The Host Chapter 16: Assigned

The ledge of the rock exit was worn down, but it scraped my palms and shins as I scrambled through it. It hurt, stiff as I was, to wrench myself erect, and my breath caught. My head swam as the blood flowed downward. I looked for only one thing-where Jared was, so that I could put myself between him and his attackers. They all stood frozen in place, staring at me. Jared had his back to the wall, his hands balled into fists and held low. In front of him, Kyle was hunched over, clutching his stomach. Ian and a stranger flanked him a few feet back, their mouths open with shock. I took advantage of their surprise. In two long, shaky strides, I moved between Kyle and Jared. Kyle was the first to react. I was less than a foot from him, and his primary instinct was to shove me away. His hand struck my shoulder and heaved me toward the floor. Before I could fall, something caught my wrist and yanked me back to my feet. As soon as he realized what he'd done, Jared dropped my wrist like my skin was oozing acid. â€Å"Get back in there,† he roared at me. He shoved my shoulder, too, but it wasn't as hard as Kyle's push. It sent me staggering two feet back toward the hole in the wall. The hole was a black circle in the narrow hallway. Outside the small prison, the bigger cave looked just the same, only longer and taller, a tube rather than a bubble. A small lamp-powered by what, I couldn't guess-lit the hallway dimly from the ground. It cast strange shadows on the features of the men, turning them into scowling monster faces. I took a step toward them again, turning my back to Jared. â€Å"I'm what you want,† I said directly to Kyle. â€Å"Leave him alone.† No one said anything for a long second. â€Å"Tricky bugger,† Ian finally muttered, eyes wide with horror. â€Å"I said get back in there,† Jared hissed behind me. I turned halfway, not wanting Kyle out of my sight. â€Å"It's not your duty to protect me at your own expense.† Jared grimaced, one hand rising to push me back toward the cell again. I skipped out of the way; the motion moved me toward the ones who wanted to kill me. Ian grabbed my arms and pinned them behind me. I struggled instinctively, but he was very strong. He bent my joints too far back and I gasped. â€Å"Get your hands off her!† Jared shouted, charging. Kyle caught him and spun him around into a wrestling hold, forcing his neck forward. The other man grabbed one of Jared's thrashing arms. â€Å"Don't hurt him!† I screeched. I strained against the hands that imprisoned me. Jared's free elbow rammed into Kyle's stomach. Kyle gasped and lost his grip. Jared twisted away from his attackers and then lunged back, his fist connecting with Kyle's nose. Dark red blood spattered the wall and the lamp. â€Å"Finish it, Ian!† Kyle yelled. He put his head down and hurtled into Jared, throwing him into the other man. â€Å"No!† Jared and I cried at the same moment. Ian dropped my arms, and his hands wrapped around my throat, choking off my air. I clawed at his hands with my useless, stubby nails. He gripped me tighter, dragging my feet off the floor. It hurt-the strangling hands, the sudden panic of my lungs. It was agony. I writhed, more trying to escape the pain than the murdering hands. Click, click. I'd only heard the sound once before, but I recognized it. So did everyone else. They all froze, Ian with his hands locked hard on my neck. â€Å"Kyle, Ian, Brandt-back off!† Jeb barked. No one moved-just my hands, still clawing, and my feet, twitching in the air. Jared suddenly darted under Kyle's motionless arm and sprang at me. I saw his fist flying toward my face, and closed my eyes. A loud thwack sounded inches behind my head. Ian howled, and I dropped to the floor. I crumpled there at his feet, gasping. Jared retreated after an angry glance in my direction and went to stand at Jeb's elbow. â€Å"You're guests here, boys, and don't forget it,† Jeb growled. â€Å"I told you not to go looking for the girl. She's my guest, too, for the moment, and I don't take kindly to any of my guests killing any of the others.† â€Å"Jeb,† Ian moaned above me, his voice muffled by the hand held to his mouth. â€Å"Jeb. This is insane.† â€Å"What's your plan?† Kyle demanded. His face was smeared with blood, a violent, macabre sight. But there was no evidence of pain in his voice, only controlled and simmering anger. â€Å"We have a right to know. We have to decide whether this place is safe or if it's time to move on. So†¦ how long will you keep this thing as your pet? What will you do with it when you're finished playing God? All of us deserve to know the answers to these questions.† Kyle's extraordinary words echoed behind the pulse thudding in my head. Keep me as a pet? Jeb had called me his guest†¦ Was that another word for prisoner? Was it possible that two humans existed that did not demand either my death or my torture-wrung confession? If so, it was nothing less than a miracle. â€Å"Don't have your answers, Kyle,† Jeb said. â€Å"It's not up to me.† I doubted any other response Jeb could have given would have confused them more. All four men, Kyle, Ian, the one I didn't know, and even Jared, stared at him with shock. I still crouched gasping at Ian's feet, wishing there was some way I could climb back into my hole unnoticed. â€Å"Not up to you?† Kyle finally echoed, still disbelieving. â€Å"Who, then? If you're thinking of putting it to a vote, that's already been done. Ian, Brandt, and I are the duly designated appointees of the result.† Jeb shook his head-a tight movement that never took his eyes off the man in front of him. â€Å"It's not up for a vote. This is still my house.† â€Å"Who, then?† Kyle shouted. Jeb's eyes finally flickered-to another face and then back to Kyle. â€Å"It's Jared's decision.† Everyone, me included, shifted their eyes to stare at Jared. He gaped at Jeb, just as astonished as the rest, and then his teeth ground together with an audible sound. He threw a glare of pure hate in my direction. â€Å"Jared?† Kyle asked, facing Jeb again. â€Å"That makes no sense!† He was not in control of himself now, almost spluttering in rage. â€Å"He's more biased than anyone else! Why? How can he be rational about this?† â€Å"Jeb, I don't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jared muttered. â€Å"She's your responsibility, Jared,† Jeb said in a firm voice. â€Å"I'll help you out, of course, if there's any more trouble like this, and with keeping track of her and all that. But when it comes to making decisions, that's all yours.† He raised one hand when Kyle tried to protest again. â€Å"Look at it this way, Kyle. If somebody found your Jodi on a raid and brought her back here, would you want me or Doc or a vote deciding what we did with her?† â€Å"Jodi is dead,† Kyle hissed, blood spraying off his lips. He glared at me with much the same expression Jared had just used. â€Å"Well, if her body wandered in here, it would still be up to you. Would you want it any other way?† â€Å"The majority -â€Å" â€Å"My house, my rules,† Jeb interrupted harshly. â€Å"No more discussion on this. No more votes. No more execution attempts. You three spread the word-this is how it works from now on. New rule.† â€Å"Another one?† Ian muttered under his breath. Jeb ignored him. â€Å"If, unlikely as it may be, somehow this ever happens again, whoever the body belongs to makes the call.† Jeb poked the barrel of the gun toward Kyle, then jerked it a few inches toward the hall behind him. â€Å"Get out of here. I don't want to see you anywhere around this place again. You let everyone know that this corridor is off-limits. No one's got any reason for being here except Jared, and if I catch someone skulking around, I'm asking questions second. You got that? Move. Now.† He jabbed the gun at Kyle again. I was amazed that the three assassins immediately stalked back up the hallway, not even pausing to give me or Jeb a parting grimace. I deeply wanted to believe that the gun in Jeb's hands was a bluff. From the first time I'd seen him, Jeb had shown every outward appearance of kindness. He had not touched me once in violence; he had not even looked at me with recognizable hostility. Now it seemed that he was one of only two people here who meant me no harm. Jared might have fought to keep me alive, but it was plain that he was intensely conflicted about that decision. I sensed that he could change his mind at any time. From his expression, it was clear that part of him wanted this over with-especially now that Jeb had put the decision on his shoulders. While I made this analysis, Jared glowered at me with disgust in every line of his expression. However, as much as I wanted to believe that Jeb was bluffing, while I watched the three men disappear into the darkness away from me, it was obvious there was no way he could be. Under the front he presented, Jeb must have been just as deadly and cruel as the rest of them. If he hadn't used that gun in the past-used it to kill, not just to threaten-no one would have obeyed him this way. Desperate times, Melanie whispered. We can't afford to be kind in the world you've created. We're fugitives, an endangered species. Every choice is life-or-death. Shh. I don't have time for a debate. I need to focus. Jared was facing Jeb now, one hand held out in front of him, palm up, fingers curled limply. Now that the others were gone, their bodies slumped into a looser stance. Jeb was even grinning under his thick beard, as though he'd enjoyed the standoff at gunpoint. Strange human. â€Å"Please don't put this on me, Jeb,† Jared said. â€Å"Kyle is right about one thing-I can't make a rational decision.† â€Å"No one said you had to decide this second. She's not going anywhere.† Jeb glanced down at me, still grinning. The eye closest to me-the one Jared couldn't see-closed quickly and opened again. A wink. â€Å"Not after all the trouble she took to get here. You've got plenty of time to think it through.† â€Å"There's nothing to think through. Melanie is dead. But I can't-I can't-Jeb, I can't just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jared couldn't seem to finish the sentence. Tell him. I'm not ready to die right this second. â€Å"Don't think about it, then,† Jeb told him. â€Å"Maybe you'll figure something out later. Give it some time.† â€Å"What are we going to do with it? We can't keep watch on it round the clock.† Jeb shook his head. â€Å"That's exactly what we're going to have to do for a while. Things will calm down. Even Kyle can't preserve a murderous rage for more than a few weeks.† â€Å"A few weeks? We can't afford to play guard down here for a few weeks. We have other things -â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know.† Jeb sighed. â€Å"I'll figure something out.† â€Å"And that's only half the problem.† Jared looked at me again; a vein in his forehead pulsed. â€Å"Where do we keep it? It's not like we have a cell block.† Jeb smiled down at me. â€Å"You're not going to give us any trouble, now, are you?† I stared at him mutely. â€Å"Jeb,† Jared muttered, upset. â€Å"Oh, don't worry about her. First of all, we'll keep an eye on her. Secondly, she'd never be able to find her way out of here-she'd wander around lost until she ran into somebody. Which leads us to number three: she's not that stupid.† He raised one thick white eyebrow at me. â€Å"You're not going to go looking for Kyle or the rest of them, are you? I don't think any of them are very fond of you.† I just stared, wary of his easy, chatty tone. â€Å"I wish you wouldn't talk to it like that,† Jared muttered. â€Å"I was raised in a politer time, kid. I can't help myself.† Jeb put one hand on Jared's arm, patting lightly. â€Å"Look, you've had a full night. Let me take the next watch here. Get some sleep.† Jared seemed about to object, but then he looked at me again and his expression hardened. â€Å"Whatever you want, Jeb. And†¦ I don't-I won't accept responsibility for this thing. Kill it if you think that's best.† I flinched. Jared scowled at my reaction, then turned his back abruptly and walked the same way the others had gone. Jeb watched him go. While he was distracted, I crept back into my hole. I heard Jeb settle slowly to the ground beside the opening. He sighed and stretched, popping a few joints. After a few minutes, he started whistling quietly. It was a cheery tune. I curled myself around my bent knees, pressing my back into the farthest recess of the little cell. Tremors started at the small of my back and ran up and down my spine. My hands shook, and my teeth chattered softly together, despite the soggy heat. â€Å"Might as well lie down and get some sleep,† Jeb said, whether to me or to himself, I wasn't sure. â€Å"Tomorrow's bound to be a tough one.† The shivers passed after a time-maybe half an hour. When they were gone, I felt exhausted. I decided to take Jeb's advice. Though the floor felt even more uncomfortable than before, I was unconscious in seconds. The smell of food woke me. This time I was groggy and disoriented when I opened my eyes. An instinctive sense of panic had my hands trembling again before I was fully conscious. The same tray sat on the ground beside me, identical offerings on it. I could both see and hear Jeb. He sat in front of the cave in profile, looking straight ahead down the long round corridor and whistling softly. Driven by my fierce thirst, I sat up and grabbed the open bottle of water. â€Å"Morning,† Jeb said, nodding in my direction. I froze, my hand on the bottle, until he turned his head and started whistling again. Only now, not quite so desperately thirsty as before, did I notice the odd, unpleasant aftertaste to the water. It matched the acrid taste of the air, but it was slightly stronger. The tang lingered in my mouth, inescapable. I ate quickly, this time saving the soup for last. My stomach reacted more happily today, accepting the food with better grace. It barely gurgled. My body had other needs, though, now that the loudest ones had been sated. I looked around my dark, cramped hole. There weren't a lot of options visible. But I could barely contain my fear at the thought of speaking up and making a request, even of the bizarre but friendly Jeb. I rocked back and forth, debating. My hips ached from curving to the bowled shape of the cave. â€Å"Ahem,† Jeb said. He was looking at me again, his face a deeper color under the white hair than usual. â€Å"You've been stuck in here for a while,† he said. â€Å"You need to†¦ get out?† I nodded. â€Å"Don't mind a walk myself.† His voice was cheerful. He sprang to his feet with surprising agility. I crawled to the edge of my hole, staring out at him cautiously. â€Å"I'll show you our little washroom,† he continued. â€Å"Now, you should know that we're going to have to go through†¦ kind of the main plaza, so to speak. Don't worry. I think everyone will have gotten the message by now.† Unconsciously, he stroked the length of his gun. I tried to swallow. My bladder was so full it was a constant pain, impossible to ignore. But to parade right through the middle of the hive of angry killers? Couldn't he just bring me a bucket? He measured the panic in my eyes-watched the way I automatically shrank back farther into the hole-and his lips pursed in speculation. Then he turned and started walking down the dark hall. â€Å"Follow me,† he called back, not looking to see if I obeyed. I had one vivid flash of Kyle finding me here alone, and was after Jeb before a second passed, scrambling awkwardly through the opening and then hobbling along on my stiff legs as fast as I could to catch up. It felt both horrible and wonderful to stand straight again-the pain was sharp, but the relief was greater. I was close behind him when we reached the end of the hall; darkness loomed through the tall broken oval of the exit. I hesitated, looking back at the small lamp he'd left on the floor. It was the only light in the dark cave. Was I supposed to bring it? He heard me stop and turned to peer at me over his shoulder. I nodded toward the light, then looked back at him. â€Å"Leave it. I know my way.† He held out his free hand to me. â€Å"I'll guide you.† I stared at the hand for a long moment, and then, feeling the urgency in my bladder, I slowly put my hand on his palm, barely touching it-the way I would have touched a snake if for some reason I was ever forced to. Jeb led me through the blackness with sure, quick steps. The long tunnel was followed by a series of bewildering twists in opposing directions. As we rounded yet another sharp V in the path, I knew I was hopelessly turned around. I was sure this was on purpose, and the reason Jeb had left the lamp behind. He wouldn't want me knowing too much about how to find my way out of this labyrinth. I was curious as to how this place had come to be, how Jeb had found it, and how the others had wound up here. But I forced my lips tightly together. It seemed to me that keeping silent was my best bet now. What I was hoping for, I wasn't sure. A few more days of life? Just a cessation of pain? Was there anything else left? All I knew was that I wasn't ready to die, as I'd told Melanie before; my survival instinct was every bit as developed as the average human's. We turned another corner, and the first light reached us. Ahead, a tall, narrow crevice glowed with light from another room. This light was not artificial like the little lamp by my cave. It was too white, too pure. We couldn't move through the narrow fracture in the rock side by side. Jeb went first, towing me close behind. Once through-and able to see again-I pulled my hand out of Jeb's light grip. He didn't react in any way except to put his newly freed hand back on the gun. We were in a short tunnel, and a brighter light shone through a rough arched doorway. The walls were the same holey purple rock. I could hear voices now. They were low, less urgent than the last time I'd heard the babble of a human crowd. No one was expecting us today. I could only imagine what the response would be to my appearance with Jeb. My palms were cold and wet; my breath came in shallow gasps. I leaned as close as I could to Jeb without actually touching him. â€Å"Easy,† he murmured, not turning. â€Å"They're more afraid of you than you are of them.† I doubted that. And even if there were any way that it could be true, fear turned into hatred and violence in the human heart. â€Å"I won't let anybody hurt you,† Jeb mumbled as he reached the archway. â€Å"Anyway, might as well get used to this.† I wanted to ask what that meant, but he stepped through into the next room. I crept in after him, half a step behind, keeping myself hidden by his body as much as possible. The only thing harder than moving myself forward into that room was the thought of falling behind Jeb and being caught alone here. Sudden silence greeted our entrance. We were in the gigantic, bright cavern again, the one they'd first brought me to. How long ago was that? I had no idea. The ceiling was still too bright for me to make out exactly how it was lit. I hadn't noticed before, but the walls were not unbroken-dozens of irregular gaps opened to adjoining tunnels. Some of the openings were huge, others barely large enough for a man to fit through stooped over; some were natural crevices, others were, if not man-made, at least enhanced by someone's hands. Several people stared at us from the recesses of those crevices, frozen in the act of coming or going. More people were out in the open, their bodies caught in the middle of whatever movement our entrance had interrupted. One woman was bent in half, reaching for her shoelaces. A man's motionless arms hung in the air, raised to illustrate some point he'd been making to his companions. Another man wobbled, caught off balance in a sudden stop. His foot came down hard as he struggled to keep steady; the thud of its fall was the only sound in the vast space. It echoed through the room. It was fundamentally wrong for me to feel grateful to that hideous weapon in Jeb's hands†¦ but I did. I knew that without it we would probably have been attacked. These humans would not stop themselves from hurting Jeb if it meant they could get to me. Though we might be attacked despite the gun. Jeb could only shoot one of them at a time. The picture in my head had turned so grisly that I couldn't bear it. I tried to focus on my immediate surroundings, which were bad enough. Jeb paused for a moment, the gun held at his waist, pointing outward. He stared all around the room, seeming to lock his gaze one by one with each person in it. There were fewer than twenty here; it did not take long. When he was satisfied with his study, he headed for the left wall of the cavern. Blood thudding in my ears, I followed in his shadow. He did not walk directly across the cavern, instead keeping close to the curve of the wall. I wondered at his path until I noticed a large square of darker ground that took up the center of the floor-a very large space. No one stood on this darker ground. I was too frightened to do more than notice the anomaly; I didn't even guess at a reason. There were small movements as we circled the silent room. The bending woman straightened, twisting at the waist to watch us go. The gesturing man folded his arms across his chest. All eyes narrowed, and all faces tightened into expressions of rage. However, no one moved toward us, and no one spoke. Whatever Kyle and the others had told these people about their confrontation with Jeb, it seemed to have had the effect Jeb was hoping for. As we passed through the grove of human statues, I recognized Sharon and Maggie eyeing us from the wide mouth of one opening. Their expressions were blank, their eyes cold. They did not look at me, only Jeb. He ignored them. It felt like years later when we finally reached the far side of the cavern. Jeb headed for a medium-sized exit, black against the brightness of this room. The eyes on my back made my scalp tingle, but I didn't dare to look behind me. The humans were still silent, but I worried that they might follow. It was a relief to slip into the darkness of the new passageway. Jeb's hand touched my elbow to guide me, and I did not shrink away from it. The babble of voices didn't pick up again behind us. â€Å"That went better than I expected,† Jeb muttered as he steered me through the cave. His words surprised me, and I was glad I didn't know what he'd thought would happen. The ground sloped downward under my feet. Ahead, a dim light kept me from total blindness. â€Å"Bet you've never seen anything like my place here.† Jeb's voice was louder now, back to the chatty tone he'd used before. â€Å"It's really something, isn't it?† He paused briefly in case I might respond, and then went on. â€Å"Found this place back in the seventies. Well, it found me. I fell through the roof of the big room-probably shoulda died from the fall, but I'm too tough for my own good. Took me a while to find a way out. I was hungry enough to eat rock by the time I managed it. â€Å"I was the only one left on the ranch by then, so I didn't have anyone to show it to. I explored every nook and cranny, and I could see the possibilities. I decided this might be a good card to keep up my sleeve, just in case. That's how we Stryders are-we like to be prepared.† We passed the dim light-it came from a fist-sized hole in the ceiling, making a small circle of brightness on the floor. When it was behind us, I could see another spot of illumination far ahead. â€Å"You're probably curious as to how this all got here.† Another pause, shorter than the last. â€Å"I know I was. I did a little research. These are lava tubes-can you beat that? This used to be a volcano. Well, still is a volcano, I expect. Not quite dead, as you'll see in a bit. All these caves and holes are bubbles of air that got caught in the cooling lava. I've put quite a bit of work into it over the last few decades. Some of it was easy-connecting the tubes just took a little elbow grease. Other parts took more imagination. Did you see the ceiling in the big room? That took me years to get right.† I wanted to ask him how, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. Silence was safest. The floor began to slant downward at a steeper angle. The terrain was broken into rough steps, but they seemed secure enough. Jeb led me down them confidently. As we dropped lower and lower into the ground, the heat and humidity increased. I stiffened when I heard a babble of voices again, this time from ahead. Jeb patted my hand kindly. â€Å"You'll like this part-it's always everyone's favorite,† he promised. A wide, open arch shimmered with moving light. It was the same color as the light in the big room, pure and white, but it flickered at a strange dancing pace. Like everything else that I couldn't understand in this cavern, the light frightened me. â€Å"Here we are,† Jeb said enthusiastically, pulling me through the archway. â€Å"What do you think?†

Unit 3 Case Project Questions Example

Unit 3 Case Project Questions Example Unit 3 Case Project Questions – Coursework Example Unit 3 Case Project for IPCE Network Upgrade This document examines a case project where a company called IPCEaims to upgrade their network. Part 1 of this document explores whether replacing hubs with switches makes the network faster. It also explores whether the use of routers between each switch will improve performance, as well as other configuration options IPCE may consider. Part 2 of this document explores whether hardware needs for upgrading the networks have been met. This is under the assumption that IPCE has ordered 9 Cisco 2600 routers and 10 Cisco 1900 routers. IPCE is also assumed to grow by 100% over the next five years. Part 3 of this document proposes a VLAN solution for the broadcast domains. This includes router interface details, switch interface details, network address for each network segment and indicates the number of possible hosts per network.Keywords: Local Area Network, Virtual Local Area NetworkUnit 3 Case Project for IPCE Network Upgrade A company call ed IPCE decides to upgrade their LAN configuration from 5 hubs and one router to one that implements 10 switches. The company wants to divide their ten departments into separate entities, with routers between each switch. Therefore, this divides the broadcast domains between the switches (Caballero, 2003). IPCE Company is unsure of how to implement their ideas; thus, they employ Windows Networks for consulting services.Part 1Will Replacing the Hubs with Switches Make the Network Faster? Why or Why Not? If hubs are replaced with switches, the performance of the network segments improves significantly. Frames coming into the network segment are duplicated to all devices ports regardless of whether the host requested them or not, thus, increasing network activity. Hubs share bandwidth between multiple devices connected to its ports such that if many devices are transmitting data, the bandwidth is distributed among the devices. Hubs also use a half-duplex transmission mode (Caballero, 2 003). Switches, on the other hand, can detect the device with which data needs to be transmitted to, thus, minimizing network traffic. The full bandwidth in switches is available to all ports at the same rate. Also, switches use a full duplex transmission mode.Will having a Router between Each Switch Improve Performance? Why or why Not? Performance is improved. This is because the routers share the backlog of having to route network traffic, by perhaps working with a backbone router to produce an efficient routing table.What other options for configuring its network should IPCE consider? IPCE should consider using a hierarchical routing mechanism where routing levels are determined by how the company intends to structure its departments and for future expansion.Part 2 Will the hardware IPCE have ordered meet their needs? If not, what would you suggest? The hardware ordered is not enough. IPCE should order 1 or more Cisco 2600 router. This is to ensure that the initial requirement th at each network segment maintain its broadcast segment is met. Other routers may be used to implement Hierarchical routing.Part 3The assumption here is that internet connection is through router 1, perhaps the IT department. ReferencesCaballero, J. M. (2003). Installation and maintenance of SDH/SONET, ATM, xDSL, and synchronization networks. Boston, Mass. [u.a.: Artech House.

Flowers fo Algernon essays

Flowers fo Algernon essays This book was very confusing in the beggining.BeforeI read a book I usally skim Through it real fast.When I skimmed through this one,I saw a whole bunch of spellingerrors,and it didn't have a summary on the back of the bookto tell you what it's about. I soon learned it was about a retarded adult namedCharlie Gordon,writing to his doctor,Dr Stauss.Dr.Stauss is experimenting on him to make him be smarter.Charlie works at bakery,as a janitor.He thinks he has alot of freinds their,butthey really are just making fun of him.Charlie just doesn't know.He hopes to be smart some day,just like the other kids,so he doesn't hesitate for a moment to cooperatein a radical experiment to increase his intellegence. Algernon is a mouse that Charlie is amazed at the tasks he can perform.He is also very supersticious. As days go by,Charlie starts to make more and morecorrections in his writing.He also gets more mad at Algernon,because he keeps beating Charlie in all the tests.He later starts to notice how beatiful Alice Kinnian is.He can't get her off his mind.She likes May 20th,he got fired from his job,but the Welberg Foundation has begunpaying him a salary out of grant so he doesn't have to go looking for a job.His sister isn't very nice to him. His qoute,"Listen,the best of them have been smug and patronizing-using me to make themselves superior and secure in their own limitations.Anyone can feel intelligent besides a moron." October 5th was the day when Charlie snapped.He told Dr.Stauss he didn't want to take these tests anymore.He even ripped apart the white binder with alot of information.The tests made him so much smarter,now he's loosing it.He starts making more errors in his writing.He lost alot of his knowledge.Algernon died at the end of the story. ...

Leadership and Team Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership and Team - Assignment Example She even scores high in conscientiousness because she is efficient and well organized as the case informs that she is the first to be at the meeting and she takes the initiative of setting the entire meeting room. She even scores high in extraversion as she is quite energetic in nature, for example: she has already obtained the acceptance from her finance team for the project. She also scores high in agreeableness as she is quite friendly with others such as Laura as she listens to Laura’s family issues and even inquires about those issues. 2. There are two kinds of self monitors, one are those who are regarded as high self monitors and others are regarded as self monitors. Those who are high self monitors keep an eye on the social setting they are situated in and after analyzing the social setting, they alter themselves to fit in the social setting. Laura has a low self monitoring tendency as she does not really care about the setting she is in and she exhibits what she reall y is. For example: In a business meeting she starts talking about the health condition of her child and the issues she is facing at home with Alan. Secondly, she is ready to pour in ideas without being concerned whether those ideas will fit the situation or not. She does not care about the feedback of others and is ready to jump in any conversation as a person who has lower level of self monitoring does. 3. The group is in the storming stage of the group development stages. In this stage, different members have conflict with each other (Jacobs 38). For example: there is a conflict between Amanda and Alan within the case. Although Alan has already gained the green light from her finance team on the project, Amanda still wants her finance team to analyze the project and wants to obtain a green light from them. Secondly, there is struggle for power clearly evident in the case as both Amanda and Alan are trying to lead the team and even the roles of different team members are not clear as Laura inquires whether Alan is the leader of the team. Alan is even fighting for power as she states that even though officially she has not been made the leader, but since her team came up with the project, so she is the leader. 4. The group is not going to experience and at the moment it is not experiencing the issue of group think as the case states that even though Alan had gained acceptability from her finance team, Amanda still wants to confirm from her finance team. But certain incidences of group thinking have taken place, for example: acceptance of Laura’s suggestion for the song that will be played with the television commercial. The group is surely going to face the issue of social loafing as the size of the group is quite huge and except Amanda, Laura and Alan, other group members have failed to contribute much. In order to save the group from facing the threat of social loafing the group leader has to create an environment where all team members can contribute and by obtaining suggestions regarding the project form every team member. 5. The organizational structure is a very healthy one as it is a bottom up structure where those who are in the lower sections of the organization are taken into consideration while decisions are made. This is witness able from the fact that Alan came up with the project which was then approved by the top level management and even Alan got a heads up from its finance department. This shows that the top level management is dependent on the lower level management for decision making. This kind of structure can be proved to be very fruitful for the organization as the lower

Genetic Counseling--Christian Perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Genetic Counseling--Christian Perspective - Essay Example Preparations for Hemophila can be life saving for the child (Lehrman, 1998). If the child is cut, the parent does not waste time trying to stop the blood. Counseling after the child is born until they reach adulthood can also be helpful. An early diagnosis helps the parent and child cope with their illness. Abortion is murder, but so is euthanasia. Reputable doctors do not counsel people to commit suicide or perform euthanasia on an ill patient. What makes an unborn baby with an illness that is not even certain different? Genetic testing cannot give 100% yes or no answers. Even if the child has one of the above conditions, genetic testing cannot predict symptoms or severity of the disease (Rutter). No Christian counselor can condone abortion. Under the law, they cannot prevent abortions, but it is a Christian genetic counselor’s duty counsel against termination of pregnancy. A Christian genetic counselor cannot deny Biblical teachings. The Bible states â€Å"thou shalt not kill† (Exodus 20:13, King James Version). To counsel a woman to have an abortion would be under any circumstances wrong. The Christian counselor must reinforce man’s way is not God’s. A child with a genetic defect can be healed by God, but a sick child can also be a blessing. Even if the parents go ahead with the abortion, maybe later in life the parents can be convicted by what the counselor witnesses today. Either way God will bless the counselor for relying on His

Communication Justice, Rights and Law class task 1 Case Study

Communication Justice, Rights and Law class task 1 - Case Study Example According to Article 33, it is the countrys responsibility to discourage racial, parochial, sectarian, tribal, and provincial discrimination among the citizens. In this case, Kinyua (2014) asserts that the citizens in context are Muslim citizens. As it has been indicated above, Pakistan is a Muslim country where every person within the confinement of her territories, including Asia Bibi and her family, are required to heed to these provisions. The fact of this matter is that Asia Bibi was living within the Pakistan’s territories. In this case, she was under the laws and regulations that governed the nation. In this case, it is reported that she insulted her fellow workers in the name of Islam. Accordingly, she takes water from the same well as the Muslims. Not only did she commit the heinous act, but also she professed her religion (Christianity) by indicating that it is superior that Islamic. According to the evidence presented during the proceeding, Asia Bibi committed a capital crime of blaspheming prophet Mohamed. All these offences committed by Asia Bibi carry specified punishments according to â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code†¦..†, Bryant (2009). The penal code provides f or 3 years imprisonment for making any sound or uttering of any word or making any gesture with deliberate intent of hurting the religious feelings of other persons. In addition, mandatory Death sentence and fine are provided in section 295C for any person who uses derogatory remarks, written, spoken, indirectly, or directly defiles or blasphemes the name of Muhammad. Furthermore, the section affirms that the presiding judge in this matter should be a Muslim faithful and the witness presented by non-Muslims will carry less weight in such proceedings. In this case, Asia Bibi was legally and properly convicted of the blasphemy charges and hence the death sentence issued and the fine imposed was done according to the provision of the law,

Free

Free Will Essay Essay Many people in the western world hold very dear the idea of independence, that they can think freely, choose freely, and express themselves freely. This all is connected to the idea of free will that many believe is what makes us human. Many people cannot, however, define free will. There is always the feeling that one can do whatever he/she wants. That is probably why this idea is such a pleasing concept. There is just one serious flaw in the free will concept. People cannot determine everything; there are some things, even before one is born, that determines who he will be in the future. Since people do not choose their parents, or the nationality of their family this creates a serious flaw in the free will concept. Now if people were able to choose these sorts of things they would be gods. It is not up to people to choose their skin colour, nationality etc. When one looks at this issue the concept of soft determinism is probably the safest solution to answer this problem. Since in this concept there are things determined for people, if one knows what he is doing, and the choice is not, in any way, forced by the circumstances the action that he is performing is free. (Roberts 2012) It means that even though one does not have full control over his life, meaning that one does not determine anything before he is born, people are still able to make conscious choices given that the circumstances allow it, fore example, like I am going to do this tonight, or I am visiting this person tomorrow, but these are simple choices, while there are others that you cant choose freely, like external forces have control over it than your own free will. On a smaller scale, who one person might become is really decided by the governments, society, and religions. Religions restrict the activities and freedom of those who follow it and live under its rules, just like in other countries, people are slaves to their political system. On a similar note and this is a very rare and cruel case, in countries ruled by dictators the rulers determine whether people live or not. Next comes the laws created by the governments, usually they restrict certain activities that people have to do. Also, governments make rules, regulations and legislation that determine what people will have to do. Lastly, societies impact the freedom and choices of the person who lives and interact within that society, because his choices are limited. There are many factors that would prove that free will doesn’t exist; religion is the most undecided one of them all. In the Bible particularly, many sources suggest that everybody that believes in God already has his faith determined. Various quotations, starting in the Old Testament, state that people already have their paths determined for them. In the letter to Ephesians St. Paul writes In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:11, Jerusalem Bible). It clearly says that if one believes in God and Jesus Christ has his life determined. In another letter to Thessalonians Paul writes that from the beginning â€Å"Because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation† (2 Thessalonians 2:13). This clearly emphasizes the previous point that everyone who believes in God will has his life determined as one of the chosen people who will be saved by God. This is true for every religion, however it relates to salvation only, not man’s ability to choose his own path. In the very first book of the Old Testament one can interpret the fact that we are created in God’s image, therefore we posses God’s ability to be free (Genesis 1: 26, Jerusalem Bible). Staying with the Bible, in the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve, against God’s will ate the fruit of knowing good and evil. This in itself is a proof that humans can see what is right and wrong and therefore choose for themselves whether they want to be on one side or the other. â€Å"So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God† (Romans 14:12, Jerusalem Bible) tells people that everyone will have to, in his own heart and soul, give God the account of his own actions! On another note, the Qur’an is often wrongly interpreted as being based on determinism. This is false; if a life of a Muslim was determined for him/her at birth there would be no point in him/her trying to find out the nature of his sin, Allah would not have had to send prophets to teach his people the way, because all their actions would be already determined by them (Gorjian 2010). This suggests that, as far a religion goes people are free to do as they feel is right. This however does not justify the fact that governments take away this freedom from their citizens. Governments taking away freedom from their subjects can be traced back in history, and one the greatest examples for this would be the war of ideologies known as World War II. Political systems are based on ideas like fascism which helped Germans in their economic crisis, communism overthrew the Tzars in Russia which gave the proletariat all the influence they needed, while liberalism promised freedom. This all seems perfect, however, as it is all well known, there were flaws in each of those systems. Nazis under Hitler were only nice to a great portion of Germans as they were trying to create the master race. All others: Slavs, Roma, Jews were hated and discriminated against. In occupied Poland Nazis closed schools, denied access to education, confiscated automobiles, (Cosby 2010) houses, land and riches. The Only secondary education available was trade school which trained youth for a specific job denying them the opportunity to express themselves in different fields. They took away people’s freedom putting them in concentration camps and Ghettos; death camps like Auschwitz detained not necessarily Jews but also Poles, Czechs, Gypsies and even Germans (Biega 1996). For the sake of creating the master race they were determined to kill and enslave, even their own people which meant that one could not choose his affiliation freely, he was either with or against Hitler. In Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution aristocrats were condemned to death. In democratic, liberal countries the process of taking away free will is different. But sticking with the systems; theory of taking away human rights, one has to talk about people operating the machine of terror. Behind every tyranny there is a tyrant including Hitler and Stalin who are probably the most reviled dictators with a very bad reputation. Out of all the evildoers in the world, they were the most remembered for imposing their will on hundreds and thousands of people leaving a stain that makes saying their name in public an awkward thing. Their acts are known to all who knows the history of the 20th century. Their actions caused a lot of distress, killing and exploiting people, imprisoning innocents and denouncing everybody simple rights, no matter if he was a friends or foes. Nobody was allowed to publically speak their minds, people could be killed for any simple reason. Both of them used concentration and death camps where people would be stripped of their freedoms and their rights did not exist and their bodies were exploited for hard labour or experiments. In these countries dictators were the law. Now if one looks at a country like North Korea with Kim Il Sung, the previous leader of the nation, he denied people rights of information, freedom of press or freedom of speech. He ordered the whole nation to be brainwashed to believe he was god. Aside from being an attack on one’s free will it was an attack on one’s understanding of the world. When the supreme leader died, people fell into chaos as they did not know what will happen the next day, if there was a next day. Kim Il Sung took away not only their freedom, but also their whole world. These are things that would be unthinkable in a democratic society. In democratic states laws are a fundamental part of the society. People are afraid of anarchy more than they are scared to lose their rights even though these laws are just written statements of already known moral facts. It is logical that killing someone is immoral, stealing is wrong; all sorts of sexual act are cruel for the victim. Laws are supposed to protect people and make sure that others are shielded from the evildoers who break the law. There is a difference though between punishing someone for what he has done and changing the laws to suit someone’s personal goal. Looking at the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001. The aftermath of this horrible event sparked even more terrible actions taken by the lawmakers. The Patriot Act was something that unjustifiably took away peoples’ rights to act free not for something that they have done but rather something they might, maybe, probably be doing. The Patriot Act targeted many innocent people who were under suspicion of being terrorists not because they took part in terrorist training, but rather because they were of a certain skin colour or race. An initiative was put together by editorial cartoonists to present the very hurtful truth of how freedom was taken away through laws. Thus, for example Lalo Alcaraz created a cartoon that presents President Bush saying that liberty is secured while on another panel the Statue of Liberty is seen in prisoner outfit handcuffed and presented like detainees from Guantanamo Bay, commentary is unnecessary for this one. Another work by Clay Bennett demonstrates workers using materials from house labelled privacy to build a fence around this house which was labelled security. What the author was trying to present is the scandal with phone calls being listened to in order to prevent another attack while trying to listen for any terrorist activity (USA Patriot Art Show). The types of activities presented in the previous argument are shunned upon by many people because they invade their privacy and freedom. On the other hand laws and regulations with the word ‘freedom’ in them are very highly thought of by citizens since they are an assurance of their freedom and ability to express it. Laws, such as the freedom of speech, freedom of information, and freedom of religious expression or sexual expression, are important, they work as a manifestation of country’s liberty. How is it than that many of these laws, even though they say freedom, do not really give people the right to exercise these rights freely? That is because they contradict with many other rights granted by the government. And so one has the freedom of speech yet he cannot say racist things or anti-homosexual slurs as it violates the anti hate speech law. This is a very big and unsubordinated flaw on the part of the governments if they are able to pass two contradicting laws. If they do that hen freedom of speech is not so free anymore and takes away one’s ability to say whatever he wants, no matter how offensive or inappropriate it is. However, as much as we can see governments and religions as factors that manipulate or free will, society can be considered one of the biggest factors too. Society, the people we interact with, live by, and see everyday, those are the ones that constraint your choices and free will. Society even though it is not shown clearly, it still forces the individual to forget about making free choices that will deviate him/her from the norm. destructive attitudes such as racial prejudice, attitudes can lead our thoughts and actions. Social influences can affect human behaviour by changing our attitudes. So, actions like what i just mentioned affect our choices, and limits the options we have to choose from in life. Society can limit the ways you think, behave, choose, act, and develop, which makes it the perfect tool to completely strip away someones freedom without showing that its forcing this freedom to be taken away, basically, how society works is it makes us think we are free willed, but we are not free to choose what we want to do. There was enough said in this essay, maybe even too much. There were a lot of thoughts meant to be conveyed and views to be shared. There is only hope that one might understand the fact that governments don’t have to be evil fascist dictatorships or communist oppressors to control its citizens. Even though we may feel like we have complete control over our free will, there are external forces that impact the way we make our choices and the the paths we choose. Societies, religions, and governments are the major part of these external forces that manipulate our choices and our free will, so in the end, this idea of complete free will might be an illusion since humans are controlled by and external force whether it be government, religion or the society and individual lives in. â€Å"Because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation† (2 Thessalonians 2:13, New Revised Standard Version) In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:11, Jerusalem Bible) In the very first book of the Old Testament one can interpret the fact that we are created in God’s image, therefore we posses God’s ability to be free (Genesis 1: 26, Jerusalem Bible) â€Å"So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God† (Romans 14:12, Jerusalem Bible).