Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Life Of LOUIS PASTEUR Essays - Food Preservation, Food Science

The Life Of LOUIS PASTEUR Essays - Food Preservation, Food Science The Life of LOUIS PASTEUR Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822, in D?le, a small town in France. He grew in a humble family and his father was a tanner. He graduated in 1840 from the College of Arts at Besancon and entered the prestigious Ecole Namale Supervieure, Paris, to work for his doctorate degree. He chose for his studies the then obscure science of crystallography, which was to have a great influence on his career. Pasteur entered the scientific world as a professor of physics at the Lycee of Tournon and started his research on the optical properties of crystals of tartaric acid salts. He found the two forms of this acid which could rotate the plane of polarization of light, one to the right and the other to the left. This was his first important discovery in crystallography, the phenomenon of optical isomers. Paradoxically it incited him to abandon the field. But it won the acclaim of the French Academy and Britain's Royal Society. Thus Pasteur became famous at the age of 26. Pasteur soon began researching the complexities of bacteriology. The prevalent theory of life at the time was spontaneous generation which states that certain forms of life such as flies, worms, and mice can develop from non-living matter such as mud and decaying fish. Pasteur disproved this theory with a simple experiment. He showed that microorganisms would grow in sterilized broth only if the broth was first exposed to air containing spores, or reproductive cells. His findings led to the development of the cell theory of the origin of living matter which states that all life originates from preexisting living material. In 1849, Pasteur became professor of chemistry at the University of Strasbourg, where he began studying fermentation, a type of chemical breakdown of substances by microbes. He served the rest of his career as Dean of Sciences at the University of Lille. Soon after his arrival at Lille, Pasteur was asked to solve the problems of the local industries, vinegar and silk manufacture. A producer of vinegar from beet juice wanted to know why the product was sometimes spoilt. On examining the juice microscopically, Pasteur observed that the contaminant, amyl alcohol, was optically active. This gave clear evidence that it was produced by a living organism. Pasteur then proposed a biological interpretation of the process of fermentation. He demonstrated that when no contamination by living contagion took place, the process of fermentation or putrefaction did not take place. Thus the celebrated techniques of Pasteurization, came into being, it could not only preserve wine and milk but drastically cut inflation in the surgeon's operating table. Today pasteurization follows closely the early techniques of Louis Pasteur. In the case of milk pasteurization, the milk is heated to 161?F for 15 seconds followed by a rapid cooling to 50?F or lower. This process removes any unwanted bacteria, but also kills any beneficial bac! teria and reduces some of the nutritive property of milk. The Franco-Prussian War opened an avenue to press his microbial theory of infection, he got the grudging agreement of the military medical corps to sterilize instruments and steam bandages. As a result, thousands of lives were saved. In 1873, Pasteur was elected to the French Academy of Medicine, a spectacular achievement for a person without a medical degree. Pasteur was now ready to move from the simpler forms of life in the microbial world to the diseases of the higher animals. The opportunity came through a devastating outbreak of anthrax, a killer plague of sheep in 1876. Pasteur tried to produce pure cultures, his objective was to fight the disease and not just to describe it. Pasteur had accidentally forgotten in a corner of the laboratory a culture of fowl cholera and noticed that it had lost some of its virulence. Then he vaccinated some chicken which resisted the disease. The same technique, after improvement, was applied against bacillus anthracis: sheep inoculated with the vaccine survived and the non-vaccinated ones died. A scourge that had crippling economic effects was brought under control. Simultaneously, the principle of immunization or the protection of the body through vaccines was discovered. In 1865, the silk industry of France faced an economic ruin by an epidemic among silkworms.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Censorship and Banned Books in Schools

Censorship and Banned Books in Schools While reading Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in school, teachers often spend full class periods discussing a very important issue: Mark Twains use of the n word throughout the book. Its important to not only explain that the book must be looked at through the context of the time period but also what Twain was trying to do with his story. He was trying to reveal the plight of the slave and he was doing so with the vernacular of the time. Students may make wisecracks, but its important to address their humor with information. Students need to understand the words meaning and Twains reasons for using it. These conversations are difficult to have because they are controversial and many people are very uncomfortable with the n word- for good reason. Due to its origins in slavery and racism, it is often the topic of disgruntled phone calls from parents. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the 4th most banned book  in schools according to Banned in the U.S.A. by Herbert N. Foerstal. In 1998 three new attacks arose to challenge its inclusion in education. Reasons for Banned Books Is censorship in schools good? Is it necessary to ban books? Each person answers these questions differently. This is the core of the problem for educators. Books can be found offensive for many reasons. Here are just some reasons taken from Rethinking Schools Online: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Reason: Rape scene, anti-white.Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Reason: Profanity.Go Ask Alice by Anonymous. Reason: Drug use, sexual situations, profanity.A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck. Reason: Depiction of pigs mating and being slaughtered. More recent books that were challenged according to the American Library Association include the Twilight saga due to its religious viewpoint and violence and The Hunger Games because it was unsuited to the age group, sexually explicit and too violent. Many ways exist to ban books. Our county has a group which reads the questionable book and determines whether its educational value exceeds the weight of the objections against it. However, schools can ban books without this lengthy procedure. They just choose not to order the books in the first place. This is the situation in Hillsborough County, Florida. As reported in the St. Petersburg Times, one elementary school will not stock two of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling because of the witchcraft themes. As the Principal explained it, the school knew they would get complaints about the books so they did not buy them. Many people, including the American Library Association, has spoken out against this. There is an article by Judy Blume on the website for the National Coalition Against Censorship to be very interesting. Its title: Is Harry Potter Evil? The question that faces us in the future is when do we stop? Do we remove mythology and Arthurian legends because of its references to magic? Do we strip the shelves of medieval literature because it presupposes the existence of saints? Do we remove Macbeth because of the murders and witches? Most would say there is a point where we must stop. But who gets to pick the point? Proactive Measures an Educator Can Take Education is not something to be feared. There are enough hurdles in teaching with which we must deal. So how can we stop the above situation from occurring in our classrooms? Here are just a few suggestions: Choose the books you use wisely. Make sure that they fit nicely into your curriculum. You should have evidence which you can present that the books you are using are necessary for the student.If you are using a book that you know has caused concerns in the past, try to come up with alternative novels that students can read.Make yourself available to answer questions about the books you have chosen. In the very beginning of the school year, introduce yourself to parents at  an open house  and tell them to call you if they have any concerns. If a parent calls you there will probably be less of a problem then if they call administration.Discuss the controversial issues in the book with the students. Explain to them the reasons those parts were necessary for the authors work.Have an outside speaker come to class to discuss concerns. For example, if you are reading  Huckleberry Finn, get a Civil Rights Activist to give a presentation to students about racism. Final Word Ray Bradbury  describes a situation in the  coda to  Fahrenheit 451. It is about a future where all books are burned because the people have decided that knowledge brings pain. It is far better to be ignorant than knowledgeable. Bradburys coda discusses the censorship that hes faced. He had a play that he sent to a university to be produced. They sent it back because it had no women in it. This is the height of irony. Nothing was said about the content of the play or the fact that there was a reason it featured only men. They did not want to offend a certain group at the school: women. Is there is  a place for censorship  and banning of books? Its hard to say that children should read certain books in certain grades, but education is not to be feared.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Team work development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Team work development - Essay Example Teamwork building and development training take a series of the learning and training approaches. Burn notes the first learning approach as the cognitive approach whereby a person uses his or her personal instinct to learn the good morals and behaviors in a manner which is in line with the success of the group. The reinforcement approach is applied at the mature stage as the group develops into a more focus driven and task oriented team. Considering that most task performance related groups are made up of adult persons, the management and leadership in such teams should realize the need to incorporate adult ideas and views in the development process, what Brooks refers to as andragogy (Brooks, 2005). Hanwit views teamwork building and training process in a series of four stages stipulated below: Forming (awareness) stage This stage as Lewis argues is very crucial in the life cycle of any group and that any group. The forming process is the initial stage and involves the identificatio n of one's self within the group and the ability to work with the team members. At this stage, the group members show less regard in their work and to each other as long as they keep their courses clear (Lewis et al, 2008). The forming stage as the name suggests is the stage at which the group is being formed and is compared to a toddler who is learning how to walk. Lippincott notes that at this stage, feelings, weaknesses and mistakes done by beach member is covered up by him or herself or by the close friends within the group, in addition he adds that there is a lack of shared understanding of what needs to be done (Lippincott, 1994). This usually happens as the group members... This stage as Lewis argues is very crucial in the life cycle of any group and that any group. The forming process is the initial stage and involves the identification of one's self within the group and the ability to work with the team members. At this stage, the group members show less regard for their work and to each other as long as they keep their courses clear (Lewis et al, 2008). The forming stage as the name suggests is the stage at which the group is being formed and is compared to a toddler who is learning how to walk. Lippincott notes that at this stage, feelings, weaknesses and mistakes are done by each member is covered up by him or herself or by the close friends within the group, in addition, he adds that there is a lack of shared understanding of what needs to be done (Lippincott, 1994). This usually happens as the group members get acquainted with each other and the various members get to identify the abilities, talents and skills possessed by each member of the grou p. Any group which passes this is then able to move on to the next stage.This is the most unstable stage in the entire process of teamwork development. At this stage, the personal identification is revealed as people get to know each. The weaknesses and strengths of each individual are exposed as the group members interact and discover each others potentials and weaknesses. As opposed to the forming stage, at the storming stage, these character traits are not hidden anymore and clearly expose themselves.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Operating Systems and Networking Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Operating Systems and Networking - Coursework Example This led to an unprecedented increase in student population from 900 to 1,500, in 2 years. Clearly, the student population and the number of staff members had outgrown the physical infrastructure at the college. In this regard, the college management, in 2004, decided to open a constituent college or campus in East London, to cater for the gradually increasing student and staff population. With the aim of meeting diverse labour requirements of the society, the college introduced, yet again, two more course, Finance studies and Computer Engineering. As a result, the student population increased to about 2,000, as did the staff members. This led to the opening of a third campus in 2008 in North London. Additionally, the college launched Distance and Open Learning program that targeted students both within and outside London. This move led to an increase in student population from 2,000 to 3,000. The London College of Law and IT, as at today, has three constituent colleges or campuses w ithin the greater, including, the School of Law, School of IT and the School of Finance and Accountancy. In addition, the college also has 10 open-learning study centres outside London and has more than 3, 000 students in total and more than 100 staff members (both part-time and fulltime academic staff). All the three campuses are independent in terms of administration and have staff offices, student lecture halls, student’s halls of residence, computer laboratory, and a library. Each of the 10 study centres have an administrative office, a library that doubles up as a computer laboratory, three study/reading rooms-1 for law student, 1 for IT students, and 1 for Finance and Accounting students-which also doubles up as examination centres. In all the three campuses and the 10-study centre, there several designated Wi-Fi hotspots that serve students with laptops and tablets. London College of Law and IT faces stiff competition from various colleges in London that offer Law, IT, financial studies, or both. Notable competition includes the Imperial College London, King’s College London, London College of Law, University College of London, and London College of Legal Studies, among others. b. Requirement Analysis: Computer networks link a collection of computers, hardware and software through specialized software, cabling systems and other devices, thus enabling their users to work together by sharing files and other resources, for example, printers and scanners (N. Olifer & V. Olifer, 2006). Today, computer networks are very important; they shape the way we live, study, work or play. They enable us to communicate, interact, learn, and collaborate in ways that we could not do before. For higher institutions of learning such as universities and colleges, digital communication with voice, video and data is critical to achieving todays educational and learning objectives. Therefore, a well and properly thought of and designed network is an essential re quirement for meeting day-to-day institutional functions or for doing business (White, 2012). Improving computer networks enable us to enjoy better and reliable data speeds, and new exciting services and applications such as video conferencing, IP telephony, education, ecommerce and more. Designing a new network would benefit the London

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Causes of Civil War Essay Example for Free

Causes of Civil War Essay You hear the word civil in such terms as civil rights, civilian, civilization and civil liberty. All are related to the concept of a common citizen and a member of society. So, a civil war is a war between citizens representing different groups or sections of the same country. That is how the Civil War in the United States between 1850-1860 started. The distinction of ideas about slavery between the South and the North was pretty much the main cause of the war. However if we look at the details carefully, the economic forces in the South combined with the cotton plantations and the reactions to abolitionism in the South were the main factors that caused the Civil War. Economics was an important cause of the Civil War. Economic reasons affected and still affect almost everyone around the world. The economy, simply money gives people a lot of power, which causes a lot of problems between people, and makes everything more complicated. That’s pretty much why it was a big deal with the starting of the Civil War. It started around early 1800s with the harvesting of cotton in the South (Holland, â€Å"The North-South Divide†). Harvesting of cotton required the labor of many people with the invention of cotton gin. So, the way of making a lot of money out of cotton was to find enough laborers to work with. That’s how slavery became essential for the South’s economic future because it was a great source of laborers. In this way slave and cotton plantation owners were making a lot of money and expanding their plantations and of course the number of slaves they owned, which made slavery expand in the South pretty quickly. Also, people who owned slaves and the cotton plantations were mostly the men of social and political power, and of course they didn’t want to lose their power. They were getting richer and richer every day with the expanding plantations with the invention of the cotton gin. For example, Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee were some of the most powerful slave owners of that time. Davis had a great political career, and Lee was an important commander and general in the army. They and the other slave owners got their power from slavery and didn’t want to lose that power. While slavery kept expanding in the South, the North didn’t like that. The North was against the expansion of slavery, an opposition captured by Free Soil Ideology. Their main purpose was opposing the expansion of slavery into the western territories, because they saw it as a corrupt economic system. This made the South see the Free Soil movement as a threat of making slavery totally disappear. The South was threatened because they thought this ideology in the North would keep expanding and finally free all the slaves they owned, and ruining the Southern economy (Brinkley). While this happened in the South, the idea of abolitionism kept spreading through the North. Another cause of divisions between the North and the South was the abolitionist movement. The South saw this movement as a threat from the North, and becoming suspicious of them. John Brown was clearly the most significant radical abolitionist at that time. He fought slavery for years but his most significant action took place at Harper Ferry, Virginia. Brown seized federal arsenal, and he hoped the slaves would come to Harpers Ferry and march through the South, fighting slavery. This way he scared the South, because a slave rebellion had always been the region’s main fear, and therefore the South formed militias. Most Southerners were convinced Brown had done what a lot of Northerners wanted to do, which threatened them (John Brown Farm, North Elba, New York New York History Net†). In other wards, Brown’s raid at Harpers Ferry 1859 fed fear of slave uprising. Southerners basically thought the Republican Party supported John Brown’s Raid and what he had done (Holland, â€Å"Abolitionism†). This was a big issue for them, because the sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was elected the next year and he was a member of the Republican Party. The South thought that being a member of the Republican Party meant being an abolitionist. This worried them, because abolitionists wanted to make slavery disappear, and they thought that’s exactly what the new president of the whole country, Lincoln wanted to do. So, the South saw the election of Abraham Lincoln as a threat. On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln was not an abolitionist, and he didn’t think what John Brown did was good and ethical. He didn’t want to make the South be against him. He was just supporting the Free Soil Ideology. So Lincoln just didn’t want slavery to expand. However the South didn’t see this distinction. Even before Lincoln was inaugurated, Southern states began to secede from the Union (â€Å"Abraham Lincoln†). So that was pretty much how the conflict first started, and caused the Civil War to begin. The Civil War ended in 1865 and slavery was finally abolished. Slavery had been the main reason for its start, because of the economic divisions it sparked along with abolitionism. The harvesting of cotton was a big source of money at that time, especially after the invention of the cotton gin and needed a great source of slaves as laborers. The abolitionist movement added more to this conflict with the misunderstandings about Lincoln’s political views in the South. At the end, the price for the war was pretty high. Lincoln, a visionary president, was assassinated, and it was the bloodiest and the saddest war in American history. It has a valuable part in American history and worth remembering a clear example of what’s right and what’s wrong.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Sound the Jubilee :: Essays Papers

Sound the Jubilee Slaves lived terrible lives; always being told what to do and how to live, what to eat and who to converse with. But what if all that could change? What if slaves could be free to live their own lives? That’s what Sandra Forrester writes about, in the book Sound the Jubilee. The main characters in the book are Maddie, a young slave girl, and her family, Titus, Ella, Angeline, and Pride. Titus is a sweet, strong, loving father; Ella is a kind, firm, loving mother; Angeline is Maddie’s older sister, who always does everything perfectly; and Pride is Maddie’s unhealthy baby brother. The setting is during the Civil War, from 1861-1865 at River Bend Plantation, Nags Head, and Roanoke Island. Maddie and her family are house slaves on a North Carolina plantation; their problem is how to get to freedom. The solution? When she and her family are sent with their mistress to Roanoke Island because of invading Yankees, they run for freedom. Once the Yankees take over the island, the government gives aid to all the runaway slaves and provides them with jobs and the resources to start new lives. I think the author shows how the season changes very clearly throughout the book. For example, when summer came to Roanoke Island it was stated clearly at the beginning of the chapter, (pg 92, paragraph 1). Or when autumn came to Roanoke Island, the author describes it clearly as crisp, cool, and early, (pg. 110, paragraph 3). Summer was also described again clearly as especially hot and miserable, (pg. 132, paragraph 2). The S.C.I. point that relates most to this book is The Nature of Life is to Grow. In many of the chapters at least one of the characters grows in some way.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Books Were an Important Part of Life in the Late 18th Century Essay

Learning is one of important processes in human being life. It is self-evident that human development cannot stand without a proper learning. Since Learning provides unlimited Benefits, people should learn and experience it. The Reading is being reimagined over the time period. I’ll discuss about it later in this section. There are several ways that promotes Learning such as Books, electronic books, Movies, Periodicals such as Magazine, journals or Newspapers and Audio/Visual clips. Nowadays Libraries plays a critical role on keeping the Books alive due to the invention Mass media communications. I’ll talk further about this later in this section. Let’s take a closer look about Books. The book is one of the valuable sources of knowledge that provided numerous benefits, such benefits are it takes us into different worlds and cultures and it helps to learn other languages as well. So, we can tell that a book can be a truthful friend which helps to learn how to behave in practical life. Books cover different genres such as Comedy, Drama, Romance, Adventure, fiction etc. Director General of UNESCO addressed 1972 as the â€Å"International Book Year† and taking â€Å"Booking for all† as their Motto. UNESCO organizes a yearly event called â€Å"World Book day or International Day of the book† on 23th April every year worldwide to promote Reading, Publishing and Copyright. So we can understand How Important it is Reading in a life of Mankind. It was first celebrated on 23th April 1995. Writing believed to be developed between the 7th millennium BC and 4th millennium BC in china. Ancient people used to write using stones but wood was the first medium to write in the actual form of Book. From time to Time, the new technology inventions played vital part in the World. The Cambridge University Press was founded in 1534 and the first book was printed in 1583. Also the first press was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts one of the North American British colonies in the year of Year 1639. Then first North American Public library was founded in Boston in the year of 1653. Eighteenth Century Americans were mainly interested in reading books about practical arts, religious and the politics as well. American does have a long tradition on reading habits since long back. Thus they are proved to be improved in vocal, public expressions both towards and against throughout reading skills. Novels are the entertaining seldom read by Americans in the 18th century. The nation’s first novel was published in the late 18th century. The first two novels to be published were Digges’ â€Å"Adventure of Alonso† and Brown’s â€Å"The power of Sympathy†. Women were also contributed to the success of Novels, Such writers were Susuana Rowson for her novel â€Å"Charlotte: A tale of truth†. This navel was re-issued under the title of Charlotte Temple, which sold more than million and half copies. The growth of novel reading grew rapidly towards the end of the year 1750. The main reason for the growth of novel readers was the rapid growth of the source of book materials such as book seller, public library and lending library. An average person was able to obtain their reading materials from booksellers, public libraries as well through lending libraries which were a cheaper option since they were able to rent the books for a small fee. Due to the vast number of readers between the year 1773 and 1798 the number of book trading companies as well as the number of public libraries grew rapidly at faster rate than the increasing population. While the population doubled in the period of 1790’s, the numbers of the circulating libraries were tripled. So in the late 18th century, the circulation libraries played a huge influence placing reading interest among the American public. Social libraries were able to expand their firms by joining the book selling companies and they were able to purchase and loan the books for a lower rate. By the year of 1790, books were the main source of entertainment, information and literature for an average person. According to the catalogues of the sellers, the percentage of fiction readers increased by nine percent between 1754 to 1765 and increased to thirteen percent between 1791 to 1800. Circulating Library catalogues contained fifty-eight percent fiction by the year of 1800 which was higher compared (twenty-eight percent) to the early 18th century. Though the books were little expensive at that period, the people were able to join in the circulating libraries for lower rate which is another proof that people were encouraged to read during this century. During the late 18th century, the book sellers showed interest requesting novels from their suppliers. As an example Robert Ben Winans (1975) states that â€Å"In 1801, a bookseller in North Carolina wrote to his supplier requesting that â€Å"Mr. Carey will be so obliging as to send as many of the Novels as he procure; it will be mutually our interest to keep a good collection, as the good folks her love light reading†. This letter accompanied an order called a -typical order of the period about 1800, which listed sixty-three books every one of them a novel†. (â€Å"The Growth of a Novel-Reading Public in Late-Eighteenth-Century America. Early American Literature. Vol. 9. No. 3 (Winter, 1975): 267-275. Print). This is a proof that tells the novels were read by rapidly growing people in the late 18th century. This period is described as Novel reading age. I strongly believe that books today have been replaced by other forms of mass communication such as Media, newspape r and magazine, Web. Though there were so many significant political, economic developments redesigned the new world, the dramatic and unprecedented centralization of the countries and their expansion, regulations and professionalization of the state forces are still appreciable. Every time a new invention strikes in mass communications, obviously the books had to compete with that invention. The first American newspaper called â€Å"Publick Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestick† published in early 18th century. During the early 18th century, the weekly Newspapers acted as the means of carrying of intercolonial news and also the newspapers carried war news at that period . So people were interested in reading newspapers than Books at that period. Then the industrial era started from the nineteenth century initially with the telegraph applications. The first African-American newspaper was published in 1827 called the Freedom’s Journal. Also this has been followed by the inventions such as magazines, telegraph, printers, phonograph, postal discounted rates, photographic films and radio were in particular. So the century that belongs to the industrial revolution start for the mass media that affected the books and readers. Since the radio, television and movie inventions in the early 1900s, the information had started passing through voice than text form. People started feeling that listening to audio is more comfortable than reading. In 1980, first online newspaper was published on web . From time moves on, the physical form of book transformed in intangible form of text due the new inventions in this world. During the late 1980s, Information has transformed to digitalized manner and the revolution of Computer started striking the world. People believed that physically storing information was not safe, so they started storing information in digital code. In 1985, Voyagar Company stored books in CD-ROM which was the first step to the era of eBook. From then onwards, the learning has come to digital manner. Then the biggest bang to the book sales was the invention of the World Wide Web in the year of 1991. Then the first online blog was published in the year of 1997. Due to high volume of readers, authors showed an interest in writing online blogs. Convergence of Media (Video and Audio) introduced in the later 1990s. For example:-We can see presidential debates live on YouTube. So the information can be stored as Video or audio forms as well than the text form. Google has announced the Google Library Project which is digitalization of books in 2005. Nowadays libraries are playing an important role in preserving the books for the next generation. It is self-evident that physically books can’t long last because of the material and size. It is good in a way that if we store information in digital code it can long last than physically storing in a book. This generation people show interest in reading/learning, just the sales of the eBooks readers, pdf readers are the proofs. If we look into Amazon. com, we can see tons of EBooks and they also sell books as well. If we want, we can download the eBook instantly or else we have to wait till they ship it. Though the form of text (book) has changed due to new inventions, but the rate of readers has increased in the world. Earlier we had only text form but now we do have text, audio and video form as well. Nowadays people look for a better ways. I would say storing an eBook is far more convenient than carrying a book (physical book). Though the new innovation impacted the sales of the books (physical form), it’s good for the next generation to preserve the valuable information.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 16

After that, things happened very fast, and at the same time with a dreamy slowness. Mary-Lynnette felt her arms grabbed from behind. Something was pulling her hands together-somethingstrong. Then she felt the bite of cord on her wrists, and she realized what was happening. Tied up-I'm going to be helpless-I've got todosomething fast†¦. She fought, trying to wrench herself away, trying to kick. But it was already too late. Her hands were secure behind her back-and some part of her mind noted distantly that no wonder people on cop shows yell when they're handcuffed. Ithurt. Her shoulders gave a shriek of agony as she was dragged backward up against a tree. â€Å"Stop fighting,† a voice snarled. A thick, distorted voice she didn't recognize. She tried to see who it was, but the tree was in the way. â€Å"If you relax itwon't hurt.† . Mary-Lynnette kept fighting, but it didn't make any difference. She could feel the deeply furrowedbark of the tree against her hands and back-and now she couldn't move. Oh, God, oh, God-1 can't get away. Iwas alreadyweak from what Ash and I did-and now I can't move at all. Then stop panicking andthink, her inner voice said fiercely. Use your brain instead of getting hysterical. Mary-Lynnette stopped struggling. She stood panting and tried to get control of her terror. â€Å"I told you. It only hurts when you fight. A lot of things are like that,† the voice said. Mary-Lynnette twisted her head and saw who it was. Her heart gave a sick lurch. She shouldn't havebeen surprised, but she was-surprised and infi nitely disappointed. â€Å"Oh, Jeremy,† she whispered. Except that it was a different Jeremy than the one she knew. His face was the same, his hair, his clothes-but there was something weird about him, something powerful and scary and †¦unknowable. His eyes were as inhuman and flat as a shark's. â€Å"I don't want to hurt you,† he said in that distorted stranger's voice. â€Å"I only tied you up because I didn't want you to interfere.† Mary-Lynnette's mind was registering different things in different layers. One part said, MyGod, he's trying to be friendly, and another part said, Tointerferewith what? and a third part just kept saying Ash. She looked at Ash. He was lyingverystill, andMary-Lynnette's wonderful new eyes that could seecolors in moonlight saw that his blond hair was slowly soaking with blood. On the ground beside himwas a club made of yew – made of the hard yellow sapwood. No wonder he was unconscious. But if he's bleeding he's not dead-oh, God, please,he can'tbe dead-Rowan said that only staking and burning kill vampires†¦. â€Å"I have to take dare of him,† Jeremy said. â€Å"And then I'll let you go, I promise. Once I explain everything, you'll understand.† Mary-Lynnette looked up from Ash to the strangerwith Jeremy's face. With a shock, she realized what he meant by â€Å"take care of.† Three words that were just part of life to a hunterto a werewolf. So now I know about werewolves. They're killers and I was right all along. I was right and Rowan was wrong. â€Å"It'll only take a minute,† Jeremy said-and hislips drew back. Mary-Lynnette's heart seemed to slam violently inside her chest. Because his lips went farther up than any human's lips could. She could see his gums, whitish-pink. And she could see why his voice didn't sound like Jeremy's-it was his teeth. White teeth in the moonlight. The teeth from herdream. Vampire teeth were nothing compared to this. The incisors at the front were made for cutting fleshfrom prey, the canines were two inches long, the teeth behind them looked designed for slicing and shearing. Mary-Lynnette suddenly remembered-somethingVic Kimble's father had said three years ago. He'd said that a wolf could snap off the tail of a full-grown cow clean as pruning shears. He'd been complaining that somebody had let a wolf-dog crossbreed looseand it was going after his cattle†¦. Except that of course it wasn't a crossbreed, Mary-Lynnette thought. It was Jeremy. I saw him everyday at school-and then he must have gone hometo look like this. Tohunt. Just now, as he stood over Ash with his teeth all exposed and his chest heaving, Jeremy looked completely, quietly insane. â€Å"But why?† Mary-Lynnette burst out.†Whydo youwant to hurt him?† Jeremy looked up-and she got another shock. His eyes were different. Before she'd seen them flash white in the darkness. Now they had no whites at all. They were brown with large liquid pupils. Theeyes of an animal. So it doesn't need to be a full moon, she thought. He can change anytime. â€Å"Don't you know?† he said. â€Å"Doesn't anybody understand?This ismy territory.† Oh.Oh †¦ So it was as simple as that. After all their brainstorming and arguing and detective work. In the end it was something as basic as an animal protectingits range. â€Å"For a hunting range, it is small,† Rowan had said. â€Å"They were taking my game,† Jeremy said. â€Å"My deer, my squirrels. They didn't have any right to dothat. I tried to make them leave-but they wouldn't.They stayed and they kept killing†¦.† He stopped talking-but a new sound came fromhim. It started out almost below the range of MaryLynnette's hearing-but the deep rumbling of itstruck some primal chord of terror in her. It was asuncanny and inhuman as the danger-hum of an at tacking swarm of bees. Growling. He was growling. And it wasreal.The snarling growl a dog makes that tells you to turn and run. The sound it makes before it springs at yourthroat†¦. â€Å"Jeremy!† Mary-Lynnette screamed. She threwherself forward, ignoring the white blaze of pain in her shoulders. But the cord held. She was jerked back. And Jeremy fell on Ash, lunging down, head darting forward like a striking snake, like a biting dog, like every animal that kills with its teeth. Mary-Lynnette heard someone screaming â€Å"No!†and only later realized that it was her. She was fight ing with the cord, and she could feel stinging and wetness at her wrists. But she couldn't get free andshe couldn't stop seeing what was happening in frontof her. And all the time that eerie, vicious growling that reverberated in Mary-Lynnette's own head and chest. That was when things went cold and dear. Some part of Mary-Lynnette that was stronger than the panic took over. It stepped back and looked at the entire scene by the roadside: the car, which was still burning, sending clouds of choking white smokewhenever the wind blew the right way; the limpfigure of Ash on the pine needles; the blur of snarling motion that was Jeremy. â€Å"Jeremy!† she said, and her throat hurt, but hervoice was calm-and commanding. â€Å"Jeremy-before you do that-don't you want me tounderstand? You said that was what you wanted. Jeremy,help me understand.† For a long second she thought in dismay that it wasn't going to work. That he couldn't even hear her. But then his head lifted. She saw his face; she saw the blood on his chin. Don't scream, don't scream, Mary-Lynnette toldherself frantically. Don't show any shock. You have to keep him talking, keep him away from Ash. Behind her back her hands were working automatically, as if trying to get out of ropes was something they'd always known how to do. The slick wetness actually helped. She could feel the cords slide a little. â€Å"Please help me understand,† she said again, breathless, but trying to hold Jeremy's eyes. â€Å"I'm your friend-you know that. We go back a long way.† Jeremy's whitish gums were streaked with red. He still had human features, but there was nothing at all human about that face. Now, though-slowly-his lips came down tocover his gums. He looked more like a person andless like an animal. And when he spoke, his voicewas distorted, but she could recognize it as Jere my's voice. â€Å"We do go back,† he said. â€Å"I've watched you sincewe were kids-and I've seen you watching me.† Mary-Lynnette nodded.She couldn'tgetany words out. â€Å"I always figured that someday, when we wereolder-maybe we'd be together. I thought maybe I could make you understand. About me. About everything. I thought you were the one person who might not be afraid†¦.† â€Å"I'm not,† Mary-Lynnette said, and hoped hervoice wasn't shaking too badly. She was saying it to a figure in a blood-spattered shirt crouching over a torn body like a beast still ready to attack. MaryLynnette didn't dare look at Ash to see how badly hewas hurt. She kept her eyes locked on Jeremy's. â€Å"And I think I can understand. You killed Mrs. Burdock, didn't you? Because she was on your territory.† â€Å"Nother; † Jeremy said, and his voice was sharpwith impatience. â€Å"She was just an old lady-she didn't hunt. I didn't mind having her in my range. Ieven did things for her, like fixing her fence andporch for free†¦. And that's when she told methey were coming. Those girls.† Just the way she told me, Mary-Lynnette thought, with dazed revelation. And he was there fixing the fence-of course. The way he does odd jobs for everybody. â€Å"I told her it wouldn't work.† Mary-Lynnette couldhear it again-the beginnings of a snarling growl. Jeremy was tense and trembling, and she could feel her self start to tremble, too. â€Å"Three more hunters in thislittle place †¦ I told her, but she wouldn't listen. She couldn't see. So then I lost my temper.† Don't look at Ash, don't call attention to him, Mary-Lynnette thought desperately. Jeremy's lips were drawing back again as if he needed something to attack. At the same time the distant part of hermind said, So that's why he used a picket=Ash was right;it was an impulse of the moment. â€Å"Well, anybody can lose their temper,† she said, and even though her voice cracked and there were tears in her eyes, Jeremy seemed to calm a little. â€Å"Afterward, I thought maybe it was for the best,† he said, sounding tired. â€Å"I thought when the girls found her, they'd know they had to leave. I waited for them to do it. I'm good at waiting.† He was staring past her, into the woods. Heart pounding, Mary-Lynnette grabbed the opportunity todart a look at Ash. Oh, God, he's not moving at all. And there's so muchblood†¦.I've never seen so much blood†¦. She twisted her wrists back and forth, trying to find some give in the cords. â€Å"I watched, but they didn't go away,† Jeremy said.Mary-Lynnette's eyes jerked back to him. â€Å"Instead youcame. I heard Mark talking to Jade in the garden. She said she'd decided she was going to like it here. And then †¦ I got mad. I made a noise and they heard me.† His face was changing. The flesh was actually moving in front of Mary-Lynnette's eyes. His cheekbones were broadening, his nose and mouth jutting. Hairwas creeping between his eyebrows, turning them into a straight bar. She couldsee individual coarse hairs sprouting, dark against pale skin. I'm going to be sick†¦. â€Å"What's wrong, Mary-Lynnette?† He got up and she saw that his body was changing, too. It was stilla human body, but it was too thin-stretched out.As if it were just long bones and sinews. â€Å"Nothing's wrong,† Mary-Lynnette got out in a whisper. She twisted violently at her cords-and felt one hand slide. That's it. Now keep him distracted, keep him moving away from Ash†¦. â€Å"Go on,† she said breathlessly. â€Å"What happenedthen?† â€Å"I knew I had to send them a message. I cameback the next night for the goat-but you were there again. You ran away from me into the shed.† Hemoved closer again and the moonlight caught his eyes-and reflected. The pupils shone greenish-orange. Mary-Lynnette could only stare. That shadow in the clearing-those eyes I saw. Nota coyote.Him.He was following us everywhere. The very thought made her skin creep. But there was another thought that was worsethe picture of him killing the goat. Doing it carefully, methodically-as a message. That was why he didn't eat the heart and liver,Mary-Lynnette realized. He didn't kill it for foodit wasn't a normal werewolf killing. And he's not a normal werewolf. He wasn't at all like what Rowan had described-a noble animal that hunted to eat. Instead he was †¦ a mad dog. Of all people,Ash had it right. Him and his jokes about rabies †¦ â€Å"You're so beautiful, you know,† Jeremy said suddenly. â€Å"I've always thought that. I love your hair.† He was right in her face. She could see the individual pores in his skin with coarse hairs growing out of them. And she couldsmellhim-the feral smell ofa zoo. He reached out to touch her hair, and his handhad dark, thick fingernails. Mary-Lynnette could feelher eyes getting wider. Say something †¦say some thing †¦ don't show you're afraid. â€Å"You knew how Mrs. Burdock's husband was killed,† she got out. â€Å"She told me a long time ago,† Jeremy said almost absently, still moving his fingers in her hair. He'd changed so much that his voice was getting hard to understand. â€Å"I used little sticks from my models †¦you know I make models. And a black iris forhim.Ash.† Jeremy said the name with pure hatred. â€Å"I saw him that day with his stupid T-shirt. The Black IrisClub . . . my uncle belonged to that once. Theytreated him like he was second-class.† His eyes were inches from Mary-Lynnette's; she felt the brush of a fingernail on her ear. Suddenlyshe had the strength to give a violent wrench behind her back-and one hand came free. She froze, afraid that Jeremy would notice. â€Å"I threw the goat on the porch and ran,† Jeremysaid, almost crooning the words as he petted MaryLynnette. â€Å"I knew you were all in there. I was somad-I killed that horse and I kept running. I smashed the gas station window. I was going to bum it downbut then I decided to wait.† Yes,and yes, and yes, Mary-Lynnette thought, even as she carefully worked her other wrist free,even as she stared into Jeremy's crazy eyes andsmelled his animal breath. Yes, of course it was youwe heard running away-and you didn't fall into the hole in the porch because you knew it was there, because you were fixing it. And yes, you were the one who smashed the window-who else would hate the gas station but somebody who worked there? 0Her fingers eased the cord off her other wrist. She felt a surge of fierce triumph-but she controlled her expression and clenched her hands, trying to thinkof what to do. He was so strong and so quick †¦ if she just threw herself at him, she wouldn't have a chance. â€Å"And today you all came to town together,† Jeremy said, finishing the story quietly, through a mouth so inhuman it was hard to believe it could speak English. â€Å"I heard the wayhe was talking toyou. I knew he wanted you-and he wanted to change you into one of them. I had to protect you from that.† Mary-Lynnette said almost steadily, â€Å"I knew youwanted to protect me. I could tell, Jeremy.† She was feeling over the furrowed hemlock bark behind her.How could she attack him when she didn't even have a stick for a weapon? And even if shehad,wood was no good. He wasn't a vampire. Jeremy stepped back. Relief washed over Mary-Lynnette-for one second. Then she saw with horror that he was plucking at his shirt, pulling it off. And underneath †¦there was no skin. Instead there was hair. A pelt that twitched and shivered in the night air. â€Å"I followed you here and I fixed your car so you couldn't leave,† Jeremy said. â€Å"I heard you say youwanted to be a vampire.† â€Å"Jeremy-that was justtalk†¦.† He went on as if she hadn't spoken. â€Å"But that was a mistake. Werewolves are much better. You'll understand when I show you. The moon looks so beautiful when you're a wolf.† Oh,Godand so that was what he meant by pro tecting her, by making her understand. He meant changing her into something like him. I need a weapon. Rowan had said silver was harmful to werewolves,so the old silver-bullet legend must be true. But she didn't haveasilver bullet. Or even a silver dagger †¦ A silver dagger†¦ a silverknife †¦ Behind Jeremy the station wagon was almost invisible in the clouds of smoke. And by now the smoke had the red glow of uncontrolled fire. It's too dangerous, Mary-Lynnette thought. It'sabout to go. I'd never make it in and out†¦. Jeremy was still talking, his voice savage now.†You won't miss the Night World. All their stupid restrictions-no killing humans, no hunting too often. Nobody tells me how to hunt. My uncle tried,but I took care of him-â€Å" Suddenly the creature-it wasn't really a personanymore-broke off and turned sharply. Mary-Lynnette saw its lips go back again, saw its teeth parted and ready to bite. In the same instant she sawwhy-Ash was moving. Sitting up, even though his throat was cut. Lookingaround dazedly. He saw Mary-Lynnette, and his eyes seemed to focus. Then he looked at the thing Jeremy had become. â€Å"You-get away from herl† he shouted in a voiceMary-Lynnette had never heard before. A voice filledwith deadly fury. Mary-Lynnette could see himchange position in a swift, graceful motion, gathering his muscles under him to jump But the werewolf jumped first. Springing like ananimal-except that Jeremy still had arms, and onehand went for the yew club. The club smashed sideways into Ash's head and knocked him flat. And then it fell, bouncing away on the carpet of needles. The werewolf didn't need it-it was baring itsteeth. It was going to tear Ash's throat out, like the horse, like the hiker †¦ Mary-Lynnette was running. Not toward Ash. She couldn't help him barehanded. She ran toward the car, into the clouds of choking smoke. Oh, God, it's hot. Please let me just get there†¦. She could feel the heat on her cheeks, on her arms. She remembered something from an elementary school safety class and dropped to her knees, scrambling and crawling where the air was cooler. And then she heard the sound behind her. The most eerie sound there is-a wolf howling. It knows what I'm doing. It's seen that knife everytime I pry off my gas cap. It's going to stop me†¦. She threw herself blindly into the smoke and heat,and reached the car. Orange flames were shooting crazily from the engine, and the door handle burnedher hand when she touched it. She fumbled, wrenching at it. Open,open†¦ The door swung out. Hot air blasted around her. If she'd been completely human she wouldn't havebeen able to stand it. But she'd exchanged blood withfour vampires in two days, and she wasn't completely human anymore. She wasn't Mary-Lynnette any more †¦but was she capable of killing? Flames were licking up beneath the dashboard. Shegroped over smoking vinyl and shoved a hand under the driver's seat. Find it! Find it! Her fingers touched metal-the knife. The silverfruit knife with the Victorian scrolling that she'd borrowed from Mrs. Burdock. It was very hot. Her handdosed on it, and she pulled it from under the seatand turned †¦ just as something came flying at her from behind. The turning was instinctive-she had to face whatwas attacking her. But what she would always know afterward was that she could have turned withoutpointing theknife at what was attacking her. There was a moment in which she could have slanted it backward or toward the ground or toward herself. And if she'd been the Mary-Lynnette of the old days,she might have done that. She didn't. The knife faced outward. Toward the shape jumping at her. And when the thing landed on top of her she felt impact in her wrist and all theway up her arm. The distant part of her mind said, It went in cleanlybetween the ribs†¦. And then everything was very confused. Mary-Lynnette felt teeth in her hair, snapping for her neck. She felt claws scratching at her, leaving welts on her arms. The thing attacking her was hairy and heavy and it wasn't a person or even a half-person. It was a large, snarling wolf. She was still holding the knife, but it was hard to keep her grip on it. It jerked around, twisting her wrist in an impossible direction. It was buried in the wolf's chest. For just an instant, as the thing pulled away, she got a good look at it. A beautiful animal. Sleek and handsome, but withcrazy eyes. It was trying to kill her with its last panting breath. Oh, God, you hate me, don't you? I've chosen Ashover you; I've hurt you with silver. And now you're dying. You must feel so betrayed†¦. Mary-Lynnette began to shake violently. She couldn't do this anymore. She let go of the knife and pushed and kicked at the wolf with her arms andlegs. Half scrambling and half scooting on her back, she managed to get a few feet away. The wolf stood silhouetted against a background of fire. She couldsee it gather itself for one last spring at her There was a very soft, contained poof. The entirecar lurched like something in agony-and then the fireball was everywhere. Mary-Lynnette cringed against the ground, halfblinded, but she had to watch. So that's what it looks like. A car going up inflames. Not the kind of big explosion you hear in the movies. Justa poof. And then just the fire, going up and up. The heat drove her away, still crawling, but she couldn't stop looking. Orange flames. That was allher station wagon was now. Orange flames shooting every which way out of a metal skeleton on tires. The wolf didn't come out of the flames. Mary-Lynnette sat up. Smoke was in her throat,and when she tried to yell â€Å"Jeremyl† it came out as a hoarse croak. The wolf still didn't come out. And no wonder, with a silver knife in its chest and fire all around it. Mary-Lynnette sat, arms wrapped around herself,and watched the car bum. He would have killed me. Like any good hunter. I had to defend myself, I had to save Ash. And thegirls †¦ he would have killed all of them. And thenhe'd have killed more people like that hiker†¦. He was crazy and completelyevil, because he'd do anything to get what he wanted. And she'd seen it from the beginning. Somethingunder that â€Å"nice guy† exterior-she'd seen it over and over, but she'd kept letting herself get convinced it wasn't there. She should have trusted her feelingsin the first place. When she'd realized that she'dsolved the mystery of Jeremy Lovett and that it wasn't a happy ending. She was shaking but she couldn't cry. The fire roared on. Tiny sparks showered upward. I don't care if it was justified. It wasn't like killingin my dream. It wasn't easy and it wasn't naturaland I'll never forget the way he looked at me†¦. Then she thought,Ash. She'd been so paralyzed she'd almost forgotten him. Now she turned around, almost too frightened to look. She made herself crawl over to where he was still lying. So much blood†¦ how can he be all right? But if he's dead †¦ if it's all been for nothing †¦ But Ash was breathing. And when she touched hisface, trying to find a clean place in the blood, he moved. He stirred, then he tried to sit up. â€Å"Stay there.† Jeremy's shirt and jeans were on the ground. Mary-Lynnette picked up the shirt and dabbed at Ash's neck. â€Å"Ash, keep still†¦.† He tried to sit up again. â€Å"Don't worry. I'll protectyou.† â€Å"Lie down,† Mary-Lynnette said. When he didn't, she pushed at him. â€Å"There's nothing to do. He's dead.† He sank back, eyes shutting. â€Å"Did I kill him?† Mary-Lynnette made a choked sound that wasn't exactly a laugh. She was trembling with relief-Ash could breathe and talk, and he even sounded like hisnormal fatuous self. She'd had no idea how good thatcould sound. And underneath the swabbing shirt she could see that his neck was already healing. Whathad been gashes were becoming flat pink scars. Vampire flesh was incredible. Ash swallowed. â€Å"You didn't answer my question.† â€Å"No. You didn't kill him. I did.† His eyes opened. They just looked at each other for a moment. And in that moment Mary-Lynnette knew they were both realizing a lot of things. Then Ash said, â€Å"I'm sorry,† and his voice had never been less fatuous. He pushed the shirt awayand sat up. â€Å"I'm so sorry.† She didn't know who reached first, but they were holding each other. And Mary-Lynnette was thinking about hunters and danger and laughing at death. About all the things it meant to really belong to the night. And about how she would never look in the mirror and see the same person she used to see. â€Å"At least it's over now,† Ash said. She could feel his arms around her, his warmth and solidity, his support. â€Å"There won't be any more killings. It's over.† It was, and so were a lot of other things. The first sob was hard to get out. So hard thatshe'd have thought there would be a pause beforethe next-but, no. There was no pause between that one and the next, or the next or the next. She cried for a long time. And the fire burned itself out and the sparks flew upward and Ash held her all the while.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

5 Ways to Deal With the Worst Job Youve Ever Had

5 Ways to Deal With the Worst Job Youve Ever Had So you woke up this morning and came to the conclusion that you hate your job. In fact, while you dragged yourself to work, you came to the realization that it’s the worst job you’ve ever had. Maybe it’s your boss, or maybe you simply don’t like your actual  job responsibilities- but even so, unless you’re rolling in the dough or you don’t have any bills to pay, you need money and likely have to stay. So how do you deal with the worst job you’ve ever had? Here are 5 steps to help you keep your job and your sanity.1. Buy a Punching Bag If you have space in your house or apartment, definitely invest in a punching bag. It will be a great way to unleash your frustration at the end of the day. As an added bonus, if you hate your boss, feel free to tape a picture of his or her face to the punching bag and go to town. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us.2. Visit Your Local GymIf you don’t already have one, get a membershi p at your local gym. Whether it’s lifting weights or running on the treadmill, exercise can be a great way to detox and rid yourself of all the extra tension and angst built up during the day. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals known as endorphins that trigger a positive feeling in your  body. The production of endorphins also helps combat depression.3. Go Out For Happy HourNothing takes your mind off from your crappy job like half-priced drinks and impaired judgement. Go out with your co-workers or friends and just forget your problems for a little while.4. Imagine Your Boss’s Demise  Ã‚  Assuming you don’t like your boss, envision his or her demise. Whether it’s strapping them onto a missile and shooting them into the sun, or DESTROYING them in a game of ping pong, the point is, have fun with it. As long as you do not act on your impulses (except destroying them in ping pong that would be awesome), such daydreaming might put your mind a t ease and release some stress and anger. It might seem unorthodox, but let’s be real, we’ve all imagined our boss’s demise at one point or another.5. Plan Ahead  It sounds clichà ©, but it’s necessary- all of the previous  steps will only help you temporarily cope with the stress and anxiety of a job you hate, so it’s imperative that you plan for the future. No one wants to work forever  at a job they hate. It’s crucial that you dust off your resume and begin applying to new jobs. The sooner you start, the better it will be for your overall health.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

5 Tips for Keeping Warm at Work

5 Tips for Keeping Warm at Work It’s freezing. You can’t feel your fingers, and the warmth of summer is but a distant memory. Except you’re not even outside in the elements- you’re at your desk. Your complaints go unheeded by the Facilities team. You’d change the thermostat yourself, except Joe from Accounting sits closer- and he seems to have the blood of a Viking, judging by how often he turns the temperature down. And many offices prohibit space heaters these days due to fire hazards. So what do you do? There are ways to get around the office deep freeze.Put on some fingerless gloves.Keep your delicate mitts warm and flexible while you type those temperature complaint emails or post pictures of your arctic agony on Instagram.Wrap up in a heated scarf.This is totally a thing now! What a time to be alive†¦Bundle up.Just keep adding layers until you’re comfortable. This has the added bonus of coming in handy when the heat gets stuck in tropical mode, and you can peel t hem back off.Find your inner barista.Keep drinking hot tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. Not only will it warm you up, but staying hydrated is pretty key when temperatures are off.Take â€Å"business casual† to a new level.Okay, so wearing a Snuggie in the office is a bit drastic. But if things get to that point, double check your new interpretation of the dress code with HR.Stay warm, office dwellers! Spring will come again†¦uh, someday.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Dark Ages Documentary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Dark Ages Documentary - Essay Example The interesting phenomena in this episode pertains the rise to power of Clovis, who was a Frankish leader. He made great efforts in uniting tribes and advocated the conversion of people to Christianity. In order to have many converts, Clovis spent his time establishing good relationships with the Catholic Church. However, despite his efforts, his rule was characteristic of punishments evident during the Dark ages. Other rulers during this period found it difficult controlling their kingdoms. The events witnessed during the 5th century contributed immensely to the realization of the revitalization later on in the 8th century (Cantor, 2002). The documentary is important as it aids in understanding about the development of the Roman Empire to its present state. The different cultures in the episode have developed through a series of stages to the current state. Therefore, the documentary plays an important role in showing the characteristics of the cultures during this period. The documentary achieves its aim of showcasing the cultural issues happening during the Dark Ages

Friday, November 1, 2019

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 46

Reflection - Essay Example From absolutely nowhere came three people, they asked me for my belongings. One of them spotted a watch on my wrist, it was a rolex watch which my father had gifted on my 20th birthday. It was perhaps the most expensive thing on my body. With great difficulty I parted ways with it, if I had not they probably would have killed me. In retrospect I think the decision was right because they had guns and were heavily armed. If I had resisted I am sure they would have killed me then and there. My father was really sad upon hearing this story, he was inconsolable. Then came the rescuers and shunned the mob away and I just could not thank them enough for their timely help. I was sulking because the watch had gone, its price did not matter to me at all but the fact that it was a dear gift from my father mattered the most to me. I managed to get out my bed and found some motivation. The rest of the day was fine as I shook off the past and looked forward to a brighter day. The amusement park trip was a memorable one but the trip to Boston ended on another sad note. I lost my wallet at the airport. As though it was already not bad enough. I have no qualms, I am always positive about the future. I have realized that I need to anticipate danger and act accordingly. This is really important and this will keep me safe from getting mobbed. All in all the trip to Boston was a memorable experience even though it was for the worse. I have learned so much, one needs to be cognizant and read danger well something which I completely failed to do. I have matured as an individual now and I take every precaution possible to keep myself safe. Gun crime has become increasingly common in the US and something needs to be done about it sooner rather than