The Return: Nightfall Chapter 18

Matt woke, fuzzily, to find himself still behind the steering wheel of Elena's car. He stumbled into his house, almost forgetting to lock the car, and then fumbling with keys to unlock the back door. The house was dark; his parents were asleep. He made it up to his bedroom and collapsed on the bed without even taking off his shoes. When he woke again, he was startled to find it was nineA.M . and his mobile phone was ringing in his jeans pocket. â€Å"Mer'dith?† â€Å"We thought you were coming over early this morning.† â€Å"I am, but I've got to figure outhow first,† Matt said – or rather, croaked. His head felt twice its usual size and his arm at least four times too big. Even so, something in the back of his mind was calculating how to get to the boardinghouse without taking the Old Wood Road at all. Finally a few neurons lit up and showed him. â€Å"Matt? Are you still there?† â€Å"I'm not sure. Last night†¦God, I don't evenremember most of last night. But on the way home – look, I'll tell you when I get there. First I have to call the police.† â€Å"Thepolice ?† â€Å"Yeah†¦look†¦just give me an hour, okay? I'll be there in an hour.† When he finally arrived at the boardinghouse, it was closer to eleven than to ten. But a shower had cleared his head, even if it hadn't done much for his throbbing arm. When he did appear, he was engulfed in worried femininity. â€Å"Matt,what happened ?† He told them everything he could remember. When Elena, with set lips, undid the Ace bandage he had wrapped around his arm, they all winced. The long scratches were clearly badly infected. â€Å"They're poisonous, then, these malach.† â€Å"Yes,† Elena said tersely. â€Å"Poisonous to body and mind.† â€Å"And you think one of these can getinside people?† Meredith asked. She was doodling on a notebook page, trying to draw something that looked like what Matt had described. â€Å"Yes.† For just a moment Elena's and Meredith's eyes met – then both looked down. At last Meredith said, â€Å"And how do we know whether one is inside†¦someone†¦or not?† â€Å"Bonnie should be able to tell, in trance,† Elena said evenly. â€Å"Even I might be able to tell, but I'm not going to use White Power for that. We're going down to see Mrs. Flowers.† She said it in that special way that Matt had learned to recognize long ago, and it meant that no argument would do any good. She was putting her foot down, and that was that. And the truth was that Matt didn't feel very much like arguing. He hated to complain – he'd played through football games with a broken collarbone, a sprained knee, a turned ankle – but this was different. His arm felt in danger of exploding. Mrs. Flowers was downstairs in the kitchen, but on the family room table were four glasses of iced tea. â€Å"I'll be right with you,† she called through the swinging half-door that divided the kitchen from where they were standing. â€Å"Drink the tea, especially the young man who's injured. It'll help him relax.† â€Å"Herbal tea,† Bonnie whispered to the others, as if this were some trade secret. The tea wasn't all that bad, although Matt would've preferred a Coke. But when he thought of it as medicine, and with the girls all watching him like hawks, he managed to get over half of it down before the landlady came out. She was wearing her gardening hat – or at least a hat with artificial flowers on it that looked as if it had been used for gardening. But on a cookie tray, she had a number of instruments, all gleaming as if they'd just been boiled. â€Å"Yes, dear, I am,† she said to Bonnie, who had stood up in front of Matt protectively. â€Å"I used to be a nurse, just like your sister. Women weren't encouraged to be doctors then. But all my life I've been a witch. Gets kind of lonely, doesn't it?† â€Å"It wouldn't be so lonely,† Meredith said, looking puzzled, â€Å"if you lived closer to town.† â€Å"Ah, but then I'd have people staring at my house all the time, and children daring each other to run and touch it, or to throw a stone through my window, or adults peering at me every time I went shopping. And how could I ever keep my garden in peace?† It was the longest speech any of them had ever heard her make. It took them so by surprise that it was a moment before Elena said, â€Å"I don't see how you can keep your garden in peace outhere . What with all the deer and rabbits and other animals.† â€Å"Well, most of it isfor the animals, you see.† Mrs. Flowers smiled beatifically and her face seemed to light up from within. â€Å"They surely enjoy it. But they don't enjoy the herbs I grow for putting on scrapes and cuts and sprains and such. And perhaps they know I'm a witch, too, since they always leave me a bit of the garden for myself and maybe a guest or two.† â€Å"Why are you telling me all of this now?† Elena demanded. â€Å"Why, there've been times when I was looking for you, or for Stefan, when I thought – well, never mind what I thought. But I wasn't always sure you were our friend.† â€Å"The truth is that I've gotten solitary and unsociable in my old age. But now you've lost your young man, haven't you? I wish I had gotten up a little earlier this morning. Then I might have been able to speak to him. He left the money for a year's rental of the room on the kitchen table. I've always had a soft spot for him, and that's the truth.† Elena's lips were trembling. Matt hastily and heroically lifted his wounded arm. â€Å"Can you help at all with this?† he asked, peeling the Ace bandage away again. â€Å"Oh, my, my. And what sort of critter gave you these?† Mrs. Flowers said, examining the scratches while the three girls winced. â€Å"We think it was a malach,† Elena said quietly. â€Å"Do you know anything about those?† â€Å"I've heard the word, yes, but I don't know anything specific. How long ago did you get them?† she asked Matt. â€Å"They look more like tooth marks than claw marks.† â€Å"They are,† Matt said grimly, and he described the malach to her as best he could. It was partly to keep himself distracted, because Mrs. Flowers had picked up one of the gleaming instruments from the cookie tray and was starting to do things to his red and swollen arm. â€Å"Hold as still as you can on this towel,† she said. â€Å"These have already scabbed over, but they need to be opened and drained and cleaned out properly. It's going to hurt. Why don't one of you young women hold his hand to help keep his arm steady?† Elena started to stand but Bonnie beat her to it, almost leaping over Meredith to take Matt's hand in both of her own. The draining and cleaning were painful, but Matt managed to bear it without making a sound, even giving Bonnie a sort of sickly grin as blood and pus trickled out of his arm. The lancing hurt at first, but the release of pressure felt good, and when the wounds were drained and clean and then packed with a cold herbal compress, they felt blessedly cool and ready to heal properly. It was while he was trying to thank the old woman that he noticed Bonnie staring at him. In particular, at his neck. Suddenly she giggled. â€Å"What? What's funny?† â€Å"The bug,† she said. â€Å"It gave you a hickey. Unless you did something else last night that you didn't tell us about.† Matt could feel himself flush as he pulled his collar up higher. â€Å"I did tell you about it, and it was the malach. It had a sort of tentacle with suckers around my neck. It was trying to strangle me!† â€Å"I remember now,† Bonnie said meekly. â€Å"I'm sorry.† Mrs. Flowers even had an herbal ointment for the mark the sucker tentacle had left – and one for Matt's scraped knuckles. After she'd applied them, Matt felt so good that he was able to look sheepishly at Bonnie, who was watching him with big brown eyes. â€Å"I know, it does look like a hickey,† he said. â€Å"I saw it this morning in the mirror. And I've got another one lower down, but at least my collar covers that one.† He snorted and reached into his shirt to apply more ointment. The girls laughed – a release of the tension that they'd all been feeling. Meredith had started back up the narrow stairway to what everyone still thought of as Stefan's room, and Matt automatically followed her. He didn't realize that Elena and Bonnie were hanging back until he was halfway up the stairs, and then Meredith motioned him onward. â€Å"They're just conferring,† Meredith said, in her quiet, no-nonsense voice. â€Å"Aboutme ?† Matt swallowed. â€Å"It's about that thing Elena saw inside Damon, right? The invisible malach. And whether or not I've got one – inside me – right now.† Meredith, never one to soft-pedal anything, simply nodded. But she put a hand briefly on his shoulder as they entered the dim, high-ceilinged bedroom. Shortly after, Elena and Bonnie came up, and Matt could tell at once by their faces that the worst-case scenario wasn't true. Elena saw his expression and immediately went to him and hugged him. Bonnie followed, more shyly. â€Å"Feel okay?† Elena said, and Matt nodded. â€Å"I feel fine,† he said. Like wrestling alligators, he thought. Nothing was nicer than hugging soft, soft girls. â€Å"Well, the consensus is that you don't have anything inside you that doesn't belong there. Your aura seems clear and strong now that you're not in pain.† â€Å"Thank God,† Matt said, and he meant it. It was at that moment that his mobile phone rang. He frowned, puzzled at the number displayed, but he answered it. â€Å"Matthew Honeycutt?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Hold, please.† A new voice came on: â€Å"Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"Uh, yeah, but – â€Å" â€Å"This is Rich Mossberg of the Fell's Church Sheriff's Department. You called this morning to report a fallen tree midway down Old Wood Road?† â€Å"Yes, I – â€Å" â€Å"Mr. Honeycutt, we don't like prank calls of this sort. We frown upon them, in fact. It takes up the valuable time of our officers, and besides, it happens to be a crime to make a false report to the police. If I wanted to, Mr. Honeycutt, I could charge you with this crime and make you answer to a judge. I don't see just what you find so amusing about it.† â€Å"I wasn't – I don't findanything amusing about it! Look, last night – † Matt's voice trailed off. What was he going to say?Last night I was waylaid by a tree and a monster bug? A small voice inside him added that the Fell's Church Sheriff's officers seemed to spend most of their valuable time hanging around the Dunkin' Donuts in the city square, but the next words he heard shut it up. â€Å"In fact, Mr. Honeycutt, under the authority of Virginia State Code, Section 18.2-461, making a false police report is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. You could be looking at a year in jail or a twenty-five-thousand-dollar fine. Do you findthat amusing, Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"Look, I – â€Å" â€Å"Do you, in fact,have twenty-five thousand dollars, Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"No, I – I – † Matt waited to be cut off and then he realized that he wasn't going to be. He was sailing off the edge of the map into some unknown region. What to say?The malach took the tree away – or maybe it moved by itself ? Ludicrous. Finally, in a creaky voice he managed, â€Å"I'm sorry they didn't find the tree. Maybe†¦somehow it got moved.† â€Å"Maybe somehow it got moved,† the sheriff repeated expressionlessly. â€Å"In fact maybe somehow it moved itself the way that all those stop signs and yield signs keep moving themselves away from intersections. Does that ring a bell, Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"No!† Matt felt himself flush deeply. â€Å"I would never move any kind of street sign.† By now the girls were clustered around him, as if they could somehow help by appearing as a group. Bonnie was gesturing vigorously, and her indignant expression made it clear that she wanted to tell the sheriff off personally. â€Å"In fact, Mr. Honeycutt,† Sheriff Mossberg cut in, â€Å"we called your home number first, since that's the phone you used to place the report. And your mother said that she hadn't seen you at all last night.† Matt ignored the little voice that wanted to snap,Is that a crime? â€Å"That was because I got held up – â€Å" â€Å"By a self-propelled tree, Mr. Honeycutt? In fact we had already had another call about your house last night. A member of Neighborhood Watch reported a suspicious car roughly in front of your house. According to your mother, you recently totaled your own car, isn't that right, Mr. Honeycutt?† Matt could see where this was going and he didn't like it. â€Å"Yes,† he heard himself say, while his mind worked desperately for a plausible explanation. â€Å"I was trying to avoid running over a fox. And – â€Å" â€Å"Yet there was a report of a brand new Jaguar lingering in front of your house, just far enough away from the streetlight to be – inconspicuous. A car so new that it had no license plates. Was that, in fact, your car, Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"Mr. Honeycutt's my father!† Matt said desperately. â€Å"I'm Matt. And it was my friend's car – â€Å" â€Å"And your friend's name is†¦?† Matt stared at Elena. She was making wait gestures, obviously trying to think. To sayElena Gilbert would be suicidal. The police, of all people, knew that Elena Gilbert was dead. Now Elena was pointing around the room and mouthing words at him. Matt shut his eyes and said the words, â€Å"Stefan Salvatore. But he gave the car to his girlfriend?† He knew he was ending his sentence so that it sounded like a question, but he could hardly believe Elena's coaching. Now the sheriff was beginning to sound tired and exasperated. â€Å"Areyou askingme , Matt? So you were driving the brand-new car of your friend's girlfriend. And her name is†¦?† There was a brief moment when the girls seemed to disagree and Matt hung in limbo. But then Bonnie threw her arms up and Meredith moved forward, pointing to herself. â€Å"Meredith Sulez,† Matt said weakly. He heard the hesitation in his own voice and he repeated, huskily but with more conviction, â€Å"Meredith Sulez.† Now Elena was whispering rapidly in Meredith's ear. â€Å"And the car was purchased where? Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"Yes,† Matt said. â€Å"Just a second – † He put the phone into Meredith's outstretched hand. â€Å"This is Meredith Sulez,† Meredith said smoothly, in the polished, relaxed tones of a classical music disk jockey. â€Å"Miss Sulez, you've heard the conversation so far?† â€Å"Ms.Sulez, please, Sergeant. I have.† â€Å"Did you, in fact, lend your car to Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"I did.† â€Å"And where is Mr.† – there was a shuffling of paper – â€Å"Stefan Salvatore, the original owner of the car?† He's not asking her where they bought it, Matt thought. He must know. â€Å"My boyfriend is away from town right now,† Meredith said, still in the same refined, unflappable voice. â€Å"I don't know when he'll be back. When he is, shall I have him call you?† â€Å"That might be wise,† Sheriff Mossberg said dryly. â€Å"These days very few cars are bought with cash on the line, especially brand-new Jaguars. I'd like your driver's license number, also. And, in fact, I'd very much like to speak to Mr. Salvatore when he returns.† â€Å"That may be very soon,† Meredith said, a bit slowly, but following Elena's coaching. Then she recited her driver's license number from memory. â€Å"Thank you,† Sheriff Mossberg said briefly. â€Å"That will be all for – â€Å" â€Å"May I just say one thing? Matt Honeycutt would never, ever remove stop signs or yield signs. He's a very conscientious driver and was a leader in his high school class. You can speak to any of Robert E. Lee High School's teachers or even the principal if she's not on vacation. Any one of them will tell you the same thing.† The sheriff didn't seem to be impressed. â€Å"You can tell him from me that I'll be keeping an eye on him in the future. In fact it might be a good idea if he stopped in the Sheriff's Department today or tomorrow,† he said, and then the phone went dead. Matt burst out, â€Å"Stefan's girlfriend? You, Meredith? What if the car dealer says the girl was a blond? How are we going to work that out?† â€Å"We aren't,† Elena said simply from behind Meredith. â€Å"Damon is. All we have to do is to find him. I'm sure he can take care of Sheriff Mossberg with a little mind control – if the price is right. And don't worry about me,† she added gently. â€Å"You're frowning, but everything is going to be fine.† â€Å"You believe that?† â€Å"I'm sure of it.† Elena gave him another hug and a kiss on the cheek. â€Å"I'm supposed to stop by the Sheriff's Department today or tomorrow, though.† â€Å"But not alone!† Bonnie said, and her eyes were sparkling with indignation. â€Å"And when Damon goes with you, Sheriff Mooseburger will end up being your best friend.† â€Å"All right,† Meredith said. â€Å"So what are we doing today?† â€Å"The problem,† Elena returned, tapping an index finger against her upper lip, â€Å"is that we've got too many problems at once and I don't want anybody – and I mean anybody – going out alone. It's clear that there are malach in the Old Wood, and that they're trying to do unfriendly-type things to us. Kill us, for one.† Matt basked in the warm relief of being believed. The conversation with Sheriff Mossberg had shaken him more than he wanted to show. â€Å"So we make up task forces,† Meredith said, â€Å"and we split the jobs between them. What problems do we need to plan for?† Elena ticked off the problems with her fingers. â€Å"One problem is Caroline. I really think someone should try to see her, at the very least to try and find out if she has one of thosethings inside her. Another problem is Tami – and who knows who else? If Caroline is†¦contagious somehow, she might have spread it to some other girl – or guy.† â€Å"Okay,† Meredith said, â€Å"and what else?† â€Å"Someone needs to contact Damon. Try to find out from him anything he knows about Stefan leaving, and also try to get him to go in to headquarters with us to influence Sheriff Mossberg.† â€Å"Well, you'd better be on that last team, since you're the only one Damon's likely to talk to,† said Meredith. â€Å"And Bonnie should be on it, so she can keep – â€Å" â€Å"No. No Calling today,† Bonnie pleaded. â€Å"I'm so sorry, Elena, but I just can't, not without a day of rest between. And besides, if Damon wants to talk to you, all you need to do is to walk – notinto the forest, butnear it – and call to him yourself. He knows everything that's going on. He'll know you're there.† â€Å"Then I should go with Elena,† Matt reasoned. â€Å"Since that sheriff is my problem. I'd like to go by the place where I saw the tree – â€Å" At once there was a protest from all three girls. â€Å"I said I'dlike to,† Matt said. â€Å"Not that we should plan for it. That's one spot we know is too dangerous.† â€Å"All right,† Elena said. â€Å"So Bonnie and Meredith will visit Caroline, and you and I will go Damon hunting, all right? I'd rather go Stefan hunting, but we just don't have enough information yet.† â€Å"Right, but before you go, maybe stop by Jim Bryce's house. Matt has an excuse to stop by anytime – he knows Jim. And you can check on Tami's progress as well,† Meredith suggested. â€Å"Sounds like plans A, B, and C,† Elena said, and then, spontaneously, they all laughed. It was a clear day, with a hot sun shining overhead. In the sunlight, despite the minor annoyance of Sheriff Mossberg's call, they all felt strong and capable. None of them had any idea that they were about to walk into the worst nightmare of their lives. Bonnie stood back as Meredith knocked at the front door of the Forbes home. After a while of no answer and silence inside, Meredith knocked again. This time Bonnie could hear whisperings and Mrs. Forbes hissing something, and Caroline's distant laughter. Finally, just as Meredith was about to ring the bell – the height of discourtesy between neighbor and neighbor in Fell's Church – the door opened. Bonnie neatly slipped a foot in, keeping it from being shut again. â€Å"Hi, Mrs. Forbes. We just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Meredith faltered. â€Å"We just wanted to see if Caroline was any better,† she finished in a tinny-sounding voice. Mrs. Forbes looked as if she'd seen a ghost – and she'd spent all night running from it. â€Å"No, she's not. Not better. She's still – sick.† The woman's voice was hollow and distant and her eyes scanned the ground just over Bonnie's right shoulder. Bonnie felt fine hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stand up. â€Å"Okay, Mrs. Forbes.† Even Meredith sounded false and hollow. Then someone said suddenly, â€Å"Areyou all right?† and Bonnie realized it was her own voice. â€Å"Caroline†¦isn't well. She's†¦not seeing anyone,† whispered the woman. An iceberg seemed to glide down Bonnie's spine. She wanted to turn and run from this house and its aura of malevolence. But at that moment Mrs. Forbes suddenly slumped. Meredith was barely able to break her fall. â€Å"She's fainted,† Meredith said tersely. Bonnie wanted to say,Well, put her on the rug inside and run! But they could hardly do that. â€Å"We've got to take her inside,† Meredith said flatly. â€Å"Bonnie, are you okay to go?† â€Å"No,† Bonnie said just as flatly, â€Å"but what choice do we have?† Mrs. Forbes, small as she was, was heavy. Bonnie held her feet and followed Meredith, step by reluctant step, into the house. â€Å"We'll just put her on her bed,† Meredith said. Her voice was shaky. There was something about the house that was terribly unsettling – as if waves of pressure kept bearing down on them. And then Bonnie saw it. Just a glimpse as they stepped into the living room. It was down the hallway, and it could have been the play of light and shadow there, but it looked for all the world like a person. A person scuttling like a lizard – but not on the floor. On the ceiling.

Processing of Black and White Film

Today, we have contact with photography ubiquitously. But, do you realize that what you see has been created by photography? People have drawn and painted the world that surrounded them since ancient times. However, the first recording of a negative image on a light-sensitive material was first achieved by Frenchman, J. Niepce in 1826. He made the first permanent photograph with a camera â€Å"obscura†. Although, the exposure took eight hours, he wanted to find a different process. Another pioneer of photography was the British inventor William Talbot.He invented a special process named calotype or talbotype that created negative images from which a positive could be printed. On the other hand, in 1884, George Eastman invented the dry gel, which required paper or film. He developed the technology of film; and the same technology is used by film cameras today. A few years later, in June 1888, Eastman Kodak introduced to the public the first film camera. By the 1901, photography began to be available to the public. Today, the developing of black and white negative is almost obsolete. With new digital technology, almost nobody uses film cameras, except for some professional photographers.What do you need to develop your film? First, you need to go outside and take some pictures. Once you have the film ready to be developed you need some materials to process the film. To start developing your own film you need to have a room that is light proof, a metal or plastic film tank, reel, a can opener, scissors, chemicals, darkroom timer, a sink, and a thermometer. One of the places where you can find equipment that you need for your dark room and to process your film is B&H photo (http://www. bhphotovideo. com). B&H photo is an online store for professional photographers where they offer affordable prices and used equipment.For example, a roll of 24 roll of TMAX 400 cost about $3. 50 plus shipping cost. Moreover, you can also research if you have any photo stores w here you live. Last semester I took a photo class at school. I check frequently the bulletin board, where students posted equipment for sale. However, there are important steps to follow to process of black and white film. The first step is that you need to load the film on the reel. Before you do that I suggest you to prepare the equipment that you will need. Next, lay the tools in front of you; you will need scissors, a can opener, and a film tank.Remember that the negative is light sensitive and even a small amount of light will destroy the film. When you are ready, you can turn off the light and use the can opener to separate the film from the cassette. Next, unwind the film and cut the end with scissors. Now you are ready to load the film on the plastic or metal reel. I prefer the metal reel; because it is much to use. You need to gently slide the film into the slot and roll the film slowly on the reel until is loaded. When you are done, you can place the loaded reel in the fil m tank. When the negative is secure in the tank, you can turn on the light.The next step is to prepare the chemicals. It is also important to know what kid of film you use. I use TRIMAX400 most of the time. Although, you know the type of the film, it is time to get ready the developer. You might ask what kind of developer is the best. There are so many to choose from. I use Kodak D-76 developer. It is a fine-grain general-purpose developer. The measurements are 4 ounces of the developer mixed with 4 ounces of water. The next step is to check the temperature. Remember, to always rinse your thermometer before you use it and after you done.It is very important to check the temperature chart. For example, if the thermometer shows 68 °F, the developing time is 6 minutes. The chemicals should be at least 68 °F, because some chemicals do not respond to temperatures lower than 65 °F. Now you are ready to set the darkroom timer for 6 minutes. Time is a very important factor in developi ng the film. Warning: if you keep the film too long in the developer the film will turn out overexposed or if you finish early the negative is going to be underexposed. After you pour the developer into the film tank, you need to agitate the tank every minute for 15 seconds.It is very important to agitate the film, because this removes air bubbles from the film. Once the time is up you need to pour the developer into the sink. The following step is to rinse the film tank at least twice. Another important step is to add fixer. The fixer is the chemical used in the final step to stabilize the image. Fixing time takes 4 minutes. Do not forget to set your darkroom timer for 4 minutes. You need to remember also to agitate the tank every minute for 15 seconds. After the time is up you need to pour the fixer back into the container. When you done, the film is fixed and it is ready to be exposed to the light.But, before that you have to rinse the tank few times with fresh water. It is very important to wash your negative, to remove the exhausted chemicals. Warning: If you do not wash your negative enough you could permanently damage the image. The last step is to add a few drops of photoflow to the tank film and keep it for 30 seconds. Do not agitate the tank film while the bath stop is in the tank. You need that to prevent the water from spotting the film as it dries. The remaining step is a final wash in the running water for at least 20 minutes. Afterward, the film is ready to hang and dry.Carefully handle one end of the film and lift the film from the reel. Remember, the negatives are extremely fragile so handle them carefully. Make sure the negatives do not to touch anything. Also, do not forget to slide gently the negative between your fingers. After the film is dry, you are ready to cut the negative and go to the dark room to make the prints. Store each negative in separate negative sleeve. Although this process is almost obsolete, some professional photographe rs and hobbyists are still developing their film and make prints in the dark room. Black and white photography is considered a fine art.With growing popularity of digital technology, the hobby is not as popular as before. To make sure your film is developed accurate you have to absolutely follow the step that I present above. This process of your own film will give you a greater enjoyment and understanding of the true art of photography. I took a photo class last semester and I enjoyed every minute I spent in the dark room to develop my film and then made my prints. I also learned about lighting and shadows. Black and white photography divulged different feelings and shows different emotions than color film.

Pangaea: the Ancient Supercontinent

Pangaea: The Ancient Supercontinent Throughout Earth's history, fragments of continental crust have floated across the planet's surface, pushed and pulled by plate tectonic motion. At times in the geologic past, these fragments (what we may now call continents) came together to form one large supercontinent, only to be broken apart once again by tectonic forces. The cycle of supercontinent construction and destruction took hundreds of millions of years. The most recently created supercontinent was Pangaea, which came into being about 300 million years ago.Panthalassa, a giant ocean, surrounded it. In just 100 million years, though, Pangaea began to break apart. Tectonic forces created a north-south rift in the super-continent, separating it into two new continents, Laurasia and Gondwanaland. As the new continents separated, the rift filled in with water, eventually becoming the present-day Atlantic Ocean. Laurasia, composed of the present-day continents of Asia, Europe, and North Ame rica (Greenland), occupied the northern hemisphere.Gondwanaland, composed of the present-day continents of Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and South America, occupied the southern hemisphere. The subcontinent of India was also part of Gondwanaland. By 135 million years ago, the breakup of Laurasia and Gondwanaland was underway, leading to the present-day locations of the continents. The forces that formed Pangaea, then broke it apart, are still at work. North America, South America, and Greenland are all moving westward.Australia, India, and the western part of Africa are all moving northward. Europe and Asia are moving eastward. The Atlantic Ocean is becoming larger, and the Pacific Ocean is becoming smaller. Although impossible to know when, at some point in the future, millions of years from now, the continents may well come together to form yet another super-continent. Beginning some 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) beneath the surface and extending to a depth of 3,960 miles (6,370 kilometers), the very center of the planet, is Earth's core.Composed of the metal elements iron and nickel, the core has a solid inner portion and a liquid outer portion. Scientists estimate that temperatures in the core exceed 9,900Â °F (5,482Â °C), creating extreme heat energy. Were this energy not released in some manner, Earth's interior would melt. Circulating currents, called convection currents, carry the energy to the surface of the planet, where it is released. It is the release of this energy underneath the lithosphere that leads to the formation of the major geologic features on the surface of the planet.

Effects of steroids on calcium activated potassium channels and Essay

Effects of steroids on calcium activated potassium channels and secretion of LH and FSH in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) - Essay Example The secretion of these hormones by the gonadotropes is in turn mediated by the activity of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) produced by the BPG axis (Borg, 1994). Apart from regulating gametogenesis, these hormones also control steroidogenesis, a process that produces sex steroids involved in moderating gametogenesis (Schulz and Goos, 1999). Another important regulating hormone for the gonadotropins is dopamine, which has been reported as a down regulator in several teleost fish (Borg, 1994). The releasing hormone, GnRH, once produced binds and activates its receptors found on the membrane of the hormone producing cells of the pituitary gland (Bliss, Navratil, Xie, & Roberson, 2010). Contrastingly in teleost, there is a direct innervation of the pituitary gland by GnHR neurons, whereas, in humans and other mammals, the action of GnHR is via neurochemostasis (Mousa & Mousa, 2003). The binding of GnHR to its receptors on the gonadotropes triggers an increase in intracellular calcium ion concentration an action that stimulates the secretion of the hormones by the activated cells. The initial and immediate secretion of the hormones is by exocytosis of hormone vesicles, which is later followed by long term gene transcription to sustain prolonged secretions. The increase in calcium ion concentration is mediated by various mechanisms, such as an influx via voltage-gated channels, and release from intracellular stores. For example, action potentials tend to promote the influx of extracellular calcium ions in voltage-gated calcium ion channels expressing cells. The elevated calcium ions concentration, in the cells activates, calcium activated Potassium channels (CAPC), a pathway that plays a significant role in modulating membrane potentials and thus the electrophysiological effect on hypothalamic releasing hormones (Fettiplace & Fuchs, 1999). CAPCs are

Exam questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Exam questions - Essay Example First and foremost, the first question pertaining to the visual material provided is how we can make sure that the human rights laws are adhered to by the public? On that note, the answer to this question should be comprehensively elaborated. Secondly, what are the measures that have been put in place by the government to safe guard the vulnerable groups from human rights violation? Evidently, this question has been discreetly covered in the video and the lecture material provided. Finally, which are some of the organizations that have played a big role in the upholding of human rights laws? On the same point, the answer to this question is brief and is clearly covered in the video. In summation, it is clear that human rights violation are a major setback towards attaining universal development. To this end, the government has played a big role in trying to avert this looming crisis by creating the necessary legislation. ï‚ · Human rights Day. (n.d.). human rights. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from

Women and honor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women and honor - Essay Example What is clear about this is that women need a new path of ethics and morality. The problem that stands in the way is speech or language that prevents us from putting an end to our silences and â€Å"liberating ourselves from our secrets.† Speaking on the subject of truth, Rich tells us that women tell lies in order to survive. They lie to most people they come across especially people who legally have power over us such as a husband or a lover. Lying is used as weapon of false power that is wielded to get our own way. In a culture that validates only male power, women use lying as a potent tool to gain control of different situations. In order to justify our lies we use phrases like –â€Å"nobody’s business but my own† or â€Å"my privacy† etc...Rich compares lying to living a life â€Å"in the closet†, because it becomes more a necessity to lie to friends, family, bosses, colleagues or even clients. According to her, a liar leads a life of fear and loneliness which is self- destructive. It creates a kind of void within the woman and she tries to fill this barrenness by getting children. The lies she uses is more like a denial of the fear she feels. A liar always resists confrontation because she lives a cowardly life- one that has no truth in it. The author emphasizes that truth and honor are not things that just spring to life, they have to be created and nurtured between people. When truth prevails, the possibilities between people are endless and life becomes all the more interesting; but the liar loses sight of all these possibilities and continues to live in fear and loneliness. Graham Greene’s narration shifts between the past -of the events leading to Pyle’s death and the present reality that exists after the death of Pyle. The Quiet American is set against a backdrop of Vietnam during the latter part of the First Indo- China war. The story revolves around love of a young and beautiful Vietnamese girl

Individual report investigating the mobile phone usage by the UBIC Essay

Individual report investigating the mobile phone usage by the UBIC students - Essay Example The increase in use of smart phones in this institution has grown to the height that is commercially important especially to the mobile manufacturing companies. This was the major reason behind conducting a research on the use of mobile phones in this institution. There were several driving factors towards conducting this kind of research. An escalating use of mobile phones had raised legitimate concerns that were both positive and negative in different ways. Some could be derailing education while others were equally profitable. In the aspect of profitability the use of mobile phones in this institution could be exploited businesswise. This includes; to know if students use mobile phones in the University of Brighton’s International College and the type of mobile phones they use, to know their rate of use of the mobile devices, to determine the impact of the use of mobile phone in this institution, to help know how viable the business of selling mobile phones could be, to gather vital information that could be useful in improving the quality of education in the institution, to determine how various mobile applications are useful to consumers, specifically students and how their usage could lead the growth of mobile business. Several data elicitation methods were put into place with the primary source of data gathering being face to face interview and questionnaire filling in. Nevertheless, every aspect of data gathering methodology was vital in the final report. The following were the methods used in finding out what exactly was going on in the institution. Interview has been one of the major data gathering methodology of all time since it involves one on interaction with the correspondent. This therefore leads to gathering of first hand information that could reflect the true state of the mind of sincere correspondents. In this study thirty students from in The University of Brighton’s International

Need a teaching paper for a diabetic patient (portion control) Assignment

Need a teaching paper for a diabetic patient (portion control) - Assignment Example Patient education Diabetes type  II is a metabolic disorder that is associated with high blood glucose and lack of insulin or simply insulin deficiency in blood (Ackley & Ladwig, 2013). When it comes to management of diabetes type II, control of blood sugar is usually the central subject matter. After all, when ones level of blood sugar is kept within the target range, it can help him or her to live a healthy life. The main aim of patient education was for M.E. to improve her knowledge, skills and self-assurance, enabling her to take enhanced control of her own condition as well as incorporate effective self-management aspects into her daily lives (Ackley & Ladwig, 2013). This is premised on the fact that high-quality patient education can actually have a profound impact on health outcomes of patients and can drastically enhance quality of life. In particular, this patient education aimed at teaching M.E. on how to keep a balance diet and portion control in away that will help her manage her condition-Diabetes type  II. In this context, my main goal was to promote the health of M.E. and to avert any further outcome associated with the disease. The information that M.E. will receive, will be of great importance in terms of enabling her to make changes in her feeding lifestyle and this will help in controlling her blood glucose within normal or target range. All other aspects associated with her conditions such as, if she had ever confided her condition into anyone, and if anyone has ever told her anything regarding her condition, were revisited before I brought about the topics to be discussed. She openly stated that she had shared a lot with her primary care doctor. In this case nonetheless, I assured her that my aim was simply to provide information that would her manage her condition well in terms of how to keep a balance diet and portion control. My primary teaching material in this case was a handout entailing illustrations and information about diabete s type II disease and the choice was based on the fact that illustrations serves to reinforce the point that has been taught and are easier to understand even for people who are not familiar with it. The first topic to be introduced was what diabetes was and its likely effects on ones body. I began by explaining to her that Diabetes Type II was a condition resulting from the failure of insulin to control to a minimum the level of glucose in blood (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013). As a result, there is no absorption of glucose to be used by the body cells for the production of energy. Under the causes, I explained to her that the disease is caused by a mixture of genetic and lifestyle factors. Whilst some factors such as diet are under personal control or management, others, such as female gender, genetics and increasing age, are not. This, therefore, led into a discussion on the dangers associated with the disease: the danger of cardiovascular disease, including stroke and ischemic he art disease which are similarly life threatening. The next topic we discussed was what factors lead to Diabetes Type II, such as her Hispanic ethnicity, her old age, lack of physical activity, poor diet and family history of diabetes. Having informed her about all these, I then discussed with her about the things she could do in her daily life to manage her level of blood glucose. Specifically, I advised her to avoid diets that have high content of sugar. However, I emphasized that in as much as healthy eating is a foundation of any diabetes

Design an evaluation scheme for the Heart of Hackney regeneration Essay

Design an evaluation scheme for the Heart of Hackney regeneration project - Essay Example Hackney becomes a prime business location targeting a low carbon economy and innovative high value manufacturing (Hackney, 2010). It also believed that the developments in the housing stock, schools and public realm make Hackney an attractive location to live in, visit and work at. This paper will proceed to provide an evaluation scheme for the Heart of Hackney regeneration project. The Heart of Hackney regeneration project is a major undertaking not only for the borough but as a national initiative to address urban degradation. The 2012 Summer Olympics became a good excuse to prioritize East London as problems about urban sprawl become international in significance due to global warming and growing integration of cultures. In addressing the objectives and implicit theory of change by the Heart of hackney regeneration project, it is imperative to dig through its economic goals, the underlying factor for all growth aspirations. In the consultation draft (Hackney, 2010), the Hackney Council set the Economic Development Strategy. It acknowledged the opportunity that the borough has at the moment which it also needs to seize in order to fit as â€Å"an engine for London’s renewed economic growth,† (Hackney 2010, p 2). In general, the EDS objective is to help shape the local economic direction in order to provide long-term prosperity for the residents. The Council acknowledged that despite the recent employment growth in Hackney placing it just one percent below the London average did not spell the ideal as the borough still is considered the second most deprived in England due to long-term unemployment. Specifically, the program is currently focused on its Ways into Work program. A mentioned in the report, Hackney is providing interventions to out-of-school youths and unemployed individuals in the form of volunteerism, training, temporary employment, and other means to

Isotopes in archeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Isotopes in archeology - Essay Example Isotopes are classified into two groups, stable or unstable isotopes, stable isotopes are considered such because of the non-dynamic nature of their proton neutron relationship they do not disintegrate or decay, while unstable isotopes, on the other hand, are known as radioactive isotopes. They are characterized by an unstable proton-neutron combination, in the process of decaying; they emit various types of radiation such as gamma, beta, and alpha, depending on the creation process, ranging from Cosmogenic, to radioactive isotopes. Both classes of isotopes have a wide range of uses in various disciplines such as medicine, agriculture, and geology just to mention a few. This paper focuses on the uses of isotopes in archeology and examines the various uses of isotopes in archeological research, their advantages disadvantages, and alternative techniques. Radio carbon dating One of the most essential functions or radioisotopes is in the determination of the age of archeological especial ly the remains of once living organism which could have died thousands of years ago. This has been used to back up written and historical data in a range of disciplines such as history, evolution and religion. ... The archeologists hence measure the ratio of carbon in the organisms and compare it to the radioactivity of carbon 14 left in the organism (Van der Merwe, 1982). In this way, scientists have been able to determine, and with considerable success, the ages of many plants and animal matter that have been excavated in archeological sites. The main advantage of carbon 14 dating is that is economical, and when done properly after considering all the factors involved, it can produce results that are very accurate. However, it has got some limitations in that if the subject being aged has been in existence for over 50,000 years, it begins to lose accuracy since the carbon isotopes become too small for effective measurement. Besides, environmental changes due to natural or man-made courses such as atomic bombs and nuclear testing has varied the amounts of carbon in the atmosphere making it difficult to come up with accurate results (Van der Merwe, 1982). A new method is, however, being develo ped AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) to counterman these short comings since it can derive more accurate dates from smaller samples of carbon for radio carbon dating. Determination of Geological location Using Strontium (Sr), which is an isotope found in human bones, archeologists can determine the geographical history of humans i.e. where past civilizations have been, their migration and settlement pasts and patterns can be deduced form these isotopes (Bentley, 2006). The strontium isotopes are ideal for this since they act like geochemical signatures, the body takes up the isotopes from the soil through the consumption of plant or animals which have consumed the same plants. The strontium hence embeds itself into the local food chain and substitutes some of calcium in the

The importance of group work in educational process Essay

The importance of group work in educational process - Essay Example Summarizing is essential to any hand written essay when ever that essay is needed to help people learn about what one might have seen, read or heard. It is used by millions everywhere at every minute in all possible kinds of assignments. What needs to be understood about these summaries is that one needs to recognize when one has to go from explaining and describing to offer a better and a more complex analysis. The group was asked to write on their experience on the work they had done together. And on the time they had spend together as a group working on the assignment that they had been assigned. The few points that this report would signify are: The introduction The makings of a good group-essay A reflective essay Networking and mentoring The Introduction In the start the class was asked to divide into groups of preferably 4 to 5 people. This was the most optimal limit of the groups. The class was also asked to have different personalities in the group, as different personalities brought different aspects to the group. The members chose each other on the basis of nationalities. Though there were almost five different nationalities in the group, the mode of conversation was English as it is understood by most of them. They were Annette, Alan, Rinkesh, and Mohammed. This particular group had quite a few nations, like Hong Kong, India, Arabia, china so they all brought their culture and diversity to the group. The group went through four steps of group work. These four steps are described by Tuckan as ‘forming,’ ‘storming,’ ‘norming’ and ‘performing’ (Hingst & Lowe, 2008, 157-165). Accordingly the group came together and introduced themselves in the first stage of forming. In this stage the discussion was light hearted and the topic of the project was discussed. There was no hierarchy managed. Everyone was given an equal chance to speak and put forward their ideas. During this stage no real work was done. In the next stage, the stage called storming; the members were now more in the form of better ways and means of giving out their opinions. In this stage the members become more comfortable with each other and even start taking up different positions as the leaders or the followers. This stage had more acceptance than any of the other stages did. In the next stage (performing), the members became a lot more alert of their jobs and tried to stick to them more and more, they also tried to get more work done and as soon as possible too. In this stage the members had more conflicts and their resolution led to a better understanding between the members of the group. The makings of a good group-essay As the group was required to work on writing an essay, so they needed to identify what made an essay good and what took it beyond good. They learnt that essay marking is divided into five groups which are: 1. Pre-structural 2. Uni-structural 3. Multi-structural 4. Relational 5. Extended abstract The best essay belongs to the category of either Relational or the Extended Abstracts. A college essay is expected of these levels. In these categories the essay shows the high level of understanding which is demonstrated by the number of and method of collection of data/ideas. This is very much obvious from the way the students write, express and explain themselves and their ideas about any number of situations and scenarios. They also show how much they grasped from the theme of the topic by cross-questioning. Both these categories are awarded Distinctions, and high-awards. Unlike these categories the other essays belong to the first three categories which have essays which either dwindle ion the edge of the topic or are not even close to it. These essays show lack of understanding and comprehension and are usually covered up by mismatched points and stories. A reflective essay A reflective essay is one which describes ones communication experiences acquired during any group-work and helps one to put these experiences into practical use by matching them to the theories and concepts learnt in

Learning and Memory.An introduction to theories of learning Essay Example for Free

Learning and Memory.An introduction to theories of learning Essay Learning and Memory Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cleaning the room is the target behaviour in Bobby’s case. Mr. Kelly tries to keep on reminding his eight year old child to clean his room but it is always in vain. Since Mr. Kelly needs help in increasing the frequency of his child cleaning his room it could be assumed that bobby is trained and knows how to clean his room. The possible reason as to why he keeps on refraining from this task is however unclear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Operant conditioning is a method of learning that incorporates acquisition of behaviour and facing the consequences of the behaviour. In this type of learning rewards are given to the learner either to encourage or discourage future repetition of the same behaviour (Olson Hergenhahn, 2013). Operant conditioning can be used to encourage Bobby in cleaning up his room. Through the various components of operant conditioning Mr. Kelly can apply to encourage Bobby clean his room. Operant conditioning has two major concepts, reinforcement and punishment, which could be used in different ways to encourage bobby to clean his room.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reinforcement involves using reward that would otherwise increase the chances of bobby cleaning his room more often. Mr. Kelly could use various rewards such as giving bobby time to watch T.V, buying little gifts that are issued each time bobby cleans his room. Such motivating factors will encourage bobby to clean up his room. Reinforcement is of two types, positive and negative reinforcement, both ways can be capitalised in changing the behaviour of bobby. In positive reinforcement for instance Mr. Kelly needs to look for items such as toys or bars of chocolate, preferably Mr. Kelly could choose some of the items bobby loves most and use them to reward bobby after cleaning the room.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Continuous use of negative reinforcement over a long period of time would lead to Bobby developing an attitude towards cleaning his room. Thus positive reinforcement could be applied. For reinforcement to be effective both method should be used concurrently. Fixed ratio schedule and variable ratio schedules can be used to implement and encourage bobby to always clean the room. Fixed ratio schedule will always reward bobby after a number of times he has cleaned the room. This method will give immediate positive responses from bobby but would be consuming for Mr. Kelly. Variable ratio schedule would award bobby after irregular intervals of response from him. This can be very effective to reinforce Bobby to clean the room because the reinforcement can come all through the first week and make the reluctance of cleaning the house an extinct behaviour.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I will apply the operant conditioning to account for Jackie’s development of the behaviour of phobia towards dogs. This is because the operant conditioning shows or explains why the organisms will acquire learned behaviour that they exhibit. The vital focus of operant conditioning is by use of reinforcements as punishments or reward so as to increase or decrease the likelihood of occurrence or repetition of certain behaviour (Staddon Cerutti, 2003). In the case of Jackie, she received a negative reinforcement from the dog bite and hence the phobia towards dogs development. Also the stitches and the time that she spent on medication made her develop the negative attitude towards dogs. This is because, in operant conditioning, it is clear that continued use of negative reinforcement will lead to the victim developing an attitude towards that object or behaviour.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some of the behaviour modification that could be designed to help Jackie to overturn the phobia that she has with dogs could be: Jackie could first of all spend time with her spouse with a company the trained dogs. This will help Jackie to see that dogs were not wild and they always do not bite any time you had an encounter with them. This will somehow help her reverse the phobia she had towards dogs and also help her see the positive side of the dogs. She should also be allowed to spend time with the trained dogs with the dogs being guided by the trainer to remain lively, obedient and helpful to Jackie. This will act as a positive reinforcement towards Jackie’s behaviour. She will slowly by slowly start liking dogs and hence they will have a happy life with her partner thereafter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are two main principles of operant conditioning that are evident in the case of Emma. First by the parents trying to offer Emma some kind of reward, they are trying to positively reinforce the behaviour of cleaning her room and toys through the principle of positive reinforcement. Also through putting her out, they are applying the principle of positive punishment by trying to add something bad so that she cannot repeat the same mistake.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Operant conditioning theory could be applied in this case to correct Emma’s behaviour through application of the four main principles of operant conditioning. The parents could apply the principle of negative punishment which is to take something good away so as to decrease certain behaviour. Through application of this principle, they could cut away buying of toys to Emma so that she could be reinforced to clean the room. Also through negative reinforcement principle, which is taking something bad so as to reinforce behaviour could be applied by Emma’s parents. They could stop putting her in time any time that she cleans her room so that she can be reinforced to always clean her room and toys.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Extinction of behaviour in operant conditioning theory can be defined as the disappearance of previously learned behaviour if the behaviour is not reinforced (Hunt et al, 2008). As we have earlier said, reinforcement is the necessity for learning and in which certain behaviour grows. It is either a means to encourage or discourage certain behaviour (Olson Hergenhahn, 2013). For instance, the Emma is conditioned to the behaviour that when she screams hard and through the toys away, her parents will collect them and clean them up for her. If the parents stopped this behaviour, Emma could not adopt this behaviour because it will lack reinforcement and slowly it will cease and become extinct. References Hunt, Elgin F. and Colander, David C. (2008). Social Science, An Introduction to the Study of Society. Olson, M. H. Hergenhahn, B. R. (2013). An introduction to theories of learning (9th ed.). Upper Saddle; River, NJ: Pearson. Staddon, J. E. R., Cerutti, D. T. (2003). Operant conditioning. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 115-44. Source document

The Key Characteristics Of An Erp System Information Technology Essay

The Key Characteristics Of An Erp System Information Technology Essay Enterprise Resource Planning solutions became the replacement for disparate legacy systems for many companies of the dimension of Fortune 500 during the 1990s. The main providers were SAP, Oracle Applications, PeopleSoft, J D Edwards and Baan. The Editors provided assistance initially, and then gradually there was a tendency for larger Consulting companies as partners to take over part or all of the integration. As ERP is a new phenomenon within the software industry, its implementation methodologies are still developing. The implementation of an ERP software package involves a mix of business process change and software configuration to align the software with the business processes (Al-Mashariet al.2000). Many companies are radically changing their information technology strategies to gain a competitive edge, become more responsive to change markets, and deliver better service at lower cost by purchasing off-the-shelf integrated ERP software instead of developing IT systems internally(Al-Mashariet al.2000). ERP systems offer a one size fits all solution which provides a company-wide view ofcorporate information. The central notion underpinning ERP systems is that theyencapsulate best business practice for a particular industry, integrating manufacturing,and financial and human resource operations into a single framework. Adapting processes to the ERP may impose some rigidity on the processes which is notreflected in how work is carried out. In any eventuality an ERP package will usually notmeet all of the business goals, so it is vital that plans are put in place to ensure that the otherrequirements are also satisfied. 2.1.1-ERP Key Characteristics The key characteristics of an ERP System are discussed below. Integration: ERP vendors promise complete integration of the entire organisations information. This integration, however, requires some effort. In order to achieve integration, the system needs to be set up to match the organisations products, customers, accounts and business processes. Packages: ERP software is usually a commercial package and not a solution developed in-house from scratch. Because modifying the package may result in losing key benefits from using the ERP, organisations try to fit the package, with the help of configuration tools and options, rather than the other way around. Best practices: Through the study of businesses and academic theory, ERP vendors claim to have embedded best business practices in their solutions. This is also a solid argument against modifying their packages. Evolving: ERP is not a constant solution; it changes over time in terms of services and architecture like any other information technology. 2.2-ERP Implementation An ERP system is a process and not an end in itself. Perfunctory Implementing of ERP system will not boost efficiency. Reasons for failure of an ERP project such as lack of commitment from management and employees, lack of communication, knowledgeable employees not available for the project, are mostly organizational issues and have nothing to do with technical matter. Hence, to alleviate the risk of failure due to organizational issues, adoption of proper change and risk management process, plays a crucial role. Implementing an ERP software system not only involves a great deal of expenditure, efforts and time, it also involves change in some of the complex business processes. Such changes are often disliked by the employees and are a big risk. In order to ensure success, everyone in the company, from the leadership to back-office workers should cooperate. 2.2.1-ERP Implementation Phases The main phases in ERP implementation are discussed below Planning and Requirements Analysis This is the initial phase where the company takes a decision on implementing ERP. The decision could based on their need to comply with legal requirements, replace their legacy applications, for benefits of integration, reduction of inventory, reduction of operational costs, risk management, additional functionality or speeding up processes. The team chooses an ERP system. Typically a niche player in resource planning software development is chosen instead of developing from scratch. Some of the leading vendors are: SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle,Sage Group, MS Business Solutions, SSA Global, Lawson and Intentia. Design This is the phase where the ERP team re-engineers the business processes around the Best Practices wherever feasible and identifies the processes that will result in customizing the ERP software application. The IT infrastructure requirements based on ERP system architecture and vendor are prepared. Implementation This phase involves installation of the ERP software, migration of data from the old applications to the ERP system, configuring the ERP system for reporting, implementing security, interfaces etc. The end users are involved at this stage to test the system after being trained. The implementation consultants seek feedback, identify software bugs/corrections, performance bottlenecks and apply the fixes. A decision on switching to the new ERP system is taken. Maintenance This is an ongoing phase which involves patching/upgrading the software, enhancing the functionality of the applications, changes in reports etc. This is either taken care of by in-house IT department or outsourced to consulting firms. 2.2.2-ERP Life Cycle The three main phases of an ERP Implementation are discussed below. Figure 1 depicts the amount of resources required at each stage (Aloiniet al. 2007) Concept refers to the activities of ERP introduction from strategic planning of requirements top software package selection. Implementation includes activities from softwaredeployment or installation to parameterization,integration, testing, and stabilization. Post-implementation includes maintenance activities: upgrading, new-release management, and evolution maintenance. Figure -ERP Life cycle Source: (Aloini et al. 2007) As shown in the diagram above, the resources to be deployed during the implementation and post-implementation phases are higher than at the strategic planning phase. Various risk management strategies have to be put in place at each stage. However, there is a higher risk of failure during the implementation and post implementation phase. 2.3-ERP Risk Factors ERP projects raise new questions because they represent a new type of management challenge. The management approaches for these projects may be altogether different from the managerial approaches for traditional IT projects. ERP projects may represent new challenges and present new risk factors that have to be handled differently. Anenterprise-wide projectis of large-scale and commercial with unique challenges and is a risky exercise for any size of enterprise. 2.3.1-General Risk Factors Business Risks The identification of risks in information systems projects has been the subject of much research (Jiang et al., 1996; Zmud, 1980). A portfolio approach for managing software development risk was discussed by McFarlan (1981). Prior research has looked at risk from a technological perspective (Anderson and Narasumhan, 1979) or from a software development perspective (Barki, et al. 1993). Jiang and Klein (1999) examined risk as it related to a multidimensional concept of information success that included satisfaction with the development process, satisfaction with system use, satisfaction with system quality, and their impact of the information system on the organization. 2.3.2-Lack of alignment between strategy and business processes The lack of alignment between the organization strategy, structure, and processes and the chosen ERP application is one risk that is repeatedly identified in the literature is(Davenport, 1998; 2000)). Both the business process reengineering literature (Hammer, 1990; Hammer and Champy, 1993)and the ERP literature suggests that an ERP system alone cannot improve the company performance unless an organization restructures its operational processes (Bingi et al., 1999; Davenport, 1998; Davenport, 2000). Further, theERP implementation project must be a business initiative. This requires the organization to gain strategic clarity (i.e., know the business, how it delivers value, etc.) and a constancy of purpose. Finally, an outcomes orientation is required to achieve these goals. 2.3.10-Inadequate Business Process Reengineering (BPR) Often, packaged software is incompatible with theorganizations needs and business processes. Theconsequence is software modification, which isexpensive and costs heavily in maintenance, or restructuring of the organizations business processes to fit the software. According to IBM, its Method Blue, a deep analysis of process business value and performances is necessary to prioritize activities to be supported by ERP. To neglect business processes redesign is a risk in ERP project; ERP implementation and BPR activities. ERP packages offer many business practices that might be included as part of a BPR, but there is still likely to be a need for continuous process improvement. 2.3.11- Ineffective project management techniques The inadequate use of project management techniques significantly affects ERP project success. Project management activities span the first four stagesof the ERP life cycle from initiating the project to its closing. Project planning and control are a function of the project characteristics, including its size, experience with the technology, and the stability and experience of the IT development group. Risk management in particular is a vital procedure of advanced (goal directed) project management. Some ERP vendors, such as SAP and Baan, provide methodologies and applications to help conduct successful risk management. These tools can be used to drive change management; the system calculates the risks and provides mitigation strategies for the project manager. 2.3.12-Data Migration The problem of data migration begins when organisations overlook the challenge of populating it with legacy data and the data migration activity is left to the last minute and end up dropping data from the legacy system straight into the new system.   A lot of planning has to go into it even before you actually start preparing the Migration scripts.Lot of organizations complain that they have migrated the data which probably would not go along with the new ERP they have implemented. This happens when Data Mapping is not done with the new ERP and the other sources.  Another problem which pulls down the Data Migration Project is Lack of Methodology. The Organizations do not have the concrete Methodology like they do have for the ERP Implementation. 2.3.9. Low key user involvement User involvement is important in meeting expectations. Key users should be convinced of the system utility; moreover they must be confident and expert so that they can aid future users in training sessions. Usercommitment and a project champion (who has the vision to get the project going and pushes for the project to be accepted where there are competing priorities) are useful in the early stages of the project and during the implementation phase. 2.3.3-Project Complexity/System Design Another major risk is project complexity (see, for example, Barki, et al. 1993). An ERP system implementation involves relatively large expenditures for the acquisition of the hardware, software, implementation costs, consulting fees and training costs (Davenport, 2000; Mckie, 1998), and can last for an extended period of time. Also, an ERP system implementation project has a wider scope compared to most other information system implementations, and may cause a significant number of changes within an organization (Davenport, 2000). The scope and the complexity of the project are a source of significant business risk 2.3.13-Planning and Requirements Analysis Top management involvement is critical, while only top managers are equipped to act as the mediator between the imperative of the technology and the imperative of the organization. One of the tasks of top management is to assist in project review meetings. According to the purpose of project review meetings is to assess progress and identify areas of deviations from the plan so that corrective action can be taken. The author also states that project review meetings provide visibility to plans and progress and create opportunities for obtaining and enforcing commitments from the participants. ERP solutions, when implemented properly, take a long time to get off the ground. ERP has to be properly selected, evaluated and tested, implemented and then used for a period of time before any clear positive results may be seen. It can become a very risky situation if the company isnt fully committed to seeing the entire process through. 2.3.15 -Security Risks The continued integration of enterprise resource planning software only increases the risk of both hackers who break through perimeter security and insiders who abuse system privileges to misappropriate assets namely cash through acts of fraud. Security in the e-business, integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) world requires a new way of thinking about security not just about the bits and bytes of network traffic, but about business transactions that inflict financial losses from systems-based fraud, abuse and errors. The ERP market has matured to a point where heightened competition has brought declining sales. As a result, ERP vendors are committed to bundling new functionality, such as CRM and Web services-based architecture, to provide more value to their customers. Unfortunately, security remains an afterthought. 2.4-Critical Success Factors in ERP Implementation (CSF) There are various issues that need to be catered for during the pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation phase of an ERP system. The idea of critical success factors is one that is well established in the field of enterprise systems for many aspects of development and management. 2.4.1-Top Management Support It is important that there is clear, executive level support for the project, and that this support continues throughout the project. Top management is expected to provide support in the areas of committing to the ERP project, sufficient financial and human resource and the resolution of the political problems if necessary. Limited support in terms of financing can contribute to a rushed ERP implementation process, project team members being overloaded and a high staff turnover. Insufficient commitment could lead to political problems which can hinder the implementation progress, thus causing poor Business Process Re-engineering. 2.4.2-Project Management ERP implementation is challenging, costly, and risky. Consequently, to achieve the desired benefits, the ERP system implementation must be carefully managed and monitored. It is in this respect that project management becomes crucial for success. Project management deals with various aspects of the project, such as planning, organization, information system acquisition, personnel selection, and management and monitoring of software implementation suggested that the project management is a practiced system necessary to govern a project and to deliver quality products. 2.4.3-Change Management Change management is a critical success factor, in terms of adopting an ERP system, as activities, processes, and methodologies that support employee understanding and organisational shifts during the implementation of ERP systems and reengineering initiatives. Many ERP implementation failures have been caused by the lack of focus on the soft issues, pointed out that almost half of ERP projects fail to achieve expected benefits because managers underestimate the efforts involved in change management. The management of change has become an increasingly urgent issue in all organisations due to the impact of new technology. 2.4.4-Education and Training ERP systems are extremely complex systems and demand rigorous training. Installing an ERP software package without adequate end-user preparation could yield to drastic consequences. Inadequate or lack of training has been one of the most significant reasons of many ERP systems failure (Kelley, et al., 1999; Gupta, 2000). In ERP implementation process many projects fail in the end despite of millions of dollars and hundreds of hours due to lack of proper training. Usually the end-user can get used to the ERP system within one year. One of the earlier researchers, Ang, et al. (1994) found that lack of training led to difficulties in MRP systems implementation. A thorough training program is necessary to make the user comfortable with the system. This factor is too often ignored. It is a challenge for a company implementing such a system to find an appropriate plan for the training and education of the end-user. In most cases, consultants are included during implementation process, and while all the aspects of the system should be explained and transferred the end-users, the main goal of ERP training is that the users understand the various business processes behind the ERP application (Majed Al-Mashari, et al 2003). 2.4.5-User Involvement User involvement refers to the participation of the user during the process of an ERPimplementation. The functions of the ERP system rely on the user to use the systemafter going live, but the user is also a significant factor in the implementation. (Zhang, et al. 2002) Resistance to new ERP system may be involving the user early on while the project isstill being defined, since the user has then also contributed to this decision. Byparticipating in the ERP implementation, the user can understand the new system soonerand give feedback from his or her own point of view. This method can shorten the gapbetween the old and new systems and make easier for the user to cope with the newsystem. Since the user understands some of the ideas sooner, the training is more easilyaccepted. The experienced users who take part in implementation can also communicatewith the newcomers. Another benefit of involving some users early on is that itfacilitates in-house expert training. In the long-run the company may not be willing orable to rely on consultants or vendors because of the expensive consulting cost. Earlyusers are a good resource if it becomes necessary to train experts in the future. 2.5- Risk Management in ERP Implementation To minimize the risk of the ERP project, the application of a risk management plan at different ERP implementation project stages, selection, implementation, and usage is crucial. A planned and systematically adopted risk management procedure throughout the ERP project reduces the possibility to risks occurring. 2.5.2-Enterprise Risk Management Enterprise risk management (ERM) in business includes the methods and processes used by organizations to manage risks and seize opportunities related to the achievement of their objectives. ERM provides a framework for risk management, which typically involves identifying particular events or circumstances relevant to the organizations objectives (risks and opportunities), assessing them in terms of likelihood and magnitude of impact, determining a response strategy, and monitoring progress. Enterprise risk management enables management to effectively deal with uncertainty and associated risk and opportunity, enhancing the capacity to build value. ERM encompasses the below elements: Aligning risk appetite and strategy Management considers the entitys risk appetitein evaluating strategic alternatives, setting related objectives, and developingmechanisms to manage related risks. Enhancing risk response decisions Enterprise risk management provides the rigor toidentify and select among alternative risk responses risk avoidance, reduction, sharing, and acceptance. Reducing operational surprises and losses Entities gain enhanced capability to identify potential events and establish responses, reducing surprises and associated costs or losses. Identifying and managing multiple and cross-enterprise risks Every enterprise faces a myriad of risks affecting different parts of the organization, and enterprise risk management facilitates effective response to the interrelated impacts, and integrated responses to multiple risks. Seizing opportunities By considering a full range of potential events, management ispositioned to identify and proactively realize opportunities. Improving deployment of capital Obtaining robust risk information allows management to effectively assess overall capital needs and enhance capital allocation.

Inappropriate Use of Social Media in Healthcare

Inappropriate Use of Social Media in Healthcare The rapid growth and widespread use of social media has changed the way many people communicate and share information. Social media include various websites such as Facebook and Twitter which are the two most popular social networking providers, video sharing websites like YouTube, a variety of blogs which enable users to post their own articles and allow visitors to leave feedback, discussion forums and other social networking platforms of communication that people can use for educational or other purposes. In recent years a huge number of people around the world have become active users of social media. Network of Global Agenda Councils Reports (2011-2012) showed that worldwide more than 1.2 billion of people use social media, a number that accounts for 82% of all internet users around the world (Councils, 2012). Many of these users explore internet in order to access medical information and other to share their concerns about health related issues or to seek out medical treatment. Furthermore many healthcare professionals such as physicians, pharmacists and nurses use social media as a platform of communication to promote patient health and safety as well as an education tool (Frances Griffiths, 2012). However irresponsible and misuse use of social media can result to a number of unpleasant situations. Both healthcare providers and patients should be aware of the risks of using social platforms of communication. Potential risks among others include the breach of personal data, the publication of poor quality medical information and the underestimation concerning the seriousness of a situation from a healthcare professional either due to lack of adequate information or due to provision of incorrect or inaccurate data provided by a patient during an online consultation (Harlow, 2012). In UK there is not any specific guidance provided from the Health and Care Professions Council, but it has been made clear that social media should be used within the relevant standards of conduct, performance and ethics. It recognises that social networking is a valuable way to communicate and share information but also points out that the healthcare professionals who will decide to use it as part of their work must make sure that will behave with honesty and integrity for the best interest of the public protecting patient confidentiality and exhibiting their professionalism at all times (Health Professions Council Newsletter: Issue 34 April 2011). Nevertheless in the past have been reported many incidents of inappropriate use of social media and unprofessional behaviour where patients personal data disclosed on the internet without their consent or cases where patients offended because of comments made from other users related to their health status. Guardian reported that between 2008 and 2011, were carried out 72 separate actions by 16 trusts against staff for inappropriate use of social media. Some of these cases were related to the breach of personal data and some other were associated either with posting of racists or sex comments or with sharing of inappropriate pictures and videos through public internet forums. These incidences encouraged British Medical Association to provide guidance to its members about how to use social media in an appropriate way. (Laja, 2011). The use of social media allows patients to interact with healthcare professionals in a rapid and cost-effective way. Also gives them the ability to participate on their own care in order to manage their health and monitor their treatment by having quick access to medical journals and having view of different treatment options before and during consultation from their doctor and by using health related online applications. Likewise social media used from healthcare professionals to connect with individuals from different geographical areas in order to contribute on their health improvement by providing them with medical documents and by creating discussion forums on health related topics. This advantage gave them the opportunity to expand their activities introducing new services such as the online consultation and the provision of different treatment options at low cost. There are cases where social media used to promote communication both among patients and among Healthcare Professi onals. Patients have the ability to share their concerns and discuss about common diseases or possible medical treatments and on the other hand Healthcare Professionals are enabled to share information, experiences and ideas supporting their lifelong learning (KPMG, 2011). Some social networking platforms are free to the public but to some other the patients will have to pay if they need an online consultation by a healthcare professional or if they wish to discuss and share their concerns with other healthcare providers or other patients that suffering from the same condition. In UK operate websites like NetDoctor.co.uk which is provided and operated by National Health Service (NHS) and offer a wide range of services such as pregnancy email service and online doctor diagnosis from registered UK-based General practitioners, discussion forums and online applications like symptom checker that help patients to get a better understanding of their healthcare needs. NHS in UK uses social media in order to improve public health by providing health related information through NHS choices. Also it has been integrated to other social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to promote its services and offer a broad spectrum of applications. For instance onlin e healthy life style advisor, smoking secession programmes and body mass index (BMI) health weight calculator. These services and applications enable patients to decide whether or not they require visiting a doctor for further advice retaining their privacy. However this way of communication can be very ineffective, as examining and interpreting medical notes without the availability of a full medical history and with the absence of physical exams can be a serious threat to the patient (Britton, 2012). In addition diagnosis can become unreliable due to lack of information and accuracy of data provided by the patient or due to underestimation of the seriousness of the situation, making online consultation inferior to a face to face consultation. Internet usage statistics showed that the adults that are active users of Facebook and Twitter in UK come to 37.4 million and 15.5 million respectively (Ayres, 2012). Considering this amount of people it is easy to understand how important is for Healthcare Professionals to use social media wisely and with professionalism. Inappropriate use of social media can affect healthcares personal and professional life. Many of them choose to disclose patients personal data for maintaining an easily accessible online medical record for personal use but they are unaware that many of that information (including videos or pictures) they upload on the internet in some cases can be accessed, used and spread from the general public without control (Thompson LA, 2008). It is therefore Healthcare professionals ethical and legal responsibility to protect patient confidentiality at all times on the internet as well as to other media. Some social networking platforms give the ability to the users to set privacy settings in order to prevent uncontrolled distribution of data and to put restrictions to individuals seeking access to information that have been chosen to be kept private (Thompson LA, 2008). However concerns have been raised in the past related to protection of personal data. Many social networks upload and share data without considering any legal or ethical considerations. Publishing personal information of patients without their consent can result to legal implications. In UK Data Protection Act limits healthcare providers from disclosing any personal information without patient consent with few exemptions. According Data Protection Act (1998) all personal data should be fairly and lawfully processed, they should be used for limited and specific purposes in a way that is adequate, relevant and not excessive, they should be accurate, held up to date and for no longer than its necessary and finally should be kept safe and not transferred to countries without adequate date protection. Nowadays social media have become an integral part of our lives. General public uses them to obtain health related information, to connect with other users with the intention to discuss issues concerning their health, to get educated by reading medical documents so that will get a better understanding of their condition or their disease and to pursue new treatment options in a fast and inexpensive way. Social media have also become an essential way for healthcare professionals to provide their services in order to improve and monitor patient needs such as the online consultation. On the other hand the rapid and uncontrolled sharing of information can result to potential risks and have negative impact to the provision of health care and personal lives of both patients and healthcare professionals. Breach of personal data protection, publication of untrustworthy medical documents and faulty consultation due to lack of evidence can be some of the pitfalls that users may face. In order to avoid these drawbacks both patients and healthcare professionals need to understand the limitations of the use of social media. Creating bounds between personal and professional use of social media is essential. Healthcare professionals who choose to interact with patients online must maintain appropriate boundaries concerning the relations between them. For instance, they should not discuss about health related matters on a friendly but only on a professional level. Additionally in order to ensure that high quality information is provided and that a conversation between a patient and a healthcare professional will have a positive outcome, both of them must build a relationship of trust by being precise and honest to each other regarding the information they share. This will cause the patient to capitalize on the doctors consultation appropriately and follow essential tips for a better result and will make it easier to healthcare professional to give the most appropriate advice. Also in my opinion healthcare professionals should only share medical documents that based on scientific studies while patients should consult their health provider before taking any action based on information obtained using social media. There are personal data that should not be allowed to be shared through social media as it is very likely patients to be offended. So individuals who use social networking platforms, especially for medical purposes should be able to consider whether is safe or not to share their data with the public. Healthcare professionals must recognize that they have an ethical and legal obligation to maintain patient privacy and confidentiality at all times and need to be aware that social media cannot be completed safe for protecting the information they share. For this reason they should use social networking platforms that privacy settings can be set and are secure to the highest level. Finally I believe that healthcare professionals should be restricted from disclosing patient personal information on public internet forums and any health related data should be safeguarded and be disclosed only to the patient or other healthcare professionals if its necessary and only for the use of medical purposes and with the consent of the patient.

English Should be Americas Official Language Essay -- Essays Papers

English Should be America's Official Language The government implementing English as the official legal language of America is imperative because a conformity of communication within our borders is needed to unify the vast diversity. Our mighty country was founded on providing all citizens with equality including inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The United States is a progressive nation that welcomes people from far and wide to come and savor the God-given freedoms enjoyed by all. With all of the diversity from the countless immigrants coming in to our port cities, looking for a more prosperous future, a necessary tie is needed to bring the people of the nation together. Interaction with others --communicating-- is what gets everyone through their days and is essential to living. Without communication between people daily, the lack of communication would bring consequences throughout the world. Transactions among businesses would not be completed, sharing a story with a friend would never happen, the difficulty of understanding a problem of a neighbor, all of these and other necessities in daily life would never happen. The country, which we as citizens have created, needs to implement conformity among ethnicities to lessen the large variances of society to unite the entire nation. The people of America need to reshape the country in which we live, to show off the patriotism expressed so warmly after the horrific attacks of September 11. American citizens must come to unison with the most vital tool we can use to combat those problems, our communication between different dialects. Senator Hayakawa writes in his essay, The Case for Official English, that ?[i]t is with a common la... ...ies, speaking little or no English, cannot make it through High School? (450-451). The democratic process that is the embodiment of the country needs to be the determining factor in the English Only laws, not some power-driven Hispanics that want recognition. The real necessity is a connection through communication between every person in America, every person in America to keep the society together instead of tearing it apart by fighting with legislation over the laws. Works Cited - Hayakawa, S.I. The Case for Official English. Edit. Ann Dobyns & Patsy Callaghan Boston: Longman Publishers, 2004. - Will, George. ?Bilingual Ballots Provide a Sense of Reality.? The Times Union 2 May 2006: A11. - Rodriguez, Richard. Public and Private Language. Edit. Ann Dobyns & Patsy Callaghan. Boston: Longman Publishers, 2004. English Should be America's Official Language Essay -- Essays Papers English Should be America's Official Language The government implementing English as the official legal language of America is imperative because a conformity of communication within our borders is needed to unify the vast diversity. Our mighty country was founded on providing all citizens with equality including inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The United States is a progressive nation that welcomes people from far and wide to come and savor the God-given freedoms enjoyed by all. With all of the diversity from the countless immigrants coming in to our port cities, looking for a more prosperous future, a necessary tie is needed to bring the people of the nation together. Interaction with others --communicating-- is what gets everyone through their days and is essential to living. Without communication between people daily, the lack of communication would bring consequences throughout the world. Transactions among businesses would not be completed, sharing a story with a friend would never happen, the difficulty of understanding a problem of a neighbor, all of these and other necessities in daily life would never happen. The country, which we as citizens have created, needs to implement conformity among ethnicities to lessen the large variances of society to unite the entire nation. The people of America need to reshape the country in which we live, to show off the patriotism expressed so warmly after the horrific attacks of September 11. American citizens must come to unison with the most vital tool we can use to combat those problems, our communication between different dialects. Senator Hayakawa writes in his essay, The Case for Official English, that ?[i]t is with a common la... ...ies, speaking little or no English, cannot make it through High School? (450-451). The democratic process that is the embodiment of the country needs to be the determining factor in the English Only laws, not some power-driven Hispanics that want recognition. The real necessity is a connection through communication between every person in America, every person in America to keep the society together instead of tearing it apart by fighting with legislation over the laws. Works Cited - Hayakawa, S.I. The Case for Official English. Edit. Ann Dobyns & Patsy Callaghan Boston: Longman Publishers, 2004. - Will, George. ?Bilingual Ballots Provide a Sense of Reality.? The Times Union 2 May 2006: A11. - Rodriguez, Richard. Public and Private Language. Edit. Ann Dobyns & Patsy Callaghan. Boston: Longman Publishers, 2004.

Jerusalem in the Scriptures :: Christianity Bible Scriptures Essays

Jerusalem in the Scriptures 37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 "See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'" (Matthew23:37-39) Jerusalem in the Scriptures is symbolic of the Church in general. The word "Jerusalem" means "city of peace". Paul writing to the church at Galatia makes a distinction between the two Jerusalems - the natural one and the spiritual one. Both Jerusalems are described symbolically as mothers with children. 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children; 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Galatians 4:25-26) We see that when Jesus laments over Jerusalem, He is actually lamenting over BOTH the natural Jerusalem AND the spiritual one. From history we know that Jerusalem had a record for killing the prophets God sent to her to warn her to repent of idolatry. The irony of it all, is that the city of God had a tendency to reject God Himself when He came to them in the form of these men. This led to the ultimate of all ironies - the rejection of the man Jesus, who was in fact God in the flesh. And all this by those zealously attempting to adhere to the principles of God but at the same time rejecting the person of God in Jesus. 37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 "But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. (John 5:37-40) We, as born-again believers, have the seed of the word of God living and abiding in us because we were willing to "come to Him" and "believe in Him". Likewise, as we learn to recognise those sent by God, we will be able to receive the word living in them which may be the very anointing we need to have the yokes and bondages destroyed in our lives and be changed from glory