Graduation Speech: Its All About the Lives We Touch :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

To be honest, I felt daunted by the task of attempting to sum up the future and, what few key points could I focus on that everyone could relate to and take interest in? After a few weeks of thinking about it, the answer struck meabsolutely nothing. With that in mind, the task became easier, for I no longer aimed to impress but to advise, no longer to appease but to guide. The final result was much more personal and thoughtful than I had ever intended.I asked around to my friends, When you think of the future, what one word pops into your mind first?One practical senior replied technology. He is, of course, quite right. It is insufferable to classify what specific advancements await the world in the near future, but it is important to realize that with the power to change the planet through a microchip or one single stem cell, comes the burden of great responsibility. Because of this, Americas youth, us, needs to be more ethically attuned than ever before. We must weigh the outcome , the possibility for acclaim and money, unendingly with the ethics of the means. It is only with a balance of technological advancement and morality that this country will move forward and prosper. Marian Wright Edelman succinctly explained, If we believe in it, if we have faith in it, if we dream it, if we struggle for it, and if we refuse to give up, we can make America a place where truly no peasant is left behind. What good does it matter for us to be the richest, most powerful nation on earth and lose our soul?An honest friend of exploit replied fear when asked about the future. Truthfully, most of us here today are just a little bit afraid. Graduates youre moving on to new and various things. Families youre watching them do it. At this leaping-off point, a hand to hold is both a comfort and a guide. Should that hand grip too tightly, however, the spirit becomes shackled. It is impossible to learn, to explore, discover, and to grow under the constant protection of anothers wing. Going it alone inspires imagination and resourcefulness. A mind accustomed to the direction of others, one that is employ to being told what and when to feel, cannot learn the art of free will. Lastly, over sheltering infringes upon the development of the soul, an incarceration that leads to inner turmoil.

Sophies Heart/By Lori Wick :: essays research papers

Sophies Heart, by Lori Wick, is the story of Sophie, an educated young woman who moves from her homeland, Czechoslovakia, to America where she becomes a housekeeper for a loneyly young widower and his three children. This book takes place mainly in Wisconsin in the 1990s. Sophie moved from Czechoslovakia to American and became employed as a housekeeper for Alec Riley. She grew to complete his three children and gradually her love extended to Alec himself, who returned her love with his own. Near the end of this novel, Sophie and Alec get married. Sophie Velikonja, a twenty-year old young woman, moved to America when her name was called on the request list to leave Czechoslovakia. She had not wanted to leaver her beloved grandmother, but her grandmother insisted upon staying behind. Sophie moved to Chicago where she acquired a job as a waitress in a city restaurannt. A devout Christian, Sophie began attending church as soon as she could and met a friendly woman named Janet Ring. Jan ets brother, Alec Riley had latterly become a widower when his young wife, Venessa, died in a tragic car accident. She suggested to him that he employ a housekeeper. After having met Sophie, Janet recommended the quiet, hard-working young woman to Alec. Alec, by and by some hesitation and tought, interviewed Sophie and hired her. Sophie lived in a small apartment over Rileys garage and cooked and cleaned for Alec and his three children, Rita (age 17), Craig (age 13), and Tory ( age10). Sophie and the children ended up becoming very close. At first, the children looked down on her with her accent, but when they eventurally learned that Sophie had mastered five other languages and had worked as a translator in her native land, they changed their opinion. Life was not without bereavement for Sophie. She desperately missed her beloved grandmother and she also faced problems with Vanessas mother, who seemed to resent the fact that someone had come to do the same duties her daughter ha d done. As she and the Riley children grew closer, Sophie began to find oneself their handsome father, Alec. At first, she didnt admit to herself that she was interested in him, but when Alec began to show an interest in her, Sophie began to seriously look at him. At first, she was concerned that she would be merely a replacement for Vanessa, but as she and Alec grew closer, he made it very clear to her that he loved her for who she was.

The Automatic Transmission and Decline of Western Morals :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Automatic Transmission and Decline of Western Morals When first struck with this notion, that the automatic transmission has caused the decline of Western morals, I was pumped-up and ready to go. I couldve written the whole thing right then and there, sans research, sans forethought, sans plan. But then, what I thought to be the better angel of my reputation kicked in and said that the responsible thing to do was to do research. Despite my future onerousies, I still think this to be the right course of action. What I wanted for the essay on automatic transmissions was automatic writing. The problems began to set in when it came time to actually do that research. I didnt wanna. Days stretched into weeks. Weeks into more weeks. The bloom was saturnine the rose the research just seemed similar too much go bad-too much work on top of teaching, on top of domestic responsibilities. After more weeks, I realized that it was, in fact the automobile that I was at the time driving th at influenced my attitude and created my lethargy. You see, due to a problem with my wifes car-an automatic-that made it difficult for her to drive, I was using it for my daily commute. After only a single week of driving her automatic-equipped car, I had lost all desire to do anything I, like America, had become shiftless. The trend actually started before Oldsmobile marketed the first automatic in 1940 (Stick Shifts 4A). An ad for the 1939 model Chevrolet promises a Perfected Vacuum Gear-Shift that does 80% of the work of shifting gears, beginning the trend to automobiles that were increasingly easier to operate (General Motors 31). This ad is echoed by rival Plymouth in the same(p) issue of Time magazine Perfected outside Control Shifting. . . with Auto-Mesh Transmission. Much Easier (Chrysler 1). The implications are clear even before the debauchery we associate with the 1960s, American values were beginning to crack the idea that one should do things for oneself were beginning to be questioned by Madison Avenue, and, within a decade-and-a-half, by America itself. We dont, of course, associate the late 1930s with licentiousness, but our history-or our memories-deceive us. In the exact same issue of Time magazine that we find the telltale ads described above, we find a short report on the Golden Gate International expounding of 1939. What makes this fair,

Essay --

Chinese Workers Their Thoughts, Ideas, and SpiritAlthough many have doubts that Chinese workers work in conditions like prisons, they ar keep mum testamenting to work. Often these workers remain optimistic about their spirit they n eer give up. Also, they never complain about their suffering in the factories. These depictions of the positive aspects of factories are never shown in the media. However, Leslie Chang discovers the true opinions of Chinese manufactory workers. In her speech, The Voices of Chinas Workers, Leslie Chang describes the eagerness of the Chinese worker and their apathetic response towards their working conditions.Chang tells the true reason why the Chinese people leave their homes to work in the factories. Chang offers three reasons for leaving home and seeking a job far away. First, workers are eager to consider new skills (Chang). Most factory workers come from the poorest areas of China these villages have no education, industry, or economy. They are j ust farmers (Chang), who cannot do any another(prenominal) jobs. As a result, nearly 153 million rural migrants (Smith) work outside of their hometowns in China. Secondly, Chinese workers work in factories to earn money (Chang). Because many factory workers come from rural areas in China, they are faced with the challenges of reality. They have many concerns such as, how much money I can save? How much will it take to buy an apartment or a car, to get married, or to put my child through school (Chang). Compared to the urban areas, salaries are far take down (Perlin) in the rural regions. Therefore, they travel to big factory cities like Dongguan, China. Lastly, Chinese factory workers want to see the world (Chang). In the impoverished provinces such as Henan, Hubei, and... ...earch. When I first went to Dongguan, I worried that it would be depressing to spend so much time with workers. I also worried that nothing would ever happen to them, or that they would have nothing to say t o me. Instead, I found young women who were smart and funny and brave and generous (Chang). Chang creates and solves her own fallacy. Her speech proves that the Chinese workers value money and family more than the actual conditions or purpose of the job. The media shows the negative parts of Chinese factories, like the suicide nets (Perlin). However, the most important thing is to learn new skills and make new money, eventually returning to the village for good (What Do Chinas Workers Want?). Chinese workers want the world to notice they desire a successful life through their hard work they are not afraid of the challenge and they will never give up.

Fathers and Sons in Dead Poets Society :: Essays Papers

Fathers and Sons in Dead Poets Society A father is perhaps the most important role model to his son. The dominant culture states that when a son is young, he looks to his father for help in identifying his role in society as a man. As the boy grows older, he looks to his father for guidance as to what course he should take in life. The boy becomes a man, and takes care of his father when he grows old and decrepit. This ideology is best shown on the classic telly show, Leave it to Beaver. Mr. Cleaver is always deliver and understanding, willing to help his two sons, Wally and Beaver, through any problem they might face. In the present day political arena, a good demonstration of this status quo is the Bush dynasty. Ex-president George Bush set good morals and gave his son the nurturing needed to one day follow in his footsteps as president of the United States. However, era this stereotype of the perfect father is ideal, it is not realistic. Many times, the father f igure in a sons life is unsmooth or absent. When the father is not a typical role model to his son, the son suffers strong psychological repercussions and grows to hate and despise his father. This problem appears in present day society in the news, television and specifically, in film. In the movie Dead Poets Society, directed by Peter Weir, overbearing and absent fathers make prohibit impacts on their sons development during adolescence. Fatherhood is a common experience for adult men. More than 90 percent of all men get married and of that percentage, 90 percent have children (Snarey 3). John Snarey writes that there are five elements that all fathers must apply to their parenting. First, the father must be present at childbirth. This sets the gift for the fathers involvement in childcare for years to come. If the father is not present at the delivery, he is more likely to not be present while the child grows up. Second, the father must be home and available to their child while they are awake. On average, mothers are available three times the make sense that fathers are to their children (Snarey 33).

Fathers and Sons in Dead Poets Society :: Essays Papers

Fathers and Sons in Dead Poets Society A father is perhaps the most important role model to his son. The dominant culture states that when a son is young, he looks to his father for help in identifying his role in society as a man. As the boy grows older, he looks to his father for guidance as to what course he should take in life. The boy becomes a man, and takes care of his father when he grows old and decrepit. This ideology is best shown on the classic television show, Leave it to Beaver. Mr. Cleaver is always front and understanding, willing to help his two sons, Wally and Beaver, through any problem they might face. In the present day governmental arena, a good demonstration of this status quo is the Bush dynasty. Ex-president George Bush set good morals and gave his son the nurturing needed to one day follow in his footsteps as president of the United States. However, plot of land this stereotype of the perfect father is ideal, it is not realistic. Many tim es, the father figure in a sons life is coarse or absent. When the father is not a typical role model to his son, the son suffers strong psychological repercussions and grows to hate and despise his father. This problem appears in present day society in the news, television and specifically, in film. In the movie Dead Poets Society, directed by Peter Weir, overbearing and absent fathers make forbid impacts on their sons development during adolescence. Fatherhood is a common experience for adult men. More than 90 percent of all men get married and of that percentage, 90 percent have children (Snarey 3). John Snarey writes that there are five elements that all fathers must apply to their parenting. First, the father must be present at childbirth. This sets the detail for the fathers involvement in childcare for years to come. If the father is not present at the delivery, he is more likely to not be present while the child grows up. Second, the father must be home and available to their child while they are awake. On average, mothers are available three times the core that fathers are to their children (Snarey 33).

Spin Masters Toys Case Write-Up

MG 640 Spin overshadow Toys (A) Finding A Manufacturer for E-Chargers 1. ) Executive Summary Spin maitre dhotel Toys core competencies are commercializeing and pitch harvestive cons to market. Alex Perez should choose Wah Shing and utilize their core competencies of manufacturing electronic toys. Electronic components can be difficult to acquire therefore Wah Shings relationships with suppliers ordain be beneficial. despatch to market is key, therefore Wah Shing has the best capabilities to meet Spin traverse delivery commits Building long-term supplier relationship with Wah Shing is imperative if Spin know decides to bind in the electronic toy industry. 2. ) My assessment of the process Spin master has used to get to this point is, they are really wakeless at ontogenesis good relationships with retailers, investors and have in-depth knowledge of research and development of various toys. Spin police captains has expertise in developing low technology fad toys and di stri plainlying them to retailers quickly.Spin Masters lacks engine room and manufacturing capabilities and therefore its necessary to outsource both(prenominal). The company used their own grassroots marketing campaigns to stimulate interest in their toys. Spin Masters has a botched process when it comes to the manufacturing and delivery of their toys. This end process appears to incessantly be a scramble especially as they enter the electronic toys market. Since electronic toys are new to Spin Master, they should have utilized an early supplier involvement strategy.A company like Wah Shing early on could help them with the engineering and development from an early stage and then manufacture the plane for Spin Master Toys. Spin masters is good at marketing and bringing creative toys to market, whereas a company like Wah Shing has expertise in engineering and manufacturing of electronic toys. In short, its best to take one companys weaknesses and mate them up with a nonher(prenom inal) companys core competencies. 3. ) As Alex Perez, of the two potential suppliers, I would choose Wah Shing. Wah Shings core competencies include the engineering and manufacturing of various electronic toys.Spin Masters gets to find a manufacturer who is capable of providing high quality products in a short time span. Wah Shing has a very large rapidness which includes 6 engineers, 3,500 total employees and is the preferred electronic toy manufacturer for some of the largest companies in the toy industry. With that said, Wah Shing has a reputation for the manufacturing of high quality electronic toys. one and save(a) of the biggest obstacles I currently face is getting E-Chargers to market on time to obtain the first mover advantage. Wah Shing has only 20% of its manufacturing capacity available but that is still a lot of freed up space for E-Chargers.The company could possibly devote a total of 700 employees (20% of 3,500 employees) to focus only on the manufacturing of E-Ch argers. Currently, Spin Master needs a total of 20,000 units therefore each employee would be responsible for a total of 29 E-Chargers. Since many of the smaller components are sourced from other companies, this appears to be an achievable milestone to meet for the December deadline. In considering Wah Shing as a supplier for E-Chargers, cost and pecuniary risk needs to be taken into ac reckon. Wah Shing has yearly revenues of nearly $40 million, which is over $10 million more(prenominal) than other Hong Kong competitors.Without knowing any further details, it is safe to assume Wah Shing is in good pecuniary health due to their proven track record with Hasbro and Tiger. There does not appear to be any indicators that Wah Shing has or will have any financial burdens in the near future. In terms of cost, Wah Shing appears to be slightly more expensive than Wai Lung. The per unit difference is about $. 32-$. 37 (HK$2. 45-HK$2. 83) depending on the container load. Wah Shing also incl udes minute components such as the motor and the capacitor in their pricing quote where Wai Lung does not.This can be due to the fact that Wai Lung does not have a received supply base in line for electronic components. I am faced with stringent time constraints and therefore I cannot risk any workable supply disruptions. As for Wah Shing they have developed good supplier relationships with electrical component suppliers. This is crucial as the components used in E-Chargers are not always readily available. Wah Shing has minimal financial risk, competitive pricing and more knowledge of the componentry that E-Chargers entail.Wah Shing has produced other complex electronic toys and therefore would have the processes and technological capabilities to produce an E-Charger inwardly the stringent tolerances. It would be hard for me to change Wai Lungs core competencies of die-casting and plastic toys. I do not think with the time Im mete out I would be able to overcome the knowledge gap they have for electronic toys. Wah Shings engineers have the ability to closely monitor the production of E-Chargers and oppose any problems that may arise in the manufacturing process.It is imperative to have engineers readily available who can help prevent any potential work stoppages as Spin Masters does not have a lot of time to get E-Charges to market. Lastly, after careful consideration I noticed Hasbro does have relationships with both Wai Lung and Wah Shing. Hasbro has contracted less complex toys to Wai Lung as thats their core business and more complex electronic toys to Wah Shing. This has further imbedded that knowledge is power especially when it comes to more complex toys.Lastly, after careful consideration Spin Master Toys has invested heavily in E-Chargers and its my responsibility to ensure the correct supplier is chosen. Another find factor that I had noticed is Wai Lung is only at 40% capacity whereas Wah Shing is at 80% capacity. If E-Chargers really take o ff as planned, I need to engage in a longer-term supplier relationship. This is especially true since Spin Master is aligned with introducing a full line of E-Chargers. While Harary was visiting Wai Lung, he mentioned that they had lost a significant portion of their business due to a disagreement with a large toy company.I realized that Wai Lung may not be our best option as they dont have a proven track record especially with a large toy company. This could possibly be the result of so much capacity becoming available. Harary also advised that Wai Lung may not be in a stance to take on new projects in the short term. Spin Masters E-Charger does not appear to be a good fit for Wai Lung as they need as much attention as possible to expedite their products through the manufacturing process. 4. ) In implementing my decision to have Wah Shing be the supplier of choice for E-Chargers, I would first have to close the loop of management communication.My main focus is to be the first to ma rket with E-Chargers and in doing so I need to make pass with senior leadership at Wah Shing. I believe messages and priorities are best delivered from the top down, so I need to get my message to the top. Wah Shing currently has a lot of work in house, so even if Spin Masters has to pay expedite charges it will be well worth it if we get to market first. Also, not only would I like to meet senior leadership personally I would like to have our two project managers based in Hong Kong meet them as well. This is a starting point in creating a personal relationship with key contacts of Wah Shing.The ideal relationship I would like to expose develop would be to have these two managers visit Wah Shing on a regular basis as its only 5 hours away. The next shade in implementing my decision would be to understand how Wah Shing communicates with their customers. I would like to know if they have any electronic data interchange (EDI) capabilities so Spin Master can have daily updates in rea l-time as to the status of their products. Wah Shing delivers quality products, but anything can happen with a newly developed product in the manufacturing process, for example a batch of E-Chargers could possibly weight too much and not fly.Real-time production updates can better align myself and Spin Master Toys to help Wah Shing overcome such issues. Also with the use of such real-time information we can update our customers and provide current status on their orders. over the next six months I have to ensure many tasks are carried out in a timely manner. These tasks include, making sure the quote pile is completed by July 1st, vendor quotes are expedited to meet our July 10th date, and the final design release is on schedule as well. I will be a busy guy and will have to utilize my project management skills.Once all of my preliminary tasks are complete, I will be locomotion to Wah Shing frequently to ensure our E-Chargers are on track for our shipment deadline to retailers. I w ill have to monitor and address the 35-day lead-time for tooling, as this could be an opportunity for us to take some time out of the process. While visiting Wah Shing I will also be addressing key issues such as capacity. I postulate to ensure that Wah Shing is utilizing the right people to our products as we cannot afford to lose any more time.Capacity is very important at this time as were only forecasting 20,000 units right now but we need room to increase our capacity as we ramp up. In the month of November I will be closely monitoring our ramp-up schedule as I do not want any E-charger stock-outs. E-Chargers will be on an end-cap therefore our product will have a lot of visibility to customers. As I said before as Spin Masters and I develop a good working relationship with Wah Shing a lot of the bottlenecks we face with E-Chargers may not occur in the future if we stay in the electronic toys market. Word count 1,647

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 27

Chapter 27The angel and I watched Star Wars for the second quantify on television last night, and I just had to ask. Youve been in Gods presence, right, Raziel?Of course.Do you think he sounds like James Earl J adepts?Whos that?Darth Vader.Raziel listened for a moment while Darth Vader threatened soulfulness. Sure, a little. He doesnt breathe that heavy though.And youve make up ones mindn Gods face.Yes.Is he black?Im non aloneowed to say.He is, isnt he? If he wasnt youd just say he wasnt.Im not allowed to say.He is.He doesnt wear a hat like that, express Raziel.Ah-haAll Im saying is no hat. Thats all Im saying.I knew it.I dont want to watch this anymore. Raziel switched the channel. God (or someone who sounded like him) verbalize, This is CNN.We came up to Jerusalem, in the gate at Bethsaida callight-emitting diode the Eye of the Needle, where you had to duck down to p tush through, out the Golden Gate, through the Kidron Valley, and over the climb up of Olives into Bethan y.We had leftover the chums and Matthew behind because they had jobs, and Bartholomew because he stank. His lack of cleanliness had started to draw attention lately from the local Pharisees in Capernaum and we didnt want to push the issue since we were walking into the lair of the enemy. Philip and Nathaniel sum totaled us on our journey, but stayed behind on the Mount of Olives at a clearing called Gethsemane, where at that place was a small cave and an olive press. Joshua tried to allure me to stay with them, but I insisted.Ill be fine, Joshua said. Its not my time. Jakan wont try any topic, its just dinner.Im not worried rough your safety, Josh, I just want to see Maggie. I did want to see Maggie, but I was worried about Joshuas safety as well. Either way, I wasnt staying behind.Jakan met us at the gate wearing a new white tunic belted with a blue sash. He was stocky, but not as expo puzzle as I expected him to be, and to the highest degree exactly my height. His beard was black and pertinacious, but had been cut straight across about the level of his collarbone. He wore the pointed linen cap worn by galore(postnominal) of the Pharisees, so I couldnt dissever if hed lost any of his hair. The fringe that hung down was dark brown, as were his eyes. The most frightening and perhaps the most surprising thing about him was that there was a spark of intelligence in his eyes. That hadnt been there when we were children. Perhaps s until nowteen years with Maggie had rubbed off on him.Come in, fellow Nazarenes. pleasing to my home. There are some friends in facial expression who wanted to meet you.He led us through the door into a self-aggrandizing great room, large enough in fact to fit any two of the houses we shared at Capernaum. The floor was paved in tile with turquoise and red Mosaic spirals in the corners of the room (no pictures, of course). There was a long Roman- air table at which five other men, all dressed like Jakan, sit. (In Jewish hous eholds the tables were close to the acres and diners reclined on cushions or on the floor around them.) I didnt see Maggie anywhere, but a serving girl brought in large pitchers of water and roll for us to wash our applys in.Let this water stay water, will you, Joshua? Jakan said, smiling. We cant wash in wine.Jakan introduced us to each of the men, adding some sort of elaborate deed to each of their names that I didnt catch, but which indicated, Im sure, that they were all members of the Sanhedrin as well as the Council of Pharisees. Ambush. They received us curtly, then made their way to the water domains to wash their hands beforehand dinner, all of them wat liftg as Joshua and I washed and offered prayer. This, after all, was part of the test.We sat. The water pitchers and bowls were interpreted away by the serving girl, who then brought pitchers of wine.So, said the eldest of the Pharisees, I hear you have been casting demons out of the afflicted in Galilee.Yes, were hav ing a loving Passover week, I said. And you?Joshua kicked me on a lower floor the table. Yes, he said. By the power of my father I have relieved the suffering of some who were plagued by demons.When Joshua said my father of all timey one of them squirmed. I noticed movement in one of the doorways to Jakans back. It was Maggie, making signals and signs like a madwoman, but then Jakan spoke. Attention turned to him and Maggie ducked out of sight.Jakan leaned forward. Some have said that you banish these demons by the power of Beelzebub.And how could I do that? Joshua said, getting a little angry. How could I turn Beelzebub against himself? How can I battle daimon with Satan? A house divided cant stand.Boy, Im starving, I said. Bring on the eats.With the spirit of God I cast out demons, thats how you know the kingdom has keep down.They didnt want to hear that. Hell, I didnt want to hear that, not here. If Joshua claimed to suffer the kingdom, then he was claiming to be the Messia h, which by their way of thinking could be blasphemy, a wickedness punishable by death. It was one thing for them to hear it secondhand, it was quite another to have Joshua say it to their faces. But he, as usual, was unafraid.Some say John the Baptist is the Messiah, said Jakan.Theres nobody better than John, Joshua said. But John doesnt baptize with the Holy Ghost. I do.They all looked at each other. They had no idea what he was talking about. Joshua had been preaching the Divine Spark the Holy Ghost for two years, but it was a new way of looking at God and the kingdom it was a change. These legalists had worked overweight to find their place of power they werent interested in change.Food was put on the table and prayers offered again, then we ate in silence for a while. Maggie was in the doorway behind Jakan again, gesturing with one hand walking over the other, mouthing words that I was supposed to hear. I had something I wanted to give her, but I had to see her in private . It was obvious that Jakan had forbidden her to enter the room.Your disciples do not wash their hands before they eat said one of the Pharisees, a fat man with a scar over his eye.Bart, I thought.Its not what goes into a man that defiles him, Joshua said, its what comes out. He broke off some of the flatbread and dipped it into a bowl of oil.He means lies, I said.I know, said the old Pharisee.You were thinking something disgusting, dont lie.The Pharisees passed the no, your turn, no, its your turn look around the room.Joshua chewed his bread slowly, then said, Why wash the outback(a) of the urn, if theres decay on the inside?Yeah, like you rotting hypocrites I added, with more en henceiasm than was probably called for.Quit dish uping Josh said.Sorry. Nice wine. Manischewitz?My shouting simply stirred them out of their malaise. The old Pharisee said, You consort with demons, Joshua of Nazareth. This Levi was seen to cause blood to come from a Pharisees nose and a knife to break o f its own, and no one nevertheless saw him move.Joshua looked at me, then at them, then at me again. You forget to tell me something?He was being an emrod, so I popped him. (Emrod is the biblical term for hemorrhoid.) I perceive Maggies giggling from the other room.Joshua turned back to the creeps. Levi who is called Biff has studied the art of the soldier in the East, Joshua said. He can move swiftly, but he is not a demon.I stood up. The invitation was for dinner, not a trial.This is no trial, said Jakan, calmly. We have heard of Joshuas miracles, and we have heard that he breaks the Law. We simply want to ask him by whose authority he does these things. This is dinner, otherwise, why would you be here?I was wondering that myself, but Joshua declarationed me by pushing me down in my seat and proceeding to answer their accusations for another two hours, crafting parables and throwing their own piety back in their faces. While Joshua spoke the word of God, I did sleight-of-hand t ricks with the bread and the vegetables, just to mess with them. Maggie came to the doorway and signaled me, pointing crazily to the front door and making threatening, head-bashing gestures which I took to be the consequences for my not under(a)standing her this time.Well, Ive got to go see a man about a camel, if youll excuse me.I stepped out the front door. As currently as I closed it behind me I was hit with the spraying girl-spit of a violently whispering woman.YoustupidsonofabitchwhatthefuckdidyouthinkIwastryingtosaytoyou? She punched me in the arm. Hard.No kiss? I whispered.Where can I meet you, after?You cant. Here, take this. I handed her a small leather pouch. Theres a parchment inside to tell you what to do.I want to see you two.You will. Do what the note says. I have to go back in.You bastard. Punch in the arm. Hard.I forgot what I was doing and entered the house still rubbing my bruised shoulder.Levi, have you injured yourself?No, Jakan, but sometimes I strain a shou lder muscle just shaking this monster off.The Pharisees hated that one. I realized that they were waiting for me to request water so I could go through the whole hand-washing ritual before I sat down to the table again. I stood there, thinking about it, rubbing my shoulder, waiting. How long could it possibly take to read a note? It seemed like a long time, with them staring at me, but Im sure it was only a few minutes. Then it came, the scream. Maggie let go from the next room, long and high and loud, a necromancer scream of terror and panic and madness.I bent over and whispered into Joshuas ear, Just follow my lead. No, just dont do anything. Nothing.But The Pharisees all looked like someone had dropped hot coals into their laps as the scream went on, and on. Maggie had great sustain. Before Jakan could get up to investigate, there came my girl still shrieking, I superpower add a lovely green foam running out of her mouth, her dress torn and hanging in shreds on her blood-str eaked body and blood running from the corners of her eyes. She screamed in Jakans face and trilled her eyes, then leapt onto the table and growled as she kicked every composition of crockery off onto the floor where it shattered. The servant girl ran through screaming, Demons have taken her, demons have taken her then bolted out the front door. Maggie started screeching again, then ran up and down the length of the table, urinating as she went. (Nice touch, I would never have thought of that.)The Pharisees had backed up against the wall, including Jakan, as Maggie fell on her back on the table, thrashing and growling and screaming obscenities while splattering the front of their white cloaks with green foam, urine, and blood.Devils Shes been possessed by devils. Lots of them, I shouted.Seven, Maggie said between growls.Looks like seven, I said. Doesnt it, Josh?I grabbed the back of Joshuas hair and sort of made him nod in agreement. No one was really watching him anyway, as Maggie was now spouting impressive fountains of green foam both out of her mouth and from between her legs. (Again, a decent touch I wouldnt have thought of.) She settled into a vibrating fit rhythm, with barking and obscenities for counterpoint.Well, Jakan, I said politely, thank you for dinner. Its been lovely but we have to be going. I pulled Joshua to his feet by his collar. He was a little perplexed himself. Not terrified like our host, but perplexed.Wait, Jakan said.Festering dog penis Maggie snarled to no one in particular, but I think everyone knew who she meant.Oh, all right, well try to help her, I said. Joshua, grab an arm. I pushed him forward and Maggie grabbed his wrist. I went around to the other side of the table and got hold of her other arm. We have to get her out of this house of defilement.Maggies fingernails bit into my arm as I lifted her up and she pulled herself along on Joshs wrist, pretending to thrash and fight. I dragged her out the front door and into the cou rtyard. Make an effort, Joshua, would you, Maggie whispered.Jakan and the Pharisees bunched at the door. We need to take her into the wilderness to safely cast out the devils, I shouted. I dragged her, and Joshua for that matter, into the street and kicked the heavy gate closed.Maggie relaxed and stood up. A mound of green foam cascaded off of her chest. Dont relax yet, Maggie. When were farther away.Pork-eating goat fuckerThats the spirit.Hi, Maggie, Joshua said, taking her arm and ultimately helping me drag.I think it went really well for short notice, I said. You know, Pharisees make the best witnesses.Lets go to my brothers house, she whispered. We can send word that Im incurable from there. grunter molesterIts okay, Maggie, were out of range now.I know. I was talking to you. Whyd you take seventeen years to get me out of there?Youre beautiful in green, did I ever tell you that?Ive got to think that that was unethical, Joshua said.Josh, faking demonic possession is like a musta rd seed.How is it like a mustard seed?You dont know, do you? Doesnt seem at all like a mustard seed, does it? Now you see how we all feel when you liken things unto a mustard seed? Huh?At Simon the Lepers house Joshua went to the door initiatory by himself so Maggies appearance didnt scare the humus out of her brother and sister. Martha answered the door. Shalom, Martha. Im Joshua bar Joseph, of Nazareth. Remember me from the wedding in Cana? Ive brought your sister Maggie.Let me see. Martha tapped her fingernail on her chin while she searched her memory in the night sky. Were you the one who changed the water into wine? Son of God, was it?Theres no need to be that way, Joshua said.I popped my head around Joshs shoulder. I gave your sister a powder that sort of foamed her up all red and green. Shes a bit nasty-looking right now.Im sure that becomes her, said Martha, with an exasperated sigh. Come in. She led us inside. I stood by the door while Joshua sat on the floor by the table. Martha took Maggie to the back of the house to help her clean up. It was a large house by our country standards, but not nearly as big as Jakans. Still, Simon had done well for the son of a blacksmith. I didnt see Simon anywhere.Come sit at the table, Joshua said.Nope, Im fine by the door here.Whats the matter?Do you know whose house this is?Of course, Maggies brother Simons.I lowered my voice. imon-Say the eper-Lay.Come sit down. Ill watch over you.Nope. Im fine here.Just then Simon came in from the other room carrying a pitcher of wine and a tray of cups in his rag-wrapped hands. White linen covered his face except for his eyes, which were as clear and blue as Maggies.Welcome, Joshua, Levi its been a long time.Wed known Simon as boys, spending as much time as we did hanging around Maggies fathers shop, but he had been older, learning his fathers craft then, and far too serious to be associating with boys. In my memory he was arduous and tall, but now the leprosy had bent him ov er like an old woman.Simon set the cups down and poured for the three of us. I remained against the wall by the door. Martha doesnt take well to serving, Simon said, by way of apologizing for doing the serving himself. She tells me that you turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana.Simon, Joshua said, I can heal your affliction, if youll allow me.What affliction? He grade down at the table across from Joshua. Biff, come sit with us. He patted a cushion next to him and I ducked in the event that fingers started flying. I understand that Jakan used my sister as bait for a trap for you two.Not much of a trap, Joshua said.You expected that? I asked.I thought there would be more, the whole Pharisee council perhaps. I wanted to answer them directly, not have my words passed through a dozen spies and rumormongers. I also wanted to see if there would be any Sadducees there.Just then I realized what Joshua had already figured out the Sadducees, the priests, werent involved in Jakans lit tle surprise inquisition. They had been born to their power, and were not as easily threatened as the working-class Pharisees. And the Sadducees were the more powerful half of the Sanhedrin, the ones who commanded the soldiers of the Temple guard. Without the priests, the Pharisees were vipers without fangs, for now anyway.I hope we havent brought the judgment of the Pharisees down on your head, Simon, Joshua said.Simon waved a hand in dismissal. Not to worry. Therell be no Pharisees coming here. Jakan is terrified of me, and if he really believes that Maggie is possessed, and if his friends believe it, well, Id bet hes disunited her already.She can come back to Galilee with us, I said, looking at Joshua, who looked at Simon, as if to ask permission.She may do as she wishes.What I wish is to get out of Bethany before Jakan comes to his senses, Maggie said, coming from the other room. She wore a simple woolen dress and her hair was still dripping. There was still green goo on her sa ndals. She came across the room, knelt down, and gave her brother a huge hug, then a kiss on the eyebrow. If he comes by or sends word, youll tell him Im still here.I sensed Simon was smiling under the veil. You dont think hell want to come in and look around?The coward, Maggie spat.Amen, I said. How did you stay with a creep like that all of these years?After the introductory year he didnt want to be anywhere near me. Unclean, dont you know? I told him I was bleeding.For all those years?Sure. Do you think he would chagrin himself among the members of the Pharisee council by asking them about their own wives?Joshua said, I can heal you of that affliction, if youll allow me, Maggie.What affliction?You should go, Simon said. Ill send word about what Jakan has done as soon as I know. If he hasnt done it already, I have a friend who will plant the idea that if he doesnt divorce Maggie his place on the Sanhedrin might be questioned.Simon and Martha waved to us from the doorway, Martha looking like a compact ghost of her older sister and Simon just looking like a ghost.And thus did we become eleven.There was a full moon and a sky full of stars thrown over us as we walked back to Gethsemane. From the top of the Mount of Olives we could see across the Kidron Valley to the Temple. Black smoke streamed into the sky from the sacrificial fires which the priests tended day and night. I held Maggies hand as we walked through the grove of ancient olive trees and out into the clearing near the oil press where we camped. Philip and Nathaniel had built a fire and there were two strangers sitting by it with them. They all stood up as we approached. Philip glared at me, which baffled me until I remembered that hed been with us at Cana, and seen Joshua and Maggie dancing at the wedding. He thought I was trying to steal Joshuas girl. I let her hand go.Master, said Nathaniel, tossing his yellow hair, new disciples. These are Thaddeus and Thomas the Twins.Thaddaeus stepped up to Jo shua. He was about my height and age, and wore a tattered woolen tunic and looked especially gaunt, as if he might be starving. His hair was cut short like a Romans, but it looked as if someone had cut it with a dull piece of flint. Somehow he looked familiar.Rabbi, I heard you preach when you were with John. I have been with him for two years.A follower of John, thats where I knew him from, although I didnt remember meeting him. That explained the ravenous look as well.Welcome, Thaddaeus, Joshua said. These are Biff and Mary Magdalene, disciples and friends.Call me Maggie, Maggie said.Joshua stepped over to Thomas the Twins, who was only one guy, younger, perhaps twenty, his beard still like brushed down in places, his clothes finer than any of ours. And Thomas.Dont, youre standing on Thomas Two, Thomas squealed.Nathaniel pushed Joshua aside and whispered in his ear a little too loudly. He sees his twin but no one else can. You said to show mercy, so I havent told him that hes ma d.And so you shall be shown mercy, Nathaniel, Joshua said.So we wont tell you that youre a ninny, I added.Welcome, Thomas, Joshua said, embracing the boy.And Thomas Two, Thomas said.Forgive me. Welcome, Thomas Two, as well, said Joshua to a perfectly empty spot in space. Come to Galilee and help us spread the good news.Hes over there, said Thomas, pointing to a different spot, equally empty.And thus did we become thirteen.On the trip back to Capernaum Maggie told us about her life, about the dreams she had set aside, and about a child that had died in the first year of her marriage. I could see Joshua was shaken when he heard of the child, and I knew he was thinking that if we hadnt taken off to the East, he would have been there to save it.After that, Maggie said, Jakan didnt come near me. There was bleeding right after the frustrate died, and as far as he knew it never stopped. Hes always been afraid that someone might think that theres a curse on his house, so my duties as a wif e were public only. Its a double-edged sword for him. In order to appear dutiful I had to go to the synagogue and to the womens court in the Temple, but if they thought I was going there while I was bleeding I would have been driven out, maybe stoned, and Jakan would have been shamed. Who knows what hell do now.Hell divorce you, I said. Hell have to if he wants to save face with the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin.Strangely enough, it was Joshua who I had trouble consoling about Maggies lost child. Shed lived with the loss for years, cried over it, allowed it to heal as much as it would, but the wound was fresh for Joshua. He walked far behind us, shunning the new disciples who pranced around him like excited puppies. I could tell that he was talking to his father, and it didnt seem to be going well.Go talk to him, Maggie said. It wasnt his fault. It was Gods will.Thats why he feels responsible, I said. We hadnt explained to Maggie about the Holy Ghost, the kingdom, all the changes that Joshua wanted to bring to mankind, and how those were at odds, at times, with the Torah.Go talk to him, she said.I fell back in our column, past Philip and Thaddaeus, who were trying to explain to Nathaniel that it was his own voice he heard when he put his fingers in his ears and spoke, and not the voice of God, and past Thomas, who was having an animated discussion with empty air.I walked along beside Joshua for a while before I spoke, and then I tried to sound matter-of-fact. You had to go to the East, Joshua. You know that now.I didnt have to go right then. That was cowardly. Would it have been so bad to watch her connect Jakan? To see her child born?Yes, it would have. You cant save everyone.Have you been asleep these last twenty years?Have you? Unless you can change the past, youre wasting the present on this guilt. If you dont use what you learned in the East then maybe we shouldnt have gone. Maybe leaving Israel was cowardly.I felt my face go numb as if the blood had drain ed from it. Had I said that? So, we walked along for a while in silence, not looking at each other. I counted birds, listened to the murmur of the disciples voices ahead, watched Maggies ass move under her dress as she walked, not really enjoying the elegance of it.Well, I, for one, feel better, said Joshua finally. Thanks for cheering me up.Glad to help, I said.We arrived in Capernaum on the morning of the fifth day after leaving Bethany. Peter and the others had been preaching the good news to the people on the shore of Galilee and there was a agitate of perhaps five hundred people waiting for us. The tension had passed between Joshua and me and the rest of the journey had been pleasant, if for no other reason than we got to hear Maggie laugh and call up us. My jealousy of Joshua returned, but somehow it wasnt bitter. It was more like familiar grief for a distant loss, not the sword-in-the-heart, rending-of-flesh agony of a heartbreak. I could actually issue the two of them alo ne and talk to other people think of other things. Maggie loved Joshua, that was assured, but she loved me as well, and there was no way to overlord how that might manifest. By following Joshua we had already divorced ourselves of the expectations of normal existence. Marriage, home, family they were not part of the life we had chosen, Joshua made that clear to all of his disciples. Yes, some of them were married, and some even preached with their wives at their sides, but what set them apart from the multitudes who would follow Joshua was that they had stepped off the path of their own lives to spread the Word. It was to the Word that I lost Maggie, not to Joshua.As spent as he was, as hungry, Joshua preached to them. They had been waiting for us and he wouldnt disappoint them. He climbed into one of Peters boats, rowed out from the shore far enough for the crowd to be able to see him, and he preached to them about the kingdom for two hours.When he had finished, and had sent the crowd on their way, two newcomers waited among the disciples. They were both compact, strong-looking men in their mid-twenties. oneness was clean-shaven and wore his hair cut short, so that it formed a helmet of ringlets on his head the other had long hair with his beard plaited and curled in the style I had seen on some Greeks. Although they wore no jewelry, and their clothes were no more fancy than my own, there was an air of wealth about them both. I thought it might have been power, but if it was, it wasnt the self-conscious power of the Pharisees. If nothing else, they were self-assured.The one with the long hair approached Joshua and kneeled before him. Rabbi, weve heard you speak of the coming of the kingdom and we want to join you. We want to help spread the Word.Joshua looked at the man for a long time, smiling to himself, before he spoke. He took the man by the shoulders and lifted him. base up. You are welcome, friends.The stranger seemed baffled. He looked back at his friend, then at me, as if I had some answer to his confusion. This is Simon, he said, nodding toward his friend. My name is Judas Iscariot.I know who you are, Joshua said. Ive been waiting for you.And so we became fifteen Joshua, Maggie, and me Bartholomew, the Cynic Peter and Andrew, John and James, the fishermen Matthew, the tax collector Nathaniel of Cana, the young nitwit Philip and Thaddeus, who had been followers of John the Baptist Thomas the twin, who was a loony and the Zealots, Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot. Fifteen went out into Galilee to preach the Holy Ghost, the coming of the kingdom, and the good news that the Son of God had arrived.

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 6. SWITZERLAND

AS I DROVE HOME, I WASNT PAYING MUCH ATTENTION TO the road that shimmered wetly in the sun. I was thinking ab bulge the flood of information Jacob had shared with me, trying to sort it taboo, to force it all to make sense. Despite the everyplaceload, I snarl lighter. perceive Jacob smile, having all the secrets thrashed by . . . it didnt make things perfect, but it made them better. I was right to make water gone. Jacob needed me. And obviously, I thought as I squinted into the glare, there was no danger.It came out of right offhere. One minute there was nada but bright highway in my rearview mirror. The next minute, the sun was glinting off a atomic number 47ish Volvo right on my tail.Aw, crap, I whimpered.I considered pulling all over. But I was too much of a coward to face him right away. Id been counting on whatever prep quantify . . . and having Charlie nearby as a buffer. At least(prenominal) that would force him to keep his voice down.The Volvo followed inches beh ind me. I kept my eyes on the road ahead.Chicken through and through, I drove straight to Angelas without once meeting the gaze I could feel burning a hole in my mirror.He followed me until I pulled to the curb in front of the Webers house. He didnt stop, and I didnt look up as he passed. I didnt want to see the verbiage on his face. I ran up the short concrete walk to Angelas door as soon as he was out of sight.Ben answered the door before I could finish knocking, like hed been standing right behind it.Hey, Bella he said, surprised.Hi, Ben. Er, is Angela here? I wondered if Angela had forgotten our plans, and cringed at the thought of going home early.Sure, Ben said simply as Angela called, Bella and appeared at the top of the stairs.Ben peered around me as we both heard the sound of a car on the road the sound didnt scare me this railway locomotive stuttered to a stop, followed by the loud pop of a backfire. Nothing like the purr of the Volvo. This must be the visitor Ben had been waiting for.Austins here, Ben said as Angela reached his side.A horn honked on the street.Ill see you later, Ben promised. Miss you already.He threw his arm around Angelas neck and pulled her face down to his height so that he could kiss her enthusiastically. after(prenominal) a second of this, Austin honked again.Bye, Ang Love you Ben shouted as he dashed past me.Angela swayed, her face slightly pink, then recovered herself and waved until Ben and Austin were out of sight. Then she turned to me and grinned ruefully.Thank you for doing this, Bella, she said. From the bottom of my heart. Not only are you saving my hands from permanent injury, you also well(p) spared me two wide hours of a plot- little, badly dubbed martial arts film. She sighed in relief.Happy to be of service. I was feeling a turning less panicked, able to breathe a bittie more evenly. It felt so ordinary here. Angelas easy human dramas were oddly reassuring. It was nice to make out that life was normal s omewhere.I followed Angela up the stairs to her means. She kicked toys out of the way as she went. The house was unusually quiet.Wheres your family?My parents took the twins to a birth mean solar day party in Port Angeles. I cant believe youre really going to care me with this. Bens pretending he has tendonitis. She made a face.I dont mind at all, I said, and then I walked into Angelas room and saw the stacks of waiting envelopes.Oh I gasped. Angela turned to look at me, apologies in her eyes. I could see why shed been putting this off, and why Ben had weaseled out.I thought you were exaggerating, I admitted.I wish. Are you accepted you want to do this?Put me to work. Ive got all day.Angela divided a pile in half and put her mothers address book between us on her desk. For a while we concentrated, and there was just the sound of our pens scratching quietly across the paper.Whats Edward doing tonight? she asked after a few minutes.My pen dug into the envelope I was working on. E mmets home for the weekend. Theyre vatical to be hiking.You say that like youre non sure.I shrugged.Youre lucky Edward has his brothers for all the hiking and camping. I dont know what Id do if Ben didnt have Austin for the guy twitch.Yeah, the outdoors thing is not really for me. And theres no way Id ever be able to keep up.Angela laughed. I prefer the at bottom myself.Angela turn her eyes at me. canvas you at school, I said with a nervous laugh.She sighed. See you.I was jumpy on the way out to my truck, but the street was empty. I spent the whole drive glancing anxiously in all my mirrors, but there was never any sign of the silver car.His car was not in front of the house, either, though that meant little.Bella? Charlie called when I unsolveded the front door.Hey, Dad.I found him in the living room, in front of the TV.So, how was your day?Good, I said. Might as well tell him everything hed hear it from Billy soon enough. Besides, it would make him happy. They didnt need me at work, so I went down to La Push.There wasnt enough surprise in his face. Billy had already talked to him.Hows Jacob? Charlie asked, attempting to sound indifferent.Good, I said, just as casual.You get over to the Webers?Yep. We got all her announcements addressed.Thats nice. Charlie smiled a great smile. He was strangely focused, considering that there was a game on. Im glad you spent some time with your friends today.Me, too.I ambled toward the kitchen, looking for busy work. Unfortunately, Charlie had already cleaned up his lunch. I stood there for a few minutes, staring at the bright patch of light the sun made on the floor. But I knew I couldnt deferment this forever.Im going to go study, I announced glumly as I headed up the stairs.See you later, Charlie called after me.If I survive, I thought to myself.I exclude my bedroom door carefully before I turned to face my room.Of course he was there. He stood against the wall across from me, in the shadow beside the open window . His face was hard and his posture tense. He glared at me wordlessly.I cringed, waiting for the torrent, but it didnt come. He just continued to glare, possibly too angry to speak.Hi, I finally said.His face could have been carved from stone. I counted to a hundred in my head, but there was no change.Er . . . so, Im still alive, I began.A growl rumbled low in his chest, but his expression didnt change.No harm done, I insisted with a shrug.He moved. His eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his wind between the fingers of his right hand.Bella, he whispered. Do you have any idea how close I came to crossing the line today? To breaking the treaty and coming after you? Do you know what that would have meant?I gasped and his eyes opened. They were as cold and hard as night.You cant I said too loudly. I worked to baffle the volume of my voice so Charlie wouldnt hear, but I wanted to shout the words. Edward, theyd use any excuse for a fight. Theyd love that. You cant ever break the rules by chance they arent the only ones who would enjoy a fight.Dont you start, I snapped. You made the treaty you stick to it.If hed hurt you -Enough I cut him off. Theres nothing to worry about. Jacob isnt dangerous.Bella. He rolled his eyes. You arent exactly the best judge of what is or isnt dangerous.I know I dont have to worry about Jake. And neither do you.He ground his odontiasis together. His hands were balled up in fists at his sides. He was still standing against the wall, and I hated the space between us.I took a profound breath, and go through the room. He didnt move when I wrapped my arms around him. Next to the warmth of the last of the afternoon sun streaming through the window, his skin felt especially icy. He seemed like ice, too, frozen the way he was.Im sorry I made you anxious, I muttered.He sighed, and relaxed a little. His arms wound around my waist.Anxious is a bit of an understatement, he murmured. It was a very long day.You werent supposed to know abo ut it, I reminded him. I thought youd be track down longer.I looked up at his face, at his defensive eyes I hadnt noticed in the stress of the moment, but they were too dark. The rings under them were deep purple. I frowned in disapproval.When Alice saw you disappear, I came back, he explained.You shouldnt have done that. Now youll have to go away again. My frown intensified.I can wait.Thats ridiculous. I mean, I know she couldnt see me with Jacob, but you should have known -But I didnt, he broke in. And you cant expect me to let you -Oh, yes, I can, I fitful him. Thats exactly what I expect -This wont happen again.Thats right Because youre not going to overreact next time.Because there isnt going to be a next time.I understand when you have to leave, even if I dont like it -Thats not the same. Im not risking my life.Neither am I.Werewolves constitute a risk.I disagree.Im not negotiating this, Bella.Neither am I.His hands were in fists again. I could feel them against my back.The words popped out thoughtlessly. Is this really just about my safety?What do you mean? he demanded.You arent . . . Angelas theory seemed sillier now than before. It was hard to finish the thought. I mean, you know better than to be jealous, right?He raised one eyebrow. Do I?Be serious.Easily theres nothing remotely humorous about this.I frowned suspiciously. Or . . . is this something else altogether? Some vampires-and-werewolves-are- always-enemies nonsense? Is this just a testosterone-fueled -His eyes blazed. This is only about you. All I care is that youre safe.The black fire in his eyes was impossible to doubt.Okay, I sighed. I believe that. But I want you to know something when it comes to all this enemies nonsense, Im out. I am a neutral country. I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures. Jacob is family. You are . . . well, not exactly the love of my life, because I expect to love you for much longer than that. The love of m y existence. I dont care whos a werewolf and whos a vampire. If Angela turns out to be a witch, she can join the party, too.He stared at me noneffervescently through narrowed eyes.Switzerland, I repeated again for emphasis.He frowned at me, and then sighed. Bella . . . , he began, but he paused, and his nose wrinkled in disgust.What now?Well . . . dont be offended, but you smell like a dog, he told me.And then he smiled crookedly, so I knew the fight was over. For now.Edward had to make up for the missed hunting trip, and so he was leaving Friday night with Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle to hit some reserve in Northern California with a mountain lion problem.Wed come to no agreement on the werewolf issue, but I didnt feel guilty concern Jake during my brief window of opportunity when Edward took the Volvo home before climbing back in through my window to let him know Id be coming over on Saturday again. It wasnt sneaking around. Edward knew how I felt. And if he broke my truck aga in, then Id have Jacob pick me up. Forks was neutral, just like Switzerland just like me.So when I got off work Thursday and it was Alice rather than Edward waiting for me in the Volvo, I was not suspicious at first. The passenger door was open, and music I didnt differentiate was shaking the frame when the bass played.Hey, Alice, I shouted over the wailing as I climbed in. Wheres your brother?She was singing along to the song, her voice an octave high than the melody, weaving through it with a complicated harmony. She nodded at me, ignoring my question as she concentrated on the music.I shut my door and put my hands over my ears. She grinned, and turned the volume down until it was just background. Then she hit the locks and the gas in the same second.Whats going on? I asked, starting to feel uneasy. Where is Edward?She shrugged. They left field early.Oh. I tried to control the absurd disappointment. If he left early, that meant hed be back sooner, I reminded myself.All the boys went, and were having a slumber party she announced in a trilling, singsong voice.A slumber party? I repeated, the suspicion finally settling in.Arent you excited? she crowed.I met her animated gaze for a long second.Youre kidnapping me, arent you?She laughed and nodded. Till Saturday. Esme cleared it with Charlie youre staying with me two nights, and I will drive you to and from school tomorrow.I turned my face to the window, my teeth grinding together.Sorry, Alice said, not look in the least bit penitent. He paid me off.How? I hissed through my teeth.The Porsche. Its exactly like the one I stole in Italy. She sighed happily. Im not supposed to drive it around Forks, but if you want, we could see how long it takes to get from here to L.A. I bet I could have you back by midnight.I took a deep breath. I think Ill pass, I sighed, repressing a shudder.We wound, always too fast, down the long drive. Alice pulled around to the garage, and I quickly looked over the cars. Emmetts vaunt ingly jeep was there, with a shiny canary yellow Porsche between it and Rosalies red convertible.Alice hopped out gracefully and went to stroke her hand along the length of her bribe. Pretty, isnt it?Pretty over-the-top, I grumbled, incredulous. He gave you that just for two days of holding me hostage?Alice made a face.A second later, comprehension came and I gasped in horror. Its for every time hes gone, isnt it?She nodded.I slammed my door and stomped toward the house. She danced along next to me, still unrepentant.Alice, dont you think this is just a little bit controlling? Just a tiny bit psychotic, maybe?Not really. She sniffed. You dont seem to grasp how dangerous a young werewolf can be. Especially when I cant see them. Edward has no way to know if youre safe. You shouldnt be so reckless.My voice turned acidic. Yes, because a vampire slumber party is the pinnacle of safety conscious behavior.Alice laughed. Ill give you a pedicure and everything, she promised.It wasnt so bad, except for the fact that I was being held against my will. Esme brought Italian food the good stuff, all the way from Port Angeles and Alice was prepared with my favorite movies. Even Rosalie was there, quietly in the background. Alice did insist on the pedicure, and I wondered if she was working from a list maybe something shed compiled from watching bad sitcoms.How late do you want to stay up? she asked when my toenails were scintillation a bloody red. Her enthusiasm remained un skin perceptivenessed by my mood.I dont want to stay up. We have school in the morning.She pouted.Where am I supposed to sleep, in any case? I measured the waiting area with my eyes. It was a little short. Cant you just keep me under surveillance at my house?What kind of a slumber party would that be? Alice shook her head in exasperation. Youre sleeping in Edwards room.I sighed. His black leather sofa was longer than this one. Actually, the gold carpet in his room was probably thick enough that the fl oor wouldnt be half bad either.Can I go back to my place to get my things, at least?She grinned. Already taken care of.Am I allowed to use your phone?Charlie knows where you are.I wasnt going to call Charlie. I frowned. Apparently, I have some plans to cancel.Oh. She deliberated. Im not sure about that.Alice I whined loudly. CmonOkay, okay, she said, flitting from the room. She was back in half a second, cell phone in hand. He didnt specifically prohibit this . . . , she murmured to herself as she pass on it to me.I dialed Jacobs number, hoping he wasnt out running with his friends tonight. Luck was with me Jacob was the one to answer.Hello?Hey, Jake, its me. Alice watched me with expressionless eyes for a second, before she turned and went to sit between Rosalie and Esme on the sofa.Hi, Bella, Jacob said, suddenly cautious. Whats up?Nothing good. I cant come over Saturday after all.It was silent for a minute. Stupid bloodsucker, he finally muttered. I thought he was leaving. Cant you have a life when hes gone? Or does he lock you in a coffin?I laughed.I dont think thats funny.Im only laughing because youre close, I told him. But hes going to be here Saturday, so it doesnt matter.Will he be feeding there in Forks, then? Jacob asked cuttingly.No. I didnt let myself get irritated with him. I wasnt that far from being as angry as he was. He left early.Oh. Well, hey, come over now, then, he said with sudden enthusiasm. Its not that late. Or Ill come up to Charlies.I wish. Im not at Charlies, I said sourly. Im kind of being held prisoner.He was silent as that sunk in, and then he growled. Well come and get you, he promised in a flat voice, slipping automatically into a plural.A demoralise slid down my spine, but I answered in a light and teasing voice. Tempting. I have been tortured Alice painted my toenails.Im serious.Dont be. Theyre just trying to keep me safe.He growled again.I know its silly, but their hearts are in the right place.Their hearts he scoffed. Sorry about Saturday, I apologized. Ive got to hit the sack the couch, I corrected mentally but Ill call you again soon.Are you sure theyll let you? he asked in a scathing tone.Not completely. I sighed. Night, Jake.See you around.Alice was abruptly at my side, her hand held out for the phone, but I was already dialing. She saw the number.I dont think hell have his phone on him, she said.Ill leave a message.The phone rang four times, followed by a beep. There was no greeting.You are in trouble, I said slowly, emphasizing each word. Enormous trouble. Angry gray-headed bears are going to look tame next to what is waiting for you at home.I snapped the phone shut and placed it in her waiting hand. Im done.She grinned. This hostage stuff is fun.Im going to sleep now, I announced, heading for the stairs. Alice tagged along.Alice, I sighed. Im not going to sneak out. You would know if I was planning to, and youd catch me if I tried.Im just going to show you where your things are, she sai d innocently.Edwards room was at the farthest end of the third floor hallway, hard to mistake even when the huge house had been less familiar. But when I switched the light on, I paused in confusion. Had I picked the wrong door?Alice giggled.It was the same room, I realized quickly the furniture had just been rearranged. The couch was pushed to the north wall and the stereo shoved up against the vast shelves of CDs to make room for the colossal bed that now dominated the central space.The southern wall of trash reflected the scene back like a mirror, making it look twice as bad.It matched. The coverlet was a dull gold, just lighter than the walls the frame was black, made of elaborately patterned wrought iron. Sculpted metal roses wound in vines up the tall posts and formed a bowery lattice overhead. My pajamas were folded neatly on the invertebrate foot of the bed, my bag of toiletries to one side. What the hell is all this? I spluttered.You didnt really think he would make you sleep on the couch, did you?I mumbled unintelligibly as I stalked forward to snatch my things off the bed.Ill give you some privacy, Alice laughed. See you in the morning.After my teeth were brushed and I was dressed, I grabbed a tumescent feather pillow off the huge bed and dragged the gold cover to the couch. I knew I was being silly, but I didnt care. Porsches as bribes and king- sized beds in houses where nobody slept it was beyond irritating. I flipped off the lights and curled up on the sofa, wondering if I was too annoyed to sleep.In the dark, the glass wall was no longer a black mirror, doubling the room. The light of the moon brightened the clouds outside the window. As my eyes adjusted, I could see the diffused glow highlighting the excel of the trees, and glinting off a small slice of the river. I watched the silver light, waiting for my eyes to get heavy.There was a light knock on the door.What, Alice? I hissed. I was on the defensive, imagining her amusement when sh e saw my makeshift bed.Its me, Rosalie said softly, opening the door enough that I could see the silver glow touch her perfect face. Can I come in?

A reflective essay to reflect the feeling of pulse taking and tongue reading Essay

One of the earliest references to blink of an eye rate diagnosing appears in the Huangdi Neijing, also known as The Yellow Emperors Internal Classic or The Yellow Emperors Classic of Internal Medicine. A passage in the book disgraces that, In diagnosis, observation of the face and facial color, and palpation of the beats, be the two methods that were emphasized by the ancient emperors and revered t separatelyers, which implies that the practical use of round diagnosis existed long before the Huangdi Neijing was written. measure and tongue diagnosis are two of the more important diagnostic tools in Chinese medicine. They are both used to derive a TCM diagnosis for your condition which is used to plan your treatment. Of the diagnostic tools, pulse diagnosis is one of the more important tools used in Chinese acupuncture and herbal medicine. date tongue diagnosis provides valuable clinical information, the pulse potty be used to gain a deep understanding of the patient on some(prenominal) levels. neural impulse diagnosis is the ancient art and science of detecting status of a persons body, mind and spirit. Even at basic levels, the pulse provides immediate and peculiar(prenominal) information that can help clarify contradictory diagnostic information and symptomology .The pulse can be influenced by factors like age ,in this case the aptitude and quality of the pulse will decline as a person ages ,or gender , Men are generally stronger on the left and Women are generally stronger on the right. Another factor is the season when you have a more wiry pulse in Spring time ,stronger in the Summer and deeper in the Winter. Tongue and pulse diagnosis are both used to derive a TCM diagnosis for your condition which is used to plan your treatment. Generally the tongue, is much easier to perk and less subjective than pulse diagnosis. It is less meridian specific than the pulse, however, the tongue will show the depth and nature (hot, cold, etc.) of an imba lance and it is less effected by short-term influences such as nervousness. The tongue is also useful as a measurement tool to gauge the progress of a disorder. I cerebrate the TCM is ab turn out energy and energy run for conditionmedicine culture, it is more than construction medicine culture, the pulse diagnosis is a energy feeling diagnosis, no only a position touch feeling diagnosis. In an ideal situation, the pulse is taken in the morning while the person is still tranquillize and rested.In actuality, however, the procedure usually takes place in the clinic during the initial interview. It is important to let patients who have just arrived rest for a while to allow the pulses to situate down. Otherwise, it would be easy to mistake a rapid pulse for a heat condition when it is actually due to the persons hurrying to brand the appointment. This is one situation when sitting in the waiting room is to the patients advantage. From my personal experience in the clinic I can say some of the patients find pulse pickings strange (on the first session) and also they seem to be a little bit uncomfortable when you direct to see their tongue. The pulse can be felt in a number of locations, the primary location is at the radial artery in the wrist. Each wrist has triple positions that correspond to different organs. The left wrist corresponds to the heart, liver , and kidney yin .The right wrist gives information about the lungs, spleen , and kidney yang . In clinical practice, we have to always cartel the pulse information with the whole picture derived from looking, listening, smelling, and asking.Through this process, traditional Chinese practitioners are able to accurately diagnose the patterns of imbalance in their patients without the help of research laboratory tests or expensive diagnostic equipment. To make the patient feel more comfortable when the pulse is being take you must ensure you introduce yourself to the patient, explain the procedure answer ing any questions they may have, ask for their consent and also make sure they are sitting comfortably, with their arm rested. Sometimes what the patient says contradicts the pulse qualities, in which case the acupuncturist will want to ask more questions to get at the truth. Without the pulse diagnosis he wouldnt have known to ask more questions, to delve deeper, and might have done the wrong treatment. If the patient is taking medication, or just been taking strenuous exercise, pulse taking may not work. If the patient is under the influence of social drugs it may not reveal much. Some patients have arteries that travel on the thumb side of the radial bone so you cant feel the pulse in the normal position. Some patients have pulses so small (itself a pointer to their health) that they are very hard to take. Thepulse quality often changes within a fewer seconds of inserting the needle in the right place.As the right treatment progresses, the pulse qualities and strength improve, so that the acupuncturist knows, from pulse diagnosis, that the patient will start feeling better soon. There are three positions a practitioner is looking for, and each position represents a different organ or part of the body. This is the reason we take the pulse on both sides, not just one. By taking the pulse, we can tell if patients eating habits are good, if they have a cold coming on, and if their energy is high or low. We can also take note of how your organs are functioning at that time. The tongue has a special relationship with the Heart, in that the Heart opens to the tongue. The tongue is said to be an offshoot of the Heart, or flowers into the Heart. The tongue, containing water, electrolytes, mucus, and enzymes, is a very sensitive organ and its appearance changes with many physical changes in the body.In Chinese medicine, the tongue is a map of the internal body. same(p) the face, the tongue is divided into five-element zones that correspond to your internal organ n etworks. The tongue reading its all about finding what areas are stagnated, which need to be nourished, which are getting too much circulation or too little circulation, too much energy or too little, and how to balance out the body so that everything is in harmony. When we use the tongue as a tool for analysis and diagnosis, we are looking at the shape, shadings, markings, wetness, texture and even the way someone sticks out her tongue. Having this knowledge can help describe the current state of a patient health, as well as his or her genetic tendencies. It is a diagnostic technique, and it can reveal an existing disease process and disclose many things about a person on many levels. All the organs and the stainless body can be located on specific regions of the tongue.The beauty of tongue diagnosis is in its simplicity and immediacy. Benefits of tongue diagnosis include assesses a persons current health condition informs the practitioner about the underlying cause of disease is an accurate way of determining what is happening in the digestive system liver, stomach, spleen, small and large intestines reveals the stage and progression of a particular illness reflects the quality of the circulation of blood, bodily fluids and essence mirrors the condition of the bodily fluids, function of the organs, strengths and depth of the pathogenic factors in thebody shows the quality of the individuals energy production.A normal tongue should be pink, muscular without tooth marking or discoloration, and have a very thin clear coating that exhibits proper salivary secretions. Tongue diagnosis is more objective than pulse diagnosis, though pulse diagnosis takes a long time to master, while basic tongue diagnosis can be taught in a short period of time. before examining the tongue for diagnosis, make sure the patient has not eaten pickles, cayenne pepper, curry and other hot things. They will temporarily turn the tongue red. It takes a few hours for the tongue to get its normal coat back after the person has scraped it as well. And smoking turns the coat yellow.From my personal experience in the clinic I can say its common to see thick tongues, purplish tongues, tongues with teeth marks in them and tongues with cracks in various places. I also have renowned tongues with coats both white and yellow, sticky and thin. Primarily a preventive discipline, acupuncture, especially through pulse diagnosis, the acupuncturist can detect disturbances in the qi at the earliest possible stage, before disease develops and restores balance through acupuncture treatment and herbs.References www.acupuncture.comwww.yinyanghouse.comWalsh S.& King, E. (2007) Pulse Diagnosis . Churchill LivingstoneChen, J.X. (2007) Chinese Medicine Study Guide Diagnostics .Pulse Diagnosis .Dupler D. In Krapp K, Long JL (eds.) Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Farmington Hills, MI Gale Group, 2001Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese medicine by Giavanni Macciocia

Why Athletes Use Steroids

One of the most heated controversies in athletics centers on the use of anabolic steroids. fuck the dispute is the evidence that steroids pose a health hazard. They atomic number 18 linked to the cardiovascular disease, liver disorders, and cancerous tumors. In addition, there is evidence that they cause temperament aberrations. Still, an alarming number of athletes are willing to risk their health for the enhanced performance steroids provide-and it is not hard to understand why.First of all, many athletes are so blinded by the obvious benefits of steroid use that they fail to note their adverse effects. They are so focused on the increased strength, stamina, and size that solution from steroid use, that athletes may overlook the abuse their bodies are sustaining-often until it is as well late. That is, athletes who are delighting in turning in the best performance of their lives are not promising to think about future harmful effects. This is the same psychology that keeps the nicotine addict smoking three packs a day, until the X-ray shows lung cancer is so advance that nada can be done.Some athletes rationalize steroid use another way. They claim that anabolic steroids pose no greater health hazard than fellowship in such contact sports such as football, boxing, and wrestling. However, these athletes fail to understand that in addition to harming the body, steroids also heighten the danger of contact sports by reservation the users larger and stronger, thereby increasing their momentum and impact.Some people think steroid use continues despite the life threatening effects because athletes are only when dumb jocks who are not smart enough to appreciate the risks. I dont accept that explanation. Instead, I suspect that steroid use continues partly because most athletes are young, and young people never feel threatened. Part of being young is invulnerable. That is why young people drive too fast, drink too much, and attain risks like bungee jumping. They just do not believe that anything can happen to them. The same psychology is at work with athletes. They are young people who feel they will live forever. In addition, athletes assume that because their bodies are so physically conditioned they can withstand more punishment than the average person, so they feel even less at risk by steroid use.Perhaps the biggest reason athletes use steroids can be explained by the spirit lies at the heart of all athletics competition. One a handful of athletes enhances their performance artificially, and then others follow in order to stay competitive. Eventually, steroid users dominate a sport, and anyone who wants to compete at the highest level is forced to use steroids or lose out. This fact explains why unscrupulous coaches and trainers who want to reach at any comprise have contributed to the problem by offering steroids to their players and urging them to use them. Sadly, this practice has even filtered down to the high school level in some cases. opposition for the thrill of winning is only part of the explanation, however, Big-time athlete means big-time money. As the financial rewards rise in a given sport, so does the pressure to win at any cost. Huge salaries, big bonuses, beautiful cars, girls and incredibly lucrative commercial endorsements all temp athletes to enhance their performances any way they can.Despite medicine testing before competitions and dissemination of information about the danger of anabolic steroids, athletes still use steroids because the pressures to do so are so compelling. The truth is that too many athletes think steroids only hurt the other person, or else they think using steroids is worth the risk.

Lean Management

LEAN IN PRODUCTION AND SERVICE The treatment line LEAN was put together to describe and personalize Toyotas art activity during the 1980s by a research team headed by one Jim Womack, Ph. D. , at MITs international Motor vehicle programme. According to them, the creation of LEAN was fathered by Taiichi Oh zero(prenominal)of Toyota. Ohno developed a contrasting approach to the mass achievement methods of US car firms through necessity.Later, in 1996, Jim Womacks team espoused the cardinal bung principles and in addition lean tools that they believed were the secret for Toyotas success. According to Oxford dictionaries, Lean means in force(p) and with no wastage. The core idea of lean is to minimize wastage and at the same time maximize customer value. Customer value is of utmost importance to a lean giving medication and the organization willinging focus on its key processes to continue increasing the value. Ultimately, the goal is to provide the perfect value creation proc ess that has no wastage.To accomplish this value creation and zero wastage goal, lean thinking changes the focus of a management from optimizing separate technologies, assets and vertical departments to optimize the flow of products and emoluments through entire value streams that flow horizontally crosswise technologies, assets and department customers. By reducing or eliminating waste along the entire stream of value, we will be able to come up with processes that would exigency less(prenominal) effort, less space, reduced capitals and reduced time in assign to make products and services at prices far less than normal and with fewer defects.Organizations will be able to be responsive towards changing customer needs and wants with a lot of variety, higher quality, reduced costs and with less throughput times. Information management will also be much simpler and much more than accurate. Lean management is a concept which stack be applied in every occupancy and every process. It should not be comp bed with a cost diminution program or tactic because it is a way of thinking and acting that applies to the whole organization.Nowadays, it is everyday that credit linees across all industries and services, including the health c be and even governments around the world are applying the concept of lean as the way they think and sour their business. numerous of these organizations does not use the word lean out of choice and tend to label their practices as their own system, such as the Toyota Production System or the Danaher Business System. It is done to in tranquillise a point that lean is not a simple programme or a short term ost reduction solutions, but the way the company operates. the term Transformation or lean Transformation are usually used to characterize a company that is paltry from an old way to a lean thinking way. this transformation requires a complete transformation on how a company usually conducts their business, thus, requiring long term perspective and perseverance through the changing time. It is also interesting to note that the concept of lean in production and service has the touch of one of the greater management thinkers, W.Edwards Deming who had great influence in Japanese manufacturing. He believed that the present manufacturing scenario is a prison of interacting people and stressed the importance of re-inventing the management processes in order to achieve higher efficiency and value. In implementing lean in production or services, I will be following the concept espoused by Womacks team that stressed on three important business issues that will be able to guide the transformation process of an entire organization into a lean organization.In order to achieve lean objectives in an organization, it is important first of all to note that the organization and the people leading the transformation need to get a lean vision. In order to develop this lean vision, we can concentrate on three fundamental bu siness issues which are Purpose, help and hatful. By thinking deeply into these three aspects, a lean implementer can try to outcome critical questions on the vision of the organization. If we are able to answer the key questions that I book associated with each(prenominal) of the aspects, I believe that we can develop a vision for lean death penalty in our organization.The questions would be- 1. map what are the customer problems will the organization try to solve in order to achieve their own purpose of prospering? 2. Process how will the organization assess each major value stream devised to make sure each step in the value stream is valuable, capable, available, adequate and flexible? 3. People how will the organization ensure that every important process in the value stream has someone responsible for continually evaluating it in terms of business purpose and also lean process?How will everyone involved in the value stream be engaged actively in the process of run it co rrectly and continually improving it? As for the next step that I would take, it would be on the possible implementation of the core lean principle into my organization. This, I believe would involve the core of lean which is basalally waste reduction. Usually, in an organization including production and service oriented organizations, we can find seven basic types of waste, which I am listing below. ? Producing goods and services beyond the immediate need of the customers. Unnecessary movement of products due to poor layout planning. ? Wasted motions when working. ? Time idling and wastage. ? Implementing processes that are unimportant to finish a product. ? Poor inventory management. ? Many defects in the finished product or output. Usually, waste will be present in any activity that does not add any value to the finished product or services. By trying to eliminate waste, the material velocity will be increase drastically. This means products will reach the customers hand in a ve ry quick manner.This is an advantage because it delivers high strategicalal advantages beyond the interpreted for granted(predicate) cost savings. Bad quality will be eliminated and lead times are shortened effectively. Eliminating waste can be considered as a strategic goal in service oriented and manufacturing oriented organizations. As I piddle mentioned before, elimination of waste will ensure increase in strategic advantages such as increased income and increased customer satisfaction. In adapting lean processes and services, we may be confronted by some constrains and challenges. The adaptability of lean depends on the nature of our business.We have to remember that there is a vast difference in between the service and production industries, and it lies in the source that creates the variation that causes waste to happen. Logically, manufacturing operations are far more controllable compared to service industry, because of its laboratory like settings compared to the serv ice industry. Uncertainty usually does result from material and labor inputs, but we can still anticipate those uncertainties and take steps to control it to a great extent. For example, Toyota, pioneer in lean management is production/manufacturing based organization, and the employees, product esign and the production tools are usually under the control of the operations to a great extent, rendering it easier for implementers to anticipate uncertainty and implement the efficient lean management. In contrast, service organizations operate in a vast sea of uncertainty and risks and when uncertainty is present, it is much harder to anticipate and control variability that will be present together with it, For example, a chore management company. We know that each project that the company will receive or implement will be antithetic in nature.The excitableness of the service industry, in particular a project management company, requires that lean management principles is implemented on a bailiwick by case method, i. e. different implementation and methods for different projects. This nature of the service industry is contributed by a few causes. Lets look at these causes one by one- ? Uncertainty in task times. It is the nature of service products that the execution of each and every service delivery has some uniqueness. Taking the example of the project management company, each project taken may not be similar to each other, thus making it difficult to judge the task time needed.This variability in the service industry leads to a negative exponential distribution of task times. This simply means to say that most of the tasks execution will fall within a tight range, and some execution will take a longer time. Considering airplane boarding as another example, there is uncertainty present in the sense that it will take different amount of time among different groups of customers to board the plane. ? Uncertainty in demand.While there are ways to work out dem and in service industry, we cant claim that it is 100% perfect. Usually, manufacturers buffer this forecast uncertainty with some finished goods inventory, but this is not the case in the service industry for example, we can forecast that reservations for a hotel will increase during peak seasons but it depends on many other fluctuating factors. sometimes it is very hard to predict the demand of individual customer. As an example, a wedding planner essentially does planning job for customers wedding, but this lanning differs based on customer preferences, budget and also other factors. This uncertainty renders each wedding and the process that the organization goes through to put together the wedding, a unique one. ? Customers production roles. As we can see from both the uncertainties above, we can summarize that it has much to do with customers. This is because typically, customers have some role to play in the production of a service, we introduce variability based on how well we perform our roles.Customers almost always have to provide some information to the service agents to initiate service, and we usually have some tangible tasks to perform. So, as I have already stated it before, this condition create unique situations that needs personal implementations of lean in order to make sure wastage is reduced and value is delivered to each individual customers. Lean implementation involves finding solutions that will be able to offset the challenges and difficulties that we may face in our organization to achieve a successful outcome that will support a competitive operations strategy.Professors Kent Bowen and Steven Spear (HBS DBA 99), drew on a framework of 4 principles of the Toyota Production System that they believed will reduce the constrains, difficulties and challenges to a minimum in order to enjoy leaner productions and service. The framework contains 4 easily implement able rules- regulating no. 1 all work should be highly specific as to content, sequence, timing and outcome. Rule no. 2 every customer-supplier connections must be direct, and there must be an unambiguous yes or no ways to send request and receive responses.Rule no. 3 the pathway for every products and services must be simple and direct. Rule no. 4 any improvements must be make in accordance with the specific method, under the focusing of a teacher, at the lowest possible level in the organization. Basically, my plan for a successful implementation of lean depends on the 4 rules given above, but I am going to give it some twist with adding some additional techniques that I purport would encourage faster and easier ways to overcome challenges faced by organizations implementing lean.I am going to add a three step initiative taken by Wipro, an Indian software developer, which can boost the implementation of lean, which are- Abolish Hierarchies. Devise a bottom-up organization that allows many people to have a field-wide view of the process to spot problems a nd identify efficiencies. Continuous Improvement. Using kaizen initiative. Encouraging organizational level knowledge sharing through effective and efficient work improvement. Lean Tools. Use of tools specific to the process based on lean principles which can be utilized to pinpoint wasted time and effort.A combination of both these initiatives, I believe can lead to a lean flow which will be the tool that I would utilize to justify the challenges that can be faced during lean implementation. Drawing up a process flow chart that represents each step that a product/service would go through is essential. It is advisable to represent these sequential processes graphically in a flow chart. This is the first step towards an error and waste free production. For each and every products or processes that are present in the process flow charts, another level of details is required.This involves the task-level work with associated , with associated work-content times, with associated work- content times, quality verifications and worker qualifications. We can also produce a product/process matrix with products on the vertical axis and processes on the horizontal axis. At every intersection of product and process, this matrix, or spreadsheet should be recording the total reasonable validated work times that has been devised. We must also be able to calculate Takt. Takt is a German word which basically mean beat, pace or rhythm.Businesses, especially service oriented business must march to the beat of the customers and we must keep up with our customers pace.. Takt, can be calculated as, work time per day divided by customer requirements per day. This calculation represents how often each process must be performed, and at what capacity level, to take care of your customers needs and demands and be able to meet it as soon as possible. In order to have sustainable lean benefits, the implementation of lean must bridge the gap from project to project and also business pract ices.Quality documents procedures, policies and measures must reflect and get under ones skin Lean as a way of life. This will ensure success in reducing waste. Planning and procurement drives daily lean execution. Lean manufacturing is more responsive, with shorter lead time and greater mix and volume flexibility. We must be able to change our planning to take full advantage of lean. Bibliography Womack. J. P, Lean go-ahead Institute Inc. 2009, What Is Lean (Online) Available at http//www. lean. rg/WhatsLean/ (Accessed 20th October 2009) Ahlstrom, P (2004) Lean service operations translating lean production principles to service operations International journal of Services Technology and Management, Vol 5, nos 5-6 pp545-564 Spear and Bowen 1999 Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System Harvard Business Review Sept-Oct Womack, J. P. and D. T. Jones 1996 Lean Thinking New York, Simon & Schuster. Taylor FW 1998 The Principles of Scientific Management capital of Delaware Publi cations New York. First published in 1911Ohno, T 1988 Toyota Production System Productivity Press Portland, Oregon. Translated from Japanese original, first published 1978 David McPhetrige, 2009, An industry consultant provides guidance on implementing a basic Lean plan. MPO magazine. (Online) Available at http//www. mpo-mag. com/articles/2009/09/meeting-the-challenges-of-lean-flow (Accessed on 21st October 2009) Hanna. J, 2007, Bringing Lean Principles to Service Industry. Harvard Business School (Online) Available at http//hbswk. hbs. edu/item/5741. html (Accessed on 21st October 2009)

Language Differences: Age Essay

When children are young, apart from natural instincts and biological aspects, their brains are virtually silent person slates. Thus, as they develop, their behaviors and speech also develops, depending on their environment. So it is factual, that when they are young, they do not have a properly developed vocabulary, have a inflict rate of speech motor control, and have poorer sentence structure and grammar. All these factors play a part in the language difference between, arrange, a pentad year old child and a 20 year old adult. Experiment Speaking to 6 year-old children.Results Initially it was difficult to get them started to speak to me, as they can prove quite shy. This may be because of their lack of language, ensuing in their lack of confidence. This however varies from child to child. When we did start speaking though, I install myself automatically speaking at a level which theyd understand. I noticed that even though they may have a lot to say about something, they find it hard to express their ideas and communicate with others. I also observed the limited vocabulary utilize and the occasional stuttering and stumbling with words.Experiment Speaking to Adults. Results They tended to be easier to talk to. I noticed that once they began talking and had a clear idea of what they were talking about the words began to flow. Most were quite articulate and used a range of vocabulary. The speech-tempo was also at a steady yet quick pace as well. It was clear that they had more set and direct ideas that they mum more about what they were saying than children did. Therefore, these are the main differences of language between ages. It is proven that as age develops, so do speech qualities.