Rousseau, Locke and Kant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rousseau, Locke and Kant - Essay Example If changing the world means changing the beliefs,possibly even the worldviews of people,Rousseau,Locke and Kant have hanged the world.Certainly,unlike the case with Marx,their political philosophies did not inspire revolutions which changed nations,led to cold wars between East and West or motivated the construction of the Berlin Wall. However, Locke, Rousseau and Kant changed our political perspectives, our understanding of the rights and duties of citizens and states and emphasized man’s right and responsibility to take political action, even revolution, when needed. From a subjective perspective, at least, these three philosophers have changed the world. We live in a dynamic world, one which is constantly changing, with much of this change being political in nature. One of the primary engines of change is political philosophy. The work of the philosophers is to question, critique and redefine the world. Through their continued critical interpretation of the world, philosoph ers explain certain trends and phenomenon as, for example, Locke and Rousseau did in relation to the evolution of governments. However, their work is not limited to providing explanations but to exposing the conditions surrounding a phenomenon and its intended purposes versus its current function. Again, as an example, Rousseau outlined the conditions which motivated men to enter into a social contract with governments, or a central authority. In doing so, they imposed a set of obligations upon governments, with the implication being that these governments do not only derive their legitimacy from the will of the masses but that they retain their legitimacy by fulfilling their obligation to the masses. By exposing such phenomenon and by making people see the difference between what was intended and what now is, versus what should be, philosophers are not only interpreting the world but they are inciting men to change it. In some instances, they do so by exposing the extent to which s ome things have deviated from their intended purposes and by justifying corrective action. In others, they incite change by highlighting the extent to which certain phenomenon, as in political systems, have oppressed men, are contrary to the natural order and by proposing alternatives. Political philosophy is interpretive and it may be argued that political philosophers have subjectively interpreted the world but, interpretations are directed towards the inciting of change and action. Marx may have had a different point of view and may have argued that philosophers have not fulfilled their purpose of changing the world and only interpreted it. However, from a personal point of view and on the basis of the political philosophers discussed and studied so far and discussions on the purpose of political philosophy, I am persuaded that the purpose is to change, not just interpret, and that many have successfully fulfilled this purpose. A brief review of the political philosophies of Locke, Rousseau and Kant shall argue this point of view. In his Second treatise of Government, Locke investigates the circumstances which incited men to undertake the creation of a central authority and the conditions which determined that this central authority, the government, is legitimate. In examining this question, Locke traces the emergence of political communities to the tribal and group structures which had earlier dominated. Illustrating that while these bands, due to size, may not have needed governments or a central authority and state institutions, the gradual growth of these tribes and their evolution into settled communities, imposed this necessity. In order to protect their interests, their life and property, community members entered into a social contract with a central authority, resigning part of their liberty to that central authority, in exchange for protection through law and order and, importantly, through policies and actions which benefit the interests of the majority.

Pragmatism, Empiricism and David Hume Essay Example for Free

Pragmatism, Empiricism and David Hume Essay Pragmatism is based on the philosophy that ideas must be tested and re-tested, that experiences dictate reality. Pragmatists also believe in no absolute truths or values existing. David Hume argues that, no proof can be derived from any fact, of which we are so intimately conscious; nor is there anything of which we can be certain, if we doubt this (Treatise 2645). Humes empiricist ideals were roots to early pragmatic thought, by way of the theory that, in our reality, nothing is certain and everything that can be sensed must be constantly qualified to find a place in reality. Humes position on our experiences deciding our veracity follows the school of pragmatism by staying away from any conclusive ideals. Thus, his angle on empiricism melds with pragmatism on the level of determining ones selfs existence. Similar to Descartes, he explains that even, and more often than not as per constant perception, metaphysical experience can mold ones identity. And were all my perceptions removed by death . . . I should be entirely annihilated, nor do I conceive what is farther requisite to make me a perfect nonentity (2645). Based so heavily in perception, he further deduces that when insensible during sleep and all perception of environment lies dormant, existence may halt (2645). Hume speculates most closely on miracles and opens his essay with the stance that, A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature . . . the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined (Enquiry 2647). He continues throughout his essay, supporting his claim and also breaking down Christianity, highly-based in such phenomena, proving the impossibility of the existence of miracles. This trend is something a pragmatist would argue against, firmly believing in there being nothing absolute. Yet, despite his resistance he concludes, whoever is moved by faith . . . is conscious of a continued miracle in his own person . . . and gives him a determination to believe what is most contrary to custom and experience (2650). This statement, although a bit contradictory to his thesis, appeases to pragmatist thought, allowing for an explanation to those who are still determined to believe in miracles and the like and allows for them to own an identity under his definition. It is at this end where his level of pragmatism veers from Charles Peirce to William James end of the spectrum. Humes doctrine, were it truly classified as pragmatism, is all-encompassing and goes beyond pure knowledge shaping the self. Hume utilizes experiences of every kind as an influence in realitys perpetual state of progress and even further takes on the pragmatist protocol by denying religion that believes in an all-knowing entity. This Agnostician point-of-view is what further fuels Humes philosophy and persists in categorizing him as a pragmatist. In his efforts to liken the mind to a theater he breaks down identity to a simplistic nature. The mind is a kind of theater, where several perceptions successively make their appearance: pass, re-pass, glide away, and mingle in an infinite variety of postures and situations (Treatise 2645). Hume believes all concepts to be greater, complicated and more intricate combinations of simpler forms. Like individual ingredients baked into a cake, everything can be broken down into smaller, easier to understand parts. These many pieces or ideas fit together to create perception and thus, identity which is constantly evolving, finally leading to pragmatism. Hume would likely have subscribed to such a school of thought, the more developed formula. It seems, though, that he had the roots within his empiricist theories and the continuing progress would have led Hume down that path.

Aristotles View Essay -- Aristotle Philosophy Essays

Aristotle's View Is life really about the 'money', the 'cash', the 'hoes', who has the biggest gold chain or who drives the shiniest or fastest car, who sells the most albums or who has the most respect? Aristotle challenges views, which are similar to the ones held and shown by rap artists such as Jay-Z and the Notorious B.I.G., by observing that everything in the universe, including humans, has a telos, or goal in life. He states that the goal of a human life is to achieve happiness or eudaimonia. I believe that Aristotle is completely correct in his reasoning of the purpose of human nature. He even explains how happiness is different for every person, and each different type of person has a different idea of eudaimonia. He then goes on to talk about how a person must do all things in moderation, not doing the excess but at the same time doing just enough. This idea, called the "golden mean of moderation" was the backbone support to Aristotle's idea of human telos because it concluded that living a virtuous life must be the same for all people because of the way human beings are built. Aristotle argued that the goal of human beings is happiness, and that we achieve happiness when we fulfill our function. Therefore, it is necessary to determine what our function is. The function of a thing, or its telos, is what it alone can do, or what it can do best. Like the function of the eye is to see, Aristotle declared the human being as the "rational animal" whose function...

Education of Shelby Knox Essay

The education of Shelby Knox was a complete mind-blower for me. The video follows young Shelby Knox, from Lubbock, Texas, as she aspires to get sex education into schools in Lubbock. This town preaches abstinence, and the town’s people appear to be incredibly ignorant. Ignorant may be an understatement . The teen pregnancy rates here are twice the national average, as are the sexual transmitted disease rates. They don’t believe in teaching sex education because the town’s people believe very strongly in the idea that sex isn’t permitted until marriage. Shelby’s fight goes for naught as the town holds their ground. The video also shows Shelby’s unique relationship with her parent’s, and the resistance they even have with her and her fight for sex education in schools. The film also touches on gays and their fight for equal rights within the schools. Lubbock , Texas is a place I would never like to visit. The people there seem to be living in the 1800’s still. Shelby and the youth commission were fighting for a very good cause. Sex education is very important. It can teach the rewards, dangers, and consequences of having sex. As the old saying goes, knowledge is strength. If these kids don’t have the knowledge, how can they ever be expected to make smart decisions? Based on the bible and their commitment to the church? It is absolutely ridiculous that religion is even mentioned when this topic comes up. The town, as mentioned above, has earned twice the national average for teen pregnancy and std rates. The church angle clearly isn’t working. I agree with Shelby’s fight, it is very courageous of her. I disagree with the towns council, the residents , and the school boards stance on the issue. I do believe this film covered all perspectives and issues at hand. No, Shelby Knox’s fight didn’t turn out the way one would have hoped, but it did enlighten every viewer to the fact that Lubbock, Texas and the vast majority of their residents are incredibly naiive. I do not like the religious views, on the subject, shared by the vast majority of the people in this film. Religion should not even be mentioned when the issue of sex education in public schools comes up. Shelby maybe should have spoke up on that issue a little more. Coming from a family that has never preached religion, I never really realized how crazy some people can be over t. It all makes no sense to me. The video was about sex education. Religion has to be tied into it for whatever reason. I don’t understand the downside to teaching our countries teenagers the dangers and consequences of sex. It is in our nature to have sex. Suppressing teenagers from knowledge and their sexual urges based on religion is a complete joke. I learned that religion shouldn’t even be mentioned when it comes to such issues. I also learned that Mr. Ainsworth is a crazy person, and I need to keep my future kids as far away from that guy as possible. The society we live in today needs to wake up, and stop basing important decisions on religious beliefs. This video ties directly into all of our course material. Sex is a huge part of life, for all of us, beginning with puberty. America’s teenagers need to be educated on every aspect of sex and its consequences. As std rates, teen pregnancy rates and overall teenage sex rates continue to climb, it is more important than ever to educate them. This class, Psych 240, should literally be installed into every high school across the country. Teaching about every aspect of sex can only be beneficial to our country.

Abuse and Proper Discipline

I have experienced many things in my life. All of my life experiences have affected me in different ways. Some experiences were good and some were not. The physical abuse I experienced by my father was the most impact experience. A parent is supposed to create a safe, stable, and loving home. Instead my father created a home of fear, instability, and inconsistency. This affected my behavior in school, and how I react to things later in life. I was born in Florida.At the age of two my father moved me and my three brothers to New York. At this time my mother was not in the picture for unknown reasons. My father was avid alcoholic, and drank a lot. During his drunken rages he would abuse me and my three brothers. My father moved us around a lot, and we never really stayed In one place for very long. I was never quite sure why this was, but I would guess that maybe someone or somebody became suspicious of what was taking place In our home. This resulted In us taking off before anyone cou ld find out for sure.My father started beating us while he was drunk, but then eventually started abusing us while he was sober. It became a regular thing for us and almost expected. He would start to hit us based on his moods. If he had a bad day at work, or had a fight with one of his girlfriends. He would choke us, punch us, throw us, and has even gone as far as burn my brother's arm on the stove. There were times that we did not eat for days. It was not because we did not have any food, but because he wanted to punish us. He also kicked us out of the house, and made us sleep outside. Even In the winter.I was terrified of my father. Instead of Henning 2 growing up feeling love and trust. I grew up feeling fear and pain. I would often watch sitcoms on TV, and wish that I could just jump into the screen. Daydreaming of a better life was something I did often. I wanted to leave, but this was all I knew. This was my life and nothing was going to change it. My father did not only abus e me when I did wrong, but instead he would abuse me when he was in a foul mood. The abuse was inconsistent, and because of this my behavior was impacted. In school I would lash out at teachers, and was defiant.My father was not concerned with proper discipline or punishment. I was more of a punching bag for his anger. Therefore I did not understand how to act or behave properly. I was uncontrollable in school. I would Jump on desks, and crawl underneath tables In the lunch room. I even threw chairs at the teacher when I did not want to do something she asked. I was violent with my classmates, and disruptive. The bus ride to school was also a problem. I would Jeopardize the safety of the other children by jumping over the seats, and disrupting the bus driver.It got would get letters and phone calls from the school, he did not seem to care. My father was more worried about what was going on in his world to care what was happening at my school. After a while the school decided I neede d to be enrolled in a special school that was more equipped to handle my behavior issues. No one in the school system even thought twice about the discipline at home. If they had investigated our home they would have found out my father never disciplined us, but abused us instead.To this day I feel that proper discipline is needed for a child to grow up and become successful in life. The abuse started to get worse as we got older. He became a lot more aggressive. He even ended up sending me to the hospital for bashing my head on the bathroom floor. The reason for the more intense abuse was because of the increase in size of my older brother. My brother was getting older, and was able to fight back. Unfortunately my dad was still Henning 3 a lot bigger than my brother. My dad would often punch holes in the walls when he was mad.One day I was picking at one of the holes in the wall that my father punched in. He walked by and saw me doing this. Out of nowhere he punched me right in the eye, and I went to school the next day with a black eye. This started causing a scene with my teachers and nurses. I went to school plenty of times with black eyes, and bruises. I could not understand why this one was any different. The ruse must have gotten sick and tired of seeing it, and finally acted. This caused an investigation, and at the age of eight years old I was removed from the hell that I called home.When I was being removed from my home I remember seeing my neighbor with an unsurprised look on her face. This made me wonder if she had suspected the abuse all along. It also made me wonder how many others knew or suspected what was taken place in my home. After being removed from the house I called home. I was placed with a foster family. The first few months were great. I was not scared and looking over my shoulder anymore. I was happy and felt love for the first time. My foster mom made pancakes and sausages for breakfast in the mornings.I have never had anyone make b reakfast for me before, and it was like heaven. I had warm bed to sleep in, and I even had a TV in my room. It might have seemed that my story was over. However the effects of the abuse were still there, and my behaviors still caused many problems. Throughout my life I had to go through therapy to undo the damage my father caused. I had to relearn how to act and behave properly. Today I am a pretty optimistic person, and I do not like to use my past as a crutch. However I will not deny hat there are some lasting effects that the abuse still holds.Therapy was very successful for me. It help me deal with what happened, and encouraged me to move on with my life. However therapy cannot remove the memories and the experience. I will forever remember the abuse I endured. Henning 4 The abuse from my father affected me in many ways. I had to struggle, and was not able to have a normal childhood. I grew up in a home full of fear, and lacked the to relearn how to behave properly. I do not reg ret what happened in the past, for my past is part of who I am. What I have been through and what I endured has only made me stronger.

5 Minute Speech Topics on Euthanasia

5 Minute Speech Topics on Euthanasia 5 Minute Speech Topics on Euthanasia Writing about euthanasia is important because it is a currently debated topic, one about which laws are being made. It is therefore essential to understand some history behind the issue, how it is relevant today. If you are assigned with a 5 minute speech on this issue, then you can consider yourself quite lucky. Here you have 5 minute speech topics that are relevant and really interesting. After selecting one from the list, you need to define the purpose of your speech. The purpose might be to inform the readers or to persuade them. If you need help finding the topic you will use, consider the 20 examples below. Remember too that these are meant as guiding examples, and you might find one you want to use as it is, or one you want to slightly edit before putting it into use: Neil Campbell’s Problem with Voluntary Euthanasia Legislative Barriers to Legalizing Euthanasia Age Limitations to Access Legal Euthanasia Why Certain Conditions and Diseases Should Prohibit People from Choosing Euthanasia The Social Cost of Euthanasia Forced versus Voluntary Euthanasia: Which Is More Ethical The Psychological Burden on Medical Staff Administering Euthanasia The Ethics of Media Coverage for Voluntary Euthanasia Cases How Euthanasia Can Reduce Medical Costs: Circumventing Life Support and Its Expenses The Loss of Dignity and Self-Respect: When Euthanasia Is a Saving Grace Cultural Arguments Against Euthanasia: Why Not Everyone Can Agree Voluntary Euthanasia: A New Chapter for Capital Punishment Religions and Euthanasia: Where the Boundaries Lie Individual Freedom: When States Can Encroach upon It by Prohibiting Euthanasia Re-Considering Euthanasia as a Cure for Traditionally Incurable Diseases Dying with Dignity: The Argument for Euthanasia Ancient Greek Mercy Killings and Abortions: The Historical Roots of Euthanasia Euthanasia: The Right to Die The Freedom to Live, But Not to Die: The Constitutionality of Euthanasia Re-Defining the Role of Doctors: Bringers of Death The writing process can be long and arduous, but have no fear. By breaking it into smaller tasks it will be much easier to complete it in a timely fashion. With a 5 minute speech, you want to make sure you cover the key points thoroughly, without talking too quickly. You should practice timing yourself after you write your draft so that you know how much time you will use. After you have written the piece, you need to take a break. It is important that you complete this process by looking for one thing at a time. If you try to look for everything all at once by reading through your final document a single time, you are sure to miss things but if you take time to read through it once for spelling, once for grammar, once for organization, etc. then you will find that things magically fall into place. Our academic writing company is committed to provide students with high-quality custom speech writing service available always online.

Free Essays on Cogito Ergo Sum

â€Å"Cogito Ergo Sum† â€Å"Then the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being† (Genesis 2:7). The Bible states the above as the moment man became a being, and from this being civilization was created. To a believer, this would answer the question of what a human is. However, as science has progressed and more abstract ideology has fallen upon the human race, this question has come to have many answers. I feel that the definition of the term human can be correct in many different ways. As a scientific definition one could say a human is a bipedal homo sapien sapien with a spine that attached to the bottom of the skull. As a Theologist a human is all the trials and tribulations that we read about in the Bible. To me both of these definitions are true, but the challenge is finding one definition that spans across all ideology. After much thought and distress I have concluded that to be human, to be a person, is merely to exist. I agree with the statement â€Å"cogito ergo sum,† or I think therefore I am. If all you can prove without doubt is that, to exist is to thin! k, then that is our definition. In this paper I will explain and analyze Gregersen’s â€Å"seven features of human personhood,† and refute all of his points to prove my own. Gregersen’s seven features are as follows: to be a person is to be labeled with â€Å"generic characterization,† to be a person is to exercise rationale, to be a person is to hold fast to morals, to be a person is to have an identity, to be a person is to want to be part of a whole, to be a person is to be superior, and to be a person is to transcend preceding humans. These are the seven reasons and features Gregersen lists that define being a person or a human. His first point, that to be human is to have a generic character, is based on the writings of Cicero. To this reason, I say, that defin... Free Essays on Cogito Ergo Sum Free Essays on Cogito Ergo Sum â€Å"Cogito Ergo Sum† â€Å"Then the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being† (Genesis 2:7). The Bible states the above as the moment man became a being, and from this being civilization was created. To a believer, this would answer the question of what a human is. However, as science has progressed and more abstract ideology has fallen upon the human race, this question has come to have many answers. I feel that the definition of the term human can be correct in many different ways. As a scientific definition one could say a human is a bipedal homo sapien sapien with a spine that attached to the bottom of the skull. As a Theologist a human is all the trials and tribulations that we read about in the Bible. To me both of these definitions are true, but the challenge is finding one definition that spans across all ideology. After much thought and distress I have concluded that to be human, to be a person, is merely to exist. I agree with the statement â€Å"cogito ergo sum,† or I think therefore I am. If all you can prove without doubt is that, to exist is to thin! k, then that is our definition. In this paper I will explain and analyze Gregersen’s â€Å"seven features of human personhood,† and refute all of his points to prove my own. Gregersen’s seven features are as follows: to be a person is to be labeled with â€Å"generic characterization,† to be a person is to exercise rationale, to be a person is to hold fast to morals, to be a person is to have an identity, to be a person is to want to be part of a whole, to be a person is to be superior, and to be a person is to transcend preceding humans. These are the seven reasons and features Gregersen lists that define being a person or a human. His first point, that to be human is to have a generic character, is based on the writings of Cicero. To this reason, I say, that defin...

The Many Ways to Pronounce I in French

The Many Ways to Pronounce I in French When youre learning French, the letter I may be one of the most challenging of the alphabet. It has a common sound, a couple of accents, and is often combined  with other letters and all of these have slightly different sounds. Because the I is used so often in French and in so many ways, its important that you study it thoroughly. This lesson will help fine tune your pronunciation skills and maybe even add a few new words to your French vocabulary. How to Pronounce the French I The French letter I is pronounced more or less like the EE in fee, but without the Y sound at the end. An I with an accent circonflexe, à ® or trà ©ma, à ¯, is pronounced the same way. This is also true for the letter Y when its used as a vowel in French. However, the French I is pronounced like the English Y in the following instances: When I is followed by a vowel as in  chà ¢tier, addition, adieu, and  tiers.When IL is at the end of a word and preceded by a vowel as in orteil, orgueil, and  Ã…“il.In most words with ILLE  such as  mouiller, fille, bouteille, and  veuillez. French Words With I Practice your pronunciation of the French I with these simple words. Give it a try on your own, then click the word to hear the correct pronunciation. Repeat these until you have them down because they are very common words that youll need often. dix  (ten)ami  (friend)lit  (bed)addition  (addition, restaurant bill)adieu  (farewell)orgueil  (pride)Å“il  (eye)veuillez  (please)fille  (girl) Letter Combinations With I The letter I is as useful in French as it is in English. However, it also comes with a variety of pronunciations depending on the letters its used in conjunction with. As you continue your study of I, be sure that you understand how these letter combinations sound. AI and  AIS  - There are three ways to pronounce AI. The most common is  pronounced like the È or bed.AIL  - Pronounced [ahy].EI - Sounds like the É or È  as in the word à ©tà ©Ã‚  (summer).EIL  -  Pronounced [ehy], similar to the E in bed followed by a Y sound. As used in  un  appareil  (device) and  un  orteil  (toe).EUI, UEIL, and  Ã…’IL  - Sounds  like the OO in good followed by a Y sound.IN - Called a nasal I, this is pronounce [e(n)]. The E sounds like an  E with a circumflex -  Ãƒ ªÃ‚  - and the (n) is the nasal sound. For example,  cinq  (five) and  pain  (bread).The nasal I can be spelled any number of ways:  in, im, ain, aim, eim, ein, em,  or en.IO - Pronounced [yo] with a closed O sound. Used in the  addition  example above.NI - When followed by another vowel, it is pronounced [ny]. If its followed by a consonant, the I follows the rules above and the N follows its own rules. For example,  une  nià ¨ce   (niece) versus  un  niveau  (level, standard).OI  - Pronounced [wa].OUIL  - Pronounced [uj]. TI - When followed by a vowel, TI sounds like [sy] as in un  dictionnaire  (dictionary). If a consonant follows this combination, the T follows its rules and the I follows the rules above. A perfect example is  actif  (active).UI  - Sounds like the English we. For example,  huit  (eight) and  la  cuisine  (kitchen, cooking).UIL and UILLE - When UIL follows a consonant, the sound is [weel] (with the exception of  un building). For instance,  juillet (July).  With UILLE, the double L transforms it to [weey] as in  une  cuillà ¨re  (spoon).

Select an interesting Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Select an interesting Topic - Essay Example This thought and reality is actually quite liberating. College writing simply expands on what I learned in high school. While high school did train me to pay close attention to the grammar and mechanics of my writing, I cannot say that it trained me to adequately express my own thoughts and ideas, while contributing in some way to the existing body of academic knowledge. It seems to me now that my college writing courses will be geared towards accomplishing this latter goal. As mentioned in the reading, â€Å"College writing is the form of written communication found in the academic world of universities and college – and nowhere else† (Fontaine and Smith 2). As I embark on these courses, I need to remain cognizant of this reality and make an effort to hone my writing skills and elevate them to another level. This will take some work, but by understanding that my writing should continuously change and that I am not locked into any one set style or methodology, I believe I will quickly catch on and see improvement course by

Importance of Inspirational Leaders, Well-Organised Human Resource Research Paper

Importance of Inspirational Leaders, Well-Organised Human Resource Serves in a Company - Research Paper Example Corporate culture is the ultimate power to greatness and only companies with a strong and cohesive culture succeed, such as Apple, Google, Hewlett - Packard (HP) among others. According to Alice Branch (2003), Corporate culture can be sliced and diced and be understood: the easier it is for culture to be signed, the healthier the culture and consequently, the stronger the company’s business performance. A good example of this principle is McDonald’s. Corporate culture involves the main aims of an organization, the strategies that will be employed in meeting those aims and the way the stakeholders should behave while striving to achieve those aims. It takes the effort of the top management to maintain its culture; this is by interacting a lot and communicating effectively, especially to employees of what is expected of them (Auxillium West, 2008). Corporate behavior is affected by effective leadership. The culture can be either weak or strong. Weak is where the employees fail to identify with the values of the organization hence need to be pushed to carry out tasks from the organization’s point of view. While the converse is true for strong cultures as people tend to think as a group on the direction to be taken during decision making. Various methods have been employed in grouping cultural change. The David Francis innovation model insists that an appropriate culture must be adopted, developed and maintained over time. Th e culture of an organization must not only be supportive but also demanding. He further emphasized that for a culture to be right, the workforce must be given selective empowerment, high enrolment in the innovation and creativity process and deliberate encouragement for involvement in innovation.

Comparitive Politics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Comparitive Politics - Assignment Example In Comparative Politics, there are two core approaches; the area studies and the cross-national approach. The cross-national approach in Comparative Politics deals with the study of many nation-states with the purpose of addressing certain theoretical questions that apply broadly. In this approach, the tools used in most cases involve empirical data subjected to quantitative analysis. The area studies method places more emphasis on in-depth analysis within a specific region or the borders of a particular country. With this approach, the necessary tools, in most cases, involves the researcher immersing himself into the culture and language of the region under study. It is important to study states because their power faces considerable threats from growing interconnections and interdependencies and international agreements and arrangements. These threats limit the ability of states to control their individual affairs. These threats include multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations and bodies operating on a global scale. This is evident from the rise of terrorism and other vices, which are not restricted to countries any more. However, states retain the power and responsibility to protect their citizens and undertake other national duties by virtue of having supreme power within their jurisdictions. States are still important, therefore forming the point of departure and focus for comparative approach to government and politics. Comparative Politics has six main approaches: Institutionalism, Systems theory, Governance, Marxism, Structural functionalism, Institutionalism and Corporatism. Institutional analysis forms the basis of Comparative Politics (Caramani, 2). Comparative Politics is a science because it is guided by various theories (Caramani, 25). Alasdair MacIntyre first raised the question of the possibility of Comparative Politics being a science. The deduction he provided in his analysis was that there was

Principles of Taxation Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Principles of Taxation Law - Case Study Example A supply will not be regarded as a 'taxable supply' to the extent that it is a 'GST-Free' supply or an 'input taxed' supply. The GST payable is calculated at 10 percent of the value of the consideration that entity receives for making the supply (excluding GST). Entities registered for GST are entitled to claim input tax credits for the GST included in the costs of various goods and services that the business has acquired for its activities. "However where an acquisition relates to input taxed supplies, the registered entity may be restricted in its ability to claim input tax credits for that acquisition depending on the purpose of the acquisition and the supplies to which it relates"3. Depending on the size of the turnover the entities registered for GST are subjected to certain reporting obligations. The entities are required to prepare and lodge with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) GST returns on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. The entities whose turnover is more than A$ 20 million per annum are required to file the GST returns on a monthly basis. ... On the contrary if the input tax on the acquisition is more than the amount the entity is liable to pay then the entity is entitled for a refund from the ATO. Tax Credits on Land Purchase: As per the GST rules if the land is purchased after 30th June 2000, then the input tax credit on the land purchased can be claimed. However this claim for tax credit is subject to the condition that the sale to the entity must be a taxable supply and was not subjected to any margin scheme. In this case since the GST of 10 percent has been paid on the land cost while purchasing the trust can claim tax credit for the GST amount paid on the land cost. In respect of other capital items purchased like kitchen outfit, tables and chairs and cutleries the trust can claim the input tax credit of any GST included in the items purchased. This also covers the GST included in the services acquired after paying GST. The trust should have invoices for all the purchases it has made in order to claim the input tax credits. "Some supplies of goods and services will be GST-free, for example basic food, exports and some health services. This means that GST will not be included in the price of these goods and services."4 Calculation of Taxable Income: The calculation of the taxable income of the trust is shown below: Description Amount A$ Sales 165,000 Add: Closing Stock 8,000 Total Revenue 173,000 Less : Expenses Purchases 33,000 Wages 40,000 Superannuation 3,600 Administrations Costs 8,000 Interest 12,000 Demolition Costs 5,500 Total Expenses 102,100 Net Income 62,900 Income Adjusted for Tax Purposes: Gross Income as per Statement A$

A critical reading of Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Term Paper

A critical reading of Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Term Paper Example Opponents fail to realize that given any medium or structure black writers follow, they would still be criticized. The pleas of black womens suppression have time and again been negated because of its non-appealing ideology - freedom for women of a colored race and letting them be at par with white society intellectually. Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl should be considered a monumental work in black women’s emancipation because it juxtaposed literacy as the key to freedom during an age of slavery and degradation of basic human rights. Social discourse often begins with people concerned with an issue, and wants it to be understood by the society. If it is of interests to the society, it would be forwarded and reformed. Such transformations pervade hierarchical power relations, race, gender, economic status and social construct because the society desires it. Jacobs narrative Incident has been one such discourse which demonstrated that her society was one in which "white men" compelled slaves to live base dishonorable lives under the guise of the Fugitive Slave Law and indulged in the vilest act to exploit slaves as would bloodhounds (Jacobs 69). Basic social norms of today were unheard of during Jacobs time. A slaves child was born a slave (Jacobs 11). She was the property (and not a human being) of her master regardless of the relations she had with her family. A slave did not have the right to bond with her family. This was evidenced in Jacobs words about her father who was a carpenter: "His strongest wish was t o purchase his children; but, though he several times offered his hard earnings for that purpose, he never succeeded." (Jacobs 11). There was nothing novel in Jacobs experience if compared to other slaves in the country during the Revolutionary War time. But her experience did make a difference because Jacobs was fortunate to be raised, educated

Principles of Taxation Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Principles of Taxation Law - Case Study Example A supply will not be regarded as a 'taxable supply' to the extent that it is a 'GST-Free' supply or an 'input taxed' supply. The GST payable is calculated at 10 percent of the value of the consideration that entity receives for making the supply (excluding GST). Entities registered for GST are entitled to claim input tax credits for the GST included in the costs of various goods and services that the business has acquired for its activities. "However where an acquisition relates to input taxed supplies, the registered entity may be restricted in its ability to claim input tax credits for that acquisition depending on the purpose of the acquisition and the supplies to which it relates"3. Depending on the size of the turnover the entities registered for GST are subjected to certain reporting obligations. The entities are required to prepare and lodge with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) GST returns on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. The entities whose turnover is more than A$ 20 million per annum are required to file the GST returns on a monthly basis. ... On the contrary if the input tax on the acquisition is more than the amount the entity is liable to pay then the entity is entitled for a refund from the ATO. Tax Credits on Land Purchase: As per the GST rules if the land is purchased after 30th June 2000, then the input tax credit on the land purchased can be claimed. However this claim for tax credit is subject to the condition that the sale to the entity must be a taxable supply and was not subjected to any margin scheme. In this case since the GST of 10 percent has been paid on the land cost while purchasing the trust can claim tax credit for the GST amount paid on the land cost. In respect of other capital items purchased like kitchen outfit, tables and chairs and cutleries the trust can claim the input tax credit of any GST included in the items purchased. This also covers the GST included in the services acquired after paying GST. The trust should have invoices for all the purchases it has made in order to claim the input tax credits. "Some supplies of goods and services will be GST-free, for example basic food, exports and some health services. This means that GST will not be included in the price of these goods and services."4 Calculation of Taxable Income: The calculation of the taxable income of the trust is shown below: Description Amount A$ Sales 165,000 Add: Closing Stock 8,000 Total Revenue 173,000 Less : Expenses Purchases 33,000 Wages 40,000 Superannuation 3,600 Administrations Costs 8,000 Interest 12,000 Demolition Costs 5,500 Total Expenses 102,100 Net Income 62,900 Income Adjusted for Tax Purposes: Gross Income as per Statement A$

Healthy Grief Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Healthy Grief - Assignment Example In this article, we shall compare and contrast Kubler-Ross’s grief model to the Book of Job which will make us realize how Job is an example of healthy grieving and how the process of coping with grief has been same since centuries. In addition, we shall get to compare the process of coping with grief in two different religions – Christianity and Buddhism – which will teach us that gaining knowledge of a patient’s religious beliefs is relevant for health care provider so as to ensure good service and support to the dying patient and his family. Moreover, in the later paragraphs we shall discover the relationship and interaction between joy and the grief models which will make us realize the fact that joy and grief are not separate rather they are a part of each other. After doing the above researches, I have realized that by developing an understanding of the grieving and coping processes every health care provider can provide comfort and support to the gr ieving family in a better way and also come out of his/her personal grief very swiftly. Grief has been referred to as the comprehensive response to death and losses of all kinds, and includes emotional, psychological, social, as well as physical reactions. Numerous models and theories have been evolved by theorists that explain the process and stages involved in grief. In 1969, a psychiatrist Kubler- Ross had devised a grief model to provide a mean for understanding and coping with dying. The model has five stages: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. According to Ross, these five stages are part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with the one we lost. Her theory on stages of grief established the ground for scholars and others who work with grieving people to examine and to work therapeutically with those who mourn. This theory is formed in a sequential and linear order where one stage swiftly moves into the next stage so that in a healthy grief a person should move from shock and denial to acceptance within a timeframe. However, she added that one may not necessarily go through all the stages or in the prescribed order. The model’s primary motive is to provide knowledge about a grief situation, thereby preparing us to cope with life and loss (Kubler-Ross & Kessler, n.d). Comparison of Kubler-Ross’s Grief model to the Book of Job In the Book of Job, the concise prologue starting the story and the concise epilogue finishing it narrates an extended series of dialogues and monologues describing the nature of and reason for suffering within the book. Most of the five stages of grief described by Kubler-Ross can be seen clearly inside this bible text. The Book of Job is the story of a faithful follower of God, Job who suffers innumerable losses one after the other. First, his wealth is looted by marauding bandits, which is followed by the tragic demise of all his children, all happening on the same day. Soon to add t o his woes, Job is badly affected with horrible boils all over his body (Book of Job 4:14-20). So much loss simultaneously would make survival difficult for any person. According to Dr. Kubler’s grief model, in the first stage, a person should be in shock and enter into some form of denial (Kubler-Ross & Kessler, n.d). However, Job in the biblical text is neither shocked nor does he enters into the denial stage which is in contrast to the grief model. After such losses, perhaps Job was in shock but he resolute by telling

And the Oscar Goes to... Essay Example for Free

And the Oscar Goes to Essay AND THE OSCAR GOES TO†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Inception Thrilling and intense written and directed by the masterful Christopher Nolan, â€Å"Inception† is an extremely exciting science-fiction thriller that’s bound to win an Oscar at the next awards ceremony. Inception is definitely the best film that Nolan has ever made and he has made a lot of hits! It is a popular entertainment with a knockout punch so intense and unnerving itll have you worrying if its safe to close your eyes at night. Christopher Nolans incredible blockbuster inception, having approximately $160 million spent on it in the most daring way is a major challenge for the other academy award contenders. Inception has an exciting cast consisting of Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hardy, Joseph George-Levitt and six other capable Oscar nominated actors, making it one of the best movies of all time. It is one film that the audiences all around the world are definitely dying to see, as the last movie Nolan made was The dark night, one of the most watched and most liked films, they without doubt are longing to see what magic Nolan had worked on the big screen this time. The plot of the film can at times be very misleading, the story can be difficult to pin down, especially at first, and guessing time to time what will be happening next, or even if the characters are dreaming or in reality, is not always possible. But this is what makes it an award winning film. Despite being difficult to understand one can guess and try to figure out what is happening, making the movie even more gripping and indulging as the audience makes further attempts to get through to the roots of the plot. Inception consists of several sounds and eerie surroundings to add to the thrill making the experience a whole lot more engaging , increasing the chances of it winning the Oscar. Not only this but the action in it is phenomenal. The way Nolan directed the action scenes in the movie and put them together makes it almost 100% that Inception should and will be the Oscar champ. The use of Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard as Mal and of Ariadne , a young architect, who is needed to create the subconscious landscapes in which the dreams will take place, as well as Ellen Page, adroitly cast for her youth, intelligence and earnestness, typifies the thought Nolan has taken to cast these thriller roles for emotional connection. A move which pays off in the scenes she shares with DiCaprio, winning over the audiences heart and attention. In addition to the impeccably professional Batman  veterans Caine and Murphy, the film is also on the money and has increased chances with the smaller roles, including Pete Postlethwaite as Fischers father and Tom Berenger as one of his key associates. Nolan is a master in keeping his audience engaged and making them think. Although, he has based the film in people dreams and has made the action take place while the actors are asleep, still making it almost impossible for the viewers to blink whilst watching the movie without regretting later. It is virtually guaranteed that this will be an award winning movie. Overall, â€Å"Inception† is a absolute gripping movie which knows no limits to supernatural behaviour and the perfect blend of creativity, emotions and theme successfully come together to making it a must watch movie and a certain Oscar winner. this is basically how my controlled assessment is ive changed some bits though

The History Of Molecular Modeling Biology Essay

The History Of Molecular Modeling Biology Essay Molecular modeling is a collection of science and art that study molecular structure and function by using computational technique to generate a realistic model of molecule based on molecular properties and behavior. A special computer graphics application and viewer is required to study the image of molecular structure and chemical process. Normally, molecular modeling is applied in field that related to drug design and computational biology who focus on study of molecular structure, dynamic, properties, biological activity (e.g. protein folding, protein stability, protein recognition, and structure prediction, structure determination), and new molecular system design. This is because modeling can support a systematic way to investigate the molecular structure, flexibility and function. The computational approach that used in molecular modeling consists of molecular mechanic, quantum mechanics, and molecular simulation. Molecular mechanic is based on empirical result to model the molecular system through motion of an object. For instance, potential energy is calculated by using force field method. Quantum mechanics is described by using wave function and it is important for understand how the atoms are covalently combine to form molecule. Its example is ab initio and semi-empirical quantum mechanics. Molecular simulation is another computational technique which includes molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo. However, to date, molecular modeling is more concerns to the use of a variety of methods to deduce the atomic information of a system which includes all the approaches mentioned above. To know more about molecular modeling, we are advised to know some of its history so we can make sense of molecular modeling as we know it today. In 1858, Archibald Scott Couper, Friedrich August Kekulà © von Stradonitz, and Aleksandr Mikhailovich Butlerov introduced chemical structure with a structure rule that involves the link of carbons and other atoms. Louis Pasteur modified the molecular structure theory in 1860. In 1865, August Wilhelm Hofmann discovered ball and stick model and color scheme. And Alder and Wainwright performed simulation technique on hard spheres model in 1959. Lifson, Scheraga, Allinger, Levitt, Warshel and others introduced the force field concept in 1960. Whilst in 1970, Rahman and Stillinger described the molecular dynamic simulation of water. In 1971, Protein Data Bank (PDB) was established. In 1977 and 1984, water force field was developed by Berendsen and Jorgensen respectively. At same year, Warshel and colleagues published the concept of protein elec trostatics and enzyme-substrate complex. At late 1980s, high speed computer, program, technology innovation, and a variety of algorithm were introduced. From paragraph above, we only know some important year between late 1850s to 1980s. From 1970s onwards, there is a proposed expectation curve as shown in Figure 1.1. As computational method and technology are more available, the expectation towards biomolecular modeling field was continued to rise especially from 1980s to 1990s. Structure based rational drug design was then introduced. It was expected to replace the less efficient methods. However, unrealistically disappointment was followed. Then scientists undergo a recovery phase where Human Genome Project was introduced and new technology with fast workstation was published. With these, a steady progress of productivity is emerged until today in order to reach the realistic expectation. In addition, it is important to know that the latest molecular modeling trend is focusing on the development and implementation of virtual reality whose enhance the three dimensional visualization. Nowadays, molecular modeling has been altered the way to conduct a research, that is choosing the experiment with highest probability of success before perform it. So, there is a demand to have a better and faster program design. It is important to know that molecular model need not be commercial or costly to prepare, inexpensive materials also possible to produce useful model and result. Question 2: Molecular graphics and molecular viewer If we said that molecular modeling is creation of computational model based on molecular properties and behavior, then molecular graphic is the graphical depiction of molecular modeling. Molecular graphic is a discipline of study molecule through visualization of molecules and their component parts. It is refers to three-dimensional depictions of molecules that made to examine and understand their response during reaction and interaction. To date, molecular graphic has been replaced some function of physical molecule model as it is portability and easy to interact with analysis result. In the early stage of molecular graphic, computer graphic tool was dominated by vector graphical representation based on calligraphic technology. During that time, only line and dot were shown. And main frame computer was required to manipulate the molecular structure before submit to graphic hardware. Until the founded of Molecular Graphics Society (known as Molecular Graphics and Modeling Society today) in 1983 and present of Journal of Molecular Graphics, new graphic techniques, hardware device and graphical software were introduced. This discovery allows the interactivity on the basis of space filling molecular model. As we know that, molecular objects are in three-dimensional structure. So molecular graphic representation (MGR) is concerns to the multi-dimensionality in order to provide more molecular information. Graphical excellence is used as a guideline for the MGR development. It is well designed to present data and it consists of complex idea that able to communicate with clarity, precision, and efficiency. Basically, the graphical display will shows data, induces viewer to have greatest number of idea, makes large data set to be coherent, encourage eyeball technique to compare data by using human eye, integrates statistical and verbal description of a data set, and reveals data at different levels to give more details. There are several types of molecular model that relate to molecular graphic in order to combine the computational technique with graphic art. Here, I will briefly discuss a few types that commonly used. Ball and stick model is the most widely used molecular model. It displays the three-dimensional position of atoms and bonds that link between them. Typically, atom is represented by sphere with specific color and bond is represented by rod. The rod can be rotate to provide the insight of bond flexible. The Figure 2.1 shows the proline in ball and stick model and its structural formula. Black color represents carbon, white represents hydrogen, blue represents nitrogen, and red represents oxygen. Stick model (refer Figure 2.2) is similar to ball and stick model but without ball as it represents all atoms and bonds by using rod with different color scheme. Space filling model (refer Figure 2.2) is a type of  three-dimensional  molecular model  where the  atoms  are represented by van der Waals spheres with different color and join directly to one another. Its measurement scale is the same as the real atom scale. It shows the space that atom occupied instead of shows the chemical bond. Wire frame model (refer Figure 2.3) is similar to stick model which shows the connection of atom by different color scheme but with thinner bond (connector). This model is convenient for drawing large molecules. Chicken wire model (refer Figure 2.4) is another method to visualize molecular model by drawing the polygon mesh on surface. Its shape is similar to the regular  hexagonal  pattern with mesh  structure. Ribbon model (refer Figure 2.5) is a three dimensional schematic molecular model that used to represent protein structure. It shows the path and organization of protein backbone, and serves as visual framework that provides details of atomic structure. Coiled ribbon represents ÃŽ ±-helix,  arrow represents ÃŽ ²-strand, and thin tubes represents loop. It shows the visual basic of molecular structure such as twist and fold. Molecular viewer is the molecular graphic software that used to visualize molecular structure. It is selected based on the size of molecule and the task to do. Here, I will briefly discuss a few types of viewer that commonly used. RasMol is a powerful research tool for visualization of protein, nucleic acid, and small molecules. It is easy to use while able to produce high quality three-dimensional image. It is a free viewing system for PDB coordinate files. Chime is a molecular viewer that modified RasMol code to allow visualization of molecule through web browser. It able to display three-dimensional and interactive molecular model from webpage. Jmol is a Java-based molecular viewer that allows visualization of molecule through web browser (like Chime) or stand-alone computer (like RasMol). It supports many different source files such as PDB format to create molecular model. Cn3D is NCBIs three-dimensional structure viewer. It allows the display of three-dimensional structure, sequence, and sequence alignment with annotation and alignment editing feature from NCBIs Entrez. Swiss PDB Viewer or DeepView is a molecular viewer that provide user friendly interface which allows analyzing several proteins or multiple models at same time. It supports alignment which based on individual residue, main chain, or entire protein. It also can align different homologous protein structure. It can be used as a helper application for browser. Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD) is designed for visualization of large structure molecule such as protein and lipid. Except visualization, VMD also can analyze molecular dynamic simulation, act as graphical front end by display and animate molecule, and sequence browsing. Question 3: Protein structure with reference to hemoglobin and the prion protein Protein structure is biomolecular structure of protein molecule which made up of amino acid polymers. It is critical to its activity and biological function. X-ray crystallography  and NMR spectroscopy are technique that used to determine the protein structure. Basically, the complex protein structure is characterized into four levels of organization (refer Figure 3.1). Primary structure of protein is a linear sequence of amino acid structural unit that held together by peptide bond. It is starting from amino terminus (N) and end with carboxyl terminus (C). The sequence of amino acid will determines primary structure of protein. Change in a single position of amino acid will alter the function and activity of protein, some might cause disease. Secondary structure of protein is local conformation of polypeptide chain. It defined by  the pattern of hydrogen bond that formed between peptide backbones. The polypeptide folds locally into stable structure will form alpha helix, beta pleated sheet, and turn conformation. Tertiary structure of protein is a global three-dimensional structure that formed when secondary structures are folded in three-dimensional space. This folding is triggered by hydrophobic interaction and stabilized by hydrogen bond, van der Waal interaction, disulfide bond, and charge-charge interaction. Tertiary structure can be organized by more than one domain. Domain region can be alpha helix, beta sheet or mixed. Tertiary structure refers to each individual domain as well as to the complete configuration of whole protein. Whilst motif is small structure that plays important role in protein prediction. Quaternary structure of protein refers to regular association of more than two polypeptide chains that fold and coil to form a complex. The interaction between subunits can be identical or different. Quaternary structure is known as a stable three-dimensional structure of multi subunit protein. Hemoglobin is example of protein quaternary structure that found in red blood cells who acts as oxygen transport molecule. It carries oxygen from lung to release in tissue, and binds to carbon dioxide in tissue then releases back to lung. This process is characterized by cooperative interaction of polypeptide chains (subunit) by change their structure to make hemoglobin to be properly function. Hemoglobin (Figure 3.2) is an allosteric protein. It is a tetramer that consists of two types of subunits, two ÃŽ ±-chains and two ÃŽ ²-chains that held together by non-polar interaction and hydrogen bond. Each subunit is arranged as alpha helix structural segment and forms a hydrophobic cleft to allow the attachment of a heme  prosthetic group that consists of an iron atom who acts as oxygen binding site. Each of the subunits can carry one molecule of oxygen. Actually, there has no contact between same type of chain, that is alpha-alpha chain, and beta-beta chain. The contact region occurs between alpha-chain and beta-chain such as alpha1beta1  and alpha1beta2. The alpha1beta2  contact region acts as a switch between deoxy (T) structure to the oxy (R) structure. At T structure or tense state, binding of oxygen is difficult. While oxygen is favored at R structure or relax state as binding of oxygen will trigger the affinity of next oxygen to hemoglobin. Transition from T structure to R structure is triggered by stereo chemical changes at the heme group as shown in Figure 3.3. Like other proteins, hemoglobin is created by DNA in body. Alteration of amino acid will cause blood related disorder such as sickle cell anemia. This disease is results from a mutation at sixth residue in the ÃŽ ² hemoglobin monomer. Proteinaceous infectious virion (prion) is an infectious protein that causes neurodegenerative disease such as Scrapie and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in mammal, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD) and Kuru in human. Prion is known as an infectious agent that infects protein, without the transfer of nucleic acid genome, and it causes other proteins to be misfolded. Proteinaceous infectious particle (PrP), a normal cellular protein, consists of around 250 amino acids is found in our body whose involve in the spread of prion disease. Prion theory states that PrP is sole causative agent of prion diseases. If prion is in normal or stable shape (PrPc), it will not cause disease. Whilst if prion is flipped and folded into abnormal conformation (PrPsc), it will cause disease as it induces other proteins to change their conformation and becomes PrPsc as well. This translation is an exponential process where ÃŽ ±-helical and coil structures are refolded into ÃŽ ²-sheet. PrPc  is the endogenous form of prion protein (PrP), while PrPsc  is the misfolded form of PrP. PrPc and PrPsc are known as protein isoform with tertiary structure characteristic. They are categorized as same protein but with different conformation as their folding region is different as shown in Figure 3.4. PrPc contains more ÃŽ ±-helical and coil structure  and PrPsc has more ÃŽ ²-sheet structure. Prion structure is extremely stable. It is highly resistant to denaturation either by heat, ultraviolet light, or radiation. This characteristic makes prion difficult to be eliminated. Furthermore, prion comes in different strains. Each of the strain has slightly different structure. In other words, there has no effective treatment to fight with prion diseases. Question 4: Protein databases Database is an organized collection of data which allows the convenient access of user. Database can be classified into a variety of type. Here, we only focus on the protein data type. There are three types of protein database, that is protein structure database, protein sequence database, and protein motif database. Before discuss the three types of databases, I would like to briefly describe Protein Data Bank (PDB) which is the primary protein database. Protein Data Bank (PDB) is a worldwide repository of three-dimensional structural data of biological macromolecules. Until March 12, 2013, there are 88837 structures in PDB, in which 82224 are protein structure or 92.56% of PDB structure is protein. All the protein structures are obtained through x-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM), hybrid technique, and other experimental method. Since 1971, PDB is under the management of Bookhaven. Until 1999, Research Collaboratory of Structural Bioinformatics (RCSB PDB) takes over this task. In 2003, Worldwide PDB (wwPDB) maintains and formalizes the international collaboration by involve RCSB PDB (USA), PDB Japan (PDBj), PDB Europe (PDBe), and Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank (BMRB) as members of wwPDB. They act as distribution centers of PDB data. PDB acts as a very important resource to organize and share molecule structure data especially in structural biology area. It serves as a global community to allow scientist to share their research. Currently, the newly determined protein structure will be deposited into PDB data before the scientific paper is published. Except three-dimensional database, PDB also known as primary database for protein structure information. Derived or secondary database will use the PDB data and categorize it in a different way based on their own classification. Protein structure database groups protein based on the similar protein structure and common evolutionary origin. Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP), CATH, and DALI Domain Dictionary (DDD) databases are the three main protein structure classification databases. But here I will only discuss SCOP and CATH. SCOP is a repository that organizes protein structure hierarchically based on their structure and evolutionary origin. The classification of SCOP is manually. With assistant of computer tool, SCOP able to visual and compare the protein structure consistency. The latest version of SCOP is 1.75 that released on June 2009 with 38221 PDB entries and 110800 domains. The source of protein structure is from Protein Data Bank. The classification of SCOP has six levels that are class, fold, superfamily, family, protein, and species. There are eleven classes in SCOP hierarchy which differentiate by fold type: alpha ÃŽ ±, beta ÃŽ ², alpha and beta (ÃŽ ±/ÃŽ ²), alpha plus beta (ÃŽ ±+ÃŽ ²), multi-domain protein, membrane protein, small protein, coiled coil protein, low resolution structure, peptide, and designed protein. Between the eleven classes, only the first seven classes are known as true class and others serve as place holder for protein domain that have not been classified. Proteins are classified into group based on their structure similarity. The unit of classification is protein domain. The shape of domain is known as fold. Proteins share common fold if they have same major secondary structures in same arrangement and same topological connections. Superfamily is probable has common evolutionary origin which share common fold and perform similar function. Family shows a clearly evolutionary relationship of proteins with more than 30% sequence identity. Protein level will connect proteins through similar function and structure. The last level, species, is grouped according to unique sequence. CATH is a semi-automated protein structure classification in which the protein domain is classified based on class (C), architecture (A), topology (T), and homologous superfamily (H). The latest version of CATH is 3.5 that released on September 20, 2011 with 51334 PDB entries, 173536 CATH domains, and 26226 CATH superfamilies. CATH has four classes, they are alpha, beta, alpha and beta, and few secondary structure. The class of protein domain is determined by its secondary structure composition. Architecture level describes the overall shape of domain structure that determined by secondary structure orientation. Then, domain will be grouped into topology level based on secondary structure shape and connectivity. Homologous superfamily level will then grouped protein domains together based on similar structure, function, and has common ancestor. Protein sequence database can be divided into manually and automatically annotated database. UniProtKB/SwissProt and Protein Information Resource-International Protein Sequence Database (PIR-PSD) are example of manually annotated database. UniProtKB/TrEMBL and NCBI GenPept are example of automatically annotated database. Here, I will discuss the UniProt Knowledgebase (UniProtKB) as example. UniProtKB is a protein sequence and functional information database. The data type that captured in is known as protein annotation. UniProtKB consists of two sections: UniProtKB/SwissProt which can be reviewed and UniProtKB/TrEMBL which cannot be reviewed. Most of the sequence in UniProtKB is derived from International Nucleotide Sequence Database (INSD) and some from PDB database. All these sequences will be automatically added into UniProtKB/TrEMBL. Then the TrEMBL records can be manually selected to be integrated into SwissProt record. UniProtKB/SwissProt is a high curated and non-redundant protein sequence database. The release 2013_03 of March 6, 2013 has 539616 sequence entries. It combines the experimental result, computational analysis, and scientific literature in one entry. It provides all relevant information about the searched protein as the sequence form same gene and same species are merged into same entry. Its file format such as FASTA is downloadable by public. UniProtKB/TrEMBL is a high quality computational analyze and redundant protein sequence database. That means, TrEMBL is computer annotated supplement to SwissProt but with multiple entries for sam eprotein. The release 2013_03 of TrEMBL on March 6, 2013 has 32153798 sequence entries. However, its entry is not redundant to SwissProt. Therefore, the entry of UniProtKB on release 2013_03 will be the combination entry of SwissProt and TrEMBL that is 32693414. Protein motif database also known as pattern and profile database is secondary database that derived from conserved pattern obtained from multiple sequence alignment. It is useful for the classification of protein sequence into family level. PROSITE and BLOCKS are example of motif based database. PROSITE is a protein domain, family and functional site database which comprise of biologically significant protein site, pattern, and profile. It analyzes protein sequence for known motif. PROSITE classification is based on observation. Similar protein sequence will be group into family. And protein domain is classified based on families that share common ancestor or has functional attribute. PROSITE records give the information of structure and function for a particular protein. It is part of the  ExPASy  proteomics  analysis servers and it used the annotation of domain features of SwissProt entry. Up to date, the latest version is release 20.91 of March 4, 2013 with 1661 entries, 1308 patterns, 1053 profiles, and 1057 ProRule. ProRule is the case rule that provides extra information about function and structural of critical amino acids. For instance, it contains the information related to biologically meaningful residue such as active sites, co-factor-binding sites,  and post-translational  modification sites. It helps the protein function determination. And it able to generate annotation automatically based on the PROSITE motifs. PROSITE database is used when identify the possible function of newly discovered protein, and determine activity of known protein. We also can derive a signature or conserved sequence from protein in order to classify protein. This is because each PROSITE signature is linked to an annotation document, where has all related information of the particular protein. PROSITE offers tool that can function for motif detection and protein sequence analysis. The most common application or archive is fingerprint that act as evidence to identify an individual. Appendix: Figure 1.1: Expectation curve for biomolecular modeling and simulation File:L-proline-3D-balls.pnghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Prolin_-_Proline.svg/121px-Prolin_-_Proline.svg.png Figure 2.1: Ball and stick model of proline Structural formula of proline Space filling model Stick modelhttp://www.rsc.org/ej/NJ/2003/b206570n/b206570n-f3.gif Figure 2.2: Stick model (left) and space filling model (right) of proline http://class.fst.ohio-state.edu/FST822/aa/btwf.gif Figure 2.3: Wire frame model http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4f/DMT_chicken_wire_mesh.png/227px-DMT_chicken_wire_mesh.pnghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Tubby-1c8z-pymol.png/160px-Tubby-1c8z-pymol.png Figure 2.4: Chicken wire model with stick model Figure 2.5: Ribbon model http://www.piercenet.com/media/ProStructureFig1.gif Figure 3.1: Four levels of protein structure Diagrammatic representation of the structure of hemoglobin Figure 3.2: Hemoglobin http://jr.stryker.tripod.com/images/TransitionRT.jpg Figure 3.3: Conformation transition from T structure to R structure PrPsc PrPcPrion structure Figure 3.4: Prion protein in abnormal conformation, PrPsc (left) and prion protein in normal conformation, PrPc (right)

Is Genetic Engineering Ethically Correct? :: Genetic Engineering Essays

Over the past few years, genetic engineering has come a long way from its roots. What spawned as just a project for understanding has now become quite powerful. An article written by Michael Riess aided me in gaining some knowledge of the ethical dilemmas faced in the field of genetic engineering. Suppose you and your partner both discover that you are carriers of a genetic defect known as cystic fibrosis, and the two of you are expecting a baby. Genetic screening gives you the opportunity to use antenatal diagnosis to see if the baby will have cystic fibrosis or not (Reiss). Three-quarters of the time the news will be good: the baby won't have cystic fibrosis. However, on a quarter of the occasions, the news will be: the baby will have cystic fibrosis (Reiss). â€Å"At present the only option available to a couple in this position is to decide whether to continue with the pregnancy or opt for a termination† (Riess). Many will opt for termination, even though most people with cystic fibrosis live to adulthood. This is one of the ethical dilemmas faced due to genetic testing. Riess also goes on to discuss the possibilities of genetically engineering human genes to alter sex, intelligence, beauty, criminality, etc. â€Å"It is the case, as shown by twin studies, cross-fostering, and other evidence, that much human behavior has a genetic component to it† (Riess). â€Å"However, attempts to find genes for homosexuality, intelligence, beauty, or criminality are, at best, the first steps to understanding the rich and complex ways in which we behave† (Riess). Riess emphasizes that as humans in society are far more than just our genetic makeup, because our lives are dependent on the environment in which we live, although he stated, â€Å"Suppose, despite what we have said about the complexities of human behavior, it does eventually transpire that somatic gene therapy could reduce the likelihood of someone being violently aggressive or of being sexually attracted to others of the same sex. What then?† A general consensus would tell us that most people would raise their hands in anger and such genetic treatments should be outlawed (Riess). Another article, which was written by Mary White, regards the ethic for genetic decision-making. White discusses such items as sex selection and disease. Today, rare requests for sex selection, testing for late onset disorders, or for aid in deliberately conceiving a child with a disability raise two questions of utmost urgency: What constitutes appropriate use of prenatal genetic testing† (White)? Is Genetic Engineering Ethically Correct? :: Genetic Engineering Essays Over the past few years, genetic engineering has come a long way from its roots. What spawned as just a project for understanding has now become quite powerful. An article written by Michael Riess aided me in gaining some knowledge of the ethical dilemmas faced in the field of genetic engineering. Suppose you and your partner both discover that you are carriers of a genetic defect known as cystic fibrosis, and the two of you are expecting a baby. Genetic screening gives you the opportunity to use antenatal diagnosis to see if the baby will have cystic fibrosis or not (Reiss). Three-quarters of the time the news will be good: the baby won't have cystic fibrosis. However, on a quarter of the occasions, the news will be: the baby will have cystic fibrosis (Reiss). â€Å"At present the only option available to a couple in this position is to decide whether to continue with the pregnancy or opt for a termination† (Riess). Many will opt for termination, even though most people with cystic fibrosis live to adulthood. This is one of the ethical dilemmas faced due to genetic testing. Riess also goes on to discuss the possibilities of genetically engineering human genes to alter sex, intelligence, beauty, criminality, etc. â€Å"It is the case, as shown by twin studies, cross-fostering, and other evidence, that much human behavior has a genetic component to it† (Riess). â€Å"However, attempts to find genes for homosexuality, intelligence, beauty, or criminality are, at best, the first steps to understanding the rich and complex ways in which we behave† (Riess). Riess emphasizes that as humans in society are far more than just our genetic makeup, because our lives are dependent on the environment in which we live, although he stated, â€Å"Suppose, despite what we have said about the complexities of human behavior, it does eventually transpire that somatic gene therapy could reduce the likelihood of someone being violently aggressive or of being sexually attracted to others of the same sex. What then?† A general consensus would tell us that most people would raise their hands in anger and such genetic treatments should be outlawed (Riess). Another article, which was written by Mary White, regards the ethic for genetic decision-making. White discusses such items as sex selection and disease. Today, rare requests for sex selection, testing for late onset disorders, or for aid in deliberately conceiving a child with a disability raise two questions of utmost urgency: What constitutes appropriate use of prenatal genetic testing† (White)?

Non Violence and Will Power

Non-violence and Willpower Why does an individual indulge in violence? This question has great importance for one who practices non-violence. Its answer compels us to probe the unconscious. We discover there what psychologists call a repressed desire that drives one to violence. It can be controlled only by strong willpower, which is the same as a strong vrata or vow. It is for this purpose that the Anuvrata movement is going on. The unconscious harbours ego which accounts for the individual getting enjoyment out of thinking very high of himself and very low of others. Discrimination practiced on the basis of race and colour is but one manifestation of man's ego. Irrational insistence too is rooted in ego. Here in also lies the seed of the communal problem. Here it is relevant to recall one of the vows of Anuvrata: â€Å"I will believe in human unity, will eschew any discrimination based on race, colour etc as well as untouchability. † But if we want to develop non-violence, it is not enough to be conscious merely of the present events. We should be equally conscious of the prime instincts causing the events. Thus it is necessary in the present context to work for disarmament and banning wars. But it is not enough, for it is only like fighting a fire without discovering its causes. We have to do both things– fight the fire that is raging and, more importantly, find out the factors that have caused it. Likewise, solving the existing problem of violence and discovering the basic cause of violence are equally necessary. People working in the field of non-violence are much less concerned about the latter and this, according to us, is the biggest impediment to the growth of non-violence. Armament, disarmament, war and banning of war–all these matters fall within the jurisdiction of various governments. The common man has nothing to do with them. And those wielding power are not likely to listen to the talk about non-violence. We have, therefore, to involve the common people in achieving non-violence. These people, as we have seen, have no role in deciding matters of peace and war or of armament and disarmament, but they undoubtedly have the power to decide the destiny of those who decide the above matters. For achieving it,intense faith, incessant striving and complete devotion are needed. We have reason to believe that these qualities will emerge in those working in the field of non-violence.

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 19~20

CHAPTER NINETEEN Scooter Don't Meep The whale tossed like a roller coaster moving through tomato soup – great gut-flopping waves of muscular motion. Quinn rolled to his hands and knees and urped his breakfast into a splatter pattern across the rubbery gray floor, then heaved in time with the rhythm of the whale's swimming until he was empty and exhausted. â€Å"Hurl patrol,† came a voice out of the dark. â€Å"Flush and gush, boys, the doc blew ballast back here,† came another voice. Quinn rolled onto his bottom and scooted away from the voices until he came against a bulkhead, which was warm and moist and gave at his touch. He felt huge muscles moving behind the skin and nearly jumped. He scooted away, then sat balled up near where he'd been sick. Cold seawater rolled down from the front of the whale and over his feet, taking his recently vacated breakfast with it. His ears popped with a pressure increase, and in a second the water was gone. The interior of the whale looked like a bad van conversion done by a latex freak: damp, rubbery skin over everything, lit by a light blue haze coming from the eyes up front, the rest dimly lit by bioluminescent strips of green that ran over the top of the teardrop-shaped chamber. At the front of the chamber, on either side by the eyes, two things sat in seats that wrapped around their bodies. Quinn didn't know what they were, and his mind felt as if it were ripping open trying to grasp the whole of the situation. Details like nonhuman humanoids decked out in gray skin couldn't register enough space in his consciousness to be examined or analyzed. In fact, he could keep his eyes open for only a few seconds before the nausea returned. Inside the whale smelled like fish. Standing, or sort of standing – riding was a more appropriate term, as everything inside the whale was moving – behind the seated creatures were two men, one about forty, the other twenty-five, both barefoot but wearing military khakis without insignias or any badges of rank, but the older man was obviously in command. Quinn had tried for five minutes to ask them the questions coming into his mind, but each time he opened his mouth, he had to stop himself from throwing up. He'd always considered himself pretty seaworthy until now. â€Å"What†¦?† he managed to get out before his gorge rose again. â€Å"It really helps with the incredulity if you accept that you're dead,† said the older man. â€Å"I'm dead?† â€Å"I didn't say that, but if you accept that you are, it sort of quells the anxiety.† â€Å"Yeah, if you're already dead, what bad can really happen?† said the younger guy. â€Å"Then I am dead?† â€Å"Nope. Breathe and go with the motion,† said the older guy. â€Å"It's not going to stop, so if you fight it, you'll lose.† â€Å"Your lunch,† added the young guy, and then he let loose a giggle at his own joke. â€Å"There's less motion toward the front. The head tracks close to level. But you knew that.† Quinn hadn't been able to apply any of his analytical powers to the situation because he flat couldn't accept it. Yes, in another world he realized that he knew that the whale's head would have less motion than the tail, but he'd never even considered that he might be thinking about it from the perspective of an internal organ. â€Å"I'm inside a whale?† â€Å"Ding, ding, ding, he's gotten the bonus answer.† The young guy leaned back against the back of the seat where one of the gray creatures was sitting, and a chairlike protrusion rose out of the floor to catch him. â€Å"Tell him what he's won, Captain.† â€Å"Hospitality, Poe. Help the doctor up to the front so we can talk without him tossing his cookies.† The younger guy helped Quinn to his feet and across the undulating floor to the chair thing that had risen behind one of the gray creatures facing the back of the ship. Once close to the creatures, Quinn couldn't take his eyes off them. They were humanoid, in that they had two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head, but their heads were like that of a pilot whale, with a large melon in the front – for transmitting and receiving sound underwater, Quinn guessed – and their eyes were set wide to the side, so the creatures would see with binocular vision. Their hands were inserted into consoles that rose out of the floor and appeared to have no instrumentation whatsoever except for some bioluminescent nodules that looked like cloudy eyeballs and emitted different colors of light. The creatures appeared as if they had become part of the whale. â€Å"We call them the whaley boys,† the older man said. â€Å"They pilot the whale.† â€Å"The one directly behind you is Scooter, the other one is Skippy. Say hi, guys.† The creatures turned as far as the chairs would allow them and made clicking and squeaking noises, then seemed to smile at Quinn. While smiling they showed mouthfuls of sharp, peglike teeth. With the teeth set against their dark gray skins and the melon above, the whaley boys put Quinn in mind of more cheerful versions of the creature from the Alien movies. Scooter saluted Nate with a hand consisting of four very long webbed fingers and only the suggestion of a thumb. â€Å"They say hi,† said Poe. â€Å"I'm Poe. This is Captain Poynter.† Poynter, the older man, tipped his hat and offered a hand to shake. Quinn took it and waggled it limply. â€Å"The whaley boys don't speak English as we know it,† Poe said, â€Å"although they have a few squeaks that come out like words. They're tapped directly in to the whale's nervous system. They steer it, control all the processes at any given time. We can't do much on the whales without them. Certainly could never drive one. The whales and the whaley boys are made for each other.† Poe pushed against the back of Skippy's seat, and another seat formed out of the floor to cradle him as he leaned back into it. â€Å"I love that,† Poe said. Poynter backed up to a rubbery bulkhead, and a seat formed out of the wall to catch him as well. â€Å"If they're paying attention, they'll never let you fall.† Poe grinned. â€Å"Of course, almost everything in here is soft – child safe, don't you know – except the spine, which runs over the top, so you wouldn't be hurt if you did fall. But just the same, we're secured when they're doing maneuvers. You think you're sick now – wait until we go for a breach. Don't freak out.† Poe turned to the whaley boys. â€Å"Secure the doc, boys.† The arms of the seat shape wrapped over Quinn's lap. Parts came over his shoulders and fused across his chest, then around his hips and over his lap. Quinn freaked out. â€Å"Get it off me! Get it off me! I can't breathe!† â€Å"Prepare for breach,† said Poynter. Scooter chirped. Skippy grinned. Similar restraints extruded from all their seats, securing them. The attitude of the whale changed, going up at a nearly sixty-degree angle – and then the angle went sharper as they moved. Quinn was looking backward at the tail section of the teardrop interior. The lurching movement of the luminescent strips was starting to nauseate him. He could feel his internal organs shifting with the acceleration, and then the whale ship went vertical and airborne. At the apex of the motion, Quinn's stomach tried to escape through his diaphragm, then shifted as they fell sideways. There was an enormous concussion as the ship hit the water. Slowly the whale came back around, and they were horizontal again. The whaley boys chirped and clicked gleefully, grinning back at Quinn, then at each other, then back at Quinn, nodding as if to say, Was that cool, or what? Their necks were nearly as wide as their shoulders, and Quinn could see heavy muscles moving under the skin. â€Å"They love that,† said Poynter. â€Å"I kind of like it, too,† said Poe. â€Å"Except when they go overboard and do twenty or thirty breaches in a row. Even I get sick when they do that. And the noise†¦ well, you heard it.† Quinn shook his head, closed his eyes, then opened them again. The only way to deal with this experience was to accept it at face value: He was in a whale, one that was somehow being used as a submarine by human and nonhuman sentient creatures. Everything he knew no longer applied, but then again, maybe it did. What put him on the less loopy side of sanity was noticing the whaley boys' thick necks. â€Å"They're amphibious, right?† Quinn asked Poynter. â€Å"Their necks are thick to take the stress of swimming at high speeds?† Quinn rose in his chair as far as the restraints would allow and saw that Scooter did indeed have a blowhole just behind his melon. He was a humanoid whale, or a dolphin creature. Scooter was impossible. All of this was impossible. The details, not the big picture, Quinn reminded himself. In the big picture there be madness. â€Å"They're like a whale/human hybrid, aren't they?† â€Å"Which would be why we call them the whaley boys,† said Poynter. â€Å"Wait, are you accusing us of something?† asked Poe. â€Å"Because these guys are not the love children of us and some whales. We don't do that kind of thing.† â€Å"Well, there was that one time,† said Poynter. â€Å"Okay, yeah, just that one time,† said Poe. But Quinn was studying Scooter, and Scooter was eyeing him right back. â€Å"Although they appear to be able to turn their heads, like beluga whales. Their neck vertebrae probably aren't fused like most whales'.† The scientist rising, Quinn was comfortable now, his fear taken away by curiosity. He was focused on finding out things, which was his home turf, even in this completely unreal situation. If he focused on the details, the big picture wouldn't throw him over the edge into drooling lunacy. â€Å"Let's ask them,† said Poe. â€Å"Scooter, are your vertebrae fused together, or are you just a big, no-necked gray thug?† Scooter turned his head to Poe and made a loud raspberry sound, spraying whaley spit all down the front of Poe's khakis and increasing the odor of decaying fish in the cabin by a factor of ten. â€Å"We don't know what they are, Dr. Quinn,† said Captain Poynter. â€Å"They were here when we got here, and we got here just like you did. We've all been on this ride.† â€Å"Meep,† said Skippy. â€Å"I taught him that,† said Poe. â€Å"That's from a Warner Brothers' cartoon,† Quinn said. â€Å"Road Runner.† â€Å"No, that would be two meeps. Skippy only does one. Therefore, it's original. Isn't that right, Skippy?† â€Å"Meep.† For some reason the meep did it. Some minds, particularly those with a scientific bent, a love of truth and certainty, have limits to how much absurdity they can handle. And here Quinn found himself well over the limit. â€Å"Skippy and Scooter and Poynter and Poe – I can't handle it!† he screamed. He felt as if his mind were a rubber band being stretched to breaking, and the meep had tweaked it. He screamed until he could feel veins pulsing in his forehead. â€Å"You let it out now,† said Captain Poynter. â€Å"Just go with it.† Then, to Poe, â€Å"You know, I wouldn't have thought the alliteration would have done it. You ever hear of that?† â€Å"Nope, I had an uncle who used to get nauseated at Reader's Digest article titles – you know, ‘Terrible Truths of Toxic Toe Jam' – but I thought it was more because he read them in the doctor's office than the alliteration. You sure it wasn't the meep that did it?† â€Å"This can't be happening. This can't be happening,† Quinn chanted. He was hyperventilating, and his vision had gone to a blur, his heart pounding like he'd been running a sprint across an electrified floor. â€Å"Anxiety attack,† said Poynter. He put his hand on Quinn's forehead and spoke softly. â€Å"Okay, Doc, here's the skinny. You are in a living ship that resembles a whale but is not a whale. There are two other guys aboard who have lived through this, so you can live through this. In addition, there are two guys who are not strictly human, but they won't hurt you. You are going to live and deal with this. This is real. You are not insane. Now, calm the fuck down.† And it was then that Poynter stepped back and Poe threw the bucket of cold seawater in Quinn's face. â€Å"Hey,† Quinn said. He sputtered and blinked seawater out of his eyes. â€Å"I told you to go with the dead thing, but you didn't listen,† Poe said. Nothing had changed, but things, his heart, slowed down, and Quinn looked around. â€Å"Where did that bucket come from? There was no bucket in here. There was nothing but us. And where did you get the water?† Poe held the bucket at ready. â€Å"You're sure you're okay? I don't want to freak you out again.† â€Å"Yeah. I'm okay,† said Quinn. And actually, he was. He'd decided to go with the idea that he was already dead, and that seemed to make everything fall into perspective. â€Å"I'm dead.† â€Å"That's the spirit,† said Poe. He held the bucket against a wall, and a small portal opened and sucked the bucket in. Quinn would have sworn there hadn't been any seams in the wall to indicate there'd been an opening there. â€Å"Hey,† said Poynter, taking on the tone of the deeply offended, â€Å"now that you're dead, I've got a bone to pick with you about not bringing me my sandwich.† Quinn looked at the sharp features and narrowed eyes of the captain – who now seemed genuinely angry – and a shiver ran through his body that had nothing to do with the cold seawater running out of his hair. â€Å"Sorry,† he said, shrugging as much as he could in the restraints. â€Å"Damn it, how hard could that have been? You've got a Ph.D. for Christ's sake – you can't get a fucking pastrami on rye? I've got a good mind to chuck you out the anus.† â€Å"Shhhhhhhh, Cap,† Poe said. â€Å"That was gonna be a surprise.† â€Å"Meep,† said Skippy. CHAPTER TWENTY Missing Biscuit, Flopping Tuna â€Å"Bwana Clay, you seen the Snowy Biscuit?† Clay and Clair sat on the lanai of Clay's bungalow drinking mai-tais and watching smoke roll out the vents of a Weber kettle barbecue. Kona had his long board tucked underneath his arm and was heading for his Maui cruiser, a lime Krylon-over-rust 1975 BMW 2002, with no windows and seats that were covered in ratty blankets. Clay was two mai-tais south of lucid, but he could still talk, â€Å"She took Nate's truck into town this morning. Haven't seen her since.† â€Å"Sistah wanted me to teach her some surfing. Got some easy sets rolling on West Shore, good for that.† â€Å"Sorry,† said Clay. â€Å"We're smoking a big hunk of ahi tuna if you'd like to join us.† â€Å"No,† said Clair. â€Å"Tanks, but I'm going down to Lahaina town and see if I can find that Snowy Biscuit. We going to work tomorrow?† â€Å"Maybe,† said Clay, trying to think through a rum cloud. They'd pulled the Always Confused up out of the bottom of the harbor, and the boatyard had said it would be a week or so before it was ready to float again, although even then it would need some major cleaning. Still, they had Nate's boat. He looked at Clair. â€Å"You're not sitting home tomorrow whining to me about your hangover,† Clair said. â€Å"You get out there on the water and be sick like a proper man.† She'd revised her thoughts on Clay's staying off the water. He was who he was. â€Å"Yeah, plan on going out if it's not too windy,† Clay said. â€Å"Hey, we supposed to have wind?† It occurred to Clay that he hadn't checked the weather since Nate had disappeared. â€Å"Calm morning, trades in the afternoon,† Kona said. â€Å"We can work.† â€Å"Tell Amy when you see her, okay. Take my cell phone with you. Call me when you find her. You sure you won't have dinner with us?† â€Å"No,† said Clair. â€Å"No,† said Kona, grinning at Clair. â€Å"Auntie, you embarrassed that Kona seen you naked? You look fine, yeah.† Clair stood up. â€Å"You go ahead, call me ‘Auntie' again, see if I don't snatch out the rest of those dreads and use them to make cat toys.† â€Å"Ease up, I'm going to find the Biscuit.† And he loped to the Beemer, slid the long board in through the back window, hooked the skeg over the passenger seat to secure it, and then drove off to Lahaina to look for Amy. It was two in the morning when the phone in Clay's bungalow rang. â€Å"Tell me you're not in jail,† Clay said. â€Å"Not in jail, Bwana Clay, but maybe you need to sit down.† â€Å"I'm in bed sleeping, Kona. What?† â€Å"The truck, Bwana Nate's truck. It's here at the kayak rental in Lahaina. They say Amy rent a kayak this morning, about eleven.† â€Å"They're still there?† â€Å"I waked the guy up.† â€Å"They don't know where she went? They let her go alone? He didn't call us when it got dark?† â€Å"She said she was just using it to tow behind the boat, for research. He know she a whale researcher, so he didn't think nothing of it. Sometime they take kayaks two, three days.† â€Å"You checked? She's not on the boat?† â€Å"You mean the not sunk one?† â€Å"Yes, that would be the one.† â€Å"Yeah, I check. The boat in the slip. No kayak.† â€Å"Stay there. I'll be down in a few minutes. I have to get dressed and call the Coast Guard.† â€Å"This kayak guy says it not on him – she signed a wafer. That some kind of religious thing?† â€Å"Waiver, Kona, she signed a waiver. Are you high?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Of course. Sorry. Okay, I'll be right there.† Nate was three days inside the whale before he asked, â€Å"Your names aren't really Poynter and Poe, are they?† â€Å"What?† said Poynter. â€Å"You're eaten by a giant whale ship and you're worried that we might be traveling under assumed names? Go for it, Poe.† â€Å"Give us a flush, boys!† Poe said. Water came gushing down the floor of the whale from the front. Pantsless, Ensign Poe took three steps and went into a slide toward the tail like he was sliding into third base on a wet rain tarp. As he reached the end of the chamber, he spread his arms out to his sides at right angles. There was a sucking sound, and he sank up to his armpits into an orifice that only a second ago had appeared as just an impression in solid skin. â€Å"Wow, that's cold,† said Poe. â€Å"How deep are we?† Scooter clicked and whistled a couple of times. â€Å"Ninety feet,† said Poynter. â€Å"Can't be that bad.† â€Å"Feels colder. I think my ‘nads have crawled up inside my body.† Nate simply stared, gape-jawed, at the arms and head of the ensign, just above floor level. â€Å"You see, Doc,† said Poynter, â€Å"most of the time we call it the ‘back orifice' instead of the anus, you know, because otherwise, with us moving in and out of it, there's implications. His lower body is in the sea right now, at three atmospheres, yet the back orifice is sealed around him and it's not crushing his chest. It's not crushing your chest, is it, Poe?† â€Å"No, sir. It's snug for sure, but I can breathe.† â€Å"How is that possible?† asked Nate. â€Å"You're a diver. You've been down, what, a hundred and twenty, hundred and thirty feet?† â€Å"A hundred and fifty, by accident, but what does that have to do with this?† â€Å"You never had sphincter failure at that depth, did you? Blow up like a puffer fish?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well, there you go, Nate. This here is just advanced poop-chute technology. We don't even understand it ourselves, but it's the key to sanitation on these small ships, and it's how we get in and out. Normally the mouth on these humpback ships doesn't even open, which gives us a lot more room, but this one was made specially to retrieve ‘Dirts. That's you people.† â€Å"Made? By whom?† Of course they were made. Nothing like this could have evolved. â€Å"Later,† said Poynter. â€Å"Poe, you done?† â€Å"Aye, aye, Captain.† â€Å"Get back in here.† â€Å"Mighty cold out here, sir. I'm telling you, my tackle's going to look like I'm posing for a baby picture.† â€Å"I'm sure the doc will take that into account, Poe.† Nate could feel a slight change in pressure in his ears, and Poe oozed back into the whale. The orifice sealed behind him, leaving almost no water on the floor. The ensign sidled, crablike, to the front of the ship, shielding his privates with his hands. He retrieved his pants from a storage nook that opened with a flap of skin like the blowhole on a killer whale. The whale's interior was lined with the storage nooks, but you couldn't even see the seams by the dim bioluminescence when they were closed. â€Å"You're going to learn how to do that, Nate. It's just the civilized thing to do until we transfer you to the blue. Can't have you doing your business in the ship.† When he'd had to go to the bathroom, they'd sent Nate to the back of the whale, where he'd gone on the floor. Seconds later the whaley boys had let a bit of water in through a crack in the mouth, which washed across the floor and effectively flushed the mess out the back orifice. â€Å"The blue?† Nate asked. â€Å"Yeah, we can't take you where they want you in this little thing. We'll transfer you to a blue and send you on. You'll have to go through the poop chutes.† â€Å"So there's a blue-whale ship as well?† â€Å"Ships,† Poynter corrected. â€Å"Yeah, and other species, too.† â€Å"Right whales are my favorites,† Poe said. â€Å"Slower than hell, but really wide. Plenty of room. You'll see.† â€Å"So they – the whaley boys – can regulate the pressure that precisely? They can let in water, expel it, keep the pressure in here from giving us the bends? Allow us to transfer from one of these ships to another?† â€Å"Yep, they're tapped in to the whale directly. They're like his cerebral cortex, I guess. The whale ships have a brain, but that only takes care of autonomic functions. Allows it to act like a whale for hours on end – diving, breathing, stuff like that. But without one of the whaley boys tapped in, they're just dumb machines, limited function. The pilots control higher functions – navigation and such. They really show off their stuff in these humpbacks – the breaching, the singing, you know.† â€Å"This thing sings?† Nate couldn't help himself. He wanted to hear a whale sing from the inside. â€Å"Of course it sings. You heard it sing.† Since Nate had been on, the only sound the whale ship had made was the beating of its enormous flukes and the explosive blow every ten minutes or so. â€Å"I hate it when they sing,† said Poe. â€Å"What's the purpose of the song?† Nate asked. He didn't care who these guys were or what they were doing. He now had the opportunity to get the answer to a question he'd pursued for most of his adult life. â€Å"Why do they sing?† â€Å"Because we tell them to,† said Poynter. â€Å"Why'd you think?† â€Å"No. It's not right.† Nate buried his face in his hands. â€Å"Kidnapped by morons.† Scooter let loose with a series of frantic chirps. The whaley boy was staring out the eye into the blue Pacific. â€Å"School of tuna outside,† said Poe. â€Å"Go, Scooter,† said Poynter. â€Å"Go get some.† The restraints retracted from around Scooter's waist, and the creature stood up for the first time since Nate had come on board. He was taller than Nate, maybe six-six, with lean gray legs that looked like those of a giant bullfrog crossbred with a fullback and terminated in long, webbed feet that resembled the rear flippers of a walrus. Scooter took three quick steps and dove at the floor in the back of the whale. There was a whooshing sound, and he disappeared, headfirst, through the back orifice, which sealed behind him with a distinct pop. Poe stepped into the seat that Scooter had vacated and looked out through the eye. â€Å"Nate, check this out. Watch how these guys hunt.† Nate looked out the whale's eye and saw Scooter's lithe form swim by at incredible speed, darting back and forth with astounding agility in pursuit of a twenty-pound tuna. In the water the whaley boy's eyes no longer bugged out as they did inside the whale. Like whales and dolphins, Nate realized, whaley boys possessed muscles that could actually change the shape of the eye for focusing in either air or water. Scooter did a rapid turn and snatched the tuna in his jaws not ten feet from the eye of the whale. Nate could hear the snap and saw blood in the water around Scooter's mouth. â€Å"Yes!† said Poe. â€Å"It's sashimi tonight.† Nate had eaten nothing but raw fish since he'd been on board the whale ship, but this was the first time he'd seen it caught. Still, he couldn't quite share Poe's enthusiasm. â€Å"Is this all you eat? Raw fish?† â€Å"It beats the alternatives,† said Poe. â€Å"The whale carries a nutrient paste that's like krill puree.† â€Å"Oh, my God,† said Nate. Poynter leaned in close to Nate, so he was only inches from the scientist's ear. â€Å"Thus the somewhat substantial demand for culinary variety, as in – oh, I don't know – a pastrami on rye!† â€Å"I said I was sorry,† Nate muttered. â€Å"Yeah, right.† â€Å"Drop me off anywhere. I'll go get you one.† â€Å"We don't land these things on shore.† â€Å"You don't?† â€Å"Except to paint ‘bite me' on the flukes,† said Poe. â€Å"Yeah, except for that,† said Poynter. Skippy meeped as Scooter scooted in through the poop chute with tuna in hand. Upon seeing the pilot's entrance, Nate started thinking, for the first time since he'd been eaten, about how to escape. This is just stupid, Amy thought. She'd been paddling like a madwoman for four hours and was still barely halfway to Molokai. She'd been past the channel wind line for two of those four hours and so battled four-foot swells and a crosswind that threatened to take her out to sea. â€Å"Who gives GPS coordinates for a meeting? Who does business like that?† She'd been shouting into the wind on and off for an hour, then checking the little liquid-crystal map on the display of the GPS receiver. The â€Å"you are here† dot never seemed to move. Well, that wasn't true. If she paused from paddling to take a drink of water or apply some sunscreen, the dot seemed to jump off course a mile at a time. â€Å"Are you guys on drugs?† she screamed into the wind. Her shoulders ached, and she'd drunk nearly all of the two-liter bottle of water she'd brought with her. She started to regret not having brought along some kind of snack. â€Å"An easy paddle. ‘Just rent a kayak. You won't need a power boat. I'm adrift on a piece of Tupperware, you nitwits!† She leaned back on the kayak to catch her breath and watched the direction and speed indicators change on the GPS. She could rest maybe five minutes without drifting too far. She closed her eyes and let the swells rock her into a light doze. It was quiet, just the white noise of wind and water, not even a slap of waves on the kayak – she was so light that it rode high in the water and over the tops of the waves without a sound. She thought about Nate, about how frightened he must have been in those last moments, about how much she'd started to enjoy working with him. Action nerd. She smiled to herself, a melancholy smile as she dozed off, but then the sound of a fusillade of bubbles breaking the surface near the kayak jolted her to alertness. It was a huge expulsion of air, as if someone had set off an explosion deep under the water. She started paddling away from the eruptions of bubbles, but even as she moved, the sea began to darken around her, the crystal blue turning to shadow in a huge pool under the kayak. Then something hit the little boat, tossing Amy into the air twenty feet before she hit the water and the darkness surrounded her.