A Preview Of The Twentieth Century Essay Example for Free

A Preview Of The Twentieth Century Essay History tells us so much that the essence of humanity would be of a void nature without it. We can safely say that history is the collective experience of humanity itself. Thus, a distortion made upon history is irreverence to our collective experience. If one distorts history, he/she changes humanity’s life story. There is a need to preserve history as it happened. From history we learn lessons and avoid doing things that lead us to our own destruction. Take for example the two world wars that happened, if a third world war happens, then we, humanity, did not learn and care at all about our own history. History distortions commonly happen in the ideological and political arena. These distortions kill human lives. Conflicts that happen in the Europe and the Middle East as well as in America are caused by differences on the way people view religion and faith. Infamous of these are bombings caused by Muslim fundamentalists. Hence, history should be taught as it happened. History should be taught with clarity and vividness. People are intelligent enough to discern between the good and bad events that happened. Respect given for each other’s perspective and ideology should be encouraged to avoid conflicts. An integration of history arriving at the closest description of events as they happen should be done taking into consideration the differences in the religious and political beliefs of different races. Research should be done in order to correct the mistakes made on writing history. Yet, the most important of these is respect. If people cannot agree on a particular issue of history, then their only option is to respect its other’s views. There is no other alternative, they must respect each other. History is what we are. If we distort our perception of history, we change our very lives’ meaning.

Environmental Impact Of Plastic Bags

Environmental Impact Of Plastic Bags Plastic bags are a true menace to our ecosystems and our waste diversion goals. Barely recyclable, almost all of the 400 plastic bags used per second in the state are discarded. Once discarded, they either enter our landfills or our marine ecosystem. People think of plastic bags as being free. Instead, they actually cost taxpayers millions every year. In San Francisco alone, City officials estimate that they spend $8.5 million annually to deal with plastic bag litter. That equates to around 17 cents for every bag distributed in the city. Additionally: It costs the state $25 million annually to manage plastic bag pollution. Public agencies in California spend in excess of $303 million annually in litter abatement. Southern California cities have spent in excess of $1.7 billion in meeting Total Maximum Daily Loads for trashed in impaired waterways. Cities and recyclers spend incalculable amounts removing plastic bags from their recyclables stream, where they jam machinery and add to the manual labor costs of recycling. At least 267 species have been scientifically documented to be adversely affected by plastic marine debris and it is estimated to kill over 100,000 marine mammals and turtles each year. Plastic bags are considered especially dangerous to sea turtles, who may mistake them for jellyfish, a main food source. 86% of all known species of sea turtles have had reported problems of entanglement or ingestion of marine debris. Plastic bags that enter our marine environment eventually break down into small fragments. Plastic bags, which are made from natural gas or oil, consume an energy equivalent of thousands of barrels of oil a day just to meet Californias consumption. Numerous recent international, national, state and local reports have called for the banning or drastic reduction of plastic bags due to their environmental damage. Achim Steiner, head of the UN Environmental Program, recently said there is simply zero justification for manufacturing [plastic bags] any more, anywhere. Home / Plastic Bags / Why Plastic Bags are a Problem Why Plastic Bags are a Problem Plastic bags are popular with consumers and retailers as they are a functional, lightweight, strong, cheap, and hygienic way to transport food and other products. Approximately 6.9 billion plastic bags are consumed annually in Australia: 6 billion of these are high density polyethylene (HDPE), such as supermarket singlet bags or supermarket checkout bags. 0.9 billion are low density polyethylene (LDPE), such as boutique bags. 67% of HDPE 25% of LDPE bags are imported with the remainder locally produced. There are two major environmental problems associated with our use of plastic bags. Firstly, plastic bags are one of the most damaging forms of litter. At least 80 million plastic bags end up as litter on our beaches, streets and parks each year While they are estimated to only be 2% of the litter stream, they have a significant environmental impact because they can take up to 1,000 years to break down. Their persistence in the environment means that they can entangle and harm marine life and other animals. In fact, the World Wide Fund for Nature estimates that more than 100,000 whales, seals, turtles, and birds die every year as a result of plastic bags. For example, on 24 August 2000, a Brydes whale died in Trinity Bay, 2 km from central Cairns. An autopsy found that the whales stomach was tightly packed with plastic, including supermarket bags, food packages, bait bags, three large sheets of plastic, and fragments of garbage bags. There was no food in its stomach. When the dead animal decays, the plastic bags are freed to be re-ingested by other animals in years to come. On land, plastic bag litter can block drains and trap birds. They also kill livestock. One farmer near Mudgee NSW, carried out an autopsy on a dead calf and found 8 plastic bags in its stomach. The loss of this calf cost the farmer around $500. Cleaning up this litter is expensive. Australian local and state governments spend over $200 million a year picking up litter (all forms). Source: Federal Department of Environment HYPERLINK http://www.deh.gov.au/industry/waste/plastic-bags/HYPERLINK http://www.deh.gov.au/industry/waste/plastic-bags/Heritage website Secondly, the plastic shopping bag, a single use item, is a symbol of a wasteful society: 20 million Australians used 6.7 billion plastic checkout bags this year (down from 6.9 billion the previous year). Thats nearly 1 plastic bag per person per day or 345 bags per person per year. A persons use of a plastic checkout bag can be counted in minutes however long it takes to get from the shops to their homes. The amount of petroleum used to make one plastic bag would drive a car about 115 metres. The 6.9 billion plastic checkout bags we use every year is enough to drive a car 800 million kilometres or nearly 20,000 times around the world i.e. 4 round trips to the Sun. Less than 3% of Australias plastic bags are currently being recycled, despite recycling facilities being available at major supermarkets. Only an estimated 19% of the 3.7 billion plastic supermarket shopping bags handed out in Australia every year, are being reused by households as kitchen bin liners. In many council areas, plastic bags are the single main contaminant of kerbside recycling. Plastic bags are not free to consumers they are actually adding an estimated $173 million a year to Australias grocery bills. Source: Planet Ark While these facts paint a grim picture, an October 2003 Roy Morgan study showed that 87% of Australians were concerned about the impact plastic bags have on the environment. In addition, action is being taken to reduce the impact of plastic bags, for example: Coles Bay in Tasmania have successfully banned plastic checkout bags in all their retail stores. Under an agreement between the Federal Government and the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), retailers have until December 2004 to reduce their consumption of lightweight single use plastic checkout bags by 25%. This rises to 50% by December 2005. More and more people around the world are becoming aware of the environmental issues surrounding plastic bags. Considering their somewhat placid appearance, the impact of plastic bags on the environment can be devastating. Here are some facts about the environmental impact of plastic bags: Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistaken them for food The manufacture of plastic bags add tonnes of carbon emissions into the air annually In the UK, banning plastic bags would be the equivalent of taking 18,000 cars off the roads each year Between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year Approximately 60 100 million barrels of oil are required to make the worlds plastic bags each year Most plastic bags take over 400 years to biodegrade. Some figures indicate that plastic bags could take over 1000 years to break down. (I guess nobody will live long enough to find out!). This means not one plastic bag has ever naturally biodegraded. China uses around 3 billion plastic bags each day! In the UK, each person uses around 220 plastic bags each year Around 500,000 plastic bags are collected during Clean Up Australia Day each year. Clean Up Australia Day is a nationwide initiative to get as many members of the public to get out and pick up litter from their local areas. Unfortunately, each year in Australia approximately 50 million plastic bags end up as litter. Fortunately, some governments around the world are taking the initiative to deal with the environmental impact of plastic bags by either banning plastic bags or discouraging their usage. Under current city law, large supermarkets and chain drugstores, such as Safeway and Walgreens, only may provide three kinds of bags to customers at the checkout stand: recyclable paper bags, compostable plastic bags and reusable bags. All single-use disposable bags are banned under the old law. In the new law, Mirkarimi crafted a few exemptions, which include using plastic bags for produce or for garments. He is contemplating a companion piece to his legislation that would impose a 10-cent charge for paper bags. Currently, retailers dont charge for paper bags in San Francisco, though some, such as Whole Foods and Rainbow Grocery, give customers credit for using their own bags. Mirkarimi estimates that broadening the law would remove tens of millions more bags from the environment. Plastic bags are a clear example of excess run amok, he said. People dont necessarily realize the composition of the plastic bag or the consequences of the plastic bag. Theyre omnipresent. Shari Jackson, director of the Progressive Bag Affiliates of the American Plastics Council, said Mirkarimis proposed legislation would have unintended consequences, chiefly increasing the use of paper bags, which have their own environmental problems, and taking away jobs of people who manufacture the plastic bags

Literature review about data warehouse

Literature review about data warehouse CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION Chapter 2 provides literature review about data warehouse, OLAP MDDB and data mining concept. We reviewed concept, characteristics, design and implementation approach of each above mentioned technology to identify a suitable data warehouse framework. This framework will support integration of OLAP MDDB and data mining model. Section 2.2 discussed about the fundamental of data warehouse which includes data warehouse models and data processing techniques such as extract, transform and loading (ETL) processes. A comparative study was done on data warehouse models introduced by William Inmons (Inmon, 1999), Ralph Kimball (Kimball, 1996) and Matthias Nicola (Nicola, 2000) to identify suitable model, design and characteristics. Section 2.3 introduces about OLAP model and architecture. We also discussed concept of processing in OLAP based MDDB, MDDB schema design and implementation. Section 2.4 introduces data mining techniques, methods and processes for OLAP mining (OLAM) which is used to mine MDDB. Section 2.5 provides conclusion on literature review especially pointers on our decision to propose a new data warehouse model. Since we propose to use Microsoft  ® product to implement the propose model, we also discussed a product comparison to justify why Microsoft  ® product is selected. 2.2 DATA WAREHOUSE According to William Inmon, data warehouse is a subject-oriented, integrated, time-variant, and non-volatile collection of data in support of the managements decision-making process (Inmon, 1999). Data warehouse is a database containing data that usually represents the business history of an organization. This historical data is used for analysis that supports business decisions at many levels, from strategic planning to performance evaluation of a discrete organizational unit. It provides an effective integration of operational databases into an environment that enables strategic use of data (Zhou, Hull, King and Franchitti, 1995). These technologies include relational and MDDB management systems, client/server architecture, meta-data modelling and repositories, graphical user interface and much more (Hammer, Garcia-Molina, Labio, Widom, and Zhuge, 1995; Harinarayan, Rajaraman, and Ullman, 1996). The emergence of cross discipline domain such as knowledge management in finance, health and e-commerce have proved that vast amount of data need to be analysed. The evolution of data in data warehouse can provide multiple dataset dimensions to solve various problems. Thus, critical decision making process of this dataset needs suitable data warehouse model (Barquin and Edelstein, 1996). The main proponents of data warehouse are William Inmon (Inmon, 1999) and Ralph Kimball (Kimball, 1996). But they have different perspectives on data warehouse in term of design and architecture. Inmon (Inmon, 1999) defined data warehouse as a dependent data mart structure while Kimball (Kimball, 1996) defined data warehouse as a bus based data mart structure. Table 2.1 discussed the differences in data warehouse structure between William Inmon and Ralph Kimball. A data warehouse is a read-only data source where end-users are not allowed to change the values or data elements. Inmons (Inmon, 1999) data warehouse architecture strategy is different from Kimballs (Kimball, 1996). Inmons data warehouse model splits data marts as a copy and distributed as an interface between data warehouse and end users. Kimballs views data warehouse as a unions of data marts. The data warehouse is the collections of data marts combine into one central repository. Figure 2.1 illustrates the differences between Inmons and Kimballs data warehouse architecture adopted from (Mailvaganam, 2007). Although Inmon and Kimball have a different design view of data warehouse, they do agree on successful implementation of data warehouse that depends on an effective collection of operational data and validation of data mart. The role of database staging and ETL processes on data are inevitable components in both researchers data warehouse design. Both believed that dependant data warehouse architecture is necessary to fulfil the requirement of enterprise end users in term of preciseness, timing and data relevancy 2.2.1 DATA WAREHOUSE ARCHITECTURE Although data warehouse architecture have wide research scope, and it can be viewed in many perspectives. (Thilini and Hugh, 2005) and (Eckerson, 2003) provide some meaningful way to view and analyse data warehouse architecture. Eckerson states that a successful data warehouse system depends on database staging process which derives data from different integrated Online Transactional Processing (OLTP) system. In this case, ETL process plays a crucial role to make database staging process workable. Survey on factors that influenced selection on data warehouse architecture by (Thilini, 2005) indentifies five data warehouse architecture that are common in use as shown in Table 2.2 Independent Data Marts Independent data marts also known as localized or small scale data warehouse. It is mainly used by departments, divisions of company to provide individual operational databases. This type of data mart is simple yet consists of different form that was derived from multiple design structures from various inconsistent database designs. Thus, it complicates cross data mart analysis. Since every organizational units tend to build their own database which operates as independent data mart (Thilini and Hugh, 2005) cited the work of (Winsberg, 1996) and (Hoss, 2002), it is best used as an ad-hoc data warehouse and also to be use as a prototype before building a real data warehouse. Data Mart Bus Architecture (Kimball, 1996) pioneered the design and architecture of data warehouse with unions of data marts which are known as the bus architecture or virtual data warehouse. Bus architecture allows data marts not only located in one server but it can be also being located on different server. This allows the data warehouse to functions more in virtual mode and combined all data marts and process as one data warehouse. Hub-and-spoke architecture (Inmon, 1999) developed hub and spoke architecture. The hub is the central server taking care of information exchange and the spoke handle data transformation for all regional operation data stores. Hub and spoke mainly focused on building a scalable and maintainable infrastructure for data warehouse. Centralized Data Warehouse Architecture Central data warehouse architecture build based on hub-and-spoke architecture but without the dependent data mart component. This architecture copies and stores heterogeneous operational and external data to a single and consistent data warehouse. This architecture has only one data model which are consistent and complete from all data sources. According to (Inmon, 1999) and (Kimball, 1996), central data warehouse should consist of database staging or known as operational data store as an intermediate stage for operational processing of data integration before transform into the data warehouse. Federated Architecture According to (Hackney, 2000), federated data warehouse is an integration of multiple heterogeneous data marts, database staging or operational data store, combination of analytical application and reporting systems. The concept of federated focus on integrated framework to make data warehouse more reliable. (Jindal, 2004) conclude that federated data warehouse are a practical approach as it focus on higher reliability and provide excellent value. (Thilini and Hugh, 2005) conclude that hub and spoke and centralized data warehouse architectures are similar. Hub and spoke is faster and easier to implement because no data mart are required. For centralized data warehouse architecture scored higher than hub and spoke as for urgency needs for relatively fast implementation approach. In this work, it is very important to identify which data warehouse architecture that is robust and scalable in terms of building and deploying enterprise wide systems. (Laney, 2000), states that selection of appropriate data warehouse architecture must incorporate successful characteristic of various data warehouse model. It is evident that two data warehouse architecture prove to be popular as shown by (Thilini and Hugh, 2005), (Eckerson, 2003) and (Mailvaganam, 2007). First hub-and-spoke proposed by (Inmon, 1999) as it is a data warehouse with dependant data marts and secondly is the data mart bus architecture with dimensional data marts proposed by (Kimball, 1996). The selection of the new proposed model will use hub-and-spoke data warehouse architecture which can be used for MDDB modelling. 2.2.2 DATA WAREHOUSE EXTRACT, TRANSFORM, LOADING Data warehouse architecture process begins with ETL process to ensure the data passes the quality threshold. According to Evin (2001), it is essential to have right dataset. ETL are an important component in data warehouse environment to ensure dataset in the data warehouse are cleansed from various OLTP systems. ETLs are also responsible for running scheduled tasks that extract data from OLTP systems. Typically, a data warehouse is populated with historical information from within a particular organization (Bunger, Colby, Cole, McKenna, Mulagund, and Wilhite, 2001). The complete process descriptions of ETL are discussed in table 2.3. Data warehouse database can be populated with a wide variety of data sources from different locations, thus collecting all the different dataset and storing it in one central location is an extremely challenging task (Calvanese, Giacomo, Lenzerini, Nardi, and Rosati, , 2001). However, ETL processes eliminate the complexity of data population via simplified process as depicts in figure 2.2. The ETL process begins with data extract from operational databases where data cleansing and scrubbing are done, to ensure all datas are validated. Then it is transformed to meet the data warehouse standards before it is loaded into data warehouse. (Zhou et al, 1995) states that during data integration process in data warehouse, ETL can assist in import and export of operational data between heterogeneous data sources using Object linking and embedding database (OLE-DB) based architecture where the data are transform to populate all validated data into data warehouse. In (Kimball, 1996) data warehouse architecture as depicted in figure 2.3 focuses on three important modules, which is the back room presentation server and the front room. ETL processes is implemented in the back room process, where the data staging services in charge of gathering all source systems operational databases to perform extraction of data from source systems from different file format from different systems and platforms. The second step is to run the transformation process to ensure all inconsistency is removed to ensure data integrity. Finally, it is loaded into data marts. The ETL processes are commonly executed from a job control via scheduling task. The presentation server is the data warehouse where data marts are stored and process here. Data stored in star schema consist of dimension and fact tables. This is where data are then process of in the front room where it is access by query services such as reporting tools, desktop tools, OLAP and data mining tools. Although ETL processes prove to be an essential component to ensure data integrity in data warehouse, the issue of complexity and scalability plays important role in deciding types of data warehouse architecture. One way to achieve a scalable, non-complex solution is to adopt a hub-and-spoke architecture for the ETL process. According to Evin (2001), ETL best operates in hub-and-spoke architecture because of its flexibility and efficiency. Centralized data warehouse design can influence the maintenance of full access control of ETL processes. ETL processes in hub and spoke data warehouse architecture is recommended in (Inmon, 1999) and (Kimball, 1996). The hub is the data warehouse after processing data from operational database to staging database and the spoke(s) are the data marts for distributing data. Sherman, R (2005) state that hub-and-spoke approach uses one-to-many interfaces from data warehouse to many data marts. One-to-many are simpler to implement, cost effective in a long run and ensure consistent dimensions. Compared to many-to-many approach it is more complicated and costly. 2.2.3 DATA WAREHOUSE FAILURE AND SUCCESS FACTORS Building a data warehouse is indeed a challenging task as data warehouse project inheriting a unique characteristics that may influence the overall reliability and robustness of data warehouse. These factors can be applied during the analysis, design and implementation phases which will ensure a successful data warehouse system. Section 2.2.3.1 focus on factors that influence data warehouse project failure. Section 2.2.3.2 discusses on the success factors which implementing the correct model to support a successful data warehouse project. 2.2.3.1 DATA WAREHOUSE FAILURE FACTORS (Hayen, Rutashobya, and Vetter, 2007) studies shows that implementing a data warehouse project is costly and risky as a data warehouse project can cost over $1 million in the first year. It is estimated that two-thirds of the effort of setting up the data warehouse projects attempt will fail eventually. (Hayen et al, 2007) cited on the work of (Briggs, 2002) and (Vassiliadis, 2004) noticed three factors for the failure of data warehouse project which is environment, project and technical factors as shown in table 2.4. Environment leads to organization changes in term of business, politics, mergers, takeovers and lack of top management support. These include human error, corporate culture, decision making process and poor change management (Watson, 2004) (Hayen et al, 2007). Poor technical knowledge on the requirements of data definitions and data quality from different organization units may cause data warehouse failure. Incompetent and insufficient knowledge on data integration, poor selection on data warehouse model and data warehouse analysis applications may cause huge failure. In spite of heavy investment on hardware, software and people, poor project management factors may lead data warehouse project failure. For example, assigning a project manager that lacks of knowledge and project experience in data warehouse, may cause impediment of quantifying the return on investment (ROI) and achievement of project triple constraint (cost, scope, time). Data ownership and accessibility is a potential factor that may cause data warehouse project failure. This is considered vulnerable issue within the organization that one must not share or acquire someone else data as this considered losing authority on the data (Vassiliadis, 2004). Thus, it emphasis restriction on any departments to declare total ownership of pure clean and error free data that might cause potential problem on ownership of data rights. 2.2.3.2 DATA WAREHOUSE SUCCESS FACTORS (Hwang M.I., 2007) stress that data warehouse implementations are an important area of research and industrial practices but only few researches made an assessment in the critical success factors for data warehouse implementations. He conducted a survey on six data warehouse researchers (Watson Haley, 1997; Chen et al., 2000; Wixom Watson, 2001; Watson et al., 2001; Hwang Cappel, 2002; Shin, 2003) on the success factors in a data warehouse project. He concluded his survey with a list of successful factors which influenced data warehouse implementation as depicted in figure 2.8. He shows eight implementation factors which will directly affect the six selected success variables The above mentioned data warehouse success factors provide an important guideline for implementing a successful data warehouse projects. (Hwang M.I., 2007) studies shows an integrated selection of various factors such as end user participation, top management support, acquisition of quality source data with profound and well-defined business needs plays crucial role in data warehouse implementation. Beside that, other factors that was highlighted by Hayen R.L. (2007) cited on the work of Briggs (2002) and Vassiliadis (2004), Watson (2004) such as project, environment and technical knowledge also influenced data warehouse implementation. Summary In this work on the new proposed model, hub-and-spoke architecture is use as Central repository service, as many scholars including Inmon, Kimball, Evin, Sherman and Nicola adopt to this data warehouse architecture. This approach allows locating the hub (data warehouse) and spokes (data marts) centrally and can be distributed across local or wide area network depending on business requirement. In designing the new proposed model, the hub-and-spoke architecture clearly identifies six important data warehouse components that a data warehouse should have, which includes ETL, Staging Database or operational database store, Data marts, MDDB, OLAP and data mining end users applications such as Data query, reporting, analysis, statistical tools. However, this process may differ from organization to organization. Depending on the ETL setup, some data warehouse may overwrite old data with new data and in some data warehouse may only maintain history and audit trial of all changes of the data. 2.3 ONLINE ANALYTICAL PROCESSING OLAP Council (1997) define OLAP as a group of decision support system that facilitate fast, consistent and interactive access of information that has been reformulate, transformed and summarized from relational dataset mainly from data warehouse into MDDB which allow optimal data retrieval and for performing trend analysis. According to Chaudhuri (1997), Burdick, D. et al. (2006) and Vassiladis, P. (1999), OLAP is important concept for strategic database analysis. OLAP have the ability to analyze large amount of data for the extraction of valuable information. Analytical development can be of business, education or medical sectors. The technologies of data warehouse, OLAP, and analyzing tools support that ability. OLAP enable discovering pattern and relationship contain in business activity by query tons of data from multiple database source systems at one time (Nigel. P., 2008). Processing database information using OLAP required an OLAP server to organize and transformed and builds MDDB. MDDB are then separated by cubes for client OLAP tools to perform data analysis which aim to discover new pattern relationship between the cubes. Some popular OLAP server software programs include Oracle (C), IBM (C) and Microsoft (C). Madeira (2003) supports the fact that OLAP and data warehouse are complementary technology which blends together. Data warehouse stores and manages data while OLAP transforms data warehouse datasets into strategic information. OLAP function ranges from basic navigation and browsing (often known as slice and dice), to calculations and also serious analysis such as time series and complex modelling. As decision-makers implement more advanced OLAP capabilities, they move from basic data access to creation of information and to discovering of new knowledge. 2.3.4 OLAP ARCHITECTURE In comparison to data warehouse which usually based on relational technology, OLAP uses a multidimensional view to aggregate data to provide rapid access to strategic information for analysis. There are three type of OLAP architecture based on the method in which they store multi-dimensional data and perform analysis operations on that dataset (Nigel, P., 2008). The categories are multidimensional OLAP (MOLAP), relational OLAP (ROLAP) and hybrid OLAP (HOLAP). In MOLAP as depicted in Diagram 2.11, datasets are stored and summarized in a multidimensional cube. The MOLAP architecture can perform faster than ROLAP and HOLAP (C). MOLAP cubes designed and build for rapid data retrieval to enhance efficient slicing and dicing operations. MOLAP can perform complex calculations which have been pre-generated after cube creation. MOLAP processing is restricted to initial cube that was created and are not bound to any additional replication of cube. In ROLAP as depict in Diagram 2.12, data and aggregations are stored in relational database tables to provide the OLAP slicing and dicing functionalities. ROLAP are the slowest among the OLAP flavours. ROLAP relies on data manipulating directly in the relational database to give the manifestation of conventional OLAPs slicing and dicing functionality. Basically, each slicing and dicing action is equivalent to adding a WHERE clause in the SQL statement. (C) ROLAP can manage large amounts of data and ROLAP do not have any limitations for data size. ROLAP can influence the intrinsic functionality in a relational database. ROLAP are slow in performance because each ROLAP activity are essentially a SQL query or multiple SQL queries in the relational database. The query time and number of SQL statements executed measures by its complexity of the SQL statements and can be a bottleneck if the underlying dataset size is large. ROLAP essentially depends on SQL statements generation to query the relational database and do not cater all needs which make ROLAP technology conventionally limited by what SQL functionality can offer. (C) HOLAP as depict in Diagram 2.13, combine the technologies of MOLAP and ROLAP. Data are stored in ROLAP relational database tables and the aggregations are stored in MOLAP cube. HOLAP can drill down from multidimensional cube into the underlying relational database data. To acquire summary type of information, HOLAP leverages cube technology for faster performance. Whereas to retrieve detail type of information, HOLAP can drill down from the cube into the underlying relational data. (C) In OLAP architectures (MOLAP, ROLAP and HOLAP), the datasets are stored in a multidimensional format as it involves the creation of multidimensional blocks called data cubes (Harinarayan, 1996). The cube in OLAP architecture may have three axes (dimensions), or more. Each axis (dimension) represents a logical category of data. One axis may for example represent the geographic location of the data, while others may indicate a state of time or a specific school. Each of the categories, which will be described in the following section, can be broken down into successive levels and it is possible to drill up or down between the levels. Cabibo (1997) states that OLAP partitions are normally stored in an OLAP server, with the relational database frequently stored on a separate server from OLAP server. OLAP server must query across the network whenever it needs to access the relational tables to resolve a query. The impact of querying across the network depends on the performance characteristics of the network itself. Even when the relational database is placed on the same server as OLAP server, inter-process calls and the associated context switching are required to retrieve relational data. With a OLAP partition, calls to the relational database, whether local or over the network, do not occur during querying. 2.3.3 OLAP FUNCTIONALITY OLAP functionality offers dynamic multidimensional analysis supporting end users with analytical activities includes calculations and modelling applied across dimensions, trend analysis over time periods, slicing subsets for on-screen viewing, drilling to deeper levels of records (OLAP Council, 1997) OLAP is implemented in a multi-user client/server environment and provide reliably fast response to queries, in spite of database size and complexity. OLAP facilitate the end user integrate enterprise information through relative, customized viewing, analysis of historical and present data in various what-if data model scenario. This is achieved through use of an OLAP Server as depicted in diagram 2.9. OLAP functionality is provided by an OLAP server. OLAP server design and data structure are optimized for fast information retrieval in any course and flexible calculation and transformation of unprocessed data. The OLAP server may either actually carry out the processed multidimensional information to distribute consistent and fast response times to end users, or it may fill its data structures in real time from relational databases, or offer a choice of both. Essentially, OLAP create information in cube form which allows more composite analysis compares to relational database. OLAP analysis techniques employ slice and dice and drilling methods to segregate data into loads of information depending on given parameters. Slice is identifying a single value for one or more variable which is non-subset of multidimensional array. Whereas dice function is application of slice function on more than two dimensions of multidimensional cubes. Drilling function allows end user to traverse between condensed data to most precise data unit as depict in Diagram 2.10. 2.3.5 MULTIDIMENSIONAL DATABASE SCHEMA The base of every data warehouse system is a relational database build using a dimensional model. Dimensional model consists of fact and dimension tables which are described as star schema or snowflake schema (Kimball, 1999). A schema is a collection of database objects, tables, views and indexes (Inmon, 1996). To understand dimensional data modelling, Table 2.10 defines some of the terms commonly used in this type of modelling: In designing data models for data warehouse, the most commonly used schema types are star schema and snowflake schema. In the star schema design, fact table sits in the middle and is connected to other surrounding dimension tables like a star. A star schema can be simple or complex. A simple star consists of one fact table; a complex star can have more than one fact table. Most data warehouses use a star schema to represent the multidimensional data model. The database consists of a single fact table and a single table for each dimension. Each tuple in the fact table consists of a pointer or foreign key to each of the dimensions that provide its multidimensional coordinates, and stores the numeric measures for those coordinates. A tuple consist of a unit of data extracted from cube in a range of member from one or more dimension tables. (C, http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa216769%28SQL.80%29.aspx). Each dimension table consists of columns that correspond to attributes of the dimension. Diagram 2.14 shows an example of a star schema For Medical Informatics System. Star schemas do not explicitly provide support for attribute hierarchies which are not suitable for architecture such as MOLAP which require lots of hierarchies of dimension tables for efficient drilling of datasets. Snowflake schemas provide a refinement of star schemas where the dimensional hierarchy is explicitly represented by normalizing the dimension tables, as shown in Diagram 2.15. The main advantage of the snowflake schema is the improvement in query performance due to minimized disk storage requirements and joining smaller lookup tables. The main disadvantage of the snowflake schema is the additional maintenance efforts needed due to the increase number of lookup tables. (C) Levene. M (2003) stresses that in addition to the fact and dimension tables, data warehouses store selected summary tables containing pre-aggregated data. In the simplest cases, the pre-aggregated data corresponds to aggregating the fact table on one or more selected dimensions. Such pre-aggregated summary data can be represented in the database in at least two ways. Whether to use star or a snowflake mainly depends on business needs. 2.3.2 OLAP Evaluation As OLAP technology taking prominent place in data warehouse industry, there should be a suitable assessment tool to evaluate it. E.F. Codd not only invented OLAP but also provided a set of procedures which are known as the Twelve Rules for OLAP product ability assessment which include data manipulation, unlimited dimensions and aggregation levels and flexible reporting as shown in Table 2.8 (Codd, 1993): Codd twelve rules of OLAP provide us an essential tool to verify the OLAP functions and OLAP models used are able to produce desired result. Berson, A. (2001) stressed that a good OLAP system should also support a complete database management tools as a utility for integrated centralized tool to permit database management to perform distribution of databases within the enterprise. OLAP ability to perform drilling mechanism within the MDDB allows the functionality of drill down right to the source or root of the detail record level. This implies that OLAP tool permit a smooth changeover from the MDDB to the detail record level of the source relational database. OLAP systems also must support incremental database refreshes. This is an important feature as to prevent stability issues on operations and usability problems when the size of the database increases. 2.3.1 OLTP and OLAP The design of OLAP for multidimensional cube is entirely different compare to OLTP for database. OLTP is implemented into relational database to support daily processing in an organization. OLTP system main function is to capture data into computers. OLTP allow effective data manipulation and storage of data for daily operational resulting in huge quantity of transactional data. Organisations build multiple OLTP systems to handle huge quantities of daily operations transactional data can in short period of time. OLAP is designed for data access and analysis to support managerial user strategic decision making process. OLAP technology focuses on aggregating datasets into multidimensional view without hindering the system performance. According to Han, J. (2001), states OLTP systems as Customer oriented and OLAP is a market oriented. He summarized major differences between OLTP and OLAP system based on 17 key criteria as shown in table 2.7. It is complicated to merge OLAP and OLTP into one centralized database system. The dimensional data design model used in OLAP is much more effective for querying than the relational database query used in OLTP system. OLAP may use one central database as data source and OLTP used different data source from different database sites. The dimensional design of OLAP is not suitable for OLTP system, mainly due to redundancy and the loss of referential integrity of the data. Organization chooses to have two separate information systems, one OLTP and one OLAP system (Poe, V., 1997). We can conclude that the purpose of OLTP systems is to get data into computers, whereas the purpose of OLAP is to get data or information out of computers. 2.4 DATA MINING Many data mining scholars (Fayyad, 1998; Freitas, 2002; Han, J. et. al., 1996; Frawley, 1992) have defined data mining as discovering hidden patterns from historical datasets by using pattern recognition as it involves searching for specific, unknown information in a database. Chung, H. (1999) and Fayyad et al (1996) referred data mining as a step of knowledge discovery in database and it is the process of analyzing data and extracts knowledge from a large database also known as data warehouse (Han, J., 2000) and making it into useful information. Freitas (2002) and Fayyad (1996) have recognized the advantageous tool of data mining for extracting knowledge from a da

A General Review of the Chemistry and Utility of Scopolamine Essay

The study of scopolamine involves aspects that are manifold and complex. In this investigation, the pathways for biological and laboratory syntheses were elucidated, in additional to the physical and chemical properties and characteristics of scopolamine. 13C-NMR and H-NMR were generated from collected data, and the isolation and uses of scopolamine were discussed. Introduction Scopolamine's uses have roots in ancient times and have pervaded into the present. This heterocyclic tropane alkaloid is naturally found in Solanaceas plants and can be prepared in the laboratory from various precursors. First isolated in the late nineteenth century, it has found various uses in the modern world. In humans, scopolamine is therapeutically employed in opthamallogical procedures to cause mydriosis, prolonged dialation of the iris, and is used to prevent and treat motion sickness. Because it depresses the central nervous system, it has been used as an amnesiac for birthing mothers, producing "Twlight Sleep." It does not have great chemical utility and decomposes on standing or heating; therefore it is stored in hydrated forms or as salts with HCl or HBr. Historical Usage of Scopolamine During the Middle Ages, drug addicts used potions derived from compounds such as the tropane alkaloids, which are found in solanaceous plants. The sensation of flying, in addition to hallucinations were attributed to the application of such ointments. These early drug addicts were often victims of witch-hunts. In addition, scopolamine was used as an anaesthetic during surgery, until physicians were accused of sorcery upon the disclosure of their patients' odd dreams. Plant-derived tropane alkaloids were used for cosmetic reasons: until the Renaissa... ...nonymous. NASTECH FILES NDA FOR INTRANASAL SCOPOLAMINE. 1999. Nastech Pharmaceutical Company Inc. press release. 10. Ladenburg, Albert. Justus Liebig's Annalen Der Chemie. 1881. 206: 274. 11. Fodor, G. Tetrahedron, 1957, 14: 86. 12. Budavari, Susan. ed. The Merck Index. 12 ed. 1996. Merck & Co. Inc. New Jersey. Entry 8550. 13. Ansell, M. F. Rodd's Chemistry of Carbon Compounds. 1985. New York: Elsevier. 209. 14. Glasby, J. S. Encyclopaedia of the Alkaloids. 1975. New York: Plenum Press. l:731. 15. Brossi, Arnold. The Alkaloids. 1988. Academic Press: San Diego CA. 33:54, 63 16. Marion, L. and A.F. Thomas. A further Observation on the Biogenesis of Hyoscyamine. 1955. Can. J. Chem. 33: 1853. 17. Leete, E., Marion, L., and Spencer, I.D. Nature, 1954, 174: 650. 18. Herbert, R. B. Rodd's Chemistry of Carbon Compounds. 1985. New York: Elsevier. 219 A General Review of the Chemistry and Utility of Scopolamine Essay The study of scopolamine involves aspects that are manifold and complex. In this investigation, the pathways for biological and laboratory syntheses were elucidated, in additional to the physical and chemical properties and characteristics of scopolamine. 13C-NMR and H-NMR were generated from collected data, and the isolation and uses of scopolamine were discussed. Introduction Scopolamine's uses have roots in ancient times and have pervaded into the present. This heterocyclic tropane alkaloid is naturally found in Solanaceas plants and can be prepared in the laboratory from various precursors. First isolated in the late nineteenth century, it has found various uses in the modern world. In humans, scopolamine is therapeutically employed in opthamallogical procedures to cause mydriosis, prolonged dialation of the iris, and is used to prevent and treat motion sickness. Because it depresses the central nervous system, it has been used as an amnesiac for birthing mothers, producing "Twlight Sleep." It does not have great chemical utility and decomposes on standing or heating; therefore it is stored in hydrated forms or as salts with HCl or HBr. Historical Usage of Scopolamine During the Middle Ages, drug addicts used potions derived from compounds such as the tropane alkaloids, which are found in solanaceous plants. The sensation of flying, in addition to hallucinations were attributed to the application of such ointments. These early drug addicts were often victims of witch-hunts. In addition, scopolamine was used as an anaesthetic during surgery, until physicians were accused of sorcery upon the disclosure of their patients' odd dreams. Plant-derived tropane alkaloids were used for cosmetic reasons: until the Renaissa... ...nonymous. NASTECH FILES NDA FOR INTRANASAL SCOPOLAMINE. 1999. Nastech Pharmaceutical Company Inc. press release. 10. Ladenburg, Albert. Justus Liebig's Annalen Der Chemie. 1881. 206: 274. 11. Fodor, G. Tetrahedron, 1957, 14: 86. 12. Budavari, Susan. ed. The Merck Index. 12 ed. 1996. Merck & Co. Inc. New Jersey. Entry 8550. 13. Ansell, M. F. Rodd's Chemistry of Carbon Compounds. 1985. New York: Elsevier. 209. 14. Glasby, J. S. Encyclopaedia of the Alkaloids. 1975. New York: Plenum Press. l:731. 15. Brossi, Arnold. The Alkaloids. 1988. Academic Press: San Diego CA. 33:54, 63 16. Marion, L. and A.F. Thomas. A further Observation on the Biogenesis of Hyoscyamine. 1955. Can. J. Chem. 33: 1853. 17. Leete, E., Marion, L., and Spencer, I.D. Nature, 1954, 174: 650. 18. Herbert, R. B. Rodd's Chemistry of Carbon Compounds. 1985. New York: Elsevier. 219

Review of Research Paper on the Interphase of Mitosis -- Biology Eukar

Introduction The eukaryotic cell cycle, mitosis, is a succession of events that occur for the reproduction and growth of these multi-cellular organisms. Characteristic events in mitosis can divide the cell cycle into different stages, or phases. This paper focuses on the interphase of cell cycle, which is when DNA replication occurs, and the cell is engaged in metabolic activities to prepare itself for cell division. The idea that these two processes are related arises much controversy in what their relation is exactly. A few theories propose that the cell cycle dictates DNA replication, whereas others support that DNA replication dictates the cell cycle. However, more research on yeast cells have determined that some unknown mechanisms link these two processes together. The experiment did not find conclusive evidence that either one of the processes controls the action of the other. Metabolism A major concept displayed throughout our scientific paper is the metabolic cycle, more specifically, how yeast goes through metabolism. To better understand the metabolic cycle of yeast, a general overview of metabolism is needed. Metabolism is a blanket term covering all of the chemical reactions that occur in living cells. These processes are the basis of life, allowing cells to grow, reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond outwardly towards their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories; catabolism and anabolism. Anabolism uses energy to build different components of cells such as proteins and nucleic acids. Catabolism, on the other hand, is the process that yields energy, one example of that is the breakdown of food in cellular respiration. Catabolism is the process that is focused on in the pap... ...hesize DNA, as two peaks begin to appear as some cells enter G2 of the cell cycle after going through the S phase, which doubles their DNA. In the reductive charging phase, you see the number of cells in G2 decrease as they enter Mitosis and become part of the G1 population as they half their DNA. Cell Cycle Connection In this experiment they used nutrient-poor conditions, in which the yeast cells acted as one unit. This means that the cells underwent replication simultaneously. Normally under nutrient-rich conditions, the cell cycles are random. By taking away the nutrients, the cells had to organize to utilize the nutrients available to sustain life most efficiently. Technically the cells divide up into two groups, where one is replicating while the other is not. Sources View the Paper Online: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/316/5833/1916/

Principles of Public International Law Essay

â€Å"Law will never really play an effective part in international relations until it can annex to its own sphere some of the matters which at present lie within the domestic jurisdiction of the several states. † Discuss ‘The principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people, whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognised’. The aforementioned is a definition of law as defined by the American Heritage dictionary of the English Language. If we apply this definition of community in its strictest sense it becomes increasingly difficult to subscribe to the view that there is an international community at large. If we begin to analyse statistics that show that there are over 7000 languages in the world, approximately 10,000 distinctly different religions, and a disputably infinite number of ethnic groups across just the 195 countries that comprise our global society, then it becomes patently clear that we would be better off highlighting our divisiveness rather than our prospects as a global community. Our collective history as human beings, however, tells a different story about our common interest and the way in which we have formally raised and torn down barriers to promote the same. We have, on the other hand, been separated on the basis of differing ideologies and the exercise of exclusive nationalism. Since the latter is a sentiment which resides in particular nations which have at their core a set legal framework validating their very existence and their interaction with other nations, it is essential to any study of law’s application to international relations. How does a sovereign nation reconcile its very sovereignty with its growing need to be integrated into a shrinking global society with its concomitant shrinking global economy? It is clear that some compromises must be made. Before we consider any specific cases in which states have decided to relinquish some of their sovereign power, we must consider the implications of the term sovereignty itself, the elements of sovereignty and its importance to a nation-state. Much has been written on the topic of sovereignty. Definitions vary slightly from one text to the other but they all have at their core, when specifically referring to the idea of state sovereignty, the idea of legitimate authority. In Sohail H. Hashmi’s discourse on sovereignty in the book ‘State Sovereignty, Change and Resistance in International Relations’, he asserts, referring to the concept of legitimate authority, that it is â€Å" a broad concept – not a definition but a wide category – that unites most of sovereignty’s tradition. He further notes that authority can be defined as â€Å"The right to command and correlatively, the right to be obeyed† and is only legitimate â€Å"when it is seen as right by those living under it. † It is to be noted that legitimate authority is not simply the idea of more power. R. P. Wolf, the twentieth century political philosopher and individual anarchist, illustrates the difference more sharply in a classical example in which he argues â€Å"if I am forced at gunpoint to hand over my money, I am subject to power; if I pay my taxes even though I think I can cheat I am recognizing legitimate authority. † We must recognize, however, that though legitimate authority is the overarching principle on any discourse on state sovereignty, there are specific elements of state sovereignty that are crucial, which every sovereign state holds dear to it and attempts to retain regardless of seemingly necessary or stipulated concessions of power, influence or authority to the international community. They include International Legal Validation (of a sovereign state), Interdependence Sovereignty and Domestic Sovereignty. International Legal Validation can be viewed as the right of the state to be a sovereign entity as prescribed by ‘international law’. It is legitimate authority as a legal construct or as Hashami puts it â€Å"legitimate authority† that is â€Å"prescribed by the law. † (Hashami, pg 18) The author Stephen D. Krasner in his book ‘Sovereignty, Organised Hypocrisy’ describes this element of sovereignty as international legal sovereignty. He states that it â€Å"refers to the practices associated with mutual recognition, usually between territorial entities that have formal juridical independence. † At its core international legal validation concerns issues of the recognition of states. If one were ignorant about the political climate on the global front, the natural answer to the question ‘how did a state become a state? ’ would be that ‘the would-be state must satisfy the defined stipulations (in international law) for becoming a state. Following this line of reasoning would inevitably lead one to the very first article of the Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States, which since 1933 set out that â€Å"The state, as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications: (a) permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with other states. It does not take much political savvy, however, to understand that the legal criteria for statehood and the actual criteria for being recognized as a state by the international community at large is a de facto and de jure issue. As Krasner postulates â€Å"States have recognized other governments even when they did not h ave control over their claimed territory, such as the German and Italian recognition of the Franco regime in 1936, and the American recognition of the Lon Nol government in Cambodia in 1970. States have continued to recognize governments which have lost power, including Mexican recognition of the Spanish republican regime of 1977, and recognition of the Chinese Nationalist regime by all of the major Western powers until the 1970s. States have refused to recognize new governments even when they have established effective control, such as the British refusal to recognize the July monarch in France until 1832, the US refusal to recognise the Soviet regime until 1934. (Krasner, pg 15) The recognition of states is definitely an area in which the law (as prescribed by the Montevideo Convention and more recently the EU, which has almost identical tenets concerning the recognition of states) has proved ineffective in international relations precisely because of the political agendas and consequently domestic jurisdiction of the several states which reflect the political climate in which they operate. States attempt to hold on to this type of sovereignty because it affords them clout and validation in a global society in which interdependence is not just an ideal but a tool for survival, at the very least and a necessary aid to prosperity at the very most. The point here is not that nonrecognition brings with it a form of absolute isolation which renders the unrecognised state permanently barred from international commerce and diplomatic relations. What is of paramount importance, however, is the fact that nonrecognition brings with it an air of uncertainty concerning the unrecognised state, particularly in the eyes of multinational firms which as a result may be more reluctant to invest. Krasner notes that â€Å"by facilitating accords, international legal sovereignty offers the possibility for rulers to secure external resources that can enhance their ability to stay in power and promote the security, economic, and ideational interest of their constituents. (Krasner, pg 17) Interdependence sovereignty is the ability of a state to regulate the flow of information, goods, ideas and people into and out of its country. States try to hold on to this type of sovereignty because their ability to do this is directly related to their ability to effectively take control and organise their own polity, which in essence is domestic sovereignty which states must hold on to by definition i. e. in order to be a state in the first place. We shall consider reasons which prompt states to relinquish some of their sovereignty later in our discussion. We have thus far acknowledged, via several examples, based on the politics involved in the process of mutual recognition of states, that the issue of international legal sovereignty or international legal validation is a de facto versus de jure consideration. Is this, however, a trend in the legal procedures in international relations? The law, based on our previously defined definition, must be applicable to the actors in the community in hich it is operating. If, in the realm of international relations, the law can be voluntarily and regularly flouted by those who come under its subjection then serious questions arise about the very existence of ‘international law’. It must be duly noted though that states undeniably operate within the workings of a law order which to a large extent regulates their day to day interactions with one another and which is autonomo us in its operations. There are a countless number of international treatises that are steadfastly observed on a day to day basis. Examples include international agreements which facilitate the smooth to and fro transport of letters which are transported to all corners of the globe at fixed rates which are stipulated by the Universal postal union, the establishment of hundreds of football leagues worldwide- the individual countries who oversee them all subscribing to the specific rules and regulation set out by the world governing body in football, F. I. F. A. and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations which afford diplomats exemption from prosecution within the courts of the country in which they are stationed. It is evident then that there is a legal framework that regulates the goings on of international relations. We have to probe a bit deeper into the workings of this system in order to ascertain whether or not it can accurately be characterised as international law. It can be argued that upon examination of our above examples of situations in which law plays an effective role in international relations, that the circumstances demand that such broad and far-reaching legal action be undertaken. The methods may vary but in order for letters to be transported globally there must be some standardisation procedure. This sort of necessary ‘self-coercion’ can be observed in a slightly different manner in the operations of international trade and commerce. Often times when two countries have a trade dispute they seek to resolve it in the World Trade Organisation (W. T. O. ), the foremost international authority on trade and trade disputes. The country that loses the dispute, in a legal case which is heard before a court of law under the auspices of the W. T. O. , more often that not abides by the decision. This, again, is not necessarily because the losing party has a great respect or reverence for ‘international law’ or the W. T. O. per se, but rather because it is within its interest to do so. As Harris explains, â€Å"The great majority of the rules of international law are generally observed by all nations without actual compulsion, for it is generally in the interest of all nations concerned to honour their obligations under international law. † (Harris pg 8) He further argues that a nation will be â€Å"reluctant to disregard its obligations under a commercial treaty, since the benefits that it expects from the execution of the treaty by the other contracting parties are complimentary to those anticipated by the latter. It may thus stand to loose more than it would gain by not fulfilling its part in the bargain. This is particularly so in the long run since a nation that has the reputation of reneging on its commercial obligations will find it hard to conclude commercial treaties beneficially to itself. † (Harris pg8) There is, evidently then, a law amongst nations, which is effective regardless of the reason for it being so. The problem of defining this law amongst nations as ‘international law’, however, lies in part because of those very cases in which it is flagrantly disregarded. For any legal system to functional optimally it must operate in a community in which there is a legislative system to make laws as it sees fit, a judiciary to implement the administration of justice and an executive body to enforce the law. Now grant it, generally speaking, there is no formal legislative system in international relations, when countries enter into agreements with each other the signing of treaties is usually undertaken and this serves as the source of law that is meant to dictate the terms of their agreement. However, unlike what is the case in municipal law, there is no definite enforceability method. There is no one authority that can guarantee the compliance of states to international treaties or conventions. We have already made the point that in most cases compliance has become second nature – but what of the cases (though they are scarce) in which it is not? Within the domestic law arena there are cases in which the law is glaringly broken. Once there is enough evidence to convict the wrongdoer, he is convicted and punished. The punitive measures that are undertaken would have been pre-determined by the legislative body and subsequently enforced by an executive body. There is no such arrangement in the international domain. As Harris puts forward â€Å"The problem of enforcement becomes acute, however, in that minority of important and generally spectacular cases, particularly important in the context of our discussion, in which compliance with international law and its enforcement have a direct bearing on the relative power of the nations concerned. In those cases†¦considerations of power rather than of law determine compliance and enforcement. † (Harris, pg 9) Therein lies the difficulty in saying that there is a law of nations. Having established the problematic nature of ‘international law’ or a ‘law of nations’, we shall henceforth temporarily ignore our challenges with nomenclature for the purposes of our remaining discussion. That being said, it is of critical importance to analyse the impact of international law on municipal law and vice versa. There is an ongoing dispute between theorist who believe that international law and municipal law are two separate legal orders and theorist who believe that they are part of the same legal order. The formative argument is known as dualism while the latter is known as monism. There is no one argument based on either monism or dualism that comprehensively settles the dispute. â€Å"On the international plane, international law is invoked and applied on a daily basis by states and intergovernmental organisations. With minor exceptions, it is the only law that applies to the conduct of states and international organisations in their relations with one another. Here international law is a distinct legal system, comparable in its scope and function to a national legal system. † (Buergenthal-Murphy, pg 3) The point mentioned above is very valid and gives credence to the dualism argument. Diplomatic relations, as discussed earlier, are dealt with strictly on the international plane. In order to see the appeal of the monism argument however we have to look no further than the argument establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice (C. C. J. ). Article XXIII of this agreement is as follows: 1)Each contracting party should, to the maximum extent possible, encourage and facilitate the use of arbitration and other means of alternative dispute resolution for the settlement of international commercial disputes. )To this end, each contracting party shall provide appropriate procedures to ensure observance of agreements to arbitrate and for the recognition and enforcement of arbitral award in such disputes. The C. C. J. is a court whose aim is to have a â€Å"determinative role in the further development of Caribbean jurisprudence through the juridical process† is thus an international lega l authority. In order for its smooth operation it must nevertheless depend on the domestic jurisdictions of its member states. Monism and dualism can hence be viewed as fluid concepts which exist in varying degrees.

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 16. Too-Much-Information Alert

16. Too-Much-Information Alert I took off early, long before sunrise was due. I'd gotten just a little bit of uneasy sleep leaning against the side of the sofa. Edward woke me when Bella's face was flushed, and he took my spot to cool her back down. I stretched and decided I was rested enough to get some work done. â€Å"Thank you,† Edward said quietly, seeing my plans. â€Å"If the route is clear, they'll go today.† Tillet you know.† It felt good to get back to my animal self. I was stiff from sitting still for so long. I extended my stride, working out the kinks. Morning, Jacob,Leah greeted me. Good, you're up. How long's Seth been out? Not out yet,Seth thought sleepily. Almost there. What do you need? You think you got another hour in you? Sure thing. No problem.Seth got to his feet right away, shaking out his fur. Let's make the deep run,Itold Leah. Seth, take the perimeter. Gotcha.Seth broke into an easy jog. Off on another vampire errand,Leah grumbled. You got a problem with that? Of course not. I just love to coddle those darling leeches. Good. Let's see how fast we can run. Okay, I'm definitely up forthat Leah was on the far western rim of the perimeter. Rather than cut close to the Cullens' house, she stuck to the circle as she raced around to meet me. I sprinted off straight east, knowing that even with the head start, she'd be passing me soon if I took it easy for even a second. Nose to the ground, Leah. This isn't a race, it's a reconnaissance mission. I can do both and still kick your butt I gave her that one. know. She laughed. We took a winding path through the eastern mountains. It wasa familiar route. We'd run these mountains when the vampires had left a year ago, making it part of our patrol route to better protect the people here. Then we'd pulled back the lines when the Cullens returned. This was their treaty land. But that fact would probably mean nothing to Sam now. The treaty was dead. The question today was how thin he was willing to spread his force. Was he looking for stray Cullens to poach on their land or not? Had Jared spoken the truth or taken advantage of the silence between us? We got deeper and deeper into the mountains without finding any trace of the pack. Fading vampire trails were everywhere, but the scents were familiar now. I was breathing them in all day long. I founda heavy, somewhat recent concentration on one particular trail – all of them coming and going here except for Edward. Some reason for gathering that must have been forgotten when Edward brought his dying pregnant wife home. I gritted my teeth. Whatever it was, it had nothing to do with me. Leah didn't push herself past me, though she could have now. I was paying more attention to each new scent than I was to the speed contest. She kept to my right side, running with me rather than racing against me. Were getting pretty far out here,she commented. Yeah. If Sam was hunting strays, we should have crossed his trail by now. Makes more sense right now for him to bunker down in La Push,Leah thought. He knows we're giving the bloodsuckers three extra sets of eyes and legs. He's not going to be able to surprise them. This was just a precaution, really. Wouldn't want our precious parasites taking unnecessary chances. Nope,I agreed, ignoring the sarcasm. You've changed so much, Jacob. Talk about one-eighties. You're not exactly the same Leah I've always known and loved, either. True. Am I less annoying than Paul now? Amazingly†¦ yes. Ah, sweet success. Congrats. We ran in silence again then. It was probably time to turn around, but neither of us wanted to. It felt nice to run like this. We'd been staring at the same small circle of atrail for too long. It felt good to stretch our muscles and take the rugged terrain. We weren't in a huge hurry, so I thought maybe we should hunt on the way back. Leah was pretty hungry. Yum, yum,she thought sourly. It's all in your head,I told her. That's the way wolves eat. It's natural. It tastes fine. If you didn't think about it from a human perspective – Forget the pep talk, Jacob. I'll hunt I don't have to like it Sure, sure,I agreed easily. It wasn't my business if she wanted to make things harder for herself. She didn't add anything for a few minutes; I started thinking about turning back. Thank you,Leah suddenly told me in a much different tone. For? For letting me be. For letting me stay. You've been nicer than I had any right to expect, Jacob. Er, no problem. Actually, I mean that. I don't mind having you here like I thought I would. She snorted, but it was a playful sound. What a glowing commendation! Don't let it go to your head. Okay – if you don't let this go to yours.She paused for a second. think you make a good Alpha. Not in the same way Sam does, but in your own way. You're worth following, Jacob. My mind went blank with surprise. It took me a second to recover enough to respond. Er, thanks. Not totally sure I'll be able to stop that one from going to my head, though. Where did that come from? She didn't answer right away, and I followed the wordless direction of her thoughts. She was thinking about the future – about what I'd said to Jared the other morning. About how the time would be up soon, and then I'd go back to the forest. About how I'd promised that she and Seth would return to the pack when the Cullens were gone___ want to stay with you, she told me. The shock shot through my legs, locking my joints. She blew past me and then put on the brakes. Slowly, she walked back to where I was frozen in place. won't be a pain, I swear. I won't follow you around. You can go wherever you want, and I'll go where I want. You'll only have to put up with me when we're both wolves. She paced back and forth in front of me, swishing her long gray tail nervously. And, as I'm planning on quitting as soon as I can manage it†¦ maybe that won't be so often. I didn't know what to say. I'm happier now, as a part of your pack, than I have been in years. I want to stay, too,Seth thought quietly. I hadn't realized he'd been paying much attention to us as he ran the perimeter. like this pack. Hey, now! Seth, this isn't going to be a pack much longer.I tried to put my thoughts together so they would convince him. We've got a purpose now, but when†¦ after that's over, I'm just going to go wolf. Seth, you need a purpose. You're a good kid. You're the kind of person who always has a crusade. And there's no way you're leaving La Push now. You're going to graduate from high school and do something with your life. You're going to take care of Sue. My issues are not going to mess up your future. But – Jacob is rightLeah seconded. You're agreeing with me? Of course. But none of that applies tome. was on my way out anyway. I'll get a job somewhere away from La Push. Maybe take some courses at a community college. Get into yoga and meditation to work on my temper issues†¦. And stay a part of this pack for the sake of my mental well-being. Jacob – you can see how that makes sense, right? I won't bother you, you won't bother me, everyone is happy. I turned back and started loping slowly toward the west. This is a bit much to deal with, Leah. Let me think about it, ‘kay? Sure. Take your time. It took us longer to make the run back. I wasn't trying for speed. I was just trying to concentrate enough that I wouldn't plow headfirst into a tree. Seth was grumbling a little bit in the back of my head, but I was able to ignore him. He knew I was right. He wasn't going to abandon his mom. He would go back to La Push and protect the tribe like he should. But I couldn't see Leah doing that. And that was just plain scary. A pack of the two of us? No matter the physical distance, I couldn't imagine the†¦ the intimacy of that situation. I wondered if she'd really thought it through, or if she was just desperate to stay free. Leah didn't say anything as I chewed it over. It was like she was trying to prove how easy it would be if it was just us. We ran into a herd of black-tailed deer just as the sun was coming up, brightening the clouds a little bit behind us. Leah sighed internally but didn't hesitate. Her lunge was clean and efficient – graceful, even. She took down the largest one, the buck, before the startled animal fully understood the danger. Not to be outdone, I swooped down on the next largest deer, snapping her neck between my jaws quickly, so she wouldn't feel unnecessary pain. I could feel Leah's disgust warring with her hunger, and I tried to make it easier for her by letting the wolf in me have my head. I'd lived all-wolf for long enough that I knew how to be the animal completely, to see his way and think his way. I let the practical instincts take over, letting her feel that, too. She hesitated for a second, but then, tentatively, she seemed to reach out with her mind and try to see my way. It felt very strange – our minds were more closely linked than they had ever been before, because we both were trying to think together. Strange, but it helped her. Her teeth cut through the fur and skin of her kill's shoulder, tearing away a thick slab of streaming flesh. Rather than wince away as her human thoughts wanted to, she let her wolf-self react instinctively. It was kind of a numbing thing, a thoughtless thing. It let her eat in peace. It was easy for me to do the same. And I was glad I hadn't forgotten this. This would be my life again soon. Was Leah going to be a part of that life? A week ago, I wouldve found that idea beyond horrifying. I wouldn't've been able to stand it. But I knew her better now. And, relieved from the constant pain, she wasn't the same wolf. Not the same girl. We ate together until we both were full. Thanks,she told me later as she was cleaning her muzzle and paws against the wet grass. I didn't bother; it had just started to drizzle and we had to swim the river again on our way back. I'd get clean enough. That wasn't so bad, thinking your way. You're welcome. Seth was dragging when we hit the perimeter. I told him to get some sleep; Leah and I would take over the patrol. Seth's mind faded into unconsciousness just seconds later. You headed back to the bloodsuckers?Leah asked. Maybe. It's hard for you to be there, but hard to stay away, too. I know how that feels. You know, Leah, you might want to think a little bit about the future, about what you really want to do. My head is not going to be the happiest place on earth. And you'll have to suffer right along with me. She thought about how to answer me. Wow, this is going to sound bad. But, honestly, it will be easier to deal with your pain than face mine. Fair enough. I know it's going to be bad for you, Jacob. I understand that – maybe better than you think. I don't like her, but†¦ she's your Sam. She's everything you want and everything you can't have. I couldn't answer. know it's worse for you. At least Sam is happy. At least he's alive and well. I love him enough that I want that. I want him to have what's best for him. She sighed. I just don't want to stick around to watch. Do we need to talk about this? I think we do. Because I want you to know that I won't make it worse for you. Hell, maybe I'll even help. I wasn'tborn a compassionless shrew. I used to be sort of nice, you know. My memory doesn't go that far back. We both laughed once. I'm sorry about this, Jacob. I'm sorry you're in pain. I'm sorry it's getting worse and not better Thanks, Leah. She thought about the things that were worse, the black pictures in my head, while I tried to tune her out without much success. She was able to look at them with some distance, some perspective, and I had to admit that this was helpful. I could imagine that maybe I would be able to see it that way, too, in a few years. She saw the funny side of the daily irritations that came from hanging out around vampires. She liked my ragging on Rosalie, chuckling internally and even running through a few blonde jokes in her mind that I might be able to work in. But then her thoughts turned serious, lingering on Rosalie's face in a way that confused me. You know what's crazy?she asked. Well, almost everything is crazy right now. But what do you mean? That blond vampire you hate so much – totally get her perspective. For a second I thought she was making a joke that was in very poor taste. And then, when I realized she was serious, the fury that ripped through me was hard to control. It was a good thing we'd spread out to run our watch. If she'd been within biting distance†¦ Hold up! Let me explain! Don't want to hear it I'm outta here. Wait! Wait!she pleaded as I tried to calm myself enough to phase back. C'mon, Jake! Leah, this isn't really the best way to convince me that I want to spend more time with you in the future. Yeesh! What an overreaction. You don't even know what I'm talking about So whatare you talking about? And then she was suddenly the pain-hardened Leah from before. I'm talking about being a genetic dead end, Jacob. The vicious edge to her words left me floundering. I hadn't expected to have my anger trumped. I don't understand. Youwould, if you weren't just like the rest of them. If my â€Å"female sfu/T – she thought the words with a hard, sarcastic tone – didn't send you running for cover just like any stupid male, so you could actually pay attention to what it all means. Oh. Yeah, so none of us like to think about that stuff with her. Who would? Of course I remembered Leah's panic that first month after she joined the pack – and I remembered cringing away from it just like everyone else. Because she couldn't be pregnant – not unless there was some really freaky religious immaculate crap going on. She hadn't been with anyone since Sam. And then, when the weeks dragged on and nothing turned into more nothing, she'd realized that her body wasn't following the normal patterns anymore. The horror – what was she now? Had her body changed because she'd become a werewolf? Or had she become a werewolf because her body was wrong? The only female werewolf in the history of forever. Was that because she wasn't as female as she should be? None of us had wanted to deal with that breakdown. Obviously, it wasn't like we could empathize. You know why Sam thinks we imprint,she thought, calmer now. Sure. To carry on the line. Right. To make a bunch of new little werewolves. Survival of the species, genetic override. You're drawn to the person who gives you the best chance to pass on the wolf gene. I waited for her to tell me where she was qoinq with this. If I was any good for that, Sam would have been drawn tome. Her pain was enough that I broke stride under it. But I'm not There's something wrong with me. I don't have the ability to pass on the gene, apparently, despite my stellar bloodlines. So I become a freak – the girlie-wolf – good for nothing else. I'm a genetic dead end and we both know it. We do not,I argued with her. That's just Sam's theory. Imprinting happens, but we don't know why. Billy thinks it's something else. I know, I know. He thinks you're imprinting to makestronger wolves. Because you and Sam are such humongous monsters – bigger than our fathers. But either way, I'm still not a candidate. I'm†¦ I'm menopausal. I'm twenty years old and I'm menopausal. Ugh. I so didn't want to have this conversation. You don't know that, Leah. It's probably just the whole frozen-in-time thing. When you quit your wolf and start getting older again, I'm sure things will†¦ er†¦ pick right back up. might think that – except that no one's imprinting onme, notwithstanding my impressive pedigree. You know, she added thoughtfully, if you weren't around, Seth would probably have the best claim to being Alpha – through his blood, at least. Of course, no one would ever consider me†¦. You reallywant to imprint, or be imprinted on, or whichever? I demanded. What's wrong with going out and falling in love like a normal person, Leah? Imprinting is just another way of getting your choices taken away from you. Sam, Jared, Paul, Quit†¦ they don't seem to mind. None of themhave a mind of their own. You don't want to imprint? Hell, no! That's just because you're already in love withher. That would go away, you know, if you imprinted. You wouldn't have to hurt over her anymore. Do you want to forget the way you feel about Sam? She deliberated for a moment. think I do. I sighed. She was in a healthier place than I was. But back to my original point, Jacob. I understand why your blond vampire is so cold – in the figurative sense. She's focused. She's got her eyes on the prize, right? Because you always want the very most what you can never, ever have. You would act like Rosalie? You would murder someone – because that's what she's doing, making sure no one interferes with Bella's death – you would do that to have a baby? Since when are you a breeder? I just want the options I don't have, Jacob. Maybe, if there was nothing wrong with me, I would never give it a thought. You would kill for that?I demanded, not letting her escape my question. That's not what she's doing. I think it's more like she's living vicariously. And†¦ if Bella askedme to help her with this†¦She paused, considering. Even though I don't think too much of her, I'd probably do the same as the bloodsucker. A loud snarl ripped through my teeth. Because, if it was turned around, I'd want Bella to do that for me. And so would Rosalie. We'd both do it her way. Ugh! You're as bad as they are! That's the funny thing about knowing you can't have something. It makes you desperate. And.. . that's my limit Right there. This conversation is over. Fine. It wasn't enough that she'd agreed to stop. I wanted a stronger termination than that. I was only about a mile from where I'd left my clothes, so I phased back to human and walked. I didn't think about our conversation. Not because there wasn't anything to think about, but because I couldn't stand it. I would not see it that way – but it was harder to keep from doing that when Leah had put the thoughts and emotions straight into my head. Yeah, I wasn't running with her when this was finished. She could go be miserable in La Push. One little Alpha command before I left for good wasn't going to kill anybody. It was real early when I got to the house. Bella was probably still asleep. I figured I'd poke my head in, see what was going on, give 'em the green light to go hunting, and then find a patch of grass soft enough to sleep on while human. I wasn't phasing back until Leah was asleep. But there was a lot of low mumbling going on inside the house, so maybe Bella wasn't sleeping. And then I heard the machinery sound from upstairs again – the X-ray? Great. It looked like day four on the countdown was starting off with a bang. Alice opened the door for me before I could walk in. She nodded. â€Å"Hey, wolf.† â€Å"Hey, shortie. What's going on upstairs?† The big room was empty – all the murmurs were on the second floor. She shrugged her pointy little shoulders. â€Å"Maybe another break.† She tried to say the words casually, but I could see the flames in the very back of her eyes. Edward and I weren't the only ones who were burning over this. Alice loved Bella, too. â€Å"Another rib?† I asked hoarsely. â€Å"No. Pelvis this time.† Funny how it kept hitting me, like each new thing was a surprise. When was I going to stop being surprised? Each new disaster seemed kinda obvious in hindsight. Alice was staring at my hands, watching them tremble. Then we were listening to Rosalie's voice upstairs. â€Å"See, I told you I didn't hear a crack. You need your ears checked, Edward.† There was no answer. Alice made a face. â€Å"Edward's going to end up ripping Rose into small pieces, I think. I'm surprised she doesn't see that. Or maybe she thinks Emmett will be able to stop him.† â€Å"I'll take Emmett,† I offered. â€Å"You can help Edward with the ripping part.† Alice half-smiled. The procession came down the stairs then – Edward had Bella this time. She was gripping her cup of blood in both hands, and her face was white. I could see that, though he compensated for every tiny movement of his body to keep from jostling her, she was hurting. â€Å"Jake,† she whispered, and she smiled through the pain. I stared at her, saying nothing. Edward placed Bella carefully on her couch and sat on the floor by her head. I wondered briefly why they didn't leave her upstairs, and then decided at once that it must be Bella's idea. She'd want to act like things were normal, avoid the hospital setup. And he was humoring her. Naturally. Carlisle came down slowly, the last one, his face creased with worry. It made him look old enough to be a doctor for once. â€Å"Carlisle,† I said. â€Å"We went halfway to Seattle. There's no sign of the pack. You're good to go.† â€Å"Thank you, Jacob. This is good timing. There's much that we need.† His black eyes flickered to the cup that Bella was holding so tight. â€Å"Honestly, I think you're safe to take more than three. I'm pretty positive that Sam is concentrating on La Push.† Carlisle nodded in agreement. It surprised me how willingly he took my advice. â€Å"If you think so. Alice, Esme, Jasper, and I will go. Then Alice can take Emmett and Rosa – â€Å" â€Å"Not a chance,† Rosalie hissed. â€Å"Emmett can go with you now.† â€Å"You should hunt,† Carlisle said in a gentle voice. His tone didn't soften hers. â€Å"I'll hunt when he does,† she growled, jerking her head toward Edward and then flipping her hair back. Carlisle sighed. Jasper and Emmett were down the stairs in a flash, and Alice joined them by the glass back door in the same second. Esme flitted to Alice's side. Carlisle put his hand on my arm. The icy touch did not feel good, but I didn't jerk away. I held still, half in surprise, and half because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. â€Å"Thank you,† he said again, and then he darted out the door with the other four. My eyes followed them as they flew across the lawn and then disappeared before I took another breath. Their needs must have been more urgent than I'd imagined. There was no sound for a minute. I could feel someone glaring at me, and I knew who it would be. I'd been planning to take off and get some Z's, but the chance to ruin Rosalie's morning seemed too good to pass up. So I sauntered over to the armchair next to the one Rosalie had and settled in, sprawling out so that my head was tilted toward Bella and my left foot was near Rosalie's face. â€Å"Ew. Someone put the dog out,† she murmured, wrinkling her nose. â€Å"Have you heard this one, Psycho? How do a blonde's brain cells die?† She didn't say anything. â€Å"Well?† I asked. â€Å"Do you know the punch line or not?† She looked pointedly at the TV and ignored me. â€Å"Has she heard it?† I asked Edward. There was no humor on his tense face – he didn't move his eyes from Bella. But he said, â€Å"No.† â€Å"Awesome. So you'll enjoy this, bloodsucker – a blonde's brain cells die alone.† Rosalie still didn't look at me. â€Å"I have killed a hundred times more often than you have, you disgusting beast. Don't forget that.† â€Å"Someday, Beauty Queen, you're going to get tired of just threatening me. I'm really looking forward to that.† â€Å"Enough, Jacob,† Bella said. I looked down, and she was scowling at me. It looked like yesterday's good mood was long gone. Well, I didn't want to bug her. â€Å"You want me to take off?† I offered. Before I could hope – or fear – that she'd finally gotten tired of me, she blinked, and her frown disappeared. She seemed totally shocked that I would come to that conclusion. â€Å"No! Of course not.† I sighed, and I heard Edward sigh very quietly, too. I knew he wished she'd get over me, too. Too bad he'd never ask her to do anything that might make her unhappy. â€Å"You look tired,† Bella commented. â€Å"Dead beat,† I admitted. I'dlike to beat you dead,† Rosalie muttered, too low for Bella to hear. I just slumped deeper into the chair, getting comfortable. My bare foot dangled closer to Rosalie, and she stiffened. After a few minutes Bella asked Rosalie for a refill. I felt the wind as Rosalie blew upstairs to get her some more blood. It was really quiet. Might as well take a nap, I figured. And then Edward said, â€Å"Did you say something?† in a puzzled tone. Strange. Because no one had said anything, and because Edward's hearing was as good as mine, and he should have known that. He was staring at Bella, and she was staring back. They both looked confused. â€Å"Me?† she asked after a second. â€Å"I didn't say anything.† He moved onto his knees, leaning forward over her, his expression suddenly intense in a whole different way. His black eyes focused on her face. â€Å"What are you thinking about right now?† She stared at him blankly. â€Å"Nothing. What's going on?† â€Å"What were you thinking about a minute ago?† he asked. â€Å"Just†¦ Esme's island. And feathers.† Sounded like total gibberish to me, but then she blushed, and I figured I was better off not knowing. â€Å"Say something else,† he whispered. Tike what? Edward, what's going on?† His face changed again, and he did something that made my mouth fall open with a pop. I heard a gasp behind me, and I knew that Rosalie was back, and just as flabbergasted as I was. Edward, very lightly, put both of his hands against her huge, round stomach. ‘The f – † He swallowed. â€Å"It†¦ the baby likes the sound of your voice.† There was one short beat of total silence. I could not move a muscle, even to blink. Then – â€Å"Holy crow, you can hear him!†Bella shouted. In the next second, she winced. Edward's hand moved to the top peak of her belly and gently rubbed the spot where it must have kicked her. â€Å"Shh,† he murmured. â€Å"You startled it†¦ him.† Her eyes got all wide and full of wonder. She patted the side of her stomach. â€Å"Sorry, baby.† Edward was listening hard, his head tilted toward the bulge. â€Å"What's he thinking now?† she demanded eagerly. â€Å"It†¦ he or she, is †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused and looked up into her eyes. His eyes were filled with a similar awe – only his were more careful and grudging. â€Å"He's happy† Edward said in an incredulous voice. Her breath caught, and it was impossible not to see the fanatical gleam in her eyes. The adoration and the devotion. Big, fat tears overflowed her eyes and ran silently down her face and over her smiling lips. As he stared at her, his face was not frightened or angry or burning or any of the other expressions he'd worn since their return. He was marveling with her. â€Å"Of course you're happy, pretty baby, of course you are,† she crooned, rubbing her stomach while the tears washed her cheeks. â€Å"How could you not be, all safe and warm and loved? I love you so much, little EJ, of course you're happy.† â€Å"What did you call him?† Edward asked curiously. She blushed again. â€Å"I sort of named him. I didn't think you would want†¦ well, you know.† â€Å"EJ?† â€Å"Your father's name was Edward, too.† â€Å"Yes, it was. What – ?† He paused and then said, â€Å"Hmm.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"He likes my voice, too.† â€Å"Of course he does.† Her tone was almost gloating now. â€Å"You have the most beautiful voice in the universe. Who wouldn't love it?† â€Å"Do you have a backup plan?† Rosalie asked then, leaning over the back of the sofa with the same wondering, gloating look on her face that was on Bella's. â€Å"What if he's a she?† Bella wiped the back of her hand under her wet eyes. â€Å"I kicked a few things around. Playing with Renee and Esme. I was thinking†¦ Ruh-nez-may.† â€Å"Ruhnezmay?† â€Å"R-e-n-e-s-m-e-e. Too weird?† â€Å"No, I like it,† Rosalie assured her. Their heads were close together, gold and mahogany. â€Å"It's beautiful. And one of a kind, so that fits† â€Å"I still think he's an Edward.† Edward was staring off into space, his face blank as he listened. â€Å"What?† Bella asked, her face just glowing away. â€Å"What's he thinking now?† At first he didn't answer, and then – shocking all the rest of us again, three distinct and separate gasps – he laid his ear tenderly against her belly. â€Å"He loves you,† Edward whispered, sounding dazed. â€Å"He absolutely adores you.† In that moment, I knew that I was alone. All alone. I wanted to kick myself when I realized how much I'd been counting on that loathsome vampire. How stupid – as if you could ever trust a leech! Of course he would betray me in the end. I'd counted on him to be on my side. I'd counted on him to suffer more than I suffered. And, most of all, I'd counted on him to hate that revolting thing killing Bella more than I hated it. I'd trusted him with that. Yet now they were together, the two of them bent over the budding, invisible monster with their eyes lit up like a happy family. And I was all alone with my hatred and the pain that was so bad it was like being tortured. Like being dragged slowly across a bed of razor blades. Pain so bad you'd take death with a smile just to get away from it. The heat unlocked my frozen muscles, and I was on my feet. All three of their heads snapped up, and I watched my pain ripple across Edward's face as he trespassed in my head again. â€Å"Ahh,† he choked. I didn't know what I was doing; I stood there, trembling, ready to bolt for the very first escape that I could think of. Moving like the strike of a snake, Edward darted to a small end table and ripped something from the drawer there. He tossed it at me, and I caught the object reflexively. â€Å"Go, Jacob. Get away from here.† He didn't say it harshly – he threw the words at me like they were a life preserver. He was helping me find the escape I was dying for. The object in my hand was a set of car keys.