Is Doubt the Key to Knowledge Essay Example for Free

Is Doubt the Key to Knowledge Essay As an understudy presently taking the International Baccalaureate, I continually question the contrasts between the few subject matters which I study. In a period where innovation shows consistent advancements which trigger new disclosures and set up new realities, a basic viewpoint is basic so as to survey the legitimacy and restrictions of information asserts that emerge inside these fields. The twenty-first century has been known as the time of data, where people can impart unreservedly and where information turns out to be progressively open. This appears to make a domain where information flourishes openly, and where uncertainty is slowly getting wiped out. In any case, many despite everything contend this new time of data assault makes a bogus impression of assurance, and a progression of unsupported feelings. Practically all subject matters have a specific method of accomplishing estimations of truth, when that is conceivable at all. This is legitimately connected to the methods of knowing in Theory of Knowledge, (feeling, recognition, language and reason) just as through the techniques each field utilizes in its endeavors to clarify something, or to arrive at truth. Moreover, it is essential to perceive the few â€Å"paradigm shifts†, as in the term originally instituted by Thomas Kuhn[1], that change the observation and strategies through which we procure and decipher information, just as our meaning of truth. Logical assurance gets from incalculable experimentations and perceptions, and many discussion whether logical truth can ever be reached. History, then again, is thoroughly founded on close to home understanding and translation of individual records, which takes into account favoritism and inclination. This article intends to assess and recognize these two subject matters, just as decide the conceivable authenticity and conviction that can be gotten from the information claims created in each field. Authentic examination is one the most dubious subject matters, potentially due its very equivocal and unsure nature. History specialists may differ over the causes and outcomes of almost any chronicled occasion. Remember that history depends on ideal models. Accordingly, it s practically difficult to locate a specific period in history which has not been set apart by questions between students of history, endeavoring to figure out what really occurred. Thomas Carlyle, a nineteenth century student of history and educator at the University of Edinburgh, when expressed that â€Å"The history of the world is nevertheless the account of incredible men†, a mention to The Great Man Theory, one of the numerous standards that have bowed the state of chronicled investigation. In the event that we accept the Second World War for instance, it appears as though the verifiable setting of the war is seen through the activities of men, for example, Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini and Winston Churchill. Another worldview that can be seen in authentic idea is the â€Å"Rise and Fall† idea, which will in general assess the historical backdrop of domains and chronicled controls as far as two stages: the climb and decrease. Instances of this worldview can be found in numerous titles of history books: â€Å"The Rise and Fall of the Holy Roman Empire[2]†, â€Å"The Growth and Decline of the French Monarchy[3]†, â€Å"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich[4]†, among others. Besides, as we break down the historical backdrop of the Second World War, we likewise discover relationships with another chronicled worldview, best exemplified by the well known axiom: â€Å"History is composed by the victor†. The contention proposed is very clear; the individuals who triumph at War and arrive at force will definitely impact and decide the course of history. So as to more readily represent this case, two concentrates follow, concerning the Nazi intrusion of the Soviet Union in June 1941; the initial, a communicate by Winston Churchill to the British individuals, lastly a discourse given by Adolph Hitler in Berlin, announcing the attack of the USSR: â€Å"At 4 oclock at the beginning of today Hitler assaulted and attacked Russia. (†¦) A non-hostility bargain had been seriously marked and was in power between the two nations. †¦) Then, unexpectedly, without statement of war, German bombs poured down from the sky upon the Russian urban communities. (†¦) Hitler is a beast of wickedness†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [5] Winston Churchill, London, June 22 1941 â€Å"National Socialists! (†¦)The German individuals have never had unfriendly sentiments toward the people groups of Russia ( ) Ge rmany has never endeavored to spread its National Socialist perspective to Russia. Or maybe, the Jewish-Bolshevist rulers in Moscow have continually endeavored to subject us and the other European people groups to their standard. (†¦) which were especially serious for Germans living in the influenced countries. †¦) The motivation behind this front is not, at this point the insurance of the individual countries, but instead the wellbeing of Europe, and in this manner the salvation of everybody. May God help us in this fight. † Adolph Hitler, Berlin, June 25 1941[6] Analyzing the two discourses, the troubles of approving a chronicled account become very apparent, since there are consistently a few viewpoints concerning a particular authentic occasion. As it identifies with the methods of knowing, history is very subject to observation and language, making it especially hard for antiquarians looking back to validate one record over the other and perceive its authenticity. In any case, offering an individual point of view, I would no doubt will in general help Churchill’s record of the 1941 Nazi control of the USSR. However, in the wake of uncovering the vulnerabilities and uncertainty of chronicled information, I start to address whether my discernment would contrast, had Hitler and the Axis’ powers won the war. Sadly, it appears that would no doubt be the situation. Science is generally viewed as one of the most dependable fields of request. While thinking about its potential for precise and fair ends, my underlying reaction was to consider the logical strategy the perfect, prototype model of disclosure. History appears to be basically excessively indivisible from human feeling and understanding to deliver a continually unquestionable record of realities, while science has all the earmarks of being the most dependable and exact subject matter, exclusively dependent on levelheadedness, observational proof and detectable examples. The logical technique, beginning with an anticipated speculation, trailed by a trial, assortment and understanding of information, which at last prompts an end which could be rehashed by some other researcher, gives the impression of being the ideal â€Å"truth formula†. Then again, when taking a gander at the advancement of science after some time, it is imperative to understand that, along with different subject matters, genuine assurance can never be accomplished in science. In any event, when logical models endure continued testing which neglect to invalidate them, they can't be generally acknowledged as certainties, however just temporary facts that are basically given useful sureness. The Caloric Theory[7], presented by Lavoisier, was at one time a generally acknowledged hypothesis that was disparaged in the nineteenth century by the mechanical hypothesis of warmth presented via Carnot[8], which later on developed into the study of thermodynamics. This backings the case that logical â€Å"truths† just exist on their particular â€Å"scope of applicability†[9]: â€Å"Science advances through experimentation, for the most part mistake. Each new hypothesis or law must be warily and thoroughly tried before acknowledgment. Most fall flat, and are hidden where no one will think to look, even before distribution. Others, similar to the luminiferous ether[10], thrive for some time, at that point their insufficiencies collect till they are insufferable, and they are discreetly relinquished when something better tags along. Such mix-ups will be discovered. Theres consistently somebody who will get a kick out of uncovering them. Science advances by committing errors, rectifying the missteps, at that point proceeding onward to different issues. In the event that we quit committing errors, logical advancement would stop. † [11] All in all, it appears that vulnerability will consistently be a constant piece of each subject matter. We can likewise infer that chronicled and logical information have a unimaginably extraordinary method of clarifying and deciphering things, generally because of the methods of knowing, or as indicated by which channel every subject matter endeavors to communicate their thoughts, and make determinations. While many may contend that the fundamental motivation behind these subject matters is to clarify and produce answers, some would state that their point is request, and their motivation is to create questions. On the off chance that we dissect these fields looking back, it is difficult to debate the case that what we currently consider hard realities are basically speculations holding on to be undermined by the advancement of our reality. Despite the fact that from the outset I wound up to be frustrated with my discoveries, I admit to being in the wrong. The quest for information, the journey for truth, is an endless pattern of disclosures, and in particular rediscoveries. When we are sure of anything, we execute this cycle, we close the book, and the whole procedure loses criticalness and setting. In the human drive for information and higher mindfulness, as in the inquiries that produce the anxiety and distress of human cognizance, there can never be an obvious truth, an unquestionable answer, for assurance is a fantasy.

The Affects of Video Games on Children

Do video games truly influence the pieces of a youngster mind? â€Å"The most generally utilized positive effect computer games are said to have on kids is that they may improve a player’s manual expertise and PC literacy† (Norcia, Andrea 1). This is affirming that computer games can help individuals with poor manual finesse abilities. My feeling is that grown-ups ought not accuse hostility of kids for explicit devices, for example, computer games. Computer games ought to be intensified more now than any time in recent memory and they influence kids negative by killing their center school. In conclusion savage computer games don't influence kids except if they are oblivious. Computer games are useful in spite of the animosity it enhances. My announcement regarding this matter is that computer games influence the United States youngsters and youth yet the individuals that play these computer games accept individuals see the idea of gaming incorrectly. Do video games just influence kids that are defenseless to the capacity and feelings of the computer game or is it the individual themselves. Individuals have seen additionally that computer games can negatively affect a kid’s social turn of events however as I would see it accept that youngsters work very well socially for a people who collaborate with computer games. Do you truly accept that computer games really influence the pieces of a child’s mental health? Do you believe that the G. P. An of a kid that plays computer games is lower than one that doesn't? â€Å"It’s accepted despite the fact that computer games have points of interest they play effectsly affect children† (Deepa Kartha 16) . The improvements of individuals that play computer games are as accurately instinctive as individuals who associate in various leisure activities. Guardians accept that it can influence a young people work if there to concentrated on the computer games and not on the homework. Game enthusiast adolescents really can concentrate more in school since it keeps there outlook of the genuine words obliviousness in assembly. Do you accept that games influence kids or is only the computer games that they play that influence them not the computer games? Individuals accept that fierce computer games influence the psyche more than some other computer game sort out on the planet. Colleagues accept that kids are increasingly influenced by games that have disgusting pictures in them. Individuals build up the idea that children are influenced with the rest of their personal effects not the activity in a virtual incitement and if that is the situation time will deteriorate. Do you accept that computer games can change the impact that they have on none totally created youngsters. Do you feel that individuals and the way that they make computer games cause the kid to grow severely or is it the parent? Individuals state that specific kinds of guardians will challenge their kid and accuse their preferred items for them being terrible as well as careless parental figures. Do you accept that it tends to be the children shortcoming for ignoring his examinations since he is playing to numerous computer games? Hypothetical gamers accept that the individuals that play computer games constantly are here and there not even somewhat influenced by the Meer idea that individuals accept they may lose certain psychological capacities from playing a computer game. It is demonstrated that all individuals are apparently influenced in some psychological manner when it come to video games that there working synapses grow more slow when they center around the computer generated simulation in some computer games. Do you accept that computer games truly influence the attitude of specific individuals that play numerous specific computer games? It has been demonstrated that when playing your mentality and hostility spots in your cerebrum have been initiated more. The realities have been demonstrated that individuals co grow more when playing videogames with companions or potentially relatives. Certain families play computer games but then they can and still accomplish their schools work. Specific individuals play computer games and content and it doesn’t influence them at all they despite everything capacity easily above others. Do you accept that a few children can have computer games influence them just by watching different children and youthful grown-ups play the profane brutality violence computer games? Individuals depicted I accept that certain videogames can assist you with growing intellectually and to keep kids engaged and working for the following day. Adolescences younger siblings and additionally sister play computer games with me and he has preferred evaluations over I do so I imagine that computer games don't influence anything. Individuals accept that a computer game can intellectually keep a few people ready to endeavor yet a few people can pay attention to the computer games so there ready to execute themselves on the off chance that they lose at the virtual life. Do you accept that a few kids can have computer games influence them by connecting perusing or potentially tuning in to the exchange of the cut scenes in the computer games? In a position of supposition individuals accept that computer games don't influence hildren or yet still the media presently can't seem to check the kids that have a 4. 0 G. P. An and are fruitful at life and in adulthood. Individuals accept that they can likewise create from the rough necessities of the computer game world and individuals trust it keeps you in virtual contact. It has been expr essed by numerous that if u don't let the game get to genuine than you won't be influenced by the apparent measurements of the computer game world. Do your truly accept that computer games can influence the way that you exceed expectations in school or create in mental techniques. Individuals accept that It depends where your assessment originate from when you build up your decision on having computer games or not. â€Å"It is seen that the normal teenager computer game player plays video over 5 hours a day† (Norcia, Andrea 18). individuals are accepted to have grown likewise the idea that other than causing kid s to slip up in school it can likewise influence their eyes since kids draw nearer to the TV to connect more. Certain individuals that play computer games accept that it really affects your eyes after extensive stretches of time. Others accept that computer games are one of the most exact approaches to quiet down and settle their brain. It has been depicted that the shortsighted of the computer game world have been misconstrued articles. Individuals feel that kids in reality simply prefer to play computer games and nothing influences them at all perhaps there eyes yet that is it. In the event that kids didn't have computer games I accept that it would make them infuriated and frustrated that something the grown-ups made for them we be taken from them. It is accepted the advancement of kids relies upon the way that they bring up their kid on the grounds that at appointed occasions guardians will accuse their disposition for computer games. Do you accept that computer games really influence the brain of a little youngster? Does video games have anything to do with a children cerebrum or is it simply the kid themselves it’s accepted to be a sort of mental capacity that influences the brain of a computer game playing youngster. Will it generally be seen that the kids that play computer games can really lose synapses from various lacking advanced computer games? It is accepted by numerous that computer games can be a shrewd kind of propensity or pastime yet individuals despite everything play computer games to fill their virtual yearn for the incredible desire of life. Individuals will consistently have their own single idea sentiments about kids and their psychological advancement when playing computer games since explicit computer game playing youngsters respond distinctively to it. Do video games truly influence the improvement of parts in a Childs mind or is it the kid? Do video games influence the psyches of kids or do the kids build up their own feeling of obliviousness. Individuals have played computer games for year and have never has any kind of harm done to them intellectually People accept that they can depict computer games as a virtual universe of energy that can make you change your targets of life into an alternate sort of point of view. Phew gamers concur with the business on saying that computer games can really influence your viewpoint with regards to living. Do you accept that everything spins around video when contemplating a children synapses or is it simply the savagery and order of the computer game. Do you accept that computer games influence the straightforward pieces of a Childs mind or can it actually intellectually debilitate them? Have you at any point built up the point in this paper kids need computer games with the goal that they can grow all the more brilliantly and learn more things that have life to offer them? Individuals have truly built up a real existence line around the gaming framework that all individuals who play are equivalent to all the others however we as a whole play various games and we as a whole play for various kinds of reasons. Do you despite everything accept that computer game truly influence some portion of the Childs mind or is that simply the manner in which individuals see it to be? Do you truly accept that children can be intellectually influenced by the virtual game world? (Deepa, Kartha 1) States â€Å"Video games were first presented during the 1970s and have now become a constant wellspring of fun and amusement for children†. (Norcia, Andrea 2) States â€Å"They are a one of a kind type of amusement, since they urge players to turn into a piece of the game's script†. Can video games help manual adroitness and can create various documentations on your PC information. So are computer games for better or for more terrible all will they remain or will they leave?

Everything You Should Know About How to Write an Essay

Everything You Should Know About How to Write an Essay If you have been struggling with how to write an essay, then follow these techniques that will help you to write good essay writing. Choose your topic: Summary Choose your topic:Determine what type of essay you write:Research the topic:Collect relevant information:Read other people’s essays:Prepare a diagram of your ideas:Write an outline of your essay:Start with attractive title and introduction:Write the body of the essay:Always use easy and understandable language:Check your essay before giving submission:Search for expert help if needed:Summarize your essay:Need to pay attention:Conclusion: You need to have a topic before you get started working on your essay. Your essay topic may be given to you by your professor, or you may get to choose it yourself. If you have a assigned topic then you should think about the type of essay that you want to write. If you have not been assigned a topic, you have a little more work to do and select your topic. Determine what type of essay you write: Your essay may be a story, expository, or persuasive essay. You may also be writing a research paper. Its important to decide which type of essay youre writing before you get started. Sometimes the type of essay youre writing will be determined by an assignment. In this case, read the assignment sheet carefully. If you have any queries, talk to your instructor. Research the topic: You can search online, go to the library, search for an academic database, or read newspapers. Research can definitely give you a better understanding of the broader issue of your topic. This will also give you plenty of innovative ideas which you can apply on your assignment. Collect relevant information: You need to collect the information from the reliable sources. It can be anything, like your coursework books or the Internet as well. Read other people’s essays: Reading other people’s essays can help you to develop and build on your own essay writing style. Try to read a range of essays, including those of your peers and of academics. Read essays on a wide variety of subjects, not necessarily just those that you’re studying. Different type of essay might apply different kinds of arguments or styles. Prepare a diagram of your ideas: If you want to write a good essay, you must organize your thoughts and putting it to paper. You are able to see connections and links between ideas more clearly. To create a diagram, write your topic in the middle of your page. Draw three to five lines branching off from this topic and write down your main ideas at the ends of these lines. Draw more lines off these main ideas and include any thoughts you may have on these ideas. Write an outline of your essay: Make an outline of your essay to guide you through the writing process. Structure your outline as you will your essay, with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The more detail you put into your outline, the easier and more quickly you can write the essay. Start with attractive title and introduction: Your title and introduction make people want to read your essay. If your teacher is the audience, then, of course, your teacher will read the whole piece. Skip these words such as, This essay is about, The topic of this essay is or I will now show that. Write the body of the essay: The body of your essay explains or describes your topic. Each main idea that you wrote in your diagram will become a separate section within the body of your essay. Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure. You can start writing your essay by one of your main ideas as the introductory sentence. You need to write each of your supporting ideas and give detailed examples. Always use easy and understandable language: The language that you use should be simple and understandable. Try using easy and simple words and make the language more casual. Avoid using complex sentences as it might confuse your professor. Check your essay before giving submission: As soon as you complete your essay we give the advice to check it. Make sure that you dont miss anything. You can take second advice from a close friend. Sometimes you may not find any mistake your friend can help catch some of the mistakes. Also, check the spelling and grammar are the easiest mistakes to revise Search for expert help if needed: If you need an online essay writing help. You can also take the help of an expert. They complete your assignment within the deadline and give you 100% unique solution. Summarize your essay: The conclusion brings closure of the topic and gives overall ideas while providing a final perspective on your topic. If your title and first paragraph make the reader want to read your essay, then your last sentence makes the reader remember you. You must summarize your points and suggest ways in which your conclusion can be a larger sense. Need to pay attention: After writing your conclusion, you might think that you have completed your essay. It’s wrong. Before you consider this a finished work, you must pay attention to all the small details. Check the order of your paragraphs. Your strongest points should be the first and last paragraphs within the body, with the others details in the middle. You must double check instructions to ensure that your essay is in the desired format. Recheck your essay and see the sentence flow is smooth and add phrases to help connect thoughts or ideas. Conclusion: If you want to learn how to write an essay you need to follow these steps. We also recommend that you practice writing sample essays on various topics.

Everything You Should Know About How to Write an Essay

Everything You Should Know About How to Write an Essay If you have been struggling with how to write an essay, then follow these techniques that will help you to write good essay writing. Choose your topic: Summary Choose your topic:Determine what type of essay you write:Research the topic:Collect relevant information:Read other people’s essays:Prepare a diagram of your ideas:Write an outline of your essay:Start with attractive title and introduction:Write the body of the essay:Always use easy and understandable language:Check your essay before giving submission:Search for expert help if needed:Summarize your essay:Need to pay attention:Conclusion: You need to have a topic before you get started working on your essay. Your essay topic may be given to you by your professor, or you may get to choose it yourself. If you have a assigned topic then you should think about the type of essay that you want to write. If you have not been assigned a topic, you have a little more work to do and select your topic. Determine what type of essay you write: Your essay may be a story, expository, or persuasive essay. You may also be writing a research paper. Its important to decide which type of essay youre writing before you get started. Sometimes the type of essay youre writing will be determined by an assignment. In this case, read the assignment sheet carefully. If you have any queries, talk to your instructor. Research the topic: You can search online, go to the library, search for an academic database, or read newspapers. Research can definitely give you a better understanding of the broader issue of your topic. This will also give you plenty of innovative ideas which you can apply on your assignment. Collect relevant information: You need to collect the information from the reliable sources. It can be anything, like your coursework books or the Internet as well. Read other people’s essays: Reading other people’s essays can help you to develop and build on your own essay writing style. Try to read a range of essays, including those of your peers and of academics. Read essays on a wide variety of subjects, not necessarily just those that you’re studying. Different type of essay might apply different kinds of arguments or styles. Prepare a diagram of your ideas: If you want to write a good essay, you must organize your thoughts and putting it to paper. You are able to see connections and links between ideas more clearly. To create a diagram, write your topic in the middle of your page. Draw three to five lines branching off from this topic and write down your main ideas at the ends of these lines. Draw more lines off these main ideas and include any thoughts you may have on these ideas. Write an outline of your essay: Make an outline of your essay to guide you through the writing process. Structure your outline as you will your essay, with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The more detail you put into your outline, the easier and more quickly you can write the essay. Start with attractive title and introduction: Your title and introduction make people want to read your essay. If your teacher is the audience, then, of course, your teacher will read the whole piece. Skip these words such as, This essay is about, The topic of this essay is or I will now show that. Write the body of the essay: The body of your essay explains or describes your topic. Each main idea that you wrote in your diagram will become a separate section within the body of your essay. Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure. You can start writing your essay by one of your main ideas as the introductory sentence. You need to write each of your supporting ideas and give detailed examples. Always use easy and understandable language: The language that you use should be simple and understandable. Try using easy and simple words and make the language more casual. Avoid using complex sentences as it might confuse your professor. Check your essay before giving submission: As soon as you complete your essay we give the advice to check it. Make sure that you dont miss anything. You can take second advice from a close friend. Sometimes you may not find any mistake your friend can help catch some of the mistakes. Also, check the spelling and grammar are the easiest mistakes to revise Search for expert help if needed: If you need an online essay writing help. You can also take the help of an expert. They complete your assignment within the deadline and give you 100% unique solution. Summarize your essay: The conclusion brings closure of the topic and gives overall ideas while providing a final perspective on your topic. If your title and first paragraph make the reader want to read your essay, then your last sentence makes the reader remember you. You must summarize your points and suggest ways in which your conclusion can be a larger sense. Need to pay attention: After writing your conclusion, you might think that you have completed your essay. It’s wrong. Before you consider this a finished work, you must pay attention to all the small details. Check the order of your paragraphs. Your strongest points should be the first and last paragraphs within the body, with the others details in the middle. You must double check instructions to ensure that your essay is in the desired format. Recheck your essay and see the sentence flow is smooth and add phrases to help connect thoughts or ideas. Conclusion: If you want to learn how to write an essay you need to follow these steps. We also recommend that you practice writing sample essays on various topics.

Analysis Of The Poemst. Lucys Home For Girls Raised By...

Upon first reading â€Å"St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,† it might seem like an imaginative fantasy and nothing else. The story focuses on the daughters of a pack of werewolves, and it takes place in a world where the werewolves and their daughters are nothing out of the ordinary. But upon closer examination, this is a story rooted in reality. This inventive tale parallels several real world phenomena. Karen Russell uses allegory in â€Å"St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves† to objectify western society’s views of people outside of that society and of outsiders in general, and compare them to the views that people have of wild animals. Allegory is when a writer extends symbolism to every part of a story to communicate a secondary meaning that parallels the literal meaning. A common example of allegory is â€Å"The Tortoise and the Hare.† On its surface, this is a story about a tortoise that, unexpectedly, beats a hare in a footrace, but the underlying message is that those who devote their attention to cultivating a skill surpass those who are born with natural talents. Allegory has been used for a variety purposes, but among the most common is pointing out and critiquing the flaws of society. Any metaphor that is extended throughout an entire story to communicate a meaning that is separate from the literal is allegory. Ostensibly, â€Å"St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves† is a story about the human daughters of a pack of werewolves trying to learn the

Nothing Was The Same The Life After Stardom - 1779 Words

Hamza Ather 7807965 MUS1302 A Professor Alyssa Woods December 6th 2016 Nothing Was the Same: The Life after Stardom History of hip-hop has rapidly advanced the last ten years, with albums and songs morphing more into different genres. Individuals who push the boundaries in music will always prevail more than other individuals in the industry. Aubrey Graham is a perfect description of pushing boundaries in the industry by pushing the darker sonics in hip-hop and blending singing with rapping. Nothing Was the Same is Aubrey Drake Graham’s third studio album installment, and was released September 24th, 2016. Many never really understand the amplitude and the craft of these individual tracks scaled with multiple layered vocals, samples and progression keys. Nothing Was the Same is the perfect cohesion of rap and singing, and foster the music we here today. Executive producer and mixing engineer Noah Shebib provided the many sonics and blends in tempo to craft a perfectly done hip-hop album. This essay will breakdown the many samples and elements of music used in the album. Wu-tang Clan Forever brought a chilling and iconic rap that solidified Aubrey Graham’s perfection of blending rap and hip-hop. â€Å"What made me think about the game, girl and how I switched it up with a new thing Young nigga came through on his Wu-Tang†. The sampled used in this song was Jeremy Rose Zodiac, where they broke down the piano loop and introduced the loop as a transition in theShow MoreRelatedThe Accomplishments Of The Whitney Houston1565 Words   |  7 Pagesheaven hear me now. I’m lost without a cause, after giving it my all. Winter storms have come, and darkened my sun. After all that I’ve been through, who on earth can I turn to? I look to you,† quoted from the song â€Å"I Look to You† by Whitney Houston. 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Operations Research Smu-de Mba Sem 2 Free Essays

Spring 2013 Master of Business Administration- MBA Semester 1 MB0048 –Operations Research- 4 Credits (Book ID: B1631) Assignment Set – 1 (60 Marks) Note: Assignment Set -1 must be written within 6-8 pages. Answer all questions. Q1. We will write a custom essay sample on Operations Research Smu-de Mba Sem 2 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Explain the scope of Operations Research. What are the features of Operations Research? 10 marks (300 – 350 words each) Q2. Six Operators are to be assigned to five jobs with the cost of assignment in Rs. given in the matrix below. Determine the optimal assignment. Which operator will have no assignment? Operators Jobs 1 2 3 4 5 1 6 2 5 2 6 2 2 5 8 7 7 3 7 8 6 9 8 4 6 2 3 4 5 5 9 3 8 9 7 6 4 7 4 6 8 10 marks Q3. a. Explain the Monte Carlo Simulation. b. A Company produces 150 cars. But the production rate varies with the distribution. Production Rate 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 Probability 0. 05 0. 10 0. 15 0. 20 0. 30 0. 15 0. 05 At present the track will hold 150 cars. Using the following random numbers etermine the average number of cars waiting for shipment in the company and average number of empty space in the truck. Random Numbers 82, 54, 50, 96, 85, 34, 30, 02, 64, 47. 5 +5 = 10 marks (200 – 250 words each) Q4. Explain the Characteristics and Constituents of a Queuing System. 10 marks (300 – 350 words each) Spring 2013 Q5. a. What do you mean by dominance? State the dominance rules for rows and columns. b. Find the saddle point of the following game and state the optimum strategies for layers A and B A B 1 2 3 4 5 1 9 3 1 8 0 2 6 5 4 6 7 3 2 4 4 3 8 4 5 6 2 2 1 5 +5 = 10 marks (200 – 250 words each) Q6. a What are the differences between PERT and CPM? b. A project has eleven activities whose duration is given in the following table: Activity 0-1 1-2 1-3 2-4 2-5 3-4 3-6 4-7 5-7 6-7 7-8 Duration (days) 2 8 10 6 3 3 7 5 2 8 3 i. Draw the network ii. Identify the critical activities and critical path. 5 +5 = 10 marks (200 – 250 words each) How to cite Operations Research Smu-de Mba Sem 2, Essays

Only in a time when the pressure of the world amou Essay Example For Students

Only in a time when the pressure of the world amou Essay nts to angst and the fight for freedom can a world advance in its literary achievements. A writer, just like an artist, builds his creations from the mood and settings of the surrounding atmosphere. In the first half of the twentieth century, the atmosphere was filled with resources to stimulate literary creativity, such as the second World War and the Great Depression (Roache 102: 14). The social genre of the time gave way to the broad appeal to American life and the focus of freedom leading to original stories and historical themes (Folsom 3: 953). Of course, the past would remain a constant influence. Some common topics were the Civil War and the settlement of western U.S. frontier life (Magill 1: 174). Stephen Vincent Benet took all these factors into mind during his life as a twentieth century writer/poet. Keeping the times, the life, and the literature of Stephen Vincent Benet a major part of his influence and achievements, he helped push America towards a united cultural victo ry. Stephen Vincent Benet was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to James Walker Benet, a career military officer, and Francis Neill Rose Benet on the twenty-second of July 1898 (Roache 102: 11, 13). He described himself as a positive-thinking and modest man, who is thin, attractive, vivacious, whereas his wife and his mother-in-law would consider him a plain, tall, large biter-of-nails who carries a foolish expression, but whose intellect is too much for words (Parsekian 1). He couldnt have been too foolish of a person due to his positive upbringing. Benets parents planned for him to be a success in whatever he chose to do. Their open-mindedness encouraged him to explore books and ideas in a professional state., as well as to appreciate and take literature and history very seriously (Roache 102: 13). Because of this upbringing, all three Benet children became poets and authors. (Stephen Vincent Benet was the youngest of them.) Much influence over the Benets came from love for the country because James military work called for traveling between Georgia, California, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania (Griffith 11). Benets education shows how successful he really was. He entered Yale University at 17 years old, when he published his first book. About that time, he became professional with New York writers (Roache 102: 13). Stephen Vincent Benet earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1919 and his Master of Arts degree in 1920 at Yale before accepting a fellowship to Paris where he could live cheaply and write his first novel and would later find his wife. One attempt to enlist in the army and follow in the footsteps of his father failed in 1918, leading him to a job working for the State Department in Washington, DC before re-entering Yale (Magill 1: 171). In 1929, Benet was entered into the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1938, which he stayed a member of until his death (Folsom 3: 954). While in Yale, Benet held many other jobs such as editor, contributor, and chairman of the Yale Literary Magazine, then editor and contributor of the undergraduate humor magazine Yale Record. These jobs gave way to him working on S4N, a New Haven magazine of poetry. In 1919, Benet published the play of Christopher Marlowes Tamburlains the Great (1590) with Monty Wooley by Yale University Press. In 1920, he published Heavens and Earth as his thesis during his graduate study in England by Holt (Griffith 12). Other editorial jobs include reviewing for the New York Herald Tribune and the Saturday Review of Literature, and the Yale Series of Younger Poets competition in 1933 (Magill 1: 71). In 1945, Benet published a collection of radio scripts called We Stand United, and Other Radio Scripts as a propagandistic war effort that he felt was his destiny (Magill 1: 170). .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b , .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b .postImageUrl , .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b , .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b:hover , .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b:visited , .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b:active { border:0!important; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b:active , .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uba254c401f98fd55d821fad49a43f63b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Past Awareness EssayAnother destiny was marriage. He married Rosemary Carr on November 26, 1921 through the fellowship to Paris in 1920. They started living in Chicago, then Paris, Hollywood, and New York (Roache 102: 13). She was an unpretentious only child who never said mean things to anyone (Parsekian 1). She gave him three children: Stephani Jane (1924), Thomas Carr (1925), and Rachel

Dalya Abubaker Essays - Lakota People, DraftNoah Cronbaugh

Dalya Abubaker Dhaliwal. P 636203 ENG 3U0-G March 21, 2017 Family Comes First On July 17, 2015, it was a very special day, it was a special day because it was an Islamic celebration known as Eid. Eid is an Islamic festival that marks the end of Ramadan (end of fasting). This day all started at 8:00am in the morning, I had woken up early in the morning to get ready and go to the mosque to pray. One of my cousins had already came over the night before so we could go to the mosque and pray together. All our clothes were brand new, I was wearing a flannel that was blue, red, and white, with a blue tank top and navy blue jeans. My new shoes were Nike with a nice design, it was black, blue, purple, and pink and it was all laid out on my bed. I put the clothes on and all the girls wore their new hijabs and put on their makeup. Then we left to go to the mosque, but we couldn't eat breakfast because we were running late. I was trying to put my hijab on it was like outing in something greasy because it would not stay and my mom was yelling at me saying "HURRY UP, YOUR G ONNA MAKE US LATE!" When we got there, it looked very beautiful inside the mosque it had a chandelier hanging down from the ceiling and sparkling lights designed near the chandelier. When we sat down I saw some of my family friends. I approached them and said, "hey happy Eid" they replied with the same response. As me and my friends were catching up on our lives the imam was calling everyone to prayer. (An imam is a person that leads a group of people through prayer and gives us a meaningful speech about the Quran, life and how to succeed). After the imam gave his speech everyone got up and went to put on our shoes, went to the main foyer and we ate. There was food and drinks setup along the tables. We ate and talked to some of our family friends but sadly we had to go home early because all of my cousins from Toronto were coming over and my mom was stressing out because the house was not cleaned and the food wasn't cooked my cousins were coming at 2 pm it was 11:30 we only had 3 in a half hours to c ook and clean before they came. My mom was so stressed out and frustrated she kept shouting at us, giving us orders, and stuff to do "stop siting down and going on your phones and come help me get the house ready". I tired to help my mom cook the food but she was yelling at me because I was doing it wrong and she didn't have time for me to mess up everything so she pointed to the stairs and expressed how done with me she was and told me to "just go upstairs". Later that day all my cousins, aunts, and uncles all came to my house. All the kids were upstairs waiting for the food to be ready so to pass the time we were playing cards games like crazy eight, signal, and president. But after years of playing the food was still not ready so I decided since it was very hot in my room we should go to the park that's near my house. Once we got to the park we all ran to the swings but only four of us got to the swings the rest of my cousins went on the slides or the big blue tower. Then one of my cousin who was wearing blue shirt with black pants and blue and red shoes, he is three years younger than me begged me to ask everyone to "get off the swings and come on the big blue tower so we can all climb it and I'll even push it PLEASE" the way he begged me was so adorable with his chubby cheeks. I wanted to say this in the nicest way I could so I told him "no thank

Free Essays on Racism In Othello

RACISM IN OTHELLO My aim in this study is to show how racist elements dominate the play, â€Å"Othello† by William Shakespeare. Generally, in Othello race and colour are important factors and they repeated in various ways. W. Shakespeare tries to instill the idea of equality in all people.. He thinks that all humans on the earth created equally. Because of this reason, W. Shakespeare created Othello who is a protagonist as a black man. He gives Othello an important duty. Shakespeare portrayed Othello as a commander in the army of Venice and he is the husband of Desdemona who is white and wealthy woman. Obviously, Shakespeare uses black man for the role of important character. Besides, Shakespeare creates a romantic relationship between black and white (Othello & Desdemona) but most people think that their relationship is wrong. At the time the play was written, 1604, even the Queen of England was racist, so there must have been a strong hatred of blacks around that time. Donald Hall asserts that â€Å" Elizabethan society and theatre were more conservative. In this period, society were prosperous, expanding, energetic, adventurous and imperialistic. Elizabethan England was colourful, chaotic and relatively lawless....† (Hall, p:200). As you see, in this period, society is more chaotic and we know that all notions about racism since today rooted from those times. According to Elizabethans all qualities of moors are all negative. At that time, moors were supposed sexual capacity, savage jealousy, superstitiousness and belief in magic, tendency to anger, cruelty and savagery. Truly, it’s still common not only in England but also all around the world. I believe that, by discovering America, slavery developed and in the end, it did not finished but decreased by Martin Luther King’s effort in 70’s. But still today, racist people feel same things towards to black people. That is to say, blackness in Elizabethan Engla... Free Essays on Racism In Othello Free Essays on Racism In Othello RACISM IN OTHELLO My aim in this study is to show how racist elements dominate the play, â€Å"Othello† by William Shakespeare. Generally, in Othello race and colour are important factors and they repeated in various ways. W. Shakespeare tries to instill the idea of equality in all people.. He thinks that all humans on the earth created equally. Because of this reason, W. Shakespeare created Othello who is a protagonist as a black man. He gives Othello an important duty. Shakespeare portrayed Othello as a commander in the army of Venice and he is the husband of Desdemona who is white and wealthy woman. Obviously, Shakespeare uses black man for the role of important character. Besides, Shakespeare creates a romantic relationship between black and white (Othello & Desdemona) but most people think that their relationship is wrong. At the time the play was written, 1604, even the Queen of England was racist, so there must have been a strong hatred of blacks around that time. Donald Hall asserts that â€Å" Elizabethan society and theatre were more conservative. In this period, society were prosperous, expanding, energetic, adventurous and imperialistic. Elizabethan England was colourful, chaotic and relatively lawless....† (Hall, p:200). As you see, in this period, society is more chaotic and we know that all notions about racism since today rooted from those times. According to Elizabethans all qualities of moors are all negative. At that time, moors were supposed sexual capacity, savage jealousy, superstitiousness and belief in magic, tendency to anger, cruelty and savagery. Truly, it’s still common not only in England but also all around the world. I believe that, by discovering America, slavery developed and in the end, it did not finished but decreased by Martin Luther King’s effort in 70’s. But still today, racist people feel same things towards to black people. That is to say, blackness in Elizabethan Engla...

International Trade Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Trade - Research Paper Example To properly project the significance of international trade, this essay therefore has three goals: 1) to examine the aims and rationale of international trade through the examples of China and India, and lastly, 2) to compare the effects of international trade on developed and developing countries. Developed and developing countries, however, have different goals for engaging in international trade. The former, in the negative sense, aims to further their own advantage or, positively, to help the economic struggles of the latter. For their part, developing countries aim to achieve the same level of development and prosperity as the developed ones. A change from status—developing to newly developed—may also change such trade goals. Generally though, trading is for survival or for the maintenance of countries’ economies. Countries exchange goods based on resources that are abundant in one and resources that are scarce in the other. This has also been called by David Ricardo as â€Å"comparative advantage† and is one of the rationales for the existence of trade. Nation-states export goods that are produced in large quantities within the national economy, while they import goods that are either scarce or produced in small quantities in domestic markets (Husted & Melvin, 2000, pp.60-61). Regardless of the nation’s capacity, â€Å"profitability of production† is still achievable so long as there is a "comparative advantage." Although absolute advantages in the goods they produce may be absent, all economies that are operated by competitive markets have comparative advantages. Ricardo further proposes that â€Å"no country can long import, unless it also exports, or can long export unless it also imports" (as cited in Blatt, 2004). He confirms that there are benefits to be had in the import-export of goods between and among trading nations. Hence, engaging in both is â€Å"equally essential† so as to

The Values of Wal-Mart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Values of Wal-Mart - Research Paper Example From this paper it is clear that its competitive advantages are not only its low-cost products, but including its high-value quality products, and sophisticated strategic management and control. These are what made Wal-Mart successful in the United States. After all, where do an individual can find products with substantially low prices, yet with high quality as well? The ultimate answer is at Wal-Mart itself.   Wal-Mart should replicate its original business model in China for the following reasons. China is a highly-dense and populated country. There is a great opportunity for Wal-Mart to serve more than 50,000 people in a certain location. Wal-Mart can eventually reach out to those people outside the center of a certain town or those not readily reach by advanced basic services. In this way, Wal-Mart could try to penetrate its services by reaching out customers who could not afford to go to the center of the town. Secondly, the low-cost strategy for its products is suitable in C hina where there are many competitors trying to be a cut above the other on the basis of price. Not only that, in China the labor cost is substantially low compared in the United States, so there is another great opportunity for Wal-Mart to replicate more than just what it had started into its other international counterpart. Finally, what it had already started in the international setting and applying into China is possible because the said country is home to various investors who could create what is essential for the business, exposing customers to a different level of understanding business.  In order for Wal-Mart to go forward is to improve its way of handling its human resource. Especially in its international expansion, what is essential is the thought that it could create a unified cultural approach within the entire organization.

Overview of VPN Evolution of Private Networks

Overview of VPN Evolution of Private Networks Before the emergence and popularity virtual private networks have gained as a secure and cheaper medium for sensitive information to be accessed and transmitted between two or more corporate network over a public network such as the internet, other network technologies have been innovated and used to connect within business sites and across to other sites that are miles away from each other. In the sixties, sites were connected together to enable data transfer through the use of analog phone lines and 2,400-bps modems leased from ATT, businesses had no other faster modems they could choose from because the telephone companies were controlled by the government. It was not until the early eighties that businesses were able to connect to sites at higher speed using 9,600-bps modems because other telephone companies emerged as a result of the changes in government control and policy on telephone. During this period, there were not much mobile workers besides the modem links were static not as dynamic as what is available now. The analog phone lines were permanently wired to the sites and were specially selected lines (called conditional lines) that were specifically built for full time use by companies; these lines are different from regular phone lines. This technology ensured full bandwidth and privacy but this came at a great cost, i.e. payment is expected for the full ba ndwidth even if the line was used or not. Another innovation that was used for connecting sites which came out in the mid 1970s was the Digital Data Service (DDS). This was the first digital service with a connection of 56 Kbps and was used for private line. This service later became a major and useful innovation for wide area networks, which grew into other services that are popularly used today such as the T1 service which consists of 24 separate channels and each can carry up to 64 Kbps of either data or voice traffic. In the late 1970s the idea of VPN was initiated with the introduction of an innovation called the X.25. It is a Virtual Connection (VC) form of WAN packet switching which logically separates data streams. With this function, the service provider is able to send as many point-to-point VCs across a switch network infrastructure, depending each endpoints have a device that facilitates communication in the site. Sometime in the early 1980s, X.25 service providers offered VPN services to customers (i.e. businesses) who used network protocols at the time as well as early adopters of TCP/IP. Over years, in the 1990s other networking technologies were deployed for connecting private networks such as the high speed Frame relay and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switching. This networking technologies were provided to give virtual connection to businesses at the speed of up to OC3 (155 Mbps). The components for setting up this kind of technologies involved the use of customer IP routers (customer premise equipment, or CPE) interconnected in a partial or full mesh of frame relay or ATM VCs to other CPE devices, in other words less equipments are needed for its set up. – Metz, C. (2003). Based on some definitions and some researchers like Mangan, T. (2001), the frame relay and ATM technology are referred the standard for VPN technology. These technologies gained so much popularity after the leased line in connecting sites and they were also easy to set up. With the increasing speed at which businesses grow and expand globally, thereby allowing staffs to be mobile and work offsite, the frame relay is not the best technology to use for remote access since it is just an overlay technology. In as much as the leased line is a better technology alternative for connecting business sites, it is excessively expensive to be owned. With the advent of the internet and its wide use in everyday transaction, businesses have adopted the technology for transmitting and accessing data across various sites by implementing a VPN connection, which is relatively cheap, flexible and scalable, between both sites in order to secure the data that are sent across the insecure internet from being tampered by unauthorized persons. VPN definition There are various definitions of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which are given by various vendors which best describes their products. Several books, journals, whitepapers, conference papers and internet sites have various definitions of what the technology is, and these definitions are usually put in different words and sentence structure but mostly they say the same thing. In order to get a good understand of what the technology is all about, definitions given by several people from different sources will be looked at and a concise definition will be formulated from all definitions that will be used throughout this research work. â€Å"A virtual private network (VPN) is a network that uses a public telecommunication infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or individual users with secure access to their organizations network.† SearchSecurity.com (2008). â€Å"A VPN is a group of two or more computer systems, typically connected to a private network (a network built and maintained by an organization solely for its own use) with limited public-network access that communicates securely over a public network.† (Calsoft labs whitepaper, 2007) Aoyagi, S. et al. (2005) A Virtual Private Network (VPN) enables a private connection to a LAN through a public network such as the Internet. With a VPN, data is sent between two nodes across a public network in a manner that emulates a dial-link. There are two types of VPN systems, one is used for connecting LANs across the Internet, and the other is used to connect a remote node to a LAN across the Internet. â€Å"A VPN tunnel encapsulates data within IP packets to transport information that requires additional security or does not conform to internet addressing standards. The result is that remote users act as virtual nodes on the network into which they have tunnelled.† – Kaeo, M. (2004) p135. â€Å"A VPN is a virtual network connection that uses the internet to establish a connection that is secure.† Holden, G. (2003), p 286. â€Å"A VPN uses a public network, such as the internet, to facilitate communication; however it adds a layer of security by encrypting the data travelling between companies and authenticating users to ensure that only authorized users can access the VPN connection†. Mackey, D. (2003) p157 Randall, K. et al. (2002), p377 likened a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to a Tunnel Mode, as a means of transmitting data between two security gateways, such as two routers, that encrypts the entire IP packet and appends a new IP header entering the receiving gateways address in the destination address. â€Å"VPNs enable companies to connect geographically dispersed offices and remote workers via secure links to the private company network, using the public Internet as a backbone.† Lee, H. et al (2000) Looking at all these definitions closely from various authors, they all stress on security and connectivity. These are the essential features of VPNs because they are able to create a connection between two private networks over a public network by encapsulation and tunnelling protocols in transmitting data and also provide security by encryption and authentication in order to control access to data and resources on the company’s network. In other words a VPN is a network technology that securely connects two or more private networks over an insecure public network such as the internet, so as to enable internal access to files and resources and data transfer. Types of VPN There are three different VPN connectivity models that can be implemented over a public network: Remote-access VPNs: It provides remote access to an enterprise customer’s intranet or extranet over a shared infrastructure. Deploying a remote-access VPN enables corporations to reduce communications expenses by leveraging the local dial up infrastructures of internet service providers. At the same time VPN allows mobile workers, telecommuters, and day extenders to take advantage of broadband connectivity. Access VPNs impose security over analog, dial, ISDN, digital subscriber line (DSL), Mobile IP, and cable technologies that connect mobile users, telecommuters, and branch offices. Intranet VPNs: It links enterprise customer headquarters, remote offices, and branch offices in an internal network over a shared infrastructure. Remote and branch offices can use VPNs over existing Internet connections, thus providing a secure connection for remote offices. This eliminates costly dedicated connections and reduces WAN costs. Intranet VPNs allow access only to enterprise customer’s employees. Extranet VPNs: It links outside customers, partners, or communities of interest to an enterprise customer’s network over a shared infrastructure. Extranet VPNs differ from intranet VPNs in that they allow access to uses outside the enterprise. VPN configurations There are two main types of VPN configurations for deploying the VPN connection over a public network. These are; Site-to-site VPNs: This is sometimes referred to as secure gateway-to-gateway connections over the internet, private or outsourced networks. This configuration secures information sent across multiple LANS and between two or more office networks and this can be done effectively by routing packets across a secure VPN tunnel over the network between two gateway devices or routers. The secure VPN tunnel enables two private networks (sites) to share data through an insecure network without fear that the data will be intercepted by unauthorized persons outside the sites. The site-to-site VPN establishes a one-to-one peer relationship between two networks via the VPN tunnel Kaeo, M. (2004. Also Holden, G. (2003), describes a site-to-site VPN as a link between two or networks. This is mostly used in Intranet VPNs and sometimes in extranet VPNs. Client-to-Site VPNs: This is a configuration that involves a client at an insecure remote location who wants to access an internal data from outside the organization network’s LAN. Holden, G. (2003) explains a client-to-site VPN as a network made accessible to remote users who need dial-in access. While Kaeo, M. (2004) defined a client-to-site VPN as a collection of many tunnels that terminate on a common shared end point on the LAN side. In this configuration, the user needs to establish a connection to the VPN server in order to gain a secure route into the site’s LAN and this can be done by configuring a VPN client which could either be a computer operating system or hardware VPN – such as a router. By so doing, the connection enables the client to access and use internal network resources. This kind of configuration is also referred to as secure client-to-gateway connection. This is usually used in access VPNs and sometimes in extranet VPNs. VPN Topology VPN Components To create a VPN connection between sites or networks, it involves the use of some components. These components however contain some elements that need to be properly set up in order to aid the transmission of data from one network endpoint to another. These elements include: VPN server: This is either a computer system or router configured to accept connections from the client (i.e. a remote computer) who gains access by dialling in or connecting directly through the internet. This serves as one endpoint of the VPN tunnel. VPN client: This can either be a hardware based system; usually a router that serves as the endpoint of a gateway-to-gateway VPN connection, or a software based system; either an inbuilt or downloaded software program on the computer operating system that can be configured to function as an endpoint in a VPN, such as Windows XP, 2000 or vista or checkpoint client software. Tunnel – this is the link between the VPN server and client endpoints through which the data is sent. VPN protocols – These are set of standardised data transmission technologies the software and hardware systems use to create security rules and policies on data sent along the VPN. Types of VPN Systems The VPN components form the endpoints of the VPN connection from one private network to another through the public network. The choice of what components to use is dependent on various factors such as the size of the organization – is it a small, large or growing organization, the cost involved in implementing a VPN either by using new components or existing components and lastly, the choice of which of the components will is best for the connection. There are three components that can be used to set up a VPN connection, also a combination of any of these components can be used to set up a VPN connection. One way to set up a VPN is to use Hardware device. The hardware device is a VPN component that is designed to connect gateways or multiple LANS together over the public network by using secure protocols to ensure network and data security. There are two devices that are commonly used that perform these functions. One typical hardware based VPN device used is a router, which is used to encrypt and decrypt data that goes in and out of the network gateways. Another device is a VPN appliance, its objective is to terminate VPNs connection and join multiple LANs (Holden, G. 2003). This device creates a connection between multiple users or networks. The VPN hardware devices are more cost effective for fast growing organizations since they are built to handle more network traffic. It is a better choice when considering the network throughput and processing overhead. It is also a good choice when the routers used at each network ends are the same and controlled by the same organization. Another way to set up a VPN is to use a Software based component. The software component is a program, otherwise stored on the operating system of the system, which can be used to set up a VPN connection. It is easy to configure and more flexible and cost effective than the hardware VPN. They are suitable in networks that use different routers and firewalls or are best used between different organizations and network administrators – such as partner companies. The software VPNs allow traffic to be tunnelled based on address or protocols unlike hardware-based products, which generally tunnel all traffic that it handles. But software-based systems are generally harder to manage than hardware based systems. They require familiarity with the host operating system, the application itself, and appropriate security mechanisms. And some software VPN packages require changes to routing tables and network addressing schemes (Calsoft labs whitepaper, 2007). The third component, is the Firewall based VPN; it makes use of the firewall’s mechanisms as well as restricting access to the internal network. This kind of component ensures that the VPN traffic passes through the network gateway of the desired destination and non-VPN traffic is filtered according to the organization’s security policy, this is achieved by it performing address translation, making sure that requirements for strong authentication are in order and serving up real-time alarms and extensive logging. These three components can be combined together to set up a VPN in order add layers of security on the network. This can be a combination of hardware and software VPN or a combination of all three in the same device. There are several Hardware based VPN packages that offer software –only clients for remote installation, and incorporate some of the access control features more traditionally managed by firewalls or other perimeter security devices (Calsoft labs whitepaper, 2007). An example of such device is the Cisco 3000 Series VPN concentrator which gives users the option of operating in two modes: client and network extension mode. In the client mode the device acts as a software client enabling a client-to-host VPN connection while in the extension mode it acts as a hardware system enabling a site-to-site VPN connection. Also a combination of all these components by different vendors can be used to set up a VPN connection, but this comes with some challenges. The solution as proposed by Holden, G (2004) is to use a standard security protocol that is widely used and supported by all products. VPN Security Features The main purpose of VPN is to ensure security and connectivity (tunnel) over a public network and this cannot be done without some key activities being performed and policies set up. For VPNs to provide a cost–effective and better way of securing data over an insecure network it applies some security principles/measures. Data sent over the internet using the TCP/IP rule are called packets. A packet consists of the data and an IP header. The first thing that happens to a data being sent across a VPN is that it gets encrypted at the source endpoint and decrypted at the destination endpoint. Encryption is a method of protecting information from unauthorised persons by coding the information that can only be read by the recipient. The method, encryption, is done by using an algorithm which generates a key that allows information to be coded as unreadable by all and only readable to the recipient. The larger the number of data bits used to generate the key, the stronger the encryption and the harder it can be broken by intruders. Data encryption can be done in two ways; it can either be encrypted by transport mode or tunnel mode. These modes are process of transmitting data securely between two private networks. In transport mode, the data part (otherwise known as the payload) of the IP packet is encrypted and decrypted but not the header by both endpoint hosts. While in the tunnel mode both the data part and header of the IP packet are encrypted and decrypted between the gateways of the source computer and the destination computer. Another security measure implemented by VPN on data is IP Encapsulation. The VPN uses the principle of IP encapsulation to protect packets from being intercepted on the network by intruders by enclosing the actual IP packet in another IP packet having the source and destination address of the VPN gateways, therefore hiding the data being sent and the private networks IP address which â€Å"does not conform to internet addressing standards†. The third security measure is Authentication. This is a method of identifying a user by proving that the user is actually authorized to access and use internal files. Authenticating a, host, user or a computer that uses the VPN depends on the tunneling protocol established and also encryption for added security. The tunneling protocols that are widely used for authentication over a network are IPSec, PPTP, LT2P and SSL but the most commonly used is the IPSec. The hosts using VPN establish a Security Association (SA) and authenticate one another by exchanging keys which are generated by an algorithm (mathematical formula). These keys can either be symmetric key which is a private key that are exactly the same and only known by the hosts to verify the identity of one another or asymmetric key where each hosts has a private key that can be used to generate a public key. The sending host uses the other’s public key to encrypt information that can only be decrypted by the receiving host private key. The Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol uses the Microsoft Challenge/Response Authentication Protocol (MS-CHAP) to authenticate computers using VPN by exchanging authentication packets to one another. Also the users connecting to VPN can be authenticated by what the user knows- a password (shared secret), what the user has – a smart card and what the user is – biometrics e.g. finger prints. VPN Tunnelling Protocols VPNs create secure connections, called tunnels, through public shared communication infrastructures such as the Internet. These tunnels are not physical entities, but logical constructs, created using encryption, security standards, and protocols Clemente, F. et al (2005). The VPN tunnelling protocol are set of standardised rules and policy that are employed on the transmitted data. There are various standard of protocol technologies used to create a VPN tunnel and each of these protocols is specially built with some unique security features. In this research work the protocols explained in this section are the most widely used. Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) The Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) has proposed in Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comment (RFC) database in RFC (2401), provides data packet integrity, confidentiality and authentication over IP networks. The IPSec policy consists of sets of rules that designate the traffic to be protected, the type of protection, such as authentication or confidentiality, and the required protection parameters, such as the encryption algorithm. (Jason, K. 2003, Hamed, H. et al 2005, Shue, C. et al 2005, Berger, T. 2006, Clemente, F. et al 2005, Liu, L. and Gao, W. 2007). The IPSec protocol provides security at the network layer and offers a collection of methods, protocols, algorithms and techniques to establish a secure VPN connection. There are two basic modes of IPSec connections, Transport mode and Tunnel mode. The transport mode, attaches an IPSec header to the IP header of the packet. The Tunnel mode is more flexible compared to the transport mode; it encapsulates the IP packet into another IP packet, also attaching an IPSec header to the outer IP packet. This mode protects the entire IP packet. The IPSec modes, are determined and agreed on by both corporate networks at each end of the VPN connection, are contained in the Security Association(SA) among other things. The SA is a set of policy and keys used to protect information such as the IPSec modes, symmetric ciphers, and keys which are used during secure data transmission. The IPSec uses two main protocols that are usually used with any of the modes, the Authentication Header (AH), and Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP). The authentication header contains a Security Parameter Index(SPI) and provides data authentication and integrity (MD5 or SHA-1 hash) on the whole IP packet but does not guarantee privacy (confidentiality) on the data. ESP guarantees privacy (confidentiality) on the data in addition to all the features AH provides. The ESP header includes an initialization field, which is used by symmetric block ciphers (Berger, T. 2006). Another essential protocol that IPSec uses in establishing the VPN tunnel is the Internet Key Exchange protocol (IKE). This protocol exchanges encryption keys and shares authentication data (RFC 2409) through UDP packets at port 500, and also relies on the Internet security association and key management protocol(ISAKMP) – this protocol allows both endpoints share a public key and authenticate themselves with digital certificates (RFC 2408). To create a VPN tunnel using the IPSec protocol, two things needs to be done. First, both networks need to agree on the SA for the IKE and this is done by using the Diffie – Hellman key exchange method to authenticate one another. After this is done, both network endpoints need to set the parameters for the VPN tunnel including symmetric cipher keys (and key expiry information), security policy, network routes, and other connection-relevant information. Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) is a network protocol that enables the secure transfer of data from a remote client to a private enterprise server by creating a virtual private network (VPN) across TCP/IP-based data networks (Microsoft TechNet, 2008). PPTP operates at Layer 2 of the OSI model. PPTP, as specified in the RFC 2637 document, is a protocol that describes a means for carrying Point-to-Point protocol (PPP) – described in RFC 1661 – over an IP based network. It is created by a vendor consortium known as the PPTP industry forum which includes Microsoft Corporation, Ascend Communications, 3Com/Primary Access, ECI Telematics, US Robotics and Copper Mountain Networks. PPTP is the most commonly used protocol for dial-up access to the internet. Microsoft included PPTP support in Windows NT Server (version 4) and released a Dial-up Networking pack in Windows 95 and since then PPTP is supported in any Microsoft Windows version. The PPTP transfers two different types of packets over a VPN connection. The first is the Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) (described in RFC 1701 and RFC 1702) packet. It encapsulates PPP frames as tunneled data by attaching a GRE header to the PPP packet or frame. The PPP frame contains the initial PPP payload which is encrypted and encapsulated with PPP while the GRE header contains various control bits, sequence and tunnel numbers. The function of the GRE is to provide a flow- and congestion-control encapsulated datagram service for carrying PPP packets. The total sum up of the packet consists of a Data link header, IP header, GRE Header, PPP Header, Encrypted PPP payload and Data link trailer. The second type of packet is the PPTP control message or packet. The PPTP control packet includes control information such as connection requests and responses, connection parameters, and error messages and it consists of IP header, TCP header, PPTP control message and a data link traile r. In order to create, maintain and terminate the VPN tunnel, the PPTP uses a control connection between the remote client and the server using the TCP port 1723. This two different packets used by PPTP does not ensure privacy on the packet payload, so in order to enhance security on these packets, the PPTP supports encryption and authentication method same as used in PPP connections (Berger, T, 2006 and vpntools.com, 2006). To authenticate packets that pass through the VPN tunnel, PPTP uses any of the following protocols; Extensible Authentication protocol – Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS), Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (MS-CHAP), Shiva Password Authentication protocol (SPAP) and Password Authentication Protocol (PAP). For encryption, PPTP uses either the Microsoft Point to Point Encryption (MPPE) to encrypt PPP packets that passes between the remote computer and the remote access server by enhancing the confidentiality of PPP encapsulated packets (as described in RCF 3078) or uses the symmetric RC4 stream cipher to encrypt the GRE payload is encrypted. Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) The L2TP is an IETF standard established as a result of combining the best features of two protocols: Cisco’s Layer 2 Forwarding (L2F) protocol (described in RFC 2341) and Microsoft’s PPTP (Cisco Systems, 2008). L2TP facilitates the tunneling of PPP frames across an intervening network in a way that is as transparent as possible to both end-users and applications (RFC 2661). L2TP encapsulates the PPP packet (whose payload can either be encrypted or compressed or both can be done) into a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet at transport layer. The L2TP can be used over the internet as well as over private intranet and also can send PPP packets over X.25, Frame relay or ATM networks. The UDP packet consists of the following in this order: UDP header with source and destination address using port 1701, control bits representing options like version and length of the packet, sequence number and tunnel ID fields which is used to track the packet and identify the tunnel, the l ayer 2 frame which contains the following also: Media Access Code (MAC) addresses and the payload. To ensure security and enhance authenticity of the L2TP packet it is combined with IPSec by attaching an IPSec ESP header, using the IPSec transport mode. After combining IPSec to L2TP, the UDP packet is encrypted and encapsulated with an IPSec ESP header and trailer and ESP authentication trailer. The L2TP packet now consists the following: data link header, IP Header, IPSec ESP Header, UDP header, L2TP frame, IPSec ESP trailer, IPSec ESP Authentication trailer and Data Link trailer, resulting in excessive protocol overhead (Berger, T, 2006 and vpntools.com, 2006). Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Multiprotocol Label Switching Literature Review VPN Protocol Overhead The tunneling protocols also affect the performance of the network by adding processing overhead on the VPN connection. Implementing these secure technologies on any insecure public network like the internet comes with some weaknesses and this can be as a result of either the specific standards are not sophisticated enough to provide secure, stable and fast data links, or interaction with lower levelled protocols causes serious problems (Berger, T., 2006).For example the IPSec technology employs three kinds of protocols namely AH, ESP and IKE; in order to ensure security over the public network, this in turn adds overhead on the packet being sent. The IPSec uses two modes for transferring packets: transport and tunneling mode. The tunneling mode is the widely used because the tunnel can be used to access several resources and it encapsulate and encrypts all part of the IP packet within another IP packet. In a research paper by Shue, C. Et al (2005), an analysis was carried out in ord er to evaluate the performance of the overhead associated with IPSec on VPN servers, and the tunneling mode was used. The tunneling mode uses different technologies to ensure added security on the packet: it uses two different kinds of protocols namely ESP and IKE and various encryption algorithm and cryptographic key sizes, by so doing doubling the size of the packet. It is reported that overheads of the IKE protocol are considerably higher than those incurred by ESP for processing a data packet, also cryptographic operations contribute 32 − 60% of the overheads for IKE and 34 − 55% for ESP, and lastly, digital signature generation and Diffie-Hellman computations are the largest contributor of overheads during the IKE process and only a small amount of the overheads can be attributed to the symmetric key encryption and hashing. Also the layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) implemented on the VPN connection originally does not cause any overhead since encryption, authentication and privacy mechanism is not used on the data packet. But when this protocol is combined with IPSec, it adds all the aforementioned mechanism on the packet and makes it very secure but this comes with added problems – protocol overhead, among other things. In this case both the IPSec and L2TP headers are added to the data packet which increases the size of the packet and by so doing, it decreases the VPN performance. (Berger, T., 2006) The Internet, the Problem. There are some articles and journals that clearly argues that VPN does not directly incur processing overhead on the network instead the internet affects the performance. According to an article that was posted on the internet by VPN Consultants in San Francisco Bay Area on FAQ on Security, it was argued that most performance slowdowns will in fact result from inconsistent Internet connections rather than by encryption processing overhead. Also, according to Liu, L. and Gao, W. (2007), explains that IPv4 ( this is an internet protocol that is widely deployed) based networks have inherent deficiencies which have become obstacles to the evolution of networks. They argue that VPNs implemented on the network i.e. the internet automatically inherits some of these problems, such as, big overhead of the net-transport, lack of quality assurance of Service (QoS), NAT traversing problem, and so on. They propose that VPNs implemented on IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6), which is known as â€Å"the next generation protocol† can solve this problems effectively. Packet Loss A VPN tunnel can sometimes suffer high packet loss and reordering of packets problems. Reordering can cause problems for some bridged protocols, and high pack

Artificial Intelligence Essay -- Essays Papers

Artificial Intelligence Computers are everywhere today. It would be impossible to go your entire life without using a computer. Cars, ATMs, and TVs we use everyday, and all contain computers. It is for this reason that computers and their software have to become more intelligent to make our lives easier and computers more accessible. Intelligent computer systems can and do benefit us all; however people have constantly warned that making computers too intelligent can be to our disadvantage. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a field of computer science that attempts to simulate characteristics of human intelligence or senses. These include learning, reasoning, and adapting. This field studies the designs of intelligent agents, or a system that acts intelligibly. The term artificial intelligence is confusing and misleading however. Artificial intelligence is still a form of intelligence, but perhaps â€Å"synthetic intelligence† is a better name because it is not natural intelligence. This is why the name â€Å"computational intelligence†, or CI, is sometimes preferred. Artificial intelligence is used in many objects that we use everyday: cars, microwaves, personal computers, and videogames. There are many different goals for AI, depending upon your field or view. Computer science attempts to make computer systems do what only humans could do in the past. Computational philosophy tries to understand human intelligence at a computer level. AI also has applications in medical programs, factories, robots, and many other tasks. There are several different disciplines of artificial intelligence. They are: different are expert systems, natural languages, simulation of human sensory capabilities, robotics... ...pable of much growth in the years to come. In a few years maybe it will be possible to create systems that are in every way equal to or superior to humans. That can be a scary thought, however impossible it may sound. For now we will just continue to use these systems to our greatest advantage. References Chung, Randolph, and Lynellen D. S. Perry. â€Å"Robotics: introduction.† Crossroads. 4.3 (1998): 2. Klerfors, Daniels. Artificial Neural Networks. Nov. 1998. St. Louis. U. Nov. 2001. http://hem.hj.se/~de96klda/NeuralNetworks.htm. Nadis, Steve. â€Å"We Can Rebuild You.† MIT’s Technology Review. 100 (1997): 16-18. Poole, David, Alan Mackworth, and Randy Goebel. Computational Intelligence, a logical approach. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Turner, Raymond. Logics for Artificial Intelligence. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1984.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 10

Damon was making his way up the beautiful rose-covered trel is below the window of the bedchamber of M. le Princess Jessalyn D'Aubigne, a very wealthy, beautiful, and much-admired girl who had the bluest blood of any vampire in the Dark Dimension, according to the books he'd bought. In fact, he'd listened to the locals and it was rumored that Sage himself had changed her two years ago, and had given her this bijoux castle to live in. Delicate gem that it appeared, though, the little castle had already presented Damon with several problems. There had been that razor-wire fence, on which he ripped his leather jacket; an unusual y dexterous and stubborn guard whom it had real y been a pity to strangle; an inner moat that had almost taken him unawares; and a few dogs that he had treated with the Saber-tranquilizer routine – using Mrs. Flowers's sleeping powder, which he'd brought with him from Earth. It would have been easier to poison them, but Jessalyn was reputed to have a very soft heart for animals and he needed her for at least three days. That should be long enough to make him a vampire – if they did nothing else during those days. Now, as he pul ed himself silently up the trel is, he mental y added long rose thorns to the list of inconveniences. He also rehearsed his first speech to Jessalyn. She had been – was – would forever be – eighteen. But it was a young eighteen, since she had only two years'experience at being a vampire. He comforted himself with this as he climbed silently into a window. Still silently, moving slowly in case the princess had guardian animals in her bedchamber, Damon parted layer after layer of filmy, translucent black curtains that kept the blood-red light of the sun from shining into the chamber. His boots sank into the thick pile of a black rug. Making it out of the enfolding curtains, Damon saw that the entire chamber was decorated in a simple theme by a master of contrast. Jet-black and off-black. black. He liked it a lot. There was an enormous bed with more bil owing filmy black curtains almost encasing it. The only way to approach it was from the foot, where the diaphanous curtains were thinner. Standing there in the cathedral-like silence of the great chamber, Damon looked at the slight figure under the black silk sheets, among dozens of smal throw pil ows. She was a jewel like the castle. Delicate bones. A look of utter innocence as she slept. An ethereal river of fine, scarlet hair spil ing about her. He could see individual hairs straying on the black sheets. She looked a little like Bonnie. Damon was pleased. He pul ed out the same knife he had put to Elena's throat, and just for a moment hesitated – but no, this was no time to be thinking of Elena's golden warmth. Everything depended on this fragile-shouldered child in front of him. He put the point of the knife to his chest, deliberately placing it wide of his heart in case some blood had to be spil ed†¦and coughed. Nothing happened. The princess, who was wearing a black negligee that showed frail-looking arms as fine and pale as porcelain, went on sleeping. Damon noticed that the nails on her smal fingers were lacquered the exact scarlet of her hair. The two large pil ar candles set in tal black stands were giving off an enticing perfume, as wel as being clocks – the farther down they burned, the easier to tel time. The lighting was perfect – everything was perfect – except that Jessalyn was stil asleep. Damon coughed again, loudly – and bumped the bed. The princess woke, starting up and simultaneously bringing two sheathed blades out of her hair. â€Å"Who is it? Is someone there?†She was looking in every direction but the right one. â€Å"It's only me, your highness.†Damon pitched his voice low, but fraught with unrequited need. â€Å"You don't have to be afraid,†he added, now that she'd at last gotten the right direction and seen him. He knelt by the foot of her bed. He'd miscalculated a bit. The bed was so large and high that his chest and the knife were far below Jessalyn's line of sight. â€Å"Here I wil take my life,†he announced, very loudly to make sure that Jessalyn was keeping up with the program. After a moment or two the princess's head popped up over the foot of the bed. She balanced herself with hands spread wide and narrow shoulders hunched close to her. At this distance he could see that her eyes were green – a complicated green consisting of many different rings and speckles. At first she just hissed at him and lifted her knives held in hands whose fingers were tipped with nails of scarlet. Damon bore with her. She would learn in time that al this wasn't real y necessary; that in fact it had gone out of fashion in the real world decades ago and was only kept alive by pulp fiction and old movies. â€Å"Here at your feet I slay myself,†he said again, to make sure she didn't miss a syl able, or the entire point, for that matter. â€Å"You – yourself?†She was suspicious. â€Å"Who are you? How did you get here? Why would you do such a thing?† â€Å"I got here through the road of my madness. I did it out of what I know is madness I can no longer live with.† â€Å"What madness? And are you going to do it now?†the princess asked with interest. â€Å"Because if you're not, I'l have to cal my guards and – wait a minute,†she interrupted herself. She grabbed his knife before he could stop her and licked it. â€Å"This is a metal blade,†she told him, tossing it back. â€Å"I know.†Damon let his head fal so that hair curtained his eyes and said painful y: â€Å"I am†¦a human, your highness.† He was covertly watching through his lashes and he saw that Jessalyn brightened up. â€Å"I thought you were just some weak, useless vampire,†she said absently. â€Å"But now that I look at you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ A rose petal of a pink tongue came out and licked her lips. â€Å"There's no point in wasting the good stuff, is there?† She was like Bonnie. She said exactly what she thought, when she thought it. Something inside Damon wanted to laugh. He stood again, looking at the girl on the bed with al the fire and passion of which he was capable – and felt that it wasn't enough. Thinking about the real Bonnie, alone and unhappy, was†¦wel , passion-quenching. But what else could he do? Suddenly he knew what he could do. Before, when he'd stopped himself from thinking of Elena, he had cut off any genuine passion or desire. But he was doing this for Elena, as much as for himself. Elena couldn't be his Princess of Darkness if he couldn't be her Prince. This time, when he looked down at M. le Princess, it was differently. He could feel the atmosphere change. â€Å"Highness, I have no right even to speak to you,†he said, deliberately putting one booted foot on the metal scrol work that formed the frame of the bed. â€Å"You know as wel as I that you can kil me with a single blow†¦say, here† – pointing to a spot on his jaw – â€Å"but you have already slain me – â€Å" Jessalyn looked confused, but waited. † – with love. I fel in love with you the moment I saw you. You could break my neck, or – as I would say if I were permitted to touch your perfumed white hand – you could curl those fingers around my throat and strangle me. I beg you to do it.† Jessalyn was beginning to look puzzled but excited. Blushing, she held out one smal hand to Damon, but clearly without any intention of strangling him. â€Å"Please, you must,†Damon said earnestly, never taking his eyes off hers. â€Å"That is the only thing I ask of you: that you kil me yourself instead of cal ing your guards so that the last sight I see wil be your beautiful face.† â€Å"You're il ,†Jessalyn decided, stil looking flustered. â€Å"There have been other unbalanced minds who have made their way past the first wal of my castle – although never to my chambers. I'l give you to the doctors so that they can make you wel .† â€Å"Please,†said Damon, who had forged his way through the last of the filmy black hangings and was now looming over the sitting princess. â€Å"Grant me instant death, rather than leaving me to die a little each day. You don't know what I've done. I can't stop dreaming of you. I've fol owed you from shop to shop when you went out. I am already dying now as you ravish me with your nobility and radiance, knowing that I am no more than the paving stones you walk on. No doctor can change that.† Jessalyn was clearly considering. Obviously, no one had ever talked to her like this. Her green eyes fixed on his lips, the lower of which was stil bleeding. Damon gave an indifferent little laugh and said, â€Å"One of your guards caught me and very properly tried to kil me before I could reach you and disturb your sleep. I'm afraid I had to kil him to get here,†he said, standing between one pil ar candle and the girl on the bed so that his shadow was thrown over her. Jessalyn's eyes widened in approval even as the rest of her seemed more fragile than ever. â€Å"It's stil bleeding,†she whispered. â€Å"I could – â€Å" â€Å"You can do anything you want,†Damon encouraged her with a wry quirk of a smile on his lips. It was true. She could. â€Å"Then come here.†She thumped a place by the nearest pil ow on the bed. â€Å"What are you cal ed?† â€Å"Damon,†he said as he stripped off his jacket and lay down, chin propped on one elbow, with the air of one not unused to such things. â€Å"Just that? Damon?† â€Å"You can cut it stil shorter. I am nothing but Shame now,†he replied, taking another minute to think of Elena and to hold Jessalyn's eyes hypnotical y. â€Å"I was a vampire – a powerful and proud one – on Earth – but I was tricked by a kitsune†¦Ã¢â‚¬ He told her a garbled version of Stefan's story, omitting Elena or any nonsense about wanting to be human. He said that when he managed to escape the prison that had taken his vampire self, he decided to end his own human life. But at that moment, he had seen Princess Jessalyn and thought that, serving her, he would be happy with his sorry lot. Alas, he said, it only fed his disgraceful feelings for her highness. â€Å"Now my madness has driven me to actual y accost you in your own chambers. Make an example of me, your highness, that wil cause other evildoers to tremble. Burn me, have me flogged and quartered, put my head on a pike to cause those who might do you il to cast themselves into a fire first.†He was now in bed with her, leaning back a little to expose his bare throat. â€Å"Don't be sil y,†Jessalyn said, with a little catch in her voice. â€Å"Even the meanest of my servants wants to live.† â€Å"Perhaps the ones that never see you do. Scul ions, stable boys – but I cannot live, knowing that I can never have you.† The princess looked Damon over, blushed, gazed for a moment into his eyes†¦and then she bit him. â€Å"I'l get Stefan to go down to the root cel ar,†Elena said to Meredith, who was angrily thumbing tears out of her eyes. â€Å"You know we can't do that. With the police right here in the house – â€Å" â€Å"Then I'll do it – â€Å" â€Å"You can't! You know you can't, Elena, or you wouldn't have come to me!† Elena looked at her friend closely. â€Å"Meredith, you've been donating blood al along,†she whispered. â€Å"You never seemed even slightly bothered†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He only took a tiny bit – always less from me than anyone. And always from my arm. I just pretended I was having blood drawn at the doctor's. No problem. It wasn't even bad with Damon back in the Dark Dimension.† â€Å"But now†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Elena blinked. â€Å"Now – what?† â€Å"Now,†Meredith said with a faraway expression, â€Å"Stefan knows that I'm a hunter-slayer. That I even have a fighting stave. And now I have to†¦to submit to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena had gooseflesh. She felt as if the distance from her to Meredith in the room was getting larger. â€Å"A hunter-slayer?†she said, bewildered. â€Å"And what's a fighting stave?† â€Å"There's no time to explain now! Oh, Elena†¦Ã¢â‚¬  If Plan A was Meredith and Plan B was Matt, there was real y no choice. Plan C had to be Elena herself. Her blood was much stronger than anyone else's anyway, so ful of Power that Stefan would only need a – â€Å"No!†Meredith whispered right in Elena's ear, somehow managing to hiss a word without a single sibilant. â€Å"They're coming down the stairs. We have to find Stefan now! Can you tel him to meet me in the little bedroom behind the parlor?† â€Å"Yes, but – â€Å" â€Å"Do it!† And I stil don't know what a fighting stave is, Elena thought, al owing Meredith to take her arms and propel her toward the bedroom. But I know what a â€Å"hunter-slayer†sounds like, and I definitely don't like it. And that weapon – it makes a stake look like a plastic picnic knife. Stil , she sent to Stefan, who was fol owing the sheriffs downstairs: Meredith is going to donate as much blood as you need to Influence them. There's no time to argue. Come here fast and for God's sake look cheerful and reassuring. Stefan didn't sound cooperative. I can't take enough from her for our minds to touch. It might – Elena lost her temper. She was frightened; she was suspicious of one of her two best friends – a horrible feeling – and she was desperate. She needed Stefan to do just as she said. Get here fast! was al she projected, but she had the feeling that she'd hit him with al of the feelings ful force, because he suddenly turned concerned and gentle. I will, love, he said simply. While the female police officer was searching the kitchen and the male the living room, Stefan stepped into the smal first-floor guest room, with its single rumpled bed. The lamps were turned off but with his night vision he could see Elena and Meredith perfectly wel by the curtains. Meredith was holding herself as stiffly as an acrophobic bungee jumper. Take all you need without permanently harming her – and try to put her to sleep, too. And don't invade her mind too deeply – I'll take care of it. You'd better get out in the hallway, let them see at least one of us, love, Stefan replied soundlessly. Elena was obviously simultaneously frightened for and defensive about her friend and had sped right into micromanagement mode. While this was usual y a good thing, if there was one thing Stefan knew about – even if it was the only thing he knew – it was taking blood. â€Å"I want to ask for peace between our families,†he said, reaching one hand toward Meredith. She hesitated and Stefan, even trying his hardest, could not help but hearing her thoughts, like smal , scuttling creatures at the base of her mind. What was she committing herself to? In what sense did he mean family? It's really just a formality, he told her, trying to gain ground on another front: her acceptance of the touch of his thoughts to hers. Never mind it. â€Å"No,†Meredith said. â€Å"It's important. I want to trust you, Stefan. Only you, but†¦I didn't get the stave until after Klaus was dead.† He thought swiftly. â€Å"Then you didn't know what you were – â€Å" â€Å"No. I knew. But my parents were never active. It was Grandpa who told me about the stave.† Stefan felt a surge of unexpected pleasure. â€Å"So your grandfather's better now?† â€Å"No†¦sort of.†Meredith's thoughts were confusing. His voice changed, she was thinking. Stefan was truly happy that Grandpa's better. Even most humans wouldn't care – not really. â€Å"Of course I care,†Stefan said. â€Å"For one thing, he helped save al our lives – and the town. For another, he's a very brave man – he must have been – to survive an attack by an Old One.† Suddenly, Meredith's cold hand was around his wrist and words were tumbling from her lips in a rush that Stefan could barely understand. But her thoughts stood bright and clear under those words, and through them he got the meaning. â€Å"Al I can know about what happened when I was very young is what I've been told. My parents told me things. My parents changed my birthday – they actual y changed the day we celebrate my birthday on – because a vampire attacked my grandpa, and then my grandpa tried to kil me. They've always said that. But how do they know? They weren't there – that's part of what they say. And what's more likely, that my grandpa attacked me or that the vampire did?†She stopped, panting, trembling al over like a white-tailed doe caught in the forest. Caught, and thinking she was doomed, and unable to run. Stefan put out a hand that he deliberately made warm around Meredith's cold one. â€Å"I won't attack you,†he said simply. â€Å"And I won't disturb any old memories. Good enough?† Meredith nodded. After her cathartic story Stefan knew she wanted as few words as possible. â€Å"Don't be afraid,†he murmured, just as he had thought the soothing phrase into the mind of many an animal he'd chased through the Old Wood. It's all right. There's no reason to fear me. She couldn't help being afraid, but Stefan soothed her as he soothed the forest animals, drawing her into the darkest shadow of the room, calming her with soft words even as his canines screamed at him to bite. He had to fold down the side of her blouse to expose her long, olive-skinned column of neck, and as he did the calming words turned into soft endearments and the kind of reassuring noises he would use to comfort a baby. And at last, when Meredith's breathing had slowed and evened and her eyes had drifted shut, he used the greatest of care to slide his aching fangs into her artery. Meredith barely quivered. Everything was softness as he easily skimmed over the surface of her mind, too, seeing only what he already knew about her: her life with Elena and Bonnie and Caroline. Parties and school, plans and ambitions. Picnics. A swimming hole. Laughter. Tranquility that spread out like a great pool. The need for calm, for control. Al this stretching back as far as she could remember†¦ The farthest depths that she could remember were here at the center†¦where there was a sudden plunging dip. Stefan had promised himself he would not go deeply into her mind, but he was being pul ed, helpless, being dragged down by the whirlpool. The waters closed over his head and he was drawn at tremendous speed to the very depths of a second pool, this one not composed of tranquility, but of rage and fear. And then he saw what had happened, what was happening, what would forever be happening – there at Meredith's stil center.