Monday, October 28, 2019

Agriculture Industry Linkages in the Economy of Jammu and Kashmir Essay Example for Free

Agriculture Industry Linkages in the Economy of Jammu and Kashmir Essay Agriculture plays an important role in contributing to socio-economic development in many countries. It is the primary source for employment, livelihood, and food security for the majority of rural people. The success of this continuation depends largely on the direct impact it has on the national economy as well as how the agricultural sector stimulates the growth of other sectors in the economy. Consequently, understanding the role of agriculture and its linkages to the rest of the economy is important. The inter-relationship between agriculture and industry has been a long debated issue in the development literature. In the Indian context the issue has acquired interest since industrial stagnation in the mid 1960s. Over the years the Indian economy has undergone a structural change in its sectoral composition: from a primary agro-based economy during the 1970s, the economy has emerged as predominant in industry. This has triggered an interest in readdressing the analytical and methodological aspects of the interlinkages between the two sectors the service sector since the 1990s. This structural changes and the uneven pattern of growth of agriculture, industry and service sector economy in the post reforms period is likely to appear substantial changes in the production and demand linkages among various the economy. At the same time the growing integration with the rest of the world in the post-reform period (post 1991 period) and the recent spurt of service sector led growth are also likely to have significant impact on the linkages between the agriculture and industry. This has triggered an interest in read dressing the analytical and methodological aspects of the interlinkages between the two sectors. That agriculture and industry being integral component of development process due to their mutual interdependence and symbiotic relationship, the contribution of agriculture to the economy in general and to industry in particular is well known in almost all the developing countries. However, the degree of interdependence may vary and also change over time. In the theory and empirical literature, the inter-relationship between agriculture and industry has been discussed from different channels. First, agriculture supplies food grains to industry to facilitate absorption of labour in the industry sector. Secondly, agriculture supplies the inputs like raw cotton, jute, tea, coffee etc. needed by the agro-based industries. Thirdly, industry supplies industrial inputs, such as fertilizer, pesticides, machinery etc. to the agriculture sector. Fourthly, agriculture influences the output of industrial consumer goods through demand. Fifthly, agriculture generates surpluses of savings, which can be mobilized for investment in industry, and other sectors of the economy. Sixthly, fluctuations in agricultural production may affect private corporate investment decisions through the impact of the terms of trade on profitability, whereas some of these channels emphasize the agriculture-industry‟ linkage on the supply side or production side, others stress the linkages through the demand side. The production linkages basically arise from the interdependence of the sectors for meeting the needs of their productive inputs, whereas the demand linkage arises from the interdependence of the sectors for meeting final consumption. Further, the linkages between the two sectors can also be categorized into two groups based on the direction of interdependence. One is the backward linkage, which identifies how a sector depends on others for their input supplies and the other is the forward linkage, which identifies how the sector distributes its outputs to the remaining economy. More importantly, these two linkages can indicate a sector’s economic pull and push, because the direction and level of such linkages present the potential capacity of each sector to stimulate other sectors and then reflect the role of this sector accordingly. As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned Agriculture is the predominant sector of the economy. Directly and indirectly, it supports about 80 per cent of the population besides contributing nearly 60 per cent of the state revenue, which adequately explains the over-dependency of the population on agriculture. The overall economic growth of the state depends largely on the progress of the agricultural sector, the development of which becomes even more important in the context of the very nominal progress it has made in the secondary sectors. With the introduction of planned development in the state during 1951-56, production of foodgrains and fruits has increased considerably. During 1998-99, the state produced 15.50 lakh quintals of food grains against 4.53 lakh quintal in 1950-51. Of this, Kashmir region contributed 27.20 per cent, Jammu region 72.14 per cent and Ladakh and Kargil region 0.66 per cent Industries play a vital role in the development of an economy. In this regard unfortunately, JK has not been able to attract investments in industries and remained as an industrially backward state. The state does not have a strong industrial base, because geographical location of the state is such that the setting up of large industries with a large Capital base is not feasible, besides adverse environmental consequences. Nevertheless, many small and medium-scale industries have come up basically in the traditional sectors along with areas like food processing, agro-based units and metallic and non metallic products. Thus in such an sectoral environment were industrial sector has low opportunity, Agriculture provide basic linkages in its development . Thus the state of Jammu and Kashmir were main source of income is agriculture for masses of people, the linkages between Agriculture and Industry is very important to study in order to know the potential of Agriculture to develop an industrial environment in the state. In mean while it is important to study the dependence of agriculture on industry, so that both sectors will flourish the development in the state of Jammu Kashmir. The macroeconomic linkage between the agricultural sector and industrial growth has been one of the most widely investigated in the development literature. In the early stages, researchers paid great attention in studying the relationship between the agricultural and industrial sectors, and how these sectors were inter-related. They argued that agriculture only plays a passive role; which is to be the most important source of resources (food, fiber, and raw material) for the development of industry and other nonagricultural sectors (Rosenstein-Rodan, 1943; Lewis, 1954; Ranis and Fei, 1961). Many of these analysts highlighted agriculture for its resource abundance, and its ability to transfer surpluses to the more important industrial sector. India being a predominantly agrarian economy and an agro-based industrial structure, the interrelationship between agriculture and industry has been one of the major issues for the researchers and policy makers since the beginning of the planning period. In the pre and early post-independence period, the industry sector had a close relationship with agriculture due to the agro-based industrial structure (Satyasai and Baidyanathan, 1997). Satyasai and Viswanathan (1999) found that the output elasticity of industry with respect to agriculture was 0.13 during 1950-51 to 1965-66. Rangarajan (1982) has found that a 1.0 percent growth in agricultural production increases industrial production by 0.5 percent, and thus, GDP by 0.7 percent during 1961-1972. However, the industrial sector witnessed a slow growth, stagnation since the mid 1960s, which was largely attributed to the stunnedagricultural growth and favourable agricultural TOT, among other factors (Patnaik, 1972; Nayyar, 1978 and Bhatla, 2003).10 In fact the interdependence between the two sectors has found to be weakened during the 1980s and 1990s (Bhattacharya and Mitra, 1989; Satyasai and Viswanathan, 1997). For instance, Bhattacharya and Rao (1986) have found that the partial output elasticity of industry with respect to agriculture has declined from 0.15 during 1951/52 – 1965/66 to 0.03 during 1966/67-1983/84. Contradictorily, Satyasai and Viswanathan (1999) found that the output elasticity of industry with respect to agriculture has increased from 0.13 during 1950/51-1965/66 to 0.18 during 1966/67–1983/84, and then remained at the same level 0.18 during 1984/85-1996/97. The deteriorating linkages between agriculture and industry have been primarily credited to the deficiency in demand for agricultural products, decline in share of agro-based industries coupled with slow employment growth (Rangarajan, 1982; Bhattacharya and Rao, 1986; and Chowdhury and Chowdhury, 1995). Sastry et al. (2003), for the period 1981-82 to 1999-2000, found that the forward production linkage between agriculture and industry has declined, whereas backward production linkage has increased. They also found significant impact of agricultural output on industrial output, and that agriculture’s demand linkage to industry has declined, while that of from industry to agriculture has increased. Economic and Political Weekly August 26, 1989 1963 wean agriculture and merely the set of industrial consumption goods like clothing, footwear, sugar and edible oils, it may be concluded that the overall intersectoral linkages appear quite modest. The early writers, for example Rosestein-Rodan (1943), Lewis (1954), Scitovosky (1954), Hirchman (1958), Jorgeson (1961), Fei and Ranis (1961) and others emphasized the role of agriculture only as a primary supplier of wage goods and raw materials and abundant labour supply to industry (Johnston and Mellor, 1961 and Vogel, 1994). The role of agriculture in the transformation of a developing economy was seen as ancillary to the central strategy of accelerating the pace of industrialization (Vogel, 1994). Kalecki (1976) also pointed out the importance of investment and technological advances in agriculture for the rapid development of industry. The traditional literature on inter-sectoral linkages in the growth process generally emphasises the role of agriculture as a primary supplier of wage goods and raw materials to industry (supply-linkage on the one hand and as a provider of major output for in- dustrial goods (demand linkage) on the other [Johnston and Mellor, 1961 and tertiary sector in a modern economy. Further, it may be noted that with growing mechanization of agriculture it becomes dependent on industry for basic inputs, like, fertiliser, power, pesticides, etc. Incidentally the agriculture-industry relationship becomes more complicated in this process. A slow growth of net availability of food- grains or alternatively the movement of inter-sectoral terms of trade in favor of the agricultural sector is believed to cause deceleration of the industrial sector. However, empirically speaking there was no slow down in the growth of production of food- grains after the mid-sixties [Ahluwalia: 1985]. Nor was there any fall in the marketed surplus of agriculture [rhamarajakshi: 1977] so as to be related to the industrial decelera- tion. But, so far as the agriculture vis-à  -vis industry terms of trade is concerned, one en- counters a series of mixed evidence. Whe Thamarajakshi [1977], and Mitra [1977] visualised a favouralJe terms of trade for the agricultural sector during the mid-sixties andearly seventies, Khalon and lyagi [1983] obtained evidence that stand quite contrary to others view. Mundle [1977], however main- tains that in terms of intersectoral resource flow-of which terms of trade is just a single component-the industrial sector has been undergoing loss since the mid-sixties. Prior to that it was agriculture which was experiencing an outflow of resources. Rangarajan [1982a] in his macro econometric model makes an attempt to capture the demand linkage between agriculture and industry. He identifies a positive impact that agricultural output has on the demand for industrial consumption goods. The effect of foodgrain terms of trade on industrial products has been negative but elasticity is negligible. Both agricultural output and terms of trade had a positive influence on household saving and investment. Keeping in view such segmented impact of agriculture on industry zplaining the behaviour of indugtrial produc- tion purely in terms of agricultural performance .Bhattacharya and Rao [1986] emphasisesthe sluggishness that continued in the per-formance of industry even after the relative relaxation of the wage goods constraint that occurred during the green revolution period. Thus, the theoretical literature in the â€Å"agriculture-industry linkages † has broadly highlighted the place of agriculture and non-agriculture sector, especially industry in the development process and contribution of each in augmenting growth of output and employment. Most of the theoretical literature has largely focused only on one side of the â€Å"agriculture-industry linkages ’’ i.e. either the supply side linkages or demand side linkages. However it is both the demand side and supply side linkages that work together in an inter-sectoral framework, which determines the interlinkages between the two sectors. In this respect Bhaduri (2003) and Bhaduri (2007) are two important contributions in the literature. Bhaduri (2003) extends Kaldor’s model by considering the role of the agricultural surplus from the supply side as well as the importance of the demand side effect for industrial goods. In this set up, both the sectors grow in tandem, reinforcing and reinvigorating each other’s growth impulse, by resolving each other’s potential realization problem (Jha, 2010). Further, Bhaduri et al. (2007) have extended the Kaldor’s model by contrasting between the supply side and demand side linkages of the two sectors from the TOT point of view. Thus there has been lot of researches, publication and models on the topic â€Å"Agriculture industry linkages in the economy† given by many renowned economists, and peoples associated with this field. Everyone concluded that there is an unlimited linkage between two sectors which not only develop one other but also give birth to other sectors as well. Thus to conclude it can be said that in an economy mostly there is a l arge number of linkages originated from a primary level and put economy to those sectors which keep it in the level of developed ones.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

A Decentralized Supply Chain Essay -- Business, Optimal Supply Chain

A decentralized supply chain Is one where each supply chain entity – manufacturer, retailer, intermediary, is free to make it's own operational decisions. However, these decisions need not necessarily all be in the best interest of the entire supply chain, but rather are usually taken keeping in mind the best interests of just the individual entity. a) Recent Literature on supply chain co-ordination with contracts Optimal supply chain performance requires the execution of a precise set of actions that are not always in the interest of the individual supply chain members, who are most often interested in only optimizing their own objectives (Cachon et al. (2003)). Optimal supply chain performance can be achieved if firms coordinate by contracting on a set of transfer payments that are design to align each firm's objective to the supply chain objective. This mechanism is termed decentralized supply chain co-ordination using contracts. In the following, we review some of the important contracts found in recent supply chain literature, the significant assumptions made while deriving the different contract types, the practical use and limitations of each type of contract. Through this section, we aim to develop an essential vocabulary of the state of the art in supply chain contracts and to use this knowledge to develop optimal, coordinating contractual structures for the problems in this dissertation.( Cachon et al. (2003)). Wholesale price contract: With a wholesale price contract, the supplier charges the retailer a fixed price w per-unit of product purchased. Lariviere and Porteus (2001) analyze a wholesale price contract in the context of the news-vendor model. They consider a manufacturer producing a single good at a mar... ...ize the probability of achieving a certain target. They obtain contracts based on the pareto optimality criterion, which is again different from the Nash Equilibrium criterion usually used to derive optimal contract parameters. The authors setup a definition of a pareto contract as : â€Å"Within a contractual form, a contract is said to be Pareto if its parameter set is Pareto, that is, there does not exist an alternative parameter set such that no agent is worse off and at least one agent is strictly better off.† They also note that Pareto contracts do not co-ordinate a supply chain, because there is one agent that is always strictly better off than other agents and for a contract to co-ordinate a supply chain, we need that the optimal actions of the agents under the contract lead to pareto optimality for the supply chain, as a whole, and not any individual agent.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 15. Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock

15. Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Hey Jake, thought you said you wanted me at dusk. How come you didn't have Leah wake me up before she crashed? ‘Cause I didn't need you. I'm still good. He was already picking up the north half of the circle. Anything? Nope. Nothing but nothing. You did some scouting? He'dcaught the edge of one of my side trips. He headed up the new trail. Yeah – ran a few spokes. You know, just checking. If the Cullens are going to make a hunting trip†¦ Good call. Seth looped back toward the main perimeter. It was easier to run with him than it was to do the same with Leah. Though she was trying – trying hard – there was always an edge to her thoughts. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to feel the softening toward the vampires that was going on in my head. She didn't want to deal with Seth's cozy friendship with them, a friendship that was only getting stronger. Funny, though, I'd've thought her biggest issue would just be me. We'd always gotten on each other's nerves when we were in Sam's pack. But there was no antagonism toward me now at all, just the Cullens andBella. I wondered why. Maybe it was simply gratitude that I wasn't forcing her to leave. Maybe it was because I understood her hostility better now. Whichever, running with Leah wasn't nearly as bad as I'd expected. Of course, she hadn't eased up that much. The food and clothes Esme had sent for her were all taking a trip downriver right now. Even after I'd eaten my share – not because it smelled nearly irresistible away from the vampire burn, but to set a good example of self-sacrificing tolerance for Leah – she'd refused. The small elk she'd taken down around noon had not totally satisfied her appetite. Did make her mood worse, though. Leah hated eating raw. Maybe we should runa sweep east? Seth suggested. Go deep, see if they're out there waiting. I was thinking about that,I agreed. But let's do it when we're all awake. I don't want to let down our guard. We should do it before the Cullens give it a try, though. Soon. Right. That got me thinking. If the Cullens were able to get out of the immediate area safely, they really ought to keep on going. They probably should have taken off the second we'd come to warn them. They had to be able to afford other digs. And they had friends up north, right? Take Bella and run. It seemed like an obvious answer to their problems. I probably ought to suggest that, but I was afraid they would listen to me. And I didn't wantto haveBella disappear – to never know whether she'd made it or not. No, that was stupid. I wouldtell them togo. It made no sense for them to stay, and it would be better – not less painful, but healthier – for me if Bella left. Easyto say now, when Bella wasn't right there, looking all thrilled to see me and also clinging to life by her fingernails at the same time†¦ Oh, I already asked Edward about that,Seth thought. What? I asked him why they hadn't taken off yet. Gone up to Tanya's place or something. Somewhere too far for Sam to come after them. I had to remind myself that I'd just decided to give the Cullens that exact advice. That it was best. So I shouldn't be mad at Seth for taking the chore out of my hands. Not mad at all. So what did he say? Are they waiting for a window? No. They're not leaving. And that shouldn't sound like good news. Why not? That's just stupid. Not really,Seth said, defensive now. It takes some time to build up the kind of medical access that Carlisle has here. He's got all the stuff he needs to take care of Bella, and the credentials to get more. That's one of the reasons they want to make a hunting run. Carlisle thinks they're going to need more blood for Bella soon. She's using up all the O negative they stored for her. He doesn't like depleting the stockpile. He's going to buy some more. Did you know you can buy blood? If you're a doctor. I wasn't ready to be logical yet. Still seems stupid. They could bring most of it with them, right? And steal what they need wherever they go. Who cares about legal crap when you're the undead? Edward doesn't want to take any risks moving her. She's better than she was. Seriously,Seth agreed. In his head, he was comparing my memories of Bella hooked up to the tubes with the last time he'd seen her as he'd left the house. She'd smiled at him and waved. But she can't move around much, you know. That thing is kicking the hell out of her. I swallowed back the stomach acid in my throat. Yeah, I know. Broke another of her ribs,he told me somberly. My stride faltered, and I staggered a step before I regained my rhythm. Carlisle taped her up again. Just another crack, he said. Then Rosalie said something about how even normal human babies have been known to crack ribs. Edward looked like he was gonna rip her head off. Too bad he didn't Seth was in full report mode now – knowing it was all vitally interesting to me, though I'd never've asked to hear it. Bella's been running a fever off and on today. Just low grade – sweats and then chills. Carlisle's not sure what to make of it – shemightjust be sick. Her immune system can't be in peak form right now. Yeah, I'm sure it's just a coincidence. She's in a good mood, though. She was chatting with Charlie, laughing and all – Charlie!What?! What do you mean, she was talking to Charlie?! Now Seth's pace stuttered; my fury surprised him. Guess he calls every day to talk to her. Sometimes her mom calls, too. Bella sounds so much better now, so she was reassuring him that she was on the mend-On the mend? What the hell are they thinking?! Get Charlie's hopes up just so that he can be destroyed even worse when she dies? I thought they were getting him ready for that! Trying to prepare him! Why would she set him up like this? She might not die,Seth thought quietly. I took deep breath, trying to calm myself. Seth. Even if she pulls through this, she's not doing it human. She knows that, and so do the rest of them. If she doesn't die, she's going to have to do a pretty convincing impersonation of a corpse, kid. Either that, or disappear. I thought they were trying to make this easier on Charlie. Why†¦ ? Think it's Bella's idea. No one said anything, but Edward's face kinda went right along with what you're thinking now. On the same wavelength with the bloodsucker yet again. We ran in silence for a few minutes. I started off along a new line, probing south. Don't get too far. Why? Bella asked me to ask you to stop by. My teeth locked together. Alice wants you, too. She says she's tired of hanging out in the attic like the vampire bat in the belfry. Seth snorted a laugh. was switching off with Edward before. Trying to keep Bella's temperature stable. Cold to hot, as needed. I guess, if you don't want to do it, I could go back – No. I got it,I snapped. Okay.Seth didn't make any more comments. He concentrated very hard on the empty forest. I kept my southern course, searching for anything new. I turned around when I got close to the first signs of habitation. Not near the town yet, but I didn't want to get any wolf rumors going again. We'd been nice and invisible for a long while now. I passed right through the perimeter on my way back, heading for the house. As much as I knew it was a stupid thing to do, I couldn't stop myself. I must be some kind of masochist. There's nothing wrong with you, Jake. This isn't the most normal situation. Shut up, please, Seth. Shutting. I didn't hesitate at the door this time; I just walked through like I owned the place. I figured that would piss Rosalie off, but it was a wasted effort. Neither Rosalie or Bella were anywhere in sight. I looked around wildly, hoping I'd missed them somewhere, my heart squeezing against my ribs in a weird, uncomfortable way. â€Å"She's all right,† Edward whispered. â€Å"Or, the same, I should say.† Edward was on the couch with his face in his hands; he hadn't looked up to speak. Esme was next to him, her arm wrapped tight around his shoulders. â€Å"Hello, Jacob,† she said. â€Å"I'm so glad you came back.† â€Å"Me, too,† Alice said with a deep sigh. She came prancing down the stairs, making a face. Like 1 was late for an appointment. â€Å"Uh, hey,† I said. It felt weird to try to be polite. â€Å"Where's Bella?† â€Å"Bathroom,† Alice told me. â€Å"Mostly fluid diet, you know. Plus, the whole pregnancy thing does that to you, I hear.† â€Å"Ah.† I stood there awkwardly, rocking back and forth on my heels. â€Å"Oh, wonderful,† Rosalie grumbled. I whipped my head around and saw her coming from a hall half-hidden behind the stairway. She had Bella cradled gently in her arms, a harsh sneer on her face for me. â€Å"I knew I smelled something nasty.† And, just like before, Bella's face lit up like a kid's on Christmas morning. Like I'd brought her the greatest gift ever. It was so unfair. â€Å"Jacob,† she breathed. â€Å"You came.† â€Å"Hi, Bells.† Esme and Edward both got up. I watched how carefully Rosalie laid Bella out on the couch. I watched how, despite that, Bella turned white and held her breath – like she was set on not making any noise no matter how much it hurt. Edward brushed his hand across her forehead and then along her neck. He tried to make it look as if he was just sweeping her hair back, but it looked like a doctor's examination to me. â€Å"Are you cold?† he murmured. I'm fine.† â€Å"Bella, you know what Carlisle told you,† Rosalie said. â€Å"Don't downplay anything. It doesn't help us take care of either of you.† â€Å"Okay, I'm a little cold. Edward, can you hand me that blanket?† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Isn't that sort of the point of me being here?† â€Å"You just walked in,† Bella said. â€Å"After running all day, I'd bet. Put your feet up for a minute. I'll probably warm up again in no time.† I ignored her, going to sit on the floor next the sofa while she was still telling me what to do. At that point, though, I wasn't sure how†¦. She looked pretty brittle, and I was afraid to move her, even to put my arms around her. So I just leaned carefully against her side, letting my arm rest along the length of hers, and held her hand. Then I put my other hand against her face. It was hard to tell if she felt colder than usual. â€Å"Thanks, Jake,† she said, and I felt her shiver once. â€Å"Yeah,† I said. Edward sat on the arm of the sofa by Bella's feet, his eyes always on her face. It was too much to hope, with all the super-hearing in the room, that no one would notice my stomach rumbling. â€Å"Rosalie, why don't you get Jacob something from the kitchen?† Alice said. She was invisible now, sitting quietly behind the back of the sofa. Rosalie stared at the place Alice's voice had come from in disbelief. â€Å"Thanks, anyway, Alice, but I don't think I'd want to eat something Blondie's spit in. I'd bet my system wouldn't take too kindly to venom.† â€Å"Rosalie would never embarrass Esme by displaying such a lack of hospitality.† â€Å"Of course not,† Blondie said in a sugar-sweet voice that I immediately distrusted. She got up and breezed out of the room. Edward sighed. â€Å"You'd tell me if she poisoned it, right?† I asked. â€Å"Yes,† Edward promised. And for some reason I believed him. There was a lot of banging in the kitchen, and – weirdly – the sound of metal protesting as it was abused. Edward sighed again, but smiled just a little, too. Then Rosalie was back before I could think much more about it. With a pleased smirk, she set a silver bowl on the floor next to me. â€Å"Enjoy, mongrel.† It had once probably been a big mixing bowl, but she'd bent the bowl back in on itself until it was shaped almost exactly like a dog dish. I had to be impressed with her quick craftsmanship. And her attention to detail. She'd scratched the word Fido into the side. Excellent handwriting. Because the food looked pretty good – steak, no less, and a big baked potato with all the fixings – I told her, â€Å"Thanks, Blondie.† She snorted. â€Å"Hey, do you know what you call a blonde with a brain?† I asked, and then continued on the same breath, â€Å"a golden retriever.† â€Å"I've heard that one, too,† she said, no longer smiling. â€Å"I'll keep trying,† I promised, and then I dug in. She made a disgusted face and rolled her eyes. Then she sat in one of the armchairs and started flicking through channels on the big TV so fast that there was no way she could really be surfing for something to watch. The food was good, even with the vampire stink in the air. I was getting really used to that. Huh. Not something I'd been wanting to do, exactly†¦ When I was finished – though I was considering licking the bowl, just to give Rosalie something to complain about – I felt Bella's cold fingers pulling softly through my hair. She patted it down against the back of my neck. â€Å"Time for a haircut, huh?† â€Å"You're getting a little shaggy,† she said. â€Å"Maybe – â€Å" â€Å"Let me guess, someone around here used to cut hair in a salon in Paris?† She chuckled. â€Å"Probably.† â€Å"No thanks,† I said before she could really offer. â€Å"I'm good for a few more weeks.† Which made me wonder how long she was good for. I tried to think of a polite way to ask. â€Å"So†¦ urn†¦ what's the, er, date? You know, the due date for the little monster.† She smacked the back of my head with about as much force as a drifting feather, but didn't answer. â€Å"I'm serious,† I told her. â€Å"I want to know how long I'm gonna have to be here.† How long you're gonna be here, I added in my head. I turned to look at her then. Her eyes were thoughtful; the stress line was there between her brows again. â€Å"I don't know,† she murmured. â€Å"Not exactly. Obviously, we're not going with the nine-month model here, and we can't get an ultrasound, so Carlisle is guesstimating from how big I am. Normal people are supposed to be about forty centimeters here† – she ran her finger right down the middle of her bulging stomach – â€Å"when the baby is fully grown. One centimeter for every week. I was thirty this morning, and I've been gaining about two centimeters a day, sometimes more___† Two weeks to a day, the days flying by. Her life speeding by in fast-forward. How many days did that give her, if she was counting to forty? Four? It took me a minute to figure out how to swallow. â€Å"You okay?† she asked. I nodded, not really sure how my voice would come out. Edward's face was turned away from us as he listened to my thoughts, but I could see his reflection in the glass wall. He was the burning man again. Funny how having a deadline made it harder to think about leaving, or having her leave. I was glad Seth'd brought that up, so I knew they were staying here. It would be intolerable, wondering if they were about to go, to take away one or two or three of those four days. My four days. Also funny how, even knowing that it was almost over, the hold she had on me only got harder to break. Almost like it was related to her expanding belly – as if by getting bigger, she was gaining gravitational force. For a minute I tried to look at her from a distance, to separate myself from the pull. I knew it wasn't my imagination that my need for her was stronger than ever. Why was that? Because she was dying? Or knowing that even if she didn't, still – best case scenario – she'd be changing into something else that I wouldn't know or understand? She ran her finger across my cheekbone, and my skin was wet where she touched it. â€Å"It's going to be okay,† she sort of crooned. It didn't matter that the words meant nothing. She said it the way people sang those senseless nursery rhymes to kids. Rock-a-bye, baby. â€Å"Right,† I muttered. She curled against my arm, resting her head on my shoulder. â€Å"I didn't think you would come. Seth said you would, and so did Edward, but I didn't believe them.† â€Å"Why not?† I asked gruffly. â€Å"You're not happy here. But you came anyway.† â€Å"You wanted me here.† â€Å"I know. But you didn't have to come, because it's not fair for me to want you here. I would have understood.† It was quiet for a minute. Edward'd put his face back together. He looked at the TV as Rosalie went on flipping through the channels. She was into the six hundreds. I wondered how long it would take to get back to the beginning. â€Å"Thank you for coming,† Bella whispered. â€Å"Can I ask you something?† I asked. â€Å"Of course.† Edward didn't look like he was paying attention to us at all, but he knew what I was about to ask, so he didn't fool me. â€Å"Why do you want me here? Seth could keep you warm, and he's probably easier to be around, happy little punk. But when walk in the door, you smile like I'm your favorite person in the world.† â€Å"You're one of them.† â€Å"That sucks, you know.† â€Å"Yeah.† She sighed. â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"Why, though? You didn't answer that.† Edward was looking away again, like he was staring out the windows. His face was blank in the reflection. â€Å"It feels†¦ complete when you're here, Jacob. Like all my family is together. I mean, I guess that's what it's like – I've never had a big family before now. It's nice.† She smiled for half a second. â€Å"But it's just not whole unless you're here.† â€Å"I'll never be part of your family, Bella.† I could have been. I would have been good there. But that was just a distant future that died long before it had a chance to live. â€Å"You've always been a part of my family,† she disagreed. My teeth made a grinding sound. ‘That's a crap answer.† â€Å"What's a good one?† â€Å"How about, ‘Jacob, I get a kick out of your pain.'† I felt her flinch. â€Å"You'd like that better?† she whispered. â€Å"It's easier, at least. I could wrap my head around it. I could deal with it.† I looked back down at her face then, so close to mine. Her eyes were shut and she was frowning. â€Å"We got off track, Jake. Out of balance. You're supposed to be part of my life – I can feel that, and so can you.† She paused for a second without opening her eyes – like she was waiting for me to deny it. When I didn't say anything, she went on. â€Å"But not like this. We did something wrong. No. I did. I did something wrong, and we got off track___† Her voice trailed off, and the frown on her face relaxed until it was just a little pucker at the corner of her lips. I waited for her to pour some more lemon juice into my paper cuts, but then a soft snore came from the back of her throat. â€Å"She's exhausted,† Edward murmured. â€Å"It's been a long day. A hard day. I think she would have gone to sleep earlier, but she was waiting for you.† I didn't look at him. â€Å"Seth said it broke another of her ribs.† â€Å"Yes. It's making it hard for her to breathe.† â€Å"Great.† â€Å"Let me know when she gets hot again.† â€Å"Yeah.† She still had goose bumps on the arm that wasn't touching mine. I'd barely raised my head to look for a blanket when Edward snagged one draped over the arm of the sofa and flung it out so that it settled over her. Occasionally, the mind-reading thing saved time. For example, maybe I wouldn't have to make a big production out of the accusation about what was going on with Charlie. That mess. Edward would just hear exactly how furious – â€Å"Yes,† he agreed. â€Å"It's not a good idea.† â€Å"Then why?† Why was Bella telling her father she was on the mend when it would only make him more miserable? â€Å"She can't bear his anxiety.† â€Å"So it's better – â€Å" â€Å"No. It's not better. But I'm not going to force her to do anything that makes her unhappy now. Whatever happens, this makes her feel better. I'll deal with the rest afterward.† That didn't sound right. Bella wouldn't just shuffle Charlie's pain off to some later date, for someone else to face. Even dying. That wasn't her. If I knew Bella, she had to have some other plan. â€Å"She's very sure she's going to live,† Edward said. â€Å"But not human,† I protested. â€Å"No, not human. But she hopes to see Charlie again, anyway.† Oh, this just got better and better. â€Å"See. Charlie.† I finally looked at him, my eyes bugging. â€Å"Afterwards. See Charlie when she's all sparkly white with the bright red eyes. I'm not a bloodsucker, so maybe I'm missing something, but Charlie seems like kind of a strange choice for her first meal.† Edward sighed. â€Å"She knows she won't be able to be near him for at least a year. She thinks she can stall. Tell Charlie she has to go to a special hospital on the other side of the world. Keep in contact through phone calls___† â€Å"That's insane.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Charlie's not stupid. Even if she doesn't kill him, he's going to notice a difference.† â€Å"She's sort of banking on that.† I continued to stare, waiting for him to explain. â€Å"She wouldn't be aging, of course, so that would set a time limit, even if Charlie accepted whatever excuse she comes up with for the changes.† He smiled faintly. â€Å"Do you remember when you tried to tell her about your transformation? How you made her guess?† My free hand flexed into a fist. â€Å"She told you about that?† â€Å"Yes. She was explaining her†¦ idea. You see, she's not allowed totell Charlie the truth – it would be very dangerous for him. But he's a smart, practical man. She thinks he'll come up with his own explanation. She assumes he'll get it wrong.† Edward snorted. â€Å"After all, we hardly adhere to vampire canon. He'll make some wrong assumption about us, like she did in the beginning, and we'll go along with it. She thinks she'll be able to see him†¦ from time to time.† â€Å"Insane,† I repeated. â€Å"Yes,† he agreed again. It was weak of him to let her get her way on this, just to keep her happy now. It wouldn't turn out well. Which made me think that he probably wasn't expecting her to live to try out her crazy plan. Placating her, so that she could be happy for a little while longer. Like four more days. â€Å"I'll deal with whatever comes,† he whispered, and he turned his face down and away so that I couldn't even read his reflection. â€Å"I won't cause her pain now.† â€Å"Four days?†I asked. He didn't look up. â€Å"Approximately.† â€Å"Then what?† â€Å"What do you mean, exactly?† I thought about what Bella had said. About the thing being wrapped up nice and tight in something strong, something like vampire skin. So how did that work? How did it get out? â€Å"From what little research we've been able to do, it would appear the creatures use their own teeth to escape the womb,† he whispered. I had to pause to swallow back the bile. â€Å"Research?† I asked weakly. â€Å"That's why you haven't seen Jasper and Emmett around. That's what Carlisle is doing now. Trying to decipher ancient stories and myths, as much as we can with what we have to work with here, looking for anything that might help us predict the creature's behavior.† Stories? If there were myths, then†¦ â€Å"Then is this thing not the first of its kind?† Edward asked, anticipating my question. â€Å"Maybe. It's all very sketchy. The myths could easily be the products of fear and imagination. Though .. .† – he hesitated – â€Å"your myths are true, are they not? Perhaps these are, too. They do seem to be localized, linked___† â€Å"How did you find†¦ ?† â€Å"There was a woman we encountered in South America. She'd been raised in the traditions of her people. She'd heard warnings about such creatures, old stories that had been passed down.† â€Å"What were the warnings?† I whispered. â€Å"That the creature must be killed immediately. Before it could gain too much strength.† Just like Sam thought. Was he right? â€Å"Of course, their legends say the same of us. That we must be destroyed. That we are soulless murderers.† Two for two. Edward laughed one hard chuckle. â€Å"What did their stories say about the†¦ mothers?† Agony ripped across his face, and, as I flinched away from his pain, I knew he wasn't going to give me an answer. I doubted he could talk. tt was Rosalie – who'd been so still and quiet since Bella'd fallen asleep that I'd nearly forgotten her – who answered. She made a scornful noise in the back of her throat. â€Å"Of course there were no survivors,† she said. No survivors, blunt and uncaring. â€Å"Giving birth in the middle of a disease-infested swamp with a medicine man smearing sloth spit across your face to drive out the evil spirits was never the safest method. Even the normal births went badly half the time. None of them had what this baby has – caregivers with an idea of what the baby needs, who try to meet those needs. A doctor with a totally unique knowledge of vampire nature. A plan in place to deliver the baby as safely as possible. Venom that will repair anything that goes wrong. The baby will be fine. And those other mothers would probably have survived if they'd had that – if they even existed in the first place. Something I am not convinced of.† She sniffed disdainfully. The baby, the baby. Like that was all that mattered. Bella's life was a minor detail to her – easy to blow off. Edward's face went white as snow. His hands curved into claws. Totally egotistical and indifferent, Rosalie twisted in her chair so that her back was to him. He leaned forward, shifting into a crouch. Allow me,I suggested. He paused, raising one eyebrow. Silently, I lifted my doggy bowl off the floor. Then, with a quick, powerful flip of my wrist, I threw it into the back of Blondie's head so hard that – with an earsplitting bang – it smashed flat before it ricocheted across the room and snapped the round top piece off the thick newel post at the foot of the stairs. Bella twitched but didn't wake up. â€Å"Dumb blonde,† I muttered. Rosalie turned her head slowly, and her eyes were blazing. â€Å"You. Got. Food. In. My. Hair.† That did it. I busted up.I pulled away fromBella so that I wouldn't shake her, and laughed so hard that tears ran down my face. From behind the couch, I heard Alice's tinkling laugh join in. I wondered why Rosalie didn't spring. I sort of expected it. But then I realized that my laughing had woken Bella up, though she'd slept right through the real noise. â€Å"What's so funny?† she mumbled. â€Å"I got food in her hair,† I told her, chortling again. â€Å"I'm not going to forget this, dog,† Rosalie hissed. â€Å"S'not so hard to erase a blonde's memory,† I countered. â€Å"Just blow in her ear.† â€Å"Get some new jokes,† she snapped. â€Å"C'mon, Jake. Leave Rose alo – † Bella broke off mid-sentence and sucked in a sharp breath. In the same second, Edward was leaning over the top of me, ripping the blanket out of the way. She seemed to convulse, her back arching off the sofa. â€Å"He's just,† she panted, â€Å"stretching.† Her lips were white, and she had her teeth locked together like she was trying to hold back a scream. Edward put both hands on either side of her face. â€Å"Carlisle?† he called in a tense, low voice. â€Å"Right here,† the doctor said. I hadn't heard him come in. â€Å"Okay,† Bella said, still breathing hard and shallow. â€Å"Think it's over. Poor kid doesn't have enough room, that's all. He's getting so big.† It was really hard to take, that adoring tone she used to describe the thing that was tearing her up. Especially after Rosalie's callousness. Made me wish I could throw something at Bella, too. She didn't pick up on my mood. â€Å"You know, he reminds me of you, Jake,† she said – affectionate tone – still gasping. â€Å"Do not compare me to that thing,† I spit out through my teeth. â€Å"I just meant your growth spurt,† she said, looking like I'd hurt her feelings. Good. â€Å"You shot right up. I could watch you getting taller by the minute. He's like that, too. Growing so fast.† I bit my tongue to keep from saying what I wanted to say – hard enough that I tasted blood in my mouth. Of course, it would heal before I could swallow. That's what Bella needed. To be strong like me, to be able to heal†¦. She took an easier breath and then relaxed back into the sofa, her body going limp. â€Å"Hmm,† Carlisle murmured. I looked up, and his eyes were on me. â€Å"What?† I demanded. Edward's head leaned to one side as he reflected on whatever was in Carlisle's head. â€Å"You know that I was wondering about the fetus's genetic makeup, Jacob. About his chromosomes.† â€Å"What of it?† â€Å"Well, taking your similarities into consideration – â€Å" â€Å"Similarif/es?† I growled, not appreciating the plural. â€Å"The accelerated growth, and the fact that Alice cannot see either of you.† I felt my face go blank. I'd forgotten about that other one. â€Å"Well, I wonder if that means that we have an answer. If the similarities are gene-deep.† â€Å"Twenty-four pairs,† Edward muttered under his breath. â€Å"You don't know that.† â€Å"No. But it's interesting to speculate,† Carlisle said in a soothing voice. â€Å"Yeah. Just fascinating† Bella's light snore started up again, accenting my sarcasm nicely. They got into it then, quickly taking the genetics conversation to a point where the only words I could understand were the the's and the ands. And my own name, of course. Alice joined in, commenting now and then in her chirpy bird voice. Even though they were talking about me, I didn't try to figure out the conclusions they were drawing. I had other things on my mind, a few facts I was trying to reconcile. Fact one, Bella'd said that the creature was protected by something as strong as vampire skin, something that was too impenetrable for ultrasounds, too tough for needles. Fact two, Rosalie'd said they had a plan to deliver the creature safely. Fact three, Edward'd said that – in myths – other monsters like this one would chew their way out of their own mothers. I shuddered. And that made a sick kind of sense, because, fact four, not many things could cut through something as strong as vampire skin. The half-creature's teeth – according to myth – were strong enough. My teeth were strong enough. And vampire teeth were strong enough. It was hard to miss the obvious, but I sure wished I could. Because I had a pretty good idea exactly how Rosalie planned to get that thing â€Å"safely† out.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Is playing Sports a good hobby?

Sport is identified as a physical activity carried out by human beings usually executed by following a set of rules and principles to ensure fair competition among the candidates. Playing sports and indulging in physical activities aids in confirming various health benefits including comfortable respiration, muscular development, bone strength, advanced life expectancy, and coronary fitness. Playing sports helps in safeguarding the body and prevents it from contracting various types of diseases like cancer.Also, it assists in controlling unnecessary weight gain and depression by diverting the mind in a positive direction. Some of the affirmative effects of playing sports have been discussed below. It is a known fact that regaling in any kind of physical activity leads to a healthy workout and consequently promotes weight loss. Sports acts as a catalyst for the metabolic processes and resultantly increases lean body mass, burns calories and aids in attaining perfect body shape.There i s a lot of variation in the amount of suggested physical work. It is mainly due to the variation in the shape/size of the body of different individuals and amount of calorie input, nonetheless it is remedial for people who are obese. As enumerated by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Weight stability can be obtained if 2-5 hours are invested in playing averagely demanding sports. Playing high intensity sport is extremely significant for people who wish to reduce their weight adequately.It is advised by physicians that people of all age groups must undertake any kind of physical activity or sport as it in helps in cultivating a healthy heart and mind. As delineated by the British Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, about 40 percent of deaths related to coronary heart disease take place due to insufficient physical work, overweight, mental stress and increased blood pressure. Sports can help in dealing with these physical ailments by reducing the contingen cy of coronary disease by almost 50 percent.Decrease in the strength of muscles, bones and joints, is an inevitable corollary of growing old. Aged people are advised to go for regular walks and practice numerous physical exercises so that their body parts are in healthy and working condition. Thus, it can be concluded that playing sports is very significant for people of all age groups and must be taken up seriously in order to maintain a healthy body.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Five Tips for Planning a Successful Book Launch

Five Tips for Planning a Successful Book Launch If you want to be a best-selling author, theres a way to do it without the long, agonizing process of submitting your work to large publishing companies. Just ask James Redfield, a bestselling American author who got his start selling 100,000 copies of his self-published book, The Celestine Prophecy, out of the trunk of his car. It wasnt long until Warner Books took notice of his self-selling success, and agreed to publish the book. Since then, it has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, with translations into 34 languages. Three sequels, also published by Warner Books, followed.So how does this apply to launching your own self-published book? To begin with, notice how the happy ending to that story only happened because Redfield marketed himself aggressively. Without that self-promotion, the book wouldnt have become a world-wide bestseller, and neither will yours.Tip 1 - Create a stunning digital press kitThe larger publishing houses market their authors new books with digital pr ess kits, and you should follow their lead when marketing yourself. These types of press kits are standard and youll reveal your newbie status if you dont have one, especially if youre hoping to attract the attention of local journalists and reviewers.The goal of your digital press kit is to get medias attention. If you spend time creating a catchy, comprehensive digital press kit, they tend to take notice. Now, what goes in to the digital press kit might vary, depending on which media company you ask. These are all relatively standard, however:A summary of your bookA high-res image of the cover and back coverA quick bio about you, the author (limit this to four sentences)Your photoWays to contact youAny anticipated QAs that the media might havePositive reviews (if any) that your book as received so farAwards (if any) your book has receivedAfter getting your digital press kit together, its time to start finding a venue.Tip 2 - Search out multiple potential venuesThe venue you choos e is important to a launch events success, and will ultimately affect it in many ways- such as the work youll need to put into the event, and how big of a turnout you can expect. The best way to find the perfect venue is to look into multiple possibilities, creating a plan A, plan B, and maybe even a plan C.BookstoresBook launch parties are traditionally held in bookstores, which provides a certain level of literary authenticity to your work. Authors published by big publishers tend to launch their books in bookstores, as well, and youll have an immediate boost in marketing impact due to access to the stores clientele through in-store promotional posters and email lists. As an added bonus, the media will pay more attention if your venue is a bookstore, and youll likely be advertised within the book stores own marketing efforts (newsletters, emails campaigns, print advertising, etc.).The bad news is if youre a first-time author, and the only bookstores in your area are chain stores, this venue might be unattainable. Your best bet is to establish rapport with the bookstore owner and have a knock-out digital press kit, and even that might not work. This doesnt mean you should avoid approaching bookstores entirely- it just means that youll need to think of creative alternatives, as well.A bookstore can be a great venue for a book launch event and can also help your marketing efforts.LibraryPublic libraries might be a great alternative if you are a first-time author, especially if your work includes regional settings or events. Many public libraries offer conference rooms that can be reserved for your book launch event, although you might be limited in your choices of how the event will unfold.A library is a good alternative venue.HomeHosting a book launch party in your own home, or in a friends home, is always an option, particularly if that home is situated in an area that is considered to be an epicenter for the Arts scene. There are several potential down-sides to doing this, though. Local media and publishing agents will be less likely to provide coverage or attend the event, and your guests will likely be limited to acquaintances, friends and family.Use your home or a friends home if the location is part of the Arts scene.Specialty storeIs your book about gardening tips? A local nursery or garden club might be open to hosting your party on their premises. And a local motorcycle store would be a great place to launch an adventure book on motorcycling. Such venues not only lend legitimacy to your expertise on the topic- they also open up a new demographic of attendees through their members or customers, and can help open up your marketing reach through their own newsletters, in-store signage, email list, etc.A specialty store allows you to target a certain demographic.Tip 3 - Be prepared to put on your marketing hatIf you have a book to launch, youve likely worn many hats in the process- researcher, writer, editor, graphic designer, busi ness manager†¦ the list goes on and on. Just as those roles were important in the process of getting your book from an idea in your head to a published creative work, so is the role you must now take on- that of a marketer.How do you do this? Well, the first step is to organize like a marketer. When juggling multiple clients with multiple channels of marketing, a marketers best friend is a spreadsheet. On it, you can keep track of who you contacted, when you contacted them, what they asked for, and the deadline they presented. When the big publishers launch a book, they put their marketers to work contacting booksellers, journalists, critics, reviewers, and a lot of small, regional publications who would be willing to help spread the word about the book launch. And thats exactly what you should do, as well.Online marketingOne of best parts of advertising your book launch online is the cost, which is usually nothing more than time! If you already have a social media account on F acebook, connect an Author page to your primary account and use that to start getting the word out about your book. With the simple addition of an Author page associated with your main account, all your friends will be notified and invited to like your page at the touch of a button. If your writer or author profile isnt on Twitter, make one, and connect with friends there, as well. Or Instagram- wherever your most likely audience will be. You can also design and launch a website to promote your book. Some authors have even put up YouTube videos to communicate information, or give followers a small taste of whats to come.Local publicationsMany self-published authors make the mistake of limiting their marketing channels to the most obvious ones. If you send a press kit to your local newspapers and magazines, an editor or reporter might find it interesting enough to provide free press by doing a write-up on your book launch, or on your book in general. And social media is a highly effe ctive way to get the word out, but dont forget that there are many other publishing channels out there to approach- channels that might bring in a wider audience than you would expect.For example, if you are in a college town, contact professors who might spread the word to their students. Send a link to your digital press kit to student publications, college radio stations, or student bloggers who might be willing to advertise your book launch event.Offer giveaways for free copiesAnother great way to get people interested in your event is to offer a giveaway or a free copy. Everyone enjoys a freebie, especially if its a book copy signed by you, the author, as a memento. Other ways of doing this offering free wine tastings to lighten the mood, or free coffee for those who need a little pick-me-up to their day.Upload your manuscript to InkittWith a self-proclaimed mission of discovering talented writers and turning them into globally successful authors, Inkitt offers a platform where authors can upload their manuscripts to an eagerly awaiting audience. The website allows readers looking for that next great author to read and provide feedback on the book for free. Once authors reach a certain level of reader engagement, Inkitt publishes the manuscript in E-book, Print and Audiobook format.Tip 4 - Dont make the book launch event all about youA fun book launch party is a successful one. If your guests enjoy themselves, they will be far more likely to recommend the title to their friends or followers on social media. So how do you make sure your guests enjoy themselves?To being with, dont make it all about you. Sure, its your book launch party and youre the one who put in the work to write and publish the book in the first place. But before you plan to read excerpts from your writing for an hour- or worse, take your guests through a detailed narrative about how you write and why- focus on keeping it fun and engaging. Your guests are much more likely to appreciate a 10 to 15-minute reading with a QA session following it than they are in listening to a lecture or monologue. Even family and close acquaintances who know you well will enjoy the opportunity to ask you questions.Enlist help because youll need itDepending on the size and situation of your event, you will likely need help with the details involved. This is particularly true if you are hosting it in your home or in a rented space, as bookstores often have events coordinators and PR staff who take care of these details.For example, if parking for the venue is limited, you might need to ask someone to coordinate parking. Nothing would be worse for a nervous author than to be forced to direct traffic before it all begins. If there will be food catering, service or preparation at the event, you will need someone else to handle this for you. Someone has to make sure the caterer gets paid and the introductions are made, and it doesnt need to be you.These are all roles that your closest frie nds, spouse, or family member would likely be willing to take on, but it will require some coordinating on the front end to make sure everyone knows what to do and when to do it. Otherwise, the haphazardness and disorientation that results will scream Amateur!Tip 5 - Provide an honest glimpse into your writing processAvid readers love glimpses into an authors creation process, especially if they connect with the writing on a personal level. Whether its your family members and close acquaintances, or a full audience of intrigued strangers who read- everyone in attendance will be curious about how you wrote it and why. Here are a few questions to ask yourself while preparing to do this.Why did I write this book?Whats the story behind the books initial inspiration?How (as in what setting, situation, or routine) did I write it?What did I learn in the process?Going forwardWith a little creativity and a lot of work on the front-end, you can find ways to use your book launch to make a fir st impression that counts. And hopefully- that first impression will turn into bestseller lists and success as a self-published writer.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint

Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint To define psychology, Brentano has offered two approaches which he tried to use as the explanation to the nature of psychology. Thus, Brentano defines psychology as the science of the soul and as the science of the mental phenomena. Still, his practical vision of psychology and the reference to natural science helps him reject the idea of belonging psychology to soul. The traditional vision of psychology as the science of soul has been rejected by the psychologist who states that if one says that â€Å"psychology is the science of soul and means buy ‘soul’ the substantial bearer of mental states, then he is expressing his conviction that mental events are to be considered properties of a substance† (Brentano 10). But how can we know that such substances exist? The reference of the author to this idea makes it clear that psychology cannot be defined as a science of soul. But, being assured about the intentional inexistence of an object where a belief of desire is d irected at, Brentano concludes that psychology should be defined as mental phenomena (Brentano 18).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Brentano offers to investigate the subject matter of the psychology as the â€Å"immense number of different series bound up together† (Brentano 94). Considering this idea from the point of view of mental activities, it seems that psychologist tries to prove that the subject matter of psychology cannot be considered as a collection of separate units, but only in the range of specific series of actions. Brentano is sure that being a defined as mental phenomena, psychology cannot act with the help of one event. Looking as such related processes as digestion, excretion, etc., these body processes cannot be based on one specific process, it is a series of processes. The same is about psychology. It is impossible to consider it as one separate action, looking at it as mental phenomena, series should be explored as a bound of indivisible acts. One of the main features which make psychology the central science for investigating within the society is the fact that it explores the laws which follow the succession of the human mental states, in other words, â€Å"the laws according to which one of these states produces another† (Brentano 12). Furthermore, the author of the book states that psychology is the basis for education, aesthetics, logics, ethics, politics, and even for the human progress in life (Brentano 21). It is considered to be the science of the future as it is the only source which may instruct scientist about immortality (Brentano 25). Thus, the interest in psychology is going to remain and the more people will get to know about this phenomenon, the more questions they will have for consideration. One of the problems in the development of psychology defined by Brentano is the absence of the â€Å"storage of the important tasks for psychologists† (Brentano 14). This may become an obstacle as without being directed at the specific goal, the development of the science may be concentrated around some insignificant problems. Having stated above that the immortality may become the source for investigation in the future, Brentano points to it as to obstacle as having rejected soul as a definition of psychology and having declared about its absence, immortality is out of the question (Brentano 15). At the same time, Brentano does not point to such obstacle in the psychology development as the absence of the similar and complex approach to this problem and a look at this science from different angles.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Brentano, Franz. Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint. New York: Humanities Press, 1973. Print.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Cool Science Fair Project Ideas List

Cool Science Fair Project Ideas List Some science fair projects are just more cool than others. Heres a look at some cool science fair project ideas as well as a collection of reader-submitted cool project ideas. Can What You Eat Change Your Eye Color? Some claims have been made that what you eat can ​​change your eye color. You can test this hypothesis yourself. Is ESP Real? Some people claim they can tell who is calling on the telephone before they pick up the phone (and without consulting caller ID). Can they really do it? State a hypothesis and conduct an experiment to test whether your subjects have this form of ESP. Sparking Vegetables Some frozen vegetables have been shown to produce sparks when cooked in the microwave. What types of vegetables produce these sparks? Is spark production dependent on the initial temperature of the vegetables? Does the cooking container play a role in sparking? There is a lot of exploration possible here. Can You Decompose a Disposable Diaper? It is estimated that it will take hundreds or possibly thousands of years for disposable diapers in landfills to decompose. Can you find a way to decompose them? How long does it take a cloth diaper to decompose? Could Your Home Use Wind or Solar Energy? How much wind or sun does it take to use a wind or solar power generation system? How does that compare with the average number of windy or sunny days where you live? Investigate what it would take to start generating and using your own power.