Thorn Queen Chapter Eight

Kiyo was gone the next morning, as I'd suspected he would be. We'd stumbled inside to my little-used bedroom once it started raining, and his side of the bed was cold, telling me he'd left some time ago. I sighed, trying not to let the knowledge of him being with Maiwenn get me down, and headed out to see what was going on in Queen Eugenie's domain. The first thing I picked up on was that everyone was really excited that it had rained. We'd returned to normal sunny conditions this morning, but last night's rain had brought the land to life. Cacti bloomed. The trees seemed stronger. And while there were no ostensible signs of excess water, I could sense it in the ground and even slightly in the air. Had having sex caused it? Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, I was pleased with my good deed. I made motions to leave, but Rurik stopped me. â€Å"Don't you want to question the prisoners?† I paused. What I wanted was to go home, shower, and change into clean clothes. â€Å"Can't you do that?† I asked. He frowned. â€Å"Well, certainly, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But it should be my job. That was the unspoken message. I suspected Aeson would have never done such a thing. He would have left it to thugs. I knew if I delegated it to Rurik, he'd do it without (much) complaint. There was something in his eyes, though, that told me he expected more of me than an ordinary monarch. I'd never expected to gain such regard from him-or to feel so uneasy about it. Rurik had pissed me off to no end in the past, but suddenly, I didn't want to disappoint him. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"Let's do it.† I'd interrogated plenty of monsters, gentry, and even humans in my day. But there was something weird about interrogating prisoners. It was strange enough to learn that I actually had a dungeon in the castle. There were even shackles on the wall, but thankfully, our two prisoners weren't bound. They were a man and a woman, both ragged and sullen. He looked my age; she looked older. I entered the bronze-barred cell, Rurik and another guard behind me. I crossed my arms over my chest and swallowed my misgivings. I was Eugenie Markham, badass shaman and slayer of Otherworldly miscreants. This was no different from any of my other jobs. â€Å"Okay,† I told the prisoners, my voice harsh. â€Å"We can make this easy or hard. Answer my questions, and it'll go a lot faster and smoother for all of us.† The woman glared at me. â€Å"We don't answer to you.† â€Å"That's the funny thing,† I said. â€Å"You do. You're in my land. You're under my rule, my jurisdiction.† She spat on the ground. â€Å"You're a usurper. You stole the land from Aeson.† Considering the way power was always shifting in the Otherworld, I found that statement ludicrous. â€Å"Everyone's a usurper here. And in case you haven't heard, I didn't steal the land from him so much as blow him up.† Her face remained hard, but I saw the slightest flicker of fear in the guy's face. I turned to him. â€Å"What about you? You going to be reasonable? Are you going to tell me where the girls you kidnapped are?† He nervously glanced at his companion. She gave him a hard look, its message easily interpretable: Don't talk. I sighed. I didn't want to resort to torture. All-powerful ruler or not, it was just an ugly thing I didn't want to dirty my hands with. I had a feeling my iron athame pointed at their throats would go a long way to get them to communicate. Instead, I opted for another solution. Producing my wand, I stepped away from the others and spoke the words to summon Volusian. The momentary cold descended upon us, and then the spirit stood before me. Rurik and the guard were growing accustomed to this, but the prisoners gasped. â€Å"Volusian,† I said. â€Å"Got a task for you.† â€Å"As my mistress commands.† I gestured to the prisoners. â€Å"I need you to put muscle on them. Get them to talk.† Volusian's red eyes widened slightly, the closest he ever came to looking happy. â€Å"But you can't kill them,† I added hastily. â€Å"Or hurt them-much.† The pseudo-happiness disappeared. â€Å"Start with the guy,† I said. Volusian sidled across the cell and was only reaching his hand out when the guy cracked. â€Å"Alright! Alright! I'll talk,† he cried. â€Å"Stop, Volusian.† The spirit stepped back, his glum expression growing. â€Å"I don't know anything about girls disappearing,† the man said. â€Å"We aren't taking them.† â€Å"You've been preying on people,† I pointed out. â€Å"And girls have been vanishing near your base of operation. Seems kind of suspicious.† He shook his head frantically, eyeing Volusian warily. â€Å"No, it's not us.† â€Å"Have you heard of them disappearing?† â€Å"Yes. But it's not us.† His words were adamant. â€Å"Yeah, well, I find it hard to believe they're all running off. If it's not you, then who is it?† â€Å"You're a fool,† the woman snapped. â€Å"What would we do with a group of girls?† â€Å"The same thing men usually use girls for,† I replied. â€Å"We can barely feed our own people! Why would we take on more mouths to feed?† That was kind of a good question. â€Å"Well, you still haven't really given me another explanation.† â€Å"We heard a monster's doing it,† the man blurted out. â€Å"A monster,† I repeated flatly. I looked over to Rurik who simply shrugged. I turned back to the prisoners. â€Å"Any details on this monster?† Neither responded. It was strange, particularly considering how some prejudiced part of me still regarded most gentry as dishonest, but I believed them about not taking the girls. I thought the monster explanation was bullshit, but they might honestly have believed it to be true. Volusian took a step forward without my command, and the guy hastily spoke. â€Å"The monster lives in our land. In the Ald-Thorn Land, that is.† â€Å"How do you know that?† I asked. â€Å"Because only girls from the Thorn Land have disappeared,† the woman said. â€Å"Westoria borders the Rowan Land, and two of their villages are very close. Skye and Ley. But they've had no one go missing.† â€Å"You guys seem to know a lot about this for allegedly not being involved.† â€Å"We don't need to be involved. We raid both sides of the border-word gets around.† She spoke of her raiding as a matter of pride, and I tried not to roll my eyes. â€Å"Okay. Let's put the girls on hold. Where did the fire demons come from?† No answer. I sighed again. â€Å"Volusian.† Volusian swiftly moved forward again and wrapped his hand around the guy's throat. Most spirits had little substance, but with his power, Volusian was as solid as any of us, his touch cold and deadly. The man screamed and crumpled to the ground. â€Å"Stop! Stop!† yelled the woman. â€Å"I'll tell you.† I halted Volusian and looked at her expectantly. The man remained on the floor, rubbing his throat and moaning. The skin on his neck bore bright red marks. The woman looked angrier than ever. â€Å"It's our leader who summons them. Cowan.† â€Å"You expect me to believe some vagrant has that kind of power?† I asked. â€Å"Why isn't he off working for a noble?† â€Å"He was a noble, one of Aeson's advisors. He preferred to live a rough life, rather than work for someone like you.† â€Å"Aeson did have a noble named Cowan,† Rurik said. â€Å"Her story isn't implausible.† I suddenly felt weary. None of these were the answers I wanted. No leads on the girls, and now I had a rogue noble who could summon demons. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"That's all I've got for now.† â€Å"What are you going to do with us?† the woman demanded. â€Å"Another excellent question,† I murmured. â€Å"Aeson would have killed them,† said Rurik. â€Å"And you know I'm not Aeson.† Would setting them free accomplish anything? Much of what they'd done had been from hunger and desperation, not that that justified robbing and potentially killing and kidnapping. If I freed them out of guilt, I doubted they'd learn their lessons and go on to become upright citizens. I certainly wasn't going to kill them, though. I didn't even want to hold them in this cell much longer. The guard who'd accompanied Rurik cleared his throat. â€Å"Your majesty, you could sentence them to a work detail.† â€Å"A work detail?† â€Å"There are others like them, other criminals, who serve a term doing labor as punishment for their deeds.† â€Å"Like digging your aque†¦whatever,† said Rurik. That didn't sound so bad. And hey, it might actually be useful. I gave the order and was assured the two prisoners would be transported to their work site. The whole thing felt a little strange. Here I was judge, jury, and-if I chose-executioner. No one argued with my decision. No one questioned the time I set-six months. Although, Rurik's arched eyebrow made me think he would have sentenced them to life. â€Å"Okay,† I said when we'd emerged out of the lower levels of the castle and I'd sent away Volusian. â€Å"Now I'm going home.† Shaya suddenly rounded the corner. â€Å"There you are,† she said anxiously. â€Å"I've been looking for you.† â€Å"I'm leaving.† Her face turned confused. â€Å"But Prince Leith is here to see you.† â€Å"Who†¦oh.† The image came back to me. The moderately cute guy from the party. The Rowan Queen's son, who hadn't been all that annoying. â€Å"Why is he here?† â€Å"After your last visit, I dispatched those with any affinity for metal out to search for copper. They found a lot of it-thought it's been difficult to extract-and I sent out word that we'd be in a position to set up trade for it soon. Leith is here to negotiate on behalf of his mother.† â€Å"Man,† I said. â€Å"You guys move fast.† Her looked turned wry. â€Å"Well, yes, but there's also the fact that you invited him to visit sometime. He's taking you up on the offer. In fact, I suspect seeing you is more important than the trade negotiations.† â€Å"Good thing. Because I'm not so good in the way of negotiations.† I never wore a watch and had left my cell phone back in Tucson. I had no idea what time it was, only that I was spending more and more time in the Otherworld. Seeing Leith was only going to delay me further. â€Å"I'll see him. But it's going to be fast.† Shaya looked relieved. I think she'd worried I would bolt, which was a very good fear to have. As we walked to the chamber Leith was waiting in, she gave me a curious look. â€Å"Perhaps you'd†¦like to change and clean up first?† I looked at my clothes. They were pretty badly wrinkled, and I didn't doubt that I had grass in my hair from last night. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"The less appealing he finds me, the better.† Unfortunately, that proved impossible. When we entered the room, Leith leapt up, face aglow with delight. â€Å"Your majesty! It's so wonderful to see you again.† He swept me a half-bow and kissed my hand. â€Å"You look amazing.† He was apparently into the grunge look. â€Å"I hope you don't mind me arriving like this. When my mother heard the news of your find, she wanted to make sure we could get in on it as soon as possible.† â€Å"Sure,† I said, taking my hand back. â€Å"No problem.† The room was a comfortable parlor that still bore the signs of Aeson's tastes in decorating. Tapestries, lots of velvet, and dark colors. Everyone waited for me to sit on one of the plush sofas and then followed suit. I made a point of kind of sprawling on mine. It wouldn't have been out of the range of gentry etiquette for Leith to come snuggle up beside me. As it was, he was still beaming at me and seemed a bit put out when Shaya jumped right in. â€Å"So, your highness. We'd like to discuss trading our copper for your wheat.† As they began to talk, I had a sudden flashback to that god-awful board game my mother used to make me play, Pit. I let my mind wander as the two of them hashed out the finer details of matters I didn't entirely understand. My thoughts drifted to some upcoming jobs I had, the mystery of the demons and the missing girls, and of course, Kiyo. Always Kiyo. Leith and Shaya wrapped up their negotiations fairly quickly. From the happy look on her face, I took it our team had come out ahead. With a polite bow in my direction, Shaya rose, holding some papers to her chest. â€Å"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to have these written up and formalized so that the prince can sign them before he leaves.† I took this as my cue to entertain him, but nothing readily came to mind. I couldn't really talk to him about reality TV or American politics. Finally, lamely, I said, â€Å"Thanks for your help. I mean, with the trade and everything.† He grinned. â€Å"We're getting as much out of it as you. Maybe more.† â€Å"Shaya didn't seem to think so,† I said, speaking without thinking. This made him laugh. â€Å"She's a good negotiator. You're lucky to have her.† He leaned forward. â€Å"Especially since I'm guessing this really isn't your†¦well, let's just say it's not one of your normal pastimes.† The frankness caught me by surprise. I'd expected him to remain starstruck and silly, like most of the guys around here who wanted to hit on me. Leith's current expression wasn't lecherous or adoring now, just knowing and sympathetic. â€Å"No, it's really not. This is a kind of a big life change.† â€Å"And yet, you knew you'd be taking this on when you defeated Aeson.† I hesitated. Both Shaya and Rurik had hinted to me on a number of occasions that I really shouldn't elaborate on the totally unexpected-and unwanted-nature of my queen-ship. Even if I hadn't fought Aeson with the specific intent of supplanting him, the point remained now that I was stuck with this. Coming across as weak and whiny to those outside my inner circle could create more problems. â€Å"Well, yeah,† I said brightly. â€Å"We just didn't anticipate this many problems when the land changed.† â€Å"But this is how your world is?† â€Å"The part I live in. But we've had a long time to get used to it and figure out ways to survive and get water in. I gave Shaya books on how to construct some of that stuff, so hopefully she'll find someone to do it.† His brow furrowed. â€Å"Is there any way I could take a look? I might able to help.† For a moment, I wondered if this was his new ploy to schmooze me-until I recalled what Shaya had said about him having a brilliant mind for technology, inasmuch as the gentry could. If he could parse diagrams and whatnot, it might be worth getting closer to him. â€Å"Sure,† I said. â€Å"We could certainly use it.† He smiled again, and as it lit up his face, even I could acknowledge he was pretty good-looking. Not like Kiyo, of course. Or even†¦well, like Dorian. But pretty cute. â€Å"I'll set to it as soon as I can. If there's anything else I can do to make this easier for you, I'll do it.† There was an enraptured look on his face. Yeah, he definitely had a crush, but he didn't irritate me in the way so many other more obnoxious suitors did. An odd thought occurred to me. â€Å"Leith†¦here's something you might be able to help with. Have you ever heard of girls disappearing from the Rowan Land? In the areas that border my land?† The look on his face showed that this was the last question he'd expected from me. â€Å"I†¦beg your pardon?† â€Å"Girls have been disappearing from my land, right near your borders.† What were those names? â€Å"Skye and Ley. But the people I talked to say nothing's happening to your girls. Do you know anything about this?† He shook his head, utterly confused. â€Å"No†¦I'm afraid I don't know very much about the lives of those people.† Leith's words weren't contemptuous by any means, but there was an implication that villagers and peasants just weren't people he associated with. It reminded me of Rurik's comments about how Aeson would have never troubled himself to investigate bandits or missing girls unless they directly affected him. Leith wasn't as much of an asshole as Aeson, but he and his mother were likely just as out of touch as any other noble. I think a fair amount of disappointment must have shown on my face because he suddenly grew eager to make me feel better. â€Å"But I swear, I'll look into this when I return. I'll ask Mother, and we'll send messengers out to report back. I'll find out everything I can for you.† I smiled at his enthusiasm. â€Å"Thanks, Leith. It's really great of you to help.† â€Å"Helping a pretty queen is no trouble at all. By the way, have you ever thought about getting a crown?† We talked a little longer, and I found he actually was a really nice guy, given to moments of humor and intelligence. It wasn't enough for me to jump into bed with him, but I appreciated finding someone else to connect with in the Otherworld. Shaya returned at last with the paperwork-hand-printed on scrolls, of course-and while Leith signed, we got a hold of the engineering books for him. His eyes widened with delight, and I swear, he probably could have sat down and started reading then and there on the floor. Instead, he took the hint that I had other things to do, and after many more compliments and hand kisses, he took his leave. â€Å"You've given him another open invitation,† Shaya pointed out. â€Å"Yeah, I know. But he's harmless. I like him.† â€Å"None of them are harmless, your majesty.† I couldn't entirely tell if she was joking or not. â€Å"Well, it'll be worth the hassle if he can solve our water problem and help with the girls.† â€Å"The girls?† I gave her a quick recap of my interrogation with the prisoners. Her face turned thoughtful as she processed my words. â€Å"Skye and Ley†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Do you know those towns?† She nodded. â€Å"They and Westoria are configured in a way that places them equidistant from a gateway. A crossroads.† â€Å"What, to my world?† She nodded again. â€Å"Huh. I wonder if that's a coincidence. I wonder†¦I wonder if it's possible that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  One of my crazier ideas came to me. â€Å"Do you think those girls could be leaving and going to my world?† â€Å"I don't know. Shining ones do often cross over. It's not unheard of.† â€Å"Yeah, I know. To cause trouble. Or to steal women.† I had to fight a scowl on that one. My own mother had been one such woman, abducted and forced to be my father's mistress. â€Å"You think these girls are going to go kidnap guys so they can have kids?† The easy ability to conceive was why so many humans got kidnapped. Usually, it was gentry men taking human women. Shaya's smile turned wry. â€Å"I somehow doubt it would come to that. Women have been known to cross over, spend time in your world, and return pregnant. They don't need to bring the men back.† Fair point. Well, this was certainly a weird development. I'd have to wait and see what Leith reported back, but I supposed if these girls weren't actually being abducted†¦well, there was little for me to do. Admittedly, I'd always fought adamantly against gentry sneaking to the human world, but I wasn't sure where the right and wrong of this situation lay. â€Å"I guess that'd be easier to deal with than a monster taking them. Still leaves that stupid demon problem.† I sighed. â€Å"Well, one issue at a time, I guess.† â€Å"Are you leaving now?† â€Å"Yes. Finally. Thanks for handling this today.† â€Å"Of course,† she said. She actually sounded like she meant it. Her pleased expression turned momentarily hesitant. â€Å"Although†¦there's something you should know. Someone else responded right away to the trade offer.† â€Å"That's good news.† â€Å"It's Dorian.† â€Å"Oh.† Of course Dorian would respond. How could he stay away from an opportunity to put me at his mercy? â€Å"You can deal with it, though, right?† â€Å"Well, that's just it. He's specifically requested that you talk to him. At his home.† â€Å"What?† I stared. â€Å"He†¦he can't do that.† That wry smile of hers returned. â€Å"He's a king. He can do anything he wishes.† â€Å"Yeah, but Leith came here! Dorian just wants me to go to him so that he can taunt me.† And no doubt flaunt Ysabel in front of me. â€Å"Leith's kingdom needs copper more than Dorian's. I suspect Dorian is doing this as a personal favor to you.† â€Å"That's not exactly how I'd put it.† She shook her head, the amusement now warring with exasperation. â€Å"I know there's tension between you, but I suspect if you could be nice to King Dorian, he might make us a very generous deal. One that could help us immensely.† A generous deal. The Oak Land was flourishing. I didn't doubt they had all sorts of food and other items we could use. I thought about those poor people in Westoria and even about my prisoners who'd spoken of having too many mouths to feed. I sighed. â€Å"Fine. I'll talk to him. And I'll even be nice.† I started to turn away, needing more than ever to get back to my own home. Then I glanced back behind me. â€Å"But Shaya? Just to be safe, you might want to keep looking for more trade partners.†

Effects of Enzyme

Effects of Temperature on Enzyme Biology Introduction In order to understand the activity of enzymes at different temperatures the ability of the enzyme to function can be measured. This is important in many applications such as Polymerase Chain Reaction for forensics as well as genetics research where manipulation of temperature-dependent enzymes allows for replication of DNA segments. Bennett states, â€Å"when the energy – measured as heat – increases in a chemical reaction the energy increases the reaction speed and reaction rate. (1969) This happens until a threshold though in many biological processes where positive energy input no longer increases reaction speed due to the inhibition of other factors – in this experiment that factor is the degradation or denaturing of the protein complex that is the enzyme working to catalyze the reaction. One would make the hypothesis that for any given enzyme there is a minimum reaction rate which increases with tempera ture then at a maximum point begins to be less and less efficient as the enzyme form no longer works to catalyze the reactions with its given substrates.Materials and Methods After obtaining five clean test tubes and labeling them in order one through five, each were marked at one centimeter and at four centimeters from the bottom with a permanent marker. Next, the potato juice/catalase extract is added to each tube to the one centimeter mark. The following portion of the experiment was in segments for each tube. Tube one was placed in an ice-bath by adding ice and water in a 250ml beaker. Tube two was placed in the tube rack on the lab bench in a room temperature environment.Tube three was placed in a water bath at 50 degrees celsius, and tube four was set in the 70 degree celsius water bath. Tube five was placed in a boiling water bath of a beaker on the hot plate while wearing goggles for protection. Each tube was then left in the conditional environment for ten minutes. The temp erature of the boiling water, room temperature, and ice bath were measured by thermometer. After the ten minutes I used the thermometer to measure the temperatures of the room, ice, and boiling water. Then, after adding water, waited 30 seconds until the foaming in the tube, stopped.The measured the amount of foam was recorded. Results After all the appropriate steps were taken, a table was created and I recorded each temperature that was in the tube and foam height as well. The temperate and the foam height were both recorded to see the resemblance and results concluding the temperature effect on enzymes. An example of my results are recreated as seen below (numbers and titles are accurate and the same as lab test) As shown in the table A, temperature and foam height is represented by different color lines on the graph. The purple line, represents temperature. The blue line represents foam height (mm).As the temperature rose, the heigh of the foam decreased. This did not support my hypothesis. My hypothesis clearly stated,† If the temperature is really high, then the foam will rise highly. 50 degrees will be have the most amount of foam. † This hypothesis was not supported because the highest amount of foam was found at 0 degrees. The enzymes reached optimum temperature, and then denaturing took place. In comparison to another lab, the same results occurred. Campbell Neil from students. cis stated, â€Å"The higher the concentration of substrate, the faster the reaction rate. † This made my hypothesis invalid. DiscussionAlthough my hypothesis was not correct, the lab results agree with previous literature on the effects of temperature on enzyme activity. According to Susan Gilbert, â€Å"Enzymes are sensitive to their environmental conditions. Up to a point, the rate of the reaction will increase as a function of temperature because the substrates will collide more frequently with the enzyme active site. At extremes of pH or temperature, e ither high or low, the native structure of the enzyme will be compromised, and the molecule will become inactive†(2009). Enzymes are very sensitive and do the opposite of what most chemical reactions in this case.According to the Worthington Biochemical Corporation, â€Å"A ten degree Centigrade rise in temperature will increase the activity of most enzymes by 50 to 100%† (2012). This furthers the conclusion that when the temperature rose the foam height decreased and the reaction was less intense. Table A. Bibliography Bennett. 1969. Modern Topic in Biochemistry 43-45 Campbell, N. 2002. Biology, 6th ed. : Enzymes 300-340 Cummings. 1998. Biology in the Laboratory: Temperature and enzymes. 1-9, 10-20 Gilbert, S. 2002. â€Å"Enzymes. † Biology Vol. 2. 3-9 ———————– [pic]

Analyzing the Narrative Essay Example for Free

Analyzing the Narrative Essay It was the winter of 2006, in the month of January, and my junior year of high school. By this time in high school I’d had some quirky teachers and to be honest Mr. DeBruyn didn’t seem so uniquely special but apparently he had his moments. English class began on a day when it seemed like school should have been cancelled due to the blizzardous weather earlier that morning. Mr. DeBruyn had an auspicious look on his face then says, â€Å"We’re doing an in class writing assignment today but it’s not going to be in class†. The whole class paused and waited for his next sentence. He told everyone to go to our lockers and get prepared to go outside. Everyone protested and all he could say is â€Å"you have three minutes, dress warm†, as if we wouldn’t! Back in the classroom we grabbed our notebooks as best we could with our gloves, scarves, hats, and puffy winter coats to hold us back. The assignment was to write about nature, as usual, but this time from a first hand experience. We were to pick a certain aspect of what we say outside and discuss how the snow and winter weather affected it, whether it be a plant, bush, tree, or whatever. Once outside everyone was shivering and freezing trying to slap down notes as fast as possible. Mr. DeBruyn then pulled out a digital camera and took a picture of the spot each student examined. Back inside everyone rushed to finish an essay of their choppy notes. I’d hoped it wasn’t worth much of our grade. A few months went by and he hadn’t mentioned anything about the assignment, nor gave it back to us. It was April now. He returned the assignment and no one scored higher than a ‘B’, which was expected. He then gave us each a copy of the area we studied, from the pictures he had taken, and sent us back outside to re-examine the same spot. We were told to re-write the assignment and now descriptively compare the two images and had the weather conditions made the images vary. Mr. DeBruyn turned out not to be so bad, in fact he was kind of cool. I liked that he had challenged us in unique ways, and apparently so did everyone else. Turns out, his creative teaching style touched the hearts of a lot of students, not just me. As proof, he was voted as the teacher to speak at our graduation. And that is no small honor. The privilege of addressing the graduating class at their commencement exercises is a direct testament to to how much the teachers is loved and appreciated by the class. The teacher chosen, therefore, is the one who has the most positive impact on the entire class. And I most certainly agree that Mr. DeBruyn has been an inspiration, and I will never look at winter the same way again. The story of Mr. DeBruyn is a compelling piece of narrative, very simple in its use of words, but highly poignant and raw with emotions. The use of simple words and straightforward imagery makes the material accessible to everyone. However, while simple and highly accessible, the piece is equally provocative, engaging the reader in philosophical musings, while reading the piece and afterwards. Teachers and students alike will find lessons in the simple story of Mr. DeBruyn and the lessons about life that he imparts to his students. The most striking theme in the essay is the concept of education being practice by the teacher, Mr. DeBruyn. John Dewey, the great educational philosopher, once said that there is no better context for learning than the context of real life. Sadly, most classes offer pure theories without any exposure on how such theories find practical form in the real life. In particular, Dewey’s ideas on using real-life tasks and challenges find great significance in my class with Mr. DeBruyn.   The opportunities he provided the class to experience real life is truly one lesson that everyone in that class will never forget. Teaching is perhaps one of the most meaningful of all professions because every day you are given the chance to make meaningful and lasting contribution to an individual’s life. In fact the No Child Left Behind Act recognizes the singular power of teachers in the learning process; so much so that the bar has been raised for teachers in the hopes of improving the educational system. I believe that a big part of the decline in education is that most teachers have lost pride in their vocation. Teachers must have a sense of dignity of work. Unfortunately, when the work is hard and the money is tight, that is easily forgotten. As such, there is an urgent need for reforms, and the community should take an active role in making teachers feel more valued through active support and acknowledgement. By the single act of capturing winter and seeing the image compared with another season, the class became more aware of their surroundings and became more appreciative of the world around them. In one singular stroke of genius, Mr. DeBruyn was able to rekindle our sense of wonder and discovery, things which are at the very heart of learning, and is essential for every student and teacher to have, regardless of whatever subject is being taught or learned. Of course, of utmost importance is what I have learned from this class. If there is one thing that I will carry from my experience with Mr. DeBruyn, it is that you have to let your students take the lead. As a teacher you have to be very sensitive to the signals that your students are sending you individually and collectively as a class. Learners will always give you signs whether you are doing the right thing or not. You have to be ready for contingencies and be prepared to make on the spot adjustments. Let them tell you how they want to learn, because they know what they need from their teacher. I have learned to look at things from all possible levels and adopt my thinking from those perspectives. If I become a teacher, I should never impose myself on them; instead let them teach me how they want to be taught. This is an important realization that I will always keep in mind should I decide to enter the teaching vocation. Indeed while it is true that students need to feel that someone is in control and responsible for their environment and sets classroom limits but maintains them (Wong, 2001), it is more important for teachers to let the minds of the students soar in wonder and discovery. Of course it deserves to be mentioned that the things I have learned from Mr. DeBruyn goes beyond the classroom; more than teaching a lesson, Mr. DeBruyn taught us about life. Much has been said about the nobility of the teaching profession, and indeed, the high sense of duty and the self-sacrifices required from a teacher on a daily basis is nothing less than heroic. I see this first hand in the story of DeBruyn’s class. From this very simple essay I have realized that educational reforms do not necessarily need to cost anything. Indeed, Mr. DeBruyn has shown that it does not take too much time or money to effect a change inside the classroom. As what Mr. DeBruyn has shown, all that is needed is the passion for teaching and genuine desire to share in the learning experience. It is not difficult, and all that is needed to go back to the basics. In the educational process, all teachers must be reminded that the learning process starts with what the child knows. Prior learning is the framework where new concepts are built upon. As such, every teacher should begin with the previous lesson and connect it to the new material. Let the child see the relationship and build their own concepts. This way the child earns ownership of what he has learned because it was a result of what he already knows. These are the things I have been able to reflect upon, and it has had a profound effect in me as an individual looking her place in the sun. From firsthand experience, I have witnessed the power of the teacher to make meaningful and lasting contribution to the lives of students. Indeed the teacher is the single biggest factor that determines the success or failure of the students to learn what they should. I have realized that it is the teacher who creates the atmosphere that focuses the class on their tasks and keeps them engaged in the lessons. Indeed, every moment is an opportunity to learn, and the teacher must create that opportunity for the students. (Mujis, 2005, 75) Reading Mr. DeBruyn I have realized that Mr. Paul Trout of The Chronicle Review would be very pleased by his story. Mr. Trout, in her article entitled Shame on You, takes a critical look at education and forwards the idea that the more the classrooms are threats to the students morale and well-being. While Mr. Trout’s arguments may be valid, Mr. DeBruyn flies in the face of Mr. Trout’s thesis. There can be redemption and life-changing inspiration within the four halls of the classroom. The negative view of the teachers and the school, while not unfounded, is not always true. Across the country, teachers are making a difference in the lives of students, one kind word and encouragement at a time. According to Paul Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1993),   Ã¢â‚¬Å"A careful analysis of the teacher-student relationship at any level, inside or outside the school, reveals its fundamentally narrative character. This relationship involves a narrating Subject (the teacher) and patient listening objects (the students).† This description of Friere depicts a one-way relationship between students and teachers, and as such, the transfer of knowledge occurs when the teacher narrates or uses words to teach. But words, while extremely powerful and effective at initiating change is not the only tool at a teacher’s disposal. Actual experiences go beyond any words to properly describe. Mr. DeBruyn proved this by immersing his class in authentic experiences, which did not need much explaining. It was an exchange of knowledge that took place in the heart. I think that the philosophy that comes closest to Mr. DeBruyn’s teaching style is the one espoused by Ms. Rachel Toor. In her article, It’s Mr. Orwell to You, she promoted a teacher-student relationship that was informal. Not informal in the sense that the students treat teachers without any respect. Rather, students approach the learning system with intimacy. They view a piece of literature as someone written by a real person, and as such, is someone they can very well relate to. By â€Å"humanizing† lessons, the students become less intimidated, are able to relax their mind and be open to more learning. Indeed, education is a complex issue that is fraught with difficulties. But no other profession is more fulfilling. To the individual who has the calling to teach. Pursue it with a heart open to all kinds of possibilities. It will not be easy, not by a long shot. But remember that a meaningful life is always fraught with sacrifices. But at the end of the day, the fulfillment is something that you cannot get anywhere else. And that alone is the reason that keeps true teachers inside the classroom each and every day. Analyzing the Narrative. (2017, Jan 30).

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS - Essay Example He communicates so that he gathers information and communicates analysis findings. The analyst should stick to a professional code of ethics (Shelly and Harry 2012). In addition, he must be self-disciplined as well as self-motivated. The analyst can use the approaches to systems analysis and design (SDLC, CASE, and OOM); waterfall, agile methodologies. Another approach is the open source software, CASE tools (Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools offer automation of a variety of systems analysis processes.) In an organization, systems are interrelated (have a common relationship) and interconnected (have an association or conjugation). There are different system types, and they apply at diverse Management levels: They can be grouped a systems pyramid. Some of them are: Transaction Processing Systems (TPS), Knowledge Work Systems (KWS), Office Automation Systems (OAS), Management Information Systems (MIS), Expert Systems (ES), Decision Support Systems (DSS) and Executive Support Systems (ESS) (Shelly and Harry 2012). ERP Systems helps the flow of information among the functional areas of the organization. Depicting systems graphically/diagrammatically can be done by use of; Context Level Data Flow Diagrams (CL DFD), Entity Relationship Diagram (E-R) and Use Case Diagrams/Use Case Scenarios. Special tools along with techniques assist the analyst make requirement determinations. Tools like data flow diagrams (DFDs) that chart the input, processes, output of the functions of the business, or sequence diagrams to illustrate the sequence of events, demonstrate systems in a structured and graphical form (Shelly and Harry 2012). A project is a short-term endeavor done to create an exclusive product, service, or outcome. Their nature indicates that a project has a specific start and conclusion. Project management applies knowledge, tools, skills and techniques to project practices to meet the project requirements.

MGT Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MGT - Coursework Example The character David Bunzik does not perfectly fit in this type of personality. But he exhibits some traits of this personality during the argument on the plane which gets him sent to rehab. He however has a boss who exhibits all the traits of an abrasive personality. In the movie has several conflict handling styles are employed especially between David Bunzik and Doctor Buddy. The job responsibilities are clarified so as to reduce the conflicts. The two parties also find ways of coming together in order to foster an understanding amongst them. The two characters result in changing their focus to much larger goals so as to minimize the level of conflict between them. These methods do work since they are able to get through with the therapy and achieve the desired results. I have learnt that there is need to understand the different characters that exist in the work place. Another lesson from the movie is that conflicts which are a part of human interaction can be resolved to enhance coexistence. Managing Teams The team in the movie â€Å"Remember the Titans† went through all the stages of group development. First the team underwent formation, a period during which Washington was hired to take over as the coach of the T.C. Williams High School. During this period Washington decides to honor his predecessor (Yoast) with an assistant coordinators position. Patton declines this position at first. During the storming stage, the white players of the team pledge to boycott their team if Yoast does not accept the offer. The athletes are also involved in racial-related conflicts in their camp. After seeing how bad the situation had gotten Yoast decides to accept the offer and at this point the team enters the norming stage. The conflicts are resolved following the rigorous coaching by William. The team enters the performing stage as demonstrated in the scene where even after the loss of their star player, they still go ahead and win the championship. One of the s trategies that were employed by the two coaches was that of helping the members of the team to stay together and to view matters as a team. The two coaches were instrumental in creating the rules for the team in order to establish team spirit. The issues that plagued individual members did not escape the two coaches who ensured that they dealt with them firmly. The coaches also celebrated the team’s success. All these actions help in ensuring that a team mentality is developed among the different members of the team. I believe the two coaches handled their team in a very professional manner. If I had been managing the team, I would have sort to grant the team members more autonomy much earlier so as to facilitate the members to develop a sense of responsibility towards the team. The lesson here is that teams are usually built through the tactful use of skill. For the team to achieve its goals, all the members need to play their part. Organizational Culture The organization cu lture in Enron Corporation that is the subject of the movie is very wanting. The values held by the organization do not uphold upright integrity. This is evident since the management team diverts the corporation’s money to offshore accounts. The lack of integrity is also evident as the executives end up with criminal cases. The executives are also involv

Business Support System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Support System - Research Paper Example Marketers are able to communicate to their target market by use of appropriate, interesting and real ways that customers are elated about and also that entertain them thus persuading them to respond to the offer in the market. This way, promotional programs that are more appealing can be devised that ultimately elicit encouraging returns. This is the reason why marketers would go for augmented reality as it suits and allows smarter interaction with the immediate environment. Augmented reality has come in handy in real estate since by use of technology someone can locate a house for sale by the use of a phone. This is very practical and saves a lot of time since there is no need of searching for that information manually. Augmented reality has even some more applications in the real world. For example technology can be embraced to derive a way through which a customer can be permitted to visualize the contents of a product without having to actually open it. This will therefore motiva te customers who in turn will be tempted to try the product leading to possible impulse buying. Engineers can utilize augmented reality to have a taste of their products operation even before the actual launch something that will give room for more improvement on the product before the buyers use it. Case Study Two The general trend in the market seemed to nose dive leading to uncertainty in almost all other sectors the economy. The prevailing market conditions in 2010 triggered the downward trend of activities in the investment arena (Alison, 2008). The aspect of the debt that European held also had an immense influence on the way investors made their ultimate decision regarding their patterns of investing. The confidence of investors was also ruined by the fact that no one had the surety that Greece could be in a position to settle its debts something that everyone was looking up to. All these uncertainties led to the stagnation of the economy thus leading to the collapse of figur es of many industries that are the economic engines of the country. These events are the precedents of the flash crash that took place shortly after. The benefits of electronic trading are explicit in the market even today. These have far reaching advantages compared to brokers who are basically human. In the electronic trading for example, trading activities are done with accurate speed hence reliability and effectiveness is guaranteed. Moreover, brokers and other concerned agents tend to charge exorbitant fees to deliver on some activities something that may cripple the entire process. Therefore the electronic trading system comes in handy due to its reduced costs involved that help increase on the returns. The other hand efficiency is guaranteed by this system since buyers and sellers can be satisfactorily matched. There are some factors related to the electronic trading programs that contributed to the crash. This is a very unfortunate occurrence since a lot of utility was expec ted to be derived from these systems. There was a total imbalance and distortion of prices as their execution would be done with no regard to any price or time thus as selling continued prices dropped sharply. The effect of this is that what is there on offer to the market has to be sold aggressively to counteract bad prices that could bring huge losses. All these complicated processes frighten

Different sectors and their current performance Essay

Different sectors and their current performance - Essay Example United Kingdom’s construction sector is important for the country’s economy and has a number of services,products and technologies. These differ in economic value realized from them relative to their varied outputs regarding skilled and unskilled labor, knowledge, raw materials, intangible investment and raw materials. It must also be noted that the construction industry in the UK has been growing in terms of maintaining, designing and developing, operating and repairing of buildings (CIB, 2010). These and more are captured in this paper which looks into five key sectors in the UK construction industry. Private house builders Private house builders in the United Kingdom normally raise money to put up buildings and projects. They are then paid by their clients or the government upon completion of the projects but with interest (CLG, 2010). The payment is distributed evenly over a given contracted period of time when the building process runs. Their roles comprise buildin g of houses, large buildings, estates as well as developing structured facilities for example manufacturing buildings. They are mostly associated with cheap labor which they employ in the building process while at the end of the day they reap huge sums of money in return which guarantee them huge profits. Some of the activities which are presently being worked on by private house builders include putting up of a 75-storey Hertsmene House on the Canary Wharf and building up of residential houses in new towns (CIMR, 2003). This housing project is set to take three years and its benefits are projected to boost the country’s economy. This will be in terms of investment prospects which have since been defined and planned for the building once it is complete. Social house builders UK has in the recent past had an increased rate in worker housing needs hence calling for new developments to build houses for workers (BIS, 2012). Social house builders are concerned with such building d evelopments in which they are charged with the task of building worker houses. This considers costs for constructing the houses which are usually a target of low cost ownership of homes for workers. There are quite a number of social house builders whereby some work as single entities while others work in partnerships. This has also led to emergence of associations for housing projects and at least 5000 new homes are said to be in the process of being constructed at the moment (Leftly, 2010). These are projected to take approximately a year and are set to benefit the worker community especially in relieving them from the strain of house seeking at convenient places. Social house builders understand the specific needs and requirements which are associated with affordable housing constructions. This is mainly with regards to housing designs and building approaches employed in building the houses. Social house builders are always focused on benchmarking their present position while als o look into ways of improving their building performances (UKCES, 2012). They are also keen to offer affordable housing and help in addressing particular needs of people relative to culture, security, language as well as accessibility to services. Private commercial builders Output of commercial building process in the UK has off late been noted to account for 18 per cent of all the work associated with construction industry (UKCES, 2012). Private commercial builders has however, been on the rise in the country with most of them targeting construction in various areas. They have been into construction of residential buildings whereby new building projects, renovation works, home improvements and extension projects have been part of their dealings. They have also been into commercial construction projects both in the public sector and private sector. Their main concentration has been construction of both commercial and residential build