the organisation. By doing this, they reduce risk. Organisations that support the triple bottom line approach are regarded as safer investments. Hence, these organisations are able to procure funds; they also avoid legalities with the governments by fostering good publicity and avoid angering special interest groups. Strategies in adopting triple bottom line Adopting a TBL perspective will require focused commitment through a long-term strategic thinking, planning alignment, and implementation (Kaplan, 2004). Companies should adopt two strategies to incorporat e the triple bottom line principle to the organisation operations. The organisation should understand that sustainability requires innovation; the sustainability strategy should also be customised. Triple bottom line organisations take pain to do away with ecological footprint. This type of organisations strives for sustainability. They recognise the fact that paying more attention to the environment may be profitable. They argue that it is not all about the money. This can be seen as a sacrifice when these companies take pains to reduce their energy use, dispose toxics in safe ways and try to produce products that are safe for consumption. This approach, viewed by many people, can seem as a waste of time but in the real sense, it can prove worthwhile, to some extent. Many companies today, for example sports teams and media companies, hire people for their success. They motivate and retain good people in the company’s profiles. These people become the stars and are not the sh areholders in the company. Hence, such companies remain with no option but to focus more on their customers. In many parts of the world today, good people are in short supply; hence, companies need to look after their workers well. If the organisation will not be able to look after its workforce well, then they will not attract and retain the people they need to work in that particular organisation. Triple bottom line contributes to the hiring of top talent, retaining of top talent, increased employee productivity, less manufacturing expenses, increased revenues and market share and easier financing. Companies that follow the triple bottom line way of doing things have big considerations on how they impact the people that they get involved in. This can include the people who supply the raw materials to the company, and the company chief executive (Kaplan, 2004). The company makes sure that they consider everyone’s well-being. They may offer health care, provision of good work ing hours, education and job advancement. Analysis and Challenges of triple bottom line Triple bottom line comes with its challenges when applied to an organisation. Profits in this approach are just an aspect of their mission; the approach encourage that companies focus on how they impact their customers. The goal to generate a profit, despite other outcome, is tampered by the need for the company to consider the societal and the environmental consequences of actions it carries out. This

Case Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Management - Assignment Example However, people tried to kill my dream by discouraging me into joining the nursing school. For this reason, I diverted into legal studies, where I managed to get a degree in 1998. However, I now seek to pursue my dream and have decided to branch off into nursing. Through getting a place in the nursing school, I will be able to nurture my talent, hence contribute to a healthy society. I realize that people pass through different stages, both pleasurable and unpleasant. During these times, I enjoy being a source of encouragement to people. For instance, when an individual is on his/her deathbed, I sympathize with him/her by giving comfort, and other material needs. In moments of joy, for instance, birth, I rejoice with the new mother and seek to give any assistance that would contribute to their joy. Through this, I have learned to share intimate times with people, hence encouraging me to pursue a career in nursing. Joining the nursing school will allow me to become well equipped with the skills of nursing. In addition, I will apply the skills gained in a veteran hospital where I have worked for six years now. Through this work, I have gained experience of working with both sick and well veterans. However, I have realized that I need to learn a few more concepts and skills in order to give my services satisfactorily. Thus, the skills gained in the nursing school will make my skills better. Apart from working in the veteran hospital, I intend to visit marginal societies, where treatment is minimal and give assistance. For instance, I will contribute to the profession by visiting Africa, where I intend to use my skills to save the lives of many people. Some, for instance, are ignorant of healthy ways of living, thus experience high rates of mortality frequently. Therefore, apart from offering services, I intend to train other nurses, who will assist in saving lives. Moreover, I will teach people ways of taking care of other patients at home, eating

ADR Processes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ADR Processes - Essay Example rstly, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is said to be â€Å"the techniques or procedures for resolving disputes short of trial in the public† (Grossman, et al. 2009, p.1). There has been an growing interest in ADR mainly because it was said to be less costly, faster, less threatening, more receptive to the concerns of disputants, and â€Å"more responsive to the underlying problems† (Grenig & Davies, Alternative Dispute Resolution  § 1:1). Arbitration and mediation are just among the methods of alternative dispute resolution (Grossman, et al. 2009, p.1). However, there is still a need to evaluate if indeed resort to alternative dispute resolution methods is appropriate in a particular case. As commented by Gail M. Valentine-Rutledge, these methods are not always the cure for every dispute or case that is presented (Valentine-Rutledge, 57 Am. Jur. Trials 555 (Originally published in 1995). She adds that there are cases where litigation is better suited, which may either be due to â€Å"the facts of the case, the personality or desires of the client or the personality of opposing counsel† (57 Am. Jur. Trials 555 (Originally published in 1995). Thus, to ascertain as to whether mediation will be beneficial in a specific situation, would now depend upon the factors of each specific case (Valentine-Rutledge, 1995). Mediation or arbitration as a mode of resolving disputes, may not always be successful, hence, it is important to determine if those cases subject for mediation or arbitration have â€Å"the highest likelihood of fair and reasonable settlement† through such a process (Valentine-Rutledge, 1995). The decision on whether mediation should be chosen as a mode of dispute resolution, should be on a â€Å"case-by-case basis† bearing in mind all the important factors (Valentine-Rutledge, 1995).Thus, it is important to take into consideration â€Å"the nature of a particular case and the underlying dispute† to determine if such case is appropriate for mediation

What are the two principle demands for artefact in Italy between 1300 Essay

What are the two principle demands for artefact in Italy between 1300 and 1600 - Essay Example Between 1300-1600 years, Italy was influenced by economic and social changes which had a great impact on social values and traditions, tastes and preferences. The demand for art was caused by different factors including wealth accumulation and the role of religion in everyday life. The principle demands for artifacts in Italy were increasing role of religion and church in life of citizens and new consumption patterns caused by accumulation of wealth and financial prosperity.The demand for a religious art was caused by increasing role of church and religion in life of the state. The supreme task of church art was to serve the liturgy. Hence church art was determined by a particular purpose. The building and furnishing of the House of God were subordinate to that purpose. This subordination was the very reverse of a restriction or hampering of creative power. It was not so much a matter of subordination as of integration into the great reality of God's dealings with man. Images in chur ch were meant to be at the service of the preaching of the faith. This immensely high task required the artist to submit his creative action to the judgment of the word of God. His uncontrolled subjectivity and creative fantasy had to be disciplined by faith. Since he was being called to be a witness to the truth through his work, he did not regard it as a restriction of his freedom when the Church exercised her pastoral office and refused to have images inside the church which contradicted truths of faith. This ordinance was not concerned with aesthetic questions of style and form. In these, so long as no offense was offered to the dignity and holiness of the faith, the artist was free. The Church's preaching, whose task was to declare and explain it, had to conform to this same order. Hence it had to be the measure of the making of images. No indifference could attach to the question of what was displayed in a church, nor to that of where the emphasis was placed in the choice of t hemes (Nanert, 2006). In Italy, literary texts were essential for understanding the devotional trends, and the art of the era was likewise a rich source of information. This was particularly true of panel painting, in which the artist was free to incorporate a wide variety of primary and secondary motifs. The painting of the fifteenth century, for example, was well known for its elaborate symbolism: not only conventional details such as saints' attributes but also specific vestments worn by angels could hold symbolic value (Nanert, 2006). The painter of an annunciation scene, for example, could draw upon several kinds of symbolic and expressive vocabulary: nuances of emotion might be conveyed in the Virgin's facial expression and posture; the painter might suggest linkage between the Old and New Testaments by showing Mary with a Bible open to a prophetic text; an anachronistic portrait of Jesus might hang on the wall behind his mother-to-be; Trinitarian theology could be expressed by showing the Father ho vering above the scene, while the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove winged its way from the Father to the Virgin along a beam of celestial light; and the artist might use flowers, candles, and other objects for their established symbolic value. "Liturgical utensils, accessories, and furnishings constituted a distinct category of these goods that satisfied a steady demand generated by religious needs, and Italian products enjoyed great success in markets abroad" (Goldthwaite 1995,p. 9). Panel painting was increasingly used to represent narrative scenes as well as static portraits (or icons): scenes from the life of Christ, the legend of the Virgin, and legends of the saints were favorite narrative motifs. The accumulation of symbolic, iconic, and narrative elements reached its fullest development as individual

Descartes and the Existence of Evil Demon Essay

Descartes and the Existence of Evil Demon - Essay Example Central to his argument is the fact that his knowledge of God is anchored on a distinct idea on the existence of a supreme being (Marion, 2008). As such, there must be the existence of an idea first before a given claim of body of knowledge is verified. For Descartes, this distinct idea resided in his mind. It is this idea that gave him the essence of God as a supreme being. It is an idea that could not be verified through empirical methods. The existence of an Evil Demon, in line with the thinking of Descartes, can only obtain if it is backed by a distinct idea.   There must first exist the essence of the Evil Demon that is developed into Descartes mind in order for him to make a claim about the existence of such a being. One of the central arguments upheld by Descartes is that essence relates to existence. It would follow logically that the absence of essence effectively eliminates all possibilities of existence. Without the essence of the Evil Demon in distinct form it would be vacuous to assert any claim of such an existence. Therefore, this would mean that Descartes could claim the existence of God but not make any assertions on whether or not some Evil Demon actually exists (Marion, 2008). Proof of such existence could be derived from other serious arguments, or by employing some logical claims outside the boundaries established by Descartes methods.   Descartes knowledge of God was based on the theory of ideas which people can relate with. He believed that it is possible for things to exist without their very nature of existence being confirmed by any evidence. He did not consider it necessary to seek out for measure of quantifiable evidence that would offer evidence for the existence of God. According to him, the mind can generate knowledge of its own through the power of intuition. The practice of intuition basically demands changing the mind to the essence of ideas without establishing the evidence of experience or

What are the two principle demands for artefact in Italy between 1300 Essay

What are the two principle demands for artefact in Italy between 1300 and 1600 - Essay Example Between 1300-1600 years, Italy was influenced by economic and social changes which had a great impact on social values and traditions, tastes and preferences. The demand for art was caused by different factors including wealth accumulation and the role of religion in everyday life. The principle demands for artifacts in Italy were increasing role of religion and church in life of citizens and new consumption patterns caused by accumulation of wealth and financial prosperity.The demand for a religious art was caused by increasing role of church and religion in life of the state. The supreme task of church art was to serve the liturgy. Hence church art was determined by a particular purpose. The building and furnishing of the House of God were subordinate to that purpose. This subordination was the very reverse of a restriction or hampering of creative power. It was not so much a matter of subordination as of integration into the great reality of God's dealings with man. Images in chur ch were meant to be at the service of the preaching of the faith. This immensely high task required the artist to submit his creative action to the judgment of the word of God. His uncontrolled subjectivity and creative fantasy had to be disciplined by faith. Since he was being called to be a witness to the truth through his work, he did not regard it as a restriction of his freedom when the Church exercised her pastoral office and refused to have images inside the church which contradicted truths of faith. This ordinance was not concerned with aesthetic questions of style and form. In these, so long as no offense was offered to the dignity and holiness of the faith, the artist was free. The Church's preaching, whose task was to declare and explain it, had to conform to this same order. Hence it had to be the measure of the making of images. No indifference could attach to the question of what was displayed in a church, nor to that of where the emphasis was placed in the choice of t hemes (Nanert, 2006). In Italy, literary texts were essential for understanding the devotional trends, and the art of the era was likewise a rich source of information. This was particularly true of panel painting, in which the artist was free to incorporate a wide variety of primary and secondary motifs. The painting of the fifteenth century, for example, was well known for its elaborate symbolism: not only conventional details such as saints' attributes but also specific vestments worn by angels could hold symbolic value (Nanert, 2006). The painter of an annunciation scene, for example, could draw upon several kinds of symbolic and expressive vocabulary: nuances of emotion might be conveyed in the Virgin's facial expression and posture; the painter might suggest linkage between the Old and New Testaments by showing Mary with a Bible open to a prophetic text; an anachronistic portrait of Jesus might hang on the wall behind his mother-to-be; Trinitarian theology could be expressed by showing the Father ho vering above the scene, while the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove winged its way from the Father to the Virgin along a beam of celestial light; and the artist might use flowers, candles, and other objects for their established symbolic value. "Liturgical utensils, accessories, and furnishings constituted a distinct category of these goods that satisfied a steady demand generated by religious needs, and Italian products enjoyed great success in markets abroad" (Goldthwaite 1995,p. 9). Panel painting was increasingly used to represent narrative scenes as well as static portraits (or icons): scenes from the life of Christ, the legend of the Virgin, and legends of the saints were favorite narrative motifs. The accumulation of symbolic, iconic, and narrative elements reached its fullest development as individual