Early American Colonies Essay -- American History

The Massachusetts colony, otherwise known as the ‘Massachusetts Bay colony’ was originally settled by Puritans in 1630. They were plagued by the religious persecutions of King Charles I and the Church of England. Weary from this dogged torment, they left England under the leadership of John Winthrop. These original colonists quickly established many small towns in the name of high religious ideals and strict societal rules. They also planted churches, spread Puritanism and religiously educated the masses, as these were some of their goals. A utopian society that other colonies looked upon with high regards was the ultimate goal. The charter that gave the Puritans freedom to leave the England had a significant loophole-the colony did not have to have a leader that represented them in England. This new government was placed in the seemingly capable hands of a governor, deputy governor and eighteen assistants, all of which were considered to be ‘freemen’. They then established a representative democratic government by which only property owning freemen who were members of the church could have a vote. The formulation of this kind of government was an early indicator of the colonists desires to be free of Britain. Winthrop was elected the first governor of the colony and he further enabled the colony to be virtually independent of Britain by laying a framework legislature that included a simple system of checks and balances along with representation. Boundaries, taxes and strict rules were also established, further severing the ties that bound the colony to England. Even though it was tragically flawed and did not last, it was a clear break from Britain’s monarchy. The flaw in the system was the element of human greed and K... ...tober 29, 2010, from http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USABmapM.htm Massachusetts Colony. (n.d.). Colonial Ancestors - Colonial Genealogy Records and History Information to Find Colonial Ancestors for Your Family Tree. Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://colonialancestors.com/ma/colony.htm Massachusetts Colony. (n.d.). Colonial Ancestors - Colonial Genealogy Records and History Information to Find Colonial Ancestors for Your Family Tree. Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://colonialancestors.com/ma/colony.htm THE QUAKER PROVINCE: 1681-1776. (n.d.). The Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved November 9, 2010, from http://www.legis.state.pa.us/wu01/vc/visitor_info/pa_history/II.htm Untitled Document. (n.d.). the Quaqua Society -Financial and Career Assistance for Home Educators. Retrieved November 1, 2010, from http://www.quaqua.org/pilgrim.htm

Acute Morphology of Streptococcus pyogenes Essay -- Medical Disease Ba

Acute Morphology of Streptococcus pyogenes Abstract: Streptococcus pyogenes is a gram positive coccus bacterium that is extremely common bacteria. This bacterium is part of group A streptococci, which meant that it has a certain type of polysaccharide antigen on its cell surface. It is commonly known as pharyngitis, or strep throat and produces over twenty exotoxins. Even though this bacterium has been around for thousands of years it still has a susceptibility to penicillin and there have only been a few cases of resistance. Streptococcus pyogenes is a gram positive bacteria that is associated with multiple types of diseases. Streptos means a chain of links and coccus means a round object. Together this describes the shape of Streptococcus pyogenes, a round chain of ten or more cocci, each measuring 0.5 to 0.75 ÃŽ ¼m in diameter. This bacterium can cause scarlet fever, streptococcal pharyngitis and erysipelas in humans. It is identified mainly by its ability to create ÃŽ ²-haemolysis in blood agar plates. Streptococci can be separated into groups by a polysaccharide antigen that is deep inside the cell wall. The groups are labeled by the letters ranging from A to R, each group represents a different type of organism that it mostly infects. Group A is mainly pathogenic to humans, while group B is found in cattle. Groups C to R infect animals of lesser complexity. Streptococcus pyogenes is part of group A, which means that the polysaccharide antigen is composed of rhamnose and N-acetylglucosamine and its main host is in humans. The morphology of S. pyogenes is a chain of cocci that are normally in groups of ten and each cocci range in diameter from 0.5 to 0.75 ÃŽ ¼m. They are nonmotile, which means that they 2 have no form of moveme... ...agar plates. S. pyogenes produces many extracellular products, they are called streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins and are classified into three serotypes, A-C. SPE B is the most unique of the three and is responsible for multiple diseases, including toxic shock syndrome. This bacteria does have a weak point, almost all streptococci are susceptible to penicillin. 7 Works Cited Christie, A. B. (1987). Infectious Diseases (Vol. 2, 4th ed.). New York: Churchill Livingstone. Evans, A. S. (1991). Bacterial Infections of Humans (Vol. 1, 2nd ed.). New York: Plenum Medical Book Company. Kaplan, E. L. (2000). Streptococcal Infections (Vol. 1). New York: Oxford University Press. Todar, K. (2002). Streptococcus pyogenes (Vol. 1). Madison: University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Bact. Retrieved July 30, 2008, from http://www.textbookofbacteriology.net/streptococcus.html

The Qualities of the Houyhnhnm’s Civilization in Gullivers Travels Ess

In part 4 of Gulliver’s Travels, Gulliver is abandoned on an island by his crew. As Gulliver begins to explore his surroundings, a group of savages attack him. These savages appear to be human, however they behave like wild animals. Gulliver is rescued by a couple of horses. The horses are called â€Å"Houyhnhnms† are rational creatures which are capable of speech and thought. The horses refer to these human-like creatures as â€Å"Yahoos† and treat them as wild animals incapable of reasoning. Gulliver is very surprised how the Houyhnhnms speak to each other, while the Houyhnhnms are equally surprised at the appearance and behavior of Gulliver. The horses lead Gulliver back to their base where they proceed to find out more about him. Gulliver also describes them and how they converse with each other. Gulliver pays close attention to their language and eventually learns how to speak with them. He asks them questions about their culture and learns about their socie ty. He tells them about his society and how horses are treated and how the humans are far superior to the horses. Gulliver is treated very well by the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver spends a lot of time with one horse in particular. Gulliver refers to this horse as his master. Gulliver tells his master of his life and his native land which is England. Gulliver talks about his crew and their lives and troubles. Many of Gulliver’s crew were lost at sea and they were replaced by criminals and men who were desperate for work. In describing these men, Gulliver shows his master what human nature is like. Gulliver has a hard time explaining the crimes and motives of men and their actions because his master does not understand dishonesty and treachery. Gulliver talks about why humans wage wars aga... ... of the Houyhnhnm and their pursuit of knowledge allow them to live in perfect happiness. They are not selfish or greedy and are perfectly honest. If humanity were to strive towards gaining these qualities which the Houyhnhnm possess, humans would be more likely to create a better society. Humanity has created governments in order to promote justice, peace and prosperity. The Houyhnhnm created a similar government to help them maintain their virtuous society. Humanity must place a large importance on virtue in order to make human society better. Humanity is very different from this land of horses. The horses seem to lack any emotion and are incapable of joy and sorrow. Humans often allow emotions to guide their decision-making process. The Houyhnhnm allow only reason to guide them. Humans should try to replicate this pattern to create better effects for society.

Journal Article Critique “From common to uncommon Knowledge: Foundations of Firm-specific use of Knowledge as a Resource” Essay

Research question: â€Å"How can managers create uncommon knowledge when rivals have access to similar, commonly available knowledge?† (page 425) Author’s purpose: The importance of knowledge is well established in research. The knowledge-based theory considers knowledge as the most strategically significant resource of a firm. Notwithstanding, the authors illustrate that it is not known much about â€Å"how firms create, acquire, and apply knowledge better than other firms† (page 421). Nag and Gioia set up a qualitative study to develop an inductive model to reveal the processes how and under which circumstances managers transform common into distinctive knowledge. The foundry industry in the northeast and midatlantic United States served as study population. The authors conducted 53 interviews with CEOs and other key members involving 22 different foundries. Major conclusions: The model developed three dimensions how executives differ in the process from common to uncommon knowledge: executive knowledge schemes, executive scanning and uncommon knowledge use. The study indicates the personal impact of executive behavior how they identified, searched for and used uncommon knowledge: Under same external circumstances they act in different ways to address strategic situations. (1) Interpretation of the results The interviews were structured like following. There are three aggregated dimensions (executive knowledge schemes, executive scanning and uncommon knowledge use). Each of these dimensions consists of two second-order themes. These feed on the first-order categories which are coded quotes. Executive knowledge schemes mean how executives are determined towards theirs perceptions of knowledge. They are also called knowledge structures. A more detailed view onto these structures reveals that they consist first of the second-order-themes knowledge significance (criticality and distinctiveness relate to the importance of knowledge to the strategic performance of a firm). The usage of knowledge is mostly seen in three areas: technical effectiveness, operational efficiency and customer responsiveness. Second, the knowledge schemes consist of knowledge source (external accessibility, personal competence and lower-echelon knowledgeability relate to the usefulness and quality of different origins of knowledge). Executive scanning means the activity to acquire additional knowledge. It differs in the quantity and the character how managers search to extend the strategic resources. Scanning intensity describes the amount of time and effort managers invest to acquire new knowledge. The other second-order theme scanning proactiveness goes beyond the intensity in order to get better and other information than competitors do. Uncommon knowledge use means the application of knowledge to a firm’s challenges. As long as a foundry does not know how to use common knowledge for its own problems it does not have a competitive advantage of knowledge (it does define about costs as differentiation). Only if it is using uncommon knowledge it becomes distinctive knowledge and therefore turns into a competitive advantage. In the second-order themes this dimension is separated into knowledge adaption and knowledge augmentation. The first one describes how to use new knowledge to solve specific problems and generate new methods. The second one goes beyond; it is about understanding problems in principle. When you are familiar with the principle you can adapt knowledge to related problems and through that it is possible to generate new knowledge by you. Different emphases in second-order themes are more likely to be linked with certain emphases on another second-order theme (e.g. strong believe in technological effectiveness is associated with engaging in proactive scanning). Through those linkages Nag and Gioia were able to draw tree knowledge pathways. The knowledge adaption pathways describe the track how managerial distinctions emerge to knowledge adaption. The knowledge augmentation pathways describe the way to the augmentation of knowledge and the third track describes how it happens that uncommon knowledge is not used. In the knowledge adaption pathways executives consider knowledge as most important for operational efficiency. They believe it’s hard to obtain from external sources and they have confidence in their own knowledge but limited trust in workers’ knowledge. They are scan-ning intensively for knowledge and personally they had a greater share in knowledge work. Firms on that pathway are adapting knowledge and come more likely to an incremental development. In contrast described before in the knowledge augmentation pathways leaders have a strong confidence on own knowledge, on workers capabilities and they believe their know-ledge is distinctive and hard to imitate for competitors. Therefore they are scanning pro-actively and engaging others to knowledge work. These companies use uncommon know-ledge through augmentation. Radical innovations are more likely in those companies. On the path for no uncommon knowledge use the executives contribute knowledge mostly to raise customer’s responsiveness. They have low confidence in company’s knowledge, their own and in workers’ knowledge. Through low and infrequent scanning activity they reduce the information available and therefore they avoid uncommon knowledge usage. Companies on that path are less cost efficient than companies on the paths described before. (2) Strengths and weaknesses of the methodological approach In general the study appears consistent and methodologically well done. While interpreting participants the authors included quotations (‘in vivo’ codes) of the respondents in the paper to underline their interpretations. For â€Å"member checking† they organized two group discussions with executives to verify the findings. They had a grounded theory approach. Starting from the interviews they developed inductively the model. In a quite good manner they developed graphics illustrating their model which make the study easier comprehensible for outsiders. It could be criticized that the authors did not reveal their bias and research background to the topic. In 2006 Nag published his dissertation with the title â€Å"From common to uncommon knowledge: An investigation into the socio-cognitive foundations of inter-firm heterogeneity in the use of knowledge as a resource†. Gioia was the chair of the dissertation committee. The dissertation had the same study population from the foundry industry with partially identical interviewees. In that dissertation more and less detailed sketches of the model in the current paper were presented. Against this backdrop the inductive approach could be suspected. It is more likely that there already existed some detailed ideas how the outcome could look like. Maybe here is the reason why the authors presented the literature review in the beginning which is unusual for an inductive approach. But nevertheless the developed model seems to be fully founded in the data. It could be mentioned more clearly when actually common knowledge becomes uncommon knowledge. The kind of knowledge which is spoken about is not clear enough. For example in the dimension knowledge schemes there are mentioned market insights as well as technological insights. But concurrent the dimension uncommon knowledge usage is all about technological and process effectiveness issues. Furthermore following there are detailed critiques concerning the sampling and the interviews. Sampling The study population like chosen in the study is well defined and concrete: Firms belong with the same industry Saturated industry with a lot of established common knowledge (=same basis) and where uncommon knowledge is the way to compete Foundries have a comparable (low) complexity (

Animal abuse Essay

When Richard Acton was young he had a neighbor. The neighbor was on the small side. It always seemed as if he was getting bullied. He was so shy, he always stayed in his house. He was seldom seen in the yard playing or anything. And if he appeared in the yard, he would not stay out long. One day Richard asked his parents about him, and what they thought. They told Richard to sit down that they needed to explain something to him. They said â€Å"there are people out there in our world that do things to others just to hurt them. They do it because they are sick or maybe enjoy it. Some just do it because that is all they know. People will really never fully understand why it happens, but it does.† The situation is termed abuse. The definition of abuse is â€Å"to use ill; to maltreat; to misuse; to use with bad motives or to wrong purposes; as, to abuse rights or privileges† (Webster, N/A). see more:types of animal cruelty The fact is this occurs all around the world. â€Å"Animal cruelty or abuse can be either deliberate abuse or simply the failure to take care of an animal. Either way, and whether the animal is a pet, a farm animal, or wildlife, the victim can suffer terribly† (Humane Society of The United States, 2011). Animal abuse is a growing problem in today’s society, and it needs to be stopped. As humankind has progressed, there has been an increase in governance and rules and regulations of everyday life. These rules and regulations are implemented as a result of various situation that occur around the world. One such rapidly growing concern is the concept of animal cruelty. Animal abuse is cruel unwarranted treatment of animals. Such treatment has one focus to subject animals and sometimes pets to unnecessary harm and pain. The increasing number of cruelty cases reported daily in the media is only the beginning of reported animal abuse. Most cases are never reported, and most animal suffering goes unrecognized and unabated. Although there is no national reporting system for animal abuse, media reports suggest that it is common in rural and urban areas. Cruelty and neglect can also cross socio-economic boundaries. While many people would like to think animal cruelty no longer exist, what people fail to realize is that it is still happening all over the world today. The treatment of animals is completely unethical. Ethics is defined as, â€Å"A system of moral principles; a system of rules for regulating the actions and manners of men in society† (ethics. 2014. In Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. , n.d.). We live in a world governed by ethics and the concept or right and wrong. This is why animal cruelty in today society is so unreal. The fact animals are still regarded as a product rather than living breathing creatures is morally wrong. Unfortunately our morals don’t extend to animals. Although many people claim that they are against animal cruelty they still see animals as forms of entertainment, clothing, and experiments which is complete unethical. Animals are not ours to use. Some may argue that because animals do not think and act like a human being, that they should not be treated like them; therefore, animals should not have rights, or be treated as fairly as a human. â€Å"The concept of rights to animals on the grounds that they have similar  physiological and mental capacities as infants or disabled human beings† (Wilson, N/A). They are wrong because animals are living, breathing creatures that were placed on Earth for a reason, the same as humans. Does an innocent animal feel the need to abuse, beat, and kill a human being because the human is not an animal, like itself? No. Therefore, it should not be okay for any human to beat and kill an animal because the animal is not human. So in an ideal world, animal cruelty would not exist. But, this is not an ideal world, and animals, domesticated and wild, are abused and beaten every single day. Should animals have rights? Yes, they should. All animals have nervous systems; they can feel, both physically and emotionally, therefore, it should be illegal to abuse any animal, not just  domesticated ones. Every day in the United States animals are beaten, neglected, or forced to struggle for survival. Left in unsanitary conditions with no food or water, they have little hope as they live out their days without the compassion they deserve. â€Å"It’s even more so when we realize that the everyday choices we make—such as what we eat for lunch and the kind of shampoo we buy—may be directly supporting some of this abuse† (People for the treatment of animals, N/A). Some are found and rescued, given the chance to experience how great life and humans can be; others are not so lucky. To grow as a nation, we must fight for these abused animals’ rights and severely punish heartless owners. It is up to us to speak for these creatures who lack a voice, for who will if we don’t? One of the first steps in protecting animals and  ­creating effective cruelty laws is knowing what animal cruelty actually is. There are two categories: passive cruelty and active cruelty. First  ­involves acts of omission, meaning the abuse happens as a result of neglect or lack of action. Passive cruelty might seem less serious, but that is not the case; it can lead to terrible pain and suffering, and ultimat ely death. Examples include starvation, dehydration, and untreated parasite infestations, inadequate shelter in extreme weather conditions, and the failure to get medical care. Passive cruelty is sometimes due to the owner’s ignorance, so many animal control officers will first try to educate neglectful owners on how to properly care for animals before giving them a citation or placing them under arrest. Active cruelty, on the other hand, is more well-known and disturbing. Sometimes referred to as non-accidental injury, this type of abuse involves purposefully inflicting harm on an animal in order to feel more powerful or gain control. Active cruelty against animals should be taken very seriously, since it can be a sign that a person has serious psychological issues and may commit more acts of violence – possibly against humans. It’s not only up to the legal system to ensure that communities across the country are aware and educated about animal cruelty. There are plenty of things everyday citizens can do. The simplest action is for people to take care of their own pets and learn the facts so they can educate others on proper animal care. Another easy way to help is by donating to or volunteering at a local animal shelter. Contrary  to popular belief, volunteering doesn’t require a lot of time; simply going in a few hours a week helps. Finally, by writing letters you can remind your local lawmakers that animal abuse is a real problem that needs to be addressed. â€Å"In media-reported animal cruelty cases, dogs–and pit bull-type dogs, in particular are the most common victims of animal cruelty. Of 1,880 cruelty cases reported in the media, 64 percent involved dogs, 18 percent involved cats and 25 percent involved other animals† (Humane Society of The United States, 2011). â€Å"More American households have pets than children. More money is spent on pet food than on baby food. There are more dogs in the U.S. than people in most countries in Europe-and more cats and dogs. A child growing up in the U.S. is more likely to have a pet than a live in father† (American Humane Association para 2,3, 2013). Know who to call to report animal abuse. If unsure who to contact. Contact your local police department at 618-826-5000 or call 911 if it is an emergency. Get to know and look out for the animals in your neighborhood. Start a Neighborhood Watch Program. Fight for strong anti-cruelty laws on federal, state and the local level. Set a good example for others to follow. Talk to your kids about how to treat animals with kindness and respect. And what is believed to be the most important, support your local shelter or animal rescue organization. It is a wonderful way to make a difference. Funding is an important issue when it comes to animal abuse. Most agencies that handle the calls for animal abuse are very understaffed. They also rely on support from others. Some agencies rely on grants to fund their operation to help rescue abused animal. Grants can be obtained from agencies such as the Animal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The ASPCA Anti-Cruelty grant program supports private organizations and public  agencies dedicated to the prevention and elimination of animal cruelty throughout the United States. Every state in the United States and the District of Columbia has a law prohibiting cruelty to animals. These laws  do not give animals rights, but do afford some legal protection. The purposes of these laws is to deter violence by humans in any form as well as to protect animals from mistreatment and cruelty by imposing a penalty for those acts. Most of these laws fall under the purpose of morality, meaning the purpose is not to protect the animals, but to keep people on the straight and narrow. Whatever the reason, many more states are recognizing that animal cruelty, neglect and abuse are serious issues. There are now 41 states plus the District of Columbia with felony provisions for animal cruelty 32 plus DC with â€Å"Felony† specifically stated in the statute, 8 with felony punishments attached, but the status of the crime is not specifically defined. Animal abuse comes in all forms, from physical abuse to simple neglect. Both intentional/malicious abuse and neglect or passive abuse may be tough to spot as laws defining what constitutes animal abuse can be vague and differ from municipality to municipality. Before reporting abuse, one must evaluate the entire situation to determine whether or not abuse is actually occurring. Make sure all the facts are in order. One of the best solution in order to stop the awful trend is to teach a child while they are still young on how to treat an animals. Keeping in mind that they are the future, teaching a young child can help reduce the problem. Many agree on the educational value that owning a pet could have on a child. People aren’t always able to relate to animal, as humans, were not born with the ability to know how to treat animals. A recent statistic shows that kids who partake in animal abuse, may, as they get older abuse others and their belongings. This is not necessary saying that your child is the next serial killer or murderer but helping them understand early on the rights and wrongs when having contact with an animal could help. Showing children what a happy pet looks like, so they care more for their pet’s emotions. Parents often don’t take the time to teach the child rights and wrongs when caring for an animal. They need to make sure they set limitations when a child and pet are left alone. Teach your child early on and they will be able to help stop animal abuse. Another great solution is, educating ourselves on proper pet care, we also educate others by sharing the knowledge. In most situations, people have the right idea in  mind when it comes to pets, but they are not always well educated in proper pet care, and sometimes don’t notice the risk they put their animals in. Pet education is key. If planning on stopping animal abuse it is needed to identify early what is the cause of the abuse and also help the abusers. â€Å"Studies show that males are 94% more likely to commit the abuse towards animals. Minors, under the age of 18, were 31% likely to abuse animals.  Also, animal abuse is 21% more likely in families that involve family violence† (Andrea, 1999). Every living thing has a heart and feelings, God put animals on earth for us to enjoy, not to abuse. We all need someone to love and to care for. Why not a pet? With a pet, the key is to educate our young on how to treat them. With this education it can be passed on where one day animal abuse will be stopped. References American Humane Association para 2,3. (2013). Retrieved from American Humane Association: http://www.americanhumane.org/interaction/support-the-bond/fact-sheets/animal-abuse-domestic-violence.html Andrea, L. (1999, Feburay). We Speak For Them para5. Retrieved from http://animalabuseitneedstostop.weebly.com/index.html ethics. 2014. In Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. . (n.d.). Retrieved from ethics. 2014. In Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. : ethics. 2014. In Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. Humane Society of The United States. (2011). Retrieved from Humane Society of The United States para 4: http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/abuse_neglect/facts/animal_cruelty_facts_statistics.html People for the treatment of animals. (N/A, Para 2). Retrieved from PETA: http://www.peta.org/issues/ Webster. (N/A). abuse,1828 Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.1828.mshaffer. com/ Wilson, S. (N/A). Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from IEP para 4: http://www.iep.utm.edu/anim-eth/

Thorn Queen Chapter Six

Kiyo always healed quickly, and when we got home that night, he was in fine condition to see who could put on the highest-quality performance in bed. Consequently, he woke in a very cheerful mood the next day, though he still couldn't help a little grumbling about following along yet again. I knew it was all gruffness, though. He liked knowing I was safe, and that warmed something up inside of me. â€Å"You tricked me,† he remarked once we'd crossed over to the Otherworld that morning. I was hoping these bandits would be as easy to dispatch as the kobolds, unnatural hybrids of small animals aside. â€Å"After that thing you did in bed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed happily at the memory of a particularly skillful feat my mouth had performed last night. â€Å"Well, you know I'd agree to do anything now.† â€Å"Come on,† I said, still feeling a bit proud. â€Å"It has nothing to do with that. Don't you want to see justice served to those who dare torment my subjects?† â€Å"Careful there. People might think you're acting like a real queen.† I glanced down at my torn jeans and Poison T-shirt. â€Å"Well, let's not get carried away. Maybe it'd help if I got a crown like Dorian said.† To my astonishment, Kiyo's teasing expression immediately hardened. â€Å"No. That's the last thing you should do.† I stared in surprise. â€Å"Why not? Too Miss America?† â€Å"It'll make you seem more†¦official.† I gestured around at the tapestry-draped castle room we'd appeared in. â€Å"We're in a fucking castle, Kiyo. I don't really see how it can get any more official.† â€Å"You don't understand. I mean, you're a queen, yeah, and they all know it†¦but a lot just see you as this warrior stand-in. Like a regent. Get a crown†¦start appearing before lots of people in it, and I don't know. It makes you legitimate. It makes it real. It'll be harder for you to get out of this than it already is.† I thought about how often I'd wished I hadn't been saddled with this land and how often I'd tried to avoid it-yet still kept coming back. â€Å"I don't think it can get any harder.† We found Shaya before heading out on our raid. I'd brought some things that I hoped would help with the Thorn Land's drought and famine. When I gave the first one to her, she could only stare in silence for several moments. â€Å"Your majesty†¦what is this?† â€Å"It's a children's place mat I got from Joe's Tex-Mex restaurant.† Along with Joe's kid's menu, the place mat also depicted a map of Arizona that kids could color while waiting for their food. I pointed to the assorted symbols on the map. â€Å"See, this shows Arizona's natural resources. The stuff that grows and can be found there. Cotton. Copper.† â€Å"What's this?† she asked, pointing to something that resembled a glass of liquid. I frowned. It certainly wasn't water, that was for damned sure. â€Å"I think it's some kind of citrus product. Orange. Grapefruit.† I shrugged. â€Å"I think you can grow either in this weather. And that's the point. This land mirrors Tucson, so all the things there should be the same here. There should be copper deposits that you guys can find. That's valuable in trade, right?† Copper was one of the few metals gentry could handle. Iron was right out, being the harbinger of technology. That's what made it one of my most lethal weapons. â€Å"And the rest should grow here, if you can find seeds. Someone must have them somewhere, even in this world.† â€Å"They still need water,† she pointed out. â€Å"Right. That's what this is for.† I handed her my next prize: a book. â€Å"It's a history of the engineering of wells and aqueducts from ancient and medieval Europe. It should help in moving water around.† She still looked stunned, so I tried to think of something comforting. â€Å"I'll help find more water sources too.† I then handed her another book about Southwest architecture, adobe and stucco homes. She took the books and flipped through them, taking in the dense chapters and diagrams. â€Å"I don't think I'm the right person to do this. I don't have the mind for it.† â€Å"Maybe not. But I'm sure you can delegate to someone who can.† I patted her encouragingly on the arm. The truth was, I was as baffled by the book as she was. I could put together jigsaw puzzles in record time. Reading engineering diagrams? Not so much. â€Å"Just be careful with them-those are library books.† I had to go then and felt a little bad about leaving her. Yet, despite her confusion now, I knew she would find people and ways to implement this. She was just that competent. Maybe I should have had more of a hand in this, but hey, I'd been the one who had to choke down Joe's crap Tex-Mex food in order to score the place mat. That had to count for something. If I'd had my way, I would have just taken Kiyo and gone out to hunt down these bandits ourselves. I had to imagine they were just riffraff and not much of an obstacle to us. Kiyo was a pretty fierce fighter, as last night had shown, and between my weapons and magic, I was his equal. Rurik had protested this plan, however, insisting that he and almost two dozen guards come along. I didn't think this gave us much in the way of stealth, but he'd told me we'd dismount and go on foot once we reached the passes the bandits lived in. Before we left, I decided we might as well add one more person to our entourage. I stepped into a darkened corner, far from the light of candles in the room, and took out my wand. Immediately, the guards moved away from me. They knew what I was going to do and didn't like it. When something magical made gentry uneasy, you knew it was bad. I spoke the words of summoning and felt magic move through me. It wasn't the storm magic I'd inherited, the pull to water and air. This was a learned human magic, a way of reaching out to the worlds beyond. The temperature in the room dropped, a sudden shock compared to the dry heat we'd just been in. Then, the cold lifted, and Volusian stood before me. Volusian was my minion, for lack of a better word. He was a damned soul, cursed to wander without rest for all eternity after committing atrocious acts in life. I'd fought and bound him to me, forcing him to serve me. Volusian wasn't very happy about this and frequently liked to remind me of how he would destroy me if he ever broke free of my control. After hearing stuff like that over and over, it almost took on a familiar feel, kind of like how a pop song heard often enough will work its way into your heart. While Otherworldly spirits often had insubstantial forms in the human world, the shape Volusian had now looked exactly the same as it would if I summoned him back home: a short, imp-like creature with black skin, pointed ears, and red eyes. â€Å"My mistress calls,† he said in a flat voice. â€Å"And I answer. Regretfully.† â€Å"Oh, Volusian,† I said cheerfully. â€Å"Always a joy to have you around. You're such a ray of sunshine on a dreary day.† Volusian merely stared. I turned to the others, hoping I sounded queenly and authoritative. â€Å"Alright. Let's go kick some outlaws out of town.† I still wasn't used to having an entourage of guards. So much of my life had been solitary, so much of it spent fighting on my own†¦well, I didn't really know what to do with so many people at my back. As we headed toward our destination, I found it was a lot easier to deal with the guards if I just focused on Kiyo and pretended we were alone. â€Å"I can't believe you gave Shaya a place mat and now expect her to revolutionize this place's total infrastructure,† he noted. â€Å"What else am I supposed to do?† I asked. â€Å"You were just complaining about me getting too involved in this place. Handing off a place mat is about as uninvolved as I can get-unless you're saying I should take a more active role now?† â€Å"No,† he answered swiftly, face darkening a little. â€Å"Believe me, if there were an easy way for you to give up this place, I'd make you do it.† I cut him a glance. â€Å"You'd make me, huh?† â€Å"Encourage,† he amended. â€Å"Unfortunately, it's a moot point. The only way to lose a kingdom is if your power drops or†¦well, if you're killed.† â€Å"I'm sure Volusian would love to help with that.† My minion walked near me, needing no horse to move swiftly. Upon hearing his name, he said, â€Å"I would perform the deed with great relish and much suffering on your part, mistress.† â€Å"You can't put a price on that kind of loyalty,† I told Kiyo solemnly. â€Å"No crown even required.† Kiyo grunted noncommittally. There was a lot of tension between him and Dorian, but the one thing they both agreed on was that Volusian was trouble. Both had encouraged me to get rid of him. I didn't have the power to completely banish him to the Underworld, but it probably could be managed with another magic user. Still, dangerous or no, I continued to retain the spirit's services. â€Å"Are you going to stick around when we're done here?† I asked. That was my subtle way of asking if Kiyo was going to see Maiwenn. His dark eyes were on the road ahead, thoughtful. â€Å"No. I was hoping to go back to Tucson and see if I could get this hot chick I know to go out with me. I hear she's in demand, though. She keeps putting me off each time I try to plan something romantic.† â€Å"Yeah, well, maybe if you come up with a good itinerary, you could lure her out.† â€Å"I was thinking dinner at Joe's.† I made a face. â€Å"If that's the case, maybe you'd better brace yourself for rejection.† â€Å"Red Pepper Bistro?† â€Å"Okay. Now you're in the zone.† â€Å"Followed by a long massage in the sauna.† â€Å"That's pretty good too.† â€Å"And then indecent things in the sauna.† â€Å"I hope you mean you'll be doing the indecent things-because I more than did my share last night.† Kiyo glanced over at me with a mischievous grin. â€Å"Who says I'm talking about you?† I would have swatted him if he'd been in reach. Instead, I grinned back, my mood happy and light. Bantering with him like this was just like the old days, back before Maiwenn and this baby business was an issue. I felt like his girlfriend again. And despite just having had sex last night, I couldn't deny the truth. Thinking about having sex with him in the sauna was doing uncomfortable-pleasantly uncomfortable-things to my body, particularly with my legs spread like they were. Our gazes met, and I felt an answering heat in his eyes. I remembered how fierce he'd been while throwing himself in front of me last night and could perfectly envision that same fierceness translated into passion in bed. The lines and muscles of his body suddenly seemed that much stronger, and I could imagine his hands all over me†¦. Rurik trotted up beside me and interrupted my pornographic thoughts. â€Å"We need to go on foot now. We're getting close.† We stopped on the edge of a â€Å"forest† comprised of saguaro cactuses and scraggly trees. They spread on ahead of us, up toward some sharp rises in the land that turned into sandy red cliffs studded with rocks. While tethering the horses, Kiyo decided he'd go ahead and scout in fox form. â€Å"If you can't change back, that's going to seriously interfere with our date,† I told him. He ran a hand along my bare arm, making every part of me tingle. â€Å"Nah, nothing's interfering with that. I'll go in small fox form-they'll never see me.† He slowly shape-shifted, his large, muscled frame growing smaller, then elongating into a red fox about as big as a medium-sized dog. He brushed against my leg and then disappeared into the vegetation ahead. I watched him go. Some part of me would always worry about those I loved, but overall, I had confidence in Kiyo when it came to dangerous situations. The rest of us milled about in the midday heat, passing water around. About twenty minutes later, Kiyo returned. With each approaching step, he transformed from a cuddly furry critter into the man I loved. Not that I didn't love him as a fox too. â€Å"They're over there, just like we thought,† Kiyo said. There was kind of a lope as he walked, a leftover from the fox form. It was both cute and sexy at the same time. â€Å"Looks like they're camped out and resting for the day.† â€Å"Any lookouts?† asked Rurik. Kiyo grinned. â€Å"Not anymore.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Did you see any girls?† His smile faded. â€Å"No. Just the bandits. They've got a few less people than we do.† â€Å"Well, that's good,† I said, frowning. No girls. What did that mean? Had the couple in the village been wrong? Maybe their daughter really had run off with her boyfriend. Still, if this group was harassing people, getting rid of them would certainly be a good deed. Kiyo and Rurik plotted strategy on how to sneak up on the camp, and our group set off, planning to fan out around the brigands. With no lookouts, the gang had no one to warn them of our approach and seemed totally unaware when we got our first glimpse of them. They were mostly men, with a few women. The women clearly weren't captured girls, though. They were older and hardened from harsh living. The whole group looked like it had seen hard times, actually. There was a toughness about them that suggested they'd fight tooth and nail. Based on an earlier discussion, I'd thought our whole group would just swoop down at once. Instead, one of my guards suddenly stepped out and shouted, â€Å"Surrender in the name of the queen!† Oh God, I thought. He did not just say that. There was no time to ponder it further as my party charged forward. â€Å"Remember,† I hissed to Volusian. â€Å"Subdue. Don't kill.† He didn't look happy about this. Of course, he never looked happy. The rest of my guards had orders to avoid killing if they could but not to hesitate if it was their life or a bandit's. I wanted prisoners we could question later and didn't really like the idea of furthering my tyrannical image if I could help it. As I'd expected, the bandits fought back. No surrender here. They had conventional gentry weapons, as well as some weak fighting magic. It became clear early on that taking prisoners was a little harder than killing. Killing was fast. Taking someone down and tying them up was a little more complicated. It exposed you to attacks from others. Nonetheless, I saw my guards handily bind two of the bandits right away. A couple other bandits got killed shortly thereafter, but they'd had knives at my men's throats and left us no alternative. Kiyo and I were working together to tie a flailing man up when I suddenly felt a surge of magic in the air. I stopped what I was doing. It wasn't gentry magic. In fact, none of the others noticed it right away. As a shaman, I'd developed a sensitivity to creatures and powers from the different worlds. This power made my skin prickle and had a slimy, oily feel to it. It wasn't from the human world or even the Otherworld. There were Underworld creatures here. â€Å"Demons,† I said, just as they materialized within the camp. â€Å"There are fucking demons here.†

The Australian legal system

The Australian legal system has 2 main sources of law, namely the Parliament-made law and the case law or the common law. The primary source of law in Australia is the Parliament-made laws. As the representatives are elected to the House by the people, statutes and laws can be made keeping in mind the needs of the people. Case laws on the other hand are made by the judges in the courts. Once the court gives its decision, the same would apply for similar circumstances or instances (precedent).The decision would be binding on courts in the future. Another source of law that can be considered in the Australian legal system is the international law that would be applicable in case Australia is a signatory to an international convention, or a bilateral/multilateral agreement (Governments of Australia and South Australia, 2007). Judges are usually, unable to make laws. The law-making capabilities are usually done by the Legislation. The judiciary would be interpreting laws and filling up t he gaps that have been left by the legislation.However, there may be instances in which a strong judiciary can create a new law that may have a strong impact on the society such that it would place the importance of the rule-making authority on the judiciary. Such instances include old, inappropriate and laws that go against human rights. There may be several areas of law such as contract laws, tort laws, negligence, etc, which need to be decided on a case-by-case basis, and develop judicial precedents for future cases. If the statues are so rigid and unclear, then it becomes important for the judge to develop new laws.In some instances common laws may also be difficult to apply. However, there is another school of thought that believes that judge-made laws do not exist, and the statutes would be providing principles upon which case laws which would be developed. Any kind of a judge-made law would be a trespass on the powers of the legislation (Sackeville, 2001). Another reason why judges cannot make laws is that often if a judge creates a law that applies in a particular case, it would apply retrospectively, which destroys the basic purposes of the law.Thirdly, all the Statutes would overrule the case laws. There may be three kinds of relationships between the legislation-made laws and the common law. Firstly, common laws may supplement the legislation-made laws and in this way strengthen the legal process. Secondly, Parliament-made laws may replace a common law. Thirdly, if a particular Parliament-made law is outdated or is threatening the basic human rights, then the Court can decide that the same should be scrapped. Hence, it can be said that judges can state the law within the limits of the legal world.There are two ways in which laws can be interpreted by the advocate or the judge. One way is to determine what the statute might allow. The second way is to determine what the statute would definitely permit (Gleeson, 2001). Often the appellant courts and t he constitutional courts would be creating laws. If any statute would be impeding the Constitution, the same statute can be invalidated. A court may also implement a new rule or principle if it feels that the result of just implementing a law would not have desired results. This could even be in non-constitutional areas (Sackeville, 2001).