Al Capone Does My Shirts

He has an autistic sister called Natalie. They move to an apartment at â€Å"The Rock† after their father is able to work as an electrician at Alcatraz. What follows after are the series of escapades that Moose experiences which exposes him to several scrupulous deals making him compromise his integrity.Moose is intrigued that Al Capone lives in one of the prison cells where he lives and so are the other children. They eagerly pay money to have their clothes laundered by Scarface. He still has connections with other people behind bars of Alcatraz and he is able to help Moose.Moose reasoned in a manner that proves quite helpful in the sense that there is a cognitive behavior that the child manifests through obvious exploring and reconstruction of past events. Most of the children there are receptive to new learnings once new opportunities present themselves.The presence of these dangerous criminals in the midst of children, even if these dangerous elements are locked up, give a sense of inner exhilaration to readers who never know what to expect next. Moos Flanagan himself is witty and funny, which makes his character blend well with the other characters in the story.The family experiences several difficulties as it tries to balance their day revolving around Natalie who is afflicted with autism and their other child.   Thus, there is a strange kind of blending between the children of the prison guards and a story that elicits compassion for a children’s story book. It may seem to be quite heavy on the criminal side of the men in prison, but the author gives us a natural, almost necessary kind of kindness for these men who also manage to show kindness to these people.Delinquent activities is not really a normal process of growing up but it is most of the time an impact of a different kind of peer pressure that young people experiences. Young people have different experiences of puberty and adolescence and this experience is in part influenced thr ough the support systems that surround young people.Most of the time, the family or other support systems would not be able to provide effective support system in terms of development of self-image; young people acquire affirmation through peers and other groups. In their wish to feel that they ‘belong’ to a group they commit deviant behaviors (Juvenile Crime).This means that in general, it is not really a normal process, but rather an impact of the difficulty of the family structures to support young people at this important stage of development towards adulthood. Children act like sponges in terms of imbibing information and acquiring knowledge—a generalization that seems to hold whether they are learning how to speak or how to display emotions.It is not a curse for Moose to be responsible as he is wont to think. It balances with his family and environment so he still grows up well-rounded. It has been mentioned that families who are mentally and physically hea lthy are fundamental to a child's optimal growth and education.The kindness of prisoners melts the hearts of readers as Al Capone himself arranges for the help he is going to give readers. Natalie is brought to other families where she learns to interact like any normal child would do. Even if the daughter of the warden is presented as manipulative, yet the author manages to give him a soft heart for the punishment.Of course, we cannot discount the fact that some children have become more aggressive, which is directly correlated with the escalating prominence of violence among adults. Moose’s father warns him to do good for his sister but Piper, the warden’s daughter makes his life miserable by involving him in a moneymaking scheme to have their schoolmates’ clothes laundered by convicts.Piper even goes to the extent to telling schoolmates that Al Capone, the great gangster, may even be the one to wash their clothes.The story is heart-rending as readers are affo rded a glimpse of the relationship between Moose and his sister. We see the concern he has for his sister and is worth emulating. The setting of the story, even is quite serious for a children’s book prepares young readers for more serious themes as they grow up.Children acquire abilities to aggression more readily through constant exposure because they tend to imitate what they constantly see or read. Without doubt, the story plays a potent role on how children respond to different circumstances that they may have watched, read, or listened to.Oftentimes, the behaviors depicted in this story are extremely aggressive. Yet, this story breaks the belief that children believe that aggression is the only solution to a particular situation they are in.Living in a time and culture in which violence infuses numerous facets of society in both fiction and reality—verbal, visual, overt, and implied—and considering the ubiquity and prevalence of all forms of violence aroun d us, exposure to serious themes through the children’s books evidently casts some negative impact upon children. Yet, this book becomes a compassionate read that makes children want to emulate the kindness shown by the main character, Moose.REFERENCECholdenko, G. (March 30, 2004). Al Capone Does my Shirts. Putnam Juvenile   

Homeschool vs Public School Essay

The recent growth, popularity, and success of homeschool have left many parents wondering if public school is the right choice for their children. While public school is still the most trusted and convenient way for parents to have their children educated, many parents are starting to research and learn more about the option of homeschooling. For many parents, it is hard to think outside the box, when it comes to their children’s education, yet, more parents are convinced every day that this may be the right choice for their children. Parents considering homeschool are worried that they might not be able to provide the proper education, and learning tools, as well as the structure of public school. Others are simply worried that their publicly educated children will not be as well rounded or socialized if they are homeschooled. For many advocates, whether home school or public school, the environment offered by withers situation is definitely a determining factor as to whether their child should be home or publicly schooled. Proponents of homeschool think that children will thrive better in a safe, comfortable, familiar environment. Ironically, so do public school advocates. Homeschool parents believe that home is the safest, most secure environment for their children to learn. A decade ago a homeschooled teen had to miss out on school dances, band, sports, driver’s education and more. This is no longer the case. The options are endless depending on your local school district. Most junior and high schools support dual enrollment. This means that a child can be homeschooled and still go to the school for subject that the student along with the parents decides. This can be math, wood working, computer technology, and many more things. If the child is enrolled they are entitled to most if not all of the extracurricular activities that the school offers. In a home school setting, a child does not have to deal with fitting in, peer pressure, or cliques. Homeschool parents will argue that by homeschooling they prevent most of the negative social problems of school. Many argue that school is not like real life. In the real world you do get to choose who you associate with for the most part. You are not shoved into a room of your same age peers for 12 years or more. In public schools children are forced to deal with persecution because of the clothes they wear may not be the coolest, or their shoes may not be a brand name. Children are forced to deal with peer pressures to have sex, experiment with drugs, or truancy. Homeschool children are able to focus solely on their education. They are usually able to work at their own pace in their own style. While publicly schooled children are forced into a strict schedule, and everything is on a timed basis. Public school advocates argue that public school teaches the child to separate themselves from their parents, and begin to rely on themselves more. That it teaches responsibility. They also believe that the natural interaction between children in school is healthy, and it teaches them character, and individuality. As a matter of fact, many public school supporters believe that actual book learning is not as important as learning how to deal with others. Only you can decide which is more important for your child. Along with everything else, parents and their children have to consider the curriculum, and is this right for the individual circumstance. How your child learns is a major factor in determining if your child should be in public school or homeschooled. Most children learn the same basic skills whether they are public, or homeschooled. They learn to read, write, and basic math. Both sides agree that this is a good foundation. However, it is beyond the basics that the two types of schooling differ, and the argument begins. Homeschooled children tend to learn through individual experience. Regular public school children learn through relationships, and according to studies, that’s what builds character in a child. [www. publicschools. org]. this is clearly a huge argument in the war of Homeschool versus public school. Homeschool parents are able to choose the focus of their child’s education. Whether it is based on their religion and beliefs, or the child’s natural curiosity. This does not mean that a child is homeschooled based solely on religion or because they are religious. It simply gives parents an option to have religion incorporated in their children’s schooling. More parents said that they chose to homeschool a child in order to offer religious or moral instruction. This reason was given more than any other reason as the most important for homeschooling. This accounts for 36 percent of homeschooled students [The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U. S.  Department of Education (USDOE) Institute of Education Sciences (IES)]. Public schools have eliminated religion because the government feels that it may offend someone if we pray a certain prayer that a student with a different religion may not. So, they decided to separate church and state. This means that there are no more prayers in public schools or their events. There are â€Å"moments of silence†. Thus, many homeschool parents incorporate it into their lessons. Public school bases their curriculum on state based lesson, which aim to make the students reach and hopefully surpass their goals. This curriculum is constantly changing with the times. A drawback of public education curriculum is that there is not a lot of time to spend in depth on one particular subject, but students are exposed to a broad spectrum of subjects. Every parent is a teacher [www. phdinparenting. com]. Whether they realize it or not. From day one we teach our children, and never stop. It is the argument of homeschool advocates that if we can teach them life skills and basically everything they learn from day one, then why can’t we educate our children? Public school advocates argue that the difference is the time a teacher has spent learning methods and perfecting the art of educating a child. Homeschooled parents are concerned that their children are not having enough one on one time with teachers. They are concerned that the teacher to student ratio is out of control. The norm in public school is 31 students to 1 teacher. Most classes are 30 to 45 minutes in length. After roll call, going over the daily lesson, passing up homework, etc. , there is less than 1 minute available for each student to communicate with the teacher. Homeschool advocates are concerned that sometimes this means that the quality of education a child gets in public school is not as good as that of homeschool. Many students believe that the education they are getting is quite adequate. They are sure that half the things they learn in class they will not need in â€Å"real life† anyway. They assume the free ride through college from their high school football career will get them everything they need in life. Children who have this belief are sorely mistaken. If they are not equipped with the communication skills, and life skills, as well taught esponsibility then why have the great football career? They will have no idea how to negotiate terms, negotiate contracts, or how to properly spend and invest their income. These are all vital things that a child needs to be taught. Homeschool parents believe that they can instill in their children all of those things. No extracurricular activities for homeschoolers, you say? Wrong!! There are programs that allow homeschool children to take some of their classes in a private school type setting to allow them to play on the local high school football team. As long as their grades and transcripts are all in order, they can be just as successful and get scholarships just as a public school student. We, as parents have to make our own decisions about how our children are educated. Whether they are public or home schooled, we have to ensure that our children are getting the best possible education, in the best environment, by the best teachers. It is not our job to be sure that they are the most popular, or the class favorite. It is our job to make sure that they are educated, moral, responsible, well rounded individuals no matter the method by which they are educated.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8250 words

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 - Coursework Example Such simulators provide a cheaper route for the learning and the developing models. Today video games like flight simulation have encouraged many to take up actual training to become pilots or designers of the aircrafts. For the training of pilot high fidelity rates are required for the simulators. In today's world the simulators play a very important role for their training. The environmental conditions as well as the reflex responses of the pilots are developed with the help of these simulators. They are then trained further on the basis of this knowledge base. Microsoft started working on the flight simulator projects first as a series of articles about computer graphics in 1976. Bruce Artwick detailed concepts of flight simulation by drawing 3D graphics which were published in the magazine. It was the response that Artwick received from the subscribers of the magazine that spurred him to form subLOGIC Corporation in order to sell his ideas. He started working on his ideas and very soon the Microsoft flight simulator was developed and this was just the beginning of the many new versions with up gradations to be born. Flight simulators started selling by the new founded company though mail orders in the late 70's like hot cakes. By the beginning of 1980 Flight Simulator for Apple II was released and it was this that revolutionized everything. Since then to this date a number of FS were produced each better than the previous version. By 1982 it was the best selling software; its users were computer hobbyists and scientists. Artwick soon shi fted from Apple to Microsoft when they approached him with the new computer in design the IBM PC. By the end of 1982 it was a best seller first entertainment program for IBM PC. The software was also used by the computer designers as a test for PC compatibility. Soon it started working for products for Federal Aviation Administration and for this Bruce Artwick Organization (BAO) came into being. DEFINITION: Software that emulates real world flying is known as Flight Simulator. Criticism The product has so much realism attached to it that the serious users of the product cannot deny its worth as a great teaching aid in the home simulation series. It was because of this factor that The Flight Simulation series by Microsoft was much criticized as people thought it had provided the knowledge to the terrorists of 9/11 attack by the manufacturing of such a product. One of the terrorist involved in the attacks had simulation software on his laptop. Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of flight It was released in 23 July 2003 and had only one edition. Also named FS9 came at the time when Microsoft celebrated 20 years of making these simulation products and it was to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of first flight of Wright Brothers. It is one of the comprehensive home flight simulator series by Microsoft. It is dream software for anyone who is interested in the flying of an aircraft, even pilots or would be pilots. For a fresher the software is

Applied Social Marketing Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Applied Social Marketing Project - Essay Example It is root to many other crimes that are being committed such as robbery, as addicts want money to purchase the drug, violence at home when they are under the effect of the drug and many more such crimes and acts of violence. Throughout the length of this paper, the details related to drug abuse have been discussed. The symptoms that we should look for in a person who is an addict are also mentioned. There are some causes as to why a person would take up the drug such as peer pressure, stress or even violence at home. These causes are looked into in this paper. We have justified our position as to stop the use of drugs through campaigns that should be launched to increase the awareness of the risks of using and drugs and the health problems that are associated with it. The paper is about social marketing; let's explain what social marketing is: social marketing is an approach through which we try and achieve a social good through behavioral goals which are clearly identified and explained. It is not only a short term process but it also looks at the long term and tries to solve the issue for a longer period of time. This is done by using marketing techniques which can help achieve the goal. There are six features of this approach: customer or customer orientation, behavior and behavior goals, intervention mix and marketing mix, audience segmentation, exchange and competition. The process involves stages which are: scope, develop, implement, evaluate and follow-up. (http://www.nsms.org.uk/public/default.aspxPageID=10) The social issue that we have focused upon in this paper is drug abuse; drugs are a chemical substance which affects the way a normal body operates. Drugs can be sniffed, smoked, licked and injected. There are many substances such as mushrooms and alcohol which can be confused as drugs because they also affect the way the body functions. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act definition of "drug" includes "articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or other animals" and "articles (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals." (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, http://www.fda.gov/opacom/laws/fdcact/fdcact1.htm) Drug abuse is when the drugs are consumed more than the required amount and when they are consumed without any medical or health reason for consumption. Drug dependence can take three forms: tolerance, habit and addiction. Tolerance is when the body becomes used to a drug and to achieve the same effect we need to take higher and higher quantities of the drug. The condition worsens when the drug is used continuously for a long period of time. Withdrawal symptoms are experienced by the addict or dependent person when the use is stopped. Habit is when the person desires the drug. He physically may not require the drug but psychologically he wants to keep having it. The drug becomes a part of life; the person eventually may require the drug to function normally. Addiction is when the person starts to crave for the drug and existence without it seems impossible to the addict. Drugs can be classified into six types: The first type is alcohol and tobacco and their use is extensive by many people. They are consumed on a daily basis. The effect of these drugs starts to take place after consumption is continued for years. The second

CIS329 Week 123 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CIS329 Week 123 - Assignment Example b) The type of hardware and site of installation should also be part of checklist. The hardware type can be used to solve compatibility issues with other hardware while installation site will ensure that adequate space is chosen for the occupancy of the hardware equipment (General 2011). a) In terms of user interface, win 7 supported touch screen although it was not perfect or ideal, that is, it did not have control features that are sufficiently good. Win 8 on the other hand has improved touch screen support. An example is that of desktop which is far better in such a way that the user can close window and be able to choose menu items without any problem. b) Windows8 also has improved performance in terms of short response time as compared to win7 since it has quicker ways of opening the target programs rather than just relying on menus given that the interface is built for touch. The additional advanced features of windows 8 also make it safer in terms of security features than win 7. a) It is necessary to bypass the use of digital signatures to validate or protect device drivers in situations where non-embedded intelligent Guards against Disasters (iGADs) does not have device driver. b) In the case where non embedded iGAD do not have, one or more disaster management applications is used to run on some platforms and thus digital signatures may not be necessary for protection (Liu et al., 2013). a) The key guideline that one should meet in order to justify an administrator’s decision to bypass the use of digital signatures when validating device drivers is the design guideline. This is because the design guideline has the basics of ensuring that many levels of security and dependability are open, modular and cost effective(Di Sarno, 2011). a) Both software restriction policy and AppLocker use group policy for domain management. Nevertheless, AppLocker takes precedence over software restriction policy on computer running windows

Charlene Barshefsky Case Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Charlene Barshefsky Case Analysis - Assignment Example Using analytical framework to view the key issues and complexity of the case, the researcher will try to justify Charlene Barshefsky’s actions and suggest some alternate approaches to view the problem. This case is all about complexities regarding trade and cultural negotiation process hence the researcher will not try to give any subjective viewpoints which might spoil the purpose of the case. Recognizing multiple aspects of the case such as coalition building approach, bilateral dealings, â€Å"barriers† to agreement etc will be key features of the discussion. This piece of work will also try to understand the actions taken by respective authorities in the case in order to facilitate protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), improvement of IPR policy of People’s Republic of China and address human right issues. In the least part of this paper, the researcher will summarize the personal learning output from the case. Question 2 Research scholars such as Shapiro (2001) and O’Donoghue and Zweimuller (2004) have classified IPR as a pretty much sensitive issue when it comes to negotiating between countries. The case sheds light on International trade negotiations between China and USA in context to intellectual property rights (IPR) violation. According to the case, during mid 1990’s, USA accused China for its poor standard of IPR law which gave the opportunity to pirates to counterfeit and illegally copy entertainment and software products of USA. In 1993, USA representatives reported that Chinese pirates counterfeited USA entertainment products such as DVDs, movie CDs, software and exporting pirated CDs, DVDs to South Asian and North American countries. Such level of piracy and counterfeiting had negatively affected the trade relationship between USA and China and also decreased the market share of IPR products of USA. The case is presented from the perspective of Charlene Barshefsky who was then then-Deputy United Stat es Trade Representative (USTR) and was responsible for handling the negotiation process. In the first part, the case discusses about the challenges and barrier of negotiation faced by Charlene Barshefsky while the second part of the case study, discusses about strategic intervention used by Charlene Barshefsky and her team members to deal with the situation. However, the case is more about trade agenda regarding cross cultural negotiation process and intellectual property right issue rather than description of tariff and non-tariff obstacles related to free trade. According to the case, key assignment for Charlene Barshefsky was to offer or formulate viable strategy for establishing new intellectual property rights agreement with Chinese government. The case also underlines alternatives such as initiating Section 301 which is a unilateral action and multilateral approaches such as working as joint force with other countries to improve the IPR standard in China. Question 3 Hulse and Sebenius (2003) pointed out that working as USTR was a challenge for Charlene Barshefsky which she had taken in positive manner. She had understood the fact that she could not get the support of USA government unless make the IPR violation in China as domestic issue of

The Racial negative and positive dynamics coming from supervisors Essay

The Racial negative and positive dynamics coming from supervisors - Essay Example First, there is a likelihood of the supervisor falling in favor with some workers in the work place. Being a racist supervisor, there is a likelihood that one will be in good books with others while one may not be in goods with others. In case one is favored by a majority of the workers, there is a likelihood that they are likely to influence a positive relationship within the dyad and the higher the chances of having work done on time. (Priest, 1994) Being a racist supervisor, there is a likelihood of having a loyal following of employees who are favored. This means that as a supervisor, one is likely to have an "underground intelligence force" in the work place which might one gather a lot of information about what is happening. The supervisor will therefore be able to monitor and come up with formidable solution to situation before they happen. For example, if workers might be planning a boycott of duties, the supervisor will have first hand information on it even before it materializes. In this regard, the likelihood of a boycott happening in the work place is reduced in a number of ways. Hence as a worker if you are favored by your supervisor, you are likely to get things done the way you want. This means that as a worker you will be favored by supervisor in allocation of duties and other aspects of work. First the supervisor employs what can be termed as a political policy of "divide and rule" tactics. This ensures that the supervisor have a part of loyal supporters who are favored in return while the rest of the workers may be against. The concept at work here is that there is no unity among the workers since they cannot speak on one term. This makes it difficult to plan any kind of work boycott. As a worker, this division among the workers can give you an undue advantage over the rests since the supervisor will be referring to you on most matters. Second, with the underground intelligence gathered by the loyal workers, other workers who are not "loyal" to the supervisor may find it difficult to integrate with the 'loyal" workers and hence such a plan cannot work. Hence as a worker you may be in a position to act as a spy for the supervisor which gives you an upper hand in the work place since those who are not favored by the supervisor cannot be given such a task. (Reynolds et al., 2002) Hence being favored by a racial supervisor will give the worker an advantage over the rest. But this will depend on the number of workers in the work place who are favored by the supervisor against the number that is not favored by the supervisor. In this regard if majority are favored by the supervisor, they may be likely to have an advantage over the rest but if they are the minority, they will have no advantage over the rest. At the same time there are a number of negative aspects that are associated with being a worker under a racist supervisor at the work place. First, it may affect the relationship within the dyad such that it becomes difficult for the supervisor to implement their duties effectively and the workers to perform their tasks effectively. This is because practicing racism among the worker brings about division among them such that it becomes difficult for the worker to work as a team. It kills the spirit of team work. Once workers are divided, they

My Dinner with Andre movie review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My Dinner with Andre - Movie Review Example For one, Wally and Gregory are both theater enthusiasts and actors. For instance, Gregory found it amazing to be in a Polish forest with huge trees and diverse people and beautiful women. Gregory depicts a character who is fascinated to the tiny details of life and who enjoyed life to the fullest despite life’s oddities. Moreover, Gregory narrates how every detail in life, say in a production, is connected with one another to make a whole picture of beauty. More so, there is also transcendence in fantasies to reality and finite to infinite (Hendrix 8) as shown in Gregory’s hallucinations out from the reality when he was aboard on a plane, among other situations that he told. Humanism was also discussed in the movie. The value of being a human is emphasized in their conversation, and rational thought, instead of spirituality was likewise emphasized. The humanism was depicted in the constant search for self-actualization, fulfillment, and intellectual quest. Furthermore, both Wally and Gregory depicted a picture of two people who have different ways of searching for the meaning of life. Both realized that life goes on in a fast pace and in an unpredictable way, and certainly it will lead to death. The reality seems to be lost during a period of fantasizing, in Gregory’s example, during a sexual encounter. People tend to lose all of their precious memories during that period of euphoria, and once one gets back to consciousness, everything he imagined just vanished. However, fantasy and reality both are related. The former is a product of an imperfect world in the real setting. Fantasy is a creative masterpiece of the mind which has the possibility of bringing to reality. Knowledge is also highlighted in the movie. The exchanges of conversation were products of knowledge which lead to recognition that life’s celebrations and emotions can be analyzed. Fright and love can be explained in terms of knowledge to act with the other person invo lved. Gregory said that if there is no act to be involved with the other person, all relationships are all bounded with duty. In the postmodern world, Gregory discussed science’s irony, from bringing enlightenment to inaccuracies and doubts; it brought chaos and danger to the present world. Simply saying, knowledge, as a precursor to science, can become dangerous. Based on the movie, Andre Gregory represents the humanistic branch of philosophy because of his beliefs about preserving the human nature. For instance, he believes that the humanity needs a new language, specifically the language of the heart. He believes that creating a language that connects everything and everyone makes one understand the nature in its entirety. Wally, on the other hand, represents metaphysics, based on his dialogues regarding the existence of the world and its connection to the human beings, and what is reality. Moreover, he displays some concepts in logic as shown in his analysis regarding the correctness of analyzing things as products of science collectively. Both of them played accurately their roles, as seemingly the audience and the

Corrections Facilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corrections Facilities - Essay Example There is an argument on whether harsh sentences deter offenders from their criminal actions or turn them into more violent and hardened criminals. Incapacitation is another major objective of the correctional system all over the world. The corrections system, by locking up offenders, effectively keeps them off the streets. There is a general agreement that keeping offenders in prisons prevents them from preying on the society. Another goal of the correctional system is making sure that offenders pay a debt to their victims and the society as a whole. This is referred to as restitution. Offenders do this through performing public services such as picking up trash and also contribute financially directly to their victims. This form of punishment has in recent times been emphasized though it can prove difficult to carry out. Deterrence is another important objective of the corrections system. Many people believe that the threat of prison and other punitive measures deter would be offenders from carrying out criminal activities. However, hardened criminals do not seem to fear this threat but go ahead and involve themselves in crim inal activities. ... Rehabilitation seeks to help criminal offenders become upright citizens who can contribute to society in a positive way. Rehabilitating offenders will also ensure that they don't go back to their past criminal way after completing their sentence. Among the goals of the correctional system, rehabilitation is by far the most difficult task. This is so because of various reasons such as: The state of the prisons. Since a prison is designed almost exclusively for criminals, some convicted felons tend to become hardened rather instead of becoming good citizens. This is in contrast to the rehabilitative objective of the correctional system. Some people are considered to be inherently criminal. They have no interest whatsoever in reverting their old ways. (Rothman 29) Is the current system meeting the basic expectations The recent years has seen a sharp increase in the number of offenders being dealt with in the United States correctional system. According to the US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2007, there were over seven million either on probation, on parole or in jail or prison. This is at least 3.2% of the entire adult population. By mid 2008, 1,610,584 Americans were serving their time in jail or prison. (Bureau of Justice) This basically means one thing; the correctional system is not working effectively as it ought to be. Before we hurry to put the blame on the United States Justice System, it is important to note that that general trend is experienced in almost the whole of the rest of the world. There are heated debates nowadays on how to reform the correctional system and the justice system as a whole. The debates take wide ranging

Wine - Yeast Essay Example for Free

Wine Yeast Essay I. Introduction Wines have been one of the favorite beverages in the world. Many Europeans nowadays prefer wine to water as a daily beverage like their ancestors many centuries ago, despite of its bad effects in the health when consumed excessively. Different varieties of the grapes and strains of yeast produce different type of wine. Wines are alcoholic beverage that is usually made from grapes and other fermented juice like apples and berries. The fermentation takes place in the district origin, according to local tradition and practice. Only a relatively small area of the world is â€Å"wine producing. † This is because the grapes will only provide juice of the quality necessary for conversion into a drinkable wine where there must be enough sun to ripen the grape and the winter must be moderate, yet sufficient cool. Wines, which are widely known to be a delicious beverage, are also known for its significant uses. II. Body A. Definition of Wine Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of grape juice and other fruits, such as apples and berries. The English word â€Å"wine† comes from the Proto-Germanic â€Å"*winam,† an early borrowing from the Latin vinum, â€Å"wine† or â€Å"grapewine,† itself derived from the Proto-Indo-European stem *win-o. Although other fruits can be fermented, the resultant â€Å"wines† are normally named after the fruits from it produce, like apple wine or elderberry wine, and are generically known as fruit or country wine. Others are made from starch-based materials and resemble beer more than wine, such as barley wine and rice wine, while ginger wine is fortified with brandy. In these cases, the use of the term â€Å"wine† is a reference to the higher alcohol content, rather than production process. The commercial use of the English word â€Å"wine,† and its equivalent in other language, is protected by the law in many jurisdictions. B. History of Wines Archeological evidences suggest that the earliest known production of wine took place from sites in Georgia and Armenia from as early as 8000 – 6000 BC. These locations are all within the natural area of the European grape Vitis vinifera. Dr. Patrick McGovern and his colleagues analyzed the heritage of more than 110 modern grape cultivars through an extensive gene-mapping project in 2006, and narrowed their origin to a region in Georgina, where also wine residues were discovered on the inner surfaces of 8000-year-old-ramic storage jars in Shulavari, Georgina. In his book â€Å"Ancient wine: the search for the origins of viniculture,† McGovern proposes modern-day Georgia and Armenia as the likely sites of the domestication of the Eurasian wine grape some 8000 years ago. Winemaking spread south out there with wines being produced in northwest Iran and Haiji Firuz Tepe by 5400 BC. A little more than 4,000 years later, Near Eastern wine culture had evolved to the point where amphoras found in the palace of Amenhotep III in western Thebes noted vintage, quality, appellation, and even the purpose or occasion for the blend. The very oldest known evidence suggesting wine production in Europe and second oldest in the world comes from archeological sites in Greece also contain remnants of the world’s earliest evidence of crushed grapes. In medieval Europe, the Roman Catholic Church was a staunch supporter of wine which they required it for the Mass. In places like Germany, beer was banned and considered pagan and barbaric while wine consumption was viewed as civilized and a sign of conversion. Monks in France made wine for years, aging it in caves. And old English recipe that survived in various forms until the 19th century calls for refining while from bastard – bad or tainted bastardo wine. Viticulture foundation the Romans laid in the land that today are world renowned wine regions is one of the lasting legacies of the ancient Roman Empire. Areas with Roman garrison towns, like Bordeaux, Trier, and Colchester, the Romans planted vineyards to supply local needs and limit the cost of long distance trading. In India, viticulture has a long history dating back to the time of the Indus valley civilization where grapevines are believed to have been introduced to Persia sometime in the 5000 BC. The first known mentioning of grape-based wines in the late 4th century BC is the writings of Chanakya who was the chief minister of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. In his writings, Chanakya condems the use of alcohol while chronicling the emperor and his courts frequent indulgence of a style of grape wine known as Madhu. Wine became a part of recorded history in Egypt, which plays an important role in ancient ceremonial life. Traces of wine were also found in China, dating back from the second and first millennium. A 2003 report by archeologists indicates a possibility that grapes were mixes with rice to produce mixed fermented beverages in China in the early years of the seventh millennium BC. Pottery jars from the Neolothic sites in Jianhu, Henan contained traces of tartaric acid and other organic compounds commonly found in wine. However, other fruits indigenous to the regions, such as hawthorn, can not be ruled out. If these beverages, which seem to be precursors of rice wine, included grapes rather than other fruits, these grapes were of any of the several dozen indigenous wild species of grapes in China, rather from vitis vinifera, which were introduced into China some 6000 years later. C. Processes in Winemaking. Winemaking or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material. Enology is the science of wine and winemaking and the oldest known winemaking operation was discovered in a cave in Armenia, estimated to be 6,100 years old. There are two general categories in winemaking: still wine production (without carbonation) and sparkling wine production (with carbonation). Wine grapes grow almost exclusively between thirty and fifty degrees north or south of the equator. The world’s southernmost vineyards are in the Central Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island near the 45th parallel south, and the northernmost are in Flen, Sweden, hust north of the 50th parallel north. 1. Choosing and harvesting the grapes Grapes grow on vines. There are many different types of grapes, but the best wine grape is the European vitis vinifera. It is considered optimal because it has the right balance of sugar and acid to create a good fermented wine without the addition of sugar or water. Vitis vinifera includes all varieties of European origin. Weather is a major factor in determining whether a year is going to be a â€Å"good vintage† (or â€Å"year†). In northern hemisphere, grapes are harvested from early September to early November while mid February to early March in the southern hemisphere. In some cool areas in the southern hemisphere, like Tasmania, harvesting extends to May. Grapes are harvested during the cool morning. The wine grape grower plays a game of chance to winemakers yearly. They must decide when exactly they must harvest to be able to produce fine wines. Simplistically, if they knew it wasn’t going to rain, they would test the Brix (level of sugar) until it was just right, then harvest. If they harvest too soon, they may probably end up getting a wine too low in alcohol content which there won’t have enough sugar to convert to alcohol. These wines will be â€Å"thin. † And if they delay the harvesting, there may be too sugar which leads to too low acid content. This also affects the taste and the aging possibilities of the wine. Harvesting grapes are done through mechanical or manual. The winemakers typically made the decision to harvest grapes and informed by the Brix, acid (Titratable Acidity as expressed by tartaric acid equivalents) and pH of the grapes. Other considerations include phonological ripeness, berry flavor, tannin development (seed color and taste). Overall disposition of the grapevine and weather forecast are taken into account. 2. Initial processes After the grapes have been picked and transported to the winery, certain preparatory steps must be taken before the actual winemaking can begun. Cleanliness and sanitation are essential for good winemaking, as troublesome bacteria can cause disastrous result. Upon arriving at the winery, grapes are treated with 50-70 ppm of free sulfur dioxide. This process is called sulfating, and inhibits the unwanted and wild yeast species on the grapes. Grapes are crushed to get the juice through Pigeage (stomping on it with feet in a big vat). But the easier and more practical way is to use machine which does the crushing and at the same time, removes the stems. Some grapes may bypass the stemmer/crusher and go directly to the process for whole berry pressing. However, the decision about destemming is different for red and white winemaking. Generally, when making white wine, the fruit is only crushed, the stems are then placed in the press with the berries. The presence of stems in the mix facilities pressing allow the juice to flow past flattened skins. These accumulate at the edge of the press. For red winemaking, stems of the grapes are usually removed before fermentation since the stem has relatively high tannin content; in addition to tannin they can also give the wine a vegetal aroma (due to extraction of 2-methoxyl-3-isopropylpyrazine which has an aroma reminiscent of green bell peppers). On occasion, the winemakers may decide to leave them in if the grapes themselves contain less tannin than desired. This is more acceptable if the stem have ripened and started to turn brown. If increase skin extract is desired, a winemaker might choose to crush the grapes after destemming. Removal of stems first means no stem tannin can be extracted in these cases the grapes pass between two rollers which squeeze the grapes enough to separate the skin and pulp, but not so much as to cause excessive shearing or tearing of the skin tissues. In some cases, notably with â€Å"dalicated† red varietals, all or plant of the grapes might be left uncrushed (called â€Å"whole berry†) to encourage the retention of fruity aromas through partial carbonic maceration. 3. Fermentation Through the process of fermentation, the grape juice is turned into alcohol. Grapes on the vine are covered with yeast, molds and bacteria. By putting grape juice into a container at the right temperature, yeast will turn the sugar in the juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The grape juice will have fermented. Fermentation is carried out in stainless steel vessels. Yeast also gives flavor to the wine. But the yeast that is on the grape skin when it is harvested may not have the desire flavor. Other things on the outside of a grape are not good for the wine like the acetic bacteria on the grapes which can cause the wine to turn into vinegar. The winemaker can eliminate unwanted yeast’s molds and bacteria, most commonly by using the â€Å"universal disinfectant,† sulfur dioxide. Unfortunately, the sulfites which remain in the wine may cause a lot of discomfort to some wine drinkers. Some winemakers prefer not to do this, and purposely create wines that are subject to the vagaries and different flavors of the yeast that pre-exist on the grapes. The winemakers have many different yeast strains to choose from (and can use strains at the different times during the process for better control fermentation). Saccharomyces is the most common wine yeast. This is a good point to stop and mention â€Å"Brett,† also known as the Brettanomyces strain of yeast (which can be added or come from wild yeast fermentation). As yeast works, it causes grape juice or â€Å"must† to get hot. But if theres too much heat, the yeast wont work. Cooling coils are necessary to maintain a temperature below 30 degrees Celsius. Placing in small oak barrels is still widely used in fermenting wine, even if it is less modern. â€Å"Barrel fermentation is usually done at a lower temperature in temperature controlled rooms and takes longer, perhaps around 6 weeks. The longer fermentation and use of wood contributes to the flavor (and usually expense) of the wine. The skins and pulp which remain in a red wine vat will rise to and float on top of the juice. This causes problems, so the winemaker will push this cap back down into the juice, usually at least twice a day. If it dries out, it’s a perfect breeding ground for injurious bacteria. In large vats, pushing the skin and pulp back down into the juice is accomplished by pumping juice from the bottom of the vat over the top of the cap. Eventually the yeast is no longer changing sugar to alcohol though different strains of yeast, which can survive in higher and higher levels of alcohol, can take over and contribute their own flavor to the wine as well as converting a bit more sugar to alcohol. After all this is completed what you have left are the wine, dead yeast cells, known as lees and various other substances. The winemakers may choose to allow a white wine to undergo a second fermentation which occurs due to malic in the grape juice. When malic acid which is due to bacteria in the wine, it is known as â€Å"malo-lactic fermentation,† which imparts additional flavor to the wine. A buttery flavor in some whites is due to this process. This process is used for sparkling wines. 4. First racking When the fermentation is completed naturally or stopped by the addition of distilled spirit, first racking is carried out. This involves the wine to stand still until most yeast cells and fine suspended material settle out. Then without disturbing the sediments or the yeast, the wine is filtered. 5. Aging The winery may then keep the wine so that there can be additional clarification and, in some wines, to give it a more complex flavors. Flavor can come from the chemicals that make up the wood and are taken up into the wine. The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks. In some instances, the wine is put into oak barrels where it will continue its development until bottling. It may be barrel aged for several months to several years where no air is allowed to enter the barrels during those periods. Ignoring any additional processing that might be used, winemakers could empty the barrels into bottles and sell the wine. However, during the winery aging, the smaller containers may develop differences and the winemaker will probably blend wine from different barrels to achieve a uniform result. The winemaker may also blend together different grape varieties to achieve desired characteristics. 6. Filtration Filtration in winemaking is used to accomplish two objectives: clarification and microbial stabilization. In clarification, large particles that affect the visual appearance of the wine are removed. In microbial stabilization, organisms that affect the stability of the wine are removed therefore reducing the likelihood of re-fermentation or spoilage. Stabilization with respect to tartarates may involve chilling of wine than can be crystallized tartarates and these crystals can be removed by filtration. 7. Pasteurization It may be heat pasteurized or cold pasteurized if the wine has an alcoholic content of less than 14% through microporous filters just before bottling. 8. Bottling Different shaped bottles are often use by the winemakers to denote different types of wine. Colored bottles help to reduce damage by light because light assists in oxidation and breakdown of the wine into chemicals, such as mercaptan, which are undesirable. Bottle sizes can also vary. A final dose of sulfite is added to help preserve the wine and prevent unwanted fermentation in the bottle. The wine bottles then are traditionally sealed with a cork, although alternative wine closures such as synthetic corks and screwcaps, which are less subject to cork taint, are becoming increasingly popular. The final step is adding a capsule to the top of the bottle which is then heated for a tight seal. 9. Storing Wine cellars, or wine rooms if they are above-ground, are places designed specifically for the storage and aging of wines. In an active wine cellar, temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system. Passive wine cellars are not climate-controlled and so much be carefully located. Wines can maintain their quality and in some cases improve aroma, flavor, and complexity as they age when properly stored. Some wine experts contend that the optimal temperature for aging wine is 55  °F (13  °C), others 59  °F (15  °C). Wine refrigerators offer an alternative to wine cellars. They are available in capacities ranging from small 16-bottle units to furniture pieces that can contain 400 bottles. Wine refrigerators are not ideal for aging, but rather serve to chill wine to the perfect temperature for drinking. These refrigerators keep the humidity low, usually under 50%, which is below the optimal humidity of 50% to 70%. Lower humidity levels can dry corks out over time, allowing oxygen to enter the bottle and reduce the wines quality. D. Classifications of Wines 1. Table wines Table wines, also called still or natural wines, are consumed mostly with food, they tend to compliment the meal. It is the largest category. The alcoholic strength may be between 9% and 15%, by volume. The wines may be: †¢Red: being fermented in contact with grape skins from which the wine gets it color. Normally dry wines. †¢White: usually produced from white grapes, but the grape juice is usually fermented away from the skins. Normally dry to very sweet. †¢Rose: made in three ways – from black grapes fermented on the skins for up to 48 hours; by mixing red and white wines together; or by pressing grapes so that some color is extracted. It may be dry or semi-sweet. These are called blush wines in the USA when made wholly from grapes. 2. Sparkling wines These are wines that have undergone a second fermentation and thus become effervescent. Semi-sparkling wines are known by the term â€Å"petillant. † Sparkling wines have varying degrees of dryness and flavor and contain 10 to 14 percent alcohol. It includes: champagne, sparkling Burgundy, and sparkling Moselle and are available from France, Spain, Italy, and many other country. 3. Fortified wines Fortified wines, such as Sherry, Vermouth, Port, and Madeira, are most commonly drunk before or after meals. It has been strengthened by the addition of alcohol, usually a grape spirit. Fortified wines are also frequently used in cooking. Fortified wines are known within the European Union as a liqueur wines or vins de liqueur. Their alcoholic strength may be between 15% and 22%, by volume. Flavored and fortified wines are called Aromatized wines. 4. Organic wines These wines are known as â€Å"green† or â€Å"environmentally friendly† wines, are made from grapes grown without the aid of artificial insecticides, pesticides or fertilizers. The wine itself will not be adulterated in any way, save for minimal amounts of the traditional preservatives, sulphur dioxide, which is controlled at source. 5. Alcohol-free, de-alcoholized and low alcohol wines These wines are made in the normal way and the alcohol is removed by hot treatment – distillation – which unfortunately removes most of the flavor as well, or, more satisfactory, by a cold filtration process, also known as reverse osmosis. This removes the alcohol by mechanically separating or filtering out the molecules of alcohol through membranes made of cellulose or acetate. To do this, at a later stage, water and a little must are added, thus attempting to preserve much of the flavor of the original wine. The alcohol-free has the maximum content of 0. 05%, de-alcoholized has the maximum of 0. 05%, and the low alcohol has the maximum of 1. 25% alcohol. 6. Vins doux naturales These are sweet wines that have had their fermentation muted by the addition of alcohol in order to retain their natural sweetness. Muting takes place when the alcohol level reaches between 5% and 8%, by volume. They have a final alcohol strength of about 17%, by volume. E. Tasting of Wines Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. Wines are made up chemical compounds similar or identical to those in fruits, vegetables, and spices. The sweetness of wine is determined by the amount of residual sugar present in the wine. Dry wine, for example, has only a small amount of residual sugar. The sommelier, as well as having an extensive knowledge of the wine list, should have a good knowledge of the characteristics of the different wines offered. To ensure this, the sommelier must know the correct approach to tasting wine. Experienced tasters can distinguish between flavors characteristic of a specific grape and flavors that can result from other factors in winemaking. Individual flavors may also be detected, due to the complex mix of organic molecules such as estors and terpenes that a grape juice and wine can contain. Typical international flavor elements in wine are those imparted by aging in oak casks; chocolate, vanilla, or coffee almost always come from the oak and hot the grape itself. Tasting may be said to be an analysis of wine by senses. It is the appreciation by the senses of the qualities of a wine: †¢Sight: indicating the clarity and color of the wine. †¢Smell: determines the banquet of a wine by means of a vigorous swirling in the glass. †¢Taste: allows detection of the aroma in the mouth. Banana flavors (isoamyl acetate) are the product of yeast metabolism, as the spoilage aromas such as sweaty, barnyard, band and rotten egg. Some varietals can also have a mineral flavor due to the presence of water0soluble salts (like limestones). Wine aromas come from volatile compound in the wine that is released into the air. Vaporization of these compounds can be sped up by twirling the wine glass of serving the wine at room temperature. For red wines that are already highly aromatic, like Chinon and Beaujolais, many people prefer them chilled. The taste-character of wine is detected in different parts of the mouth but especially by the tongue: sweetness at the tip, acidity on the upper edges, saltiness at the sides, and bitterness at the back. Dryness and sweetness are immediately obvious, as is acidity, which generally provides liveliness and crispness. Astringency or tannin content, associated with some red wines, will give a dry coating effect especially on the teeth and gums. The combination of smell and taste gives what is often termed â€Å"flavor. † This might be for example, the amount of tannin content in the wine, its degrees. of dryness or sweetness, whether it is a light or heavy bodied wine, etc. To appreciate the tasting of wine to the full, the taster must work in the correct environment. That is: †¢No noise to distract the taster †¢Good ventilation to eliminate odor †¢Sufficient light, not artificial, but daylight if possible †¢Temperature of the room at about 20 °C (68 °F) The glass, that must be the correct shape, is the tool of the taster. A wine glass with a stem and of sufficient capacity should be fairly wide but narrowing at the top. This allows the â€Å"elements† making up the bouquet to become concentrated and thus better assessed. The wine glass should never be filled to more than one-third capacity to allow the taster to swirl the wine around the glass more easily. It goes without saying that the tasting glass should be spotlessly clean. F. Uses of Wines 1. In dishes Wines are popular and important beverage that accompanies and enhances a wide range of European and Mediterranean-style cuisines, for the simple and traditional to the most sophisticated and complex. Wine is important in cuisines not just for its value as a beverage, but as a flavor agent, primarily in stocks and braising, since its acidity lends balance to rich savory or sweet dishes. Red, white, and sparkling wines are the most popular, and are known as light wines because they are only 14-20% alcohol content, by volume. Aperitif and dessert wines contain 14-20% alcohol, and sometimes fortified to make them richer and sweeter. And fortified wines are frequently used in cooking. 2. In traditions and religions Wines are also used in religious ceremonies in many cultures and wine trade is of historical importance for many regions. Libations often included wine, and the religious mysteries of Dionysus are usually thought to have uses wine as an entheogen. Wines play an integral part of Jewish laws and traditions. The Kiddush, a blessing said before starting the first and second Shabbat or festival meals and Havdallah, a blessing said after the Shabbat or festival are required to say over wine if available. On Pesach (Passover) during the Seder, it is also required to drink four cups of wine. In the Tabernacle and in the Temple of Jerusalem, the libation of wine was part of the sacrificial service. It is not mean that wine is a symbol of blood, a common misconception which contributes to the myth of the blood libel. A blessing over wine said before indulging in the drink is: â€Å"Baruch atah Hashem elokeinu melech haolam, boray p’rec hagafen† (Praised be the Eternal, Ruler of the Universe, who makes the fruit of the vine). In Christianity, wine or grape juice is used in a sacred rite called Eucharist, Lord’s Supper, or Communion, which originates in Gospel accounts of the Last Supper when Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples and commanded his followers to â€Å"do this in remembrance of me. † Beliefs about the nature of the Eucharist vary among denominations, which Roman Catholic believing that the bread and the wine are changed into real body and blood of Christ. Wines were used in the rite by all Protestants groups until an alternative arose in 1869. Methodist minister-turned-dentist Thomas Bramwell Welch applied new pasteurization techniques to stop the natural fermentation process of the grape juice. The substitution of grape juice for wine spread quickly over much of the United States in Protestant rites, although the beverage is usually called wine in accordance with scriptural references. Some Christians who were part of the growing temperance movement pressed for a switch from wine to grape juice. There remains an ongoing debate between some American Protestant denominations as to whether wine can or should be used in moderation for the Eucharist or as a regular beverage. The use of wine is forbidden under Islam. Iran used to have a thriving wine industry that disappeared after the Islamic revolution. G. Health Effects of Wines The health effects of wine (and alcohol in general) are the subject of considerable ongoing study. In the USA, a boom in red wine consumption was initiated in the 1990s by 60 Minutes, and other news reports on the French paradox. The French paradox refers to the lower incidence of coronary heart disease in France than in the USA despite high levels of saturated fat in the traditional French diet. Epidemiologists suspect that this difference is attributed to the high consumption of wines by the French; however this suspicion is based on limited scientific evidence. Population studies have observed a J curve association between wine consumption and the risk of heart disease. This means that abstainers and heavy drinkers have an elevated risk, whilst moderate drinkers have a lower risk. Population studies have also found that moderate consumption of other alcoholic beverages may be cardioprotective, though the association is considerably stronger for wine. These studies have found a protective effect from both red wine as well as white wine, though evidence from laboratory studies suggests that red wine may possess superior health benefits including prevention of cancer due to the fact red wine contains more polyphenols than white wine due to the production process. A chemical called resveratrol is thought to be at least partly responsible for red wines health benefits, as it has been shown to exert a range of both cardioprotective as well as chemoprotective mechanisms in animal studies Resveratrol is produced naturally by grape skins in response to fungal infection, which includes exposure to yeast during fermentation. As white wine has minimal contact with grape skins during this process, it generally contains lower levels of resveratrol. Other beneficial compounds in wine include other polyphenols, antioxidants, and flavonoids. Red wines from South of France and Sardinia Italy have been found to have the highest levels of procyanidins — the compounds in grape seeds responsible for making red wine good for the heart. Wines from France and Sardinia have between two and four times as much procyanidins as other red wines. Procyanidins suppress the synthesis of a peptide called endothelin-1 that constricts blood vessels. A 2007 study found that both red and white wines are effective anti-bacterial agents against strains of Streptococcus. Interestingly, wine has traditionally been used to treat wounds in some parts of the world. While evidence from both laboratory studies as well as epidemiological (observational) studies suggest wines cardioprotective effect, no evidence from controlled experiments — of which long-term studies are still ongoing — currently exists to determine the specific effect of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease or stroke. Moreover, excessive consumption of alcohol including wine can cause some diseases including cirrhosis of the liver and alcoholism. Sulphites in wine are not a problem for most people, although some people, particularly people with asthma, can experience adverse reactions to them. Although G. M. Pasinetti, S. S. Percival, et al discovered that cabernet sauvignon red wine reduces the risk of Alzheimers Disease, the researchers at Germanys Gottingen University found that wine damages hippocampus more than other alcohols among diagnosed alcoholics. III. Conclusion Wine is defined to be an alcoholic beverage that is made from the fermentation of grape juice or â€Å"must† and other fruits like berries and apples. The word comes from the Proto-Germanic â€Å"winam. † The term â€Å"wine† is a reference to the higher alcohol content and the commercial use of it and its equivalent in other language is protected by the law in many jurisdictions. Wines have a rich history, dating back around 8000 BC and are thought to have originated in the areas now within the borders of Armenia, Georgia, and Iran. Wine first appeared in Europe at about 4500 BC in Balkans, and was common in Ancient Greece, Thrace, and Rome. Wine had been also in the recorded history of India, Egypt, and China and had been one of the lasting legacies of the ancient Roman Empire. In winemaking or vinification, wines are produced starting with choosing and harvesting of the grapes where the grapes are selected and harvested through machines or hands, to the initial processes of the grapes and fermentation of wines were the grape juice are turned into alcohol, to the first racking where the wines are allowed to stand still, then the wines will aged in stainless tanks or oak barrels and filtration to accomplish clarification and microbial stabilization. Pasteurization will be followed where wines can be heat or cold pasteurized, then bottling and lastly, wines are stored in wine cellars or wine rooms. Wines are classified as the following: Table wines, Sparkling wines, Fortified wines, Organic wines, Alcohol-free, de-alcoholized and low alcohol wines, and Vins doux naturales. Wines are classified through the way they are fermented, their alcohol content, and their uses. Wine tasting is the examination and evaluation of wines through the senses of sight, smell, and taste. Wine tasting should be done in a room that is silent, well-ventilated, well-lighted, and that has a temperature of about 20 °C or 68 °F. Wines are used in dishes especially in European and Mediterranean-style cuisines, and it is not only used as a beverage but also a flavor agent and a cooking tool. Also, wines are used in religions and traditions; it is used in Christian Eucharist ceremonies, the Jewish Kiddush, Islam, and Protestants. In health, wines causes coronary heart disease which abstainers and heavy drinkers have an elevated risk while moderate have a lower risk. It is also found that other alcoholic beverage may be cardioprotective through the association that is considerably stronger that wine. Red wine suggest through the evidence.

Comparison of Hospital Points to National Benchmark: Florida

Comparison of Hospital Points to National Benchmark: Florida HOSPITAL DATA POINTS COMPARED WITH STATE AND NATIONAL BENCHMARKS DOUGLAS WINTER Analyze and summarize the results. Are there significant outliers? Try to summarize the results as comparable, unfavorable, or favorable to the state and national benchmarks. I compared three hospitals in my general area to ten different data points that were also compared to the state and national averages. The areas within the statistics I compared were in timely effective manor, survey of patients experience, readmissions, complications deaths, and use of medical imaging. Following the data comparisons, I included a brief explanation of the data point being examined, along with potential causes, improvement suggestions, and outliers when found. Timely effective manor First data point: Outpatients having surgery who received an antibiotic at the right time (within one hour) before surgery. Hospital staff should make sure surgery patients get antibiotics at the right time. It is important to receive antibiotics pre-operation due to the possibility of wound infections from surgical procedures. Research has shown patients who have received antibiotics prior to surgery were less likely to get wound infections. Results: Florida Hospital Memorial and Florida Hospital Flagler rated 100%, above the state and national averages of 99% and Flagler Hospital rated 98% only one percent below the state and national average. Potential causes for the problem: Their protocol for patients to receive an antibiotic earlier or after surgery is not being followed. An in-service need’s to be scheduled to make sure all staff is following protocol guidelines and new employees are being trained correctly as well. Process improvement suggestions to improve the results: Their teams of operating room nurses, surgeons and anesthesiologists need to analyze and refine the processes with the goal of having 100 percent of their surgical patients receive an antibiotic within one hour prior to any scheduled surgery. Second data point: Heart attack patients given a prescription for a â€Å"statin† at discharge. Most patients who have had a heart failure and who take a â€Å"statin†, Ace inhibitor have fewer symptoms, feel physically better, and are less likely to return to the hospital. Results: Florida Hospital Flagler and Florida Hospital Memorial tied at 100% outperforming the state and national averages, and Flagler Hospital rated 97% under the states 99% and national average at 98%. Potential causes for the problem: Statin protocol is neglected, no one held accountable, no regularly scheduled meeting or in-service are being conducted. Process improvement suggestions to improve the results: Flagler Hospitals team of operating nurses, physicians need to pay closer attention to assure their patients receive a â€Å"statin† at discharge and strive to reach a goal of 100 percent of their patients receive a â€Å"statin† Ace inhibitor at discharge to maintain a continuity of care. Third data point: Pneumonia patients given the most appropriate initial antibiotic(s). Pneumonia is a long infection which is caused by bacteria or a virus. If the pneumonia happens to be caused by bacteria then the infection will be treated by an antibiotic that is specific for bacteria, and if the pneumonia is caused by a virus a specific antibiotic will then be used for viral infections. Results: Florida Hospital Flagler tied with the state at 98%, outperforming the national average at 95% and Flagler Hospital scored 94% below all comparisons. In addition, Florida Hospital Memorial scored 97% above the national average, and 1% below the state averages. Potential causes for the problem: Each staff member needs to follow a respiratory protocol, and if pneumonia is identified, that protocol needs to be followed. Blood cultures are not performed, and the potential for giving the patient the wrong antibiotic is high. Protocols are not followed, no accountability, or in-service are being regularly held. Process improvement suggestions to improve the results: All three of the hospitals require improvement and need to make sure patients whose initial emergency room blood culture was performed prior to the administration of the first antibiotic in order to provide the most appropriate care. Survey of patient’s experience First data point: Patients who reported that their nurses always communicated well. This is important for any patient staying at a health care facility, and is asking if nursing explained things clearly, listened, and listened carefully to the patient, and treated the patient with courtesy and respect. Results: All comparisons’’ performed poorly, Florida Hospital Flagler and the state tied at 75% While Florida Hospital Memorial tied with the national average at 79%, leaving Flagler Hospital below the other comparisons at 73%. All comparisons are well below an acceptable benchmark of 100%. Potential causes for the problem: Health care staff gets busy, and they tend to have so many things they are thinking about and they neglect to fully communicate with the patients. Also people assigned to a bed are not looked at as patients but a body and communication tends to be non-existent. Process improvement suggestions to improve the results: All comparisons failed in this analysis. Patient satisfaction is top priority, and should be for most health care organizations. Every member of the team needs to be reminded that every patient regardless of ethnicity, creed, demographics, etc. deserves communication and respect. Regularly scheduled meetings, and in services regarding patient communication, and care in order to make the patient feel comfortable and looked after. Second data point: Patients who reported that their pain was always well controlled. Again all comparisons failed this part of the analysis. Pain management should be top priority with those patients that are not scheduled for immediate surgery. Patient satisfaction, and recovery will be all the better if they are well controlled. Results: Again, all comparisons failed in this part of the analysis. Florida Hospital Memorial and the national average tied at 71%, while Florida Hospital Flagler was 69% and Flagler Hospital at 67% and the state average at 68%. All comparisons in this data point fell short of the acceptable level of 100%. Potential causes for the problem: Health care staffs are not fully aware of the pain each modality can cause and influence the outcome of patient care. They tend to be removed, for example a patient has an abscess to his lower leg, yet he says he is in pain but I am removed from his discomfort because all I see is an abscess. Although he is in pain and the health care worker needs to be reminded that it may only be an abscess to them, but to the patient it constitutes the end of the world. Process improvement suggestions to improve the results: The three hospitals compared need to setup a mandatory in service by floor with a committee and their manager to remind everyone the importance of pain management. Remind everyone that they are patients and not textiles, and yes your shifts are busy, but never forget that it is our responsibility to care for them and caring for them includes pain management, and if the patient say’s to you that this pain is a 10 out of a 10, talk with their physician to see if anything can be done. Third data point: Patients who reported that staff always explained about medicines before giving them to them. Patients want to know, they want to be informed and feel about the medications they are taking while in the hospital. It is further important to know what patients are feeling about their hospital experience and by asking patients if their nurse communicated with them about their medication before dispensing it will effectively let the hospital staff know where they need improvement in order to enrich the patients overall hospital experience Results: Florida Hospital Flagler and the state average tied at 60%, Florida Hospital Memorial rated 65% and Flagler Hospital rated 57% and the state at 64%. All comparisons data points fell short of an acceptable 100%. Potential causes for the problem: Protocols not being followed, no in services to remind nurses to communicate with their patients more effectively. Not acknowledging patient satisfaction surveys to find areas that need attention. Process improvement suggestions to improve the results: It is important for the patients to feel comfortable and have a feeling of well-being so when they have a concern or have a question they will feel free to ask. Monthly in service meeting reminding to encourage staff to have a positive attitude, to be more approachable, about hospital image, go over patient satisfaction survey results. Readmissions, complications deaths First data point: Rate of unplanned re-admission for heart attack patients. The percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) re-admission data point evaluates and compares â€Å"unplanned re-admissions† which may take place within 30 days after discharge and after a PCI procedure. In addition, this data point takes into account the level of a patient’s illness before being admitted into the hospital, and the differences along with re-admission percentages that may be coincidental. For example, patients who have underlying medical diagnoses that are not seen with younger healthier patients were not included in this data point. Results: Florida hospital Flagler scored 19.4%, just below Florida Hospital Memorial at 19.9%, and Flagler Hospital was at 17.9 and below the state and national averages of 18.3%. Potential causes for the problem: Patients are not clinically able to be discharged, are not properly instructed on the methods to reduce the risk of infections, their medications need to be reconciles, and they need to be encouraged to call for assistance to their primary care provider, or given a number to call at the participating hospital (Meyer, Rybowski, 2004, p.viii). Process improvement suggestions to improve the results: Ensure the patients are stable and clinically able to be discharged, this will help reduce the risk of infections, assist them with reconciling their medications, encourage and improve communications with their providers in transitioning of care, encourage, train patients on strategies promote disease management principles and educate patients on what symptoms to monitor, who to contact with questions and where and when to seek follow-up care (Meyer, Rybowski, 2004, p.10). Second data point: Death rate for Heart attack patients: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is what health care providers call. door-to-balloon time, and this time frame is 90 minutes from the time the patient arrives at the hospital suffering from a heart attack and also (PCI), such as angioplasty when a catheter with a very small balloon is inserted into the blocked artery and inflated in order to open up the vessel. Results: Florida Hospital Flagler rated 16.7% and while Florida Hospital Memorial rated 15.5%, while Flagler Hospital is 14.4% below the state and national average of 15.2%. Positive outlier: Flagler Hospitals results is 2.3% lower than Florida Hospital Flagler, 1.1% lower than Flagler Hospital and .8% lower than the state and national averages. Flagler Hospital’s lower results may be attributed to having regular monthly meeting that involve key hospital staff and emergency medical responders designed to review heart attack cases, and having a cardiologist nearly on site most of the time, and part of the care team to encourage problem solving by immediate hospital staff and not the responsibility of only nurses but the entire team (D’Eugenio, 2012, p.1). Potential causes for the problem: This data point has many variables and is dependent upon the level of patient’s general health in the hospitals geographical area. That is why this data point has already been adjusted for patient characteristics that may make death or unplanned readmission more likely, regardless if any of the compared hospitals are providing higher quality of care. Some of the characteristics included are age of the patient, past medical history, and co-morbidities that the patient had when they were admitted to the hospital and a known health risk that can to increase the patient’s risk of dying or of having an unplanned readmission. Process improvement suggestions to improve the results: As performance improvements are identified then appropriate problem-solving techniques can be employed. Beginning with putting together an action plan, that can change certain patterns set by physicians that have been identified as possible contributors with the death rates for heart attack patients. Also, accountability measures should be enforced to hold appropriate department staff accountable for protocol adherence, critical paths to follow through, and enforcing the plan towards improving outcomes, policies that enhance efficiency, and fluid communication across departments. Medical Imaging First data point: Outpatient computed topography (CT) scans of the chest that were combination (double) scans. This data point only applies to Medicare patients that were treated in the hospital and does not include ambulatory or inpatient settings of the hospital. The lower the percentage the better and points to the efficient use of medical imaging for that hospital being compared. In addition, it is important not to expose the patient to contrast material and or unnecessary radiation exposure. Results: Florida Hospital Flagler scored the highest at 2.9% and Flagler Hospital tying with the national average at 2.7% and Florida Hospital Memorial rated well below the other comparisons at 1.4% and the state scored better than the other comparisons except Florida Hospital Memorial with 2.4%. Positive outlier: Florida Hospital Memorial scored 1.4% which is 1.5% better than the highest scoring hospital at 2.9% and 1.3% better than the national average at 2.7%. Potential causes for the problem: The primary cause for double C.T. scan results, its over use in general is caused by emergency room physicians since they are more apt to order expensive tests that can have high levels of radiation, and which are also not needed â€Å"It is easier to order a test than to take extra time to explain to a patient why it is not needed† (Parr, 2014, ND, p.1). Florida Hospital Memorial contributing cause may include using C.T. scans only as a diagnostic tool and not as a screening modality, while the other comparisons seem to follow defensive medicine techniques, and or illustrating a wide spread disengagement between the physicians and their patients. Process improvement suggestions to improve the results: It is important to encourage patients to question their physician’s motives, consult with their physicians. Patients need to know why tests are being ordered and what impact will the test have on their treatment Parr, 2014, p.1). Physician’s need more frequent in services regarding hospital expenditures, assign quality control measures to each physician in order to track unnecessary procedures and to follow-up with the physicians to encourage other means to same problem. Florida Hospital Memorial contributing cause may include using C.T. scans only as a diagnostic tool and not as a screening modality, Second data point: Outpatients who received cardiac imaging stress tests before low-risk outpatient surgery. The heart’s ability to respond to stress is necessary to understand if the patient is scheduled for surgery. The physicians need to know what levels of stress the patient’s heart is capable of handling. For instance, a cardiac stress test is not required for a colonoscopy, cataract surgery, biopsies, because this kind of procedure will not over task the heart, and poses very little risk to the patient unlike, bypass surgery for example. Results: Florida Hospital Flagler scored 6.6% and Florida Hospital Memorial at 5.5% only 2% higher than the national average of 5.3%, while the state scored 6.4% and the outlier in this data point is Flagler Hospital at 9.3%. Negative outlier: Flagler Hospital is performing far more cardiac imaging scans at 9.3% than necessary and is higher than the lowest reporting percentage by 4%. This procedure places the patient(s) at greater risk, introducing contrast and intentionally stressing the heart muscle in order to locate any problems (Einstein, 2014, p.1). Potential causes for the problem: Not looking into other means of diagnosing, not following the cardiac imaging protocol or critical paths in place, staff members are not held accountable to improve patient safety, enhance efficiencies through standardizations. Lack of physician, floor managers, and charge nurse in-services to make sure staff is following protocol guidelines. Process improvement suggestions to improve the results: Ensure cardiac imaging protocols are in place as well as critical paths, assure all staff personal having direct contact with patients are held accountable, schedule monthly in-service’s, and assign physicians case managers to coordinate and facilitate care with all their patients in order to help facilitate use of technology better and with less risk. References D’Eugenio, R. (2012). Key factors linked to lower death rates among patients with heart attacks. (1). Retrieved from http://medicine.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=944 Einstein, A. J. (2014). Radiation from cardiac imaging tests. Questions you should ask. (1). Retrieved from http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/127/11/e495.full Meyer, J. A., Silow-Carroll, S., Kutyla, T., Stepnick, L. S., Rybowski, L. S. (2004). HOSPITAL QUALITY: INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESS—OVERVIEW AND LESSONS LEARNED. Retrieved from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/programs/quality/761_Meyer_hospital_quality_overview.pdf Parr, J. T. (2014). Overuse of CT scans adds to cost. Fort Bend Indiana.(1). Retrieved from http://fbindependent.com/overuse-of-ct-scans-adds-to-cost-p2851-89.htm

Government and Politics - The Wisdom of Solomon Can Provide Mid-East peace :: Politics Political Essays

The story of King Solomon's wisdom is well known and presents a solution for the conflict over East Jerusalem, which contains the historic section of the city so highly prized for containing many famous religious sites: time-honored mosques, various Jewish, Christian and Islamic shrines, the Wailing Wall, the foundation to King Solomon's Temple, in short, the "Old City." East Jerusalem is currently the loggerhead in the Mid-East peace process. The Palestinians, with the support of the Arab states, say that come what may they must have control over East Jerusalem. A strong force in Israeli politics is of a similar opinion, saying that they will not compromise on this issue, that East Jerusalem must be under Israeli control. Unless a compromise is somehow reached, it appears that more people will die in the violence in this region, soldiers will die on both sides, more protesters will be killed, more people imprisoned, civilians including children, old men and women, even babies, will die as a direct result of the violence. In order to avoid any more violence perhaps we should turn to the story of wise old Solomon himself for the solution. It is said that once upon a time two women appeared before him, both claiming the right to a particular baby, each saying that she was the rightful mother of the child. Solomon proposed that the baby be divided in two, and half given to each woman. Hearing this, one of the women said, "No, don't do that, let the other woman have it." Solomon, in his wisdom, then gave the baby to this woman who obviously valued the life of the baby above her own interest in the matter. Seldom can an example like this be applied in its precise form, but it can be adapted to fit the dispute over East Jerusalem today. Obviously a present-day Solomon cannot threaten to destroy East Jerusalem and expect one of the sides to declare, "No! Let them have it." But something similar can be proposed, a solution that seems just as wise as Solomon's. Both sides can agree to a UN force moving in to raze all those ancient constructions, dynamite the traditional sites, leaving not one stone upon another. What would this solve? Well, most importantly, it would solve the conflict over East Jerusalem - no more violence, not one more death.

Free Grapes of Wrath Essays: Steinbecks Biblical References :: Grapes Wrath essays

Biblical References in The Grapes of Wrath The plot of John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, can easily be related to many biblical references as well as it could be applied to the daily struggles of the lives of Christians. Two particular portions of this novel stick out more than any other. Those are the characters of Jim Casey and Pa Joad. Many say that Jim Casey’s character could possibly be symbolically tied into the biblical hero of Moses. In the Bibles book of Exodus, Moses guided thousands of people (God’s family, the Israelites) out of severe slavery and harsh treatment in Egypt. From there he led them into the promised land of Canon that flowed with milk and honey. Much is the same when looking at The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck could possibly be trying to infer the Joad Family as being the struggling Israelites. Casey acts as a leader who directs the Joads out of famine and hard times during the 1930’s in Oklahoma and into California where they can begin a new life with hope and fu ture. This book can also be symbolic to the day by day walks in Christianity. For example when Pa Joad needs helps and seeks guidance, it is Jim Casey who he turns to. Those who follow Christ call upon God in desperate times. Steinbeck infers that Casey, who happens to be a preacher, is somewhat of a Christ figure to the Joad family. He even throws a hidden clue in his name. The initials of Jim Casey are the same of those of Jesus Christ. Steinbeck implies that Pa Joad is symbolically a typical Christian who is struggling in a world of sin. The famine and horrible conditions of the great depression stand for the sin that is surrounding this battling Christian. So as a final resort this child of God turns to Jesus Christ for salvation and release from the sin in his life. These two characters display both the giving and receiving sides of God’s love towards his children.

Freedom in Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Huckleberry Finn – Freedom Freedom is not a reward or a decoration that is celebrated with champagne...Oh no! It's a...long distance race, quite solitary and very exhausting." -Albert Camus. The dictionary defines freedom as the condition of being free from restraints. Freedom is not just a word one can say without meaning. It is a privilege, a privilege not everyone is granted. Freedom gives the liberty to choose what should is done and how. Freedom is the capacity to exercise choice and free will. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the narrator, Huck, seeks freedom from society. Huck, a thirteen year-old boy, lives with Widow Douglass and her sister Miss Watson. He lives with them because before this he had no home, only a drunken father, whom he rarely sees. Both of the ladies attempt to civilize Huck by sending him to school and teaching him good manners. "Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn't. She said it was a mean practice and wasn't clean, and I must try to not do it any more" In this passage from chapter one you can see that Huck enjoyed doing what he pleased when he choose. "I liked the old ways best, but I was getting so I liked the new ones, too, a little bit." This passage is from chapter four of the book spoken by Huck. In it one can see that although Huck begins to like the civilized ways he still has a craving for his old ways, which seem u ncivilized to all. Freedom is not only having a choice but also having no restraints. The characters of the Duke and the Daphne, who were really two criminals running away, have an advantage of no restraints being given. In chapter 19 of the book, the two men introduce themselves to Huck and Jim. When they do this, they do not introduce themselves with their true identity. Because there were no restrictions, they could not only befriend Jim and Huck but also trick them. "He told them he was a pirate-been a pirate for thirty years out in the Indian Ocean-and his crew was thinned out considerable last spring in a fight, and he was home now to take out some fresh men, and thanks goodness he'd been robbed last night.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Twenty

IAN WOKE ME THE NEXT MORNING with a super-early phone call. At first, I thought maybe he hoped to sneak in before the other Alchemists woke up, but it turned out he just wanted to get breakfast beforehand. Seeing as he'd managed to get me access, I couldn't very well refuse. He'd originally wanted to go to the facility in the late morning, but I talked him into going closer to noon. It meant lingering longer over breakfast, but it was worth the sacrifice. However, I was strictly back to khakis and a linen top. Espionage aside, cocktail dresses and breakfast buffets just didn't mix. As a concession, however, I unbuttoned two buttons at the top of my shirt. Openly wearing that into the facility was practically R-rated, and Ian seemed thrilled by the â€Å"scandalous† act. Sunday at the facility was much quieter than the previous night. Although Alchemists never really got a break from their duties, most of the center worked normal weekday business hours. I had no difficulties checking in through the main reception again, but as predicted, we had a small delay in getting to the secure area. The guy on duty wasn't the friend who owed Ian a favor. We had to wait for him to come out from the back room, and even then, it took Ian a bit of cajoling to convince his colleague to let me in. I think it was obvious to both of them that Ian was just trying to impress me, and finally, the first guy relented to what seemed like a harmless errand. After all, I was a fellow Alchemist, and I was only going on a tour of a library. What could possibly go wrong? They searched my purse and made me walk through a metal detector. I had two spells in mind that I could perform without physical components, so at least I didn't have to explain any crystals or herbs. The trickiest part was a thumb drive I'd hidden in my bra. They might not have questioned me carrying one in my purse, but I hadn't wanted to risk it being called out. That being said, if the thumb drive did show up on the scan, I was going to have a much more difficult time explaining why I was hiding it. I tensed as I stepped under the scanner, bracing myself to either run or attempt a Wolfe move. But, as hoped, it was too small to find, and we were waved through. That was one obstacle down, though it didn't make me any less tense. â€Å"Did you end up trading this for the money he owed you?† I asked once Ian and I were descending toward the archives. â€Å"Yeah.† He made a face. â€Å"I tried to just swap it out for half of what he owed, but it was all or nothing for him.† â€Å"So how much is this trip costing you?† â€Å"Fifty dollars. It's worth it, though,† he added quickly. Dinner had cost about the same. This was turning into an expensive weekend for Ian, particularly since I was the only one truly reaping the rewards. I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty and had to remind myself again and again that this was for an important cause. I would've offered to pay him back for it all, but something told me that would counteract everything I'd been working to achieve with my â€Å"womanly charms.† The archives were sealed with electronic locks that opened when Ian scanned his card key. As we stepped inside, I nearly forgot that coming in here was just a cover for the larger plan. Books and books and books surrounded me as well as scrolls and documents written on parchment. Old and delicate items were sealed under glass, with notes and signs against a far wall on how to access digital copies of them on computers. A couple of Alchemists, young like us, worked at tables and were transcribing old books into their laptops. One of them looked excited about her job; the other guy looked bored. He seemed to welcome the distraction of us entering. I must have worn an appropriately awed expression because when I turned to Ian, he was watching me with pride. â€Å"Pretty cool, huh?† Apparently being a glorified librarian had just become a much more exciting job for him. â€Å"Follow me.† He didn't have to tell me twice. We began by exploring the full extent of the archives room, which stretched back much farther than I initially realized. The Alchemists prized knowledge, and it was obvious from this collection, which dated back centuries. I lingered at the shelves, wanting to read every title. They came in different languages and covered a full range of topics useful to our trade: chemistry, history, mythology, the supernatural . . . it was dizzying. â€Å"How do you organize it?† I asked. â€Å"How can you find anything?† Ian pointed to small placards on the shelves that I hadn't noticed. They bore alphanumeric codes that were part of no filing system I recognized. â€Å"These catalog it all. And here's the directory.† He led me to a touch screen panel embedded in the wall. I pressed it and was presented with a menu of options: AUTHOR, TIME PERIOD, SUBJECT, LANGUAGE. I touched SUBJECT and was led through a series of more and more specific topics until I finally realized I'd been searching for â€Å"Magic† in the supernatural section. It gave me a list of titles, each with its own code in the organizational system. To my surprise, there were actually a number of books on magic, and I burned with curiosity. Did the Alchemists have records of witches? Or was it all speculation? Most likely these were moral books preaching the wrongness of humans even considering such feats. â€Å"Can I browse some of the books?† I asked him. â€Å"I mean, I know I can't sit and read all afternoon, but there's so much history . . . I just kind of want to be a part of it. I'd be so, so grateful.† I really didn't think that would work twice, but it did. â€Å"Okay.† He pointed toward a small office in the back. â€Å"I need to catch up on a few things. Do you want to meet back here in an hour?† I thanked him profusely and then returned to the touch screen. I yearned to investigate the magic books but had to remind myself why I was here. As long as I was in the archives, I might as well do some research that would help our cause. I flipped through the menus until I located the section on the Alchemists' early history. I'd hoped to find a reference to vampire hunters in general or the Warriors specifically. No luck. The best I could do was follow the codes to shelves and shelves detailing our group's formation. Most of the books were dense and written in an antiquated style. The really old ones weren't even in English. I skimmed a few and soon realized a task like this would take longer than an hour. The newer books had no mention of the Warriors, which didn't surprise me, seeing as that information was now covered up. If I was going to locate any references to vampire hunters, it would be in the oldest books. They didn't have much in the way of tables of contents or indices, and there was no way I could do a full read. Remembering my real mission here, I put the books away after about ten minutes and sought out Ian. That earlier tension returned, and I began to sweat. â€Å"Hey, is there a restroom in here?† I prayed there wasn't. I'd seen one down the hall when we'd come to this level. Part of my plan depended on getting out of the archives. â€Å"Down the hall, by the stairs,† he said. Some work issue had required his attention, and if my luck held, it would keep his eyes off the clock. â€Å"Knock on the door when you get back. I'll tell the scribes to let you in.† I'd had a knot of anxiety in my stomach all day that I'd been trying to ignore. Now there was no getting around it. It was time for the unthinkable. Subtlety had no role in Alchemist security. The hallway contained cameras at each end. They faced each other, providing a long, continuous shot of the corridor. The restrooms were located at one end of the hall, almost directly under a camera. I went inside the ladies' room and verified there were no other people – or cameras – within. At least the Alchemists allowed some privacy. Casting the invisibility spell was easy. Getting out was a little more difficult. The cameras' position made me think the restroom door was too flush with the wall for either camera to really get a good look at it. The door opened inward, so I was able to slip out and feel confident no camera had picked up a ghostly door opening. The door to the stairs was the real beast. It was in the range of one of the cameras. Ms. Terwilliger had told me the invisibility spell would protect me from video and film. So, I had no fear of being spotted. I simply had to take the risk of the camera recording the door opening by itself. Although I knew security guards watched live feeds of the cameras, there were too many for them to scrutinize every second. If no sudden movement appeared on this one, I doubted any guard would notice. And if things stayed tame on this level, no one would have any reason to review the footage. But the operations level . . . well, if everything went according to plan, this sleepy Sunday was about to get a lot more exciting there. I slipped in and out of the stairwell, opening the door with absolutely as little space as possible. The operations level was even more secure than the archives, with heavy, industrial-looking doors that required both key cards and codes. I had no illusions about cracking any of it. Entry into the security office, much like the rest of this task, relied on an odd mix of logic and luck. The one thing you could count on with Alchemists was reliability. I knew how schedules tended to work. Lunch breaks were taken on the hour at typical lunch times: eleven, twelve, and one. This was why I'd asked Ian to schedule our visit to this time, when I could be relatively certain workers would be moving in and out of the room. Noon was five minutes away, and I crossed my fingers someone would exit soon. As it turned out, someone entered. A man came whistling down the hall. When he reached the door, the smell of fast-food hamburgers gave away his lunch choice. I held my breath as he scanned his card and punched in the numbers. The lock clicked, and he pushed the door open. I scurried in behind him and cleared the door without having to catch it or open it farther. Unfortunately, he came to a halt sooner than I expected, and I brushed against him. I immediately shrank away, and he scanned around, startled. Please don't think there's an invisible person here. How terrible would that be to have made it this far, only to be detected now? Fortunately, magical subterfuge wasn't the first thing Alchemists turned to as a reason for anything. After a few more puzzled moments, he shrugged and called a greeting to one of his coworkers. Wade had described the room perfectly. Monitors covered one wall, flipping back and forth between different camera views. A couple of guards kept an eye on the footage, while others worked away at computers. Wade had also told me which workstation contained the files I needed. I approached it – careful to avoid any other contact mishaps. A woman was already seated at the station. â€Å"I was thinking of Thai carryout,† she told one of her coworkers. â€Å"I've just got to finish this report.† No! She was about to take her lunch break. For my plan to work, that couldn't happen. If she left, she would lock her computer. I needed it accessible for this plan to work. She was running late on her lunch, which meant I had to act now. This room wasn't exempt from surveillance. Even the watchers had watchers. Fortunately, there was only one camera. I selected an empty computer with a screen facing the camera and stood behind it. Wires and cords snaked out of the computer's panel, and the fans whirred steadily inside. I rested my hand on the panel and did one more quick assessment. The computer's back was out of the camera's view, but it would do no good if it was in the middle of someone else's line of vision. Everyone seemed preoccupied, though. It was time to act. I created a fireball – a small one. I kept it in the palm of my hand and rested it right next to the panel. Despite its size, I summoned as much heat as I could. Not quite blue, but getting there. It took effect quickly, and within seconds, the cords and panel began to melt. The scent of burnt plastic rolled over me, and smoke drifted upward. It was enough. I let the fireball fade, and then I sprinted away from the computer just in time. Everyone had now noticed the burning computer. An alarm went off. There were cries of surprise, and someone yelled for a fire extinguisher. They all rose from their chairs to hurry over and look – including the woman who'd been at the computer I needed. There was no time to waste. I sat immediately in her chair and plugged in the thumb drive. With gloved hands, I grabbed hold of the mouse and began clicking through directories. Wade hadn't been able to help much at this point. We'd just hoped finding the files would be intuitive. All the while, I was conscious of the time – and that someone might notice a mouse moving by itself. Even after they put out the fire, the Alchemists hovered around the smoking computer, trying to figure out what had happened. Overheating wasn't uncommon, but a fire happening that quickly definitely was. And these were computers that contained highly sensitive information. I felt like there were a million directories. I checked a few likely candidates, only to hit a dead end. Each time I hit a dead end, I would silently swear at the wasted time. The other Alchemists weren't going to stay away forever! Finally, after more stressful searching, I found a directory of old surveillance footage. It contained folders linked to every camera in the building – including one marked MAIN CHECKPOINT. I clicked it open and found files named by date. Wade had told me that eventually these files were cleared and moved to archives, but the day I needed was still here. The cameras recorded one frame every second. Multiplied by twenty-four hours, that made for a huge file – but not nearly the size continuous filming would create. The file would fit on my thumb drive, and I began copying it over. The connection was fast, but it was still a big transfer. The screen told me it had ten seconds to go. Ten seconds. The computer's owner could be back by then. I allowed myself another peek at the Alchemists. They were all still puzzling out the mystery. The thing about scientists like us was that a technological failure like this was fascinating. Also, it never occurred to any of them to look for a supernatural explanation. They tossed around theories with each other and started to take the melted computer apart. My file finished copying, and I sprang out of the chair, just as the woman began walking back toward it. I'd been fully prepared to risk another â€Å"ghost door† while they were distracted, but the fire alarm had summoned others in the hallway. People moved in and out with such frequency that I had no trouble holding the door open just long enough for me to sneak through. I practically ran back to the archives level and had to calm myself when I reentered the restroom. I uncast the invisibility spell and waited for my breathing to slow. The thumb drive was back in my bra, the gloves back in my purse. Studying myself in the mirror, I decided that I looked innocent enough to return to the archives. One of the scribes let me in. It was the engrossed girl, and she gave me a look that said opening the door was a waste of her time. Ian still appeared to be engulfed with work in the back, which was a relief. I'd been gone far longer than a bathroom trip would require and had worried he'd wonder where I was at. Things could've gone badly if he'd sent the girl to find me, both because I wasn't in the restroom and because she'd be really annoyed at the interruption. Over in the history section, I sat on the floor with a book picked at random, which I only pretended to read. I was too anxious and keyed up to parse the words, no matter how many times I tried to reassure myself. There was no reason for the Alchemists to suspect me of causing the fire. There was no reason for them to think I'd stolen data. There was no reason for them to think I was connected to any of this. Ian found me when the hour was up, and I feigned disappointment at having to leave. In reality, I couldn't get out of this building fast enough. He drove me to the airport and chattered nonstop about the next time we'd get to see each other. I smiled and nodded appropriately but reminded him our work had to come first and that my post was particularly consuming. He was obviously disappointed but couldn't deny the logic. The Alchemist greater good came first. Even better, he didn't try one of those awful kisses again – though he did suggest we set up some times for video chatting. I told him to email me, secretly vowing I'd never open up any message from him. I didn't relax until the plane took off, when the potential for an Alchemist raid seemed pretty low. The most paranoid part of me worried there could be a party waiting for me at the Palm Springs airport, but for now I had a few hours of peace. I'd just assumed I'd deliver the drive to Marcus and leave it at that. But now, with it in my possession, my curiosity got the better of me. I had to get to the bottom of this mystery. Was the Z. J. who'd visited the Alchemists really Master Jameson? With fresh coffee in hand, I opened the file on my laptop and began to watch. Even with one frame per second, the footage went on forever. Most of it was nothing but a quiet checkpoint, with the most exciting parts being when the guards changed position or took breaks. Plenty of Alchemists passed in and out, but relative to the overall time span, they were few and far between. Ian actually showed up once, off to start his shift. I wasn't even halfway through when the plane began its descent. Disheartened, I resigned myself to an evening of more of the same when I got back to the dorm. At least I'd be able to make some decent coffee to get me through. I was almost tempted just to push the file off on Marcus tomorrow and let him deal with reviewing it . . . but that nagging voice urging me to find out for myself won. It wasn't just because of my curiosity either. I didn't really think Marcus would fabricate anything, but if I could see for sure that – There he was on the screen. He wasn't in those over-the-top robes, but there was no mistaking Master Jameson's old-fashioned beard. He wore business casual clothing and seemed to be smiling at something a man beside him was saying. The man had a lily on his cheek but was no one I knew. Master Jameson. With the Alchemists. Marcus and his Merry Men's conspiracy had panned out. A suspicious part of me wanted to believe this was a setup, that maybe they'd altered and planted this. But, no. I'd taken it myself, off an Alchemist server. It was possible Marcus had more insiders running errands for him, but this hadn't been easy for me, even with magical assistance. Besides, why would Marcus go to so much trouble to make me believe this? If it was some twisted way to get me to join him, there were a million other ways he could have attempted it, with evidence much easier to fake. Something in my gut told me this was real. I hadn't forgotten the similarities in our rituals or how the Warriors had wanted our groups to merge. Maybe the Alchemists and the Warriors weren't best friends yet, but someone had at least humored Master Jameson with a meeting. The question was, what had happened at that meeting? Had the Alchemist in the footage sent Jameson packing? Were the two of them together right now? Regardless of the outcome, this was undeniable proof that the Alchemists and Warriors were still in contact. Stanton had told me we merely kept an eye on them and had no interest in hearing them out. Once again, I had been lied to.